I'm taking action....anybody want to join me?

[kozzi24]

While there's been a lot of talk about promotion and other factors contributing to the success (or not) of new books in general, I wan'ted to throw this out for discussion (feel free to move threads if you feel appropriate, mods.)

What about price points on the books?
Marvel and DC seem to do the same, with the most popular books at lower price points.
With Marvel, their most popular titles or the most mainstream are generally at $2.25: X-Men, Uncanny, Avengers, Amazing, Spectacular etc. FF jumped that 74 cents with #520.
MKnights is always higher, so I am excluding that and not even going to get into the $3.50 for stiff covers on some limiteds.
Related titles and other mainstays will usually be at $2.99: New X-Men (keeping same price point from New Mutants), Captain America, Iron Man and some of the Spider titles.
Newer titles are almost always at #2.99, including Alpha, She-Hulk, New Thunderbolts and the slew of solo X's. The notable exception I picked up on was Marvel Team-up. That's at $2.25.
Does anyone think the price points hurt the newer books, in a way that more people might pick up a newer title more consistently (until they're hooked) if the newer titles were at $2.25.
My thought is that the top sellers are at the lower price point, and I have a chicken-and-the-egg question about that. If these titles are selling out of loyalty and quality, wouldn't they still be top sellers at the higher price point, and the revenue would allow new intended-to-be-ongoings to be sold at $2,25, at least for the first year, with enough time to develop an audience?
My theories aren't perfect here, but I was wondering if other people thought the price might be one barrier.
Jeff

[Cliff]

The prices are higher because the print runs are lower. The make fewer and can recoup the cost more easily by charging a higher cover price to jsut tify not getting a printing "discount". Printing more is cheaper because printers can optimize materials (paper, ink, etc.) so normal runs are in the thousands. Let's say 10,000 just out of the air. If you tell them you want to print three other books but only at runs of 1000 each, the printer has to spend more time and money switching drums and inks and paper stock ans so on, and so it costs more reletive to the norm. Marvel (and any comic company, really) turns around and charges more for these "premium titles".

Strangely this is the same mentality that nearlyt killed the industry back in the '80s with all the foil covers and all that crap. They figured these special titles would increase sales of tangential titles (like the spin off X-titles like Mystique and Rogue) and that's also why Marvel still considers Alpha Flight to be an "X-title".

[kozzi24]

Very true, Cliff. But what's your take on the consumer effect rather than the industrial cause, especially with a relatively strong title like FF suddenly jumping price this last month, and a bestseller like Astonishing X being $2.99?

[Cliff]

Might have been a spike or a drop in FF sales. Dunno. With the X-titles they can price point them at jsut about anything and are assured a sale. Better guess is that with all the FF movie hype they are raising prices now to take advantage of that over the next 6 months.

X-titles are sold under the "make a dozen a nd throw them in the air and see which land first". They dont' care. 2.25 is a below nominal price, but it's feasible and paletable since they have so dang many titles. They're making money regardless. With Joss Whedon on board I wonder how they plan to keep the price so low, but I bet we see that go up too soon.

Most "premium" titles seems to be around the 2.99 price mark, so maybe FF has been bumped to that category for the build up to the movie release. The extra 49¢ will make them a real load of cash.

[varo]

excellent collumn over at x-fan where the writer makes this statement:

Unlike today, when every new book is secretly a limited series until sales prove strong enough to keep it afloat, fifteen years ago, Marvel took a little more care with their releases. Six new, ongoing titles were slatted to debut in 1990, and Marvel decided to launch each in a different month. Think about that... each title gets the full weight of the Marvel Promotional Machine, and the marketplace is not terminally overwhelmed, or, at least, no more terminally overwhelmed than usual. By comparison, next year, there will be six (supposedly) ongoing series launching from Marvel in the month of February, alone... Shanna, The She-Devil does not stand a chance.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I even put a thread over in the comics section of the freedomreborn.net message board(for the game Freedom Force)....in hopes that some of the Alpha Flight fans there(and I know there are a bunch) would join in our fight. I gave Quesada's emails and the one for Marvel(x offices). It's been viewed over 60 times, but only one person has replied to me in the thread.

Dana

[cmdrkoenig67]

I must say the AF fan turn out over on the joequesada.com thread is abit underwhelming....maybe 6-8 fans or so have made an apppearance and are keeping the thread going.


Come on people.

Dana

[HappyCanuck]

I must say the AF fan turn out over on the joequesada.com thread is abit underwhelming....maybe 6-8 fans or so have made an apppearance and are keeping the thread going.


Come on people.

Dana

I've been waiting a month, and it STILL won't let me. I think Joey Q is screening out anyone with a vendetta for Alpha Flight...

[Ahab]

I tried emailing Joe Q and my email bounced back. What is his email address again?

[cmdrkoenig67]

JOEYDAQ@aol.com

and

joe@joequesada.com

[Ahab]

This was my reply from Joe Quesada.

Thank you so much for your letter.

Best,
JQ

That was really comforting.