TOP SHELF FOR APRIL

Following are Top Shelf's solicitations for April, with information coming from the company:

FROM HELL (SIXTH PRINTING)

By Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell

At long last, the original edition of From Hell is back. Sporting french flaps and a matte laminated finish, the 6th printing of From Hell will bring back Eddie Campbell's original painting that graced the first edition of the collected graphic novel. From Hell features the story of Jack the Ripper, the most infamous serial murderer of all time. Alan Moore names Dr. Gull as the villain and creates the most compelling and terrifying psychological study ever undertaken. Together with artist Eddie Campbell, all of the conspiracies and cover-ups are considered and bound together in this vortex of terror. The film based on the book -- released by 20th Century Fox, starring Johnny Depp & Heather Graham, and directed by The Hughes Brothers -- has brought a bonanza of media attention to the book that is regarded as one of the most significant graphic novels ever published. A gripping, crime noir, modern masterpiece of historical fiction.

560 pages, $35.00.

BLANKETS (THIRD PRINTING)

By Craig Thompson. The first and second printings of Blankets -- 20,000 copies -- have sold out. Don't miss your chance to order the book that's being called "the defining moment of this generation of cartoonists." From the author of the graphic novel, Good-bye, Chunky Rice comes Blankets. Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, Blankets explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country, and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the origins of faith.

592 pages, $29.95.

TROGLODYTES

By Marcel Ruijters.

An anthropological undertaking in comics form, this gritty collection of stories examines the lifestyles, religion, reproductive nature, and hierarchy of a complex, subterranean species. Racy and provocative, these fictional tales resonate with the primal nature of man -- a mysterious quandary that even now, is hotly debated between our most intellectual philosophers, legions of religious fanatics, and the brightest scientists of our day. Richly drawn, and reproduced in two colors, in a dense and wholly original style, Marcel Ruijters takes us behind the mirror, and gives us an evolutionary glimpse of ourselves as developing creatures.

80 pages, $9.95.

TYPEWRITER

Edited by David Youngblood.

Each of the cartoonists in the latest Typewriter anthology was provided with the beginning and ending lines of a comic, and their job was to connect them. These lines are shared to create a narrative corpse, where the last line of comic is the first line of the following comic. This follows through with the last line of the book being the first line, wrapping it all together with an infinite theme. It's not an anthology to be read in pieces, but as a whole. Featuring 24 cartoonists from around the world, including domestic cartoonists Nick Bertozzi, Farel Dalrymple, Paul Hornschemeier, Kurt Wolfgang, Sammy Harkham, Aaron Renier and many more.

160 pages, $10.

THINGS ARE MEANING LESS

By Al Burian.

This new book by Al Burian is a collection of comics, drawings and handwritten text that together create a poignant and cohesive narrative. Covering Burian's days in Portland, moving to Providence, and a walking tour of his hometown, this book is replete with Burian's musings over life's little intricacies and meaning, as well as the mental processes of growing up.

156 pages, $10.