NEW STUFF ARCHIVES
New for September 2021
Secret Life
Working in an office building – or even visiting one! – will never be the same again after reading Theo Ellsworth's richly imaginative graphic novel interpretation of Jeff VanderMeer's tale (that was originally published as the lead story in his 2004 collection of the same name). Secret Life, as one might expect, is all about revealing a different sort of life lurking just below the surface of quotidian normalcy. It only takes an instant to realize that this is straight up Theo Ellsworth's alley! It's close to a perfect match, and Theo really goes to town. It is a bit different seeing him work on a more formally straightforward narrative, and there are moments during the reading of Secret Life where you might experience hints of Rick Geary, Mark Alan Stamaty, Ben Katchor or even Michael Kupperman – yet there's never the slightest doubt that no one else but Theo Ellsworth could be the creator this work. It's a lot of fun – but it's also more than that. The office building, with its focus on a nameless, faceless corporation the task and point of which is not only unknown but also perhaps nothing at all besides floating lives on a current of cash flow along preset channels going nowhere, is also clearly intended as a synecdoche for 21st century American civilization. And then there are the seemingly timeless natural rhythms that undergird and finally interpenetrate it all, yet still remaining just out of intellectual reach – beyond mortal ken. Moving in the spaces between these two zones – which can (but don't have to) be taken to symbolize the conscious and unconscious – are a panoply of characters with whom readers can identify to varying degrees, and so find their own place and sort out their own role in all of this... a process which to which Theo Ellsworth's singular art provides a contribution of inestimable value. Take a moment to check out this high resolution preview courtesy D & Q.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $21.75
Discipline
Penny
by Karl Stevens
When you think of your cat's inner life, do you imagine it being by turns curious, angry, playful, hungry, frantic, escapist, lazy, sleepy, dreamy, imaginative, and even occasionally delusional bordering on psychotic – and with an undercurrent of snark constantly lurking just below the surface? If so, then your cat may have a lot in common with Karl Steven's cat, Penny, the narrator and putative "author" of this memoir. Even if you imagine your cat's inner life as being very different – and even if you've never had a cat – you still stand a good chance of being entertained by this precisely-yet-lushly drawn work. Head over to Room 68 Gallery and check out the nice high-resolution images of some of the original pages (and fantasize about owning one of them – or, if you just came into some cash, consider actually buying one!).
retail price - $19.99 copacetic price - $17.75
The Hand of Black and Other StoriesNew for August 2021
by Martin Cendreda
After a lengthy hiatus, Martin Cendreda returns with this collection of largely new, longer stories – along with some key earlier short works that fit well in this mix. It's been a while since we last heard from him, so it's great to know he's still working and, of course, to witness the fruits of his labors. Throughout the seven stories collected here – four new and three old – Cendreda demonstrates his distrust of the spoken word by entirely eschewing dialogue, limiting the use of text to only that which appears within the visual diagesis – as written on signs, screens and pages, etc. – sound effects (of which there are many), and the occasional extra-diagetic caption ("and so", "the next morning", etc.). Taken together with the fact that the entirety of this collection is laid out in a nine-panel grid and rendered in a black & white with red color scheme means the reader is in for a strong and direct visual reading experience, one that Cendreda has designed to mercilessly drag those very same readers – this means you – into the bleak, relentless vortex of a largely – but, crucially, not wholly – malevolent universe where hallucination and horror mix it up with mayhem and murder and absurdity reigns over all.
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $21.75
Grixly Bonus Pack #53 & 54 + Magician's Sleeve
by Nate McDonough, w/Tyler McAndrew
OK, get ready for more "Longboxes" – 28 pages worth, to be exact, as the entirety of Grixly #53 is devoted to the continuing saga of Nate's adventures in the wild world of comic book wheeling and dealing. From interacting with fellow fans at comics shops, to eBay etiquette, and the trips to the post office in between, the strips that make up "Longboxes" are interspersed with observations, interpretations and self-reflections – all leavened with the ironic and self-deprecative brand of humor that is Grixly's trademark (aka GrixlyLaffs™). #54 starts off with another brutal Minions cover and moves on through a series personal anecdotes, remembrances, recollections and reflections on Life in These United States. A stand out is the untitled pantomime strip that – Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans, take note – provides the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything in 42 panels spread out over seven six-panel pages, before setting it up to start over again with a single panel page, asserting the cyclicity of existence... And then, as an added bonus, we're throwing in Nate's 2021 Spooky Halloween collaboration (the fifth) with Tyler McAndrew, Magician's Sleeve: 16 pages of gruesome gore!
retail price - $8.00 copacetic price - $6.00
These items and more may also be found at our eCommerce site, HERE.
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $13.75Unsmooth #2: BUM
by E. S. Glenn
With the arrival of this, the second issue of the series, it becomes clear that the first was but a prologue. Here, in the 88 full color pages of Unsmooth #2: BUM, E.S. Glenn opens up new portals and reveals previously unseen dimensions of what will henceforth be known as the Unsmooth Multiverse. Enmeshed within an encompassing framework of ligne claire bande dessinée, readers will encounter mecha manga (along with a snatch of horror hentai) – plus sub-titled anime videos – New Yorker cartoons (and an old school Penguin paperback), cartooned modern art (along with some graffiti), some classical, newspaper Sunday-page strips, photobooth strips, and more. Oh yeah, and humans and anthropomorphic animal characters (especially of the avian persuasion) mix it up throughout, pressing readers ever further – and deeper – into the realm of comics signification, where the only reality that matters is the one on the page. It can be deduced from the evidence provided on – and within – these pages that pain and suffering constitute the Dark Matter binding the dimensions of the Unsmooth Multiverse together – with all sorts of Family Drama forming its core; always at risk of collapsing into a Black Hole. But, this dark matter is simultaneously propelled outward by Repulsive Forces, and can be seen here to be constantly working its way out any way it can: the portals into the Unsmooth Multiverse are two-way; dimensional gateways, if you will. Acting out, drinking out, drawing out, loving out, losing out, shooting out, writing out: these are but some of the paths along which all this pain and suffering is traveling, each pathway enacting a unique set of transformations as it enters into each reader, each variation multiplying the possibilities, creating endless new realities. The Unsmooth Multiverse is a quantum state, vibrating between the two poles of binding in and working out, transacting within a Causaloid comics architecture, and in the process instantiating an Amplituhedronic vision of existence. Amazingly, Unsmooth also makes for an engaging and entertaining read: fun and funny; action packed; rife with pathos; smart, savvy, insightful and clever – in other words, it's a great comic book! It all depends on the angle of refraction. This issue incorporates Glenn's mini-masterpiece, “The Gigs” – originally published in NOW #8, and appearing here in the full A4 paper size that was its destiny – along with seven other short and not-so-short pieces – including the title track, "BUM", which is this issue's centerpiece – that are simultaneously interactive parts of a single unity of which this issue, in its entirety, forms but a tiny part. Unsmooth #2 requires – and rewards – multiple readings. >>> Don’t miss it! <<<
Crisis Zone
by Simon Hanselmann
It's here! You don't need us to tell you what this is about. You already know that this oversize, full color, softcover volume collects the entirety of Simon Hanselmann's hugely popular Instagram series of the same name – that has already been heralded as the definitive comics accounting of the pandemic – plus quite a bit of extra art/panels/story that did NOT appear on Instagram, the reason being that Simon works on a twelve-panel grid, but Instagram limits posts to ten-panels. So, Simon, effectively, had to come up with two versions of each day's strip: one that worked in a ten panel sequence read one at a time, and one that worked in the full twelve-panel grid. This, in and of itself is no small feat, and is a testimony to Hanselmann's strong comics chops. Additionally, it is a variation on the (very) long running practice of newspaper cartoonists who produce syndicated Sunday pages, in that newspapers employ two different standard formats in printing them, depending – in large part – on page size of the newspaper, one which contains, roughly, the equivalent of two extra panels (although, in practice, this usually means one large panel). Newspaper cartoonists usually insert a display panel here, rather than one – or two – panels that can be read as part of the narrative, as Simon has done. Thus, Hanselmann emerges as comics champ!
retail price - $29.99 copacetic price - $26.75
Providence
by Alan Moore, & Jacen Burrows
Providence is an ambitious work of meta-fiction that has much in common with Moore’s most celebrated work, Watchmen, most obviously with it’s format as a 12-issue limited series, but most importantly with its similar claim to being a comics masterpiece. But while the "meta" of Watchmen pertained to superheroes, the "meta" of Providence pertains to horror; specifically the horror of H.P. Lovecraft. Now, finally, after a multi-year hiatus – the entire series, which originally appeared between 2015 and 2017 – is at last collected in an affordable single-volume, here in this 480 page softcover compendium. Taking its title from H.P. Lovecraft’s hometown of Providence, RI, Moore clearly intends this epic to be read – in part – as a meditation on Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos – as well as his life, times and world view. Providence is like Watchmen too in that Moore lets it be known at the outset that it takes place elsewhere in the multiverse, in a world that is closely parallel to our own, similar in most respects, but yet not the same; perhaps most profitably seen as our world as Lovecraft saw it. And, finally, the methodically detailed artwork of Jacen Burrows provides a similarly well-suited complement to Moore’s script for Providence as that of Dave Gibbons did for Watchmen. The story’s protagonist is Robert Black, a gay, self-involved writer living in New York City, and opens in 1919. The story runs on two, parallel tracks – that of the visual mise-en-scène of the comics, and that of the prose recording of the same events in Black’s personal journal, which appear at the conclusion of each issue/chapter. It is in the parallax view of the variance between these two accounts that the true story – and horror – lies. This double track narrative probes the nature of subjective experience, in the process providing a demonstration of the the powers of self-deception and delusion and ultimately working to flip the relationship between fiction and non-fiction, with Moore positing that it is fiction that is closer to the ultimate truth as unconscious biases and innate ignorances cannot help but distort any reality that is processed by an individual subjectivity, and thus that the "objectivity" of reportage is illusory. In this way, Providence can be seen as providing a Philip-K-Dickian take on the Cthulu mythos. The narrative builds relentlessly towards a suitably cataclysmic conclusion, but as in Watchmen, the greatest and most memorable moments occur along the way. And, Providence could well prove to be Alan Moore’s final major comics work, as he recently signed a contract for a five-volume series of (prose) fantasy novels (he also announced his “retirement” from comics; but we’ve heard that before). If so, it will be a fitting work to mark his transition as one of its signal accomplishments is in employing comics and prose together in an effective and original synthesis. Yet it also clearly shows what the world will be losing by Moore’s departure from comics, as it is a work that would not be possible to create in prose alone.
retail price - $29.99 copacetic price - $26.75
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $21.75
Save It for Later
by Nate Powell
Abrams ComicArts sez: "In seven interwoven comics essays, author and graphic novelist Nate Powell addresses living in an era of what he calls “necessary protest.” Save It for Later: Promises, Parenthood, and the Urgency of Protest is Powell’s reflection on witnessing the collapse of discourse in real time while drawing the award-winning trilogy March, written by Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, this generation’s preeminent historical account of nonviolent revolution in the civil rights movement. Powell highlights both the danger of normalized paramilitary presence symbols in consumer pop culture, and the roles we play individually as we interact with our communities, families, and society at large." Interested? Want to read/learn more about this project and/or Nate Powell? Then head on over to this fairly in-depth, half hour interview with Henry Chamberlin.
retail price - $29.99 copacetic price - $17.75
retail price - $44.99 copacetic price - $35.75
Architecture of an Atom
by Juliacks
While we've been selling Architecture of an Atom in the shop since its initial release – and in fact hosted a release party for it – we, apparently, neglected to list it online. So, we are hereby rectifying the situation. Juliacks is a multidisciplinary artist and, in fact, Architecture of an Atom is a work that spans all her disciplines. In addition to the – quite substantial – comics form it takes here, Architecture of an Atom also also comprises works in film, theater, performance, painting, drawing, print-making and possibly others! And so truly merits its designation as a gesamtkunstwerk – and effectively serves to update this term and bring it into the 21st century, as our lived environment today is so wildly different form that of the 19th century when this term was first coined. Architecture of an Atom is a whirlwind portrait of a psyche coming to terms with its life and times. It can make for a difficult reading experience. Any reader looking for narrative or theme will likely struggle for some time and many readers will find the work opaque, yet those who are able to let go of demands and preconceptions of what a graphic novel should be may be rewarded by the experience of direct psychic confrontation that is on offer. Fans of Brecht Evens, and others, who feel like pushing even further into interiority should at least check this out, and the creator and publisher have both made that easy to do! Juliacks has created a website that provides an overview of the project in its entirety, HERE. And publisher, 2dCloud has provided a very generous preview of the graphic novel, HERE. Check them out and see what you think! And, if you like what you see, we've made it a bit easier to take the plunge by offering an extra-strength discount on this fairly pricey – but quite hefty – tome.
These items and more may also be found at our eCommerce site, HERE.
New for July 2021
retail price - $24.99 copacetic price - $21.75Chartwell Manor
by Glenn Head
Glenn Head's memoir, Chartwell Manor is an open, revealing, and harrowing account of his years spent in a boarding school headed by a deranged and abusive head master – as well as its aftermath. While the book, being a memoir, naturally focuses on Head's own experiences, he also weaves in a series of vignettes of encounters with other of Chartwell's alumni which, taken together with his own, provide a damning account of the life long consequences of the traumatic experiences undergone there during those formative years. Most intriguingly, Head effectively demonstrates the ethos of the boarding school as being of a piece with and/or an extension of that of his own parents. That it was the needs and feelings of the supervising adults that were paramount, and that it was up to the children under their charges to adapt in order to survive. And, as Chartwell Manor amply illustrates in its 244 pages of hard won black and white comics, these adaptations often took the form of personality mutations and malformations that in turn led to substance (i.e., drug and alcohol) abuse, which in turn amplified these personality changes in a vicious cycle that could – and did – take the better part of a lifetime to escape from and/or work through. This isn't a book for everyone, but it definitely hit a nerve for many an old school independent and/or underground cartoonist, as these testimonials amply testify: "This is a great graphic novel! I couldn't put it down... starkly honest, a powerful story... the level of merciless self-examination – wow! I was deeply impressed. Head has traveled a long way to get to this point. This is – well, okay, I'll say it: A MASTERPIECE! Truly." – R. Crumb "I loved it! Chartwell Manor is a painful, riveting, and brutally honest memoir – possibly the most honest one I've ever read. This clearly took a lot of guts to produce, as well a lifetime to process!" – Peter Bagge "A troubling but important piece of graphic work. If you're new to Glenn Head's comics, then this book is a perfect place to start." – Noah Van Sciver "Born too late to be a member of the original Underground, this establishes Head as being on equal footing with the best cartoonists of those tattered ranks. With his unique cartooning style and lean and mean prose, he is keeping the flame of the original genre alive... He somehow pulls this off with zero pretension, astonishing honesty and understated wit." – Justin Green
retail price - $29.99 copacetic price - $25.75
Alone in Space
by Tillie Walden
Alone in Space is a hefty hardcover volume that collects Tillie Walden's first three graphic novels previously published by Avery Hill – The End of Summer, A City Inside and I Love This Part – along with a pile of short pieces from various obscure sources, all from the same period. The works here are in black and white, duo-tone and full color, and show the development of her style; they are also accompanied by some brief authorial notes. Oh yeah, did we mention that most of the work collected here was made by Ms. Walden when she was a teenager? How!?! Plus, bonus introductory essay by Warren "SPX" Bernard!
retail price - $32.95 copacetic price - $29.75
No. 5, Vol. 1
by Taiyo Matsumoto
Finally, the entirety of Taiyo Matsumoto's eight-volume saga, No. 5, will be collected – in four, 300+ page, double-size volumes – in English (translated by Matsumoto's longtime American collaborator, Michael Arias) for the first time! Originally published in Japan a full twenty years ago, No. 5 is an intriguing and intoxicating amalgam of Matsuoto's international influences, notable among them Moebius, Otomo and Hugo Pratt. No. 5 is Matsumoto's most daring and experimental work, and readers will have to stay focused to keep up with all the twists and turns. Those who do will receive ample rewards for their pains, as this series is filled with dazzling artwork as Matsumoto shows off his incredible artistic range. For those long-time Matsumoto fans who were lucky enough to get their hands on the two volumes published by Viz in 2002-3 – which was as far as it went at that time – please note that this first volume collects those two volumes (along with a new super-wraparound-French-flapped cover and fold out poster). The following three volumes – which will be released at three-month intervals through April of 2022 – will entirely consist of work appearing in English for the first time. No. 5 is an epic science fiction / fantasy adventure set in a topsy-turvy world of Matsumoto's own devising where everything looks and feels simultaneously familiar and alien. So, settle in, buckle up and get ready for some fantastic comics/manga!
retail price - $22.99 copacetic price - $20.00
And here's a small press comics anthology quartet, featuring a regionally produced trio!
American Cult
by Robyn Chapman
OK, get ready for a roller coaster ride of euphoria and terror, agony and ecstasy, megalomania and paranoia in this 200 page, black and white softcover comics anthology that examines the phenomenon of American cults in eighteen separate works all created especially for this volume and appearing here for the first time. For the purposes of this anthology, the editor, Robyn Chapman defines a cult as being a group of individuals sharing a belief system that challenges societal norms, who freely cohere around a charismatic – but ultimately totalitarian – leader, for the purposes of forming a community. These communities share a wide variety of beliefs, ranging from the Oneida Community in mid-19th century New York to the Manson Family in 1960s California, from the The People's Temple of Jim Jones that found its terminus in Jonestown to the Westboro Baptist Church, and many more in between, including MOVE in 1980s Philadelphia. Also included are a look at the cult-like aspects of branches of Orthodox Judiasm and a fundamentalist Mormon "splinter group." Chapman has recruited an all-star line-up of North American independent cartoonists to shine a light on these groups. Here's the creator lineup: Lara Antal, Brian “Box” Brown, Ryan Carey, Rosa Colón Guerra, Mike Dawson, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, Mike Freiheit, Emi Gennis, Andrew Greenstone, Janet Harvey, Josh Kramer, Jesse Lambert, Ellen Lindner, Lonnie Mann, Ben Passmore, Jim Rugg, Robert Sergel, Vreni Stollberger, Steve Teare, and J.T. Yost.
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $21.75
Rust Belt Review #2
edited by Sean Knickerbocker, w/Asia Bey, Will Dinski, Andrew Greenstone, Alex Nall, Evan Salazar, Audra Stang, Juan Fernandez
Right on schedule, here's the second volume of Rust Belt Review. Edited and published by certified rust-belter, Sean Knickerbocker, this issue is another over-sized (9 1/4" x 12") issue, nicely printed on flat, off-white stock, but this time around we have an extra 20 pages of comics! (Along with a slightly higher price, as a result.) Life in the rust belt emerges in a somewhat more unified fashion this time around, as their is plenty of common ground between these stories: movement, as characters in these stories, drive, ride, bike and walk from point A to point B (and in more that one instance [and more than one way] find their travel interrupted for reaching their destination); various forms of violence and threats thereof, are encountered, involving the intentional use of weapons as well as the inadvertent use of vehicles; sexual (or sexualized) behaviour is another common thread weaving its way through most of the stories in one form or another, including acts, physical and verbal play, innuendo, and also sublimation. Each of the seven contributors to this issue takes their own personal approach (about which we hope to have the chance to elaborate a bit on), and so there is a great deal of diversity within this common ground – which is very much the point of a regional anthology! Plus, an essay by Juan Fernandez, "Comics Is a River." A solid second issue!
retail price - $12.95 copacetic price - $11.75
These items and more may also be found at our eCommerce site, HERE.
