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Double whammy! Presenting your first looks at the all-new Beasts! Book 2 and the new softcover edition of Beasts! Book 1 in their physical manifestations. Boy, is there ever anticipation for these books. If the embedded slideshows don't appear above, and/or to open them in a new window (recommended for more detail), click here for Book 1 and here for Book 2.

Cover design by Jacob Covey. Lettering by Eric Reynolds. Coming next year.

• In a video clip from The Late Show embedded on The Huffington Post, David Letterman likens Sarah Palin's vice-presidential campaign to a Zippy the Pinhead cartoon in an interview with Katie Couric • Pol Culture presents a contrary opinion about Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by the Hernandez Brothers • Top Drawer: 10 Questions gets 10 answers from John Hankiewicz

There appears to be a whole bunch of The Drinky Crow Show that you can watch right now on adultswim.com. Note to self!

Irwin Chusid, doyen of all things Jim Flora, announces that the Little Shop of Flora's is now open for all your Florabilia and Floraphenalia needs (cards, calendars, tees &c.).

I just noticed that the clip reel at Mirari Films has some previews of upcoming Drinky Crow Show episodes and it looks like they're just going to get better. (Also shows a little of the Buddy Bradley animation they did.) Also, if you don't have cable I understand that each week they stream the shows on the Adult Swim Website.

More signed bookplates continue to come in: we've got brand new ones available for Johnny Ryan's Comics Are for Idiots!: Blecky Yuckerella Vol. 3, and they're back in stock for Peter Bagge's Buddy Does Seattle. These nifty, gifty signed bookplates are only available when you order direct from us! Some conditions apply; click here for more details and the complete list of books available with this FREE premium!

• More French awards news: La Rivière empoisonnée, the French edition of Gilbert Hernandez's Poison River (collected by us in the new volume Beyond Palomar as well as its own older collection), is nominated for the Selection Patrimoine (Heritage Prize) 2009, to be awarded at the Festival International de la Bande Desinée d'Angoulême (caught by Spurge) • I Wish I Had A Spare $200 Dept: New art for sale from Jim Woodring (going fast!) • PLAYBACK:stl says Deitch's Pictorama has "a groovy charm" and "a vibe of pure fun" • For The Patriot-News, Chris Mautner looks at Where Demented Wented:…

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. In this week's episode: A big reveal! This is also a great time to catch up on our current 5-day chunk of Martin Kellerman's Rocky, updated Monday-Friday! All for free! No registration required! Fun times!

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery Celebrates 2nd Anniversary on December 13 with a Spectacular Party and BEASTS Art Exhibition! Over the course of two years, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery has become woven into the region’s cultural fabric and drawn attention to an impressive array of local, national and international narrative cartoonists, illustrators, graphic designers, and fine artists while providing a showcase for Seattle-based publisher Fantagraphics Books. To celebrate the second anniversary of this stimulating space, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery hosts a festive gala and reception for the phenomenal BEASTS BOOKS 1 & 2 book launch and art exhibition on Saturday, December…