McManus is a Copacetic Favorite and one of the all time greats, the founder of the (co-opted by the Europeans) Ligne Claré (clear line to us Yanks) school of art now most closely associated with Hergé.  All hail the Library of American Comics series currently being published by IDW for not only bringing this classic strip to a new generation of readers, but for producing in the process what might very well be the best single collection of the work of George McManus ever released!  This collection presents several distinct continuities – including what may be the single most famous, the cross country tour (that includes a stop in, you guessed it, Pittsburgh, PA) – all from the glory days of the strip:  the late 1930s - early 1940s.  Humor abounds in the domestic comedy plot lines that both prefigured and influenced the sit-com format that has been a staple of television programming from the days of I Love Lucy through to The Simpsons:  all these shows have roots in Bringing Up Father.  But the true joy of this strip is in the quality of the line.  The comics heir to the high value placed on line by the fin de siclé Art Nouveau movement – as well as the Art Deco movement that came in its wake – McManus, along with – during the latter part of his career – his able assistant Zeke Zekley, crafted a drawing technique that provided all necessary visual information in the outline -- no messy cross-hatching, shading or chiaroscuro for these guys – no! – just a clear, precise line, thank you.  McManus was a true comics original and hugely influential.  The work of artists as diverse as Carl Barks and Joost Swarte, and many others in between, show the strong stamp of McManus's artistic  influence.  You owe it to yourself to at least take a look at the work of this master, and, with the fine choice of work, excellent reproduction, and copious historical material, this volume is the clear and obvious place to start.

Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth is the first of a three-book set (!!!) that is quite likely to be the definitive statement on one of the most talented and influential artists in the history of comics.  Produced by the Eisner Award-winning team of Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell — who produced the amazing Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles — Genius, Isolated is a massive tome packed with both classics and rarities that will have true believers poring over every page.  The scrupulously well-reproduced work is interwoven with what promises to be the first in-depth biography of this unparalleled comics master. Of critical importance is the fact that this book has been written as well as compiled with complete access to the family archives, and with the full cooperation of Toth's children.  Prepare to be wowed! (temporarily out of print - we're almost out!)

Yes, it's one classic after another here at The Copacetic Comics Company!  Miss Fury – the Golden Age comics work that ran in full color in the Sunday comics pages for 351 consecutive weeks from 1942 through 1949, and was also collected in comic book form by Timely Comics (the precursor company to Marvel), and which provided (and continues to provide!) a uniquely female perspective to the heroic fantasy genre that simultaneously provided (ditto!) a solid proto-feminist critique of the genre's conventions, all the while delivering finely crafted, solid entertainment –  gets the mega-deluxe Library of American Comics treatment in this massive, oversize 232 page hardcover volume edited and introduced by Trina Robbins.  At least in part due to the fact that the earliest Miss Fury strips have previously been collected – albeit in black & white – by Pure Imagination in their trailblazing but sadly now-out-of-print volume (note to Greg Theakston:  now would be a good time to reprint it!) which helped to get the Miss Fury revival rolling, the powers that be (i.e., Dean Mullaney) have decided to present the "never before reprinted" strips that comprise roughly the second half of the Miss Fury run: strips #159 - #351 which originally ran from April 1944 through August 1949.  As Mullaney's brief preface makes clear, it was no mean feat to assemble this complete, high quality, full color run.  Get ready to be wowed!

Here's the eleventh volume in the Library of American Comics Essentials, an ongoing series collecting full year (or more!) runs of classic daily comic strips, in stunning full back-in-the-day size (meaning waaay bigger than daily strips are printed today), on high quality newsprint; together making for the perfect æsthetic reading experience.  This 386 page, 4 1/2" x 11 1/2" hardcover collects the daily strips of "Cap" Stubbs an Tippie than originally ran from February 1, 1945 through April 4, 1946.  The fun starts with an in-depth 13-page illustrated introduction by none other than Caitlin McGurk of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, titled, "'My Land!': Edwina Dumm's Pioneering Life in Comics."