shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 31, 2016 9:29:07 GMT -5
So, as many of you know, I've been a die-hard Usagi fan for fifteen years now. I've always bought the floppies, as I tend to be purist about those kinds of things. I like the sense of history that comes from owning the authentic original.
But I've run into problems with this where Usagi is concerned.
1) Sakai, himself, has been "writing for the trade" since soon after his move to Dark Horse two decades back. There are themes, continuities, and characters in the books that make more sense when reading a trade from beginning to end instead of reading the individual issues on their own.
2) I recently purchased the enormous Saga volumes, and they are not just aesthetically pleasing -- they're so much easier to read. Usagi has a long and dense continuity, in which sometimes seemingly forgettable characters and events come back again later on. The trades make it easier to read a long stretch of issues in one sitting, providing that larger perspective. When I read the individual floppies, I have to make a concerted decision to proceed to the next issue. In the Saga, you just sort of keep going without giving it any thought.
3) Usagi makes a lot of appearances in other books. It's hard to keep track of and obtain all of these, but even harder to remember which ones to read when in the context of the larger Usagi continuity. Plus, he's done at least one for the Dark Horse website that was not published in print. The Saga collections include these stories. Far easier.
So this brings me to my current predicament -- I definitely enjoy reading the Saga editions more and fully intend to own all of them. Do I keep buying the floppies too? I generally wait until a full storyline has completed before reading the first issue of it (and that can take the better part of a year), so I'm essentially "trade-waiting" anyway. Of course, the Saga editions will have caught up to the most current issues by the end of 2016, and there will only be new ones every 2.5 years after that.
More importantly, I worry that, if folks don't buy the floppies, Dark Horse might eventually discontinue the series. Do they look at trade sales when weighing decisions like that? The most recent issue of Usagi sold 4,539 copies. Kind of seems like each individual floppy sale matters here.
So, do I keep buying current issues of Usagi (essentially) twice?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2016 12:54:21 GMT -5
If I liked the book as much as you do, I'd buy the floppies if only to read them. I'd get all antsy knowing they're there but waiting on some TPB months down the road. Besides, with a circulation that low, it needs all the sales it can get.
When the trade comes out, I'd always have the option to then sell the floppies if they're essentially the same.
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Jan 31, 2016 18:04:00 GMT -5
If I liked the book as much as you do, I'd buy the floppies if only to read them. I'd get all antsy knowing they're there but waiting on some TPB months down the road. I actually wait to read my new Usagi issues in long stretches because, otherwise, with a ten issue a year publication schedule, I tend to forget what's going on in the book. I actually haven't read a single issue since Usagi returned to a regular publishing schedule last May. So I'm pretty much trade-waiting already. That's my big concern, really. Most of my floppies were personally signed by Stan Sakai, so I can't sell them. It's both that they have sentimental value to me and that I wouldn't feel right flipping them for cash after Stan spent so much time signing them for me. Granted, this was ten years ago, but still... |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2016 19:02:13 GMT -5
If you feel the need to support the book monthly, do it. If you then want to buy the trades for long term, do so, but maybe donate the floppies then to literacy programs, a children's hospital wing, a library, keep them in your class for student's to read during free time, etc, or do something like give them away on Halloween see if any local con you go to has a charity auction for Hero's Initiative and donate them to the auction or see if Stan will sign them for the auction, or whatever option, and pay the floppies forward while supporting Stan on a month to month basis and via the trades you want to keep. As long as doing so doesn't tax your budget and you are okay with getting both.
If you don't want the hassle of dealing with the books but want to support Stan monthly and get the trades for long term, buy a digital copy of each individual issue-same money goes to Stan as print copy, you don't have to deal with having the floppies taking up space or what not, and then read once the trades are released. Same deal, as long as you have the budget for it and that's what you want to do.
If you just want one or the other, get the trades since that seems to be what you enjoy more and you are still supporting Stan's efforts by buying those.
Ultimately it comes down to deciding how much you want to spend supporting the book and its creator, and what format you want to have for them long term. Sounds like that's the trade from what you posted, so then the decision is do you want to spend the extra to support the book, or do you just want to buy it once? Only you can answer that.
-M
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Jan 31, 2016 19:59:50 GMT -5
so then the decision is do you want to spend the extra to support the book, or do you just want to buy it once? Only you can answer that. -M Part of me is really ready to give up on the floppies, but I worry that enough people doing that will kill the franchise entirely. Wish I knew if Dark Horse considers trade sales when making such decisions. Usagi's sales being in the 4k range is nothing new, mind you, but I still worry. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 31, 2016 20:00:52 GMT -5
MRP's digital solution is a great method, and one I use myself with the Abe Sapien and BPRD books. Like you I found that these books read much better when collected, and the omnibuses that Dark Horse put out of BPRD are seriously some of the best put together collections I've ever read and they look good on the shelf. However, with sales so I low I knew I had to keep up with the monthlies but didn't really want to waste too much space on double buying so I went digital and it works great.
As to worrying about the fate of Usagi, I don't think it's sales are really an issue as Dark Horse seems to take the long game pretty seriously when it comes to sales.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2016 16:43:42 GMT -5
I still get the floppies. This is one of two series I do both. The other being Walking Dead, but I sell my back issues when the Compendium comes out. Usually make more than enough to pay for the new compendium
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2016 16:45:45 GMT -5
so then the decision is do you want to spend the extra to support the book, or do you just want to buy it once? Only you can answer that. -M Part of me is really ready to give up on the floppies, but I worry that enough people doing that will kill the franchise entirely. Wish I knew if Dark Horse considers trade sales when making such decisions. Usagi's sales being in the 4k range is nothing new, mind you, but I still worry. If Dark Horse drops UY (which I don't imagine they'll do, considering the investment they put into the Saga collection) Sakai would be free to bring the series to any number of publishers. I doubt Image would say no. He was never dropped from Fantagraphics, he left voluntarily, because he felt like his was the only all ages friendly title there and didn't think it fit under that label, but I'm sure they'd take him back. I don't think the series is in any trouble. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 1, 2016 16:48:58 GMT -5
I'm getting the singles currently... I don't like to wait. I'll probably by the Saga volumes up until the point when I started doing so.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 1, 2016 17:34:31 GMT -5
I actually wait to read my new Usagi issues in long stretches because, otherwise, with a ten issue a year publication schedule, I tend to forget what's going on in the book. I actually haven't read a single issue since Usagi returned to a regular publishing schedule last May. So I'm pretty much trade-waiting already. There's been alot of one part stories lately... so that's not really an issue. I did go back and re-read the 3 parter once the 3rd part came out, but there was a delay of some sort, IIRC. |
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Post by usagigoya on Feb 1, 2016 20:10:26 GMT -5
Since I fall into that strange group of comic fans that have only found a few comics that they enjoy reading and collecting, I have a fairly unique way of buying my Usagi comics. 1. I buy the comics (floppies) when they are published. 2. I buy the collected editions when they are published. (#30 coming this summer  ) 3. I buy the omnibus editions when they are published. 5. I buy the foreign language translations when they are published. * * I have complete runs of Usagi Yojimbo in French, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Croatian, and Dutch. I am still looking for three of the four Usagi Yojimbo books published in Indonesia. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 2, 2016 9:42:57 GMT -5
Since I fall into that strange group of comic fans that have only found a few comics that they enjoy reading and collecting, I have a fairly unique way of buying my Usagi comics. 1. I buy the comics (floppies) when they are published. 2. I buy the collected editions when they are published. (#30 coming this summer ) 3. I buy the omnibus editions when they are published. 5. I buy the foreign language translations when they are published. * * I have complete runs of Usagi Yojimbo in French, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Croatian, and Dutch. I am still looking for three of the four Usagi Yojimbo books published in Indonesia. I'm not a huge foreign language collector, but sometimes looking at how familiar books get printed else where is pretty fun. Have you noticed any interesting changes in the foreign prints of Usagi? |
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Post by coke & comics on Feb 3, 2016 4:50:52 GMT -5
I gave up on floppies entirely 9 years ago.
I think I have bought one newsstand floppy in all that time.
I have considered going back to them just for Usagi and Astro City.
I am undecided.
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Post by usagigoya on Feb 3, 2016 11:52:12 GMT -5
Since I fall into that strange group of comic fans that have only found a few comics that they enjoy reading and collecting, I have a fairly unique way of buying my Usagi comics. 1. I buy the comics (floppies) when they are published. 2. I buy the collected editions when they are published. (#30 coming this summer ) 3. I buy the omnibus editions when they are published. 5. I buy the foreign language translations when they are published. * * I have complete runs of Usagi Yojimbo in French, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Croatian, and Dutch. I am still looking for three of the four Usagi Yojimbo books published in Indonesia. I'm not a huge foreign language collector, but sometimes looking at how familiar books get printed else where is pretty fun. Have you noticed any interesting changes in the foreign prints of Usagi? The stories which have been translated into Dutch were published by a publisher in Belgium named Enigma (which aptly described trying to communicate with them). They published a total of 14 issues (floppies) of Usagi Yojimbo, each with a cover original to the comic, not new artwork but rather an interior piece of art converted into cover art. Each issue also featured an original full-color Usagi back-cover created by a Belgium artist.They also offered a couple leather bound omnibus editions of four issues each (which I do not own).
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 3, 2016 12:17:28 GMT -5
I gave up on floppies entirely 9 years ago. I think I have bought one newsstand floppy in all that time. I have considered going back to them just for Usagi and Astro City. I am undecided. I have many trades and phone book style comics in my collection but I don't really place any value on them they way I value my comic books. |
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