$3 feels like a lot for a book, i agree. but im not certain there's much of an argument about price when it comes to new fans. new fans aren't buying a dozen books every wednesday, so the difference between $1 and $3 isn't that great. and its the nerds who will pay $3/book that would also complain about the lackluster quality of a 99cent book. prometheus has already read them and hates them!
i think distribution is by far the more critical factor. and if DC continues to push the digital reach, as promised, well then we have a game. getting comics every wednesday on your iphone or android or tablet or PC is a fuckload more appealing than trying to find comic book guy's location (only to have the popular books already sold out).
theoretically, a larger digital distribution could also make the books more cost effective (no printing, no shipping, etc.) so its possible we'll see both problems resolved simultaneously.
I do agree that digital distribution should bring that price down without printing/shipping costs tacked on. On the other hand, I don't see anyone outside of the existing comic nerdom paying $3 or more for about thirty pages. Magazines offer hundreds of pages in that glossy print for just a few dollars more, and they're dying out as well. Yes, nerds may whine about lower print quality; but, just as you said about their bitching about the current changes, they'll still buy the books. More likely, they'd wind up buying more all the while bitching about it. The lower price point, as I was point out, is how you get newer, younger audiences. I can see a world where Vertigo was printing $3 books on glossy and selling in comic shop only for the more mature readers while, at the same time, kids are picking up 99 cent a pop newsprint comics out of convince store or supermarket checkouts. With uber tech nerds such as yourself and many here just downloading the latest issues from the web every week without ever having to get out into the sun.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
