I haven’t wanted to post anything online until now about my friend Alvin Buenaventura, who unexpectedly passed away last Thursday. Alvin was a very private person and it felt unbecoming to mourn publicly. But over the weekend I shared some thoughts and memories with mutual friends, which felt good, and I feel like it’s time to share some of that with the rest of the world. I’ve known Alvin since 1994 or so. He was only a teenager at the time, but he stuck out because of his age and because he would routinely spend large sums of money on…
Wuvable Oaf Tour 2015: East Coast Edition
A tour of oaf proportions is the only fitting way to celebrate the imminent release of the epic Wuvable Oaf collection, by the one and only, Ed Luce. You may have caught glimpses of him if you’re a frequenter of Seattle or Portland, but now the East Coast and back is about to get some wuv!
FCBD Events at FPNYC
Saturday, May 2nd New York City – We know you have options in New York about where to get your free comic fix this coming Saturday during the national Free Comic Book Day holiday. But are any of those stores besides Forbidden Planet bringing in Dash Shaw and Ed Piskor for a signing? Didn’t think so! Starting at Noon the Union Square store will be hosting these top notch artists to sign copies of their books. Titles they’ll have on hand include “Cosplayers“, and Doctors by Shaw, and the award-winning, action-packed Hip Hop Family Tree series by Piskor.
NYC: Queers & Comics Conference
May 7th-8th New York, NY – Queers and comics are combining forces and heading to NYC for a two day Queers & Comics conference at CUNY that will offer two days of panels, workshops, presentations, as well as an exhibition of queer cartoon art; sponsored by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS). The history of queers in comics is long and rich, producing some of the most groundbreaking cartoonists of the past 40 years. From punk zines sold in queer bookstores and cafes, and now to the stage of Broadway, queer comics have been as diverse as those making them. Which…
This Week’s Press Highlights
“Daniel Clowes is…widely considered a one-man embodiment of nineties cool.” – Françoise Mouly and Mina Kaneko, The New Yorker Read more at The New Yorker Jaime Hernandez, “one of Southern California’s signature artists,” was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for his graphic novel “The Love Bunglers”. Read more at the Los Angeles Times “The nominations for the 2015 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been announced, with Marvel Entertainment, DC Entertainment and indie publisher Fantagraphics each receiving 18 nods across the board.” Read more at the Hollywood Reporter “The undisputed king of the comic publishing industry, Gary Groth, talks about…
Chicago: Eightball Signing at Quimby’s
Thursday, April 30th Chicago, IL – We've been hogging all the advance event copies of The Complete Eightball to ourselves here in the Pacific Northwest, so now it's the midwest's turn to get a crack at this gorgeous and vibrant collection. Eightball creator Daniel Clowes will be at Quimby's Bookstore on Thursday, April 30th to sign your fresh copies, still with that new baby smell. It was no surprise that the Fantagraphics Bookstore, Linework, and Powell's City of Books all sold out of their event copies of the book, and Quimby's will be your last chance to get it before hitting shelves in June. Pre-order and…
Dörfler by Jeremy Baum – Cover Uncovered
Today we’re sharing the final cover for Dörfler , the debut graphic novel from Jeremy Baum. Dörfler is set in a dystopian world where memories have become weaponized tools of the totalitarian police state. The story unfolds across multiple dimensions of time and space, amidst a backdrop of beauty and decay in two very different landscapes. Two lovers wander the Northern Mountains, ancient lands where inter-dimensional creatures roam and electronic technology has been rendered inoperable. A woman in the city is on a mission for revenge against the government that subjects its citizens to cruel experiments. Stay tuned to the Flog…
New Comics Wednesday: Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created MAD and Revolutionized Humor in America
This week’s comic shop shipment is slated to include Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created MAD and Revolutionized Humor in America by Bill Schelly. 644-page 6" x 9" Hardcover $34.99 | 978-1-60699-761-1 Harvey Kurtzman created MAD, and MAD revolutionized humor in America. Kurtzman's groundwork as the original editor, artist, and sole writer of MAD provided the foundation for one of the greatest publishing successes of the 20th century. But how did Kurtzman invent MAD, and why did he leave it shortly after it burst nova-like onto the American scene? Bill Schelly's heavily researched biography finally and fully answers these question for the…
Josh Simmon’s Black River Tour Kicks Off
This weekend, our master of horror, Josh Simmons, kicks off his Black River tour with three stops around the Pacific Northwest. After a successful weekend at Portland's Linework NW festival, Josh is hitting the road and heading to Canada. On Friday, April 24th, catch Josh in Vancouver at Lucky's for a book signing and screening of three shorts by Simmons, beginning at 7 PM. Next stop, Seattle! Saturday, April 25th, our very own Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery will be hosting Josh in Georgetown, also with a signing and screening. He'll be joined by the Intruder gang for the release of Intruder #15, one of the most adventurous comics…
Grave Business by Graham Ingels Excerpt
Attention boys and ghouls: you may now peruse a 36-page downloadable excerpt of Grave Business, illustrated by "Ghastly" Graham Ingels' comics, if you dare. Ingels delivers a shock to readers with his grisly depictions —leavened only by a sly wink to the reader and a generous dose of dreadful puns. Ingels' brushwork oozes ominously across every panel, perfectly setting the mood for the shudder-inducing fates of such corrupt characters as the sadistic asylum director, the political candidate who murders his opponent, the ventriloquist with the homicidal "dummy," the millionaire who persecutes an aged junkman, and the medieval duke who runs over a young…
