Fantagraphics Blog Sonia Lei

The dastardly Super-Enigmatix revels in creating chaos and catastrophe across the globe, and no one knows why. Former Detective Natalie Charms and Former Inspector Jory—along with his grandson, George—are hot on the trail of the the shadowy menace, but the closer they get to him, the greater the destruction Super-Enigmatix sows. This 19-page excerpt (10.2 MB) sets the stage for Richard Sala's latest book, In a Glass Grotesquely, with Natalie and Inspector Jory piecing together a web of seemingly-unrelated crimes that point to a single mastermind: Super-Enigmatix!

Tales Designed to Thrizzle Vol. 1 [Softcover Ed.] by Michael Kupperman 160-page color 7" x 9.75" softcover • $22.99 ISBN: 978-1-60699-764-2 Ships in: August 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Fans and comedy cognoscenti alike, basking devotedly in the glow of Tales Designed to Thrizzle, have made it the smash hit humor comic of the decade. And now the first four issues of Michael Kupperman’s revered series are finally collected into one deluxe hardcover. Even better, Kupperman has taken the original two-color printing and made the entire book full color! These tales are more thrizzling than ever! What are…

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department: Jimby Jim Woodring 224-page black & white/color 7.75" x 11" hardcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-752-9 See Previews / Order Now Frank is, as everyone knows, Jim Woodring's bestselling cartoon character. Jim, on the other hand, is Woodring's cartoon alter ego, the fictional doppelganger who has for 30 years inhabited Woodring's alternate universe where shifting, phantasmagoric landscapes, abrupt, hallucinatory visual revelations, and unexpected eruptions of uninhibited verbal self-flagellation are common- place. Jim is a mind-bending collection of all of Woodring's best non-Frank creative work — comics stories, prose stories, drawings, and paintings, with…

An Age of License by Lucy Knisley 196-page black & white/color 5.5" x 7.5" softcover • $19.99 ISBN: 978-1-60699-768-0 Ships in: September 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Acclaimed cartoonist Lucy Knisley (French Milk, Relish) got an opportunity that most only dream of: a travel-expenses-paid trip to Europe and Scandinavia, thanks to a book tour. An Age of License is Knisley's comics travel memoir recounting her charming (and romantic!) adventures. It’s punctuated by whimsical visual devices (such as a "new experiences" funnel); peppered with the cute cats she meets along the way; and, of course, features her hallmark —…

The Ghost of the Grotto, Starring Walt Disney's Donald Duckby Carl Barks 96-page full color 5.5" x 7.5" softcover • $12.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-779-6 Ships in: October 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now One of Donald Duck's most famous adventures leads off our new line of affordable kid-sized Donald Duck books: just-right half-height books packed with fun, laughs, and adventure in every 96-page edition. Each story is complete with all the original story and art (no panels have been dropped or altered). In "Donald Duck and the Ghost of the Grotto," Donald and his nephews try to harvest kelp at Skull-Eye…

Oh, Lucy. Here is the finalized cover artwork for the next volume in our Peanuts Every Sunday series, which collects the beloved comic's full-color Sunday strips, faithfully reproduced to match the original syndicate coloring. Whether you've been collecting Charles M. Schulz's work for years, or are introducing a new generation to these iconic characters, Peanuts Every Sunday: 1956-1960 (Vol. 2) is sure to be a treasured addition to any household. The book has just been made available for pre-order, and we'll have more previews over the next few months, with an anticipated November 2014 release.

Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 2: 1981-1983by Ed Piskor 112-page full color 9” x 13” softcover • $27.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-756-7 Ships in: September 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Book 2 covers the early years of 1981-1983, when Hip Hop has made a big transition from the parks and rec rooms to downtown clubs and vinyl records. The performers make moves to separate themselves from the paying customers by dressing more and more flamboyantly until a young group called RUN-DMC comes on the scene to take things back to the streets. This volume covers hits like Afrika Bambaataa’s "Planet Rock,"…

This week's summery, sun-warmed collection of Online Commentaries and Diversions: Review: Gast by Carol Swain "Woven through the pages, impressing lightly on Helen’s still child-like mind, are issues such as transgenderism and isolation, appearance and identity, the harsh truths surrounding the commercialisation of nature and the issue of suicide among struggling farmers." – Tom Murphy, Broken Frontier   Review: How To Be Happy by Eleanor Davis "Davis notes in the book's opening pages that 'this is not a book about how to be happy,' and I agree. How to Be Happy is a book that shows people living with despair,…

"Simon Hanselmann is the real deal, for sure. He captures that stoner stay-at-home life so accurately that I actually find his comics really depressing and thank God I don't ever have to hang out with anybody like that ever again." – Daniel Clowes "Megahex is basically about a bunch of people (and "people") watching TV and getting wasted and fighting and fucking and pranking each other. Oh, and depression. What's not to love?!" – Peter Bagge Megahexby Simon Hanselmann 122-page full color 6” x 8.75” hardcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-743-7 Due to arrive in about 2-4 weeks. Click the thumbnails for…

21: The Story of Roberto Clemente by Wilfred Santiago is coming out soon in a new paperback edition, and this first glimpse of the printer's advance copy is promising indeed! Detailing the tragically short life of Puerto-Rican baseball player Roberto Clemente—the first Latino player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame—21 takes us deep into Puerto-Rican culture and history, as well as the entrenched racial tensions of mid-20th-century America. Our hardcover edition's 18-page excerpt (6.6 MB) is available to read, and the paperback edition is available for pre-order now!