Fantagraphics Blog Blog

Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano; translated by Matt Thorn February 2014 $26.99 Hardcover • 200 pages Black-and-white • 7" x 9.25" ISBN: 978-1-60699-583-9 Fantagraphics continues its line of acclaimed literary manga with new classic Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano. As society slowly spirals into darkness an unexplained explosion in the butterfly population is just the first of many curiosities in the town where rumors of a creature in a tunnel under the school spread like wildfire. A curse haunts the town as the story follows the scapegoat, Arié, who is plunged into the tunnel's horrors and offered up to the creature. Many…

January 3, 2013 – Seattle, WA. Visionary artist and cartoonist Jim Woodring presents Problematic, an enlightening look inside his creative process, at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery opening Saturday, January 12 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Woodring is rarely without a pocket-sized Moleskine sketchbook, in which he captures character studies, sight gags, emblems, dream motifs, and other fugitive impressions. He has filled at least one a month for the past 8 years. Problematic collects random images from these sketchbooks from 2004 – 2012. The resulting book is, in Woodring’s words, "an idea battery loaded with shorthand references to long game insights." The exhibition includes…

End the year in style with a trip to Georgetown on Sunday, December 30 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM as Fantagraphics Bookstore welcomes Brooklyn, NY cartoonist Nathan Bulmer back to his home town of Seattle. Bulmer will sign copies of his new comix collection, Eat More Bikes, from Canada's adventurous Koyama Press. A recent graduate of New York's storied School of Visual Art, Bulmer made an immediate impact with his daily Eat More Bikes comix art blog. He returns to Seattle with a new anthology of these strips, as well as a handful of hilarious self-published minicomics. The festivities include…

The edited version of these annotations by R.C. Harvey appears in Pogo: The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips Vol. 2 – Bona Fide Balderdash by Walt Kelly. – Ed. Swamp TalkAnnotations and Historical DataBy R.C. Harvey lthough celebrated for his political allegory and satire, Walt Kelly laced Pogo with allusions to other aspects of contemporary life in America, plus literary references and snatches of poetry. In our less than literate society of 140-character communiques, many of Kelly’s nods at literature are obscure to the point of irrelevance, and the targets of much of his political sniping are no longer visible: sixty…

Celebrate 30 Years of Love and Rockets with Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez at Fantagraphics Bookstore on Saturday, December 8! When Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez created the first issue of Love and Rockets three decades ago, they foreshadowed the diverse American society we enjoy today. Their work wasn’t overtly political. They simply reflected their cultural environment. In doing so, they profoundly influenced popular culture on a global scale. Celebrate the illustrious legacy of these amazing artists on Saturday, December 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. This festive evening of art, comix, and music marks the 6th anniversary of Fantagraphics Bookstore &…

The following interview was conducted by Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid in 1995 prior to the release of Terry Zwigoff's phenomenal documentary Crumb. Small fragments of this discussion were included in a review of the film published in The Rocket magazine. At the time of the interview Zwigoff was still six years from directing his breakthrough feature Ghost World, but his passion for independent film, alternative comix, and anachronistic pop culture is fully evident. LARRY REID: What were the circumstances surrounding your association with Crumb? How did you meet? TERRY ZWIGOFF: The short answer is I met him through our mutual…

The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998 – 2008 featured at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on November 24. November 13, 2012 – Seattle, WA. Much like the language of comix, visual poetry employs imagery to supplement the written word. This ocular form of discourse is the subject of a new book, The Last Vispo Anthology, edited by Northwest literary artists Nico Vassilakis and Crag Hill.  Their work will be feted with an exhibition, readings, and music performance at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, November 24 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The reception will feature short readings by contributors James…

[For this installment of The Umpteen Millionaire Club (which perhaps should be renamed The Umpteen 1% Club for the occasion), The Comics Journal interns Kristen Bisson, Aiden Fitzgerald, Tom Graham, Janice Lee & Anna Pederson put together this series of discussion questions about Barack Hussein Obama by Steven Weissman for use in book clubs. – Ed.] Summary: Barack Hussein Obama is a collection of absurdist four-panel gag strips featuring the Head of State, his family and numerous political friends and foes. Barack Hussein Obama Book Club Questions: What does this book have to say about Obama’s role as a statesman…

November 1, 2012 – Seattle, WA.  One of Seattle's most notable artists, Ellen Forney, will discuss her courageous new graphic memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me at the Seattle Public Library central branch on Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM. Her slide presentation in the Microsoft Auditorium will be followed by a book signing. Copies will available at the event. Admission is free. Ellen Forney has a long history of achievement as a cartoonist, visual artist, and charismatic figure in the Seattle's cultural community. Forney was recently anointed a "Genius" by alternative newspaper The Stranger. She's the featured public…

October 25, 2012 – Seattle, WA.  Acclaimed alternative cartoonists David Lasky and Noah Van Sciver have mined American history to produce two remarkable graphic novels – Lasky’s The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song and Van Sciver’s The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery hosts an exhibition of original art and book signing by these amazing artists on Friday, November 2, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Don’t Forget This Song chronicles the colorful career of The Carter Family, country music legends of the 1920s and '30s. Written by Southern-born Seattle resident Frank M. Young in the dialect…