While "researching" the latest Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom contains many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Today we’re finally leaving Texas publications with Garret Izumi‘s Fremont, CA production Fish Dog Bird. The spiral-bound, palm-sized book collects 23 of Izumi’s philosophical illustrations, all printed on fine art paper.

(Actual size)


from Fish Dog Bird

This signed copy is #98 of an unspecified amount.

While "researching" the latest Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom contains many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Today I’m showcasing one of my favorite artist’s earliest published works. I believe that Book of Dreams (Peripheral Press 1993) featured World Fantasy Award-winning and Hugo-nominated illustrator John Picacio‘s first cover.

The 30 page chapbook contained writings by David Somoza, a four page comic book short story by Fernando Ramirez, and Picacio’s first published sequential story "When The Angels Fall."

From "When The Angels Fall" by John Picacio

Picacio and Fernandez would produce stories for two issues of their own standard-sized graphic anthology Words & Pictures. Picacio generated the covers for both.

Words & Pictures #1 Fall ’94

Words & Pictures #2 Spring ’95

Picacio created his last published sequential story (Chet Williamson’s "Chip of Fools") for Weird Business (Mojo Press, 1995).

Since then he’s become a popular, award-winning cover artist and book illustrator.

On a more personal note, Brandy and I were blessed with an original John Picacio piece for our wedding invitation.

Whitten-Klaw Wedding Invitation April 1, 2001

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Duke Elric (Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, Vol. 4) by Michael Moorcock Fully illustrated by Justin Sweet

Promo copy:

Elric, albino emperor of a decadent kingdom, is one of the best-known and most influential characters in the history of fantasy. His continuing adventures are lavishly illustrated in this beautiful omnibus volume, the fourth in a series. Included are the novel The Sailor on the Seas of Fate; the comic book script "Duke Elric"; a foreword by Michael Chabon, a selection of classic artwork on early editions of Elric novels and short stories, and more.

Joe Crowe reviewed Elric: Stealer of Souls, the first volume of this handsome series, for RevSf.

Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress (Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, Vol. 3) hit bookstore shelves last week.

The Magician’s Apprentice by Trudi Canavan

Promo copy:

Set hundreds of years before the events of The Magicians’ Guild, THE MAGICIAN’S APPRENTICE is the new novel set in the world of Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician Trilogy.

In the remote village of Mandryn, Tessia serves as assistant to her father, the village Healer. Her mother would rather she found a husband. But her life is about to take a very unexpected turn.

When the advances of a visiting Sachakan mage get violent, Tessia unconsciously taps unknown reserves of magic to defend herself. Lord Dakon, the local magician, takes Tessia under his wing as an apprentice.

The long hours of study and self-discipline also offer more opportunities than she had ever hoped for, and an exciting new world opens up to her. There are fine clothes and servants – and, to Tessia’s delight – regular trips to the great city of Imardin.

But along with the excitement and privilege, Tessia is about to discover that her magical gifts bring with them a great deal of responsibility. For great danger looms on the horizon for Tessia and her world.

Yokaiden 1 by Nina Matsumoto

Promo copy:

Yokai…Japanese spirits.

Most people fear them, and a few people even hunt them, thinking they are horrible monsters to be destroyed at all costs. But young Hamachi wants to be friends with them! He sees them as mischievous creatures that could coexist peacefully with humans if only given a chance.

When his grandmother dies under mysterious circumstances, Hamachi journeys into the Yokai realm. Along the way, he encounters an ogre who punishes truant children, an angry water spirit, and a talking lantern. Will Hamachi be able to find his grandmother’s killer, or will he be lost forever in another world?

While "researching" the latest Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom contains many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of my unusual collection.

Today’s selection comes courtesy of musician/artist Isaac Priestley. In 1994, Priestley produced the mini-comic Drug Abuse Is Fun! under his Hand of God Productions.

Judging from the one issue (#2) I have, the title and covers are the best parts.

Priestley relates the well worn tale of 90s Austin slacker culture, where everyone sat around talked about being in a band.

Rushpunk?!?!

For a comic titled Drug Abuse Is Fun!, there is an amazing absence of drug use. Given the time, place, and people that Priestley writes about, marijuana use should be commonplace.

Thankfully for Priestley in the ensuing 14 years, his art improved dramatically.

Page from the webcomic Progressions

While "researching" the latest Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom hides many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of my unusual collection.

I begin with the reason for the research and perhaps one of the most widely distributed mini-comics of all time. The caffeine-fueled hero, Too Much Coffee Man appearing in a self-titled mini-comic, premiered at the 1991 Dallas Fantasy Fair as a promotional tie-in for Shannon Wheeler‘s first collection Children With Glue.

Too Much Coffee Man #1

Wheeler would eventually produced five TMCM minicomics and evolve the character into a mini-empire complete with a newspaper syndicated strip, a regularly produced comic book, a pop culture magazine, four collections, an animated Converse commercial, merchandising paraphernalia galore (mugs, coffee, t-shirts, and even toilet paper!) and most recently, an opera. The combined sales of the five issues would reach into the tens of thousands.

Too Much Coffee Man #2-3

Too Much Coffee Man #4-5

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

The Hole: A Teen Fable by John Davey

Promo copy:

Like John Davey’s first novel (Blood And Souls), The Hole is another contemporarily set fantasy, this one written for what seem to be known in the book-trade as "Young Adults".

For further details, please contact JaydeDesign@CompuServe.com or:

The Nephyrite Press,
P.O. Box 57859,
London,
SE23 9AG,
England

The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton

Promo copy:

This title is from one of the world’s bestselling science fiction novelists. The Intersolar Commonwealth is in turmoil as the Living Dream’s deadline for launching its Pilgrimage into the Void draws closer. Not only is the Ocisen Empire fleet fast approaching on a mission of genocide, but also an internecine war has broken out between the post-human factions over the destiny of humanity.Countering the various and increasingly desperate agents and factions is Paula Myo, a ruthlessly single-minded investigator, beset by foes from her distant past and colleagues of dubious allegiance…but she is fast losing a race against time.At the heart of all this is Edeard the Waterwalker, who once lived a long time ago deep inside the Void. He is the messiah of Living Dream, and visions of his life are shared by, and inspire billions of humans. It is his glorious, captivating story that is the driving force behind Living Dream’s Pilgrimage, a force that is too strong to be thwarted. As Edeard nears his final victory the true nature of the Void is finally revealed.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia by Stephen J. Sansweet, Pablo Hidalgo, Bob Vitas, and Daniel Wallace

Promo copy:

THE DEFINITIVE REFERENCE GUIDE TO A SPACE FANTASY PHENOMENON

The Star Wars universe, much like our own, is constantly expanding. In the ten years since the publication of the Star Wars Encyclopedia, a lot has happened in that galaxy far, far away: four new feature films, a host of official original novels, comics, video games, and more. Now, thirty years of information on all things Star Wars–ranging from science and technology to history and geography, culture and biography to ecology and cosmology–has been supplemented with an entire decade’s worth of all-new material. Abundantly illustrated with full-color artwork and photos, and now in a new three-volume edition to accommodate its wealth of detailed entries, the Star Wars Encyclopedia encompasses the full measure of George Lucas’s creation.

Here’s just a sampling of what’s inside:
• character portraits of both the renowned (Luke Skywalker, Queen Amidala, Darth Vader) and the obscure (Tnun Bdu, Tycho Celchu, Bib Fortuna)
• the natives and customs of planets as diverse as Tatooine and Hoth, Dagobah and Kashyyyk
• the rituals, secrets, and traditions of Jedi Knights and Sith Lords
• a timeline of major events in Star Wars history, from the Clone Wars and the inception of the Empire to the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the invasion of the monstrous Yuuzhan Vong

Scrupulously researched and written by leading authorities Stephen J. Sansweet, Pablo Hidalgo, Bob Vitas, and Daniel Wallace, this landmark work is the must-have centerpiece of every Star Wars library.

I received only the impressive first volume. It features beautiful full color images and well-written, interesting entries. I can only imagine the rest of the set is of similar quality.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! by Art Spiegelman

Promo copy:

The creator of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus explores the comics form…and how it formed him!

This book opens with Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*!, creating vignettes of the people, events, and comics that shaped Art Spiegelman. It traces the artist’s evolution from a MAD-comics obsessed boy in Rego Park, Queens, to a neurotic adult examining the effect of his parents’ memories of Auschwitz on his own son.

The second part presents a facsimile of Breakdowns, the long-sought after collection of the artist’s comics of the 1970s, the book that triggers these memories. Breakdowns established the mode of formally sophisticated comics that transformed the medium, and includes the prototype of Maus, cubist experiments, an essay on humor, and the definitive genre-twisting pulp story "Ace Hole-Midget Detective."

Pulling all this together is an illustrated essay that looks back at the sixties as the artist pushes sixty, and explains the obsessions that brought these works into being. Poignant, funny, complex, and innovative, Breakdowns alters the terms of what can be accomplished in a memoir.

More Speigelamn is always a good thing.

My Brain is Hanging Upside Down by David Heatley

Promo copy:

One of the most promising young talents in cartooning makes his debut with a dazzling collection–part freakish dreamlife, part quirk-o-rama autobiography, all genius.

Long a fixture in comics anthologies, David Heatley’s deceptively crude, wickedly observant drawings have begun showing up on the New York Times op-ed pages and the cover of the New Yorker, introducing him to a vast new audience, Now, in My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (title courtesy of the Ramones song), we are treated to the full range of Heatley’s remarkable, wildly unique voice and vision.

My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down is Heatley’s life story told in six different but connected narrative threads. "Sex History" describes every sexual encounter dating back to kindergarten, with details that would make a therapist blush. "Black History" is an unflinchingly honest meditation on his own racism. "Portrait of My Mom" and "Portrait of My Dad" are beautifully paced vignettes, skewering and celebrating his lovably dysfunctional parents. "Family History" tells the story of his family from his great-great-grandparents’ lives and closes with the birth of his own children. Woven in and around the larger pieces are "dream comics" that expand on the same themes with a baffling unconscious logic. Every inch of My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down is filled with visceral art and emotionally resonant storytelling at once stunning, truthful, and uncomfortably hilarious.

Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan by Chip Kidd

Promo copy:

The two hottest genres in comics gleefully collide head-on, as the most beloved American superhero gets the coolest Japanese manga makeover ever.

In 1966, during the height of the first Batman craze, a weekly Japanese manga anthology for boys, Shonen King, licensed the rights to commission its own Batman and Robin stories. A year later, the stories stopped. They were never collected in Japan, and never translated into English. Now, in this gorgeously produced book, hundreds of pages of Batman-manga comics more than four decades old are translated for the first time, appearing alongside stunning photographs of the world’s most comprehensive collection of vintage Japanese Batman toys.

This is The Dynamic Duo as you’ve never seen them: with a distinctly Japanese, atomic-age twist as they battle aliens, mutated dinosaurs, and villains who won’t stay dead. And as a bonus: Jiro Kuwata, the manga master who originally wrote and drew this material, has given an exclusive interview for our book.

More than just a dazzling novelty, Bat-Manga! is an invaluable, long-lost chapter in the history of one of the most beloved and timeless figures in comics.

This amazing and massive collection/retrospective is a MUST HAVE for all Batman fans. A fascinating piece of forgotten Batman/manga history!

This morning began with my bi-annual MRI. For the uninformed, Magnetic Resonance Imaging takes amazingly detailed pictures of the body’s interior especially the soft tissue. Since I have multiple sclerosis and take the relatively new drug Tysabri, my doctor likes me to get a new brain scan every six months.

Basically, I am placed in a narrow tube and must remain motionless as this loud clanging noise moves around me. This device is a nightmare for claustrophobic people. The top wall of the tube is but two inches from my eyes and I can’t move my shoulders.

Thankfully, it is a relatively short procedure– about 45 minutes– and painless.

Below are some of the actual scans of my brain.

YUM! BRAINS!

EYES! Complete with stalks!

CREEPY!

[  Currently: Listening to All Things Considered ]
The prestigious University of Texas Press have announced one of the first "must have" 2009 publications Sanctified and Chicken-Fried: The Portable Lansdale.

UT’s rep goes all to hell in March, 2009.

[  Mood: Silly ]
Did anyone catch last night’s The Brave and The Bold? It activated the simian recesses of my 12 year old brain!

Plastic Man… gorillas.. dinosaurs… Grodd… gorillas RIDING FRACKIN’ pterodactyls… Dinosaur Island…

It just don’t get any better than that!