www.86thfloor.com     PREVIEWS VOL. XVII #8 August 2007  

Independent Comic Publishers
(Companies beginning with P)


PANINI PUBLISHING LTD

DOCTOR WHO VOLUME 1: VOYAGER
by Various
The first of two volumes featuring the sixth Doctor’s complete comic strip run from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine! Featuring the epic stories of the Doctor, Peri, and Frobisher as they travel through time and space. Stories included are "The Shape-Shifter," "Voyager" (written by sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker), "Once Upon a Time Lord" and more! (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 9x12, 172pgs, B&W SRP: $26.50

PANTHEON BOOKS

THE COMPLETE PERSEPOLIS TP
by Marjane Satrapi
Published to wide acclaim in France, where it elicited comparisons to Art Spiegelman's Maus, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, she tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a stunning reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 6x9, 352pgs SRP: $24.95

STARS OF THE MONTH

CHICKEN WITH PLUMS HC
by Marjane Satrapi
From the acclaimed author of the best-selling Persepolis books, here is Marjane Satrapi's most accomplished and emotionally powerful work yet — the story of her great-uncle, a celebrated Iranian musician who gave up his life for music and love. Nasser Ali Khan, one of Iran's most revered tar players, discovers his beloved instrument to be irreparably damaged. Though he tries, he cannot find one good enough to replace it. Brokenhearted, he takes to bed, renouncing the world and its pleasures. Over the course of the week that follows, as his loved ones gather at his bedside, we are treated to flashbacks and flashforwards that reveal Nasser Ali's entire life and beyond — from his own childhood through his children's futures. As the pieces of his story slowly fall into place, we begin to understand the breadth of his decision to give up life. (JUL063366) (C: 0-1-2)
HC, 6x9, 96pgs, B&W SRP: $16.95

EMBROIDERIES GN
by Marjane Satrapi
In this gloriously entertaining and enlightening look into the sex lives of Iranian women, Marjane Satrapi gathers together her tough-talking grandmother, stoic mother, glamorous and eccentric aunt and their friends and neighbors for an afternoon of tea drinking and talking. Naturally, the subject turns to love, sex and the vagaries of men. These vibrant women share their secrets, their regrets, and their often outrageous stories about, among other things, how to fake one’s virginity, how to escape an arranged marriage, how to enjoy the miracles of plastic surgery, and how to delight in being a mistress. By turns revealing and hilarious, these are stories about the lengths to which some women will go to find a man, keep a man or, most importantly, keep up appearances. (MAR053081) (C: 0-1-2)
HC, B&W SRP: $16.95

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ALIAS THE CAT GN
by Kim Deitch
The new graphic novel from the acclaimed author of The Boulevard of Broken Dreams! At the center of the novel, Kim Deitch deftly places himself and his wife, Pam — a passionate seeder of Halloween cats from the 1920s and '30s, whose collection is impressive to say the least. But when Pam buys a mysterious old cat costume, she and Kim find themselves in a wholly new territory: the lost world of Alias the Cat, who in 1915 appeared not only in a comic strip and film serial, but also in real life as a freedom-fighting superhero! (JAN073805) (C: 0-1-2)
HC, 6x9, 136pgs, FC SRP: $23.00

PAPERCUTZ

TALES FROM THE CRYPT #3
by Various
The premier pulse-pounding horror comic returns with all-new petrifying, picto-fiction parodies of today’s pop culture introduced by the Crypt-Keeper, the Old Witch, and the Vault-Keeper! “A Murderin’ Idol” by Mort Todd and Steve Mannion reveals shocking secrets behind the top-rated TV talent contest and discover how far someone will go to win it all! “Slabbed!” by Stefan Petrucha and Don Hudson takes a look at the dark side of comics collecting when Derrick tries to sell his stolen comic to a dealer, he finds out what comics are really worth, and it’s not anything listed in the Overstreet Price Guide!
48pgs, FC SRP: $3.95

OFFERED AGAIN

O/A TALES FROM THE CRYPT: VOLUME 1 GHOULS GONE WILD GN
by Petrucha, McGregor, Exes, Murase, & Various
Over fifty years have passed since the last issue of the comic that inspired a hit HBO TV series was published, and Papercutz is proud to revive this frightful franchise filled with thrills and chills all laced with dark humor! It just goes to show you can't keep an old Ghoul down! Each issue will feature four new tales of undead lunacy, written and drawn by today's best comic book and graphic novel creators, and introduced by the original pun-spouting Crypt Keeper himself. Includes stories not seen in the comic books! Also available is the collector's edition hardcover!
SOFTCOVER—SC, 5x7, 112pgs, FC SRP: $7.95
COLLECTOR'S EDITION HC—HC, 5x7, 112pgs, FC SRP: $12.95

TALES FROM THE CRYPT VOLUME 2: CAN YOU FEAR ME NOW TP
by Various
Presenting four new Tales From The Crypt stories by today’s top graphic novel authors and artists! “The Garden” by Fred Van Lente and Mr. Exes, is the shocking tale of a man named Richard, who is promised servants and beautiful women waiting on him hand and foot in paradise, all in exchange for completing one simple task. “The Tenant” by Neil Kleid features the fearsome fate of slumlord James Winchell, who, after one of his tenants dies due to his neglect, is forced to live in one of his buildings by a creepy cemetery. “Crystal Clear” by Don McGregor offers a frightening look at what happens to a gangster, when one of his victims seeks revenge. And finally, “Slabbed,” by Stefan Petrucha and Alison Acton, depicts the dire consequences of what can happen to you if you sell a priceless collector’s comic book to the wrong dealer. All stories are introduced by The Crypt-Keeper, and his fellow ghoulunatics, The Old Witch and The Vault-Keeper! Available in softcover and Collector's Edition hardcover.
SOFTCOVER—SC, 5x7, 112pgs, FC SRP: $7.95
COLLECTOR'S EDITION HC—HC, 5x7, 112pgs, FC SRP: $12.95

PHILOMEL BOOKS

BRIAN JACQUES' REDWALL GN
by Brian Jacques & Bret Blevins
The classic fantasy adventure that launched the Redwall phenomenon is now available as a graphic novel! Illustrated by artist Bret Blevins, Redwall: The Graphic Novel brings to life all the battles, all the heroes, and all the villains in a fun new format perfect for those just entering Jacques' mesmerizing Redwall world or the countless existing fans of the series! (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 6x9, 144pgs, B&W SRP: $12.99

PICTUREBOX

GODDESS OF WAR #1
by Laura Weinstein
Lauren Weinstein’s follow up to her critically critically and commercially successful graphic novel, Girl Stories. Goddess of War traces the life of the title character, from her majestic beginnings as the best Valkyrie and the great granddaughter of Thor, to her present position as the Goddess. But she’s bored of determining the outcome for all wars on earth. So she leaves her isolated planet of vampires, wolves and volcanoes to visit Earth, where she quits her job being a Goddess to be with her lover, the Apache Chief. This angers her boss, the king of the Gods, and he decides to exact vengeance upon them. Will he succeed in punishing them or will the lovers escape the hand of fate? Goddess of War is based on the character that Weinstein plays in her rock band, Flaming Fire. The story will be told in deluxe, oversized format with both pen and ink and etchings.
MATURE THEMES
SC, 11x17, 32pgs, PC (1 of 4) SRP: $12.95

MAGGOTS GN
by Brian Chippendale
Fort Thunder co-founder Brian Chippendale’s follow up to his acclaimed NINJA is an immersive, frenetic reading experience. Drawn in 1996 over the pages of a Japanese book catalog, this 350-page graphic novel is now reproduced in a facsimile edition. Chippendale’s dense linework nearly vibrates off the page. The story concerns a group of characters living in a place called Fort Thunder, wandering around and discovering little holes in their universe. They battle a capitalist landlord, eat peanut butter sandwiches and embark on adventures somewhere between dirt punk and epic cosmic science fiction. Chippendale’s drawings are much like his famed drumming for Lightning Bolt: propulsive, soulful and chaotic. But, like his best songs, Maggots opens up into beautiful visual passages, vistas of temples and flowers, all drawn in scorching black marks that tell a story in their own abstractions.
MATURE THEMES
SC, 5x7, 344pgs, B&W SRP: $21.95

NEW ENGINEERING GN
by Yuichi Yokoyama
This book combines to of Yokoyama’s central themes: fighting and building. One set of stories, entitled Public Works, details massive structures being erected across a landscape. Plot is pushed aside in favor of sheer formal verve as we watch buildings about which we know nothing, come into being. The other set of stories, Combats, is one sequence after another of elegantly choreographed battles. Yokoyama builds things up and tears them down. Comics have never seen a talent that combines this level of formal ambition with exquisitely drawn depictions of fashion, art and architecture. Yuichi Yokoyama is a cartoonist, painter and designer based just outside of Tokyo. This is his first English-language publication.
SC, 7x10, 224pgs, B&W SRP: $19.95

POWR MASTRS VOL 1 GN
by C.F.
This first book by acclaimed artist C.F. is the most anticipated graphic novel debut of the year. Powr Mastrs is an intense fantasy story projected to run to six volumes. C.F. narrates the story of a tribe of mystical warriors whose power relations are constantly in flux. As power shifts, so do physical and psychological identities. In this first volume, we are introduced to the central characters and begin to understand the complex geography in which they wander. PowrMastrs is overflowing with graphic ideas, from the intricately designed costumes each character wears to C.F.’s exactingly drawn architectural details, all rendered in his distinctive pencil line. With Powr Mastrs C.F. finally comes into his own, making a book as vital for the practice of drawing as for graphic novels.
MATURE THEMES
SC, 6x9, 120pgs, B&W (1 of 6) SRP: $18.00

STOREYVILLE GN
by Frank Santoro
Introduction by Chris Ware! A perfect match of form and content, Storeyville was originally published in 1995 as a 40 page tabloid newspaper printed muted tones ranging from sandy yellow to a deep sepia. It follows the arc of a youthful adventure at the dawn of the 20th century. Will, a young man stuck in the industrial Pittsburgh of way-back-when is rarin' to go, though he's not sure where to, until he learns that his former mentor/partner/best-friend, the Reverend Rudy, has been sighted in Montreal, and then he’s off! Will's adventure leads across exotic land and to an epiphany about life itself. All of this is told with humor, pathos and a gentle graphic flair for cityscapes, landscapes and seascapes.
HC, 11x17, 48pgs, FC SRP: $24.95

PLATINUM STUDIOS

ATLANTIS RISING #1
by Scott Brown & Tim Irwin
After more than a thousand years of peaceful co-existence, Atlantis and the surface world are on the brink of war, with the fate of both civilizations hanging in the balance. This issue begins the war that will decide the fate of all humanity and Atlanteans.
32pgs, FC SRP: $2.99

GHOSTING #3
by Fred Van Lente & Charles Carvalho
It isn’t easy being a pledge. Warren has been committed to a psych ward after his run in with Ghoster, and his warning that the ghost has come back to kill all the Omegas and Epsilons — and he might be right! One of our four heroes will meet their untimely demise, while two of the others might have found love. Ain’t life strange!
32pgs, FC SRP: $2.99

POISON PRESS

GODS & UNDERGRADS VOLUME 1 GN
by Monica Gallagher
Lelaina Pentheus is starting her second year at Troy University, and has decided to move on campus and away from home for the first time. Negotiating friends, classes, and crushes is scary enough for the shy sophomore in this coming of age tale. But when her quirks begin to have unusual and frightening effects, Lelaina is forced to confront her unknown past. Characters once lost to ancient mythology pay her a visit, threatening to undo the chasm between gods and mortals, modernity and antiquity, and nearly destroying Lelaina in the process. And just when she started finally making friends and pulling her grades up! This digest-sized trade paperback collects the first three chapters of indie scene queen Gallagher's webcomic in full-color.
SC, 5x7, 152pgs, FC SRP: $10.00

POORHOUSE PRESS

STARS OF THE MONTH

WILL EISNER'S COMICS & SEQUENTIAL ART SC—REVISED EDITION
by Will Eisner
This is the best single book on how to tell a story with words and pictures, by the master of the form and the father of the graphic novel. Legendary comics creator Will Eisner turns a fine eye toward the principles of graphic storytelling in this extraordinary work, based on his popular Sequential Art course at New York's School of Visual Art. One of the most insightful and dynamic examinations of the comic art form to date! (STAR14721)
SC, 8x11, 164pgs, B&W SRP: $22.99

WILL EISNER'S GRAPHIC STORYTELLING SC
by Will Eisner & Various
Graphic Storytelling discusses the principles of conveying stories and narration with the sophisticated combination of text and imagery. A companion to Comics & Sequential Art, this book takes the principles examined in that title and applies them to the process of graphic storytelling. Eisner shows comic artists, filmmakers and graphic designers how to craft stories in a visual medium. They'll also learn why mastering the basics of storytelling is far more important than the hollow flash and dazzle seen in lesser work. (STAR14722)
SC, 164pgs, B&W SRP: $22.99

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PRAXIS COMICS

SCARLETT'S CURSE #5
by Landolt, Geovanne, Lei, & Lean
Scarlett has discovered she is a demon, one that must find and kill demons that are not so different from her, and now she's lost the one person that can show her the truth. Having discovered a Hellish new power, Scarlett takes to the streets of London where she has to find and kill another Demon of The Senses before it unleashes its curse upon innocents! But can she win the battle with an inner evil that is threatening to invade her very being? And will her brother Luke search for recognition take him to the ends of sanity?
24pgs, FC (5 of 7) SRP: $2.99

PURE IMAGINATION PUBLISHING

THE AL WILLIAMSON READER VOLUME 1 TP
by Al Williamson
Comics legend Al Williamson receives attention in this retrospective that reprints over 160 pages of fantastic art that spans his career! Taken from stories with Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, John Severin, and others and spanning genres from science-fiction and mysteries to jungle settings and westerns, almost none of the material has been reprinted before! (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 160pgs, B&W SRP: $25.00

OFFERED AGAIN

O/A THE JACK KIRBY READER VOLUME 2 TP
Edited by Greg Theakston
Jack Kirby's art receives new attention in this collection of 160 pages of fantastic art that spans his career! Westerns, crime, horror, science-fiction, and fantasy — Jack "the King" Kirby did it all! Meet the Flyin’ Fool, Lockjaw the Alligator, Earl the Rich Rabbit, and The Bobby-Sox Bandit Queen! The art has been Theakstonized for maximum clarity. (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 160pgs, B&W SRP: $25.00

O/A THE STEVE DITKO READER VOLUME 3 TP
by Steve Ditko
Rediscover Silver Age giant Steve Ditko with this collection that collects twenty-eight little-seen stories from Ditko's career including westerns, crime, horror, science-fiction, fantasy, and more! Most of these tales were produced before his co-creation of Spider-Man, and are packed with the trademark Ditko atmosphere. All art has been Theakstonized for maximum clarity. (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 160pgs, B&W SRP: $25.00