Of course the proper response is to ask why that is and try to correct it. One of the main things working against me, according to my art buddy Mark Rudolph and my wife Anne, is that the current cover is just too darned busy.
I do love this cover, but I can see their point. There's not much to really focus on, no one thing that jumps out at you and explains succinctly what the tone of the story is.
I also suspect that part of it has to do with price point. I think $15 is past a lot of people's threshold for an entertainment purchase.
There are other reasons as well, like market penetration and insufficient promotion, but I won't go into too much of that just now.
At least in answer to the first two points, I've sent off my files to print a new edition of The Front: Rebirth. here's a shot of the covers and spine:
Mark convinced me to use some art I had previously used for a free desktop image on the website--his assertion was that it has much more focus, the conflict and tone are more clearly spelled out, and he always liked the way I draw debris. Couldn't argue with him on any of those points.
This edition also features fewer pages--no extra features like in the original printing, just the story itself. I'm printing it in a smaller size, one that I've come to love, which is approximately 5.8" wide by 9" deep. A lot of the graphic novels coming out from publishers like Scholastic, Hyperion, and First Second are done in this size, and I find them much easier to hold and flip through than the larger American comics size (7.5" by 10.5"). There's something much more friendly about this smaller size that I can't put my finger on. Maybe it's something as simple as distancing itself from mainstream American comics, maybe the smaller size implies that it's less about the art than it is about the story, I don't know. But I really like it.
These changes also mean a lower unit cost, which means I can afford to charge less. So this next edition of The Front will be $11.99 instead of $15.
We'll see how it goes when I get the new edition up for sale, and when I take some copies to conventions in the coming months. I'm feeling a bit more optimistic about this new design and format.
8 comments:
I'm just glad I got a copy of the classic addition before the change, but I really like your line of thinking here. Seems like the change in size really fits the type of story you're telling. Maybe it's because the Front has such a "manga" vibe.
Thanks Brandon!
I'm actually intending on keeping both editions in print--should've mentioned that. This is the beauty of POD: there's no reason to let anything go out of print, and you can create as many formats as you want to serve whatever audiences you want.
Review of THE FRONT.
Jerzy Drozd's The Front is a graphic novel written and drawn by American comic book artist Jerzy Drozd.
The Front is an ambitious project, and is graphic witness to the artists perseverance. It is also proof that Mr. Drozd is a fine artist. He aspires to create comics in the Magna vein. The panel breakdowns in The Front and character stylings are all in the magna style.
Jerzy Drozd is no hack. He redeems himself in another book called "The Replacements" created with Sarah Turner and is a much better story, and comic. The story in "The Replacements" reads like an old Marvel comic, easy to grasp and get into, and the art is great. It took doing The Front to get to The Replacements, and it was worth the trip. The Replacements is a very good comic book, The Front is not.
The big picture: The Front is a flawed book in that it fails to present the conflicts and themes in a way that make sense for the reader. And it's most fatal flaw of all, the inability for the story to define itself as an action comedy. It's confusing as to what the author is trying to do with the story. The Front is a coming of age story about a teenager with super powers and is often seems to digress into moments of "humor" that don't read as funny. Case in point the hero is held captive late in the story and the villain's begin to do a silly puppet show to taunt the hero. This destroys all tension of being captured, and the "evil" nature of the entire villainous plot. Is this an Archie comic? If so, even Archie is funny, as Archie gets into situations way over his head. This is not told that way.
If the story was going to be funny, or for children, it had to be structured in a very different way in order to work as comedy drama. But that is just the beginning of the flaws we found in this book so let us now look at the TOP 10 things Wrong with Jerzy Drozd's "The Front".
1. The book contains the weak plot device of a character explaining the plot to the other characters (and the audience). Rather than tell the story, Jerzy Drozd uses the device of stopping the story and having a character in the story, tell us what the story is about. In this case Rex, tells the other characters, what it's all about and why. No one discovers anything in this story. They are told. This is a very weak plot device.
Part of the charm of a story is discovery. There is no scene in "The Stargate" movie, where all the action stops and the characters tell us.."This is thing is a Stargate, created by an ancient race.." and so on. This never happens in "The Stargate." The characters and the audience discover together what is going on as the story unfolds.
2. A coming of age story? Not at all. A coming of age story is the bittersweet reality that childhood has passed and responsibility is now waiting. Thirsty gets "angry" and uses his "Powers" to escape and fight. What lesson does he learn? The true use of power? The cost of doing the right thing? What choice is made by this character that shows any growth at all? He get's angry enough to finally fight?
There is no conflict for the character either morally or in any way tangible way. Thirsty is not conflicted at all about having super powers or using them when he gets mad enough. What does the character learn from the journey he takes in this story? When you get mad enough, you use your powers?
Accepting responsibility for great power, like carrying a loaded gun, is what the author was shooting for (maybe?) but this theme never really comes up.
Thirsty displays a reluctance to being kidnapped, that is about it. Who wouldn't?
3. Confusing characters. There are many examples of this but it's easy to pick out a big one and focus on that one. Sam attacks Thirsty on the Ferris wheel in book one. She seems transformed into a demon and attacks Thirsty. For a girl, or a human, this is not even close to "Real" response. When you read the story (and reread it) you see this scene and say "What the?". She seems transformed, and is drawn that way. She attacks Thirsty, like a demon, and it's scary.
My guess after much debate, is that the author is going for humor here, and that her attack is supposed to read as "funny" and not scary. But it's not drawn or written that way.
There are copious examples of these "emotions" that don't make any sense in this book. This reaction by Sam, so violent and frightening, makes no sense to the reader, why would be become so crazy and angry?
4. Stock faces. There are conventions in Magna. A certain simplicity to the faces and hair. Jerzy Drozd follow those conventions and that leads to some problems with all the characters and the way they act. For example, Rex's face, which is an open mouth yelling for the most part, looks exactly like an icon of a face. This style of mouth, face pose, is seen in many other characters. There is nothing subtle in the emotionally delivery of the characters. No middle ground of emotion. The character's yell through out the story and use a handful of "emotions" to represent them. Yelling face versus not yelling face. Some emotional states and different face styles needed to be used.
5. The audience is unclear about the authors themes. This can be clearly seen in the choice of characters that unbalance the story.
The Front, at it's best could be seen as a version of "The Fantastic Four" or "Spiderman". A young team must discover and use their amazing powers to fight and defeat a bad guy. Dr. Doom and The Fantastic Four is a story we can understand. Characters we can root for and be afraid of! The Front might have pulled that off except for some huge flaws. First the monster's. The orange bodybuilder has the same face as Rex (same mouth, eyes and expression) and never seems anything but a big cartoon, but the worst is the giant stuffed animal that attacks thirsty. Did Dr. Doom send fluffy plush toys to fight The Fantastic Four? What is this written for a 5 year old character doing in this story? What is the threat of a big plush toy?
All sense of threat, discovery, and suspense is abandoned in the first page of this story. A giant plush toy attacks a Ferris wheel? Rex catches them when they fall. He shoots an arrow at a big guy who has the same face he does, and knocks him down, end of book one. What?
In book two we meet the real villain in a superbly drawn reveal, but there is no tension. No Dr. Doom. This guy reads like a villain from FOOM, the marvel satire of The Fantastic Four, and not like a villain anyone should be scared of.
This negates all threat. Like "Jaws" in the James Bond series, he was stripped of all threat and became a comic foil for James Bond. But this character is not a comic foil. He is supposed to be the villain.
6. It's a story for age 10. This usually is not a criticism but this time it it, because the story fails to deliver what the 10 year old really wants to read. Suspense, adventure, cool characters (like Ming the Merciless, and The Dragon Lady) and cool locations. All this with a hero you can root for.
Either Peter Parker or Zorro is fine. Just give us someone we can root for and why.
When you are 10 you want to see Zorro or Treasure Island. Take us on a journey or let's battle evil and outsmart the bad guys.
The Front fails to take us on an adventure and we fail to battle evil. By the time Thirsty is held prisoner and tortured with a puppet show, we have no idea what the conflict of this story is about. Thirsty only acts when he is forced to, when he becomes angry. He never uses his self control, inner resolve, new sense of purpose, or anything, to make a decision.
He never becomes anything more than he is. He never chooses to be a hero (despite overwhelming odds). There is nothing to overcome in this story but his own whining personality. There is no threat. And no one to root for.
We know why we root for Peter Parker. He is picked on, Aunt May is sick, he is broke, he is alone, and the girl he longs for ignores him. But even with all that, he is noble and strives against villains that are truly evil, like Doctor Octopus, The Scorpion and The Sandman. Real villains that don't play it for laughs.
Why root for Thirsty? Because he is an orphan like Harry Potter and every other Disney cartoon hero? Does he strive for anything? Does he long for a new life? For adventure far away from his dull life? Are the odds against him? Does he face poverty? Sickness? Is he lonely and need friends? Does he learn that his great power is a gift and he must use it for good?
7. No threats. In Archie comics there were threats. Veronica's Dad, Mr. Weatheby. They could punish Archie, get mad at him, chase him, put him in detention after school, and often these "threats" become the victims of his stupidity. These threats, even though comedic, were real, and provided the tension for 1000's of Archie stories.
The Front lacks in a very real way any real threats. And that seems to be intentional. There is no fear of stuffed animals, no fear of the bad guys (they are shown as puppet theater clowns) and or physical threat. There is no loss of home or place or friends. Unlike Frodo, Thirsty does not long to return to his home or friends (they come with him for the entire story) back in the shire.
8. We learn that when Thirsty gets really mad, he uses his powers. That's it. That is the book's "lesson".
He is not saddled with the "moral" responsibility of great power. He is not worried about possibly hurting someone accidentally. He does not reflect on the gift he has been given and the responsibilities he now has to face. None of this.
If he gets mad enough, like the Hulk, he will lash out, with anger, and then take action.
So the lesson is, wait till you are really mad, then do something.
9. It's just an action story. Maybe The Front is not a morality play but a simple "watch this" story.
Maybe Thirsty is just an action hero in an action story. Perhaps we are looking at the story for meaning that was never intended to be displayed? Maybe Thirsty, is not supposed to learn anything from his adventure. It's just what happened to him. Thirsty is a plot device, put in place to take action when he is needed to save everyone. The story was not a morality play, not a cliff hanger adventure. It is an action comedy. A light hearted comedy with stuffed animals and puppets used for "torture".
I see the action. Fights. Stuff blows up. People run around. Where is the comedy? Comedy requires tension. Where is the tension is this story?
Everything is explained by Rex. It's simple enough to understand. What surprise happens that we did not see coming? What is revealed? Some bad guys, that are not even scary, (Sam attacking Thirsty on the Ferris wheel is the scariest part of the book) chase Thirsty around till they "catch" him. Ummm, none of that was all that amazing, funny or suspenseful. Will he escape? Was there ever a doubt?
And again, what did Thirsty learn from his adventure? When you get mad enough, then do something? Gardner Fox would never write a story like this. Even when the stories were bland, he at least had the hero "out smart" the bad guys and out think them. Does anyone think in this entire book?
10. It's a character study like the movie "Pulp Fiction". No, "The Front" is not a character study. It's the opposite. "The Front" only has one dimensional characters that act as story props. They don't make choices, they don't learn, they don't wrestle with moral dilemmas, they don't reflect on their actions or situations. No is betrayed. No one learns right from wrong. No one risks losing love to do the right thing. There is no moral issue or character study in "The Front." Which is okay. "Crank" the movie is this way. Or for a better example "Peter Pan". Only Tinker Bell displays emotion, jealousy, and eventually in conflict over Wendy, betrays Peter Pan and the Wild Boys to Captain Hook. Her betrayal is the entire third act of the movie. The Front does not even have on Tinker Bell. No one makes any choices good or evil.
So there is a small overview of some of the flaws in this book. This does not mention many other confusing and inconsistent things in this story. But failing to have us root for the hero (Ala Peter Parker) makes the book very forgettable. We never care about the character or feel any of his fear, desire or pain. And second major flaw is the villains are the presented as harmless clowns and thus they represent no threat, or even a vehicle for change. Striving to overcome less than mediocre circumstances is not very rousing.
Rocky needed Apollo Creed in order to have become Rocky. He needed something to overcome that the audience could perceive as a real threat. We rooted for Rocky because he was poor and untalented, but he aspired to be MORE than he was, he aspired to love a woman, and for this simple act of wanting, we wanted him to win. The audience rooted for Rocky. That was the key to the film.
Thirsty never aspires to anything, is never in danger, and we never root for him.
Linking to the review on your site would've worked just as well, Jake.
But thanks for sharing your thoughts!
The Front is an adventure story. The problem is there is no threat. Nothing to overcome. A hero is judged by what he overcomes (usually a Villain). The better the Villain, the greater the threat..the greater your hero must strive to overcome. Thirsty has nothing to overcome. He needed something to overcome.
Like Frodo in Lord of The Rings. Frodo had lots to overcome.
Thirsty has to overcome a shock collar and a very goofey villain. By having a weak villain and no threat and no moral story or message to deliver, the Front reads like an episode of a teenage cartoon show. Not much going on. How to fix this? The hero needs to learn sacrifice. That would help. Thirsty facing a "shock" collar was not all that compelling. Second, don't make the Viallian a goof. Have some threat. Even Scooby Doo has a threat. By making the Villian a total non-threat, the story loses all gravity.
The art is great, but the story is very contrived, and yes, Rex has one facial expression.
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