Monitor Duty by Randy Lander "Help Keep Top Shelf Afloat" With all the fans talking boycott and activism about Captain Marvel, today something has happened which fans really need to get on top of and help out if they can. LPC, the largest bookstore distributor of graphic novels for a lot of independent publishers, has declared bankruptcy. While it remains to be seen the full extent of what effects this will have, there is one immediate one that you can help out with. And as a benefit, maybe you can check out one of those books you've been meaning to pick up. This morning, I received an open letter from Chris Staros at Top Shelf Productions. It seems that LPC's timing was extraordinarily bad for them, and not only are they owed about $80,000, the last check they received for about $20,000 bounced. In turn, their last 30 checks to printers, conventions, cartoonists and practically every aspect of the business bounced or were held in turn. This is the kind of thing that can sink an indy company, but Staros has put forth that if 400-500 fans will order $50 worth of merchandise from their backstock list, they should be able to pull through. The full list of what's available, and the entire message, can be found, among other places, HERE. I have been a fan of Top Shelf's for some time, and they have some really good stuff out there. If you've been meaning to try 9-11: Emergency Relief, A Complete Lowlife, Box Office Poison, Baja, Big Clay Pot, Hey Mister, Pistolwhip or one of the other books I've recommended, now is the time to do it. And order directly from Top Shelf, so that the money will go directly to helping them get through this. You can follow the links on the books I listed above to see my reviews... I think you'll find that they're all pretty glowing, and that's not a coincidence. Top Shelf produces high-quality books with fantastic production values, and it would truly be a shame to see them suffer as a result of LPC's unfortunate bankruptcy. I know that a lot of you have picked up books in the past because of me, and I've gotten plenty of thank yous for turning folks onto 100 Bullets, Powers and books like that. I'm asking that you trust me on Top Shelf's books, that not only will you be helping a great publisher stay in business, you'll get some great books as well. To order direct from Top Shelf, call in credit card orders to 770-425-0551 or shop at their website at www.topshelfcomix.com. Orders over $100 get an extra $25 worth of books free, and there is free shipping for U.S. orders. Email Randy Lander comments about this column, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.