If you're gonna have an ideal society, you're gonna need some Ron Regé Jr. comics in it. Fortunately, The Cartoon Utopia is coming your way soon to show you the way with its visionary blending of sci-fi, philosophy, visual poetry, and social manifesto. We're pleased to be debuting Ron's latest eye-popping, mind-expanding opus at SPX next month, and it should be arriving in stores in late October. In the meantime you can feast your eyes on a 13-page excerpt and pre-order a copy here.

  Campaigning for truth, justice and surreal worlds is Steven Weissman! His new uncut sheets of adhesive vinyl feature three color prints red, black and metallic copper art straight from his new graphic novel, Barack Hussein Obama. You could wait to find these decals eventually via Stinckers vending machines or you could get your hands on the limited-edition, signed production sheets NOW.

Pre-order Barack Hussein Obama and READ BEFORE YOU VOTE. Buy production sheets directly or via the hip Etsy site.

There is more Johnny Ryan available digitally than you can shake a raggedly amputated alien arm at now thanks to comiXology. Prison Pit is an original graphic novel from the pen of Johnny Ryan combining his love for WWE wrestling, Gary Panter’s “Jimbo” comics, and Kentaro Miura’s “Berserk” Manga into a brutal showcase of violence, survival and revenge. Imagine a blend of old-fashioned role playing fantasy games like Dungeons & Dragons crossed with contemporary adult video games like Grand Theft Auto, filtered through Ryan’s sense of humor.

This 122 page digital book begins with Cannibal Fuckface being thrown into the Prison Pit, a barren negative-zone populated by intergalactic, violent monster criminals. In this first volume, C.F. gets into a bloody slorge war (a slorge is a giant slug that excretes a steroid-like drug called “fecid” that all the monster men are addicted to) with ultraprisoner Rottweiler Herpes and his henchmen Rabies Bloodbath and Assrat. The ensuing bloodbath is an over-the-top, hyperviolent yet hilarious farce worthy of Ryan’s inspiration, Kentaro Miura.

Not only can you carry this book with you anywhere on your digital reading device but you can show gruesome panels to bratty children or smug cubical co-workers in backlit brillance for only $9.99 at the comiXology store.

He's been all over the west coast, and even took the sights and sounds of Black Power across the pond to England... and now we're thrilled to announce that Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 is making its New York City area debut this fall!

Join author Pat Thomas on Saturday, September 29th at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts [ 80 Hanson Place, Brooklyn ]. He'll be giving his acclaimed slideshow presentation, and will be spinning records from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

And on Sunday, September 30th, Pat will be joined by special guest, Aaron Dixon, the captain and founder of the 1960's Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party, and author of the book, My People Are Rising: Memoir of a Black Panther Party Captain. Join them both at Kim's Video & Music [ 124 1st Avenue, New York City ] for this free event from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.

You'll Never Know Book 3: Soldier's Heart
by C. Tyler

128-page full-color 12" x 10.25" hardcover • $29.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-548-8

Ships in: October 2012 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now

BARGAIN COMBO:

You'll Never Know Books 1-3: The Complete Trilogy

Price: $74.97 $59.98

In one of the most eagerly-anticipated graphic novels of 2012, Soldier’s Heart concludes the story of Carol Tyler and her delving into her father’s war experiences in a way that is both surprising and devastating — and rather than trying to summarize this episode and thus possibly spoil it for readers, we prefer to simply offer a selection of comments on the first two installments of this autobiographical masterpiece.

Publishers Weekly: “(Starred Review) In the first volume of Tyler’s planned trilogy of graphic memoirs, she dug into the eruptive, violent memories of her father’s WWII experiences while simultaneously dealing with a husband who decided to go find himself and leave her with a daughter to raise. [Book Two] is no less rich and overwhelming. Tyler gets back to the business of detailing her father’s war stories — difficult given that he is ‘one of those guys who closed it off and never talked about it’ — as well as coming to terms with her already touchy parents’ increasingly ornery attitudes. Closing the circle somewhat is Tyler’s concern over her daughter’s troubled nature, which seems to mirror her own wild past. While the language of Chicago-raised and Cincinnati-based Tyler has a winningly self-deprecating Midwestern spareness to it, her art is a lavishly prepared kaleidoscope of watercolors and finely etched drawings, all composed to look like the greatest family photo album of all time. The story’s honest self-revelations and humane evocations of family dramas are tremendously moving. Tyler’s book could well leave readers simultaneously eager to see the third volume, but also nervous about the traumas, home front and war front, that it might contain.”

Booklist: “Tyler’s fluid, expressive linework, complemented by subtly overlaid watercolors, gives ideal visual expression to a narrative that’s at once sensitive and hard-nosed... Decades of drawing mostly autobiographical stories have honed her skills, enabling her to produce a work that ranks in quality with the graphic memoirs of Alison Bechdel (Fun Home) and Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis).”

10-page excerpt (download 3.6 MB PDF):

Video & Photo Slideshow Preview (view in new window):

New Al Columbia print, limited to 10 copies, available only from Floating World Comics. You know what to do.

Josh Simmons and Al Columbia pay their respects to Rachel, Gregory, the Cap'n and the many countless, now faceless victims of the Jibbler Attacks. 

To read more on the horrors, grab a copy of Simmons' graphic novel The Furry Trap today. While you're in the mood close the blinds, lock the door and boot up the computer to see a frightening trailer for Simmons' short film "The Leader".

Our friend Matt Silvie dropped by Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday to present our "Best Comic Store" award from the Seattle Weekly. He was soon followed by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. I enlisted Matt to take this snapshot. (Hizzoner flanked by me and Martin Imbach of Georgetown Records.) McGinn was enamored of our gorgeous Johnny Gruelle collection, astutely observing the work had a "dark quality." Always nice to see the mayor, who has become a frequent visitor to our colorful Georgetown arts community.

Tuesday, August 28th

Saturday, September 1st

• London, England: It's your last chance to check out an art exhibit of movie posters from the golden age of American porn, as seen in  Sexytime: The Post-Porn Rise of the Pornoisseur! (more info)

• Seattle, WA: Our very own Larry Reid, curator extraordinaire of the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, has teamed up with local artist John Ohannesian for a piece in the exhibit Elvistravaganza, which opens at Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival! (more info)