2010 Releases
Here's everything Top Shelf has planned for 2010 (so far!) listed in order of release (i.e., January releases followed by February, etc.). Do yourself a favor this year and try some things that you're not that familiar with. You won't be disappointed.
With a huge bluechip like Alec: The Years Have Pants; our first foray into Manga with Ax; ground-breaking works like The Playwright and Moving Pictures; cutting-edge releases like The Homeland Directive, Superf*ckers, The Lost Dossiers, Undeleted Scenes, and Incredible Change-Bots Two; an April Swedish Invasion featuring The 120 Days of Simon, Hey Princes, and The Troll King; new talent bringing outstanding works into the family such as BB Wolf & The 3 LP's, We Can Fix It, Chester 5000, Fingerprints, and Night Animals; and new all-ages graphic novels such as Dragon Puncher (Book 1) and Johnny Boo (Book 4) -- it's going to be an exciting year!
And click on the links for a quick look at the entire publishing schedule; our mature-reader perennials, and our all-ages perennials.
January 2010
Alec: The Years Have Pants
REVIEWS:
"This impressive collection—a high-water mark in the graphic novel’s short history—confirms that no one else in the medium combines emotional truth, literary intelligence, and formal daring with such adroitness and elegance." -- Booklist (starred review)
"Witty and thoughtful …
Alec: The Years Have Pants -- HARDCOVER
Also available, a special HARDCOVER edition of ALEC: THE YEARS HAVE PANTS.
IN PRINT! (PUBLISHED JANUARY 2010)
February 2010
Dodgem Logic #1
by Alan Moore
Edited by Alan Moore. This new underground magazine has a comic strip drawn by Alan Moore, his first in 20 years! Plus his written history of 'underground' publishing from the 13th century to now. Also contains comics by Kevin O'Neill and Savage Pencil along with the musings of Father Ted creator …
World War 3 Illustrated #40
While the 2008 Presidential election was viewed by many as a turning point, it is uncertain how the policies of the new government will unfold -- but the message people have sent is clear: after 28 years of right wing dominance in U.S. politics, Americans are unhappy with the results. We find that …
March 2010
SuperF*ckers
"James Kochalka draws beautiful music.” -- Nicholas Gurewitch, creator of The Perry Bible Fellowship
"[Kochalka] brings the joy back to comics.” -- Frank Miller, creator of Sin City and 300
"Easily my favorite comic James Kochalka’s ever done.” -- Brandon Boyer, BoingBoing …
Super Spy (Vol 2): The Lost Dossiers
by Matt Kindt
"Clever and formally audacious." -- Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter
"Kindt’s fluid outlines, thick swatches of color fill-in, sleek figures, and predominant subdued duotone coloring effectively conjure the ambiguous living hell that crushes the characters’ zeal while it forces them to go …
Dodgem Logic #2
by Alan Moore
Edited by Alan Moore. After the appreciative reception afforded to its premier edition, lauded throughout the gutters of the world, the second issue of Alan Moore's mystifying new underground publication DODGEM LOGIC is now available. Delivering 52 pages of full-colour solid content thanks to its …
BFF
by Nate Beaty
"Nate Beaty is a classic whiner in the hallowed autobiographical-comics tradition of R. Crumb and Joe Matt. ...he blows your mind with beautiful, thick-lined, tragedy-strewn, full-page drawings of Seattle or radiant renderings of Oregon swimming holes." -- Village Voice
"If you're a fan of the …
April 2010
Hey Princess
by Mats Jonsson
THE SWEDISH INVASION!
"Funny, relatable, honest. What's not to love?" --Whitney Matheson, USA Today
“The brilliance of Mats Jonsson’s comics is knowing just how funny some of the most pathetic moments of adolescence can be, and not being afraid to share those, no matter how ridiculous it …
The 120 Days of Simon
THE SWEDISH INVASION!
"The 120 Days of Simon is an alternately charming, funny and aggravating four month journal of a self-advertised, couch-surfing freeloader. Highly recommended!" -- Peter Bagge
"I wouldn't call him a hero, but I found Gärdenfors' couch-surfing, mooching, drugged, …
The Troll King
THE SWEDISH INVASION!
"Vivid as a fever dream... sweaty, uncanny, and intuitive rather than logical." -- Publishers Weekly
“The magical biology of The Troll King reads like a psychedelic Hans Christian Andersen, blended with the neo-traditional storytelling of Miyazaki and just a touch of …
From the Shadow of the Northern Lights (Vol 2)
edited by Johannes Klenell
THE SWEDISH INVASION!
"So can comics in a cold climate prosper? Yes, they can still root, send up fresh shoots and eventually sprout and blossom, providing they get the right nurturing care and soil conditions. Thanks to support from cities and the state, from feisty publishers like Galago, the …
Swedish Comics History
THE SWEDISH INVASION!
Swedish comics are just now about to make it big abroad, but they have a long and intricate history -- a history that goes back to (at least) the end of the 18th Century. This book chronicles the history of comics in Sweden, presenting major trends and creators, showing …
May 2010
Undeleted Scenes
"Thoroughly engaging and loaded with charm to burn, this latest work from Brown is a perfect example of how to do autobiographical comics right. ... this is good stuff that solidly resonates with a palpable and universal humanity and bears repeated readings." -- Publishers Weekly
"Undeleted …
Greetings from Cartoonia
by Stripburger
In Greetings from Cartoonia, twelve modern European cartoonists gathered "objects of inspiration" from each others' homelands (such as architectural styles, animal species, car models, traditional folk products, mythological beings, and so on). Then each artist created a comic story set in their …
Owly and Friends - 2010 (FCBD)
by James Kochalka and Andy Runton and Christian Slade
Top Shelf is proud to join the 2010 Free Comic Book Day celebration with not one, but THREE all-ages tales. In this FCBD edition, we'll not only present an all-new OWLY adventure by Andy Runton, but also two other all-new, all-ages adventures from Owly's friends: JOHNNY BOO by James Kochalka & …
Dodgem Logic #3
by Alan Moore
Edited by Alan Moore, with a wraparound cover by Alan Moore as well!
While the popular primates that we promised you last issue have receded back into the mist, we’ve tried hard to alleviate your sense of cheated rage and disappointment by enlisting laugh-along Luddites-for-Literature supremo …
June 2010
Moving Pictures
"A wonderful, poignant surprise." -- Paul Gravett, author of Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life
"Most of the story seems less drawn than peeled and chiseled away from absolute visual and moral darkness... [Moving Pictures] suggests how art can be a lifeline to meaning at a moment when …
Three Fingers
WINNER of the 2003 Ignatz Award for Best Graphic Novel!
" . . . a single-minded obsession with animation history informs this work even as its creator twists and tears that history into a new, hideous, and hilarious form. There’s a little bit of Roger Rabbit and a whole lot of Spinal Tap at …
BB Wolf and the 3 LP's
by J.D. Arnold and Rich Koslowski
Named one of USA TODAY's top graphic novels to watch at San Diego Comic-Con!
"BB Wolf strikes a relentless tempo that grabs you by the ears and refuses to let go. I never put this one down for an instant. Great stuff." -- Greg Ruth, artist of Freaks of the Heartlands, Conan: Born on the …
BB Wolf and the 3 LP's (Music CD Spec Ed)
by J.D. Arnold and Rich Koslowski
This limited edition of B.B. WOLF & THE 3 LP’S comes with a special Music CD of Blues songs recorded specifically to accompany the graphic novel.
Set in the Mississippi Delta of the 1920s, B.B. WOLF & THE 3 LP’S is a classic story of racial injustice, murder, revenge, and music … all told …
July 2010
The Playwright
by Eddie Campbell and Daren White
REVIEWS:
"This quiet character study... succeeds on several levels, but its most potent component is the clearly recognizable and utterly naked humanity." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Campbell’s watercolouring effects take his art into vivid new horizons ... [his] images skilfully …
Lost Girls (Single-Volume Hardcover Edition)
by Melinda Gebbie and Alan Moore
The ground-breaking and controversial LOST GIRLS is now available in a super-deluxe (yet affordable) single-volume hardcover edition!
"Lost Girls is to erotic literature what Moore's now classic 1987 Watchmen (with Dave Gibbons) was to the superhero scene. Each busts the frames of its …
August 2010
Ax (Vol 1): A Collection of Alternative Manga
Edited by Sean Michael Wilson.
Stories compiled by Mitsuhiro Asakawa.
"Within the pages of this greatly anticipated manga anthology are some of the most imaginative, lush, grotesque, and ridiculous comics to come out of Japan... It's an incredible selection." -- Publishers Weekly (starred …
Fingerprints
by Will Dinski
From the winner of the 2009 Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics!
“Every comic Will Dinski makes is elegantly and cleverly designed.” —Rob Clough, The Comics Journal
"In Fingerprints, Will Dinski has succeeded in poking fun at an image-obsessed culture by reminding us that all …
Dragon Puncher (Vol 1)
"Kochalka channels his inner child as well as any comic book creator who has ever lived." -- Timothy Callahan, Comic Book Resources
"Kochalka's work makes me feel like I did when I was six years old. He brings the joy back to comics." -- Frank Miller, creator of Sin City, 300, and Batman: The …
Johnny Boo (Book 4): The Mean Little Boy
"Perfect for beginning readers." -- Publishers Weekly
"Kochalka's command of the comic form is sublime and adorable. Kids will love Johnny Boo." -- Harry Bliss, illustrator of Diary of a Worm
"Johnny Boo is sweet without being sugary and comfortably familiar yet fresh on every page. All in …
Dodgem Logic #4
by Alan Moore
The incredible Manchester artist John Coulthart contributes a positively psychedeligasmic cover to the fourth issue of the wild new underground magazine edited by Alan Moore, Dodgem Logic! "A Kiss Can Change the World," the cover proclaims (with a same-sex focus that Alan has explored before, to …
September 2010
The Ticking
by Renée French
FINALLY, RENEE FRENCH'S MASTERPIECE IS COMING BACK IN PRINT!
"A gem that means more with every reading." -- Booklist
"The Ticking is a journey to a place we've never seen or imagined, yet which somehow and inexplicably we know intimately. To be so deeply moved in so many directions at once is …
October 2010
Tricked (new hardcover)
ALEX ROBINSON'S MASTERPIECE IS COMING BACK (WITH AN ALL NEW COVER DESIGNED BY MATT KINDT) IN AUGUST!
Winner of the Harvey & Ignatz Awards for Best Graphic Novel.
"Indie Book of the Year" -- Wizard Magazine
"Most indie film should be this good." -- Entertainment Weekly
"A master of the …
November 2010
Tonoharu (Part Two)
As the months go by, Dan Wells settles into his life as an assistant junior high school teacher in the rural Japanese village of Tonoharu. Isolated from those around him by language and cultural barriers, he leads a solitary existence, until the day an unrequited crush extends him a dinner …
December 2010
World War 3 Illustrated #41
Edited by Sandy Jimenez, Rebecca Migdal, Ethan Heitner, Edwin Vazquez, Ame Gilbert, and Susan Simensky Bietila.
WW3’s latest issue invites readers to consider THE FOOD CHAIN -- our place in it and our relationship and experiences with/within it, both literally and metaphorically. Big fish eat …
