Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

If you can't make it to Scott Eder Gallery to see the exhibit of Jim Woodring's original Weathercraft art (one of a trio of NYC appearances for Jim this week), you can preview the exhibit on the gallery website (spoiler alert if you haven't read the book).

I had some questions for Tales Designed to Thrizzle creator Michael Kupperman, which he graciously answered over email. All links below were added by me. MB: In the new issue of Thrizzle, apart from the move to full color, there also seem to be fewer short strips and gags and more multi-page stories — what led to this? Is this indicative of an evolutionary shift in the comic? MK: Well, yes — the comic has to keep evolving to keep going. For this issue I had been developing these three story ideas for a while, and it just worked out…

Hokey smokes, hope you've been saving your nickels because we've got 5, count 'em 5, brand new books slated to hit comic shops this week! Read on for more info and to see what the other new-comics-day bloggers are saying [now edited to add Tom Spurgeon]. Artichoke Tales by Megan Kelso 232-page monochrome 6.75" x 8.25" hardcover • $22.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-344-6 "I absolutely loved this Megan Kelso graphic novel — a kind of anthropological/fictional-historical fantasy/love story thing involving a fractured culture of people with artichoke leaves for hair — and I'm not afraid to say so." – Douglas Wolk, Comics Alliance…

Better-Late-Than-Never Dept: I finally got a chance to upload my photos from Michael Kupperman's appearance at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery back on May 8 for his art exhibit opening and launch of Tales Designed to Thrizzle #6. Browse the whole photo set, including shots of every piece of art, on our Flickr page, or if you like slideshows, there's one embedded below. And stay tuned tomorrow for our exclusive “Diaflogue” interview with Kupperman!

Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "This all-ages-friendly tale opens with a comical but sincere note of existential angst, but Billy ultimately discovers his orientation in the world through his relationships with others. … The tale itself frequently veers toward the lunatic, but if it skirts the surreal it does so precisely by taking the kinds of unfettered narrative turns that characterize the best children's literature. And like those books, Millionaire's [Billy Hazelnuts and the Crazy Bird] creates a safe space for exploration that remains grounded throughout in a humane sensibility that quietly makes itself known by showing, not telling."…

Meanwhile, Deitch family fans on the other coast won't be left in the lurch — on Monday June 28 at 6:30 PM in New York City the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art presents a Master Class in Comic Art and Storytelling with Kim Deitch, who "will impart some key secrets. Secrets easily mastered that transformed him from being lazy, hedonistic and unfocused into a more positive, goal oriented human being. He will also show you a certain attitude about the idea of making art; how an artistic life can be more than a way to make a living; that…

Los Angelinos and animation aficionados rejoice, as Cinefamily presents a tribute to the great Gene Deitch on Tuesday July 6, 2010 at 8 PM, hosted by Jerry Beck and featuring a rare U.S. appearance (he lives in Prague don't you know) by Gene himself! They'll be screening shorts from throughout Gene's career, including the Oscar-winner Munro, with a Q&A afterward. More info & tickets here.

Periodic clips & strips – click for improved/additional viewing at the sources: • Whoa, how come I didn't know that Kevin Huizenga has a Fight or Run blog? Now I do, thanks to Sean T. Collins. Meanwhile, over on his main blog, a screenshot of a scan of something wild • Michael Kupperman gives a blurry sneak peek of a work in progress (I took the liberty of bumping up the contrast) • A new Johnny Ryan comic for Vice; elsewhere, this • A sketch for The Groovy Age of Horror by Josh Simmons (uh, NSFW) — via Sean T….

Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…[The Search for Smilin' Ed is] a massive comedic epic of demonic possession and ventriloquism — it’s an explosion of the kind of thing Deitch does best. … I defy anyone to read this and keep pace with Deitch’s ideas — somewhere between hippie psychedelics and virtual reality futurism is where Deitch’s brain lies. His wacky cartoon art style reveals a complex universe that meditates on the nature of reality itself, and your personal place within it as filtered through the isolated impressions of your own brain." – John Seven, Reverse Direction • Review:…

David Sandlin is subject of a major art show titled "Sleep O'History" at Bongout Gallerie in Berlin right now. It opened a couple of weeks ago and continues through July 10, 2010. Via Parsons Illustration via The Beat.