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May 12, 2010
Atomic Books Comics Preview - May 12, 2010
In the weekly Atomic Books Comics Preview, Benn Ray highlights notable new comics and graphic novels.
Benn Ray is the owner of Atomic Books, an independent bookstore in Baltimore. The Mobtown Shank is his blog, and his comic Said What? is syndicated weekly in the Baltimore Sun's B-Paper.
So, in this week’s list of “comics” picks, I have a few new titles that technically aren’t comics, but they are pretty comic-y.
Crap Hound #4
by Sean Tejaratchi
One of the most coveted and fetishized (originals fetch steep prices on eBay) zines returns with an updated and expanded reprint. Issue #4 focuses on clowns, devils, and bait and features high contrast line art collected from vintage catalogs, advertising and more. Not only does it make for a great addition to anyone’s reference library (especially designers, tattooists, zinesters, illustrators), but it serves as a sort of visual exploration of cultural symbolism.
PRISM Index #1
By Jeffrey Bowers (editor)
PRISM Index is concrete proof that all the iPads, Kindles, Nooks and e-readers in the world can’t replace a well-crafted publication. This is a limited, hand-made, multimedia “arts” zine that also comes with a CD and DVD. It features contributions from Bill Plympton, The Kuchar Brothers, Lisa Hanawalt, Jeffrey Brown, Gavin McInnes, Michael Kimball, Theo Ellsworth, Josh Cotter, Arbouretum and many, many more. The result is multi-media magnificence - an insanely desirable handmade publication that does not at all translate digitally.
Repuglicans
by Steve Tatham / Pete Von Sholly
Repuglicans puts the “ugly” back into the Republican Party. Oh who are we kidding, it never left! In the great tradition of political satire, Tatham and Von Sholly recast icons of the Republican Party as monsters (or reveal their true character, depending on which side of the political divide you find yourself on). Sure to be made controversial by the sort of folks who can’t laugh at themselves, and hilariously spot on to everyone else (i.e., the sane). C’mon, Palin as a vampire? That’s funny.
And now, back to what excites us most out of this week’s more traditional comics releases.
Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale
by Belle Yang
This autobiographical comic tells the story of Belle graduating from college, fleeing an abusive boyfriend and finding healing and understanding through exploring and telling the story of her family’s history. If you like books like Persepolis and Fun Home, you’ll want to check out Forget Sorrow.
Sweet Tooth Volume 1: Out Of The Woods
by Jeff Lemire
The Nobody
by Jeff Lemire
This is a big week for Jeff Lemire. First, the softcover version of his original graphic novel The Nobody is out. It’s his take on The Invisible Man, mixed with exploring small town xenophobia. Then, the first collection of his charming, post-apocalyptic series Sweet Tooth is out. Much of the human race dies off from a pandemic, but there are some left. And they’re, of course, mostly dangerous. Meanwhile, what’s up with this weird sort of human/animal hybrids that are being born? If you’re in the mood for an interesting, end-of-the-world story, Sweet Tooth satisfies.
Questions, concerns, comments or gripes – e-mail benn@atomicbooks.com. If there’s a comic I should know about, send it my way at Atomic, c/o Atomic Books 3620 Falls Rd., Baltimore, MD 21211.
Atomic Books & Benn Ray links:
Atomic Books website
Atomic Books blog
Atomic Books on Twitter
Atomic Books on Facebook
Benn Ray's blog (The Mobtown Shank)
Benn Ray's comic, Said What?
also at Largehearted Boy:
other Atomic Books Comics Preview lists (weekly new comics & graphic novel highlights)
52 Books, 52 Weeks
Antiheroines (interviews with up and coming female comics artists)
Book Notes (authors create music playlists for their book)
guest book reviews
Largehearted Word (weekly new book highlights)
musician/author interviews
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
