Fantagraphics Blog FantaBlog

The technical difficulties we reported yesterday have been cleared up and we are now receiving email again — and as a bonus, if you placed an order with us any time this year, your order confirmation email was re-sent to you.  If you receive one, just ignore it and do not panic, we have not processed your order twice — it was just an email glitch! Fun times!

Dook dook dook dook dooook, dook dook dook dook! Go to maakies.com and then follow the trail to the larger version at "The Dook Dook Dook Party." Print, color & hang! Festive!

'Atsa good Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: On her Pop Candy blog, USA Today's Whitney Matheson gives The Brinkley Girls the #10 spot on her Top 10 comics/graphic novels of 2009, saying "this beautiful book introduced me to a new heroine: Nell Brinkley, an early 20th century newspaper cartoonist. Her drawings of flappers and glamour gals are sexy, strong and ahead of their time. I can't believe I hadn't seen her work before, but I'm so thrilled to know it now." Matheson also lavishes praise on Lilli Carré, who "continued making must-see work" and lands at #69 on Matheson's…

The Schulz's Beethoven: Schroeder's Muse exhibit mounted by the Charles M. Schulz Museum last year has now opened in its new online iteration. This interactive exhibit allows you to listen to the excerpts of music in the strips as you read, plus experience more Beethoven performances, clips, and background information. This really is a must-see for any Peanuts fan.

How could we not re-post this image? Ellen Forney encourages you to have a Lust-ful holiday. Makes a great stocking stuffer! Get it?! Photo from Sin in Linen. (No, that's not Ellen.)

We're currently experiencing some technical difficulties with e-mail here in the Fantagraphics office, so if you are trying to reach us today, your best bet is to pick up the phone and call us (1-800-657-1100 or 206-524-1967). We apologize for the inconvenience and we'll update when things are back to normal. Thanks.

Stephen DeStefano gives a blog update on progress of his graphic novel Lucky in Love, written by George Chieffet, with some teaser panels such as the above and a selection of his reference materials for the WWII part of the book. The book is due in Summer 2010.

If you're like me you like seeing stuff like this: over at his blog Richard Sala posted this snapshot of the original paintings for the front and back covers of Delphine #4. Head over there for a better view.

Arriving in comics shops across the USA this week: Gahan Wilson: Fifty Years of Playboy Cartoons. 3 volumes. Deluxe presentation. 11 pounds. The ultimate holiday gift for any lover of good cartooning. Chris Mautner of Robot 6 makes it his Pick of the Week and says "I've been perusing the thing over the past week and it's really a sumptuous package, exquisitely designed and full of great, great work from one of the finest (and sadly, often ignored) cartoonists of the modern era." Jog sums it up more succinctly: "I mean, c'mon." Couldn't have said it better myself. The Definitive…

Attention critics, bloggers, and pundits! If you are putting together your own Best of 2009 list and need to be reminded which of your favorite Fantagraphics releases were released this year, by all means use our complete and up-to-date 2009 Releases section as your guide. And then when your list is posted we will include it in a future installment of Online Commentary & Diversions such as below: • List: Book By Its Cover declares Unlovable Vol. 1 by Esther Pearl Watson a Top Ten Pick for Best Books of 2009 (in the #8 position) • List: At Chicago Now,…