Indy Comics Writer

A common complaint among comic readers today is that comic writers write for the trade.

This means that they stretch out stories that could be told in fewer issues so that there will be enough comics for the publisher to combine into hardbound and paperback trade volumes. In the comic-book business today, trades are where the powers such as Marvel and D.C. make their dollars.

I understand this complaint. It is kind of a drag to wait six issues — which usually equals six months — to see a story resolve itself. It’s why I no longer purchase single-issue comics. Instead, I wait for the trades.

This makes sense: By buying a single trade, you end up saving money. Comics aren’t cheap these days. You also get better storytelling. It may seem like nothing happens when you buy that single comic. But when you wait a few months and get the trade volume, you have six or more comics, usually, combined into one book. You get the beginning of an arc and the end of it. It’s a complete story and, yes, it finally feels like something is happening.

If the writers write for the trade volume — and no one can argue that they don’t — then the readers would be smart to wait for that volume. To purchase the single-issue comics seems like a lot of money for tiny drabs of story.

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