Tag Archives: top shelf productions

Top Shelf Set to Release We Are Pan, The Extraordinary Story of the Children Who Escaped Castro’s Cuba

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Family or freedom? Top Shelf Productions invite you to discover the astonishing history of the mass evacuation of Cuban children, leaving communism—and their loved ones—behind, with the unforgettable original graphic novel, We Are Pan, available June 2, 2026. This debut graphic novel from professional illustrator and storyteller, Andre Frattino with art by Yasmin Flores Montanez beautifully captures the devastation and hope of those affected by the Castro regime in the early 1960s, and includes a foreword from descendant, critically acclaimed and award-winning author, Alex Segura.

We Are Pan is based on the true story of Operación Pedro Pan, a joint effort between the U.S. government and the Catholic Welfare Bureau to evacuate 14,000 children from Cuba to the U.S. between 1960 and 1962. With the rise of communism following Fidel Castro’s revolution, parents feared for their children’s future and, through this secret operation, secured passage for them to America. These children (later referred to as “Pedro Pans”) would be distributed across the U.S., mostly living in foster homes. In many cases, these children never saw their families again, and their lives would be changed forever. This is their story.

We Are Pan will be available wherever books are sold, as a full-color hardcover (ISBN: 978-1-60309-592-1) on June 2, 2026, for a list price of $19.99.

We Are Pan

Top Shelf Takes a Gothic Twist on the Imaginary Friend with Ghoul

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Be careful what you wish for! Top Shelf Productions is set to release a macabre take on the imaginary friend with Ghoul, available May 5! This 292-page full-color graphic novel from newcomer Kasey Iris centers on a lonely Filipino-American teen and her ghoulish companion putting a spooky twist on a friendship from beyond.

When they were little, Lyn and Meg promised to be friends forever…but now Meg is dead, and Lyn is 15 and miserable. Moving into a new condo with her family doesn’t help, especially given the gossipy neighbors. But just when Lyn needs a friend the most, a monstrous cartoon ghoul climbs out of the pages of a comic book and into her life! The bizarre duo will soon discover just how many secrets lie within the walls of Forest Court Apartments.

Ghoul​ will be available wherever books are sold, as a full-color softcover graphic novel (ISBN: 978-1-60309-583-9) as well as a digital edition, on May 5, 2026, for a list price of $19.99.

Ghoul​

Top Shelf Land Gigs, a Technology-Driven Dystopian Tale from Simon Smith and Mark Mosedale

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A.I. took the work. Gigs replaced jobs. Ordinary people are left to scrape together lives in a world that’s no longer built for them. This is Gigs, a new graphic novel from Top Shelf releasing June 16, 2026. With a hard-won blend of biting satire and humanistic passion, two creators from the North of England weave together six divergent chapters into an extraordinary graphic novel. Gigs is both a powerful warning about the oppressive world to come and a defiant celebration of the humanity that will sprout up in the cracks from Simon Smith and Mark Mosedale.

In a frighteningly near future where Basic Income is supplemented by gig work assigned by “the app”…an octogenarian punk and a lonely young worker seek escape through music. A street artist makes art by night and paints over it by day. A has-been detective chases a case into a forgotten world. A drug runner makes a long, strange delivery. A writer marks her days on a decaying space station she can’t leave. And a refugee asks for help in the last free place.

Gigs will be available wherever books are sold, as a full-color softcover graphic novel (ISBN: 978-1-60309-593-8) as well as a digital edition, on June 16, 2026, for a list price of $24.99. 

Gigs

Preview: Michael Recycle

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Michael Recycle

Writer: Ellie Bethel
Illustrator: Alexandra Colombo

In Abberdoo-Rimey, a town so forlorn,
Trash piled up high, since the day they were born.
It stank to high heaven, the air thick and gray,
The townsfolk just shrugged, in their apathetic way.

BUT THEN! From the sky, a flash, emerald and bright,
A crash in the dump! What an incredible sight!
Not a bird or a plane, but a hero so grand,
Michael Recycle arrives, with a world-saving plan!

Get ready for laughs, as young, old, gather ’round,
This eco-adventure will astound!
With tips straight from Michael, go green and take flight,
Become superheroes of saving the Earth, shining bright!

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story is still as relevant today as when it was first published

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Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story

One of the best releases of the last decade of comics is Top Shelf‘s March trilogy which details the life of Congressman John Lewis. Lewis was an instrumental individual in the Civil Rights movement. That successful graphic novel lead Top Shelf to partner with the Fellowship of Reconciliation to publish a new edition of the Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story in 2021. The comic is an amazing piece of history that has been used to promote peaceful, non-violent protests around the world, being translated into numerous languages.

The 16-page comic is a wonderful summary of the Civil Rights movement taking individuals through the methods and thought process used to protest Montgomery’s policy that African Americans were to ride in the back of the bus. The narration is from an individual named “Jones” and his experience through the protest. After the story wraps up, there’s a step-by-step checklist that breaks down the exact methodology used and also how it’s been used throughout the world, in particular, to win India’s independence.

Top Shelf focused not just on reprinting the comic in modern standards, they used similar paper and coloring from the time that it originally was printed. This looks like a copy you might have held decades ago. A fantastic recreation of an important piece of comic and civil rights history.

Everyone should check this out, to learn about United States history, but also how comics have been used to create change and in political movements. Comics have been political since their formation over 100 years ago and have been a tool to fight for political change ever since.

Story: Alfred Hassler, Benton Resnik Art: Sy Barry
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Purchase: Amazon

Preview: Rose Wolves (Book 2): Out of the Blue

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Rose Wolves (Book 2): Out of the Blue

Created by Natalie Warner
December 2, 2025

In the first volume of Rose Wolves, a young girl made a wondrous connection with a magical creature linked to a mysterious rosebush. Now she’s excited to share this discovery with her mom…but as the seasons change and the forest falls asleep for winter, the world of the rose wolves must change as well. Ahead of them lie new problems, new discoveries, and even more new friends!

Rose Wolves (Book 2): Out of the Blue

Preview: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Dinner: Confessions of a Cartoonist Cook

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Where There’s Smoke, There’s Dinner: Confessions of a Cartoonist Cook

Jennifer Hayden

Bursting with color, flavor, and messy emotions, this unprecedented graphic memoir blends comics with satirical recipes to explore the intersections of food, feminism, frustration, and family.

Jennifer Hayden has never liked to cook. She’s not particularly good at it, either. But, like so many of us…she does it anyway.

Why is that? Where did these expectations come from? What happens if you don’t live up to the ideal of the perfect wife/mother/chef? And would someone please open a window before the fire department comes?

Where There's Smoke, There's Dinner: Confessions of a Cartoonist Cook

Top Shelf Start the New Year Off With the Disturbing Debut, Pig Wife

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Just a little family trip to the country leads to a series of terrifying events and buried secrets in Pig Wife, the debut graphic novel from writer, director, animator, and the seemingly normal, Abbey Luck! Releasing January 13, 2026, Top Shelf delivers 540 pages of pure terror in this truly twisted coming-of-age tale, Luck suggests that survival doesn’t depend on our strength and wits alone—but on our ability to love others, even in the most horrific circumstances. Preorder it from Bookshop, Amazon, or your local comic shop or bookstore.

Filled with suspense, dark humor, and spectacular nightmares, Pig Wife​ will seize readers by the heart and the throat with a story of isolation, abuse, trauma, and survival.

Accidentally trapped in an underground bunker, a teen girl must navigate the bizarre secrets within. This astonishing indie-horror graphic novel will keep readers guessing—and turning pages!

Mary had a bad feeling even before they arrived at dead Aunt Pearl’s house. Dragged to a remote mining town so her mom and stepdad can settle Pearl’s estate, Mary can’t wait to escape from her wreck of a family—but she’s stuck with them in the middle of nowhere. After a vicious fight, Mary runs off to hide in an abandoned gold mine. Her escape plan backfires when she realizes she’s trapped inside. Even more terrifying… she’s not alone.

Pig Wife will be available wherever books are sold, as a full-color softcover graphic novel (ISBN: 978-1-60309-572-3) as well as a digital edition, on January 16, 2026, for a list price of $34.99.

Pig Wife


Preview: Frankenstein Alive, Alive: The Complete Collection

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Frankenstein Alive, Alive: The Complete Collection

Writer: Steve Niles
Art by Bernie Wrightson and Kelley Jones
October 28, 2025

This collection is a softcover reprint of the original hardcover collection that was published in 2018 from legendary horror comic artist Bernie Wrightson who passed away right before finishing the last issue, making this his final mark on comic history.

Inspired by Mary Shelley’s immortal gothic horror tale, Frankenstein Alive, Alive! brings new life to the Promethean monster, courtesy of Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and Bernie Wrightson (Frankenstein, Swamp Thing). Victor Frankenstein’s cobbled-together creature continues his adventures, embarking on a journey to discover his own humanity.

Frankenstein Alive, Alive: The Complete Collection

Preview: Bridge Planet Nine

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Bridge Planet Nine

Jared Throne

A heist gone wrong. In this gritty, intimate sci-fi graphic novel, four down-and-out thieves touch down on an abandoned colony planet for an easy heist…until the masks come off.

Bridge Planet Nine, once a thriving outpost, is now deserted. Corporations have claimed what’s left of its natural resources for automated extraction, and even the freighter ships that refuel here are completely unmanned. Now one of those freighters…is about to be robbed.

The hijackers are a small, reluctant crew, each with their own reasons for being there. With no one around for millions of miles, they don’t expect interference. But the planet’s grim history and dark secrets will turn a simple job into a bloody fight for survival.

Bridge Planet Nine
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