Before you start sticking pins in my effigy -- get in line, by the way -- let it be known that I have great affection for the pamphlet, as the stacks of long boxes choking my study bear mute witness. I hope the pamphlet stays with us. But books are the boat we're paddling toward mainstream legitimacy, without which the comics industry is likely doomed. Gone for good are the days of comics as wildly popular, inexpensive throwaway entertainment for kids -- who have "better" things to do than read, apparently, and comics ain't cheap -- but we still get to carry the "throwaway for kids" stigma as long as the pamphlet and spinner racks call the shots.
So with luck, comics-as-books may well become as dominant, in their own way, as the traditional pamphlet. I hope so, and for reasons totally unrelated to economics. I love books. Their heft, their solidity, their convenient storage. They strive for permanence and to be taken seriously. But I have to admit that reading pamphlet comics over time has informed my attention span in terms of reading graphic literature in general. I've been reading comics in small page-count chunks for so long that I find sitting down to a full-blown graphic novel a little daunting.
All hail the graphic album!
Maybe we're slicing the bread a little thin, but when I think of "graphic album," I think of the beautiful books from Europe that opened my eyes to a whole new world of comics. Hardcover volumes, gorgeous printing, larger format than a typical U.S. comic and about twice the pages. Now, while a traditional graphic novel can present a more expansive story arc, the graphic album is the perfect vehicle for that almost endangered species, the single-issue story. A graphic album has the ability to flesh out such a story while generating the sheer visual power often lacking when cramming a single tale into 22 pages. I don't recommend the format for every story or creator: many simply don't merit the treatment. Only the best need apply, the kind of work that bears -- no, demands -- multiple readings.
At Dark Horse, we've had the privilege to publish some outstanding graphic albums, and the work certainly deserves the first-class seat. Hermann's Blood Ties, with Rodrigo soon to follow. Daniel Torres' latest Rocco Vargas title, The Dark Forrest. Stefano Casini's cyberpunk thriller The Darkness Behind. The upcoming Bird: The Tattoo by Carlos Trillo and Juan Bobillo. Oh yeah, and there's Harlequin Valentine, from some guys named Gaiman and Bolton. Yeah, that Gaiman and that Bolton.
It's high time we stopped thinking that a book's page count determines its value. A book is a book is a book? Hardly. You pay more for a great meal than for a convenience store burrito for a reason. One can produce a memory that lasts a lifetime, while the other just fills your gut for lack of anything better. Good riddance to convenience-store burritos.
-- Chris Warner, Senior Editor