Covering Vague Cities

Vague Cities 1st edition Cover
Vague Cities 1st & 2nd Edition (roll over to see back cover)

I was never very happy with the covers for Vague Cities. I liked it conceptually, but the execution always left something to be desired. Not to mention the fact that visually it had little to do with the art between the covers. The cover of the third edition was created to address the shortcomings of the previous editions.

Vague Cities Collection 1st edition Cover
Vague Cities Collection 1st Edition (roll over to see back cover)

It was last minute design decision. Just days before the MOCCA festival, I decided I needed a new cover and that the previous ‘collected’ edition just wasn’t working (I’m ironing out the kinks out of new collection that will appear at SPX… although a ‘test’ edition ‘debuted’ at TCAF… more on this later). I went back to the original small book idea, but with a new cover. I had some leftover black cover stock that I’ve been meaning to use for some time, and a brand new tube of silver Gocco ink. It turned out ok.

Vague Cities 3rd edition Cover
Vague Cities 3rd Edition (roll over to see back cover)

This sort illustrates one of the great things about doing mini-comics. Print runs are generally low enough to allow multiple takes on the same book. Every time I sell through an edition, I like to think about the packaging again. I’m not always happy with the results, but it’s always a fun exercise. Why keep the same cover when you can change it? Oh and the new edition of Vague Cities is now available at the robot26.com store.