YOSHIHIRO TATSUMI is one of the fathers of modern Japanese comics, his work being crucial in the development of gekiga, a term Tasumi himself coined to distinguish his art from that aimed at more juvenile readers. Drawn and Quarterly has produced a number of beautiful Tatsumi collections, including A Drifting Life, his autobiography.
THREE is Robert Kirby's new Queer Comix anthology. Each issue features three new stories by a variety of artists and writers.
THREE #2 edited by Robert Kirby. The brand new issue features a Last Love in Town tale by Sina "Evil" Shamsavari and Jon Macy, a Cowboy Love and Heartbreak jam by Craig Bostick and David Kelly, and the Unlikeliest Love Triangle you can imagine, in a jam by Jennifer Camper and Michael Fahy. Great stuff. 36 half-legal pages, full color throughout; $6.25.
►NEW! - THREE #3 edited by Robert Kirby: The brand new issue of this queer comics anthology is a bruiser! It includes stories from Ed "Wuvable Oaf" Luce, Janelle Hessig and Matt Runkle (on Dolly Parton), a crazy jam comic with work by Howard Cruse, Diane DiMassa, Rob Kirby, Ellen Forney, Joan Hilty and Ivan Velez Jr., plus artwork and sketches from MariNaomi, Marian Runk and more. But the highlight has to be Carrie McNinch's 14 page autobiographical comic about discovering she was gay, IN FULL COLOR. It's become rare to see a long-form comic from Carrie like this lately, and it's a wonderful, welcome return! 36 half-legal pages, full color throughout; $6.50. Highly recommended!
TIN CAN FOREST is the nom de plume of Toronto book artists and animators Pat Shewchuck and Marek Colek. Localism, environmentalism, the urban environment, and Slavic folk culture all inform and inspire their work.
►NEW! - WAX CROSS by Tin Can Forest (Koyama Press): Dense, mysterious, and weird, this exquisitely rendered and colored story begins with a prayer to save the Earth, and continues with an utterly strange but mesmerizing tale of nature, death, and salvation. 32 pages, 9" x 12", gorgeous full color throughout; $20.00. Intoxicating in its beauty. BACKORDERED
TOOTH: THE GRAPHIC ART OF DALE FLATTUM (La Mano 21): This new collection is a comprehensive look at the art of longtime underground artist Dale Flattum, whose brilliantly satiric, weird, and just plain beautiful xerographic work has graced album covers and flyers since the 80's. A longtime musician (Steelpole Bathtub, etc) Dale's work has become a mainstay of the Minneapolis scene, and beyond. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of underground music, art, and/or xerography. Comes with a 72 minute CD compilation of his music. 256 full-size pages in eye-popping black and white, with CD; $20.00."When I was 16 years old, I tore a weird looking poster off of a telephone pole near my house. It was crudely assembled, cheaply reproduced, and probably the greatest thing I'd ever seen.
Later when I started to play music, the poster for the show became almost as important as the show itself. It was proof that something had happened. It was subversive propaganda. It was fun. It was addicting. And what did you need to do it? Scissors? Glue? A Xerox machine? An 8.5 x 11 piece of paper turned out to be a very powerful thing.
It was like finding a machine gun in your sock drawer.
The possibilities were endless." -- Dale Flattum
Above: TOOTH: The Graphic Art of Dale Flattum
TROOP 142 by Mike Dawson (Adhouse): Classic cartooning and storytelling-- "Troop 142 follows a group of campers and counselors at a week-long scout retreat in the woods of New Jersey. It is a story as much about adults as it is adolescents, the blurred line between childhood and manhood, and the consequences of authoritative posturing. Dispensing with idyllic notions, Dawson describes the hilarious and brutal truths about boys and men, the hypocrisy of institutional morality and the resilience of Spam and the human spirit." 268 pages, b+w interiors, 6" x 9"; $20.00.
TRUTH BE KNOWN by Maximum Traffic: In the 1990's White Buffalo Gazette founder Max Traffic celebrated the 25th Anniversary and 200th issue of his long running obscuro art zine with this giant compendium that serves as sort of psychedelic autobiography intercut with old work by him and his colleagues. The net result is a fascinating look at the history of Max's ideals, as well as one important branch of the "Newave/Obscuro" comics scene. Feature's Max's mind-blowing psychedelic collage art, as well as comics and collaborations with such underground legends as Steve Willis, Edward Bolman, Mike Hill, Clark Dissmeyer, Joel Orff, Chad Woody, Mark Campos, Delaine, and more. 200 full-size pages, black and white, perfect bound; only $10.00.
This book is so sprawling, I thought I'd include a variety of images...
►NEW! -- TUSEN HJÄRTAN STARK #1 (Various, ed. by Austin English) (Domino Books): Whoa! New newsprint tabloid anthology featuring some of the best cartoonists out there today! Features Warren Craghead's abstracted poetry comics; amazing pencilled comics by Swedish artist Joanna Hellgren; and Elizabeth Bethea's lucid, dreamy stories of prostitutes, shadows, and Malcolm X. This is a stunning collection of contemporary comics that should be in the hands of anyone in love with the medium. 20 oversized tabloid pages on newsprint, perfectly b+w; $3.00 well spent.
BENJAMIN URKOWITZ draws comix.
►NEW! -- REAL RAP #1 by Benjamin Urkowitz (Oily): Da Studge is a subway worker who lives with one cat he thinks is two and his mom's ashes and one day, fed up with wack mc's, starts making his own rap records. His girl friend Nikki causes no end of confusion, he catches shit from his customers, and gets snookered by so-called friends he meets on the train. This comics is 100% right on from cover to cover. Been a long time since I read a mini that was as original and solid right out the gate as this one. Highly recommended! 12 jam-packed mini-pages, b+w; only $1.00, well spent.
NOAH VAN SCIVER is a young Denver cartoonist who seems to channel the spirit of the old undergrounds. That's not to say his comics are a nostalgia act-- they are all up-to-date with the modern world-- but they have that self-deprecating, absurdist take on urban struggle, squalor, and grittiness that the classic undergrounds had. Blammo documents the big dreams of a talented and driven misfit who has had work published in Mome and the Comics Journal, as well as on the Top Shelf site. For more sample pages click here.
#6: This recent issue features Nasty Bob Dylan, Punks vs Lizards, and much much more, including an exclusive John Porcellino comic-strip! 32 comic-sized pages, $4.00.
From Blammo #7
►NEW! - BLAMMO # 7.5: Noah's newest self-published collection compiles work that originally appeared in anthologies around the world, including: All Washed Up, Rabbit in the Moon, I Don't Drive, the classic Roommates, and much more. In color and black and white, with full-color covers. 20 comic-sized pages chock full. A steal at $4.00.
THE DEATH OF ELIJAH LOVEJOY by Noah Van Sciver. In his latest release, Noah presents an historical rendering of the martyrdom of publisher and abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy, drawn in his dense, beautiful crosshatchy style. Noah is working on a book-length biography of Abraham Lincoln, called The Hypo, and this can be considered an adjunct to that work. Powerful stuff. 32 pages, 7.25" x 4.75", full color covers, 2-color end-papers, handprinted by Zak Sally at La Mano. $5.00. BACKORDERED.
►NEW! -- 1999 by Noah Van Sciver . The Retrofit edition is long out of print, but Noah has self-published a new printing of this excellent tale of a lonely misfit who discovers love at a sub shop, only to find his world crashing down as Y2K arrives. 1999 is the strongest comic Noah has released yet, and it's sure to be on my Best of 2012 list. The Retrofit edition of this comic is out of print, but Noah has self-published a new version. Each one of my copies includes an exclusive hand-drawn sketch! 32 digest pages, b+w interiors; $5.00 (new printing).
►NEW! - THE HYPO by Noah Van Sciver (Fantagraphics): Noah's long awaited debut graphic novel tells the story of Abraham Lincoln, before he made a name for himself, as a confused and melancholy young man trying to make his way in the world of politics and love. Noah's obsession with period detail drips off every lovingly inked page of this brilliant book. Excellent, and highly recommended! 192 pages, 7" x 9", gorgeous full-color hardback covers, b+w interiors; $25.00. 
►NEW! - NOAH VAN SCIVER: IN CONVERSATION WITH CHARLES FORSMAN (Oily Comics): Two of the best young cartoonists going sit down and talk about their fathers and families, sleeping on the floor in crack houses, Florida, Denver, Crumb, John P. (gasp), and Noah's new book on Lincoln, The Hypo (due this summer from Fantagraphics.) A great little read. 12 mini-sized pages, b+w, NOT COMICS; $1.00.
MALACHI WARD is a cartoonist. He lives in Pasadena with his wife and a car they borrowed.
DREW WEING is a Georgia-based cartoonist and illustrator. Set to Sea is his utterly lovely debut book.
SET TO SEA by Drew Weing: In this impeccably cartooned sea shanty of a tale, a young wanna-be Victorian-era poet finds himself shanghaied onto a ship's crew, where he discovers danger, excitement, bad food, tragedy, and an ocean's worth of inspiration. Drawn in a one-panel-per-page format, with minimal text, Weing's luxuriously inked pictures immerse the reader in this spirited world gone by. Beautifully designed as well, this book is just perfect! 144 pages, 5.5" x 6.5 hardcover; color covers with b+w interiors; $17.00 BACKORDERED!
JULIA WERTZ is one of my favorite cartoonists of recent times. When I first got her zines in the mail, and saw the title, "The Fart Party," I'll admit it-- I expected the worst. That's what made what I found even more special. Yes, her comics can be crude (especially her early ones), but they are also devastatingly funny, and once you begin sinking into her rhythms as a cartoonist you notice that there's some thing else going on-- a sweetness and heart that can be disguised by all the cussing. Julia is a natural born cartoonist-- she started out good and is getting better all the time.
FART PARTY Vol. One (Atomic Books): This collections compiles Julia's early Fart Party zines into one handy book. Relentlessly black-humored and nutty, with lots of cuss words, bodily functions, and booze, this is one for the ages. 180 pages, two color covers, b+w interior; OUT OF PRINT. NEW OMNIBUS COLLECTING VOL. 1 + 2 COMING SOON!
DRINKING AT THE MOVIES (Three Rivers Press): Julia's latest, stand-alone graphic novel, depicts her move from San Francisco to Brooklyn with humor, self-deprecation, and heart. You can really see her stretching here beyond her roots, successfully, with some exquisite drawings, and more non-ironic introspection than ever before. This was one of my favorite books of 2010. 196 pages, full color covers, b+w interior; $15.00. Highly recommended.
►NEW! - THE INFINITE WAIT AND OTHER STORIES by Julia Wertz (Koyama): Julia's brand new book collects three all new stories: "Industry," a look at 25 years of employment; "A Strange and Curious Place," a love letter to her childhood library; and "The Infinite Wait," her tale of discovering she has Lupus. With an introduction by the author. Beautifully produced. 232 pages, two-color covers with b+w interiors, French flaps; $15.00.
AARON WHITAKER is a Texas-based cartoonist and screenwriter. He's the co-author with Melinda Boyce of the much-loved comic Okay ? Okay!
►NEW! - THE CITY TROLL by Aaron Whitaker: Excellent, heartfelt, and funny/weird story about a guy named Paul and his self-hating alter-ego, the City Troll. The narrative follows Paul as he tackles a love triangle and the problematic relationships with his parents. A nicely crafted book, with excellent, idiosyncratic artwork. 184 pages, 9" x 6", color covers, b+w interiors; $15.00.
STEVE WOLFHARD is the Toronto genius behind Cat Rackham, and now everybosy'd favorite unemployable Turtle, Turtie!
►NEW! -- TURTIE NEEDS WORK by Steve Wolfhard (Koyama Press): Turtie is an adorable, unemployed turtle, and in these delightful little comics he shows us just how rough the working world can be. Ridiculous and wonderful. 20 pages, 2" x 4", color covers, b+w interiors; $3.00.
ZACH WORTON is a cartoonist.
►NEW! -- BLOOD VISIONS #1 by Zach Worton (Oily): Teenage bullying and cruelty erupt in a strange and bloody crime-scene in part one of this promising new series. 12 mini-pages, b+w; $1.00.
►NEW! - WOWEE ZONK #4 (Koyama Press): Koyama takes the publishing reins for the latest issue of this anthology, which features work in color and b+w from Patrick Kyle, Chris Kuzma, Marc Bell, Mark Connery, Alex Schubert, Ginnette Lapalme, and Ryan Dodgeson, among many others. 84 pages, 8" x 9", color and b+w; $15.00.
CHRIS WRIGHT's lovely, inky, scratchy, fuzzy and brilliant comics have been around for awhile. Here's Sparkplug's great collection:
INKWEED by Chris Wright (Sparkplug). Chris Wright's inky, brilliant comics depict a quasi-victorian world of weary artists, lonesome scientists, drunks, and heartbroken women, with recurringthemes of love, loss, and obsession. His cartooning is intricately hatched, and indiosyncratic, with nods to the classic newpaper strips (Segar, et al), and his writing is intricate, old-fashioned, and right on. Highly recommended. 156 pages, 8.5" x 7", color covers, b+w interiors; $16.00.
►NEW! - IN SITU #1 by Sophie Yanow (Colosse): Sophie moved from the Bay Area to Montreal, and these brief sketches of her thoughts and experiences document the ongoing transition. Quiet, human, and nicely done. 44 pages, 5" x 7", color cover, b+w interiors; $11.00.
►NEW! - IN SITU #2 by Sophie Yanow (Colosse): More diary-like musings on everyday thoughts and events-- friends, plans, and places-- including Hayley Made Coffee, You Got Weird, and Doom Metal; More. 36 digest pages, b+w; $5.00
YOU ARE A CAT! by Sherwin Tjia (Conundrum): This charming and fun book is based on the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books of th 80's, where every page gives you a number of choices that decide how the story will continue. Except in this one, you're a cat. Visit the lonely old lady down the street, get trapped by delinquents, find a warm lap. The choice is up to you! Full of the dangers, affection, and intrigue of the feline life, this unique book will be thoroughly enjoyed by cat lovers everywhere. Includes phony ads for future volumes in the series in the back! 234 pages, 4" x 6", black and white illos on every other page; $17.00.
JULIA WERTZ is one of my favorite cartoonists of recent times. When I first got her zines in the mail, and saw the title, "The Fart Party," I'll admit it-- I expected the worst. That's what made what I found even more special. Yes, her comics can be crude (especially her early ones), but they are also devastatingly funny, and once you begin sinking into her rhythms as a cartoonist you notice that there's some thing else going on-- a sweetness and heart that can be disguised by all the cussing. Julia is a natural born cartoonist-- she started out good and is getting better all the time.
AARON WHITAKER is a Texas-based cartoonist and screenwriter. He's the co-author with Melinda Boyce of the much-loved comic Okay ? Okay!
STEVE WOLFHARD is the Toronto genius behind Cat Rackham, and now everybosy'd favorite unemployable Turtle, Turtie!
►NEW! -- TURTIE NEEDS WORK by Steve Wolfhard (Koyama Press): Turtie is an adorable, unemployed turtle, and in these delightful little comics he shows us just how rough the working world can be. Ridiculous and wonderful. 20 pages, 2" x 4", color covers, b+w interiors; $3.00.
ZACH WORTON is a cartoonist.
CHRIS WRIGHT's lovely, inky, scratchy, fuzzy and brilliant comics have been around for awhile. Here's Sparkplug's great collection:
SOPHIE YANOW is a young cartoonist out of the Bay Area. She recently moved to Montreal, and her series In Situ, is about that.
►NEW! - IN SITU #1 by Sophie Yanow (Colosse): Sophie moved from the Bay Area to Montreal, and these brief sketches of her thoughts and experiences document the ongoing transition. Quiet, human, and nicely done. 44 pages, 5" x 7", color cover, b+w interiors; $11.00.
►NEW! - IN SITU #2 by Sophie Yanow (Colosse): More diary-like musings on everyday thoughts and events-- friends, plans, and places-- including Hayley Made Coffee, You Got Weird, and Doom Metal; More. 36 digest pages, b+w; $5.00
YEARBOOKS by Nicholas Breutzman, Shaun Feltz, and Raighne Hogan (2D Cloud): Nicholas Breutzman teams with co-writer Shaun Feltz to tell an edgy tale of an outsider high school student and his tenuous relationships with a sketchy art teacher and a goth heartbreaker. Beautifully colored throughout by Raighne Hogan. 44 pages, 8" x 11", Full color throughout, with some b+w pages, perfetc-bound; $10.00.
YOUNG LIONS by Blaise Larmee. "So we're all agreed then, our conceptual art group is not going as planned..." So begins this elusive story about a group of jaded, young artists, who go to parties, listen to rap music, and join a prospective member on a trip to her home in Florida. Drawn in an ethereal un-inked pencil style, Young Lions is strange and liberating, unique, and ultimately moving. 98 perfect-bound digest-sized pages, with two-color covers and French flaps; $10.00. 
JENNY ZERVAKIS is one of my favorite cartoonists of all time, and one of my biggest influences/inspirations. This is the first issue of Strange Growths in 6 years! And it came not a moment too soon. I practically wept when I opened the envelope. Jenny's stories are vague and beautiful, with a gentle, dry humor runnng through them, and her art is perfectly scratchy and simple. This new issue features a couple soon to be Strange Growths classics, like Icebergs and Tell Us How You Really Feel. I know it cost Jenny a lotta dough to get this new one out, so please help support this great American artist!
STRANGE GROWTHS #15: Iceberg, We Can Be Heroes, Tell Us How You Really Feel, Beach Trip, and May Is the Month of the Rose, plus much more! 24 digest pages, $3.00.
