[Throaty narrator voice] Last time on 101 Lessons Part 1: we discussed issues! We discussed collecting! We discussed that time on The Office Jim made the mistake of confessing his feelings for Pam to Michael!
On Part 2 of the great debate between issues vs volumes we are looking at the collections of a complete story and why, in my opinion, it is possibly a better choice for new readers. These 101 Lessons are intended to target newcomers, as I have interacted with many customers completely unfamiliar with the basics. Surprisingly, to me, it seems very confusing to beginners the concept of a volume.
Regular book publishing is simple, there's one book for the story you want to read. I think the problem is that because regular publishing uses the blanket term "books" and it is part of the word comic books they are connected in people's minds. Throwing in that volumes are different than comic books confuses the uninitiated. So here's a break down of the basics and why I think volumes might be better suited for fledgling fans of the comic book genre.
Volumes
The usual terms synonymous with a volume are graphic novels or trades. There are some other specifics like paperbacks, hardcovers, or even omnibuses but I’ll get into them on a later post. I tend to use volumes because there is an ongoing debate between the use of graphic novels. There are some who see it as a term indicating those of higher literature; the editions of sequential art (a grandiose term for comic book art) that tackle social issues or stand apart from commonplace comic books as clear perennials.
A volume, no matter the term used, is a collection of multiple issues into a bound book. Average length tends to be about six single issues are collected into one volume. To extend my TV metaphor, think of a season of a show.
“Booze Cruise” was the 11th episode of season 2, which is the season we saw Michael sleep with his boss Karen, Jim’s feelings are revealed for Pam, Dwight wins Salesman of the Year, and ultimately concludes with Jim finally kissing Pam in “Casino Night.” All of this happened across one season, similar to how progression of a character or story occurs within a volume. But as an issue is a piece of a whole, the volume is another larger piece of the entirety of a franchise.
Volumes are collected ideally a month to two months after the last issue was published in that series. Doing the math, if six issues make a volume and most issues are published every month, a volume comes out about every six or seven months. The system isn’t always perfect, but potentially this is when you can look for the next volume to show up in your local comic book shop.
Now let’s get into why you may prefer a volume over an issue:
Would you rather add to your bookshelf collection than stow away short boxes in your closet?
Do you want a complete beginning and end story?
Are you able to spend a little bit more than that $5 in your pocket?
As I discussed earlier, collecting comic books takes a lot of excess material and one of the biggest pains is shifting boxes. Bagging and boarding comics, choosing to keep an inventory, and ultimately having to pack the issues away into their appropriate boxes involves a lot of heavy lifting.
Personally, I almost never go back and read single issues because it’s such a hassle to go through everything for six issues. But it is very simple to slide a volume off the bookshelf and start reading my favorite series once more. You have to ask yourself if you are more of a collector or getting into comic books to enjoy the story.
That being said, are you looking to digest a full story all at once? Our lives have drastically become focused on binging everything. And comic books have their own term for that habit, trade waiting. It is very rare to find a story written in major markets that isn’t set up to be read as a volume. Many have caught on, and rather than wait month to month they want it all at once when the volume is published.
The downside to trade waiting, you’re going to have to shell out a bit more than a fiver. But good news! You’re probably going to save some money at the start. A lot of companies are going to give you a discount on your trades, so I’m going to break down an example.
Image has a pretty awesome deal where a majority of their first volumes are only $9.99. Let’s look at one of my favorite series, Seven to Eternity written by Rick Remender and art by Jerome Opeńa and Matt Hollingsworth. I will stop just to mention it’s beautiful and you should be reading that, just finish my article first. Anyways, the first volume includes the issues #1-4, originally priced at $3.99 which would be a total of $11.96 all together. You’re saving $1.97! Might not seem like much but the bigger the volume, more likely the bigger the savings.
Final note, I think is important, when deciding if issues or volumes are best for you as a newcomer. Issues have a limited print run. Typically, an issue is only going to be printed once which will naturally make it harder to find a complete run. As long as a story isn’t outdated or conflicts with the publisher’s current narrative (really only an occurrence in a superhero publisher) trades will be reprinted. Your local comic shop will eventually get a volume back in when sold out, but that won’t necessarily be the case for an issue.
If you’re taking the leap and heading into your local comic book shop for the first time, it’s important to know what you’re getting into. Understanding what you want is the best way for those of us working in the shop to help you. So question is, which do you prefer? What is your goal starting off in this wonderful hobby that has taken over my life? Let me know in the comments which you prefer, and if this helped!