This week, Fantagraphics topped the NY Times Best Seller list in hardback graphic novels. Four of our new releases landed on the list: In the number one position was Pogo – The Complete Syndicated Strips Vol. 3 "Evidence to the Contrary" by Walt Kelly. This volume features daily and Sunday strips (in full color) from 1953-1954. Kelly introduces one of his boldest political caricatures, the insidious Simple J. Malarkey. Seminole Sam scams, Churchy La Femme cross-dresses, P.T. Bridgeport returns and more.
N0. 2 on the Best Seller list was The Complete Peanuts 1991-1994 Gift Box Set by Charles M. Schulz. There's a reason this two-some is so popular; the books are full of surprises for the most ardent Peanuts fan and Schulz's humor is unrestrained and glorious. There is a charmingly odd story of when the school bus never comes, full-on Waiting for Godot. In addition, Charlie Brown finally FINALLY hits a home run but the entire story is worth the boxset.
At spot 3 is Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Libary Volumes 1 + 2 Gift Box Set including "Return to Plain Awful" and "Son of the Sun". Famed for his prizewinning "Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck," Rosa wrote and drew a whopping two decades' worth of ripping Scrooge and Donald yarns! Duckburg's richest tycoon is on the hunt for legendary square eggs – and he's bringing Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie along, in the sequel to "Lost in the Andes"!
And at spot 6 is the single volume of The Complete Peanuts Vol. 22 1993-1994 by Charles M. Schulz. Complete with the homerun, the bus that wouldn't come PLUS Snoopy makes a run for the Supreme Court and battles pneumonia.
The week these four books came out, we had about 54 pounds of graphic novels, comic strips and reprints come out so we still a bit shocked to have so many titles on the list (but not so shocked when you consider the awesome comics). Gary and Eric did some deadlifts just to see if they could guess the weight of the releases from Wednesday, October 22nd.
We'll keep printing if you keep a-reading!