WINNER of the 2003 Ignatz Award for Best Graphic Novel! ". . . a single-minded obsession with animation history informs this work even as its creator twists and tears that history into a new, hideous, and hilarious form. There's a little bit of Roger Rabbit and a whole lot of Spinal Tap at work here. Twisted and dark, funny and frightening, this is a deliciously evil toon history that demands attention." -- Alan David Doane Top Shelf is proud to present a very unique comics project. Through a series of never-before-seen interviews and rare photos, documentary-maker Rich Koslowski reveals the horrifying true story behind the Cartoon industry and our most celebrated cartoon actors -- the story that Hollywood doesn't want you to see. Told in the same style as a Ken Burns documentary, with interviews of 'toon stars today as well as historical "file footage"of the "early years,"this work of fiction will forever change the way you think of those beloved characters in the white gloves. ... Rich Koslowski has worked in the Animation and Comic Book industry for the past 12 years. Best known for his three-time, Eisner-nominated work on his self-published parody title "The 3 Geeks,"this ground-breaking graphic novel is sure to appeal to everyone.

On October 8, 1908, Mordecai Brown clutched a half-dozen notes inside his coat pocket. The message of each was clear: We’ll kill you if you pitch and beat the Giants. A black handprint marked each note, the signature of the Italian Mafia. Mordecai Brown—dubbed “Three Finger” because of a childhood farm injury—was the dominant pitcher for the great Chicago Cubs team of the early twentieth century, a team that from 1906 through 1910 was arguably the best in baseball history. Brown’s handicap enabled him to throw pitches with an unconventional movement that left batters bewildered—the curve ball that Ty Cobb once called “the most devastating” he had ever faced. How Brown responded to the Mafia’s threats in 1908 mirrored the way he took life in general: with unflappable courage and resolve. Telling his story for the first time, Cindy Thomson and Scott Brown trail Mordecai from the Indiana countryside to the coal mines, from semipro ball to the Majors, from the World Series mound back down to the Minors. Along the way they retrieve the lost lore of one of baseball’s greatest pitchers—and chronicle one man’s determination to reach a dream that most believed was unreachable.

As everyone knows, nothing is sweeter than tiny baby fingers and chubby baby toes. . . . And here, from two of the most gifted picture-book creators of our time, is a celebration of baby fingers, baby toes, and the joy they--and the babies they belong to--bring to everyone, everywhere, all over the world This is a gorgeously simple picture book for very young children, and once you finish the rhythmic, rhyming text, all you'll want to do is go back to the beginning . . . and read it again The luminous watercolor illustrations of these roly-poly little ones from a variety of backgrounds are adorable, quirky, and true to life, right down to the wrinkles, dimples, and pudges in their completely squishable arms, legs, and tummies.

The classic Beginner Book is now available with delightful audio narration. A madcap band of dancing, prancing monkeys explain hands, fingers, and thumbs to beginning readers. Bright and Early Books are perfect for beginning beginner readers! Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1968 with The Foot Book, Bright and Early Books use fewer and easier words than Beginner Books. Readers just starting to recognize words and sound out letters will love these short books with colorful illustrations. This ebook includes Read & Listen audio narration.

(Bass Instruction). As the original bassist for the seminal death metal band Cannibal Corpse, author Alex Webster offers invaluable insight into the realm of metal bass guitar. This exclusive book/audio pack provides detailed, hands-on training, featuring vital bass guitar techniques and concepts. Extreme Metal Bass further demonstrates how these techniques can be applied in real-life situations within the context of a song. No matter what brand of metal you subscribe to from classic metal to modern metal and beyond Extreme Metal Bass will supply the bass skills you crave. Extreme Metal Bass also includes access to enhanced audio with demonstration and play-along tracks of all the examples in the book, plus play-along MIDI drum files for optimum practicing. This book is designed for players who use a standard-tuned five-string bass (low to high: B-E-A-D-G). If you do not have a five-string bass, a four string (tuned B-E-A-D) will work for much of the material presented.

Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

100 Classic Rock Licks for Guitar goes way beyond every other 'boring' lick book, and teaches you 100 essential rock guitar licks in the style of the world's 20 greatest rock guitarists....

Eighteen-year-old Sam has always been jealous of his younger brother, Humphrey, the famous "wonder child" pianist. But now that Humphrey is fifteen, the one-time child prodigy isn't able to get any more bookings. Sam's mother refuses to accept that Humphrey's career is over and devises a scheme to recapture his fame: Sam will compose "new works" by a long dead gypsy composer, and they will tell the world that the composer is dictating the music to Humphrey from the grave. The scheme is a wild success—until some ghostly occurrences convince Sam that the spirit of the dead composer has actually taken over Humphrey's fingers. Have Sam and his family unleashed a force from beyond the grave? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.