Fantagraphics Blog

So for the next month or so people will tell you all the reasons why you should read The Comics Journal #302. It has the last interview with Maurice Sendak, an amazing How to Draw section with Roy Crane and his ghost artist (it's worth at least one semester of comic book school credit), a tribute to Dylan Williams, an extensive interview with Jacques Tardi, a new Joe Sacco comic, a Percy Crosby examination and so much more. But I'm here to tell you how you could use TCJ 302 to sweat. At 672 pages, this tome is not just…

 The thinly-veiled excuse to come over of Online Commentaries & Diversions:   • Review: The Comics Reporter reviewed Prince Valiant Vol. 6: 1947-1948 by Hal Foster. Tom Spurgeon writes, "The comic in this attractively-packaged and produced edition gives off the handsome sheen of mass entertainment that knows its commercial value. Prince Valiant may be 75, but this material at least still has all its hair and a hell of a tan." Damn, did Tom Spurgeon pick an excellent image or what? • Review: Rain Taxi looks at The Last Vispo edited by Crag Hill and Nico Vassilakis. Chris Funkhouser writes,…

Fantagraphics and comiXology presents the late great Spain Rodriguez and his graphic novel, Cruisin' with the Hound: The Life and Times of Fred Toote. "They were all there, the pimps, the fags, the whores, the curious, the alcoholic, the weird of the late '50s… blues lovers, Canadian bikers, thrill seekers, junkies, insomniacs, hepcats…" So begins "Down at the Kitty Kat," one of the 20-plus never-before-collected memoirs and yarns by Spain, one of the original gang of Zap Comix provocateurs. Although he's best known for his two-fisted tales of the chopper-riding Trashman, Spain's blunt graphic style and uncompromising gift for caricature,…

Congratulations to Ed Piskor for being awarded the second annual Columbus Museum of Art and Thurber House residency! Piskor follows last year's winner and Fantagraphics creator, Paul Hornschemeier, to Ohio and has a panoply of events planned during his three-week residency. Ed will be staying at the historic home of author and New Yorker cartoonist, James Thurber, and hopefully taking more righteous photographs. Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree book is currently serialized on BoingBoing before its print debut this fall. Wednesday, March 20, 6:00-8:00 PM Young Writers' Studio at the Thurber House led by Ed Piskor. Visit thurberhouse.org for more…

Seattle simply can't get enough of Ellen Forney, and we want more, more, MORE!  On Wednesday, February 27th, we will get what we want: an evening of music inspired by her 2007 collection Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads from Seattle's The Stranger, presented by our friends at the Bushwick Book Club and the Richard Hugo House! The evening features a talk from Ellen herself, and then local musicians will perform original material inspired by the book!  Come hear new songs from Levi Fuller, Robert Heyer, Karen Lindenberg, Darren Loucas, Kimo Muraki, Aaron Starkey, Mike Votava, Tekla Waterfield, Wes Weddell, and…

The most intricate house sigil of Online Commentaries & Diversions:   • Review: The LA Times enjoys their reading of 7 Miles a Second by David Wojnarowicz, James Romberger and Marguerite Van Cook. "Part of the power of Wojnarowicz’s work is that he dealt with such concepts accessibly; he didn’t have time to waste. It was the source of his restless imagination, his willingness to experiment with unexpected forms," writes David L. Ulin. • Plug: NY1 (New York 1) and Don Kois talk about 7 Miles a Second David Wojnarowicz, James Romberger and Marguerite Van Cook. "…this graphic novel is…

We've just finished adding all of the books from our Spring-Summer 2013 catalog to the Upcoming Arrivals section of our website! The catalog itself is still posted here and available as a PDF download, but we already have some updates and corrections to book details, cover art, release dates, etc. so be sure to refer to our website listings for the most up-to-date information. We've already announced a few books from our Fall 2013 – Winter 2014 season and we'll be plunging into adding the rest of the titles from that catalog over the coming weeks, so the impatient and/or hyper-vigilant among you will want…

Fantagraphics and comiXology continues the line of exquisite Richard Sala comics with Delphine. A mysterious traveler gets off the train in a small village surrounded by a thick sinister forest. He is searching for Delphine, who vanished with only a scrawled-out address on a scrap of paper as a trace. Richard Sala takes the tale of Snow White and stands it on its head, retelling it from Prince Charming's perspective (the unnamed traveler) in a contemporary setting. This twisted tale includes all the elements of terror from the original fairy tale, with none of the insipid saccharine coating of 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. 7 Miles a Second by David Wojnarowicz, James Romberger, & Marguerite Van Cook  69-page full color 9" x 12" hardcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-614-0  "…arriving with a light touch while delivering a heavy, dark, and understandably angry message. Part of what makes the book unusual is that it does not go out of…

Hal Foster, creator of the legendary strip Prince Valiant (and the happy haircut of the same name) and the comics strip adaptation of Tarzan, has a solid group of friends. In 2002 “The Friends of Hal Foster Society” began in Halifax, Nova Scotia by a group of 'Haligonians' after Brian Kane's Foster bio was published. Their goal? Educate tourists and citizens about Foster and currently working on a permanent memorial to Hal’s birthplace. Hal’s Pals resident researcher, Kevin Sollows has continued delving into Foster’s childhood in Halifax, and has created a website with his findings. Please take the time to…