Best of
Graphic-Novels

1998

Absolute Transmetropolitan Vol. 1


Warren Ellis - 1998
    Working as an investigative reporter for the newspaper The Word, Spider attacks the injustices of his surreal 21st Century surroundings. Combining black humor, life-threatening situations, and moral ambiguity, this book is the first look into the mind of an outlaw journalist and the world he seeks to destroy.Collects Transmetropolitan #1-18, Transmetropolitan: I Hate it Here, VERTIGO Winter's Edge #2 in a slipcased Absolute Edition format.

Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street


Warren Ellis - 1998
    Working as an investigative reporter for the newspaper The Word, Spider attacks the injustices of his surreal 23rd Century surroundings. Combining black humor, life-threatening situations, and moral ambiguity, this book is the first look into the mind of an outlaw journalist and the world he seeks to destroy.

Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors.


Jhonen Vásquez - 1998
    It also contains reprints from the popular Jhonny the Homicidal Maniac series that didn't appear in the JTHM: Director's Cut book.

The Hedge Knight


Ben Avery - 1998
    R. Martin! An adaptation of Martin's hit novel, bringing the world of A Song of Ice and Fire to life in comic book form. Night falls over the life of one noble knight and brings the dawn of his squire's knighthood. Dubbing himself "Ser Duncan the Tall," "The Hedge Knight" sets forth to the tourney at Ashford Meadow in search of fame and glory and the honor of upholding his oath as a knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately for him, the world isn't ready for a knight who keeps his oaths, and his chivalrous methods could be the very cause of his demise.

Ethel and Ernest


Raymond Briggs - 1998
    They meet during the Depression -- she working as a chambermaid, he as a milkman -- and we follow them as they encounter, and cope with, World War II, the advent of radio and t.v., telephones and cars, the atomic bomb, the moon landing. Briggs's portrayal of his parents as they succeed, or fail, in coming to terms with their rapidly shifting world is irresistably engaging -- full of sympathy and affection, yet clear-eyed and unsentimental.The book's strip-cartoon format is deceptively simple; it possesses a wealth of detail and an emotional depth that are remarkable in such a short volume. Briggs's marvelous illustrations and succinct, true-to-life dialogue create a real sense of time and place, of what it was like to experience such enormous changes. Almost as much a social history as it is a personal account, Ethel & Ernest is a moving tribute to ordinary people living in an extraordinary time.

The Dreaming: Through the Gates of Horn and Ivory


Caitlín R. KiernanNeil Gaiman - 1998
    Step through the gates of Horn and Ivory and enter the Kingdom of the Sandman...Join a white-collar worker who yearns for blue-collar freedom as he takes a special tour of the Dreaming with caretaker Mervyn Pumpkinhead; Spend New Year's Day with two expatriate faeries - Nuala, once a gift to Dream from Queen Titania, and Cluracan, disgraced ambassador to the Royal Court; Travel with two denizens of The Dreaming into the waking world: The Corinthian, a deadly nightmare made flesh, sent to correct the sins of his past; and Matthew the Raven who takes human form to face an old adversary;And learn of the exploits of one of Dream's former ravens, Aristeas of Marmora.Welcome to The Dreaming - the vast, unmapped realm of dreams, where your wildest fantasy may walk side by side with your greatest nightmares, where truth and illusion walk hand in hand - or sometimes claw in glove.

Dungeon: Zenith vols. 1-2: The Barbarian Princess


Joann Sfar - 1998
    This series, a best-seller in many countries, starts with the apogee of Dungeon, a mighty castle filled with monsters, trolls, and goblins kept by a wily bird, the Dungeon Keeper, and the object of desire of many an uncouth and disgusting forms of life (and afterlife), and Herbert the Timorous Duck is assigned to defend it! Thank goodness, the Dungeon Keeper has assigned Marvin the Dragon, a blood-thirsty, uh, vegetarian, warrior, to his side. 4 full stories in one omnibus volume at a new larger size! (Combines the 1st 2 volumes originally published).

Dreamtime


Wendy Pini - 1998
    After the story told in "Kings of the Broken Wheel", (Elfquest Graphic Novel #8) the Wolfriders went into a deep sleep that lasted for ten thousand years. While they slept, the World of Two Moons grew and changed around them; human civilization spread further than the elves could ever have imagined. There are great battles ahead for the Wolfriders and their friends (to be portrayed in other Elfquest Graphic Novels) but as the forest elves sleep, they also dream -- and their dreams hold the clue to their destiny. Will they survive in the world of the future? Or are they doomed?

A Child's Life: Other Stories


Phoebe Gloeckner - 1998
    This edition includes eight pages of new material.Long respected as one of the finest and most original of today's underground comics artists, Gloeckner shows both technical artistry and tremendous range—from her sly, lurid, and brilliantly colored posters for rock groups to her textbook-quality medical illustrations; from her sharp naturalistic juxtapositions for The Atrocity Exhibition (J.G. Ballard) to the signature comics for which she is best known.Pages include both black and white and color comics, some that were published before in obscure comic books, and some of her classics in addition to new stories. In detailed, nuanced panels, these strips depict the isolation, horror, and disappointment—but also the revolutionary, transformative power—of young women trapped in circumstances ringed with drugs and sexual abuse. Gloeckner continues as a major literary and visual artist.

Flaming Carrot's Greatest Hits (Flaming Carrot Collected Album No. 3)


Bob Burden - 1998
    Collects Flaming Carrot comics #12-18.It's the twisted genius of Bob Burden unleashed! See Flaming Carrot answer domestic disturbance calls, feed ducks at the park, go shopping for knickers at the convenience store, play checkers at the barber shop, save an injured bumble-bee, and much, much more! Thrill as Flaming Carrot leads the Mystery Men in an epic struggle to the death against ruthless Nazi boots! You truly haven't lived until you've experienced the adventures of the vegetable inferno for yourself!

The Courageous Princess


Rod Espinosa - 1998
    Collected for the first time, get all 3 volumes of the acclaimed fairy-tale adventures of Princess Mabelrose and her companion Spiky the talking porcupine in this special, deluxe megatrade!

Superman: Peace on Earth


Paul Dini - 1998
    Comics painter Alex Ross and writer Paul Dini, both among the most acclaimed talents in the field, join forces to create an unusual look at the world's greatest super-hero and his attempt to improve the world.

Thieves & Kings: The Red Book


Mark Oakley - 1998
    Making his way amidst the powerful events changing his world, soldiers and pirates, kings and princesses, and a Shadow Lady of the Sleeping Wood fill his life with gambles and adventure.

Flaming Carrot Comics: Fortune Favors the Bold! (Flaming Carrot Collected Album No. 4)


Bob Burden - 1998
    Flaming Carrot leads a rebellion of the Trekkies and Dr. Whovians that were duped into helping the spacemen build their beachhead here on Earth. Plus, an all-new Flaming Carrot text story!

Absolutely Asterix


René Goscinny - 1998
    This volume contains five Asterix stories: "Asterix and Cleopatra"; "Asterix and the Big Fight"; "Asterix and the Cauldron"; "Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield"; and "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix".

Quantum and Woody: Kiss Your Ass Goodbye!


Christopher J. Priest - 1998
    Welcome to the swingingest trade paperback on this side of the Atlantic, baby. It's KYAG, or Kiss Your Ass Goodbye, for all you cats who have hang-ups about that sort of thing.We've got some far-out stuff in here, from the uptight dude Quantum, having strange fantasies about beating a large man Why would anyone dream about beating a large man?), Woody, dressing up in this silly raccoon get up, cause he can't make his end meet (but what if this is some sick animal, cross-dressing, fetish fantasy...I'm having rancid thoughts here), and the best part of all, the infamous TV show deal, with the two really, really, really (oh man, they are saucy) randy women as co-starts. Did we mention that they're thespians? , that's tasty.So, stop playing with your bait and tackle and pick us up, it's a gas in here.

A Search for Meaning: The Story of Rex (Color Edition)


Michel Gagné - 1998
    He travels far and wide in an ever so strange and visually fanciful world. Rex shows us how we can step back to our innocence, and see that meaning is found everywhere and nowhere. Rex's story is one for all seasons and ages. It is fun, silly, scary, cute and spiritual all rolled into one sweet little face.

Lenore #3 (Vol. 2): Where Pooty At?


Roman Dirge - 1998
    He’s ready to do the bidding of his Master, The Dark Overlord! Where has the bucket-headed uber warrior with a passion for Parcheesi been, why is he back, and what does his return spell for Lenore, the cute little dead girl?

Best of Steven


Doug Allen - 1998
    Cartoonist DougAllen, whose work is seen everywhere from The New Yorker to Blab!, has created in Best of Steven a mighty fortress of misanthropy and humor.

Lenore #1


Roman Dirge - 1998
    The story takes place in a small town called Nevermore (taking its name from the same poem as Lenore's namesake "The Raven") and the surrounding wilderness where Lenore's mansion and a nearby graveyard is situated.The primary focus of the graphic novel is dark humor, with many of the stories having twist endings. Common themes are the reinvention of children's songs, games, and nursery rhymes to something more macabre, and subverting all sorts of pop culture icons and cultural figures in to topics of dark comedy. In one story, for instance, Lenore accidentally kills the Easter Bunny. Lenore's actions often result in the death or injury to those around her and in various forms of chaos. Lenore is a character who's a mystery. She often thinks she is doing good and occasionally shows good intentions. Although in recent issues it should be noted that the character has shown a change in personality. When she is asked of what her dream is, she replies that it's to rule the world. To further question this, it should also be mentioned that whenever Lenore gets really upset or angry, she can be very violent and often takes her anger out on whoever made her angry even if it's one of her friends. This results in most of her friends (all for except Mr. Gosh) being very fearful of her. She can also be spiteful. All of this results in Lenore being an enigma due to her at times thinking that she's doing good with meaning to do good and at other times wanting to do something that's more along the lines of being evil.The comic also featured various onetime side stories (One of these stories, Samurai Sloth, is set to star in his own series) and occasionally guest strips from other artists (with Jhonen Vasquez being the most frequent). A recurring comic strip called "Things Involving Me" tells about the author's life and experience in an exaggerated, semi-autobiographical manner.

Quantum and Woody: Holy S-Word We're Cancelled


Christopher J. Priest - 1998
    

Sinister Dexter: Gun Lovin' Criminals


Dan Abnett - 1998
    The stories herein were later republished in the first two Rebellion Sinister Dexter collections, alongside other stories this Hamlyn collection skipped.Collects Wish Upon A Czar from 2000 AD Progs 992-993, Gunshark Vacation from Progs 1024-1031, and Murder 101 from Progs 1051-1061.

Mage: The Hero Discovered, Book Two


Matt Wagner - 1998
    

Girl Presents : The Body Heat Collection


Kevin J. Taylor - 1998
    

Poor Arnold's Almanac


Arnold Roth - 1998
    Each strip's subject -- from baseball, dogs, commuting, ice cream, elephants, the telephone, smoking, you name it -- is poked, prodded, ridiculed, analyzed, explored, and dissected in Roth's good-natured and witty style.

Nocturnals: Black Planet


Dan Brereton - 1998
    They have already ravaged his home planet, and now he has traveled to Earth to try and stop them once and for all. Once here, however, he finds that this world's inhabitants aren't all sweetness and light themselves. Some of them are busy creating freakish mutations out of their fellow man, and others are helping the invaders in their quest for domination. An outcast, Doc Horror is forced to live by the dark of night, and there he finds compatriots who must also shun the light of day. Polychrome, The Gunwitch, Starfish, Firelion, Komodo, and The Raccoon have all their share of knocks from humanity, but they want to save their homeworld anyway, and they don't care how many monsters stand in their way.

Starman (1994-2001) #1000000


James Robinson - 1998
    Ted is shocked and amazed to learn that the name and heroic lineage of Starman resonates so far into the future, but is saddened to learn that the future will find some evil Starmen as well.

Mighty Monday Madness


Doug TenNapel - 1998
    Frightenright's class of, um, "kids". There's Weird Ellis, with his Weird Eye that fends off ghosts; Spider-Speaking Spencer (he can talk to spiders, duh); Gina Burrito (she can turn herself into a burrito); and Skeleton Joe (he's got a bone to pick with the school bully). These and many more strange classmates use their special "qualities" every day of the week to keep things as weird as possible.

Ronald Searle in Le Monde


Ronald Searle - 1998
    His biting, darkly satirical wit and unique graphic style have also earned him admirers from far and wide; Groucho Marx called him a genius, and John Lennon named him as one of two people (along with Lewis Carroll) who most affected his life.Since 1995, Searle has plied his sardonic trade on the coveted op-ed pages of the French daily newspaper Le Monde. This book presents more than a hundred of the best of these cartoons, ranging across politics, the new Europe, the nature of the contemporary economy, social games, and various "angels," both benign and mischievous. Whether skewering the greed of the rich with images of men in suits padding each other's pockets with cash or conducting business under the table, or making a poignant comment about how much harder peace has to work than war to stay in the same place, Searle displays the same pungent, incisive, yet infinitely humane wit. The deceptive simplicity of his lines and shadings combine with meticulously observed details of dress, background, and facial expression to produce arresting images that convey his messages powerfully and beautifully.By turns delightful, amusing, and disturbing, but always deeply thought provoking, Searle's work reaches well beyond the specific occasion that inspired a given cartoon to illuminate key aspects of public life in the West at the end of the millennium. This book contains twenty-five illustrations not found in the French edition, together with a new preface for English-speaking readers written by Searle himself.

Something at the Window Is Scratching: Children's Tales for Disturbed Children


Roman Dirge - 1998
    The Monsters in my Tummy comes straight from the heart and is Mr. Dirge's best work to date.

Danger Girl: The Dangerous Collection, Vol 2


J. Scott Campbell - 1998
    A journey skillfully led by Adventuress Abbey Chase and the Secret Agent Team knows as Danger Girl!In our second installment of the Dangerous Collection, the seductive and quick-witted Danger Girls join forces with the dynamic CIA agent Johnny Barracuda! Will the Barracuda's robust presence help or hinder the team? Find out in the continuation of their first teeth-clenching, white-knuckled adventure.Offbeat, Action-packed, and Bursting with Beautiful Women, Danger Girl's Unique Rendition of the Spy Genre has won the Acclaim of Readers around the Globe!

Starman Secret Files (1998) #1


James Robinson - 1998
    Elsewhere, Ted Knight is telling the story of how his son Jack became Starman! Plus, a complete Starman timeline!

Bugs Bunny and Friends: A Comic Celebration


Mark Evanier - 1998
    This collection showcases the best comics stories starring everyone from Porky Pig to Pinky and the Brain, from the beginning through today.

The Holy Book of Chick (The Imp #2)


Daniel Raeburn - 1998
    Chick

Cryptic Writings of Megadeth


Dave Mustaine - 1998
    Chaos! Comics Presents the fantastic Cryptic Writings of Megadeth trade paperback featuring issues 1-4 of the comic series, with complete song lyrics and unseen artwork! All stories are based on the songs and lyrics of Dave Mustain of the hit band-Megadeth!

A Study in Scarlet (Graphic Novel)


David Campiti - 1998
    John Watson, discharged from military service after suffering severe wounds, is at a loose end until a chance encounter leads him to take rooms with a remarkable young man. The arrogant, irracible Sherlock Holmes is a master chemist, a talented musician and an expert on all aspects of crime. And when Watson is drawn into the investigation of a bizarre murder in which Holmes is involved, he is unaware that it is the beginning of the most famous partnership in the history of criminal detection. Here is where it all began for England's super sleuth and his faithful sidekick.

Algonkian: Lifestyle of the New England Indians


Bob Eaton - 1998
    Author Bob Eaton created several dozen 40-page "comic" books focused on the New England Indians. In Algonkian we learn about the several New England tribes that shared a language and a culture. We meet Squam and Shomet as small children and watch them grow up to be parents themselves. Along the way we learn about Native American childrearing, hunting, agriculture, warfare, and spirituality. Bob Eaton's artwork opens up a whole new vista on a way of life that was ruthlessly destroyed by self-righteous invaders in only a few generations.

Librarian


Geoffrey Merrick - 1998
    New to a small, quiet, suburban town, she gets the job of her dreams at the local library. A whole new life of love, happiness, and independence is about to begin….Only one problem. On her walk home, she is approached by a handsome young man from the neighborhood. She smiles and opens her mouth to say a bright, cheery hello….From that moment on, the kind, lovely girl is plunged into a nightmare of mouth-cramming gags, and severe bondage.She is dragged into his quiet, non-descript house... ... drugged... ...and subjected to the creepiest treatments the young man can devise...He taunts and tempts her... ...keeping the hope of freedom just tantalizingly out of reach….He binds her, gags her, sedates her, measures her most intimate orifices, films her, and steals the sexiest clothes from her apartment – all while hinting at insidious things to come….The police are on the lookout for her, but Claire’s evil captor is even ready for that, having prepared a very special hiding place for her…Her nipples and clits wired her mouth spurting semen. Claire struggled desperately for escape. Can she reach freedom? Can she even survive?LIBRARIANAN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR THE D.I.D. FAN.THERE’S NEVER BEEN ANOTHER LIKE IT!TRULY THE GREATEST OF ITS KIND!

The Complete Wraith


Michael T. Gilbert - 1998
    The Wraith, Gilbert's homage to Will Eisner's The Spirit, was published in a handful of stories in the 1970s, and here find their first collection.