Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

We all get pretty excited when the first advance copies of a new book arrive at the office, but the gasps were extra-audible this morning as we all beheld for the first time The Best Graphic Novel of 2014. OK, we're a little giddy and that may be a presumptuous designation, but given all the accolades these stories received when they were serialized in Love and Rockets, maybe not. The Love Bunglers by Jaime Hernandez is coming in a couple of months and it has that scene that made you cry, that scene that made you gasp, those scenes that made you laugh, that…

Usagi Yojimbo Book 3: The Wanderer's Roadby Stan Sakai 152-page black & white 6" x 9" softcover • $16.99ISBN: 978-1-56097-009-5 7th printing! Ships in April 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Perhaps the best samurai rabbit story ever told, Usagi Yojimbo Book 3 collects full-length Usagi stories from issues #7 through #12 of the original Fantagraphics series, including "The Tower" (which introduces Usagi's travelling companion Spot the Wonder Lizard), "Return of the Blind Swordspig," "A Mother's Love," "Blade of the Gods," "The Shogun's Gift," and the hilarious Groo tribute "The Tea Cup," co-starring the amoral mercenary rhino Gen. ("Gen…

Let's all stand up and salute the first advance copies of Buz Sawyer Vol. 3: Typhoons and Honeymoons, the latest hardcover collection of classic strips by the great Roy Crane. Action! Romance! Comedy! Exotic locations! Horrendous villains! Valiant heroes! Bad weather! Nuptials for Buz and his plucky partner, Christy! This strip has it all and oh, how pretty it all looks in crisp black & white dailies and a few choice color Sundays in the back. This book blows onto shelves in a couple of months; you can pre-order a copy and read an excerpt here, and buy a discounted…

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department: Sock Monkey Treasury: A "Tony Millionaire's Sock Monkey" Collection by Tony Millionaire 336-page black & white/color 7.75" x 11.25" hardcover • $39.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-696-6 See Previews / Order Now A sock monkey named Uncle Gabby and his button-eyed friend, Mr. Crow, live with their human friend, Ann-Louise, and all of her other toys in a lovely and peaceful Victorian home. Yet Gabby's curiosity and guile — routinely foiled by his innocence — lead him and Mr. Crow into outrageous (and outrageously funny) tales of misguided derring-do, occasionally nightmarish fantasies, and unrequited love. Tony…

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department:  Henry Speaks for Himselfby John Liney (Henry created by Carl Anderson)Edited by David Tosh 160-page full-color 7.6" x 10.45" softcover • $24.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-733-8 See Previews / Order Now In the newspaper strip Henry, the eponymous character never spoke, but in the comic book stories, Henry had a lot to say — conspiring with his pals "Trader" Horne, Julius, or Otis, making up with his sweetie Henrietta, or pulling a fast one on Officer Yakko. Editor David Tosh selected some of his favorite stories to include in this volume, including "Henry Thinks…

Advance copies of Walt Disney's Donald Duck: Trail of the Unicorn have arrived by special Duck delivery and it's another great-looking volume of The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library, inside and out. In this volume: Donald gets superpowers! A sinking Viking ship! Dueling steam shovels! A steam calliope! And of course the titular mythical beast, plus much more all-ages adventure and comedy from the mirthful mind and masterful pen of the great Carl Barks. This book hits shelves in a couple of months; pre-order your copy and read a nice big excerpt for free right here.

Kim Thompson had an answer for a feature in the March, 1983 issue of Heavy Metal which asked just that question. Our own Kristy Valenti came across it and provided this scan. It's interesting to revisit statements like this now. In terms of what Kim called "pop comics" his last couple of lines are oddly apropos now that 30 years later one of the most successful comic titles is a zombie comic. 

Nothing brightens up the day like a little day-glo chartreuse, glittery orange, and the gap-toothed smile of Tammy Pierce! Fresh out of the box, here's an advance copy of Unlovable Vol. 3, the new upcoming installment in Esther Pearl Watson's hilarious and heartbreaking saga of a teen on the bottom of her high school pecking order and her misguided attempts to fabulize her humdrum small-town existence. In this volume, it's summer break, which means fun in the sun (sunburn), boys (disastrous crushes), cheerleader tryouts (egad), and… hold up, wait… oh no… summer school! Vol. 3 joins its predecessors on the…

The first softcover edition of Usagi Yojimbo Book 3: The Wanderer's Road came out in 1989. Now, 25 years later, the 7th printing is soon to hit shelves. This is an essential volume of Stan Sakai's rabbit ronin saga, featuring the debut of Usagi's lizard pal Spot, the return of the Blind Swordspig, the introduction of the terrifying Jei (seen above), a hat-tip to Groo co-starring the mercenary Gen, deepening feudal intrigue featuring Tomoe and the Neko Ninja, and the first Ninja Turtle crossover story! We're taking pre-orders now for this brand-new printing which hits shelves in April.

All right all you Baggers and Baggettes, cast your gaze upon an advance copy of Buddy Buys a Dump, the long-awaited new collection in the saga of Buddy Bradley and his familial unit from the pages of Hate. Watch Buddy adjust to fatherhood, undergo some cosmetic changes, start a new business venture, cope with some skeletons in the closet, and return to Seattle to meet Lisa's parents for the first time. Lisa gets her own spotlight, joining a band and having a racy misadventure. And the story is wrapped up with an all-new chapter that could only be titled "Fuck…