Fantagraphics Blog

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship: Even More Old Jewish Comedians by Drew Friedman 36-page full-color 10" x 10" hardcover • $16.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-489-4 See Previews / Order Now Master caricaturist/portraitist Drew Friedman’s spectacular visual tribute to, well, old Jewish comedians returns with a third and concluding installment that throws its net a bit wider to include a few women (Olive Oyl voice Mae Questel, Ed Sullivan show regular Jean Carroll, and The Rise of the Goldbergs creator Gertrude Goldberg); a handful of more contemporary figures (Richard Belzer, whose Law & Order: SVU gig has eclipsed his stand-up…

Our weekly strips from Kupperman & Weissman, plus links to other strips from around the web: — Up All Night by Michael Kupperman (view at original size): Barack Hussein Obama by Steven Weissman (view at original size): And elsewhere: Belligerent Piano by Tim Lane: Forming by Jesse Moynihan: Humblug by Arnold Roth (3 new udpates!): Keeping Two by Jordan Crane: Maakies by Tony Millionaire: Truth Serum by Jon Adams:

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "The initial cartoons in [Willie & Joe: Back Home] show Willie and Joe struggling to adjust to civilian life and usually failing, albeit not without letting out a sardonic quip…. Eventually Willie and Joe faded into the background, however, as Mauldin started focusing more on other problems facing returning grunts — a housing shortage, trouble finding work — and then rather savagely (and rather bluntly) went after racists and right-wing extremists…. The end result is a collection of cartoons that both read like the work of someone desperate to rage against perceived injustices as loudly…

(click for larger version) We were very sad to learn of the death of F. Solano López, the great Argentine cartoonist whose many contributions to Fantagraphics over the years included the graphic novel Ana, the Jim Woodring-penned Freaks adaptation, and many, many pages of delightful X-rated comics for Young Witches and Sexy Symphonies. I will be penning a full obituary/appreciation of Solano for TCJ.com over the weekend; in the meantime, courtesy of Jim W., here is a bona fide Solano López oddity, the first page of an aborted adaptation of the 1959 movie The Wasp Woman created by the Freaks…

Every time I visit Fantagraphics office I damn near trip over Julie Doucet's cat carrier, which has been at the foot of the back stairs since she resided in the apartment upstairs in 1993. I worked as Fantagraphics beer tech back then – the "Summer of Hate" in Seattle. A blur of rock shows, cartoonist signings, art events, and parties. This was before the grunge movement had been corrupted by corporations and devastated by drugs. Great fun! I wish I could remember it. Occupational hazard, I suppose. I wonder what happened to Julie's cat. (Has anybody looked inside the carrier?)

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review/Interview: Vice's Nick Gazin looks at The Complete Peanuts 1981-1982 — "I expected that the quality of the Peanuts comics would be waning by now, but I’m still laughing at the jokes and recognizing the personalities of characters I know in the gang…. It’s a beautifully designed, thick, brickish volume with lots of memorable storylines…. All in all it’s a beautiful two years worth of Charles Schulz’s creative output. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you think." — and talks to Monte Schulz about his dad's work on the strip — "The early 80s…

  One of the great pleasures of working at Fantagraphics Bookstore in Georgetown is the amazing people I meet. Like Pam, from Classic Helicopters at the south end of Boeing Field. She treated me, John and my daughter Bella to a 45-minute chopper tour of the region on Tuesday morning. Highlights included a breathtaking look down Snoqualmie Falls, a bird's eye view of the Space Needle, and a spectacular look at the Seattle skyline from above the stadiums. Here we are hovering near Lake Washington with hella Bella at the controls. Look out below!

The Complete Peanuts 1981-1982 (and the 1979-1982 box set) is scheduled to hit comic shops next week and PREVIEWSworld presents a 5-page preview with strips from February-April 1981!

From designer Alexa Koenings here's the striking final cover design for Steve Duin and Shannon Wheeler's Oil and Water, coming in late Fall/early Winter. It's similar to the preliminary design we've already shown you, with some small but important differences. We're hoping to have the bottom half of "OIL" printed with iridescent metallic stamping for that authentic oil-spill sheen, which should look pretty fantastic if it works out. We're also excited to share this advance praise we received from Jeff Lemire, creator of Essex County and Sweet Tooth: "Oil and Water is smart, informative and completely engaging. We experience the…