Comic Book Price Increases

Via Polite Dissent, here is a letter from National Periodical Publications Inc. explaining their reasons for increasing the price of comic books.



How nice of them! A noble attempt at explaining the economics behind the comic book industry. Although the line that reads, "We feel confident that you understand the necessity for this slight adjustment and will remain loyal fans" struck me as a little odd. I mean, who are they to tell me how I feel? That certainly wouldn't work today. When comic book publishers raise their book prices by a dollar, I generally don't care how nice the paper quality is. Most likely, I'd drop the book if it was not essential.

Also, this comment is wonderful:

I wish Government would publish explanations like this one when they raise taxes.

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Question for Readers: What Are The Recession Proof Industries In Comic Books?

((The person who comments with the best answer to this question will win a prize, which will be a comic book of his or her choice for under $20, assuming it is available at my local shop. Please note, we will not ship internationally).

The recession has affected many aspects of the American economy, causing spending to drop and industry to shrivel. But as always, some businesses have shown their resiliency and great resistance to the economic downturn. As always, the movie industry is still relatively flourishing despite the economy. Alcohol is still being purchased despite raised taxes and overall higher prices. Waste management still thrives because people want their garbage removed in a timely manner. To a degree, these industries seem to be recession proof.

But the fictional world of a comic book changes America's economic landscape. Industries that would thrive in reality could falter easily in a comic's fictional world. But surely some industries in the comic book world must have the same level of recession-proof security that some real ones do.

Here are my pick's for recession proof industries in the comic book world:

1) Purple pants manufacturers. The Hulk will always need them. And for the Hulk, 1 pair equals 1 use. He is a market unto himself.


2) The construction/repair industry. We've already gone over this one.

3) Spandex manufacturers. Who would have thought it would be such an important resource? Especially after break-dancing starting to lose momentum. But it seems like spandex clothing is very popular in comic books despite the high possibility of chafing.

4) Indestructible shield polish makers. Has Captain America's shield ever not been shiny? Even after being slammed in dirt and covered in vampire blood?

5) Clothing designers of easy to open white button-down shirts. Superman rips one of those up roughly every five seconds.

6) Jet airplane insignia painters. Every hero team needs a means of transportation and every means of transportation needs to have the team's logo plastered all over it. The average airplane painter could make an entire career out of painting "X"s, "A"s, "4"s, "JLA"s, and "S.H.I.E.L.D"s on all manner of flying vehicles. And since these vehicles are always getting blown up you never have to worry about repeat customers.

7) Superhero/supervillain massage and chiropractor. Do you have any idea the cramps you can get from being stretched in all directions by Plastic Man? And being hit with an optic blast will at the very least disturb the alignment of your spine.

8) Silk Cuts. John Constantine's personal brand of tobacco will never go out of business.

But of course the vigorous demands of the comic book economy means that there may be many more "recession-proof" fields I haven't thought of. Any more ideas are of course welcome.

Note: This is actually a post by Mark that is posted under Shadowbanker's name.

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Comments

Hey Ecocomics Readers

I'm sorry that I have not been replying to your comments on this blog as much as I'd like. However, fear not for the Shadowbanker is more benevolent than he lets on! I'm going to be reading and replying to comments more frequently now so LOOK OUT. If you've posted a comment recently, check back.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Ecocomic Recession Watch: Spider Man Edition

The Amazing Spider Man #600 by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr. (2009)

Peter Parker is having more difficulty putting food on the table these days than usual. Especially as the newspaper industry is struggling during the recession, The Front Line is having more trouble paying its freelancer writers and photographers. Peter is in such debt, in fact, coupled with the loss of his roommate in a recent storyline, that he is at risk of missing Aunt May's rehearsal dinner and other major events in his personal life. Mind you, this is not anything new. But what's new is that he's missing it for his day job and not his crime fighting endeavors as Spider-Man. After all, as he notes, "web fluid doesn't grow on trees."

Meanwhile, J. Jonah Jameson is having troubles of his own as he struggles to infuse some funds into the stalled New York State economy, while trying to fend off an attack by Doctor Octopus and be circumspect about the state budget (despite the fact that he appropriated a significant amount of it towards an anti-Spider-Man task force).

It actually surprises me that the Governor has not called them in already. Is he unaware of this impending attack that is being broadcast on all television and radio stations, as well as over the internet? But yes, Jameson, the National Guard does eat up state funds as well as federal funds. In fact, in 2008, New York State funded about $43.2 million on its National Guard. I would say that's a lot of money to be spent when you could just call in Spider-Man. Another alternative is to call in New York's state defense force, the New York Guard, which are comprised primarily of volunteers. Of course, this might lead to concerns regarding whether there would be enough forces to take on Doctor Octopus and whether these volunteers have the appropriate incentives to perform adequately.

So what's Jameson's grand money-making plan? In typical fashion, it's misguided and irresponsible...

Can anyone actually explain the logic of this to me? How would girls in bikinis help the NYS economy? The reporter suggests that fashion retailers might start purchasing, but really? That's it? This is not rhetorical. I'm actually asking the readers for help in understanding Jameson's new plan!

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Does Spider-Man Have Mental Health Insurance?

"Identity Crisis" by Stan Lee and Marcos Martin in Amazing Spider-Man #600 (2009)

Noted psychiatrist, Dr. Gray Madder, shortly after initiating his session with the webslinger, wonders if Spider-Man has insurance. It's a silly question, as the doctor should be aware of New York's mental health parity legislation, Timothy's Law. The law, which was passed in December 2006, requires that employer-sponsored insurance in New York State include mental health benefits comparable to medical care benefits. This means that generally the law forces employers that provide health insurance to also provide mental health inpatient care of 30 days per year and outpatient care of 20 visits per year. What's more is that small employers (firms with fewer than 50 workers) receive a full subsidy from the state to offset the additional cost of insurance that adding the benefit would add.

Therefore, Dr. Madder should have figured either one of two things. Realizing that Spider-Man uses webslingers (which are not free) and has access to other expensive technology, the doctor should have deduced that he was either independently wealthy or had a steady source of income. If Spidey was independently wealthy such that he could afford to buy such gadgets without working a day job, then he would have likely been able to afford to the cost of the session on his own, which should have pacified any concerns on payment. If he had a steady source of income, he would have most likely been a beneficiary of Timothy's Law, meaning he had mental health insurance.

The only scenario that is uncertain is that Spider-Man is either self-employed or works for a firm that does provide health insurance at all. This could be understandable. After all, it is hard for an outsider to imagine Spider-Man sitting at a desk from 9-5. It is conceivable that he is an artist or something.

More likely, I think Dr. Madder was just unaware of Timothy's Law. In fact, according to a recent report issued by the New York State Insurance Department, a survey of 200 random small employers in NYS found that about 38% had never heard of the law and 18.5% were aware that it expanded mental health benefits, but also believed that it increased costs for the firm (that is, they were unaware of the subsidy).

Perhaps Dr. Madder should keep more in touch with health insurance policy in his state of practice. Or maybe this suggests that the insurance companies should better inform providers of recent changes in policy. Either way, it is safe to assume that Spider-Man has mental health benefits.

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Obesity and Health Care in the Marvel Universe

A new study (abstract only, unless you have a subscription) in Health Affairs by RTI International, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the CDC concludes that 9.1% of medical costs were spent on obesity in 2006, up from 6.5% in 2001. This comes out to approximately $40 billion in increased spending. Overall, people who are obese spent about 40% more on health care than did people of normal weight in 2006. Furthermore, the authors project that medical care spending for obesity could have hit $147 billion in 2008.

This is pretty grim news and should further corroborate the argument that much of the U.S.' exorbitant health care costs stem from poor dietary habits. This begs the question of why the government has not contracted some metahuman genius scientist, like Reed Richards, to invent some gizmo to curb such habits. After all, health care is a major agenda in the Obama administration, who is President of the Marvel Universe, and reducing costs is a big win for health reform.

You might think that such anti-obesity devices are unrealistic or infeasible in the real world. Well, a quick search on Google actually yielded this: some inventors have actually patented the design for some anti-obesity devices. The one described here looks like some sort of tube implanted in the stomach that is supposed to limit the absorption of food in the digestive system. There is also this device, a sort of "pacemaker" implanted into the abdomen, which tricks nerves in the stomach to making you feel that you're full when you've eaten a smaller portion.

These devices sound incredibly invasive, expensive and painful. And likely that's why many of us haven't heard about them. But these are just the developments made by ordinary humans. Surely, Mr. Fantastic can patent something much more friendly and hip, can't he? Can you imagine walking around with a hand-held anti-obesity device the size of an iPod?

If Obama is serious about bringing down health care costs, he should consider wielding the talents of some of Marvel's most brilliant heroes. People in Marvel's New York City really should all be skinny and have health insurance, but for some reason they don't. Let's get serious.

Does anybody actually know of an attempt to Richards or any other scientist (Marvel or DC) to do something like this or to help with domestic policy of any kind?

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Dethklok and Killer Tomatoes

Dethklok Versus The Goon by Eric Powell (2009)

I don't know about this, Ofdensen. First of all, a tomato is actually a fruit, scientifically speaking. It is developed from the ovary in the base of a flowering plant and it contains the seeds of that plant. It has also been declared the state fruit of Ohio in 2006. It is only really a vegetable when referring to its culinary use, since tomatoes are typically used for savory cooking rather than sweet dishes. The Supreme Court did actually declare that tomatoes were subject to tariff duties like other vegetables in the 19th century. Nevertheless, when not talking about tariffs or cooking, tomatoes are fruits.

Secondly, I know that "manufacturing" generally refers to industrial production of goods, which includes factories, tools, conveyor belts, etc., but can "manufacturing" be used to refer to tomato production? According to the Census Bureau, agriculture is generally not manufacturing:

The materials, substances, or components transformed by manufacturing establishments are raw materials that are products of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, or quarrying as well as products of other manufacturing establishments.

So farmers harvesting tomatoes is not considered manufacturing, but rather the tomatoes that are harvested can be used to manufacture other products. In any case, I think that Toki just hasn't made himself clear. Maybe he doesn't plan on growing and selling tomatoes, but tomato products, such as canned tomatoes. Or maybe what he really intends is to convert those agricultural products into some super death-metal, killer tomato monsters or something.


And why is Ofdensen so quick to dismiss him? Dethklok could make a fortune manufacturing mutant tomatoes. Or even Dethklok brand Ketchup.

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