Why my daughter's bookstore will be 10 inches tall

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Many trade paperbacks? How is it they need color?

Manga?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Manga?

The ones I've seen are black and white.
He may be talking of the Graphic novels and collected Comics arcs that are so prevalent today. Or maybe he absolutely insists on seeing the covers in color.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Many trade paperbacks? How is it they need color?

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Manga?

Originally Posted by fjtorres

The ones I've seen are black and white.
He may be talking of the Graphic novels and collected Comics arcs that are so prevalent today. Or maybe he absolutely insists on seeing the covers in color.

With manga, the main problem I've had reading them on my ebook reader is the screen resolution isn't high enough to capture all of the detail in the original printed manga (such as the very fine linework, which in some cases the lines are thinner than a human hair, that many manga artists use). Added to that is that some of the lettering is too small to be readable at any size.

Also, with some manga the first page or two of the actual book (not counting the cover) will be in color. This is used to establish the color scheme (such as the actual hair and eye color of the characters, and of the clothing) used within the series.

With trade paperbacks, I was referring to collections of comic books that are reprinted as a single set with just the story. As far as needing color, often color is essential to a clear understanding of the story.

This can be illustrated by the recent DC Comics story arc "The Blackest Night," a story that spun out of the Green Lantern comics. By the time the story began they have established seven lantern corps, each powered by one of the colors of the emotional spectrum: Red (rage), Orange (avarice), Yellow (fear), Green (will), Blue (hope), Indigo (compassion), and Violet (love). Each is able to make energy constructs of their respective color. Color played a key role in the story, providing a clear indication of a character's emotional state and what each lantern corps is doing, both essential to understanding the story.

[Scott Nicholson]

Solitaire, as a comics creator (as well as novelist), I am keeping a close eye on the different developments. I am not an Apple fan but was blown away when I saw how the iPad could handle comics. Getting paper comics in distribution is an uphill and costly battle for an independent, but digital distribution should create an explosion in style, format, and content--no more designing for a 7x10 page!

Scott Nicholson
http://www.hauntedcomputer.com

PS--I am thinking of getting my daughter a Kindle for Christmas; hopefully they will dip under $100. I know not everyone's a fan of Amazon, but for what it has done for me and my books, I may be able to afford $100 for a change!

[Solitaire1]

Scott Nicholson wrote as part of a post:

Originally Posted by Scott Nicholson

Solitaire, as a comics creator (as well as novelist), I am keeping a close eye on the different developments. I am not an Apple fan but was blown away when I saw how the iPad could handle comics. Getting paper comics in distribution is an uphill and costly battle for an independent, but digital distribution should create an explosion in style, format, and content--no more designing for a 7x10 page!

Scott Nicholson
http://www.hauntedcomputer.com

I agree that digital distribution would be a boon for independent publishers, especially when it comes to getting back issues. Over the years I've established pulls for independent titles because that was the only way to get the title (on some I was the only customer buying the title). I wouldn't be surprised if there are many great titles (like "Boris The Bear") that are not well known just because they didn't get wide distribution.

As far as story telling goes, it's more than the freedom from the 7x10 page, it's also freedom from a set number of pages, the need to continue a series, and the ability to cater to genres that standard comics tend to pass on. One of the best things about the mid-1980s were the influx of independent comics that catered to more than just the standard superheroes (such as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Ninja High School" and "Ex-Mutants").

That is one of the things that attracts me to manga, it deals with genres and types of stories that are mostly ignored in comic books in the U. S. (although imprints like Vertigo are opening up the field a bit). "Afterschool Charisma" (a title I previously mentioned) is the type of story that I strongly doubt would ever be published by a U. S. comic book company.