How has the back issue market changed?

24 Comments | Posted: January 5th, 2009 | Filed under: Pandering to the Demographic, Thinking About Comics

I read it, didn't buy it.  I suck.

During my once-weekly shift at the local comics shop yesterday, I was reading the above (a perfectly goofy bit of 70′s Spider-Man from the first attempt to force the competition off the stands by grinding out title after title with only the slightest of nods towards quality control) and I realized I had not purchased a back issue of anything in quite some time, instead choosing to wait for the eventual collection. Since my collecting interests laid primarily in 80 page giants and Kirby books, this has been a smarter-than-average decision for me, but I’m curious about the back-issue market in general.


Are there still people who go back and fill in holes in their Bendis Avengers run, or has that disappeared entirely in the trade era? I want to hear from retailers, too. I assume there’ll always be a market for Golden Age and Silver Age comic books, but have the Bronze and Chromium eras lost what little luster they had when we have collections of Kitty Pryde And Wolverine and Millennium a click away on Amazon, or am I thinking like a comic book reader instead of a comic book fan? What was the last back issue you bought?


The BeaucoupKevin(dot)com Quick and Easy Superhero Halloween Costume Guide!

18 Comments | Posted: October 5th, 2008 | Filed under: "Funny", Pandering to the Demographic | Tags: ,


Behold!

10 Comments | Posted: September 29th, 2008 | Filed under: "Funny", Pandering to the Demographic | Tags:


If I Ran Marvel Comics: #2 In A Series

4 Comments | Posted: September 23rd, 2008 | Filed under: "Funny", Pandering to the Demographic | Tags: , ,


And now, two panels from the first issue of Gold Key’s Star Trek comic…

15 Comments | Posted: September 10th, 2008 | Filed under: Art Appreciation, Pandering to the Demographic | Tags: , , ,

…that I opened randomly while checking out the new Star Trek: The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD.


Oh, what’s that? Hang on, hang on, hang on, it’s time for the…

REEEEEE-MIX!



If I Ran Marvel Comics #1

3 Comments | Posted: August 7th, 2008 | Filed under: "Funny", Pandering to the Demographic | Tags:


Blame Bully and Tim.


The Nineties-est Cover I Could Find

21 Comments | Posted: June 26th, 2008 | Filed under: "Funny", Pandering to the Demographic

Per Chris Sims’s request:


Kevin Reviews His Weekly Singles #13

4 Comments | Posted: June 19th, 2008 | Filed under: Pandering to the Demographic, Reviews | Tags: , , , ,

This week was one of the textbook examples of “Not Much Goin’ On For Ol’ Kevin” in the singles. Only three titles found their way into my bag, and I’m not going to talk about one of them because what can someone say about the middle chapter of a DMZ storyline other than “Brian Wood seems to know what he’s doing with this”? So, here’s…

Anna Mercury #2

There’s a very good bit in this issue that shows how Ellis manages to nail characters in ways that are almost subliminal. The director of Anna Mercury’s agency explains what’s going on to the new governmental leader. It involves parallel worlds, strange physics, and Anna Mercury’s role in making sure the status quo is kept. He’s impatient, unable to explain everything in soundbites, and leaves the poor man flummoxed as hell, much like the readers, and that’s good enough. We sort of have a vague idea what’s going on, now let’s get back to Anna shooting the hell out of people. Yes, it’s got bits of Planetary in its DNA, particularly when you compare Anna to Jakita Wagner, but it’s got just enough new stuff to convince me to pick up the eventual trade.

Marvel Adventures Avengers #25

Jeff Parker + Arnim Zola = Love. Yes, it’s just that simple. Ig Guara’s art has a few moments where it just shines, particularly around the comedic beats, even if his action storytelling needs just a bit of work. This single issue perfect example of light superhero entertainment that is very comfortable with what it is and manages to engage readers at just about any possible age group. Here’s a preview so you can figure out if you want to pick it up next week.

Wow, this is short this week. I better come up with something that’ll earn those links.

Oh! I know!

A Picture Of Nerd Heaven


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