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So said the mighty and wonderful David Gedge (leader of one of my all-time favorite bands, The Wedding Present) leafing through the copy of Michel Gagné's Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby's Romance Comics I gave him at their Seattle gig on Friday night. He opened right up to that page — I swear I didn't plan this moment! Being able to present our books to folks I admire is one of the best parts of my job. What an absolute thrill. By the way, David is not only an avid comics reader, he's published a comic book…

Editor Pat Thomas is bringin' it all back home with a signing and discussion at Booksmith in San Francisco this Tuesday, April 10th!   Pat was living in the Oakland area nearby when he began researching this project, and he discovered rare recordings of speeches, interviews, and music by noted activists Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Elaine Brown, and others that form the framework of Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975. Their friends from down the street, Amoeba Music, will be on hand to sell copies of the companion soundtrack album on Light in the Attic Records!…

Take a master class from a man of class this summer: our editor extraordinaire Paul Karasik is teaching at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont! During the week-long on-campus workshop, students will participate in lectures, collaborative exercises, book discussion sessions, events, and group critiques, with the goal of producing the first draft of a longer comics project. During the next 8 weeks, students will develop and refine their work through online collaboration with faculty and peers, and complete comprehensive final drafts of their projects. The Master Class in Comics Narrative is taught by Eisner-winning cartoonist and…

Now in stock in our warehouse and ready to ship to our mail-order customers: Cinema Panopticum (Softcover Ed.) by Thomas Ott 104-page black & white 6.5" x 9.25" softcover • $16.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-485-6 See Previews / Order Now T. Ott plunges into the darkness with five graphic horror novelettes: "The Hotel," "The Champion," "The Experiment," "The Prophet," and the story which frames it all, "The Girl," each executed in his hallucinatory and hyper-detailed scratchboard style. The first story in the book introduces the other four: A little girl visits an amusement park. She looks fascinated, but finds everything too expensive. Finally,…

I gotta say, Drew Friedman can do no wrong in my book, but there's something about this portrait of blues legend Muddy Waters that is especially electrifying. The expression, the black and muted green pallette, the evocative landscape… well done, Drew. And you can own it in the form of a limited-edition archival print. [Follow our Tumblr blog for lots more Things to See every day.]

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "The Complete Crumb Comics Volume One: The Early Years of Bitter Struggle, a 1987 book now republished in an expanded edition, gathers together the earliest surviving examples of the great cartoonist’s juvenilia taking him from age 14 or 15 to 18 years old. The high school scribbler that we meet in these pages is a very callow Crumb indeed: Crumb before he had sex, Crumb before he dropped acid, Crumb before he was adopted as a hero of the counterculture, Crumb before he honed his satirical stance on modern life, Crumb before he…

The Emerald City Pinball Party at Shorty's on Saturday was a blast! Celebrity guests galore and great fun for everyone. We held a pinball competition for awesome prizes from hostJim Woodring, including a backglass from the Frank pinball machine currently in development. In an effort to level the playing field – (so to speak) – the lowest scores determined the winners! Worst prize went to cartoonist Anthony Leano. Here's Jim with artist Camille Rose Garcia, who stopped by following a fabulous signing at neighboring Roq la Rue gallery. While chatting with Fantagraphics associate publisher Eric Reynolds, they discovered that they…

The Listen, Whitey! West Coast Tour continues with a weekend stop at Warbler Records & Goods in Santa Barbara, California! Join editor Pat Thomas this Saturday, April 7th for a discussion on Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power, 1965-1975. He'll also be playing tracks from the companion soundtrack album on Light in the Attic Records! This event starts at 3:00 PM. Warbler Records & Goods is located at 131 E De La Guerra St in Santa Barbara. 

The list of nominees for the 2012 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards was announced yesterday and we are pleased to report that our artists and publications received a total of 10 nominations in 8 categories: Ganges #4 by Kevin Huizenga: • Best Single Issue Freeway by Mark Kalesniko: • Best Graphic Album – New Prince Valiant Vol. 3: 1941-1942 and Vol. 4: 1943-1944 by Hal Foster, edited by Kim Thompson: • Best Archival Collection/Project – Strips Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 1: Race to Death Valley & Vol. 2: Trapped on Treasure Island (also available in the Vols. 1-2 Box…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions — now up to date! • Review: "The Locas grow up. Collecting material from Love and Rockets‘ second volume (previously found in Ghost of Hoppers and The Education of Hopey Glass), the latest in Fantagraphics’ perfectly executed series of L&R digests [Esperanza] finds Maggie, Hopey, Izzy, and Ray D. coming to terms with no longer being the life of the party and the heart of their scene — at least not without exhausting effort…. But if there’s one thing Jaime’s Locas stories in general, and this volume in particular, tell us, it’s that sometimes you…