Broken Frontier

It would be great if graphic novels had the same channels of exposure as the movies.  It’s easy to find out what’s playing, just by looking in the newspaper.  Internet sites like the Internet Movie Database tell you what’s showing and what’s hot, and lists forthcoming releases in theaters and on DVD.  Film critics abound, their reviews easily obtained online.  Rotten Tomatoes even gathers up and analyzes all the reviews of a movie and provides a critical consensus, along with hot links to all the reviews.   And all the large cities have art houses that show some of the quality independent films that don’t go into wide distribution.

Graphic novels are slowly gaining greater exposure, and you can at least count on a few year-ending “best of” list to tell you what you shouldn’t miss.  But unlike the movies, it isn’t simple to track what’s new, what’s hot, and what’s forthcoming.  Certainly not as simple as walking out to your front lawn and opening the paper to the movie page.

Nor is it simple to track down critical reviews.  While a Rotten Tomatoes for graphic novels would be most welcome, it’s not here yet.  And there isn’t an equivalent of the art cinema for graphic novels.  No store could specialize in graphic novels and stay in business for long. 

The explosion in graphic novel publishing makes it very difficult for readers to keep up, and if you want to follow publications from the other 6 continents, it’s nearly impossible.  With the exception of a great deal of manga, American readers have practically no access to the comic books and graphic novels being produced around the world.  What the discerning lover of graphic novels really needs is a personal shopper who can scour the globe and acquire a small selection of the tastiest treats, and bring them to you.

Enter First Second Books and Editorial Director Mark Siegel.  The Spring 2007 catalog is out, showcasing the 6 newest titles in First Second’s highly selective collection.  This booklet is a beauty.  It uses 24 of its 28 pages to show off the new books, each one getting 4 spectacular full-color pages all to itself.  From the lively imaginations of Lewis Trondheim, Gipi, Eddie Campbell and more, come works for kids, teens and adults, works of whimsy, beauty, and danger.  Each author and title is presented lovingly, respectfully, and enthusiastically.  There’s something here for everyone, this catalog says. 

Siegel is building a unique collection of beautiful and intelligent books from anywhere and everywhere in the world with something for every age and taste, all reasonably priced.  The first page of the catalog contains a letter to the reader from Siegel, who writes that the First Second collection is all about diversity, with something “for every age and every kind of reader.”  To illustrate the point, the catalog’s covers are filled with photographs of regular people of all ages and interests reading First Second Books (you can see these photos in the intro that plays when you visit the web site, www.firstsecondbooks.com).  You can’t help but think that Siegel knows exactly how to get to Sesame Street.

The six books in the Spring collection come from Italy, France, the United States, and Scotland, by way of Australia (Campbell).  The backlist contains a couple of books from the developing world, namely Rwanda and Malaysia.  No doubt Latin America will soon make an appearance in the First Second collection, since Argentinian Jose Muñoz took top honors at Angoulême 2007.  All that’s missing are books that could appeal to the working poor and immigrants of Europe and America, or to the really poor who struggle to change their lives in the ghettoes and shantytowns of the developing world.  I would love to see a fine imprint publish something like that!

By publishing for all ages, Siegel pursues another worthy goal, that of “raising the next generation of demanding graphic novel readers.”  In his letter, he notes that this is why “every season also has offerings for the younger set.” There are two books for children in the Spring catalog.  Sardine in Outer Space, vol. 3, by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert, and Tiny Tyrant, by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme, both come from France.  The cartooning styles of each are highly unique and inventive, the stories very funny.

If it survives, First Second might find itself the beneficiary of the law of unintended consequences.  On the one hand, it seeks diversity in style and genre by going beyond the boundaries of the US, and bringing quality graphic novels from around the world to an American readership.  On the other hand, it seeks to cultivate generations of readers by bringing quality children’s books to young readers.  But these quality children’s books are also defined by the diversity of style and subject.  In the end, First Second will not only cultivate the next generations of its readers.  It will cultivate the next generations of its writers and artists. 

By bringing these fine works together in one place, First Second can help spark the next generation of originality in the next generation of creators.  It grabs its customers young, and its talent, too.  As business plans go, it’s a pip!