Pamphlets and Graphic Novels: Seth's Clyde Fans (A Case Study)

Gregory Gallant (aka Seth) and I were both born in the early 1960s. This means that we lived the end of the pamphlet, as a vehicle for the serialization of alternative comics, and the rise of the graphic novel era in which we are living in. I have no qualms with that. On the contrary: who, being sound of mind, wants to go into those awful spaces known as comic book stores in order to buy great comics? They don't fit in there (the comics, I mean), discriminative buyers don't fit in there either...

What's my problem, then? (It's not with the term "graphic novel," that's for sure.) My problem is that during pamphlet days, when it started being serialized, I thought that "Clyde Fans" was a masterpiece in the making. Meanwhile I've been deceived by years and years of useless waiting...

Let's go to the cold facts:

"Clyde Fans" started being serialized in Palookaville # 10 (dated April 1997 and published by Drawn & Quarterly). It appeared regularly in the next issues (# 11, October 1997; # 12, May 1998; # 13, July 1999; # 14, May 2000; # 15, May 2001; # 16, December 2002; # 17, July 2004; # 18, October 2005; # 19, February 2008). It's not exactly a fast pace, but it is a pace (once a year, more or less), after all...

But, then... Seth started churning out meaningless graphic novels like Wimbledon Green (2005), George Sprott (2009), The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists (2011). "Clyde Fans" continued in Palookaville (# 20, September 2010; # 21, September 2013), but the hope of seeing it complete is getting dimmer and dimmer...

Seth, Clyde Fans Part One, Drawn & Quarterly, August 2000 (The first in a projected five booklets - which means that, initially, at least, Seth planned 5 parts; the fourth part is currently being serialized in Palookaville.) 

Seth, Clyde Fans Book One, Drawn & Quarterly, June 2004 (Clyde Fans is now projected for two books - graphic novels; four parts instead of five? Since this book was published, ten years ago! Nothing! Is it reasonable to expect this kind of loyalty from readers?)

What happened exactly? Maybe I should have asked Seth when we met in Oslo, Norway, in 2012, but I didn't, sorry! What I can do, then, is to speculate: was "Clyde Fans" being poorly received by Palookaville readers provoking a massive drop in sales? Did Seth lose interest? As I said, I really don't know... What I do know is that another comics masterpiece gets a more than erratic publishing history. 

A similar thing happened to Jason Lutes' Berlin... Continuing talking about Drawn & Quarterly I should also write a post about how Chester Brown didn't meet my high expectations, but that's another story...