"ICv2 has announced that in light of the unique market conditions, it is convening a special panel to discuss the future of the graphic novel industry at the ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference at New York Comic Con. "
I have no idea what that means. There seems to be an undercurrent of doom running through many folks' minds about whether comics can sustain themselves given the current economic climate. But, that conversation has really been going on for the last 20 years, at least.
I'm more interested in what info comes out of this get-together than that it is being held. Will we see industry leaders finally decide that albums/trade paperbacks (titled collected in graphic novel form) are the way to go for most mainstream titles? That'd be a good idea.
Will anyone lament the growing trend of marketing more graphic novels to teachers without regard to quality content or the types of cogent, relevant stories graphic novelists want to tell? Will Art Spiegelman talk about that in his "What the !@##*! Happened to Comics?!" keynote, or will it be more of the same "super-heroes killed the medium" stuff that comics intellectuals often spout? Will digital comics/ web comics be discussed?
In other words, will anything new come out of this conference? If so, will it be smart news? Or, will this just be a more organized conversation about a "crisis" that is ongoing, with its ongoing status being perhaps the best evidence that the crisis is not as destructive to the entire medium of comic art as some think?
My thought to those in the industry is this: the medium will survive whether you do or not. I understand you want to make money and feed your families, of course, but don't miss the forest for the trees by defining the crisis as one that could destroy the form.
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