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Hardcover Books

Return to Bloom County

Oct 6th, 2009
by rodney.
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Opus the penguin. Bill the cat. What more need be said? Bloom County, written and illustrated by Berke Breathed, was the visual soundtrack to the lives of many furry and comic book fans throughout the 1980’s. And many of the characters, situations, and sayings that Mr. Breathed, well, “breathed” into life are still iconic to this very day. Now IDW Publishing has collected the entire 1980 – 1989 run of the original comic in Bloom County: The Complete Library. Volume One (the first of five — itself nearly 300 pages long!) contains reprints from 1980 through 1982. All of the comics found in these volumes will be reprints from either the original printer proofs, or Berke Breathed’s original artwork.

The original first collection cover, c. Berke Breathed

The original first collection cover, c. Berke Breathed

Stepping into some Big Shoes… with Pooh

Oct 3rd, 2009
by rodney.
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David Benedictus produced the audio adaptations of A.A. Milne’s orginal book Winnie-the-Pooh, starring Dame Judi Dench. Now he’s taken on a much bigger task: Continuing the story that Milne brought to a close 80 years ago with The House at Pooh Corner. In that story, Christopher Robin said his final good-byes to Pooh-Bear and all of his friends.  Now, in the first book approved by the trustees of A.A. Milne’s Pooh properties, Mr. Benedictus has written the first new adventures of the original Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, and Eeyore in decades. Return to the  Hundred Acre Wood is profusely illustrated by Mark Burgess, an artist who has illustrated Pooh books before — as well as stories of Paddington Bear. This new book comes to stores this October, in hardcover from Dutton Juvenile (in the U.K. The North American edition is published by Penguin Group).

Animals for Healing

Oct 1st, 2009
by rodney.
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Chris Ayers was busy working as a concept artist in Hollywood when, in 2005, he was diagnosed with leukemia. One year later, after a period of intense treatment and therapy, Chris embarked on a personal project: To draw one animal each day, for a year, and in the process to come to terms with his illness, his recovery, and his healing. Now the result of his hard work and diligence is available as The Daily Zoo, a full-color hardcover book from Design Studio Press. It features the 365 drawings from Chris’ project, as well as his reflections on the animals presented (some realistic, some anthropomorphic, some silly, some not…) and how they reflect on his condition, his thoughts, and his life. The book also features an introduction by director and producer J.J. Abrams. You can find out more about the project and the book at Chris’ web site, www.chrisayersdesign.com.

Arigato, Tezuka Sensei

Sep 20th, 2009
by rodney.
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This October, Abrams Comic Arts will release a new hardcover book, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga. The press release at amazon.com says it best: “Osamu Tezuka has often been called ‘the god of manga’ and ‘the Walt Disney of Japan,’ but he was far more than that. Tezuka was Walt Disney, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Tim Burton, and Carl Sagan all rolled into one incredibly prolific creator, changing the face of Japanese culture forever. Best known for Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, Tezuka was instrumental in developing Japanese animation and modern manga comics. The Art of Osamu Tezuka is the first authorized biography celebrating his work and life and featuring over 300 images—many of which have never been seen outside of Japan. With text by respected manga expert Helen McCarthy, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga pays tribute to the work of an artist, writer, animator, doctor, entrepreneur, and traveler whose curious mind spawned dozens of animated films, and over 170,000 pages of comics art in one astonishingly creative lifetime. The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga also includes an exclusive 45-minute DVD documentary covering Tezuka’s prolific career, from his early manga characters to his later animation work.”

Berke Breathed’s First Illustrated Novel

Sep 19th, 2009
by rodney.
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Berkeley Breathed, Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of Bloom County and Outland, has given us his first illustrated novel. Flawed Dogs — The Shocking Raid on Westminster is “a heartwarming and humorous ode to the unconditional and lasting love that we and our pets share”. This is from the publisher: “Sam the Lion is actually a priceless dachshund, bred to be a show dog. More important, he is Heidy’s best friend—and she needs one like never before. Living with her reclusive uncle is hard, but Sam has a way of making her feel soft and whole. Until the day Sam is framed by the jealous poodle Cassius, and is cast out by Heidy’s uncle, alone on the wild streets, where he is roughed up by a world he was not bred for. Sporting a soup ladle for a leg, Sam befriends other abandoned dogs and journeys all the way to the Westminster Dog Show, where his plan for revenge on Cassius takes an unexpected turn when he and Heidy spot each other after years of being apart.” The book is available in hardcover this September from Philomel.

Early Usagi

Sep 9th, 2009
by rodney.
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If you just can’t get enough of Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo, you might want to check out this new, very large compilation. For the first 10 years of its existence, Usagi was published by Fantagraphics Press. Now, to celebrate the comic’s 25th anniversary, Fantagraphics has released Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition, a 1200-page two-hardcover-book collection of the first seven Usagi Yojimbo books. There are lots of extras too, including a full-color cover gallery, behind-the-scenes art, an interview with Stan Sakai, and more. There’s also a special limited version available, each individually autographed by Stan himself.

Ladies and Werewolves

Sep 6th, 2009
by rodney.
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Dark fantasy novelist Patricia Briggs has new books and new comic books coming out from Dabel Brothers Publishing. The premiere issue of Cry Wolfe (written by Patricia with David Lawrence, and illustrated by Jordon Gunderson) introduces us to a woman named Anna.  She never believed in werewolves — until the night she became one herself. A rare “omega wolf”, Anna has spent years at the bottom of the pack as a humbled servant, until she catches the eye of a powerful alpha wolf who may see her true value. But what happens when alpha and omega get together? Meanwhile, Mercy Thompson: Homecoming (in hardcover) takes place in the days before Ms. Briggs’ best-selling novel series. We meet young Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson, a shape-shifter fresh out of college and looking for a job. She soon finds herself trapped in the middle of a war between werewolves and vampires, but the worst thing is having to face the dreaded job interview!

Steampunk Badger

Sep 4th, 2009
by rodney.
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Grandville is a new full-color steampunk anthropomorphic graphic novel, written and illustrated by Bryan Talbot (The Tale of One Bad Rat, Alice in Sunderland). Created in England, it’s being released in North America by Dark Horse Press (in hardcover) this coming October. Here’s the story: After 200 years of French rule (having lost the war to Napoleon), the Socialist Republic of Britain is now a backwards, backwater land “connected by railway bridge, steam-powered dirigible, and mutual suspicion to France”. When a British diplomat (an otter) is murdered, and the deed made to look like a suicide, fearless detective LeBrock of Scotland Yard (a badger, of course) steps in to solve the case.  But doing so will bring him muzzle-to-muzzle with a ruthless murder squad. The brave badger’s quest for answers will take him far and wide through this world of steam-driven hansom cabs, automatons, and flying machines.  Want to see a preview? Visit Bryan Talbot’s Grandville site.

The Life and Times of Walt Kelly

Aug 31st, 2009
by rodney.
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Here’s a sneak peak:  Hermes press will soon be releasing a brand-new hardcover book, The Life and Times of Walt Kelly (edited by Thomas Andrae and Carsten Laqua). From the official press release: “This first comprehensive monograph of Pogo creator Walt Kelly details all of his work from its beginning with Walt Disney through his long creative work on his signature character, Pogo. This full-color art book is profusely illustrated with original artwork and never-before-seen documentary materials.” The book is scheduled to begin shipping in October.

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