Top Shelf

Top Shelf has just announced a team-up with comiXology that includes their own iOS app, and a separate app for the Kids Club line. Books from LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN to OWLY will be available across various platforms. Interestingly, Top Shelf is the first "alt.comix" type publisher to go whole hog with digital. D&Q and Fantagraphics and most of the smaller indies have remained remained aloof to the ecomics world. Although most art comics are best suited to the paper medium -- and are, indeed the very type of objects that will keep print books alive for quite some time -- a lot of indie cartoonists read just fine on the screen — we've found some of the "panel grid layout" types even look great on an iPhone. It seems like only a matter of time before everyone has their own app and storefront...but how long?

THE INFINITE KUNG-FU LAUNCH PARTY: FEATURING HOP-FU! A Spectacular Graphic Novel Launch and Live Music/Film Event

Not much happened for me personally at Comic Con on Sunday except for getting the frack out of there before getting quashed by a giant menacing smurf but I nonetheless have a bunch of cool schtuff to share from Sunday and previous days...

The digital teaming up is coming fast and furious as Top Shelf has signed with iVerse for digital distro. The idea of reading Nate Powell, James Kochalka, and Renee French on a tablet sounds very tasty indeed.

Kagen McLeod's imminent INFINITE KUNG FU is a crazy-good 600 page fighting epic. Just order it already!

Top Shelf has shared their signings and book debuts with us and here's the list: Debuts/Signings: -- Craig Thompson (redesigned Blankets Hardcover & Softcover) -- Kagan McLeod (Infinite Kung Fu) -- Nate Powell (Any Empire) -- Robert Venditti/Mike Huddleston (The Homeland Directive) -- Ray Friesen (Pirate Penguin vs Ninja Chicken) -- plus the new Okie Dokie Donuts (Story 1) -- plus the new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 1969

Ludovic Debeurme'sLUCILLE hits these shores this week, and it's a stunner. In France, this hefty (500+ page) graphic novel about two teenagers from troubled families coming of age together was a major literary event, crossing over even with non-comics readers, and Top Shelf's English version is very faithful to the original.

Tom Hart's essential zeitgeist character Hutch Owen gets his third collection this fall, Let's Get Furious!, due from Top Shelf:

As promised, here are more photos of Stumptown: the comics festival and the parties that just won't quit!

Even our congressmen are getting bitten by the graphic novel bug, as Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) is signed with Top Shelf to co-write...

By Jen Vaughn -- What do you do with a man with a wild mind of his own and a pair of drawing hands that just won't quit? You make him KING.

James Kochalka is the one of forerunners of autobiographical diary comics with his syndicated comic, American Elf, which is also available online and began way back in October, 1998. He is also the creator of other excellent comics like irreverent SuperF*ckers and children's books like the Johnny Boo series and most recently, Dragon Puncher. His comics are published by Portland-based comics publisher, Top Shelf.

Belgian cartoonist Brecht Evens made quite a splash with THE WRONG PLACE from D&Q, and the upcoming NIGHT ANIMALS (Top Shelf, March) looks to continue the buzz.