Tag Archives: Featured Graphic Novel

Decorum

DECORUM

Published by Image Comics

Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Illustrated by: Mike Huddleston
ISBN: 9781534318236
Price: $39.99 USD, $52.99 CAD, £35.99 GBP
Ages: 16 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels /  Space Opera
Fiction / Science Fiction / Hard Science Fiction
Page Count: 408 pages
Format: HC 

On Sale: May 3, 2022

The highly lauded, mouthwateringly illustrated miniseries Decorum from the bestselling, comics titan Jonathan Hickman (House of X, Powers of X, East of West) and acclaimed artist Mike Huddleston (Middlewest, House of X) now collected in its entirety in a stunning hardcover edition for the first time.

Decorum blends the high impact, event level storytelling of Hickman’s recent re-envisioning of X-Men with the sprawling, addictive worldbuilding of the recently concluded East of West. In the world of Decorum, there are many assassins in the known universe. Decorum is the story of the most well-mannered one.

The perfect standalone story for fans of epics like Star Wars and assassin action tales like John Wick-but set in a lush science fiction world where the stakes are even higher.

Collects DECORUM #1-8.

CREATOR BIO(s)

JONATHAN HICKMAN‘s THE NIGHTLY NEWS was accepted as a blind submission in 2006 and he hasn’t looked back since, having masterminded several superhero comics and co-creating books like EAST OF WEST, THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS, and THE DYING & THE DEAD. Known for his intricate plots and explosive payoffs, Hickman also masterminds the Marvel Comics Universe.

KEY SELLING POINTS

  • This is the House of X/Powers of X of 2020-hand-sell this to anyone who picked up Hickman’s breakout run on X-Men
  • John Wick assassin on a rampage against a science fiction Star Wars-esque backdrop

Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Bigfoot

JIM BUTCHER'S DRESDEN FILES: BIGFOOT

Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Written by: Jim Butcher and Mark Powers
Illustrated by: Joe Cooper
ISBN: 9781524121297
Price: $24.99 USD, $33.50 CAD, £22.99 GBP
Ages: 16 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels / Fantasy / Horror / Crime & Mystery
Page Count: 160 pages
Format: HC 

On Sale: March 08, 2022

Chicago’s only professional wizard, IS BACK AND READY FOR ACTION, in the new entry in the #1 New York Times best-selling Dresden Files.

Harry Dresden, Is working for Bigfoot. Three hard to find Dresden short stories reimagined and interwoven with additional material to make a wholly original graphic novel story featuring Harry taking on a case and going under cover to watch over Irwin Pounder, Bigfoots Scion.

Featuring a cover by Chris McGrath the current Dresden Files prose cover artist.

Don’t miss this sixth all-new graphic novel story set in the official Dresden Files continuity and exclusive to Dynamite.

CREATOR BIO(s)

JIM BUTCHER is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in the mountains outside Denver, Colorado.

Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990’s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist. All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.

KEY SELLING POINTS

  • The sixth all-new graphic novel story set within official Dresden Files continuity!
  • Jim Butcher is a New York Times bestselling author, whose Dresden Files novel series have sold millions of copies, and produced related graphic novels, roleplaying games, and a 2007 television series on the Sci-Fi Channel.
  • This graphic novel is set in the official Dresden Files continuity and exclusive to this Dynamite series.
  • As of 2020, Butcher has written 17 novels set in the Dresden Files universe, plus a number of short stories.

Independent Bookstore Day Features THUNDEROUS, A New Native American Middle Grade Fantasy Graphic Novel

THUNDEROUS, the debut graphic novel from Poet Laureate M.L Smoker, Natalie Peeterse & Dale Deforest, is a Native American focused Middle Grade fantasy adventure that centers on a young Lakota girl, Aiyana as she is transported from our world into the same spirit world from her grandmother’s traditional teachings and cultural stories. Through her journey to get back home, she learns to appreciate her family’s prized heritage.  

This is a fantastic story created by a truly powerhouse team of Native American Creators full of dynamic characters. You can order your copies NOW through the American Bookseller Association’s Order Page to get an Independent Bookstore Day version of THUNDEROUS.

The order form will close on February 4

THUNDEROUS

Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Written by: M.L. Smoker and Natalie Peeterse
Illustrated by: Dale Ray Deforest
ISBN: 9781948206464
Price: $16.99 USD, $22.99 CAD, £14.99 GBP
Ages: 8-12
Genre(s): Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas / Comics & Graphic Novels / Action & Adventure / Fantasy
Page Count: 96 pages
Format: Softcover

On Sale: May 31, 2022

If Aiyana hears one more traditional Lakota story, she’ll scream! More interested in her social media presence than her Native American heritage, Aiyana is shocked when she suddenly finds herself in the magical Spirit World-with no cell coverage!

Pursued by the evil trickster Raven, Aiyana struggles to get back home, but is helped by friends and allies she meets along the way. Her dangerous journey through the Spirit World tests her fortitude and challenges her to embrace her Lakota roots. But will it be enough to defeat the cruel and powerful Raven?

Creator Bio(s)

M.L. SMOKER belongs to the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation in north-eastern Montana. She is Montana’s current Poet Laureate. She holds an MFA from the University of Montana in Missoula, where she was the recipient of the Richard Hugo Fellowship. She is also a graduate of Pepperdine University, and attended UCLA and the University of Colorado. Smoker Broaddus currently works for the Office of Public Instruction as the Director of Indian Education. She has spent the past seven years overseeing the work of statewide Indian Education for All Efforts and the Schools of Promise initiative, which seeks to turnaround the states lowest performing schools. In 2015, she was named the Indian Educator of Year by the National Indian Education Association. She was also recently appointed to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education by President Barack Obama. She was formerly an administrator in her home community of Frazer, Montana for three years. She has taught courses at Fort Peck Community College and the University of Montana. She has published one collection of poems, Another Attempt at Rescue (Hanging Loose Press, 2005). She has also served as a writer and consultant on the PBS documentaries Before There Were Parks and Indian Relay (which earned her a regional Emmy award).

NATALIE PEETERSE has an MFA from the University of Montana. Her chapbook Black Birds : Blue Horse, An Elegy won the Gold Line Press Poetry Prize in 2011. A second chapbook, Dreadful : Luminosity, Letters, was published by Educe Press in the spring of 2017. She was included in I Go to the Ruined Place: Contemporary Poems in Defense of Global Human Rights (Lost Horse Press), and several other anthologies. She has been a fellow with the Arizona Commission on the Arts, a participant at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, an artist in residence at the Caldera Institute, a participant in the 2018 US Poets in Mexico in Merida, Yucatan and most recently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington’s Whiteley Center at the Friday Harbor Laboratories. She is a recipient of the 2013 Artist Innovation Award by the Montana Arts Council. She lives in Helena, Montana.

DALE RAY DEFOREST grew up in the 4-Corners area of the Navajo Nation, around Shiprock and Farmington, New Mexico. He graduated High School from the Navajo Preparatory School in 1995 then studied 2-D Arts and Photography at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe; also graduated IAIA in the summer of 2000. Dale’s primary practice is sequential and Digital Illustration. He employs high-contrast and thick lines to convey bold imagery matched with bright and vivid colors. Artwork that can be used to not only express, but captivate and manipulate thought and action has always been Dale’s goal as an artist.

Summertime Rendering

SUMMERTIME RENDERING

Published by Udon Entertainment

Written by: Yasuki Tanaka
Illustrated by: Yasuki Tanaka
ISBN: HC – 9781772942385 / SC – 9781772942323
Price: $24.99 USD, $33.50 CAD
Ages: 16 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels / Manga / Horror / Science Fiction / Media Tie-In
Page Count: 352 pages
Format: HC and SC

On Sale: May 31, 2022

Hearing the news of the passing of his childhood friend Ushio, Shinpei returned to his hometown on the remote island of Hitogashima to attend her funeral. While grieving, Shinpei learns there are rumors surrounding Ushio’s death, and his investigation leads to even more tragedy. Now Shinpei must restart the clock until he finds the timeline that leads him to the truth behind the mystery.
 
It is the beginning of a summer full of mystery and horror! No one is prepared for the time-twisting adventures ahead that defy life and death!
 
An anime adaptation of SUMMERTIME RENDERING will be releasing on Disney+ this Spring 2022. Volumes 1-6 will be releasing alongside the anime.

Creator Bio

Yasuki Tanaka is a mangaka from Wakayama, Japan, and the creator of the manga series Kagijin. Tanaka is also the former assistant of ARAKI Hirohiko on Steel Ball Run.

Key Selling Points

HIGH INTEREST FORMAT. Manga is consistently topping the best-sellers charts. Readers are hungry for more content.

ANIME ADAPTATION. This series will be published alongside the anime release of SUMMERTIME RENDERING coming April 2022.

THRILLING THEMES. Time-leap, horror, crime, and mystery are among the most sought after genres in manga. Family, friendship, and loyalty are also major themes threaded throughout this story.

HIGH CONCEPT ART. This series is packed with sprawling full page images, intense battle sequences, and unique details surrounding time travel.

MEDIA COVERAGE. Thorough marketing and press releases are in place to support this series from pre-publication to sell through.

FOR FANS OF time-leap series such as Re: ZeroTokyo RevengersErased, and Future Diary as well as supernatural series including Ajin and The Promised Neverland.

Advanced Praise

“Constantly evolving with the addition of elements from various genres…” –Comicspace

More Volumes of SUMMERTIME RENDERING

Publicity

Trailer(s)

Summertime Rendering Anime Trailer

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World Class

WORLD CLASS

Published by Maverick

Written by: Jay Sandlin
Illustrated by: Patrick Mulholland, Rebecca Nalty
ISBN: 9781952303272
Price: $14.99 USD, $19.99 CAD, £15.99 GBP
Ages: 13 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels / Young Adult Fiction / Coming Of Age / Diversity & Multicultural
Page Count: 212 pages
Format: Paperback

On Sale: February 22, 2022

Life’s a pitch for teen football star, Adrian “Colombian Cannon” Molina. With his powerful shot, he seems a shoe-in for the European junior league.

When a Regents United elite prep school scout offers him a full scholarship, the news seems too good to be true. Adrian’s celebration is short lived thanks to his meeting with team star, Titan Evans. Titan is everything Adrian is not; rich, powerful, and connected. Despite that, Titan sees the Colombian Cannon as a threat to his domination on the pitch. Hallway brawls, threatening notes, and constant bullying from Titan and his cronies consume Adrian’s new life along with crippling anxiety attacks thanks to the fear of losing his spot on the team.

Key Selling Point(s)

  • Diverse Cast

  • Intense Sports Action

  • Manga Inspired Art Style

  • The Power of Positive Thinking

  • Overcoming Adversity

  • Inspiring Characters

Creator Bio(s)

JAY SANDLIN is a visionary writer and podcaster, as well as a history buff. Since self publishing his first anthology and picture book back in 2017, Jay has gone on to release the five-issue mini series, Over The Ropes with Mad Cave Studios in 2019, and will now be releasing his first young adult graphic novel, World Class, under the Maverick imprint in 2022.
 
Social media handles:
Instagram: jaysandlin_Twitter: JaySandlin_
PATRICK MULHOLLAND is an artist from Belfast, Northern Ireland known for his work on Power Rangers, the mini series Zero Jumper, and Maverick graphic novel, World Class. Most days you can find him at his desk finding excuses to draw action scenes on every page.”
 
Social media handles:
Instagram: pat_m_artTwitter: Pat_M_Art

An Interview with Jay Sandlin and Patrick Mullholland

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Babyteeth Volume 4

BABYTEETH VOLUME 4

Published by Image Comics

Written by: Donny Cates
Illustrated by: Garry Brown
ISBN: 9781949028836
Price: $16.99 USD, $22.99 CAD, £14.99 GBP
Ages: 16 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels / Horror / Supernatural / Fantasy
Page Count: 112 pages
Format: Paperback

On Sale: January 18, 2022

From Donny Cates, the writer of Crossover, Venom, Thanos, Redneck and the breakout hit God Country, come the long-awaited final chapters in this pulse-pounding hit series with art from THE REVISIONIST’s Garry Brown!

This impressive volume collects the final five issues of the series that Horror DNA has described as “nothing short of incredible since it started.”

Key Selling Point(s)

  • The high concept: JUNO meets THE OMEN
  • Smart, modern horror that will appeal to fans of GET OUT and AMERICAN HORROR STORY
  • Writer Donny Cates is hotter than ever. God Country, Redneck and Crossover were major hits for Image, he’s Marvel Comics most sought after writer (Venom), and BABYTEETH remains one of AfterShock’s tentpole titles

Creator Bio(s)

DONNY CATES is a writer of comic books. His past works include Buzzkill, The Ghost Fleet, The Paybacks, Interceptor, Star Trek, and Atomahawk. He’s currently writing God Country and, like, nine other things he can’t tell you about. He’s from the town that King Of The Hill was based on but lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, his cat, and his books. He is much more interesting than this bio makes him sound. Promise

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Clementine Book 1

CLEMENTINE BOOK 1

Published by Image Comics

Written by: Tillie Walden, Robert Kirkman
Illustrated by: Tillie Walden
ISBN: 9781534321281
Price: $14.99 USD / $19.99 CAD, £13.99 GBP
Ages: 13 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels / Young Adult Fiction / Horror / Dystopian / LGBTQ+
Page Count: 256 pages
Format: Paperback

On Sale: June 28, 2022

FROM THE WORLD OF ROBERT KIRKMAN’S THE WALKING DEAD…

…CLEMENTINE LIVES!

Clementine is back on the road, looking to put her traumatic past behind her and forge a new path all her own.

But when she comes across an Amish teenager named Amos with his head in the clouds, the unlikely pair journeys North to an abandoned ski resort in Vermont, where they meet up with a small group of teenagers attempting to build a new, walker-free settlement.

As friendship, rivalry, and romance begin to blossom amongst the group, the harsh winter soon reveals that the biggest threat to their survival…might be each other.

A coming-of-age tale of survival written and illustrated by two-time Eisner award winner Tillie Walden (Spinning, On a Sunbeam).

Key Selling Point(s)

  • Written and illustrated by bestselling, award-winning author Tillie Walden.
  • For fans of On A Sunbeam, Spinning, and Stranger Things.
  • Clementine, the fan-favorite character from The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series video game phenomenon, makes this a long-awaited graphic novel debut.
  • Presents the compelling world of a young protagonist who is intersectionally diverse, of African American & Asian descent, and a unilateral amputee.
  • This is the first book in a 3-part trilogy.
  • This is the first original graphic novel in The Walking Dead universe.

Creator Bio(s)

TILLIE WALDEN is a bestselling cartoonist and illustrator from Vermont.

She is the creator of six graphic novels, including the Eisner award-winning books, Spinning and Are You Listening?

She has been awarded an LA Times Book Prize as well as multiple Ignatz awards for her work. She graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont, where she now teaches.

News Coverage

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Undone by Blood Volume 2: The Other Side of Eden

Undone by Blood Volume 2

Published by AfterShock Comics

Written by: Lonnie Nadler, Zac Thompson
Illustrated by: Sami Kivela
ISBN: 9781949028751
Price: $16.99
Ages: 16 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels / Literary / Crime & Mystery
Page Count: 120 pages
Format: Softcover

On Sale: November 23, 2021

The early 1930’s: The height of the Great Depression and beginning of the Dust Bowl. Silvano Luna Del Rio works as a postman in Buttar, Texas. Reeling from a tragic past, with only a gun and a Western novel to his name, Silvano sets out to take back from the country that took so much from him by robbing the first skyscraper West of the Mississippi. But acts of retribution are never as simple as they seem, as his target is home to an eccentric fraternal brotherhood hiding their own dark secrets.

By Silvano’s side is an old west novel featuring famed gunslinger Solomon Eaton. As both stories unfold simultaneously, in true UNDONE BY BLOOD fashion, the mythic Western informs choices in reality, for better or worse.

From the minds of Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson (The Dregs, X-Men, HER INFERNAL DESCENT) and artist Sami Kivelä (Abbott, Machine Gun Wizards) comes the next story in the critically acclaimed neo-western series that depicts the hard truths of seeking vengeance in the real world.

Key Selling Points

  • Volume 1 has been optioned as an AMC TV series, working with AfterShock Media and Norman Reedus’ bald head productions
  • Series will star Norman Reedus (Daryl on The Walking Dead) as pulp western literary hero Solomon Eaton
  • Meta-textual take on classic “crime retribution werstern”
  • Tells two stories in parallel at the same time with the Old West pulp novel informing the action and dynamics taking place in 1930’s Dust Bowl era Texas
  • According to Nadler, “Undone by Blood has always been about the way fiction and myth influence the real world, and a big part of our job is ensuring that the non-fictional elements are as authentic and accurate as possible. All of this research gets tossed in our narrative blender and can be found in the story and either directly influences the plot or becomes part of the background tapestry in the hopes of creating a rich, darkly comic, and fully realized world. By bringing readers back to the past, we believe it helps to process the uncannily similar issues that plague our present.”

About the Creator(s)

LONNIE NADLER is a storyteller from Vancouver, Canada. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics that includes showrunning the Age of X-Man event, and writing for titles like Cable, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Punisher 2099.

ZAC THOMPSON is a writer born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Canada. He’s written titles like Marvelous X-Men, Yondu, Absolute Carnage: Avengers, Cable, and X-Men: Black for Marvel Comics. Along with indie books such as Her Infernal Descent, Relay, and The Replacer.

SAMI KIVELÄ is a Finnish comic book artist. He is best known for titles such as Undone by Blood, Abbott and Machine Gun Wizards. Kivelä has also illustrated several comic books for Zenescope Entertainment, including Hit List and the Realm War: Age of Darkness series, which is a part of the Grimm Fairy Tales Universe.

Advanced Praise

“It’s engrossing from start to finish with top-notch artwork.”
Spartantown, Volume 1

“A compelling story, wholly unique and adding greater depth to the comics medium.”
AIPT, Volume 1

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A Man’s Skin

A MAN'S SKIN

Published by Ablaze

Written by: Hubert
Illustrated by: Zanzim 
ISBN: 9781950912483
Price: $24.99 USD, $33.50 CAD, £22.99 GBP
Ages: 16 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels / Fantasy / Humorous / LGBTQ+
Page Count: 160 pages
Format: Hardcover

On Sale: June 28, 2022

In Renaissance Italy, Bianca, a young lady from a good family, is of marriage age. Her parents find her a fiancé to their liking: Giovanni, a rich merchant, young and pleasant. The wedding looks set to go smoothly even though Bianca can’t hide her disappointment at having to marry a man she knows nothing about.

But before the marriage, she learns the secret held and bequeathed by the women of her family for generations: a “man’s skin”! By donning it, Bianca becomes “Lorenzo” and enjoys all the attributes of a young man of stunning beauty. She can now visit the world of men incognito and get to know her fiancé in his natural environment. In her male skin, Bianca frees herself from the limits imposed on women and discovers love and sexuality.

The moral of the Renaissance then acts as a mirror to that of our century and poses several questions: why should women have a different sexuality from that of men? Why should their pleasure and freedom be the object of contempt and coercion? Finally, how can morality be the instrument of both severe and unconscious domination?

Tackling universal themes such as gender, sexuality, LGBTQ+, compassion, religion, and morality through a captivating and subtle fable, Hubert and Zanzim brilliantly question our relationship to gender and sexuality… but not only that. By mixing religion and sex, morality and humor, nobility and outspokenness, A Man’s Skin invites us both to the liberation of morals and to the mad and noble quest for love.

This edition includes a lesson plan and discussion guide.

Translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger.

Key Selling Point(s)

  • The title has already been highly awarded in France, including all the following:

    • PRIX Ti ZEF DE LA BD 2020 (Festival Brest en Bulle)
    • Grand Prix RTL de la Bande Dessinée 2020
    • Prix Landerneau BD 2020
    • Prix Wolinski de la BD du « Point » 2020
    • Grand Prix de la critique ACBD (Association des
    Critiques et journalistes de Bande Dessinée) 2021
    • Prix des Libraires Canal BD 2021
    • Fauve de Lycéens (Angoulême 2021)

  • In France now up to nine printings, with over
    100,000 copies sold to date.

  • Universal themes of Love, Compassion and Understanding.

  • ABLAZE views the book as a key title for 2021.

Preview Pages

The Strange Death of Alex Raymond

THE STRANGE DEATH OF ALEX RAYMOND

Published by Living the Line

Written by: Dave Sim, Carson Grubaugh
Illustrated by: Dave Sim, Carson Grubaugh
ISBN: 9781736860502
Price: $40
Ages: 13 and up
Genre(s): Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography & Memoir / Reference / Crime & Mystery
Page Count: 320 pages
Format: Hardcover

On Sale: December 14, 2021

Legendary creator Dave Sim is renowned world-wide for his groundbreaking Cerebus the Aardvark. Now, in The Strange Death of Alex Raymond, Sim brings to life the history of comics’ greatest creators, using their own techniques. Equal parts Understanding Comics and From HellStrange Death is a head-on collision of ink drawing and spiritual intrigue, pulp comics and movies, history and fiction. The story traces the lives and techniques of Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon, Rip Kirby), Stan Drake (Juliet Jones), Hal Foster (Prince Valiant), and more, dissecting their techniques through recreations of their artwork, and highlighting the metatextual resonances that bind them together.

Foreword by Eddie Campbell.

Key Selling Point(s)

  • A remarkable book that has been anticipated for many decades.
  • The Strange Death of Alex Raymond is a milestone book, an idiosyncratic history of the medium that is visually compelling in a way few books are.
  • Understanding Comics meets From Hell.
  • Dave Sim is one of the medium’s greatest practitioners and has created something about some of the medium’s greatest practitioners.

Advanced Praise

“Comics’ answer to Finnegan’s Wake, an inspired work of obsessive genius that will take a long time to untangle.”
Rob Salkowitz, Senior Contributor, FORBES

“The Strange Death of Alex Raymond is one of the most spectacular comics I have ever read or seen. I can’t recommend it enough, although you may hate it. Bizarre and beautiful and completely unique.”
Jim Rugg, Cartoonist Kayfabe, Street Angel, The P.L.A.I.N. Janes

“This is a master work. I’m honoured to have even laid eyes on it.”
E.S. Glenn, author of Unsmooth, cartoonist for The New Yorker

“A must-read for anyone interested in the history and craft of comics.”
Brandon Graham, King City, Warhead, Prophet

“Grubaugh provides a brilliant and fitting conclusion to what would have otherwise been one of the most notable unfinished works of recent times. I for one am excited at holding the completed Strange Death of Alex Raymond in my hands.”
Gary Spencer Millidge, Strangehaven, Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman

News Coverage

An Interview with Carson Grubaugh

The Graphic Novel Revisited

Preview Pages