Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship to our mail-order customers: Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age 1933-45 by various artists; edited by Greg Sadowski 208-page full-color 8" x 10.5" softcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-494-8 See Previews / Order Now Order this book and receive this FBI•MINI comic shown at left as a FREE bonus! Click here for details. Limit one per customer while supplies last. When we contemplate a memorable old comic book, the first thing that comes to mind is its cover, and that was no accident. Publishers realized fairly quickly that if…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Comics Bulletin names Walt Disney's Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes the Best Archival Reprint of 2011, with Jason Sacks saying "Universally acclaimed as one of the finest reprints of Barks's works by even the most exacting Duckophiles, Lost in the Andes finally presents an English-language collection of Duck stores behind two hard covers and with the typical exacting standards for which Fantagraphics is justifiably famous. The good people at Fantagraphics outdid themselves with this reprint, which will undoubtedly be a treasure enjoyed by fans for many years." …and they also name Dave…

Just arrived via FedEx this evening, the first advance copy of Nancy Is Happy: Complete Dailies 1943-1945 by Ernie Bushmiller! We're all pawing at it excitedly, admiring Jacob Covey's above-and-beyond design job. Wait'll you see it, folks, seriously.

Athos in America by Jason 196-page full-color 6.5" x 8.75" hardcover • $24.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-478-8 Ships in: February 2012 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Another all-original collection of full-color graphic novellas in the format of Low Moon, Athos in America takes its title from the lead story, a prequel of sorts to the graphic novel The Last Musketeer, in which the seemingly ageless swashbuckler turns up in a bar in 1920 New York and relates the tale of how he went to Hollywood to play himself in a film version of The Three Musketeers. Another tie-in with a previous Jason…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Atomic Books asked comics editor/publisher Ryan Standfest for his Top 10 Comics of 2011, a list which includes The Man Who Grew His Beard by Olivier Schrauwen… "A remarkable mélange of humor, silent interludes, beautiful pacing, coloration and composition. This is one to re-read." …The Cabbie Vol. 1 by Marti… "A reprint that reminds everyone of the neo-noir adventures of 'The Cabbie,' delivered with a great, black, deadpan sense of humor." …and Nuts by Gahan Wilson: "You want a great book that places you directly inside the psyche of a small boy confronting…

Now that you've seen the previews of our collection of Joost Swarte's comics Is That All There Is?, perhaps you would like to know more about the artist and his other work. Here's a nice brief English-language video profile commissioned by DutchDFA that spotlights not only Swarte's comics but some of his work in illustration, design and architecture, with a glimpse inside his drool-inducing studio space.

Our pals at the Elysian Brewing Company sent along these photos of the first batch of Nibiru, the first of the Twelve Beers of the Apocalypse produced in association with Fantagraphics and featuring the art of Charles Burns on the labels, being bottled and packaged up. Stay tuned for updates on the beer's debut, which will take place January 21. They tell us "We are working on making a giant piñata of Planet Nibiru to smash at the party — hopefully it works out!"

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Publishers Weekly announces the results of their 2011 Comics World Critics Poll, with these titles garnering 2 votes each… "Love and Rockets: New Stories Vol. 4, Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez: Jaime Hernandez tops his 30 years of peerless storytelling with the conclusion to 'The Love Bunglers' in which two characters we’ve watched stumble through life make a final lurch — that may bring happiness or doom. Heartbreaking yet without a trace of manipulation." – Heidi MacDonald "The Man Who Grew His Beard, Olivier Schrauwen: This graphic novel is exceptionally inventive, with each…

Above, a recent illustration by Tim Lane for the New York Times Book Review; below, a new page from the story "Meat" for his upcoming short story collection Folktales. [Follow our Tumblr blog for lots more Things to See every day.]