Out April 9, 2013.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
VIP: The Mad World OF Virgil Partch
Out July 20, 2013.
Only a few months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor and the same year that Albert Camus offered the world his bleak vision of man’s existence by introducing his philosophical dictum of The Absurd, Virgil Partch burst onto the scene with his own twist on the phrase. Partch was a cartoonist who offered comic counterpoint to the grim headlines and a unique perspective on human nature in the pages of the nation’s most popular magazines. Known to millions by his jazzy signature, VIP, this comic genius ushered in a new era of the gag cartoon—zany, sometimes surreal, always hilarious—that inspired a generation of fellow cartoonists starting in the 1940s and ’50s. His madcap style of humor was reflected in the cutting-edge comedic sensibilities of Burns & Allen, Jack Benny, Ernie Kovacs, Bob & Ray, Stan Freberg, and Jean Shepherd, and would position Partch as one of the most prolific “gag-men” of his day. VIP contributed to an astonishing array of magazines, wrote gags for other cartoonists, illustrated books, album covers, and advertisements, and adorned merchandise including, appropriately, cocktail glasses. VIP: The Mad World of Virgil Partch is the first time Partch’s life and career has been treated in full, collecting amazing artwork from the entire range of his inspired career and featuring his own writings. Reprinted from original art, primary-source publications, and collectors’ and family archives, VIP’s place in the world of cartooning and humor can finally be fully appreciated in this beautiful coffee-table volume.
Only a few months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor and the same year that Albert Camus offered the world his bleak vision of man’s existence by introducing his philosophical dictum of The Absurd, Virgil Partch burst onto the scene with his own twist on the phrase. Partch was a cartoonist who offered comic counterpoint to the grim headlines and a unique perspective on human nature in the pages of the nation’s most popular magazines. Known to millions by his jazzy signature, VIP, this comic genius ushered in a new era of the gag cartoon—zany, sometimes surreal, always hilarious—that inspired a generation of fellow cartoonists starting in the 1940s and ’50s. His madcap style of humor was reflected in the cutting-edge comedic sensibilities of Burns & Allen, Jack Benny, Ernie Kovacs, Bob & Ray, Stan Freberg, and Jean Shepherd, and would position Partch as one of the most prolific “gag-men” of his day. VIP contributed to an astonishing array of magazines, wrote gags for other cartoonists, illustrated books, album covers, and advertisements, and adorned merchandise including, appropriately, cocktail glasses. VIP: The Mad World of Virgil Partch is the first time Partch’s life and career has been treated in full, collecting amazing artwork from the entire range of his inspired career and featuring his own writings. Reprinted from original art, primary-source publications, and collectors’ and family archives, VIP’s place in the world of cartooning and humor can finally be fully appreciated in this beautiful coffee-table volume.
Child Of Tomorrow!: And Other Stories by Al Feldstein
Out July 20, 2013.
Al Feldstein is best known as the main writer/editor of the EC comics line during the first half of the 1950s—and then the editor of Mad Magazine for the first three decades of its existence. But what many don’t know or remember is that Feldstein was also an accomplished and distinctive cartoonist, whose comics (which he both wrote and drew, a relative rarity in those days) adorned the pages of many of those self same EC comics. His powerfully composed, meticulously inked pages, often featuring grotesque creatures or scenes of ghastly destruction (and some of the greatest stiffly handsome/beautiful specimens of 1950s humanity ever put to paper), were a vital part of the allure of these classic comics. Feldstein’s contributions to the first year and a half of EC’s two SF titles, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy—comprising 16 classic O. Henry-style shock-ending stories with such evocative, vintage title as “’Things’ From Outer Space.” “The Flying Saucer Invasion,” “Spawn of Venus,” “Destruction of the Earth,” and “Am I Man or Machine?”—will be collected in their integrity in this volume, which will also boast a new interview with Feldstein about his years at EC, focusing in particular in his work on these science fiction titles that were the company’s pride and joy (and were killed a few years later by the Comics Code).
Al Feldstein is best known as the main writer/editor of the EC comics line during the first half of the 1950s—and then the editor of Mad Magazine for the first three decades of its existence. But what many don’t know or remember is that Feldstein was also an accomplished and distinctive cartoonist, whose comics (which he both wrote and drew, a relative rarity in those days) adorned the pages of many of those self same EC comics. His powerfully composed, meticulously inked pages, often featuring grotesque creatures or scenes of ghastly destruction (and some of the greatest stiffly handsome/beautiful specimens of 1950s humanity ever put to paper), were a vital part of the allure of these classic comics. Feldstein’s contributions to the first year and a half of EC’s two SF titles, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy—comprising 16 classic O. Henry-style shock-ending stories with such evocative, vintage title as “’Things’ From Outer Space.” “The Flying Saucer Invasion,” “Spawn of Venus,” “Destruction of the Earth,” and “Am I Man or Machine?”—will be collected in their integrity in this volume, which will also boast a new interview with Feldstein about his years at EC, focusing in particular in his work on these science fiction titles that were the company’s pride and joy (and were killed a few years later by the Comics Code).
Peppy And Virginny In Lapinoland by Herge
Out July 30, 2013.
Hergé is known worldwide for his plucky, globetrotting, strikingly quiffed hero Tintin. But before the runaway success of this character, the struggling Belgian cartoonist created a number of shorter-lived and less well-known series and characters. By far the loopiest were 1934’s Peppy and Virginny (“Popol” and “Virginie” in the original), a couple of haberdashers who journeyed to the Wild West in search of new clientele, accompanied by their trusty horse Bluebell— where they ran into savage Indian tribes, evil bandits, and much more. They experienced only one adventure, but it was a doozy! The crisp, “clear line” drawing style of the earliest vintage Tintin albums combines with a freewheeling, farcical storyline and engaging funny-animal characters (the leads are bears, the Indians are rabbits with ears for feathers, and the main villain is a bulldog) and gorgeous Euro-album coloring to make this a genuine oddball classic of Franco-Belgian comics, and Fantagraphics is proud to present its first American release (and its first English-language release in two decades). With the Spielberg/Jackson Tintin adaptations and a steady flow of new books about Tintin and his creator (such as last year’s Adventures of Hergé graphic-novel biography), work by Hergé remains in high demand and this book shows a fascinatingly idiosyncratic facet of his career. And it’s a rollicking, hilarious, kid-friendly (if you can give the non-PC 1930s “Injuns” a pass) read to boot.
Hergé is known worldwide for his plucky, globetrotting, strikingly quiffed hero Tintin. But before the runaway success of this character, the struggling Belgian cartoonist created a number of shorter-lived and less well-known series and characters. By far the loopiest were 1934’s Peppy and Virginny (“Popol” and “Virginie” in the original), a couple of haberdashers who journeyed to the Wild West in search of new clientele, accompanied by their trusty horse Bluebell— where they ran into savage Indian tribes, evil bandits, and much more. They experienced only one adventure, but it was a doozy! The crisp, “clear line” drawing style of the earliest vintage Tintin albums combines with a freewheeling, farcical storyline and engaging funny-animal characters (the leads are bears, the Indians are rabbits with ears for feathers, and the main villain is a bulldog) and gorgeous Euro-album coloring to make this a genuine oddball classic of Franco-Belgian comics, and Fantagraphics is proud to present its first American release (and its first English-language release in two decades). With the Spielberg/Jackson Tintin adaptations and a steady flow of new books about Tintin and his creator (such as last year’s Adventures of Hergé graphic-novel biography), work by Hergé remains in high demand and this book shows a fascinatingly idiosyncratic facet of his career. And it’s a rollicking, hilarious, kid-friendly (if you can give the non-PC 1930s “Injuns” a pass) read to boot.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Impossible Tales: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 4
Out May 1, 2013.
Five years before Steve Ditko began work on his now legendary co-creations for Marvel Comics, the Amazing Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, he was pro- ducing some of his best work in near anonymity for Charlton Comics. Like its predecessors, Impossible Tales: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 4 features over 200 meticulously restored full-color pages of Ditko in his early prime—stories that have never seen a proper reprinting until now, thrilling stories of suspense, mystery, haunted houses, and unsuspecting victims all delineated in Ditko’s wildly idiosyncratic, masterful style. This fourth volume ranks as the best in the Archives series to date thanks in large part to the inspiration Ditko took from comics derived from the classic host-narrated radio shows, which gave an extra oomph to his creepy yarns. Moreover, comics such as This Magazine is Haunted and Tales of The Mysterious Traveler bore witness to a veritable explosion in Ditko’s ingenuity in terms of manipulating the traditional comic-book page layout. This new level of excellence also manifested itself in his work on other books, such Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds, Out of This World, Strange Suspense Stories, and Unusual Tales, all of which are amply represented in this volume.
Five years before Steve Ditko began work on his now legendary co-creations for Marvel Comics, the Amazing Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, he was pro- ducing some of his best work in near anonymity for Charlton Comics. Like its predecessors, Impossible Tales: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 4 features over 200 meticulously restored full-color pages of Ditko in his early prime—stories that have never seen a proper reprinting until now, thrilling stories of suspense, mystery, haunted houses, and unsuspecting victims all delineated in Ditko’s wildly idiosyncratic, masterful style. This fourth volume ranks as the best in the Archives series to date thanks in large part to the inspiration Ditko took from comics derived from the classic host-narrated radio shows, which gave an extra oomph to his creepy yarns. Moreover, comics such as This Magazine is Haunted and Tales of The Mysterious Traveler bore witness to a veritable explosion in Ditko’s ingenuity in terms of manipulating the traditional comic-book page layout. This new level of excellence also manifested itself in his work on other books, such Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds, Out of This World, Strange Suspense Stories, and Unusual Tales, all of which are amply represented in this volume.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: Color Sundays Vol. 1 "Call Of The Wild"
Out May 20, 2013.
We’re jumping from black and white to classic color—as Floyd Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse series makes its 1932-35 Sunday strip debut! Bright hues highlight our hero as he enjoys four years’ worth of wild weekend epics... taking him from Uncle Mortimer’s Wild West ranch to the icy peak of frigid Mount Fishflake! And in this volume, Mickey is joined by a famous co-star: Donald Duck! Floyd Gottfredson, artist of the Sunday Mickey Mouse from 1932-38, created the most famous Mickey tales ever told in print. These Sunday specials—many never before reprinted—also feature the work of later Donald Duck master Al Taliaferro. Collectively, they form a collection that fans have been seeking for a lifetime! Highlights include “Mickey’s Nephews,” introducing Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse, and “Dr. Oofgay’s Secret Serum,” which turns Horace Horsecollar into a brainwashed wild mustang! Classic gag stories round out the book, offering manic Mouse mischief at a fever pitch. Restored from Disney’s art sources and enhanced with a meticulous recreation of the strips’ original color, Call of the Wild also brings you more than 30 pages of chromatic supplementary features! You’ll enjoy rare behind-the-scenes art, vintage publicity material, and fascinating commentary by a prismatic pack of Disney scholars.
We’re jumping from black and white to classic color—as Floyd Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse series makes its 1932-35 Sunday strip debut! Bright hues highlight our hero as he enjoys four years’ worth of wild weekend epics... taking him from Uncle Mortimer’s Wild West ranch to the icy peak of frigid Mount Fishflake! And in this volume, Mickey is joined by a famous co-star: Donald Duck! Floyd Gottfredson, artist of the Sunday Mickey Mouse from 1932-38, created the most famous Mickey tales ever told in print. These Sunday specials—many never before reprinted—also feature the work of later Donald Duck master Al Taliaferro. Collectively, they form a collection that fans have been seeking for a lifetime! Highlights include “Mickey’s Nephews,” introducing Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse, and “Dr. Oofgay’s Secret Serum,” which turns Horace Horsecollar into a brainwashed wild mustang! Classic gag stories round out the book, offering manic Mouse mischief at a fever pitch. Restored from Disney’s art sources and enhanced with a meticulous recreation of the strips’ original color, Call of the Wild also brings you more than 30 pages of chromatic supplementary features! You’ll enjoy rare behind-the-scenes art, vintage publicity material, and fascinating commentary by a prismatic pack of Disney scholars.
Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "The Old Castle Secret"
Out June 20, 2013.
With this volume, “The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library” loops back to Barks’s earlier days, collecting the entirety of Barks’s (astounding) 1948 output. The title story, “The Old Castle’s Secret,” is notable not just for being the first full-length 32-page adventure instigated by Scrooge McDuck (in his second-ever appearance), but for featuring some of Barks’s spookiest, lushest settings in old Clan McDuck castle of Dismal Downs. The other long story, “The Sheriff of Bullet Valley,” plunks Donald and the nephews in the Wild West, with Donald as an overconfident deputy having to deal with some high-tech rustlers. The book also includes the less-known “In Darkest Africa,” originally published in a giveaway and unreleased for decades. This volume also features an even 10 of Barks’s dynamic “Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories” 10-pagers, including “Wintertime Wager” (the first appearance of a not-yet-lucky-but-still-obnoxious Gladstone Gander); “Spoil the Rod” (in which the exquisitely named educational professor Pulpheart Clabberhead is brought in to help tame the nephews); “Rocket Race to the Moon” (a rare full-on adventure—interplanetary, no less—in the short form); “Gladstone Returns” and “Links Highjinks” (two more Gladstone yarns); and five more stories... plus a half-dozen hilarious one-page gags. Of course, once again all the stories have been shot from crisp originals, then re-colored (and printed) to match, for the first time since their original release over 60 years ago, the colorful yet soft hues of the originals—and of course the book is rounded off with essays about Barks, the Ducks, and these specific stories by Barks experts from all over the world.
With this volume, “The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library” loops back to Barks’s earlier days, collecting the entirety of Barks’s (astounding) 1948 output. The title story, “The Old Castle’s Secret,” is notable not just for being the first full-length 32-page adventure instigated by Scrooge McDuck (in his second-ever appearance), but for featuring some of Barks’s spookiest, lushest settings in old Clan McDuck castle of Dismal Downs. The other long story, “The Sheriff of Bullet Valley,” plunks Donald and the nephews in the Wild West, with Donald as an overconfident deputy having to deal with some high-tech rustlers. The book also includes the less-known “In Darkest Africa,” originally published in a giveaway and unreleased for decades. This volume also features an even 10 of Barks’s dynamic “Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories” 10-pagers, including “Wintertime Wager” (the first appearance of a not-yet-lucky-but-still-obnoxious Gladstone Gander); “Spoil the Rod” (in which the exquisitely named educational professor Pulpheart Clabberhead is brought in to help tame the nephews); “Rocket Race to the Moon” (a rare full-on adventure—interplanetary, no less—in the short form); “Gladstone Returns” and “Links Highjinks” (two more Gladstone yarns); and five more stories... plus a half-dozen hilarious one-page gags. Of course, once again all the stories have been shot from crisp originals, then re-colored (and printed) to match, for the first time since their original release over 60 years ago, the colorful yet soft hues of the originals—and of course the book is rounded off with essays about Barks, the Ducks, and these specific stories by Barks experts from all over the world.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Mickey Spillane's From the Files of...Mike Hammer: The complete Dailies and Sundays Volume 1
Out Jan. 8, 2012.
America's most well-known, hardboiled detective, Mike Hammer, returns with Hermes Press' complete archival reprint of the entire continuity, From the Files of... Mike Hammer! Reprinting all of the dailies and Sunday strips (in digitally reconstructed color) this book will be the final word on this pop culture icon. The strip, which was distributed to newspapers by the Phoenix Features Syndicate, ran for only one year (1953-1954) - but what a year it was! The strip is pure Mickey Spillane and was crafted under his watchful eye with art by Ed Robbins. The feature has everything fans of Mike Hammer would expect: Mike, Zelda, good girls, bad girls, gun-play, and lots of action! Accompanying the strips are two in-depth essays by noted mystery writer and Mickey Spillane expert Max Collins (Road to Perdition).
America's most well-known, hardboiled detective, Mike Hammer, returns with Hermes Press' complete archival reprint of the entire continuity, From the Files of... Mike Hammer! Reprinting all of the dailies and Sunday strips (in digitally reconstructed color) this book will be the final word on this pop culture icon. The strip, which was distributed to newspapers by the Phoenix Features Syndicate, ran for only one year (1953-1954) - but what a year it was! The strip is pure Mickey Spillane and was crafted under his watchful eye with art by Ed Robbins. The feature has everything fans of Mike Hammer would expect: Mike, Zelda, good girls, bad girls, gun-play, and lots of action! Accompanying the strips are two in-depth essays by noted mystery writer and Mickey Spillane expert Max Collins (Road to Perdition).
Monday, October 8, 2012
Tarzan Archives: The Russ Manning Years Volume 1
Out Jan. 1, 2013.
Experience seven of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels as drawn by Russ Manning, the most beloved comic-book interpreter of the lord of the jungle! Manning's adaptations appeared in the Gold Key comics Tarzan #155-161, #163, #164, #166, and #167. This collection of comics originally published in the 1960s is an essential addition to any comics fan's library!
Experience seven of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels as drawn by Russ Manning, the most beloved comic-book interpreter of the lord of the jungle! Manning's adaptations appeared in the Gold Key comics Tarzan #155-161, #163, #164, #166, and #167. This collection of comics originally published in the 1960s is an essential addition to any comics fan's library!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America - Volume 6
Out Dec. 26, 2012.
When Captain America says, "Report for Marvel Masterworks duty!" you'd better snap to attention, soldier! You've been called up for a serving of the first Avenger's Golden Age adventures. Illustrated by breakout talent Syd Shores and a cadre of titans of the Timely era, each tale explodes off the page with panel-bursting action and excitement. From the Reaper and the Creeper to the Cobra Ring of Death and vampire killers, Cap and Bucky's wartime exploits are collected here for the first time. With backup stories featuring the Human Torch and the Secret Stamp, every giant 64-page issue is a package that's worth its weight in the Golden Age. Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS (1941) #21-24.
When Captain America says, "Report for Marvel Masterworks duty!" you'd better snap to attention, soldier! You've been called up for a serving of the first Avenger's Golden Age adventures. Illustrated by breakout talent Syd Shores and a cadre of titans of the Timely era, each tale explodes off the page with panel-bursting action and excitement. From the Reaper and the Creeper to the Cobra Ring of Death and vampire killers, Cap and Bucky's wartime exploits are collected here for the first time. With backup stories featuring the Human Torch and the Secret Stamp, every giant 64-page issue is a package that's worth its weight in the Golden Age. Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS (1941) #21-24.
Steve Ditko's Monsters Volume 1: Gorgo
Out Feb. 12, 2013.
The genius artist Steve Ditko is a towering monster of awesomeness, and so is the character he chronicled... GORGO! If you love Godzilla - and who doesn't - you'll love Gorgo, who ravages London, New York City, and HOLLYWOOD! Gorgo goes head to head with the British Navy, atomic bombs, Communists, and aliens from the planet Corpus III! This is the complete Ditko Gorgo, 200-pages of comics, including six pulse-pounding covers all drawn during the height of Ditko's prowess concurrent with his Spider-man and Dr. Strange creative explosions. Scripts are by the fan-favorite writer Joe Gill. Introduction by Eisner award winner Craig Yoe with fascinating insight into the comics and the monster movie that inspired them. Every page is lovingly restored and the book is a large format hardcover to showcase the monstrous Ditko art.
The genius artist Steve Ditko is a towering monster of awesomeness, and so is the character he chronicled... GORGO! If you love Godzilla - and who doesn't - you'll love Gorgo, who ravages London, New York City, and HOLLYWOOD! Gorgo goes head to head with the British Navy, atomic bombs, Communists, and aliens from the planet Corpus III! This is the complete Ditko Gorgo, 200-pages of comics, including six pulse-pounding covers all drawn during the height of Ditko's prowess concurrent with his Spider-man and Dr. Strange creative explosions. Scripts are by the fan-favorite writer Joe Gill. Introduction by Eisner award winner Craig Yoe with fascinating insight into the comics and the monster movie that inspired them. Every page is lovingly restored and the book is a large format hardcover to showcase the monstrous Ditko art.
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