Stuart Moore's A Thousand Flowers: The Graphic Novel in America

[MattBrady]

A THOUSAND FLOWERSComics, Pop Culture, and the World OutsideInstallment 30by Stuart Moore

The Books of Heaven, the Comics of Hell: The Graphic Novel in America

At least four times, the original graphic novel has been poised to become a vital part of the U.S. comics scene: 1968-71, 1976-78, the late ‘80s…and right now. The fourth time might be the charm -- but the old 22-page comic book still has some strong advantages. Let’s take a quick look at the history of the graphic novel to see why…

It’s easy to see why writers champion the graphic novel. It’s very liberating to be able to craft a lengthy narrative and let the tension points fall where they may, instead of having to break the flow every 22 pages. But there are two reasons why the graphic novel format hasn’t taken over, despite some pretty zealous proponents.

The first drawback is visibility. This is more of a problem for the artist than for the writer, because generally speaking, comics take a lot longer to draw than they take to write. That means that, for some artists, doing a stand-alone graphic novel can take them out of the marketplace entirely for six months to a year.

The usual response to this is: It doesn’t hurt novelists, or film directors. And that’s true. But a large chunk of the comics audience is still accustomed to seeing Mark Bagley on Ultimate Spider-Man once a month (or more). An artist can hurt his career by not maintaining a constant presence on the racks.

Still, that’s changing, and it may not matter much in a few years. The other problem is stickier: economics.

By the late ‘60s, comic books -- Marvel and the undergrounds, in particular -- had seeped into the mass youth movement, becoming a vital part of the counterculture. (The Silver Surfer had a whole second career on black light posters.) For years, mass market paperback publishers had done well with comic strip collections; now they started branching out into other types of comics material as well.

Vaughn Bode did interesting work in this format, some of it originally produced for men’s and science fiction magazines. But the most ambitious proponent of mass graphic novels was Gil Kane. Kane combined a commercial sensibility with a desire to break out of the limited, child-oriented genres of contemporary comics.

In 1968, Kane plotted, drew, and basically self-published His Name is Savage, a violent crime book with script by Archie Goodwin. (It was reissued by Fantagraphics in the ‘80s, but appears to be out of print.) In a 1996 Comics Journal interview, Kane detailed his disastrous experience with the book’s distribution. Undaunted, he sold a sword-and-sorcery project, Blackmark, to Bantam Books. But Bantam switched his deal around, offering him far less per book for an eight-book contract:

“They were paying me $3,500 a book. Can you imagine pencilling, inking, and writing a 120-page Bantam Book? …And once I got started on one, I would do 30 pages in one week. Then I’d have to knock off for a week or two to make some additional money.”

From Kane’s account, there’s no doubt that Bantam took advantage of him, and the deal fell apart after one book. But the low money hints at a basic problem with graphic-novel economics -- one we’ll get back to soon. And if the book had sold well, I’m pretty sure Bantam would have found a way to continue the program, either with Kane or without him.

(Digression: Comics people have a tendency to think of book publishing as a stable, dignified field. In truth, it’s a pretty small, desperate world. Most trade and mass market books lose money, and book publishers habitually pounce on any fad that might bring in a bit of cash. Right now, they’re all over manga -- and mark my words: Inside of eighteen months, they’ll have that little bookstore section so glutted that individual title sales will drop like a rock.)

The mass market paperback format (which Kane used for Blackmark, though not Savage) was always problematical because it’s just so damn small. Kane and Bode had tried to work within it, experimenting with one- and two-panel pages and odd arrangements of text and pictures. But Blackmark reads oddly, like an illustrated book where the pictures staged a rebellion and took over. And Bode’s Cartoon Concert, with its rigid balloon placement and single panel per page, gives the reader a strange sense of turning pages too quickly. The whole thing just never gelled.

As the ‘70s got underway, mass market publishers embraced a format they’d only experimented with earlier: reprints of larger-format comic books. But the publishers adapted the comics several ways, all seriously flawed. The Ballantine MAD comics reprints tipped the pages on their side, splitting each page into three. Most of the DC reprints involved chopping up the pages and printing one to three panels per page, which resulted in odd-shaped pages, lots of white space, variable lettering sizes, and, of course, the destruction of any integrity the original page-layout might have had. The Marvel books took the more drastic approach of shrinking the entire page down to 4” by 6 3/4” or so. This allowed them to fit a lot of material in a volume, but man, that lettering was small. The books looked like prototypes for the microfiche comics that came along soon after.

By the late ‘70s, publishers began experimenting with larger-format, more ambitious graphic novels, many of them packaged by Byron Preiss Visual Concepts. Preiss had pioneered some odd combinations of words and pictures, with more spirit than commercial success, in the mid-‘70s; his Weird Heroes illustrated prose anthologies were fascinating books, his Fiction Illustrated digest-format comics less artistically successful. Now he jumped into big graphic novels full-steam -- and so did Heavy Metal and other players.

Howard Chaykin wrote and/or drew several volumes during this time, including Empire (with sf writer Samuel R. Delany), The Swords Of Heaven, The Flowers Of Hell (with Michael Moorcock), and his own assorted Cody Starbuck projects. Archie Goodwin and Walter Simonson, meanwhile, produced a stylish adaptation of the first Alein film, while Stephen Bissette, Rick Veitch, and Allan Asherman turned out a real oddity: a splattery adaptation of the Spielberg comedy flop 1941.

Baronet Books jumped in heavily, publishing Will Eisner’s A Contract With God, sometimes cited as the first true American graphic novel. (It’s actually four novellas, but what the hell.) Chaykin painted a dense, ambitious illustrated version of Alfred Bester’s classic sf novel The Stars My Destination, packaged by Byron Preiss. But Baronet only issued book one of a projected two volumes, leaving the second half unpublished until 1992. And, once again, graphic novels stalled. The books were beautifully produced and often read well, but the sales just weren’t there in the bookstore market.



But at the same time, the direct market was just finding its feet. In 1978, Eclipse Books published the original graphic novel Sabre, by Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy, followed in 1980 by Detectives, Inc. by McGregor and Marshall Rogers, and Steve Gerber & Gene Colan’s Stewart The Rat. Unlike the genre-specific and movie-tie-in projects described above, these were new, original books by mainstream comics talent who’d outgrown the creative confines of Marvel and DC. Marvel started their own graphic novel line in the early ‘80s, beginning with a few Jim Starlin works. But the burgeoning direct market soon encouraged publishers to concentrate more on cheap, regular-format comic books.

A combination of factors -- most of them with names like Alan Moore and Frank Miller -- brought comics a higher profile in the late ‘80s. The book market once again jumped on board, eager for a new category to exploit. (As a junior editor at St. Martin’s Press, I was one of the exploiters, in my own little way.) But the bookstore chains -- WaldenBooks in particular -- jumped in too quickly, too deep, and wound up returning huge quantities of most books.

A lot of blame has been thrown around for the subsequent decline in graphic novel sales. As usual, a good bit of it was aimed at Marvel, which seemed to make very little distinction between the material they issued on comics form and the stuff that wound up in the larger 48- to 64-page size. (No offense to the creators, but Super Boxers just didn’t warrant the format or the price.) But whether comics publishers poisoned the well or the market just wasn’t there, the book-buying public continued to ignore most comics material.

Today, graphic novels are once again coming to be seen as a viable mass-distribution commodity -- thanks to a combination of fan support, vocal activism by a group of writers, and a distribution system increasingly hostile to single-issue comics from small publishers. Two other factors are also contributing: a sort of critical-mass acceptance of comics by a new generation of media reviewers, and the current popularity of manga.

I’m happy that gns are now seen as a real publishing option, and I hope that market will continue to grow. But graphic novels are still in no danger of replacing regular comic books -- and the reason, as always, is economic. Here’s how it breaks down:

The biggest expense for a major-company comic book is creative -- writer, artist(s), colorist. It’s not unusual for a major comics company’s creative cost to add up to $600 per page. (Top creators can earn much, much more.) On a 22-page comic book, that’s a total of $13,200 -- a substantial sum. But on a 96-page graphic novel, it’s $57,600. And on a 150-page gn, it’s $90,000. Before you spend a dime on production costs.

People say they prefer graphic novels -- but they don’t back it up with their dollars. If you, Magnum Comics, a direct market leader, solicit a 22-page comic book at $2.95, let’s say you’re going to get orders of about 30,000 copies on average. But if you solicit a 96-page graphic novel at $12.95, you’re going to get far fewer. Probably closer to 4,000 -- less, if name creators aren’t involved.

That means you -- Magnum Comics -- are getting a hell of a lot less return on your $57,600 than you would on your $13,200. And your $13,200 item has a second chance to earn its keep, as part of a trade paperback collection.

Why are the orders so much lower? Because you, as the publisher, are asking the retailers -- many of whom are cash-strapped -- to lay out a lot more money per copy. And since the direct market works on a nonreturnable basis, if a retailer is stuck with five copies of your GN, that’s $60 retail -- between $24 and $36 wholesale, depending on the retailer’s discount. If he’s stuck with five copies of the $2.95 comic, that’s only $14.75 retail, or six to nine bucks of the retailer’s money. There’s a big incentive there for them to cut gn orders to the bone.

Same thing on the reader’s side. $12.95 is a big chunk to lay out for a book. If a reader has heard good things about a creator or a project but is on the fence, he’s much more likely to spend three dollars for a taste and decide whether to continue from there.

Of course, that’s the direct market. There’s the potential to make a lot more money in bookstores. But as mentioned above, the bookstore market is far riskier to a publisher, because 100% of the product is returnable. If sales are high, everyone wins. But if they’re low, the only person eating all that page-rate money is the publisher.

(Retailers will argue that the publisher should bear that risk, which is a longer and different discussion. I’m not arguing obligations right now; just pointing out how economic realities influence publishing decisions.)

To add insult to financial injury: You, Magnum Comics, have been paying the writer and (particularly) artists for months, so they can afford to live and finish the book. Without monthly serialization, you won’t see any of that money back until the entire, long volume is finished and published.

Of course, graphic novels -- like trade paperbacks, which we’ll get into next time -- can sell far more copies than their initial orders would indicate. They’re designed to be kept in print, and direct market retailers know it; that’s the other reason they order conservatively up front. If a gn sells out quickly, a savvy retailer will reorder it. But note the word “savvy.” Many retailers just won’t -- and given the huge number of new products screaming at them from the Diamond catalogue each month, it’s hard to blame them.

The economics are completely different for small publishers. Part of the reason is that the market for indy comics is just more trade-oriented. Indy orders tend to be proportionally higher for trades and gns than the larger companies’ -- while their single-issue orders are much lower.

But the main reason for the different business model is that small companies don’t pay big page rates, or advances, to their creative people. When their creators make substantial money -- which can happen -- it’s usually on the back end. For the publisher, this eliminates a big cash drain right up front, and makes the graphic novel a much more appealing format because the publisher takes in much more money per copy sold than on a comic book.

As a writer, I like working under both systems. In fact, if you’ll allow me another digression: One of the worst things you can do as a writer is to start thinking of the work you’re being paid most for as your best work. Sometimes the work that pays the least is your most experimental, personal, or challenging. If you cut yourself off from that, you’re missing out on some real opportunities to grow and change. The work you’re paid most for is the work someone else deems the most commercial -- nothing more, nothing less. That work may be personal, experimental, or ground-breaking. But it isn’t necessarily so. And, occasionally, the work you’re paid less for today can pay off down the line.

Gil Kane understood that. Otherwise, he never would have taken time out from Green Lantern to create Blackmark.

Today, more and more creators have carved out niches as graphic novelists. Neil Gaiman is the biggest success story; he was a star comics writer first, then a bestselling novelist, and the result is the high sales of his new Endless Nights volume. Will Eisner and Joe Kubert, two older artists, have achieved a certain success with serious-themed long-form works. Warren Ellis’s graphic novels seem to sell at least as well as his individual-comics works -- again, the hard-won product of his talent and his persistent efforts in an evolving marketplace.

No doubt this will be true of more writers and artists, as time goes on. And the rise of the hardcover as a format helps too: For a publisher, it means another way to earn his money back, and at a higher price-point to boot -- if, usually, in smaller quantities.

But for the major publishers, it still makes financial sense to release most first-run material as disposable single-issue comics. Then, down the line, to reprint worthy material in more durable trade paperback collections.

Which we’ll deal with next time. See how neatly one thing segues into the next? Almost like I planned it…

**

Brief Bibliography

“Gil Kane: From 6 to 60,” THE COMICS JOURNAL, April 1995
Too many graphic novels to list

**

Stuart Moore has been a writer, a comics editor for Vertigo and Marvel Knights, a kitchen worker, a book editor, and various other, less glamorous jobs. He has won the Will Eisner award for Best Editor 1996 and the Don Thompson Award for Favorite Editor 1999.

My current comics work: LONE #2, a new future-western series from Dark Horse/Rocket Comics, is on sale now. It’s drawn by Jerome Opena, this year’s Russ Manning Award-winner for best newcomer, and you can read the entire first issue, free, right now at http://www.rocketcomics.net/download...diatype=ecomic . (If you get the solicitation page, just click the link labelled “e-comic.”)

Out in November: “Mo Money, Mo Bullets,” a twisted little story by me and John Lucas in the second issue of the new VAMPIRELLA magazine. That magazine also features a preview of my next project: GIANT ROBOT WARRIORS, a graphic novel drawn by Ryan (LUCIFER) Kelly, out in December from AiT/PlanetLar. More info on these and other upcoming projects at:
http://www.newsarama.com/forums/show...&threadid=6208 and http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.co...4489322456.htm .

[Eddy_O]

I really dig graphic novels, but hate TBPs. I feel if a story is so big it should be contained in a "real" book form, cool. But I can't stand when they draw out story arcs over six issues just so they can make a TPB, when the story could and should have been told in 3 or 4. For me anyway, it's all about stroy, and if it's good, I'll pick it up in any form. But I'm not supporting cash grabs. Anyway, just my 2 cents (1.4 cents US).

[NotAnIssue]

Originally posted by Eddy_O
I really dig graphic novels, but hate TBPs. I feel if a story is so big it should be contained in a "real" book form, cool. But I can't stand when they draw out story arcs over six issues just so they can make a TPB, when the story could and should have been told in 3 or 4. For me anyway, it's all about stroy, and if it's good, I'll pick it up in any form. But I'm not supporting cash grabs. Anyway, just my 2 cents (1.4 cents US).

So basically, all that just boils down to you having a problem with pacing. You don't hate TPBs.

[Bullwinkle]

Nice to see mentions of Detectives Inc. as well as some of Chaykin's early GN work there ....

If you could give me some more story on his series of original graphic novels that never quite happened (otherwise known as Time2) then I'd be forever grateful ....

- Chris

[ThePope]

Ultimately, I think the original graphic novel will continue to be a niche market.

The economics that you point out simply make it impossible for the graphic novel to compete with the monthlies.

Obviously thre are exceptions (Endless Nights) being the most obvious, but I don't think we'll ever see monthly like sales figures on an OGN. The pricing model just doesn't work. But that's ultimately the same as any other pricing model. Premium products almost never sell as well as economically priced products, but can often sell well enough to maintain their economic viability.

Even DC (with their near-infinite reserves of cash), has balked on the OGN issue. The whole point of the prestige format was to tell OGN-style stories without the financial risk of a high-dollar item. (And these can always be collected later as a hardcover/TPB.) And while DC has published a number of OGN's, the prestige format one-shot or limited series seems to be the preferred method for these types of stories. The OGN format seems to be reserved for the big name talent (Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Alex Ross, etc.) or for painted artwork projects (Scott Hampton, George Pratt for example.)

Seemingly Marvel has abandoned the entire idea of the OGN. Does anybody remember the last OGN Marvel released? Was it really as far back as Elektra Lives Again?

The book trade of course, really doesn't distinguish between the OGN and a trade paperback collection. Both are usually shelved together in a Graphic Novels section. And I think this is appropriate. The typical mass market consumer could care less if the content was originally printed as a serial or as one complete project. If the content's worthwhile they'll read it (hopefully).

I personally, love the OGN, and I own quite a number of them. But I'll be the first to admit that OGN's are the first to drop off my list when money gets tight. I think one of the keys to continuing to keep the OGN viable is a better commitment from publishers to keep the things in print, recognizing that sales need not have to happen all within the first week of release. It certainly works with TPB's.

Great piece. And I'm really enjoying Lone (and the rest of the Rocket Comics imprint).

[Eddy_O]

Originally posted by NotAnIssue
So basically, all that just boils down to you having a problem with pacing. You don't hate TPBs.

Um, if I said I hate TPBs, then..... I hate TPBs. If the monthly titles are struggling with pacing and "filler" material BECAUSE of the TPBs and the money the publishers make off them, then yes, I hate TPBs.

[xdemon]

"Chaykin painted a dense, ambitious illustrated version of Alfred Bester’s classic sf novel The Stars My Destination, packaged by Byron Preiss. But Baronet only issued book one of a projected two volumes, leaving the second half unpublished until 1992."

I bought the 1992 version when it came out and enjoyed it - I may have to dig it out an reread it.

As far as OGNs go, I just don't buy them. I also don't buy prose novels or many other books, either. They are too expensive. (An exception is what I term "reference books" - books that I will go back to for specific information. And those books constitute a rare purchase. Another exception is if I go to a book signing and will get to meet the author and have him/her sign the book. But there are very few authors I will do this for.) If there is something I really want to read, I'll go to the local library and check it out. And if they don't have it, I'll request it through interlibrary loan and just pay the potsage which is about the price of a comicbook. If someone I know has something I would like to read, I will borrow it from them. Cold as this may sound, but I will let someone else make the financial expenditure and I will enjoy the fruits of their labor, whether they be institution or individual.

But for the vast majority of OGNs out there, none have interested me enough to pursue them. It has been 10+ years since I purchased a hardcover OGN. (I purchased Vols. 1 -3 of the Marvel Handbook but I wouldn't consider them novels - they fall more under my "reference book" exception.) Until the pamphlets die and are ressurrected as OGNs, Make Mine Monthly.

[Jacob W]

Originally posted by ThePope
Ultimately, I think the original graphic novel will continue to be a niche market.

The economics that you point out simply make it impossible for the graphic novel to compete with the monthlies.

Obviously thre are exceptions (Endless Nights) being the most obvious, but I don't think we'll ever see monthly like sales figures on an OGN. The pricing model just doesn't work. But that's ultimately the same as any other pricing model. Premium products almost never sell as well as economically priced products, but can often sell well enough to maintain their economic viability.

Even DC (with their near-infinite reserves of cash), has balked on the OGN issue. The whole point of the prestige format was to tell OGN-style stories without the financial risk of a high-dollar item. (And these can always be collected later as a hardcover/TPB.) And while DC has published a number of OGN's, the prestige format one-shot or limited series seems to be the preferred method for these types of stories. The OGN format seems to be reserved for the big name talent (Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Alex Ross, etc.) or for painted artwork projects (Scott Hampton, George Pratt for example.)

Seemingly Marvel has abandoned the entire idea of the OGN. Does anybody remember the last OGN Marvel released? Was it really as far back as Elektra Lives Again?

The book trade of course, really doesn't distinguish between the OGN and a trade paperback collection. Both are usually shelved together in a Graphic Novels section. And I think this is appropriate. The typical mass market consumer could care less if the content was originally printed as a serial or as one complete project. If the content's worthwhile they'll read it (hopefully).

I personally, love the OGN, and I own quite a number of them. But I'll be the first to admit that OGN's are the first to drop off my list when money gets tight. I think one of the keys to continuing to keep the OGN viable is a better commitment from publishers to keep the things in print, recognizing that sales need not have to happen all within the first week of release. It certainly works with TPB's.

Great piece. And I'm really enjoying Lone (and the rest of the Rocket Comics imprint).

Um, Paul Levitz, and I'm fairly sure of Bob Shreck and Dan Didio, are all fairly supporting of OGNs. I know Levitz said something of it, when Endless was so high on the New York Times Bestseller list, and with Orbiter earlier this year.

So, um, how are they not supporting It?

Besides, I buy more OGNs then anything else right now. I get very few comics in the monthly format, and those are the ones where I usually buy both the trade and the monthly, because they are worth it.

[Cartoon Jay]

The Stars My Destination was beautifully illustrated, and my first introduction to the genius of Alfred Bester. If you can find a copy, grab it. Brilliant work.[

[Jacob W]

Originally posted by xdemon
"Chaykin painted a dense, ambitious illustrated version of Alfred Bester’s classic sf novel The Stars My Destination, packaged by Byron Preiss. But Baronet only issued book one of a projected two volumes, leaving the second half unpublished until 1992."

I bought the 1992 version when it came out and enjoyed it - I may have to dig it out an reread it.

As far as OGNs go, I just don't buy them. I also don't buy prose novels or many other books, either. They are too expensive. (An exception is what I term "reference books" - books that I will go back to for specific information. And those books constitute a rare purchase. Another exception is if I go to a book signing and will get to meet the author and have him/her sign the book. But there are very few authors I will do this for.) If there is something I really want to read, I'll go to the local library and check it out. And if they don't have it, I'll request it through interlibrary loan and just pay the potsage which is about the price of a comicbook. If someone I know has something I would like to read, I will borrow it from them. Cold as this may sound, but I will let someone else make the financial expenditure and I will enjoy the fruits of their labor, whether they be institution or individual.

But for the vast majority of OGNs out there, none have interested me enough to pursue them. It has been 10+ years since I purchased a hardcover OGN. (I purchased Vols. 1 -3 of the Marvel Handbook but I wouldn't consider them novels - they fall more under my "reference book" exception.) Until the pamphlets die and are ressurrected as OGNs, Make Mine Monthly.

Now that's probably more a question of spending habits.

A monthly comic book, can be a fairly routine purchase. Like a newspaper. It may be cheaper.

But, I personally get enough books. Usually by word of mouth, or occasionally on impulse. but impulse is rare enough.

But, it's different people. It's a lot easier to go the "cheap route" and be dinged more, if it's something you don't like. Or, if it's crap, but, you have to wait for the next episode for whatever happens next, in an arc or otherwise.

Graphic Novels tell a tale then and there. A beginning and an end, and of a nice enough length and density. (there is some exceptions, but very few)

And, besides, there's the waiting 30 days rule, which is hard to do in singles, but easier with OGNs and tpbs. It just depends on what your personal spending habits are.

And I could raise a counter-argument in that a lot of monthlies don't interest me. There is that excitement from month to month, but that has a more soap feel, which if it's your thing, cool. But it won't be everyone's way. Cause, if you take away that excitement and passion serially, a lot of the time, the story just doesn't hold up to merit.

[ThePope]

For every Endless Nights and Orbiter, there are a half-dozen or more prestige format limiteds that could just as easily be done as an OGN. There are currently 3 Batman limteds runnign right now (City of Light, Death and the Maidens, Trinity) Any or all of these could have been published as an OGN.

While DC is certainly publishing a number of OGN's, it's evident to me that they are only willing to do so for name projects that they feel will have crossover appeal. Contrast this with the three-year period between the release of the first two Batman films which saw at least 6 OGN's featuring Batman as well as a number of other less visible DC properties (Enemy Ace, Viking Prince).

I didn't mean to suggest that DC was abandoning the format. I was merely pointing out that the OGN represents a significant financial risk and therefore is usually not used for projects that are more marginal. These marginal projects are seeing more visibilty as limiteds or prestige one-shots which are less risky formats.

[pmpknface]

What? No mention of Steranko's RED TIDE?

[Rodrigo Baeza]

Just some info to complement Stuart's overview:

In 1968, Kane plotted, drew, and basically self-published His Name is Savage, a violent crime book with script by Archie Goodwin. (It was reissued by Fantagraphics in the ‘80s, but appears to be out of print.) In a 1996 Comics Journal interview, Kane detailed his disastrous experience with the book’s distribution. Undaunted, he sold a sword-and-sorcery project, Blackmark, to Bantam Books.

A few years ago there was talk of Dark Horse reprinting Savage and even publishing a sequel by Steven Grant and Gil Kane, but Kane unfortunately died before this came to pass.

Blackmark is available from Fantagraphics in a restored edition.

As a sidenote, I believe Kane blamed the "disastrous experience with the book's distribution" on the other comic-book publishers, who according to him put pressure on Savage's distributor, ensuring that the book never reached a wide audience.

Howard Chaykin wrote and/or drew several volumes during this time, including Empire (with sf writer Samuel R. Delany), The Swords Of Heaven, The Flowers Of Hell (with Michael Moorcock), and his own assorted Cody Starbuck projects.

Cody Starbuck appeared as a 32-page comic-book (along with some short pieces in Star*Reach and Heavy Metal), but I don't think it ever appeared in book format. (If it did, I'd love to see it!)

Another graphic novel from this period (mid-1970's) is Richard Corben's Bloodstar, adapted by John Jakes and John Pocsik from a Robert E. Howard story.

Rodrigo Baeza
http://rodrigobaeza.blog-city.com

[gOgIver]

Stuart Moore has been a writer, a comics editor for Vertigo and Marvel Knights, a kitchen worker, a book editor, and various other, less glamorous jobs. He has won the Will Eisner award for Best Editor 1996 and the Don Thompson Award for Favorite Editor 1999.

Dude what about HELIX?

[Michael C Lorah]

If the monthly titles are struggling with pacing and "filler" material BECAUSE of the TPBs and the money the publishers make off them, then yes, I hate TPBs.

I would argue that TPBs have nothing to do with bad pacing and filler material. The creative management at the company, or possibly the creator of the title itself, is the actual problem.

Either they don't know how to balance two formats, or they simply don't care to do so.

Either way, tons of titles are serialized before being collected and never have an issue with poor pacing or filler material. Bone, Usagi Yojimbo, Y the Last Man, etc., etc.- If there is a problem with the stories before they reach the TPB stage, the problem isn't the TPB format. It's the creators telling the story.

No matter which format you prefer, they've all got their own merits. You can prefer whichever you like, you can dislike whichever you don't, but blaming one format for inadequecies in another format's stories is misplaced blame.
Because you CAN balance the demands of both.

[ThePope]

Absolutely correct. Besides the concept of telling stories in arcs for later collection is hardly a new thing. This was one of the original concepts for Legends of The Dark Knight, 3-5 issue self-contained story arcs that coud be compiled later. And that series first appeared 14 years ago.

[Aaron Weisbrod]

Another great article, Stuart, continuing your streak of homeruns with this column as of late.

If everyone put this much thought (and research) into these issues as you have (and then mass-published them) the market as a whole would be a better place.

Good show, old chap!

With two thumbs way up (despite the few typos),
Aaron Weisbrod

[lesterbangs]

What is the difference really between the OGN and TPB? In terms of literary history, not too much. All of Dickens' novels were serialised as they were written and then collected. Sure, Hard Times lacks the action of a Daredevil trade, but who cares? I like to be able to sit down and read a whole story in one sitting, and I suspect that a lot of people are like me in that regard. Plus, I hate trying to wait until a story arc ends for me to try to jump on a book. It's a pain in the ass. Of course that being said, I am a tad nostalgic for the one issue, one story format I vaguely remember from my youth. But as I look back, and try to pick up Frank Miller Daredevils on the way, I guess they had arcs back then too. Meh, covers are always better on the monthlies.

[Frank L]

On the subject I personally love the GN format but I can't afford some of the price points especially here in Canada. I would've loved to pick up Orbiter but I can't justify the cost.

Some other examples are:

The Checker Supreme collection
The Marvel Masterworks
The Bendis Jinx books

There's tons of stuff that I can't justify whether it be a trade or an OGN.

But one thought I've always had as far as the big boys go is to package runs of their major books in AFFORDABLE formats. The Lee/Kirby FF run was done in the old 4-colour format as was the lions share of Claremont's run on the X-Men, these could be reprinted affordably in the old four-colour format (and I don't believe that it doesn't exist anymore as I think I see it in the Sunday comics each week) in 128 page clumps and sit on my bookshelf looking all beautiful.

Let's face it, if you want to read Asimov's Foundation series it's always in print and affordable. If you want to read the Lee/Kirby FF you have to spend $50 Cdn on the Masterworks or hunt for one of the reprint titles since you can't expect to crack open a comic that's worth hundreds of dollars.

The guys at Checker once said they needed to sell 3000 copies to make the product viable. I'd think that Marvel could easily sell cheap collections of old standards in double those numbers.

I think I just had to get that off my chest.

Having said that, I'd spend just about anything to have American Flagg! collected.

[Michael P]

Another very well-done column, Stu. Your grasp and presentation of the economic realities of publishing really pulled me in. As an aside, that bit about the overhead cost (minus production) of the average 22-page single is also a good counter-argument for the deluded among us who think the ever-higher prices of comics are greedy publishers gouging the fans.

Also: Is it just me, or does that chick on the "Up From the Underground" illustration look a lot like the animated version of Starfire?

[Edunikki]

I could have sworn the first few of these were collected in hardcover and bundled with a lithograph. Can't remember which company tho . . .

[Charles RB]

Originally posted by ThePope
I don't think we'll ever see monthly like sales figures on an OGN.

Well, no- graphic novels and tpb's are designed for long-term sales and monthlies are designed for the short-term.

[William Coate]

What about Red Tide? Why isn't there any mention? It has an important place in graphic novel history that should not be ignored not to mention Steranko's innovative touch and influence in comic book history.

WC

[RDFozz]

Originally posted by Frank L
The guys at Checker once said they needed to sell 3000 copies to make the product viable. I'd think that Marvel could easily sell cheap collections of old standards in double those numbers.

That would be Marvel's ESSENTIALS line - around $15 for 20-plus issues of various old Marvel titles.

Of course, I recall reading somewhere that the plan going forward on these would be that titles would be pursued on one line or the other - MASTERWORKS or ESSENTIALS - but not both.

Hence, we've gotten stuff like the Human Torch series from STRANGE TALES, the Antman/Giantman stories from TALES TO ASTONISH, MARVEL TEAM-UP, and the Dr. Strange stories through the end of STRANGE TALES in the past couple of years. Not really sure where else the ESSENTIAL line has expanded.

DC is far guiltier of not providing the older stuff in a cheap format. Very little that is available in a DC Archive Edition is currently available in any softcover format.

Personally, I'd never buy an ESSENTIAL volume from Marvel if I already had the material in MASTERWORKS form, but I would certainly go the other way. In fact, I have both the Masterworks and the Essential DOCTOR STRANGE volumes - the Essential volume has roughly twice the story material, and there is no guarantee of ever seeing that material in a Masterworks edition. I have the ESSENTIAL IRON MAN volume, but that won't stop me from buying Iron Man Masterworks editions.

[dollman]

Thanks Stuart for providing numbers on the production cost of comics and graphic novels. And your comment on the illusion of book publishing as a respectable endeavour is bang on.

I had to review a memoir from a notable New York editor, whose name I can't remember, but the title of the book was Book Business. It was a very insightful read on how the economics of publishing clash with the artistic merits of the story. The big box markets created by the Amazons and Barnes & Noble have necessiated that book publishing today, is not that different from comic book publishing. In other words, keep pumping out crap that sells, and don't waste time on really good experimental stuff that's iffy.