Writing for the Omnibus/Absolute
The trade paperback has been a boon and a bore for comic fans. Collected story arcs in self contained volumes have made it easy to get stories you might have missed and to enjoy older stories that you can’t afford to buy as singles. I get it, I buy them but I have also started to notice that some floppies have started to stretch out stories so that they will be a good fit for the trade paperback format. The current term thrown around message boards and such is “writing for the trade”. The comic companies have decided to try and broaden their distribution and lengthen the shelf life of current story arcs by publishing the stories again and again in different formats. This strategy has worked for the record companies as they continue to find ways to get us to re-buy our music. Special extended versions and collectable packaging are often the bait.
Then came 52 and Civil War; these series offered the comic publishers a new way to package and resell crossover events. Now I don’t think they had an Omnibus/Absolute strategy in place when the books were being written and readied for distribution but it wasn’t hard to see that the format was working to move older story lines such as Watchmen or Infinite Crisis. Then with the popularity of the recent Captain America run and the freshly released Omnibus I think Marvel will no doubt continue to use this format. I can foresee a Countdown Absolute and then the format will become part of the comic lifecycle. Prepare the event, write and produce the floppies, prestige hardbacks, trade paperbacks and then the big daddy super special. At first I was bemoaning the attempt to get my money but after reflecting I’ve decided that it is a great idea.
More choices mean more people will have the opportunity to read and enjoy the comic format and provide additional revenue to the publishers. I mean we all want healthy publishers so our favorite heroes have a home and a regular schedule. The only downside I can see is if the comic companies continue to s-s-s-s-s-stretch out story lines so that they fit into the format. So I think the new story arc format will hold at 5-6 issues (with exceptions of course) and collectors will have the option of collecting bookshelf style or single issue style. In the long run I think we all will win and the world of heroes will have new places to call home.
Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years. Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net