Marvel Comics Price Increase, “We’re Just Looking To Maximize Our Profits For Business”

Marvel Comics Price Increase, “We’re Just Looking To Maximize Our Profits For Business”

No one likes price increases, but sometimes its necessary, or is it?

News
By Spock - Jun 11, 2009 01:06 PM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Comics
Source: BleedingCool

I have mixed feelings on this one...

"John Turitzin of Marvel told a financial audience that the price increase on a number of Marvel titles from $2.99 to $3.99 is part of an ongoing process of testing just how much money they can make from publishing comics."

I read early that this was just to operation cost but now I wonder.
Can you live without your Marvel fix? I can for a while, but we will see.

I would put more into this article, but you should read the whole article (at the link below) and comment.

Black Panther is suppose to air on BET in the 2nd quarter, when ever that is.

CBM Comment: 1st quarter=Jan/Feb/March, 2nd quarter=April/May/June, 3rd Quarter=July/August/Sept, 4th Quarter=Oct/Nov/Dec
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alten2345
alten2345 - 6/11/2009, 1:21 PM
Um where's the link dude?
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 6/11/2009, 1:29 PM
what will this mean for those of us living in the uk? i pay betwwen £1.90-£2.10 at the moment?
Spock
Spock - 6/11/2009, 1:35 PM
If it doesn't show after the update here it is.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/06/01/marvels-john-turitzin-on-price-increases-%E2%80%9Cwere-just-looking-to-maximise-our-profits-for-business%E2%80%9D/
Betty
Betty - 6/11/2009, 4:24 PM
Wow, normally they don't come right out and say it. Isn't this what they've always done? They try to say it's all in the production costs, paper quality, 4 color process, distribution, ect., but we all know it's all part of the slow yet inevitable crawl to make more money. I don't collect any Marvel titles and I'm not about to start now.

When I started as a kid comics were 75 cents. Shut up I'm not that old, I started collecting young! I swear a month later it was up to $1.00 and by the end of the next year some were at 1.25. By the time image was established most of their main books were at 2.99 so now that I think about it I'm surprised it hasn't happened before now.

Lets just hope they increase the quality as well. Yeah right, dicks!
JeremyBentham
JeremyBentham - 6/11/2009, 4:31 PM
comics--you gotta love em, but what a rip off!

though i will say that marvel's comics are very high quality and probably should cost more anyway
thwhtGuardian
thwhtGuardian - 6/11/2009, 5:01 PM
Yeah I remember reading in Hellmail a while back that they said there was talk of an industry wide increase from 2.99. Whatever.
alten2345
alten2345 - 6/11/2009, 5:13 PM
Wow, imagine that. A business trying to maximize it's profits. That is unheard of and so unexpected lmao.
ThisFan
ThisFan - 6/11/2009, 5:22 PM
im already spending 20-30 dollers a freaken week on comics if they increase im only buy dc comics and dropping buying marvel comics
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 6/11/2009, 5:32 PM
ERRR RECESSION...
rockingrich1webb
rockingrich1webb - 6/11/2009, 5:37 PM
man, now i can't buy comics anymore!!! i guess i gotta store all my comics away and wait pittifuly under the shadows where i will weep until those MONEY SUCKING MORONS STOP INCREASING THE PRICES!!! ahem...
Shadowelfz
Shadowelfz - 6/11/2009, 5:42 PM
Yeah I know, Alten. This is something they've always been doing, its just now they are doing it openly. I think they know people will be pissed about it, given that money is tight for everyone right now, so they figured the best damage control would be not to be sneaky about it. Hope it works, Marvel, but asking $4 dollars for a little pamplet during a time when we're all hurting for dollars is not exactly the best idea.

On a related note, ever notice that whenever the economy takes a dive businesses charge more to make sure their profit margins doesnt sink with it? Thats good ol' fashion greed for ya.
alten2345
alten2345 - 6/11/2009, 5:52 PM
@Shadowelfz

I've already stopped collecting incentive variants because of this. I knew it was coming so I adjusted accordingly. Ultimately I think this could have a positive effect on the industry by weeding out all the crap that is out there when people (me included) stop buying sub-par titles.

That being said, I don't blame them for trying to grab more money. If people are willing to pay $1.00 more for a product then why shouldn't a business try to capitalize on that? If I had a business like that or was a shareholder I would want the company to maximize it's profits too:)
thwhtGuardian
thwhtGuardian - 6/11/2009, 6:19 PM
@tyko450 it's not just marvel, in the letter column for bprd the editor said there was going to be an industry wide hike in price. Comicbooks work like any other industry they rise and fall together.
Tobuttica
Tobuttica - 6/11/2009, 6:26 PM
I already can't afford to buy as many as I would like, now they are going to get even less money from me. They are going to have to cancel titles because people aren't going to want to shell out buko bucks for mediocre tales. What they should do if they are going to charge that, not having the big summer even have like 30 tie-in books. I haven't even read Secret Invasion because I don't want to have to shell out a bajillion dollars to see what's up.
alten2345
alten2345 - 6/11/2009, 6:30 PM
@thwhtknight

Top Cow announced a price freeze for all of 2009. After that who knows but they have guaranteeda $2.99 price point until the end of the year.

Plus as of the current Previews, DC has yet to raise any prices as well.

http://topcowblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/icv2-reports-on-top-cows-299-price.html
Hellmont
Hellmont - 6/11/2009, 6:50 PM
I would like to think that Marvel is trying to make back some money over what they have lost over the years with their movies.

Dare Devil
Ghost Rider
the Two Punisher Movies that really didnt make it
Spiderman 3

Maybe I'm just being an Ass-hole lol
longbowhunter
longbowhunter - 6/11/2009, 7:02 PM
I really have to think twice before paying $3.99 for a title. I already do for Punisher MAX, but I've dropped so many Marvel titles in the last year I'll probably do it again if pushed!

Bottom line. I can live without my Marvel fix as long as other companies are offering good stories at better prices.
I hope this blows up in their smug collective faces!
alten2345
alten2345 - 6/11/2009, 7:09 PM
@Hellmont

With the exception of Punisher War Zone, all those movies were financially successful. They all made money. So yeah you're just being an assh*le.
rockingrich1webb
rockingrich1webb - 6/11/2009, 7:11 PM
@longbowhunter-don't even think twice just don't buy it at all if you read the article they said they're "TESTING" it out so maybe if we don't buy anything for awhile they'll make it to 2.99 again.
longbowhunter
longbowhunter - 6/11/2009, 7:16 PM
Yeah, I read the article, but I'm not sure I buy into this testing crap. I think they'll do it one way or the other. I'm not a damn lab rat!
longbowhunter
longbowhunter - 6/11/2009, 7:20 PM
@Tobuttica Dont bother Secret Invasion sucked cheetah balls.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 6/11/2009, 7:24 PM
Comic books cost enough already, greedy butt holes lol! I don't even really bother much buying comics now, i prefer when they are collected in trades! The days of the comic book that don't cost an arm an a leg are gone, well unless you go in the bargain boxes, frack it i don't care sometimes i do for a cheap read! Heh heh ; )
Shadowelfz
Shadowelfz - 6/11/2009, 7:30 PM
Haha I know what you mean, Alten. I pretty much stopped buying comics and now wait for them to come out in a graphic novel, or just read them at the bookstore. If they are worth getting, Ill pick em up, so I guess your right, its an incentive to produce high-quality material. I'm guessing that the demographics shifted a bit and now more older folks like you and me buy comics, while the kiddies spend their dough on stuff like manga or pool their funds for the ridiculously priced videogames and stuff. They probably figure we can deal with a dollar increase, while the kids probably couldn't so its a safer bet for them nowadays. Just a theory... ;)
longbowhunter
longbowhunter - 6/11/2009, 7:40 PM
I buy about 25 different titles a month, so a price increase for me means weeding though my pull list @the comic shop.
Beastwood
Beastwood - 6/11/2009, 8:45 PM
i buy about 10 to 15 a month and i have to pay Canadian dollars so i'm already paying 4 to 5 bucks a comic soooo shity
dustin7933
dustin7933 - 6/11/2009, 8:55 PM
Wow...lame move Marvel. Because they know that their readers have sooo much money as it is.
thwhtGuardian
thwhtGuardian - 6/11/2009, 8:59 PM
meh, it doesn't really affect me to much, I only really buy hulk and hellby...for he rest I trust dcp. free downloads are the way to go.
THEPHOENIX
THEPHOENIX - 6/11/2009, 10:26 PM
Sniff ;.( I hate to say this by I may have to cut back on X-Men...Or I can make birdboy get a real job nd he can buy them : )
marshmallowyme
marshmallowyme - 6/11/2009, 11:50 PM
[frick]in' Marvel....
shibazz
shibazz - 6/12/2009, 2:24 AM
I stopped buying comics when my collection was stolen by my brothers crack headed friends .... is there a super Heroine that stopps crackheads in there tracks....Ha crackheads is one word in my spell check on this site!
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 6/12/2009, 7:45 AM
Yeah Kratos6 @ All the Millions they spend on movies etc an they still wanna screw the fan, an hence its the fan why their there!

Damn SHIBAZZ @ I remember you telling us about that! Hope they got their comeupance, little bastardss! Damn, for some reason i don't have a spell check on this lappy im on?? I just know i spelt that wrong lol! I can feel ya though SHIB @ I too has lost lotsa comics when i kept moving houses, friggin' sucks! It wouldn't of bothered me but it was all the best stuff!
vonstallin
vonstallin - 6/12/2009, 9:17 AM
When my box at the comic shop went up to $60 to $90 a month....
I had to ween off the comic book tittie.

It was a long and hard process...sigh...still hurts to drive by the shop and not stop...

The last books i was subscribing to were all the Bat Man titles and underlings...

and all the X-men titles and underlings....

Cold Turkey now....

but like a crack addict...im always ...constantly....thinking of ways to resubscribe....
shibazz
shibazz - 6/12/2009, 11:11 AM
Oh yeah , does anyone know why (besides the fact that i can be a dumbAZZ sometimes) why i cant seem to Download a program that ia can open up the comics my friend uploaded to my computer. I have vista, yeah i know but thats how it is... any help would be appreciated
Spock
Spock - 6/12/2009, 12:15 PM
Have u done that before, if not u pc may be missing some codecs or your not using the correct program.
alcinde4
alcinde4 - 6/12/2009, 11:07 PM
whatever. I've severely cut back on my comics purchases over the last couple of years anyway. Mostly due to the lack of quality artists out there (I'm a visual stimuli type of guy). The ones that I consider to be good are almost always several months late.
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