The Copacetic Comics Company James Kochalka

James Kochalka

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
Retrofit Comics #1: Fungus	James Kochalka	Retrofit Comics	Retrofit Comics	$4.00 ($5.00 list)
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.
The Best American Comics 2010	Neil Gaiman, R. Crumb, David Mazzucchelli, Carol Tyler and more ...	Houghton Mifflin	Best American	$20.00 ($23.00 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Neil Gaiman This time around, editor Gaiman provides a selection that is heavy on excerpts of graphic novels rather than self-contained works. His picks include, as one would expect, the most celebrated works of last year: R. Crumb's Book of Genesis and David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp.; but there are some surprises, as well. In fact, the book starts out with the biggest surprise of all: and actual Marvel Comic! But wait – hold on, it's not what you think. It's an excerpt from the seventh issue of the Omega the Unknown limited series that was later collected in book form. Written by Jonathan Lethem, this excerpt starts off with the sequence that was drawn by none other than Gary Panter. One can readily see how irresistible this choice was: how could you not include what may very well be the only Marvel comic ever drawn by Gary Panter? Other excerpted works include: the completely necessary Acme Novelty #19; the off-the-radar-for-many, Citizen Rex by Gilbert and Mario Hernandez; Lilli Carré's The Lagoon (Carré was also selected for this year's Best Non-Required Reading); Josh Neufeld's docu-comic, A.D: New Orleans after the Deluge; Carol Tyler's ongoing masterpiece, You'll Never Know; Derf's Punk Rock and Trailer Parks, which we've been trying to convince people to read since it came out; and several others. Every reader of this volume is sure to pursue the purchase – or at least perusal – of at least one of these works in its entirety, and there are bound to be a few who will want them all. In addition to these excerpts from these graphic novels, there are plenty of short pieces by the like of Ben Katchor, James Kochalka, Peter Kuper, Jesse Reklaw and Gabrielle Bell. Worthy of singling out, is the excellent 14-page "Trinity," by the sorely under-appreciated Michael Cho (who also executed this volume's cover), that originally appeared in the relatively obscure Taddle Creek, and so ran the risk of being missed by most, and so is perhaps Gaiman's single best call. And, finally, we can't go without mentioning that we are happy that a selection from Copacetic favorite, Capacity, by Theo Ellsworth, is also on hand in this volume, and, not only that, but Ellsworth was commissioned to produce original endpapers for this volume as well, providing a visual treat to its opening and closing. This series continues to be a great way to introduce the uninitiated to the wide world of comics, and makes an excellent gift.
Conversation #1	Craig Thompson, James Kochalka	Top Shelf		$4.44 ($4.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Speak of the devil! Here they are again: Kochalka and Thompson. This time, however, they present their first ever collaboration; and it's an interesting one. In forty-eight 5" x 5" pages -- each co-written and co-drawn by both Kochalka and Thompson -- Conversation discovers yet another use for comics: that of carrying on the classical form of the dialogue, in the tradition of Socrates and Confucius. While the level of the dialogue in Conversation might not quite reach the hallowed heights of the founders of the form, it nevertheless represents a successful translation of the form's essentials, and provides a glimpse of what comics can bring to the table. Recommended!
American Elf: The Collected Sketchbook Diaries of James Kochalka, October 26, 1998 to December 31, 2003	James Kochalka	Top Shelf		$23.95 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	THUD! That's the sound this book makes when dropped on the table top or night stand where it will inevitably reside. It's a big, fat book, and it will take awhile to go through it. This volume collects all four of the original sketchbook diaries, PLUS a whole extra year, AND has a bonus 32 page (16 in the front, and 16 in the back) color supplement of all new material. The Sketchbook Diaries are a unique work and this collection is a great value. To learn more, visit our Kochalka Sketchbook Diary Page.
Conversation #2	Jeffrey Brown, James Kochalka			$4.44 ($4.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The follow up to last year's Conversation between Kochalka and Craig Thompson, this time around it's a veritable clash of the titans as Brown and Kochalka square off and then go around and around round after round on the subject of a life of comics as work as a job as a meaning of life in comics. The question of whether comics are more properly defined as shit or vomit is parsed as well, with Kochalka and Brown taking up opposite positions on the matter. It's clear that Kochalka dominates the debate, but Brown gets in a few good ones in this combination pen & ink slug fest/Socratic dialogue. It's a good idea for a comic book and so far so good. We're looking forward to the next installment.
Super F*ckers #273 (#2, actually)	James Kochalka			$4.50 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Never one to shy away from taking creative risks, Mr. Kochalka seems to be letting his id take the driver's seat this time around. Putatively a super hero series, Super Fckers* is a look at Kochalka's "inner teen." Body functions, sexual identity confusion and its relationship to religion all take a turn at the wheel. It's weird and whacky, but it's plugged into the zeitgeist: informed by the Milligan/Allred X-Statix series from Marvel on the one hand, and the work of Paper Rad and Fort Thunder on the other. The best part about it is that's in full color, and Kochalka is starting to to experiment a bit with his options in this area. Let's hope he pushes it a bit more; perhaps taking some tips from Marc Bell and Souther Salazar. Quirky and occasionally grating, but fun: it's a comic book.
Super F*ckers	James Kochalka			$5.00 ($7.00 list)
Read more and comment...	James seems to us to be venting some personal frustrations in this angry comic book about a group of super heroes that very strongly resembles the 1960s era Legion of Super-Heroes... only this time around the team members are angry, drug-taking, constantly swearing psychos who only seem to fight amongst themselves. Full color throughout!
The Cute Manifesto	James Kochalka			$17.95 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	James lays it all on the line in this one, as he let's fly with his most deeply held beliefs: on the state of existence, the meaning of life and its relation to death and the hows and whys of everything (along with a few more mundane topics such as the relationship between craft and art); and on how it all relates to that subject most dear to him -- comics! Kochalka naysayers beware: in The Cute Manifesto he actually manages to successfully address some substantial issues and make some fairly interesting observations; both in comics and about comics. Long time Kochalka readers will be familiar with some of the material here as it previously appeared in now out of print comics; and hard core Kochalka fans will have read almost all of it as most of the rest was previously released in a couple of mini-comics that Kochalka self-published and sold at shows. But for the rest of us, this 168-page volume is all new, and -- despite its relatively hefty price tag -- well worth the while of anyone who enjoys pushing the boundaries of comics and exploring the universe through line on paper.
American ELf: Book Three	James Kochalka	Top Shelf		$17.77 ($19.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Yes, it's true: two years have passed and here we are ready for another hefty dose of the day-in-day-out life of the burgeoning Kochalka clan. This volume collects all the daily online diary strips for 2006 & 2007, once again in full color.
Peanutbutter and Jeremy's Best Book Ever!	James Kochalka	Alternative Comics		$13.75 ($14.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The corrected edition of this hefty 275 page collection of cat and crow is now on the Copacetic shelves. This volume contains all of the previously published PB&J tales from the PB&J comic books 1 - 4, plus well over 100 pages of new, never before seen PB&J comics! All for a reasonable price tag.
Fancy Froglin’s Sexy Forest	James Kochalka	Alternative Comics		$9.99 ($12.95 list)
Read more and comment...	by James Kochalka Only Kochalka could produce a book like this and get away with it; and not only that, but get it printed in a full color, glossy, squarebound edition. What is it, exactly? Well, basically, it takes the implicit sexuality of the funny animal genre and makes it explicit. Sort of. There's no pornography here, but rather overt, undisguised sexuality. Yes, it's pretty bizarre, but it is instructive in that it addresses the issue of funny animal sexuality (and its corollary, childhood sexuality) in a manner that seems entirely uninfluenced by Crumb, whose interpretation seems to have been taken as the last word on the subject by too many. It is an intriguing if somewhat disturbing book. Needless to say, it is not appropriate for children.
American Elf: Volume 2, 2004 - 2005 The Collected Sketchbook Diaries Of James Kochalka	James Kochalka	Top Shelf		$16.95 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	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.
Super F*ckers #4	James Kochalka	Top Shelf		$4.50 ($5.00 list)
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Mon - Thu	11 - 5
Fri & Sat	11 - 7
Sun	12 - 4