Scratch Foreign Rights Catalogue 2020 by Scratch Books

SCRATCH Discover our 2019-20 Foreign Rights catalogue! Established in 2014, Scratch Books is a Dutch publishing house based in Amsterdam focusing on high quality graphic novels. From Aimée de Jongh to Joost Swarte, from Peter van Dongen to Erik Kriek: Scratch represents the finest Dutch artists.

Nieuwe Teertuinen 21, 1013 LV Amsterdam +31 (0)20 773 72 62 • info@scratchbooks.nl www.scratch-books.com www.scratchspecials.nl

Translation grants are available for our publications through the Dutch Foundation for Literature. For more information, visit http://www.letterenfonds.nl/en

2019-20

Erik Kriek - The Exile ‘A ravishing adverture comic, beautifully produced with love. Kriek is clearly at home in the Norse mythology.’ – Stefan Nieuwenhuis, NRC ‘Majestic accomplishment.’ – Jos van Waterschoot, Special Collections, University of Amsterdam ‘Class act!’ – Wim van Troyer, stripspeciaalzaak.be ‘The bømb!’ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Veronica Magazine

Iceland, 10th century AD. Hallstein, a Viking warrior, returns home after spending several years in exile for murdering his best friend Hrafn. Einar, Hrafn’s brother, is plotting to marry Hallstein’s stepmother so he and his father Ragnar can get their hands on her land. Hallstein returns home hoping to find rest from his violent past, only to discover that not everyone is happy to see him. Einar’s family is plotting revenge.... Will Hallstein find the peace of mind he longs for? A Viking western by Erik Kriek, The Exile is a gripping graphic novel by the author of the internationally successful In the Pines: Five Murder Ballads. Kriek visited Iceland and did extensive research into Icelandic history and culture to produce his first full-length graphic novel. 192 pages, black & white with spot colors Size 20 x 27,5 cm, hardcover Published May 2019 One shot Rights sold: French (Editions Anspach), Germany (Avant Verlag), Italy (Eris Edizioni), Middle East (Nool Editions)

Erik Kriek - In the Pines ‘In the pines, in the pines Where the sun never shines And we shiver When the cold wind blows’ - American folksong, circa 1870, anonymous ‘A brilliant idea… Not for the faint-hearted, Kriek imagines the 19th-century American countryside in a fitting Gothic setting.’ – Trouw

144 pages, full colour Size 20,5 x 27,7 cm With cd with songs by the artist (optional) Published February 2016 One shot Rights sold: France (Actes Sud), Germany (Avant Verlag), Italy (Eris Edizioni), Middle East (Nool Editions), Serbia (Besna Kobila), Spain (Norma), UK (Canongate), USA (Fantagraphics) English version available

In the Pines is a collection of five graphic stories based on murder ballads: traditional songs that recount a dramatic mythical or actual murder. These are raw stories full of unrequited love, crimes of passion, anger, jealousy and greed. The music is firmly rooted in the American musical tradition and it is still a popular genre among performers such as Dolly Parton, Steve Earle and Nick Cave. Erik Kriek has been a great lover of this music for years. For In the Pines, he chose five of his favourite old and new songs -optional as a bonus CD with the book- and reworked them into short graphic stories. The lyrics served as an inspiration for five grim stories about love, treason, life and – of course – death. The artwork conveys the atmosphere of rural America at the turn of the century. In the vast Appalachian woods, in the pines, things happen that sometimes best go unseen… With an essay by Dutch music journalist Jan Donkers on the phenomenon of murder ballads.

Erik Kriek - From Beyond and other tales ‘Gems from the vault of historic horror stories, nearly 100 years old. An absolute must read!’ – Moors Magazine ‘Erik Kriek has outgrown Holland: his work invariably receives praise abroad.’ – Jean-Marc van Tol, comic artist and publisher

Kriek’s contrast-rich black and white are goes exceptionally well with the dark tales that are nearly 100 years old. Kriek makes the re-connection with H.P. Lovecraft an unforgettable experience. In this reprint Scratch has added a dossier of sketches and studies for this wonderful book of weird tales.

120 pages, full colour Size 20,5 x 27,7 cm Scratch edition published June 2019 One shot Rights sold: Czech Republic (Argo), France (L’An2), Germany (Avant Verlag), Italy (Eris Edizioni), Serbia (Besna Kobila), Spain (La Cupula), Sweden (Placebo) English excerpt available

Erik Kriek (Amsterdam, 1966) is a Dutch illustrator and comics artist. He makes illustrations for the Boston Globe and various magazines, and designs album covers, posters, and skateboards. In 2008, he won the Stripschapprijs, the most prestigious award in Dutch comics. In 2012, he published From Beyond and Other Tales, his collection of graphic reworkings of H.P. Lovecraft’s gothic tales. From beyond and Other Tales has been translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Serbian and Swedish. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (USA, 1890 – 1937) was an American writer of weird fiction and horror fiction. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, he spent most of his life there, and his fiction was primarily set against a New England backdrop. Lovecraft was never able to support himself from earnings as an author and editor, but his fascinating stories live on in this excellent tribute by Erik Kriek.

Peter van Dongen - Repatriated ‘Van Dongen’s graphic novels have to be read carefully, because a significant part of the story is told through the drawings. By adding new, visual scenes, Van Dongen gives depth to Van Dis’ voice-over from the novel.’ ★★★★ – Knack Focus ‘Van Dongen created a very vivid adaptation thanks to his use of beautiful close-ups and camera angles.’ ★★★★★ – de Volkskrant ★★★★ – NRC Handelsblad

‘Their little brother. Born shortly after the war, an accident, just after the camps… He was hidden under her hunger edema. At home they call him boy, kid, or after the last job he performed: scourer, sweeper, duster, stoker. And sometimes, if the girls are feeling affectionate, they call him, very sweetly, brother.’ Peter van Dongen reworked Adriaan van Dis’s novella into a graphic novel. A story in scenes about a family from the former Dutch Indies who try to make a new life for themselves in 1950s Holland. Sisters whisper secrets behind the curtain. Father, obsessed with remuneration, prepares his son for a new danger: the Russians! And amidst all this, the boy finds comfort with his shadow brother, whose presence he can feel but whose existence he can never mention. Repatriated is a moving story and a striking portrait of a father-son relationship that is tainted by traumas and fear.

124 pages, full colour Size 24 x 32 cm Published October 2017 One shot Rights sold: World French (Dupuis) English translation available

Peter van Dongen (1966) is a Dutch comics artist and illustrator. In 2004, his diptych Rampokan was published, a story set on the eve of Indonesia’s independence. It has been published in France, Germany and Indonesia. In 2013 he created Three Days in Rio, commissioned by clothing brand Gant. In 2018 Van Dongen won the Stripschapprijs, a major Dutch comics award. Currently, Van Dongen is working on new Blake and Mortimer albums, together with Teun Berserik. Adriaan van Dis (1946) is one of Holland’s most acclaimed authors. His body of work includes novels, travelogues, plays and television. 11

Joost Swarte - New York Book ‘About as fancy as it gets.’ – de Volkskrant ‘A feast to behold.’ – Enola

Twenty years ago, in 1995, Joost Swarte made his debut in The New Yorker magazine. Since then he has added more than fifty illustrations, eight covers and over 100 various contributions to that first illustration. In New York Book, Scratch presents an overview to date of Joost Swarte’s illustrations for The New Yorker, together with previously unpublished sketches and with commentary from the artist himself. A beautiful book by the Dutch master of ligne claire. In 2008, Swarte received an Award of Excellence from the American magazine Communication Arts for his cover Summer Reading.

106 pages, full colour Size 22 x 30 cm Released October 2017 One shot Rights sold: France (Dargaud)

Joost Swarte (1947) is one of the best known and most respected comics authors and graphic designers of The Netherlands. Swarte attended the Design Academy Eindhoven for three years, after which he focused on writing and drawing comics. His books have been translated in French, English, German and Spanish. For the past few years, Swarte’s focus has shifted from comics to illustrations for magazines (among which The New Yorker), posters, stamps and even furniture and objects. He is also the Chief Editor of the renowned international comics magazine, Scratches.

Joost Swarte - Everywhere ‘There’s always a catch to the apparent simplicity of the illustrations. At second glance, the mild satire manifests itself. Humour at second sight – Swarte’s trademark.’ – de Volkskrant

In honor of Joost Swarte’s longstanding and highly successful track record as designer, author and inventor, the renown Kunsthal in Rotterdam hosted a 4-month-long exhibition showing a cross-section of Joost Swarte’s impressive body of work. 50 years of passion for design shine through in this cahier with 32 large prints. A must have for every Joost Swarte fan in the world. The exhibition is scheduled to travel abroad.

32 pages, full colour Size 30 x 40 cm Released October 2019 One shot

Erik Varekamp en Mick Peet The Kennedy Files #1 and #2 The first graphic novel series about the Kennedy dynasty.

The Kennedy Files is a highly original non-fiction graphic novel series based purely on facts. It is an account of the origins of the Kennedy legacy, exuding history, drama, wit and entertainment. #1 The Man Who Would be President follows self-made millionaire Joseph P. Kennedy on his mission to become the first irish-catholic President of the USA. In 1938 he is appointed Ambassador in London, where he mainly concerns himself with his illegal liquor business. When war looms over Europe, Kennedy tries to convince President Roosevelt to stay out of the conflict, which he considers bad for business ... In #2 War Comes to Europe we join Joseph P. Kennedy’s sons, Joe Jr. and Jack (whom we know as JFK) on their travels through fascist Europe, where Jack finds himself in a tight spot with Hitler’s SA. When WWII breaks out, Churchill takes over the lead from Chamberlain. Ambassador Kennedy has no friends left in London and is called back to Washington in 1940, his political career is in shambles. It’s up to his son to make up for this shame.

96 pages, full colour Size 15 x 24 cm Part 1 released November 2016 Part 2 released October 2019 English version available Rights Sold (series): France (Dargaud)

Erik Varekamp (1964) is a Dutch illustrator and comics artist. Varekamp received his education at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. After he left this institute, he started working for Dutch cartoonist Gerrit de Jager. Varekamp has worked as an illustrator for various companies and publications such as HP/De Tijd, Het Financieele Dagblad and vpro-Gids. Mick Peet works as an art director for Dutch financial daily Het Financieele Dagblad. Together, Varekamp and Peet created the highly successful Agent Orange series about the life of the Dutch Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1911-2004). 17

Erik Varekamp en Mick Peet The Kennedy Files #3 and #4 ‘Daddy Kennedy is even more fascinating than JFK!’ – Stripjournaal

The Kennedy Files is a highly original non-fiction graphic novel series based purely on facts. It is an account of the origins of the Kennedy legacy, exuding history, drama, wit and entertainment. In #3 An Accidental Hero, America is drawn into the conflict by Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Joe Jr. is training to be a fighter pilot. His brother Jack falls in love with Inga Arvad, who turns out to be a German spy. When Jack is deployed to the Pacific, his motor torpedo boat is run down by a Japanese war ship. Jack manages to save his crew and himself, becoming an accidental hero. Right before the end of the war, Joe Jr. volunteers for a secret mission – which costs him his life. Now it’s up to Jack to fulfill his father’s ambition: to become President of the United States. #4 A Myth in the Making, sets off where #3 ends, but - as all other parts can be read as a separate chapter in the life of the Kennedy empire. Complete with dossier and character overview.

96 pages, full colour Size 15 x 24 cm Part 3 due Spring 2021 Part 4 due Fall 2022 Part 5 onwards TBD English version available Rights Sold (series): France (Dargaud)

Victor Meijer - Mad Dog ‘Victor Meijer has the courage to stick out’ – Tzum, literary webblog ‘An enchanting surrealistic adventure’ - Peter van Brummelen ‘Best graphic novel of the year’ - Het Parool ‘Everything is shown, yet nothing is explained’ ★★★★★ 9e Kunst

Mad Dog is a richly imaginative tale of a child’s resilience. A boy is caught between his divorced parents’ hate for each other. To escape their harsh words, he decides to run away from home with his dog. Together, they sign on to a ship and set sail, and end up in strange, unknown worlds. But even in his own fantasy world he can’t really escape his troubles at home. A coming of age story that will touch many a heart.

160 pages, full color Size 21 x 29,7 cm Published November 2019 One shot

Victor Meijer (1975) has written theatre plays, published poetry in literary magazine Bunker Hill, currently illustrates children’s books and makes music under the artist name Carmona. His debut novel Miskend talent (2008) made it to the longlist of the Academica Debutantenprijs. He drew the cover illustrations for the two diaries by Hendrik Groen, the first of which was used for many of the 36 translations. In 2017, he published his literary picture book De Jongen en de dood. His graphic novel debut has been received with raving reviews in Q4 of 2019. 21

Sasha Jovanovich - The Rabbit ‘The art is spectacular, graphically it is a small miracle ... chillingly beautiful and intriguing.’ - Drs. J.A.M. van Waterschoot, University of Amsterdam, Special Collections

His life’s ambition is to produce at least one work in each art form and technique. Jovanovich has done drawing, etching, painting and sculpting, conceptual art, writing and music. The Rabbit is simultaneously a graphic novel and a substitute for the movie that he will never make, because this kind of movie simply cannot be made on a shoestring budget. The Rabbit is a spectacular rollercoaster ride, a container filled with Jovanovich’s love for comics, sci-fi movies and Amsterdam on the one hand, and with an infinite disgust towards wars and the big, dirty corporations who usually start those wars, on the other. So, here we all are, riding through space on a planet we made so angry it might try to kill us all… Or are we trying to destroy the world that made us what we are today?

240 pages, full color Size 21 x 29,7 cm Published November 2019 One shot

Sasha Jovanovich (1963) is a visual artist based in Amsterdam. Having previously studied applied art and architecture at the University of Belgrade, he graduated from the Amsterdam Gerrit Rietveld Art Academy in 1993. Upon graduation, Sasha was the recipient of the BKVB grant for perspective emerging artists and went on to co-found JAB, an avant-garde funerary art studio. Sasha’s conceptual art was exhibited in The Netherlands, Germany, Serbia and Great Britain. He started creating digital art in mid nineties. 23

Milan Hulsing - The smuggler ‘Most remarkable is Hulsing’s us of color - his work has a distinct cinematic feel.’ − 8Weekly ‘Close to the tales of Corto Maltese’ - Knack Focus ‘The more you delve into The Smuggler, the clearer it becomes how intricate and good this work really is. In my opinion, Album of the Year’ - Teunis Bunt

Set in the 1950s, The smuggler is the story of Hungarian exile Laszlo, who runs a profitable business in smuggling comics from Hungary to the West. On one of his trips to the USA, he gets stuck in the Caribbean, where he takes on a high risk job as a diver. The Cold War is in full swing. Laszlo teams up with an exiled Hungarian millionaire with whom he shares a hatred of communism. They build a hoax around the comics by rewriting the texts, pretending they are anti-communist underground comics from across the Soviet Union. When the duo is caught, the officials from the communist regime pretend to believe the hoax and use it as a pretext to arrest many dissident artists. Incredibly, The smuggler is based on true events. 180 pages, full color Size 20,5 x 28 cm Published October 2019 One shot Rights sold: Middle East (Nool Editions) English excerpt available

Milan Hulsing (1973) is a Dutch comics artist, animator, graphic designer, and writer. He is known for his graphic novel City of Clay. Hulsing graduated from Willem de Kooning Academy in 1994 and then studied film and theatre studies. He regularly published comics and illustrations in various (comic) magazines. In 2004, he published his short story collection Wat Fred niet wist. In 2008, his graphic novel Operatie Hanuman with artwork by Michiel de Jong won the prize for best album of the year.

Michiel van de Pol - Spotters ‘Both hilarious and touching.’ – de Volkskrant ‘Michiel van de Pol’s best book yet.’ – Hans Pols

Frank is a passionate aircraft spotter and builder of model airplanes. Everything in his world is clear and manageable. But then he meets Julia, a young novelist working on her debut novel. Julia and Frank are complete opposites, but they fall in love and soon after, Julia discovers she’s pregnant. While Frank tries to calm his anxiety over his impending fatherhood by gathering as much information as he can from the Internet, Julia learns she is terminally ill. She keeps her illness from Frank, afraid that he will break down when he finds out. While Julia’s sense of reality is beginning to waver and she slowly descends into madness, Frank has to confront his inner control freak and accept his role as a parent. In Spotters, Michiel van de Pol broaches big subjects such as illness, death and self-determination, while maintaining a light touch. Frank’s and Julia’s thoughts colour their worldviews – literally. Frank’s thoughts are depicted in blue, Julia’s in pink, alongside the ‘neutral’ yellow reality. In his particular, at times bizarre style, Van de Pol has created a graphic novel full of life, humour and compassion.

180 pages, full colour Size 17 x 24 cm Published May 2016 One shot English translation available

Michiel van de Pol (1965) made his debut with Mol in comics magazine Sjors en Sjimmie in 1995. Since 1996, he has published several books. He won the first comics contest of newspaper Het Parool with his autobiographical comic Cartoondiarree in 2006. His cartoons were published in various newspapers and magazines. In 2010, his book Terug naar Johan came out, which won him the Willy Vandersteen prize. Spotters is his fourth graphic novel. 27

One day...

Vera decides it is time

To shed all her clothes...

I'll get it!

DING DONG!

Michiel van de Pol The League of Sensitive Men ‘Van de Pol isn’t afraid to show his own vulnerability and shame, but instead embraces it and dissects it.’ – Literair Nederland

Vera one day decides she no longer wants to wear clothes. Her husband is taken aback, but what can he do? He seeks reassurance with the League of Sensitive Men, who help him deal with his predicament. Meanwhile Vera falls in the hands of Doctor Cagliari who has always been fascinated by the power that women - or rather ‘sexy bitches’ - have over men. He is determined to unlock the secret with Vera’s help. The experiments begin and things get totally out of hand...

102 pages, full colour Size circa 17 x 24 cm Expected first half 2020 One shot

Mark Hendriks - Octopus ‘Octopus is a beautiful graphic novel full of artwork that wouldn’t look out of place on the walls of a gallery or museum.’ – Michael Minneboo, journalist and author

A rural village in Korea. Two tourists wander around, looking for temples and authentic experiences. A club of old ladies goes hiking. An old man sits under a tree, drinking, hoping his wife won’t find out. A woman runs a small tourist shop by day and plays video games with her nephew at night. But she prefers going fishing in a nature reserve to waiting around for customers. There, freediving into the ocean, she discovers an octopus that both annoys and intrigues her. In Octopus, different storylines run along each other, slowly becoming intertwined like the tentacles of an octopus. With his beautiful, surefire artwork Mark Hendriks has created a mesmerizing tale of tradition and modernity in which nothing is what it seems.

232 pages, black & white 30 x 22 cm (oblong), hardcover with slipcase Published June 2017 One shot

Mark Hendriks (Amstelveen, 1971) graduated from Academie Minerva in Groningen in 1997. His work has been translated into French, Japanese, Italian, Slovenian and Finnish. In 1998, he won the Handyburger Award (Slovenia). He has also won the Stripschaps penning (a major Dutch comics prize) for Album of the Year three times: for Tomoyo (1996), for the albums Hong Kong Love Story and Ikayaki together (2000) and for De nieuwe hemel (2006). His stunning book, Tibet (2015) was also published by Scratch (see page 31). 31

Mark Hendriks - Tibet ‘With a stunning combination of craftsmanship, powerful artwork, layered humour, surprising elements and strange plot twists, Hendriks has delivered an impressive feat.’ – De boekenkrant ‘Tibet is a wonderful book, a great satire on esotericism, a reminder to be wary of false prophets.’ – Stripschap

Tibet, several years after the country gained independence. Rival Buddhist sects fight each other in a bloody civil war. In the meantime, an evil demon possesses Mhusha, the butcher’s daughter. He is causing angry red spots all over her body that she can’t seem to get rid of. The local nobleman and the monastery grant her permission to travel to Dbu Li, where a lama with healing powers is said to live. Mhusha sets off, together with her neighbor, in search of the monastery. Along the way they receive help from mountain demons, holy signs, esoteric maps, enlightened masters, dreams and clouds.

400 pages, black and white Size 17 x 24 cm Published May 2015 One shot

In Tibet, Mark Hendriks shows a different side of the country that Westerners usually think of as pristine, peaceful and spiritual: a country where corrupt monks are in charge and religious extremism and suppression of the population are everyday realities. In his beautiful, flowing style, Hendriks paints a mystical, but harsh world, where dreams and reality overlap seamlessly.

Rights sold: France (Warum), Ukraine (Calvaria) English excerpt available

More on Mark Hendriks on page 29. 33

Tobias Tak - Canciones ‘Tak uses a graphic vocabulary that adds a poetic layer to the images.’ – Knack Focus ‘A beautiful book. Lyrical poems, beautifully visualised.’ – Het Parool ‘This is good. Meticulous, dreamy drawings. Bright colours. Tak creates a world of his own.’ – Enola.be ‘The doubly gifted Tobias Tak expresses himself through dance and art, the two combining in his comics as a perfect partnership of motion and rhythm.’ - Art Review

Federico García Lorca is one of Spain’s foremost cultural and literary figures. In 1927, he published his masterpiece Canciones, a volume of lyrical poetry. Tobias Tak transformed twenty of these poems into a series of richly detailed and inventive ink drawings. With his boundless imagination, Tak’s illustrations add a new depth and energy to Lorca’s poetry. This collection will appeal to lovers of visual art, graphic novels and poetry and aims to bring the colourful and atmospheric landscape of Lorca’s work to a new audience.

160 pages, full colour Size 17 x 24 cm Released January 2017 One shot English version available

Tobias Tak (1954-2020) was a Dutch artist, dancer and singer. Inspired by early 20th century book illustrations and expressionist movies of the 1920s, Tobias Tak invented his own unique and elaborate worlds. Early works were published in Dutch cult magazine Tante Leny. His work has appeared in various publications. He has also published two books of collected stories: Gaboon’s Daymare and Upside Down. Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) is one of the most celebrated 20th century Spanish writers, known primarily for his plays and poetry collections. In 1936 Lorca, an outspoken socialist, was arrested by Franco’s supporters regime and executed. Today his work is still as vivid, fresh and arresting as when it was created. 35

Sam Peeters - Fucking Hell ‘After reading Fucking Hell you realise Satan is only human…’ – de Volkskrant

The Devil is in love. And it’s bothering him. Ever since he met Ilse at a costumed bdsm party (she was dressed up as an SS officer) he can’t seem to get her out of his mind. But after their one night stand, she completely disappeared. Lucifer, the King of Hell, Master of Evil, is heartbroken. He forsakes his duties. Punishing sinners in the eternal fires of Hell just isn’t fun when she’s not around. In a desperate attempt to find her, he turns to his colleague from the other side. In spite of their previous disagreements, God is willing to help him. But he has a favour to ask of the Devil as well... Bold, funny and in-your-face, Fucking Hell is a daring project by Sam Peeters. In his colourful, highly stylised panels featuring explicit sex and creative methods of torture, Peeters tells an uplifting story that shows love really does conquer all.

80 pages, full colour Size 24,4 x 31,3 cm Published May 2016 One shot English translation available

Sam Peeters (1976) is a Dutch comics artist and illustrator. He is part of the comics collective Lamelos. Their most famous collective creation is Kaasheld en Poephoofd, which has appeared in self-published comic books as well as underground magazines such as Zone5300, Myx and LaCruda. In 2010, Peeters published his silent solo comic In de Schaduw van mijn lul. He teaches Illustration Design at Minerva Art Academy in Groningen and Comic Design at Artez Institute of Arts in Zwolle. 37

Sam Peeters - Get Claudia ‘Its child-friendly, colourful style clashes with the horny, melancholy contents.’ ★★★★ – Knack Focus ‘A wonderful comic. Peeters experiments with style and content haven’t kept him from taking the story to the next level and creating a beautiful album.’ – Stripinfo.be

Claudia is the most beautiful girl in the school. Sexy, smart, sweet, funny. And out of everybody’s league. From the moment he sees her, the protagonist of Get Claudia is madly in love with her. She gets under his skin, nestles in his eyes, his ears, his brain, his heart, his groin. But though their love seems meant to be, circumstances keep them from being together. Time and time again their paths cross. And with every encounter, his love for her takes on a more extreme form.

224 pages, full colour Size 24,4 x 31,3 cm Published March 2017 One shot

Aimée de Jongh - The Return of the Honeybuzzard ‘The narrative has a page- turning quality frequently absent from psychologically astute graphic novels.’ – Publishers Weekly ‘Enchanting, and leaves room for the imagination. Exactly what a good story should be.’ – Het Parool ‘A promise delivers… An intricately constructed graphic novel about a bookseller who finds himself stuck in the doldrums.’ – De Standaard

Dwindling sales force bookseller Simon Antonisse to close down his bookshop. Disaster strikes when he witnesses a stranger commit suicide. The event has a devastating effect on him. He begins to experience flashbacks to his childhood and slowly his life turns into a horrible nightmare. Only Regina, a young girl he meets by chance, can give him the peace and quiet he so desperately needs.

168 pages, black-and white Size 20 x 27 cm Published 2014 One shot Rights sold: World English (Selfmadehero), World French (Dargaud), World Spanish (Ponent Mon), Serbian (Komiko), Middle East (Nool Editions)

The Return of the Honeybuzzard by Aimée de Jongh has been published in five languages and was awarded the prestigious Prix Saint-Michel for best Dutch-language graphic novel in 2014. The Guardian listed the book as one of the best graphic novels published in 2016. In 2017 it was adapted into a film for Dutch tv.

Aimée de Jongh (1988) is considered one of the biggest talents in Dutch comics. She’s a fulltime comics artist, illustrator and animator for films and tv. Her daily gagstrip Snippers ran in the Dutch newspaper Metro for five years. De terugkeer van de wespendief (The return of the honeybuzzard) is her first graphic novel. 41

Aimée de Jongh - Taxi! ‘This beautifully woven series of vignettes from the brilliant Aimée de Jongh are a necessary and poignant reminder of our common humanity.’ – Joe Sacco ‘I love it. The way it flows. The lush and fluid brushwork. The fullness of all the characters. The humanity. Bravo.’ – Craig Thompson

98 pages, black-and-white Size 20 x 27 Published May 2019 One shot Rights sold: Middle East (Nool Editions), Spanish (Dolmen Editiones)

Aimée de Jongh, one of the brightest talents in Europe, creates her first autobiographic work, focusing on taxi rides from four cities: Los Angeles, Paris, Jakarta, and Washington, DC. Despite the stunning and detailed streetscapes she passes, de Jongh discovers she’s more interested in the cab drivers than the view from the backseat. As the drivers slowly open up about their personal lives, de Jongh does too—even when it means challenging her own ideas and prejudices. Through these vulnerable - and often humorous - moments, de Jongh finds common ground with the people driving her. Taxi! is an ode to taxi drivers everywhere.

Judith Vanistendael When David Lost His Voice ‘This is an amazing book … [Vanistendael’s] illustrations are delicate, intimate and extremely beautiful, and with the occasional moment of whimsy.’ – The Guardian ‘Judith Vanistendael reinvented herself for When David Lost His Voice. The result is a heartbreaking, beautiful and skillfully made graphic novel about life and death.’ – De Standaard ‘A monumental graphic novel.’ – NRC Handelsblad

David has cancer – a devastating disease, not just for him but for his family as well. This story begins at the crossroads of life and death: not long after giving birth to her first child, Miriam learns her father has cancer. Tamar, David’s youngest daughter, is determined to find out what death means, and how you can preserve a soul. Paula can’t cope with the fact that her husband will abandon her. David himself would most of all like to go on one last sailing trip. Everyone reacts to David’s inevitable death in their own way. In When David Lost his Voice, Judith Vanistendael looks for an answer to the question what it feels like when life lets you down. A story that gets under the skin. 280 pages, full colour Published 2012 One shot Rights sold: World English (Selfmadehero), Spanish (Norma), Swedish (Epix), Korean (Kyobo Book), French (Lombard), German (Reprodukt), Polish (Komiksowe), Slovakia (BRaK)

Judith Vanistendael (Leuven, 1974) is a Flemish comics artist and illustrator. In 2007 and 2009, she published her first album, the diptych De maagd en de neger. Both volumes were nominated for the Grand Prix d’Angoulême and translated into six languages. In 2012 her graphic novel Toen David zijn stem verloor was published, followed by Pelgrim of niet?, a travelogue of her journey to Santiago de Compostela. In 2016 the graphic novel Mikel was published, which she created together with Mark Bellido. 45

Sterre Richard - Black Fur ‘For the love of witches!’ – Sterre Richard

Black Fur - The Love of Witches is a lesbian-romantic grim dark tale in the vein of the classic fairy tales. Aimed at young adults and upwards, filled with the occult and with stunning contrast rich imagery. This beautifully drawn dark story ends tragically, but with an opening to future tales.

circa 84 pages, full colour Published 2020 One shot

Sterric or Sterre Richard (1993) is a Rotterdam based illustrator, designer with a specialty in visual storytelling. Sterric’s passion is the making of comics, with an active webcomic that publishes one chapter every month as well as a graphic novel that is set to be published in the summer of 2020. All comics Sterric has made up until now are completely written, inked, colored and lettered by herself. 47

Dido Drachman - Swan drifters

Exciting new work from a recently graduated talent. In dreamy hand- painted imagery Dido Drachman tells the tale of a young girl torn between an alcoholic, abusive father and a mother that has left for her own reasons.

circa 128 pages, full colour Expected summer 2020 One shot

Dido Drachman (1992) is an Illustrator and comic book artist from the Netherlands, who currently lives in Brussels, Belgium. In 2015, she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration from De Hoge school van de kunsten Utrecht. In 2019 she finished her Master’s degree in Graphic storytelling at LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. Swan drifters is planned for the summer of 2020. 49

Mark Smeets - The Art of the Unfinished ‘With The Art of the Unfinished, Dutch art wizard Mark Smeets posthumously gets the book that he deserved.’ – Knack Focus

Mark Smeets (1942-1999) was one of Holland’s best and most valued underground comics artists. His comics were never complete stories with a plot and clear main characters, but were more like poems – full of sudden turns, absurd images, breaks and new stories. His oeuvre remains a unique and intriguing body of work. He has many fans among artists, among whom Chris Ware. The Art of the Unfinished offers a complete and insightful biography of this forgotten artist. This generously illustrated book is a chronological overview of Smeets’ work, encompassing his entire career. With an introduction by Chris Ware.

226 pages, full colour Size 29,7 x 21 cm (oblong) Published May 2016 One short

Mark Smeets (1942-1999) was a Dutch illustrator and (comics) artist. His work consisted mainly of loose illustrations and short stories, but he also contributed to Dutch comics magazines, such as Tante Leny Presenteert and Modern Papier. Issue 15 of Tante Leny Presenteert was dedicated entirely to his work. The issue was translated into French, which gave him some notoriety in France as well. Smeets also drew illustrations for NRC Handelsblad for some twenty years in his distinctive ligne claire. 51

Mark Smeets - Sketchbook 1993 ‘His modest sketchbook pages with their spidery, clear lines, subdued palette of filtered greens, browns and blues, and odd, unfinished pencil sketching all point towards an approach to comic strip “storytelling” that is fresh and otherwise, I think, unexplored.’ – Chris Ware

Mark Smeets has always drawn – in notebooks, on scraps of paper, but most of all in sketchbooks. Between ages forty and fifty he realised: ‘Since about a year I’ve accepted this form: these sketchbooks are who I am. This is how it has to be. I no longer have the urge to draw a real story. That’s what comics are, basically: you have to tell a story, as simply and clearly as possible. I prefer to make it as complicated as possible, throwing in all sorts of things that have nothing to do with it, without any discipline. I’ll just have to accept that lack of discipline; apparently it’s a part of me.’ After Smeets’ death in 1999, a great number of sketchbooks were found in his archive, full of never before published work. One of these, from 1993, was published as a facsimile at Scratch. For the first time, these drawings are shown to the public. An intimate portrait of this outsider of the Dutch comic world.

184 pages, full colour Size 29,7 x 21 cm (oblong) Published May 2016 One shot

Wasco - The Hourglass Complex ‘Each page is a delight to look at and some of them sizzle with creativity.’ – Knack Focus

What if the characters in a comic won’t stay within the panels of their story? What if they want to explore the world that lies beneath the surface of the pages they appear on? Welcome to the strange and wondrous world of Wasco. In this beautiful crossover between art and comics, the idiosyncratic Dutch artist shows his best work along with new artwork in one volume for the first time. In mostly wordless comics, Mr. Tuitel (Mr. Hourglass) and his dog Phiwi (Pheewee) appear, disappear and re-appear in an environment that has been brought down to the essence of comics art: panels, lines, colours and shapes. In Het Tuitel Complex (The Hourglass Complex), Wasco showcases his many and diverse graphic talents in playful, humoristic artwork.

112 pages, full colour Size 24,4 x 32,3 cm Published October 2015 One shot

Wasco (1957) studied at the aki in Enschede and the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam. Since the late 1980s, he has been self-publishing and printing his own magazines and books. His main characters are the dog Phiwi and its owner Mr. Tuitel. Wasco has contributed to the alternative comics magazine Zone5300 since its first issue, and his illustrations have also appeared in magazines such as Vrij Nederland, mug magazine and vpro-Gids. Having been discovered by Joost Swarte, Wasco has a large fan base among Dutch comic artists for his uncompromising, original and abstract style. 55

Wasco - 1000 Penguins Some call him a ‘poet and visual essayist’, others know him as risograph specialist, but he himself came up with the qualification ‘penguinist’: Wasco is a unique figure in the Dutch graphic novel landscape, who tirelessly studies the laws of comics and tries to bend them in his work.

How do you draw a thousand penguins? First one, then another, then the third... And then you keep that up for a while. At least, that’s what Wasco did. The quirky comic artist, poet and selfproclaimed penguinist filled a delightful book with exactly one thousand penguins, each in series of one to ten. A thousand tiny birds, all of which have been drawn in a unique way: cubist, realistic, graphic, comical, you name it. 1000 Penguins is a playful experiment with form and style that elicits a smile from every spectator.

208 pages, black and white with 4 Pantone colours. Size circa 17 x 18 cm, hardcover Published September 2018 One shot

Wasco - 2020 Penguin calendar ‘Penguins are cool!’ – Wasco

A wonderful gift for young and old, for the die-hard penguin fanatic, but also for anyone who wants something different to look at each day of the year. This wonderful calendar presents you with a colorful, happy piece of art each day of the year. And if you count them carefully you will find that Wasco has managed to give you exactly the right number of penguins on this calendar to match the year it comes out in. Penguins are cool!

368 sheets, full color Size 13 x 18 cm, softcover Published September 2019 One shot

Wasco - 2021 Cats calendar A cat a day keeps the doctor away.

After effortlessly conjuring up two thousand and twenty penguins for the 2020 wall calendar, Wasco has decided to color the world full of cats for the 2021 calendar. We think the saying should go ‘A cat a day keeps the doctor away’. Cats are the bomb. Don’t you agree?

368 sheets, full color Size 13 x 18 cm, softcover Expected September 2020 One shot

Windig & De Jong - Heinz ‘This is crazy humour that starts where Monty Python ended. Immerse yourself in the Windig and De Jong universe, featuring talking potatoes, a depressed cat and two grumpy comics artists, and you’ll find that any form of therapy will be completely unnecessary.’ – Moors Magazine

Meet Heinz, the grumpy but lovable cat that’s been a staple in Dutch comics since 1987. Its deadpan humour, absurdist situations and deranged characters make it a beloved classic that still has a large fanbase. In October 2018, an animated feature film will be released in cinemas in the Netherlands and Belgium. Between 1987 and 2005, René Windig and Eddie de Jong created over 3000 comics for the daily strip that appeared in over 30 Dutch newspapers, and were collected in 26 albums. In 1992, Heinz made his international debut in Sweden, and in 2007, the comic appeared in the French magazine Picsou. The comics have been republished in full colour in an intégrale series of five volumes from 2009, the last of which will be published in 2018. The strips were also published in nine thematic albums on topics such as children, cooking, golfing and drinking.

English reading sample available Completed series 3000+ comic strips available for translation Heinz 5 volumes

René Windig (1951) and Eddie de Jong (1950) started their drawing career at the Amsterdam grammar school they both attended. After graduation, they started drawing for several magazines, such as Aloha, Donald Duck, and De Balloon. Their breakthrough came with daily comic Heinz. Partly thanks to this success, they won the Stripschapprijs for their oeuvre in 1991. In 2008, they decided to turn their studio into a museum. 63

Joost Swarte (editor in chief)

Scratches #1&2 ‘Think experiment, think different, think graphic novel – and realise how unique and wonderful it can be.’ – Cutting Edge ‘New, international and dazzlingly beautiful.’ – de Volkskrant ‘The viewer is challenged and stimulated with extraordinary visuals … and fragments of work that will put you on the trail of artists that you did not know before.’ - Moors Magazine

Scratches is an English-language comics magazine, presenting new and previously unpublished work by the best Dutch, Flemish and international authors, that appears once yearly. The first issue was published on the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2016. ‘It’s been a dream of mine,’ says Joost Swarte. ‘We show work by unconventional comics artists from the Netherlands and Flanders, as well as big names from the international world of graphic novels.’ Scratches publishes work by a mix of established and upcoming artists. The first issue contains not just comics but also three editorials on the heroes of illustration and comics pioneers.

112 pages, full colour Size 23 x 33 cm Scratches #1 ISBN 9789492117540 Published October 2016 Scratches #2 ISBN 9789492117755 Published May 2018 Retail price € 30,All texts in English Distribution or translation possible

List of contributors: David B., Georg Bohle, Daan Botlek, Robert Crumb, Guido van Driel, Charlotte Dumortier, Tim Enthoven, Brecht Evens, Lars Fiske, Evert Geradts, Ben Gijsemans, Charles Guthrie, Herr Seele, Toon Horsten, Milan Hulsing, Jeroen Janssen, Bendik Kaltenborn, Kamagurka, Lennard Kok, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Max, Ever Meulen, Bart Nijstad, Samplerman, Tobias Schalken, Art Spiegelman, Joost Swarte, Tobias Tak, Aart Taminiau, Veiko Tammjärv, Kristina Tzekova, Sam Vanallemeersch, Judith Vanistendael, Brecht Vandenbroucke, Ludwig Volbeda, Chris Ware, Wasco, Charles Burns, Henning Wagenbreth, Blexbolex, Jochen Gerner, Theo de Feyter, Charles Guthrie, Typex, Helge Reumann, Solko Schalm, Sam Ki, François Ayroles, Erik Kriek, Tiger Tateishi, Kristina Tzekova, Bendik Kaltenborn, Lukas Verstraete.

Robert Crumb - The Bible of Filth Robert Crumb on his sex comics: ‘I guess the work speaks for itself, for better or worse, huh? Yes, yes, I love drawing pictures of big, well-built ladies getting theirs… This seems to be my fate, my destiny in this lifetime – to play this ridiculous sex-pervert buffoon in my comics and drawings. I make a raucous, vulgar, vulgar comedy of my personal quirks, my “angst” if you will. I like vulgar, sexual comedy.’

Robert Crumb’s most outrageous sexual fantasies are collected in this all new, revised edition of the comix classic Bible of Filth. This beautiful edition, printed on bible paper, with its austere cover, ribbon marker and gilt edges, holds no clues as to its contents: R. Crumb’s most explicit comics from magazines like Snatch, Jiz, Zap, XYZ, Big Ass and Uneeda. The first edition was published by Futuropolis in 1986 and was never released in the USA. It’s been a highly sought-after collector’s item for years. Over thirty years onwards, Scratch presents a revised and expanded edition that’s bigger in size and contains over 150 pages’ worth of extra comics from the 1968-2006 period. 336 pages, black and white Size 19,3 x 13,7 cm Released November 2017 Gilt edges and ribbon bookmark All texts in English Available for distribution in Europe (except UK) ISBN 9789492117366 retail price € 29,90

The Gospel of Crumb is a must-have for every comics enthusiast.

Robert Crumb (1943) is known as the godfather of underground comics. In 1967, he moved to San Francisco, the centre of the universe of counter culture, where he published his first Zap Comic, and the YumYum Book. Crumb is mainly known for his characters Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural. Late 2009, he finished the graphic adaptation of The Book of Genesis. Robert Crumb has won numerous awards, among which the Harvey Special Award for Humor in 1990 and the Grand Prix d’Angoulême in 1999. 67

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