Fantagraphics Blog FantaBlog

Reminder! 1: Buy Chocolate Cheeks 2: Take a picture 3: Join YIKES! Friendship on Facebook 4: Post your picture 5: Get a free gift from Steven Weissman not unlike the print shown above! More deets (well, the same ones, stated differently) at Steven's blog.

Response to the news about our new manga line has been overwhelming. Series editor/curator/translator Matt Thorn speaks out on his blog, providing a bit of background and a few more details about the two inaugural releases, Moto Hagio's A Drunken Dream and Other Stories and Shimura Takako's Wandering Son Vol. 1. Be sure to bookmark Thorn's blog for ongoing updates on the project. Meanwhile, The Comics Journal's Dirk Deppey, who was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition, uses his ¡Journalista! pulpit to reveal much more information and background about the line. Both links are must-reads for anyone interested in…

Northwest fans of fine art and low brow culture alike are in for a treat this Saturday, March 13. Get your geek on at the Emerald City Comicon, and visit the Fantagraphics booth for a look at a carload of brand new books. Meet stellar cartoonists including legendary Love and Rockets co-creator Gilbert Hernandez. Take a break from the convention madness to greet the lovely and talented Los Angeles artist Camille Rose Garcia at Roq la Rue Gallery. She'll be signing her timely new book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and ever-popular The Magic Bottle from Fantagraphics Books this Saturday afternoon….

Get ready for the HOTWIRE comics slide show! That’s right, the Eisner and Harvey nominated anthology comic is about to chew up the scenery live. Presented by HOTWIRE editor Glenn Head and Carousel host R. Sikoryak. Featuring these great artists performing their comics for your delectation: Danny Hellman, Sam Henderson, Michael Kupperman, Tim Lane, Jayr Pulga, David Sandlin, Chadwick Whitehead, plus Head and Sikoryak. This show is sure to offer both spontaneous cartoon funk and the slickest of production values. Live comic entertainment at its best! MoCCA Thursday, March 25, 2010. 7pmAdmission: $5 | Free for MoCCA MembersMuseum of Comic…

After years of development, Fantagraphics is unveiling a new line of manga. Kicking things off in September 2010 is a collection of short stories from the mother of shōjo (young girl) manga, Moto Hagio. Next, is a multi-volume series from the GLBT manga-ka Shimura Takako. Each book will be released in hardcover form, keeping the original "right to left" manga style for a deluxe, yet authentic reading experience. The first book, entitled A Drunken Dream, is a collection of literary short stories by Hagio falling into multiple genres, created between 1971-2007. This tome travels through several of Hagio's most revolutionary…

I might have to start posting these art-blog roundups on the weekends too… these Monday updates are outa control… • Airbrushed Zippy the Pinhead art (artist unknown)! Posting this on Facebook, Bill Griffith says "This is the 2-page spread ad for the 'Zippy Movie' from Variety magazine, 3/29/90. The ad was taken out by the Aspen Film Society (at that time they were the producers of the movie) in hopes of attracting a studio/distributor. Are we in turnaround yet?" More about it (and the likewise never-to-be Zippy TV show series) here • Check out all the artwork from the Covered…

The latest Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Dash Shaw seems set to become a name to be reckoned with in comics… [The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D.] is a wonderful introduction to Shaw’s work, and should certainly find its way into the hands of those craving more." – Grovel • Review: "I'm so glad I started reading this series and can't wait to catch up. Usagi Yojimbo is that rare breed of animal comic that works for me, blending Sakai's cartoon style with a story that would not be out of place in Lone Wolf and Cub….

GARY PANTER "NEW PLANET" EXHIBITION: MARCH 15 – MAY 1, 2010 Public lecture by the artist: Monday, March 15, 7 PM Reception for the artist: Monday, March 15, 8:30 – 9:30 PM Related event: In conjunction with his residency, Gary Panter is presenting an artist's talk by Bob Zoell, Wednesday, March 17, 3 PM More info here.

Drew Friedman's astonishing rendition of the great Groucho Marx, now available as a limited-edition fine art print.

Why look, it's Messrs. Hornschemeier & Kupperman at the "Strange Tales Saturday" signing event at Chicago's Challengers Comics. Many more photos here.