Enjoy recent author events, interviews, and bookseller series. Visit our website to learn more: www.skylightbooks.com
Episodes
Tuesday Aug 14, 2018
Tuesday Aug 14, 2018
Fashion! Murder! Allergies?! Snotgirl, the acclaimed comic book and graphic novel series from co-creators Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim) and acclaimed artist Leslie Hung returns with Snotgirl Volume 2: California Screaming. Snotgirl features the adventures of an LA-based fashion blogger whose glamorous life unravels due to severe allergies (and, to be fair, a possible murder for which she may be responsible).
O'Malley and Hung are joined by Jen Wang, a cartoonist, author and illustrator living in Los Angeles.
Sunday Jul 15, 2018
Sunday Jul 15, 2018
Sarah Andersen’s hilarious third collection, Herding Cats, features the two time Goodreads Choice Award favorite continuing to poke fun at herself and her insecurities, her cat obsession, and the inherent humor in the daily life of a young woman.
Sarah’s imaginative and right-on-target comics explore the complexities of being an introvert, a millennial, a young woman, and an artisit with a distinctive, quirky, and honest style. Readers will relish her latest installment with a warm feeling of solidarity and familiar recognition, as she depicts the challenges in navigating real life and the Internet-infused world of today in a humorous, refreshingly candid, and poignant manner.
Wednesday Jul 11, 2018
Wednesday Jul 11, 2018
What do you get when you cross a fistful of pens and an enormous stack of blank paper with somebody who resents the sweet-smelling muzzle of good manners and polite conversation, will go to his grave insisting that phuck is not a four-letter word, has never been able to hold a 9 to 5 job for more than a handful of meager months, who regularly permits himself the crude grace of giving a shit about absolutely everything, and who delights in always saying the wrong thing at the right time in contempt of every expectation that the naked truth is at all obscene?
You get And Then the World Blew Up, a collection of cartoons, illustrations, personal essays and culture-war correspondence from an author who's just trying to defuse the apocalyptic bomb that is the miracle of our Creation. Drawn, painted, and collaged in Mr. Fish’s many virtuosic styles, And Then the World Blew Up is an eloquent take-no- prisoners response to American political life.
Friday Jul 06, 2018
Friday Jul 06, 2018
When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-’60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage. From Tee Franklin (Nailbiter’s The Outfit, Love is Love) and Jenn St-Onge (Jem & The Misfits), Bingo Love is a touching story of love, family, and resiliency that spans over 60 years.
Franklin is in conversation with award-winning television and comic book writer Amanda Deibert.
Wednesday Jun 27, 2018
Wednesday Jun 27, 2018
In his inimitable style, British cartoonist Tom Gauld has opened comics to a crossover audience and challenged perceptions of what the medium can be. Noted as a "book-lover's cartoonist," Gauld's weekly strips in The Guardian, Britain's most well-regarded newspaper, stitch together the worlds of literary criticism and pop culture to create brilliantly executed, concise comics. Simultaneously silly and serious, Gauld adds an undeniable lightness to traditionally highbrow themes. From sarcastic panels about the health hazards of being a best-selling writer to a list of magical items for fantasy writers (such as the Amulet of Attraction, which summons mainstream acceptance, Hollywood money, and fresh coffee), Gauld's cartoons are timely and droll--his trademark British humour, impeccable timing, and distinctive visual style sets him apart from the rest. In Baking with Kafka, he proves this with one witty, sly, ridiculous comic after another.
Gauld is in conversation with Mark Frauenfelder, a research director at the Institute for the Future, founding editor of Wired.com, and the author of eight books.
Wednesday Jun 27, 2018
Wednesday Jun 27, 2018
Illustrator, animator, teacher, and comic artist Fran Krause has touched a collective nerve with his wildly popular web comic series–and subsequent New York Times best-selling book–Deep Dark Fears. In follow-up The Creeps he brings readers more of the creepy, funny, and idiosyncratic fears they love illustrated in comic form–such as the fear that your pets will tell other animals all your embarrassing secrets, or that someone uses your house while you’re not home–as well as two longer comic short-stories about ghosts.
Sunday Jun 17, 2018
Sunday Jun 17, 2018
Demetri Martin, comedian and New York Times bestselling author of This Is a Book and Point Your Face at This, is back with another collection of hilarious drawings and jokes.
Packed with hundreds of new illustrations and one-liners, If It's Not Funny, It's Art is a peek into the ingenious mind of author/comedian/filmmaker Demetri Martin. Exploring the meaning of art, life, death, ennui and the elegant fart joke with a sensibility all its own, this collection is a perfect gift for word lovers, art appreciators and fans of Demetri's unique brand of comedy. Sure to make you laugh out loud, and if it doesn't, then you know it's art.
Tuesday May 29, 2018
Tuesday May 29, 2018
Shade the Changing Girl, Vol. 1 Earth Girl Made Easy
From writer Cecil Castellucci and artist Marley Zarcone, Shade the Changing Girl, Vol. 1 Earth Girl Made Easy—a bold new reimagining of one of comics’ maddest and most memorable characters and part of the DC’s Young Animal imprint led by rock-star Gerard Way.
Loma Shade may be from another planet, but she’s still like every other twentysomething who feels that their life is going nowhere fast. Bored out of her mind, her solution is to drop out of school, dump her boyfriend and leave her homeworld of Meta behind—courtesy of the infamous “madness coat” of renegade poet Rac Shade, which is not so much a garment as it is a multidimensional gateway.
After stealing the coat and astrally projecting herself across space, Loma ends up in the body of Megan Boyer, an Earth girl who seems to have it all: youth, beauty and a conveniently damaged brain. Following her “miraculous” recovery, however, Loma finds there’s just one problem with being Megan: Everyone hates her. She was a bully who terrorized her enemies and her friends alike, and now Loma’s stuck with the consequences.To make matters worse, back on Meta there are dark forces that want Rac’s dangerously valuable coat for their own nefarious purposes, and they’re closing in on Loma’s vulnerable physical body. At the same time, the primal madness that the coat channels is slowly, irresistibly eroding Loma’s equally vulnerable soul.
With two new lives to live, can this Changing Girl survive either one without losing her mind?
Cecil Castellucci is the author of books and graphic novels for young adults including Boy Proof, The Plain Janes, First Day on Earth and the Eisner-nominated Odd Duck. She is currently writing Shade the Changing Girl, Vol. 1 Earth Girl Made Easy, an ongoing comic on Gerard Way's DC Young Animal imprint. Her picture book, Grandma's Gloves, won the California Book Award Gold Medal. She lives in Los Angeles.
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye Vol. 1: Going Underground
DC’s classic Silver Age hero is revived in Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye Vol. 1: Going Underground, the first chapter of a trailblazing new saga from artist Michael Avon Oeming (Powers) and writers Jonathan Rivera and My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, the visionary founder of DC’s Young Animal imprint!
Cave Carson was once the world’s greatest underground adventurer—but that was a long time ago. When he settled down with his wife, Eileen, to raise their daughter, Chloe, he traded the controls of his vehicle, the Mighty Mole Mark 1, for a desk and keyboard. Since then, Cave has led a quiet life—even with the constant distraction of his otherworldly cybernetic eye. But when a sudden illness claims Eileen’s life, Cave’s tranquil existence is shattered—and he and Chloe soon find themselves hurtling down a terrifying tunnel of danger, discovery, mayhem and madness. At the bottom of that tunnel lie secrets buried for decades—secrets that hold the key to thwarting a conspiracy that threatens to consume the surface and subterranean worlds alike. But will Cave and his intrepid team of super-spelunkers be able to overcome this new generation of evil—or is there less to this hero than meets the eye? Collects issues #1-6.
Gerard Way is the Eisner Award-winning writer of The Umbrella Academy and the comics miniseries The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. He is the creative mind behind the new grassroots imprint, DC's Young Animal, whose retro-inspired lineup bridges the gap between the DC Universe and Vertigo. Way is also widely known for his former role as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the alternative rock band My Chemical Romance.
Jon Rivera is a writer of comic books and graphic novels, best known for his work on DC's Young Animal. Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye, co-written by imprint founder Gerard Way, is one of the line's inaugural titles.
Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Brick by Brick
The spirit of Grant Morrison's groundbreaking Doom Patrol is captured in this debut series starring the cult-favorite misfits as a part of Gerard Way's new Young Animal imprint.
Flex Mentallo, Robotman, Rebis, Crazy Jane, and more are back to twist minds and take control. This new take on a classic embraces and reimagines the Morrison run's signature surrealism and irreverence. Incorporating bold, experimental art and a brash tone to match a new generation of readers, Gerard Way's Doom Patrolestablishes radical new beginnings, breaks new ground, and honors the warped team dynamic of the world's strangest heroes. This abstract and unexpected ensemble series nods at the Doom Patrol's roots by continuing to break the barriers of the traditional superhero genre. Collects issues #1-6.
Doom Patrol is the flagship title of Young Animal--a four-book grassroots mature reader imprint, creatively spearheaded by Gerard Way, bridging the gap between the DCU and Vertigo, and focusing on the juxtaposition between visual and thematic storytelling.
Gerard Way is the Eisner Award-winning writer of The Umbrella Academy and the comics miniseries The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. He is the creative mind behind the new grassroots imprint, DC's Young Animal, whose retro-inspired lineup bridges the gap between the DC Universe and Vertigo. Way is also widely known for his former role as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the alternative rock band My Chemical Romance.
Mother Panic Vol. 1: A Work in Progress
As part of the new DC’s Young Animal imprint, a bold new take on the world of the Batman comes from writer Jody Houser, artists Tommy Lee Edwards andShawn Crystal and DC’s Young Animal mastermind Gerard Way—Mother Panic Vol. 1: A Work in Progress.
The shadow of the Bat falls over all of Gotham City, from its dark alleys to its glittering high-rises. But a new vigilante has just stepped away from that shadow, and she has her own brand of violent retribution to deal out to the city’s corrupt elites.
Meet Violet Paige, a rich young celebutante with a bad attitude and a worse reputation. No one would ever suspect that this tabloid-fodder wild child has a secret hidden beneath her spoiled heiress exterior—a secret that has driven her to become the terrifying force of vengeance against her privileged peers known as Mother Panic! But even as Violet launches her all-out assault on the rich and twisted, her shaky allies threaten to betray her, and every one of Gotham’s guardians—from Batwoman to the Dark Knight himself—is hot on her trail. Will Mother Panic continue to strike terror into her enemies’ hearts? Or will her violent quest for justice reach an equally violent end? Collects Mother Panic Vol. 1: A Work in Progress #1-6.
Jody Houser is the creator behind the webcomic Cupcake POW! Houser has written Faith for Valiant Comics, Max Ride: Ultimate Flight and Agent May for Marvel, and Orphan Black for IDW. She has been a contributing writer to numerous comics anthologies, including Avengers: No More Bullying, Vertigo CMYK: Magenta, and both Womanthology series. Houser contributed to Justice League of America: Road to Rebirth and is currently writing Mother Panic for DC.
Tuesday Apr 24, 2018
Tuesday Apr 24, 2018
Join LA-based cartoonist Mimi Pond for the launch of her highly-anticipated graphic novel The Customer Is Always Wrong. Told in the same brash yet earnest style as her previous memoir Over Easy, The Customer is Always Wrong is the saga of a young naïve artist named Madge working in a restaurant of charming drunks, junkies, thieves, and creeps. Taking place in Oakland in the late seventies, Pond’s story details the trials and tribulations of Madge’s daily grind as a waitress at the Imperial Cafe.
Mimi Pond is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer. She has created comics for the Los Angeles Times, Seventeen magazine, National Lampoon, and many other publications. She has also written for television: her credits include the first full-length episode of The Simpsons, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”, and episodes for the television shows Designing Women andPee Wee’s Playhouse. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, the painter Wayne White.
Wayne White was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Originally White built his reputation as a world-class illustrator, animator, puppeteer, cartoonist and art director in New York and Los Angeles. He is most well-known as the Emmy-award-winning set and puppet designer of the seminal and influential 1980s children’s TV show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” In the last 16 years, White’s reputation in the art world has been firmly established with his masterfully created word paintings and for his rollicking, site-specific installations. He lives in Los Angeles.
Tuesday Apr 17, 2018
Tuesday Apr 17, 2018
Times Square, 1986: the home of New York’s red light district where strip clubs, porno theatres and petty crime prevails.
When a chance encounter for Peepbooth worker Roxy Bell leads to the brutal murder of a public access pornographer, the erotic performer and her punk rock ex-partner Nick Zero soon find themselves under fire from criminals, cops, and the city elite, as they begin to untangle a complex web of corruption leading right to city hall.
Like The Naked City, there are eight million stories in The Deuce. This is one of them.
Praise for Peepland
"Don’t let the bright lights in PEEPLAND’s pages fool you into thinking this story is sweet. This graphic novel is rife with pain, suffering and death. There are some moments of rightful justice, tender warmth, and laugh-out-loud humor. PEEPLAND is a story that I would not hesitate to call beautiful. However, it’s not for the faint of heart. This story is surprisingly honest, realistic and harsh in how it handles the fate of its characters. Writers Christa Faust and Gary Phillips, along with artist Andrea Camerini, craft a beautiful work of art together. So, cash in your token and sit down. You’re about to read something you won’t forget."--Mya Nunnelly, Comicverse
Gary Phillips has published various crime novels, short stories, edited anthologies, written comics and radio scripts and whatever else he can to forestall his appointment at the crossroads.
Christa Faust a hardboiled crime writer who has worked in the Times Square peep booths, as a professional dominatrix, and in the adult film industry both behind and in front of the cameras. Born and raised in NYC, she is now living as an ex-pat in La La Land.
Wednesday Mar 28, 2018
Wednesday Mar 28, 2018
Paul Madonna's popular comic, "All Over Coffee" had been running for twelve years in the San Francisco Chronicle when he was evicted from his longtime home and studio in the Mission District, ground-zero in the "tech wars" transforming the city. Suddenly finding himself yet another victim of San Francisco's overheated boomtown housing market, with its soaring prices and rampant evictions, Madonna decided to use his comic as a cathartic public platform to explore the experience, and to capture the complex, highly charged atmosphere of a city—and a life—being forced through a painful transition.
In a series of drawings and stories, Madonna evokes the sense of vertigo induced by being forced from his home, and the roil of emotions that ensue as he enters into the city's brutal competition for a place to live. The line between reality and surreality begins to blur almost immediately, in real life and in his comic. Absurd, maddening, and all-too-poignant, these drawings and stories capture the spirit of not just San Francisco, but a cultural epidemic that has now spread to cities around the world.
Praise for On to the Next Dream:
"For years I've been intrigued and charmed by Paul Madonna's careful and thoughtful drawings of overlooked nooks and by-ways of San Francisco. In his new book he now combines them with manic, delirious, and increasingly paranoid writings as he struggles with the all-consuming City dilemma of gentrification; of who came first, who gets to stay, which wave of usurpers is more 'real' and deserving than the next, and finally, what happens when someone decides it's your turn to go. Beautiful and engaging."—Sandow Birk, visual artist
"Madonna has created a kind of San Francisco Realism, details so absurd, cruel, and beautiful that they can only come from our infuriating home. If Charlie Kaufman squatted in an illegal sublet in Armistead Maupin's mind, this would be the lovely tenant."—Joshua Mohr, author of All This Life
"Paul Madonna's On to the Next Dream is bleak, terrifying, hilarious and lovely."—MariNaomi, author and illustrator of Turning Japanese
"Simply delightful. I really don't like much out there, I really don't, but On to the Next Dream I couldn't put down. It was sharp, clever, honest, and maybe the funniest book on eviction ever written."—New Yorker cartoonist and New York Times bestselling author, Bob Eckstein, Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores
Paul Madonna is a San Francisco-based artist and writer. He is the creator of the comic series "All Over Coffee" and the author of two books, All Over Coffee and Everything is its own reward. His drawings and stories have appeared in numerous books and journals as well as galleries and museums, including the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum and the Oakland Museum of California.