News pg. 9

George Takei’s graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy coming in 2019

July 19, 2018 / More →

Graphic memoir of actor/author/activist will depict his childhood in 1940s Japanese American internment camps

SAN DIEGO, CA (July 19, 2018) — As nations around the globe confront new versions of old debates about immigration, incarceration, and family separation, actor/author/activist George Takei is preparing a beautiful and powerfully resonant graphic memoir of his own direct experience with American xenophobia.

In summer 2019, Top Shelf Productions will publish Takei’s They Called Us Enemy, created in collaboration with co-writers Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker. George Takei revisits his haunting childhood in American concentration camps, as one of 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. Readers will experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself — in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.

Tomorrow at Comic-Con International, co-writers Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott will discuss They Called Us Enemy, and share early glimpses of Harmony Becker’s artwork, in the panel “The Human Condition: Connecting Humanity with Graphic Novels,” Friday at 1 pm in Room 23ABC.

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COME AGAIN... to San Diego Comic-Con International!

July 13, 2018 / More →

San Diego Comic-Con is always huge for Top Shelf — an occasion to debut some of our year's most jaw-dropping books, assemble a massive lineup of your favorite cartoonists, and sign for you until our hands fall off! This year's show (kicking off next week) is no exception.

Come visit us and our colleagues at IDW Publishing all convention long in Booth #2743, for your opportunity to grab all the stunning books above and to meet:

Nate Powell (Come Again)

Dan Berry (The Three Rooms in Valerie’s Head)

Erin Nations (Gumballs)

Steve Nedvidek, Jack Lowe, & Ed Crowell (The Jekyll Island Chronicles)

Kim Dwinell (Surfside Girls) — Friday only

With special appearances from:

Jeff Lemire (The Underwater Welder / Essex County)

Eddie Campbell (The Goat Getters / From Hell)

Peter & Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Comics Anthology)

Rian Hughes (I Am a Number)

Bobby Curnow (Ward’s Valley)

Mark Russell & Shannon Wheeler (God Is Disappointed In You / Sh*t My President Says)

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Carolyn Nowak has arrived. Welcome to GIRL TOWN!

June 14, 2018 / More →

Multi-award-winning cartoonist Carolyn Nowak (Lumberjanes) uses fantasy worlds to explore profound truths about friendship and desire. Her solo debut collection celebrates the ascent of a rising literary star.

Carolyn Nowak’s Girl Town collects the Ignatz Award-winning stories “Radishes” and “Diana’s Electric Tongue” together with several other tales of young adulthood and the search for connection. Here are her most acclaimed mini-comics and anthology contributions, enhanced with new colors and joined by brand-new work.

Bold, infatuated, wounded, or lost, Nowak’s girls shine with life and longing. Their stories — depicted with remarkable charm and insight — capture the spirit of our time.

Girl Town by Carolyn Nowak (September 2018)

$19.99 (US) • ISBN 978-1-60309-438-2 • Diamond: JUN18-0750

160 pages • full color • softcover graphic novel w/ flaps • 6.5” x 9”

For older teens & adults (16+)

Read an 11-page preview excerpt now and pre-order from your favorite retailer!


Announcing FROM HELL: MASTER EDITION

June 1, 2018 / More →

Image for Announcing FROM HELL: MASTER EDITION

Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell’s masterpiece returns as full-color “prestige” comic book series in September

Jack is back — and this time, the blood is red.

For decades, the award-winning graphic novel FROM HELL has welcomed readers into the grandeur and grime of London in the late 1800s. The New York Times-bestselling opus is an achievement the New Yorker dubs “remarkable” and Entertainment Weekly calls “an immense, majestic work about the Jack the Ripper murders, the dark Victorian world they happened in, and the birth of the 20th century.”

Beginning in September, readers old and new will experience FROM HELL as never before. The FROM HELL Master Edition presents Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s Victorian masterpiece as a ten-issue serial, thoroughly restored and revised “for color, clarity, and continuity” by Eddie Campbell himself.

“The most dramatic change is the color, of course,” says Campbell. “I prefer the term ‘colorizing’ to ‘coloring’ since I’m not simply painting within the black lines, but reconceiving every panel to suit a full-color world. But I’ve also gone through and fixed small errors and minor flaws that have haunted me for decades. Ultimately the result is my equivalent of a ‘director’s cut’ of From Hell.”

From Hell is one of the greatest graphic novels ever made — the first comic I ever read that really opened my eyes to the possibilities of sophisticated writing and art in this format,” says Chris Staros, Editor-in-Chief of Top Shelf Productions. “It’s been one of the keystones of Top Shelf’s line for almost twenty years, and now it’s an honor to watch Eddie breathe a whole new life into this epic.”

Eddie Campbell discusses his process in greater depth and reveals an exclusive interior preview of From Hell: Master Edition in a new interview at Entertainment Weekly.

From Hell: Master Edition #1 (of 10) will be released exclusively through comic shops and digital retailers in September 2018. To find a comic shop near you, visit comicshoplocator.com or call 1-800-COMIC-BOOK.


TCAF 2018: James Kochalka, Eddie Campbell, Brenda Hickey, Bobby Curnow, Carolyn Nowak, & more!

May 10, 2018 / More →

This weekend we're off to Canada for the famous Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF)! It's our first year exhibiting on the busy first floor (#128-129), so come on by — you can't miss us!

Joining us are two award-winning legends of alt-comics, James Kochalka and Eddie Campbell, making their TCAF debuts as featured guests of the festival. It'll mark the world premiere of Kochalka's latest book Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer and his first festival appearance with Mechaboys, while Campbell celebrates the launch of The Goat Getters: Jack Johnson, the Fight of the Century, and How a Bunch of Raucous Cartoonists Reinvented Comics from our friends at The Library of American Comics as well as Bizarre Romance with Audrey Niffenegger. 

We're also thrilled to have both Bobby Curnow and Brenda Hickey for their first ever joint signing of the electrifying and emotional fantasy adventure Ward's Valley!

The inimitable Carolyn Nowak will be on hand as well — stop by for a free signed poster for her upcoming short story collection Girl Town, coming this fall!

Elsewhere on the floor, you'll find Molly Ostertag with Strong Female ProtagonistConor McCreery with Kill Shakespeare, and so much more!

We'll see you soon at TCAF table #128-129!


Eisners 2018: HOME TIME is on a roll!

April 26, 2018 / More →

Image for Eisners 2018: HOME TIME is on a roll!

Campbell Whyte's debut graphic novel Home Time: Under the River placed another feather in its colorful cap today, as the Eisner committee of Comic-Con International announced it as a finalist for the Eisner Award in Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)!

Earlier this month, Home Time received the DINKy Award for Best Work: Mid/Large Press at the Denver Independent Comics & Art Expo (DINK), where Erin Nations' Gumballs series also received the Outstanding Diversity Award.

Home Time is also a finalist for such honors as the National Cartoonist Society Graphic Novel Award, Excellence in Graphic Literature Award, Readings Children's Book Prize, and Aurealis Award. Fans know that Campbell crafted the book around six main characters, famously using a different art style in each chapter to represent each one — and at this rate, he's on track to get an award for each kid!

Congratulations to Campbell, Erin, and all the outstanding nominees.


MoCCA 2018 Means MARCH, CAT'N'BAT, and More!

April 5, 2018 / More →

Image for MoCCA 2018 Means MARCH, CAT'N'BAT, and More!

*sniff sniff* That scent... Paper, ink... Fresh comics? Why, convention season must be blooming once again!

Join the Top Shelf crew at New York City's Metropolitan West this weekend for the 2018 MoCCA Arts Festival! Visit us at Table B129-130 to meet Guests of Honor Nate Powell and Andrew Aydin (March) and celebrate the silent-comedy debut of Cat 'n' Bat with Sashko Danylenko! Plus: don't miss Ward's Valley hot off the press, as well as Mechaboys, The Three Rooms in Valerie's Head, I Am a Number, and other recent favorites!

The Festival will also feature select components of the exhibit The Art of MARCH: A Civil Rights Masterpiece and will host a talk by Aydin & Powell on Saturday (April 7), 3:30pm, in the Garamond Room at Ink48.

The festival runs April 7-8, 2018 from 11:00AM - 6:00PM. We look forward to seeing you!


Welcome to the story to end all stories.
The final LEAGUE volume begins in July!

March 28, 2018 / More →

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol IV): The Tempest #1

After an epic seventeen-year journey through the entirety of human culture, Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill conclude both their legendary League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and their equally legendary comic-book careers with the series’ spectacular fourth and final volume, The Tempest. This six-issue miniseries is a celebration of everything comics were, are and could be.

Opening simultaneously in the panic-stricken headquarters of British Military Intelligence, the fabled Ayesha’s lost African city of Kor and the domed citadel of ‘We’ on the devastated Earth of the year 2996, the dense and yet furiously-paced narrative hurtles like an express locomotive across the fictional globe.

This is literally, and literarily, the story to end all stories. Here’s how it begins.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol IV): The Tempest #1 (of 6) 

by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill (JULY 2018)

$4.99 (US) • Diamond: APR180310 • For mature readers (16+)

32 pages in (mostly) full color • saddle stitched • 6 5/8” x 10 1/8” (standard comic-book size)

Co-published by Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Comics.

Read a 2-page preview now and pre-order from your favorite retailer!

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. III): Century softcover edition

“Splendid fun.” The Guardian

“Relentlessly clever.” The Miami Herald

“Easily one of the best of the year.” Wired

“A stunning return to form.” The First Post

“Magnificent.” Forbidden Planet International

“One glorious creative tapestry.” The Independent

“A magical mystery tour through Alan Moore's head.” io9

“The completed Century sits happily alongside the previous League volumes as arguably one of the greatest comics of all time.” Comic Book Resources

New in paperback: the New York Times bestselling “Century” trilogy sees our famous fraternity of meta-fictional marauders romping across the modern age, blending countless strands of British culture into a thrilling tapestry.

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Liz Prince invites you to LOOK BACK & LAUGH! - coming in July

March 28, 2018 / More →

LOOK BACK & LAUGH by Liz Prince

PRAISE FOR LIZ PRINCE:

“Magnificently evocative… Simple, line-based art provides a perfect complement to her keen narration, giving this an indie, intimate feel and leaving readers feeling like they really know her. Liz’s story, captured with wry humor and a deft, visceral eye, is a must-read.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Charming… gloriously herself.” People

“Prince’s tongue-in-cheek black-and-white line drawings, in a charming style reminiscent of Jeffrey Brown’s autobiographical comics, pack a punch.” Booklist

Liz Prince invites you to spend a year walking in her (Converse) shoes! Look Back and Laugh collects the 365 comic strips she drew to document every day of her life in 2016. Follow Liz through such life-changing adventures as: buying a house, moving to a new state, getting married, crippling insomnia, and as always, lots of cats, cats, cats! Full of humor, pathos, and insight, these comics reveal the ups and downs that make up the glamorous micro-celebrity life of a freelance cartoonist.

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Kevin Eastman & Simon Bisley's over-the-top BODYCOUNT! - coming this summer

March 28, 2018 / More →

BODYCOUNT by Kevin Eastman & Simon Bisley

Legendary talents team up for a jaw-dropping action-romp starring the baddest dudes in the TMNT universe: Raphael and Casey Jones. It's a must for grown-up Turtles fans and anyone nostalgic for the grim 'n' gritty days of 90s comics.

“Pure, unfiltered and unhindered Kevin Eastman.” TMNT Entity

After years out of print, a grindhouse-style classic returns — better than ever. Inspired by the magazine Heavy Metal and the films of John Woo, legendary cartoonists Kevin Eastman and Simon Bisley present a much darker take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, spinning a pulse-pounding yarn of over-the-top action and more than a bit of the old ultraviolence.

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HOME TIME nominated for two awards!

March 15, 2018 / More →

art from HOME TIME by Campbell Whyte
Congratulations are in order for one of our amazing Australians, Campbell Whyte, as his staggering debut graphic novel Home Time (Book One): Under the River has just been announced as a finalist — two times over — in the new Excellence In Graphic Literature Awards!

Campbell's great book is not only a finalist in the Young Adult Books (Fiction) category, it's also one of the eight books contending for the honor of Book of the Year!

These honors join two more recent nominations for Home Time in Australia, the Readings Children's Book Prize and the Aurealis Award.

Attendees of the massive Denver Comic Con in June will get a chance to pick up Home Time from the IDW Publishing booth, along with its fellow EGL finalist Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary by Christian Perrissin & Mattheiu Blanchin, published by our friends at IDW, before the winners are announced at a ceremony during the convention. For more details, keep an eye on the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards web site. Congratulations to all the nominees, and we'll see you in Denver!


New Nate Powell, the GUMBALLS book, new LOST GIRLS, and SFP 2!

March 1, 2018 / More →

March is upon us, and Top Shelf is, as they say, roaring in like a lion! This month's edition of Diamond Previews has an incredible FOUR summer releases from Top Shelf that you won't want to miss:

Nate Powell returns with the heart-stopping COME AGAIN!
COME AGAIN by Nate Powell
A lover's dream becomes a parent's nightmare in the astonishing new graphic novel from Nate Powell, National Book Award-winning artist of the March trilogy. Coming in July 2018!

Erin Nations' acclaimed GUMBALLS series becomes a book!
GUMBALLS by Erin Nations
Discover the pioneering new comic from transgender cartoonist Erin Nations! Gumballs is a one-man variety show spanning graphic memoir, observational comedy, razor-sharp character studies, and so much more. Coming in June 2018!

STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONIST: bigger, bolder, & full color!
STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONIST (BOOK TWO) by Brennan Lee Mulligan & Molly Ostertag
Superheroes meet social justice as the wildly popular webcomic comes to print, blending action with relatable young-adult drama and remarkably thoughtful philosophy. This full-color collection features over 300 pages of the ongoing series plus a brand-new short story. Coming in June 2018!

Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie expand the iconic LOST GIRLS!
LOST GIRLS (EXPANDED EDITION) by Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie
The groundbreaking, controversial masterpiece of erotic comics, decades in the making, now in a sumptuous hardcover collecting all three volumes, with 32 pages of new artwork and commentary. Coming in July 2018!


Entertainment Weekly unveils our new season!

February 8, 2018 / More →

Covers to GIRL TOWN, COME AGAIN, and GUMBALLSThe good folks at Entertainment Weekly talked with our own Chris Staros and Leigh Walton to get the inside scoop on what's ahead for Top Shelf this year! Take your first look at those gorgeous covers and get excited for:

  • Come Again, the major new solo graphic novel from Nate Powell, winner of the National Book Award (Appearing this weekend at the American Library Assocation Midwinter Meeting to make his first public remarks about it!)
  • Gumballs, collecting the first published memoir comics by an out transgender cartoonist
  • Book Two of the brilliant "social justice superhero" webcomic Strong Female Protagonist
  • Two lovely new editions from the legendary Alan Moore, plus the beginning of his & Kevin O'Neill's last hurrah with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
  • A throwback thrill-ride with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman
  • And much more... including the four new gems below!

All with exclusive commentary from Chris & Leigh. Check it out, only on EW!


Four delightful Spring releases you can pre-order now!

February 8, 2018 / More →

Top Shelf titles in the February Previews catalog
The February Diamond Previews catalog is packed with new Top Shelf graphic novels for May & June release — and now you can see a 4-page preview of each one!

  • Check in to a mind-bending mystery in CLOUD HOTEL, by Julian Hanshaw (MAY 2018)!
  • Diesel-powered daring in THE JEKYLL ISLAND CHRONICLES, by Steve Nedvidek, Ed Crowell, Jack Lowe, Moses Nester, and S. J. Miller (MAY 2018)!
  • Transforming, technology, & time travel in JOHNNY BOO #8, by James Kochalka (JUNE 2018)!
  • Jaw-dropping genius in the collected COIN-OP COMICS, by Maria & Peter Hoey (JUNE 2018)!

MARCH museum exhibits in San Francisco and New York!

February 8, 2018 / More →

The Art of MARCH: A Civil Rights Masterpiece

Nate Powell's original art from the groundbreaking March trilogy is on the road!

In San Francisco, the Cartoon Art Museum's exhibit "MARCH: A Graphic History of the Civil Rights Movement" runs now through June 19th.

And in New York City, the Society of Illustrators has just announced "The Art of MARCH: A Civil Rights Masterpiece" to open February 28 and run through June 30.

Museum-goers on both coasts will get a chance to see the award-winning work of Congressman John LewisAndrew Aydin, and Nate Powell like never before, up close and at full scale.

Check the links above for details on both exhibits, including a host of special events! For starters, you can join Nate Powell tomorrow night in San Francisco...