PhantomStranger

I've noticed the industry's price points are getting increasingly high even for single issues.

stingermck

Batman is 64 pages though, and DC has it listed at $7.99

fujishig

I thought an increase to 7.99 was the rumor like a year ago when they were originally planning 5G... I think they were going to do like premium format books or something?

So that changed and these don't seem to be premium books anymore, but it seems like they stuffed them with backup stories, ie: comics that they paid for but aren't going to release separately so they're chopping them up? Or is that just the cynic in me?

I remember DC tried this before, putting backups in to push page count and pushing the price up, then removing the backups and keeping the price (similar to how they raised prices stating the digital issues were the reason, then they removed the digital codes).

Red Hood

Cover A is $7.99. Cover B and C are $8.99 each

stingermck

Yeah I think its a way to get all the content that is done, out quickly.

Now I do like a backup when done well. DC had great backups in their titles in the SA/BA. Put Batgirl back in Detective as a backup and I'd be good with that.

The Valeyard

DC is reducing their line but putting some of those characters in back up features and raising the price of those books to $4.99 monthly (40 pages). They're also creating anthology titles at a higher price with a larger page count like Batman: Urban Legends (64 pages - $7.99). A handful of older and newer titles remain $3.99.

Marvel has done worse with pricing in the past. Charging $4.99 (and up) for "prestige titles" with normal page counts (20-22 pages). Or counting two full pages of just the title and credits for the book to their page count (basically, looking at two less story pages). Yes, I know DC is also guilty of that at times. At least a normal $4.99 DC book feels like there's more pages.

Honestly, in the past, I have frequently posted on DC's social media that they should turn back to anthology titles for their line. Put Bat-named characters in a Batman anthology title. All the rest of the Bat Family (Red Hood, Orphan, etc) into Detective Comics. Same with Superman and Action Comics. Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics. Bring back Adventure Comics and World's Finest. Thick books for $7 or $8.

We're almost there....

PhantomStranger

I suspect in a few years most of the superhero comic book print industry will end up in anthologies. They'll bundle popular characters like Batman with characters that don't sell on their own.

Red Hood

Marvel won't do that at all. They are selling fine as it is, their comics a profiting the company and they are investment for their movie division.

fujishig

Or just have dozens of Batman and Batman-related titles and little else.

The Valeyard

Definitely. Marvel still sees a value in their monthly comics. In both sales and creativity. AT&T/Warner does not. Since AT&T took over, they have been chipping away at DC on all fronts (more so than Warner themselves have done since 2009).

Red Hood

Been reading the new Future State titles that came out this week and so far they are pretty good. Liking Wonder Woman the most and I feel that the character has the "IT" factor that will make her a mainstay in the DC Universe.

Second print books are being solicited next week for the #1 issues

PhantomStranger

Probably my favorite single issue of the last couple years just came out:

https://www.dccomics.com/comics/dark...ecret-origin-1

Dark Nights: Death Metal The Secret Origin #1

I won't spoil anything but the issue features Superboy Prime.

Bronkster

Not related to the current "relaunch", or even the last few - I just finished rereading "Crisis on Infinite Earths". I've been catching up on the years of Superman/Action comics I missed during the time I had quit collecting, and got to the issue of Action before John Byrne takes over. So it seemed like a good time to re-experience Crisis. I'm thinkin' I'm gonna reread Byrne's "Man of Steel" again, too, just to get the full feel of Superman's first "rebirth".

PhantomStranger

DC is currently releasing Man of Steel in deluxe hardcover volumes, scooping up Byrne's run entirely. Volume one is out and volume two is about to come out.