Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Online Commentary & Diversions from Friday to today: • Review: "In The Sanctuary, Nate Neal traces back the history of manipulation, power battles and betrayal to a single cave, thousands of years ago. The story unfolds entirely in a Paleolithic language Neal created, rendering the action subtle as a tribe careens toward possible chaos amidst the battles contained. […] In the dynamics that Neal presents, you can see your country, your town, your work place and your family, all rolled into one cautionary tale. In stark black and white, Neal’s art exhibits much sophistication, while still maintaining a required roughness,…

Dame Darcy & Paul Hornschemeier both recently wrote stories for Marvel — and not for the Strange Tales series! Dame Darcy's story is drawn by Robin Ha and will be available online as a "Women of Marvel Digital Comics Exclusive" next week. So reports Marvel editor Ryan Penagos, via Sean T. Collins. Which reminded me, I happened to glance through Marvel's Halloween horror anthology one-shot Tomb of Terror at ye olde comick shoppe last week and noticed Paul's writing credit on the lead-off story starring Man-Thing (with art by Mark Texiera). That was a cool surprise!

Ray Fenwick presents a selection of 13 pages from his forthcoming book Mascots (coming in December) at his newly-redesigned website. Ray's follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Hall of Best Knowledge is comprised of text and images painted on found book covers. (Oops, sorry about the broken link! Fixed now.)

Your SAT analogy of the day: Dash Shaw is to John Cameron Mitchell's new film Rabbit Hole as Sophie Crumb was to the film version of Ghost World. Says Dash, "I drew the comic that Miles Teller’s character draws in the movie, and it’s my hand drawing the lines and funnel shapes in the trailer! Yes! Ha ha ha." See more images at Dash's Ruined Cast blog. And don’t forget, Dash gives a “Distinguished Alumnus” lecture at SVA on November 4 — more info here.

As always, we had a swell time at the Alternative Press Expo this year. We had a lovely selection of books and comics on display. This little guy was stowed away with the Cathy Malkasian books as we were unpacking on Saturday morning. Enjoy your new San Francisco home! This Saturday shopper was sporting a splendid Floyd Gottfredson Mickey Mouse shirt and was very excited to hear about our upcoming reprint series! Thanks for spreading the word, nice man whose name I never found out! Megan Kelso attracted an avid group of fans to her signing following her spotlight panel…

Currently available only at participating comic book shops while supplies last: a FREE promotional Halloween mini-comic containing a special 10-page "Spook Preview" of our upcoming all-ages graphic album by Stéphane Blanquet, Toys in the Basement, plus a two-page sneak peek at David B.'s The Littlest Pirate King! Some stores may have them available now; some may be saving them for trick-or-treaters — check with your local shop for terms and availability.

The Hernandez Bros. are annual participants in the Wonder Woman Day charity art auctions; here's Jaime's piece and Gilbert's piece for this year. (Tip-off via @comicsreporter.)

Our weekly strips from the Steves: — Monday's Strip by Stephen DeStefano (view larger) Originally run as an experiment on Stephen's blog starting in 2008, Monday's Strip is re-presented here. — Barack Hussein Obama by Steven Weissman (view at original size):

Online Commentary & Diversions returns from a sick day: • Review: "With elegant simplicity, this comic-book fable [Set to Sea] unfurls the tale of a life cast on an unexpected course and the melancholy wisdom accrued upon the waves. First-time graphic-novelist Weing has produced a beautiful gem here, with minimal dialogue, one jolting battle scene, and each small page owned by a single panel filled with art whose figures have a comfortable roundness dredged up from the cartoon landscapes of our childhood unconscious, even as the intensely crosshatched shadings suggest the darkness that sometimes traces the edges of our lives….