While we were putting together his upcoming release, Pocket Full of Rain, Jason sent over this small swatch of lettering– the title of a single page story in the book. He has given his blessing to give away this tiny treasure to the first Flog reader to post in the comments board. I'm not going to get clever and ask you to answer any questions, just be a fan. Leave a contact email address and I'll write you. Approx. 2.75" x 4" on what I'm sure is non-archival copy paper. Touched by Kim Thompson and myself only. Insurance value: $400,000.00.
BEASTS! open call update.
It's crazy hectic here at Fantagraphics so I only have a moment to thank all the people submitting art to the open call slot in BEASTS! Book Two. Deadline is Monday morning when I come into the office (I originally said March 1st but that's a Saturday). I'm pretty amazed and grateful at the response (170 submissions already) and have no idea how I'll choose the art to be published. THANKS EVERYONE! * That beautiful piece above submitted by Ian Huebert. (His site www.themilkmachine.com is not currently up.)
Original Clowes Art Going Fast
I wouldn't normally recommend buying original art off Ebay rather than through the artist but, then, it's not often you get the chance to buy early Dan Clowes pages… You only have a few hours!
Stranger Beasts…
Nice to see my pal Tyler Stout get some more mileage out of his BEASTS! book submission by snagging the cover of Seattle's beloved weekly, The Stranger. Meanwhile, the response to the "open call" slot(s) for BEASTS! Book Two has been surprising and it's been fun to see the work of people I wouldn't have otherwise come across. I can't find time to respond to everyone and though there are a few standout pieces we're all looking forward to seeing more before the March 1st deadline… Want to submit something? Here are the details…
1,000 newspapers want you to know that Jeff Parker is a dick. Daily.
We publish some shocking comics but I had no idea that the most offensive strip was nationally syndicated "family fare." People are okay with this being what their kids grow up reading on the comics page, meanwhile they raise hell over a kid reading an issue of Dan Clowes' Eightball. Go figure. (*Note: Yes, I know I originally mistyped "Brant Parker" in the headline to this post even though his son, Jeff, took over being the Id's dick cartoonist in 1997. Apologies.)
Your Walls Could Be Awesome.
Jordan Crane built a new, enormous screenprinting table and now the artist has made this just for you and 43 uptight friends. You owe him eighty bucks.
YOU can be in Beasts! Book Two…
Ninja Turtles creator Kevin Eastman hasn't responded to my emails (I don't blame him — it probably ended up in his junk mail like everything from Fantagraphics) so I'm left with one open space in the upcoming anthology that is the modern bestiary, Beasts! Book Two. I would like to offer that space to whomever would like to submit work for it. All submissions must be received by March 1st at which point my Fanta colleagues and I will review the pieces and determine one piece to appear alongside the likes of Jaime Hernandez, Kim Deitch, Peter Bagge, Ellen Forney,…
Name this cartoonist.
It's always interesting to see how an artist's style evolves but I was as surprised by this cartoonist's early work as I was when I saw Ware's Floyd Farland. You might recognize the lettering in this sequence since we had to translate it using his modern hand-lettered font. There's a zombie up there and here we have this pop culture reworking starring Scully and Mulder in a quirky short. Anthropomorphic animals and Hemingway as a character? He draws them a lot differently these days but you've probably guessed who it is by now. "Pocket Full of Rain" goes to press…
Online Comics: Dash, Ribs, LOL, Satanas
You are keeping up on the beautiful strip, Bodyworld, from Dash Shaw, right? I mean, after you read Steven Weissman's "Yikes," of course. (Which may still be moving around on our site but is currently at this link.) Meanwhile, the world of bad internet spelling and hobo fetishism has it's very own tribute in Adam Koford's more-than-daily "Laugh Out Loud Cats." It's a gimmick that has limited mileage but it's also a charming homage to classic cartooning that I enjoy seeing. I may even buy a panel featuring his endearing LOL cat, Pip, considering they sell for just 20 bucks….
Letter like the pros!
Since I started as a book designer here at Fantagraphics, one of the most common questions I get is "Where can I find a good comic book font?" And usually I just say "Look Chris, you've been bugging me about that every month since about Acme #3 and I just don't know!" But now I finally have that answer: Comic Book Fonts from the REAL pros! Okay but obvious jokes aside: I really DO get that question and I guess that's my answer now. I can only think of one of our regular artists who doesn't hand-letter his/her own work. We…
