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History & Biography

It has been discovered that the medium of comics is particularly well suited to quickly and directly convey the particulars of time, place and person that would -- in standard prose works -- require page upon of text that would nevertheless fall short of the immediacy of a well-rendered image. With a few notable exceptions, we will not be including autobiographical comics here, as they are, generally speaking, a genre unto themselves.


Title Creator Publisher Series Price
Jack Magic: The Life and Art of Jack Kirby - Volume Two Greg Theakston, Jack Kirby Pure Imagination $23.75
($25.00 list)
Jacma2
Read more and comment... 		Kirby confidante – and inker! – Greg Theakston, who is well known to readers of these pages as the power behind Pure Imagination publishing, has finally completed the first part in his long awaited recollection, reflection and appreciation of, and on, the life and work of the one and only Jack Kirby, King of Comics.  This book is printed in the typical Pure Imagination format:  160, 8 1/2" x 11", B & W pages; softcover.  It is liberally illustrated with Kirby comics – and cartoon – art that includes some early rarities.  It also includes a selection of photos that featuring Kirby family portraits and snapshots as well as shots of him at the drawing table, hanging with pals and in the army.  There are plenty of Kirby books already out there, and sure to be plenty to come, but only a few of them can be written by someone who has spent as much time with him as Theakston has, so we are hopeful that unique stories and insights will unfold within these pages.
Government Issue Comics Richard L Graham, Will Eisner, Milton Caniff, Al Capp and more ... Abrams ComicArts $17.77
($29.99 list)
Govissuecomics
Read more and comment... 		edited, compiled and annotated by Richard L Graham    Government Issue Comics provides readers with a 300 page overview of over sixty years of government sponsored comics.  The numerous and various branches of the US government managed, unsurprisingly, to recruit some of the top comics talent of its time, and in these pages you will find work by Will Eisner, Milton Caniff, Al Capp, Joe Kubert and Kurt Schaffenberger – and Charles Schulz, Walt Kelly, Chic Young and George McManus (and Al Wiseman!), along with a host of anonymous unknowns, all working on behalf of educating their fellow citizens on a (very) wide array of issues.  Richard Graham, an associate professor and media services librarian at the University of Nebraska has put together a broad survey of this massive but under-appreciated aspect of comics history.  It is organized into four categories:  military; economics and employment; civil defense, safety and health; and landscapes and lifestyles.  Each of these sections begins with an introductory essay by Graham that puts the comics in context.  Readers with Q-Code readers will, in theory, be able to access a large online archive of these comics by scanning the digital access code at the end of the book (or, go here and download PDF files of some of the complete comics and start reading now; just scroll down...).   Yes, history can be fun!  And now for less, as it is now on sale!
The Next Day Paul Peterson, Jason Gilmore, John Porcellino pop sandbox $15.00
($16.95 list)
Thenextdayporcellino
Read more and comment... 		"Constructed from intimate interviews with survivors of near-fatal suicide attempts," The Next Day takes us into the minds of four individuals who attempted suicide and lived to tell the tale, and asks the question, "What if they had waited just one more day?"  Certainly, the decision of the authors to bring in John Porcellino to illustrate this work was the single most important one they made, as only Porcellino's minimal, understated line could work here; anyone else's work would have risked pushing the material into the maudlin realm.  Obviously, this is not a book for everyone, but it's good that it's now out there for anyone.  Delve deeper into this book by reading The Comics Journal review.
Feynman Hilary Sycamore, Leland Myrick, Jim Ottaviani (:01) First Second $26.95
($29.95 list)
Feynman
Read more and comment... 		Long the foremost popularizer of science in comics, Jim Ottaviani has here teamed up with the artist illustrator Leland Myrick – who is probably best known for his graphic novel, Missouri Boy, also published by First Second – and colorist Hilary Sycamore to present the story of the life and work of the Nobel-Prize winning physicist, Richard P. Feynman, in this 162 page full color, hardcover graphic biography. Read this review in The Washington Post to learn more and for a brief preview.
Lewis & Clark Nick Bertozzi (:01) First Second $15.25
($16.99 list)
Lewisclark
Read more and comment... 		While his name is not one bandied about much in comics crit circles, Mr. Bertozzi has been quietly amassing a solid body of work. The Salon was a favorite here at Copacetic and his work on the  young adult biography of Harry Houdini amply demonstrated those strengths at accurately rendering period details which are called upon in to an even greater degree here in Lewis & Clark.  A tale both of man against man (and woman) and man against nature that is filled with scenes of European eyes' discovery of uncharted wilderness, confrontations with wild animals, intercultural challenges and much more, Lewis & Clark is both a history lesson and a graphic adventure.  Publisher First Second (:01) has wisely granted a larger canvas for this work and we are treated to 136 full size 8 1/2" x 11" pages filled with fabulous Bertozzi brushwork.
Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth Dean Mullaney, Bruce Canwell, Alex Toth IDW Library of American Comics $49.95
($49.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth is the first of a three-book set (!!!) that is quite likely to be the definitive statement on one of the most talented and influential artists in the history of comics.  Produced by the Eisner Award-winning team of Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell — who produced the amazing Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles — Genius, Isolated is a massive tome packed with both classics and rarities that will have true believers poring over every page.  The scrupulously well-reproduced work is interwoven with what promises to be the first in-depth biography of this unparalleled comics master. Of critical importance is the fact that this book has been written as well as compiled with complete access to the family archives, and with the full cooperation of Toth's children.  Prepare to be wowed! (temporarily out of print - we're almost out!)
Onwards Towards Our Noble Deaths Shigeru Mizuki Drawn and Quarterly $17.77
($24.95 list)
Onwardtowardsournobledeaths
Read more and comment... 		OK, here with their publication of this noted, historically significant work, D&Q has provided an introduction and notes by the pre-eminent American manga scholar, Frederik Schodt, as well as an afterword by and Q & A with Mizuki himself, that goes a long way to answering our complaints regarding the previously listed work (and, it must be said, quite a few other recent D&Q archival manga publications).  So, kudos to D&Q this time around.  Originally published in 1973, when Mizuki was 51 years old, Onwards to Our Noble Deaths is a fictionalized memoir of his own military service that is an artistically masterful, highly engaging and historically important work by one of Japan's most celebrated mangaka that was awarded the Heritage Essential award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.  Be sure to check out this PDF preview and see for yourself whether or not you think you're interested in further exploring this 372 page tome.  Now at special price.
"21": The Story of Roberto Clemente Wilfred Santiago Fantagraphics $20.00
($22.99 list)
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Read more and comment... 		The legendary Pittsburgh Pirate herein receives a respectful, full-length comics biography from the pen of fellow Puerto Rican, Wilfred Santiago (a personal in-store appearance by whom will be hosted here in Pittsburgh, on Saturday, May 21, 2011 by our pals at Phantom of the Attic, on Craig Street in Oakland; call 412-621-1210 for details).  Clemente was one of the all time baseball greats – perhaps the greatest Pirate after Honus Wagner – and was the first Latino to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but, as this work amply demonstrates, Clemente was more than just a baseball player.  He was a man with a big heart, who understood well Spider-Man's dictum that responsibility is a necessary accompaniment to power, fame and wealth, and thus his life story is an instructive tonic for our times, so pervaded as they are by selfishness and greed.  Santiago's work here rises to the occasion and, perhaps motivated by Clemente's example, reaches a clear career high.  Get an idea of what we're talking about with this PDF preview.
Denys Wortman's New York: Portrait of the City in the 1930s and 1940s Denys Wortman, James Sturm, Brandon Elston Drawn and Quarterly $27.50
($29.95 list)
Dwnyc
Read more and comment... 		And, while we're on the topic of pencil-rendered realities, it  would be a gross injustice not to bring this amazing volume to your attention.  Editors James Sturm and Brandon Elston haven't messed around, but have simply cut to the chase and delivered the goods.  What we have here is over 250 simply beautiful cartoons depicting life in NYC over two full decades.  This book is a real "Wow!"  It is indeed a true "portrait of the city":  a crystal clear picture window which provides neglected and forgotten views that will reinvigorate our understanding of the times it depicts and the lives of those who lived through them.  A perfect book to remind us about real people and an excellent antidote to the dehumanizing electronic entertainments that seem to have us hemmed in on all sides in the present moment.  Denys Wortman's New York provides us with an escape hatch.  It couldn't have come at a better time.
You'll Never Know, Book Two: Collateral Damage Carol Tyler Fantagraphics $20.00
($24.99 list)
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Read more and comment... 		This is a comics work that leverages all the strengths of the form to push the boundaries of intimacy within the medium.  In You'll Never Know, Carol Tyler invites us into her home and into her heart and takes us on a guided tour of her family history that spans three generations and is grounded in the trauma that was the Second World War, as it was experienced by one one American who fought there, and the "collateral damage" that it subsequently brought home to his loved ones.  There is a lot going on here on many levels, and Tyler's mastery of the form is what makes it possible. You'll want to take your time and savor every page of this deeply moving work that is simultaneously a formal tour de force.   You'll Never Know is by turns self-effacing and stoic, and self-embracing and full of emotional resonoance.  It is an achievement that embodies the best traditions of the American midwest, ingenuity and empathy not least among them. 
Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater Frederik Schodt, Eric Nash Abrams ComicArts $29.75
($35.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		<<•>>  introduction by Frederik L. Schodt Paralleling the rise of comic strips in the US, Kamishibai – paper theater – originated during the early 1930s in Japan, and experienced its heyday during the subsequent 20 years.  At its height, during the post war years, it entertained over five million children and adults daily!  This lushly printed and designed hardcover volume presents over 300 pages of full color illustrations covering the entire history of the medium from its inception through its glory days to its inevitable decline and current status as a classical form still employed in educational settings.  Manga Kamishibai opens a window on a forgotten world.
The Art of Jaime Hernandez: The Secrets of Life and Death Alison Bechdel, Jaime Hernandez, Todd Hignite Abrams ComicArts $35.00
($40.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		<<•>>  introduction by Alison Bechdel  <<•>>  YES!  It's here: a dream come true.  Designed by Jordan Crane, and perfectly printed on high quality flat white stock, every page of this oversize hardcover book is a wonder.  Where to start with a book like this?  Well, first off, there are the page after flawless page of full color reproductions of Jaime's black and white (and color) original artwork – including many pieces of unpublished art, several of which are real eye-openers!  Then there is the uncovered cache of rare ephemera like punk rock fliers, early L & R ads, and local and national magazine covers.  Also unearthed are drawings from Jaime's childhood years, including those that cover Jaime's Oxnard High School Pee-Chee folder, amongst which is one of the first ever depictions of Maggie!   Best of all, there is a veritable family scrap book worth of photos documenting the Hernandez clan's development from its earliest days (Jaime in diapers!) on up through the halcyon days of punk rock splendor and beyond that will have long time Love and Rockets fans dewy eyed more than once.  AND, this book isn't just about the art, it's also about the man behind the art.  It's full of choice quotes from Jaime and others in his circle, all of which go a long way towards shedding light on the particular nature of his genius.  Our favorite so far is this gem of Jaime's, in response to the suggestion that he build on his popularity to step into the mainstream:  "That's not the next step.  Love and Rockets is the last step.  I 'made it' when we did the first issue.  Everything else  – The New York Times, even making a movie – is lesser than Love and Rockets, as far as I'm concerned, and everyone else should treat their work that way.  If it's your own work, it should be treated as the last thing, not the first thing."  Amen to that.  Written and curated by Comic Art Magazine founding editor, Todd Hignite, this massive hardcover volume builds on and extends Comic Art's tradition of high standards in writing, graphic design and production.  Hignite's introduction, craftily employing Jaime's New York Times serial "La Maggie la Loca" as both its jumping off point and visual foil, is a model of concise clear prose in the service of promoting an ideal.  The body of the book constructs a well rounded portrait of the artist that will stand the test of time.  We'd say more, but we're all too busy poring over the pages and dabbing our eyes...
Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean Sarah Stewart Taylor, Ben Towle Hyperion $15.95
($17.99 list)
Ameliaccs
Read more and comment... 		The fourth volume in the acclaimed series of comics biographies for younger readers produced under the auspices of The Center for Cartoon Studies, provides its first female subject, and we have to applaud their choice.  Who better embodies the rugged individualism, the bold daring, and the fantasy of flight that we associate with comics books than Amelia Earhart?  This Broad Ocean focuses on Earhart's successful 1928 crossing of The Atlantic Ocean, and young readers have a surrogate in the character of Grace, a sort of self-appointed cub reporter for the small, coastal Newfoundland village of Trepassey, from whence Earhart departed on her history-making (herstory-making?) trans-Atlantic solo-flight, and that is the setting for much of the story.  Anyone looking to provide some inspiration and encouragement to a young reader should consider this volume, along with all the rest in the series.
King: The Special Edition Ho Che Anderson Fantagraphics $19.99
($34.99 list)
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Read more and comment... 		¡SPECIAL!  Now on sale for over 40% off!  Here it is at last, the complete work, how it was meant to be read.  This 312 page oversize hardcover volume contains the entirety of Anderson's comics biography of King.  A 10-year-long project, Anderson's goal was to deliver a portrait of MLK that is one of a complex, multi-layered, flesh and blood human being, a task for which comics are ideally suited.  Employing a host of styles, techniques, devices and processes, Anderson has striven to match the method to the mood and the moment, and thereby enhance the reader's engagement with the material and so heighten its emotional impact, which is, unsurprisingly given who this book is about, quite intense at times.  There is much more on offer in this biography than simply technical expertise, however.  It is a truism that every biographer finds himself (or herself) in his subject, and this is clearly the case here.  King is a very personal take on MLK, one that focuses on those earthier characteristics that are often given short shrift in the plentiful King hagiographies that stock the shelves.  It is exceptionally strong in its focus on King's personal life – his marriage and his friendships – and it does not shy away from confronting his extramarital affairs.  The might, the majesty and the miracle that is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are, of course, all here, but so is the man.  So, while King is a graphic tour de force, it is also a demonstration of how we internalize larger than life figures and they become a lens through which we see ourselves.  Most of all, King provides readers with an excellent opportunity to revisit and reflect upon the life of one of the most important figures in American history.  This edition includes 64 pages of bonus materials including breakdowns, layouts, cover sketches, typescripts, and a personal essay that revisits and reflects the years of the work's creation, as well as the entirety of his comic book prelude to King, Black Dogs.  Taken together, this material provides an exceptionally well-rounded look at the creative process and the personal growth that it both partakes in and contributes to – clearly making this the definitive edition of this heartfelt work.  AND, as we are always all about encouraging people to learn more about Martin Luther King, and we view this book as a great opportunity for those among our customers who enjoy challenging and ambitious comics work, and who could also stand to brush up on their civil rights era history, to simultaneously get both benefits in a single work, we are offering King at a special promotional (and Amazon-Beating) price of a whopping more than 40% OFF to encourage fence-sitters to take the plunge.  Please take note that this is a promotional price that will last only until those copies we have alotted to it are sold, then it's back to the standard Copacetic discount.
The Fixer (softcover) Joe Sacco Drawn and Quarterly $11.95
($19.95 list)
Fixersc
Read more and comment... 		For those of you who either missed this the first time around, were waiting for the lower priced softcover, or who just got turned onto Sacco by reading his just released masterwork, Footnotes in Gaza, here's your chance to get yer mitts on this close focus look at the disintegration of former Yugoslavia during the 1990s, from the point of view of post-war Bosnia.   To learn more about this work, we recommend that you read this excellent in-depth review by Michel Faber for The UK Guardian.
Footnotes in Gaza Joe Sacco Henry Holt $26.95
($29.95 list)
Footnotesingaza
Read more and comment... 		With this new work – over six years in the making – Joe Sacco returns to the people and the land that launched him to the forefront of comics journalism – a position which he has held ever since.  Few indeed are the number of people who can lay claim to being the top in their field for as long as Sacco has his, and with Footnotes in Gaza, he extends his lead even further, to the point where his position as being the single most important founder of the field/genre/school of comics journalism is now well nigh unassailable.  Footnotes in Gaza is the major work of a mature master, fully confident of his abilities and coolly in control of his talents.  Taking a page from the Art Spiegelman playbook and extending it to address his own concerns, Sacco deftly weaves a detailed account of his own personal quest – in the here and now (or at least what was the here and now at the time, 2003, when he carried out his research) – to unearth the details of two specific historical events that took place in Gaza in November of 1956, by interviewing every possible living participant, with his own depiction of the interviewees' recollections.  These events are, as the title baldly states, considered mere footnotes to the wide world outside of Gaza, but to the people who lived through them, they are traumas undimmed by the passage of half a century.  If ever the devil was in the details, it is here, and the details that are dredged up by Sacco's research into this historical "footnote" are certain to engender strong opinions on both sides of the horrific divide that is addressed by the central events of this tale.  To readers not directly involved in these events, however, there is the chance to delve into both how the past is ever present and, crucially, how the present can be and is projected into the past.  In addition, readers are offered the opportunity to contemplate how "seeing" an event recapitulated in visual images differs in both kind and degree from merely reading a description of the same event.  These, and other, interactions of the past and present, brought to light through reportorial diligence and mediated here by both art and memory, form the core of this fascinating and powerful work.
The Comics Journal #300 Kevin Huizenga, Art Spiegelman, Howrad Chaykin, Ho Che Anderson and more ... Fantagraphics The Comics Journal $12.75
($14.99 list)
Tcj300
Read more and comment... 		This is, reportedly, the last issue of the Journal in it's current format.  After this it will become a hybrid publication:  updated daily online with the news, reviews, and opinion pieces that have been Journal mainstays for many a decade now, and then, a semi-annually published deluxe book-like edition that sounds like it's taking its cue – at least somewhat – from Comic Art Magazine.  That said, this format is going out with a real BANG!  Its 286 pages are packed with some of the greatest comics conversations you are likely to find under one cover anywhere!  Check it out:  The ball starts rolling with a whopping 32-page exchange between none other than Art Spiegelman and Kevin Huizenga – this one alone is worth the price of admission; this is then folowed in due course by conversations between Jean-Christophe Menu and Sammy Harkham; Frank Quitely and Dave Gibbons; David Mazzucchelli and Dash Shaw; Alison Bechdel and Danica Novgorodoff; Howard Chaykin and Ho Che Anderson; Denny O'Neil and Matt Fraction; Jaime Hernandez and Zak Sally (!); Ted Rall and Matt Bors; Jim Borgman and Keith Knight; and Stan Sakai and Chris Schweizer... whew!  So what are you waiting for?  You know you can't pass this one up!
Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth Annie Di Donna, Alecos Papadatos, Christos Papadimitriou, Apostolos Doxiadis and more ... Bloomsbury $20.00
($22.95 list)
Logicomix
Read more and comment... 		Here is the ideal gift for any and every comics reader of the math and/or logic persuasion, as well as those intrigued by the developments in these fields that led to Alan Turing's breakthroughs that made computers possible and so indirectly gave birth to the information age amidst which we currently find ourselves.  This engaging and highly readable graphic account the history of mathematics and logic during the first half of the twentieth century is recommended for anyone looking for a solid read.  Employing the dramatic device of linking all the historical events to the life of the philosopher/mathematician, Bertrand Russell, and bracketing the story with a self-referential account of its creation in the present, the authors have managed the difficult feat of simultaneously educating and entertaining the reader in equal measure.  Needless to say (but, as all of you reading this well know, that has never stopped us before and we see no reason to let it start stopping us here) this book is packed with potential to be the perfect holiday gift for any mathematically inclined comics reader.  Learn plenty more about it at:  http://www.logicomix.com
A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge Josh Neufeld Pantheon $22.22
($24.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Three years in the making, here is what is highly likely to be the definitive comics documentary of the great New Orleans flood of 2005.  Heavily researched, it combines intimate human portraits with important details to create a close up and personal account.
Barefoot Gen 8: Merchants of Death Keiji Nakazawa Last Gasp Barefoot Gen $13.50
($14.95 list)
Barge8
Read more and comment... 		This amazing 10-volume saga nears its conclusion with this volume that, interestingly, deals, in part, with Gen's efforts to publish an eyewitness account of the bombing.  Clearly, the impetus to give voice to this story, which in turn led to the creation of this landmark work, was there from the very beginning.  Indeed, the original comic book publication of this tale in the United States (in the early 1970s – making it, we believe, the first US manga publication) was titled, "I Saw It!"  A title that conveys a sense of urgency that belies the twenty plus years it took to get the story out.  Anyone who has yet to read the first volume of this series, is hereby given a push to do so... today!
Barefoot Gen 7: Bones Into Dust Keiji Nakazawa Last Gasp Barefoot Gen $13.50
($14.95 list)
Barge7
Read more and comment... 		This amazing 10-volume saga nears its conclusion with this volume that, interestingly, deals, in part, with Gen's efforts to publish an eyewitness account of the bombing.  Clearly, the impetus to give voice to this story, which in turn led to the creation of this landmark work, was there from the very beginning.  Indeed, the original comic book publication of this tale in the United States (in the early 1970s – making it, we believe, the first US manga publication) was titled, "I Saw It!"  A title that conveys a sense of urgency that belies the twenty plus years it took to get the story out.  Anyone who has yet to read the first volume of this series, is hereby given a push to do so... today!
Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon History of Hiroshima Keiji Nakazawa Last Gasp Barefoot Gen $12.75
($14.95 list)
Barge1-1
Read more and comment... 		This is it, one of the most important comics works of all time, the complete ten-volume saga will now be presented in English for the first time, courtesy of Project Gen and Last Gasp.  Barefoot Gen chronicles one family’s experience living in Hiroshima before, during and after WWII.  This opening volume provides an emotionally moving chronicle of this family’s hardships during wartime -- hardships that were more severe than most due to the family's pacifism and anti-war stance.  This book, however, will always be remembered most for its absolutely searing first-person account of experiencing the first atomic bombing.  There is no other account in any medium that matches the power of Nakazawa’s.  The experience of reading this book will be permanently imprinted in the memory of anyone who reads it; it is an unforgettable experience. Produced in the 1970s, Barefoot Gen precedes Art Spiegelman’s Maus by a decade, and in fact -- as Spiegelman’s introduction attests -- was both a catalyst for and a profound influence on that Pulitzer Prize winning work.  Barefoot Gen almost single-handedly established the genre of comics-as-dramatic-history that has gone on to produce other great works in addition to Maus, such as the works of Joe Sacco (Palestine, Safe Area Gorazde) and Persepolis, among many others. 
Famous Players: The Mysterious Death of William Desmond Taylor Rick Geary NBM Treasury of XXth Century Murder $14.44
($15.95 list)
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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 Impostor's Daughter Laurie Sandell Little, Brown $22.22
($24.99 list)
Impostersdaughter
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."
Life, In Pictures Will Eisner Norton $27.50
($29.95 list)
Lifeinpictures
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.
You'll Never Know Carol Tyler Fantagraphics $19.99
($24.95 list)
Youllneverknow
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.
Che: A Graphic Biography Spain Rodriguez Verso $7.77
($16.95 list)
Chespain
Read more and comment... 		Ernesto "Che" Guevara's life and times are concisely communicated in exactly 100 pages of comics written and drawn by the man born for the job, Spain Rodriguez.  One of the founding members of the original Underground Comix generation that helped define the 1960s, Spain (the single name by which he is commonly known and referred to in the comics world, but not, alas, in the wider world, for then we could have had a book that was titled, simply, an more appropriately, "Che by Spain") is someone who is sure to have been conversant with Che's iconic and political status during those heady days when his life and work was still in the air and so have had ample time during the ensuing forty-some years since his death to ruminate upon Che's significance as well as digest the morass of historical data and coordinate the diverse opinions into a single, solid over-arching narrative; this he has done.  In yet another example of the communicative efficiency of comics, this work, which can be successfully absorbed after dinner, imparts the saga of an era that will leave its readers more worldly and skeptical.  It must be said that most of the negative aspects that have been imputed to Che's character have been ignored and that some (i.e. conservative) critics will doubtless view this portrayal as a "whitewash."  Regardless of any and all opinions on the pros and cons of Che the man, we're confident in our positive appraisal of "Che" by Spain as making for an absorbing read. NOW ON SALE!
Maus (two-volume slip cased edition ) Art Spiegelman Pantheon $25.00
($28.95 list)
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Read more and comment...
Kaspar Diane Obomsawin Drawn and Quarterly $11.75
($12.95 list)
Kaspar
Read more and comment... 		A nutty, minimalist comics retelling of the key points in the life of the legendary Kaspar Hauser that "draws on Hauser's own writings and contemporary accounts." Take a look and see what you make of it.
The Beats: A Graphic History Harvey Pekar , Ed Piskor Henry Holt $20.00
($22.00 list)
The beats
Read more and comment... 		by Harvey Pekar & Ed Piskor with Paul Beuhle, Trina Robbins, Peter Kuper, Mary Fleener, Summer McClinton, et al The dynamic duo of historical comics, Harvey Pekar and Ed Piskor, are back with The Beats: A Graphic History.   Yes, of course, the unholy trinity of Kerouac, Burroughs and Ginsberg are here, front and center, but this anthological history of the beats ranges far and wide to include the likes of Michael McClure, Robert Duncan, LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, Charles Olsen, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane di Prima, and many others.  While the focus is on the 1950s we are taken back to the early days of the principal actors and up to the present with the reverberations of their work, actions and lives.  It's hard to overstate the impact that these figures had on American culture.  They were the prime movers in consciously breaking out of the conformity that the pressures of the Great Depression and the Second World War placed on Americans, of valuing the rights of the individual over the security of the nation, of the personal over the (re)public, and so inititated the frontline of the biggest battle of the culture wars that continue to rage to this day.  Anyone interested in getting an easily assimilable introduction to the major players in this important cultural movement need look no further.  The authors neglected to provide any sort of bibliography to help readers move on to the literature itself, so we'll help out by hooking you up with The Beat Page, the best spot on the web from which to start  delving into this movement.