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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 0:40:13 GMT -5
Hi, I'm mrp and I've become a trade waiter...  With pricing, release schedules, story arc structure, etc. of modern indy comics, I have found myself more and more waiting on the trade rather than buying when they come out as singles or even immediately when they come out as collected editions. Some indy series I started in trade and continue to read that way...Thief of Thieves, Five Ghosts, Prophet-some I started out buying singles at the beginning, but have switched to trades...Saga, The Fade Out, Lazarus, Velvet-and some series I came in late on and am catching up via trade (Hellboy, BPRD, Usagi Yojimbo, Sixth Gun et. al). I know some here dislike trades, and others swear by them. We have weekly threads where people can list what indy books they are getting, but no place that serves as an umbrella thread for series people come in late on or just buy in collected editions for indy books, I thought this thread might be a place for those of us trade waiting to talk about the books we are getting and reading. We just got an Amazon gift card, so I got to do a little shopping spree after work tonight, and thanks to Amazon Prime, I'll have the books to read early next week. So my latest trade pick ups... The Fade Out Vol. 1 The Sixth Gun Vol. 1 Cold Dead Fingers Fear Agent Vol. 3 The Last Goodbye Hellboy Vol. 3 The Chained Coffin and Others BPRD Hell on Earth Vol. 2 Gods and Monsters -M |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 3:36:35 GMT -5
Trades have become my preferred format now. Hardcovers actually, but softcovers are okay too. The value is what does it for me. And the fact that what's on my shelf actually gets read. What's tucked away in a longbox seems to have less luck at that.
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Post by Earth 2 Flash on Apr 18, 2015 9:00:42 GMT -5
I used to be a trade-waiter, for several years actually. But then I discovered digital comics. Now I am a digital-$ale-waiter.  |
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Post by Randle-El on Apr 18, 2015 11:32:10 GMT -5
Depends on the series for me. I still get monthly issues for books with stories that I feel are compelling enough to warrant keep up with them month to month. If a book is pretty far into its run (or completed), I'll be more likely to pick up trades as a faster way to read through the material. Right now, I'm following Letter 44 and Alex + Ada in trades, since I came across both recently and they are at least a dozen issues into their runs.
Another factor for me is timeliness of the issues. A rule of thumb I tend to follow is that if the story isn't interesting enough or clear enough that I can mostly remember what happened last issue, then it's time to cut it from my list. I can deal with large gaps in the publishing schedule if the story is compelling enough for me that I remember what happened, even if the last issue was a couple of months ago. But if there are delays and the story isn't memorable enough to stay fresh in my mind, then that's a candidate for the trade wait or cut list.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 15:26:26 GMT -5
For older comics, I like the total package of the floppy-the letters page, the vintage ads, etc. all bring back memories and add to the enjoyment of the book. For modern stuff, there are very few books with extra added value for the floppy format, so I prefer the trade. There's no letters pages to read, there's no interesting bits in a Meanwhile column or Bullpen bulletins, any house ad you see, you will have seen online before. There are a few guys-Brubaker and Rucka come to mind, who are trying to add value to the floppy, but the economics of modern comics still make me favor the trade format for recent stuff. For vintage stuff, I still prefer the floppy when I can afford it, but some stuff just isn't affordable for me unless I get a collected edition, and for that, I'll live with it.
-M
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 18, 2015 15:30:20 GMT -5
I mostly trade-wait for indy stuff because of the cost, mostly... Image almost always does the 1st trade of a series cheaply. I'll by the single issues if it's something I feel like I want to help the numbers of. Then there's small stuff that I worry if it will even finish, which I almost always wait for the trades on.
The stuff I do buy is long-time properties I know aren't going anywhere, like Elfquest, Conan, or Usagi.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 17:29:33 GMT -5
Letters pages are a big plus on some titles. On many though it's just a couple pages of filler that I tend to skip.
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Post by coke & comics on Apr 18, 2015 17:53:05 GMT -5
It has been 8 years since I bought a single issue off the newstand.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 19, 2015 14:17:02 GMT -5
Hi, I'm mrp and I've become a trade waiter... With pricing, release schedules, story arc structure, etc. of modern indy comics, I have found myself more and more waiting on the trade rather than buying when they come out as singles or even immediately when they come out as collected editions. Some indy series I started in trade and continue to read that way...Thief of Thieves, Five Ghosts, Prophet-some I started out buying singles at the beginning, but have switched to trades...Saga, The Fade Out, Lazarus, Velvet-and some series I came in late on and am catching up via trade (Hellboy, BPRD, Usagi Yojimbo, Sixth Gun et. al). I know some here dislike trades, and others swear by them. We have weekly threads where people can list what indy books they are getting, but no place that serves as an umbrella thread for series people come in late on or just buy in collected editions for indy books, I thought this thread might be a place for those of us trade waiting to talk about the books we are getting and reading. We just got an Amazon gift card, so I got to do a little shopping spree after work tonight, and thanks to Amazon Prime, I'll have the books to read early next week. So my latest trade pick ups... The Fade Out Vol. 1 The Sixth Gun Vol. 1 Cold Dead Fingers Fear Agent Vol. 3 The Last Goodbye Hellboy Vol. 3 The Chained Coffin and Others BPRD Hell on Earth Vol. 2 Gods and Monsters -M The Chained Coffin trade is one of the best. |
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Post by Spike-X on Apr 20, 2015 17:09:42 GMT -5
Trades (and increasingly HCs) are where it's at for me. I haven't bought singles on a regular basis for over a decade.
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Post by hondobrode on May 4, 2015 3:22:44 GMT -5
I used to be a trade-waiter, for several years actually. But then I discovered digital comics. Now I am a digital-$ale-waiter. I was becoming more and more a trade waiter on some series to see what the reviews were later, and to have the complete story, but, like Earth 2 Flash, I've come to digital by Comixology and Dark Horse Digital and hunt the sales, which are incredible, usually running around $ 1 / issue. I don't have to have the newest thing, with rare exceptions being Convergence right now. I know I could wait and buy them later on sale but I'm so pumped about it I'm supporting DC at full price cause I want it asap. Most of the time I can wait and pick it up a little while later cheaply. Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers is a perfect example. Now that Secret Wars is getting ready to break, Marvel has Hickman's issues on sale either in bundles or singles @ $ .99 ea. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 4, 2015 11:53:03 GMT -5
It has been 8 years since I bought a single issue off the newstand. Last time for me was probably 1999. The fact that the closest comic book shop is 155 miles away may have some effect on that though. |
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Post by Earth 2 Flash on May 4, 2015 12:01:11 GMT -5
It has been 8 years since I bought a single issue off the newstand. Last time for me was probably 1999. The fact that the closest comic book shop is 155 miles away may have some effect on that though. I can relate! I have to take a 1 hour and 15 minute flight just to get to an island where there is a comic book shop!
I am so thankful for digital comics.
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Post by dupersuper on May 4, 2015 19:14:16 GMT -5
Speaking very generally: I get my super hero fix in singles as they come out (I can't wait who-knows-how-long to catch up with Supes, Spidey, et al), but tend to get my other stuff (old and new) in trade (Saga, Walking Dead, Strangers in Paradise, Alex and Ada, Sex Criminals, Chew, Fables, Love & Rockets, Invisibles, Transmetrpolitan, 100 Bullets, FBP, Manhattan Projects, etc.)
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Post by Nowhere Man on May 29, 2015 10:54:46 GMT -5
Currently I'm reading: Saga, Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw, Five Ghosts, Ragnarok and The Sixth Gun digitally. I love all of these series, but it's getting increasingly frustrating reading some of them in single issue format. Autumlands and The Sixth Gun seems to give you more dialog per issue, but Five Ghosts is the biggest culprit in the decompression department. I'm waiting for the latest story arc to be completed in Five Ghosts before I read it since the first two issues were a tad ridiculous in terms of how little was actually taking place. I might be switching to trades in all of these very soon. I like them enough to keep reading and it's obvious that most of them are designed to be fully enjoyed in terms of indiviudal story arcs.
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