Best of
Graphic-Novels-Comics

1996

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck


Don Rosa - 1996
    In addition to superb storytelling and wonderful entertainment, he left behind a character who was not only rich in his stories, but one for whom the stories themselves were rich. Modern master Don Rosa, beginning in 1994, undertook the task of recounting Uncle Scrooge's past in a serialized epic. The wonderful result of his efforts is now collected in trade paperback form by Gemstone Publishing as THE LIFE & TIMES OF SCROOGE McDUCK.A collection of the celebrated 12-part Eisner Award-winning series that details the life of the young Uncle Scrooge. The story was originally serialized in the United States in Uncle Scrooge comics. Now it has been collected in one all-encompassing popularly-priced volume.

Kingdom Come


Mark Waid - 1996
    Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and almost every other character from DC Comics must choose sides in what could be the final battle of them all.

Perla la Loca


Jaime Hernández - 1996
    As Maggie, Hopey, and the rest of the Locas prowl Los Angeles, the East Coast, and parts in between trying to recapture the carefree spirit of those early days. "Wigwam Bam" brings us up to date on all the members of Jaime's extensive cast of characters and then drops a narrative bomb on Hopey (and us) in the very last pages. Split up from Hopey yet again, Maggie bounces back and forth between a one-laundromat town in Texas (the "Chester Square" that serves as the title of two of the strongest stories in the book), where she has to contend with both her own inner demons and a murderous hooker, and Camp Vicki, where she has to fend off her aunt Vicki's attempts to make her a professional wrestler and the unwanted advances of the amorous wrestling champ-to-be, Gina. As usual, Jaime spotlights a wide range of headstrong female characters. And what's this about Maggie getting married?

Palestine


Joe Sacco - 1996
    Like Safe Area Gorazde, Palestine has been favorably compared to Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus for its ability to brilliantly navigate such socially and politically sensitive subject matter within the confines of the comic book medium.Sacco has often been called the first comic book journalist, and he is certainly the best. This edition of Palestine also features an introduction from renowned author, critic, and historian Edward Said (Peace and Its Discontents and The Question of Palestine), one of the world's most respected authorities on the Middle Eastern conflict.

Tank Girl: Apocalypse


Alan Grant - 1996
    Tank Girl's pregnant! How will our manic heroine cope with motherhood? Is it Booga's? What will it look like? And what do the sinister members of the cult of the Blood God Baal have to do with it?

Red Meat: A Collection of Red Meat Cartoons From the Secret Files of Max Cannon


Max Cannon - 1996
    The official "Red Meat" Web site averages 30,000 page views a week. This collection offers readers a peek at the strip that's caused all the commotion.

Preacher vol. 1-9


Garth Ennis - 1996
    The entire run has been collected in nine trade paperback editions. The final monthly issue, number 66, was published in July 2000.Preacher follows the story of Preacher Jesse Custer, his best friend, and his girlfriend, as they explore a world that fuses Southern culture and supernatural elements, especially religious ones, in a way that is highly provocative, exploratory, and controversial.Preacher draws on movies, particularly Westerns, for many of its stylistic elements.

7 Miles a Second


David Wojnarowicz - 1996
    The graphic novel depicts Wojnarowicz’s childhood of prostitution and drugs on the streets of Manhattan, through his adulthood living with AIDS, and his anger at the indifference of government and health agencies. Originally published as a comic book in 1996 by DC’s Vertigo Comics, an imprint best-known for horror and fantasy material such as The Sandman, 7 Miles a Second was an instant critical success, but struggled to find an audience amongst the typical Vertigo readership. It has become a cult classic amongst fans of literary and art comics, just as Wojnarowicz’s influence and reputation have widened in the larger art world. Romberger and Van Cook’s visuals give stunning life to Wojnarowicz’s words, blending the gritty naturalism of Lower East Side street life with a hallucinatory, psychedelic imagination that takes perfect advantage of the comics medium. This new edition will finally present the artwork as it was intended: oversized, and with Van Cook’s elegant watercolors restored. It also includes several new pages created for this edition.

Batman Collected


Chip Kidd - 1996
    Features five full-color gatefolds and 16 pages of fresh material not included in the original 1996 hardcover.

Tales from the Crypt: The Official Archives


Digby Diehl - 1996
    Contains the official biograpy of the Crypt Keeper, a history of EC Horror Comics, 105 covers, and other stories, facts, and features relating to Tale from the Crypt.

The Big Book of Freaks


Gahan Wilson - 1996
    Now noted cartoonist Gahan Wison tackles this subject with uncanny expertise and insight. Inside are freaks of the past, such as the cyclops; well known freaks of recent eras, such as the Elephant Man; and potential future freaks created through genetic manipulation. Graphic novel format. Mature readers.

Strangers in Paradise Vol. 3: It's a Good Life


Terry Moore - 1996
     Strangers in Paradise (SIP) is the story of three friends, Francine, Katchoo, and David, and the people they fall in and out of love with. It's a tale of dark pasts and hopeful futures, double-crosses and true friendship, love, and hate. In other words, it's a story of real life, kicked up a notch.

A Voyage of Discovery: From the Land of the Amazons to the Indigo Isles


François Place - 1996
    Place creates an entire world for the reader to discover and marvel at. This is the first of three volumes that take the reader on an alphabetical voyage of discovery.

Dark Shadows: The Comic Strip Book


Kenneth Bruce Bald - 1996
    

Mad about the Seventies: The Best of the Decade


MAD Magazine - 1996
    Newman does disco? Ecch! In the bestselling tradition of MAD About the Sixties, here is a hilarious look back at the Disco Decade from America's foremost satire magazine. Illustrated throughout in color and black and white, this MADcap compendium rehashes the best send-ups, takeoffs, and put-ons from the era that gave us Spiro Agnew, smiley faces, and the Bee Gees. You'll be grateful for these dead-on paradies as The Usual Gange of Idiots - the artists, writers, and editors of MAD Magazine - present classic features from their past. So sit back, grab a Billy Beer, and get down, get funky, and get it on with Mad About the Seventies. And may their farce be with you!

Trick or Treat: A Peanuts Halloween


Charles M. Schulz - 1996
    Tag along as the Peanuts Gang rings doorbells for candy, bobs for apples, and scares their friends. Will Charlie Brown receive some chocolate this year or another sack of rocks? Which of Snoopy’s many daydreams will inspire a costume? Which witch is Lucy? And will Linus finally meet the Great Pumpkin? Interspersed throughout these delightful comic strips are cool Halloween tips, including costume ideas, party hints, and delicious snack recipes.

Cheryl Blossom: Get a Job #1


Dan Parent - 1996
    It all starts when Cheryl wants a new car, but instead of asking her father for a hand-out, she decides to raise the money herself. She has a yard sale, tries working at odd jobs, and even generates a media frenzy! Pick up these exciting three issues to see the wild and wacky antics as Cheryl Blossom tries to get a job!

Venom: The Hunger #1


Len Kaminski - 1996
    Eddie must keep his “other” under control, or else Venom will become a cannibal!

W the Whore


Anke Feuchtenberger - 1996
    

Art and Beauty Magazine


Robert Crumb - 1996
    CrumbFeaturing 35 portraits of Crumb's ideal feminine forms, each accompanied with annotations regarding that woman's beauty. A manifesto of sorts, Art & Beauty is preoccupied with the same figures that have been at the root of Crumb's id-reflective art from the start.