Graphic novel query without (many) illustrations

[Dearth of Reason]

Hi. I have a graphic novel for the middle grade market which is a collaboration: I write, and my partner illustrates. Well, my partner has moved on to other interests (getting married, having kids, buying life insurance, drinking to excess, dreaming of yesteryear when he might have been a rich and famous graphic novelist -- you know the type). I've got the piece written as a graphic novel script, but only the first three chapters are illustrated.

Should I query with those first three chapters and trust that, should it be worthy, a publisher will use its own illustrator? Alternatively, I could dump the illustrations and revisit the piece as prose (definitely a re-write, not a conversion), but that will add nine months or a year more. Or try to find another artist who will get excited about putting in a man-year of effort for no pay.

I should say that I am very excited about the whole story in any form, and while I am not at all intimidated about re-writing it in prose, I am still in love with it as a graphic novel.

I'd appreciate your thoughts, Nathan. Thanks for being accessible.

[Nathan Bransford]

I think you have to go with your gut on this one. Whichever way you find more appealing.

[Dearth of Reason]

My concern was the impropriety of querying for something that would still require a boatload more work. But as you raised no concern about it, I'll assume it's not improper.