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April 18, 2014
Atomic Books Comics Preview - April 18, 2014
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.
Atomic Books has been named one of Bizarre Magazine's 51 geekiest places on the planet, as well as one of Flavorwire's 10 greatest comic and graphic novel stores in America.
Bohemians: A Graphic History
by Paul Buhle / David Berger / various
One of the most enjoyable ways to read about the past is via these sorts of graphic histories that Buhle (The Beats, A People's History of American Empire) does. Here a variety of artists (Lance Tooks, Peter Kuper, Spain Rodriguez, Sabrina Jones) illustrate the histories of key figures in the counter-cultural bohemian "movement" of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Mineshaft #30
by Everett Rand / Gioia Palmieri (editors)
Mineshaft is one of the finest comics and illustrative arts publications out there. This issue features contributions from Robert Crumb, Bill Griffith, Mary Fleener, Jay Lynch and many more. It's one of those publications that, if you can manage to put it down, you can't stop looking at it and wanting to pick it back up again.
Operation Margarine
by Katie Skelly
Two girls on a motorcycle roadtrip facing down the elements, biker gangs and each other. All told with Skelly's impossible-to-not-adore art style.
Real Good Stuff #1 / #2
by Dennis P. Eichhorn / various
One of my all-time favorite underground/anthology comics from the 1990s was Dennis Eichhorn's Real Stuff. Like a Harvey Pekar meets Hunter S. Thompson/Charles Bukowski, Eichhorn would write out his stories and enlist a who's who of great comic artists to illustrate them. It's been a few years, but he's returned with Real Good Stuff, and he brings in a mix of those great artists he used to work with (Jim Blanchard, Mary Fleener, Pat Moriarity) with a number of great younger artists (Max Clotfelter, Noah Van Sciver). This first issue is a 2-issue flipbook too.
Tenderness #1
by Matt Crabe, Heaven's Favorite Man
Crabe's artwork is psychedelic and pornographic - it's great and disturbing at the same time - which makes it super great! This first issue of Crabe's ongoing comics magazine is strictly ADULTS ONLY.
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 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)
Online "Best of 2013" Book Lists
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
Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Books of the Week (recommended new books, magazines, and comics)
musician/author interviews
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
Short Cuts (writers pair a song with their short story or essay)
WORD Bookstores Books of the Week (weekly new book highlights)
