Brief News Brief:

*Tom Spurgeon has just posted an extended appreciation of the late Highwater Books (though not quite so late that you can't still order some fine books and minis from their store), but it seems that as soon as one company fades away, another rises to carry on the comics banner. On the Comics Journal Message Board Alvin Buenaventura has mantioned that Buenaventura Press, which has largely been releasing prints and comics-art pieces up until now, will be branching out into original books and collections soon, including "Vanessa Davis' Spaniel Rage comic, a full color, art/comics/sketchbook by Ron Regé Jr., a north american printing of Helge Reumann and Xavier Robel's Elvis Road (a sampling in Kramer's Ergot 5 ) and others..."

Buenaventura press has also been involved in the release of "Kramer's Ergot 5", releasing it for online sale before the book's arrival in shops. I'm already anxious for that Ron Rege Jr. book, and Reumann and Robel's stuff in "Kramer's" was pretty interesting, so I'm looking forward to the output of this expanding publisher!

*And speaking of "Kramer's", I'll have my overall thoughts up tomorrow.