August 31, 2020 / More →
George Takei's incredible graphic memoir continues to resonate with readers of all ages!
• Watch George Takei introduce the book and read a powerful scene out loud, especially for young people — complete with animated visuals — in "Story Time with Uncle George"! This ten-minute video can be a perennial resource for teachers, parents, and families, especially while schools are closed due to COVID. A Teacher's Guide is also available.
• The Expanded Hardcover Edition, complete with a 16-page bonus section of behind-the-scenes images and commentary, has just been released! Check your favorite store and look for Harmony Becker's recolored cover art with its hauntingly beautiful sunset sky.
• On Friday, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association held their award ceremony, in which They Called Us Enemy received the Young Adult Literature award. The virtual program, which included an acceptance speech from George Takei, was followed by a live conversation between APALA committee members and authors, including Justin, Steven, and Harmony talking about their creative process with George.
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August 31, 2020 / More →
What If We Were... by Axelle Lenoir
Pre-order this LGBT YA gem today for December release.
Finalist for two Youth Awards from Les Libraires du Québec and the Québec Comics Festival!
"Lenoir's fantastic humor and expressive drawing show us a great time and make us fall in love with her charismatic heroes. We miss them as soon as we close the book." — Les Libraires
"Axelle Lenoir has a remarkable talent for capturing adolescence... her female characters, here as in Camp Spirit, are completely credible, and avoid the usual clichés. They're both fragile and strong, shy and extroverted, made of paradoxes." — Sophie Lit
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July 25, 2020 / More →
At last night’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards ceremony, They Called Us Enemy received the coveted Eisner Award, the highest honor in the comics community as voted upon by professional peers, in the category of “Best Reality-Based Work”. The heartfelt graphic memoir by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker presents Takei’s firsthand account of a childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II.
“What a tremendous honor to be recognized by our peers in the comics industry with this Eisner Award for They Called Us Enemy,” say the creators in a joint statement. “We offer our deep thanks to the judges who nominated this book and everyone that voted. We also owe a special thanks to all the readers, librarians, educators, and shopkeepers that have embraced this story and spread the word. Because of you, the story of the wrongful imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II will be more widely known by future generations, and in that education there is hope for a brighter tomorrow.”
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July 24, 2020 / More →
In a normal year, we'd be in San Diego right now, with an gaggle of cartoonists eager to say hello and sign books for you! But of course, this is no ordinary year.
While Comic-Con programming, and even the Eisner Awards, have moved online (see below), we still wanted to offer something special to remember us by... so together with the larger IDW Publishing family, we're commemorating this unprecedented year with a series of exclusive bookplates, signed by some of our wonderful authors and marked "2020: The Year Without A Comic-Con." While supplies last, you can order direct from the IDW web site and get some of the year's hottest releases with a free bookplate enclosed! Eligible Top Shelf books include:
And while supplies last, you can still order the Signed & Numbered Convention Exclusive edition of George Takei's bestselling memoir They Called Us Enemy, the runaway hit of last year's Comic-Con!
US shipping is free for orders over $35, so stock up and join the celebration — safely at home!
July 24, 2020 / More →
The Book Tour by Andi Watson
"Andi Watson's retro line — and the art with which his daring dialogue dramatizes any situation — makes this graphic novel a British delight." — Le Monde
"A little masterpiece of tongue-in-cheek humor." — dBD
"A fascinating maze in which we lose our bearings." — Les Inrocks
"Brilliant." — aVoir aLire
A page-turning, Kafkaesque dark comedy in brilliant retro style, this graphic novel watches one man try to keep it together while everything falls apart.
Upon the publication of his latest novel, G. H. Fretwell, a minor English writer, embarks on a book tour to promote it. Nothing is going according to plan, and his trip gradually turns into a nightmare. But now the police want to ask him some questions about a mysterious disappearance, and it seems that Fretwell's troubles are only just beginning...
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June 23, 2020 / More →
Congratulations are in order for MK Reed, Greg Means, and Matt Wiegle! Their graphic novel Penny Nichols, recently announced as a nominee for two Eisner Awards, has just won the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature!
As summarized in the Oregonian's announcement, "This tongue-in-cheek tale about a very amateur effort to make a slasher flick is a hilarious ode to creativity, the can-do spirit and friendship."
June 17, 2020 / More →
This fall... it's time to join the Glork Patrol! Plus, YOU can help Johnny Boo solve a mystery!
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June 4, 2020 / More →
The judges for the 2020 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have just announced their nominations, and we're honored to report that three are for Top Shelf books!
They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker, is nominated for Best Reality-Based Work.
Penny Nichols, by MK Reed, Greg Means, and Matt Wiegle is nominated in two categories: Best Publication for Teens and also Best Writer.
“We’re so proud to have Penny Nichols and They Called Us Enemy honored with Eisner nominations,” says Top Shelf editor-in-chief Chris Staros. “Penny Nichols is a hilarious celebration of DIY creativity and a love letter to the comics community, so it’s wonderful to see that love being returned. And unfortunately, George Takei’s memories of legalized racism are still painfully relevant today, making They Called Us Enemy a vital book that calls us to build a better future.”
April 8, 2020 / More →
Wishing health and safety to all of y'all out there. While COVID-19 reshapes our world, we're continuing to publish amazing comics, and we hope you'll support your comic shops and booksellers to the extent possible. Why not start with today's new release, A Radical Shift of Gravity?
"This beautiful book is very smart about global catastrophes and very honest about personal ones. For everyone asking ‘How can we raise a family in a world like this?’, A Radical Shift of Gravity offers a powerful answer.” — Jeff Lemire
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March 20, 2020 / More →
Kodi by Jared Cullum
ISBN 978-1-60309-467-2 • Diamond: FEB200686
$14.99 (US) • 176 pages
Full-color softcover graphic novel with flaps • For ages 9+ (including adults!)
Coming in August 2020!
The gorgeous story of two friends separated by everything in the world — except love. Readers and animal-lovers of every age will want to relive this journey over and over again.
"Jared Cullum brings to Kodi a fresh watercolor style that's brimming over with personality. His characters come alive in their world, and they'll convert a casual reader into a devoted fan." — James Gurney, creator of Dinotopia
"Kodi is the perfect combination of an exciting adventure and a heartwarming tale of friendship. Jared’s exquisitely painted pages bring his characters to life and invite you to get lost in the gentle embrace of this wonderful story. Even though Kodi doesn’t say a word, Jared uses every brush stroke to delicately communicate his very real emotions. I absolutely love Kodi and you will too!" — Andy Runton, creator of Owly
Watch the video trailer on YouTube!
February 22, 2020 / More →
Nate Powell was recently featured on the PBS television show Articulate, talking about his long career as a cartoonist, musician, and caregiver — and you can watch the full segment now. Come for the artistic wizardry, stay for the goofy teen photos!
If you're craving more Nate, you can also check out his recent appearance on the podcast Make It Then Tell Everybody, talking with Dan Berry (co-author of The Three Rooms in Valerie's Head) and watch a 7-minute video of Nate inking and talking in his studio for Indiana station WTIU!
January 27, 2020 / More →
PHILADELPHIA, PA (January 27, 2020) — They Called Us Enemy, the New York Times-bestselling graphic memoir of George Takei, was announced today as the winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature by the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association.
APALA's literary awards were announced at ALA's Midwinter Meeting, marking a milestone new achievement for the acclaimed bestseller by Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker. In They Called Us Enemy, the iconic actor/author/activist revisits his haunting childhood in American concentration camps, as one of 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II, while reflecting on how that experience shaped America and his own astonishing life.
Published in July 2019 by Top Shelf Productions (an imprint of IDW Publishing), They Called Us Enemy immediately debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed on the list for more than 10 weeks. It has been declared one of the year's best books by such institutions as Amazon, NPR, New York Public Library, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, IGN, and Forbes.
A Spanish translation of They Called Us Enemy, entitled Nos llamaron Enemigo, will be published in June 2020. Readers can also take a deeper dive into They Called Us Enemy when a deluxe hardcover edition, packed with unseen bonus material, hits stores in July.
January 24, 2020 / More →
Two landmark Top Shelf books — Monkey Vs. Robot and From Hell — are finding new life in masterful new editions! And Pat Grant turns a sharp eye to a pair of grifters in a scorched swamp in his new must-read, The Grot. All coming soon, so now's the time to pre-order them from your favorite shop.
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January 14, 2020 / More →
For over a decade, the American Library Association's teen services division, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), has published an annual list of recommended Great Graphic Novels for Teens — an important pillar in the phenomenal growth of graphic novel popularity and recognition that we've witnessed in this millennium. This year, Top Shelf is honored to have two books in the Top 10!
*Cosmoknights: Book One. By Hannah Templer. Art by the author. Top Shelf Productions, an imprint of IDW Publishing. 2019. $19.99. ISBN: 978-1603094542. Pan lives a very ordinary world on a planet called Verdian. She spends most of her time working in her father's shop and hanging out with her friend, Tara, who is a princess. But when Tara's life takes a very different turn, Pan gets a chance to bring down an archaic medieval-type jousting tradition.
*They Called Us Enemy. By George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker. Top Shelf Productions, an imprint of IDW Publishing. 2019. $19.99. ISBN: 978-1603094504. Before he was Sulu on the starship Enterprise, boldly going where no one has gone before, actor George Takei was a little boy struggling to understand why his family was packing up and going to live in a horse stable. Readers see history in a clear, concise, compelling context and follow Takei on his journey from childhood ignorance to righteous teenage anger and finally to a life of dedicated activism.
Congratulations to all the creators of the honored books, and to the lucky teens who get to read such wonderful comics!
