FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
AMERICAN BLOOD GN
(W) Benjamin Marra (A) Benjamin Marra (CA) Benjamin Marra
American Blood is a collection of cartoonist Benjamin Marra's (Terror Assaulter) provocative short stories from the past several years. 1980s trash culture and exploito entertainment are filtered through the prism of Marra's brain, producing a nasty brew of revenge, power and passion- all of the things that America celebrates and for which it is scorned. This is the definitive assembling of Marra's most underground work.
BAND FOR LIFE HC
(W) Anya Davidson (A) Anya Davidson (CA) Anya Davidson
Band for Life is the darkly humored story of a noise rock band and their community of friends set in an alternate reality version of Chicago. Through disaster and squabbles, they stick together and help each other because the band is the fulcrum of their lives. Fusing elements of the The Young Ones to classic comic strips like Peanuts and John Stanley's Melvin Monster, Band for Life is a love letter to creative people compelled to create, with no hope of financial reward.
DISILLUSIONED ILLUSIONS GN
A hilariously scathing send-up of current graphic novel pomposity, Disillusioned Illusions is an exploration of what happens when ambition collides with indolence. When a pair of silhouettes abandon the optical illusion business to make a graphic novel, they desperately hope the book will rocket them to fame and fortune. They'll do just about anything to finish their project except put forth any kind of effort whatsoever. All their attempts at evading the hard labors of proper storytelling backfire when the characters become entangled in a labyrinthine narrative of deception and betrayal.
FUZZ & PLUCK HC #2
MOOLAH TREE
(W) Ted Stearn (A) Ted Stearn (CA) Ted Stearn
Pluck, an irritable rooster, and his best pal, the teddy bear known as Fuzz, struck up a friendship in a garbage truck, sending them on a series adventures. But now, we find them slowly drifting out to sea. How did they get there? How will they escape? Stearn's work is rich with pathos, wit, farce and drama. Sometimes cruel but always funny, like a Winnie the Pooh for adults. As Simpsons creator Matt Groening says, "This epic tale of a hapless li'l bear and his defeathered friend is why I love comics. All hail the peculiar Fuzz and Pluck and their creator, Ted Stearn!"
IN FOX FOREST HC
(W) Guy Colwell (A) Guy Colwell (CA) Guy Colwell
In the tradition of Kipling's The Jungle Book comes a gorgeously rendered all ages fable reminiscent of the Golden Age of children's book illustration. Created by underground cartoonist and fine artist Guy Colwell (Inner City Romance), this instant classic is a metaphor for the artist's previous incarceration, and a meditation on masculinity.
LOVE & ROCKETS MONTHLY #1
The comic book event of 2016! Love and Rockets is back as an all-new, ongoing comic book series (Vol. IV for those keeping track at home)! On Jaime's side: What do you do when none of your old punk friends want to be punk any more? And just who does the evil Princess Animus think she is? (Hint: She doesn't know, she has amnesia.) On Gilbert's side: Family drama takes center stage when a Fritz discovers a grandchild she didn't know existed! Old fans and new fans are sure to enjoy the most diverse cast of characters in comics, including Maggie, Hopey, Pipo, Fritz, Tonta, Baby, and many more! Plus other surprises! Grrrowl!
MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS GN
(W) Emil Ferris (A) Emil Ferris (CA) Emil Ferris
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is a murder mystery, a family drama, a sweeping historical epic, and a psychological thriller about monsters, real and imagined. Set against the political backdrop of late '60s Chicago, Karen Reyes tries to solve the murder of her enigmatic upstairs neighbor. Rendered in a kaleidoscopically visual style, Emil Ferris' draftsmanship echoes the drawing of Otto Dix, George Grosz, and Robert Crumb. This is a revelatory work of striking originality and will undoubtedly be greeted as the debut graphic novel of the year.
OTHERWORLD BARBARA HC #1
(W) Moto Hagio (A) Moto Hagio (CA) Moto Hagio
In the first volume (of two) of Moto Hagio's Otherworld Barbara, Tokio discovers a phantom island named Barbara, there's a missing geneticist, an eccentric clergyman, a grandmother granted temporary youth, a psychologist killed by a freak tornado and more. Hagio offers a sci-fi explanation for these seemingly random paranormal elements, and makes it all matter with believable characters in complex and subtle relationships. This book won the "Nebula Award of Japan" (Nihon SF Taish Award) in 2006.
TOWARD A HOT JEW GN
(W) Miriam Libicki (A) Miriam Libicki (CA) Miriam Libicki
In her first collection of graphic essays, Miriam Libicki investigates what it means globally and culturally to be Jewish, dating from her time in the Israeli military to her tenure as an art professor. Toward a Hot Jew is a new high watermark in autobiographical comics and shows Miriam Libicki as a powerful witness to history in the tradition of Martjane Satrapi and Joe Sacco.