Mort Cinder

Mort Cinder
Author: Alberto Breccia
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2018-09-01
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1683960793

Alberto Breccia is recognized as one of the greatest international cartoonists in the history of comics and Mort Cinder is considered one of his finest achievements. Created in collaboration with the Argentine writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld, best known in the U.S. for his politically incendiary sci-fi masterpiece, the Eisner Award-winning The Eternaut, Mort Cinder is a horror story with political overtones. This episodic serial, written and drawn between 1962–1964, is drawn by Breccia in moody chiaroscuro. The artist’s rubbery, expressionistic faces capture every glint in the eyes of the grave robbers, sailors, and slaves that populate these stories; while the slash of stripes of prisoners’ uniforms, the trapeziums of Babylon, and more create distinct and evocative milieus.

The Eternaut 1969

The Eternaut 1969
Author: Hector German Oesterheld
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2020-12-01
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1683963520

This is a psychedelically drawn, boldly political retelling of the 1950s graphic novel The Eternaut, whose imagery is still used as a symbol of resistance in Latin America to this day. The 1950s version of The Eternaut, a seminal Argentine work, is drawn in F. Solano Lopez’s clean, orderly comics art style. In the 1969 reboot, the darker tone is reflected in Breccia's Expressionist art. In The Eternaut 1969, the great world powers have forsaken South America to alien invaders, and POV character Juan Salvo, along with his friend Professor Favalli, metalworker Franco, and neighbor Susanna, join the resistance in Buenos Aires with the knowledge that the outside world will not come to their aid. Through the lenses of these timeless characters, the politically prescient creators ask readers to consider the implications of global domination by the "great powers" before it’s too late.

Alberto Breccia's Dracula

Alberto Breccia's Dracula
Author: Alberto Breccia
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Total Pages: 90
Release: 2021-07-13
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 168396439X

Alberto Breccia's Dracula is composed of a series of brutally funny satirical misadventures starring the hapless eponymous antihero. Literally defanged (a humiliating trip to the dentist doesn’t help), the protagonist’s glory days are long behind him and other, more sinister villains (a corrupt government, overtly backed by American imperialism) are sickening and draining the life out of the villagers far more than one creature of the night ever could. This is the first painted, full-color entry in Fantagraphics’ artist-focused Alberto Breccia Library, and the atmospheric palette adds mood and dimension. It also includes a sketchbook showing the artist’s process.

Perramus

Perramus
Author: Alberto Breccia
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2020-06-16
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1683962907

Fantagraphics collects the graphic novel Perramus ― winner of an Amnesty International prize ― in English for the first time. This graphic novel follows the existential odyssey of a political dissident. When he voluntarily loses his memory, he's dubbed "Perramus" from the brand of his raincoat. During his absurdist travels, he teams up with the gruff Cannelloni; a foreign aviator dubbed "The Enemy" by despot Mr. Whitesnow; and the blind author "Borges" (based on the real-life literary figure), who comes to be a guide. This motley crew journeys to outlandish locales where they encounter a variety of eccentric characters ― including a director of trailers for films that will never exist; a guerilla fbeforce of circus folk, clowns, and puppeteers; a tin-pot dictator with a vast fortune built on an empire of excrement; and Ronald Reagan. This highly anticipated collection is an act of resistance in and of itself ― it was created while Argentina's military dictatorship was still in power. Perramus is a cartooning tour de force, with a revolutionary message that remains vital to this day.

A Fistful of Drawings

A Fistful of Drawings
Author: Joe Ciardiello
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Total Pages: 74
Release: 2019-01-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1683962273

In this gorgeous graphic memoir, Joe Ciardiello gracefully weaves together his Italian family history and the mythology of the American West while paying homage to the classic movie and TV Westerns. Featuring John Ford, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Sophia Loren, and many more, this book is a paean to Hollywood and a love letter to the Western.

Ghost Story

Ghost Story
Author: Jim Butcher
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 610
Release: 2012-08-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0451464079

Chicago wizard Harry Dresden gets a taste of the dead life in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. In his life, Harry’s been shot, stabbed, sliced, beaten, burned, crushed, and tortured. And after someone puts a bullet through his chest and leaves him to die in the waters of Lake Michigan, things really start going downhill. Trapped between life and death, he learns that his friends are in serious trouble. Only by finding his murderer can he save his friends and move on—a feat which would be a lot easier if he had a body and access to his powers. Worse still are the malevolent shadows that roam Chicago, controlled by a dark entity that wants Harry to suffer even in death. Now, the late Harry Dresden will have to pull off the ultimate trick without using any magic—or face an eternity as just another lost soul...

Malefactor

Malefactor
Author: Robert Repino
Publisher: Soho Press
Total Pages: 457
Release: 2021-08-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1641290994

Robert Repino concludes the War with No Name series in an explosive final novel. Over a decade has passed since the ant queen began her apocalyptic war with the humans. In the aftermath, she leaves behind a strange legacy: a race of uplifted animals, the queen’s conscripts in the war effort, now trying to make their way in the world they destroyed. While the conflict has left deep scars, it has also allowed both sides to demonstrate feats of courage and compassion that were never possible before. And now, after years of bloodshed, the survivors have a fleeting chance to build a lasting peace. But peace always comes with a price. The holy city of Hosanna—where animals and humans form a joint government—finds itself surrounded by wolves who are determined to retake the land. A powerful matriarch has united the rival wolf packs, using a terrible power harnessed from the Queen herself. Soon, the looming violence pulls in those who sought to escape. The war hero Mort(e) suspects a plot to destroy Hosanna from within, and recruits a team of unlikely allies to investigate. Falkirk, captain of the airship Vesuvius, must choose between treason and loyalty to save the city. And D’Arc, sailing aboard the al-Rihla, learns that the wolves may have triggered a new cycle of life for the Colony, bringing a final reckoning to animal and human alike. Once reunited, the three outcasts begin a journey into wolf territory to face the last remnant of the queen’s empire. But while destiny has drawn them together, it may destroy them as well, for even love, courage, and honor may not be enough to stop the forces of destruction set to be unleashed on the world.

The Cultural Gutter

The Cultural Gutter
Author: Carol Borden
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2011
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0557958393

Science fiction, fantasy, comics, romance, genre movies, games all drain into the Cultural Gutter, a website dedicated to thoughtful articles about disreputable art-media and genres that are a little embarrassing. Irredeemable. Worthy of Note, but rolling like errant pennies back into the gutter. The Cultural Gutter is dangerous because we have a philosophy. We try to balance enthusiasm with clear-eyed, honest engagement with the material and with our readers. This book expands on our mission with 10 articles each from science fiction/fantasy editor James Schellenberg, comics editor and publisher Carol Borden, romance editor Chris Szego, screen editor Ian Driscoll and founding editor and former games editor Jim Munroe.

The Excavation

The Excavation
Author: Max Andersson
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2017-02-15
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1606999842

Based on the author’s dreams, this German Expressionist-influenced graphic novel is about a couple who go to an underground site to visit his family, and surreal events ensue. Drawn in a slashing pen-and-ink style with raw crosshatching and heavy blacks, the author’s visual approach adds to the intense, claustrophobic feel of the graphic novel, while its surreal verisimilitude recalls cult films like Eraserhead and The Forbidden Zone.

The Alaska Bush Pilot Chronicles

The Alaska Bush Pilot Chronicles
Author: Mort Mason
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2010-11-10
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1616731419

Readers of Flying the Alaska Wild marveled at Mort Mason’s true tales of braving the elements at the extremes in a Piper Super Cub. But the bush pilot, adventurer, and raconteur was just beginning, and in this book he revisits his most memorable moments of flying by the seat of his pants through blizzards and white-outs, on assignments at times hazardous and sometimes simply whacky, always with a sense of humor and due respect for the limitless wilds of Alaska beneath his wings. The world of a bush pilot really is the final frontier, and for thirty years Mort Mason was there, clocking enough heart-stopping miles to make most life-stories utterly incredible. In The Alaska Bush Pilot Chronicles Mason recounts more of his unlikely adventures in the face of Alaska’s unforgiving weather and terrain. His stories gives readers the rare chance to experience the disappearing thrills and challenges of meeting the American frontier on its own unyielding terms.