Best of
Comix

2003

The Frank Book


Jim Woodring - 2003
    All the Frank stories in one massive and deluxe tome. Between its handsome cloth covers are 344 pages of Frank comics, drawings and oddities. A fancy dust jacket, swoon-inducing end papers and ribbon bookmark make this book a decorative object as well as a repository of storytelling genius. Frank is a unique, visionary comic, exquisitely drawn and so fully realized that readers find themselves drawn deeply into Woodring's hallucinatory mindscape. The stories, almost entirely wordless, are told with brilliant, candy colors that people of all ages find alluring. This beautiful collection contains new material and lots of rare and previously-unpublished material (including the very first Frank story, not seen in over 10 years). Plus, this book includes an introduction from prominent Jim Woodring fan and acclaimed film director Francis Ford Coppola! This definitive collection is the very best way to give, receive, and experience one of the great cartoon achievements of the 20th century.

Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories


Gilbert Hernández - 2003
    This massive volume collects every "Heartbreak Soup" story from 1993 to 2002 in one 500-page deluxe hardcover edition, presenting the epic for the first time as the single novel it was always intended to be. Palomar is the mythical Central American town where the "Heartbreak Soup" stories take place. The stories weave in and out of the town's entire population, crafting an intricate tapestry of Latin American experience. Hernandez's densely plotted and deeply imagined tales are often compared with magic realist authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende (House of the Spirits). His depictions of women and Mexican-American experience have been universally lauded as the best examples the artform has to offer. Luba, the guiding spirit of Palomar since the outset, has been hailed by The Nation, Rolling Stone, and Time magazine as one of the great characters of contemporary American fiction. Hernandez's work, in addition to the obvious magic realist comparisons, shares an affinity with other Latin American and Spanish writer/artists, like Frida Kahlo, Federico Garcia Lorca and Pablo Picasso, all of whom applied a surrealist eye to what they saw and experienced. Palomar follows the lives of its residents from Luba's arrival in the town to her exit, twenty years later. Included are such classic tales as "Sopa de Gran Pena," "Ecce Homo," "An American in Palomar," "Human Diastrophism," and "Farewell, Mi Palomar." Palomar presents one of the richest accomplishments in the history of the artform in its ideal format for the first time, making it a must-have for longtime Love & Rockets fans and new readers alike.

Hellboy: Weird Tales, Vol. 1


Scott Allie - 2003
    Over the years, many of the best artists in the industry have asked if they could do a backup story, just to get a chance to play with the characters and worlds Mignola has created. As Dark Horse gears up for the release of the 2004 Hellboy motion picture, we present this lavish colection of these stories. One of the most popular features in recent Hellboy books has been the sketchbook section, so we've asked these stellar artists to let us present some of their behind the scenes work in this collection. Some of the best writers and artists in comics team up to present stories of giant bats, demon children, jet packs, haunted circuses, and rusted-out spaceships. Old-fashioned pulp fun featuring one of the greatest heroes of modern comics.

The Metabarons: Ultimate Collection


Alejandro Jodorowsky - 2003
    A multi-generational tale of family, sacrifice, and survival told within an immense universe, both in scope and originality. A true classic in the pantheon of graphic storytelling and science fiction as a whole. Omnibus content includes The Metabarons #1-4 trades + 30 pages of bonus material (including two Metabaron short stories), presented in its original size and color and in a limited and numbered print run of 999 copies only.

Ordinary Victories


Manu Larcenet - 2003
    It’s the story of his art thrown against heavy anxiety attacks; of a really cute woman in his small town who seems to take to him against all odds; of the old neighbor, a peaceful likable fellah until you get to know his disturbing role in the war...

Tank Girl: The Odyssey


Peter Milligan - 2003
    Booga, husband of Tank Girl, is being wooed by Hollywood producers, and without his wife there his resolve is crumbling. Tele, their TV-headed son, knows that he must contact his mother...setting off a chain of events that will see Tank Girl face death itsel

In Me Own Words: The Autobiography of Bigfoot


Graham Roumieu - 2003
    Learn the hairy one's brave struggles with eating disorders, casual cannibalism, pop culture, and philosophical quandaries. In this crazed mutant graphic novel, Graham Roumieu gives us a portrait of the artist as a young ape that will leave the reader howling with laughter.

Krazy and Ignatz, 1929-1930: A Mice, a Brick, a Lovely Night


George Herriman - 2003
    Each volume is painstakingly edited by the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum's Bill Blackbeard, the world's foremost authority on early 20th Century American comic strips, and designed by Jimmy Corrigan author Chris Ware. In addition to the 104 full-page black-and-white Sunday strips from 1929 and 1930 (Herriman did not use color until 1935), the book includes an introduction by Blackbeard and reproductions of rare Herriman ephemera from Ware's own extensive collection, as well as annotations and other notes by Ware and Blackbeard.Of special note to collectors, this is the period when Herriman was again liberated from the "grid" constraints of the mid-'20s and was able to compose his pages far more creatively, resulting in richer, more complex, more eye-pleasing compositions. Krazy Kat is a love story, focusing on the relationships of its three main characters. Krazy Kat adored Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz Mouse just tolerated Krazy Kat, except for recurrent onsets of targeting tumescence, which found expression in the fast delivery of bricks to Krazy's cranium. Offisa Pup loved Krazy and sought to protect "her" (Herriman always maintained that Krazy was gender-less) by throwing Ignatz in jail. Each of the characters was ignorant of the others' true motivations, and this simple structure allowed Herriman to build entire worlds of meaning into the actions, building thematic depth and sweeping his readers up by the looping verbal rhythms of Krazy & Co.'s unique dialogue.

Runaways: Marvel Age, Vol. 1: The Pride


Brian K. Vaughan - 2003
    

The Acme Novelty Datebook, Vol. 1, 1986-1995


Chris Ware - 2003
    His novel not only won the Manchester Guardian First Novel prize in 2001 but it has sold over 100,000 copies. This book is as much a companion volume to Jimmy Corrigan --one of the great crossover success stories-- as a tremendous art collection from of one of America's most interesting and popular graphic artist.Chris Ware has a passion for drawing that is surprisingly wide-ranging in style and subject. This book surprises the reader on every page with its sense of spontaneous vision. Architectural drawings from Chicago and interplanetary robot comics collide with cruelly doodled human figures and quietly troubling studies of the still life. A must for people with a passion for modern design and old-fashioned style.

Mother, Come Home


Paul Hornschemeier - 2003
    Mother, Come Home is Hornschemeier's graphic novel debut—the quietly stunning tale of a father and son struggling, by varying degrees of escapism and fantasy, to come to terms with the death of the family's mother. The story seamlessly weaves through the surreal and the painfully factual, guided by the careful, somber colors and inventive pacing unique to Hornschmeier's storytelling. Mother, Come Home extracts almost tangible drama from the most tranquil of moments, making that which is unspoken in each panel easily audible, and almost uncomfortably experienced.

Nemi - Vol. 1


Lise Myhre - 2003
    Meet Nemi Montoya, the vegetarian, cynical/romantic, hilariously honest twenty-something goth, in this brand new collection from artist Lise Myhre!Hang out in the pub with Nemi and her friends, including her flatmate, the blue-haired Cyan; hear her opinions on romance and dating; watch her watch TV in her untidy flat; learn how she feels about birch trees, spiders and blondes; and generally experience the highs and lows of being Nemi in the modern world!A superstar in her native Norway thanks to the immense success of Nemi — also reprinted in the 1.12 million-circulation UK Metro newspaper — you too can enter Lise Myhre’s witty, wonderful world!

The Complete Strangers in Paradise, Volume 3, Part 5


Terry Moore - 2003
    Francine and Katchoo are high-school best friends who are reunited when Francine comes back to town after years away from her hometown. David is their new friend entangled in their complicated lives. From creepy ex-boyfriends and insensitive bosses to the reality of AIDS and underworld prostitution, you never know what will come up next - but you can always count on laughing and crying at the same time. This foil-stamped casebound hardcover with color dust jacket includes a special color cover art section, sketches, and more.

Stray Bullets, Vol. 7


David Lapham - 2003
    This seventh volume trade paperback reprints issues twenty-five through twenty-eight of the critically acclaimed and Eisner Award winning series - Stray Bullets Truly horrifying The kidnapping and nightmarish search for Virginia Applejack The Collected Stray Bullets Series is a perfect introduction for new readers, a great way for fans to complete the series.

Season's Eatings: A Very Merry Garfield Christmas (Garfield Classics)


Jim Davis - 2003
    . . er, um . . . Greetings! Garfield knows Christmas isn’t just about the presents–it’s also about the cookies, the cakes, the lasagnas, the holiday hams, and all the delicious, creamy eggnog you can drink! From the day after Thanksgiving–when the season of goodies officially begins–to the last of the figgy pudding, Christmas is the best time of year to be America’s favorite fat cat!The perfect stocking stuffer, this uproarious collection features Garfield Christmas strips from the last twenty-five years–and that means a lot of good times and warm memories. So join Garfield, Jon, Odie, and the rest of the gang for some holiday cheer. There’s sure to be tree trimming, hall decking, bell jingling, over eating, Odie-teasing, and lots of yuletide fun. If everyone was good this year, who knows, Santa may even pay a visit! From the Hardcover edition.

The Great Big Book of Tomorrow: A Treasury of Cartoons


Tom Tomorrow - 2003
    With an ever increasing fan base, an expanding number of publications who regularly feature his work, one of the most popular and most visited web-logs (www.thismodernworld.com), the time is now for The Great Big Book of Tomorrow. This massive collection of Tomorrow's greatest hits, unseen gems and obscurities, new material and color section is the so far definitive collection of one of the most popular 'underground' cartoonists ever--a delight to long-time fans and new readers alike.

Dork Volume 2: Circling the Drain


Evan Dorkin - 2003
    The second collection from Evan Dorkin's award-winning humor anthology Dork includes all the non-Eltingville material from issues #7-10, plus extras, with 16 pages in color! Highlighted by the acclaimed "Cluttered Like My Head" autobiographical tour de force.

Heroes & Monsters: The Unofficial Companion to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen


Jess Nevins - 2003
    This book-length celebration and analysis of the Artistic Event of the Century includes an exclusive interview and introduction by League of Extraordinary Gentlemen co creator and author Alan Moore; commentary by co-creator a nd illustrator Kevin O'Neill: detailed, panel-by-panel annotations of the first League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series.

Herbie Archives Volume 1


Shane O'Shea - 2003
    Coming from the strange, wry imaginations of classic comics scribe Richard Hughes and artist Ogden Whitney, Herbie Popnecker looks like a plump lump, but with his collection of supernatural lollipops, there is pretty much nothing that he can't do. Herbie Archives Volume 1 collects the earliest appearances of Herbie, as he battles monsters, bends time and space, and gets the better of Fidel Castro Herbie is a delightfully weird, all-ages barrel of laughs

Gotta Have 'em: Portraits of Women by R. Crumb


Robert Crumb - 2003
    Crumb, the visionary founder of the underground comics movement and unwilling hipster to multiple generations, celebrated for his viciously funny take on modern America, is also lauded as a draughtsman on par with Breughel. For the first time ever, his drawings of women are collected in one brilliantly offensive yet hilarious volume, in chronological order, spanning the 38 years since his pen-and-ink beginnings. The usual fetishes are on display, natch--the built-from-the-ground-up body type, the lovingly fixated-upon solid thighs and buttocks--but so is Crumb's heart, on his sleeve, in the great tenderness with which he has rendered the women in his life. They're all here: his high-school crushes, his paramours, the girls and women who tormented him--and to whom he gave it right back--or who caught his eye on the street, and, of course, his wife and fiery sometime collaborator, Aline, and their daughter Sophie. Add to this his mistress of fifteen years, and you have not only a catalogue raisonne of Crumb's portraits of women but also a revealing record of a passionate life. Crumb calls it "an autobiography of sorts" and it is--these aren't just portraits of women but the most intimate portrait of Crumb's life in love.

Transformers: War Within, Volume 1


Simon Furman - 2003
    The War Within. Four million years before the Transformers came to Earth, civil war rocks their home world of Cybertron, and Optimus Prime faces his first -- and greatest -- challenge. But before he can deal with the Decepticons, the new Autobot leader must look within... and decide if Cybertron is worth saving at all! If you think you know the Transformers... think again! IDW is proud to present an all-new collection of this long-out-of-print tale from the Transformers' past.

Dave Cooper's Overbite: Paintings Drawings of Mostly Pillowy Girls


Dave Cooper - 2003
    Show fame.

Hysteria in Remission: Comics and Drawings


Robt. Williams - 2003
    Included in this deluxe collection are all of Williams' contributions to such legendary underground anthologies as ZAP, Snatch, Arcade, Cocaine Comix, and more (much of which has been out-of-print for over 25 years). Also, the book will feature scores of never-before-published works, including the never-before-seen, full-color storyboards for a proposed animated ZAP movie, along with numerous cartoons from Williams' early years at L.A. City College. Plus, the seminal Coochy Cooty Men's Comics, dozens of examples of hot rod art done for Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's studio, and the rare, two-color strip "Yama Yama." The book features two introductions, one by Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers creator and fellow ZAP cohort, Gilbert Shelton, and the other by Williams himself, contextualizing his comix work within his better-known career as a painter. MATURE READERS SC, 8x11, 300pg, PC

Be a Man


Jeffrey Brown - 2003
    For all those jerks who complained that Jeffrey Brown was a sissy, finally you can see him "Be a man!"

The Silver Age of Comic Book Art


Arlen Schumer - 2003
    THE SILVER AGE OF COMIC BOOK ART highlights the careers of eight acknowledged hall of fame artists who drew definitive versions of the industry’s greatest characters, while often setting trends in the look of comic book art itself. Arlen Schumer’s book is the first to concentrate on the importance of these artists and their work, as well as the literary and sociological aspects of the Silver Age. Designed by the author using a distinctive graphic style, actual comic book art is enlarged to dynamic full- and double-page spreads, along with biographical text by the author, and thoughts, ideas, and quotes from the artists themselves. Finally, here is an art book that pays proper homage to this great era of comic books and the amazing artists responsible for it.

The Norm Magazine: The 12 Steps to Marriage


Michael Jantze - 2003
    A fun journey all the way to the honeymoon filled with Norm's unique observational humor.

The Cat on A Hot Thin Groove: The Complete Collection of 78rpm Artwork from the old Record Changer Magazine


Gene Deitch - 2003
    At the age of 21, he discovered The Record Changer, a jazz collector's magazine filled with fanatical, scholarly, and purist essays about jazz as well as listings of hard-to-find jazz albums. Every jazz swinger in the '40s was called a cat (as in "cool cat," derived from the West African word "Katta," a human), so Gene Deitch created a cartoon feature for Record Changer titled "The Cat," which quickly became a fixture at the magazine. He also started drawing the covers, which graced almost every issue from 1945 to 1951 along with "The Cat." Deitch's stylistically virtuoso images exquisitely embodied the essence of jazz and became a visual paean to the joy of collecting and appreciating jazz. In the 1940s, jazz was a vaguely disreputable musical genre and Deitch's visual embodiments of the music acquired a cult; to this day, his original Cat cartoons are bought and sold on the internet. Fantagraphics Books is proud to collect all of Deitch's Record Changer covers and "Cat" cartoons in one coffee-table, landscape-format art book, reproducing his covers in the same gorgeous colors in which they first appeared as well as the black-and-white Cat cartoons and a commentary by Deitchwho later went on to become an award-wining animator as the Creative Director of CBS/Terrytoons, where he created Tom Terrific and Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog for The Captain Kangaroo Show, as well as many other animated features, including a legendary stint on MGM's "Tom and Jerry" series. Fully illustrated throughout.

The Red Star Collected Edition


Christian Gossett - 2003
    (United Republics of the Red Star), this critically acclaimed story follows the heroes of the Red Star as they discover their country's true intentions in a war against a smaller neighbor state; a revelation that leads the soldiers on a quest to liberate their nation from its dark legacy of oppression.

Ripple: A Predilection for Tina


Dave Cooper - 2003
    Unlike those works, Ripple is a highly realistic story in terms of subject matter and drawing style. Martin is a floundering painter desperately attempting to pursue his fine art inclinations rather than toil in the world of commercial art. He hires a homely model, Tina, to pose for a series of "erotic" paintings that he hopes will be his breakthrough into the gallery world. Over time, Martin and Tina's relationship evolves from a tenuous working relationship to a confused sexual one. Martin's initial repulsion for Tina slowly turns to attraction and eventually lust, causing him to re-evaluate his own notions of beauty and sexuality. Meanwhile, Tina's own motives behind working for Martin are slowly turned upside down as well, building the book towards its inevitably explosive end. Throughout it all, Ripple is a complex love story poked and prodded from all angles, from Martin and Tina's physical and emotional feelings toward each other, Martin's dishonesty to himself, Tina's self-loathing, and everything in between. Sad, funny, and often uncomfortably titillating, Ripple is a remarkably introspective graphic novel, rendered with kinetic realism in a pen technique that calls to mind a more controlled Edward Sorel and Jules Feiffer.

Mad About Comic Strips


MAD Magazine - 2003
    Presented by "The Usual Gang of Idiots," this black-and-white book reprints MAD Magazine's greatest comic-strip satures and send-ups from the Last 50 years. An insane look at the world of dailies, this volume proves that no character or strip is too sacred and no situation is off limits, as it lampoons all of your favorite comics such as Blondie, Peanuts, Family Circus, The Far Side, and Doonesbury.

The MAD Bathroom Companion: Turd in a Series


MAD Magazine - 2003
    The MAD Bathroom Companion -- the turd in our series -- is sure to make a splash! "The Usual Gang of Idiots" has plumbed the bowels of comedy to deliver a huge load of classic material! Flush with the best short pieces from MAD Magazine, you'll flip your lid over these choice specimens! We quarantee each can be read in one sitting -- and that you'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time!