Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "First off: a round of applause to Kim Thompson for his translation of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec. The French title of the first volume translates literally as 'Adele and the Beast,' and that was the title of the previous American version (20 years or so ago) — but 'Pterror over Paris' is way funnier, and in line with the overheated, not entirely serious style of this book. …[T]his is really charming stuff… and it's super-fun." – Douglas Wolk, TIME/Techland • Review: "This is a powerful tale about creativity, morality, verity and…

Graphic designer (and hero of our Art Director Jacob Covey) Art Chantry wrote an appreciation of rock stickers for the PictureBox website and featured this old one by Jaime Hernandez as the illustration. Our own Eric Reynolds comments: "I no longer recall the exact origin of that sticker. The Damachers were one of Hopey's more obscure bands from the pages of L&R. There was no real purpose for the sticker. It wasn't even promotional, exactly. Just something fun Jaime made up." We still have a few of these floating around the office here. No, you can't have one.

Unfinished, with prototype nib. Taller than Jim, who is tall, according to eyewitness reports. Via The Woodring Monitor.

Paul writes: This Saturday at Second City's de Maat theater, I'll join host C.J. Toledano and other comedians to sit in front of a giant screen and make up some live commentary for YouTube videos suggested by the audience. It'll be Mystery Science Theater meets every drunken house party in the last five years. You can buy tickets in advance here. I apologize in advance if I make a dick joke about your cousin.

At his Jackie Noname blog, Tim Lane presents "the splash page for a new section I’m working on for FOLKTALES, and will run, in part, as a feature story in the Riverfront Times. The character from these 'notes' is the same character whose ruminations were placed as vignettes in between the stories in ABANDONED CARS." Read more about it and see an embiggenable version at the source.

Read it! (Bryan and Zack are here visiting our office right now, incidentally.)

Michael Kupperman just announced on the Twitter that he'll be doing the monologues at the NYC Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's "ASSSSCAT 3000" improv comedy show this weekend! Comedy nerds know, this is a pretty big deal! More info and admission details here.

In association with the "That's Novel!" exhibit at London Print Studio, the Comica Festival presents an evening with Ho Che Anderson next Monday, November 14. Announcement taken from here follows below: The African-Canadian author Ho Che Anderson makes a rare visit to London to discuss the genesis and success of King, his graphic biography of Martin Luther King Jr, and his wide-ranging adult graphic novels from I Want To Be Your Dog to Scream Queen. Hosted by comic artist Paul Peart-Smith and George Nelson, co-curators of last year’s Black Powers comic art exhibition at Swiss Cottage Library, London. Tickets: £4…

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Howard Stern just can't shut up about Drew Friedman: "Drew Friedman's drawings should sell for at least 300 billion dollars compared to Andy Warhol." From yesterday's show. Thanks Howard! (YouTube link.)

At The Beat, Heidi MacDonald says "On the occasion of Veterans Day, what better book to preview than the extraordinary Lucky in Love by George Chieffet and Stephen DeStefano." Agreed! Check out an exclusive 7-page excerpt of the book over there.