Top Shelf Productions

The enormous New York Comic-Con is this weekend — and we'll be there! Catch all these authors at the Top Shelf / IDW Publishing booth (#1844) all weekend long, with official signings Friday 10am and Sunday 12pm:

• Steve Nedvidek & Jack Lowe (The Jekyll Island Chronicles)
• Benjamin Frisch (The Fun Family)
• Van Jensen (Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer)
• Koren Shadmi (Love Addict: Confessions of a Serial Dater)

Plus don't miss Top Shelf's Leigh Walton on the IDW Publishing: Indie Books On The Rise panel (Sunday Oct 9, 1:30–2:30 pm in Room 1A02) for the scoop on what's next from Top Shelf — including a very exciting announcement from an Eisner-winning project!

October has arrived, and pumpkin lattes aren't the only new thing on the menu! The latest catalog from Diamond Comic Distributors features upcoming titles for December 2016 release, which for Top Shelf means the launch of a very special new series.

Pop in your quarters and see what pops out of Gumballs — a brand new one-man anthology comic from Portland cartoonist Erin Nations! His bright, candy-colored palette and crisp linework pop off the page, while his stories reflect a fascination with humanity in all its diverse foibles — hinting at one of his earliest creative influences, Matt Groening’s The Simpsons.

In Gumballs #1, Erin serves up a delicious variety of stories: recollections of growing up as a triplet, interactions with oddball grocery-store customers, the adventures of clueless dork Tobias, painfully funny faux Personal Ads, and “Tales of Being Trans” -- reflections on Erin’s true-life journey of gender transition.

Gumballs tips its hat to the classic alt-comic tradition of Eightball, Optic Nerve, and Box Office Poison, but speaks with a delightfully fresh voice for the modern age.

Gumballs breaks new ground as Top Shelf's first project from an openly transgender cartoonist, but it's also our first new project in the comic book format in over a decade. The last comic book series launched under the Top Shelf banner was The Surrogates by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele, which went on to become a New York Times Bestseller and inspire a hundred-million-dollar movie... so clearly the future is bright for Erin Nations and Gumballs!

Before the series launches in December, get to know Erin with this Buzzfeed profile, and ask your favorite retailer to pre-order Gumballs today!

An icon of the civil rights movement is now on his way to one of the nation's most prestigious literary prizes.

As the March trilogy celebrates five continuous weeks of holding the top 3 spots on the New York Times Bestseller List, news broke this morning via the New Yorker of the National Book Awards Longlist for Young People's Literature — featuring March: Book Three! Congratulations to Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell for this great honor.

March: Book Two recently received the Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work and two Harvey Awards, but this is the first award to feature March: Book Three, and the first National Book Award nomination for all three of the creators. In fact, John Lewis is the first sitting member of Congress to be nominated for the National Book Award since John F. Kennedy in 1957 for Profiles in Courage.

The current "longlist" of ten books will be narrowed to five finalists on October 13th, before the final award ceremony November 16th. We wish them the best of luck!

Congratulations are in order for Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. Their award-winning March trilogy has struck another milestone, as March: Book Three makes its debut appearance on the New York Times Bestseller List at #1.

In fact, the entire trilogy takes the top three slots, while March: Book One celebrates a full year of Bestseller status with its 52nd week on the charts, coming full circle from its own #1 debut.

In the wake of Book Three's release, demand for March has been staggering, selling out multiple printings. For several days in a row, each of the three volumes of March outsold every other book in America aside from J.K. Rowling's new Harry Potter adventure.

This triple-bestseller status is only the latest in a string of recent honors for March, the three-volume graphic novel memoir which brings the history of the civil rights movement to urgent new life through the eyes of John Lewis. In May, the nation's largest public school system, New York City Schools, announced the addition of March to their official "Passport to Social Studies" curriculum. A few weeks ago at Comic-Con, the authors accepted an Eisner Award (often called "the Oscars of comics") and led a commemorative "children's march" joined by hundreds of students and readers, with Congressman Lewis in "cosplay" as his younger self complete with trench coat and backpack. A recent New York Times article profiled the series' phenomenal success and its real-world impact on students across the country — including young activists who are being inspired by March to take up the mission of nonviolent protest in their own communities.

At last, the March trilogy is complete — but as Congressman Lewis reminds us, the march continues.

Thanks to years of support from readers, teachers, students, librarians, retailers, and more — and a cresting wave of publicity including Rachel Maddow's impassioned testimonial to the power of these comics — we are stunned and extremely proud to announce that, according to retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books, the entire March trilogy is currently outselling every book in America that isn't the brand-new Harry Potter book.

Celebrate with Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell by picking up March: Book Three from your favorite retailer today!

More than five years after the project was first announced, Top Shelf Productions is honored to reach a new milestone this week with the third and final volume of March, the award-winning and #1 bestselling graphic novel trilogy by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell.

As the New York Times reports this morning, March has become a groundbreaking phenomenon, reaching classrooms across America and inspiring hundreds of thousands of readers with the story of John Lewis and the power of nonviolence.

Now, in the wake of the March team's recent Eisner Award and "Children's March" at Comic-Con, the trilogy comes to an incredible conclusion with March: Book Three, called by the Washington Post "sublime… an achievement on many fronts."

The early reviews are staggering:

• "March is one of the most important graphic novels ever created — an extraordinary presentation of an extraordinary life, and proof that young people can change the world. I'm stunned by the power of these comics, and grateful that Congressman Lewis's story will enlighten and inspire future generations of readers and leaders." — Raina Telgemeier
• "This memoir's unique eyewitness view of epochal events makes it essential reading for an understanding of those times—and these." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
• "A stirring call to action that’s particularly timely in this election year, and one that will resonate and empower young readers in particular. Essential reading." — Booklist (starred review)
• "Simultaneously epic and intimate... These vivid black-and-white visuals soar." — School Library Journal (starred review)

Pick up March: Book Three today... and don't miss the entire MARCH team on The Rachel Maddow Show, tonight on MSNBC at 9pm!

Along with this week's debut of March: Book Three, we're also pleased to offer copies of all the deluxe signed & numbered editions launched at Comic-Con! These gorgeous limited-edition volumes are only available through Top Shelf / IDW, while supplies last — so don't miss your chance.

• March: Book Three by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, & Nate Powell (deluxe hardcover edition with signed & numbered bookplate sewn into the binding — signed by all 3 creators and limited to 500 copies)
• Bacchus (Omnibus Edition): Volume Two by Eddie Campbell (deluxe hardcover edition with signed & numbered bookplate sewn into the binding — limited to 300 copies)
• The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire (deluxe hardcover edition with ribbon bookmark and signed & numbered bookplate sewn into the binding — limited to 300 copies)
• Eddie Campbell's Omnibox: The Complete Alec and Bacchus (3-volume slipcase with signed & numbered loose bookplate — limited to 25 copies)

Order now while supplies last!

San Diego Comic-Con 2016 is nearly upon us — and it's an enormous show for Top Shelf this year! For the first time, we'll be exhibiting in the prime real estate of the IDW Publishing booth (#2743), so look for the Top Shelf zone there!

And we'll have an absolutely stellar lineup of featured authors and debut books:
• Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, & Nate Powell (Eisner nominees, debuting March: Book Three, also available in hardcover as well as a signed & numbered limited edition hardcover — and leading a children's march on Saturday morning!)
• Jennifer Hayden (Special guest of the show and Eisner nominee for The Story of My Tits)
• Troy Little (Eisner nominee for Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
• Eddie Campbell (Debuting Bacchus (Omnibus Edition): Volume Two, also available in a signed & numbered limited edition hardcover, as well as Eddie Campbell's Omnibox)
• Benjamin Frisch (The Fun Family)
• Steve Nedvidek, Ed Crowell, Jack Lowe, Moses Nester, & S.J Miller (The Jekyll Island Chronicles)
• Mark Russell & Shannon Wheeler (God Is Disappointed in You, Apocrypha Now, and the God/Apocrypha Slipcase Set)
• Koren Shadmi (Love Addict: Confessions of a Serial Dater)

Plus the stunning new hardcover edition of Jeff Lemire's The Underwater Welder (also available in a signed & numbered limited edition)

In addition to official signing sessions at the IDW Signing Area (schedule here), the above authors will be holding additional signings in the Top Shelf zone on a rotating basis throughout the show. Come say hello — at booth #2743!

Read on to find details on the our can't-miss programming at the show:

In this month's Diamond Previews, by popular demand: Top Shelf presents an elegant new hardcover edition of From Hell, one of the enduring masterworks of the graphic novel form. This new edition, and the much-anticipated reprint of Aaron Renier's classic all-ages adventure Spiral-Bound, are both available for pre-order from your favorite retailer, for release in September!

From Hell (New Hardcover Edition) by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell
ISBN 978-1-60309-397-2 • Diamond: JUN16-0567
560-page hardcover graphic novel • $39.99 (US)
For mature readers (18+)

"A seminal graphic novel." — Kirkus Reviews
"Remarkable." — The New Yorker
"Fearsomely complex." — Publishers Weekly
"Positively intoxicating." — The Guardian
"Both creators are at the top of their game... a hypnotic read and perpetual re-read." — Rolling Stone
"A great work of literature." — Amazon
"My all-time favorite graphic novel … an immense, majestic work about the Jack the Ripper murders, the dark Victorian world they happened in, and the birth of the 20th century." — Warren Ellis, Entertainment Weekly

The award-winning classic by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell returns — in hardcover — with a powerful new cover design!

Two of the greatest creators in the history of comics. Eleven unsolved murders. One sprawling conspiracy, one metropolis on the brink of the twentieth century, and one bloody-minded Ripper ushering London into the modern age of terror. From Hell, often ranked among the greatest graphic novels of all time, is now available in a handsome hardcover edition, with a brand new cover design by Eddie Campbell & Chris Ross. -- a 560-page hardcover graphic novel.
Pre-order now for release in September 2016!

Also returning in September:
Spiral-Bound by Aaron Renier
ISBN 978-1-891830-50-1 • Diamond: JUN05-3272
184-page softcover graphic novel with rounded corners • $14.95 (US)
For all ages (10+)

Winner of the Eisner Award!
"Brilliant! Aaron Renier has created a playfully mysterious universe, complete with its own dreamlike logic. It's a delightfully inventive treasure." — Dav Pilkey
"Exactly the sort of novel I have been looking for." — Lemony Snicket
"Spiral-Bound is a lush magical landscape... It reminds us of the joy of discovery, and of finding oneself." — Craig Thompson

With an ensemble cast straight from a box of Animal Crackers, this delightful tale of ambition, morality, and self-discovery is an all-ages classic. Drawn in a decidedly beautiful fashion, reminiscent of Richard Scarry and Lewis Trondheim, Aaron Renier gives us a fully realized and compellingly adventurous narrative, at once both achingly naïve and profoundly worldly. This tightly-crafted graphic novel is the real deal, and will charm your socks off.
Pre-order now for release in September 2016!

Congratulations are in order for Top Shelf's lead designer Chris Ross, along with creators Ray Fawkes, Vince Locke, Troy Little, and Jeff Lemire!

This afternoon, the Publishers Association of the West announced the winners of their 2016 PubWest Book Design Awards, featuring no less than three "Gold" awards for Top Shelf graphic novels:

Junction True by Ray Fawkes & Vince Locke

Production Managers: Chris Staros, Chris Ross, and Veronica Haas
Designer: Chris Ross
Printer: Asia Pacific Offset
Inspired by its themes of surgical body-modification and interlocking parts, Junction True features an exposed spine and a vellum "skin" (dust jacket) which can be removed, inverted, and re-attached — which not only completes the circular painting on the cover, it also reveals a secret message coded into the flaps.

Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas adapted by Troy Little

Production Managers: Chris Staros and Chris Ross
Designers: Troy Little and Chris Ross
Printer: Tri Vision Company
The cover design to Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (color-coded to the "American Dream" which animates the book's plot) pays subtle tribute to previous visual adaptations of Thompson's work, while breaking new ground with the bold energy that characterizes Troy Little's style. A shimmering spot gloss on the front cover highlights the "bats" which Mr. Duke famously hallucinates in the book's iconic opening scene — are they truly there? Or only in your head?

Essex County (Slipcase Edition) by Jeff Lemire

Production Managers: Chris Staros and Chris Ross
Designers: Chris Ross and Jeff Lemire
Printer: Tri Vision Company
The cloth-bound limited slipcase edition of Essex County is an elegant celebration of one of Top Shelf's most critically acclaimed works. Two haunting sketches by Jeff Lemire of the book's enigmatic crow were transferred to a red foil-stamp on either side of the slipcase, while the book itself bears the image of the orphaned protagonist Lester in his superhero costume.

Congratulations to all the winners — these books are not just great comics, they're truly spectacular art objects.

This August, Congressman John Lewis collaborates again with Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell for the searing conclusion of the award-winning graphic novel trilogy MARCH. Through an unforgettable literary and artistic narrative, MARCH portrays the surpassing courage, sacrifice, and revolutionary nonviolence that transformed American society in the 1960s, narrated firsthand by one of the key figures of the Civil Rights Movement.

"March is one of the most important graphic novels ever created — an extraordinary presentation of an extraordinary life, and proof that young people can change the world. I'm stunned by the power of these comics, and grateful that Congressman Lewis's story will enlighten and inspire future generations of readers and leaders."

— Raina Telgemeier

By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action, SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense: Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and death. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions of Americans silenced by voter suppression: “One Man, One Vote.”

To carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young activists launch a series of innovative campaigns, including the Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and an all-out battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged live on national television.

With these new struggles come new allies, new opponents, and an unpredictable new president who might be both at once. But fractures within the movement are deepening ... even as 25-year-old John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a town called Selma.

March: Book Three
by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
A 256-page graphic novel with French flaps, 6.5” x 9.5”
ISBN 978-1-60309-402-3
Diamond order code: JUN16-0408
Click here for details and an 8-page preview!
In stores August 2nd, 2016

Featured guests Jennifer Hayden and Jeff Lemire lead a terrific lineup of Top Shelf talent at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this weekend (May 14-15 at the Toronto Reference Library). Jennifer's critically-acclaimed memoir The Story of My Tits makes its TCAF debut this weekend, along with the stunning Limited Slipcase Edition of Jeff's now-classic Essex County, and the festival is celebrating with dedicated spotlight programming around each author.

Joining them are Canada's own Troy Little (with his addictively great adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Ray Fawkes (whose alluringly twisted Junction True makes its TCAF debut), Eric Orchard (the wild imagination that brought you Maddy Kettle), plus from the IDW extended family, Conor McCreery (Kill Shakespeare) and Brenda Hickey (My Little Pony). And last but not least, we'll have hot-off-the-press copies of the much-anticipated Cigarette Girl, featuring the groundbreaking indie manga of Masahiko Matsumoto, plus Apocrypha Now, Renée, and many other outstanding new releases.

Click below to see all the panels & programs featuring our authors, and come see us at TCAF booth #271!

NEW YORK (May 5, 2016) — When John Lewis was a college student in Nashville, Tennessee, he attended a workshop on nonviolence that changed his life. Based on the principles of Gandhi and the recent Montgomery Bus Boycott, it also included a comic book — Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story — as a take-home study aid in nonviolent resistance. “That little book became like a Bible for us,” says Lewis. Fifty years later, he teamed with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell to adapt his own incredible life story into a series of award-winning graphic novels, entitled MARCH. The MARCH series is a #1 NYT-bestselling phenomenon, earning a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, becoming a popular selection for university reading programs, and prompting the Washington Post to write, "There is perhaps no more important modern book to be stocked in American school libraries than MARCH."

Now, this groundbreaking graphic novel series reaches the nation’s largest public school system. Congressman Lewis and his MARCH co-creators, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, visited New York City today to address hundreds of the city’s social studies teachers about teaching the civil rights movement and their graphic novel series, which is being added to “Passport to Social Studies,” an expansive new curriculum developed by the New York City Department of Education. Students study the civil rights movement in the 8th grade, and now, teachers may choose to utilize lessons developed by the Department of Social Studies that feature scenes from MARCH, to discuss milestones such as John Lewis's speech at the 1963 March on Washington.

In today's session, New York's teachers had a rare opportunity to hear from a seminal figure of history whose story is vitally relevant to the modern day — and who now presents that story in a powerful new format for engaging today's students.

Teachers across the country, at every grade level, have embraced MARCH as a dynamic and powerful visual testimony of the civil rights movement, narrated by one of its major figures. For example:

• "MARCH has become essential reading in my courses... From the poignancy of Lewis’ childhood sermons with the family chickens to the courage of Freedom Riders nearly trapped inside a burning bus, each panel of MARCH rewards close readers, inviting analysis and critical reflection." — Qiana Whitted, University of South Carolina
• “MARCH brings the African American freedom struggle to life as no other memoir can. Told through the lens of Lewis’s remarkable biography, MARCH encapsulates many of the most important themes of the Civil Rights Movement, and American history more generally. Students at all levels will find that the vivid illustrations and quick pace make the narrative exciting to read, while also allowing for in-depth understandings about the complicated themes of race, equality, and perseverance in twentieth-century America. Nate Powell’s lines remain true to the horrific reality of U.S. history, while somehow highlighting people’s agency and humanity in the face of American racism and violence.” — Dave Gilbert, Mars Hill University
• "I have never had to ask students to put books down before, until MARCH." — Judith Marks, Olney Charter High School, Philadelphia, PA

Can you believe it's May already? That means it's time to celebrate, because we have two gorgeous books in the new Diamond Previews catalog, ready for your pre-orders!

Lonely? There's an app for that. Welcome to LOVE ADDICT:

"Koren Shadmi's Love Addict is a romp back to the great confessional comics of the 1990's and a trip up to the moment of mind-bending modern hijinx. So few comics find the sweet spot of sensational art, pitch perfect dialogue, compelling characters and flawless storytelling. Shadmi nails all that, and much, much more." — Peter Kuper

"Skillful storytelling, an inviting cartoony style, and beautiful establishing shots all conspire to make Love Addict a deliciously compelling read." — Joe Matt

"It's shamelessly honest and beautifully rendered: a dark and engaging look at the sometimes troubling phenomena of the modern dating experience." — Joseph Remnant

LONELY? THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT.

The acclaimed author of In the Flesh and The Abaddon presents an evocative tale of modern love... in a world where even a strong signal can lead to a bad connection.

COMING IN JULY 2016!

Love Addict: Confessions of a Serial Dater by Koren Shadmi

Full-color softcover graphic novel with French flaps, 232 pages, $24.99 (US)

ISBN 978-1-60309-393-4 - Diamond: MAY16-0534

For mature readers (18+)

Now open for pre-order from your favorite store

For details and a 10-page preview, click here!

Because you demanded it:
Jeff Lemire's UNDERWATER WELDER in Hardcover!

"Beautiful, moving, wholly satisfying." — Publishers Weekly

"All kinds of wonderful. Buy it. You will wet yourself with tears, your brain will spin from masterful storytelling, and you will love it." — Entertainment Weekly

"One of the most haunting, arresting, and unforgettable books of the last ten years... An emotional and moving work of graphic literature that compels the medium forward and the reader further down into the deep." — Comics Alliance

The New York Times Bestseller returns in a stunning new hardcover edition, featuring bonus pages and new cover art by Jeff Lemire!

COMING IN JULY 2016!

The Underwater Welder (Hardcover Edition) by Jeff Lemire

Black & white hardcover graphic novel, 232 pages, $29.99 (US)

ISBN 978-1-60309-392-7 - Diamond: MAY16-0537

Now open for pre-order from your favorite store!

For details and an 11-page preview, click here!

Comic-Con International announced today the 2016 nominees for the Will Eisner Awards, widely considered among the most prestigious in the comics industry — and Top Shelf Productions is honored to see three books named in five nominations.

March: Book Two, called one of the best books of 2015 by dozens of publications, has already won multiple awards this year. Now, this acclaimed work of civil rights history by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell joins a handful of other works in a tie for the year's most Eisner nominations, with nods in three categories: Best Publication for Teens, Best Reality-Based Work, and Best Penciller/Inker.

Jennifer Hayden scores her first Eisner nomination, as her witty and heartbreaking memoir of illness, family, and maturity, The Story of My Tits, earns a place in the Best Reality-Based Work category.

And finally, one of the strengths Troy Little brought to his adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was his wildly expressive lettering — and the Eisner committee agrees, handing him a Best Lettering nod, his third career nomination.