Comic Block is the newest subscription box from Nerd Block. Although I once subscribed to Nerd Block, it has been awhile since I stopped that subscription. Once I’d heard about the new Comic Block they were offering, I figured I’d give it a try. For $13.99 a month plus around $9 in shipping (to Canada), it seemed like pretty good value for three comics, a t-shirt and a “comic themed collectible.”
I got my third Comic Block in the mail today. Was it as good as the others?
Not the best quality picture, but you get the idea of the contents.
First things first, if you tally up the price tag value of the items that you can, it’s definitely worth the price of admittance. The t-shirt alone is priced at $20 according to the tag, and then we have the comics that come in at around $12, but with one of them being an exclusive variant cover, the actual value may, or may not, be higher in time. The comic themed collectible this month is an Iron Man coaster, and is probably valued generously at about two or three bucks.
So is the third Comic Block any good?
The t-shirt is okay, and while I enjoyed Ant-Man I’m largely indifferent to the design. It’s certainly not bad, though, I’m just not as in love with this design as I was the previous two. The shirt quality is good, though, and your own preference on a side profile of the helmet may differ from my own. If nothing else this will make a great lounging about t-shirt.
Of the comics included in this block, Marvel’s offering is Lando #1 (a $4 comic) which I honestly had no intention of ever reading simply because even though I enjoy Star Wars, I’m not a big fan and I don’t care enough about Lando Calrissian to want to read about him in a comic book. The second comic comes from IDW and DC in the form of the first issue (and exclusive variant cover) of the Star Trek/Green Lantern crossover, and to be honest this comic holds less interest for me than Lando #1. Leaving the best for last, we have the Dark Horse offering included is Negative Space #1 (valued at $4), and this is a comic I’m excited about. The blurb on the included card makes this comic look very interesting and is easily the best of the bunch for me.
The comic themed collectible, as has already been mentioned, is an Iron Man Arc Reactor coaster. It isn’t anything I’d have ever purchased myself, but as a bonus in an already value packed Comic Block? I’m indifferent to it. I’ll use it at some point, I’m sure.
Last month, I wasn’t too happy with the bags and boards included with the comics; while they protected the comic once opened they were essentially unusable again. This month the cellophane was still there from Star Trek/Green Lantern and Negative Space, but Lando had an actual bag and board included, which was nice.
Obviously this block wasn’t my favourite.
While I’m happy with Negative Space, the other two comics I don’t care about and I didn’t love the t-shirt as I did in the past two months. The collectible I already expected to be a box filler, and I wasn’t wrong. The being said, the same three comics might be exactly what you wanted to read, so your opinion might be totally different to mine. This kind of service is entirely judged based on opinion; no, the contents weren’t my favourite, but I’m not going to decry the value of the box
All in all, even though this Comic Block continues to deliver in terms of value, I’m going to cancel my subscription going forward. I’ve already detailed the down side to Comic Block, and so I may look elsewhere for my subscription box needs, or I may simply live without for awhile.
At the end of the day, though would I still recommend this block?
Well there is no question that the value is there, but when it comes to the comics it’s unlikely you’ll ever get a full story in any of the comics; almost every comic I’ve received has been part one of something – which is great because you’re never thrown into the middle of a story, but not so great if you can’t finish every story you start. This block isn’t for me any more, but only you can make that choice for yourself. So, ultimately, yes, I’d still recommend this box.
But, if you do sign up then you can use MSA10 as a coupon in order to save 10% off when you sign up (for any Nerd Block box), courtesy of My Subscription Addiction.
Also posted on Ramblings Of A Comics Fan.
