Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Longtime Fantagraphics fanatics may recall that we published a collection of the long-running, politically radical cartooning magazine World War 3 Illustrated back in the day (1989 to be precise). Well the time has come for a new one, and PM Press has taken up the flag and are waving it over at Kickstarter to fund it. These folks aren't fooling around, and the book will collect 35 years of the best, most trenchant political cartooning from a host of familiar names, such as Spain, Kuper, Bagge, Coe, Romberger, Spiegelman, and dozens more. Go give 'em some capital!

Harvey Kurtzman's taut, humanistic scripts and John Severin's gritty, detailed artwork (inked with preternatural precision, usually by Will Elder) combined to make some of the finest war stories ever told in any medium in the pages of EC Comics. Bomb Run and Other Stories collects all of this essential work in one hardcover volume for the first time. Our downloadable excerpt comes complete with the Table of Contents and three full stories: the centuries-spanning "How They Die!"; the cautionary WWII tale "Weak Link!"; and the high-flying, Greek myth-inspired title story. Originally on the calendar for July, we wrapped this one…

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department: Perfect Nonsense: The Chaotic Comics and Goofy Games of George Carlson by George Carlson; edited by Daniel Yezbick 320-page color/black & white 9.25" x 12.25" hardcover • $49.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-508-2 See Previews / Order Now George Carlson was one of the most prolific and innovative cartoonists and illustrators of the 20th century, whose playful, absurdist, exquisitely rendered drawings graced every medium, from comic books to children's games to magazines — and Perfect Nonsense is the most definitive and expansive collection of his work ever published! Perfect Nonsense is a cornucopia of Carlson's outrageous…

The EC Comics Slipcase Vol. 1by Harvey Kurtzman, Wallace Wood, Jack Davis, Al Williamson, Al Feldstein et al. 832-page four-volume hardcover 7.5" x 10.5" x 4" slipcased box set • $94.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-728-4 Ships in: March 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now   A boxed set of our first four books in our acclaimed EC Comics Library, which collects the best comics of the 1950s from the greatest mass market comic book publisher in history. Featured are: Corpse on the Imjin! by Harvey Kurtzman, et al.; Came the Dawn by Wallace “Wally” Wood, Al Feldstein, et al.; 50 Girls 50 by Al Williamson, Al Feldstein, et…

John Severin produced some of the finest war comics ever drawn during his long, distinguished, and versatile career, and working in collaboration with other greats like Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder, his work in the genre for EC Comics is unmissable. Lucky for you, we've gathered all of that material together for the first time in a single volume under this handsome cover. Bomb Run and Other Stories is just off to the printer, is available for pre-order, and launches in July. Keep it tuned for more previews.

Ed Piskor made a real subtle modification to the cover art for Hip Hop Family Tree Two-in-One, one of our two 2014 Free Comic Book Day offerings available exclusively at comic shops on Saturday, May 3. See if you can spot the difference from the previous version! (Hint: we're not talking about the "mature readers" notice.)

The Amateurs, the debut graphic novella by Conor Stechschulte, is at the printer for release this spring. One part Samuel Beckett, one part Laurel and Hardy, one part Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this is a story of escalating madness, mystery, slapstick, and violence unlike any you've read before. Our downloadable 8-page preview includes the horrifying prologue and introduces Jim and Winston, our protagonists who, after a strange night of sickness, arrive at work and are baffled to find that their butcher shop is as empty as their minds are of how to do their job. Pre-order now and get the rest of the story…

Congratulations to Gilbert Hernandez and Ulli Lust, whose respective books Julio's Day and Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life have been nominated for the Slate and Center for Cartoon Studies Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Graphic Novel of the Year! The judges call the two books "a deceptively simple story of one man's life from age 0 to 100, by the ever-inventive Gilbert Hernandez" and "Ulli Lust's fascinating, gritty memoir about German teens lost in Italy in 1984" and say that "each winner will receive $1,000 and, of course, eternal glory." Go, Beto & Ulli!

We are pleased to debut the final cover art for The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 Softcover Edition! The acclaimed, award-winning series, in paperback, with a new design by art director Jacob Covey, and following the same release pattern as the original hardcovers: 2 volumes per year, with an annual slipcased 2-volume set. This first volume arrives in early Summer and you can pre-order now. (By the way, we premiered this image yesterday on The Complete Peanuts Facebook fan page, so you hardcore Schulz-philes ought to go give that a "like" if you want first dibs on stuff like this!) 

Conor Stechschulte's debut book The Amateurs is off at the printer. Dig the beautiful watercolor cover art… the comical silhouettes… the sparkling river… the taint of gore… What could have happened? Pre-order the book (out in May) and find out…