Do other anons prefer the original mini comic style where they were like picture books, or the more standard comic book style of later editions?
Personally I think I prefer the picture book style, I think it allowed the artist (in this case Alcala) a chance to do just one single dynamic image, rather than trying to format the art to a comic style. This isn't a comparison of the artist styles specifically, as various artists worked on the books and their individual style varied greatly, just a comparison of the specific formatting.