Fantagraphics Blog Eric Reynolds

FANTAGRAPHICS ACQUIRES LOST ‘GRAPHIC NOVEL' BY WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS & ARTIST MALCOLM McNEILL   SEATTLE, WA, SEPT. 9, 2010 — Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the acquisition of the only graphic novel written by — and possibly the last unseen work of his to be published — the innovative Beat writer and Naked Lunch author, William S. Burroughs. This lost masterpiece, Ah Pook Is Here, created in collaboration with artist Malcolm McNeill in the 1970s, will be published in the summer of 2011 as a spectacularly packaged two-volume, hinged set, along with Observed While Falling, McNeill's memoir documenting his collaboration with one…

From the files, Item #1,075,763,294. Over the years, we've tried virtually every approach to "rejection" letters that I can think of: supreme diplomacy, false hope, honest criticism, scorched earth rejection, and everything in between. So I'm not sure which kind prompted this reply from an aspiring cartoonist*, but it makes me laugh every time I see it (it's been hanging on a basement wall for years): * full name edited to protect us more than him.   

  In 2003, when Harvey Pekar's American Splendor film was coming out, the indie-friendly film chain Landmark Cinemas was really high on the film and an acquaintance of mine who worked as a graphic designer for their in-house magazine, FLM, asked me if I would try to edit a short comics section in tribute to Harv. So I did. It didn't come out quite like I'd hoped, but I was honored to do it. I thought of this when Harvey passed away recently and I wrote this, but couldn't find a copy. This weekend, while starting to move everything out of my…

Go HERE for the full scoop. Limited to 500 copies, a mere $15 each. 

  Today is Roberto Clemente Day, honoring Latin America's greatest baseball player of All-Time, and one of the game's great humanitarians. Clemente was a 12-time All-Star and Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972, while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.  This is a great opportunity for us to re-announce one of our most eagerly-awaited projects of the last few years: Wilfred Santiago's forthcoming graphic novel, 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente. Wilfred has been working on this book for several years now, and it's been delayed more than once because the project kept growing…

In addition to our author signings, we'll have the following new books in tow: The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec by Jacques Tardi •  Book of Mr. Natural by R. Crumb •  Fire & Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner and the Birth of Marvel Comics by Blake Bell • Four Color Fear by Greg Sadowski • From Shadow to Light: The Art of Mort Meskin by Steven Brower • Love & Rockets New Stories #3 by Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez • Lucky In Love by George Chieffet & Stephen DeStefano • Sanctuary by Nate Neal • Too Soon? by Drew Friedman •…

  Dash Shaw has started a website for his forthcoming animated feature, THE RUINED CAST. It features production art from from the film and his Unclothed Man web series and original cartoons, writing, and sketchbook material. It's also a forum to talk about pre-90s anime and other cartoons Dash feels are underappreciated. 

Cartoonist and former Fantagraphics Art Director Pat Moriarity's artwork was all over last week's episode of Showtime's WEEDS series (making for one of the most obscure Buddy Bradley cameos ever, in the process), check it out:   Visit Pat's website HERE.

This weekend is Seattle's BUMBERSHOOT festival ("bumbershoot" is old-timey for "umbrella" — get it? it rains a lot here!), one of the biggest cultural events of the year in the great Pacific Northwest, and Fantagraphics will have a presence at the show in a few different ways, most notably a massive art exhibit curated by our own Larry Reid. Here's the skinny on all FBI goings-on:    NORTHWEST COMIX: A 30-YEAR SURVEY OF SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE CARTOONISTSCurated by Larry Reid in Association with Fantagraphics Books Venue: Northwest Rooms Open free to the public September 4-6 with admission to Bumbershoot 2010 This retrospective examines…

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS PRESENTS… DAVE COOPERGETS BENT THE 2010 WEST COAST TOUR Featuring the premiere of Dave Cooper's new book of paintings, BENT, from Fantagraphics Books.    THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 7-9PMLa Luz de Jesus Gallery4633 Hollywood Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90232 OCTOBER 1-3BabytattoovilleRiverside, CA TUESDAY, OCT. 5, 7-9PMCartoon Art Museum655 Mission StreetSan Francisco, CA 94105 THURSDAY, OCT. 7, 6-9PMLucky's Comics3972 Main StreetVancouver, BC, Canada SATURDAY, OCT. 9, 6-9PMFantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery1201 S. Vale St.Seattle, WA 98108 SUNDAY, OCT. 10, 5-7PMCosmic Monkey Comics5335 Northeast Sandy BoulevardPortland, OR 97213