Comics / Press Releases

New TopShelf Comics for July 2012

By The Editor
May 2, 2012 - 16:44

The new issue of Diamond Previews has arrived, so pre-orders are now open for our JULY 2012 releases... and you're not gonna want to miss these books! WIZZYWIG is the first solo graphic novel from Ed Piskor, and it's a triumph years in the making, full of criminal thrills and retro-techno delight. We also have the long-awaited next landmark from James Kochalka, the Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont: Book 4 of his award-winning autobiographical opus, AMERICAN ELF! And finally: a new issue of WW3 ILLUSTRATED, on the topic of censorship!
       
WIZZYWIG by Ed Piskor

"Extremely pleasurable... A gripping story with lots of good, meaty forbidden knowledge and insight into the hacker mindset." -- Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

"Wizzywig is a delight, wryly rendered and packed with dead-on details of the hacker life." -- Wired

"Wizzywig is a portrait of a cultural moment when geeks weren't just outside mainstream culture but terrifying to it." -- TIME Techland

They say What You See Is What You Get... but Kevin "Boingthump" Phenicle could always see more than most people. In the world of phone phreaks, hackers, and scammers, he's a legend. His exploits are hotly debated: could he really get free long-distance calls by whistling into a pay phone? Did his video-game piracy scheme accidentally trigger the first computer virus? And did he really dodge the FBI by using their own wiretapping software against them? Is he even a real person? And if he's ever caught, what would happen to a geek like him in federal prison?

Inspired by the incredible stories of real-life hackers, WIZZYWIG is the thrilling tale of a master manipulator -- his journey from precocious child scammer to federally-wanted fugitive, and beyond. In a world transformed by social networks, data leaks, and digital uprisings, Ed Piskor's debut graphic novel reminds us how much power can rest in the hands of an audacious kid with a keyboard.

WIZZYWIG by Ed Piskor
-- 288-page hardcover
-- 6.5" x 9" black & white graphic novel
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-097-1
-- Diamond DM order code: MAY12-1293
-- $19.95 (US)
AMERICAN ELF BOOK 4 by James Kochalka

"James Kochalka is my autobiographical idol." -- Alison Bechdel, bestselling author of Fun Home and Are You My Mother?

"Kochalka's daily diary comic is one of my favorites and is also one of my top recommendations for new comic-book readers... You'll stay up past your bedtime to read it, and his milestones may move you to tears." -- Whitney Matheson, USA Today

"What makes American Elf so good is that it's incredibly personal and it runs the full spectrum from super-sickening sweetness to gut-wrenching terror and sorrow. It's a funny and powerful window into a real person's mind." -- Tony Millionaire, author of Maakies

It's the long-awaited return of James Kochalka's massively influential and deceptively ambitious autobiography, AMERICAN ELF. Every day of his life is captured in a single comic strip, sometimes profound and sometimes silly, but always full of the earnest Kochalka passion that led Hi-Fructose to call him "an unrelenting force, sure to solve the oncoming energy crisis," and earned him the title of Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont. And it's only gotten better over time!

In this collection, spanning the years 2008-2011, James becomes Cartoonist Laureate, celebrates American Elf's 10th year, pitches a TV show to Hollywood, releases a GameBoy album, travels to France, creates his own video game, considers quitting the strip, plays everything from Lego Star Wars to Skyrim, digs deeper into his psyche, and kind of causes himself to have a nervous breakdown. Meanwhile Eli starts elementary school and starts a band, Oliver learns to walk and talk (and sing), James & Amy celebrate 15 years of marriage, and the family adopts a new cat, Nooko!

American Elf (Book 4): The Collected Sketchbook Diaries of James Kochalka
-- 384-page softcover
-- 8.5" x 8.5" black & white graphic novel
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-265-4
-- Diamond DM order code: MAY12-1295
-- $24.95 (US)
WW3 Illustrated #43

For the July 2012 issue of World War 3 Illustrated, artists and writers have been invited to address the topics of censorship and repression in all forms, from the most personal to the most political, from the banning of works of art to the busting of demonstrations to the self-censorship of our own thoughts. Our international group of artists this issue includes: Sue Coe, Mike Diana, Peter Kuper, Magdy El Shafee, Kevin Pyle, Seth Tobocman, Gianlucca Costantini, Blu, Ganzeer, Sandy Jimenez, Frances Jetter and many others. With stories about Occupy Wall Street, Julian Assange, The Comics Code Authority, Bradley Manning, Art School, David Wojnarowicz, A.R.A., the Arab Spring and many other controversial subjects. Published by WW3 Illustrated and distributed by Top Shelf.

WORLD WAR 3 ILLUSTRATED #43: EXPRESSION / REPRESSION / REVOLUTION
-- Edited by Seth Tobocman, Carlo Quispe and Rebecca Migdal
-- 112-page softcover
-- 7" x 9" black & white anthology
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-264-7
-- Diamond DM order code: MAY12-1294
-- $7.00 (US)

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12