Fantagraphics Blog

"For those of you who weren’t lucky enough to meet the mad geniuses who created comics, Drew Friedman’s art gives you the best chance you’re going to have to see them through their smiles, the eyes that dreamed up fantastic worlds, and to get a hint of the lives they led." –Paul Levitz "When Drew Friedman does something, you know it is much better than merely excellent. Here he salutes the pioneers, masterminds, and geniuses of a graphic form that delighted, excited, and scared the hell out of us. And we were enthralled by every panel." –Arnold Roth "I am…

Equal parts curated trash-culture imagery and multimedia collage—interspersed with exposition on the relationship between art and trash—the 220-page, full-color SuperTrash is an assault on the senses. This new title by Jacques Boyreau, a sequel to his 2002 work, Trash: The Graphic Genius of Xploitation Movie Posters, delves into the gonzo archives of 20th century design to seek out and dissect the co-dependencies of art and trash. Available for pre-order now, and expected to arrive in a few months' time. Look for additional previews in the coming weeks!

We're pleased to unveil the final cover art for a new collection of related short stories from Richard Sala. In a Glass Grotesquely features the antics, plots, and twists of the mysteriously masked, diabolical villain only known as Super-Enigmatix and his loyal army of female commandos. The stories are drawn in Sala's signature cheerfully vivid watercolors and filled with his equally cheerful dark tongue-in-cheek humor. What chaos will the dastardly Super-Enigmatix unleash upon the world? More previews forthcoming! In a Glass Grotesquely is available for pre-order in the meantime.

This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new titles. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators and web-savvy comic shops are saying about them (more to be added as they appear), check out our previews at the links, and contact your local shop to confirm availability.  How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis 152-page color/b&w 7.75" x 10.125" hardcover • $24.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-740-6 "A mix of evocative, geometric watercolors and fluid pen-and-ink cartoons, How to Be Happy tells stories of sad people, lonely people, strong people, confident people, all trying to find a tiny bit of happiness in life…Davis' clever…

Shimura Takako's groundbreaking, critically acclaimed, and beloved series continues to explore gender identity among its cast of middle school students. "It's a very sweet manga with realistic characters—no dead parents or crazy teachers, just ordinary, loving families and supportive friends. This manga is…worth every penny." – Brigid Alverson, MTV.com Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko / 放浪息子) Vol. 7 by Shimura Takako 220-page black & white (with some color) 7" x 9.5" hardcover • $24.99 ISBN: 978-1-60699-750-5 Due to arrive in about 1 week. Click the thumbnails for larger versions; get more info, see more previews and pre-order your copy here: http://www.fantagraphics.com/wanderingson7

  Don't miss the apocalyptic Dead Baby Bike party this Friday, August 1 in Georgetown. Live music, BMX daredevils, beer gardens, and bike jousting right outside Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. The party begins at the conclusion of the reckless Dead Baby Bike Downhill Race about 7:00 PM and continues into the wee hours.   Arrive early to the Dead Baby Bike Party on Friday for a front row seat to the big Boeing Air Show. Watch vintage Spitfires, Thunderbolts, Mustangs, and Tomahawks, along with breathtaking Boeing F-18 Blue Angels and more fly right over the store.   Join us on Wednesday,…

Tied loosely together by the experience of wandering, the collection of short stories in The Lonesome Go represents Tim Lane's continued exploration of "existential Americana." And the richly-drawn, detailed pages invite contemplation, rereading, and a wandering experience for the reader as well. In our 22-page downloadable excerpt (12.9 MB), we are introduced to a bleakly introspective train passenger, a fourteen-year-old train hopper, and an unexpected, unwelcome Christmas guest. Read on, and perhaps wander over to our presale afterwards. We are expecting an early October 2014 release, with more previews on the way until then!

At Comic-Con last week, we completely sold out of our booth copies of Lucy Knisley's upcoming travellogue, An Age of License! For those of you who weren't able to snag a copy then, here is a peek inside Knisley's latest memoir. More photos and video to come soon, and the book is due to land on bookstore shelves and at our warehouse in September. Until then, grab a croissant, sip an espresso, and keep your eyes peeled for further updates on the Flog! An Age of License is also on presale, so you can reserve your copy now.

This week's of Online Commentaries and Diversions: Review: An Age of License by Lucy Knisley "…the in-process method of writing and drawing her adventures as they happen gives a vibrant immediacy to situations and sensations. Belying her relatively simple but charming cartooning style, Knisley pages are a cornucopia of information and detail: oversized seagulls, bilingual schoolchildren, and lying sat-navs populate her travels." – Publishers Weekly   Review: Twelve Gems by Lane Milburn "In Twelve Gems, Milburn has created a playful homage to the genre that also incorporates some of the “Marvel-isms” that were injected into the form in the '60s…

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department: Gastby Carol Swain 176-page black & white 7.5" x 10" softcover • $22.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-755-0 See Previews / Order Now Helen is an amateur bird watcher and naturalist who lives in a rural community in Wales. When local farmer Bill tells Helen that a "rare bird" named Emrys killed himself at Cuddig farm, she decides to investigate. One of the dogs at the farm tells her, by way of explanation, that Emrys "had no feathers and couldn’t fly." She plucks an old cosmetic kit from a dumpster and discovers it belonged to…