Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

The Strange Case of Edward Gorey (Expanded Hardcover Edition) by Alexander Theroux 168-page black & white 6.25" x 9.25" hardcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-384-2 Ships in: January 2011 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now The Strange Case of Edward Gorey is the most authentic portrait yet of this truly enigmatic American artist and writer of macabre, ghoulish illustrated books. It is a respectful and insightful consideration not only of the intriguing pen-and-ink drawings but of the inventive, opinionated and eccentric person himself. A balletomane, cat-lover, unbelievably wide reader, collector of many and surprising objects, and mad filmgoer, Gorey had many selves….

We are pleased to be distributing the new self-published issue of Sammy Harkham's great comic book series Crickets to comics specialty shops, scheduled to arrive today! We have a very limited number of copies available for order through our website for those of you who don't have a shop in your local area. (While we don't necessarily want to discourage you from ordering it from us, we do encorage you to obtain it from your local shop if at all possible.) We will also have a handful of copies available at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery starting tomorrow. Crickets #3 by…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Comic Book Resources continues counting down their Top 100 Comics of 2010. In today's batch: #71: Werewolves of Montpellier by Jason: "Every time Jason dives into an age-old genre he finds a way to make it seem alien. His cast of animal characters feel like an emotionally suppressed oven full of loaded guns. His expedition into werewolf tales brings all of these elements together throughout its rooftop chases and playful approach to the supernatural." – Brian Warmoth #67: It Was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi: "You want to know how…

Inspired by our recent graphic memoir triumphs You'll Never Know and Special Exits, and prompted by a reader request or two, we've gathered our memoir and autobiographical titles into their own section on our website. (The link can also be found under "Interests" in our "Browse Shop" menu.) Note that these are comics whose main content is autobiographical in nature; you can still find autobiographical strips and stories in other titles found elsewhere. It's also possible we've missed one or two titles, so if you notice any omissions, please let us know. Our memoir & autobio books are from a…

See an exclusive 7-page excerpt from King of the Flies Vol. 2: The Origin of the World at TIME.com – Techland! Introducing the pages, Douglas Wolk says "The first volume of European comics creators Mezzo and Pirus' King of the Flies, subtitled Hallorave, was one of the creepiest graphic novels of 2010… The follow-up, The Origin of the World, comes out soon, and it makes the story's vortex of terror spin even faster — the vibe is somewhere between Charles Burns' Black Hole and Blue Velvet, with a soundtrack of Misfits singles, Stones bootlegs and too-intense techno."

Holy feck! How I love this magnificent rendition of the dramatis personæ of Father Ted (the classic Britcom co-created by one of our funniest fans, Graham Linehan) by Roger Langridge.

Got a tip from a fan on the Love and Rockets Facebook page that there's a L&R fan art group on the deviantART site. Here's a couple of Maggies posted by big-shot comics pros — first up, a commission by Adam Hughes: And here's Roger Langridge collaborator Chris Samnee: There's some fun stuff from the amateurs too (including a couple of mashups of las Locas with Raymond Pettibon's Sonic Youth Goo album cover). The only problem so far: no Palomar characters?!

Holiday greetings and other eyeball kicks from our artists: • Richard Sala presents a gallery of his holiday cards through the years • Drew Weing and Eleanor Davis present their 2007 holiday card, with a PDF download so you can print it out & assemble the cutouts • Lilli Carré's animated tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas (click over to see it in action) • A charming Majestic Creature holiday strip from Leslie Stein • Quackers holiday greetings from Josh Simmons & Wendy Chin • Daily drawings and animation production artwork from Dash Shaw at The Ruined Cast blog •…

Now in our warehouse and ready to ship: Unexplored Worlds: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 2 by Steve Ditko; edited by Blake Bell 240-page full-color 7.25" x 10" hardcover • $39.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-380-4 Previews & Ordering Info This is where Steve Ditko became Steve Ditko. 1954 and 1955 were tough years for the fledgling cartoonist: A life-threatening bout with tuberculosis sidelined him for almost a year, and his main client, Charlton Comics, suffered a devastating flood that forced it to shut its doors temporarily. Yet Ditko's enforced time off and subsequent need to seek out new clients (most particularly Marvel Comics,…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Comic Book Resources begins counting down their Top 100 Comics of 2010. In the first batch: #87: Prison Pit Book 2 by Johnny Ryan: "Absurd, crude, lewd, funny, entertaining, twelve kinds of wrong, one of the most effed-up books I've ever read. It's burned into my brain and I can't get it out. And I love it." – Chad Nevett #99: A Drunken Dream and Other Stories by Moto Hagio: "I'd never heard of Moto Hagio until Fantagraphics published this best-of collection of her stories, and it's easy to see why Hagio is…