Hardbound Quarterly: A Look at IDW's Full Bleed magazine
As we move further into the future, print magazine struggle to find a fixture on the coffee tables across the country. More magazines have move towards digital formats and the magazines that continue to be successful are generally viewed as disposable. How can one create a magazine that would be respected as any other tome on a reader's shelf? Dirk Wood and Ted Adams have decided to tackle this question with an answer of their own.
IDW, a publisher that produces more than comics, decided to throw their hat into an arena that only a few have or currently are doing: going back into the print market. Not only have they created a quarterly publication but they are presenting it in a hardcover format. Full Bleed is a magazine that presents 200 pages of articles, short stories, interviews, and mini comics. Outside of the two pages at the end of the book for travelingstories.org and CBLDF.org, the magazine is also without having any ads peppered throughout it. Based on the imagery and language, the book is aimed for an adult audience. The older audience it is aimed for is also based on the subject matter that is discussed in some of the articles and comics.
With my first day with the magazine, I was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of stuff placed into the book. From interviews with legendary Alan Moore (which was originally done in 2006) and Stephen King to comics from Gideon Kendall and Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Full Bleed provides a curated collection of ideas, experiences, and stories that shine a light on unique perspectives.
Currently, I'm re-reading through Redrawing Conclusions by Abdulkareem Baba Aminu, which focuses on the misrepresentation of Nigeria in American comics. The article speaks towards the importance of comics representing a realistic depiction of the countries it cover. Comics have crossed over into the zeitgeist of popular culture and connecting with a more accurate image of their readers could provide a better connection to those readers. Aminu ends the article questioning how to find better representation in comics. Should we demand more from our writers or should Nigerians start producing more stories that represent Nigerians and their rich abundance of cultures. This article touches on a relevant subject of today's climate, especially with more groups have become outspoken and desire to see themselves truly represented in a medium that they enjoy.
As mentioned earlier, the magazine is very dense with content and trying to do a comprehensive review of it would not be fair to the hard work that Dirk Wood, Ted Adams and the IDW crew have done to bring this book to the world. A more in-depth impression of the magazine may come in the future but for what I have read, it's worth checking out. I mainly have one true concern: With the quality of work that is presented in this book, I wonder if IDW will be able to continue to provide this high level of quality with each issue. The book has such a eclectic mix of work inside of it and I hope those would appreciate it get a chance to dive into every nook of this publication.
The cover price is $25. When considering the amount of content, the paper quality, and hardcover format, IDW has made the cover price seem more than fair. Our copy was received after backing the project on Kickstarter but there are other ways to receive a copy of the book. Check in with your local comic shop to see if they have ordered a copy or can still order one. You can also check out Full Bleed's website for their first issue and to check out more information about their upcoming issue: https://fullbleedmag.com