The Copacetic Comics Company Seth

Seth

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
Nancy	Seth, John Stanley	Drawn and Quarterly	The John Stanley Library	$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Drawn and Quarterly continues their long held dream to present the works of John Stanley in deluxe, Seth-designed volumes. Pretty much everything we said about the premiere volume in this series, Melvin Monster, holds true for this one, and then some!
Melvin Monster	John Stanley, Seth	Drawn and Quarterly	The John Stanley Library	$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Drawn & Quarterly launches their long held dream project of a John Stanley Library with this lush, Seth-designed hardcover volume containing 112 pages of full color comics – all scanned from the original comic books, for that collector frisson (all that's missing is the smell) – that originally comprised the first three issues of the 1965 Dell series. Seth has lavished his designer attentions on this book and it is another fine fetish-worthy volume. Not sure if Melvin Monster is for you (or, perhaps, a child near you)? Well then, just take a moment out of your busy day to peruse this full color preview and see what you think.
George Sprott	Seth	Drawn and Quarterly		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Earlier this month we lauded Seth's design of the first volume of the collected Doug Wright as being, "without any doubt, Seth's crowning achievement as a book designer." We are now, in the wake of George Sprott, forced to add to that comment the qualifier, "working with material other than his own," for with this lavishly produced, spectacularly sized (12" x 14"), and yet modestly priced volume, Seth has taken his design to another level by integrating book design deep into the fabric of his work; to such a degree that the apprehension and full appreciation of the material is inseparable from it. George Sprott is simultaneously a character study, a historical saga, and a cultural analysis, but most of all it is a comics feast prepared by one of today's top cartoonist's operating at the height of his powers. Make sure you check out this preview. This is one book you don't want to miss!
The Collected Doug Wright – Canada's Master Cartoonist: 1949 - 1962	Doug Wright, Seth, Brad Mackay	Drawn and Quarterly		$35.00 ($39.95 list)
Read more and comment...	• edited by Seth and Brad Mackay • This book is, without any doubt, Seth's crowning achievement as a book designer. Into it he, and co-conspirator Brad Mackay, have poured all their enthusiasm for their subject. To say that Doug Wright is the Charles Schulz of Canada is not fair to either party, but as this comparison is alluded to in the book's introduction it serves to give some idea how high the regard is for Wright and his work among those who appreciate his work. Unlike Schulz, who has ever been before our eyes in death as in life, Wright has effectively faded from sight. Thus, in order to forcefully revivify his corpus, dramatic measures are called for, and this volume is nothing if not dramatic. The cover is – with the exception of a die-cut oval in the upper center revealing an embossed portrait of "Nipper," Wright's most famous creation – a solid wraparound of glossy metallic ruby red, making look like the gift to its readers that it is clearly intended to be, as well as boldly announcing the retinal reverb in red that is this volume's central design motif. It measures a regal 11" x 15", runs 240 pages printed in full color and black & white as called for, and is designed with a flair that simply must be seen up close and personal to truly appreciate (a meager simulacra of its aesthetic pleasures may be had here.). Evidently, while the work contained in this volume brings tears of nostalgic joy to its Anglophone Canadian creators, it brings tears of anger to at least one Canadian(?) of Francophone persuasion, whose piece while reeking of sour grapes nevertheless provides some interesting historical context in which to view the work on display here. We'll go on record as finding this collection to be a true joy to behold that is in no way dependent on one's opinion (or, indeed, of the fact) of the lasting value of the work it collects: this volume stands on its own by the simple fact that its design and presentation so effectively embodies its creators' reverence for Wright and his work.
Clyde Fans: Book 1	Seth	Drawn and Quarterly		$16.95 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Speaking of Seth, here is his first book length volume since It's A Good Life, If You Don't Weaken. This opening volume of Clyde Fans presents the story of two brothers' five decades of life as small-time businessmen. Loneliness and depression are the watch words here, but don't let that deter you: This is another beautifully designed and superbly produced hardcover volume from Drawn & Quarterly; featuring high quality duotone printing throughout, it's truly a wonder how they do it for such a reasonable price. You gotta hand it to these Canadians!
Wimbledon Green	Seth	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Sub-titled, "The Greatest Comic Book Collector in the World," this is a book that will be as appealing to long time comic fans for its endearing portrait of the obsessive collector mindset as it will be to the general reader with its entertaining story and cast of characters. And the production of this book is a delight for the senses. You really have to pick it up and hold it in your hands to fully appreciate what a fine job they did with this one. Seth has clearly been absorbing the work of his peers as well as his precursors and is finally moving beyond his trademark schtick of melancholy loners -- although he's certainly not abandoning it, as it permeates this work as well, only now it's moved below the surface. The dense repetitive layouts of Chris Ware are here combined with the device pioneered by Dan Clowes in the last two issues of Eightball of creating a crazy quilt narrative of a series of sequentially juxtaposed short pieces. Within this structural framework Seth has built an entertaining narrative that is highly reminiscent of some of the classic Uncle Scrooge tales by Carl Barks as well as the longer Little Lulu and Tubby adventures by John Stanley. In other words: If you like comics, you'll like Wimbledon Green.
Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories: Volume Two	Maurice Vellekoop, Carol Tyler, Harvey Pekar/R.Crumb, Kevin Huizenga and more ...	Yale University Press		$25.00 ($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.
McSweeney's #13	Lynda Barry, Adrian Tomine, Seth, Kim Deitch 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.

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Fri & Sat	11 - 7
Sun	12 - 4