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Book Size Comparisons and Chapter Three Pencils
🕑 Added 2022-11-17 18:22:01 +0000 UTCI've been thinking about what PRACTICAL DEFENCE AGAINST PIRACY will be like as a book-book, so I got out some of my Delilah Dirk editions to see what their sizes would tell me. What is most appealing? Is bigger necessarily better?
At the start of PRACTICAL DEFENCE, I felt that if I was going to invest my time and energy in another multi-year-long comic project that I wanted the printed book-object to be perfectly satisfying. No compromises. But what does "perfectly satisfying" mean?
I interviewed four books to find the answer.
^ Each of these books contain the same story: DELILAH DIRK AND THE TURKISH LIEUTENANT (or "DD1"). They are, from left to right, largest to smallest:
(1) Tome 2 (of 2) of the first French edition. It actually contains only Chapters Three and Four, but I included it because look how big it is.
(2) The second French edition. Here, they printed it smaller, but included all four chapters in one book.
(3) The Secret Edition. I printed this up in 2011 to take to San Diego Comic Con to say "look! Publishers! You could be publishing this book!" I used the "Lulu.com" print-on-demand service. There are only two copies of this "edition."
(4) The First Second edition (FYI, "First Second" Is the name of the publisher, which I mention because it's been known to cause confusion). Published in 2013, it contains everything that (2) and (3) do, but in the "Signature First Second Size."
^ The difference between the largest and smallest editions. The first French edition was printed hardcover at the traditional bande-desinee size. Compare with the First Second "Signature" size.
^ The difference between the largest edition and the "Secret" edition. That French edition feels really big here! The Secret Edition was printed at the usual size of a comic-industry trade paperback (TPB), if I recall correctly.
^ The second French edition was printed at essentially the same size as my TPB Secret Edition, but as a book-object has a very different feel.
^ The actual page size is the same, and the page count is the same, but you can see how the thickness of the paper and the hard cover affect the substance of the book-object.
^ An interior from the Secret Edition. The print quality is inferior to all other editions because of the on-demand digital printing technology; sometimes the inky parts have a "raised" quality to them. The colours are nice and poppy, though.
Holding these books in my hand, one thing surprised me: despite assuming bigger is in fact better, I do not prefer the big bande-desinee format. I like to read in bed, and find it too cumbersome.
I ended up really liking the trade paperback size. The pages were large enough that I felt immersed in the artwork, but still small enough that the reading experience was friction-free.
Now, I'm not sure how I feel about the smaller French hardcover. On one hand, it is a much more handsome book-object, no argument. But on the other, I might have slightly preferred the reading experience of the paperback? Still, the idea of a hardcover is so appealing, and I might just like the Secret Edition for nostalgic reasons.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
More than once, a reader has asked for a large-format version of one or more of the Delilah Dirk books, but I wonder whether that does in fact have a broad-enough appeal to be worth pursuing.
On the other hand, I've also heard that some people appreciate the ease of reading and storage offered by the First Second Signature Size editions. And certainly it would be wildly arrogant of me to assume that every reader wants a marble-carved plinth of PRACTICAL DEFENCE taking up a corner of their living room. Certainly I am being very picky these days about new books I invite into my space.
There is one impression that seems universal: the type of people who like reading this type of comic like to do it on paper, preferably all at once. Is this you? It's definitely me, so maybe this is just personal bias.
Let me know where you stand! Big? Small! Confirm? Deny! I'm fascinated to hear your thoughts.
HOW TO MAKE IT REAL
First Second is not likely to publish a larger-format version of the Delilah Dirk books, and probably not PRACTICAL DEFENCE, either. Unless, of course, the books become wildly popular. Like, "cultural phenomenon" popular.
To turn PRACTICAL DEFENCE into its ideal book-object, the most likely avenue will be Kickstarter. The way I've typically seen it unfold, if more people back the campaign, then the fancier the book-object becomes. I can see myself setting up the campaign to deliver softcover TPB-sized editions, adding "cloth binding" and "hardcover" as stretch goals. Additionally, a crowdfunding campaign might offer opportunities like ensuring the book is printed domestically, perhaps by someone like Hemlock who has a strong ecological ethos and the practices to back it up. Or perhaps I could collaborate with someone like Beehive Books, who make extremely beautiful book-objects.
It is still early days, but it's fun to dream, and (as mentioned way back at the start of this project) I want PRACTICAL DEFENCE to add up to a book-object that does justice not only to the pencil miles that have gone into it, but to the enthusiasm and generosity that you, Dear Reader, have given.
If you have any thoughts on this topic, please do not hesitate to share them.
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CHAPTER THREE PENCILS
As in the past, I apologize for the quality of these photos, but I "pencil" my pages using Col-Erase blue pencil, which—by design—does not photograph well. Still, I like sharing the drawings in progress. The rough stage is the best. Every drawing has so much potential now, before it all gets locked down by the ink. :)
^ This is actually half of a two-page spread I'm adding to Chapter Two. We see a flashback to the vibrancy and energy of Archipoli's Sea Festival. Story-wise, this contrasts with the glum quality of the town's current situation, but I was feeling like in its current state, Archipoli was looking sleepy, but still pretty and picturesque, and so feeling not as oppressed as I wanted. This colourful spread will illustrate the full potential offered by a healthy Archipoli. Plus, it's funny and it connects Alexandra's family more securely to the town, i.e. you don't just have to take my word for it. Plus plus, I want it in there in case it's useful as potential foreshadowing for a happy conclusion.
^ Sports! Illustrating that the midshipman (who is sulking on the sidelines) is separate from the rest of the Cordelia's officers. This will come into play (so to speak) later.
^ Gardening! Half of a two-page spread. Alexandra has pushed her mother away, and this spread shows us what it's doing to mom. I want to see this because 1) it's a somber complement to the previous (hopefully funny) sequence, 2) it's pretty and it's nice to spend time in the garden, 3) it shows Mom doing something kind for Alexandra, even though they're in conflict; i.e., she does care (in case it was in doubt), and 4) it puts more weight behind her reactions and behaviour in the coming pages.
And so I continue! By the time you're reading this I should be a quarter of the way through pencilling Chapter Three, with the goal of finishing before Christlemas.
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Take care of yourself and be lovely to everyone,
TC
Comments
Stephen Scholtz
I was ready to come in here and say "first second" for shelf space and consistency with my other volumes...but all the talk of letting the art shine has me second guessing. ;P I am looking forward to any new adventures, regardless of the size though! I will purchase whatever the format :)
Tealin
FWIW, I floated the idea of moving up to Large Trade Paper size to my publisher, and they said that because of the sizes in which printers order paper, it would be vastly more expensive – I've seen editions in that size sell for a reasonable price, so either it doesn't matter in China (where most of them get printed) or they are large enough print runs that the unit price gets diluted somehow. But this may be worth researching thoroughly if you're looking to self-publish.
Tealin
Speaking purely as an enjoyer of graphic novels primarily for the drawings, I do like a good BD for really revelling in the art. But it is a cumbersome size to shelve and transport. (They do, however, make excellent lapboards.) Probably my favourite size of graphic novel for balancing aesthetic revelry and practicality is the large-ish one, which in your set I think is represented by the French hardcover. (In my collection it's Pierre Alary's Moby Dick, which I really can't imagine enjoying at the First Second size.) I am absolutely on the side of enjoying on paper – the experience is somehow fragmentary on the screen, even when looking at the whole page. There's some sort of conditioned suspension of disbelief thing that happens when I open a book, which I never get online.
Kate Alyssa
I prefer the First Second size of publishings (plus then it would match my other DD volumes). I have some “french” size comic books, and although it’s nice for really getting all the image details, I kind them kind of awkwardly large. But that’s probably because I’m really used to the size of manga volumes.
Hari draws
This is so interesting! I printed my last GNs close to US standard comics size (it fits an efficient number to a plate for litho printing so good for pricing). But working in more mainstream publishing, I found they’d ONLY consider 6x9 inches or smaller and had to shrink accordingly. (Apparently it’s to make sure it’ll fit on most bookshelves in a shop, school library etc- doing my best to adapt to meet the format without it looking too squished.) I’d be excited for DD at any size, but there is something nice about the smaller one being more holdable and matching the others on a shelf!
Paul Gesting
I want the First Second edition because that is what I have of all the other books. But I would definitely also want hardcovers of all of them on kickstarter as well!
Thomas Price
Cliff, your French edition.........its so big!
InkstainedFox
I prefer the hardback version that mostly fits the market it's solicited in In North America I would like to buy a slightly smaller Deluxe edition than the euro BD but thicker in page count due to having all four volumes & the side stories under a single cover.
jonsullivan
I’m quite happy with my compact First Second editions, but that second French edition in hard cover looks like the bee’s knees. If you ran a kickstarter at that size for the new book, it would be great if the previous books could be added too. The kickstarters I’ve bought have added extras like sketches and add-on short stories to entice people to get the premium hard copy version rather than a vanilla trade paperback.
Abrian Curington
Thanks for the hot tip on Hemlock! The year I finally decided to shoot for mainstream publishing is the year that it sets ablaze (...am I responsible??), so I may have to shift back into publishing again. I love my FirstSecond collection of DD, and I actually used it to decide on how big to make my books back in the day! At the same time, I'm now asking myself the same question; what size is best? I'm thinking I might need to go poking about the library, weighing books in my hand like I'm picking out fruit at the grocery store! Also: I love the pencils! They're going to turn out great.
Lucy Bellwood
I'm glad I'm not the only one who spends this amount of time obsessing over the relative trim sizes of every book in my library 😅 Like most everyone else here in the comments, I'm a fan of consistency in a series (not to mention all the other :01 books in my collection that sit nicely together on the shelf), but I do also love the idea of seeing your work at a larger scale! Especially given that every DD book is richer and more thoughtfully crafted than the last, it feels right that the trim size should increase to show off all that detail. BUT! AND! When I just think about the sensation of holding and reading a book, :01 Format wins by a mile. I love softcover as a reading experience. It's welcoming. Perhaps the Kickstarter could feature a softcover trade edition and also an Artist's Edition, like those oversized DC Absolute editions? (Also HELL YES I WANNA SEE A HEMLOCK PRINTED VERSION OF THIS BOOK!) Wish I had a consistent opinion about this one way or the other, but OH WELL.
