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Vanessa Davis




Title Creator Publisher Series Price
Study Group 12 #4 Theo Ellsworth, Jim Rugg, Dan Zettwoch, Edward Bak and more ... Study Group Study Group 12 $20.00
($20.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		edited by Zack Soto After, what? five years? we have another issue of Study Group 12.  This one is the grandest yet.  8 1/2" x 11 1/2" , with 72 pages printed in navy blue, eight extra pages with an additional layer of magenta, and then all wrapped up in a hand silk-screened cover in aqua and pink.   This package holds quite a lot of talent.  Creators included in this issue are Theo Ellsworth, Jim Rugg, Dan Zettwoch, T Edward Bak, Richard Hahn, John Vermilyea, Michael DeForge, Vanessa Davis, Farel Dalrymple, Aidan Koch, and plenty more.  The front cover is by editor, Zack Soto; back cover by Mr. DeForge, and endpapers by the esteemed Steven Weissman.  This is a hand-numbered edition of 500 copies.
Make Me a Woman Vanessa Davis Drawn and Quarterly $22.22
($24.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Here we have the follow up effort to Ms. Davis's debut collection, Spaniel Rage, published a few years back by the now (sadly) defunct Buenaventura Press.  Make Me a Woman, is, at least to our thinking, quite an apt title, for of all the supremely talented female practitioners of comics out there, it is Davis who perhaps most unapologetically embraces her womanhood.  Davis pens page after page of voluptuously sensuous comics that retain a strong sense of humor and present the reader with a fully formed sensibility.  Check it out, if you think you can handle it. 
Kramers Ergot #6 Sammy Harkham, C.F., Paper Rad, Marc Bell and more ... Buenaventura Press Kramers Ergot $34.95
($34.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Edited, as always, by Sammy Harkham -- this time around with an assist by co-publisher Alvin Buenaventura -- this now seemingly biennial publication continues to live up to the promise made with the fourth and fifth volumes.  The format follows that of the last volume:  a flat matte finish (this time sans texture) flexi cover fixed to a sturdy Smythe sewn binding that holds the contents firmly in place.  And what contents!  Many of those talents that readers have come to associate with Kramers Ergot are here again, and have submitted work that is as engaging as ever.  Sammy Harkham, C.F., Paper Rad, Marc Bell, Souther Salazar, Ron Regé, Jr., Matthew Thurber, Dan Zettwoch and Elvis Studio are joined by Vanessa Davis, Tom Gaud, Martin Cendreda, Bald Eagles and a handful of others.  Also,  KE Alum Gary Panter finds himself under the same covers as former fellow Raw artist, Jerry Moriarty, who is given plenty of space to present his idiosyncratic Hopperesque visions for the first time (we've seen) in many years.  In addition, with this issue Kramers Ergot adds a curatorial component to its offerings for the first time, as readers are given a rare look at two great historical figures of the comics world:  we get a healthy sampling of a late sketchbook by the Dutch comics artist, Marc Smeets, which is preceded by "an incomplete appreciation" by Chris Ware; and an amazing reproduction of the early and highly influential manga, Norakuro by Suiho Tagawa.  All in all, it seems once again to be an essential read for anyone involved in the contemporary comics scene. Here is a preview of the front cover along with 10 sample pages.
Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories: Volume Two David Mazzuchelli, Leif Goldberg, Brian Chippendale, Elinore Norflus and more ... Yale University Press $20.00
($28.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		edited by Ivan Brunetti It's too early to say for certain, but this follow-up to Brunetti's already classic 2006 anthology, also published by Yale University Press, might just be even better than its precursor.  One thing's for certain:  Brunetti has held onto -- and further refined -- his editorial vision of arranging the work contained in this volume in an organic sequence, deftly managing to map out the similarities between artists so that each piece flows smoothly into into the other, creating an amazing sense of an innate connectivity between all areas of comics here on display.  This book is a powerful ally in the struggle to bring the light of comics to those poor souls still dwelling in the darkness.  It's the perfect choice to turn on a friend or relative to the joy, beauty and pleasures of our favorite medium.  Hold onto your hats, here's the contributor list:  Daniel Clowes, Saul Steinberg, Sammy Harkham, Chris Ware, R. Sikoryak, Michael Kupperman, Drew Friedman, Mark Beyer, Mack White, Jayr Pulga, Renee French, Kim Deitch, Richard Sala, J. Bradley Johnson, Archer Prewit, Anonymous (utility sketchbook), HJ Tuthill, Milt Gross, Bill Holman, Harvey Kurtzman, R.Crumb, Basil Wolverton, Art Spiegelman, Jess, John Hankiewicz, Tim Hensley, Bill Griffith, Richard McGuire, Gilbert Hernandez, Jim Woodring, David Collier, Eugene Teal, Charles Burns, Karl Wirsum, Gary Panter, Paper Rad, Fletcher Hanks, CF, Charles Forbell, Ron Rege, Jr., Winsor McCay, Matthew Thurber, Souther Salazar, Kevin Scalzo, Megan Kelso, James McShane, Laura Park, Vanessa Davis, Onsmith, Joe Matt, Jeffrey Brown, Martin Cendreda, Dave Kiersh, John Porcellino, Carrie Golus/Patrick Welch, Jessica Abel, Cole Johnson, Lynda Barry, Debbie Drechsler, Diane Noomin, Aline Kominsky-Crum, Ariel Bordeaux, Chester Brown, Anders Nilsen, Joe Sacco, Phoebe Gloeckner, Elinore Norflus, Brian Chippendale, Leif Goldberg, David Mazzuchelli, Jerry Moriarty, Ben Katchor, Frank Santoro, Dan Zettwoch, Kevin Huizenga, Harvey Pekar/R.Crumb, Carol Tyler, Maurice Vellekoop, Seth, Adrian Tomine, Jaime Hernandez & David Heatley.  It's simply amazing.  Comics Power!  PLEASE NOTE:  We feel compelled to mention that this volume includes several pieces that contain quite explicit sexual content; and while this content represents only a miniscule fraction of the total, it nevertheless renders this volume fit for ADULTS ONLY.
Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age Daniel Clowes, Dash Shaw, Lauren Weinstein, Gabrielle Bell and more ... UNDEFINED $17.00
($18.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Edited by Ariel Schrag. The "joys" of middle school are displayed here in all their angst-filled glory.  Ms. Schrag has managed to recruit an impressive array of comics talent to turn in 200 pages of teen turmoil, and, on top of that, to convince the venerable Viking publishing house to release it.  Included in this zit-poppin' anthology are works by Gabrielle Bell, Ariel Bordeaux, Robyn Chapman, Daniel Clowes, Vanessa Davis, Nick Eliopulos, Eric Enright, Jim Hoover, Cole Johnson, Joe Matt, Jace Smith, Aaron Renier, Ariel Schrag (2), Tania Schrag, Dash Shaw & Lauren Weinstein.  While the Dan Clowes and Joe Matt are reprints of previously published material, all the rest was, to the best of our knowledge, produced specifically for this anthology and is appearing here for the first time.  The stories cover typical teen concerns, but especially focus on the alienated outsider (which pretty much defines just about anyone at some point in their teenage years).  This is a book about teens that is both suitable for and will appeal to those currently in middle school, as well as those who have passed through and lived to tell the tale.  Here's a book you won't have to go out of your way to get a teen to read.  Special Bonus:  the Junior High photos of the contributors included in the biographical information at the back of the book may very well be worth the entire price of the book.  You may find yourself tempted to cut out your favorite and put it on your refreigerator (or in your wallet).
Papercutter #4 Sarah Oleksyk, Vanessa Davis, John Porcellino Tugboat Press Papercutter $3.50
($3.00 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
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Read more and comment... 		#4 is probably our favorite issue here at Copacetic.  The lead story by Sarah Oleksyk ("Roadside," "Ivy"), of a pair of lovestruck misfits who meet at an all-night copy shop is a small, quiet classic that is also the subject of the wraparound cover (and it was selected by Lynda Barry for inclusion in the 2008 America's Best Comics anthology, so there). Vanessa Davis ("Spaniel Rage") and John Porcellino ("King-Cat") complete the issue with tales of friendship, club-hopping, and snowstorms. If you want to give Papercutter a try and aren't sure which issue to choose, we say start with this one. THIS ONE IS NOW OUT OF PRINT.  However, the lead story by Sarah Oleksyk was collected in the 2008 edition of Best American Comics, a 200+ page deluxe hardcover volume edited by Lynda Barry, which, it so happens, is currently ON SALE here at Copacetic for only $8.88!