www.86thfloor.com     PREVIEWS VOL. XVIII #5 May 2008  

Independent Comic Publishers
(Companies beginning with H)

HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHERS

THE DISCWORLD GRAPHIC NOVELS VOLUME 1 GN
by Terry Pratchett & Various
Imagine a flat world, sitting on the backs of four elephants, who hurtle through space balanced on a giant turtle. The Discworld is a place (and a time) parallel to our own — but also very different. That is the setting for Terry Pratchett's phenomenally successful Discworld series, which now celebrates its 25th anniversary. The Discworld Graphic Novels presents the very first two volumes of this much-loved series in graphic novel form. First published fifteen years ago, these fully illustrated versions are now issued for the first time in hardback. Introduced here are the bizarre misadventures of Twoflower, the Discworld's first ever tourist, and possibly — portentously — its last, and his guide Rinceflower, the spectacularly inept wizard. Not to mention the Luggage, which has a mind of its own! (C: 0-1-2) NOTE: This item may be available through other retail outlets before shipping to comic book specialty shops.
HC, 7x10, 272pgs, FC SRP: $24.95

MAGIC TRIXIE VOLUME 1 TP
by Jill Thompson
Magic Trixie, a young witch, is feeling jinxed! She’s not allowed to ride her cousin’s broom, play with her father’s magic wand, or use her mother’s cauldron. But baby sister Abby Cadabra gets rides, gnaws the wand, and bathes in the cauldron. No fair! On top of that, Show & Tell is coming up at school and Magic Trixie wants to be the best. But it’s tough competition among her friends. Lupe can turn into a wolf; Nefertiti can show her own organs in their adorable sarcophagi, and Stitch can unsew himself! What if Magic Trixie could solve both of her problems at once? What if she could do some really impressive magic for Show & Tell — by making her baby sister disappear? This delightful, laugh-out-loud graphic novel features full-color art on every page by award-winning artist and writer Jill Thompson. (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 6x9, 96pgs, FC SRP: $7.99

NEIL GAIMAN'S CORALINE GN
by Neil Gaiman & P. Craig Russell
New York Times-bestselling novel and new children’s classic Coraline springs to life as a gorgeously adapted graphic novel! When Coraline steps through a door in her family’s new house, she finds another house, strangely similar to her own (only better). At first, things seem marvelous. The food is better than at home, and the toy box is filled with fluttering wind-up angels and dinosaur skulls that crawl and rattle their teeth. But there’s another mother there and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Coraline will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life. This beloved tale has now become a visual feast. Acclaimed artist P. Craig Russell brings Neil Gaiman’s enchanting nationally best-selling children’s book Coraline to new life in this gorgeously illustrated graphic novel adaptation. (C: 0-1-2)
HC, 6x9, 192pgs, FC SRP: $18.99

ZOT! VOLUME 1: THE COMPLETE BLACK AND WHITE STORIES 1987-1991 TP
by Scott McCloud
Comic book afficionados rejoice! The best of the cult classic series, Zot!, first created by Scott McCloud in 1984, is soon to be reprised in this arresting trade paperback compilation, with bonus material! Zachary T. Paleozogt, popularly known as Zot, is a blond-haired, blue-eyed teenage hero from an alternate Earth — this alternate reality is a retro-futuristic technological utopia where flying cars, robots and interplanetary travel are common and nearly all of its inhabitants benefit from peace, prosperity, and a marked lack of conventional social ills. Jaunting back and forth between the two worlds seems exciting for Zot at first, but there are subtle differences in the essential nature of the two planets that take some getting used to. On Zot’s world, events naturally favor the “good guys” in any conflict, while on Earth, Zot is a less successful hero, reflecting the fact that our world clearly does not conform to the same rules as his. Nevertheless, Zot eagerly takes on Earth’s challenges with the most amusing outcomes. New material includes sketches, designs, some of McCloud’s behind-the-scenes working methods, Zot ephemera (there was a Zot watch!) and lots and lots of commentary — “the story behind the stories” as it were. This newly revised cult classic is not to be missed! (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 6x9, 576pgs, B&W SRP: $22.95

STARS OF THE MONTH

UNDERSTANDING COMICS TP
by Scott McCloud
Praised throughout the comic industry by such luminaries as Art Spiegelman, Matt Groening, and Will Eisner, this innovative book provides a detailed look at the history, meaning, and art of comics and cartooning. More than just a book about comics, Understanding Comics gets to the heart of how we deal with visual language in general. (FEB058402)
SC, 7x10, 224pgs, B&W SRP: $22.95

REINVENTING COMICS TP (HARPER COLLINS EDITION)
by Scott McCloud
In 1993, Scott McCloud tore down the wall between high and low culture with the acclaimed international hit Understanding Comics, a massive comic book that explored the inner workings of the world's most misunderstood art form. Now, McCloud takes comics to the next level, charting twelve different revolutions in how comics are created, read, and perceived today, and how they're poised to conquer the new millennium. (JAN074155)
SC, 7x10, 256pgs, B&W SRP: $22.95

MAKING COMICS: STORYTELLING SECRETS OF COMICS, MANGA AND GRAPHIC NOVELS SC
by Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud, acclaimed illustrator and renowned author of Understanding Comics, focuses his critical analysis on the art form itself, exploring the creation of comics, from the broadest principles to the most minute of artistic details. (JUL063708)
SC, 7x10, 272pgs, PC SRP: $22.95

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HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE

BODY COUNT LIMITED DELUXE SIGNED HC
by Kevin Eastman & Simon Bisley
Casey Jones and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Raphael, find themselves caught up in the middle of an international family murder/revenge/assassination plot, complete with gansters, thugs, secret agents, double agents and more spent shell casings than the D-Day invasion! This limited edition hardcover ships signed by Kevin Eastman! (C: 0-1-2)
MATURE THEMES
HC, 7x10, 112pgs, FC SRP: $26.95

HEAVY METAL JULY 2008
by Various
"Fluorescent Black." Set in a dark, futuristic Singapore dominated by the biotechnology industry, take a visceral ride through a bio-punk future where life is cheap, but death is a lucrative business.
MATURE THEMES
Magazine, 124pgs, FC SRP: $5.99

HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS

HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS 2008
by Albert Calleros, Larry Reynosa, Ira Sherak & the Merchants of Love
Because no one demanded it, the most sexually active animators* in the TV industry are once again crossing the borders of good taste with Hot Mexican Love Comics 2008 (a.k.a. "The Ocho!")! Won't you join us for another Sensual Siesta guaranteed to raise the passion in your life a minimum of 16.2% (study conducted in Mexico)! This anthology containing brand new stories for '08 features artists working on shows such as: The Simpsons, Family Guy, Invader Zim, and many more! Cover by Paul Wee.*(sexual activity sometimes include a partner).
MATURE THEMES
SC, 8x11, 48pgs, B&W SRP: $5.95