American Elf The Collected Sketchbook Diaries of James Kochalka SC (2004-2012) comic books
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Issue #1-1ST
Published Jul 2004 by Top Shelf Productions.$18.00
Volume 1 - 1st printing. "October 26, 1998 to December 31, 2003" By James Kochalka. Kochalka invented the daily diary comic strip, spawning a grassroots comix movement that swept the globe, and his attempt to document the minutia of his life results in work that explores the full spectrum of human emotions. Drawn with verve and confidence by a cartoonist at the height of his powers, it is ambitious, hilarious, moving, and quite addictive! Book 1 follows the ups and downs of Kochalka's life through five full years of the strip (October 26, 1998 to December 31, 2003), and also includes 32 full-color pages of supplementary comics and other artwork. Softcover, 9-in. x 9-in., PC/PB&W. Mature Readers Cover price $29.95.
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Issue #3-1ST
Published Nov 2008 by Top Shelf Productions.$9.60
Volume 3 - 1st printing. "January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007" By James Kochalka. Kochalka's diary strip has always been entertaining, but this might be the most action-packed volume of all. His neighbor's car gets firebombed, his little son Eli learns how to invent his own swears (like "pump duck"), and James gets a gun pointed at his face. Most dramatic of all, this volume will introduce a new character, a new little baby Kochalka! Ooohs and aaahs abound. This collection prints all the diary strips from 2006-2007 in gorgeous full-color, including numerous strips that never appeared online. Softcover, 9-in. x 9-in., PC/PB&W. Mature Readers Cover price $19.95.
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Issue #4-1ST
Published Jul 2012 by Top Shelf Productions.$7.00
Volume 4 - 1st printing. "January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2011!" By James Kochalka. It's the long-awaited return of James Kochalka's massively influential and deceptively ambitious autobiography, American Elf. Every day of his life is captured in a single comic strip, sometimes profound and sometimes silly, but always full of the earnest Kochalka passion. In this collection, spanning the years 2008-2011, James becomes Cartoonist Laureate, celebrates American Elf's 10th year, pitches a TV show to Hollywood, considers quitting the strip, plays everything from LEGO Star Wars to Skyrim, and kind of causes himself to have a nervous breakdown. Meanwhile Eli starts elementary school and starts a band, Oliver learns to walk and talk (and sing), James and Amy celebrate 15 years of marriage, and the family adopts a new cat, Nooko! Softcover, 9-in. x 9-in., 384 pages, PC/PB&W. Mature Readers Cover price $24.95.
