Top Shelf Productions

As we gear up for San Diego Comic-Con and the release of some stunning summer books (including Home Time, Surfside Girls, Sh*t My President Says, and Return of the Dapper Men), time marches ever on — and two amazing fall books are now open for pre-order! The Top Shelf family continue to expand as France's Benjamin Reiss explores Tokyo while UK design legend Rian Hughes presents his first ever solo collection of comics:

Super Tokyoland by Benjamin Reiss

"[Super Tokyoland's] visual style, strongly inspired by manga, enhances the story's tone beautifully... This well-constructed graphic novel illuminates a radically different way of life from European culture." — Planete BD

"Humble, sincere and spontaneous... The drawing is original, and Reiss takes every opportunity to show that he has more than one arrow in his quiver." — Le Bar à BD

"One feels grateful for its sincerity and frankness... Reading Super Tokyoland is a pure moment of pleasure: travel, cultural discoveries, and guaranteed escapism." — Publik Art

In August 2002, artist Benjamin Reiss flies to Tokyo to spend a year with Kayoko, the Japanese girl he met in France a year earlier. What he finds upon landing is a vast and complex culture, steeped in tradition but full of surprises. As one year stretches into six, Benjamin becomes immersed in the world of sento baths, taiko drums, and bento boxes, while studying cartooning under several masters of manga.

With striking detail and easy charm, Super Tokyoland is a perfect hybrid of European and Japanese comics, forming a rich exploration of immigrant life.

Super Tokyoland by Benjamin Reiss
ISBN 978-1-60309-418-4 • Diamond: JUL17-0675
$24.99 (US) • 232 pages
2-color softcover graphic novel with French flaps, 6.75” x 9.5”
On sale October 2017
Check out a 10-page preview!

I Am a Number by Rian Hughes

"Rian Hughes is a luminescent pop culture demon." —David Quantick

"One of the most successful and prolific designer/illustrators of the past 20 years" —Roger Sabin, Eye Magazine

"Hughes has been credited with doing more than anyone else to elevate the sophistication level of comic book design."—Michael Dooley, AIGA

"One of the most interesting and engaging graphic designers working with comic books today." —Sonia Harris, Comic Book Resources

Rian Hughes has got your number!

When everyone has a number, everyone knows their place. Lower numbers are better, higher numbers are less important, and that’s just the way it is. But what if that number could change? You might try to buck the system and assert your individuality… or you might end up with a big fat zero.

Big questions are explored and unexpected answers found in the first solo comics collection from award-winning designer & illustrator Rian Hughes. His whimsical, witty, and insightful strips reveal the lighter side of our obsession with social rankings. Where do you stand in the pecking order? Is your number up?

I Am a Number by Rian Hughes
ISBN 978-1-60309-419-1 • Diamond: JUL17-0674
$19.99 (US) • 120 pages
Full-color hardcover graphic novel / strip collection, with transparent dust jacket, 6” x 9”
On sale November 2017
Check out an 8-page preview!

There's nothing quite like a debut. The thrill of discovery — when an amazing new talent pops out of the ether, blending familiar influences with a fresh perspective and personal touch that's all their own — is one of the great joys of reading indie comics. This month, we're delighted to announce two excellent cartoonists' first graphic novels.

Roots by Tara O'Connor

On a journey to the old world — she discovered a whole new world.

After a messy year of heartbreak and setbacks, Tara sets off to Ireland in search of clues to her family’s ancestry, but what she finds isn't at all what she expected. Some of it has to do with the lack of records, but a lot has to do with John, the charming cartoonist she met on Twitter. Wrapped in real family history and set amongst the natural beauty of the Irish countryside, Roots is a classic romantic-comedy adventure and a page-turning account of a young woman finding herself.

Roots by Tara O'Connor

ISBN 978-1-60309-417-7 • Diamond: JUN170548
$19.99 (US) • 176 pages
black & white softcover graphic novel with French flaps, 5" x 8"
On sale September 2017
Check out an 11-page preview!

Bottled by Chris Gooch

What are friends for?

Jane is sick of her dead-end life in the suburbs, and desperate for a change. Her old friend Natalie made it out, living in Japan as a fashion model. Now, as Natalie comes back to town on business, Jane sees a way for her friend to do her a favor… whether she likes it or not. Young Australian cartoonist Chris Gooch debuts with a haunting portrait of millennial alienation, tinged with body horror and Greek tragedy, glamour and terror.

Bottled by Chris Gooch
ISBN 978-1-60309-420-7 • Diamond: JUN170551
$19.99 (US) • 288 pages
2-color softcover graphic novel with French flaps, 5.8" x 8.3"
On sale September 2017
Check out an 8-page preview!

Shannon Wheeler knows Donald Trump pretty well — or at least his Twitter account. Wheeler read the president's complete archive of over 30,000 posts and illustrated over 120 of the best tweets for his new book Sh*t My President Says: The Illustrated Tweets of Donald J. Trump. Now, in reaction to rumors that Trump (despite all advice to the contrary) plans to "livetweet" the Senate testimony tomorrow of former FBI Director James Comey, Wheeler has announced that he will live-draw Trump's livetweets, bringing vital new insight to these important contributions to American presidential history.

To follow along at home, follow @MuchCoffee on Twitter or the hashtag #shitmypresidentsays.

In Sh*t My President Says (in stores August 2017), Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Shannon Wheeler tackles the 140-character president. For the first time, Donald Trump's most revealing tweets are collected, curated, and transformed into razor-sharp cartoons, offering a subversive and illuminating glimpse into the mind of the most divisive political figure of our time. Whether you love him or hate him, this take on Trump will help you come to grips with the man and his ideas thanks to Wheeler's signature mix of slapstick and sophistication.

Sh*t My President Says will be a 120-page hardcover book, 5” x 6.5”, published by Top Shelf Productions, an imprint of IDW Publishing. It features a foreword by Esquire cartoon editor Bob Mankoff. The book goes on sale August 2017 and can be pre-ordered now with ISBN 978-1-60309-410-8 wherever books are sold. For more details and sample pages, visit www.sh-tmypresidentsays.com.

Top Shelf continues our summer 2017 rollout with red-hot political humor, all-ages outer-space action, and a whimsical celebration of woodland fantasy — all in this month's Diamond Previews catalog!

FDR had radio. JFK had TV. Trump has Twitter.
In Sh*t My President Says: The Illustrated Tweets of Donald J. Trump, Eisner-Award-winning cartoonist Shannon Wheeler tackles the 140-character president. For the first time, Donald Trump’s most revealing tweets are collected, curated, and transformed into razor-sharp cartoons, offering a subversive and illuminating glimpse into the mind of the most divisive political figure of our time.

"Shannon Wheeler drew a book I wish I had thought of; that's the ultimate compliment I can offer in 140 characters! #buyit #wheelerisagenius" —Jack Ohman, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning

"A book of cartoons written by a living caricature and illustrated by one of the best cartoonists working... it perfectly captures the grim absurdity of life in the darkest timeline." —Tom Tomorrow, creator of This Modern World

Sh*t My President Says: The Illustrated Tweets of Donald J. Trump by Shannon Wheeler
120-page B&W hardcover • 5" x 6.5" • $14.99 (US)
ISBN 978-1-60309-410-8 • Diamond: MAY170525
On sale August 2017
Click here for details and a preview!

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"Unrelenting stylishness," said the Village Voice. "Truly jaw-dropping," said Pipedream Comics. "Glorious," said Paste. Now, Chris Sheridan follows the success of The Motorcycle Samurai with a brand-new graphic novel for all ages! Spacebat, the galaxy’s greatest misfit, is pressed into service by three kids to stop a mad scientist, his army of ill-mannered robots, and a universe-bending machine.

Spacebat and the Fugitives: Tacos at the End of the World by Chris Sheridan
120-page full-color softcover w/flaps • 7.25” x 10.25" • $14.99 (US)
ISBN 978-1-60309-414-6 • Diamond: MAY170529
On sale August 2017
Click here for details and a preview!

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Christian Slade celebrates ten years of his heartwarming wordless fantasy adventure series, Korgi! This 48-page monster issue is stuffed with Korgi stories previously published in Free Comic Book Day specials, plus a brand-new "tail."

Korgi: Short Tails by Christian Slade
48-page B&W comic book • 6 5/8" x 10 3/16" • $4.99 (US)
Diamond: MAY170531 (regular cover), MAY170532 (variant cover)
On sale July 2017
Click here for details and a preview!

We're making a run for the border! Catch both Chris Staros and Leigh Walton in Canada this weekend for the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, May 13-14 at the Toronto Reference Library. We're thrilled to be bringing you National Book Award winner Nate Powell to debut the stunning Nate Powell's Omnibox (collecting Swallow Me Whole, Any Empire, and You Don't Say), as well as James Albon flying in from France to debut Her Bark & Her Bite, a scalding dark comedy in bright luscious hues. Plus, keep an eye out for Molly Ostertag (Strong Female Protagonist), Eric Orchard (Maddy Kettle), Kagan McLeod (Infinite Kung Fu), Jeff Lemire (Essex County, The Underwater Welder), and other members of the extended Top Shelf family!

TCAF panels you won't want to miss:

• Thursday 6:30pm at Alliance Française: Heroines in Comic Arts (in French, featuring James Albon)
• Saturday 11am in Learning Centre: Teamwork: Comics and Collaboration (including Nate Powell & Molly Ostertag)
• Saturday 4pm in Marriott Forest Hill: LGBTQ Comics Abroad (including Molly Ostertag)
• Sunday noon in Marriott Forest Hill: Comics As Political Resistance (including Nate Powell)
• Sunday 4pm in Marriott High Park: Spotlight on Nate Powell

Congratulations are in order once again for Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, as their record-breaking graphic novel March: Book Three has been nominated for Best Reality-Based Work in the 2017 Will Eisner Awards.

The trio won last year in the same category for March: Book Two, while Book Three has received an unprecedented array of honors, including the National Book Award, the Printz Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and many others.

Join us at the Eisner Award ceremony this summer at Comic-Con International in San Diego, July 21, 2017!

It may not be summer yet, but the sun is finally out, and if you listen closely, you can hear the waves calling... That means it's time to welcome Kim Dwinell to the Top Shelf family and introduce the world to her debut graphic novel, Surfside Girls: The Secret of Danger Point!

We're so excited to be working with Kim. She's a California-based animator, teacher, and former lifeguard who now combines all her talents into one irresistible book. Check out an 8-page preview of her beautiful watercolor pages, and get ready to join twelve-year-old heroes Samantha and Jade as they investigate spooky ghosts, creepy creatures, greedy politicians... and cute boys!

It's 232 pages of full-color adventure, surfing your way this summer. Click here for more details and pre-order now from your favorite shop!

Everything began with a single breath.

A light wind that started a sway,
and the sway started a turn,
and the turn...

The turn started EVERYTHING.

Top Shelf is delighted to reveal details of the rebirth of one of this decade's most acclaimed graphic novels: Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann and Janet Lee. Their whimsical clockwork fairytale, which won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel some years back, now comes to Top Shelf in a deluxe new edition designed by Eric Skillman and filled with bonus content. Even better, the Dapper Men saga will ultimately be expanded into a trilogy, with Book Two and Book Three planned for subsequent years.

Check out more details and preview images from this 144-page deluxe hardcover, which stands a hefty 9.75" x 11.25", and check in with your favorite shop to pre-order it!

"Return of the Dapper Men is a transformational experience... be prepared to take a fantastic journey." — from the introduction by Tim Gunn

“The writing is lyrical and reads like a forgotten fairy tale... The artwork is often stunning.” — The New York Times

“It’s an instant classic, combining steampunk, science fiction and fantasy with an impeccable fashion sense.” — USA Today

“This book is everything the hype promised it would be… a mind-opening, eye-shutting book that sings to your dreams and dreams of your songs.” — Comic Book Resources

“Arresting layouts give the book an ethereal, timeless quality and turn each page into a frame-worthy work of art. A true dazzler that speaks on multiple levels for both child and adult readers, and one that gets richer with each read.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Magnificent... the lush artwork is easy to get lost in, and the fantastical setting and atmosphere create a unique background for a timeless parable about time.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This weekend, our calendars turn to April, and New York's comic-lovers turn to the terrific MoCCA Fest (April 1-2 at Metropolitan West, 639 W 46th St)!

Top Shelf / IDW Publishing will be there in style, featuring: Jess Fink (Chester 5000, appearing Saturday only), Lauren Purje (You Might Be an Artist If...), Benjamin Frisch (The Fun Family), Koren Shadmi (Love Addict), W. Maxwell Prince (The Electric Sublime),
and more friends & family of IDW, including Craig Yoe and Yoe! Books.

Come visit Booth A101 and discover a new favorite!

FDR had radio. JFK had TV. Trump has Twitter.

Top Shelf Productions is pleased — big league — to announce Sh*t My President Says: The Illustrated Tweets of Donald J. Trump, in which Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Shannon Wheeler tackles the 140-character president. For the first time, these revealing snapshots of the world’s most powerful man will be collected, curated, and brought to memorable new life as cartoons. This compulsively readable hardcover will reach stores in August 2017.

Sh*t My President Says: The Illustrated Tweets of Donald J. Trump
by Shannon Wheeler
-- A 120-page hardcover, 5” x 6.5”
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-410-8
-- For mature readers (16+)
-- Available August 2017

Some people are saying, I don’t know, you tell me, but a lot of people are saying this is the greatest book of the year. This guy, Shannon Wheeler, he draws these cartoons for the New Yorker, MAD, the Onion — he’s very, very, good, okay? Now he’s illustrated the most incredible tweets. Wow! You won’t believe what he does with these tweets. I mean, these tweets changed the world, folks. It’s true! It’s very true. EVERYONE is going to want this book — even the haters and losers (Sad!).

"Shannon Wheeler drew a book I wish I had thought of; that's the ultimate compliment I can offer in 140 characters! #buyit #wheelerisagenius"
—Jack Ohman, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning

In Sh*t My President Says, Donald Trump's most revealing tweets are transformed into razor-sharp cartoons, offering a subversive and illuminating insight into the mind of the most divisive political figure of our time. Whether you love him or hate him, this take on Trump will help you come to grips with the man and his ideas thanks to Wheeler's signature mix of slapstick and sophistication.

Ryan Gosling, Ken Kao’s Waypoint and Anonymous Content will produce the Best-Selling Graphic Novel ‘The Underwater Welder’ from Award-winning Cartoonist Jeff Lemire
The New York Times Bestseller from Top Shelf/IDW has been Optioned for a Feature Film

THE UNDERWATER WELDER is the mind–bending graphic novel written by critically acclaimed, award–winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire, and published by Top Shelf/IDW.

Ryan Gosling, Ken Kao, and Anonymous Content will produce the film.

The New York Times bestselling graphic novel details a man in the dangerous profession of underwater welding, who has a supernatural encounter at the bottom of the sea.

Jeff Lemire, Chris Staros (Editor–in–Chief, Top Shelf), and Ted Adams (CEO and Publisher, IDW Publishing) are attached as executive producers.

The deal was brokered on Jeff Lemire's behalf by Angela Cheng Caplan of the Cheng Caplan Company, Inc. and Allison Binder, esq. of Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder & Christopher, LLP, and on Top Shelf/IDW’s behalf by Tuvyah Aronoff of Schwell Wimpfheimer & Associates.

The prestigious Los Angeles Times Book Prizes announced today their list of finalists, and March: Book Three (by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell) is one of five books listed as a finalist for Young Adult Literature.

This is the first LA Times nomination for the acclaimed March trilogy, which has already won the National Book Award as well as a record-breaking four major awards from the American Library Association. Nate Powell was previously an LA Times finalist in 2009 for his book Swallow Me Whole, also in Young Adult Literature. At the time, no graphic novel had been nominated for the prize in any category since Art Spiegelman's Maus.

This year's LA Times Book Prizes will be awarded at the University of Southern California on April 21, 2017, inaugurating the LA Times Festival of Books. Tickets to the ceremony will be on sale starting March 16. For more information, visit http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/book-prizes/.

It's February — which means our pre-order calendar is rolling on into the spring! And appropriately enough for Valentine's Day, we know you're going to love these comics. Click through for previews and talk to your favorite retailer about...

Campbell Whyte explodes onto the scene with HOME TIME!

It's the last summer before high school, and these six friends are ready for a vacation of sleepovers, video games, and romance. But after tumbling into a river, they emerge in a wild world stranger than any RPG! Australian cartoonist Campbell Whyte makes his jaw-dropping debut with a kaleidoscopic saga  — each chapter drawn in a different visual style — and a love letter to the fantasy worlds of the 80s and 90s, all bound together with whimsy and heart.

Home Time: Under the River by Campbell Whyte

A 228-page full-color hardcover graphic novel, 9" x 9"

ISBN 978-1-60309-412-2 - Diamond: FEB170448

$24.99 (US), advance-solicited for release in June 2017

You absolutely must see these interior pages — click here for a 7-page preview!

A stunning decade of Nate Powell's award-winning talent!

Celebrate the first cartoonist ever to win the National Book Award.

Nate Powell has been called “a writer-artist of genius” and “the most prodigiously talented graphic novelist” of his generation. This box contains the reasons why.

Swallow Me Whole won the Eisner Award for its portrayal of teen mental illness, Any Empire explores the trickle-down effects of war on young minds, and You Don’t Say collects Powell’s short comics from 2004 up to the debut of the landmark March trilogy.

Together, these three volumes represent the first decade of mature work from one of the new giants of cartooning: a creator renowned for his sensitivity, intimacy, and visual courage.

Nate Powell's Omnibox by Nate Powell

A slipcase set of Swallow Me Whole, Any Empire, & You Don't Say (696 total pages!)

ISBN 978-1-60309-409-2 - Diamond: FEB170449

$49.99 (US), advance-solicited for release in June 2017

Click here for details and a 10-page preview!

ATLANTA — The bestselling March graphic novel trilogy broke new records today by winning four major awards in the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards, more than any book in the awards' history. March: Book Three, the concluding volume by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, was announced as the winner of:

• the Coretta Scott King Book Award (for outstanding African-American books for youth),
• the Michael L. Printz Award (for excellence in young adult literature),
• the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award (for most distinguished informational book for children),
• and the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.

These honors for March: Book Three follow closely on the heels of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature – Young Adult Category, making it the first book to win both the Printz and the National Book Award.

"I'm delighted and honored that America's librarians are supporting March with these awards," said Congressman Lewis. "I love books and I love librarians. When I was growing up I tried to read every single thing I could. I hope these awards will help inspire all of our young people — and some of us not so young — to read, to learn, and to act. March is a guidebook reminding us that we all must speak up and stand up for what is right, what is fair, and what is just."

The March trilogy, which depicts Lewis’s firsthand account of the Civil Rights Movement, has previously won such honors as the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the Eisner Award, two Harvey Awards, and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor. It is rapidly being adopted by universities and public school systems from New York to San Francisco, and recently spent six continuous weeks holding the top 3 spots on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Congressman Lewis accepted the YALSA Nonfiction Award on behalf of the three creators today at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Atlanta. The King, Printz, and Sibert Awards will be handed out in ceremonies at the ALA Annual Conference in June.

The groundbreaking March trilogy reached another milestone this week, as the organization We Need Diverse Books declared it the winner of their second annual Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature – Young Adult Category.

March: Book Three was declared the winner of "The Walter," which is named in memory of children’s and young adult author Walter Dean Myers (1937-2014) and celebrates diversity in teen literature. Three honor books were also named: Watched by Marina Budhos, If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, and The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. A ceremony honoring the winners will take place at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on March 31, 2017.

WNDB will donate a minimum of 2,000 copies of the 2017 Walter Award winner, March: Book Three, across the United States to schools with limited budgets. For more information, visit www.weneeddiversebooks.org.