Georgia-based publisher Top Shelf Productions and Georgia-based cartoonist Andy Runton are delighted to announce that Andy's award-winning graphic novel Owly has been officially selected by the Georgia Center for the Book as one of 25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read!

The GCB's list, the first of its kind, names the first volume in the Owly series, Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer, which is a great place to start. The Owly series continues through five standalone graphic novels so far, of which the most recent is Owly: Tiny Tales. Owly's next adventure will be a full-color hardcover picture book published by Simon & Schuster under license from Top Shelf, titled Owly & Wormy: Friends Aflutter!, which will be followed by a sixth graphic novel.

"I'm honored and very happy to have Owly included on this list," says creator Andy Runton. "It's especially meaningful coming from the Georgia Center for the Book, since I've lived in Georgia for over twenty years and it's where Owly was 'born.' The series was really inspired by the woods and animals that surround us here." Although he doesn't consider his work to be specifically limited to young readers, and the series has fans of all ages, "there's nothing more rewarding than being told that my books are helping kids learn to read and learn to love reading."

This honor is the latest distinction for the beloved Owly series, which has previously won the Eisner Award, the Harvey Award, the Ignatz Award, and the Howard E. Day Memorial Prize.

Geek renaissance man and weird-culture hero Mark Frauenfelder recently read Lars Martinson's Tonoharu: Part One - and loved it! In his review on Boing Boing today, Mark writes: "Tonoharu is a story of isolation, frustration, and mystery, with just the right amount of black humor to keep it from being depressing ... the overall effect is stunning. I can't recommend Tonoharu highly enough."

Tonoharu: Part One, Lars' Xeric-winning graphic novel, is the story of a young American college grad who heads to Japan to teach English. In a starred review, Booklist called it "a fully realized, engaging tale of international alienation. You can grab your copy of Part One below - and pre-order Part Two, which ships in November!

Hey Gang, I'll be at the Baltimore Comic-Con all this weekend -- with all our new releases: THE PLAYWRIGHT by Daren White & Eddie Campbell, AX (VOL 1) Edited by Sean Michael Wilson, FINGERPRINTS by Will Dinski, BB WOLF & THE 3 LP'S by J.D. Arnold & Rich Koslowski, MOVING PICTURES by Kathryn & Stuart Immonen, UNDELETED SCENES by Jeffrey Brown, all four issues of Alan Moore's DODGEM LOGIC, and lots more. Come see me there! -- Chris Staros

The irrepressible Whitney Matheson of USA Today's Pop Candy grabbed a copy of Ax: Alternative Manga at the San Diego Comic-Con... and sounds like she dug what she saw, because she's named it one of her favorite finds of the show!

"This brilliantly curated, 400-page collection highlights the best experimental Japanese comics I've ever seen," Whitney writes. "The art is mesmerizing and surreal, and the stories are unlike what you see in mainstream American work."

You can read more about Ax (and check our review archive) here!

One of the most exciting things about San Diego Comic-Con this year was that comic-book power couple Kathryn & Stuart Immonen were joining us at the Top Shelf booth for the first time - and what a blast that turned out to be! The Immonens are not only great comic creators but great company.

A whole room full of fans got to find that out for themselves, as Word Balloon host John Siuntres presided over a chatty spotlight panel dedicated to Kathryn & Stuart's work. John and the Immonens pulled out all the stops for a wide-ranging conversation spanning their 20+ year career -- from their self-publishing days, to Stuart's long-lost adaptation of Lawnmower Man (!), to their beloved superhero work at DC and Marvel, to their acclaimed new book with Top Shelf, Moving Pictures. There are also hints about their next project, Russian Olive to Red King, and much more!

You can listen to the entire conversation here at Word Balloon!