Calvin Reid of Publisher's Weekly is reporting that Random House imprint Doubleday has shut down its line of Doubleday Graphic Novels.  Bill Thomas, Doubleday's EIC indicated that low sales were the reason for the cancellation, but the departure of editor Deborah Cowell, who put the line together, was another important factor.  Beautifully designed and illustrated, Doubleday's graphic novels were somewhat pricier than many of their counterparts from more comic-oriented publishers.  Shutterbug Follies by Jason Little had a cover price of $24.95 (for 153 full color pages), while the only other Doubleday Graphic novel release, Narcissa by Lance Tooks, had a cover price of $16.95 (for a 200-page black-and-white volume).

The most prominent artist among the Doubleday Graphic Novel creators, Will Eisner, survived the purge -- his graphic novel Fagin the Jew will be published as part of Doubleday's general adult list.  Less fortunate was Emily Ryan Lerner, whose adaptation of Kate Christensen's saga of life in New York, In the Drink, has been cancelled.