REAL LIFE COMIX: ONLY IN NEW YORK AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW!

Cosmic Lion Productions’ highly curated collections from both emerging talent as well as indie comics luminaries have been building buzz on the convention floor and in comic shops over the past couple of years. Just ahead of upcoming news on their return to retail, the publisher launched their most ambitious and fully realized work yet.

With over 50 short stories, Real Life Comix, Only in New York is a graphic novel anthology as sprawling as the city that inspired it; celebrating the grit, glory, absurdity and heart of life in New York City.

“Born a native New Yorker, I never got to know what it was like to experience NYC for the first time” says Dean Haspiel. “Thankfully, this volume of personal stories makes me feel like a NYC virgin in all its grit and glory.”

Doug Latino adds “Collaborating with Dean has been a goal of mine for a while. And then getting to work with such a legendary group of artists and writers has been an indescribable thrill. It began as a pretty simple idea, really, just those stories people tell that took place in NYC, ending them with ‘only in New York, man!’ Then it began to take on a life of its own as contributors committed. Anthologies may be a tough sell these days, but New York City, with so many voices and contradictions, makes it a perfect theme for one.”

Co-edited by veteran comix creators Dean Haspiel and Doug Latino, this vibrant collection brings together a wildly eclectic mix of legendary and emerging voices, including New Yorker cartoonists, MAD contributors, and American Splendor collaborators. Storytellers hail from across comix, comics, graphic novels, literature, art, film, and music, each offering their own take on the city that never sleeps–humorous, heartbreaking, surreal or unmistakably true–capturing the everyday chaos and accidental poetry of New York life.

“Being able to present a project like this is an amazing honor for an independent publisher like myself” says Cosmic Lion Publisher Eli Schwab. “Honoring NYC, a place that has meant so much to the history of my family and my career, and to do it with one of the greatest comic rosters ever. It’s unfathomable. It’s an honor and a privilege to work with Dean and Doug and it’s an honor to be able to help these stories get told. In NYC, there’s one around every corner!”

The anthology features work from cultural luminaries and underground icons alike, including Cosmic Lion’s own Bob Fingerman, Roz Chast, David Collier, Joe Dator, Gary Dumm, Liana Finck, Drew Friedman, Danny Hellman, Ben Katchor, Gideon Kendall, Keith Knight, Peter Kuper, Barbara Willy Mendes, Rachelle Meyer, Josh Neufeld, Ann Nocenti, Rick Parker, R. Sikoryak, Noah Van Sciver, Doug Latino, Julia Wertz, Ron Wimberly, Jonathan Ames, Karl Stevens, Onur Tukel, Spencer Alexander, Wesley Allsbrook, Dieu Sam B., Jonathan Baylis, Nick Bertozzi, Wendy Blake, C. Cassano, Cecil Castellucci, Ezra Cumbo, Vito Delsante, Jen Ferguson, Dean Haspiel, Charles Fetherolf, Christopher Gomez, Ben Granoff, James Greene, Sarah Lee Grillo, Jennifer Hayden, Ariel Kahtan, Whitney Matheson, Jared Miller, Moby, Chris Miskiewicz, Eli Neugboren, Ayoko Nito, Pat Palermo, Joan Reilly, Peter Rostovsky, Gil Roth, Rani Som, JG Thirlwell, Cynthia Von Buhler, Sean Von Gorman, Steve Walker, Owen Brozman, Carol Tyler, and Tony Wolf–each conveying a singular voice and style within the city’s ever-evolving mythology.

The book features a striking cover by acclaimed sibling illustrators Maria and Peter Hoey, a preface by Columbia University’s Karen Green and a foreword and two illustrated contributions by the one and only Drew Friedman.

This incredibly special project is available in a 216 page hardcover through an exclusive crowdfunded preorder campaign, VIsit the campaign page today for exclusive add-ons and experiences only available on Kickstarter!