Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Tattoo blog Tales of the Ink profiles one Laura Jane from Perth, Australia and her as-yet incomplete sleeve of Jaime Hernandez tattoos (and complete lack of pants): "To this day she continually returns to the comics, particularly the work of Jaime. He has a beautiful and simple outlook on life, and his work with only black ink portrays this perfectly." More angles at the link.

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…Kevin Avery’s Everything Is an Afterthought… chronicles the dramatic life of one of music’s keenest observers, Paul Nelson, and curates his finest critiques…. I read and adored [Nelson] growing up, but reading [him] in the context of today’s critical standards gave me the literary equivalent to the bends. It goes without saying that, in the age of the Internet, the whole idea of a critic has changed." – Jim Farber, New York Daily News • Review: "It could well be ten years since I last read these stories [in Queen of the Black…

The new Diamond Previews catalog came out recently and in it you'll find our usual 2-page spread (download the PDF) with our releases scheduled to arrive in your local comic shop in January 2012 (give or take — some release dates may have changed since the issue went to press). We're pleased to offer additional and updated information about these upcoming releases here on our website, to help shops and customers alike make more informed ordering decisions. This month's Spotlight item is editor John Benson's The Sincerest Form of Parody: The Best 1950s MAD-Inspired Sarirical Comics; Listen, Whitey!: The Sights…

Johnny Ryan has a pointed new comic up at Vice. It's actually SFW! [Follow our Tumblr blog for lots more Things to See every day.]  

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…[L]ike Herge, another exemplary creator who made comics primarily for kids and later found an audience of devoted adults, Barks’ duck stories are richer, more compelling and smarter than a cursory glance might suggest… Most reprint projects worth their salt these days require some thoughtful essays and supplemental materials and [Walt Disney's Donald Duck:] Lost in the Andes is no different…. In short, this is exactly the book that Barks fans and the curious have been waiting for. …Barks remains an exemplary cartoonist. His work is thrilling, funny and rather knowing about human nature without…

Steven Weissman is taking the week off, but we have Mark Kalesniko's Veterans Day comic (more about which here) to take up the slack, our weekly Kupperman, and links to other strips from around the web: — "Uncle Bob" by Mark Kalesniko: Up All Night by Michael Kupperman (view at original size): And elsewhere: The All-New Cartoon Boy Adventure Hour by John Kerschbaum at ACT-I-VATE: Belligerent Piano by Tim Lane: Forming by Jesse Moynihan: Humblug by Arnold Roth (3 new strips this week): Maakies by Tony Millionaire: Les Petits Riens by Lewis Trondheim (scroll down at the link for one…

In commemoration of Veterans Day we present "Uncle Bob," a two-page story by Mark Kalesniko, which is loosely based on a relative of Mark's who fought in World War II. It originally appeared in the out-of-print 2003 Comics Journal Special Edition. Thank you to Mark for allowing us to host it. Read it here.

We've aquired a small stock of this out-of-print comic — these are some of the last copies available anywhere! Babel #1 by David B. 32-page 2-color 8.5" x 11" comic book • $9.95Published by Drawn & Quarterly, 2005 Back in Stock – Order Now! The first installment of the breathtaking series by French cartoonist David B. A boy's world is shattered by his brother's epileptic seizures and his growing awareness of turmoil in warring countries. The stunning two-color artwork evokes an extraordinary range of influences, from the boldness of primitive art to the lyricism of Winsor McCay. This comic is…