Fantagraphics Blog Jacq Cohen

After years of development, Fantagraphics is unveiling a new line of manga. Kicking things off in September 2010 is a collection of short stories from the mother of shōjo (young girl) manga, Moto Hagio. Next, is a multi-volume series from the GLBT manga-ka Shimura Takako. Each book will be released in hardcover form, keeping the original "right to left" manga style for a deluxe, yet authentic reading experience. The first book, entitled A Drunken Dream, is a collection of literary short stories by Hagio falling into multiple genres, created between 1971-2007. This tome travels through several of Hagio's most revolutionary…

Well, today was the first of many Waffle Wednesdays here in the Fantagraphics office. We had two kinds of waffles: regular Belgian waffles and gluten free waffles (for our wheat-free designer). Steph, our new office manager, brought in a myriad of fruits and three different kinds of syrup! Even our very own Kim Thompson brought two types of orange juices, no pulp and some pulp. I used Emeril Lagassse's recipe of waffles, because it was the first one to pop up in my Google search. In the coming weeks I plan to spice things up by adding special ingredients. My…

Yeah, you.  We need a publicity & marketing intern.  Although this is an unpaid gig, what you don't receive in money, you'll gain in knowledge.  Ah, doesn't knowledge sound like a good time? There are lots of perks…like…umm…well…fancy office, fun coworkers, free coffee!   Just follow this link and get some details.  I promise to be really nice to you.  :•D 

The advance copies of the King Special Edition came into the office recently. They look SO killer. Eric put them on our shelf, and now everybody who walks by stops to gawk at the awesomeness. I consider this a true WIN for designer Adam Grano. And, people say that the book is dying. Well, take that eBook readers. This is not only an amazing piece of nonfiction comics, but also a beautiful art object. I dare anyone to pick out King Special Edition and not marvel at its beauty. Just try it. I triple dog dare you. Yeah, that's right….

The under-construction tarp wasn’t even off and The Comics Journal’s new website started sending ripples through the blogosphere. It’s still growing with new features being added almost daily, but check out the site’s hard launch today, Monday Dec. 14, and experience what everybody’s talking about. See top-tier critics R. Fiore and R. C. Harvey duke it out over 9 Chickweed Lane; Anne Ishii and Roland Kelts on the industry and aesthetics of manga; blogging by Shaenon Garrity; reviews of The Wolverton Bible and Junko Mizuno’s latest; a critical dissection of Gilbert Hernandez’s erotic Birdland; and essays and columns by Jeet Heer,…

Al Columbia will be at Ada Books for two hours on December 11th from 6pm to 8pm to sign his new book, Pim & Francie: The Golden Bear Days. Ada Books Al Columbia717 Westminster Street December 11, 2009Providence RI, 02903 6pm to 8pm401.432.6222 "A lucid nightmare, Al Columbia's dazzlingly well-drawn Pim & Francie features vignettes of its young protagonists menaced by creepy relatives or starring in exceedingly grim fairy tales. These inky visions seem unearthed from the deepest vaults of Uncle Walt's id." – R.C. Baker, Village Voice "[Pim and Francie] showcases…Columbia's self-frustrating mastery: his absolute command of the idiom of lush, old-fashioned cartooning, and the…

Check out this killer Al Columbia print produced by Floating World Comics.  From the Floating World Comics website: "TOYLAND by Al Columbia Pim & Francie is already receiving advance praise from folks like Spike Jonze.  Jim Woodring’s drawing group, Friends of the Nib, is calling it 'book of the year.'  Al’s always working on something new and amazing, whether it’s music, filmmaking, comics, or in this case, painting.  Al showed me a photo of this new painting he was working on and I became immersed in the labyrinth of frayed facade and haunting beauty.  We were proud to feature it as the centerpiece of the…