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Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Kelso’s work radiates a warmth, poetry, sympathy, and simultaneously earthy and otherworldly essence that few comics creators have brought to the table with such quiet confidence and grace. The closest comic in recent memory to match Artichoke Tales, both in breadth and depth, is Jeff Smith’s Bone. [Grade] A" – The A.V. Club • Review: "…Fantagraphics’ hardcover edition of The Book of Mr. Natural feels like the perfect introduction to R. Crumb’s most enduring creation—and to the sexual peccadilloes that occasionally get both character and creator in hot water. … It’s fascinating stuff, and…

More specifically, Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden need help tracking down scans of tearsheets for several Nancy strips for inclusion in the forthcoming standalone expanded edition of How to Read Nancy: NANCY 6/ 29/55NANCY  8/8/59DEBBIE (AKA LITTLE DEBBIE) by Cecil Jensen 6/ 27/ 55FRITZI RITZ 12/31/30Any examples of pre-1925 work by BushmillerAny MAC THE MANAGER strips (1924) And, of course, Nancy's first appearance : Fritzi Ritz 1/2/33 Complete details and contact information are at Stripper's Guide. Image ganked from ¡Journalista!

Dear Stan and Jack, I have finished THOR #159, and thought it was very good. I'm glad that you finally cleared up the Blake/Thor issue, but one thing still puzzles me. Why, after Thor was taught the virtue of humility, wasn't his secret identity of Don Blake disregarded altogether? (Don't ya think this entitles me to a frost-free, wrinkle resistant, fade proof, gold-plated No-Prize?) I'll close my letter with the omnipotent phrase of "Never look a gift Forbush in the mouth". Gary Groth 7263 Evanston Springfield, Va. 22150 From the letters page to THOR #162 (Marvel Comics, 1969). Found here.

Norman Pettingill: Backwoods Humorist by Norman Pettingill; Introduction by Robert Crumb 144-page full-color 12" x 9" hardcover (with wood cover) • $39.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-319-4 Ships in: August 2010 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Norman Pettingill is a true underground cartoonist, known and admired by a small coterie of cartooning connoisseurs, but completely unknown in the wider world. Norman Pettingill was an avid trapper and fisherman from Northern Wisconsin, and a self-taught artist. In 1947, at the age of 51, he created hundreds of pen-and-ink drawings and marketed many of them as postcards, printing and distributing them himself. His cartoon drawings…

Our selection of books that are available with signed bookplates as a free bonus has just expanded! We've added or restocked bookplates for the following titles: • Wally Gropius by Tim Hensley (Most of our bookplates are designed in-house, but this full-color beauty was done specially for us by Tim himself!)• Penny Century, Locas & Locas II by Jaime Hernandez• All and Sundry by Paul Hornschemeier• You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation! by Fletcher Hanks (signed by editor Paul Karasik)• Billy Hazelnuts by Tony Millionaire• Prison Pit, Book 1 by Johnny Ryan• Maniac Killer Strikes Again, Mad Night,…

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday we're celebrating independence and freedom of speech by taking at least 20% OFF almost every book and comic in our Underground Comix category, including books by Vaughn Bodé, R. Crumb, Kim Deitch, Victor Moscoso, Spain Rodriguez, Frank Stack, Robert Williams and more! The sale is over at the end of the day on Friday, July 9, so don't delay! PLUS… We still have a large selection of backlist titles at great discounts of 1/3 to 1/2 off the cover prices in our Clearance Sale and Closeout Deals sections.

Last-minute alert! Somehow this slipped under our radar: Megan Kelso reads from her new graphic novel Artichoke Tales at Seattle Public Library's Capitol Hill branch tonight at 7:30. More info here.

Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "In plot terms, Werewolves of Montpellier is about an art student/thief who dresses up as a werewolf before he goes out to break into people’s homes at night, which a society of actual werewolves is not amused about. What that boils down to on the page, though, are scenes of people sitting next to each other at the laundromat, looking at each other in silence or talking about French actresses while playing chess — and each time, it’s utterly fascinating, and the scene draws you in almost immediately and you don’t want to stop….

Here's a nice little bonus feature for you: Back in January, The Greenville Advocate covered Charles Schneider's visit to their town to research the DeMoulin Bros. and take photos for his Introduction to the book Catalog No. 439: Burlesque Paraphernalia and Side Degree Specialties and Costumes. Click the image above for a much larger, legible version. Thanks to Daniel Clowes for providing the scan.

Commemorate the holiday with a bang at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Monday, July 5. Lovely Los Angeles-based UNLOVABLE artist Esther Pearl Watson will appear with her husband and collaborator Mark Todd from 1:00 to 4:00 PM and we’ll be hosting a festive urban barbeque. Best of all, everything in the store is on sale 20% to 50% off for one-day-only! All day long! What better way to conclude a holiday weekend than with complimentary hot dogs, baked beans, cold beverages, and cheap comic books! Don’t miss this opportunity to meet these accomplished young artists and stock up on essential…