News pg. 19

MARCH and HECK receive Eisner Award nominations! Plus: the Glyph Awards!

April 16, 2014 / More →

Image for MARCH and HECK receive Eisner Award nominations! Plus: the Glyph Awards!

After a terrific year for comics of all kinds, the judges of the 2014 Will Eisner Awards had quite a challenge selecting this year's nominees. Late yesterday, however, the results were released -- and Top Shelf is honored to congratulate four terrific authors on four Eisner nominations!

March: Book One, the monumental civil rights graphic memoir by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, has already been acclaimed by critics, readers, retailers, universities, and library organizations. Now we are honored to add the endorsement of the comic book community, with Eisner Award nominations in Best Publication for Teens and Best Reality-Based Work, and Nate's artwork on the book singled out for Best Penciller/Inker!

As Andrew Aydin told the Washington Post: “I grew up in Atlanta as a nerd, so I’ve been reading about heroes in comic books and learning about the heroism of John Lewis since before I can remember... Decades later, the fact that our book is now being embraced by the comics community, and considered alongside so many great works, means the world to me.”

Congratulations also to Zander Cannon, whose powerful graphic novel Heck is Eisner-nominated for Best Graphic Album—Reprint! That gorgeous hardcover collects the story first serialized in the digital magazine Double Barrel.

One year after these books' triumphant launch at Comic-Con 2013, we'll see you again in San Diego this summer for the Eisner Award ceremony!

And that's not the only good news... the Glyph Comics Awards have also announced their list of nominees! The Glyphs, celebrating the best in African-American comics, have not only nominated March: Book One for Story of the Year, they've selected its 1950s-era inspiration, Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story for Best Reprint Publication! How appropriate for past, present, and future to be celebrated all together.

Congratulations to Congressman Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell, Zander Cannon, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and all the amazing talents nominated this year!


Welcome the acclaimed PINOCCHIO, VAMPIRE SLAYER to Top Shelf!

April 2, 2014 / More →

This month’s Previews catalog features an twisted fairy-tale adventure for teens and adults alike! Now's your chance to see why the critics are raving about Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer:

Coming in June: the acclaimed PINOCCHIO, VAMPIRE SLAYER complete in one volume!

After gathering substantial praise for their individual volumes, artist Dusty Higgins and writer Van Jensen officially join the Top Shelf family this summer with the first-ever complete collection of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer! Click through for more details and a 12-page preview.

One of YALSA’s Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens!
"It's the greatest thing I've read all year. And you'll notice my nose didn't grow one bit when I said that." — Mark Waid
"Page after page of amazement." Publishers Weekly
“The premise for this graphic novel is really almost too good to be true… and the execution doesn't disappoint.” Booklist
"Outstanding." Topless Robot
"Sometimes dark, sometimes silly, but always fun, Pinocchio coming of age Batman-style is just the thing for fantasy and horror fans." MTV
“Really, really good.” Comics Alliance
"Seriously, it's perfect." Comic Book Resources

This puppet may not be a real boy… but he just might be a real hero.

When bloodthirsty monsters invade Pinocchio's hometown and kill his father Geppetto, Pinocchio discovers a new benefit to his magical nose: telling lies produces a never-ending supply of wooden stakes to combat the vampire hordes! Will Pinocchio be able to defeat these horrors, avenge his father, and save his friends?

Jensen (Green Lantern Corps) and Higgins (Knights of the Living Dead) present a captivating blend of comedy, horror, romance, and adventure, rooted in the original Italian novel but brought - as if by magic - to new life.

Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer
by Dusty Higgins and Van Jensen

--a softcover graphic novel with French Flaps, 6.25” x 8.5”
--528 pages
--$24.95 (US)
--ISBN 978-1-60309-347-7
--Diamond order code: APR141393
--Pre-order now for release in June!

Plus: Liz Prince's essential WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME IF I WET THE BED?, back in print!

Just as Liz Prince re-enters the spotlight with her delightfully misanthropic new book Alone Forever, we've headed back to print on her lovable debut! It's a must-have for any reader who's ever been in love. Grab your copy today, hot off the press!

Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?
by Liz Prince

--a softcover graphic novel, 4" x 6"
--80 pages
--$7.00 (US)
--ISBN 978-1-891830-72-3
--Diamond order code: APR141394


John Lewis' MARCH reaches college campuses, Oprah, and MTV!

March 24, 2014 / More →

Over six months after its publication, the phenomenon that is March: Book One continues to break new ground. This graphic novel, the first in a trilogy by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, has won tremendous acclaim, both as a great book on its own terms, and as an opportunity to reach new audiences. March is not only communicating to new generations about vital American history, it's also introducing the graphic novel format to countless new readers.

With that in mind, we're very proud to announce three new developments this week:

Michigan State and Marquette University select MARCH!

Michigan State University and Marquette University have both selected March as freshman required reading for 2014! March: Book One will be featured in "One Book, One Community," a program in which Michigan State University partners with the City of East Lansing to read, discuss, and celebrate a book together as a community. Similarly, Marquette University in Milwaukee has selected March: Book One for its First-Year Reading Program, in which all incoming students spend the summer reading a common text and then discuss it during New Student Orientation. Together, these programs will see over 10,000 students reading this graphic novel simultaneously!

Oprah Magazine loves MARCH!

March: Book One is praised by New York State Senator Daniel Squadron with a glowing review in the new issue of O, the Oprah Magazine (April 2014, on newsstands this week): "A riveting chronicle of Lewis’s extraordinary life… it powerfully illustrates how much perseverance is needed to achieve fundamental social change."

MARCH heads to MTV!

Last but not least, co-authors Congressman Lewis and Andrew Aydin recently taped an interview with MTV News' Sway Calloway, which will air on MTV shortly!


Announcing the long-awaited return of HEY, MISTER and more!

March 6, 2014 / More →

This month's pre-order announcement is a very special landmark for us at Top Shelf. When Brett Warnock and I decided to join forces at the Small Press Expo in 1997, we had one goal: to bring great comics into the world, comics that could be funny or charming, and full of subtext and heart.

And the first graphic novel we ever released was Pete Sickman-Garner's wry and witty Hey, Mister: After School Special.

Now, so many years later, we're pleased as punch to announce the return of Pete, and his whole cast of lovable Hey, Mister weirdoes, for their biggest adventure ever -- to Hell and back! This 192-page self-contained graphic novel is a perfect introduction for new readers, while longtime fans will find extra treats lurking inside.

Hey, Mister: Come Hell or Highwater Pants
by Pete Sickman-Garner

ISBN 978-1-60309-030-8
$14.95 (US)
A 192-Page full-length graphic novel, 6.5" x 9.5"
Can Mister, Young Tim, and Aunt Mary help Satan sneak back into the underworld and retrieve his soul? Pete Sickman-Garner returns at last to his beloved cult-favorite series HEY, MISTER, rounding up the whole cast for one Hell of a heist job.
Pre-order in the current Diamond Previews today for books shipping in May!

Also coming soon: new printings of essential Top Shelf classics!


Now's the time to pre-order YOUR copies of the spring reprints of the Jeff Lemire library (The Underwater Welder, Essex County, and Lost Dogs) as well as the legendary Lost Girls by Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie!

New releases from Top Shelf in stores now!


2014 is off to a mighty beginning with these new releases! Head to your favorite store today to pick up The Bojeffries Saga by Alan Moore & Steve Parkhouse and Alone Forever by Liz Prince -- and stay tuned for the March 19 release of Nemo: The Roses of Berlin by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill as well as our reprinted edition of the timeless civil rights comic book Martin Luther King & the Montgomery Story (hitting stores in April)!

Your friend thru comics,

Chris Staros


Top Shelf launches first wave of DRM-free graphic novels!

February 19, 2014 / More →

Ever since we first began selling digital editions of our books in 2011, Top Shelf has embraced digital distribution wholeheartedly. We’ve presented an unmatched library of award-winning and fan-favorite graphic novels on multiple platforms, working with digital partners to offer readers a remarkable degree of choice, while keeping digital prices substantially lower than print.

And since our printed books are so handsomely designed, we know that offering you affordable and convenient e-books doesn’t stop you from craving the print edition for your bookshelf — on the contrary, the two formats complement each other.

Fans evidently agree! You've responded to our digital offerings with great enthusiasm, downloading Top Shelf comics by the thousands from excellent vendors like Comixology, Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, BN Nook, and more, while continuing to shop for your favorites in printed format from your favorite retailers.

Today, we’re launching a new program that gives digital readers even more options. In addition to selling through our digital partners, select titles are now available in DRM-free digital editions directly from our online store at www.topshelfcomix.com! Using this DRM-free option allows you to download your purchase as a simple PDF, ePub, or CBZ file -- yours to keep, back up, or transfer to mobile devices.

What’s more, this new direct-download option allows us to launch another great feature: add-on pricing. Starting today, customers who order select titles from the www.topshelfcomix.com online store can purchase both print and digital editions at the same time, for a substantial savings! For example, Jeff Lemire’s The Underwater Welder is priced at $19.95 print and $6.99 digital, but now when ordering the print edition, it’s only $2.99 extra to add on the digital edition. One for home and one for the road? One for you and one for your sweetie? The choice is yours, with add-on pricing!

Top Shelf’s new DRM-free ebook program launches with the following titles:

Also, the following digital-exclusive titles are now available DRM-free:

Thanks as always for your support. Let’s explore the future of comics… together!


Liz Prince is ALONE FOREVER in a town near you!

February 1, 2014 / More →

Image for Liz Prince is ALONE FOREVER in a town near you!

Can you believe it's February already? Just in time for Valentine's Day, we've got a new release from the author of the award-winning fan-favorite Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?

Yes, Liz Prince debuts her much-anticipated new book Alone Forever this week (in stores February 5)!

But why let her be ALONE FOREVER when you can MEET LIZ PRINCE at one of her many events this month?

Liz hits the road with her new book:

And that's not all! Liz has expanded her reach by sending awesome prints of various Alone Forever comic strips for you to view and purchase at these worldwide gallery shows!

Hope to see you on the road! For more details and a 7-page preview of the book, click here.


MARCH: BOOK ONE wins Coretta Scott King Honors from American Library Association!

January 28, 2014 / More →

Top Shelf Productions is both proud and honored to congratulate Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, the creators of March: Book One, on yesterday's announcement that their graphic novel is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.

Since 1970, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards have celebrated outstanding books for young people about the African American experience. The honor for March: Book One (the first in a planned trilogy of graphic novels in which Congressman Lewis recounts his astonishing life in the civil rights movement) is only the second time the CSK committee has selected a book in comics format. It marks the first Coretta Scott King honor for Lewis, Aydin, or Powell, as well as for publisher Top Shelf.

March: Book One ended 2013 being listed among the year's best books by USA Today, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and many more publications, and was recently selected by comic book retailers to receive Diamond Comic Distributors' Gem Award as Independent Graphic Novel of the Year. It is currently in its 21st week on the New York Times bestseller list.

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


THE MONTGOMERY STORY comes to your favorite retailer!

January 28, 2014 / More →

You may remember that the award-winning March trilogy is based on the 1950s comic book Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, which served as both an inspiration and an instruction manual for young John Lewis and many other activists of his generation. Now, in addition to launching the first fully-authorized digital edition of that comic book (both in a special bundle and on its own), we've partnered with the Fellowship of Reconciliation on a new physical reprint!

At last, comic shops, bookstores, libraries, and readers can order their own copies of this timeless piece of history. It's available for pre-order now and will hit stores in April. And once again, all of Top Shelf's proceeds will be donated to the book's original publishers, the Fellowship of Reconciliation!


Key reprints coming in April: FROM HELL, BLANKETS, SWALLOW ME WHOLE!

January 28, 2014 / More →

Spring is the season of rebirth - and the perfect time for fresh printings of three award-winning Top Shelf perennials!

From Hell by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell
Blankets by Craig Thompson (both softcover and hardcover editions)
Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell

These titles, all winners of the Eisner and Ignatz Awards, are beloved masterpieces that no graphic novel reader should be without. Pre-order your copies today!


All-new LEAGUE adventure in 2014, as NEMO heads to darkest Berlin!

January 3, 2014 / More →

When Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill followed up their League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century trilogy with 2013's spinoff Nemo: Heart of Ice, critics hailed it as a return to form, "a throwback to the high adventure of the initial series," and a "late-career masterpiece, with a chiseled veneer of cracked adventure on the surface and a bubbling enthusiasm for the magic of storytelling welling up inside."

Now saddle up your submarines and study up on your silent films, because the new NEMO is now available for pre-order! Moore & O'Neill rampage through twentieth-century culture in a blazing new adventure, set in a city of totalitarian shadows and mechanical nightmares. Cultures clash and lives are lost in the explosive collision of four unforgettable women, lost in the black and bloody alleyways where thrive THE ROSES OF BERLIN.

You can pre-order it from this month's Diamond Previews catalog, for release in March. For more details and 5 preview images, click here!

Also coming soon:
BURNING BUILDING COMIX by Jeff Zwirek - HOT second printing of this innovative Ignatz-nominated gem.
ALONE FOREVER by Liz Prince - The author of the world's most lovable couples comic sets her sights on the single life.
THE BOJEFFRIES SAGA by Alan Moore & Steve Parkhouse - This nutty British comedy gives "nuclear family" a whole new meaning, now complete in a single volume with an all-new story!


Nate Powell goes in-depth with the Comics Reporter!

January 2, 2014 / More →

Image for Nate Powell goes in-depth with the Comics Reporter!

"This is one of the books of this year. This is something that will be prominent in your career, no matter what direction it takes from here, for however long you continue to make comics."

So begins Tom Spurgeon's long and wide-ranging interview with our own Nate Powell, award-winning author/artist of Swallow Me Whole, Any Empire, Sounds of Your Name, and now artist of March: Book One, one of the most talked-about and highly-acclaimed graphic novels in Top Shelf history.

How does it feel to work so closely with a revered figure of American history? What does it mean to break through barriers for comics on television and in classrooms? What was the creative process to turn this powerful narrative into such innovative comic book pages? Tom and Nate get deeply into it, making this interview a must-read. Check it out!


Top Shelf wishes you a hilarious holiday season!

December 18, 2013 / More →

Image for Top Shelf wishes you a hilarious holiday season!

The holidays are upon us, and Top Shelf has two special treats to help you celebrate:

First, James Kochalka returns to his raunchy cult-classic SUPERF*CKERS with a 16-page seasonal special! Yes, it's a timeless holiday gem for the modern age, SuperF*ckers Save Christmas! Grab this digital delight today, and it can be Christmas in your heart (and your tablet device) all year round.

But that's not all! The dynamic duo of Mark Russell and Shannon Wheeler, creators of this year's left-field hit God Is Disappointed in You, are caught up in the holiday spirit too. They've teamed up once again for a new book trailer, featuring the Biblical first Christmas -- God Is Disappointed in You style! Click here or watch it after the jump. (Some language may not be safe for work.)

Don't forget, God Is Disappointed in You makes a great gift for the believer or nonbeliever in your life -- or grab the ebook version to read on your shiny new devices!

Ho ho ho and happy holidays from Top Shelf!

Read More →


Top Shelf titles are the Best Books of 2013!

December 18, 2013 / More →

Image for Top Shelf titles are the Best Books of 2013!

A special year-end congratulations to our authors & artists -- we're proud to see so much of their work praised in "Best Books of the Year" lists!

The historic and captivating March: Book One (by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell) was particularly singled out for inclusion on over a dozen major lists! We also noted considerable praise for Kevin Cannon's thrilling Crater XV, Zander Cannon's powerful Heck, and the Double Barrel series that launched them; Jeffrey Brown's sober A Matter of Life; and Rob Harrell's delightful Monster on the Hill!

Our thanks to the fine folks with great taste over at The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book, Paste, Slate, Washington CityPaper, North Adams Transcript, ComicsAlliance, Multiversity Comics, Crave Online, Amazon, and Apple iBooks, among others!


Kick off 2014 with a laugh: new comedies from Alan Moore & Liz Prince!

December 3, 2013 / More →

Top Shelf launches an outstanding 2014 season with two releases for February: a time for love, family, and togetherness… or at least hilarious deconstruction of those themes!

Pre-order these titles now with your local comics retailer (both featured in the current Diamond Previews catalog). Click through for more information and preview pages!

Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse gleefully demolish British culture in THE BOJEFFRIES SAGA, now complete in a single volume with an all-new story!


You loved her relationship comics… But now Liz Prince is ALONE FOREVER!

Thanks for your support, and Happy Holidays!


THE MONTGOMERY STORY now available on more platforms!

November 20, 2013 / More →

Image for THE MONTGOMERY STORY now available on more platforms!

Two weeks ago, Top Shelf partnered with the Fellowship of Reconciliation and with comiXology to release the first-ever fully-authorized digital edition of the influential 1950s comic Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story, in an exclusive digital bundle with the bestselling graphic novel March: Book One. Following that launch, and the extensive segment on The Rachel Maddow Show exploring the connection between the two comics, interest has soared for The Montgomery Story, in both print and digital form.

So we're pleased to announce that, due to popular demand, Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story is now available on some of the most popular ebook platforms, including Amazon's Kindle store, Apple's iBookstore, and iVerse's Comics+, as well as independently on Comixology! As always, all our proceeds from this fully-authorized release will be donated to F.O.R., and the printed edition is also available.

Thanks to the Fellowship of Reconciliation, all our digital partners, and to YOU for your support of this timeless piece of comics history!