Fantagraphics Blog FantaBlog

• At TCJ's The Hooded Utilitarian, analysis of sales of original Jaime Hernandez art, with pretty pictures (and graphs) • New Dame Darcy artwork and other news in her latest blog update • "The New Earthly Garden" by Eleanor Davis, plus commentary & inspirations • Fight or Run roughs and a new "Focus Book" mini from Kevin Huizenga • Two vintage strips from Richard Sala: the first appearance of Judy Drood and "Time Bomb" • A film poster illustration (to be silkscreened) by Lilli Carré And more Things to See from the past week: • A new illustration and news…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List/Review: At Seen, Sam Humphries ranks Special Exits by Joyce Farmer #6 on the Best of 2010: "Sure, Special Exits is sad. But it’s also funny, touching, thought-provoking, and life-affirming. It’s never trite, cheap, or hokey, like, say, Patch Adams. This is the raw, unvarnished truth about the end of life, elegantly put to page by Farmer’s lyrical drawings, a welcome, thoughtful evolution of the raucous underground style of the 60s and 70s. Most of all, Special Exits is powerful. It’s vital; almost essential. […] It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s…

Here's this week's Weissman, plus links to other strips from around the web. Some of our usual suspects are taking the week off or offering reruns encore presentations this time around: — Barack Hussein Obama by Steven Weissman (view at original size): — And elsewhere: Amazing Facts… and Beyond! with Leon Beyond by Kevin Huizenga: Lucky by Gabrielle Bell: Maakies by Tony Millionaire: Truth Serum by Jon Adams:

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Robot 6's Chris Mautner names "The six most criminally ignored books of 2010," including: "1) Captain Easy Vol. 1 by Roy Crane. …I consider this to be one of the big publishing events of 2010. […] The Sunday pages in this book are full of high energy, action and slapstick." "4) High Soft Lisp by Gilbert Hernandez. […] Those who feel that Hernandez’s work relies too much on female objectification and fetishization need to read this book to understand how self-aware he is of that fact and its real-world consequences." • List (Audio):…

Coming up on The Comics Journal website: The Bob Haney interview concludes as the longtime DC writer talks about the failure of cartoonists to unionize, The Brave and the Bold and collaborating with Ramona Fradon on Metamorpho. Also: Reviews of Gonzo: A Graphic Biography of Hunter Thompson, Marvel's Strange Tales Vol. II and Pablo Holmberg's Eden. And check out The Panelists , a new blog merging the brainy best of Jared Gardner's Guttergeek and Craig Fischer and Charles Hatfield's Thought Balloonists. Image from Gonzo ©2010 SelfMadeHero

At his News and/or Head Lice blog, Paul Hornschemeier posted photos of the installation in-progress of the New Chicago Comics exhibit opening this weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Top: Paul & MCA curator Michael Green. Above: Anders Nilsen, Lilli Carré & Green. Not pictured: Jeffrey Brown.

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: At The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log, Wim Lockefeer's top 10 Best of the Year includes The Culture Corner by Basil Wolverton: "This book got me laughing out loud across the decades." • Review: "I’m not sure how exactly one goes about recommending a book like [FUC_ __U _SS __LE], as it’s not only not for everyone, it’s kind of sort of not for anyone, which ironically makes it perfect for some someones. (Panel four of page 9 is perfect for 21st century comics historians; as it is surely the most intentionally provocative…

(Photo: Jody Hoy) Comic-Con International announced a new batch of Special Guests for the 2011 show July 21-24 in San Diego today, and we're pleased to report that the list includes Joyce Farmer, creator of the acclaimed graphic memoir Special Exits. Joyce joins Bill Schelly and Frank Stack among the Fantagraphics guests at CCI. We're excited!

Via AICN Anime comes word that the anime adaptation of Shimura Takako's Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko) which debuts on Japanese television on January 13 will be available on the web from anime streaming site Crunchyroll in the United States and other countries. See Crunchyroll's announcement with more information here; their series page is here; and our previous post with a YouTube trailer is here.

A brand new animated Yikes! cartoon from Steven Weissman and his talented team. Hurrah!