Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Let's see what Online Commentary & Diversions popped up over the weekend: • Review: "Abstract Comics: The Anthology is an impressive collection of old and new work with unique pages covering exactly what the title says… bold… intriguing… This is a book for readers who like fine art or those who would like to expand their sequential art experiences. A hearty slap on the back for Fantagraphics for choosing to create this marvelous example of a widely unknown artistic expression." – Kris Bather, Comic Book Jesus • Review: "I had always equated [Prince] Valiant with everything that is dull and…

Here's a glimpse of Kevin Huizenga & Matthew Thurber's contribution to The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror #15, from Kevin's blog.

Jon Vermilyea murders the universe with these poster & t-shirt designs he did for Fantastic Fest: If you have some special kind of glasses this poster is 3D — !!! What do they mean they're not on sale yet?!?!

Desert Island says, "These amazing handmade screenprints are 12" X 16" and will be signed and available on July 10th when Mr. Kupperman appears at Desert Island to celebrate the release of Tales Designed to Thrizzle Vol. 1." We should have a formal announcement of this event in the near future; in the meantime, here's the Facebook invitation with some more details, and you can pre-order a signed print here.

Drew Friedman notes that he's had occasion to draw Michael Jackson several times over the years; find out why he chose this image (from the NY Observer) to commemorate Jackson (and see it a bit bigger) on his art blog.

Thanks to fan Jose M. Mendez for sharing his terrific photos of April's Humbug event at the Strand Bookstore with us on Flickr! That's Arnold Roth & Al Jaffee above; check out the whole set of photos right here.

Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me and Other Astute Observations By Peter Bagge STOP! Instead of clicking "Add to Cart" below, call in your order to our toll-free customer service line at 1-800-657-1100 and you will get FREE standard shipping within the U.S. on your order of this plus any other books and comics by Peter Bagge! Offer only valid for phone orders, NOT for web orders, within the U.S., through July 31, 2009. What are you waiting for?? Call now, and don't forget to mention this offer to our friendly operators! Fans of Peter Bagge’s generation-defining, satirical fiction may…

Prince Valiant Vol. 1: 1937-1938 By Hal Foster HAROLD FOSTER’S LEGENDARY MEDIEVAL EPIC, FINALLY IN ITS DEFINITIVE EDITION Universally acclaimed as the most stunningly gorgeous adventure comic strip of all time, Prince Valiant ran for 35 years under the virtuoso pen of its creator, Hal Foster. (Such was its popularity that today, decades after Foster’s death, it continues to run under different hands.) The giant Sunday-funnies pages (Valiant ran only on Sundays) gave Foster a huge canvas upon which he was able to limn epic swordfights, stunning scenes of pomp and pageantry, and some of the most beautiful human beings…

The Sweetly Diabolic Art of Jim Flora By Jim Flora; edited by Irwin Chusid & Barbara Economon A third collection of amusing nightmares from the demonic wand of Jim Flora Jim Flora (1914­-1998), long admired for boisterous 1940s and ’50s record cover illustrations and a later series of best-selling children’s books, has been rediscovered in recent years as an alchemist of bizarre and politely disturbing imagery. The Sweetly Diabolic Art of Jim Flora burnishes the reputation of one of the great overlooked paintbox fantasists of the twentieth century. Like its two predecessors (The Mischievous Art of Jim Flora and The…

A fresh heap of Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation!… collects all the [Fletcher] Hanks material not included in the first book. Hanks' hyperactive, colorful, robust, and crazily disproportionate art is perfectly matched to his over-the-top storytelling… There are few artists, from the Golden Age to today, that so deftly blended goofy dialogue with terrifying violence and surreal situations; for better or worse, Hanks was a real original. [Grade] B+" – The A.V. Club • Review: "[Ho! The Morally Questionable Cartoons of Ivan Brunetti] is a brutally funny and disturbing attempt to…