comics

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
Asterios Polyp	David Mazzucchelli	Pantheon		$26.95 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This is perhaps the longest awaited work in the history of comics (No?  Let us know what, in your estimation, beats it.).  Over ten years in the making, Mazzucchelli's first ever solo graphic novel is also his first major work since his 1994 graphic adaptation of Paul Auster's City of Glass, a trailblazing, highly influential work which put him at the forefront of the then nascent "serious" graphic novel movement.  David Mazzucchelli's work with Frank Miller in the mid-80s -- Daredevil: Born Again and Batman: Year One -- made him a mainstream comics superstar, but then he walked away from it all to pursue his own calling of an independent, more thoughtful form of comics and became a legend in the process.  And now here we are, over twenty years later with his most important work.  Talk about anticipation!  Mazzucchelli has spent the last decade pondering the possibilities and potentials of comics and Asterios Polyp embodies his findings.  Metaphysical speculations that exploit the uniquely communicative linguistic capabilities that inhere specifically to the comics form combine with Mazzucchelli's own idiosyncracies, Eisnerian pathos, and a notable Japanese aesthetic, as well as explorations and deconstructions of the printing and production process that shows commonality with contemporaries Paul Hornschemeier (specifically The Three Paradoxes), Dash Shaw (particularly Bodyworld), and, especially, Frank Santoro (pretty much everything), all of which is woven together in a tale clearly inspired by classical Greek mythology, dramatics, and philosopohy that commands the reader's full attention, forcing perceptual and conceptual apparatuses into overdrive and demanding multiple readings.
Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz	W.W. Denslow, Walt McDougall, L. Frank Baum	Sunday Press		$75.00 ($75.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	It's here:  the latest gigantic Sunday-page-sized super-book from Sunday Press, the trailblazing publisher that opened all our eyes to the glory of early 20th century Sunday comics pages with Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays and its sequels.  This time around we are treated to a look at the super-rare Sunday pages devoted to the wonderful world of Oz.  Here's what publisher, Peter Maresca has to say:   "Now arriving in Kansas (and everywhere else): a long-hidden treasure from the Land of Oz.  In 1904 L. Frank Baum, creator of The Wizard of Oz , wrote a story specifically for the Sunday color comic sections to promote his second Oz book. These pages, illustrated by comic pioneer Walt McDougall, ran for 26 weeks and feature some of the most innovative comic strip layouts of the era. In that same year, a second Oz Sunday feature appeared, Scarecrow and Tinman, by famed Wizard of Oz illustrator W.W. Denslow. This sumptuous volume also includes the complete run of BOTH of these fantasy series, reprinted for the first time in the original colors and in full broadsheet size. The book also features additional Denslow comics 1901-03, such as Billy Bounce (the first superhero of the comics) as well as beautiful comic features from McDougall and Oz illustrator John R. Neill. This book is full of rarely seen comic gems - a must-have for all Oz fans and collectors of classic comic strips." Dig into some details in this illustrated page on the publisher's site. 72 pages, 16 x 18 inches.
Two Eyes of the Beautiful #1	Ryan Cecil Smith	Self-published		$4.00 ($4.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Based on Umezuo Kazuo's Blood Baptism, this self-billed "grotesque horror manga" comes to us from Nishinomiya, Japan, where RCS is currently hanging his hat and teaching English.  Cognizant of the fact that the largest part of the market for this item lies across the Pacific Ocean, here in the USA, he has conscientiously jammed as much as humanly possible into the 28, 4 1/2" x 6" pages, which has now been reprinted due to popular demand with a new blue and pink risograph cover and lower price! All of which enables it to be sent half way around the world without breaking the bank for shipping costs.  Another fine example of form following function.  Hi-Energy, high quality comics & story-telling are in ample evidence here and are sure to be enjoyed by fans of fine hand-made comics wherever on this globe they may reside.
Low Moon	Jason	Fantagraphics		$22.22 ($24.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Here it is, the first Jason omnibus.  Five – count em'! – graphic novellas in one hardcover volume.  All new, none before published in the United States (although the work whose title supplies that of the collection, "Low Moon," was serialized in the New York Times).  This works out to less than half the price per work compared to the softcover editions we're all so familiar with (at the copacetic price, they're a mere four dollars and change each).  The lead off tale, "Emily Says Hello," is Jason at his darkest.  You won't wallow in despair for long, however, as it is followed by "Low Moon" which is a quirky – and funny – take on the classic western, as only Jason could do.  Then we have the pivotal, center story, the aptly, if oddly, named, "&." A period piece set during what appears to be the silent film era, this is a piece of gloomy slapstick, an apparent contradiction in terms that only Jason could pull off, and the source of the cover image.  Next up is "Proto Film Noir," which we are not going to say anything about, just to keep you guessing at what a story bearing such a title could possibly be about (here's a tip: don't bother, you'll never guess).  Finally, the book closes with "You Are Here," which may very well be the definitive Jason story, and has to be one of the most pithy stories ever penned on the price exacted by the failure of forgiveness.  Did we mention that all stories are full color?  While everyone doubtless has their own personal favorite Jason book, we feel comfortable stating that from an objective standpoint, this one is clearly the best yet.  So, what are you waiting for?
Multiforce	Mat Brinkman	PictureBox		$13.75 ($15.00 list)
Read more and comment...	After last year's release of Brian Chippendale's Maggots, this work is  the last major piece of the puzzle that is made up of the long awaited comics works from the halcyon days of Fort Thunder.  Although those days are now fading into history, the work itself is only now finally getting the wider exposure it deserves; which, in turn, will allow the next generation to put together these pieces in their own original ways.  No surprise that this, as well as the bulk of other Fort Thunder works, are all issuing forth from that art comics publishing powerhouse, PictureBox, Inc.  Multiforce is a megasize (11" x 16.5") saddle-stitched pamphlet comics that brings together the entirety of this  Fort Thunder era serial that originally ran in the pages of Paper Rodeo from 2000 through 2005.  This is truly original work that has had a strong influence on many of the up and coming generation – but only on those who managed to get a hold of the hard to come by original copies of Paper Rodeo.  Now it is here for all!  BACK IN STOCK!!!
Cold Heat Special #9	Lane Milburn, Frank Santoro	PictureBox	Cold Heat	$12.00 ($15.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	The latest Cold Heat Special takes the standard practice of many hand-made self-published comics (including several of the previous numbers in this very series) – that of the silk-screened cover encasing photocopied interior pages – and stands it on its head.  Yes, that's right, you guessed it:  this one has a photocopied cover enclosing 16 hand-silk-screened interior pages of pantomime comics which pictographically record the spiritual regeneration of Castle  as she merges with both the biological and historical forces that power her quest for truth, justice and personal growth.  Also from PictureBox.  LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!
Uptight #3	Jordan Crane	Fantagraphics	Uptight	$2.75 ($2.75 list)
Read more and comment...	Speaking of long awaited comic books, here's another one that copacetic customers have been patiently awaiting for (quite) awhile.  Well, we're quite pleased to announce that the wait is over for what is certainly one of the finest pamphlet comic book series going.  (Although we're not sure if one issue every two years really qualifies as "going.")  This time around we have a kind-of-sort-of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde split issue in which the Dr. Jekyll component appears an unnamed, cuckolded garage mechanic who is the protagonist in the first story (although one could easily make the case that it is girlfriend, Delores, who is in fact the protagonist of this story; but that would mess up our simile) and Mr. Hyde manifests as the (re)appearance of Simon from The Clouds Above in an all new adventure which, we suspect, serves a compensatory function.  Anyway, it's safe to say that this is one comic book that no self-respecting comics reader can go without.  Especially as no one can use the excuse of being too broke to afford this one.  It's worth it just for the cover alone.
Papercutter #10	Dominic Jay, Jesse Reklaw, Minty Lewis	Tugboat Press	Papercutter	$3.50 ($4.00 list)
Read more and comment...	While perhaps not in quite the rarefied Olympian strata as Uptight, Papercutter nonetheless continues to get our vote as the best ongoing, regularly published (here is where it trounces Uptight - five issues of Papercutter have been published in the interregnum between the last two issues of Uptight), anthology comic book title currently on the market.  High quality production and simple, spot-on design showcase uniformly excellent work by many of today's top independent comics creators (with a special focus on those in and around Papercutter-publisher, Tugboat Press's stomping grounds, Portland, OR).  All for a quite reasonable price.  And it's regular publication schedule (Well, they may miss a deadline once in a while, but the key fact is that they have a deadline in the first place, and that they actually care if they miss it; this sets them apart in the relatively lackadaisical world of indy comics publishing.  #10 is a family affair of sorts in that it is primarily composed of two stories by the comics couple of Jay and Lewis, who are kept at arms length from one another by the centerfold executed by the one and only Jesse Reklaw.
The Color of Water	Kim Dong Hwa	(:01) First Second		$15.25 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The second volume in the Korean comics (manhwa) trilogy that we highly praised a couple months back has arrived and it continues to live up to the promise of the first, The Color of Earth.  This too is a 300+ page work of finely drawn comics that provide an intimate and insightful portrait of a young woman's coming of age.  Be sure to give this series a look if you haven't already.
You'll Never Know	Carol Tyler	Fantagraphics		$19.99 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, you know that Fantagraphics has entered the ranks of the mainstream when they have a Fathers' Day release, and, yes, you guessed it, this is it.  It is Carol Tyler's memoir of her life with father (and mother and her own daughter, and more besides... but the central focus here is on dad).  Formally, it shares some aspects with Maus:  the adult child interviewing the elderly father to pry out the WW II memories before they're lost forever, and the concomitant presentation that intertwines these present day efforts with the actual recollections themselves.  Tyler, of course, brings her own distinct visual style to these efforts, but, more than that, she has hit upon an effective, original formal device of presenting her father's WW II recollections in the form of a comics scrapbook/photo-album that is sure to pull at the heartstrings of some readers.  There are probably not an awful lot of Copacetic customers out there who have a still living father who fought in "the Big One," so it may seem that we're wasting our breath here, but this book will be appreciated by anyone who can be engaged by a deeply personal and heartfelt exploration of family history as well as anyone who enjoys fine comics, and will provide a special pleasure to those who would like to celebrate and explore the father-daughter bond.
Life, In Pictures	Will Eisner	Norton		$27.50 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Somehow, we neglected to bring this book to your attention when it was originally released late last year.  Like its two fine precursors in W.W. Norton's fine series reissuing Eisner's classic mature work – The Contract with God Trilogy and Will Eisner's New York – Life, in Pictures is a large, well bound, hardcover edition which contains three complete works accompanied by critical introductions and annotations, all printed in the signature sepia tones of Eisner's late work.  This time around we get: The Dreamer, a roman á clef about Eisner's early years in comics; and two full length graphic novels that provide a history of Jewish life in America – To the Heart of the Storm and The Name of the Game.  Also, be sure to keep in mind the fact that these hardcover Eisner omnibuses are a terrific value as they contain three complete works each of which retails for $16.95 (except for The Dreamer, which is less) in softcover.  You really can't go wrong.
Elktor	Chris Cornwell	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This 12-page, hand-crafted, 5 1/2" square comic book that sports a four-pass, hand silk-screened cover, features the first appearance of Elktor, who goes on to greater glory in the pages of Cornwell's Cold Heat Special.  Act now before this one vanishes in the mists of time...

books

Title	Author	Publisher	Price
Cometbus 52: The Spirit of St. Louis, or How To Break Your Own Heart, a Tragedy in 24 Parts	Aaron Cometbus	Self-published	$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	It's safe to say that here we have the item that delivers the biggest bang for your buck in the year 2009.  A mere three dollars will get you this memoir of Aaron's early days of punk rock life spent in St. Louis that fills sixty-four prose-packed pages.  Angry?  Yes, but filled with insights into human nature and recognitions of the inevitable patterns that so many fall prey to.  The definitive DIY writer continues his literary journey.  It is certainly safe to say that long time Cometbus readers will want to join him, but for those of you who have yet to take a walk on the Cometbus side of life, this is an excellent place to start.  We're still working our way through this one here at Copacetic, but we can report that so far Cometbus #52 is shaping up to be a strong contender for the best issue yet.
Murdaland 1 & 2 - SPECIAL SALE		Mug Shot Press	$15.00 ($24.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Here's an official COPACETIC BARGAIN on the complete run of Murdaland!  See the individual listings for contents.

dvds

Title	Director	Publisher	Price
Last Year at Marienbad	Alain Resnais	Criterion Collection	$34.95 ($39.98 list)
Read more and comment...	directed by Alain Resnais from a screenplay by Alain Robbe-Grillet w/ Delphine Seyrig and Giorgio Albertazzi  <<<•>>> There are few truly one-of-a-kind films.  By any measure,  Last Year at Marienbad is clearly one of them.  A film that is successful like none other in recreating a mental landscape, that shows the inner workings of a restless mind and haunted memory, that employs the language of cinema to probe the interior twists and turns of consciousness, that demonstrates how thought is action in a manner that, while tempermentally quite different from, may yet be considered the most successful translation of the Proustian approach to narrative in any film yet realized.  Here, in L'année dernière à Marienbad, like in Á la recherche du temps perdue, we are confronted with a life turned inside out.  Robbe-Grillet, Resnais & Co. managed a feat that has yet to be repeated, and now we are presented with the – for now – definitive DVD edition, courtesy of The Criterion Collection (who else?).  This is a two-disc edition with some interesting and worthwhile extras – including two short Resnais documentaries from 1956 & 1958 – but all pale next to the glory of the restored high-definition transfer of the film itself.  Your film education is incomplete until you've seen this film.  And this is also one film that can quite decidedly stand up to repeated viewings, as its aesthetic pleasures and intellectual challenges are not easily exhausted.

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