The Copacetic Comics Company Julie Doucet

Julie Doucet

Quebéc native, Julie Doucet est La Femme Terriblé of comics, Canadian and otherwise. Pyschotic, scatological, mono-maniacal and ink-stained, her comics are in a league of their own. Initially inspired to produce comics by the early self-published work of fellow Canadian, Chester Brown, Ms. Doucet embarked on a series of comics work where no holds were barred and no punches pulled. Self examination was the order of the day, and while it was Julie's own self that was plumbed to its deep dark depths, all of us who went along for the ride found that the magic searchlight of her art illuminated our own inner demons as well. A few comics artists have lived in her artistic neighborhood: the aforementioned Chester Brown during the eighties, R. Crumb during the late sixties and Kaz, being the most notable who come to mind.

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
Long TIme Relationship - signed hardcover	Julie Doucet	Drawn and Quarterly		$50.00 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This is a brand new, uncirculated copy of the signed and numbered edition, originally released in July 2001. It is #304 / 400.
My New New York Diary: A Film Book	Michel Gondry, Julie Doucet	PictureBox		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	And here's another new one from PictureBox. In 2008, Gondry contacted Doucet with a film proposal. Involving a unique hybrid of still, unanimated drawings, and live action filming, Gondry and Doucet worked together to try to make something new, and they have: this is an equally unique film-book (or, book-film?). An 80-page hardcover complete with DVD of the entire film that resulted from Doucet and Gondry's collaboration, which is small, personal film that is a unique hybrid of drawing, animation and live-action that runs about 20 minutes.
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.
My Most Secret Desire	Julie Doucet	Drawn and Quarterly		$16.95 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Back in print, at last, this, perhaps our favorite of Ms. Doucet's collections, is presented here in an elegant hardcover edition that is in every way superior to the original of ten years ago, yet, amazingly, is priced less! Those crazy kids at Drawn & Quarterly -- how do they do it? For those of you who don't know what the fuss is about, Julie Doucet is one of the select torch bearers of the surrealistic confessional school of comics. This volume is dominated by graphic recountings of her vivid dreams, many of which center on her unconscious relationship with that most intimate aspect of the male anatomy. Doucet's intuitive grasp of the symbolic capacities of comics enables her to give lucid -- occasionally unnerving, often hilarious -- visual signification to the stress, anxiety, fear and loathing which are an all too familiar part of our lives.
Elle-Humour	Julie Doucet	PictureBox		$17.77 ($40.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This is a visually sumptuous 6" x 8" hardcover designed by Dan Nadel and published by Picturebox, who have described it as an "amalgamation of drawing, painting, and narrative (which) is a visionary meditation on love, life, and luggage." Running 144 pages, this "mass-produced artists’ book" is unique among the books we carry in that the images are all printed on only one side of each sheet of heavy cream colored stock which is then folded around in a sort of saddle stitched accordion binding, making for a presentation that stands out. While casual readers may not have an easy time figuring out exactly what's on Doucet's mind here, long time fans are sure to apopreciate this elegent and respectful treatment of her more difficult and personal work. And, to help those hesitant among you, we're prepared to meet you half way with a very special price.
365 Days: A Diary	Julie Doucet	Drawn and Quarterly		$25.75 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	An especially nicely put together D & Q volume, this one is sure to be a thrill for all long-suffering fans of Doucet's comics work, who have been hoping for a new book to dig their teeth into for quite a while now. The wait is over, and how! A cover to cover Quebecois production -- written, drawn, edited, designed, published and printed in North America's little piece of France -- 365 Days: A Diary is Doucet délibéré. Think of it: 365 one-page diary strips, a year in the life of Julie, one page at a time, all rendered in pen and ink on paper in Ms. Doucet's mature, subtractive, expressionistic take on the ligne clare style. If you are unfamiliar with her work, do yourself a favor and check out this 5-page preview.
Cult Fiction: Art and Comics	Julie Doucet, Paul Gravett, Marcel Dzama, Laylah Ali and more ...	Hayward Gallery Publishing		$27.50 ($30.00 list)
Read more and comment...	The catalogue for the exhibition of the same name co-curated by Kim L Pace and Emma Mahony, and currently touring Britain through 2008, this lushly printed oversize volume includes an excellent introductory essay by noted comics critic, Paul Gravett and contains 123 illustrations of the varoius ways comics and art interact by the likes of Robert Crumb, Dan Clowes, Marcel Dzama, Debbie Dreschler, Kiloffer, Joe Sacco, Julie Doucet, Kerry James Marshall, Raymond Pettibone, Mark Kalesniko, Melinda Gebbie, and quite a few others. Also included are the reproductions of the 27 artists' questionnaires -- made up of six business card sized rectangles, each with a question on one side and a blank space for the answer on the other -- as completed by each of the contributing artists. Makes for fun and fascinating reading. A nice contribution to the growing discourse. Sound interesting? Learn more at Paul Gravett's link-packed page devoted to this book.
The Ganzfeld 5: Japanada	Yuichi Yokoyama, Marc Bell, Julie Doucet, Dan Nadel and more ...	PictureBox	The Ganzfeld	$25.00 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Dan Nadel w/ Marc Bell & Yuki Minami You'll want to strap yourself in before cracking open the latest issue of The Ganzfeld, as the going gets going and doesn't stop until it's solid gone, and things get so far out you might wonder where it is you've gotten to. Well, the answer, if you haven't already guessed, is, of course: Japanada! The artists featured in this issue all hail from either Japan or Canada -- hence the title -- and the end result could be seen as an imaginary island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but we'll assert here that it would be more accurately described as representing a heretofore unexplored province of the mind; more a state of mind than a place on a map. This volume invites you to get away from the restrictive conformity of life in these United States and take a walk on the wild shores of Japanada where anything goes. Here you'll find artistic risk taking the like of which you aren't likely to find between any other two covers. You'll discover new and daring works by (from Japan): Saseo Ono, Shigeru Sugiura, Keiichi Tanaami, King Terry, Eye Yamatsuka, Misaki Kawui, Yuichi Yokoyama; (and from Canada) Julie Doucet, Bobo Boutin & Dominique Pétrin, "the All-Star Schnauzer Band", Tommy Lacroix, Amy Lockhart, Owen Plummer & Andrew Dick, Scott Evans, Mark Connery and Shayne Ehman. Each artist's work is prefaced by a short - or not so short -- essay to help get the reader up to speed and ready to confront the artistic frenzies of Japanada.

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