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A comics-related post on the topic of curses over at Cryptomundo. Is The Dark Knight cursed? The argument isn't that strong (yet) but it's worth reading this brief rundown. I'm going to spoil Loren Coleman's final word by sharing it here, as it perfectly summarizes my own interest in BEASTS! : "From Batman to Mothman, whether or not there are curses is not important. The fact that they have become part of popular culture and that there is a dark sense that there may be such things in the modern world, in the end, may be what becomes more significant."…

A good week to be a comics fan kickin' it in Martha's Vineyard:

This week we're unleashing another series of daily video and photo teasers of upcoming releases. Kicking things off, here's Interiorae #3 by Gabriella Giandelli, one of three releases in our Ignatz format due later this month. Watch the video above, and take a closer look in our photo gallery.

Last week, I was emailing with MOME contributor Derek Van Gieson, who also happens to be a New Yorker contributor. He was bringing me up to speed on his next MOME story's progress, and mentioned to me that in the course of working on something for Vol. 13, he abandoned several panels. I told him I was sorry to learn he had worked hard on something only to abandon it, and later that day he told me not to worry, he'd found another home for part of it at The New Yorker. I half-jokingly told him I took a certain pride in knowing the New…

… Courtesy the great Drew Friedman:  

Courtesy Ivan Brunetti:

We're celebrating our 2008 Eisner Award winners by putting them on sale — along with selected Eisner Award-winning titles from past years! Save 20% off this selection of titles through 11:59 PM Pacific time, August 31, 2008.

  If you couldn't make it to the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery last night to see Zak Sally and Nate Denver perform, here's a little taste of what you missed: above, Zak plays "My Secret World" from his unreleased solo album Fear of Song. Nate won the crowd over with songs like "Snuggle Tummy" and "4 Horsemen," his tribute to Slayer, while Zak electrified with acoustic versions of his solo songs and a Beat Happening cover to close out the evening. Comics were signed, books on Zak's excellent La Mano imprint were sold, the amazing David B. exhibit "My Story, My Stories" was on display,…

Steven Weissman continues bringing us in-progress pages from "Blue Jay," an epic 32-page story from Chocolate Cheeks, the next collection of the Yikes! gang's adventures. The story continues right here! (Remember, you must be registered and logged in to read.)

It's been quiet out there due to Comic-Con, so thankfully this two-week recap isn't too unwieldy. Here's the reviews: • The New York Times on Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin; Los Angeles CityBeat also profiles Mauldin • The New York Times also examines Dash Shaw's Bottomless Belly Button • The latest batch of coverage of Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell includes the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Mediabistro's "UnBeige" blog, Art Blog By Bob, and The Onion A.V. Club which gives the book an "A" • Sean T. Collins on Ganges #2 by…