OLIVER EAST is an English artist and zine-maker, whose Trains Are... Mint series has understandably become a favorite of many on both sides of the pond. In it, East walks, usually along trainlines, from one point to another, and records his observations and thoughts in a down-to-earth, sometimes self-deprecating tone. Reading his stuff I constantly find myself jotting down little notes, and quotes from the writing. Utterly unlike anything out there, East's comics are one of a kind. I currently stock two of his lovingly made book collections, published by Blank Slate in the UK. I kind of think fans of King-Cat will really enjoy these...
►NEW! - THE HOMESICK TRUANT'S CUMBRIAN YARN #1 by Oliver East. In this new series, commissioned by the Lakes Festival and the Brewery Arts Centre, East documents one of his walks, this time between Arnside and Grange Over Sands, in his usual highly abstract yet expressive line. In this episode Ollie meets a noisome hunting party and a tenacious dog. Completely unique. Review. 36 pages, approx. 8" x 12" (A4), b+w; $5.00.
►NEW! - THE HOMESICK TRUANT'S CUMBRIAN YARN #2 by Oliver East. In this installment, Ollie treks from Grange over Sands to Ulverston: rain, family, train stations, and more hunters. 36 pages, approx. 8" x 12" (A4), b+w; $5.00.
►NEW! - THE HOMESICK TRUANT'S CUMBRIAN YARN #3 by Oliver East. Ulverston to Askam: Bright mornings, black sheep, and a near miss. 36 pages, approx. 8" x 12" (A4), b+w; $5.00.
PROPER GO WELL HIGH by Oliver East (Blank Slate). Oliver travels from Manchester to Liverpool and documents the journey in his idiosyncratic watercolor/collage style. "It's cheap therapy all this walking. Love. Grass. Wall. Love. Bush. Wall." 176 pages, full-color covers and interiors, hardcover, 8.5" x 6"; $20.00. BACKORDERED
BERLIN AND THAT by Oliver East (Blank Slate). This time Ollie walks from Berlin to the Polish border. "I realised as I sat semi-derelict on the concrete bench watching the pigeons flirt and the leaves get lost that I was, in actual fact, very lucky." 188 pages, full-color covers and interiors, hardcover, 8.5" x 6"; $20.00. BACKORDERED
DENNIS P. EICHHORN is an icon of the alternative comics world.
Above: Five brilliant spreads from REAL GOOD STUFF
THEO ELLSWORTH's dreamlike comics concern life and how to live it, and art and how to make it. He's certainly one of the most interesting cartoonists to make the scene in recent years.
CAPACITY by Theo Ellsworth (Secret Acres). In this amazing collection Ellsworth presents his remarkable (originally self-published) Capacity Comics, alongside new stories that present the reader with the circumstances, experiences, and experiments that surrounded them. The net effect is to find yourself immersed into a dreamlike, sometimes dark, sometimes charming world that is utterly compelling and unique. Coming outside the other end is akin to taking a real journey. Might this book become a modern-day classic? On the back cover Craig Thompson writes: "Exactly the kind of book you find in a dream." I agree. 340 whopping pages, 8" x 6.5", color covers/b+w interiors; $20.00.
►NEW! -- CAPACITY #8 by Theo Ellsworth (Secret Acres): In the all-new issue of Capacity (issues 1-7 are collected in the book listed above), Theo invites you personally to enter his comic in an attempt toshare his received wisdom about our shared future. By the end you will have received you Mind Vehicle Operation Badge. No one makes comics like Theo Ellsworth. Highly reommended. 44 pages, 6" x 9", color covers, b+w interiors; $7.00.
Above, two pages from The Understanding Monster.
KILIAN ENG is a Swedish digital artist.
►NEW! -- OBJECT #10 by Kilian Eng (Floating World): This lavishly produced hardcover volume reproduces Eng's gorgeous artwork in a European-sized album format. Eng creates psychedelic sci-fi worlds of stunning complexity and beauty, that in many cases relay textless visual stories. This volume includes work produced over the course of the past year, plus earlier pieces from before the release of his first monograph, Object 5. Brilliant, immersive, and impeccably produced. Video Preview. 80 pages, 9.25" x 12.25", hardcover; full color thoughout; $30.00.
AUSTIN ENGLISH is a publisher, comics critic, and idiosyncratic cartoonist in his own right.
►NEW! - THE LIFE PROBLEM by Austin English (Drippy Bone Books): Includes two stories on the vague theme of familial and other relationships, drawn in English's unapologetically raw and personal style. In My Friend Perry, we meet a group of vaguely odd characters who inhabit a detached world; in Here I Am! a stranger off the streets enters a family home with disturbing and confusing effects. Recommended. 40 pages, full color throughout, 7" x 9"; $9.00.
EAMON ESPEY is one of the strongest, most unusual cartoonists working today. Beautiful, weird comics about an alternative world of mayhem, violence, and absurdity, drawn in a precise, captivating style somewhere between Mike Roden and Mark Beyer. I have his two beautiful Secret Acres collections in stock...
AUSTIN ENGLISH is a publisher, comics critic, and idiosyncratic cartoonist in his own right.
Above: two spreads from The Life Problem.
WORMDYE by Eamon Espey (Secret Acres). Collected from Espey's acclaimed Wormdye zines, these surreal, interlocking stories are mesmerizing and potent. "Bleak and darkly funny, Wormdye uses myths and iconographic visuals to evoke a world-view that is both absorbing and upsetting, tragic and triumphant." 132 pages, 6.5" 9.5", perfect-bound; $13.00.
BRECHT EVENS is the newest wünderkind to hit the international scene, and boy can he draw. I have in stock Top Shelf's release of his Night Animals, which is a great, affordable intro to this very talented artist.
Above: Two page spreads from Night Animals.
BRIAN EVENSON is a writer.
EDIE FAKE is a Chicago-based artist and zine-maker. His "queer mytho-log" Gaylord Phoenix has been collected into one mindblowing volume from Secret Acres.
Above: Two spreads from Memory Palaces.
MADÉLEINE FLORES is a cartoonist.
CHARLES FORSMAN is a graduate of CCS in Vermont, and one of the most interesting and subtle cartoonists working.
►NEW! -- TEEN CREEPS #3 by Charles Forsman (Oily): Dawn's dad hits on Hilary. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w; $1.00.
►NEW! -- TEEN CREEPS #4 by Charles Forsman (Oily): Dawn makes a mistake and then makes plans to make a bigger mistake. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w; $1.00.
NEW! -- WORKING ON THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD by Charles Forsman (Oily): Sketches, notes and other ephemera generated during the creation of Chuck's series The End of the Fucking World, plus an interview conducted by Brad Soderberg. 24 pages, 5" x 7", two colors throughout; $5.00.
THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD #1 by Charles Forsman: The story of James and Alyssa, two teenagers. James is disturbed and violent, Alyssa is his girlfriend. In this issue, introductions are made. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w; $1.00
THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD #2: Escape. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w; $1.00
THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD #3: In this issue, things take an even darker turn. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w; $1.00.
THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD #15 by Chuck Forsman (Oily): The brutal climax. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w, $1.00.
THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD #16 by Chuck Forsman (Oily): The series concludes with this powerful final scene. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w, $1.00.
MATT FORSYTHE is a Canadian artist with a few books out now from D+Q. I've got his latest, from Koyama Press:
COMICS CLASS. Esteemed cartoonist Matt Forsythe teaches a comics class to kids, with hilarious results. Drawn in a simple but expressive brush style, with lots of zip-a-tone, this little book is brilliantly funny. 48 pages, 5" x 5", full color covers/b+w interiors; $5.00.
RENEE FRENCH is one of our most talented and weird cartoonists. Her mesmerizing black and white pencil drawings lure the reader into another, eerier world.
►NEW! -- CÉPHELÉES by Renee French (L' Apocalypse): Renee's book from L'Association founder JC Menu's new imprint (published in America by Picturebox as "H Day"), traverses the wordless world of a being confined to bed with a growing and serious migraine headache (the character's head grows and distorts) with another story of a city gradually overtaken by ants which leads the surviving life, a small black dog, on a dreamlike journey. Strange, eerie, and surreal, this is a book to linger over. Lovingly produced on delicious, soft cream paper with sturdy, embossed hardcovers. 216 pages, 6" x 7", b+w interiors; $38.00.
►NEW! -- HAGELBARGER AND THAT NIGHTMARE GOAT by Renee French (Yam Books): Aquatic wee beastie Hagelbarger and his friends attempt to install a glowing underwater stick in the Snake's nest, while that Nightmare Goat makes plans to spoil the whole operation by eating them. Action, adventure, and thrills abound in this typically surreal and exquisitely drawn new book from Renee French. 109 pages, 6" x 7", luscious black and white throughout; $18.00.
KELLY FROH is without a doubt one of my favorite cartoonists working today. Her sweet-natured, but merciless comics and drawings lay modern life, in all its absurdity and poignance, on the line every time...
THE GREATEST by Kelly Froh: Kelly works in assisted living homes and loves old people. Her latest zine is a collection of full color portraits of some of the greatest ones she's met. Charming! 24 full color digest pages; $4.00.
TWO DAYS AWAY FROM STARING AT BIRDS FROM A PARK BENCH: In a story ripped from today's headlines (!), in 2010 Kelly unexpectedly lost her job and made this comic about her experiences in the world of the desperately unemployed. 24 mini-sized pages, $2.00.
WEEKNIGHT CASSEROLE is a collection of odds and ends, sketches, drawings, and comics that appeared in anthologies and elsewhere. Charming, funny, and biting, as usual. Plus it includes the classic "Accidental Adventures in S&M." Highly recommended. 24 digest pages, $2.00.
►NEW! -- WEEKNIGHT CASSEROLE #2 by Kelly Froh: More odds and ends from Ms. Froh, including comics, drawings, and illustrations that appeared recently in Not My Small Diary, Dog Walk Dog, Dune, Mutant and Bad Roommate Zine. Includes Tuquoise Angel, Hippie Hugs, Game On, Senior Moments, and much more! 28 digest pages, b+w with full color fold-out (see photo); $2.00.
SAMSON: MILWAUKEE'S BIGGEST CELEBRITY 1950-1981 by Kelly Froh: Charming grey-tone washes tell the story of 600 lb Samson, the lonely gorilla that captured Milwaukee's heart, all in that fabulous Froh style we've all come to know and love. 20 mini-sized pages, b+w; $2.00.
RENEE FRENCH is one of our most talented and weird cartoonists. Her mesmerizing black and white pencil drawings lure the reader into another, eerier world.
KELLY FROH is without a doubt one of my favorite cartoonists working today. Her sweet-natured, but merciless comics and drawings lay modern life, in all its absurdity and poignance, on the line every time...
THE GREATEST by Kelly Froh: Kelly works in assisted living homes and loves old people. Her latest zine is a collection of full color portraits of some of the greatest ones she's met. Charming! 24 full color digest pages; $4.00.
TWO DAYS AWAY FROM STARING AT BIRDS FROM A PARK BENCH: In a story ripped from today's headlines (!), in 2010 Kelly unexpectedly lost her job and made this comic about her experiences in the world of the desperately unemployed. 24 mini-sized pages, $2.00.
WEEKNIGHT CASSEROLE is a collection of odds and ends, sketches, drawings, and comics that appeared in anthologies and elsewhere. Charming, funny, and biting, as usual. Plus it includes the classic "Accidental Adventures in S&M." Highly recommended. 24 digest pages, $2.00.
►NEW! -- WEEKNIGHT CASSEROLE #2 by Kelly Froh: More odds and ends from Ms. Froh, including comics, drawings, and illustrations that appeared recently in Not My Small Diary, Dog Walk Dog, Dune, Mutant and Bad Roommate Zine. Includes Tuquoise Angel, Hippie Hugs, Game On, Senior Moments, and much more! 28 digest pages, b+w with full color fold-out (see photo); $2.00.
SAMSON: MILWAUKEE'S BIGGEST CELEBRITY 1950-1981 by Kelly Froh: Charming grey-tone washes tell the story of 600 lb Samson, the lonely gorilla that captured Milwaukee's heart, all in that fabulous Froh style we've all come to know and love. 20 mini-sized pages, b+w; $2.00.
STEW BREW #3 by Kelly Froh and Max Clotfelter. The TV Issue od Max and Kelly's tag-team comic covers the history of their love affair with the Tube, from childhood through post-adolescence. Charming, funny and a little sad, this was my favorite comic of 2009. (Cover image ripped from Profanity Hill.) 28 digest pages, $3.00.
DANIEL FROST is a London-based artist and illustrator.
►NEW! -- ATOP A HILL IN FROSTVILLE by Daniel Frost (Little Otsu): In this charming and wordless storybook, a boy and his dog awake on a sunny day to find themselves in for the adventure of their lives! Beautifully drawn in full-color, this lovely book will captivate readers of every age. 48 pages, 8.5" x 9.5", full color throughout, perfectbound; $16.00
GABRIELLE GAMBOA is a stalwart of the DIY comics scene, having been part of the 1990's Puppy Toss Collective. It's nice to have her new book in stock.
MISS LONELYHEARTS #1 by Gabrielle Gamboa. Based on the novel by Nathanael West, this first installment of Gabby's adaptation intersperses scenes of a young writer at work, answering letters for a newspaper "Miss Lonelyhearts" column (drawn in b+w washes), with depictions of the letter-writers' suffering, drawn in weird and loose cartoony lines, featuring skewed versions of classic comics characters. A sad and compelling first issue. 44 digest pages, color cover, b+w interiors; OUT OF PRINT
SAM GASKIN is a CCS graduate and one hell of a wildman.
►NEW! -- FATAL FAUX PAS by Sam Gaskin (Secret Acres): "Samuel C. Gaskin's first book, a collection of
gags, stories and drawings, is aimed directly at the adult reader who can
appreciate his playful, often risqué riffs on pop culture. The stories and gags
in Fatal Faux-Pasinvoke Black Sabbath, Klaus Kinski, the cast of Saved by the
Bell, Dinosaur Jr., Sun Ra and Depeche Mode, among others. A delirious,
ambitious mash-up of single-panel gags, strips and longer form stories, Fatal
Faux-Pas is the definition of youthful exuberance." 96 pages, approx 5" x 6"; color and b+w; 10.00.
►NEW! -- GNOMES by Sam Gaskin (Oily): The latest from Mr. Gas Can, Ganomes is a quick, scrappy look into the life of ... Gnomes. Sam Gas Can as only Gas Can can bring it. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w; $1.00.
►NEW! -- GOBLINS by Sam Gaskin (Oily): The life, lore, and habits of the disgusting creatures known as Goblins, including Eating Poo, and People, Food, Tantrums and so on. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w; $1.00.
GAY GENIUS, edited by Annie Murphy (Sparkplug): this wide-ranging anthology of comics and art just begins to cover the spectrum of queer artists working today in narrative art. With work from such talents as Edie Fake, Annie Murphy, Pam Cameron-Snyder, Lee Relvas, Silky Shoemaker, and many many more, this book has something for everyone. Styles range from wildly scrawled comics to brilliantly colored paintings, all tied together by these artists' commitment to personal expression. Read the TCJ review here. 148 pages, color and b+w, 7" x 9.5"; $20.00. 
GAZETA: COMICS FROM BANGKOK TO BELGRADE: Great international comics anthology IN ENGLISH! With high quality work by Ron Regé, Jr. (USA), Dunja Jankovic (CRO/USA), Amanda Vähämäki (FIN), Dylan Horrocks (NZ), and many others, including cartoonists/artists from Cuba, Portugal, Italy, Serbia, Thailand, and France. Beautiful three-color Regé cover. 6.5" x 7.75"; 136 oerfect-bound pages with b+w/spot color interiors; $15.00.
PASCAL GIRARD is the best. His recent books from D+Q, Bigfoot, and Reunion, are classics.
►NEW! -- FANNY AND ROMEO by Pascal Girard and Yves Pelletier (Conundrum): This new ALL-COLOR book by first-time author Pelletier is illustrated with Pascal's charming, loopy watercolored artwork. "The story concerns a young couple-- Fanny wants to have children, and Fabien doesn’t feel ready. Then a cat called Romeo comes into their lives. She falls in love, but he’s allergic. Fanny becomes more and more attached to the cat, to the point where she actually rents a separate apartment for it. But it turns out her Romeo has actually been two-timing her. A perfect blend of Pelletier’s writing with Girard’s beautiful watercolors, this story will warm the hearts of cat lovers and people lovers alike!" 136 pages, full color throughout, 6.5" x9.25"; $20.00.
JULIA GFRÖRER is a Portland-based artist whose inky, dark comics have been some of the standouts of the last few years. Her comics take her as an artist to places that scare her, and bring us along for the ride. Creepy, sometimes horrific, but made with subtlety and restraint, and a leavening sense of humor...
FLAT MOUNTAIN CHRONICLE VOL. 1 by Trevor Grabill: The 4th Street Bear makes an appearance, first installment of "Me and You," and a lovely, sad story about his parents' separation, plus a selection of lovely stand-alone drawings and hand-crafted patterns. 32 digest pages, gorgeous b+w; $3.00.
FLAT MOUNTAIN CHRONICLE VOL. 2 by Trevor Grabill: Spirit Mountain Portraits, It's Snowing, Wisconsin Is Boring, Me and You (They Build a Spacehip), Part One of Night Violin, and lots more. Charming and well done. 32 digest pages, gorgeous b+w; $3.00.
ANNA HAIFISCH is an up and coming young German cartoonist.
SIMON HANSELMANN draws comix.
MARYANNA HARDY has worked as an artist, illustrator and screen printer and has published her work in publications nationally and internationally. Her nre collection of narrative drawings, So I've Been Told, was nominated for Montreal Expozine's 2010 Best Canadian Book and was also shortlisted for a Doug Wright award for Best Avant Garde Comic Book.
►NEW! - RL by Tom Hart: As is known in the comics community, Rosalie Lightning, the daughter of cartoonists Tom Hart and Leela Corman, passed away unexpectedly at an early age in November of 2011. RL is the first in a series of Tom's attempts to come to grips with the loss through his comics. It's at turns whimsical and heart-wrenching, as you might expect. Highly recommended. 20 pages, 8.5" x 7", b+w interiors; $4.00.
Above: Two spreads from RL.
►NEW! - THE HIC AND HOC ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL OF HUMOR Vol. One (ed. by Lauren Barnett and Nathan Bulmer) (Hic + Hoc): This nicely produced collection of funny comics features work from Noah Van Sciver, Box Brown, Dustin Harbin, Sam Henderson, Jane Mai, Maré Odomo, Alex Schubert, Sam Spina, Julia Wertz, and many more, including the editors. 68 pages, 7" x 11", color covers, b+w interiors; $10.00.
LIZZ HICKEY is a wild woman/cartoonist.
PABLO HOLMBERG is an Argentinan cartoonist, who publishes under the name of Kioskerman. He posts new beautiful comics at his blog every week. A few years back D+Q published his first book in English. I'm proud to have it in stock now, at a reduced price-- One of my favorite comics of recent years!
►NEW! -- EDEN by Pablo Homberg (Kioskerman) (D+Q): Consisting of the simplest of elements, Argentinian cartoonist Pablo Holmberg (AKA Kioskerman)'s
beautiful comic makes its English language debut, and it's a revelation.
He's created a poetic, understated, and dreamy world all his own... but not so
dreamy that it doesn't include the harder parts of being alive. Amazing, and highly recommended. 124 pages, approx. 6" x 6.5", full color throughout; Cover Price: 
ANTONY HUCHETTE is a cartoonist.
►NEW! - BROOKLYN QUESADILLAS by Antony Huchette (Conundrum): This book, the first in English by French cartoonist Antony Huchette, "follows a new father having a mid-life
crisis as he navigates the surreal streetscapes of Brooklyn, trying to produce
a tv show hosted by a coffeepot, and is then kidnapped by forgotten sitcom
stars from the eighties who live on a “fantasy” island and want him to revive
their careers." 72 pages, 6.5" x 9.5", color covers, b+w interiors; $15.00.
KEVIN HUIZENGA is one of the most accomplished and thoughtful cartoonists going today. Starting out with his self-published Supermonster zine in the mid-90's, Kevin now works with publishers like D+Q and Fantagraphics to release his work, as well as, recently, returning to the self-publishing fold. His comics, with their day-to-day ruminations, and brilliant cartoony linework, are quiet, funny, and smart. It's an honor to carry his work at Spit and a Half.
►NEW! -- THE WILD KINGDOM by Kevin Huizenga (D+Q): This beautiful book collects some of Kevin's greatest early self-published comics, like The Wild Kingdom (one of my all time favorite comics); plus: Our Biggest Sale of the Year, Do You Suffer From Any of These Symptoms, Uncle Animal, and many more. Highly recommended. 120 pages, 5" x 6", in color and b+w; hardcover. $20.00.
►NEW! -- AMAZING FACTS AND BEYOND WITH LEON BEYOND by Kevin Huizenga and Dan Zettwoch (with Ted May and Ron Weaver) (Uncivilized Books): This lavish hardcover book collects the acclaimed faux trivia column Kevin and Dan produced weekly for St. Louis' Riverfront Times newspaper (which were originally self-published as well in zine form). All the facts and all the fun you've come to expect from Mr. Beyond, as well as a full color supplement and index. 240 pages, 8.5" x 9", b+w and color, hardcover. $25.00.
►NEW! -- GLORIANA by Kevin Huizenga (D+Q): Masterful Glenn Ganges comics from Huizenga's self-publishing heyday, collected here in beautiful form by D+Q. Includes the classics "The Groceries," "The Sunset," "The Moon Rose," and "Basketball." These are the comics in which Kevin leapt ahead of the pack, and their impact still feels thoroughly fresh today. Highly recommended. 96 page hardcover, 5" x 7", color covers, b+w interiors, with fold-out; $20.00.
►NEW! - THE HALF MEN by Kevin Huizenga (USS Catastrophe): The excellent new self-published release includes three stories-- "Second Attempt", "Bona Chapter One" (a redrawn Sam Glanzman Kona story) and "The Half Men" (another redrawn genre comic, from Kramer's Ergot #8). Masterful. 5.5" x 7", b+w; $4.00.
THE BODY OF WORK: This new self-published collection brings together two of Kevin's stories , "Postcard From Fielder," parts One and Two (originally published in the Italian magazine Internazionale), "The Body of Work" (a tongue-in-cheek contribution to the Cartoon Polymath exhibit), and a new story "First Try," drawn in his occasional video game influenced style. The whole book is great, but "Postcards From Fielder" is up there with his finest moments, and that's saying something. A must have. 32 pages, hand-colored covers, $4.00.
GANGES #1 (Fantagraphics): Ganges is Kevin's contribution to the ill-fated, but much lauded Ignatz line of international comics. In this premiere issue, Huizenga's everyman, Glenn Ganges, tries to decide what to do when confronted with "The Litterer"; gets into an argument with his wife Wendy about The Beatles' "She's Leaving Home"; indulges in some whimsical "Time Travelling" while on a walk around his neighborhood; and more! Huizenga's elegant neo-clear-line style brings a crispness and humor to these low-key slice-of-life stories, and the gray-blue duotone he has picked gives the art a new depth and complexity. 32 full-size pages, color covers with two-color inks throughout, OUT OF PRINT
GANGES #2 (Fantagraphics): Ganges ruminates on the simple times of the dot-com era when the reality of business was propped up by the unreality of addictive technology and hope. Kevin Huizenga cleverly parallels that unreality with the unreality of addictive networked first-person shooter video games, and the attempts of people around him to genuinely connect with each other. 32 full-size pages, color covers with two-color inks throughout, $8.00. 
GANGES #3 (Fantagraphics): Glenn Ganges still can't fall asleep. In "Mind and Body" Glenn tries lying still, but his mind — The Wanderer — keeps thwarting his plans! In "Getting Things Done" he gives up trying to get to sleep and tries to get some things done... until the cops show up! 32 full-size pages, color covers with two-color inks throughout, $8.00. 
►NEW! -- GANGES #4: Kevin's latest look into the depths of the everyday features Glenn Ganges suffering a bout of insomnia. If you think that sounds boring, you don't know how good Kevin is at this sort of thing! Ganges #4 was listed on many critics lists of Best of 2011, and with very good reason. This is Kevin doing what he does best, at the height of his powers! 32 full-size pages, color covers with two-color inks throughout, $8.00. 
RUMBLING, CHAPTER TWO: In this self-published mini-comic, Kevin's story "Rumbling" picks up where it left on in D+Q's Or Else #5. Glenn Ganges navigates a corrupt and frightening future of religious civil war and authoritarian crackdowns with his trademark philosophical musing. Excellent. 36 pages, mini-sized; $3.00. 
SEE ALSO: "Leon Beyond"
JOHN AND LUKE HOLDEN are human beings.
►NEW! - DETRIMENTAL INFORMATION by John and Luke Holden (2D Cloud): Are these two brothers or just soul brothers? I don't know, but Detrimental Information collects their crude but brilliantly weird and funny comics. "An odyssey of the everlasting nature of boyhood told via
poems, short stories, crude scrawls and xeroxed doodles. 13 years worth of
American tales are strung together in a fast and loose zig zag formation,
leaving the reader out of breath and full of tearful laughter." 296 pages! 6" x 7", full color covers, b+w interiors; $19.99.
Preview video:
HUUDA HUUDA is a Finnish comics publisher run by Tommi Musturi and Jelle Hugaerts, who have both single-handedly and together been involved with the flowering of Finnish comics art over the last decade. I'm proud to offer these beautiful, and basically otherwise impossible to find books over here!
Preview video:
HUUDA HUUDA is a Finnish comics publisher run by Tommi Musturi and Jelle Hugaerts, who have both single-handedly and together been involved with the flowering of Finnish comics art over the last decade. I'm proud to offer these beautiful, and basically otherwise impossible to find books over here!
FINNISH COMICS ANNUAL 2011 edited by Ville Hänninen: Brilliant, oversized collection of Finnish comics (in English!), co-published with the Finnish Comics Society, gives a compelling overview of the work being done in that country. Fans of international comics will be familiar with many of the names here -- Matti Hagelberg, Tommi Musturi, Aapo Rapi, Jenni Rope, Amanda Vähämäki -- but each one of the twenty artists represented is very much worth checking out. This stunning volume will look great on the shelf of any comics fan. 310 pages, 10" x 13", in color and b+w, with introductory essays and artists' biographies. Weighs nearly 4.5 pounds! $52.50.
Above: sample spreads from Finnish Comics Annual 2011
FINNISH COMICS ANNUAL 2012 edited by Reija Sann: The second volume leans a little more toward longer narratives (all in English), with lengthy entries by Petteri Tikkanen, Matti Hagelberg, Terhi Ekebom, and Kallion and Lietzén, among others. Includes a total of ten contributors, plus introductory essays and artists' biographies. 260 pages, 10" x 13", color and b+w; $52.50.
Above: Sample spreads from Finnish Comics Annual 2012
Above: Sample pages from Kutikuti Guide to Finland
GARAGE by Roope Eronen: Koo Koo Mouse runs a mechanic's shop and attends to his customers, a cat and a dog, in this loopy, goofy wordless comic. 36 small pages (2.5" x 2.5"), full color throughout; $5.00.
THE SECOND BOOK OF HOPE by Tommi Musturi (Published by Bries): In the second book, Old Man ponders Wild West fantasies, while ruminations on death and impermanence consume him. Beautiful. 54 pages, in English, two-color covers, full-color interiors, 5.25" x 8.75"; $20.00.
THE SHEPHERD by Anna Sailamaa: Dreamlike narrative with beautiful, pastoral inks, tells of a dead swan and its impact on a close-knit, multi-generational group of rural people. A quiet and intriguing glimpse into another world. 88 pages, 8.25" x 9.5", hardcover in gorgeous b+w; in Finnish with English subtitles; recommended. $32.50.
(This second Shepherd spread courtesy Zine Hamster)
MAESTRO by Amanda Vähämäki: Two black-headed lads escape a giant bear figure by ducking into a streetside cafe in this strange and funny story. 28 pages, two color covers with b+w interiors, 4.5" x 5.75"; In Finnish with English subtitles; $8.75.
Above: Three spreads from Insect Bath #1
JESSE JACOBS is a young Toronto cartoonist who is simply one of the best going today.
EVEN THE GIANTS by Jesse Jacobs (Adhouse): This excellent debut book from Canadian cartoonist Jesse Jacobs tells in gorgeous but simple words and colors, several intertwining stories of love, destruction, danger, and discovery. Strange, funny, and moving. One of my favorite comics of the year! 80 three-color pages, 5.5" x 8.5", softcover; $10.00.
Two pages from Even the Giants.
Above: Two spreads from Safari Honeymoon.
COLE JOHNSON is a longtime small-press cartoonist.
MICHAEL JORDAN is a cartoonist.
RUSTY JORDAN is a cartoonist, and the editor of the acclaimed Shitbeams on the Loose.
►NEW! -- ALAMO VALUE PLUS #1 by Rusty Jordan (Revival House): Jordan's ridiculous and well-crafted story concerns a couple youths working at the local Variety Store and their older co-worker, who shares with them a tale of wartime heroics, danger, and triumph... which may be more short lived than anyone figured! 32 pages, 9" x 6", color covers, b+w interiors; $4.00.
