The Graphic Novel Archive Blog

Comic Book Resources has posted an interview with Chris Onstad, creator of the popular web comic Achewood. Look for a hardcover collection from Dark Horse comics, arriving in September.

Solicitation excerpt: Since 2001, cult comic favorite Achewood has built a six-figure international following. Intelligent, hilarious, and adult but not filthy, it’s the strip you’ll wish you’d discovered as an underappreciated fifteen-year-old. Dark Horse presents the hardbound edition of Achewood’s The Great Outdoor Fight, the story of “Three Days, Three Acres, Three Thousand Men.”

Astroboy 1 & 2, Barb Wire Omnibus, Nemesis Archives Volume 1, MySpace Dark Horse Presents Volume 1, Turok: Son of Stone, Achewood: The Great Outdoor Fight, Berserk Volume 25, Conan Volume 6: The Hand of Nergal, Gantz Volume 2, Groo: Hell on Earth, Savage Sword of Conan Volume 4, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Volume 4, and more.

Check out the latest graphic novel solicitations from Dark Horse.

DC Comics President Paul Levitz discusses a recent celebration of Will Eisner’s Spirit Archives, having completed the entire Sunday run with volume 24.

The high point of the evening was the uncorking of a bottle of THE SPIRIT OF CHARDONNAY, complete with Wildwood Cemetery Vintage label, which was originally presented by a vintner fan named Richard Pryor to Will Eisner, and then given by Will to me at his passing. I had set aside the moment to celebrate our completion of the portion of THE SPIRIT ARCHIVE project devoted to the original Sunday sections, the heart of the legendary material which established Will’s reputation, and taught several generations how good comics could be. The first copies of THE SPIRIT ARCHIVE #24 have now come off the press in China, so we gathered to pour out the libation and toast Will.

Check out the Newsarama blog for the full story and for details regarding The Spirit Archives volumes 24-26.

Kudos to the entire Spirit Archives team for their dedication and hard work.

Checker Book Publishing Group has recently announced a new comic strip collection featuring popular strip Beetle Bailey, collecting material (both dailys and Sundays) published from 1950 ’till 1952. Press snippet follows:

The comic strip about the lazy private who was stationed in Camp Swampy went on to become the third most widely distributed comic strip in history. The comic strip brought Mort Walker fame. He was given the Reuben Award For Beetle Bailey in 1953. Walker continues to draw the Beetle Bailey strips for today’s readers.

Read on for the full PR. (more…)

Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy volume 4, Gene Simmons’ Dominatrix and House of Horrors, Speed Racer: Chronicles of the Racer and Speed Racer/Racer X: The Origins Collection.

Check out the complete list of IDW graphic novels for April 2008.

The GNA’s resident critic, Barry Harter, delivers his opinion of Johnny Hart’s growingold with B.C., a collection of comics - mixed with history and trivia related to the landmark strip - complied by the late Hart and his family.

Read on for the full review. (more…)

Wrapping up my look at Checker’s graphic novel library, there’s lots of classic science fiction material this time around, including Gold Key Star Trek, Topps X-Files, and Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon strip collections. Plus, Seuss, CrossGen, Heavy Metal, Dick Tracy, B.C., and more.

Read on for Checker, Part 2. (more…)

If nothing else, you’ve gotta respect Checker Book Publishing Group. From high-profile licenses (Star Trek, X-Files, Hellraiser), to obscure stuff most graphic novel readers have never heard of, Checker likes to cover the gambit.

I first heard of Checker when I discovered their Gold Key Star Trek collections. But it’s with their recent announcement of a Yellow Kid collection that I decide to feature their product line in a blog entry or two.

For those unfamiliar, The Yellow Kid - introduced in the late 1800s - is arguably the first American comic strip to see a mass audience. And from it, an early collection of the strip is arguably the first graphic novel to see production.

(Arguably, because it’s all a matter of how you define “graphic novel”. The GNA’s definition is described here.)

Yellow Kid is comic history. It’s graphic novel history. That Checker is publishing such a collection deserves recognition.

Sure, there’s money to be made. Checker is a business, after all.

But I can’t help but wonder if the Checker collective - sitting in their Ohio offices day after day - aren’t also graphic novel fanboys (and fangirls) in their own right. Not just fans of the “Whiz,bang,pow” variety, but actual fans of the medium itself. Publishing not only what will sell by name and recognition, or what is already known - but also what deserves to be known, if only for it’s development of the artform, the storytelling, and it’s relevance in comic and graphic novel history.

That’d be cool.

Read on for a list of Checker published graphic novels. (more…)

If you’re a fan of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts strip (and who isn’t?), you’ll be glad to hear ’bout a little sale Amazon has going on. Volumes 1955-1956 and 1961-1962 of Fantagraphic’s The Complete Peanuts hardcover collections are currently available for a paltry $8.69 each. That’s 70% off the suggested retail price. Get ‘em while the gettings good.

And if you’re looking for something to push you over Amazon’s free shipping minimum, check out The Complete Peanuts 1959-1960, at $13.86 (52% off).

The Complete Peanuts 1955-1956
The Complete Peanuts 1961-1962
The Complete Peanuts 1959-1960

The Complete Peanuts series

ICv2 has the full story. Excerpt follows:

Dean Mullaney, who is editing the new reprint edition of Milton Caniff’s classic Terry & the Pirates comic strip for IDW, has informed ICv2 that his next project with IDW will be a similar reprinting of Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie.