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Given the 30 Anniversary celebration of Love and Rockets this week, our article and fact-making robot decided we should have a separate post on all the goings-on. If we missed your 30th Anniversary coverage, please let us know. Commentaries and fun memories below: •Interview: Heidi MacDonald interviews Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds on going digital with comiXology starting with Love and Rockets: New Stories. On THE BEAT Reynolds notes, "When the notion of 'digital comics' first became a reality, I’ll admit that many of our authors and many of us in the office actively resisted the idea and pretended to tell…

  Fantagraphics and comiXology are proud to announce their second digital release following the groundbreaking news that Love and Rockets was going digital. Michael Kupperman's critically-acclaimed humor series Tales Designed to Thrizzle #1 and #2 are now available for download at $2.99 each. The next month is designed to thrizzle with the release of all eight issues of Tales rolled out two per week over the next four Wednesdays. Download the sold-out Issue #1 and 2 right now! Issues 3 and 4 will be released Wednesday, July 24th; issues 5 and 6 on August 1st and issues 7 and 8th…

The newest and week-old pre-SDCC stinky socks found under your bed-style Online Commentaries and Diversions minus the hullabaloo about Love and Rockets: •Interview (video): Noah Van Sciver is interviewed by documentary film maker Dan Stafford on his upcoming book about Lincoln's depression, The Hypo, coming out this fall. "Lincoln battled things his whole life. He battled with poverty in his youth; the part that I cover, battling with depression; the struggle of his own fate followed by keeping the nation together, how we know him best." •Plug: Flavorwire takes the Flavorpill by Tucker Stone. 4 of the 10 most anticipated…

  At the shortest Eisner Awards ceremony known to Comic Con International in San Diego, Fantagraphics walked away with 10 nominations in 8 categories and one solid win. Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 1 and 2 by Floyd Gottfredson (edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth) took the Eisner for Best Archival Collections/Projects for Comic Strips, beating out our own Prince Valiant #3 – 4 by Hal Foster (edited by Kim Thompson) and other smashing works like Tarpe Mills' Miss Fury.   We sincerely thank everyone for their support and love of this excellent material. Gottfredson was a master of…

Sights from the Comic-Con home stretch! Starting the day with Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez (later joined by Natalia & Mario) — what could be better? A couple of real horrorshow droogs checking out the merchandise. Careful with those codpieces, boys. Eric & Jacq surround Ruben Bolling to cut off any possible escape. Bob Burden gets his paws on some original Gilbert Hernandez art. Johnny Ryan barely tolerates my picture-taking while Steven Weissman wheels & deals. Diana Schutz of Dark Horse visits with Mario & Gilbert while Jaime keeps his nose to the grindstone. Citizen Rex sequel, anyone? Steven Weissman &…

Fell a little behind on my photo blogging but here are some sights from the floor at Comic-Con International yesterday: Sweet Maggie ink! Jaime was impressed with this one (as were we all). The line for the Gilbert Shelton & Dave McKean signing stretched all the way around the booth. Dave McKean and his cool watch (and hey, it's Anthony Vukojevich, Mome vet Rob Goodin and Tom Neely in the background). The dapper Mr. Shelton (and those guys again). Monte Schulz dropped by to chat with Gary. The No Straight Lines signing with Ed Luce, editor Justin Hall, Dylan Edwards…

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2012: FANTAGRAPHICS and COMIXOLOGY ANNOUNCE DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT  Love and Rockets: New Stories #1-4 Available NowTo Help Celebrate30 Years Of The Hernandez Brothers’ Groundbreaking World July 14th, 2012 – San Diego, CA. / New York, NY. — Today in a wide-ranging panel celebrating the 30th anniversary of publishing the Hernandez Brothers’ groundbreaking Love and Rockets series co-publisher Gary Groth, president of the 36 year-old publishing house, announced Fantagraphics Books’ entrance into the digital age through a brand new digital distribution agreement with comiXology, the revolutionary digital comics platform with over 75 million comic downloads to date and a…

A quick rundown of a few scenes in the Fantagraphics booth (#1718) at Comic-Con International Day 1: Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez make final adjustments for the first signing of the day. Line for the Hernandez signing about halfway through. Esther Pearl Watson and Trina Robbins draw in fans' sketchbooks while Kristy & Ian share a laugh in the background. Don Rosa regales Kristy & Janice. Comic-Con exclusive: Natalia's new mini-comic! T-shirts going fast! Hernandez family portrait: Carol, Natalia, Gilbert & Jaime. Most adorable family ever? (Special background guest: Eddie Campbell.) Malachi Ward chats with John Pham. Gary Groth (fresh from…

I've been going to Comic-Con for almost 30 years now, god help me. Sometimes I think I know downtown San Diego better than any town I've actually lived in. These are some of the things I think of when I think about Comic-Con: • The Picadilly • HateBall Tour 1993  • Scary bail bondsmen offices • When you could easily park in the convention garage • When Hall H was just a grassy knoll where you could hang out before the con opened • When I cared about the Marvel and DC booths • When I first met Gary Groth…

…so come on a-knockin'! Our Comic-Con International booth (#1718), all set up and ready for the doors to open. Bursting with books! We had a brisk Preview Night and stuff is already disappearing into the hands of eager fans. The new Love and Rockets t-shirts are going like hotcakes, to the surprise of no one! Mario & Gilbert Hernandez hung out for our first-ever Preview Night signing and much fun is being had by all. Keeping it short for now but there's lots more to come! Keep it tuned here and especially to our Twitter feed!