Tag Archives: uncivilized books

South Beloit Journal is an interesting, personal, and honest journal done as comic strips

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“Over the winter of 2010-2011 I found myself at the lowest point of my life: Twice divorced, heartbroken, mentally insane, and living in poverty and isolation in a cold, grey cinderblock apartment in a small, gritty town in Northern Illinois… South Beloit. One of my projects at the time was illustrating a book about suicide, The Next Day, for the Canadian publisher Pop Sandbox. As I trimmed the pages to size, I found myself with ninety-one 2” x 6” scraps of Bristol board. They looked perfect for a comic strip, so I began drawing upon them one little diary comic per day. I tried not to censor myself (though sometimes I still did), but to just let the ink spill without preconception or prejudice. What follows are those comics. I hope you enjoy them more than I enjoyed making them!” — John Porcellino

Story: John Porcellino
Art: John Porcellino

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Uncivilized Books

The Jungle #3 shifts the focus of the series a bit as Queenie gets the spotlight

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While Johnny recovers from last issue’s beating, we get a glimpse of the world beyond The JUNGLE’s walls, in this Queenie-centric issue!

A slice of life in mid-70’s L.A. as Queenie struggles with family issues and her shitty job while trying to devise a plan to help BUST The HUMANS out of The JUNGLE!!

Plus a LETTER FROM DOC and KARNS from sun-soaked Florida!!

Story: Keenan Marshall Keller
Art: Tom Neely

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Uncivilized Books

The Jungle #2 has The Humans clashing with other gangs in the prison

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Johnny and The HUMANS, struggle with the rules of their new world; butting heads again and again with anyone and everyone on the block, leading to conflict with Thumper and the God Bullies, who’s interest in NADA snowballs into an all-out Bloody Brawl in the Boiler-room!!

This issue has it all, including Crazed Christian Sermons, Threats of Forced Trepanation, a heaping dose of Ape Cock, Witchy Occult Ceremonies, a Bloody Brawl, and mountains of SKIN SHIT!!!

This is crazy Apesploitation Action at its BEST!

Story: Keenan Marshall Keller
Art: Tom Neely

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Uncivilized Books

Ozge Samanci’s Graphic Novel Evil Eyes Sea Wins the CCS Cartoonist Studio Prize!

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Evil Eyes Sea

Ozge Samanci‘s much-lauded autobiographically-inspired graphic novel Evil Eyes Sea has received the prestigious Cartoonist Studio Prize, given by the Center for Cartoon Studies. The thirteenth annual prize has recognized Samanci’s graphic novel from acclaimed publisher Uncivilized Books as 2024’s best long-form comic. 

CCS says about the book:

The book’s greatest strengths lie in its originality and voice. The tone balances wit and melancholy with remarkable ease. The artwork is expressive and the cartooning inventive. At times, the story flirts with familiar tropes, but always on its own terms—eschewing highbrow convention for something more emotionally direct. Samanci has created a heartfelt, captivating work that deserves wider attention.

In Evil Eyes Sea, Samanci writes a feminist political mystery set in Istanbul during the 1995 elections telling the story of two broke students who witnessed an unusual death on a scuba diving expedition. As the case deepens, they become increasingly entangled with religious pressure, and possible murder and political corruption that echoes the events of contemporary America. They try to return to their every day, but their lives are increasingly entangled with the chaos, trauma, and economic instability that results from their experience. 

Author Ozge Samanci says:

Evil Eyes Sea is about political dread and the rise of authoritarianism, but it’s also a story of friendship, magical realism, honesty, and absurd moments of youth. Blending fiction with autobiography helped me tell a dark story in a humorous and lighthearted way. Graphic novels take years to create, and this recognition from the CCS community means the world to me.

Uncivilized Books’ publisher Tom Kaczynski said:

Evil Eyes Sea‘s propulsive and—dare I say, action-packed—comic book storytelling stood out to me when I first read it. Foreign locales, friendship, murder mystery, and political intrigue; it’s all there and then some. Ozge’s European TinTin-esque sensibility blended with American autobiographical influences is a real treat for comics readers. 

You can get it now from Bookshop, Amazon, your local comic shop and bookstore, and more.

The Sickness #4 has some interesting concepts and ideas but is a bit too muddled

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If you’re feeling sick, The Man may be following you…

1945: Daniel’s friends urge him to confront his mysterious stalker. However, not all of them are convinced Daniel’s symptoms are real, leading to a naive plan with horrifying consequences.

1955: George faces a dead end in his research. Despite his best efforts to put the bizarre case of the murderous housewife behind him, a sense of personal duty worms through his brain. Unbeknownst to him, a new stage of discovery is about to unfold.

Story: Jenny Cha, Lonnie Nadler
Art: Jenna Cha
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Uncivilized Books

Uncivilized Books reveals its Spring 2024 Graphic Novels

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Uncivilized Books Spring 2024 releases

Evil Eyes Sea, by Ozge Samanci (on sale 3/26/24) — a feminist, political mystery set in Istanbul during the 1995 elections tells the story of two women who witness a death — or possibly a murder — on a scuba diving expedition. They try to return to their everyday, but their lives are increasingly entangled with the political corruption, religious pressure, and economic instability that results from their experience. Samanci says, “The autobiographically-inspired story I tell in Evil Eyes Sea emerged from my college years in Istanbul, my quirky friends, and my struggles with being a young woman in Turkey’s male-centric culture. In this book, I share a window into a country where narrow political views limit personal power — a place that can be beautiful, but also cruel.”

Maple Terrace, by Noah Van Sciver (on sale 5/21/24) — In a time when superheroes were oversized, adorned with massive guns and muscles, comic books were currency! This autobiographical graphic novel highlights that era when young investors struggled to acquire every embossed, metallic ink, holographic foil-enhanced cover under the sun, hoping to pay for their college educations. This brutally hilarious book highlights the strange intersection between poverty and the speculative comic book-collecting craze of the 90s. 

The Sickness, by Jenna Cha and Lonnie Nadler (on sale 6/18/24) — An enigmatic figure known as The Man and a rare, horrifying disease entwine the lives of a teenager suffocating in 1945’s post-WWII nationalism atmosphere and a doctor struggling desperately to find the origins of a new illness in 1955. This sprawling, ambitious, genre-bending work explores the socio-political strife that shaped the nation, spanning four decades of American history. 

Maple Terrace #2 gives us more teases and hints about the early life of Noah Van Sciver

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Hilarious and forlorn stories from the author’s childhood, surrounded by 90s comics, cartoons, toys, deprivation, and painful nostalgia.

Story: Noah Van Sciver
Art: Noah Van Sciver

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Third Eye Comics
Comix Experience
Uncivilized Books

The Sickness #1 is the start to an intriguing new horror series

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1945: Daniel Buss, an anxious teenager living in small-town America, has been experiencing strange symptoms: mood swings, increased sensitivity, and terrifying hallucinations, threatening to ruin his summer vacation before freshman year. Worse, a stalking presence watches Daniel’s every move.

1955: George Brooks—war vet and tireless doctor—nears retirement from his decorated past. When a local housewife murders her entire family, her son—the sole survivor—is put into his care; George grows obsessed with uncovering what could drive an ordinary person to such brutality.

Story: Jenny Cha, Lonnie Nadler
Art: Jenna Cha
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Uncivilized Books

Maple Terrace #1 is an interesting look into Noah Van Sciver’s childhood

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Hilarious and forlorn stories from the author’s childhood, surrounded by 90s comics, cartoons, toys, deprivation, and painful nostalgia.

Story: Noah Van Sciver
Art: Noah Van Sciver

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Third Eye Comics
Comix Experience
Forbidden Planet

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