One?  One book?  I remember a time when most, if not all, mainstream superhero books were all-ages and certainly good choices for young readers.  Now a single series is held up as a shining example of a comics that are good choices for kids?  Sorry, but I find that indicative of an industry that has decided to leave young readers in the dust, shooting itself in the foot.  Didn't Joey da Q only several years ago proclaim that kids don't read comics anymore? 

Sure, we're talking about digests and TPB, but those are normally filtered through monthly books such that what is published monthly will eventually be published in trade.  That only a single book by Marvel is listed as a good choice for young readers, even if the list isn't meant to be exhaustive, is sad to me when the first titles on someone's list even twenty years ago would have included numerous mainstream superhero characters.

I think all you need to do is ask yourself what is profitable?  At this time it seems as though trade paperback distribution through bookstores and libraries are extremely profitable otherwise the publishers wouldn't be doing it.

The essential volumes are probably also profitable considering they keep pumping them out.  Everyone has already been paid.  All the publishers need to do is pay for production and distribution costs.  Production costs are kept down because they are printed on cheap paper in black and white and they are able to use the same distribution system they already have in place.

These two trends indicate to me that indeed the American comicbook in it's current form is on the way out.  The monthly serialized editions are too short and not as profitable as their collated counterparts.

This trend really shouldn't be that shocking.  Manga have been producing black and white telephone books for decades and those volumes sell far more units than any US comicbook.

I have to admit, even I'm shifting more towards trade paperbacks.  At one time I always had to have the first printings.  I deemed everything else a reprint and therefore to me it was not worth collecting. 

I was able to get over that hang up once I started collecting original art.  Afterall, anything other than the original art is merely a reprint.

Since comics are no longer collectible in my mind (collectible implies to me a certain degreee of scarcity and we all know todays comics in high grade are not scarce) I have become more accustomed to reading trade paperacks.

They will generally have the same story at half the cover price and I can read the volume in one continuous sitting without having to wait 30 days between episodes.  In addition, they usually come with bonus material that was not published in the original comics.

200th post.  YAY!

Derek, it's trades for me too now.  Good or bad, you get more for your money that way, and that's what they are writing for now.  Look at JLA, for example.  It will read so much better as a trade.  It's a shame (on them), yes, but it is what it is.

But I am sure JB will soon give us something to buy monthly.

I am out of the loop in regards to most modern comics but it seems that the art began to generally go downhill in the 90's and the story lines along with it. Likewise, I just don't care for the constantly dark overtones of virtually every series along with violence for violence sake. A "dark" hero such as Batman or Wolverine is great but when every character is likewise so troubled, I just think it takes away from uniquiness of the concept.  I would have a hard time having my children read many of the comics on the market now.  I don't think comics should be written just for kids and I think that mature topics can be broached but I really miss the days when I was a kid (60s and 70s) when you could read a story and know who the hero was and while he or she may be conflicted, you would know that they would make (however difficult) the right choice....

QUOTE: These two trends indicate to me that indeed the American comicbook in it's current form is on the way out.  The monthly serialized editions are too short and not as profitable as their collated counterparts.

Without monthly editions, there wouldn't be anything to collect in trade.  Unless a writer and artist get together and produced 10 comics worth of stuff to be released every year or whatever.  In which case production costs won't be limited to just promotion, printing and distribution.

Derek, it's trades for me too now.  Good or bad, you get more for your money that way, and that's what they are writing for now.  Look at JLA, for example.  It will read so much better as a trade.  It's a shame (on them), yes, but it is what it is.

Isn't there something intrinsic to the comic experience that's missing in trades? I think the suspense and anticipation of waiting a month (and I guess we hope it's just a month) was a big part of the fun when I was a kid. Now, I can burn through a TPB in 20-30 minutes and it's seems somehow less filling than reading monthly books. Financially, of course, trades make more sense. They're also more durable, the line up on shelves better and you dont have to worrry about missing an issue. But they're not as much fun.