The Copacetic Comics Company Hyperion

Hyperion

Title	Creator	Publisher	Price
Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean	Sarah Stewart Taylor, Ben Towle	Hyperion	$15.95 ($17.99 list)
Read more and comment...	The fourth volume in the acclaimed series of comics biographies for younger readers produced under the auspices of The Center for Cartoon Studies, provides its first female subject, and we have to applaud their choice. Who better embodies the rugged individualism, the bold daring, and the fantasy of flight that we associate with comics books than Amelia Earhart? This Broad Ocean focuses on Earhart's successful 1928 crossing of The Atlantic Ocean, and young readers have a surrogate in the character of Grace, a sort of self-appointed cub reporter for the small, coastal Newfoundland village of Trepassey, from whence Earhart departed on her history-making (herstory-making?) trans-Atlantic solo-flight, and that is the setting for much of the story. Anyone looking to provide some inspiration and encouragement to a young reader should consider this volume, along with all the rest in the series.
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow (softcover)	James Sturm, Rich Tommaso	Hyperion	$8.88 ($9.99 list)
Read more and comment...	This is the second -- after Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi's Harry Houdini: The Handcuff King, released about six months back -- in the ongoing series of young adult comics biographies being produced under the auspices of The Center for Cartoon Studies. Satchel Paige is another striking exemplar of the humble yet heroic character that captures what is best about America. Sturm is the head of CCS for a reason: he knows how to employ the language of comics to do what comics does best: tell stories and show character. Paige comes alive on the page as the reader gets to see his life unfold from a number of different perspectives, each offering a different facet of Paige's character and career. But that's only half the story. The heart of this work is the darkness of the Jim Crow south, and the generations long struggle of the descendents of slaves for self respect and self determination in a world dominated and controlled by the descendents of masters. Sturm and Tommaso show us that Satchel Paige, in addition to being a phenomenal athlete, provided a beacon to those looking for a way out of their horrible bind, and that this was perhaps his greatest legacy. Learn all about it on this CCS hosted page designed for educators who want to use this work to teach the kids today a thing or two about what's gone before. (softcover edition)
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow	James Sturm, Rich Tommaso	Hyperion	$15.00 ($16.99 list)
Read more and comment...	This is the second -- after Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi's Harry Houdini: The Handcuff King, released about six months back -- in the ongoing series of young adult comics biographies being produced under the auspices of The Center for Cartoon Studies. Satchel Paige is another striking exemplar of the humble yet heroic character that captures what is best about America. Sturm is the head of CCS for a reason: he knows how to employ the language of comics to do what comics does best: tell stories and show character. Paige comes alive on the page as the reader gets to see his life unfold from a number of different perspectives, each offering a different facet of Paige's character and career. But that's only half the story. The heart of this work is the darkness of the Jim Crow south, and the generations long struggle of the descendents of slaves for self respect and self determination in a world dominated and controlled by the descendents of masters. Sturm and Tommaso show us that Satchel Paige, in addition to being a phenomenal athlete, provided a beacon to those looking for a way out of their horrible bind, and that this was perhaps his greatest legacy. Learn all about it on this CCS hosted page designed for educators who want to use this work to teach the kids today a thing or two about what's gone before. hardcover:
Thoreau at Walden	John Porcellino	Hyperion	$15.25 ($16.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Thoreau & Porcellino: a perfect match if there ever was one! We have nothing but good things to say about this, the third volume in the Center of Cartoon Studies series of American Biography in Comics. Printed in brown and black ink, this new hardcover book is a fantastic intro to the life and works of Henry David Thoreau and makes for a transporting read. Porcellino had extracted the key quotes from Walden (along with a few from Civil Disobedience, for good measure) and then given them plenty of space to breath in the reader's mind, as the gently paced visuals flow across the page and work to capture the deliberate and gradual rhythms of Thoreau's day to day existence, which is to say real life, as it is lived: the practical realization of his philosophy, in comics.
Houdini, The Handcuff King	Jason Lutes, Nick Bertozzi	Hyperion	$15.00 ($16.99 list)
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.