ComicBooks or GraphicPaperbacks?

[12c_Comic]

Will comics stay as comics as I know them from the 60's to now, or will they all become more complete story books with high gloss pages and computer painted pictures?

[chrisfuccione]

To go after the mainstream crowd they will have to do more in the way of Graphic Novels. CHRIS

[delekkerste]

Will comics stay as comics as I know them from the 60's to now, or will they all become more complete story books

 

There is a GREAT editorial in the new CBG by Peter David on how comic companies are killing themselves these days. Here's the gist of it from memory:

 

1. Almost all monthly pamphlets are now composed of 6-issue storylines so they can be repackaged as TPBs. This makes for an unsatisfying read, having to wait 30 or more days between each installment of the story. Furthermore, it discourages casual/experimental buying of a title since "jumping-on" points only come every 6 issues (and even then, the following storyline may be a 6-issue continuation of what came before - where have all the standalone, done-in-one or two stories gone??)

 

2. The 6-issue storylines also discourage people from buying #1 issues, since oftentimes #1 issues just set things up for the next 5 issues and nothing really happens in them. Furthermore, more and more people are waiting to see if a comic is worthy of being published in TPB format before commiting to a title so they don't jump onboard a target for cancellation.

 

3. Releasing TPBs a month or less after the final installment of a storyline gives readers an incentive to skip pamphlet buying when they know they can get the whole storyline in one fell swoop right after it wraps up in pamphlet format. That would be akin to releasing a paperback book a month after the hardcover release - think about how much that would cannibalize hardcover sales. There's a reason why publishers wait a year before they publish the softcover. Quick TPB turnarounds cannibalize pamphlet sales.

 

Another point is that the costs of producing TPBs are much better than producing 6 individual issues. Look up the thread entitled "THE FUTURE OF COMICS BEGINS NOW..." in the archives for a more comprehensive debate on the issue.

 

Gene