Fantagraphics Blog FantaBlog

Residents of the Pacific Northwest are in for a pop culture bonanza this weekend at Emerald City Comicon. The action begins on Friday with an appearance by the legendary Peter Bagge, signing from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at booth 510. Fans in attendance will be the first in the country to get advance copies of Peter Bagge's Other Stuff, as well as the exclusive Buddy Does Emerald City tee shirt at a premium price. Bagge was largely responsible for creating the atmosphere that attracted dozens of aspiring cartoonists to Seattle in the 1990s. Come celebrate that legacy with us. The action continues on Saturday…

The wait is finally over! Fantagraphics and comiXology are bringing you JASON comics starting with his 2008 Eisner Award-winner I Killed Adolf Hitler. A hitman is hired to travel back in time to kill Hitler in 1939… but things go very wrong. Hitler escapes to the present, leaving the killer stranded in the past. This surprising thriller unfolds with Jason's wickedly dry humor. A hitman is hired to travel back in time to kill Hitler in 1939… but things go very wrong. Hitler escapes to the present, leaving the killer stranded in the past. This surprising thriller unfolds with Jason's…

50 Girls 50 and Other Stories (The EC Comics Library)illustrated by Al Williamson et al.; written by Al Feldstein et al. 264-page black & white 7.25" x 10.25" hardcover • $28.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-577-8 Ships in: March 2013 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now BARGAIN COMBO: 50 Girls 50 + 'Tain't the Meat… It's the Humanity! (The EC Comics Library) Gift Set Price: $57.98 $46.38 Order this book and receive the Jack Davis's Tales from the Crypt Halloween mini-comic shown here as a FREE bonus! Limit one per customer while supplies last. Barely old enough to drink when he joined the EC Comics stable, Al Williamson may have…

Hey gang, we just got advance copies of Peter Bagge's Other Stuff! This handy volume collects Pete's collaborations (with Clowes, Crumb, Tomine, the Hernandezes, Alan Moore, etc.) from the back pages of Hate, stories from Hate Annual, and other odds 'n' ends. It's a must-have for Baggeliebers (huh?) and all lovers of hilarious satire. Lucky attendees at Emerald City Comicon this weekend will have first crack at buying copies (and getting 'em signed and personalized by Pete himself) — everybody else will have to wait a couple months before it hits shelves. But you can get a taste with our 20-page excerpt, readable right…

Monday, February 25th • New York City, NY: Tonight! James Romberger gives a slide show presentation on 7 Miles a Second at the NY Comics and Picture-story Symposium! Starting at 7:00 PM! (more info) Tuesday, February 26th •  Brooklyn, NY:  Join the mighty Michael Kupperman at Book Court for the book launch celebration of Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Vol. 2, with special guest Ted Travelstead! (more info) Wednesday, February 27th •  Seattle, WA:  The Richard Hugo House presents an evening of original music inspired by Ellen Forney's 2007 collection Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads from Seattle's The Stranger! Doors and bar…

James Romberger, artist of 7 Miles a Second, will be giving a slide show presentation tonight TONIGHT at the NY Comics and Picture-story Symposium on his collaboration with David Wojnarowicz and Marguerite Van Cook in addition to his new book Post York, out from Uncivilized Books. 7pm, 7 Miles a Second pretty easy to remember. Music accompaniment by Crosby. The thirty-fourth meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium will be held on Monday, February 25, 2013 at 7:00 pm at Parsons The New School, 2 West 13th Street in The Bark Room (off lobby). See you there!

The half-day of school in Online Commentaries & Diversions: • Review: Nick Gazin of VICE reads God and Science by Jaime Hernandez. "I think it's cool that Jaime will make a comic with no sci-fi or fantasy elements for decades and suddenly remind us that the world his comic is set in is capable of housing superheroes. I own all of Jaime's stuff." • Plug: Bob Temuka tries to make you break down into tears at your desk but DAMMIT you didn't let him, didja? Tearoom of Despair lives up to its name by remembering the 'Death of Speedy' story…

In 2010 it was our distinct privilege to bring you the English edition of Jacques Tardi's World War I tale It Was the War of the Trenches, widely acknowledged by readers, critics, and award committees as a comics masterpiece. In just 3 months or so we'll be following that up with Tardi's second WWI masterwork, Goddamn This War! Tracing the "progress" of the war year by year, from the perspective of an unnamed soldier, Goddamn unflinchingly chronicles the horror, boredom, frustration and despair of war for its ground-level participants as they grind through the gears of history. Providing further historical context is an…

The best cover band made of dogs of Online Commentaries & Diversions:  • Review: Unshelved reads Delphine by Richard Sala. Shivering with delicious fear, Gene Ambaum says "I’m a huge fan of Sala’s graphic novels, like Cat Burglar Black. And the dust jacket-less cover, with its graphics and the inset color image of a girl walking through a dark forest, looked exquisite."  • Review: Rob Clough of High-Low looks at Beta Testing the Apocalypse by Tom Kaczynski. "His stories address aspects of modern civilization and the ways in which they break down.…Kaczynski really has his finger on the collective neuroses…

Spain Rodriguez is on the list of finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize award in Graphic Novel. A winner will be chosen this April at a public ceremony at the University of Southern California's Bovard Auditorium. Spain's book Cruisin' with the Hound is listed along with works by Alison Bechdel, Leela Corman, Chris Ware and Sammy Harkham. The press release has more information: "The event is the prelude to the 18th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the largest public literary festival in the nation, to be held on USC’s campus on April 20th and 21st." Fingers…