Fantagraphics Blog FantaBlog

High-res version here! 

It's your Friday nite funnies! Listen up! Blecky's got an important announcement in this week's Blecky Yuckerella strip by Johnny Ryan… We begin the R. Kelly-inspired (not really) sequence in this week's installment of Steven Weissman's in-progress pages from "Blue Jay," an epic 51-page story from Chocolate Cheeks, the next collection of the Yikes! gang's adventures…. And in our current 5-day chunk of Martin Kellerman's  Rocky, be sure to catch the last 2 pages of the "Intermission" story, and then we return to the daily strips. "Rocky all grown up"? Really?

Brooklyn's lovely Vivian Girls dropped by Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery before their show at Neumo's on Thursday to stock up on road reading material by Ivan Brunetti, Paul Hornschemeier, and Esther Pearl Watson. (Unlovable, they're not!) Highlights of their current tour included a spot at the Coachella Music Festival where the band reported Sir Paul's marathon midnight serenade set him back thousands for violating local noise curfews. We're guessing he can afford it. See you all tomorrow for Free Comic Book Day and next Saturday, May 9 for Tony Millionaire's Drinky Crow show!

May 1, 2009 – SEATTLE, WA. The wildly inventive and often irreverent Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack continues on Saturday, May 9 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. This monthly event has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most entertaining and spontaneous cultural outings in the region. The public is again invited to experience this remarkably creative community of artists working in visual, applied and performing arts. Among the many highlights of the May 9 installment: A lively PBR P(art)y at Smarty Pants featuring art, food, libations, and music by DJ Russ; Tony Millionaire's "Drinky Crow Show" and book…

New month, new name! It's your Online Commentary and Diversions for today: • Review: "If the censors had delved beneath the perceived bias, they would have discovered some of the finest war stories and illustration in the medium's history… The dynamic art leaps off the pages throughout… Without leaning on glory and sensationalism, Blazing Combat focused on heroism, sacrifice, and dignity." – Rick Klaw, The SF Site: "Nexus Graphica" • Review: "…[T]he third Popeye volume 'Let's You and Him Fight!' presents a winning complete reprint of Segar's Popeye strips… an excellent oversized presentation of strips perfect for in-depth graphic novel…

This Sunday in Chicago, go see Anders Nilsen's exhibit at Home Gallery, listen to him talk about it a bit, and maybe have a pastry. More info at Anders's blog.

Get an exclusive look at 5 more pages from Peter Bagge's Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me over at ICv2! Plus, to help spread the word about all things Bagge, we've started up an official Peter Bagge page on Facebook — go become a fan and you'll get all the latest news & notes from Peter right in your update feed. It's a little sparse to start off, but we and Peter will continue to add stuff, and Facebook members can contribute fan photos and videos too. Neato mosquito!

• Review: "Riveting… Fingerman [is] one of the meatiest cartoonists going… Fingerman makes [Connective Tissue protagonist] Darla so smart and funny and draws so distinctively, like Daumier might for Playboy…" – Booklist (no link; from print) • Review: "Boody… is a compilation of the wonky comics work of that overlooked genius, Boody Rogers… Rogers' quirky cartooning style is faintly reminiscent of Al Capp crossed with Basil Wolverton, and his creations are wild and strange to say the least. This is an attractive compilation, wonderfully designed by Jacob Covey, that captures the charm and feel of 1940s-era comic books." – Gary…

Last night the Mr. Media internet radio program interviewed Trina Robbins, editor of our upcoming collection The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley's Cartoons 1913-1940. Listen to the archived broadcast using the embedded player above or, if it's not visible, at this link.

Steffen Maarup, editor of our forthcoming anthology of contemporary Danish comics From Wonderland with Love, has been posting extensive preview images over on The Comics Journal message board. If you're at all curious about what to expect from this book, this is the place to go!