comics + inflation

[thefreakytiki]

I figured the forum would be interested in this...


http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/06/11/spider-mans-greatest-enemy-inflation/#respond

Below is a chart showing circulation statistics for Amazing Spider-Man over the years.

Not exactly stellar. Except for the boom years in the early 1990s, the title’s popularity has actually waned. That this hasn’t caused a drop in prices seems to defy economic logic. Even the dramatic plummet in demand for Spider-Man from 1994 to present day has been accompanied by more than a doubling in monthly prices from $1.25 to $2.99. What gives?


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

[acomicbookgirl]

I stumbled upon that in my blog rounds. I'll check it out when I get home later since i'm already late for work.. :o

[fred]

I don't know. The paper stock, binding quality, etc are much better now though than they were then so I can't really complain.

[drwally]

Hope I don't offend anyone's political sensibilities, but the study was done by a Libertarian think tank. They often view "Free Markets" as a kind of utopic Never-Never land, where if the government just disappeared overnight, the world would become Utopia. They are the flip side of Anarchists, and both are the same thing and neither can explain why. These are people that hold the same economic theories that made experts in 1929 scratch their head and wonder why a Depression was occurring because their logic said one should not. Libertarian methods of analyzing market trends, which would probably make Adam Smith shudder, tend to show the same simplicity of logic (bordering on religious fervor) that completely ignores that Marvel is a company with a multitude of titles and business lines, the distribution system has changed and has a huge affect, and the other factors Fred mentions, and on and on. Spider-Man does not in fact exist in a vacuum. It is not the only title Marvel sells, SURPRISE. Their whole take on inflation wouldn't make it past the door of any financial analyst on Wall Street and be taken seriously.

I think there has been more sophisticated discussion of the business end of comics on this forum and on the podcast that whatever these "theorists" have cooked up.

[six-gun]

Umm, I'm a Libertarian Wally but not quite as extreme as what you just outlined. And I don't at all agree with your statement.

Sorry, no politics, I know.

[drwally]

Umm, I'm a Libertarian Wally but not quite as extreme as what you just outlined. And I don't at all agree with your statement.

Sorry, no politics, I know.

No, if any offended, it was I. And a good friend is a Libertarian. My first true love, now married with four children, living in Costa Rica where there is "very little government, the less the better." There is a Libertarian think tank that does very good legal stuff on civil rights and protecting democratic values and freedoms.

Suffice to say, any opinion put out by a Libertarian Think Tank is bound to have a specifically political view of a certain type behind it that tends to skew how they view market data, rather than in a more complete, objective manner like most of the financial analysts working for the large brokerage houses on Wall Street. Think tanks that put out papers like this one featured on Newsarama are very probably the kind that vote for the Libertarian Party candidate for President. Is that "extreme"? You decide.

Of course, all are free to believe what they want, just saying people should keep that in mind if they decide to read the article.

I hear reading the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man ain't real fun, but USM, by many accounts, is good reading.

[six-gun]

No, if any offended, it was I. And a good friend is a Libertarian. My first true love, now married with four children, living in Costa Rica where there is "very little government, the less the better." There is a Libertarian think tank that does very good legal stuff on civil rights and protecting democratic values and freedoms.

Suffice to say, any opinion put out by a Libertarian Think Tank is bound to have a specifically political view of a certain type behind it that tends to skew how they view market data, rather than in a more complete, objective manner like most of the financial analysts working for the large brokerage houses on Wall Street. Think tanks that put out papers like this one featured on Newsarama are very probably the kind that vote for the Libertarian Party candidate for President. Is that "extreme"? You decide.

Of course, all are free to believe what they want, just saying people should keep that in mind if they decide to read the article.

I hear reading the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man ain't real fun, but USM, by many accounts, is good reading.

I was in no way offended and actually agree with your conceit that their findings might be biased, I just disagreed with your definition of libertarians as a whole (I for one, think that the government should be a huge force in terms of national defense and that taxes are absolutely necessary to that end and therefore with vote Republican rather than Libertarian when I'm 18 so I'm not throwing a vote away on a 1% canidate)

Okay, back to comics!

[kal]

You know, with the whole speculation market and the general wackiness of the comic industry, I've grown to realize that the economic logic you can apply to most everything else won't apply to comics.

[drwally]

You know, with the whole speculation market and the general wackiness of the comic industry, I've grown to realize that the economic logic you can apply to most everything else won't apply to comics.

That is a pretty true statment, although I think every particular industry has its own quirks and wacky characteristics. I would caution anyone to be sceptical whenever they encounter some "catch all" theory that simplifies too much.

[mikegraham6]

What i really want to know is why, when the comics are printed in canada and the Canadian dollar is very close to par with the american, am i paying so much more than you guys for comics!??!?! it's not f*cking fair i tell you!:mad:

[drwally]

What i really want to know is why, when the comics are printed in canada and the Canadian dollar is very close to par with the american, am i paying so much more than you guys for comics!??!?! it's not f*cking fair i tell you!:mad:

I'm with Mike on this, because I'm in Japan, and there is no way to justify marking up the price of comics DOUBLE the U.S. cover price. See, this is the problem with the entire article linked here - it treats inflation as if it were a simple substance that reacts only to simple stimuli in a highly controlled laboratory experiment. Actually, there are many complex factors, and some of them, like with the price in other countries, are entirely arbitrary and defy the logic of this article completely.

So hey there, I'm with the Canadians!

[mjm05k]

Marvel may be jacking up the price in other countries because of some international tax implications that we don't know about. Or they could just be jerks (not outside the realm of possibility) and figure that they can get away with it.

[the-screw-on-aaron]

Comics are my main hobby it gives me something to look forward to every week. I can wait and save up for that video game or CD that I have been waiting for, I'm not necessarily saying it's good that the price is so high but I'm ready to fork out the money for it every week quite willingly as I'm sure many of us are and that's not going to change any time soon.

[aleibo]

There have been a lot of changes with comic books since the 90s and I can totally understand the price of books doubling since then. Like fred said the quality of todays books is much better than it was in the 90s. Todays comic book audience also has more disposable income then what I believe was the target audience in the 90s, in fact my opinion is that we were that target audience then, we're still the target audience now and the comic book companies know we have more money then we did when we were younger.

Now if in say 3-5 years I'm paying 4.00 a book then I might cry murder, 2.25-2.99 for what we're getting today I don't find outrageous.

Excuse my grammar and spelling LOL I've been drinking some wine!

[mikegraham6]

Comics are my main hobby it gives me something to look forward to every week. I can wait and save up for that video game or CD that I have been waiting for, I'm not necessarily saying it's good that the price is so high but I'm ready to fork out the money for it every week quite willingly as I'm sure many of us are and that's not going to change any time soon.

i feel the same way Aaron, comics are my only (main) vice. I dont drink, smoke or do drugs so that frees up a lot of cash!:Dthe only other thing i spend my dough on is DVDs but i trying to curtail that problem
so i don't mind dropping 50 $ on comics every week. well i do mind, but im not about to put any of them back...

My question to you guys is:
Does a comic's cover price every turn you away from buying a book? Personally i don't even look at them (unless it's prestige like that Shazam mini). But for me, if im interested in a book and it's 3.50$-5$ i'll still pick it up. i usually don't realize prices until the LCS rings me up or when im at home flipping through them. But it never-to-rarely stops me from buying a comic

[horatio616]

I figured the forum would be interested in this...


http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/06/11/spider-mans-greatest-enemy-inflation/#respond

Below is a chart showing circulation statistics for Amazing Spider-Man over the years.

Not exactly stellar. Except for the boom years in the early 1990s, the title’s popularity has actually waned. That this hasn’t caused a drop in prices seems to defy economic logic. Even the dramatic plummet in demand for Spider-Man from 1994 to present day has been accompanied by more than a doubling in monthly prices from $1.25 to $2.99. What gives?

Circulation drops lead to drop in ad rates. Ad revenue goes down. Paper prices have skyrocketed since the late seventies when comics were 40 cents. If you look closely, comics when from 40 to 50 to 60 to 65 to 75 to one dollar in a very short amount of time, and this is mostly due to paper costs.

Actually, we're lucky that that the big two are even still making comics. Revenue from comic sales pales in comparison to merchandise revenue. High cover prices are just something we'll have to live with.

[jgg0610]

Mike, I'm with you. Cover price has never dictated whether or not I bought a title or not. As far as the Canadian thing goes, I've got no answer for you there. My question is why are they printing them in Canada to begin with? I'm not trying to stir up trouble. I'm simply wondering what types of incentives are they getting that makes this process worth their while.

[mikegraham6]

Mike, I'm with you. Cover price has never dictated whether or not I bought a title or not. As far as the Canadian thing goes, I've got no answer for you there. My question is why are they printing them in Canada to begin with? I'm not trying to stir up trouble. I'm simply wondering what types of incentives are they getting that makes this process worth their while.

There are lots of trees up here;)

[jgg0610]

There are lots of trees up here;)
Sure, but my point was they've got to be incurring extra cost to import all of that product on the front end. They've got to be getting some pretty serious incentives to offset that additional cost vs. printing in the states which is most likely their largest market by country.

[mikegraham6]

Sure, but my point was they've got to be incurring extra cost to import all of that product on the front end. They've got to be getting some pretty serious incentives to offset that additional cost vs. printing in the states which is most likely their largest market by country.

its all in NAFTA, they dont have to pay anything to bring it over the border. You'll find a lot of stuff you buy in the US is made here like CDs, DVDs, even a lot of cars.
but there's probably tax breaks or something for companies to move up here, either that or its because there's more room for industry....:rolleyes:

[jgg0610]

its all in NAFTA, they dont have to pay anything to bring it over the border. You'll find a lot of stuff you buy in the US is made here like CDs, DVDs, even a lot of cars.
but there's probably tax breaks or something for companies to move up here, either that or its because there's more room for industry....:rolleyes:
I'm guessing it's the tax breaks. That's where a lot of companies save money.