Issue 7 of the Thunderbirds Are Go comic has hit news stands.
The comic is firmly sealed in a glossy outer sleeve, with a clear raised window to show off the nine, yes nine free gifts of badges, stickers, a John Tracy dog tag, a tattoo sheet and a wrist band.
Obviously the publishers must think these freebies will be highly collectable and have anticipated the huge demand, so much so that they've raised the price by a whooping pound to £4.99!
The cynic in me thinks it's to cover the probable drop in demand now that the model free gifts have ended, but what do I know.
Is it worth nearly a fiver? Maybe to a kid of seven I suppose, but I'd be very surprised if older fans will bother, even without the price hike. The comic is the usual lightweight fare of 'in your face' graphics with a collector's cover that I wouldn't want in my collection.
If anyone over seven is still remotely interested, next month's issue has another free badge and a 'rescue' torch!
I shan't bother unless they reinstate model vehicles. Shame this is the way they've gone.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it is aimed at today's kids ( I'm assuming around seven) but TV21 which I got when I was seven was so much more than this glossy 'syle over substance ' effort, don't you think Kev.
DeleteI certainly do. TV21 stuff I still look at now, the TAG comic was in the recycling bin as soon as the toy was removed.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha! That doesn't surprise me : D
DeleteWell I wont be bothering with that load of tripe, especially with the price hike. Hugh was right when he said way back before issue 1 was released that they would default to stationery and knick knacks like this, what a shame, it all started so well. I wonder if the production problems with last months toy have kyboshed the models, or was this just the way it was always going?
ReplyDeleteI suspect that was the plan all along, although the price hike seems a bit of a no brainer. I think Poundland would struggle to sell the comic on it's own for a quid, and the free gifts don't bring the value up to a fiver, even when they were models. Unless things change I reckon the comic's days are numbered.
DeleteI suspect you're right, Scoop. It's probably a desperate attempt by DCT to screw as much dosh as possible out of the (ever-decreasing number of) readers who still buy it, but I reckon the price-hike will scare even more of them away - and faster, too. The first four toys were arguably worth £3.99 by themselves (without the mag), but these gifts are just a load of ol' tat. And the mag's rubbish anyway. Shame, but there you go.
ReplyDeleteYeah; it is a shame Kid. I hark back to the days when comic strips used proper artists. They didn't have to be Rembrant but they were competent and could do a story justice. I still read my old Valiants and Tigers, I can't see many kids digging out their old TAG comics fifty years from now.
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