Fantagraphics Blog

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department:  Jack Jackson's American History: Los Tejanos & Lost Cause by Jack Jackson 320-page black & white 7.5" x 10.25" hardcover • $35.00ISBN: 978-1-60699-504-4 See Previews / Order Now Jack Jackson loved American history and creating comics. He combined these into a single vocation and created a legacy of historical graphic novels that has never been equaled. Jackson is credited with creating what many consider the first underground comic, God Nose, in 1964. He co-founded Rip-Off Press in 1969, and made some of the most scathing satirical comics about contemporary America ever…

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department:  Beta Testing the Apocalypse by Tom Kaczynski 136-page two-color 6.5" x 9.25" softcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-541-9 See Previews / Order Now It would be easy to call Tom Kaczynski the J.G. Ballard of comics. Like Ballard, Kaczynski’s comics riff on dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments. Yet while Kaczynski shares many of Ballard’s obsessions, he processes them in unique ways. His visual storytelling adds an architectural dimension that the written word alone lacks. Kaczynski takes abstract ideas — capitalism, communism, or utopianism…

This month's Diamond Previews catalog is out now and in it you'll find our usual 2-page spread (download the PDF) with our releases scheduled to arrive in your local comic shop in March 2013 (give or take — release dates are likely to have changed since the issue went to press). We're pleased to offer additional and updated information about these upcoming releases here on our website, to help shops and customers alike make more informed ordering decisions. We have two Spotlight items this month: The Secret History of Marvel Comics by Blake Bell & Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, revealing…

Wednesday, January 9th • Los Angeles, CA: As we've mentioned previously on FLOG, when the great Ron Regé, Jr. isn't making awesome comics, he can be found making music, and this Wednesday, he'll be making a rare, special appearance at the Hyperion Tavern as "The Discombobulated Ventriloquist," performing songs on his new Casiotone mt400v! Do not miss this! (more info)   Thursday, January 10th • Seattle, WA: Our extraordinary Love and Rockets 30th Anniversary exhibit comes to an end at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, so make a visit to see it in person while you can, or check out our…

The sweetest tea of Online Commentaries & Diversions:  • Review: The Atlantic writes on The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio. Noah Berlatsky looks at it from every angle, "The boys' love genre, then, freed Hagio and her audience to cross and recross boundaries of identity, sexuality, and gender…Bodies and character flicker in and out, a sequence of surfaces, tied together less by narrative than by the heightened emotions of melodrama—jealousy, anger, trauma, desire, friendship, and love in the heart of Thomas." • Plug: David Brothers and Comics Alliance posts a preview of The Heart of Thomas plus a few…

1) Make your very own comics. 2) Learn about graphic novels.3) Party at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. It's the perfect weekend plan! So, join us on Saturday, January 26th for the Graphic Novel Panel 2013, held by our friends at the Seattle Graphics Arts Guild!  The day begins at 10:30 AM with a panel on "How to Make Your Own Mini-Comic," led by beloved local cartoonist David Lasky, who will guide you through the book-constructing and storytelling process. And then at 1:00 PM, learn the ins and outs of the Graphic Novel with a panel of local artists including our…

Time for your first new-release recap of 2013, and we've got a fine variety for you (as usual). In the past month we've received the new paperback edition of Vol. I of Linda Medley's Castle Waiting, the hardcover collection of Richard Sala's Delphine, the eagerly-anticipated The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio, Jim Woodring's sketchbook art book Problematic, and classic vintage Joe Kubert in Weird Horrors & Daring Adventures. Creepy! Fantastical! Romantic! Sometimes all three! What's more, you can get these books — and everything else we offer — for 20% off right now during our New Year's Deja Vu Sale! Just use coupon code DEJAVU when checking out. Don't delay…

Hey Luuuucy! She's got her dander up about something on Seth's cover design for The Complete Peanuts 1987-1988 by Charles M. Schulz. It's the 19th volume in the series and we've reached the milestone point where Schulz switched from 4 uniform panels to a variable layout. And this volume's Foreword is by another comic strip legend, Garry Trudeau. You won't want to miss it when it comes out in March! We're giving you a sneak peek excerpt with all the strips from January 1987 which you can read right here.

Residents of Santiago, Chile: get ready to say "Bienvenido" to The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008! On Friday, January 11th, co-editor Nico Vassilakis — along with Crystal Curry, José Luis Bobadilla Acevedo and Gregorio Fontén — will host an evening of readings, and the launch of an accompanying exhibition! Books will be available for purchase on site for signing by these wonderful poets! The launch party will be held at 19:00 at Taller Bloc at the Jose Manuel Infante located at No. 1428, Providence.

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department:  Problematic: Sketchbook Drawings 2004-2012 by Jim Woodring 364-page black & white 5.25" x 8" hardcover • $28.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-594-5 See Previews / Order Now Order this book and receive this FBI•MINI comic shown here as a FREE bonus! Click here for details. Limit one per customer while supplies last. If you are one of the fortunate thousands who enjoy untangling the enigmatic images that fill Jim Woodring's comics and drawings, Problematic is just the book for you to put under your pillow and dream on. Woodring is a devotee of the pocket-sized Moleskine…