Previews Spotlight #045 (Jul->Sep): Fri Jul 8th: 5pm pac

[Danscomics]

Well, Marvel drove me off of Herc by double-shipping this month.....
Series I'm On the Fence About + Double Ship = Dropped!

I think I would read more Marvel comics if it wasn't for the double-shipping. I mean, I could understand on their top selling books, but on their low selling books?

I think Marvel's theory must be that most people who are still getting those titles must be digging them, so double-shipping will increase their revenue in a given month for that title. Even if some % of people stop getting the title, it still increases overall revenue for that month. If sales get too low, they can the book & reset to #1 with some minor changes. Repeat as necessary.

It actually seems to be damaging them in the long term for short-term gains.

Actually there was an announcement from Marvel about a month back that they were going to try to move back to the $2.99 price point. In doing that though they are reducing the page count of books down to 20 pages. They felt they could counteract that though by promising that the books they did this with would be shipping more than 12 times a year.

I will leave a smarter person to do the math, but I think in reality they think that more books at $2.99 will make them more money than fewer at $3.99. It probably would, if it wasn't for all the people that are being turned off of the titles when they double ship.

[BobBretall]

Actually there was an announcement from Marvel about a month back that they were going to try to move back to the $2.99 price point. In doing that though they are reducing the page count of books down to 20 pages. They felt they could counteract that though by promising that the books they did this with would be shipping more than 12 times a year.

I will leave a smarter person to do the math, but I think in reality they think that more books at $2.99 will make them more money than fewer at $3.99. It probably would, if it wasn't for all the people that are being turned off of the titles when they double ship.

I have no doubt that they think this, given the 15 or so titles double-shipping each month.

I've said before:
* If I'm LOVING a book, double-ship just gives me more to love (as long as I am not financially constrained)
- If I don't have enough money to buy all the double shipping books I want, then I may make a decision to stop getting some OTHER books I like less so I can afford the double-shipped books I love.

* If I'm not caring one way or the other, double-shipping has no effect on me

* If I am "on the fence" about a book, double shipping is likely to push me off on the "stop getting it" side of the fence.

I'm guessing I'm not unique in this.

[Gilgabob]

Well, Marvel drove me off of Herc by double-shipping this month.....
Series I'm On the Fence About + Double Ship = Dropped!

I'm not bothered by double shipping. I'm curious what it is specifically about double shipping that irritates you. Do you feel the stories are subpar and companies do this just to squeeze more money out of you? If the stories are good aren't you happy with getting more of that comic goodness?

I suppose you have many more "fence" titles than I do just based on the size of your monthly order whereas I tend to really want all the books on my pull list and therefore am not bothered when I get more.

[BobBretall]

Well, Marvel drove me off of Herc by double-shipping this month.....
Series I'm On the Fence About + Double Ship = Dropped!

I'm not bothered by double shipping. I'm curious what it is specifically about double shipping that irritates you. Do you feel the stories are subpar and companies do this just to squeeze more money out of you? If the stories are good aren't you happy with getting more of that comic goodness?

I suppose you have many more "fence" titles than I do just based on the size of your monthly order whereas I tend to really want all the books on my pull list and therefore am not bothered when I get more.

Last month I got 185 comics. This month I'm down to 160 or so. I'm STILL getting more comics than I can physically read in a month, so giving me extra issues in a given month just piles up books that I don't have time to read. That's why I don't like double-shipping. Double-shipping a book I am not in love with is the easiest way to get me to drop it.

I have 40 more books to drop to get to my goal of 120.

This month, they double-shipped X-Factor, I didn't drop that. I like X-Factor a LOT more than Herc. Herc, to me, is an average book. and it's a book I don't need taking up 2 slots on my monthly roster of books. So, instead of getting 1 issue each of X-Factor & Herc, now I'm getting 2 issues of X-Factor & 0 issues of Herc, and I won't be back for Herc next month, Marvel helped me make my decision to drop that book.

Personally, I like variety. I'm getting about 25 Marvel comics right now. I'd much rather get 25 different comics than 13 comics & 12 more issues that are the same, just double-shipped.

BUT, I'm guessing there are a lot of people out there like you, Gilgabob, which is why Marvel double ships 15 or so books every month. They get extra sales from the people reading those books and it must look to them right now like that offsets the people (like me) who drop the books.

[Gilgabob]

BUT, I'm guessing there are a lot of people out there like you, Gilgabob, which is why Marvel double ships 15 or so books every month. They get extra sales from the people reading those books and it must look to them right now like that offsets the people (like me) who drop the books.

Yes, I can see that double shipping when you are trying to trim would put those titles in the crosshairs.

My post made it seem like I LOVE double shipping which I don't, it just doesn't bother me that much when it happens. I think that Secret Avengers will be getting a .1 issue soon and I won't be ordering it,

[BobBretall]

My post made it seem like I LOVE double shipping which I don't, it just doesn't bother me that much when it happens. I think that Secret Avengers will be getting a .1 issue soon and I won't be ordering it,

At least with .1 issues, I don't feel like I'm disrupting my run by just skipping them & pretending they never happened (since they don't tie into any of the main storylines, this is kind of easy).

With regular double ships, I don't like having a hole in a run (e.g. getting #6 & 8 and not getting #7) so I'd rather just stop getting the book all together at #6. Just my own personal collecting peculiarity.

[HassanT]

My post made it seem like I LOVE double shipping which I don't, it just doesn't bother me that much when it happens. I think that Secret Avengers will be getting a .1 issue soon and I won't be ordering it,

At least with .1 issues, I don't feel like I'm disrupting my run by just skipping them & pretending they never happened (since they don't tie into any of the main storylines, this is kind of easy).

With regular double ships, I don't like having a hole in a run (e.g. getting #6 & 8 and not getting #7) so I'd rather just stop getting the book all together at #6. Just my own personal collecting peculiarity.

The double shipping impacts my budget. Also, I feel that because Marvel double ships a lot, they have a lot more fill-in artists. For example, if the Hulk title came out monthly and drawn by Gabriel Hardman, I would get it. But Marvel wants that book to come out twice a month for the next few months. Therefore, he isn't drawing each issue.

[BobBretall]

Also, I feel that because Marvel double ships a lot, they have a lot more fill-in artists. For example, if the Hulk title came out monthly and drawn by Gabriel Hardman, I would get it. But Marvel wants that book to come out twice a month for the next few months. Therefore, he isn't drawing each issue.

This is a REALLY good point. The "A" Team for a book is not going to be doing every issue with lots of double ships. I think that's why you see so many "point 1" issues done by people other than the regular creative team.

[BobBretall]

Added links for:
Archie
Bongo
Dynamite
Oni
Red 5

[ComicTrekker]

Hi all! I'd be happy to supply audio comments on the following "New 52" DC books:

Justice League (I believe that's still open for dibs, right?)
Mister Terrific
Action Comics
Superman
Batman and Robin

I'll also weigh-in on how DC's new day-and-date digital comics are the seachange for me, personally, in how I will buy comics in the future.

[BobBretall]

DC Preview "dibs" - 14 so far:

Action Comics (by ComicTrekker)
Aquaman (by Ratenef)
Batman (by Ratenef)
Batman and Robin (by ComicTrekker)
Batwoman (by Ratenef)
Fury of Firestorm (by Ratenef)
Hawk & Dove (by Boshuda)
Justice League (by ComicTrekker)
Justice League Dark (by Ratenef)
Justice Leauge International (by Ratenef)
Mister Terrific (by ComicTrekker)
Ressurection Man (by Ratenef)
Suicide Squad (by Ratenef)
Superman (by ComicTrekker)

[Lord Shaper]

Ok here's my DC 52 picks:

All-Star Western
Deathstroke
Grifter
Stormwatch
Demon Knights
Green Arrow
Nightwing
Swamp Thing

[BobBretall]

DC Preview "dibs" - 22 so far:

Action Comics (by ComicTrekker)
All-Star Western (by LordShaper)
Aquaman (by Ratenef)
Batman (by Ratenef)
Batman and Robin (by ComicTrekker)
Batwoman (by Ratenef)
Deathstroke (by LordShaper)
Demon Knights (by LordShaper)
Fury of Firestorm (by Ratenef)
Green Arrow (by LordShaper)
Grifter (by LordShaper)
Hawk & Dove (by Boshuda)
Justice League (by ComicTrekker)
Justice League Dark (by Ratenef)
Justice League International (by Ratenef)
Mister Terrific (by ComicTrekker)
Nightwing (by LordShaper)
Resurrection Man (by Ratenef)
Stormwatch (by LordShaper)
Suicide Squad (by Ratenef)
Superman (by ComicTrekker)
Swamp Thing (by LordShaper)


There are still 30 to pick from!!

[HassanT]

Bob,

I would like to do the following:

Savage Hawkman
Red Lanterns
Batgirl
Animal Man
Omac
Teen Titans

Thanks.

[BobBretall]

DC Preview "dibs" - 28 so far:

Action Comics (by ComicTrekker)
All-Star Western (by LordShaper)
Animal Man (by HassanT)
Aquaman (by Ratenef)
Batgirl (by HassanT)
Batman (by Ratenef)
Batman and Robin (by ComicTrekker)
Batwoman (by Ratenef)
Deathstroke (by LordShaper)
Demon Knights (by LordShaper)
Fury of Firestorm (by Ratenef)
Green Arrow (by LordShaper)
Grifter (by LordShaper)
Hawk & Dove (by Boshuda)
Justice League (by ComicTrekker)
Justice League Dark (by Ratenef)
Justice League International (by Ratenef)
Mister Terrific (by ComicTrekker)
Nightwing (by LordShaper)
Omac (by HassanT)
Red Lanterns (by HassanT)
Resurrection Man (by Ratenef)
Savage Hawkman (by HassanT)
Stormwatch (by LordShaper)
Suicide Squad (by Ratenef)
Superman (by ComicTrekker)
Swamp Thing (by LordShaper)
Teen Titans (by HassanT)


There are still 24 to pick from!!