Hey Kids! Comics! Read Book Love
Skip to comments
Below are some comic strip and cartoon books scheduled for February 2025 release (or so).
Images and links from a variety of publishers and outlets,
though ordering through your local comic shop or independent book store is a good idea.
The Life and Art of Mort Walker by Bill Janocha
Mort Walker, the “Dean of American Cartooning,” left behind a legacy that extended far beyond his Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois fame. For the first time ever, Hermes Press and Bill Janocha (Walker’s assistant) present a rare selection of gags and art from Walker’s early years, before Beetle-mania took over the world. This historical book contains examples of the work he did prior to Beetle Bailey, and explores the evolution of his style and showcases his many gags, from his early comics in Showme magazine to the work he did for the Saturday Evening Post. This tome also contains historical essays detailing his life and career, up until his death in 2018 as written by Janocha.
The Best of Matt 2024 by Matt Pritchett
No matter what the news, Matt will always find exactly the right cartoon to make us smile – he has the genius-like ability to hit the right note every time!
Give Me Liberty! by Gilbert Shelton, Ted Richards, Willy Murphy, Gary Hallgren (review of original)
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. The true history of the American Revolution as it was never taught in school! Two titans of underground comix team up to retell the essential moments of the war against the British — as it might have seemed to the ordinary people of the time.
Gilbert Shelton (ZAP Comix, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers) and Ted Richards (Air Pirates, The Forty Year Old Hippie) combined their cartooning talents to create an episodic, comedic, and more-or-less accurate summary of the founding of the United States of America.
Mr. In-Between: My Life in the Middle of the Animation Revolution by Bill Kroyer
What’s changed most in your lifetime? The switch from land lines to cell phones? From snail mail to email? How about the transition from Bugs Bunny to Buzz Lightyear? Those Bugs and Daffy cartoons you loved as a kid look nothing like the PIXAR classics Toy Story or The Incredibles.
Mr. In-Between: My Life in the Middle of the Animation Revolution is the fascinating and hilarious saga of one of animation’s computer graphics pioneers, Bill Kroyer, making his way to Hollywood to end up as a key figure in the technical revolution of animation’s “Second Golden Age”. He provides an artist’s explanation of the fundamental principles of animation, from the basic mechanics of motion to the immersive, artful experience of visualizing and realizing the performance of an imaginary character.
British Comic Papers of the Silver Age (1950-1969 Book One by Alan Clark
British Comic Papers of the Silver Age (1950-1969 Book Two by Alan Clark
The British Silver Age of comic papers (defined here as 1950-1969) was a period of creative advancement and commercial success. It began with the launch of Eagle on April 14 1950 and tapered off some twenty years later with the takeovers and consolidation of the publishing industry which led to the creation of International Publishing Corporation (IPC), and its move away from Lord Northcliffe’s iconic Fleetway House (soon demolished) on London’s Farringdon Street.
Paper rationing had been introduced on July 1 1940, nine months into the 1939-1945 war and didn’t completely end until around the time of the Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation in 1953. Despite the government paper quotas, Eagle’s first issue printed and sold upwards of 900,000 copies. It was an immediate success and other publishers inevitably leapt in to attempt to imitate the inimitable.
Unicorn Book Club by Dana Simpson
In this shimmering new sequence of storylines from the world of Phoebe and Her Unicorn, Marigold and Phoebe delve into the world of reading by forming their own book club. Unlikely new friendships form when Lord Splendid Humility meets Marigold’s frenemy, Dakota. But there’s plenty of adventure and intrigue, too, and when Marigold goes missing, Phoebe sets out to find her unicorn best friend and makes a shocking discovery. Young readers and lovers of unicorn lore will find a real page-turner in Unicorn Book Club.
The Daydream Collection by Liza Donnelly and Clandestine Chocolates
It’s time again for another collaboration with my friend Liza Donnelly, cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine and many other venues. Liza’s drawing will decorate the chocolates—another full scene spread across all the chocolates—and a number of her cartoons will be in the accompanying booklet.
Flash Gordon Vol. 1: Escape from Planet Death! by Jeremy Adams and Will Conrad
Flash awakes on a secret prison planet somewhere in the galaxy. Upon learning that Dale Arden is the subject of an assassination plot, he’s forced to break out and make his way across the galaxy to save her. Along the way, he encounters old friends, new threats, and a greater mystery surrounding WHO is pulling the strings of this universe.
Hilo: The Great Space Iguana by Judd Winick
AHHHHH! A GIANT SPACE IGUANA has landed in D.J.’s backyard. Where did she come from? And why is the whole universe out to get her?! D.J., Hilo, and Gina will have to RACE through space to get her home! Iif they don’t, the whole universe will be in DANGER! But there’’s a galaxy of TROUBLE—(not to mention one super annoyed alien dad, some very cranky monsters, and a warrior match combat challenge (um, what?!?!)—in their way. Can they make it?! (And how is D.J. at driving a spaceship, anyway?)
Prince Valiant Vol. 29: 1993-1994 by John Cullen Murphy and Cullen Murphy
The wedding of Karen and Vanni! The adventures of three queens and a princess! Val and Sir Gawain in North Africa! A traitor in control of Aleta’s Misty Isles! Siege on top of siege! Val’s quest for the truth-compelling Shield of Achilles! Plus, Prince Valiant scholar and translator Dr. Uwe Baumann on Prince Valiant in the early 1990s.
Fantagraphics’ deluxe editions, each collecting two years’ worth of Sunday strips, boast superbly restored artwork that captures every delicate line and chromatic nuance
Drawn to Beauty: The Life and Art of Vincent Colletta by Franklin Colletta
This is the infamous Vince Colletta’s life story as a key part of the golden age of comics, as told by his son, with hundreds of illustrations, in colour and black and white, displaying his controversial style as inker and artist. For some, Colletta was a too-swift hack, for others, he drew the most beautiful women, and men, in comics, especially in the romance genre. Regardless, Colletta was best known for his many years at Marvel, where his influence was arguably larger than other, better known stars.
Debates about Vince Colletta will likely persist until the end of time. Regarding technique, Colletta could draw and ink in both delicate illustrative and bold graphic styles – a versatility that few artists can master. Love him or not, this is a hugely enjoyable read written by Vince’s son, with spectacular images ranging from the gentler romance era to the intense world of superheroes.
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN The Complete Dailies Volume 2 1936-1938 by Lee Falk and Phil Davis
This second volume of the series presents six stories: “Return of the Clay Camel”; “The Slave Traders of Tygandi”; “Mandrake in the Lost World”: “In the Cobra’s Grip”; and “Mandrake in America.” Featured are two staple characters in addition to the master magician: Lothar and Princess Narda (princess of the mythical European kingdom Cockaigne). Narda is similar to Flash Gordon’s Dale Arden: beautiful, constantly in need of rescue, and the love interest of our hero. A Prince of the Seven Nations of Africa, Lothar is Mandrake’s devoted servant, friend and companion. He is, “the strongest man in the world,” decked out in a fez, shorts, and a leopard shirt.
THE PHANTOM THE COMPLETE NEWSPAPER DAILIES Volume 33 1988-1989 by Lee Falk and Sy Barry
Referred to by comic strip historian Maurice Horn as the “granddaddy of all costumed superheroes,” The Phantom was created in 1936 by Lee Falk. The strip hit the funny pages of newspapers well before the Dark Knight or Superman made their first appearances and has been acknowledged as an influence on every “masked man of mystery” since. This exciting 33rd volume continues the Sy Barry Years! Reprinted in all its black and white glory, journey with Hermes Press as we bring you five complete continuities drawn by Sy himself which continue the adventures of The Phantom, Diana, and his two children. Also included is a comprehensive essay and documentary materials.
Museum of Degenerates: Portraits of the American Grotesque by Eli Valley
Museum of Degenerates invites you to a delirious display of art by one of contemporary America’s most original and incendiary political cartoonists. Eli Valley’s extraordinary work is a scathing indictment of the entire American polity, with a particular focus on the issues of Israel and Judaism at a time when these have moved to the center of public debate and action.
In these pages, Valley tips a homburg to German expressionists such as George Grosz and Otto Dix who featured in “The Exhibition of Degenerate Art,” a 1937 Munich show that sought to ridicule the work of artists critical of Hitler’s fascist regime. In an aesthetic that is strikingly original, Valley also draws on early twentieth-century American Yiddish cartoons and the work of artists who created the helter-skelter exuberance of MAD comics in the 1950s.
From Ted to Tom: The Illustrated Envelopes of Edward Gorey by Edward Gorey
On the envelopes of letters sent to a dear friend, the famed artist and writer Edward Gorey drew dozens of original illustrations—illustrations now collected in this volume along with marvelously playful selections from the correspondence, all never before seen by the public until now.
From Ted to Tom will be published in the centenary year of Edward Gorey’s birth.
When Tom Fitzharris met Edward “Ted” Gorey in 1974, the two quickly struck up a friendship. Over the next year Gorey sent a total of fifty letters to Fitzharris. Every envelope Fitzharris received was illustrated by Gorey, and filled with surprises: typewritten letters with news and opinions from Gorey’s life, handwritten note cards with unexpected quotes, sketches, inside jokes, and a host of other joyous miscellany.
Assembled here for the first time, these envelopes and their contents deliver all the humor, imagination, gossip, and wonder that came with being Edward Gorey’s pen pal.
feature image from Marvin by Tom Armstrong
Comments 3
Comments are closed.