Invisible Republic

[missingmarch]

I thought that the first trade was absolutely fantastic. Is this continuing?

[highlandhellboy]

the 10th issue should be out soon. So a second collection shouldn't be to far behind, there were some delays, but as much as people moan about delays on image books i'm quite happy to wait as long as we're kept up to date with what's happening.

[missingmarch]

Thanks! I don't care about the delays, sometimes quality takes time in art.

[Mjolnir]

The first arc was pretty timely. This second arc has been ridiculously late and I hope Image speaks to the creative team about this. While I love the story they're telling and the art is fantastic, what upsets me as a reader/customer is that this has been a passion project for Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman and they can't seem to get it out. They've talked in interviews promoting the first arc and in their letters page that this has been something they've spent years developing. They've wanted to tell this story forever. First arc comes out great and on time, and then it hit the breaks for them to be able to put this book out.

I follow a lot of writers and artists on Twitter and artist Gabriel Hardman has spent most of the year traveling, working on other projects (story boarding I think among other things), and obviously trying to fit this book in when he can. It doesn't have the best of sales at Image, and it's an under appreciated book in my opinion, but Bechko and Hardman are not doing themselves any favors by not getting this book out. For a passion project, and a story he's said will or is supposed to span many, many issues, it's not gonna happen at this pace and he'll have no one to blame but himself if Image cancels this book due to low sales. And then all your hard work you've spent years on goes down the drain.

Casual buyers aren't gonna by the singles which are the life blood to continue a series if it never comes out and has many months in between issues. I mean the breaks/hiatuses are supposed to happen between arcs, NOT during them. The breaks are supposed to be for catch up and to make it so that the books AREN'T late and come out monthly. But Invisible Republic I won't be surprised if it gets cancelled. I don't know what is going on in Gabriel Hardman's life that he can't commit to this book on a monthly basis anymore, but it really sucks to have the momentum and fun of this book come to a screeching halt because you've now suddenly got too much going on. For a passion project you've spent years developing, it certainly doesn't seem like it when you actually have it made it to the publishing part of your dream and then suddenly you put the breaks on it and can't get it out.

I'm really becoming more and more old man grumpy fan and wanting Image to really come down on creators to get these books out when they're supposed to or that's it. The Goddamned has been a terrible example of Image not demanding that the first arc be done and in the can before even soliciting issue #1. Still waiting on #4 and #5. It's ridiculous. And it makes it worse when creators don't take the opportunity and advantage to of social media to update fans/readers/customers of when and why the books are late. At least it would help to understand the why and how. The silence makes it so much worse.

[son of booyah]

...what upsets me as a reader/customer is that this has been a passion project for Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman and they can't seem to get it out...I follow a lot of writers and artists on Twitter and artist Gabriel Hardman has spent most of the year traveling, working on other projects (story boarding I think among other things), and obviously trying to fit this book in when he can.

Um, not having time to work on the book is a direct result of their being busy and having to make money. I'm sure if they had nothing else to do it would be coming out every month. It's books like East of West that get me - that is straight up Nick Dragotta's job (not currently following the release schedule of EoW, just using it as an example)

And I love this series, extremely underrated.

[Mjolnir]

Um, not having time to work on the book is a direct result of their being busy and having to make money. I'm sure if they had nothing else to do it would be coming out every month. It's books like East of West that get me - that is straight up Nick Dragotta's job (not currently following the release schedule of EoW, just using it as an example)

And I love this series, extremely underrated.

I realize what I said in my post about not getting to draw this because he's busy with other stuff, but when you commit to putting out what is supposed to be a monthly book as it's getting solicited as, and you already have the low sales that you do, I really believe that if you want to see your passion project to come to it's natural end that you originally envision(ed) it, you need to do everything you can to put this book out, other wise Image will (as it's done with other low selling books) pull the plug on it.

With East of West, I think most have been under the impression that the big delays that East of West suffered last year was a result of Jonathan Hickman being so busy with his big work load at Marvel that it directly affected his creative owned work. I don't think he was getting Dragotta the scripts in a timely enough matter and it just spiraled from there. I know that in between when Hickman would get Dragotta scripts, I know he took on other art projects to fill the void of when he wasn't drawing East of West.

Back to Invisible Republic, there is some good news I read today. According to Gabriel Hardman's Twitter post on May 19... "Happily INVISIBLE REPUBLIC Vol. 2 trade will be done tomorrow. Working on third arc. Issue #11 will be out in September."

If work on trade number 2 is done then that means the projected June 8 date for issue #10's release looks to be locked in. Hopefully with a September release for #11, it means that hopefully this summer Hardman will get back on track to get this book out again monthly. Issue #9 came out February 24 with issue #10 concluding arc 2 as mentioned June 8. That's pretty bad. As much as I trash on the book's release format, I really do enjoy the book for it's fantastic story and art. I'm only critical as I am because I really want this book to do well and see it come to a natural end and these long gaps between issues just isn't helping.