Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions starts with a rave: • Review: "This is a fascinating book on a lot of levels. For one, it's distinguished by Adam Grano's design work to a degree I think noteworthy: on many levels, Newave! represents better than any book I've seen the clash of comics publishing impulses now and then. … It says something about Grano's increasingly compelling body of work with Fantagraphics that he provides the work with much of the energy that helps the reader through nearly 900 pages. It's Michael Dowers that makes that trip worthwhile. By avoiding a summary statement…

Our contract with the Peanuts licensor stipulates that we can't pre-sell The Complete Peanuts books before they are relased, but we can still bring you these previews! The Complete Peanuts 1975-1976 (Vol. 13) By Charles M. Schulz 344-page black & white 8.5" x 7" hardcover • $28.99 ISBN: 978-1-60699-345-3 Ships in: March 2010 (subject to change) Good grief, Charlie Brown, we're halfway there! That’s right! With this volume, The Complete Peanuts reaches the halfway point of Charles M. Schulz’s astounding half-century run on the greatest comic strip of all time. These years are especially fecund in terms of new canine…

(…And this didn't get posted on time either. Yeesh!) I'm still trying to figure out how to handle frequent art bloggers like Renee French and Debbie Drechsler (below). Pick one post to highlight each week? Any suggestions or preferences? Also, some credit: I think I was inspired subconsciously to start these "Things to see" posts by Robot 6's Comics Cavalcade posts. • Our cartoonist pals rule our hometown alt-weeklies this week as Jeremy Eaton does the cover and cover story illustrations for the current Seattle Weekly • Twelve original collages by Robert Pollard for the Guided by Voices release Suitcase…

Oh no, I had this Online Commentary & Diversions update all set to go and then I forgot to post it… Earth to Mike! • List: At Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun!, our favorite little stuffed bull continues the annual Fun Fifty countown. At #36, Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1: "Ditko expert Blake Bell collects several dozen of Steve's 1950s work from Charlton and other publishers, plus plenty of amazing covers, in a thick, hardy collection with glorious gory and ghoulish Ditko comics from front to back. This thing's a gold mine!" • Review: "…T. Edward…

On his blog Comics Commentary, Rodrigo Baeza points out a page which was apparently somehow omitted from our 2nd volume of Walt Kelly's Our Gang, shown above in a scan from microfiche. We regret the error. UPDATE: We'll print this page at the end of Our Gang Vol. 5, which should be out as soon as late 2011.

Hey Seattle, come get this week's issue of The Stranger signed by cover artist (and weekly "I, Anonymous" illustrator) Steven Weissman when he's in town signing his new book Chocolate Cheeks at our flagship bookstore on Saturday! (Dear Steven: that cover image would make an awesome poster.)

Ooh, this is "Sleep Heap," a lovely new print by Lilli Carré for sale now at Tiny Showcase, benefitting Doctors Without Borders. They go fast! (Via Lilli's blog)

Your periodic roundup of visual stimuli, still in its embryonic stages: • Stephen DeStefano shares some concepts and developmental sketches for his forthcoming Fantagraphics graphic novel Lucky in Love • Two Cups by John Hankiewicz • Charlie Yup and pals from Jim Flora's rarest children's book (about which more info at the link) • The Humanzee by Olivier Schrauwen • Steve Brodner draws Howard Zinn in this video… straight to marker, no pencils, while talking… amazing (more on Zinn on Steve's blog) • Don't forget Renee French posts new art every day

Online Commentary & Diversions have seen their shadow: • List: Our pal Bully the Little Stuffed Bull has started his annual Fun Fifty countdown. In the first installment, coming in at #46, Blazing Combat: "War, huh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothin'… aside from bringing us this gorgeous archive edition of a classic comic every war comics fan oughta have in their library." • Review: "Back in the days of Factsheet Five, I used to order tons of minicomix. Most were mediocre, but a few were terrifically good and that made it worth the risk to send in the…