DC dumping Diamond12084
 I'll probably wake up constipated.
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Pre_Coder private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Oxbladder Sooner than later. |
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| Post 26 • IP flag post | ||
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Oxbladder private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Pre_Coder Very true. I read digital but I sure wouldn't want to spend what I am now for online books. They'll need to have a very good and affordable system set up to have people buy digital the way they do hard copies. IMHO Marvel has the best framework right now to go strictly digital. All they really would need to do is increase their annual Unlimited charge a bit, have a per month option that would add up to more than the annual fee, and add new stuff as it comes out not six or more months down the road. With single issues, if someone wished to go that way, they should be less than hard copy prices and after a month they should be half the price. ComiXology-wise they would need to have their Unlimited service available outside the USA set up a similar tiered system and for the Unlimited subscribers they would be able to read new issues as they come out. The big task is getting people to accept reading digitally, which isn't so easy from what I have seen from comments online. |
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| Post 27 • IP flag post | ||
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doog private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Yes, I had a Kindle, vastly prefer books. The greatest thing about comics is keeping them, Hoarding them, etc, digital is far less cool, IMO. Business has dreams how we are all gonna change, in a way more profitable to their plans, they guess wrong a lot. |
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| Post 28 • IP flag post | ||
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| You got to figure someone will talk them out of going all digital. I'm not paying for a digital comic; not a penny. If they do it, I'll just borrow the digital copies from my library. | ||
| Post 29 • IP flag post | ||
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Oxbladder private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by CatCovers You would think so. Back in the 90's when Marvel was talking about their pending move to exclusive distribution they had meetings in various cities to discuss the move virtually everyone at our meeting told them that it was a bad move for various reasons. They didn't care. The session was really just to tell us it was happening, period. So, I'm not optimistic that they would listen to us. Maybe smaller press might but Marvel and DC really don't care because, ultimately, it's up to their parent companies and they are too rich to care what their customers think. |
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| Post 30 • IP flag post | ||
 Ima gonna steal this and look for some occasion to use it!
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IronMan private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I haven't really arrived at any firm conclusions concerning how I "feel" about this. As vintage collector that essentially quit buying new comics in the late 90's this doesn't have much affect on me, personally. Yes, plenty of complaints over the years about Diamond. Yes, I get it when people talk about monopolies. They usually aren't good for middle men and the consumer. But regarding the monopoly thing - this doesn't change that. The new distributors for DC also have a monopoly. On DC Comics. If retailers aren't happy with the service they get from DC, they will be dealing with a monopoly. You can't buy DC comics from anyone else. So obviously this doesn't fix the monopoly situation for retailers. Just gives them another monopoly distributor they have to deal with. Only time will tell if this turns out to be good, neutral or bad. Geppi and Diamond did not seek to become a monopoly. They were just the last distributor left standing after Marvel's disastrous attempt in the 90's of buying a distributor to exclusively distribute Marvel comic books. So IDK? History repeating itself or DC has figured out how to do it right? |
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| Post 31 • IP flag post | ||
 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Does anyone know what the current terms and conditions are for an LCS buying from a distributor like Diamond? I assume they get something like 50% off cover price with incentives that grow with volume? Does the LCS keep everything they buy or can they return unsold inventory for credits? Mass merchants like Walmart can work on much lower margins than specialty LCS. My guess is that DC is looking to solidify a more complex distribution system where the general public can buy regular comics cheaper at Walmart, but collectors go to the LCS and pay a premium for undamaged collector condition books and specialty and variant editions? |
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| Post 32 • IP flag post | ||
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det_tobor private msg quote post Address this user | |
| prefer real comics. tried ComiXology. Hated it. They passed a reprint collection version off for the original copy. I want comic ads, letter columns, things that make a comic book personal to have. Digital - company goes out of business or has major tech problems, you lose your electric collection. nope. No reprints, multi generation versions with different covers, no collection books like annuals needed. If someone finds an error and fixes it, all copies lose the original version. Would they change prices on books over the years? Forget trading or changing values for future investment potentials. You die... who gets your electronic collection? |
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| Post 33 • IP flag post | ||
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Wraith private msg quote post Address this user | |
| The day comics go completely digital is the day i stop reading new issues .. I let my kids rummage through my old long boxes of low value 90s stuff last weekend .. it was nice seeing them sitting on their beds, completely surrounded with books and comparing panels .. way better than them flicking an ipad screen .. Would be sad for this to disappear for younger generations |
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| Post 34 • IP flag post | ||
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poka private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbaySeller The discount is by publisher. Refer to this https://www.diamondcomics.com/SiteData/Downloads/DiamondTools/RetailerInfo/diamondtos.pdf Only selected titles LCS can return. The rest they are stocked with |
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| Post 35 • IP flag post | ||
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infinityG private msg quote post Address this user | |
| A friend and I were discussing this (curbside) at my LCS this past weekend. We definitely feel this could spell the end of the periodic comic book. We were thinking the newer generations won't find value in the older books b/c they never experienced comic culture the way most of us had experienced it. It's been all social media, pop media etc, so what value will they find in printed comics if they can read them digitally? Do they really care to go through buying/hunting a reprint of AF 15 to know Spidey's origin when they can just buy it for $0.99 at comixology on their phone? As collectors we love the books and the idea of holding them and admiring the remarkable hard work it takes to put one out every month. It's no easy task, but the big corp money now behind our beloved franchises are nothing more than bottom-line money hoarders and will look at printing and distributing hard materials too much of a cost to bother with, granted it probably wouldn't impact them financially. My point is that we could see this in our lifetime. And if that happens, what repercussions could it have on the future of the collector's market? We know the DC 27s, AF 15s, and the FF 1s are blue chip key books but who will care to pay investment dollars for other books? My hope is the printed comic sticks around. |
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| Post 36 • IP flag post | ||
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dpiercy private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I love buying new comics and would be bummed if they went digital only. I would lose a lot of interest in the hobby, if that happened, honestly. | ||
| Post 37 • IP flag post | ||
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Towmater private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by infinityG We are in a bubble. It will correct itself once the comic movie genre dies out. Once that happens comic will go the way of the dodo bird. If you don't have a younger generation looking back on what they collected then the market contracts, and contracts, and contracts. On the whole, kids don't read comics. If they did then books would have much larger print runs. As we all know they do not compared to days gone by. Kid's phones and their tablets hold their attention like a comic used to hold the attention of the generations that came before them. All one has to do is look at Elvis collectables to see what will happen to the comic book market. As the collectors who age out, i.e., die then their children will flood the market with the items within those collections. Prices tumble because no one is left to care about the items within the hobby. |
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| Post 38 • IP flag post | ||
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starlord private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Towmater I agree with your assessment situation but I can look at things a bit more on the optimistic side. Whether that mirrors reality in the future is another issue. I have been collecting comics for 30 years. I started when I was seven years old and yes I know times were different back then. We are far more advanced now than we were in the late 80s and 90s and will continue the advance exponentially. But my love for the hobby never left and as a hunt for more older books and back issues I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. But that's just me. I own a local comic shop and in reading the terrain things look bad. But like anything else there is outliers where I don't think print will be gone in the near future. In my shop I get lots of kids and young adults coming through to buy new issues, toys and my graded books. I sell mostly low grade to midgrade books that are affordable compared to my high-grade collectibles and new titles to the kids because they are affordable. But suppose the point I'm making is that I do feel the hobby will contract due to this move. But people will always collect things, like other entertainment franchises like Star Wars comics have made an impact on Americana that I don't see leaving. Again I have to be optimistic having to own and run a shop so I kind of the this to be the case. |
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| Post 39 • IP flag post | ||
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Towmater private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @starlord I agree it isn't a short term collapse. IMO, we are a generation away from comics going the way of Elvis collectables once the MCU and DC movies stop being produced. People have hopped into the market due to the those movies. Once the movies fade from the collective consciousness the hobby will fade away. I believe it will happen during Rob Liefeld's lifetime. |
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| Post 40 • IP flag post | ||
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doog private msg quote post Address this user | |
| The movies won’t fade, they haven’t started making the good ones yet, She Hulk, Metal Men, Challengers of the Unknown, Sub-Mariner We are early in the comic movie time, Bogart ain’t comin back |
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| Post 41 • IP flag post | ||
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Towmater I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure the comparison is entirely apt. Though he was wildly, unimaginably popular at one point, Elvis was just one guy, and he died more than 40 years ago after a roughly 20-year career. Comics have a lot longer history over a broad range of genres (at least they used to have a broad range of genres). Look at it like stamps. Most people these days barely use them anymore. You can print them as you need them. Yet there are still about 5 million stamp collectors in the United States, according to the American Philatelic Society. Iconic characters like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man won't fade away in our lifetimes, or those of our children. Things will change, I have no doubt, but I think the future of comics as a collectible medium is secure for quite a while. |
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| Post 42 • IP flag post | ||
 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by doog Bogart is timeless. Casablanca, Maltese Falcon, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and Key Largo are some of the finest films made. I kinda hope the comic movies falter a little to help keep the profiteers at bay. Not sure how DC bouncing from Diamond will affect things but the hobby is on borrowed time. I never see kids buying comics. Not sure about other areas, but this area appears to be lacking in new readers. |
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| Post 43 • IP flag post | ||
 If I could, I would. I swear.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Studley_Dudley Kids don't buy comics for two reasons. 1) They are too expensive. 2) You have to buy them from a specialty shop. When I was a kid, you could buy them any where; Gas stations, Grocery stores, Drug stores, or Book stores. They were in your face. Now, you have to physically hunt them down. No kid has time for that. |
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| Post 44 • IP flag post | ||
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Beaten by boat oars
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| Ya don't say | ||
| Post 45 • IP flag post | ||
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If I could, I would. I swear.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I did say. | ||
| Post 46 • IP flag post | ||
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| For realsies though, people don't know comics are still a thing. No reason why comics can't be picked up at the grocery store. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just the big names. Spidey, X-Men, Batman, etc. The pricing is outrageous now. $4/pop for color rub and waves right off the rack. The paper quality is shit now. | ||
| Post 47 • IP flag post | ||
 Suck it up, buttercup!!
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by DrWatson Yup!! they need to be in dollar stores and like $2 price range (get rid of fancy paper and card stock covers and variants!)..just cheap enough that they become a treat while at the store or the kid can ask and parent will cave in. My little town of 27K has 2 dollar stores and 1 store with pop figures/gaming -no comics to be seen anywhere... |
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| Post 48 • IP flag post | ||
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @KatKomics Would love to see comics back in convenience/grocery/dollar stores. Of course, if they did as you suggest, every retailer would probably have to have a "1 per customer" policy. Or the eBuzzards will be in there as soon as they hit the stands, buying every copy and putting them on eBay for $5 to $10 each. |
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| Post 49 • IP flag post | ||
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Towmater private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @CatCovers What's the breakdown of the ages? If it is similar to those that collect US Mint coins then it points to what I wrote about. This article shows what's happening in that collector's market... Mint shrinking, aging, customer base has room to grow ?The age of the Mint's overall customer population has increased over the past decade, statistics show. In 2006, 15 percent of the Mint’s overall customer base was ages 18 to 44; 56 percent was 45 to 64; and 29 percent was 65 or over. In 2011, the statistics overall were 14 percent ages 18 to 44; 56 percent 45 to 64; and 30 percent 65 or older. For 2015 overall, the age demographics were 8 percent ages 18 to 44; 40 percent 45 to 64; and 52 percent 65 or older." The US Mint coin group of buyers is aging out. @DrWatson Another reason that kids don't read comics might be the age/maturity level that comic are now written to interest. @doog I'm going to disagree. If AMC goes under, and the movie going public doesn't return to theaters then the genre is going to die due to the cost of making the films. Too hard to recap the $200-300 million that the films cost. |
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| Post 50 • IP flag post | ||
 I don't believe this....and I know you don't care that I don't believe this.
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Studios share a huge amount of the box office with the theater companies....I read domestically its 30%+ and foreign can be over 50%. If these movie companies bypass the theatres and go straight to their streaming service they keep it all. It's all about subscribers...if theres enough subscribers theres enough money to recoup $300 million on big budget films. |
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| Post 51 • IP flag post | ||
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Towmater But was coin collecting every really a youth-oriented activity? It seems like we're assuming the hobby has to be started young, and I'm not sure that's so. Plenty of people start a collecting bobby of some kind later in life. When their kids become teenagers/leave the house. When they retire. When they suddenly have more time. I know several comic collectors that began after 50. And another who started when he was 75. All anecdotal, of course, but offered as examples. Whether it's coins, comics, stamps or creepy ceramic figurines, collecting hobbies carry with them demands in time and money. The young seldom have both in abundance. Perhaps the demographics don't entirely represent a collecting population that's aging towards the death of all these various hobbies, but also represent people with more time and accumulated wealth taking up the hobby. |
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| Post 52 • IP flag post | ||
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| CBCS post Wanted to comment briefly on this thread as a 19 year-old who began collecting at 16, and hopefully restore some faith in the longevity of the hobby. I was never a big comic book reader until high school, before which I read comics for about a year, falling in love with Batman and his rogues gallery. I checked omnibuses out from my school library in 6th grade, but beyond that, I was not pulling up to my LCS to purchase new issues. Despite having read comics for a year, what got me into the hobby were the Batman: Arkham games. I was reintroduced to the rogues gallery, feeling a sense of restored nostalgia for the characters. I emphasize that it was the characters that sucked me back in- not necessarily a nostalgia for reading comics. After that I began to romanticize the thought of owning first appearances and key issues that pertained to my favorite characters, and that’s when I began collecting. I’m a very boring collector in that I go after the good stuff: almost exclusively key issues and golden age DC. I’m not chasing runs or anything, which I know a lot of older collectors view as the epitome of the hobby, but I am still very involved, and have sent several books for grading. Nowadays I read more comics, but I wanted to write this to make a point about comic collecting. For a lot of collectors my age, characters have come to us through different means; this is a testament to their versatility. Ultimately, a superhero is a pop culture phenomenon that can be adapted to fit the mold of the times, as the MCU has in cinema, as Batman has in the gaming industry. They are vessels, and I genuinely feel that even when the movies fall out of fashion as they inevitably will, society will find some new way to reintroduce these beloved characters somewhere else. This is all very subjective and opinionated, but I was intrigued by this thread and thought I’d add my two cents given my age. |
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @jokioo That's awesome. I started collecting at 16 as well. Had about a 15-year gap in there, but came back to the hobby in my early 40s. Now 51 and still loving it. Glad to have you here and in the hobby! |
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RRO private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I think that any industry or collecting area should only do positive things to further is health. DC's actions are negative within its own sustainability. I called on DC (and Marvel) in the 90's to offer cheaper, simpler, less-glossy product for not only kids but also casual readers--suggesting 99 cent, 16 page newsprint new and/or reprint comics with ads--along with what the customer wanted in terms of characters and themes as an alternative and a way to draw in those fringe readers. I was given only platitudes and in the case of Bob Wayne: distain. Yeah, sometimes I wonder. |
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