comics

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
The Hunter	Darwyn Cooke	IDW Publishing	Parker	$22.22 ($24.99 list)
Read more and comment...	The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke OK, technically the title is, Richard Stark's Parker in "The Hunter," and it is not really by, but is rather adapted and illustrated by, Darwyn Cooke.  And, to make matters even more complicated, for those of who don't already know, Richard Stark is really "Richard Stark," the most important  pseudonym of the famous mystery writer, Donald Westlake, who penned the original novel which Cooke here adapts.  That said, this is a new and much anticipated work by the highly esteemed Mr. Cooke, who has made quite a name for himself in the comics world – and deservedly so – over the past decade. Not everyone knows that he first dipped his toes in the comics water in the mid-1980s, but found the temperature at that time not to his liking and decided instead on a career as a graphic designer.  He later turned his sights on animation, and, finally, found his way back to comics at the turn of the century, bursting into the consciousness of the comics world with Batman: Ego.  He secured himself a place in the nascent 21st century comics pantheon in 2004 with his seminal recreation of the dawn of the Silver Age, DC: The New Frontier.  He then initiated  the revival of Will Eisner's The Spirit, taking a stunning eleven-issue turn which showed him pointed in the direction that led him here to this graphic adaptation of the classic crime series featuring Parker.  He is not the sort fellow you'd like to meet in the flesh, but on the page is a different matter.  Cooke captures it all in bold brash brushstrokes that produce a two-toned cocktail that is one part Toth and one part Kirby, well shaken.  Cooke's graphic savoir faire shines once again as he visually replicates Westlake's measured sentences and clipped dialogue in page after page of fine comics which place the reader right in Parker's shoes, and will have you believing it's 1962 in no time, for better and for worse.  Parker is a cypher for the pent up male rage that was in strong supply during those years leading up to 1964 (and seems, evidently, to be making a bit of a comeboack as of late) after which the gradual change in social mores created new – or, at least, newly acceptable – avenues of release.
MOME: Summer 2009 #15	Nathan Neal, Robert Goodin, Conor O'Keefe, Sara Edward-Corbett and more ...	Fantagraphics	MOME	$12.75 ($14.99 list)
Read more and comment...	This issue is a mix of oldtimers and newcomers:  rugged MOME veterans, Andrice Arp, Paul Hornschemeier, Ray Fenwick, and Tim Hensley deliver a basket full of tales, each in their own inimitable manner, and, in Hensley's case, his last (at least for the time being) as his triptych concludes the long running (since MOME #5) saga of Wally Gropius; medium-term MOMErs, Dash Shaw, Sara Edward-Corbett, Conor O'Keefe, Robert Goodin and Nathan Neal each provide readers with memorable reads, with Neal turning in his strongest narrative yet; and Gilbert Shelton and Pic conclude their tale of rock 'n' roll at the world's edge.  And then we have the newcomers:  T. Edward Bak debuts here with the first chapter of his work in progress, Steller, as do Noah Van Scriver and noted Spanish cartoonist, Max, whose contribution is a nice, neat 16-page mini-comic that is precisely positioned (and presumably removable – although it's readable while in place) after the last page.  All in all, another fine issue.
You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation	Fletcher Hanks	Fantagraphics		$22.22 ($24.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Yes, the wait is over, it's here:  the follow-up volume to the most successful collection of comics by an obscure Golden Age cartoonist ever produced (by far), I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets by Fletcher Hanks.  And what a follow-up volume this is!  Everything you liked about the first volume is continued -- the high resolution scans, the fine quality printing, the quality paper stock, the modest design -- only this time you get more!  Whereas I Shall Destroy contained 15 Hanks stories in 106 pages, You Shall Die delivers a whopping 36 stories in 229 pandemonium packed pages.  As with the first, this volume is edited by Paul Karasik, only instead of an afterword in comics form, this time around he provides a introduction that fills us in on more details of his life and career as well as providing some critical perspective.  This is one book that was well worth the wait.  Just make sure you take your time while reading it, and savor each story:  this copious compendium completes the publication of all known comics works by Fletcher Hanks; after you've closed the book on the last tale... that's it!
Prince Valiant: Volume I: 1937-1938	Hal Foster	Fantagraphics	Prince Valiant	$25.00 ($29.99 list)
Read more and comment...	A contemporary of Fletcher Hanks, Hal Foster must be considered to occupy pretty much the opposite end of the comics spectrum.  Disciplined, controlled, majestic – he was the undisputed master (OK, we're sure somewhere out there is someone who would dispute this claim, given the chance) of the classic Sunday page adventure strip, of which Prince Valiant remains the gold standard.  Comics as we know them are unimaginable without Hal Foster's work, which inspired a legion of imitators, many of whom went on to become greats in their own right; yet without ever completely breaking free of the master's influence.  Fantagraphics' earliest (outside of their journalistic endeavors) and longest running publishing project was collecting Prince Valiant, so you know that it is a strip that rests close to the heart of Gary Groth.  The fact that the vast majority of the fifty or so volumes of this series are long out of print, when combined with the much higher quality reproduction that is now affordably available for projects such as these, make the relaunch of this project an idea whose time has come.  Enthusiasts will be happy to learn that Fanta has done a fine job this time around:  the initial, 11" x 14", full color, hardcover volume presenting two full years of this epochal strip far surpasses their original Prince Valiant series at every level.  Please do yourself a favor and at least take a look at this fine volume.  Your eyes will thank you.
The Impostor's Daughter	Laurie Sandell	Little, Brown		$22.22 ($24.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Here's the debut graphic novel from esteemed publisher, Little, Brown & Co.  It's also the second graphic novel to emerge from the unlikely source of the staff of Glamour Magazine (the first, Cancer Vixen, was surprisingly well received here at Copacetic).  Here's the publisher's description:  "Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job--interviewing celebrities for a top women's magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad's life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he's not the man he says he is--not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them--herself."
Comic Book Design	Gary Spencer Millidge			$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	While certainly nowhere near as rigorous as Abel & Madden's Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, Millidge's Comic Book Design makes a more than satisfactory complement to their work as it focuses more strongly on the specifics of visual impact and contains many more examples drawn from the annals of the (primarily recent) history of comics, most of which are well chosen and aptly illustrate his points.
My Inner Bimbo	Sam Keith	Oni Press		$17.77 ($19.99 list)
Read more and comment...	A skillful if convoluted and at times aggravatingly obfuscatory account of the tumultuous inner sexual turmoil of an aging fanboy victim of "too much cheesecake too soon."  This is Sam Keith stretching himself to the limit in a manner somewhat akin to (if not as successful as) Bill Sienkiewicz's work in Stray Toasters.  Employing the language of comics – specifically his own bag of tricks – Keith bares his psyche and confesses, albeit in a very roundabout manner.  The graphic novel as purgatory.  An original if frustrating work that merits an analytical attention that it may very well fail to attract.
Flight #6	Kazu Kibuishi, JP Ahonen, Graham Annable, Bannister and more ...	Villard		$22.22 ($25.00 list)
Read more and comment...	<•>  edited by Kazu Kibuishi <•>  The latest in this successful series of full color fantasy comics.  Contributors this time around include:  JP Ahonen, Graham Annable, Bannister, Phil Craven, Mike Dutton, Michael Gagne, Cory Godbey, Rodolphe Guenoden, Steve Hamaker, Kazu Kibuishi, Andrea Offermann, Dik Pose, Justin Ridge, Rad Sechrist and Kean Soo.
Fahrenheit 451	Tim Hamilton, Ray Bradbury			$15.25 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This classic novel finally receives a full-fledged graphic novel adaptation.  It's about time.  Bradbury's classic short stories were adapted early on in the 1950s by some of comics' all-time greats at EC, and his writings have inspired quite a bit of fine fantasy illustration over the ensuing half-century.  Now Tim Hamilton steps up to the plate to take a swing at what may be Bradbury's most famous work. This adaptation is authorized by Bradbury and he has provided a new introduction as well.
100%	Paul Pope	Vertigo		$33.33 ($39.99 list)
Read more and comment...	100% by Paul Pope Pope's most accomplished work is now back in print in this (unfortunately over-priced) hardcover edition.  It's a great piece, we just wish the powers that be at DC didn't yield to the greedy need to rob Paul Pope's fans (and we also can't help but wonder what degree of complicity Pope himself shares in this).  Why is this book – which, we feel compelled to note, is the third incarnation of this work (it first appeared as a four issue series, then as a softcover), which means they're all getting paid yet again for the same piece – priced a full 100% more than Jeff Lemire's The Nobody (listed below), which is identical in format  – hardcover, black and white – also published by Vertigo, distributed through the same networks, and is an original work appearing for the first time.  We're offering a special discount on it, which takes a bit of the sting out, but only a bit.
The Nobody	Jeff LeMire	Vertigo		$17.77 ($19.99 list)
Read more and comment...	We haven't had a chance to dip into this one yet, but Mr. Lemire has certainly gotten our attention (along with a large swath of the comics reading public) with his Essex County Trilogy (soon to be available in a single volume), so if you count yourself among his fans, this one should be worth a look.  HEre's what a few of his better known readers have to say:  "Jeff Lemire's deceptively simple artwork veils a complex mixture of life, love and regret." – Jeff Smith;  "Lemire has an unparalleled ability to capture small towns, fill them with interesting yet down to earth characters, and record the drama that unfolds between them,  He's at his pulpy best in The Nobody, and keeps you turning pages right to the end." – Jeffrey Brown.
Famous Players: The Mysterious Death of William Desmond Taylor	Rick Geary	NBM	Treasury of XXth Century Murder	$14.44 ($15.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The second Treasury of XXth Century Murder, which follow up his long running series of Treasuries of Victorian Murder, takes us to the early days of Hollywood and the first stars that populated it.  Their lives intersect at the mysterious death of William Desmond Taylor on February 1, 1922.  Rick Geary is a talented – if, perhaps, a bit morbid – cartoonist whose works we have been enjoying for over thirty years now.  He has the uncanny ability to pick just the right ingredients and boil down a story to its essentials, preserving the fullness of its characters and concentrating its flavors and so providing a treat of a tale in one surprisingly lean volume after another.
The Comics Journal #298	Trevor Von Eeden, Jiro Taniguchi, Gabrial Ba, Fabio Moon and more ...	Fantagraphics	The Comics Journal	$10.75 ($11.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The Comics Journal #298 Fans of tell-all interviews can't afford to miss this issue's with long neglected comics ace, Trevor Von Eeden (and after you read it, we sincerely hope you spend the time and money to track down his amazing Batman Annual #8).  Also on hand this issue are interviews with Brazilian comics stars, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, as well as with Perry Bible Fellowship creator, Nicholas Gurewitch.  Then there's the sneak preview of manga maestro, Jiro Taniguchi's new multi-volume serial, A Distant Neighborhood and 32 pages of classic Skippy strips by Percy Crosby.  Yes, it's another issue of TCJ.
Everybody is Stupid Except For Me: And Other Astute Observations	Peter Bagge	Fantagraphics		$15.00 ($16.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Here it is, at last the awful truth is revealed:  the wages of a punk rock 'n' comics life are... crotchety middle-aged libertarianism.  Well, at least in the case of one P. Bagge.  Read it and weep – or laugh – or, most likely, both:  you won't know how you react until you actually confront these four color comics on the printed page.  Are you ready?  Do you think you can take it?  Fantagraphics sez:  Fans of Peter Bagge's Hate comic may not realize he's been contributing comic-strip opinion pieces to Reason magazine for the last several years... finally collected in this volume. Although a libertarian, Bagge is hardly dogmatic, and most of the pieces undermine traditional party lines in favor of a rather personal, rational and informed take on hot-button issues: Favorite topics include the erosion of our civil liberties, ongoing boondoggles of the American public, the Iraq war, politicians both in general and in particular, and the conservative/religious war on sex. Each piece features Bagge himself front and center as the puzzled, indignant, or deeply conflicted everyman-on-the-street trying to make sense of this 21st century.
American Splendor Presents Bob & Harv's Comics	Harvey Pekar , R. Crumb	Thunder's Mouth Press	American Splendor	$14.44 ($16.00 list)
Read more and comment...	What's new about this one is the price.  We are now able to offer this classic 1996 volume that collects the entirety of R. Crumb's contributions to Harvey Pekar's trailblazing comics series at an amazing low price  that we hope will be a boon to all of those who are watching their wallet yet have their eyes out for high quality comics.  It really doesn't get much better than these titanic team-ups.  These are the comics that put American Splendor on the map and transformed Harvey Pekar from just another working schmoe to an icon of the independent artistic spirit that inheres to the American working class.  Yowza!  Anyone who hasn't managed to get around to reading these yet is in for a real treat, and even those that have may want the chance to savor them yet again (and again, and again...).  RECOMMENDED!   Preview it, here.
Diamond Comics #2	Jason Leivian	Floating World Comics	Diamond Comics	$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Edited by Jason Levian and published by the fine folks at Floating World Comics – also located in Pittsburgh's west coast sister-city, Portland, OR – Diamond Comics has nothing whatsoever to do with the comics distribution behemoth of the same name (except, perhaps, a satiric jab), but is, rather, an excellent tabloid newspaper comics publication that provides a refreshingly bracing outlet/showcase for comics work that is focused on visual impact.  #5 is the first ALL full-color issue, yet it remains priced at the super-value price of $3.00 that held through the first four issues (all of which have full-color covers and centerfolds).  Artists featured in the latest issue include Benjamin Marra, Panayuitus Terzis, Michael DeForge and plenty more.  Previous issues feature such contributors as Al Columbia (whose amazing full color centerspread for #4 is worth the price of admission), Dame Darcy, Jason Overby, Aidan Koch, Blaise Larmee, Dunja Jankovic, Josh Simmons, Marko Turunen, Nathan Fox, Luke Ramsay and many, many others!  This newspaper is funded, at least in part, by a Kick Starter grant, which, presumably, enabled the full color printing.  Check these out! BACK IN STOCK
Stories #1	Martin Cendreda	Self-published	Stories	$3.00 ($3.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	The Green Umbrella Man in the Mirror & Expecting        Let's keep going in the small press and self-publishing vein.  It seems like we're on a roll here.  Here we have three all-new minis, all produced, published, packed and shipped by that Angeleno mini-master, Martin Cendreda!  The art and production here is top rate and very reasonable priced considering the effort and low print runs.  By turns whimsical, satirical and insightful, these are musts for any and all adherents of the mini-comic form.  Recommended!

books

Title	Author	Publisher	Price
Old Rare New: The Independent Record Shop	Emma Petit	Black Dog	$26.95 ($29.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	And, speaking of music, if you count yourself among those of our customers who regularly – dare we say, inevitably – stop in at Jerry's Records before or after visiting our humble shop, then this book may very well have your name on it.  A celebration of the spirit of those who own, work and/or patronize – and especially those who live for – the shops that specialize in vinyl old, rare, and new, this volume takes its readers on a tour of many of the more notable of these shops (somehow managing to miss the one and only Jerry's Records, however), replete with interviews with and essays by vinyl devotees of many stripes.  And, of course, there is plenty of visual documentation of the shops and the records that fill them.  Learn more and access some full length reviews, here.

cds

Title	Artist	Publisher	Price
The Believer #64: The 2009 Music Issue	Various	The Believer	$9.00 ($10.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Yes, believe it or not it has been a year since the last music issue.  This issue's CD includes 14 new songs – all performed acoustically – from 14 "masters of the form" that are "available here and only here."   Plus you'll get plenty of musically oriented essays and interviews.  Check out the contents and get the chance to peruse some of it, here

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