Top Shelf Productions

Our big sale is now over. Thank you to everyone for making it such a success! Our tireless team has been packing & shipping your orders from day one, and they will all be out the door within the next few weeks (as there's still a bunch of packing to do!). We appreciate your patience, and again, thanks for helping us continue to make great books. Happy reading!
Your friend thru comics,
Chris Staros

She thought super-strength could save the world... but lately she's not so sure. Having put away her cape and tights, Alison Green is now a college student in the big city, trying to find ways to help the world while still getting to class on time. It's impossible to escape the past, however, and everyone has their own idea of what it means to be a hero...

After a phenomenal success on Kickstarter, Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag bring their popular webcomic Strong Female Protagonist into print, collecting the first four issues as well as some all-new full-color pages! Top Shelf is pleased to partner with Brennan & Molly to distribute their excellent self-published book. Click here to view interior preview pages and pre-order today!

We're off to Bethesda, MD for a one of the best weekends in comics — the Small Press eXpo!

Don't miss this chance to grab early pre-release copies of two delightful graphic novels from the Top Shelf Kids Club, the stunning debut Maddy Kettle (by Eric Orchard) and the long-awaited SIXTH book in the Johnny Boo series, Johnny Boo Zooms to the Moon! by James Kochalka. What's more, James has zoomed himself all the way from Vermont to meet you and sign copies of this unforgettable outer-space adventure!

And that's not all! SPX this year will feature ALL these Top Shelf talents (located at our booth and throughout the exhibit hall):
—Andrew Aydin (March: Book One)
—James Kochalka (debuting Johnny Boo Zooms to the Moon!)
—Jess Fink (We Can Fix It!)
—Liz Prince (Alone Forever, Delayed Replays, Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?)
—Nate Powell (March: Book One, Any Empire, Swallow Me Whole)
—Pete Sickman-Garner (Hey, Mister: Come Hell or Highwater Pants)
—Renee French (The Ticking, Micrographica)
—Shannon Wheeler (God Is Disappointed in You)

Hang on to your seats... this is the big one! San Diego Comic-Con is nearly upon us, and once again we've got an incredible line-up ready for you there. Let's dive right in:

Famed artist Kevin O'Neill is coming all the way from London for his first US appearance in years, to debut the complete League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century hardcover, including a $50 limited edition, signed & numbered by both himself and writer Alan Moore (which is Top Shelf's first ever official Comic-Con exclusive)!

Earlier this week we revealed the cover to possibly our most-anticipated release ever, March: Book Two! At Comic-Con we'll have Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell signing Book One and sharing more details about Book Two (an early 2015 release).

We'll have the special advance debut of Eric Orchard's buzzed-about fantasy graphic novel Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch - plus free Maddy Kettle posters!

Jeffrey Brown will join us to sign all his terrific Top Shelf books as well as the brand-new Goodnight Darth Vader (Chronicle) and Jedi Academy Book 2: Return of the Padawan (Scholastic)!

Don't miss our TWO incredible panels:

God Is Disappointed in You with Shannon Wheeler & Mark Russell
Thursday, 7/24/14, 10:00a.m. - 11:00a.m., Room: 32AB
God Is Disappointed in You, published by Top Shelf, is the tongue-in-cheek "condensed" version of the Bible you never knew you needed -- hilariously modern, but surprisingly authentic -- with illustrations and gags by New Yorker cartoonist Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man). Join him and writer Mark Russell for an hour of unforgettable irreverence, including Q&A, audience sketches, and the hilarious-yet-accurate "ten-minute Bible." PLUS: a taste of the new audiobook, read by Dr. Venture himself, James Urbaniak (The Venture Bros.)!

Top Shelf Productions featuring Kevin O'Neill and more!
Friday, 7/25/14, 12:00p.m. - 1:00p.m., Room: 32AB
We're so excited to debut The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century hardcover that we flew artist Kevin O'Neill all the way from England for his first US visit in years! You think in his 15 years of collaboration with Alan Moore on the League, he's picked up a good story or two? PLUS: Top Shelf continues to innovate with new digital projects, meet the genius minds behind our latest graphic novels, and get a look at the much-anticipated Book Two of March, the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic memoir trilogy by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell!

Meet the authors of two outstanding recent releases: Van Jensen will be signing the thrilling Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer (complete edition), while Pete Sickman-Garner signs the fiendishly entertaining Hey, Mister: Come Hell or Highwater Pants!

Whew! You'll find all this -- and more -- at the Top Shelf booth (#1721). See you there!

US Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis made history with the release of March: Book One, his award-winning and #1 bestselling graphic novel memoir co-written with Andrew Aydin and drawn by Nate Powell. Aside from the unprecedented factor of such a major figure using the graphic novel format, the book has been embraced as both a true work of literature and also a much-needed tool for reaching new generations with the history and lessons of the civil rights movement.

But John Lewis isn't finished making history.

Today, for the first time, we're revealing the gorgeous cover design of March: Book Two, the much-anticipated second part of the March trilogy. It's scheduled for release in early 2015, so we're still half a year away — but the interest in this title is so tremendous that we wanted to showcase something special now, as we head into Comic-Con next week.

Book Two will be significantly longer than Book One, taking a step forward into the tumultuous events of 1961-1963 while continuing the framing narrative of President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. Major plot lines include the famous journey of the Freedom Riders, imprisonment at Mississippi's Parchman Penitentiary, and young John Lewis' involvement in helping to plan and lead the legendary 1963 March on Washington.

Nate Powell's powerful cover showcases (on top) the Freedom Riders' bus set on fire by a white supremacist mob in Anniston, AL, May 14, 1961, and (on bottom) Lewis' fiery speech at the March on Washington, August 28, 1963.

Watch Lewis and Aydin discuss March and showcase the Book Two cover on CNN!

As before, we're offering two special editions of March: Book Two exclusively from Top Shelf, in addition to the regular softcover — there is a hardcover edition as well as a limited edition signed & numbered hardcover.

Please join us in celebrating this first look at the next step in the record-breaking March project! Book One continues to rack up awards and honors, has been adopted by schools in 30 states, and is currently being read by 15,000 incoming freshmen at 3 major universities, so the journey of this project is truly just beginning.

Sunday morning in Las Vegas was a great occasion for African-American books for young people, as the American Library Association's 45th annual Coretta Scott King Book Awards celebrated the very best in the field. History was made as, for the first time ever, a sitting member of Congress was one of the honorees: Georgia representative and civil rights icon John Lewis and his co-author Andrew Aydin received the Author Honor for their graphic novel March: Book One, drawn by Nate Powell. Congressman Lewis spoke movingly at Sunday's ceremony about his memories of Mrs. King and his hopes for the March trilogy, while Aydin thanked his mother for teaching him the importance of libraries, and singled out Powell's artistry for recognition.

March: Book One, named one of the year's best books by USA Today, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and many more publications, recently received a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and has been selected as required reading for first-year students at three major universities (totaling 15,000 freshmen). It has also been adopted by schools in 30 states at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and spent over 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, including several weeks at #1.

For more information or to download the free Teacher's Guide to March: Book One, please visit www.topshelfcomix.com/march.

It's been a while since beloved indie cartoonist Jeffrey Brown released his shape-changing robot parody Incredible Change-Bots and its hilarious sequel Incredible Change-Bots Two... In the meantime, he's gone and launched TWO best-selling Star Wars series for kids, Darth Vader and Jedi Academy! And now he's back, with the biggest Change-Bots book yet.

Collecting over 200 pages of rare "odds, ends, and missing parts," Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something includes short stories, gallery art show pieces, game and toy designs, artwork created for fan club members, interviews with almost every Change-Bot, and more. Click here for a ten-page preview, and pre-order now with your favorite retailer!

Note: a limited HARDCOVER edition of Change-Bots Two Point Something Something is also available, exclusively from Top Shelf! Click here for details.

Also opening for pre-order is the gorgeous new softcover edition of Lars Martinson's Tonoharu Part One! This Xeric-award-winning book turned many heads in its original hardcover release, called "stunningly good" by Boing Boing. Now Lars brings his international opus to a more affordable softcover format. More details and an 8-page preview here!

Our newest addition to the Top Shelf Kids Club, Eric Orchard's spooky and whimsical adventure Maddy Kettle, won't be out until September... but anticipation is already building! Not only has Eric sown the seeds with a 16-page preview in last month's Free Comic Book Day issue, but now we have more good news: Maddy is an official selection of the Junior Library Guild! The JLG services thousands of subscriber libraries, who have a standing order to receive its selections each month... so the competition is fierce to be the ONE title selected for each category in a given month. In the world of kids' books, landing the JLG is considered a good omen, often the first step in a run of additional honors!

We can't wait for you all to fall in love with Eric Orchard, his creation Maddy, and their fantastical world. Reserve your copy today from your favorite retailer!

The Top Shelf Kids Club is already home to so many beloved characters... but there's always room for more! As of now, pre-orders are officially open for two great books debuting in August 2014.

Eric Orchard's Maddy Kettle was introduced to the world in this spring's Free Comic Book Day issue, and the response has been terrific. NPR said it "looks fantastic: every panel exudes quirky, gorgeous atmosphere,” while io9 agreed it was "quirky, beautifully illustrated, and frankly looks like it's going to be an instant classic. Don't miss it." What's more, an early version of a Maddy Kettle scene has already received the Silver prize at the Spectrum Awards, honoring the best in fantasy art. Now Maddy's full adventure is off to the printing press, and it's time to pre-order from your favorite retailer!

And that's not all... we're also announcing the return of Johnny Boo, the best little ghost in the world — and he's brought company! When author James Kochalka asked what adventure Johnny Boo should go on next, many readers wanted him to visit the moon. Others wanted him to ride a skateboard. Well, dreams do come true! Johnny Boo Zooms to the Moon! has all this and more, including moon ice cream, a new monster, and the mighty Boom Power of new friend Susie Boom!

Click through for details and a free preview of each book!

The Humble eBook Bundle deal -- in which you can pay what you want and download a bundle of great digital books -- just got even sweeter.

As of today, the bundle has swelled to thirteen titles, including the acclaimed The From Hell Companion by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell (called "A man-behind-the-curtain look at a seminal graphic novel... an indispensable reference") and Alex Robinson's Too Cool to Be Forgotten (winner of the Harvey Award for best graphic novel!) as well as an audiobook by Cory Doctorow, and James K. Morrow's award-winning Shambling Towards Hiroshima.

All this in addition to the terrific bargain it already was. So head on over and grab your bundle - there's only one week left!

We at Top Shelf Productions are very pleased to partner with the team at Humble Bundle to offer several of the comic industry’s most acclaimed graphic novels, completely free of DRM restrictions, as part of “Humble eBook Bundle IV.” For the next two weeks, customers can name their own price for the bundle, which marks the first ever DRM-free release of Wizzywig by Ed Piskor and From Hell by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell, plus March: Book One, the award-winning civil rights graphic memoir by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell.

Those three titles alone are worth a cover price of $70, but the eBook Bundle also features work by many other authors, including George R. R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Terry Goodkind, and Yahtzee Croshaw. What's more, this project serves as a fund-raiser for both Doctors Without Borders and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Upon purchasing the bundle and choosing how much to pay, customers can select how they’d like the funds to be split among the books’ creators, the two charities, and a “tip” for the Humble Bundle team.

For more details and to name your own price for these outstanding books, visit Humble Bundle now! The promotion ends after two weeks, on June 11th.

Every so often, a graphic novel comes out that is so remarkable and so important, it breaks out of traditional categories, forcing readers and institutions to reconsider their expectations of what the comics medium can do. In 1992, for example, Art Spiegelman's Maus depicted the life of a Holocaust survivor with such innovative power that the Pulitzer Prize committee issued Spiegelman a "Special Award."

Now, the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights has announced that March: Book One, the first volume of Congressman John Lewis' civil rights memoir co-written with Andrew Aydin and drawn by Nate Powell, will receive a "Special Recognition" award at the 2014 Robert F. Kennedy Book Awards, to be awarded in a ceremony tomorrow night, May 22, in Washington, D.C.

Fittingly for an icon of the civil rights movement, this will be Congressman Lewis' second honor from the RFK Book Awards; his prose autobiography Walking with the Wind won in 1999. The awards, founded in 1980, celebrate those books which best reflect the late Senator Kennedy's ideals of justice, human rights, and equality of opportunity. In his capacity as attorney general, senator, and presidential candidate, Kennedy played a significant role in the civil rights movement throughout the 60s, and indeed will appear in the forthcoming second and third volumes of March.

This honor also places the March team in fine company in another way: the RFK Book Awards' only previous use of the Special Recognition was also for comics, awarded in 1994 to the legendary editorial cartoonist Herblock.

Can you believe it's May already?! We've just finished celebrating FREE COMIC BOOK DAY with a new Top Shelf Kids Club comic book (containing free samples of Rob Harrell's Monster on the Hill and Eric Orchard's upcoming Maddy Kettle), which you can now add on to web orders for only 50 cents!

And now it's time to head to Toronto for this weekend's TCAF: Toronto Comic Arts Festival, May 10-11! Join Top Shelf on the 2nd floor (tables 228-230) to meet this fantastic lineup:

• Pete Sickman-Garner (debuting his gut-busting graphic novel Hey, Mister: Come Hell or Highwater Pants)
• Eric Orchard (signing our new FCBD comic, a preview of his upcoming book Maddy Kettle)
• Liz Prince (with her new book Alone Forever, a new printing of Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?, and more)
• Nate Powell (signing March: Book One, a new printing of Swallow Me Whole, and more)
• Jess Fink (Chester 5000, We Can Fix It!, and more)
• Kagan McLeod (Infinite Kung Fu and more)

The wait is over! Five years after Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill first brought their famous League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series to the trans-Atlantic partnership of Top Shelf (US) & Knockabout (UK), we're officially opening pre-orders for our most requested item: the collected "Century"!

This 256-page hardcover, scheduled to hit stores in July 2014, will collect all three installments of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. III: Century. Spanning the League's adventures in 1910, 1969, and 2009, this metafictional epic sees Mina Murray and her dwindling allies race across time to prevent an apocalyptic conspiracy, while the world they once knew crumbles around them. Woven throughout, of course, are countless colorful characters from 100 years of British popular culture, from Marxist opera to reality television, pulp fiction to experimental film, and even a touch of rock 'n' roll.

Discover the saga CBR called "arguably one of the greatest comics of all time"!

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol III): Century - HARDCOVER
by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
-- 256-page full-color hardcover with dust jacket
-- 6 5/8" x 10 3/8"
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-329-3
-- Diamond order code: MAY14-1615
-- For mature readers (18+)
-- $29.95 (US)
-- Co-published by Top Shelf Productions (US) and Knockabout Comics (UK)
-- Pre-order now for release in July!

Also open for pre-order: the second printing of the critically acclaimed swan song by the inimitable dean of autobiographical comics, an autobiography of a man and a city: Harvey Pekar's Cleveland.

Harvey Pekar's Cleveland
by Harvey Pekar and Joseph Remnant
-- 128-page hardcover graphic novel
-- 9.3" x 7.3"
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-091-9
-- Diamond order code: DEC11-1207
-- For mature readers (16+)
-- $21.99 (US)
-- Co-published by Top Shelf Productions and Zip Comics
-- Pre-order the new printing now for release in July!

Hot on the heels of his Eisner Award nomination, more congratulations are in order for Zander Cannon tonight, as the Pennsylvania Center for the Book named his graphic novel Heck among the recipients of the Lynd Ward Prize, a recent and very prestigious award honoring "the best graphic novel, fiction or non-fiction, published in the previous calendar year by a living U.S. or Canadian citizen or resident." Heck is one of two Honorees, along with Gene Luen Yang's Boxers & Saints, while the top prize went to Jim Woodring's Fran. Indeed, when informed of the news, Zander had this to say: "This is such an honor. I'm also friends with Jim Woodring and Gene Yang, so the happiness is threefold!"

The judges called Heck "a thoroughly engaging story despite its seemingly simple presentation. It draws its intellectual inheritance from Dante’s Inferno to explore memory, amnesia and morality with grace and wit. Cannon’s style is characterized by deft and confident thick line work combined with dark shadows, creating a stark black and white affair that hides nothing."

Heck, first serialized in the digital magazine Double Barrel, is Zander Cannon's first solo graphic novel, though it follows two decades of acclaimed work in the industry as both artist and writer/artist. Combining the thrills and action of the pulp tradition with the trademark emotional sophistication of indie comics, Heck follows a washed-up football star as he discovers a portal to Hell, goes into business as an underworld courier, and battles dark forces both within and without. It's available in the pages of Double Barrel, as an ebook or hardcover, and exclusively from Top Shelf as a limited-edition signed and numbered deluxe package.

Our heartiest congratulations to Zander and all this year's Lynd Ward Prize recipients!