Top Shelf has announced a very ambitious and impressive slate of titles for 2009 that includes the surefire hit League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol.III (see “75,000 Copies of LOEG 3”), a new edition of Lost Girls, a new Surrogates graphic novel, a complete edition of Jeff Lemire’s brilliant coming of age saga Essex County, a Marshall Law compendium and the first American publication of the avant garde manga anthology Ax.  As if this weren’t enough, Chris Staros and the folks at Top Shelf are also publishing some very promising debut graphic novels, Far Arden, Second Thoughts, Moving Pictures, and Welcome to Forest Island.  With a list like this it is clear that Top Shelf is the epitome of the little indie publisher that could, and indeed, has, become a force in the burgeoning world of graphic novels.

 

Later this month Top Shelf will distribute World War 3 Illustrated #39 ($5).  Edited by Peter Kuper and Kevin Pyle, WWW3 is the politically-charged anthology’s first wordless issue, a 120-page collection of some of the most inventive and progressive visual storytelling since the works of Franz Masereel.

 

In April in addition to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. III ($7.95), which Top Shelf is co-publishing with Knockabout, the Georgia-based publisher is also releasing Voice of Fire ($14.95), Alan Moore’s one and only prose novel, followed in May by a new hardcover edition of the Moore’s adults only masterpiece Lost Girls ($45).

 

Also shipping in May is Far Arden ($19.95), the first solo graphic novel Kevin Cannon (Top Ten, Stuff of Life), a 400-page adventure yarn that manages to be both thrilling and hilarious, Second Thoughts ($9.95), the first Top Shelf release from Swedish artist Niklas Asker, and Awesome 2: Awesomer ($14.95), a second anthology from the boys at Indie Spinner Rack—a 200-page collection edited by Charlito and Mr. Phil.

 

In June Top Shelf plans to release Welcome to Forest Island, a hardcover, full color collection of art by Bwana Spoons, a painter, designer, silkscreener and zinester whose work has been featured on shoes, skateboards, and t-shirts as well as in galleries in Tokyo and Paris. 

 

In July comes The Surrogates (Vol. 2): Flesh and Bone ($14.95), the 144-page full color continuation of the science fiction saga that has inspired a major motion picture starring Bruce Willis that opens on September 25th.  Also in July in plenty of time for retailers to take advantage of the publicity leading up to the release of the Surrogates movie, Top Shelf is releasing a new edition of the original The Surrogates graphic novel with a new cover in both softcover ($19.95) and hardcover ($75) editions.

 

Jeff Lemire’s somber, haunting coming-of-age saga Essex County, which was released in a series of 3 graphic novels, has already received a number of awards and nominations.  In August Top Shelf is publishing the Complete Essex County in a single 512-page one-volume edition that will be available in both softcover ($29.95) and hardcover ($49.95).  Also due in August is Johnny Boo Vol.3: Happy Apples, a delightful all-ages saga from artist/musician James Kolchalka.

 

In September Top Shelf is publishing another massive collection of groundbreaking material—the 640-page Alec: The Years Have Pants, which collects Eddie Campbell’s Alec stories, autobiographical vignettes filtered through the alter ego of artist “Alex MacGarry,” whose career path mirrors Campbell’s struggles.  Top Shelf is also publishing Alec: The Years Have Pants in both paperback ($39.95) and hardcover ($59.95) editions.

 

Top Shelf has an October publishing date set for Kathryn and Stuart Immonen’s Moving Pictures, a messed-up love story set against the background of the Second World War as the Nazi’s are pillaging the art museums of the countries they have conquered.

 

Anyone who appreciates biting satirical humor in comic book form is in for a real treat in November when Top Shelf releases a massive 512-page, full color, oversize collection of Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill’s Marshal Law, which uses the relentless sensibility of Judge Dredd to go way beyond superhero deconstruction to superhero demolition.

 

Finally in December Top Shelf is publishing Ax Vol.1: A Collection of Alternative Manga ($29.95), a cutting edge, 400-page anthology featuring work by 33 artists including Yasuhiro Tatsumi, Akino Kondoh, Kazuichi Hanawa, and Shinichi Abe.  This is not volume for the typical teenage manga fan, but it should appeal to readers who appreciate alternative or literary comics.