EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 13 © 2015 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

94 The Bookshelf: Corpses, covers and comix It seems as if Daniel Clowes art has been with us forever, but it wasn't until the end of the 1980s that his work really started to make itself known. Eightball was what turned Clowes from a nerdy comic obsessive looking for a break into a nerdy comic obsessive with a growing and appreciative audience who bought into his angst ridden, Lynchian landscapes and his acutely observed homages to silver age comics art. For newcomers to this ground- breaking comic, the opportunity to view the development and refinement of Clowes' storytelling, within two handsomely produced volumes housed within a beautifully designed slipcase, is truly rewarding. But for Clowes collectors, who already have all the original Eightball s on their shelves, the advantages of having these handsomely presented books might appear negligible. The absence of any additional features or overview to add context to this collection will seem, to some readers, a lost opportunity. That minor caveat aside, this collection provides the best presentation of a truly outstanding series of comics and, to both Clowes fans and lovers of cutting edge comic art, this publication will make a handsome addition to their library. Beautiful Darkness By Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoet Hardback 96 pages Drawn & Quarterly £14.80/ $22.95 l illustrators is also available in the USA from budplant.com This aptly titled excursion into the darker recesses of human behaviour is one of the most unsettling books you will encounter. Even the book's construction heightens the sense of shock as you open its beautifully wrought covers and imbibe the seductive aroma of fine quality paper and ink. The sense of reassurance is heightenedby the charming and superficially twee artwork but, as the story progresses, the cutesy protagonists strip away their Disneyesque masks and expose the ugliness of their innermost souls in some of the most disconcerting sequences ever to be committed to a graphic novel. Its precedence to nursey horrors are many and the illustrative style brings to mind Tomi Ungerer but, unlike children's books, there is no happy resolution. This is a story for adults and the tricks it plays with your perceptions go well beyond the reach of young readers. The fact that certain images burn their way into your subconcious with such power is a testament not just to the quality of the story but also the artists (Kerascoet are the duo Marie Pommepuy and her partner Sébastien Cosset). This story will haunt you. Fables: The Complete Covers By James Jean (New Edition) By James Jean and Bill Willingham Hardbound 256 pages Vertigo £25.00/ $50.00 US/ $58.00 CAN A must have book for any fan of James Jean's work and, even though many fans will have the earlier edition, this new edition adds a further 50 pages of deliciously deviant James Jean artwork. Long out of print and selling for absurd prices, this book, in its new cover and expanded format, will be an excellent opportunity for new fans to have this seminal phase of Jean's career housed within one volume. Whereas the earlier edition included the cover art for the 75 Fables single issues up to the point of Fables : 'War and Pieces', the new edition adds the six 'The Dark Age' Fables covers, the cover for '1001 Nights of Snowfall' and Jean's 11 covers for 'Jack of Fables'. The work presented includes the printed covers as well as reproductions of the original art and working drawings. Photographs of Jean's studio help to further the contextualisation of these ground breaking artworks and an interview conducted by Bill Willingham gives the reader further insight into the artist and his process. James Jean's art with its rich cultural heritage and allusions to both illustrative and fine art is a constant source of inspiration: this book reveals why. The Complete Eightball Issue Numbers 1-18 By Daniel Clowes 2 Volume Hardback 454 pages Fantagraphics £68.00/ $119.99