Drawn & Quarterly
RIVER AT NIGHT
RIVER AT NIGHT
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ABOUT
Appeared on best of the year lists from The Guardian, The Globe & Mail, WIRED, and more! Nominated for the Cartoonist Studio Prize! In The River at Night, Kevin Huizenga delves deep into consciousness. What begins as a simple, distracted conversation between husband and wife, Glenn and Wendy Ganges—him reading a library book and her working on her computer—becomes an exploration of being and the passage of time. As they head to bed, Wendy exhausted by a fussy editor and Glenn energized by his reading and no small amount of caffeine, the story begins to fracture. The River at Night flashes back, first to satirize the dot-com boom of the late 1990s and then to examine the camaraderie of playing first-person shooter video games with work colleagues. Huizenga shifts focus to suggest ways to fall asleep as Glenn ponders what the passage of time feels like to geologists or productivity gurus. The story explores the simple pleasures of a marriage, like lying awake in bed next to a slumbering lover, along with the less cherished moments of disappointment or inadvertent betrayal of trust. Huizenga uses the cartoon medium like a symphony, establishing rhythms and introducing themes that he returns to, adding and subtracting events and thoughts, stretching and compressing time. A walk to the library becomes a meditation on how we understand time, as Huizenga shows the breadth of the comics medium in surprising ways. The River at Night is a modern formalist masterpiece as empathetic, inventive, and funny as anything ever written.
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STANDARD, PRIMARY, DM AND VARIANT COVERS
Standard and Primary covers are widely available through general retailers. They often have higher print runs and can be cheaper, especially during sales.
In contrast, Direct Market (DM) and variant covers are primarily sold in comic shops. DM editions tend to have more limited availability and may be more valuable to collectors.
The main differences lie in artwork style, availability, price, and collector appeal. Ultimately, the choice between standard and variant covers depends on personal preference, budget, and individual collecting goals.
PRODUCT TYPES
Comic book enthusiasts have various formats to choose from when collecting their favorite stories.
Here's a brief overview of the main types:
Omnibus
- Large, hardcover collections
- Usually contain complete runs or extensive story arcs
- Typically 800-1000+ pages
- Higher price point, often €100-€150
Oversized Hardcover (OHC)
- Similar dimensions to omnibus, but thinner
- Collect shorter runs or story arcs
- Usually 300-600 pages
- Priced between €30-€50
Hardcover (HC)
- Standard-sized hardcover books
- Collect 6-12 issues typically
- Similar dimensions to single issues, but with a hard cover
- Priced around €25-€35
Trade Paperback (TP)
- Softcover collections
- Standard comic book size
- Usually collect 4-6 issues
- Most affordable option, typically €15-€25
Other Formats
- Absolute Editions: Oversized, deluxe hardcovers (mainly DC Comics)
- Compendiums: Massive paperback collections
- Graphic Novels (OGN/GN): Original stories not previously released as single issues
The choice between these formats often depends on personal preference, budget, and collecting goals. Omnibus and OHC editions offer larger artwork and more content but at a higher price, while TPs provide a more affordable way to collect complete story arcs