I had a quick conversation with someone earlier who said "It must be easy reviewing comics".
The sound of grating teeth across the internet ended the conversation!
Well, reviewing does involve work you know because it is not for fun but serious. There are problems. A few years back I refused to review any series that had a continuing story-line for a specific reason.
An example is a series -only ten issues- from about ten years back. The fella behind it emailed me and asked whether I would review the series and that it had plot twists and surprises in each issue -he gave it the big build up. So I said okay.
I received issues 4 and 7 and it made no sense at all. I contacted the said fellow and asked whether he realised he had only sent #4 and #7? Yes. He had expected me to review and base my review of a 10 issue series via these two issues -#7 had different characters from #4 and seemed to have a different story. I explained the problem and said fella got stroppy and could not understand why I could not use two unconnected issues to review a 10 issue complicated (he said) story?
Then I received books from other people -issue #4 of a series. Issue #3 and 8 and these were ongoing but made no sense. You either review issue by issue from #1 onward or it's pointless.
Then publishers -proper publishers mind you- send me books and they do note that sales pick up after a review: books (such as Kinsman) are still selling based on reviews in 2010, 2011, 2015 and so on. Titan Books noted sales increase of the Tarzan collections after reviews and people say they are still buying them after seeing a CBO review. Then Titan stopped sending review copies. Meh.
Other big publishers who delved into graphic novels sent review books and were happy with the results -then they stop. Casterman BD were sending books monthly for review and based on emails and messages on my various groups I know people were buying based on CBO reviews. Then Casterman stopped.
I would like to review comics from Europe such as Hexagon etc, however, despite a world wide readership -including large numbers from France, Belgium and Germany- European publishers do not send review copies. There is nothing that says they have to.
A rule of reviewing is that you DO NOT buy copies of books to review. The publisher profits from sales due to reviews but the reviewer is out of pocket so is just giving out free publicity. And despite the temptation I simply do not have the money to buy in books to review.
All of this means reviewing can be a problem and when Small Pressers do not want their books reviewed -while complaining that no one will review their books!- you just have to wait and see what comes in. Cinebook the 9th Art know a good thing so when their books turn up it relieves the boredom!
There are good comics out there but the days of me chasing around after copies are long gone...but if anyone wants to send anything......
The sound of grating teeth across the internet ended the conversation!
Well, reviewing does involve work you know because it is not for fun but serious. There are problems. A few years back I refused to review any series that had a continuing story-line for a specific reason.
An example is a series -only ten issues- from about ten years back. The fella behind it emailed me and asked whether I would review the series and that it had plot twists and surprises in each issue -he gave it the big build up. So I said okay.
I received issues 4 and 7 and it made no sense at all. I contacted the said fellow and asked whether he realised he had only sent #4 and #7? Yes. He had expected me to review and base my review of a 10 issue series via these two issues -#7 had different characters from #4 and seemed to have a different story. I explained the problem and said fella got stroppy and could not understand why I could not use two unconnected issues to review a 10 issue complicated (he said) story?
Then I received books from other people -issue #4 of a series. Issue #3 and 8 and these were ongoing but made no sense. You either review issue by issue from #1 onward or it's pointless.
Then publishers -proper publishers mind you- send me books and they do note that sales pick up after a review: books (such as Kinsman) are still selling based on reviews in 2010, 2011, 2015 and so on. Titan Books noted sales increase of the Tarzan collections after reviews and people say they are still buying them after seeing a CBO review. Then Titan stopped sending review copies. Meh.
Other big publishers who delved into graphic novels sent review books and were happy with the results -then they stop. Casterman BD were sending books monthly for review and based on emails and messages on my various groups I know people were buying based on CBO reviews. Then Casterman stopped.
I would like to review comics from Europe such as Hexagon etc, however, despite a world wide readership -including large numbers from France, Belgium and Germany- European publishers do not send review copies. There is nothing that says they have to.
A rule of reviewing is that you DO NOT buy copies of books to review. The publisher profits from sales due to reviews but the reviewer is out of pocket so is just giving out free publicity. And despite the temptation I simply do not have the money to buy in books to review.
All of this means reviewing can be a problem and when Small Pressers do not want their books reviewed -while complaining that no one will review their books!- you just have to wait and see what comes in. Cinebook the 9th Art know a good thing so when their books turn up it relieves the boredom!
There are good comics out there but the days of me chasing around after copies are long gone...but if anyone wants to send anything......
Information on WHO is interviewed can be found here:
You can order from here:
Comics ARE Fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment