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Math, Philosophy, Comics and Bertrand Russell's Search for Truth

While it's not unusual for comics to take on any subject, a new book coming from Bloomsbury in the fall will up the ante for using the comics medium to present a serious and complex subject in a thoughtful and entertaining literary package. In October Bloomsbury will publish Logicomix: An Epic Search For Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou with the art team of Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna, simultaneously in the U.S. and Britain, as their lead book for the fall 2009 season. Featured on the cover of the Bloomsbury catalog, the book is, among other things, a serious examination of the life of noted mathematician/philosopher Bertrand Russell that uses fictional devices to recreate his life. But that's just the beginning of the story of this unusual and impressive work.

Acquired jointly by Bloomsbury U.K. editor Richard Atkinson and former Bloomsbury U.S. editor Colin Dickerman, Logicomix was originally published to great acclaim in Greece. Indeed, Bloomsbury associate editor Benjamin Adams, the editor overseeing the book publication, said it was both a Greek bestseller in 2008 as well as the first graphic novel published in Greece. "We're hugely ambitious about this book," said Adams, "Bloomsbury has done only a few comics so this is new territory. But we see it as book that goes beyond the comics audience to a general audience of readers."

Top Shelf Gets Sweded

The Swedish indie comics scene is blossoming, and Top Shelf is bringing some of the best cartoonists to the US.

April Comics Bestsellers

Jeff Kinney's Last Straw rules the top slot; Naruto takes slots 2-6; Bone is #10 and Watchmen tops the backlist.

CTL+ALT+DLT Moves to Bookstores

Having already won over the web, webcomic CTRL+ALT+DEL, or simply CAD to its fans, is invading the bookstore market.
more on comics
Johnny Hiro must rescue his girlfriend, Mayumi, from a giant Japanese lizard monster that has made its way to New York City in this 8-page preview of Johnny Hiro Vol. 1, a collection of Fred Chao's Eisner-nominated comics coming from Adhouse this June.
Click above for the full preview.
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Comic Books, Fetish Art and the Co-Creator of Superman

In a compelling feat of literary sleuthing, Craig Yoe's new book Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster, manages to shed light on an obscure segment of a seminal comics creator's career while simultaneously unearthing long-forgotten illegal works that played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Comics Code Authority, an agency created by the comics industry that aggressively censored and monitored comics content for many years. Abrams ComicArts publishes Secret Identity this month.

Studs Terkel's Working: A Graphic Adaptation
EDITED BY HARVEY PEKAR AND PAUL BUHLE. New Press, $22.95 paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-59558-321-5

Pekar (American Splendor; Our Cancer Year) adapts Terkel's masterpiece of oral history in this loving tribute. Working features various artists, including Sharon Rudahl (A Dangerous Woman: the Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman), Terry LaBan (Edge City) and frequent Pekar collaborator Gary Dumm (Students for a Democratic Society: A Graphic History). Though several of Pekar's colleagues have connections with the labor movement or activism, this volume does not push a particular political or social agenda. It simply adds dimension to Terkel's original, illustrating the daily concerns of working men and women. As is typical in collections, some of the pieces are stunning, while others merely adapt the story. Two standouts are "Jack Spiegel: Organizer" and "David Reed Glover: Stockbroker," perfectly illustrated by Peter Gullerud and Pablo G. Callejo, respectively; Gollerud's stark woodcut figures recall the art of the labor movement, while Callejo's meticulous detail and use of shading reflect the claustrophobia of a desk job. This collection will capture the interest of Pekar fans and Terkel aficionados alike, particularly in light of Terkel's death last year. (May)
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"Jonathan [Lethem] was very detailed in his scripts. Each panel was lain out precisely with what he was going for, which I thought was excellent. There were a couple times though where it was a bit hard for me to figure out how to put all the pieces together on a page. In those instances, I just did the best I could and hoped it worked out. Everyone seemed cool about everything. I have been pretty lucky with all the work for hire I have done so far. I have never had to go back and change any art."

—artist Farel Dalrymple on working with novelist Jonathan Lethem on Omega: The Unknown. From CBR.com

April 15, 2009
  • Amelia Rules! Vol. 1: Whole World's Crazy (Simon & Schuster)
  • The Best of Simon and Kirby (Titan Books)
  • Dogs (Viz)
  • Judge Dredd: Complete Heavy Metal Dredd (Rebellion)
  • Night School Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
  • Oninagi Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
  • Punisher: War Zone: The Ressurection Man (Marvel)
  • Rising Stars Compendium (Top Cow)
  • Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology (New Press)
  • GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class Vol. 1 (Yen Press)

  • Secret Identity Caught In #amazonfail
  • CBLDF/Stumptown Benefit
  • New York Anime Festival Open for Registration
  • Green Lantern Movie Release
  • Marvel Marketing Tool
  • Viz Unveils Virtual Merchandise
  • Smith Comic Goes Melville

PW Comics Week
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