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Heading into the weekend, here's your Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Carol Tyler’s You’ll Never Know [Book 1: A Good and Decent Man] mines similar territory to women graphic novelists before her — the life of her father and its relationship to her own foibles — and manages to make a work entirely her own, neither derivative nor overly familiar… with genuinely gorgeous illustration… It’s a gripping mix of biography and autobiography… There’s more for Tyler to explore in another volume, and she manages to make this one immensely satisfying on its own terms while alternately leaving you with…

You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation! By Fletcher Hanks; edited & introduction by Paul Karasik Fletcher Hanks was the first great comic book auteur. That is, he wrote, penciled, inked, and lettered all of his own stories. He completed an astonishing 48 stories in three years from 1939-1941. As a one-man-cartooning-band, his work packs the wallop of a unique and unified artistic vision. He was a true comics visionary. In the earliest days of the comic book, before censorship, it was “anything goes!” — and in the tales of Fletcher Hanks, anything went! The superhero Stardust gazes down…

Another short Online Commentary & Diversons update… I guess everyone's too busy talking about Wednesday Comics to pay attention to us, boo hoo: • Review/Interview: Chris Beckett of On the Fly Publications/Warrior27 looks at two recent releases by Jason and has a brief Q&A with "one of the most exciting cartoonists working today." From the reviews: "I heartily recommend The Last Musketeer for any fan of fantastic adventure yarns as well as anyone who enjoys a refreshing character study with a very real emotional tug at one’s heartstrings. Check this book out… [I Killed Adolf Hitler] is a masterful story…

Go HERE and HERE for more.

  Not comics, but kind of fun. Harry Nilsson's demos for Robert Altman and Jules Feiffer's POPEYE movie, over at Bedazzled.

John Kerschbaum is the guest on the new episode of Mike Dawson & Alex Robinson's podcast The Ink Panthers Show — go here to listen! Not only that, John appears live with Mike & Alex this Sunday at noon at Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn — info below. Muffins and mimosas? Ooh la la!

Delphine #4 By Richard Sala It's here! The horrifying final chapter of the critically acclaimed macabre mini-series by Richard Sala, the gleefully demented creator of Peculia and The Chuckling Whatsit. Lauded by Rue Morgue magazine, among others, Delphine follows a traveler searching for his lost love and encountering a number of frightening obstacles along the way. These include witches, werewolves, bloody murder and a pack of sinister dwarfs (did we mention that this is a twisted re-imagining of "Snow White"?). Despite all this, the traveler persists, staggering onward towards a hair-raising climax and an inevitable confrontation with unspeakable evil! 32-page…

Grotesque #3 By Sergio Ponchione In the second half of the two-part "Cryptic City" epic, Professor Hackensack continues his battle against the Wicked Barons alongside Inspector Doppiofaccio, the mysterious Lady Puzzle, and an unexpected ally from beyond the grave — with the enigmatic Mr. O'Blique on the sidelines. This amazingly inventive work of surreal fantasy from one of Italy's hottest new talents is proving to be a sleeper hit! 32-page duotone 8.5" x 11" saddle-stitched softcover with jacket (part of the Ignatz Series) • $7.95 Add to Cart • More Info & Previews

Chimera #1 By Lorenzo Mattotti Long a superstar in his native Italy, Lorenzo Mattotti has made sporadic incursions into the U.S. via appearances in RAW magazine, the classic Fires graphic novel, and the more recent, 2003 Eisner-winning Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde adaptation from NBM. (Not to mention regular gigs in The New Yorker.) All of these previous works have showcased his full-color painter style, but Chimera, with its intricate, hyper-expressive swirls of crisp line work, shows that Mattotti's genius is bound by no single technique. A wordless fantasia of birth, death, gods, monsters, and humans, Chimera is the most…

  Earlier this week, we mentioned the Trina Robbins/Brinkley Girls signing taking place at this weekend's Silent Film Fest in San Francisco. Well, comics fans have another reason to head on down, as the Fest has just announced a Daniel Clowes/Terry Zwigoff signing on Sunday, July 12. The signing will take place after a screening of the W.C. Fields classic, So'’s Your Old Man at approximately 5:15 pm as part of the San Francisco Silent Film festival (admission is by Festival ticket). Zwigoff will also be introducing the film. See HERE for details. Go HERE for a link to the complete author festival line up with further info.