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A couple questions about comics

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  • I wonder if there is a hybrid between a book and a comic book? Something with more text, but also with great artwork that moves the story. (And no... I'm not interested in the illustrated "classics.")
    Alan Moore (Watchmen, League of Extroardinary Gentlemen, From Hell, etc. ) loves to put pages and pages of prose right there alongside the comics. In between every issue of Watchmen there is a multi-page prose section. Many heathens do not read these parts, and they do not deserve your respect.
  • kilarney said himself that the only thing really mattered to him was story.
    Consequently, the main reason he would tend to prefer books is straightforward - books are story and that alone, and because of that the story tends to be better. This isn't always the case, but it's a reasonable generalisation.

    Now, I agree the with others here - you really have to look at and appreciate the other aspects of any entertainment medium, not just the story.
  • I'm sure the major factor with price is the relatively low volume. Let's face it, comics aren't mainstream. They also aren't supported by advertising like a newspaper or magazine is. I suppose, compared to a magazine, they really aren't a bad value. I'm just still having a hard time comparing them to books.

    I wonder if there is a hybrid between a book and a comic book? Something with more text, but also with great artwork that moves the story. (And no... I'm not interested in the illustrated "classics.")
    Actually, comics ARE supported by advertising. If you pick up a monthly (which I don't really recommend) you'll find it's packed with ads for dumb shit. But your point is well-taken. Comics are very niche in the US, and that makes them a bit costlier than in Japan for instance, where you can pick up phone book-sized manga anthologies for the equivalent of a few bucks, and 200+ page tankoubon (their "trade paperbacks") are about $6. I also think that the rising production of values of American comics in regards to paper quality and printing quality has pushed the price higher than is reasonable. Then there's Diamond, and the ghettoization of the direct market... Comics in the US have a long way to go, but interesting things are starting to happen with the mainstream acceptance of graphic novels.

    I wonder if there is a hybrid between a book and a comic book? Something with more text, but also with great artwork that moves the story. (And no... I'm not interested in the illustrated "classics.")
    In Japan they have "light novels", which are novels with a lot of manga-style illustrations. A lot of anime are based on light novels. A few companies are translating and releasing them in the US. I know the Devil May Cry books are available, and while I haven't read them and can't vouch for the quality of the writing, the art is by one of my favorite mangaka, Miwa Shirow, and it's gorgeous. By the way, check out his manga "Dogs: Bullets & Carnage", which you can find scanlated, as it hasn't been released in the US. THAT'S some stunning art. Or maybe it's just my taste.
  • DCBS has the May preview list posted. This is for titles that ship in July. I've got about 12 titles that I am definitely interested in.

    A quick question. One of the series that I am most interested in is Brothers In Arms. I've already got the first 3 issues pre-ordered (shipping through June.) But there is NOTHING on the May preview list for July shipping. The publisher's webpage makes no mention of issue #4.

    Does this mean that the series will be dead after issue #3? Or could it be that it will be shipping in August? Is this typical, or does it look like bad news?

    Also, for my May pre-order with DCBS, will they make one shipment at the end of July when all of my pre-orders come in?
  • Does this mean that the series will be dead after issue #3? Or could it be that it will be shipping in August? Is this typical, or does it look like bad news?
    Welcome to the world of comics publishers. They are perhaps the least professional outfits in the known world. You'll be lucky if the answer is posted in some fan forum somewhere.
    Also, for my May pre-order with DCBS, will they make one shipment at the end of July when all of my pre-orders come in?
    Yes. However, you can pay extra for weekly or bi-weekly shipping. For 12 titles it probably isn't worth it to go for that. Heck, for 12 titles, it's barely worth it to go for DCBS, unless it's 12 trades.
  • Heck, for 12 titles, it's barely worth it to go for DCBS, unless it's 12 trades.
    The problem is that the nearest comic store is an hour away. Add to that the fact that I am going after a lot of Indie titles, and it leaves mail-order as the only option.

    I'm definitely saving more than $6 off of retail, so it's worth it to mail order from DCBS. It's especially worth it when you factor in the cost of gas to get to a comic book store that may or may not have what I'm looking for.
  • I'm definitely saving more than $6 off of retail, so it's worth it to mail order from DCBS. It's especially worth it when you factor in the cost of gas to get to a comic book store that may or may not have what I'm looking for.
    Awesome.
  • Here's my tentative list for the May preview (July printing):
    Universal War One #1
    Back to Mysterious Isle #1
    Storming Paradise #1
    Station #2
    Red Mass for Mars #2
    Casey Blue Beyond Tomorrow #3
    Sinbad #3 (I have no great expectations for this series)
    War that Time Forgot #3 (see above)
    Titanium Rain #1
    The Band of Saint Marcel #1
    Beyond Wonderland #0
    Frank Frazetta's Creatures #1
    Killers #2
    Challenger Deep #1
  • edited May 2008
    I just noticed that volume 1 of "Station" is listed as "out of stock" over at TFAW. It's not due to be released until June 25. I got my order in while it was still in stock, but normally TFAW allows pre-orders right up to a week or two prior to release.

    How could a comic possibly sell out at this early stage? Are vendors only promised a certain number of copies? Surely if demand is high, there is sufficient time to print more copies. Is this usually done?

    I swear... if only I ran the comic industry...

    One other question for Scott:
    DCBS has the Diamond Preview for a very reasonable $1.12 as a pre-order. This is for May orders. The preview is scheduled to be released June 25, 2006. If I have monthly shipping, will this be worth ordering? My May pre-orders won't ship until the end of July, which means that the Preview would have to be good for orders placed in August (for October shipment). The description says that it covers new releases from September '08 through November '08. So it looks like I should at least get some use out of it, no?
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • How could a comic possibly sell out at this early stage? Are vendors only promised a certain number of copies? Surely if demand is high, there is sufficient time to print more copies. Is this usually done?
    Two possibilities here. One is that many indy comic publishers don't expect huge sales. They sell in the thousands if they are lucky. Thus, they don't print very many copies.

    Another possibility is that Diamond is just being stupid. There are frequent complaints from independent comic publishers that Diamond will report books as being sold out when they are not actually sold out. They will send a batch of books to Diamond, then Diamond will confirm the books are in the warehouse. Then they will receive reports from comic shops that call Diamond and are told the book is sold out.
    DCBS has the Diamond Preview for a very reasonable$1.12 as a pre-order. This is for May orders. The preview is scheduled to be released June 25, 2006. If I have monthly shipping, will this be worth ordering? My May pre-orders won't ship until the end of July, which means that the Preview would have to be good for orders placed in August (for October shipment). The description says that it covers new releases from September '08 through November '08. So it looks like I should at least get some use out of it, no?
    Remember, you have until the end of the month to get your order in. Right now you have a May order form for books shipping in July. You can send that baby in at the end of May almost. If you order Previews right now, you will receive a copy of Previews that matches up with your August order form for books shipping in October. You will have that catalog at your service for almost an entire month. I encourage you to order it once, just to see what the deal is and to better understand how Diamond works.

    There is an official DCBS Q&A; Thread in the Comic Geek Speak Forums here. The thread is monitored by actual DCBS employees.
  • I will sadly say that the 4th issue of Doctor Who is weak :(
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