Fantagraphics Blog

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. The Hidden by Richard Sala 136-page full-color 8.25" x 8.25" hardcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-386-6 "Then there’s also Richard Sala’s new book The Hidden ($19.99) about a group of strangers [description redacted due to being based on preliminary and out-of-date info – Ed.] during a global crisis. I’m going to want…

Lots and lots of images to share, and lots and lots of overflow spilling over into links: • We linked to this a while back in Daily OCD, but the interview with Lilli Carré at art:21 includes the first glimpse of her sketchbook I've ever seen (along with other art) and daaaang; Lilli also drew Groo the Wanderer for Matthew J. Brady 's theme sketchbook (there's a good one by Jeremy Tinder too) AND did this illustraton for The New York Times AND this amazing letterpress print • Is Barack Obama losing his indie cred? Drew Friedman shares his illustration…

Noah Van Sciver drew this poster for the annual pre-SPX "SPXplosion" party/comics reading/Nerdlinger Awards ceremony at Atomic Books in Baltimore on Friday night (Sept. 9, 2011, 7-9 PM)! And he will be there in person along with all the other fine folks listed on the poster and surely many others! And so should you be!

Lilli Carré made this illustration for the bookplate/prints to be affixed in books acquired by the Montgomery County Public Library through a donation from SPX's 2011 Graphic Novel Gift Program — man oh man, that is one lucky library, for the books AND the prints!

Tim Lane teases his forthcoming short story collection in-progress, Folktales, with this eye-popping splash page. The story will also run in an upcoming issue of Strapazin. This is one of those times when I regret that we discontinued Mome.

I've been hoping Michael Kupperman's animated segments for Robert Smigel's TV Funhouse show would show up online, and lo, here's one on YouTube as pointed out by Michael on Twitter — watch it before the Viacom copyright elves make it disappear…

Shimura Takako announces that her new 28-page doujinshi Aoikitoiki (青息吐息) can now be ordered through Comic Zin for ¥420. There are a few sample pages you can check out from each of the 3 short stories, "Eve Confesses," "Friend of My Brother" and "Cover Girl": (I don't know whether shipping is available outside Japan, but presumably if you're ordering this comic you read Japanese and can suss that out on the Comic Zin website.) 

Some recent action on the themed-fan-art blogs. A couple of new ones have cropped up, one just for fun and one for a very good cause: • Noah Van Sciver takes a pretty great turn at the Covered blog — between that and this Archie Noah drew I'm starting to think he might be pretty well suited to draw kids' comics • On the Repaneled blog, Steven Weissman does the Teen Titans • Jon Morris penciled and noted Plastic Man aficionado Stephen DeStefano inked this cover for the new "DC reboot covers we'd like to see" blog DC Fifty-TOO! •…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…Yeah! is a surprisingly delightful fun fantasy of kicky pop music, weird alien fans, and evil twin competition bands…. Witty, high-spirited, and thoroughly fun, it’s the greatest Saturday morning cartoon adventure that never was. Although originally in color, Fantagraphics has reprinted the series in black-and white. It’s a sound artistic (Gilbert’s art is bold and vibrant in its original inks) and economic (keeping the price under $20) decision, and while purists may argue otherwise, a black-and-white Yeah! will appeal to teens, young girls, and manga fans: a whole new market for this sadly…

R. Kikuo Johnson has launched a new website for his comics and illustration work (including his sweet-looking upcoming book for Toon Books, The Shark King). Lots of lovely stuff to browse through. Above, part of a recent short comic for Internazionale. Hat tip: The Comics Reporter.