Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Petey & Pussy By John Kerschbaum LOONEY TUNES MEETS LUIS BUÑUEL IN THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL DEBUT Petey and Pussy, John Kerschbaum’s new graphic novel, reads very much like a Loony Tunes cartoon — if all of the anthropomorphic animals were kvetching, balding, foul-mouthed misanthropes. Each character is articulate (and, in fact, can speak directly to humans, well enough to order a beer) but still recognizably have the traits associated with their respective species: Pete, the dog, is happy-go-lucky; Pussy, the cat, is self-centered; and Bernie, the bird, is high-strung and constantly a-twitter. Together, they are the pets of a sweet…

The Lagoon By Lilli Carré A family is seduced by a mysterious creature's siren song that can be heard emanating from the lagoon after dark in talented young cartoonist Lilli Carré’s first long-form work, and how each member reacts to the song in The Lagoon is the crux of the story. For the wise — or pixilated — Grandpa, the song reminds him that, in the time he has left, he must pause to respect, appreciate, and fear nature. The song hints at something that Zoey, the daughter, is too young to fully grasp. And the song lures the sexually…

Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville By Ted Stearn Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville tells the hilariously bizarre adventures of Pluck, an irritable and featherless rooster, and his best pal, the awkwardly unsocialized but lovable teddy bear known as Fuzz. These two usually inseparable and co-dependent misfits find themselves suddenly separated and alone. Pluck vows to establish his place in the world's pecking order by becoming a champion gladiator, while the more demure Fuzz finds himself a POW in a stuffed animal collection, only to escape and befriend a mercurial ferryman who recruits him for an impossible task. These absurdities pile on and…

Post-APE catch-up! • We haven't had a chance to listen to this ourselves yet, but we are told that British comedy genius and known Fantagraphics fan Graham Linehan (Big Train, The IT Crowd, Father Ted) sings our praises in this interview with The Sound of Young America • Flickr users Inkyhack and Christopher Diaz (a.k.a. "mr. diazzler") share their APE photos • Publishers Weekly "Comics Week" reviews David Levine's American Presidents just in time for Election Day (scroll about halfway down) • Reason reviews Most Outrageous: The Trials and Trespasses of Dwaine Tinsley and Chester the Molester by Bob Levin…

By now surely you're following our Monday-Friday installments of Martin Kellerman's Rocky, with strips from Rocky Vol. 2: Strictly Business presented in English for the first time anywhere (the book is due next month). Now, get your first look at the book itself! Click this link if the embedded slideshow doesn't appear above, and/or to open it in a new window.

Whoop, just 11 hours left to take advantage of our Halloween Sale on a selection of creepy, scary and otherwise ooky comics. Obviously you won't get 'em in time for the holiday, but at savings of up to 25% off, you can get some sweet deals while you're enjoying your trick-or-treat candy.

Happy Halloween! • Diamond's Previews, er, previews Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly • Pol Culture looks at Bill Schelly's Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert • Public Radio International's Studio 360 talks to Jessica Abel about the formative influence of Love and Rockets (streaming audio embedded below, or download the MP3)