Turning comics into prose

Publishers Weekly (subscription required) looks at the comics industry's tradition of prose fiction, from a Superman novelization in the '40s to plans next year for tie-ins based on the Constantine and Batman films (yes, that's a novel based on a film based on a comic book).

In the article, Greg Rucka and Oni editor-in-chief James Lucas Jones talk about A Gentleman's Game, the novel based on Rucka's Queen & Country comics series. Here's Rucka:

"The comics readership falls to novels much more freely and easily than the novel audience falls to comics. I know a couple of mystery bookstore people who said they tried to carry the Queen & Country graphic novels for a while, and people just wouldn't pick them up—although they might have more success now."

PW also touches upon Marvel's new prose line, Marvel Press, and ComicsOne's experiment with the two novels based on the Onegai Teacher series.

On a related note, ICv2.com interviews Ruwan Jayatilleke, editorial director of Marvel Press.