NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Sometimes it's worth it... if the story is that good.
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YO. HAWKGUY. BRO.
- Thread starter NotTheGuyYouKill
- Start date
Sometimes it's worth it... if the story is that good.
Yup. Got no problem waiting month to month. There's tons to read while I wait.
bernardobri
Steve, the dog with no powers that we let hang out with us all for some reason
Do you watch TV series only when the seasons are done, too?
akachan ningen
Member
well color is nice but it doubles the price of any book. I'd rather save the money and use my imagination. or maybe I could color it in myself.
The only television program I keep up with these days is Top Gear, which is weekly and sits at about an hour. Getting only a 20~ page comic once a month would be torturous if I was into the story, I think.
Phoenixazure
Member
Just posting for more Hawkeye love. I'm still surprised that Waid's Daredevil is criminally overlooked. While its not complete slice of life like Hawkeye, it strikes a really great balance and has stunning art that deserves a look. It got those Eisners for a reason.
shadyspace
Banned
Waid's Flash is my favorite superhero book ever
It's really not that overlooked. We recommend it all the time in the comics thread. Hawkguy just took off on a big bad way though.
It's really not that bad. Certainly better than waiting indefinitely for a series to end before reading it or waiting for a trade to come out every six to eight months.
beat
Member
If we're recommending other comics to read, Saga and Atomic Robo. Saga's just great. Atomic Robo's kinda like Hellboy, but replace occult gothic stuff with science-related fun, and a lot more lighthearted.
Saga's first trade is about $6 at Amazon right now. That is a crazy value. First six issues, for a bit over a buck per issue.
Saga's first trade is about $6 at Amazon right now. That is a crazy value. First six issues, for a bit over a buck per issue.
akachan ningen
Member
I'm glad you could tell I was joking.
Auron_Kale
Member
So I should feel more comfortable blowing $10 on a manga volume that doesn't always go out on a monthly schedule, will still have typos & still lags behind the Japanese scanlations by at least 20 volumes? Nope, I'm quite glad with the quality I'm getting once a month with all the comics I buy just like I was okay with waiting a month for my translated manga series that I cared about.
For me, if I'm not buying these issues day one, then I'm not satisfied because I like supporting the book, the team & the work that's being put out there. Plus, with the way Hawkeye reads, it all really stands alone so I don't need to wait for a trade to read it all, since unlike manga, I can legally get the book digitally day one as well if I wasn't also going physical.
Anticitizen One
Banned
Aquaman (the current Geoff Johns run), Earth 2, and Animal Man (Jeff Lemiere)
Grizzlyjin
Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
Waid's current on Daredevil is definitely something "Hawkguy" fans should be checking out. It takes itself a tab bit more seriously, but it definitely has the same charm and fun good guy machismo vibe that you get from Hawkeye. Clint and Matt are just good dudes that do the right thing, even if the entire world hates them for it.
The art is similarly awesome too. Although no one can touch Aja right now for that style imo.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
It is. One of the single poorest values in any media is comics. I'd venture that it's probably the most inefficient medium, period. Then take into account how completely fucking flooded that market is, and then add to that the fact it's now a specialty market. The monopoly Diamond has on distribution is a double-edged sword: Their model is what kept comics alive when it should have died once, but it's now one of the reasons that comics are asphyxiating as customer numbers (and page counts) continue to shrink.
The comparison to television is apt, but that's because with Netflix/Amazon/DVD/Blu-Ray, people are essentially choosing to "trade-wait" for their shows, too. And for those who do watch weekly, you're getting much more entertainment for your dollar. You can cash out a well written, well drawn monthly in about 5 minutes. That's the pre-credits set-up for a show like Supernatural.
5 minutes? That's total bullshit.
You get whatever value you want out of it. Personally I take my time going through books, looking at all the art.
Yay Quick! Let me know what you think.
First thing I'll tell you, which is what a lot of people seem to be commenting on: the artwork looks great.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
No it's not. You can kill a 20 page comic book in 5 minutes. You don't even have to be speed-reading the fucking thing. The fact trades end up being, on average, cheaper than going month-to-month doesn't help the argument for continuing to buy floppies, either.
The audience for monthlies is shrinking, and has been for decades now. Part of that is the competition for disposable income that wasn't there in decades past, yes. But a lot of it has to do with the distribution model and the business practices of the companies who continue to keep it propped up long past the point where it's ceased being effective/efficient.
It just doesn't make any sense at the price-point anymore.
Yeah you can but if you actually give a shit about what you're reading then why would you want to go through one that fast? Take your fucking time. I'm not even saying they're a particularly good value. $4 is too much for a floppy or digital version.
It's still the best way to keep up with the stories you want to read in a timely fashion.
Auron_Kale
Member
Then clearly you haven't read a really great comic if you plow through it in five minutes.
Me? I'm savoring my 20-some odd pages of a well-told, well-drawn monthly story that I wholly enjoy. Even at a pace where I consider it "breezing through", it still takes me fifteen to twenty minutes because I'm studying not only the whole picture but also the details.
You say trades are a better deal? I say the wait's more horrible now as basically everything is available digitally on top of print versus waiting six to ten months for a trade that only collects a certain number of issues when you're still gonna be behind.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
DC/Marvel really, really, REALLY wishes there were about a million more people who thought like you do.
But there aren't. There's maybe 200,000 of you. At best. Why? Because tradewaiting DOES make way more sense, to way more consumers. Because "being behind" doesn't really matter all that much once you fall back there.
Again - it's a bunch of double-edged swords. Not only did Diamond both save the business and now are suffocating it - the Big Two's overreliance on increasingly useless "Event" writing is the only tried and true method for keeping sales high, but also makes tradewaiting all the more attractive due to the convoluted continuity and tie-ins that cause consumers to throw their hands up and go "I'll wait til the whole thing is done first."
If more writers were, like Fraction, or Wood, or Vaughn, or Parker, or Brubaker, etc... able to tell stories that worked on their own as well as fitting into an arc, month-to-month might seem a little more attractive (although the price-point is killing a lot of that attraction) but there's too much subpar product on shelves, too many books that are relying on their customers compulsion to collect as opposed to relying on the strength of their stories.
Auron_Kale
Member
Good thing Hawkeye has no tie-ins to any events or any other books right now so it's not too hard to get caught up with eight current books as the ninth will be released soon via digital release.
I like having options right now and sure, you want to tradewait because it's easier for you, I get that. But just because you think it's a crappy value doesn't mean that it's a crappy value to me.
If we didn't buy monthly, what makes you think that this series would keep on going? I seriously doubt Marvel would just collect a trade and pray the fans will come since most people probably never gave this book a chance due to the title character in the first place.
Auron_Kale
Member
Exactly. I vote with my wallet and buy the books I want because I want it to succeed so that other people can get them collected into the trades that so that more people can jump into the series I love.
Starting to consider bribing back my Hawkguy avatars right now... But I'm enjoying my current one too much.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
I pretty much said that in the post you just quoted
It is a crappy value. It's just you don't mind paying it. There's a bunch of crazy consumer psychology that we could get into as to why many superhero comics buyers continue to support this model, but we're already way off topic regarding this single title, which is damned awesome.
But I'm not an anomaly as a consumer on this subject. And the Big Two need to figure a way to solidify a relationship between digital and print, and do it at a lower price point, or the business is going to continue shrinking to the point where it's going to make more financial sense for their parent companies to just kill monthly comics altogether and use them as IP farms for other forms of media.
DC has been terrible at sustaining monthlies ever since I first got into comics a decade ago. Nothing's changed since - DC's always relied on their event titles for sales.
Well until that point I'll keep supporting creators and stories I love so they can still go on making comics. I buy them out of love for the characters and the creators, not because I'm being manipulated into doing so by big evil corporations. It's my choice to spend this money on a medium I love.I pretty much said that in the post you just quoted
It is a crappy value. It's just you don't mind paying it. There's a bunch of crazy consumer psychology that we could get into as to why many superhero comics buyers continue to support this model, but we're already way off topic regarding this single title, which is damned awesome.
But I'm not an anomaly as a consumer on this subject. And the Big Two need to figure a way to solidify a relationship between digital and print, and do it at a lower price point, or the business is going to continue shrinking to the point where it's going to make more financial sense for their parent companies to just kill monthly comics altogether and use them as IP farms for other forms of media.
Auron_Kale
Member
I pretty much said that in the post you just quoted
It is a crappy value. It's just you don't mind paying it. There's a bunch of crazy consumer psychology that we could get into as to why many superhero comics buyers continue to support this model, but we're already way off topic regarding this single title, which is damned awesome.
But I'm not an anomaly as a consumer on this subject. And the Big Two need to figure a way to solidify a relationship between digital and print, and do it at a lower price point, or the business is going to continue shrinking to the point where it's going to make more financial sense for their parent companies to just kill monthly comics altogether and use them as IP farms for other forms of media.
I'm aware you said that and you're voting with your wallet so that's great for you. I vote with mine as how I like.
I decided that I was gonna support the hell out of this fantastic series since it was first announced because the team sold me. Especially since Hawkeye got a polarizing reception due to his appearance in The Avengers (I loved it but obviously many didn't feel that way), I figured that I was gonna go buy this monthly no matter what. And when I learned that it wasn't going to have a free digital copy, I figured that I was going to double-dip because I wanted to succeed.
I was on board for the character, I was all-for the story treatment & creative team. I stayed for what Fraction & Aja have delivered. I will remain with this book because it's become my favorite series ever.
If you want to buy monthlies because you want to buy them, fine.
Let's not get into some Feed the Children or Save These Puppies level of charity with these books though. Buy monthlies if you want, buy trades if you want. Don't try to guilt trip people into buying single issues because "these comics will not survive without YOUR help!"
But they won't as showcased time and time again, books get cancelled. That's a fact. Don't buy them if you don't want to, it's your choice. People do need to buy them for them to continue though.
Auron_Kale
Member
People will buy how they want to within what's comfortable for them and that's fine.
I just want people to read a really great series to enjoy it but at times, if people don't read a monthly there is the risk that said book will get canned.
Is it a sad truth? Of course, but at least I want to give a book like this a chance it deserves.
shinshoryuken
Member
dont really know much about hawkeye, only that I hated Jeremy Renner playing him in Avengers movie. after reading a few issues, now I really hate the casting choice...can't unsee Tard the cat when ever I see Renners face.
anyways..the comics awesome so far! thanks gaf for the recommendation!
anyways..the comics awesome so far! thanks gaf for the recommendation!
Yeah, before the Avengers movie came out all I knew about Hawkeye was that he existed and that he was an archer. This comic is the best though, almost to the point that I kind of don't want to see Hawkeye in anything else, haha.
Changed my avatar to celebrate how awesome this comic is. Everybody should give it a shot.
Changed my avatar to celebrate how awesome this comic is. Everybody should give it a shot.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
What impact does TPB sales have on the survival of a series?
I buy month-to-month, but I do it because I don't like the wait between TPBs. Also... I dunno, I like collecting them. Luckily, I don't read too many comics, so it's not like I'm wasting tons of cash and space. Whatever I do read tends to fairly divorced from big universe tie-ins and the like. I really understand the frustration there, it's a headache reading through everything in big events. Which is why Hawkguy, er, Hawkeye is such a breath of fresh air.
I buy month-to-month, but I do it because I don't like the wait between TPBs. Also... I dunno, I like collecting them. Luckily, I don't read too many comics, so it's not like I'm wasting tons of cash and space. Whatever I do read tends to fairly divorced from big universe tie-ins and the like. I really understand the frustration there, it's a headache reading through everything in big events. Which is why Hawkguy, er, Hawkeye is such a breath of fresh air.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
I buy both floppies and digital and even TPB. It's actually the worst god damned use of money. I wish all floppies came with a digital code so I can read on my iPad as well. I just figure there isn't any difference in price between digital and hard copy so I end up trekking to my LCS. I do take my god damned sweet time reading each issue though, not a 5 minute guy
And man, I LOVE #8
And man, I LOVE #8
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
Now that Declan is drawing Venom, seems kind of superfluous.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
I buy both floppies and digital and even TPB. It's actually the worst god damned use of money. I wish all floppies came with a digital code so I can read on my iPad as well. I just figure there isn't any difference in price between digital and hard copy so I end up trekking to my LCS. I do take my god damned sweet time reading each issue though, not a 5 minute guy
And man, I LOVE #8
Digital and print being priced the same seems atrocious.
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
Never understand this. Welcome the future where creative product is assumed worthless and you're reading comics about sugar packets fighting string beans.
I'd say TPBs have a pretty good impact on survival and expansion of a series. I ordered the Hawkeye one from Amazon because it'll end up probably being easier than trying to track down the first 5.
Wouldn't have read Fables, 100 Bullets, DMZ or Criminal without them
Auron_Kale
Member
Yep, but then I remember that one is taxed and the other's not so if I have any extra itunes credit, I just buy through comixology without a second thought.
My own LCS also has a comixology digital store front (which is sadly only accessible via PC) so I can also buy through them to support them.
But yes, I really wished Marvel didn't just limit their free copies to their $4 books because I feel like I get just as much satisfaction from their $3 ones than their $4 ones.
VGChampion
Member
I haven't read this series yet but Hawkeye before Avengers was that cool guy who kept showing up in different Avengers series for me. I know it wouldn't work on film but I really loved his costume pre-movie. Really excited to try this series out though once I get my hand on the issues now that I'm getting back into comics after a year hiatus.
I get what you're saying, but I'm guessing that the argument is that paper issues have a cost associated with production and distribution that the cover price is in some way covering. These costs for digital issues are going to be a lot lower, and so these issues could be reduced in price to provide an incentive to the consumer to opt for digital rather than physical copies, which would mean a reduction in production cost to the publisher. I don't think the reason people think that digital comics should cost less is that the believe them to have less creative worth, they just want the reduction in costs of production to be passed on to them. I can see your side of the argument though, that if a story is worth X dollars to read in one format then why shouldn't it be worth the same in another. I'm just saying what I think the reason for the argument is.
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
At the prices they pay in bulk, I doubt it costs them more than like fifty cents, tops. Since image quality is so much better in digital, I'm fine covering that.
Keep in mind, I basically buy my digital comics as print. I buy them at my LCS, turn in the code, and then drop them off at the library for donation.
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