August 2014 Sales Discussion

ilzuccone · Post by **ilzuccone** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:31 pm

also as much as we comic guys like the way our books have been produced for decades…. change is the only way these companies can survive. look at the way media is going. music? bye bye! TV? bye bye Movies? well they are trying. books? bye bye.

i'd rather see an over haul in comics or some experimenting with business plans if it means i get my fix.

lorddunlow · Post by **lorddunlow** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:36 pm

ilzuccone wrote: It is also extremely difficult to get me to buy a book that is over three issues old. why buy a series i could never catch up on when there are plenty of new good series to check out?

Really?! I bet you miss out on a lot of great books. My top 5 books (and actually all of my favorites) consist solely of books that were almost 10 or more issues in before I even started reading.

Actually, it takes more for me to risk buying a #1 than to see if the book stays popular and continues to be made and then catch up. Umbral, Spread, and East of West are literally the only books I've followed from #1 (other than VEI of course).

krylox · Post by **krylox** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:48 pm

i agree that it's just much more appealing to get a no #1 than to jump right into a series. sure, it used to be different in the past, when it was much more of a risk for companies to launch new series and there was only a limited number of books which could be sold at newsstands etc.

well, times have changed. so did the buyers/fans and even collectors. now, they hunt for variants and grades, which are almost impossible to get (9.8 upwards) for very specific issues, rather than going for full runs of anything.
it may be sad for some longtime comic fans, but the publishing companies are just fulfilling a demand - period. i think, as long as they don't exaggerate (the variants, for example), it's ok. same with relaunches. i do prefer relaunches as mini-series over just renumbering a pseudo-ongoing, just for the sales bump at #1.

i also applaude initiatives like vei and dark horse are doing, of informing the customers right on the cover that this particular issue is a good jumping-on point. this is how i recently got into the mignolaverse. my first ever books were abe sapien #13 and bprd #120. and yes, i have to admit, i also kind of like the heritage feeling which goes with a series that is in the three-digits, but i think people who do so are clearly in the minority.

ilzuccone · Post by **ilzuccone** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:50 pm

lorddunlow wrote:
ilzuccone wrote: It is also extremely difficult to get me to buy a book that is over three issues old. why buy a series i could never catch up on when there are plenty of new good series to check out?
Really?! I bet you miss out on a lot of great books. My top 5 books (and actually all of my favorites) consist solely of books that were almost 10 or more issues in before I even started reading.

Actually, it takes more for me to risk buying a #1 than to see if the book stays popular and continues to be made and then catch up. Umbral, Spread, and East of West are literally the only books I've followed from #1 (other than VEI of course).

exactly. lots of different kinds of collectors. And YES i miss out on a lot of really good stuff. but really no matter how you collect you will be missing out on a lot of good stuff. .. unless you buy every book AND read them every week.

i've found that if a book has an exceptional run it will more than likely be collected in an omnibus or a couple hard covers. so if a book is a hot topic and burning up the message boards and podcasts i pick up the HC during a sale.

ilzuccone · Post by **ilzuccone** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:52 pm

krylox wrote: i do prefer relaunches as mini-series over just renumbering a pseudo-ongoing, just for the sales bump at #1.

+1

Ramses818 · Post by **Ramses818** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:08 pm

ilzuccone wrote:
lorddunlow wrote:
ilzuccone wrote: It is also extremely difficult to get me to buy a book that is over three issues old. why buy a series i could never catch up on when there are plenty of new good series to check out?
Really?! I bet you miss out on a lot of great books. My top 5 books (and actually all of my favorites) consist solely of books that were almost 10 or more issues in before I even started reading.

Actually, it takes more for me to risk buying a #1 than to see if the book stays popular and continues to be made and then catch up. Umbral, Spread, and East of West are literally the only books I've followed from #1 (other than VEI of course).

exactly. lots of different kinds of collectors. And YES i miss out on a lot of really good stuff. but really no matter how you collect you will be missing out on a lot of good stuff. .. unless you buy every book AND read them every week.

i've found that if a book has an exceptional run it will more than likely be collected in an omnibus or a couple hard covers. so if a book is a hot topic and burning up the message boards and podcasts i pick up the HC during a sale.

I see your point in this but to counter , because you say more collectors are like you than me, why is Batman doing so well? Back issues are going through the roof on early issues. It is a top selling book nearly every month. Why put Harley Quinn in a monthly instead of a mini? I think that these companies who have Ben in it for the long haul obviously know something. I also remember 20 years ago when "comics" where dead. And while your examples have merit, music is hardly gone, but it has changed and not even so much that people aren't making money hand over fist still (remember Taylor swift started after iTunes and the digital revolution when no one could make no money doing music let alone country music, I wish I could not make money like her!). Far as movies? GOTG anyone? Not only a comic book movie but the highest grossing movie of 2014. I am not discounting collectors like you and even other collectors who buy differently., I am just pointing out that this is a billion dollar industry and the Valiant's, Dynamite's, IDW and all the other's are not to doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They are making money and if they do really well they will make Marvel money! Wouldn't we all like to do that?

ilzuccone · Post by **ilzuccone** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:42 pm

Ramses818 wrote:
ilzuccone wrote:
lorddunlow wrote:
ilzuccone wrote: It is also extremely difficult to get me to buy a book that is over three issues old. why buy a series i could never catch up on when there are plenty of new good series to check out?
Really?! I bet you miss out on a lot of great books. My top 5 books (and actually all of my favorites) consist solely of books that were almost 10 or more issues in before I even started reading.

Actually, it takes more for me to risk buying a #1 than to see if the book stays popular and continues to be made and then catch up. Umbral, Spread, and East of West are literally the only books I've followed from #1 (other than VEI of course).

exactly. lots of different kinds of collectors. And YES i miss out on a lot of really good stuff. but really no matter how you collect you will be missing out on a lot of good stuff. .. unless you buy every book AND read them every week.

i've found that if a book has an exceptional run it will more than likely be collected in an omnibus or a couple hard covers. so if a book is a hot topic and burning up the message boards and podcasts i pick up the HC during a sale.
I see your point in this but to counter , because you say more collectors are like you than me, why is Batman doing so well? Back issues are going through the roof on early issues. It is a top selling book nearly every month. Why put Harley Quinn in a monthly instead of a mini? I think that these companies who have Ben in it for the long haul obviously know something. I also remember 20 years ago when "comics" where dead. And while your examples have merit, music is hardly gone, but it has changed and not even so much that people aren't making money hand over fist still (remember Taylor swift started after iTunes and the digital revolution when no one could make no money doing music let alone country music, I wish I could not make money like her!). Far as movies? GOTG anyone? Not only a comic book movie but the highest grossing movie of 2014. I am not discounting collectors like you and even other collectors who buy differently., I am just pointing out that this is a billion dollar industry and the Valiant's, Dynamite's, IDW and all the other's are not to doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They are making money and if they do really well they will make Marvel money! Wouldn't we all like to do that?

nah not saying that my type of collecting represents the majority of collectors. i should have been more judicious with my wording. i meant the trend is catering to my spending habits. does that mean there are more like me? probably.

trying my hardest to stay on topic here but throw "music industry today vs 20 years ago" into a google image search and behold the chartocalypse that is the downward spiral of music industry. pointing out outliers is fine but i'm thinking trends.

Ramses818 · Post by **Ramses818** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:44 pm

I will just say trends say people are making a lot of money and leave it at that..lol. Now how do I get some of that money?

ilzuccone · Post by **ilzuccone** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:49 pm

Ramses818 wrote:I will just say trends say people are making a lot of money and leave it at that..lol. Now how do I get some of that money?

drmirage · Post by **drmirage** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 8:50 pm

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