Fantagraphics Blog

Every year at this time, as much of the world turns its attention to momentous events in the small West Bank town of Bethlehem two millennia ago, I ritually read Joe Sacco’s Palestine. Sacco’s comic book serial was among the first projects I was asked to promote when I was hired as Fantagraphics marketing and promotions director. At the time, even referring to the occupied territories as Palestine was considered by many to be provocative. While the semantics of the discussion may have changed, the situation in Palestine has remained remarkably unchanged since Sacco visited the region and the first…

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to present The Cartoon Utopia, an exhibition and book signing with visionary cartoonist Ron Regé, Jr. opening Saturday, January 11 with a festive reception for the artist. The show continues through February 5, 2014. In The Cartoon Utopia, Regé examines religious, mystical, and spiritual philosophies employing an imaginative narrative construct. The subject ideally suits the artist’s intriguing rendering technique. In the words of cartoonist Chris Ware, Regé is "One of a handful of cartoonists in the history of the medium to not only reinvent comics to suit his own idiosyncratic impulses and inspirations as an artist,…

Jacob Covey was cleaning out some files and found these great photos he took of Kim & Gary posing outside our glamorous offices and with our old warehouse van. We miss ya, Kim. 

Zero Hour and Other Stories (The EC Comics Library)Illustrated by Jack Kamen; written by Al Feldstein et al. 170-page black & white 7.25" x 10.25" hardcover • $28.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-704-8 Ships in: January 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now BARGAIN COMBO: Sucker Bait + Zero Hour Gift Set Price: $57.98 $46.38 With his wholesome approach, Jack Kamen stood out amongst the grand-guignol grunge, gritty realism, or futuristic dazzle of his fellow EC cartoonists — but his brilliant editor/writer Al Feldstein found a way to exploit the surface innocence of his style with seemingly nice stories of romance gone horribly wrong, or future fantasies…

Sucker Bait and Other Stories (The EC Comics Library)Illustrated by Graham Ingels; written by Al Feldstein et al. 216-page black & white 7.25" x 10.25" hardcover • $28.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-689-8 Ships in: January 2014 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now BARGAIN COMBO: Sucker Bait + Zero Hour Gift Set Price: $57.98 $46.38 Even sixty years after their original release, in a post-Saw-and-Hostel era of explicit horror, EC Comics superstar Graham "Ghastly" Ingels's grisly pages retain the power to shock. His loving depictions of the endless corruption of flesh and nature made him the go-to guy for stories involving swamps, maniacs, and dismemberment — and…

Next month's issue of Booklist will include a review of a recent release by Fantagraphics creators, excerpted below:    Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Color Sundays Vol. 2: Robin Hood Rides Again by Floyd Gottfredson   "Reflecting the domestication of his big-screen incarnation, the mischievous scamp of the earlier strips is giving way to a more decorous rodent who increasingly turns the broad humor over to his dim-witted sidekick, Goofy. In contrast to the daily episodes, which largely featured adventure-oriented story lines that extended for weeks, these Sunday installments are mostly self-contained gags… With their retro appeal, Gottfredson's buoyant drawings might just…

  Free Comic Book Day has rolled out the silver sponsor books so get your free comic book grabby hands ready! Hip Hop Family Tree Two-In-One by Ed Piskor is a full color delight that clocks in at 32 pages. It is the perfect introduction and bridge to Piskor's fun and crtitically acclaimed 5 volume book series. This full-color comic book offers 2 self contained stories form Hip Hop Family Tree Vols 1 & 2 as well as new guest pin-ups and content just for FCBD! Lovingly produced and designed in homage to Marvel Comic's beloved "Marvel Two-In-One". Make mine Hip Hop!

"One of the greatest comic strips of all time and a peak in visual splendor and breathtaking adventure, the story of Prince Valiant's 30-plus year odyssey is getting a marvelous presentation in Fantagraphics' series of books…" – The Huffington Post “Medieval swordplay and adventure have never been as glorious as in Foster’s Sunday-only comic strip. This edition has been reproduced from pristine printer’s proofs to give the gorgeous artwork its crispest version ever…. Prince Valiant is one of the best-drawn comics ever, and this new edition does ample justice to its achievement.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "If you've never…

Well, frankly, these stories must be told every-damn-where! But, starting January 16th, 2014, the Rutgers-Camden’s Stedman Gallery will become a haven for artists displaying comix versions of their life stories through a marriage of drawings to text. In an exhibit aptly titled Compulsive Narratives: Stories that MUST be Told, curator Cheryl Harper brings together original drawings from graphic novels and complementary works in other media by artists who reveal their innermost demons. Such as Carol Tyler, who shares on her blog that some pages of original art, including a few from You'll Never Know, will be on display! (She also…