Fantagraphics Blog Sonia Lei

You may not be familiar with the name Robert Goodin, but this is one artist you'll want to watch for if you haven't! We are beyond stoked to reveal the cover of Goodin's first full length graphic novel, The Kurdles. An all-ages story of an abandoned teddy bear and his adventures with an eclectic gang of forest denizens, The Kurdles will delight adult and child alike! You can expect to see this beautiful cover at bookstores in late April, but we've got it up for pre-sale now! Give the gift of the joy of reading to your progeny—this book is destined to…

The impact of MAD magazine on the landscape of American absurdism, satire and parody is undeniable. In Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created MAD and Revolutionized Humor in America, this thoroughly researched biography takes us behind the scenes of the larger-than-life man who created MAD, contributed to EC Comics, and drew Playboy's Little Annie Fanny comic strips. Here is a 27-page, 2.3 MB downloadable excerpt to give you a taste of the tome that awaits you inside, including Terry Gilliam's foreword and the first 14 pages of Bill Schelly's biography. Take a peek, then head over to our book page to pre-order your copy….

Invitation to Openness: The Jazz & Soul Photography of Les McCann 1960-1980curated by Pat Thomas and Alan Abrahams 200-page black & white 9" x 12" hardcover • $39.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-786-4 Ships in: March 2015 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Throughout Les McCann's incredible jazz career, he took hundreds of photos — at clubs, studios, and festivals around the world — and unwittingly documented a side of the vibrant cultural life of jazz and soul between 1960 and 1980 that includes a very young Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr., John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, Quincy Jones, Tina Turner,…

Invitation to Openness: The Jazz & Soul Photography of Les McCann 1960-1980curated by Pat Thomas and Alan Abrahams 200-page black & white 9" x 12" hardcover$39.99 | 978-1-60699-786-4 Due to arrive in 2-4 weeks. Click on thumbnails for larger versions; get more info, see more previews, and pre-order your copy here: http://www.fantagraphics.com/invitationtoopenness

Angry Youth Comixby Johnny Ryan 424-page color 7.25" x 10.75" hardcover • $49.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-811-3 Ships in: March 2015 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Johnny Ryan's utterly unpretentious taboo-tackling is an infectious and hilarious bombardment of political incorrectness, taking full advantage of the medium's absurdist potential for maximum laughs. In an age when the medium is growing up and aspiring to more mature and hoity-toity literary heights, Ryan builds on the visceral tradition that cartooning has had on our collective funny bone for over a century. Now, for the first time, all fourteen issues of Ryan's career-defining comic book series Angry…

We know you've been on the edge of your seats waiting for the next volume of Shimura Takako's acclaimed manga series, Wandering Son. Here is our finalized cover art for Wandering Son Volume 8, in which our beloved protagonists continue to navigate through their gender identities while maneuvering through another school year. Takatsuki-kun works up the courage to go to school in a boy's uniform, and Nitori-kun confesses his desire to wear girl's clothes to Anna-chan, his girlfriend. And Doi-kun, a character of questionable motives, finds himself drawn to Nitori's adult trans friend, Yuki-san…but to what end? Grab your pre-order of Wandering…

Praise for Roy Crane: "Freed from the tiny confines of the black-and-white daily strip, Crane brilliantly exploited the vastly larger canvas of the full newspaper page, wildly varying the sizes, shapes, and arrangement of the panels. His distinctive drawing style, an appealing blend of simplified realism and broad cartooniness, also set Easy apart. While not quite as large as the original newspaper broadsheets, this volume’s oversize pages fully convey the strip's formidable visual impact." – Gordon Flagg, Booklist "Crane's art is stunning, combining simple cartoony figures with richly detailed backgrounds in clever, colorful layouts. It isn’t even necessary to read…

Our next volume of slipcased EC Comics books is coming soon to a bookstore near you! Due out in April, the EC Comics Slipcase Vol. 2 will collect Fall Guy for Murder, Child of Tomorrow, Zero Hour, and Sucker Bait. Featuring Johnny Craig's crime and horror stories, "Ghastly" Graham Ingels' horror, Al Feldstein's solo science fiction stories, and Jack Kamen's science fiction gems, this boxed set will delight any comics collector. Pre-order this boxed set now, and we'll have more previews to whet your appetite in the next few weeks.  

Willard Mullin’s Casey at the Bat and Other Diamond Taleswith Ernest Thayer; introduction by Yogi Berra 52-page two-color 6.25” x 6.25” hardcover$9.99 | 978-1-60699-814-4 Due to arrive in 2-4 weeks. Click on thumbnails for larger versions; get more info, see more previews, and pre-order your copy here: http://www.fantagraphics.com/caseyatthebat

Speaking of large, handsome, coffeetable art books, our advance copies of Invitation to Openness: The Jazz & Soul Photography of Les McCann 1960-1980 have arrived! Oh, you weren't discussing beautifully bound, large format photography books that class up your living room? Well, this first look at Invitation to Openness just might turn your conversation around. This collection of McCann's personal photography highlighting the world of jazz is elegantly packaged and designed by our own Jacob Covey. Due out in March, the book is ready for your pre-order now!