Top Shelf Productions announce TWO special projects that bring new faces and a lot of fun into the Top Shelf family!
ROB HARRELL is a veteran of newspaper comic strips, but his first graphic novel — MONSTER ON THE HILL — is something truly amazing. The buzz is already fantastic, with praise rolling in from Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith, Richard Thompson, and The AV Club’s Noel Murray!
Meanwhile, Portland writer MARK RUSSELL and renowned cartoonist SHANNON WHEELER have created a book that must be seen to be believed. GOD IS DISAPPOINTED IN YOU is the “condensed” version of the Bible you never knew you needed — witty, cynical, and surprisingly lucid — published as a deluxe Bible-style hardcover with all the trimmings!
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MONSTER ON THE HILL
by Rob Harrell
Full-color graphic novel with french flaps, 7 3/16″ x 9″, 192 pages
$19.95 (US)
Audience: All ages (10+)
“Really fun, goofy, extremely silly fantasy for readers of all ages, crying out for reviewers and critics to make appalling puns of the ‘monstrously good’ variety.” — Neil Gaiman
“Rob Harrell has jumped the fence from comic strips to graphic novels with ease, and brought with him wit, strong characters, and last minute twists. Funny, original, expected. And best of all: excellent monsters!” — Jeff Smith, creator of Bone
“Rob Harrell reminds us of a more interesting time when cities took great civic pride in the quality and flamboyance of their local monsters, instead of something silly like football teams. And I sure am glad he does. More, Rob, I want to hear more!” — Richard Thompson, creator of Cul de Sac and Richard’s Poor Almanac
“A funny, exciting tale of melancholy monsters and eminent Victorians.. like How to Train Your Dragon with a twist of Bloom County and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Harrell makes the jump from the newspaper page to the graphic novel with his sense of humor intact.” — Noel Murray, The AV Club
In a fantastical 1860s England, every quiet little township is terrorized by a ferocious monster — much to the townsfolk’s delight! Each town’s unique monster is a source of local pride, not to mention tourism.
Each town, that is… except for one. Unfortunately for the people of Stoker-on-Avon, their monster isn’t quite as impressive. In fact, he’s a little down in the dumps. Can the morose Rayburn get a monstrous makeover and become a proper horror? It’s up to the eccentric Dr. Charles Wilkie and plucky street urchin Timothy to get him up to snuff, before a greater threat turns the whole town to kindling.
Monsters of all ages are sure to enjoy this tale about life’s challenges, the power of friendship, and creative redemption, packed with epic battles and plenty of wild beasts!
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GOD IS DISAPPOINTED IN YOU
by Mark Russell & Shannon Wheeler
A deluxe Bible-esque textured hardcover, 5″ x 8″
With rounded corners, gilded edges & satin ribbon!
Printed in two colors (black & red), 224 pages
$19.95 (US)
Audience: Mature readers (16+)
God Is Disappointed in You is for people who would like to read the Bible…if it would just cut to the chase. Stripped of its arcane language and interminable passages, every book of the Bible is condensed down to its core message, in no more than a few pages each.
Written by Mark Russell with cartoons by New Yorker cartoonist Shannon Wheeler, God Is Disappointed in You is a frequently hilarious, often shocking, but always accurate retelling of the Bible, including the parts selectively left out by Sunday School teachers and church sermons.
Irreverent yet faithful, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to see past the fog of religious agendas and cultural debates to discover what the Bible really says.