May cause me to pull the plug on some of the books. Supergirl and Superwoman aren't worth $4. Glad the twice monthly books are staying 2.99.

My line was always $2. I don't know how people can have massive pull lists full of massively decompressed stories where you don't really know what you're getting until three issues in when you're paying more than that per issue.

Cost is a large part of what drove me to spending more time and money on the classics. When you figure in lack of decompression, classic comic stories are so much more affordable, and you have the benefit of hindsight to guide you towards the books that are good and away from the ones that peter out.

Until DC steps into the 21st century and offers a digital subscription service like Marvel Unlimited, they won't be getting any of my money for their mainline of super-hero comics. I still get some of the Hanna-Barbera books and special projects like the upcoming Kamandi Challenge or The Wildstorm, but if they are going to continue to market their line as a single entity rather than a collection of books I can pick and choose from and follow as I wish, they won't get money from me for that line until they offer an affordable and cost-effective way to do so. Their current monthly and bi-weekly release schedule and their lag time for collected editions are no sales for me.

I do the same with Marvel, I do have Unlimited from them though, and they do offer print subscriptions mailed directly to me at 45% off cover price, so I do subscribe to 2 titles along with the Unlimited service. These are more cost effective means of getting me to follow their offerings. Even with Unlimited though, I read much more of their older material than I do their current stuff.

I have less of a problem spending money on creator-owned books because I can pick and choose which books to offer and each book gives me a complete story not dependent on other offerings from the publisher (I am still very choosy which books I support and often trade wait instead even with this). The Big 2 don't do that, they want you to buy their entire line, but DC does not offer a cost-effective way to do so (even $2.99 twice a month is not cost effective when a single 40 page book from someone like Image costs less-see many of the double sized first or final issues form creator-owned series that have cost less than 2 issues of the same series).

I get that these companies need to make money, however their all or nothing marketing strategy is a terrible way to go about it and more people are going to choose nothing than all unless you make all cost effective. They don't. At some point they will have to stop trying to milk more from fewer customers and develop sales strategies that increase their revenue by making their product more appealing to the current (i.e. wider) market rather than trying to maximize every penny they can from those willing to buy their product no matter what. I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen though, and there is nothing they are putting out I can't do without or track down later at a more cost effective price point (or free from the library eventually) if I choose to do so. Marvel at least gives me a cost-effective option, so for that they are one up on DC even if they too are trying to sell me the entire line and milk more from the few.


-M

I feel the same way. You're actually getting less content nowadays, so the idea of paying ridiculous prices for modern comics doesn't appeal to me. The best bargain is to wait for the trade and buy said trade over Amazon or over a discount site. You'll often wind up paying the equivalent of $1.25 per issue. I also hate the feel of modern comics. Classic newsprint comics are just more appealing to me from a tactile perspective. 

I don't think there will be many who say that, unless you're already invested in trading and selling digital codes I'm thinking most will say that this is a pretty poor move. Although, I will say it could be a smart move business wise for DC as I imagine that the many people profiting from codes who are dumping Marvel's offerings at their announcement of including digital previews for other books instead of a digital copy might pick up DC's digital code books to keep their habits going. 

Very good points my friend .