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Can you afford your comics?
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Who can afford comics with increasingly hefty price tags?
Let's face facts: Comics don't cost $1.00, 60 cents, 50 cents or even 12 cents an issue anymore. These days, some of the more popular ones carry a price tag of $3.99 a pop. Mutliply that times 12 for a monthly book, and the average super-hero aficionado is shelling out as much $47.88 for a copy of "New Avengers" each year. As the economy continues to wobble, does the average comic-book geek need to keep their hands more firmly on their wallet?
I can tell you I have. As noted in a past blog entry, a few weeks ago I dropped my regular purchase of "Teen Titans" and "Avengers: The Initiative" - the storylines were weak and the art uncompelling, and from what I gather by reading the webs et cetera, those conditions haven't improved. Subsequently, I stopped buying "Trinity," DC's weekly comic about Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The story wasn't really going anywhere, and as far as I can tell, the series simply isn't a must read in the way that such mega-series as Marvel's "Secret Invasion" and DC's "Final Crisis" are (what bearing will "Trinity" have on storylines in other books I buy? Very little, I suspect). I've also been much more careful about buying new titles. DC's track record with one-off series has been spotty in recent months, so I'm not picking up its "Black Lightning" limited series, for example.
It's my theory that my behavior isn't terribly uncommon. As detailed in the Los Angeles Daily News, owners of comic book shops have had to bear down as the economy prompts customers to take money-saving steps, such as reading comics at libraries, or leafing through back issues.
The publishers haven't been making it easy. Recent series "Secret Invasion" and "Final Crisis" often require fans to buy not only the main title, but special issues and limited series over the course of several months. And that price tag I mentioned earlier - $3.99 - means that two comic books can often cost more than a cheap lunch.
Has the faltering economy had an effect on your comics-buying habits? Tell me how and what you've done to save a few dollars at the comic book store.
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