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standard pamphlet comic book

Yes, it's the good ol' comic book.


Title Creator Publisher Series Price
Tales Designed to Thrizzle #7 Michael Kupperman Fantagraphics Tales Designed to Thrizzle $4.50
($4.95 list)
Thrizzle7
Read more and comment... 		It's nutty, it's goofy, it's thrizzly, it's in color, it has fumetti(!), and it's here!
Retrofit Comics #3: Bowman Pat Auliso Retrofit Comics Retrofit Comics $4.00
($5.00 list)
Retro3
Read more and comment... 		Philadelphia's Box Brown is on a mission to save the monthly 32-page comic book from extinction, and so has launched Retrofit Comics to do precisely that.  We just want to let customers know that Copacetic has signed up and will be stocking all issues as they are published, and the first three are now on the stands, here at Copacetic and around the world!  Believe it or not, there are books already scheduled clear through January of 2013, so there's plenty more to look forward to.  This one's the trippy one, so be prepared...
Retrofit Comics #2: Drag Bandits Colleen Frakes, Betsy Swardlick Retrofit Comics Retrofit Comics $4.00
($5.00 list)
Retro2
Read more and comment... 		Philadelphia's Box Brown is on a mission to save the monthly 32-page comic book from extinction, and so has launched Retrofit Comics to do precisely that.  We just want to let customers know that Copacetic has signed up and will be stocking all issues as they are published, and the first three are now on the stands, here at Copacetic and around the world!  Believe it or not, there are books already scheduled clear through January of 2013, so there's plenty more to look forward to.  Check out this sophomore effort. #3) Bowman by Pat Auliso  
Retrofit Comics #1: Fungus James Kochalka Retrofit Comics Retrofit Comics $4.00
($5.00 list)
Retro1
Read more and comment... 		Philadelphia's Box Brown is on a mission to save the monthly 32-page comic book from extinction, and so has launched Retrofit Comics to do precisely that.  We just want to let customers know that Copacetic has signed up and will be stocking all issues as they are published, and the first three are now on the stands, here at Copacetic and around the world!  Believe it or not, there are books already scheduled clear through January of 2013, so there's plenty more to look forward to. It all starts here.
Berlin #16 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly Berlin $3.50
($3.95 list)

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Berlin #15 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly Berlin $3.50
($3.95 list)

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Berlin #10 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly Berlin $3.50
($3.50 list)

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Berlin #9 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly Berlin $3.50
($3.50 list)

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Berlin #7 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly Berlin $3.50
($2.95 list)

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Berlin #6 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly Berlin $3.50
($2.95 list)

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Berlin #5 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly Berlin $3.50
($2.95 list)

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Berlin #3 Jason Lutes Black Eye Berlin $3.50
($2.50 list)

Read more and comment... 		Original Black Eye Press edition!
Berlin #1 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly Berlin $2.95
($2.95 list)

Read more and comment... 		It all starts here.  24 pages of history and angst in pen & ink printed in black & white.
Pope Hats #2 Ethan Rilly AdHouse Books Pope Hats $6.25
($6.95 list)
Popehats2
Read more and comment... 		We at Copacetic do indeed generally embrace the old adage that "you can't rush quality."  Following at least two years after the first issue, Ethan Rilly certainly can't be accused of rushing to get this second issue of his series onto store racks , but it's so good we sort of wish – against our better judgement – that he'd, if not rush exactly, perhaps then devote a little more time to it, so we won't have to wait three years for the next issue.  It's no coincidence that we've listed Pope Hats immediately below Optic Nerve.  Rilly's strong delineation of character and setting puts us in mind of Tomine, and, certainly, puts him in the lineage that begins with the Hernandez brothers, and flows through Clowes.  One thing that links all these creators is that they are highly skilled artists who produce organically rich characters that the reader trusts and believes in; and this takes time.  BACK IN STOCK!
Optic Nerve #12 Adrian Tomine Drawn and Quarterly Optic Nerve $5.95
($5.95 list)
Opticnerve12
Read more and comment... 		The first half of this issue, consisting of "A Brief History of the Art Form Known as 'Hortisculpture'", shows Mr. Tomine following in the footsteps of his mentor and role model, one Daniel Clowes, in playfully and inventively incorporating the newspaper comic strip format in to that of the comic book.  Tomine has taken the formal replication a bit further, however.  Here we have a story artfully divided into four-panel, black and white "dailies" and full-color, full-page "Sundays."  Titled "Hortisculpture," the strip "runs" one Sunday strip shy of five full "weeks." The second story, Amber Sweet, is classic Tomine, but... in full color!  The issue closes out with two pages of meta-comics, with Tomine ironically inserting himself into the work to provide behind-the-scenes commentary on its creation, his attachment to the "floppy" form of comics (aka comic books), and his feelings of hope, pride, frustration and despair about the very comic you're holding in your hands. 
Papercutter #16 Greg Means, Liz Prince, Joey Alison Sayers, Alexis Frederick-Frost and more ... Tugboat Press Papercutter $3.50
($4.00 list)
Pc16
Read more and comment... 		This issue leads off with "Professor Pearson," by Joey Alison Sayers:  an epic of despair in the form of a 20-page comics story about a junior high school teacher who loses his mind (did we neglect to mention that it is, as with all work by Sayers, quite funny?)  Also on hand are a two-page by Liz Prince, "Endless Lizcation," and "A Good Catch," a ten-pager depicting a slice of life that is red in tooth and claw by Alexis Frederick-Frost.  Papercutter delivers yet again.
The New Ghost Robert Hunter NoBrow $11.00
($11.00 list)
Newghostbig
Read more and comment... 		And here's another fine NoBrow publication.  Mr. Hunter shares with fellow NoBrow creator, Jon McNaught, a great respect for, strong understanding of, and an exceptionally deft hand working with the comics page as a creative unit in and on which to express temporal and spatial relationships that are both informative and aesthetically pleasing.  The New Ghost is a welcome addition to this shared perspective.  Get an idea of what we're talking about at NoBrow's own preview page for this fine new 24 page deluxe pamphlet comic book.
Dark Tomato #1 Sakura Maku Domino Books Dark Tomato $5.00
($5.00 list)
Darktombig
Read more and comment... 		Twenty pages of trippy evocations of New York City life – specifically riding on the subway and dealing with the MTA – by a long time comics maker that we're going to go out on a limb and guess that most people reading this have never heard of (although we have had a handful of her self-published works on sale here at Copacetic, as a part of one or more of our SPX hauls).  Sakura brings an adventurous artistic spirit to comics in Dark Tomato, and we recommend it to any and all adventurous readers.  A publication of the newly founded Domino Books, the paper, production and printing (in Estonia!) impeccable, but, with the exception of the cover, is in black and white.  The interior artwork appears as though it were reproduced from color originals, and while it is possible that this is not the case and the work was produced using only grey tones, because of the expressiveness of the visuals there is a feeling of, "if only this were in color" attached to the reading experience.  Don't let this stop you, however; it's "colorful" even in black and white.  And, finally, we can't help but note that there is no actual creator credit anywhere – that we could find – in this book.  While every page is signed "SM10," it is only by reading through the back cover blurbs that the presumed creator of the work can be identified.  Perhaps this is intentional on the artist's part; she does cite "the artist formerly known and now also known as Prince" among her inspirations, after all.
Lose #3 Michael DeForge Koyama Press Lose $4.50
($5.00 list)
Lose3
Read more and comment... 		OK, we'll admit it – you've been set up.  Yes, we've been none-too-subtly leading you to this very listing.  May is, evidently, the month of Michael DeForge.  Lose #1 and #2 are now both out of print, so grab this daring depiction of dog days and derangement while you still can, and check out one of the more talented and challenging comics creators still willing to work in the original, serially produced, comics pamphlet form.
Hate Annual #9 Peter Bagge Fantagraphics Hate $4.50
($4.99 list)
Hateannual9
Read more and comment... 		Join Buddy, Lisa and the gang for their first (and best) full length feature in quite awhile.  At last, Lisa's teen years are revealed, as the Bradley clan takes a trip back to Seattle (and back in time) to her ancestral home on a visit to her aged parents – the first time for Buddy.  Secrets galore are revealed in this naked portrait of family dysfunction delivered as only P. Bagge can. 
City-Hunter Magazine #1 C.F. PictureBox $7.25
($8.00 list)
Cityhuntermagazine1
Read more and comment... 		Providence-based artist, C.F.'s latest zine is a fusion of comics, painting, photography, abstract imagery, prose and "advertisements."  These disparate elements are loosely connected by the exploration of urban tropes from genre fiction.  The protagonist of sorts, Main Dice, interacts with these environments and their inhabitants, but is only shown from a distance, adding further prominence and mystique to these settings.  Coming in at 28 pages (8 in full color) plus covers, City-Hunter is the most complete encapsulation of C.F.'s aesthetic sensibility to date and an engaging treatment of the zine format.
Uptight #4 Jordan Crane Fantagraphics Uptight $3.55
($3.95 list)
Uptight4
Read more and comment... 		36 pages (that's 50% more than previous issues) of hi-octane comics from the renowned graphic arts triple-threat (comics, prints & design) all-star, Jordan Crane!  This issue picks up where the last left off:  the cover and both stories pick right up where the last issue left off.  The relationship blues are sung in "Trash Night," the second chapter of the yet-to-be-titled major narrative, in which the animal impulses always lurking in human nature are released through a combination of stresses and poor self control; while in "Dark Days," we have the continuation of last issue's "Freeze Out," in which readers are taken on another journey through the symbol-laden dream world of school days that was first introduced in Jordan's magnum opus, The Clouds Above. 
The Incredibly Fantastic Adventures of Maureen Dowd #1 Benjamin Marra $2.75
($3.00 list)
Maureendowdadv
Read more and comment... 		Any comics reader who is also a regular reader of Maureen Dowd's New York Times columns (which appear regularly in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and many other papers as well) is sure to have all their buttons pushed in this mash-up of the conventions of action-adventure heroic-fantasy comics and the conceits of inside-the-beltway journalism that is simultaneously a send-up of both.  A comic book for our times. 
Crickets #3 Sammy Harkham Self-published Crickets $8.00
($8.00 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
Crickets3_cover
Read more and comment... 		Finally!  A new issue of Crickets by the one and only Sammy Harkham.  Sub-titled, "Sex Morons," this issue explores relationship issues and more, all in Harkham's highly informed, finely honed and intensely personal comics.  This issue is printed biggest yet, both in length – it runs 48 pages – and in size – this time it comes to us in the 8 1/2" x 11" magazine format.  As always, this issue is jam packed, cover-to-cover, with comics!  Pittsburgh readers receive a special bonus in the form of the one-pager related to an evening spent in our fair city.  Now out of print.  Our copies are almost gone.  Limit: One copy per customer.  ALL GONE!  WE're trying to get more, but aren't overly optimistic...
Big Questions #15 Anders Nilsen Drawn and Quarterly Big Questions $7.25
($7.95 list)
Big_questions_15
Read more and comment... 		We sometimes questioned whether this day would ever arrive; but it has.  The final, concluding issue of Big Questions, Anders Nilsen's long running series, upon which the bulk of his reputation rests, is now on sale here at The Copacetic Comics Company. Are there answers?  Is there closure?  We'll let you decide...
Trigger #2 Mike Bertino Revival House Trigger $4.50
($5.00 list)
Trigger2
Read more and comment... 		The second issue of Trigger has a similar tripartate structure to that of the first, with the order slightly reversed.  This time out, the goofy romp, "Goo Pants," is the lead off with the second part of "Grown Ups" following.  The third tale is "The Biggest Banger," a science fiction fantasy tale of interstellar travel and alien civilizations, and is once again the brain twisting wild card of the bunch.
Trigger #1 Mike Bertino Revival House Trigger $4.50
($5.00 list)
Trigger1
Read more and comment... 		That there is life yet in the good ol' floppy, saddle-stitched comic book is amply testified to in the first two issues of Mike Bertino's Trigger (And, while we're at it, in the first two issues of Michael DeForge's Lose, as well [the first of which is already out of print – note to collectors: you snooze, you lose.].  So:  2 + 2 = ...something, we're just not sure what, yet.).  Bertino demonstrates solid control and surprising range in the three stories and two covers that comprise the first issue.  The first impression made by the front cover is a "let it all hang out" art-comic kind of vibe, but the first story, "Grown Ups, part one" quickly has the reader questioning their initial judgement as it is a finely nuanced slice of life tale.  The next, "Flannels Are Cool Again," is a spirited adolescent romp that could be taken to be a look at what was lost by the "grown ups" whose story preceded this.  And, then, there's "Below Us," a completely realized tale of the struggle for sanity that, while somewhat reminiscent of Sammy Harkham's work, packs quite a punch and is entirely successful on its own terms.  Get this before it's gone, we say.  Recommended!
Strange Tales II #2 Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Tony Millionaire, Jeffrey Brown and more ... Marvel Strange Tales II $4.44
($4.99 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
Stii2
Read more and comment... 		We can hardly belive our eyes:  under a picture-perfect Jaime Hernandez cover are Marvel Comics  stories by both Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez.  "Old School Rules" featuring Iron Man and the Human Torch by Beto, and "Love and the Space Phantom" by Jaime.  Feast your eyes and treasure the moment, for it may not come again.  Also on hand is more Marvel mayhem perpetuated by the likes of Tony Millionaire, Jon Vermilyea, Jeffrey Brown, Farel Dalrymple, Paul Hornschemier, Nick Bertozzi, David Heatley, Sheldon Vella and Paul Maybury.
Lose #2 Michael DeForge Koyama Press Lose $5.00
($5.00 list)
Lose2
Read more and comment... 		A sort of post-Kramers Eightball, Lose is a single-artist, standard pamphlet comic book that incorporates tropes from the work of Ivan Brunetti, Sammy Harkham, Charles Burns, Jim Woodring, Kevin Huizenga, and others to forge a dark and gooey comics world.  Apparently the first issue is already out of print, so you might want to grab a look at this one...  BACK IN STOCK!!!
Strange Tales II #1 Jeff LeMirem Jhonen, Kate Beaton, Gene Yang, Dash Shaw and more ... Marvel Strange Tales II $4.44
($4.99 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
Strangetalesii
Read more and comment... 		What can you say about a Marvel comic that features an amazing Frank Santoro Silver Surfer story and another Surfer tale by Kevin Huizenga? and that also features a Dash Shaw take on Spider-Man, Jillian Tamaki doing The Dazzler, Kate Beaton on, of all characters, Kraven the Hunter? and that  includes work by Rafael Grampá, Shannon Wheeler, Gene Yang, Jeff LeMire, Nick Gurewitch, and includes a horrifyingly acute (not to mention hilarious) deconstruction of Wolverine by Jhonen Vasquez?  Well, all we can think of is, "buy it!"  If you need further convincing, then we recommend checking out this Marvel Comics hosted interview with Frank Santoro.  It's well worth reading.