Fantagraphics Blog Jen Vaughn

SHE'S COMING…VIOLENZIA. A mysterious girl leaves a path of bloody destruction wherever she goes. But, why? Find out in the brand-new, full-color, 50-page comic by Richard Sala.  "Let there be no mercy or forgiveness for they have shown none." With these words, whispered into the wind, a mysterious young woman leaps into action with wild abandon, twin automatics blazing. Is she a brave and reckless heroine taking on a monstrous evil? Or is she a deranged angel of death? One thing is clear: whether she is dropping from a high window into a crowd of red-robed fanatical cultists, or facing down…

This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new titles. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators and web-savvy comic shops are saying about them (more to be added as they appear), check out our previews at the links, and contact your local shop to confirm availability.  Maria M. Book 1 by Gilbert Hernandez 140-page black & white 5.75" x 8.5" hardcover • $22.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-719-2 "I liked this one the best of the pulp-stories that feature the movies made by his character Fritz in the Palomar/Post-Palomar universe he depicts in Love And Rockets… An amazing year for Hernandez."…

The latest issue of The Believer, published by McSweeney's, has a very sweet drawing of Barnaby on the cover! You can grab a copy of it at your nearest bookstore or from the McSweeney's website yourself! Vol. II, Issue #9 features a fun cover by J. Otto Seibold and stories on Indiana's efforts to renew urban areas, the SoCal feminist art scene and more. Wondering about Barnaby by Crockett Johnson, edited by Philip Nel and Eric Reynolds? You have come to the exact right place!  Volume one of the little tyke running around and keeping his fairy godfather out of trouble…

Ed Piskor's first volume of the graphic novel that takes place in the past and is down with the beats, Hip Hop Family Tree, is available to read digitally on comiXology. The lore of the early days of hip hop has become the stuff of myth, so what better way to document this fascinating, epic true story than in another great American mythological medium – the comic book? From exciting young talent and self-proclaimed hip hop nerd Piskor, acclaimed for his hacker graphic novel Wizzywig, comes this explosively entertaining, encyclopedic history of the formative years of the music genre that changed global culture….

This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new titles. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators and web-savvy comic shops are saying about them (more to be added as they appear), check out our previews at the links, and contact your local shop to confirm availability. Impossible Tales: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 4 by Steve Ditko; edited by Blake Bell 240-page full-color 7.25" x 10" hardcover • $39.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-640-9 "I think [Ditko's] a foundational mainstream talent, and one of the interesting ones like Johnny Craig in that a lot of his influence is felt more…

  Joe Sacco's latest book is The Great War, published by our distributor W.W. Norton. This BEAUTIFUL book is actually one large illustration 24 feet in length. Get your self this beautiful accordian folded book today and catch Sacco out on the town(s) to get it signed.   Nov. 10th – Powell's Bookstore at 7:30pm, Portland OR Nov. 12th – Los Angeles Public Library (Mark Taper Auditorium-Central Library) at 7:15pm, Los Angeles, CA (with Gene Luen Yang and Charles Hatfield) Nov. 14th – Town Hall at 7:30pm, Seattle, WA  Nov. 18th – 92nd Street Y / Unterberg Poetry Center at 8:15pm, NYC (with Geoff Dyer) Nov. 19th – McNally…

Next month's issue of Booklist will include reviews of two recent releases by Fantagraphics creators, excerpted below:       The Amazing, Enlightening and Absolutely True Adventures of Katherine Whaley by Deitch, Kim (Starred Review)   "The yarn Deitch spins around that outrageous premise includes surprisingly less of the supernatural and many more words than usual, which wrap around the panels and are carefully chosen to project the heroine's personality-that of a smart but unpretentious woman who once had an utterly fantastic adventure. Even more riveting than Deitch's other spellbinders." –Ray Olson        Fran by Jim Woodring   "the heightened emotional stakes are new: Frank's…

     An Evening with the Hernandez BrothersBilly Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Grand Opening Festival of Cartoon Art   Sat, Nov 16, 2013 7:30 PMMershon Auditorium  A lot of fun stuff is going down during the weekend of Nov 14th – 17th for the Grand Festival of Cartoon Art, librarian and engagement coordinator Caitlin McGurk gave me the skinny. Join the great folks at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum  for a freewheeling conversation between alternative comics legends Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez as they discuss their groundbreaking series Love & Rockets and their ongoing stories about Latino and Latina life, love, and punk rock…

Out the same day as in print is Fran by Jim Woodring, now out for your digital reading pleasure on comiXology. What is to become of the beloved trilobular chuckbuster Frank now that he has journeyed outside the Unifactor and met his soulmate, Fran? The answer is delivered here in devastatingly unpredictable fashion. At 104 pages, this book is an absolute delight for $15.99 for Fans of Frank, connoisseurs of bizarre romance, and spelunkers in the radiant depths of graphic metaphysical psychodrama will want to add this singular cartoon adventure story to their lifetime reading list. Swipe yourself silly in Jim Woodring's crazy universe…

The last month's issue of Booklist reviewed recent releases by Fantagraphics creators, excerpted below:  Lost Cat by Jason "…maybe the most romantic mystery scenario his lean, animal-headed personae have ever performed…Delicious…heartwarming, too." –Ray Olson  Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Color Sundays, Volume 1: Call of the Wild by Floyd Gottfredson   "The high-spirited, adventure-seeking mouse in these vintage strips-a far cry from today's bland, domesticated version-makes it clear why Mickey captivated Depression-eraAmerica." –Gordon Flagg    The Children of Palomar by Gilbert Hernandez "Hernandez's absence from Palomar hasn't dimmed his ability to bring its beloved characters to vivid life, and his visual approach, a skillful blend of cartooning…