Exhibitors at Comic Arts Brooklyn this weekend were kind enough to send me listings of their books—as usual there is something for everyone. I received so many listing I’m dividing this into two parts. Many thanks to the creators who took the time to send me news of their work. It looks to be a very exciting show. Enjoy!
Ley Lines: “Unholy Shapes”
by Matt Seneca
DEATH COMIX presents three new horror stories by Matt Seneca, plus a scattering of choice extras. On these pages the color-seared seances of psychedelic horror movie maestros Mario Bava and Dario Argento meet the disturbing banality of modern “torture porn” flicks and the fantastic visions of extremity chased down by manga master Suehiro Maruo. Through a storm of nuclear fallout both physical and psychological, readers are given three different views into an apocalyptic world where serial murder, domestic violence, and the abuse of power are not just constant, but the only things left happening at all. And if you squint, you can discern the real horror: that the world of this comic bears more than a few similarities to our own. 56 pages | Full color | $7
SEEDS #1-5 Collected Print Set
Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash will be at Comic Arts Brooklyn on Saturday, November 8 to debut a sneak peak of their new wordless picture book, “Bow-Wow’s Nightmare Neighbors” from Neal Porter Books/ Roaring Book Press. Visitors to CAB will be able to purchase a signed copy weeks before it is available in any bookstore.“Bow-Wow’s Nightmare Neighbors” (already awarded a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection and four starred trade reviews) is the long-awaited follow up to their multiple award-winning “Bow-Wow Bugs A Bug.”“This is a mysterious and perfectly-crafted little book, full of surprises and profundities and infused throughout with an uncanny sensitivity to the current state of canine-feline relations.”–Dan ClowesBONUS: interview with Megan and Mark in the latest Comics Journal
Uncontested Spaces
Keren Katz
The Understanding Monster – Book Two
Theo Ellsworth
Secret Acres
Continuing where Book One left off, The Understanding Monster – Book Two follows Pharoah Tellitome, Inspector Gimble, Turtletree, Master Sponko and Minnow on their collective quest to awaken Izadore and re-establish his identity and memory. Constructed with the same lush, intricate visuals as the first volume, the story returns readers to the world of time crystals, “home bodies,” afterlife quests, thought projection resurrection and the ever-majestic Toy Mountain. The Understanding Monster – Book Two delves even deeper into the nature of creativity and imagination, and the tenuous relationship between reality and the subconscious.
Jeans 3
Harris Smith (editor) Adria Mercuri (cover) Laura Callaghan, Pete Toms, Victor Kerlow, Paul Arscott, Laurie Pina, Amy Searles, Josh Burggraf, Anthony Meloro, Zach Mason, Jason Murphy, G.W. Duncanson, Ken Johnson, Gregory Kirkorian (artists/writers)
Jeans is a yearly anthology showcasing new narrative visions from up-and-coming graphic storytellers. Previous issues have included works by Benjamin Marra, Lale Westvind, Alex Degen, Leah Wishnia, Alabaster and other rising stars of the indie/art comics scene. Issue 3 is the first to be printed entirely in color and features exciting and innovative comics by artists from the US and UK.
Impressions
Wendy
Walter Scott
WEBSITE: http://wwalterscott.com/
Wendy is a sardonic look at the art world and its attendant creatives and creeps.
Wendy is trendy, and has dreams of art stardom — but our young urban protagonist is perpetually derailed by the temptations of punk music, drugs, alcohol, parties, and boys. Hegemonies and hearts are broken in this droll and iconoclastic look at the worlds of art and twentysomethings.
6.5 x 9 inches, 216 pages, b&w interior, colour softcover
Photos by Jes Fortner
Now and Here #3, Trial One
Wellington Sun
A man discovers the diabolical plans of a race of reptilian monsters. Handmade comic with 5-color silkscreen wraparound cover, signed & numbered edition of 20, $20. Table D9
Title: Teach me how to be a God
By: Meghan Turbitt, cover by Holly Simple
Website:
Rap God Kanye West teaches Meghan Turbitt how to become a god and get free damn croissants
Printed by Eyeball Comix for CAB 2014!
28 pages of risograph monsters and evil deities by Pete Sharp, Anna Haifisch, Barry Cook, Sam Bell, Russell Taysom, Takayo Akiyama, Paul Arscott, Robscenity, James Turek, Tim Ryan, Andrew Walter, Brigid Deacon, Aidan Cook, Joey Fourr and Vincent Fritz.
Tales To Behold 6
The Worst of Eerie Publications
by Mike Howell
IDW/Yoe Books
The Eerie Publications line of horror comics pushed the envelope like no other! Publisher Myron Fass and Editor Carl Burgos (creator of The Human Torch) gleefully stole the pocket change from kids in the 60s and 70s with these over the top monstrosities. The 21 tales within The Worst of Eerie Publications are designed to trouble you, to unnerve you and they just very well might make you queasy.
Shunned by “serious” collectors for years, these low brow terrors have generated much interest in recent years. Comic fans have come to realize that despite the cheap, pulpy paper that they were printed on, the Eerie Pubs contained work by many wonderful artists with many different styles and visions.
With stories pilfered from the banned Pre-Code horror comics of the 50s, these magazines were a treasure trove of alluring artwork by talented draftsmen like Dick Ayers and Chic Stone who never got their due. The stories chosen for this deluxe edition have been meticulously remastered for your appreciation or should we say disgust?
Each contributor is given 6 to 9 pages to work with. Anthologies—in my view—suffer from short unfocused contributions. A 50 page anthology full of one page strips often never rises above being a sampler. Our format allows for the reader to enter any artist’s world and stay there for a solid amount of time. As with issue #1, this anthology features 3 artists with radically different approaches—the reader is allowed to move from one aesthetic to another, with just enough time in each to feel and think.
by Marlene Frontera
Published by Sonatina Comics
Available at DOMINO BOOKS
Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the most celebrated religious figures in history. Known for his endless compassion toward animals and the environment, our man is an icon of divine benevolence. But all fame aside, I bet you’ve never caught him on a beach day.
Santo Shoes is a collection of over 50 images that bring new energy to the legacy of Saint Francis. From the hills of Umbria to the shores of Puerto Rico, Marlene Frontera’s imagery pulses with the same gentle spirit that the saint so graciously strove for in life.
AVAILABLE AT DOMINO BOOKS’EDUCATION is a 132-page comic that I recently finished. It is about a teacher who cannot control his imagination.I did this book in an edition of 50: the cover is a hand-printed lithograph and the binding is hand-sewn.’
In a Succulent Universe
A riso printed zine combining succulents and space!
by A. Degen
A comic book inquiry into ‘The Philosopher’, a mysterious and possibly malevolent entity who appears at pivotal moments in human history. A narrative in two chapters: the first known appearance of the Philosopher in prehistory and the most recent first person account by Professor M.E. Rayonant.
This comic is a ‘side story’ to Mighty Star in the Castle of the Cancatervater (Koyama Press, Spring 2015) and also reads as a standalone work.
by Andrew Scully
It is the future. Civilization has crumbled from the ravages of human exploitation and war. Earth is a radioactive wasteland populated by vicious punks, insane mutants, bloodthirsty cults and corporate mercenaries. The Zone Tripper must navigate this terrain on his courier mission to The Hills, the last bastion of civilization in a brutal post-apocalyptic world.