I’ve noticed this for the past few years and personal experience as well. I remember the old days where if you missed a certain comic. You had to track it down and buy it. Even pay quite a bit more if it was a hot issue. Because for the most part, if you missed that one printing of the issue you needed, that was it.
There was no second print or reprint of that issue.
And sure if it was really hot, you’d get a second print from the publisher. But even now, it’s not the same.
With the Paperback material produced within a handful of months of a storyline, I think it has made the collectible comic, in terms of overall money a thing of the past.
There are pros and cons to this new trend.
I think for the cons:
-It has destroyed the thrill of having to hunt and collect that issue you missed. And the feel you got when you did find it at a good price.
-It has destroyed most of the back issue prices. And if you want to one day sell your collection or book run, you will get less for it. Cause the material is already available and in a better format. It has in many cases made back issue prices of most books almost worthless and not a lot of good money can be made online.
Also reading this from various eBay dealers trying to sell back issues and not getting much. At most they sell lots, and take the per issue loss.
Checking eBay lots and I’ve seen things like: 50 issues going for less then six bucks. Or a hundred issues not even getting thirty dollars.
Oh course it depends on the book run and things like that. And I’m being Overall General Here, so please don’t quote it as fact. Cause it’s not. But overall, most issue lots don’t go for much these days.
It also doesn’t help that comics are so expensive now, $2.99 on average. That when it’s time to sell your collection, you’ll get pennies for it per issue. Not even $1 in most cases. And comic prices will only go up.
The pros:
-Trades offer better quality printing and the material is easier to find.
-I’ve grown accustomed to big volumes of comic art in a trade and many issues. The more the better. No need to take out and read each issue for the next part of the story.
-Trades have no in story ads and are cheaper then buying the individual issues, if you use the online discount stores like Amazon. Or look for 50% off deals in conventions.
-Trades make for a nice bookshelf collection.
Overall
I think Trade Paperbacks are great on the shelf and nice volumes to have. Yet at the same time are destroying the value of your per issue comics, and in the long run you won’t get much, if anything for them.
Add in all this online download comics talk (which is another topic) and that makes comic books per issue even have less value. I think this devalues a comic even more. And when a comic book loses it’s value attachment, the perceived worth won’t be there. Because when people pay for something, they have a more vested interest in reading and caring for what they bought. When it’s Free, there is less value attached to it.
This is a whole other topic, but by value I mean for example: If you were given three books of equal quality and overall are the same. But one was given Free, one you paid $5 for and one you paid $20 for. Which of the three, chances are, would you care for more?
Maybe I’ll post my thoughts on the pros and cons of digital comics next? Let me know.