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Jason Lutes




Title Creator Publisher Series Price
The Best American Comics 2009 Doug Allen, Peter Bagge, Gabrielle Bell, Matt Broersma and more ... Houghton Mifflin Best American $20.00
($22.95 list)
Bestcomics2009
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.
Rosetta 2: A Comics Anthology Paul Pope, Craig Thompson, Jason Lutes, R. Sikoryak and more ... $14.95
($19.95 list)
Rosetta02
Read more and comment... 		For readers of McSweeney's 13 looking to cast a wider net, this great 264-page anthology (with 48 pages in full color) might be the ticket.  There are some exceptional new works premiering here, including a beautifully rendered mythological fable by Craig Thompson; a very interesting (think early Spiegelman) Matt Madden that is quite probably his most challenging work to date; a Jason Lutes piece that is his first non-Berlin work in quite awhile (and it's quite good); R. Sikoryak's take on the funny pages (which is very, very funny); two short pieces by Paul Pope; a nifty Jason; and a truly amazing breakthrough piece from Michael Kupperman.  In addition to this, there's a great deal of work from Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.  All between covers by Peter Kuper and Megan Kelso.  Check it out!
Berlin, Book Two: City of Smoke Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly $17.77
($19.99 list)

Read more and comment... 		The long awaited second book of Berlin, collecting issue #9 - #16 of the series, is at last available. 
Houdini, The Handcuff King Jason Lutes, Nick Bertozzi Hyperion $15.00
($16.99 list)
Houdini
Read more and comment... 		The first in a series of comics biographies of popular figures from off the beaten path of American history that is currently being produced under the aegis of The Center for Cartoon Studies, Houdini, The Handcuff King is a 96-page hardcover volume that amply demonstrates the capacity of comics to clearly and concisely tell a powerful  tale -- in this case, about the greatest escape artist who ever lived, Harry Houdini.The story unfolds on a single day, 1 May 1908, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and every effort is made to capture the era in which it takes place. This is a task for which comics are eminently suitable, provided the practitioners take proper care; and the evidence of this volume makes it clear that Lutes and Bertozzi have done their homework. All the visual details are in order, from the uniforms of the policemen which oversee the drama to the architecture of the buildings amidst which the action is staged; from the handcuffs which are used to bound Houdini to the handbills that are used to promote him; and from the horse drawn carriages that carry Mrs. Houdini to her appointed task to the telephones, elevators, flashpowder illuminations and pocket watches that propel the story forward -- all are realistically rendered, immersing the reader in a vivid experience of the magic of this particular moment in American history. An appendix containing several pages of annotations to more fully flesh out the historical context and a bibliography for those who feel inspired to pursue the story further are also provided. An engaging read for all ages, this volume is especially suitable for getting reluctant readers interested in learning more about the history of American culture. Based on the evidence of this fine work, we find ourselves eagerly anticipating the next volume in the series, devoted to Satchel Paige, one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Berlin #13 Jason Lutes Drawn and Quarterly $3.55
($3.95 list)
Berlin_13
Read more and comment... 		The saga continues...