Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

This is the artwork Jordan Crane has donated to The Divine Invasion, the ongoing efforts to defray the late Dylan Williams's medical expenses through the sale of original art, much of which with a Philip K. Dick theme. It's looking at you, it can read your mind. You have less than a day to cast your bid.

• Paul Hornschemeier's rendition of the Ice King, from Zack Smith's enviable collection of Adventure Time-themed sketches • Paul Hornschemeier is beginning to post teasers of his forthcoming Forlorn Funnies #1 along with the sketches at his The Daily Forlorn blog • This drawing by Steven Weissman appears to be related to the current Barack Hussein Obama strip; plus his latest "I, Anonymous" spot • Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day with Dame Darcy as she pays tribute to Adam Ant x 2 (plus Darryl Hannah in Splash) — this and more in her new blog update • Sketches…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "As journalist Avery documents in this cohesive biography-cum-first anthology of the onetime Rolling Stone record review editor’s oeuvre [Everything Is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson], Nelson was a gifted early practitioner of new journalism and, though a child of the Sixties folk and rock counterculture, one of its most vocal critics…. Reading his inconceivably insightful profiles of Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Warren Zevon, and Rod Stewart helps make sense of a needlessly guilt- and disappointment-laden life — here was a ­hyper-romantic Midwesterner by birth but a New Yorker by…

How great is the great John Severin's cover for the new 10th issue of Desert Island's esssential free tabloid comics anthology Smoke Signal? Even greater with the watercolors of Mome contributor Victor Kerlow! Also in this issue: Michael DeForge, Bill Griffith, Sam Henderson, Keith Jones, Kaz, Benjamin Marra, Dane Martin, Jesse McManus, Tony Millionaire, Donny Robinson, Jim Rugg, Matthew Thurber, James Turek, and Noah Van Sciver. A stellar lineup as always! Get your FREE issue at Desert Island in Brooklyn, or if it's not geographically convenient you can pay a paltry 4 bucks and have one shipped to you.

Washington State-based arts foundation Artist Trust has announced the shortlist of finalists for its 2011 Arts Innovator Award, including Queen of the Black Black and Artichoke Tales creator Megan Kelso! The award consists of a nice fat cash prize (and two other finalists get smaller cash amounts) out of the deep, deep Dale Chihuly coffers. This would certainly be a huge boon to Megan as she works on her next book. Recipients are announced next week. Good luck Megan!

Our weekly strips from Kupperman & Weissman, plus links to other strips from around the web: — Up All Night by Michael Kupperman (view at original size): Barack Hussein Obama by Steven Weissman (view at original size): And elsewhere: Amazing Facts… and Beyond! with Leon Beyond by Kevin Huizenga: Cochlea & Eustachia by Hans Rickheit: Humblug by Arnold Roth: Maakies by Tony Millionaire: Truth Serum by Jon Adams: What's in the Backpack by Victor Kerlow:

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…Mark Twain’s Autobiography 1910-2010 is both hilarious and very strange. The book exudes a unique mood of giddy amazement… Credit for both the mirth and oddness belong to cartoonist Michael Kupperman, who illustrated the book based on a manuscript he says was given to him by Twain. Given the fact that the off-kilter humour of the book is very similar to the sensibility displayed in Kupperman’s earlier work, notably his dada-esque comic book Tales Designed to Trizzle, the cynical might assume that Mark Twain is only the nominal author of this book. Yet…

Did you know our website has a well-stocked bargain section of Clearance Sale items and Closeout Deals? Well now you do! Here's just a couple of the excellent items we have marked down & priced to move: Conceptual Realism: In the Service of the Hypothetical (Softcover Edition) by Robert Williams — A catalog of the Fall 2009 solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures by the groundbreaking master of "lowbrow" art, with essays on each piece by the artist, sketches and other supplemental material. Comes with a free bonus signature plate while supplies last! $24.99 $16.66 — You Save: 33.33%! Order…

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: Love and Rockets: New Stories #4 by the Hernandez Brothers 104-page black & white 7.5" x 9.25" softcover • $14.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-490-0 See Previews / Order Now After nearly 30 years, Love and Rockets just keeps getting better, and this issue of the annual 3rd incarnation finds the Brothers Hernandez at the peak of their storytelling powers. Jaime Hernandez's emotionally powerful stories in the last issue of Love and Rockets: New Stories ("The Love Bunglers" and "Browntown") were among the most critically-acclaimed comics of the year. In this new issue, Jaime ups…