TOP SHELF VISITS SDCC

	Eddie Campbell, Hannah Templer, and Dennis Messner headline our death-defying San Diego lineup! Yes, The Second Fake Death of Eddie Campbell by Eddie Campbell has just hit stores, paired with its predecessor The Fate of The Artist in a single flippable hardcover. But, as they say, "Eddie Campbell is alive and well and coming to Comic-Con"... along with Hannah Templer (Cosmoknights Book Two), Dennis Messner (The Unpetables), & more! Plus: it's time to preorder the fist-pumping Lisa Cheese & Ghost Guitar ahead of its September release!
The Top Shelf crew heads to San Diego Comic-Con 2023! Comic-Con starts (gulp) tomorrow night! Stop by the IDW/Top Shelf booth (#2729) to meet these fabulous folks: Eddie Campbell (The Second Fake Death of Eddie Campbell) Hannah Templer (Cosmoknights) Dennis Messner (The Unpetables) Kim Dwinell (Surfside Girls) Plus we'll have gorgeous recent releases like Cosmic Cadets and Skull Cat, and extended members of the Top Shelf family like Maria & Peter Hoey at their own booth! And on Friday, don't miss the “IDW Publishing: 2023 and Beyond” panel featuring Top Shelf Editor-in-Chief Chris Staros and Cosmoknights author Hannah Templer, at 1:30 in room 10! Eddie Campbell's SECOND FAKE DEATH has hit stores! Praise for The Second Fake Death of Eddie Campbell: “Through a collage of early 1900s–style illustrations, blunt political cartoons, subtle slice-of-life moments, gallows humor, and a surreal crime story, Campbell wrestles with his own existential crisis as he attempts to uncover the truth behind his apparent doppelgänger. It’s an indelible pseudo-autobiography from a true master of comics storytelling.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Campbell merges memoir and hardboiled mystery to create a fascinating and revealing portrait of how world events impact an individual’s sense of self and creative drive.” — Library Journal Eddie Campbell is not himself. But these days, who is? It’s meta-fictional mystery and mischief as the award-winning artist of From Hell sets out to find his own imposter. Plus, on the flipside: a deluxe new presentation of The Fate of the Artist, Eddie Campbell’s classic work of graphic meta-memoir! -- SIDE A: The Second Fake Death of Eddie Campbell, by Eddie Campbell, is a spiritual sequel to his acclaimed graphic novel The Fate of the Artist, in which the author was missing from his own autobiography. Many years later, during an endless Covid lockdown in which everybody wears a mask and needs a haircut, Eddie’s wife is certain that he has been supplanted by an imposter. She hires a detective, the square-jawed Royler Boom, to solve the mystery. What follows — interspersed with Campbell’s trademark wry anecdotes, dreams, parodic pastiches, and pandemic peccadilloes — is a thrilling investigation that builds to a car chase and a violent conclusion. The author cunningly passes this off as another piece of autobiography. -- SIDE B: The Fate of the Artist: In an autobiography, the author and the subject are the same person… but now they’ve both gone missing. The Fate of the Artist is a complex weaving of different strains of invention including a mock prose detective story, an imaginary Sunday comic strip, a mock fumetti-style interview with the author's daughter, intertwined with Campbell's beloved brand of autobiographical comic storytelling. In this deluxe reissue of a groundbreaking book, the award-winning cartoonist of From Hell and Alec presents a complex, caustic, and fiendishly clever meditation on the lonely life of the artist and the busy life that swirls around him. “Marvelous… a kind of intently controlled nervous breakdown on paper.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) The Second Fake Death of Eddie Campbell & The Fate of the Artist [FLIP HARDCOVER] by Eddie Campbell ISBN 978-1-60309-524-2 | Diamond: MAY231367 | $29.99 (US) | 192 pages Full-color hardcover graphic novel (double-sided flip book — two graphic novels in one!) 6.75” x 9” | For mature readers (16+) Available now! Pick it up today from the shop of your choice! Get ready for LISA CHEESE AND GHOST GUITAR! Lisa is a sweet unicorn girl with a cyborg arm… and anger issues… who’s late for her first day of work. And if this occult fast food chain’s minions don’t stop attacking, she’ll never achieve her dream of making it as a musician! "Combining a vintage comics aesthetic with vibrant, saturated colors... this fun and chaotic comic evokes underground punk zines through its blend of anger, heart, and anti-corporate themes. Lisa’s self-doubt and journey to find her place and purpose will resonate, particularly with older teens and new adults, while the absurd hilarity and exciting action sequences will keep readers captivated." — Kirkus Reviews “Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar brought me back to the days when reading comics was taboo, full of subversion, provocation, and excitement. Alvir is a master of this style... I couldn't imagine a more perfect caper about magically corrupted foodstuffs, and that's just the beginning!" —Steve Orlando, writer of Scarlet Witch, Supergirl, and Midnighter "This is raw and passionate cartooning that slaps. Visceral and violent one moment and endearingly cute the next, Lisa Cheese will charm anyone looking for a vigorous blast of pure comics." —James Kochalka, creator of Johnny Boo, Banana Fox, and American Elf “An utterly unhinged comic overflowing with wit, absurdity, and pure childlike energy. Kevin Alvir delivers one infectiously memeable panel after another. Highly addictive reading.” —The Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast "This book is an insane delight, blending the struggle of life's mundanities with fun larger-than-life elements to create a fully realized yarn about finding your place amid all the craziness. Where else are you gonna see such dynamic rage over non-dairy coffee? I loved the heck out of it." —Nick Cagnetti, writer/artist of Pink Lemonade Lisa Cheese moved to Earth City hoping to make a name for herself as a folk singer… but her very first open mic was a disaster, leaving her with a bionic arm and an identity crisis. Now she’s starting a crummy office job, her parents back in their home dimension are laying on the guilt trip, her sister’s acting smug, and the cool girl at the record store leaves her tongue-tied. But none of that will matter if the city’s demonic new burger corporation achieves its evil ambitions: Lisa’s very life is at stake! Fortunately, she has allies… The astounding first graphic novel from artist/musician Kevin Alvir is packed with off-the-charts creativity and electric energy, blending vintage comic-book aesthetics with contemporary concerns and crusty lo-fi passion. Once you meet Lisa Cheese you’ll never be the same! Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar (Book 1): Attack of the Snack by Kevin Alvir ISBN 978-1-60309-528-0 | Diamond: JUL231273 | $19.99 (US) | 164 pages Full-color softcover graphic novel with flaps 6.5” x 9.25” | For young adults (13+) and adults Coming September 12th/13th! Pre-order from the shop of your choice!