Rethinking comics.

I’ve long since pushed back from the table of comics. It’s been a some time now since I succumbed to the weekly fix, the trek each Wednesday to the store to drop a bunch of cash on the the 22 page escape. It took many years but in the end comics just became far too expensive and while there are times I miss following the latest storyline of a favorite character, they are surprisingly much rarer than I would have imagined.

I even stopped checking out comics related sites to so I am woefully unaware of what has happened since I broke the habit. The few times I did check out a comics site online, I was amazed by how rapidly things changed in my absence.

I was doing some surfing the other day though and saw Eric Larsen starting writing his column again on a regular basis. Even though I’m not buying books, I’ve found I enjoy reading what Larsen has to say. I’ve met the guy and he’s not only very nice but sharp too. This particular column is something publisher’s might want to take to heart because I have to say it makes a load of sense:

My proposal is for American comic books to follow the Japanese model married to Europe’s 2000 AD: weekly 64-page books with all original content and a cover price of $5.95. These comics would have thicker, more durable cardstock covers so they would be a step closer to trades but they would be bound like comics. Easier to rack with magazines and, with a similar price point, more lucrative for the retailer. It would be easier to get these into book stores and magazine racks.