Subscribe. Yes? No? Who?

[Ginkasa]

I've been looking into subscribing to the comics I enjoy (pretty much the Batman titles) rather than having to visit the local comic shop (which is diffcult since my schedule sometimes means I simply can't get there for a while and its out of my way and I'd really rather not have to talk to the same cashier guy every time I buy a book, etc.).

Anyway, I've found three options and I was hoping I could get some feedback or advice on which would be best to use. I'm looking for a nice average of cheap and fast.

DC Comics' own subscription service sounds alright. I'm not sure about the "literal" subscription where you pay a larger amount for all the issues at once. The same amount or more over time would be fine, but $25 to $30 for each title adds up to all at once. Plus, I've heard bad things...

My Comic Shop is an option, but I don't think I like it. I haven't played around too much, but selecting titles doesn't seem easy to do and I won't be getting tons of books a week (and I'd rather not wait for bi-weekly or monthly) so the flat $5 shipping charge may be a little overmuch.

Midtown Comics is the one I'm leaning toward. Selecting the titles seems easy and the shipping charge will usually be a little cheaper than MCS. I had also heard of it even before I really started reading comics, so it has a "name brand" security feel (that's hopefully not false security). My only issue would be the 10 title minimum. The monthly books I'm interested in only total 8, so this has a couple of follow-up questions, if anyone knows:

- If my initial subscription order contains mini-series that still count towards the total, would they still count after they end or would I have to find a replacement?

-If I do have to find a replacement, what are a couple of good stand-alone non-Batman monthly titles to subscribe to? Nothing that would require a ton of research or tie-ins. Just good fun.

Or should I just skip subscribing? Please give me your opinion. Por favor and gracias.

[Judge-Dredd]

I have to get 14 dollar shipping for my 4 titles. So it sucks. But it was the only one I found that went to Ireland.

[titanfan]

Warning: DC Subscription service is TERRIBLE! Get it only if you plan on not moving, don't expect customer service and are subscribing to something you know isn't going to get cancelled in the next year.

I'd use an online subscription service (like My Comics Shop or Midtown) instead.

How many books do you read? Many local comic book stores are willing to package your comics up and mail them to you once a month or whatever you need....

[Matthew E]

Originally Posted by titanfan

Warning: DC Subscription service is TERRIBLE! Get it only if you plan on not moving, don't expect customer service and are subscribing to something you know isn't going to get cancelled in the next year.

And if you don't mind not ever receiving random issues of whatever you've subscribed to.

[invisiboy]

A friend of mine who doesn't have an LCS used to subscribe to some DC Comics. Eventually he quit and just started buying new comics on eBay. He said DC's subscription service was really bad. Sometimes he would have to wait two months after an issue came out to get it.

[Ginkasa]

So has anyone used Midtown Comics or My Comic Shop? Pros/cons between the two?