edited by Derya Ataker

Designed by Jacob Covey, who is clearly on a roll, this magnificent giant (15" x 12") hardcover volume presents a classic run of the Krazy Kat daily strips from 1920 (primarily) & 1921 that have never before (we believe) been collected.  In addition we get to see the very earliest (1911) appearances of Krazy and Ignatz in "The Dingbat Family," an earlier Herriman strip, a nice run of Krazy Kat dailies from 1914, and, as and added bonus, the illustrated sheet music of "Krazy Kat" A Pantomime by John Alden Carpenter; none too shabby, we'd say.  This is the first time we've ever seen Herriman dailies presented at full size (13" x 3") and we have to say that it's really a treat.  Thank you, Mr. Ataker & Co.

Finally, the next installment of James Kochalka's epic of self-revelation, The Sketchbook Diaries, is on our shelves. This time around, there's something new:  the strips are printed in FULL COLOR, as they originally appeared online.

While we do our best to check in now and then and catch up with James at American Elf, nothing beats sitting down and reading a whole year's worth -- or two -- and experiencing the ebb and flow of time at one's leisure.  It's the primary pleasure offered by this strip and it really is a one-of-a-kind treat.

With American Elf, Kochalka has pioneered an entirely new approach to the daily comic strip, and, just like with all great strips, the longer you stay with it, the deeper and richer the experience gets. That may sound like a bit much considering how goofy these strips get at times, but the critical key here is the accretion that occurs. The accumulated years of this strip build layers of associations, themes, sub-plots and leitmotifs that all play off of each other and echo through the years creating a prime example of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Learn more about this fine tradition, here.

Introduction by Jeet Heer.

Two more complete years of the one and only Krazy Kat, all in full color.  We're in the home stretch of the original run now:  only two more volumes to go (sob) ... but then Fantagraphics will be going back to the beginning and printing the first ten years that were previously published by Eclipse and have been out of print for over a decade, so there's still plenty more to look forward to.   For now we have another 105 flights of fancy from the inimitable George Herriman, all wrapped up in another fine C. Ware designed package.  What's that?  You say you ain't hep to the kat?  Well then, here's where to start.

Yes! 382 pages of comics selected from the next-to-impossible-to-find first fifty issues of King-Cat Comics (currently published under the title King-Cat Comics and Stories) by the long suffering self-publishing champ, John Porcellino.  King-Cat Comics is an ideal illustration of the  existentialist project that brings order and meaning to a life lived in an inherently absurb world.  Beginning in May of 1989, Porcellino put pen to paper and declared that he would have no rules dictating what he would produce, only that it would be true to his artistic instincts and that it would all be called King-Cat Comics.  As the years passed, King-Cat gradually evolved from its origins as a simple pastime, eventually becoming the central, defining aspect of Porcellino's existence.  Now, almost exactly 18 years later, just in time for the comic to reach the age adulthood, this fine collection is now available to give everyone a chance to experience King-Cat Comics' pen and ink birth, growth, maturation, and coming of age.  Also included are an introduction, extensive notes, and a complete index. 

King-Cat Classix is the Swiss Army Knife of comics compendiums: it is the perfect beach book for the true-blue comics reader, the ideal gift book for the hard to please indy comics collector in your life, solid inspiration for a budding DIY comics creator, and, perhaps most importantly, a solid source for thoughtful reflection on the constitution of human existence.  Recommended!

This compendium covers the entire span of Tom Tomorow's agit-prop career.  It’s all here: spanning twenty years, starting out with brief examples of Dan Perkins’ prototypical work in his self-published zine, Writings on the Wall -- before he assumed the persona of Tom Tomorrow -- moving on to the humble beginnings of This Modern World, and then providing a very healthy selection of This Modern World’s triumphant march to its omnipotent present.  236  8” x 11” pages (including 32 in full color!) document the history of Sparky and company as the poke holes in the inflated poitical figures of our times.

The latest collection of what is by the far the best science fiction comic book series out there.  Really, each story arc -- this time around issues #22 - 28 of the series -- is a self-contained graphic novel.  Dream Sequence stands on its own as a fine work, and with Finder, Ms. McNeil has proven herself a world builder of the first order.  She really and truly is in a league of her own as far as comics goes.  To learn more visit Lightspeed Press, home of the hardest working person in comics biz, Ms. Carla Speed McNeil.

Tank Girl 5: Apocalypse!
Well, she’s back again, only this time no Hewlett, no Martin.  Instead we have scripting duties performed by Alan Grant and Andy Pritchett, with the art chores handed in by Philip Bond and Phil Gascoine.  This time around, Tank Girl gets pregnant.  Yoiks!

Beautiful production!  Lot's of color!

"Art" sketches!  Cartoons!  Doodles!  Ideas!  Rants!

Self-Deprecation!  Self-Laceration!  Irony!

Girl's phone numbers!

It's all here!
 
 

(official hype)
 

Acclaimed cartoonist Chris Ware reveals the outtakes of his genius in these intimate, imaginative, and whimsical sketches collected from the years during which he completed his award-winning graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon). His novel not only won the Manchester Guardian First Novel prize in 2001 but it has sold over 100,000 copies. This book is as much a companion volume to Jimmy Corrigan -- one of the great crossover success stories-- as a tremendous art collection from of one of America’s most interesting and popular graphic artist.  Chris Ware has a passion for drawing that is surprisingly wide-ranging in style and subject. This book surprises the reader on every page with its sense of spontaneous vision. Architectural drawings from Chicago and interplanetary robot comics collide with cruelly doodled human figures and quietly troubling studies of the still life. A must for people with a passion for modern design and old-fashioned style.
 

A new beautifully designed art book by one of the best cartoonists of his generation.

"Ware's spare, iconic drawing style can render vivid architectural complexity or
movingly capture the stark despondency of an unloved child."
            - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Ware pushes the form of comics into unexpected formal and emotional territory."
            - The Chicago Tribune

"Ware's use of words is sparing, and at times maudlin. But the real joy is his art. It's
stunning. In terms of attention to detail, graceful use of color, and overall design -
Ware has no peer. His drawings, somehow, remain delicate and achingly lyrical."
             - Dave Eggers, The New York Times Book Review

 
For more information visit Drawn & Quarterly.