Book Publishers Will Help Comics

With a wave of graphic novels, Roaring Book Press is starting a new comic book imprint called First Second. Following the spreading trend of book publishers joining the comic book market, Roaring Books has released a list of graphic novels from diverse genres and talent creators like Eddie Campbell and Warren Pleece. Newsarama reprints the company's press release.

While new publishers are having a poor time, the entrance of these book publishers (e.g. Scolastic, Norton, and Holt) is tremendously exciting. Firstly, book publishers have some money, new distribution outlets from the direct market, and they are willing to cater to a different audience from the super-hero crowd. As popular as the Spider-Man and X-Men movies are, comics have not permeated the mainstream because of decades of continuity and the dependence on continued readering. Even "self-contained" Superman stories require prior knowledge and lead into reading more Superman comics.

These book publishers are specializing in continuity-islands of graphic novels
and limited series in a variety of genres. Veteran book readers (there are more of those than comic book readers) want a full train ride's worth of reading. Single comics are a fifteen minute read at most. Larger graphic novels are the way to compete in the book dominate print industry.

• Eddie Campbell, artist of From Hell, adapts C. Gaby Mitchell's screenplay Black Diamond Detective Agency, a drama taking place in the turn-of-the-century Chicago. One of the best atmospheric artists, Campbell's new graphic novel is my top pick of the lot.
  
• Decelerate Blue is a dark, science fiction drama written by Adam Rapp, an award winning author, playwright, and filmmaker.<>
• <><>Talented indie comic writer Jessica Abel teams up with the underrated Warren Pleece of American Century and Kinetic on a story of teenage vampires called Life Sucks.
• European import Joann Sfar pens Golem's Klezmer Band, a story of Jewish mysticism and mythology.
• Broadening the genre horizons, accomplished biographer Carthrine Clinton scripts a retelling of the U.S. Constitution's creation.
• Aspiring comic creators should check out Lines on Paper by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, teachers at the School of Visual Arts - a manual for comic book creation useable by one's self and classroom study.

Hopefully First Second will continue the trend of expanding comic book genres and markets. From a first look at their titles, I have optimistic expectations.