Contact: Susan Koller, Publicity Director
PH: (937) 388-0088
FX: (937) 388-0089
E-mail: info@checkerbpg.com

GREAT ZOT!
JOHNNY HART’S 50 YEARS OF B.C. COLLECTION BEING SHIPPED FROM CHECKER BOOK PUBLISHING GROUP

Dayton, Ohio- Checker Book Publishing Group is excited to announce that one of our most popular books ever, GrowingGold with B.C.: A 50 Year Celebration by Johnny Hart, has just shipped by Diamond Comic Distributors. Review copies of this great book are available from Checker!

With the passing of the great Johnny Hart, Checker publisher Mark Thompson felt this move was an “excellent tribute” to Hart. The book had been completed in its entirety, with the valuable assistance and total cooperation of the Hart Family, and Johnny Hart, himself, had personally selected the nearly 500 cartoon strips of B.C. that comprise the book and provided the original cover art, shortly before his untimely death over the 2007 Easter weekend.

Starting with the strip’s earliest beginning, in 1958, to the present, 2007, these strips will delight anyone who has followed the antics of Peter, Thor, Fat Broad, Wiley and all the rest of the cast in a prehistoric world populated by dinosaurs, ants and anteaters. Using a combination of bad puns and subtle humor with a simplistic drawing style, B.C. was one of the longest running strips still being written and drawn by its original creator.

GrowingGold with B.C. will certainly bring back fond memories of the strip that is carried in over 1300 newspapers across the country and read by millions of readers each day.

According to Creators Syndicate, B.C. and Johnny Hart have won many awards. They include the Best Humor Strip in America, National Cartoonist Society, 1967; The Reuben, Cartoonist of the Year, National Cartoonist Society, 1968; The Yellow Kid Award, International Congress of Comics, 1970; and the Seger Award, King Features, 1981.

Though other B.C. paperback collections have been gathered throughout the years, GrowingGold with B.C. is sofcover, with each strip produced in its original size. Johnny Hart also contributes artwork that has rarely been seen and never before published and shares his recollections about his career and show readers the inspiration for the strip’s characters.

Growingold with BC A 50 Year Celebration Johnny Hart. Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN-13: 978-1-933160-68-9 ISBN-10: 1-933160-68-3, 200 pages, black and white

Checker Book Publishing Group was established in 2000 to bring the absolute best of dormant, unpublished, and under-published serial comics and cartooning back to print. A private concern, Checker compiles complete, durable and affordable cartoon trade books for sale to such comic shops, bookstores and libraries as may require them for resale or public archiving. Checker Book Publishing Group is located in Dayton, Ohio.

For more information concerning this and other Checker titles, feel free to drop by our website at: www.checkerbpg.com.

Contact: Susan Koller, Publicity Director
PH: (937) 388-0088
FX: (937) 388-0089
E-mail: info@checkerbpg.com

The wait is over!
New books being shipped from Checker Book Publishing Group
Dayton, Ohio- Checker Book Publishing Group is excited to announce that some of our great new titles from our highly anticipated fall 2007 lineup began being shipped by Diamond Comic Distributors the week of October15th. The shipment contained of the following titles:

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend: The Saturdays JUN073373
This oversized volume collects in a softcover edition for the first time McCay’s groundbreaking Saturday strips from March 1904-October 1911. These were wild, imaginative fantasy strips, with no recurring characters, which featured the protagonists having a dream caused by eating “rarebit”. Each cartoon is a self-contained and ended as the dreamer awoke from his or her nightmare. Checker’s new softcover edition of Dream of the Rarebit Fiend makes this collection available to the book trade and collectors since the very limited edition hardcover edition was released only to comic book stores, and just as quickly sold out, in 2006.

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend: The Saturdays Winsor McCay, Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN –10 1-933160-65-9, ISBN-13 978-1-933160-65-8, 200 pages, full color,

Winsor McCay: Early Works Vol. 9 JUL063019
Winsor McCay’s art shouts from rooftops of the great architecture of modernist America. A triple dose of “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend” Saturdays, weekdays, and a color section. .Also more scathing editorial works and extremely rare illustrations from “Temperance- or Prohibition”

Winsor McCay: Early Works Vol. 9 Winsor McCay, Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN –10 1-933160-07-1 ISBN-13 978-1-933160-07-8, 200 pages

Scion- Volume 6: Royal Wedding: JAN073489
The great war between the Heron Dynasty and the Raven Dynasty is quelled by the marriage of Ylena, daughter of Heron King Dane, and the malevolent Bron of the Raven Dynasty. This edition includes the issues 34-39 of the original series.

Scion- Volume 6: Royal Wedding Writer, Ron Marz; Illustrator, Jimmy Cheung
$17.95, ISBN-10 1-933160-60-8 ISBN-13 978-1-933160-60-3, 172 pages, full color, glossy paper stock and

Way of The Rat, V 3 : Haunted Zhumar FEB073297
Trapped in Old Mother’s house by an army of evil ghosts, things get bad for Boon and Po Po thanks to arrival of Kung Kung Yi. Who is this powerful spirit and why do the undead fear him? This edition collects issues 13-18 of the original series

Way of The Rat, V 3 : Haunted Zhumar Writer ,Chuck Dixon; Illustrator, Jeff Johnson
$17.95, ISBN -10 1-933160-59-4, ISBN-13 978-1-933160-59-7 172 pages, full color, glossy paper stock

Sigil Vol. 5 Death Match MAR073294
The next galactic graphic novel IS HERE! Humanity’s last hope for survival is a grizzled mercenary. To save us all, Samandahl Rey must face the mighty Suarian Weapon master, but what will Sam be forced to unleash to achieve his victory? This edition collects issues 27-32 of the series.

Sigil Vol. 5 Death Match Writer, Chuck Dixon; Illustrator, Scott Eaton
$17.95, ISBN –10 1-933160-58-6, ISBN-13 978-1-933160-58-0, 172 pages, full color, glossy paper stock
Flash Gordon Volume 1 MAR042360
Attention all Flash Gordon and sci-fi fans! This is your lucky day. Checker is printing this book for the third time. This full color first volume of Alex has already sold thousands and thousands of copies. Because of its popularity, it is extremely hard to keep this title in stock. Due to the fact that the new Flash Gordon smash hit television series on the Sci-Fi Channel will create a whole new generation of Flash Gordon fans, Checker has decided to bring the title back. The reprint copies are going fast, so get yours now.

Flash Gordon Vol. 1 Alex Raymond. Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN10 0-9741664-3-X ISBN-13 978-0-974166-43-8, 96 pages, color pager

Growingold with BC; A 50 Year Celebration JUN073372
This fall Checker Book Publishing marks the upcoming 50th anniversary of an American cartoon icon: B.C. by Johnny Hart!! We will are proud to present the VERY BEST collection of BC, strips chosen by Johnny Hart prior to his death in April 2007, in a collection which celebrates the half- century love affair America has with the introspective caveman community. Featuring rare and never before published concept art for the strip and a compendium of each individual decade, the GrowinGold With BC: A 50 Year Celebration edition collects the Reuben award winning strip more comprehensively than ever before. Thor, Wiley, Ida and of course BC himself are all here in one hilarious birthday party for one of America’s most enduring comic strips. The collection features special artwork drawn by Johnny Hart for this edition prior to his passing.

Growingold with BC A 50 Year Celebration Johnny Hart. Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN-13: 978-1-933160-68-9 ISBN-10: 1-933160-68-3, 200 pages, black and white

Checker Book Publishing Group was established in 2000 to bring the absolute best of dormant, unpublished, and under-published serial comics and cartooning back to print. A private concern, Checker compiles complete, durable and affordable cartoon trade books for sale to such comic shops, bookstores and libraries as may require them for resale or public archiving. Checker Book Publishing Group is located in Dayton, Ohio.

For more information concerning this and other Checker titles, feel free to drop by our website at: www.checkerbpg.com.

Contact: Susan Koller, Publicity Director
PH: (937) 388-0088
FX: (937) 388-0089
E-mail: info@checkerbpg.com

Hard Review Copies Available From Checker BPG Fresh From Printer

Dayton, Ohio- Checker Book Publishing Group now has hard copies, for review, available for the following titles.

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend: The Saturdays collects in a softcover edition for the first time, McCay’s groundbreaking Saturday strips from March 1904-October 1911. These were wild, imaginative fantasy strips, with no recurring characters, which featured the protagonists having a dream caused by eating “rarebit”. Each cartoon is a self-contained and ended as the dreamer awoke from his or her nightmare. Checker’s new softcover edition of Dream of the Rarebit Fiend makes this collection available to the book trade and collectors since the very limited edition hardcover edition was released only to comic book stores, and just as quickly sold out, in 2006.

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend: The Saturdays Winsor McCay, Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN –10 1-933160-65-9, ISBN-13 978-1-933160-65-8, 200 pages, full color,

Winsor McCay: Early Works Vol. 9 Winsor McCay’s art shouts from rooftops of the great architecture of modernist America. A triple dose of “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend”: Saturdays, weekdays, and a color section. .More scathing editorial works, and extremely rare illustrations from “Temperance- or Prohibition”

Winsor McCay: Early Works Vol. 9 Winsor McCay, Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN –10 1-933160-07-1 ISBN-13 978-1-933160-07-8, 200 pages

Scion- Volume 6: Royal Wedding: The great war between the Heron Dynasty and the Raven Dynasty is quelled by the marriage of Ylena, daughter of Heron King Dane, and the malevolent Bron of the Raven Dynasty. This edition includes the issues 34-39 of the original series.

Scion- Volume 6: Royal Wedding Writer, Ron Marz; Illustrator, Jimmy Cheung
$17.95, ISBN-10 1-933160-60-8 ISBN-13 978-1-933160-60-3, 172 pages, full color, glossy paper stock

Way of The Rat, V 3 : Haunted Zhumar Trapped in Old Mother’s house by an army of evil ghosts. things get bad for Boon and Po Po thanks to arrival of Kung Kung Yi. Who is this powerful spirit and why do the undead fear him? This edition collects issues 13-18 of the original series

Way of The Rat, V 3 : Haunted Zhumar Writer ,Chuck Dixon; Illustrator, Jeff Johnson
$17.95, ISBN -10 1-933160-59-4, ISBN-13 978-1-933160-59-7 172 pages, full color, glossy paper stock

Sigil Vol. 5 Death Match The next galactic graphic novel IS HERE! Humanity’s last hope for survival is a grizzled mercenary. To save us all Samandahl Rey must face the mighty Suarian Weapon master, but what will Sam be forced to unleash to achieve his victory? This edition collects issues 27-32 of the series.

Sigil Vol. 5 Death Match Writer, Chuck Dixon; Illustrator, Scott Eaton
$17.95, ISBN –10 1-933160-58-6, ISBN-13 978-1-933160-58-0, 172 pages, full color, glossy paper stock
Flash Gordon Volume 1 The first of seven full-color volumes collecting the entire output of comics’ great Alex Raymond on his signature strip, Flash Gordon. Thanks to Raymond’s unrivaled gift for gorgeous, sprawling artwork and rapid-fire plotting set on a world of unrivaled wonder—the mysterious planet Mongo—Flash Gordon quickly became a household name, which still resonates in film, literature and cartooning to this day.
Earth braces for its final destruction in a collision with an onrushing planet, and only Dr. Zarkov can prevent doomsday. Taking Flash Gordon and Dale Arden captive, he takes off in a rocket to deflect the hurtling planet and save the world. The mad Zarkov, Flash and Dale survive a crash landing on Mongo, only to be captured by the diabolical Ming the Merciless. And the true adventure begins.
Flash Gordon Vol. 1 Alex Raymond. Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN10 0-9741664-3-X ISBN-13 978-0-974166-43-8, 96 pages, color pager

Growingold with BC; A 50 Year Celebration This fall Checker Book Publishing marks the upcoming 50th anniversary of an American cartoon icon: B.C. by Johnny Hart!! We will are proud to present the VERY BEST collection of BC, strips chosen by Johnny Hart prior to his death in April 2007, in a collection which celebrates the half- century love affair America has with the introspective caveman community. Featuring rare and never before published concept art for the strip and a compendium of each individual decade the GrowinGold With BC: A 50 Year Celebration edition collects the Reuben award winning strip more comprehensively than ever before. Thor, Wiley, Ida and of course BC himself are all here in one hilarious birthday party for one of America’s most enduring comic strips. The collection features special artwork drawn by Johnny Hart for this edition prior to his passing.

Growingold with BC A 50 Year Celebration Johnny Hart. Writer/Illustrator
$19.95, ISBN-13: 978-1-933160-68-9 ISBN-10: 1-933160-68-3, 200 pages, black and white

Checker Book Publishing Group was established in 2000 to bring the absolute best of dormant, unpublished, and under-published serial comics and cartooning back to print. A private concern, Checker compiles complete, durable and affordable cartoon trade books for sale to such comic shops, bookstores and libraries as may require them for resale or public archiving. Checker Book Publishing Group is located in Dayton, Ohio.

For more information concerning this and other Checker titles, feel free to drop by our website at: www.checkerbpg.com.

And my only criticism of First Second is that they don’t do enough hardcover/library bindings!

Did you read the interview with Mark Siegel over at Silver Bullet?
http://www.silverbulletcomics.com/news/story.php?a=4317

It’s a great interview and really goes a long way in showing the amount of passion involved over at First Second.

They are seriously doing something right over there.
-J