jnbund

February 1, 2013 7:13 am I'm not completely convinced that the problem is accessibility. As Fraction said, it's about "satisfaction." Yes, good writing and interesting stories without a lot of back matter (something akin to a simple TV show like the Rockford Files) may help make comic books more satisfying. But here's what I think the real problem is: $3.99 (often with double shipping). Think about what the typical non-reader (be it a 12-year old or a 25-year old) is giving up for that comic book: several apps, half a novel, half a subscription to netflix, one third of a movie at the theatre, an online movie rental, 10% of a video game, etc. That's just for one book! If it's not the greatest story they've ever read, it's not going to be satisfying for what they had to give up. It's about opportunity costs. I'm not saying that comics aren't worth four bucks. I recognize that the writers, artists, letterers, and directors of business development need to be paid. But even I, as grown up man with adequate financial resources, avoid some books because of the price point and opportunity costs. Surely a 20-something who has never been inclined to buy comics but likes the Avengers movie is making the same choices. I think discounting old books online is helping (although Marvel isn't doing this). I think including codes to share with friends is helping. I like the idea of the $0.99 weeklies, which helps to spread the $3.99 across a month.

January 19, 2013 10:22 am Stay classy Ron Richards. Looking forward to the new trinity. Also looking forward to becoming a member and giving my money to something worthwhile. Can we bring back the t-shirts? Maybe with Ron's "so sad" face on the back?

May 25, 2012 7:29 am Earth 1416: The Earth where Ron, Conor and Josh all have Bovinophobia.

May 8, 2012 5:30 pm Two words: duck boobs

May 8, 2012 3:50 pm I'm definitely picking this up. I'm mixed on Morrison. I liked Supergods and his recent Batman stuff, but I'm struggling with Action. I need to explore his past stuff a bit more. This seems like a good start.

May 8, 2012 3:29 pm Picking up some randoms this week, mostly based on characters: X-Men Legacy for my Moon Knight fix, Deathstroke for some Lobo action. Also giving Avengers Assemble a try. I used to love the Zodiac, and people been saying the series isn't half bad. BQ: I think Loki was right, I'm annoyed by freedom.

May 8, 2012 3:16 pm I'm in for all three. The one-shots have been awesome, the Pro seems too odd to pass, and I'm only picking up Deathstroke because of Lobo. I'm still hoping they give the ol' bastich a series of his own. Dreams....hope...frag...

February 6, 2012 2:51 pm I'm really excited for Brian Wood on Conan. Also looking forward to the last few issues of Northlanders! Unfortunately I'm dropping Frankenstein. I like Lemire, but I just can't get into these characters. It's OK though, he'll have more of my money when he takes over JLD. BQ: Not a good crop this year; didn't really like any of them.

February 6, 2012 2:38 pm I'm also a re-newbie (having collected in my youth and then exiting the market for 15 years). I actually came back about 6 months before the New 52 after a friend gave me the first trade of Y-The Last Man. I will note that while I enjoy being back, and am buying about 5 titles a week, I would have quickly left again if it hadn't been for digital comics. The one thing that fascinates me about comics is how hard it is to be a consumer (relative to other media)! I live in a small town with a small shop. The proprietor is the typical stereotype and doesn't keep a lot of stock. I've got no interest in trying to "predict" what I'm going to want to read in 3 months. Sure, DC gets a sales surge for a month or two, but how many new readers are going to get into a pre-ordering routine and actually maintain a long-term buying habit? Hopefully digital will be a sufficient substitute like it is for me.

February 6, 2012 2:16 pm Think of it in terms of another industry. Delta and American both sell more units (seats) than Southwest, but Southwest consistently outperforms the industry in terms of profit, margins, and return. If anything, and without seeing the data, this signals to me that DC likely has the top 10 and bottom 50 comics, while Marvel occupies a very large portion of the middle. Others have mentioned this below, and Josh alludes to it above, the new 52 got a lot of people back into the stores (and into digital platforms), which certainly benefited Marvel. Thus, they get a revenue bump without all the hard work.