Fantagraphics Blog

The How to Be Happy tour is most likely a-comin' to you West Coast. This ain't no flim-flamy snake oil juice we're forcing you to swallow, cartoonist Eleanor Davis KNOWS the secret to happiness and more. Start out the fun in Portland, OR at Floating World Comics on Wednesday, July 9th from 6-8pm with a presentation at 7pm. Next stop? The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Sunday, July 13th from 3-5pm with Esther Pearl Watson. Seattle's always got the best cartoonists visiting and this event coincides with the Georgetown Garden Walk (more details here). Head straight south to Mission Comics on Monday, July 14th from…

Every three months, Seattle's tony cultural journal City Arts awards cash prizes for the best artworks exhibited in local galleries. A panel of three guest jurors nominates finalists each quarter. Winners will be chosen by popular vote this Thursday, July 11 at the Summer Art Walk Awards party. Max Clotfelter's story from the Intruder 10 exhibition in April at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is up for an award. Show up at Sole Repair by 9:00 PM, have a drink, carefully consider all the nominated work, then vote for Max!   The new Intruder 11, a comix tabloid edited by our own Marc Palm,…

Paste a smile on your face, Portland. Fantagraphics Books and Floating World cordially invite you to Floating World Comics on Wednesday, July 9th, 2014, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM to meet THE Eleanor Davis. She'll be signing copies of her new comic collection from Fantagraphics entitled How To Be Happy. Her polished line work and alluring palette perfectly complement her compelling stories and she's done work for everyone from Lucky Peach to The New Yorker. Please note that her book will not actually instruct you on how to live a happier life but reading it will put you in the perfect mindset. Please join…

A friend and local artist from our Short Run exhibit, Noel Franklin, is seeking Patrons via Patreon.com! Her first mini-comic, Gone Girls Comics, was well-received and is the focus of her future work. Check out her Patreon page here, and learn more about Noel at her site here.

How are you celebrating World UFO Day today? Rewatching The X-files? Wearing your favorite tin hat? Gazing at the sky? Why not pick up a sci-fi title or two as well? We've got some delectable tales, new and old, that explore humankind's fascination with space and aliens. From the kid-friendly to the delightfully perverse, we have plenty of recommendations to help you celebrate this (actual) holiday! Twelve Gems by Lane Milburn New Release Somewhere in the outer cosmos, beyond reckoning or observation, the mysterious Dr. Z has enlisted three space heroes, Furz, Venus, and Dogstar, to search the galaxy for the…

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.    Twelve Gems by Lane Milburn 248-page monochrome 5.75" x 8.5" softcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-751-2 "For fans of pulpy storytelling, fans of silly action, and fans of fans, this book is the gem you must seek." – Jake Austen, Chicago Tribune  "It's '80s-indie black-and-white space-opera action as you like it!"– Robot 6   …

Ed Piskor's vivid retelling of the history of hip hop continues with the second volume of Hip Hop Family Tree, covering the years from 1981 through 1983. From the lovingly crafted cover to the impeccable storytelling and artwork, this book is a delight to hold in our hands. Volume 2 takes us through such hits as Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message," and introduces music powerhouses like NWA, The Beastie Boys, Ice T, and early Public Enemy. Hip Hop Family Tree Vol 2: 1981-1983 is due out in August. Give our 15-page excerpt…

The latest fluffy love-concoction of Online Commentaries and Diversions: Review: Pirates in the Heartland: The Mythology of S. Clay Wilson edited by Patrick Rosenkranz "Part biography, part retrospective, part collected chronicles of a comic legend, this is a huge undertaking that pays off in every way you could expect, and a million ways you couldn't." – The Daily Planet   Interview: How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis "It's a stunning body of work that brings together loosely personal and wholly fictional stories about joy, anguish, fear and loneliness – emotions all motivated by that essential quest to be the best you…

Seattle photographer Lance Mercer has captured some truly gorgeous photos throughout the years of musicians from all walks of life. From the official photographer for Pearl Jam in the 90's to Beck, from The President of the Unites States to the chapter breaks in grunge-rock memoir by Danny Bland, In Case We Die, drama and action and life ooze from shots. Recently, our friend Lance was diagnosed with lymphoma. The doctors caught it early, he's been through chemo treatment but as with most freelancers, the medical bills are rather weighty. Lance's family created a GoFundMe account to help cover the bills, that are still totalling…

Shipping now from our mail-order department: Twelve Gemsby Lane Milburn 248-page monochrome 5.75" x 8.5" softcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-751-2 See Previews / Order Now This comedic, sci-fi space epic stars three heroes enlisted to travel the galaxy in search of twelve magical gems. Their benefactor — an eccentric and reclusive scientist named Dr. Z — doesn’t actually know what the twelve gems do once obtained, but myths, theories, and rumors abound throughout the galaxy. The three heroes — with some reluctance — choose to undertake the mysterious task and regard it as a sort of paid vacation and an escape…