Fantagraphics Blog janice headley

Heroes Con is this weekend, June 3rd through 5th, at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC.  And while Fantagraphics won't be there ourselves, a couple of our awesome artists will be in attendance! Visit Drew Weing in the Artists Alley at Booth 423! According to his Twitter Account, it's your chance to get one of the last few precious copies of the first printing of his acclaimed debut novel Set to Sea.  He'll also have some mini-comics and original art for sale. Drew's got panels on: Saturday, June 4th• 1:30 PM // Designing Comics, Room 203A Sunday, June 5th•…

As the clock strikes midnight, we invite you to join Jim Woodring in the shadows of the sculpture garden… No, it's not the plot of a Kubrick film; it's Nightshift, a special dusk-to-dawn event at the garden of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN! This unique event features live music, collaborative drawing, bedtime stories, and even a Busby Berkeley–style sleeping bag choreography! And at midnight, Jim will be giving a demonstration of the infamous giant pen. Stop by the Walker Cinema room to observe and converse with this artistic genius! Nightshift begins at 9:00 PM this Saturday, June 4…

Residents of San Francisco should head over to the Cartoon Art Museum tonight as they welcome author Monte Schulz! Schulz will talk about growing up with his father, Peanuts artist Charles M. Schulz, and how "Sparky" influenced his own writings. It's sure to be an engaging evening for all! Following the presentation, Schulz will be signing copies of his latest novel, The Last Rose of Summer.  The Cartoon Art Museum is located at 655 Mission Street in San Francisco.  The event runs from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and is free and open to the public!

Meet Stan Sakai this weekend at the Phoenix Comicon 2011, kicking off Thursday, May 26th and running through Sunday, May 29th. He'll be there all weekend, signing at Booth #427! You can also catch him on Friday, May 27th at 1:30 pm, in the panel "Nuts and Bolts of Comics Creation," where he'll talk about how to take a comic book concept from idea to reality, alongside some fellow pros in the industry. And you can hear him again on Saturday, May 28th at 1:30 pm, in the panel "Rockstar Animals in the Comic Book World," as he discusses having…

Tons of thanks to Phantom of the Attic and to artist Wilfred Santiago for sharing these great pics on the Facebook fan page for 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente!  It looks like it was an amazing signing last weekend in Pittsburgh, the very city where Clemente got his start with the Pittsburgh Pirates. You can check out more pics from the event on the Fantagraphics Flickr, and you can also watch this great video capturing the signing, in case the embedded video doesn't play below. Thanks so much again to our hosts at Phantom of the Attic! And Chicago…

Hey Chicago! This Saturday, May 28th, cartoonist Wilfred Santiago will be at Chicago Comics signing his latest graphic novel 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente. Wilfred Santiago signs 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente. Chicago Comics is located at 3244 N. Clark Street, and the signing starts at 3:00 pm!

Who wants to be one of a mere ten students to take a class from the great Jim Woodring on the art of inking with a dip pen and ink?  Well, all you gotta do is get yourself to Australia for GRAPHIC, a two-day long festival held at the Sydney Opera House, August 20th and 21st. Jim will also be part of a panel on Wordless Storytelling, and he'll narrate a slideshow about himself titled Please Stand By. Are you tripping out yet? Well, speaking of "tripping out," Jim is also doing a panel on Altered States… with R Crumb….

Olympia, WA is a city well-known for its DIY ethos, so it's perfect that the guest of honor at this year's Olympia Comics Festival is Megan Kelso, an artist who self-published her influential mini-comic Girlhero throughout the '90s. And, it's also appropriate that we will be debuting the reissue of her collection Queen of the Black Black at the festival! YES! Queen of the Black Black compiles Megan's early Girlhero strips, along with a few other things, into a wonderful redesigned volume. The original limited edition pressing of this came out nearly a decade ago and has been long, gone,…

This Saturday, May 21st, residents of Mohegan Lake, New York will have a chance to learn more about one of the most influential artists from the Golden Age of comics, Mort Meskin! Join author Steven Brower and Mort's son Peter Meskin as they discuss and sign copies of From Shadow to Light: The Life and Art of Mort Meskin. This is a wonderful (and rare!) opportunity to discuss this unsung hero with them both! The event starts at 2:00 pm at the Barnes & Noble in Cortlandt Town Center [3089 E Main Street].

Wilfred Santiago signs 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente. It was a slam dunk when artist Wilfred Santiago stopped by the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery earlier this month with a touchdown on his new book 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente, and I… I… I don't know anything about sports. But that's what made the talk so interesting and informative for me. Santiago sat down with local best-selling author Rob Neyer, national baseball editor for SBNation.com, and together, they introduced me to this inspirational athlete, whose accomplishments during his short life extended way beyond the dugout. Wilfred Santiago talks with…