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This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new title. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators and web-savvy comic shops are saying about it (more to be added as they appear), check out our previews at the link, and contact your local shop to confirm availability. Prince Valiant Vol. 5: 1945-1946 by Hal Foster 112-page full-color 10.5" x 14.25" hardcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-484-9 "Prince Valiant, Vol. 5 is out with more swashbuckling shenanigans (I reviewed it in last Sunday’s What Are You Reading)." – Chris Mautner, Robot 6 "If I could splurge, I’d get Prince Valiant,…

Flannery O'Connor: The Cartoons edited by Kelly Gerald 152-page two-color 10.25" x 8.5" hardcover • $22.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-479-5 Ships in: June 2012 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Flannery O’Connor was among the greatest American writers of the 2nd half of the 20th century; she was a writer in the Southern tradition of Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, and Carson McCullers, who wrote such classic novels and short stories as Wise Blood, The Violent Bear It Away, and “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” She is perhaps as well known for her tantalizing brand of Southern Gothic humor as she is…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Interview: On the National Post, Nathalie Atkinson interviews Gabriella Giandelli on her graphic novel, Interiorae., and the retrospective exhibit at the Italian Cultural Institute. Giandelli states, "There are some stories where it would be possible to have the soundtrack of what you listened to during the work for every page of the story. Or sometimes the song is inside my work — nobody knows but for me it’s there." • Review: The Weekly Crisis solves the weekly dilemma for you with a "buy it" verdict for Gabriella Giandelli's Interiorae. Taylor Pithers says, "Giandelli also…

Fantagraphics is proud to announce it has obtained the rights to the first two books by award-winning cartoonist Charles Forsman. The first book, The End of the Fucking World, will be released during the 2013 Spring / Summer season (exact release date t.b.a.). The 128 page black and white graphic novel, which will include all twelve issues of the critically-acclaimed minicomic series, follows the unfeeling, sociopathic teen James and his earnest girlfriend, Alyssa, on the brink of adulthood. The second book, to be released during our 2013 Fall Season, is an original graphic novella titled Celebrated Summer. This funny and…

Wednesday, June 13th • Los Angeles, CA:  Listen up, 'cause author Pat Thomas will be doing a signing and presentation for Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 at Skylight Books. (more info) Friday, June 15th • Elmhurst, IL: Anders Nilsen debuts his new exhibit, Adam and Eve Sneaking Back Into the Garden to Steal More Apples, at the Elmhurst Art Museum at 6:30 PM. (more info) • Chicago, IL: Kevin Huizenga will be doing a signing at Quimby's alongside Dan Zettwoch, starting at 7:00 PM. Get those Ganges comics signed! (more info) Saturday, June 16th • …

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… Wait, what am I saying?  It was earlier this month at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, fer crissakes.  We were delighted to be joined by Jeffrey Brown, who was in town for a screening of his film Save the Date at the Seattle International Film Festival!  He graciously signed copies of his best-selling new book Darth Vader and Son, and even more graciously (way more graciously), chat with lil' ol me about the new movie, his upcoming books, and, well… cats. Kinda. [ Warning: lots of giggling… ugh… ] We…

New York Mon Amour by Jacques Tardi, Benjamin Legrand & Dominique Grange 84-page black & white/duotone 8.25" x 10.75" hardcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-524-2 Ships in: June 2012 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Many years ago, Jacques Tardi was introduced to American audiences with “Manhattan,” a grim and grimy story of depression, madness and suicide in New York City whose appearance in the premiere issue of RAW magazine was instrumental in defining both that magazine’s virtuoso aesthetic and its dark sensibility. Three decades later, New York Mon Amour collects “Manhattan” and three other tales of the Big Apple — rendered…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Awards: Congratulations to Lorenzo Mattotti for the much-deserved Max and Moritz Prize Lifetime Achievement Award and to Joe Sacco for being awarded Best International Comic Book, as announced over the weekend at the Internationaler Comic Salon at Erlanger and reported by Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter, Torsten Adair at The Beat and Joe Gordon at Forbidden Planet International • Review: At Boing Boing, as part of their "Mind Blowing Movies" series of guest posts, Amy Crehore examines the Ghost World film: "I knew it was going to be good, but I had no…

The most delicious comic-con ever debuts this weekend, Saturday, June 16th and Sunday, June 17th… Introducing CAKE: the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo, a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, inspired by Chicago’s rich legacy as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists! While Fantagraphics won't be tabling there ourselves (sob!), many of our wonderful artists will be there, as featured guests, panelists, exhibitors, or probably just walkin' around somewhere. Some of the featured guests include: • Jeffrey Brown Table 57• Lilli Carré Table 1• Paul Hornschemeier Table 71• Anders Nilsen Table 80• Laura Park (who did that…

Chicago, you've got one hell of an awesome weekend coming up. Kick things off on Friday, June 15th with the opening reception for a new exhibit from Anders Nilsen at the Elmhurt Art Museum. Titled Adam and Eve Sneaking Back Into the Garden to Steal More Apples, the show will mostly be drawings, and includes the largest drawing Anders says he's probably ever done, a 5' x 8' leviathan. Anders will also debut a 28'-long handmade accordian book called Rage of Poseidon. He explains, "The book compiles a number of stories adapted from my sketchbooks, all stories of familiar gods…