Top Shelf Productions

After nine grueling weeks of travel (and having a smashingly fun time, mind you), i'm back from a dizzyingly awesome trip to New York (in part for MoCCA) and in the commander's chair at Chez Brett, and buckling down to work. First up on the agenda is closing in on putting Eddie Campbell's sublime masterpiece Alec: The Years Have Pants to bed, and off to the printer. This massive tome will truly be one for the ages.

• Moving right along, let's turn back the clock to mid-April, and revisit my trip to Industry Day at the Center for Cartoon Studies. In addition to a brief Powerpoint presentation about myself and how i got into comics, the attending pros and myself went on to do a smattering of portfolio reviews. Sadly, it's not all so fresh in my fevered brain anymore, but i did want to mention some of the work that do recall, including that of Mo Oh, Nicholas Patten, Penina Gal, Jose-Luis Olivares, Josh Rosen, Brandon Elston, Steve Seck, and Keny Widjaja. (Oh man, that seems like a million years ago.)

Nick Patten

Penina Gal

Jose-Luis Olivares

I also came home with lots of killer mini-comics, including some by the folks i just mentioned, and some by former students of CCS. A few things rocked my world. The work of Jon Chad is pretty freaking amazing. His in-progress Bikeman will turn some heads if & when it's completed. (And issue #2 was snuck into my bag at MoCCA when i wasn't looking... THANKS, whomever that was!) Not content with straight linear narrative, Chad plays the formal card to terrific effect with the mini-comics Whaletowne and Leo Geo Acquires Ancient Knowledge.

John Chad

Former student and White River Junction resident Joseph Lambert continues to impress, with I Will Bite You. Also a former student, Colleen Frakes' Tragic Relief won a Xeric Grant, and is worth your time. (I got her awesome book Woman King, too, but in mini-comic form only. I saw at MoCCA that it's out now as an a beautifully designed "real" book.) Chuck McBuck's bonus! was quite fun. I really enjoyed Melissa Mendes' Freddy Figures It Out and Jen Vaugn's My Lady.

Colleen Frakes

The class also made a super cool jam comic, patterned loosely on 50s-era horror comics, called Dark Tomb of Dread.

Much more to come, including a peek back at some loot picked up at Stumptown Comics Fest and TCAF, the Swedish scene and more... but for now, it's bed time.

Leaving on the MoCCA trip for New York very early in the a.m. Staying once again at Gregory Benton's swank pad on the Upper West Side. Gregory and his lady Florence actually just returned from a trip to France... here are some beautiful drawings he made while there.

That is correct, the genius cartoonist and author of Top Shelf masterpiece editions Van Helsing's Night off and Lone Racer will be in conversation with Mark Newgarden, moderated by Mark Nevins. The topic — What is "Funny" Anyway? (Info below the fold.)

AND Mahler has a brand new book available from Top Shelf! It's titled SPAM, and is a collection of comics made from miscellaneous spam messages acquired in his email in-box. Amazing work as always. We've only got a limited number of these trick 2-color hardcovers in stock, so ya better get 'em while they're hot!

Rock star book-designer Jacob Covey recently wrote an appreciation of Mahler's work over at the Fantagraphics blog, Flog, which is worth your time.

Seriously people, if you haven't read his work before, now is the time to do so. In fact, if you order now and buy both Van Helsing's Night Off and Lone Racer, we'll shave $6 off the cover price for the pair. Just make a note that Brett said so on the Hey Bartender blog.

Oh, and i can't forget one of my favorite Mahler comics of all time, the epic boxing story "TNT" in Top Shelf Asks The Big Questions.

• From the Press Release...
THE AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM NEW YORK
PRESENTS: WEDNESDAY JUN 3, 6:30 PM
CONVERSATION:
WHAT IS "FUNNY," ANYWAY?

A Comics Conversation with Cartoonists Nicolas Mahler (Vienna) and Mark Newgarden (NYC). Moderated by Mark David Nevins.

VENUE
Austrian Cultural Forum NY, 11 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022 (between 5th and Madison avenues)

RESERVATIONS
Free Admission. Reservations necessary. Call (212) 319 5300 ext. 222 or e-mail reservations@ acfny.org

Over the last several years, comics and graphic novels have hit "the mainstream" -- not just in Hollywood (which currently has a fascination with superheroes) but among the intellectual set as well. University presses are publishing monographs on classic and avant-garde cartoonists; THE NEW YORK TIMES runs a long-form comics narrative in its weekly Magazine; and graphic novels have gained credibility on the college campus and in the hipster coffee shop.

The Austrian Cultural Forum is pleased to present an evening of conversation with two of comics' rising "alternative" cartoonists, Nicolas Mahler and Mark Newgarden. While the work of these two artists is visually quite different, they share a similar bizarre sense of humor, an ability to capture (and lampoon) the absurd nuances of daily life, and a comics style that often humorously captures what all of us think but don't dare say.

Join us for a lively and visually rich conversation with Nicolas and Mark, in which we will explore how comics work, the marketplaces for graphic humor, where these cartoonists get their ideas, and, yes, the answer to that eternal question, "What is 'Funny'?"

NICOLAS MAHLER was born in 1969 in Vienna, Austria, where he resides to this day. As unique as he is prolific, Mahler's distinct minimalist style appears in Austrian, German, and Swiss newspapers and magazines. Over the last 10 years he has written and illustrated over 30 books which have been published in various languages around the world. His primary publishers include L'Association (France), Top Shelf (U.S.), La Pasteque (Canada), Edition Moderne (Switzerland) , and Reprodukt (Germany). In 2006 and 2008 he won the "Max und Moritz Award" for best German-language comic. His comic series FLASCHKO has been adapted as a series of animated shorts, and his book KRATCHOVIL was turned into a puppet show by a Swiss troupe, and is currently touring Switzerland, Austria, and France.

MARK NEWGARDEN has worked as a concoctor of novelties (Garbage Pail Kids), graphic artist (from RAW magazine to THE NEW YORK TIMES), and writer for TV, film, and multimedia projects (from Microsoft to Cartoon Network), among various and sundry careers. His work has also graced such venues as the Smithsonian Institute, the Cooper-Hewitt, the Brooklyn Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the ICA in London. He is the author of CHEAP LAFFS, a picture history of novelty item from Abrams, and WE ALL DIE ALONE, a collection of his comics and humor from Fantagraphics Books. His first children's book BOW-WOW BUGS A BUG (with Megan Montague Cash) was released in June 2007 from Harcourt, won the Society of Illustrators Gold Prize for that year, and has spawned a series of 6 additional "Bow-Wow" titles . . . and counting!

MARK DAVID NEVINS is an aficionado of graphic narrative and comics from around the world, and he occasionally puts pen to paper to write about his passion for the unique art that marries words and pictures. Years ago he took his Ph.D. in Literature from Harvard, and he now lives in NYC, where he is a management consultant by day. He is the American Correspondent for the renowned Swiss comics periodical STRAPAZIN, and sits on Executive Committee of the International Comic Arts Conference (ICAF) as well as the Editorial Board of THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMIC ART (IJOCA). In addition to essays and critical reviews, he has published several translations of comics from French and German. He has traveled, worked, and taught in more than 60 countries around the world.

Three cheers for intern Emi Lenox, who kick-started this blog after waaaaay too long. I will stand by my word and do recaps of my trips to Vermont and Sweden. Soon.

And make sure to check out our new running feature strip on Top Shelf 2.0, Bob & Ivan!

Bob & Ivan is the brain child of Philip Witte and John Littleboy. I asked Phil if he could give us some background on Bob & Ivan... read on.

"'Bob and Ivan' was conceived in a sleeping car of an Amtrak train heading to San Francisco from Santa Barbara on a rainy December evening. The concept of a regular guy struggling with his nasty parasitic twin emerged from Phil Witte’s subconscious, tweaked by a memory of a 'Ripley’s Believe or Not' illustration of a man, possibly from India, from whose stomach dangled vestigial arms and a torso. It was a grotesque image. Yet, the man was smiling. He seemed to be a man of good humor, not at all bothered by this mass of half-formed protoplasm spilling from his person.

"Later, while perusing a book about freaks, Phil saw a Victorian era photograph of a man and his parasitic twin, possibly the same couple that Ripley had chronicled. The accompanying text suggested that the man found his twin thing amusing, like a puppet. His clothes were neatly tailored to accommodate his twin. He even named the thing.

"A real parasitic twin, unlike conjoined twins, is not a sentient being. With a little stretch of the imagination, it could be. Phil did some preliminary sketches, got his young daughter’s approval, and filed Bob and Ivan away.

"Phil had a collection of cartoons that he started drawing at age eight. He sold his first cartoon when he was 13. Resting on this single laurel, Phil took the next 33 years off to pursue other interests, including kickball, high school, Princeton University, a year teaching English in Bangkok, freelance journalism, writing jokebooks, and getting his law degree from the University of Chicago, before returning to cartooning. He also collaborated as a writer of gags for syndicated cartoonists.

"For 'Bob and Ivan' to work, Phil needed an artist better than he. Enter John Littleboy. John has made his living as a professional artist since graduating from Stanford in the late 1970s. His paintings have been displayed in galleries from New York to Morocco. Phil and John became friends after Phil represented John successfully in a lawsuit involving one of his commissioned paintings.

"Phil gave John a basic sense of the characters, wrote the dialogue and made suggestions, but the images are the product of John’s imagination. 'John added a lot of artistic detail that I would not have even thought of,' Phil said. One practical problem was depicting two characters interacting when one is always directly below the other.

"Funny/creepy art is something John has perfected. His 'Bag of Bones' playing cards depict comically horrifying images, but nothing that would scare a child of normal sensibilities. Kids seem to like the look of 'Bob and Ivan.' But then, kids like freaky stuff.

"Bob is insecure and knows it. Ivan masks his insecurities in a show of braggadocio, would-be womanizing, and sarcasm. Of course, Bob and Ivan might actually be the same person.

"Emily is the attractive woman that Bob longs for. She’s blind, but probably has the situation figured out. Ivan resents her and wants Bob to himself. Their mother inexplicably favors Ivan over Bob.

"Life is complicated. Families are odd. 'Bob and Ivan' is, in that sense, normal."

travelin' on... Staros is currently in England, to attend the Bristol Con, and to visit Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie. Meanwhile, i'm boarding a plane to Toronto in about seven hours.

There are many things to catch up on, and my apologies for the massive lapse on updating this blog. I want to talk more about my trips to The Center For Cartoon Studies and Sweden, upon my return. (Plus, assuredly, TCAF.)

Au revoir.

Meanwhile, feast your eyes on this sneak peak art by Jeffrey Brown for our forthcoming, slimmed-down Top Shelf Catalog 2009.



In case you've never met us, this is Chris Staros, Eddie Campbell, and little ol' me (Brett Warnock).

edging into madness... in the busiest part of the year as i type these words. Every minute in my day is precious. Anyway, Sweden was more fun than i could have ever imagined. I will post more soon, as soon as i put out a couple fires (metaphorically speaking), before i leave for Toronto in a mere six days.

Meanwhile, i was negligent in posting about the new World War 3 release party in time (which was last night), but at least i can showcase this glorious cover by Eric Drooker, and encourage y'all to go and buy it!!

More to come...

Center for Cartoon Studies... the gift that keeps on giving. Yet another student knocks my socks off with this terrific art by Laura Terry. From top going clockwise, that's Chris Duffy (Nickelodeon), Calista Brill (First Second), me, and Peggy Burns (Drawn & Quarterly).

Wow! Beautiful.

Oh, and here's a terrific pic from Jen Vaughn's photo set on Flickr. Calista, myself, and Chris.

• My pal Michael Martins informed me that another pal Denis Kitchen will be curating an art show called Underground Classics: The Transformation of Comics into Comix, 1963 - 1990, from May 2 to July 12 at the Chazen Museum in Madison, WI. Opening reception and curator's conversation is Friday, May 1.

• Top Shelf 2.0 contributor John C. Ralston's strip "The Hole In The Wall" is now available in print!!

• Scott Allie's son Sid and my son Carter on a tear at Stumptown this last weekend. Yee haw!

Also at Stumptown Craig Thompson took this snapshot of our terrific new intern Emi and Jeff (Bone) Smith.

• Now, off to Sweden with Chris Staros and Jeffrey Brown.

Stumptown is upon us! Mere days away, in fact. Whoo hoo! On Friday April 17 2009, the Stumptown Comics Foundation is proud to present a chance-of-a-lifetime fundraising dinner event... Guests include: Jeff Smith, Craig Thompson, Farel Dalrymple, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Brian Michael Bendis, Derek Kirk Kim and Mike Dringenberg. Learn more at the Stumptown website.

PLUS, the CBLDF is holding an ebay auction for the seat to the immediate right of Jeff, Matt, Bendis, and Craig.

• Steve (Bughouse) Lafler writes about what can only be described as one hell of a magical night... now i know FOR SURE i'm heading down to Oaxaca later on this year!

Here's some art he made for the Bodega Boys.

• From Aussie cartoonist Christopher Downes' A Diary of a Work in Progress.

Head spinning... Just home two nights ago from Vermont, and a trip to The Center for Cartoon Studies. I think there's something in the water there, because this was one of the most fun trips i've had in years, and y'know, i think i'm truly the luckiest guy in the world. Unburdened with the task of selling comics, it was a pleasure to swim in comics on an academic level with a posse of very enthusiastic students.

Hanging out with fellow guests Chris Duffy (and family) and Peggy Burns and Tom Devlin (and kids), and faculty member Jason Lutes (and his daughter), and meeting Calista Brill (from First Second), and meeting none other than Stephen Bissette (who inaugurated my new Twin Peaks sketchbook), and Super duper big thanks to James, Michelle, Robyn, Stephen and Alec. And all the students and staff. Oh, and small-town stragglers like Joe and Cat. And thanks to Jen for the link to her flicker set.

Here we are checking out the original art collection of virtual unknown master cartoonist and illustrator Denys Wortman. This is a wonderful story unto itself, as told by James Sturm. I do believe that in addition to curating this art show, that CCS will be editing an art book of Wortman's exquisite drawings.

White River Junction was beautiful. Gorgeous countryside.

Here's some photos of a group of us trekking up to James Sturm's house for dinner. (Including my bearded pal Alec Longstreth.) The weather was just right. Brisk.

I will be reviewing a handful of the books i was given by faculty and students as soon as they arrive, and i find time to read them.

• And what seems like a year ago, but was just last weekend, Emerald City now recedes in the rearview mirror. Another fine show. Well done, Jim. (Demonakos, of course.) Thanks to Carlos and Emi for help at the table.

This little iPhone set is from the Dark Horse karaoke party, where Kaz Strzepek & Derek Kirk Kim were intermittently sleeping at the bar, wrestling on the floor, or playing with the fire extinguisher. Jacquelene Cohen was drinking whisky like nobody's business, and got my co-pilot for the weekend, Matt Kindt, more hammered than he's ever been. It was awesome! Witness Matt's stunning rendition of some Bond themesong i can't recall by name.

• Meanwhile, Stripburger #48 is now available... a fine anthology of international comics, originating in Slovenia. These Stripburger cats are doing the comics world such an enormous service... worth checking out. Order right here at Top Shelf.

• Leonard Wong (who runs the Vancouver Comicon) recently put out another issue of Comix and Stories, an anthology of cartoonists from Vancouver, BC. There's some fins stuff in here... my favorites include "Papa's African Adventure," by Don King, "Mario's Lament," by Josue Menjivar, "Diary of a Bread Delivery Guy," by David Lasky, and "Belated" (an appreciation of Kate Worley, author of Omaha the Cat Dancer), by James Lloyd. The comic also sports a beautuful cover by Ron Turner.

Head spinning... Just home two nights ago from Vermont, and a trip to The Center for Cartoon Studies. I think there's something in the water there, because this was one of the most fun trips i've had in years, and y'know, i think i'm truly the luckiest guy in the world. Unburdened with the task of selling comics, it was a pleasure to swim in comics on an academic level with a posse of very enthusiastic students.

Hanging out with Chris Duffy (and family) and Peggy Burns and Tom Devlin (and kids), and faculty member Jason Lutes (and his daughter), and meeting Calista Brill (from First Second), and meeting none other than Stephen Bissette (who inaugurated my new Twin Peaks sketchbook), and Super duper big thanks to James, Michelle, Robyn, Stephen and Alec. And all the students and staff. Oh, and small-town stragglers like Joe and Cat. And thanks to Jen for the link to her flicker set.

Here we are checking out the original art collection of virtual unknown master cartoonist and illustrator Denys Wortman. This is a wonderful story unto itself, as told by James Sturm. I do believe that in addition to curating this art show, that CCS will be editing an art book of Wortman's exquisite drawings.

White River Junction was beautiful. Gorgeous countryside.

Here's some photos of a group of us trekking up to James house for dinner. (Including my bearded pal Alec Longstreth.) The weather was just right. Brisk.

I will be reviewing a handful of the books i was given by faculty and students as soon as they arrive, and i find time to read them.

• And what seems like a year ago, but was just last weekend, Emerald City now recedes in the rearview mirror. Another fine show. Well done, Jim. (Demonakos, of course.)

• Meanwhile, Stripburger #48 is now available... a fine anthology of international comics, originating in Slovenia. These Stripburger cats are doing the comics world such an enormous service... worth checking out. Order right here at Top Shelf.

stripburger-blog.blogspot.com/

• Leonard Wong (who runs the Vancouver Comicon) recently put out another issue of Comix and Stories, an anthology of cartoonists from Vancouver, BC. There's some fins stuff in here... my favorites include Papa's African Adventure, by Don King, Mario's Lament, by Josue Menjivar, Diary of a Bread Delivery Guy, by David Lasky, and Belated (an appreciation of Kate Worley, author of Omaha the Cat Dancer), by James Lloyd. The comics also sports a beautuful cover by Ron Turner.

mypages.uniserve.com/~lswong/Comicon.html

Emerald City Con beckons... And this is just the beginning of my crazy April, over the course of which i'll be in Seattle (Emerald City), White Junction, VT (Center for Cartoon Studies), back home for Stumptown Comics Fest, and then to Sweden for the Kulturhuset comics festival. Yee ha!

Anyway, this weekend in Seattle, James Kochalka will be on hand, singing copies of his new Johnny Boo: Twinkle Power. He'll also be bringing painting and CDs, as well as his son Eli's crazy minicomics.

Nate Powell is coming too, and will have his mini-comic Cakewalk, as well as his collection of older work called Sounds of Your Name on hand. Plus music and posters. (Oh, and of course, his L.A. Times Book Award-nominated Swallow Me Whole.)

Matt Kindt rounds out the party, with lots of fun stuff for sale, including original art, cyanide capsules and secret-code puzzles.

• Partied hard last night with Sarah-Grace McCandless and Jamie Rich. (Thanks for the cocktails, Sarah-Grace!) Jamire and i were talking about film noir, of course, and he told me about these two bitchin' pieces of art, commissioned by Ian Shaughnessy (writer of Shenanigans and co-writer of Strangetown for Oni) for a Billy Wilder sketchbook. Here they are.

Norma Desmond, by Matt Wagner

Billy Wilder, by Scott Morse

• Here is a stunning piece or work by Aaron Renier, for a recent issue of Portland's Willamette Week weekly newspaper. (About legislation to ban exotic pets.)

• Christine Foye sent me this terrific link to an Onion article.... ha! "So say we all, Barack!"

• This just in... Jeffrey Brown's cover for Sulk volume 3: The Kind of Strength That Comes From Madness.

Sulk (Vol 3): The Kind of Strength That Comes From Madness explores the world of fantasy and science fiction, and turns it on its head. Or rather, just kind of tilts it slightly to the side. Stories include "Being Awesome Is Its Own Reward," where two brothers deal with a giant monster rampaging through their city, and "Mighty Malcum," in which an 11 year old genius and his robot best friend attempt to adjust to college life. There's also stories of pirates, time travelling babies, martial arts masterminds and an all new short story from Elfworld.

• NOT comics. A fat slice of a wake up call, by Chris Hedges: America Is in Need of a Moral Bailout.

Top Shelf 2.0 contributor Box Brown has a new Xeric-award winning 96-page book of comics listed in Diamond Previews, called Love is a Peculiar Type of Thing. As you may or may not know, with Diamond's new listings policies in place, he needs to sell a boatload of copies of this baby, in order to get the book distributed.

Learn more about the book at Box Brown, and if you like what you see, make sure to pre-order a copy from your local retailer, and spread the word, baby!

You can also read his comics right here on Top Shelf 2.0!!

• Andy (Fox Bunny Funny) Hartzell is with Telltale Games working as a designer, and his first effort as "writer/director" is about to go live. Wallace & Gromit in "Fright of the Bumblebees" is now available for PC download, then on XBox Live Arcade in a couple weeks. It's the first of a series of four games, to be released monthly (he's lead designer on the first and fourth).

Trailers, images and downloadable demo can all be found at Telltale Games.

• Paul Hornschemeier is touring, and he's coming to Portland!

• Yet another Top Shelf 2.0 contributor Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos presents Balanced Breakfast, with music by Michael Deforge.

• Nikolas Mahler has a new blog!

• Here's a nifty site, Comicon Road Trip, promoting the upcoming Emerald City Con in Seattle, a mere two weeks away. Make sure to double-click on the comics pages to check out the video links... fun stuff! Thanks to Evan Long for the heads-up.

• Matt Kindt scanned the bitchin' spread he had featured in the last-ever issue of Comic Foundry.

Matt Kindt's Super Spy makes the grade at Unshelved.

It also makes GQ magazines Top 20 Graphic Novels You Should Read list!

• Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, but i'm an "editor" of our comics section, Top Shelf 2.0, in name only. Leigh Walton is The Man. His work recently received some well-deserved props over at 4th Letter.

• Jeff Lemire is interviewed at Wizard!

• Was sent this link to a terrific short film titled Have You Ever Wanted Superpowers? I don't know much about it, but it's really fun.

at New York Magazine.

• Jeffrey Brown has a new website!

• Ha! Thanks to Jim Valentino for linking me to The Saturday Watchmen (cartoon) intro! Awesome.

• Max Estes keeps cranking out bitchin' paintings. Available for sale at Made by Max.

And don't forget, Max has two terrific graphic novels available for purchase right here at Top Shelf, Hello, Again and Coffee & Donuts.

• Oh, and the pundits can suck it — i LOVED Watchmen. Can't wait to see it again on a high-def screen.

• Forget Batman... Comic Foundry R.I.P.!!! Last issue was a beauty. With Wizard magazine firing staffers right and left, it seems like that mag is on its last legs. And while i've been an unabashed fan of it since Jemas & Quesada reinvented Marvel Comics, the magazine has really lost its magic — none of which has to do with changing content within the industry itself. By the same token, while i still lovingly read The Comics Journal every issue, i only really devour a fraction of the content, whereas in it's heyday i read every single word within its pages.

Tim and Laura... thanks for a wonderful, if all too brief a ride. I'll really miss ya!

• Finally, a seriously big tip o' the hat to Amid (Cartoon Brew) Amidi, who penned the recently released The Art of Pixar Short Films. I'm a big fan of the "art-of" (fill in Pixar film) books, and indeed the only one i don't own is Art of Cars. (Loved the movie, but i'm not a big auto guy at all.) The series as a whole stands head and shoulders above the competition. Qualitative comparisons between Pixar films and the competition aside, the Pixar art-of books are luscious affairs that dig deep into the Pixar archives to provide a rich understanding of the idea-generating visual process behind their movies. But for all their glory, none of the art-of Pixar books to date have taken us behind the creative process, and deeper into the history of the company, the men and women who made the company the juggernaut it is today.

That has changed with Mr. Amidi's terrific The Art of Pixar Short Films. A lovingly packaged and in-depth look at not only the films themselves, but also a de-facto history of Pixar, and their critical importance in the development of digital animation in general. From their early day-jobs at Lucasfilms, this is the story of a handful of crafty idea-smiths (including widely known John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, father of comics' own Ben Catmull), who changed the face of animation.

In the front of the book, Amidi delves into the teams behind each short film, which provides wonderful context into the development of the company as a whole. This section is a veritable treasure trove of process for both aspiring professionals and armchair animation fans like myself. Amidi tells a broader, less personal story here, so on this level the book even holds its own against the "definitive" To Infinity and Beyond: The Story of Pixar.

The back two thirds of the book is chockablock full of art art art, the stuff that we're used to lapping up in the backlist of Pixar art-of books we've all come to love.

An interview with Amid about the book can be read here at the Pixar Blog.

Par for the course too for anything coming from Chronicle Books, the book is exquisitely designed and laid out. File this under "Must Have."

The L.A. Book Prize nomination is a big deal, and i'll be the first to tell you, Nate's book is well deserving of the accolades.

• Meanwhile, we here are Top Shelf are in what we like to call, FREAK OUT MODE, as we gear up for the Summer season. Books to rush off to the printers, conventions to prepare for, and maybe — just maybe — i'll be able to take my 4-year old kid camping once or twice. Plus i've got a handful of side-projects i'm working on as well. Besides a couple reviews i'm obligated (and happily so) to write up, the blog updates might get scare around these parts. Not like anyone is holding their breath or anything.

• Local artist Summer Hatfield, is having an art show. Her shit rocks! She writes:
"I'm having my first real gallery show this Thursday, March 5th. Its at The Darras gallery, which is in the Everett lofts, on NW Broadway and Flanders. I have painted a mural on the wall of the gallery and will be showing several new paintings along with some prints and drawings."

TheDarras
328 NW Broadway, Suite 115
Portland, OR 97209
503.358.1418