Yoshiharu Tsuge’s The Man Without Talent is simultaneously an elegy and a critique of a way of being, but most of all it is an immersive experience not to be forgotten. As in much of his work, Tsuge allows his own experiences to inform the tales he created for The Man Without Talent, and doing so clearly served to amplify the degree of verisimilitude and lifelikeness of the people, places and episodes depicted (and seeimngly, but perhaps ironically, simultaneously provides a commentary on the creator's sense of self worth).

Tsuge dolefully, yet expertly, conjures up a vivid world of misfits and oddballs living on the edge of society in...

At long last, a book edition – and a swell hardcover, no less – collecting Ethan Rilly's excellent Pope Hats series (issues 2, 3 & 5). Only, it turns out, Ethan Rilly is really... Hartley Lin*! So, now we have Young Frances by Hartley Lin. A finely crafted tale of young urbanites navigating the worlds of work and life as they come of age in 21st centuryNorth America. Recommended.

Don't want to take our word for it? Then how about these wordsfromsomeone whose opinion is worth paying attention to:

"Young Frances is a meditation on work and meaning. Its depiction of corporate culture and the finesse required to exist within it feels...

MORE Gilbert H. comics – close to 300 pages! Thecomics collected here were originally publishedinthe early-to-mid aughts, appearing in thesecond volume of Love and Rockets as well as theconcurrently publishedLuba's Comics & Stories. Some of these comics have already been previously collected in Luba: Three Daughters and High Soft Lisp as well as thehardcover Lubaomnibus. Now, here, they at last find their permanent home as the fourteenth volume in the affordable and attractive Fantagraphics uniform edition of Love and Rockets. Luba, Fritz, Pipo, Doralis, Milaand the rest havemore than their fair shareof ups and downs in thisheartbreak...

It's time to let the good times roll - with MORTON! Let's all join David Collier on a cross country (in this case, Canada) rail journey and experience old school reality before it slips into the history books. We will be conveyed along our journey by train, the most civilized form of travel. We will experience the journey via comics, the most suitable form through which to communicate such an undertaking. And our pen & ink guide will be David Collier, who intuits the precise perspective.

The cover image with whichthe collectedArt Comicfirst greets the eye,in juxtaposing Yves Klein’s “Leap into the Void” with Jeff Koon’s “Balloon Dog,” sends a strong, clear signal of what is in store for the reader, once they crack the cover. The protagonist’s leap here is made with an expression mixing equal parts of hope,fear and anxiety (with, perhaps, a hint of aggression), likely matchingThurber’s own feelings regarding the work’s central concern: the contemporary, NYC-centered, fine art world, and his experiences therein and thereof.

The story begins from the perspective of youthful idealism embodied by students attending Thurber’s...

The Ganzfeld is a true one-of-a-kind publication and #3 is by far the best issue yet. It shouldn't really be under the comics listing, but as it is truly uncategorizable, this is as good a spot as any. The editors once again bring together a unique group of designers, illustrators, cartoonists, and artists in a coherent, strongly designed format. It features a unique collaboration between Rick Moody and Fred Tomaselli; a new picture story by designer Geoff McFetridge, and even an illustrated essay by Alfred Hitchcock. Lengthy comics and picture stories are contributed by an international group, Renée French, Ron Rege, Jr., Blexbolex, Brian...

Well, here's a work that sets the table for multi-course feast that will appeal to folks of different stripes for different reasons. First and foremost, it is the most ample display to date of the pop culture prowess of the Pittsburgh-based artist/writer team of Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca, who here have given a virtuoso performance. Afrodisiac is an homage to the last gasp of traditional comic book values; specifically, those that were embodied by the comic books of, roughly, 1972 - 1985. These were the final years of the newsstand comic book market – its decade of irrevocable decline. Beginning in 1986 it was permanently eclipsed by the...

While we're on the topic of classics, it really doesn't get any better than the comics contained in this stellar 234 page full color volume. "A Christmas for Shacktown" comfortably rests at, or very near, the pinnacle of holiday comics (Those unfamiliar with this classic tale, can get a foretaste, with thisPDF previewthat includes roughly the first half). The meaning and spirit of Christmas are told in this engaging, entertaining and edifying tale, that can be enjoyed in any era and by all ages. In addition, we have the under-rated masterpiece, "The Golden Helmet", which we feel is one of the very best long Duck tales of all, as well as...

Now enters is third year of publication with a makeover. With this issue, the paper stock has switched from glossy stock to a medium weight, flat white paper. Good call: itlooks and feels great; a bit more heft. As a result, it's price has increased to $12.99, but at a chock full 128 pages of great (mostly)full color comics,it's still a bargain!

And, more importantly, this issue features a stellar line up of comics creators, including many a Copacetic fave:

Inthe 21, full color pages of "The Gigs,"E.S. Glenn shows the comics reading world what he is capable of. Socially constructed barriers between memory, dream, fiction andreality...