Hardcovers vs. Softcovers?

[Ultimates]

I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem as well. I find myself lately only wanting hardcovers. In fact, I have been thinking of selling my entire Y: The Last man and Walking Dead collection to upgrade to hardcovers. Does this matter to other people, or am I just crazy?

 

[Ultimate Houde]

I find Hardcovers look alot better.

 

[thee great one]

I have this problem also. I only buy the HC's now for the best books that I like the most.

But I like my collection to match.

 

[E]

I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem as well. I find myself lately only wanting hardcovers. In fact, I have been thinking of selling my entire Y: The Last man and Walking Dead collection to upgrade to hardcovers. Does this matter to other people, or am I just crazy?

I prefer hardcovers where available. I've started getting the Y hardcovers as well, and I upgraded to Omnibus editions for Ultimates, Daredevil, and a few others.

But I like my collection to match.

Yep. Me too.

 

[Random]

I like softcovers. It's just weird to me to read a comic from a hardcover, just doesn't feel like a comic book should

 

[ProjectX2]

Hardcovers look better but are more expensive and sometimes harder to read. Softcovers are cheaper and efficient.

 

[SSJmole]

I like softcovers. It's just weird to me to read a comic from a hardcover, just doesn't feel like a comic book should

Bingo. My thoughts exactly. I prefer soft covers as they feel like more comic like. Hardcovers I don't like. I own a couple as softcover was not available, they heel like a book more than a comic.

 

[Iceshadow]

I keep reading the title as Hardcore vs. Softcore....

I prefer softcovers.

 

[Ice]

I mostly get softcovers, but get mini-series in hardcovers.

 

[Planet-man]

Hardcovers look better but are more expensive and sometimes harder to read. Softcovers are cheaper and efficient.

Pretty much. They should make more of an effort to make the center of two-page splash panels visible in hardcovers.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

I've never had that problem.

 

[Captain Canuck]

soft covers are cheaper, I just hate waiting for DC to put out their paperbacks...seriously it takes like a year and a half

 

[Friday]

soft covers are cheaper, I just hate waiting for DC to put out their paperbacks...seriously it takes like a year and a half

And now Marvel is moving to more of that model.

Finally, Gabriel said that due to the increasing popularity of Marve"Premiere" hardcovers, they'll be pushing the time between the availability of a Premiere hardcover and a trade paperback of the same material from ts current "about three months" to "about four or five months" to allow retailers to better sell-through the hardcovers before the trade hits stores

So we're talking 8+ months from the end of the storyline to the softcover trade. Now as someone who prefers hardcovers this doesn't bother me. Of course I don't buy enough Marvel for it to bother me at all.

For the question in the thread itself, I prefer Hardcovers. The price point is about $5 dollars or so above soft, but with what I feel is a far superior product. I wish that marvel had stuck with the oversized hcs that they were releasing instead of shifting those to the omnibusd line and doing more premires, but like I said earlier, I don't buy enough Marvel to worry about it. As for DCs trade line, its a mess. I might as well get them sooner. Id like to get Morrison's Batman in HC next.

 

[Iceshadow]

And now Marvel is moving to more of that model.



So we're talking 8+ months from the end of the storyline to the softcover trade.

I hate their new policy so much.

For the question in the thread itself, I prefer Hardcovers. The price point is about $5 dollars or so above soft, but with what I feel is a far superior product.

I've seen it closer to $10.

 

[DIrishB]

Hardcovers look better but are more expensive and sometimes harder to read. Softcovers are cheaper and efficient.

You said it all. Most of the stuff I own are softcovers, merely because they're cheaper and easier to handle while reading. Hardcovers extra weight and annoying slip covers just make them cumbersome to read, though hardcovers do look better. However, I buy my trades based on the story within, not the appearance on the outside, but more importantly, the cheaper price of softcovers. Also, uniformity goes a long way...all my Ultimate trades are softcovers (well, most anyway, with the exception of a few that my LCS owner screwed up on ordering hc instead of sc), as are my Y trades, etc.

This applies to novels as well. I can't justify spending $25-$30 on a hardcover novel when I can buy the softcover for $7 later on, and the softcover will end up taking up less space on the shelf.

Yeah, softcovers all the way.

 

[Captain Canuck]

uniformity is a big deal for me too.

I have all of my ultimate trades in Hard cover and everything else in softcover. (Except for a few DC Archive Editions)

 

[DIrishB]

uniformity is a big deal for me too.

I have all of my ultimate trades in Hard cover and everything else in softcover. (Except for a few DC Archive Editions)

Yeah, I'm like Hitler when it comes to my softcover trades...they all have to be alike and in better than average condition.

 

[Captain Canuck]

I didn't know Hitler collected comics.

 

[E]

Yeah, I'm like Hitler

My new sig. Thanks!

 

[ultimatedjf]

My new sig. Thanks!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

UC Jew approves.

 

[Gothamite]

Hardcovers are obviously better in terms of longevity, but it's really annoying when really recent stories (made up of only a few issues) are collected in hardcovers, instead of being released in paperback form, first.

Watchmen and Kingdom Come are perfect for hardcover format and I'm happy to pay the extra money, but it's really annoying having to fork over €25 issues of Geoff Johns' Green Lantern that I just want to be able to read for the first time.

 

[Friday]

I've seen it closer to $10.

Well, lets see here. These are all from Amazon.com

Batman and Son $16.49 for the HC, 10.19 for the SC. Difference of $6.39

Green Lantern Vol. 1: No Fear $9.35 for the SC, $16.49 for the HC. Difference of $7.14

Superman Last Son $13.59 for the HC, $10.39 for the SC. Difference of $3.20

Infinite Crisis $16.49 for the HC, $10.19 for the SC. Difference of 6.39.

Nothing past a $7 difference. Now I know that adds up, but I really think that the presentation and quicker release date make up for the few extra dollars. Its something that will last. I've got TPBs that I bought back when I was first getting back in that are done for, but the HCs I got then are still pristine.

 

[DIrishB]

I didn't know Hitler collected comics.

Of course he did, the only difference is his were bound in human skin.

My new sig. Thanks!

You're welcome! Stay tuned, I'll be comparing myself to Pol Pot next.

Hardcovers are obviously better in terms of longevity

Now I know that adds up, but I really think that the presentation and quicker release date make up for the few extra dollars. Its something that will last. I've got TPBs that I bought back when I was first getting back in that are done for, but the HCs I got then are still pristine.

What are you guys doing to your TPBs thats ruining them so easily? I've had some of my trades almost a decade and they're in just as good condition now as when I bought them. And consider that this factors in about an annual re-read, 3 moves to new places, and 10 years of shelf wear (which is virtually nothing in and of itself).

 

[Friday]

What are you guys doing to your TPBs thats ruining them so easily? I've had some of my trades almost a decade and they're in just as good condition now as when I bought them. And consider that this factors in about an annual re-read, 3 moves to new places, and 10 years of shelf wear (which is virtually nothing in and of itself).

I roll them up and use them to beat rabbits to death.

Oh, and I lend them out. When/if they come back they're never in good shape.

 

[fenway]

I voted hc, but in reality, that 'treatment' is for the books I've enjoyed the most.

Immortal Iron Fist - I got in HC's (and then omnibus when it came out)
Ultimates 1 and 2, HC's
Guardians of the Galaxy, HC's
Annihilation, Annihilation Conquest and WoK (when it comes out), HC's
Invincible, HC's
Walking Dead, HC's

Moon Knight, SC
Hellboy, SC
...etc


If someone told me my comic collection was about to catch fire, and I could only save a book or two, it would be Immortal Iron Fist (regardless of the format... thought the omnibus makes it easy ) first - then I'm not sure - probably Ultimates HC's or Captain America Omnibus.

So - I guess the books I'd save in a fire are the ones I 'upgrade' to HC

 

[DIrishB]

I roll them up and use them to beat rabbits to death.

That makes perfect sense. Mmmmm, I'm in the mood for stew.

Oh, and I lend them out. When/if they come back they're never in good shape.

Oh, I'm selfish when it comes to my comics, so I don't have that problem.

 

[Captain Canuck]

I roll them up and use them to beat rabbits to death.

Hitler did something similar with his comics, except instead of rabbits, he beat...

never mind.

 

[E]

I think if I were to be completely honest about it, I'd say the reason I prefer hardcovers is because in some twisted way I feel like they validate the medium and make me feel like less of a comic-reading dork.

 

[fenway]

I think if I were to be completely honest about it, I'd say the reason I prefer hardcovers is because in some twisted way I feel like they validate the medium and make me feel like less of a comic-reading dork.

I TOTALLY get this - to people that don't share my interest, encountering a book shelf of 'graphic novels' seems to start a more legitimate conversation than a long box of 'bags and boards'.

(My own dorkiness transcends the medium though, I'm afraid)

 

[Gothamite]

What are you guys doing to your TPBs thats ruining them so easily? I've had some of my trades almost a decade and they're in just as good condition now as when I bought them. And consider that this factors in about an annual re-read, 3 moves to new places, and 10 years of shelf wear (which is virtually nothing in and of itself).

None of mine are ruined, but some of them have irritating dog-ears and creased spines. And any of the ones I had as a child are beaten, ripped and destroyed.