Acclaimed cartoonist and musician Zak Sally navigates the messy and murky waters of human experience with unflinching veracity in Like a Dog, a hardcover volume compiling the first two issues of his Eisner Award-nominated series Recidivist along with numerous other stories from the past 15 years, along with "liner notes" and other ephemera. This book is now available for pre-order in our online shop. Take an advance sniff at the book by downloading our free 10-page PDF excerpt. This book is scheduled be in stock and shipping in mid-September, and in stores approximately 4 weeks later (subject to change).

Coming next year: The Sanctuary by Nate Neal (compiling the 3 issues of his self-published comic plus 75+ pages more). More details TBA. This promotional video is pretty darn great -- Raymond Scott ahoy:

The Sanctuary Promo #1 from Andrew Perrine on Vimeo.

Bookmark Nate's The Sanctuary blog for future updates and previews!

Just one Online Commentary & Diversions link for you today:

• Review: "...I want to call as much attention as I can to Joe Daly's sublimely odd and very, very funny The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book... If you're one of those that complains that comics doesn't allow for new and unique comic sensibilities, you need to read this book. Actually, everyone should." - Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter

Tim Lane contributes the above two-page spread to the upcoming third volume of our Hotwire anthology. At his blog he's got closer looks, the concept sketch, and more background info. That "O" kills me.

Check out an exclusive excerpt from Love and Rockets: New Stories #2 at ICv2.com -- 6 pages from the final chapter of Jaime's "Ti-Girls Adventures." We should have the issue in stock in a couple of weeks, and stores will have it next month.

Finally available for pre-order, one of our most anticipated releases of the year and our second original prose novel: This Side of Jordan by Monte Schulz is a picaresque novel told in the voice of a lost generation hurtling toward the Great Depression. A farm boy meets a violent gangster and an eccentric dwarf, encountering more curious characters as they traverse the American South. Featuring cover art by Al Columbia. This book is now available for pre-order in our online shop following its noteworthy debut (attracting the likes of Ray Bradbury and Joe Hill) at Comic-Con last month. To hook you, we've made the entire first chapter available for free as a 23-page PDF dowload. This book will be in stock and shipping in a week or two, and in stores approximately 4 weeks later (subject to change).

From poet and filmmaker Chad Parenteau: "The following is footage from time spent with cartoonist and graphic novelist Hans Rickheit while visiting his home in Philadelphia, as he discusses his influences, his New England hometown, and his upcoming graphic novel, The Squirrel Machine. Thanks to Hans for the opportunity to let me attempt something film-ish." (YouTube link)

Hump day Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "What more can I say about these wonderful [Complete Peanuts] collections? I’ve enjoyed each one immensely so far; they make me laugh and grin and even smirk a little from time to time... Top notch book. You can’t have a much better time than reading these collections. Highly recommended." - Todd Klein (link via Robot 6)

• Review: "[Prison Pit: Book 1] is the best comic Johnny Ryan has ever drawn. And I'm the guy that ranked the last Angry Youth Comix in his Best of 2008... This really needs to be experienced on its own. It's rich, clever, energetic, funny - I don't think I've purely in-my-guts enjoyed another comic so much in 2009... You've gotta see it to believe it." - Joe McCullough, Jog - The Blog

• Plug: "...[O]ur favorite comic book artist is Mr. Johnny Ryan!... Johnny continues his brilliant legacy with an 120 page epic tale named Prison Pit... Next to Jughead, Johnny’s about the best thing going on in comic books these days, so don’t be a chump and wait until they make some perverted documentary about him and he’s some hipster darling! ACT NOW!" - retroCRUSH

• Profile: For the Los Angeles Times, Tobias Carroll profiles artists who straddle music and comics, including Zak Sally, whose "surreal and compelling series Sammy the Mouse, begun in 2007, is a kind of existentialist's Bloom County," plus our pals Archer Prewitt & Ron Regé Jr.

• Analysis: For The Walrus, Sean Rogers examines the many intersections between Thomas Pynchon and comics, including Krazy Kat and Arnold Roth

• Events: Michael Upchurch of The Seattle Times looks at the "Comics Savants" exhibit now on view at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery

• Events: Angela Ashman of The Village Voice previews Michael Kupperman's appearance at The Strand Bookstore next Tuesday

I'm already on board for Marvel Strange Tales MAX, but Samurai Hulk by Stan Sakai? Come on! Robot 6 has the official PR.

Dame Darcy's band Death by Doll has a show in Seattle this Saturday, so as DD says, "don't miss the rococo-psychedelic art/death rock fun!" Plus, the multifarious and multitalented Dame has concocted a new fragrance for men called Sexy Summer Man -- all details on concert and cologne are at her blog.