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Roger Ash
by Roger Ash
From the title of this column you may believe I’ve got a strike to the head as well as forgotten all the fantastic traditional strip reprint collections being published now such as Peanuts, Krazy Kat, as well as Popeye from Fantagraphics as well as X-9: trick agent Corrigan, Bloom County, as well as Blondie from The library of American Comics & IDW just to name a few. No, I didn’t fail to remember those, however one of them did get me thinking.
Mickey mouse Vol. 1
Recently, I was reading the very first volume of Fantagraphics’ outstanding collection of Floyd Gottfredson Mickey mouse comic strips. For some reason that made my mind drift to collections of new comics as well as I rapidly realized that Mutts collections are the only ones I buy. This is rather a modification from when I was younger as well as the release of the new far Side, Bloom County, or Calvin as well as Hobbes was cause for rejoicing. There were likewise lots of Peanuts books offered as well as it seemed like each time I walked into a book store there was a new Garfield collection. Today, I have to phone call out a browse as well as rescue team to discover the strip collections, as well as when I do, there aren’t that many. Sure, you get the occasional Mutts, Pearls before Swine, get Fuzzy, Doonesbury, Zits, as well as Dilbert collections however not with the frequency it seemed like they utilized to find out as well as not almost as numerous different strips are collected. So what occurred to the collections of present strips? I don’t understand for sure, however I have some ideas.
Bloom region Vol. 1
Maybe they just stopped being profitable. While not all collections were as successful as Bloom County, Calvin as well as Hobbes, The far Side, I would presume that other strip collections did well sufficient to turn a profit, otherwise they wouldn’t have continued past the very first volume. perhaps the market just couldn’t support that numerous collections as well as the few that stay are the ones that are profitable. as well as perhaps releasing one collection a year (which seems to be common) assists to maximize the profit.
Mutts
The existence of comic strips on the Web may play a part. numerous newspaper comic strips have their own web sites now, as well as even those that don’t can be discovered on different web sites. as well as this does not include the big number of web only strips that are available. I have Mutts emailed to me every day. Is this online library of comic strips – many of them totally free – sufficient for many people where they no longer have the requirement or wish to own collections?
Calvin as well as Hobbes
The decline of the print newspaper might definitely be a factor. It utilized to be that almost every household in America got a everyday newspaper (that may bit a bit of an exaggeration, however definitely a great deal much more people utilized to get a paper than do now). That implied that there were various papers where a comic might appear. However, with 24 hour news on TV as well as simple gain access to to news on the internet, the newspaper market is suffering. There are fewer – as well as shorter – newspapers now than when I was a youngster 40-ish years ago. That implies the number of locations a comic strip might be printed has shrunk as well as the fight for area on the comics area is fierce. I’ve heard stories about exactly how difficult it is to begin a new print comic strip today which is why so numerous creators are going for the on the internet option. That implies the range of comic strip provided in newspapers has shrunken. even if a few of them are fantastic, it seems extremely unlikely to me provided the present circumstance that any type of new print comic strip will be a big hit the method that Calvin as well as Hobbes was, for example. as well as if you no longer get a paper, you don’t see the comic strips that are printed in it, so why would you seek out a collection of them?
Or perhaps I’m wrong. perhaps there are as numerous collections as there were back in the 80s as well as I’m just not seeing them. I definitely don’t see them displayed in stores the method I utilized to as well as I don’t see them from on the internet sellers unless I particularly look for them. When we’re searching for books to bring at Westfield, I don’t see near as numerous comic strip collections offered as I did even 10 years ago.
Li’l Abner Vol. 1
We are truly living in a golden Age of traditional comic strip collections with exceptional collections of a few of the fantastic strips in history – including bit Orphan Annie, Li’L Abner, as well as Dick Tracy –available in appealing packages. Yet the contemporary comic strip seems to be fading from view. Why do you believe this is? Or am I wrong? commentbelow as well as join in the discussion.
Now, go checked out a comic!
Thanks to KC Carlson for his assist with this column.