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Title Creator Publisher Series Price
The Book of Genesis, Illustrated R. Crumb Norton $22.22
($24.95 list)
Crumb
Read more and comment... 		Yes, here it is:  the most talked about book in comics.  Five years at the drawing board hath wrought Crumb's own pen & ink rendering of the West's origin myth.  Crumb, as he warned and as we would naturally expect, hasn't pulled any punches and has illustrated this tale as written, warts and all.  Crumb says it best himself in his introduction:  "I, R. Crumb, the illustrator of this book, have, to the best of my ability, faithfully reproduced every word of the original text... Every other comic book version of The Bible that I've seen contains passages of completely made-up narrative and dialogue, in an attempt to streamline and 'modernize'  the old scriptures, and still, these various comic book Bibles all claim to adhere to the belief that the Bible is 'the word of God' or 'inspired by God,' whereas I, ironically, do not believe the Bible is 'the word of God.'  I believe it is the words of men.  It is, nonetheless, a powerful text with layers of meaning that reach deep into our collective consciousness, our historical consciousness, if you will.  It seems to be an inspired work but I believe that its power derives from its having been a collective endeavor that evolved and condensed over many generations ..."  Every line in this book is hand drawn.  The only mechanical text is on the copyright page, the inside jacket flaps, and the commentary in the addendum.  It's the Bible!  It's a comic book!  It's Crumb!  It is, in short, amazing.  Dive right in with this preview.  Update:  Due to R. "crotchety oldster or painstaking perfectionist - you decide!" Crumb's insistence that this book be printed exclusively on one, specific paper stock which is manufactured only once a month and in quantitities that are unable to meet the demand for this book, we have been having a hard time tracking down enough copies.  However, we just received a nice restock, so we are once again offering our standard Copacetic discount!
Stitches David Small Norton $22.22
($24.95 list)
Stitches1cov
Read more and comment... 		This is a moving childhood memoir from renowned children's picture book illustrator, David Small.  While his career has largely been devoted to serving children, this work reveals that it is likely that he was nourishing his own inner child, as his parents never did.  Stitches is a fairly dark and harrowing work, as are many childhood memoirs, it must be said.  It is executed entirely in pen and ink worked over with delicately nuanced ink washes that capture his pain.  Fans of Will Eisner's late, mature work (also, interestingly, published by Stitches' publisher, W.W. Norton) are herein especially encouraged to take a look, as it manages to achieve a similar emotional punch.  And it's garnered some pretty hefty praise from the likes of Jules Feiffer, Francoise Mouly – even Stan Lee! – but most of all, R. Crumb, who states, "David Small evokes the mad scientific world of the 1950s beautifully.  Small is an innocent lamb, a sensitive boy, caught in a nightmare situation.  Capturing body language and facial expression subtly, Stitches becomes in Small's skillful hands a powerful story, an emotionally charged autobiography."
Life, In Pictures Will Eisner Norton $27.50
($29.95 list)
Lifeinpictures
Read more and comment... 		Somehow, we neglected to bring this book to your attention when it was originally released late last year.  Like its two fine precursors in W.W. Norton's fine series reissuing Eisner's classic mature work – The Contract with God Trilogy and Will Eisner's New York – Life, in Pictures is a large, well bound, hardcover edition which contains three complete works accompanied by critical introductions and annotations, all printed in the signature sepia tones of Eisner's late work.  This time around we get: The Dreamer, a roman á clef about Eisner's early years in comics; and two full length graphic novels that provide a history of Jewish life in America – To the Heart of the Storm and The Name of the Game.  Also, be sure to keep in mind the fact that these hardcover Eisner omnibuses are a terrific value as they contain three complete works each of which retails for $16.95 (except for The Dreamer, which is less) in softcover.  You really can't go wrong.
The Contract with God Trilogy Will Eisner Norton $25.47
($29.95 list)
Contractwgod
Read more and comment... 		Here they are, three of Will Eisner's greatest works -- A Contract with God, Life Force and Dropsie Avenue -- all together in one handsome hardcover volume, rounded out with a dozen new illustrations  executed by Eisner specifically for this volume shortly before his death earlier this year.  Originally published in 1978, A Contract with God is considered the first American graphic novel, making this work a must read on historical grounds alone.  This work -- not technically a novel, but rather a collection of related short pieces taking place in "the neighborhood" of Eisner's youth that is the setting for all the pieces in this volume -- is, however, much more than just a first, it is also one of the most emotionally moving works comics has yet produced, one that went a long way toward demonstrating the latent capacities of the medium, capacities that Life Force and Dropsie Avenue further extended.   This new edition from the veritable literary publisher W.W. Norton -- which prints all three works in the sepia tone that was the trademark of Eisner's mature work -- presents these unique cultural creations in a manner befitting their stature.  It is a volume that will be treasured by every lover of the form.