Copacetic 2007

The Year in Review

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COMICS
BOOKS
MUSIC - CD
CINEMA - DVD

COMICS

Storeyville
by Frank Santoro
introduction by Chris Ware
The hardcover reissue of Frank Santoro's Storeyville, the best kept secret in the last twenty years of comics, was for us here at Copacetic, the major release of 2007.  Revealing latent, previously unsuspected depths to the form, Storeyville embraces life like a Whitmanesque epic poem in comics, its youthful protagonist rushing headlong towards his destiny, reaching for meaning on the road.  Originally created and published as a tabloid newspaper comic in 1995, it is now, finally, twelve years later, being released in a deluxe hardcover edition complete with a 1200 word introduction by Chris Ware and an afterword by Dan Nadel providing the history and context of its creation.  Take a closer look at this landmark work, here.  Purchase it, here.  Recommended.
retail price - $24.95  copacetic price - $22.22

King-Cat Classix
by John Porcellino
Yes! 382 pages of comics selected from the next-to-impossible-to-find first fifty issues of King-Cat Comics (currently published under the title King-Cat Comics and Stories) by the long suffering self-publishing champ, John Porcellino.  King-Cat Comics is an ideal illustration of the  existentialist project that brings order and meaning to a life lived in an inherently absurb world.  Beginning in May of 1989, Porcellino put pen to paper and declared that he would have no rules dictating what he would produce, only that it would be true to his artistic instincts and that it would all be called King-Cat Comics.  As the years passed, King-Cat gradually evolved from its origins as a simple pastime, eventually becoming the central, defining aspect of Porcellino's existence.  Now, almost exactly 18 years later, just in time for the comic to reach the age adulthood, this fine collection is now available to give everyone a chance to experience King-Cat Comics' pen and ink birth, growth, maturation, and coming of age.  Also included are an introduction, extensive notes, and a complete index.  King-Cat Classix is the Swiss Army Knife of comics compendiums: it is the perfect beach book for the true-blue comics reader, the ideal gift book for the hard to please indy comics collector in your life, solid inspiration for a budding DIY comics creator, and, perhaps most importantly, a solid source for thoughtful reflection on the constitution of human existence.  Recommended!
retail price - $29.95  copacetic price - $25.55


Skibber Bee-Bye
by Ron Rege, Jr.
FINALLY!  Back in print at last, after a comedy of errors led to a delay of nearly a year!  Ron Rege's mammoth masterwork has received the deluxe Drawn and Quarterly treatment in a brand new edition that sports a stitched binding and flexi-cover (similar to the most recent Kramers Ergot) for years of reading pleasure.  This is a singular, hallucinatory work of purgative intent that has few if any analogues in the annals of comics; and it makes for an intense reading experience.  A book of comics that challanges complacency and awakens a sense of mystery and awe, Skibber Bee-Bye will make for a unique and memorable gift.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $16.95




Moomin: Volume Two
by Tove Jansson
The surprise hit of 2006 returns with a second fine volume.  In every way a worthy successor, this time around the Moomins experience "Winter Follies," meet "Mamma's Maid," "Build a House," and "Begin a New Life"  in four uniquely original adventures collected in one sturdy yet elegant volume.  This is the only item in the catalogue that you'll find listed twice -- we also have it listed below in our small section devoted to comics for younger readers -- as it is that true rarity:  a perfect book for all ages
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $16.95



Fun Home (softcover edition)
by Alison Bechdel
Well, it's hard to imagine that any Copacetic customers missed this one the first time around, but there are sure to be many out beyond the Copacetic orbit who could benefit from this book and would appreciate receving it.  Now available in softcover Fun Home is the most heralded comics memoir since... well, ever (yes, there's Maus, of course, but, properly defined, it isn't really a memoir).  We've long been fans of Ms. Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For, and we gave Fun Home an enthusiastic review as soon as it was published, but even we were surprised by how this book took the country by storm.  According to one of the many back cover blurbs, Fun Home was made the "Best Book of the Year" by no less than 23 major newspapers, including The NY TImes, The LA Times, The Times (London), The Guardian (UK), and even Time and People magazines!  It seems like people were lining up to sing the praises of this book.  And well it should be.  Our surprise -- and a quite pleasant one it is, we hasten to add -- is that a work of comics dealing with an inter-generational saga centered on gay and lesbian sexual identity would be the recipient of such accolades.  Times they (still) are a'changing, indeed.
retail price - $13.95  copacetic price - $12.50


Love and Rockets
Heartbreak Soup by Gilbert Hernandez
Maggie the Mechanic by Jaime Hernandez
Always close to the pulsing heart of Copacetic lies the wonder that is Love and Rockets.  So, it should come as no surprise that we are heartily recommending the wonderful new editions of the classic of classics.  They have a great look and feel, and are very attractively priced -- and most of all, every page they contain shows comics at their finest.  This year is the perfect time to introduce the extraordinary creations of los hermanos Hernandez to anyone on your list who has yet to experience them.  The first two contain the bulk of the material first presented in the first dozen and a half issues of the original series.  Maggie the Mechanic contains Jaime's contributions, while Gilbert's can be found in Heartbreak Soup.  Well, what are you waiting for?  C'mon already!
retail price - $14.95@  copacetic special price - $11.95@

The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S.
by Jaime Hernandez

            Human Diastrophism
            by Gilbert Hernandez

The next two volumes in the fantastic new packaging of the One True Classic of Modern American Comics continue the greatness and are, if possible, even more wonderful than the first two.  Human Diastrophism contains the entirety of the graphic novel of that name along with many other classic shorter works including "Chelo's Burden", while The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S. contains what the single most heralded L & R tale, the long out of print Death of Speedy, along with so much more greatness that it is sdifficult not to be overwhelmed by such abundance.
retail price - $14.95@ copacetic price - $11.95@

Perla la Loca
by Jaime Hernandez
Beyond Palomar
by Gilbert Hernandez
The unrelenting greatness continues with Perla la Loca presenting "Wig Wam Bam" and "Chester Square" along with a handful of minor gems, all by the one and only Xaime.  Beyond Palomar contains all the twists and turns of "Poison River," perhaps the most complex of Gilbert's epics, along with his L.A.-centered "Love and Rockets X."  It really doesn't get any better than this.
retail price - $16.95@  copacetic price - $13.55@



Buddy Does Jersey
by Peter Bagge
forward (in comics) by Johnny Ryan
Subtitled, "The Complete Buddy Bradley Stories from 'Hate' Comics, Vol. II (1994 - '98)" this 352 page book finishes what Buddy Does Seattle began, namely collecting the all 30 issues of Bagge's run of Hate.  A  definitive -- and caustically funny -- account of the coming of age of the 1990s Alt. scene, Hate -- picking up where Bagge's initial comics project, Neat Stuff, left off -- chronicled Buddy's trek from his parents' suburban New Jersey home to the burgeoning Seattle scene and then back again.  This volume contains the entirety of the "back again" part which originally appeared in Hate #16 - 30.  Starting off with Buddy and his gal pal Lisa getting off the Turnpike and following their ever whackier hi-jinx -- and those of their splendid and seedy supporting cast -- ending with them... well, that would be giving it away.  Suffice it to say that these comics are the single truest depiction of the demographic they represent that has yet to be produced in any medium.  And, it features a long introduction by Bagge describing (for the first time) how the stories in this book reflected events in his own life.   The ideal gift for for the "Buddy" and/or "Lisa" in your life.
retail price - $14.95  copacetic price - $12.70


American Elf:  Book 2, 2004 - 2005
by James Kochalka
Finally, the next installment of James Kochalka's epic of self-revelation, The Sketchbook Diaries, is on our shelves.  This time around, there's something new:  the strips are printed in FULL COLOR, as they originally appeared online.  While we do our best to check in now and then and catch up with James & Co. at American Elf, nothing beats sitting down and reading a whole year's worth -- or two -- and experiencing the ebb and flow of time at one's leisure.  It's the primary pleasure offered by this strip and it really is a one-of-a-kind treat, especially now that we can follow the rasing of James and Amy's son Eli who is an infant aat the start of this volume.  With American Elf, Kochalka has pioneered an entirely new approach to the daily comic strip, and, just like with all great strips, the longer you stay with it, the deeper and richer the experience gets.  That may sound like a bit much considering how goofy these strips get at times, but the critical key here is the accretion that occurs.  The accumulated years of this strip build layers of associations, themes, sub-plots and leitmotifs that all play off of each other and echo through the years creating a prime example of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.  Learn more about this fine tradition, here.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $16.95


Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Other Observations
by Jeffrey Brown
Yes, that's right, you heard it here first (well, maybe not...):  Jeffrey Brown has "sold out."  This book is published by mainstream, coffee-table-book publisher, Chronicle Books and will soon be piled up in stacks on tables at B & N and Borders coast to coast... at least, that's the theory.  The reality is that CGOoaBaOO is a square-format, embossed hardcover containing 100+ pages of feline fun that is a thoroughly enjoyable read.  Brown reveals a clear debt to Kochalka here, as Misty seems a pen-and-ink descendant of American-Elf-supporting-cast-member, Spandy, but he has gone more than a step further with these strips, and established the territory covered as his own.  Almost all the pages are produced in a uniform 9-panel grid that works quite well in capturing the rhythms of the domestic cat in its natural environment.  This work will be appreciated not only by Mr. Brown's pre-existent fan base, but stands a very good chance of -- dare we say it -- "crossing over" and appealing to the great unwashed masses of non-comics readers -- at least those among them who are "cat people," which is a fairly significant number -- out there... which is, obviously, the hope of the publishers and, one can only assume, the author as well.  If you're a "cat person" or ever have need of an appropriate, suitable-for-all-ages gift for someone who is, you are hereby advised to take a look at a Cat Getting Out of a Bag.
retail price - $12.95  copacetic price - $11.44


Garage Band
by Gipi
This is Gipi's first full length, full color graphic novel to be translated into English and released in the United States.  This time out, the author of the haunting Ignatz albums, The Innocents and They Found the Car has produced his finest work to date.  While featuring the same lithe pen and ink stylings as his previous work -- here accentuated by a delicate watercolor palette -- Garage Band achieves a naturalism that is truly in a class by itself.  The landscapes, cityscapes and interiors perfectly render the emotional terrain traversed by his cast of characters.  Who would have thought that one of the best graphic novels about being in a band would be done by an Italian?  Not us, that's for sure.  The garage band of the title is here an ideal synecdoche for that moment on the road to adulthood when life is stuck in limbo, between the reality of the past and the potential of the future, held suspended in isolation between the solidity of one's home and parents and the phantasmic visions of what is coming to be.   Garage Band was one of our most popular books this year and has special appeal to those possessing a youthful and questioning nature.
retail price - $16.95  copacetic price - $15.25


The Three Paradoxes
by Paul Hornschemeier
The work of Paul Hornschemeier is unique in that it employs the (re)production processes  as narrative signifiers.  In The Three Paradoxes, his most sophisticated work yet, he employs several different modes of production and reproduction to convey his epistemological concerns, chief among them how experience, imagination, and memories are each treated in different ways by human consciousness, ordered according to only dimly perceived criteria, and sorted into different categories.  Hornschemeier doesn't hold back here.  He reaches deep into his bag of tricks, brings it all out and throws it all down, creating a fascinating visual mix where we go from the blue pencil of imagination struggling to be organized to the flat dull colors of the day-to-day now to the bright Ben-Day dots of childhood memories which in turn connect the now and to the imaginary and then to a day dream and on to photoshopped recreation of the fundamentally  problematic nature of the wisdom of the ages... and back again.  Yes, it does get a bit involved at times, and it does take some time for the design to become clear, but this work deserves to read it more than once and will reward any and all efforts on the part of the reader to wring out its meaning.  Highly recommended for those looking for a challenging, moving and entertaining read.
retail price - $14.95 copacetic price - $13.75


The Best American Comics 2007
edited by Chris Ware
From Lynda Barry to Dan Zettwoch and everything inbetween, this volume provides us with a a fabulous selection of excellent comics in an attractive well produced package at an affordable price.  While -- as Chris Ware makes eminently clear in his excellent introduction -- it is certainly hard to make any sort of definitive argument that these are "the best" American comics of 2007, we are quite confident that no Copacetic customer will be disappointed with the 340 pages of comics herein assembled.  It is true that some may find that they already own much of what appears here, but few if any will have read it all and most will discover exciting new work and be introduced to talented comics creators.  Among the amazing contributors you will find, Alison Bechdel, Gabrielle Bell, Jeffrey Brown, Ivan Brunetti, Charles Burns, C.F., Robert, Aline and Sophie Crumb, Kim Deitch, Sammy Harkham, Gilbert Hernandez, Kevin Huizenga, Anders Nilsen, Gary Panter, Paper Rad, John Porcellino, Ron Regé Jr., Seth, Art Spiegelman, Adrian Tomnie, Carol Tyler and more (whew!)
retail price - $22.00  copacetic price - $19.75

The Acme Novelty Library # 18.5
(aka “The New Yorker” portfolio)
by Chris Ware
Chris sez:   "This print portfolio, somewhat hedgingly entitled  The ACME Novelty Library, No. 18.5, contains all four 'Thanksgiving' covers drawn by  cartoonist and cultural commentator F. C. Ware for the November 27th,  2006 issue of The New Yorker, as well as the additional fifth comic strip which heretofore only appeared in digital form, all carefully printed in full color at an oversized 15" x 20” size on heavy paper and folded in half for easy recycling. As if this wasn’t dreary enough, included is a new supplementary folded comic strip, measuring  16” x 11,” which is also folded in half. The consumer is asked to carefully weigh whether purchase of this object is truly necessary, and to act accordingly."
retail price - $32.00  copacetic price - $27.00

Elvis Road
by Xavier Robel & Helge Reumann
Robel and Reumann, known collectively as Elvis Studio, have with Elvis Road produced a true one-of-a-kind item:  a 9" x 264" (that's 22 feet!) comic book panel in which everything happens at once.   When the entirety of the "story" is laid out in a single image and the mind has to pick and choose on its own, the reader can't help but recognize that the process of creating a story out of an assemblage of visual information is transformed.  While, at least in theory, the entire spectacle as presented to the reader is intended to be seen as occurring in a single instant, the reader will almost certainly find him or herself processing the image into some form of narrative as it is simply impossible to achieve a simultaneous apprehension of the image's entirety the way one can and does when reading the intellectually bite-size pieces presented in standard comics.  Elvis Road enables -- one might even go so far as to say forces -- the reader to invent a new approach to reading the image, as the methods developed to read a standard comic book will be insufficient here.  The temporal dimension necessarily becomes opened to the reader, who can and must move forward and backward, left and right, up and down through the image, in the process assigning a temporal order.  This in turn will allow the reader an opportunity to examine and reevaluate just how the distinct order and layouts of panels that constitute standard comic book language represent a digestion of visual experience, and to ponder that it may very well be just this compartmentalization of experience into discrete units that forms our sense of time as a narrative.  In other words, Elvis Road is a meta-narrative in comics.  It achieves, through the authors' choice of presenting an entire "saga" in a single image, an auto-critique of standard comics' narrative forms.  In addition, it harkens back to the tapestry, which is, arguably, one of the tributary streams that served as a source for the mighty river of comics; and by doing so hints at further, overlooked possibilities for comics in the future. 
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.00 (a dollar a foot!)



This Will All End in Tears
by Joe Ollmann
Finally, a follow up to Ollmann's fine 2001 collection, Chewing on Tinfoil.  Ollmann is the Canadian cartoonist no one seems to have heard of down here in the states, which is a damn shame as he really has a lot to offer (learn more about Ollmann in this interview he recently conducted with Tom Spurgeon).  This Will All End in Tears is one book you definitely don't want to judge by its cover, as it contains a fascinating collection of deftly delineated discoveries in the field of human nature.  Ollmann is an explorer who seeks out obscure and remote emotional terrains that most other cartoonists find too arduous to reach.  He has an unerring eye for picking out incidents that will provide just those details in his characters that will light their souls from the inside, serving to illuminate the particular, often peculiar, hidden corners of our society that are his stock in trade.  Heartache, hunting, health care, hangovers and more are the subjects of the short, and not so short, comics stories that make up this thoroughly engrossing volume.  The longest, "They Made a Movie Here Once," runs 52 pages, and is a pitch perfect tale a young woman's lonely life in a small northern town.  Fans of the Caricature-era work of Dan Clowes should seek this volume out and give it the once over, as should readers of Pete Sickman-Garner's Hey, Mister! and anyone else who appreciates finely crafted stories focused on character and told in comics.  Ollmann possesses deep empathy for his fellow sentient beings and crafts finely nuanced characterizations.  His stories generally unwind in episodic series of vignettes which conclude once the tension has been released.  We really think you ought to take a look at this collection.  Here's a .pdf preview to give you a taste (you can skip past the first few pages, which are just credits, etc.).  And this just in:  This Will All End in Tears was awarded the 2007 Doug Wright Award at this year's Toronto Comic Art Festival.  How about that!
retail price - $16.95  copacetic price - $15.25


Ode to Kirihito
by Osamu Tezuka
This is the big book that has it all!  Originally serialized in Biggu Komiku in 1970-71, and a personal favorite of the artist, manga founding-father Osamu Tezuka, Ode to Kirihito is a unique effort, in more than one respect.  Weighing in at a mammoth 822 pages, Ode is the first of Tezuka's works to incorporate adult themed gekiga (see Tatsumi's Abandon the Old in Tokyo) elements.  Perhaps paradoxically, it is also a work that while dealing with the darker sides of human nature simultaneously deals with Christian (Kirihito is a pun on the Japanese pronunciation of Christ, Kirisuto) themes -- specifically of overcoming the illusional dualism of beast and soul, metaphorically dealt with here as a struggle against a disease that turns men into dog-like beasts.  This book is a one-stop  for everything Tezuka as he displays a veritable cornicopia of storytelling devices, styles, page-layouts and more; if you pay attention, you will also find some fascinating foreshadowing of current alt. comics themes and representational tropes (Fort Thunder, Paper Rad, etc.).  It's a Tezuka tour de force!  He delves into a panoply of themes: most importantly that of Japanese masculinity as it confronts the sexual revolution; also explored are Japanese perspectives in the dawn of the global era as the story brings us into contact with mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, South Africans, Europeans -- but, interestingly, almost no Americans -- and we get not only Tezuka's views of these peoples but also his point of view on their views of the Japanese, creating a roundabout of perspectives.   That Tezuka fans will find this work a reading experience to relish almost goes without saying.  We'd like to take a moment here to recommend this book to those of you who are curious about Tezuka's legendary status but have been put off by his association with what is widely considered "kid's fare" -- Astro Boy, Kimba and the like.  Ode to Kirihito will stand up to any comparison with contemporary literary comics.  It is an engaging and intriguing tale, told by a master of the form at the peak of his powers.  Anyone serious about comics owes it to themselves to read this.  Recommended!
retail price - $24.95  copacetic price - $22.22


Shortcomings
by Adrian Tomine
At last, Mr. Tomine's first actual graphic novel is here.  This fine Drawn & Quarterly hardcover edition articulates an angst-ridden Asian-American assimilation in 108 finely rendered pages collecting Optic Nerve #9 - #11.  This work captures the lives of 20-somethings navigating their way towards a place in the scheme of things that they can call their own.  Tomine is that rare creator with perfect pitch and it's uncanny how he always manages to get it... just right.  This time out, a romance unwinds, a friendship blooms and fades, and life goes on.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $16.95



James Sturm's America: God, Gold, and Golems
by (well, yes, of course) James Sturm
Kudos to Sturm, Tom Devlin and D & Q on their ingenious packaging of these three tales.  What they came up with really captures the rugged spirit animating the work contained within.  Originally released individually as "Revival, "Hundreds of Feet Below Daylight," -- both self-published pamphlet comics -- and "The Golem's Mighty Swing," a softcover graphic novel that was honored as Time Magazine's best graphic novel of the year upon its orignal release, the tales that comprise this rugged hardcover volume all deal with distinctly American enterprises.  Respectively:  rural religious revivalism in what is now Kentucky, at the dawn of the 19th century; a quest for unearthing Idaho's underground riches towards the close of that same century; and an unusual take on an idiosyncratic intersection of minor league baseball and Jewish mysticism during the 1920s.  These are all one of a kind tales rendered with great care and affection that will provide a rewarding reading experience to one and all.  Here's a five-page preview from Revival.
retail price - $24.95  copacetic price - $22.22


The Salon
by Nick Bertozzi
Years in the making, Bertozzi's graphic novel portrayal of the Parisian art scene of "1907" (really, more like a collapsed 1903 - 1913) is a fine work which we heartily recommend to all those who enjoy the finer things in life.  Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Gertrude & Leo Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Erik Satie and Guillaume Apollinaire are among the lead characters in this sprawling Altmanesque drama.  The fictional conceit here is that there is a deranged killer stalking the art scene (Think From Hell, only set in Paris instead of London).  The mystery of the killer's identity and motive forms the core of the plot propelling the narrative forward (and makes for many flights of fancy), but is, in the end, merely a pretense to bring us up close and personal with the intimate lives of this close knit set of fascinating historical figures that embodied what many consider to be the most significant art scene of the 20th century.  The action takes place right at the critical moment when the artists' work was reaching critical mass, and it is clear that the true mystery we should be focusing our attention on is that of the nature, means and methods of artistic creativity.  Bertozzi, previously best known for his solo title, Rubber Necker,  has been honing his comics skills in print for over a decade, and it is with The Salon that he at last reaps the harvest of his labors.  The Salon is a bawdy, entertaining tale that nourishes the mind as well as the spirit.  Bertozzi's compositions, pacing and historical research all give strong evidence of sustained focused work.  His renderings are pleasing to the eye:  he has an ink brush style that falls about half way between that of Paul Pope and James Sturm (see above).  The most intriguing aspect of Bertozzi's art here is its color scheme.  The palette of each page of art is limited to two colors, but this two-color palette shifts and jumps across a set range of colors and combinations, all of which are flat and printed on flat white paper to good effect, and each of which relates in some way to the plot, themes, and/or mood of the story.  Coloring in comics is too often given short shrift, and it's appropriate that it is given the attention it deserves in a work devoted to a group of painters for whom color concerns were central (even when, as in Braque's case, one is moving away from color).  The Salon is published under St Martin's Griffin imprint to whom we offer our thanks for publishng this fine work and our congratulations on their perspicacity.  Here's a sneak preview (courtesy of New York Magazine, of all places).
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - $17.77


Shadowland
by Kim Deitch
This sturdily produced oversize softcover collects pretty much all of Deitch's heretofore uncollected work of the last two decades.  Deitch has the semi-miraculous ability to capture the deranged hidden spirit of bygone eras -- primarily the 1920s and '30s -- that he renders here, in all their freakish glory, with his meticuous Fleischer-esque pen and ink style.  Shadowland is made up of ten complete stories, including the five shorts that were originally published in Weirdo ("Murder on the Midway!" "The Mystic Shrine," "Pong Wook-Ee!" "Young Ledicker," and "Two Old Birds"), "The Road to Rana Poona" which originally appeared in Raw, "No Business Like Show Business" (which originally appeared in 3-D and receives its first conventional printing here).  The feature attractions are the 41-page novella, "The Strange Secret of Molly O'Dare" that was originally serialized over a half-dozen issues  of Zero, Zero, and the epic, 45-page "Crafton Curse" that originally appeared in the 2-issue Shadowland mini-series and which makes up the centerpiece of this collection.  Also included are a series of newly executed framing illustrations, an introduction by the author and a full color "Shadowland Art Gallery" that includes many images only previously seen by a select few, along with reproductions of the covers of the comics many of these stories first appeared in.  All in all, quite a treat! 
retail price - $18.95  copacetic price - $18.95 (now o/p; but we still have a few)

and, for Deitch fans, this year's a bumper crop as there's also this:

Alias the Cat
by Kim Deitch
A fab hardcover just released by Random House's Pantheon imprint, Alias the Cat is probably Deitch's densest, most multi-layered work.  Putting himself and his wife at the center of the story creates a layer of ambiguity in this work, a work that can be seen as an exegesis of cartoon consciousness in comics form of a world where the boundary lines separating the imaginary and the real are becoming increasingly porous.  If you don't already have this work in its original comic book form, Stuff of Dreams, the three-issue series published over the past five or so years by Fantagraphics, then we pronounce this collection a must for Deitch fans and a highly worthwhile work for students of the mechanics of American mythologies as well as anyone looking for a fantastic fable in comics form.
retail price - $23.00  copacetic price - $19.75



The Fun Never Stops
by Drew Friedman
It really is almost too much.  The mind reels.   Over one hundred pages of Drew Friedman all at once.  After a decade and a half of being able to get one's hands on only one or two pages at a time, to be deluged with an entire book full that collects the last 15 years of Friedman's supernaturally detailed renderings of media figures -- the famous as well as, and especially, the obscure --  which manage, through an alchemical process involving pen, ink and paper known only to him, to reveal secret, hidden meanings of American celebrity that connect us poor citizens to aspects of our lives that we might not otherwise have suspected (and, to be honest, might have preferred never discovering) were there, is an overwhelming experience which leaves us, for once almost (but, admittedly, not quite) speechless.  So, we'll let Dan Clowes do the talking:  "(H)e is so far and away the best caricaturist I hesitate to even imply a competition for fear of embarrassing the few distant contenders.  His portraits are each embedded with some form of commentary that is often so subtle as to defy notice....  Often a visionary artist is rendered passé to the general public by a flurry of imitators in his wake, but since nobody could possibly imitate Friedman's style, he remains a singular entity, existing in his own sub-category of comic-book history."  Following Clowes's eloquent testimony there is  a 20-page appreciation of Friedman and his work by Ben Schwartz, followed by the frantic Friedman fest itself. 
retail price - $16.95 copacetic price - $14.44



Misery Loves Comedy
by Ivan Brunetti
This is it, the last bulwark against despair and the abyss.  When all else fails there's Ivan Brunetti -- now available in this longlasting, evergreen cloth, hardcover edition that will rest quietly and unobtrusively on the shelf until called into action by any existential emergency that may present itself to a fragile psyche battered by the exigencies of this modern world.  This book collects for the first time the entirety of the first three issues of Brunetti's comic book series, Schizo, along with three additional sections of work that was originally published elsewhere, scattershot, in a wide variety of publications.  PLEASE NOTE:  This volume contains material that, if beheld by a humorless eye incapable of perceiving the intended ironies, can be read as being horrible, disgusting and deeply offensive and so is an extremely dangerous gift choice and should be considered only for those who are totally jaded and completely disillusioned and 21 years of age and older.  You have been warned.
retail price - $24.95  copacetic price - $21.25


Aya
by Marguerite Abouet & Clément Ouberie
A pitch perfect tale, sensuously rendered and sumptuously colored, Aya takes us to the Ivory Coast in what are now seen as the halcyon days of 1978.  Abouet & Oubrerie -- names which were new to us, but which we'll be sure to keep on the look out for from now on -- have done a simplly splendid job here.  The action centers on a trio of teenage girls, and widens to trace their interactions with their families, the community that is their home and, of course, boys.  The structure and the pacing are right on target, allowing the reader to follow a large and fairly complex cast of characters while the story keeps sailing ahead at a brisk pace (think Robert Altman, but without the bitterness).  The characters, the dialogue, the settings, and especially the colors:  everything comes together to create a real verisimilitude, a sense of being right there in the thick of it in the Abidjan suburb of Yopougon in 1978.  Also included are a glossary of Abidjanian slang used in the story, along with some fashion & etiquette tips and recipes, and also a preface by Alissa Grace Chase, PhD, who will fill you in on the historical context in which this story plays out.  And there's more:  after finishing the book and having had a moment or two to reflect upon its contents, you are likely to feel as we did that the story told in Aya, while rich in Africana, contains much that is the same the world over, and some universal truths to boot.  This full color hardcover from Drawn & Quarterly is a treasure.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $16.95


Exit Wounds
by Rutu Modan
This 172 page full color hardcover work by Rutu Modan, a founding member of the Israeli comics group, Actus Tragicus, is a real graphic novel set in a recognizably real Israel.  Populated by fully fleshed out characters and beautifully rendered in a personal style (paradoxically, entirely with a Wacom tablet and computer) that is clean, colorful and capable of conveying the full depth of the strong script which expresses the complexities and nuances of how character and society interact and that we expect from something called a novel, Exit Wounds is a book you'll be likely to read more than once.  Joe Sacco (Palestine, Safe Area Gorazde) call Exit Wounds "a profound, richly textured, humane, and unsentimental look at societal malaise and human relationships and that uneasy place where they sometimes intersect."
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - $16.95



A Dangerous Woman:
The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman
by Sharon Rudahl
Speaking of legacies, few can match that of Emma Goldman.  Born in Russia,  joining the mass, late-19th century emigration to the United States as a teen, and then deported back to Russia just as the Bolshevik revolution was tranforming it into the Soviet Union, the life of Emma Goldman is storied indeed -- a perfect choice for a graphic biography.  And who better to accomplish this task than Sharon Rudahl.  One of the founders of the feminist wing of underground comics, Rudahl has been producing progressive, politically aware comics for well over thirty years, and without any doubt, A Dangerous Woman is her most significant work yet.  An engaging tale of an inspiring woman, this graphic biography will leave its readers with a sense of awe at this amazing life lived to the limit and far ahead of its time.
retail price - $17.95  copacetic price - $16.15


Miss Fury
by Tarpe Mills
You want a gorgeously drawn, action packed, golden age super hero comic book, that centers on the adventures of an occasionally costume-clad heroine that's written and drawn by a women and that, while it doesn't shy away from presenting its readers with a gaggle of curvaceous gals, is clearly the product of feminist thinking?  What's that?  You thought no such thing exists?  Well, that's where you'd be wrong, as Miss Fury by Tarpe Mills fits the bill in spades.  While these issues appear to have been cobbled together at least in part out of newspaper strips and as a result are occasionally subject to reiterations, the story races ahead at breakneck speed and there really is never a dull moment.  In fact, there is so much going on in the issues reprinted here, that occasionally you'll find yourself thinking, "Hold on a second here, what's going on?" (and one page in the third issue is printed out of order [it may very well have been out of order in the original]) but, you'll find that if you flip back through the last few pages, you'll figure it out, because everything is there. Comes complete with an informative introduction by the noted feminist comics historian, Trina Robbins (who, we hasten to add, is also a fine cartoonist in her own right), that will help get you up to speed.  As these comics were created during WWII, Miss Fury is not only compelled to deal with thugs, burglars and blackmailers -- as well as a femme fatale, a petulant boyfriend and an amoral seductress bent on getting him -- but also Nazi spys and soldiers:  the major villian is a Nazi general, who, while clearly evil, is nevertheless surprisingly presented as courageous and heroic -- a far cry from the typical comic book caricatures of vicious bunglers, and a highly unusual example of ambivalence in the face of the enemy.  Perhaps most fascinating is that during the Nazi invasion of Brazil (we told you this story was action packed) a fiery Latina forges an alliance with rugged gauchos and rainforest indians to repell the Nazi attack (assisted by Miss Fury, naturally) -- shades of today's leftist alliances to save the rainforest from rapacious multinational conglomerates.  This book is a revelation!  Thanks once again go to Greg Theakston's Pure Imagination publishing for bringing yet another comics classic to light.
retail price - $25.00  copacetic price - $22.22



I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!
- The Comics of Fletcher Hanks
edited and with an afterword by Paul Karasik
A treat for the refined sensibilities of comics connoisseurs, the work of Fletcher Hanks has been gaining fans for at least as long as Art Spiegelman has been including it in his slide-show/lecture.  Crudely marvelous, these comics somehow manage to exactly embody the early innocence of the Golden Age.  These are comics trapped in time, like a fly in amber.  Working before the conventions of heroic fantasy comics had solidified, Hanks was free to pursue his own inner visions without having to worry about whether he was doing it "right."  It would literally be impossible to have produced these comics even a few years later, as editors (and readers) would have come to expect certain levels of predictability and adherence to the established codes.  You can palpably feel Hanks forging ahead with only pencil, pen & ink and paper as he creates his own unique style straight out of his imagination.  In some respects, the work contained in this volume resembles some comics currently being made by a new breed of younger creators -- such as Mat Brinkman and Brian Chippendale -- who have either chosen to disregard established comics traditions or never learned them in the first palce, making the work of Hanks feel strangely contemporary at times.  Learn more about Fletcher Hanks, here.
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - $19.95


Comic Art #9
Normally you wouldn't think of finding a periodical in a gift catalogue, but this is no ordinary magazine!  It's the best magazine about comics ever published, it's only published once a year and it's back with another amazing jam-packed issue.  Edited by comics aficionado extraordinaire, Todd Hignite, this 208 page signature-bound squareback is produced and printed to the highest of standards. Each and every article, interview, and feature centers on or is accompanied by excellent, high-resolution reproductions of original art, comics pages, prints, letters, photographs, and more; each a pleasure to behold.  This issue spans continents as well as centuries as we are treated to a truly eclectic assemblage of top comics talent.  Jerry Moriarity (Raw, Kramers Ergot, SVA) is visited by publisher Alvin Buenaventura; fellow NY hepster, KAZ, is profiled by Ben Schwartz; Tom de Haven goes long on Chester Gould's "Plainclothes Tracy;" Thierry Smolderen explores Lyonel Feininger's "Lost Continent;" the work of definitive Tarzan comics artist, Jesse Marsh, is examined by comics historian, Ron Goulart, and discussed by none other than Gilbert Hernandez and Adrian Tomine;  Jeet Heer pens an in-depth piece on New Yoker cartoonist Gluyas Williams and his relationship with E.B. White... and there's plenty more, it's too much to list, but here's a preview).  We can't sign-off on this issue, however, without mentioning the three one-page strips by Copacetic favorite, Dan Zettwoch, which features his dad's strips for the church newsletter(!).  And then there's the issue's bonus book, which might just be the best thing about the whole issue.  It's an 80-page paperback book that comes shrink-wrapped together with the magazine, it's written and illustrated by Ivan Brunetti, it's titled, Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice, it is described as a "classroom in a book,"  it represents the distillation of Mr. Brunetti's 15-week college course -- and it's yours free with Comic Art #9!  Is that a deal, or is that a deal?
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $17.77


All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present
by Aaron McGruder
Starting out with a front cover that immediately made us think of The Onion, it's clear that this Boondocks book is not your ordinary reprint volume.  It's divided into three parts: I:  The Strips; II:  The Media; and III:  The Controversy.  The first, is the typical strip collection part, which presents Boondocks strips running through the last day of 2005.  The second collects various and sundry media reports of, on and about The Boondocks, and contains quite a few interviews with McGruder.  The third section focuses on the "controversial" strips -- those that were pulled by various  papers around America -- and includes the "before and after" versions of strips where changes were demanded by the syndicate.  Enjoyable and educational, this Boondocks collection continues and extends McGruder's reign as the one of the most savvy and successful cartoonists of our day.
retail price - $16.95  copacetic price - $15.00


The Best of Mutts
by Patrick McDonnell
And, speaking of successful cartoonists, what more can we say about Mutts that hasn't been said already?  Patrick McDonnell has managed to somehow graft a poet's soul and fine artist's sensibility onto the studied craft of a totally classic old school newspaper comicstrip cartoonist.  Mutts is truly one of a kind; and in more ways than one, not the least of which is the way in which it unfailingly manages to raise the spirits.  Here in this fine oversized hardcover edition is the distilled essence of Mutts, both the black & white dailies and the full color Sundays, in 254 horizontally formatted pages each of which can and will be enjoyed by one and all.
retail price - $24.95  copacetic price - $22.22

but wait, there's also this:

Hug Time
by Patrick McDonnell
Simple pen and ink drawings combine with delicate watercolors to illustrate a Suess-like rhyme scheme telling a story of hugs around the world; featuring Mutts supporting character, Jules (aka Shtinky Puddin').  Is this the cutest book ever published?  Maybe.  Is it the perfect gift for anyone you know who could use a hug?  Yes. 
retail price - $14.95  copacetic price - $13.33


Krazy & Ignatz - 1939 - 1940:  "A Brick Stuffed with Moom-Bims"
by George Herriman
introduction by Jeet Heer
Two more complete years of the one and only Krazy Kat, all in full color.  We're in the home stretch of the original run now:  only two more volumes to go (sob) ... but then Fantagraphics will be going back to the beginning and printing the first ten years that were previously published by Eclipse and have been out of print for over a decade, so there's still plenty more to look forward to.   For now we have another 105 flights of fancy from the inimitable George Herriman, all wrapped up in another fine C. Ware designed package.  What's that?  You say you ain't hep to the kat?  Well then, here's where to start.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic special price - $15.95


The Kat Who Walked in Beauty:
The Panoramic Dailies of 1920
by George Herriman
edited by Derya Ataker
Designed by Jacob Covey, who is clearly on a roll, this magnificent giant (15" x 12") hardcover volume presents a classic run of the Krazy Kat daily strips from 1920 (primarily) & 1921 that have never before (we believe) been collected.  In addition we get to see the very earliest (1911) appearances of Krazy and Ignatz in "The Dingbat Family," an earlier Herriman strip, a nice run of Krazy Kat dailies from 1914, and, as and added bonus, the illustrated sheet music of "Krazy Kat" A Pantomime by John Alden Carpenter; none too shabby, we'd say.  This is the first time we've ever seen Herriman dailies presented at full size (13" x 3") and we have to say that it's really a treat.  Any Herriman fanwill find this a rare treat indeed.
retail price - $29.95  copacetic price - $25.00


The Complete Peanuts, Volume 8: 1965-1966
by Charles M. Schulz
introduction by Hal Hartley (!)
Yes, the glory days of Peanuts roll on, one perfect strip after another.  The highlights this time around include the first Snoopy "dogfights" with The Red Baron as well as his first forays into writing (you remember:  "It was a dark and stormy night...") as well as the first appearance of Peppermint Patty.  This volume's introduction, by one of our favorite contemporary film makers, Hal Hartley (Henry Fool, Fay Grim, etc.), provides further proof of just how pervasive the influence of Peanuts truly was, and is.  To learn more about this series, please visit our Complete Peanuts page.  (P.S. -- the background cover color on the actual book is green, not blue as in the image above)
retail price - $28.95  copacetic special price - $23.15


The Complete Peanuts Gift Box Set: 1963 - 1966
This box set, the fourth so far,  contains Volume 7 and Volume 8 of the Complete Peanuts, both encased in a heavy-duty illustrated slipcase by series designer, Seth, for a price that can't be beat.  Another sure fire Christmas gift.  To learn more about this series, and see all the other volumes currently available, please visit our Complete Peanuts page.
retail price - $49.95  copacetic special price - $39.95


and then there's this wonder of wonders:



Sundays with Walt and Skeezix
by Frank King
Sunday Press, the publisher of the Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays collection now presents the best Sunday comics from the first two decades of Frank King’s masterpiece, Gasoline Alley in the same stunning, full size (16" x 21") format.  Designed by Chris Ware and with an introduction by Jeet Heer, these wonderful Sunday pages are a beautiful companion to the popular Drawn and Quarterly books that feature the daily Gasoline Alley strips.  This volume is a giant oversize 96 page, heavy duty hardcover with dust jacket that includes a full-sheet cardboard insert replica of a 1920’s Skeezix cut-out toy.  As with Sunday Press's Little Nemo collection, these incredible Sunday pages have been digitally restored to their original colorful brilliance and are reproduced at full size. In addition, the book is filled with images of comics memorabilia and photographs of King’s life. It also includes texts on King’s life and work by journalist Tim Samuels and comics historian/critic Donald Phelps. 
retail price - $95.00
copacetic price - $95.00
(Sorry, no discount on this one)

And here's a few items especially for the younger set:


Moomin: Books One & Two
by Tove Jansson
The surprise hit of 2006 returns with a second fine volume.  Each contains four uniquely original tales collected in one sturdy yet elegant volume.  The Moomins are the perfect gift for the nonconformist family, as well as those children who march to the beat of a different drummer.  The Moomins freely go their own way, unperterbed by the incomprehension and disapproval of others, knowing that they know themselves best of all.  Their idiosyncratic adventures are singular pleasures and secreted within each are valuable lessons that we may especially treasure today.
retail price - $19.95@  copacetic price - $16.95@


Houdini, The Handcuff King
by Jason Lutes & Nick Bertozzi
The first in a series of comics biographies of popular figures from off the beaten path of American history that is currently being produced under the aegis of The Center for Cartoon Studies, Houdini, The Handcuff King is a 96-page hardcover volume that amply demonstrates the capacity of comics to clearly and concisely tell a powerful  tale -- in this case, about the greatest escape artist who ever lived, Harry Houdini.  The story unfolds on a single day, 1 May 1908, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and every effort is made to capture the era in which it takes place.  This is a task for which comics are eminently suitable, provided the practitioners take proper care; and the evidence of this volume makes it clear that Lutes and Bertozzi have done their homework.  All the visual details are in order, from the uniforms of the policemen which oversee the drama to the architecture of the buildings amidst which the action is staged; from the handcuffs which are used to bound Houdini to the handbills that are used to promote him; and from the horse drawn carriages that carry Mrs. Houdini to her appointed task to the telephones, elevators, flashpowder illuminations and pocket watches that propel the story forward -- all are realistically rendered, immersing the reader in a vivid experience of the magic of this particular moment in American history.  An appendix containing several pages of annotations to more fully flesh out the historical context and a bibliography for those who feel inspired to pursue the story further are also provided.  An engaging read for all ages, this volume is especially suitable for getting reluctant readers interested in learning more about the history of American culture.  Based on the evidence of this fine work, we find ourselves eagerly anticipating the next volume in the series, devoted to Satchel Paige, one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
retail price - $16.99  copacetic price - $15.00


Sardine in Outer Space, volumes 1 - 4 by Emmanuel Guibert & Joann Sfar
This surprise hit series from France continues with more hi-jinx, outer space and under sea adventures that kids everywhere can't get enough of.  Pirates! monsters! battles! crazy machines! jazz! spankings! (spankings?) It's all here in dazzling full color in a tidy, French-flapped volume.
volumes 1 - 3: retail price - $12.95@  copacetic price - $11.50@
volume 4 :  retail price - $13.95@  copacetic price - $12.50@



Carl Barks' Greatest DuckTales Stories, Volumes 1 & 2
by Carl Barks
Yes, we had these uup here last year, but we can't help ourselves as these nicely done 144 page comic book size volumes contain classic work by one of the greatest comics creators of all times, the one and only Carl Barks.   Printed in vibrant flat colors on bright flat white paper, very much along the lines of the high quality work of the Carl Barks Library volumes produced in the 1990s by Gladstone, only this time in the comic book rather than album format, each of these books is cover to cover magic.  The six -- count 'em! -- unexpurgated Barks classics presented here are: Back To The Klondike (Uncle Scrooge #2; technically Four Color 456), Land Beneath the Ground (US #13), Micro-Ducks from Outer Space (US #65), Lemming With the Locket (US #9), Lost Crown of Genghis Khan! (US #14), and Hound of the Whiskervilles (US #29).  The second volume (pictured at right) contains these six Carl Barks classics featuring his most famous creation, Uncle Scrooge:  "Giant Robot Robbers," "The Golden Fleecing," "The Horseradish Story," "The Status Seeker," "Tralla-La" and "The Unsafe Safe".  Looking to introduce someone to Carl Barks, possibly the greatest storyteller in the history of comics?  Well then, look no further, this is it!
retail price - $10.95@  copacetic price - $9.85@

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BOOKS

The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps
edited by Otto Penzler
We can personally guarantee you that someone on your list wants some pulp fiction, and we have it!  1,140 double-columned pages packed with the best crime stories from the golden age of the pulps -- the 1920s, 30s & 40s -- when writers like Dashiell Hammet, Raymond Chandler, Cornell Woolrich, Paul Cain, Leslie Chartiers, Erle Stanley Gardner, Frederick Nebel, and a host of others all wrote their heart out for 2¢ a word.  Divided into three sections -- The Crimefighter, The Villians and The Dames -- this massive tome contains over fifty stories and two complete novels.  This is a book that you'll want to save for those special nights when it's pitch black and freezing cold and the wind is rattling the windowpanes.  You'll want to turn off all lights in the house except for your reading lamp that's poised over your cracked leather armchair, put a stack of old Billie Holiday records on the turntable, pour yourself a couple fingers of hard liquor and settle in for a prolonged look at the underworld, out of which, somwhere along the way, hidden secrets will creep to the surface and you'll be face to face with the heart of darkness of the good ol' USA.
retail price - $25.00  copacetic price - $22.50


The Yiddish Policemen's Union
by Michael Chabon
It's here, the much anticipated and long awaited new novel by the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.  It was originally scheduled to ship this time last year, but Chabon and his editor decided at the last minute to pull the plug and do a full rewrite.  As with Chabon's last novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is brimming with invention.  Conflating at least two genres -- the alternate history and the hard-boiled detective story -- his new work tells the story of Detective Landsman, Homicide, who works for the Federal District of Sitka, Alaska, the "temporary" safe haven created for Jewish refugees after the 1948 collapse of Israel.  The story is set on the eve of the district's reversion to Alaskan control, an event that is poised to plunge its populace into unknown territory. 
retail price - $26.95  copacetic price - $22.22


Gentlemen of the Road
by Michael Chabon
What's this?  Two new Michael Chabon novels in one year?  This new novel is a bit slighter on the ambition scale than The Yiddish Policemen's Union, but that is its intention.  As is splendidly evident in its design, Gentlemen of the Road is a classic adventure yarn.  Starting with endpapers that depict a historical map of the area where the book's adventures occur, and continuing with its old-school table of contents and list of illustrations, and, especially, on through to the llustrations themselves -- all done up in the classic pen and ink style by the current (and quite excellent) illustrator of Prince Valiant, Gary Gianni which are liberally scattered throughout -- this is a book that wants to take you back to when reading was an adventure in and of itself.  Set a thousand years in the past amidst the Caucas Mountains  and along the Don and Volga River valleys, it's a tale that follows a mismatched pair of adventurers, affectionately referencing Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, as they get into -- and out of -- one mess after another on their way to the revolution.  Here's a couple of  reviews in The Village Voice and The Guardian UK.
retail price - $21.95  copacetic price - $18.88

Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed
by Paul Trynka
This is it:  at long last we have a definitive biography of the one and only Iggy Pop.  While we're sure that this book will prove to be far from the last word on Iggy, Open Up and Bleed is without any doubt the most thorough going, well researched and fully fleshed out account of the life and career of James Osterberg and his alter ego, Iggy Pop, that has yet been produced.  Beginning with an in depth look at his trailer park beginnings and a surprising account of his high school politcal ambitions, it continues through his early days with the Iguanas and The Primer Movers and his epochal introduction to the Asheton brothers before charting his roller coaster career:  first with the Stooges, then through his friendship and musical partnership with David Bowie and all the way up to the present day, coming  full circle to the reunion of The Stooges that is currently underway.  Plus, plenty of rare photos!  Recommended to all Iggyphiles everywhere.
retail price - $23.95  copacetic price - $21.50


Reading Comics
by Douglas Wolk
Reading Reading Comics has led us to the decision to anoint Douglas Wolk as the budding Andrew Sarris for comics.  While Reading Comics is not a work that is ready to go one on one with Sarris's The American Cinema, Wolk is an obviously literate individual, a clearly articulate writer, and possessed of a discerning eye.  Reading Comics is a fine volume that will be engaging to many a comics enthusiast, and will be especially valued by the comics novice who is working to get up to speed.  Mr. Wolk is also an opinionated reviewer, so chances are you won't always find yourself in agreement with him.  He has, in fact, already generated several small scale controversies -- but controversy often clears the air and can be healthy (read an excerpt of Reading Comics and get a taste of some of the controversy).  His arguments are, generally, well constructed, so you are able to see where you stand in regards to his perspectives.  We suspect, however, that an obsessive fanboy lurks still within him, based on the evidence of this in-depth account/deconstruction of DC's 52 Weeks.  In short:  If you like reading about comics, then there's a good chance Reading Comics is for you.
retail price - $22.95 copacetic price - $20.00


Up & Down in New York
by Tony Sarg
preface by Jonathan Adler
Originally published in 1926, Up & Down in New York is a beautifully put together book that contains 25 amazing drawings of life in the New York City of the 1920s by artist extraordinaire, Tony Sarg.  And when we say life, we mean life:  these pages are overflowing with the vitality of NYC during the era when it really came into its own as a world capital.  Each of the pictures is drawn from an elevated perspective taking in the hustle and bustle of humanity at enough of a remove to contemplate and appreciate the magic of human endeavor.  Each of these drawings is reproduced with great care on heavy, flat, 9" x 12" cream colored  stock, that will stand up to all the pawing these pages are sure to get as these are images that beckon.  The publishers did a nice job on this book.  Make the time to check it out.  Here's further comments along with a peek, but the images as they appear here don't do justice to how they appear in the book.
retail price - $19.95  copacetic price - $17.77


Uptight All Night: 30 postcards
by Jordan Crane
Speaking of top notch artists, this contemporary master of line, form and -- especially -- color, who is best known here at Copacetic for his swell comics like The Clouds Above and Uptight, now has a nifty collection of thirty original, full-color, heavy-duty (they're printed on super-weight cardstock) postcards nestled on our shelves.  At the Copacetic price listed below the price works out to a mere 30¢ a piece for these little gems.  Send 'em to friends, hang 'em on the wall, put 'em in a frame -- you can do it all.
retail price - $9.95  copacetic price - $8.88


The Bible
by Karen Armstrong
If anyone can break it down to us in this day and age, it's Ms. Armstrong.
retail price - $21.95  copacetic super special price - $18.88

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MUSIC - CD

Approximate Hellhound vs The Monkey Demon (CD)
by The Reid Paley Trio
Here's an album of songs that, perhaps better than any other, provides its listeners with the necessary musical sustenance to channel righteous  rage in such a way as to clean out the build up of emotional toxins that lie hidden in our psyches and then take the energy so released and use it to propell us forward and so get us through these trying times.  This is a solid work by a unique artist.  The ten tracks flow like a conversation, each one picking up where the other left off, generating a persuasive musical argument that drives its train of thought to the end of the line.  Our favorites include:   "Take What You Want," an R & B rocker that has been covered by Frank Black and the Catholics;  "Everything Is Going Wrong (& That's Alright)," a song for our times if ever there was one; "Better Days," the masterful centerpiece of the record, is a paradoxical work that pulls off something that we would not have thought possible if we hadn't heard it with our own ears -- managing to be simultaneously mournful and triumphant (you try it); "Someday I'll Be Okay," is a song that delivers a frisson unavailable from any other vendor; and, finally, the closer, "Stay Awhile," an anthem that one can well imagine receiving heavy play on Sisyphus's iPod. 
retail price - $14.98  copacetic price - $11.77

Twelve (CD)
by Patti Smith
Patti's present to herself and the rest of us as she marks the occasion of completing her (if you can believe it!) sixtieth year, Twelve is a record of (yes) twelve covers of some of her favorite songs.  Many are expected -- "Are You Experienced," "Helpless," "Gimme Shelter," "White Rabbit," "Soul Kitchen," "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (what? you didn't know she was a big Nirvana fan?) -- some make sense once you stop and think about them -- "Within You and Without You," Dylan's "Changing of the Guard," which receives a heart-tuggingly beautiful rendition here and has to be one of the best Dylan covers in twenty years or more, The Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider" -- and then there are the total surprises -- Tears For Fears' (?!) "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," Paul Simon's "Boy in the Bubble," and Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise," which closes the record on an uplifting and hopeful note.  The core of the Patti Smith Group  -- Jay Dee Daugherty, Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan --  show their love of this music by forging one well-crafted tune after another.  A bevy of guest appearances including Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smith's children, Jackson and Jesse, and, especially, Tom Verlaine -- on "Gimme Shelter" and "White Rabbit" -- serve to spice up the mix.  The stand out track has to be "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which is much more than a cover version.  What we have here is Patti's own take on the meaning of the song, the significance of Nirvana and, finally, her sense of the continuity that exists in American vernacular music.  You'll never hear the song the same way again.  This disc is the treasure at the end of the rainbow.
retail price - $18.98  copacetic price - $17.00

The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard (CD)
by Rickie Lee Jones
Well, we're not sure where this came from, but this is may just be the best album Rickie Lee Jones has ever done and, as it provides the ideal soundtrack for the work of David Sandlin just described above, we coudn't help but mention it here.  Starting off with a slow Velvets drone and working its way through her pantheon of classic rock tropes, employing a strong dose of Tom Waits, a healthy serving of the Stones (think Exile on Main St. with a dash of Beggar's Banquet), a hint of Creedence and homages to Dylan and Neil Young, Jones grafts the whole thing onto some weird mutant child of the Gospel according to Gillian Welch that involves some close readings of Biblical passages to deliver this Sermon -- on how a broken heart in search of redemption discovers that the price of redemption is precisely a broken heart -- with a sort of Jonathan Richmanesque sincerity. Did that description do this record justice?  No, probably not, so here, listen to it for yourself.
copacetic price - $16.50

Sing Like a Star
by Kristen Hersh
This new solo album by Throwing Muses founder, Kristen Hersh, whose two decades of work as both a song-writer and performer has influenced an entire generation, is another soul-stirrer.  Learn more, here, and listen to it, here.
copacetic price - $14.44




Never Hear the End of It
by Sloan
Thirty tracks of seamless, classic rock from Canada's ruling rock band.  Learn more, here, and listen to it, here.
copacetic price - $14.44




New Magnetic Wonder
by Apples in Stereo
This, the first new Apples in Stereo release in five years, is a multimedia extravaganza that contains 14 songs, 12 additional