THE WALKING DEAD #13.
© Image Comics
Singles, Trades, and Hardcovers, Oh My!
By: Kurt AmackerDate: Wednesday, November 22, 2006
After last week’s insanity over the scheduling change that wasn’t, no one responded to my column about 52. I don’t really blame you, given the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the move. But, rest assured, dear readers: Comicscape is staying on Wednesdays. But, because I have no letters to run, I’m forced to bang out a really uninspired column about single issues versus trade paperbacks and hardcovers. Look in the mirror, for you have only yourselves to blame.
Nowadays, comic readers face a plethora of options when it comes to reading our beloved sequential art. Monthly, weekly, or quarterly issues still hit the comic shops every Wednesday and remain the standard bearing format. If you think about comics, you picture those 32 or so saddle-stitched pages that will set you back about three or four dollars. And yet, droves of readers “wait for the trade.” Some just wait for the more expansive and expensive hardcover editions. Others read online, or buy Manga volumes only available in a single format. For the purpose of this week’s Comicscape, I refer to both the hardcover and trade paperback collections as “collected editions.” I distinguish between the two where applicable. For next week: e-mail me and let me know which format you prefer. Drop me a line at comicscape@mania.com or kurtamacker@yahoo.com and tell me if you read issues, trades, or hardcovers, and why. Do you have a bone to pick with second and third releases a la Marvel Masterworks or DC’s Absolute Editions? Let me know and I’ll run your letters next week.
In an era when longer storylines and plummeting back issue values make single issues unappealing for some readers, collected editions sell very well. Sandman, Elfquest, Watchmen, The Crow, and Maus all found their larger audiences in mall bookstores and libraries that way. Many readers tell me they prefer to read most of Vertigo’s ongoing titles in collections, because the involving and complex storylines make month-to-month reading a frustrating experience. After 30 days or more, most – myself included – find it difficult to remember the details from a 22-page excerpt of a much larger story. Hence, some readers just wait for the collection, similar to the way some people wait for a DVD in lieu of braving the movie theater. Personally, I like collected editions. I enjoy sitting down with a complete or, at least, longer story. But, I rarely wait for them. I often just collect a story arc and read it in a single sitting after it concludes. I like the cover art, the letters column, and – to a point – the advertisements. Actually, I only like ads about 10 years after the comic’s publication. Current advertisements piss me off. Older ones just make me nostalgic. Regardless, I enjoy owning and reading individual issues. If I missed something, I usually just buy the collection and avoid the back-issue back hunt.
While the collected option appeals to those that want to read a larger chunk of the story and helps readers catch up with an ongoing series, comic publishers and creators find the waiting thing obnoxious. Publishers usually gauge the worthiness of a series on its single-issue monthly sales. Granted, a rush of trade paperback purchases can save a title from extinction. However, publishers rely on individual issues for their main source of income – I mean the print divisions, mind you, not the larger corporations; Marvel and DC make more overall on licensing. Hence, creators and publishers would rather you purchase individual issues before trade paperbacks. Still, I sympathize with anyone that waits for collected editions. Few comics remain valuable past a few months on a hot streak. Between weekly trips to the comic shop and the possibility of missing an issue and the attendant recovery effort, collecting single issues can occupy as much of one’s time as reading them. I must confess to only buying Marvel’s Ultimate line in trade.
And actually, the publishers would still like you to buy the trades, but only after you’ve bought the issues. After that, they’d like you to purchase the hardcovers. Later, they’d like you to own the super-mega-absolute-masterwork
In the real world, most of us purchase a series or storyline once. Granted, I’ve purchased Marvel’s old Tomb of Dracula series in one form or another a couple of different times, but that stands as an exception. I realize that collected editions sometimes offer extra material – usually sketches, commentary, or additional artwork. However, as much as I love that stuff, it rarely rises above toilet reading. Rarely will I drop another $20 on a six-issue story arc just so I can look at conceptual sketches or read an introduction by Stephen King. On a level, the idea that we should keep buying the same stories over and over again annoys me. If I own Marvel’s Essential edition, I will probably not buy the Masterwork edition. I have other expenses in my life. Now, granted, one can argue that the different formats cater to different audiences. Essential volumes cater to cheap-asses like me, while Masterworks suit a lawyer desperate to recapture his childhood at any cost. But, I highly doubt any publisher would stop you from purchasing both. And, while I don’t doubt any publisher’s love of comics, they exist to make money – not to distribute comics as cheaply as possible to feed the masses’ great need for sequential art.
I also confess to succumbing to a couple of super-deluxe-absolute-oversized
On a more positive note, sometimes the new versions merit your attention. I sold my copy of Superman II when I learned that the Richard Donner cut would finally come out – sorry, not a fan of the original. Similarly, the Absolute editions usually offer enough extra material and remastered art to justify a second purchase. I bought my hardcover of Watchmen 12 years ago. Buying the Absolute edition at a discount last year hardly sent me into a rage. I suppose that every publisher should take the hint: if you reprint, offer readers something new and exciting to merit a second purchase. And readers should consider if a new collection really merits their cash.
Now, what do you think?
The Spinner Rack
By Al Brown and Kurt Amacker
Al: Here we are, still on Wednesdays. Victory! This week: McCarthy fights superheroes; more f@#$ing vampires fight more f@#$%cking ninjas; The Punisher fights everybody else.
I don't like change any more than you do, but this site's recent rebranding does offer one cool new feature: the Blogs area, which is open to anyone who's registered. I've been complaining about comics over there; Kurt's been babbling about horror movies; and some of y'all are making yourselves heard, too. And there's no reason for YOU not to shoot your mouth off. It's fun!
Kurt: I like to write things.
DARK HORSE COMICS
Conan #34 (MR) $2.99
Al: There's a lot to like about Tim Truman and Cary Nord's run on Conan. The writing is action-packed and unsentimental, and Nord draws great action sequences. It's a damn good read. And I don't even usually like swords n' sandals books.
Kurt: Most swords n’ sandals stuff is imminently forgettable, but I dig this. Hell, it’s Conan. It’d be hard for me not to dig it.
Dwight T Albatross The Goon Noir #2 (of 3) $2.99
Gungrave Archive Artbook TP $19.95
Perhapanauts Second Chances #2 (of 4) $2.99
Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic #10 $2.99
Usagi Yojimbo #98 $2.99
DC COMICS
52 Week #29 $2.50
Action Comics #845 $2.99
Kurt: The second issue in Richard Donner and Geoff Johns’s arc. I really loved the last issue, so I’ll get this one.
Batman Dark Knight Archives Vol 5 HC $49.99
Blue Beetle #9 $2.99
Boys #5 (MR) $2.99
Kurt: This book makes me ashamed of myself, but I love it.
Cartoon Network Block Party #27 $2.25
Connor Hawke Dragons Blood #1 (of 6) $2.99
Al: Chuck Dixon (Robin) and Derec Donovan (Jubilee) with a miniseries starring the hilariously-named Connor Hawke, son of Green Arrow.
Creeper #4 (of 6) $2.99
Al: Guest-starring Batman.
Kurt: When I hear this title, it just makes me think about that old Bathory song, Reaper. Except, in my head, I hear “Creeper” instead of “Reaper.” Man, I love dropping band names. I’m hardcore.
Gals Vol 8 $9.99
Hawkgirl #58 $2.99
Al: Better since Howard Chaykin left, but still not good.
Kurt: I really don’t know what’s up with Chaykin lately, but it isn’t good.
Jack Of Fables #5 (MR) $2.99
Al: This, on the other hand: still great.
JSA Classified #19 $2.99
Al: I like that these are called "Classified," because it makes me feel super-cool that I get to read them. They should, like, explode the second I'm done. That would be awesome.
EMT: Call it in, we’ve got another one! Third degree burns to hands, chest, and face from exploding issue of JSA Classified! When will they start slapping warning labels on these things? He’s going into shock! Oh God!
Man Called Kev #4 (of 5) (MR) $2.99
Al: It's a significant testament to how bored I am with Kev that this issue features ninjas fighting a tiger and I'm still not gonna buy it. On the scale of played-outness, vampires are at the top; ninjas are in the middle, because they'll always be at least a tiny bit cool; tigers are at the bottom, under "Not played nearly enough." What we need is more tigers.
Kurt: But…but…I love vampires. I hate you.
Red Menace #1 (of 6) $2.99
Al: A new series imagining that superheroes were also targets of McCarthy's communism blacklisting. Love the concept. Written by Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo (Flash, which is terrible) with Adam Brody (TV's The OC); pencils are by the great Jerry Ordway with Al Vey.
Red Menance Var Edition #1 (of 6) $2.99
Samurai Jack On Horse Statue $125.00
Showcase Presents The Unknown Soldier Vol 1 TP $16.99
Supergirl And The Legion Of Super Heroes #24 $2.99
Superman Batman Vol 3 Absolute Power TP $12.99
Superman Cover To Cover Superman #53 Statue $55.00
Swamp Thing Vol 9 Infernal Triangles TP (MR) $19.99
Al: Dude! I hate triangles too! Infernal blasted things with one side all slanty! BFF! Know what I totally dig though? Rhombuses. Uh, rhombi. A nice rhombus.
Kurt: I’m quite fond of pentagrams! Muhahaha!
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #5 (of 8) $2.99
Wonder Woman #3 $2.99
Al: Remember when they promised that the delays on Young Avengers weren't Allan Heinberg's fault, and that Wonder Woman would totally come out on time? That was funny as hell. Dear Allan, you are a good writer but not good enough to put up with your terrible work ethic. Please go back to TV.
Y The Last Man Vol 8 Kimono Dragons TP (MR) $14.99
Young Magician Vol 6 (MR) $9.99
IMAGE COMICS
Casanova #6 (MR) $1.99
Drain #1 (MR) $2.99
Al: Oh God, seriously? Another ninja vs. vampire book? You're killing me here.
Kurt: Dude, what we need now are ninja vampires. That would totally rule.
Elephantmen #0 $2.99
Eric Basaldua Sketchbook $2.99
Godland #14 $2.99
Impaler #2 (of 4) (MR) $2.99
Al: Oh yeah, this one has vampires too.
Kurt: They’re comin’out of the walls! Actually, the first issue of this was pretty good.
Looking Glass Wars Hatter M #4 (of 4) $3.99
Looking Glass Wars Soundtrack Cd $14.99
Al: The idea of including a soundtrack with a comic book is seriously awesome, so I have tracked down some of the artists included on it. They include Kuba, a band that mixes terrible production and pop nu-metal songwriting with out-of-tune singing; Julianne Raye, a likeable singer/songwriter from LA; British weirdo electro-grunge instrumentalist Adam Freeland, who could do with one less Doors sample; Hypnogaja, an amazingly cheesy mostly-acoustic Disturbed-esque band that wrote a song called "Put Your Hate On Me," which is a really funny name but not in a good way; and Vancouver electronica dude Phontaine, who sounds pretty cool. Apparently all these bands have written songs especially for the book, which may explain the total randomness of the artists here; maybe writer Frank Beddor just spammed everyone in MySpace and put everyone who'd do it on the disc. In all seriousness, I love this idea and I wish I liked the music better. Some of it seems okay, but nothing's really standing out for me in my limited Myspace-page-checking-out. But hell, check some of the links out; maybe it'll speak to you more.
Noble Causes #25 (note Price) $4.99
Al: Double-sized anniversary issue.
Pirates Of Coney Island #2 (of 8) $2.99
Sam Noir Samurai Detective #3 $2.99
Walking Dead #32 (RES) (MR) $2.99
MARVEL COMICS
All New Official Handbook Marvel Universe A To Z #11 $3.99
Amazing Spider-Man #536 CW $2.99
Parker: Next time Tony's all, "Wait'll you hear this great idea I got," I'm gonna be like "Dude, you're not that smart. Shut up."
Anita Blake Vh Guilty Pleasures 2nd Ptg #1 (of 12) (PP #739) $2.99
Kurt: Okay Al, you were right about the vampire thing. Seriously, WTF?
Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes II #2 (of 8) $3.99
Captain America Red Menace Vol 2 TP $10.99
Al: Great arc here.
Civil War Front Line #8 (of 11) $2.99
Kurt: Late series here. I’m just full of cheap shots.
Daily Bugle December Newspaper PI
Daredevil #91 $2.99
Al: Daredevil vs. Tombstone and the new Matador.
Essential Captain America Vol 3 TP $16.99
Exiles #88 $2.99
Fantastic Four The End #2 (of 6) $2.99
Al: This was okay - Alan Davis gets the characters, at least, so it's nicely believable and beautifully drawn - but with the exception of Punisher, these "End" stories don't interest me.
Hellstorm Son Of Satan #2 (of 5) (MR) $3.99
Kurt: Um, Marvel – the Son of Satan already lives in New Orleans.
Heroes For Hire #4 $2.99
Heroes Reborn Captain America TP $29.99
Kurt: Why do I feel my lunch moving vertically?
Marvel Holiday Digest TP $7.99
Al: It looks like this contains both new and reprinted stories, and at $8 and 144 pages, it's a pretty fair bargain. For those of you who can't stop loving cheesy holiday specials.
Marvel Select Flip Magazine #19 $4.99
Marvel Spotlight Brian Michael Bendis Mark Bagley $2.99
Marvel Tales Flip Magazine #18 $4.99
New Excalibur #13 $2.99
New X-Men Omnibus HC $99.99
Al: Oh, man, it's Grant Morrison's entire run in one big-ass hardcover. That's so great. I wish I had a hundred bucks.
Kurt: Well, I know how you can make a hundred bucks. How do you feel about donkeys?
Ptolus City By The Spire #2 (of 12) $2.99
Some idiot: Hey, you know what would be a great name for something?
Some other idiot: What?
First idiot: Ptolus!
Second idiot: Oh, yeah! It's so cool to put two consonants next to each other.
First idiot: Yeah, if there's two consonants next to each other everyone knows it's really gonna be far-out.
Second idiot: Off the hizzy, is what two consonants next to each other says.
First idiot: Hey, knock knock?
Second idiot: Who's there?
First idiot: Ptolus.
Second idiot: Oh, this is gonna be so funny. Ptolus who?
First idiot: You shoulda ptolus how awesome this comic was gonna be, so we coulda pre-ordered it!
Al: This comic is based on a roleplaying game.
Punisher War Journal #1 CW $2.99
Al: For the entirety of Garth Ennis's run on Punisher, he's kept the big guy outside the Marvel Universe. Now Frank's back in a new series by the craziest comic writer since Grant Morrison, Matt Fraction. Art is by Ariel Olivetti, a good artist who's billed here as a "superstar," which has recently (and somewhat annoyingly) become Marvel's code word for "foreign."
Kurt: Yeah, I’m totally reviewing this. He kills Stilt Man. That automatically makes it rule.
Punisher War Journal B&W Var #1 CW $2.99
Runaways #22 $2.99
Al: New arc.
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #12 $2.99
Ultimate Spider-Man #102 $2.99
Wolverine #48 CW $2.99
Kurt: Marc Guggenheim in a surprisingly good arc.
X-Factor #13 $2.99
If you two would like people to comment on your many blogs, be sure to edit your Mania profile. Right now, you both have it so people can't comment on your blogs. Though of course, this may be intentional so people are forced to strictly "read" your evil thoughts without any backtalk from your minions. If this is the case, I commend you on a excellent plan of obediance training. :-)