What do you buy?

[Immortal1982]

A simple poll for you....

[DeathScythe]

No one buys hardcovers, huh?

I only have one Hardcover. and that's for Origin. For the extra money, hardcovers aren't really worth it compared to soft trades.

[SinisterPryde]

I own several trades, but not a huge amount (mainly essential books like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Death in the Family, and the Essential X-Men collections). The only hardcover I own is an old Punisher graphic novel called Blood on the Moors (one of the better Punisher stories at the time, actually).

I prefer to get the single issues. Yeah, it may cost more in the long run, but there's just something about having those comics in my hand when I read them that a trade just can't match. Too bad they're getting so friggin' expensive...

[MPG]

The TPBs have become more and more appealing, now that apparently every single issue of any comic series will sooner or later appear in a TPB. :D However, I consider myself a comic collector, which automatically implies that I buy single issues. Also, to me, the most important benefit of having single issues is that they are always little time capsules, representing the culture (or at least youth culture) of the time. I recently re-bagged a part of my collection and it is just a huge amount of fun to read the advertisements on the backs of comics from the 80's. You just don't get that in TPBs.

[KingVoyeur]

So far it's been all single-issues for me, but I just finished making a checklist through the end of September and holy shit that's a lot of comics (Marvel, Max, DC, and Vertigo). It's really only the Civil War stuff from Marvel, and the majors from DC (Supes, Bats, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc.), but damn! TPBs are starting to look more and more enticing (and cost efficient!).

[SinisterPryde]

Just as a thought... Since DC and Marvel (especially Marvel) put everything into tpb form, maybe they should downscale their actual single issues, going back to the old newsprint (and hopefully lowering the cost of the books). After all, these are companies that get high advertising rates and bulk discounts on printing costs. So why is it I'm paying the same price for Batman that I am for Star Wars?

Bear in mind, that even considering inflation, Dark Horse was charging $2.50 for a full color comic when Marvel and DC were charging $1.25. This means that the cost of the Big Two has increased over 100% while Dark Horse's prices have only gone up 20%. What's with that?

[tstone]

A little of everything, including hardcovers, but mostly single issues.

[Greyman]

Just as a thought... Since DC and Marvel (especially Marvel) put everything into tpb form, maybe they should downscale their actual single issues, going back to the old newsprint (and hopefully lowering the cost of the books). After all, these are companies that get high advertising rates and bulk discounts on printing costs. So why is it I'm paying the same price for Batman that I am for Star Wars?

Bear in mind, that even considering inflation, Dark Horse was charging $2.50 for a full color comic when Marvel and DC were charging $1.25. This means that the cost of the Big Two has increased over 100% while Dark Horse's prices have only gone up 20%. What's with that?

The publishing models changed.

When Marvel and DC were charging $1.25, they were using newsprint. When Image started proving that the market would bear a much higher price point for glossy or silk/semi-matte on higher-grade paper, the other companies immediately jumped on-board.

The Big Two didn't have a steady progression in pricing over the years. At some point in the late 80's/early 90's they jumped by over a dollar. Pricing has been mostly stagnant industry-wide since then.

[Merin]

I get individual issues for most series or to try something, though some times I wish I did the trades more. Some stories drag so long but read great if you can burn 3-5 issues at a sitting.

Some stories, like Cerebus and Strangers in Paradise, or most of Crossgen's stuff, were almost unbearable single issue and I did as much of them as possible in TPB.

[Captain Insano]

I own one hard cover trade, a leather bound Dark Knight Returns, I would buy more if the quality was out there for them. If the King series become available in HC I may pick it up.