NEW STUFF ARCHIVES
New for September 2020
retail price - $10.00 copacetic price - $9.50Mtsyry: Octobriana 1976
by Jim Rugg
Communism has, in the United States, served as a black mirror of Capitalism (and, yes, this mirror functioned vice versa, as well). It is onto communism that capitalism’s fears of its own unseen weaknesses, failures and flaws have, historically, been projected. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the “victory” of capitalism, this mirror was put away up in the attic, where it has been gathering dust. Without it, the USA has to a significant degree lost its ability to see itself, and understand its subsequent transformations. But the USSR has not been forgotten! Here, in the pages of Mtsyry: Octobriana 1976 Jim Rugg has dragged this mirror back down into the present, dusted it off, polished it up and put it on display – in dazzling, fluorescent, “black light” colors, no less. The action in Octobriana is putatively taking place in the USSR of 1976, but, as represented, it is clearly a portrait of USA today, with Robot Stalin as the CEO of a nation state in thrall to the (obviously male-dominated) corporation. The opposition group – the PPP – is, again, not a group organized to foment a political uprising, as it would be in the USSR, in classical communist revolutionary fashion, but rather one intent on taking cultural action and fomenting a cultural change, one that clearly provides significant space and roles for women and that is visually presented to align it with the branch of comics originating with Love and Rockets, that is rooted in punk and post-punk youth culture of the USA. That is the reality from which Octobriana then emerges, a (possibly drug-inspired) fever day-dream of comic book violence set in the USSR that serves as a cathartic battle for the soul of the USA. Rugg follows the original iterations of Octobriana (see below), which, in her visual representations, went all over the map, and could, in the variety of her depictions, be read as being, wholly or partially, Slavic, Mongolian, Viking and/or Amazonian in origin. Here in the context of an American comic book this translates to her character being read as a mix of American ethnicities, with African American and American Indian clearly among them. In this way, Octobriana as comic book mythography, strongly represents a multi-cultural, melting-pot vision of America struggling to destroy the white-male controlled, corporate-centric techno-state represented by the figure of her nemesis, Robot Stalin. And it is this struggle that the bulk (21 of its 28 pages, if you’re counting) of Mtsyry: Octobriana 1976 is occupied with. Rugg employs the staple action/adventure trope of Girls With Guns, which, in their conflation of sex and violence, serve as the hormonal hook to reel in the (mostly male) readers of many a comic book. However, here in these pages this trope is manifested in the form of one woman with many guns… and knives, and, for good measure, a military tank, as well. Rugg’s pyrotechnical drafting abilities are on full display in these 21 pages of eye-popping action and violent mayhem centered on Octobriana. And in employing a fluorescent “black light’ color scheme throughout (evidently a first for comics) Octobriana evokes not just the hedonism of the 1960s & 70s, but also, unavoidably, the social and political upheavals that went along with them, and can thereby serve to reflect our own times as well, where we have become used to hearing, “not since the protests of the 1960s has America faced this level of social unrest.” Intriguingly, Russia has been implicated in inciting our current social unrest, as the Soviet Union was during the 1960s, which dovetails nicely – if somewhat ironically – with the other narrative layers. But, “Hey,” you may ask, “Who is Octobriana, and where did she come from?” Octobriana has a labyrinthine history that has been deliberately shrouded in mystery, but is, ultimately, primarily the creation of Petr Sadecky, who, for the purposes of this review, can be seen as someone aspiring to be a sort of Czech Stan Lee (but one lacking the immersion in and access to popular culture which Lee possessed). Sadecky collaborated with two Czech artists, Bohumil Konecny and Zdenek Burian, who created the visual designs and a narrative comics template for the character, but then went on to employ these as the starting point for an elaborate, multi-layered – and deceptively manipulated – mythography of his own making. Rugg sources his primary visual representation of Octobriana from the cover image of Sadecky’s book in which he lays out the mythology of Octobriana and the story of her creation (which, it turns out, is as much of myth as the character herself), and also references other depictions of her character by Konecny and Burian. To set the mood, the back cover of Mtsyry: Octobriana 1976 presents snippets of Octobriana's creation myth. And, finally, there is an Octobriana rabbit hole of significant size available to dive down into, for anyone who is so inclined, but be forewarned that it takes some real digging to go deep. Two entry points are here and here. And, you can get Jim's perspectives on Octobriana – and much more – in this recent TCJ interview, here.
The Contradictions
by Sophie Yanow
With The Contradictions, Sophie Yanow delivers what is unquestionably her most accomplished work to date. This 200 page graphic novel chronicles Yanow's time spent as an American student coming of age in Europe – primarily Paris and Amsterdam. The narrative follows young Yanow as she navigates the nexus of connections between relationships, politics and theory (and drugs), and then strives to figure out how all these fit together to form a cohesive sense of reality. As the reader is gradually drawn into this vortex, they will be brought face to face with... the contradictions. “The Contradictions is a masterpiece. Sophie Yanow’s tale of hitchhiking around Europe under the spell of a sulky, fixie-riding anarchist is a pitch-perfect portrait of youthful disillusionment and self-discovery. Yanow’s impeccable ligne claire drawing seems to mathematically cancel out everything nonessential in her panels, and the effect is surprisingly, even transcendently, emotional.” —Alison Bechdel “The Contradictions is Yanow’s best work yet. The atmosphere of Yanow’s lines paired with the clarity of her writing form a style of comics that I have never seen before. Every panel makes you want to cry and laugh simultaneously." —Tillie Walden
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $21.75
retail price - $20.00 copacetic price - $18.75
Venus in the Blind Spot
by Junji Ito
Venus in the Blind Spot – and is that a great title, or what? – will have your skin crawling in no time. The horror manga master, Junji Ito is back with another collection of deeply creepy tales. This time around there is the added attraction of some subtle added color in a few of the tales, along with a full color gallery of glossy full page illustrations. The inclusion of the color is certainly interesting and works particularly well in one instance (no spoilers here), but leaves little doubt that Ito is most effective in his native black and white, which still makes up the bulk of the collection. Read at your own risk...
retail price - $22.99 copacetic price - $20.00
retail price - $29.99 copacetic price - $26.75
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New for August 2020
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $21.75Now #9
edited by Eric Reynolds, w/ Theo Ellsworth, Raquelle Jac, Keren Katz, Noah Van Sciver, Emil Friis Ernst, Ben Nadler, Ethel Wolfe, John Ohannesian
Yes, it's that time, the new Now is here! Starting off once again with a Theo Ellsworth one-pager, this issue immediately proceeds to the feature attraction: the 40-page epic, "Misguided Love" by Raquelle Jac, a relatively unheralded newcomer whose work also graces the front cover of this issue. There are likely to be quite a wide variety of reactions to this story, which is powerful to the point of feeling like it risks running off its rails at any moment. One thing most readers will agree on is that Ms. Jac's cartooning represents a bold, original synthesis – one can register hints of many cartoonists and comics makers here – as authentic as it is cathartic. After that we are treated to the quite controlled stylings and musings of Keren Katz, followed by the amazing sight of an all new episode of Basil Wolverton's Spacehawk... by Noah Van Sciver! Then Emil Friis Ernst delivers "Zoom", a finely composed, color saturated 10-pager which harkens back to the glory days (read: 1970s) of Metal Hurlant (Heavy Metal), particularly some of those enigmatic Moebius shorts. The issue closes out with back-to-back 20-pagers that, while employing quite distinct graphic approaches, each provide their own window on life in our times: "Quarryhouse" by Ben Nadler and "How Mums Annoy You" by Ethel Wolfe. Another great issue!
retail price - $12.99 copacetic price - $11.75
Seeds and Stems
by Simon Hanselmann
At last, mere mortals can finally get their hands on a close-to-complete collection of all the rare, self-published, limited edition zines that Simon Hanselmann has self-published over the the last, roughly, five years – along with plenty more bonus material, including rare anthology submissions and more. This hefty softcover collection runs a whopping 360 pages in total! And while it is packaged in a pharmaceutical orange plastic dustjacket, this collection is available without a prescription! "This collection is designed and curated entirely by the artist."
retail price - $29.99 copacetic price - $25.75
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $21.75Toybox Americana: Characters Met Along the Way
by Tim Lane
With Toybox Americana, Tim Lane continues on his epic artistic journey to chronicle his vision of America. It is a combatively pre-postmodern vision that centers on people rather than process, one that valorizes content over form. Here in the pages of Toybox Americana, as elsewhere, Lane focuses on the common man (and, if to a substantially lesser degree, woman), before their consciousnesses were colonized by psychologically invasive mass medias, when they were grounded in their environments and saw themselves in situ. Yes, these environments were harsh but this harshness held within in the capacity to be ennobling – if only momentarily. Character is here forged in the crucible of experience, and experience, for the common people of America is often harsh and sometimes cruel; people are often pushed to the edge, and sometimes over, into the abyss. The bulk of this 250+ page oversize hardcover volume, which has something in the way of a coffee table book feel about it, is devoted to a series of illustrated vignettes produced for the Riverfront Times in St. Louis from 2004 through 2009 under the heading, “You Are Here.” These were, more or less, a continuation of a similar, but brief, series that he has produced for the New York Press in 2002, under the heading, “Intersection.” (Lane walks readers through the history, background and intent of these series in his informative introduction to this volume.). These pieces are, just to be clear, composed of a spread with a short, one-page text piece accompanied by a single full page illustration. Having trouble visualizing what these look like? Not to fear! Several of these illustrated vignettes are available for preview here (following the complete text of Lane's introduction, "Read This First"). So, anyway, regardless: not comics. But… accompanying these there are approximately 50-60 pages worth of “experimental vignettes” and “graphic feature stories” which are, for the most part, comics; and great comics, at that.
retail price - $34.99 copacetic price - $28.75
A Map to the Sun
by Sloane Leong
A Map to the Sun is an engrossing coming of age tale that centers on the friendship between two westcoast high-schoolers and that pivots on their mutual involvement with basketball. The story is engaging and its 360 vibrant, color sturated pages are simultanesously a visual treat and unmatched in conveying the physicality of youth. Do yourself a favor and check out this generous preview. You'll be glad you did!
retail price - $17.99 copacetic price - $15.75
Ex.Mag - "Full Metal Dreamland" #1: Cyberpunk
by Connor Willumsen, Sophia Foster-Dimino, Jonathan Djob Nkondo, Mushbuh , Freddy Carrasco, Giannis Milongiannis, Tonci Zonjic, Jane Mai, Wren McDonald, Kelly K
The first issue of Ex.Mag (of a projected three) is packed with great comics devoted to this issue's theme/genre: Cyberpunk. The stories on hand here approach cyberpunk from a wide diversity of perspectives, so expect the unexpected! The collection opens with a great 29 page piece by Sophia Foster-Dimino – their first substantial new work we've come across in awhile. And then it closes with Conor Willumsen's 18 page "My Grandma Was My Bounty", which is worth the price of admission all by itself – wow! And then there's the over 120 pages of comics in between. This 192 page softcover anthology comes in a great format and PEOW has put it all together in a nice package. Measuring 6 1/2" x 8 1/4" it presents a wider than usual canvas, with a width to height ratio slightly higher than the magazine format (think Love and Rockets). Printed in black, grey and green on a heavier weight, white newsprint, with a flexible cardstock cover, it's designed with the reader in mind.
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $15.00
Grixly 3-Pack: #48, 49 & 50
by Nate McDonough
To celebrate Grixly reaching its 50th issue milestone, we’re offering this Grixly 3-pack special of issues 48, 49 & 50 for one low price. Here’s a chance to get 90 pages of made-in-Pittsburgh comics. Each of these three digest-size issues sports a full color front and back cover enclosing 28 interior pages, four in full color and 24 in black & white. Within these pages Nate McDonough turns his psyche inside to bare the marks that life in these United States has made upon it. Everything is on display, nothing is sacred: drinking, working, shopping, sex, law enforcement, Christianity, advertising in all its glory particularly infomercials & billboards, dating, walking, running, bicycling, telephone calls, movies, television, the internet, music, nature, toys, drugs, dreams, nightmares, monsters, ghosts and, at the center of it all, comics! Also: speculations on what the future holds; potentially disturbing images; dogs, cats, a deer and one sloth, before and after. Bonus fun fact: #49 contains the entirety of Nate’s diary comics created for TCJ.com, which ran last summer. Grixly!
retail price - $9.00 copacetic price - $6.75
Stuck Rubber Baby: 25th Anniversary Edition
by Howard Cruse
Long – and criminally! – out of print, Howard Cruse's epochal work of long form comics, Stuck Rubber Baby, one of the most significant early North American graphic novels – and among the first to truly merit the label – is at last back in print in this deluxe hardcover edition (click here for our original [2003] review). It has been released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its initial publication – an anniversary that Cruse did not get to celebrate himself, having passed away late last year (but he was involved in the preparations for this edition, and so, of course, knew it was coming, thankfully). This edition includes over 20 pages of bonus materials, much of it written by Cruse himself specifically for this edition, primarily focusing on the process of creating the work. Take a moment to read Alison Bechdel's heartfelt introduction to the book, which is available in its entirety on Slate, here. Or just wait for your copy to arrive to read it in the more intimate setting of the book itself, as it is best experienced. And, anyone who has not done so already, is hereby directed to Howard's obituary, penned by Justin Hall, at TCJ.com.
These items and more may also be found at our eCommerce site, HERE.
New for July 2020
retail price - $28.99 copacetic election price - $17.76Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy
by Daniel G. Newman & George O'Connor
Unrig is an excellent primer on the American political system, what's good about it, what's bad about it, what's working, what's not working, what's broken – along with identifying who broke it, how they went about breaking it, and their goals in doing so – and, most importantly, what we can do to fix the problems and make the system work for all of us. Author Daniel Newman shares his insights into the mechanics of the American political system and, together with illustrator George O'Connor leverages the power of comics to explain the rules of the game, the players, and the "board" on which it is played before elucidating the ways in which our political system has been captured by the moneyed classes in general, and the economic elite (read, a certain group of billionaires) in particular, who have rigged the game in their favor. Knowledge is power, and readers will come away from reading Unrig feeling empowered and ready to fight back and be a part of the change. Unrig will also set readers on the path towards doing so and provides signposts along the way. There is even a website for the book – unrigbook.com – that includes, as of this writing, a lengthy preview of the book (under "About") along with a list of proposed solutions and a list of groups to get involved with to help bring them about. And, we're offering Unrig at a very special Civic Engagement Promotion(al) price. (You could get started "unrigging" the American political system by donating your savings to one of these organizations.)
retail price - $19.99 copacetic price - $17.75
retail price - $49.99 copacetic price - $42.75
Perramus: The City and Oblivion
Queer: A Graphic History
by Meg-John Barker & Julia Scheele
We've had this book in the shop since it was released, but now realize that we have been remiss in not offering it here as well. An engaging tour of the world of Queer Theory which is in some respects an ex post facto assemblage of those writers – theorists, essayists, academics, activists, et al – that can now, from the vantage point of the present, be seen as having been working towards this before the label had been coined, Queer: A Graphic History is a highly accessible overview of this ever more relevant field. Writer Meg-John Barker and cartoonist Julia Scheele mesh quite well and together leverage the power of illustration to painlessly and efficiently deliver a giant stockpile of of history, theory and information. Queer: A Graphic History is an ideal entrypoint for anyone interested in gaining access to the perspectives offered by this branch of study. Readers will not only receive immediate enlightenment but will be introduced to the key figures in the development of what has come to be known as Queer Theory.
retail price - $18.95 copacetic price - $17.00
retail price - $14.95 copacetic price - $13.75
These items and more may also be found at our eCommerce site, HERE.
