Fantagraphics Blog

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Stein's cartooning is broad and trippy, and if she occasionally becomes intoxicated with her own gimlet-eyed sensibility, she's never afraid to turn that dark wit on herself. Eye of the Majestic Creature… is ultimately the tale of a young woman rejecting the things that shaped her and attempting to figure out what comes next for her. Thanks to Stein's loose, amiable approach, you'll want to know that, too." – Glen Weldon, NPR Monkey See • Review: "Readers needing their Peter Bagge and/or Hate fix will always get it, to some degree, in the…

We're resuming offering some finds from our recent clean-sweep of our attic on eBay. Our current offering: The Voyage of the Ayeguy, a 1980 limited edition set of painting reproductions from renowned sci-fi artist Josh Kirby. Bidding closes on Sunday.

[The Comics Journal intern Brittany Matter put together this series of discussion questions about Monte Schulz's novel The Last Rose of Summer for use in book clubs. As this is intended for those who have read the book and contains spoilers, the questions can be found behind the jump. Monte Schulz appears tomorrow, June 2, 2011, at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco to discuss his work and that of his late father, Charles M. Schulz. – Ed.]

Synopsis:

The second book in Monte Schulz’ Jazz Age trilogy (the first, This Side of Jordan, was released in 2009; the last, The Big Town, will be released in 2012), The Last Rose of Summer examines the relationships among three women under the same roof in late 1920s Bellemont, East Texas: Maude, Marie and Rachel. Marie and her two small children, Cissie and Henry, are sent by her husband Harry to live with his mother Maude while he is on business elsewhere. Marie observes her sister-in-law Rachel’s tempestuous love life while trying to abide by Maude’s house rules, keep track of her children and provide for her family. When a boy is found dead in the river, Marie worries that his killer may still be lurking in the shadows. As a Northerner, she is also disturbed by the town’s overt racism, especially that of her in-laws. Meanwhile, she resists the advances of her boss, Jimmy Delahaye.

A crew from MTV Geek was at the 2011 MoCCA festival filming creator interviews, and now they're up! Dig these fun chats with… Peter Bagge (part 1 embedded here; click thru for parts 2-4): Tags: Geek: Event Coverage, MTV Games Leslie Stein (part 1 embedded here; click thru for part 2): Tags: Geek: Event Coverage, MTV Games Gahan Wilson (part 1 embedded here; click thru for part 2): Tags: Geek: Event Coverage, MTV Games Bonus! Here's Charles Burns talking about X'ed Out (part 1 embedded here; click thru for parts 2-4): Tags: Geek: Event Coverage, MTV Games

Iconoclastic cartoonist Jim Woodring will be touring the Northwest in June behind the release of his latest masterpiece, Congress of the Animals. Woodring will appear in Minneapolis, Portland, and Seattle to sign books and illuminate the allusions in his second full-length graphic novel. In Congress of the Animals we are treated to the pitiful spectacle of Woodring's signature protagonist Frank losing his house, taking a factory job, falling in with bad company, fleeing the results of sabotage, escaping in an amusement park ride, surviving a catastrophe at sea, traveling across hostile terrain toward a massive temple seemingly built in his image, being…

The new Diamond Previews catalog is out today and in it you'll find our usual 2-page spread with our releases scheduled to arrive in your local comic shop in August 2011 (give or take — some release dates have changed since the issue went to press). We're pleased to offer additional and updated information about these upcoming releases here on our website, to help shops and customers alike make more informed ordering decisions. (And we'll continue and hopefully improve this feature every month!) You'll find hotly-anticipated titles like the next Love and Rockets, Oil & Water (both "Certified Cool"!), the…

Back from the U.S. holiday with Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Publishers Weekly's Laurel Maury reports that The Armed Garden and Other Stories by David B. was named one of the "Hot Fall Graphic Novels For Libraries 2011" by a panel of experts at BEA last weekend, with Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 1 by Floyd Gottfredson, Wandering Son Vol. 1 by Shimura Takako, Nuts by Gahan Wilson and Congress of the Animals by Jim Woodring all receiving Honorable Mentions • Review: "Jacques Tardi is pretty awesome, y’all. But then, you already knew that…. This sucker [The Arctic Marauder] is from 1974….

Our homeboy Marc Palm created this Filmation-style Prison Pit fan art, which Johnny Ryan posted over at his blog, where you can find out the inarguable reasoning behind Marc's color choices.