Robert—

I'll reply only to this message, though my thoughts are also in response to your other e-mail (re: Internet PP). I'm also sending copies to some of my customers and fellow retailers (plus a few small press publishers and comics creators), inviting them to join in on the dialogue.

First, understand that I am a "traditional" comic book fan. I LOVE those flimsy, serially-produced, newsprint, stapled bad boys. I own a few trade paperbacks and graphic novels, but I'm just an old-fashioned kind of guy. So, I wish everything (cookbooks, the Bible/Koran/Torah/Tibetan Book of the Dead, Chiltons auto manuals) was published in the "comic book" format.

That being said, I know it's like saying "I love dinosaurs" or snail darters, or carrier pigeons. Comic books WILL cease to exist one day. I say this as an interpretation of economical and sociological factors I have little or no control over. But I'm NOT a half-empty glass kind of guy, either. It's evolution, plain and simple. To paraphrase the great Glen Larson, creator of the "epic" BATTLESTAR: GALACTICA, "there are those who believe" comic books are the end-stage of words+pictures. Pfah! Cave paintings were just the beginning! Hieroglyphs were not the final pictogram on literature! The Yellow Kid was merely an innovation! Why this arrogance and sentimentality about a form of literature that's only existed for 100 years, give or take?

What will comic books evolve into? Possibly on-line, downloadable graphics with actual sounds, voice actors, SFX, music, and the whole shebang. CGI characters are getting very good, especially in Japan, and big companies like Marvel, DC, and Image, have long toyed with computer graphics (and all have a real presence on the Web, as well). Perhaps these items will also be available on DVD-like discs, as well. But I'm seeing real-world industries increasingly using the Web to sidestep packaging, distribution, and outside marketing. I do my Diamond Comics orders on their website now. They save my data until I come back. There's no downloading of catalogs, no file uploads or transfers, and it's incredibly easy (I do refer to a traditional paper catalog right now as I in-put data). I filed my taxes at www.turbotax.com, and paid about $10.00 less than I would've if I'd purchased the software at BestBuy (more environmentally-friendly, as well). So this is one long-term possibility.

Short-term, graphic novels and trade paperbacks will usurp comic books. They're self-contained. The average reader (not comic book reader) would balk at buying a novel one chapter at a time (ask Stephen King's publisher), and if comic-related material is going to break out into Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, and the like, it can NOT be serialized. There's also the practical aspect of packaging and display. GNs/TPBs display easier, more like "real books" with a visible spine and some "meat" to them. And you don't have to worry about a clerk rotating the stock as often (weekly/monthly) or stocking back issues ("Yeah, I've got chapters 2, 5, 6, 9, and 15, of that book. Chapter 12 was written by this hot new writer, and it sold out the first day. You can buy it on eBay for about $25.00. So, are you ready to check out? Sir? Sir? Where are you going? Don't you want to buy the portions of the story I DO have in stock?").

What do I recommend for PEACE PARTY?

Trade paperback format. Self-contained story arcs (6 issues/chapters worth or so). Color. Accessible price point ($9.95-14.95). Distribution through EVERY POSSIBLE SOURCE (I know you've already explored many creative avenues already, but don't ignore the financial realities of those monster booksellers, either). Good artist (especially on the cover). Peripheral products/licensing; try to line up toy deals and animated series and a movie deal before you ever solicit—while this type of stuff is usually unrealized, the influx of cash can help you get from "Go" to "Park Place" (or at least "Ventnor"). A CD soundtrack released simultaneously or bundled with the book. Internet support—character bios, making of stuff, reviews, select pages. Free copies to supportive retailers like me. And a hundred other things I haven't thought of yet.

PEACE PARTY, by its very nature, has an uphill battle. It's a super-hero comic (a dying market?), with the trappings of a small press black and white alternative (a dead market?). It's about "Indians" (to the average mainstream reader) or Native Americans (to the smaller, more culturally-alert crowd). It involves Native mysticism and religion (not much support from Pat Buchanan, I'd bet). It's written and illustrated by talented but relatively unknown creators. And those are the good points.

But (as we've discussed before), PEACE PARTY just wouldn't be PEACE PARTY if it were illustrated by Rob Liefeld, and your themes and ideas were subjugated to make the project more (easily) marketable. You MUST remain true to your vision, sink or swim. Look at Dave Sim, Richard and Wendy Pini, Terry Moore, Paul Chadwick, and a few of the creators on my e-mail list above (hey Larry! Dan! Gary! Randy! Chris! George! Shannon! Don! Barry!). These are all guys who have stuck to their guns (and drawing tables) and do the work they choose to do, regardless of the financial realities involved. I know for a fact many of them go in the hole to publish their books. But it's all about vision, man. Do you have something you must share with the world? An inner demon gnawing to get out? A story to tell? Then tell it. And damn the torpedoes.

I hope my ramblings are useful. Good luck and good sales.

Steve Bates, Manager, Bookery Fantasy
www.bookeryfantasy.com