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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2015 22:22:04 GMT -5
I don't buy any Marvel books as a "floppy" (and to be fair, I don't really buy many DC books that way these days either), but I do like to read some of the Marvel storylines -- especially when a classic storyline is collected, and I can get the trade either very cheap at a Convention, or at a discount from my Online Shop.
anyways, so I *DO* keep up with the Marvel releases via Previews, and I was genuinely excited to see the solicit this month for
"Daredevil Epic collection: A touch of Typhoid" -- collecting Ann Nocenti's Typhoid Mary saga (which I loved at the time it came out).
I was all ready to flag the page to make a note that I want to grab it when I see it. . and then noticed the price:
472 pages: $39.99
Now, that typically wouldn't have made me blink twice (it's only about 8 1/2 cents a page). . except I noticed that it's on the page opposite advertising for "X-Men Epic Collection: the Gift" which is:
512 pages: $34.99 -- less than 7cents a page.
so the X-men Trade is 40 pages more, and costs $5 less?
and then what caused me to even post about it, is on the next page, is something I absolutely AM interested in:
Marvel Frontier Comics: the Complete Collection -- collecting some great Marvel UK stories.
that one is: 416 pages: $39.99 -- so that one is not only almost 10cents a page, but it's the SAME PRICE as the Daredevil book. . but 56 pages shorter?
what the heck is up with that?
I completely understand supply/demand, and that Marvel feels it can price a lower demand title more. . but really. . . the printing of a trade should be 1-1-1. . . so many pages = that cost.
this seems like gouging to me, and is really turning me off.
anyone have an opinion on this?
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 4, 2015 22:36:10 GMT -5
I have to assume it is based upon the number of units they expect to move. Their printing cost is less if they pay for more units. Therefore they can discount it a bit to the consumer and still make a profit. It's the same general principle behind the cost per ounce on larger boxes of cereal. They expect to sell more units of X-Men so they print more and the cost per page is less.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2015 22:54:18 GMT -5
Alos depends on the reprint rights contracts and how much the behind the curtains costs are. If the Marvel Frontier stuff was creator participation (which I think it was) the creatives get a bigger cut making production costs higher than the standard super-hero fare which has standard reprint royalties.
As Slam points out, expected units sold is a big factor as there is a certain point int he print run where the cost per unit drops drastically, and if they do not expect to sell enough of a niche product (like Frontier) to hit that price drop, then they have to charge more to get the same margin as a product with higher expected sales.
While we as consumers would like to think it is 1-1-1 for trades and costs per page to us, those cost per page counts vary wildly for the publisher and very rarely are 1-1-1. It may very well have been that a product like Frontier as a niche seller in an already niche market needs the higher price point just to be viable and would not get made at the lower price point because of production cost factors we will always be in the dark about.
The only factor we as consumers have to look at is the cost worth it to us. If not, then don't buy it. It may mean the price drops for later products or it may mean products like that never see the light of day because they are not profitable at the lower price point for Marvel.
As for Marvel being greedy, I would tend to think the fact they offer things like Marvel Unlimited and print subs at 40% off cover while DC offers no digital sub at all and charges higher than cover price per issue for print subs would indicate where the greed factor is pointing. Marvel offers more affordable options to the consumers, many of whom choose to take other options instead. DC does not offer those more affordable options.
-M
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2015 22:59:21 GMT -5
^ but the price points on the DC trades, do seem to be fairly consistent across titles. For example, I've got a lot of the Convergence trades on my list if I see them at a Con.
(that's why i singled out Marvel in my question).
but you make a good point about DC actually offering consumers less choices (tho it doesn't affect me much as I only get a few DC books these days. . way, way down from years ago where I bought pretty much the whole DCU line).
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2015 23:20:51 GMT -5
^ but the price points on the DC trades, do seem to be fairly consistent across titles. For example, I've got a lot of the Convergence trades on my list if I see them at a Con. (that's why i singled out Marvel in my question). but you make a good point about DC actually offering consumers less choices (tho it doesn't affect me much as I only get a few DC books these days. . way, way down from years ago where I bought pretty much the whole DCU line). Yes but DC offers fewer and fewer new backlist trades than Marvel does (and that is where you are seeing the price point variance for Marvel, in their back list trades not in their trades collecting new material). DC has not collected new stuff that didn't sell well and offers very little in the way of niche products as new collections (things like a Cinder and Ashe collection seem to be the exception not the rule) and series getting collected by DC seem to get abandoned after 1 or 2 volumes if those trades don't meet certain levels (looking at things like the first attempt to collect Ostrander's Suicide Squad, the Spectre trades etc. that either got dropped or have very very slow release rates) rather than still offering them at a higher price point than other trades. Marvel, it seems will still put the stuff out but charge more, DC just chooses not to put the stuff out there if they can't sell enough of it at the price points they use regularly. That might be greed on Marvel's part, or it might be they are in a better position to take a risk with a niche product at a higher price point than DC to see if that product can find an audience. -M |
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Post by Icctrombone on Oct 5, 2015 18:54:49 GMT -5
Is there a reason why DC hasn't released their Bronze Age books in tpb form ?
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Oct 7, 2015 18:21:44 GMT -5
Which specific bronze age books? I've got Trial of Wonder Woman, Joker, and Secret Society of Super-Villains trades.
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Post by Icctrombone on Oct 7, 2015 22:05:34 GMT -5
I'm thinking runs of Batman books from that era.
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