Top Shelf Productions

This interpretation of the landmark Smithsonian Institution Building was drawn by Nate Powell, National Book Award-winning artist of IDW’s March trilogy.

SAN DIEGO, CA (January 8, 2020) – IDW Publishing, a division of IDW Media Holdings Inc. (OTC: IDWM), and the Smithsonian Institution are proud to announce a multi-year global publishing program, which will create an unprecedented library of graphic novels built on the cultural and scientific knowledge of the world’s largest museum, educational, and research complex.

Beginning in fall 2020, IDW and the Smithsonian will invite readers on a voyage of discovery with a comprehensive range of graphic books in a variety of formats. Among the planned product lines are: “Time Trials,” a middle-grade graphic novel series inspired by the National Museum of American History video series; original graphic novels focused on landmark events and individuals, in the tradition of IDW’s acclaimed March and They Called Us Enemy; coloring books in both the youth and adult categories; picture books for young readers; and more.

But you don't have to take our word for it! Among the very best books of 2019 are:

A spooky LGBT hard-rock rom-com by Axelle Lenoir!

Summer camp is supposed to be about finding nirvana in a rock garden…

But Elodie prefers Nirvana and Soundgarden. Can she confront rambunctious kids, confusing feelings, and supernatural horrors all at once?

Return to the astonishing world of talking peaches, magic tea, frightening wildlife, and threatening lizard tribes! The fantasy adventure too epic for one graphic novel finally reaches its conclusion.

We at Top Shelf are thrilled that two of our books, They Called Us Enemy and Red Panda & Moon Bear, will be published in Spanish next year as part of IDW Publishing's new in-house translation program. See below for details and watch for them in 2020... though you can already pre-order from your favorite retailer!

The best little ghost in the world — and his pet ghost, Squiggle — continue their award-winning adventures with a spooky story that can turn any night into Halloween!

Are you scared of the dark? Did you know that when the clock strikes twelve, that’s when the midnight monsters come out? Johnny Boo knows, but that won’t stop him from skateboarding on the back of a wild Tiger and plucking pumpkin ice cream from the gaping maw of a Spooky Tree. He does it all to impress Susie Boom, the cute little girl ghost who lives on the moon. Hopefully she’s watching everything with her telescope! “These are the kind of comics that win Eisner Awards,” says Eisner Award winner James Kochalka.

We can't wait to see you this weekend at the Small Press Expo, September 14-15 at the Bethesda North Marriott outside Washington, DC.

As usual, Top Shelf will be represented by a stunning assortment of talent, in our booth and across the festival floor...

As George Takei's graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, hits its fifth incredible week on the New York Times Bestseller List, fans of the the iconic actor/author/activist have even more cause to celebrate.

While supplies last, Top Shelf Productions and IDW Publishing are now offering the exclusive signed & numbered edition of They Called Us Enemy to be ordered directly from IDW's web store for shipment worldwide.

Created to commemorate the book's launch at Comic-Con 2019, this deluxe paper-over-board hardcover edition (limited to 1,000 copies worldwide) features an individually numbered, sewn-in, letterpress bookplate hand-signed by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker, plus exclusive endpapers not found in the regular softcover:

They Called Us Enemy (Signed & Numbered Hardcover)

by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker

ISBN 978-1-60309-472-6 • not available in stores

$75.00 (US) • black & white interiors • YA and up

a 208-page hardcover graphic novel • 6.5” x 9”

Available now, direct from IDW Publishing, while supplies last!

Additionally, an unsigned hardcover is available in limited quantities. This deluxe paper-over-board hardcover edition features exclusive endpapers not found in the regular softcover:

They Called Us Enemy (Hardcover)

by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker

ISBN 978-1-60309-470-2 • not available in stores

$29.99 (US) • black & white interiors • YA and up

a 208-page hardcover graphic novel • 6.5” x 9”

Available now, direct from IDW Publishing, while supplies last!

Read on for three haunting, unforgettable new books coming this fall:

It's been a big week for George Takei. To launch his graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, co-written with Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and drawn by Harmony Becker, this iconic actor/author/activist:

• appeared on The TODAY Show (unprecedented for a graphic memoir!),
• flew to Comic-Con for a standing-room-only panel and two sold-out book signings,
• was honored with Comic-Con's prestigious Inkpot Award,
• held another sold-out signing at the Japanese American National Museum,
• and finally returned home... as a New York Times bestselling author.

Although the Times removed its "Graphic Books" bestseller list in 2017, comics can now reach the "mainstream" lists if they are hugely popular — so They Called Us Enemy is now an incredible #2 in ALL Paperback Nonfiction, sitting above The Mueller Report and many modern classics of prose.

Additionally, They Called Us Enemy has already become:

• an Amazon bestseller — #1 Graphic Novel, Top 10 in all books
• a Barnes & Noble College bestseller — #9 in Paperback Nonfiction

Of course, as the "King of the Internet," Takei responded on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with heartfelt words:

Just one week after its release, I am astounded and grateful to learn that my graphic memoir, THEY CALLED US ENEMY, is a New York Times Bestseller! The story of the Japanese American internment MUST reach new generations — and with your help, it will.

James Kochalka came full circle last weekend at Comic-Con as he accepted the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award in Best Publication for Early Readers, honoring his book Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer. Seven years ago, he won the Eisner in the very same category for Dragon Puncher Island, the second volume in his Dragon Puncher series. Now, his long-running Johnny Boo series has earned its own Eisner with its 8th volume, in which Johnny Boo invents a machine that turns anything into ice cream.

"They're like Oscars for comics," Kochalka explained to his hometown paper Seven Days, "but cooler, because it's comics."

Kochalka and Johnny Boo show no sign of slowing down. Following The Ice Cream Computer, Johnny Boo Is King! was released in early 2019, and a 10th volume, Johnny Boo and the Midnight Monsters, will be out by the end of the year.

"Moving and layered... Takei challenges Americans to look to how past humanitarian injustices speak to current political debates. Giving a personal view into difficult history, [They Called Us Enemy] is a testament to hope and tenacity in the face of adversity." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A compelling blend of nostalgia and outrage... this approachable, well-wrought graphic memoir is important reading, particularly in today's political climate. Pair with John Lewis’ acclaimed March series for a thought-provoking, critical look at the history of racism in American policies and culture." — Booklist (starred review)

"This evocative memoir shares stories of the nation’s past, draws heartbreaking parallels to the present, and serves as a cautionary tale for the future. For all readers old enough to understand the importance of our collective history." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"Emotionally staggering... They Called Us Enemy also inspires readers to engage through democracy to insist that we treat fellow human beings with fairness and dignity." — Amazon Best Books of the Month

"George Takei’s story reveals the important lessons of the WWII Japanese American Incarceration that still need to be learned today. They Called Us Enemy is a compelling must-read for all ages.” — Karen Korematsu, Founder and Executive Director, Fred T. Korematsu Institute

Who's coming to Comic-Con? Who ISN'T? Look at this incredible lineup:

George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, & Harmony Becker (They Called Us Enemy — click here for details)

Jarod Roselló (debuting Red Panda and Moon Bear)

Kim Dwinell (debuting Surfside Girls: Book Two)

Koren Shadmi (Highwayman)

MK Reed & Greg Means (Penny Nichols)

Eddie Campbell (From Hell: Master Edition, The Goat Getters, etc)

James Kochalka (Johnny Boo Is King!)

Shannon Wheeler (Sh*t My President Says, God Is Disappointed in You)

Mark Russell (God Is Disappointed in You, Apocrypha Now)

Erin Nations (Gumballs)

Maria & Peter Hoey (Coin-Op)

Dave Calver (Limbo Lounge)

Read on to see our complete signing and programming schedules!

Hannah Templer's Cosmoknights! Chris Gooch's Deep Breaths!
Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill's grand finale, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest HC!
Read on for details...

Judges for the 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards announced their list of nominees today, honoring a fantastic array of Top Shelf titles: 

• Best Publication for Early Readers: Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer, by James Kochalka
• Best Publication for Teens: Gumballs, by Erin Nations
• Best Graphic Album—New: Come Again, by Nate Powell
• Best Graphic Album—Reprint: Girl Town, by Carolyn Nowak
• Best Writer/Artist: Nate Powell, for Come Again
• Best Lettering: Todd Klein, for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest and many other fine books.