Have you read the Planet of the Apes comic? Not only is it new reader friendly but it’s actually damn good. It’s within the continuity of the movies but it’s not destructively beholden to them. But this isn’t a review, it’s a celebration of things to come because on August 5th BOOM! are offering a special deal on their first trade as well as the next issue both being extremely cheap and shipping on the same day. Hit the jump to see how you can buy into the best licensed property hitting stands right now for an absolute bargain.
Click Here to Read More!
Showing posts with label Trades vs Singles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trades vs Singles. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Downsizing – The Shift From Trades To Singles
Saturday, January 2, 2010
The Great Debate - Singles VS Trades
Singles vs Trades. It's been talked about since the first trade paperback made its way onto the shelves and it is a constant question comic readers ask themselves these days, especially with the expanded trade programs from the major publishers and with the increasing cost of this hobby.
For this post, I'm going to take a look at the two biggest factors that come up in most singles vs trade debates - money and reading experience. Which format comes out on top for each category? My conclusions may surprise you. Hit the jump for more.
Click Here to Read More!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
10 Reasons Trades Are Better Than Singles
On Tuesday, I listed the 10 Reasons Singles Are Better Than Trades. Today, I will be giving the counterpoint to that with the 10 reasons trades are better than their singular counterparts. Regardless of whether you prefer singles or trades, both lists are fun looks at the different arguments associated with each side's viewpoint. I'm more of a trades kind of guy as more and more comic shops in my area closed down when I was younger. I pick up singles more these days, but for the most part, I'll grab the trade whenever I can. With that said, whose side are you on?Stories Flow Better
There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down and reading through an entire story, start to finish, without any interruptions or breaks in the story. No waiting months between issues, constantly stopping and starting your story. Read at your own pace with trades.
They Look Better
Trades and hardcovers just plain look better. There is nothing like that high quality bound edition sitting on your bookshelf or flipping through the beautiful, over-sized artwork of your favourite comic. These were meant to be displayed, not stuck in your longbox in the closet. Trades typically get higher quality paper as well as better print stocks and variant covers by top name artists. For the best comic experience, stick with trades.
They're Cheaper
You can get the entire story for much less than you would if you bought every single issue individually. Save yourself some money and get the much nicer looking trade or hardcover.
Extras
Trade purchasers get all kinds of extra value for their money. Character sketches, interviews, alternate covers, alternate endings, rough drafts and various other exclusive materials that the singles people rarely ever see.
No Delays
Similarly, you never have delays in your hardcover. While the singles people are committed to the story and waiting months on end for the latest big name creative team to finish that, yet again, delayed issue, trades people get the full story every time. While their momentum and interest in the story dies with each subsequent delay, when we buy the trade, we get the full story, every time.
Readability
Comics are meant to be read. Sticking them in mylar bags and shoving them in longboxes stacked in your closet is not reading. Trades, aside from looking fantastic on the shelf, are easily accessible. Just check the spines of each book, find the one you want and pull it off the shelf. Many have colour coded dust jackets with large font making your selection that much easier. If I want to show a friend that incredible moment from the last trade I bought, I just reach up and grab the book and show him. No dragging 20 boxes out of the closet and trying to figure out the archaic organizational scheme to show him the moment in question.
Lots of Choices
I'm not talking so-called options like alternate covers that the singles people get. Real options, like whether you want the TPB or hardcover or Absolute Edition or Premiere Edition or leather bound or an omnibus. You can choose the experience you want and how much you want to spend on each with trades. With singles, it's the floppy version or nothing.
Money Is No Object
While it is still in your interest to look after your trades, there is no need to meticulously comb each issue making sure it is still in mint condition. No need to seal every book in their mylar bag and crease out all the excess air. You can actually read your trades without worrying if they will lose their value. Trades may not have the potential to go up in value as much as singles, but comics are about reading and enjoying them, not sealing them in bags and praying they go up in value.
No Wasted Time Rummaging
Let the lesser singles people rummage through the longboxes in search of that elusive last issue. With our superior trades, we can simply pick our book off the shelf and get the full story to take home in minutes. No need to check each and every box in hopes someone stashed an issue out of order so they could pick it up later. Pick your trade from the easily accessible bookshelf and your done.
No Ads
Probably the single biggest difference between singles and trades, aside from release schedules, is the complete lack of ads in trades. No more will you be assaulted by those incredibly annoying, and disturbing, hot dog wielding arms bursting from kid's stomaches on every second page. That there, my friend, is pretty much all the reason one would need to switch to trades before you even take into account the various other reasons listed here.
Conclusion
There you have it, the final part of the debate on Singles vs Trades. I hope you all enjoyed this short two part series. I didn't write it with the intent of showing which side is better than the other and each article is written from different viewpoints in the hopes of showing how each side views it. Each list has pretty similar reasons that mirror the other side's argument, like both sides saying it's cheaper or easier to read and so on. My goal was to have fun with the articles and show that each side is right in their own way. It doesn't matter which one you buy though, as long as you enjoy the comics and have fun with the hobby. Thanks for reading and make sure to check out the updated reviews in this week's Weekly Crisis Volume 8 and tune in later tonight for a look at next week's pull list with Post-Crisis Previews for 09/26/07!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
10 Reasons Singles Are Better Than Trades
Comics are serious business for us fans and that's why here at The Weekly Crisis, the never ending debate wages on whether singles, the comics that come out every Wednesday in individual format, are better or worse than trades, the soft- and hardcover collections of said singles. This is the first of a two part series listing the reasons each side is better than the other. Expect the followup detailing why trades are better later this week. The only question is, whose side are you on?You Get The Story NOW
Singles give you the story as soon as it's ready, whether it is weekly or monthly. Trades force you to wait and end up killing any momentum you might have had with a series or event. Grab the singles and save yourself the 6-12 month waiting period on most trades.
Digestible Content
Singles let you digest the story, help build anticipation, hype and allow you to discuss and speculate the various happenings going on in a book. You do not get to speculate on who the mysterious figure is or how the characters will get out of their current problem with trades; The entire story is there and all the discussion has already taken place with friends and online while you were waiting.
No Spoilers
With singles, you never have to worry about spoilers as you are getting the newest issue as soon as possible. With trades, you are always behind the curve and with the internet, spoilers are bound to show up in your daily travels. Waiting on trades just leads to people ruining that big reveal or conclusion on you.
Singles Save You Money
No one likes dropping $20+ on a trade and finding out that 'great' story turned out to be crap. Save yourself money and just drop $2.99 on a single issue. If you like it, get the rest. If it's garbage, you saved yourself $17 or more not picking the rest of that series up.
Comic Wednesday
Picking up singles brings you into the shops every Wednesday. This social interaction is a big part of the hobby and being in the shop every week gives you more opportunities to find those key issues or, if it's a slow week, lets you check out a new book, expanding your horizons, something you would not typically do with $20+ price tags on trades. You would typically only show up, buy the trade you wanted and leave if you were coming into the shop looking for a trade. You also get to discuss everything with friends and online as soon as it happens, not 6 months later.
No Gutter Loss
With singles, there is no reason to worry about losing parts of your page to the gutter, the middle space in trades where the pages are bound to the cover. With many trades, splash pages bleed into the gutter and make it difficult to see the entire page. This can even be seen on some non-splash pages. This is never a problem with singles.
Easy to Re-Read
Remember that awesome moment in a story you read once or that character defining single issue? Wouldn't you like to re-read that without having to pull out a huge trade and cycling through 100's of pages looking for what you wanted to see or read? With singles, you just pull out that key issue and check out what you want, when you want.
Get What You Want
In this age where advertising tries to tell us what to do and buy, it is good to have choices. If I only want the main series of a crossover, I only buy that main series. If I hated that fill-in issue, I can skip that piece of garbage. Pointless tie-ins? Not paying for it. With trades, you can easily get stuck footing the bill on a large trade with some real duds in the collection to simply get that certain part of the story you actually wanted. Avoid wasting money and just buy the singles you want and enjoy the books you like.
Singles Are Worth More
Trades are worthless. You can't even get cover price on a resale of them typically. Singles only improve with age and, eventually, your books could end up worth a fair bit of money.
Back Issue Rummaging
There is nothing more thrilling than the hunt itself. Rummaging through those back issue bins is like the call of the wild for comic fans. Searching through those bins and finding that one issue you were looking for on sale for half price is one of the greatest experience a fan can have. These searches typically turn up random new books or issues you were not even expecting or looking to find, a boon in and of itself. You don't get these experiences just casually pulling that trade off the shelf and plodding on home.
Conclusions
The debate will rage on for years to come, but hopefully this list will put some perspective on the Singles Camp's side of things. Tune in later this week for the other half of the story with my counterpoint to this post featuring 10 Reasons Trades Are Better Than Singles. Whose side are you on? The Singles or Trades?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Follow each of us on Twitter:
