By Todd Allen

You may have noticed the Warlord of Mars, Fall of Barsoom tpb was in stores today.  Maybe you’d like to read the first issue and see if you like it?

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Last weekend, I attended the Mid-Winter conference of the American Library Association held in Dallas, Texas.  It’s not as hectic as their annual conference held in the summertime, but it still has a large number of vendors selling to what is the largest gathering of librarians in the United States.

Since the audience is made primarily of librarians, most of the exhibitors are selling to that market.  Library furniture, electronic databases, textbooks… it’s a very different market than that seen at BookExpo America, which is primarily a trade show for booksellers.  The vibe is also very different.  Instead of the doom and gloom of the bottom line, librarians are on the front lines of literacy, actively teaching people to read, advocating titles of interest, and passionately sharing their joy with others!

Yes, I’m a librarian (B.S.Ed. Library Science, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1994).  I do use my degree during my day job, and I actively seduce the innocent evangelize for comics, both to new readers, and unsuspecting librarians.  I attend the ALA conferences not for professional development (I’m not paid to be a librarian, and my employer doesn’t reimburse my travel expenses), but to network with like-minded people, and to discover lots of cool titles.  Many of the major publishers do not exhibit publicly at BEA, instead hiding their latest and greatest behind closeted showrooms available only by appointment.  (Big Six publishers: your stuff isn’t that great.)

So Friday night, there’s a special preview night, where various exhibitors offer special events at their booths, and a “happy hour” of free food and non-alcoholic drink is offered at the back of the exhibition floor.  (Another reason I prefer ALA over BEA!)  While I was not too hungry, I still meandered back to see what was offered.  But then I got sidetracked… at the very back of the floor was DLSG at Image Access, a vendor selling digital scanners for libraries.  I started talking to one of the sales representatives, Joseph, who was a recent librarian graduate as well as a comics fan!  He demonstrated their basic model, a scanner similar to a photocopier, except there’s a touchscreen for menus and image editing, and the output is via email or USB port (like my smartphone).  $3000, and if that was in my library, the line would wrap around the block!  After that quick demo, I began to brainstorm, especially after seeing their top-of-the-line archive scanners (The Opus 3, which has a bed large enough for newspapers and A1 sheets (roughly 23 x 33 inches).  “Ah ha!  This would be great for comics artists! Especially those with art which predates digitization!” 600 dpi scanning!  OCR character recognition!  (I tested a computer-lettered page of Nick Fury… it made two mistakes.)  Multiple formats!  I had so many questions and ideas, I spent the entire two hours of the preview at their booth, and didn’t even get a chance to get a drink!

Saturday morning, that’s when I began my meandering of the exhibition floor.  I finished Saturday evening, and then spent Sunday taking a more leisurely path, discovering titles I overlooked the first time.

So, here are some discoveries I made.  Some publishers I already knew about, others were titles I had seen online but not physically, and others were a complete surprise!

The biggest surprise?  World Book encyclopedias, publishing a series of educational graphic novels!  “Building Blocks of Science” is a set of ten 32-page books aimed at the Kindergarten to Fifth Grade audience.  Each volume features “highly original and humorous comic-style art to draw children into the material”.  Click on the link to view samples, curriculum correlations,videos, and PowerPoint slides!  It’s only available as a set, and only on their website, although your local library could probably order it.  (I also checked the encyclopedia for their entries on comics… good basic information.  Their online databases had more information, of course.)

A secondary publisher which I didn’t notice the first time around was Holiday House.  They publish a lot of picture books, but I didn’t notice any which seemed to be comics influenced.  I did notice a title with squirrels, titled “Frisky Brisky Hippity Hop“, a poem written by Alexina White (mother of Stanford, the famous architect) in 1871.  It was illustrated with photos taken in Central Park, and for me, squirrels are almost as fun as monkeys!  That began a conversation with a sales rep, and before I knew it, I was inundated with all sorts of picture books containing word balloons and looking like comics.  They do have an actual graphic novel, “Wuv Bunnies From Outer Space” (sent to save the Earth from the Funny Bunnies), which was pubwished in 2008.

Macmillan, of course, has First Second and FSG Novel Graphics, and featured them prominently.  (Most publishers use bookmarks to note award-winning titles.)  Across the aisle, though, were the picture books, and that’s where I noticed “Leo Geo and His Miraculous Journey Through the Center of the Earth“.  It’s sort of hard not to notice… it’s thirteen inches long, and four inches high.  When you open the book, it reads vertically!  Jon Chad is based up in White River Junction, where he helps Dr. Leo Geo at the Fizzmont Institute of Rad Science.  (One critique… when I saw the cover, I thought it read “LEDGED”.  No big deal… the format made me pick it up!)

Their Henry Holt imprint featured “Take What You Can Carry“, a novel set in 1977 and 1941, while Roaring Brook Press served up “Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?!” by K. A. Holt and featuring illustrations by Gahan Wilson!

Archie Comics was the only comics publisher at the show, hosting a publication party featuring the new “Jinx” graphic novel, and announcing their initiative to better serve libraries.  (Archie discovered that their graphic novels circulate EXTREMELY well in libraries, a fact they shared with librarians in the room.)  Swag bags were given out, and one lucky librarian won a piece of original artwork by Dan Parent!

Archie is distributed by Random House, which featured their own notable titles as well as graphic novels from their associated publishers, such as Candlewick, which has the Toon Books imprint.  Of note: “The Shark King” by R. Kikuo Johnson, author of “Night Fisher”.  There’s also “Chick and Chickie in Play All Day!” and “Zig and Wikki in The Cow”

HarperCollins had two surprises:

• a collection of “Planet Tad” columns from MAD Magazine (which, I think, predates “Wimpy Kid”)
• The Cartoon Guide to Calculus, by Larry Gonick! [Click for a 54-page preview!] [Maybe I'll learn something this time around, instead of being distracted by the tangential curves of the cheerleader across the aisle.]

Over at Penguin, they don’t do a lot of graphic novels, but they did have these two new editions additions to their Penguin Classics Graphic Deluxe Editions:

Jordan Crane produces a comic strip introduction on the front and back cover (love that rhino!), while Ivan Brunetti interprets Willy Wonka.

(The insides are the ORIGINAL illustrations from the first editions, in black-and-white.  If all you know are Quentin Blake or Lane Smith, you’re in for a treat!)

Penguin, I know you don’t publish many graphic novels, but would you PLEASE give Jordan Crane some money to adapt James and the Giant Peach into a graphic novel?  Once that becomes an international bestseller, then you can commission others to interpret the entire Dahl library (including Tales of the Unexpected!)

Mal and Chad: Food Fight! is a graphic novel, from Penguin’s Philomel imprint, the second in the series. “T

Australian publisher Allen & Unwin featured the wordless “The Hero of Little Street“.

Abrams has lots of goodies (which I already knew about), but this was a pleasant surprise:

And finally, Scholastic Graphix:

“Cardboard”, the latest from Doug TenNapel, and “Bird & Squirrel on the Run” a buddy road trip crossed with the physical comedy of “Tom & Jerry”.

Other cool stuff?

Alexander Stree Press is preparing another comics media index.  They already offer “Underground and Independent Comics, Comix, and Graphic Novels” (which includes full scans of the Comics Journal and many comics!)

Basher Science has a line of picture books where atomic elements and other science topics are turned into kawaii characters.  Adorable, and the layout is easy to read!  There’s a Basher Basics series as well!

Graphic Universe continues their great line of graphic novels, introducing “Tricky Journeys“, a series of multiple-story-path books featuring animal tricksters from legend.

Kids Can Press has another series of books, including a new Binky story!  The styles are as diverse as the subject matter, and it all looks great!

McFarland & Company, publishers of popular culture reference and criticism (“Monty Python, Shakespeare and English Renaissance Drama”) offers an actual non-fiction graphic novel, “Werewolves of Wisconsin and Other American Myths, Monsters and Ghosts“.

And it’s not comics, but plenty fun:

“Seriously, Just Go To Sleep“, the child-friendly edition of Go the F*** to Sleep.  It even features a cameo by Samuel L. Jackson!

Next up for librarians: The biennial Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia in March!  Then there’s an appearance at C2E2, and then in June, ALA Annual in Anaheim!  If Disneyland isn’t geeky enough, there will be a mini-comics con within the larger ALA conference!

By Todd Allen

After announcing Batman: Earth One, DC follows up by announcing the second volume of the JMS/Shane Davis Superman: Earth One graphic novel series.  The first volume of this Superman reboot sold VERY well and made a strong case for original graphic novels in the superhero genre.  (As opposed to Vertigo’s Sandman and Fables offerings.)  While the Batman volume appears to be set for July, no date seems to be released for Superman:Earth One.  Volume 1 was released in November 2010, so it would make sense if this were another late fall/holiday gift release.

While nobody’s come out and said it, it probably isn’t a bad idea to leave a little bit of space between the new 52 relaunch and the full-on reboots of the Earth One premise.  While the Direct Market will understand the differences, Superman: Earth One V. 1 did killer numbers outside the DM and the general audience for 52 advertising would probably be a little puzzled by simultaneous relaunches/reboots.

The villain for Volume 2?  The Parasite.

PR and sample art follow:

One of the most critically acclaimed original graphic novels of the last few years, SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE will be getting a highly anticipated sequel in 2012. Considered by some to be “Superman for the TWILIGHT crowd,” the original was a standalone story which re-examined the early mythology of the classic character. SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE – VOLUME TWO continues the fresh take on the youthful struggles of Krypton’s superpowered survivor.

Featuring the return of the fan favorite creative team of J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis, SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE – VOLUME TWO features an even greater threat.

“The overwhelming success of volume one of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE – 37 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list for graphic novels – meant we had to ensure that Volume Two was even better,” said Straczynski. “We couldn’t just rest on our laurels. (And does anyone actually rest on laurels? Are there gatherings of laurel-resters? If so, why haven’t I been invited? These are the questions that keep me up at night while the rest of the world dreams.) Thematically, if Volume One was about Clark figuring out where he belongs, then Volume Two is about Superman trying to figure out where he belongs in all this, even as the world does the same at their end. How far can he push his power before he becomes something other than what he intended to become? In the midst of all this Clark gets his first apartment, becoming entangled with a beautiful woman next door, Lois starts trying to figure out what it is about Clark that doesn’t add up, and a new and terrifyingly strong version of the Parasite is born from what was previously a serial killer…and now Superman has to confront someone who is not only as strong as he is, but can drain his power completely. In the aftermath of one of the massive battles that threatens to tear apart Metropolis, Clark for the first time feels what it’s like to be normal, to be mortal, to be vulnerable…to be us. In the end, Volume Two is about power: its use and abuse, and its place in the world, to be used for good or for evil.”

“Working on VOLUME TWO gave me a chance to re-create one of Superman’s villains, the Parasite,” said Davis. “In doing so, I decided to develop the character in stages as the fights progress throughout the book. There are three stages of evolution: going from frail to the strongest villain Superman has ever faced. EARTH ONE Parasite is one of the most complicated and disgustingly beautiful characters I have ever designed! I came at VOLUME TWO in more of a movie sense, choreographing the fight scenes differently from one another, adding a little more muscle to Superman this time around as he is a practicing superhero, while drawing the “Geek” Clark Kent, who loves a sweater! I always kept the old in mind while bringing in the new. SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE – VOLUME TWO is the book of 2012, so save those pennies!”

By Todd Allen

I happened across Iron Man 2.0 Vol. 1: Palmer Addley Is Dead at the library and thought I’d give it a go.  I’d given the monthly version a look, but it hadn’t held my attention.  Sometimes, a comic reads better as a book and I’ve enjoyed Nick Spencer’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and Infinite Vacation.

Sure enough, this _did_ read better as a book.  James Rhodes, the War Machine gets outfitted with a new suit (the poor man keeps getting nuked) and ends up assigned to the Army under a cranky general who’d like nothing better than to break his spirit.  Stationed at a military base he attacked during Dark Reign, Rhodey is tasked to a unit of intelligence contractors who have a very odd problem.  Classified technology has been leaked from the government’s most secure facility.  There was no way out, yet it got out.  The researcher on this tech, Palmer Addley,  killed himself and every where the stolen tech appears, so does the phrase “Palmer Addley is dead.”  Rhodey, a search and destroy kind of guy, finds himself caught up in an espionage plot without a clear target to chase.  Yes, a fish out of water element that isn’t a punchline.

Reading this as floppies, I recall being a little bit bored with Iron Man 2.0.  Reading it as a book, I got a better sense of the world building and the creeping sense that something is very, very wrong with the information our heroes have been given.  I wouldn’t quite call this a “techno thriller,” but the parallel plot line of the intelligence contractors slowly running down who Palmer Addley was builds much better if you go through the first 4 issues in one sitting.

And then after 4 issues worth of story (this book is a preview and then issues 1-7), “Palmer Addley Is Dead” suddenly grinds to a halt and you have three issues worth of Fear Itself cross-over.  With guest heroes.  Um… what?

It’s very jarring to jump from a slow-burn espionage piece into Fear Itself.  If I were a casual reader and not familiar with Fear Itself, I would have been confused and jarred.  OK, I get that 4 issues is a little thin for a tpb these days, and the three issues of cross-over isn’t really enough pages to warrant reprinting with a spine.  From a reader’s perspective, they probably should’ve printed the cross-over in some other volume and waited until the “Palmer Addley” story was complete before printing it.  Slapping the Fear Itself sequence into the volume left a bad taste in my mouth.

Art-wise, this book is a little all over the map.  It starts out with a Barry Kitson/Kano tag team that looked a little rough to me.  Certainly, I didn’t recognize much Kitson in it.  Eventually, it switches over to Ariel Olivetti and improves greatly.

Can I recommend this as a book?  I’m not sure that I can.  By all means, check it out of the library and read the first half of it.  Spending $16.99 for 4 issues + the “Prelude”… that’s a little steep and I wouldn’t buy it for the Fear Itself material.  Would I get the next volume?  From the library?  Absolutely.  Paying for it?  I don’t know.  That bad taste is still in my mouth and now I have to ask what else is going to be in Vol. 2?  Is it the same story or is there more Event filler?

Then again, Iron Man 2.0 was cancelled with issue 12, the last issue mentioned in the solicitation for Vol. 2.  It’s hard to say anything about it at this point, though part of me thinks the artistic revolving door and swapping story arcs just as the initial arc was building up some momentum did the title a disservice.

By Todd Allen

Back in August, DC released the “TALES OF BATMAN: GENE COLAN VOL. 1” hardcover book. This book reprints Batman #340, 343-345, 348-351 and Detective Comics #510, 512, 517, 528 and 529. As we see a trend towards naming collections of a title by the creator(s),we come across a little glitch.  When collecting the a run exclusively by artist, the story sometime suffers.

That’s not to say this book is mislabeled.  Batman by Gene Colan is exactly what it is.  The thing is, this is an art book.  The time period collected in the book, roughly late 1981 through 1983 is an interesting period in the history of DC.  Marv Wolfman and George Perez had already struck gold with New Teen Titans.  Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen started their collaboration on Legion of Super-Heroes.  Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo launched Batman and the Outsiders.  Things were starting to turn around a little.  Marvel creators were starting to come over.  Gerry Conway had been at DC for a while.  Roy Thomas had arrived and was doing things like All-Star Squadron and Arak (which never captured the Conan audience it was intended to).  Doug Moench would arrive at the end of this period.  And, of course Gene Colan.

Colan’s initial batch of work included some Batman, Wonder Woman, The Phantom Zone (a Superman mini-series with Steve Gerber) and Night Force (a horror series with Marv Wolfman that never captured their Tomb of Dracula audience).  This book is a collection of Colan’s Batman.  The thing is, it isn’t a linear collection.  Possibly some of the skipping around was due to the variety of books Colan worked on for DC.  Possibly some of it being his work coming out in blocks.

For the most part, this book collects the Gerry Conway era of Batman.  In that time frame, Conway wrote both Batman and Detective Comics.  The art chores were a little bit of a bullpen.  You had Don Newton, Gene Colan, some Irv Novick, Dan Jurgens, Dan Day, Curt Swan and so forth.  Don Newton was really the most constant and artists would swap between books.

Storywise, sometimes you’d have stories that stayed in Detective or Batman.  Sometimes they ran through both books.  Regardless, the plentiful subplots ran through both.

In many ways, Batman of this era was similar to how Spider-Man has been run in recent years.  And this makes picking up just the Gene Colan issues a strange thing to read.  The second story in the book is a Poison Ivy tale from Batman #344.  It wraps up a story that started in Batman #339 (a Conway story drawn by Novick) and had been running in the background for 4 issues in between.  Subplots jump around.  First there’s a mayoral election, which gets partially resolved in what’s reprinted.  Suddenly Commissioner Gordon is pushed out of office outside the scope of these stories.  There’s a subplot of the Human Target taking Bruce Wayne’s place as Deadshot stalks Wayne that is resolved in issues not reprinted.  The introductions of Harvey Bullock and Jason Todd are events that take place in between reprinted issues.  The final issue is the beginning of Doug Moench’s Thief of the Night and Nocturna cycle, which probably has enough material for a collection of it’s own.

It’s not as though you’re getting unresolved main plots.  You also get a 4-part Conway/Levitz collaboration reworking the Monk villain from the very early days of Detective Comics and involving voodoo and vampires.  You also get a lot of Gene Colan art under a variety of inkers like Alfredo Acala, Dick Giordano and Tony DeZuniga.  It has a slightly different flavor to it than the Tom Palmer inks Colan is so strongly associated with.

If you look at this as an art book, as a Gene Colan sampler, this book is exactly what you’re looking for and you’re likely to be pretty happy with it.  If you pick this up looking for a complete story, you’re likely to be scratching your head a little.  A story collection would be Tales of the Batman: Gerry Conway with a lot of Don Netwon art added, among others.

Ironically, the upcoming Tales of the Batman: Don Newton looks to sidestep this reading order problem, opting for a self-contained earlier run from Detective (with some League of Assassins material that has some historical resonance, pending whether it exists post-New 52 reboot) and some Brave and the Bold Material.

“Venom by Rick Remender Vol. 1” is not the flashiest title ever conceived for a book (pun intended).  There’s a trend of breaking up titles runs by creator.  Over at Marvel, you’ve got “Ultimate Comics Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis,” “Moon Knight by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev,” and so forth.  Over at DC, You’ve got “Tales of the Batman” volumes for Gene Colan and Don Newton.  I suppose it’s good for branding the work of a particular creator on a series, though it’s the rare title like Moon Knight that’s spreading the love between both writers and artists.  We’ll see how long this naming trend sticks around and whether more heavily promoted storylines are collected under the creators’ names (as of this writing, it’s Spider-Man: Spider Island, not Dan Slott’s Spider-Man Vol. *.*”)

Venom by Rick Remender has Remender on writing chores, with the art split between Tony Moore and Tom Fowler, and  a variety of inkers on Moore.  I pulled this volume out of the library on a lark and it turned out to be a much deeper read than I was expecting.

The series premise is that Venom (the alien symbiote that was Spider Man’s black costume) has fallen into the hands of the military.  They’re letting the symbiote bond with soldiers and using it for black ops missions.  The latest soldier to bond with it is Flash Thompson.  Yes, Spider-Man’s old #1 fan and Peter Parker’s high school bully frenemy.  Thompson joined the army and lost his legs in combat.  Among other bonuses for Flash, when he’s wearing the Venom suit, he has legs again.  On the other hand, if you bond with the symbiote too long, it takes over.  The symbiote also can exert its will when its host loses his temper.  Flash Thompson lose his cool?  That’s certainly an established character trait.

This book is a character study of Flash Thompson with regular bursts of ultra-violence.  It lives in a dark place, as Flash has to work through his pathos, least the symbiote take control of his body.  He struggles to stop thinking like a bullying jock.  He worries about his relationship with Betty Brant, who thinks he’s relapsing into alcoholism any time he disappears for a mission.  He tries to deal with his relationship, or lack thereof, with his father in the final act.

What keeps this moving along is the internal monologue as Flash tries to be the man he thinks he should be as circumstances conspire against him.  Were you expecting a Venom book to be a character piece?  I wasn’t.  I wasn’t unsatisfied, though.

This is all moved gleefully along by tag-teaming artists Moore and Fowler.  Moore tends to using a few more fine lines than Fowler, but this is a rare instance where you don’t have a jarring transition when you turn the page and a new artist appears.  Credit editorial with alternating compatible artists on the monthly title.  While Moore and Fowler don’t have exactly the same art style, their sensibilities are similar enough that I didn’t realize there had been a transition for a few pages.  Both are good with gore, mayhem and the occasional violently gross image.

Add in a new, particularly glib, Jack O’Lantern, Kraven the Hunter and the obligatory misunderstanding-fueled fight with Spidey (which fits in without a shoehorn) and you’ve got a nice package.

It looks like the monthly title is having a Spider Island interlude and Vol. 2 is due out in March.  It’s likely I’ll give that a look and see where this storyline, paused more than resolved, is going.

Remember good old Vertigo, the imprint where all the top writers for the New 52 got discovered and DC graphic novel book store sales were practically invented? Well, they are still at it! Plucky old Vertigo. And just to prove they still have what it takes, they have announced their book collections for the second half of 2012, including some truly awesome stuff, like a HUGE one-volume edition of THE INVISIBLES by Grant Morrison and his all-stars (Quitely, Jimenez, Thompson, Weston, Buckingham etc., etc., etc.) that will weigh in at a mere 1536 pages and $150. Frankly, we didn’t know they could print books that big and wide. Given that THE INVISIBLES is one of our favorite mainstream comics of the ’90s, we are there. Make room, make room!

They also announced two NEW GNs, including GET JIRO! by Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose and Langdon Foss, planned for June and RIGHT STATE, just announced by Mat Johnson and Andrea Mutti, which is described as:

RIGHT STATE is a race-against-time political thriller that explodes beyond the boundaries of genre to explore the meanings of race, class and identity in America, written by Mat Johnson with art by Andrea Mutti (THE EXECUTOR). Johnson is the recipient of the United States Artist James Baldwin Fellowship, The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and author of the acclaimed graphic novels INCOGNEGRO and DARK RAIN as well as the recently published novel Pym among others.

In the week leading up to a major campaign speech, the Secret Service discovers that an extremist militia group is plotting to assassinate America’s second African American President. The best chance to avert this crisis is to infiltrate the group. RIGHT STATE follows an ex Special Forces commando turned conservative media pundit, who takes the assignment and goes undercover. What follows is an adrenaline fueled race against time to stop a President from dying and a country from being ripped apart.

It seems that the Vertigo Crime Line is dead — or at least not in this list of solicitations. However, there are lots of hits from the Golden Age past and recent past here. Good reading.

Coming in May 2012:

AMERICAN VAMPIRE VOL. 2 TP
 Writer: Scott Snyder
 Artists: Rafael Albuquerque and Mateo Santoluco 
Collects: AMERICAN VAMPIRE #6-11 
$17.99 US, 160 pg

DEADENDERS TP 
Writer: Ed Brubaker 
Artists: Warren Pleece, Richard Case, Jay Stephens and Cameron Stewart 
Collects: DEADENDERS #1-16 and a story from VERTIGO: WINTER’S EDGE #3
$29.99 US, 392 pg

THE SANDMAN VOL. 9: THE KINDLY ONES TP NEW EDITION 
Writer: Neil Gaiman 
Artists: Marc Hempel, Richard Case, D’Israeli, Teddy Kristiansen, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess, Dean Ormston and Kevin Nowlan 
Collects: THE SANDMAN #57-69 and a story from VERTIGO JAM #1
 $19.99 US, 320 pg

Coming in June 2012:

FABLES DELUXE EDITION BOOK FIVE HC 
Writer: Bill Willingham 
Artists: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, David Hahn, Lan Medina and Dan Green 
Collects: FABLES #34-45 
$29.99 US, 304 pg

GET JIRO! HC Writers: Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose 
Artist: Langdon Foss 
Original graphic novel
 $24.99 US, 160 pg

Coming in July 2012:

FABLES VOL. 17: INHERIT THE WIND TP 
Writer: Bill Willingham 
Artists: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Adam Hughes, Gene Ha and Karl Kerschl 
Collects: FABLES #108-113 
$14.99 US, 144 pg

DMZ VOL. 12: THE FIVE NATIONS OF NEW YORK TP 
Writer: Brian Wood
 Artist: Riccardo Burchielli
Collects: DMZ #67-72 
$14.99 US, 144 pg

HELLBLAZER VOL. 3: THE FEAR MACHINE TP NEW EDITION
 Writer: Jamie Delano 
Artists: Mark Buckingham, Richard Piers Rayner, Mike Hoffman and Alfredo Alcala 
Collects: HELLBLAZER #14-22
$24.99 US, 240 pg

SCALPED VOL. 9: KNUCKLE UP TP 
Writer: Jason Aaron 
Artists: R.M. Guera, Dean Haspiel, Denys Cowan, Igor Kordey, Jill Thompson, Timothy Truman, Brendan McCarthy and Steve Dillon 
Collects: SCALPED #50-55
 $14.99 US, 144 pg

Coming in August 2012:

HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOL. 8: DESOLATION TP 
Writer: Matthew Sturges
 Artists: Luca Rossi, Jose Marzan Jr., Darwyn Cooke, Aaron Campbell, David Lapham and Peter Snejbjerg 
Collects: HOUSE OF MYSTERY #36-42 
$14.99 US, 160 pg

RIGHT STATE HC 
Writer: Mat Johnson
 Artist: Andrea Mutti
 Original graphic novel 
$24.99 US, 144 pg

THE INVISIBLES OMNIBUS HC
 Writer: Grant Morrison 
Artists: Steve Yeowell, Jilll Thompson, Dennis Cramer, Chris Weston, John Ridgway, Steve Parkhouse, Kim DeMulder, Paul Johnson, Phil Jimenez, John Stokes, Tommy Lee Edwards, Dick Giordano, Mark Buckingham, Mark Pennington, Michael Lark, Keith Aiken, Marc Hempel, Ray Kryssing, Philip Bond, Glyn Dillon, Ivan Reis, Warren Pleece, Sean Phillips, Jay Stephens, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison, and others 
Collects: THE INVISIBLES #1-25, THE INVISIBLES VOL. 2 #1-22, THE INVISIBLES VOL. 3 #12-1 and a story from VERTIGO: WINTER’S EDGE #1
 $150.00 US, 1,536 pg

NEIL GAIMAN’S MIDNIGHT DAYS DELUXE EDITION HC
 Writers: Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner
Artists: Dave McKean, Teddy Kristiansen, Richard Piers Rayner, Mike Hoffman, Mike Mignola, Steven Bissette, John Totleben and Sergio Aragonés
 Collects: HELLBLAZER #27, SANDMAN MIDNIGHT THEATRE, SWAMP THING ANNUAL #5 and material from WELCOME BACK TO THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY and the NEIL GAIMAN’S MIDNIGHT DAYS TP. 
$24.99 US, 176 pg

SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING BOOK TWO TP
 Writer: Alan Moore 
Artists: Shawn McManus, Stephen Bissette, John Totleben and Ron Randall
 Collects: SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #28-34 and SWAMP THING ANNUAL #2 
$19.99 US, 224 pg

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Well, the Beatrix gushed over their Spring 2012 titles, so I guess I’d better review the Fall titles from Fantagraphics.

First, let me say this won’t feature everything.  I appreciate all the cool stuff they publish, but a lot of it just doesn’t interest me.  You probably have different tastes, so feel free to comment down below.  Here’s the FBI page for 2011 releases, so go take a look.  Fanta also has a bargain bin, so you’ll probably find something in your price range!  They also have special offers for new titles, so please take a look!  (If you’re going to ship your book bucks to Washington, it’s better to send them to Fantagraphics than Amazon!)  Click on the titles below to go to the official pages on the FBI website!

So, here’s what I find interesting.

For (what is hoped) the final time here on Coming Attractions:

Action! Mystery! Thrills!: Great Comic Book Covers 1936-45

by Greg Sadowski (Editor)

The Cabbie: Book One

by Marti , Art Spiegelman (Introduction)

500 Portraits

by Tony Millionaire

The Man Who Grew His Beard

by Olivier Schrauwen

Mark Twain’s Autobiography 1910-2010

by Michael Kupperman

The Armed Garden and Other Stories

by David B.

Mome Spring 2011 [sic]

by Eric Reynolds (Editor)

Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot

by Jacques Tardi (Illustrator) , Jean-Patrick Manchette

The Hidden

by Richard Sala

Even More Old Jewish Comedians

by Drew Friedman , Jeffrey Ross (Introduction)

The Crumb Compendium

by Carl Richter

Is That All There Is?

by Joost Swarte , Chris Ware (Introduction)

Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby’s Romance Comics

by Jack Kirby , Joe Simon , Michel Gagne (Editor)

Mr. Twee Deedle: Raggedy Ann’s Sprightly Cousin: The Forgotten Fantasy Masterpieces of Johnny Gruelle

by Johnny Gruelle , Rick Marschall (Editor) , Tony Millionaire (Introduction)

The Sincerest Form of Parody: The Best 1950s MAD Inspired Satirical Comics

by John Benson , Jay Lynch (Introduction)

Nancy Is Happy: Complete Dailies 1943-1946

by Ernie Bushmiller , Daniel Clowes (Introduction)

The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat

by R. Crumb

Glitz-2-Go

by Diane Noomin

Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives

by Blake Bell (Editor) , Bill Everett (Illustrator)

Bill Griffith: Lost and Found: Comics 1969-2003

by Bill Griffith

Flannery O’Connor: The Cartoons

by Flannery O’Connor , Kelly Gerald (Editor) , Barry Moser (Foreword by)

This one has been out there for a while but hasn’t gotten too much attention: A.D.D., an original graphic novel by Douglas Rushkoff and Goran Sudzuka from Vertigo.

Berger introduced the creator of the new Vertigo original graphic novel, “A.D.D.,” as a “media guru.” Douglas Rushkoff is a media theorist and columnist who previously wrote the series “Testament” for Vertigo in 2006. Berger has wanted to get Rushkoff to put his knowledge of modern technology culture to use in a series, and this is the result. When asked to summarize the series, Rushkoff said it asks “what if attention deficit disorder was an adaptive strategy in a world where people try to program you everywhere you look.” The series follows a group of children who are raised from the womb to be video game testers and documents what happens when they break through the “entertainment spell.” Two pages by artist Goran Sudzuka, known for his work on “Y: The Last Man,” were then shown, introducing the panel attendees to lead character Carl, which prompted Berger’s to whisper, “Poor Carl…” suggesting the road may be rough for the protagonist.

More Vertigo news in the link.

.

The following is a selection of new comics titles due to be published in April 2011.   This list is not comprehensive, just what I’ve discovered browsing the Internet.  Below, you’ll find selected titles which caught my interest.  If you would like to browse forthcoming graphic novels and related books at your leisure, click here. These are not necessarily titles I will purchase, but which I will definitely look at once they arrive at my local comics shop or bookstore.

If you click that link above, you’ll see all the graphic novels at BN.com, sorted by date.  Lots of  graphic novels (and related books) scheduled from May to December.  Of course, there will be even more titles added and announced in time for the Holidays!  (You might want to use your tax return to buy some bookshelves.)

Please be advised that publication dates are not set in stone, titles may change, and covers may be altered. Also, your local comics shop might receive copies before your local neighborhood website or library.  I consider my tastes to be rather eclectic. If you feel I’ve neglected or slighted a title, publisher, or creator, please feel free to mention it in the comments below. Yes, you may promote your own work, but please include the ISBN for easy searching (and shopping!)

Disclaimer: I am employed by Barnes & Noble. This and any other posts by me at this site have no official connection to B&N.   As always, feel free to send us your PR. Even better, send us some free books!

Salt Water Taffy: Caldera’s Revenge! Part 1
by Matthew Loux

• $ 5.99
• Pub. Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Oni Press
• Format: Paperback, 72pp
• ISBN-13: 9781934964620
• ISBN: 193496462X

Patrick in A Teddy Bear’s Picnic and Other Stories
by Geoffrey Hayes

• $ 12.95
• Pub. Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Format: Hardcover, 32pp
• Lexile: 0050L
• ISBN-13: 9781935179092
• ISBN: 1935179098

Pepper Penwell and the Land Creature of Monster Lake
by Steph Cherrywell

BY JEN VAUGHN

Art schools and apprenticeships find themselves more popular than ever, let’s all tip our hats to inspiration artist Rudolph Töpffer’s for his creation of boarding school for boys. While anyone can teach themselves and become successful on their own, a lot of the specialty schools allow access to equipment, connections, mentorship of working professionals and opportunities in a condensed amount of time that are priceless.

Cartoonist and professor Steve Bissette, Katherine Roy (CCS ‘10) and James Sturm

The Joe Kubert School, Savannah College of Art and Design, School of Visual Art and the Center for Cartoon Studies are constantly providing this sort of wonder for their students. Most recently, CCS celebrated its annual Industry Day where hand-picked editors, designers and comic critics are invited to present themselves to the school as well as take a gander at the illustrious student portfolios. Past visitors have included Brett Warnock from Top Shelf, Calista Brill and Colleen AF Venable from First Second, Tom Devlin and Chris Oliveros of D&Q, Eric Reynolds from Fantagraphics, critic Douglas Wolk and on and on and on.

This year publishers Leon Avelino and Barry Matthews of Secret Acres provided excellent company along with Charlie Kochman of Abrams ComicArts, artist agent Bernadette Baker-Baughman of Victoria Sanders & Associates with mediator, journalist Tom Spurgeon of the Comics Reporter. The panel sat down and spoke honestly about themselves, comics and the industry and this little fox perked up her ears on your behalf.

Left to Right: Sleepercar, Fatal Faux Pas and open Wormdye published by Secret Acres. The Art of Jaime Hernandez and Diary of a Wimpy Kid published by Abrams. Farel Dalrymple (Pop Gun War) represented by Bernadette Baker-Baughman.

Secret Acres started off with mentioning that they prefer to receive submissions via the mail. They go to so many conventions to sell books and look for art that if you just hand them your work, it goes in one big bag to be read at some future date. So if Secret Acres might be for you, keep your comics to yourself at a con unless they ask for them!

Kochman spent twelve years going to cons and giving portfolio reviews. He’s also had several people READ their comics aloud to him and I think we all know how condescending that can be. Unless we’re talking about Steamy Punk fiction or something. Yet from that time he published a little graphic novel you might have seen fleetingly on the shelves, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Charlie Kochman and Tom

As a agent, Bernadette provided the three elements she is looking for before signing up to represent a creator. These elements are A) Falling in love with the work; B) Instantly knowing half a dozen publishers who would buy it and C) The material has to be near completion, fit for a publisher or printer. Bernadette suggested if an artist is interested in an agent to investigate who they are representing and what books they are selling. Would you fit in? Do you like any of the material? She also whole-heartedly believes that kid’s comics and non-fiction comic books are the easiest to sell at the moment.

Bernadette with client and cartoonist, Zack Giallongo

Inevitably, Tony Shenton’s name came up as the master indie distributor that he is AND that Abrams recently hired him to man the backlist of comic book stores. Shenton makes sure that shops have copies of comics and graphic novels right before a NY Times review hits so the hungry public can actually get their hands on a copy. An excellent idea for a man of such talents, bravo Abrams.

The digital discussion did come up and Bernadette has seen many prose works going straight into reading applications. Meanwhile, largely-produced comics are still at a standstill. Kochman smartly rambled on the idea of giving the digital rights BACK to the creators since most companies are just sitting on them. This would be beneficial for both creator and company if the creator adapted something to fit the digital platforms (add some music!) or in the case of Mom’s Cancer, could help people if it was put back online.

Barry of Secret Acres mentioned working on something secret, dark and dangerously digital especially since the release of the iPad 2 have solidfied the medium’s existence. Leon bemoaned the slow swan song of the periodical but lauded the praises of reading the same material on such digital platforms. The immediate impact of the digital revolution on smaller, independent publishers is that they are getting better quality at better prices from printers. Secret Acres loves being pursued.

Leon, Barry and Bernadette

The comics community seems large but like that damn song, we know what small world it is. Kochman reminisced on having to pass up books he really to publish that have luckily their homes at publishers elsewhere. He responds to individual style and believes artists should strive to make their work recognizable without a name attached to it. Secret Acres is always on the lookout for artists that are unique, whose influences are hard to put a finger on. They are often approached after a book comes out by jealous publishers (not necessarily the aforementioned) but cheekily reply that everyone attends the same shows and sees the same mini-comics.

After the panel slowed down, students met with the Industry Day movers and shakers for portfolio reviews. Constructive criticism is always the goal but a few tears now and then occur (one publisher jokingly once told me he was aiming to make people puke!). With pockets of comments, criticism and compliments of their work, the student cartoonists go to the drawing board more hopeful for ensuing glory and and continue to burn that midnight oil.

And with that, I think it is time for all of us to go back to work, whether we are writing or drawing or creating that magic that exists in between.

–

Jen Vaughn’s favorite part of Industry Day is of course, the karaoke and mixer that may have occurred later that day.

Were you a good boy or girl this year? Did you avoid Internet snark, practice goodwill towards your fellow human being, and cross with the light? Yeah, neither did I.

So, as Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, I offer the following list of graphic novel gift books, designed to help you assuage your guilt, and/or utilize those gift cards you’ll receive from relatives who know you love comics, but are afraid of getting you something you already have.

Of course, you can also use it as a suggestion list for those special geeks in your life. Just be sure to get a gift receipt, just in case they want to trade it in for something else.

As usual, The Beatrix and her minions get no remuneration from linking to Barnes & Noble. I do work for B&N, but nothing I post here is endorsed by Barnes and Noble.

Oh, and my criteria for this list? Anything over $40, published since July 2010.  There’s no rhyme or reason to the order on this list… and since the new server is not liking pictures, please click on the ISBN-13 link, and you’ll be directed to the listing on BN.com, where you can see the covers.  Click on the highlighted publisher name, and you’ll be directed to the exact book listing on their website.  (Some publishers are very bad… they don’t have a dedicated page for these expensive and beautiful books, so I’ve linked to their homepage.)

What would you like Santa [Hanukkah Harry, Kwanzaa Kwame, Agnostic Agnes] to leave beneath your tree? Let us know below in the comments… perhaps Krampus will take pity on all you bad boys and girls!

The Simon and Kirby Superheroes
Joe Simon, Jack Kirby (Illustrator), Steve Saffel (Editor)

• $ 49.95
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Titan Books Limited
• Format: Hardcover, 480pp
• ISBN-13: 9781848563650
• ISBN: 1848563655

Blondie, Volume 1
by Chic Young

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 280pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107405
• ISBN: 1600107400

Art of Jim Starlin
by Jim Starlin

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 312pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107702
• ISBN: 1600107702

Absolute All Star Superman
by Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison, Neal Adams

• $ 99.99
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Format: Hardcover, 320pp
• ISBN-13: 9781401229177
• ISBN: 1401229174

DC Super Heroes: the Ultimate Pop-up Book
by DC Comics Staff, Matthew Reinhart

• $ 250.00
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: Slipcased hardcover pop-up , 12pp
• ISBN-13: 9780316122375 [Exclusive video with Matthew Reinhart at BN.com]
• ISBN: 0316122378

Critically acclaimed pop-up engineer Matthew Reinhart celebrates the history, heroes, and villains of the DC Universe in this ultimate 3-D masterpiece! Bursting with over 25 impressive pop-ups, this deluxe format features a variety of unique novelty elements-including a light-up Bat-Signal, a cosmic Justice League of America battle scene, a twirling Lasso of Truth, and a transparent Invisible Jet!

Starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and many more favorite DC characters, this momentous pop-up exploration releases just in time for DC Comics’ 75th anniversary. Signed and numbered by Matthew, this stunning special edition also features a cloth slipcase and an exclusive extra pop, making it an absolute must-have for die-hard DC Super Hero fans of all ages!

DC Comics Year by Year
by Daniel Wallace, Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff

• $ 50.00
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.
• Format: Hardcover, 352pp
• ISBN-13: 9780756667429
• ISBN: 0756667429

Can’t afford that $200 Taschen tome?  This volume is more accessible (lighter, cheaper, found in more stores) and has just as many pretty pictures.

Six Novels in Woodcuts
by Lynd Ward (Illustrator), Art Spiegelman (Editor)

• $ 70.00
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Library of America
• Format: Hardcover, 1408pp
• ISBN-13: 9781598530827
• ISBN: 1598530828

Archie: Seven Decades of America’s Favorite Teenagers… and Beyond!
by Bob Bolling (Artist), Sam Schwartz (Artist), Dan DeCarlo (Artist), Bob Montana (Artist)

• $ 49.95
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 224pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107542
• ISBN: 1600107540

The Boy Commandos by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Volume 1
by Joe Simon, Jack Kirby

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Format: Hardcover, 256pp
• ISBN-13: 9781401229214
• ISBN: 1401229212

The Incal Classic Collection
by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Moebius

• $ 99.95
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Humanoids, Inc.
• Format: Limited Edition (750) Oversized Deluxe Hardcover with Slipcase
• ISBN-13: 9781594650116
• ISBN: 159465011X

75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking
by Paul Levitz

• $ 200.00
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Taschen America, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 720p
• ISBN-13: 9783836519816
• ISBN: 383651981X

Next Men Premiere Edition, Volume 3
by John Byrne

• $ 50.00
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 300pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600106965
• ISBN: 160010696X

Starman Omnibus, Volume 5
by David S. Goyer, James Robinson

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Format: Hardcover , 464pp
• ISBN-13: 9781401228897
• ISBN: 1401228895

Complete Little Orphan Annie, Volume 6
by Harold Gray (Artist), Harold Gray

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 280pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107924
• ISBN: 1600107923

Rip Kirby, Volume 3
by Alex Raymond (Artist), Alex Raymond

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 320pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107856
• ISBN: 1600107850

King Aroo, Volume 2
by Jack Kent

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 360pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107825
• ISBN: 1600107826

Jeffrey Jones: A Life in Art
by Jeffrey Joness

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: January 2011
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 256pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107375
• ISBN: 1600107370

Transformers: IDW Collection, Volume 2
by E.J. Su (Artist), Simon Furman, Nick Roche, Don Figueroa (Artist), Nick Roche (Artist)

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 392pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107511
• ISBN: 1600107516

Li’l Abner, Volume 2
by Al Capp

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 272pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107450
• ISBN: 1600107451

X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan, Volume 1
by Al Williamson (Artist), Archie Goodwin

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 288pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600106972
• ISBN: 1600106978

Polly and Her Pals: Complete Sunday Comics 1925-1927
by Cliff Sterrett

• $ 75.00
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 176pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107115
• ISBN: 1600107117

Squardron Supreme by Mark Gruenwald Ominbus
by Mark Gruenwald, Bob Hall (Artist), Paul Ryan (Artist), Paul Neary (Artist), John Buscema (Artist)

• $ 74.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
• Format: Hardcover, 448pp
• ISBN-13: 9780785149712
• ISBN: 0785149716
• Edition Description: Alex Ross cover [Marvel usually produces two versions of omnibus volumes: one with a new cover (or recycled, as the one above) for the general market; one from the original series, usually digitally recolored, for the Direct Market.]

Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee
by Jim Lee

• $ 39.95
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Titan Publishing Group
• Format: Hardcover, 296pp
• ISBN-13: 9781845765194
• ISBN: 1845765192

Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth
by Alex Toth, Dean Mullaney, Bruce Canwell

• $ 59.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 400pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600108280
• ISBN: 1600108288

Sophie Crumb: Evolution of a Crazy Artist
by Sophie Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb (Editor), R. Crumb (Editor)

• $ 350.00
• Pub. Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
• Format: Hardcover , 304pp
• ISBN-13: 9780393080148
• ISBN: 0393080145
• Edition Description: Slipcased, signed and numbered limited edition

Xenozoic
by Mark Schultz

• $ 39.95
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Flesk Publications
• Format: Paperback, 352pp
• ISBN-13: 9781933865317
• ISBN: 1933865318

Superman vs. Muhammad Ali Facsimile
by Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Format: Hardcover, 80pp
• ISBN-13: 9781401228729 [Deluxe edition also available.]
• ISBN: 1401228720

Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Omnibus
by J. Michael Straczynski, Olivier Coipel (Artist), Marko Djurdjevic (Artist)

• $ 64.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
• Format: Hardcover, 520pp
• ISBN-13: 9780785140290
• ISBN: 0785140298

Looney Tunes Treasury: Includes Amazing Interactive Treasures from the Warner Bros. Vault!
by Andrew Farago, Ruth Clampett

• $ 45.00
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers
• Format: Hardcover, 144pp
• ISBN-13: 9780762440443
• ISBN: 0762440449

Fire & Water: Bill Everett, the Sub-Mariner and the Birth of Marvel Comics
by Blake Bell

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Format: Hardcover, 216pp
• ISBN-13: 9781606991664
• ISBN: 1606991663

From Shadow to Light: The Life & Art of Mort Meskin
by Steven Brower

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Format: Hardcover, 220pp
• ISBN-13: 9781606993583
• ISBN: 1606993585

Drawn and Dangerous: Italian Comics of the 1970s and 1980s
by Simone Castaldi

• $ 40.00
• Pub. Date: August 2010
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Format: Hardcover, 160pp
• ISBN-13: 9781604737493
• ISBN: 1604737492

The Best of FoxTrot
by Bill Amend

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Format: Other Format, 280pp
• ISBN-13: 9780740777332
• ISBN: 0740777335

Doonesbury and the Art of G. B. Trudeau
by Brian Walker

• $ 49.95
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Format: Hardcover, 272pp
• ISBN-13: 9780300154276
• ISBN: 0300154275

40: A Doonesbury Retrospective
by G. B. Trudeau

• $ 100.00
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN-13: 9781449403553
• ISBN: 1449403557
• Edition Description: Signed Edition

DC Universe Illustrated by Neal Adams: The Covers
by Neal Adams

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Format: Hardcover, 192pp
• ISBN-13: 9781401221720
• ISBN: 1401221726

The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978
by Charles M. Schulz, Robert Smigel (Introduction), Alec Baldwin (Introduction)

• $ 49.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Format: Hardcover , 688pp
• ISBN-13: 9781606993767
• ISBN: 1606993763

DC Comics: The 75th Anniversary Poster Book
by Robert Schnakenberg

• $ 40.00
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Quirk Publishing
• Format: Paperback , 208pp
• ISBN-13: 9781594744624
• ISBN: 1594744629

Bloom County: The Complete Library, Volume 3>
by Berkeley Breathed

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 272pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107559
• ISBN: 1600107559

Unlovable: The Complete Collection
by Fantagraphics Books

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Format: Hardcover , 832pp
• ISBN-13: 9781606993972
• ISBN: 1606993976
• Edition Description: Slipcased edition

Family Circus, Volume 3
by Bil Keane

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover , 258pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107757
• ISBN: 1600107753

Norman Pettingill: Backwoods Humorist
by Gary Groth (Editor), R. Crumb (Introduction)

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Format: Hardcover , 144pp
• ISBN-13: 9781606993194
• ISBN: 1606993194

by Torsten Adair

The following is a selection of new titles due to be published in September 2010. This list is not comprehensive, as there are over 275 graphic novel titles scheduled for this month.

If you would like to browse them at your leisure, click here. Instead, I have selected titles which caught my interest. These are not necessarily titles I will purchase, but which I will definitely look at once they arrive at my local comics shop or bookstore.

Please be advised that publication dates are not set in stone. Also, your local comics shop might receive copies before your local neighborhood website or library. Links connected to publishers will link to the publisher’s website, sometimes to the exact title. Links for the ISBN-13 (also known as the Bookland EAN) will take you to the title as featured on BarnesAndNoble.com . I consider my tastes to be rather eclectic. If you feel I’ve neglected or slighted a title, publisher, or creator, please feel free to mention it in the comments below.

Monthly lists such as this will be posted at the end of the previous month. I will also be posting specific subject lists (comic strips, comics history and surveys, superheroes…) for each season, but these will not have a set schedule.

Disclaimer: I am employed by Barnes & Noble. This and any other posts by me have no official connection to B&N. Neither I or Heidi MacDonald receive any remuneration from linking to barnesandnoble.com . As always, feel free to send us your PR. Even better, send us some free books!

• $ 29.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
• Format: Hardcover, 200pp
• ISBN-13: 9780785140283
• ISBN: 078514028X

• $ 19.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Titan Books Limited
• Format: Paperback, 344pp
• ISBN-13: 9781848564329
• ISBN: 1848564325

Paul Dini, Alex Ross (Illustrator)

• $ 29.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Format: Paperback, 400pp
• ISBN-13: 9781401202552
• ISBN: 1401202551

Joe Simon, Jack Kirby (Illustrator), Steve Saffel (Editor)

• $ 49.95
• Pub. Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Titan Books Limited
• Format: Hardcover, 480pp
• ISBN-13: 9781848563650
• ISBN: 1848563655

N. C. Christopher Couch, Jerry Robinson (Illustrator), Pete Hamill (Introduction by), Dennis O’Neil (Foreword by)

• $ 35.00
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Abrams, Harry N., Inc.
• Format: Hardcover, 224 pp
• ISBN-13: 9780810977648
• ISBN: 0810977648

John Benson (Editor), Greg Sadowski (Editor)

• $ 29.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Format: Paperback, 320pp
• ISBN-13: 9781606993439
• ISBN: 1606993437

Alan Moore, Ian Gibson

• $ 17.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Rebellion/Abaddon Books
• Format: Paperback, 208pp
• ISBN-13: 9781906735937
• ISBN: 190673593X

• $ 16.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Incorporated
• Format: Hardcover, 208pp
• Age Range: 12 and up
• ISBN-13: 9780756667405
• ISBN: 0756667402

Susan Brewer

• $ 39.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
• Format: Hardcover, 240pp
• ISBN-13: 9781844680726
• ISBN: 184468072X

Dick Briefer

• $ 21.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 148pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107221
• ISBN: 1600107222

Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart (Artist)

• $ 17.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
• Format: Hardcover, 104pp
• ISBN-13: 9781595825018
• ISBN: 1595825010

Neal Adams

• $ 39.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Format: Hardcover, 192pp
• ISBN-13: 9781401221720
• ISBN: 1401221726

Al Williamson

• $ 19.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Flesk Publications
• Format: Paperback, 64 pp
• ISBN-13: 9781933865294
• ISBN: 1933865296

O. T. Nelson, Chrissy Delk (Illustrator), Dan Jolley (Adapted by)

• $ 8.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group/Graphic Universe
• Format: Library Binding
• ISBN-13: 9780761349037
• ISBN: 0761349030

Willow Dawson

• $ 16.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Kids Can Press, Limited
• Format: Hardcover, 112pp
• Age Range: 8 to 12
• ISBN-13: 9781554534388
• ISBN: 1554534380

Ignacio Noe

• $ 13.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: N B M Publishing Company
• Format: Paperback, 64pp
• ISBN-13: 9781561635870
• ISBN: 1561635871
• Edition Description: Not Appropriate For Children

Edgar Allan Poe

• $ 28.50
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: The Creative Company
• Format: Hardcover, 32pp
• Age Range: 9 to 12
• ISBN-13: 9781583419250
• ISBN: 158341925X

Diana Gabaldon, Hoang Nguyen (Illustrator)

• $ 25.00
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Format: Hardcover, 224pp
• Series: Outlander Series
• ISBN-13: 9780345505385
• ISBN: 0345505387

Frederick Luis Aldama, Derek Parker Royal (Foreword by)

• $ 55.00
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Format: Hardcover, 278pp
• ISBN-13: 9780292722811
• ISBN: 0292722818

Sid Jacobson, Ernie Colon

• $ 30.00
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Hill and Wang
• Format: Hardcover, 160 pp
• ISBN-13: 9780809026845
• ISBN: 0809026848

Zoë B. Alley (Retold by), R. W. Alley (Retold by)

• $ 19.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Format: Hardcover, 40 pp
• Age Range: 4 to 8
• ISBN-13: 9781596434714
• ISBN: 1596434716

John DeCosta (Artist), Bill Spangler

• $ 15.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Bluewater Productions
• Format: Paperback, 96pp
• ISBN-13: 9781450700146
• ISBN: 1450700144

Joyce Farmer

• $ 26.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Format: Hardcover, 208pp
• ISBN-13: 9781606993811
• ISBN: 160699381X

Scott Wegener, Brian Clevinger (Artist)

• $ 17.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Red 5 Comics
• Format: Paperback, 140pp
• Age Range: Young Adult
• ISBN-13: 9780980930283
• ISBN: 0980930286

Roger Langridge, Amy Mebberson (Illustrator)

• $ 9.99
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Boom! Studios
• Format: Paperback, 112pp
• Age Range: 8 to 12
• ISBN-13: 9781608865871
• ISBN: 1608865878

Jay P. Fosgitt

• $ 9.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Ape Entertainment
• Format: Paperback, 100pp
• Age Range: Young Adult
• ISBN-13: 9781936340019
• ISBN: 1936340011

Cliff Sterrett

• $ 75.00
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Idea & Design Works, LLC
• Format: Hardcover, 176pp
• ISBN-13: 9781600107115
• ISBN: 1600107117

Jason Flowers (Artist), Jay Busbee

• $ 14.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Arcana Studio Incorporated
• Format: Paperback, 96pp
• Age Range: Young Adult
• ISBN-13: 9781897548066
• ISBN: 1897548060

Audrey Niffenegger

• $ 19.95
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Abrams, Harry N., Inc.
• Format: Hardcover, 208pp
• ISBN-13: 9780810996175
• ISBN: 0810996170

Seymour Chwast (Adapted by), Dante Alighieri (Based On Work by)

• $ 20.00
• Pub. Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Format: Hardcover, 128pp
• ISBN-13: 9781608190843
• ISBN: 1608190846

Leone Frollo (Illustrator), Massimo Farepuzzo (Adapted by)

• $ 9.50
• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Pacific Comics Club
• Format: Paperback, 96pp
• ISBN-13: 9780615394459
• ISBN: 0615394450

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III Century #2 1969

Dark Horse

Given that pretty much all of the Spartans died at the Battle of Thermopylae — which was sort of the point — people have been speculating for years about how Frank Miller would wring a sequel out of his hit Dark Horse graphic novel and movie 300. Today, at Comic-Con, the answer came out. The sequel, XERXES, will actually take place at exactly the same time on another battlefield of the same war. 300’s director Zach Snyder revealed he is already working on a film script based on Miller’s upcoming graphic novel.

Meanwhile, Dark Horse released a never-before-seen clip from the in-progress animated movie based on Eric Powell’s THE GOON. The clip, which is several minutes long and contains a complete comedic scene, can be seen here. The movie’s producers are still seeking a studio to support the project.

Image

At the Image panel, it was announced that Marc Guggenheim is starting a new imprint, Collider Entertainment, for comics written by Hollywood scriptwriters without intending them to become movies. For extra novelty value, the projects are supposed to be original, and not repurposed spec scripts as is often the case. The first two comics from this line will be UTOPIAN, written by Guggenheim and his wife Tara Butters, a scriptwriter for REAPER, about a world in which heroes have become obsolete. The second, by Erich and John Hoeber, the screenwriters of the upcoming comics movie RED, is called THE MISSION, and is about a man commanded by possibly divine voices to kill people.

It was also announced that the upcomingWalking Dead television show based on Robert Kirkman’s hit Image comic will feature writing from none other than Kirkman himself.

Top Shelf

A sequel was announced for Jeffrey Brown’s cult classic giant-robots parody, THE INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS. THE INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS TWO will come out from Top Shelf and feature an amnesiac villain and lots of intentionally disposable new characters.

Also, art was revealed for the much anticipated LEAGUES OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN Vol.3: CENTURY #2 1969 from Kevin O’Neill and Alan Moore.

Fantagraphics

Fantagraphics has announced it will be publishing Floyd Gottfredson’s classic Mickey Mouse comic strips in full.

IDW

IDW has announced a new ROCKETEER anthology, featuring comics from big-name creators including Darwyn Cook, Bill Willingham, Kurt Busiek, and Mike Mignola among many, many others.

Kate Fitzsimons writes for Publishers Weekly, Publishers Weekly Comics Week, and her personal comics and geek culture blog geekiferous.com.

This weekend before MoCCA will be the second Drink & Draw Like a Lady, hosted by Hope Larson & Raina Telgemeier. Both ladies also have new YA graphic novels out this spring, creating a synergy that demanded an interview this week!

What are your new books about?

HL: Mercury is the story of two girls living in a fictional part of Nova Scotia–Tara, a present-day teenager, and Josey, a farm girl alive during the 1850s–the mysterious connection between them, and a hunt for buried treasure.

RT: Smile is an autobiographical story chronicling my tumultuous middle school years. I knocked out my two front teeth when I was 11, and the story revolves around how awkward it was to try and have a social life while missing half of my smile.

Hope, was it more challenging to write historical fiction?

HL: Yes, definitely. If you’re writing straight fiction you can make up whatever you want, but with historical fiction you’ve got an obligation to the facts. 1850s Nova Scotia isn’t a period or a place people know much about, especially outside of Canada, and I wanted to portray it as honestly as possible. On top of that, I’m American, so all through the writing process I was aware of myself as an outsider, and doing my best to get it right.

Research was a challenge because there isn’t a lot of literature about people living at the same time, in the same place, and in similar economic circumstances to Josey’s family. I read a lot of books about Canadian pioneers, and I read a couple journals written by wealthy girls and women living during the 1800s, and I pieced “the facts” together from bits and pieces. I also visited the Ross Farm Museum, a “living heritage farm” in Nova Scotia, which was incredibly helpful.

The hardest part of writing historical fiction, though, was finding a “voice” for the 1850s characters. Originally they sounded more modern, but my editors suggested I dial it back a bit, and I think that was the right choice. It’s not so much that they talk differently, though, it’s that the things they’re talking about are different from the things you and I talk about.

Raina, how was writing about yourself in Smile different from your fiction projects?

RT: I haven’t written a lot of fiction, so it’s hard to compare. I’ve illustrated fiction, but most of my writing is partly or entirely autobiographical. I’m not even sure why that is; I’ve always felt more comfortable writing about stuff that’s happened to me or people I know.

You both have focused on writing books in which the protagonists are young women. What made you focus on YA graphic novels?

HL: It’s what interests me, and what I’m good at. I’ve written a screenplay about 20-somethings, and I’m working on another one, but YA is something I think I’ll always return to.

RT: I remember being really attached to and absorbed by the books I read when I was in late elementary and early middle school. That was a time in my life that I really clung to strong female characters I could identify with, because there were so few of them elsewhere in the media.

YA prose has exploded in the last ten years, but comics are just starting to crack the surface of this genre. It just feels right to me, to be creating graphic novels for this audience, at this time. And based on the responses I’ve gotten from middle school girls, there is a market that’s very hungry for it.

What are you working on next?

HL: I have three projects in the works right now, and I can’t say much about any of them yet, so please excuse me for being cryptic. They are:

1) An adaptation of a classic YA/middle grade novel, which I wrote the script for and am also drawing.
2) A series of YA graphic novels, which I wrote but won’t be drawing. I’m still trying to lock in an artist for this.
3) A screenplay (on spec). It’s set in the 1920s and it’s based on the true story of an American actress, a British con man, and the massive publicity stunt they embarked on together.

RT: My next project is a (currently untitled) graphic novel about high school students on stage crew. It’s not exactly a sequel to Smile, but it feels kind of like a spiritual successor.  I’ll be starting the artwork for that this month.

What comments would you be happy to never read again in your reviews?

HL: I don’t read my reviews. My husband reads them and feeds me bits and pieces, but I’m too neurotic and obsessive to ingest that sort of criticism.

RT: Male reviewers love to start out by saying  “I am not and never was a teenaged girl,” and as such, they don’t know if they can give a book a fair review or not. I don’t believe that’s true. Did they like the book or not? Why? That’s all I’m interested in.

artwork by Lucy Knisley

What made you decide to start DDLL? How did you guys team up?

RT: Hope gets most of the credit: the whole thing was her brainchild. On my end, I live in New York, so for last year’s event it was easier for me to scope out locations, drop off postcards, and invite the local lady-comics crowd to the party.

HL: Raina, Lucy Knisley and I had brunch during MoCCA in 2008, and I wanted to do something similar in 2009. It quickly became clear that there were too many awesome lady cartoonists in town to fit them all into one restaurant, so we decided to throw a party instead!

Where are this year’s DDLLs at?

HL: The east-coast DDLL, in NYC, is located at 192 Books, which is managed by Lucy Knisley’s dad. Last year we held it in a bar, and addition to being forced into a 21+ event–both are all-ages this year–it was dark and loud and so many people showed up that we spilled out of our allotted space. There was also a singles event happening upstairs, and guys kept drifting over to see if we were there for that. Sorry, no.

The west-coast DDLL, in Portland, OR, will be in the ballroom at Secret Society . I’m a little nervous about that, because it’s our first year in Portland and I have no idea what to expect!

How have people responded?

HL: The response has been incredibly positive. So many people came up to me last year and thanked me for putting the event together that I had to do it again this year. I get the odd complaint about DDLL being sexist, and it is a sexist event by nature, but I think it’s important for women just finding their way into the comics industry to feel that there’s a support system in place for them.

RT: I’ve been surprised to hear how many women felt there was a real need for an event like this. And the guys seem interested, too, but for all their jokes about going off and creating an exclusive men-only event, it hasn’t happened.

artwork by Erica Moen

Who are your favorite women cartoonists?

HL: I’m friends with so many women cartoonists that I don’t think it’s fair to name names. I’ll go with Lynda Barry and Vanessa Davis because I love their work but I don’t know either of them personally.

RT: My two cornerstones of inspiration are Lynn Johnston (For Better or For Worse) and Lynda Barry (Ernie Pook’s Comeek). I’ve been reading both of their work since I was a pre-teen, and have wanted to follow in their footsteps ever since.

Challenge: How many women cartoonists can you name?

HL: This is going to betray my reading habits for sure.

Lynda Barry, Vanessa Davis, Raina Telgemeier, Jessica Abel, Gabrielle Bell, Faith Erin Hicks, Vera Brosgol, Dylan Meconis, Erika Moen, Jen Wang, Amy Kim Kibuishi, Jillian Tamaki, MK Reed, Yuko Ota, Tintin Pantoja, Kate Beaton, Lucy Knisley, Katie Skelly, Rebecca Kraatz, Lindsay Cibos, Star St. Germain, Lea Hernandez, Hellen Jo, Annie Wu, Meredith Gran, Rivkah, Willow Dawson, Liz Baillie, Nikki Cook, Joelle Jones, Rene Engström, Ariel Schrag, Alison Bechdel, Jill Thompson, Sara Varon, Julia Wertz.

And for manga…  Rumiko Takahashi, CLAMP (4-woman mangaka collective), Riyoko Ikeda, Fumiyo Köno, Naoko Takeuchi, Hiromu Arakawa, Moto Hagio, Erica Sakurazawa. To be honest, because I’m not familiar with Japanese names I have no idea whether most mangaka are male or female.

I know there are tons more. I shudder to think who I’m leaving off.

RT: Abby Denson, Ai Yazawa, Alex de Campi , Alexa Kitchen, Alisa Harris , Alison Bechdel, Alison Wilgus, Amanda Conner, Amy Kim Ganter, Amy Reeder Hadley , Ann Nocenti, Anne Gibbons, Ann Telnaes, Anne Timmons, Annie Wu, Anzu, Ariel Bordeaux, Ariel Schrag, Ashley Quigg, Audra Ann Furuichi, Becky Cloonan, Becky Dreistadt, Benita Epstein, Bisco Hatori, Britt Wilson,Bunny Hoest, C. Tyler, Carol Lay, Carla Rodriguez, Carla Speed McNeil, Carla Ventresca, Carolyn Belefski, Cathy Guisewite, Cecil Castellucci, Chari Pere, Christine Norrie , Chynna Clugston, CLAMP, Cliodhna Lyons, Colleen A.F. Venable, Colleen Coover, Colleen Doran, Colleen Frakes, Colleen MacIsaac, Cori Doerrfeld, Corinne Mucha, Dame Darcy, Danica Novgorodoff, Danielle Corsetto , Deb Aoki, Debbie Huey, Debbie Drescher, Delaine Derry Green, Der-shing Helmer, Devin Grayson, Diana Cameron McQueen, Diana Tamblyn, Donna Barr, Dorothy Gambrell , Dylan Meconis, Elena Barbarich, Elena Diaz, Ellen Forney, Ellen Lindner, Emily Horne, Erica Sakurazawa, Erika Moen, Faith Erin Hicks, Fumiyo Köno, G. Willow Wilson, Gabrielle Bell, Gail Simone, Gina Biggs, Hanni Brosh, Hellen Jo, Hilary B. Price, Hilary Florido, Hiromu Arakawa, Hope Larson, Hwan Cho, Isabella Bannerman, Jamaica Dyer, Jane Irwin, Jean Ciolek, Jen Vaughn, Jen Wang, Jenn Manley Lee, Jenn Moore, Jennifer Holm, Jenny Gonzalez, Jen Van Meter, Jess Fink, Jessica Abel, Jessica McLeod, Jill Thompson, Jillian Tamaki, Joanna Estep, Joelle Jones, Joey Allison Sayers, Johane Matte, Jordyn Bochon, Julie Doucet, Julie Wertz, Kaja Foglio, Karen Luk, Karen Sneider, Kasey Van Hise, Kat Roberts, Kate Beaton, Kathryn Immonen, Kathryn LeMieux, Katie Skelly, Kris Dresen,Kt Shy, L Nichols, Lark Pien, Laura Park, Laura Williams, Laura Wilson, Lauren Weinstein, Layla Lawlor, Lea Hernandez, Leigh Dragoon, Linda Medley, Lindsay Cibos, Lisa Hanawalt, Liz Baillie , Liz Prince, Liz Hickey, Liz Lunney, Liza Donnelly, Lucy Knisley, Lynda Barry, Lynda Barry, Lynn Johnston, Lynn Lau, Margaret Shulock, Margo Debaie, Mari Naomi, Mariko Tamaki, Marilyn Scott-Waters, Marion Vitus, Maris Wicks, Marjane Satrapi, Mary Fleener, Megan Baehr, Megan Kelso, Melissa DeJesus, Meredith Gran , Meredith Scheff-King, Michelle PalumboMihona Fujii, Mikhaela Reid, Ming Doyle, Minty Lewis, Miriam Libicki, Misako Rocks!, Miss Lasko-Gross, MK Reed,Monica Gallagher Monique MacNaughton, Moto Hagio, Naoko Takeuchi, Natasha Allegri, Nicola Scott, Niki Smith, Nikki Cook, Nina Paley, Paige Braddock, Pam Bliss, Pancha Diaz, Patricia Burgess, Penina Gal, Phoebe Gloeckner, Posy Simmons, Rachel Dukes, Rachel Hartman, Rachel Nabors, Raina Telgemeier, Rebecca Clements, Rebecca Kraatz, Rebecca Sugar, Rene Engstrom, Renee French, Renee Kurilla, Rina Ayuyang, Rina Piccolo, Risa Itō, Rivkah, Riyoko Ikeda, Roberta Gregory, Robyn Chapman, Rosa Colon, Rosemary Mosco, Rosemary Travale, Roz Chast, Rumiko Takahashi, Sally Bloodbath, Sara Varon, Sarah Dyer, Sarah Glidden, Sarah McIntyre, Sarah Oleksyk, Shaenon K. Garrity, Shannon O’Leary, Shayna Marchese, Shelli Paroline, Sophie Crumb, Spike, Star St. Germain, Stephanie Piro, Stephanie Yue, Stevie Wilson, Sue Coe, Susie Cagle, Suzanne Baumann, Svetlana Chmakova,Tania Del Rio, Tara O’Connor, Tara Tallan , Tatiana Gill, Tintin Pantoja, Tracy White, Trina Robbins, Ursula Vernon, Ursula Murray Husted, Vanessa Davis, Vanessa Satone, Vera Brosgol, Vicki Nerino, Willow Dawson, Yali Lin, Yuko Ota

Sorry if I missed you & that I couldn’t put in everyone’s website, but add yours in the comments!