On her LiveJournal, Sabrina cartoonist Tania del Rio weighs in on the recent discussion about the feasibility of the 150-plus-page original graphic novel format:
Now that it’s possible that I’ll be doing a graphic novel for TOKYOPOP, I am realizing how challenging it’s going to be. To dedicate a year of my life — in advance — to this project, and then trying to balance that with Sabrina — and future volumes of Mangaka America — is a tough pill to swallow. Sabrina was my first gig and it’s a good gig. Because of that I still consider it my #1 priority. I’m not willing to let my work on Sabrina suffer because of other projects that may come along. But other projects are necessary because, let’s face it, Sabrina isn’t going to pay all the bills. As a result, I have let TOKYOPOP know that I’m going to need to find an inker and a toner for my book because there’s just no way I can do the whole thing myself in the time frame they want. I know some artists may find it hard to let go of having that full creative control, but I actually feel very comfortable with it if I’m working with a team I feel good to be a part of . I guess that’s another reason I’m lucky to have Sabrina. I get to work with inker Jim Amash, and colorist Jason Jensen, and a variety of letterers to put an issue together and, corny as it sounds, I’ve learned the benefits of working with a team. And this is the sort of thing I feel really needs to happen more with graphic novels. Like Becky pointed out, in Japan, graphic novels are rarely done by one single person. These artists have assistants – sometimes as many as 10! Contrast that with the young American artist – often just starting out, creating a 160 page graphic novel for a market that, while growing, is still nowhere near the Japanese level of comic-consumption, and then to expect that same artist to do everything from the script, the thumbnails, the pencils, characters, backgrounds, inks, and tones, and sometimes even the lettering- does sound kind of crazy! Add that to the fact that they have to pretty much self-promote the hell out of their books, it’s really amazing that any of them have managed to do it at all! Well, I’m sure they’ve learned a lot from the process, at least!
It’s a lengthy post that includes del Rio’s wish list for “a happier, healthier comic book industry.”
Tintin Pantoja also comments: “How many formats pay well enough to sustain the creator throughout a single comic project? That’s the question. With OGN’s, you get a tiny advance that has to be stretched over a year or more before you see any money from the book. Anthologies aren’t a perfect answer. Anthologies, even if they pay immediately and keep your work in the public eye, tend to be money losers. Even heavy advertising dollars can just barely pay for publishing costs, if glossy mass-market magazines are anything to judge by.”
