11 O'Clock Comics Episode 29

[AZN_FIST]

So let me get this straight...

Every time I hear that people find themselves spending MORE through discount online services, your telling me that they are lying.

Every time that I hear people say they can't get out of discount warehouses like Costco or Sam's Club for under $200, they are mistaken?

Every time I hear reports about Wal Mart making profits because of their low prices while every other retail store is in the shitter, they are lying too.

Your right when the products we want are available at a lower price, we won't over indulge at all.


the Tiki


PS.  I apologize for the snarkiness.  I do love you.  

Whoa, Tiki LOL.

We can take advantage of good discounts but I think what Deadcow was getting to was rather more of the solution-saying-comments, and not much to follow it up with.

[deadcowaroma]

You know, we "lower the prices and people will buy more" proponents aren't pulling the idea out of our asses. Take a look around on the forums and at your LCS and take note of the number of people that refuse to buy books -- even ones as rock frickin' solid as X-Men/Spider-Man -- because of the PRICE. Lowering prices may not be a cure-all for what ails the industry but, in combination with other short- and long-term fixes, I'm pretty confident it can't do anything but help. There is a ceiling to how much people will pay for a floppy and I do believe we're reaching it.

Besides, how much of the population of that insular island of buyers we like to call the comic book industry would NOT add a few more titles to their pull lists if prices changed for the better? If you've set a monthly budget for yourself and suddenly that budget allows you to buy more comics, you're not going to take advantage of that fact? Hell, why does the Wild Pig sale send guys into convulsions? Because they can BUY MORE COMICS at drastically reduced rates! Based on what I've seen of their buying habits, I'm betting the majority of comic buyers when given the opportunity would in fact buy MORE comics. It's what we do.

Yea, but you're assuming that people have set an amount of money aside to buy comic books that month. Regardless of what comic books cost, that person is still going to spend his $50, whether it's three expensive book or 5 cheap books. It doesn't matter to DC or Marvel what this person does, they still get the $50. It does however matter what the person who is not as good with their money does. Someone who is probably not paying attention to price.

I think if you look at the example of the big events, it's makes sense that pricing lower has no effect. If you were to reduce the cost of Secret Invasion by 50 cents, will more people buy it? I think it'd have little to no effect on the number of copies sold. (I agree though that there is an upper limit to pricing, if the increase is done too fast. If they increase the prices slowly like they are doing, then the $3.99 price tag will start to have less and less impact).

I think my ultimate point though is that DC and Marvel know what they are doing. They have been following the trends of comic buyers for decades, and unless the buyer drastically changes their habits, they are going to keep on doing it.

[AZN_FIST]

I think my ultimate point though is that DC and Marvel know what they are doing. They have been following the trends of comic buyers for decades, and unless the buyer drastically changes their habits, they are going to keep on doing it.

There's a reason why the only book I'm buying is Final Crisis as of right now.

[deadcowaroma]

So let me get this straight...
Every time I hear that people find themselves spending MORE through discount online services, your telling me that they are lying.

Yes  

...or at least that the people who say that aren't as concerned about the 3.99 price tag.

[Steve Raker]

Karma to the FreakyTiki! (he loves you)

2 quick 'fun facts' based on the last 10 minutes of the show:

Wood - I think Shane Davis is working off VanSciver's designs for the colored Lanterns as per Ethan on that last Wordballoon he did (definately for Blackest Night, I think for the Reds, too).

Chris - Regarding the 'amazing' voter turnout, 'careful what drive-by media hyperbole you assume, as more people voted in the 2004 presidential election (at least based on the totals I saw the day after the day after the election).

[VinceB]

I think if you look at the example of the big events, it's makes sense that pricing lower has no effect. If you were to reduce the cost of Secret Invasion by 50 cents, will more people buy it? I think it'd have little to no effect on the number of copies sold. (I agree though that there is an upper limit to pricing, if the increase is done too fast. If they increase the prices slowly like they are doing, then the $3.99 price tag will start to have less and less impact).

Ah, but I'm betting the cost of the event books DO have an effect on mid- and low-tier books, which are the ones we should concerned about, not the event books that seemingly drive the industry. The event books are temporary and their effect on sales fleeting (until the next one comes along, naturally). The mid- and lower-level titles are the foundation on which the industry is built. Shore them up, and your structure will be strong and resilient. Build on swampland, and you get what's coming to you...

Lowering prices will ultimately benefit these titles the most which, in turn, will strengthen the entire industry. That dude with the $50 in your first graf will be more likely to sample the books he's currently not buying if it's within his power to do so. This makes it possible for titles like Blue Beetle and Fear Agent to go from 15-20K an issue (yes, I'm being generous) to 25K or even 30K.

Like I said, lower prices are not a cure-all, but they sure can't hurt.

[deadcowaroma]

Ah, but I'm betting the cost of the event books DO have an effect on mid- and low-tier books, which are the ones we should concerned about, not the event books that seemingly drive the industry. The event books are temporary and their effect on sales fleeting (until the next one comes along, naturally). The mid- and lower-level titles are the foundation on which the industry is built. Shore them up, and your structure will be strong and resilient. Build on swampland, and you get what's coming to you...

Lowering prices will ultimately benefit these titles the most which, in turn, will strengthen the entire industry. That dude with the $50 in your first graf will be more likely to sample the books he's currently not buying if it's within his power to do so. This makes it possible for titles like Blue Beetle and Fear Agent to go from 15-20K an issue (yes, I'm being generous) to 25K or even 30K.

Like I said, lower prices are not a cure-all, but they sure can't hurt.

I'm not too sure about that either though. Take a book like Checkmate, a excellent book that suffered from low sales. If you reduced the price of that book by 50 cents, would more people buy it? Again, I'd think no. There was just no interest in the book, and reducing the price won't generate any more interest. If you couple a reduced price with advertising and word of mouth, it could have an effect, but just reducing the price by itself I think would have a minimal effect.

Oh, and by the way, the green lantern/magic the gathering comparison is dead on...all except for the yellow lanterns. There's no yellow in magic!  (at least not when I played)

[ford]

About half way through.

Gotham anthology in Detective Comics could work nicely if it went back to how it was when I started picking the title up,  some point in Rucka's run were it might've been $2.50 when most DC books were $2.25 and featured an 8 page serial in the back separate to the main Batman feature.

Damn you talking about Spider-man/X-men but it might be just what i need after thinning out my Marvel books last week.

Price hikes. People get Agents of Atlas HC before it goes out of print if it isn't already because the cover price for the trade in the new previews is the same.

[David]

I agree with Wood about FC: Submit. I enjoyed it quite a bit - the blackest comic I've read since I ploughed my way through Essential Power Man Volume One. SWEET CHRISTMAS!

Ya know what would be cool?  If there was a position in place at a comic company that would prevent any inconsistencies, like whether Black Lighting shaves his head or sports a close-cropped ' do.

Or how about someone telling Carlos Pacheco that the Tattooed Man is African-American so I don't wonder what happened between Submit and Final Crisis #4 where this black man turned into someone from the middle east.

I know Pacheco knows how to draw African-Americans.  In Final Crisis #4 there panels featuring Mr. Terrific and John Stewart.  So I'm thinking the penciler wasn't given any direction on this character that played a big part in a one-off tie-in.  Which is a shame.

[VinceB]

Oh, and by the way, the green lantern/magic the gathering comparison is dead on...all except for the yellow lanterns. There's no yellow in magic!  (at least not when I played)

No purple, either (Well, in everything except Unglued). The colors that are there, though, are pretty similar. 

[deadcowaroma]

No purple, either (Well, in everything except Unglued). The colors that are there, though, are pretty similar. 

I remember there were always rumours about a purple expansion coming out, but it never showed up.

I'm definitely a blue guy in both cases though. Blue magic and Blue lanterns (even though I guess we haven't seen much of them, but I can tell. I can just tell!).

[AZN_FIST]

Vince- I know you tried to remember the name of an anthology book that came out this week. Was this it ?

[VinceB]

I'm definitely a blue guy in both cases though. Blue magic and Blue lanterns (even though I guess we haven't seen much of them, but I can tell. I can just tell!).

I'm a blue guy, too, but never alone. I always run blue/red or blue/black. The protection offered by the color is too good to ignore.

[VinceB]

img]http://www.imagecomics.com/gallery2/g2data_373ph4nt/albums/comics/2008-11/liquidcity_cover.jpg[/img]

Moreso Chris than me but, yeah, that's the one. Damn, that's a nice cover!

[Matthew S.]

Now my question is why would they lower prices when you guys already tossed all your money at them at the $3.99 price point. The more you prove that you can pay for $3.99 books the more you solidify that amount as the new price point. Since when have they gone backward in price? I really dont get the "if comics were cheaper" argument. Since when have they ever decided to do an industry wide price decrease?

[deadcowaroma]

I'm a blue guy, too, but never alone. I always run blue/red or blue/black. The protection offered by the color is too good to ignore.

Karma

[VinceB]

Now my question is why would they lower prices when you guys already tossed all your money at them at the $3.99 price point.

This is where Tiki's proposal enters the picture. If we make it clear that we will not support $3.99 books, maybe the publishers will rethink their pricing strategies.

I wish more comic readers were like Tim. The industry would be a hell of a lot better off, I can tell you...

Love of the artform + concern + intelligence + optimism = the Tiki

Pessimism isn't going to get us anywhere. 

[David]

I wouldn't think that the price could be reduced on just any book or at any time.  The start of a new direction or creative team would be a good time.  Maybe with a character already established or popular.  Might make it easier to introduce new characters or simply appearances by characters that are also established giving the readers an opportunity to try other books featuring their new found friends.

Now my question is why would they lower prices when you guys already tossed all your money at them at the $3.99 price point. The more you prove that you can pay for $3.99 books the more you solidify that amount as the new price point.

So if they already have us I guess there's no reason to attract new readers.

[Matthew S.]

So if they already have us I guess there's no reason to attract new readers.

New readers on a format meant for kids of the 60s and 70s?

[David]

Kids of the 60s and 70s don't have kids?

How many dads have shared their love any hobby with their kids?  If there's interest, they'll pick up on it.