I haven't been into comics since I was in library school, which was when comics went through a period like gold and oil are going through now, and I was able to sell comics like Harbinger #1 for $75 six months after I bought it for $2.50 (because of the coupon, trust me, it was a big deal, look it up).
I think that was around the time that I could find someone like Mike Mignola sitting all by himself at a comic book store with nobody waiting for his autograph; ditto for William Tucci and the guy who draws Too Much Coffee Man (I can't explain it, either. Some stuff was super hot, and some not at all. I mean, Tucci was practically begging people to buy autographed copies of Shi).
Anyway, I don't buy (m)any comics now. In the past two years, I've only bought the Invincible hardcovers.
But this news might change how much I buy in the future. I don't know where this will go, but it looks like someone is trying to establish a remainder book market for graphic novels. For most books, this isn't a big deal because discounts make purchasing graphic novels pretty painless, or much less painful than buying the individual issues. I mean, I'm not a collector, so I don't plan to wear gloves when I handle these books or bag them for posterity, hoping to use them as a downpayment for a house. I just want to read something without worrying about getting chocolate on it.
So if next year, I can go to EdwardRHamilton and find some obscure graphic novels for 80% off the cover price, I'll probably buy a few books I wouldn't normally buy (and wouldn't dare spend library money on), like I did with the anime DVDs I got a few weeks ago from RightStuf.com (they had a good sale).
Collecting comics is a young man's game: gone are the days when I would sit across the street from a comic book store and sell back issues of Batman out of the trunk of my car at half-off. But I can still appreciate an engaging story and stylish art, just not at full price.
