Fantagraphics Blog FantaBlog

Monologues for Calculating the Density of Black Holes By Anders Nilsen Monologues for Calculating the Density of Black Holes takes up where the artist’s first volume, Monologues for the Coming Plague, left off. Like Coming Plague, Density of Black Holes is a creatively experimental laboratory, comprising a collection of free flowing stream-of-consciousness gags, strips, and drawings that slowly coalesce into an unexpectedly compelling and complex narrative. The hints of story that came together in Coming Plague are extrapolated and expanded upon and grow to incorporate some of Nilsen's other outré strips from the anthology MOME, two of which are reprinted…

Getting quiet out there: • Review: Rob Clough on Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane • List: In The Cultural Gutter, Carol Borden lists Hall of Best Knowledge by Ray Fenwick as one of "10 Comics I Liked in 2008"

Colleen Coover indulges in a little "Fantastalgia" in this recently rediscovered panel. Read more about it and see a larger version on her new blog.

Time for the new installment of Steven Weissman's in-progress pages from "Blue Jay," an epic 32-page story from Chocolate Cheeks, the next collection of the Yikes! gang's adventures. Steven sez: "Watch in this and next week's installments how a frightened Chubby starts to resemble an Ariel Bordeaux character." And don't forget to catch up on our current 5-day chunk of Martin Kellerman's hilarious Swedish smash-hit Rocky, updated Monday-Friday! This week, Rocky's misadventures abroad in New York City continue!

 I read that one of the crucial plot points of Marvel's big Secret Invasion crossover involved newly-elected President Obama bouncing Tony 'Iron Man' Stark from leading the Avengers and replacing him with mass-murdering psychopath Norman 'The Green Goblin' Osborn, creating some king of supervillain Illuminati and making Marvel the new Jack Chick. Shrewd move.  And now "Obama" is making another crass Marvel appearance in some kind of Spider-Man variant collectible bullshit issue. I'm loathe to link about it, but this Wonkette quote was too rich to pass up: "Who is that mysterious black person in a business suit who looks absolutely nothing like Barack…

Okay, yeah, I GET why the TMNT have a bad name. I do. But not all fans are looking to depict Raphael nude with towel, or Leonardo "brandishing his Katana." I feel very sick about this.

…and to buy: John Hankiewicz is offering three small drawings for sale. Actually there will probably only be two left by the time you read this.

Tim Lane presents a new page from a new story, "Hitchhiker." Read more about it on Tim's blog.

Johnny Ryan illustrates the cover of the Cinefamily January/Febuary program. See Johnny's blog for more info.

Paul Hornschemeier states:  Starting [January 5], and for the next seventeen weeks, I'll be contributing a weekly strip in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.The strip is in their "Tragic Strip" slot of their political section, and has been previously occupied by a slew of artists, including one of my major idols and influences, Heinz Edelmann. My contribution will feature Huge Suit (who made an appearance in Fantagraphics' 2006 Free Comic Book Day issue and is inarguably one of my more Heinz Edelmann-influenced characters). The strips aren't apparently going to be available online, but a clip is above. More details…