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Anthologies




Title Creator Publisher Series Price
Hotwire #3 Glenn Head, Tim Lane, R. Sikoryak, Daid Sandlin and more ... Fantagraphics Hotwire $19.99
($22.99 list)
Hotwire3
Read more and comment... 		Hotwire 3 edited by Glenn Head If ever the third time is the charm, this is it.  Hotwire, the king-size comic book anthology of all new work marches forward in its unique, self-established tradition of wacky hi-jinx pieces designed to frazzle and freak. Highlights include a career high for Rick Altergott, an amazing new piece by Tim Lane, a rare full color Mack White work, a classic Mary Fleener tale, and the first new "masterpiece comic" by R. Sikoryak since his 2009 anthology of the same name – this one engaging Dennis the Menace to fill the shoes of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark – new pieces by Michael Kupperman, Max Andersson, Johnny Ryan, and editor Glenn Head, as well as a brand spankin' new David Sandlin story, "Infernal Combustion," that continues in the vein of his fabulous Swamp Preacher one-shot comic book of a couple years back. 
Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s Mary Fleener, Wayno Fantagraphics $22.22
($24.95 list)
Newavecomix
Read more and comment... 		<<•>> by everyone and your uncle <<•>>  888 pages!!!  No holds are barred here in this anything goes blast of the first wave of self-published mini-comics.  Scatology and sexuality, perversion and punk rock, fantasy and fabulation, and general kicking out the jams were the order of the day back when the cathartic capacities of small scale self publishing were first embraced by a generation of comics creators. While the majority of the work on display here is by artists and writers that are not widely known today, there are some gems scattered throughout the book, including the rookie outings of Mary Fleener and Pittsburgh's Wayno, to name but two.
The Act-I-Vate Primer Nick Bertozzi, Michael Fife, Roger Langridge $22.22
($24.95 list)
Activatesm
Read more and comment... 		edited by Scott Dunbier and Dean Haspiel <<•>>   forward by Warren Ellis  <<•>>  This horizontally formatted (think laptop screen) hardcover volume sporting a nifty Nick Bertozzi cover illo contains sixteen original stories produced under the aegis of the popular eponymous comix website. Stand-outs for us were the leadoff tale by Michael Fiffe, "Cactus," "Persimmon Cup" by Nick Bertozzi, and "The Boy Who Came to Stay" by the one and only Roger Langridge.  There's a nice variety of styles on display here and you can check many of them out at the aforementioned website, so go ahead and take a look....  So, what'd you think?
MOME #17 Paul Hornschemeier, Dash Shaw, Tom Kaczynski, T. Edward Bak and more ... Fantagraphics MOME $12.75
($14.95 list)
Mome17
Read more and comment... 		edited by Gary Groth and Eric Reynolds There's no question that the highlight of this issue is the thirty page conclusion to Paul Hornschemeier's Life with Mr. Dangerous, which began its serialization in MOME all the way back in the first issue!  Next up in the list is the first ever (to our knowledge, anyway) collaboration between the mighty Dash Shaw and Tom Kaczynski, the aptly titled, "Resolution."  Also on hand are the second parts of both T. Edward Bak's "Wild Man" and Ted Stearn's new Fuzz and Pluck adventure, "The Moolah Tree," as well as the first two parts of Oliver Schrauwen's latest, "Congo Chromo."  Laura Park, Sara Edward-Corbet, Rick Froberg, Kurt Wolfgang, Derek Van Gieson, Renée French, Josh Simmons and Michael Jada round out the issue.  MOME continues to deliver on its promise.
MOME #16 Sara Edward-Corbett, Ben Jones, Jon Vermilyea, T. Edward Bak and more ... Fantagraphics MOME $12.75
($14.95 list)
Mome16sm
Read more and comment... 		<<•>>  edited by Eric Reynolds and Gary Groth  <<•>>  The obvious highlight of this issue for us here at The CCC is the new Cold Heat story by the team of Frank Santoro, Ben Jones & Jon Vermilyea.  In addition, we have on hand:  the furiously productive Dash Shaw, who translates an episode of "Blind Date" into comics form; the second chapter of T. Edward Bak's "Wild Man - The Strange Journey - and Fantastic Accounts - of the Naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, from Bavaria to Bolshaya Zemlya (and Beyond)"; new work from Renée French (who is also responsible for this issue's front and back covers); an all-new “Funny Bunny” strip by the rarely seen (in comics, anyway) Archer Prewitt; “The Moolah Tree”, a new Fuzz & Pluck graphic novel from Ted Stearn, begins it's serialization here; the MOME debut of Nicholas Mahler – "What Is Art?" (translated by Kim Thompson); and new stories from Lilli Carré, Conor O'Keefe, Laura Park, Nate Neal, and Sara Edward-Corbett, with incidental drawings by Kaela Graham.  Get a PDF preview, HERE.
Funny Aminals Joe Lambert, Bryan Stone, Colleen Frakes, Penina and more ... Self-published $6.75
($8.00 list)
Funnyaminalssmall
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)! 
Papercutter #11 Nate Beaty, Rosalie Eisenberg, Dustin Harbin, Jon Sukarangsan and more ... Tugboat Press Papercutter $3.50
($4.00 list)
Pc11web
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
The Best American Comics 2009 Doug Allen, Peter Bagge, Gabrielle Bell, Matt Broersma and more ... Houghton Mifflin Best American $20.00
($22.95 list)
Bestcomics2009
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.
Kramers Ergot #6 Sammy Harkham, C.F., Paper Rad, Marc Bell and more ... Buenaventura Press Kramers Ergot $34.95
($34.95 list)
Ke6
Read more and comment... 		Edited, as always, by Sammy Harkham -- this time around with an assist by co-publisher Alvin Buenaventura -- this now seemingly biennial publication continues to live up to the promise made with the fourth and fifth volumes.  The format follows that of the last volume:  a flat matte finish (this time sans texture) flexi cover fixed to a sturdy Smythe sewn binding that holds the contents firmly in place.  And what contents!  Many of those talents that readers have come to associate with Kramers Ergot are here again, and have submitted work that is as engaging as ever.  Sammy Harkham, C.F., Paper Rad, Marc Bell, Souther Salazar, Ron Regé, Jr., Matthew Thurber, Dan Zettwoch and Elvis Studio are joined by Vanessa Davis, Tom Gaud, Martin Cendreda, Bald Eagles and a handful of others.  Also,  KE Alum Gary Panter finds himself under the same covers as former fellow Raw artist, Jerry Moriarty, who is given plenty of space to present his idiosyncratic Hopperesque visions for the first time (we've seen) in many years.  In addition, with this issue Kramers Ergot adds a curatorial component to its offerings for the first time, as readers are given a rare look at two great historical figures of the comics world:  we get a healthy sampling of a late sketchbook by the Dutch comics artist, Marc Smeets, which is preceded by "an incomplete appreciation" by Chris Ware; and an amazing reproduction of the early and highly influential manga, Norakuro by Suiho Tagawa.  All in all, it seems once again to be an essential read for anyone involved in the contemporary comics scene. Here is a preview of the front cover along with 10 sample pages.
The Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics Art Siegelman, Francoise Mouly, Carl Barks, Basil Wolverton and more ... Abrams ComicArts $35.00
($40.00 list)
Toon-treasury
Read more and comment... 		edited by Art Spiegelman and Francois Mouly If the amazing kids' comics from the halycon days of yore are your thing, then you've hit the jackopot with this one!  Well over 300 pages of classics, all scanned from the original comics themselves, and printed at approximately 120% of the originals.  These scans have been digitally cleaned up a bit, so there's no newsprint background tones, just the flat white paper that they're printed on.  While this might upset some purists, it was probably a good call as this book is clearly going to be marketed as a gift for children as well as for older fans, and lay people will have difficulty appreciating the nuances of newsprint; and they did a more than decent job of balancing the tones.  The book is, somewhat arbitrarily, divided into five sections:  Hey, Kids; Funny Animals; Fantasyland; Storytime; and Weird and Wacky.  The book successfully draws across the spectrum of children's comics from the twenty years following the close of the second world war – the golden age of kids' comics that fed the baby boomers' imaginations before television took over.  While certainly no one is going to agree with every choice, the editors – along with the board of advisors – picked a good crop of comics that is certain to contain favorites of every fan as well as win the hearts of every reader and, more importantly, is sure to capture the imagination of the next generation.  Includes work by all-time greats Carl Barks, Basil Wolverton, Harvey Kurtzman, John Stanley, Bob Bolling, Walt Kelly, and many, many more (even Dr. Seuss, who started out in comics).  Get a sneak peek, here (just click on the image of the open book at the top right, under "Sample Toon Treasury").
From Wonderland With Love: Danish Comics in the Third Millenium Steffen Maarup Fantagraphics $25.00
($29.95 list)
Wonderland
Read more and comment... 		This is a flexi-bound collection of 178 pages of comics from Denmark:  black and white, duotone and full color.  There's an amazing variety of work on display here, from three-panel pen and ink dailies to full color graphic novellas.  Satire, sarcasm, cuddly cuteness, potentially discomfiting explorations of the unconscious, and much more are packed in side-by-side and executed in a dazzling variety of styles.  Take a look at this 14-page PDF preview and see what you think.
Abstract Comics Andrei Molotiu Fantagraphics $29.99
($39.99 list)
Abstractcomicssm
Read more and comment... 		Andrei Molotiu, college professor, art historian, and all-star poster to the TCJ message board, has pulled together a wide ranging assortment of works under the banner of "abstract comics."  Molotiu well understands the vagaries that will attach themselves to an overly broad designation such as this and has penned a cogent introduction to give readers as idea of his thoughts about what areas this label could assist in classifying.   Importantly, he is well aware that this primary purpose of this collection is to get the conversation started.  And this it has already accomplished, as the numerous posts to the Abstract Comics Blog firmly attest.  Artists represented in this volume range from celebrated masters such as R. Crumb, Gary Panter and Patrick McDonnell, to accomplished practitioners of the comics arts such as James Kochalka, Lewis Trondheim, J.R. Williams and John Hankiewicz, to marginally known art comics figures like Richard Hahn, Jason T. Miles, Blaise Larmee and Warren Craghead III, but the majority of contributors are obscure figures working on the margins that few readers of these pages will be familiar with – at least in the context of producing comics – such as editor Molotiu himself, who turned in eight pages of free floating abstractions, and Copacetic's own Bill Boichel whose entry is a 24-page mini-comic that has been reformatted as a two-page spread.  Yet lack of renown should not be conflated with lack of artistic vision as some of the most engaging works on display here are by the least recognized artists.  In recognition of the fact that the purchase of this volume represents a bit of a risk for most comics readers due to the largely unfamiliar terrain, we have decided to shoulder some of that risk by offering an introductory special price of 25% below retail, which works out to a savings of $10.00 that you can either pocket... or spend on more comics!
Flight #6 Kazu Kibuishi, JP Ahonen, Graham Annable, Bannister and more ... Villard $22.22
($25.00 list)
Flight6
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.
MOME: Summer 2009 #15 Nathan Neal, Robert Goodin, Conor O'Keefe, Sara Edward-Corbett and more ... Fantagraphics MOME $12.75
($14.99 list)
Mome15
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.
Papercutter #10 Dominic Jay, Jesse Reklaw, Minty Lewis Tugboat Press Papercutter $3.50
($4.00 list)
Papercutter10
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.
Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology Jeff Yang, Jef Castro, Hellen Jo, Gene Yang and more ... The New Press $19.75
($21.95 list)
Secretid
Read more and comment... 		   •  edited by Jeff Yang, Parry Shen, Keith Chow and Jerry Ma  •  200 pages of original superhero comics by and about Asian-American characters.  Published by The New Press, SI was years in the making and presents an amazing array of talent displaying an impressive diversity of artistic approaches and techniques.  Here's a review worth reading, from Reappropriate, "a personal & political blog by an angry Asian American woman."
Closed Caption Comics #8 Lane Milburn, Mollie O'Connell, Ryan Cecil Smith, Conor Stechschulte and more ... Closed Caption Comics Closed Caption Comics $6.00
($8.00 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
Ccc8
Read more and comment... 		by the Closed Caption Posse We usually pick this up every year in the fall, at SPX, but CCC is way ahead of schedule this year and the Copacetic shelves have already been graced with this hand-embossed-cover-sporting 80-Page Giant packed with brand new comics the likes of which you won't be finding anywhere else.  The gang's all here, including – among others – Lane Milburn, Mollie O'Connell, Ryan Cecil Smith, Conor Stechschulte, Molly Goldstrom, and cover artist Erin Womak.  The comics from Closed Caption Comics that we pick up every year at SPX have pretty much all been hits here at Copacetic, most of all this, the flagship title.  While we believe that it's fair to say that CCC is working with some of the tropes established by Fort Thunder, there is quite a bit of original work here, and anyone interested in deeply personal, artistically informed comics work should be checking this out.
Papercutter #9 Hellen Jo, Aron Nels Steinke, Elijah Brubaker Tugboat Press Papercutter $3.50
($4.00 list)
Pc9web
Read more and comment... 		TUGBOAT SEZ:  "The hauntingly beautiful ninth issue of the acclaimed anthology series dedicated to showcasing the best young, underexposed and emerging comic book artists is here. Aron Nels Steinke (Big Plans) presents the featured story about a young couple living in a haunted house and the strange dreams that plague the owners. Elijah Brubaker (Reich) tries to find hope while in line for the ATM. And Hellen Jo (Jin and Jam) tells the tale of the spookiest back street in San Francisco." Inside front and back covers by stalwart Tugboater, Nate Beaty.
Papercutter #8 Corinne Mucha, Elijah Brubaker, Jeremy Tinder Tugboat Press Papercutter $3.50
($4.00 list)
Pc8coverweb
Read more and comment... 		This issue features a wide range of material.  The cover and lead feature are by Corinne Mucha (My Alaskan Summer) who tells the story about a time in her life when she was haunted by a coven of traveling witches.  Jeremy Tinder (Black Apple Ghost Factory) cuts loose with a story about a man embarking on the craziest night of his life. Elijah Brubaker (Reich) returns to Papercutter to share a glimpse at the coolest kids in high school. Additional art by Nate Beaty.
I Saw You Austin English, Keith Knight, Kazimir Strzepek, Joey Sayers and more ... Three Rivers Press $11.75
($12.95 list)
I-saw-you
Read more and comment... 		Yes, it's a comics anthology entirely consisting of comics inspired by "real-life" missed connection ads posted on Craigslist.  These short tales range from sad to pathetic to depressing to funny to deranged to impossible-to-describe.  An astonishing 98 artists contributed to this anthology, including – but not limited to – Sarah Oleksyk, Jesse Reklaw, Sam Henderson, Peter Bagge, Liz Prince, Shannon Wheeler, Laura Park, Jeffrey Brown, Keith Knight, Elijah Brubaker, Greg Means, Gabrielle Bell, Alec Longstreth and Aaron Renier.  If nothing else, this massive array of talent testifies to the universality of Craigslist.  This book probably has something important to say about interpersonal relationships in the internet era, if we can only figure out what it is...
Papercutter #6 Alec Longstreth, Ken Dahl, Julia Wertz, Laura Park and more ... Tugboat Press Papercutter $3.50
($4.00 list)
Pc6cover_web03
Read more and comment... 		Tugboat Press has this to say: "The special sixth issue of the acclaimed anthology series dedicated to showcasing the best young, underexposed and emerging comic book artists. Alec Longstreth (Phase 7) steps in as guest editor and tells the featured story about an intense summer spent working in Vermont for an upstart theater troupe.  Ken Dahl (Monsters) presents a harrowing tale of a  lonely man's quest for the legacy of modern America. And webcomic superstars Julia Wertz (The Fart Party) and Laura Park (Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream) team up for a lovely story about a group of kids who find a dirty magazine in the woods. Additional art by Nate Beaty."
Papercutter #3 Graham Annable, Lilli Carre, Elijah Brubaker Tugboat Papercutter $2.75
($3.00 list)
Pc3website
Read more and comment... 		The highlight of this issue has to be the cover feature, Graham Annable's twisted tale.  It is the only work we can think of that comes close to clothing the corpus of the classic EC tradition in the garb of contemporary comics sensibilities. It delivers a compelling theme with an extreme economy that is simply only possible in comics. It's pretty much an instant classic (apparently, Lynda Barry agrees, as she selected this tale for inclusion the 2008 America's Best Comics Anthology).  And that's just the highlight!  We also have on hand Elijah J. Brubaker (Reich), whose contribution tells the story of a pair of artists who wander a rainy city looking for beauty, inspiration... and doughnuts. And then there's the one and only Lilli Carré (Tales of Woodsman Pete), who presents a short piece about a man born with a mandolin for a head.
Papercutter #2 Colleen Coover, Paul Tobin, Liz Prince, Becca Taylor and more ... Tugboat Press Papercutter $2.75
($3.00 list)
Pc2website
Read more and comment... 		Tugboat Press has this to say about the second issue of their flagship anthology title:  "The second issue of the exciting new anthology series dedicated to showcasing the best young, underexposed and emerging comic book artist working today.  This issue features a powerhouse story from Becca Taylor (The Wonderful Year) about an ambitious actress who stars in a controversial movie and the real life woman she portrays. Also Paul Tobin & Colleen Coover (Banana Sunday) present the tale of a mysterious cat burglar who steals more than just money and jewels. And Liz Prince (Will You Still Love Me if I Wet the Bed?) goes undercover into the secret world of indie rock ghosts. With additional art by Nate Beaty. Cover by Becca Taylor."  We here at Copacetic especially dug Colleen Coover's art this time around, which manages to be both cute and sexy.
Papercutter #1 Sean Aaberg, Nate Beaty, JP Coovert, Aaron Renier and more ... Tugboat Press Papercutter $2.75
($3.00 list)
Cover1web2
Read more and comment... 		The first issue of our favorite ongoing, regularly published, standard comic book format comics anthology features a compelling love story from Aaron Renier (Spiral Bound) set in the streets of Brooklyn and the halls of New York's famed Natural History Museum. Also Sean Aaberg (The Adventures of Pipu) introduces us to SALT, a punk kid with a nose for adventure, and JP Coovert (Driving South) runs his car into a tree. With additional art by Nate Beaty. Cover art by Aaron Renier.
Supermen Greg Sandowski, Jonathan Lethem, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner and more ... Fantagraphics $22.22
($24.95 list)
Supermen-sm
Read more and comment... 		>> edited and designed by Greg Sadowski  >> introduction by Jonathan Lethem  >> Ladies and gentlemen!  Step right up and see the wonders of the ages!  This is where it all began:  the protoplasmic early days of the superhero comic book -- wild & heady, zany & crazy, fantastic & non-sensical, rough around the edges; all this and more.  Reading these stories is like witnessing history in the making, it is being present at the birth.  Sure, we've all read those original Superman and Batman stories along with other DC classics, as well as a those old Captain America, Submariner, Human Torch tales, and maybe a few other Golden Age Marvels (well, Timelys, actually), but these are usually presented in a self-promoting fashion by their corporate owners which mitigates and obscures the historical context in which these works need to be read to fully appreciate their novelty.  The work here spans the years 1936 to 1941, with the bulk of it originating in 1939 and 1940.  It is divided by publisher and includes the Comics Magazine Company, Chesler, Centaur, Fox, MLJ, Fiction House, Columbia, Your Guide/Rhoda and Novelty Press,  Some of the earliest work by the brightest stars of the Golden Age are collected here:  Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Lou Fine, Jack Cole, Basil Wolverton, Bill Everett, Ogden Whitney, Dick Briefer, Fred Guardineer, and, yes, Fletcher Hanks.  It appears that this volume has been put together employing high quality scans of the original comic books which were then digitally restored and and enhanced and then crisply printed on flat (non-glossy) bright paper stock, and the results are excellent,  A minor quibble is that, for our money, we would have preferred an off-white paper that more closely matches the newsprint upon which these comics were originally printed, but this is negligible when stacked next to all that is right with the production.  While it should go without saying that no self-respecting comics scholar can pass this up, we hasten to add that anyone who misses the plain old fun that we associate with the term comic book, who wants a jolt of that good ol' four-color energy from back in the day, need look no further than this fine volume.
Rosetta 2: A Comics Anthology Paul Pope, Craig Thompson, Jason Lutes, R. Sikoryak and more ... $14.95
($19.95 list)
Rosetta02
Read more and comment... 		For readers of McSweeney's 13 looking to cast a wider net, this great 264-page anthology (with 48 pages in full color) might be the ticket.  There are some exceptional new works premiering here, including a beautifully rendered mythological fable by Craig Thompson; a very interesting (think early Spiegelman) Matt Madden that is quite probably his most challenging work to date; a Jason Lutes piece that is his first non-Berlin work in quite awhile (and it's quite good); R. Sikoryak's take on the funny pages (which is very, very funny); two short pieces by Paul Pope; a nifty Jason; and a truly amazing breakthrough piece from Michael Kupperman.  In addition to this, there's a great deal of work from Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.  All between covers by Peter Kuper and Megan Kelso.  Check it out!
Kramers Ergot #5 Chris Ware, Kevin Huizenga, Gabrielle Bell Buenaventura Press Kramers Ergot $29.75
($34.95 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
Ke5_cover
Read more and comment... 		Well, it's here.  And what is the verdict?  Success!  KE5 is, in every way, a suitable successor to KE4.  We feel quite confident in stating that everyone who enjoyed and/or appreciated KE4 will get at least as much out of KE5.  Not only that, we'll go a step further and proclaim that many of those readers who were intrigued by KE4, but found it a bit "too out there" for their tastes, have an excellent chance of finding that KE5 -- with its addition of stand-out work by Gabrielle Bell, Kevin Huizenga, Chris Ware, and Dan Zettwoch -- has much to offer them, and represents a broader spectrum of comics than its predecessor.  In addition, any fans of autobiographical comics may find that they have finally met their match in David Heatley's massive/micro magnum opus.
The Comics Journal Library -- Volume 4: Drawing the Line Jules Feiffer, David Levine, Ralph Steadman. Fantagraphics The Comics Journal Library $17.95
($22.95 list)

Read more and comment... 		This LP sized (12" x 12") edition is composed of profusely illustrated interviews with four masters of fine line cartooning: Jules Feiffer, David Levine, Edward Sorel and Ralph Steadman.
Blood Orange #3 Jeffrey Brown, Anders Nilsen, Ben Jones Fantagraphics $5.00
($5.95 list)

Read more and comment... 		The highlight of this, the latest installment of Fantagraphics' quarterly anthology title featuring far out and fabulous comics by some of the best of the current crop of adventurous cartoonists, is an eleven page romp by Jeffrey Brown that is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit with anyone who enjoys his work.  Also worthy of note is "The Mediocrity Principle," a six page story by Anders Nilsen that is of a piece with his contribution to Kramers Ergot 5 (see below).   Other contributors to this issue are:  Pakito Bolino, Ben Jones, Favio Zimbres , Alex Baladi, Caroline, Surym Renee Frenchm Olaf Ladousse, Nicolas Mahler , Scott Teplin and Ulf K.
Scheherazade: Comics About Love, Treachery, Mothers and Monsters Megan Kelso $16.95
($19.95 list)
Sheherezade
Read more and comment... 		Better late -- and slightly flawed -- than never; that's what we say about this new 224 page anthology of contemporary comics by women from Soft Skull Press.  As a result of an imaging software mix-up, the half-tones on several of the stories do not appear as they were intended, and while, yes, this does impact the æsthetic experience of the affected pieces, you can still enjoy and appreciate them; and please bear in mind that this problem affected only a minority -- less than a third -- of the pieces presented here.  OK, now that we have that out of the way, let's just say that Scheherazade is the best all X chromosome anthology that's come our way in quite awhile, and not one that you should pass by.  To the best of our knowledge none of the stories here have been seen before, making for a rare opportunity to really take a good long look at a solid batch of new work.  Here's who you'll cross paths with if you venture forth: Andrice Arp, Gabrielle Bell, Ariel Bordeaux, Shary Boyle, Isabel Carvalho, Robyn Chapman, Allison Cole, Leela Corman, Eleanor Davis, Vanessa Davis, Jennifer DayDreamer, Ellen Forney, Garbrielle Gamboa, Megan Kelso, Ellen Lindner, Amy Lockhart, J. Manix, Nikki McClure (cover),Sophie McMillan, Lark Pien, Ariel Schrag, Kelly Seda, Sara Varon, and Lauren Weinstein.