Fantagraphics Blog

Ran out of time on Friday's Online Commentary & Diversions, so it's combined with links from the weekend: • Review: "Now Fantagraphics has risen to the fore with [Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 1:] Race to Death Valley… It’s a pretty spiffy package, sharply designed and full of smart, well-written essays that provide a rich portrait of the artist and his times, as well as some great comics…. As impressive as Gottfredson's work is, it's in the ancillary materials or 'special features' that makes this book really shine. Editors Gary Groth and David Gerstein have gone the extra mile here……

In this third installment of Rain Taxi's videos from the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis last weekend, "Jim Woodring takes the giant nib off his 7-foot pen to ink in the details of his drawing as the audience (and assistant Zak Sally) regales him with jokes."

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: Amazing Facts… and Beyond! with Leon Beyond by Kevin Huizenga: Ectiopiary by Hans Rickheit: Maakies by Tony Millionaire: Truth Serum by Jon Adams: Underworld by Kaz & co. (click for animated strip):

Spanish cartoonist Jose Tomás (who's also responsible for this homage to Johnny Ryan) barrages Peter Bagge with some dumb questions about music and lettuce, mostly.

[In this installment of our series of Editors Notes, Kim Thompson interviews himself (in a format he's dubbed "AutoChat") about Sibyl-Anne Vs. Ratticus by R. Macherot, now available to pre-order from us and coming soon to a comics shop near you. This edition is so epic, we've split it into two parts — here's Part 1 from yesterday! – Ed.] Okay, so yesterday you summed up all of Macherot’s career pre-Sibylline. He spent a decade at Tintin magazine, was lured to Spirou, his first Spirou series tanked — look, I did it in 16 words instead of thirteen hundred… Yeah,…

Matt Thorn, editor/translator of our manga books, tweeted: "Me with Moto Hagio at tonight's Japan Cartoonist Association award ceremony, where Hagio was a recipient." Hooray! (And love the new hairstyle!) But here is the pièce de résistance: "A photo I took earlier tonight of Moto Hagio in cat ears. No, seriously. Not Photoshopped." Excuse me while I go DIE FROM CUTENESS.

Kevin Huizenga has revealed the cover art for Ganges #4 over on his blog — there will be a few tweaks before it goes to press, but this is pretty close to the final version. The issue makes its debut at Comic-Con next month and it's in the Previews catalog this month (with the old cover art) for shipping to comic shops in August! (Hats off to Sean T. Collins at Robot 6 for scooping us with the reveal.)

[In this installment of our series of Editors Notes, Kim Thompson interviews himself (in a format he's dubbed "AutoChat") about Sibyl-Anne Vs. Ratticus by R. Macherot, now available to pre-order from us and coming soon to a comics shop near you. This edition is so epic, we've split it into two parts, with Part 2 appearing tomorrow! – Ed.] Okay, Sibyl-Anne is being released kind of as the other half of a matched set with Gil Jordan, which I know you’ve been a fan of since you were a kid. I assume this is another childhood favorite you’re finally getting…