Pop Culture Chronicles

Waiting for Some DC Collected Editions

Here are some recent, current, and upcoming comic book series which I either have skipped, or probably will skip, in favor of waiting for the reprints in either hardcover or trade paperback format. I can save a bundle if I wait for some of these to come to public libraries or by purchasing the collected editions from Amazon or other discount booksellers: 

DC

Bat Lash: Guns and Roses - Being a fan of the Old West, I loved the first issue of this limited series. I hope to read the trade through in a sitting or two and learn the gambler's origin.

Batgirl- The new Batgirl in town is not Barbara Gordon. I'm interested in checking out at least the first story arc of this new ongoing series once it appears as a collected edition. 

Brave and the Bold- Now that Straczynski's writing this one I'm anxious to see one of his story arcs.

Countdown to Adventure- reprint of the limited series starring Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire--my favorite storyline in the 52 series.

First Wave- This offspring of the Batman/Doc Savage one-shot combines 30s pulp and sci-fi in an alternate universe of non-super-powered heroes. The one-shot was okay, but not outstanding. I am looking forward to seeing these guys co-exist with the Shadow, the Spirit, the Blackhawks, and Rima. The "floppies" haven't even begun, but I think I can wait for the trades.

JSA vs. Kobra- I usually get everything JSA, but I had the discipline to wait for the trade on this limited series. 

Red Robin - Tim Drake's new alter ego who refusing to believe that Bruce Wayne is dead launches his own investigation.

Superboy Greatest Team-Ups - I think this reprints Silver and perhaps Bronze age stories. Should be fun and make me feel like a kid again.

Superman: Red Son- An alternate reality in which the rocket ship containing baby Kal-El lands in the Soviet Union where Superman grows to be Russia's favorite son. I can't believe I still haven't read this.

Superman: Secret Origins- The fact that Geoff Johns is writing this series greatly appeals to me. It will be interesting to see such an outstanding writer's take on a classic character.

Trinity - After Countdown I wasn't about to fall for another weekly series. I hear this one was much better, but I simply could not afford it. I hope to see this story of the big three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) in my local library.   

 

Floppies or Trades?

As most of us are painfully aware, comics have gone up yet again. While some titles still retail at 2.99, the average single issue comic is now 3.99. While I don't read many new comics I'm thinking of scaling back yet again. Six titles are currently on my pull list, four of which are limited series that will eventually conclude. I might have purchased others if not for this price increase. 

So what to do, what to do. How can I keep up with my favorite characters and not spend a fortune? Some have gone to buying "trades" instead of "floppies." When I was a kid, missing an issue meant you just missed it. Or you could track it down through comic shops or mail order and pay a higher price--much higher if the issue was significant. But that was before "trades." Now the conclusion of one or two story arcs usually means the issues or limited series get reprinted fairly soon.

This occurs in trade paperback format, i.e., "trades". Some publishers do second or even third printings of popular titles as well. With so many trades and hard cover graphic novels featuring everything from Golden and Silver Age reprints, to original material, to reprints of recent stories, some have given up buying "floppies" (regular monthly comic books) altogether. 

But how does this save money? The trades cost money too, right? Yes, but more and more are making their way to public libraries. I live in a fairly small town (40,000), but our library has a better selection of trades and graphic novels than what I've seen in most other libraries. This being a college town might help explain that. So if budget cuts to libraries don't keep getting worse, maybe I can wait for some titles to come to my library. So all you comic fans need to support your local library!!!

Another upside of waiting for stories to be reprinted in trades is that you can read an entire story in one or two installments as opposed to waiting a month (or longer if the title is behind schedule) to find out what happened, and possibly forgetting what happened.

The downside of waiting for trades is that you have to wait to read what everybody's talking about and hope you don't accidentally overhear too many spoilers. There is also the chance that your library won't get the titles you want and you'll have to buy them anyway. 

Just as I don't usually pay full price for new movies, but wait for them to come to the dollar theater or DVD rental, some are now waiting for "floppy" comics to come to trade before reading them. If your favorites wind up at the library, you can save a lot of money. Downsides to reading library copies is you don't get to keep them (which could also be good since you save shelf space) and library copies aren't always in the best shape thanks to abuse by irresponsible geeks who've spent most of their lives reading comics instead of getting a real job--they give the rest of us geeks a bad name.

In conclusion, I will likely continue to buy some "floppies" since there is nothing like the excitement of finding a latest issue waiting for you at the comic shop. But I will put quite a few stories off until they're in the trades and at my library. Comics have improved tremendously since the 90s and there is just too much good stuff to read. I can't buy as many floppies now as I could when they were 75 cents and I was single. The question will be which to buy in floppy, which to wait for in trade, and which to purchase as opposed to checking out at the library.

What say you in regard to new comics? Floppies or trades.