Inkthinker
07-23-2009, 03:47 AM
Sorry, should be a "?" at the end of that. I meant to ask, might there be an effective correlation between what's being done in Wednesday Comics and what's working in webcomics? The weekly release format works pretty well for that format.
I'm sure it's not the ONLY reason they've opted to publish this strange little love child of nostalgia, but could it be possible that DC is (in some small part) testing out a new storytelling style, seeing what does and does not work for their writers and artists?
I'm enjoying it, though I'm glad it's only planned out to 12 issues, because otherwise I don't think I could keep up over the long term. At $3.99 a pop it's the cost of a graphic novel every month. I had hoped that they planned to come in at a disposably low price point, no more than $1.50, so that consumers might actually treat them as somewhat disposable and pass them around or leave them in places where they could be discovered by new readers. 99 cents would have been ideal. $1.50 would work. But at $4, I'm buying one and I'm keeping it.
I enjoy the tangible sensation of unfolding the big pages and taking in all the lush artwork. I'm especially enjoying Sook's work on Kamandi and Paul Pope's take on Adam Strange with Strange Tales, I feel like they've both done the best job of nailing that feel of old Sunday serials in their use of pacing and layout (though we're only 1/4 of the way through so we'll see how it goes). But I've quickly re-learned that newsprint only takes so much wear before it tears. Already I've worn small holes in the central corner of the outer pages just by repeatedly folding/unfolding it as I carried it about the other day (makes good reading for lines or transit). I'm not usually one who bags his comics, but I've got to keep these in plastic just to prevent common interaction with surfaces wearing away at 'em. These will not keep easily.
The weekly pace is different from the yearly novel or the monthly periodical or the daily strip. The most common release pace for full-page serial webcomics is 3/week, but there are a few that pace more slowly. If we can learn something from the old Sunday pages that translates into more effective methods for telling stories suited to the slower pace of webcomics as they are now, might that be worth indulging in a little transitional nostalgia?
I'm sure it's not the ONLY reason they've opted to publish this strange little love child of nostalgia, but could it be possible that DC is (in some small part) testing out a new storytelling style, seeing what does and does not work for their writers and artists?
I'm enjoying it, though I'm glad it's only planned out to 12 issues, because otherwise I don't think I could keep up over the long term. At $3.99 a pop it's the cost of a graphic novel every month. I had hoped that they planned to come in at a disposably low price point, no more than $1.50, so that consumers might actually treat them as somewhat disposable and pass them around or leave them in places where they could be discovered by new readers. 99 cents would have been ideal. $1.50 would work. But at $4, I'm buying one and I'm keeping it.
I enjoy the tangible sensation of unfolding the big pages and taking in all the lush artwork. I'm especially enjoying Sook's work on Kamandi and Paul Pope's take on Adam Strange with Strange Tales, I feel like they've both done the best job of nailing that feel of old Sunday serials in their use of pacing and layout (though we're only 1/4 of the way through so we'll see how it goes). But I've quickly re-learned that newsprint only takes so much wear before it tears. Already I've worn small holes in the central corner of the outer pages just by repeatedly folding/unfolding it as I carried it about the other day (makes good reading for lines or transit). I'm not usually one who bags his comics, but I've got to keep these in plastic just to prevent common interaction with surfaces wearing away at 'em. These will not keep easily.
The weekly pace is different from the yearly novel or the monthly periodical or the daily strip. The most common release pace for full-page serial webcomics is 3/week, but there are a few that pace more slowly. If we can learn something from the old Sunday pages that translates into more effective methods for telling stories suited to the slower pace of webcomics as they are now, might that be worth indulging in a little transitional nostalgia?