http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21950

"This is Marvel doing the nineties right," explained David Gabriel, Marvel Comics Senior Vice President of Sales & Circulation. "We're taking two of the most popular cover treatments of all time--foil and holograms--to create an all new kind of cover, as a 'thank-you' to fans who've been demanding this kind of variant!

NO

Well, at least it would attract people who like shiny stuff.

I never collected comic books, but I'm also somewhat confused by how this would appeal to me if I did.

Hmmmmrrrrmmm...

Also you say NO a lot.

as a 'thank-you' to fans who've been demanding this kind of variant!It makes you wonder. Does he really believe there are any fans who've been demanding this kind of variant?

I can't decide if he's really stupid, or if he just thinks we are!

The nineties done right? Sounds exactly like some garbage that would come out of the nineties.

To me it just reeks of a way to add another dollar or 2 to the book. It's bad enough that the average price of comic books has gone up to 3.99 with no extra content (I'm sorry, I don't count crappy low end 6 page stories for future books that you are promoting as extra content)

But now they expect us to buy this junk. I'm sorry, not me. I'm not gonna be shocked when print comics finally go under for good. It"ll be a sad day for me, but I'm honestly surprised it hasn't happened already

print comics will never go away. thats a dumb thing to say. floppies might go under, but never print comics =\

@ Skullbie..lol i do, i just realized that. I dont even remember where i got that habit from.

Skullbie



Hmmmmrrrrmmm...

Also you say NO a lot.

im actually a fan of lafuente, if nothing, the art on these books will be pretty.

NickGuy
print comics will never go away. thats a dumb thing to say. floppies might go under, but never print comics =\

Hmmm... I'm not so sure about that. I've talked with quite a few comic book retailers in the past year or so about this, and they don't exactly share your confidence.

A lot of comic book retailers I know say that most of their yearly revenue comes from back issue stuff. (And I'm talking Golden and Silver age Era) Or through other gaming related products.

After the 90's boom I think the business went back to the hardcore group of readers who buy a good chunk of books each week. But as the costs keep rising, and the enconomic state, a few guys have said they have lost some of those hardcore readers. Guys that would spend 75-100 dollars a week. Now if you lose 5-7 of those that's a good chunk of change, especially when you are already competing with retail chains like Borders and Amazon.

I'm not saying that it's definitive that print comics will die. But I would hardly call it unreasonable. I mean Marvel is already trying out a subscription webcomic service.

with the way trade paperbacks sell, i dont see print comics dying for a long time.

NickGuy
with the way trade paperbacks sell, i dont see print comics dying for a long time.

I don't like Marvel's trade paperbacks. It's like, 20-30 bucks for only about 5 or so issues. To me, that's not really worth it.
I like Image's comics though, I mean, it's not much better in price, but at least it's something different.

I don't think Print comics will go away, I just think they'll continue to get less and less popular, until most of the comics will be read/distributed on the internet.

I dont really read any comics outside of the internet.
The plots seem too long and convoluted to get into.

Making the cover all glowy and shinny does nothing to change that problem.

NickGuy
with the way trade paperbacks sell, i dont see print comics dying for a long time.

I guess when I was speaking I wasn't referring to TPB's. As most of those people who were buying comics in bulk are trimming the fat so to speak and only buying comics in TPB format.

I read a few comics in TPB form. But I also enjoy getting new comics every Wed. I think If comics went strictly just being released in TPB form. Basically there would be no need for the local comic shop.

As you can get TPB's at just about any bookstore.

Also Ryu, I don't think TPB's are that expensive. Especially when you consider that most individual issues cost about 3.99 . That's why most people are turning to reading Trades, because they are a cheaper alternative to buying the individual issues.

Skullbie
Hmmmmrrrrmmm...

Also you say NO a lot.

NickGuy
@ Skullbie..lol i do, i just realized that. I dont even remember where i got that habit from.

It's hardly your fault that so much stuff sucks.

Print comics will be fine for a long while. At least until they invent some portable electronic device that can hold digital information for viewing pleasure..

Oh wait.

I wonder if they've made an ipod type deal that caters more to books... i'm sure if not it'll be out soon. Regardless, I agree with NickGuy; I don't think books or comics will share the fate of cds any time soon. Even with popular webcomics, many have their work published in book format, and they sell fairly well; at least to my understanding.

Warning: Print Comics Futures Mini-Manifesto by Park

More books are published every year than any year before in history. The presses dedicated to trade paperbacks will not cease any time soon. Unfortunately, paperbacks by material are not made for history and will need to be preserved in a digital format. Temperature and humidity controlled, high-vertical storage facilities will be created to store original hardcopies of fragile, deemed-valuable paper documents. In fact, one of these has been built about fifteen minutes down the road and--if you drive past it--you're shockingly still not in some Jetsonsesque, chrome-future. Floppies are dead as a decisive format. Anyone has the potential to enjoy the full story of a collected edition; few have the patience to to continue with an unfamiliar, confusing passage or visit sparsely located specialty stores on a regular basis.

Until recently, comics were rarely accepted by academic libraries and even those acquired by public libraries were regulated to the juvenile section. Now most libraries find sequential literature pushing against the shelf-ends. The introduction of "The Best American Comics" in 2006 served as a hallmark of the mediums emergence from the shadows into the spotlight of a craft that cannot easily be disposed of. Seeds planted by Will Eisner and Jack Kirby have flowered into highly respectable, well-formatted print editions that garner actual, critical reviews. Comics are young, amoebic and those who try to define the contours of the art will be bruised by the bursting edges. Petri dishes will shatter. We instead can look forward to an evolving beauty, both on monitors ranging globally and as we turn professional pages in our living rooms.

I like Ultimate Spider-Man, and I will tolerate the foil cover.

Actually, I don't hate the idea of foil or holograms on the cover in general. Sometimes it looks cool, although most of the time it doesn't.

It's just that, you know, the sight of a foil cover will bring my memories back to the 90's and the truly godawful comics that came out about then. That period was really the nadir for comicdom in terms of actual content.

Modern times aren't perfect, but at least these days the people writing and editing the mainstream books seem to actually care if there's an interesting story happening. They don't always hit the mark, but I am under the impression that they're actually trying more often than not.

eh......... completely out of touch if u ask me

i still spend on average 50-70 bucks everytime i go
but only a small portion of that is actually on the classic
characters tho 4 some reason. most of my shelves consitst of
robert kirkman books. other than that theres only deadpool, the
dark x men, green lantern, & the exiles as far as hero books go....

2 be honest, i was actually thinking about holographic covers & why
i havent seen any just the other night, but now that theyre actually
talking about it it just makes me feel like i'm trading pokemon cards
again.... & idk if i want 2 go back there...

"This is Marvel doing the nineties right," explained David Gabriel, Marvel Comics Senior Vice President of Sales & Circulation. "We're taking two of the most popular cover treatments of all time--foil and holograms--to create an all new kind of cover, as a 'thank-you' to fans who've been demanding this kind of variant!

WOW!!! These are going to be worth a fortune in another few years!!!

Marvel just doesn't have a clue. I really can't see many fans demanding this.

yeah, this whole this is stupid...first it was a sketch variant on a landmark issue...then a sketch variant on everything. then it was 3.99 for a few titles...then 3.99 on everything. now its "foilogram" covers for "landmark issues"...

i see a trend.

Pretty... ^___^

I dunno. The trouble with the comics is that they're all about emo muscley people who fight each other all the time.

Maybe that's just me?

Comic book companies should be more concerned with writing a coherent story to bring in people, not stupid cover gimmicks. No wonder why I stopped reading comic books.

I like the line about people who like shiny stuff.

THIS is why I haven't bought a comic ( besides a TPB ) since 1994!!!

"The Nineties done right -- SHINY!"

*slaps forehead, turns around and walks out of the building.*

Really, that is intellectually insulting...

Well, I've never been a big fan of Marvel, and this kinda stunt just feeds my conception of Marvel as a company that's all glittery and stuck in an era when every superheroe wore colorful tights and had the exact same personality, or lack of one, thereof.

I'll just stick with my Dark Horse-comics, thank-you-very-much.

The problem that I have with Marvel is that they seemed all about new and original ideas back in the day, now they seem like they're coasting on their past achievements. This little stunt sort of underscores that sentiment. Not to say that they haven't tried new stuff with established characters.
I remember reading a Wolverine graphic novel that was pretty cool, being a guy that routinely comes close to death's threshold Wolverine gets some rather unique experiences and this book explored that.
But I agree with Futon, Dark Horse is the best mainstream publisher insofar as putting out original stuff.

IT HAS STARTED!

Guess what? Marvel is doing holofoil? So's Boom! Studios...

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/07/17/sd09-boom-studios-2543/

The age of HoloFAIL has begun :P

Aurora Borealis
IT HAS STARTED!

Guess what? Marvel is doing holofoil? So's Boom! Studios...

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/07/17/sd09-boom-studios-2543/

The age of HoloFAIL has begun :P

that michael avon oeming art is so PRETTY....but the holofoil has ruined it.

I only buy comics with shiny covers (personal reasons)

Imagine muppet Elmo on a holofoiled comic cover. Does it make Elmo look cooler?

Eunice P
Imagine a holofoiled comic cover with muppet Elmo. Does it make Elmo look cooler?

No. Elmo will always be a Diet-Grover -_-

Down with Marvel and their comics about emo musclemen beating each other up!

I miss the good ol' days when covers actually were a sign of things to come in the book itself. Now they are just glorified and often uninspired pin-ups.

The covers on Invincible are awesome because they "look" cool and give you a teaser of whats in the book.

ozoneocean
No. Elmo will always be a Diet-Grover -_-

Gasp! That is so true.