Fans Fall for Fell's Format
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on Dec. 13, 2005 Sign up now!
by Ian Brill -- Publishers Weekly, 12/13/2005
In October, Image Comics released the first issue of Fell. Written by Warren Ellis (The Authority, Transmetropolitan) and with art by Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night), Fell follows police detective Richard Fell as he tries to solve crimes in the corrupt city of Snowtown. Story aside, what's most notable about the book is the format, developed by Ellis. Each issue of Fell sells for $1.99 and features 16 pages of comics, with text pieces and/or extra art in the back of the book, making for a 24-page package. Most Marvel and DC comics run 32 pages with 22 pages of story and cost between $2.50 and $3.99. Many independent comics never go below the $4 mark. PWCW interviewed Ellis, who lives in England, about his new book and the way it stands out compared to other books on the comic rack.
This book is inspired by fans telling you they admire your work but must read them in libraries as they can't afford them. But when many companies are having success with sprawling crossovers and variant covers, why have you now come out with a less expensive comic book that also tells a complete story in every single issue?
Well, those companies also have anywhere between eight and 50 years of continuous publishing [and continuity] with those characters. That's not a success that can be duplicated.
There should also be comics for people who just want to be told a story without having to commit to 58 linked parts. And comics stores should still be places that you can walk out of holding a complete story that you bought for pocket change, no matter how old you are.
Is it a response to the rising prices of many single-issue comics?
Partly, yes. Reduced audience numbers plus a commitment to actually paying writers and artists has created an economic burden on independent comics publishers, and a lot of singles are now appearing at a $4 price point. I'm not always sure how far the dollar stretches over there, but if you convert that into English pounds, that's the equivalent of a meal, easy.
Why did you decide on Image for Fell over other small press publishers you've worked with? How did you and Image decide on $1.99 for the price point?
Image was the publisher that could make the price point. The price point was my idea, and I was looking for a publisher who could do it. The downside is that Ben Templesmith and I don't see a penny until a couple of months after publication.
Why a detective story? Do you consider many of the TV detective shows an influence?
I wanted to write something accessible. Anyone who's sat in front of a TV at any time over the last 50 years has a certain comfort level with the detective form as a visual narrative that provides a complete story. I don't want people to be frightened of the fact that it's a comic, you know? If you've ever sat through an episode of Law & Order: Child Rape Cavalcade, then you've got all the equipment to comprehend an episode of Fell. It's why I built it on the nine-panel grid—it looks like three newspaper strips stacked one atop the other, it's among the easiest comics forms for a newcomer to the art to understand.
How did Ben Templesmith get involved with the book?
I'd been talking about my vision for the book in my e-mail diary, which goes out to about 9,000 people—including Ben Templesmith, it turns out, who contacted me to say, "16 pages a month for no money? Sounds great. I'll do it." Ben is Australian, and therefore obviously educationally disadvantaged, and I ruthlessly took advantage of him. One day his wife will teach him how to count and I'll be buggered.
Why a 16-page comic story and then text pieces? Was it always going to be this format?
Yes. The format actually came to me first. I knew I could get a complete story into 16 pages. But the math of comics singles is rigid—eight-page signatures—and I knew from experience that 16-page books don't have enough body to stand well on a display shelf. So I took it to 24 pages, and decided to bulk out the reading experience of Fellby adding the comics equivalent of DVD commentary.
You have written that this comic is inspired by fans coming up to you and saying they can't afford many of your books. What has the fan reaction to Fellbeen like?
In the week after Fell #1 was released, I must've received some 200 e-mails from people telling me they bought it because of the price point. The vast majority of those were people without much money, who traditionally saved up for my books or borrowed them from libraries or friends.
Will there be Fell collections in the future? Will they also feature a reduced price point and text pieces?
This is all way into the future. It works like this: if no one buys the singles, the publisher won't perceive a market for a collection. And it's early days with the singles—the comics market is volatile enough that we could be long gone before the possibility of a collection raises its head.
Will you do more books in this format? Do you think more comic creators and publishers should start thinking about lowering the price point and find ways to offer more content per issue? I doubt I'll do more books in this format—if nothing else, it's financially difficult to pull off, and if I had a hair of sense I'd be doing something else and actually getting paid for it. These are the stories I wanted to tell in this format.
I know Image intends to offer more books in the Fell format.
