Fantagraphics Blog Eric Reynolds

I just learned that there is a "Zippy the Pinhead: The Musical" opening Nov. 12 (and running thru Nov. 21) in Baltimore, MD. Hello?!?! It's written by Baltimore composer Lorraine Whittlesey and tells the story of the Zipster's return to Baltimore to attend his high school reunion, and includes numbers such as "Pinhead Love," "The Condiments" and "Type 'Z' Personality." 

Joe Sacco is rightly considered to be one of our greatest living cartoonists, but he is most underrated as a humorist. From yesterday's New York Times.  

From the new Complete Peanuts 1977-1978. 

  Okay, you've already heard about our contest for this, and been informed about the Onion's recent interview with its director, but I just wanna testify and tell anyone who might be curious that they should go buy the new Criterion release of Terry Zwigoff's Crumb film already. I bought the Blu-Ray edition yesterday even though I think it's now the third iteration of the film that I've purchased; well worth it, though, because Criterion is the first to get it right. It's a handsome and thoughtful package, which includes a fascimile reproduction of Charles Crumb's (In)Famous Artists Test booklet, as well another booklet of…

Mark your calendar!  FANTAGRAPHICS & DESERT ISLAND PRESENT: AN EVENING WITH DREW FRIEDMAN AND HIS NEW BOOK, TOO SOON? Friday, Oct. 8th, 7-9PM Desert Island, 540 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, NY  Featuring a Q&A with Drew Friedman, conducted by WFMU's Dave the Spazz!   

From Defenders #48, Marvel Comics, 1972.

Here is a picture of Daniel Clowes, who took his son to the Alameda County Fair a couple weekends back, only to discover an unlikely act on one of the stages. Dan reports, "Unfortunately, we missed their set." You can't make this shit up, folks.

My name is Eric, and I'm a recovering Comicon attendee. Okay, that's a loaded opener and implies that I had an unhappy experience this year. I didn't; I just couldn't resist. But my way of navigating the show and finding ways to make it more enjoyable have definitely evolved over the years. I've been to every Comic-Con but one since sometime in the early-to-mid-1980s (and I'm only 39 — you do the math), long before the current convention center was built. I've gone as a child, an adult, a fan, a retailer representative, a journalist, a publicist, and a publisher….

  Robert Pollard has a new art exhibit in NYC on August 27/28. Its open to the public, so come on down! As writer Rick Moody put it in his introduction to Fantagraphics' TOWN OF MIRRORS: THE REASSEMBLED IMAGERY OF ROBERT POLLARD, "The visual art of Robert Pollard … is uncanny, moving, strange, and it summons a dark melancholy…. We are lucky to have these riddles to ponder and unlock." THE 45 SPACE in New York will host "The Public Hi-Fi Balloon," an exhibit of collages by Robert Pollard incorporating pictures, words, and sound on August 27 and 28, 2010. Pollard, whose…

From ROLLING STONE.