Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Aieee! Last minute Beto alert! He's got some artwork on display at a comic shop in his hometown of Las Vegas, with what sounds like a hoot of an opening reception tonight. From the Facebook invitation: Alternate Reality Comics proudly invites you to our FIRST ever Artist Spotlight Reception!! Please join us for this great event as we try to bridge the gap between the comic world and various other art forms!! This months featured local artists will be the very talented Keri Schroeder and comic book legend Gilbert Hernandez (creator of Love and Rockets). We will also have live…

New at Vice today, it's an instant Johnny Ryan classic.

…or rather, Jacob Covey's lovely cover design thereof. The area on the left will be faux cloth, while the right side will be uncoated paper — much like our Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse books. 500 Portraits should be available in about 3 months, give or take a couple weeks.

Back in stock in a new and improved (colored endpapers, slightly better printing) second edition: Set to Sea by Drew Weing 144-page black & white 5.5" x 6.25" hardcover • $16.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-368-2 See Previews / Order Now The central character is a big lug and an aspiring poet who runs up tabs at the local bars by day and haunts the docks by night, writing paeans to the seafaring life. When he gets shanghaied aboard a clipper bound for Hong Kong, he finds the sailor’s life a bit rougher than his romantic nautical fantasies. He helps rebuff a pirate assault,…

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: Mome Vol. 22 – Fall 2011 by various artists; edited by Eric Reynolds 240-page full-color 7" x 9" softcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-395-8 See Previews / Order Now Special double-sized FINAL issue! After 6 years and over 2500 pages of comics, MOME heads into the sunset with an all-star, jam-packed farewell bonanza. Several past MOME favorites return for the swan song, including Kurt Wolfgang, Tom Kaczynski, Joe Kimball, Eleanor Davis, Anders Nilsen, Tim Hensley, Paul Hornschemeier, Gabrielle Bell, and Zak Sally (those covers!). Meanwhile, several newcomers get in just under the wire:…

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot by Jacques Tardi; based on the novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette 104-page black & white 7.5" x 10.75" hardcover • $18.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-448-1 See Previews / Order Now Martin Terrier, ice-cold mercenary-turned-contract-killer, has his future all mapped out: He has just executed what he intends to be his final job and is ready to move on to the next phase of his life, which involves discreet retirement accompanied by a long-lost girlfriend. But Terrier’s employers are emphatically not pleased with his decision, old enemies begin to…

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: The Hidden by Richard Sala 136-page full-color 8.25" x 8.25" hardcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-386-6 See Previews / Order Now Is this the end of the world? How did it happen? Why did it happen? There is one man who knows… Take a walk with the dazed survivors of a mysterious worldwide catastrophe. They are bound for a place, somewhere in the desert, where a terrible truth awaits them. Richard Sala's books are "deliriously entertaining" (Rue Morgue Magazine), "cinematic and cheerfully over-the-top" (The New York Times Book Review), containing "brilliantly atmospheric art,…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…Shimura Takako tells this story in such a gentle, unobtrusive way, one might believe that this story flows naturally – as if it simply spun itself from nature and is the way it is supposed to be. I think Matt Thorn’s tidy translation, which goes down the mental gullet with such smoothness, is a big reason for how readable this is. Wandering Son is not flashy or aggressive, nor does it pander or try to be hip and stylish. Takako draws the reader in so quietly that some may be surprised to find…

Portland and environs! If you've been planning on buying any of our books — or any comics, period — this coming Monday and Tuesday, August 29-30, is the time and Floating World Comics is the place to do it. They're having a benefit sale with 100% of the proceeds being donated to Dylan Williams's medical care. My good colleague Tom Devlin at D&Q explains in succinct and eloquent fashion why you should care about Dylan if you care about comics at all.