Switching to trades?

[Heath]

I realized yesterday that I forgot to place my November order with MailOrderComics.com. And now I'm thinking it may be a good time to just switch to trades. At least for physical copies. I'm much more of a reader than a collector and therefore don't really care about variants and have no intention of selling anything. And as much as I love digital I still like having physical copies. And it's almost as if story arcs are written designed for trade collection. So I'm giving very serious consideration to dropping the monthly floppies and switching to trades.

Does anybody else do this? Pros? Cons?

[greg]

Does that mean you're going to trades and digital monthly, or will you be months behind on reading while waiting for trades?

[BugsySig]

I read my VALIANT monthlies digitally, and have started collecting the Deluxe Editions, which for the price, size and quality I are hard to beat.

For other books I read (mostly Image and a few Marvel) I order the trades only... I use DCBS or InStockTrades btw.

How much you like it will depend on your willingness to not read the title and stay away from spoilers (which I know you do anyway ) for 4-6 months between trade releases.

For me, doing the combination of some monthly digital books and some trades offers the best of both worlds.

[Heath]

Does that mean you're going to trades and digital monthly, or will you be months behind on reading while waiting for trades?

I haven't decided.

On one hand, I don't mind being months behind, avoiding spoilers, then reading a trade. That's pretty much how I read Walking Dead. And, I still have a problem paying the current price of digital comics. Anything more than $1 per issue is more than I feel is justified. And it should be free of any DRM. If I'm going to pay $3 an issue, then I want a glossy paper copy.

On the other hand, Walking Dead is not a shared universe. It's not 10 titles with characters and storylines weaving through all of them and developing together like the Valiant universe. Reading just the trades, months behind and grouped by title, and not the monthlies, some of the impact of that might be lost. So, I want to keep up with the titles monthly, but I don't want to pay the asking price for digital.

I currently download them for free, but still buy the physical copies as my way of not feeling ripped off by paying for digital yet making sure I pay VEI for their product. Do I continue that but just substitute trades for the monthlies? I don't know. That seems different to me somehow.

[jedimarley]

I get the tpbs cheap off amazon. I do the same for twd, Invincible and saga. Too dam expensive to collect monthlys.

[mkb28]

Heath:

I almost pulled the trigger this month and switched to trades and HC's only, but I backed out at the last second and placed my order for the monthly titles. It seems there are 1-2 TPB's released every month and an occasional HC too. I have a hard time keeping up with my reading so I am always months behind. In fact, I just finished the "Harbinger Wars!"

I also struggle with trying to follow each monthly title since I am far behind. I think the TPB would be the best way to read a story arc for me, but I would miss the summary page on the inside cover each month.

I just set up an account with DCBS and you can pre-order TPB's for 35% off or buy them at Instocktrades for 30% off. At Instock you get free shipping with a $50.00 purchase and at DCBS you pay $6.95 per month for shipping. I would still like to buy all the number 1 releases and as many variants they offer, but then just buy the TPB's on an on-going basis. That is the plan anyway, but who knows when I will implement it!

Finally, trades are a helluva lot easier to deal with than removing books from their bag and board all the time.

I look forward to read what others think about your question. Thanks for asking!

Michael
mkb28

[mkb28]

Another point in favor of continuing to order the monthly titles is DCBS offers a "Valiant Bundle" each month and you get all the monthly titles for 50% off. At that price, why not buy the monthly issues for your collection and order the trades to read. Not sure if the "Valiant Bundle" is offered every month. Maybe one of the DCBS veterans can chime in.

mkb28

[Knightt]

Another point in favor of continuing to order the monthly titles is DCBS offers a "Valiant Bundle" each month and you get all the monthly titles for 50% off. At that price, why not buy the monthly issues for your collection and order the trades to read. Not sure if the "Valiant Bundle" is offered every month. Maybe one of the DCBS veterans can chime in.

mkb28

You... are... wise.

[Heath]

I've been using Mailordercomics.com for years. Same great prices and service as DCBS with a worse website. If I'm going to buy monthlies, they've earned my loyalty despite their bad website.

[Shadowman99]

I pick up Shadowman, Bloodshot, Q+W and Unity monthly, and usually one or two other miniseries, so I've been waiting for the hardcover Valiant books to come out to read anything else that I can't currently justify buying every single month.

I really don't mind the wait; I don't read the monthly issue discussion threads regarding those books so I miss most of the spoilers, and don't particularly mind if I do accidently catch a spoiler, so for me, I get to read the titles I'm most excited by on a monthly basis, and I'm happy to patiently wait for the most cost-effective method of reading the other Valiant titles that I'm not currently reading.

[mkb28]

I pick up Shadowman, Bloodshot, Q+W and Unity monthly, and usually one or two other miniseries, so I've been waiting for the hardcover Valiant books to come out to read anything else that I can't currently justify buying every single month.

I really don't mind the wait; I don't read the monthly issue discussion threads regarding those books so I miss most of the spoilers, and don't particularly mind if I do accidently catch a spoiler, so for me, I get to read the titles I'm most excited by on a monthly basis, and I'm happy to patiently wait for the most cost-effective method of reading the other Valiant titles that I'm not currently reading.

Patience! That is what I need! Having patience will definitely save you money.

Mkb28

[mkb28]

VEI wastes no time in getting out the trades. I just noticed EW #5 will be released on January 22, which is the same day the EW Volume 1 TPB is released (collects 1-4).

Mkb28

[caxiotis]

I have been debating the trade move for everything I read. With the baby coming and having less time to read comics I will probably make the move in the near future

[mkb28]

I have been debating the trade move for everything I read. With the baby coming and having less time to read comics I will probably make the move in the near future

Do they have "What to Expect When You are Expecting" in comic book format?

Mkb28

[BugsySig]

VEI wastes no time in getting out the trades. I just noticed EW #5 will be released on January 22, which is the same day the EW Volume 1 TPB is released (collects 1-4).

Mkb28

As it should be. Image was the forerunner of that and it's an excellent practice that should be emulated. Nothing I hate more than waiting months after an arc or series finishes for the trade just to be solicited. Marvel and DC do that all the time, especially with books that aren't their top sellers...and then they wonder why they don't sell as well

[dbngaa]

I switched to all trades (for all of my titles, not just Valiant) back near the first of this year and really enjoy reading in large chunks. As mentioned earlier, the timliness of trade releases these days doesn't leave you THAT far behind; and I don't worry about spoilers - I tend to read about whatever is coming out becasue I'll have forgotten about it by the time I read the actual issues. I also feel I'm saving money over the monthlies...although I manage to make that up in trying other titles, as well as selling off almost all of my single issues in favor of Omnis, OHCs, etc.

I'll throw in another endorsement for DCBS and IST. I've only been in a local shop a few times in the 2 years I've been ordering from them. Even Amazon is higher most of the time.

[leonmallett]

Heath:

I almost pulled the trigger this month and switched to trades and HC's only, but I backed out at the last second and placed my order for the monthly titles. It seems there are 1-2 TPB's released every month and an occasional HC too. I have a hard time keeping up with my reading so I am always months behind. In fact, I just finished the "Harbinger Wars!"

...
Michael
mkb28

I can empathize; when I finally started my VEI reading I had an accumulated backlog of around 8-9 months or so.

Now, other than THUNDER Agents, the Fox and Astro City, they are the only titles i am up to date with...

[paradise]

I have made this argument before, but inevitably another thread starts, so hear it is again:

do you really think that the trades will be published indefinitely for the entire run of each series? that is NOT a sustainable policy on ongoing series.

Each comic sells less and less, but eventually the drop offs are minimal as a readership stabilizes. Not the same with trades, Each vol 1 sells SIGNIFICANTLY more than vol 2, and then the drop offs become MORE and MORE dramatic. By vol 4-5 of any series, the decision to continue putting trades out becomes more and more difficult as they sell tiny amounts, 1k-2k per book or less. The only series that managed to avoid this are ever-greens like Preacher, Sandman, Y The Last Man, Walking Dead, which became such great sellers that they still find new readers every day. i can't name a single Superhero series that would qualify for long term trading. NOT ONE.

[mkb28]

I have made this argument before, but inevitably another thread starts, so hear it is again:

do you really think that the trades will be published indefinitely for the entire run of each series? that is NOT a sustainable policy on ongoing series.

Each comic sells less and less, but eventually the drop offs are minimal as a readership stabilizes. Not the same with trades, Each vol 1 sells SIGNIFICANTLY more than vol 2, and then the drop offs become MORE and MORE dramatic. By vol 4-5 of any series, the decision to continue putting trades out becomes more and more difficult as they sell tiny amounts, 1k-2k per book or less. The only series that managed to avoid this are ever-greens like Preacher, Sandman, Y The Last Man, Walking Dead, which became such great sellers that they still find new readers every day. i can't name a single Superhero series that would qualify for long term trading. NOT ONE.

Ed, as usual, your wise counsel makes a lot of sense and this is why I am still buying the monthlies, for now. It will be interesting to see if VEI keeps producing the trade volumes beyond Volume 5, since Volume 4 of Harbinger and Archer and Armstrong are available for pre-order for a February release. I plan to buy as many of the trades and HC's that I can afford too.

Michael
mkb28

[leonmallett]

I have made this argument before, but inevitably another thread starts, so hear it is again:

do you really think that the trades will be published indefinitely for the entire run of each series? that is NOT a sustainable policy on ongoing series.

Each comic sells less and less, but eventually the drop offs are minimal as a readership stabilizes. Not the same with trades, Each vol 1 sells SIGNIFICANTLY more than vol 2, and then the drop offs become MORE and MORE dramatic. By vol 4-5 of any series, the decision to continue putting trades out becomes more and more difficult as they sell tiny amounts, 1k-2k per book or less. The only series that managed to avoid this are ever-greens like Preacher, Sandman, Y The Last Man, Walking Dead, which became such great sellers that they still find new readers every day. i can't name a single Superhero series that would qualify for long term trading. NOT ONE.

There is a small caveat; note what has been done with Invincible over at Image.

Tpbs; then the Ultimate Collections HC's. Then the Complete Library HC's. Then the Compendium HC's. So there are ways ore collecting in an apparently sustainable way over a longer period.

And in all that, still new printings of the tpb's. So it can be done with the right circumstances.

[paradise]

There is a small caveat; note what has been done with Invincible over at Image.
Tpbs; then the Ultimate Collections HC's. Then the Complete Library HC's. Then the Compendium HC's. So there are ways ore collecting in an apparently sustainable way over a longer period.

And in all that, still new printings of the tpb's. So it can be done with the right circumstances.

You found the one example that does not fit the mold, and there is a reason for that. Robert is producing those at a loss. He's doing it because it's part of a Robert Kirkman brand, same way as he was doing the Brit, Battle Pope and other books that did not sell worth crap. He can do it easily because Walking Dead sells more copies than the rest of the Image Comics trades, COMBINED, EVERY MONTH, IN REORDERS. Every Walking Dead volume, old and new, sells more every month than every other Image graphic Novel, except for when a new volume of Saga comes out. I am pretty sure that every NEW Walking Dead volume sells more copies the month it is released than ALL OTHER graphic novels that are new that month, from all publishers, combined.

That's what makes it an isolated example, unlike the rest of the industry. Nobody can continue to publish 18 volumes of a book that loses money, except for the one guy in comics right now that makes millions every month.

[leonmallett]

There is a small caveat; note what has been done with Invincible over at Image.
Tpbs; then the Ultimate Collections HC's. Then the Complete Library HC's. Then the Compendium HC's. So there are ways ore collecting in an apparently sustainable way over a longer period.

And in all that, still new printings of the tpb's. So it can be done with the right circumstances.

You found the one example that does not fit the mold, and there is a reason for that. Robert is producing those at a loss. He's doing it because it's part of a Robert Kirkman brand, same way as he was doing the Brit, Battle Pope and other books that did not sell worth crap. He can do it easily because Walking Dead sells more copies than the rest of the Image Comics trades, COMBINED, EVERY MONTH, IN REORDERS. Every Walking Dead volume, old and new, sells more every month than every other Image graphic Novel, except for when a new volume of Saga comes out. I am pretty sure that every NEW Walking Dead volume sells more copies the month it is released than ALL OTHER graphic novels that are new that month, from all publishers, combined.

That's what makes it an isolated example, unlike the rest of the industry. Nobody can continue to publish 18 volumes of a book that loses money, except for the one guy in comics right now that makes millions every month.

Just wondering, do you actually have any evidence he produces those trades as a loss? Or is it simply your belief.

To continue to publish and reprint them at a loss would be illogical regardless of his other income.

[leonmallett]

Also, Spawn seems pretty comprehensively collected...

[paradise]

Also, Spawn seems pretty comprehensively collected...

Re: Spawn, that's a classic series, that is still sought after by fans, specially for the early stuff. The new stuff sells TERRIBLE and the trades do not sell, but still get publishes because it's McFarlane.

Re: Invincible numbers, no I do not, but the information about approximate numbers of trades (and comics) is made daily by several sites, and those numbers are pretty small. To be honest, it's possible that they don't actually LOSE money because image prints SO many Walking Dead TPBs that their price (prices are based on one thing, VOLUME) is rather low. But it is not a money maker. Valiant's numbers on trades are rather low also, but without a CASH COW like WD to drive cost down and bring tons of money in to subsidize losing projects, they can't keep producing trades at a loss.

Even Marvel & DC constantly relaunch their series to restart their TPB programs because they know that volume 5-6 does not sell. When was the last Marvel or DC superhero series went long volumes on trades? Daredevil by Bendis/Brubaker? Those got cancelled and reprinted as thicker volumes with less numbers, for that specific reason, nobody was buying vol 11.

[Heath]

I'm thinking I'll take my chances.