HMV doing comics

Cadeaus

I recently noticed that HMV is selling comics for a significantly lower price than most independent comic shops. I usually give my business to my local instead of bigger chains but it's hard to argue with €22 From Hell.


Thoughts?

Fysh

You get it from time to time with HMV, Virgin MegastoreZavvi, and further afield the likes of Fopp, etc. For the odd item it's useful, but I wouldn't switch over to buying all my comics there chiefly because if they sell them cheap it's because they're buying them even cheaper from the distributor, and that's not a setup that'll benefit the medium overall so I'm wary of encouraging it.

It's more or less the same question as comes up when people talk about buying online from Amazon or Play. I understand the desire to get things cheaply, but it's also important to understand how these retailers can offer things more cheaply. Since I moved to London I've found my nearest comic to be brilliant and, outside of the occasional very expensive purchase (the Absolute Sandman books, for example) where I'll look around to find the best deal, I prefer to buy my comics from them even if I know I could possibly get them a bit cheaper elsewhere, because the fringe benefits are worth the slightly higher costs. Things like in-shop signings or having a decent selection of small press comics available and updated regularly won't happen if you shop exclusively via non-specialist shops, and that's the trade-off you have to consider.

Cadeaus

I more or less feel the same way. The guys at my local place have always been really good to me and I'd always give them my business; it would only be in the case of getting an expensive book for considerably cheaper (From Hell). But there are pros to particular high street retailers selling comics. HMV are only selling a select few titles, with only the first volumes available. For instance, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vol. 1 is available there for 15 quid. The average non comic book reader who goes in to buy a CD/DVD/game, picks this book up on a whim, discovers it to be brilliant, has to go to their local comic shop to find volume 2 and over time ends up becoming a regular. This of course is highly circumstantial.

My point is the more exposure the medium gets the better, provided it isn't a permanent fixture for stores such as Zavvi/HMV. I think the only reason the books are being stocked is because it's riding the hype wave of the Dark Knight and once it dies down, the books will disappear. Or at least I don't see them doing weekly issues any time soon.

shenanigans1982

The books were being stocked long before The Dark Knight came along. I got the heroes tie in book in there for 11 euro a few months back, had seen it in Forbidden Planet for 25 and had no interest in picking it up but when I was in getting few cd's and I seen the price of it I just got it. Dunno how comic shops can justify charging more than double.

ztoical

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

The books were being stocked long before The Dark Knight came along.

+1 nothing new having the likes of HMV, Tower, Virgin [or Zavi] stocking graphic novels. They usually have a limited selection. The Virgin megastore when it was on the quays use to have a pretty decent comics selection back in the day and the ones in the states still do thou they are a hell of alot more expensive then other shops there.

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

I got the heroes tie in book in there for 11 euro a few months back, had seen it in Forbidden Planet for 25 and had no interest in picking it up but when I was in getting few cd's and I seen the price of it I just got it. Dunno how comic shops can justify charging more than double.

How can HMV justify charging so much for CD/DVDs when Tescos gets them for a fraction of the cost? Or why do veggies cost a more at the small corner veggie shop compared to the big supermarket? Any store that specializes in a product normally charges more for it as your paying for not just product but also the expertise* of the shop staff. The veggie shop owner most likely buys direct from the farmer and can tell me when and where my veggies were picked, while the supermarket most likely just has a sticker saying product of *insert country*. You might get luck and the a staff member at HMV might be a comic head and can rec stuff but most likely they won't know anything and they also stock random comic titles. For people who know their comics it doesn't matter but for someone who doesn't know batman from superman a shop that sells just comics might be the better option.

Any comics HMV gets in aren't orders, they are usually bulk orders that the HMV head office has picked up cheap and then send out to the shops, you normally can't order paper back novels or graphic novels from them [they don't sell books of any sort via their website]. Comic shops are limited to ordering either via Diamond who have very high minimum orders or if they want to order via book stores they would have to go via Easons wholesale who currently have a monopoly over wholesale book orders in this country. On top of that monthly titles get stuck with the higher VAT rate of 21.5% as they are deemed as "periodicals" [as do partworks magazines which is why they are seriously overpriced here compared to the UK] Add shipping costs, rent, heating, lighting, the size of the comic market in Ireland, etc etc and the price you see isn't that far fetched if the shop wants to stay in business.

*we could have a massive row about how expert the service you get in any shop is but you get the idea.

Cadeaus

Irish comic book shops have to buy through sterling as far as I know, making it more expensive again. Didn't know that Virgin had done comics before, my local HMV only started doing them after the Dark Knight.

shenanigans1982

ztoical wrote: »

The Virgin megastore when it was on the quays use to have a pretty decent comics selection back in the day and the ones in the states still do thou they are a hell of alot more expensive then other shops there.

Those were they days...man I miss that shop.

Fysh

I'd never really noticed it in Irish HMV/Virgin (partly because I wouldn't often go into them anyway, because the ones in Cork weren't that big) but I know that in London at least HMV, Virgin/Zavvi and the smaller ones like Fopp have had a limited selection of comics for at least a couple of years. Fopp used to be the best of the lot but don't bother now since being taken over.

(Although as above I still think that paying the bit extra to buy things from dedicated stores is better for anyone who regularly reads comics).

ztoical

the big virgin megastore on the quays in Dublin use to be a great source for graphic novels esp when Forbidden planet was up on Dawson street and devoted nearly half if not more of the shop to sci-fi and fantasy books and the majority of the comics they stocked were monthly titles.

The megastore also had a great VHS selection [ahh VHS showing my age!] I got nearly every ep of Star Trek DS9 in there back in the day

shenanigans1982

ztoical wrote: »

Forbidden planet was up on Dawson street

You gotta quit with the nostalgia ....reading the article about Marvel Knights being ten years old reminded me that its been 10 years since they moved to the quays.

The only drawback about Virgin stocking Graphic Novels was that it was pretty random which ones they got ( much like Easons.)

ztoical

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

You gotta quit with the nostalgia ....reading the article about Marvel Knights being ten years old reminded me that its been 10 years since they moved to the quays.

I still miss the old forbidden planet, it smelled like wood and books and the floor creaked when people moved. The bus from my grans house use to go right by it. Anytime I see the 15B it makes me think of comics......ah memories.........lol

Nathanual

I miss the old shop too... there was something more personal about it, something that made it more pleasureable.

As for HMV doing comics, well that's fair enough FP do DVD's and play better music.

I also like to get into the smaller shops. I miss the 3rd place, still love Sub City, and if I go away traveling I tend to try find the nearest comic book shop right away, you never know what you can find.

Mr. K

Wow, I didn't realise there was nostalgia for FP on Dawson Street. I loved that place too. Although the one on the quays is far bigger and better, I still preferred the old place. Reminds me of my childhood, searching out American Spidey titles...

shenanigans1982

While this is being mentioned does anybody remember the shop that was used between the move from Dawson Street to the quays?

Mr. K

No, do tell? Was it for long? I didn't get in there too often as I lived in Wicklow at the time. Of course, I get in there even less now...:(

ztoical

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

While this is being mentioned does anybody remember the shop that was used between the move from Dawson Street to the quays?

vaguely - it was during my first year in college and I'd just moved to Dublin from the sticks so alot of that year is a bit vague

BlaasForRafa

ztoical wrote: »

I still miss the old forbidden planet, it smelled like wood and books and the floor creaked when people moved. The bus from my grans house use to go right by it. Anytime I see the 15B it makes me think of comics......ah memories.........lol

There was a fierce smell of glue from all the trade paperbacks in there, no wonder the staff were a bit mad

They always had great taste in music in there though...but that security man they had for a while was a right pain in the hole.

shenanigans1982

Mr. K wrote: »

No, do tell? Was it for long? I didn't get in there too often as I lived in Wicklow at the time. Of course, I get in there even less now...:(

No I think it was only about a month or so and as far as I can rememeber it was on South Annes St between Gratfon St and Dawson St. It was the tiniest room with all the comics just stacked on a table in the middle and on boxes around the floor.

Ryaller

While you're all of on your nostalgia trip... does anyone remember "The Alchemist's Head"??? I reckon it must've been the first comic shop in Dublin. It was on the lane beside the Olympia, filthy place, I think the floor was just dirt. It was run by some skinhead dude. I can even remember the smell.

Mr. K

When was that place around? It sounds...interesting.

ztoical

If you listen to the comic cast ep with Rob Curley they talk about some of the old comic shops in dublin - I think they might get a mention during Bob Byrnes one as well thou I'm not 100% would have to go listen to it again.

Ryaller

Mr. K wrote: »

When was that place around? It sounds...interesting.

Uuuh... showing my age here... I reckon it was around '85 or '86. Before I found that place, I bought my comics in Easons. At the time, Easons used to stock Marvel and DC imports, But The Alchemists Head was the first proper comic shop I can remember. You could pick up the odd lot in Banba too, but their comics usually had a spot of Mange.

xanthor

Ryaller wrote: »

While you're all of on your nostalgia trip... does anyone remember "The Alchemist's Head"??? I reckon it must've been the first comic shop in Dublin. It was on the lane beside the Olympia, filthy place, I think the floor was just dirt. It was run by some skinhead dude. I can even remember the smell.

I used to go in there around 91/92. IIRC, at one point they had a better and cheaper selection of X-Men back issues than FP.

The memory may be false however.