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EXTRA // 8.22.02

EXTRA: ESSENTIAL ESSENTIALS

In case you hadn't noticed:

One of the regular columns which has run in each and every issue of SAVANT has been ESSENTIAL -- a good solid look at a book we think is absolutely indispensable. These are the Classics, the AFI 100s, the Platters That Matter, the award winners and the crowd pleasers and the ones in between. And now, they're all collected in one place, easy to find and sort through.

It's our gift to you. In case you hadn't noticed.

-SAVANT

ESSENTIALS: (titles are linked to the review)

AGE OF BRONZE
Eric Shanower
Image Comics
STAR13458
(Steve Pheley)

ALEC: HOW TO BE AN ARTIST
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell Comics/Top Shelf
ISBN #0957789637
(Kip Manley)

ANIMAL MAN
Grant Morrison/Chaz Truog
DC Comics/Vertigo
STAR13383
(Christopher Sebela)

ASTRO BOY
Osamu Tezuka
Dark Horse Comics
STAR15434
(Jeff Chon)

ASTRO CITY: CONFESSION
Kurt Busiek/Brent Anderson
DC Comics/Homage
STAR08680
(Dave Potter)

ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE: LIVE FROM THE MOON
Larry Young/Matt Smith/Charlie Adlard
AiT/plaNETlar
STAR10738
(Gus Dahlberg)

BAKUNE YOUNG v.1
Toyokazu Matusunaga
Viz Communications
ISBN #1-56931-5410-X
(Dan Goldman)

BERLIN: CITY OF STONE
Jason Lutes
Drawn & Quarterly
(Jamie S. Rich)

BLACK AND WHITE
Taiyo Matsumoto
Viz Communications
STAR080401
(Dan Goldman)

BLACK HOLE
Charles Burns
Fantagraphics
AUG022108
(Christopher Sebela)

BLACK PANTHER: THE CLIENT
Priest/Mark Texiera
Marvel Comics
STAR13561
(Matt Terl)

BONE v.1: OUT FROM BONEVILLE
Jeff Smith
Cartoon Books
(Dave Potter)

BOONDOCKS
Aaron McGruder
Andrews McMeel
ISBN #0740706098
(Matt Terl)

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: RING OF FIRE
Doug Petrie/Ryan Sook
Dark Horse Comics
STAR11743
(Al Stuart)

CAGES
Dave McKean
NBM Publishing
(Don Campbell)

CEREBUS: CHURCH AND STATE v.1 and 2
Dave Sim/Gerhard
Aardvark/Vanaheim
STAR00322
(Erik Amaya)

CHANNEL ZERO
Brian Wood
AiT/plaNETlar
STAR11745
(Matt Fraction)

THE CHUCKLING WHATSIT
Richard Sala
Fantagraphics?
(Eric Reanimator)

CLAN APIS
Jay Hosler
Active Synapse
(Steve Pheley)

THE COMPLETE COPYBOOK TALES
J. Torres/Tim Levin
Oni Press
STAR15393
(Al Stuart)

THE COWBOY WALLY SHOW
Kyle Baker
Marlowe and Company
(Zack Smith)

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN
Frank Miller/David Mazzucchelli
Marvel Comics
STAR14467
(Dave Potter)

DAVID BORING
Daniel Clowes
Fantagraphics
STAR11790
(Hank Tempo)

THE DIRTY PAIR: A PLAGUE OF ANGELS
Adam Warren/Toren Smith
Dark Horse Comics
STAR01289
(Alec Austin)

DOOM PATROL: CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE
Grant Morrison/Richard Case
DC Comics
(Christopher Sebela)

DR. STRANGE & DR. DOOM: TRIUMPH AND TORMENT
Roger Stern/Mike Mignola/Mark Badger
Marvel Comics
(Dave Potter)

DORK TOWER v.2: DORK SHADOWS
John Kovalic
Dork Storm Press
(Dave Potter)

THE DREAMER
Will Eisner
DC Comics
STAR11290
(Steve Pheley)

EAGLE
Kaiji Kawaguchi
Viz Communications
(James L. Jones)

ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN
Frank Miller/Bill Sienkiewicz
Marvel Comics
STAR12388
(John Cecil)

EPICURUS THE SAGE
William Messner-Loebs/Sam Kieth
DC Comics
STAR01055
(Jeff Chon)

FALLOUT
Jim Ottaviani et al.
G-T Labs
STAR14735
(Gus Dahlberg)

FAX FROM SARAJEVO
Joe Kubert
Dark Horse Comics
STAR08426
(Gus Dahlberg)

FINDER: SIN-EATER
Carla Speed McNeill
Lightspeed Press
(Alec Austin)

FORTUNE & GLORY
Brian Michael Bendis
Oni Press
STAR11570
(Dave Potter)

FROM HELL
Alan Moore/Eddie Campbell
Top Shelf/Eddie Campbell Comics
(Mike Fennell)

HATE
Peter Bagge
Fantagraphics
(John Cecil)

HEART OF EMPIRE
Bryan Talbot
Dark Horse Comics
(William Johnson)

HEAVY LIQUID
Paul Pope
DC Comics/Vertigo
STAR12858
(Dustin Harbin)

HICKSVILLE
Dylan Horrocks
Black Eye Press
(Rob Clough)

INU-YASHA
Rumiko Takahashi
Viz Communications
STAR07538
(Alec Austin)

IT'S A GOOD LIFE, IF YOU DON'T WEAKEN
Seth
Drawn & Quarterly
(Christopher Sebela)

JAR OF FOOLS
Jason Lutes
Drawn & Quarterly
(Alec Austin)

JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC
Jhonen Vasquez
Slave Labor Graphics
STAR07025
(Al Stuart)

KABUKI: METAMORPHOSIS
David Mack
Image Comics
STAR13077
(Adam Mount)

KINGDOM COME
Mark Waid/Alex Ross
DC Comics
STAR06816
(Stephen Rauch)

LITTLE LIT
Art Spiegelman, ed.
Harper Collins
ISBN #0-06-028624-5
(Christine Fugate)

LITTLE WHITE MOUSE
Paul Sizer
Blue Line Pro Comics
AUG021910
(Dan Traeger)

LONE WOLF & CUB: THE ASSASSIN'S ROAD
Kazuo Koike/Goreki Kojima
Dark Horse
STAR11783
(William Johnson)

LOVE AND ROCKETS v.13: CHESTER SQUARE
Jaime Hernandez
Fantagraphics
(Matt Fraction)

MAIL ORDER BRIDE
Mark Kalesniko
Fantagraphics
STAR12900
(Chris Jurcich)

MAUS: A SURVIVOR'S TALE
Art Spiegelman
Pantheon Books
(Vincent Francone)

THE COMPLEAT MOONSHADOW
J.M. DeMatteis/John J. Muth
DC Comics
(Don Campbell)

NEON LIT: PAUL AUSTER'S CITY OF GLASS
Paul Karasik/David Mazzucchelli
Avon Books
ISBN #0-380-77108-X
(Ken Applebaum)

9-11: EMERGENCY RELIEF
Various
Alternative Comics
STAR14976
(Dave Potter)

PEANUTS: THE ART OF CHARLES SCHULTZ
Chip Kidd
Pantheon Books
(John Pierce)

PEDRO & ME
Judd Winick
Henry Holt
(Jamie S. Rich)

PEEPSHOW: THE POOR BASTARD
Joe Matt
Drawn & Quarterly
(Bryan Miller)

POTENTIAL
Ariel Schrag
Slave Labor Graphics
ISBN #0-943151-04-X
(Matt Fraction)

ROAD TO PERDITION
Max Allan Collins/Charles Rayner
DC Comics/Paradox Press
STAR11975
(Jeff Chon)

SAFE AREA GORAZDE
Joe Sacco
Fantagraphics
STAR11624
(Rob Clough)

SCENE OF THE CRIME: A LITTLE PIECE OF GOODNIGHT
Ed Brubaker/Michael Lark/Sean Phillips
DC Comics/Vertigo
STAR10917
(Steve Pheley)

SOUNDTRACK: SHORT STORIES, 1989-1996
Jessica Abel
Fantagraphics
STAR13749
(Ronald Montgomery)

SQUEE'S WONDERFUL BIG GIANT BOOK OF UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS
Jhonen Vasquez
Slave Labor Graphics
(William Johnson)

STRANGEHAVEN
Gary Spencer Millidge
Abiogenesis Press
(Alec Austin)

STRANGERS IN PARADISE: I DREAM OF YOU
Terry Moore
Abstract Studios
(Steve Pheley)

STRAY BULLETS v.1: THE INNOCENCE OF NIHILISM
David Lapham
El Capitan Books
(Hank Tempo)

SUPERMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW?
Alan Moore/Curt Swan/George Perez/Kurt Schaffenberger
DC Comics
STAR138420
(Dave Potter)

SWAMP THING: LOVE AND DEATH
Alan Moore/Stephen Bissette/Shawn McManus/John Totleben
DC Comics/Vertigo
STAR11633
(Matt Terl)

THE TALE OF ONE BAD RAT
Bryan Talbot
Dark Horse Comics
STAR01324
(Erik Amaya)

32 STORIES: THE COMPLETE OPTIC NERVE MINI-COMICS
Adrian Tomine
Drawn & Quarterly
STAR02127
(Bryan Miller)

THOSE ANNOYING POST BROTHERS: DISTURB THE NEIGHBORS
Matt Howarth
Aeon Press
ISBN# 1-883847-15-X
(Paul Riddell)

300
Frank Miller/Lynn Varley
Dark Horse Comics
STAR10465
(R. Francis Smith)

TORSO
Brian Michael Bendis/Mark Andreyko
Image Comics
STAR12688
(Ben Campbell)

TRANSMETROPOLITAN
Warren Ellis/Darick Robertson
DC Comics/Vertigo
STAR07375 / STAR08659 / STAR10130 /
STAR11553 / STAR13594 / STAR13415
(Alec Austin)

VIOLENT CASES
Neil Gaiman/Dave McKean
(Alec Austin)

THE WAITING PLACE v.1
Sean McKeever/Brendan and Brian Fraim
Slave Labor Graphics
ISBN #0-943151-36-8
(Dave Potter)

WILL EISNER'S SHOP TALK
Will Eisner et al.
Dark Horse Comics
STAR13515
(Gus Dahlberg)

THE WIZARD'S TALE
Kurt Busiek/David Wenzel
DC Comics/Homage
STAR08672D
(Zack Smith)


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