One of the things I miss about running a comic store is expanding and curating our Autobiographical/Biographical/Non-Fiction section. There's just so much new material coming out, and such an eclectic mix, that it boggles the mind. And of course, it's extremely easy to miss them in the ordering catalogs. So here's a new batch of good looking books that caught my eye.
You'll see that I'll try to include a little order code with most items (ex:JUL200019). Show some love to your retailer and use those codes when you can, it saves a lot of time on the data entry end of things.
DESPERATE PLEASURES GN
(W) M.S. Harkness (A) M.S. Harkness
In M.S. Harkness' second graphic novel, she weaves in and out of non-relationships, drug dealing, and sex work with the subtlety of a blunt axe. She's constantly searching for care and fulfillment, but never quite gets it right. Desperate Pleasures is a fearless autobiographical account that contextualizes the inter-relational difficulties of a young woman with years of trauma and abuse. Uncomfortably close-up, filled with dark humor, this is an unrelenting read and M.S. Harkness' best work to date. OCT201632
Why this caught my eye:
I was checking out Harkness' art style online and I really like it as it gave me a late 90's early 00's Slave Labor Graphics vibe. This looks to be a really engaging autobio and I'm all there for some dark humor in the face of crappy reality storytelling.
ZATOPEK GN
(W) Jan Novak (A) Jaromir99
Emil Zátopek is arguably the greatest Olympic champion of all time. The Czech runner's three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics, for the 5,000 meter, 10,000 meter, and marathon, is an achievement that has never been matched. Even before the Helsinki Games, Zátopek had scored a remarkable victory, successfully pressuring the communist regime to allow his colleague Stanislav Jungwirth, who until then had been excluded on political grounds, to compete. In Zátopek, Jan Novák and Jarom r 99 trace the extraordinary life and times of the great Olympian.
SEP201423
Why this caught my eye:
I don't care about sports and I don't generally care about the Olympics but I do love that books like this exist. There are so many new biographies popping up that touch on so many varied points of history and interests that we can now be exposed to these types of stories. Also, I generally like SELFMADEHERO as a publisher and they have a good eye for quality, so this should be pretty well done.
MY ALCOHOLIC ESCAPE FROM REALITY GN
(W) Nagata Kabi (A/CA) Nagata Kabi
An emotional new diary comic from Nagata Kabi, creator of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. Nagata Kabi's downward spiral is getting out of control, and she can't stop drinking to soothe the ache of reality. After suffering from unbearable stomach pains, she goes to the hospital, where she is diagnosed with pancreatitis - and is immediately hospitalized. A new chapter unfolds in Nagata Kabi's life, as she struggles to find her way back to reality and manga creation in the wake of her breakdown. OCT201900
Why this caught my eye:
Nagata Kabi's first book was pretty dang depressing as she's bluntly honest and bears herself completely in her journals. I haven't checked out her second book yet but I do recommend these if you are interested in a deep dive into mental health issues and following a person's story as they're actively pulling their life together.
BURNING HOTELS GRAPHIC MEMOIR
(W) Thomas Lampion (A) Thomas Lampion
The Burning Hotels is a memoir by Thomas Lampion, centered around his eccentric North Carolina hometown and its bizarre past while encompassing the mysteries of childhood, adulthood, American History, and the importance of where we come from. SEP201145
Why this caught my eye:
That solicit covers a pretty broad reach of subject matter so kinda tough to tell much about this project, but after checking Lampion's Instagram he won me over with this pic.
OKAY UNIVERSE: Chronicles of a Woman in Politics GN
(W) Valerie Plante, Delphie Cote-Lacroix (A/CA) Valerie Plante, Delphie Cote-Lacroix
Valérie Plante stood up to the patriarchal power system of her city, took down an incumbent, and became the first woman elected Mayor of Montréal. This captivating graphic novel follows her journey from community organizer and volunteer to municipal candidate, and the phone call from the local social justice political party that changed her life forever. This origin story demystifies the path to success, simultaneously showing the Mayor's inextinguishable commitment to creating positive change in the world and educating about the vitality of political engagement. JUL208456
Why this caught my eye:
Considering the heavy nature of most of the content so far and the subtitle of this book, you would expect this to be a kind of harsh collection of horror stories. As John Seven's review on ComicsBeat points out though, "It’s a friendly, helpful, realistic portrayal of an actual first-time political campaign that spells out what it takes to conduct one and does so in a helpful manner." So like...yes please? More of this kind of stuff?
And as a quick heads up, as far as I can tell this book has been pushed back to a March 2021 release.
That's it for this batch, we should be getting a new catalog soon and then we'll see what other great looking projects are on the way!