Top Shelf Productions

New York, here we come! This weekend (October 8-10) is the New York Comic Con, and Top Shelf Productions will be exhibiting in style. Don't miss our first ever appearance with the world-renowed Akino Kondoh, contributor and cover artist for Ax: A Collection of Alternative Manga! Grab copies of the brand-new Dodgem Logic #5, the latest issue of Alan Moore's wild underground magazine! Plus appearances by Top Shelf stars JD Arnold & Rich Koslowski (BB Wolf & the 3 LPs), Jeff Lemire (Essex County), and Robert Venditti (The Surrogates)! Come out and see us this weekend!

Hey Gang, Just so you know, Alan Moore's Dodgem Logic #5 has just arrived, and is now available (along with issues #1-#4). All the best, Chris

Hey Gang, Thanks to everyone for participating in the big sale. Just so you know, as of today, Monday October 4th, all the orders have shipped out. Whew! That was a ton of work, but work we were very grateful for! All the best, and see you at the New York Comic-Con this weekend. -- Chris Staros

Geek renaissance man and weird-culture hero Mark Frauenfelder recently read Lars Martinson's Tonoharu: Part One - and loved it! In his review on Boing Boing today, Mark writes: "Tonoharu is a story of isolation, frustration, and mystery, with just the right amount of black humor to keep it from being depressing ... the overall effect is stunning. I can't recommend Tonoharu highly enough."

Tonoharu: Part One, Lars' Xeric-winning graphic novel, is the story of a young American college grad who heads to Japan to teach English. In a starred review, Booklist called it "a fully realized, engaging tale of international alienation. You can grab your copy of Part One below - and pre-order Part Two, which ships in November!

Hey Gang, I'll be at the Baltimore Comic-Con all this weekend -- with all our new releases: THE PLAYWRIGHT by Daren White & Eddie Campbell, AX (VOL 1) Edited by Sean Michael Wilson, FINGERPRINTS by Will Dinski, BB WOLF & THE 3 LP'S by J.D. Arnold & Rich Koslowski, MOVING PICTURES by Kathryn & Stuart Immonen, UNDELETED SCENES by Jeffrey Brown, all four issues of Alan Moore's DODGEM LOGIC, and lots more. Come see me there! -- Chris Staros

The irrepressible Whitney Matheson of USA Today's Pop Candy grabbed a copy of Ax: Alternative Manga at the San Diego Comic-Con... and sounds like she dug what she saw, because she's named it one of her favorite finds of the show!

"This brilliantly curated, 400-page collection highlights the best experimental Japanese comics I've ever seen," Whitney writes. "The art is mesmerizing and surreal, and the stories are unlike what you see in mainstream American work."

You can read more about Ax (and check our review archive) here!

One of the most exciting things about San Diego Comic-Con this year was that comic-book power couple Kathryn & Stuart Immonen were joining us at the Top Shelf booth for the first time - and what a blast that turned out to be! The Immonens are not only great comic creators but great company.

A whole room full of fans got to find that out for themselves, as Word Balloon host John Siuntres presided over a chatty spotlight panel dedicated to Kathryn & Stuart's work. John and the Immonens pulled out all the stops for a wide-ranging conversation spanning their 20+ year career -- from their self-publishing days, to Stuart's long-lost adaptation of Lawnmower Man (!), to their beloved superhero work at DC and Marvel, to their acclaimed new book with Top Shelf, Moving Pictures. There are also hints about their next project, Russian Olive to Red King, and much more!

You can listen to the entire conversation here at Word Balloon!

Wow, where to begin? San Diego's Comic-Con International 2010 has come and gone, and as always it was a wild ride. One of the most anticipated parts of the show was the debut of AX: A Collection of Alternative Manga edited by Sean Michael Wilson, a book that's going to change a lot of people's preconceptions about what Japanese comics can be. [See for yourself! Publishers Weekly recently followed up their starred review with a 6-page preview!]

At San Diego, we launched Ax in grand style, with Sean flying out from Japan to join us in San Diego and debut the book! He not only signed hundreds of copies, but also joined manga scholar Ryan Holmberg and Top Shelf's Leigh Walton for a spotlight panel on "Manga for Grown-Ups: Gekiga, Garo, Ax, and the Alternative Manga Revolution."

Couldn't make it to the panel? Not to worry! Carlo Santos at Anime News Network has a splendid write-up of the presentation, and the good folks at The Comics Journal filmed the entire thing and has now posted their video footage online. You gotta see this, not least for Sean's fantastic Scottish accent!

Big thanks to everybody involved. Click [Read more] for the three-part video!

Portland-based Things From Another World (TFAW) is one of the biggest comic retailers in the country, with several physical storefronts and a huge online presence. We're delighted to announce that TFAW.com is holding a TOP SHELF MONTH event for the entire month of August, including author interviews, interior previews of books, and more -- plus a hefty 20% discount on every Top Shelf book!

To kick the festivities off, Top Shelf PR guy Leigh Walton headed down to TFAW HQ for a video interview and conversation with the lovely Elisabeth F! Check out the conversation on YouTube in two parts: Top Shelf Leigh Walton interview part 1, part 2. And stay tuned to the TFAW Blog for all kinds of Top Shelf stuff, throughout the month of August!

One of the things we're most proud of -- and grateful for -- here at Top Shelf is our ability to build relationships with our readers. Customers become fans, and fans become friends. If you've ever been to our booth at a convention, you know what we mean -- conventions are a great time to see old friends, make new ones, and nurture those relationships year after year.

But hey, conventions only come every so often, and we can't travel everywhere we'd like to! So we'd love to stay in touch with you all year-round... and here's the perfect way to do it!

Announcing: the official Top Shelf Productions presence on Facebook and Twitter!

Follow us on both sites for news, updates, photos, videos, and more! Both Facebook and Twitter are also great places to ask questions and connect with the Top Shelf team as well as with fellow fans. Finally, you can also follow us individually on Twitter as @brettwarnock, @chrisstaros, and @leighwalton.

Now more than ever, we are -- your friends thru comics!

Here comes the big one! The Comic-Con International in San Diego is July 21-25 -- and this year, Team Top Shelf will be bigger than ever before! That's right, the Top Shelf zone at San Diego will feature no fewer than FOURTEEN amazing creators, who will be signing and sketching for you all convention long!

Take a look at who's coming: Sean Michael Wilson (Ax: Alternative Manga), Kathryn & Stuart Immonen (Moving Pictures), JD Arnold & Rich Koslowski (BB Wolf & the Three LPs), Jeff Lemire (Essex County), Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele (The Surrogates), Andy Runton (Owly), James Kochalka (Johnny Boo, Dragon Puncher, SuperF*ckers), Jeffrey Brown (Undeleted Scenes), Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole), Matt Kindt (Super Spy), and Kevin Cannon (Far Arden). Add on the full crew of Top Shelf staff, and the house will definitely be hopping -- heck, it'll take you an hour just to shake everybody's hand!

Mark your calendars for three Top Shelf panel sessions as well! The first is "Manga for Grown-Ups: Garo, Ax, gekiga, and the alternative manga revolution" (Thursday, July 22, 12:30-1:30), featuring Sean Michael Wilson and friends discussing the amazing history of adult-oriented "alternative" manga in Japan and its recent arrival into the English-speaking world, including the debut of our AX anthology. The next day, Kathryn and Stuart Immonen have a dedicated panel all to themselves, "Spotlight on the Immonens: Sex, Lies and Comic Books" (Friday, July 23, 12:30-1:30), where they'll discuss Moving Pictures, their superhero work, and much more. Finally, don't miss "Top Shelf 2010: Sweden, Japan, and so much more" (Friday, July 23, 5:30-6:30) as we celebrate our most international year ever and announce a whole pile of new projects (with plenty of never-before-seen art)!

But what about the BOOKS, you ask?

Two global comic-book celebrities are teaming up for a one-of-a-kind live performance at the Sydney Opera House in Australia! Our own Eddie Campbell (The Playwright, Alec, From Hell) has created a series of illustrations for a live reading of a new story by Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book, Coraline, Stardust, The Sandman), with live music by the electric rock & roll string quartet FourPlay. Eddie and Neil will also appear on a panel the next afternoon with Shaun Tan (The Arrival) discussing creativity and collaboration. It's all part of a weekend festival running August 7-8 called GRAPHIC, which also includes a talk by Kevin Smith, a screening of Akira, and more. For details, click here!

A couple new rave reviews have just come in, of outstanding new books that will be moving like hotcakes at next week's San Diego Comic-Con!

First, Chad Nevett at Comic Book Resources has a nice review of Eddie Campbell & Daren White's dark romantic comedy The Playwright. "There’s a great emotional impact as the book progresses, underscored by Campbell’s art. The Playwright is a touching and masterful work that is definitely one of the ‘must own’ graphic novels of 2010." We agree 100%!

Also, this week's Publishers Weekly has a coveted *starred review* praising Ax: A Collection of Alternative Manga edited by Sean Michael Wilson. "Within the pages of this greatly anticipated manga anthology are some of the most imaginative, lush, grotesque, and ridiculous comics to come out of Japan... It's an incredible selection."

Connie at PopCultureShock agrees: "There’s a little bit for every taste here, and as a look at Japanese underground comics, it’s the best we’ve had in English... it’s fascinating to browse the myriad styles that come forward when editorial restraints are cut." Her conclusion: Ax is "by far one of the best manga anthologies we’ve seen in English, and is up there with the best comic anthologies I’ve seen, period."

You can grab these books from the Top Shelf booth at Comic-Con -- and meet editor Sean Michael Wilson, who's flying out from Japan for the show! -- or order them below:

Here's a roundup of great interviews you may have missed:

First of all, get to know JD Arnold and Rich Koslowski, 'cause they're going to be appearing and signing their hot new book BB Wolf and the 3 LPs at the San Diego Comic-Con, coming up in just one week! Tim O'Shea of Robot 6 recently spoke with JD and Rich about the book, their collaboration process, and the incredible BB Wolf soundtrack CD debuting at Comic-Con! Read all about it here!

Next, that Swedish rascal Simon Gärdenfors spills his guts to Robin McConnell of Inkstuds. Listen to the interview to learn the true stories behind his hit graphic novel The 120 Days of Simon, his other comics, his opinions on American indie comics, and his surprising knowledge of Captain Marvel trivia. You'll even hear a bit of Simon's electro-hip-hop career! Don't "Panik," just listen to the interview!

Finally, the good folks at The Comics Journal have posted an incredible 2005 Dirk Deppey interview with Eddie Campbell, originally published in TCJ #273. It's available online in four parts (one two three four) and, like every conversation with Eddie, well worth your time.

The 2010 Harvey Award nominations have just been released -- and Top Shelf cartoonists are honored with nominations in four categories!

The irrepressible Kevin Cannon, called by Booklist "one of the comics world's most energetic storytellers," is up for Best New Talent for his thrilling debut graphic novel, Far Arden.

Next, rising superstar Jeff Lemire snags TWO nominations, one for Best Previously Published Graphic Album for his award-winning trilogy The Complete Essex County, praised by the New York Times as "a rich tapestry," and another nomination for his new title Sweet Tooth (DC/Vertigo) as Best New Series.

Finally, the revered Eddie Campbell, already the winner of two Harvey Awards for From Hell, is nominated in Best Single Issue or Story for "The Years Have Pants," the 40-page new story which rounds out his acclaimed collection Alec: The Years Have Pants, called by NPR "a major accomplishment in comics storytelling, and in storytelling, period."

All of these books have now been nominated for Harvey Awards as well as Eisner Awards, so if you haven't read them, you're missing out on some of the best comics in recent memory! Pick them up today, and come to the San Diego Comic-Con next weekend to meet Kevin Cannon and Jeff Lemire!