FEAR(S) OF THE DARK – At The Royal

FEAR(S) OF THE DARK
March 6th-12th
at the Royal Cinema, 608 College Street
Directors Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire; France, 2008
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=54412228036 

If you’ve been following The Comics Journal or Comic Art Magazine, you’re probably familiar with this striking new animated French film which features some of the most talented comics talents in the world. We’re really fortunate to get an extended screening of this in Toronto, and I hope everyone reading this gets a chance to check it out. 

Screening Times:
Friday March 6th @9:30pm
Saturday March 7th @ 9:30pm
Sunday March 8th @5:30pm & 7:30pm
Monday March 9th @9:15pm
Tuesday March 10th @7pm
Wednesday March 11th @7pm
Thursday March 12th @9:15pm

Here’s the description:

“A wildly inventive and visually dazzling collection of fearful tales by six of the world’s most renowned comic and graphic artists – Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Richard McGuire. From a besotted student whose girlfriend is weirdly ardent in her affections, to a Japanese schoolgirl menaced by a long-dead samurai, and a pack of hounds on a bloodthirsty rampage, FEAR(S) has a story strand to trouble every sleep – not to mention a stunning range of animation styles. Shot in shimmering black and white, the six intertwined tales create an unprecedented epic where phobias and nightmares come to life and reveal Fear at its most naked and intense.”

Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809947440/trailer

Shipping March 11th, 2009

The following comics and graphic novels are scheduled to ship The Beguiling Books & Art on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009. All Prices listed in U.S. Funds.

Click Here For The Full List: /090311shipping.txt

The Beguiling Recommends:

NOV084453 Be A Nose – Art Spiegelman Sketchbook Set 29.00
McSweeney’s is printing a collection of three of Art Spiegelman’s sketchbooks. So, there’s something you’ll have to buy.

MAY080063 Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack Hc 24.95
This is the vastly expanded edition of last year’s Perry Bible Fellowship book, now with every strip, and hundreds (yes, hundreds) of pages of extra and new material. Hil-lar-ious.

DEC080220 Transmetropolitan Tp Vol 01 Back On The Street 14.99
Warren Ellis’ modern classic has been reformated into these new editions. If you’ve never read it, it’s the perfect time to jump on board. The first two trades are so dense with ideas, humour, and humanity, that I can recommend them more-or-less unreservedly.

DEC084513 Neil Gaiman Blueberry Girl Hc 17.99
Recent Newberry Award-winner Neil Gaiman has teamed with Charles Vess to produce a brand new children’s book. It’s quite lovely looking.

JAN098111 After Watchmen Promotional Booklet PI
If you saw Watchmen and you’re looking for something else to read, check out this sampler of 6 or 7 different series that will whet your appetite. It’s free!

– Christopher

TORONTO THIS WEEK: Anime Seminar! Charles Burns Film! Book Launch!

Hey folks! We just sent out a mailing Friday night with all of the great stuff going on in Toronto this week. In case you missed it or aren’t signed up for our mailing list yet, check out all of the great events!

‘Stripmalling’ Book Launch Monday March 2nd!

Launch party for ‘Stripmalling’
Presented by ECW Press and This Is Not A Reading Series
Monday, March 2nd, 7:30pm
The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. West
$5 Cover (Free with book purchase)
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=44003449363

Toronto author Jon Paul Fiorentino brought our good friend Evan Mundy on board to do extensive illustrations and comics sequences for his new novel, ‘Stripmalling!’ Then they made a short movie about how the book was made, “The Way of the Smock: The Making of Stripmalling”. Catch the trailer here:

This Monday, they’re launching the book, showing the film, doing a reading, an interview, and more. ‘Stripmalling’ looks great and Evan is a wonderful guy. See you at the Gladstone tonight!

2. Seminar: Anime and Contemporary Japanese Society

Anime and Contemporary Japanese Society
Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 6pm-8:30pm (doors at 5:45)
Ryerson University, 245 Church Street
George Vari Engineering & Computing Centre, ENG 103

Admission FREE – Reservation recommended for guaranteed seating RSVP at www.jftor.org/whatson/rsvp OR anime@jftor.org OR 416.966.1600 x600

Digital Value Lap Ryerson University, The Japan Foundation, and Consulate General of Japan in Toronto present two important lectures that will be of interest to Beguiling customers and friends, on Anime and Contemporary Japanese Society.

POSTCRITICAL ANIME: OBSERVATIONS ON ITS ‘IDENTITY’ WITHIN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN
While anime is being watched on a global scale, there are significant differences in its contemporary reception. The gap between regular consumers and critical spectators, sometimes appearing in the form of Japanese audiences vs. foreign Japanologists, deserves special attention since it raises a number of questions, such as what sort of animated film is identified as ‘anime’; who relates anime to politics, history and society; what kind of meaning is at play in anime’s performative images, and to what extent one can read ‘Japanese society’, or even ‘culture’, out of anime. Comparing Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” (1954) and Gonzo’s “Samurai 7” (2004) as well as touching upon anime’s history, this lecture focuses on aesthetic and cultural identities ascribed to anime in modern Japan and their contemporary relevance.
Jaqueline Berndt is Associate Professor of Art and Media Studies, Yokohama National University. She specializes in aesthetics/art theory, anime, visual cultural and Japanese studies, aesthetics of comics, art in modern Japan and animation.

OTAKU CULTURE: PERSONALITY, SPACE & CITY OF ANIME FANS IN JAPAN
Optimism about an ever-progressing technological future ran out in the 1970’s. It was in the mid-1980’s that the term otaku was coined to signify a new personality that had emerged as a reaction to the loss of ’future’.The term evokes a stereotyped image of a geeky computer nerd, long past adolescence but still obsessed with games and anime. The presentation shall explore how this otaku personality became a geographical phenomenon in a district called Akihabara, together with its role in the development of Japanese anime.
Kaichiro Morikawa is Associate Professor of Contemporary Culture in the School of Global Japanese Studies at Meiji University. His research interests include design and architectural theory. Prof. Morikawa served as commissioner of the Japanese pavilion at the Venice Biennale 9th International Architecture Exhibition in 2004.

This sounds pretty amazing, and although this will be a VERY busy week, this will be one lecture series worth attending…!

3. MARCH 6-12: FEAR(S) OF THE DARK – Film featuring Charles Burns – CONTEST!

FEAR(S) OF THE DARK
March 6th-12th
at the Royal Cinema, 608 College Street
Directors Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire; France, 2008

If you’ve been following The Comics Journal or Comic Art Magazine, you’re probably familiar with this striking new animated French film which features some of the most talented comics talents in the world. We’re really fortunate to get an extended screening of this in Toronto, and I hope everyone reading this gets a chance to check it out. Here’s the description:

“A wildly inventive and visually dazzling collection of fearful tales by six of the world’s most renowned comic and graphic artists – Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Richard McGuire. From a besotted student whose girlfriend is weirdly ardent in her affections, to a Japanese schoolgirl menaced by a long-dead samurai, and a pack of hounds on a bloodthirsty rampage, FEAR(S) has a story strand to trouble every sleep – not to mention a stunning range of animation styles. Shot in shimmering black and white, the six intertwined tales create an unprecedented epic where phobias and nightmares come to life and reveal Fear at its most naked and intense.”

Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809947440/trailer

*****CONTEST*****

Want to win a pair of tickets to see FEAR(S) OF THE DARK, good for any showing during the film’s run at The Royal Cinema? Here’s what you need to do: E-mail chris@beguiling.com with “BLACK HOLE” & your name & your phone number in the subject line of the message, before Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 at 12:01am. One entry per household. Winners will be notified on Tuesday March 3rd. You must be subscribed to The Beguiling Mailing List to be eligible to win.

4. The (Edgar) Wright Stuff at the Bloor Cinema! Starts February 28th!

The lovely and talented Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ) is in town to direct the big-screen adaptation of SCOTT PILGRIM, and we couldn’t be happier. Espescially because he’s going to be programming a full slate of his favourite films at The Bloor Cinema for the month of March! The first two screenings were this weekend, and they were great fun. The next few will no doubt be awesome as well… Check this out:

SUNDAY, MARCH 8
7:00 The Wanderers (Philip Kaufman, 1979)
9:30 The Warriors (Walter Hill, 1979)

SATURDAY, MARCH 14
9:45 Head (Bob Rafelson, 1968)

SUNDAY, MARCH 15
7:00 Dames (Ray Enright & Busby Berkeley, 1934)
9:00 Phantom of the Paradise (Brian De Palma, 1974)

SUNDAY, MARCH 22
5:00 Spaced Marathon (Edgar Wright, 1999-2001)

SUNDAY, APRIL 5
7:00 Kung Fu film TBA
9:30: Drunken Master 2 (Chia-Liang Liu, 1994)

SUNDAY, APRIL 12
7:00 The Brood (David Cronenberg, 1979)
9:00 Last Night (Don McKellar, 1998)

Single movie tickets are $8 for Bloor Cinema members and $11 for non-members. Double bills are $14 for members and $17 for non-members. (Non-member prices include a six-month Bloor membership.) A pass for all screenings is $90, or $75 if not including Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Complete Bloor Cinema info and schedule at its website: http://www.bloorcinema.com/

– Chris @ The Beguiling

Shipping March 4th, 2009

SHIPPING MARCH 4th, 2009

The following comics and graphic novels are scheduled to ship to The Beguiling Books & Art in Toronto, Canada, on Wednesday March 4th 2009. All prices are listed in U.S. Funds.

Click here for the complete list: /090304shipping.txt

The Beguiling Recommends… bringing extra money.

Seriously, I can’t believe how much stuff is coming out this week. Due to a combination of factors (we have no control over…), we have more books and manga shipping this week than in the past two weeks combined, and there’s tons of must-own stuff. Hopefully the economic downturn hasn’t hit everyone too hard, because there is literally an embarassment of riches this week at the comic book store. Here’s our top 10, followed by another dozen notable books:

NOV084199 Barefoot Gen Vol 07 Bones Into Dust 14.95
NOV084200 Barefoot Gen Vol 08 Merchants Of Death 14.95
It now looks like the epic, groundbreaking manga series Barefoot Gen will be finished in our lifetimes! Thanks, Last Gasp! Barefoot Gen is an expanded version of the short story “I Saw It“, which features a boy’s first-hand account of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, during WWII. Barefoot Gen follows the boy, Gen, through the horrors and weariness of life after the bomb, and eventually the slow rebuilding of Japan. It is a remarkable, terrible, must-own work. We’re happy to say that all eight volumes are currently in stock at the store, no need to wait until Wednesday.

DEC084024 Humbug Hc (Res) 60.00
Congratulations to Peter Birkemoe, who this week will see the arrival of the comic he has waited for since he was a young boy. THE COMPLETE HUMBUG collects all 11-issues of the highly-regarded humour magazine, which features stories and art from Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis, Will Elder, Al Jaffee, and Arnold Roth. It’s a lovely two-volume slipcase hardcover set for just US$60.00, a bargain at twice the price (especially if you’ve ever tried to track down the original issues… like Peter did…!).

APR082337 Kabuki HC Alchemy 29.99
It’s been years (and years) since the last collection of David Mack’s Kabuki, and even longer still since the last collection of work actually written and illustrated by Mack. I have to admit–I totally gave up reading it in single issues, I just couldn’t deal. But once-upon-a-time, Kabuki was my favourite series on the rack thanks to its gorgeous art and really inventive storytelling. Mack has used storytelling devices I still haven’t seen anyone approach, and although he’s knocked for sometimes wearing his influences a little too-clearly on his sleeve (and for the book being about a series of beautiful and deadly lady-assassins…) for my money it’s still a great read, and a great buy.

NOV084212 Little Nothings Gn Vol 02 Prisoner Syndrome 14.95
Little Nothings 1, the ‘sketchbook diary’ collection of strips by French comics auteur Lewis Trondheim, was one of my favourite comics of 2008. I’d like to thank NBM for following up so quickly with the release of this second collection, and look forward to spending some quality time with it. I’d definitely recommend this if you enjoy the diary-comics of James Kochalka, Jeff Brown, or autobigraphy in general.

JAN092398 Madman Atomic Comics #14 (Res) 3.50
This issue: MADMAN: THE MOVIE, by Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone. Inside a framing sequence by Madman creator Mike Allred, Darwyn and J. tell a story about Hollywood’s attempt to adapt Madman’s life story into a movie. It’s a great issue to check out even if you’ve never read MADMAN before, and just like everything Darwyn and J. work on we expect this one to do really well. We’ve ordered a ton, but just in case make sure to get here on Wednesday!

DEC084030 Mome Gn Vol 14 14.99
Are you reading Mome? No? Why not? Check out this line up for the 14th volume:

“The Spring 2009 edition of MOME is anchored with Lilli Carré’s (The Lagoon) new, 32-page graphic novella, “The Carnival.” Gilbert Shelton is back with the second part (of three) of his new graphic novel, “The Last Gig in Shnagrlig.” Othe contributors include Olivier Schrauwen, Laura Park, Dash Shaw, Derek Van Gieson, Ray Fenwick, Jon Vermilyea, Sara Edward-Corbett, Conor O’Keefe, Émile Bravo, and Josh Simmons all return. To wrap it up, Ben Jones, Frank Santoro, Hernán Migoya and Juaco Vizuete all pop their Mome cherries this issue as well (the former two with a Cold Heat-related story).”

Seriously, all kinds of interesting and ground-breaking new cartooning in here, and each issue features at least one truly outstanding piece. Don’t miss it!

SEP084031 Sams Strip Comic About Comics Gn 22.99
Actually, Fantagraphics has done a great job of explaining why this is neat, particularly if you’re a comic-strip aficionado. Take it away guys:

Sam’s Strip was ahead of its time when it debuted in 1961. Mort Walker and Jerry Dumas’ offbeat creation took the inside joke of breaking the “fourth wall” to a new level, playing with the basic elements of the cartoon form, experimenting with different art styles and featuring famous characters from other strips. Sam and his cartoonist assistant owned and operated the comic strip they inhabited. The Yellow Kid, Jiggs, Krazy Kat, Dagwood, and Charlie Brown were among the many familiar faces who made walk-on appearances. Sam and his assistant discussed the inner workings and hidden secrets of life within the panel borders. … Sam’s Strip, which never appeared in more than 60 newpapers, was too esoteric for most readers, and was terminated by its creators in 1963. It is considered a cult classic among comic-strip aficionados today.”

DEC080160 Shazam Monster Society Of Evil Tp 19.99
BONE and RASL creator Jeff Smith’s retelling of the classic Monster Society of Evil storyline in Shazam is a fantastic book for readers of all ages. In the last couple years we’ve seen DC put out some really bizarre, questionable interpretations of their characters, and Smith’s Shazam! stands as a wonderful counterpoint; the series is dark, intense, anxious, but also truly heroic, adventurous, and fun. If you “miss” superhero comics the way they used to be, make sure not to miss this one.

OCT084410 Tezukas Black Jack Px Hc Vol 03 24.95
After much waiting and many questions asked by our customers, we’re happy to announce that Diamond has finally gotten around to shipping the third Black Jack collection after apparently having lost it for a few months. :-/ If you haven’t been reading this series? Start. Tezuka, unsurprisingly, knocks it out of the park, and makes you care about this scarred and deceptively cold-hearted doctor, and all of his completely insane surgeries. As of Wednesday all three volumes will be in stock, in both hardcover and softcover formats.

OCT084158 Wolverton Bible Hc Gn 24.99
Back to Fantagraphics for the description on this one (they seem to be having a banner week!):

“From 1953 through 1974, Basil Wolverton, a deeply religious man, was commissioned and later employed by the church to write and illustrate a narrative of the Old Testament (including over 550 illustrations), some 20 apocalyptic illustrations inspired by the Book of Revelations, and dozens of cartoons and humorous illustrations for various Worldwide Church publications.

“Compiled and edited by Wolverton’s son, Monte, the 304-page Wolverton Bible includes all of Wolverton’s artwork for the Worldwide Church of God corporation. Recording artist and noted EC authority Grant Geissman (Tales of Terror: The E.C. Companion and Foul Play!: The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics!) provides an insightful foreword, while Monte Wolverton delivers commentary and background in the introduction and in each section. This volume is authorized and commissioned by the Worldwide Church of God and endorsed by the Wolverton family.

“Many of the illustrations in this book are regarded as Basil Wolverton’s finest work. Still others have never been published, and some of the humorous drawings printed here rival Wolverton’s work in MAD magazine.”

Also of note…

JAN092488 Agents Of Atlas #2 Dkr 2.99 – The first issue of this one sold out much faster than I thought it would. Well don’t worry, we’ve bumped our orders a bunch on the second issue, and more #1s are on their way.

NOV080143 Batman Cacophony #3 (Of 3) 3.99 – How about that, it actually shipped. Who had 2 months late in the pool?

DEC080047 Buffy The Vampire Slayer #23 Chen Cvr 2.99 – A new issue of BUFFY, must be the first Wednesday of the month! Actually, heh, I can’t believe that 22 of the 23 issues of this series ACTUALLY shipped on time. That’s a rare feat for anything with Whedon’s name on it. And they’ve been pretty good too! Three cheers for everyone!

DEC082456 Captain America Tp Vol 03 Death Of Captain America 14.99 – This continues to be very strong indeed.

DEC084117 Danger Unlimited Tp 19.99 – Now featuring the BABE mini-series. I know some of you still love John Byrne. It’s okay. That’s why we order these books, for you to buy them.

JAN090136 Goon #32 10Th Anniversary Issue 3.99 – Congrats to The Goon creator Eric Powell, who shipped a full year’s worth of issues monthly, and on time. Our sales on The Goon have continued to rise, and it’s down to Eric’s hard work. Oh, and good news! We discovered a whole new cache of the filthy dirty Goon one-shot SATAN’S SODOMY BABY! It’s like 4 or 5 bucks, over by The Goon back issues.

JAN090112 Hellboy Wild Hunt #4 (Of 8) 2.99 – The next issue in the current Hellboy Serial.

DEC082451 Invincible Iron Man Tp Vol 01 Five Nightmares 19.99 – The first collection of Matt Fraction’s new ongoing Invincible Iron Man series. A good place to jump on if you liked the movie, but never read the comics.

DEC080163 Justice League International Tp Vol 01 17.99 – It looks like DC will be releasing slightly more inexpensive softcover editions of the recent JLI HC’s by Giffen, Dematteis, and McGuire. These are some funny and fun comics, ranking among many readers’ favourites of all time. $18 is a pretty reasonable buy-in price, I’d say.

OCT083948 Last One Tp 24.99
OCT083947 Seekers Into The Mystery Tp Vol 01 Pilgrimage Of L 15.99
Two long out-of-print creator-owned miniseries, originally published by Vertigo. Now published by Boom Studios. I remember liking Seekers in my “Vertigo phase”, although it did feature some pretty new-agey imagery. Still, I’m happy to see it back in print and I’ll probably give it a read, see how it holds up. The Last One was before my time… I think I was still reading X-Men and/or Transformers at that point.

DEC084332 Nana Tp Vol 15 8.99
JAN094482 Naruto Tp Vol 38 7.95, JAN094483 Naruto Tp Vol 39 7.95, JAN094484 Naruto Tp Vol 40 7.95, JAN094485 Naruto Tp Vol 41 7.95
Just wanted to say, we’ve already got these in stock, and about another 40 (seriously) manga bit shipping through Diamond until Wednesday. Come by this weekend if you want to get a jump on these books.

OCT083876 No Hero #4 (Of 7) 3.99 – I’ve been digging this one, and sales are going up all the time. With any luck all of our backorders on #0-#3 have come in, so those of you looking to pick up the series starting this week Should be good-to-go.

JAN094381 North World Gn Vol 02 11.95North World is a fun, smart little fantasy adventure comic with enough twists and innovation to make it seem comfortable, but also exciting. It’s a bit like Scott Pilgrim, but more RPG and less Street Fighter, if that makes sense? Anyway, it’s definitely worth a read if you’re already jonesing for SP6.

OCT080178 Starman Omnibus Hc Vol 02 49.99 – Diamond keeps shorting us on this. Rest assured we’re putting every copy we get out for sale and no staff are picking up theirs until we get our full order. Sorry everyone.

JAN090192 Superman World Of New Krypton #1 (Of 12) 2.99 – Just a note for Superman and Action Comics fans and readers–Superman is apparently going to be out of the Superman books for the next year, and in this mini-series. I don’t quite get it myself, but we will be adding this series to your subscription, so you won’t miss out.

JAN092452 Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #3 (Of 6) 2.99 – The book 25 years in the making, or something.

JAN092531 War Of Kings #1 (Of 6) 3.99 – If you liked ANNHILATION or any of the other recent, not-sucky Marvel crossovers, you may want to check this one out. It’s all of Marvel’s Space Characters, a few mutants, and Darkhawk, and they fight. That either sounds awful, or like the best thing ever, depending on your taste.

JAN092591 Wolverine By Claremont & Miller Tp 16.99
DEC082436 Wolverine Origin Tp New Ptg 16.99
JAN092592 Wolverine Tp Weapon X New Ptg 16.99
Just in time for that Wolverine movie on the way, Wolverine’s greatest adventures are brought back into print. Well, Wolverine’s greatest adventures and Origin, which… yeah.

Freedom To Read Week: Banned Together

Hey folks! February 22-28 is Freedom To Read Week here in Canada, and so we wanted to bring your attention to a great event happening this week, featuring many of our favourite Toronto writers. Check it out:

BANNED TOGETHER: Canada’s finest read the censors’ favourites
Tuesday, February 24, Doors @ 7PM Revival Bar

783 College Street, Toronto
www.revivalbar.com
$15, tax deductable

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Freedom to Read Week (www.freedomtoread.ca), acclaimed Canadian authors, editors, and publishers are gathering in Toronto to read outrageously entertaining, informative, and thought-provoking books for young readers. Books that tell the truth! Books that make kids think! Books that make adults squirm!

Recognizing that today’s young readers are their future readers and storytellers, our country’s top creators of books for grownups are joining their kidslit counterparts to send censors a powerful message: no one should stand between a growing reader and a good book.

* Renowned author Michael Winter reads Hold Fast, by fellow Newfoundlander Kevin Major. Canada’s first novel for young adults and a multiple award winner, Hold Fast was banned by Canadian schools for containing foul language, sexual content and — yikes! — bad grammar.

* 2009 Canada Reads nominee Brian Francis and writer-provocateur Derek McCormack read from dog-eared copies of Judy Blume’s touching and uncompromisingly honest coming-of-age novels. Five of Blume’s books are among the 100 most challenged of all time.

* Benjamin Santamaria and Andrea Hila, from PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile program, read contemporary stories challenged abroad for their social and political messages.

Other illustrious readers and MCs include writers Paulette Bourgeois, Dennis Lee, Tim Wynne-Jones, Russell Smith, Paul Quarrington, Kenneth Oppel, Michael Helm, and Darren Wershler, as well as Alana Wilcox, Senior Editor at Coach House Books, Ellen Seligman, Senior Vice-President and Publisher of Fiction at McClelland & Stewart, Peter Carver, Children’s Book Editor at Red Deer Press, Susan Shipton, Sales & Rights Manager at Annick Press, and Iris Tupholme, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at HarperCollins Canada.

The program is divided into two sets: 7:30pm and 8:45pm.

Tickets are tax deductible. Proceeds to support PEN Canada (www.pencanada.ca) an association of writers and supporters formed in 1926 to defend freedom of expression and raise awareness of that right, and IBBY Canada (www.ibby-canada.org), the Canadian national section of the International Board on Books for Young People, which promotes cultural understanding through access to and the exchange of children’s literature.

Tickets available at the door, or see www.pencanada.com for more info.

Shipping February 25th, 2008

The following comics and graphic novels are scheduled to ship to The Beguiling in Toronto, Canada, on Wednesday February 25h, 2009. All prices listed in U.S. funds.

Click here to view the complete list: /090225shipping.txt

The Beguiling Recommends

OCT080010 Beanworld Hc Vol 01 Wahoolazuma 19.95
The long out of print Beanworld series returns in graphic-album sized collections from Dark Horse. I have to admit, I kind of missed the Beanworld train the first few times around, so I’m going to give it a go here.

DEC084219 Atomic Robo Tp Vol 02 19.95
Hey fans of Hellboy! Don’t miss this series about an exceptionally long-lived robot that has had crazy adventures throughout different periods of history! Nazis and giant monsters and drilling machines and the like, with some really great art and a wry sense of humour.

OCT084282 Waltz With Bashir Sc 18.00
This graphic novel was produced alongside the acclaimed animated feature film. I’ve had a chance to flip through, and it’s a lovely looking book.

OCT080178 Starman Omnibus Hc Vol 02 49.99
We were all very happy to see that James Robinson and Tony Harris’ Starman holds up after 10 years or so. This second collection includes another 400+ pages of comics from the series, including a number of uncollected shorts.

DEC083792 Streets Of Glory Hc (Mr) 27.99
DEC083918 Dan Dare Omnibus Hc Vol 01 Us Ed 29.99
Here’s two new collections of work from Garth Ennis. Streets of Glory is a gritty, dirty western from Avatar, and the Dan Dare Omnibus collects the entirety of Ennis’ recent reimagining of the character for Virgin comics.

Also of Note:

OBAMAGEDDON
DEC082233 Savage Dragon #145 Obama Cvr B 3.50
JUL082216 Youngblood #8 Obama Cvr 2.99
DEC088031 Wizard Magazine #210 Alex Ross Obama Cvr 5.99
For those of you keeping score at home, there are three new Barrack Obama comics shipping this week. Savage Dragon, the book that started the Obama Cover Craze, welcomes Obama into the White House. Over in Youngblood, Obama is elected President. Finally, Wizard will be running the iconic Alex Ross painting of Obama opening is shirt in a Superman-pose image.

OCT080047 Eden Tp Vol 11 Its An Endless World (Mr) 12.95
We were shorted on this last week, and we’re getting more this week. Sorry!

OCT084243 Popbot #8 (Res) (Mr) 9.99
New Ashley Wood!

DEC084120 Sparrow Jim Mahfood Hc 11.99
New Jim Mahfood!

JAN090065 Marvel Previews March 2009 Extras (Net) 1.25
JAN090064 Previews #246 March 2009 (Net) 4.50
New Previews!

– Chris

Shipping February 18th, 2009

The following comics and graphic novels are scheduled to ship to The Beguiling in Toronto, Canada, on Wednesday February 18th, 2009. All prices listed in U.S. funds.

Click here to view the complete list: /090218shipping.txt

The Beguiling Recommends…

NOV084306 NAOKI URASAWA 20TH CENTURY BOYS GN VOL 01 12.99 NOV084307 PLUTO URASAWA X TEZUKA GN VOL 01 12.99
As of writing, we’re sold out of Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Volume 1, and I’ve got like 1 or 2 copies left of Pluto. We’ll have more on Wednesday, and more again later. But yeah, so far everyone who’s read either book says that they 1) Awesome. and 2) Better than Monster. And you know, I really liked Monster. So, that gets bumped up to the must-buy level.

DEC083834 DAYBREAK GN VOL 03 10.00
Hey, have you been following this new graphic novel series from Brian Ralph? I totally love Brian Ralph, he was the first cartoonist whose work I really “discovered” when I started working at The Beguiling, with Cave-In and Climbing Out. This series, a sort of post-apocalyptic survivalist book set in the first-person, is incredibly compelling and tense, but still has that sense of play that makes Ralph’s comics so interesting. We should have all of the previous volumes in stock on the main floor (D&Q rack) right now, and the third volume this week.

DEC080184 MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE #2 (OF 6) 2.99
In January we held an in-store signing for the first issue of this series, which sold really well and got great customer feedback! So if you’re on the fence, be sure to check out this second issue from Agents of Atlas writer Jeff Parker, and our good friend artist Tom Fowler.

OCT084496 COMIC FOUNDRY MAGAZINE WINTER 2008 5.98
The last issue of Comic Foundry ships this week, with a cover feature on Mr. Bryan Lee O’Malley. Unfortunately I totally underordered this. We’ll likely sell out quick, but we will have more the following week. My apologies.

Also of note…

NOV082254 DYNAMO 5 #0 0.99: The Image superhero ongoing series gets an inexpensive introductary issue. If you happen to be a superhero comics fan dissatisfied with how your superhero comics are going lately, you should check this one out.

DEC084296 STREET FIGHTER IV #1 (OF 4) TSNAG CVR A 3.95: The day after the North American release of the new Street Fighter 4 video game, our friends at UDON are dropping the first issue of their adaptation of the game plot. I know, I know, no one really believes that Street Fighter has a plot, but it does and it’s actually a lot of fun.

DEC083882 ZOMBIES THAT ATE THE WORLD #1 DAVIS CVR A (MR) 3.50: Fans rejoice! It’s Guy ‘BPRD’ Davis doing a zombie comic! The first few installments of this one ran a year or two back in the METAL HURLANT magazine co-published by DC and Humanoids, but the serial was never completed. Now it will be, in comic book (and eventual graphic novel) form.

– Chris @ The Beguiling

Two New Naoki Urasawa Series

Naoki Urasawa (creator of the fantastic thriller series Monster) has two new books on the shelf today!

20th Century Boys, acclaimed as Urasawa’s magnum opus, begins as the story of a young man trying to make ends meet running a convenience store and caring for his niece but as an apocalyptic cult spreads it’s influence Kenji begins to notice connections between the shadowy organization and memories of his childhood friends.

In Pluto Urasawa gives us a new perspective on manga giant Osamu Tezoka’s classic story “World’s Strongest Robot”. This science-noir murder mystery follows Europol robot detective Gesicht through Germany as he tracks a killer who targets both humans and robots with no apparent motive.

Shipping February 4th, 2009

Yes, we are getting Scott Pilgrim 5 this week!

The following comic books and graphic novels are scheduled to arrive at The Beguiling Books & Art in Toronto, Canada, on Wednesday December 4th, 2009. All prices listed in U.S. funds.

Click Here For The Complete List: /090204shipping.txt

The Beguiling Recommends:

Scott Pilgrim Gn Vol 05 Sp Vs The Universe 11.95
We’re all really excited about this new volume here at the store, and we should have plenty of copies for everyone who’s interested in picking one up over the next few weeks, no need to reserve or pre-order it.

’08 Graphic Diary Of The Campaign Trail Gn 17.95
For those of you who were fortunate enough to come out to our Luminato event, this is the next graphic novel from Shooting War artist Dan Goldman. It’s a graphic novel-format diary of the 2008 campaign trail, from the primaries all the way through to the election of Barack Obama. This is infinitely better than that Obama/Spider-Man comic, and probably cheaper too.

Naruto Generation Ninja: Naruto Volume 34, Naruto Volume 35, Naruto Volume 36, Naruto Volume 37. Just $7.95 each!
Hey Naruto fans, get ready for whiplash as Viz is releasing 4 volumes of Naruto per month for the next few months, to catch us up with the Japanese Naruto releases! We currently have four, BRAND NEW volumes of Naruto in stock, all for the U.S. cover price of $7.95. Can you handle this much Naruto? POSSIBLY!

Complete Chester Goulds Dick Tracy Hc Vol 06 29.99
More classic comics!

Marvel Masterworks Amazing Spider-Man Tp Vol 01 24.99
So, after more than 10 years of waiting, Marvel is going to start releasing a few of their Masterworks in softcover. Kicking the whole thing of is this collection which includes Amazing Fantasy #15 and Amazing Spider-Man #1-10. As a special bonus, this volume will include images of the original art to Amazing Fantasy #15 recently donated to the library of congress, and in-print for the first time ever.

Also Of Note:

Agents Of Atlas #1 Dkr 3.99: Jeff Parker’s magnificent Agents of Atlas get their own new ongoing series! Whether you like Parker’s work on Atlas, Marvel Adventures, or the recently released Mysterius The Unfathomable, you’ll probably dig on this team of strange pulp-heroes in a modern world.

Amazing Spider-Man #583 Obama 3rd Ptg Var & 4th Ptg Var 3.99: We’re getting more copies of both the 3rd print and 4th print of this. They will be first-come, first serve. If you are reading this, please do not call us, because you have Just Read all of the information we have.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer #22 Chen Cvr 2.99: The second issue of the Harmony story-arc.

Crossed #3 (Of 9) 3.99: Everyone’s favourite new series, from Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows. Seriously, this is a really fucked up comic book, and yet it’s the best-selling thing Ennis has done, at least in our store, in maybe years…

Final Crisis Legion Of Three Worlds #3 (Of 5) 3.99: How about that eh? I have to say I enjoyed the ending of Final Crisis, though I can see how people, you know, might not. Heh. Still, I think the 6th issue spoiled the end of this series? I dunno. I have no idea how this shit all fits together. But it’s a fun ride.

Hotwire #1 (Of 5) A Cvr Pugh 2.99: Hey Warren Ellis fans: Due to an oversight, I somehow totally missed that this new series from “Radical Publishing” is sort of by Ellis and then scripted and drawn by Steve Pugh, whose art looks gorgeous on it. We’ve just re-stocked bunches of the first issue, and if you’re digging No Hero or Gravel check it out.

I Am Legion #1 (Of 6) Cassaday Martin Cvr A 3.50: The aborted John Cassaday story from Humanoids now returns as a six-issue mini-series here in North America.

Marvel 1985 Prem Hc Dm Ed 24.99: Did this ammount to much? I remember reading the first few issues and then that was it.

Soul Kiss #1 (Of 5) 3.50: One of a bunch of new genre-action stories dropping this week. This is from Image, and writer Steven T. Seagle. Nice, euro/animation looking art on this.

Tiger In A Pink Hat Hc 15.99: I always think it’s kind of amazing to see books like this or Michael Recycle or Vigfus The Viking on this shipping list. They’re children’s picture-books from IDW’s “Worthwhile Books” imprint, and it’s great. It’s Alkaline to the Acid of the DM. “Yeah, Tiger In A Pink Hat, I hope that Bendis doesn’t have you raped by supervillains, like your mom. Or daughter, however that works.”

Essentially what I’m trying to say is, with superhero decadence should come guilt. So why not spend some money and assuage the guilt over your complicity in Tigra-rape on a delightful book for your children? Maybe it will assure their love, so that when they find your stash of Tigra-rape comics, they won’t hate you.

Just saying.

– Chris @ The Beguiling