$5.00 Comics! Sorry I'm Out!

[Batavenger]

If the comic book prices jump to $5.00 which it looks like Marvel is trying to do! Sorry I'm done! I'll wait for the books to go to the dollar bin at my local comics shop, and i will go and concentrate on the back issue market.
I remember Marvel dropping prices by using the thinner paper for covers, That lasted for a second and then prices went back to original pricing even with the cheap paper covers. DC promised that they drew the line at $2.99. well that did not last. Heck! go back to newsprint. $5.00 is just too much! At least the independent comics have kept the books in a nice price range. And actually I enjoy some of their books more than The " Big Two ".

[Doc Omega]

I'm going back to trade waiting or perhaps digital. For price and clutter issues.

[Cypher]

You cant blame comics.

The American dollar is not worth what it was. Its worth less.

So a comic that just about costs 2 dollars not too long ago is going to jump up about double its price. In reality, its nearly exactly the same price it costs when it was 2 bucks. Most comics are around 4 bucks typically. Its just the dollar isnt worth what it was, so now you have to work more to get the same thing.

You should go knocking down the white house and telling friends about the people running the country to the ground so it can change. But of course most people wont do this.

[Doc Omega]

I don't blame anyone. I'm just doing what's best for me

[Commissioner Gordon]

You cant blame comics.

The American dollar is not worth what it was. Its worth less.

So a comic that just about costs 2 dollars not too long ago is going to jump up about double its price. In reality, its nearly exactly the same price it costs when it was 2 bucks. Most comics are around 4 bucks typically. Its just the dollar isnt worth what it was, so now you have to work more to get the same thing.

You should go knocking down the white house and telling friends about the people running the country to the ground so it can change. But of course most people wont do this.

You can't simply blame the economy on the rise in price, a lot of it has to do with Marvel and DC raising prices independently of inflation, probably because of a shrinking readership. I used this inflation calculator: http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm and a comic that cost $1.50 back in 1996 would only cost $2.28 now.

[Cypher]

I wasnt aware of it, I figured it would be just about 1/3 higher. I personally dont think comic readership is down that much, comparing it to the last 10 years its been about the same I bet.

[Dark-Flux]

I wasnt aware of it, I figured it would be just about 1/3 higher. I personally dont think comic readership is down that much, comparing it to the last 10 years its been about the same I bet.

Its actually been on a steady rise since '97 iirc.

[cranger]

I usually like to wait until comics start costing $5 for 20 pages before I start raging about it. Is there something I am missing?

[Spike-X]

Heck! go back to newsprint. $5.00 is just too much!

It's been said repeatedly, by people who know the business, that going back to newsprint (even if there were still colour printing presses around that could handle it) wouldn't be any cheaper.

At least the independent comics have kept the books in a nice price range. And actually I enjoy some of their books more than The " Big Two ".

There you go, then.

[Spike-X]

I usually like to wait until comics start costing $5 for 20 pages before I start raging about it. Is there something I am missing?

Yeah, as far as I know the only Marvel comics with a $5 cover price have a whole lot of extra story pages.

[Shawn Hopkins]

You can't simply blame the economy on the rise in price, a lot of it has to do with Marvel and DC raising prices independently of inflation, probably because of a shrinking readership. I used this inflation calculator: http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm and a comic that cost $1.50 back in 1996 would only cost $2.28 now.

Yep. And if comics had simply tracked inflation since 10 cent comics in the Golden Age, they'd cost $1.69 now.

[FanboyStranger]

in

You can't simply blame the economy on the rise in price, a lot of it has to do with Marvel and DC raising prices independently of inflation, probably because of a shrinking readership. I used this inflation calculator: http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm and a comic that cost $1.50 back in 1996 would only cost $2.28 now.

Inflation's not really the problem here. It's mostly production, transportation costs, and infrastructure costs. Fuel and property costs have increased exponentially over the past decade.

[Cypher]

Its actually been on a steady rise since '97 iirc.

Yeah exactly, especially with all the movies and what not. Now that its actually a mainstream thing to be into superheros, I'd imagine readers only went up.

I dont think comic heroes will get old or die as a medium. As long as a novel exists, and those been around for ages, so will comics.

[Don C]

Yeah, as far as I know the only Marvel comics with a $5 cover price have a whole lot of extra story pages.

The last time this came up someone said Marvel has a regular-sized $4.99 title, but I don't know which book it is.

[Mikekerr3]

You cant blame comics.

The American dollar is not worth what it was. Its worth less.

So a comic that just about costs 2 dollars not too long ago is going to jump up about double its price. In reality, its nearly exactly the same price it costs when it was 2 bucks. Most comics are around 4 bucks typically. Its just the dollar isnt worth what it was, so now you have to work more to get the same thing.

You should go knocking down the white house and telling friends about the people running the country to the ground so it can change. But of course most people wont do this.

That simply doesn't make sense, if it was the worth of the dollar/inflation the rise in price would be far far less. They would be less than a dollar in fact. It would be a great excuse but the facts don't support it.

http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

A shrinking market and the withdrawal form the mass media market to bouquet style sales are more likely reasons.