40. Unwritten vol. 7

Just when you expect Gross & Carey’s literary-metaphysical magnum opus to start buckling down and wrapping up, it gets headier and wilder.

39. Waking Sleeping Beauty

An absolute love song to the guys who resurrected Disney’s majesty after a muddled, disappointing ’80s. The Howard Ashman stuff is inspiring and tragic.

38. Foxing Quarterly

Art directed by Jim Rugg, this might be the best-looking zine we have ever seen.

37. James Ensor

The powerful works of this turn-of-the-century Belgian expressionist can be seen at the MoMA. The combination of tiny, obsessive detail with big, broad gestures reminded us of our own David Proch.

36. TCAF

We’re headed north again as the Time Machine travels across the border. Now if we could just find our passports…

35. Print Show

Instead of featuring one particular artist, in May we’re filling the gallery with beautiful low-priced prints from our books and our friends. Our buddies sure do make some pretty pictures here…

34. IDW’s Spirit Artist’s Edition

Now that’s the spirit!

33. Nemo in Sleeplessland

I think Nemo needs a break from Slumberland. Many thanks to Caitlin McCormack.

32. Twice Upon a Time Machine

Wherein we settle upon a theme for our OUATM sequel: Greek mythology.

31. Adventures of Jodelle

Fantagraphics’ new edition of Guy Peellaert’s French spy-porn-comedy zings like Yellow Submarine on a Quaalude high.

30. Mind MGMT

Matt Kindt plays with the possibilities of sequential storytelling in this mind-fuck of a modern masterpiece.

29. Roger Ebert

We were saddened by the death of the greatest film critic of all time. The world lost a big brain, a kind soul, a sharp wit and an open heart.

28. Mad Men

Return of the Don.

27. Luminous Incal

Moebius & Jodorowski as they should be seen. At $80 this book is a steal.

26. Daygloayhole

Ben Passmore’s post-apocalyptic trip-out is sloppy and sort of incomprehensible, but it’s absolutely overflowing with sheer cartoon verve.

25. Ben Marra’s Macbeth

Marra was commissioned by the Bavarian State Opera to do this German-language adaptation of Macbeth. It’s a big world out there.

24. Cracked Actor

This movie has basically been running on an infinite loop at the shop. Bowie at the height of his coked-out genius. Brecht meets Judy Garland meets Elvis meets strip tease meets nervous breakdown.

23. Gustave Verbeek

Lock your iPad screen and flip this sucker upside down. Turn-of-the-century comic-strip alchemy, from a German mastermind.

22. Everything I Can See From Here

This gorgeous, mysterious, rapturously animated short film should be watched on the biggest screen you can find.

21. Comics Classes at Locust Moon

Locust Moon Academy begins in earnest on May 28th, with two weekly classes (for children & adults, respectively) going forward. James Comey and Mark Robinson will bust your heads open and fill them with brilliance.

20. Calyer

Eating octopus tentacles with Mr. Pope in this eclectic Brooklyn bistro was either something we did or a really weird dream.

19. Comedian

J.G. Jones & Brian Azzarello’s ramshackle origin story goes out with a literal bang. Clever, shocking, and powerful.

18. Daniel Merriam

We discovered the work of this brilliant low-brow surrealist at the Animazing Fine Art gallery in SoHo. (Along with original paintings by Dr. Seuss, drawings by Charles Schulz, and other awesomeness.)

17. Marshal Law: Deluxe Edition

DC finally collects the complete run of Pat Mills & Kevin O’Neill’s gonzo superhero freakout. Couldn’t be more of its time, yet still feels utterly relevant and vital.

16. Totto Ramen

When the world burns down, we hope that NYC’s Totto Ramen is the last restaurant standing. We will huddle in their tiny dining room, slurping noodle-bowl after noodle-bowl, happily awaiting our inevitable deaths.

15. Tampopo

Totto Ramen is so good that after we gorged ourselves we had to watch a movie about ramen noodles. Like a fever dream. Who knew live prawns could be used as sex toys?

14. Alexandra Beguez

This mistress of the silent comic will be featured in the first issue of QUARTER MOON. Check out her chimerical & elegant work here.

13. Easy Pieces

Neil Dvorak’s incredibly odd and telekinetic mini-comix form a handbook for living in this cracked, schizoid world.

12. Phantom Hand

Our buddies over at Phantom Hand are doing great things with their monthly weird-beautiful-shit shows at Jinxed.

11. Lettuce Girl

Sophie Wiedeman’s whimsical & sometimes-heartbreaking fable has sympathy for the devil and the damsel both.

10. Postland

Jeremy Baum’s wild saga of backwoods occultism will crawl into the dark corners of your mind, makes itself at home, and begin building its inexplicable temple.

9. Shaman

We prep Ben Kahan’s bounding, wild-eyed superhero saga for the pitch process. Bruno Hidalgo’s art has never looked better, not to mention the covers by Farel Dalrymple, J.G. Jones, James Comey, Rob Woods & Alice Meichi Li.

8. Marvel Covers

When did Marvel start churning out brilliant pop-art and slapping it on the covers of Spider-Man, Deadpool and X-Men books?

7. It Will All Hurt

Printed & Eisner nominated, it’s been a wild month for Farel Dalrymple’s itchy & oddly brilliant magic trick.

6. Quarter Moon

The first issue of our comics magazine will showcase silent comics, and feature Charles Fetherolf, Alexandra Beguez, Lindsey Wavrek, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Wiedeman, Alex Eckman-Lawn & Jeremy Baum. To be released on July 17th.

5. Paul Pope

The man himself joins the Dream Army. And in discussing his potential Nemo strip, points us toward…

4. Little Ego

Giardino’s erotic parody/homage to McCay captures the tone and feel of Little Nemo perfectly, but features more sex with alligators.

3. Roger Langridge’s Little Nemo Strip

O how I wish we could really show you this one. No one channels his own vivid voice through a ventriloquated medium better than the fine Mr. Langridge. Here’s a tiny taste.

2. Free Comic Book Day

Cookies, Balloons, Little Baby’s Ice Cream, J.G. Jones, Mark Robinson, Dave Proch, Rob Woods… oh yeah, and thousands of free books. 5/4, all day. Merry comichristmas, everyone.

1. Carmine Infantino

We bid farewell to one of the true titans of comic-making, a king of the silver age, and a constant inspiration to anyone who believes that comics can and should get better and better and better.