Marvel and DC are currently locked in a war for your entertainment money. That’s not really news to you, is it? I didn’t think so. It wasn’t a sudden realization for me either. It’s been going on my whole life and is just the nature of business. Actually, it’s a blessing for the comic industry that there is such a closely contested rivalry. Think of all the ways that rivalry has pushed these two companies to try new things and provide new services in the hopes of earning more of your money. Again, not news, and you’re probably wondering what my point is. Well, I’ve been a long time fan and although I’ve never followed any one company exclusively, I’ve always considered myself a Marvel guy. My first comics were Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four. Sure, along the way I read some Superman, Batman, Flash, and Green Lantern.

As I grew older, there was the inevitable Harvey and Archie comics. And as I entered my teen years there was an increasing appetite for more independent titles. But it always comes back to those first titles, doesn’t it? Flash forward to the Marvel of 2007, 2008 and 2009 where we see an increasing use of story lines spanning a majority of the titles they put out, mega events that require purchasing ever more titles. I began to resent the constant intrusion into my buying habits. There are plenty of good books by other companies that I felt I had to set aside in order to keep up with what was going on at “my company”. My resentment grew through out the much-maligned One More Day storyline. Not because it was bad, but because it felt like an end to the character I had read my whole life. Since that time I haven’t read an issue of Spider-Man and I really don’t feel a need to go back to it. I still consider myself a fan of the character, but I’m not interested in reading any more about him, I guess.

Since One More Day both Marvel and DC have released a slew of events. And with each one I’ve slowly found myself drawn more to what DC is doing with their events. I’m not saying everything they have done has been perfect. Far from it, but the way they are approaching these events appeals to me. First, there doesn’t seem to be quite as much “break the bank” quality to the events. I don’t feel like there’s an overwhelming amount of product to buy in order to keep up. Second, the main event is contained within the main series or mini. I feel free to skip any extra titles or tie-ins without fear of missing key elements of the story. And finally, DC isn’t pushing the price increase quite as hard. Yes, there have been some pricier comics from them but they seem to be taking a back seat and following Marvel’s lead. I somehow find that more acceptable.

As event fatigue settles in and I grow increasingly weary of having to pick up extra books and pay more money for them, I have to wonder, how many others are feeling this? Could this be Marvel’s Blackest Night? DC has managed to keep things a little more self-contained. They aren’t pushing fairly large price increases on the consumer during a fairly large recession. My defection is complete, but I wonder as things continue down this path if there will be a larger migration from one company to the other, leaving Marvel to suffer reader backlash because it led the way down a path readers may not want to go. Mostly, I hope not. I wish the company well as they continue to produce comics about some of my favorite fictional characters.

I hope I’m wrong, I hope this doesn’t turn out to be Marvel’s Blackest Night, but I don’t think I’m going to stick around and be part of it.

I’m having a hard time grasping this. Maybe someone can help me understand. If you’re a comic fan, and you must be otherwise why be here, right? Anyway, if you’re a fan, you’re probably aware that Marvel recently began raising the prices on some of their books. Testing the waters, so to speak. If you aren’t aware, prices went from $2.99 up to $3.99. So far this is only on their best selling titles, mini series, and first issues. But give it a year. When it was first announced online reaction was, of course, negative. The reasons given at that time had to do with rising costs of production, maintaining top talent, etc. However, in an article posted on the Robot 6 blog CBR this may not have been entirely accurate. You can check out what the article had to say here.

It appears Marvel is testing the limits of what consumers are willing to spend. And I guess that’s not a horrible way to do business, when you aren’t in a recession, when the entire country isn’t showing signs of backlash against corporate greed and excess. I had barely become comfortable with $2.99 for a comic. It still sounds ridiculous. I can’t in good conscience spend $3.99 on a comic that is probably costing Marvel less then a dollar to produce. There are plenty of independant titles out there that cost that much, but since they operate at lower print runs, it costs more to produce the comic. I’ve got no problem with that. In the interest of full disclosure, that will eventually be me, when I start selling print versions of my comic. I’ve looked at numbers, cost versus print run, etc. and there is a break even point which most Marvel titles are waaaaay over. But I digress. My goal here is simple. Marvel is not giving comic fans the same reasons for price increases as it’s giving to the business community. In effect, they are telling the business community that they are trying to see just how addicted their consumers are. I’m not suggesting a boycott, if you’re comfotable with the price increase, keep buying the comics. I think an awareness of the reasons for the price increase make a difference though. I’m not comfortable with the price increase, but I’m even less comfortable with the attitude exhibited by Marvel. And so, for the foreseeable future, I will not be making mine Marvel.

So, it’s been about two weeks since Free Comic Book Day. Of course, I read all the goodies I picked up quite some time ago, but it’s taken me some time to actually get around to writing anything up. The biggest surprise for me was Atomic Robo. I had never read the series before and was pleasantly surprised when I did. The issue was a good choice as a Free  Comic Book Day offering. It gave basic concepts and themes with out going overboard. The art style was really cool and the writing was crisp. If you’ve never tried the book, do so. I’d give it a very strong recommendation. I’d say it was one of my favorite offerings from the day.

Although Atomic Robo was a big favorite, there were plenty of other books worthy of note. The Savage Dragon issue was top-notch. I’m kind of biased there though, since that has long been one of my favorite series. I will say that I’m not sure if that issue would bring in many new readers since it wasn’t your typical introduction to a character. Time will tell I suppose. Ape Entertainment had an awesome little sampler. I really enjoy the White Picket Fences stuff. I’m not sure I’ll follow anything else from that issue, though. The nice thing about was that you could try a wide variety of their offerings and depending on your tastes, you should be able to find something in there that you like. My kids got the Johnny DC stuff, which is pretty impressive. The down side of that stuff is that those comics need to be out where that readership is. A point of purchase display in a grocery store would be great. Maybe in an arcade. I don’t know, but I think the only kids getting regularly exposed to that stuff are children of comic fans.

I guess that’s it from me. See you with the next comic update on Tuesday.

Dave

So I had intended to post a review of all the comics given out on Free Comic Book Day. Sadly, May is a crazy busy month for us here and I haven’t had time to write the review. Hopefully, I’ll have it up by tomorrow. In the mean time, enjoy this lovely May day.

Dave

If you were unaware, today is a comic fan holiday, Free Comic Book Day! With plenty of offerings from a variety of publishers big and small, this offers people an opportunity to try something new out. The link I’ve posted in my first sentence takes you to the official page where you can find a listing of the comics that are available as well as a handy little serch widget that will allow you to type in your zip code and it will tell you where the nearest comic shop is.  Personally, I’m most excited for the Savage Dragon comic - I can’t get enough of Erik Larsen’s signature character.

Now, you might be asking yourself what the purpose of this event is and if you are, the answer is simple. It’s intended to bring new readers into the stores and give existing readers an opportunity to try something new. The retailer I frequent allows 1 free copy each costomer and the opportunity to purchase additional copies for a small fee that gets donated to the local library. A good deal all around. My kids and I will be loading up on comicy goodness.

Have a happy Free Comic Book Day!

Dave