Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…I’ll admit it: I did not expect to read a Frank book whose final panel made me go 'Awwww!' …[T]he journey [in Congress of the Animals] takes Frank so far afield that at some point (probably when he gets lost at sea and washes up on some distant shore) he ends up outside the Unifactor’s confines. New information can now enter his world… And at that point all hell breaks loose…which in a Frank comic is to say it doesn’t break loose at all." – Sean T. Collins, Attentiondeficitdisorderly • Review: "I don't…
EC & ZAP announcements & reax
Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter had first crack at reporting on our EC Comics Library series and talked to our chief and editor of the series, Gary Groth: "The intention, says the publisher, is to present the material to a new generation that may not have been exposed to the EC Comics except in fits and starts, and to better underline specific artistic achievements of creators like Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood and Bernard Krigstein…. 'I'm leaning toward treating each individual book as an individual book, customized to the individual artist,' Groth stated. 'I want to get away from treating…
Esther Pearl Watson Presents Lady Comix Art
One of the many awesome things about San Diego Comic-Con was getting to chat with pioneer of female comic art, Joyce Farmer, and current champion of the ladies, Esther Pearl Watson. We talked about how it wasn't always so easy to be a woman in the comics world. So, a show like this, spotlighting the latest wave of amazing women artists, just makes me really, really happy. Lady Comix Art opens this Saturday, July 30th at the Webb Gallery in Waxahachie, TX. Curated by our own Esther Pearl Watson, the show features fellow female Fantagraphics artists like Dame Darcy and…
Bringing Black Eyes to Brooklyn
As we've mentioned before on the FLOG, there's a new anthology out now on Rotland Press packing a serious punch of Fantagraphics artists: Black Eye 1: Graphic Transmissions to Cause Ocular Hypertension. Included in this collection is work from Al Columbia, Robert Goodin, Glenn Head, Michael Kupperman, Mark Newgarden, and Jon Vermilyea. Brooklynites can get their own black eye — I mean, Black Eye — by heading over to Desert Island on Thursday, August 4th, where our own Michael Kupperman, Glenn Head, and Mark Newgarden will be signing along with many other artists! You can put up your fists starting…
Things to See (and Buy): Drew Friedman’s Will Elder portrait
The latest print available from Drew Friedman's online Fine Art concern is this magnificent portrait of one of Drew's artistic heroes and a subject near and dear to our own hearts: Will Elder, the Mad Playboy of Art himself. Drew depicts Villy in his studio, brushes at the ready. These suckers are limited-edition, signed by Drew and perhaps will provide you with your own artistic inspiration.
The Men Who Grew Their Beards
Artist Johnny Ryan Marketing Director Mike Baehr Artist Tom Neely In a hilarious concept devised by fellow Mome artist Robert Goodin, Fantagraphics artists, employees and friends celebrated the SDCC debut of Belgian cartoonist Olivier Schrauwen’s first American book The Man Who Grew His Beard by adding their own chins to the cover! (But, hey, where's Rob's beard in all of this?)
Daily OCD: 7/27/11
Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Macherot’s animals are cute and full of character, from the porcupine sheriff to the cigar-smoking, shop-keeping bird. Visually they resemble Walt Kelly’s Pogo, with backgrounds that will look familiar to anybody who ever watched The Smurfs cartoon…. There might be more slapstick than the average post-elementary school reader can appreciate, but the adorable art, amiable characters, and a thrilling late-story air battle will keep you interested until the end. Best of all are the brief glimpses at domestic country mouse mundanity, like Sibyl-Anne’s love for baking pies and the aside where she and…
New Comics Day 7/27/11: Gil Jordan, Sibyl-Anne, The Raven
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. Gil Jordan, Private Detective: Murder by High Tide by M. Tillieux 96-page full-color 8.5" x 11.25" hardcover • $18.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-451-1 Sibyl-Anne Vs. Ratticus by R. Macherot 64-page full-color 8.5" x 11.25" hardcover • $16.95ISBN: 978-1-60699-452-8 "Fantagraphics is bringing some acclaimed Post-Herge all-ages comics to American audiences, and this week sees…
Daily OCD: 7/26/11
We'll be catching up on the past week's Online Commentary & Diversions over the next several days. • Review: "Fantagraphics Books, which has previously done such an amazing job of collecting other classic comic strips like Prince Valiant and Peanuts , once again hits it out of the park with this collection [Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 1]…. From the beautifully reproduced strips to the densely packed ancillary features, this must be the book that editors David Gerstein and Fantagraphics’ co-founder Gary Groth wanted for years for their own libraries. Their enthusiasm shows in the wonderfully designed package. This book…
Congratulations to our 2011 Inkpot Winners
Well, well, we've got some real humble artists here at Fantagraphics! This past weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, Inkpot Awards were received by our artists Joyce Farmer, Frank Stack, and editor Bill Schelly! But no one brought their award back to the booth! So, instead you get this absolutely charming photo of Joyce and Frank. Congratulations to all of you! So well deserved!
