Fantagraphics Blog FantaBlog

• Review: "I like the part where he knocks his eyeball out." – Grace & Cate Miner (ages 7 & 5 respectively) review Set to Sea by Drew Weing [YouTube link] (On his blog, Drew notes: "I don’t actually endorse Set to Sea as a book suitable for kids, but this is an adorable/hilarious/surprisingly sophisticated take.")

A major exhibit by past and present faculty and alumni of the School of Visual arts, "Ink Plots: The Tradition of the Graphic Novel at SVA" is on now in the school's Visual Arts Gallery and will have an opening reception tomorrow evening 5:30-7:00 PM to be followed by a benefit cocktail party. On November 4 at 7 PM, participating artist Dash Shaw presents a Distinguished Alumnus Lecture at the SVA Theatre. More info on all events at the links.

The Exquisite Book is a new exquisite-corpse art book from Chronicle, and Lilli Carré, Paul Hornschemeier and Anders Nilsen will be among the contributing artists signing the book at Quimby's in Chicago on November 5th. (Via Paul's News and Head Lice blog.) Other contributors from the Fantagraphics family include Jordan Crane, Ray Fenwick, and Esther Pearl Watson, plus a bunch of people who appeared in our Beasts! books and other anthologies. Below, a nice photo of the accordion fold-out from contributing artist (and personal pal) Susie Ghahremani (who will be at the San Francisco signing at Rare Device tomorrow night):

We have no new books arriving in comic shops this week, but we do have a couple of things scheduled to make a return appearance, so check with your local shop and grab them if you missed them the first time: Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me by Peter Bagge The Comics Journal #299 (the Someday Funnies issue)

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "This debut graphic novel [The Sanctuary] ambitiously imagines the purposes of prehistoric art within the context of an imagined precivilization. Most strikingly, his tale is expressed entirely through the actions of his characters — their dialogue is written in an invented, phonetic language. […] Neal’s dark pen work suggests texture, detail, and light effectively, and shoulders the burden of his almost-wordless storytelling. Despite some occasionally unclear moments, the broad sweep of the book’s action and ideas unmistakably raises thoughtful questions, marking Neal as an artist to watch." – Publishers Weekly • Review: "A…

Thanks to our pals at Atomic Books in Baltimore for this photo of Stephen Dixon reading from his new collection What Is All This? to a packed house at their fine establishment last week. Click the image for a better view.

Two bits of news for fans of the Jacques Tardi/Jean-Patrick Manchette West Coast Blues we released last year… (1) Here is the cover to our Summer 2011 Tardi release, his latest adaptation of a Manchette novel (in fact his latest graphic novel, period, it's just being released now in France), La Position du tireur couché. (The original prose novel was released in the U.S. as The Prone Gunman, which while out of print is still available on Amazon.) Our title is Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot. Dig ace designer Adam Grano's brilliant incorporation of that logo into the "inside…

We had a handful of our trademark video & photo previews from Summer 2009 that we regrettably never had a chance to upload at the time; we’ve been adding them one by one over the last couple of months and the final one is now up, for Giraffes in My Hair: A Rock 'n' Roll Life by Bruce Paley and Carol Swain. (The hot pink design elements and rock 'n' roll subject matter pair well with this morning's Destroy All Movies!!! preview, no?) It's embedded above and at slightly higher resolution on the book's product page; for best viewing, view…

Destroy All Movies!!!: The Complete Guide to Punks on Film Zack Carlson & Bryan Connolly, editors; Foreword by Richard Hell 556-page 8.5" x 10.75" flexi-bound softcover; two-color, with 48 pages of full color • $35.00ISBN: 978-1-60699-363-7 Ships in: November 2010 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now The most dazzlingly insane film reference book of all time, Destroy All Movies!!! is an informative, hilarious, and impossibly complete guide to every goddamn appearance of a punk (or new waver!) to hit the screen in the 20th Century. This wildly comprehensive eyeball-slammer features A-to-Z coverage of over 1100 feature films from around the…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…[From Shadow to Light: The Life and Art of Mort Meskin] is extremely informative and truly wonderful… Evocatively written by creative/art director, designer, educator and biographical author Steven Brower, with dozens of first hand accounts from family, friends and contemporaries; the sad, unjust life of this major figure of popular art is fully explored and gloriously justified by every miraculous page of his work reproduced herein. […] Brilliant, captivating, utterly unforgettable and unknown, Meskin’s enforced anonymity is finally coming to an end and this magical chronicle is hopefully only the first step in…