Uncivilized Books is probably best known for their graphic novel releases these days, but according to publisher Tom Kaczynski, “The stapled floppy comic book is a perfect format.” So they’re doubling down on comic releases in 2023 and have even launched an Uncivilized Comic Book Club on Patreon.
“I love graphic novels, but the comic book is my first love,” Kaczynski said in their most recent newsletter. “Uncivilized started as a mini comics publisher; eventually, we transitioned to graphic novels, with only rare comic book thrown into the mix. Since we began to serialize Ginseng Roots a few years ago, the comic books bug has taken hold!”
Craig Thompson’s 12-issue Ginseng Roots series may be wrapping up soon, but you’ll be able to find plenty of comics from Uncivilized. Here’s a look at what they have planned for 2023:
The Sickness is a new bi-monthly horror series by Jenna Cha and Lonnie Nadler. The duo previously collaborated on the Vault series Black Stars Above.
Feeling sick? The Man may be following you…
1945: Daniel Buss, an anxious teenager living in small-town America, has been experiencing strange symptoms: mood swings, increased sensitivity, and terrifying hallucinations, threatening to ruin his summer vacation before freshman year. Worse, a stalking presence watches Daniel’s every move.
1955: George Brooks—war vet and tireless doctor—nears retirement from his decorated past. When a local housewife murders her entire family, her son—the sole survivor—is put into his care; George grows obsessed with uncovering what could drive an ordinary person to such brutality.
Though they live a decade apart, their fates intertwine through a horrifying illness and the haunting figure who follows wherever they go.
The first issue will arrive in June with five different covers, including the ones shown above by Cha and Sam Wolfe Connelly. Uncivilized is offering a five-issue subscription to it right now on their website.
Uncivilized has already published two issue of John Grund’s West, with a third one planned for April.
Returning to the very place they tried to escape from, the crew shelters in Circuit City. Where can one run when the roads twist? How far beneath the city must one go before they reach soil? What is the cost of a corn dog? Some questions are asked, and some are answered. And the dancing is only just beginning. Thump. Thump. Thump… John’s preparing some mind-bending stuff!
Also coming in June is the fourth issue of Cartoon Dialectics by Kaczynski:
The TERRAFORMERS are coming! Take an archaeo-mythological detour through antediluvian Sumer in Utnapishtim’s ARK as we search for the ultimate SOURCE of human nature in DEEP TIME. Also, visiting Doctor Zizmor’s office becomes a PSYCHE-ANALYSIS of the COMICS-CONSCIOUSNESS continuum. Can comics think? Including Aesthetic Education, CARTOON HERMENEUTICS, and barbarians. ETERNAL ideas in a convenient disposable COMIC BOOK package. (June)
Noah Van Sciver, creator of the LA Times Book Prize nominee Joseph Smith and the Mormons as well as One Dirty Tree, A Perfect Failure and much more, has a three-issue miniseries coming out from Uncivilized titled Maple Terrace: Tales from One Dirty Tree. The autobiographical comic contains more stories about “the author’s childhood, surrounded by 90s comics, cartoons, toys, deprivation and painful nostalgia.”
Finally, June, For Short will continue by creator Az Sperry:
Tal Nichols, newly successful author and heartbroken chainsmoker, decides to follow a string of clues to uncover the past of an intoxicating stranger named Juniper, or June, for Short. As she gets deeper into the story, however, Tal’s own past catches up to her.
While you can subscribe to each title individually, Uncivilized’s new Comic Book Club could end up being a better option if you’re hoping to get everything. It basically allows you to subscribe to all their publications for $5 a month — or just $3 a month if you want digital copies instead of print.
One thought on “Uncivilized Books launches a new ‘Comic Book Club’ on Patreon”