Here's a timeline of my subscription to Captain America, to give you an idea of what it is like to subscribe by mail. In 2022, I wrote a blog post about how to subscribe, which you can read here.
You can subscribe to the Marvel series of your choice at their website. (The subscriptions are fulfilled by Midtown Comics.) A regular 12-issue sub was $28.96, but if you subscribed to two or more series, the sub price dropped to $26.99 each, which is what I did. $26.99 divided by 12 is $2.24916667, or in other words roughly $2.25 per issue -- a bargain off the $3.99 cover price. (And that cover price would be increased later in the year; more on that topic at the end of this post.)
On February 9, 2023, I got a 12-issue subscription to CAPTAIN AMERICA: SENTINEL OF LIBERTY. My total cost was $26.99. In the same order (thus giving me the aforementioned discount) I got a "subscription" to two upcoming Captain America one-shots: CAPTAIN AMERICA: COLD WAR ALPHA #1 and CAPTAIN AMERICA UNFORGIVEN #1. The cover price was $4.99 each on those two one-shots, but I had to pay only $3.75 each for them by subscribing.
On February 27, 2023, I also got a 12-issue sub to CAPTAIN AMERICA: SYMBOL OF TRUTH. My total cost was $26.99 (again, the discount applied because they counted this as a second sub).
As things worked out, my subscriptions began at the start of a story arc called "Cold War" that crossed-over through both series (Sentinel of Liberty and Symbol of Truth) so it was a good idea to subscribe to both of them, in order to get the full story.
I made a video on my YouTube channel in April 2023, when the first issue of my Cap sub arrived, so that you can see what it is like to receive an issue in the mail.
Below is a timeline of when the issues arrived in my mailbox, compared to when they were released in stores. (Cover images are mostly taken from the Grand Comics Database.)
Cover price: $3.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: April 5.
Arrived in mailbox: N/A.
Note: Cold War Prelude.
According to the subscription website, this was supposed to be the first issue of my sub and was indeed sent. However, it never arrived in my mailbox, and I finally bought the issue at a comics shop months later, on August 15. Not a good way to start my subscription! I have put an "X" through the cover here, to signify that it was not received.
Cover price: $4.99
Subscription price: $3.75.
Release date: April 12.
Arrived in mailbox: April 17.
Defects: None.
Note: Cold War Part 1.
Cover price: $4.99.
Subscription price: $3.75.
Release date: April 19.
Arrived in mailbox: April 24.
Defects: A half-inch tear on the bottom of an interior page. Such a tear wouldn't have been made in transit since the other pages around it weren't affected, so it must have been either a manufacturing or handling defect when the issue was put into the bag prior to being mailed out. Anyway, a minor defect.
Note: One-shot; part of an Unforgiven series of three one-shots (X-Men and Spider-Man were the other two).
Cover price: $3.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: April 26.
Arrived in mailbox: April 28.
Defects: None.
Note: Cold War Part 2.
Cover price: $3.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: May 17.
Arrived in mailbox: May 30.
Defects: None.
Note: Cold War Part 3.
Cover price: $3.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: May 31.
Arrived in mailbox: June 9.
Defects: This issue had some wear/dings on the top page edge of the front cover and first few pages, but the damage was minor. This was the first issue of the sub to exhibit any wear that was likely caused from handling as it went through the mail.
Note: Cold War Part 4.
Cover price: $3.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: June 7.
Arrived in mailbox: June 16.
Defects: Minor ding on top left corner and minor ding on bottom right corner.
Note: Cold War Part 5. Final issue of the series.
CAPTAIN AMERICA COLD WAR OMEGA #1
Cover price: $4.99.
Subscription price: N/A
Release date: June 14.
Note: Cold War Finale.
This one-shot was not offered via mail subscription on the Marvel website, so I pre-ordered it through my local comics shop. I bought it at the store on the day of release, June 14.
Cover price: $3.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: June 28.
Arrived in mailbox: July 12.
Defects: None.
Note: Billed in previews as a "Cold War Aftermath," it's a low-key final issue, wrapping up the series, and actually not too much to do with the "Cold War" story arc. This issue took so long to arrive in my mailbox (14 days after its release!) that I was beginning to think it might never show up. So, I was happily surprised when it did, and in perfect shape.
Cover price: $7.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: July 5.
Arrived in mailbox: July 17.
Defects: None.
Note: Triple-sized anniversary issue. Part of "Sentinel of Liberty" subscription. This was a tremendous bargain to receive as part of my sub!
On August 9, 2023, when I looked at the Marvel Subscription site, I noticed that Captain America: Symbol of Truth had finally been removed as a subscription option, and that the series was now simply titled "Captain America." I checked the "manage subscriptions" link to see what the status of my Cap sub was, and it now showed that I had a subscription to one "Captain America" series (instead of two) and that my subscription now ran until Captain America Vol. 10, No. 16.
This sounds correct, since I had started off with two 12-issue subs (i.e., a total of 24 issues), had already been sent 7 issues (one of which I didn't receive, Sentinel #11) and would be getting the Captain America Finale #1 one-shot (see below) as part of the sub. That means a total of 8 comics sent (out of 24 ordered), leaving 16 issues remaining on the sub (Cap Vol. 10 #1-16). Since it looks like the price of a standard Marvel comic is now increasing to $4.99 (instead of $3.99) per issue, this will mean even more of a savings off the cover price for me going forward.
At this point (early August), the upcoming "Capwolf and the Howling Commandos" mini-series was also available to be subscribed to (4 issues for $14.97) on the Marvel website, so I subscribed to that as well, on August 11.
Cover price: $4.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: August 23.
Arrived in mailbox: August 21.
Defects: None.
Note: Also part of the "Sentinel of Liberty" subscription. Since this one-shot and Cap #750 were the only two Cap comics released in July or August, I guess they decided to include them as part of the Cap sub. And I'm happy they did! This issue had originally been scheduled to be released on August 16, but was evidently pushed back a week, so that it became available to buy in comics shops on August 23. However, I received my copy in the mail two days earlier, on August 21.
Cover price: $5.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: September 20.
Arrived in mailbox: September 18.
Defects: None.
Note: Not only did the issue arrive in my mailbox in perfect shape, but it came two days early, before it could be bought at comics shops! I made a short video about it as soon as it arrived, before I had even read the issue. After reading it, I was even more thrilled because the issue was so well-done. I'm so glad that I decided to subscribe when I did.
Cover price: $4.99.
Subscription price: $3.74.
Release date: October 11.
Arrived in mailbox: October 10.
Defects: None.
Note: Arrived in my mailbox a day before it was available to purchase in shops.
Cover price: $4.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: October 25.
Arrived in mailbox: October 30.
Defects: Minor ding on bottom right corner, barely noticeable.
Note: The cardstock insert inside the bag, showing the titles available to order, was the first one to reflect the new subscription price change, with Captain America now listed as $35.93 for 12 issues.
Cover price: $3.99.
Subscription price: $3.74.
Release date: November 15.
Arrived in mailbox: November 24.
Defects: Minor ding on the top corner near spine.
Cover price: $4.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: November 29.
Arrived in mailbox: December 4.
Defects: None.
Cover price: $4.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: December 13.
Arrived in mailbox: December 11.
Defects: Ding on top page edge of issue.
Note: This issue arrived in my mailbox two days before it was available for sale in shops.
Cover price: $3.99.
Subscription price: $3.74.
Release date: December 20.
Arrived in mailbox: December 20.
Defects: Super-tiny ding on bottom right corner of cover -- which I wouldn't have even noticed except for closely inspecting the issue for any possible defects because of this blog post. In fact, I accidentally dropped the issue on the floor when cutting opening the bag that it is mailed in, so who knows, it may have gotten the ding due to that. Either way, it is an extremely minor defect -- the same kind of tiny imperfection that affects any copy you might find on the shelf at a local comics shop.
Cover price: $4.99.
Subscription price: $2.25.
Release date: January 3, 2024.
Arrived in mailbox: January 8, 2024.
Defects: None.
On October 13, 2023, I noticed that the price for a 12-issue subscription to Captain America had been increased, from $28.96 to $35.93 -- reflecting the new $4.99 cover price. However this change doesn't appear to have affected my existing subscription, which is based on how many issues are on my sub, not on their price. Also, the price of the 12-issue sub drops from $35.93 to $33.49 when subscribing to more than one series, bringing the subscription price to $2.79 per issue (instead of $2.25), an increase of 54 cents per issue from the price that I paid in April 2023. However $2.79 per issue is a bargain off the $4.99 cover price, so I do intend to renew my sub in 2024 when it expires.
In conclusion: Here is my price savings so far due to subscribing by mail instead of buying the issues for cover price in stores. I spent $26.99 for 12 issues. For that money I received 11 issues in the mail (Sentinel of Liberty #11 was apparently lost in the mail). Those 11 issues that I received were: Sentinel of Liberty #12-13, Symbol of Truth #12-14, Captain America #750, Captain America Finale #1, and Captain America #1-4 [#751-754]. The cover price of those 11 issues totals $53.89. That is a savings of $26.90 -- or, in other words, half-off the cover price.
Since I had another 12-issue sub which got combined into my Cap sub, that means I have 12 more issues coming in the mail in 2024. At $4.99 cover price per issue (assuming that remains the price for the next 12 issues), that would total $59.88. Since I paid only $26.99 for those 12 issues, my savings in 2024 will be at least $32.89 (assuming no issues are lost or severely damaged in the mail, needing to be replaced).
Anyway, I'm glad that I subscribed when I did. If you are interested in buying new comic books but are scared off by the cover prices, buying a subscription may be the solution that you are looking for. Thanks for reading!
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