In this day and age of rebooting, relaunching, renumbering, and $3.99 comics…I find more and more incentive to quit the new stuff and go back-issue/bargain-bins only. Especially with Marvel comics.
After all, these days $3.99 will get me this:
Or ~$3.99ish will get me these:
Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: $3.99, comics, comics prices, comics pricing, MARVEL, x-men | Leave a comment »
The Rest of the Stack is my general mini-review coverage of new comics for any given week. It’s in addition to (or in place of) full-size individual reviews. It’s far less formal, and more off-the-top-of-my head thoughts on the given comics than it is detailed reviews.
FEAR ITSELF #7
Spoilers ahead. When? When am I going to learn that Marvel does not ever, Ever, EVER actually END an event? It’s just the attempting “hook” of the next thing. This issue hardly made any sense. More posturing. More glowy/Tron Legacy-style characters, more magical weapons transforming characters into weird alternate-version-action-figures of themselves. And just a couple years after all the hoopla over JMS having an interesting story to bring Thor back? Hey, let’s kill him off. AGAIN. And let’s just have all these vague little “moments” to spin off into other stuff. The story ends way early, but wait–there’s more! There are these multiple “epilogues” that REALLY are PROLOGUES to other series and such that Marvel wants you to go out there and buy. And of course, like a complete sucker, I fell in for it. And at $4.99 for this issue. Pretty sure that means I was hoodwinked into paying for those prologues. And the Hulk stuff makes no sense.
FEAR ITSELF 7.0
Yeah, in writing this, if you think *I* am being choppy, well…I’m just emulating what I read. I was almost content to not even buy this issue, but figured no, I’ll finish the series, finish the event. But it doesn’t even truly end, it just sets you up for these other spin-off series, and these .1/.2/.3 issues (aka Fear Itself #7.1, #7.2, #7.3 so they can claim you don’t have to buy ANOTHER mini-series to make sense of this one, nor have to admit this series is now 10 issues instead of the originally stated 7). And you know what? I barely paid attention to the art here. Maybe it was ok, maybe it just wasn’t horrible, but I was trying to follow the story, and neither story nor art nor the combination really made things make the sort of sense they were surely going for. I may sound cliche, but fired up as I am at this, and seeing this as being another of Marvel‘s “core” things…well, chance after chance after chance, but I’m sorry, I just am not interested in more than the concepts. The actual stories, the actual execution of whatever ideas…there just isn’t any satisfaction to whatever payoff there is. Very dissatisfied with this issue, this series, and I’m voting with my wallet. I’m out. (2/10)
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #509
My 10th issue post-500 (counting that 5xx.1 issue)…and yeah, I’m done. Modified my pull list recently, and told my comic shop I’d finish out Fear Itself and Iron Man, but none of the follow-ups. None of the spin-offs. Maybe I’m just out of touch with Marvel, but whatever potential there was here is squandered. Surfacey plan on Tony’s drinking. Whatever this Asgardian armor thing is, he looks like the Destroyer or whatever that robot with the visor is–but no one says anything about it, nor do I get what its properties are, whether this is a quasi-permanent thing or not. There’s some interaction between Tony and a dwarf that could set up stuff for down the road, but time alone will tell on that. Pepper’s situation is “conveniently” dealt with, squandering tension from the previous issue. And much as I loved Fraction‘s first 24-some issues in particular–it’s what got me buying this in the first place–all that goodwill has pretty much been crapped away–though I mainly blame Marvel in general and these darned event-after-event-after-Event-after-EVENT thing they’ve been doing. Art’s the usual for this title. Story’s probably not bad once it gets explained by those more patient than me, or in the collected volume (maybe with some tie-ins thrown in for better flavoring). Again…voting with my wallet. I’m done. This isn’t worth $3.99/issue, I’m caught up, and I’m choosing not to keep buying a title on the offchance it’ll get better “next month” or have an epiphany-type moment. (5/10)
JUSTICE LEAGUE #2
If I’m paying $3.99, it’s for extra pages of story. If you want to–on top of a full issue at $2.99–give me extra pages of text or prose or whatever to add to the worldbuilding, sure, great. But if I’m paying for it? No. Not my cup of tea. 22 pages of story for $3.99, with some supplemental stuff. The Superman and Batman design pages were semi-interesting, because I’d listened to an interview weeks ago with Mr. Hamner discussing having been hired to do these guides. But the Steve Trevor transcript segments did nothing for me. Somehow I’m not quite AS fired up about this as I was about practically the same thing happening with Action Comics #2…but the mood I’m in having read this week’s comics, and being so freaking tired of comics’ prices, their VALUE these days, this title’s on my chopping block. Like Action…maybe I’ll enjoy it more in a collected volume, from Amazon, bundled with something else for free shipping, to justify whatever the cost. Get the whole story in one go so it feels like an actual story instead of a segment, and not have it broken up by the same old useless ads and such, and hopefully without stupid PAID backmatter clogging things up. The story–this feels like just another segment of something much bigger, that is INTENDED for a single story, which it will achieve in collected-edition format. The art’s good–it’s Jim Lee, after all–but even some of that seems to be posturing, and doesn’t really “do” anything for me. At $3.99 and not being significantly longer (remember, Superman #1 was what–25 pages for $2.99???) than anything else…you’re probably best off waiting for the graphic novel. (6/10)
BATMAN #2
Best of the week. Which isn’t saying much. Well, I suppose moreso, it doesn’t take much. This has Batman, and Bruce, Dick shows up and we see that this isn’t gonna be some dumb cliche thing. We jump right into the action, then flash back to pick up where #1 left off and resolve things and head to that opening action, and then wrap up from there. Though this is part of a continuing story, we get a functional beginning-middle-end that works, and I’m interested in coming back for the next issue. The art’s good overall, though I don’t much care for some of the panels that just seem…”off.” All in all, solid story and solid art, doing what a single issue should. Also potentially fortuitous that this came out the day after the Batman: Year One animated film, and that I read this issue shortly after watching an interview “extra” on the B:YO disc with Snyder and others talking about Batman. (8.5/10)
Filed under: The Rest of the Stack | Tagged: Batman, Comic Reviews, comics pricing, DC Comics, Fear Itself, Invincible Iron Man, Iron Man, Justice League, Marvel Comics | Leave a comment »
I managed to miss Hulk vs. Dracula #3 this week in my regular visit to my local comic shop. Didn’t notice til I got home, so wasn’t particularly worried about it.
Friday night, out of town, I stopped by another shop to grab the issue. Having all of $1.37 in cash on me, of course I had to use my card. Which, at this store means a $5 minimum. Not a huge deal. Just gotta grab one more comic of at least $1.99, basically. Given those don’t really exist, my next option’s a $2.99 comic. Given I’ve settled with what I’m buying of the New 52 for present, and that I pretty much associate Marvel Comics with $3.99, my choice was pretty simple.
The Shade #1. Yeah, it’s 1 of 12, so a finite thing. And no, I have only read whatever’s contained in the Vol. 1 of The Starman Omnibus by way of Robinson‘s Starman work (oh, and the Blackest Night issue).
Yet another example (to me, myself, at least) of where I’m totally willing to try a new comic, or at least that Marvel has SO trained me to “assume” that any of their new comics are $3.99, that I really don’t even give their books a second glance unless–like the issue I was in this store specifically to buy–I already plan to buy the issue.
No clue if I’ll grab another issue of The Shade or not–if I write reviews this weekend, maybe it’ll be in there. I sort of have to read the thing before I make any decisions.
Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: comics pricing, DC Comics, Fear Itself, hulk vs. dracula, Marvel Comics, New 52, The Shade | Leave a comment »
It’s been at least a year since I did an official, full pull list at my local comic shop. In that time, I’ve found myself buying a number of other titles–several that I just never “got around to” officially adding to the list, and some that I’ve really been going issue by issue on, consciously not wanting to put on the pull list.
After several “holy $#!^!” weeks, it’s time to really cut what I’m buying. Again.
So, here’s the list of what I’ve been buying, and what I’m cutting.
Including the DC New 52s that I had JUST emailed to my shop Tuesday morning.
Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: $3.99, comics prices, comics pricing, pull box, pull list | Leave a comment »
So, running low on budget waiting for pay day, having a HUGE week of new comics, PLUS an extra, extra-priced variant in my purchases…I left Dark Horse Presents on the shelf on Wednesday. However, not wanting to get backed up on the title, stopped into a regular non-“local” comic shop tonight (Friday – Payday) to grab a copy of the newest issue.
While there, I took a look at more of the comics I don’t normally buy, and ones I didn’t give much look to while in my less-than-10-minutes-with-the-commute window of time of getting comics at my LCS on my lunch break the other day.
Saw a lot of interesting-ish stuff, but seemed like most of it was $3.99+ so above my typical threshold for “just trying something new.” I did spot the DC Legacies hardcover, which I so definitely want to get, eventually. Also liked the look of a lot of the DC Retroactive issues. Unfortunately, though…those are all $4.99 apiece, which is rather expensive for one new story (assumedly about a normal-issue’s length) and a reprint of something I probably already have (particularly the 90s books).
Now, I just finished reading Brightest Day vol. 2 a few days back, and kinda itching to get ahold of vol. 3 (as well as the 2-volume Generation Lost series). And I noticed the 3rd/final issue of the Search for Swamp Thing. I’d already been spoiled on elements of the ending–I knew Swamp Thing’s back in the “regular” DCU, and Constantine as well. AND as it’s also been awhile since my last Hellblazer purchase, but I wasn’t up for dropping $20+ in addition to DHP…Search for Swamp Thing stood out.
I checked the recent-releases shelves: there were several copies of #2 left…and one single, last copy of #1. For $2.99 apiece, all 3 issues available…I don’t know if it’ll be part of the Vol. 3 hardcover of Brightest Day (fat chance when so many collected volumes these days adhere so rigidly to only an exact title, rather than a STORY) or if at all (given we’re just days away from the DC Reboot with the New 52)…but it was less than $10 (I expect even a PAPERBACK collected volume’ll run $9.99 if not $11.99) for the 3 issues…I bought the series.
In a day ‘n age where I mostly refuse to buy minis as single issues, and where I very rarely will even buy something spur of the moment off-the-shelf (non-Wednesday comic shop runs tend to be me looking for very specific items only)…
Probably the BEST thing a comic can do is be priced at or under $3. For $2.99, I’ll be open to trying a single issue, where for $3.99 I’ll put the thing back on the shelf. (double or more-sized special issues of relevance I might consider $5ish, but those don’t tend to be spur of the moment). And here, an entire mini series: firstly, the shop had ALL THREE ISSUES in stock, no need for special orders or asking for copies or looking in the back. And most important of all: $2.99/issue. I didn’t just buy ONE issue, I bought THREE. And this was INSTEAD of the $3.99 Superman Beyond #0. For $1 less PER ISSUE, I bought 3 issues instead of a single $3.99 issue.
Gets me thinking, at least.
Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: comics prices, comics pricing, dark horse presents, dc relaunch, search for swamp thing | 1 Comment »
My “origin story” with comics involves the Letter People, and Superman. And while Superman (and Batman, and a stack of silver-age DCs from my grandpa) were my first real introduction to comics; the first comics I ever owned were Superman/Batman…
I’ve been “into” the TMNT slightly longer.
First it was the classic cartoon. Some of my friends were into it, so I wound up “having to” see some of it (the original 5-episode mini-series/1st season). And things went from there. The toys. The films. The Archie comics. The original Mirage comics. 
Eventually I gave up the toys for the comics, and then eventually the comics went away, too. My freshman year of college I discovered the Image series, but to this day only have a scant handful of issues.
Then in 2001 I discovered that Peter Laird had launched a new series. I spotted #2 on the shelf, and the comic shop had one last copy of #1…which the owner graciously sold to me at cover price. I’ve been “up” on the comics since. I loved the debut of the 2003 animated series, though that eventually fell away due to scheduling and reruns and life getting in the way.
But…the TMNT have been there longer than comics have been in my life.
Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: comics pricing, Eastman, IDW, Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, variant covers, variants | 1 Comment »
The other day, seeing all the hype for the then-about-to-debut first issue of Flashpoint, I posted the following to Twitter:
I count 22 issues tied to Flashpoint for June. IF they come perfectly evenly staggered…that’s a 5-6 issue commitment EVERY *WEEK*! And if these are mini-series that will continue even 2-3 issues…Well, that’s just far more than I can afford right now. As such, I’m refusing to join the hype or give in to it. Gotta find myself a NEW comics “happy place.”
I also posted that I was refusing to buy Flashpoint #1. Later that day…I bought Flashpoint #1. The thing of it was…I gave in because I had given in a few weeks back and bought the first issue of Marvel’s Fear Itself premiere. And I also figured that if I was to have any room whatsoever–even just a small toe-in-the-door–to talk about this event, I couldn’t just be someone who hadn’t even done so much as pick up the first issue of the main event book itself.
I posted my review the day the issue came out…and it was a bit more positive than I maybe would’ve “liked,” but there’s no denying the “potential,” that Johns has a strong handle on the writing, and that was some great art in the issue.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I have every intention of consciously staying away from anything else involved with Flashpoint right now.
The Price
The event’s core book, Flashpoint, is $3.99. I am so sick and tired of the $3.99 price point (more than people are sick and tired of hearing about it from me!) Sure, it’s only 5 issues, but for that $20, I’ll wait for the collected edition hardcover that’ll have the whole mini together in one volume without ads and no waiting a month or 2-3 weeks between chapters.
I keep seeing mention of 15 or “over 15” mini-series attached to this event. Even if there are only 15 minis and all only have 3 issues…that’s 45 books. At $3 apiece, that’s a $135 investment ($155 with the core series). But I counted over 20 for June between the minis, Booster Gold tie-in, main title, and a special or two. That’s a $60+ investment in JUNE above and beyond the comics I’m already buying. I can’t afford that. Plain ‘n simple.
Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: Blackest Night, comics pricing, event fatigue, events, Flashpoint | Leave a comment »
I posted on this subject a few weeks ago, but have noticed it again a couple times recently.
The pricing—all publishers are guilty, but I’ve mostly noticed it with Marvel books—just seems so out of proportion when books are compared to each other.
Where I’d thought it fairly standard that a six-issue “standard size” TPB would be $14.99 or so…I found that the first volume of Ultimate Comics Avengers, collecting the first six issues of that series, carries a PAPERBACK cover price of $19.99.
As shown to the left of this text, the huge, quasi-omnibus sized Civil War: Spider-Man volume carries a $39.99 cover price. Next to it, the SIGNIFICANTLY smaller in physical dimensions/thickness Deadpool & Cable volume…is also $39.99.
Granted, both volumes contain roughly 18 issues of content, from presumably regularly-sized issues of ongoing series (at the time the series were published). But that hardcover collection is made up of pages enlarged—taller and wider than “standard comic size”…and it’s a hardcover collection. And it’s got the same price as the scrawney-by-comparison paperback.
Really makes the paperback seem like not only an inferior product, but a bad value by comparison, phsyically.
I’ve gotta imagine it’s much cheaper to produce a paperback edition than hardcover. Factor in the extra paper involved by the larger physical dimensions, and honestly…I just don’t “get” it.
$40 is a lotta money…and it’s one thing to drop it on a huge, heavy hardcover. But to see it as the price on a thin little paperback…geez.
Of course, even within the line…the volume containing the only-7-issues Civil War main event itself is also $39.99…and much more comparably sized, at least physically.
These also put the $50 Starman Omnibus volume to shame.
And this is why I buy from Amazon or Half-Price Books, or wait for 33% and 40% coupons from Borders (not even getting into the developing fate of Borders).
Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: book pricing, book value, books, borders, cable, civil war: spider-man, comics, comics pricing, Deadpool, graphic novels, value | 1 Comment »
I’ll be curious about any comic shops with anecdotes about the rollback to $2.99 that DC’s doing.
I just found myself not even CONSIDERING several books that I’ve either known or assumed to be $3.99…as I continue to do with Marvel.
When one is shopping by list, planning ahead of time to budget for the week…how many people may continue to pass on books that have been $3.99? How long until people “realize” that the things are back down to (or still only) $2.99?
And what of relatively new series–such as Emerald Warriors–that practically just started, but people like me passed on it due in large part to the price? For something with so few issues…on the one hand, it’d be tempted to go ahead and track down those few earlier issues. But when they were avoided in the first place for not wanting to pay $3.99 (or more, if they’re already off the shelves as back issues)…tough call.
I suppose time will tell.
Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: $3.99, comics pricing, DC pricing | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 