Trades vs. Issues

Listen up, Minions! The Darkman speaks.

A lot of comic readers go to the store with fresh faces and ideas of purchasing the new issue of their favorite comic, but when they arrive what do they see, a TRADE PAPERBACK… Then the dilemma sets in: should I buy the trade or the issues? This is a tricky subject and one of constant debate, but the truth is that both have their merits and flaws. The following will be a discussion of the positives and negatives of each.

First, the biggest problem with purchasing trades is the social stigma that comes with them. I have lost track over the years of the number of comic book store proprietors that I have executed for their insolence: You walk in, put the trade down on the counter and they give you the look. You can hear there thoughts: “Man! What a poser, not a real fan or he’d collect the comics. Man I’m hungry.” Or, consider the other comic book enthusiasts that happen to be frequenting the store at the same time: They look at you with arrogance and pity in their eyes, seeing you as a lesser mortal. Of course you kill them at this juncture, but that brings up entirely new problems. Seriously among the more avid collectors, there is a certain sense of superiority towards those that read trades. This stigma can go both ways. There you are, skipping towards the comic shop. Right before you go in you spy a mega hot chick (which means a 7 on the 1-10 scale if she’s in a comic book store). Then what do you do? Should you go in and pick up all your issues? She might think your nothing but a nerd. But, if you go in and pick up a few trades and engage her in a in-depth discussion about the social ramifications of the degradation of moral standards within the alternative literature community, well my minion friend you could find yourself in the midst of a very pleasant story.

On a more serious note, it all comes down to whether you are a collector, a reader, or a slavering, monstrous sponge that must soak in all comics. To the collector, the issues are there to be bought, admired and ultimately hoarded away for future admiration or selling. Readers on the other hand can be greatly helped by the trades because they allow the reader to follow all of their favorite stories for a slightly cheaper price, and you get big chunks at a time. The negative side is that the reader must wait longer for the release of the trades. Finally, we come to the slavering monstrous sponge: These poor souls are condemned to fill the role of the reader as well as the collector. Many a comic-fan has fallen to their wrath over the years. Perhaps, you took the latest issue of their favorite comic or sniped an online-auction, but whatever the case you have stolen something that they believe is theirs and the consequences can be grim. From that moment until kingdom-come you have earned their emnity, and they will do all in their considerable comic power to bury you beneath their authentic, collectable super-hero boots. So, in closing, think of how you view comics as a whole then make your choice.

Last but not least, we come to the final part of the discussion: the DREADED Loanability (Yes another new word). Who among us has ever loaned a comic to a friend? Who among us has ever gotten that comic back? If you have gotten it back, how many are in the condition that they were in when you loaned them out? The truth hurts, but it is your non-comic book friends have no respect for your priceless treasures. There are many solutions to this problem. First of all, you could stop loaning any comics out and punish any who try to take one without your knowing by means of beheading. Secondly, you could put the fear of God into them and explain how important the books are to you by showing the beheaded corpses lying about you. Or, you might save yourself all this trouble by buying trades and loaning them out to friends, coworkers, or anyone who you want to suck into the downward spiral we call comics.