Top Shelf Productions is the joint brainchild Chris Staros and Brett Warnock; the two came together after some early small-press publishing efforts to create one of the most impressive graphic novel imprints of the '90s right through to today. Their line is diverse, encompassing the whimsical autobiographical comics of James Kochalka, all-ages comics like Owly and science fiction/adventure like The Surrogates. You never know what they'll come up with next, but there's always a sense of cohesion to their graphic novel releases, which I attribute to the good taste of Staros and Warnock and their passion for great comics.

5 Great Graphic Novels from Top Shelf Productions

Lost Girls -- Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's ornate work of erotica is about as sacred and profane as comics can get, and an absolutely essential piece of Alan Moore work, comparable in scope and effect to From Hell, Watchmen, Voice of the Fire, or whatever your personal favourite Alan Moore work happens to be. Yes, it is pornographic in nature, but LOST GIRLS is about the most thoughtful rumination on sexuality and fantasy as I have ever experienced. It's hard to imagine now that the book is widely regarded as a success, but Top Shelf really took a chance on publishing this book, because it was hugely expensive to create such a lush presentation (three slipcased, full-color hardcovers) with no guarantee that readers would support it. Support it they did, and I'm glad they did, because Lost Girls features Moore utilizing his full creative power to explore the boundless joys of sex, and the darkest horrors that can come to be associated with it. It's an unblinking, unblinkered insight into human nature, lyrical and passionate, and Gebbie's artwork is a match for Moore's script; lovely, frank and poetic.  LOST GIRLS is one of the most important graphic novels yet created, one that will move its readers and very likely would make the world a better place if every adult could lose themselves in its pages and absorb the message of kindness, tolerance and decency that Moore and Gebbie infuse in every page.

Swallow Me Whole -- Nate Powell creates an eerie, mysterious tale of that most everyday of subject, a family and their home. Ruth and Perry are teenagers driven by hidden demons and the living ghost of their not-quite-dead grandmother. Each lives in their own haunted world, but they care about each other and ponder over the strangeness and possible madness that surrounds and infuses them. Despite (or because of) her troubled nature, Ruth gets a job in a museum that, far from relieving the weirdness of her life, seems to immerse her even deeper into herself and her oddly comforting torment. Events begin to spin out of control in school as Ruth defies ignorance and bigotry, and finds that the nail that sticks out, gets hammered. Or perhaps pulled out of the wood altogether, as the surreal and yet inevitable ending descends upon the proceedings. Swallow Me Whole proves that Powell is one of our most thoughtful and boundary-expanding cartoonists. It's a lush, if shadowy world his characters to find themselves in, and for you to lose yourself in. Ultimately, Powell knows that the shadows can swallow us whole if we're not careful, and sometimes even if we are.

Abe: Wrong for all the Right Reasons --Glenn Dakin's modest little collection snuck up on me and worked its way into my head until, finally, I had to admit that it's a much more affecting work than it first appears. From the breezy cover illustration to the early story titled "Captain Oblivion," a quick glance seemed to indicate that this was a lighhearted, simple little book. I had never seen Dakin's work before, but the looseness of the illustration and the seeming lightness of the subject matter had me wondering about Eddie Campbell's claim in the introduction that Dakin was a serious influence on his work. How, I wondered, could these doodlings have influenced the man who created the wondrous and revelatory Alec: How to be an Artist graphic novel? Then I sat down and actually read the thing. And read it. And read it. In fact, I couldn't stop reading it. Dakin's work seems light and fluffy on the outside, but he is probing the deep depths of what it is to be human in these sketchy little cartoons. He touches a nerve, and the sensation lingers whether you expect it to or not.   Abe takes you many different places, from Atlantis to the end of the rainbow, but Dakin is there every step of the journey to show you the sights and share a laugh. Abe is filled with charm and wonder, and takes you outside yourself to see the world through a different set of eyes. In that way, it's a lot like the travel Dakin and Abe do so much of. It's a journey well worth taking.

The Legend of Wild Man Fischer -- Behind the super-groovy cover of The Legend of Wild Man Fischer is one of the most entertaining and fascinating character portraits ever created in comics. Dennis Eichhorn and JR Williams create an engrossing, tragic and hilarious portrait of Larry Fischer (a singer who came to fame with help from Frank Zappa, who produced Fischer's bizarre debut album). The book gives us insight into Fischer without mocking or judging him, which is a real achievement given how strange a character he seems. The Legend of Wild Man Fischer is told with respect, and even love for its subject, and that comes through in every section of the book. Fischer's music was the product of his offbeat worldview, itself informed by his very real schizophrenia. Eichhorn and Williams have a grand time recounting Eichhorn's personal encounters with Fischer, which began when Eichhorn was among a group of people putting together a concert in Spokane. When Fischer arrived in town, Eichhorn treated him to a meal at a buffet restaurant, and Fischer's intense, bizarre behaviour began their long, amazing relationship. Eichhorn recalls the highs and lows of the time they've known each other, deftly walking the fine line between showing Fischer's eccentricity and making fun of it. Eichhorn and the other writers involved in the book (there are numerous short text pieces that add greatly to understanding Fischer) obviously love the guy, and a sense comes through that to know Fischer is a complex, bittersweet process of love, fascination and frustration. He truly lives in his own world, and even if one knows the language and how to navigate the narrow, winding roads, it's clear that you never know when the terrain can change on you. The artwork of J.R. Williams nicely suits Eichhorn's reminiscences, wacky and loose but utilizing an 8-panel grid that allows the storytelling to fully tell Eichhorn's story. The Legend of Wild Man Fischer is a real education, and one of the most fun books I've ever read.

The Ticking -- Renee French invites you into a strange world of secrets and deformity, an intimate exploration of the life of Edison Steelhead. Eddie's mother dies bringing him into the world, and his father is loving, nurturing even, but keeps certain truths at a distance perhaps out of a desire to protect his son. French translates her own relationship with her father to show us Eddie's world, but it's not autobiography. This sensation of genuine emotion keeps us interested in the mysteries of Eddie's life, as he discovers and becomes fascinated with the strange scars on his father's head. Eddie's fascination with masks and diagrams further reflect a child's twin paradoxical desires to hide and yet to understand everything in every detail. Eddie feels like a real child, and that provides a foundation for our journey through his sometimes mundane, sometimes bizarre experiences. Eddie's youth is filled with extraordinary discoveries and unexplained events, from the chimpanzee that is introduced as his new sister to the strange patterns that a doctor draws on his face. It is no wonder that he is comforted by trying to map and diagram the strangeness that is all around him, and French's lush illustrations invite a slow study and full exploration of every nook and cranny of the tale. Like the best storytellers, you're left with the sense that French is in full control of the story and the world in which it takes place. French may not tell all, but she knows all, or conveys that impression through her masterful narrative choices. The reader is left with the sense that there are answers to the mysteries, if we just look long enough into the beautiful otherworld inside The Ticking. It's an involving and deeply human mystery about the most fundamental elements that make up a life. It's a new high point in the already impressive career of one of the best cartoonists working today, and it's a story sure to reward all the many times you will return to it years after you first experience its wonders.

Coming up next: 5 Great Graphic Novels from Drawn and Quarterly.