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Small Press Comics




Title Author Publisher Price
Cometbus 54: In China with Green Day Aaron Cometbus Self-published $4.00
($4.00 list)
Cometbus54
Read more and comment... 		Other writers would take this exact same piece of writing we find here, blow up the font a couple notches, scatter a bunch of concert and "behind-the-scenes" photos throughout it, shop around for a big name publisher, and put it out as a $30 or $40 coffee table book - but not Aaron Cometbus!  No!  Instead, what we have here is "only" the latest issue of Cometbus.  No one gives you your money's worth like Aaron.  This time around it's a just-shy-of-100-page issue filled cover to cover with the highly engaging tale of life on tour with a bunch of friends who happen to be a world famous rock band.  Here, we'll even help you get started:  "What happens when friends grow up together but make choices that lead them down different paths?  Can they still travel together, despite their differences?  That's what I wondered as I boarded the plane bound for Thailand, and, for the first time in my life, took a seat in first class..."
The Flying Destructicate #3: Secret Pockets Mary Mack Tremonte Encyclopedia Destructica $20.00
($20.00 list)

Read more and comment... 		A project of Pittsburgh based Encyclopedia Destructica, brain child of Christopher Kardambikis and Jasdeep Khaira, The Flying Destructicate is the project of a single artist. This time around The Flying Destructicate is piloted by Mary Mack Tremonte who has chosen as her theme the secrets we carry around with us in our pockets:  hidden yet right there with us at all ties as we walk down the street.  She and a dozen fellow artists have assembled – literally, and by hand –  a very hands-on work that is easiliy the most tactilely engaging work currentlyon our shelves.  Pick it up and open it, and you'll see what we mean.  This is a hand made limited edition – once they're gone, they're gone. 
Cometbus #50 Aaron Cometbus Self-published $2.00
($2.00 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
Cometbus50200
Read more and comment... 		This one is a jam issue with Aaron getting by with a little help from his friends to produce 96 pages of punk rock life for $2.00!  This issue has it all:  The centerpiece made up of seven new stories, that together are titled "New York Journal"; a panoply of punk rock interviews -- with the one-and-only Ian Mackaye, Zak Sally (Low, Dirty Three), Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio),Greta Brinkman (Moby and Deborah Harry bands), Alison Wolfe (Bratmobile), Blake Schwarzenbach (Jawbeaker) and Christina Billotte (Casual Dots); a lengthy "Book Report" on the state of used book stores in New York City (with Photos by Katie Glicksberg); and the biggest batch of letters yet.  Bonus features include "Pensacola Songs" by Scott Mylxine and two stories by Maddalena Polletta: "Driveway" and "American Elm."  It's safe to that this is the deal-of-the-month.
Cometbus #53 Madalena Polletta, Aaron Cometbus Self-published $2.75
($3.00 list)
Cometbus53
Read more and comment... 		Aaron is still riding the Punk Train (see #52 for more).  This time out we have a lengthy piece on the early days of punk and art and comics in NYC in the mid-1970s that is largely derived from an in-depth interview Aaron conducted with John Holstrom, the co-founder of the legendary Punk Magazine.  But that's just the main course, there's plenty more on offer here.  For starters, this issue is co-authored by long-time Cometbus pal, Maddalena Polletta, who contributes a half dozen pieces which are interspersed throughout, providing contrapuntal hamony and making for a idiosyncratic and personal – if dolorous – production.  Grab a copy and stick it in your pocket, so that when you head out into the cold harsh world you'll know you have a friend along.
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)
Cometbus_52
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.