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“Packaging” is important, too!

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Walt

It’s certainly not a new topic by any means. But it re-occurred to me today as I was leaving Borders just how much the “packaging” of a product (specifically book or comic/collected-volume) matters.

I went in planning to purchase The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks with my 40%-off coupon of the weekend. The volume, however, seemed both too skinny for its retail price, and too small in dimensions overall–larger than, say, the Zombie Survival guide itself, but smaller than a standard (Marvel or DC) graphic novel. For $17 and flipping through and seeing it more flash than substance (more art than words) I actually decided I’ll hold off on it for now. Sure, it’s still on my want-list, but it can definitely wait.

I also noticed a couple of Marvel books in particular where the “Premiere Hardcover” was next to the TPB. With Captain America: The Man With No Face, the paperback is $15.99 while the hardback is $19.99. Now, I know as well as ANYone that $4 can be quite a bit. But these days, for the price of an average Marvel comic, I’ll pay the “upgrade fee” and get the hardcover when there’s so little difference in price! (when available/able, of course). But there’s something discouraging (for lack of better word) about seeing a nice hardcover with a paperback next to it…and realizing they’re practically the same price despite the price differences. (For that…I’d like to see the paperbacks go to a standard digest-size and be about half the price of the hardcovers.)

I happened across a Zombies anthology (different from the Living Dead anthology)…massive paperback. Granted, it’s all prose…but $20. And for page count, it DWARFS the average Marvel/IDW (and even DC) $20 paperbacks. For sheer size, it would certainly beat out a number of other books for the price.

I listened to a Comic Geek Speak podcast today where they talked about the TMNT Collected Volume One; the content’s good, obviously…but the packaging is very minimal…no text/pictures/description on the back, the spine is just text on a background, and the cover is simply a closeup of one of the Turtles’ faces…no logos, even on the cover.

Now, granted, in bookstores or even at home, the spine is probably what’s gonna be seen most…but still…it’s always nice when a book’s entirety just looks good as well as containing good quality content.

As a book person, I also prefer when things look good TOGETHER on the shelf…and for a series to look like a series…that is, a common trade dress and size. I have actually opted AGAINST buying books because they don’t fit with others or otherwise waited til I could get a different edition that WOULD fit. (I also specifically AVOID the extra-tall mass-market paperbacks…I mean, what’s the POINT of these? I suppose that’ll be a topic for another post).

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Photos From Home #12

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Walt

Back in the spring of 1994, a friend convinced me to try out the Magic: The Gathering card game–at the time, I don’t think the game had even existed for more than 7 or 8 months. I initially missed the first novel published based on the game (Arena), but got in with Whispering Woods, which turned out to be the first of a 3-book series.  I followed the rest of the series, though never enjoyed these as much as the first 4.

In 1998 or early 1999, I stumbled across The Brothers’ War, and enjoyed the reading experience a great deal–particularly as it fleshed out a story only hinted at prior in comics and the cards themselves.  Late in my first semester at college I started picking up the other books, and enjoyed the rich story being assembled that tied together the entire Magic: The Gathering setting to that point.  I followed the series for several years and a number of the “cycles.” I’ve fallen behind by quite a few years at this point.

Two other series that I have a number of books are the Aliens series–based on the movies and Dark Horse’s excellent comics continuity. The other is MechWarrior: Dark Age, which followed WizKids’ moving that saga forward a generation or two for its then-new collectible miniatures game. You’ll also see the only 2 Mage Knight novels published…these were OK reads, but I was looking forward to more–sadly, they never did put any more out that I’m aware of.

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7th Son: another great book…coming soon.

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Walt

7th Son: DescentMost of my reading is comics.  Between work and other stuff in life, I don’t have nearly the kind of time I had a decade ago in high school, or even in college, to just read. And while I certainly enjoy comic reviewing, the online comics community, and of course, the actual reading of comics…that doesn’t leave much time for other reading.

However, when it comes to new books by John Grisham and Brad Meltzer and the occasional other author (I may pick up Dan Brown’s new book in the near future)…I tend to make an exception, and switch to reading the new book before returning to comics.

And thanks to so enjoying the podiobook experience last year, another break-from-comics-to-get/read-a-book is coming up in about a month, when JC Hutchins’ 7th Son: Descent is finally out in print/paperback.

As America reels from the bizarre presidential assassination committed by a child, seven men are abducted from their normal lives and delivered to a secret government facility. Each man has his own career, his own specialty. All are identical in appearance. The seven strangers were grown— unwitting human clones—as part of a project called 7th Son.

The government now wants something from these “John Michael Smiths.” They share the flesh as well as the implanted memories of the psychopath responsible for the president’s murder. The killer has bigger plans, and only these seven have the unique qualifications to track and stop him. But when their progenitor makes the battle personal, it becomes clear he may know the seven better than they know themselves.

Hutchins has composed a fantastic series in 7th Son. Whether you’ve already listened to the podiobook version of the series or are just hearing of it…I highly recommend checking this out. I expect to post more in coming weeks about this; in the meantime, check out jchutchins.net for more information from the author.

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Photos From Home #9

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Walt

Another shelf of books. These are all of my Dragonlance hardcovers, as well as the hardcovers I have of the Harry Potter series. I had a hardcover of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but gave that to my sister a few years back. It was shortly AFTER that that I actually got into the series, and book 5–Order of the Phoenix–was the first I read while only available in hardback. For lack of space on other similar shelves, my two zombie novels share space here. The Zombie Survival Guide, and the excellent World War Z.

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Photos From Home #3

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Walt

I no longer remember exactly why I shelved these books together. Obviously the Tolkien volumes belong together, and I like the Narnia volume with ’em.  The rest seem to be books I’ve snagged as they came out.  First Counsel and Millionaires I picked up after the fact, but I want to keep them with the other Meltzer books.

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