Comic Book Subscriptions – The Pros and Cons
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Subscribing to Comics Series
Sep 24, 2009
Since the invention of modern comic books, readers could buy subscriptions to their favorite titles. Comics were sold alongside newspapers and magazines at stands long before they had separate stores dedicated to them.
Despite the rise of comic shops and more sophisticated readerships, subscriptions are still a common way of keeping up with the latest superhero exploits. But comic book subscriptions have a number of advantages and disadvantages which should be considered before readers sign up.
The Advantages of Comic Book Subscriptions
Comic book subscriptions allow readers to keep up with their favorite heroes without making repeated trips to the comic book store. This is especially convenient for comic book readers who don't live near a well-stocked retailer.
Subscribing is usually much less expensive than buying all the issues in a series at the individual retail price. Some publishers offer heavier discounts when subscribers get multiple titles or subscribe for longer periods of time – Marvel does, for instance, but DC does not. Dark Horse, meanwhile, offers subscriptions through a subsidiary company.
Getting a subscription also means that readers can request replacement copies if an issue arrives damaged, or never arrives at all. (However, it's a good idea to check publishers' subscription policies beforehand if this is a concern.)
Comic book subscriptions also make handy gifts – especially for givers who know much less about comics than their recipients. A $20–$30 subscription is a reasonable price for a gift, and the variety of artists and writers over the course of a year is more likely to please than a single issue.
The Disadvantages of Comic Book Subscriptions
One downside of getting comic book subscriptions is that readers still may not get the whole story. Cross-title story arcs have become common ways for comics publishers to hype their heroes in recent decades. Such arcs allow multiple parts of a story to be told each month in issues from related titles.
But those who subscribe to only one series must subscribe to more titles or buy the other issues separately to keep up with these story arcs. A subscription service like Things From Another World, which allows readers to cherry-pick subscriptions based on characters or genres, is another option in this case.
Also, subscription comics may not arrive in mint condition. Unlike in the early days of comic books, publishers take better care when mailing comics these days, but there is still a chance that a comic can arrive with minor flaws that lower its grade – and even when a publisher will replace it, the process can be a hassle.
In a comic book store, on the other hand, collectors can nit-pick over a selection of copies to make sure that the one they buy is in the best possible condition. Retailers will also stock copies with variant covers, and in some cases they will get new issues sooner than subscribers too.
Who Should Get Comic Book Subscriptions
Comic book subscriptions may not be for everyone. Serious collectors may find it better to have their local comics shop set aside copies each month, if they're concerned about examining their comics before buying.
On the other hand, more casual comics readers will find the convenience of comic book subscriptions appealing. And especially serious collectors might even subscribe to get reading copies of their favorite titles, while still snapping up pristine duplicate issues or rare variants at their local store.
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