Reading the thoughts in favor of periodical comics collected by Heidi MacDonald, the thought that comes to mind for me is that ultimately it’s all about convenience.

For creators, being able to work on a comic at a pace that’s comfortable (which might mean short but regular installments or going into hiding for a longer work) is a convenience, as well as having a few fewer limits on their storytelling choices. To some degree, the manga boom has added to that convenience by bringing a very different audience to comics — an audience with different interests and expectations, which means more choices for creators in how they tell stories and what kinds of stories they tell. On the other hand, the manga boom has also brought some very formidable competition that can set false expectations of what a comic creator can do. Still, one thing that stands out to me is that there’s an audience buying comics that weren’t available previously. Amid the additional pressures that comes from increased competition, I wonder if we risk forgetting that a Dramacon would have had a much harder time finding its readers if not for the manga boom.

As much as I’ve bitched about the inconvenience of buying floppies, I think the format offers a lot of convenience to customers, as well. With periodical installments, there’s less time to forget what happened in the last chapter and, therefore, less chance that you’ll have to be re-reading previous chapters before reading the new one. If a new installment arrives on a predicable schedule, people can form a habit around a title.

The problem, though, is that the Direct Market does a lot to blunt those conveniences. When comic shops place orders meant to sell out before the next issue arrives (an unfortunate necessity when you can’t return over orders) that means a fan now has to follow the store’s shipping list to make sure they get their copy (or go on a scavenger hunt for a store they can reach that still has a copy). Since the most reliable way to increase sales the most is through big events that take place across multiple titles, continuity has gotten more complex to the point that many comic readers don’t read the comics they just bought, electing, instead, to read them when a story arc has concluded.

That said, floppies still have their built-in inconveniences. It is much easier to store a comic collections and original graphic novels. Periodicals also become unavailable pretty quickly — if you’re the type of reader who insists on starting at the first chapter, you’d better be ready to sample titles before word of mouth can rally around a title.

In looking at all these factors, I realize that Shojo Beat fulfills the conveniences of the periodical format very nicely. I get a constant fix, so its easier to follow all the ups and downs of the story. Viz manages to have their subscription program to be well-run and I’m never feeling a major gap. Also, the anthology format encourages me to sample new titles without feeling penalized, as the preview chapters always feel like additional free content (as opposed to crossover stories where one must buy both titles for the complete story).

The idea of western anthology comics is something that’s generated a lot of discussion for years. There’s a long list of past case studies that can offer lessons on what can work, as well as potential pitfalls. While the convenience for consumers is usually the focus, I’m starting to think that we need to look at the convenience the format could offer creators. A well-run anthology would offer the conveniences mentioned in the parts that Heidi quotes — quick audience feedback, a steady source of income (depending on the publisher) as well as a regular work schedule. An additional convenience could be that page counts can be freer in an anthology — a common problem comic creators face is that floppies are pretty inflexible when it comes to length. Between additional features (like articles) and other comic works, an anthology would offer the convenience of being able to publish a 25-page story one month, if that’s what the story demands, or even an 16-page story. Additionally, the format would allow the various creators benefit from each other’s audiences without having to cajole an additional sale out of their readers.

Considering how much we’ve gone and expanded the options for comic collections and original graphic novels, we’re probably approaching a place where there’s an opportunity in doing something similar with periodicals.