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Top Shelf

Top Shelf, that spunky young upstart from Georgia, is publishing a unique blend of independent comics work from North America, the UK , Australia, and New Zealand. We're pleased to be able to offer their trade publications at 15%- 20% below retail, as well as a selection of their comics for 10% off.


Title Creator Publisher Series Price
Night Animals Brecht Evens Top Shelf $7.50
($7.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Night Animals contains two lushly rendered sequences of pantomimic pen and ink drawings employing monochromatic color schemes, each relating a revealing insight into humanity's animal nature.  Equally informed by Maurice Sendack and David B., this 2007 work by the Belgian creator of the highly lauded 2010 release (and official 2011 Angoulême International Comics Festival selection), The Wrong Place, finally gets a chance to wow North American comics readers, courtesy of Top Shelf Publications, who put together a classy French-flapped edition employing an excellent paper stock.  A mere 24 years old, Evens is clearly a comics prodigy from whom we have every reason to believe much more is to come.  A brief word of caution is in order for potential readers of this particular work:  while the image that graces this volume has a whimsical air about it, the work it previews is at its core an unsettling cautionary tale tinged with darkness. BACK IN STOCK!
Hey, Mister: The Fall Collection Pete Sickman-Garner Top Shelf $5.95
($12.95 list)
Heymisterfall
Read more and comment... 		You want funny?  Look no further:  This book will make you laugh.  Like Peter Bagge's Hate, but smarter and more brutal in its judgments on this dysfunctional society of ours, and with a distinctive flavor all its own, this is a comic for people who see past the façade as a matter of course.  Hey, Mister takes sarcasm to new heights.  It makes us think of the Monty Python episode, the "Piranha Brothers," in which a fearful and trembling thug played by Michael Palin relates how Doug Piranha was the most terrifying gangster he had ever encountered because of the deft manner in which, "he used... sarcasm." And the bitterness, oh, the bitterness!  The Fall Collection is the Guernica of bitterness.  This volume is without doubt the best (and, sadly, the last; at least to date) Hey, Mister collection.  Work-a-day America has never been stripped so completely naked as in these pages.  Now available for an amazing price! 
AX: Alternative Manga - Vol. One Kazuichi Hanawa, Takashi Nemoto, Imiri Sakabashira, Yoshihiro Tatsumi and more ... Top Shelf $18.88
($29.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		<<•>>  edited by Sean Michael Wilson  <<•>>  This much anticipated anthology of manga from off the beaten path premiered at SPX and is now on our shelves.  It weighs in at a substantial 400 pages and contains the work of 33 artists, including the recognized figures, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Imiri Sakabashira, Takashi Nemoto and Kazuichi Hanawa, who have had books published in North America by Drawn & Quarterly, PictureBox and Ponent Mon.  More important, perhaps, is the first time looks at lesser known and unknown lights of Japan's alternative manga scene, and they are on ample display here.  The material in AX runs the gamut from the crudely drawn and obscenely scatalogical work of Takashi Nemoto, who makes Johnny Ryan look tame by comparison, to the cutesy cuddly Shinya Komatsu, to the super-polished works of both Keizo Miyanashi (think Paul Gulacy) and Takato Yamamoto (think Suehiro Maruo), to the jaggedly angular Otoyo Mitsuhashi and a world of variety inbetween.  Sexual relations are a common thread in many, but by no means all, of the works in AX, and are plainly on disply in more than one tale, making this a definite ADULTS ONLY item.
Alec: "The Years Have Pants" (A Life-Sized Omnibus) - hardcover edition Eddie Campbell Top Shelf Alec $37.50
($49.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Our face is red with embarrassment for not having brought this massive 638 page compendium to the attention of Copacetic customers sooner.  "The Years Have Pants" collects all seven previously published Alec books – The King Canute Crowd, Graffiti Kitchen, How to Be an Artist, Little Italy, The Dead Muse, The Dance of Lifey Death, and After the Snooter – and "a generous helping of rare and never-before-seen material, including an all-new 35-page book, titled (you guessed it), "The Years Have Pants."  No less an authority than Tom Spurgeon, has stated, "There's no artist working in comics today whose body of work I admire more than Eddie Campbell's."  Alec is, for those of you who are unaware, the Alec series is autobiographical, with the title character serving as Eddie's alter ego through which he channels both his inner and outer life in a series of adventures, reflections and fantasies that fold back on themselves to graphically reveal a multi-faceted portrait of the artist.  This is, needless to say, an incredible value.  This is the hardcover edition.
Alec: "The Years Have Pants" (A Life-Sized Omnibus) Eddie Campbell Top Shelf Alec $29.75
($35.00 list)
Alecomnibus
Read more and comment... 		Our face is red with embarrassment for not having brought this massive 638 page compendium to the attention of Copacetic customers sooner.  "The Years Have Pants" collects all seven previously published Alec books – The King Canute Crowd, Graffiti Kitchen, How to Be an Artist, Little Italy, The Dead Muse, The Dance of Lifey Death, and After the Snooter – and "a generous helping of rare and never-before-seen material, including an all-new 35-page book, titled (you guessed it), "The Years Have Pants."  No less an authority than Tom Spurgeon, has stated, "There's no artist working in comics today whose body of work I admire more than Eddie Campbell's."  Alec is, for those of you who are unaware, the Alec series is autobiographical, with the title character serving as Eddie's alter ego through which he channels both his inner and outer life in a series of adventures, reflections and fantasies that fold back on themselves to graphically reveal a multi-faceted portrait of the artist.  This is, needless to say, an incredible value.  This is the softcover edition.
Unlikely Jeffrey Brown Top Shelf $12.75
($14.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		The sequel to Clumsy (but, in the sense of the events it depicts, it is actually the prequel), Unlikely shows Brown maturing and improving as an artist, while the personal reminiscences he shares reveal that his character was going nowhere fast.
Clumsy Jeffrey Brown Top Shelf $8.88
($10.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		As far as Jeffrey Brown is concerned, It all starts here!  Jeffrey Brown matches a fragile, shaky pen & ink line that perfectly matches the fragile, shaky personalities whose stories he is delinearting.  Here’s what some other folks had to say about it: “An extremely impressive debut, full of all the things that make a story good-- doomed relationships, embarrassing personal details, and the insatiable need to put it all down on paper.  This was one of my favorite books to come out in the past year.”                                                                           - Chris Ware “Clumsy is the story of a new relationship and is stunning in its realism and honesty.  The frailty of the drawn line perfectly matches the human frailty portrayed with the story.  It’s just so damn human.  This is my favorite graphic novel ever.  Even if Jeffrey Brown never draws another line again, he has already won a permanent place in my heart.  Still, I want more.”                                                                           - James Kochalka
Undeleted Scenes Jeffrey Brown Top Shelf $12.75
($15.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Well, anytime anyone is on the subject of big fat little books filled with fun personal comics, it's almost inevitable that the conversation turns to Jeffey Brown, who has made this form his mainstay, and has developed one of the most recognized bodies of personal comics work around.  Undeleted Scenes finds Mr. Brown back at Top Shelf Productions after a trio of books from mainstream book publisher, Simon & Schuster.  The majority of the comics collected in Undeleted Scenes have been previously published, primarily in Minisulk, Feeble Attempts and Be a Man.  There are also works that are a bit off the beaten path and so have likely been inadvertently passed over by many of Brown's fans, such as the pieces that originally apperared in Kramers Ergot #4, McSweeney's, Blood Orange, Tilt, Hobart, The Florida Review and Galago.  In addition to all these, this 350 page collection contains a decent number of strips that have never been published before.  There's something for everyone here!
Conversation #1 Craig Thompson, James Kochalka Top Shelf $4.44
($4.95 list)
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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!
Carnet de Voyage: Travel Journal, Volume One Craig Thompson Top Shelf $12.75
($14.95 list)
Carnetdevoyage
Read more and comment... 		Well, this book is much more that we hoped for when first hearing of it.  It's an impressive 224 page softcover trade.  The cover has French flaps and is printed on a nice textured stock.  It's the contents, however, that are the real surprise.  Carnet de Voyage is a comics/sketchbook/journal travelogue of Thompson's 2004 journeys to and through  France, Morocco and Spain that will have other artists weeping in jealously over the apparently effortless artistry on display.  Looks good!
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)
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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.
Comic Book Artist v.2 #6 Will Eisner Top Shelf $10.00
($14.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		This one's a double-size (252-pages!) "special tribute" issue honoring Will Eisner, that "celebrates the life, legacy and Spirit" of one of comics' greatest masters.  It's packed with interviews, essays, illustrations and comics all honoring the life, memory and impact that Eisner had on fans, creators, the industry and American culture.  From Jules Feiffer, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee to Scott McCloud, Dave Sim and Art Spiegelman and dozens more in between, a who's who of comics pays tribute to one of the few comics creators whose influence can truly be said to permeate the entire field.
Spiral Bound Aaron Renier Top Shelf $12.75
($14.95 list)
Spiralbound
Read more and comment... 		Here's a brand new book that's sure to appeal to fans of Craig Thompson's Good-bye Chunky Rice, and here's what Craig himself has to say about it:  "Spiral-Bound is a lush magical landscape. It rekindles the quintessential childhood experience -- of exploring a mysterious new neighborhood street, or cozying up in a favorite tree-fort or secret hangout -- and revels in the details. It reminds us of the joy of discovery, and of finding oneself." -- Craig Thompson   And the praise keeps coming.  To wit:   "Aaron's great drawings and strong story is just what this world needs. Especially now, because I have kids and I'd rather move to an igloo at the North Pole than raise them in a world without good comic books." -- Tony Millionaire, Author of Sock Monkey   "Brilliant! Aaron Renier has created a playfully mysterious universe, complete with its own dreamlike logic. It's a delightfully inventive treasure." -- Dav Pilkey, Author of Captain Underpants    "Aaron Renier's Spiral-Bound is exactly the sort of novel I have been looking for when the weather outside is glum and I want to spend the afternoon on my couch with Nico on the stereo and a pot of toasted rice tea simmering on the end table. If you want anything more from a graphic novel than a noble elephant, a shadowy mystery, an intrepid bird, an underwater monster, an impeccable rabbit, an underground tram, a devoted dog, an aquatic sculptor, a corrupt mayor, a maze of secrets, a secret maze and not one but two performances by my new favorite musical ensemble Kodiak & Calico, you should be ashamed of yourself." -- Lemony Snicket    Spiral Bound is a 184 page book printed with rounded corners, so as to resemble a -- that's right -- sprial bound notebook.
American ELf: Book Three James Kochalka Top Shelf $17.77
($19.99 list)
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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.
Swallow Me Whole Nate Powell Top Shelf $14.44
($19.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Nate Powell's first graphic novel is one of the more ambitious attempts yet to tackle family dysfunction and mental illness in comics form. 
Be a Man Jeffrey Brown Top Shelf $3.00
($3.00 list)
OUT OF STOCK!

Read more and comment... 		Finally, a plain old 32 page comic book by the author of Clumsy and Unlikely.  This one consists of 32 one-page strips focused on Mr. Brown's monomaniacal obsession with "getting off."  He is, however, definitely making fun of himself here, so laugh away.
The Octopi and the Ocean Dan James Top Shelf $6.25
($6.95 list)
Octopi
Read more and comment... 		The Octopi and the Ocean by Dan James It's hard to describe this unique volume.  Printed entirely in shades of blue, and sharing the same format as the above mentioned Sketchbook Diaries (although with a textured, rather than glossy,  cover stock) this comic is, after a somewhat lengthy narrated intro, nearly entirely wordless.  It definitely has a nice feel about it.  Recommended for icthyophiles everywhere.
Blankets Craig Thompson Top Shelf $18.88
($29.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		The tale Blankets tells is in most respects a classic coming of age story, but the place -- emotional as well as geographical -- that it is coming from may not be familiar territory for many readers:  an abnegating Christianity built on self-denial ensconced in the harsh northern environs of Wisconsin and Michigan.  Yet there can be no doubt that the core questions and values dealt with in Blankets are certainly universal ones. Craig Thompson has clearly devoted himself to a serious study of Will Eisner's late work -- from A Contract With God to the present -- and this study has really paid off here.  The pacing, the placement of blacks, the expressive use of brush technique, and the close attention to the nuances of facial expression all exhibit great strength and serve as expertly formed buttresses to the story which he wants to share with us.  And lest there be any doubt on this account:  it is a story well worth sharing.  It is a story filled with many moving moments, each building upon one another -- almost imperceptibly at first -- before slowly but surely accumulating force, until, when you've finally finished the book and put it down, you realize that its made quite an impression, that is has bored more deeply into your consciousness than you had at first realized, and that now you have to deal with it.  Before you can put it to rest, you have to think about it, and you have to draw your own conclusions.   If you fail to make a conscious effort to come to terms with it, the spirit that inhabits Blankets will haunt you until you do.
Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman Alan Moore Top Shelf $14.99
($14.99 list)

Read more and comment... 		“The world’s top comics creators pay tribute to the world’s greatest comics writer in his 50th year.” 352 pages on, by and about the man himself.  Highly recommended to serious Alan Moore aficianados: you will find much to enjoy here.  For the rest of you, the highlights include: a nice concise (twelve-page) comics style biography (Biographic™) of Moore by Gary Spencer Millidge; “Hungry is the Heart,” a twelve-page comic by Moore and the inimitable Dame Darcy; and a fifteen page remenisence by Swamp Thing artist, Steve Bissette, “Mr. Moore and Me.” And, if reading this volume inspires you to seek out more by Moore, the editors have thoughtfully appended a listing of all the extant volumes that collect his work.
Please Release Nate Powell Top Shelf $4.00
($5.00 list)
Pleaserelease
Read more and comment...