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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
Unlikely Jeffrey Brown Top Shelf $12.75
($14.95 list)
Unlikely_lg
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)
Clumsy_lg
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)
Undeletedscenes
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)
Conversation1
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!
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)
Americanelfsm
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.
I Am Going To Be Small (new, giant-size edition) Jeffrey Brown Top Shelf $11.90
($14.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		Incorporating most, if not all, of the 96-page 2003 mini-comic edition of the same title, this new, mega-edition, despite its relatively diminutive 4" x 6" page size, is -- with 384 pages of caustic self-deprecation, witty observations (ironic and otherwise), Jesus jokes, sex and super heroes that's capped off by "Cuticle," a lengthy run of all-new funny animal strips featuring Bunny, Bear, Bird and Cat; all by the inimitable Mr. Jeffrey Brown -- far from small
American ELf: Book Three James Kochalka Top Shelf $17.77
($19.99 list)
Amelf3sm
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)

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 $25.47
($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
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Essex County, Volume Two: Ghost Stories Jeff LeMire Top Shelf $8.95
($9.95 list)
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Read more and comment... 		This series of graphic novels depicting life in rural Canada has been winning over readers with its poignant portrayals of life, loss and love.  Ghost Stories features the brothers Lou and Vince Lebeuf and plays out over seven decades.  It's told from the point of view of the seventy year-old Lou, who is haunted by the ghosts of his past.  The images are choicely framed and expertly paced and taken together make for an engaging tale that fills this 224 page softcover volume from Top Shelf with many a moving moment.  The first volume in the series, Tales from the Farm, is still available, and has much to recommend it as well.
American Elf: Volume 2, 2004 - 2005 The Collected Sketchbook Diaries Of James Kochalka James Kochalka Top Shelf $16.95
($19.95 list)
Americanelfvol2
Read more and comment... 		Finally, the next installment of James Kochalka's epic of self-revelation, The Sketchbook Diaries, is on our shelves. This time around, there's something new:  the strips are printed in FULL COLOR, as they originally appeared online.While we do our best to check in now and then and catch up with James at American Elf, nothing beats sitting down and reading a whole year's worth -- or two -- and experiencing the ebb and flow of time at one's leisure.  It's the primary pleasure offered by this strip and it really is a one-of-a-kind treat.With American Elf, Kochalka has pioneered an entirely new approach to the daily comic strip, and, just like with all great strips, the longer you stay with it, the deeper and richer the experience gets. That may sound like a bit much considering how goofy these strips get at times, but the critical key here is the accretion that occurs. The accumulated years of this strip build layers of associations, themes, sub-plots and leitmotifs that all play off of each other and echo through the years creating a prime example of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Learn more about this fine tradition, here.
Micrographica Renee French Top Shelf $17.00
($19.95 list)
Micrographica
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Super F*ckers #4 James Kochalka Top Shelf $4.50
($5.00 list)
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Feeble Attempts Jeffrey Brown Top Shelf $4.50
($5.00 list)
Feebleattempts
Read more and comment... 		A 52-page compendium collecting those of Mr. Brown's short works that have previously appeared in out of the way places off the beaten path, such as The Chicago Reader, Blood Orange, Ain't No Dancer and Sturgeon White Moss, as well as pricey high rent digs such as McSweeney's and Project: Superior, Feeble Attempts saves the long suffering J. Brown reader from having to break her or his bank  purchasing all these pieces for the few pages of his work offered there (not to mention all the time and effort expended tracking them down).  Chuckles, drama, personal revelations, super heroics and Jesus are all here, all for less than a five-spot!
Fox Bunny Funny Top Shelf $7.95
($10.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		This 102 page pantomime graphic novel is an ambitious allegory in which foxes and bunnies are enlisted by Hartzell to represent a fundamental duality in society.  The fairly complex narrative successfully relates a self-doubting fox and his attempt to bridge the gap that ends in a change of allegiance, all told images with no text whatsoever, quite an achievement when you stop and think about it.