Although Universal Pictures released United 93 to stronger reviews and a stronger box office than expected, many are still wondering whether Americans want to see other films about September 11. Not so on the book front. The one title everyone seems to want to get their hands on is The 9/11 Report by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón.
The first title in Hill & Wang's ambitious foray into graphic literature—a comics version of the bestselling document-cum-book issued by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks—has already generated intense interest from the press. After a feature appeared in the New York Post, publicist Cary Goldstein said he has been besieged by media calls. The early interest—the book goes on sale August 22—has led Hill & Wang to up its print run, jumping from 10,000 to 25,000 in hardcover and 75,000 to 100,000 in paperback.
While the consumer press is undoubtedly drawn to the book for its shock factor, Goldstein thinks the real payoff will come when audiences realize that the book is much more than just a cool idea. "The intention is not merely to entertain, shock, or stir up emotion gratuitously, but to give a clear, concise and faithful rendering of the report," he said. Then there's the possibility that those who missed the report in prose form might be more inclined to read it in pictures. The graphic format, Goldstein said, makes "the sequence of events... understandable and accessible to a much wider audience."
