Comic compilations - s&d

I read Popgun and Mome. I used to avoid Flight because of bad hype but I got the fifth volume and it's ok. Mome is probably artisest, Popgun is my favourite - I guess partly just because of the size of the thing, there's always bound to be lots of goof stuff and the bad stuff is over in a second.

What other anthologies should I look out for? Also, to what extent do these actually make you seek out new writers/artists? Everytime I read one there's like five or six names I feel I should check up on and then I never do...

KRAMER'S ERGOT

'Member DV? That was pretty good.

Kramers Ergot YES, esp. the gigantic new volume (#7). An "oh wow" on every page.

I like the Ivan Brunetti-edited "Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories" a ton, especially the second volume. Really well edited, really well sequenced.

The fifth volume of NON is very very good but impossible to find.

And seek out a copy of the Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics, which is wall-to-wall wonders. (Avoid the Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics, though.)

I was thinking more about compilations that try to put new artist's stuff out there than anthologies of established stuff, Douglas, more label samplers than Rhino Records if you will. But no thread nazism here, that stuff's interesting to discuss as well.

The two DC Bizarro books are good for finding new writers/artists, too.

I like the Ivan Brunetti-edited "Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories" a ton, especially the second volume. Really well edited, really well sequenced.

Ooooh, I have the first volume, and was thinking of picking up the second one soon. I was worried it would be a lesser version of the first, but your comment reassures me.

'Member DV? That was pretty good.

Two years since the last issue and no plans for a new one that I know of (actually, that makes only four issues this century, and one of those they only printed 200 of...)

(Avoid the Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics, though.)

I got both Smithsonian books for X-mas presents one year when I was a kid. Reading the newspaper comics book was wonderful and kind of mind-blowing, and the Thimble Theatre serial reprinted in it was easily the highlight of the book for me. Man, thinking about the newspaper book also reminds me of how great the Masters of American Comics exhibit was... Anyway, I don't think that the comic book book is that bad. The Superman and Batman origin stories that lead the anthology off seem like the only selections picked purely for historical purposes and the rest of it is really solid and entertaining reading. Well, maybe except for the George Carlson stuff, which I didn't really like that much. The book's worth picking up secondhand, at least. And I wish that pretty much all reprints of old material, stuff like the Fantagraphics Peanuts reissues aside, used their method, just shooting photographs of actual comic book pages and presenting them as they were originally printed. The DC Archives and Showcase Presents/Marvel Masterworks type formats both really piss me off when I compare them to the format of the Smithsonian books.

Oh, whoops, the "Comic-Book Comics" one really is pretty good--I was thinking of "The New Smithsonian Book of Comic Book Stories: From Crumb to Clowes," which is a mess.

yeah, i too was puzzled by yr rejection of the smithsonian comic-book book, which has some absolutely wonderful little lulu strips by john stanley and irving tripp and a very nice repro of krigstein's 'master race' amongst other goodies

lotsa used book stores should have COMIX by the Mad Peel; that's got lots of good stuff. Back issues of Nemo are worth at least 5 bucks a pop. 'Best Comics of the Decade', the 2 volume comp from fantagraphics is worth a gander.

which is a mess.

as always happens when you commission Bob Callahan.