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One of the funnest parts of editing the CRITTERS anthology lo these many years ago (1985 to 1990 if you're counting — gah, two, two and a half decades ago!) was working on the great "Gnuff" stories by my old buddy Freddy Milton. I was always sorry that there was not enough demand for these charming, neo-Barksian adventures to graduate to their own books, and of course by now those original CRITTERS comics are nigh impossible for find. Well, thank God for the internet! Freddy, who is now a respectable retired gentleman of leisure (although he still cartoons up a…

Another exclusive 2010 sneak peek at Robot 6: 3 pages from Megan Kelso's Artichoke Tales, coming later this year.

Robot 6 presents a series of previews of 2010 releases; among them, an exclusive 3 page sneak peek of Weathercraft by Jim Woodring, coming this Spring.

It's a new year and we've got a hangover. No, not an alcohol-induced one — a hangover of past years' books in our warehouse taking up room that we need for our incredible slate of 2010 releases. Help us blow them out by taking 20% OFF everything on our website (including our already-discounted clearance items) starting now through January 8, 2010! Just use the coupon code HANGOVER when you check out and you'll receive 20% off everything in your order. (If you prefer to shop by phone, just mention this offer when you call — 1-800-657-1100 or 206-524-1967 outside the…

Whew, what a year! Online Commentary & Diversions returns next week. • List: Comic Book Resources continues listing their Top 100 Comics of 2009, with Johnny Ryan's Prison Pit: Book 1 at #75 ("A huge kick to the solar plexus, not just in terms of the way-beyond-NC-17 level of gore and bodily fluids on display, but also the sheer wealth of no-holds barred imagination and utter sense of play that's on every page. The craftsmanship on display is just as striking as the violence." – Chris Mautner) and The Squirrel Machine by Hans Rickheit at #56 ("Few artists in comics…

I know a lot of people (including me) who are going to want this plush Usagi Yojimbo toy when it comes out from Dark Horse in May. Stan Sakai sketch ganked from Robot 6.

The U.S. Postal Service honors Bill Mauldin and his creations Willie & Joe with this first-class stamp, available March 2010. And Hank Ketcham's Dennis the Menace gets his own stamp as part of the "Sunday Funnies" pane going on sale in July, along with Mort Walker's most famous creation, and hopefully that's a Dan DeCarlo Archie drawing. (Can anyone knowledgable out there confirm it?) (Via The Comics Reporter.)

The year's penultimate Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Comic Book Resources begins their countdown of the Top 100 Comics of 2009. At #82, "Because I Love You So Much" by Nikoline Wedelin: "Found in the pages of the recent anthology of Danish comics, From Wonderland with Love, this collection of strips about a mother who discovers that her daughter is being sexually abused by her dad is one of the most harrowing and utterly stunning stories about a difficult subject matter I've ever read and easily equal to the works of, say, Phoebe Gloeckner or Debbie Dreschler." (Chris Mautner)…

You too can be a goofy dude or dudette in one of two new Uncle Gabby Maakies t-shirts from Waterloo. Don't drink 'n' drive, kids.

Please be advised that our warehouse is beginning their annual inventory count tomorrow, which means that we won't be shipping orders for the next 7-8 days. In most cases we should still be able to meet the 2-4 weeks estimated time for orders with Standard shipping (as outlined on our Shipping Info page), but we can't make any promises. Please keep this in mind when placing your order!