Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

When I was taking photos for our preview of King of the Flies Vol. 1: Hallorave by Mezzo & Pirus, I observed that the endpapers might make a nifty desktop background. One request to the art department later, and presto! (Note that this image is Not Safe For Most Workplaces due to partial nudity.) Just click on the size that matches your monitor resolution and the image will open in a new window; if you're on a PC, right-click the image and select "Set As Background"; if you're on a Mac, control+click and select "Set As Desktop Background." (We don't…

Online Commentary & Diversions for today: • Plug: Chris Mautner of Robot 6 declares Hotwire Comics Vol. 3 his Pick of the Week: "Here's another hefty sampling of edgy, in-your-face alternative comics, edited by Glenn Head, who provides the cover as well as a couple of interior stories as well. This volume boasts a rather impressive A-list of contributors, including Mary Fleener, Michael Kupperman, R. Sikoryak, Mack White, Johnny Ryan and more. The Sikoryak story in particular — a mash-up between Dennis the Menace and Hamlet — is worth checking out, as is the great, surreal tale from White. If…

Squint no more! (Plus I got the issue number right this time.) The new issue of Tales Designed to Thrizzle comes out in May! UPDATE: Michael Kupperman lets us know that this is not the finished version, so some changes may be made between now and when it goes to press.

Scheduled to arrive at enlightened comic shops across the land tomorrow: Hotwire Comics Vol. 3 By various artists; edited by Glenn Head The Comics Reporter says: "A boon for fans of a certain kind of energetic, restless, profane comic book making — for the rest of us it's an exquisitely curated, controlled visit to that particular comics world." Jog calls it "a distinctly old-fashioned scattershot alternative comics production" and "a louder, more comedic, more visually-driven" sibling to Mome. We have previews-a-plenty both here on our site and on the official Hotwire website; check them out while you're contacting your local…

Another short Online Commentary & Diversions update: • Feature: Publishers Weekly spotlights King: The Special Edition. Calvin Reid talks to King creator Ho Che Anderson and Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth about the development of the book • Review: "Whatever the case, [The Squirrel Machine] is a compelling, fascinating journey through an often creepy and always striking world, one that's regularly quite hilarious… What can one make of that sort of thing? You might be able to attempt an interpretation, one that will be just as valid as any, but it's just as legitimate to go along for the ride and…

Blake Bell is plowing ahead with his forthcoming, highly-anticipated book Fire & Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner, and the Birth of Marvel Comics (preliminary cover art shown above subject to change), and you can track his progress on his Bill Everett Facebook page. In this update, he outlines the contents of each chapter and gives a general idea of what to expect in the book, which is on track for a September release.

Michael Kupperman is featured on Desktops of the Stars — look closely for what appears to be a teeny tiny icon of what might possibly be the cover to Tales Designed to Thrizzle #5 of course I meant #6 (enlarged above).

Tim Lane's posted another page from his next book, Folktales, on his blog. That's a heck of a splash page — click through for the whole thing.

A bit late with the Online Commentary & Diversions today due to being a touch under the weather: • Review: "OK, [Gahan Wilson: Fifty Years of Playboy Cartoons] is very expensive, but Wilson's a lot cheaper than Zoloft. Some people fly their inner freak flags as a sign of liberation. This strange dude isn't sure there's another type of flag out there. In his world, there's always something over the horizon ready to eat you, blow you up or turn you into a homicidal maniac. Sounds a lot like life." – Laurel Maury, San Francisco Chronicle • Review: "…[An] exemplary…

Sand & Fury: A Scream Queen Adventure By Ho Che Anderson 144-page two-color 7.5" x 9" softcover • $16.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-321-7 Ships in February 2010 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Sand & Fury is a story of blood, of sex, of death — of sound and retribution. It opens as a girl by the side of a desert road accepts a ride from a stranger. How could she know that behind that wheel sits the angel of death? Of course, even the angel of death once had a life. During that life, death was a successful business woman, with a…