This book is in preorder status. We're working hard to get it ordered as soon as possible, but we have not yet reached our ordering target. As soon as we do, I will post an updated ship-by date both here and on the main page.

The book that time seemingly forgot has finally arrived, and frankly, it puts book 1 to SHAME. Allow me, if you will, to explain.

Book one had next to no layout, whatsoever. I kinda put some text on the page, but I was completely oblivious to the concept of actually laying out things in a graphically pleasing way. Thanks to Liz, that's no longer the case. Book 2 has a completely gutted layout, with actual, honest-to-god PAGE NUMBERS on it and everything. The commentary is all contained in boxes that draw stylistically from the website, and it all just flows together nicely. I've also learned the lesson of the page gutters. Those of you with a copy of book 1 know that some pages are difficult to read, because the artwork and commentary just kinda... fall into the center of the page. Thanks to actually researching HOW to lay a book out (and spending about three days obsessing over getting them JUST RIGHT) that won't happen this time. You'll actually be able to READ all of this book! Good selling point, eh?

In addition, this book is printed on high-quality semigloss paper in full, glorious, SATURATED color. Book 1? Dull, dingy color on low-quality matte paper. A nice side effect of this is that sharpies take to this paper much, much better, without bleeding through onto back pages. How does that pertain to you? Well, if you never plan on swinging by a con table I happen to be at, it doesn't matter at all - but if we ever meet, it means that when I sign that bad boy, it won't get ink on any pages it ain't supposed to. I've also gone with a satin-finish cover as opposed to the gloss of the first volume, to avoid the problems of scuffing I got on a large number of the books. This means the book you get is GOING to be in perfect condition, period.

But the greatest difference of all between this book and the last... is the Special Edition.

Yes, you heard me right. The Special Edition. I'm doing a limited run of 500 hardcover copies, which will each come with a dust jacket (That's right. You could, in theory, remove the dust jacket and display this bad boy next to your copies of Proust, thereby diminishing Proust by its proximity to this book.) and will be signed and numbered by yours truly, as well as receiving the official Real Life Comics Seal of Awesometicity. Because this book is certified bad-ass and totally awesome.

Some things don't change, though, and those are the things that work. Each one of the 270 comics contained in the pages of this volume includes commentary that may either shed light on the comic in question, or simply confuse and befuddle you. There is also a section describing the characters you see in this book, so you don't have to be confused as to who is who. (Or is that who is whom? Whom is whom? ...do I really care?)

The cover artwork is by none other than Mohammad Haque of Applegeeks, and the foreword is written by... well, we're still getting that one done. But rest assured, it'll be AWESOME.

So grab your copy today, before the end of the world. Which, again, may be much sooner than you think.