The Big Bag of Weed
Weed: 420 things you didn’t know (or remember) about Cannabis
Written by I.M. Stoned
The Quotable Stoner
Written by Holden Blunts
The Danktionary
Written by Will B. High
Adams Media
Release date: October 15, 2011
Cover Price: $19.95

Fittingly wrapped in a large Ziploc baggie, The Big Bag of Weed is both a delightful trilogy of gateway books for the novice stoner and a buzz-inducing trip down memory lane for the veteran pothead. Written with the hip clarity of Chuck Klosterman and the accomplished vernacular of Snoop Dog, these three booklets are a hilarious and informative tribute to the richness and immensity of pot culture in America.

Authorship is variously attributed to Holden Blunts, Will B. High, and I.M. Stoned, the kind of Hancocks you’ve encountered on bathroom stalls. Don’t worry though. The quality of writing elevates it far above the juvenile and introductory material makes sure that these books aren’t just for the chronic weed smoker.

Caffeine Dreams #1
Written by Dale Wilson
Art by Todd Haris, Chris Sagovac, Nick Kunin
DWAP Productions
Cover price: $2.95; Available now

Big Ships

Big Ships, a pencil-only, storyboardesque vignette, begins with a crazy man frantically gesturing at the sky, trying to get whoever will listen to look up and acknowledge what he’s pointing at. He piques the interest of a passerby, who snaps a Polaroid of the clouds in the sky. Later the man and his girlfriend stare at the photo. They begin to see something special and puzzle over it. He digs an old telescope out of the closet to get a better look at the spot in the sky. They see”¦

The pencil drawing is technically excellent, with a bit of flair peeking through in the messier and deliberately obscuring use of shading. And whatever else you might say about the artist, he can certainly draw the shit out of some chairs and sofas.

Doctor Leviathan #1
Created by James Matthew Banks, Jr.
Leviathan Comics
Cover price: $3.99; Available now

There’s a kid who sits next to you in Home Room. He wears a black trench coat, and he’s always hunched over drawing something. You lean over to get a look, just not so close that you’ll get a sharpened screwdriver or something stuck in your face. You’re surprised. The illustrations show a confident control of the line; you especially like a collage of monsters on the cover of his shop binder. There’s enough for you to say, “Hey, you should take art classes.”

That’s how I’d imagine meeting James Matthew Banks, Jr., the author of the Doctor Leviathan comic book. With a narrative that best summed up as “some violent crap,” possibly written by someone for whom English is a second language, we’re treated to spread after spread of Ãœber-violent villains that any Columbine-kid’s notebook cover would be proud to sport.