TPBS or HC

nigma

nigma

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Joined
Feb 7, 2005
Messages
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Location
Vancouver, Wa
heres the deal, i'm slowly starting to order in more and more comics for my future readers and i ran into a little bit of a problem. you see i now have the option to order in either HC (Hardcovers) or order in TPBs (Trade Paper Backs) first for the various Ultimate lines. I'm a TPB fan cuz i like the fact you can bend them a little here or there and still keep the general shape and quality. While the HC you don't have as much lee-way.

but the question is, as a beginning collector that A) hasn't collected in a while or B) is just getting into comics for the first time with not allot of cash or without a clue.

what would you pick up for say, USM. the 1st HC or the first few TPB's?

price wise:

1st HC issues 1-13 at $29.99

or

1st trade issues 1-7 at $14.95
2nd trade issue 8-13 at $12.99

any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, not just to me, but to anyone just starting out.
 
Well, I collect the trades because they're a lot cheaper than the HCs. I'd say order in the TPBs, but then again, there is the few that start by collecting HCs (Lil Kis :lol:)
 
ProjectX2 said:
Well, I collect the trades because they're a lot cheaper than the HCs. I'd say order in the TPBs, but then again, there is the few that start by collecting HCs (Lil Kis :lol:)
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the price jump isn't that much...its just your dishing out more at one time for the HC with a sold cover and back. like i said, im a TBP fan, but what i care doesn't matter, yet thanks for the imput PX2.
 
Well here, I think the HCs are all around $200. :shock:
 
Huh. Well.

Hardcovers, deffinatly. You get a supirior binding, and most hardcovers come with some extras that the varoius softcovetrs are lacking. Pitchs, sketches, issue breakdowns, creator commentary...

PLus they're just plain nicer.

Now this really only applies to the oversized Marvel HCs, as the standard sized ones are exactly the same as the TPB release. Premire my ***.
 
Baxter said:
PLus they're just plain nicer.
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That brings up the major point - HCs are more for collectors, TPBs are more for casual readers.

If this helps - Target and other similar stores around here carry several books (many Ultimate, plus Astonishing X-Men and a few others) in TPB. No HCs.

So it probably helps to try and determine who you think is going to be buying from you.
 
I'd say Tpbs, but only 'cuz you mentioned "future" readers. If you're thinking of introducing little guys into the UU (or any other U, for that matter) at like, the age of 8 or 11 (or somewhere in between), Tpbs will really appeal to them. Handy, you can easily carry them around places, and less intimidating than a giant Hardcover that at first, may not appeal to you. Again, if you wan't kids to read them at a real young age, like 9 or 10, a Tpb is like a "book" for them. It tells a contained story that has a proper ending, and is skinny, so when they're all done reading, they'll really feel they've accomplished it and then will be wanting the next one. With Hardcovers, it's like 10+ issues, and if they get confused, the amount of questions they have will heavily outweigh the amount of questions they'd have when reading a tpb.
 
Well, I say go for the trades. I've talked to my comic guy about it and he says that in general HC's don't sell that much but the trades generally leave the shelves faster: 1] due to price and 2] due to practicality. AS well, paying for 7 issues to give the title a whirl is generally safer than buying 13. My recommendation: keep trades in stock, order HC's for those who want them.
 
Trades, bro. It's like carrying around a book. HCs are like carrying a brick, or something else that could potentially injure someone.
 
thankz for the info guys, and trust me it does really help cuz i get the ultimate line, for the most part, in singles. so trades, it is going to be.

Now all i gotta do is get ready for free comic book day. there going to have a 11 page USM re-cap
free comic book day said:
Then, learn the secrets of Peter Parker's life as Ultimate Spider-Man as we walk you through the highlights from the first 90-some-odd issues! Relive— or, even better, witness for the first time-Peter's transition from bookish teen to Friendly Neighborhood Wall-Crawler! This special 11-page Ultimate Spider-Man Saga will help your customers get caught up with everything that's been happening to Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe.
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marvelman said:
Trades, bro. It's like carrying around a book. HCs are like carrying a brick, or something else that could potentially injure someone.
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and in the words of Baxter on the walking dead HC:

Baxter said:
I have to be careful with it as its big enough to kill either of my rather large dogs if it fell on them.
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nigma said:
and in the words of Baxter on the walking dead HC:
Baxter said:
I have to be careful with it as its big enough to kill either of my rather large dogs if it fell on them.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
IT IS! I'll see is I can't get a comparison shot. Maybe both of them next to a 3 year old...
 
Baxter said:
Nope. The one I have is a 24 issue behemoth. What they just solicited is a 12 issue tomb.
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now your gonna make me go and look up the first HC...............................guess you are right, damn i need more sleep then 15 hours in a week.
 
I have a mix of both. I get my ultimate titles in trade paperback because that's how I started collecting them and it's how I continue to do so. There are other titles, like Runaways for instance, that I have in hardcover because it's what's available, and sometimes a hardcover comic is nice to have. Less convenient for the bus however.
 
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