We really don’t want to be the people ringing in the holidays too early—we know it’s annoying when seasonal decorations go up the minute Halloween is over (sometimes sooner)! But we’re expecting significant shipping delays this year and we really want you to get your presents on time! Plus we have a ton of super cool books dropping this month that will be perfect for the loved ones on your gift list! So do your holiday shopping now—whether or not you deck the halls and listen to Neil Diamond’s rockin’ version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is up to you… Before we get into new releases however, we’ve got the news roundup:
- The New Yorker published a lovely interview with R. Kikuo Johnson about “mourning the loss of something you were never fond of” and an excerpt from No One Else (out 11/9)!
- Speaking of R. Kikuo Johnson, No One Else was chosen as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books 2021 roundup! Also on the list: Stone Fruit by ‘5 Under 35’ Honoree Lee Lai!
- Variety announced the release date for the animated series based on the classic underground comics, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers! Starring Woody Harrelson, Pete Davidson, John Goodman and Tiffany Haddish, “The Freak Brothers” premieres on Tubi on November 14th. As if that’s not groovy enough, we’re releasing The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers: The Idiots Abroad and Other Follies in 2022!
- Screen Rant published a sneak peek of Lure by Lane Milburn (out 11/2), calling it “a vital graphic novel for our times”!
- Did Squeak the Mouse inspire Matt Groening to create The Simpsons’ Itchy & Scratchy? Screen Rant has the scoop! Decide for yourself—pre-order your copy of the cartoon so extreme the US Government tried to ban it!
November New Releases:
Lure by Lane Milburn
In this SF graphic novel, a group of idealistic young artists from Earth are commissioned to collaborate on a corporate art project for a planet that has been colonized for luxury living.
The world’s elite use the ocean planet of Lure as a luxury vacation hub for a decade. But when climate change threatens Earth’s long-term habitability, many of those who can afford it move to Lure for good. When the opportunity to work there for a year is offered to visual artist Jo Sparta, as part of a group of artists collaborating on a large-scale installation of public art, it seems like the chance of a lifetime. But then, Jo stumbles across a nefarious plot by her corporate benefactors and feels compelled to go public. Lure showcases Milburn’s rich visual imagination, with the planet Lure itself an ever-seductive, otherworldly paradise against which he spotlights themes of climate change, the disparity of wealth, and the value of art — all in the service of a grippingly moral thriller.
No One Else by R. Kikuo Johnson
In this graphic novel, Charlene is a divorced mom, has a young son named Brandon, and works full-time as a nurse while also caring for her infirm father. She is barely holding their lives together when tragedy strikes and leaves Charlene and Brandon on their own. Charlene, who has put everyone but herself first for years, sees it as an opportunity for a new start of sorts. That is, at least, until her easy-come, easy-go brother, Robbie — a well-intentioned but unserious semi-professional musician — rolls back into town after a long absence. Brandon, a good kid who aches for his absent father, focuses his grief on his cat, Batman, who hasn’t been seen for a few days since he ran into the sugar cane fields that lie on the edge of their housing tract.
No One Else is a graphic novel of great tender truth, as Charlene, Brandon, and Robbie learn to navigate life day to day with their plans, fears, and desires. Gorgeously drawn and set in the author’s hometown on the Hawaiian island of Maui, it is the long-awaited follow up to Johnson’s acclaimed debut graphic novel, Night Fisher, and a mature work of literary fiction that is certain to be one of the most talked-about books of 2021.
The first 150 preordered copies of No One Else will include an exclusive Fantagraphics bookplate autographed by the author. Copies ordered after the release date will receive a bookplate while supplies last, so preorder now!
Red Room: the Antisocial Network by Ed Piskor
A cyberpunk, outlaw, splatterpunk masterpiece from the New York Times bestselling creator of Hip Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design!
Aided by the anonymous dark web and nearly untraceable cryptocurrency, a criminal subculture has emerged. It livestreams murders as entertainment. Who are the killers? Who are the victims? Who is paying to watch? How to stop it? Red Room is constructed as a series of interconnected stories, shining a light on the characters who exist in the ugliest of corners in cyberspace. Piskor cuts the graphic horror with his sharp sense of humor, gorgeous cartooning, and dynamic storytelling. Red Room peels back the curtain on the side of humanity few of us knew existed, let alone understood. Fans and followers of Piskor’s YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe, have already made Red Room: The Antisocial Network one of the most eagerly anticipated and talked-about releases of 2021. It is the first in a series of graphic novels, with the second scheduled for release in Summer 2022.
Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge: World of the Dragonlords by Giorgio Cavazzano and Byron Erickson
“Help us, Huey, Louie, and Dewey! You’re Morgworld’s only hope!” A feature-length fantasy epic pits Donald, Scrooge, and the gang against a deadly troll kingdom!
Donald, Uncle Scrooge, and their nephews are locked in a Duckburg family feud when an interdimensional doorway appears… and takes them to Morgworld, a medieval realm where trolls rule, humans are serfs, and dragons beasts of burden! Can our squabbling Ducks bring justice to this land of swords and sorcery?Like every book in The Fantagraphics EC Artists’ Library, Three For The Money And Other Stories also features essays and notes by EC experts on these superbly crafted, classic masterpieces.
Giorgio Cavazzano (Donald Duck: The Forgetful Hero), among Italy’s most celebrated comics artists, brings his outrageous energy, emotive characters, and wild “techno” style to a feature-length 21st-century Disney fantasy tale, filled with fire-breathing frenzy by beloved writer/editor Byron Erickson (“A Mickey Mystery”)!
Fly on dragonback to the fortress city of Toom! Meet way-out wizard Hintermann, bold warrior Brendon, boy prisoner Jute, and three blazing dragons… Smoky, Sniffles, and Spitfire! It’s up to Donald, Scrooge, and the boys to rescue these ragtag rebels — don your armor and get ready!
Peanuts Every Sunday 1991-1995 by Charles M. Schulz
The penultimate half-decade of oversized Peanuts Sunday newspaper strips in vintage color, as they’ve never been collected!
Peanuts has almost always been collected and reprinted in black and white. But many who read the popular comic strip during its original newspaper run remain fond of the striking, pastel-heavy coloring of its Sunday pages, which made for a surprisingly different and fulfilling reading experience. As Peanuts enters the ’90s, all the classic characters — Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Sally, Pig-Pen, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie — are all present, as is the brightest star of the strip, Snoopy. This volume highlights the wacky friendship between Snoopy and Woodstock, Charlie Brown’s supreme ineptitude on the ball field, and the amusing hijinks of Snoopy’s desert-roaming brother, Spike. Collected in this gorgeous, oversized coffee table book, the strips in Peanuts Every Sunday 1991–1995 have been scrupulously restored and re-colored to look better than they ever have — allowing fans and new readers to immerse themselves in Charles M. Schulz’s timeless masterpiece.
Popeye Volume 1: Olive Oyl and Her Sweety by E.C. Segar
Well, blow me down! This new four-volume series collects the complete run of the original Popeye Sunday newspaper page adventures in an accessible and affordable slipcased paperback format!
An irresistible alchemy of screwball comedy, tender romance, and rags-to-riches fantasy, Elsie Crisler Segar’s newspaper comic strip captivated readers of the Roaring Twenties and beyond. And Popeye, the sailor man, was the unlikely star of the show. Fantagraphics is thrilled to bring Segar’s whimsical world back into print, reviving the origins of the beloved spinach-eating American icon for a whole new readership. The E.C. Segar Popeye Sundays series collects the complete Popeye Sunday stories in four gorgeous full-color volumes, each packaged in a deluxe die-cut vertical slipcase.
Volume one (1931-1932) highlights Popeye’s riotous romance with his sweet patootie, Olive Oyl. As apt to hold hands as butt heads, they are ultimately meant for each other, and their enduring connection forms the warm heart of the comic. Outside the love nest, Popeye seeks fame and fortune as a prizefighter. Ever the under-dog, he must contend with a series of increasingly fearsome opponents, from the formidable Johnny Brawn to a literal gorilla!
Featuring tongue-twisting gags, sensational slugfests, and an endearing ensemble of characters, this revival of classic Popeye adventures really packs a punch and will captivate stalwart fans and new readers alike. Introduced with comic tributes by acclaimed cartoonists Sergio Ponchione and Cathy Malkasian.
Man in Furs by Catherine Sauvat and Anne Simon
A graphic biography of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the author whose name came to define the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from one’s own pain or humiliation.
In 1870, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch published Venus in Furs, an erotic novel revealing the author’s desire to be dominated by a woman. (And paid homage in the classic Velvet Underground song of the same name.) After the novel’s success, a woman turns up at his doorstep and offers to take on the role in Sacher-Masoch’s real life. He completely submits to her, and they get married. Years later, Leopold has remarried and lives a quiet life, far removed from the sexual escapades of his first marriage. Then he learns that his surname, to his detriment, has come to describe a new sexual perversion: masochism. Man In Furs is his story.
This compelling graphic biography is a collaboration between the biographer Catherine Sauvat and the celebrated cartoonist Anne Simon. Simon’s gentle cartooning perfectly complements Sauvat’s empathetic script.
November Events:
- Thursday, November 4th, 7:30 pm EDT: Lane Milburn (Lure) in conversation with Tom Kaczynski (Beta Testing the Ongoing Apocalypse), Book Launch, Greenlight Bookstore, Virtual
- Tuesday, November 9th, 5:00 pm PDT: Ed Piskor (Red Room) in conversation with Jim Rugg (Cartoonist Kayfabe), Book Launch, Floating World Books, Virtual
- Thursday, November 11th, 7:00 pm EDT: R. Kikuo Johnson (No One Else) in conversation with Chip Kidd, Book Launch, The Strand Book Store, New York, NY
- Thursday, November 11th, 6:00 pm PDT: Lane Milburn (Lure) in conversation with Evan Narcisse (Rise of the Black Panther, Marvel’s Voices #1) Book Talk, Secret Headquarters, Virtual
- Friday, November 19th, 6:00 pm EDT: Ed Piskor (Red Room) in conversation with Ariell Johnson, Book Talk, Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Virtual
- Wednesday, December 1st, 6:00 pm PDT: R. Kikuo Johnson (No One Else) in conversation with Paolo Rivera (The Self-Absorbing Man), Book Talk and Signing, Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CA
Coming soon: Fantagraphics x Ebbets Field Flannels ballcaps! Made of navy wool broadcloth with a brown leather adjuster, the hat features our torch logo on a white felt appliqué. Another Seattle institution, Ebbets Field Flannels has been in business for decades and they make some of the coolest ballcaps around—which is to say, you’re gonna want this hat! These drop this month, stay tuned for the date…
More merch news: we have a restock on the Love and Rockets t-shirt (dang, these sell out fast!) and a brand-new t-shirt featuring an image of Ernest Hemingway and Athos from Good Night, Hem by the beloved Norwegian cartoonist, Jason! Both shirts are printed by hand right here in Seattle on super soft black tees—they’ll be your new favorites!
It’s been that kind of year! We’re encouraging everyone to start their holiday shopping early because—due to COVID-related supply and labor shortages—we’re expecting significant shipping delays. That means books will take longer to get to us and longer still to get to you, so start your gift shopping now! Head to fantagraphics.com to stock up on the perfect gifts for your favorite readers/cool people.
