Top Shelf Productions

If ya didn’t know already, rock star cartoonist Nate Powell is attending ComicCon. Nate was nominated for yet another Eisner award for his is exquisite artwork in March: Book One. He’ll be talking about his work on the Top Shelf panel in about an hour from now.

Friday July 25, 2014 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Room 32AB

I was there with Nate and his mom & dad when Swallow Me Whole won the Eisner for Best Original Graphic Novel! That was super fun.

There’s a lot happening with March, so try to keep up. And check out the gorgeous cover just announced for March: Book Two! (That's some sweet cover design by Nate and Chris Ross, eh?)

- The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum in Columbus OH will be displaying some of Nate Powell’s stunning artwork for March in their exhibit, The Long March: Civil Rights in Cartoons and Comics. August 16 – November 30, 2014. The show features roughly 25 of Nate’s pieces-- most of which are from March: Book One. A 4-page sequence from March: Book Two is included, plus the color "burning bus" piece from the front cover.

"The exhibit… explores the tensions, struggles, and victories from multiple perspectives, including mainstream daily newspapers and the black press.

"The public is invited to a free curator’s program on the opening day, August 16, with Jared Gardner, followed by a book signing in the BICLM lobby with the illustrator of March, Nate Powell."

Also, on Monday, September 15, Congressman John Lewis, Nate Powell, and Andrew Aydin, will be discussing the Civil Rights Movement and the experience of telling Congressman Lewis’s story in the graphic novel March, as part of Remembering the Act: Archival Reflections on Civil Rights, on display at the Thompson Library Gallery from September 15, 2014 – January 4, 2015. More news forthcoming.

Thompson Library
1858 Neil Avenue Mall
Columbus, OH

- Here’s a terrific segment on CNN with Congressman John Lewis and co-writer Andrew Aiden, talking about March: Book 2.

And damn, i wish i could sit in on THIS panel tomorrow afternoonl: Top Shelf Productions Featuring Kevin O'Neill and More!

Top Shelf will we be covering some general news, and Kevin O’Neill will be there too, talking about his work with Alan Moore on League of Extraordinary Gentleman.

Friday July 25, 2014 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Room 32AB

Plus Eric Orchard (Maddy Kettle), Pete Sickman-Garner (Hey, Mister), Jeffrey Brown (A Matter of Life), and Van Jensen (Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer) will be at the show signing books and talking shop.

Added bonus!

Chris Sheridan has been working steadily on his serialized, “guided-view” digital-comic book Motorcycle Samurai for about a year now, and damn if it ain’t cool as heck, mixing a heady blend of various genres into one rad cocktail; there’s Motorcycles and Samurais of course, but also Elvis, Westerns, Crime, Post-Apocalypse, and Girl Gangs. All lusciously drawn, colored and executed in a psychedelic pop-art style.

Motorcycle Samurai has been favorably featured on several podcasts, including Comics Alternative, Comics Squee, Stash My Comics, and 11 O’Clock Comics.

Adrockington at Animockery says, "The art is very loose and incredibly appealing. Sheridan’s color choices and backgrounds are spot on… The panel transitions are some of the best I’ve experienced. Sheridan combines strong images in unique ways… The story is wonderfully intriguing and loaded with subtle humor."

Pipedream Comics interviewed Chris about the genesis of Motorcyle Samurai.

Here's a taste of the wildly imaginative developmental art and pitch material Chris worked up in the early stages.

Start experiencing Motorcycle Samurai from the beginning right now!

And here, Comics Alliance ran a long art set of material, including this sweet Star Wars art.

Jeffrey Brown’s Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something is off to the presses very soon, and it’s no secret how much i love this stuff. I’m too old to have grown up with The Transformers, and so Change-Bots was my initiation into that world. He provided your gracious bartender with some great process photos of an interior spread in the new book. Thanks, Jeffrey!

Here’s the final cover, and a wicked cool trailer from the original book can be seen here.

Jeffrey was interviewed by Robots with Coffee not too long ago; a quick and fun read.

Meanwhile, it’s not too late too late to order Two Point Something Something from your trusty LCS (Local Comics Shop). Do it, or admit fealty to the dreaded Fantasticons!

Incredible Change-Bots #1

“…wonderfully silly… genuinely childlike and playful… Just plain delightful.”
—Booklist

Incredible Change-Bots #2

“...really clever… [Jeffrey Brown] clearly knows his source material well… a delight to read.”
—Wired.com GeekDad

Finally, here's a sweet promotional spot illustration and cover art from the deluxe hardcover editions of the first two books.

Really cool news! Pre-orders are available for the “audiobook” of God is Disappointed in You. Soon you’ll be able to hear the Voice of God, and he sounds like Dr. Venture (voice actor James Urbaniak) from The Venture Bros. The official release date is July 22nd.

Shannon is currently at work on a new 32 page Too Much Coffee Man story for Dark Horse Presents, running as 4-8 page chapters, which they’ll eventually collect in one volume. Check out this old-school cross-hatching!

Shannon has also done 20 pages of breakdowns for a short story he’s drawing, written by Mark, called Traveling to Mars for Fun and Profit.

Finally, Mark recently had a terrific essay published in Stir Journal, titled Are the New Atheists Committing the Old Mistakes?

If you haven't read God is Disappointed in You, well... shame on you! It's not too late, AND it's available in a plethora of formats too.

Top Shelf's Humble Bundle steal of a deal ends soon. Humble Bundle is a pay-what-you-want, DRM-free package deal for some sweet-ass digital books. Frankly, your Luddite bartender still reads his comics on paper, but if you prefer digital devices, who am i to hold you back from a smashingly good deal.

This particular Humble Bundle deal — which expires in just under 24 hours — contains five rad Top Shelf titles: From Hell, The From Hell Companion, Wizzywig, Too Cool to Be Forgotten, and March.

Um, yeah… From Hell alone is worth the price of admission, as thick, chewy, and all-consuming as that is. Plus you get Eddie Campbell’s wonderfully written From Hell Companion book, a DVD-style, behind-the-scenes “making of” recounting one of the most critically acclaimed graphic novels of all time.

March: Book One has been the talk of the town, and with good reason. A #1 New York Times Bestseller. A #1 Washington Post Bestseller. A Coretta Scott King Honor Book. Need i go on? Needless to say, besides that it’s gorgeously drawn with compelling storytelling, it one of those “important” books, co-written by legendary sitting Congressman John Lewis.

Years ago Ed Piskor — currently an Eisner nominee for his recent book Hip Hop Family Tree — started self-publishing Wizzywig, the epic tale of Kevin "Boingthump” Phenicle, and his world of phone phreaks, hackers, and scammers. I read the first two volumes and fell in love. I think this is Ed’s magnum opus, and the deliriously lush design by Chris Ross makes this book sing.

"Extremely pleasurable... A gripping story with lots of good, meaty forbidden knowledge and insight into the hacker mindset.” —Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

Too Cool to Be Forgotten, Alex Robinson’s most recent masterpiece, is most known for it’s time-travel conceit, which send its protagonist Andy Wicks back in time, to relive, well… heck, i won’t spoil it. Anyway, what always stuck with me the most was the way in which Alex expertly handled the death of Andy’s father. Powerful. I cried. The stuff of life.

The deadline for Eisner voting approaches, so i reached out to the Top Shelf family members currently nominated for awards. Learn more about the awards here.

Zander Cannon burst onto the indie comics scene around the same time i did, way way back in the olden days, before emails and internet as we know it, with his epic fantasy adventure The Replacement God, published by Slave Labor. He went on to do layouts for various mainstream comics artists who obviously weren’t schooled on clear storytelling, and a stint pencilling Alan Moore’s comics Smax, part of the America’s Best imprint.

Zander and the other Cannon (unrelated), Kevin Cannon, have been working together for years in Minneapolis as part of Big Time Attic, and together they launched Double Barrel together, one of the first serialized digital comics, which is where Heck (Eisner nominee for Best Graphic Album—Reprint) was originally serialized.

Zander also writes terrific advice on comics, including this great piece titled Everything I Know About Storytelling I Learned from Star Wars.

Brett: What’s new?

Zander: I just attended SpringCon here in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and it was an amazingly good show: very comics-focused, a lot of good guests, and of course, all the other cartoonists in town that I never get to see. And then this weekend I'm invited to attend a local My Little Pony show on the strength of my having done one incentive cover for the comic. Who am I to say no?

Brett: How are the kids doing? Summer break is coming up, and as a dad myself, life sure makes a major shift in mid-June. Any family holiday plans?

Zander: One big holiday is that we are going to all be going to San Diego for Comic-Con, which is a first for my son, who is 6, and a thing we never thought would happen again for my wife, who is not a super-comics person. But with my book Heck nominated for an Eisner award, we just couldn't miss it as a family. I expect they will visit relatives and go to the zoo and the beach, and I'll be in Artist's Alley (FF-08, as it happens).

Brett: What’s the latest book(s) of yours that came out, and is/are forthcoming book(?) too.

Zander: Well, my last book is Heck from Top Shelf, of course, but I've been doing a lot of layouts to speed up/tighten storytelling for artists at DC and Vertigo. As a day job, you can't beat it, in my opinion. I've also been working on a project called SAGA (not to be confused with the comic Saga) that is a government funded project to help veterans deal with problems related to PTSD by making comics about their experiences on deployment.

Brett: Can you talk about any stuff you’re currently working on for down the road?

Zander: I'm writing and drawing an unannounced creator-owned series for Oni that will begin next year (2015). Essentially it will be a lot like the work that I did on Top Ten; a hyper-referential, character-based ensemble drama/comedy. Except this one is about giant monsters.

Praise for Zander’s Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize Honor Book, Heck:

"This, my friends, is what I consider a perfect comic book." —Four Colors and the Truth

That may have been the best adventure graphic novel I’ve read all year." —Optical Sloth

"Pulpy yet poignant" —Jason Heller, Onion AV Club

"Such a deft ending that it elevates the work even higher." —Jeremy Nisen, Under the Radar

"Heck is one of the most interesting and soul-plumbing graphic novels of 2013." —Hannah Means-Shannon, Bleeding Cool

"Moody and exciting" —Noel Murray, LA Times

"Combining exotic adventure with real human emotion" —Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales)

"Quirky...Challenging...Wonderful” —Mark Flowers, School Library Journal

“Phenomenal... My favorite graphic novel of 2013." —Bryan Lee O'Malley

"Heck is one of the best horror comics I’ve ever read." —Rhymes With Geek

"This book is magnificent and overwhelming and searing, and it stares right at the monsters that you can shoot with a shotgun and the ones that you can't." —Antick Musings

"A literary novel in dime-store clothes." —Locust Moon

Heck made it onto many "Best of” lists for 2013, including: Graphic Novel Resources, Bleeding Cool, Darling Dork, Robot 6/Comic Book Resources, Paste Magazine, Uproxx/Gamma Squad, ComicsAlliance, Graphic Novel Universe, 30 Extra Lives, LilithFilm, Locust Moon, Velocity Comics

The deadline for Eisner voting approaches, so i reached out to the Top Shelf family members currently nominated for awards. Learn more about the awards here.

I caught up with Jeffrey Brown. Jeffrey is maybe mostly known (in comics) for his autobiographical Girlfriend Trilogy: Clumsy, Unlikely, and AEIOU, or Any Easy Intimacy.

His most recent Top Shelf book is more stuff of life, appropriately called A Matter of Life, but he’s also done some fictional work as well, be it The Incredible Change-Bots or Bighead.

In the civilian world, in the “real life” outside of comics, people mostly know Jeffrey for his incredibly funny and heartwarming Star Wars books, Darth Vader and Son, Vader’s Little Princess, and Jedi Academy. Honestly, i’m not sure who loves them more, myself or my 9-year old son, though if the amount of times read matters, then my kid wins hands down; he's read Jedi Academy dozens of times to my one.

Mind you, i’ve never been fond of tongue-in-cheek parodies and spin-offs, but Jeffrey Brown really “gets it,” be it his loving tribute to Transformers (by way of Incredible Change-Bots) or his spot-on Star Wars material.

Brett: What’s new?

Jeffrey: The biggest thing going on for me lately is still Star Wars, with two more books (Jedi Academy 2 and Goodnight Darth Vader) coming out this summer, and working on two more for next year. I was at BEA last week and was happy to hear people mention not just the Star Wars books, but also last year's A Matter Of Life, which I'm still pretty proud of. Today I'm off to Toronto for some signings, which should be fun!

Brett: How're your boys doing? Any family holiday plans?

Jeffrey: The kids are great! Oscar is reading on his own now, and is building a comics collection. Simon is walking and climbing now, so we're constantly turning around to find him on top of chairs and tables. This summer we're going to Maine for vacation, which is always fun. Not sure if I'll run into James Kochalka there, again…

Brett: What’re the latest books of yours that are out and/or forthcoming?

Jeffrey: Kids Are Weird is the most recent, which is all about funny things Oscar has said. And later this year should finally see the release of Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something, which collects all the anthology, mini comic, fan club newsletters, and other random art from the past seven years.

Brett: Can you talk about any stuff you’re currently working on for down the road?

Jeffrey: Right now I'm working on a new middle grade series called Lucy & Andy Neanderthal, which I've done a ton of research for and am enjoying working on.

The deadline for Eisner voting approaches, so i reached out to the Top Shelf family members currently nominated for awards. Learn more about the awards here.

I asked Nate Powell a few questions last night, and he happily obliged. Nate won the Eisner Award a few years back for Best Original Graphic Novel — kind of a combo of Best Film and Best Director in the Oscar awards -- for Swallow Me Whole. (I was at the awards ceremony… it was awesome!) One thing i really love about Nate, besides that he’s a workhorse, is that he’s always tinkering on and improving his website, http://www.seemybrotherdance.org. Check it out. Nate’s also on Twitter…

And in case you sleep under a rock, or in a sock drawer like Ralph Wiggum, Nate has been gaining lots of accolades for his stellar work on March: Book One, with Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. March recently won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award -- Special Recognition! It also got a glowing endorsement in Oprah’s magazine!

Brett: What’s new, Nate? Anything really offbeat and rad happening in your life? Been to any comics conventions or events?

Nate: The next two years are a solid wall of work and parenting. A lot of discipline has been required to stay on top of the tight deadlines for the rest of the March trilogy, as well as any other projects. I've had to cancel most of my events for the rest of this year in order to finish March: Book Two in time, but have managed to attend S.P.A.C.E. in Columbus, OH and TCAF in Toronto thus far in 2014, as well as Congressman Lewis' commencement address at my alma mater, School of Visual Arts in NYC, last month. I'll be at San Diego Comic Con, Small Press Expo, and New York Comic Con this year, as well as several March-related events and presentations at a number of schools around the country. From August through November, original artwork from the first two March books and The Silence Of Our Friends will be on exhibit at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum (the world's largest collection!) at Ohio State University in Columbus, OH.

Brett: How is your daughter doing? Any family holiday plans?

Nate: My daughter is two and a half years old right now, so things have gotten really engaging and intense-- it's been incredible to see her mind develop! We did go to Florida for a couple of days last month, which included her first plane trip, first swimming pool, and first experience at the beach. I wouldn't call it a vacation though, as I still had to work each day, whenever possible.

Brett: What’re the latest books of yours that are out and/or forthcoming?

Nate: Well, last August marked the release of March: Book One, and working together with John and Andrew continues to be exciting, rewarding, and challenging. I don't think anyone on the team ever expected for the book to have taken off to the degree it has, and are amazed to see it embedded in a much larger social conversation. Lots of other work has been going on: a short horror story with the fantastic Scott Snyder for the IN THE DARK hardcover anthology (IDW) just came out, some pinups for Ed Piskor's HIP HOP FAMILY TREE, Tom Neely's HENRY & GLENN FOREVER & EVER, and Katie Skelly's OPERATION MARGARINE, a Nemo comic for the LITTLE NEMO: DREAM ANOTHER DREAM anthology coming from Locust Moon Press, several album covers, and a new short story collaboration for an Italian anthology published by Rizzoli Lizard. While drawing March: Book One, I also drew a graphic novel adaptation of Rick Riordan's HEROES OF OLYMPUS: THE LOST HERO (written by another Top Shelfer, Rob Venditti), that'll be out in October from Hyperion Books. Early next year, Top Shelf will release March: Book Two and YOU DON'T SAY, which collects all of my shorter comics work from the last decade, starting with PLEASE RELEASE. It has a bunch of out-of-print comics, some new and unpublished ones, and a number of stories that have only been available in French or Italian publications.

Brett: Can you talk about any stuff you’re currently working on for down the road?

Nate: Sure thing! I've had to put my own graphic novel work on the back burner for the last several years in order to go on the MARCH journey, but as soon as Book Three is complete I'll be diving into my next solo book, COVER, which is an exploration of privacy, intimacy, and secrecy, set against the backdrop of a small Ozark mountain community in late-70's Arkansas. That'll be coming out in 2017 from Top Shelf. Scott Snyder and I are planning to do another collaboration to be released digitally, but that's still in early stages. I'll also be doing a series called TWO DEAD with writer and Top Shelfer Van Jensen-- it's a true-to-life psychological hard-boiled detective story that took place in 1940's Little Rock. More details on that are coming very soon. There is also work happening on some books in possible development for the big screen, but it's too early to reveal anything on those yet.

The deadline for Eisner voting approaches, so i reached out to the Top Shelf family members currently nominated for awards. Learn more about the awards here.

I asked Nate Powell a few questions last night, and he happily obliged. Nate won the Eisner Award a few years back for Best Original Graphic Novel — kind of a combo of Best Film and Best Director in the Oscar awards -- for Swallow Me Whole. (I was at the awards ceremony… it was awesome!) One thing i really love about Nate, besides that he’s a workhorse, is that he’s always tinkering on and improving his website, http://www.seemybrotherdance.org. Check it out. Nate’s also on Twitter…

And in case you sleep under a rock, or in a sock drawer like Ralph Wiggum, Nate has been gaining lots of accolades for his stellar work on March: Book One, with Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. March recently won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award -- Special Recognition! It also got review in Oprah’s magazine!

1) What’s new, Nate? Anything really offbeat and rad happening in your life? Been to any comics conventions or events?

The next two years are a solid wall of work and parenting. A lot of discipline has been required to stay on top of the tight deadlines for the rest of the March trilogy, as well as any other projects. I've had to cancel most of my events for the rest of this year in order to finish March: Book Two in time, but have managed to attend S.P.A.C.E. in Columbus, OH and TCAF in Toronto thus far in 2014, as well as Congressman Lewis' commencement address at my alma mater, School of Visual Arts in NYC, last month. I'll be at San Diego Comic Con, Small Press Expo, and New York Comic Con this year, as well as several March-related events and presentations at a number of schools around the country. From August through November, original artwork from the first two March books and The Silence Of Our Friends will be on exhibit at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum (the world's largest collection!) at Ohio State University in Columbus, OH.

2) How is your daughter doing? Any family holiday plans?

My daughter is two and a half years old right now, so things have gotten really engaging and intense-- it's been incredible to see her mind develop! We did go to Florida for a couple of days last month, which included her first plane trip, first swimming pool, and first experience at the beach. I wouldn't call it a vacation though, as I still had to work each day, whenever possible.

3) What’re the latest books of yours that are out and/or forthcoming?

Well, last August marked the release of March: Book One, and working together with John and Andrew continues to be exciting, rewarding, and challenging. I don't think anyone on the team ever expected for the book to have taken off to the degree it has, and are amazed to see it embedded in a much larger social conversation. Lots of other work has been going on: a short horror story with the fantastic Scott Snyder for the IN THE DARK hardcover anthology (IDW) just came out, some pinups for Ed Piskor's HIP HOP FAMILY TREE, Tom Neely's HENRY & GLENN FOREVER & EVER, and Katie Skelly's OPERATION MARGARINE, a Nemo comic for the LITTLE NEMO: DREAM ANOTHER DREAM anthology coming from Locust Moon Press, several album covers, and a new short story collaboration for an Italian anthology published by Rizzoli Lizard. While drawing March: Book One, I also drew a graphic novel adaptation of Rick Riordan's HEROES OF OLYMPUS: THE LOST HERO (written by another Top Shelfer, Rob Venditti), that'll be out in October from Hyperion Books. Early next year, Top Shelf will release March: Book Two and YOU DON'T SAY, which collects all of my shorter comics work from the last decade, starting with PLEASE RELEASE. It has a bunch of out-of-print comics, some new and unpublished ones, and a number of stories that have only been available in French or Italian publications.

4) Can you talk about any stuff you’re currently working on for down the road?

Sure thing! I've had to put my own graphic novel work on the back burner for the last several years in order to go on the MARCH journey, but as soon as Book Three is complete I'll be diving into my next solo book, COVER, which is an exploration of privacy, intimacy, and secrecy, set against the backdrop of a small Ozark mountain community in late-70's Arkansas. That'll be coming out in 2017 from Top Shelf. Scott Snyder and I are planning to do another collaboration to be released digitally, but that's still in early stages. I'll also be doing a series called TWO DEAD with writer and Top Shelfer Van Jensen-- it's a true-to-life psychological hard-boiled detective story that took place in 1940's Little Rock. More details on that are coming very soon. There is also work happening on some books in possible development for the big screen, but it's too early to reveal anything on those yet.

The new issue of Diamond Comics' Previews is out, and the Flipside features a short interview with Andrew Aydin, talking about the Top Shelf release of Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story.

It's featured prominently in Previews, so if you're interested in reading one of the most profound single issue comics ever, please ask your local retailer to order a copy of it for you. If they won't or say they can't, then you can learn more about it here on our website.

Besides the historical interest of the comic book, the content is pretty powerful stuff. This should be required reading in all high schools in America.

Veeps author Bill Kelter rocks out a swell new blogpost. New: The Brother Grim. LBJ vs RFK!

From the desk of David Chelsea:

SATURDAY JAN 25
3:00 – 3:45PM TITANS OF INDEPENDENT COMICS WITH MIKE ALLRED, SHANNON WHEELER, DAVID CHELSEA AND JONATHAN HILL

The model of comics creators, tethered to one or two major publishers, working on adventures of corporately-owned characters is no longer the only game in town. Many of the top talents in comics work either exclusively on their own material, while others work both sides of the street, alternating independent work with mainstream assignments done in their own unique styles. Here, speaking about how they have forged their own paths, are some of the most distinctive creators in comics today: Mike Allred (Madman; X-Statix,) Shannon Wheeler (God is Disappointed in You; Too Much Coffee Man; Villain House,) David Chelsea (24 x 2; David Chelsea in Love; Everybody Gets It Wrong!,) and Jonathon Hill (One of the Johns; Americus.) The panel is moderated by Danny Fingeroth (Rough Guide to Graphic Novels.) (C120)

PORTLAND COMIC CON
JANUARY 24-25-26, 2014
FRI-SAT-SUN

LOCATION
Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97232

SHOW HOURS
Friday, January 24, 2014 – 3pm – 8pm
Saturday, January 25, 2014 – 10am – 7pm
Sunday, January 26, 2014 – 10am – 5pm

Happy Holidays everyone! It’s always so busy for me in December, and this year is no exception. Go go go! Go dog go!

• Check this incredible Winter art by Max Estes. (Coffee and Donuts, and Hello Again.) Thanks Max!

• James Kochalka's new strip, SuperF*ckers Save Christmas, is a digital-only release and it's available now on Comixology:

"I've always loved Christmas Specials,” says James. "I think there's something corny about them... but also something really special and magic. I mean, that's why they call them 'specials,' right?"

"This book was originally written as an episode of the SuperF*ckers animated cartoon series, but never produced in that form. I couldn't just let it die, so I drew it as a comic book. And I got it done barely in time to release just one week before Christmas!”

The graphic novel!

The Uncensored SuperF*ckers cartoon series!

The Censored SuperF*ckers cartoon series!