Since about 1999 or 2000 there has been an increase ( drastic ) in the producing of trade paper collections of comic runs ( limited series and regular monthly books ) which will collect an entire story arc.

back in the day they would only package a collection if it was of high quality or at least high profile but now many titles get reprinted in trades.

Do comic fans still have the need to own "it" right away issue by issue, or have comic fans learned to be patient and wait for the soft ( or hard ) cover all in one collected product?

Trades do seem to be practical and I for one have turned more to buying a trade now that i'm getting older.

for the record I am not "knocking" either form of comic story.

PS: Did I just get the first "real" forum topic just now??? glad the site is back up and running!!!!

hello to all who are here and to all that will come again!!

What few comics I tend to purchase anymore are TPB collections... I have no problem waiting patiently for a TPB version of stuff that interests me..

I'm a trade-paperback, graphic novel type of guy. Saves a spot of money, and makes sure I get everything in the story arc. Most of the time anyway. I'm also the type of rotten person who just reads the stuff at the bookstore. Just because most of the stuff I have read lately isn't worth owning.

Also, I'm addicted to X-Man Al's comic collection. His website is now included in the Links section on the Main Page. Good stuff.

I've got no problem with TPBs, I might consider picking up a few of New Exiles and New Excalibur,
given that the covers and what not hold up much better and will fit in a bookshelf more nicely.

Cheers,

Niniri

I prefer to buy my collections in single issues. Call me old-school, I guess.

antithesis

I lost my patience for the monthly model a long time ago. TPBs allow me to keep relatively up-to-date without the hassles and costs of single issues.

I'm a comic book junkie, I buy comics by the issue and normally spend 30-60 bucks a week on comics, but I guess that's better than being a real junkie and probably cheaper... LOL

I wonder if someday they will put ads ( not just comicbook stuff ) from other companies in trades like they do in regular comics?

Movie ads, toys, x-ray vision glasses etc. etc.

I used to think that the ads ( back in the day ) helped lower the cost of the comic.

Would not mind ads in trades if that would help with the cost but I'm not sure ads and cost are connected anymore.

I would most assuredly agree with the idea of more ads in the monthly issues to help lower costs, when you pick up an issue from the 70's there are probably 2 to 3 times the number of ads per issue. If the sales ads and the increased revenue generated by their inclusion could help with the cover price it's not a bad trade off, since unlike broadcast TV or radio, if you are not interested you can simply turn the page past the ad in no time and do not have to really wait for it to finish. However in the trades I would prefer to keep the ads out completely since I tend to treat my trade collection as bookshelf literature whereas the monthly issues are bagged, boarded and boxed after reading. I would not enjoy going to my bookshelves and opening a volume of the Lord of the Rings and seeing a Mountain Dew or Verizon ad within the pages of the book and the same applies to my trade collection that is stored on those very same shelves. From an entirely personal and asthetic reason I would not want ads in the trade paperback volumes.

Considering the rising costs for books I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't start adding adds to them to lower costs. :/ I also don't mind the ads if it's lower the outrageous costs of comics today.

I'm buying 'She-Hulk' and 'Avengers: The Initiative' by the issue right now, just for fun. I found that the trade paperbacks are available to borrow for free at the library. This is a good free way to catch up on most of my comic reading.

I really liked the DVDs that GTI was putting out, but unfortunately, Marvel has yet to update their license. Finding them is really what got me back into comics - a little. I tend to think that the story telling in marvel hasn't really come back up to earlier standards (while a lot of people talk about the Jim Shooter era, in a lot of ways, what followed was even worse). I've read Civil War, the New Avengers, etc. and in many ways, they seemed recycled from earlier stories. Frankly, the RPG lets you retell stories from the eighties without worrying about the burden of the craziness that was added into the continuity (since the game is assumed to be an alternate earth, anyway).

I like the TBs because I'm cheap. Or poor. Or poor and cheap. I don't really "collect" anymore, so not only do I wait for the trade, I wait for a beat up copy so I can actually afford it.

Besides, like most comics fans I know, I swallow a single comic in minutes --- then have to wait an interminable 30 days to read the next issue.

Mark

Good point Mark on used Trades- I sometimes find them at a 1/2 Priced Books store or a used book store.

The down side is- it's a crap shoot what you find there- usually can't count on a particular trade.

As storylines now simply seem to be simply written for the trade, rather than as good stories in and of themselves, I ignore both the trades and the single issues these days. Won't have anything to do with either.

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`Cept Usagi Yojimbo.
Gotta have Usagi.

...

And Knights of the Dinner Table.
That's still good too.

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Oh, and Badger.
We have the same name, after all.

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And whenever Captain Carrot, or the Suicide Squad show up.

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And...
well, you get the idea.

Nice to see another Usagi fan, although I don't collect him as much as I should, or Knights of the Dinner Table.

KODT rocks hardcore. Nice to see other fans.

Hoody hoo!

I just love that comic, like when the girl joined another group for a while only to learn that they took a published module and converted it into an anti-female setting and when she got that knowledge she went postal and destroyed everything in her old GM's game to take the frustration out.

"I WASTE THE GUARD WITH MY LONGBOW!"

Oh man, when she said that I about died I was laughing so hard. Such a great comic. My favorite strip is still "Lair of the Gazebo" though.

I think that's something that's actually happened in a game, but still my favorite will be her finally losing it. Then again the cursed dice issues were close, and how she exploited it to win the uber match.

Well, I like TPBs cause it allows new readers to get the scoop on old stuff, I also like them cause if you want the collected series in one book instead of spread out into three or more titles it makes things easy. But there is something not many here mentioned which is the new attitude of the comic industry. The writers and editors care so little about something another person here and I talk about often, which is character integrity and continuity! Even the mind behind Civil War said it himself, that comics are a disposable medium! He alluded that its only important now and the past or future of it is worthless, which is why once he is on a book he pays little or no attention to what happened in the story before he got it or the abilities/personality of the characters that have been previously established. The guy should burn for what he has done and said, but I am sure some here don't care or agree! Maybe I am too old and stuck in the past, but people like him are the reason so many TPBs are coming out. It's the only way to stimulate new readers into caring about old stories or make money off of old issues today. Plus, it helps folks that are cheap or poor to take part in the classic stories too! Anyway, it keeps attention in the now and ruins the value of anything that preceded what is current. I mean if you can buy the TPB, then why spend more for the older stuff? Sad, but true! I like that Marvel Essentials are in black and white instead of color to preserve the integrity of the original books, leaving the totality of the books to the ones who respect/value the medium as opposed to the ones who use it for mere entertainment!

It's unfortunate people like that are working at Marvel (or any other company where continuity is supposed to be important, along with respect for the product you're producing). That kind of attitude is why I've almost stopped reading Marvel and DC completely (can't remember the last DC title I read in fact), since I read them for an ongoing story that has a history and continuity and it's no different than a series of novels in a particularly story setting like Star Wars. Continuity is what helps make the stories great, because you feel history with the characters and see them change and evolve over time.

You said it Nightmask!

Now that comics philosophies, readership and creators have changed (not all but, still...) and where continuity and character consistency can be upside down.

Should comic readers of a certain age (older) or outlook just 1) read comics online (like readcomiconline to + many adult game site ads and dating ads).

or 2) just give up reading the big TWO (DC and Marvel )???

----- It can't be true that DC is killing off many justice league members so they won't have to pay the families any royalties ???

------ It can't be true DC had a storyline where Superman lost his powers , was taken captive for 8 months to be sodomized and experimented on???

PS: there will always be good comics by other publishers or an occasional big 2 comic. Maybe I just got old.

PPS: there are always back issues.

Apparently the "Superman raped" storyline is true.

Not sure why it's a appealing to people to have supers depowered and why we see that storyline A TON, especially in TV and cinema. I my be crazy, but I think there are plenty of stories with powerless people being heroes... I tune in to see super-powered people, not formerly super-powered people.

I think the days of "traditional" comics is over. The comics medium today is seen more as a way for the disenfranchised to get a voice, whether it's the correct forum or not. It's no longer a business interested in selling good stories, in-print, meant for general consumption.

Traditional heroes and their values are seen as the bad guys now. Any hero that tries to uphold the law is a bad guy.

Somewhat sad, but it's the state of things.

Yeah.

Shame though. I grew up with mainstream comics, it's sad I and others might have to let it go.

I started reading comics as a kid in the 90s and the whole genre is wildly different even from then. It's a bit out of hand and seems to thrive more on shock and novelty than of any genuine interest. Plus, I find it very hard to follow a story anymore and there's always these constant inserts from outside franchises. On the topic, I do buy trade paperback's now solely, but it's all older stuff (pre-2010 or so usually pre-90s). I have enjoyed the occasional modern comic, but more often than not, I have not.

I'm still trying to learn how HUGE comic sites such as Readcomiconline to, with the biggest back issue totals action comics #1 to 1000, from 1938.

Plus almost all modern comics for free?!

Is it just the advertisements?

I mean, if you want to read an obscure back issue hole in one collection for continuity sake this is the place to go.

Quote
G.A.W.
I'm still trying to learn how HUGE comic sites such as Readcomiconline to, with the biggest back issue totals action comics #1 to 1000, from 1938.

Plus almost all modern comics for free?!

Is it just the advertisements?

I mean, if you want to read an obscure back issue hole in one collection for continuity sake this is the place to go.

They're pirating sites. They scan or pull from official sources and then upload them online on servers outside of the USA where no one cares what a US legal team will say when they find out they're being pirated. .TO domains are the island of Tonga and the site fees are a nice little bonus. The owner of the site makes money from the ads, and the creators/companies get nothing. Often these sites get taken down if a legal team goes after then strongly or eventually they get hacked or something.

Comic books are simply... Too Expensive now.

a few times a year i go to comic warehouse sales , bargain sales etc paying 25 cents to 1.00 for comics, kind of fun picking up cheap older comics i never tried when i was younger.

now comics are 3,99 to 4.99 for just an average run of the mill 22 page comic.

they just set the record for the highest average price of a comic in august this year

[www.comichron.com]


PS: and trades are so common , comic shop owners might take in Credit 20% cover price for your trades.