Is it better if they lower the comic book prices?

[Zauriel]

A U.S. comic book costs $3.99 or $4.99 dollars today. In 1940's, comic books costs 10 cents. In 1990's, it costs only $1 dollar.

I went to use an inflation calculator. https://westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi

What cost $1 in 1990 would cost $1.98 in 2019.

Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2019 and 1990,
they would cost you $1 and $0.49 respectively.

https://smartasset.com/investing/inf...tor#jjp521RFht

According to another inflation calculator, $1 dollar in 1990 would be worth $2 in 2020.


How did they increase the price of a comic book four times in thirty years from 1990 to 2020 when the comic book should be be only $1.99 dollars in 2020, only two times the price in 1990?

[DanMad1977]

A U.S. comic book costs $3.99 or $4.99 dollars today. In 1940's, comic books costs 10 cents. In 1990's, it costs only $1 dollar.

I went to use an inflation calculator. https://westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi

What cost $1 in 1990 would cost $1.98 in 2019.

Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2019 and 1990,
they would cost you $1 and $0.49 respectively.

https://smartasset.com/investing/inf...tor#jjp521RFht

According to another inflation calculator, $1 dollar in 1990 would be worth $2 in 2020.


How did they increase the price of a comic book four times in thirty years from 1990 to 2020 when the comic book should be be only $1.99 dollars in 2020, only two times the price in 1990?

Maybe they pay higher rates for the artist/writers? Maybe they want to earn more money? You used an overhead inflation, but what if the inflation of printing or other things the comic industry
are higher than the overall Inflation?

[kjn]

Comics switched from being a true mass medium to being a specialist and collectible item.

The direct market is also not very elastic, so lowering prices there is unlikely to accomplish much. To effectively lower prices you need to reach new markets, like the Walmart giants attempt to do.

[MRP]

A U.S. comic book costs $3.99 or $4.99 dollars today. In 1940's, comic books costs 10 cents. In 1990's, it costs only $1 dollar.

I went to use an inflation calculator. https://westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi

What cost $1 in 1990 would cost $1.98 in 2019.

Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2019 and 1990,
they would cost you $1 and $0.49 respectively.

https://smartasset.com/investing/inf...tor#jjp521RFht

According to another inflation calculator, $1 dollar in 1990 would be worth $2 in 2020.


How did they increase the price of a comic book four times in thirty years from 1990 to 2020 when the comic book should be be only $1.99 dollars in 2020, only two times the price in 1990?

It's not the same product though. In 1990, comics were a mass market entertainment product. In 2020, they are a niche hobby market collectible item. Niche hobby market products always cost more than a similar product sold in the mass market because economy of scale in production works against them (the fewer units you produce, the more each unit costs to produce). Comparing prices for a mass market comic price in 1990 to a niche hobby comic of 2020 is comparing apples to oranges. If comics had been a niche hobby product in 1990 they would have cost more than $1. If comics today were a mass market item, they would cost less than the $3.99 base msrp.

Look at other entertainment forms that went from mass market items to niche hobby products (things like war games are probably the easiest to look up) and see what the price differentials were before and after. They increased at a much higher rate than inflation rates because of the transition of markets, because the transition of markets incurs production costs beyond the inflation rate.

Another factor with the transition-the mass market product can charge much higher rates for advertising than a niche product can because it reaches a larger audience, and that advertising revenue helps keep mass market comic prices lower because it helped subsidize production costs more. Comics still have ads, but because they reach a smaller audience, ad rates are lower by comparison and do not generate as much revenue compared to ad revenue in 1990. Since ad revenue is less, more of the production cost has to be recouped in msrp.

Also remember middle man mark ups. That $3.99 book doesn't generate $3.99 per item for Marvel or DC. It nets about a $1. They charge Diamond about a $1 per issue, Diamond doubles that charging retailers about $2 per issue, and msrp for retail essentially doubles that leaving room for each member of the chain to make some money off the product. So that is going to impact how much revenue a book generates for the publisher.

Add to it some other factors-paper prices have increased at a rate beyond the inflation conversion so it is more expensive to produce print products now than it was in 1990. There are other factors in production that have increased at a higher rate than inflation as well.

So, doing inflation conversions hardly tells the whole picture on product pricing, and it is also founded on a false assumption of them being the same product because of the market transition form mass market to niche hobby product.

-M

[Zauriel]

Maybe they pay higher rates for the artist/writers? Maybe they want to earn more money? You used an overhead inflation, but what if the inflation of printing or other things the comic industry
are higher than the overall Inflation?

Aren't the artists and writers freelancers? or are they receiving royalties?

It's not the same product though. In 1990, comics were a mass market entertainment product. In 2020, they are a niche hobby market collectible item. Niche hobby market products always cost more than a similar product sold in the mass market because economy of scale in production works against them (the fewer units you produce, the more each unit costs to produce). Comparing prices for a mass market comic price in 1990 to a niche hobby comic of 2020 is comparing apples to oranges. If comics had been a niche hobby product in 1990 they would have cost more than $1. If comics today were a mass market item, they would cost less than the $3.99 base msrp.


Add to it some other factors-paper prices have increased at a rate beyond the inflation conversion so it is more expensive to produce print products now than it was in 1990. There are other factors in production that have increased at a higher rate than inflation as well.


-M

Then they should use pulp paper instead of the more expensive glossy paper, as they did for the last ninety years. Glossy paper is nice and more durable, but it would be fine if they use pulp paper or newsprint quality paper.

[MRP]

Aren't the artists and writers freelancers? or are they receiving royalties?



Then they should use pulp paper instead of the more expensive glossy paper, as they did for the last ninety years. Glossy paper is nice and more durable, but it would be fine if they use pulp paper or newsprint quality paper.

2 problems, pulp paper is just as expensive as white paper now because the demand for it dropped over the years and they stopped producing as much, so it is in short supply, hence higher prices. Second, most of the presses designed t run pulp paper were dismantled and decommissioned because they cost money when not running and there wan't enough work to keep them running. They were replaced by more modern printing presses designed for use with better papers, so there are not a lot of places that have the old presses available and most of them are at maximum capacity to produce the newspapers still in production, and you would have to contract with them at rates that were better for them than what the newspapers are paying to get a spot in their production line, and have high enough print runs to make it worth their time for them to take the contracts. So going back would not save any money in terms of production costs and would just result in poorer quality comics at essentially the same prices you are paying now. Production technology as a whole for printing has moved on from newsprint, making it an archaic production method for the most part, and that makes it cost prohibitive in most cases.

About five years back, a small press comic company I did some editing for was trying to produce an old-school coloring book featuring their characters on newsprint like the coloring books of our youth had. To get it done on newsprint, would have doubled out per unit cost and taken 4-6 months to get a slot with a company still using the old presses, as they would only fit in out order when they had a gap in production form larger client accounts. I left the publisher before the product was finished, but they ended up going with standard printing on white paper because of the cost-prohibitive nature and time delay on production that newsprint would have incurred.

-M

[DrNewGod]

2 problems, pulp paper is just as expensive as white paper now because the demand for it dropped over the years and they stopped producing as much, so it is in short supply, hence higher prices. Second, most of the presses designed t run pulp paper were dismantled and decommissioned because they cost money when not running and there wan't enough work to keep them running. They were replaced by more modern printing presses designed for use with better papers, so there are not a lot of places that have the old presses available and most of them are at maximum capacity to produce the newspapers still in production, and you would have to contract with them at rates that were better for them than what the newspapers are paying to get a spot in their production line, and have high enough print runs to make it worth their time for them to take the contracts. So going back would not save any money in terms of production costs and would just result in poorer quality comics at essentially the same prices you are paying now. Production technology as a whole for printing has moved on from newsprint, making it an archaic production method for the most part, and that makes it cost prohibitive in most cases.

About five years back, a small press comic company I did some editing for was trying to produce an old-school coloring book featuring their characters on newsprint like the coloring books of our youth had. To get it done on newsprint, would have doubled out per unit cost and taken 4-6 months to get a slot with a company still using the old presses, as they would only fit in out order when they had a gap in production form larger client accounts. I left the publisher before the product was finished, but they ended up going with standard printing on white paper because of the cost-prohibitive nature and time delay on production that newsprint would have incurred.

-M

That's a master's seminar on Why Something Isn't As Easy As It Sounds.

[Zauriel]

Comics switched from being a true mass medium to being a specialist and collectible item.

The direct market is also not very elastic, so lowering prices there is unlikely to accomplish much. To effectively lower prices you need to reach new markets, like the Walmart giants attempt to do.

To reach new markets you need a broader target audience. They should not be trying to cater to middle-aged fanboys who are living in their mom's basement. They should go for a younger demographic. But the problem is comic books are too expensive for a twelfth grader's allowance.

Most comic book readers in 1940's were fourth, fifth and sixth graders who didn't have video games or internet.

[MRP]

To reach new markets you need a broader target audience. They should not be trying to cater to middle-aged fanboys who are living in their mom's basement. They should go for a younger demographic. But the problem is comic books are too expensive for a twelfth grader's allowance.

Most comic book readers in 1940's were fourth, fifth and sixth graders who didn't have video games or internet.

It's no use targeting a younger demographic in a format that is of no interest to them, i,e, periodicals, and sold only in places in places where they won't shop unless they are already comic buyers (i.e. comic shops). If you are targeting that demographic, you have to package your product in a format the does appeal to them and sell it in the mass market. For example,the DC initiatives that were called Ink and Zoom (now just their young readers line) did extremely well in the book trade, i.e. in the mass market not the direct market. The young adult market in the book trade is seeing amazing growth (up 16% in 2019), and DC has successfully tapped in to that with a product format that appeals to that audience sold where they will encounter it without already being fans.

No matter what you do with a periodical sold in the direct market, you are not going to appeal to anyone who didn't grow up reading periodicals and already shops at a comic shop.The problem isn't comic books are too expensive for kids (and a twelfth grader is old enough to have a job not exist on allowance), the problem is it is a dinosaur format that doesn't appeal to kids at any price and isn't sold where kids might be able to buy them if they aren't already hardcore fans.

-M

[Steel Inquisitor]

The industry needs a complete revamp of how to publish printed comics, I don't know what should be done but as it stands the current model can't last forever. I like the idea of moving toward the European or manga models.

[Mister Mets]

It's not the same product though. In 1990, comics were a mass market entertainment product. In 2020, they are a niche hobby market collectible item. Niche hobby market products always cost more than a similar product sold in the mass market because economy of scale in production works against them (the fewer units you produce, the more each unit costs to produce). Comparing prices for a mass market comic price in 1990 to a niche hobby comic of 2020 is comparing apples to oranges. If comics had been a niche hobby product in 1990 they would have cost more than $1. If comics today were a mass market item, they would cost less than the $3.99 base msrp.

Look at other entertainment forms that went from mass market items to niche hobby products (things like war games are probably the easiest to look up) and see what the price differentials were before and after. They increased at a much higher rate than inflation rates because of the transition of markets, because the transition of markets incurs production costs beyond the inflation rate.

Another factor with the transition-the mass market product can charge much higher rates for advertising than a niche product can because it reaches a larger audience, and that advertising revenue helps keep mass market comic prices lower because it helped subsidize production costs more. Comics still have ads, but because they reach a smaller audience, ad rates are lower by comparison and do not generate as much revenue compared to ad revenue in 1990. Since ad revenue is less, more of the production cost has to be recouped in msrp.

Also remember middle man mark ups. That $3.99 book doesn't generate $3.99 per item for Marvel or DC. It nets about a $1. They charge Diamond about a $1 per issue, Diamond doubles that charging retailers about $2 per issue, and msrp for retail essentially doubles that leaving room for each member of the chain to make some money off the product. So that is going to impact how much revenue a book generates for the publisher.

Add to it some other factors-paper prices have increased at a rate beyond the inflation conversion so it is more expensive to produce print products now than it was in 1990. There are other factors in production that have increased at a higher rate than inflation as well.

So, doing inflation conversions hardly tells the whole picture on product pricing, and it is also founded on a false assumption of them being the same product because of the market transition form mass market to niche hobby product.

-M

To go with your example of niche hobby products, you could also look at the price of independent comics in 1990. For example, Nexus had a cover price of $2.25 in 1990, even if Amazing Spider-Man was $1.00.

I do think the high cost of comics is a problem, making it less accessible to new readers, but I'm not sure what the solution is, as we do want everyone involved to make money.

One complication is the difference between how little some stuff costs (monthly subscriptions to Marvel or DC's digital unlimited services) compared to cover price for a new comic.

[Mister Mets]

To reach new markets you need a broader target audience. They should not be trying to cater to middle-aged fanboys who are living in their mom's basement. They should go for a younger demographic. But the problem is comic books are too expensive for a twelfth grader's allowance.

Most comic book readers in 1940's were fourth, fifth and sixth graders who didn't have video games or internet.

There is a completely different market that includes the middle-schoolers.

It's got books like Amulet, or Smile. Although DC has sold 200,000 copies of a Wonder Woman book to that audience.

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/...k-copies-print