Fantagraphics Blog Sonia Lei

Gastby Carol Swain 176-page black & white 7.5" x 10" softcover • $22.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-755-0 Ships in: July 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Helen is an amateur bird watcher and naturalist who lives in a rural community in Wales. When local farmer Bill tells Helen that a "rare bird" named Emrys killed himself at Cuddig farm, she decides to investigate. One of the dogs at the farm tells her, by way of explanation, that Emrys "had no feathers and couldn’t fly." She plucks an old cosmetic kit from a dumpster and discovers it belonged to Emrys. Inventorying the kit's…

Just arrived and now shipping from our mail-order department: Special Exits (Paperback)by Joyce Farmer 208-page black & white 7.25" x 10" softcover • $22.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-760-4 See Previews / Order Now Caring for elderly parents in failing health is a challenge many of us will face, but which is seldom depicted in works of art. In this moving memoir, Joyce Farmer creates a vivid portrait of a family, their relationships with each other, and how they cope with the day-to-day emotional fragility of the most taxing time of their lives. Composed over a decade by this pioneering underground cartoonist, Special Exits…

This week's tasty jubilee of Online Commentaries and Diversions: Review: Twelve Gems by Lane Milburn "This excellent, retro space opera reads like a funny, alternative Infinity Gauntlet meets Guardians of the Galaxy – but way cooler than both." – Benn Ray, Largehearted Boy "The story — involving a winged genius dog, a pig monster, a sultry space warrior in leather lingerie, a mad scientist, a quest for a dozen mystic rocks and the cyber-future of sex dolls — is dumb, convoluted and perfect! " – Jake Austen, Chicago Tribune   Interview: How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis "I tried…

It's a double delight: the advance copies of our two new Peanuts gift books are here! These books are sure to make great holiday presents for everyone in the family. In Waiting for the Great Pumpkin, we've collected all the best strips featuring Linus' fervent idolatry and proselytization of the Great Pumpkin — a mythic character believed to rise from the pumpkin patch every Halloween to dole out gifts to good boys and girls. In Snoopy's Thanksgiving, Snoopy and his dearest friend Woodstock both approach the impending holiday with varying degrees of dread, disappointment, and expectation management. Great Pumpkin and…

It is our great pleasure to reveal the final cover artwork for Tim Lane's upcoming book, The Lonesome Go, wherein he continues to explore the Great American Mythological Drama that he began with his first, award-winning book Abandoned Cars. Haunting, rich, gritty, and filled with the familiar imagery, mythologies, and icons of middle America, The Lonesome Go is best described as a tapestry of loosely connected stories, tied together by the experience of wandering. We're anticipating an August 2014 release for the book, though of course you can pre-order your copy now!

A friend and local artist from our Short Run exhibit, Noel Franklin, is seeking Patrons via Patreon.com! Her first mini-comic, Gone Girls Comics, was well-received and is the focus of her future work. Check out her Patreon page here, and learn more about Noel at her site here.

How are you celebrating World UFO Day today? Rewatching The X-files? Wearing your favorite tin hat? Gazing at the sky? Why not pick up a sci-fi title or two as well? We've got some delectable tales, new and old, that explore humankind's fascination with space and aliens. From the kid-friendly to the delightfully perverse, we have plenty of recommendations to help you celebrate this (actual) holiday! Twelve Gems by Lane Milburn New Release Somewhere in the outer cosmos, beyond reckoning or observation, the mysterious Dr. Z has enlisted three space heroes, Furz, Venus, and Dogstar, to search the galaxy for the…

Ed Piskor's vivid retelling of the history of hip hop continues with the second volume of Hip Hop Family Tree, covering the years from 1981 through 1983. From the lovingly crafted cover to the impeccable storytelling and artwork, this book is a delight to hold in our hands. Volume 2 takes us through such hits as Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message," and introduces music powerhouses like NWA, The Beastie Boys, Ice T, and early Public Enemy. Hip Hop Family Tree Vol 2: 1981-1983 is due out in August. Give our 15-page excerpt…

The latest fluffy love-concoction of Online Commentaries and Diversions: Review: Pirates in the Heartland: The Mythology of S. Clay Wilson edited by Patrick Rosenkranz "Part biography, part retrospective, part collected chronicles of a comic legend, this is a huge undertaking that pays off in every way you could expect, and a million ways you couldn't." – The Daily Planet   Interview: How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis "It's a stunning body of work that brings together loosely personal and wholly fictional stories about joy, anguish, fear and loneliness – emotions all motivated by that essential quest to be the best you…

Shipping now from our mail-order department: Twelve Gemsby Lane Milburn 248-page monochrome 5.75" x 8.5" softcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-751-2 See Previews / Order Now This comedic, sci-fi space epic stars three heroes enlisted to travel the galaxy in search of twelve magical gems. Their benefactor — an eccentric and reclusive scientist named Dr. Z — doesn’t actually know what the twelve gems do once obtained, but myths, theories, and rumors abound throughout the galaxy. The three heroes — with some reluctance — choose to undertake the mysterious task and regard it as a sort of paid vacation and an escape…