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Just received my shipment and while flipping through Previews I noticed the Superman Unchained title has a $4.99 cover price for 32 pages. Yowza.

Hardly a "try it out" friendly price.

Gilgabob wrote:Just received my shipment and while flipping through Previews I noticed the Superman Unchained title has a $4.99 cover price for 32 pages. Yowza.

Hardly a "try it out" friendly price.

Yep, you guys keep thinking that a price increase isn't happening soon. Keep on thinking it.

Gilgabob wrote:Just received my shipment and while flipping through Previews I noticed the Superman Unchained title has a $4.99 cover price for 32 pages. Yowza.

Hardly a "try it out" friendly price.

There is a poster included:

This debut issue also includes a bonus two-sided, tipped-in poster measuring 11.6875" x 18.875" that is part of the reading experience and can be easily removed for display!

I still agree with your point, though. That price will scare people away.

And DC is beginning a move to the 3.99 price point. In the same month Batman/Superman debuts, and that is 32 pages (20 pages of story I assume) for 3.99.

stardog wrote:

Gilgabob wrote:Just received my shipment and while flipping through Previews I noticed the Superman Unchained title has a $4.99 cover price for 32 pages. Yowza.

Hardly a "try it out" friendly price.

There is a poster included:

This debut issue also includes a bonus two-sided, tipped-in poster measuring 11.6875" x 18.875" that is part of the reading experience and can be easily removed for display!

I still agree with your point, though. That price will scare people away.

And DC is beginning a move to the 3.99 price point. In the same month Batman/Superman debuts, and that is 32 pages (20 pages of story I assume) for 3.99.

I noticed the "poster" which I presume is their justification for charging the extra dollar. Since it's part of the "reading experience" it seems to me you are ruining the story by removing the poster.

I'm sure because of the creative team this book will sell well thereby encouraging the higher price point for other books that include bonus items like posters, etc..

Gilgabob wrote: this book will sell well thereby encouraging the higher price point for other books

That fact that every other publisher is already at a higher price point and there seems to be no correlation between lower prices and higher sales already encourages this.

comic fans have spoken loudly with their wallets for several years now. They do not reward lower price points.

fudd71 wrote: comic fans have spoken loudly with their wallets for several years now. They do not reward lower price points.

I'd modify the above as:
A continually shrinking audience of comic fans have spoken loudly with their wallets for several years now.

The audience is shrinking & there's no conclusive evidence of why, but it's at least possible that the increasing price is one of the contributing factors.

BobBretall wrote:The audience is shrinking & there's no conclusive evidence of why, but it's at least possible that the increasing price is one of the contributing factors.

And I'd modify the above as:
The audience is shrinking & there's no conclusive evidence of why, but it's at least possible that the increasing price, compared to relative value, is one of the contributing factors.

$4 for five minutes of entertainment, in comparison to price points for the vast majority of more popular entertainment options, does not equate to value for the customer.

Perry wrote: And I'd modify the above as:
The audience is shrinking & there's no conclusive evidence of why, but it's at least possible that the increasing price, compared to relative value, is one of the contributing factors.

$4 for five minutes of entertainment, in comparison to price points for the vast majority of more popular entertainment options, does not equate to value for the customer.

Agreed!

Perry wrote:

BobBretall wrote:The audience is shrinking & there's no conclusive evidence of why, but it's at least possible that the increasing price is one of the contributing factors.

And I'd modify the above as:
The audience is shrinking & there's no conclusive evidence of why, but it's at least possible that the increasing price, compared to relative value, is one of the contributing factors.

$4 for five minutes of entertainment, in comparison to price points for the vast majority of more popular entertainment options, does not equate to value for the customer.

As I've said many times. Were it not for DCBS, fearlessreaders, and other discount houses, I wouldn't be in this hobby nearly as much as I am. I'll never stop reading comics until I draw my last breath...but they do make it difficult to stay current.

BobBretall wrote: The audience is shrinking & there's no conclusive evidence of why, but it's at least possible that the increasing price is one of the contributing factors.

Perry wrote: And I'd modify the above as:
The audience is shrinking & there's no conclusive evidence of why, but it's at least possible that the increasing price, compared to relative value, is one of the contributing factors.

$4 for five minutes of entertainment, in comparison to price points for the vast majority of more popular entertainment options, does not equate to value for the customer.

While I agree with both of these statements, and they seem reasonable.

Looking only at facts that are known however:
Normal books at a lower price points do not sell better than normal books at higher prices.
Books that people really want #1 issues and anniversary issues at inflated prices sell in huge numbers.

While the idea of higher price points leading to a shrinking audience is an interesting and logical conclusion it is a macro situation effecting the entire industry. Individual publishers or titles staying at a lower price point doesn't seem to help that publisher or title. Without some form of collusion / price fixing by the industry as a whole publishers who remain at lower price points are simply giving away money

BobBretall wrote:

abysslord wrote: I think if they were called prologues it'd be okay. If you're calling this parts 1, 2, 3 of a story? that's ridiculous.

The problem is exaggerated by them shipping all 3 GL books on the same day (which is stupid). The similarities of all the stories is exaggerated when you read these things back-to-back.

Well, just read the next GLCorps and New Guardians .... same thing. Alternate reality type stories.

I'll give them a few books after the big writer change-up but if it's another crossover, I'll drop them.

fudd71 wrote: Books that people really want #1 issues and anniversary issues at inflated prices sell in huge numbers.

Well they are being "ordered" or "shipped" in huge numbers. Sales to the customer is another thing entirely. Go look at your LCS $1 bins and tell me how many issues of FEAR ITSELF, UNCANNY AVENGERS or AVENGERS Vs X-MEN (huge 'sellers') are in there.