Let me put this out there right now. I’m not an expert in comics. I love the culture and the characters, but like a lot of people, I strayed from the hobby early on and haven’t bought a comic in years. Well, with the comic community buzzing about “The New 52″ reboot by DC Comics, I couldn’t help but get interested and really wanted to dive back into the hobby that I loved. Of course, I read a lot on new sites such as Comic Vine, Newsarama, Comic Book Resources, and Comic Alliance so I’m not completely clueless with whats going on in my favorite titles and also in the comic industry. So considering today was the big release date for “The New 52″, I decided to hit up my old spot for comics which was the “Comic Madness” booth at Frank and Son’s Collectibles Show in City of Industry, California (which is held twice a week. Think of it as a swap meet for comics and collectibles more than a convention). I hit the booth and started listing off all the books I wanted off my pull-list. When I got to the ‘Action Comics’ #1 Jim Lee variant, I was told that it was going to be $12 for the issue. I was a bit shocked when I heard the price and when another customer standing near asked the retailer why the price was so high, he claimed that it was “going for more on eBay”. That comment rubbed me the wrong way. As a local source for comics in my area (and there isn’t that many stores in the area anymore), I felt it was the duty of the that retailer to provide comics to it’s customers at a reasonable price and when I say reasonable, I mean cover price or lower. Instead, in an effort to make a pretty penny on a popular issue, the retailer decided to raise the price on the issue ON THE DAY IT WAS RELEASED! Sure, it’s a first printing and limited, but is it really fair to charge that much for an issue that is suppose to be $3.99? Trust me. I can understand that comic retailers are trying to make as much money as they can during a time when their businesses are being threatened by same day digital releases and a slumping market, but for a trusted local comic source to take advantage of their customers, I just think it’s wrong. Unfortunately, as a long time fan of Jim Lee and the want to own an first printing issue, I bit the bullet and paid the $12. Was it the right move? Probably not. All I did was help this comic retailer get away with something completely wrong. Did I feel good about paying the higher price? FUCK NO. Sadly, the kicker to this story is that the customer standing next to me decided to pick one up as well as soon as I told the retailer that I will take it. Did my decision to pay this price for this variant cover convince this stranger to get one as well. I hope not, but I probably did. Maybe he thought it was a good buy because I decided to buy it. I can’t help, but feel like I made this man into a sucker because I was one as well. I wish that was the end of it, but it isn’t…
Unfortunately, next title on my pull list was Batgirl #1 and I didn’t get a chance to buy this issue at cover price as well and ended up paying $6 for it. SIX FREAKING DOLLARS! It was probably because all the news about Batgirl #1’s first printing being completely sold out everywhere and the retailer decided to take advantage of it. I guess you can call it simple “supply and demand”, but I find it pretty disappointing considering that the retailer had a decent stack of Batgirl #1 in their booth (maybe 10+ copies). What made it worse what I heard another gentlemen standing near me mutter “screw that” and decided to pass on the issue. That is fucking tragic considering that due to this retailer’s price gouging, that comic reader will be passing on an amazing book by Gail Simone (Trust me, I read Batgirl #1 and it was a great read). It’s fucking sad that instead of bringing in new readers to the title, greedy retailers are deterring readers from giving these amazing titles a try. I feel bad for that comic reader and the creative team behind the book. It really was a crime…
Many of you can (and have) point out that I should make the jump to digital comics or find a new comic store to go to. I do agree and then some. I will do all these things, but I can’t help but think about the next guy (or even kids and their parents) that will be cheated by these greedy retailers. It’s just not right. Will they ever change? I suppose, in a perfect world… Unfortunately, the world isn’t perfect. My advice to you is that you support the comic stores that offer a fair deal to the comic readers. There was plenty of great comic retailers out there. I was just unfortunate to deal with one that wasn’t so “fair”. Also, if you feel like you are being cheated, you probably are. Just find yourself a better alternative to your comic collecting needs and enjoy the hobby that you love. I will.
Note: I’m not interested in creating a campaign to publicly ”call out” the retailer in this post. I just wanted to inform you about my recent experience and help you be aware that things like this happens. I’m chalking this up as a bad experience and moving on. I’m not interested in commenting more on this incident on my blog or Twitter. I rather comment and talk about things that are entertaining and fun. Thanks for understanding.
