At New York Comic Con, Top Shelf Productions announced some big news about a recent acquisition. The IDW Publishing imprint confirmed they would be housing Return of the Dapper Men, an Eisner award-winning graphic novel by Jim McCann and Janet Lee.
“After seeing three disparate pieces of Janet’s art one Christmas I couldn’t get them out of my head,” says writer Jim McCann. “In my mind they fit into a story, and that tale became the Dapper Men saga. I’m so lucky Janet said yes to taking this journey together, and now, thanks to Top Shelf/IDW, our characters get to continue their journeys in the trilogy we envisioned.”
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Artist Janet Lee also said, “From the very first, Jim and I dreamed that the adventures of Ayden, Zoe, and the inhabitants of Anorev would be told in a trilogy of books. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be working with the folks at Top Shelf to make that happen. Top Shelf is the home of comics that changed my life. Now my beloved characters have a home there too.”
Chris Staro, the editor-in-chief at Top Shelf, gushed over how excited they were to welcome Return of the Dapper Men to their line-up. “Jim and Janet have created a world of wonder that appeals not only to children but to the child inside all of us. I’m very pleased to be working with them as they bring the world of the Dapper Men to new life at Top Shelf.”
McCann also hinted that fans could expect to see more whimsical storylines as new characters enter Return of the Dapper Men. He said, “We will see more whimsy, more choices to be made, more challenges to overcome, lessons to learn, and of course more new characters for Janet to draw in Time of the Dapper Men. I’d tell you about the final book, but let’s just say the ending of Time will have you guessing and gasping for more. And you’ll get it. Finally.”
If you haven’t heard about Return of the Dapper Men, then you should know the acclaimed series is one loved by both adults and children. You can check out the synopsis for the series below courtesy of Top Shelf:
“Welcome to Anorev, a land where time has no meaning. Robots work and children play, but the play is no fun and the work is no use. A curious boy named Ayden and his robot friend Zoe know that something’s missing, but they can’t imagine what it might be… until 314 identical men in green bowler hats fall from the sky. At last, our heroes have a chance to discover what happened to their world, what might start the clocks back up again, and what tomorrow really means. Blending clockwork whimsy with majestic art-nouveau visuals, Jim McCann and Janet Lee present a hand-crafted fairy tale that feels both familiar and entirely new.”
The deluxe edition of Return of the Dapper Men will be published by Top Shelf next summer.
[H/T] Top Shelf
