The Copacetic Comics Company : October 2009 Update

Just in!

Just in for : October 2009

Here what's new at Copacetic for October 2009. You can also look back at our previous "JUST IN" announcements.

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JUMP TO: comics (26 items) ⋅ books (4 items) ⋅ dvds (2 items) ⋅ cds (1 item)

comics

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
Cold Heat Special #6	Chris Cornwell	PictureBox	Cold Heat	$10.00 ($12.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Yes, Cold Heat Special 8 and 9 have come (and gone) but without any sign of numbers 6 and 7... until now! Over a year in the making, Cold Heat Special number six is now in stock and it's a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted work of art. Wrapped in fabulous front and back cover silkscreens – complete with inside front and back cover silk-screened "endpapers," which are overlaid with hand tipped full color "plates" (ink jet prints) – this magazine-size special is an aesthetic treat and feast for the eyes, yes, but most of all it is an experience for the mind. Extending and vastly expanding on the themes he introduced in his first Cold Heat Special (number two), Cornwell has here seamlessly merged his own artistic concerns with those of Cold Heat creators BJ and Santoro to forge a fantastic journey to the center of the mind that intimates at the nature of eternal recurrence and the simultaneity of historicity in a universe that has banished linear time and made way for cosmic consciousness. All while working firmly in the Cold Heat tradition of living off the grid and on the fringes – turned on to DIY culture and a new life of untested possibilities. Limited to 100 copies. Recommended!
The Book of Genesis, Illustrated	R. Crumb	Norton		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Yes, here it is: the most talked about book in comics. Five years at the drawing board hath wrought Crumb's own pen & ink rendering of the West's origin myth. Crumb, as he warned and as we would naturally expect, hasn't pulled any punches and has illustrated this tale as written, warts and all. Crumb says it best himself in his introduction: "I, R. Crumb, the illustrator of this book, have, to the best of my ability, faithfully reproduced every word of the original text... Every other comic book version of The Bible that I've seen contains passages of completely made-up narrative and dialogue, in an attempt to streamline and 'modernize' the old scriptures, and still, these various comic book Bibles all claim to adhere to the belief that the Bible is 'the word of God' or 'inspired by God,' whereas I, ironically, do not believe the Bible is 'the word of God.' I believe it is the words of men. It is, nonetheless, a powerful text with layers of meaning that reach deep into our collective consciousness, our historical consciousness, if you will. It seems to be an inspired work but I believe that its power derives from its having been a collective endeavor that evolved and condensed over many generations ..." Every line in this book is hand drawn. The only mechanical text is on the copyright page, the inside jacket flaps, and the commentary in the addendum. It's the Bible! It's a comic book! It's Crumb! It is, in short, amazing. Dive right in with this preview. Update: Due to R. "crotchety oldster or painstaking perfectionist - you decide!" Crumb's insistence that this book be printed exclusively on one, specific paper stock which is manufactured only once a month and in quantitities that are unable to meet the demand for this book, we have been having a hard time tracking down enough copies. However, we just received a nice restock, so we are once again offering our standard Copacetic discount!
The Best American Comics 2009	Doug Allen, Peter Bagge, Gabrielle Bell, Matt Broersma and more ...	Houghton Mifflin	Best American	$20.00 ($22.95 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Charles Burns Well, Crumb is a tough act to follow, but we'll give it a shot with this star-studded anthology filled with the best and the brightest from the last twelve months of comics, as judged by Charles Burns. In a book like this, we feel that the contributor list says it best: Doug Allen, Peter Bagge, Gabrielle Bell, Matt Broersma, Daniel Clowes, Al Columbia, Robert Dennis Crumb, Sammy Harkham, Tim Hensley, Gilbert Hernandez, Kevin Huizenga, Ben Katchor, Kaz, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Michael Kupperman, Jason Lutes, Tony Millionaire, Jerry Moriarty, Anders Nilsen, Gary Panter, Laura Park, Mimi Pond, Ron Regé, David Sandlin, Koren Shadmi, Dash Shaw, Art Spiegelman, Ted Stearn, Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki, Adrian Tomine, Chris Ware, Dan Zettwoch. 'Nuff said. Well, actually, we can't help but add that while the material contained in this anthology is absolutely fabulous, the quality of its reproduction is, mysteriously, not up to the same standard as the three previous volumes in this series, which were excellent in that department. This shouldn't stop anyone from picking up this fine volume, but it is worrisome. Let's hope that this was a one time aberration and that next year we'll find the fine folks at Houghton Mifflin have figured out what went wrong and put things in the production department back on track.
Pim and Francie	Al Columbia	Fantagraphics		$25.00 ($28.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Yes, you've read that correctly, it's an entire hardcover volume devoted to the work of that notorious comics recluse, Al Columbia. Enter the deeply creepy cartoon world of funeral parlors, undertakers, cadavers and creatures the likes of which were never seen anywhere but in these pages. This book reads like a scrap book for an aborted animation project that succeeded all too well in dragging the artist's inner demons out from his unconscious and into the light of the drawing table lamp, whereupon they proceeded to wreak havoc on his soul. It appears that the artist may have come to the realization that he could not allow these foul creatures to become fully formed, lest they burrow into the collective consciousness – or, conversely, this may very well be from whence they emerged and he has cleverly trapped them here so that we could identify them and thereby prevent them from inflicting any further damage. Either way, tread carefully...
Popeye, Volume 4 - "Plunder Island"	E.C. Segar	Fantagraphics	Popeye	$25.00 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The latest giant-size, full-color, die-cut-hardcover collection of the classic Sunday pages (as well as also containing, in glorious black and white, the accompanying daily strips, cleverly laid out six [as in Monday through Saturday] to a page so as to perfectly balance out the weekly rhythm of the Sunday pages) is here. Classic comics written and drawn by E.C. Segar collected in a book designed by Jacob Covey that is published by Fantagraphics so as to be offered for sale by Copacetic, and purchased by... you?
Cat Burglar Black	Richard Sala	(:01) First Second		$15.25 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	An all new 128 page full color graphic novel full of trademark Sala tropes. K. is a cute teenage orphan raised by a crazed matron to be a master thief and pickpocket. She has now been invited to attend Bellsong Academy, a (need we say it?) mysterious boarding school where something is not as it seems... The works of Richard Sala provide formal pleasures akin to those of amusement park haunted house rides; their pages filled with twists that present thrills at every turn. From (:01) First Second Books.
Project Recess, Volume 3	James Jean	AdHouse Books		$28.75 ($34.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The third installment in the elegantly designed and much demanded (the first two were quick sellouts) series of the art of James Jean provides an intimate look at the working methods of this talented, stylish and popular artist. A plain black die-cut cover hints at the informal sketchbook/scrapbook contents within. Fans who have been waiting to get an up-close and personal look at the creative core of James Jean now have their chance. Check this out for an idea what's in store (but only a hint, as the cumulative effect of a book full of work can't be captured in a preview).
Poem Strip	Dino Buzzati	New York Review Books		$13.50 ($14.95 list)
Read more and comment...	An Italian author and illustrator best known for his 1952 novel, The Tartar Steppe, a Kafkaesque take on WW II that based in part on his own experiences, as well as for a series of classic children's books, including The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily, Dino Buzzati here presents us with his swan song in Poem Strip. An unusual synthesis of words and pictures, it just barely qualifies as comics... but it does. Created when the author was in his 60s, and set in a highly hedonistic and fabulously fleshy rendering of the "swinging sixties," it is a retelling of the Orpheus myth, casting a pop/rock singer/songwriter in the lead. It makes for an intriguing read, and the most fun comes from sussing out the symbol-laden artwork. There is no getting around the male gaze of the artist and fetishization of the female form on display here, nor can one avoid the equations of sex, sin and death, but these are all part of the formula that links the multiple mythic memes of the Mediterranean. The republication of this classic simultaneously provides a missing piece of both the puzzle of the 1960s and the development of the graphic novel. (translated from the Italian by Marina Harss; hand lettered by Rich Tommaso)
The Complete Jack Survives	Jerry Moriarty	Buenaventura Press		$29.75 ($34.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Begun thirty years ago, Jack has at last found a permanent luxury dwelling in this sumptuously produced (by Buenaventura Press) oversized hardcover book that will be treasured by comics aesthetes everywhere. Jerry Moriarty, who has the courage to admit that, "When I started out, I didn't know what I was doing," took a chance and headed into unknown territory, taking a painterly sensibility rooted in the depression-era painting of Hopper, Sheeler and Burchfield, and grafting it straight onto his own hardwired, homegrown comics sensibility. Without taking the time to worry what it all meant or where he was going, he just struck out for the territory and made it all his own. Take a tour.
Map of My Heart	John Porcellino	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	To celebrate King-Cat Comics and Stories' twentieth birthday, Drawn and Quarterly has given us a present: this swell 360 page volume that collects King-Cat Comics and Stories #51 - #61 – all classics – in their entirety, along with copious notes, bonus comics, journal and notebook entries, maps, and even an index (of titles)! This one should be a no-brainer for everyone except those who already own the originals (and even they might be tempted by the bonuses). Those who are unfamiliar with Porcellino's work can get a nice PDF taste of it here. And, we're adding to the celebration by offering a special discount.
King-Cat Comics and Stories #70	John Porcellino	Spit and a Half	King-Cat Comics and Stories	$2.75 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	The issue that marks the twentieth anniversary of King-Cat Comics and Stories. And it really is an extra special issue, one of the best ever. Twenty years. Amazing. Congratulations, Mr. P.!
Follow Me	Jesse Moynihan	Bodega		$8.75 ($11.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Here we have 120 pages of comics that stand a good chance of intriguing quite a few more readers than they currently are (at least around here). Readers of comics by the Kramers crowd – specifically, C.F., B.J., and Sammy H. – as well as Chester Brown fans mourning the lack of new work, and members of the Theo Ellsworth Army, all stand to be pleasantly surprised by Mr. Moynihan's work in Follow Me, which is, technically, the third part of The Backwards Folding Mirror (we're out of the first two parts at the moment, but we'll see what we can do about getting them back in stock; that said, this one will stand on its own). Check it out and see what you think, here.
The Mourning Star, Book 2	Kazimir Strzepek	Bodega		$11.00 ($13.00 list)
Read more and comment...	by Kazimir Strzepak The second volume in an ongoing series, this one is, like the first (which we've still got around here somewhere), a fat, square, Jordan Crane designed book packed with alternate universe action. This work shows some affinity to the work of Fort Thunderers Brian Chippendale, Chris Forgues and, especially, Brian Ralph, in its themes and visual vocabulary, but it is a quite a bit more accessible to the uninitiated.
Papercutter #11	Nate Beaty, Rosalie Eisenberg, Dustin Harbin, Jon Sukarangsan and more ...	Tugboat Press	Papercutter	$3.50 ($4.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Papercutter #11 The latest issue of our favorite regularly published comics anthology debuted at SPX, and it's another issue that no indy comics fan will want to miss. The bulk of the issue – 26 pages and one front cover worth, to be exact – are devoted to "Lululand," a slice of life vignette of the life of Lulu a wondering and wandering washer of dishes and dreamer of dreams trying to figure it out that is imagined by writer Amy Adoyzie and diligently delineated by Jon Sukarangsan. Backing this up is "Duperman," a snappy one-pager by your friend and mine, Dustin Harbin, and "Letter Home," a story of schoolwork vs. artwork by someone who should know, the Portland, OR artist and educator, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, who takes us through to the back cover. Inside covers by Nate Beaty. Edited by Greg Means
Schematic Comics	Dan Zettwoch	Self-published		$3.95 ($3.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	We'd be remiss if we didn't mention this unexpected treat. This is a new printing of one of the hits of SPX 2005 that has long been unavailable and highly sought after. It collects fifteen fabulous pieces by the talented and versatile Mr. Zettwoch. All we have to say is: If you missed this the first time around, then don't make the same mistake twice! Come one down and pick this one up before it's gone again. And this goes double for anyone who wasn't around for the first go round. This one's a classic of self-publishing. 48 pages under a hand-silk-screened cover. SORRY – THIS ONE SOLD OUT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. WE'LL TRY TO GET MORE...
Funny Aminals	Joe Lambert, Bryan Stone, Colleen Frakes, Penina and more ...	Self-published		$6.75 ($8.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Long suffering fans of the funny animal genre of comic books, one of the classic standard bearers of the comics tradition that has fallen by the wayside as of late, have much to rejoice with the release of this magical magazine size comic book that is clearly a labor of love. Full color front and back covers, printed on heavy stock, contain 68 pages of comics and stories by the likes of Joe Lambert, Bryan Stone, Colleen Frakes, Penina and more, all entirely devoted to animal fun, and includes a lengthy essay on the history of the genre by none other than Mr. Steve "Swamp Thing" Bissette! Learn more about the Funny Aminal gang, here. Recommended (and, on special)!
Pope Hats #1	Ethan Rilly	Self-published	Pope Hats	$3.50 ($4.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This guy has the chops and in this premiere issue of Pope Hats smoothly manages to pull off some nice slice of life comics about twenty-somethings with an easy naturalism and quiet verisimilitude that make him an obvious choice to nominate as a potential successor the Adrian Tomine. This comic is a nice, professionally printed comic, complete with full color cardstock cover, made possible by Mr. Rilly's receipt of a Xeric grant. We think you should check this out, so we're offering a special introductory price on it, for now.
Woman King	Colleen Frakes	Self-published		$6.75 ($8.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Ms. Frakes took home this year's Ignatz for "Promising New Talent." The award specifically cited Woman King in its announcement, so it is a winner by association. We also have last year's Tragic Relief trade edition for the same special price.
The Gigantic Robot	Tom Gauld	Buenaventura Press		$12.95 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	by Tom Gauld A meditation on the ephemerality of existence that tries to have it both ways, as only comics can. Preview it HERE.
I Want You	Lisa Hanawalt	Buenaventura Press		$4.44 ($4.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Have fun with bodily functions in these deftly delineated comics by this year's Ignatz winner for Outstanding Mini-Comic, Lisa Hanawalt.
Injury #3	Ted May	Buenaventura Press	Injury	$4.44 ($4.95 list)
Read more and comment...
The Aviatrix	Eric Haven	Buenaventura Press		$4.44 ($4.95 list)
Read more and comment...
Tales to Demolish #1	Eric Haven	Sparkplug Comic Books	Tales to Demolish	$2.75 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Un homage á Jack Kirby's late-'50s monster comics. FUN!
Boy's Club #3	Matt Furie	Buenaventura Press	Boy's Club	$4.44 ($4.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Solipsistic stories for stoned slackers.
Solipsist's Doodles	Jason Overby	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Are you ready for 32 pages of unimpeded personal expression in comic book form? If so you might want to give these the once over. Original and unique, obscure yet satisfying, Overby's comics are leading us somewhere, but it's too soon to tell if it's going to be to a place where we'll want to stick around. Here are comics for risk takers.
Exploding Head Man	Jason Overby	Self-published		$6.00 ($6.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Are you ready for 96 pages of unimpeded personal expression in comic book form? If so you might want to give these the once over. Original and unique, obscure yet satisfying, Overby's comics are leading us somewhere, but it's too soon to tell if it's going to be to a place where we'll want to stick around. Here are comics for risk takers.

books

Title	Author	Publisher	Price
Chronic City	Jonathan Lethem	Doubleday	$25.00 ($28.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Those of you who enjoyed Lethem's contribution to The Book of Other People – as we most certainly did here at Copacetic – will be pleased to discover that it was an excerpt from this novel, about which David Shields has to say: "I'm reminded of the well-rubbed Kafka line: A book must be the axe to break the frozen sea within us. Lethem's book, with incredible fury, aspires to do little less. It's almost certainly his best novel. It's genuinely great." How about them apples!
Zeitoun	Dave Eggers	McSweeney's	$20.00 ($24.00 list)
Read more and comment...	"Zeitoun is an instant American classic carved from fierce eloquence and a haunting moral sensibility. By wrestling with the demons of xenophobia and racial profiling that converged in the swirling vortex of Hurricane Katrina and post-9/11 America, Eggers lets loose the angels of wisdom and courage that hover over the lives of the beleaguered, but miraculously unbroken, Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun. This is a major work full of fire and wit by one of our most important writers." – Michael Eric Dyson
The Death of Bunny Munro	Nick Cave	Faber and Faber	$22.22 ($25.00 list)
Read more and comment...	"Put Cormac McCarthy, Franz Kafka and Benny Hill together in a Brighton seaside guesthouse and they might just come up with Bunny Munro. As it stands, though, this novel emerges emphatically as the work of one of the great cross-genre storytellers o our age: a compulsive read possessing all of Nick Cave's trademark horror and humanity, often thinly disguised in a galloping, playful romp." – Irvine Welsh (See Nick read. Read Nick, read.)

Read more and comment...	Test test test

dvds

Title	Director	Publisher	Price
Funky Forest the First Contact	Hajime Ishimine, Katsuhito Ishii	Viz	$25.00 ($29.98 list)
Read more and comment...	This film is SO far out that we are not yet ready to do it justice. Suffice it to say that fans of cinema that strays from the beaten path should consider checking this out – as long as they are prepared for the possibility that they might get lost deep in the woods. Those true believers that are already there and consider it home should consider this an absolute must see. THIS is a one of a kind film. Here's its homepage. Or just go straight to its trailer on YouTube. This is a film that you will want to watch more than once and will enjoy turning your friends on to and watching their jaws drop (presuming, of course, that your friends' cinematic tastes – as well as your own, we hasten to add – can handle the intensely bizarre flavors contained in this big bento box of a film).
Wholphin 9	Spike Jonze, Isabel Vega, Amanda Micheli, Joseph Gordon-Levitt	McSweeney's	$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	It seems like some of you have forgotten about the wholesome goodness that is Wholphin, The DVD magazine of rare and unseen short films. Seeing as how we like all things related to the number nine, we've chosen this issue to offer a special "let's-get-reacquainted" price on. It's a packed disc – over three hours worth of material. It's an especially good issue, filled with all sorts of films from around the world. The official hype states: "Wholphin No. 9 features three, hilarious, never-before-seen short films by Spike Jonze; Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s short story, "Sparks," starring Carla Gugino and Eric Stoltz; the Academy Award-nominated documentary, "La Corona," about a high-stakes beauty pageant in a Colombian women’s prison; an incredibly rare and candid glimpse into the life of a Mormon fundamentalist who shares a husband with her younger biological sister; the Jury Prize-winning short from Cannes; Caveh Zahedi; meteorites; motordromes; acting lesson orgasms; films from Belgium, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, and much more." Preview it here. SPECIAL WEB ONLY PRICE FOR A LIMITED TIME!!!

cds

Title	Artist	Publisher	Price
Blood From Stars	Joe Henry	Anti-	$15.97 ($17.98 list)
Read more and comment...	Another impossibly good album from the one and only Joe Henry. Amazingly, you can listen to the entire LP online at his site, HERE (Just click on "Launch MP3 player to listen"). And while you're listening to it, you can take a moment to read the note he penned on the day of its release, HERE. And, please note that both the package and booklet covers feature photographs taken by Eugene Smith in Pittsburgh, PA during his epic Dream Street project of 1955-56.

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