TPB vs Album format

[deanmary]

    Dane Martin asked me why I prefer the TPB format to the album
format.  Well Dane, ironically, one of the reasons is the same as yours:
the detail of the artwork.  However, I think if the artwork is presented
in a size bigger than standard comic book size (ala album format) the
detailed art looks too big to me and I don't appreciate it as much as
when it is in a smaller size.  Of course I agree that size can hurt the
enjoyment of detailed artwork as well.  I don't think Don Rosa's artwork
would look at all right in a digest the size of the current Archie
digests.  I think the "take along" format overall will be OK though.
One, it is kind of a compromise between the size of a "regular" comic
book and the size of Archie digests (or for the matter this size of
Gladstone I digests).  Two, I don't think Gemstone is planning on
putting stories in these that have very detailed art.  I imagine they
will save those for the regular size comics and (hopefully) for TPB's

    Another reason I am not a huge fan of the album format is they to me
at least seem awkward and unwieldy to read.  Of course perhaps a lot of
this comes down to being used to the regular comic size so much that
that is just what I am most naturally comfortable with.

    As far as TPB's go, I have really been "converted" to them over the
past year or so and would actually prefer to read them than monthly
comic books!  If I have a choice between buying 12 monthly issues or 2
TPB's a year containing 6 issues each, I would prefer to just have the 2
TPB's.  That indeed is what I do with a couple of Marvel titles that
have TPB's printed very shortly after the individual comics are out.
The TPB's allow me to read a whole story arc without having to wait
month to month for each installment.  Of course Disney comics don't
involve this problem as thankfully they are some of the few comics that
can tell a whole story in one issue.  Why so many comic book companies
seem to think every story has to be a multiple issue storyline I guess
is a complaint for another mailing list! :)

Dean Rekich