Transformers comic books vs trade paperbacks

[Paulbot]

I'm a long time comic fan. I'm still a Transformers fan today because the comics are what kept me interested in Transformers when my peers would otherwise have put toys aside.

However the price of the comics has risen high enough that I'm considering cancelling my order and buying the stories in trade format only.

Take for example the current ongoing series.

The first six issues individually ($8 each) = $48
The first six issues in trade format = $30
The first trade from bookdepository = $20
The first trade from Target = $13

Looked at this way, why am I spending 3.5 to 2.4 times as much for the individual issues compared to the trade?

I don't know how many of IDW's trades will be released to local stores (Vol 2? Ironhide? Drift?) but even importing the IDW ones is a big saving.

The trade gives all the covers, and the whole story in one nice book easily accessed from the bookshelf.

The IDW books are nice in that they don't disrupt the story flow with adverts, keeping them all at the back. Some of the individual issues though have felt light on (the Ironhide series for example) so it's not until you have multiple issues does the story seem complete.

I can't think of any recent IDW series where buying the issues was really necessary except for Last Stand of the Wreckers. That series featured profiles in the individual issues that weren't reprinted in the trade. The trade however featured two new profiles, a mosaic story, and best of all a brand new prose story that is much more interesting than the profiles.

The downside of the trades is the wait for the story, but the comics don't get discussed that much here. And aside from the occasional spoilers in someone's signature it's easy to avoid the reviews until the books have been read.

The other downside is that by not buying the monthly issues it potentially hurts whether the series will continue to be produced at all. If the market can support things like Ironhide, Sector 7 and Drift, then the books must be going okay for now.

About 6 years ago I stoped buying X-Men comics on a month to month basis but have successfully moved on to just buying the trades (and buying more series in trade than I ever did in regular format). I think I'm about ready to do that now with Transformers.

[Hursticon]

This is a good question Paulbot, as I too would love to try and catch up on all of the G1 and Beast Wars related comics, but can't devote the cash or space to a mammoth Comic collection - hence why I'm going after the Titan Marvel G1 Reprints (Hardcover) so I do like the idea of Trade issues plus the savings are quite helpful. ;)

[i_amtrunks]

When IDW was putting out good transformers comics I was buying the individual issues, as well as the trades (when I could afford them).
I did this mainly to support the comics, and because they were so intriguing I couldn't wait to get the trade, I needed to read the stories ASAP.

I persisted through AHM, once again getting the individual issues, but it destroyed my goodwill for IDW, and since then I have only bothered getting the occasional trade here and there (barring LSotW).

The trade is the better way to buy for reading, collecting and your wallet. I think great writing (where you cannot wait to read the next part) and wanting to support the publisher are the only reasons you should buy the individual issues, unless you only want to get an issue here and there.

IDW's current prices are too high for what they are publishing, so I think trades are the way to go.

[gdmetro]

Thanks for this thread.

So from what I understand, trade paperbacks are just the entire story of comic in one book?

I've never actually bought an actual comic before in my life- but wanted to start to get some of the more popular stories I've heard people talking about, such as AHM, Drift, Last Stand of the Wreckers.

What other stories would you guys recommend? Is there a g1 continuity line of stories- and where would one start reading from?

And most importantly where can I find these trade paperbacks for purchase?
(Will I find these at stores such as Kmart/ Bigw / Target?)

[Sky Shadow]

What other stories would you guys recommend?

Check out this thread for the answers to some of your questions:

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=75404


I've never actually bought an actual comic before in my life- but wanted to start to get some of the more popular stories I've heard people talking about, such as AHM, Drift, Last Stand of the Wreckers.

Of those three recent titles, the only "must read" is 'Last Stand of the Wreckers' (and in the literary spectrum, the other two are much closer to "must-not reads"). In older stuff, you should read the entire Marvel US run, particularly from about #55-80. And any Marvel UK comics are fantastic:

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=262


And most importantly where can I find these trade paperbacks for purchase?

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=129154

[kup]

After the generally disappointing AHM, I stopped buying IDW comics in issue by issue basis with the exception of LSOTW. I gave the Ongoing a chance but it was so bad that it made AHM seem like a work of art so I gave up on it.

The only recent IDW comic worth reading is Last Stand of the Wreckers. It is extraordinarily good but unfortunately it is but a small mini-series and the exception to the rule. Just about every other IDW releases in the last couple of years have been pretty awful beyond expectations.

I would suggest for you to seek out the Marvel issues as Sky Shadow suggested and if you are inclined to do so, read the pre-AHM IDW releases and Last Stand of the Wreckers.

[GoktimusPrime]

I would definitely recommend trade paperbacks. The only reason I don't collect TPBs is cos I'm impatient - so I buy the issues monthly. If I had greater patience then I'd definitely go for the TPBs... so yeah, if you have the patience then definitely go for the TPBs IMO.


What other stories would you guys recommend?
G1. :) Seriously... the Marvel G1 comics were, overall, a lot better than the cartoon. And IMO no other TF series - comic, cartoon, movie etc. - has ever been able to match the awesomeness of the Marvel series (Beast Wars came respectably close though :)). Remember that it was Marvel who created the Transformers mythos to begin with (it was Hasbro who commissioned Marvel to create the back-story for the original TF toys in 1984 - so they created the names, character profiles on the tech specs etc.)


And any Marvel UK comics are fantastic
1 QFT. Simon Furman = Transformers writing GOD! :D

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Photocomic%20Faith/photocomic_faith16.jpg
...apparently he also supports West Ham United. Oh well... nobody's perfect. :p

[Hursticon]

For clarification purposes:

With regards to the Titan Marvel G1 Reprints, do they contain the entire US and UK lines? or just the US line?

If they only contain the US line, did Titan ever produce a UK line of Reprints?

[GoktimusPrime]

Titan reprinted both US and UK issues:
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Titan_Books

I find the Titan reprints to be much better quality than IDW's, and also they had less legal hassles so they were able to reprint images and issues that featured characters owned by Marvel (e.g. Circuit Breaker, Death's Head, Spider-Man etc.) - whereas IDW can't.

[Hursticon]

Cheers Goki,

One more question though, you see this:


Transformers: Beginnings
Collects: Marvel Transformers U.S. #1–6 (UK #1–8, 22–25)

Where it says 1-8, 22-25 is that saying that 9-21 are missing?

[GoktimusPrime]

Yep

[Hursticon]

So not only does one have to get both the US and UK sets, but they also have to purchase specific comics to fill in the gaps. :eek::rolleyes:
(Unfortunate though that the UK sets only come in TPB and not Hardcover :()

This, sounds like a challenge! ;):D

[GoktimusPrime]

Well, if you wanna be a G1 comic completist... then yeah. Or maybe you could ask people to scan issues that were never reprinted for you ... that way we wouldn't really be stepping on IDW's toes (especially with the issues that they're legally unable to reprint, like "Prisoner of War!"). And naturally you'll promise to delete/destroy those scans should IDW reprint them <wink> ;) :)

I mean, it's much like how I have downloaded episodes of Animated Season 3 because Paramount won't release it on proper DVD. If they did I'd happily throw away my downloaded copy and buy the proper ones. But until they release a purchasable copy I have little choice but to watch downloaded versions. TFarchive.com used to have scans of every single issue, but the scans were removed around the time that Titan Books got the rights to reprint Marvel issues.

[5FDP]

I mean, it's much like how I have downloaded episodes of Animated Season 3 because Paramount won't release it on proper DVD. If they did I'd happily throw away my downloaded copy and buy the proper ones.

So.... it's OK for comics / TV shows but not for toys? I'm confused here :confused:

[GoktimusPrime]

To me, the difference is that I received those downloaded eps for free. I also have 1 comic scanned (the issue of Doctor Who Magazine where the Doctor confronts Death's Head) - also received for free. In other words, these things were made/done by fans for fans for free. If someone gave me an unlicensed toy - I'll graciously accept it. But I'm not going to pay for it. :) :cool:

If you or I scanned comics for Hursticon, we'd be doing it as a free service for him as a fellow fan. Neither of us would be making any profit from it. Of course, if Hursticon feels bad about owning scans, then he can go hunt for the original issues himself. Except for that one issue of DWM, I don't own any scanned comics. All of my Transformers comics are definitely original. And my comic collection isn't complete, I am missing some issues that I missed as a kid and haven't been reprinted (or I missed the reprint)... but I'm just going to wait for the opportunity to purchase those issues or reprints of those issues. I don't own any scans of them.

With Animated I purchased all of Season 1 and Season 2 on DVD. Then I waited and waited and waited for Paramount to release Season 3, then someone told me that Paramount has NO intention of releasing Season 3, which is my favourite season of Animated no less. So I waited and waited some more, hoping that Paramount would change their mind... nothing. So after months and months of fruitless hunting for the Season 3 DVDs, I just gave up and accepted free downloads (they were free for me, cos someone else had downloaded them and burnt me a copy).

[Paulbot]

Back on topic please... (Animated DVDs what?)

No ones buying the IDW digital versions. I hear they not as good as the Marvel/DC ones, pretty much just PDFs unlike the interactive ones from the majors.

[Hursticon]

No ones buying the IDW digital versions. I hear they not as good as the Marvel/DC ones, pretty much just PDFs unlike the interactive ones from the majors.

Well that goes without saying I reckon.
For me personally, I can't stay glued to a screen that contains nothing but lines and lines of text - so with a comic being on a screen it is sort of similar in that all one gets to do is scroll. :rolleyes:
I've go the entire G1 US, UK & G2 Marvel Comic line in scanned format on a disc, I've never actually read more than one off it though for the fact that I just can't stand sitting in front of my PC to do it, that and some of the pages aren't scanned too well. :o

This is why I would much prefer to purchase a novel/comic/book in a hardcopy form, much easier to read and looks much better than a disc on a shelf. ;)

[tinyJazz]

Well that goes without saying I reckon.
For me personally, I can't stay glued to a screen that contains nothing but lines and lines of text - so with a comic being on a screen it is sort of similar in that all one gets to do is scroll. :rolleyes:
I've go the entire G1 US, UK & G2 Marvel Comic line in scanned format on a disc, I've never actually read more than one off it though for the fact that I just can't stand sitting in front of my PC to do it, that and some of the pages aren't scanned too well. :o

This is why I would much prefer to purchase a novel/comic/book in a hardcopy form, much easier to read and looks much better than a disc on a shelf. ;)

well hey, I wouldn't mind borrowing that disc if you're not going to use it ;)

I think trades are a better choice for two reasons: first of all, they write to the trade anyway. Nothing self contained seems to happen in individual issues so you might as well read the story from start to finish in the trade.
Secondly, if the writing is disappointing or the story starts going nowhere you can find out before you buy into it. Just find someone who won't spoil the story for you to see if it's worth reading.

I always rsesearch my comics before I buy them now. :p especially since IDW recent run as been rubbish, apart from LSOTW that is.

[Tallestblue]

I was told at my Local comic book store that "For All Mankind" was now out of print. THEN I hear it's at Target for less than half the price of the IDW version.
Do I think this is a better deal? Yes! It's six issues for the price of less than two!

[snaketales]

So not only does one have to get both the US and UK sets, but they also have to purchase specific comics to fill in the gaps. :eek::rolleyes:
(Unfortunate though that the UK sets only come in TPB and not Hardcover :()

This, sounds like a challenge! ;):D

The UK stories were written to fit around the US stories, so you could get the US stories only and not notice any gaps in the overall story.

Not so much if you got the UK stories only; they tended to reflect what had happened in the US stories, but not vice versa.

Getting the UK stories in addition to the US stories makes for a much richer experience, however.

[heroic_decepticon]

Other than Spotlight Optimus Prime and Spotlight Sideswipe, I've not bought any IDW TF comics as individual issues. I just don't think the quality justifies the prices justify. I do however, make it a point to buy all the TBPs because I do want to know what happened but am not dying to know, so I can wait.

With the 10% discount card at Kino, the TPBs can be picked up for around $26-28 per copy, which is pretty reasonable to me.

[Sharky]

im one of these tragic readers,

i like the month to month individual comic so i buy them, multiple covers,

then i get the trades when they come out

so whats next they release a nice special hard cover... ohhh that looks nice.. so i get it.


then they release a app on the ipad/iphone/ipod so i get it and then download some of the good stories i really liked...

and i must admit, on the ipad... they are good reading. and i spend a bit of time travelling so having a choice of stuff to do is allways goos

as i said tragic collector

:p

[GoktimusPrime]

The UK stories were written to fit around the US stories, so you could get the US stories only and not notice any gaps in the overall story.

Not so much if you got the UK stories only; they tended to reflect what had happened in the US stories, but not vice versa.
The UK G1 series is like an "expanded universe" for the US series, but as most fans would agree, most of the coolest stuff happens in the UK series.


Getting the UK stories in addition to the US stories makes for a much richer experience, however.
Absolutely! For example, the Matrix Quest makes way more sense when you've read the story of Deathbringer in the UK comics. The UK issues enhance the US stories. :)

[Hursticon]

The UK stories were written to fit around the US stories, so you could get the US stories only and not notice any gaps in the overall story.

Not so much if you got the UK stories only; they tended to reflect what had happened in the US stories, but not vice versa.

Getting the UK stories in addition to the US stories makes for a much richer experience, however.

Thank you Snaketales! :D
This is exactly what I wanted to know, I probably should've asked better questions :rolleyes::p, because TFwiki doesn't really tell you that information. :(

Now that I know that I can get the US issues, read them and then get the UK ones later - knowing that I'm not going to be missing anything but can go back and explore deeper into the narratives... F@#$! Yeah Man! :D:cool:
I'm really looking forward to getting these collections now, cheers to both Goki and Snaketales for clarifying me on the G1 Marvel series and cheers to Paulbot for starting the thread. :cool:

I've no doubt that a lot of people would be interested in the many comics that have been produced on the Transformers universe, but simply have no idea where to start or what ones to read etc. :)
I know I'd like to know where my Dreamwave Micromaster comics fall in regard to that continuity, any hints? :o

[Paulbot]

I know I'd like to know where my Dreamwave Micromaster comics fall in regard to that continuity, any hints? :o
The DW Micromaster series contradicts IDW and Marvel continuity and has no connection to anything outside of Dreamwave.

Within the Dreamwave continuity it comes after War Within 3 and before their first Generation One series.

[Bartrim]

Well that goes without saying I reckon.
For me personally, I can't stay glued to a screen that contains nothing but lines and lines of text - so with a comic being on a screen it is sort of similar in that all one gets to do is scroll. :rolleyes:
I've go the entire G1 US, UK & G2 Marvel Comic line in scanned format on a disc, I've never actually read more than one off it though for the fact that I just can't stand sitting in front of my PC to do it, that and some of the pages aren't scanned too well. :o

This is why I would much prefer to purchase a novel/comic/book in a hardcopy form, much easier to read and looks much better than a disc on a shelf. ;)

Yeah I've got something similar to that but it also includes the DW stuff and a few other bits and pieces... only problem is it's been missing for over a year (since I moved house):(

[UltraMarginal]

Great thread,
I've only ever really purchased the trades, simply because I'm a tightarse. I did start purchasing the movie related comics individually though, as a result I'm getting all of those ones as the singles. which is turning out to be fairly expensive given the prequel/follow on series as well.

i've picked up the first issue of a couple series, Drift, LSOTW and Ironhide but not AHM. As mentioned above the trades appeal to me cecause you get the whole story arc at once, it's like sitting down with a season box set of DVD's and working your way though in a couple sittings. the story glues a bit better and you don't have to wait around for weeks at a time for the next morsel.

Of course this approach caused me a fair bit of suffering when DW closed and didn't produce their third trade. I guess you win some and you lose some.:)

[Gutsman Heavy]

I get issues and then trades if the story is decent (ie, I'll get the BB trade, but not Ironhide, only single issues since it wasn't a good read)

Mostly 'cos I'm impatient, and have plenty of disposable income.