Just realized buying single issues beats trades for me

I used to always wait for the trade paperback to come out, thinking it was cheaper and easier. Then I tried picking up single issues for a 12-issue run from my local shop in Cleveland. The weekly anticipation and seeing the cover art in person made a huge difference, plus I finished the story 6 months faster. Does anyone else prefer the monthly grind over waiting for the collected edition?

3 comments

3 Comments

troy_ross2mo agoMost Upvoted

Jumped on the single issue train myself a few years back and now my bank account hates me but my comic collection looks great. I've got this bad habit where I'll buy a single issue, get super hyped, then forget to grab the next one for a couple months and just stare at the cover wondering what happened next. It's like my own personal cliffhanger but the answer is just my own forgetfulness. But hey, at least I'm supporting the local shop instead of waiting for Amazon to drop a trade on my porch like some kind of comic book ghost.

henderson.kim2mo ago

Honestly, waiting for trades is like telling yourself you'll start the diet on Monday. You know it makes sense, but the deluxe double cheeseburger with a side of instant gratification keeps winning. Tbh, I've got stacks of half-read trades on my nightstand that are collecting dust, but those single issues? I treat them like little monthly presents to my past self who forgot to check the release date.

jade327d ago

My buddy runs a shop in Cleveland and I've seen the numbers, single issues are way more expensive per page than trades. I get the appeal of going weekly though, but for me trades win every time. The monthly grind means you're paying $4 or $5 for maybe 20 pages of story then waiting 30 days for the next piece. I'd rather drop $15 on a trade that gives me 150 pages and I can read the whole arc in one sitting without forgetting what happened last month. Plus trades sit on my shelf way better without worrying about bagging and boarding every single thing.