As others have mentioned, I think anthologies are good for finding new things, and I think are especially useful for helping people new to comics get the lay of the land.

I think “group” books can be interesting for the way they document particular scenes or regional variations (not surprising, since I co-organize a regional comics group).

Although I’m not always in the mood for it, for me there’s something special about the way anthologies feel – different styles bumping up against each other, but sometimes still with meaningful connections – they’re like comics mixtapes.

I just got the new Syncopated (non-fiction comics anthology) and am really digging it so far.

And trust me…I buy a lot, too. So it’s not like I don’t help creators make money. ;)

That’s a problem hitting all comics these days — not a lot of money for giving things second chances. And you’re right, sometimes that’s what’s needed for something to click.

But other copycat/wagon-hoppers like Popgun and MyspaceComics (barring a few very bright spots) are dreadful. Seemingly lost. Unable to find a congruent thread or audience.

Steel yourselves, readers, against the drek-wealding hordes. Thou shalt find…illumination.

I found this post interesting, and rather than posting a lengthy comment here, I decided to post my thoughts on my blog:

http://candyormedicine.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-i-love-anthologies.html

[...] Johanna Draper Carlson does not like anthologies: My least favorite kind of anthology is when a group decides to put out [...]

Still, I do like reading anthologies. In addition to the ones mentioned, I would also recommend Popgun (although it’s probably similar to Flight, with good art and somewhat insubstantial stories) and Meathaus.

I would also consider magazine anthologies like Shojo Beat to be a different sort of thing than books, because they feature ongoing serial stories, rather than a bunch of one-shots. That’s my two cents on that issue.

Glad to hear I was expecting too much of a review — I feel better about covering anthologies now, since it seems ok to just talk about some of it.

I still think that they’re a great way for new artists to start building a name for themselves. Better to create a few shorter works before launching into longer stories.

I’ve published a few anthologies and I’ve never come across a review where all stories were mentioned, so I don’t think that you have to worry about that. Most reviews just mention a few stand outs (and sometimes a few dogs).

What you’ve said above (paragraph 4) is probably the most frustrating thing — people tend to remember the worst stories and not the best. And even then, it can be pretty subjective. I’ve read reviews that tear apart some of my favourite stories.

For my money, the best anthologies out there today are the Papercutter books from Tugboat Press. They’re short, only 30 something pages (I think) and just about always an enjoyable read. I’ve discovered so many new artists through those books, it’s ridiculous.

I also don’t tend to remember bad anthology pieces. I usually remember anthologies by their best work. Not saying that you’re “wrong,” but it’s just a matter of perspective, in my opinion. I don’t care enough about things that I dislike to remember them. In fact I often have fond memories of anthologies that, on a whole, may have been pretty mediocre in retrospect.

In closing, I would also like to mention Always Comix and Mome. And Papercutter as well!

I think that if you want to have better editors, maybe some critiquing of how it all was put together would be good. That’s always my biggest complaint about art reviews for group shows lately, too… they seem to be more about recounting what was there and less about how the show was as a whole. For example, PS 1 often has some great artists in their shows, but I *hate* the curation there. Maybe if reviewers actually talked about that, it would help spark some internal conversation with the editors/curators of such group works.

And to those of you who haven’t heard of Always Comix, it started out as a minicomic anthology, handmade, but they’ve recently gotten large enough to start sending it out to get printed/bound. They put an issue out twice a year. Every issue has a theme (last one was “Evil” and the next one will be “How We Met”). As usual, some stuff is better than others, but I always leave from reading it feeling happier.