Do you prefer shorter stories as a reader, and do you prefer shorter stories as a creator?
TM: Shorter, as in what way?
As in number of issues. Because “Strangers in Paradise” had across three volumes, close to 100 issues. But your more recent projects, “Motor Girl,” “Strangers in Paradise XXV,” and the original length of “Five Years” were all 10 issues.
TM: The answer is very down to earth. That’s due to trade waiting. When I did “Strangers in Paradise,” people bought single issues. I was able to continue to do the series a long time and make a living. But now people trade wait and they don’t support the single issues. So I can’t make a living unless I keep launching a new series every year. So I can launch a new series and I get a lot of support in the beginning, and then the retailers order less and less and less real fast, because people may read the first issue or so check it out like okay, this is good, I’ll wait for the trade. . . And then I’m left on my own for the rest of the year to die and suffer. And they hope that the trade is going to be there, show up in December. But I don’t know how to get to December without income.
What I’ve learned is to work shorter and shorter periods. “Motor Girl” and “Strangers in Paradise XXV” were both one year long each and that just made it. I just made it out of the year, made it work and now I’ve got the same thing with “Five Years.” It seems like the more successful a series is, the more people decide to trade wait. I got terrific reviews on “Rachel Rising,” my dream come true in terms of reviews. And the numbers just weren’t there, because people said, great, I can’t wait for the trade. And it’s a different world on the trade. A lot of people who live on trades only, they have another job like, oh, I’m also an art designer, or I’m working at ad agency or something. I’m a full time cartoonist so I have to figure out a way to navigate. And thank God for digital, that helps. Thank God for conventions. I can come here, that helps.
Lesezeichen