Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

The Comics Reporter's weekly reader-participation feature "Five for Friday" is all about us, us, us this week. (Above, one of Tom Spurgeon's choices.)

Here's a few photos from Carol Tyler's exhibit opening and book signing at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery last weekend. (See many more in our Flickr set.) Unfortunately your photographer was not able to capture moments like Carol boogie-ing to surf rock and Carol and Peter Bagge exchanging gang signs during a discussion about lettering. Just goes to show you: you have to be there! A lively crowd, with Carol tucked away at far right. Ellen Forney & friend, left, with Jim Woodring, right. Detail of Carol's amazing original art — see the photo set for views of the entire exhibit….

Tonight at 8 PM (Eastern/Pacific) on Cartoon Network is the debut of the new series Sym-Bionic Titan — our man Stephen DeStefano worked on it and drew the above promo art! I've got my DVR set and so should you. (UPDATE: Just to clarify a bit, Stephen is Character Designer for the show, which is created & executive-produced by Genndy Tartakovsky.)

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: You'll Never Know, Book 2: Collateral Damage by C. Tyler 104-page full-color 12" x 10.25" hardcover • $24.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-418-4 Ordering Info & Previews This book is available with a signed bookplate as a FREE premium! The bookplate has been uniquely designed for this book, and each bookplate is printed on acid-free cardstock and hand-signed by the author. (Click here for more books available with signed bookplates.) Please select your preference above before adding the item to your shopping cart. Note: Signature plates are VERY limited in quantity and available only WHILE…

COVET. Only available from Japan? Rats! Via The Daily Cartoonist.

Jen Vaughn of the Schulz Library at the Center for Cartoon Studies has a very nice blog post about receiving a care package from us… …and her reaction to it:

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Profile: The Stranger's Paul Constant profiles the newsweekly's 2010 Literature Genius, Jim Woodring: "There are only a small number of medium-changing geniuses in the history of cartooning who have managed to develop a singular visual language, and Jim Woodring is one of them." • Review: "…[D]amned if [Prison Pit: Book 2] isn’t one of the most entertaining, hilarious, and addictively fun comics I’ve read all year. […] The violence itself is both brutish and ugly, but is direct and unapologetic, and drawn with such passion and beauty by Ryan. […] It’s over-the-top, extreme, uncompromising,…

Filmmaker Gary VandenBergh is looking to raise funds via Kickstarter to complete Chicken Fat, his in-progress documentary on his late father-in-law Will Elder. Gary was a great help to us when we were putting together our book Will Elder: The Mad Playboy of Art, and we've been helping with the documentary by supplying digital images. We can vouch for Gary as, in Gary Groth's words, "a generally great guy." They've already got a lot of great interviews in the can, including Art Spiegelman, Bill Griffith, Jay Lynch, Al Jaffee, Arnold Roth, Drew Friedman, the late Harvey Kurtzman, Bill Gaines and…

Well shoot, I thought we'd already posted these details, but I was wrongo. Full announcement follows (taken from here): FLOATING WORLD COMICS and FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS PRESENTS: PRISON PIT 2: BOOK SIGNING WITH JOHNNY RYAN Join us this October 7th to meet Johnny Ryan and celebrate the release of his latest book, Prison Pit 2. Ryan will sign books and present an exhibition of his original artwork, comix, colorful silkscreen prints, and sculpted figures. Also the main character from Prison Pit, Cannibal Fuckface, will make a special appearance [as portrayed by our own Ajax Wood – Ed.], performing a heavy metal…