Thursday 7 October 2010

Did You See What They Did There?

DC Comics issued a press release today, saying that starting in January they would no longer be charging $3.99 for a regular-sized comic; $2.99 will be the standard price across the line. In addition, they will be removing co-features from most of their extra-length $3.99 titles to bring them back to standard size at $2.99.

But in the fine print, you'll notice that a standard-sized comic will be "$2.99 for 32 pages/ 20 story pages." The rub is that a standard-sized DC comic is currently 22 story pages. So while they are normalizing prices at $2.99, they're also giving us 2 pages less, even for comics that are currently at $2.99.

This is nothing new; historically comics publishers have avoided price increases in the past by reducing page counts (even infamously going from 50¢ for 25 pages to 40¢ for 17 pages during the DC Implosion in the 70s).

Foot Baseball Guano


Bizarro is brought to you today by Lifesaving Fashion.

The gig at Caroline's last night went well, thanks to those of you who came out on a chilly Wednesday night. A few of us headed over to a bar off Times Square afterward for a few drinks; a good time was had by all. Here's a pic from the gig. Not very interesting, I know, but stand-up comedy isn't a particularly visual art form. Maybe this one of me and my mom is better.

Today I get to stay home, which I'm thrilled about. I had to run errands yesterday then get to that show, so I didn't get as much done as I should have. Tomorrow night I'm performing at Bowery Poetry Club (I'll be reading Homer's Iliad and Odyssey in their entirety, which will take in excess of 27 hours not counting bathroom breaks, if my calculations are correct.) Then I have to go out of town this weekend and next weekend, too, so my deadlines are threatening and I'm worried I am in for some late nights.

So let's make it a short post: Shoot yourself in the foot/aim higher. I like the gag, the art is kind of dull, but whatever.
The baseball joke is timely, the pros are in the playoffs right now. I often wonder what those guys are talking about on the mound... "You're sucking, man, if you don't stop throwing puffballs, I'm going to take you out of the game." "Oh, my mistake. You want me to throw it so they don't hit it so much? But that makes the game boring for the fans and it's already a pretty boring sport."

Lastly, here's a cartoon that ran on this day in 1996. I'm not great at math, but that's over ten years ago!

Cowboy Ninja Viking #9


Cowboy Ninja Viking #9
Aug 2010 | 28 pages | CBZ | 19.8 MB
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Dracula - The Company of Monsters #2


Dracula - The Company of Monsters #2
Sep 2010 | 25 pages | CBZ | 20 MB
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Comic Shop News #1214


Comic Shop News #1214
Oct 2010 | 10 pages | CBR | 9.8 MB
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G.I. Joe - Hearts & Minds #4


G.I. Joe - Hearts & Minds #4
Aug 2010 | 26 pages | CBZ | 18.4 MB
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G.I. Joe - Origins #18


G.I. Joe - Origins #18
Aug 2010 | 28 ages | CBZ | 25.1 MB
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Comics from Mars #2


Comics from Mars #2
Aug 2010 | 32 pages | CBZ | 18 MB
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Star Wars - Legacy #49


Star Wars - Legacy #49
June 2010 | 25 pages | CBR | 22.4 MB
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Titans #27


Titans #27
Nov 2010 | 24 pages | CBZ | 21.3 MB
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Toy Story #6


Toy Story #6
May 2010 | 24 pages | CBZ | 23.1 MB
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Darkwing Duck #4


Darkwing Duck #4
Sep 2010 | 25 pages | CBR | 22.6 MB
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