Top Shelf’s collection of AX, a Japanese magazine of alternative comics, features works from 33 artists over 10 years of the magazine's history including such manga luminaries as Yoshihiro Tatsumi. The collection offers a comprehensive selection of styles and themes available outside of mainstream manga. In this preview, Shinya Komatsu’s story “Mushroom Garden”, the protagonist’s obsession with mushrooms begins to take over his life; the first half of the story is excerpted here. The book is formatted to match the original Japanese edition, so it must be read from right to left. AX Vol. 1: A Collection of Alternative Manga will be released in August.