Fantagraphics Blog

Join Fantagraphics for our hometown show, Emerald City Comicon, on Friday, March 28th through Sunday, March 30th! We'll be joined by a slew of special guests, including Stan Sakai, Ellen Forney, Michel Gagné, and Fantagraphics editors, Gary Groth, Eric Reynolds, Mike Catron, and Kristy Valenti! Friday, March 28th4:30-5:30 PM            Ellen Forney Saturday, March 29th1:00-2:00 PM           Gary Groth, Eric Reynolds, Mike Catron, Kristy Valenti [Our editorial dream team will also be appearing on the panel Fantagraphics Books: Forecasting the Future of Misfit Lit
, on Saturday, March 29th. The Stranger's Paul Constant will lead the fantastic four in…

Another gorgeous volume of Hal Foster's magnum opus is off to the printer! Prince Valiant Vol. 9: 1953-1954 collects two more years of quests, danger, sorcery, family milestones, treachery, and comic relief from one of the greatest illustrators to ever grace the comics page. It almost goes without saying, but a reminder can't hurt: these volumes are scanned from original engraver's proofs, meaning that the strip has never looked better and making this the ultimate Prince Valiant series. This volume is expected to be available in early July; look for more sneak peeks between now and then, and pre-orders are…

Collector extraordinaire Glenn Bray will make a hometown appearance to sign his gorgeous new tome, The Blighted Eye: Original Comic Art from the Glenn Bray Collection! Join him on Sunday, April 6th at Arcana: Books on the Arts, and hear firsthand stories about his mind-boggling collection of original comic art, amassed over the last nearly 50 years — Charles Addams, Carl Barks, Charles Burns, Al Capp, Dan Clowes, Jack Cole, R. Crumb, Jack Davis, Kim Deitch, Will Elder, Al Feldstein, Virgil Finlay, Drew Friedman, Chester Gould, Justin Green, Rick Griffin, Bill Griffith, Matt Groening, George Grosz, V.T. Hamlin, Jaime Hernandez,…

Unlovable Vol. 3by Esther Pearl Watson 412-page two-color 5.75" x 5.75" hardcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-737-6 Ships in: May 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now BARGAIN COMBO: Unlovable Vols. 1-3 Gift Set Price: $68.98 $55.18 Summer vacation is here and Tammy Pierce is back with more sometimes ordinary, often humiliating, occasionally poignant, and usually hilarious exploits! Her hopes, dreams, agonies, and defeats are brought to vivid, comedic life by Watson's lovingly grotesque drawings, filled with all the eighties essentials — too much mascara, leg warmers with heels, and huge hair, etc. — as well as timeless teen concerns like acne,…

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.   Cannon  by Wallace Wood 296-page black & white/color 11" x 7.5" hardcover • $35.00ISBN: 978-1-60699-702-4    "The women when not naked are about to get naked, or may be pining for a time when they will be naked…A lot of the work is sublimely handsome, as is befitting a Wally Wood comic,…

Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree got some wall love when Dutch graffiti artists Mega & Romeo dedicated some sweet space to his comic. They even emulated the same color palette from the book. If you happen to be in Sneek of the Netherlands, you can enjoy it for yourself!   Check out Molotov for more pictures.   

An exciting announcement from Fantagraphics Books: after only twelve weeks, Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree Book One is going back to press for a third printing. The historical account—in graphic novel form—of hip-hop music and culture hit shelves December 11, 2013, and the first printing sold out within a month. A second printing sold out even more quickly after hitting stores in early March. The book is beloved by critics as much as fans. The Washington Post: “Piskor’s book feels just as real and authentic as the retro rap it celebrates.” NPR calls the series “a real fusion of both art…

This Saturday, March 22nd Fantagraphics publisher and editor Gary Groth will be holding down the comics fort at PIX, Pittsburgh Indy Comix Expo. The tables are open from 10am to 5pm. As part of the evening programming (plenty of time to get some dinner, dudes) Gary will be interviewed by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Tony Norman from 10-11pm, complete with a Q&A session. Cartoonists Ed Piskor and Trina Robbins will also be attendence so you can get Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1 and Pretty in Ink: North American Women Cartoonists 1896-2013 signed. Trina will be signing from noon to 1pm at the Fantagraphics table.   PIX is located at…

Thursday, March 20th • Pittsburgh, PA: Herstorian Trina Robbins brings her collection, Wonder Women: On Paper and Off, to the ToonSeum, and will be giving a special presentation to museum goers at 7:30 PM (tickets available here)! (more info) • Athens, GA: Cartoonist/illustrator Steve Brodner will present this years annual Jack Davis Distinguished Visiting Artist Lecture at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia! (more info) Saturday, March 22nd • Pittsburgh, PA: Ed Piskor, Trina Robbins, and our very own Gary Groth will be special guests at PIX: The Pittsburgh Indy Comix Expo, held at the…