Augie De Blieck Jr. wants to see more books of comics criticism (He’s not alone in that, by the way):
At a time where there are more web sites, reviewers, critiquers, and podcasters than there are fans, you’d think you’d see more dead wood compilations. There’s an audience for this stuff somewhere, right?
Maybe.
…I think a… problem is the matter of timeliness. Who wants to read a book of reviews of single issues of comics a year or two after they’ve been out? Many comics columnists receive their hits as the basis for conversation starters, or instant book recommendations. If Book A is coming out this Wednesday, an early review by Columnist B could lead Reader C to pick up a copy of the book based on that good review. After that, the review is meaningless. Unless you’re Pauline Kael — and she’s not reviewing comics right now — the style of the review is rarely a selling point. It’s a means to an end. I know I’m not witty enough to keep your attention for my review of CIVIL WAR #1 a month from now, let alone a year or two. Ten years from now, there might be some historical interest in seeing how the review holds up in light of all that has changed since then. But right now? It’s purely disposable entertainment.
He goes on to suggest some blogs that he’d like to see collected for print, and breaks my heart by not demanding a Best of The Savage Critics book (Me, I’m wondering why some publisher hasn’t looked into doing a Best of Comic Blogs annual anthology, like the ones they do for music criticism or magazine writing, but that may be much more trouble than it’s worth).
November 21st, 2006 at 11:19 am
Like Comics themselves, comic views and reviews are a bastardized form of journalism and I think they require the instant feed back and conversation that comes with message boards in order to sustain themselves.
We’re ahead of the curve. Books are so analogue anyway.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:48 am
Wait… who reads collections of movie criticism? Like, real movie criticism. Leonard Maltin, Roger Ebert, Fat Dog (or whatever), they don’t count–those are for reference and since there’s no way to read Legion of Super-Heroes #244 through any easy legal means, there’s no real point in there being capsule reference to it.
Pauline Kael, while lauded by some–like Augie–is absurd to others, just like most critics are absurd a month after opening weekend. And as for the literary value of some critics… well, come on, please. I have the Scorsese-edited collection of James Agee’s criticism and it’s got no literary value. Literary value is for people who buy their books based on what something like the New Yorker (or, god forbid, People Magazine) tells them to buy.
The idea of a collection of comic book criticism is only so much less absurd than the idea of comic strip criticism. We’re talking about–and I review single issues–serialized stories. Serialized, for the most part, advertisements for pro-wrestling in fact.
The Savage Critic, just for the amusement value, maybe… but in most cases… the reviews become obsolete weeks or months after (web)publication.
November 21st, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Well… keep an eye out for “Reading Comics,” by, uh, me, coming from Da Capo next May. Lots of (long!) reviews of graphic novels in there….
November 21st, 2006 at 1:24 pm
No one bought Donald Phelps’, and it’s hard to imagine a better critic ever releasing a book of comics criticism.
November 21st, 2006 at 1:27 pm
It would be a bitch to publish a new edition every time someone wrote a letter adding to the talkback thread.
November 21st, 2006 at 1:39 pm
It is possible to comment on comics in ways other than up-to-the-minute reviews. I mean, I do my share of reviews on my site, but I also do a lot of stuff that’s intended to have lasting value. I always had the notion that I wanted my site to be worthwhile for Legion readers, say, five years from now. And there are a lot of other blogs out there who’ve done similarly non-disposable work. So I won’t say it would work, but I do say it could work.
November 21st, 2006 at 2:02 pm
He may have a point, but I don’t think Augie De Blieck has room to bring this up - I’ve found his reviews to be a victim of the ridiculous Marvel-DC feud and about as fair and balanced as politians…
November 21st, 2006 at 2:13 pm
I’m glad there’s no “best of comics bloggers” compendium out there, because even though I blog about comics (in addition to lots of other subjects) most comics bloggers don’t consider me one of them any more, and I hate being excluded.
November 21st, 2006 at 10:35 pm
I know I’d kill for a collection of some of the best bloggers like Dave’s Long Box or Progressive Ruin.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:29 pm
I chose not to make the weekly grind of current comics the primary focus of my blog. There are many, many blogs that cover comic reviews and creator gossip (alot of them in a really entertaining way), so I chose to focus on topics with alot more “shelf life”…namely examining the rich history of comic book covers. Of course, other blogs tackle comic book covers as well, so I’ve added some other features that are uniquely my own (like original art from time to time). It’s an interesting challenge trying to carve out your own niche in this increasingly crowded field of competing voices. As for collecting blog material in book form, I’m sure Augie’s not the first one to contemplate the feasibility of making the jump to “dead tree” media. I’m sure there are publishers who check out blogs from time to time for book ideas (it’s been known to happen with bloggers in other fields), so who knows?
November 22nd, 2006 at 2:59 pm
I forgot to add in to the column — since I started it in July, Dark Horse is publishing a book in February, I believe it is, compiling a blogger’s works. It’s not comics-related, but it is another example.
I don’t necessarily need strong comics criticism in the book. I’m just looking for something entertaining and of my generation.
Graeme - I do like your idea of an annual Best Of book, though. I should suggest a Best of CBR to Jonah, but I’d likely only wind up writing the introduction, if I was lucky.
November 23rd, 2006 at 7:59 am
Warlock Mag will publish a book collecting the finest and most erudite reviews/columns/interviews in honour of our 35th anniversary this February.
November 23rd, 2006 at 10:38 am
The Slings and Arrows Guide is the best (and by far the biggest!) book of comics criticism I’ve read. Pretty much every english-language comic series is covered there.
Expensive, yes, but quite cool!
Best,
Hunter (Pedro Bouça)