Hey, Kids! Not Comics! (And Also, A Comic)

Making comics out of your books is, it seems, big business these days–even for some of the most celebrated and successful authors in their fields. This week, if you walk into a bookstore anywhere in the country, you can find a pair of new releases from bestselling writers who have a great deal of experience with comics–but the books themselves aren’t comic books. Each of the men have built a strong following around their work, in part by crafting themselves into a character outside of the pages. Both Palast and Patterson (see ad link below) can be seen donning trench coats and talking like a character out of one of their books in support of what they write.As you may have heard, or seen in Barnes & Noble’s new ad for the Nook Tablet, thriller writer James Patterson has a new book out this week, titled Kill Alex Cross. Patterson, one of the most prolific and best-selling writers of his generation, has written or co-written a number of graphic novels or comic book miniseries in recent years in hopes of expanding his already-ample reader base. There have never been any graphic novels based on Alex Cross, the wildly popular title character who has driven Patterson to the top of the sales charts so often in the last few years. Still, with both adaptations of his existing work and original material written for the comics, Patterson joins an exclusive group including creators like Stephen King (who had a new release himself last week), Charlaine Harris, Janet Evanovich and Dean Koontz who have done so.Ted Adams, CEO of IDW Publishing (with whom Patterson has his comics agreement) called the writer “a creative genius” in an interview with USA Today (linked above). “When you look at the variety of books that he’s created over the years, you know you’re talking about someone with real vision,” Adams said.