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comics

Title	Creator	Publisher	Series	Price
Questor	Chris Cornwell	Self-published		$2.00 ($2.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Premiering at SPX, this 40-page, horizontally-formatted, black and white piece is the debut full-length work by Pittsburgh-based artist, Chris Cornwell. Fans of Fort Thunder who are looking for an artist who understands the visual vocabulary of its artists and is capable of intelligently building on their legacy, who has the ability to create a coherent narrative entirely in carefully rendered, visually appealing images, who takes the time to think things through, and whose vision extends far beyond the borders of the comics world need look no further -- this is it! And, of course, one need not be a fan of the Fort Thunder crowd to appreciate this work, as it is, after all is said and done, quite an original piece. Questor is a work of pure comics. What you find here, can't be as fully expressed in any other form.
Jinxremoving #11	Arpad	Self-published		$2.00 ($2.00 list)
Read more and comment...	"The Name Itself Is the Thing Itself." This is the latest in a series of graphic missives from Chicago by Pittsburgh ex-pat, Arpad (#10 and perhaps even a few earlier issues are also still squirrelled away somewhere in our self-published section). Jinxremoving, is, as the title suggests, an act of personal-salvation through self-publishing. Beginning five or so years ago (our memory is a bit foggy on this point) when Arpad yet remained comfortably ensconced within the warm embrace of our fair city -- that's Pittsburgh, to you out-of-towners -- Jinxremoving was, initially, a more typical zine, filled with writings, photos and drawings. It has, over the past half-decade, gradually evolved to its present form of pure comics. And not just any comics. These are comics that are, at their core, and in a fairly unique way, meta-comics: comics about comics; in this case, about the process of self-discovery and self-invention through comics. The trick here, is that, for those comics readers who share some of Arpad's interests and characteristics, Jinxremoving can function as a vehicle for self-discovery as well: the more common ground shared with Arpad, the more powerful the vehicle (by the same token, those who share nothing with Arpad will likely have trouble even pulling away from the curb). Arpad is clearly an omnivorous comics reader who wears his heart on his sleeve; but he has a tendancy to wear his shirt inside out so sometimes it's hard to see. It may take a few reads to figure out where he's coming from, but if you can recognize his emotional and psychological "home town" and find that it shares something with your own, then, if you work your way backwards, and unroll the riddles, you may find yourself discovering places in your "neighborhood" that you never knew existed.
Redbird Comics & Stories #1	Dan Zettwoch	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	The first issue of Redbird shows that Dan Zettwoch is probably too smart for his own good. He is a skilled practitioner of the comic book form, who possesses an understanding of its many aspects: those that are abstract -- the elements of conception -- as well as those that are concrete -- the elements of production. "Still Life," the twenty-page lead story which takes up the bulk of the book, at first glance appears to be a catalogue of crude humor that was delineated with difficulty; and it is -- but only on the surface. To understand and appreciate what Zettwoch has unleashed here, closer examination is required. Once this extra investment of time and attention is made, the payoff is immediate. Right from the start -- with the visual pun of literally embodying the "table of contents" -- it becomes apparent that a sophisticated creativity is at work. Intellectual and visual syntheses are everywhere. Juxtaposition and montage provide an extra layer of meaning that is superimposed upon and yet still manages to combine and interact with the darkly satiric central narrative of the relationship of art to society in America today. We feel compelled to note, however, that this may not be the comic book for you: it's definitely a bit on the "guy" side; it's filled with cultural references that not everyone will appreciate; and some of the humor is sophomoric. Yet it is clearly a finely crafted labor of love that will provide returns well in excess of the meager investment required to purchase it to those readers who are willing to make the effort to tune in to the signal from which this comic book is broadcasting. Dan Zettwoch has an intuitive grasp of the innate idea of the comic book as an objective realization of the uniquely American character of mind that has been brought into being by the century long free reign of mass production driven market forces. In Redbird he has consummately constituted his highly idiosyncratic vision.
Big Questions #6: Anoesia and the Matrideicidic Theophany #6	Anders Nilsen	Self-published		$5.00 ($5.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	C'mon, you gotta give it up for a comic with a title like this one's! If this title didn't stop and make you think, well then... you're not thinking. Go back and read it again, go get a dictionary (there's probably one on your computer, but it might not be deep enough to do the job) and suss it out. It might take you longer than you guess (hint: matrideicidic is a combination of matricide and deicide that may not technically be a legitimate word; but that shouldn't stop you from being able to figure out what it means). Well, while you're doing that, we'll continue... It's been over a year since Big Questions #5, so it's good to know that the Ingmar Bergman of self-published comics is still at it. Believe it or not, this issue continues the story from #4 & #5 (both now back in stock here at Copacetic, in case you missed them the first time around), so you'll probably want to dig them out and have them handy for maximum effect. 48 pages; saddle stitched; B & W with cardstock color cover
Sermons #1	Kevin Huizenga	Self-published		$1.00 ($1.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Comics, sketches, notes, etc. drawn in church.
Sermons #2	Kevin Huizenga	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	More comics, sketches, notes, etc. drawn in church.
New Construction #1	Kevin Huizenga	Self-published		$2.00 ($2.00 list)
Read more and comment...	The comics creative process examined, deconstructed and reconstituted; sort of.
New Construction #2	Kevin Huizenga, Dan Zettwoch, Ted May	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	The St. Louis comics gang gets together to show us how it's done in this compendium that puts key aspects of their working processes on display. Of special interest to current comics practitioners.
Cold Heat Special #8	Frank Santoro, Lane Milburn	Self-published	Cold Heat	$10.00 ($10.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	No, we didn't make a mistake: Cold Heat Special #8, another SPX 2008 highlight, is already here, despite the fact that #6 & #7 have yet to see print. That's the world of Cold Heat: time is non-linear here; temporal warps, shifts and bounces are the norm, so hold on tight. This time around we have an amazing magazine size (8 1/2" x 11") special with a double silk-screen wrap printed in three colors on heavy duty stock by Pittsburgh's own ace printer, Budai. Castle travels through a dream-vision to a world of mythological archetypes that sheds an insightful light on our own. Santoro has found another fine collaborator in Milburn, as their respective strengths forge to create a swirling sense of the porous and shifting border between interior psychological states and the sensory experience of external reality. This special is a special value, so don't delay: these won't be around long as the print run has been limited to a mere 100 copies.
Cold Heat Special #5	Frank Santoro, Ryan Cecil Smith	Self-published	Cold Heat	$8.00 ($8.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	A rare treat, this is a hand made edition, limited to a mere 100 copies, w/ hand silk-screened (on a nice heavy stock) two-color front and back covers that comes complete with endpapers, no less. As for the contents, this time out we witness a brief interlude in the life of Castle wherein she and her now diseased father are out in the woods, hungry and looking for food. Aesthetically speaking, this adventure takes place roughly half way between Storeyville and Black Hole on the comics spectrum. As with the first four Cold Heat Specials, this will NOT be collected with the forthcoming graphic novel.
Cold Heat Special #3	Frank Santoro, Dash Shaw	Self-published	Cold Heat	$8.00 ($8.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	While Santoro burns the midnight oil finishing up the Cold Heat graphic novel, he knows Cold Heat fans are jonesing, and so has commisioned an ongoing series of specials. These specials are all limited editions with very low print runs that won't be reprinted in the graphic novel, so don't miss out! CHS #3 is a collaboration with up and coming comics experimentalist, Dash Shaw (see the latest issue of MOME) that is built around a combination of early Italian renaissance imagery and contemporary urban cityscape. This time out we have a saddle-stapled 16-page horizontally formatted comic book with a wraparound two-color cover that blurs the line between waking and sleeping, dream and reality, drugged and straight, and yesterday and today, as well as between classical fine art and contemporary popular art. Santoro & Shaw's cover image has been hand silk-screened by Pittsburgh's master poster maker, Budai! Limited to 100 copies.
Always Somewhere Nearby	Theo Ellsworth			$4.00 OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Always Somewhere Nearby is a "narrative sketchbook experiment" by Theo Ellsworth. Possessed of a fantastic imagination combined with a strong technical rendering ability both of which are bonded to an obsessive need to draw, Ellsworth has been cranking out an ever growing stack of meticulously weird assemblages of drawings, writings and comics, in series and stand alone pieces.
Minnow #1	Theo Ellsworth	Self-published		$7.00 ($7.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Minnow is a new series to showcase the drawings of Theo Ellsworth. With two-color hand-silkscreened cover.
Capacity #7	Theo Ellsworth	Self-published		$5.00 ($5.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	We featured a small selection of Ellsworth comics earlier this year and, being fans of his work ourselves, were happy when they went on to be quite well received. We are, therefore, pleased to announce the arrival of these two new works. Thought Cloud Shrines is a collection of drawings and is, in our opinion at least, his best yet -- and is easily his most inspired title. Capacity #7 is a collection of more narrative oriented work, ranging from single full-page panel works to the twelve-page "A Wizard's Tale", which makes excellent use of his drawing strengths. Both come wrapped in hand silk-screened covers and both are among the best self-published art-zines and comics being published today. Learn more at http://www.artcapacity.com.
Paper Wasp #3	Theo Ellsworth	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Paper Wasp is Theo Ellsworth's "ongoing art zine".
Paper Wasp #2	Theo Ellsworth	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Paper Wasp is Theo Ellsworth's "ongoing art zine".
Thought Cloud Shrines	Theo Ellsworth	Self-published		$5.00 ($5.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	We featured a small selection of Ellsworth comics earlier this year and, being fans of his work ourselves, were happy when they went on to be quite well received. We are, therefore, pleased to announce the arrival of these two new works. Thought Cloud Shrines is a collection of drawings and is, in our opinion at least, his best yet -- and is easily his most inspired title. Capacity #7 is a collection of more narrative oriented work, ranging from single full-page panel works to the twelve-page "A Wizard's Tale", which makes excellent use of his drawing strengths. Both come wrapped in hand silk-screened covers and both are among the best self-published art-zines and comics being published today. Learn more at http://www.artcapacity.com.
Snake Oil #1	Chuck Forsman	Self-published	Snake Oil	$4.44 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, we hate to do this, but here goes: (Anders Nilsen's Big Questions + Sammy Harkham's Crickets) x Alex Robinson's Box Office Poison = Chuck Forsman's Snake Oil. Each self-published issue is 24 pages printed on flat, textured and, respectively, grey, blue and purple stocks and sports a swell hand-silk-screened 2- or 3-color cover. Definitely worth taking a look, which you can do without leaving the comfort of your current environs by visiting the Snake Oil site/blog.
Snake Oil #2	Chuck Forsman		Snake Oil	$4.44 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, we hate to do this, but here goes: (Anders Nilsen's Big Questions + Sammy Harkham's Crickets) x Alex Robinson's Box Office Poison = Chuck Forsman's Snake Oil. Each self-published issue is 24 pages printed on flat, textured and, respectively, grey, blue and purple stocks and sports a swell hand-silk-screened 2- or 3-color cover. Definitely worth taking a look, which you can do without leaving the comfort of your current environs by visiting the Snake Oil site/blog.
Snake Oil #3	Chuck Forsman	Self-published	Snake Oil	$4.44 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, we hate to do this, but here goes: (Anders Nilsen's Big Questions + Sammy Harkham's Crickets) x Alex Robinson's Box Office Poison = Chuck Forsman's Snake Oil. Each self-published issue is 24 pages printed on flat, textured and, respectively, grey, blue and purple stocks and sports a swell hand-silk-screened 2- or 3-color cover. Definitely worth taking a look, which you can do without leaving the comfort of your current environs by visiting the Snake Oil site/blog.
King-Cat Comics and Stories #67	John Porcellino	King-Cat	King-Cat Comics and Stories	$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Just in time for Christmas, a stocking stuffer for all you mini-comics fans. Always a cause for a modest celebration, this issue features the ususal mix of comics, stories, lists and letters -- 40 pages in all.
Looking for the Joke	Chris Cornwell	Self-published		$5.00 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Looking for the Joke is Cornwell's follow-up to I Wanna Destroy You, released earlier this year at S.P.A.C.E. (see below). Following the same format as its predecessor, this 20-page, 8 1/2" x 11" comics magazine sports a hand silk-screened cover. While continuing to explore similar concerns, LftJ provides solid evidence that Cornwell's vision and skills are in the process of evolving and advancing. Where IWDY contained a churning osmosis of concepts, LftJ is obviously bipartate in structure, as it is split into two distinct, separate stories: "Herbman and/versus Dog-Dude," and "They Took It with Them." It appears that the artistic equivalent of cell-division has taken place. The question is whether the division was meiotic or mitotic, or, perhaps, at least in part, some novel sort of zygotic hybrid, in that "They Took It with Them" is a murky collaboration with Bill Boichel. It will have to suffice for now to say that the comics herein contained reach far down into the inner organic reaches of human being and bring up some interesting finds the likes of which you won't find elsewhere. So, if you like adventurous, challenging comics experiences, this might be the book for you.
Two Eyes of the Beautiful	Ryan Cecil Smith	Self-published		$4.00 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Based on Umezuo Kazuo's Blood Baptism, this self-billed "grotesque horror manga" comes to us from Nishinomiya, Japan, where RCS is currently hanging his hat and teaching English. Cognizant of the fact that the largest part of the market for this item lies across the Pacific Ocean, here in the USA, he has conscientiously jammed as much as humanly possible into the 28, 4 1/2" x 6" pages and GOCCO printed cover, so that it can be sent half way around the world without breaking the bank for shipping costs. Another fine example of form following function. Hi-Energy, high quality comics & story-telling are in ample evidence here and are sure to be enjoyed by fans of fine hand-made comics wherever on this globe they may reside.
Paper Wasp #1	Theo Ellsworth	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Paper Wasp is Theo Ellsworth's "ongoing art zine".
Rumbling, Chapter 2	Kevin Huizenga	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This new self-published release marks the terminus of a round-trip of sorts. Customers of long-standing will recall that Huizenga burst into Copacetic consciousness with the startlingly original work contained in his self-published series, Super Monster, which climaxed with the 14th issue, the one-of-a-kind masterwork entitled Gloriana Comics (which was reprinted as Or Else #2, see below). It was not long after the publication of this issue that Huizenga was "signed" by Drawn & Quarterly, who went on to publish several new pieces in D & Q Showcase #1, a continuing series, Or Else - which combined material from Super Monster with newer material -- and then released a hardcover collection, Curses, which pulled this and other material together. Huizenga's work has/is also been/being published by Fantagraphics (Ganges) and Buenaventura (Kramers Ergot, Fight or Run) as well. Yet, while his star was rising over the field of contemporary comics, he continued to self publish smaller, more personal / less accessible works such as untitled, Sermons and New Construction. Now, a combination of market realities, personal preference and artistic aims has brought about the cessation of Or Else and the bringing forward of Huizenga's self-publishing efforts. Rumbling, Chapter 2 continues the "adaptation" (really, a massive inflation [reinflation?] of a work "from which all the air has been removed" – Manganelli's stated aim in creating one hundred novels each of forty lines) of Centuria: One Hundred Ouroboric Novels (#44) by Giorgio Manganelli that began in Or Else #5. Rumbling, as we stated in our review of the first part, imagines a United States embroiled in a sectarian struggle which has metastasized into armed military conflict that simultaneously harkens back to the religious wars of pre-Enlightenment Europe as well as the present armed struggles in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. It works to imagine how these wars might come about and what they might look like if they occurred on US soil. This continuation is bracketed by a dense two-page lead-in that offers a different sort of speculation: that concerning a look back from the future brought about by the future imagined in Rumbling and the consequent technological evolutions that occur and how they in turn reformat consciousness; a sort of flash-forward within a flash-forward, or a speculation within a speculation... Intellectually digesting the contents of this issue involves a fairly advanced level of abstraction in order to successfully process. And a knowledge of the history of religious conflict certainly wouldn't hurt. That said, Rumbling furthers Huizenga's unique employment of the language of comics to craft a hueristic exposition on the centrality of process in the contemporary historical dialectic. In addition, by crafting narratives which delineate the steady erosion of our human being that is effected by the merciless march of history and so provide a cautionary tales by which to avoid the worst of it, while simultaneously trying to win back the heart of the matter by insinuating a morally guided reason inside the machine, Huizenga strives to remind us that there are many possible worlds and it's up to us which one we choose to live in.
Cold Heat Special #2	Chris Cornwell	PictureBox	Cold Heat	$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Cold Heat Special #2: Chunky Gnars is a digest-sized issue with cardstock cover that focuses on the music-as-spiritual-salvation aspect of the Cold Heat narrative, and does so with much graphic aplomb. Cornwell's digest is densely packed with metaphor, analogue and allegory all of which are related to each other and, tangentially at least, to the Cold Heat narrative thus far. Even if you're not a follwer of the Cold Heat series, you should consider checking this out as it can and does stand on its own merits, as well as providing a window onto one of the most innovative comics works currently being produced.
I Wanna Destroy You	Chris Cornwell	Self-published		$4.44 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Well, not you personally, but the "you" that is at the core of the illusion of a unified, independent self that we all have (had) to deal with in one form or another on the road to forging a workable identity amidst the tumultuous abundance of the post-modern cultural landscape. The key value to this work is the revelation of the critical role comics can play in coming to grips with the machinery of this omnipresent dilemma. This piece, the third by Copacetic customer Cornwell that we've offered for sale, shows the creator exhibiting his ambition as he works to synthesize a wide range of influences into an exploding montage of styles, narrative tropes and storylines. The dual 49-panel front and back covers set the stage which stroboscopically shifts through a dry-ice fog of R. Crumb self-consciousness, Charles Burns moodiness, some obvious (but clever!) "quotations" of Marc Bell, and the diegetic use of Fort Thunder tropes, in the process taking the reader on a 28-page journey that evokes a spirit of chaos reminiscent of Paper Rad and which concludes with the multiply referential meta-comics of the inside back cover "pin-up."I Wanna Destroy You reveals, when the dust settles, the looming question mark of consciousness, and delivers a confirmation of the illusion of self. Please note: This edition comes with an additional hand silk-screened cover wrap printed on yellow card stock that is not pictured here.
Spunj Baahb	Chris Cornwell	Self-published		$4.44 ($5.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Are you looking for new, fun and smart, visually and intellectually stimulating, hand-made and independently published comics work that's created right here in Pittsburgh, PA? Well, if you are, you've come to the right place. Spunj Baahb is the latest comics conundrum by Copacetic customer Chris Cornwell. It's a 20-page, 8 1/2" x 11" black & white, saddle-stapled comics magazine printed on 28 lb. bright white stock with a two-color hand silk screened cover on sky blue cardstock. Except for two pages of exposition wherein the work's themes are explicitly stated, the narrative unfolds entirely in Cornwell's ever evolving pictograhic language. While cartoon characters such as Sponge-Bob Squarepants™ are commonly understood to represent the communal unconscious of the society that produced it, Spunj Baahb takes it a step further and posits the inner life of the cartoon character itself -- the dream within the dream, if you will -- and does so with much aplomb.
Elktor	Chris Cornwell	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This 12-page, hand-crafted, 5 1/2" square comic book that sports a four-pass, hand silk-screened cover, features the first appearance of Elktor, who goes on to greater glory in the pages of Cornwell's Cold Heat Special. Act now before this one vanishes in the mists of time...
King-Cat Comics and Stories #70	John Porcellino	Spit and a Half	King-Cat Comics and Stories	$2.75 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	The issue that marks the twentieth anniversary of King-Cat Comics and Stories. And it really is an extra special issue, one of the best ever. Twenty years. Amazing. Congratulations, Mr. P.!
King-Cat Comics and Stories #69	John Porcellino	Spit and a Half	King-Cat Comics and Stories	$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Shame on us for neglecting to bring this to your attention earlier. Yes, it's another 32 page gem by the zen master of comics and self-publishing. In this issue we have comics on: late night driving, haircuts, heavy metal, cats and cat adoption, as well as those magic meditations on nature as only John P. can manage. Also, those hardy perennials, 'the King-Cat Top 40" and the "Catcalls" letters pages. Year after year, King-Cat remains one of the great pleasures of comics. Don't miss it!
King-Cat Comics and Stories #68	John Porcellino	Spit and a Half	King-Cat Comics and Stories	$2.75 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	36 pages of comics and stories -- along with a short history lesson and the usual lists -- by the one and only John P. What more do you need to know? Now in stock.
Schematic Comics	Dan Zettwoch	Self-published		$3.95 ($3.95 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	We'd be remiss if we didn't mention this unexpected treat. This is a new printing of one of the hits of SPX 2005 that has long been unavailable and highly sought after. It collects fifteen fabulous pieces by the talented and versatile Mr. Zettwoch. All we have to say is: If you missed this the first time around, then don't make the same mistake twice! Come one down and pick this one up before it's gone again. And this goes double for anyone who wasn't around for the first go round. This one's a classic of self-publishing. 48 pages under a hand-silk-screened cover. SORRY – THIS ONE SOLD OUT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. WE'LL TRY TO GET MORE...
Funny Aminals	Joe Lambert, Bryan Stone, Colleen Frakes, Penina and more ...	Self-published		$6.75 ($8.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Long suffering fans of the funny animal genre of comic books, one of the classic standard bearers of the comics tradition that has fallen by the wayside as of late, have much to rejoice with the release of this magical magazine size comic book that is clearly a labor of love. Full color front and back covers, printed on heavy stock, contain 68 pages of comics and stories by the likes of Joe Lambert, Bryan Stone, Colleen Frakes, Penina and more, all entirely devoted to animal fun, and includes a lengthy essay on the history of the genre by none other than Mr. Steve "Swamp Thing" Bissette! Learn more about the Funny Aminal gang, here. Recommended (and, on special)!
Cold Heat Special #9	Lane Milburn, Frank Santoro	PictureBox	Cold Heat	$12.00 ($15.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	The latest Cold Heat Special takes the standard practice of many hand-made self-published comics (including several of the previous numbers in this very series) – that of the silk-screened cover encasing photocopied interior pages – and stands it on its head. Yes, that's right, you guessed it: this one has a photocopied cover enclosing 16 hand-silk-screened interior pages of pantomime comics which pictographically record the spiritual regeneration of Castle as she merges with both the biological and historical forces that power her quest for truth, justice and personal growth. Also from PictureBox. LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!
Closed Caption Comics #8	Lane Milburn, Mollie O'Connell, Ryan Cecil Smith, Conor Stechschulte and more ...	Closed Caption Comics	Closed Caption Comics	$6.00 ($8.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	by the Closed Caption Posse We usually pick this up every year in the fall, at SPX, but CCC is way ahead of schedule this year and the Copacetic shelves have already been graced with this hand-embossed-cover-sporting 80-Page Giant packed with brand new comics the likes of which you won't be finding anywhere else. The gang's all here, including – among others – Lane Milburn, Mollie O'Connell, Ryan Cecil Smith, Conor Stechschulte, Molly Goldstrom, and cover artist Erin Womak. The comics from Closed Caption Comics that we pick up every year at SPX have pretty much all been hits here at Copacetic, most of all this, the flagship title. While we believe that it's fair to say that CCC is working with some of the tropes established by Fort Thunder, there is quite a bit of original work here, and anyone interested in deeply personal, artistically informed comics work should be checking this out.
Cold Heat Print	Frank Santoro	PictureBox	Cold Heat	$20.00 OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	We have in stock a very limited quantity of a signed and numbered Cold Heat print by Frank Santoro (in fact, we have only 2 copies remaining as of 17 November 2008). This print is standard comic book size -- 7" x 10" -- so it will fit right in with the Cold Heat comics if you would like to store it away as part of your collection, but we feel confident that you'll be putting this one on your wall. This is the image here on the right =>; you should know, however, that the colors -- at least on our copies -- are far more vibrant when viewed in person.
Cold Heat Special #6	Chris Cornwell	PictureBox	Cold Heat	$10.00 ($12.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Yes, Cold Heat Special 8 and 9 have come (and gone) but without any sign of numbers 6 and 7... until now! Over a year in the making, Cold Heat Special number six is now in stock and it's a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted work of art. Wrapped in fabulous front and back cover silkscreens – complete with inside front and back cover silk-screened "endpapers," which are overlaid with hand tipped full color "plates" (ink jet prints) – this magazine-size special is an aesthetic treat and feast for the eyes, yes, but most of all it is an experience for the mind. Extending and vastly expanding on the themes he introduced in his first Cold Heat Special (number two), Cornwell has here seamlessly merged his own artistic concerns with those of Cold Heat creators BJ and Santoro to forge a fantastic journey to the center of the mind that intimates at the nature of eternal recurrence and the simultaneity of historicity in a universe that has banished linear time and made way for cosmic consciousness. All while working firmly in the Cold Heat tradition of living off the grid and on the fringes – turned on to DIY culture and a new life of untested possibilities. Limited to 100 copies. Recommended!
Weird Schmeird #2	Ryan Cecil Smith	Self-published		$8.00 ($8.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Closed Caption Comics alumnus, Ryan Cecil Smith continues his sojourn in Japan and in Weird Schmeird #2 he has applied himself to incorporating all that he has absorbed into a single power-packed comics packag; and it shows – this is, in our opinion, his best work yet! Weird Schmeird #2 comes packed in a screen-printed (in pink!) resealable glassine envelope and comes complete with a set of six screen-printed, laser-die-cut-cardboard-punchout, transportation-themed, snap-together toys! Still not sold? Take a closer look, here. Collector's Please Take Note: this is a limited edition of a mere 130 handmade copies originating in Japan! In other words, you snooze, you lose on this one!
Solipsist's Doodles	Jason Overby	Self-published		$3.00 ($3.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Are you ready for 32 pages of unimpeded personal expression in comic book form? If so you might want to give these the once over. Original and unique, obscure yet satisfying, Overby's comics are leading us somewhere, but it's too soon to tell if it's going to be to a place where we'll want to stick around. Here are comics for risk takers.
Exploding Head Man	Jason Overby	Self-published		$6.00 ($6.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Are you ready for 96 pages of unimpeded personal expression in comic book form? If so you might want to give these the once over. Original and unique, obscure yet satisfying, Overby's comics are leading us somewhere, but it's too soon to tell if it's going to be to a place where we'll want to stick around. Here are comics for risk takers.
Rambo 3.5	Jim Rugg	Self-published		$2.00 ($2.00 list)
Read more and comment...	A near-perfect embodiment of the mini-comics aesthetic, by that ace Pittsburgh comics all-star, Jim Rugg. A 32-page comics meditation/investigation on/of the post-9/11 American nexus between power and violence, Washington and Hollywood, high culture and pop culture, toys and art, dream and reality, repression and oppression and, finally, the resultant confusion between signifier and signified. Featuring a former President of The United States of America along with you-know-who (or do you?). Heady stuff, and fun to boot!
Andromeda #3	Andy Scott, Jess Lavecchia, Nate McDonough	Self-published	Andromeda	$2.00 ($2.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Edited by Andy Scott, Andromeda is a made-in-Pittsburgh monthly anthology of comics. And, while it might not yet be operating at quite the level of Diamond Comics (see below), these guys are nothing if not ambitious, and so far they have published the first three issues on schedule and the fourth is promised shortly, so Regular contributors include Nate "Grixly" McDonough and Jess Lavecchia, as well as editor Andy Scott himself, and there are plenty of others who have made their way into individual issues. In order to keep up with their monthly schedule, Andromeda is hungry for fresh contributions and is always on the lookout for new talent and is accepting unsolicited submissions, so any cartoonists reading this interested in having their work appear in the pages of Andromeda should get in touch with Mr. Scott at littletired@gmail.com.
Grixly #11	Nate McDonough	Self-published	Grixly	$1.00 ($1.00 list)
Read more and comment...	While we're on the topic of monthly comic books made in Pittsburgh, the trend-setting example of Nate McDonough is of paramount importance, as he has managed the impressive feat of writing, penciling, inking, lettering and publishing no less than thirteen issues of Grixly within – roughly – the past year. Grixly will put you right smack dab in the middle of the Yinzer Zone™: not a dimension of sight or of sound, but of mind; a particular mind – that of a dedicated cartoonist living in Pittsburgh. So, as a result, while much of the work you will find in the pages of Grixly – the first twelve issues of which are filled with a hodge podge of short stories, vignettes, anecdotes and fantasias – are straight-up auto-bio, readers will also often confront work that is the depiction of an actual event that took place not on the streets or in rooms of tha 'Burgh, but rather in the imagination of the person whose life has been impacted and imprinted by these. Beginning with the thirteenth and latest issue, however, McDonough is down-shifting to a bi-monthly schedule, with the aim of producing longer issue-length works. It should be interesting...
Goat Helper	Chris Cornwell	Self-published		$1.00 ($1.00 list)
Read more and comment...	This 12-pager by Pittsburgh's foremost formalist and friends serves up a comics meditation on sacrifice, mortality and transformation. The main course consists of a pair of concise genre deconstructions that are simultaneously penetrating and ironic. These are interrupted by a bracing palette-cleanser of fulsome gross-out humor, and followed by a satiric pairing of propaganda and advertising that extends and concludes the theme.
Stories #1	Martin Cendreda	Self-published	Stories	$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	The Green Umbrella Man in the Mirror & Expecting Let's keep going in the small press and self-publishing vein. It seems like we're on a roll here. Here we have three all-new minis, all produced, published, packed and shipped by that Angeleno mini-master, Martin Cendreda! The art and production here is top rate and very reasonable priced considering the effort and low print runs. By turns whimsical, satirical and insightful, these are musts for any and all adherents of the mini-comic form. Recommended!
Stories #2	Martin Cendreda	Self-published	Stories	$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Copy • Matthew and Buster • Swimming • Free Hugs Let's keep going in the small press and self-publishing vein. It seems like we're on a roll here. Here we have three all-new minis, all produced, published, packed and shipped by that Angeleno mini-master, Martin Cendreda! The art and production here is top rate and very reasonable priced considering the effort and low print runs. By turns whimsical, satirical and insightful, these are musts for any and all adherents of the mini-comic form. Recommended!
Stories #3	Martin Cendreda	Self-published	Stories	$3.00 ($3.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Catch Me If You Can Let's keep going in the small press and self-publishing vein. It seems like we're on a roll here. Here we have three all-new minis, all produced, published, packed and shipped by that Angeleno mini-master, Martin Cendreda! The art and production here is top rate and very reasonable priced considering the effort and low print runs. By turns whimsical, satirical and insightful, these are musts for any and all adherents of the mini-comic form. Recommended!

books

Title	Author	Publisher	Price
The Flying Destructicate: New Visual Language		Encyclopedia Destructica	$20.00 ($20.00 list)
Read more and comment...	The Flying Destructicate: New Visual Language Devoted to the work of Pittsburgh artist, Josh Tonies and his a group of his cohorts who are working together to forge a "new visual language," this book, the latest production from the folks at Encyclopedia Destructica, is an impossibly complex hand made assemblage that defies description, but they've given it a try, here. You simply have to come in and see it for yourself! Once you see it, you'll understand just how labor intensive a production it is and why we can only get in five copies at a time. So, if you missed the book launch party at the Warhol Museum but you still want to get your hands on one, don't waste any time getting over here, as these aren't going to last long. copacetic price - $20.00
2008 Flying Destructicate: Jonathan Brodsky - Make Your Own Truth	Jonathan Brodsky	Encyclopedia Destructica	$25.00 ($25.00 list) OUT OF STOCK!
Read more and comment...	Limited to 200 handmade copies, this item pretty much has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Put together by Jonathan Brodsky and the folks at Encyclopedia Destructica, it's a hand assembled slipcase containing: a hand bound hardcover book containing work by Brodsky, Alberto Almarza, Josh Atlas, Juliacks, Rick Gribenas and Paus Akid; eight file-folder-art-zines (for lack of a better term) that are hard copy manifestations of power point presentations made by eight different Pittsburgh artists (among them Unicorn Mountain's Curt Gettman) on a wide variety of topics; and a DVD that contains several pieces by Brodsky along with pieces by Almarza and Gribenas. A limited edition, hand crafted work of multiple media art from Pittsburgh, PA. Need we say more?

dvds

Title	Director	Publisher	Price
Lydia and Her Friends		Self-published	$2.00 ($2.00 list)
Read more and comment...	Lydia and Her Friends by Gretchen Neidert Are you despondent and despairing? dragged down by dominating dodos, day to day drudgery and derelict dregs? The antidote is at hand: Lydia and Her Friends is a power-packed little wonder; a 10-minute burst of melodiously manic energy that situates the viewer in an endless loop at the edge of the galaxy from which vantage point it becomes clear that while time is passing all around us as we spin through space, life is lived in the moment, and that moment is NOW! An infinitely renewable pick-me-up for less than the price of a capuccino, packed in a hand-colored sleeve and made right here in tha 'burgh. copacetic price - $2.00
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!

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