Does DC and Marvel use toilet paper for most of their TPB's now?
 

I've been a big fan of DC's and Marvel's softcover TPBs and the occasional graphic novel over the years. What I have noticed is the continuing decline of the quality of paper both companies (but especially DC).

While I don't mind this on Marvel's "Essential" collections, which are usually lack color but are jammed packed with 500+ pages of classic stories, I do mind this with the first run stuff. I just purchased DC's Crisis on Multiple Earths and the paper is so poor, it's probably worse than the original books published back in the 60s. Even on their more expensive titles like the Starman collections, the recent collections are the same price but the quality of the paper is very poor.

Is Marvel typically doing this as well, and what's their excuse for doing this on $20+ books? Is it a way to get people to purchase the hardcover editions?

I wouldn't put anything past the current regime at Marvel. As far as DC goes, I don't know why.

Perhaps they're subconsciously trying to get you to buy the individual back issues?

DC has been using the crap paper for several years now.

The first three STARMAN TPBs had the nicer, glossy paper, and then four through seven had the bad stuff. It's really too bad, too, because their TPBs are expensive and the paper they use just doesn't reproduce or hold color well at all. The colors always end up looking dull and murky.

I think it was between PREACHER 48 and 49 when they quit using the nice heavy paper in their Vertigo books and went with the crap stuff.

Personally, I think they're just being cheap. And it's too bad, too, because I doubt better paper would increase costs that much.

Marvel, on the other hand, have been using nice glossy paper in their TPBs. The two NEW X-MEN TPBs (and hardcover) were actually printed on better paper than the comics themselves. Unless Marvel has changed the paper quality in their recent TPBs, I'm guessing they're still doing this.

Well, most of the Marvel books I've been purchasing lately, like Universe X and the [very confusing] Earth X have used excellent paper. I have to say that I did purchase The Essential Doctor Strange, and while the paper was newspaper quality and b&w, the book was so big and the stories so good I didn't mind it.

DC is another story altogether. They gave the same type of treatment to Jack Kirby's 4th World books, and while it was finally nice to see them published, they should have at least done them in color. The Crisis on Multiple Earths book I just bought was done on even worse quality paper but is in color.

Yes, I'm very dissapointed in DC. It's pretty much a given now that all their TPBs use terrible quality paper, even the more expensive softcovers. $24.95 MSRP is not cheap (although I would never pay that much) although Warner/DC apparently is. I resent the fact that I'm paying alot of money for these collections and they're going to yellow just as fast or faster than regular comic books.

The DC hardcovers are still good though. I managed to get the hc version of Dark Victory on Half.com for $14, and the paper is excellent. I'm thankfull for places like Alldirect and Half or I would stop purchasing TPBs altogether.

lol