How do we define “normal?”
Buy Sex Criminals #12 on comiXology.com
ComiXology and Fantagraphics Books Launch Series of Cartoonist-Focused Bundles with Exclusive Content
Each bundle will include exclusive mini comics not available digitally elsewhere
September 18, 2015 — New York, NY— Hot on the heels of Fantagraphics renewing distribution on comiXology and expanding comics and graphic novels on Amazon’s Kindle store, Fantagraphics and comiXology have teamed up to release a series of cartoonist-focused bundles every Friday with exclusive content!
Today sees the launch of four bundles by acclaimed cartoonists, Jaime Hernandez, Chuck Forsman, Tony Millionaire and Peter Bagge available for a limited time across comiXology’s entire platform with a new bundle released every Friday. Each cartoonist bundle will include an exclusive mini comic that is not available digitally anywhere else.
“I appreciate comiXology’s commitment to experimenting with different price points and packages in an attempt to better serve both fans and publishers, and as a way of finding new readers for such worthy material,” said Fantagraphics Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate these amazing cartoonists by offering fans and new readers a chance to read these great works at an amazing price,” said Chip Mosher, comiXology VP of Communications & Marketing, “We’re sure that these bundles will entice comics and graphic novel fans curious about the Fantagraphics library to dive right in!”
Each of today’s cartoonist-focused bundles offers critically acclaimed graphic novels and single issues such as God and Science: Return of the Ti-Girls (Jaime Hernandez), Celebrated Summer (Chuck Forsman), Billy Hazelnuts (Tony Millionaire) and Hate #1-20 (Peter Bagge) at a deep discount with additional Fantagraphics minis by those same cartoonists. These discounted bundles will be available starting today until 11:59pm EST Sunday, September 20th. Visit www.comixology.com every Friday to find out that week’s new Fantagraphics Bundle deal.
With over 75,000 comics, graphic novels and manga from more than 75 publishers, comiXology offers the widest selection of digital comics in the world. ComiXology’s immense catalog and cinematic Guided View reading experience make it the best digital platform for comics fans worldwide.
Both volumes of Smut Peddler are on sale for 50% off during our spx sale!
Use the code SPX in your cart on comixology.com before you checkout!
We’re getting excited for the Small Press Expo by giving you half off of some of our favorite indie comics when you use the code spx at checkout!
A comiXologist recommends:
The Freddie Stories
by: Harris Smith
I’ve been reading Lynda Barry comics for almost as long as I’ve been reading. Throughout my childhood, her strip “Ernie Pook’s Comeek” ran in the DC City Paper, as it did in man alternative weekly newspapers, alongside Charles Burns’ “Big Baby” and Matt Groening’s “Life in Hell.” All three comics had a profound effect on me. Burns’ strip was beautiful and inscrutable, but it was also, to my young mind, scary and confusing. Groening’s was funny and cynical, but it never had a narrative to latch onto. Barry split the difference perfectly. "Ernie Pook’s Comeek" was everything. One week’s strip might be hilarious, the next heartbreaking, and in between, she would often be elliptical and mysterious, in the way that childhood often is. Barry’s art, though not as refined as Burns’, felt urgent and contemporary, frenetic in its busy energy, she never wasted an inch of comic that could be embellished with some funky detail or adornment. It was the work, clearly, of a talented professional, but it also evoked the unpretentious enthusiasm of folk art. "Ernie Pook’s Comeek" was perfect. Lynda Barry was perfect. I was lucky to discover her work in my formative years, both as a comics reader, and as a human being, in its evocation of the ephemeral, the imperceptible, the unspoken. She taught me about nuance, about the humor that can be found in tragedy, and the sadness that is often at the root of humor.
Some of the best of “Ernie Pook’s Comeek” can be found in the “The Freddie Stories,” a series of strips focused on the brother of the series’ main character, Marlys. Freddie is a perennial outsider; a sensitive and somewhat troubled kid from a dysfunctional family, living in a milieu of lower class desperation and resentment. "He is a gentle person in this juvenile delinquency world,“ says his sister in the books introduction, and this kindness earns him the label of "fag” from the tougher kids around him. Freddie’s story takes a sad turn when his association with some of these kids earns him a stint in juvie, which pushes him towards something of a psychotic break, with bouts of depression and nightmarish hallucinations. Though Freddie’s condition improves somewhat, this dissonance reverberates throughout the book.
Barry’s portrayal of childhood in “The Freddie Stories” is generally unsentimental, but it is entirely heartfelt. She writes with an unflinching emotional honesty, humor and insight. Freddie and the characters around him ring true, and though their exact experiences are not universal, the truths and emotions Barry draws from them are. “The Freddie Stories” is, simply, cartooning at its best, from one of the masters of the craft. Psychological!
[Read The Freddie Stories on comiXology]
Harris Smith is a Brooklyn-based comics and media professional. In addition to his role as a Senior Production Coordinator at comiXology, he edits several comics anthologies, including Jeans and Felony Comics, under the banner of Negative Pleasure Publications. He’s also the host of the weekly radio show Neagtive Pleasure on Newtown Radio.
A comiXologist recommends:
Big Questions
by: Stephanie Mannheim
One of the things I love about the publisher Drawn and Quarterly is how their artists use the comics medium in unique and exciting ways. Big Questions by Anders Nilsen is no exception– at 600 pages, it’s a long and ambitious book following a community of birds as they tackle issues such as death, obligation and guilt. The drama starts to unfold when a bomb lands in their home, which the birds believe is an egg. As the birds try to figure out the egg’s meaning, we meet some of the other creatures in the area, as well as two humans—a strange man who lives among the animals and a stranded pilot who is hostile towards them.
Nilsen’s black and white artwork moves easily from sparse to detailed based on the situations in the story. His main protagonists, the birds, look pretty much indistinguishable on the surface, but as the story moves on, we really get a feel for their individual personalities and interpersonal relationships. Likewise, their deceptively simple designs—two dots for eyes and a triangle for a beak—still allow the birds to convey deep emotions through dialogue and eerie visions. Like a lot of Nilsen’s work, the book is quiet but tense, and the birds in this story feel more relatable than their human neighbors. It’s a quick, engrossing read that I would recommend to anybody interested in the experimental, artsy work published by Drawn and Quarterly.
[Read Big Questions on comiXology]
Stephanie Mannheim is a Digital Editor at comiXology and draws a comic called “Roxie”. She lives in Ridgewood, Queens.
Drawn & Quarterly debuts on comiXology and Amazon’s Kindle Store
September 15th, 2015 — New York, NY— Drawn & Quarterly, comiXology and Amazon announced today a distribution agreement to sell Drawn & Quarterly’s digital comics and graphic novels across the comiXology platform as well as Amazon’s Kindle Store. Today’s debut sees such internationally renowned and bestselling Drawn & Quarterly titles as Lynda Barry’s One! Hundred! Demons; Guy Delisle’s Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City; Rutu Modan’s Exit Wounds and Anders Nilsen’s Big Questions available on both comiXology and the Kindle Store.
“It is fitting that on our 25th anniversary, D+Q moves forward with our list digitally with comiXology and the Kindle Store,” said Drawn & Quarterly Publisher Peggy Burns, “ComiXology won us over with their understanding of not just the comics industry, but the medium itself. Their team understands just how carefully we consider the life of our books. They made us feel perfectly at ease and we look forward to a long relationship.”
“Nothing gives me greater pleasure than having Drawn & Quarterly’s stellar catalog finally available digitally on both comiXology and Kindle,” said David Steinberger, comiXology’s co-founder and CEO. “D&Q celebrate their 25th birthday this year, but comiXology and Kindle fans are getting the gift by being able to read these amazing books on their devices.”
- Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story by Peter Bagge
- The Freddie Stories by Lynda Barry
- One! Hundred! Demons! by Lynda Barry
- Ed the Happy Clown by Chester Brown
- I Never Liked You by Chester Brown
- The Playboy by Chester Brown
- Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delisle
- A User’s Guide to Neglectful Parenting by Guy Delisle
- Goliath by Tom Gauld
- You’re All Just Jealous of my Jetpack by Tom Gauld
- Marble Season by Gilbert Hernandez
- Letting it Go by Miriam Katin
- Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan
- Jamilti and Other Stories by Rutu Modan
- The Property by Rutu Modan
- Big Questions by Anders Nilsen
- Dogs and Water by Anders Nilsen
- Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow by Anders Nilsen
- Daybreak by Brian Ralph
The Kindle Store gives readers access to millions of books on the most popular devices and platforms, including Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers, iOS, Android and more.
With over 75,000 comics, graphic novels and manga from more than 75 publishers, comiXology offers the widest selection of digital comics in the world. ComiXology’s immense catalog and cinematic Guided View reading experience make it the best digital platform for comic fans worldwide.
A comiXologist recommends:
Fresh Romance #4
by: Lindsay Smith
I don’t know about you, but I have a select group of comics I refer to when I want to… convert someone.
No, not like that. There are no spiked kool-aid drinks, stranger-danger, basement baptisms here. When I want to convert someone to comics, I have a list of titles that I know will work for someone who says that they just don’t think they “like comics”.
Well, TWIST, until recently I would have told you that I just didn’t really have an interest in comics in the romance genre. Fresh Romance, an anthology from Janelle Asselin’s Rosy Press, has totally bungled my stance on romance comics and I hope the creators behind it are only the first in an exciting revival of this genre.
There are 3 romances per issue of Fresh Romance; “School Spirit” which is a queer high school tale amongst a very charming flirtatious group of friends with a dash of magic added in, “Ruined” which follows a regency era arranged marriage and is utterly compelling despite a familiar story line, and “The Ruby Equation” which shows us what life could be like as a fairy/barista who is so caught up in her assignment to make matches that she gets lost in the numbers and forgets about true chemistry.
In issue #4 of Fresh Romance, out this week, the group flirtations start to catch up with Malie, Justine, and Miles. Catherine and Andrew have finally reached their wedding night… but Catherine might be hiding more than we’ve realized. And Ruby learns just how hot your cheeks can feel when you start blushing… plus she might be starting to understand what chemistry really is.
With irresistible characters written by Sarah Kuhn, Kate Leth, and Sarah Vaughn, accompanied by stellar art from Arielle Jovellanos, Sarah Winifred Searle, and Sally Jane Thompson, Fresh Romance #4 is certainly worth your while, even if you think the romance genre just isn’t for you.
[Read Fresh Romance #4 on comiXology]
Lindsay Smith is a member of the International Production Team. She lives in Brooklyn and has been invited to join multiple cults…. She probably just has one of those faces, right?
Sale includes the Eisner nominated Watson & Holmes, gailsimone’s Leaving Megalopolis, and a ton more amazing comics for you to discover!
