Fantagraphics Blog

The Real Comet Press Retrospective reception at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday was a festive affair. A very special canine friend appeared courtesy of former Fantagraphics administrative assistant Kirsten Olsen and her husband Greg: the infamous "Poodle With a Mohawk" in person. DJ Russ of Fallout fame with the Charles Burns-inspired beer of the same name, which made its debut at the party. Northwest comix legend Michael Dougan appeared to sign copies of East Texas and pay tribute to his first publisher. What a fun event. [Ed. Note: Stay tuned for even more photos and video from the event!]

  Our friend Jo David sends along this Jack Davis drawing on the cover of what is most assuredly an entertaining read. Rest in peace Davy. We'll meet you at the station. [Ed. Note: You can see a bigger scan of this cover on our Tumblr blog.]

Susan E. Kirtley discusses Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass with Cathy Hillenbrand at Fantagraphics Bookstore on Saturday, March 24 The idiosyncratic work of cartoonist Lynda Barry, a Seattle native, is the subject of a new book by Portland author Susan E. Kirtley. Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass is the first comprehensive critique of this influential American artist. Kirtley will discuss her book with Real Comet Press publisher Cathy Hillenbrand, who published Barry’s first four books, on Saturday, March 24, at 6:00 PM at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. An informal reception and book signing will follow the discussion. This event coincides with the…

Wondering where Stan Sakai is gonna be this weekend??? …Oh, right, it's in the headline. Yes, Sakai-san will be at WonderCon this weekend, and you can find him all three days at Table D-4, as in bring dollars 4 buying copies of the very early Usagi Yojimbo trades and some art, as he reports on Facebook he will have on hand.  WonderCon runs from Friday, March 16th to Sunday, March 18th, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

It's Back to School time for the Hernandez Brothers! Gilbert, Jaime, & Mario will be the guests of honor, speaking to Professor Charles Hatfield's class on Monday, March 26th at the California State University, Northridge (in greater Los Angeles). Class will be in session from 4:30 to 6:00 PM in Jerome Richfield Hall, Room 319. And, no test anxiety — you don't have to be a student to attend! This event is free, open to the public, and is sure to be an inspiring and entertaining evening!

The Northern Illinois Unversity Art Museum in DeKalb, IL is keepin' it real this Spring with the exhibition “Graphic Novel Realism: Backstage at the Comics,” curated by our own Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist, artist and editor, Paul Karasik! The exhibit runs from Tuesday, March 20th through Friday, May 25th and features the work of Joyce Farmer, Jaime Hernandez, Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash, as well as Jason Lutes, Seth and James Sturm. Paul states, “These seven artists are united by a rigorous working process utilizing a variety of source materials that ground their comics in the real world, no…

  I'm not one for popularity contests, but this one is special. VOTE LUCKY #13. There's some stiff competition in Jerry Rice, Jerry Brown, Willie Brown, and even a few non-Jerry/Brown public figures in the Bay Area. But let's face it, none of them wear their smooth pates as well as Mr. Inkstud  himself. 

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "For almost 40 years, from Women’s Comix to the Nation, underground comics pioneer Noomin has shared painfully hilarious episodes from the life of DiDi Glitz, who’s partly her alter ego, but mostly a dreadful example of what a woman who’s not hip or self-aware can do to herself. Occasionally exploiting but usually exploited, DiDi is enthusiastically tasteless and (barely) sensitive enough to realize that there’s something missing in her life. Pursuing cheap sex as the only intimacy she can imagine, she’s usually wearing stiletto heels and fishnet stockings, with a blonde beehive wig…

Gary Panter Talk from MOCAD on Vimeo. “Gary Panter speaks at MOCAD on March 2, 2012 as part of ‘Joshua White and Gary Panter’s Light Show’ on view February 10-April 29, 2012. “Prolific comic artist and punk art prankster, Gary Panter, has influenced multiple generations of artists. He has created iconic designs for albums by The Screamers, The Residents, and Red Hot Chili Peppers; been involved with seminal LA punk zine/label Slash; created the Jimbo comic, which frequently appeared in Art Spiegelman’s RAW magazine; and, most popularly, designed groundbreaking sets for Pee-wee Herman’s children’s show Pee-wee’s Playhouse in the 1980s.”…