The past five years have been a fertile time for reprints of classics from both the comic strip and comic book worlds. This fall, three of the last great uncollected cartoonists get their moment, and two more recent gems get definitive editions. Also looming: what's expected to be a future classic in Craig Thompson's long-awaited Habibi.

Cartoonists Walt Kelly, Carl Barks, and Lynda Barry are all kicking off archival reprints series. Pogo: The Complete Daily & Sunday Comic Strips, Vol. 1: Through the Wild Blue Wonder re-presents Walt Kelly's famed swamp-dwelling possum, Pogo, and his whimsy, which fronts for great insights and wisdom, as with his best known line, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

Like Kelly, Carl Barks spent the early part of his career working in Disney's animation department and left to write and draw comics, where his true genius lay. Walt Disney's Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes is the first volume in a planned collected works, featuring Barks's wry, sly adventure comics that mix a dark view of human nature with a sweeping sense of adventure. In the title story, Donald discovers a lost Inca civilization that produces square eggs.

Lynda Barry is also getting the career retrospective with the first volume of Everything, gathering her long out-of-print Ernie Pook's Comeek, which explores the childhood world of the unforgettable Marlys, a character so beautifully portrayed as to merit a place in the Sensitive Literary Adolescent Hall of Fame.

Two more recent works are also getting deluxe editions. The Death-Ray reprints Daniel Clowes's literary take on the superhero genre, following teenage wastrel Andy, whose discovery of great power leads only to tragedy and misery.And the long unavailable Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery Deluxe shows writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely at the top of their game with a heady deconstruction of the superhero genre, playing with multiple levels of reality.

This fall offers no shortage of great new work, led by Habibi. Thompson's follow-up to the much-liked Blankets is a dense, swirling dervish of a tale, a love story that unfolds fractally from the curves of the Arabic lettering in the Qur'an. Dealing with matters of religion and Islamic culture, this will be the most talked about graphic novel of the fall.

Nate Powell's Eisner Award–winning Swallow Me Whole was a thoughtful look at two teens dealing with mental illness. In his follow-up, Any Empire, there's a similar focus, but the topic this time is violence, as childhood attitudes about playing with G.I. Joe toys are subjected to the harsh light of adulthood and war.

On the lighter side, Kate Beaton has become a Web comic superstar with her hilarious look at historical and pop culture tropes from Julius Caesar to Gatsby. Hark! A Vagrant is a newly expanded collection of her witty, literate comics. Michael Kupperman's Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910­–2010 is an exercise in deadpan drollery as the great American humorist lives well into the 20th century to land on the moon, romance Mamie Eisenhower, and battle the yeti.

Finally, for sheer fun, there's The MAD Fold-In Collection: 1964–2010, reprinting Al Jaffee's intricate trick drawings where the joke only comes clear when you fold the paper just right. It's a journey through nearly 50 years of American culture with a wise, funny guide.

PW's Top 10 Comics & Graphic Novels

Pogo: The Complete Daily & Sunday Comic Strips, Vol. 1: Through the Wild Blue Wonder
Walt Kelly, edited by R.C. Harvey. Fantagraphics, Oct.

Walt Disney's Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes
Carl Barks. Fantagraphics, Nov.

Everything, Vol. 1
Lynda Barry. Drawn & Quarterly, Oct.

Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery Deluxe
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. DC, Nov.

The Death-Ray
Daniel Clowes. Drawn & Quarterly, Sept.

Habibi
Craig Thompson. Pantheon, Sept.

Any Empire
Nate Powell. Top Shelf, Aug.

Hark! A Vagrant
Kate Beaton. Drawn & Quarterly, Sept.

Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910-2010
Michael Kupperman. Fantagraphics, Oct.

The MAD Fold-In Collection: 1964-2010
Al Jaffee. Chronicle, Sept.

Comics & Graphic Novels


ABRAMS/Abrams ComicArts
The Someday Funnies by Michel Choquette (Nov., paper, $55, ISBN 978-0-8109-9618-2). Forty years in the making—considered a time capsule by its author, and an urban legend by historians—this is the long-awaited collection of comics created by such artists as Red Grooms, Tom Wolfe, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby, Frank Zappa, William Burroughs, and Will Eisner.
Government Issue: Comics for the People, 1940s–2000s by Richard Graham, foreword by Sid Jacobson (Nov., paper, $29.95, ISBN 978-1-4197-0078-1). Wondering what to do if we're nuked? Worried about the economy? Want to brush up on psychological warfare? Need the lowdown on sex, drugs, or the sardine industry? There's a comic book for you in this collection of works commissioned by the U.S. government.
PS Magazine: The Best of the Preventive Maintenance Monthly by Will Eisner (Sept., hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-0-8109-9748-6) is the first collection of legendary artist Will Eisner's military instructional booklets, which he created for the U.S. Army. Published monthly between 1951 and 1971, these comics are a missing link in Eisner's career and are also a testament to the teaching power of comics.

AdHouse
Forming by Jesse Moynihan (Aug., hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-1-907704-13-0). An experimental graphic novel about the spawning of worlds, and the trajectory of consciousness on Earth, volume one follows the trials and tribulations of primeval gods and demigods as they vie for control of primitive Earth's resources.

Archaia
Rust, Vol. 1 by Royden Lepp (Oct., hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-936393-27-5) is an all-ages tale of adventure as a boy with a jet-pack crashes into a struggling farm as he's pursued by a giant robot.
A Tale of Sand by Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, and Ramon Perez (Oct., hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-936393-09-1). A different side of Henson is revealed in the graphic novel adaptation of his long-lost screenplay that follows a man named Mac who wakes up in an unfamiliar town and is chased across the desert by mysterious creatures.

Bloomsbury
The Canterbury Tales by Seymour Chwast (Aug., hardcover, $20, ISBN 978-1-60819-487-2) is a comic graphic version of Chaucer's magnum opus—farts and all.

Chronicle Books
The MAD Fold-In Collection: 1964–2010 by Al Jaffee (Sept., hardcover, $125, ISBN 978-0-8118-7285-0), a deluxe four-volume set, contains every fold-in that Jaffee has created to date, a whopping 410 fold-ins, spanning nine presidencies and countless fads, fears, scandals, and moments of shared cultural silliness.

Counterpoint/Soft Skull
Gilgamesh: A Graphic Novel by Andrew Winegarner and April Rasmussen (Oct., paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1-59376-422-7). Before the Bible and legendary figures like Hercules, King Arthur, and Beowulf, there was Gilgamesh. As the king of Uruk, a city in ancient Mesopotamia, Gilgamesh protected his people from harm, battling a multitude of fierce demons with the steadfast help of his brother, Enkidu.

Dark Horse
Chimichanga by Eric Powell (Oct., hardcover, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-59582-755-5). When Wrinkle's Travelling Circus's most adorable little bearded girl trades a lock of her magic beard hair for a witch's strange egg, she stumbles upon what could be the saving grace for her ailing freak show—the savory-named beast: Chimichanga.
Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case (Oct., hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-59582-560-5) is the true-life story of the detective who solved the notorious Green River murders, told by his son. The elder Jensen and fellow detectives spent 188 days interviewing Gary Leon Ridgway in an epic confrontation with evil that proved disturbing and surreal.
The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Guay (Oct., hardcover, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-59582-798-2). Master storyteller Yolen and celebrated fantasy artist Guay weave a textured and lyrical tale of adventure, homelands, and heroism the hard way. Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew.

DC
Absolute Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales (Oct., hardcover, $99.99, ISBN 978-1-4012-3258-0) is a deluxe, oversized edition of a modern favorite. When the spouse of a JLA member is brutally murdered, the entire superhero community searches for the killer, finding instead a number of long-buried secrets.
Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery Deluxe by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (Nov., hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-4012-3221-4). Long unavailable, this tale by the team of Morrison and Quitely (We3) deconstructs the superheroic ideal in a fast-paced tale that introduces one mind-boggling concept after another in a tour de force of innovative storytelling.

Drawn & Quarterly
The Adventures of Hergé by Jose-Louis Bocquet (Oct., hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-77046-059-1) is the first comics-format biography of Tintin creator Hergé and uses an art style that recalls Hergé's own much-copied look.
The Death-Ray by Daniel Clowes (Sept., hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-77046-051-5) Teen outcast Andy is an orphaned nobody who discovers he has amazing powers—and finds a terrible and seductive gadget, a hideous complement to his seething rage—that change everything.
Everything, Vol. 1 by Lynda Barry (Oct., hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-77046-052-2). A long-awaited collection of Barry's seminal Ernie Pook's Comeek is the devastating yet hilarious examination of childhood, which introduced the unforgettable Marlys.
The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists by Seth (Oct., hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-77046-053-9). This follow-up to Wimbledon Green continues Seth's invented world of passionate billionaire comics collectors and the quirky comics they quest after.
Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton (Sept., hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-77046-060-7). Internet sensation Beaton mixes history (Julius Caesar), literature (The Great Gatsby), and pop culture (Nancy Drew) in one irreverent and literate brew.

Fantagraphics
The Hidden by Richard Sala (Aug., hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-60699-386-6) is Sala's first full-color, original graphic novel. Eight desperate people are stranded at a snowbound diner where their phones can only pick up brief and perplexing bits of conversation.
Love and Rockets: New Stories, Vol. 4 by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez (Oct., paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-60699-490-0). Sequels to last year's heartbreaking "Browntown" and "The Love Bunglers" from Jaime Hernandez, and the return of Fritz in Gilbert's "Talkabout."
Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910–2010 by Michael Kupperman (Oct., hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-60699-491-3) presents the bizarre adventures of Mark Twain in space and with Marilyn Monroe, among other strange events in humorist Kupperman's first all-original book.
Pogo: The Complete Daily & Sunday Comic Strips, Vol. 1: Through the Wild Blue Wonder by Walt Kelly, edited by R.C. Harvey (Oct., hardcover, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-56097-869-5) collects the whimsical tales of the Okefenokee Swamp in this deluxe volume.
Walt Disney's Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes by Carl Barks (Oct., paper, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-60699-474-0). Donald Duck is both the focus for a trenchant satire of desire and frustration and the star of some of the best adventures stories ever told in comics in this collection by the artist who was known as "The Good Duck Man."
Glitz-2-Go by Diane Noomin (Nov., paper, $13.59, ISBN 978-1-60699-481-8) presents nearly 40 years of comics stories by Noomin, most centering on DiDi Glitz, a frustrated middle-aged glamour-puss and anxiety-ridden suburban Sisyphus.

Groundwood Books
Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni, illus. by Moyna Chitrakar (Oct., hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-55498-145-8). Ramayana is an epic poem by the Hindu sage Valmiki, written in ancient Sanskrit sometime after 300 B.C.E., an allegorical story that contains important Hindu teachings and has had great influence on Indian life and culture over the centuries.

Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt/Mariner
The Best American Comics 2011, edited by Alison Bechdel, series editors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden (Oct., hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-0-547-33362-5) showcases the work of both established and up-and-coming contributors, chosen by Bechdel—creator of the cult comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For and author of Fun Home—from graphic novels, periodical comics, newspapers, magazines, and mini-comics.

IMAGE
META 4 by Ted McKeever (Aug., paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-60706-383-4). The surreal story of an astronaut who awakens on Coney Island, lost and without memory, and is befriended by a giant woman dressed as Santa Claus relates their quest to find the amnesiac's identity, which turns into a bizarre trip across America on a road littered with redemption and nightmares.
Turf by Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards (Aug., hardcover, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-60706-400-8). British comedian Ross provides the sparkling tale of a Prohibition-era turf war involving vampires and a crashed space alien.

Hill and Wang
Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works by Jonathan Gruber, illus. by Nathan Schreiber (Aug., hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-0-8090-9462-2). A serious comic written by the Democratic Party's "most influential health-care expert" explains health care reform.

Marvel
FF, Vol. 1 by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting (Sept., hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-7851-5144-9) is an entertaining reinvention of the famed superteam, the Fantastic Four, following the death of a member.
X-Statix Omnibus by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred (Nov., hardcover, $125, ISBN 978-0-7851-5844-8). A subversive take on Marvel's mutants, who star in a series of bizarre, hilarious and deadly adventures: see the Orphan, the Anarchist, Dead Girl, Doop, Venus Dee Milo, and U-Go Girl in action against and alongside Wolverine, the Avengers, Dr. Strange, and more.

NBM
Bubbles & Gondola by Renaud Dillies (Oct., hardcover, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-56163-611-2). Charlie is a mouse who's trying to write, but has a block. A bird named Solitude comes to visit him to keep him company in a drama about the blank page told in exquisite watercolors.
Stargazing Dog by Takashi Murakami (Nov., paper, $11.99, ISBN 978-1-56163-612-9). The Japanese tale of a man and his faithful dog has sold 400,000 copies in Japan and is NBM's first manga title.

Oni Press
One Soul by Ray Fawkes (Aug., hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-934964-66-8) offers an ambitious formal exercise that is surprisingly affecting, as nine lives are examined, one panel at a time, across 176 pages.

Random House/Pantheon
MetaMaus: A Look Inside a Modern Classic, Maus by Art Spiegelman (Oct., hardcover, $35, ISBN 978-0-375-42394-9). From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Maus is the story of how Maus came to be—including sketch books and transcripts brilliantly deconstructed and reassembled; includes a DVD with The Complete Maus and more, embedded in the case of the book.
Habibi by Craig Thompson (Sept., hardcover, $35, ISBN 978-0-375-42414-4). The long-awaited follow-up to Blankets is a deliriously emotional love story contrasting the religious traditions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Rizzoli
1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die: The Ultimate Guide to Comic Books, Graphic Novels and Manga by Paul Gravett (Oct., hardcover, $36.95, ISBN 978-0-7893-2271-5). Visually amazing, this critical history of comic books, manga, and graphic novels is a must-have for any comic buff or collector. Comic books and their offshoots, such as graphic novels, manga, and bandes dessinées, have evolved into a popular, influential, and unusual phenomenon.
The Joker: A Visual History of the Clown Prince of Crime by Daniel Wallace, intro. by Mark Hamill (Oct., hardcover, $50, ISBN 978-0-7893-2264-7). A comprehensive look at the greatest comic book villain ever, the Joker, who stands alone as the most hated, feared, and loved villain in the DC Universe since his appearance in the first Batman comic in 1940.

Top Shelf
Any Empire by Nate Powell (Aug., hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-60309-077-3). A vivid examination of war and violence, and their trickle-down effects on middle America via a group of smalltown kids bound together by geography, boredom, and a string of mysterious turtle mutilations.
Hutch Owen: Let's Get Furious! by Tom Hart (Nov., paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-60309-086-5). He's outraged! He's not going to take it anymore! He's... not quite sure what to do next. Meet Hutch and his motley crew of lovable malcontents, struggling to make sense of an America that baffles, oppresses, and infuriates them.

Tor
Dear Creature by Jonathan Case (Oct., paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-7653-3111-3). An underwater monster named Grue finds Shakespeare's plays in cola bottles and, through them, a new heart. Now he yearns to join the world above and begins a strange romance with a woman named Giulietta.

Vertical
Princess Knight, Vol. 1 by Osamu Tezuka (Oct., paper, $13.95, ISBN 978-1-935654-25-4). A milestone in the history of manga that paved the way for an entire genre of comics for girls, Princess Knight is the tale of a young princess named Sapphire who must pretend to be a male prince so she can inherit the throne.

Viz
Tesoro (Tesoro: Ono Natsume Shoki Tanpenshuu 1998–2008) by Natsume Ono (Nov., paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-1-4215-3223-3) is a treasure of 14 charming stories about family, friends, couples, and unexpected bonds. Written by Natsume Ono (House of Five Leaves) over 10 years, this long-awaited collection of her early work includes numerous illustrations and previously unpublished stories.