comics

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
Pocket Full of Rain	Jason	Fantagraphics		$16.95 ($19.99 list)
Read more and comment...	A lot of you may have wondered, as we did, when Hey, Wait! was first released in the US, "Hey, wait a minute -- who is this guy Jason, and how did he appear, seemingly out of nowhere, with this fully developed style?"  Well, Pocket Full of Rain at long last provides US readers with the answer.  Here are the works that Jason produced leading up to his US debut, but that had never before been published here until now.  Pocket Full of Rain contains over 120 pages of comics, along with a 16-page color section of covers and illustrations -- almost all of which was originally published in his native Norway during the 1990s.  This is the work that show us Jason's development as an artist.  Jason fans will find this an engaging and possibly even fascinating collection, and students of comics will find this a volume worthy of study, so if you area among the latter, make sure to take a look.
Sheena: Queen of the Jungle		UNDEFINED		$17.00 ($18.99 list)
Read more and comment...	A dozen never-before-reprinted, classic Sheena tales are herein collected.  All the stories were originally published in Jumbo Comics, almost all during the 1940s.  As an added bonus, you get to read one of the stories as it was truncated and rescripted -- or "censored" as the editor and/or publisher of this collectionhave it -- for republication in Sheena #12 in 1951.  This collection is assembled with care.  The entire volume is reproduced in full color from high quality scans of the stories as they originally appeared (as well as the original covers and many original advertisements from the same issues that the stories appeared in, which together help to provide the proper ambience for that "you are there" feeling), to insure that your reading experience will be the closest possible approximation to that of actually reading the original comics (which would cost a small fortune to purchase).  If classic jungle comics are your thing, then this is a no-brainer.  And remember, Sheena Is a Punk Rocker.
Cold Heat Special #4	Frank Santoro, Jim Rugg	PictureBox	Cold Heat	$2.50 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This time around we have a 16-page tabloid newspaper comic book filled with further far out fables featuring Cassandra -- aka Castle -- cavorting with chaos.  Santoro and Rugg employ the large (22" x 17", when opened) "canvas" of the tabloid format to excellent effect, creating a feast for the eyes with finely rendered dramatic imagery that ranges from psychedlicized fast food bathroom interiors to landscapes of the rolling hills of (what appears to be) western PA, all in the service of a tale of temporal displacement that demonstrates that the past is still here, all around us, and that travelling through time is a simple matter of opening a door or two.  There may be some side effects, however...
Snake Oil #1	Chuck Forsman	Self-published	Snake Oil	$4.44 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, we hate to do this, but here goes:  (Anders Nilsen's Big Questions + Sammy Harkham's Crickets) x Alex Robinson's Box Office Poison =  Chuck Forsman's Snake Oil.  Each self-published issue is 24 pages printed on flat, textured and, respectively, grey, blue and purple stocks and sports a swell hand-silk-screened 2- or 3-color cover.  Definitely worth taking a look, which you can do without leaving the comfort of your current environs by visiting the Snake Oil site/blog.
The Goddess of War	Lauren Weinstein	PictureBox		$11.00 ($12.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Also from PictureBox, this gigantic (10" x 15") comic book is the first installment of an epic fantasy that incorporates South and North American Indian history and lore, twentieth century European conflicts and surrealistic science fiction with a contemporary, urban art comics aesthetic to forge a modern mythology of war, and has fun doing it.
We Lost the War but Not the Battle	Michel Gondry	PictureBox		$5.00 ($5.99 list)
Read more and comment...	This straight-up 32-page full color comic book by the famed French Filmmaker, Michel Gondry, rounds out this month's PictureBox trifecta.  Perhaps the zaniest war comic ever produced, Gondry pits four former draft evading slackers against a hoard of communist babes intent on taking over France in this over the top satire that conflates the battle between the sexes, the war on communism and modern America-centric militarism to create a comic book that has a surprisingly large amount in common with the old-school underground comics of yore.
Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko	Blake Bell, Steve Ditko	Fantagraphics		$33.99 ($39.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Here it is, (many) years in the making:  the long-awaited all-in-one work --  biography, appreciation and coffee-table art book -- on the one and only "sturdy" Steve Ditko.  While best known as co-creator of Spider-Man, his career began in 1953 and spans five decades filled with unique, original and widely influential contributions to the medium of comics.  Fans of his work pretty much have no choice but to rush out and purchase this book immediately or risk losing their hard-earned credentials, but this 200+ page, oversize hardcover volume that is filled cover to cover with amazing full color and B & W art will also serve as an excellent entry point to any and all looking to gain a further appreciation of this amazingly talented and highly eccentric creator.
Chiggers	Hope Larson			$8.88 ($9.99 list)
Read more and comment...	A brand new 170 page young adult graphic novel by the award winning creator of Salamander Dream and Gray Horses.  The setting is a summer camp, where the protagonist, Abby, returns to find that old friends have changed over the past year, but there's a new girl who brings many changes of her own to Abby's summer and  therein lies the story.  Great summer read for tween & teenage girls.  Learn more about the story, look at some samples from Hope Larson's portfolio, and read a sneak preview here.
Dororo, Volume 2	Osamu Tezuka	Vertical		$12.70 ($13.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The classic late-period Tezuka tale continues in this nicely put together volume. The publisher of this series -- and many other excellent Tezuka works -- Vertical, Inc., is head and shoulders above other American purveyors of manga when it comes to packaging and production (only the European manga publisher, Ponent Mon, can lay any kind of claim to doing a better job).  So sit back and enjoy.
Fatal Faux-Pas #1	Samuel C. Gaskin	Secret Acres		$8.50 ($10.00 list)
Read more and comment...	96 pages of extreme goofiness printed in purple ink, answers the question, "What is a Fatal Faux-Pas?"  Nothing is sacred, except maybe a sense of the absurdity of life.  If your favorite comics are Tales To Demolish, Tales Designed to Thrizzle, anything by Paper Rad and/or Matthew Thurber, then this might just be for you.  Immersion in popular culture is recommended for full comprehension, appreciation and enjoyment of this product.  The first release (001) from rookie publisher, Secret Acres
Wormdye	Eamon Espey	Secret Acres		$10.95 ($13.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Brand-spanking new publisher, Secret Acres, brings us Wormdye, a 128-page, 6 5/8" x 9 1/2", B & W collection of Eamon Espey's self-published series of the same name (some issues of which we have had on sale here at Copacetic over the past few years). Coming on strong, like a mutant offspring of Kim Deitch, Gary Panter, Charles Burns and Rory Hayes who spent all his spare time studying ancient arts from around the world, Eamon Espey is an engaging new talent.  His work gathers strength and intensity from being bundled together -- taken all at once, it packs a wallop of weirdness.  Ancient eras and distant cultures freely mix with contemporary comics sensibilities producing a manic hurly burly that will provide its readers with a unique and unsettling experience.
Tragic Relief	Colleen Frakes			$4.95 ($7.00 list)
Read more and comment...	A fun-filled fable told entirely in textless pantomime comics about a man, his mother, and his imagination, as he fills his days waiting for the real thing to come along.  This 80-page, 5" x 8", B & W, squarebound volume is by a Xeric grant-winning recent graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies.
Untitled	Blaise Larmee			$6.00 ($7.00 list)
Read more and comment...	A beautifully produced 16-page, full color work of wonder and loss delicately rendered in pen and ink and watercolor.  While the narrative thread here just barely coheres, it shows an artist full of promise whose future work we look forward to seeing.  Take a look, here.
Sheena: Queen of the Jungle	Matt Baker, Will Eisner			$17.00 ($18.99 list)
Read more and comment...	A dozen never-before-reprinted, classic Sheena tales are herein collected.  All the stories were originally published in Jumbo Comics, almost all during the 1940s.  As an added bonus, you get to read one of the stories as it was truncated and rescripted -- or "censored" as the editor and/or publisher of this collection have it -- for republication in Sheena #12 in 1951.  This collection is assembled with care.  The entire volume is reproduced in full color from high quality scans of the stories as they originally appeared (as well as the original covers and many original advertisements from the same issues that the stories appeared in, which together help to provide the proper ambience for that "you are there" feeling), to insure that your reading experience will be the closest possible approximation to that of actually reading the original comics (which would cost a small fortune to purchase).  If classic jungle comics are your thing, then this is a no-brainer.  And remember, Sheena Is a Punk Rocker.
OMAC: One Man Army Corps	Jack Kirby	DC		$22.22 ($24.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Even the U.S. Army has based it's philosophy on Kirby's (We will freely admit that this is pure conjecture on our part, but hey: "Be an Army of One", "One Man Army Corps" -- coincidence or co-optation?  You decide!).  Anyway, this full color hardcover volume collects the entirety of the original 8-issue series that Kirby created in 1974.  OMAC features some of Kirby's most mind-boggling (not to mention prophetic) science fiction concepts melded to non-stop action.  This is a work that can be appreciated on just about any level you can think of and represents Kirby's last hurrah at DC in the 70s before jumping back to Marvel to reinvigorate Captain America, The Black Panther and more.  OMAC!
Skyscrapers of the Midwest Skyscrapers of the Midwest	Joshua Cotter	AdHouse Books		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	All four issues of the highly praised series that focused its creative energies on overcoming the difficulties of childhood and adolescence though comics are at last collected along with 32 bonus pages of sketchbook drawings -- and more -- in this nicely put together 282 page hardcover volume published by AdHouse Books.
Jessica Farm #1	Josh Simmons			$9.95 ($14.95 list)
Read more and comment...	96 pages that depict a morning in the life of the titular character -- Christmas morning -- and which, if we are to believe the artist's afterword, took eight years to draw.  While the artwork is very spatially oriented and creates a solid sense of place, one is best off assuming that the "true" location of the places depicted here is the imagination.  Crazy fun that is all topped off by the fact that it ends with a cliffhanger that -- we are told -- we will have to wait until 2016 to find out what happens next!
Mineshaft #21	R. Crumb, Mary Fleener, Ed Piskor	Self-published	Mineshaft	$6.25 ($6.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	A counter-culture zine of comics and more that is still going strong.  This issue features a front cover and five sketchbook pages by R. Crumb, a swell 4-page comics-bio of that  beatnikita, Diane di Prima by Harvey Pekar and Mary Fleener, a selection of fine pen and ink drawings along with commentary by their creator,  William Crook, Jr., Bill Griffith's 3-panel revelation of "How I Got My Start in the Comics Business!!" a back cover and more by Cristoph Mueller, and a "Sunday" page by Jay Lynch and Pittsburgh's own Ed Piskor describing an afternoon with the one and only Chester Gould.  Plus plenty more!
Berlin #16	Jason Lutes	Drawn and Quarterly	Berlin	$3.50 ($3.95 list)
Read more and comment...

books

Title	Author	Publisher	Price
McSweeney's #27	Leonard Cohen, Paul Hornschemeier, Jeffrey Brown, David Shrigley and more ...	McSweeney's	$21.50 ($24.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This time out we have a tripartate, slipcased edition, thus:  a 196-page softcover fiction anthology featuring the writings of Larry Smith, Jim Shepard, Ashlee Adams, Liz Mandrell, Mikel Jollett and Stephen King that sports a swell, architectronic wraparound cover and interior illustrations by Scott Teplin; a 72-page horizontally formatted collection of "Art" cartoons by the likes of Jean Michel Basquiat, Kenneth Koch, Raymond Pettibone, David Shrigley, Jeffrey Brown, Paul Hornschemeier, Leonard Cohen, David Mamet and others, in full color and black & white;  an 80-page sketchbook executed between March 12 and May 26, 2007 by Art Spiegelman, titled "Autophobia," which Spiegelman created to overcome his "fear of drawing."
Atmospheric Disturbances	Rivka Galchen		$22.22 ($24.00 list)
Read more and comment...	In her debut novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, Rivka Galchen has attempted to create a romantic, even sentimental, take on the works of P.K. Dick. J.G. Ballard, (early)Thomas Pynchon and (to a degree) William Burroughs, authors who created obsessive -- some might say delusional -- renderings of the altered states that contemporary consciousness takes when overloaded with raw data, cultural and/or scientific input, technological stimulus, education, or some combination of any or all of these,and wove them into intricate tapestries filled with complex patterns the meanings of which have been ceaselessly debated.  Galchen enters this essentially masculine debate specifically to ask the reader to step outside of it and consider how it might be impacted by gender.  She coaxes readers to her point of view through the device of employing a masculine first-person voice to tell a tale in which the authorial sympathies are clearly more aligned with the feminine perspectives on the the events as they unfold.  The book provides an important -- some might say essential -- proviso to the literary creation of the modern mind.  Check out the book's very own website, where you can absorb some of its flavor while you read an extract from the novel, an interview with the author, and more.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames	David Sedaris		$22.22 ($25.99 list)
Read more and comment...	22 new pieces by David Sedaris, are herein collected for the first time.  Readers of Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim now having something to look forward to.
Murdaland #2	Scott Phillips, Harry Hunsicker, Henry Chang, Vicki Hendricks and more ...	Mug Shot Press	$10.00 ($12.00 list)
Read more and comment...	It's here, the second issue of the magazine that peels back America's facade to reveal what's going on in the darkness within. Issue #2 Table of Contents STORIES | Click for previews Notes on Contributors The Emerson, 1950 Scott Phillips Roachkiller R. Narvaez Vivian and Bobby Ray Harry Hunsicker Bo Sau (Vengeance) Henry Chang Sinny and the Prince: A Fairy Tale Vicki Hendricks Larry the Swollen and Manny the Art Gimp Rupert Wondolowski NOVEL EXCERPT Zebulon (from The Drop Edge of Yonder, Two Dollar Radio, 2008) Rudolph Wurlitzer Termite Makes the Shape (from Termite, Knopf Publishers, 2008) Jayne Anne Phillips CLASSIC REPRINT From Hard Rain Falling Don Carpenter NON FICTION Chuck and Bob: A Letter from Kuwait Anonymous

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