Comic Research Part I

As I keep attempting to create my own comic along with my unique characters and universe in it, I am here and there looking at those succesful comic book artist from which I could grab some clues.

At some point I wondered about ISSUES, the purpose of it, the length, and reasons behind of doing them.

Thanks to quora here is a cool answer I got

Ada Mackiewicz, Avid comic reader and amateur cartoonist

Answered Jun 18, 2018

Well, for starters, let’s acknowledge two different meanings of ‘volume’.

Volume can often refer to the entire run of a comic before it’s renumbered - for example, Batman comic had exactly THREE volumes in its entire history - Volume 1 that ran from 1940 to 2011 (until New 52 relaunch), Volume 2 that ran from 2011 to 2016 (until Rebirth relaunch) and current volume, Volume 3 that runs from 2016 until this very day.

I’m assuming this is NOT the meaning you’re describing, and you’re instead referring to collected editions - what is probably more accurately called “Trade Paperbacks” or “TPB” (we call it that even if they’re hardcover. Don’t ask why.)

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Collected editions on average collect a single storyline. Therefore, best size for a TPB is best size for a single storyline. Which is generally anywhere between 3 issues, up to even 8 issues.

Above 8 issues you’re starting to go from territory of a ‘storyline’ and more into territory of a ‘graphic novel’. For example, Watchmen (a graphic novel) had 12 issues. And even then, 8 is a bit extreme, you should probably aim at 6 and less.

And there’s a reason for that. Generally, in a serialized comic, you don’t want to drag a single storyline for too long to make sure you don’t bore your readers by concentrating on one story arc for too long. Instead, it’s better to build bunch of smaller stories that result from one another.

Graphic novels (understood as equivalent to novels - comic books that tell the story they want and then end) can have much longer storylines - 12 or 20 or more issues - because they are only around to tell this one story, and then they end. That story is the only story, the whole point. But in a serialized ongoing comic, that story is only ONE of MANY stories in this world, with these characters that you will tell. You don’t want one story to dominate your comic.