Tag Archives: pat grant

Preview: The Grot

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The Grot

(W) Pat Grant (A/CA) Pat Grant
In Shops: Jul 15, 2020
SRP: $19.99

In his follow-up to the critically acclaimed Blue, Pat Grant confirms his reputation as “the Australian Mark Twain” (Craig Thompson, author of Blankets and Habibi) with a page-turning graphic novel about economic inequality and exploitation, desperation, and the gambler’s addiction to hope even in the worst of times.

The Australian landscape is traumatized. Plague is rampant. Machines only work as well as the poor sod pedaling them. Things are hotter and wetter than they used to be, giving the whole place the vibe of a sweaty armpit.

Lippy and Penn are holding to set up shop in a grimy boom-town, but they’ve got to stay frosty, because it’s teeming with hustlers, swindlers, and scoundrels. It’s the sort of place where a lucky moron could make an outrageous fortune in an afternoon and lose it all before bedtime. The sort of place where two enterprising teenagers could really make something of themselves. Or so they say.

The Grot

Preview: The Grot

Posted on by

The Grot

(W) Pat Grant (A/CA) Pat Grant
In Shops: Jul 15, 2020
SRP: $19.99

In his follow-up to the critically acclaimed Blue, Pat Grant confirms his reputation as “the Australian Mark Twain” (Craig Thompson, author of Blankets and Habibi) with a page-turning graphic novel about economic inequality and exploitation, desperation, and the gambler’s addiction to hope even in the worst of times.

The Australian landscape is traumatized. Plague is rampant. Machines only work as well as the poor sod pedaling them. Things are hotter and wetter than they used to be, giving the whole place the vibe of a sweaty armpit.

Lippy and Penn are holding to set up shop in a grimy boom-town, but they’ve got to stay frosty, because it’s teeming with hustlers, swindlers, and scoundrels. It’s the sort of place where a lucky moron could make an outrageous fortune in an afternoon and lose it all before bedtime. The sort of place where two enterprising teenagers could really make something of themselves. Or so they say.

The Grot

Time is money: It’s time to pre-order Eddie Campbell’s Lovely Horrible Stuff!

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Top Shelf ProductsTime is money: It’s time to pre-order Eddie Campbell’s THE LOVELY HORRIBLE STUFF!

One of the greatest cartoonists in the game, the man behind ALEC: THE YEARS HAVE PANTS, THE PLAYWRIGHT, and FROM HELL, is back — with a gorgeous new hardcover graphic novel. And it’s on the most fundamental of topics: MONEY.

Eddie Campbell returns with a must-have: THE LOVELY HORRIBLE STUFF!

“One of the premier cartoonists of his generation.” — Publishers Weekly

“No one else in the medium combines emotional truth, literary intelligence, and formal daring with such adroitness and elegance.” — Booklist

Eddie Campbell’s THE LOVELY HORRIBLE STUFF is a delightful autobiographical voyage into the financial wilderness, ranging from the imaginary wealth of Ponzi schemes to the all-too-tangible stone currency of the Micronesian island of Yap.

This is no dry and dusty treatise on finance; any complexities are pleasingly reduced to the level of bubblegum trading cards. In here you will hear about the corporation that Campbell keeps under his bed; you will meet colorful historical characters and be taken on dangerous shark-infested sea adventures; and after that, we will all plunge to the depths to retrieve our loose change.

Campbell’s wry eye and vivid full-color artwork imbue the proceedings with real humanity, making THE LOVELY HORRIBLE STUFF an investment that’s worth every penny.

It’s being offered in the current Diamond Previews catalog, so pre-order now!

THE LOVELY HORRIBLE STUFF by Eddie Campbell
— 96-page deluxe hardcover
— 6.5″ x 9″, full-color graphic novel
— For mature readers (16+)
— ISBN 978-1-60309-152-7
— Diamond DM code: MAR12-1193
— $14.95 (US)
— Co-published by Top Shelf Productions (US) and Knockabout (UK)

Also re-offered in Diamond Previews this month are two of Eddie’s most amazing works: the autobiographical epic ALEC: THE YEARS HAVE PANTS and the colorfully quiet comedy about the creative life, THE PLAYWRIGHT. Take the chance to fill out your Eddie Campbell library!

Pat Grant’s incredible BLUE hits stores!

This truly remarkable book is already building buzz as an intelligent, gorgeous, and charming story about teenage adventure and human ignorance. And now you can grab your copy! Pat’s handsome hardcover is IN STOCK NOW at our web store as well as comic shops near you. Click here for details!

“An affecting coming-of-age graphic memoir.” — Paul Gravett, author of Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life

“Complex and beautiful… an uncommonly sophisticated look at prejudice and localism.” — Andy Khouri, ComicsAlliance

“While this graphic novel is strongly rooted in its Australian setting, the thorny questions of cultural identity, assimilation, and inexorable change are applicable to any place that sets up divides between people. So, to everywhere.” — Ian Chipman, Booklist

“A sea-polished, perfect nugget of a book.” — Craig Thompson, author of Blankets

BLUE by Pat Grant
–96-page hardcover graphic novel with 2-color interiors
–9.4″ x 6.6″ (landscape format)
–Older teens (16+) and adults
–ISBN: 978-1-60309-153-4
–Diamond order code: JAN12-1268
–$14.95 (US)

Dive into Blue by Pat Grant!

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Official Press Release

Top Shelf ProductsDive into BLUE by Pat Grant!

You’ve never seen anything quite like this. In March 2012, Top Shelf will release the debut graphic novel from super-talented Australian cartoonist Pat Grant, entitled BLUE.

It’s a fascinating blend of autobiography and fiction with a sci-fi twist: in a seaside Australian town struggling with alien tentacle-creature immigration, a trio of aimless teenagers skip school to go surfing, chase rumors of a dead body, and avoid dealing with their own fears.

Here’s what Craig Thompson, author of Blankets, Carnet de Voyage, and Habibi, had to say about BLUE: “This book rekindles my earliest enthusiasm for the comics medium. Pat Grant is the Australian Mark Twain, trading Huck’s raft for a waxed-up surfboard and an inked-up sable brush. Vast themes of racism and immigration unravel in sprawling murals and a single day in the life of some reckless teens in this sea-polished, perfect nugget of a book.”

Still not convinced? Check out Pat’s great SHAMELESS PUBLICITY DOCUMENT, and the free preview of BLUE at Pat’s website!

Be sure to pre-order this lush, lovable, complex book from your favorite comic shop or directly from Top Shelf!

BLUE by Pat Grant
–96-page hardcover graphic novel with 2-color interiors
–9.4″ x 6.6″ (landscape format)
–Older teens (16+) and adults
–ISBN: 978-1-60309-153-4
–Diamond order code: JAN12-1268
–$14.95 (US)

“Pat Grant is serious about comics.” — Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics

“BLUE is everything a good comics can be.” — Shaun Tan, author of The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia

Nate Powell’s ANY EMPIRE explodes onto YouTube!

An intense new video trailer for ANY EMPIRE has just been posted to YouTube! It features music by the bands Tracker (who were responsible for the BLANKETS soundtrack album ) and Universe (featuring Nate Powell himself), and is a real treat for both those who’ve read the book and those who haven’t yet. Check it out!

Top Shelf books are tops on Top Ten lists!

New Year’s is not just a time for making resolutions and asking your friends to delete embarrassing party photos — it’s also an occasion for year-in-review retrospective lists! Well, the lists have been pouring in, and we’re proud to see Top Shelf titles racking up so many rankings.

In particular, Kagan McLeod’s INFINITE KUNG FU, Nate Powell’s ANY EMPIRE, and Robert Venditti & Mike Huddleston’s THE HOMELAND DIRECTIVE have been listed on “Best of 2011” lists from over a dozen top sources, spanning the gamut from CNN to Publishers Weekly to Complex to USA Today to Paste to The AV Club and many more. And other Top Shelf books are not far behind! To see all the year-end praise, check out our REVIEWS PAGE and treat yourself to one of our most acclaimed graphic novels.