6. Writing For Trades
When comics first started, stories began and ended single issues. The story started with a conflict, it was resolved, and the next issue began fresh. As comics matured and evolved, the idea of writing stories that lasted more than one issue came into play. This was revolutionary and completely changed how comics were written. It gave writers and artists the opportunity to tell a story for as long as they needed without the restriction of a single issue. Then came the Trade Paperback. Comics coming from major publishers now are written exclusively to be collected in a TPB. Most story arcs last a typical five to six issues, maybe with a filler comic thrown in there to flesh the collection out. Like so many comic book clichés, it takes away from the overall story. Readers know how long it will take for a resolution and essentially the beats of introducing a problem, trying to overcome it, and usually succeeding. Look at "Days of Future Past", an acclaimed classic story. How long did this epic take to complete? Two issues. It wasn't bloated, or unnecessarily expanded for the sake of filling a TPB, the story was only told for as long as needed. Comic collections are really a fantastic thing. It's an easy way to sit down with an entire story without having to pull out individual issues and makes some nearly unattainable comics accessible to a wider audience. It's also a nice way for companies to make some extra money. However, forcing stories to fit a certain format is not helped the quality of stories. Sadly, this is a cliché that's probably here to stay.