THE END OF $2.25 COMICS AT MARVEL?

**Brandon191** · 03-16-2005, 10:22 AM

Today Diamond Comics Distributors has released a text version of their April 2005 Previews (Vol. XV #6) Order Form for titles shipping to the Direct Market in June, and as some eagle-eyed readers have already noticed that June apparently marks a raise in price for Marvel Comics� lowest priced books from $2.25 to $2.50.

According to the Diamond order form, the titles that retailed for $2.25 as of May 2005 and are seemingly affected include:

Ultimate Spider-Man #78
Ultimate Fantastic Four #20
Ultimate X-Men #60
Amazing Spider-Man #521
Wolverine #29
New Avengers #8
X-Men #171 & 172
Uncanny X-Men #460 & 461
Marvel Team-Up #9

Additionally, the Marvel Adventures books (including Marvel Adventures Spider-Man) that had previously retailed for $2.25 also had their price raised to $2.50 effective titles shipping in May 2005.

Marvel's last significant price increase came in April 2003, when the publisher raised the price of 13 titles (including Iron Man, Exiles and Thor) from $2.25 to $2.99, which at the time corresponded to titles selling at #30 or below in Diamond's Top 300 sales chart. That's not the case in this instance, as, aside from Marvel Team-Up, all of the books seeing a price increase are Marvel's best sellers, consistently ranking in the Top 10 monthly.

Marvel has not yet officially announced any price change.

The move effectively ends all $2.25 pricing at Marvel. DC still has five superhero titles priced at $2.25 (Nightwing, Robin, Batman, Flash and Wonder Woman), and their "Johnny DC" line (made of Cartoon Network and animated series tie-ins) is still priced at $2.25.

Newsarama is following this story and will bring you more information and confirmation and comments from Marvel when available.

Developing...

http://www.newsarama.com/Marvel/MvlPriceIncrease.htm

That sucks. I wonder how much they are going to raise Canadian prices? We usually get screwed over when companies raise the price of there comics.

**anthony the ghost** · 03-16-2005, 10:23 AM

rats. i liked that most of the marvel titles i bought only costed 2.25

**Scott JB** · 03-16-2005, 10:24 AM

Definately worried about the Canadian prices. This increase could see me drop a fair bit of monthlies, which I don't really want to do.

**Jason_BANNED** · 03-16-2005, 10:24 AM

Good thing I don't read any of those or I might be upset by it.

Jason

**Dannñ B** · 03-16-2005, 10:25 AM

Shite.

**Scott JB** · 03-16-2005, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by Scott JB

Definately worried about the Canadian prices. This increase could see me drop a fair bit of monthlies, which I don't really want to do.

But when I actually read the post, it turns out all the effected titles that I read I was picking up in trades anyways. So go me!

**Raphael J** · 03-16-2005, 10:26 AM

This doesn't seem like a good business move. With all of the quality titles DC is going to be putting out, I'm surprised that they're not lowering prices instead. I wonder how this will affect their sales.

**En Sabah Poo** · 03-16-2005, 10:26 AM

That's pretty lame if you ask me. Those titles better reduce their ad content, otherwise, they are just plain screwing people. That's a good way to lose lots of readers.