ECONOMICS AND COMICS: READERS

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

As we've looked this week at the effect the slowing economy may have on the comic book industry, some readers have chimed in with their own opinions on our message boards.

On a website where the posts come from people who are such avid fans of comic books that they're seeking out a way to read about the medium on the internet, any discussion here on Newsarama should be qualified with the observation that these people are obviously already passionate about the industry. The adoration for the characters and storylines and history of comic books is strong in this place; it follows that the feelings about the future of comic books would be just as fervent.

And among those of us who have the most ardent love for the medium, the economic concerns are many. Whether it's the price of the monthly comic that has readers worried or the gas needed to drive to the local comic shop, it's apparent readers have thought about the cost of reading a comic book and have wondered if the expenditure is worth it.

Obviously, most of us still think comic books are worth it, as we flocked this month to buy the latest crisis or invasion comic by the thousands. And when it comes right down to it, that may not change: As retailers, some smaller publishers, and creators have noted, comic books, movies and video games may prove to be a preferred escape from the woes of a sagging economy and bitter political climate. For readers, the desire to experience the joy of reading a serial story and chilling cliffhanger each month may trump the need to save money -- after all, it already does for most of us.

So today, Newsarama turns the spotlight on you, the reader. We talked to a handful of readers about what purchasing decisions they have made or are about to make, and what they see happening in an economy where consumer confidence is so low. And as always, we welcome your discussion in our forum, as well as offering up a poll where you can share what experiences you've had with the economy so far, a first step toward gauging what is coming for the comic book industry in the months ahead.

Most of the fans whom we approached said the economy of comics is always a concern for them, as they make decisions on what to add and drop every month, but the current economic pinch is making them take it a little more seriously.

"It is forcing us to make decisions that we haven't had to make in a while," said Steve Schuler of Muncie, Ind., who is a co-host of the podcast Alter Ego Comic Cast. "Let's face it, comic books are about as important as any other entertainment medium. Do we 'need' them? Absolutely not. But they do fill a need to divert away from the reality of what is going on outside. It is going to get worse before it gets better."

Schuler, who has a young son at home and buys more than 20 comics per month, said he hasn't made any drastic changes, but is just being a little pickier when he decides what comics to buy. "I don't just purchase 'any' title anymore," he said.

Kent Beyers, a comics reader in Greenwood, Ind., has the same approach, but said he was recently forced to take it one step further and make a significant cut in the number of comics he purchases. "Utilities went up, gas prices [are higher], and my employer responds by tightening their belt too," said Beyers, who shops at a Downtown Comics location in Indianapolis. "I used to read around 20 to 25 titles a month, not including mini-series and the like. When I felt the financial crunch, though, I had to drastically reduce that number to around seven or eight books. I had to really stop and consider which stories (not necessarily characters or creators) I would miss -- the adventures it would drive me nuts to be in the dark about."

Beyers said one drastic move he made was to cut every Marvel title, so the eight books he currently reads are DC and independent comics, although he recently purchased a Runaways hardcover with some extra money he got. He's also avoiding all mini-series and event comics. "I do, however, admit that I'm dying to read Final Crisis and made sure to add that one to the list," he said.

Michael Costello, a reader in Milwaukee, Wisc., said he has also cut back his monthly reading list and he travels to the store less often since it's a bit of a drive to the Neptune Comics location in Waukesha, Wisc. He also thinks about "waiting for the trade" more often -- in other words, buying stories only when they are collected in book format. "Specifically for mini-series like Secret Invasion and Final Crisis," he said, "I can read about the stories online, but then really read it when it comes out in TPB."

Almost all of the readers we talked with said they had received some type of tax refund or incentive check from the government recently, and most of them were using some of the money to buy comic books.

"I usually pull some aside to spend on comics. And I did so again this year," said Sarah, an 18-year-old student who lives with her parents in Chandler, Ariz., who didn't want her last name used. "Mostly to start collecting Marvel's Secret Invasion title, since I was lucky enough to get my money right in time for that to start."

Costello said he usually spends all of his tax money on a trip to a comic book convention, and he'll probably spend most of it on the same thing this year. Beyers said he bought a few trades with his tax check.

"I'm saving my tax money for a trip," said Ann Meyer, a comics reader from Mt. Dora, Fla., "but I did buy a couple hardcovers I had wanted to get, like Fallen Son from Marvel and the Casanova hardcover. It's hard to resist a little extra purchase."

Meyer said she made the economic decision to switch to buying comics online a couple years ago, "and they offer a discount, so that makes a big difference."

"It was hard last year to miss out on getting 52 every week, but now I feel good about [switching to an online store]," she said. "I'm starting to get away from having to read things right away. That's also making it easier to read trades or graphic novels instead of having to get the monthlies."

As for what publishers can do differently during tough economic times, most readers focused upon those things they won't tolerate now that they're in an economic bind.

"Right now, I'm at a position, fortunately, where I can make most of my comics decisions based upon how much I like or dislike a story or event," said James Post of Houston, who buys 35 to 40 comics each month. "Amongst the things that could change that: Cover price increases, unusual lateness, unnecessary tie-ins, or stories that are too slow out of the gate. I do not feel that I owe any publisher or creator to give them six issues to tell a full story if it does not impress me right off the bat."

"I think there are way too many mini-series, events, one-shots and tie-ins on the market today," Beyers said. "It's impossible for most fans to keep up with. Back in the day, these things would be a 'must read' for me. Now, not so much. So when the economy is in a bad state, as it currently is, these types of books are the first thing to go when the penny-pinching begins."

"Publishers need to be a little smarter in this economy," Schuler said. "We can't have another financial blowout like Countdown. People can't afford to pay over $160 for a story that should have cost a lot less. Hopefully, they will be a little smarter with Final Crisis. A story doesn't have to be expensive to be good."

Some of the people we surveyed said they don't believe the comic book retail market will be hit as hard as some other industries, because fans enjoy it too much as an escape. Others wondered if the doom and gloom wasn't more related to the election than reality. "I do believe that we are experiencing some election year chicken littles trying to convince us that things are worse than they are, but I'm not at the point that I'm ready to duck and cover yet," Post said.

"I think it isn't quite 'much ado about nothing,' but it's definitely not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be," Meyer said. "And I think with comics, it's mostly a change in attitude, with people being a lot more picky about how they spend their money. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It should lead to higher quality comics and publishers being smarter about what they publish."

Meyer said she also hopes the economic crunch will encourage publishers to explore other formats and outlets of distribution. "If you look at comics in Europe or manga in Japan, you see that comic books can be successful in another format," she said. "So far, American publishers have been kind of reluctant to explore other formats, outside things like digests and the Minx imprint. And we haven't really seen publishers make a big push in bookstores and other outlets. Maybe the growing economic problems with printing and shipping monthly comics and all of us being more picky will force their hand. I keep seeing people online saying it's the end of the comic book, but there's no way comics will die. But it might change. And that could be good, because maybe a newer, cheaper way of printing and packaging and selling comic books will get more new people reading them."

[scottmdavis]

im getting more titles now then i was this time last year.

[alleywaykrew]

Originally Posted by scottmdavis

im getting more titles now then i was this time last year.

I'm pretty sure I am too.

[Axelay]

I'm at 50% of what I was buying last year, due to financial strain. I'm going to have to pass on most of the Final Crisis tie-ins, but I'll still get the main series and a couple of the one-shots. I decided to completely pass on Trinity because I just can't afford another weekly.

[I am MODOK]

I'm about a third down, but that third is still coming eventually in trades. That said, I will drop big time if the cover price goes over 3 bucks.

[jediracer]

Originally Posted by alleywaykrew

I'm pretty sure I am too.

me three

[MadBandit]

Just buy what you like, not what's cool now.

[Shonborn]

I've dropped like 90% of my monthly books, choosing to only get some of those in TPB only.

[jmc65]

This was a great article. I was wondering how the current economic state was affecting other comic readers. Another interesting view would be from the retailers and comic companies point of view. As for myself I have been cutting back not because of the economy but due to poor quality of some books and having a family.

[CylverSaber]

I currently get about 15 titles regularly; about equally split between Marvel, DC, and Other (not deliberately, it just turned out that way). I used to get twice that many, and now it's usually a relief when a title is cancelled or the creative team leaves; there are maybe 5 of them that I would truly miss.

[artiepants]

Originally Posted by I am MODOK

I'm about a third down, but that third is still coming eventually in trades. That said, I will drop big time if the cover price goes over 3 bucks.

yeah, i'm biting on SI @ $3.99 but that's only because i've been invested in the build up all the way back to NA#1.

The axe will fall for me with another price increase. I'll drop the hobby and follow my top 5 books/creators in trade.

oh, and i'm slightly less then a year ago, right about 20 books on my pull.

[Tanjint]

i'm getting less than i was, say, a year a go but two factors

1) i was getting a ridiculous amount of ____ a year ago

2)i get most of the same stuff, but a lot of it in trade as i prefer the collected format.

-T

[scottmdavis]

i think thats the thing. alot of people are switching to trades. thats the difference between now and a few years ago.

[sol]

Becoming much more discerning about tie-ins and such...and only doing 'swaps' on series. If one comes on, then one goes off. Luckily some stuff, like All-Star Superman is coming due, thus ending a 'slot'. Getting Secret Invasion and Final Crisis, and only the stuff I read already as far as tie-ins for the former and Legion of 3 Worlds for the latter.

[Mrsupertight]

I don't buy any anymore. I just can't afford it, even with discount websites on the net. I used to collect most Marvel 616 and Ultimate titles as well as some Image stuff. When times get better I will go back and get most in hardcover.

[erasion]

When the comic shop I have been using for nearly 20 years stopped doing mail order at the end of last year (I had been local to them for 15 years, and went mail order when I moved away) I decided to stop reading the montlies altogether and just get trades of stories I am interested in.

And while it does tend to work our cheaper that way - especially the discounts offered by many on-line retailers - the main reason for my change is that comics increasingly seem to be written with the collection in mind and consequently many single issues are incredibly unsatisfying when read a month apart from other parts of the story.

[Morbius]

Personally, I'm buying significantly more than I was a year ago. Purely because it was a little less than a year ago I found http://www.mailordercomics.com and switched to them from my local store. I had cut way back because money was tight, but now I'm back to buying most of the stuff I want because of the discounts. Don't get me wrong, there are still agonizing decisions to make on months when every publisher decides to put out every mini and one shot they seem to have been building up over the past 5 years, but it's a lot more managable at $1.85 a comic.

Oh and I swear they're not paying me anything to advertise for them, I just think they're amazing. This month I spent $105 (which is more than usual, it was one of those months) on 48 comics and 1 trade. That's some pretty nice math.

[rick20033]

I'm really fortunate that, at the moment, money isn't a huge factor for me when it comes to picking up books. But, that doesn't mean I'm going to just hand my money over to a comic book company in exchange for an inferior product. I did that for a year by purchasing Countdown to Final Crisis. DC Comics successfully exploited my interest and affection for its characters, as every week I gave them my money and hoped that the new issue would serve some purpose or, I don't know, be entertaining. Oh, and lets not forget the "connected" books like Arena. Not content to rip me off 52 times, they wanted to tap in a little more with a couple of limited series. The result is that DC willingly exchanged my interest and affection in their characters for about a $150. Was it a good trade for them? Well, I've dropped eight monthly DC books. Also, although I had asked to have Final Crisis put in my pull-and-hold folder, when I held it in my hands yesterday I found that I just couldn't bring myself to buy it. I just don't think DC cares what it puts out these days. There are still about six DC books I'll pick up, but gone are the days when I'll give DC the benefit of the doubt. Although I can't stand Joe Quesada, I (who formerly preferred DC and rarely, if ever, bought Marvel over the last 10 years) can't deny that Marvel is putting out some great books these days (Secret Invasion is the coolest event since Identity Crisis, in my opinion). DC is largely putting out garbage, so they don't get nearly as much of my money as they used to.

[domuhde]

Happy to see not too many people are talking about the gas going up. Chosing to have a car and stopping reading comics would really be a case of misplaced priorities.

I buy as much as ever, but less monthly and more in trades...

Dominique

[David Bird]

I am buying less than last year, but that has nothing to do with economics. In fact, here in Canada the price of comics has come down as the dollar has strengthened. Talking to Canadian comic retailers, sales in dollar terms have dropped, but in unit terms have remained healthy.

[Cray_ws]

Not only have I switched to trades, I don't buy them at cover price. I wait for them to go on sale or find them on ebay for 50% off. I also sell the trades that I haven't reread in year or just have no interest in keeping. This helps me recoup the loss and fuel the cycle of buying and selling my trades. It also eliminates the concern for storage. I no longer have 16 long boxes of comics, now I just have a half box of singles for keepsake. The trades are on a book shelf in my computer room.

[WOLVERINE25]

I'm being a bit more frugal when it comes to mini-series. That's where most of my cuts come in. With a lot of them coming out for $4 a pop, it's just not worth it. I can easily find any of them down the road in the discount bins at cons and what not. I think, for the most part, I'll focus on the main books more. Pretty soon I WILL start cutting out some of the titles I haven't even bothered to read in months.

[Davy]

I've dropped over 1/2 of my titles. It wasn't specifically the economy, although that had something to do with it.

At Xmas, my local comics chain ran a sale on new comics, but when I got to the counter I found out the sale was only for new comics off the shelf. Holds customers didn't get the sale price -- we were "special orders," I was told, and therefore ineligble for the sale price; note my store doesn't already offer a holds discount, so I paid full cover price while the person behind me paid a discount. My store passed on their economic problems to their best, most reliable customers, and stuck it to us good.

After fuming and complaining, I realized I could do something about it, especially since I'd spent the better part of last year disappointed with most of the comics I was reading (specifically DC, since I'm a DC fan). So I cut my titles drastically, leaving very few monthlies, a few minis, and a few more which were being cancelled soon so I'll finish them out. And soon, I'll be reading fewer than 10 a month, down from as many as 30 several years back. I no longer go to the store every Wednesday. And as I drift away, I find it's easier and easier to give up comics. I'm planning on cutting a few more titles soon.

It's not strictly the economy -- if I were enjoying more books, I'd likely keep a few more around. But the weak economy, the way my store has handled things, and the state of DC comics today has made me care a whole lot less.

D.

[rick20033]

Originally Posted by Cray_ws

Not only have I switched to trades, .

That's something I find myself doing more and more of, too. Not just because it can be cheaper, but because I've found that I prefer to read the whole story at once. That's what I did with DC's 52, and I recently bought all of the Walking Dead TPBs, and House of M last week. In the unlikely event that Final Crisis ends up being good, I may pick up the TPB for it, too....which points out another good thing about the TPBs: they give you time to hear the "buzz" and save money by avoiding birdcage liner material like Countdown to Infinite Crisis.

[Doctor_Chronos]

Originally Posted by domuhde

Happy to see not too many people are talking about the gas going up. Chosing to have a car and stopping reading comics would really be a case of misplaced priorities.

I buy as much as ever, but less monthly and more in trades...

Dominique

You mean choosing to go to work and stop reading comics?