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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2023 17:15:43 GMT -5
I'm of an age like many others here who grew up with glorious oversized annuals, special editions, "100-page giants", stocky digests, and other vehicles for incorporating recycled old content to add overall pages. It was always a trade-off, sure, because those larger editions had a higher cover price and that had to be considered against the number of titles overall that could get picked up in a given purchase.
But often, there was something so satisfying about holding that extra-lengthy comic in your hands. And then the reading experience itself...the period mix you might get depending on the nature of the reprint(s) could be fascinating. Why was the art so different? Who are some of these characters I've never heard of, or on the flip side, these odd versions of characters I thought I knew.
Now, I obviously get the basic business reason for the strategy. Add some recycled "cheap" filler, get the page count up, charge more money. Not rocket science. Though that said, seems like wins and losses at times with that (and experimenting with both price and page counts to try to find the sweet spots).
3 basic questions I would like to pose:
1) Did others find "reprint padded" issues similarly kind of special, and gateways to older eras?
2) Was it the rise of the direct market that started to make this approach fade? I still remember reprints have a role during the 80's (like Classic X-Men), but I feel like the overall "padding" started to wane, but maybe I'm off base.
3) Why don't we see more of this today, like why isn't throwing in 90's and 2000's stories to a modern comic not a thing like 40's through 60's material was in say the 70's. At least to the best of my knowledge, please correct me if I have that wrong. Cost of paper not worth the additional cost and price increase, readership probably doesn't care, variant covers are where it's at, etc.?
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Post by majestic on Sept 29, 2023 18:57:32 GMT -5
1. Yes. 2. Yes. 3. Cost of new comics. No one would pay it except for certain "special" issues that are currently being reprinted as facsimiles.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2023 19:14:02 GMT -5
1. Yes. 2. Yes. 3. Cost of new comics. No one would pay it except for certain "special" issues that are currently being reprinted as facsimiles. I suspect you're right overall, but on the 3rd item, do you think it's because printing costs adjusted for inflation are much higher than earlier eras where reprint content was more common? Or "modern readers" are perceived to have no interest content-wise and wouldn't likely see the value in increased cost? I continue to wonder because, if you didn't have to pay the same for writing/art/etc. of older material (though any royalty scenarios make this less simple of course, maybe that's a part of what I'm missing here?), wouldn't it still be viable to skinny down the new content a little and add some old content? New comics are $4 for 28 pages? What if you charged $6 but got like 60 pages (28 new, the rest reprint)? No idea if that's realistic, just pondering what the main driver is. I "suspect" it's something like kids aren't so much getting an allowance and going to the comic book shop and going "wow, look at how much reading that is" maybe? How did the direct market change that anyhow? It's funny, I lived those years when it all happened, and I still don't quite understand what drove some of these decisions. Not saying it was "wrong", it's just interesting to me how it evolved. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 29, 2023 20:36:40 GMT -5
DC tried it with the Walmart Giants... clearly they didn't do will enough to continue.
I think today doing a reprint in a monthly would be weird... now we have trades where you can simply buy many of the older stories you might want... you have milestone reprints, and you have Marvel and DC's digital services that offer whatever you might want... who would pay extra for a random reprint in a monthly?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2023 20:45:32 GMT -5
DC tried it with the Walmart Giants... clearly they didn't do will enough to continue. I think today doing a reprint in a monthly would be weird... now we have trades where you can simply buy many of the older stories you might want... you have milestone reprints, and you have Marvel and DC's digital services that offer whatever you might want... who would pay extra for a random reprint in a monthly? Great point, it’s a whole other ballgame today when it comes to access to older material. But I think that reflects something else as well perhaps…the “modern reader” has much deeper pockets on average? While there were some collected editions (far far less than today of course!) when I was little, for the most part that was a really special treat to get one. Comics were maybe more for kids back then, and the modest budgets we typically had? EDIT: I didn’t know much about the Marvel and DC digital subscriptions but just took a look at the pricing, I guess those are relatively inexpensive for the amount of content overall. Reprints not so “special” after all haha, as usual I’m living in the past. Stick to questions 1 and 2 then! Old-fashioned comment though, part of the old fun for me was discovering new things each month. But hey, I get it, lots of reasons this works great for folks. I did see on the modern side that it looks like they are going to do a throwback style new Giant-Size Miles Morales, so even if no reprints, the “oversized” thing is maybe not completely dead? Might be fun if that catches on! |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 29, 2023 20:57:00 GMT -5
that's certainly true... comics when from being for kids using their allowance to a small group of adult collections. quality is higher, and so is the cost.
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 29, 2023 21:54:21 GMT -5
The facsimile comics are great! A few weeks ago, DC published a facsimile reprint of Detective Comics #58, with the first appearance of the Penguin. So it has the ads and the dumb humor strips and all the back-ups that shared Detective Comics with Batman in the 1940s. The Crimson Avenger (he’s wearing the super-hero costume), Cliff Crosby, Slam Bradley, Speed Saunders, Spy, Steve Malone and Larry Steele.
I wish they would do a facsimile reprint of Wonder Woman #6! And get the coloring right on the submissive zebra girls!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2023 22:08:14 GMT -5
No one would pay it except for certain "special" issues that are currently being reprinted as facsimiles. Let's talk about those facsimiles as well. I remember in the late 90's seeing a ton of great ones published from DC, old Silver Age annuals lilke Batman, Superman, Secret Origins, etc. Then all those Millenium Edition issues. And it seems like facsimiles have remained popular since then, both Marvel and DC. Love all the Treasury size facsimiles in recent years, I've been grabbing some of those. And just a few days ago they announced a Marvel Giant-Size Super-Stars 1 from 1974 facsimile (accompanying the Miles Morales modern one I mentioned). So reprints seem to have some enduring appeal outside of collected editions and digital subscriptions, as you said in your comment above. The reason I mention is maybe to add that question as well to this thread, do others here enjoy picking these up? I find a nice facsimile of old material I enjoy to be a little extra special even if I already have the content in a trade. The facsimile comics are great! A few weeks ago, DC published a facsimile reprint of Detective Comics #58, with the first appearance of the Penguin. So it has the ads and the dumb humor strips and all the back-ups that shared Detective Comics with Batman in the 1940s. The Crimson Avenger (he’s wearing the super-hero costume), Cliff Crosby, Slam Bradley, Speed Saunders, Spy, Steve Malone and Larry Steele. I wish they would do a facsimile reprint of Wonder Woman #6! And get the coloring right on the submissive zebra girls! I was typing the above before I saw your post, glad to see the answer is YES!  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 29, 2023 22:25:21 GMT -5
The reprint material was why I collected DC 100 Pg comics, for the better part of a decade. Didn't have them all; but, had a majority of them. Similar reason for collecting digests and treasury editions. Those were the trade paperbacks of the Bronze Age.
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Post by tarkintino on Sept 29, 2023 23:49:37 GMT -5
3 basic questions I would like to pose: 1) Did others find "reprint padded" issues similarly kind of special, and gateways to older eras? Sort of. My family had Golden Age comics, so I was very familiar with a number of titles / characters, but we did not have everything, so reprints often filled those gaps. Moreover, some Golden Age reprints either piggybacked on the feature story, or cashed in on a character the publisher was pushing across the board, but it was a welcome sight, especially the earlier, grittier GA stories, when creators were raw and challenging with their creativity. A number of factors ended the run of "padded" issues, but the rise of multiple formats played some role, as DC, Marvel and Archie were quite liberal in offering reprints as TPBs, digests, and novels throughout the 70s and 80s (that's not even getting into the dawn of hardbacks such as DC Archives or Marvel Masterworks), so the publishers simply continued to offer old content for those who desired it (or used the formats as substitutions for vintage comics they could not afford). I suppose you'd have to ask yourself if there's an audience for 1990s reprints. With few exceptions, for DC and Marvel, that decade was one of the worst in terms of gimmicks, hollow plotting, terrible art trends and other elements that did not age well, even in its decade of origin. Where's the call for padded comics with 1990s reprints? |
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Post by Calidore on Sept 30, 2023 4:22:05 GMT -5
I suppose you'd have to ask yourself if there's an audience for 1990s reprints. With few exceptions, for DC and Marvel, that decade was one of the worst in terms of gimmicks, hollow plotting, terrible art trends and other elements that did not age well, even in its decade of origin. Where's the call for padded comics with 1990s reprints? Also, you have the rise of long stories "written for the TPB". Are there many short, done-in-one stories from that time that are reprintable as padding? |
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Post by Icctrombone on Sept 30, 2023 4:39:43 GMT -5
The facsimile comics are great! A few weeks ago, DC published a facsimile reprint of Detective Comics #58, with the first appearance of the Penguin. So it has the ads and the dumb humor strips and all the back-ups that shared Detective Comics with Batman in the 1940s. The Crimson Avenger (he’s wearing the super-hero costume), Cliff Crosby, Slam Bradley, Speed Saunders, Spy, Steve Malone and Larry Steele. I wish they would do a facsimile reprint of Wonder Woman #6! And get the coloring right on the submissive zebra girls! You're the only person that bought that issue. I read that the total sold was 1.  |
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Post by Icctrombone on Sept 30, 2023 4:46:23 GMT -5
The padded issues containing reprints has completely been undermined by the proliferation of TPB, and collected editions. They didn't have those in the 70's but Marvel had their reprint books like Marvels Greatest Comics. This is how I originally read the first 80 issues of Fantastic Four. Can you imagine paying 3.99 for a single issue reprint ? It's not cost effective for a collector as opposed to a TPB or Masterwork. Years ago , I bought the Warlock masterworks for about 20 dollars each on eBay, they were brand new still in the shrink wrap.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2023 4:54:44 GMT -5
The reprint material was why I collected DC 100 Pg comics, for the better part of a decade. Didn't have them all; but, had a majority of them. Similar reason for collecting digests and treasury editions. Those were the trade paperbacks of the Bronze Age. I hear you, it was actually my Shazam! 100-Pagers from the 70's that made me contemplate this topic. So much reading, they were awesome! I remember some formal reprint stuff early on like the Fireside books, Pocket books, Superman and Batman "through the 70's/80's", etc., but yeah, the abundance of digests and treasuries sure covered a lot of ground back then. My family had Golden Age comics, so I was very familiar with a number of titles / characters, but we did not have everything, so reprints often filled those gaps. I'm intrigued, that seems like the stuff of dreams for me having actual GA comics growing up. Can you share more? I suppose you'd have to ask yourself if there's an audience for 1990s reprints. With few exceptions, for DC and Marvel, that decade was one of the worst in terms of gimmicks, hollow plotting, terrible art trends and other elements that did not age well, even in its decade of origin. Where's the call for padded comics with 1990s reprints? Oh, I think there is. Marvel really got those 90's era Epic collections out pretty quickly along with the classic 60's stuff. Bronze Age has been filling in over the years, but late 70's/early 80's has seemed like the slowest. Every era has nostalgia, I think a lot of comic book readers from the 90's are in that phase of life now (honestly I love the 90's personally). But whether it would hold up for a more modern reader the way a 60's story might hold up for me in the 70's/80's, I don't think it's so much modern comics are particularly better than the 90's ones. I think it's more 2 things: the cinematic/tv universes and associated corporate overreach with these properties have turned the storytelling into something just very different, and also the age of digital coloring has created a much stronger contrast in older art versus new. The old coloring I think is more jarring for newer readers who are used to slick coloring for the most part. Also, you have the rise of long stories "written for the TPB". Are there many short, done-in-one stories from that time that are reprintable as padding? Good point! I think there are still a number that could work, but overall the trend really did move towards stuff more stretched out. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2023 5:09:05 GMT -5
The padded issues containing reprints has completely been undermined by the proliferation of TPB, and collected editions. They didn't have those in the 70's but Marvel had their reprint books like Marvels Greatest Comics. This is how I originally read the first 80 issues of Fantastic Four. Can you imagine paying 3.99 for a single issue reprint ? It's not cost effective for a collector as opposed to a TPB or Masterwork. Years ago , I bought the Warlock masterworks for about 20 dollars each on eBay, they were brand new still in the shrink wrap. Yeah, it makes sense with so much stuff collected these days. But again, putting digital access aside and just focusing on print, it makes this hobby a whole lot more expensive if you have to pay even $20 for a trade (and many are much more) even though "per unit" cost (average per issue you end up paying) is a benefit. Honestly, while I'm at a point in life where I feel blessed to be able to buy whatever trade I want, I hate putting the $$$ down unless I'm REALLY interested in the material. It's another volume that will get thrown on the stack, if I even read the whole thing. It's like it's too easy. I'm just waxing some silly philosophical here now, but sometimes I think it's the journey not the destination. The reprint material "paced out" a little more meant for relaxed reading, just discovering stuff as you go. I just wonder if modern readers get to enjoy the journey as much is all. There's a difference between spending a lazy afternoon with a 100-page giant versus a stack of 5 epic collections or a couple of omnibuses. |
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