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Some wonderful new art books this week, unusual graphic novels, and Part 2 of editor Jon Cooke’s interview with me in Comic Book Creator. The author of Dragon Skull generously did a sketch in each of our copies as well as signing them. He’s a renowned animator, as you will read below. Alter Ego #176 is a special issue on The Shadow, going back to the pulps and the 1940s comic book series with Bob Powell artwork…I’m eager to read it! Enjoy. |
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Art Books |
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| THE DRAGON UNIVERSE This collection of illustrations on the theme of dragons brings together the best illustrators and comic book authors from around the world: French, English, Danish, Spanish, Italian, American, Canadian... From John Howe, designer of The Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia, to Todd Lockwood, illustrator of Dungeons & Dragons, and Olivier Ledroit, creator of the Chronicles of the Black Moon, and Adrian Smith, one of the authors of Warhammer, and more... They've pooled their talents in a Tolkien-style universe where dragons coexist, fight Dwarves, Orcs, Elves and Humans... The result is this illustrated encyclopedia, which combines an extraordinary history of dragons, with gorgeous, fully-painted art, that captures every majestic and fearsome detail of these wonderful scaly behemoths! Ablaze, 2022....More. Item Code: DRAGUH Hard Cover, 9x12, 198pg, Full Color |
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THE FAIRY UNIVERSE Our world is made up of mysterious and elusive spirits: the Elves and the Faes. Once we accept this evidence, we still have to recognize them, approach them, and sometimes be wary of them... It took our illustrator all his dexterity to be able to approach them, sketch them, and give us this guide to the most remarkable Faes and Elves. The Fairy Universe offers the reader the keys to this magical and poetic world through hundreds of drawings by renowned artist Olivier Ledroit, spread over double-pages in stunning watercolor and pencil, with illuminating words by Olivier and Laurent Souillé. A MUST for illustration geeks! Ablaze, 2022....More. Item Code: FAIRUH Hard Cover, 9x12, 136pgs, Partial Color $24.99 |
| Dragon Universe and Fairy Universe are matching oversized hardcover volumes. Here’s more from this unique publisher, Ablaze. |
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THE BLAZING WORLD Illuminated Edition By Margaret Cavendish. Art by Rebekka Dunlap.The Blazing World is one of the most fascinating, unusual and astonishing pieces of literature in the English language. Written in 1666 by Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle, the story follows a young woman who is transported to a world of animal-people, becomes their empress, and eventually leads an invasion back into her own world, complete with bird-man bombardiers and submarine ships! Featuring numerous full-page and spot illustrations, elaborately die-cut and embossed slipcase. Beehive Books, 2021. Mature readers. ...More. Item Code: BLAZWH Hard Cover, 9x12, 138pg, Partial Color $100.00 |
| Click on the banner above for matching illustrated editions from Beehive Books. They also published Denis Kitchen’s superlative book on illustrator Harrison Cady: |
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MADNESS IN CROWDS The Teeming Mind of Harrison Cady Our Highest Recommendation. By Denis Kitchen and Violet Kitchen. Famed artist and publisher Denis Kitchen and his daughter Violet Kitchen have created the first-ever comprehensive examination of this great artist, while collecting an amazing array of 300 generally scarce images. Harrison Cady (1877-1970) was one of the definitive magazine illustrators and cartoon artists of the first half of the 20th century. He created countless overflowing worlds of anthropomorphic lives: the Peter Rabbit Sunday page, the Happy Chaps for the magazine St. Nicholas, and illustrations that brought to life dozens of the Thornton Burgess books, filled with talking woodland animals and beloved by readers. Beehive, 2019....More. Item Code: MADNH Hard Cover, 10x14, 176 pg, Partial Color $125.00 |
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THE PROMISED NEVERLAND ART BOOK WORLD By Kaiu Shirai. Featuring Posuka Demizu’s incredible artwork, as well as creator commentary and interviews, The Promised Neverland: Art Book World is a beautiful and haunting gaze into the art of one of today’s most popular Shonen Jump manga series. A beautiful hardcover art book featuring full-color art, sketches, comments, and a Q&A with Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu about their popular manga series. VIZ Media, 2022....More. Item Code: PROMNH Hard Cover, 7x10, 216pg, Full Color $29.99 |
| Here’s more manga and anime style collections. |
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DRAWING THE FEMALE FIGURE A Guide for Manga, Hentai, and Comic Book Artists By Hikaru Hayashi. Most figure drawing books tend to avoid anything remotely sensual, let alone risqué or provocative. That’s not this book! Intended for both experienced and beginner manga, hentai and comic book artists, Drawing the Female Figure will teach you the tricks of the trade when it comes to creating female characters with serious sex appeal. Learn how to master a shapely figure, add personality, gesture and movement, and accurately portray the special characteristics of the female form. Annotated drawing — from sketches to finished designs — and detailed instructions from a master manga illustrator explain step by step how to draw the body, face, hairstyles, underwear, cleavage, boobs, and much more. You’ll also learn how to create a variety of different poses and angles for your characters. Korero Press, 2021. Mature Readers....More. Item Code: DRAFF Soft Cover, 8x10, 176pg, b&w $36.95 |
| Here are more art instruction books. |
Comics and Archives |
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CATWOMAN OF EAST END Omnibus Collects Detective Comics #759-762; Catwoman #1-37; Catwoman Secret Files #1; Catwoman Selina's Big Score #1. By Ed Brubaker. Art by Darwyn Cooke. A serial killer is racking up bodies in Selina Kyle's old haunts, taking her back to a life she thought she'd left behind permanently. When Catwoman starts investigating it leads her into the heart of the Gotham Police Department and an encounter with a face from her past... Is Catwoman really ready for what's waiting for her in the dark streets of Gotham? DC Comics, 2022....More. Item Code: CATEH Hard Cover, 7x10, 1064pg, Full Color |
| Here’s more Catwoman collections. |
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THOR By Matt Fraction Omnibus Thor #615-621, 2007; The Mighty Thor #1-22; Fear Itself #1-7, 2011-12 and much more. Matt Fraction’s complete saga of Thor — from triumphs and tragedies of ages past, to a bold new heroic era! Asgard is the target of a dark, destructive force from another reality. When Thor and Sif dive deep into the heart of the fractured World Tree, what they find attracts the attention of the Silver Surfer—and in his wake follows Galactus! But the most horrifying threat of all is the Serpent — who will make the Son of Odin, and the whole Marvel Universe, know fear! Thor is fated to die—but can a team-up with young Loki stave off disaster, or will everything burn? Marvel, 2022. ...More. Item Code: THORMFH Hard Cover, 7x11, 1352pg, Full Color |
| More Thor... |
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PEANUTS EVERY SUNDAY 1991-1995 Almost Gone! Recommended. This volume highlights the wacky friendship between Snoopy and Woodstock, Charlie Brown's supreme ineptitude on the ball field, and the amusing hijinks of Snoopy's desert-roaming brother, Spike. Sunday pages scrupulously restored and re-colored to look better than they ever have. Fantagraphics, 2021. Out of print. ...More. Item Code: PES09H Hard Cover, 13x9, 264pg, b&w |
| More Peanuts... |
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GRIMM TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY Sea of Souls Sean Chen Cover By Dave Franchini. The ocean is an enigma storing many mysteries in its vast depths. Numerous accounts of its spirits, curses and creatures of legend span through the centuries but are all chalked up as myth to those on the land. But for those who call the sea home, they know better, and when the unforgiving, salty mistress spills her secrets, they know to steer clear at all costs. So when an opportunity comes up for several "adventurers" to escape the confines of their mundane life on land, they board a cruise that sets sail through the murky bottomless waters, on a ship said to be haunted. There they will find that some stories of the seven seas are anything but tales. Zenescope, 2022....More. Item Code: GRIMUS Comic, 7x10, 72pg, Full Color $8.99 |
| More one-off comics from Zenescope... |
Graphic Novels |
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DRAGON SKULL TREASURES Signed with Sketch Signed with small drawing! By P.C. Claerhout. Dragon Skull: Treasures is an action-adventure high fantasy series that takes place in a mythical world similar to ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. This first book deals with the childhood of Kaal, and how he bonds with his mentor, Roq, a gryphon who was once part of an ancient league of guardian warriors. But, when Kaal naively releases an indestructible dragon imprisoned on a remote island, he vows to set things right, and learns the valuable lesson of the real "treasure" of the Dragon’s Skull. P. C. Claerhout, 2021....More. Item Code: DRASTS Soft Cover, 7x10, 200pg, b&w $19.99 |
| Sometimes our website search engine leaves something to be desired. I’ve done a search for other books that include an original drawing in case you’d like to see more. This list isn’t perfect or a complete list, but it’s a start! You can also search "drawing" or "sketch". |
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THE WITCHER A Grain of Truth Geralt’s encounter with a beast reveals the truth behind fairy tales in this graphic novel adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's original short story. First in a series of adaptations from Sapkowski's acclaimed short story collection The Last Wish! Adaptation by Jacek Rembis with art by Jonas Scharf (War for the Planet of the Apes). Geralt takes a short cut down a beaten path, where he makes a grim discovery of two corpses. Backtracking their trail, he’s led to a derelict mansion secured with elevated walls and a gate—mysterious and ramshackle, yet adorned with a rare elegance Geralt could not ignore. Dark Horse, 2022....More. Item Code: WITGH Hard Cover, 7x10, 56pg, Full Color $17.99 |
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MARIA LLOVET'S PORCELAIN Collects #1-5. Includes complete cover gallery and bonus material. Beryl's life in the desert, living with her aunt and her cat, is relatively simple...until the day she finds and enters the Dollhouse. Stuck inside an ever-changing mystery house that hunts children and turns them into dolls, Beryl goes on a psychedelic journey where she must face the notion of her own limitations and move past them...before she becomes the building's newest prey. Porcelain is a labyrinth of a psychologically thrilling experience told in a way that only acclaimed creator Maria Llovet (Faithless, Heartbeat, Loud, Eros/Psyche) can tell it. Ablaze, 2022....More. Item Code: MARLH Hard Cover, 7x10, 160pg, Full Color |
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ARSENE LUPIN GENTLEMAN THIEF In 1907, Maurice Leblanc released the first collection of stories recounting the adventures of Arsene Lupin, a charming thief and master of disguises, inspiring generations of anti-heroes to follow. This new edition is colorfully illustrated by artist Vincent Mallie in an animated style reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki (whose first directorial release was Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, filled with nods to Leblanc's classic character). Magnetic Press, 2022....More. Item Code: ARSLH Hard Cover, 8x11, 160pg, Partial Color |
Comics Magazines & Bud Plant Interview, Part 2 |
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COMIC BOOK CREATOR #28 Bud Plant Interview Pt 2 Edited by Jon B. Cooke. From out of the swamp comes a look at the amazingly eclectic and diverse life of the multi-talented Stephen R. Bissette, best known for his collaboration with Alan Moore on Swamp Thing. The career-spanning chat discusses his early love of dinosaurs and his development from graduate of the Joe Kubert School to breakout as a pro (Heavy Metal, Scholastic, DC), independent efforts with his Spiderbaby Grafix (Taboo, Tyrant, etc.), and his long-running stint as instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Also, Part One of our Mike Gold interview on his Chicago youth, start in underground comix, and arrival at DC Comics, right in time for the DC Implosion! Plus Part Two of our interview with Bud Plant on his publishing days, years as comic shop owner, and start in mail order—and CBC’s usual crew of contributors shares their latest insights! TwoMorrows, 2022....More. Item Code: CBCR28 Magazine, 8x11, 84pg, Partial Color $10.95 |
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See CBCR27 for part one of my interview. Editor Jon Cooke really did a bang-up job adding vintage photos and fanzines, convention pictures and more to make this a thoroughly illustrative look at my career in comics. Here’s all available back issues of Comic Book Creator. |
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ALTER EGO #176 Edited by Roy Thomas. The Shadow! Doc Savage! Red Dragon! Supersnipe! The grandiloquent Golden Age comics of major pulp-magazine publisher Street & Smith, examined in loving detail by Mark Carlson-Ghost! Tons of art by Bob Powell, Howard Nostrand, et al! Also: Anthony Tollin on The Shadow/Batman Connection! Bonus features: FCA, Michael T. Gilbert, John Broome, Peter Normanton, and more! TwoMorrows, 2022....More. Item Code: AE176 Magazine, 8x11, 84pg, Partial Color $10.95 |
| Here’s more Alter Ego magazines. We’re down to just four copies of The Best of Alter Ego Volume 2, still at original cover price [BESA02. $19.95]. Published by Twomorrows in 2013. |
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DIRTY PICTURES Rebels Revolutionized Art and Invented Comix By Brian Doherty. In the 1950s, comics meant POW! BAM! superheroes, family-friendly gags, and Sunday funnies, but in the 1960s, inspired by these strips and the satire of MAD magazine, a new generation of creators set out to subvert the medium, and with it, American culture. Their "comix," spelled that way to distinguish the work from their dime-store contemporaries, presented tales of taboo sex, casual drug use, and a transgressive view of society. Embraced by hippies and legions of future creatives, this subgenre of comic books and strips was printed on out-of-date machinery, published in zines and underground newspapers, and distributed in head shops, in porno stores, and on street corners. Comix often ran afoul of the law, but that would not stop them from casting cultural ripples for decades to come, eventually moving the entire comics form beyond the gutter and into fine-art galleries....More. Item Code: DIRPH Hard Cover, 6x9, 448pg, Text Only $30.00 |
| Here’s original underground comix and more books about them and collecting them. |
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WILL EISNER'S INCREDIBLE FACTS, AMAZING STATISTICS, MONUMENTAL TRIVIA Almost Gone! Eisner wrote, illustrated and published (Poorhouse was his private imprint). This was part of a series of "Gleeful Guides" Eisner created prior to his invention of the Graphic Novel in 1978. The title of this one says it all. Book cover reads: An enduring collection of startling-but-true nuggets about health, wealth, life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Find "answers" to drinking, sex, living, law and order, and eating. Eiland Publications, 1974. Out of print. Condition: Cover may be slightly scuffed. ...More. Item Code: WEINF Soft Cover, 9x11, 64pg, b&w $25.00 |
| Here are more vintage Will Eisner books and, like this, more file copies from Kitchen Sink. |
Don Maitz Signed Editions |
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DREAMQUEST The Art of Don Maitz Signed/Limited Edition Almost Gone! Publisher file copy. Signed & limited, 300! This book is a lavishly produced collection of some of Maitz' most popular works, as well as some never before published paintings. Over 90 pages of full color paintings. Maitz likes to mix modern imagery with medieval icons and his pictures frequently display a keen sense of wit. He has designed more than 250 book covers for today's leading authors of cutting edge science fiction, including Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradury, Piers Anthony, Stephen King, Raymond E. Feist, C. J. Cherryh, Janny Wurts and Gene Wolfe. Underwood-Miller, 1993. Out of print. ...More. Item Code: DREQD Hard Cover, 9x11, 98pg, Full Color $100.00 |
| We have only three copies of this. |
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PORTFOLIO OF FANTASY The Art of Don Maitz Signed/Limited Only two available. Limited Edition Portfolio with the first plate signed and numbered to 1,250 by Don Maitz. A Portfolio of Fantasy contains six full-color plates: The Ghostslayer 12 x 17.5 inches, Warrior Wizard 12.75 x 16.5 inches, Green Abductor 12.5 x 18.25 inches, Stake-Out 12.5 x 18.25 inches, Death of the Last Dragon 12.5 x 18.5 inches, Ariosto 16 x 13.5 inches (the art is horizontal on this plate). The plates come in a 14 x 19 inch black folder with white art and lettering. For those who don't know the artist by name, you will probably instantly recognize the famous pirate character he created for Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. The husband of famous fantasy writer Janny Wurts, Don has provided amazing illustrations for novels (including Janny's), jigsaw puzzles, posters, calendars, screen savers, and a host of other merchandise, and Don has even worked as the conceptual artist for feature films like Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. Chimera Publishing, 1980. Out of Print. Condition: Fine/Fine Minus. Black folder has some wear and bumped corners. Prints are in excellent condition....More. Item Code: PORTDM 13x18, 6 plates, Full Color $75.00 |
| We have only two copies of this. |
Mature ReadersLorenzo Sperlonga has put together a set of pin-up playing cards. See more playing cards and Tarot sets here…others are adult-themed too. Here is Spurlonga’s signed sketchbook, Foreplay [FOREHS. $35]. It’s really more of an artbook with much of the work fully finished and in full color. Also this week, two new adult DVDs: Ivone, Queen of Sin and a new 42nd Street Peep Show volume, #53. See all our adult DVDs here.
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Nude Photography | Erotic Art | Erotic Films: DVDs | Adult Graphic Novels | All Pin-Up & Adult Click here to add yourself to our Adult's Only mailing list. |
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3...2...1...Gone |
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Here's another batch of 30 items that are going away soon, down to just one, two or three copies left. You can now see the latest 3…2…1 items in a new section on our website, called ALMOST GONE, at the top of the home page, right next to CLOSEOUTS. We are continuously adding to our Imperfect Editions sections as well. |
Coming in August |
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THE EC ARCHIVES CRIME PATROL Volume 1 Collects #7-#11. By Gardner Fox and Al Feldstein. Presenting tales of horrific crimes, grisly murders, and bizarre homicide cases featuring the titanic artistic talents of Johnny Craig, Sheldon Moldoff, H. C. Keifer, Ed Walden, Ann Brewster, and Stan Ashe. EC's "Pre-Trend" titles were published by M.C. Gaines, and then William Gaines after his father's death in 1947. Dark Horse, 2022. Due: Aug. ...More. Item Code: ECACP01H Hard Cover, 9x11, 176pgs, Full Color |
| Here are available EC archives in both hardcover and in softcover. |
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SILVER AGE CLASSICS: STRANGE SUSPENSE STORIES Volume 5 Collects #38-42, 1958-59. Charlton's not-to-be-underestimated Strange Suspense Stories boasted a huge roster creative of talents-Dick Giordano, Gene Colan, Sol Brodsky, Bill Molno, Rocco Mastroserio, Charles Nicholas, Tony Talarico, Bill Fraccio, Matt Baker. And of course Steve Ditko whose moody, individualistic touch came to dominate Charlton's supernatural titles. But before his Marvel fame, Charlton's shining light, Steve Ditko was at his best in this run of Strange Suspense Stories. PS artbooks, 2022. Due: Aug. ...More. Item Code: PCSS05H Hard Cover, 7x10, 216pg, Full Color $46.99 |
| Here are previous volumes from PS Artbooks. |
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THE ANIMAL MAN OMNIBUS (2022 Edition) Art by Chaz Truog. Buddy Baker is more than just a second rate Super Hero—he’s also a family man and animal rights activist. Now, as he tries to jump-start his crime fighting career, he experiences visions of aliens, people transforming into strange pencil-like drawings, and hints of a terrible crisis lurking around the edges of reality. And as his odyssey of self-discovery gives way to spiritual enlightenment as well as the depths of despair, Buddy meets his maker: a writer named Grant Morrison. DC Comics, 2022. Due: Aug. ...More. Item Code: ANIMMH Hard Cover, 712pg, Full Color |
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TERRY AND THE PIRATES The Master Collection Volume 2 1936 The Burma Blues. Volume 2 of this landmark series—reproduced from Milton Caniff's personal set of color syndicate tabloid proofs—features the iconic 1936 daily and Sunday adventures, which continue their separate paths until the end of August when the stories-and cast of characters-are happily united once and for all. The Library of American Comics and Clover Press together publish Terry and the Pirates: The Master Collection, the ultimate edition of Caniff's masterpiece. The Sundays are presented in an unmatched color fidelity and larger than they have ever before been reprinted—an unparalleled upgrade that no Terry fan can afford to pass up. Clover Press, 2022. Due: Aug. ...More. Item Code: TERP02H Hard Cover, 11x14, 164pg, Full Color |
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ALSO AVAILABLE TERRY AND THE PIRATES The Master Collection Volume 1 Collects all dailies and Sundays from the strip's beginning in 1934 through the end of 1935. Highly Recommended. The Library of American Comics and Clover Press presents Terry and the Pirates: The Master Collection. Reproduced from Milton Caniff's personal set of color syndicate proofs that were unavailable for previous books, this series will be the ultimate edition of Caniff's masterpiece. The Sundays are presented in an unmatched color fidelity and larger than they have ever before been reprinted “ an unparalleled upgrade that no Terry fan can afford to pass up. Clover Press, 2022. Due: JULY ...More. Item Code: TERP01H Hard Cover, 11x14, 192pg, Partial Color |
| It looks like we’ll finally see this first volume in July. Covid and shipping delays had an impact on this, it was first announced some time ago. Glad to see this new, best-ever series finally coming together. |
Rare & Out of Print |
News & Notes |
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Oregon Trip I’m still in Oregon as I write this, on the way home after the Rose City Book Fair in Portland. So I’ve only be able to tweak a few of the descriptions above, having not seen several of these new books yet. I’ll add personal details and recommendations as soon as I can, hopefully next week. The book fair was a lot of fun, though it seems like attendence was on the light side. Not a lot of demand for our better, high-end books, though we did sell a few. We had a fancy glass case for the first time at this fair, with lots of our cool new books from the Richard Dix and Steve Adamovich collections. See Anne’s website for the latest additions, plus many are being listed as Rare Books on the Bud’s Art Books site too. What with all that is going on today with covid, the stock market, gas prices and war in Ukraine, I can see some folks deciding to stay home. All the dealers and most of the public wore masks throughout the two-day show. We did the same in Oakland at the ABAA show in February. But we took off our masks for load-in and load-out, since it’s hard to heft boxes, load the van, and push around a heavy handtruck wearing a mask. And lo and behold, I tested positive, 3 days after the show. Arghh! Fortunately, I have both boosters and my shots, so it’s been like a short-term flu and I’m already feeling better. But what a bummer as I had to call all the friends we stayed with and/or came into contact with, to let them know. So far no one, not even Anne, has picked it up from me, but I’m trying to remain very careful. Even the flu-like symptoms really suck. But to end on a positive note, I bought a very cool 1940s era wooden store display rack for Pocket Books, once one of the largest of all paperback publishers. It has great decals on it for Perry Mason and Agatha Christie books, who of course were wildly popular in those days. It was a bit of a squeeze getting it in the van with all the other material, but we did it. I also bought a single panel from a 1937 Alex Raymond Flash Gordon Page, with Flash and Dale from the Water World sequence. A friend found it at a garage sale several years ago for .25. Yes, twenty-five cents. I won’t say what I paid for it but it was a zilliion percent mark-up. But I’ve never had an example of Raymond’s superb brush work like this before. ~Bud |
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