The one where I think of cutting back...

So the solicited price of the upcoming Dark Avengers #1 is $3.99 (about P200 here in the Philippines), a dollar more than what any sane person would pay for a regular, non-event book. Now, none of us have any evidence that the price hike will spread to the other books, but the fact that big ol' Marvel plans on upping the price on an issue of what looks to be an ongoing title is naturally making some people nervous. Including me.

You see, I buy the monthly floppies to keep myself as up to date as possible, and to have something to talk about during the lulls of the week without having to resort to looking at spoilers and shit (and besides, I can't give an accurate review if I don't have the comic in hand, where I can peruse the subtle nuances of a comic that might otherwise be left off by any armchair review anywhere else). And while not having new comics to talk about ain't exactly the death knell of a comic book blog, it sure puts a dent on things.

Hell, I only have as much as $20 dollars (about P1,000) to spend on comics on any given month, and sometimes up to $30 when the big events or specials come rolling around, and I won't spend any more for it. If my P1,500 isn't even enough to buy 10 comics a month then I might have to cut back, and as a rabid comic book fan, that hurts like a mother. But if I had a choice between paying bills and buying comics with that kind of money, which one do you think I'll pick? I'll give ya three guesses, and the first two don't count.

That's too bad, though, coz I really don't want to go choosing between my love for the hobby and the need to survive. There's really a ton of good comics out there that I would love to try getting into if not for the price point keeping me away. But them's the breaks, and I have to make do with what I have. Which means that the measly amount of comics I do read (and review for my growing readership) will get even more measly, if this price hike pushes through. Which makes this Geek's job cut out for him.

I guess I have to find other ways to get my comic book fix...like waiting for trades (that could work), switching to DC or any other comic company (come on, Witchblade...let me in!), or buying old issues through bargain bins (could be a fun experiment at least), or praying fervently to God that the Philippine National Library would stock some graphic novels like most libraries do in teh States (yea...wait, who am I kidding? God may be awesome but he ain't no miracle worker!)

So, how's the economics of comics doing for you?

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