Collections
| Title | Creator | Publisher | Series | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almost Silent | Jason | Fantagraphics |
$22.22 ($24.99 list) |
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Here is a perfect embodiment of the well worn phrase, "All things come to he (or she, of course) who waits." This tres chic hardcover omnibus collects four – count 'em! – previously issued and out of print Jason softcovers, and sells for just a hair over half the combined price of the softcovers! So, those who didn't manage to get these the first time around, are hereby rewarded for their procrastination (or, in the case of those who are arriving late to the party, it's a variation on "the last will be first.") The four volumes collected are: Tell Me Something, You Can't Get There From Here, The Living and the Dead, and – the Copacetic Favorite – Meow, Baby! All are in glorious black & white, with the exception of You Can't Get There, which has an added color (an olive-tinged goldenrod). We are especially happy that Almost Silent enables us to be able to once again offer Meow, Baby! This is the work in which Jason really struts his stuff by plugging his patented comics language into a veritable panopticon of forms, from the classic three-panel gag-strip, through an assortment of one-pagers, two-pagers and four-pagers, all the way through to a TinTin-esque novella. Meow, Baby! offers the perfect opportunity to really study Jason's working method, and have a great time doing it, as this is some of his best (and funniest!) work. Tell Me Something is a "silent-film" treatment of Jason's favorite theme, sex and death, this time around seasoned with crime and marriage. You Can't Get There From Here is Jason's morbidly funny twist on the Frankenstein/Bride of Frankenstein relationship. And, finally, The Living and the Dead is, yes, you guessed it, Jason's zombie book. And there you have it. Wotta Deal! | |||||
| Copper | Kazu Kibuishi | Scholastic |
$11.75 ($12.95 list) |
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Kazu Kibuishi is the creator of the much acclaimed Amulet series as well as the editor for the equally acclaimed Flight comics anthology series. His work has a loyal following here among readers of all ages. The Flight anthology has a strong appeal to teen to young adult readers and Amulet has long been the natural go-to choice for fans of Jeff Smith's Bone looking for a follow-up reading experience, and is of late building a new base of readers all on its own. Now we have a new collection of his web comic, Copper, about a boy and his dog. This square format (9" x 9") full color collection of lively short tales leap off the page. There's definitely a (subdued, more reflective and less manic) Calvin and Hobbes flavor to the strip, and, like Calvin and Hobbes, Copper is a work that really can appeal to all ages. There's no need to take our word for it, however, as you can read it all online. The book contains a nifty bonus: a 10-page behind the scenes, step-by-step look at the creation, execution and production of the strip that will be of great interest to many an aspiring comics creator. Anyone interested in thoughtful, well crafted, kid-friendly comics should definitely be look into Copper. | |||||
| Afrodisiac | Brian Maruca, Jim Rugg | AdHouse Books |
$12.75 ($14.95 list) |
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Well, here's a work that sets the table for multi-course feast that will appeal to folks of different stripes for different reasons. First and foremost, it is the most ample display to date of the pop culture prowess of the Pittsburgh-based artist/writer team of Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca, who here have given a virtuoso performance. Afrodisiac is an homage to the last gasp of traditional comic book values; specifically, those that were embodied by the comic books of, roughly, 1972 - 1985. These were the final years of the newsstand comic book market – its decade of irrevocable decline. Beginning in 1986 it was permanently eclipsed by the direct market, a turn of events which not only forever altered the perception and reception of comic books, but simultaneously led to a a substantial and equally permanent change in their values and production. The work contained in this compact, full color, hardcover volume demonstrates a deep intuitive understanding of the the tropes and formulas of traditional newsstand comic books, as well as, and perhaps most significantly, the role played by the wide variety of production and reproduction processes and techniques through which the raw language of comics passes en route to becoming the actual physical end product comic book that transmits its content through the readers' sensory apparatus, and thereby promulgates its meaning to the end consumer: human consciousness. Conscious manipulation of the denotative capacities of production processes has a history that goes back at least thirty years, to Art Spiegelman's work in Breakdowns, and it continues to be employed successfully in works such as Paul Hornschemeier's The Three Paradoxes. Afrodisiac is, however, unique in that, here, this conscious manipulation is the driving force behind the entire project, and is encoded in the texts as well as the images, with the character of The Afrodisiac acting as a cypher – one that is simultaneously a celebration and an elegy – for the uncritical creation of unabashed power fantasies that was no longer possible in the wake of The Dark Knight Returns and The Watchmen. Jim Rugg is a one-man production house and he has put the pedal to the metal in his reclamation of a panoply of production processes in this pandemonium procuring panegyric to the blaxploitation genre (that was itself an embodiment of the last gasp of the classical Hollywood values that vanished in the wake of the blockbuster onslaught of Spielberg, Lucas & Co.). It is here, in this nostalgic conflation of blaxploitation's own uncritical creation of unabashed power fantasies with those of comic book superheroes, by, let it be said, a couple of middle-class white guys, that another layer of signification transpires. Certainly, an exploration of the text's Playing in the Dark is warranted, and an old Lou Reed song may come to the mind of readers of a certain age; and, the fact that the power fantasy on display in these pages is of a distinctly sexual nature and is employed in the domination and exploitation of women cannot be ignored. Yet, all is rendered with a clear sense of humor, and where level, intellectually engaged heads prevail, there are sure to be some interesting and potentially valuable correlations made (cultural anthropologists, please take note). In other words, Afrodisiac is one of the densest texts one is likely to come across; and while many will doubtless find it a source of uncritical enjoyment, those who do so will be doing themselves a disservice and missing the work's essential character. To get a head start processing this sucka', download this PDF preview. | |||||
| Crossing the Empty Quarter | Carol Swain | Dark Horse |
$22.22 ($24.95 list) |
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Carol Swain has quietly been amassing a substantial and significant body of work in her native England for approximately a quarter century, building a small but significant following among the comics cognoscenti here in the States, who have been admiring and enjoying her work in dribs and drabs as it has made its way over here in numerous anthologies, one previous collection – Way Out Strips – and two graphic novels – the just released Giraffes in My Hair, done in collaboration with Bruce Paley, and Foodboy – most published by Fantagraphics Books. Now Dark Horse Books has stepped up to publish a quite substantial collection of her short stories, 38 in all – 29 in black & white and 9 in colour – most of which are executed in her texture-accenting colored pencil technique which has won her many a convert, and many of which have not been previously available in the USA. This 200 page hardcover is a rare treat that is filled with unique, heartfelt work that hits home. Get a feel for it with this 20-page online "flip-book." You'll be glad you did. | |||||
| Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Volume One | Steve Ditko | Fantagraphics |
$34.95 ($39.95 list) |
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edited by Blake Bell <<•>> This is it! The motherload of classic early – and rare! and expensive! (take from us, we know) – Ditko comics from 1953 to 1955 is now available in this readily affordable (well, at least when compared to the originals) 240 page hardcover volume from Fantagraphics Books. Primarily produced for the then respectable Charlton Comics, but with a handful executed for Prize, Ajax, Gillmor and Timor – these are comics! Presented here in high quality reproductions taken from full color scans of the original comics, this is how they are meant to be seen. All we have to say right now is, "Yes, yes, yes! Read these great comics." (OK, we also have to say that all fans of Gilbert Hernandez should be taking an extra hard look at some of the comics contained in this volume, as close examination will reveal that therein lies some of his primal inspiration as a cartoonist.) | |||||
| The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D. | Dash Shaw | Fantagraphics |
$17.77 ($19.99 list) |
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The wunderkind of comics strikes again with this unique book that is as visually intriguing as it is intellectually challenging. It intermeshes comics – most of what is collected here originally appeared in the pages of MOME – with storyboards and production sketches for some animations that Shaw produced, in collaboration with Jane Samborski, for IFC. Starting with the animation-cell-like dustjacket that overlays an illustrated cloth hardcover, and proceeding through a variety of paper stocks, this full color collection by the author of the much heralded Bottomless Belly Button will take you on a ride that makes you think. | |||||
| No Cartoon Left Behind | Rob Rogers | Carnegie-Mellon University Press |
$35.95 ($39.95 list) |
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Here it is, the big book of editorial cartoons by the resident cartoonist at The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for the past quarter century. This is an especially nice book as editorial cartoon collections go. It is a wallopin' 380 10" x 12" pages printed on semi-gloss stock. It opens up with five chapters that give a brief overview of Rob's development as a cartoonist and then heads in for twenty thematically united chapters of cartoons that take us on rollercoaster ride of the last twenty five years, through the prism of his editorial lens. Especially interesting is the chapter, "Holy Cow Tipping," which includes a number of examples of the kind of venomous and vituperative responses his cartoons sometimes receive from the Post-Gazette's readership as well as several cartoons that were either killed by the editors of the paper or deemed by Rogers himself to have been a mistake. This chapter provides a fascinating behind the scenes glimpse at the world of editorial cartooning that is the icing on this birthday cake of a book. | |||||
| Like a Dog | Zak Sally | Fantagraphics |
$18.88 ($22.95 list) |
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Long suffering indy comics – and, indy music (he was a member of the rock trio Low for many a moon) – creator, editor and publisher steps into the Fantagraphics spotlight with this rugged yet strangely elegant hardcover collection that gives us – his not quite so suffering fans – a chance to read the vast majority of his hard to find and largely out of print work, including, most notably, the first two numbers of The Recidivist (the third is still, as of this writing, in print and available from Sally's own imprint, La Mano). Visceral, gripping, dark, and, most importantly, good, these are comics worth reading (and to help induce you to take the plunge, we're offering it at a special price). | |||||
| Red Snow | Susumu Katsumata | Drawn and Quarterly |
$22.22 ($24.95 list) |
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Canadian publisher, Drawn and Quarterly extends their manga winning streak with this excellent hardcover collection of ten short stories. Susumu Katsumata is yet another of the manga maestros who are woefully under-recognized here in North America that D & Q has taken upon themselves to introduce to what they hope – and so far has been – an appreciative audience. Katusmata's work is unique in that it falls into the category of gekiga – the grittier form of manga pioneered by Tatsumi and others – yet, unlike the vast majority of those practicing their craft within this form, Katsumata's tales are set in rural pre-modern Japan, giving his work some parallels with that master of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa. Includes an interview with and biography of the author. | |||||
| Hot Potatoe | Marc Bell | Drawn and Quarterly |
$29.95 ($39.95 list) |
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Voot O'Reenie! Break out the Slim Gaillard and get comfortable! This gigantic album of the one and only Marc Bell, Canada's answer to long lonely winters, is coming over and you'll want to be prepared. Comics, illustration, mixed media and Bell's own idiosyncratic combinations of these that together embody one of the most singular ouevres in the art comics biz are all amply on display in the over 270, 9" x 12" pages. Color and black and white works are reproduced accordingly and with care in this multiple-paper-stock-employing oversize hardcover volume that is an ideal tonic for chasing away those winter blues, and has been released just in time to do the job. | |||||
| Schematic Comics | Dan Zettwoch | Self-published |
$3.95 ($3.95 list) OUT OF STOCK! |
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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... | |||||
| Map of My Heart | John Porcellino | Drawn and Quarterly |
$17.77 ($24.95 list) |
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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. | |||||
| The Complete Jack Survives | Jerry Moriarty | Buenaventura Press |
$29.75 ($34.95 list) |
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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. | |||||
| Pim and Francie | Al Columbia | Fantagraphics |
$25.00 ($28.95 list) |
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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... | |||||
| The Art of Tony Millionaire | Tony Millionaire | Dark Horse |
$34.95 ($39.95 list) |
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It's here, Tony Millionaire's coffee-table moment – but, professional drinker and rabble rouser that Mr. Millionaire is, it might be a tad risky to put the fine china next to this volume, as the spirit inhabiting it is liable to bubble forth and wreak havoc. It is a volume that is likely to feel more at home next to a bottle of spirits, whether it's at the corner tavern or the basement bar. Included along with page after page of Mr. Millionaire's classic-illustration-era, fine pen and ink stylings are many heretofore unknown and unseen bits and pieces of his life and times and antics: newspaper clippings, embarrasing photos, confessions of vicious boozing and more! Long time fans will find much to induldge in. | |||||
| All and Sundry | Paul Hornschemeier | Fantagraphics |
$25.00 ($29.99 list) |
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by Paul Hornschemeier All the bits and pieces that were scattered hither and yon have been carefully collected and sequenced in this big fat scrapbook that was (no surprise here) designed by Hornschemeier himself. There's much to be gleaned here, especially by the artists among you. Not sure what kind of work has been collected? This PDF preview should give you a better a idea. | |||||
| The Push Man and other stories | Yoshihiro Tatsumi | Drawn and Quarterly |
$17.77 ($19.95 list) |
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<<•>> edited, designed and with an introduction by Adrian Tomine <<•>> Yet another beautifully produced booik from the fine folks at Drawn & Quarterly, The Push Man is a 208 page hardcover collection of 16 short stories by the "grandfather of Japanese alternative comics." Creating challenging comics for adults that he dubbed gekiga (to differentiate them from manga, which he viewed as relatively unsophisticated) since the late 1950s, Tatsumi was years ahead of his contemporaries ("decades ahead," according to acclaimed designer, Chip Kidd), not only in Japan but pretty much the world over. Here are some hard to ignore accolades: "From the moment I read Tatsumi's stories, he shot to the top of my short list of favorite cartoonists for adults. His direct storytelling style is bracing and raised the bar pretty high for those of us trying to entertain intelligent grown-ups." -- Gilbert Hernandez; "Tatsumi's comics are clean and straightforward without pretentious tricks. Storytelling at its best." -- Jaime Hernandez While Tatsumi's work has appeared once before in America, in Catalan Communication's1987 Good-Bye and other stories, this was an unofficial edition that suffered in translation (it was translated from Japanese into Spanish, and then from Spanish into English; 'nuff said), entirely lacked Tatsumi's involvement, and is long out of print, making The Push Man the definitve North American edition of Tatsumi's work, and a must have for anyone on the lookout for great comics. | |||||
| Tank Girl 3 (remastered) | Jamie Hewlett, Alan Martin, Philip Bond | Titan Books | Tank Girl |
$13.50 ($14.95 list) |
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Here it is, the new and improved, "remastered" edition of the third volume of that pop/punk icon, Tank Girl. While we have to admit to preferring the in-your-face covers of the original series of trades to the more discreet packaging on the new editions, we must say that the interiors are superior. The pages have been re-proportioned to bring them closer to the Deadline originals, the art that was intended for black and white reproduction is printed here as intended, while the color work receives much better reproduction; and there are two extra stories that don't appear in the original edition, making for 16 additional bonus pages. Not only that, this edition costs LESS than the old one. All in all, it's hard to knock. | |||||
| Masterpiece Comics | R. Sikoryak | Drawn and Quarterly |
$17.77 ($19.95 list) |
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Literally two decades in the making, here is a book that lives up to its name! There are levels of irony upon irony and then within and in between these there lurks hints and glimmers of more. There is militant subversion and blatant transgression of the exact same material for which is simultaneously exhibited the deepest respect and greatest empathy. R. Sikoryak is a truly singular master of comics who knows its classical forms and major practitioners inside out to a degree that is simply unparalleled. His work contained here will trigger a panoply of associations to anyone devoted to the form of comics and this is then squared for those who are on equally familiar terms with the literary classics that are adapted. Sikoryak's achievment in successfully splicing together classic literature and classic comics at the deep level of their respective genetic codes is such that the reading of this collection will, for some, spark a revolution in their perceptual apparatus that will topple the reigning dominant ideology and force a reordering of priorities. We have here the Book of Genesis as a series of Blondie Sunday pages; Dante's Inferno imagined as Bazooka Gum insert comics; Shakespeare's Macbeth as a Mary Worth sub-plot; Voltaire's Candide imagined as Ziggy; Marlowe's Faust as a series of Garfield dailies; Wuthering Heights as an EC horror comic; The Scarlet Letter as acted out by Little Lulu and Tubby; Kafka's "Metamorphosis" starring Charlie Brown; The Portrait of Dorian Gray as a sequence from Little Nemo in Slumberland; Waiting for Godot starring Beavis and Butthead; and, finally the piece de resistance, Crime and Punishment as a 1950s Detective Comics featuring Batman & Robin and the Joker followed by the encore of Camus's L'Etranger condensed into a series of Action Comics covers circa the same era. No self-respecting comics fan can hold their head high without having this volume in their library. Please take a moment to feast your eyes on this PDF sneak peek. And then take a few moments to read this 3-part interview with Sikoryak. | |||||
| Locas II | Jaime Hernandez | Fantagraphics | Love and Rockets |
$33.99 ($39.99 list) |
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418 pages of the greatest comics of our time under one cover. This volume picks up, roughly, where Locas left off, and collects nearly all the standard comic book size formatted work that Jaime has executed since the conclusion of the original 50-issue run of the magazine size formatted Love and Rockets. Locas II bring together under one cover all six issues of the Penny Century series along with Jaime's contributions to the first nineteen issues of the twenty-issue run of the second volume of Love and Rockets. Not everything from this period is here, however. The most notable exclusion is the first work Jaime completed after the termination of L&R, vol. I, the three-issue mini-series, Whoa, Nellie! As it was only tangentially connected to the Locas storyline, it is not collected here. Also not included are numerous short strips – mostly one or two pages in length – that appeared in the aforementioned issues of Penny Century and L&R, vol. II, but are not related to the Locas continuity, as well as the full color, novella length work that originally appeared (slightly abridged) in The New York Times Sunday Magazine and subsequently appeared in Love and Rockets, Volume II #20. (Completists take note!) That said, what you are getting is a big book filled with the best of the best, all laid out in a mammoth narrative arc that continues to build on the magnificent structure of past work in creating the most richly complex and deeply human work in the history of comics. | |||||
| American Splendor Presents Bob & Harv's Comics | Harvey Pekar , R. Crumb | Thunder's Mouth Press | American Splendor |
$7.77 ($16.00 list) |
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What's new about this one is the price. We are now able to offer this classic 1996 volume that collects the entirety of R. Crumb's contributions to Harvey Pekar's trailblazing comics series at an amazing low price that we hope will be a boon to all of those who are watching their wallet yet have their eyes out for high quality comics. It really doesn't get much better than these titanic team-ups. These are the comics that put American Splendor on the map and transformed Harvey Pekar from just another working schmoe to an icon of the independent artistic spirit that inheres to the American working class. Yowza! Anyone who hasn't managed to get around to reading these yet is in for a real treat, and even those that have may want the chance to savor them yet again (and again, and again...). RECOMMENDED! Preview it, here. | |||||
| Everybody is Stupid Except For Me: And Other Astute Observations | Peter Bagge | Fantagraphics |
$15.00 ($16.99 list) |
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Here it is, at last the awful truth is revealed: the wages of a punk rock 'n' comics life are... crotchety middle-aged libertarianism. Well, at least in the case of one P. Bagge. Read it and weep – or laugh – or, most likely, both: you won't know how you react until you actually confront these four color comics on the printed page. Are you ready? Do you think you can take it? Fantagraphics sez: Fans of Peter Bagge's Hate comic may not realize he's been contributing comic-strip opinion pieces to Reason magazine for the last several years... finally collected in this volume. Although a libertarian, Bagge is hardly dogmatic, and most of the pieces undermine traditional party lines in favor of a rather personal, rational and informed take on hot-button issues: Favorite topics include the erosion of our civil liberties, ongoing boondoggles of the American public, the Iraq war, politicians both in general and in particular, and the conservative/religious war on sex. Each piece features Bagge himself front and center as the puzzled, indignant, or deeply conflicted everyman-on-the-street trying to make sense of this 21st century. | |||||
| 100% | Paul Pope | Vertigo |
$33.33 ($39.99 list) |
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100% by Paul Pope Pope's most accomplished work is now back in print in this (unfortunately over-priced) hardcover edition. It's a great piece, we just wish the powers that be at DC didn't yield to the greedy need to rob Paul Pope's fans (and we also can't help but wonder what degree of complicity Pope himself shares in this). Why is this book – which, we feel compelled to note, is the third incarnation of this work (it first appeared as a four issue series, then as a softcover), which means they're all getting paid yet again for the same piece – priced a full 100% more than Jeff Lemire's The Nobody (listed below), which is identical in format – hardcover, black and white – also published by Vertigo, distributed through the same networks, and is an original work appearing for the first time. We're offering a special discount on it, which takes a bit of the sting out, but only a bit. | |||||
| Prince Valiant: Volume I: 1937-1938 | Hal Foster | Fantagraphics | Prince Valiant |
$25.00 ($29.99 list) |
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A contemporary of Fletcher Hanks, Hal Foster must be considered to occupy pretty much the opposite end of the comics spectrum. Disciplined, controlled, majestic – he was the undisputed master (OK, we're sure somewhere out there is someone who would dispute this claim, given the chance) of the classic Sunday page adventure strip, of which Prince Valiant remains the gold standard. Comics as we know them are unimaginable without Hal Foster's work, which inspired a legion of imitators, many of whom went on to become greats in their own right; yet without ever completely breaking free of the master's influence. Fantagraphics' earliest (outside of their journalistic endeavors) and longest running publishing project was collecting Prince Valiant, so you know that it is a strip that rests close to the heart of Gary Groth. The fact that the vast majority of the fifty or so volumes of this series are long out of print, when combined with the much higher quality reproduction that is now affordably available for projects such as these, make the relaunch of this project an idea whose time has come. Enthusiasts will be happy to learn that Fanta has done a fine job this time around: the initial, 11" x 14", full color, hardcover volume presenting two full years of this epochal strip far surpasses their original Prince Valiant series at every level. Please do yourself a favor and at least take a look at this fine volume. Your eyes will thank you. | |||||
| You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation | Fletcher Hanks | Fantagraphics |
$22.22 ($24.99 list) |
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Yes, the wait is over, it's here: the follow-up volume to the most successful collection of comics by an obscure Golden Age cartoonist ever produced (by far), I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets by Fletcher Hanks. And what a follow-up volume this is! Everything you liked about the first volume is continued -- the high resolution scans, the fine quality printing, the quality paper stock, the modest design -- only this time you get more! Whereas I Shall Destroy contained 15 Hanks stories in 106 pages, You Shall Die delivers a whopping 36 stories in 229 pandemonium packed pages. As with the first, this volume is edited by Paul Karasik, only instead of an afterword in comics form, this time around he provides a introduction that fills us in on more details of his life and career as well as providing some critical perspective. This is one book that was well worth the wait. Just make sure you take your time while reading it, and savor each story: this copious compendium completes the publication of all known comics works by Fletcher Hanks; after you've closed the book on the last tale... that's it! | |||||
| Life, In Pictures | Will Eisner | Norton |
$27.50 ($29.95 list) |
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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. | |||||
| Multiforce | Mat Brinkman | PictureBox |
$13.50 ($15.00 list) |
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After last year's release of Brian Chippendale's Maggots, this work is the last major piece of the puzzle that is made up of the long awaited comics works from the halcyon days of Fort Thunder. Although those days are now fading into history, the work itself is only now finally getting the wider exposure it deserves; which, in turn, will allow the next generation to put together these pieces in their own original ways. No surprise that this, as well as the bulk of other Fort Thunder works, are all issuing forth from that art comics publishing powerhouse, PictureBox, Inc. Multiforce is a megasize (11" x 16.5") saddle-stitched pamphlet comics that brings together the entirety of this Fort Thunder era serial that originally ran in the pages of Paper Rodeo from 2000 through 2005. This is truly original work that has had a strong influence on many of the up and coming generation – but only on those who managed to get a hold of the hard to come by original copies of Paper Rodeo. Now it is here for all! | |||||
| Low Moon | Jason | Fantagraphics |
$22.22 ($24.99 list) |
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Here it is, the first Jason omnibus. Five – count em'! – graphic novellas in one hardcover volume. All new, none before published in the United States (although the work whose title supplies that of the collection, "Low Moon," was serialized in the New York Times). This works out to less than half the price per work compared to the softcover editions we're all so familiar with (at the copacetic price, they're a mere four dollars and change each). The lead off tale, "Emily Says Hello," is Jason at his darkest. You won't wallow in despair for long, however, as it is followed by "Low Moon" which is a quirky – and funny – take on the classic western, as only Jason could do. Then we have the pivotal, center story, the aptly, if oddly, named, "&." A period piece set during what appears to be the silent film era, this is a piece of gloomy slapstick, an apparent contradiction in terms that only Jason could pull off, and the source of the cover image. Next up is "Proto Film Noir," which we are not going to say anything about, just to keep you guessing at what a story bearing such a title could possibly be about (here's a tip: don't bother, you'll never guess). Finally, the book closes with "You Are Here," which may very well be the definitive Jason story, and has to be one of the most pithy stories ever penned on the price exacted by the failure of forgiveness. Did we mention that all stories are full color? While everyone doubtless has their own personal favorite Jason book, we feel comfortable stating that from an objective standpoint, this one is clearly the best yet. So, what are you waiting for? | |||||
| Moomin, Book Four | Tove Jansson | Drawn and Quarterly | Moomin |
$17.77 ($19.95 list) |
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For the past three years, a new Moomin book has been released each year during the start of the Christmas season, but this year it looks like Christmas has come early to Moominland. Also, for some reason we got it into our head that the complete collected Moomin was only going to run four volumes, but we were, evidently, mistaken, as Drawn and Quarterly has already announced the fifth volume. So now we can all relax and enjoy this new release, free from the angst that would have accompanied the experience had this indeed been the end of the line for Moomin comics. Here's a brief preview. | |||||
| Tank Girl Two: The Remastered Edition | Jamie Hewlett, Alan Martin | Titan Books | Tank Girl |
$13.50 ($14.95 list) |
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This new editions of Tank Girl features: superior reproduction (especially of the color pieces) printed on a larger paper size, enabling a greater appreciation of Jamie Hewlett's fine ink stylings; a new introduction by Tank Girl co-creator, Alan Martin, filling in some details about various behind-the-scenes creative goings on; rare photos, alternate covers, promo posters, early drawings and the like; ALL the original Deadline Magazine covers in which these stories first appeared (although we must inform you that these reproductions are thumbnail size); full-size reproductions of all the original covers to the Dark Horse Comics editions in which (most of) these stories first saw print stateside; and, last but certainly not least, bits of of work not collected in the first edition of these Titan trade collections. What's not to like? | |||||