Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Commentary: The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon responds to The Comics Journal's Love and Rockets love–fest yesterday with some thoughts of his own: "I agree with Nadel, Santoro, Tomine and many of the comment-makers that Jaime Hernandez's new work represents a phenomenal achievement. I'm maybe not as interested in finding its place in the pantheon right this second. There's plenty of time for that down the road. One thing that's exciting and should never be denied about a creative achievement on the level of what Hernandez seems to have given us here is what that…
First Look: Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives Vol. 1
Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives Vol. 1 went to the printer today and series editor Blake Bell celebrates by revealing the final cover art for the book — a snappy number designed by Alexa Koenings in our art department. At Blake's blog you can see the entire cover spread (front, back and spine) and read Blake's thoughts and background info on the book, which is due in December.
Feast your eyes on Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture
Speaking of gorgeous art books that we just got advance copies of… Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture – A Career Retrospective arrived at the office today. Page after page after page of mouthwatering eye candy from one of the undisputed giants of illustration, all wrapped up in Tony Ong's eye-catching carnival-esque design. Just showing one spread like this does not do the book justice AT ALL, so be on the lookout for our upcoming previews!
One percent of Tony Millionaire’s 500 Portraits
We got our advance copies of Tony Millionaire's 500 Portraits at the office yesterday and man oh man, what a gorgeous little book. Designed by our Art Director Emeritus Jacob Covey and smartly edited by Jacob and Eric Reynolds (Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Ian MacKaye, Louis Armstrong and Léon Theremin in one spread? Genius), this is going to be the must-have gift book for the holidays. Stay tuned for more and better previews!
Get Down with Walt Disney’s Donald Duck on Halloween!
Fantagraphics Books is offering a tasty treat this Halloween season — a FREE Donald Duck mini-comic by cartoon genius Carl Barks! In the "Jet Witch," our plucky duck buzzes Duckburg on a jet-powered broom. Predictably, all manner of hilarious Halloween havoc ensues. This story from 1961 provides a preview of the delicious treats to come in Fantagraphics forthcoming series The Carl Barks Library, with the first volume Walt Disney's Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes arriving next month. For information on where to find this Halloween favor visit Comicshoplocator.com.
Serafinowicz & Kupperman, sitting in a tree
British comedy giant Peter Serafinowicz just can't seem to stop tweeting about Michael Kupperman's new book Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910-2010 and I just can't stop posting screenshots. I'm excited, okay? Shut up!
Daily OCD: 10/17/11
Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Every now and then, if I’m lucky, I might just bump into a stone cold masterpiece. The kind of art that makes you just want to shout and scream it is so good. So, in the interest of doing just that, let me say that this Jaime Hernandez’s 'The Love Bunglers' (Love and Rockets: New Stories no. 4) is such a work. I don’t even need to qualify it for myself (i.e. 'what’s coming later; what’s come before; shouldn’t there be a cooling period?') when I say: This is not just Jaime’s finest work, but…
Wilfred Santiago celebrates yet another Roberto Clemente milestone anniversary
Wilfred Santiago, creator of 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente, celebrates another Clemente milestone anniversary today: the 40th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Pirates' 1971 World Series victory, for which Clemente was named series MVP.
Things to See: Laura Park recipe comic at Saveur
Laura Park contributes a recipe comic for a quick-n-easy, tasty-sounding dish at fancy-pants foodie mag Saveur — click through to read the whole thing. [See our Tumblr blog for more recent Things to See.]
Twain in the Membrane: Twain About Town!
photo credit: the great Alex Cox from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund The reports of Mark Twain's death were greatly exaggerated indeed! Why, he's been all over the New York area lately, promoting the smash-hit Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910-2010, as transcribed by the wonderful humorist and cartoonist Michael Kupperman. Here he is, at the New York Comic-Con this past weekend, signing with our friends at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund… photo credit: M. Sweeney Lawless …meeting Chewbacca… photo credit: Emily Flake …Oscar the Grouch… photo credit: M. Sweeney Lawless … and making lots of new friends! You can…
