Trades over Singles

Keeping up with the newest released single issue comics has drawbacks both financially and oppurtunisticly. Buying a singular $4 issue, among others at the time, adds up each week with new releases of comic books. This takes a significant bite out of many readers finances just about each week or month. It is also difficult to make sure that you purchase each issue of a specific series if you show up late to buy them from a shop or do have it on you pull list. However, the answer to both problems lie in the one time purchase of a comic book trade.

Trades are singular collections of multiple issues of a comic, much like a omnibus. They are divided and labelled as select volume to group off storylines and minimise cost. There are also large, full omnibuses with entire collect works of certain series. This helps with problems collectors face when trying to obtain an entire comic run. Some trades, including full collections, are not always made very well, but others can really take the cake.

In the image provided, there are three trades provided to present an idea of what they like. The middle and left are both hard covers with dust jackets, while the right one is a paperback. The two hardcovers are treated like true works of literature by publisher who chose to print them as they did. They were made as hardcovers with jackets because their publisher knew that readers would appreciate them. The paperback, though not as well printed, still a quality printing that could be improved upon in later printings after more demand. It has a nice smooth cover with easy to flip through pages. Each one worth the purchase and collectively cost less than all the issues that they make up.

Trade content also vary in type depending the story or the way the story is written. The comic on the right is an original graphic novel that with a limited run. Thus, it is labelled in volumes to indicate how far into the series it is. The middle is part of a long running series and is labelled as a titled section of the series, since it is too long to bother being recognized in volumes. It is part of Spider-Man series of comics, a series owned by Marvel that will more than likely never end. The point of trades are to make it easier for people to buy comics, they are not a replacement for singles, but they are a considerable option.

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