FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
COMICS JOURNAL #284 by Various Marvel Monsters and Monkey Kings make mayhem in Comics Journal #284! Gary Groth interviews cartoonist Roger Langridge, creator of a rogue’s gallery of characters such as Fred the Clown, Art d’Ecco, and Knuckles the Malevolent Nun. The New Zealand native will also talk about his collaborative work, such as his recent turn as the artist for Marvel’s Fin Fang Foom. Also interviewed is Xeric-winner Gene Yang, whose young- adult graphic novel, American Born Chinese, was recently nominated for a National Book Award. From the turn of the 19th century, Frederick Burr Opper’s comic strip Happy Hooligan — one of the inspirations for Chaplin’s Little Tramp — is examined, complete with approximately 30 Sunday strips reproduced in full-color! Magazine, 200pgs, PC SRP: $9.95
DELPHINE #2 by Richard Sala In the second installment of Richard Sala's dark and suspenseful mini-series, the mysterious traveler finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into nightmare territory. The locals seem determined to undermine his every move and he soon finds himself stranded and alone in the ancient forest — and night is falling! This twisted re-imagining of Snow White, told from the viewpoint of the "prince" and set in modern times, continues with more of Sala's eerily beautiful painted artwork and a startling plot that veers as far away from the countless saccharine versions of Grimm's folk tale as possible. SC, 8x11, 32pgs, B&W SRP: $7.95
THE FUN NEVER STOPS! AN ANTHOLOGY OF COMIC ART: 1991-2006 SC by Drew Friedman The Fun Never Stops is a comprehensive collection of premier caricaturist Drew Friedman’s best comic strips, illustrations, and mug shots dealing with all the familiar Friedman themes the world has come to love: showbiz has-beens, ugly old white men, nefarious politicians, debauched celebrities, the ubiquitous Lord Of Eltingville, etc. Most of the work is from the 1990s, and show Friedman’s gradual phasing out of his famous (and amazing) black-and-white “stipple” look to his current (and equally amazing) “lush watercolor” style. The book is topped off with a detailed, career-spanning biographical introduction by Ben Schwartz and a foreword by Daniel Clowes. SC, 8x11, 136pgs, PC SRP: $16.95
STARS OF THE MONTH
HANK KETCHAM'S COMPLETE DENNIS THE MENACE: 1955-1956 HC by Hank Ketcham Hank Ketcham’s Complete Dennis the Menace is one of the most successful books in the company’s history, greeted by reviews with praise similar to that garnered by The Complete Peanuts. This third volume publishes every single panel strip from 1955 and 1956 in one handsome and thick hardcover volume. Ketcham’s legendary pen and ink work achieves its full flowering in this volume, as do the various situations and themes that Ketcham would return to: the first “split screen” (two-panel strip) that Ketcham would occasionally use; Dennis actually flirts with a girl; he rats Dad out to Mom; exacerbates confrontations between Dad and the police; and stymies hapless baby-sitters. Oh, and Mr. Wilson finally comes front-and-center as Dennis’ #1 victim! (SEP063299) (C: 1-0-0) NOTE: Not available in the U.K. (May Purchase from U.K. Vendor) HC, 5.5x6, 672pgs, B&W SRP: $24.95
LUBA: THREE DAUGHTERS TP by Gilbert Hernandez Luba: Three Daughters is the final book in Gilbert Hernandez’s post-Palomar trilogy, continuing the story of matriarch Luba and her extended family’s travails in the United States after her Central American hometown is destroyed at the end of Palomar. It focuses on Luba and her two sisters, Fritz and Petra, exploring the complex relationships that form between family and how the experiences and actions of one generation influence the next. Renowned for his female characters, Hernandez intersperses his main narrative with “The Kid Stuff Kids,” a series of lighthearted and playful one-pagers starring the young children of the three sisters, richly juxtaposed against the complex family drama at work in Three Daughters. Hernandez’s mix of Latino soap opera, magic realist touches and rich naturalism speak to audiences about the changes that come with age and experience, and they are unparalleled in comics. (JUN063111) SC, 8x11, 136pgs, B&W SRP: $16.95
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NEW TALES OF OLD PALOMAR #2 by Gilbert Hernandez Gilbert Hernandez returns to that funky little Central American hamlet of his with another story set in the "Sopa de Gran Pena" days starring "The Children of Palomar" — in this case, the obnoxious and picked-on Gato (whom LR fans will remember as Pipo's husband-to-be), Soledad, Guero, Pintor, and Arturo. The quintet of troublemakers' explorations across a bottomless chasm results in two of the kids coming face to face with... well, we won't spoil the surprise. But Sheriff Chelo is on the case and saves the day! With the very earliest Palomar stories recently released in a redesigned and affordable format in the "Heartbreak Soup" volume, interest in these new stories of Palomar should remain high, and the superswanky Ignatz format provides Beto with a perfect canvas. SC, 8x11, 32pgs, B&W SRP: $7.95
STAR OF THE MONTH
POPEYE VOLUME 1: I YAM WHAT I YAM HC by E.C. Segar Fantagraphics’ Popeye will collect the complete run of Segar’s Thimble Theatre comic strip (dailies and color Sundays) featuring Popeye, re-establishing Segar as one of the first rank of cartoonists who have elevated the comic strip to art. He was the most popular cartoonist of his day, his sense of humor coming straight out of Mark Twain. In this first volume, covering 1928-1930, Popeye’s initial courtship of Olive Oyl takes center stage, while Olive’s brother Castor Oyl discovers the mysterious Whiffle Hen. Also, the entire cast meets the Sea Hag for the first time in their pursuit of the “Mystery House” (Popeye’s first extended daily narrative), and Castor Oyl attempts to turn Popeye into a boxing champion in a series of hilarious Sunday strips. These strips pre-figure the rise of superheroes in the 1930s and 1940s. (JUL063133) HC, 11x17, 200pgs, PC SRP: $29.95
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SAMMY THE MOUSE GN by Zak Sally Double Eisner nominee (for his acclaimed Recidivist #3, which SPIN Magazine also called one of its "favorite things" in January), and all-around hot cartoonist Zak Sally leaps into Ignatz fray with the first issue of the ongoing Sammy the Mouse series! Rollick with Sammy's pals Puppy Boy, H. G. Feekes, and Him as they walk around, have epileptic seizures, talk to disembodied voices, drink liquor in a bar the shape of a giant baby, and scare the living hell out of each other. The artwork on Sammy the Mouse will be created using a sophisticated two-color process Sally already showed off to fine effect in a recent MOME, making it one of the most visually arresting of the Ignatzes. 8x11, 32pgs, PC SRP: $7.95
SANCTUARY #3 by Nate Neal Things intensify in this new issue chronicling the inner workings of a Paleolithic cave- dwelling tribe. A nomad girl tries to get along with the females of her new tribe with disastrous results. Meanwhile, the banished shaman, starving in the bowels of the cave has a psychedelic vision and realizes how he can save his corrupted tribe. Winner of the 2006 Xeric Grant, this provocative issue reads as a stand-alone story, yet ties into the ongoing plotline, galvanizing new and continuing readers alike. Featuring a unique Paleolithic language and spellbinding drawings, The Sanctuary invites you straight into the heart of a disturbing and primal odyssey. MATURE THEMES 40pgs, B&W (3 of 6) SRP: $3.95
STAR OF THE MONTH
SHADOWLAND GN by Kim Deitch Over a hundred years ago, a scout ship from a mysterious alien vessel crash-landed on Earth. It was discovered by a seven-year-old boy named Al Ledicker, and the story that followed is one that veteran underground cartoonist Kim Deitch (Boulevard) has chronicled for the last 20 years in a series of interrelated stories that have appeared in a variety of magazines. Collected for the first time, Shadowland offers a narrative which ranges from the late 19th century to (more or less) to the present day. Delineated in Deitch’s charming, uniquely retro style, Shadowland is a tumble down the rabbit hole of sexy Hollywood starlets, little green (actually, gray) aliens, flying pigs and performing elephants, incest, murder, and eternal youth. (JUL063136) MATURE THEMES SC, 8x11, 176pgs, B&W SRP: $18.95
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THINGS JUST GET AWAY FROM YOU HC by Walt Holcombe Blessed with a lovely bouncy, rubbery SpongeBob SquarePants-y style, cartoonist and animator Walt Holcombe tells wildly imaginative stories of love gained and (often) lost. Things Just Get Away From You collects all of Holcombe’s late-1990s comics work, with a bonus new story, “Hails at Sea,” thrown in for good measure. It leads off with “King of Persia,” a 1001 Nights/Yiddish vaudeville-inspired graphic novella in which king Faisal Al-Ghazali must win the affection of the woman he loves by traveling to an enchanted land in search of a giant emerald, while accompanied by his faithful companion, the talking camel, Jamila. HC, 8x9, 216pgs, B&W SRP: $24.95
I SHALL DESTROY ALL THE CIVILIZED PLANETS SC by Fletcher Hanks Fletcher Hanks worked for only a few years in the earliest days of the comic book industry (1939-1941). Because he worked in a gutter medium for second-rate publishers on third rate characters, his work has been largely forgotten. But among aficionados he is legendary. Hanks drew in a variety of genres depicting science-fiction saviors, white women of the jungle, and he-man loggers. This book collects 15 of his best stories in one volume followed by an Afterword which solves the mystery of “Whatever Happened to Fletcher Hanks”, the mysterious cartoonist who created a hailstorm of tales of brutal retribution ... and then mysteriously vanished. SC, 8x11, 120pgs, FC SRP: $19.95
EROS COMIX
BLOWJOB #21 SEE PREVIEWS ADULT FOR MORE INFORMATION (C: 1-0-0) NOTE: Not available in Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, & the U.K. ADULT MATERIAL 24pgs, B&W SRP: $3.95
HOUSEWIVES AT PLAY #17 SEE PREVIEWS ADULT FOR MORE INFORMATION (C: 1-0-0) NOTE: Not available in Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, & the U.K. ADULT MATERIAL 24pgs, FC SRP: $4.95
SUPER TABOO XXX #5 SEE PREVIEWS ADULT FOR MORE INFORMATION (C: 1-0-0) NOTE: Not available in Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, & the U.K. ADULT MATERIAL RES. from Previews Vol. XVI #8 (AUG063309) 32pgs, B&W SRP: $3.95
STAR OF THE MONTH
MEGAMANGA VOLUME 11: SEX PHILES 3 TP SEE PREVIEWS ADULT FOR MORE INFORMATION (MAR042588) (C: 1-0-0) NOTE: Not available in Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, & the U.K. ADULT MATERIAL SC, 160pgs, B&W SRP: $15.95
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SLUT GIRL COLLECTION TP SEE PREVIEWS ADULT FOR MORE INFORMATION (C: 1-0-0) NOTE: Not available in Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, & the U.K. ADULT MATERIAL 176pgs, B&W SRP: $19.95
:01 FIRST SECOND
TINY TYRANT GN by Lewis Trondheim & Fabrice Parme Welcome to Portocristo: its clear skies, sandy beaches, bustling streets — and its spoiled rotten, six-year-old King. The little despot is grouchy, whiny, and demanding, but in Portrocristo, anything he says goes, no matter how bizarre or harebrained. With wacky, inventive writing and madcap art, Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme’s twelve stories for younger readers about the zany adventures of the Tiny Tyrant of Portocristo will delight and enchant you. SC, 6x9, 128pgs, FC SRP: $12.95
THE PROFESSOR'S DAUGHTER GN by Joann Sfar & Emmanual Guibert Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert bring the spirit of Victorian London to life in this witty, engaging, and heartwarming tale of a proper but mischievous girl and the mummy who opens his eyes for the first time in 3,000 years and instantly falls in love with her. With breathtaking art and hilarious, insightful writing from an Eisner Award-winning creator, The Professor’s Daughter is the story of a delightful 3,000-year-old romance! SOFTCOVER—SC, 6x9, 80pgs, FC SRP: $16.95 COLLECTOR'S EDITION HARDCOVER—SC, 6x9, 80pgs, FC SRP: $29.95
FOX ATOMIC COMICS
THE HILLS HAVE EYES: THE BEGINNING GN by Jimmy Palmiotti & John Higgins See the events that spawned the predatory desert mutants of Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes in this adults-only graphic novel of horror from Fox Atomic, the perfect companion to the upcoming sequel to 2006's hit reimagining of the terror-filled film classic! (C: 0-1- 2) SC, 7x10, 112pgs, FC SRP: $17.99