Fantagraphics Blog Sonia Lei

"Reading Nancy in continuity, rather than in isolation, may be an unfamiliar experience, but it is one which reveals the strip’s patient and inquisitive reaction to the bric-a-brac and ins-and-outs of everyday life—an attentive curiosity whose effect is diminished by removing the comics from their daily or weekly contexts." – Sean Rogers, The Comics Journal "Bushmiller's genius [was] to make everything in his strip so basic that anyone, anywhere, at any time, could get the joke." – Noel Murray, The A.V. Club "…Nancy possesses in spades the quality common to all great art — a singularity of vision…. The clarity and…

Following the critical success of his previous baseball-themed graphic novel, 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente, artist Wilfred Santiago is back with another beautifully rendered, dramatic retelling of a sports superstar. This time, Santiago's lens is focused on basketball icon Michael Jordan, and we're pleased to have the final cover art for you to ogle as the book moves through production. Michael Jordan: Bull on Parade is slated to arrive in January 2015, with more previews of this action-packed book on the way. This is Michael "Air" Jordan as you've never seen him before!

Creeping Death from Neptune: The Life and Comics of Basil Wolverton Vol. 1edited by Greg Sadowski 304-page color 8" x 10.5" hardcover • $39.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-505-1 Ships in: December 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now This is the first of two volumes reprinting copious amounts of comics stories and recounting the career of cartoonist Basil Wolverton. Based on his correspondence and journals, the biographical portion of the books follows Wolverton from childhood to adult day-to-day life as freelance cartoonist, itinerant handyman, persistent contest enterer, and local pastor of the Radio Church of God. Wolverton lived and worked in the Pacific…

This week's hauntingly spooktacular collection of Online Commentaries and Diversions: Review: The Complete Zap Comix "While the early issues stand as rowdy documents of the 1960s counterculture, Zap was also more. In reinventing the comic book, it set off legal battles and conversations over censorship, brought attention to cartoonists as artists, and set an example for generations of alternative comics creators like Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Joe Matt and the Hernandez Brothers." – Dana Jennings, The NY Times   Review: The Lonesome Go by Tim Lane "Lane’s fluency in portraiture, page layout, lettering, and storytelling is on display, as deep…

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department: Arsène Schrauwenby Olivier Schrauwen 250-page full color 8" x 10" hardcover • $34.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-730-7 See Previews / Order Now In 1947, the author's grandfather, Arsène, traveled across the ocean to a mysterious, dangerous jungle colony at the behest of his cousin. Together they would build something deemed impossible: a utopia of modernity, in the wilderness — but not before Arsène falls in love with his cousin's wife, Marieke. Whether delirious from love or a fever-inducing jungle virus, Arsène's loosening grip on reality is mirrored by the reader's uncertainty of what is…

Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It has landed on our desks! This is something we've quite been looking forward to (ahem) reviewing. Besides the gorgeous artwork, ranging from softcore to hide-the-children explicit, every chapter focuses on a single artist, showing photos of their workspaces, interviews, and essays on what it's like to be a gay erotic artist in Japan. More previews are coming your way next week, and don't forget to pre-order Massive for a December delivery. Who knows, this could be the perfect, ah, stocking stuffer for a friend.

Today is a good day. That is because we've received advance copies of Black Light: The World of L.B. Cole at Fantagraphics HQ, and it is truly a beauty to behold. Oversized and filled with L.B. Cole's larger-than-life, eye-catchingly bold colorscapes, this book offers the largest collection of Cole covers as well as an in-depth biography written by comic book historian Bill Schelly. Black Light is due out this December, and you can pre-order it now through our website! Trust us, you'll want this book in your collection, comics fans.

We are pleased to reveal the finalized cover art design for the second book in our two volume set—Treasury of Mini Comics Vol. 2. This hefty, densely packed volume is edited by Michael Dowers and features the artwork of over 50 artists in 848 pages of artwork, including the 8-page underground sex comic "Tijuana Bibles." The cover is designed by Esther Pearl Watson, author of the award-winning series Unlovable. More details for the Treasury are forthcoming, but the book is on track for December delivery. Pre-order your copy now!

Nancy Loves Sluggo: Complete Dailies 1949-1951by Ernie Bushmiller 336-page black & white 8.5" x 8.5" softcover • $39.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-777-2 Ships in: November 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Many connoisseurs—including Art Spiegelman, Daniel Clowes, Scott McCloud (creator of the "Five-Card Nancy" card game), Joe Brainard, and Andy Warhol—have recognized that Bushmiller's often-corny Nancy approached its own kind of zen-like cartoon perfection. In its own way, it turned out Nancy was in fact the most iconic comic strip of all; The American Heritage Dictionary actually uses a Nancy strip to illustrate its entry on "comic strip." Fantagraphics' beloved Nancy series…

"Gottfredson drew Mickey with a nosy snout and the bright eyes of an adrenalin junkie. The mouse’s diminutive size inspired Gottfredson to have the character attempt daredevil races, leaping stunts, and develop a flurry-fisted fighting style… This beautiful [series] gives the Great Rodent his humanity." – Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Vols. 5-6 Box Setby Floyd Gottfredson 576-page b&w/some color 10.75" x 9" x 2.5" hardcover • $49.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-783-3 Due to arrive in 2-4 weeks. Click on the thumbnails for larger versions; get more info, see more previews, and pre-order your copy here: http://www.fantagraphics.com/mickey5-6