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Near the end of January this year I moved to a new state because of a new job. One of the things I had to figure out as the date of my move approached was how to handle getting my comics while accounting for the gap I would have in income due to all the moving expenses. I was lucky enough to have a comic shop owner who was experienced in sending comics to people out of town (even out of the country). So, I just made an arrangement to have my first batch of comics (about a month's worth) held on to until I made the call to have them sent.
For a month I did the "settling in" thing, all the while waiting for my finances to get to the point where I could make the call for my comics to be sent. In the meantime I decided that I would check out the local shops and see what they had to offer. While I was a pretty loyal customer to my store back home I had to be realistic when it came to overall cost. Originally I saw a phonebook that had three listed in the area. There was one in the town I now lived in, one in a town about five miles away and one in a town about eleven miles away. I figured I was set as far as variety and selection went, even if all were small operations. Much to my disappointment all but one had vanished by the time I had moved to the area.
Of course, it was also the one that was the farthest distance. Eleven miles isn't much (I drove nearly that far from home to go to my local shop back home) but trying to find your way around in another new town so soon in a place where stores don't seem to have to display their addresses (that didn't help fining the store at all), well let's just say I made an afternoon of it. Anyway, the store is a decent size and they have lots of stuff at really good prices. Now I was all set, or so I thought.
I called for my first batch of comics and they arrived in about four day. Then, when I opened my box I was quickly reminded of a conversation I had with one of the operators of the new store I had visited (and of course with the own of my old store multiple time), and that was how was new blood supposed to come into the market with today's prices. Let me tell you folks, I really don't know how they're gonna do it. A month's worth of comics for me was $181.00. And that's straight up comics. No magazines in that total or other collectables or clothing. I figured things were just a bit "off" because I may have had about five weeks worth of comics instead of four. Then I got my next shipment two weeks later, $97.00. Suddenly the idea that I was spending close to $200.00 a month was a startling reality. Combine that with the joy of recently moving my collection and I was asking myself, "What is the purpose of this?" I could have had all kinds of reasons, and most of them valid, but then I also started wondering (again) what the future of comics was due to the cost of today's comics.
I don't think I read that many comics. I don't even tend to read many of the titles with iconic characters from either DC or Marvel, and the ones I do read are mainly team books. I can't imagine what my expenses would be like if I were reading Spider-Man, Superman or Batman titles. I started wondering, "Will the market as a whole survive in the near future?" After all I don't THINK (I could be wrong) most kids have an extra $50.00 a week to spend on comics. Then I got the news, my old store was closing up.
Yes, just a month and a half after I had left the area the owner of my old store had decided to close up shop. The finances just weren't there it seems. There were two stores where I came from, but I think both split the local market fairly well and my old store was "the place" for all the kids who played the collectable card games (they actually had a game room for it). Still, I have to say I was fairly shocked to hear what I had been told.
I've made arrangements to have my last few comics shipped from my old store. The owner is thinking of doing a business out of his home as he has many loyal customers who are interested if he were to do such a thing, but there would be a gap in service. Because there would be such a gap I am going to be getting my comics at the store near where I live now. I've already got my pull file set up so I shouldn't miss anything though. All in all I've thought more about comics in the past week than I have in quite a while, and I don't mean the storylines.
Right now I'm just asking myself if there is a purpose in me even continuing to read. I'd save a huge amount of money (as I'm sure you've also realized), and I'm more concerned about the future of the market now than I ever have been before. I guess I'm just going to have to see how things go. I saw some kids in the local store last week actually reading some comics (buying . . . I don't know) so I know there is some hope, especially since one kid said "I wish comics came out more than once a month."
The big question in my mind is if those kids keep (or start) buying comics regularly when they can. I'm sorry but comic stores cannot survive off of people who read in the store, and that's a fact. Yet, can they really expect kids to be dishing out big cash for a few books weekly? I don't think so. If there is a purpose to me continuing to read I hope it shows soon.
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