Edited by Kazu Kibuishi. And, speaking of notable anthologies, the fourth volume of this annual (or close to it) full color anthology contains 344 pages of comics flights of fancy by a diverse cast of creators including Graham Annable, Neil Babra, Scott Campbell, Thomas Herpich, Azad Injejikian, Fábio Moon, Lark Pien, Raina Telgemeier, Joey Weiser and many others, all of which are designed to elevate your mood and float your boat.  Here's a spiffy preview.

Is this the first splash of a new wave of Brazillian comics?  We can't pretend to know, but are grateful to the folks at Dark Horse for going out of their way to bring us these sharply drawn tales from  the other side of the equator.  Moon and Bá's work here is strong and can easily stand the test of comparison with any of it's North Amerian contemporaries, with whose work they are clearly familiar (Moon's work shows -- in places -- strong traces of Paul Pope influence).  It's great to get this chance to compare our respective urban youth cultures.  Perhaps the most interesting thing about this 112-page collection is that it reveals that the similarities are so much  more in evidence than the differences.

The Comics Journal #298 Fans of tell-all interviews can't afford to miss this issue's with long neglected comics ace, Trevor Von Eeden (and after you read it, we sincerely hope you spend the time and money to track down his amazing Batman Annual #8).  Also on hand this issue are interviews with Brazilian comics stars, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, as well as with Perry Bible Fellowship creator, Nicholas Gurewitch.  Then there's the sneak preview of manga maestro, Jiro Taniguchi's new multi-volume serial, A Distant Neighborhood and 32 pages of classic Skippy strips by Percy Crosby.  Yes, it's another issue of TCJ.