Image Comics Debuts Image Direct Subscription Service
Image Comics announced Image Direct today, a mail-order service that allows U.S. fans to purchase 12-issue subscriptions to their favorite Image comics. This will encourage a wider audience access to the popular and edgy Image comics company, maker of hit comics such as Saga, Rat Queens, and Lazarus.
“Even with all the wonderful work our retailer partners in the Direct Market do, the number one comment we get from fans is they frequently can’t find the Image titles they’re looking for,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Given that there are fewer comic book stores than ever before, we’re hoping that Image Direct makes our titles available to fans who don’t have easy access to a local comic book store, or whose shop doesn’t carry the full range of Image titles.”
Not only will this make Image comics more available to those fans who don’t live near a comic shop and those fans who find their favorite title always in short supply, some fans—the fans that literally want it all—may find using the service a financial advantage. While single-issue subscribers will pay more than they would at their local comic shop due to shipping charges, megafans of Image Comics that order multiple titles will receive steep discounts to counter that. Those that subscribe to ten or more titles, for instance, get a 30% discount, and those that subscribe to the All of It! level, which is to say all Image titles currently listed on the website, get a 35% discount, discounted shipping, and free bags and boards for their comics. The cost of this premium level is 1117.99 plus 156.00 for shipping, or 1273.99 total USD. With forty-two different titles currently available for a twelve month subscription, that is 504 Image comics, which is 2.53 per issue, a substantial savings over the three to three and a half dollar price tag on Image comics. And that’s not even counting the value of 504 bags and 504 boards. It’s a conceivable investment for a fan…especially right around tax rebate time.
Interested fans of Image Comics in the continental U.S. can sign up for the service by following this link.