Reading Frenzy ~ An Independent Press Emporium

B is For Beard-An Alphabetic Exploration of Facial Hair

By BT Livermore

26pp., 13.5x7, 4 color silkscreen cover, saddle stapled

B is for Beard is an illustrated rhyming compendium of all the wonderful varieties of facial hair this world has to offer. Each letter of the alphabet is covered, and is represented by either a style of facial hair, or someone who is famous for having theirs, real or fake. From Dali to Neck Beard to X-rated Porn Star 'Stache, there's tons of inspiration for your precious little hairs.

$18.00

Bear Fight!

82 pp., 6.75x8, perfect bound, 3 color silkscreen cover

Have you ever wondered who would win in a fight between a bear and an astronaut? What about Mecha-Bear? 76 artists envision their own bear fight, ranging from cute to terrifying to deeply, deeply disturbing (crazed grizzly vs. dachshunds?). There's even a prize at the end for you: 5 bloodthirsty bear paper dolls to stage your own bloody scenes!  

$12.00

Big Plans #2

By Aron Nels Steinke

48 pages, mini

From the publisher: Simply drawn and to the point, Big Plans stands out as one of the best modern self-published comics. The Xeric Award-winning series continues as Aron explores his childhood and adolescence, a retrospective on 90's video games and siblings in trouble.

$5.00

Big Plans #3

By Aron Nels Steinke

49 pages, mini

In issue #3 Aron goes to the Academy Awards, drinks too much, insults a fellow animator, and meets a cute girl.

Printed with soy based inks on recycled paper in Portland, Oregon!

$5.00

Big Plans #4

By Aron Nels Steinke

48 pages, offset, soy based ink

From the publisher: Theft, paranoia and the Po-Po. This issue's feature story, "The Intruder," is the story about a young woman's stolen laptop and the resulting police sting operation she helps to organize.

"Steinke's work has a heartfelt touch that makes what could have been a collection of mundane stories a hilarious and endearing triumph. Well worth the $5 spent per issue, and entertaining enough to read over and over again. Rating: 5 stars." --Graphic Novel Reporter

$5.00

Elf World #1

35 pp., 9x6, saddle stapled, letter pressed cover

Indie comic artists give into their (and ours) nerdy impulses for the Elf World series! Originally inspired by a sadly shelved Jeffery Brown project, Elf World collects stories of sword and sorcery, magic and monsters, and the attenuate snark and sarcasm of Alec Longstreth, Dash Shaw, Sammy Harkham, and more. 

$6.00

Elf World #2

37 pp., 8.75x6, letter pressed cover, saddle stapled

More magical mayhem from Daria Tessler, Dylan Horrocks, Jeremy Tinder, and others. Ranging from the surreal to the silly, Elf World 2 features a whopping 40 pages of genre greatness, including "Summoning" from Dylan Horrocks, a story of "Instant Karma" byJeremy Tinder (MOME, Cry Yourself to Sleep), an elf's rough day on the job by cover artist Daria Tessler, the first chapter of "Memento Mori" by Francois Vigneault(Bird Brain), and much more, including work by Matthew Reidsma(High Maintainance Machine) Marek Bennet(Mimi's Donuts), and Eve Englezos and Josh Moutray(Icecreamlandia)

$7.00

Everything Dies #5

By Box Brown

38 pp., 9x6, saddle stapled

From the publisher: This latest (and largest) issue of Everything Dies continues the Heart of Stonework story from issue four.  In this installment, our protagonist has given up on finding meaning in life and turned to drugs to open his mind.  Upon giving up, he meets a woman who is a part of a religious sect (for reasons that you'll have to read to find out). This woman proceeds to shatter the protagonist's worldview and challenges him to go on living.  As with the previous issues of Everything Dies, Brown continues to show his genius in graphical storytelling.

$5.00

Everything Dies #7

By Box Brown

32 pp., 9x6, saddle stapled

From the publisher: One of the best and most promising new comic artists out there today, Box Brown writes and draws the Everything Dies zine series as a hard (and oft times hilarious) look into the religious myths of our world. Issue seven is a comic retelling of the pan-cultural "flood myth." Here we see Sumerian wind god Enlil (a total badass jerk  a la an evil pro-wrestler) setting out to destroy the newly-created people of the Earth. The "Noah" of this polytheistic ark story is King Ziasudra, and his trajectory and fate are much different than the Christian Biblical version. Beautifully drawn and deep-packed with "the things that make you go hmm,"  Everything Dies will keep you reassessing who we are and what we"ve built our shared narrative from. This is one of the most rewarding titles you'll read all year. Massively, joyfully, fist-pumpingly recommended!

$5.00

The Factoids of Life

By Dan Zettwoch

31 pp., saddle stapled, silkscreen cover

An illustrated treasury of amazing facts, The Factoids of Life asks Did You Know....a 'llllama' is the slang term for a fetish for horses with women's legs, or that elevator engineers build in secret codes to go faster? Ripley's Believe it or Not it is not, in content or (possibly) veracity, but don't tell your guide, world renowned factologist Leon Beyond. Astound and entertain your friends and neighbors

$5.00