Fantagraphics Blog

The Miami Book Fair is a beautiful meeting of literary minds, scholars, writers, cartoonists and readers. This year, the fair will be graced by four brilliant minds, who also happen to have Fantagraphics books out. They are all appearing on some apenls on Saturday, November 22nd at the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus. Most of the comics panels take place in room 1365 in building 1 (see map below) at the intersection of NE 1st Ave and NE 3rd Street.    Joyce Farmer's recent reprint from Fantagraphics is her original graphic novel called Special Exits. It is a touching, heartwarming and melancholy look at…

This month's issue of Booklist will include reviews of recent releases by a Fantagraphics creator, excerpted below:    Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 2 (1981-1983) by Ed Piskor "The second collection of Piskor's hip-hop history in comics may be a better place to start reading it than the first….Piskor's Jack Kirby-ish drawing chops-monumental figures in thrusting, dynamic action; flat colors that crush perspective-constitute precisely the sturdy vehicle to carry it as far as Piskor will take it." –Ray Olson  Peanuts Every Sunday 1956-1960 (Vol. 2) by Charles M. Schulz "Peanuts' enduring appeal is timeless and universal, and this handsomely designed volume only enhances its allure… This era…seesthe introduction…

In a celebration of comics, Short Run and more, this week sees the release of Max Riffner's new graphic novel, The Crippler's Son, chock full of wrestling action. When The Crippler comes to town for a wrestling match, James isn't awestruck, he's just trying to get by in medical school. Schooling that The Crippler has paid for. In this debut work from Max Riffner, two brothers attempt to reconnect despite a wrestling ring's worth of differences. We guarantee you'll stay around until the final round. Much like Richard Sala's Violenzia, this book is a digital exclusive from Fantagraphics and comiXology and is only…

The year: 1991. The place: Madison Square Garden. 50 seconds left on the clock. A young basketball player adorned with the number 23 shakes off the Knicks defense as he pounds towards the hoop, leaps into the air, and… Slam. Dunk. In this 16-page, 2.3 MB downloadable excerpt of Wilfred Santiago's Michael Jordan: Bull on Parade, we are immediately immersed in the action through Santiago's wildly kinetic artwork. Read the whole thing right here, then head on over to the pre-order page and grab your copy for a December delivery!

Foolbert Funnies: Histories and Other Fictionsby Frank Stack 224-page black & white 7.75" x 10" softcover • $24.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-808-3 Due to arrive in 2-4 weeks. Click on thumbnails for larger versions; get more info, see more previews, and pre-order your copy here: http://www.fantagraphics.com/foolbertfunnies

Treasury of Mini Comics Vol. 2edited by Michael Dowers 848-page black & white with color 5" x 6.25" hardcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-807-6 Ships in: December 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now For everyone interested in the history of underground and alternative comics, Treasury of Mini Comics Volume Two gathers prime examples—more than 800 pages' worth—from a quintessential self-publishing format in this compact but hefty hardcover. Previously only seen in limited-run pamphlets, these comics are startling, visionary, hilarious, profane, and profound. This volume also takes a look back at the wild 8-page sex comics called "Tijuana Bibles" that sprang from…

We're seeing a lot of red in the office today. A stack of Love and Rockets (Luba & Palomar Book 5): Ofelia advances are on our desks, and our productivity is at a temporary stall as we fawn over the latest from the Eisner award-winning mind of Gilbert Hernandez. Be sure to grab your pre-order of this new Love and Rockets book for an on-schedule January delivery, and start off the new year right!

Tuesday in LA, the place to be is at Meltdown Comics. Pittsburgh-based cartoonist Ed Piskor has pop and locked, Heavy D Shaked and prepped his way over to come out and give you one hell of a party along with the crew at Meltdown. A special guest DJ will be spinning the vintage hits from 4-6pm and at 5pm in the NerdMelt Showroom you'll find Boing Boing founder's Mark Frauenfelder in conversation with Piskor about the Hip Hop Family Tree series, his Rob Leifeld mini-comic and much much more.     Get excited and maybe even practice your dance moves with some Hip Hop Family Tree…

Here is our first look at an advance copy of Displacement, the new travelogue out from best-selling cartoonist Lucy Knisley. This sweet, introspective softcover volume has our author on a cruise ship with her elderly grandparents. Between struggling with her care-taking duties and feelings of isolation, Knisley reads excerpts from her grandfather's war memoir and reflects on mortality and human frailty. Displacement will hit bookstores in the new year, but we're ready and waiting for your pre-orders now!

Sam Zabel and the Magic Penby Dylan Horrocks 228-page color 7" x 10" hardcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-790-1 Ships in: December 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Acclaimed cartoonist Dylan Horrocks returns with a long-awaited new graphic novel, the first since his perennial classic, 1998's Hicksville (new edition, VUP 2010). Cartoonist Sam Zabel hasn't drawn a comic in years. Stuck in a nightmare of creative block and despair, Sam spends his days writing superhero stories for a large American comics publisher and staring at a blank piece of paper, unable to draw a single line. Then one day he finds…