We are on a precipice of a new era in comics

[thefreakytiki]

A poker game is being played in the comic community and Marvel thinks they have the nuts. The corners of their grin curl like the grinch while they are sitting at the table pushing all their chips into the center. So who else is sitting at the table? DC, Indy Publishers, Diamond, the Direct Market/LCS and the fanboy. The question is what will all the other players at the table do?

Will they anxiously call the bet?

Will they sit back and calculate the risk odds?

Or will they just throw their cards in fold, only to fight another day?

The guaranteed outcome from the other player's reaction is this... Comics will never be the same again.


This is not hyperbole. The business is evolving. But the question is, what is it evolving into? I see this move by Marvel as being akin to their aggressive Hero's World move many moons ago (For those not in the know, Marvel bought Diamond's competitor trying to cut out a link in the distribution chain). A power play move that would intended to move the company forward but inadvertently hurt the industry. The ironic thing is the Hero's World move gave their competitor serious business leverage (DC can buy into Diamond and legally become a partner. In turn, they would make $$$ off of every Marvel product sold through Diamond).

The first thing you learn in advertising AND in sales is that you train the customer. Marvel IS doing this right now. As the "salesman" YOU must always be in control. If you lose the reigns of control nothing good will happen for you. My speculation is that the Fanboy is going to back off of no event $3.99 books. Whether they redistribute that $$$ into other comics that have a $2.99 price point or they just keep the $$$ is yet to be seen. This move will be the first domino in what follows.

Will we see an all trades industry? Well with Borders in trouble, a crimp has been put in the plan.

Will we see the dawn of the "Digital Age" come to fruition? That would cut out Diamond and the LCS and create more $$$ for Marvel BUT the combo of not having an acceptable hardware device and the masses not liking reading it on a screen makes this option tough.

Will we see the rise of B-level characters/team books? Marvel says they are only raising the price on the big name books only (for now). Will the masses migrate to quality second tier characters like Deadpool, Iron Fist and Guardians of the Galaxy?

Will wee see the end of the LCS? ICV.2 has reported a 3% (http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/13946.html) decline (mind you they don't say if that is in dollar amount or in product amount). The LCS already works on a very tight budget. They are already competing valiantly with online competitors but this new twist may make it tricky.

What if the customer decides to stop spending their entertainment dollar in comics all together? I personally came to the realization (rediscovery) that for $15.00 a month I can play World of Warcraft for 24/7. Dungeons and Dragons adventure stories that I actually interact with. Just like comics I am the hero. I interact with people around the world in building up the lore of my character. Through this I entertain myself and all the others I play with. All for less than the cost of 4 Marvel Comics that I can read in 10-15 minutes each.


The industry is evolving. But YOU as a fan are the first domino... which way will you fall?



the Tiki http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/tiki_torches.gif

[optimus187prime]

I will always have some comics that I keep up with. I know video games offer a longer experence per dollar with online play, but I am not always in the mood. I enjoy a story that I can just engross myself in and experience the jorney, video games balance a frustration with that joy. As far as trades go that is pretty much all I buy.

[galactus-hungers]

If some of my Marvel books move onto a 3.99 price point I think I may have to drop a few and pick them up in trades or not at all. But I think I will always try to pick up certain books in issues.

[labor_days]

Every time someone posts about the price of comics on the internet they should have the line to their house cut.

Major ughz + tl;dr.

[humphrey-lee]

I think DC will push the pile on pocket rockets only to watch Marvel hit runner runner in a hand they shouldn't have even have been in...


... wait, isn't the purpose here to do poker metaphors? Ah fuck!

[diabhol]

[QUOTE=Thefreakytiki;474581The industry is evolving. But YOU as a fan are the first domino... which way will you fall?
[/QUOTE]

Well, I'm definitely going to get a lot harsher about trimming stuff off of my pull list. That's already begun. I've also drastically cut down the number of mini-series I'm buying; no more "just because" purchases. If it turns out to be awesome, I can trust Marvel to make it a trade.

As for all trades? It would be interesting and I certainly wouldn't mind. Borders will get back on it's feet, while Barnes & Noble and Amazon pick up the slack.

It'll be at least ten years before we get the comic book iTunes we want, probably more. You're right in that the player/reader will make all the difference.

I expect price will only affect titles negatively, not positively. If you weren't buying it before, you're not likely to start just because you want to save a dollar.

Loyal as I am to my LCS, realizing I blew fifty bucks on books last week and am going to blow more than thirty bucks this week is starting to get to me. Online retailers are starting to look *way* more tempting as a result and that fills me with all kinds of guilt.

As for other avenues of entertainment, I *barely* go to movies and don't like video games that much. (And if I need a fantasy fix, I'll play D&D with real people or read a Jacqueline Carey novel.) In fact, I think my entertainment dollar-tree goes something like: Internet > Cable TV > Comics > Everything Else.

Anyway, if single issues die and give way to trades only, I'll be just fine with that. If LCS' die and only online retailers flourish, I'll be a little sad, but fine with that, too (as long as those price discounts don't go away). If paper dies and comics go all digital, I'll get over it. As long as there are still comics, I can handle what comes.

[poltah]

I don't buy comics very regularly. I believe that overall the quality of comics is very poor. The art can be genius, but the writing isn't very good in my opinion. It's filled with cliches, bad dialogue, poor storytelling and boring characters. There's no continuity, there's no drama. There's very little originality, and stuff doesn't happen.
Yes Captain America might die, but we all know he'll be returning at some point.

Anyway. The way I buy comics today is that I get recommended stories, I check them out at friends or stores or something. And then I buy hardcovers. I very rarely by trade paper backs. I do it sometimes to check out a story. But overall I buy hardcovers of the stories I like. And that's like one or two hardcovers a year.

I don't know if that's a general trend, or if it's just me.-

[jumpingjupiter]

My "M" is above 20 so I can afford to play TAG. I know Marvel is just working it's big stack and has been pushing with any two cards for a while now. I can afford to wait and play boring poker and give up only small pots. A LAG big stack player always gives something up eventually. When I'm looking down at 10-9 I'll play and see if I can get a connecting flop then value bet. But if the flop is rags, which it is most of the time lately, I'm out.

You get all that?