First Second's killer catalog

By now many comic fans are probably familiar with, or at least have seen some press about, First Second, the graphic novel imprint of Roaring Brook Press. And if you're not familiar with the company, maybe you've at least heard about some of their upcoming books, which include original graphic novels from Eddie Campbell, Paul Pope, Jessica Abel and many others. And if I'm still not ringing any bells, then have I got a deal for you ...

The folks at First Second were kind enough to send me a copy of their Spring catalog, which is one of the coolest sales pieces I've seen in comics in awhile. It not only introduces their line of books, but also includes several pieces that introduce new readers, retailers and librarians to graphic novels. It's in full color, is printed on a higher quality paper than most typical catalogs and has a design that really pops. They definitely deserve high marks for putting together such a nice piece.

The catalog starts out with Jessica Abel's quick tutorial on "What is a 'graphic novel'?" that appears on the Artbomb.net home page. It's a nice intro to the format. It also includes previews of many upcoming First Second books, including A.L.I.E.E.E.N. by Lewis Trondheim, The Fate of the Artistby Eddie Campbell (the first book out of the gate, it'll be available next month), The Lost Colony by Grady Kleinand Vampire Lovesby Joann Sfar, among others.

But probably what really sets this apart from your typical marketing piece is the inclusion of several thought-provoking articles that actually have something to say about the artform. My favorite is an article called "A Columnist's View" by Booklist columnist/reviewer Michael Cart, which seems to be aimed at bookstores, librarians or anyone else who hasn't been introduced to graphic novels yet. It offers up several graphic novel recommendations, including Persepolis, Age of Bronze and Blankets.

The other articles follow this same theme, as other writers, including Paul Pope, Tanya McKinnon, reviewer Calvin Reid and librarian Kat Kan, offer up their thoughts on the graphic novel, and again, offer recommendations like Watchmen and Astro Boy. How often does a company recommend products by the competitor? And put pictures of them in their catalog? Again, high marks for First Second for not just promoting themselves, but the medium as a whole.

These guys really have their act together; it's no wonder they made the cover of Booklist last month. If you're interested in previewing First Second's upcoming line, the previews from the catalog can be found on their website. And if you're interested in getting your hands on the print catalog, send an email to mail@firstsecondbooks.com to request one (tell'em The Great Curve sent you).