Online Gift Catalogue

STOP! Don’t go and buy another pretty coffee table book that looks great but provides its recipient with only an hour or two of vacuous and ephemeral enjoyment before transforming into a lifeless chunk that its new owner struggles with guilt feelings over before giving it the inevitable heave-ho. Just say no to that CD Box of best-selling “classics” that everyone has heard so many times already that any pleasure in owning them (again) is diminished to the point of near non-existence. That best-seller that everyone feels that they have to read, but no one actually wants to? Pass. And those nifty high-priced repackagings of “favorite” comics that everybody who's interested already has? Ditto.

Be adventurous and provide gifts that surprise and enthuse, that stimulate the senses more than they drain the wallet, and that will be treasured for years to come.

JUMP TO: comics (106 items) ⋅ books (14 items) ⋅ dvds (6 items) ⋅ cds (3 items)

comics

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories	Ivan Brunetti	Yale University Press		$25.00 ($28.00 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Ivan Brunetti Published by Yale University Press, this awesome anthology is a worthy successor to McSweeney's 13 as the must have comics collection of the foreseeable future. Editor, Brunetti goes all out to offer us a (OK, well, his) canonical assemblage with the 400 pages of comics here on display, where it is the form itself that is always at the heart of the work represented. The work we find here -- while, of course, being comics -- is also, at some level, telling us something about comics, and this latter value-added feature can be attributed in no small part to Brunetti's editorial approach in assembling this work, which he clearly views as an organic whole. Each artist represented in this collection has a distinct and original approach to the medium that embodies their personal interaction with the comics form as well as -- and this is where this anthology is unique -- with each other piece in the book. This book is organized around the principal of association. The pieces are grouped in clusters that are related in a wide variety of ways, from the form and content of the work to the geographic region and ethnicity of the creators. Brunetti tips his hand right at the outset by starting with the raw, unbridled, free-associative works of Marc Bell, Sam Henderson, Mark Newgarden, Kaz, Tony Millionaire and Bill Griffith (who all, with the exception of Bell, have NYC connections as well). This approach yields many surprising and unexpected connections as well as much that that proceeds in due course.
The Book of the Leviathan	Peter Blegvad	Overlook Press		$11.77 ($23.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Leviathan arrives in the USA at last, in the form of The Book of Leviathan, published by Overlook Press. Everyone who is serious about exploring the more far-flung and adventurous realms of comics, enjoys graphic intellectual stimulation, or appreciates a healthy sense of the absurd has an excellent chance of finding what they are looking for in The Book of Leviathan. This is a truly one-of-a-kind item. The Book of the Leviathan employs a wry wit with dextrous aplomb at every turn. Right from the initial impression -- the overall book design, with its ruby edged pages, making it resemble a accountant's ledger -- the reader is put in the position of having to ask questions, such as, in this case, "What exactly are we keeping track of here?", and then later, once we've gone a few pages into the book, "What, in our lives and most especially in our early, childhood years, goes into the plus columns and what goes into the minus?" and, finally, "Will it all add up in the end?" Most readers confronting Blegvad's work for the first time will find themselves mysteriously compelled to grab the first person who happens by to share their enthusiasm: "Hey! This is really different. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like this before." Some readers may find themselves somewhat unsettled at first, if only from the sheer unfamiliarity of Blegvad's narrative strategies. In the end, however, all readers that prevail will come away from The Book of Leviathan with a deepened appreciation for the unknown corners of our lives, and a sense, finally, of the ultimate incomprehensibility of being.
Punk Rock and Trailer Parks		Slave Labor Graphics		$11.77 ($15.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The creator of the long running independent newsweekly strip, The City, has created a pitch perfect tale of the classic days of punk rock. Set in his home town of Akron, Ohio, in 1980, PR & TP gives us the senior year and then some of high school loser cum small-town-punk-rock-legend, Otto "The Baron" Pizcok. While the central narrative is entirely fictional, its setting is not, and Derf wryly captures the mid-Ohio ambience and recreates the hot and heavy scene at the main Akron club -- The Bank -- that was, at least for the time chronicled here, the center of the punk scene. Plot, pacing, characterization, the supporting cast -- all are spot on. Punk Rock and Trailer Parks will make for a thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone who likes comics and punk rock and will be a real thrill for anyone who remembers these days.
American ELf: Book Three	James Kochalka	Top Shelf		$17.77 ($19.99 list)
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.
The Complete Peanuts - Volume One: 1950-1952	Charles Schulz	Fantagraphics	The Complete Peanuts	$25.00 ($28.95 list)
Read more and comment...	by Charles M. Schulz Introduction by Garrison Keillor Peanuts, the most popular newspaper comic strip of all time, is now being collected, in its entirety, in chronological order, by independent comics publisher, Fantagraphics. This first volume is of extra special note as many of the strips it contains have never before been reprinted. Starting at the beginning -- Monday, October 2, 1950 -- with the first ever Peanuts strip -- the strip was daily-only (Monday through Saturday) until 1952, when a Sunday page was added on January 6 -- this volume continues all the way through to December 31, 1952, and contains the introductions of practically all the characters that were to populate the strip for the next 50 years. There are many surprises along the way, such as seeing Lucy as well as Schroeder starting out as babies! For readers unfamiliar with the early years of Peanuts, most surprising will be the edge of anger that lies just below the surface of many of these early strips (it may be for this reason that Schulz resisted their being reprinted in his lifetime). It is Schulz's working through this anger to the peace of acceptance that is a key component of the lasting appeal and value of Peanuts. And there's more: This volume contains, in addition, a 13 page biographical essay on Schulz by David Michaelis, a 34 page interview with Charles Schulz, conducted in 1987 by Rick Marschall, and, amazingly, an index of characters, themes, cultural references -- such as, for example, comic books, golf, and dads -- historical figures mentioned in strips, and such priceless bits as "Charlie Brown: football pulled away by Lucy for the first time" (page 268) AND "Charlie Brown: football pulled away for the first time, by Violet (page 117)," that is a true treasure trove for Peanuts fans and cultural historians alike. All of this is nicely put together in a package designed by Seth that is a subtle yet evocative homage to the midwest milieu that inspired Schulz. We should all be thankful that Fantagraphics was put in charge of this project and that they have lavished it with the devotion that it deserves. This marks the beginning of what is, surely, the highest profile classic comic strip publishing project of all time. hardcover
Bat-Manga	Jiro Kuwata, Chip Kidd	Pantheon		$25.00 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	manga by Jiro Kuwata edited and designed by Chip Kidd This hefty, oversized softcover book is packed with full color scans of the actual cheap, pulpy, two-color pages of the original 1960s manga volumes in which these stories originally appeared. This strategy of representation draws the reader 40 years back in time and makes for an in situ reading experience that is very different from that of your standard manga reprint. To further draw the reader back, the editor and designer, Chip Kidd has included a gallery of Japanese Batman merchandise from the same era. Together this gives the volume the air of a catalogue for a museum exhibition that uses these Japanese manifestations of an American pop culture icon -- at the height of the Pop Art era, no less -- to portray the relationship between the two countries during this pivotal period in history. On the one hand there is the cultural hegemony of the US, but on the other, there is the Japanese transformation of American forms -- one that has accelerated of late as manga is now more widely read in the US than superhero comics. In other words, it's definitely a two-way street. Read more in Frank Santoro's Publishers Weekly review. retail price - $29.95 copacetic price - $25.00
Tamara Drewe	Posy Simmonds	St. Martin's Griffin		$15.75 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This large format (9" x 10") full-length work is a true graphic novel. A follow-up to her excellent Gemma Bovery, which re-imagined Flaubert's Madame Bovary at the same time that it commented on the literary imagination, Tamara Drewe uses Thomas Hardy's Far from the Maddening Crowd as its jumping off point to explore contemporary mores as well as their contemporary representations. Ms. Simmonds hails from the UK -- where she is far more widely known and respected than here in the US -- and this book was originally serialized in The Guardian UK. She is one of the most culturally sophisticated and literary cartoonists in the business, capable of weaving into her narrative a wealth of cultural history and a density of literary allusion that are, for the most part, simply off the radar of her peers. As with Gemma Bovery, Tamara Drewe is a hybrid, combining short blocks of prose exposition with longer stretches of comics story-telling that make the best of both worlds and an equally pleasurable reading experience. Here's a video composed of an audio interview with Ms. Simmonds explaining her working method and a slideshow of her sketches, roughs and finished artwork for this book.
Curses	Kevin Huizenga	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.95 ($21.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The much anticipated first collection by up-and-coming-new-comics-champ, Kevin Huizenga is at last on our shelves. Its arrival may, however, signal the end of Huizenga's status as an up-and-comer, and initiate his ensconsement in the ranks of established contemporary masters of comics. This volume brings together a wide range of Huizenga's work from a wide variety of sources. It starts off with a little known (well, not to long time Copacetic customers) gem from the Orchid anthology published by Sparkplug Comics, titled, "Green Tea." It is adapted from a classic Victorian horror story of the same name by Sheridan Le Fanu, but is given the inimitable Huizenga treatment and stands as an original work. Following this there is: the trilogy that first appeared in Drawn and Quarterly Showcase #1; almost the entirety of the now out of print first issue of Huizenga's ongoing solo title, Or Else; a 2-pager originally done for Time Magazine; and the full color story, "Jeepers Jacobs," originally executed for Kramers Ergot 5. Anyone not already familiar with these works is heartily encouraged to consider this a great opportunity to read some excellent comics delivered in a fine package for a reasonable price. If you're looking for comics by Huizenga, and you haven't already purchased these works in their original manifestations, then this is the book for you!
New Engineering	Yuichi Yokoyama	PictureBox		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Whether you're a manga fan scouting for the best and most challenging new comics from Japan, a straight ahead comics maniac who will take good new comics wherever you find them, or a connoisseur of fine art regardless of the form it takes, New Engineering is for you. Based in Tokyo, New Engineering creator Yokoyama is an art school graduate whose primary medium for the first five years of his career was oil painting. He became attracted to manga because he wanted to "make serialized paintings." As a result, Yokoyama's comics are focused on communicating his ideas from a painterly perspective, with a keen interest in the flow between images and the way in which comics/manga possess a temporal dimension that is lacking in single image painting, rather than relying on narrative. He is, in other words, more interested in showing than telling. Visual impact is the aim here and the images provided by this volume are clear, clean and strong; and very much engaged in forging a dialectical bond between an exaggerated western perspective and a highly iconic Japanese composition. Interested in confronting and experiencing visually exciting work that challenges the conventions of comics, adding to its vocabulary and grammar? Well then, there are precious few works that do this as completely as New Engineering.
Planet Saturday Comics, Volume One	Monty Kane	Self-published		$11.75 ($12.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Here's another Pittsburgh production, but of an entirely different stripe. This one involves a real life dad and daughter combo that is written and drawn by the dad in question. What the reader gets is a diary-like take on parenting that seeks to simultaneously connect with the parent's own inner child at the same time as that of the child being reared. Makes sense to us, and seems like an approach worthy of elucidation. Anyone curious to sample this will find a smorgasbord of strips available on line at planetsaturday.com.
Gemma Bovery	Posy Simmonds	Pantheon		$17.95 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Long known to readers of the British newspapers, The Guardian (which, by the way, awarded their 2001 literary prize to Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, by Chris Ware) and The Independent, which serialized this work, Posy Simmonds brings a sophisticated literary sensibility to the world of Comics. In Gemma Bovery, she reimagines Flaubert's Madame Bovary as it might be, should it unfold at the close of the twentieth century. It's also a piece of meta-fiction as well, with its own unique twist on the literary fashion set in motion by A.S. Byatt's Possession of having twentieth century lives intertwine with those of eighteenth century literary characters. In Gemma Bovery, Ms. Simmonds shows us how life can seem to be imitating art in the mind of one obsessed with a particular work -- in this case Madame Bovary -- and that, perhaps, it is possible that such an obesssion can lead, in actuality, to life being molded after art; and, then again, perhaps not. She's definitely studied the late work of comics master Will Eisner's later work, and this study has reaped substantial dividends for the reader. Simmonds' has concocted a unique blend of text, illustration and comics that manages to retain the best of both worlds and communicates a wealth of emotional terrain. Students of comics will be intrigued to discover which aspects of the storytelling process are parcelled out to the visuals and which to the text. This piece is quite worth a look, and we encourage you to seek it out. Gemma Bovery stands right at the intersection of the broad boulevard of purely prose literature and the freshly laid tar on the side street of comics lit and stands to appeal to adventurous readers going both ways.
The Complete Peanuts Box Set 2: 1955 - 1958	Charles Schulz	Fantagraphics	The Complete Peanuts	$44.44 ($49.95 list)
Read more and comment...	If you don't already have the third volume and/or you're looking for an ideal gift for the Peanuts fan, this deluxe slip-covered box set is a terrific value. It contains a copy of both Volume Three and Volume Four (these are the exact same editions as of those copies sold indivdually) of The Fantagraphics Books edition of the Complete Collected Peanuts, collecting every daily and Sunday strip from the years 1955 through 1958 -- 1,461 strips in all. The spiffy -- and heavy duty -- slipcase is a perfect fit and is designed for years of use by series designer, Seth. All this for significantly less than just the two volumes by themselves. A great value, and now in stock!
The Complete Peanuts Box Set 5: 1967-70	Charles Schulz	Fantagraphics	The Complete Peanuts	$44.44 ($49.95 list)
Read more and comment...	And, for those of you who wait for the annual box set, your wait is over, for it, too, has arrived. As always, it contains the two volumes released individually during the year -- these are the exact same volumes, identical in every way -- enclosed in a sturdy and attractive slipcase, yet priced substantially less. Another true value!
Skibber Bee-Bye	Ron Regé	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	FINALLY! Back in print at last, after a comedy of errors led to a delay of nearly a year! Ron Rege's mammoth masterwork has received the deluxe Drawn and Quarterly treatment in a brand new edition that sports a stitched binding and flexi-cover (similar to the most recent Kramers Ergot) for years of reading pleasure. This is a singular work that has few if any analogues in the annals of comics; and it makes for an intense reading experience. If you're looking for comics that challange your view of reality, you need look no further than Skibber Bee-Bye. Make sure you take a moment to give this one the once over.
Moomin, Book One	Tove Jansson	Drawn and Quarterly	Moomin	$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, if they ever decide to turn this into a prime-time animated cartoon (which would be great -- but don't hold your breath) we've got the theme song alrady picked out: "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding." Performed by, hmmm, let's say -- Shonen Knife. This Finnish strip has more in common with George Herriman's Krazy Kat that one might think just looking at it, or even upon first read; but once you let it sink in, the strip has at its core the same dedication to carefree existence, along with a simliarly oddball cast of characters. Of course, it is indelibly stamped with the character of its country of origin and Europe in general, but it's half the fun to see this spirit animated in these foreign climes. Publisher Drawn and Quarterly has this to say: "The Moomins saw life in many forms but debuted to its biggest audience ever on the pages of world’s largest newspaper The London Evening News, in 1954. The strip was syndicated in newspapers around the world with millions of readers in 40 countries. Moomin, Book One is D & Q's first volume in their projected plan to reprint the strip's run through to 1960. This is the first time the strip will be published in any form in North America and will deservedly place Jansson among the international cartooning greats of the last century. The Moomins are a tight-knit family – hippo-shaped creatures with easygoing and adventurous outlooks. Jansson's art is pared down and precise, yet able to compose beautiful portraits of ambling creatures in fields of flowers or rock-strewn beaches that recall Jansson’s Nordic roots. The comic strip reached out to adults with its gentle and droll sense of humor. Whimsical but with biting undertones, Jansson’s observations of everyday life, including guests who overstay their welcome, modern art, movie stars, and high society, easily caught the attention of an international audience and still resonate today." This is a one of a kind classic that you owe it to yourself to at least take a look at.
Blankets	Craig Thompson	Top Shelf		$25.47 ($29.95 list)
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.
The Cream of Tank Girl	Jamie Hewlett			$26.95 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This is a great big and beautiful hardcover volume that will be a guaranteed treat for any and all Tank Girl true believers. Its primary achievement is to recreate the bonhomie of the good ol' days back at Deadline UK, where Tank Girl was the toast of the town and fun was the word of the hour. Most if not all of the fabulous Tank Girl covers are here, along with most of the Hewlett work that was produced for its pages that never made it into any of the Tank Girl collections. Also included are a select scattering of photos carefully calibrated to give readers that "you-are-there" feeling. And speaking of feelings, a distinct feeling -- almost a tangy taste -- of "we're never going to grow up and you can't make us" thoroughly permeates the proceedings here. Bonus material includes a complete storyboard for an unproduced Tank Girl animation by Hewlett, along with the beginnings of what was to be Hewlett and Martin's follow-up to Tank Girl, "The 16s." This was imagined as a Peanuts-like continuity strip, but it was, alas, not to be, and this volume closes out with a look at what might have been.
McSweeney's #13	Lynda Barry, Adrian Tomine, Seth, Kim Deitch 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.
Aya of Yop City	Clément Oubrerie, Marguerite Abouet	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($19.99 list)
Read more and comment...	This is the second of what we hope will be an ongoing series of the adventures of Aya in the Ivory Coast of three decades past. If you have yet to enjoy the original volume, Aya, you might want to consider starting there. In either case, to experience Aya's unique appeal, click here, for a nice PDF preview of Aya of Yop City.
Aya	Clément Oubrerie, Marguerite Abouet	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	A pitch perfect tale, sensuously rendered and sumptuously colored, Aya takes us to the Ivory Coast in what are now seen as the halcyon days of 1978. Abouet & Oubrerie -- names which were new to us, but which we'll be sure to keep on the look out for from now on -- have done a simplly splendid job here. The action centers on a trio of teenage girls, and widens to trace their interactions with their families, the community that is their home and, of course, boys. The structure and the pacing are right on target, allowing the reader to follow a large and fairly complex cast of characters while the story keeps sailing ahead at a brisk pace (think Robert Altman, but without the bitterness). The characters, the dialogue, the settings, and especially the colors: everything comes together to create a real verisimilitude, a sense of being right there in the thick of it in the Abidjan suburb of Yopougon in 1978. Also included are a glossary of Abidjanian slang used in the story, along with some fashion & etiquette tips and recipes, and also a preface by Alissa Grace Chase, PhD, who will fill you in on the historical context in which this story plays out. And there's more: after finishing the book and having had a moment or two to reflect upon its contents, you are likely to feel as we did that the story told in Aya, while rich in Africana, contains much that is the same the world over, and some universal truths to boot. This full color hardcover from Drawn & Quarterly is a treasure.
Ethel & Ernest	Raymond Briggs	Alfred Knopf		$17.77 ($21.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This book is perhaps the single most touching and heartfelt graphic novel ever produced. The story of the author's parents and, beginning about half way in, the author's own as well, Ethel & Ernest presents a beautiful miniature of a couple's life together that is at the same time a definitive tale of 20th Century working class Britain. Yes, the book is not free from sentimentality, but has anyone ever produced a work about one's own parents that is? and not only that, the sentiment in Ethel & Ernest is of the highest order. The only work produced in comics that is even remotely comparable to this is Will Eisner's late work, especially A Contract With God. It is a sturdy work that is built to last; capable of being enjoyed over and over again. Raymond Briggs is one of the most widely acclaimed children's book authors in Britain. His most famous book, The Snowman, has been adapted as a half-hour television special which occupies roughly the same spot in the British national consciousness as A Charlie Brown Christmas does in the American. While there are dozens if not hundreds of interesting and worthwhile autobiographical comics currently on the market, the vast majority are produced by people in their twenties and thirties. Raymond Briggs is in his sixties, and Ethel and Ernest offers us the benefits of his maturity: artistic, intellectual, emotional and philosophical. It is an offer well worth accepting. Here are reviews from Salon and Rational Magic.
One Hundred Demons (hardcover)	Lynda Barry	Sasquatch Book		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Lynda Barry's art has never been more rich and satisfying than it is in One Hundred Demons, the landmark 2002 book which represented a formal and stylistic breakthough not only for Ms. Barry, but for the world of comics as well. The work she has created for this beautifully printed volume features a layered bricolage that is undergirded by confident brushwork and an intuitively intimate color sense. All of it is solidly welded to an amazing and joyful sense of play in the service of a universalized personal revelation. Taken together, it makes for an unforgettable reading experience. No one has ever done a better job of conveying the bittersweetness of growing up than Lynda Barry. No one has more fully employed the medium of comics to portray childhood and adolescence than Lynda Barry. No one has bored more deeply into personal pain to find the joy that is buried hidden within. One Hundred Demons is a masterpiece that anyone who remembers what it was like to be a child growing up will instantly appreciate. Anyone who has forgotten will be powerfully reminded. As we age our childhood recedes, growing ever dimmer in the distance; yet our characters -- which were forged by those experiences that took place during that childhood -- tend to remain relatively fixed despite the increasing distance from those formative years. In One Hundred Demons, Lynda Barry demonstrates again and again how our past is always there, hovering just below the surface of our conscious thoughts, pushing our buttons and directing our courses of action, regardless of whether we are aware of or oblivious to this fact. To see what all the fuss is about, get a preview of the material on-line from Salon.com. While the hardcover is now out of print, we still have a good stock of copies available at this time.
Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: Stories	Ben Katchor	Pantheon		$15.25 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...
Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (softcover)	Chris Ware	Pantheon		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (JCTSKOE) is, first and foremost, the tale of the development of the American super-ego, it’s human cost, and its relationship to the comic book super-hero. Ware’s choice of the Chicago Exposition of 1893 to serve simultaneously as historical signifier and the origin of his narrative is key in this regard. It is with the exposition of 1893 -- most importantly, at least as far as JCTSKOE is concerned, in its design and architecture-- that the USA reveals its fantasy of, and implicit ambition towards, empire in the classical Greco/Roman mold. It was Walt Whitman’s fever dream made flesh-- or at least cast in stone. It was here, during the glory days of the American industrial revolution, the dawn of the age of Morgan, Carnegie and Rockefeller, that the mold for the twentieth century and the USA’s dominance of it was cast. It was here that America’s industrial strength super-ego was born, leading a generation later to the inexorable necessity of the comic book super-hero. It is in establishing this latter connection that JCTSKOE is a true intellectual trail-blazer, revealing previously uncharted areas of our nation’s unconscious.
The Acme Novelty Datebook, 1986 - 1995	Chris Ware	Drawn and Quarterly		$34.95 ($39.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Acme Novelty Datebook 1986-1995 by Chris Ware Beautiful production! Lot's of color! "Art" sketches! Cartoons! Doodles! Ideas! Rants! Self-Deprecation! Self-Laceration! Irony! Girl's phone numbers! It's all here! (official hype) Acclaimed cartoonist Chris Ware reveals the outtakes of his genius in these intimate, imaginative, and whimsical sketches collected from the years during which he completed his award-winning graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon). His novel not only won the Manchester Guardian First Novel prize in 2001 but it has sold over 100,000 copies. This book is as much a companion volume to Jimmy Corrigan -- one of the great crossover success stories-- as a tremendous art collection from of one of America’s most interesting and popular graphic artist. Chris Ware has a passion for drawing that is surprisingly wide-ranging in style and subject. This book surprises the reader on every page with its sense of spontaneous vision. Architectural drawings from Chicago and interplanetary robot comics collide with cruelly doodled human figures and quietly troubling studies of the still life. A must for people with a passion for modern design and old-fashioned style. A new beautifully designed art book by one of the best cartoonists of his generation. "Ware's spare, iconic drawing style can render vivid architectural complexity or movingly capture the stark despondency of an unloved child." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Ware pushes the form of comics into unexpected formal and emotional territory." - The Chicago Tribune "Ware's use of words is sparing, and at times maudlin. But the real joy is his art. It's stunning. In terms of attention to detail, graceful use of color, and overall design - Ware has no peer. His drawings, somehow, remain delicate and achingly lyrical." - Dave Eggers, The New York Times Book Review For more information visit Drawn & Quarterly. The Acme Novelty Datebook ISBN 1-896597-66-1 hardcover ; 6 x 9 208 pp, 4-color
Fun Home (hardcover)	Alison Bechdel	Houghton Mifflin		$17.95 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Fun Home is as forcefully felt a memoir as any yet published in comics, but it quite possibly can lay claim to being the single most thoroughly thought out as well. The deeply healing catharsis that Bechdel achieves here is enabled to no small degree by her extensive use of literary reference. She draws on a full complement of her artistic forebears to create an elaborate intertextual support narrative in a manner that is akin to that which her father employed in his painstaking restoration of the gothic revival mansion which is the central setting for the story. Sound interesting? Read our full length review.
Against Pain	Ron Regé	Drawn and Quarterly		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This book is a gift to the long suffering Rege collector as it assembles all his far flung contributions to other publications such as Kramers Ergot, McSweeney's, The Ganzfeld, Rosetta, and many, many others. It also includes the out of print stand alone comic, Boys, that was co-created with writer Joan Reidy. This is an oversize hardcover volume that presents most all of the works as they originally appeared -- whether it was black & white, full color, or Regé's own pastel duotone -- but at a larger size than they have previously been seen, which can - and does - make old work new again. Regé's work is singular in the intensity of its emotional clout. He is clearly an artist who has sufffered and who strives to work through his suffering in an attempt to create an artistic catharsis that with be emotionally purgative for his readers as well as for himself.
Funny Misshapen Body: A Memoir	Jeffrey Brown	Simon and Schuster		$14.44 ($16.00 list)
Read more and comment...	A brand new 200+ page Jeffrey Brown piece about, yes, his funny misshapen body, but also a whole lot more besides. This book is composed of a chocolate box assortment of vignettes from many different periods of the life of Jeffrey Brown. There is no immediately apparent order to the pieces, so this seems to be a good book to just open at random and dip in here and there as the mood strikes. School days, from kindergarten through college gets the most ink here, with the usual focus on high school. He definitely ranges beyond his usual obsessions of girls and sex (very little of which is on display in this Simon and Schuster publication), with a special focus on his experiences with doctors and hospitals. While it is possible that some might be put off by the body issues dealt with here, Brown's work is as engaging as ever here despite the topical differences, so we're confident that his long time fans will find much to enjoy (In addition, this might make a good gift book for anyone bedridden with a digestive disorder...).
Be a Nose! Three Sketchbooks	Art Spiegelman	McSweeney's		$25.00 ($29.00 list)
Read more and comment...	In inimitable McSweeney's fashion, this publication recreates three of Art Spiegelman's actual sketchbooks, accompanies them with a small stand alone guide that would make you think of an oversized CD booklet even if it wasn't titled "Liner Notes," and then secures them with an old fashioned book strap to create this one of a kind item that is sure to appeal to design fans . The first and smallest of the sketchbooks dates from 1979 and shows art just getting under way; the second and by far the most vital, engaging and intriguing, dates from 1983, at what may be the apogee of his creativity, during the Raw/Maus era, and shows him clearly (at least at times) under the spell of Gary Panter; the third, is amazingly recent, dating from 2007, is surprisingly deft, showing Spiegelman in more of a Crumb mood and thinking visually again. It is doubtless this return to sketchbook-making that has led to this publication as Spiegelman was famously adverse to the idea in the past. Any and all intrigued with the revolution in comics brought about by Raw would benefit by a trip through these, as would artists interested in learning Spiegleman's methodology, influences and development.
Moomin, Book Four	Tove Jansson	Drawn and Quarterly	Moomin	$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	For the past three years, a new Moomin book has been released each year during the start of the Christmas season, but this year it looks like Christmas has come early to Moominland. Also, for some reason we got it into our head that the complete collected Moomin was only going to run four volumes, but we were, evidently, mistaken, as Drawn and Quarterly has already announced the fifth volume. So now we can all relax and enjoy this new release, free from the angst that would have accompanied the experience had this indeed been the end of the line for Moomin comics. Here's a brief preview.
Moomin, Book Two	Tove Jansson	Drawn and Quarterly	Moomin	$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The surprise hit of 2006 returns with a second fine volume. In every way a worthy successor, this time around the Moomins experience "Winter Follies," meet "Mamma's Maid," "Build a House," and "Begin a New Life" in four uniquely original adventures collected in one sturdy yet elegant volume.
The Awake Field	Ron Regé	Drawn and Quarterly		$6.75 ($7.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Wow, a double dose of Ron Regé, Jr.! (along with YH #12, which was released simultaneously) This one is technically Yeast Hoist #(lucky)13. It is a beautifully drawn, designed and produced square format volume. Printed in two colors with a full color flexi cover and endpapers this book is an aesthetic treat and a bargain to boot. Ron Regé, Jr. is channelling the spirit of the 20th century American painter, Charles Burchfield into 21st century comics. Like Burchfield's paintings, Regé's comics in this volume fill the viewer/reader with a sense of wonder at the impossible beauty and strange otherness of nature. His work really puts you there, it communicates, it catalyzes neurons to fire in new patterns that trigger new thoughts and new ways of seeing the world as an... awake field. There's nothing out there in any medium to compare to Regé's work here. We say: a must!
The Frank Book	Jim Woodring	Fantagraphics		$34.95 ($39.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Kazowie! What can you say about a book like this except that they did it right. Here it is: The complete Frank in full color and B & W (as they originally appeared) arranged in chronological order (we believe), beautifully printed and handsomely bound in cloth with a nice dust-jacket and even a sewn-in bookmark! If you haven't read the comics of Jim Woodring, then we can tell you withou equivocation that you don't know what you're missing. The rest of you probably already have this book... As who could live without it, once you've seen the light? Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola.
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)
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.
The Acme Novelty Library #18.5	Chris Ware	Drawn and Quarterly		$28.75 ($32.00 list)
Read more and comment...	(aka “The New Yorker” portfolio) Chris sez: "This print portfolio, somewhat hedgingly entitled The ACME Novelty Library, No. 18.5, contains all four 'Thanksgiving' covers drawn by cartoonist and cultural commentator F. C. Ware for the November 27th, 2006 issue of The New Yorker, as well as the additional fifth comic strip which heretofore only appeared in digital form, all carefully printed in full color at an oversized 15" x 20” size on heavy paper and folded in half for easy recycling. As if this wasn’t dreary enough, included is a new supplementary folded comic strip, measuring 16” x 11,” which is also folded in half. The consumer is asked to carefully weigh whether purchase of this object is truly necessary, and to act accordingly."
The Acme Novelty Library	Chris Ware	Pantheon		$22.22 ($27.50 list)
Read more and comment...	This startlingly well produced Big Book, the latest from the greatest full grown adult comics whiz kid, that literary minded artistic genius and graphic technician extraordinaire who possesses what could possibly be the most divided consciousness in a fully-functioning adult in the known world -- yes, that's right, Mr. Chris Ware -- collects material previously presented in the comics periodical Acme Novelty Library #7 & #15 (AKA Acme Novelty Big Book of Jokes #1 & #2 ) published by Fantagraphics, along with plenty of finely crafted, bruising new work with which it has been seamlessly integrated, all bundled together in an extravagant and exquisite oversize hardcover edition published by Pantheon Books. It pretty much goes without saying that this exquisite hardcover edition is a must for anyone interested in contemporary comics. A contender for the most densely packed volume in the history of printing -- there are more drawings and more text squeezed into every nook and cranny than any other book we can think of -- this is work that will rend the senses and boggle the mind. It comes shrinkwrapped to insure that the deluxe package remains unscathed until its owner deigns to unwrap it. Click at left to read our feature listing to learn more.
Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories: Volume Two	Maurice Vellekoop, Carol Tyler, Harvey Pekar/R.Crumb, Kevin Huizenga and more ...	Yale University Press		$25.00 ($28.00 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Ivan Brunetti It's too early to say for certain, but this follow-up to Brunetti's already classic 2006 anthology, also published by Yale University Press, might just be even better than its precursor. One thing's for certain: Brunetti has held onto -- and further refined -- his editorial vision of arranging the work contained in this volume in an organic sequence, deftly managing to map out the similarities between artists so that each piece flows smoothly into into the other, creating an amazing sense of an innate connectivity between all areas of comics here on display. This book is a powerful ally in the struggle to bring the light of comics to those poor souls still dwelling in the darkness. It's the perfect choice to turn on a friend or relative to the joy, beauty and pleasures of our favorite medium. Hold onto your hats, here's the contributor list: Daniel Clowes, Saul Steinberg, Sammy Harkham, Chris Ware, R. Sikoryak, Michael Kupperman, Drew Friedman, Mark Beyer, Mack White, Jayr Pulga, Renee French, Kim Deitch, Richard Sala, J. Bradley Johnson, Archer Prewit, Anonymous (utility sketchbook), HJ Tuthill, Milt Gross, Bill Holman, Harvey Kurtzman, R.Crumb, Basil Wolverton, Art Spiegelman, Jess, John Hankiewicz, Tim Hensley, Bill Griffith, Richard McGuire, Gilbert Hernandez, Jim Woodring, David Collier, Eugene Teal, Charles Burns, Karl Wirsum, Gary Panter, Paper Rad, Fletcher Hanks, CF, Charles Forbell, Ron Rege, Jr., Winsor McCay, Matthew Thurber, Souther Salazar, Kevin Scalzo, Megan Kelso, James McShane, Laura Park, Vanessa Davis, Onsmith, Joe Matt, Jeffrey Brown, Martin Cendreda, Dave Kiersh, John Porcellino, Carrie Golus/Patrick Welch, Jessica Abel, Cole Johnson, Lynda Barry, Debbie Drechsler, Diane Noomin, Aline Kominsky-Crum, Ariel Bordeaux, Chester Brown, Anders Nilsen, Joe Sacco, Phoebe Gloeckner, Elinore Norflus, Brian Chippendale, Leif Goldberg, David Mazzuchelli, Jerry Moriarty, Ben Katchor, Frank Santoro, Dan Zettwoch, Kevin Huizenga, Harvey Pekar/R.Crumb, Carol Tyler, Maurice Vellekoop, Seth, Adrian Tomine, Jaime Hernandez & David Heatley. It's simply amazing. Comics Power! PLEASE NOTE: We feel compelled to mention that this volume includes several pieces that contain quite explicit sexual content; and while this content represents only a miniscule fraction of the total, it nevertheless renders this volume fit for ADULTS ONLY.
The Impostor's Daughter	Laurie Sandell	Little, Brown		$22.22 ($24.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Here's the debut graphic novel from esteemed publisher, Little, Brown & Co. It's also the second graphic novel to emerge from the unlikely source of the staff of Glamour Magazine (the first, Cancer Vixen, was surprisingly well received here at Copacetic). Here's the publisher's description: "Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job--interviewing celebrities for a top women's magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad's life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he's not the man he says he is--not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them--herself."
Comic Book Design	Gary Spencer Millidge			$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	While certainly nowhere near as rigorous as Abel & Madden's Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, Millidge's Comic Book Design makes a more than satisfactory complement to their work as it focuses more strongly on the specifics of visual impact and contains many more examples drawn from the annals of the (primarily recent) history of comics, most of which are well chosen and aptly illustrate his points.
Travel	Yuichi Yokoyama	PictureBox		$17.77 ($19.99 list)
Read more and comment...	While perhaps not as hotly awaited as PM2, this year's follow-up to last year's New Engineering (which was the amazing US debut for Japanese manga magician Yokoyama) is, for our money, the sequel of the year. Anyone wanting to see truly original, ground-breaking comics work need look no further than this unassuming volume. It may not seem like much sitting there on the shelf, but once you open it up and let its contents pour out as you pore over its pages you will find yourself taken out of your body and travelling to realms of mind over matter, racing at a pace you didn't know you were capable of. A very strong rhythmic component was already evident in Yokoyama's work in the short pieces collected in New Engineering. With Travel, a single piece of almost 200 pages, the rhythm has been intensified and become an indefatiguable beat that gives the impression that it might just be the pulse of the world. Every motion, no matter how mundane -- from the turning of one's head, to the stubbing out of a cigarette -- is rendered with a dynamism and a sense of urgency that focuses the reader's attention in a startling way and serves to bring alive every instant; "never a dull moment," indeed. You will go back to this book again and again trying to unlock its mysteries. This work conveys movement through space in time in sequential images that alchemically reflect the manner in which human consciousness is being reformatted by being enveloped in a landscape composed of ever increasing loads of information that must be processed at ever increasing rates of speed. This is all the more amazing given that this work is text free and entirely imagematic. It does, however, come equipped with an introduction by Paul Karasik and an appendix featuring commentary by Yokoyama himself. Recommended!
Melvin Monster	John Stanley, Seth	Drawn and Quarterly	The John Stanley Library	$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Drawn & Quarterly launches their long held dream project of a John Stanley Library with this lush, Seth-designed hardcover volume containing 112 pages of full color comics – all scanned from the original comic books, for that collector frisson (all that's missing is the smell) – that originally comprised the first three issues of the 1965 Dell series. Seth has lavished his designer attentions on this book and it is another fine fetish-worthy volume. Not sure if Melvin Monster is for you (or, perhaps, a child near you)? Well then, just take a moment out of your busy day to peruse this full color preview and see what you think.
Masterpiece Comics	R. Sikoryak	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Literally two decades in the making, here is a book that lives up to its name! There are levels of irony upon irony and then within and in between these there lurks hints and glimmers of more. There is militant subversion and blatant transgression of the exact same material for which is simultaneously exhibited the deepest respect and greatest empathy. R. Sikoryak is a truly singular master of comics who knows its classical forms and major practitioners inside out to a degree that is simply unparalleled. His work contained here will trigger a panoply of associations to anyone devoted to the form of comics and this is then squared for those who are on equally familiar terms with the literary classics that are adapted. Sikoryak's achievment in successfully splicing together classic literature and classic comics at the deep level of their respective genetic codes is such that the reading of this collection will, for some, spark a revolution in their perceptual apparatus that will topple the reigning dominant ideology and force a reordering of priorities. We have here the Book of Genesis as a series of Blondie Sunday pages; Dante's Inferno imagined as Bazooka Gum insert comics; Shakespeare's Macbeth as a Mary Worth sub-plot; Voltaire's Candide imagined as Ziggy; Marlowe's Faust as a series of Garfield dailies; Wuthering Heights as an EC horror comic; The Scarlet Letter as acted out by Little Lulu and Tubby; Kafka's "Metamorphosis" starring Charlie Brown; The Portrait of Dorian Gray as a sequence from Little Nemo in Slumberland; Waiting for Godot starring Beavis and Butthead; and, finally the piece de resistance, Crime and Punishment as a 1950s Detective Comics featuring Batman & Robin and the Joker followed by the encore of Camus's L'Etranger condensed into a series of Action Comics covers circa the same era. No self-respecting comics fan can hold their head high without having this volume in their library. Please take a moment to feast your eyes on this PDF sneak peek. And then take a few moments to read this 3-part interview with Sikoryak.
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For	Alison Bechdel	Houghton Mifflin	Dykes to Watch Out For	$22.22 ($25.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Now there's no excuse. Fence sitters can no longer complain about the format or the price or the confusing order of the previously issued volumes of Alison Bechdel's seminal strip. To celebrate it's 25th year, Houghton Mifflin has released this hunky hardcover edition. Weighing in at 392 pages, it contains a very substantial serving of the extant DTWOF strips, making it much more than your standard "best of" collection. Even longtime fans of the strip (like us) who own all the individual volumes will be hard pressed to resist this volume. Format fiends may find that they prefer the balance of the squarish, vertical presentation of the strips as single-pages, over their previous horizontal formatting as side by side two-pagers. And then there's the irresistible icing on the cake: the all-new, never-before-seen, 12-page strip that serves as the introduction. It is the long awaited (at least by us, anyway) "secret origin" of Dykes to Watch Out For, telling the story of Ms. Bechdel's gradual realization and embrace of her latent, long-repressed desire to be a professional cartoonist. What's that? You say you're not a lesbian and so why should you read this? Well, listen up -- here's why: DTWOF is the best ongoing continuity comic strip of its time. The characters that populate this volume are pen and ink creations that live, breath and grow in concise single page strips that precisely capture the underlying humanity that we all share and in the process have defined an era. Yes, it helps if your politics are towards the left of the political spectrum, but even this is not a prerequisite to enjoying the pleasures of this cartoon text (the Norman Rockwell homage of the front cover serving as ample testimony to this fact). Open yourself up to opportunity and you'll make some new friends.
The Lagoon	Lilli Carre	Fantagraphics		$12.75 ($14.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Yes, this slim hardcover volume has been out for awhile, and we apologize for our delay in bringing it to your attention here. The Lagoon is Carré's first book length work. It brings us one family's interaction with a "creature from the Black Lagoon." A lyrical waking dream in comics that works towards revealing the play of the unconscious in shaping family dynamics.
Luba	Gilbert Hernandez	Fantagraphics	Love and Rockets	$33.99 ($39.99 list)
Read more and comment...	At last! The second hardcover collection in the epic saga that began with the mammoth (and now, sadly, out of print) Palomar. Luba* is a massive 600 page hardback that collects the entirety of the three previously released softcovers, Luba in America, Luba: The Book of Ofelia, and Luba: Three Daughters, and then some. The combined retail price of these three softcover trades is $59.97 making the choice of this stunning hardcover a no-brainer for anyone who had yet to purchase this amazing material. And not only that, this time around the work is printed on non-reflective flat white stock yielding superior image quality, which it will make tempting to even those who already have the trades. Luba follows the the titular character along with a large supporting cast that spans three generations and the environs of Mexico and southern California. This is a series that is populated by some of the most colorful characters in the history of comics and that's saying something considering they're all printed in black & white. There are plot lines, actions, reactions and interactions galore. There is powerful social commentary side by side with action and laughs, and more insight into character formation and sexual development than you will find anywhere else. Act now to take advantage of our special price! (offer ends 20 June 2009) (However, there's no need to despair as the entirety of Palomar* is available in three excellent softcover volumes, here.)
The Art of Tony Millionaire	Tony Millionaire	Dark Horse		$34.95 ($39.95 list)
Read more and comment...	It's here, Tony Millionaire's coffee-table moment – but, professional drinker and rabble rouser that Mr. Millionaire is, it might be a tad risky to put the fine china next to this volume, as the spirit inhabiting it is liable to bubble forth and wreak havoc. It is a volume that is likely to feel more at home next to a bottle of spirits, whether it's at the corner tavern or the basement bar. Included along with page after page of Mr. Millionaire's classic-illustration-era, fine pen and ink stylings are many heretofore unknown and unseen bits and pieces of his life and times and antics: newspaper clippings, embarrasing photos, confessions of vicious boozing and more! Long time fans will find much to induldge in.
The Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics	Art Siegelman, Francoise Mouly, Carl Barks, Basil Wolverton and more ...	Abrams ComicArts		$35.00 ($40.00 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Art Spiegelman and Francois Mouly If the amazing kids' comics from the halycon days of yore are your thing, then you've hit the jackopot with this one! Well over 300 pages of classics, all scanned from the original comics themselves, and printed at approximately 120% of the originals. These scans have been digitally cleaned up a bit, so there's no newsprint background tones, just the flat white paper that they're printed on. While this might upset some purists, it was probably a good call as this book is clearly going to be marketed as a gift for children as well as for older fans, and lay people will have difficulty appreciating the nuances of newsprint; and they did a more than decent job of balancing the tones. The book is, somewhat arbitrarily, divided into five sections: Hey, Kids; Funny Animals; Fantasyland; Storytime; and Weird and Wacky. The book successfully draws across the spectrum of children's comics from the twenty years following the close of the second world war – the golden age of kids' comics that fed the baby boomers' imaginations before television took over. While certainly no one is going to agree with every choice, the editors – along with the board of advisors – picked a good crop of comics that is certain to contain favorites of every fan as well as win the hearts of every reader and, more importantly, is sure to capture the imagination of the next generation. Includes work by all-time greats Carl Barks, Basil Wolverton, Harvey Kurtzman, John Stanley, Bob Bolling, Walt Kelly, and many, many more (even Dr. Seuss, who started out in comics). Get a sneak peek, here (just click on the image of the open book at the top right, under "Sample Toon Treasury").
The Best American Comics 2009	Doug Allen, Peter Bagge, Gabrielle Bell, Matt Broersma and more ...	Houghton Mifflin	Best American	$20.00 ($22.95 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Charles Burns Well, Crumb is a tough act to follow, but we'll give it a shot with this star-studded anthology filled with the best and the brightest from the last twelve months of comics, as judged by Charles Burns. In a book like this, we feel that the contributor list says it best: Doug Allen, Peter Bagge, Gabrielle Bell, Matt Broersma, Daniel Clowes, Al Columbia, Robert Dennis Crumb, Sammy Harkham, Tim Hensley, Gilbert Hernandez, Kevin Huizenga, Ben Katchor, Kaz, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Michael Kupperman, Jason Lutes, Tony Millionaire, Jerry Moriarty, Anders Nilsen, Gary Panter, Laura Park, Mimi Pond, Ron Regé, David Sandlin, Koren Shadmi, Dash Shaw, Art Spiegelman, Ted Stearn, Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki, Adrian Tomine, Chris Ware, Dan Zettwoch. 'Nuff said. Well, actually, we can't help but add that while the material contained in this anthology is absolutely fabulous, the quality of its reproduction is, mysteriously, not up to the same standard as the three previous volumes in this series, which were excellent in that department. This shouldn't stop anyone from picking up this fine volume, but it is worrisome. Let's hope that this was a one time aberration and that next year we'll find the fine folks at Houghton Mifflin have figured out what went wrong and put things in the production department back on track.
Project Recess, Volume 3	James Jean	AdHouse Books		$28.75 ($34.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The third installment in the elegantly designed and much demanded (the first two were quick sellouts) series of the art of James Jean provides an intimate look at the working methods of this talented, stylish and popular artist. A plain black die-cut cover hints at the informal sketchbook/scrapbook contents within. Fans who have been waiting to get an up-close and personal look at the creative core of James Jean now have their chance. Check this out for an idea what's in store (but only a hint, as the cumulative effect of a book full of work can't be captured in a preview).
The Complete Jack Survives	Jerry Moriarty	Buenaventura Press		$29.75 ($34.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Begun thirty years ago, Jack has at last found a permanent luxury dwelling in this sumptuously produced (by Buenaventura Press) oversized hardcover book that will be treasured by comics aesthetes everywhere. Jerry Moriarty, who has the courage to admit that, "When I started out, I didn't know what I was doing," took a chance and headed into unknown territory, taking a painterly sensibility rooted in the depression-era painting of Hopper, Sheeler and Burchfield, and grafting it straight onto his own hardwired, homegrown comics sensibility. Without taking the time to worry what it all meant or where he was going, he just struck out for the territory and made it all his own. Take a tour.
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.
The Gigantic Robot	Tom Gauld	Buenaventura Press		$12.95 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	by Tom Gauld A meditation on the ephemerality of existence that tries to have it both ways, as only comics can. Preview it HERE.
George Sprott	Seth	Drawn and Quarterly		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Earlier this month we lauded Seth's design of the first volume of the collected Doug Wright as being, "without any doubt, Seth's crowning achievement as a book designer." We are now, in the wake of George Sprott, forced to add to that comment the qualifier, "working with material other than his own," for with this lavishly produced, spectacularly sized (12" x 14"), and yet modestly priced volume, Seth has taken his design to another level by integrating book design deep into the fabric of his work; to such a degree that the apprehension and full appreciation of the material is inseparable from it. George Sprott is simultaneously a character study, a historical saga, and a cultural analysis, but most of all it is a comics feast prepared by one of today's top cartoonist's operating at the height of his powers. Make sure you check out this preview. This is one book you don't want to miss!
Red Snow	Susumu Katsumata	Drawn and Quarterly		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Canadian publisher, Drawn and Quarterly extends their manga winning streak with this excellent hardcover collection of ten short stories. Susumu Katsumata is yet another of the manga maestros who are woefully under-recognized here in North America that D & Q has taken upon themselves to introduce to what they hope – and so far has been – an appreciative audience. Katusmata's work is unique in that it falls into the category of gekiga – the grittier form of manga pioneered by Tatsumi and others – yet, unlike the vast majority of those practicing their craft within this form, Katsumata's tales are set in rural pre-modern Japan, giving his work some parallels with that master of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa. Includes an interview with and biography of the author.
The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My	Tove Jansson	Drawn and Quarterly	Moomin	$15.00 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This NOT a fifth book in the collection of Moomin comics. That collection was – to the best of our knowledge – completed with the fourth volume. What this IS, is something else altogether: an amazing example of book arts that combines storytelling, gorgeous full color illustration and inventive die-cutting to create a unique reading experience that can be enjoyed by all ages. Be sure to pick this one up and look through it!
Abstract Comics	Andrei Molotiu	Fantagraphics		$29.99 ($39.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Andrei Molotiu, college professor, art historian, and all-star poster to the TCJ message board, has pulled together a wide ranging assortment of works under the banner of "abstract comics." Molotiu well understands the vagaries that will attach themselves to an overly broad designation such as this and has penned a cogent introduction to give readers as idea of his thoughts about what areas this label could assist in classifying. Importantly, he is well aware that this primary purpose of this collection is to get the conversation started. And this it has already accomplished, as the numerous posts to the Abstract Comics Blog firmly attest. Artists represented in this volume range from celebrated masters such as R. Crumb, Gary Panter and Patrick McDonnell, to accomplished practitioners of the comics arts such as James Kochalka, Lewis Trondheim, J.R. Williams and John Hankiewicz, to marginally known art comics figures like Richard Hahn, Jason T. Miles, Blaise Larmee and Warren Craghead III, but the majority of contributors are obscure figures working on the margins that few readers of these pages will be familiar with – at least in the context of producing comics – such as editor Molotiu himself, who turned in eight pages of free floating abstractions, and Copacetic's own Bill Boichel whose entry is a 24-page mini-comic that has been reformatted as a two-page spread. Yet lack of renown should not be conflated with lack of artistic vision as some of the most engaging works on display here are by the least recognized artists. In recognition of the fact that the purchase of this volume represents a bit of a risk for most comics readers due to the largely unfamiliar terrain, we have decided to shoulder some of that risk by offering an introductory special price of 25% below retail, which works out to a savings of $10.00 that you can either pocket... or spend on more comics!
Epileptic	David B.	Pantheon		$16.00 ($17.95 list)
Read more and comment...	by David B. This comics tour de force, one of the greatest graphic novels yet produced, is now available in a fine, French-flapped softcover edition that's a true value. To learn more, read our full review that accompanied the release of the hardcover edition.
Kramers Ergot #7	Gabrielle Bell, Rick Altergott, Daniel Clowes, Sammy Harkham and more ...	Buenaventura Press	Kramers Ergot	$125.00 ($125.00 list)
Read more and comment...	It's here! All we can say right now is, "WOW!" Sammy Harkham, Alvin Buenaventura and their cohorts have raised the bar once again with what must be considered as one of the most singular books in the history of comics. This volume of Kramers rolls back the hands of time by publishing a book that reproduces that magnificent size of the original Sunday comics of 100 years ago that we have been reacquainted with through the efforts of Sunday Press and their mind-boggling Little Nemo collections. Team Kramers has connected the dots and realized: "If they did it then, there's no reason why we can't do it now!" This volume presents all new work created specifically to be reproduced in the full-up, full-color, big-daddy, 16" x 21" format that will recapture the wonderful amazement of the glory days at the dawn of the comics era. The equally amazing renaissance that comics is currently undergoing will likely come to be symbolized in some fashion by this very volume. Kramers Ergot 7 is, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular works of comics ever published. Measuring a staggering 16" x 21", and containing all new, never before seen work that was commissioned specifically for this giant-size format, we will see today's top comic creators pulling out the stops for this rare chance to produce comics work on this scale. Here's a l of contributors: Rick Altergott, Gabrielle Bell, Jonathan Bennett, Blanquet, Blex Bolex, Conrad Botes, Shary Boyle, Mat Brinkman, John Brodowski, Ivan Brunetti, C.F., Chris Cilla, Jacob Ciocci, Dan Clowes, Martin Cendreda, Joe Daly, Kim Deitch, Matt Furie, Tom Gauld, Leif Goldberg, Matt Groening, John Hankiewicz, Sammy Harkham, Eric Haven, David Heatley, Tim Hensley, Jaime Hernandez, Walt Holcombe, Kevin Huizenga, J. Bradley Johnson, Ben Jones & Pshaw, Ben Katchor, Ted May, Geoff McFetridge, Jesse McManus, James McShane, Jerry Moriarty, Anders Nilsen, John Pham, Aapo Rapi, Ron Rege Jr., Xavier Robel, Helge Reumann, Ruppert & Mulot, Johnny Ryan, Richard Sala, Souther Salazar, Frank Santoro, Seth, Shoboshobo, Josh Simmons, Anna Sommer, Will Sweeney, Matthew Thurber, Adrian Tomine, C. Tyler, Chris Ware, and Dan Zettwoch. WOW! (This is no longer available from the publisher and we are almost out of our stock. As a result, we are no longer offering any discount. Sorry.)
Low Moon	Jason	Fantagraphics		$22.22 ($24.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Here it is, the first Jason omnibus. Five – count em'! – graphic novellas in one hardcover volume. All new, none before published in the United States (although the work whose title supplies that of the collection, "Low Moon," was serialized in the New York Times). This works out to less than half the price per work compared to the softcover editions we're all so familiar with (at the copacetic price, they're a mere four dollars and change each). The lead off tale, "Emily Says Hello," is Jason at his darkest. You won't wallow in despair for long, however, as it is followed by "Low Moon" which is a quirky – and funny – take on the classic western, as only Jason could do. Then we have the pivotal, center story, the aptly, if oddly, named, "&." A period piece set during what appears to be the silent film era, this is a piece of gloomy slapstick, an apparent contradiction in terms that only Jason could pull off, and the source of the cover image. Next up is "Proto Film Noir," which we are not going to say anything about, just to keep you guessing at what a story bearing such a title could possibly be about (here's a tip: don't bother, you'll never guess). Finally, the book closes with "You Are Here," which may very well be the definitive Jason story, and has to be one of the most pithy stories ever penned on the price exacted by the failure of forgiveness. Did we mention that all stories are full color? While everyone doubtless has their own personal favorite Jason book, we feel comfortable stating that from an objective standpoint, this one is clearly the best yet. So, what are you waiting for?
A Drifting Life	Yoshihiro Tatsumi	Drawn and Quarterly		$25.00 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	OK, this is the one you've been waiting for! Eleven years in the making, a whopping 840 pages in length, A Drifting Life is the graphic memoir of one of the all-time manga greats. Over the last several years, Drawn and Quarterly has been assiduously releasing Tatsumi's classic gekiga, in which he pioneered a street savvy, morally ambiguous form of comics that thrived on grittier material and was more ambivalent about the post-war boom in Japan. A Drifting Life chronicles the years 1945 through 1960, during which the author -- who was born in 1935 -- came of age, discovered his artistic talent and entered the competitive (and combative) world of manga. Personally compelling, narratively engaging, artistically challenging, A Drifiting Life also provides an informative look at the manga industry during the critical post-WWII years. Not to be missed. Be sure to take a look at this PDF preview. retail price - $29.95 copacetic price - $25.00
You'll Never Know	Carol Tyler	Fantagraphics		$19.99 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, you know that Fantagraphics has entered the ranks of the mainstream when they have a Fathers' Day release, and, yes, you guessed it, this is it. It is Carol Tyler's memoir of her life with father (and mother and her own daughter, and more besides... but the central focus here is on dad). Formally, it shares some aspects with Maus: the adult child interviewing the elderly father to pry out the WW II memories before they're lost forever, and the concomitant presentation that intertwines these present day efforts with the actual recollections themselves. Tyler, of course, brings her own distinct visual style to these efforts, but, more than that, she has hit upon an effective, original formal device of presenting her father's WW II recollections in the form of a comics scrapbook/photo-album that is sure to pull at the heartstrings of some readers. There are probably not an awful lot of Copacetic customers out there who have a still living father who fought in "the Big One," so it may seem that we're wasting our breath here, but this book will be appreciated by anyone who can be engaged by a deeply personal and heartfelt exploration of family history as well as anyone who enjoys fine comics, and will provide a special pleasure to those who would like to celebrate and explore the father-daughter bond.
The Photographer	Frédéric Lemercier, Didier Lefevre, Emmanuel Guibert	(:01) First Second		$26.95 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	• by Emmanuel Guibert (he wrote and drew it), Didier Lefevre (he lived it and photographed it) & Frédéric Lemercier (he laid out and colored it) – translated from the French by Alexis Siegel • A unique – at least in our experience – work, The Photographer interweaving the actual photographs taken by intrepid photojournalist Lefevre during his numerous journeys in Afghanistan accompanying Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders to us Yanks) during 1986, when the country was at war with the USSR and, as the cold war had yet to be resolved, was therefore, at that time, a strategic ally of the USA; meaning that the CIA was working hand-in-glove with the likes of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. While Che shows comics excelling at digesting large amounts of historical information into a concise cohesive narrative, this work excels in another way: that of putting the reader right there in this far away alien place, and then guiding them while simultaneously interpreting the experience. In this way the reader, too, can be there, after a fashion, and connect to these lives of "others" that are so different from our own, and yet, if only by virtue of our shared humanity, still remain, at their most basic level, the same. Learn more by reading Kate Culkin's review at Publisher's Weekly.
Life, In Pictures	Will Eisner	Norton		$27.50 ($29.95 list)
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.
Supermen	Greg Sandowski, Jonathan Lethem, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner and more ...	Fantagraphics		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	>> edited and designed by Greg Sadowski >> introduction by Jonathan Lethem >> Ladies and gentlemen! Step right up and see the wonders of the ages! This is where it all began: the protoplasmic early days of the superhero comic book -- wild & heady, zany & crazy, fantastic & non-sensical, rough around the edges; all this and more. Reading these stories is like witnessing history in the making, it is being present at the birth. Sure, we've all read those original Superman and Batman stories along with other DC classics, as well as a those old Captain America, Submariner, Human Torch tales, and maybe a few other Golden Age Marvels (well, Timelys, actually), but these are usually presented in a self-promoting fashion by their corporate owners which mitigates and obscures the historical context in which these works need to be read to fully appreciate their novelty. The work here spans the years 1936 to 1941, with the bulk of it originating in 1939 and 1940. It is divided by publisher and includes the Comics Magazine Company, Chesler, Centaur, Fox, MLJ, Fiction House, Columbia, Your Guide/Rhoda and Novelty Press, Some of the earliest work by the brightest stars of the Golden Age are collected here: Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Lou Fine, Jack Cole, Basil Wolverton, Bill Everett, Ogden Whitney, Dick Briefer, Fred Guardineer, and, yes, Fletcher Hanks. It appears that this volume has been put together employing high quality scans of the original comic books which were then digitally restored and and enhanced and then crisply printed on flat (non-glossy) bright paper stock, and the results are excellent, A minor quibble is that, for our money, we would have preferred an off-white paper that more closely matches the newsprint upon which these comics were originally printed, but this is negligible when stacked next to all that is right with the production. While it should go without saying that no self-respecting comics scholar can pass this up, we hasten to add that anyone who misses the plain old fun that we associate with the term comic book, who wants a jolt of that good ol' four-color energy from back in the day, need look no further than this fine volume.
The Wolverton Bible	Basil Wolverton	Fantagraphics		$22.22 ($24.99 list)
Read more and comment...	While, from a historical perspective this release is not of the magnitude of the aforementioned Humbug collection, from a purely artistic point of view it might just give it a run for its money. Compiled and edited by Wolverton’s son, Monte, this 304-page hardcover volume provides excellent quality reproductions of the detailed pen & ink work that represents Wolverton's final, and most sustained, body of work. The drawings are arranged as closely as possible according to Wolverton's original conception and, unlike most (all?) previous editions presenting this work, each is accompanied by the original caption written by Wolverton. The Wolverton Bible is printed on flat, bright white stock, and -- for the first time ever under one cover -- includes all of Wolverton’s artwork for the Worldwide Church of God corporation, all of which was produced between 1953 and 1974. This volume comprises over 550 works illustrating select Old Testament narratives, as well as 20 apocalyptic illustrations inspired by the Book of Revelations, and dozens of cartoons and humorous illustrations for various Worldwide Church publications, most notably The Plain Truth. Recording artist and noted EC authority Grant Geissman provides an insightful foreword, while Monte Wolverton delivers commentary and background in the introduction and in each section. Basil Wolverton is one of comics' true originals and we are grateful to have this opportunity to experience these amazing works. An added bonus to this book being released now is that it gives us a chnace to take in Wolverton's treatment of the Book Of Genesis shortly before R.Crumb's forthcoming treatment, given that Wolverton was one of Crumb's early influences.
Prince Valiant: Volume I: 1937-1938	Hal Foster	Fantagraphics	Prince Valiant	$25.00 ($29.99 list)
Read more and comment...	A contemporary of Fletcher Hanks, Hal Foster must be considered to occupy pretty much the opposite end of the comics spectrum. Disciplined, controlled, majestic – he was the undisputed master (OK, we're sure somewhere out there is someone who would dispute this claim, given the chance) of the classic Sunday page adventure strip, of which Prince Valiant remains the gold standard. Comics as we know them are unimaginable without Hal Foster's work, which inspired a legion of imitators, many of whom went on to become greats in their own right; yet without ever completely breaking free of the master's influence. Fantagraphics' earliest (outside of their journalistic endeavors) and longest running publishing project was collecting Prince Valiant, so you know that it is a strip that rests close to the heart of Gary Groth. The fact that the vast majority of the fifty or so volumes of this series are long out of print, when combined with the much higher quality reproduction that is now affordably available for projects such as these, make the relaunch of this project an idea whose time has come. Enthusiasts will be happy to learn that Fanta has done a fine job this time around: the initial, 11" x 14", full color, hardcover volume presenting two full years of this epochal strip far surpasses their original Prince Valiant series at every level. Please do yourself a favor and at least take a look at this fine volume. Your eyes will thank you.
The Brinkley Girls	Trina Robbins, Nell Brinkley	Fantagraphics		$25.00 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	• edited by Trina Robbins • While they might seem to be located on the other end of the spectrum of femininity from the aforementioned Tank Girl, this is simply a lack of historical perspective. "The Brinkley Girls" are actually the daring cartoon precursors to today's freaky females. In fact, much of the work contained in this volume is a formally daring combination of prose and illustration, with the illustrations admittedly quite dominant. As Brinkley's work evolved, some of it took on more of a sequential, comics-oriented approach, but it remained unique both its style and flavor throughout is nearly thirty year run. The Brinkley Girls were the creation of one Nell Brinkley, a fabulously talented artist – and a glamour girl in her own right – who plied her trade in the rough and tumble masculine world of Hearst Publications, specifically The American Weekly, during the years 1913 through 1940. Editor Robbins has done an equally fabulous job of assembling the material for this fine volume (which, by the way, is an elegantly proportioned 10" x 13" hardcover volume, printed in full color – from high resolultion scans of original materials – throughout its 136 pages), and her fine introductory essay puts it all in context. The artwork here simply has to be seen to be believed. Brinkley, rather than create a continuity based on a single character or set of characters, after the fashion of practically all other cartoonists, instead created an series of discrete self-contained continuity adventures featuring non-recurring characters that ran a set number weeks and then ended, to be followed by a new adventure. What connected them all, is that, figuratively speaking, they all "starred" a set of Brinkley's gorgeous – and gorgeously rendered – golden girls,and this is what ensured their lasting fame. Brinkley's work influenced a host of classic newspaper cartoonists, most notably Dale Messick, the creator of Brenda Starr, and its inffluence continues to be felt, both directly and indirectly, today: The work of Dame D'Arcey will appear in a whole new light after you've spent some time with this volume. Opening this book will open your eyes to an era and an artist.
Beanworld: Wahoolazuma!	Larry Marder	Dark Horse	Beanworld	$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Good grief! Can it really be true that Beanworld is now 25 years old? Say it isn't so! Here in Larry Marder's lively hands, the art and craft of comics is reduced to its bare essentials: signs and symbols. Visually simple but deceptively deep, this is a work that works simultaneously on multiple levels and that has, as the back cover blurb succinctly states, "captivated readers from grade school to grad school."
Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics	James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, Alexis Frederick-Frost	(:01) First Second		$11.75 ($12.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This volume was produced under the aegis of The Center for Cartoon Studies. It is by the Center's director, James Sturm, and two of his students. It very simply provides the basic building blocks of comics while embodying core CCS principles of story-telling. It is primarily geared to encourage and empower youngsters to create comics of their own and is priced to encourage parents and relatives to buy it for them (or even for them to buy it themselves). There's a swell 17 page excerpt on the web, here. Check it out!
Hug Time	Patrick McDonnell	Little, Brown	Mutts	$13.33 ($14.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Simple pen and ink drawings combine with delicate watercolors to illustrate a Suess-like rhyme scheme telling a story of hugs around the world; featuring Mutts supporting character, Jules (aka Shtinky Puddin'). Is this the cutest book ever published? Maybe. Is it the perfect gift for anyone you know who could use a hug? Yes.
Art	Patrick McDonnell	Little, Brown		$13.33 ($14.95 list)
Read more and comment...	From the irrepressible creator of Mutts comes this 48-page hardcover children's book on art and creativity. It's the book you want to give to encourage the creativity that lies dormant in every child to erupt in fun filled frenzy!
The Best of Mutts	Patrick McDonnell	Andrews McMeel	Mutts	$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	And, speaking of successful cartoonists, what more can we say about Mutts that hasn't been said already? Patrick McDonnell has managed to somehow graft a poet's soul and fine artist's sensibility onto the studied craft of a totally classic old school newspaper comicstrip cartoonist. Mutts is truly one of a kind; and in more ways than one, not the least of which is the way in which it unfailingly manages to raise the spirits. Here in this fine oversized hardcover edition is the distilled essence of Mutts, both the black & white dailies and the full color Sundays, in 254 horizontally formatted pages each of which can and will be enjoyed by one and all.
The Complete Peanuts Gift Box 1: 1950 - 1954	Charles M. Schulz	Fantagraphics	The Complete Peanuts	$39.95 ($49.95 list)
Read more and comment...	What this is, exactly, is an illustrated and quite sturdy slip-cover containing both volume one and volume two of the Fantagraphics edition of the Complete Peanuts. Make no mistake: these are the exact same books that you would purchase indivudually and that are priced at $28.95 each. So, if you had been meaning to get started with this series, but hadn't managed to get around to it, you're in luck: Now you can get the first two volumes and a snazzy slipcase and save on the bargain, to boot. And, of course, this item is pretty much a guaranteed success story as a holiday gift -- as it is obviously intended to be. If, however, you already purchased the first volume, and are now experiencing angst-ridden envy at the thought of missing out on this cool slipcase -- don't! You can still buy this, place your old copy of the first volume in the slipcase, and then give the first volume as a gift; thereby creating a win-win situation.
The Complete Collected Peanuts Gift Box Set 6: 1971 - 74	Charles Schulz	Fantagraphics	The Complete Peanuts	$39.99 ($49.99 list)
Read more and comment...	As always, this box set contains the two latest volumes in the series (11 & 12, this time around) , nestled in a sturdy Seth-designed slip case, for a substantial savings.
Moomin, Book Three	Tove Jansson	Drawn and Quarterly	Moomin	$17.77 ($19.99 list)
Read more and comment...	It's here! The third book in the four volume Drawn & Quarterly series collecting the entirety of the Moomin comic strip. Commissioned by the London Evening Standard over fifty years ago, created and produced in Finland by Ms. Jansson, Moomin went on to be published in over forty different newspapers around the world. Believe it or not, to the best of our knowledge (please correct us if we're wrong), despite its global popularity and the solid US sales of the children's Moomin books -- many of which include illustrations -- these D & Q volumes represent the first time the comics manifestation of the Moominverse has ever been published in book form in North America. Once again Drawn & Quarterly has done the material proud by maintaining their ususal standard of excellence in production. Don't worry if this is the first you've heard of Moomin: we still have the first two volumes (and now, the fourth, as well) in stock. And, not only that, D & Q had the foresight to provide us with an online location at which to peruse 90 consecutive strips -- here -- so, go ahead and get Moominized!
Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #15	Dan Zettwoch, C.F., Jeffrey Brown, John Kerschbaum and more ...	Bongo		$4.44 ($4.99 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Just roll this one up and you've got the perfect stocking stuffer for the heppest of your pals. What makes this Simpson's comic book different from all other Simpson's comic books? Well, this 48 page (no interior ads!) full color comic book "starring" the Simpsons is written and drawn by full fledged members of The Kramers Ergot Gang, Tim Hensley, Matthew Thurber, Kevin Huizenga, Jordan Crane, Ted May, Sammy Harkham, Will Sweeney, Jon Vermilyea, Ben Jones, John Kerschbaum, Jeffrey Brown and C.F., and features a cataclysmic cover by none other than dazzlin' Dan Zettwoch - 'nuff said!
What It Is	Lynda Barry	Drawn and Quarterly		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	It's here! What It is, the long awaited, all new, 208 page hardcover volume of heuristic metacomix by the one and only Lynda Barry, is both a beautiful and inspiring work of art and an insightful exploration of the creative process. Her first new work since her 2002 masterpiece, 100 Demons, What It Is uses the language of comics to probe the secrets of creativity itself, which leads her deep into the caverns of philosophy, where, ever the intrepid explorer, Ms. Barry undertakes an especially thorough excavation of the cave of epistemology. There in the murky darkness she discovers that memory and imagination blur and merge amidst the stalactites and stalagmites of our respective genetic heritages before condensing and collecting in placid prehistoric pools to mix with the ancient amoebas; in the process dissolving time itself. The past, present and future come together -- an instant and an eternity stand as one in the revelation that it all starts with... The Image! Lynda Barry, long considered among the major contemporary comics creators, has, with What It Is, taken comics to a new place and created a work that can stand shoulder to shoulder in the pantheon with those created by Frida Kahlo, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Hayao Miyazaki, to name but a few of her new peers. This book is full of surprises and delight. There's really only one thing to say about this book: "YES!!!" If you still need convincing, then feast your eyes on this amazing (lucky)13-page preview and/or read our full length review.
Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Volume One	Steve Ditko	Fantagraphics		$34.95 ($39.95 list)
Read more and comment...	edited by Blake Bell <<•>> This is it! The motherload of classic early – and rare! and expensive! (take from us, we know) – Ditko comics from 1953 to 1955 is now available in this readily affordable (well, at least when compared to the originals) 240 page hardcover volume from Fantagraphics Books. Primarily produced for the then respectable Charlton Comics, but with a handful executed for Prize, Ajax, Gillmor and Timor – these are comics! Presented here in high quality reproductions taken from full color scans of the original comics, this is how they are meant to be seen. All we have to say right now is, "Yes, yes, yes! Read these great comics." (OK, we also have to say that all fans of Gilbert Hernandez should be taking an extra hard look at some of the comics contained in this volume, as close examination will reveal that therein lies some of his primal inspiration as a cartoonist.)
The Quest for the Missing Girl	Jiro Taniguchi	Fanfare/Ponent Mon		$22.22 ($25.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Here's an item that we've had in stock at the store for awhile now, but failed to give it the attention that it deserves. And so now, in emulation of this fine work's protagonist, Takeshi Shiga, we are coming down from our mountain refuge to set things straight. This work is as excellent a piece of craftmanship as you are likely to find anywhere in comics today. Let's just come right out and say it: Jiro Taniguchi is the man. Divided into a meticulously planned and expertly paced thirteen chapters, this book presents a classic story arc involving an archetypal man of honor repaying a debt. The archetype to which Shiga belongs falls into the same category as Wolverine™ and The Punisher™: that of the emotionally wounded male unable (or unwilling) to commit to a loving, reciprocal, sexual relationship but ready, willing and able to commit everything to a heroic task to compensate for this lack and so close the wound. Shiga's character, abilities and environs are, however, endowed with a far, far greater degree of verisimilitude than those of any character on display in corporate-owned American comics; not to mention the fact that his actions show him to be possessed of a significantly greater moral acuity and personal virtue. The narrative follows the well worn path – defined by Raymond Chandler sixty years ago, when he wrote, "(D)own these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid" – of the virtuous civilian soldier, personally above reproach, who pushes his way through the morass of a contemporary urban environment, wherein he must make his way over, under, around and/or through a wall of lies – erected by the inevitably corrupt powers-that-be with the self-serving purpose of maintaining their unjust and clearly exploitative control of the society they share with the hero – and thereby reach the truth and bring justice. The Quest for the Missing Girl is so close to a perfect realization of this particular form that we might want to consider it a material manifestation of its Platonic ideal in comics. Taniguchi's attention to detail is such that gaijin readers will receive the added bonus of being taken on what amounts to a guided tour through a cross section of Japan that will provide them with a greater understanding and appreciation of its topography, society and character. We're not in the business of spoiling the immense reading pleasure afforded by a work such as this, so we will refrain from revealing any of the plot particulars, prefering instead to offer our assurances that you will not be disappointed. And, while we would be the first to concur that today the term "graphic novel" primarily serves to promote the marketing of comics in bookstores, should this term ever manage to cohere into an actual literary form, we feel confident that The Quest for the Missing Girl will fit the bill. Anyone wanting to know how it's done need look no further, this is quest's end.
Wimbledon Green	Seth	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Sub-titled, "The Greatest Comic Book Collector in the World," this is a book that will be as appealing to long time comic fans for its endearing portrait of the obsessive collector mindset as it will be to the general reader with its entertaining story and cast of characters. And the production of this book is a delight for the senses. You really have to pick it up and hold it in your hands to fully appreciate what a fine job they did with this one. Seth has clearly been absorbing the work of his peers as well as his precursors and is finally moving beyond his trademark schtick of melancholy loners -- although he's certainly not abandoning it, as it permeates this work as well, only now it's moved below the surface. The dense repetitive layouts of Chris Ware are here combined with the device pioneered by Dan Clowes in the last two issues of Eightball of creating a crazy quilt narrative of a series of sequentially juxtaposed short pieces. Within this structural framework Seth has built an entertaining narrative that is highly reminiscent of some of the classic Uncle Scrooge tales by Carl Barks as well as the longer Little Lulu and Tubby adventures by John Stanley. In other words: If you like comics, you'll like Wimbledon Green.
Project: Romantic	Ash Wood, Hope Larson, Jim Rugg, Nick Craine and more ...	AdHouse Books		$25.00 ($40.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This is the final installment of the "Project Trilogy" which provides the up-and-coming generation of cartoonists to work with traditional comics themes. Inititated by Project: Telstar, which dealt with science fiction themes with a focus on robots, and continued by Project: Superior, which had super heroics as its unifying theme, this time around, as the title suggests, the same generation of cartoonists is given a chance to tackle the romance comics genre. As with the first two anthologies, the works assembled here bear little semblance to their generic progentiors in the mainstream comics of yore, a guided tour of which we are given in the introductory essay by Bill Boichel (which is currently available online as a downloadable .pdf). "True" romance seems mostly a thing of the past in the stories that follow, which here primarily focus on -- at best -- snatching a moment of happiness with a fellow being. Many of the pieces center on unrequited love, heartbreak, romantic disaster, murder, mayhem and confusion. Sometimes it's played for laughs and sometimes for tears. Exceptions include Aaron Renier's "Reflectors and Rutabegas," which comes closest to being a traditional romance, and McGovern & Leandri's Dr. Id story, which employs a 1960s-Dr.-Strange-as-sex-therapist narrative that is certainly traditional in its form, if not in its content. As with all AdHouse Books, the production values are excellent and the quality of the artwork is uniformly high. Stand-outs for us include the contributions of Paul Rivoche, Hope Larson, Roger Petersen and Junko Mizuno, but doubtless every reader of this anthology will find their own favorites. And there's no way we can avoid singling out Robert Goodin's contribution: if there were an award for excellence in the service of perversion, this one would have the comics category all wrapped up. PLEASE NOTE: This is the limited edition hardcover edition that we are offering here. Limited to 500 individually numbered copies, it features front and back covers, as well as endpapers that consist of four apocryphal romance comic book covers featuring Afrodisiac, all by Pittsburgh's own megatalent, Jim Rugg! We are offering this at half off it's original price – need we say it? – while supplies last! (LIMIT: ONE PER CUSTOMER)
Map of My Heart	John Porcellino	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	To celebrate King-Cat Comics and Stories' twentieth birthday, Drawn and Quarterly has given us a present: this swell 360 page volume that collects King-Cat Comics and Stories #51 - #61 – all classics – in their entirety, along with copious notes, bonus comics, journal and notebook entries, maps, and even an index (of titles)! This one should be a no-brainer for everyone except those who already own the originals (and even they might be tempted by the bonuses). Those who are unfamiliar with Porcellino's work can get a nice PDF taste of it here. And, we're adding to the celebration by offering a special discount.
The Book of Genesis, Illustrated	R. Crumb	Norton		$22.22 ($24.95 list)
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!
The Art of Jaime Hernandez: The Secrets of Life and Death	Alison Bechdel, Jaime Hernandez, Todd Hignite	Abrams ComicArts		$34.00 ($40.00 list)
Read more and comment...	<<•>> introduction by Alison Bechdel <<•>> YES! It's here: a dream come true. Designed by Jordan Crane, and perfectly printed on high quality flat white stock, every page of this oversize hardcover book is a wonder. Where to start with a book like this? Well, first off, there are the page after flawless page of full color reproductions of Jaime's black and white (and color) original artwork – including many pieces of unpublished art, several of which are real eye-openers! Then there is the uncovered cache of rare ephemera like punk rock fliers, early L & R ads, and local and national magazine covers. Also unearthed are drawings from Jaime's childhood years, including those that cover Jaime's Oxnard High School Pee-Chee folder, amongst which is one of the first ever depictions of Maggie! Best of all, there is a veritable family scrap book worth of photos documenting the Hernandez clan's development from its earliest days (Jaime in diapers!) on up through the halcyon days of punk rock splendor and beyond that will have long time Love and Rockets fans dewy eyed more than once. AND, this book isn't just about the art, it's also about the man behind the art. It's full of choice quotes from Jaime and others in his circle, all of which go a long way towards shedding light on the particular nature of his genius. Our favorite so far is this gem of Jaime's, in response to the suggestion that he build on his popularity to step into the mainstream: "That's not the next step. Love and Rockets is the last step. I 'made it' when we did the first issue. Everything else – The New York Times, even making a movie – is lesser than Love and Rockets, as far as I'm concerned, and everyone else should treat their work that way. If it's your own work, it should be treated as the last thing, not the first thing." Amen to that. Written and curated by Comic Art Magazine founding editor, Todd Hignite, this massive hardcover volume builds on and extends Comic Art's tradition of high standards in writing, graphic design and production. Hignite's introduction, craftily employing Jaime's New York Times serial "La Maggie la Loca" as both its jumping off point and visual foil, is a model of concise clear prose in the service of promoting an ideal. The body of the book constructs a well rounded portrait of the artist that will stand the test of time. We'd say more, but we're all too busy poring over the pages and dabbing our eyes...
Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary	Justin Green	McSweeney's		$26.00 ($29.00 list)
Read more and comment...	introduction by Art Spiegelman <<•>> We were a tad skeptical when we first got wind of this re-issue of one of the undisputed classics of the underground era of comics that it would justify its hefty price tag: but all of our doubts vanished as soon as this splediferous volume emerged from the box it arrived in. This is a fabulous, gilded and embossed hardcover edition that is a whopping 10" x 14" and reproduces the entire original classic comic book directly from the black & white, pen & ink original, using full color reproduction. What this means is that you can really see the original art in all its imperfect glory: white-out, blue pencil, inadvertent stains – all are clearly on display, rendering the creative process visible, and allowing the reader to really see the art that brought this major comics milestone into being. As for describing the work itself, we'll hand that job off to these highly esteemed commentators: "Justin Green – he's out of his mind. I love every stroke of his nervous pen, every tortured scratch he ever scrawled. He was among the top storytelling artists of the first wave of 'underground' comics, a darkly humorous social commentator, and the FIRST, absolutely the FIRST EVER cartoonist to draw highly personal autobiographical comics. Binky Brown started many other cartoonists along the same path, myself included." – R. Crumb <•> "With Binky Brown, comics went practically overnight from being an art form that saw from the outside in to one that sees from the inside out. (Justin Green's) internal struggle can practically be felt in the drawings themselves, the style sometimes changing from panel to panel – sometimes even within the panels themselves – all in a effort to simply arrive at The Truth. Comics wouldn't be what they are today without this book, and this new edition places it in its proper place in the comics literary canon. Thank God for Binky Brown. And thank God for Justin Green." – Chris Ware <•> "I like it very much but I don't get the slang." – Federico Fellini <•> Is there really anything more left to be said? If those endorsements don't sell you, nothing will!
Art Out of Time	Dan Nadel			$35.00 ($40.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This is an awesome new book of amazing, little seen and hard to find classic comics. These are high quality reproductions of complete stories here, taken right from the original sources; not single page "examples" folowed by lots of text "explaining" them. No! Author Dan Nadel employs his vast knowledge of the outer reaches of comics to introduce and put in context the pieces this volume contains, and then steps aside and lets the work speak for itself. This is the real deal. Make sure to check this one out! Click here to learn more.
Driven By Lemons	Joshua Cotter	AdHouse Books		$17.77 ($19.99 list)
Read more and comment...	This book took us quite by surprise, as it will anyone who has read or is even familiar with Cotter's previous and best known work, Skyscrapers of the Midwest. Skyscrapers, was a widely lauded work which originally appeared in a series of comic books before being collected as a hardcover graphic novel. It presented a relatively straightforward tale in which fantasy intertwined with reality that hewed closely to narrative norms. In other words, it is a work that in no way prepares any of its readers for the free flowing stream that is Driven By Lemons. Cotter, along with Adhouse Books publisher, Chris Pitzer, have here created a book that is, by all appearances, a facsimile of Cotter's 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" hardcover Moleskine sketchbook (although it is highly unlikely that it is actually a true facsimile, the conceit that it is is important to its meaning – Hold on a second there! According to this interview [which comes complete with a lengthy manifesto-like preamble by Cotter] it actually is a facsimile of his sketchbook, and he planned it all out in advance.). While some of the work it contains will be clearly recognizable to readers of Cotter's earlier work, most boldly charts new territory. In a nutshell, Driven By Lemons is a shining example of self-discovery through sketchbooking. Clearly, something has changed in Cotter's life since he completed Skyscrapers, and as he tried to adapt to his new environment – physical, emotional, psychological, or some combination of these – he kept a record of his travails in his sketchbook, tried to cohere it into some sort of narrative, and Driven By Lemons is the result. There is some truly adventurous comics work here; you can feel the inspiration. Make sure to crack this one open and take a look.
Hot Potatoe	Marc Bell	Drawn and Quarterly		$29.95 ($39.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Voot O'Reenie! Break out the Slim Gaillard and get comfortable! This gigantic album of the one and only Marc Bell, Canada's answer to long lonely winters, is coming over and you'll want to be prepared. Comics, illustration, mixed media and Bell's own idiosyncratic combinations of these that together embody one of the most singular ouevres in the art comics biz are all amply on display in the over 270, 9" x 12" pages. Color and black and white works are reproduced accordingly and with care in this multiple-paper-stock-employing oversize hardcover volume that is an ideal tonic for chasing away those winter blues, and has been released just in time to do the job.
Nancy	Seth, John Stanley	Drawn and Quarterly	The John Stanley Library	$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Drawn and Quarterly continues their long held dream to present the works of John Stanley in deluxe, Seth-designed volumes. Pretty much everything we said about the premiere volume in this series, Melvin Monster, holds true for this one, and then some!
Hicksville	Dylan Horrocks	Drawn and Quarterly		$17.77 ($19.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Here at Copacetic Comics, we've long been fond of calling Hicksville "The Watchmen of small press comics." This is useful in that practically all comics readers are familiar with and have positive associations with The Watchmen, and we feel that Hicksville is a similarly ambitious, successful and important work, and so is one that we like to draw attention to, and comparing it to The Watchmen is a cheap and easy way to do so. Whether or not this is a good, right or fair thing to say in regards to to the themes and content of the respective works, we're not going to try to defend. The comparison's validity rests more on a historical point in that both are works whose central narratives, in addition to telling engaging stories, simultaneously serve to deconstruct the basis of the genres they are working in. For Watchmen it is that of the superhero, for Hicksville it is the genre of autobio comics and its rise out of the world of comics fandom. Now, back in print after a two-year hiatus, this new edition of Hicksville is, we feel, likely to be the definitive one, as everything about it feels just right. Most especially the significant addition of an all new, all comics introduction by Horrocks that he himself states (in this quite-worthy-of-reading Publisher's Weekly interview) is "one of the most frank and personal things I've ever drawn." This introduction is an important minor work in its own right and puts the proverbial icing on the cake of this seminal volume (preview it here). So, for any and all Copacetic customers who have yet to experience this comics masterwork, we say: now is the time.
Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater	Eric Nash, Frederik Schodt	Abrams ComicArts		$29.75 ($35.00 list)
Read more and comment...	<<•>> introduction by Frederik L. Schodt Paralleling the rise of comic strips in the US, Kamishibai – paper theater – originated during the early 1930s in Japan, and experienced its heyday during the subsequent 20 years. At its height, during the post war years, it entertained over five million children and adults daily! This lushly printed and designed hardcover volume presents over 300 pages of full color illustrations covering the entire history of the medium from its inception through its glory days to its inevitable decline and current status as a classical form still employed in educational settings. Manga Kamishibai opens a window on a forgotten world.
MAD's Greatest Artists: The Completely MAD Don Martin	Don Martin			$50.00 ($150.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	This massive two-volume slip-cased edition is the same format made famous by the complete Calvin and Hobbes and Complete Far Side, and, like them, is a deluxe edition. The Completely MAD Don Martin weighs in at a walloping fifteen pounds and runs a mind-boggling 1200 pages that contain ALL of Don Martin's work for Mad Magazine. If you know anyone for whom this would be a dream come true, now's your chance to score it for a mere fraction of its original price! SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED
Wilson	Daniel Clowes	Drawn and Quarterly		$19.75 ($21.95 list)
Read more and comment...	OK, admit it – this is the one you've been waiting for. Well, it's here, the first original graphic novel by Mr. Clowes; the first, in other words, that did not first see the light of day in his long running solo title, Eightball. Wilson extends the vein he opened in Eightball #22 (the story that went on to be released as Ice Haven) and continued in Eightball #23 (the yet to be graphic-novelized 1970s "super-hero" story). In these two works Clowes penned a sequence of stand-alone short strips of varying length each rendered in one of a variety of distinct cartoon voices (aka styles). Through the course of these works, the short pieces slowly coalesce into an organic whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. In Wilson Clowes employs this technique with a singular focus. Whereas in the aforementioned works, point of view shifted among and between the characters, in Wilson each and every one of the 71 single page strips, while employing the same wide variety of voices as the other works, features and focuses on the titular character. In addition, almost all the single page strips contain six panels – with the few that don't all being either seven or eight panels – and the last panel of each strip serves as a sort of "punch line." Taken together, this homogeneity creates a formal unity between all of the strips and gives a sense that the book is a collection of Sunday page strips that is doubling as a graphic novel. The cumulative narrative effect of Wilson is to provide the reader with a massive refraction of a single personality and the realization that while context can and does alter the perception of people and events, an individual's character remains and retains an essential unity that undergirds and connects it all.
Art In Time: Unknown Comic Book Adventures, 1940 - 1980	Dan Nadel, Bill Everett, Jesse Marsh, Harry Lucey and more ...	Abrams ComicArts		$35.00 ($40.00 list)
Read more and comment...	<<•>> edited by Dan Nadel <<•>> The long awaited follow up volume to Nadel's pioneering 2006 anthology of rarely seen and under appreciated comics, Art Out of Time, has at last arrived! This time around we have a tighter focus. While much of the work contained in Art of Time originally appeared in newspapers and broadsheets, all the work contained in this volume originally appeared in comic book form between 1942 and 1980. Extending and expanding his mission to bring art world curatorial standards to comics, Nadel has provided an informative introduction to the book as a whole, along with separate one-page explanations of the underlying reasoning behind each of the thematically groupings into which the work is divided: "Demand and Supply," "Where They Were Drawing From," "It's All In the Routine," and "Expansive Palettes." The artists included here range from the golden age superhero work of H.G. Peter and Mort Meskin, through the post-WW II "atomic age" genre work of Bill Everett, Matt Fox, Jesse Marsh and Pete Morisi, and also including early work focused on hardboiled detective, Sam Hill, by the one and only Harry Lucey, who is best know for his 1960s work on Archie Comics. Another artist whose work included here ranges far from their iconic work is John Stanley, who is best known for his multi-decade run Little Lulu. Nadel has dug up a couple of obscure horror tales from 1962 that should be quite a surprise to most Stanley collectors. Also from the 1960s we have Sam Glanzman's Kona and Pat Boyette's career high, the 25 page, "Children of Doom" from 1967. Heading into the underground era we have fairly obscure yet nonetheless era-defining work from Willy Mendes and John Thompson. And, finally, on the cusp of the undergrounds and the alternative revolution that supplanted them is Sharon Rudahl's 34 page epic, The Adventures of Crystal Night, is presented here in its entirety. Essential, we say.
Capacity	Theo Ellsworth	Secret Acres		$12.75 ($15.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	If you ask us what was the highlight of this year's SPX, we won't hesitate to answer that it was the premiere of Theo Ellsworth's collection, Capacity. This hefty 336 page tome collects all seven issues of Mr. Ellsworth's fantastic self-published series of comics of the same name, (these have been big sellers here at Copacetic, but most, if not all, of them are now out of print) PLUS well over 100 pages of new -- and amazing -- material. This is a veritable jackpot of a book, and we commend the fine folks at Secret Acres for taking the chance on Theo and publishing it. It is packed with page after page of the most energetically imaginative pen and ink drawings we've ever seen. There's a hint of Moebius here, but really, when you get right down to it, this book makes us think that Ellsworth's body, despite residing in the northwest of the USA, has been occupied by a spirit from gothic Europe; probably that of a monkish scribe who produced illuminated manuscripts that contained detailed architectural renderings... and this spirit is pushing itself into our world through Theo's skillful hands, manifesting itself here in these fantastic pages of comics, which, the more you look at them the more they really do seem to start to come alive and enter into the mind and spirit of the reader. We strongly encourage you to visit www.artcapacity.com to help prepare yourself for the experience. Theo Ellsworth's talent is clearly working at maximum capacity.
Abandoned Cars	Tim Lane	Fantagraphics		$16.99 ($18.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Here's another softcover edition of a previously released hardcover. Tim Lane's Abandoned Cars is a hardboiled, hard-drawn, hard-livin' look at the underbelly of America that deserves a look, and the new, attention grabbing cover for the softcover works hard to get you to do just that. We'll do our part by offering up this major league 16-page PDF preview, and referring you to our review of the hardcover.
Artichoke Tales	Megan Kelso	Fantagraphics		$19.99 ($22.99 list)
Read more and comment...	It took a while, but she did it! This chunky, pert, hardcover volume finally delivers on the promise of Kelso's self-published mini-comics trilogy of the same name that brought her multiple Ignatz awards way back in 2002. During the intervening years, Kelso has been busy with – among other things, such as having a major work run 24 weeks in the New York Times – raising a child. And as anyone who has done so knows, personal creative work not only necessarily retreats into the background of the rigorous demands of the day-to-day, but is very difficult to find the time to do. In other words, the fact that an artistic work is completed during the trials of parenthood is as sure a guarantor that the work is passionately cared about as any we can think of, and Artichoke Tales is a work that can be cited in defense of this premise. This volume provides (if memory serves) roughly twice the amount of the previously extant material, and all long suffering Kelso fans are sure to be pleased. Doubt us? Then check out this massive 16-page PDF preview, and doubt no more!
Best American Comics 2006	R. Crumb, Kim Deitch, Lynda Barry, Jaime Hernandez and more ...	Houghton Mifflin		$8.88 ($22.00 list)
Read more and comment...	edted by Harvey Pekar and Anne Elizabeth Moore This volume marks the first time that comics joins the well established "Best American Series." It is a surprisingly well produced book -- surprising in that it's from Houghton Mifflin, a major NY publisher, whose eyes are usually more closely set on the bottom line -- that contains a good cross-section of work published in North America in 2004 and 2005 and functions as a fine follow-up -- as a yearbook does to an encyclopedia (for those of you old enough to know what we're talking about) -- to both McSweeney's #13 -- which is clearly its inspiration -- and the just-released Brunetti-edited Yale anthology. This collection spans the generations, including new work from old-timers Kim Deitch, Gilbert Shelton and Robert Crumb, middle-agers Jaime Hernandez, Lynda Barry and Joe Sacco, and youngins' Anders Nilsen, Rebecca Dart and Jesse Reklaw, whose story, "13 Cats of My Childhood," we singled out for praise in our 2005 SPX report, when it appeared in it's original form as Couch Tag #2, stating at the time, "It is one of the best comics at this year's SPX... and deserving of a much wider audience than it will be able to find in this form." So, suffice it to say that we're quite happy to see it included here in this anthology. By far the longest piece included in this 320 page anthology, practically a graphic novella, "La Rubia Loca," by Justin Hall -- another SPX attending self-publisher -- is an engrossing story about a bunch of hippie slackers stuck on a bus tour through Mexico with a crazy woman. And keep in mind that these are just the highlights, there's plenty more. 2006 • full color • hardcover • 320 pages
Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz	L. Frank Baum, Walt McDougall, W.W. Denslow	Sunday Press		$75.00 ($75.00 list)
Read more and comment...	It's here: the latest gigantic Sunday-page-sized super-book from Sunday Press, the trailblazing publisher that opened all our eyes to the glory of early 20th century Sunday comics pages with Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays and its sequels. This time around we are treated to a look at the super-rare Sunday pages devoted to the wonderful world of Oz. Here's what publisher, Peter Maresca has to say: "Now arriving in Kansas (and everywhere else): a long-hidden treasure from the Land of Oz. In 1904 L. Frank Baum, creator of The Wizard of Oz , wrote a story specifically for the Sunday color comic sections to promote his second Oz book. These pages, illustrated by comic pioneer Walt McDougall, ran for 26 weeks and feature some of the most innovative comic strip layouts of the era. In that same year, a second Oz Sunday feature appeared, Scarecrow and Tinman, by famed Wizard of Oz illustrator W.W. Denslow. This sumptuous volume also includes the complete run of BOTH of these fantasy series, reprinted for the first time in the original colors and in full broadsheet size. The book also features additional Denslow comics 1901-03, such as Billy Bounce (the first superhero of the comics) as well as beautiful comic features from McDougall and Oz illustrator John R. Neill. This book is full of rarely seen comic gems - a must-have for all Oz fans and collectors of classic comic strips." Dig into some details in this illustrated page on the publisher's site. 72 pages, 16 x 18 inches.
Best American Comics 2008	Lynda Barry	Houghton Mifflin		$8.88 ($22.00 list)
Read more and comment...	The Best American Comics 2008 edited by Lynda Barry is now on sale for only $8.88! This is a 324 page, nicely produced, hardcover volume that is chock-a-block with great comics. Starting with the amazing embossed wraparound dustjacket by Eleanor Davis, the book is cover to cover comics that are worth reading. It leads off with a ten-page introduction by editor Barry, rendered in her new What It Is collage-comics style. It then proceeds -- in alphabetical order, no less -- with a well-rounded survey of the state of American comics. Missing from previous volumes in this series was any focus on Ms. Barry's peers in the independent newsweekly world. That has been smartly rectified this time out with a nice selection of work by fellow pioneer of independent comics syndication, Matt Groening (Life In Hell), along with Alison Bechdel (Dykes To Watch Out For), Derf (The City) and Kaz (Underworld). And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We've got excerpts from some of the year's best graphic novels -- Salon by Nick Bertozzi, The Saga of the Bloody Benders by Rick Geary, Berlin: Book Two by Jason Lutes, Percy Gloom by Cathy Malkasian and American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, among others. Then we've got a one after another super solid short and medium length comics works that show a truly remarkable range. We have instant classics by established masters like Jaime Hernandez's "Gold Diggers of 1969" from Love and Rockets and Chris Ware's "Thanksgiving Series" from The New Yorker. Then we have what is probably this collection's signal strength: new work by new(er) talent: Graham Annable and Sarah Oleksyk, both from Papercutter; T. Edward Bak and Evan Larson, both from Project: Romantic; Eleanor Davis and Martin Cendreda, both from MOME; Eric Haven and Michael Kupperman from their own comics, Tales To Demolish and Tales Designed To Thrizzle, respectively; and then self-published works by Lilli Carré, Shawn Cheng and Sara Edward-Corbett, Joseph Lambert, and John Mejias. And there's more! This one is a winner. Recommended!
Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth	Annie Di Donna, Alecos Papadatos, Christos Papadimitriou, Apostolos Doxiadis and more ...	Bloomsbury		$20.00 ($22.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Here is the ideal gift for any and every comics reader of the math and/or logic persuasion, as well as those intrigued by the developments in these fields that led to Alan Turing's breakthroughs that made computers possible and so indirectly gave birth to the information age amidst which we currently find ourselves. This engaging and highly readable graphic account the history of mathematics and logic during the first half of the twentieth century is recommended for anyone looking for a solid read. Employing the dramatic device of linking all the historical events to the life of the philosopher/mathematician, Bertrand Russell, and bracketing the story with a self-referential account of its creation in the present, the authors have managed the difficult feat of simultaneously educating and entertaining the reader in equal measure. Needless to say (but, as all of you reading this well know, that has never stopped us before and we see no reason to let it start stopping us here) this book is packed with potential to be the perfect holiday gift for any mathematically inclined comics reader. Learn plenty more about it at: http://www.logicomix.com
Locas II	Jaime Hernandez	Fantagraphics	Love and Rockets	$33.99 ($39.99 list)
Read more and comment...	418 pages of the greatest comics of our time under one cover. This volume picks up, roughly, where Locas left off, and collects nearly all the standard comic book size formatted work that Jaime has executed since the conclusion of the original 50-issue run of the magazine size formatted Love and Rockets. Locas II bring together under one cover all six issues of the Penny Century series along with Jaime's contributions to the first nineteen issues of the twenty-issue run of the second volume of Love and Rockets. Not everything from this period is here, however. The most notable exclusion is the first work Jaime completed after the termination of L&R, vol. I, the three-issue mini-series, Whoa, Nellie! As it was only tangentially connected to the Locas storyline, it is not collected here. Also not included are numerous short strips – mostly one or two pages in length – that appeared in the aforementioned issues of Penny Century and L&R, vol. II, but are not related to the Locas continuity, as well as the full color, novella length work that originally appeared (slightly abridged) in The New York Times Sunday Magazine and subsequently appeared in Love and Rockets, Volume II #20. (Completists take note!) That said, what you are getting is a big book filled with the best of the best, all laid out in a mammoth narrative arc that continues to build on the magnificent structure of past work in creating the most richly complex and deeply human work in the history of comics.
Asterios Polyp	David Mazzucchelli	Pantheon		$26.95 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This is perhaps the longest awaited work in the history of comics (No? Let us know what, in your estimation, beats it.). Over ten years in the making, Mazzucchelli's first ever solo graphic novel is also his first major work since his 1994 graphic adaptation of Paul Auster's City of Glass, a trailblazing, highly influential work which put him at the forefront of the then nascent "serious" graphic novel movement. David Mazzucchelli's work with Frank Miller in the mid-80s -- Daredevil: Born Again and Batman: Year One -- made him a mainstream comics superstar, but then he walked away from it all to pursue his own calling of an independent, more thoughtful form of comics and became a legend in the process. And now here we are, over twenty years later with his most important work. Talk about anticipation! Mazzucchelli has spent the last decade pondering the possibilities and potentials of comics and Asterios Polyp embodies his findings. Metaphysical speculations that exploit the uniquely communicative linguistic capabilities that inhere specifically to the comics form combine with Mazzucchelli's own idiosyncracies, Eisnerian pathos, and a notable Japanese aesthetic, as well as explorations and deconstructions of the printing and production process that shows commonality with contemporaries Paul Hornschemeier (specifically The Three Paradoxes), Dash Shaw (particularly Bodyworld), and, especially, Frank Santoro (pretty much everything), all of which is woven together in a tale clearly inspired by classical Greek mythology, dramatics, and philosopohy that commands the reader's full attention, forcing perceptual and conceptual apparatuses into overdrive and demanding multiple readings.
Gary Panter	Gary Panter	PictureBox		$27.95 ($95.00 list)
Read more and comment...	NOW ON SALE FOR OVER 70% OFF!!! While we certainly had some sympathy for those who felt that this amazing volume was simply too dear, there's no longer any excuse. The definitive career-spanning collection of the one and only Gary Panter is now available for a price so low that the mind simply boggles. Now's your chance to experience the first and foremost fomenter of the fine-art/comics nexus in all his glory in this massive, oversized, two-volume hardcover for less than the price of a fistful of new comics. This book is so well designed that it is practically a work of art in itself! Published by PictureBox, "This monumental, slipcased set is split into two 344-page volumes. The first is a comprehensive monograph featuring over 700 images of paintings, drawings, sculptures, posters and comics, alongside essays by Robert Storr, Mike Kelley, Edwin Pouncey, Richard Klein, Richard Gehr, Karrie Jacobs and Byron Coley, as well a substantial commentary by the artist himself. The second volume features a selection from Panter’s sketchbooks–the site of some of his most audacious work–most of which has never been published in any form." NOW ON SALE FOR OVER 70% OFF!!!
Bringing Up Father: From Sea to Shining Sea	George McManus	IDW Publishing	Library of American Comics	$44.44 ($49.95 list)
Read more and comment...	McManus is a Copacetic Favorite and one of the all time greats, the founder of the (co-opted by the Europeans) Ligne Claré (clear line to us Yanks) school of art now most closely associated with Hergé. All hail the Library of American Comics series currently being published by IDW for not only bringing this classic strip to a new generation of readers, but for producing in the process what might very well be the best single collection of the work of George McManus ever released! This collection presents several distinct continuities – including what may be the single most famous, the cross country tour (that includes a stop in, you guessed it, Pittsburgh, PA) – all from the glory days of the strip: the late 1930s - early 1940s. Humor abounds in the domestic comedy plot lines that both prefigured and influenced the sit-com format that has been a staple of television programming from the days of I Love Lucy through to The Simpsons: all these shows have roots in Bringing Up Father. But the true joy of this strip is in the quality of the line. The comics heir to the high value placed on line by the fin de siclé Art Nouveau movement – as well as the Art Deco movement that came in its wake – McManus, along with – during the latter part of his career – his able assistant Zeke Zekley, crafted a drawing technique that provided all necessary visual information in the outline -- no messy cross-hatching, shading or chiaroscuro for these guys – no! – just a clear, precise line, thank you. McManus was a true comics original and hugely influential. The work of artists as diverse as Carl Barks and Joost Swarte, and many others in between, show the strong stamp of McManus's artistic influence. You owe it to yourself to at least take a look at the work of this master, and, with the fine choice of work, excellent reproduction, and copious historical material, this volume is the clear and obvious place to start.
George Herriman's Krazy Kat: A Celebration of Sundays	George Herriman, Patrick McDonnell, Peter Maresca	Sunday Press		$95.00 ($100.00 list)
Read more and comment...	<<•>> edited by Patrick McDonnell and Peter Maresca <<•>> Yes, it's true!!! Sunday Press, the fine folks who brought us the game-changing Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays, and its myriad Sunday strip sequels have at last seen their way clear to produce an equivalent volume of that greatest of all( well, at least to us here at Copacetic) Sunday strips, the work that introduced poetry to comics: the one and only Krazy Kat, by George Herriman. Finally, KRAZY KAT as it was meant to be seen: 135 full-size Sunday pages from 1916-1944 Plus, dozens more early comics from George Herriman. Included in this splediferous 14 x 17-inch collection is a sampling of each of Herriman's creations for the Sunday newspaper comics from 1901-1906: Professor Otto, The Two Jackies, Major Ozone, and more, many of which have never been reprinted before. HERE are some sample pages, BUT the whole idea of this book is lost in reading them on a computer screen, so think twice before clicking over: you may want to wait for the real thing.

books

Title	Author	Publisher	Price
From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines		Chronicle Books	$12.95 ($17.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This is a nicely produced oversize survey by the grand dame of women's comics, Trina Robbins. It's jam packed with full color illustrations, and covers the history of women and comics -- as characters in as well as creators of -- from the 1940s through the 1990s. This book makes for a nice gift as it is a great introduction for someone who is only casually aware of the relationship betwen women and comics but would like to learn more. We've had this book in stock since it's initial publication.
The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions: The Art of Chindogu	Kenji Kawakami		$11.65 ($12.95 list)
Read more and comment...	OK, we're not going to mince words here. This is it. You need this book. It is a must for every home. It is the entertainer's best friend. You will wonder how you ever lived without it. This book presents a tradition that is... not a parody, not a satire, but something else: an oblique refraction of the essential essence of one of the most important relationships of the twentieth century: that between the definitively American impulse to come up with an idea that will improve the quality of life through an incremental advance and the post-WWII Japanese tendency to adopt American cultural trends and make them their own, exploiting their own superb technical abilities and ingenious design sensibililties in the process: In a word, chindogu. But chindogu is more, it's a reflection on mankind's relationship with the material world, it's meta-materialism; it's a true child of the twentieth century that stands a chance of evolving to become one of the distinctive arts of the twenty-first; and -- it's fun. Author Kawakami in the founder of the 10,000-member International Chindogu Society, so he should know. Want another opinion? Here's the NY Times review. To learn more visit www.chindogu.com (make sure to learn the ten tenents of chindogu). But be forewarned: once you've crossed over, there's no going back.
The Way of Chuang Tzu	Thomas Merton, Chuang Tzu	Shambhala	$11.75 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	The writings of Chuang Tzu are the most rigorous classic articulations of Taoist thought, which had its beginnings with the Tao Te Ching, attributed to Lao Tzu. Taoism is, perhaps, the system of thought second only to Confucianism in defining the history and culture of Chinese civilization. In Merton's "readings" (which are his interpretations based on an assemblage of the then [1965] best available Western translations by China scholars), these brief but powerful texts become quite accessible to Western thought. Thomas Merton -- whose name at least should be familiar to Pittsburgh area residents through the work of the much lauded Thomas Merton Center -- was a Trappist monk and an important author in his own right, as his eloquent introduction to this volume makes abundantly clear. Merton's translation manages to successfully pull Chaung Tzu's thought through the difficult east/west mind-barrier and present contemporary American readers with 2500 year old writing that often seems uncannily appropriate to the tenor of our times. His introduction draws our attention to surprising parallels between these writings and those of the New Testament that, if more widely appreciated, could go a long way towards deepening the dialogue between east and west that, because of the spectacular growth of the Chinese economy and its integration into the global economy, becomes of more importance with each passing day. The Way of Chuang Tzu is a tastfully designed compact sturdy clothbound hardcover edition from the Shambala Library that is printed and bound in Germany, and comes with its own sewn in bookmark. A book that's suitable for a lifetime's worth of consultation that's built to last. We recently discovered a cache of these that we can offer at a great low price. Give the gift of eternal wisdom. We give his volume our highest recommendation.
Who Needs Donuts?	Mark Alan Stamaty		$15.25 ($16.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Stamaty’s cult masterpiece is now back in print after a thirty year hiatus, in a beautifully produced hardcover edition. Once you start looking at this book, it's really hard to stop. You just get sucked in. The appeal of this book lies in the neural connections between the eyes and the brain and the hand that draws, it’s pretty hard to explain... but those who are already familiar with Stamaty’s work from his many-year run on Washingtoons in the Village Voice, and, more recently, his endpage strip in the New York Times Book Review, Boox, will know what we’re talking about. This is technically a kids’ book -- and kids will dig it, especially those hyper-brainy types (this is the perfect book to save them from a life of video-game addiction before it’s too late), and was more than likely an inspiration to Martin Handford, the creator of the Where’s Waldo series as well as the team responsilbe for the I Spy book series -- but it will, perhaps, be most appreciated by obsessive-compulsive adults -- you can be sure that Ben Katchor has this book in his personal library. The level of detail in the drawings that fill this book has to be seen to be believed. Furthermore, it is not just detail, but detail with an agenda, and that agenda can perhaps best be summed up in the phrase, "reality is what you make it." Reality as Stamaty makes it, is, more than likely, not reality as seen by you or I, but Who Needs Donuts makes us realize that it doesn't have to be that way, that the possibilities are only limited by our imaginations. We really recommend this one!
Old Rare New: The Independent Record Shop	Emma Petit	Black Dog	$26.95 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	And, speaking of music, if you count yourself among those of our customers who regularly – dare we say, inevitably – stop in at Jerry's Records before or after visiting our humble shop, then this book may very well have your name on it. A celebration of the spirit of those who own, work and/or patronize – and especially those who live for – the shops that specialize in vinyl old, rare, and new, this volume takes its readers on a tour of many of the more notable of these shops (somehow managing to miss the one and only Jerry's Records, however), replete with interviews with and essays by vinyl devotees of many stripes. And, of course, there is plenty of visual documentation of the shops and the records that fill them. Learn more and access some full length reviews, here.
Rock Candy	Femke Hiemstra	Fantagraphics	$24.99 ($29.99 list)
Read more and comment...	Here she is, the Dutch Pop Surrealist Queen in all her glory. This perky die-cut hardcover volume designed and edited by Jacob Covey contains a vibrant mix of painting, sketches, and mixed-media objets d'art. Get a taste with this generous 15-page preview courtesy of the fine folks at Fantagraphics.
Jazz A B Z	Phil Schaap, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Rogers	Candlewick Press	$9.95 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	OK, this is not just the perfect gift book for the jazz fan on your list, it is also makes for an ideal gift to give to anyone -- of any age -- who has a love of words and pictures. This sumptuous hardcover volume has the potential to turn the squarest square into the heppest cat. Everyone is a jazz fan in the making: this is just the ticket to inspire them to take a closer look. Jazz ABZ is a pæn to jazz in art and poetry that simply has to be seen to be believed. The essence of jazz -- collaboration, composition, and improvisation -- is embodied in this singular tribute to the form. The overall package is designed to resemble the traditional albums of 78rpm records from back in the day when jazz was king. Rogers has totally nailed the jazz aesthetic in these 26 poster-like portraits, each devoted to a giant of jazz. Every one of these is accompanied by a truly wonderful jazz-poem portrait by the one and only Wynton Marsalis that really captures these historic figures in surprisingly sophisticated pieces (surprising in that who knew Mr. Marsalis was an accomplished poet? Not us, that's for sure!) that manage to simultaneously demonstrate a great empathy for the humanity of these jazz champions in the description of their characters and capture the essence of their unique musicality in the equally unique form each of the poems takes. And we're selling it for 60% off it's original list price!
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever	James Tiptree Jr.	Tachyon Publications	$13.55 ($15.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This is a moment we've been waiting for for quite awhile. In our opinion, the least appreciated and most misunderstood science fiction writer of modern times, James Tiptree, Jr. (the nom de plume of Alice Sheldon) is a writer of breathtaking originality who is still ahead of her time, nearly twenty years after her death. That all of her work -- with the exception of a single "loose ends" collection that was published three years ago -- has been out of print for years is, in our opinion, a negligence that borders on the criminal. Thankfully ("Thank you, Tachyon Publications, thank you."), this situation has now come to an end with the release of this 508 page volume, a paperback re-issue of the posthumous Arkham House collection which has to stand as the best single-volume edition of her work ever released, putting together eighteen of her most penetrating and insightful stories, all of which were originally published between 1969 and 1981. Click on the image to discover the contents of this volume and learn more in our full-length review of this essential classic. Recommended!
Starting Point: 1979 - 1996	Hayao Miyazaki	Viz	$27.77 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This 460 page hardcover is a dream come true for anyone wanting to learn more about the life and mind of Miyazaki, the man behind what are probably the greatest animated films of our time. This volume collects essays, interviews, and memoirs written and conducted during the first two decades of his career. Readers will discover his theories of animation as well as how he came to formulate them, stories of his childhood, the founding of Studio Ghibli, as well as how all these came together. Food for thought, indeed.
A Comics Studies Reader	Jeet Heer, Kent Worcester	Mississippi University Press	$22.22 ($24.95 list)
Read more and comment...	We knew it was only a matter of time until a book like this showed up on our shelves. To anyone interested in getting started in digging deeper into the amazing riches buried beneath the surface of the comics page, Heer and Worcester's A Comics Studies Reader is one of the best shovels money can buy. Sure to become the default primary source text for many a Comics Studies 101 class -- as well as becoming the go to text for the comics unit in pop culture classes -- CSR is provides a number of different critical approaches to the subject, in the process providing its readers with some valuable interpretive tools. Following the editors' introduction and Thierry Groensteen's overview essay, "Why Are Comics Still in Search of Cultural Legitimization?", the book is divided into four sections, each of which receives its own editorial intro: Historical Considerations; Craft, Art, Form; Culture, Narrative, Identity; Scrutiny and Evaluation. While everyone will doubtless have their own ideas about what should constitute a volume such as this, and there are certainly writers whose work we were disappointed not to see included, second guessing is easy. This is a fine survey of the burgeoning field of critical approaches to comics that serves its primary purpose quite well: to stimulate the intellects of students and scholars of all stripes and hep the rest of the world to what we've known all along: comics contain a motherlode of cultural treasures that will amply reward any and all who dedicate themselves to its study.
Zeitoun	Dave Eggers	McSweeney's	$20.00 ($24.00 list)
Read more and comment...	"Zeitoun is an instant American classic carved from fierce eloquence and a haunting moral sensibility. By wrestling with the demons of xenophobia and racial profiling that converged in the swirling vortex of Hurricane Katrina and post-9/11 America, Eggers lets loose the angels of wisdom and courage that hover over the lives of the beleaguered, but miraculously unbroken, Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun. This is a major work full of fire and wit by one of our most important writers." – Michael Eric Dyson
Read Hard	Jonathan Lethem, William T. Vollmann, Ben Ehrenreich, Paul La Farge and more ...	McSweeney's	$9.95 ($18.00 list)
Read more and comment...	We're offering a special price on some McSweeney's publications this month, so if you've been thinking about checking in with them, sow's your chance. Here's the publisher's official word: "This volume collects the finest essays and articles from the four-time National Magazine Award–nominated Believer magazine. The book combines all the erudition and wit readers have come to expect from its pages: Jonathan Lethem on Nathanael West, William T. Vollmann on W. G. Sebald, Ben Ehrenreich on Brian Evenson, Paul La Farge on Dungeons & Dragons, and much, much more. It’s an essential anthology, collecting the best in creative nonfiction, the best in literary journalism, and the best writing in English from the beginning of the twenty-first century, from one of the smartest, weirdest, and funniest magazines in the country. SPECIAL WEB ONLY SALE!!!
Rolling Stone Cover to Cover: The First 40 Years	Hunter Thompson		$37.50 ($125.00 list)
Read more and comment...	official hype: "Easy to use and searchable digital archive with every issue, every page (even the ads!) of Rolling Stone from the last 40 years on 4 DVD-ROMs: Over 1,000 complete printable issues, cover to cover – that’s over 98,000 scanned pages, completely indexed and searchable. This edition includes the powerful Bondi Reader and search engine (Mac or PC). Find and read any award winning cover story, interview, photo or review in seconds. The browse-by-cover feature lets you visually locate any issue by its cover – simply click the cover and the issue opens to read. Custom reading lists let you organize the collection any way you want. PLUS, a photo-filled, 208–page page companion coffee table book providing a vivid behind-the-scenes look at the magazines history, from birth to today. All packed in an attractive slipcase." we say: This is a serious document of an era and its aftermath that spans at least two generations. The search function allows all readers the ability to focus on what they want to when they want to, but it's also possible just to read the issues as they appeared. While it is certainly true that Rolling Stone grew progessively commercial as it aged, it started out strong, and while it surely printed a lot of fluff it also showcased quite a bit of worthwhile writing by the likes of Hunter S. Thompson and many others. And now we have this massive archive for sale at an amazing 70% off it's original price. Think of it, over 1,000 issues of Rolling Stone for less than you'd pay for 10 issues on the newstand; in other words, 100 issues for less than the price of 1!!! SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED
Chronic City	Jonathan Lethem	Doubleday	$25.00 ($28.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Those of you who enjoyed Lethem's contribution to The Book of Other People – as we most certainly did here at Copacetic – will be pleased to discover that it was an excerpt from this novel, about which David Shields has to say: "I'm reminded of the well-rubbed Kafka line: A book must be the axe to break the frozen sea within us. Lethem's book, with incredible fury, aspires to do little less. It's almost certainly his best novel. It's genuinely great." How about them apples!

dvds

Title	Director	Publisher	Price
Encyclopdedia Destructica: Volume Bumba, Issue the Fourth	Gordon Nelson	Encyclopedia Destructica	$15.00 ($15.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This, the final installment of "Volume Bumba," is the film and video issue. It comes with its own DVD containing a whopping 38 original film and video works running a mind-bending three and a half hours ensconced in a 118-page illustrated catalogue that is hand bound in a hand-silk-screened hardcover. Produced in a limited edition of only 500 copies, this is an excellent survey of the great variety of talent working in film and video in Pittsburgh, and an amazing value that you won't want to miss. While, yes, some of the works here are amateurish and some are obviously student films, others are totally amazing. We are still reeling from the experience of watching Gordon Nelson's 15-minute and 48-second "Sixties Teen Dance Party," which contains what is quite possibly The Greatest Found Footage of All Time, footage which has, in turn, been artfully optically printed by Mr. Nelson, who has also added an original soundtrack which itself was recorded live (although, you might find yourself unable to resist the temptation to turn down the volume on your TV and put some classic '60s dance music on the hi-fi and crank it up while you watch this amazing film). "Sixties Teen Dance Party" alone is, in our humble opinion, easily worth the price of the entire package. But there's so much more. Other highlights include Suzie Silver's "Peggy Love 101," in which the lyric "love" has been excised from the catalogue of Peggy Lee songs and rhythmically edited along with found footage (yes, we seem to have a predilection for this...) of her performances to create an abstraction of pop love. "Sports and Diversions" by Bum Lee, a series of black and white animations inspired by Eric Satie's Sports et Diveritissements, a series of short piano pieces that are performed (and quite well, too!) here by Pei Wei Lin, is quite a marvel and might very well be the single most original piece you'll see this year. Watching Jessica Fenlon's "Crossroads" provides a meditative three and a half minutes that will lower your blood pressure. And, we can't leave off without mentioning John Allen Gibel's "Pleromadromadhatu (trailer)" which is either a parody of or an homage to -- or both -- the films of Dusan Makavejev and Alejandro Jodorowsky. We could go on and on here as there are still over thirty pieces we haven't even mentioned yet, many of which we'd like to tell you about. Suffice it to say that this is something that you'll kick yourself (hard) if you miss out on it. So don't!
Popeye The Sailor: 1933 - 1938	Max Fleischer, Dave Fleischer	Paramount	$19.99 ($64.92 list)
Read more and comment...	This is it, the one we've all been waiting for! The first sixty Fleischer Studios Popeye cartoons, fully restored and uncut; PLUS the first two three-color Technicolor double-length cartoons: "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor", and "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves", and plenty of great bonus features. NOW ON SALE FOR A CRAZY PRICE!!! (need we say it? – while supplies last)
The Golden Age of Television	John Frankenheimer, Rod Serling	Criterion Collection	$44.44 ($49.95 list)
Read more and comment...	This three-disc extravaganze from Criterion features some of the finest television dramas ever produced and in the process captures an era. Rod Serling looms large here, in his pre-Twilight Zone persona of heavy hitting director. Also, John "Manchurian Candidate" Frankenheimer, and script writer Paddy Chayefsky. Actors include Jack Palance, Mickey Rooney, Piper Laurie, Cliff Robertson, Kim Hunter and many,many more. 485 minutes of complete classic television dramas, all originally broadcast from 1953 to 1958, plus plenty of the great bonuses we have all come to expect from Criterion.
Last Year at Marienbad	Alain Resnais	Criterion Collection	$34.95 ($39.98 list)
Read more and comment...	directed by Alain Resnais from a screenplay by Alain Robbe-Grillet w/ Delphine Seyrig and Giorgio Albertazzi <<<•>>> There are few truly one-of-a-kind films. By any measure, Last Year at Marienbad is clearly one of them. A film that is successful like none other in recreating a mental landscape, that shows the inner workings of a restless mind and haunted memory, that employs the language of cinema to probe the interior twists and turns of consciousness, that demonstrates how thought is action in a manner that, while tempermentally quite different from, may yet be considered the most successful translation of the Proustian approach to narrative in any film yet realized. Here, in L'année dernière à Marienbad, like in Á la recherche du temps perdue, we are confronted with a life turned inside out. Robbe-Grillet, Resnais & Co. managed a feat that has yet to be repeated, and now we are presented with the – for now – definitive DVD edition, courtesy of The Criterion Collection (who else?). This is a two-disc edition with some interesting and worthwhile extras – including two short Resnais documentaries from 1956 & 1958 – but all pale next to the glory of the restored high-definition transfer of the film itself. Your film education is incomplete until you've seen this film. And this is also one film that can quite decidedly stand up to repeated viewings, as its aesthetic pleasures and intellectual challenges are not easily exhausted.
Giant 600 Cartoon Collection			$24.95 ($29.95 list)
Read more and comment...	Should you or anyone you know ever find yourself totally burned out, unable to form a single cohesive thought, and in need of some serious downtime where not one iota of effort is required from your enfeebled being, this might be just what you're looking for. This box set of 600 cartoons on 12 discs averaging 50 cartoons each will do the job, and then some, and at a price of less than a nickel per cartoon. About half of the cartoons in this feature characters and cartoons that will be familiar to most, and include some real classics, most notably Betty Boop, Popeye, Felix the Cat and Gumby; and if you really need to dumb it down to numb, put on the discs featuring massive runs of Three Stooges cartoons . Then there are the surprise treats: literally hundreds of cartoons that you may have never seen before featuring characters you're either only dimly aware or never even heard of. Some of these are destined to be your favorites. Don't believe us? You'll see...
Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer	Ian McCrudden, Robbie Cavolina		$25.00 ($29.98 list)
Read more and comment...	Years in the making, this definitive documentary film portrait of one of the all-time great jazz singers is now here. It's a two-disc marvel with a bonus disc that includes what all true aficionado's crave: 90 minutes of uninterrupted live performances! Make sure to get a taste here, at the official Anita O'Day website.

cds

Title	Artist	Publisher	Price
King Louis	Proper Box 93: Louis Armstrong	Proper Records	$29.75
Read more and comment...	99 Tracks of absolute greatness. This is the music that defines the twentieth century, that once and for all distinguished the unique and original culture of The New World from that of its Old World forebears. Louis Armstrong changed the face of music and the music he created changed history. His career is nothing short of miraculous. No self-respecting American can be ignorant of the music contained on this set: it's the real declaration of independence. Finally, this music gets the Proper Box treatment: Five hours of music on four discs, each enclosed in their own LP-style jacket, accompanied by an informative 40-page illustrated booklet, all packed in a stylish, compact box for the copacetic price of only $29.75!
Handful of Keys	"Fats" Waller	Proper Records	$29.75 ($33.95 list)
Read more and comment...	YES!!! At last it has come to pass: Fats Waller gets the Proper treatment. More than any insurance policy, the music of Fats Waller will keep you sleeping safe and sound, knowing that you have bullet-proof protection from the blues. It's simply impossible to be down when Fats is on: He'll turn your frown upside-down. Of all the great personalities of jazz, Fats is -- aside from Louis Armstrong -- probably the greatest. Fats would be a legend just for his mastery of the keyboard with which he launched his career, but he has so much more to offer. He crafted a true persona which he then donned for each and every performance. And what performances! Fats was the very embodiment of entertainment. And finally, there's the songs themselves. While Fats could take practically any tin-pan alley tune -- like, for example, My Very Good Friend the Milkman -- and transform it into a timeless classic, he also happened to be one of the greatest song writers of all times. He brought a jazz sensibility to show tunes and a show tune sensibility to jazz. Some, like Ain't Misbehavin', have become standards, interpreted over and over again by cats of all colors, able to be made fresh each time. Others, like Squeeze Me, belong to Fats alone. The people of Proper Records really had their work cut out for them with this one: how do you bring the whole of Fats when you have a mere four CDs? It's painful to leave out even one timeless classic! Handful of Keys proves once again why Proper Records is the reigning champion of classic jazz packages: On 100 big tracks, Fats is here in all his glory, from his early days as keyboard prodigy to his final blazing days of songmanship. This is a set that will bring a lifetime of enjoyment. If Fats isn't part of your life, then, man, you ain't livin'! As with all Proper Box sets, this one contains five hours of music mastered with the jazz EQ in mind by people who know what they're doing, and comes complete with a 48 page career overview and appreciation by the Mr. Know-It-All of classic jazz, Joop Visser, and, to top it all off, a complete track by track breakdown of who played what on each and every song as well as when and where it was recorded. It's a proper deal! Here's the complete track listing and discography.
Blood From Stars	Joe Henry	Anti-	$15.97 ($17.98 list)
Read more and comment...	Another impossibly good album from the one and only Joe Henry. Amazingly, you can listen to the entire LP online at his site, HERE (Just click on "Launch MP3 player to listen"). And while you're listening to it, you can take a moment to read the note he penned on the day of its release, HERE. And, please note that both the package and booklet covers feature photographs taken by Eugene Smith in Pittsburgh, PA during his epic Dream Street project of 1955-56.

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