By Tom Spurgeon
* Top Shelf announced a pair of summer books last week in I believe the exact ten minutes I was not able to get up word of those books in a more timely fashion. The first three names recommending Rob Harrell's Monster On The Hill series -- a book series -- are Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith and Richard Thompson. So that's pre-sold to me, anyway. That's all-ages and 192 pages. I think they could do well with that one. God Is Disappointed In You has a strong high-concept and I say that as not particularly a fan of high concepts: a re-telling of the Bible where each book is boiled down to its funniest, most distressing core. That features art by Shannon Wheeler, who has had one of the more interesting alt-comics careers in terms of his non-Shannon Wheeler written projects for sure. Anyway, a couple of people have in the last week wondered out loud in my direction after Top Shelf's output, so there you go.
* that great cartoonist Richard Thompson is hard at work assembling material for The Complete Cul De Sac, due as early as this Fall. That should be something to behold. I'm very glad that that work is going to receive a strong, comprehensive printing and that Thompson is going to be involved as heavily as it looks like he's going to be involved. That was a great comic strip.* John Kerschbaum has work appearing in MAD. I have to imagine that's still a fun freelance get that first time around. And subsequent times around.
* here's a preview of RM Guera on Judge Dredd.
* Ben Towle has a look at a cover for the next Maakies collection, in that great series by Tony Millionaire.
* finally, I somehow missed this cover for the forthcoming Jim Woodring book.
