New for December 2010



A Graphic Cosmogony
edited by Alex Spiro; introduction by Paul Gravett
art by Stuart Kolakovic, Mikkel Sommers, Brecht Vandenbroucke, Luke Best, Rob Hunter, Jon McNaught, Ben Newman, Andrew Rae, Luke Pearson, Jack Teagle, Jon Boam, Jakob Hindrichs, Clayton Junior, Daniel Locke, Isabel Greenberg, Mike Bertino, Nick White, Rui Tenreiro, Sean Hudson, Luc Melanson, Katia Fouquet, Yeji Yun, Matthew Lyons & Liesbeth De Stercke
The fine folks at the London-based NoBrow Ltd. have produced their first anthology, and it's a doozy!  Editor, Alex Spiro has assembled twenty-four artists and, with a nod to The Book of Genesis, asked each of them to "take on seven pages to tell their tales of the creation of everything."  As those who are familiar with the NoBrow works on display here at Copacetic already know, their publications are finely crafted and produced in an engaged, hands-on manner, in keeping with the company's stated aim "to place a renewed focus on quality in print."  The company maintains a special focus on hand-separated planes of flat color that gives their entire catalogue a wholly unique feel, and now, with A Graphic Cosmogony, they have produced an amazing 176 page hardcover volume – by a large margin the most ambitious assemblage they have yet to produce – that will pop your eyes out and knock your socks off!  It's hot off the press and it's here.  Check it out.
retail price - £24.00  copacetic price - $40.00






Birchfield Close
by John McNaught
McNaught's contribution to the aforementioned A Graphic Cosmogony, "Pilgrims," was one the real standouts, and his Birchfield Close is a masterpiece in miniature. There is a lot going on in this slim, 5" x 7" hardcover.  First and foremost, there is a wholly successful evocation of the modern condition that reveals a heretofore unrecognized potential for visual poetry in suburban tract housing. This is no small achievement.  It is accomplished through a highly disciplined use of the two-color palette in combination with a real tour de force in layout.  Connoisseurs of the comics grid will find themselves returning to this work over and over again simply to marvel at its majestic overall form, as well as the subtle rhythms that are delicately woven throughout.  Birchfield Close is a veritable definition of "deceptively simple."  What at first glance appears a bunch of squares and rectangles filled with rudimentary drawing, will, when given the attention it is due, come alive and fill the reader with wonder.  Check it out at Mr. McNaught's page devoted to it. 
retail price - £9.00  copacetic price - $18.00





Study Group 12 #4
edited by Zack Soto
After, what? five years? we have another issue of Study Group 12.  This one is the grandest yet.  8 1/2" x 11 1/2" , with 72 pages printed in navy blue, eight extra pages with an additional layer of magenta, and then all wrapped up in a hand silk-screened cover in aqua and pink.   This package holds quite a lot of talent.  Creators included in this issue are Theo Ellsworth, Jim Rugg, Dan Zettwoch, T Edward Bak, Richard Hahn, John Vermilyea, Michael DeForge, Vanessa Davis, Farel Dalrymple, Aidan Koch, and plenty more.  The front cover is by editor, Zack Soto; back cover by Mr. DeForge, and endpapers by the esteemed Steven Weissman.  This is a hand-numbered edition of 500 copies.
retail price - $20.00   copacetic  price - $20.00





Tel-Tales #1
by Dan Zettwoch, based on a story by his dad, Don "Toots" Zettwoch
Dan Z has done it again!  The mega-master of industrial art comics has given us a perfect blend of form and content in Tel-Tales.  This pint-sized wonder, which is (more or less, depending on what you're viewing this on) reproduced at actual size on the right, tells the tale of the good ol' days of telephone call switching that involved actual human beings – as well as the "ancient & mysterious 8-Board" – that existed before the days of fully automated digital switching, not to mention cell phones, FOIP and Skype, which are putting the entire infrastructure of plain old telephone calling into the dumpster.  And that's just where the Bell System punched cards that are used here as the cover were likely headed before rescued by the Zettwoch Comics Co. and put to such perfect use.  Just take our word for it:  THIS is a comic book.
retail price - $3.00   copacetic price - $3.00




The Wrong Place
by Brecht Evens
This is a graphic novel where much of the meaning and significance is manifested in and through the artist's method.  Evens has developed a unique comics language involving the transparency of watercolor that you can get some idea of here, but only some, as the pages they chose for this preview only hint at what is to come in this dazzling 184 page work.  What you can see is that Evens's figures possess varying degrees of solidity and translucency, giving them at times a vaguely wraithlike appearance which works to embody and communicate his themes of urban ephemerality, revealing to his readers the flitting souls of his characters as much as their corporeality; or, if not souls, then perhaps the fleeting electro-chemical manifestations of personality interacting with those of other beings as well as their shared environments .  This is perhaps most effectively done in a central passage of sexual congress which employs his technique to its fullest extent and gives us yet another example of the inherent capacity of comics to convey aspects of experience that no other medium is capable of. 
retail price - $24.95   copacetic  price - $22.22




Gaylord Phoenix
by Edie Fake
It seems like quite a few years have passed since we first discovered Gaylord Phoenix as a mini-comic, and now, under the auspices of Secret Acres, it has finally been collected into a 254 page graphic manifesto of unfettered self exploration.  Gaylord Phoenix is clearly the work of someone who has been paying attention to what's been going happening in the artistic center of comics and has taken what he has found there and put it to his own uses, which are, roughly, to share his tortuous path to self discovery through a symbol filled psychescape that culminates in a celebration of his embrace of gay sexuality. 
retail price - $17.95   copacetic  price - $15.75







The Littlest Pirate King (Le roi rose)
by David B.
A graphic album (bande desinee) for kids from the one and only David B. (Epileptic).  David B. is a monster talent who can make comics do things that no one else can, so whatever he tries his hand at is worth a look.  We're confident that this will be no exception.  Adventurous kids of all ages should find this a work to relish.
retail price - $16.99   copacetic  price - $15.00









What I Did
by Jason
Now's your chance to get – or give – the two works upon which rests Jason's US reputation – "Hey, Wait!" and Ssshhhh – along with the long out of print and mega-pricey, The Iron Wagon.  All three works in an attractive hardcover omnibus for significantly less than the retail cost of the original softcovers.  If there is still anyone reading this who has yet to discover the pleasures of Jason, this is the perfect place to start. 
retail price - $24.95   copacetic  price - $22.22




Little Maakies on the Prarie
by Tony Millionaire
Now you can join – or, if a whim should so move you, introduce someone to – your good friends Drinky Crow and Uncle Gabby and their unhinged cast of supporting characters for two more years worth of their alcohol-fueled adventures filled with anger, bitterness, and despair.  Great fun, but not for the entire family!
retail price - $19.99   copacetic  price - $17.77





Castle Waiting II
by Linda Medley
Here it is, 375 more pages of finely drawn fantasy adventure from the pen of the spectacularly talented Linda Medley.  This is a work that, like Harry Potter, can be enjoyed by all ages, but will especially be appreciated by the tween and early teen set.  Castle Waiting takes place in a fully realized fantasy world that is filled with wonder and humor and populated by a highly memorable cast of characters.
retail price - $29.99   copacetic  price - $26.99




Archie: Archie Firsts
by Bob Montana, George Frese, Vic Bloom, et al
Finally, Dark Horse has put out a classic comics reprint edition that gets it right with paper stock and reproduction.  This attractively put together hardcover collection of Archie "firsts" – appearances and issues – is printed in bold colors on flat, non-reflective off-white stock that is a pleasure to read.  Here are the first appearances of  Archie, Betty, Jughead and Mr. and Mrs. Andrews from Pep Comics #22, followed by the premiere issues of Archie Comics, Archie's Girls Betty & Veronica, Archie's Pal Jughead, and Archie's Rival Reggie, along with a bonus in the form of Reggie's first appearance in Jackpot Comics #5.  However, Dark Horse has apparently acceded to the Archie Comics Co. aversion to giving credit where credit is due, evidenced by the lack of any attempt to provide credit listings beyond those of the cover artists of the four number one issues; and God forbid they should actually make an attempt to provide some biographical information and background on these historically important works.  Luckily for us, Montana, Frese and Bloom did not shy away from signing much of their work, and in these halcyon days, The Archie Comics Co. did not prevent them from doing so.  This volume is an intro lead-in volume to a projected series of Archie Comics Archives, and we here at Copacetic sincerely hope that Mike Richardson & Co. can manage to lift the veil of ignorance that is casting a pall over everything related to the classic Archie Comics catalogue.
retail price - $24.95   copacetic  price - $22.22



Spotting Deer
by Michael DeForge
How does Koyama Press do it?  Here we have a full color, 10" x 10", saddle-stitched comics book by the up and coming Canadian comicker, Michael DeForge for only $5.00.  Admittedly, the comic only runs twelve pages, but that's enough for DeForge to get the job done.  What we have is here is – or, at least, could be construed to be – the work of an absurdist comics naturalist; or , perhaps, it would be better described as a symbolic allegory employing the "Spotting Deer" as its touchstone symbol, with which it comments on the presence of the absurd in contemporary Canadian life.  EIther way, you are sure to get your money's worth here.
retail price - $5.00   copacetic  price - sold out!




New for November 2010



If 'n' Oof
by Brian Chippendale
At long last, PictureBox is in the house, having delivered on their long-promised double dose of comics thunder straight out of Providence, RI.  First out of the box is If 'n' Oof:  800 pages of id-driven comics from the front lines of the underground comics forces.  Here is a book so packed with full-on comics energy that it will reinvigorate even the most torpid and forlorn comics reader.  Chippendale's line is alive on the page.  In If 'n' Oof, the typical roles of comic book production are reversed:  rather than the standard comic book practice, wherein the drawing exists simply to support the creation of cartooned characters, with If 'n' Oof, it is in the act of drawing where the action takes place; the characters that come into being as a result of this drawing simply serve to illuminate the power and the passion of the drawing itself.
retail price - $29.95   copacetic  price - $25.00



Powr Mastrs 3
by C.F.
A cult comic book series if ever there was one, the third installment of Powr Mastrs continues the mind-altering adventures of its paradigm-shifting cast of characters.  As the title indicates, Powr Mastrs is a true comic book adventure series, but where other comics deal with mutants as characters, the Powr Mastrs series is itself a mutant; a super hero comic book infected by a virus from outer space.
retail price - $18.00   copacetic  price - $15.95




My New New York Diary: A Film Book
by Julie Doucet and Michel Gondry
And here's another new one from PictureBox.  In 2008, Gondry contacted Doucet with a film proposal.  Involving a unique hybrid of still, unanimated drawings, and live action filming, Gondry and Doucet worked together to try to make something new, and they have:  this is an equally unique film-book (or, book-film?).  An 80-page hardcover complete with DVD of the entire film that resulted from Doucet and Gondry's collaboration!
retail price - $24.95   copacetic  price - $22.22






Duncan the Wonder Dog, Show One
by Adam Hines
Duncan the Wonder Dog is an extremely ambitious work that comes from out of blue via the good graces of publisher AdHouse Books.  Anyone picking this up is sure to ask themselves the same questions we did:  "Who the heck is Adam Hines, and how the heck did he manage to sneak up on the comic world with this 400 page graphic novel?"  Some quick answers are provided in this brief interview he did with Publishers Weekly.  We strongly encourage you to check out this quite generously portioned preview (please note that you can click on the "continue" at the bottom of the preview page and be taken to another where you can indeed continue).
retail price - $24.95   copacetic  price - $22.22




Parker, Book Two: The Outfit
by Darwyn Cooke
Our apologies for not listing this sooner:  our initial stock sold out pretty much overnight, and then our restock sold out, so we didn't get a chance to crack open a copy and check it out until now.  Never one to rest on his laurels, Darwyn Cooke has managed to stretch out a bit in this, the second in his ongoing series of adaptations of Donald Westlake(writing as Richard Stark)'s hardboiled crime series featuring the guy you don't want to meet, Parker.  The Outfit, like its precursor, The Hunter, is a hard-charging angry tough guy piece, full of dames and danger, violence and vixens.  The action takes place in 1963 and so allows Cooke to flex his retro muscle in an era he has an obvious affinity for.  And flex that muscle he does, with flair.  What is perhaps the most interesting aspect of The Outfit takes place at roughly the center of the work, where readers will come across an intriguing 30-page aside drawn in a number of different styles, each of which evokes a specific, different aspect of the graphic sensibilities of the period.  This insert goes a long way to keep The Outfit from simply being more of the same; but, we can't help but adding, more of the same, when it comes from the pen of Darwyn Cooke, is not something anyone can really complain about.
retail price - $24.95   copacetic  price - $22.22



Strange Tales II #2
We can hardly belive our eyes:  under a picture-perfect Jaime Hernandez cover are Marvel Comics stories by both Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez.  "Old School Rules" featuring Iron Man and the Human Torch by Beto, and "Love and the Space Phantom" by Jaime.  Feast your eyes and treasure the moment, for it may not come again.  Also on hand is more Marvel mayhem perpetuated by the likes of Tony Millionaire, Jon Vermilyea, Jeffrey Brown, Farel Dalrymple, Paul Hornschemier, Nick Bertozzi, David Heatley, Sheldon Vella and Paul Maybury.
retail price - $4.95   copacetic  price - $4.44



Trigger #1 & #2
by Mike Bertino
That there is life yet in the good ol' floppy, saddle-stitched comic book is amply testified to in the first two issues of Mike Bertino's Trigger (And, while we're at it, in the first two issues of Michael DeForge's Lose, as well [the first of which is already out of print – note to collectors: you snooze, you lose.].  So:  2 + 2 = ...something, we're just not sure what, yet.).  Bertino demonstrates solid control and surprising range in the three stories and two covers that comprise the first issue.  The first impression made by the front cover is a "let it all hang out" art-comic kind of vibe, but the first story, "Grown Ups, part one" quickly has the reader questioning their initial judgement as it is a finely nuanced slice of life tale.  The next, "Flannels Are Cool Again," is a spirited adolescent romp that could be taken to be a look at what was lost by the "grown ups" whose story preceded this.  And, then, there's "Below Us," a completely realized tale of the struggle for sanity that, while somewhat reminiscent of Sammy Harkham's work, packs quite a punch and is entirely successful on its own terms.  The second issue has a similar tripartate structure, with the order slightly reversed.  This time out, the goofy romp, "Goo Pants," is the lead off with the second part of "Grown Ups" following.  The third tale is "The Biggest Banger," a science fiction fantasy tale of interstellar travel and alien civilizations, and is once again the brain twisting wild card of the bunch.  Get these before they're gone, we say.  Recommended!
retail price - $5.00@   copacetic  price - $4.44@



MOME 20
edited by Eric Reynolds
Highlights this time around include Dash Shaw's comics adaptation of an episode of "Blind Date," which provides an opportunity for some reflection on the respective formal qualities of the mediums of television and comics; the second installment of Josh Simmons's way-crazy "The White Rhinoceros":"Time and Space" by Jeffrey Tinder; "Green House" by Aidan Koch; and "Magpie Inevitability" by Nate Neal.  Also on hand are works by Sara Edward-Corbett, T. Edward Bak, Conor O'Keefe, Michael Jada & Derek Can Gieson, Steven Weissman, Sergio Ponchione, Nicholas Mahler, Ted Stearn and Adam Grano.  Happy twentieth issue, MOME!
retail price - $14.99   copacetic  price - $12.75



The Whale
by Aidan Koch
For those looking for more fine, pencil-rendered comics by Mr. Koch, here they are in this 64-page graphic novella of looking out into the natural world for what ultimately lies within.
retail price - $10.00   copacetic special price - $7.77





Denys Wortman's New York:
Portrait of the City in the 1930s and 1940s
edited by James Sturm and Brandon Elston
And, while we're on the topic of pencil-rendered realities, it  would be a gross injustice not to bring this amazing volume to your attention.  What we have here is over 250 simply beautiful cartoons depicting life in NYC over two full decades.  This book is a real "Wow!"  It is indeed a true "portrait of the city":  a crystal clear picture window which provides neglected and forgotten views that will reinvigorate our understanding of the times it depicts and the lives of those who lived through them.  A perfect book to remind us about real people and an excellent antidote to the dehumanizing electronic entertainments that seem to have us hemmed in on all sides in the present moment.  Denys Wortman's New York provides us with an escape hatch.  It couldn't have come at a better time.
retail price - $29.95   copacetic  price - $27.50



Six Novels in Woodcuts (boxed set):
Gods’ Man • Madman’s Drum • Wild Pilgrimage
Prelude to a Million Years • Song Without Words • Vertigo
by Lynd Ward
introduction by Art Spiegelman
We are quite happy to report that the venerable Library of America has done right by the unique works of Lynd Ward.  From the Art Spiegelman introduction through the choice of texts, and, most crucially, to the quality of the reproduction and presentation, this two volume collection of the works of this pioneering, Depression-era master of the art of telling stories without words has opened the door of the official American literary canon to the graphic novel form.  Please visit the LoA page on this work and be treated to an overview of the work and an exclusive pdf interview with Art Spiegelman about the project, along with a 16-page preview. 
retail price - $70.00   copacetic  price - $63.00



The Complete Peanuts Box Set 7: 1975-1978
by Charles Schulz
And, speaking of box sets, how could we complete this month's listing without mentioning the latest annual box set in Fantagraphics' The Complete Peanuts?  We couldn't!  As with all previous box sets, this one contains the exact same two volumes that were released during the year, along with an especially sturdy, Seth-designed slipcase, all for almost 15% less than the price of the two volumes alone – and that's before taking into account the Copacetic discount! 
retail price - $49.99   copacetic  price - $39.99

 


The Little Prince
by Joann Sfar
adapted from the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Here's a risky artistic venture:  messing with a beloved children's classic.  However, THe Little Prince is over sixty years old now, and we have a suspicion that it is not as beloved by today's generation of parents as it once was, and, as a result, kids are in the dark about it's greatness.  So, bringing it back to life in graphic novel form does have a purpose, and we can't think of anyone better suited for the task than Joann Sfar, whose delicate and nuanced line, while quite different from Saint-Exupéry's, is nonetheless well suited to representing the  magical visions of childhood, as readers of his Sardine series already know.  A very European and quite boyish  boyhood is here, along with a fabulous, practically paradigmatic, fabrication of a father and son relationship that is a joy.  Take a look at this when you get a chance.  This is a great gift for someone.
retail price - $19.99   copacetic  price - $17.77


Sergio Aragonés:  Five Decades of His Finest Works
by (duh) Sergio Aragonés; forward by Patrick McDonnell
The latest volume in the Mad's Greatest Artists series, this one will be very hard to pass up for anyone who grew up reading Mad Magazine and found their eyes constantly straying to the margins, where Aragonés uniquely plied his trade.  Only Mad would make doodling in the margins a regular feature.  The tacit acceptance and then official incorporation of this normally frowned-upon activity exemplifies the spirit of Mad perhaps more than any other aspect of what can now safely be considered an American institution (and the spirit of which is perfectly captured in this volumes cover image).  These drawings are celebrated in a giant fold out poster that is included in this volume that displays 500 favorites!  And, of course, there is much, much more to Aragonés's work than the marginalia.  Here, in the close to 300 oversize pages of this affordably priced hardcover, readers will discover timeless insights into the human condition side-by-side with graphic commentaries on nearly fifty years worth of fads and trends of the day. 
retail price - $29.95   copacetic  price - $27.50



The Simon and Kirby Superheroes
by Jack Kirby, with Joe Simon
introduction by Neil Gaiman
Wow!  469 – count 'em! – pages of eye-popping, brain-blasting, Golden Age, Atomic Age and Silver Age Jack Kirby artwork!  Here we have the complete Kirby runs (which in most cases is the run in its entirety) on Stuntman, Fighting American, Captain 3-D (speaking of which, here's an online preview of a full-length Captain 3-D story, courtesy of the fine folks at BoingBoing), The Double Life of Private Strong, The Adventures of The Fly, and more, all in full color, printed on flat white stock from scans of the original comics. All in full color, printed on flat white stock from scans of the original comics.  AND, as if this weren't already more than enough, there are a pair of previously unpublished covers, a pair of previously unpublished double page splashes and  a pair of complete stories, one of which, "Stuntman Crowns a Jungle Lord," is, intriguingly, caught mid-process, in which, at least according to an editor's note, only Kirby's actual pencil lines have been inked, before the heavy chiaroscuro detail inking was laid down.  The publishers' in house production team has then, evidently, created an era-appropriate color scheme that seamlessly blends in these unpublished pieces into the rest of the book, the last page of which promises further volumes that promise to focus on the great Kirby Romance, Crime and Horror comics that Simon packaged for Prize Comics during their great Atomic Age partnership.  Yes!
retail price - $49.95   copacetic price - $44.44


The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga
By Helen McCarthy Foreword by Katsuhiro Otomo
We managed to somehow to fail to get around to listing this Harvey Award winning book on these pages... until now, prodded by Dash Shaw's post on ComicsComics, wherein he waxes rhapsodic about the importance of the DVD it comes packaged with, which contains the 1985 NHK TV documentary on Tezuka, Secrets of Creation, which Shaw calls, "one of the best cartoonist documentaries I’ve ever seen."  The Art of Tezuka is a farily swell affair, and is – as you would expect with any book in which it's subject is referred to as a "God" – a bit of a hagiography, but if anyone deserves this treatment it's Tezuka who is roughly the Japanese equivalent of Jack Kirby and Walt Disney combined, in both influence and renown, and so was no stranger to being an object of worship.  
retail price - $40.00  copacetic price - $35.00



Dangerous Laughter
by Steven Millhauser
OK, all you cheapskates, we know you've been waiting for us to get the latest Millhauser collection in for a bargain price – and now we have:  13 new tales by the master... for less!
retail price - $14.95   copacetic special price - $4.95








Harvey
by Hervé Bouchard & Janice Nadeau
When originally published last year in Francophone Canada, this work became the "first ever winner of the Governor General's Award for both text and illustration."  Now available in English, this is a moving tale relating the emotional experience of a young boy's loss of his father.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $17.77






It's been a deluge of new items this month, and we simply can't keep up.  Here are some more fine items that we hoped to write more about (and will, if we get the chance...):



Lone Pine
by Jed McGowan
A tale of silence and redemption, printed in black and white and pale blue; from AdHouse.  Download a PDF preview, here.
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $13.75




Dawn Land
story by Joseph Bruchac; adaptation and art by Will Davis
A 300 page graphic novel of American Indian life.  Read an excerpt, here.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $17.77





Koko Be Good
by Jen Wang
This 300 page graphic novel is a "stunning debut" by a highly regarded contributor to the popular Flight anthology.  Learn more here.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $17.7




How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less
by Sarah Glidden
This started life as a series of mini-comics that we sold here at Copacetic over the last couple years.  It has somehow, evidently, leapfrogged up the comics ladder and now comes to us as a full (water)color(ed), hardcover graphic novel from Vertigo.
retail price - $24.99  copacetic price - $22.22




Good Eggs: A Memoir
by Phoebe Potts
A hardcover graphic memoir that presents a fable of (in)fertility that is "about learning to appreciate what we have when we can't seem to get what we want."
retail price - $24.95  copacetic price - $22.22




The Will Eisner Shop
edited by Greg Theakston
160 pages, roughly 2/3 of which is filled with rare early art from the Will Eisner shop, with the remaining 1/3 devoted to a transcript of a 1939 trial that editor Theakston has managed to track down.  This is the infamous trial in which DC sued Fox over the infringement of their copyright and trademark on Superman, and offers some rare insights into the nascent era of the comic book publishing world.
retail price - $25.00  copacetic price - $18.88



Wild Wood
edited by Greg Theakston
160 pages of lesser known comics, cartoons and illustrations by the one and only Wally Wood.
retail price - $25.00  copacetic price - $18.88





Items from our November 2010 listings may now be purchased online at our new site, HERE.



New for October 2010


Acme Novelty Library #20: Lint
by Chris Ware
Well, it's here:  the latest issue in The ACME Novelty Library.  We haven't had the chance to crack it open yet, but nonetheless feel safe in saying that:  "Hey, it's the latest by Chris Ware; do you really need to know anything else?"  Lint is yet another masterpiece from the astonishing Chris Ware.  A full life distilled into one slim book that can be breezed through or savored again and again.  BONUS:  Led Zeppelin will never sound quite the same after reading this.   Here's the first of what are sure to be many weighing-ins as to its significance.
retail price - $23.95   copacetic  price - $20.00







X'ed Out
by Charles Burns
Wow!  When you least expect it, Charles Burns surprises us with a full color graphic album that grafts his by now easily recognized Burnsian concerns onto the bande dessinée format.  It's a sort of Black Hole meets Tintin (In fact, the cover of X-ed Out is an homage to the cover of the Tintin album, The Shooting Star).  How can you go wrong? 
retail price - $19.99   copacetic  price - $17.77





Picture This
by Lynda Barry
Picture This (The Near-Sighted Monkey Book) is the follow up volume to Lynda Barry's 2008 Drawn & Quarterly debut, the masterful What It Is.   Executed in the same multiple medias – pen and ink, ink wash, water colors, and collage – on perhaps an even more diverse selection of surfaces – in addition to her now trademarked use of lined, yellow legal pad paper, she here works with assorted notebook pages, graph paper and construction paper, as well as pages torn from books, magazines and newspapers –  Barry amply demonstrates that her multi-media mastery continues to be in full force.  Every page is a pleasure to look at, and while each page taken on its own may or may not display any obvious narrative content, taken as a whole the book most certainly coheres into a nourishing organic whole.   Clearly she is not afraid to take artistic risks and is comfortable working with whatever is at hand.  In Picture This, Barry manages the enviable feat of transforming quotidian detritus into a thoughtful, heartfelt, and personal work of art that gradually universalizes her personal concerns through hard won aesthetics
retail price - $29.95   copacetic  price - $25.95



Strange Tales II #1
What can you say about a Marvel comic that features an amazing Frank Santoro Silver Surfer story and another Surfer tale by Kevin Huizenga? and that also features a Dash Shaw take on Spider-Man, Jillian Tamaki doing The Dazzler, Kate Beaton on, of all characters, Kraven the Hunter? and that  includes work by Rafael Grampá, Shannon Wheeler, Gene Yang, Jeff LeMire, Nick Gurewitch, and includes a horrifyingly acute (not to mention hilarious) deconstruction of Wolverine by Jhonen Vasquez?  Well, all we can think of is, "buy it!"  If you need further convincing, then we recommend checking out this Marvel Comics hosted interview with Frank Santoro.  It's well worth reading.
retail price - $4.99   copacetic price - $4.44


The Best American Comics 2010
edited by Neil Gaiman
This time around, editor Gaiman provides a selection that is heavy on excerpts of graphic novels rather than self-contained works.  His picks include, as one would expect, the most celebrated works of last year:  R. Crumb's Book of Genesis and David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp.; but there are some surprises, as well.  In fact, the book starts out with the biggest surprise of all:  and actual Marvel Comic!  But wait – hold on, it's not what you think.  It's an excerpt from the seventh issue of the Omega the Unknown limited series that was later collected in book form.  Written by Jonathan Lethem, this excerpt starts off with the sequence that was drawn by none other than Gary Panter.  One can readily see how irresistible this choice was:  how could you not include what may very well be the only Marvel comic ever drawn by Gary Panter?  Other excerpted works include: the completely necessary Acme Novelty  #19; the off-the-radar-for-many, Citizen Rex by Gilbert and Mario Hernandez; Lilli Carré's The Lagoon (Carré was also selected for this year's Best Non-Required Reading); Josh Neufeld's docu-comic, A.D: New Orleans after the Deluge; Carol Tyler's ongoing masterpiece, You'll Never Know; Derf's Punk Rock and Trailer Parks, which we've been trying to convince people to read since it came out; and several others.  Every reader of this volume is sure to pursue the purchase – or at least perusal – of at least one of these works in its entirety, and there are bound to be a few who will want them all.  In addition to these excerpts from these graphic novels, there are plenty of short pieces by the like of Ben Katchor, James Kochalka, Peter Kuper, Jesse Reklaw and Gabrielle Bell.  Worthy of singling out, is the excellent 14-page "Trinity," by the sorely under-appreciated Michael Cho (who also executed this volume's cover), that originally appeared in the relatively obscure Taddle Creek, and so ran the risk of being missed by most, and so is perhaps Gaiman's single best call.  And, finally, we can't go without mentioning that we are happy that a selection from Copacetic favorite, Capacity, by Theo Ellsworth, is also on hand in this volume, and, not only that, but Ellsworth was commissioned to produce original endpapers for this volume as well, providing a visual treat to its opening and closing.  This series continues to be a great way to introduce the uninitiated to the wide world of comics, and makes an excellent gift.
retail price - $23.00   copacetic price - $20.00


The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010
edited by Dave Eggers (and the kids at 826Valencia and 826Michigan)
introduction by David Sedaris
And, while we're at it, we should bring to your attnetion the fact that, as always, we feel comfortable in recommending this year's installment of Best American Nonrequired Reading to Copacetic customers everywhere.  There's something for everyone here, and quite a lot for most, from Lilli Carré's full color career high (so far), "The Carnival," to Sherman Alexie's "War Dances," to the relentless reportage of George Saunders in "Tent City, U.S.A.," and much more – including over a dozen Best American lists, among which we will bring your attention to "Fast-Food Related Crimes" and "Gun Magazine Headlines."  And, just for the record, we are also stocking The Best American Short Stories 2010, edited by Richard RUsso and The Best American Essays 2010, edited by Christopher Hitchens, all at the same price point.
retail price - $14.95   copacetic price - $13.75




Emberly Galaxy: A Tribute to Ed Emberly
edited by Joe Kuth
Years in the making, this 60-page, horizontally formatted volume contains short pieces by a diverse group of independent comics artists including:  Rina Ayuyang, Jeffrey Brown, Chris Cornwell,  Warren Craghead, Sam Henderson, Alex Holden, Dan Moynihan, and Dan Zettwoch, as well as editor Kuth himself and a number of others.  All pay tribute to the so-imitable Ed Emberly, whose simple how-to-draw books demonstrated how to make the world come alive with a few simple lines.
retail price - $12.00   copacetic price - $10.00




Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s
edited by John Benson and Greg Sadowski
Just in time for Halloween, here's a trio of classic horror comics that provide a great window on the great thrill that comics once provided... and still can!  First up we have Fantagraphics' Four Color Fear:  320 pages of fulsome full color comics, all scanned from the pre-code originals and printed on flat white paper (except for the cover reproductions, which are, appropriately, reproduced on bright white glossy stock to best mimic their original appearance).  This is the horrific follow-up volume to last year's wild and woolly Supermen!, that presented a revealing display of the earliest superhero comic books that showed the form before its tropes and conventions were still in flux, before they fully gelled (and later hardened).  Aficionados take note:  this is not one to miss – in fact, we sold out of our initial shipment almost immediately.  Not to worry:  new copies are on the way!  So, while you wait for our restock, take a moment and read the editor's introduction and check out the table of contents; and then... feast your eyes on this tumultuous 26-page preview that contains four complete stories! 
retail price - $29.99   copacetic price - $26.99




The Horror! The Horror! – Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read!
Selected, edited and with commentary by Jim Trombetta; with an Introduction by R.L. Stine
Next, we have the Abrams ComicArts entry.  This cleverly named tome presents readers with a smorgasbord of brain searing graphics and more.  The Horror! is a nicely put together 300+ page full color flexi-bound collection that comes complete with a running commentary by editor Trombetta to provide a "you are there" context.  It is heavy on covers and single page examples and much lighter on actual stories than Four Color Fear, but the covers, pages and stories that are here are generally well selected, and taken together do provide an excellent survey of the period (sans EC, of course – except for a few covers; presumably because EC stories are already under separate reprint agreements).  Perhaps the biggest surprise are the excellent stories by "artist unknown."  Let's hope that some well-informed comics sleuths can deduce the correct creators.  The reproduction here is nice as well:  good quality, full color scans printed on flat white stock.  And the icing on the cake is the bonus DVD slipped inside the back cover which contains the 30-minute TV show that originally aired on October 9, 1955, Confidential File, about the "evils" of comic books!  Taken all together, it makes for a great introduction to the comics and cultural climate of the early 1950s in the US of A. 
retail price - $29.99   copacetic price - $26.99



Dick Briefer's Frankenstein
by Dick Briefer
edited by Craig Yoe
Billed as the first volume in The Chilling Archives of Horror Comics!™, this 144 page, full color hardcover is by far the best book yet produced under the Yoe Books imprint, and is the third in our Halloween horror threesome.  The ample selection of high quality scans straight from the original comic books takes readers from the 1940 debut of Briefer's Frankenstein in Prize Comics #7 through to the 1954 release of Frankenstein #31, near the end of the run.  The book begins with a biographical overview of Briefer's life and career, replete with nice repros of original art, comic covers, ephemera and rarities.  Great comics, sharp scans, crisp printing, engaging support material, nice package, reasonable price – it all comes together here.  Let's hope Yoe can keep it up.
retail price - $21.99   copacetic price - $20.00




Lose #2
by Michael DeForge
A sort of post-Kramers Eightball, Lose is a single-artist, standard pamphlet comic book that incorporates tropes from the work of Ivan Brunetti, Sammy Harkham, Charles Burns, Jim Woodring, Kevin Huizenga, and others to forge a dark and gooey comics world.  Apparently the first issue is already out of print, so you might want to grab a look at this one...
retail price - $5.00   copacetic price - $4.50








Cages
by Dave McKean
McKean's mammoth masterpiece is at last back in print in this massive oversize softcover edition from Dark Horse that is quite the value.  If you've been long pining after this work but felt that you couldn't afford it, this may be the opportunity that you've been waiting for!  And if you have never seen it before, now's your chance to check it out and learn what all the fuss is about. 
retail price - $29.95   copacetic price - $27.50










Life
by Keith Richards
Well, doubtless eveyone already knows that this one is out; just thought we'd let you know it's here.  Clearly, everyone reading this is likely to know someone who will have Life on their Christmas list.  Inevitably, someone somewhere is going to end up with ten copies...
retail price - $29.99   copacetic price - $25.00




Just Kids
by Patti Smith
OK, true believers, THIS IS IT!  Just Kids is the most poetic evocation of the spirit of rock 'n' roll rebellion that we are likely ever to have.  The story told here, of Patti and Robert, is a modern American version of the classic tragedy of the doomed lovers (think Troilus and Cressida, Pelléas and Mélisande, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde – you get the idea).  The intensity and historical importance (well, at least to the history of rock 'n' roll and the nexus at which it connects to art, at any rate) of the events related in the story are at times overwhelming.  Whereas throughout Western history, the tragic paradigm has been for the tragedy to occur within the realm of history and to be later redeemed within the realm of art, here in Just Kids, Patti Smith spins the tale of how her and Robert Mapplethorpe have redeemed their own personal tragedies in the present through their own work, thus breaking on through to the other side by being both actors on history's stage and creating artists themselves.  It's the American way.  While, surely, they aren't the only couple to have done so, Just Kids is the purest and strongest literary embodiment by an actual living participant in such a story that we have come across.  Patti Smith has a poet's eye, a poet's ear, a poet's tongue and a poet's pen, all animated by a rock 'n' roll soul.
etail price - $16.00   copacetic price - $14.50



Rat Girl
by Kristin Hersh
And, if that's not enough rock 'n' roll life for you, then get ready for Kristin Hersh's Rat Girl: a rock 'n' roll childhood that is haunting and affecting on many levels, as these many reviews attest:  with hidden noise, Huffington Post (w/interview), Slate.  While nowhere near as well known as Richards or Smith, Hersh's talent and output – solo, as well as and especially, with her original ensemble, The Throwing Muses, is of surpassing intensity.  Rat Girl, while very different from Just Kids, also covers the years leading right up to her entering the professional stage of her rock 'n' roll life.  Bonus fact:  cover by none other than Gilbert Hernandez!
retail price - $15.00   copacetic price - $13.75



Amazing Facts & Beyond #3: Back That Fact Up!
by Kevin Huizenga and Dan Zettwoch
Fun-filled factoids for our times from St. Louis's fighting fabulists.  Frequently flying in the face of formality, these forty free-wheeling "fact"-filled fables fulfill the fundamentals.  First two issues still available!  Feel the frantic flaws in the fabric for free, here.
retail price - $5.00   copacetic price - $5.00




Mixed Up
by Jim Rugg
Here's a brand new mini comic that will be especially enjoyed by those who had a good time trying to figure out the identities of the character mash ups in the various posters executed for the just passed PIX.  Mixed Up features 28 mash ups done in a similar fashion (a few of which are actually the ones which were used in the PIX promotions).  For those perhaps not quite as well versed in the particulars of comics characters, the best part about it may be the "answer key" at the back of the book, revealing who's who in each.  As a result, Mixed Up can double as an excellent parlour game for comics fans everywhere, making it quite the bargain!
retail price - $3.00   copacetic price - $3.00


Items from our October 2010 listings may now be purchased online at our new site, HERE.