Top Shelf Productions

Our big sale is now over -- thank you to everyone for making it such a success. With your support, we'll "kick start" some amazing projects coming soon. Up next: the spooky all-ages romp Upside Down: A Vampire Tale by Jess Smart Smiley, and the dark and wondrous August Moon by Diana Thung, followed by the gorgeous Unearthing by Alan Moore & Mitch Jenkins in December.

Our tireless team has been packing & shipping out your orders from day one, but there's still a bunch of packing to do! All orders will be out the door within the next few weeks. We appreciate your patience -- and again, thanks for helping us continue to make great books. Happy reading!

Your friend thru comics,

Chris Staros

This week, new digital releases on the Top Shelf app and our other digital platforms include a Top Shelf classic and a brand-new chapter in a beloved series.

Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele are back for more futuristic drama in their bestselling Surrogates saga, as newly minted Detective Harvey Greer works to keep the peace in a world world transformed by surrogate technology. In the second chapter of The Surrogates: Case Files, a pathologically anxious man is found dead in a public restroom with his wallet missing. But why would this germaphobe go anywhere without his surrogate?

Plus, while you're in the mood for detective work, check out Rich Koslowski's dark, Ignatz-award-winning opus, Three Fingers! It's a documentary-style exposé of the seedy underworld of the animation industry, featuring exclusive interviews with elderly cartoon stars of the Golden Age and bringing to light the conditions under which your favorite "actors" worked. Three Fingers is a twisted delight that will forever change the way you think of those little white gloves.

The love just keeps rolling in for Jeff Lemire and his new graphic novel The Underwater Welder!

On top of the earlier praise we rounded up a few weeks ago, several more big pieces have landed this week -- including the book's appearance on the New York Times bestseller list!

Jeff has a short interview in the Times with George Gene Gustines, who notes "he has not lost his ability to pack an emotional wallop."

A longer interview appears in the major Canadian magazine Maclean's, where Jeff reveals, "This book is about two things: the pressure of becoming a parent, and the pressure of trying to follow up Essex County with something just as good. For me, that was really crippling."

Back in the United States, NPR presents an excerpt and a thoughtful review, declaring the book "wise and moving... these pages are poignant and masterful, and represent some of the very best work [Lemire]'s ever done."

Our continued congratulations to Jeff on the success of this very personal and very powerful story!

And if you've already plowed through Welder three or four times and need a new comics fix, check out IFC's in-depth interview with Ed Piskor about his computer-hacker epic Wizzywig: "one of the year’s best graphic novels, combining a thrilling, dramatic tale of curiosity, risk, and consequence, with a fascinating study of what can happen when technology and the ways we use it evolve faster than the government’s understanding of it."

While the Harvey Award voting closes up this week (fingers crossed for Kagan McLeod's Infinite Kung Fu and Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele's The Homeland Directive, plus nominations for Jeff Lemire, Craig Thompson, and Eddie Campbell!), more awards are in the works.

Today the Small Press Expo (SPX) announced its slate of nominees for the Ignatz Awards. The nominees include three Top Shelf books: the bittersweet personal history Harvey Pekar's Cleveland by Harvey Pekar & Joseph Remnant, the gorgeous young-love tragedy Lucille by Ludovic Debeurme, and the fantastical family drama The Pterodactyl Hunters by Brendan Leach!

Congratulations to Joseph, Ludovic, and Brendan, as well as the many members of the Top Shelf extended family who also made the list, like Lauren Barnett, Corinne Mucha, and Noah Van Sciver!

We hope to see you all at SPX next month for the award ceremony.

Jess Smart Smiley's Halloween adventure Upside Down: A Vampire Tale isn't the only book for youth Top Shelf is releasing this fall... we're also excited to welcome Australian cartoonist Diana Thung to Top Shelf, with her evocative and complex fable August Moon! This magical story is a delight for teen and adult readers, reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki at his most captivating, and it's available for pre-ordering in the current Diamond Previews (for books shipping in October):

AUGUST MOON
by Diana Thung
-- 320 pages • 6” x 8” • $14.95 (US)
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-069-8 • Young Adult (13+)
When young Fiona arrives in the town of Calico, she encounters a group of mysterious rabbit-like creatures, led by the peculiar street boy Jaden, who rarely speaks and claims to come from the moon. But when a creepy corporation starts bulldozing the nearby forests, she finds herself uncovering a whole world of secrets, and drawn into Jaden's battle for the soul of a community.
Diana Thung's debut Top Shelf graphic novel is a true adventure, rooted in the diverse local traditions of Asian festival culture, with a modern sensibility and a hint of magic.

Also in Previews this month: a new printing of the acclaimed erotic masterpiece by Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie, LOST GIRLS:

LOST GIRLS
by Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie
-- New printing of the single-volume hardcover edition
-- 320 pages • 9” x 12” • $45.00 (US)
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-044-5 • Adults Only (18+)
-- Co-published by Top Shelf and Knockabout
For more than a century, Alice, Wendy and Dorothy have been our guides through the Wonderland, Neverland and Land of Oz of our childhoods. Now like us, these three lost girls have grown up and return to guide us again, this time through the realms of sexual awakening and fulfillment.

Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Comics are truly pleased to announce a project several years in the making: a sumptuous new book from Alan Moore & Mitch Jenkins, serving as a biography of Alan's close friend and mentor Steve Moore (no relation), a history of London, a mystical journey, and a tribute to human imagination. Called by the New York Times a "poetic and densely allusive text," Unearthing has now been transformed by Alan Moore and photographer Mitch Jenkins into a stunning narrative art-book.

Top Shelf's digital publishing program continues to expand, faster than ever! Recently we've not only seen killer new releases in the American Elf digital series, the Cannon brothers' unmissable Double Barrel magazine, and Robert Venditti's new Surrogates Case Files series, we've shared with you a true original with Patt Kelley's What Am I Going to Do Without You? and teamed up with Retrofit Comics to bring you digital editions of some of their finest work. Grab your reading device and load up!

Jeff Lemire's long-awaited follow-up to Essex County is finally in stores everywhere, and from all reports, The Underwater Welder has been touching readers profoundly. Here's a sampling of the critical reaction:

"Lemire’s stylized art and inventive panel structure is the perfect vehicle for his well-told story, and the tale’s poignant moments make the moments of desolation even more heart-wrenching... A beautiful, moving, wholly satisfying story about fatherhood and growing up." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The Underwater Welder... is all kinds of wonderful. Buy it. You will wet yourself with tears, your brain will spin from masterful storytelling, and you will love it." -- Jeff Jensen, Entertainment Weekly

"The Underwater Welder is an early contender for the year's best comic book... a richly-detailed story with characters that are all deeply flawed and undoubtedly human... once you pick it up you'll wish it never ended." -- Jason Serafino, Complex

"A spectacularly unpredictable reading experience... a roughly 220-page tour de force with enough emotional resonance that you might find yourself wiping away a single tear while closing the book’s final page. Thus far, this is my favorite original graphic novel of the year." -- Erik Norris, IGN

"This is a pretty clear frontrunner for me for 'Best of 2012' so far, but while it may still be too early to call that race, The Underwater Welder is at least the best in what was already an impressive line of work from Jeff Lemire." -- Ain't It Cool News

Video journalist Jeremiah Alexis, better known as the Urban Nomad, stopped by Comic-Con in San Diego last weekend to 1) high-five Quentin Tarantino and 2) investigate the world of indie comics! Of course, he found a treasure trove of great talent at the Top Shelf table.

Check out the video to see Jeremiah rocking out with (among others) Ed Piskor, Jeffrey Brown, Nate Powell, and Joseph Remnant!

Thanks to Jeremiah and to all the thousands of others who came out to see us at Comic-Con! You made it a fantastic show. Check out our Events page to find out where we'll be next. See you on the road!

Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Comics are truly pleased to announce a project several years in the making: a sumptuous new book from Alan Moore & Mitch Jenkins, serving as a biography of Alan's close friend and mentor Steve Moore (no relation), a history of London, a mystical journey, and a tribute to human imagination. Called by the New York Times a "poetic and densely allusive text," Unearthing has now been transformed by Alan Moore and photographer Mitch Jenkins into a stunning narrative art-book.

Top Shelf Productions' 15th-anniversary celebration at San Diego Comic-Con International this weekend was brought to new heights with a terrific moment of triumph: Top Shelf veteran and creative superstar James Kochalka won the industry's highest honor, the Will Eisner Award, for Best Publication for Early Readers! The award honors his latest book for children, Dragon Puncher 2: Dragon Puncher Island.

This was the third Eisner nomination for James Kochalka; as he remarked in a memorable acceptance speech, "It feels really good to finally win." His earlier book Pinky & Stinky was nominated for a similar youth-oriented category in 2003. Dragon Puncher Island has the unique distinction of featuring both of James' sons, Eli and Oliver, as "actors" in the story, along with their cats Nooko and Spandy, and even James himself.

This Eisner Award is the latest peak in a recent string of Kochalka honors. Last year saw James honored by his home state as the first ever Vermont Cartoonist Laureate (the first such position in the continental U.S.), his band James Kochalka Superstar just released the new album I Am the Beast, and his Top Shelf graphic novel (for mature readers) SuperF*ckers is debuting later this year as an animated series on Frederator's Cartoon Hangover channel in partnership with YouTube. Plus the latest collection of his landmark daily diary comic American Elf debuted at Comic-Con this weekend!

For more Kochalka news and updates, including daily installments of American Elf, visit AmericanElf.com.

Congratulations, James! It's an honor to help bring your books into the world.

Dear friends,

This week marks our 15th year at the San Diego Comic-Con International, and we're making it a doozy. Not only do we have a killer lineup of books and author signings at the show, but we're using technology to extend the celebration to fans around the world! Read on for details.

Welcome to the Top Shelf Cyber-Con -- celebrating Comic-Con worldwide with digital new releases and a massive digital sale!

The biggest comic-book event of the year has arrived, and Top Shelf is celebrating like never before. Comic-Con International is in San Diego tonight through Sunday, but you don't have to be in San Diego to participate -- all you need is a computer screen, tablet, or smartphone.

Today, we're launching digital editions of our greatest new graphic novels. On top of that, from now through Sunday, July 15, we're slashing prices on dozens of digital comics whose authors are appearing at Comic-Con -- including some of our most beloved books.

Top Shelf digital comics are available in a variety of formats, including Comixology, Apple iBooks, iVerse Comics Plus, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, and more! They can be read on your computer, Apple iOS device, or Android device, as well as many e-readers.

Hey friends,

Today we take another step into the future, as two of Top Shelf's landmark releases have gone digital, in new and very exciting ways. First, the bestselling creative team behind The Surrogates graphic novels has returned with an all-new series, The Surrogates Case Files, available exclusively in digital form. On top of that, James Kochalka's American Elf, a monument of modern cartooning, has entered the digital comic / ebook format in a new series of handy year-by-year collections.

Click here to read all about it!

The much-anticipated day is here!

In stores everywhere TODAY are two brilliant new graphic novels, the final chapter of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century trilogy by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill, and The Lovely Horrible Stuff by Eddie Campbell. On top of that, three more major summer releases have rolled off the printing press and will be in a store near you very soon. And finally, the new Diamond catalog opens pre-orders on the newest member of the Top Shelf Kids Club -- Upside Down: A Vampire Tale!

WELCOME ABOARD the next generation of pulp adventure! Acclaimed cartoonists Zander Cannon (The Replacement God, Top 10) and Kevin Cannon (Far Arden) have joined forces to launch a new kind of adventure comic: a digital comics magazine, serializing two massive graphic novels and packed with extras, delivered to your screen for $1.99 per month.

Two Cannons. Two comics. Two dollars. DOUBLE BARREL!

It all begins in this 122-page double-stuffed first issue. First: Zander Cannon presents HECK, the story of washed-up high school football hero Hector Hammarskjöld, who returns to his hometown for his father's funeral... only to discover a portal to the underworld! Then: following the smash success of his first graphic novel Far Arden, Kevin Cannon returns with an all-new saga of that Arctic crusty sea-dog Army Shanks, as he encounters the mysterious CRATER XV!

In a world of thin plotting, price-gouging, and trade-waiting, two cartoonists are here to fly the flag for two-fisted action and page-turning thrills! Grab DOUBLE BARREL today and load up on adventure!

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD TODAY!