Formats
Hardcover and Kindle
Release Date
June 26, 2012
Author, Illustrator
Jack Kirby
Publisher
DC Comics
From the late 1950s, these are the original tales of four death-defying adventurers and their impossible, unimaginable exploits. After surviving the crash of a small aircraft, test pilot Ace Morgan, daredevil Red Ryan, heavyweight boxing champ Rocky Davis and marine scientist Professor Haley unite as The Challengers of The Unknown. Their mission: to explore the unexplainable for the good of mankind. This beautiful hardcover edition tells the earliest adventurers of these four adventurers as they encounter powerful aliens, deadly robots, and creatures of unknown origins, including a mysterious “star stone” that bestows super-powers, a space circus, monsters from space, a planet populated by robots and more.
Jack “King” Kirby’s comics career began in 1937 and continued for nearly six decades. With partner Joe Simon, Kirby first made his mark in comics in the 1940s by drawing and/or creating numerous features for DC Comics including Captain America, the Young Allies, the Kid Commandos, Sandman, the Newsboy Legion and Manhunter. As the most valued team in comics, Simon and Kirby went on to create titles and concepts including Fighting American, Boys’ Ranch and the creation of the romance comics genre. In 1961, the first issue of Marvel’s Fantastic Four cemented Kirby’s reputation as comics’ preeminent creator, and a slew of famous titles followed that elevated him to legendary status, including Incredible Hulk, Avengers and X-Men. Kirby returned to DC in 1971 with his classic “Fourth World Trilogy,” which was followed by The Demon, Omac and Kamandi. Kirby continued working and innovating in comics until his death in 1994.
The Mark Waid Collection at Blastoff—
Showcase #6 (Part 1/2)
Mark Waid talks about his Golden Age comics collection and showcases his copy of Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby…
Jack Kirby
Author
Dave Wood
Release Date
August 1, 2003
Series
DC Archive Editions
Hardcover
168 pages
Publisher
DC Comics
Challengers of the Unknown Archives, Vol. 1. The stories are a hard to describe mix of H.P. Lovecraft and SciFi.
Highlights of This Collection
In the contents of the second book reprinting Kirby’s entire Challengers run, fellow comics legend Wally Wood inked over Kirby’s pencil drawings in a collaboration brilliantly yoking Kirby’s power and Wood’s high-tech sheen. The Challengers’ longevity—attempts to revive the strip continue to this day–testifies to the strength of Kirby’s concept. None of his successors, however, came close to matching his blend of visual pizzazz and unabashed derring-do.
Of note is the story "Menace of the Invincible Challenger" from Challengers of the Unkown #3.
What’s Included
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: DC Comics; First Edition edition (June 26, 2012)
Language: English
Product Dimensions: 7 x 1 x 10 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4 out of 5 stars
How Much Should You Expect to Pay?
The cheapest I’ve seen it on Amazon for new books is $35 and you should be able to find used issues at around $23.
What Others Are Saying
The Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby has received enthusiastic praise and 31 Likes from buyers, with an average of 4 out of 5 from most reviewers on Amazon. Here are some of the comments to date:
- “The comics are great.”
- “The stories are still great and the artwork is excellent…together they still challenge my imagination.”
- “Many of the pages are set so deep in the binding that you need to bend back the book to see full panels or read all the text that is nearly swallowed by the inner margins.”
Where Can You Buy Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby?
You can buy this hardcover Challengers of the Unknown from Amazon. Click here to view on Amazon.
Where Can You Read More Reviews for Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby?
The best place for reviews from people who actually own Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby is Amazon.
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Spain Rodriguez
Biography
Spain, or Spain Rodriguez, was born Manuel Rodriguez March 22, 1940.
Spain was an American underground cartoonist who created the character Trashman, a superhero who appeared regularly in underground comix and magazines from 1968 through 1985. Spain’s experiences on the road with the biker gang, the Road Vultures, provided inspiration for his work, as did his left-wing politics.
An illustration of the Battle of Belleau Wood. From Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America, written by David Talbot and
illustrated by Spain Rodriguez.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Rodriguez studied at the Silvermine Guild Art School in New Caanan, Connecticut. In New York City, during the late 1960s, he became a contributor to the East Village Other, which published his own comics tabloid, Zodiac Mindwarp (1968).
A founder of the United Cartoon Workers of America, he contributed to numerous underground comics and also drew Salon’s continuing graphic story, The Dark Hotel.
Strongly influenced by 1950s EC comic book illustrator Wally Wood, Spain evolved Wood’s sharp, crisp black shadows and hard-edged black outlines into a more simplified, stylized direction. His work also expanded the eroticism of Wood’s female characters. In such classics as Mean Bitch Thrills, Spain’s women are raunchy, explicitly sexual and sometimes incorporate macho sadomasochistic themes.
His more recent work is an illustrated biography of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Che: A Graphic Biography (2009). Published in several different languages, it was described by comics artist Art Spiegelman as “brilliant and radical.”
He was good friends with guitarist of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia.
After battling cancer for six years, Rodriguez died at his home in San Francisco on November 28, 2012.
…
Four Books Featuring the Art of Spain Rodriguez
- Che: A Graphic Biography (Oct 17, 2008)
- Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America (Oct 5, 2010)
- Graphic Classics Volume 1: Edgar Allan Poe (Mar 23, 2004)
- Nightmare Alley (Feb 2003)
Spain Rodriguez’s powerful artwork illuminates Che’s life and the experiences that shaped him, from his motorcycle journey through Latin America, his rise to prominence as a leader in Fidel Castro’s revolutionary movement, his travels in Africa, his involvement in the insurgency that led to his death in Bolivia, and his extraordinary legacy.
- Che: A Graphic Biography—
Published by Verso
A graphic biography of the most iconic revolutionary figure of the twentieth century.Since his death in 1967, Ernesto “Che” Guevara has become a universally known revolutionary icon and political figure whose image is among the most recognizable in the world. This dramatic and extensively researched book breathes new life into his story, portraying his struggle through the medium of the underground political comic—one of the most prominent countercultural art forms since the 1960s.
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Pulp History brings to life extraordinary feats of bravery, violence, and redemption that history has forgotten. These stories are so dramatic and thrilling they have to be true.
- Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America—
Published by Simon & SchusterIn Devil Dog, the most decorated Marine in history fights for America across the globe—and returns home to set his country straight.
Smedley Butler took a Chinese bullet to the chest at age eighteen, but that did not stop him from running down rebels in Nicaragua and Haiti, or from saving the lives of his men in France. But when he learned that America was trading the blood of Marines to make Wall Street fat cats even fatter, Butler went on a crusade. He threw the gangsters out of Philadelphia, faced down Herbert Hoover to help veterans, and blew the lid off a plot to overthrow FDR.
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The potential that this book has to draw comics readers, reluctant or otherwise, into the world of classic literature is enough to make it a worthwhile purchase; the quality of the art and storytelling makes it a noteworthy addition to any collection.
- Graphic Classics Volume 1: Edgar Allan Poe—
Published by Eureka Productions
A collection of adaptations of 13 of Poe’s poems and short stories. Many favorites are included, such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher, some less-well-known works also make an appearance. The short stories are usually either abridged or paraphrased; Hop Frog and The Black Cat stand as exceptions, presented in their entirety with a few smart illustrations occasionally breaking the text.
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In the end, Nightmare Alley had too many ups and downs. The story had too many awkward moments, which can be attributed to a weak adaptation from novel/film to comics. Alas Spain’s art was the real, and only star, Nightmare Alley can only be recommend for devoted carny-fiction fans or Spain Rodriguez fans.
- Nightmare Alley—
Published by Fantagraphics
When the story starts out, the primary character, Stanton Carlisle is low-rung assistant in a mind reading act, which is part of a traveling carnival. Thanks to some sleeping around, a fortuitous death, and his own skill, Stanton quickly rises up though the ranks and before too long has left the carnival life behind for greener pastures. Eventually he comes to headlining his own show as The Great Stanton, which though lucrative, isn’t enough. What transpires is a tragic rise and fall story.
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For more books from Fantagraphics, read Locas II: Maggie, Hopey & Ray (Love & Rockets)
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In this second big omnibus collection of his ongoing tales of the “Locas,” Jaime Hernandez continues telling stories featuring his main characters Maggie, Hopey and Ray. This volume picks up shortly after Maggie and Hopey’s long-awaited reunion at the end of the first Locas.
As the New York Times Book Review has described it, “These stories have all the visual smarts of film and the narrative smarts of literature…Hernandez specializes in psychological detail; we see both text and subtext immediately….What better than to open a book that shows there is more going on than we dream of in our workaday philosophies?”
These superb stories from the nearly 20-year run of Love and Rockets define a world of Hispanic gang warfare, ’80s California, punk rock, women wrestlers and the subtle battle to stay true to oneself. Hernandez’s main characters are Maggie and Hopey, two adorable lesbian rockers who start out in a somewhat vague relationship and are then are separated by adventures both grand and demeaning.
Main Characters
Maggie
Maggie is a magnificent comics character, a tempestuous naïf who wears her heart on her sleeve when she’s not throwing it at a succession of bad boys who ignore her, even though Hopey is secretly the love of Maggie’s life.
Hopey
Hopey, a mohawked imp, is more opaque, a symbol of the youthful rebellion of punk rock that all the characters are trying to return to in some way, even as real life sweeps them further away from their dreams. Maggie’s weight gain over the years sends her self-esteem on a downward spiral, while Hopey goes on an endless tour with a band.
Ray
Ray Dominguez: one of Maggie’s boyfriends, a painter. Jaime follows his life from Hoppers to LA.
Along the way, Hernandez gradually peels away the strip’s early sci-fi trappings (dinosaurs and rocket ships) to create a devastatingly naturalistic world. Sharp black and white drawings capture the characters in minute detail with a wide range of emotions. Finally collected into one volume, these stories are among the greatest comics ever put to paper, and an essential piece of the literature of the punk movement.
Maggie, Hopey, and the rest of the cast developed rapidly, as did Jaime’s drawing skills, quickly becoming some of the most engaging characters and most elegantly expressive artwork in all of comics. As the cast aged, it became clear that the series’ most poignant themes were the passage of time, squandered youth, and missed opportunities. Back in the 1980s, Love and Rockets was the coolest comic around; as this essential volume attests, Jaime’s opus is much more than cool–it’s classic.
Highlight’s of This Collection
This omnibus volume compiles stories originally printed in the pages of the comics Penny Century, the one-shot special Maggie & Hopey Color Fun (presented here in black and white), and Love and Rockets Vol. II, and was formerly collected in the volumes Dicks and Deedees, Locas in Love, Ghost of Hoppers and The Education of Hopey Glass.
Product Details
Hardcover: 424 pages
Publisher: Fantagraphics (September 8, 2009)
Language: English
Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.3 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars
How Much Should You Expect to Pay?
The cheapest I’ve seen it on Amazon for new books is $25 and you should be able to find used copies at around $21.
What Others Are Saying
Locas II: Maggie, Hopey & Ray (Love & Rockets) has received rave reviews from most collectors on the net with an average of 5 out of 5 from reviewers on Amazon. Here are some of the most recent comments:
- “…the mammoth Jaime-only “Locas” collections is a rare treat, however, with stories that gather more texture and depth with each re-reading…”
- “You cannot help but connect with the characters, they are us, or bits of us should we chose to recognize aspects of ourselves in this book.”
- “One of the finest talents to grace the comic industry and the 2 volume set of his Love & Rockets work is wonderful!”
- “…Jamie’s artwork has always developed in such a realistic and smoothly drawn way.”
- “This is a landmark in comics literature.”
- “Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories” is still one of the best stories Frank Miller has ever been a part of, and that’s not saying little.”
- “Named one of “The Best Damn Comics of 2010 Chosen by the Artists” by Tom Hart at The Daily Cross Hatch.”
- “Locas II is perhaps more somber and reflective than the first, but it never loses the wry, subtly humor of everyday life that is at its heart.”
Where Can You Buy Locas II: Maggie, Hopey & Ray (Love & Rockets)?
You can buy this hardcover edition of the Locas II collection from Amazon.
Where Can You Read More Reviews for Locas II: Maggie, Hopey & Ray?
The best place for reviews from people who actually own Locas II: Maggie, Hopey & Ray is Amazon.
For more books from Fantagraphics, read Top Holiday Deals
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The Perfect Halloween Read
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel
In May 2010, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel was published by Del Rey / Random House, with acclaimed comic writer Tony Lee adapting the text and art by Cliff Richards. Tony Lee’s graphic novel is an adaptation of the 2009 smashup novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Seth Grahame-Smith.
Story: Adapted by Tony Lee from Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Art: Cliff Richards
The storyline in the graphic novel edition is the Tony Lee adaptation from the Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith original—Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Regency England has become overridden with zombies, or unmentionables, and Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters have each been trained in the “deadly arts,” a combination of both ninja skills and martial arts training, to fight off the marauding hordes. Due to their father’s previous training in the “deadly arts”, the Bennet sisters are well known for being the fiercest and bravest zombie warriors in the Meryton area.
The full effect of Grahame-Smith’s book is, of course, impossible to convert into the comic format. In an odd way, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel has more in common with Stanley Ku brick’s Lolita. Kubrick doubtless understood Nabokov’s novel and what made it work, yet by adapting the novel into film he had to excise the dense reflective narrative that defined Nabokov’s opus. Likewise, comic veteran Tony Lee does as good a job as is possible here, but there’s definitely a sense that something has been lost in translation.
While the illustrations in the graphic novel are well drawn, it was a bit confusing trying to figure out who was who. The artwork is in black and white, so in scenes with lots of dialogue, it was confusing to figure out who is saying what. As the novel progresses however, it’s easier to follow since the character list drops to just major characters only.
Cliff Richards, whose work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer managed to capture the television show perfectly, adopts an unusual technique with this book. His illustrations show several prominent characters or elements in each panel highlighted by thick outlines. The result takes some getting used to, and while the action scenes occasionally become difficult because of a lack of clarity, this stylistic choice does complement the book. Richard’s skill at illustrating compellingly attractive women still stands out.
The mashed-up plot is an incredibly creative story that is an interesting juxtaposition between martial arts, zombies, ninjas, and Regency England. Perhaps it goes without saying that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel is a one note joke. If you are an Austen purist or just aren’t that into zombies, this graphic novel may not be for you. But taking this graphic novel at face value, Tony Lee and Cliff Richards have delivered a finely-crafted adaptation–one that those familiar with both source novels are most likely to appreciate.
Some have described Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as “tea cups and terror”. In a truly genius move, author Seth Grahame-Smith adapted Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice into a bloody, regency era romp. The central themes of the novel are still present in Lee’s adaptation: Elizabeth Bennet is still amazingly intelligent and independent, and, once again, she falls in love with Mr. Darcy. However, the pages are speckled with violent zombie madness, the victims of the “strange plague”.
It started in 2009 when Seth Grahame-Smith took Jane Austen’s original work and mashed it together with flesh eating zombies. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has since spawned a graphic novel, a prequel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, soon to be released sequel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After, and a movie adaptation is in production.
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Reading Online
Five Classic Batman Comics
(that influenced The Dark Knight Rises)
People are always looking for new forms of entertainment on the Internet. For some people, this simply means keeping up with interesting news in sports or politics. For others it means exploring gaming sites like Sporcle or Party Casino. And for others, online entertainment might revolve more around social interaction on FaceBook or through a messenger application.
ComiCat
by Meanlabs Software
However, these days people are also using the Internet to access another sort of entertainment: reading.
Thanks in large part to the spread of electronic apps for computers, phones and tablets, there are now many more books available through the Internet, and electronic reading has become a very popular activity. In fact, you can even now access specific genres of written entertainment, such as graphic novels or comics! This sort of story is very appealing to a wide audience, even though some people mistakenly think that comic books are outdated.
If you have been looking for a way to get into reading graphic novels, consider something that relates to the recent trend of superhero films. For example, take a look at these five classic Batman comics that, according to screenrant.com, influenced the recent Dark Knight Rises film from Christopher Nolan.
Five Classic Batman Comics
(that influenced The Dark Knight Rises)
- Batman: Legacy—
Though this was not one of the most highly regarded Batman comics of all time, its story arc does contain a number of details that are present in Nolan’s third film. Specifically, this comic sheds light on villain Bane’s connection to Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Shadows.
- Batman, Incorporated—
This story focuses largely on the concept of globalizing Batman, but within the greater story arc there is also a focus on Talia Al Ghul as a nemesis to Batman. Given this villainess’s presence in The Dark Knight Rises, there is a clear connection to be made.
- Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score—
A fine example of a Batman comic focused largely on the character of Catwoman, this was likely one of several comics taken into consideration as Nolan worked to craft his film version of the character. Whatever influence he used, Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of Catwoman has come across as a big hit.
- Batman: No Man’s Land—
The concept of No Man’s Land focuses on the U.S. government isolating Gotham City after a devastating incident. This is a major aspect of The Dark Knight Rises film, as Bane and his army manage to completely isolate the city and its inhabitants, keeping all of Gotham at their mercy.
- Batman: Knightfall—
Arguably the largest and most significant influence, Knightfall focuses on the core conflict between Bane and Batman. In this comic, Bane discovers Batman’s true identity and essentially declares war on him, ultimately breaking his back and seemingly defeating him for good. Needless to say this story line is a major aspect of Nolan’s final film.
ComiCat by Meanlabs Software—
ComiCat is a book reader app specially made for comic books. I have a large collection of digital DC comics and graphic novels and ComiCat is my go-to app when I want to read a comic while riding the bus. It is easy to use and the artwork looks great. It is not free—costs $2.99 and worth every penny.
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Dragons, Buffy-verse, Airbender
Dark Horse plans a new a franchise featuring two Chinese SuperHeroes
- MTV Geek has an exclusive interview with Dragon Resurrection writer Mark Byers
- Graphic Policy has details on Dark Horse’s announcement of Dragon Resurrection and related projects
- From CBR, a story about a second Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel series called The Search
- Infinite Reads reviews a New Buffy-verse Graphic Novel and an adaptation of a popular vampire novel
MTV Geek–Exclusive Interview: Dark Horse Aims For The Sky …geek-news.mtv.com7/20/12
You guys like dragons, right? Well, get ready for them to almost fly off the page in the brand new Dark Horse graphic novel Dragon Resurrection…
SDCC 2012–Dark Horse Debuts Dragon Resurrection « Graphic …graphicpolicy.com7/22/12
This dynamic new graphic novel from Dark Horse represents the first release of a franchise that will produce books, games, and other merchandise, leading up to a major motion picture. You can click here to read an exclusive …
Avatar: The Last Airbender–Comic Book Resourceswww.comicbookresources.com6/25/12
Comic Book Resources–Exclusive: Yang Continues Avatar: The Last Airbender in The Search–Writer Gene Yang spoke exclusively with CBR about Dark Horse's upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel series …
Infinite Reads gives a mixed review to House of Night and a thumbs up to Angel & Faith: Volume I
Dark Horse Vamps It Up « Infinite Reads—infinitereads.com7/13/12
Dark Horse Comics recently released graphic novel tie-ins to two popular vampire series, namely P.C. Cast’s enormously popular teen book series The House of Night, and the first installment in a new Buffy-verse series …
You can click here to read an exclusive 25-page digital preview of Dragon Resurrection!
Video montage of Angel And Faith Issue 1
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Happy Mother’s Day
This Mother’s Day, honor a mom in your life with a gift she can enjoy all year. Share your passion for graphic novels. Find the perfect graphic novel for Mom from the following list.
Below are four graphic novels that feature story’s about mothers or motherhood.…
1. Mother, Come Home
Rating: ★★★¾☆
Collecting two issues of Hornschemeier’s “Forlorn Funnies” series, Mother, Come Home is a stand-alone retrospective tale of family tragedy told by Thomas Tennant, who lost his mother to cancer when he was seven. The story opens after her death, with his professor father struggling to maintain some sense of comfort and equilibrium for himself and his son.
Thomas, occasionally donning a superhero cape and lion mask, fights to keep things together by cleaning up after his father, lying to the college when his dad misses yet another class, and tending his mother’s garden. Needing more help than his son can provide, the father checks himself into residential care. Forced to move in with an uncle and aunt, Thomas copes by entering a bright, cartoonish fantasy world where everything is how he wants it. His fantasies drive the heart-wrenching climax when he “rescues” his father from the care center.
The simplified forms and muted earth tones of the artwork alongside dark and serious themes create links to Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon, 2000), but Hornschemeier wields that rare gift of layered subtlety. Be it an almost imperceptible change in facial expressions or the slow death of a flower, he says significant, moving things in a few panels that would take pages to convey in a novel. But the book’s greatest strength is the story itself and the lessons it offers for life, loss, and, most importantly, how to move on.
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2. Mom’s Cancer
Rating: ★★★★★
After a “mini stroke,” his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer that had metastasized to the brain.
by Brian Fies (Author, Artist)
In a suave comic-strip style rather like those of Gary Trudeau (Doonesbury) and Berke Breathed (Bloom County), Fies traces the events of his mother’s illness primarily from the perspective of her three children, including “nurse sis” and “kid sis” (adult but the youngest) as well as himself.
A vital and positive woman who had been a model with hopes of Hollywood, she opted to fight the disease whole hog. Fies and his sisters pitched in to help her during the ensuing debilitation, seeing her through to tentative remission and an eleventh-hour (as it happened) move to Hollywood with kid sis. Depicting a family dependably if warily dealing, not without anger and feelings of inadequacy, with each crisis and change that cancer brings, Fies’ book may be one of the most well balanced contributions to the literature of coping with cancer.
Winner of the 2005 Eisner Award in the category of Best Digital Comic for the original Web version, Mom’s Cancer is now available as a graphic novel.
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3. Squirrel Mother
Rating: ★★★½☆
Kelso perfectly marries words and images, telling stories of longing and casual cruelty with a mastery perfectly suited to the comics medium.
While a young girl thoughtlessly destroys a dress her mother spent hours sewing for her, a squirrel mother, trapped by the household chores she does for her children, decides to abandon them. This is the opening story in Kelso’s newest collection of graphic short stories—Squirrel Mother.
The longest story is a well-researched imagining of our founding fathers and what would have happened if Alexander Hamilton had fought the duel he should have fought—against his ideological opponent Thomas Jefferson instead of Aaron Burr. Some stories are narrative, some just show the emotion of a single moment in time, but none truly end by the last page. Beautifully packaged, this is a gem of a collection.
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4. French Milk
Rating: ★★★¾☆
For her 22nd birthday—and her mother’s 50th—Lucy Knisley and her mother went to Paris. For more than a month, they toured the City of Lights from their fifth arrondissement flat, exploring museums and cafes, taking photographs, eating pastries and drinking French milk, which Knisley says is sweeter than its American counterpart; she compares it with the influence we take in from our mothers.
Knisley’s first book is unquestionably a travel journal first and foremost: Lucy-the-writer is so close to Lucy-the-subject that at times the story lacks background and emotional complexity. But as a travel journal French Milk shines.
Knisley’s photographs from the trip punctuate sketches of her daily adventures and musings about graduating from art school, first love and having an adult relationship with her mother. Best of all are Knisley’s portraits of home at the beginning and end of the book, which capture her childhood home and college life lovingly but with clear eyes. Knisley’s cartoony drawings are pleasingly clean in one panel and tellingly detailed in the next. A word-of-mouth hit when it first came out in a self-published limited edition, French Milk will remind readers of their own early trips to Europe and of traveling in their 20s.
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Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics: Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by the following publishers: Studio Foglio, Sunday Press Books, VIZ Media, McClelland & Stewart, Oni Press, Turtleback…
1. Girl Genius Volume 1: Agatha Heterodyne and The Beetleburg Clank (Color Edition)
Rating: ★★★★¾
Publisher: Studio Foglio (August 17, 2010)
Girl Genius is a great steam punk series mixed in with a little fantasy. In this first book, the artists are still finding their “look” but it is still very good. This book is a short introduction into the world of Agatha Heterodyne. You just get a taste of a wide range of different aspects of this world and, by the end, you will want to know more. This is the colorized Hardcover edition and it is a beautiful book.
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2. Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays!
Rating: ★★★★★
Publisher: Sunday Press Books (September 1, 2005)
Little Nemo in Slumberland was the peak of McCay’s art, and Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays!, edited by Peter Maresca, is the first book to do justice to it, basically because it is freaking gigantic.
It’s a luxury item—120 bucks—but it delivers: at 16 by 21 inches, it’s a coffee-table book bigger than some coffee tables. In other words, it’s the size of the New York Herald’s tabloid pages, on which “Little Nemo” was originally printed, and its gorgeous color reproduction is designed to look like the pages as they were published, on paper far nicer than newsprint but with the same background tone.
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3. Naruto 2008 Box Set, Vol.s 1-27
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher: VIZ Media (August 26, 2008)
The series is based on a one-shot comic by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.
Naruto is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all.
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4. Stitches: A Memoir
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (September 14, 2010)
Stitches has been reviewed by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and is a #1 New York Times Best Seller. It was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly and Amazon.com. It was also a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
David Small’s graphic memoir, Stitches, was published in September, 2009. One day, Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that that he had been transformed into a virtual mute—one of his vocal cords had been removed. He was fourteen, and had not been told that he had cancer and was expected to die. Stitches tells the story of Small’s journey from sickly child to cancer patient, to the troubled teen who made a risky decision to run away from home at sixteen—with nothing more than the dream of becoming an artist.
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5. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Boxset
Rating: ★★★★¾
Publisher: Oni Press (November 23, 2010)
Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Boxset is a collector’s box containing all six volumes and a fold-in poster, released in North America on November 3, 2010.
- The Scott Pilgrim Boxset collects the following graphic novels:
- Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life (August 18, 2004)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (June 15, 2005)
- Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness (May 24, 2006)
- Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together (November 14, 2007)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe (February 4, 2009)
- Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour (July 20, 2010)
Publishers Weekly ranked the third volume, Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness, as one of the best comic books of 2006 in a critics’ poll.
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6. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Rating: ★★★★¾
Publisher: Turtleback (April 1, 1994)
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 215-page non-fiction comic book, written and drawn by Scott McCloud and originally published in 1993. It explores the definition of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used.
The book was a finalist for the 1994 Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book.
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Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics: Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by the following publishers: Fantagraphics Books, Flesk Publications, Gemstone Publishing, I Books, Last Gasp of San Francisco, M Q Publications…
1. The Iron Wagon
Fantagraphics Books (July 2003)
Rating: ★★★★¾
If you’ve never read a Norwegian graphic novella, or if you’re looking for another to add to your collection, Jason’s The Iron Wagon is an option available to you. Reworking fellow Norwegian Stein Riverton’s 1909 detective novel of the same name, Jason (no last name is given) employs some sly misdirection to keep the reader slightly off-balance until the big reveal.
The story is told in three colors: black, white, and dried blood, with a few flashbacks told only in black-and-white.
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2. Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon:
A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic
(June 1, 2009)
Rating: ★★★★★
At 256 pages, it encompasses Williamson’s three stints of depicting Flash in comic book format: the legendary King Comics stories from the 1960s, the 1980 adaptation of the Universal Flash Gordon motion picture, and the Marvel Comics miniseries of 1994.
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3. The EC Archives: Tales From The Crypt Volume 1
Rating: ★★★★¼
Publisher:
Gemstone Publishing
(February 27, 2006)
In 2007, Russ Cochran and Gemstone Publishing began reprinting the series in its entirety, in full-color volumes (of six issues each) in the EC Archives hardcover series.
The first six complete issues (24 stories) of the comic book Tales From the Crypt, originally published in 1950, features classic horror stories of vampires, werewolves, ghouls and monsters in the vein of the early Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolf Man movies.
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4. Blacksad 2: Arctic Nation (No. 2)
(March 30, 2004)
--This%20volume%20deals%20with%20inter-racial%20violence%20and%20racial%20segregation%20of%20the%201950s%20in%20a%20pseudo-American%20suburbia%20called%20The%20Line.%20The%20book%20also%20obliquely%20addresses%20issues%20of%20economic%20depression%2C%20sexual%20repression%20and%20perversion%2C%20all%20intended%20to%20expose%20the%20social%20malaise%20and%20prejudice%20that%20exist%20beneath%20the%20apparently%20harmonious%20surfaces%20of%20communities. "Pin It")
Canales (Author)
Rating: ★★★★¾
This volume deals with inter-racial violence and racial segregation of the 1950s in a pseudo-American suburbia called The Line. The book also obliquely addresses issues of economic depression, sexual repression and perversion, all intended to expose the social malaise and prejudice that exist beneath the apparently harmonious surfaces of communities.
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5. Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima: Vol. 1
Last Gasp of San Francisco
(September 2004)
Rating: ★★★★★
Barefoot Gen: focuses on the hardships faced by ordinary Japanese citizens in a war their country fought largely for profit, and which many of them were opposed to. It looks at the way millions of people were routinely deceived and left to suffer, while corrupt officials and businessmen profited from the war. It also examines a horrific and shameful chapter in that war—the bombing of Hiroshima (and later, Nagasaki) by America.
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6. The R. Crumb Handbook
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher:
M Q Publications
(May 1, 2005)
The only underground cartoonist to be accepted by the fine art world, the R.Crumb Handbook is divided into the four enemies of man: Fear, Clarity, Power, Old Age.
Working with his old drinking buddy and also co-author Pete Poplaski, the four chapters are easily digested. With over 400 pages of cartoons and photographs, Crumb’s often controversially-regarded views towards Disney land, growing up in America, hippie love, art galleries and turning 60 are revealed.
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Rare Graphic Novels and Sought After Comics: Some of the books on the list are out of print, some are popular bestsellars, some are written or drawn by people who have since died, some are compilations of old comic books that have been re-printed in a bound volume.
This page is a sub-set of the big list. Below are rare and sought after graphic novels published by the following Publishers: Titan Books Ltd, Bloomsbury, Checker Book Publishing Group, Drawn and Quarterly, Devil’s Due Publishing, Kitchen Sink Press…
1. The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones
Rating: ★★★★½
Publisher:
Titan Books Ltd
(October 17, 1991)
Ian Gibson (Art)
Story of a woman’s survival and quest for self in the 50th century.
Originally published in 2000 AD and then collected by Titan Books, The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones, collects Books 1 thru 3.
The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones was voted the third best book of 2001 by the readers of Dreamwatch magazine.
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2. R.Crumb Coffee Table Art Book
Bloomsbury
(November 12, 1998)
Rating: ★★★★¾
The R.Crumb Coffee Table Art Book, a hefty oversize book, is a concise and beautifully designed overview of Robert Crumb’s remarkable career in chronological order. Each of 15 chapters is introduced in Crumb’s own words, in characteristic handwritten text.
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3. Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon, Vol. 1
Checker Book Publishing Group
(May 1, 2004)
Rating: ★★★★½
Between June 2004 and January 2007, Checker reprinted in seven volumes the complete Flash Gordon Sunday strips of Alex Raymond. These strips had been previously collected in colour by Kitchen Sink Press, but had been out-of-print for several years.
Volume 1 (Jun 2004) collects Raymond’s earliest Sunday Strips starting from the first, printed on January 7, 1934.
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4. Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip—
Book One
Rating: ★★★★¾
Moomin (Swedish: Mumintroll, Finnish: Muumi) are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses.
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5. Hack / Slash Volume 1: First Cut (v. 1)
Rating: ★★★★¼
In 2005 the “Hack/Slash” one shots were collected as the First Cut trade paperback.
Volume 1: First Cut collects the following one-shots:
- Hack/Slash: Euthanized
- Hack/Slash: Girls Gone Dead
- Hack/Slash: Comic Book Carnage
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6. Kafka
Rating: ★★★★★
Publisher: Kitchen Sink Press
(July 1996)
Kafka, also known as Introducing Kafka, also known as Kafka for Beginners, is an illustrated biography of Franz Kafka by David Zane Mairowitz and Robert Crumb.
The book includes comic adaptations of some of Kafka’s most famous works including The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, In the Penal Colony, and The Judgment, as well as brief sketches of his three novels The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika.
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