This picture tells a very real tale of dollars spent. Every one of these books is a non-superhero collection released by Marvel Comics over the last few years… And I’ve got at least one additional shelf devoted to more of the same. Many of these pricey Hardcovers are licensed properties and prose novel adaptations– which I’m sure benefited more by appearing in traditional bookstores than comic shops. I didn’t have to buy them. I chose to– as I was interested to see current graphic interpretations of Moby Dick, Man in the Iron Mask and the like.
Now here’s the thing.
Many people have asked me what I thought about Rich Johnston’s news (Bleeding Cool 9.26.12) that Marvel is releasing the Uncanny Avengers Volume 1 Hardcover in 2013– with only FOUR COMICS collected for a retail price of $24.99.
I think it’s ridiculous.
It’s also really no big shock, as Marvel (seemingly arbitrarily) raised the cost of their Omnibus volumes by $25 USD with two omnibi already released just last week. Yet, as 
Johnston also notes, this new hardcover configuration (at the $24.99 price tag) pegs individual issues at about $6.25 USD per reprinted comic. $6.25 a piece for the slight “upgrades” of minimally oversized pages and two thicker cardboard covers… Essentially raising the cost of Marvel’s hardcovers again (the cost rose from $19.99 to $24.99 rather recently) by publishing fewer comics in each volume.
Let me be clear about this: While Hardcovers and Graphic Novels can obviously add greatly to any publisher’s sales (look at Watchmen or The Walking Dead)– these collections are found money for these companies. The creators involved were already paid to produce these stories as comic book series… Not Trade Paperback or Hardcover collections. (Marvel and DC currently release only a handful of Original Graphic Novels every year.) These same creators receive a small royalty for these comic book reprints– often making the high-priced volumes huge profit generators.
In an age where Image Comics (and Vertigo before it) can see the upside in publishing most of their Volume One collections at a great entry price of $9.99 USD (albeit with flimsier trade paperback covers)… Marvel is (once again) going in the opposite direction.
And while I know my retailer will discount this hardcover too (as much as 50% off), I think this Marvel move sucks for an entirely different reason than the extra hit to my wallet. It puts retailers, again, in a precarious position– as they will no doubt have to discount these books even further to retain cost conscious Hardcover readers… Especially if future Marvel editions 
mimic this Hardcover and release books with much less story for the same $24.99 cost. Marvel, of course, won’t care what discount is required to move these volumes… They get paid whether the retailer makes $12 dollars or 25 cents.
And what will I do? If Marvel continues with this strategy– making me PAY MORE for reprinted material than I would have if I bought it as first run comic singles– I will stop buying their Hardcovers and Trade Paperbacks. And all those “ancillary” books you see above? Those will be the first to go… With any superhero books following two seconds behind.
To be clear, I will not suddenly switch back to buying comic book singles. I don’t collect that way anymore. I refuse to reward a company that thinks they can take advantage of me because I’m a simple-minded “comics fan”– who will just blindly buy, buy, buy… Regardless of what uncalled for price increases they spring on their customers. Like you, I get to choose how I spend my money… And I won’t be spending it with Marvel if they continue down this ill-considered path.
It’s that simple.
American Comics Group Collected Works Vol 1 Out Of The Night HC
American Comics Group Collected Works Vol 2 Adventures Into The Unknown HC
Avengers Assemble Vol 5
Avengers Children’s Crusade – Own the Hardcover
Batman Odyssey HC
Birds of Prey Vol 2 The Death Of Oracle
Blood for Stone
Blue Estate Vol 3 - Recommended
Captain America By Ed Brubaker Vol 3 HC
Castle Richard Castle’s Storm Season HC
Building Stories HC by Chris Ware
Crossed Vol 4 Badlands
Crossed Vol 4 Badlands HC
Crossed Vol 4 Badlands Signed HC
Divine Wind
Doctor Who Classics Vol 8 - Recommended
Dungeons And Dragons Forgotten Realms Vol 4
Essential Thor Vol 6
Executive Assistant Hit List Agenda
Executive Assistant Iris Vol 2
Fear Itself Avengers Academy
Fear Itself Iron Man
Geronimo Stilton Vol 11 HC
Hack Slash Vol 2 Death By Sequel (New Print) – Own it
Haunt Vol 4
Hellblazer The Devil’s Trench Coat - Recommended
Horror in the West
Judge Dredd Dark Judges Digest – Don’t like the size
Justice League Dark Vol 1 In The Dark
Lexian Chronicles Omnibus
Long Gone
Lovecraft Anthology Vol 2 – I’m tired of this Cthulhu nonsense…
Mattias Unfiltered Art Sketchbook Adolfsson
MMW Sgt. Fury Vol 4 HC
Marvel Universe Avengers Hulk And Fantastic Four Digest
Night Of 1000 Wolves
Nightwing Vol 1 Traps And Trapezes
Northanger Abbey
Once Upon A Time Machine – Looks Beautiful…
Pinocchio Vampire Slayer Vol 4 Wood & Blood Part 2
Powers Vol 14 Gods – Buy the Deluxe hardcovers
Saga Vol 1
Shakara The Destroyer
Smoke And Mirrors
Sonic The Hedgehog Complete Comic Encyclopedia
Spider-Man Spider-Island Companion - Not with your money
Star Wars Essential Reader’s Companion
Tomorrow Revisited: A Celebration of the Life and Art of Frank Hampson HC
Valentine Vol 1 The Ice Death
Young Albert Deluxe Limited HC – Far too pricey
Arisa Vol 9
Bakuman Vol 15
Cage of Eden Vol 7
Case Closed Vol 44
Dawn Of The Arcana Vol 6
Kekkaishi Vol 34
Little Miss Daredevil The Incredible Race
Loveless 2-In-1 Edition Vol 1
Pokemon Adventures Diamond And Pearl Platinum Vol 6
Redakai Conquer The Kairu Volume 1 Invasion Of The Gilfreem
You ever get the feeling you’re gonna like something almost sight unseen? Cause that’s the feeling I got when I saw the first publicity for Hell Yeah– Joe Keatinge and Andre Szymanowicz new comic from Image. In truth, I wasn’t prepared for just how damn much I would like it.
I liked it, lots.
One of the coolest things? Keatinge using the first few pages of each script to lead into a striking two-page splash with “HELL YEAH” super-imposed behind it. The first issue’s two-pager was 
a well-thrown punch. The second issue’s was a dramatic kiss. Each time I saw this, I was immediately reminded of the “Fuck Yeah!” sequences from the Team America: World Police movie… And was astonished how Keatinge and Szymanowicz were able to time their static images in such a way that I thought I was watching a movie.
Can’t say I’ve ever really felt that way about a comic before.
The plot is crazy– and a little reminiscent of Nick Spencer’s Infinite Vacation– but without the dire heavy-handedness of that earlier Image comic. Hell Yeah is also much better drawn than that earlier effort– by maybe 1000%. Fans of Frank Quitely will be very much at home with Hell Yeah. While Szymanowicz’s work lacks a certain detail that Quitely’s pencils exude… Szymanowicz’s art is often much more fluid and dynamic, adding a certain attractive roughness that differs from Quitely’s studied style.
I only had one quibble: Main character Ben’s girlfriend Sara is often written as way too sarcastic for her (or our) own good. Her dry humor intrudes on and deflates a few serious moments unnecessarily in the first few issues. What’s very telling: Keatinge seems to understand he may have gone a little overboard with this trait, as the grating character is given an appropriate dressing down at the beginning of the 5th issue. I’ve read entire comics filled with stupid, acrid attempts at sarcasm written for all the characters. That doesn’t happen here. While Sara is an important Hell Yeah supporting character, she’s hardly fully defined and doesn’t seem to matter much (yet) in the scheme of things.
If all I can find wrong with a book is a few unfortunate sarcastic statements that I would’ve toned down just a little, we’ve got a bona-fide great comic here.
I know I am going back a bit with this review but I couldn’t let it pass– as it is symptomatic of what I believe Marvel thinks of its fans.
Finally out of Marvel’s “Dark Era”– with Norman Osborn serving as the titular poster child for misbehavior– I was actually looking forward to reading this collection… Hoping Marvel 
would amass a series of stories that would clearly show how the Marvel Universe would acclimatize and transition itself into believing in their real heroes again.
Instead, all I got were several sketchy stories short on specifics– overloaded with emotional claptrap and fist pumps. If you believe Marvel’s Age of Heroes trade, the average everyday people populating the Marvel U just suddenly accept the return of their long-defamed heroes carte blanche: Old heroes good. Osborn bad.
All the massive amounts of anti-hero propaganda seems as quickly forgotten as the used tissue you flush after wiping your ass. One shot of Osborn on his knees in semi Green Goblin face and all is well with the super men and women the public seemed to detest just the day before.
Then I suddenly realized: This is what Marvel must think of its readers… Mindless drones that will accept whatever Editorial Decision made as “This is the way things are now. Get over the old stuff. We’ve got new shit to shove down your throat.”
There was no real transition of any kind on display here… No real explanation (other than that semi Goblin face) as to why the public suddenly welcomes the heroes back with open arms. It’s all just… Idiotic. The only story with any depth and gravitas (unsurprisingly) came from Jonathan Maberry’s short Black Panther tale. The rest were just short, one-note puff pieces… With Dan Slott’s (not surprisingly) being the most vacant and sophomoric in tone and depth.
Then, when they run out of that shit to sling– they just reprint their Heroic Age Magazine. More bland text pieces that seemed to exist just to fill space, kill trees and pick my wallet. There’s a couple of older comics re-reprinted too… And in the usual Marvel style– they have little if anything to do with the book I thought I was buying.
If I do ever run out of toilet paper, I’m going to use this horrendously overpriced $19.99 abomination to wipe my ass. Shame on you Marvel.
I have only read the first few pages(and last) of Uncanny Avengers 1 because it was boring as fuck..sorry Mr Remender…I am starting to think this Marvel Now will be the least significant relaunch in the history of comic books(I do plan on re-reading it, but 4 instance, the last page, came directly out of AvsX so why even bother with a relaunch)
The Marvel trade section in my LCS is off-limits for me…No way I pay top dollar for SHIT wrapped in expensive leather…(Marvel is camouflaging their shit with expensive covers lol)…If i really wanted it, I am sure I would have already pre-ordered it months in advance and get a descent discount that normally comes with pre-ordering.
Most of the time I will search for $9.99 image trades when spontaneous shopping or an oversized Dark Horse hardcover for $25(when you have to pay full price that is)
And suddenly the oversized Mark Waid Daredevil HC with 12 issues for $35 will be a complete steal…..With this new price policy config. this book surely would have been priced at $50
It seems that Marvel is aiming for the same audience as IDW does with their (prices start at $100 dollar) Artist Editions…lol
Well at least the books are going to be RARE… Most titles are out of print before the softcover counterpart hits the market…
2 reasons imo: 1) The print run on these hc’s is indeed low, but 2), the SC’s nowadays are released on a much later dates….Wolverine and the X-Men Vol 1 in softcover still needs to be released, almost a year since the HC went out of print..
I am also wondering with this price increase for Marvel HC’s and Omni’s….how fucking long(probably not fucking long at all) will we see single issues priced at $4,99 and with a little luck, add some wikipadding/2nd bonus story, and make it $5,99 for a single issue…I am sure they will introduce this new price point when they start doing annuals and zero issues
A bit off-track but I still wanted to mention it here is that I feel that since the economic crisis in the world (like) all publishers have problems getting a decent print run financed thus making it very difficult to create a decent stack/supply of back issues..
One example: I have been searching for over a year to find a copy of Eyeshield 21 Vol 9
Not once did I see it on Ebay…I wonder how much that book be worth if its going for auction on Ebay..
I did a quick check, hoping to surprise you. Alas, I saw prices as high as $53 in the secondary market for Eyeshield 21 Vol 9. I mentioned this problem in a much earlier column about Manga… How these publishers have these huge runs of thirty and forty volumes out there, but the runs will be missing a Vol 6 (Monster) or a Vol 9 or whatever… That they let stay out of print for unbelievable amounts of time.
Like I said about Marvel & DC several columns back– these prolific Manga publishers could hire a person who’s very much a fan to identify the holes in these runs and books people are clamoring for… And allowing this person to reprint these books and fill those holes would be like finally cracking the combination to Scrooge McDuck’s gold vault… Long suffering fans would scoop up these long out of print volumes immediately.
It’s interesting that you mention the Wolverine and the X-Men Trade not being published yet. I was just discussing this same kinda thing with Jose on the phone the other day. The Avengers Children Crusade HC came out roughly 7 days after the last delayed issue of the comic series finally hit the stands. It was released on March 14, 2012… And here’s the trade 7 months later. Six months used to seem the norm for Marvel Hardcovers becoming Trades. I’m going to follow this to see if there is a pattern… Thanks Hack/Slash.
But as Jose and I discussed about Uncanny Avengers– the Trade is going to be… What? Only $5 USD less than the Hardcover? I still won’t buy it even then. Marvel obviously has great confidence in this title… So they’re testing the waters to see if enough people will cough up $25 USD for four comic books.
Here’s what’s dangerous: If this Hardcover collection is successful, then not only will Hardcover prices rise but the cost of comic singles may rise too. (Just like you’re predicting.) Don’t think they don’t have someone tracking all this.
They know exactly what they’re doing and this is a test of both our wills and our wallets.
If I wasn’t already not buying Marvel books this would be another excuse not to buy them. $25 for 4 comic books? And lets not forget these are only 20 page books and decompressed books at that.
I’ve said it before but Marvel’s collections release policy is perplexing, they release a shitload of low print run books and and any that are actually popular they don’t bother reprinting. Instead of a small number of evergreen titles they release any old crap. If I was someone coming new to comics or coming back into the fold I wouldn’t have a clue where to start with Marvel.
While I’m not coming back into the fold, I am planning on checking out the Marvel Now stuff simple to see if they can get me since I haven’t picked up an Marvel comic in years. But just looking at the order forms for Previews seems more confusing because some titles look bi-weekly, but then they aren’t the next month. If I were trying to do this old school and just waiting to see what comes out each week, I’d be screwed trying to keep track of when stuff comes out.
I see that you are picking up one of the Castle books. Is that the second one now? Anyways, have you read the previous one? As a Castle fan I am curious to see what others thought, but not quite willing to give it a chance just because it is Castle.
I don’t blame you, Nick. Especially when you see who wrote the thing.
I purchased the first Volume primarily because my girlfriend is a Castle fan and I was sure this would get her to read a comic. Unfortunately, the memory of her experience attempting to read Buffy Season 8 is still strong. (She said she couldn’t understand “Who was Who” half the time– which is a big problem with Jeanty’s artwork. Similarly, I asked her to look at Angel & Faith and she said she recognized everybody immediately.)
She would have nothing to do with the Castle book, however. The second book, especially, says it is based on the actual novels– so I am planning on reading both volumes. I’ll be sure to let you know.
I bought the first two issues of HELL YEAH and was excited (at the time, since a lot of new Image comics were coming out) but for some reason, the series just didn’t stick with me. The art was great though, and the main character’s jacket was badass, I will say that
I can totally understand you’re feelings. If I only read the first two issues of Hell Yeah, I might have had the same reaction. But since I read the first 5 issues at once, I feel I got a much better understanding of where Keatinge is going and what the story is really about.
Remember too, I read this after the Glory trade Keatinge wrote– which was phenomenal.
So while I was predisposed to like Keatinge’s work already, I also had higher expectations for the book. If he could write a Rob Liefeld property well, I expected him to write his own creator-owned property even better. Even with these feelings firmly in place, I thought he took a big swing and impressed me even further.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Glory, but I haven’t been able to get into Hell Yeah either. I read the first four issues of the series as they came out, so maybe it’s just one of those books that’s much more enjoyable when read in a collected format.
I think it is.
And Issue #5 actually goes a long way in explaining the comic’s entire premise. Besides including Sara’s much needed dressing down for her overuse of sarcasm, it also takes Ben (and his mother!) to her home planet. Much is explained and more mystery is added.
This sequence also features a ballsy interaction between Ben and his Mom that was shocking and funny.
I’ve got issue #5 sitting in a pile of books that I haven’t got around to reading yet. I think I’ll pull it out and give it a look a little later tonight.