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Top 35 Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga:
October 2019
Families matter, despite, or because of what they do to us. And family matters continue to provide some of the most affecting subject matter of graphic novels on the autobiography spectrum. The month of October brings us intimate insights into a father’s gradual dementia, a son’s struggles to deal with his upbringing and urges, three siblings growing apart after their father’s death, and a son’s tender recreation of his father’s advertising career in the Sixties.
It’s also a thrill to see visionary underground comix maestro Kim Deitch at the top of his game in his new mind-expanding epic…
Swiss genius Frederik Peeters is back with the eagerly awaited translation of his SF epic Lupus...
Non-fiction graphic documentaries include a biography of Rod Serling and the testimonial of an under-age soldier…
Finally, two masters are honoured with special editions, American strip cartoonist Patrick McDonnell and Japanese manga legend Jiro Taniguchi. Happy comics-reading to one and all!
49th Key
by Erika Lewis & J. K. Woodward
Heavy Metal Magazine
$9.99
The publisher says:
49th Key is based on the 16th-century legend of Enochian magic, which tells of a secret language of angels. The first chapter in an expansive fantasy series tells of a rogue archeologist and a young autistic and mute boy on a treacherous journey through England to bring the boy home. The boy turns out to be the key to a gateway between our world and that of Enochia, a magical society that exists below the Earth’s surface, filled with fantasy creatures and highly advanced humans. 120pgs colour paperback.
Grant Morrison says:
A twisty conspiracy epic, the 49th Key... has been one of my favourite Heavy Metal serials since it started.
Amazing Athletes
by Till Lukat
Centrala
£13.99
The publisher says:
Ready, steady… and we’re off! Amazing Athletes shows 50 sportspeople pushing their minds and bodies to the limit in the greatest athletic contests on earth. Who will win medals… and who will win hearts? The reader discovers what real sportsmanship is made of through profiles of the greatest sportspeople through the ages. Whether the athletes stuck out through godlike physical ability or incredible determination and willpower, they all have one thing in common: the courage to go a step beyond the finish line. 64pgs colour hardcover.
Blood: An Anthology of Polish Women Comic Artists
by various artists
Centrala
£14.99
The publisher says:
Blood: An Anthology of Polish Women Comic Artists illustrates the incredible range and quality of comic art from Poland through the examination of the meaning of the word ‘blood’. From its mythological aspect (including the magical powers attributed to menstrual blood) to hereditary symbolism, to strong connotations with physical pain, Blood runs through it all. This anthology touches as well upon various artistic expressions beyond comics, referencing Frans Masereel and Lynd Ward’s pre-comics wood cuts, subtle portraiture, photomontage, and psychedelic references to science fiction. Contributors include Aga Gojska, Kasia Kowalczyk, Anna Krzton and Beata Sosnowska. 108pgs colour paperback,
Brain Bats of Venus: The Life and Comics of Basil Wolverton (1942-1952) (Vol. 2)
by Greg Sadowski & Basil Wolverton
Fantagraphics Books
$44.99
The publisher says:
This is Vol. 2 of the biography of the legendary midcentury cartoonist, who created the comically grotesque “Lena the Hyena.” This volume continues Sadowski’s biography of the famed Mad cartoonist. It includes scores of letters between Wolverton and his editors and publishers and excerpts from his personal diaries, providing documentary insight not only into Wolverton’s day-to-day life and career, but also the inner workings of the early comic book industry. It is also chock full of Wolverton’s comics stories from this period, including 17 science-fiction and horror tales fully restored and never before collected in a single volume. 432pgs colour hardcover.
Commute
by Erin Williams
Abrams ComicArts
$24.99
The publisher says:
In Commute, we follow author and illustrator Erin Williams on her daily commute to and from work, punctuated by recollections of sexual encounters as well as memories of her battle with alcoholism, addiction and recovery. As she moves through the world navigating banal, familiar and sometimes uncomfortable interactions with the familiar-faced strangers she sees daily, Williams weaves together a riveting collection of flashbacks. Her recollections highlight the indefinable moments when lines are crossed and a woman must ask herself if the only way to avoid being objectified is to simply cease to draw any attention to her physical being. 304pgs colour hardcover.
Dakwäkãda Warriors
by Cole Pauls
Conundrum Press
$20.00
The publisher says:
Growing up in Haines Junction, YT, artist Cole Pauls performed in a traditional song and dance group called the Dakwäkãda Dancers. During that time, Pauls encountered the ancestral language of Southern Tutchone. Driven by a desire to help revitalise the language, he created Dakwäkãda Warriors, a bilingual comic about two earth protectors saving the world from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches. Pauls’ Elders supported him throughout the creation process by offering consultation and translation. The resulting work is a whimsical young adult graphic novel that offers an accessible allegory of colonialism. Cole Pauls is a Tahltan comic artist, illustrator and printmaker hailing from Haines Junction (Yukon Territory) with a BFA in Illustration from Emily Carr University. Residing in Vancouver, Pauls focuses on his two comic series, the first being Pizza Punks: a self contained comic strip about punks eating pizza, the other being Dakwäkãda Warriors. In 2017, Pauls won Broken Pencil Magazine’s Best Comic and Best Zine of the Year Award for Dakwäkãda Warriors II. 112pgs two-colour paperback.
Goodbye, My Havana: The Life and Times of a Gringa in Revolutionary Cuba
by Anna Veltfort
Redwood Press
£19.99
The publisher says:
An eyewitness account of idealism, self-discovery, and loss under one of the twentieth-century’s most repressive political regimes. Set against a backdrop of world-changing events during the headiest years of the Cuban Revolution, Goodbye, My Havana follows young Connie Veltfort as her once relatively privileged life among a community of anti-imperialist expatriates turns to progressive disillusionment and heartbreak. The consolidation of Castro’s position brings violence, cruelty, and betrayal to Connie’s doorstep. And the crackdown that ultimately forces her family and others to flee for their lives includes homosexuals among its targets―Connie’s coming-of-age story is one also about the dangers of coming out. Looking back with a mixture of hardheaded clarity and tenderness at her alter ego and a forgotten era, with this gripping graphic memoir Anna Veltfort takes leave of the past even as she brings neglected moments of the Cold War into the present. Anna Veltfort is a graphic designer and illustrator who lives in New York. 240pgs colour paperback.
Gothic for Girls: Misty and British Comics
by Julia Round
University Press of Mississippi
$99.00 / $30.00
The publisher says:
Fans still remember and love the British girls’ comic Misty for its bold visuals and narrative complexities. Yet its unique history has drawn little critical attention. In the first book on this topic, Round closely analyses Misty‘s content, including its creation and production, its cultural and historical context, key influences, and the comic itself. Largely based on Round’s own archival research of this comic and richly illustrated with previously unpublished photos, scripts and letters, this book uses Misty as a lens to explore the use of Gothic themes and symbols in girls’ comics and other media. 320pgs B&W with colour hardcover / paperback.
Holy Hannah
by Will Dinskii
Uncivilized Books
$24.95
The publisher says:
Hannah, a successful tech entrepreneur, decides to drop out of society and create a new social app, “Know Me.” She’s invited to test the app on a small religious community, the Church of Love and Devotion. The results go way beyond any intended consequences as lines separating the self, technology, and belief become blurred and lead to religious cult indoctrination. Loosely inspired by the life of the notorious Jim Jones and updated for the social media age, Holy Hannah explores family and the ways in which people’s lives become intertwined in unexpected and toxic ways. 550pgs B&W paperback.
How To Have Feminist Sex: A Fairly Graphic Guide
by Flo Perry
Particular Books
£16.99
The publisher says:
We talk about feminism in the workplace and we talk about dating after #MeToo, but women’s own patriarchal conditioning can be the hardest enemy to defeat. When it comes to our sex lives, few of us are free of niggling fears and body image insecurities. Rather than enjoying and exploring our bodies uninhibited, we worry about our bikini lines, bulging tummies and whether we’re doing it ‘right’. Flo Perry broaches everything from faking it to consent, stress to kink, and how losing your virginity isn’t so different to eating your first chocolate croissant. Her mission is to get more people talking openly about what they do and don’t want from every romantic encounter. 144pgs black-and-red hardcover.
Jeff Smith Conversations
by Jeff Smith, edited by Frederick Luis Aldama
University of Mississippi Press
$99.00 / $25.00
The publisher says:
First with his magisterial fantasy Bone to his mind-bending, time-warping sci-fi noir RASL, Paleolithic-set fantasy Tüki: Save the Humans, arthouse-styled superheroic miniseries Shazam! and his latest children’s book Smiley’s Dream Book, Jeff Smith (b. 1960) has made an indelible mark on the comics industry. As a child, Smith was drawn to Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, Carl Barks’s Donald Duck and Walt Kelly’s Pogo, and he began the daily practice of drawing his own stories. After writing his regular strip Thorn for The Ohio State University’s student paper, Smith worked in animation before creating, writing and illustrating his runaway success, Bone. This volume collects career-spanning interviews with Smith. 160pgs B&W hardcover / paperback.
Lupus
by Frederik Peeters
IDW / Top Shelf Productions
$29.99
The publisher says:
Lupus Lablennorre is a man on the run. Like a cosmic Odysseus, he wanders from planet to planet, haunted by his past and orbiting around a woman. It starts as a fishing trip with his ex-military pal Tony. Their lifelong friendship has started to feel different lately, and not just because of the drugs. Picking up Sanaa, a wealthy and mysterious runaway, only complicates the situation. When tragedy strikes and they’re forced to flee, new worlds await with many ways to disappear. But Lupus will find that the tendrils of friendship, love, and family are not so easily severed. Armed with astonishingly expressive brushwork and a dreamy, intimate narrative, Frederick Peeters drifts on the solar winds to a new understanding of memory, guilt, isolation and connection. Award-winning Swiss graphic novelist Frederik Peeters (Blue Pills) soars to new heights with an existential interplanetary epic that never strays far from the human heart. 392pgs B&W paperback.
Bart Beaty on The Comics Reporter says:
Love and Rockets as told by the Swiss… a beautifully realised comic-epic-romance of the type that would appeal strongly to American readers. Its easy juxtapositions of the mundane and the spectacular are genuinely moving and the completion of the story is wonderfully satisfying. This is both a well-crafted page-turner and a book that rewards multiple re-readings. Does that make it a masterpiece? I suppose it probably does.
Mikel
by Judith Vanistendael & Mark Bellido
SelfMadeHero
£24.99 / $34.99
The publisher says:
Mikel lives with his wife and two children in Costur, an idyllic Spanish town surrounded by hills. He has a job selling candy, but Mikel is a dreamer, not a businessman, and money is tight. What’s more, the ordinariness of small-town life is preventing him from fulfilling a life-long dream: to become a writer. Mikel takes a job as a bodyguard. His family is soon uprooted to the Basque Country, where Mikel is charged with protecting politicians from the armed separatist group ETA. It is a job that provides drama worthy of the page, but only at the cost of fear, uncertainty, and family breakdown. 368pgs colour hardcover.
Mozart in Paris
by Frantz Duchazeau
SelfMadeHero
£14.99 / $24.99
The publisher says:
In 1778, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) leaves Salzburg for Paris. The French capital promises to liberate the 22-year-old from the suffocating grip of his father and from a city that is unable to accommodate his genius. But there is no grand entrance for the former child prodigy. When Mozart arrives in Paris, he is cash-strapped, unknown, and his French is limited. His mentor, the critic Baron von Grimm, introduces him to a number of Parisian nobles. With these contacts, recognition is still hard-won; the French court appears indifferent to Mozart’s talents and disapproving of his spontaneity at times. Tracing the composer’s six-month stay in the city of lights, Mozart in Paris dramatises the confrontation between a bright-eyed genius and everyday reality. 96pgs colour paperback.
Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration
by Bryan Caplan & Zach Weinersmith
First Second
$27.99 / $19.99
The publisher says:
Economist Bryan Caplan makes a bold case for unrestricted immigration in this fact-filled graphic nonfiction illustrated by SMBC creator Zach Weinersmith. American policy-makers have long been locked in a heated battle over whether, how many, and what kind of immigrants to allow to live and work in the country. Those in favour of welcoming more immigrants often cite humanitarian reasons, while those in favour of more restrictive laws argue the need to protect native citizens. But economist Bryan Caplan adds a new, compelling perspective to the immigration debate: he argues that opening all borders could eliminate absolute poverty worldwide and usher in a booming worldwide economy, greatly benefiting humanity. 256pgs colour hardcover / paperback.
Plummet
by Sherwin Tjia
Conundrum Press
$20.00
The publisher says:
When Amelia “Mel” Eichenwald wakes up one morning, she finds herself in endless freefall towards an Earth that is no longer there, surrounded by the junk of human existence. From high heels to houses, billions of random items drop alongside her like fallout from an exploded mall. Plummet follows Mel as she attempts to survive, find allies and negotiate the balance between becoming prey or predator. What makes us human and keeps us human when gravity is all there is? How do you take a stand when there is literally no place to sit? 160pgs colour paperback.
Qualification: A Graphic Memoir in Twelve Steps
by David Heatley
Pantheon
$28.95
The publisher says:
David Heatley had an unquestionably troubled and eccentric childhood: father a sexually repressed alcoholic, mother an overworked compulsive overeater. Then David’s parents enter the world of 12-step programs and find a sense of support and community. It seems to help. David, meanwhile, grows up struggling with his own troublesome sexual urges and seeking some way to make sense of it all. Eventually he starts attending meetings too. More and more meetings. Meetings for issues he doesn’t have. With stark, sharply drawn art and unflinching honesty, Heatley explores the strange and touching relationships he develops, and the truths about himself and his family he is forced to confront while “working” an ever-increasing number of programs. 416pgs colour hardcover.
R. Crumb says:
Heatley is a great, dark, funny truth-teller. Qualification reveals how complex humans are, how full of contradictions, what a life-time struggle it is to sort it all out, a test at which no one ever fully succeeds. I could deeply identify with Heatley’s alienation, his honest self revelations, his humour. His observations of other people and the unfolding events in his life make for a powerful graphic story.
Reincarnation Stories
by Kim Deitch
Fantagraphics Books
$29.99
The publisher says:
The award-winning cartoonist returns with a graphic novel, in which Deitch himself, in a parallel reality, meets his spiritual nemesis, Waldo the Cat. Kim Deitch is an underground cartoonist, a contemporary of Spiegelman, et al., whose craft just keeps getting better and better. Aesthetically inspired by silent film and 1930s animation, Deitch’s comics are infused with 1960s psychedelia and spiritualism. Reincarnation Stories is a collection of comics narratives that combine into a graphic novel. It spans the past, present and future of human history, with appearances by Frank Sinatra, monkey gods, a forgotten cowboy star of the silver screen and a tribe of Native Americans that successfully resettled on the moon. In a parallel reality, Deitch himself is the mega-successful creator of a series of kids books about a superhero called Young Avatar, who helps marginalised souls lead better lives and whose alter ego is a carpenter. Deitch’s spiritual nemesis (an incarnation of Judas Iscariot), Waldo the Cat, makes an appearance. 280pgs B&W hardcover.
Return to Romance
by Ogden Whitney with Richard E. Hughes, edited by Dan Nadel & Frank Santoro
New York Review Comics
$19.95
The publisher says:
Ogden Whitney was one of the unsung masters of American comics. Best remembered for co-creating the satirical superhero Herbie Popnecker, Whitney’s romance comics of the late 1950s and 1960s may be even more unique. In Whitney’s hands, the standard formula of meet-cute, minor complications and final blissful kiss becomes something very different: an unsettling vision of midcentury American romance as a devastating power struggle, a form of intimate psychological warfare dressed up in pearls and flannel suits. From suburban lawns and offices to rocket labs and factories, his men and women scheme and clash, dominate and escape. With an introduction by Liana Finck. 112pgs colour paperback.
Jaime Hernandez of Love & Rockets says:
Ogden Whitney was one of those very unique artists who caught my attention with everything he did. Comedy or drama, I could always count on his natural style to take me on a pleasant ride.
Robert Williams: The Father of Exponential Imagination
by Robert Williams
Fantagraphics Books
$150.00
The publisher says:
This career retrospective showcases the “lowbrow” artist’s “realistic” oil paintings, drawings, sculptures, and works in other media. This is a comprehensive, career-spanning collection of the iconic painter’s fine art, including every one of his oil paintings, along with a selection of his drawings, sculptures, and multimedia works. Williams pursued a career as a fine arts painter years before joining the art studio of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth in the mid-1960s. From this position, he moved into the rebellious, anti-war circles of early underground comix, as one of the celebratedZap cartoonists. Featuring an introductory essay by Coagula Art Journal founder Mat Gleason, along with a new art manifesto and foreword by Williams himself (the former of whom brought the term “lowbrow” into the fine arts lexicon), as well as tons of rare photos and ephemera. 450pgs colour hardcover.
Tamba: Child Soldier
by Marion Achard & Yan Degruel
NBM
$24.99
The publisher says:
“My name is Tamba Cisso. When I was eight years old, I lived in the village with my father, my mother and my sister. I went to school and had learned to read. I knew there was war in my country, but I didn’t know that children could wage it.” Providing a testimonial to one of the most heart-wrenching and chilling developments in modern warfare, this graphic novel chronicles the realities of hundreds of thousands across the world, kidnapped and forced to commit atrocities. 112pgs colour hardcover.
The Art of Nothing: 25 Years of Mutts and the Art of Patrick McDonnell
by Patrick McDonnell
Abrams ComicArts
$40.00
The publisher says:
Mooch, the curious cat, and Earl, the ever-trusting dog, are just two of the characters who inhabit the world of Mutts. In The Art of Nothing: 25 Years of Mutts and the Art of Patrick McDonnell, the award-winning author and illustrator’s beloved comic strip is celebrated as well as his bestselling children’s classics, all shot from the original art. Also included are rare and never-before-seen artwork, proposals, outtakes, and developmental work, along with autobiographical commentary, a brand-new, career-spanning interview conducted by artist Lynda Barry, and an introduction by Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose). 240pgs colour hardcover.
Theater of Terror!: Revenge of the Queers
by various
Northwest Press
$29.99
The publisher says:
A horror anthology featuring a remarkable collection of talented LGBTQ cartoonists illustrating in vivid detail what keeps them up at night. With everything from gore to suspense to supernatural horror to camp, this a tome of shocking queer horror comics we dare you to read! Written by Rachel Pollack, Sina Grace, Tana Ford, Terry Blas, Ed Luce & Mariko Tamaki, with artwork by Bradley C. Rader, Jennifer Camper, Justin Hall, Steve MacIsaac, Yves Navant & Howard Cruse, and a cover by Phil Jimenez. Colour paperback.
The Book of Forks
by Rob Davis
SelfMadeHero
The publisher says:
The Motherless Oven and The Can Opener’s Daughter may have raised more questions than they answered. But The Book of Forks explains everything. Castro Smith finds himself imprisoned within the mysterious Power Station, writing his Book of Forks while navigating baffling daily meetings with Poly, a troubled young woman who may be his teacher, his doctor, his prison guard… or something else entirely. Meanwhile, back home, Vera and Scarper’s search for their missing friend takes them through the chaotic warzone of the Bear Park and into new and terrifying worlds. With The Book of Forks, Rob Davis completes his abstract adventure trilogy by stepping inside Castro’s disintegrating mind, to reveal the truth about the history of the world, the meaning of existence and the purpose of kitchen scales. 200pgs B&W paperback.
The Cursed Hermit
by Kris Bertin & Alexander Forbes
Conundrum Press
$20.00
The publisher says:
Will our Teen Detectives untangle the mystery of Knotty Pines before it’s too late? Brennan and Pauline are looking forward to Christmas break when they’re sent to an extra-credit boarding school called Knotty Pines. After attending their first classes, however, they realise they may have stumbled on their weirdest case yet. On the final night of their stay, the boys and girls are paired up to pledge eternal allegiance to the long-dead Lord Hobb and to each other in unholy matrimony. Isolated from their fellow sleuths, our intrepid young investigators need to rely on a cast of colourful characters to lift a curse that has plagued the good people of Hobtown for centuries. 180pgs B&W paperback.
The Dance of Death
by Martin Rowson
SelfMadeHero
£9.99
The publisher says:
Hans Holbein’s 16th-century masterpiece, The Dance of Death, reminds its readers that no one, no matter their rank or position, can escape the great leveller, Death. Martin Rowson is an award-winning cartoonist whose work has appeared regularly in The Guardian, the Daily Mirror, the Independent on Sunday, The Times, The Spectator, the Morning Star, Tribune, New Humanist and many other publications. His first novel, Snatches, was published by Jonathan Cape, as was his memoir Stuff, which was long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize. Other books include an anti-Dawkins, anti-Hitchens, anti-God rant, The Dog Allusion, and Fuck: The Human Odyssey, a history of the world in 67 beautiful (if foulmouthed) images. 88pgs colour hardcover.
The End of the World
by Don Hertzfeldt
Random House
$36.00
From the imagination of legendary animator and two-time Oscar nominee Don Hertzfeldt comes a hilarious fever-dream vision of the apocalypse, now available in wide release for the first time since the rare original edition sold out. Created during sleepless nights while he worked on his animated films, The End of the World was illustrated entirely on Post-It notes over the course of several years, slowly taking shape from all the deleted scenes, bad dreams and abandoned ideas that were too strange to make it to the big screen, including essential early material that was later developed into the animated classic World of Tomorrow. Hertzfeldt’s visually striking work transcends its unusual nature and taps into the deeply human, universal themes of mortality, identity, memory, loss and parenthood . . . with the occasional monstrous biting eel descending from the sky. 224pgs colour hardcover.
The House
by Paco Roca
Fantagraphics Books
$19.99
The publisher says:
In this graphic novel by the internationally acclaimed, award-winning Wrinkles cartoonist, three adult siblings relive old conflicts as they clear out the family vacation home after their father’s death. The graphic novel The House is at once deeply personal (dedicated to Roca’s own deceased father) and entirely universal. Three adult siblings return to their family’s vacation home a year after their father’s death. They each bring their respective wives, husbands and children with the intention to clean up the residence and put it on the market. But, as garbage is hauled off and dust is wiped away, decades-old resentments quickly fill the vacant home. Roca asks what happens to brothers and sisters when the only person holding the family together is now gone. Also published by Fantagraphics in the original Spanish. 134pgs colour hardcover.
The Matter We’re Made Of
by Line Hoj Hostrup
Centrala
£15.99
The publisher says:
Ellen is young, ambitions and on the cusp of fulfilling her dream of building her own house, when she is diagnosed with a paralytic terminal illness. As she desperately tries to keep her dream alive, house, dream and disease slowly blend together, drawing Ellen into an enticing fantasy. But can a dream give you what life denies you? She must find out what makes life worth living. 76pgs colour paperback.
The Peanuts Papers: Writers and Cartoonists on Charlie Brown, Snoopy & The Gang, and the Meaning of Life
edited by Andrew Blauner
Library of America
$24.95
The publisher says:
Peanuts, Charles Schulz’s beloved comic strip, has given the world a cast of characters for the ages. Here, in an unprecedented collection of thirty-two essays, artists and writers ranging from Ann Patchett to Chris Ware consider the deeper truths of Peanuts, its influence on their lives and on the culture more broadly, and the lessons it can teach us about disappointment, melancholy and those fleeting moments of warm-puppy happiness. The contributors reflect on the experience of discovering Peanuts as a child, their identification with its characters and predicaments, and, for the artists in the book, the momentous effects of their encounters with the strip on their later careers. The Peanuts Papers is an enchanting, poignant gathering of responses to the greatest American comic strip, enabling us to see it anew in fresh and revealing ways. 352pgs B&W hardcover.
The Song of the Machine
by David Blot & Matthias Cousin
Black Dog & Leventhal
$24.99
The publisher says:
From the disco of the 1970’s to the rave culture of the 1990’s, The Song of the Machine introduces readers to the stars and forgotten heroes of the genre: David Mancuso, the founder of “The Loft” in New York; Larry Levan, resident DJ at the Paradise Garage, the prototype of the modern dance club; Frankie Knuckles, the “Godfather of House Music”; and many more. Set in Studio 54 in New York, the Palace in Paris, the Hacienda in Manchester and other legendary dance venues around the world, The Song of the Machine is told through an exciting graphic novel style that evolves with the era of music it describes. Foreword by Daft Punk. 240pgs B&W hardcover.
The Sons of El Topo Vol. 2: Abel
by Alejandro Jodorowsky & José Ladrönn
Boom! Studios
$19.99
The publisher says:
The ongoing sequel to cult film, El Topo, from cult-favourite filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. Cain and Abel reunite following the death of Abel’s saintly mother, but the reunion is not without trouble. Cain’s quickness to anger and his penchant for hate and violence quickly overcome the brothers already contentious relationship. In a virtuosic journey of untethered magic, corrupted faith and lust, cult-filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky and master illustrator Jose Ladrönn continue the complex story of two brothers at odds after the death of their saintly father, the legendary El Topo. 80pgs colour hardcover.
The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television
by Koren Shadmi
Humanoids Inc.
$22.95
The publisher says:
A biographical tale that follows Hollywood revolutionary Rod Serling’s rise to fame in the Golden Age of Television, and his descent into his personal Twilight Zone. Before he became The Twilight Zone‘s revered master of science fiction, Rod Serling was a just a writer who had to fight to make his voice heard. He vehemently challenged the networks and viewership alike to expand their minds and standards-rejecting notions of censorship, racism and war. He pushed the television industry to the edge of glory, and himself to the edge of sanity. Rod operated in a dimension beyond that of contemporary society, making him both a revolutionary and an outsider. 168pgs colour paperback.
The Walking Man: 10th Anniversary Edition
by Jiro Taniguchi
Fanfare / Ponent Mon
$30.00
The publisher says:
Jiro Taniguchi’s iconic tales of a meandering Japanese business man who strolls at random through urban Japan, often silent, usually alone, with his vivid dreams that let time stand still. Join him as he takes time out to observe the birds, climbs a tree in bare feet, plays in puddles after the rain and returns a shell to the sea. A book in which nothing happens but everything occurs. Now presented in the original Japanese sense of reading, out of respect for Taniguchi’s wishes. Four additional independent short stories have been added, and also 28 pages in colour have been included where they existed in the original material. All bound up in a hardcover worthy of this iconic work. 240pgs part-colour hardcover.
Time 01
by Sterling Hundley
AdHouse Books
$25.95
The publisher says:
Time O1 collects the time-based journals of acclaimed artist and illustrator Sterling Clinton Hundley. Hundley’s intimate observational drawings are layered and revisited over days, weeks, months and years, compressing the fleeting moments of familiar routines into an authentic impression of time. 160pgs colour hardcover.
Underground Sketchbook
by Tomi Ungerer
Fantagraphics Books
$19.99
The publisher says:
Originally published in 1964, children’s book illustrator Tomi Ungerer’s Underground Sketchbook lets loose a blast of social commentary, Dada-esque observations and existential angst, raging against avarice, unfettered consumerism, alienation, the mechanisation of human experience and the acquiescence to the worst instincts that fuel a modern economy - as timely now as it was then. This is as powerful a dose of visual ingenuity, moral outrage and bemused disgust at the human comedy as you are ever likely to experience. 176pgs two-colour hardcover.
Director Jonathan Miller, in his introduction to the 1964 edition, says: Ungerer illustrates a world where things are coming apart, where the old unquestioned entities are at best provisional arrangements, loosely thrown together and never to be relied upon.
Us Two Together
by Ephameron, translated by Michele Hutchison
Pennsylvania State University Press
$29.95 / £23.95
The publisher says:
In this beautifully illustrated graphic novel, now translated into English from Dutch, artist Ephameron chronicles her father’s losing battle with early-onset primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a rare form of dementia that advanced slowly and left him unable to speak or to coordinate his thoughts and actions. A moving sequence of paper collage illustrations layered under text depicts Ephameron’s father’s decline and her family’s experience of caring for him. Compositional techniques combined with image, rhythm and narrative work both to convey emotion and to frame illness in its context. Unlike other portrayals of dementia, Ephameron’s does not shy away from portraying the brutality of the disease. Us Two Together is a poetic and melancholic depiction of how dementia slowly disintegrates a body. 232pgs colour hardcover.
White Night
by Kevin Sacco
Amaze Ink / Slave Labor Graphics
$11.95
The publisher says:
It’s a snowy night in the early 1960s and Zeppo Abandando, an advertising copywriter, is searching for his eureka moment for an ad campaign. White Night tells the story of this search, and in the process, Sacco reveals a loving portrait of Zeppo’s world-at home, on Madison avenue and at Harold’s Showspot, his favourite bar. Part fiction, part memoir, White Night pays homage to Sacco’s real life father, Joe Sacco, telling the story, and through his pitch perfect drawings, Zeppo’s search for an ‘aha’ moment takes on a grander, warmly humanistic meaning. 84pgs B&W paperback.
Reknowned cartoonist and writer Jules Feiffer says:
I watched this book ,in multiple stages grow and grow, until it blossomed into this moving tribute to a father’s love for family, for his son, and for work, hard, inventive work that he loved, and that made his family—and Kevin Sacco’s life—grow, as this book has, into something very special.
