Three Economical Comic Book Tips

When money is tight, luxuries are often the first to go. Gone are the days of 50 cent comic books, but luckily there are a few things you can do to enjoy reading comics, even on a budget. Webcomics are always an option -- and they are becoming more and more popular -- but often are a different fare altogether from traditional super hero- style comic books. These comic book tips are designed to bring you the kind of comics you want without breaking the bank.

Tip 1 - Free Digital Comics - Zuda

You've not heard of Zuda? That's not surprising, as this online comic site is only a year old, but as the digital comic arm of DC comics a lot of effort is behind its success -- it won't languish in obscurity for long.

Zuda is special for a number of reasons. They don't publish "online" comics, which are either web comics or print comics that have been scanned, but digital comics - comic books designed to be viewed on your computer screen. In addition the heart of Zuda is its monthly contest, where ten comic book creators are selected and run in direct competition, with the most popular entry after one month awarded a coveted year-long contract with Zuda.

The benefit to you, even if you are not a comic creator, is ten fresh entries every month, and weekly updates on the winners of previous competitions, in a fantastic viewer that's easy on the eyes. Did I mention that it is all for free?

Tip 2 - Trade Paperbacks offer Economical Options

If you are a fan of comic books, but not a fan of paying full prize for a run of your favorite titles, you should consider picking up a TPB, or Trade Paperback, instead.

A TPB is similar in appearance and price to a graphic novel, which is, essentially, a very long comic book. The difference between them is that a graphic novel is written as one story, from start to finish, where a TPB is a collection of monthly titles published in one place, typically following a significant plot or story arc of the title.

If the economy has you skipping your weekly trip to the local comic shop, and if you can wait for a run of Batman to be republished as a TPB, you can still enjoy your comics without breaking the bank.

Tip 3 - Following Multi-Title Arcs on a Budget

Comic book fans can't seem to get enough of their favorite titles, but sometimes it feels like the comic publishers are trying to test the limits of the theory. Take Spider-Man, for example, which currently supports eight different monthly titles. A Spider-Man fan will end up paying through the nose to keep up with everything the web-slinger does, and even J. Jonah Jameson may have trouble with that expense. What to do?

One suggestion is to pick the one or two titles you most enjoy, and learn to frequent comic book review sites. These web sites provide encapsulated versions of the events that happen in most major comic book titles, which is a great way to keep abreast of what you miss in the titles you don't buy.