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I can't imagine that a decision on format was made capriciously -- and while I'll admit, I'm not really sure I see a significant benefit in cost savings with this smaller size (I'm not looking at the numbers, of course, but it just doesn't seem that much smaller to me), I suspect this is being driven by a desire to keep the retail price down to make the package appeal more broadly, particularly in the mass market (where Fantagraphics does most of its' business).

And unlike some of the other material they're reprinting, like Popeye or Wash Tubbs, this stuff arguably has the opportunity to appeal to a wider audience. Not that a wide audience is going buy into 30 books over 15 years, nobody expects that, but this could conceivably be the kind of book that someone buys for a child, or that might be stocked as a gift item outside of bookstores (where I think they've had some success with Peanuts).

The stuff Dean Mullaney is packaging for IDW, it's fine work, and an excellent presentation, but I don't get a sense that they're actively pursuing anything but the niche market for this sort of stuff. And if that's what works for them, if that enables them to sell through the small print runs and make a buck, that's great. But I think Fantagraphics might be trying to take advantage of a slightly better opportunity here.

In any event, I think the work is in very good hands.