by connor releaa
I have been a major comic book fan since I first got to college. There I was introduced to the Marvel NOW! lineup and the New 52 lineup; both started new series with new first issues, so it seemed like the comic book industry was beckoning for me to take up the hobby. More recently, I’ve stuck to digital comics because the nature of my life is mobile. I travel the country a lot and it makes sense for my computer to be the main access point for my hobby since it goes with me everywhere and that means I don’t have to rely on having a physical bookstore nearby.
You are reading: How much do comic books cost
Recently, the comics portal where I buy all my titles, Comixology, changed its interface to count how many titles a user has in their library. in fact, I was surprised at how many comics I bought. According to Comixology, I bought over 482 comics in the last five years. this, of course, does not include the 13 physical trade volumes I have in my home library, bringing the total number of comics I own to 495.
I wanted to know how much money I had spent during my time as a comic book fan. according to comic site newsarama, the average price for comics is $2.99, with larger editions priced at either $3.99 or $4.99, depending on the size of the edition. I decided to use the standard $2.99 for the issues that I have, as that is the most standard price for the comics that I buy. Also, please note that I did not include any sales tax for these items, as Comixology does not include sales tax as part of its shopping platform.
now to the numbers for a five year period:
- individual issues of comics I bought: 482
- average price $2.99, amount spent on individual issues: $1441.18
- annual average: $288.24
- monthly average: $24.02
- weekly average: $5.54
- daily average: $0.79
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After calculating the average I had spent on individual numbers, I decided to use the exact price for the volumes I own, as it was easier to collect that information. those numbers are shown below:
- volumes of comics I bought: 13
- prices of those comics:
- 4 volumes of bone ($9.99): $39.96
- 4 volumes of saga (14.99): $59.96
- one volume of maus: $14.95
- one volume of children’s crusade: $34.99
- one volume of serenity: the shepherd’s tale: $13.20
- one volume of serenity: those left behind: $13.47
- one complete collection of watchmen: $11.99
total amount spent in volumes: $188.52
so the total amount I’ve spent on comics over the last five years has been $1,629.70. Of course, since that number is largely based on averages, I’d expect it to actually be higher due to buying individual numbers that cost more than the average price I used.
This number originally amazed me. in my life, I never felt like I had $1,600. For most of the time I’ve been reading comics, I’ve been working minimum wage jobs that don’t usually lead to a person accumulating wealth. my money is tied up in other expenses like bills, debt, and groceries — things that are necessary to live.
I wanted to see how this amount of money compared to other parts of my life, so I sat down to figure out how many of these common items I buy I’d have to buy to reach the amount I spent. in comics. those numbers are below:
- starbucks peppermint mocha (large, $4.65): 350.47 mochas
- mcdonald’s ten piece chicken mcnugget meal ($6.49): 251.11 meals
- shampoo & conditioner (walmart, $4.49): 362.96 bottles
- bic sensitive shaver (12-pack, walmart, $2.57): 634.12 razor packs
- gasoline (gasoline, $2.41 based on price in illinois): 676.22 gallons
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with some of these items it would be pretty easy to reach the amount I spend on comics in a year. For example, if I buy a peppermint mocha every day for 11 1/2 months, it would reach the amount I spent on comics. however, that’s a bit much, even for someone who loves mint starbucks mochas as much as I do.
Even though I’m staring this issue in the face, I’m not about to stop spending on comics. I figure no matter what, I’m going to keep buying comics because I love the medium and really admire the writers and artists that work in it. Now I have a clearer idea of what I’m really doing with my finances.
connor reliea is a freelance writer and editor living suburban life in the chicago area. he currently he is the comics editor of fangirl magazine. follow him on twitter @crelyea12.
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