DC raises comic book prices to $3.99, including digital

DC Comics has confirmed to Newsarama that all on ongoing titles will be priced at $3.99, up from $2.99.

Newsarama noticed the price increases for "Wonder Woman" and "The Flash" and DC says that $2.99 titles like "Batman", "Suicide Squad", "Detective Comics", "Green Lanterns", "Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps", "Harley Quinn", and "Injustice" will also see a price increase.

The new $3.99 price will also apply to digital titles.

Will this price increase affect the amount of DC comics you read each month? Leave your thoughts on the new price in the comments below.

SOURCE: Newsarama

69 comments

David Jones

May 10, 2018

I was afraid this would happen. I felt like the $2.99 price point was to lure people in to the new twice a month schedule, and the plan all along was to bump up the price once Rebirth was established. I've been reading Batman and was going to jump on board with Justice League, but I think this will keep me from it.

Smallgenie549
May 11, 2018
Drop Batman and pick up Justice League instead.
1. Rich Chappell
  May 11, 2018
  Justice League has finished, hasn't it?
  1. Rich Chappell
    May 11, 2018
    Ah, I thought that was still 3 or 4 months away.
  2. Smallgenie549
    May 11, 2018
    The new one starting in June.
2. Brione
  May 11, 2018
  Why not pick up both? Why would any Batman fan ever drop Batman over a $1 price change. That's honestly ridiculous.

Snurple78

May 10, 2018

We knew about Suicide Squad though because it's going monthly in June and so it would follow this monthly price

Dave Robinson

May 10, 2018

Much as I dislike the price increase I can't really blame DC. They were pretty much the last holdout at $2.99, and books like the Terrifics are going to still hold to the price. It is going to decrease my DC buys, but that's just because I can only afford to spend so much on comics.

Cash

May 10, 2018

Drawing the line again.

Kerk Lastnameless

May 10, 2018

Prices up, sales down.

Brione
May 11, 2018
It's all about perception. Every single person complaining about the price raise can afford an extra $2 a month. I mean come on. Gas costs $3 a gallon but you won't spend $4 on a comic? It costs $20 or more to see a movie. At least you get to keep the comic.
1. Kerk Lastnameless
  May 11, 2018
  Yeah well thing is, I try to get gas where it's cheaper. Because I know how it adds up. And if a comic I'm on the fence about gets more expensive, that's just another reason for me not to get it, especially since there are channels on YouTube that put those out for free.
  1. Brione
    May 11, 2018
    If your cable goes up $5, do you drop it?
    The perception that paying for comics "adds up" is one of the things killing the comic book industry.
    1. Kerk Lastnameless
      May 11, 2018
      I dropped it long ago. Got an antenna for $20. For SW shows, that's good enough.

Rust

May 10, 2018

I know it's easy to feel ripped off, like it's a greed-based move or something, but the optimist in me says this is hopefully to maintain the high quality and afford the sweat that goes into that.

Would love to still buy as many as I have been at the new price, but it's already a rough squeeze for me as is...

I mean, I'm still catching up on the great stuff I missed out on from the New 52, since all I followed at the time was Batman. Looks like I'll be missing out on some Rebirth stuff too. I dunno what to do. I definitely want to keep supporting several of these lines right now... :(

Definitely not dropping RHatO. :)

Ian Miller
May 10, 2018
I think this is a great case. I think it's dumb of DC to make fans make their case instead of giving us a press release.
1. Brione
  May 11, 2018
  If they put out a press release then even more people, including bigger media, would shit all over them for raising the price. It's all about perception.
WhiteKnightLegge
May 14, 2018
Just pirate or read online for free. They ain't worth the price at present.

Martinezxyz

May 10, 2018

Wouldn’t bother me if they went monthly on all their titles again.

Ian Miller
May 10, 2018
Not going to happen for Batman (because of Tom King's 103-issue plan), but the others I think would be a good choice at this point. I'm kind of worried that this will kill so much momentum that it really hurts sales. But then again, when they increased price for monthly titles, I don't think it hurt sales too much, so maybe it'll be fine.
Mark
May 10, 2018
I'm anticipating that Detective will drop to monthly around the end of the year, just in time to land #1000 in May 2019.
1. Brione
  May 11, 2018
  I agree except i think it will go back to monthly at #1001.

jrvc

May 10, 2018

Not a good news, but it's quite amazing that they kept that price for two whole years!

Will

May 10, 2018

"Drawing the line at robbing you blind."

Brione
May 11, 2018
Yea cause $2 more a month is really robbing us blind. It's people like you who are killing the comic book industry.

OptimistPrime99

May 10, 2018

http://digitalspyuk.cdnds.n...
Yikes!💰 For Tom King's BI-MONTHLY Batman book, I really wanna see him reduce his story arcs, and use more villains after the wedding. He really slowed things down during the engagement this past year, and I wanna see him give Bat-fans more bank for their buck. I'm confident he will.

Rich Chappell
May 11, 2018
I really want to see him go. We've had more than enough filler and not one single arc that will be remembered in 5 years. The odd one or two issue hit isn't enough to sustain a flagship title- and people are really going to baulk at paying $4 for the issues with a dozen 2 page spreads and no plot because he was writing a book he cares about more instead.
1. senglord
  May 11, 2018
  Your question implies that there is a writer at DC who is making storylines of such quality that they WILL be remembered in 5 years.
  Who would that be, eh?
  ...
  ...
  Mister Miracle and Omega Men have redefined the titular characters and groups. Gotham girl has potential do shift the structure of storytelling for future writers--if she is not killed off.
  1. Rich Chappell
    May 11, 2018
    Well, as you say, Tom King - but unfortunately he's just not bringing his best to Batman and is instead dragging us through a lot of not-very-much. Maybe now Metals done and the wedding will be soon out of the way he has something up his sleeve...we can but hope.
    I'm not actually that enamoured with an awful lot going on at DC at the moment, but having said that:
    Snyder has written plenty which has lasted the test of time, Tomasi has been both great and consistent. Sean Murphy recently wrote a great Batman story. Azzarello would be a great write on Batman.
    And everyone knows RHATO has been the standout book of Rebirth, so stick Lobdell's name in the hat too.
    1. senglord
      May 12, 2018
      The memorable Batman stories have MOSTLY been of two classes: Batman was a second tier character in DC sales compared to Superman and Green Lantern; the story introduces something that a wunderkind (creative dictator) writer was mulling over since he was a teenager writing his own fan fiction.
      Lasting stories create the circumstances that yield profitable mediocrity.
2. Brione
  May 11, 2018
  Right, cause no one will ever remember the Batman-Catwoman wedding. Tom King? Who's he? Lol
  1. Rich Chappell
    May 11, 2018
    Who knows? We haven't read it yet. What I said was that no one will remember any of the arcs he has written and released so far. Whether or not they remember the wedding arc is impossible to predict. They are likely to remember that they got married, assuming that it remains canon. That's not the point at all though, is it? I remember Damian dying- I don't really remember the rest of the arc.
    1. Brione
      May 11, 2018
      You must have a really bad memory if you read Grant Morrison's Leviathan story and only remember Damian dying. I can remember most of the details of Morrison's entire awesome run.
    2. Rich Chappell
      May 11, 2018
      Maybe I have. It was 5 or 6 years ago. I loved all of Morrisons run but that didn't stick in my mind as much as some other stuff, either way, whether I liked that run or not, I'm not going to forget that Damian died - just as the fact people won't forget Batman is married is no indicator whatsoever of whether the arc is/was/will be memorable or not.
      Do you think King has written an arc (an arc, not an issue) of Batman that will be remembered in 5 years time? Really?
    3. Brione
      May 11, 2018
      Yes, I think Kings run has been pretty great and he's wrote nothing but memorable stories. King writes stuff that sticks with people whether they love him or hate him.
    4. Rich Chappell
      May 11, 2018
      And yet you're unable to give an example.
    5. Brione
      May 11, 2018
      Well I just implied that all of his arcs have been memorable if nothing else. But if you really need examples, how about "Roof Tops" and "I Am Bane".

OptimistPrime99

May 10, 2018

You're exactly right. Especially for the Injustice comic. Increasing the page count, and ending story arcs sooner, is really something the comic book industry needs to consider doing.

Ian Miller

May 10, 2018

The increase applying to digital as well is really irritating. And the loss of digital codes for monthly titles.

That being said, I wish DC was more on the ball here - it's been a trickle of clues, and finally they confirm it. Instead of trying to make a case that it's financially necessary to keep artists and writers at the quality they have (which I think is a fair case), they're just slapping customers in the face without explaining it.

Dustin Synder

May 10, 2018

Ughh. They aren’t increasing the page count are they? If they added a few pages I’d be all for it.

Lord Omnus

May 10, 2018

Hey guys, http://readcomiconline.to/S... has this stuff for free. Like, the morning they're released. You're welcome.

Rowdy From Scrubs

May 10, 2018

I'll probably drop Detective & pick up JL, instead of getting both. $8 a month for that Detective story is too much, for me. & will probably pick between Action Comics and Superman also.

Brione
May 11, 2018
Detective is changing writers so hopefully the story improves.

Ultan Schmultan

May 10, 2018

If there's quality that's worth the $3.99 price then no problems.

Brione
May 11, 2018
Exactly. People get their panties in a bunch over $2 more a month lol
1. Michael Escalante
  May 11, 2018
  Well it's not really $2 more a month if you get multiple twice monthly books like I do. I'll continue to get Batman but I'm probably not picking up Justice League or Hal Jordan after this. And definitely not Wonder Woman or Flash.
  Monthly books at 3.99 is doable because I tend to budget on a monthly basis (around $80 a month) but dedicating $8 a month to one book hurts.
  1. Brione
    May 11, 2018
    I usually spend around $80 a month on new comics. An extra $8 a month doesn't hurt very much. $8 is what I spend for lunch.
    1. Michael Escalante
      May 11, 2018
      Yes but I'd rather follow 6 monthly 3.99 books than 3 twice monthly 3.99 books. This change puts too much money/time into one book for myself as a reader. I prefer a variety, which is why I find this odd to do when DC is trying to start a bunch of new books come June/July, but then bleeding readers on flagship titles.
    2. Brione
      May 11, 2018
      It's all about perception. If the supermarkets all raised the price of all their food, would you stop eating? It's the same thing with comics except people love to have extreme over reactions on the internet. It's comical.
    3. sj conker
      May 12, 2018
      Comparing food, a necessity that you'll die without, to comics, a luxury item. What a brain-dead analogy.
    4. Brione
      May 12, 2018
      It might be a stretch but it's not brain dead buddy. I was using an inflation analogy that everyone can relate to. So don't be an asshole. I'm far from brain dead. Sorry I'm not acting like I can't afford a few extra dollars a month like most in this thread. Lol

shawn

May 10, 2018

This won’t make me quit series I’m already reading, but it will make me try less new series that start at $4 twice a month. That price has stopped me from reading a lot of Marvel’s titles in the past.

Garrett Steel

May 11, 2018

You don’t get enough bang for your buck with single issues. I got 16 issues of Nightwing with the Rebirth Deluxe volume 1 for 22.48 on Amazon. That’s a 1.40 price point per issue.

Dom510
May 11, 2018
single issues are dying. trades and digital are the way people are buying
1. Garrett Steel
  May 11, 2018
  No arguments from me. No comic store in my town any longer. Kids who grew up in the 90s got the last great era of pamphlets before everything became mere chapters of a future trade.
  1. Dom510
    May 15, 2018
    True.
Brione
May 11, 2018
I love trades but they come out 3 to 6 months after the single issues. It would be great if they put out full trades as soon as an arc ended.

Kaingerc

May 11, 2018

the only one of those I can justify the price raise to is 'Batman'.
besides 'Injustice' (which I don't read, so I wouldn't know) all of the other comics mentioned don't produce such high quality content to justify this.

danciborowski

May 11, 2018

Also looks like they dropped the free digital copy on the titles that were $3.99 (noticed on RHOT). More disappointed by this.

Rich Chappell

May 11, 2018

Will probably take this as a sign to drop Suicide Squad, Flash and Nightwing. None of them are great anyway - they probably didn't deserve my $3. They certainly don't deserve $4.

James Piggot

May 11, 2018

Well this is really going to force me to cut down... on my Marvel Pull List, Probably just going to be Wolverine’s solo and F4 at this point

Brione

May 11, 2018

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I have no problem paying another $1 an issue to support my favorite characters and my favorite entertainment company. I'm not sure why so many people have a problem with this. If you can't afford a few extra dollars a month maybe you shouldn't be buying comics at all.

Brione

May 11, 2018

I don't mean to be a jerk asking this but I need to ask; How does comic book money hurt your wallet? I buy about 20 comics a month for about $80 a month. That's cheap entertainment if you ask me. My cable bill is around $230 a month and I love comics way more than TV. It's all about perception.

Brione
May 11, 2018
I got ya. I can see where you're coming from. From my perspective though, $80 a month for something I love is not a lot of money at all.
1. Kerk Lastnameless
  May 11, 2018
  Damn, you're doing well if you can afford to spend $80 on comics!
  1. Brione
    May 12, 2018
    Thanks, I think... I buy about 20 comics a month. It's better entertainment than TV and way less expensive.

Kerk Lastnameless

May 11, 2018

And now the word on the street is that someone in DC is planning to undo Sups and Bats marriages.

Suddenly Bendis hiring makes perfect sense -- Didio wanted him on his side in order to overpower Johns.

senglord

May 12, 2018

Price elasticity of demand will decide if this was a good move. Screenshots and spreadsheets will be posted by someone somewhere.

Joker

May 12, 2018

I expected to scroll down and see a lot of negative comments, but honestly most of them are pretty understanding.
I'm on the same page as far as understanding. I don't like it, but I get why they'd do it.

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