The Copacetic Comics Company Chris Ware

Chris Ware

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
The Art of Daniel Clowes: Modern Cartoonist	Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes	Abrams ComicArts		$37.50 ($40.00 list)
Read more and comment...	<<•>> edited by Alvin Buenaventura <<•>> This swellegant follow up volume to last year's The Art of Jaime Hernandez brings us up close and personal to the life and work of one of the most influential contemporary comics creators. High resolution reproductions of his comics work – original art as well as in published form illustrate an in-depth look at his life and appreciation of his work by an all-star line-up on contributors assembled by former art comics publishing magnate, Alvin Buenaventura. The ball starts rolling with an all-new interview conducted by Kristine McKenna. This is followed by a forty page gallery of work from the Eightball Years, 1989-2004. Next up is an appreciation of Clowes by fellow Chicagoan comics master, the one and only Chris Ware! Ray Pride then writes about the relationship between comics and movies in David Boring. Two critical appreciations of Clowes's 21st century work by Ken Parille and Susan Miller follow. Chip Kidd closes out the book with an analysis of how graphic design figures into Clowes's storytelling. Clearly, Clowes fans will be delighted by this hefty oversize hardcover designed by Jonathan Bennett and published by Abrams ComicArts. Here's hoping that its hefty footprint and eye catching cover will combine to lure casual browsers into the Clowesian perceptual plane, where they can then discover for themselves that unique combination of intellectual insight and comics craftsmanship which opens the mind onto fresh vistas where the world is revealed from new perspectives, unleashing reconceptualizations of reality and the inescapable conclusions that follow, leading ineluctably to an uneasy transition to a new sense of the workings of the machinery of civilization, and then, finally, to one's place in the scheme of things.
Acme Novelty Library #20: Lint	Chris Ware	Drawn and Quarterly	Acme Novelty Library	$21.50 ($23.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, it's here: the latest issue in The ACME Novelty Library. We haven't had the chance to crack it open yet, but nonetheless feel safe in saying that: "Hey, it's the latest by Chris Ware; do you really need to know anything else?" Here's the first of what are sure to be many weighing-ins as to its significance.
The Best American Comics 2009	Dash Shaw, Koren Shadmi, David Sandlin, Ron Regé and more ...	Houghton Mifflin	Best American	$20.00 ($22.95 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Charles Burns Well, Crumb is a tough act to follow, but we'll give it a shot with this star-studded anthology filled with the best and the brightest from the last twelve months of comics, as judged by Charles Burns. In a book like this, we feel that the contributor list says it best: Doug Allen, Peter Bagge, Gabrielle Bell, Matt Broersma, Daniel Clowes, Al Columbia, Robert Dennis Crumb, Sammy Harkham, Tim Hensley, Gilbert Hernandez, Kevin Huizenga, Ben Katchor, Kaz, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Michael Kupperman, Jason Lutes, Tony Millionaire, Jerry Moriarty, Anders Nilsen, Gary Panter, Laura Park, Mimi Pond, Ron Regé, David Sandlin, Koren Shadmi, Dash Shaw, Art Spiegelman, Ted Stearn, Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki, Adrian Tomine, Chris Ware, Dan Zettwoch. 'Nuff said. Well, actually, we can't help but add that while the material contained in this anthology is absolutely fabulous, the quality of its reproduction is, mysteriously, not up to the same standard as the three previous volumes in this series, which were excellent in that department. This shouldn't stop anyone from picking up this fine volume, but it is worrisome. Let's hope that this was a one time aberration and that next year we'll find the fine folks at Houghton Mifflin have figured out what went wrong and put things in the production department back on track.
Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (softcover)	Chris Ware	Pantheon		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (JCTSKOE) is, first and foremost, the tale of the development of the American super-ego, it’s human cost, and its relationship to the comic book super-hero. Ware’s choice of the Chicago Exposition of 1893 to serve simultaneously as historical signifier and the origin of his narrative is key in this regard. It is with the exposition of 1893 -- most importantly, at least as far as JCTSKOE is concerned, in its design and architecture-- that the USA reveals its fantasy of, and implicit ambition towards, empire in the classical Greco/Roman mold. It was Walt Whitman’s fever dream made flesh-- or at least cast in stone. It was here, during the glory days of the American industrial revolution, the dawn of the age of Morgan, Carnegie and Rockefeller, that the mold for the twentieth century and the USA’s dominance of it was cast. It was here that America’s industrial strength super-ego was born, leading a generation later to the inexorable necessity of the comic book super-hero. It is in establishing this latter connection that JCTSKOE is a true intellectual trail-blazer, revealing previously uncharted areas of our nation’s unconscious.
Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (hardcover)	Chris Ware	Pantheon		$31.50 ($35.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (JCTSKOE) is, first and foremost, the tale of the development of the American super-ego, it’s human cost, and its relationship to the comic book super-hero. Ware’s choice of the Chicago Exposition of 1893 to serve simultaneously as historical signifier and the origin of his narrative is key in this regard. It is with the exposition of 1893 -- most importantly, at least as far as JCTSKOE is concerned, in its design and architecture-- that the USA reveals its fantasy of, and implicit ambition towards, empire in the classical Greco/Roman mold. It was Walt Whitman’s fever dream made flesh-- or at least cast in stone. It was here, during the glory days of the American industrial revolution, the dawn of the age of Morgan, Carnegie and Rockefeller, that the mold for the twentieth century and the USA’s dominance of it was cast. It was here that America’s industrial strength super-ego was born, leading a generation later to the inexorable necessity of the comic book super-hero. It is in establishing this latter connection that JCTSKOE is a true intellectual trail-blazer, revealing previously uncharted areas of our nation’s unconscious.
Kramers Ergot #5	Chris Ware, Kevin Huizenga, Gabrielle Bell	Buenaventura Press	Kramers Ergot	$29.75 ($34.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Well, it's here. And what is the verdict? Success! KE5 is, in every way, a suitable successor to KE4. We feel quite confident in stating that everyone who enjoyed and/or appreciated KE4 will get at least as much out of KE5. Not only that, we'll go a step further and proclaim that many of those readers who were intrigued by KE4, but found it a bit "too out there" for their tastes, have an excellent chance of finding that KE5 -- with its addition of stand-out work by Gabrielle Bell, Kevin Huizenga, Chris Ware, and Dan Zettwoch -- has much to offer them, and represents a broader spectrum of comics than its predecessor. In addition, any fans of autobiographical comics may find that they have finally met their match in David Heatley's massive/micro magnum opus.
KRAZY AND IGNATZ: THE KOMPLETE KAT KOMICS 1925 & 1926	George Herriman, Chris Ware	Fantagraphics	Krazy & Ignatz	$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Designed by Chris Ware -- Finally! Picking up where the Eclipse/Turtle Island series left off in its attempt to collect the complete Krazy Kat Sunday strips, Fantagraphics picks up the fallen torch and once again we're off! Do your duty and buy each and every one of these sure-to-be-fabulous volumes as soon as they come off the press and thereby do your part to not only enrich your own soul, but to provide the much needed cash influx to keep this series going so that yet another generation can be exposed to Herriman's genius and that Krazy Kat! -- 120-page, 8-1/2" x 11" softcover B&W graphic album * ISBN 1-56097-386-2
ACME Novelty Library #16	Chris Ware		Acme Novelty Library	$12.75 ($15.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	This swellegant hardcover volume, the first produced solely under the auspices of Mr. Ware, is now comfortably nestled on our shelves. Through its pages, you can experience the 1970s childhoods of "Rusty" Brown and "Chalky" White, in all their pain filled and angst ridden glory. Produced in Ware's trademarked obsessive manner, this issue sees hints of new stylistic ironies as well as further classically based experimentation with the form. Not to be missed.
The Comics Journal Special Edition: Volume Two - Summer 2002	Bill Griffith, R. Crumb, Jaime Hernandez, Chris Ware and more ...	Fantagraphics		$7.47 ($22.95 list)
Read more and comment...	What's so great about this book? Well, just for starters, it was the 2003 Harvey Award Winner for the Best Anthology. It's 180 pages in all. The cover feature spotlight shines on master cartoonist Jim Woodring who turns in the fab cover painting you see here and who is the subject of two essays by Donald Phelps and Kenneth Smith respectively, as well as a new interview. Text-and-art features include an appreciation of the cartoonist W.E. Hill by Zippy creator Bill Griffith (with many examples of Hill's unique tabloid-sized Sunday pages in full color); "All Hail Jack Kent," an appreciation of King Aroo's creator written by indy comincs maven, Tom Devlin, that includes a rare look at the strip itself, in the form of a dozen full page, full color, high resolution scans of Sunday comics full-pagers; Timothy Kreider probes deeper into the cat cartoons of B. Kliban; an essay on French comics artist, Louis Trondheim by British comics critic, Paul Gravett; a bit of comics history by Robert Fiore wherein he explores "how Harvey Kurtzman and Al Capp succumbed to the 1960s;" and "Between Borders," a who's who in Mexican alternative graphic narrative, by Ernesto Priego. And then there's the comics. Hold onto your hats and check out the contributor list: Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Chris Ware, Michael Kupperman, James Sturm, Mary Fleener, P. Craig Russell (w/ Lovern Kindzierski), Penny Van Horn, Spain Rodriguez, Ron Regé, Jr., John Porcellino, Jordan Crane, David Collier, Peter Blegvad, Rick Geary, Rick Altergott, Johnny Ryan, Steven Weissman, Megan Kelso, Gerald Jablonski, Ted Jouflas, Roger Langridge, Tim Hensley, Justin Green, Mark Kalesniko, Carol Lay, Sam Henderson, Ho Che Anderson, Phoebe Gloeckner, Tony Millionaire, Frank Stack, Bill Griffith, Arnold Roth, Mark Martin, Ivan Brunetti, John Kerschbaum, Wilfred Santiago, Sherri Flenniken, Mack White, Carol Tyler, Victor Moscoso, and, yes, even R. Crumb, whose submission is an instant classic! But, most amazing of all is the price, of this, our first Depression Buster Bargain™!
Acme Novelty Library #19	Chris Ware	Drawn and Quarterly	Acme Novelty Library	$15.95 ($15.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Any among you who were anxious that Mr. Ware might choose to rest on his laurels and start "coasting" or "phoning it in" will have all their worries laid soundly to rest with this amazing volume. Yes, this is a continuation of the "Rusty" Brown saga, but right from the start it takes a quite unexpected turn, the full implications of which are not fully apparent until the conclusion of the volume, and even then will likely inspire considerable pondering on the part of the reader. The level of sophistication and nuance inhering to Ware's narrative strategy reaches new heights in this complex, multi-part and multi-layered work that is at once painfully embarrassing and deeply moving; a disturbing, fascinating and, finally, profound exploration of a callow nature and the genesis of an arrested development. Ware's mastery of the craft of comics clearly continues to grow as well, and is on full display here, particularly in the beautiful subtleties of the coloring and in the use of page layout to finesse the stories' pacing. In as much as one of the themes dealt with here is the 20th century American conflation of technology and the fantastic, it might be appropriate to describe Ware as creating a delicately constructed narrative feedback loop to inter-link the stories that constitute Acme Novelty Library 19, and thereby forge a single unified piece that pulses with living complexity, a method that carries with it an echo of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein -- the employment of mechanistic means to create an organic end -- which ushered in the conjunction of science and fiction. Suffice it to say that Chris Ware's talents continue to astound and amaze. (Also amazing and astounding is the fact that the price of this issue of Acme Novelty Library is less than that of the last two!) Now out of print. We only have a few remaining...
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)
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.
The Acme Novelty Library	Chris Ware	Pantheon		$13.75 ($27.50 list)
Read more and comment...	This startlingly well produced Big Book, the latest from the greatest full grown adult comics whiz kid, that literary minded artistic genius and graphic technician extraordinaire who possesses what could possibly be the most divided consciousness in a fully-functioning adult in the known world -- yes, that's right, Mr. Chris Ware -- collects material previously presented in the comics periodical Acme Novelty Library #7 & #15 (AKA Acme Novelty Big Book of Jokes #1 & #2 ) published by Fantagraphics, along with plenty of finely crafted, bruising new work with which it has been seamlessly integrated, all bundled together in an extravagant and exquisite oversize hardcover edition published by Pantheon Books. It pretty much goes without saying that this exquisite hardcover edition is a must for anyone interested in contemporary comics. A contender for the most densely packed volume in the history of printing -- there are more drawings and more text squeezed into every nook and cranny than any other book we can think of -- this is work that will rend the senses and boggle the mind. It comes shrinkwrapped to insure that the deluxe package remains unscathed until its owner deigns to unwrap it. Click at left to read our feature listing to learn more. NOW ON SALE FOR HALF PRICE!!!
Kramers Ergot #7	Dan Zettwoch, Frank Santoro, Chris Ware, Kevin Huizenga and more ...	Buenaventura Press	Kramers Ergot	$125.00 ($125.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	It's here! All we can say right now is, "WOW!" Sammy Harkham, Alvin Buenaventura and their cohorts have raised the bar once again with what must be considered as one of the most singular books in the history of comics. This volume of Kramers rolls back the hands of time by publishing a book that reproduces that magnificent size of the original Sunday comics of 100 years ago that we have been reacquainted with through the efforts of Sunday Press and their mind-boggling Little Nemo collections. Team Kramers has connected the dots and realized: "If they did it then, there's no reason why we can't do it now!" This volume presents all new work created specifically to be reproduced in the full-up, full-color, big-daddy, 16" x 21" format that will recapture the wonderful amazement of the glory days at the dawn of the comics era. The equally amazing renaissance that comics is currently undergoing will likely come to be symbolized in some fashion by this very volume. Kramers Ergot 7 is, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular works of comics ever published. Measuring a staggering 16" x 21", and containing all new, never before seen work that was commissioned specifically for this giant-size format, we will see today's top comic creators pulling out the stops for this rare chance to produce comics work on this scale. Here's a l of contributors: Rick Altergott, Gabrielle Bell, Jonathan Bennett, Blanquet, Blex Bolex, Conrad Botes, Shary Boyle, Mat Brinkman, John Brodowski, Ivan Brunetti, C.F., Chris Cilla, Jacob Ciocci, Dan Clowes, Martin Cendreda, Joe Daly, Kim Deitch, Matt Furie, Tom Gauld, Leif Goldberg, Matt Groening, John Hankiewicz, Sammy Harkham, Eric Haven, David Heatley, Tim Hensley, Jaime Hernandez, Walt Holcombe, Kevin Huizenga, J. Bradley Johnson, Ben Jones & Pshaw, Ben Katchor, Ted May, Geoff McFetridge, Jesse McManus, James McShane, Jerry Moriarty, Anders Nilsen, John Pham, Aapo Rapi, Ron Rege Jr., Xavier Robel, Helge Reumann, Ruppert & Mulot, Johnny Ryan, Richard Sala, Souther Salazar, Frank Santoro, Seth, Shoboshobo, Josh Simmons, Anna Sommer, Will Sweeney, Matthew Thurber, Adrian Tomine, C. Tyler, Chris Ware, and Dan Zettwoch. WOW! (This is no longer available from the publisher and we are almost out of our stock. As a result, we are no longer offering any discount. Sorry.)
McSweeney's #13	Mark Beyer, Ivan Brunetti, Kaz, Art Spiegelman and more ...	McSweeney's	McSweeney's	$20.00 ($24.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Finally, it's here: the most anticipated release of 2004 (so far). Striving for objet d'art status, McSweeney's 13 comes as close as any comics release to attaining it. Starting with a dust jacket that folds out into a two sided comics poster: the outer side featuring a dense full color, 360º narrative by editor and comics fiend, Chris Ware; the inner side featuring a vaguely ceremonial (think Mayan) worshipping of the idols of comics by Gary Panter. But there's more: tucked into the folds of this dust-jacket-cum-suitable-for-framing-wall-art are two mini-comics commissioned especially for this issue; one -- in full color -- by Ron Rege, Jr., and the other in B & W (as it should be) by long time mini-master, John Porcellino. And that's just the dust jacket! Moving on to the front and back binding plates (the hard covers beneath the dust jacket), we have a hundred or so images culled from a 1936 guide to cartooning separated by a lavishly embossed spine. The end papers are by Ivan Brunetti, and feature a wallpaper of minimalistic renditions of his personal comics and cartoon hall of fame. And, finally, there is the contents of the book itself. The subject of much speculation as to whether it would be reprints or newly commissioned work, the answer is... Both! About half and half, depending on how you look at it. Here's how it breaks down: Some of the work has appeared in non-comics periodicals, but is collected herein for the first time. Under this category are Mark Beyer, Ivan Brunetti, Kaz, Art Spiegelman (although his pieces are being reprinted everywhere at this point) and some of the pieces by Chris Ware. Straight out reprints are the inclusions by Charles Burns (although the frontispiece is new), Chester Brown, Debbie Drechsler, Jaime and Gilberto Hernandez, Mark Newgarden, Archer Prewitt, Joe Sacco, Richard Sala (newly colored, however), Seth, and Adrian Tomine. New to us -- and therefore, we imagine, new to you as well -- are the works by Lynda Barry, Jeffrey Brown, Dan Clowes, David Collier, R. Crumb, Kim Deitch, Julie Doucet, David Heatley, Ben Katchor, Joe Matt, Richard McGuire, Gary Panter, some of the Chris Ware, and of course the aforementioned dust-jacket and minis. In addition to all this contemporary work, there are selections of classic and archival work sprinkled throughout: First and foremost among these is a 15-page spread on "the inventor of comics," Rodolphe Töpfler, and his first appearance in America, introduced by Chris Ware; an 80% reproduction of an original 1922 Mutt and Jeff daily strip by Bud Fisher that takes four pages to display (which gives you an idea of how big they drew comics back then!); and a nine page spread on George Herriman, introduced by Tim Samuelson and featuring Herriman's last Krazy Kat dailies, also reproduced from the originals. And, as if this weren't enough, there are two appreciations by Chris Ware, one of the abstract-expressionist-turned-representational-painter-with-a-personal-affinity-for-comics-iconography, Philip Guston, and the other of Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz. In addition there is a critical appreciation of comics from John Updike, and nostalgiac/elegiac remembrances of comics related experiences by Glen David Gold, Malachi Cohen, and Chip Kidd. The volume opens with a preface from Ira Glass, followed by an introduction by Chris Ware, who, when all is said and done, is clearly more than simply the editor of this work. This is a great piece, especially when you consider it's primary purpose: preaching to the unconverted, those countless, teeming millions out there in America and beyond who don't locate the foundation of their identity in comics. With this volume, McSweeney's begins a new ambitious distribution arrangement with Publisher's Group West in the USA and Penguin Books in the UK; thereby bringing their publications before a great many more potential readers. They couldn't have chosen a better volume to initiate this venture. Let's wish them luck.
In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists	Todd Hignite, R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Gary Panter and more ...	Yale University Press		$17.77 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	WOW!!! It's here and it's a dream come true. Founding editor of Comic Art magazine, Todd Hignite has given us an elegant, oversize, beautifully produced, 320 page hardcover book that takes you into the studio and collections of today's top independent cartoonists. Featuring tons (499, to be exact) of reproductions of the highest quality, depicting the original art, personal collections and physical environs of R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Gary Panter, Charles Burns, Jaime Hernandez, Dan Clowes, Seth, Chris Ware and Ivan Brunetti side by side with extensive interviews with the creators themselves, this is a book to savor. Todd Hignite is a passionate, intelligent and articulate defender of comics. His concise introductions to each of the assembled artists are examplary, and the introductory overiew with which he opens the book is an eloquent and perspicacious presentation of the richly complex significance of the art and practice of comics. Recommended! NOW 40% OFF! A real treasure, for less.
ACME Novelty Datebook: Volume Two, 1995-1999	Chris Ware	Drawn and Quarterly		$34.95 ($39.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Chris Ware sez: "Straggling behind the mild 2003 success of cartoonist Chris Ware's first facsimile collection of his miscellaneous sketches, notes, and adolescent fantasies arrives this second volume, updating weary readers with the last ten years of Ware's clichéd and outmoded insights. Working directly in pen and ink, watercolor, and white-out whenever he makes a mistake, Ware has cannily edited out all legally sensitive and personally incriminating material from his private journals, carefully recomposing each page to simulate the appearance of an ordered mind and established aesthetic directive. All phone numbers, references to ex-girlfriends, "false starts," and embarrassing experiments with unfamiliar drawing media have been generously excised to present the reader with the most pleasant and colorful sketchbook reading experience available. Included are Ware's frustrated doodles for his book covers, angry personal assaults on friends, half-finished comic strips, lengthy and tiresome fulminations of personal disappointments both social and sexual, as well as his now-beloved drawings of the generally miserable inhabitants of the city of Chicago. All in all, a necessary volume for fans of fine art, water-based media, and personal diatribe. Hardcover, attractively designed, and easy to resell."
ACME Novelty Library 18	Chris Ware	Drawn and Quarterly	Acme Novelty Library	$17.95 ($17.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	The 2007 Chris Ware trifecta is now complete(see below). Ring out the year immersed in these fine-tuned renderings of early 21st century urban angst. Chris sez: "In keeping with his athletic goal of issuing a volume of his occasionally lauded ACME series once every new autumn, volume 18 finds cartoonist Chris Ware abandoning the engaging serialization of his "Rusty Brown" and instead focusing upon his ongoing and more experimentally grim narrative, 'Building Stories.' Collecting pages unseen except in obscure alternative weekly periodicals and sophisticated expensive coffee table magazines, The ACME Novelty Library #18 re-introduces the characters which New York Times readers found "dry" and "deeply depressing" when one chapter of the work (not included here) was presented in its pages during 2005 and 2006. Set in a Chicago apartment building more or less in the year 2000, the stories move from the straightforward to the mnemonically complex, invading character's memories and personal ambitions with a text point size likely unreadable to human beings over the age of 45. Reformatted to accommodate this different material, readers will be pleased by the volume's vertical shape and tasteful design, which, unlike Ware's earlier volumes, should discreetly blend into any stack or shelf of real books."
The Acme Novelty Datebook, 1986 - 1995	Chris Ware	Drawn and Quarterly		$39.95 ($39.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Acme Novelty Datebook 1986-1995 by Chris Ware 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. The Acme Novelty Datebook ISBN 1-896597-66-1 hardcover ; 6 x 9 208 pp, 4-color NOW OUT OF PRINT AND OUT OF STOCK (we're trying to find a copy or two...)
Acme Novelty Library #17	Chris Ware	ACME Novelty Library		$15.00 ($16.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Well, how about that? Just about exactly one year after number 16, here's number 17 -- right on schedule! This is, as all Chris Ware devotees doubtless already know, another carefully crafted hardcover from the master himself that contains the next chapter in the sordid saga of Rusty Brown; or as Mr. Ware himself puts it: "Continuing with the second half of the introduction to his shamelessly meandering graphic novel “Rusty Brown” (which began last issue at a private school in the 1970s midwest) the six-sided crystal suggested by the exegisis of the first installment is slowly turned and examined in mid-morning winter sunlight sometime between the bell of first period and the conclusion of lunch for the first through the fourth grades. Also included are more thorough examinations of many of the main characters’ cloudy motivations, personal habits, and favorite restaurants, to say nothing of the small dust mote around which they have coalesced and the complications in its life due to the acquisition of superpowers sometime the night before." Where else can one so fully revisit the fullness of childhood pain in such finely rendered depictions of the horrors of growing up, wallow in such luxurious self-loathing, and experience such exquisite quivers of self-laceration but in the pages of the Acme Novelty Library. Back-up bonuses: the tales of "Branford, the Best Bee in the World" and "Will We Be Alive in the Year 2005?"
The Acme Novelty Library #18.5	Chris Ware	Drawn and Quarterly		$28.75 ($32.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	(aka “The New Yorker” portfolio) Chris sez: "This print portfolio, somewhat hedgingly entitled The ACME Novelty Library, No. 18.5, contains all four 'Thanksgiving' covers drawn by cartoonist and cultural commentator F. C. Ware for the November 27th, 2006 issue of The New Yorker, as well as the additional fifth comic strip which heretofore only appeared in digital form, all carefully printed in full color at an oversized 15" x 20” size on heavy paper and folded in half for easy recycling. As if this wasn’t dreary enough, included is a new supplementary folded comic strip, measuring 16” x 11,” which is also folded in half. The consumer is asked to carefully weigh whether purchase of this object is truly necessary, and to act accordingly."
The Best American Comics 2007	Jeffrey Brown, John Porcellino, Gabrielle Bell, Adrian Tomine and more ...	Houghton Mifflin	Best American	$19.75 ($22.00 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Chris Ware From Lynda Barry to Dan Zettwoch and everything inbetween, this volume provides us with a a fabulous selection of excellent comics in an attractive well produced package at an affordable price. While -- as Chris Ware makes eminently clear in his excellent introduction -- it is certainly hard to make any sort of definitive argument that these are "the best" American comics of 2007, we are quite confident that no Copacetic customer will be disappointed with the 340 pages of comics herein assembled. It is true that some may find that they already own much of what appears here, but few if any will have read it all and most will discover exciting new work and be introduced to talented comics creators. Among the amazing contributors you will find, Alison Bechdel, Gabrielle Bell, Jeffrey Brown, Ivan Brunetti, Charles Burns, C.F., Robert, Aline and Sophie Crumb, Kim Deitch, Sammy Harkham, Gilbert Hernandez, Kevin Huizenga, Anders Nilsen, Gary Panter, Paper Rad, John Porcellino, Ron Regé Jr., Seth, Art Spiegelman, Adrian Tomnie, Carol Tyler and more (whew!)

Mon - Thu	11 - 5
Fri & Sat	11 - 7
Sun	12 - 4