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New for May 2013
Marble Season
by Gilbert Hernandez
What's this? Another new graphic novel by Gilbert Hernandez, a mere month after Julio's Day? Believe it or not, yes! Billed as a "semi-autobiographical" tale, Marble Season takes readers back to the 1960s for a look at a pop culture immersed California childhood based in part – or at least strongly informed by – Beto's (and, of course, that of his siblings) tender years. Pop tunes on radio and record, TV shows, and, of course, comic books are here, along with neighborhood kids and their marbles. This book is also notable in being the first book by either Hernandez hermano published by D & Q (although it is not the first to be released by a Canadian publisher, that honor going to the first four issues of Mr. X, published, and then collected, by Vortex, nearly thirty years ago). In creating Marble Season, Gilbert has worked with subtlety and care to capture a wide spectrum of childhood dynamics: how one interaction leads to another, often seemingly unrelated, which in turn leads to another in a haphazard fashion to which there is no apparent rhyme nor reason, yet which irrevocably forms the adult the child grows into. While Marble Season is very much a boys' tale, there are plenty of girls in evidence, and even as there is no denying that the girls of Marble Season are seen primarily in their relation to boys, Gilbert is a master of feminine nuance, and in his revelatory lines on paper, as much significance can be conveyed in a girl's fleeting glance as in a boy's epic battle.
retail price - $21.99 copacetic price - $19.75
The Big Feminist But: Comics About Women, Men and the Ifs, Ands & Buts of Feminism
edited by Shannon O'Leary and Joan Reilly
This is a comics anthology that quite successfully marries education and entertainment in the nearly three dozen pieces – all original! – conveyed by its one hundred and ninety-six 8" x 11" pages. Each of the stories in this volume address the issue of feminism from its own unique perspective, providing the reader with a well-rounded view that is by turns incisive and kaleidoscopic. There are some really great comics here by many a Copacetic fave, including Gabrielle Bell, Sarah Oleksyk, Jeffrey Brown, Corinne Mucha, Ron Rege (who is working here in his new "utopian" manner), Justin Hall, Jesse Reklaw and Andrice Arp, as well as surprising new discoveries such as Virginia Paine, Shaenon Garrity, Ulli Lust & Kai Pfeiffer. Co-editor Joan Reilly gave a presentation at Drawing Power here in Pittsburgh, so anyone whose interest was piqued but was unable to pick up a copy at the time, may do so now.
retail price - $20.00 copacetic price - $17.77
Redbird #2
by Dan Zettwoch
Wow, talk about a long time coming! Who would have guessed when Redbird #1 was published way back in 2006 (?) that we would still be waiting for the second issue nearly seven years later? Well, the wait is over at long last, and we're here to tell you that Redbird #2 is another one-of-a-kind hand-crafted comic book that delivers the patented Zettwoch Experience™. As the cover states, this is a "Midsouthwest Travelogue" featuring bridges, chicken, museums and more. It details a trip taken by Dan and his wife, in which they delve deep into the Americana of the midsouthwest. There's no point in wasting time trying to describe all that awaits in Redbird #2, as the quanitity available is quite limited, requiring all interested in so doing to make haste to insure the procurement of this handmade wonder.
retail price - $3.00 copacetic price - $3.00
Ready to Die - CD
by Iggy and the Stooges
Miraculously, after two decades of less than stellar recordings, Iggy has managed a return to form here on this album, produced at age 65 and released close on the heels of his 66th birthday. This is doubtless due in no small measure to the return of James Williamson on the heels of the multi-year reunion of Iggy with the (almost) original Stooges line-up. The presence of the Ron and Scott Asheton was not enough to save The Weirdness. Ready to Die is another story, however. Backed by James Williamson on multiple-tracked guitars, Scott Asheton on Drums, Mike Watt on Bass and Steve Mackay on Sax (of which there is plenty) as well as a number of guest appearances, including one by Scott Thurston, Iggy delivers up his best new material and performances in over two decades on this ten track album. Anyone so inclined can check out the recent live performance courtesy of NPR (The Stooges and NPR? Who knew?)
copacetic price - $12.97
David Bowie Is: The V & A Museum Exhibition Catalogue
by Camille Paglia, Jon Savage, et al
Hardcore Bowie fans will get a lot of mileage out of this massive hardcover exhibition catalogue of the exhibit currently on display at London's Victoria & Albert Museum. Fashionistas too may rejoice in the startling breadth of Bowie's concert costumes. Of interest to any and all students of late twentieth century culture will be the excellent essays that are interspersed throughout the luxurious display Bowiana, most notably that by Camille Paglia. In Ms. Paglia Bowie has found an intellect that is not only equal to the task of unpacking the multilevelled – and multi-valent – complexities of his work, but also possessed of the requisite cultural sophistication to assign each to it's proper place and context in the history of art and culture, and correctly connect him to his influences, precursors and acolytes. The NY Times offers a brief video tour / interview with the exhibition's co-curator Victoria Broackes that can be accessed from this review of the exhibit.
retail price - $55.00 copacetic price - $48.75
Copra #6
by Michel Fiffe
The latest issue of the full color comic book written, drawn and published monthly by the amazing Mr. Fiffe is now on the new arrivals table!
retail price - $5.00 copacetic price - $5.00
Donald Duck: The Old Castle's Secret & Other Tales
by Carl Barks
What more can be said about the genius of Carl Barks? It towers over the landscape of comics history like the statue of Duckburg's founder, Cornelius Coot (erected by Uncle Scrooge in "Statuesque Spendthrifts" from Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #138; collected in A Christmas for Shacktown), towers over that fair city. The title tale of this latest volume in the 15 year project to collect the entirety of Barks's Disney oeuvre, "The Old Castle's Secret" is a classic book-length tale of eerie mystery that was originally presented in Four Color #189, published in the summer of 1948, that provides the first fleshed out iteration of Uncle Scrooge (get a headstart on this tale by checking out this 20 page PDF preview). Also on hand in this volume is the equally classic "Sheriff of Bullet Valley" from Four Color #199 along with eleven Walt Disney Comics and Stories ten-pagers, each and every one a gem. In addition, this volume is especially noteworthy for including the first ever English language reprint of the original 1948 version of "Darkest Africa" which was published as the twentieth issue in the "giveaway" series, March of Comics. Only the 1982 version, redrawn by Dutch artists Daan Jippes and Dick Vlottes, that had been altered at the request of American editors to tone down the degree of racial caricature present in the original has seen print in the intervening 65 years. While present in only a handful of panels, the images of African natives that are on display here are harshly stereotypical and will doubtless be offensive to many – especially those of the cannibals, that, mercifully, appear in only two panels. That said, as always in the highly moral Barksian universe, the narrative portrayal of these same African natives shows them in a relatively positive light. Barks shows one group of natives sending news via the "jungle telegraph" of the talking drums, providing long distance communication that would otherwise be unavailable to Donald and his nephews (preceding James Gleick's characterization of the talking drums as the oldest form of telecommunication in his latest book, The Information, by over six decades). Even the frightening cannibals are merely pawns in the evil machinations of the villainous Professor McFiendy, a character that Barks uses to demonstrate the illusory nature of the respectability conferred merely by education and position, showing here – as he has elsewhere – that such "respectability" in no way assures behavior deserved of the respect supposedly so conferred; a corollary in the true moral of the tale, which is that real respect can only be earned by responsible behavior.
retail price - $28.99 copacetic price - $25.00
Nexus Omnibus, Volume 2
by Steve Rude and Mike Baron
This 424 page full color softcover collects the entirety of 14 consecutive issues – #12 - #25 – of the one and only Nexus, arguably the best classic science fiction heroic fantasy comic book series of the last thirty years. These are the issues where the Nexus backstory is built up and up-to-then-secret origin is revealed. Also introduced in these pages are General Loomis and his daughters, who came to be known as the Loomis sisters and went on to play a large part in the long running Nexus saga, which continues to this day. With one or two exceptions, all the Nexus stories are pencilled by Rude, who is relaly on a roll here. Also included are the numerous "Tales of Clonezone" back-up short stories scripted by Baron, most of which have art by Mark Nelson. Anyone who enjoys heroic fantasy, should give Nexus a try, and these value priced omnibus editions are the best way to do so.
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $22.22
Peter Bagge's Other Stuff
by Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, Robert Crumb, Adrian Tomine, et al
Long suffering Pete Bagge fans who pine for the good ol' pre-Libertarian days of Mr. Bagge's deeply incisive satirical wit can put away their handkerchiefs and weep no more as this collection delivers all the difficult-to-get-a-hold-of odds-n-sods in one tidy package! Be sure to take a gander at this healthy PDF preview that includes the table of contents, so you can know exactly what you're getting here.
retail price - $19.99 copacetic price - $17.77
'Taint the Meat... It's the Humanity! and Other Stories
by Jack Davis and Al Feldstein
Here they are every single one Jack Davis classic from the incomparably influential EC series Tales from the Crypt. 24 in all! Also included are two afterwords, by Ted White and S.C. Ringgenberg. No need to wait, you can dig right in with this musty 26-page PDF preview!
retail price - $28.99 copacetic price - $25.00
50 Girls 50 and Other Stories
by Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, Roy G. Krenkel, Angelo Torres and Al Feldstein
More EC classics are on hand here, with 34 classic tales by Al WIlliamson, with a little help from his friends, Frank Frazetta, Roy G Krenkel, and Angelo Torres. A strong majority of these are science fiction stories from the classic series Weird Fantasy, Weird Science and their offspring, Weird Science-Fantasy (as well as one from the post-code Incredible Science Fiction) - among them three adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories, including the classic "I, Rocket" – but also included in their number are a handful of equally classic crime and horror masterpieces from Shock SuspenStories, Crime SuspenStories, Tales form the Crypt and Vault of Horror as well. Copious bonus material is on. Jump on board and take off now with this 22-page PDF preview.
retail price - $28.99 copacetic price - $25.00
Year One
by Ramsey Beyer
Year One's 130 pages provide a series of vignettes that illustrate the story of her first year as a Philadelphian. It is a tale of making comics, watching movies, drinking coffee, driving, making long distance calls, and making new friends.
retail price - $14.00 copacetic price - $12.00
You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack
by Tom Gauld
This horizontally formatted hardcover collects several years worth of Tom Gauld's weekly strip from The Guardian UK. Clean, crisp lines deliver understated humor, part Edward Gorey, part Jason; plenty of fun, in a droll sort of way... Can't quite picture it? No worries; just check out these five preview strips and then you will be in the know.
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - $17.77
Hilda and the Bird Parade
by Luke Pearson
This deluxe oversize hardcover volume is the latest installment of the Hildafolk series, the hoped for follow up to the highly praised Hilda and the Midnight Giant.
retail price - $24.00 copacetic price - $19.95
Science Fiction
by Joe Ollmann
Will wonders never cease? Already, another full length graphic novel from the fertile imagination of Joe Ollman, who here returns to the fold of Conundrum Press with this far out tale of UFOs and alien abduction, as related by a high school science teacher to his long time girlfriend, that works to add a new dimension to the science fiction label.
retail price - $18.00 copacetic price - $15.95
The Library
by Chihoi
The Library is the first English langauge collection of the work of Hong Kong-based artist, Chihoi Lee, known in the comics world simply as Chihoi. His work has been published in Hong Kong since 1997, and in Europe starting in 2001, but only now in North America. The Library is a 184 hardcover that collects eight black and white stories. Rendered in a variety of styles employing, variously, pen and ink, ink brush and pencil, each story delivers an emotional punch.
retail price - $20.00 copacetic price - $17.77
Capacity #8
by Theo Ellsworth
Dare we believe our eyes? Yes! A new issue of Capacity is here, delivering page after page – 44 in all – of new pen & ink creations that transport readers into Theo Ellsworth's personal inner universe. Enjoy the trrip!
retail price - $7.00 copacetic price - $6.30
A33
by Josh Burggraf
More voages to far out realms of in doodle-driven, full color, SF stylings from the prolific Mr. Burggraf.
retail price - $7.00 copacetic price - $7.00
Jerusalem
by Nick Bertozzi and Boaz Yakin
Jerusalem may be the first city to have two graphic novels named after it. Sub-titled, "A Family Portrait," this one is a multi-generational saga drawn by Nick Bertozzi based on a script by Boaz Yakin that was "inspired by stories told to him by his father." Perhaps more Persepolis than Palestine, Jerusalem focuses on the founding of the Jewish homeland in Israel in the years following the Second World War.
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $22.22
The Heart of Thomas
by Moto Hagio
Taking place in the semi-fantastic setting of "a German boys' boarding school sometime in the mid-20th Century", The Heart of Thomas is a complex tale of love between boys that starts right off with the suicide of the titular character. This massive 524 page shojo epic from one of the founding mothers of the genre was originally serialized in the pages of Shojo Comics over the entirety of 1974, and then went on to be collected in a successful series of trade paperbacks that were the recipients of widespread interest and acclaim. Arguably the first fully realized, multi-levelled, novel length work in the shojo genre, The Heart of Thomas had a transformative impact on the form. It now finally receives it's first authorized English translation (by Matt Thorn) in this hefty hardcover edition from Fantagraphics.
retail price - $39.99 copacetic price - $35.00
Red Handed
by Matt Kindt
Publisher, First Second sez: "Matt Kindt's fascinating homage to classic detective fiction... owes as much to Paul Auster as Dashiell Hammett."
retail price - $26.99 copacetic price - $24.25
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong
by Faith Erin Hicks and Shen
Artist of Friends with Boys, Faith Erin Hicks, joins caffiene addicted, robot loving writer, Prudence Shenon on her rookie outing to create this action-packed tale of high school zaniness.
retail price - $16.99 copacetic price - $15.25
Army of God: Joseph Kony's War in Central Africa
by Tim Hamilton and David Axe
Written by feelance reporter, David Axe, and illustrated by Brooklyn-based comics artist and illustrator, Tim Hamilton, Army of God provides a graphic account – in both senses of the word – of the devastation wrought by "the most dangerous guerilla leader in modern African history," Joseph Kony.
retail price - $14.99 copacetic price - $13.75
Weird Horror & Daring Adventures: The Joe Kubert Archives, Volume 1
by Joe Kubert
This 230 page hardcover collects 33 pre-code classics by the one-and-only Joe Kubert – all in full color! Discover a whole other side to the artist most widely known for his work on Sgt. Rock and Tarzan, in page after page of hard hitting, well drawn and superbly laid out pages of comics that that straddle the gap between the work of Alex Toth and Steve Ditko (and surely influenced the latter). Don't delay your gratification; dive right into this 22-page PDF preview to see what we're talking about.
retail price - $39.99 copacetic price - $33.99
The Jack Kirby Omnibus, Volume Two
by Jack Kirby
This second Jack Kirby omnibus volume is a wallopin' 624 pages of full color comics! BUT, not all of them are drawn by Kirby. The first volume of Super Powers was plotted by Kirby and based on his own story idea, but only the fifth and final issue was actually written and drawn by Jack himself – and it's a doozy! In order not to befuddle readers by providing only the final issue in isolation, DC has made the decision to present the preceding four issues so that readers can fully appreciate the stunning climax. SO, out of these 624 pages, 92 are NOT by Kirby, leaving a mere 532 pages of pulse pounding Kirby pencils that include the odds and ends of Kirby's later 1970s work for DC – including Atlas, Kobra, revivals of the Golden Age characters Manhunter and Sandman (characters that were first drawn by Kirby thirty years earlier in the pages of Adventure Comics), and... The Dingbats of Danger Street! – as well as both Super Powers series form the mid-1980s, the second of which is entirely drawn by Jack. And, in a twist, the book starts out with over 100 pages of Kirby's pre-code (1952-54) work on Black Magic, co-authored by Joe Simon, that was reprinted by DC in the 1970s and so eligible for inclusion here. And, as if that's not enough, we're offering an introductory special on this to entice readers everywhere to throw caution to the wind and plump for this high-powered package of wide ranging comics from the King of Comics, Jack Kirby. How can you pass it up?
retail price - $39.99 copacetic special price - $29.99
New for April 2013
Julio's Day
by Gilbert Hernandez
Gilbert's long awaited return to the multi-generational saga form that he made his own in Palomar is here, and we are happy to report that it is a book that is as rewarding as it was long in coming. In Julio's Day we are given a 20th century spanning tale of five generations of the Reyes clan that centers on the titular Julio and precisely matches the arc of his life. Taking place in a nameless rural town that is presumably located somewhere in southern California, Julio's Day takes its readers through five wars and generation-defining events like the Great Depression and The Sixties as they are experienced at the fringes. Julio's Day is most notable, however, for what is happening below the surface of the twentieth century, at the fringes as well as at the center: the evolution of personal, private, public and political attitudes towards the physical expression of love between men, from tragically repressed inversion, through stoically denied homosexuality and finally to openly celebrated gay identity. Gilbert ingeniously leverages the unique power of comics' visual language to at first deny, then elide, and finally allow the reader to witness sexual activity in a manner that is analogous to the gradual shift in attitude of the American public towards this integral part of the spectrum of human behavior, as, through the course of the century, it developed from hiding to seeing.
retail price - $19.99 copacetic price - $15.99
Black Paths
by David B.
Here we have the latest work to be translated into English by the supremely talented and always interesting Pierre-François Beauchard – better known to comics readers as David B. Black Paths takes us to a unique moment in 20th century history: when poets ruled. In the chaos that arose with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire at the close of the "war to end all wars" – aka World War One – a dispute arose on the border between the apparently irreconciblable Kingdoms of, on the one hand, Italy and, on the other, Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, that centered on the port city of Fiume (now known as Rijeka). So, British and French moved troops in to prevent a military escalation, but, still, no one was "in charge." Into this vacuum moved the Italian poet and provocateur, Gabriele D'Annunzio, who declared himself de facto ruler of the "Free City of Fiume" and managed to pull it off for 15 months, from September of 1919 until his eventual expulsion from power during the "Bloody Christmas" of 1920. These 15 months of "free" Fiume are the backdrop for the action of Black Paths, and it is clearly a setting that plays well to David B.'s strengths. Definitively European in content and distinctly masculine in tone, Black Paths is a full color (colors by Hubert) 128 page work that vividly brings to life this bygone era of casual violence filled with militaristic gangs of ex-soldiers bent on plunder, politicians bent on intrigue and, amidst it all, lovers bent on romance. At the center of the maelstrom of thugs, oddballs, misfits and poets are the writer, Lauriano, who is haunted by his experiences in the trenches during the war, and the singer Mina, who found herself caught up in the whirlwind of events: their relationship is the thread that binds the patchwork quilt of a story together. As always, David B.'s artwork is the star attraction as he once again works his visual magic, blending realism, editorial illustration and imaginative grotesquerie into a unique concoction that is here heightened by Hubert's richly varied palette of saturated colors. Anyone looking for a delicious taste of "the continent" need look no further.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.22
Very
Casual
by Michael DeForge
Here at last under one cover are the widely scattered (and often hard to find) short pieces that DeForge has produced over the last few years, all to wide acclaim, as well as the now-out-of-print stand alone comics, Spotting Deer and Incinerator. Michael DeForge is well on his way to forging a genuinely original body of comics work that focuses on the expressive relationship between line and the human form, and explores the porous border between perception and delineation, always pushing the limits of the capacity of pen and ink to express attitudes towards flesh and blood (and gore and ooze) and sex and death, as in deceptively simple cartoons he captures complex concepts. Very Casual is the most substantial collection of his work yet published, and as such immediately assumes the mantle of being the go to book for anyone interested in his work. As always, Koyama Press does a fine job in both printing and presentation. All works are here as they originally appeared (with some minor reformatting) in both black and white and full color. Fifteen pieces in all, including our personal favorite, "Riders" from the first issue of Study Group Magazine. 152 pages total.
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $13.75
The Adventures of Jodelle
by Guy Peellaert
Anyone wanting to get a feel for the "60s" art scene in Europe and how it intersected with the pop/camp axis emerging in the US, need look no further that this spectacular retrospective edition of Guy Peellaert's one-of-a-kind comics masterwork, The Adventures of Jodelle. Landing at an intersection of the lines emerging from Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's epic collaborations of the FF and Thor, the pop art of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, and Jean Luc Godard's take on American culture, The Adventures of Jodelle was an instant smash on the continent that reverberated to the shores of the US as well, with its influence here most largely felt in poster and advertising art. While its impact on American comic books was limited – Vaughn Bodé and Steranko were likely fans, along with a few in the underground comics world – it made a major impact on the shape of the following two decades of European comics, influencing both the SF stylings of Moebius and the lush feminine forms of Milo Manara. Influence aside, this is a work bursting with energy and vision, and this massive, oversize hardcover edition that comes complete with an 80-page "visual supplement" that serves both to contextualize the work and follow Peellaert's career presents it to full effect, as this pdf preview and flickr slideshow make amply clear.
retail price - $45.00 copacetic price - $39.75
Memory
edited by Jeremy Baum
This 186 page anthology of comics and illustration based (to varying degrees) on the theme of human memory is the brainchild of Pittsburgh-based artist and publisher, Jeremy Baum. Made possible by a successful Kickstarter campaign, this project was steadily piloted through the self-publishing obstacle course by Captain Baum, who made the trip from conception to publication in very good time. Memory contains full color, duotone and black & white work of 50 creators from Pittsburgh and beyond and is notable for containing the work of many international contributors, including Jelena Dordevic (Serbia), Nicolò Pellizon & Daniele Giardini (Italy), Diego Tripodi & Diego Simone (Argentina), Tim Molloy (Australia), Sara Skogsberg (Sweden) and César Sebastián Diaz (Spain). Numbering among the contributors as well are household names (well, among hardcore indy-comics households, anyway) such as Eric "Tales to Demolish" Haven, Hans "Chrome Fetus" Rickheit. Pittsburgh is very much in the house in Memory, represented most notably by Jim Rugg, who provided the cover illustration, along with too many to mention here, including Shawn Atkins, Jessica Heberle, Nick Marino, Nate McDonough, Steph Neary, Tom Scioli, Nils Skeletonballs, Julie Sokolow (whose 10-page contribution is the most formally inventive of the collection and a real stand out), Brenna Sydel, Copacetic's own Bill Boichel, and, of course, Jeremy Baum himself, whose 14 page collaboration with Morgan Ritchie-Baum, "Creation Story", a tale of SF-tinged occult mysticism executed in detailed pen & ink with pantone colors, is the collection's longest. The work in Memory really runs the gamut in style and story, ranging from oblique and abstract to straightforward and traditional. Visit the Kickstarter page for more info, and be sure to check out the 9 updates, which provide additional information as well as tons of artwork by the contributors. In addition, the contributor listing at the back of the book includes URLs for each, so readers can easily further engage in the work of any and all involved in this project. SPECIAL NOTE: Copacetic will be hosting the official release party for Memory on Saturday, May 18, from 6pm to 9pm. Hope to see you there!
retail price - $18.00 copacetic price - $15.00
Journal
by Julie Delporte
Koyama Press presents the first English language translation of Canadian cartoonist diarist, Julie Delporte. 184 pages of full color diary-form comics delineate her life from February 2011 through October 2012. Koyoama states that "Delporte’s organic and immediate drawings ... utilize an uncanny sense of colour and composition to illustrate their intimate, diarist narratives. Cataloguing an emotional breakup, an artist’s residency at CCS and the anxieties and joys of everyday life..."
retail price - $20.00 copacetic price - $17.77
New School
by Dash Shaw
Three years in the making, Dash Shaw's latest formally inventive epic is here - but only five copies worth. One of the boxes of New School that was shipped to us direct from China for Dash's appearance at Drawing Power has arrived after the fact, and so we're putting the copies it contained up here. We will receive more copies along with everyone else in June, but five of you will able to read it now! We'll have more to say about this unique work before then, but for now, the curious can at least access this 18 page PDF preview (which only provides the barest foretaste of what is to come). First come, first served on these five early copies. LIMIT: ONE PER CUSTOMER, PLEASE. (Sorry, but no discount on these as we had to foot the bill for air freight from China.)
retail price - $39.99 copacetic price - $39.99
3 New Stories
by Dash Shaw
A companion piece to Dash's New School, this 32 page full color comic book is printed on flat white stock, that employs the same formally innovative, layered approach to coloring that adds new depths to the comics page. The opening story, "Object Lesson" is a true contemporary cautionary fable, entirely unlike those rehashes posing as such published by Vertigo and the like. A reader might at first think they had stumbled into a new tale designed to thrizzle by Michael Kupperman, as the story opens on a character dressed like Sherlock Holmes arriving home to his family and declaring, "I've been laid off," (cue laffs) but this impression evaporates as readers quickly realize that they are being confronted with some of the most trenchant irony ever employed in comics and the story heads into a heart of darkness where America eats its young (and old). The 2012 Eisner Award nominations have only just been made, but we are already prepared to nominate "Object Lesson" for the best short story of 2013. Recommended!
retail price - $3.99 copacetic price - $3.50
New Jobs
by Dash Shaw
No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you: this is indeed the third new "New" work by Dash Shaw to be released this month. The first was a graphic novel, the second a standard comic book, and this one is a small handmade mini-comic published by Tom Kaczynski's Uncivlized Books, printed in an edition of 500 copies. The story here involves a couple living in Bed-Stuy are going to have a child. To support the child, they need to get new jobs. The woman gets a job as an organizer for a rich doctor; the man as a writer for a design firm that “designs” political candidates. 32 pages of New York circa right now! 4.25 x 5.5 inches, b&w, multi-color paper
retail price - $5.00 copacetic price - $5.00
The Half Men
by Kevin Huizenga
Hot off the press and fresh out of the box - a brand new, self-published, Kevin Huizenga comic book! The Half Men includes his previously published contributions to NoBrow #6 ("Second Attempt", a story no one but Kevin H could have ever even thought of) and Kramers Ergot #8 ("The Half Men", in which he "covers" – i.e., redraws/reinterprets – a story of the same name that originally appeared in Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #8, originally published in 1956) as well as the new work "Bona, chapter 1", which is a redrawing (and at least partial rewriting) of the first 16 pages of Kona #1, originally published in 1962. See old comics in a new way. 33 pages of comics in all.
retail price - $4.00 copacetic price - $4.00
Pittsburgh Port Authority Comix
by Paulette Poullet, Nils Balls & Nate McDonough
Now, this one has it all: it's artful, educational, political, entertaining – and cheap! In other words, even though it might not look like one at first glance, Pittsburgh Port Authority Comix is everything a comic book should be. The brainchild of Paulette Poullet, this comic casts a caustic eye at the experience of riding the bus in Pittsburgh, PA via a series of vignettes and rider profiles by Ms. Poullet and Mr. McDonough, as well as providing, courtesy of contributor Nils Balls, a look "under the hood" of PATransit, the authority that operates the bus service in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area (i.e., Allegheny County), wherein readers can begin to get an idea of the problems that will have to be faced. And, PPAC offers a bit of a polemic as well, revealing the ill conceived squandering of funds in the service of promoting gambling at the expense of serving students. Here's a work that stands to raise the awareness as well as the spirit of Pittsburgh bus passengers.
retail price - $1.00 copacetic price - $1.00
The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: The Master of Gay Erotic Manga
by Gengoroh Tagame
produced, designed & edited by Anne Ishii, Chip Kidd & Graham Kolbeins
It is difficult to view the work of Gengoroh Tagame as other than pornography, but it is worth the effort. Yes, there are (extremely) graphic images of sexual activity depicted in these pages, and plenty of it, including – but certainly not limited to – graphic S & M imagery, but there is more to this work that what at first meets the eye. These are nuanced comics by an internationally recognized manga master that, on the one hand, provide a highly charged reading experience, while, on the other, offer up interpretive insights when parsed by those who choose to engage the work in this capacity. Starting out with a light-hearted send-up of the psychic cop genre in "Hairy Oracle", the stories range from the bucolic humor of "Country Doctor" (is that Archie?) to the historicized Samurai drama of "Exorcism" to what is clearly the core of Tagame's passion, the violent S & M fantasies of "Arena", "Standing Ovations" and "Missing" which double as critiques of the nexus of international politics, the media and the military that strive to delineate the ideology undergirding the highly militarized global capitalism of our times, albeit in terms that many may experience difficulty in decoding. A common thread running through all the works is the erotic charge carried by humiliation. Any long time comics reader who dares to venture forth into these pages will likely be given pause when confronted with page after page of muscle-bound men beating the crap out of each other in the context of gay erotica. Needless to say, this item is only available for purchase by those aged 21 and older.
retail price - $29.95 copacetic price - $27.50
So
Long, Silver Screen
by Blutch
Originally published in France as Pour en finir avec le cinéma, So Long, Silver Screen is, amazingly, the first full-length work by Blutch to be translated into English. Blutch began his professional comics career 25 years ago and has published over a dozen books, all to wide acclaim, so it is hard to greet this volume with anything other than, "It's about time!" Our thanks – and doubtless that of many others – goes out to PictureBox for at last bringing this artist to the English speaking world. Blutch is a gifted tale spinner and delineator, whose legendary comics work has inspired and influenced many artists, notably Craig Thompson, who, by way of introducing him to American audiences, has interviewed Blutch, here. So Long, Silver Screen combines a knowledge of European visual art and literary culture with a love of movies to forge a meditation on the place of cinéma in our lives. This is a work that is, unsurprisingly, highly French in character, and so will, naturally, be especially enjoyed by Franophiles, and likely disdained by Francophobes. We feel confident that those who enjoy fine comics and whose leanings are neither one way or another on the issue of la culture française will be swayed by the uniformly high quality of this fine volume.
retail price - $22.95 copacetic price - $20.00
Mobile Suit Gundam, The Origin: 1 – Activation
by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
This 444 page manga is the first volume in what is billed as "the definitive account" of the origin of this "epoch-making" anime. Originally published in Japan in 2002, this version "expands on the classic narrative" of the anime. The contents of this hardcover volume are printed on heavy coated stock, including a half dozen color sections. Also inclued are three short essays by Ryusuke Hikawa, Shinichiro Inoue and Hideaki Anno.
retail price - $29.95 copacetic price - $26.95
Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation
by Yoshiyuki Tomino
Anyone wanting to go Gundam crazy can really go to town by additionally diving into this omnibus volume of the Gundam trilogy of novels (NOT manga, these are prose science fiction novels). Translated by manga master and all-around Japan expert, Frederik Schodt.
retail price - $15.95 copacetic price - $14.44
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief
by Lawrence Wright
A propulsive, engaging read that will answer many of the questions curious readers may have about the history and tenets of Scientology, its basis in Dianetics, and, especially, the life and times of Scientology's founder and the author of Dianetics, L. Ron Hubbard, which is where the book is strongest (and craziest!). Going Clear is far from the last word on Scientology, however, for with every question it answers it raises another, and it is a bit on the breezy side, to be sure, but interested readers will find themselves engrossed and will discover that they have every reason to be thankful for what it does provide, as Scientology is legendary for giving those who attempt to dig into it a (very) hard time, as this book details among its many revelations. And then, after reading this book, watch Wild Palms.
retail price - $28.95 copacetic price - $25.00
Items from our April 2013 listings may now be purchased online at our eComerce site, HERE.
New for March 2013
Hand-Drying in America and Other Stories
by Ben Katchor
Pulses raced throughout the shop as these meticulously designed and printed 11 5/8" x 12 1/4" hardcover books emerged from the box they were shipped in. This book is cover to cover fabulosity; not a square inch of wasted space is to be found. What we have on hand here are the more than 150 (!) full color – and what color! Katchor is revealed here to be a colorist par excellence (think Pierre Bonnard) – full page strips Katchor has been producing since 1988 for Metropolis, the excellent and, crucially for our enjoyment of these Katchor strips, oversize magazine devoted to architecture, design and, as the name suggests, urban living. Rather than struggle to find the words to adequately describe this gem, we are going to refer you to the ever insightful and always articulate Jeet Heer's review in The Globe and Mail. Is this Katchor's best book yet? It's too soon to say, but the answer may very well be yes. Regardless of the verdict, what's certain is that Hand-Drying in America is an æsthetically delightful and intellectually stimulating work that will leave its readers with a truer understanding and better appreciation of city life than they had before cracking its covers. Recommended!
retail price - $29.95 copacetic price - $25.95
On the Ropes
by Dan E. Burr and James Vance
Will wonders never cease? Who knew that writer, James Vance, and illustrator Dan Burr had been hard at work on a massive sequel to Kings in Disguise, their highly original series depicting depression-era America that originally saw print as a six-issue mini-series from Kitchen Sink Press way back in 1988? Not us! On the Ropes is a 248 page oversize hardcover that takes us to the year 1937, where Fred Bloch – the protagonist of Kings in Disguise – has found a temporary home in a WPA-sponsored traveling circus! Here's what Alan Moore has to say about this just released work: "More than twenty years in its construction and worth every moment of the wait, James Vance and Dan Burr's On the Ropes is that most rare of animals, a sequel that's as powerful, as vital, and as necessary as the work that it continues. A quietly epic human tale that beautifully and expertly employs the comic medium in its telling, On the Ropes is very possible the most affecting graphic narrative that you will read the next couple of decades." High praise, indeed, from someone who should know.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.22
Letting It Go
by Miriam Katin
While we're on the subject of long-in-the-making sequels, now would be a good time to bring Miriam Katin's follow up memoir. Her previous work, We Are On Our Own was a memoir of her childhood escape from the Nazis during World War II. This time around we find Katin struggling to come to terms with her son's decision to move to Berlin, the former center of the Nazi menace and so origin of the trauma at the center of her life, and, needless to say, the lives – and, of course, deaths – of so many others. Travel with Katin in the vehicle of her expressive, pencil-drawn comics – this time around in full color – as she twice travels from her home in New York to Berlin, first to visit her son and the to attend a museum opening for a show that features her own artwork. Get a head start with this PDF preview.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.22
Hair Shirt
by Patrick McEown
This work was released in French by Gaillimard in 2010, then in the UK in 2011, and now it has at last made its way into the North American distribution system and onto the Copacetic new releases table. Published by SelfMadeHero, the same folks who brought us Nao of Brown, Hair Shirt is another finely printed, well produced work by a talented artist given free reign to follow their particular muse and see where it leads them. Patrick McEown is a Canadian cartoonist who has been working since the mid-80s (anybody remember Aircel's Samurai?) and may be best known for his work with Matt Wagner on Grendel. While there's a hint of his pal Dave Cooper in McEown's inking, he has clearly established his own voice in comics. Nowhere is this more true than in the distinctive palette of his coloring, which is amply on display here, in the primarily nocturnal settings of Hair Shirt's action. McEown's muse has led him to to produce a sensually rendered account of youthful sexual exploration and discovery in a nameless Canadian "City" under the cover of night.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.22
Men's Group: The Video
by Ben Jones
Best known to Copacetic customers as 1/3 of the comics/art/animation/music/performance group Paper Rad, Ben Jones has been using that part of his day not spent devoted to his animation work establishing himself in the international fine arts community with exhibits at museums and galleries around the world, including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Loyal Gallery, Malmö – at which three institutions much of the work to be found here was shown. Men's Group: The Video is a unique book,
edited by Dan Nadel, designed by Norman Hathaway and
published by PictureBox (of course). Bound together in a slick
cardstock ringbinder that evokes a vague space somewhere between high
school locker and corporate business meeting are eight distinct
sections, each defined by a specific combination of page dimensions and
paper stock: a collection of InstaGram™ photos taken by visitors
to Jones's installation for the exhibit TransmissionLA at MOCA LA; a
collections of writings on Jones, his work and the concept of manhood
by Joe Bradley, Byron Coley, Phil Grauer, Dacid Kramer, Keith
McColluch, Gary Panter, Nicole Rudick and Peter Saul and an
interview/conversation between Dan Nadel and Ben Jones; and a series of
separate selections of paintings, video paintings, drawings, comics,
manufactured products and "Black Math". We have a (very)
few signed copies that come with a BJ/PB tote bag that will enable you
to leave Whole Foods in style. First come first served.
retail price - $34.95 copacetic price - $31.75
True Chubbo presents Infinidick
by Family Sohn
Infinidick is a 44 page signed (well, initialed, actually) and numbered (300 copies) Risograph collection of True Chubbo, the "beloved" strip of cartooned, scatologically leaning, sexually oriented humor by the husband-and-wife team known as Family Sohn, that appears weekly on the PictureBox site. To call this strip unique is putting it mildly. Release your inner child into the world of contemporary urban adult sexuality, if you dare.
retail price - $12.00 copacetic price - $10.75
Negron
by Johnny Negron
We have had this one at the shop for a bit, but were late in getting it up here: the PictureBox collection of Johnny Negron's sumptuous, full color, pinup style renderings of zaftig girls, skinny boys and... ants – but mostly girls. There are also a couple black and white continuity comics thrown in for good measure: "Violence City" and "Library"; and the dustjacket unfolds to reveal life in "The Year 3000." Negron!
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - $17.77
The Comics Journal #302
Another mammoth 600+ pages of top notch articles, surveys, reviews, new comics by Joe Sacco and Lewis Trondheim, and epic length interviews with Maurice Sendak and Jacques Tardi. Surprise bonuses include a late (last?) interview with adventure strip legend, Roy Crane along with the never-before-published "How to Draw Buz Sawyer" manual that Crane prepared for his apprentice. Plus in-depth and unexpected looks at Mort Weisinger and Fredric Wertham. And a transcription of the internet-enabled roundtable discussion that preceded the creation of Spiegelman and Mouly's massive collection of children's comics from several years back. More!
retail price - $30.00 copacetic price - $25.00
Messages In a Bottle
by Bernie Krigstein
This softcover edition is likely to be the definitive collection of this Atomic Age master's comic book work. Krigstein was fully conversant in multiple genres and this volume contains a full complement of his best stories. Many were previously issued in the now out of print 2004 Fantagraphics hardcover, B. Krigstein Comics. Messages includes additional stories, most notably his most famous work, the EC classic, "Master Race", from Impact #1. All the artwork has been cleaned up, remastered for truer color reproduction and looks great as a result. The work on dislay here has exerted – and continues to exert – a tremendous influence on the development of the comics form and language. Comics apprentices and novices, along with aficionados and conoisseurs, take note.
retail price - $35.00 copacetic price - $29.75
Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Volume Two
by Michael Kupperman
Among the legions of Thrizzle fans, those few who shun the comic book floppy pamphlet in favor of book collections can at last rejoice, as this second colection will end their long drought and bring them several years worth of Thrizzling Tales in one go. Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Volume Two collects in their entirety the fifth through the eighth issues of this definitive twenty-first century take on absurdity in four-color comic book form.
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $22.22
Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice
by Ivan Brunetti
This slim tome contains the essence of Brunetti's course in cartooning at Chicago's Columbia College. It was initially packaged together with Comic Art #9, the last issue of this fabled magazine, which was a best seller here at Copacetic (and which we still have in stock). It was subsequently issued as a stand alone volume by Yale University Press, publisher of the two Brunetti-edited anthologies of comics and graphic fiction that are our go-to volumes for introducing new readers to the splendors of the form. Erudite, entertaining, and, of course, educational, Brunetti's Cartooning is well worth the while of anyone interested in learning how comics are constructed. Get a taste from this Chicago Mag preview.
retail price - $13.00 copacetic price - $11.75
The Next Day (CD)
by David Bowie
Push the Sky Away (CD/DVD)
by Nick Cave
It is probably doing a disservice both to lump these two new releases together, but it's too late now. It is highly likely that
those reading this who have even a passing interest in either of these
two celebrated musical
artist/performers are already well aware of their recent releases, but
there is always the chance that there are some who are unaware that we
have them in stock here at Copacetic. Anyone curious about The Next Day who
has yet to check out the two videos released thus far may do so now by
clicking here and
here.
The Next Day – "deluxe" edition, w/ 3 extra tracks - copacetic price - $15.75
Push the Sky Away – "deluxe" edition, w/ DVD, packaged in hardcover book(let) - copacetic price - $19.75
I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp
by Richard Hell
Richard Hell can certainly count himself among the founders of punk rock; if anyone can be credited with pioneering the spiky hair, ripped T-shirt and safety pin look that became the visual hallmark of punk, it is Richard Meyers, who most know and love – or hate, or love to hate, or hate to love – as Richard Hell. Of course, there is much more to punk than the pose, and Richard Hell was in at the birth of the form, singing, writing songs, and playing bass with, first and foremost, Tom Verlaine (née Miller) in the original Television, as one of The Heartbreakers with legendary rock martyr Johnny Thunders, and, perhaps most importantly, fronting the Voidoids with guitar-master Robert Quine. Between these two covers, we get his take on his punk years and more. Richard Hell has been considering himself more of a writer than a musician for quite a while now, and not without reason: he has developed a cogent and readable style that is easily several notches above that found in typical a rock memoir and that is pretty much guaranteed to be of interest to anyone with a yen to learn more about those halcyon punk days; but don't expect another Just Kids.
retail price - $25.99 copacetic price - $23.75
One Tick Rip-Off + Deep Cuts
by Paul Pope
The long Paul Pope drought has at last ended, although with a reprint edition rather than a new work. The works in this 288 page hardcover edition are, however, new in that most of them are presented in full color for the first time. All the works collected here are from the 1990s, covering the years in which Pope transitioned from his native Columbus, OH to NYC, via Toronto and Tokyo. Taken as a whole, the works provide a solid slice of Pope's oeuvre. While many, perhaps most, fans of Pope's work may already have these works in their collections, anyone who is only familiar with his works via his work for DC's Vertigo imprint – and, of course, anyone heretofore unfamiliar with his work – would do well to check out this volume. Pope is a gifted cartoonist whose work is informed by the energies of art rock and fine art as well as comics and manga, and the years covered in this volume represent his most fertile period. Here's a Preview.
retail price - $29.99 copacetic price - $27.50
Copra #5
by Michel FIffe
All readers who number themselves among the burgeoning legion of Copra fans are hereby notified that the fifth issue of this full color comic book, written, pencilled, inked, colored, edited, published and distributed by Michel Fiffe, is here.
retail price - $5.00 copacetic price - $5.00
Items from our March 2013 listings may now be purchased online at our eComerce site, HERE.
Marble Seasonby Gilbert Hernandez
What's this? Another new graphic novel by Gilbert Hernandez, a mere month after Julio's Day? Believe it or not, yes! Billed as a "semi-autobiographical" tale, Marble Season takes readers back to the 1960s for a look at a pop culture immersed California childhood based in part – or at least strongly informed by – Beto's (and, of course, that of his siblings) tender years. Pop tunes on radio and record, TV shows, and, of course, comic books are here, along with neighborhood kids and their marbles. This book is also notable in being the first book by either Hernandez hermano published by D & Q (although it is not the first to be released by a Canadian publisher, that honor going to the first four issues of Mr. X, published, and then collected, by Vortex, nearly thirty years ago). In creating Marble Season, Gilbert has worked with subtlety and care to capture a wide spectrum of childhood dynamics: how one interaction leads to another, often seemingly unrelated, which in turn leads to another in a haphazard fashion to which there is no apparent rhyme nor reason, yet which irrevocably forms the adult the child grows into. While Marble Season is very much a boys' tale, there are plenty of girls in evidence, and even as there is no denying that the girls of Marble Season are seen primarily in their relation to boys, Gilbert is a master of feminine nuance, and in his revelatory lines on paper, as much significance can be conveyed in a girl's fleeting glance as in a boy's epic battle.
retail price - $21.99 copacetic price - $19.75
The Big Feminist But: Comics About Women, Men and the Ifs, Ands & Buts of Feminism
edited by Shannon O'Leary and Joan Reilly
This is a comics anthology that quite successfully marries education and entertainment in the nearly three dozen pieces – all original! – conveyed by its one hundred and ninety-six 8" x 11" pages. Each of the stories in this volume address the issue of feminism from its own unique perspective, providing the reader with a well-rounded view that is by turns incisive and kaleidoscopic. There are some really great comics here by many a Copacetic fave, including Gabrielle Bell, Sarah Oleksyk, Jeffrey Brown, Corinne Mucha, Ron Rege (who is working here in his new "utopian" manner), Justin Hall, Jesse Reklaw and Andrice Arp, as well as surprising new discoveries such as Virginia Paine, Shaenon Garrity, Ulli Lust & Kai Pfeiffer. Co-editor Joan Reilly gave a presentation at Drawing Power here in Pittsburgh, so anyone whose interest was piqued but was unable to pick up a copy at the time, may do so now.
retail price - $20.00 copacetic price - $17.77
Redbird #2
by Dan Zettwoch
Wow, talk about a long time coming! Who would have guessed when Redbird #1 was published way back in 2006 (?) that we would still be waiting for the second issue nearly seven years later? Well, the wait is over at long last, and we're here to tell you that Redbird #2 is another one-of-a-kind hand-crafted comic book that delivers the patented Zettwoch Experience™. As the cover states, this is a "Midsouthwest Travelogue" featuring bridges, chicken, museums and more. It details a trip taken by Dan and his wife, in which they delve deep into the Americana of the midsouthwest. There's no point in wasting time trying to describe all that awaits in Redbird #2, as the quanitity available is quite limited, requiring all interested in so doing to make haste to insure the procurement of this handmade wonder.
retail price - $3.00 copacetic price - $3.00
Ready to Die - CD
by Iggy and the Stooges
Miraculously, after two decades of less than stellar recordings, Iggy has managed a return to form here on this album, produced at age 65 and released close on the heels of his 66th birthday. This is doubtless due in no small measure to the return of James Williamson on the heels of the multi-year reunion of Iggy with the (almost) original Stooges line-up. The presence of the Ron and Scott Asheton was not enough to save The Weirdness. Ready to Die is another story, however. Backed by James Williamson on multiple-tracked guitars, Scott Asheton on Drums, Mike Watt on Bass and Steve Mackay on Sax (of which there is plenty) as well as a number of guest appearances, including one by Scott Thurston, Iggy delivers up his best new material and performances in over two decades on this ten track album. Anyone so inclined can check out the recent live performance courtesy of NPR (The Stooges and NPR? Who knew?)
copacetic price - $12.97
David Bowie Is: The V & A Museum Exhibition Catalogue
by Camille Paglia, Jon Savage, et al
Hardcore Bowie fans will get a lot of mileage out of this massive hardcover exhibition catalogue of the exhibit currently on display at London's Victoria & Albert Museum. Fashionistas too may rejoice in the startling breadth of Bowie's concert costumes. Of interest to any and all students of late twentieth century culture will be the excellent essays that are interspersed throughout the luxurious display Bowiana, most notably that by Camille Paglia. In Ms. Paglia Bowie has found an intellect that is not only equal to the task of unpacking the multilevelled – and multi-valent – complexities of his work, but also possessed of the requisite cultural sophistication to assign each to it's proper place and context in the history of art and culture, and correctly connect him to his influences, precursors and acolytes. The NY Times offers a brief video tour / interview with the exhibition's co-curator Victoria Broackes that can be accessed from this review of the exhibit.
retail price - $55.00 copacetic price - $48.75
Copra #6
by Michel Fiffe
The latest issue of the full color comic book written, drawn and published monthly by the amazing Mr. Fiffe is now on the new arrivals table!
retail price - $5.00 copacetic price - $5.00
Donald Duck: The Old Castle's Secret & Other Talesby Carl Barks
What more can be said about the genius of Carl Barks? It towers over the landscape of comics history like the statue of Duckburg's founder, Cornelius Coot (erected by Uncle Scrooge in "Statuesque Spendthrifts" from Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #138; collected in A Christmas for Shacktown), towers over that fair city. The title tale of this latest volume in the 15 year project to collect the entirety of Barks's Disney oeuvre, "The Old Castle's Secret" is a classic book-length tale of eerie mystery that was originally presented in Four Color #189, published in the summer of 1948, that provides the first fleshed out iteration of Uncle Scrooge (get a headstart on this tale by checking out this 20 page PDF preview). Also on hand in this volume is the equally classic "Sheriff of Bullet Valley" from Four Color #199 along with eleven Walt Disney Comics and Stories ten-pagers, each and every one a gem. In addition, this volume is especially noteworthy for including the first ever English language reprint of the original 1948 version of "Darkest Africa" which was published as the twentieth issue in the "giveaway" series, March of Comics. Only the 1982 version, redrawn by Dutch artists Daan Jippes and Dick Vlottes, that had been altered at the request of American editors to tone down the degree of racial caricature present in the original has seen print in the intervening 65 years. While present in only a handful of panels, the images of African natives that are on display here are harshly stereotypical and will doubtless be offensive to many – especially those of the cannibals, that, mercifully, appear in only two panels. That said, as always in the highly moral Barksian universe, the narrative portrayal of these same African natives shows them in a relatively positive light. Barks shows one group of natives sending news via the "jungle telegraph" of the talking drums, providing long distance communication that would otherwise be unavailable to Donald and his nephews (preceding James Gleick's characterization of the talking drums as the oldest form of telecommunication in his latest book, The Information, by over six decades). Even the frightening cannibals are merely pawns in the evil machinations of the villainous Professor McFiendy, a character that Barks uses to demonstrate the illusory nature of the respectability conferred merely by education and position, showing here – as he has elsewhere – that such "respectability" in no way assures behavior deserved of the respect supposedly so conferred; a corollary in the true moral of the tale, which is that real respect can only be earned by responsible behavior.
retail price - $28.99 copacetic price - $25.00
Nexus Omnibus, Volume 2
by Steve Rude and Mike Baron
This 424 page full color softcover collects the entirety of 14 consecutive issues – #12 - #25 – of the one and only Nexus, arguably the best classic science fiction heroic fantasy comic book series of the last thirty years. These are the issues where the Nexus backstory is built up and up-to-then-secret origin is revealed. Also introduced in these pages are General Loomis and his daughters, who came to be known as the Loomis sisters and went on to play a large part in the long running Nexus saga, which continues to this day. With one or two exceptions, all the Nexus stories are pencilled by Rude, who is relaly on a roll here. Also included are the numerous "Tales of Clonezone" back-up short stories scripted by Baron, most of which have art by Mark Nelson. Anyone who enjoys heroic fantasy, should give Nexus a try, and these value priced omnibus editions are the best way to do so.
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $22.22
Peter Bagge's Other Stuff
by Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, Robert Crumb, Adrian Tomine, et al
Long suffering Pete Bagge fans who pine for the good ol' pre-Libertarian days of Mr. Bagge's deeply incisive satirical wit can put away their handkerchiefs and weep no more as this collection delivers all the difficult-to-get-a-hold-of odds-n-sods in one tidy package! Be sure to take a gander at this healthy PDF preview that includes the table of contents, so you can know exactly what you're getting here.
retail price - $19.99 copacetic price - $17.77
'Taint the Meat... It's the Humanity! and Other Stories
by Jack Davis and Al Feldstein
Here they are every single one Jack Davis classic from the incomparably influential EC series Tales from the Crypt. 24 in all! Also included are two afterwords, by Ted White and S.C. Ringgenberg. No need to wait, you can dig right in with this musty 26-page PDF preview!
retail price - $28.99 copacetic price - $25.00
50 Girls 50 and Other Storiesby Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, Roy G. Krenkel, Angelo Torres and Al Feldstein
More EC classics are on hand here, with 34 classic tales by Al WIlliamson, with a little help from his friends, Frank Frazetta, Roy G Krenkel, and Angelo Torres. A strong majority of these are science fiction stories from the classic series Weird Fantasy, Weird Science and their offspring, Weird Science-Fantasy (as well as one from the post-code Incredible Science Fiction) - among them three adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories, including the classic "I, Rocket" – but also included in their number are a handful of equally classic crime and horror masterpieces from Shock SuspenStories, Crime SuspenStories, Tales form the Crypt and Vault of Horror as well. Copious bonus material is on. Jump on board and take off now with this 22-page PDF preview.
retail price - $28.99 copacetic price - $25.00
Year One
by Ramsey Beyer
Year One's 130 pages provide a series of vignettes that illustrate the story of her first year as a Philadelphian. It is a tale of making comics, watching movies, drinking coffee, driving, making long distance calls, and making new friends.
retail price - $14.00 copacetic price - $12.00
You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack
by Tom Gauld
This horizontally formatted hardcover collects several years worth of Tom Gauld's weekly strip from The Guardian UK. Clean, crisp lines deliver understated humor, part Edward Gorey, part Jason; plenty of fun, in a droll sort of way... Can't quite picture it? No worries; just check out these five preview strips and then you will be in the know.
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - $17.77
Hilda and the Bird Parade
by Luke Pearson
This deluxe oversize hardcover volume is the latest installment of the Hildafolk series, the hoped for follow up to the highly praised Hilda and the Midnight Giant.
retail price - $24.00 copacetic price - $19.95
Science Fiction
by Joe Ollmann
Will wonders never cease? Already, another full length graphic novel from the fertile imagination of Joe Ollman, who here returns to the fold of Conundrum Press with this far out tale of UFOs and alien abduction, as related by a high school science teacher to his long time girlfriend, that works to add a new dimension to the science fiction label.
retail price - $18.00 copacetic price - $15.95
The Library
by Chihoi
The Library is the first English langauge collection of the work of Hong Kong-based artist, Chihoi Lee, known in the comics world simply as Chihoi. His work has been published in Hong Kong since 1997, and in Europe starting in 2001, but only now in North America. The Library is a 184 hardcover that collects eight black and white stories. Rendered in a variety of styles employing, variously, pen and ink, ink brush and pencil, each story delivers an emotional punch.
retail price - $20.00 copacetic price - $17.77
Capacity #8
by Theo Ellsworth
Dare we believe our eyes? Yes! A new issue of Capacity is here, delivering page after page – 44 in all – of new pen & ink creations that transport readers into Theo Ellsworth's personal inner universe. Enjoy the trrip!
retail price - $7.00 copacetic price - $6.30
A33
by Josh Burggraf
More voages to far out realms of in doodle-driven, full color, SF stylings from the prolific Mr. Burggraf.
retail price - $7.00 copacetic price - $7.00
Jerusalem
by Nick Bertozzi and Boaz Yakin
Jerusalem may be the first city to have two graphic novels named after it. Sub-titled, "A Family Portrait," this one is a multi-generational saga drawn by Nick Bertozzi based on a script by Boaz Yakin that was "inspired by stories told to him by his father." Perhaps more Persepolis than Palestine, Jerusalem focuses on the founding of the Jewish homeland in Israel in the years following the Second World War.
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $22.22
The Heart of Thomas
by Moto Hagio
Taking place in the semi-fantastic setting of "a German boys' boarding school sometime in the mid-20th Century", The Heart of Thomas is a complex tale of love between boys that starts right off with the suicide of the titular character. This massive 524 page shojo epic from one of the founding mothers of the genre was originally serialized in the pages of Shojo Comics over the entirety of 1974, and then went on to be collected in a successful series of trade paperbacks that were the recipients of widespread interest and acclaim. Arguably the first fully realized, multi-levelled, novel length work in the shojo genre, The Heart of Thomas had a transformative impact on the form. It now finally receives it's first authorized English translation (by Matt Thorn) in this hefty hardcover edition from Fantagraphics.
retail price - $39.99 copacetic price - $35.00
Red Handed
by Matt Kindt
Publisher, First Second sez: "Matt Kindt's fascinating homage to classic detective fiction... owes as much to Paul Auster as Dashiell Hammett."
retail price - $26.99 copacetic price - $24.25
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong
by Faith Erin Hicks and Shen
Artist of Friends with Boys, Faith Erin Hicks, joins caffiene addicted, robot loving writer, Prudence Shenon on her rookie outing to create this action-packed tale of high school zaniness.
retail price - $16.99 copacetic price - $15.25
Army of God: Joseph Kony's War in Central Africa
by Tim Hamilton and David Axe
Written by feelance reporter, David Axe, and illustrated by Brooklyn-based comics artist and illustrator, Tim Hamilton, Army of God provides a graphic account – in both senses of the word – of the devastation wrought by "the most dangerous guerilla leader in modern African history," Joseph Kony.
retail price - $14.99 copacetic price - $13.75
Weird Horror & Daring Adventures: The Joe Kubert Archives, Volume 1
by Joe Kubert
This 230 page hardcover collects 33 pre-code classics by the one-and-only Joe Kubert – all in full color! Discover a whole other side to the artist most widely known for his work on Sgt. Rock and Tarzan, in page after page of hard hitting, well drawn and superbly laid out pages of comics that that straddle the gap between the work of Alex Toth and Steve Ditko (and surely influenced the latter). Don't delay your gratification; dive right into this 22-page PDF preview to see what we're talking about.
retail price - $39.99 copacetic price - $33.99
The Jack Kirby Omnibus, Volume Twoby Jack Kirby
This second Jack Kirby omnibus volume is a wallopin' 624 pages of full color comics! BUT, not all of them are drawn by Kirby. The first volume of Super Powers was plotted by Kirby and based on his own story idea, but only the fifth and final issue was actually written and drawn by Jack himself – and it's a doozy! In order not to befuddle readers by providing only the final issue in isolation, DC has made the decision to present the preceding four issues so that readers can fully appreciate the stunning climax. SO, out of these 624 pages, 92 are NOT by Kirby, leaving a mere 532 pages of pulse pounding Kirby pencils that include the odds and ends of Kirby's later 1970s work for DC – including Atlas, Kobra, revivals of the Golden Age characters Manhunter and Sandman (characters that were first drawn by Kirby thirty years earlier in the pages of Adventure Comics), and... The Dingbats of Danger Street! – as well as both Super Powers series form the mid-1980s, the second of which is entirely drawn by Jack. And, in a twist, the book starts out with over 100 pages of Kirby's pre-code (1952-54) work on Black Magic, co-authored by Joe Simon, that was reprinted by DC in the 1970s and so eligible for inclusion here. And, as if that's not enough, we're offering an introductory special on this to entice readers everywhere to throw caution to the wind and plump for this high-powered package of wide ranging comics from the King of Comics, Jack Kirby. How can you pass it up?
retail price - $39.99 copacetic special price - $29.99
New for April 2013
Julio's Dayby Gilbert Hernandez
Gilbert's long awaited return to the multi-generational saga form that he made his own in Palomar is here, and we are happy to report that it is a book that is as rewarding as it was long in coming. In Julio's Day we are given a 20th century spanning tale of five generations of the Reyes clan that centers on the titular Julio and precisely matches the arc of his life. Taking place in a nameless rural town that is presumably located somewhere in southern California, Julio's Day takes its readers through five wars and generation-defining events like the Great Depression and The Sixties as they are experienced at the fringes. Julio's Day is most notable, however, for what is happening below the surface of the twentieth century, at the fringes as well as at the center: the evolution of personal, private, public and political attitudes towards the physical expression of love between men, from tragically repressed inversion, through stoically denied homosexuality and finally to openly celebrated gay identity. Gilbert ingeniously leverages the unique power of comics' visual language to at first deny, then elide, and finally allow the reader to witness sexual activity in a manner that is analogous to the gradual shift in attitude of the American public towards this integral part of the spectrum of human behavior, as, through the course of the century, it developed from hiding to seeing.
retail price - $19.99 copacetic price - $15.99
Black Paths
by David B.
Here we have the latest work to be translated into English by the supremely talented and always interesting Pierre-François Beauchard – better known to comics readers as David B. Black Paths takes us to a unique moment in 20th century history: when poets ruled. In the chaos that arose with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire at the close of the "war to end all wars" – aka World War One – a dispute arose on the border between the apparently irreconciblable Kingdoms of, on the one hand, Italy and, on the other, Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, that centered on the port city of Fiume (now known as Rijeka). So, British and French moved troops in to prevent a military escalation, but, still, no one was "in charge." Into this vacuum moved the Italian poet and provocateur, Gabriele D'Annunzio, who declared himself de facto ruler of the "Free City of Fiume" and managed to pull it off for 15 months, from September of 1919 until his eventual expulsion from power during the "Bloody Christmas" of 1920. These 15 months of "free" Fiume are the backdrop for the action of Black Paths, and it is clearly a setting that plays well to David B.'s strengths. Definitively European in content and distinctly masculine in tone, Black Paths is a full color (colors by Hubert) 128 page work that vividly brings to life this bygone era of casual violence filled with militaristic gangs of ex-soldiers bent on plunder, politicians bent on intrigue and, amidst it all, lovers bent on romance. At the center of the maelstrom of thugs, oddballs, misfits and poets are the writer, Lauriano, who is haunted by his experiences in the trenches during the war, and the singer Mina, who found herself caught up in the whirlwind of events: their relationship is the thread that binds the patchwork quilt of a story together. As always, David B.'s artwork is the star attraction as he once again works his visual magic, blending realism, editorial illustration and imaginative grotesquerie into a unique concoction that is here heightened by Hubert's richly varied palette of saturated colors. Anyone looking for a delicious taste of "the continent" need look no further.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.22
Very
Casualby Michael DeForge
Here at last under one cover are the widely scattered (and often hard to find) short pieces that DeForge has produced over the last few years, all to wide acclaim, as well as the now-out-of-print stand alone comics, Spotting Deer and Incinerator. Michael DeForge is well on his way to forging a genuinely original body of comics work that focuses on the expressive relationship between line and the human form, and explores the porous border between perception and delineation, always pushing the limits of the capacity of pen and ink to express attitudes towards flesh and blood (and gore and ooze) and sex and death, as in deceptively simple cartoons he captures complex concepts. Very Casual is the most substantial collection of his work yet published, and as such immediately assumes the mantle of being the go to book for anyone interested in his work. As always, Koyama Press does a fine job in both printing and presentation. All works are here as they originally appeared (with some minor reformatting) in both black and white and full color. Fifteen pieces in all, including our personal favorite, "Riders" from the first issue of Study Group Magazine. 152 pages total.
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $13.75
The Adventures of Jodelleby Guy Peellaert
Anyone wanting to get a feel for the "60s" art scene in Europe and how it intersected with the pop/camp axis emerging in the US, need look no further that this spectacular retrospective edition of Guy Peellaert's one-of-a-kind comics masterwork, The Adventures of Jodelle. Landing at an intersection of the lines emerging from Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's epic collaborations of the FF and Thor, the pop art of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, and Jean Luc Godard's take on American culture, The Adventures of Jodelle was an instant smash on the continent that reverberated to the shores of the US as well, with its influence here most largely felt in poster and advertising art. While its impact on American comic books was limited – Vaughn Bodé and Steranko were likely fans, along with a few in the underground comics world – it made a major impact on the shape of the following two decades of European comics, influencing both the SF stylings of Moebius and the lush feminine forms of Milo Manara. Influence aside, this is a work bursting with energy and vision, and this massive, oversize hardcover edition that comes complete with an 80-page "visual supplement" that serves both to contextualize the work and follow Peellaert's career presents it to full effect, as this pdf preview and flickr slideshow make amply clear.
retail price - $45.00 copacetic price - $39.75
Memoryedited by Jeremy Baum
This 186 page anthology of comics and illustration based (to varying degrees) on the theme of human memory is the brainchild of Pittsburgh-based artist and publisher, Jeremy Baum. Made possible by a successful Kickstarter campaign, this project was steadily piloted through the self-publishing obstacle course by Captain Baum, who made the trip from conception to publication in very good time. Memory contains full color, duotone and black & white work of 50 creators from Pittsburgh and beyond and is notable for containing the work of many international contributors, including Jelena Dordevic (Serbia), Nicolò Pellizon & Daniele Giardini (Italy), Diego Tripodi & Diego Simone (Argentina), Tim Molloy (Australia), Sara Skogsberg (Sweden) and César Sebastián Diaz (Spain). Numbering among the contributors as well are household names (well, among hardcore indy-comics households, anyway) such as Eric "Tales to Demolish" Haven, Hans "Chrome Fetus" Rickheit. Pittsburgh is very much in the house in Memory, represented most notably by Jim Rugg, who provided the cover illustration, along with too many to mention here, including Shawn Atkins, Jessica Heberle, Nick Marino, Nate McDonough, Steph Neary, Tom Scioli, Nils Skeletonballs, Julie Sokolow (whose 10-page contribution is the most formally inventive of the collection and a real stand out), Brenna Sydel, Copacetic's own Bill Boichel, and, of course, Jeremy Baum himself, whose 14 page collaboration with Morgan Ritchie-Baum, "Creation Story", a tale of SF-tinged occult mysticism executed in detailed pen & ink with pantone colors, is the collection's longest. The work in Memory really runs the gamut in style and story, ranging from oblique and abstract to straightforward and traditional. Visit the Kickstarter page for more info, and be sure to check out the 9 updates, which provide additional information as well as tons of artwork by the contributors. In addition, the contributor listing at the back of the book includes URLs for each, so readers can easily further engage in the work of any and all involved in this project. SPECIAL NOTE: Copacetic will be hosting the official release party for Memory on Saturday, May 18, from 6pm to 9pm. Hope to see you there!
retail price - $18.00 copacetic price - $15.00
Journal
by Julie Delporte
Koyama Press presents the first English language translation of Canadian cartoonist diarist, Julie Delporte. 184 pages of full color diary-form comics delineate her life from February 2011 through October 2012. Koyoama states that "Delporte’s organic and immediate drawings ... utilize an uncanny sense of colour and composition to illustrate their intimate, diarist narratives. Cataloguing an emotional breakup, an artist’s residency at CCS and the anxieties and joys of everyday life..."
retail price - $20.00 copacetic price - $17.77
New School
by Dash Shaw
Three years in the making, Dash Shaw's latest formally inventive epic is here - but only five copies worth. One of the boxes of New School that was shipped to us direct from China for Dash's appearance at Drawing Power has arrived after the fact, and so we're putting the copies it contained up here. We will receive more copies along with everyone else in June, but five of you will able to read it now! We'll have more to say about this unique work before then, but for now, the curious can at least access this 18 page PDF preview (which only provides the barest foretaste of what is to come). First come, first served on these five early copies. LIMIT: ONE PER CUSTOMER, PLEASE. (Sorry, but no discount on these as we had to foot the bill for air freight from China.)
retail price - $39.99 copacetic price - $39.99
3 New Stories
by Dash Shaw
A companion piece to Dash's New School, this 32 page full color comic book is printed on flat white stock, that employs the same formally innovative, layered approach to coloring that adds new depths to the comics page. The opening story, "Object Lesson" is a true contemporary cautionary fable, entirely unlike those rehashes posing as such published by Vertigo and the like. A reader might at first think they had stumbled into a new tale designed to thrizzle by Michael Kupperman, as the story opens on a character dressed like Sherlock Holmes arriving home to his family and declaring, "I've been laid off," (cue laffs) but this impression evaporates as readers quickly realize that they are being confronted with some of the most trenchant irony ever employed in comics and the story heads into a heart of darkness where America eats its young (and old). The 2012 Eisner Award nominations have only just been made, but we are already prepared to nominate "Object Lesson" for the best short story of 2013. Recommended!
retail price - $3.99 copacetic price - $3.50
New Jobs
by Dash Shaw
No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you: this is indeed the third new "New" work by Dash Shaw to be released this month. The first was a graphic novel, the second a standard comic book, and this one is a small handmade mini-comic published by Tom Kaczynski's Uncivlized Books, printed in an edition of 500 copies. The story here involves a couple living in Bed-Stuy are going to have a child. To support the child, they need to get new jobs. The woman gets a job as an organizer for a rich doctor; the man as a writer for a design firm that “designs” political candidates. 32 pages of New York circa right now! 4.25 x 5.5 inches, b&w, multi-color paper
retail price - $5.00 copacetic price - $5.00
The Half Men
by Kevin Huizenga
Hot off the press and fresh out of the box - a brand new, self-published, Kevin Huizenga comic book! The Half Men includes his previously published contributions to NoBrow #6 ("Second Attempt", a story no one but Kevin H could have ever even thought of) and Kramers Ergot #8 ("The Half Men", in which he "covers" – i.e., redraws/reinterprets – a story of the same name that originally appeared in Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #8, originally published in 1956) as well as the new work "Bona, chapter 1", which is a redrawing (and at least partial rewriting) of the first 16 pages of Kona #1, originally published in 1962. See old comics in a new way. 33 pages of comics in all.
retail price - $4.00 copacetic price - $4.00
Pittsburgh Port Authority Comixby Paulette Poullet, Nils Balls & Nate McDonough
Now, this one has it all: it's artful, educational, political, entertaining – and cheap! In other words, even though it might not look like one at first glance, Pittsburgh Port Authority Comix is everything a comic book should be. The brainchild of Paulette Poullet, this comic casts a caustic eye at the experience of riding the bus in Pittsburgh, PA via a series of vignettes and rider profiles by Ms. Poullet and Mr. McDonough, as well as providing, courtesy of contributor Nils Balls, a look "under the hood" of PATransit, the authority that operates the bus service in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area (i.e., Allegheny County), wherein readers can begin to get an idea of the problems that will have to be faced. And, PPAC offers a bit of a polemic as well, revealing the ill conceived squandering of funds in the service of promoting gambling at the expense of serving students. Here's a work that stands to raise the awareness as well as the spirit of Pittsburgh bus passengers.
retail price - $1.00 copacetic price - $1.00
The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: The Master of Gay Erotic Manga
by Gengoroh Tagame
produced, designed & edited by Anne Ishii, Chip Kidd & Graham Kolbeins
It is difficult to view the work of Gengoroh Tagame as other than pornography, but it is worth the effort. Yes, there are (extremely) graphic images of sexual activity depicted in these pages, and plenty of it, including – but certainly not limited to – graphic S & M imagery, but there is more to this work that what at first meets the eye. These are nuanced comics by an internationally recognized manga master that, on the one hand, provide a highly charged reading experience, while, on the other, offer up interpretive insights when parsed by those who choose to engage the work in this capacity. Starting out with a light-hearted send-up of the psychic cop genre in "Hairy Oracle", the stories range from the bucolic humor of "Country Doctor" (is that Archie?) to the historicized Samurai drama of "Exorcism" to what is clearly the core of Tagame's passion, the violent S & M fantasies of "Arena", "Standing Ovations" and "Missing" which double as critiques of the nexus of international politics, the media and the military that strive to delineate the ideology undergirding the highly militarized global capitalism of our times, albeit in terms that many may experience difficulty in decoding. A common thread running through all the works is the erotic charge carried by humiliation. Any long time comics reader who dares to venture forth into these pages will likely be given pause when confronted with page after page of muscle-bound men beating the crap out of each other in the context of gay erotica. Needless to say, this item is only available for purchase by those aged 21 and older.
retail price - $29.95 copacetic price - $27.50
So
Long, Silver Screenby Blutch
Originally published in France as Pour en finir avec le cinéma, So Long, Silver Screen is, amazingly, the first full-length work by Blutch to be translated into English. Blutch began his professional comics career 25 years ago and has published over a dozen books, all to wide acclaim, so it is hard to greet this volume with anything other than, "It's about time!" Our thanks – and doubtless that of many others – goes out to PictureBox for at last bringing this artist to the English speaking world. Blutch is a gifted tale spinner and delineator, whose legendary comics work has inspired and influenced many artists, notably Craig Thompson, who, by way of introducing him to American audiences, has interviewed Blutch, here. So Long, Silver Screen combines a knowledge of European visual art and literary culture with a love of movies to forge a meditation on the place of cinéma in our lives. This is a work that is, unsurprisingly, highly French in character, and so will, naturally, be especially enjoyed by Franophiles, and likely disdained by Francophobes. We feel confident that those who enjoy fine comics and whose leanings are neither one way or another on the issue of la culture française will be swayed by the uniformly high quality of this fine volume.
retail price - $22.95 copacetic price - $20.00
Mobile Suit Gundam, The Origin: 1 – Activation
by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
This 444 page manga is the first volume in what is billed as "the definitive account" of the origin of this "epoch-making" anime. Originally published in Japan in 2002, this version "expands on the classic narrative" of the anime. The contents of this hardcover volume are printed on heavy coated stock, including a half dozen color sections. Also inclued are three short essays by Ryusuke Hikawa, Shinichiro Inoue and Hideaki Anno.
retail price - $29.95 copacetic price - $26.95
Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation
by Yoshiyuki Tomino
Anyone wanting to go Gundam crazy can really go to town by additionally diving into this omnibus volume of the Gundam trilogy of novels (NOT manga, these are prose science fiction novels). Translated by manga master and all-around Japan expert, Frederik Schodt.
retail price - $15.95 copacetic price - $14.44
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief
by Lawrence Wright
A propulsive, engaging read that will answer many of the questions curious readers may have about the history and tenets of Scientology, its basis in Dianetics, and, especially, the life and times of Scientology's founder and the author of Dianetics, L. Ron Hubbard, which is where the book is strongest (and craziest!). Going Clear is far from the last word on Scientology, however, for with every question it answers it raises another, and it is a bit on the breezy side, to be sure, but interested readers will find themselves engrossed and will discover that they have every reason to be thankful for what it does provide, as Scientology is legendary for giving those who attempt to dig into it a (very) hard time, as this book details among its many revelations. And then, after reading this book, watch Wild Palms.
retail price - $28.95 copacetic price - $25.00
Items from our April 2013 listings may now be purchased online at our eComerce site, HERE.
New for March 2013
Hand-Drying in America and Other Stories
by Ben Katchor
Pulses raced throughout the shop as these meticulously designed and printed 11 5/8" x 12 1/4" hardcover books emerged from the box they were shipped in. This book is cover to cover fabulosity; not a square inch of wasted space is to be found. What we have on hand here are the more than 150 (!) full color – and what color! Katchor is revealed here to be a colorist par excellence (think Pierre Bonnard) – full page strips Katchor has been producing since 1988 for Metropolis, the excellent and, crucially for our enjoyment of these Katchor strips, oversize magazine devoted to architecture, design and, as the name suggests, urban living. Rather than struggle to find the words to adequately describe this gem, we are going to refer you to the ever insightful and always articulate Jeet Heer's review in The Globe and Mail. Is this Katchor's best book yet? It's too soon to say, but the answer may very well be yes. Regardless of the verdict, what's certain is that Hand-Drying in America is an æsthetically delightful and intellectually stimulating work that will leave its readers with a truer understanding and better appreciation of city life than they had before cracking its covers. Recommended!
retail price - $29.95 copacetic price - $25.95
On the Ropes
by Dan E. Burr and James Vance
Will wonders never cease? Who knew that writer, James Vance, and illustrator Dan Burr had been hard at work on a massive sequel to Kings in Disguise, their highly original series depicting depression-era America that originally saw print as a six-issue mini-series from Kitchen Sink Press way back in 1988? Not us! On the Ropes is a 248 page oversize hardcover that takes us to the year 1937, where Fred Bloch – the protagonist of Kings in Disguise – has found a temporary home in a WPA-sponsored traveling circus! Here's what Alan Moore has to say about this just released work: "More than twenty years in its construction and worth every moment of the wait, James Vance and Dan Burr's On the Ropes is that most rare of animals, a sequel that's as powerful, as vital, and as necessary as the work that it continues. A quietly epic human tale that beautifully and expertly employs the comic medium in its telling, On the Ropes is very possible the most affecting graphic narrative that you will read the next couple of decades." High praise, indeed, from someone who should know.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.22
Letting It Go
by Miriam Katin
While we're on the subject of long-in-the-making sequels, now would be a good time to bring Miriam Katin's follow up memoir. Her previous work, We Are On Our Own was a memoir of her childhood escape from the Nazis during World War II. This time around we find Katin struggling to come to terms with her son's decision to move to Berlin, the former center of the Nazi menace and so origin of the trauma at the center of her life, and, needless to say, the lives – and, of course, deaths – of so many others. Travel with Katin in the vehicle of her expressive, pencil-drawn comics – this time around in full color – as she twice travels from her home in New York to Berlin, first to visit her son and the to attend a museum opening for a show that features her own artwork. Get a head start with this PDF preview.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.22
Hair Shirt
by Patrick McEown
This work was released in French by Gaillimard in 2010, then in the UK in 2011, and now it has at last made its way into the North American distribution system and onto the Copacetic new releases table. Published by SelfMadeHero, the same folks who brought us Nao of Brown, Hair Shirt is another finely printed, well produced work by a talented artist given free reign to follow their particular muse and see where it leads them. Patrick McEown is a Canadian cartoonist who has been working since the mid-80s (anybody remember Aircel's Samurai?) and may be best known for his work with Matt Wagner on Grendel. While there's a hint of his pal Dave Cooper in McEown's inking, he has clearly established his own voice in comics. Nowhere is this more true than in the distinctive palette of his coloring, which is amply on display here, in the primarily nocturnal settings of Hair Shirt's action. McEown's muse has led him to to produce a sensually rendered account of youthful sexual exploration and discovery in a nameless Canadian "City" under the cover of night.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.22
Men's Group: The Videoby Ben Jones
Best known to Copacetic customers as 1/3 of the comics/art/animation/music/performance group Paper Rad, Ben Jones has been using that part of his day not spent devoted to his animation work establishing himself in the international fine arts community with exhibits at museums and galleries around the world, including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Loyal Gallery, Malmö – at which three institutions much of the work to be found here was shown. Men's Group: The Video is a unique book,
edited by Dan Nadel, designed by Norman Hathaway and
published by PictureBox (of course). Bound together in a slick
cardstock ringbinder that evokes a vague space somewhere between high
school locker and corporate business meeting are eight distinct
sections, each defined by a specific combination of page dimensions and
paper stock: a collection of InstaGram™ photos taken by visitors
to Jones's installation for the exhibit TransmissionLA at MOCA LA; a
collections of writings on Jones, his work and the concept of manhood
by Joe Bradley, Byron Coley, Phil Grauer, Dacid Kramer, Keith
McColluch, Gary Panter, Nicole Rudick and Peter Saul and an
interview/conversation between Dan Nadel and Ben Jones; and a series of
separate selections of paintings, video paintings, drawings, comics,
manufactured products and "Black Math". We have a (very)
few signed copies that come with a BJ/PB tote bag that will enable you
to leave Whole Foods in style. First come first served.retail price - $34.95 copacetic price - $31.75
True Chubbo presents Infinidick
by Family Sohn
Infinidick is a 44 page signed (well, initialed, actually) and numbered (300 copies) Risograph collection of True Chubbo, the "beloved" strip of cartooned, scatologically leaning, sexually oriented humor by the husband-and-wife team known as Family Sohn, that appears weekly on the PictureBox site. To call this strip unique is putting it mildly. Release your inner child into the world of contemporary urban adult sexuality, if you dare.
retail price - $12.00 copacetic price - $10.75
Negron
by Johnny Negron
We have had this one at the shop for a bit, but were late in getting it up here: the PictureBox collection of Johnny Negron's sumptuous, full color, pinup style renderings of zaftig girls, skinny boys and... ants – but mostly girls. There are also a couple black and white continuity comics thrown in for good measure: "Violence City" and "Library"; and the dustjacket unfolds to reveal life in "The Year 3000." Negron!
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - $17.77
The Comics Journal #302
Another mammoth 600+ pages of top notch articles, surveys, reviews, new comics by Joe Sacco and Lewis Trondheim, and epic length interviews with Maurice Sendak and Jacques Tardi. Surprise bonuses include a late (last?) interview with adventure strip legend, Roy Crane along with the never-before-published "How to Draw Buz Sawyer" manual that Crane prepared for his apprentice. Plus in-depth and unexpected looks at Mort Weisinger and Fredric Wertham. And a transcription of the internet-enabled roundtable discussion that preceded the creation of Spiegelman and Mouly's massive collection of children's comics from several years back. More!
retail price - $30.00 copacetic price - $25.00
Messages In a Bottle
by Bernie Krigstein
This softcover edition is likely to be the definitive collection of this Atomic Age master's comic book work. Krigstein was fully conversant in multiple genres and this volume contains a full complement of his best stories. Many were previously issued in the now out of print 2004 Fantagraphics hardcover, B. Krigstein Comics. Messages includes additional stories, most notably his most famous work, the EC classic, "Master Race", from Impact #1. All the artwork has been cleaned up, remastered for truer color reproduction and looks great as a result. The work on dislay here has exerted – and continues to exert – a tremendous influence on the development of the comics form and language. Comics apprentices and novices, along with aficionados and conoisseurs, take note.
retail price - $35.00 copacetic price - $29.75
Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Volume Two
by Michael Kupperman
Among the legions of Thrizzle fans, those few who shun the comic book floppy pamphlet in favor of book collections can at last rejoice, as this second colection will end their long drought and bring them several years worth of Thrizzling Tales in one go. Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Volume Two collects in their entirety the fifth through the eighth issues of this definitive twenty-first century take on absurdity in four-color comic book form.
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $22.22
Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice
by Ivan Brunetti
This slim tome contains the essence of Brunetti's course in cartooning at Chicago's Columbia College. It was initially packaged together with Comic Art #9, the last issue of this fabled magazine, which was a best seller here at Copacetic (and which we still have in stock). It was subsequently issued as a stand alone volume by Yale University Press, publisher of the two Brunetti-edited anthologies of comics and graphic fiction that are our go-to volumes for introducing new readers to the splendors of the form. Erudite, entertaining, and, of course, educational, Brunetti's Cartooning is well worth the while of anyone interested in learning how comics are constructed. Get a taste from this Chicago Mag preview.
retail price - $13.00 copacetic price - $11.75
The Next Day (CD)by David Bowie
Push the Sky Away (CD/DVD)
by Nick Cave
It is probably doing a disservice both to lump these two new releases together, but it's too late now. It is highly likely that
those reading this who have even a passing interest in either of these
two celebrated musical
artist/performers are already well aware of their recent releases, but
there is always the chance that there are some who are unaware that we
have them in stock here at Copacetic. Anyone curious about The Next Day who
has yet to check out the two videos released thus far may do so now by
clicking here and
here. The Next Day – "deluxe" edition, w/ 3 extra tracks - copacetic price - $15.75
Push the Sky Away – "deluxe" edition, w/ DVD, packaged in hardcover book(let) - copacetic price - $19.75
I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp
by Richard Hell
Richard Hell can certainly count himself among the founders of punk rock; if anyone can be credited with pioneering the spiky hair, ripped T-shirt and safety pin look that became the visual hallmark of punk, it is Richard Meyers, who most know and love – or hate, or love to hate, or hate to love – as Richard Hell. Of course, there is much more to punk than the pose, and Richard Hell was in at the birth of the form, singing, writing songs, and playing bass with, first and foremost, Tom Verlaine (née Miller) in the original Television, as one of The Heartbreakers with legendary rock martyr Johnny Thunders, and, perhaps most importantly, fronting the Voidoids with guitar-master Robert Quine. Between these two covers, we get his take on his punk years and more. Richard Hell has been considering himself more of a writer than a musician for quite a while now, and not without reason: he has developed a cogent and readable style that is easily several notches above that found in typical a rock memoir and that is pretty much guaranteed to be of interest to anyone with a yen to learn more about those halcyon punk days; but don't expect another Just Kids.
retail price - $25.99 copacetic price - $23.75
One Tick Rip-Off + Deep Cutsby Paul Pope
The long Paul Pope drought has at last ended, although with a reprint edition rather than a new work. The works in this 288 page hardcover edition are, however, new in that most of them are presented in full color for the first time. All the works collected here are from the 1990s, covering the years in which Pope transitioned from his native Columbus, OH to NYC, via Toronto and Tokyo. Taken as a whole, the works provide a solid slice of Pope's oeuvre. While many, perhaps most, fans of Pope's work may already have these works in their collections, anyone who is only familiar with his works via his work for DC's Vertigo imprint – and, of course, anyone heretofore unfamiliar with his work – would do well to check out this volume. Pope is a gifted cartoonist whose work is informed by the energies of art rock and fine art as well as comics and manga, and the years covered in this volume represent his most fertile period. Here's a Preview.
retail price - $29.99 copacetic price - $27.50
Copra #5
by Michel FIffe
All readers who number themselves among the burgeoning legion of Copra fans are hereby notified that the fifth issue of this full color comic book, written, pencilled, inked, colored, edited, published and distributed by Michel Fiffe, is here.
retail price - $5.00 copacetic price - $5.00
Items from our March 2013 listings may now be purchased online at our eComerce site, HERE.
