Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Jim Woodring just dropped by the office to drop off the first 36 pages of his in-progress follow-up to Weathercraft, titled Congress of the Animals. We don't have a release date set for it but I'm guessing it will probably be about a year from now. Click the photos for bigger images.

JimFlora.com is launching a quartet of small, low-cost limited edition screen prints of a 1950-51 Jim Flora painting entitled Mardi Gras. Flora, who was living in Mexico at the time, rendered the work in four color patterns, which have been replicated in the print series. 

Daily clips & strips — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources: • A fan's Li'l Enid tattoo, spotted by Peggy Burns at TCAF • Tim Hensley re-posts "NSFW," his story from Kramer's Ergot 7, this time with scans of the original tracts which inspired the strip • Nut shot aftermath! It's this week's Belligerent Piano by Tim Lane • Steven Weissman's pieces from the Butter and Blood art show at GR2 are now for sale online • Frank Santoro sneakily updated his Silver Surfer image, and Spurge makes my day by confirming that it is, indeed, for Marvel's Strange…

Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: The Alita Comics blog praises Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s as a "quasi-encyclopedic compilation of the genre… with thuggish humor in abundance, sex, parody, joints, experimentation, obscenity, violence, aliens, punk, grotesque creatures and several Martians" (translated from Spanish)

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: Weathercraft by Jim Woodring 104-page black & white 7" x 9.75" hardcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-340-8 Add to Cart • More Info & Previews For over 20 years now, Jim Woodring has delighted, touched, and puzzled readers around the world with his lush, wordless tales of “Frank.” Weathercraft is Woodring’s first full-length graphic novel set in this world — indeed, Woodring’s first graphic novel, period! — and it features the same hypnotically gorgeous linework and mystical iconography. As it happens, Frank has only a brief supporting appearance in Weathercraft, which actually stars…

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: Wally Gropius by Tim Hensley 64-page full-color 10" x 12.5" hardcover • $18.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-355-2 Add to Cart • More Info & Previews Superficially resembling 1960s teenage humor comics, Tim Hensley’s graphic novel Wally Gropius is actually an acute satire of power, celebrityhood, and modern culture that tells the story of the titular character, who bears a closer resemblance to a teenaged Richie Rich or a classmate of Archie Andrews at Riverdale High than he does the famous Bauhaus architect whose name he shares. Wally is the human Dow Jones, the heir…

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: Captain Easy, Soldier of Fortune: The Complete Sunday Newspaper Strips Vol. 1 (1933-1935) by Roy Crane 114-page 10.5" x 14.75" full-color hardcover • $39.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-161-9 Add to Cart • More Info & Previews Roy Crane is one of America’s greatest cartoonists and Fantagraphics is embarking upon an ambitious reprinting of his best work, beginning with his gorgeous adventure strip — Captain Easy. Crane created the first American adventure strip — before Hal Foster’s Tarzan and Prince Valiant, before Milton Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates, before Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon — and…

We've reported on T. Edward Bak's previous efforts to raise funds for his Alaska research expedition for his graphic novel Wild Man, currently serialized in Mome; he's now set up an account with Kickstarter to further assist with the project. Check out the video and the awesome pledge gifts and pledge pledge pledge!

Esther Pearl Watson's Unlovable Vol. 1 received a silver medal from the Society of Illustrators in their "Illustration 52: Sequential and Uncommissioned" annual exhibit in NYC… way back in January! I don't know why the heck we didn't report it at the time — that's a pretty big deal! I only just found out because Eric posted this picture of the medal on his Flickr page: Congratulations Esther!

Daily clips & strips — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources: • Another new episode of The All-New Cartoon Boy Adventure Hour by John Kerschbaum at ACT-I-VATE • "Tuppence" is another Butter and Blood piece from Steven Weissman, who adds "There are photos here and a catalogue eventually here." • New Stinckers, including 2 new Steven Weissman designs, are now in stock at GR2 • Dame Darcy announces a sale in her Etsy shop and an extensive tour of Portugal! • Richard Sala presents "Recent drawings commissioned for a book of ghost stories" • Gabrielle Bell presents her full-color…