Fantagraphics Blog

This 42" x 36" Jim Woodring drawing, created with his giant pen at the Lawndale Art Center in Houston, is being auctioned (along with other artworks) to benefit SKYDIVE, a local artist run center. (Via Marc Bell.)

Paul Hornschemeier hasn't even started his Life with Mr. Dangerous book tour and already he's hit a significant bump in the road, losing some key support at his other publisher. So now he's doing it DIY-style, raising funds via a sale in his online shop and just plain begging. He explains it all here. One of his tour stops is at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on June 18, so we definitely appreciate anything you can do!

Jason shares another uncolored page from his forthcoming book Athos in America, this time from the title story, at his blog. The French dialogue will be translated for our edition, of course. Basically, Athos is confused and overwhelmed by the noise, hustle and bustle, and strange food ("hot dog?") of New York City — the last line is "I feel old in New York."

Floyd Gottfredson, born on this day in 1905. I wish I could take credit for planning to post our Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 1 previews on this day specifically, but it was pure coincidence! Above, Gottfredson in 1930; below, in 1975.

A strong comics contingent was present at last weekend's Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. The L.A. Times Jacket Copy blog reports from the "World in a Frame: The Graphic Novel" panel with Daniel Clowes, Dash Shaw and Jim Woodring (above); Mark Kalesniko signed and met fans at the Hi De Ho Comics booth (below; more pics here); and no photos of Carol Tyler have turned up yet but she posted the sketch at bottom prior to her departure and relates a few non-festival experiences here (updated:) and more here. For more, Corey Blake also reports from the scene.

Renowned rock photographer Charles Peterson will be "taking punk to the masses" as he hits the airwaves this weekend on KEXP 90.3 FM! [Full disclosure: KEXP is my other home aside from Fantagraphics… and, uh, that other building… thingy… where our beds and TV… is.] Tune in this Saturday, May 7th at 7:00 pm PT as Charles guest DJ's on KEXP's Audioasis, the longest-running local music show in Seattle. He'll be spinning some of his favorite local bands, and talking to host Hannah Levin about his upcoming exhibit "Charles Peterson: Taking Punk to the Masses." KEXP's Audioasis host, Hannah Levin….

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 1: Race to Death Valley by Floyd Gottfredson 288-page black & white/color 10.5" x 8.75" hardcover • $29.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-441-2 Ships in: May 2011 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Today's America knows Mickey Mouse as a gentle do-gooder. But in his 1930s heyday, Mickey rose to fame as an epic hero — a bold, adventurous scrapper battling mobsters, kidnappers, and spies! And Mickey’s greatest feats of derring-do took place in his daily comic strip, crafted by one of history's greatest cartoonists — Floyd Gottfredson. For 25 years, Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse was a trendsetting adventure serial…

Fantagraphics is thrilled to be heading across the border for the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, this weekend, Saturday, May 7th and Sunday, May 8th! Mike Baehr and I will be on hand, and, yes, it's true… we're bringing The Mouse to Canada! In fact, just look at all the new titles we're bringing with us: • Approximate Continuum Comics by Lewis Trondheim • Captain Easy Vol. 2 by Roy Crane • Celluloid by Dave McKean • Congress of the Animals by Jim Woodring • Isle of 100,000 Graves by Jason • Take a Joke by Johnny Ryan • The Raven…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "It may seem hard to believe today, but Gottfredson’s strip was a fluid, rubber-limbed, sassy, slangy, breathless, seamless mix of absurdity and adventure. The proof is here. Fantagraphics intends to reprint the whole shooting match, and here in [Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse] Volume One are the first two years…. The various inkers and pencillers who worked on the strip are profiled, and intelligent remarks are made on the strip’s economic and cultural issues. We could only wish the reproduction on these dailies were larger; otherwise it’s pretty much an ideal volume. Rating: 9/10"…

Illustration by Jim Blanchard, The Stranger's go-to guy for dead famous people. UPDATE: The original's for sale.