Top Shelf Productions

While the publishing industry tries to categorize books intro strict pigeonholes by age group... there's something about graphic novels that often breaks these barriers. Our next book is a perfect example.

Better Place is about a boy who's not sure he's ready to grow up, but it's a heartfelt and powerful graphic novel that readers of all kinds will be moved by. Crafted with layers of emotion and sympathetic characters, including some childlike adults and some awfully mature kids, this book is a celebration of vintage comic-book imagination, a harsh dose of reality crashing against that fantasy, and a roadmap to reconnecting with the things that really matter.

Our marketing director Leigh Walton got dressed up and invited an international assortment of our outstanding 2021 authors to celebrate WonderCon@Home with a fun and freewheeling conversation about their new books — some hot off the presses, and some coming soon! Also discussed: their favorite pages, cool handicrafts by fans, why villains are more fun, why comics make you hungry, and why we haven't gone completely crazy during the pandemic.

Click here to hear from James Albon (The Delicacy, coming in June), James Kochalka (Johnny Boo and the Silly Blizzard, out now), Kim Dwinell (The Science of Surfing: A Surfside Girls Guide to the Ocean, coming in July), Edgar Camacho (Onion Skin, coming in May), and Christian Slade (Korgi Book 5: End of Seasons, coming in just a few days)!

"Kim Dwinell’s Surfside Girls has a timeless quality... it’s a perfect summer read." — Brigid Alverson, School Library Journal's "Good Comics for Kids"

The ocean is packed with plants, animals, water... and science! Ride the waves of knowledge with Sam and Jade as they explain all about the amazing wonders of the sea, and have a blast doing it.

Have you ever wondered why the ocean has waves? Why do the tides change with the moon? Can dolphins really "see" using sound? How does surfing actually work? And what can we do to protect the ocean?

“Ray Friesen is a veritable fount of silliness... Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken is filled with nonsense, from the copyright page to the comics to the endpages, and it’s guaranteed to make your geeklets giggle.” — GeekDad

"The short stories will keep the interest of your most reluctant readers, and the action almost makes it like you are watching a cartoon on TV... Great for fans of Dav Pilkey and Diary of a Wimpy Kid." — No Flying No Tights

You're telling me this pirate is a penguin?? That's not all, buddy. This ninja... is a chicken. And in their THIRD ridiculous book together, they're even funnier than ever!

"This wild metafictional romp is a fitting goodbye to two singular talents." — The Guardian (Best Comics of the Year)

After an epic twenty-year journey through the entirety of human culture - the biggest cross-continuity 'universe' that is conceivable - 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.

Over the weekend, George Takei's bestselling graphic memoir received another prestigious honor: the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics!

All four members of the creative team — George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker — contributed eloquent acceptance speeches to the livestreamed award ceremony, which was held on the tenth anniversary of McDuffie's death. You can watch the full program, hosted by actor Phil LaMarr and including testimonials about McDuffie's career and legacy in the industry, on Facebook.

They Called Us Enemy has also recently been nominated for many state-level Teen Book Awards, and selected for community reading programs ranging from multiple California cities to the entire state of Ohio! We are deeply honored that this book's timely lessons about family, identity, patriotism, and justice continue to resonate with readers around the world.

With The Three Rooms in Valerie's Head, Dan Berry and David Gaffney turned an unexpected metaphor into a unique, hilarious, and quietly profound character study. Now they're back with an even more ambitious opus:

Three ordinary weirdos, one recurring dream. The acclaimed minds behind The Three Rooms in Valerie’s Head return with a whimsical and ambitious portrait of human connection in the age of digital fragmentation.

Rivers by David Gaffney & Dan Berry
ISBN 978-1-60309-490-0 | Diamond: JAN210510 | $19.99 (US) | 176 pages
Full-color softcover graphic novel with flaps | 8" x 9.75" | for mature readers (16+)
Coming SPRING-SUMMER 2021 — Read 5 preview pages!
Buy it from your comic shop | IndieBound | Top Shelf | elsewhere

The American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) recently unveiled their 2021 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and Axelle Lenoir's irresistible English debut Camp Spirit made the list! Join us in celebrating this spooky LGBTeen hard-rock rom-com that’s as wild as a hot summer night.

Thank you for supporting independent publishing during perhaps the strangest year of our lifetimes! Here at year's end, we're looking back with pride on this incredible lineup of creators and their books. If you're shopping for final gifts or picking up a new treat for yourself, take a look to see what you might have missed!

Discover a bright new star of Mexican comics in this romantic and thrilling tale, stuffed with adventure and delicious food.

Coming April 2021!

Winner of Mexico’s first ever National Young Graphic Novel Award!

Rolando’s job was crushing him… and then it literally crushed his hand. Now he can barely get out of the house, binging TV and struggling to find meaning. On a rare night out with friends, he meets Nera, a woman who lives only in the moment. Dazzled by her hedonistic attitude, Rolando sees a new life opening before him. Together, these restless youths fix up an old food truck and hit the road for a wild journey. But have they truly found the spice of life? Or has Rolando bitten off more than he can chew?

Great news for kids and middle-grade readers! Two Top Shelf books — Jared Cullum's Kodi and Jarod Roselló's Red Panda & Moon Bear — have been unanimously selected for the Texas Library Association's 2021 Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List, dedicated to great comics for grades K-5. Remarkably, both books were recommended for the full span of kindergarten through 5th grade.

Three brilliant graphic novelists from Down Under are washing ashore in America — and around the world!

Pat Grant's The Grot, Campbell Whyte's Home Time II, and Chris Gooch's Under-Earth are in stores now.

The beloved wordless fantasy graphic novel series reaches its stunning conclusion -- with plenty of thrills, laughs, and exquisitely illustrated animal magic.

Winter has arrived in Korgi Hollow... and with it, the end of the Korgi story. As Ivy and her Korgi pup Sprout frolic in the frozen weather, an ancient power is stirring. At long last, saddle up for the conclusion of this “silent” epic fairytale told entirely through detailed pen-and-ink drawings. Fire and ice will collide in a timeless battle between good and evil. Will the residents of Korgi Hollow survive the harsh cold? One thing is for sure: nothing will ever be the same.

Praise for the Korgi series:

"If there was ever a true ‘all-ages’ book, this is it. Korgi hits every note perfectly, and can hook readers all across the spectrum with its tantalizing suspense and action.... The art is spectacular." — School Library Journal’s "Good Comics for Kids"

This weekend is the enormous New York Comic Con... virtually! To commemorate another weird milestone in this unprecedented "Year Without a Comic-Con," and to offer a piece of the convention exprience we're all missing this year, we're bringing back our Comic-Con virtual sale to offer signed bookplates from the artists of the following new & recent releases, free with purchase:

From Hell: Master Edition (Hardcover) — w/ bookplate signed by Eddie Campbell

Kodi — w/ bookplate signed by Jared Cullum

Glork Patrol on the Bad Planet — w/ bookplate signed by James Kochalka

Monkey vs. Robot: The Complete Epic — w/ bookplate signed by James Kochalka

Johnny Boo (Book 11): Johnny Boo Finds a Clue — w/ bookplate signed by James Kochalka

Red Panda & Moon Bear — w/ bookplate signed by Jarod Roselló

Red Panda & Moon Bear (Spanish Edition) — w/ bookplate signed by Jarod Roselló

Cosmoknights (Book One) — w/ bookplate signed by Hannah Templer

Starting now and running through the weekend while supplies last, you can order these exclusively from the online store of our parent publisher, IDW. Check it out today!