Tag Archives: god is disappointed in you

Top Shelf Launches First Wave of DRM-free Graphic Novels!

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Since 2011, Top Shelf has embraced digital distribution wholeheartedly. They’ve presented an unmatched library of award-winning and fan-favorite graphic novels on multiple platforms, working with numerous digital partners to offer readers a remarkable degree of choice, while keeping digital prices substantially lower than print.

Fans have taken advantage of having their Top Shelf library handy and easily on the go by downloading Top Shelf comics by the thousands from excellent vendors like Comixology, Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, BN Nook, and more, while continuing to shop for their favorites in printed format from their favorite retailers.

Today, Top Shelf is launching a new program that gives digital readers even more options. In addition to selling through their digital partners, select titles are now available in DRM-free digital editions directly from their online store at www.topshelfcomix.com! Using this DRM-free option allows you to download your purchase as a simple PDF, ePub, or CBZ file — yours to keep, back up, or transfer to mobile devices.

What’s more, this new direct-download option allows Top Shelf to launch another great feature: add-on pricing. Starting today, customers who order select titles from the www.topshelfcomix.com online store can purchase both print and digital editions at the same time, for a substantial savings!

For example, Jeff Lemire’s The Underwater Welder is priced at $19.95 print and $6.99 digital, but now when ordering the print edition, it’s only $2.99 extra to add on the digital edition. One for home and one for the road? One for you and one for your sweetie? The choice is yours, with add-on pricing!

Top Shelf’s new DRM-free ebook program launches with the following titles:

  • March: Book One by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell ($7.99 digital, $1.99 with print purchase)
  • Heck by Zander Cannon ($9.99 digital, $2.99 with print purchase)
  • Crater XV by Kevin Cannon ($9.99 digital, $2.99 with print purchase)
  • The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire ($6.99 digital, $2.99 with print purchase)
  • God Is Disappointed in You by Mark Russell & Shannon Wheeler ($9.99 digital, $1.99 with print purchase)
  • Chester 5000 by Jess Fink ($5.99 digital, $1.99 with print purchase)
  • We Can Fix It by Jess Fink ($6.99 digital, $1.99 with print purchase)
  • The Surrogates (Vol. 1) by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele ($5.99 digital, $1.99 with print purchase)
  • The Surrogates (Vol. 2): Flesh and Bone by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele ($5.99 digital, $1.99 with print purchase)
  • Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell ($9.99 digital, $2.99 with print purchase)
  • Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed? by Liz Prince ($3.99 digital, $0.99 with print purchase)

Also, the following digital-exclusive titles are now available DRM-free:

  • Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer (Vol. 1) by Dusty Higgins & Van Jensen ($4.99 digital)
  • Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer (vol. 2): The Great Puppet Theater by Dusty Higgins & Van Jensen ($4.99 digital)

Book Review: God is Disappointed in You

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god_is_disappointed_in_you_cover_lgGod Is Disappointed in You is for people who would like to read the Bible…if it would just cut to the chase. Stripped of its arcane language and interminable passages, every book of the Bible is condensed down to its core message, in no more than a few pages each.

Many, many times in the past I tried my best to crack open a Bible or make my way through a Torah to see what each say for myself, without being filtered through someone else or parts being left out. Written by Mark Russell, this condensed version is still filtered through someone else, but done so in a way that gets to the heart and point of the many passages that have shaped the world so much.

The result is a hilarious book that’s often shocking, some times blasphemous, but always funny with a huge heart. This is Sunday School for the information age. It cuts out the often rambling paragraphs and gets to the point of the deep meaning behind it all with the addition of including some of the historical context that might be selectively left out of church sermons.

Russell is backed up with cartoons by New Yorker cartoonist Shannon Wheeler who adds to the witty commentary with his simple, yet brilliant, cartoons that make you pause and think, much like Russell’s prose. The two together are a pair that doesn’t necessarily challenge religion, but instead challenges the reader to come up with their own thoughts and interpretation.

I found myself laughing out loud, to the point that those around me thought I had lost my mind. My further explanation of what I was reading was often met with a horrified look as if the mere existence of this book was an affront to organized religion.

And that’s what’s amazing about it all. This book will offend some, but it celebrates the works it interprets and does so with more sincerity and honest than many of the religious officials who have dedicated their life to it all. The Top Shelf description really sums it up really well, “this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to see past the fog of religious agendas and cultural debates to discover what the Bible really says.”

Story: Mark Russell Art: Shannon Wheeler
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Top Shelf provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Top Shelf Announces Monster on the Hill & God Is Disappointed in You!

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Top Shelf has announced two big releases this morning, Monster on the Hill and God is Disappointed in You.

Monster on the Hill is created by Rob Harrell and is an all-ages graphic novel.

In a fantastical 1860s England, every quiet little township is terrorized by a ferocious monster — much to the townsfolk’s delight! Each town’s unique monster is a source of local pride, not to mention tourism.

Each town, that is… except for one. Unfortunately for the people of Stoker-on-Avon, their monster isn’t quite as impressive. In fact, he’s a little down in the dumps. Can the morose Rayburn get a monstrous makeover and become a proper horror? It’s up to the eccentric Dr. Charles Wilkie and plucky street urchin Timothy to get him up to snuff, before a greater threat turns the whole town to kindling.

Monsters of all ages are sure to enjoy this tale about life’s challenges, the power of friendship, and creative redemption, packed with epic battles and plenty of wild beasts!

Created by Mark Russell and Shannon Wheeler, God is Disappointed in You is a bit more mature in its content.

God Is Disappointed in You is for people who would like to read the Bible…if it would just cut to the chase. Stripped of its arcane language and interminable passages, every book of the Bible is condensed down to its core message, in no more than a few pages each.

Written by Russell with cartoons by New Yorker cartoonist Wheeler, God Is Disappointed in You is a frequently hilarious, often shocking, but always accurate retelling of the Bible, including the parts selectively left out by Sunday School teachers and church sermons.

Irreverent yet faithful, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to see past the fog of religious agendas and cultural debates to discover what the Bible really says.

Both will see release this July.