Best Bang for the Buck?

[80sJunkie]

One big reason I am firmly against the $3.99 comics price point is that you can get so many other things for better bang for the buck in terms of dollars spent, replay value, duration of enjoyment and overall satisfaction.

Walking Dead and Mouse Guard are worth $3.99 imho, and they have no ads.

The Bone trades are absolute steals at $10 apiece for the colored Scholastic versions. I found many of these volumes at Half Price Books, and to be able to get these for $5 is insane.

Many trades, back issues, and dollar-box convention fodder look really attractive compared to $3.99 if you're willing to wait.

I picked up the Batman Animated Series complete DVD set, and I thought it was a great bargain at $75, when individual seasons were never cheaper than ~$30. With 109 episodes, each show comes to 69 cents. Just imagine if comics could move and talk and be 69 friggin cents!

In fact, all animated series sets compare nicely value-wise to comics. It is comparing apples to oranges but the satisfaction I get from watching BTAS or Justice League on DVD puts it on par (or higher) than any average comic I read. I even (learned to) enjoy Teen Titans Go!

I bought the Iron Man and Dark Knight DVDs for about $30 total, and I'd put that satisfaction up against any 10 $3 comics. Not to mention DVD special features or replay value.

A further departure is video games. Even if you pay the full $50 for something like XMen Legends or Marvel Ultimate Alliance, these games are designed to be played for around 24 hours the first time through, which is about $2 per hour, YMMV.

What are your best values to get your comic fix? the cheap side of me wants to know.

[HipHopHead]

What are your best values to get your comic fix? the cheap side of me wants to know.

CHEAP?!?!? With ALL the things you listed and that I KNOW you bought. How in the world are YOU cheap?

[HipHopHead]

To satisfy my comic fix, Hollywood would have to make some good movies. I have vast DVD collection of movies and television series. I know I get better value with a DVD movie than going to see the movie and if the movie is good, I will have several viewings.

If your anaysis of the series is correct, I know get even greater value with Simpson, Futurama and Family Guy viewings.

[Trev]

What are your best values to get your comic fix? the cheap side of me wants to know.

The Image and Vertigo first volume trades through DCBS are probably the best value to me right now. These are typically $9.99 list, sometimes 7.99(?), and are great quality. With the DCBS discount, you pay something like 7.99 or 4.99 for those books. Each one is 5-7 issues, so you are down to something like $.75-$1.50 a book. That's a deal. And a fantastic way to try a series. It's so easy to just drop DCBS a note and BAM, they are in your next order most of the time.

In the last year, from Image, I've tried:

* Fear Agent
* Proof
* Dynamo 5
* Hawaiian Dick

I've also discovered some good values in Deluxe Edition HCs -- especially if you get them when they first come out and DCBS discounts them down 50%. I've gotten:

* Starman Omnibus vol. 1
* Camelot 3k
* Y:The Last Man vol 1

In the last year for $17-$18 dollars each. Those are each 10-15 issues. They are gorgeous books and you get the comics for that same $1 or so an issue. Great value.

[RickM]

The best bang for your entertainment buck continues to be longish novels (weeks worth of reading for 7 or so dollars) or great TV shows like LOST, which are free.

As far as comics go, I'll take graphic novels, especially when I can get them at a hefty discount (40 percent or so). Also, the 50-cent bins at comic shops often provide good material.

[80sJunkie]

What are your best values to get your comic fix? the cheap side of me wants to know.

CHEAP?!?!? With ALL the things you listed and that I KNOW you bought. How in the world are YOU cheap?

I bought JLU and other single season DVD sets over time. I was basically waiting for a BTAS complete box, like I am Battlestar Galactica.

My point is that if you have say $50 per month budgeted for you comics fix, you might do well to buy a DVD set of 22 episodes instead of buying 10 $3 comics for roughly the same money.

I wonder what other alternatives are out there, and I bet the comics companies make more money off these non-comic offerings while giving me more bang for the buck. Seems like a win-win, even if the original medium has to suffer.

For all the talk of digital comics, putting episodes of JLU on your ipod seems like that reality is already here!

[80sJunkie]

The best bang for your entertainment buck continues to be longish novels (weeks worth of reading for 7 or so dollars) or great TV shows like LOST, which are free.

As far as comics go, I'll take graphic novels, especially when I can get them at a hefty discount (40 percent or so). Also, the 50-cent bins at comic shops often provide good material.

I also like used comics from Lone Star online, ebay or my local Half Price Books. Lots of really good deals to be found if you don't have a comic con in your area to provide dollar bins. (Austin doesn't have cons or dollar bins that I know of.)

[80sJunkie]

What are your best values to get your comic fix? the cheap side of me wants to know.

The Image and Vertigo first volume trades through DCBS are probably the best value to me right now. These are typically $9.99 list, sometimes 7.99(?), and are great quality. With the DCBS discount, you pay something like 7.99 or 4.99 for those books. Each one is 5-7 issues, so you are down to something like $.75-$1.50 a book. That's a deal. And a fantastic way to try a series. It's so easy to just drop DCBS a note and BAM, they are in your next order most of the time.

In the last year, from Image, I've tried:

* Fear Agent
* Proof
* Dynamo 5
* Hawaiian Dick

I've also discovered some good values in Deluxe Edition HCs -- especially if you get them when they first come out and DCBS discounts them down 50%. I've gotten:

* Starman Omnibus vol. 1
* Camelot 3k
* Y:The Last Man vol 1

In the last year for $17-$18 dollars each. Those are each 10-15 issues. They are gorgeous books and you get the comics for that same $1 or so an issue. Great value.

The only concern I have is if the pricing only applies to the first volume. Are they usually self-contained stories?

The 40-years of Marvel (Spiderman, Xmen, FF, etc...) are insane bargains on a per-issue basis, but I don't know that even the most diehard will want to read PDFs. I know I am not one of them, and I have already bought 6 of these collections.

[Trev]

The only concern I have is if the pricing only applies to the first volume. Are they usually self-contained stories?

Depends on the book. Usually these are first arcs and so are complete stories. Fear Agent, Proof, and Hawaiian Dick were like that and all very good reads.

[JohnMayo]

The 40-years of Marvel (Spiderman, Xmen, FF, etc...) are insane bargains on a per-issue basis, but I don't know that even the most diehard will want to read PDFs. I know I am not one of them, and I have already bought 6 of these collections.

I see these DVD-ROM collections more as reference than regular reading material. While I can and have read some issues this way, I'm an old fashion kind of guy and still prefer the periodical hard-copy format that Rao* intended comics to be.


*Rao was the pre-Crisis Kryptonian sun god for those wondering (again, I'm an old-fashion kind of guy)

[MaxL]

I've also discovered some good values in Deluxe Edition HCs -- especially if you get them when they first come out and DCBS discounts them down 50%. I've gotten:

In the last year for $17-$18 dollars each. Those are each 10-15 issues. They are gorgeous books and you get the comics for that same $1 or so an issue. Great value.

There was a time when it was actually cheaper to buy HC collections from Amazon than it was to buy TPBs. I miss those days.

[ctowner1]

The Walking Dead & Invincible HCs are great bang for the buck. They are 12 issues in oversized format, and generally sell for around $19 on Amazon or DCBS. So about $1.60 an issue or so.

Also, the 1st Runaways HC collection is a great deal - IIRC, it's around 18 issues for around $20 (discounted). So close to a $1 an issue, and it's an oversized HC, too.

I just read Tom Beland's "True Story, Swear To God Archive No. 1" - 17 issues/500+ pages for around $12 (discounted).

I just ordered the Italian horror comic, Dylan Dog, which is roughly seven 100 page graphic novels in a single volume for $16 (discounted). It's in the December previews.

And, of course, the upcoming Dave Sim comic, Cerebus Archive, as well as the ongoing glamourpuss will sell for only $3. :^)

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