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A couple questions about comics

edited April 2008 in Manga/Comics
Is there a decent website that talks about upcoming comic book releases? I'm looking for something that is newbie friendly. I'd like to be able to search by genre at a minimum. A synopsis of the plot would be very helpful.

I've never been into comics, but I figured that I would order a couple for kicks. I'd like to start at the beginning of a series, so I was hoping to find a site that has information on upcoming series.

I know... I could always read stuff that's already out there, but I like the idea of pre-ordering. It gives me something to look forward to.

Also, Scott, where did you say you pre-order your comics?

I'm interested in the Doctor Who comic that began shipping around January. (pre-order now is for #6). Am I out of luck finding #1-5?
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Comments

  • Go to DCBService.com.

    On the left hand side of the page is a menu item for Odering. Click on that, then click on the downloads link.

    On the downloads page you want to download the latest spreadsheet. This is your order form. You fill it out and e-mail it in to place your order. The order form lists every item currently available in the Diamond Previews catalog. This is very good because the Diamond Previews catalog is a gigantic paper monstrosity, and it isn't free. Just a note, if you are a first time customer, there are coupon codes you can use to get a one-time discount on your initial order.

    You might notice one problem with this spreadsheet is that it only has the titles of things, and no descriptions. That is what the Word and txt files on the downloads page are for. One contains all the descriptions for the things Marvel is publishing, and the other contains everything else. Use the spreadsheet combined with the description documents to figure out what is what.

    The only problem with this solution is pictures. Doing things this way, you will not see any pictures of anything. That's sort of a minus when you are buying such a visual product. If you're like me, you already kind of know what comics you want, and what they look like. On the rare occasion I want to look at a comic, I go to the publisher's website. Nine times out of ten, the publisher has plenty of pictures and info on their site. The one out of ten times they don't, then I just don't buy their book. If they don't care enough to share the info about their book, I don't care to buy it.

    There is one alternative. Remember that gigantic monstrosity of a catalog I mentioned? You can buy it. I did this once. I'm only just now thinking of doing it again, but only for the purposes of making a video showing how frightening it is. Buying it once for learning purposes is probably a good idea if you are thinking about starting to read more comics. I highly recommend against buying it regularly. Once you see a copy of it, you will understand. Think about the old Computer Shopper magazine.
  • edited April 2008
    I'm interested in the Doctor Who comic that began shipping around January. (pre-order now is for #6). Am I out of luck finding #1-5?
    Wait for the trade paperback.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • Oh yeah, Newsarama is pretty much the main comics news site.
  • If you find a series that you like, can you order a subscription without having to do the form every month?
  • I ordered:
    Brothers in Arms #1
    Doctor Who #4
    The War that Time Forgot #1

    If this is anything like my foray into anime, it may be my last order. ;-)

    I ordered from TFAW. They had artwork and you could pre-order, with a discount, titles that are just about to be released.
  • If you're not buying a lot, you really are better off just buying trades from Amazon.
  • I know. I just wanted to try a couple out before I committed to a trade. Like I said, this may be my last order.
  • edited April 2008
    I know. I just wanted to try a couple out before I committed to a trade. Like I said, this may be my last order.
    With crummy books like those, I wouldn't blame you.

    Oh snaps!

    If you want war comics, read The Other Side.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • That sounds pretty good, actually.
  • Do you not have public libraries where you live?
  • Not any that carry this sort of thing. I live in a very rural place.
  • edited April 2008
    I ordered:
    Brothers in Arms #1
    Doctor Who #4
    The War that Time Forgot #1

    If this is anything like my foray into anime, it may be my last order. ;-)

    I ordered from TFAW. They had artwork and you could pre-order, with a discount, titles that are just about to be released.
    Oh, you will like Dr. Who I have the first 2 and they are awesome.
    Post edited by Erwin on
  • edited April 2008
    I added a couple more. Here is what I have on pre-order:
    06/11/2008 Red Mass For Mars #1
    05/07/2008 War That Time Forgot #1 (of 8)
    06/04/2008 War That Time Forgot #2 (of 8)
    06/29/2008 Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #1
    07/30/2008 Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #2
    05/28/2008 Doctor Who #5
    06/25/2008 Doctor Who #6
    04/30/2008 Brothers In Arms #1
    04/30/2008 Doctor Who #4

    Dcbservice is definitely cheaper, but their pre-order window is much farther out. Tfaw will let you pre-order a couple of weeks prior to release.

    A couple of thoughts:
    1) Why is it so freaking hard to get comics that are a month or two old? Does the industry do this to create a false sense of urgency, or are the margins so small that they don't print much. There are a couple of series that I was interested in, but I refuse to start reading a series midway through. Doctor who is the only exception, since I already know all of the characters.
    2) Why don't the publishers let you subscribe to a series on their website? If shipping was reasonable, I would subscribe to a couple of series. I know that some retailers have subscriptions, but I can't figure out why the publishers don't.
    3) Who still reads Archie?
    4) Miniseries are the way to go. I can't imagine ordering something like Captain America #678. Tell a story and be done with it.
    5) It seems that trade paperbacks make the most sense. I just ordered a new copy The Other Side for $7. It's cheaper than the original comics, and you don't have to wonder if it will be good. I guess not all comics make it to trade paperback, but surely the good ones do. Don't they?
    6) Why is it so hard to find information on the publisher's websites for new releases that are more than a month away?
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • RymRym
    edited April 2008
    Does the industry do this to create a false sense of urgency?
    Yes.
    Why don't the publishers let you subscribe to a series on their website? ... I know that some retailers have subscriptions, but I can't figure out why the publishers don't.
    The re-sellers and retail outlets would riot, I guess. Similar problems have existed in other industries before, and many companies agree not to sell direct in order to bolster the local stores that act as their meatspace showrooms.
    Who still reads Archie?
    The feeble-minded.
    Miniseries are the way to go.
    Yeap. Stories with a story that begins and ends always win over forever-running crap.
    It seems that trade paperbacks make the most sense.
    The comic printings really only exist to milk money from the super fans.
    Why is it so hard to find information on the publisher's websites for new releases that are more than a month away?
    They probably don't actually know. I imagine comic fans lose their shit if a date changes mid-stream, but I don't know if that's the reason.
    Post edited by Rym on
  • All your questions are answered by one word. If you want to do comics, you must learn this evil word, and remember it well.

    Diamond.

    Diamond is a distribution company. They have, and have had, an absolute monopoly on all comic distribution in the US. Marvel and DC both have exclusive licenses with Diamond. A comic book retailer is nothing more than a middle-man between the comic reader and Diamond Distributors. Everything sucks because that's the way Diamond chooses to do business. They have a monopoly. We have no choice in the matter. We can bitch and bitch and bitch on the Internet, and many do. We can write letters to Diamond, to publishers, to shops, etc. Unless the monopoly is broken everything will continue to suck.

    The only way you have to fight back with your wallet is to never buy comic books. Only buy trade paperbacks and original graphic novels on Amazon, or from Borders, etc. Those are distributed through the returnable book market, like normal books, rather than through the non-returnable Diamond direct market.

    Buying trades on Amazon is actually not that much more expensive than ordering through DCBS. The only problem with that choice is that you will miss out on some of the more obscure titles, and also things which never reach the book market.
  • Looks like I'll be sticking to the trades. If I like some of the series that I pre-ordered, I may finish them out. But trades definitely seem to be the way to go - especially because there is an active used market.

    Thanks for the great advice.
  • Can anyone recommend a decent comic book podcast?

    I'm not into superhero stuff at all. I prefer mini-series to the never ending superhero stuff. Thus, there is a lot of mainstream stuff that doesn't really appeal to me. My preferences lean towards sci-fi and historical fiction.

    I'm looking for discussion about upcoming releases so I know what's coming out in trade paperback and in serial format. Some decent news would also be good.
  • Can anyone recommend a decent comic book podcast?
    The ISR!
  • edited April 2008
    So I've gotten a couple of trade paperbacks as well as some traditional comics. Overall, I have to say that there are some pretty decent ones out there. I'm not into superheros at all, but there are a lot of independent comics that appeal to me.

    My one reservation... bang for the buck. Comics aren't terribly expensive, but they don't seem to be that good of a value. I can get new or like-new trade paperbacks on the internet for a $5-$8. Add in shipping, and your talking $9-12. Still less than retail by a decent amount.

    Nonetheless, I can read one of these books quite quickly. And since I have no interest in collecting, they'll probably get donated to the library or something like that. I suppose I could resell them, but my time is worth more than that.

    I find myself reading the books in small sittings, in order to make them last. An $8 movie lasts two hours. A $15 (retail) trade paperback doesn't last nearly as long as this. And the movie is arguably better.

    An $8 paperback novel lasts me a WHOLE lot longer.

    Am I just being cheap, or is this a valid concern?
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • Buy this bad boy, and tell me how long it takes you to read it.
  • At 560 pages, it is about as long as many novels that I read. A novel costs me $8 or $9. This would set me back $23. I am sure that I could read this in about 1/4 the time of a novel - probably less. (I've never actually compared.)

    See my point?
  • See my point?
    Hence, Scott reads a lot of comics, and I read a lot of books. ^_~
  • At 560 pages, it is about as long as many novels that I read. A novel costs me $8 or $9. This would set me back $23. I am sure that I could read this in about 1/4 the time of a novel - probably less. (I've never actually compared.)

    See my point?
    it's called Art... The Art costs more money ^_^
  • Hence, Scott reads a lot of comics, and I read a lot ofbooks. ^_~
    I read plenty of graphic and non-graphic books, thank you. I generally read graphic books the first half of the month. Then when Scott's box starts to run dry, I switch to the prose.
    it's called Art... The Art costs more money ^_^
    Yeah, pretty much. The reason comics are awesome is that they have the visual aspect of TV while also maintaining the strong literary aspects of prose. If you aren't spending time admiring the art, you're doing it wrong.
  • At 560 pages, it is about as long as many novels that I read. A novel costs me $8 or $9. This would set me back $23. I am sure that I could read this in about 1/4 the time of a novel - probably less. (I've never actually compared.)

    See my point?
    Do you only judge the value of entertainment by how long it entertains you? If that's the case, wouldn't you only read novels? An $8 movie (and where do you live that a movie is only $8?!) couldn't be anywhere NEAR the value per hour of entertainment that a novel is. In my opinion, though, they're just different things, and they provide different experiences. With a novel, you get text, and you bring it to life in your head. That's a pretty great thing. With a movie, you get a full audio-visual experience -- you get music, color, set design, acting, and everything else. That can also be a great thing, but it's just different. In both cases, when it's over all you're left with is the memory of the story, and the images from the screen, or from your head. At that point, it doesn't really matter if it took 2 hours or twenty.

    Comics fit right in between there. Comics don't take as long to read as a novel, because so much of the information is visual, nor necessarily as long as a movie (assuming it's telling the same story, I guess) because of the speed of reading, and the interesting ways in which comics can compress time. But you still get the same satisfaction of having enjoyed a story.

    Also -- I don't know about you, but I'm not hurting for entertainment to fill my time. I'm more hurting for time to enjoy all of the entertainment that I'd like to. In many cases, I prefer a form of entertainment that can give me a complete experience in a shorter period of time -- something that can be quickly absorbed into my consciousness so that I can move on to the next awesome thing.
  • If you aren't spending time admiring the art, you're doing it wrong.
    As a side discussion -- what if the art sucks? Can you read a comic if the art is bad? I can, but only if the writing is truly great. For me, half of the joy of comics is looking at the art, so what's the point if it's ugly? On the other hand, there's the visual storytelling issue -- some artists draw beautiful pictures, but can't tell a story visually to save their lives. Chris Bachalo is a great example of this. I can flip through his books and stare at the pictures for quite a while, but damned if I'm gonna try to READ them.
  • Do you only judge the value of entertainment by how long it entertains you?
    No. The amount of effort put into the entertainment is factored in. I also factor in how enjoyable the entertainment is. There are many factors.

    I know that comic books have art, but the art isn't so stunning that I'm willing to pay a lot of money for it. I'm capable of using my imagination, thank you.
    In many cases, I prefer a form of entertainment that can give me a complete experience in a shorter period of time
    That's a good point. As long as the quality is there, it's nice to get an entertaining story in a short period of time. I suppose that's why I watch TV instead of only reading novels. You can get a darned good story in an hour from TV.

    The story is absolutely the most important component to me. I'll forgive poor art if there is a great story. If the art is great, but the story is poor, then I'm not interested. There are other forms of art I'd rather enjoy.

  • I know that comic books have art, but the art isn't so stunning that I'm willing to pay a lot of money for it. I'm capable of using my imagination, thank you.
    I hope you didn't take offense. It's just a matter of different values, I guess. For me, I am willing to pay a lot of money for it. But I guess that's why I'm a comic book artist. Art's kinda my thing.
    The story is absolutely the most important component to me. I'll forgive poor art if there is a great story. If the art is great, but the story is poor, then I'm not interested. There are other forms of art I'd rather enjoy.
    For me, poor art almost completely ruins a comic. In a comic, art is not just for decoration. It IS the storytelling. If it were a movie, the artist is the director, actors, costume designers, set designers, cinematographer, editor, and everything else but the script. And a good script can easily be ruined if at least most of those other elements aren't there.
  • edited April 2008
    I hope you didn't take offense. It's just a matter of different values, I guess. For me, I am willing to pay a lot of money for it. But I guess that's why I'm a comic book artist. Art's kinda my thing.
    No offense taken at all. I'm just not as into the visual arts as some others. It's just personal preference.

    And to be very clear - I've been impressed with the comics that I picked up. I've tried to sit through several anime shows, and all I learned is that I can't stand anime. I can't say that about comic books. I've been enjoying them quite a bit. I think that's because I like to read more than I like to sit in front of the TV. I also didn't realize that you could find stories that appealed to adults.

    I'm sure the major factor with price is the relatively low volume. Let's face it, comics aren't mainstream. They also aren't supported by advertising like a newspaper or magazine is. I suppose, compared to a magazine, they really aren't a bad value. I'm just still having a hard time comparing them to books.

    I wonder if there is a hybrid between a book and a comic book? Something with more text, but also with great artwork that moves the story. (And no... I'm not interested in the illustrated "classics.")
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • I know that comic books have art, but the art isn't so stunning that I'm willing to pay a lot of money for it. I'm capable of using my imagination, thank you.
    You want books with stunning art, eh? Get yourself some Akira, some Alex Ross, or even some Dave Sim.

    Also, if you're going to judge the value of different artistic mediums based upon how much is left to the imagination, that's not really going to work out. Is photo-realistic painting worse than abstract painting because it leaves less to the imagination? Is a video worse than a photograph because it leaves less to the imagination? Art is about one person passing emotions and ideas onto other people. If all you want is a stimulus for your own imagination, then even a novel is too much. I think you should head more into the poetry realm. Oh wait, that might be too short for you.
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