Fantagraphics Blog Mike Baehr

Eric Reynolds recorded a couple of brief video clips of Gary Groth’s interview of Schulz and Peanuts author David Michaelis at the Elliott Bay Book Company here in Seattle on Wednesday evening and passed them to me to put on YouTube: We also have several still photos from a few different sources — click for a gallery on Flickr.

Our office dog and unofficial mascot turns 3 today. Here he is as a puppy. Awww!

So says Real Change in the intro to their great interview with Ellen.

Spurge points out that "Shelf Life," Marc Sobel's in-depth, issue-by-issue examination of Love and Rockets Vol. 1 at Sequart, has entered its second half, with the latest installment featuring issue #26.

Mystic Funnies #2 (New Printing)by Robert Crumb NEW PRINTING! The second installment of Robert Crumb's latest series centers on an unfortunate everyman named "The Moron" in "Bad Karma," an epic quest for the answer to the question "What's it all mean??" Also starring "Fairy Godmother" and "Mr. Natural," who wants to talk to you about the power of the media, man. 32-page black & white comic $4.95 Order Now!

One of the great privileges of working at Fantagraphics is the opportunity to see original artwork for upcoming releases. Case in point: this gorgeous painted cover by Richard Sala for Delphine #3 (release date TBD), which my crappy cameraphone did absolutely no favors to (and turned purple for some reason).

We are pleased to point out that Amazon.com has ranked The Complete Peanuts 1963-1966 Box Set at #3 on their list of Best Books of 2007 – Top 10 Editors Picks: Graphic Novels. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't suggest that you buy it directly from us. Amazon has us beat on price but they can't match the love.

New Tales of Old Palomar #3by Gilbert Hernandez The third and last installment of New Tales of Old Palomar, in which Gilbert Hernandez returns to some of his best-loved characters, focuses on the gorgeous but troubled Tonantzín. Everybody in Palomar seems to take the supernatural with a grain of salt, but young Tonantzín is determined to uncover the mystery of the laughing baby that only appears to her, haunting her daily life. What is the baby's link to the giant stone idols that stand outside the small town…? 32-page black & white 8.5" x 11" saddle-stitched softcover with jacket $7.95…

Betsy and Meby Jack Cole Having mastered comic books and gag cartoons, in 1958, nearly two decades after he unveiled Plastic Man to the world, Jack Cole set his sights on the cartoonist's pot of gold — a syndicated newspaper strip. He hit the bull's-eye with Betsy and Me, a breezy domestic farce focusing on a middle-class urban couple and their smart-aleck genius son. Cole stripped his style down to its bare essentials, creating a strip that sparkles with economy, wit, and charm. What gave the strip its edge, however, was Cole's innovative storytelling, which utilized ironic tension between protagonist…

Perla La Loca: A Love and Rockets Bookby Jaime Hernandez Perla begins with the "Wigwam Bam" story, arguably Jaime Hernandez's definitive statement on the post-punk culture. As Maggie, Hopey, and the rest of the Locas prowl Los Angeles, the East Coast, and parts in between trying to recapture the carefree spirit of those early days. "Wigwam Bam" brings us up to date on all the members of Jaime's extensive cast of characters and then drops a narrative bomb on Hopey (and us) in the very last pages. Split up from Hopey yet again, Maggie bounces back and forth between a…