Comic Book Resources

If the single issues have added content, I always prefer to read them. Even if the stories "read better in trade" (which some due), you can still find out what each trade collects, read the complete story, and then go back and read the other stuff in the issues.

I've never read Criminal, so I can't speak to it specifically. But I'm glad I own Starman in singles, for example.

I read the book monthly but I think that I would perfer it if I read in trade. Once I get into the rythme of the a Crimnal story it's best uninterpted. The main thing is though that I don't read the back material in the issues. I've tried, but it just doesn't interest me. I guess I'm fine reading a noir story but not enough of a fan to be interested in discusstions in the genre. I buy in monthy mostly to support the title, which story-wise I do like. That's just me and I have a feeling that is not true for most readers.

(Oh they do have good "pin ups" in the back though)

Without naming names, I have read approx. half of the CRIMINAL S1 floppies and found less than half of the supp material to be good. When it WAS good, it was VERY GOOD. So, while I give them points for the extra service, which is a very cool thing, overall, I prefer the trades.

I read it in trades. Having never even glanced at a single issues, I had no idea about the extra goodies. I love goodies. Dammit!

a dilemma i grapple with month-to-month myself...

the stories definitely do read better in trade... but i don't want to miss the extras. for now, i'm picking up the monthlies, but i usually read them all at the end of the arc anyway.

nevertheless, i might switch to trades soon... mainly because i'd like to pass it to some of my non-comic geek friends, and i've found that these people are usually a bit unnerved by pamphlets.

embarassed to say i haven't read it yet... which is odd because i was on with sleeper from issue #1. but i do know a few books that have to be read in monthlies now: Casanova, and as of the past couple months, Dynamo 5.

I buy the singles because I like the extras and I want to support the title, but I think that it reads better in trades.
I'm also frustrated with the situation comb & razor mentioned above - I lovelovelove loaning out titles to people, and the vast majority of people I interact with are far less receptive to singles than they are to trades.

I haven't read it, and I'm probably not going to. I don't want to jump into the overall narrative this late in the game and I'd rather not read it at all than read it without all of the trimmings.

I enjoy it in single issues quite a bit. I'm sure it would read just as well, if not better, collected, but I like getting it in this format. The extras are nice but aren't the deciding factor for me.

For the most part I collect the trades but if there is something cool in the issue like Criminal that gives me an incentive to buy them as singles. For some things it is just easier to buy the trades. Sometimes it's cheaper too.

Chris Jones -- Each storyline in Criminal stands completely on its own. You can read any of the books without having read the others.

Yeah, Chris J., Northlanders is the same way, if you're interested in giving that book a look, too!

Trades. Always. For everything, and i do read and enjoy Criminal. Is there a specific reason why the extra material from the single issues is not included in the trades ?

Hmm. Maybe I'll start Criminal with the next arc, assuming my pull list isn't already totally loaded down.

Is there an overarching narrative that I should be aware of? I heard that some of the short stories released earlier tie into some of the earlier stuff.

BTW: I did read when you said "stands completely on it's own", but sometimes that means "you don't have to have read the other stories to know what's going on, but it helps" and I just want to make sure.

I've been buying them monthly, but waiting to accumulate a few issues before I read them.

The Trades vs Monthlies question is academic- I think it's obvious that comics will eventually change their publishing schedule from monthly to irregularly published book format. Some signs of this:

-Most stories today are told in "decompressed" arcs that can run for six months or more (often resulting in some terrible pacing and lots of padding.)

-Trades overall are selling BETTER than the regular series.

-And the clincher: Marvel and DC permitting some truly mind-numbing schedule slips, from Marvel delaying all Civil War crossovers FOR A MONTH because of one artist's delay (you know the real reason was so that when collected, the trade would not have a visible art gap) to DC allowing their relaunch of Wonder Woman to be ruined because they did not dare to tell its "Big Name, from-outside-comics writer" to hurry up and finish it. Obviously, neither company cares that much for meeting their weekly client's buying needs anymore.

While I enjoyed the extras, Criminal didn't work for me as a monthly book. The pacing didn't work for me and it only felt right when reading as a whole arc. Things may have changed since I stopped picking up the book, but I'm not really a fan of buying monthly issues and sitting on them. I'll either collect all the issues when the story is over to get the extras, or buy the trades.

I'm hoping that the same problem doesn't happen with Incognito because I've bought into the hype and I can't wait for it!

I owe the series' backup features for turning me onto Stark's Parker novels, the first there of which were just reprinted by the Univ of Chicago Press. So I can thank Ed and his co-conspirators for that.

I'm a monthly man myself, based purely on the cool bonus material.

I buy the trades, and here's what I'm hoping: after they get enough of the bonus material out there, they'll put out a collection/book of all of the material. So people with the trades can go grab all that stuff they missed.

I buy the issues because though it may read better as a complete story, by reading the single issue and then rereading them all together, I feel I'm getting more story for my dollar. I definitely don't sit on them and feel that since I do own them, I don't have to just read them once. There is so much in both the dialogue as well as the art that multiple readings of Criminal truly enhance the experience.

Also, the extra material has definitely influenced what I read and what I watch. After reading the reviews and stories, I have bought of a few of the movies and books, and really enjoyed them (especially Blast of Silence). Fantastic work. Must reads!

Like most of the other commenters, I buy the singles to support the title, but read them when the story is complete. The backup features are a great bonus.

I rarely read the extras on the first go around, but I buy it in singles because I want the book to succeed, and then I'll usually re-read everything at the end of each arc. That said, the three single stories that tied together recently were really good stuff.

I read it in singles, but I was disapointed my comic shop could not get the second arc in singles anymore.
The extra content really helps, also no ads and worth the price of the extra pages.

It would probably work in trades as well, as each one would be like a little film, but the extra content is educational, and a great way to find out about film noir I have not already seen or heard about.

The way the story beats are placed make it exciting, even though I've just been introduced to the characters.

I was buying the first series in singles - I have the entire first arc, "Coward" - but can't get books monthly, so I missed the second arc (eventually, I'll pick it up in trade). I got the first 3 issues of the current series, but missed #4. I prefer the singles for the back-up material, but the trades stay in print longer that the singles. I don't like that I'll have to switch formats to get the complete series, but I enjoy Criminal quite a bit, and don't want to miss any of it.

I wonder if the monthlies (for any series) would be ordered in higher quantities if trades weren't released so quickly. I prefer having stories in print for longer, so I'm not advocating reducing trades or increasing lag time, I'm just curious.

Ninjawookie - Why do you say your shop "could not get the second arc in singles anymore" The issues are available from Diamond right now. Who is your shop, and why are they telling you they can't get it? I'll get in touch with them. It's a Marvel comic. Any store can get it and I think all the volume two issues are currently available for reorder (the first three might be sold out).

Sijo - "-Trades overall are selling BETTER than the regular series."

Where do you get this information? I work in the industry, and while trades are selling better than they used to, most trades don't sell as well as the single issues of the same series do. Not by a long shot.

Books that sell 100,000 units as a monthly will sell about 30K in trades over the course of a year or two, if you're lucky. So not printing the comics first leaves a lot of profit on the table. Trade sales are a long-term game, slow-moving sales over years... with the odd exceptions that do amazingly, of course.

I think we're still a long way from trades becoming the dominant format, honestly.

It probably reads better as a trade to be sure, but I still buy the monthlies. I read them when the come out and when the arc is done, I'll sit down a re-read the arc. I do the same with 100 Bullets as well, which is probably the one series that lends itself best to reading as a trade (hell that one won't make total sense until you read the whole series probably). I'd probably read Criminal as a monthly even without the backmatter, but through the backmatter I have picked up on a bunch of movies that I've tracked down and enjoyed.

In addition.... I really want to see the series go on and waiting for the trade can't help it survive in a monthly format.

I had my local retailer check, and the following Criminal single issues are in stock from Diamond:

CRIMINAL 2 #6
CRIMINAL 2 #5
CRIMINAL 2 #4
CRIMINAL 2 #1

CRIMINAL #10
CRIMINAL #9
CRIMINAL #8
CRIMINAL #6
CRIMINAL #5
CRIMINAL #4
CRIMINAL #3
CRIMINAL #2

I've picked it up in singles from the start and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Each issue is usually packed with plenty of story and then when you add on the extra stuff at the back, it is just great value for money. Plus buying it in single issues is probably the best way to ensure the book will stick around.

Also when a story arc has finished, I go back and read the all the 4/5 issues together thus making a 'pretend trade'. That way it's the best of both worlds. But yeah, anyone who hasn't checked it out should definitely give it a shot.

I buy both singles and trades. I've been picking it up from the beginning, but I do think it reads better in trades, and the trades are much nicer for rereading, and for forcing on unsuspecting friends to get them reading Criminal as well. I do like the extras in the singles, though.

Are the extras of the single issues written by Bruabaker ? And if it they are not, is that why they are not included in the trades ?

> Sijo - “-Trades overall are selling BETTER than the regular series.”

Where do you get this information?<

From articles I've read here at CBR. So take that for what it's worth.

Singles!

I get my comics in one huge monthly batch, and every month (that it comes out) I leave Criminal to last, simply because it's always of such high quality. I always have a sensation of dread before I start, that "this" month, is going to show a downturn in excellence! But thankfully, it never does.

I generally prefer trades, but I like reading Criminal as a monthly. Seems pulpier somehow.

>>> Sijo - “-Trades overall are selling BETTER than the regular series.”

>>Where do you get this information?>>From articles I’ve read here at CBR. So take that for what it’s worth.

Yeah, with the odd exception like Walking Dead or Bone (and even that took years to really catch on) there are very few books that sell better in trade than they do in the single issue format. And those that do sell as well or better generally take a year or more of being on sale to get to that point.

Not that I would expect Mr. Brubaker to divulge this information, but does anyone know what the estimated sales numbers are for Criminal (both in singles and in trades)?

I prefer Criminal in trades -- easier to store and lend than the floppies. Plus, as a consumer, I generally get a better discount buying it in trade form online than I do by buying the floppies from my LCS. (Sorry, but that's the simple economics of it.) And I personally don't really feel the need to pay the extra money these days just to read Patton Oswalt's take on "Charley Varrick."

ps. And speaking of singles that offer more material, where the hell is FELL? Please, Messrs. Ellis and Templesmith, bring back FELL!!!

Criminal was actually my first exposure to Ed's work. i began with the trade of Coward, and went from there in single issues.

if i had to pick one it'd be singles. most series' i read, i read in trade until i'm caught up, and then buy the single issues. books like The Goon and DMZ and Powers and now the newest Vertigo book The Unknown Soldier, i try to pick up in single issues, if for no other reason than to support them. i have no qualms about waiting for a trade of Green Lantern Corps, but i dont read alot of "big two" books, so take that as you will.

i'm not against trades, they're easier to read and you never feel like you've been left hanging. but as Ed has pointed out many times in the Letterbox of Criminal, an unfortunate truth of a new book, is how well it sells in single issues. not everyone can be Garth Ennis writing Crossed. that book, no matter how little it sells in single issues, is still going to make it to trade and sell by the pantload, but new writers (like me!) and new artists who put thier blood sweat and tears into a creator owned book, might have something you'd really enjoy, but you see it on the shelf and you say "oh neat! i'll wait for the trade." please please please buy the single issues. if you love it to death? buy the trade when it comes out too! so you can read it over and over again and lend it to people and get more people into comics!

Ed's work on Criminal is in my collection in both single and trade form, and i've made fans out of friends with the trades countless times, but i'd never skip the singles. they're pretty to look at and 2.99 to hear Jason Aaron (scalped) talk about his favorite tv and movie badasses is worth it with or without the awesome comic that comes beforehand.

Criminal is my favorite book on the stands every month, and I love every scrap of the backmatter, so there's no way I'm not buying the singles.

>>>Not that I would expect Mr. Brubaker to divulge this information, but does anyone know what the estimated sales numbers are for Criminal (both in singles and in trades)?<<<

David M., this information, at least for the singles, is freely available at Comichron.com. For instance, last month (http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2008/2008-09.html), Criminal sold 15,610 copies, good enough to be the 134th best-selling comic for the month.

Except those numbers are wrong by at least a few thousand every month for a variety of reasons. Criminal sells about 18 to 19 thousand an issue for the past four issues.

I read in singles, both to support the book and to get the excellent backmatter. But I'm kind of irritated that they have introductions by some interesting people in the trades. Personally, I wish a hardcover or two would come out collecting all the Criminal stories thus far, with the introductions and new trade covers included. That way I'd be able to get everything.

http://www.zshare.net/image/5054952495206dc4/

Trades for me. I have no real interest in the extra material (unless that extra material is comics, which I'm pretty sure it isn't). But trades look better on the shelf, are more convenient, have a whole story in one go and don't involve me messing around with a plastic back every 22 pages.

Dan

Bru is great, but I 'm not such a big fan of the crime genre to buy the series in singles, so I buy the TPBs. I DO miss the covers, though. The french editions have them (besides having better paper and hardcovers, but that's the french for you), so why the US TPBs don't?

Best,
Hunter (Pedro Bouça)