paradisesystems

[paradisesystems]

We will be at MoCCA Arts Festival this weekend with Xinmei Liu. Come visit us at Table 88!

Saturday, March 16, from 11am–7pm

Sunday, March17, from 11am–6pm

Exhibitors Hall located at Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th Street)

Image description: our bright yellow tablecloth lined with books. A Seal plushie sits in the center, smiling. A floor plan shows the location of our table.

#paradise systems #comics #independent publishing

[paradisesystems]

We made these stickers to shout out the USPS for everything they do! The USPS's media mail option is a huge support to independent publishing.

Image description: The stickers feature bubble letters saying "THANK YOU USPS!" There's also a USPS delivery person holding up a letter and a few envelopes and packages zooming across the sticker.

#paradise systems #independent publishing #USPS #comics

[paradisesystems]

Paradise Systems recommends: Bear Yixian's Theatre. This raucous comic about the misadventures of a girl and her crocodile pal is a tremendous delight from start to finish. In one iconic scene, our hero is cooked by demons, her last request that they tag her on Instagram when the post pictures of the feast. There's lots more work on Bear's Instagram!

Image description: On the cover, a woman with white hair and eyelashes poses with a dapper crocodile who has three nose rings. In one of the interior pages, the crocodile handcuffs her when her guard is down. Later, she wakes to discover she is being cooked by demons.

#Bear Yixian #comic #cartoonist #illustration

[paradisesystems]

Cover Reveal! This is the cover of a new book by Toyoya Li @toyoyali, Ritual Machine. The front and back covers will be lenticular prints featuring Toyoya's iconic pixel art style. Coming soon!

Image description: A gif of a snarling character with pointed teeth morphing into a robotic mask, and then back.

#paradise systems #toyoya li #cartoonist #independent publishing #illustration

[paradisesystems]

New in our shop! We have a few copies of Good Enough by Tao Benyuan. This handsome volume records a plaintive cat's journey through trials and tribulations. The Chinese dialogue is translated into English on facing pages, but bilingual readers will notice some interesting discrepancies between the source and translation. This book is also a stunning work of craft, as each volume is hand bound. Numbered edition of 300.

86 pages

4 x 6 in

$25

Image description: The cover is blue with a dripping wet cat on it. Interior pages have four panels two panels per page, often with little or no text. In one set of panels, a small group gathers around an impromptu stone pile they've built.

#taobenyuan #paradise systems #cartoonist #comics #independent publishing

[paradisesystems]

We are giving away one set of these cool riso holiday cards designed by Xinmei Liu for every order over $40! Act quick since there are limited sets available.

Image description: Four riso-printed holiday cards showing kids singing, dancing and dressing up as a reindeer and Santa Claus against a festive background.

#paradise systems #illustration #risograph #holiday cards

[paradisesystems]

We're having a huge sale to celebrate (and prepare for) moving to a new storage space! Please take a look if you're interested!

Image description: Paradise Systems book covers with graphics showing the discounted sale price.

#paradise systems #Sale #comics #cartoonist #independent publishing

[paradisesystems]

I know what you're thinking: "Paradise Systems team, you've already published several amazing books this year, certainly you are now planning to rest on your laurels until 2025." Wrong! We have so many more amazing projects in the works, including this book which we can't wait to show you, Murmur by Ganmu (@ganmuuu-blog). 

This book has been in process for years as we try to give Ganmu's work the showcase it deserves. We are copublishing this volume with OQ Comics, who is responsible for the incredible design. More details soon!

Image description: The cover of the book, a minimalist illustration of hands peeling an apple with a knife. The apple is a pinkish gradient orb, making a shocking contrast to the thin black outline of knife blade.

#Ganmu #Murmur #paradise systems #oq comics #comics #illustration #independent publishing

[paradisesystems]

Helen Chazan has written a beautiful review of Haze Cave by Pigao for The Comics Journal. "Pigao deftly explores an emotional landscape of absence and exclusion so deeply part of modernity. Urban centers expel their residents - it is impossible to truly belong to a place that constantly pushes people aside for building projects. No matter how long you stay, a city is never truly your city. And yet the homes we've left are not unchanging; even if they remain the same, we change, we become new people, and we forget... Pigao charts a contemplative terrain of personal diaspora, a fog of place and time, the haze of memory."

#Haze Cave #Pigao #paradise systems #comics #cartoonist #The Comics Journal

[paradisesystems]

Available now: Haze Cave by Pigao! We are so thrilled to add this important work by accomplished cartoonist Pigao to our line up. The artist designed the book with some unique binding and design features, and the printing came out beautifully.

Offset printing / color / 80 pages / 6 x 8.25" ISBN: 978-1-951078-10-2

Haze Cave is a semi-autobiographical story by Hangzhou-based cartoonist Pigao. Broken into two related stories, the first half finds the artist struggling with rent and displacement on the outskirts of Beijing. In the second half, Pigao attempts to return to a place from her past, only to find her memories lead her deeper into mysteries she cannot resolve. Throughout the book, Pigao’s fine pencil work and restrained palette beautifully capture a moment of transition and upheaval.

Image description: Photos of the cover and interior pages of the book, which is black and white with flashes of orange and cyan. In one spread, a couple drives through town while the sun sets. In another, a woman approaches a temple. Pigao's illustration often plays up contrasts between the sharp angular forms of buildings and the softer shapes of foliage and figures.

#comics #paradise systems #Haze Cave #Pigao #independent publishing #cartoonist

[paradisesystems]

Available now for pre-order: Haze Cave by Pigao! We are so excited to be publishing this stunning book, which beautifully captures the dislocation of modern China.

Image description: Pages of the comic showing a couple driving along one of Beijing's massive highways. Gazing out the window at the office buildings, one character wonders at how little of the city she is able to understand.

#Haze Cave #Pigao #paradise systems #comics #cartoonist #independent publishing

[paradisesystems]

Paradise Systems will once again be part of the SPX Stamp Rally this weekend! Come by, get some rad stamps, and check out all of the amazing artists and publishers who are participating! Special thanks to Lucky Pocket Press, Bulgilhan Press, and the Washi Station for organizing!!

Image description: A graphic for the stamp rally featuring hand drawn images of a maps, horses, and a butterfly under a magnifying glass. It says SPX 2023 Friendship Route STAMP RALLY on it. The following images are of a map showing the stations in the stamp rally, and brief text explanation of how it works.

@bulgilhanpress

#SPX 2023 #Small Press Expo #paradise systems #stamp rally #Lucky Pocket Press #Bulgilhan Press #the Washi Station

[paradisesystems]

Platonic Love by A ee mi has been nominated for an Ignatz in the category of Outstanding Comic! To celebrate, here is an excerpt of A ee mi's comic, in which the protagonist takes various forms to continue their interstellar search for connection.

Image description: In this 7-page excerpt the main character wanders through a barren desert looking for life. After finding an oasis, they decide to abandon the desert world, and travel to jungle planet where they become a four-legged creature. Throughout, A ee mi's lush illustrations and dynamic use of symmetrical panel layouts guide the reader through the protagonist's journey.

#Platonic Love #paradise systems #A ee mi #comics #cartoonist #ignatz awards

[paradisesystems]

We have a few towels from our infamous Wang XX Kickstarter left over! One says "Do Nothing" with a seal shape and one says "Yes Seal Life" with a seal face. If you want one, reach out to us! They are $20, domestic shipping included.

Image description: Paradise Systems founder Orion Martin unfurling a towel over the beach, a seal bucket hat upon his head. In the second photo, he lays on the blanket, reading Think I've Still Got It! by Wang XX.

#paradise systems #comics #Wang XX #Think I've Still Got It!

[paradisesystems]

For super fans of A ee mi, we're also selling a discounted bundle of both her books. Save 15% when you buy EMOLAND and Platonic Love together!

Image description: The covers of both books together, each slightly askew. Platonic Love's cover shows the noseless protagonist walking towards a distant city, while EMOLAND's cover is a giant face-style funhouse doorway, two creatures standing before it.

#paradise systems #comics #cartoonist #a ee mi #EMOLAND #platonic love #independent publishing

[paradisesystems]

This month in Bubbles Magazine you can find a roundtable discussion on underground comics in China! Orion and Xinmei from PS were joined by Olga and Qiliq from O.Q and Pigao from Yan Shu to discuss how the scene has been changing over the past few years. It's a pleasure to be part of Bubbles — an ongoing comics-focused zine that is literally bursting with content.

Image description: An interior spread of Bubbles, and a spread of the discussion. The zine is black and white, and the interior pages are full, almost all the way to the edges of the page, with text.

#Bubbles #OlgaZ #Qiliq #Pigao #O.Q Comics #paradise systems #independent publishing #cartoonist #comics #underground comics in China

[paradisesystems]

Available now! EMOLAND, A ee mi's magnificent riso-printed masterpiece, available in limited quantities. Adapting stories from A ee mi's ongoing Meow Meow Bug and Lazy Lazy Dog series, this 4-color riso has multiple fold-out panels and comes with a riso EMOLAND card. We sell out of this book every time we table, so if you're interested, act soon!

4-color riso / 32 pages / 6.5 x 9" / $38

#comics #paradise systems #cartoonist #illustration #a ee mi #EMOLAND #riso