Fantagraphics Blog

Here are some great photos of Robert Crumb at the opening of R. Crumb: Lines Drawn On Paper at the Society of Illustrators in NYC last Friday (March 25). The top two are by Rob Sussman; the bottom one, with Bob in a saucy pose with SOI director Anelle Miller, is by Jordin Isip; all were provided by Drew Friedman (thanks Drew!). UPDATE: More great pics by Edel Rodriguez here!

The Beat shares Peter Bagge's cover art for the new issue of Reason magazine.

* Other People's Publications** Yeah, You Know Me.  One of the things I like about this writing this column is getting the chance to spotlight some great titles that Fantagraphics didn't publish ourselves.  But, I'm especially thrilled when I get to present books that are self-published, like this week's spotlighted comic, Thunder in the Building #2!   Admittedly, I wasn't familiar with local artist Margaret Ashford-Trotter until we started carrying her latest comic, that she published herself with funds from the Xeric Foundation.  Her drawing style reminds me a little of Adrian Tomine, and the storyline was certainly gripping, revolving…

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): "Peter Criss Diary" by Steven Weissman (view at original size): — And elsewhere: Belligerent Piano by Tim Lane: Lucky by Gabrielle Bell: Maakies by Tony Millionaire: Mugwhump the Great by Roger Langridge (at Act-i-vate): The Pain — When Will It End? by Tim Kreider (from 1994, with artist's statement): Truth Serum by Jon Adams: Underworld by Kaz & co. (click for animated strip):

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "…I can safely say that this graphic novel [Stigmata] offers a different experience (in a good way) from any I have read before. Lorenzo Mattotti's line-based art is a perfect expression of the mystical, sometimes demonic aspects of this tale. Instead of areas of solid black, he uses dense cross-hatching to create dark areas within frames full of swirling lines which suggest both Bruno's unsettled state of mind and also the very fluidity of experience. Scenes and characters appear and disappear out of these dense networks as if from a dense fog, and…

Seattle Channel Video can be played in Flash Player 9 and up If you're in Seattle, tune in to the Seattle Channel's Art Zone program tonight at 8 PM as they broadcast a feature on Jim Woodring! Check out a preview clip embedded above. If you miss the premiere airing, don't worry, there's a full schedule of repeats to follow, and/or if you're outside the broadcast area, video will be available online too (in fact, I think the player above might play the full episode after it broadcasts).

Here's a brief video profile from 2008 which introduces you to Eye of the Majestic Creature creator Leslie Stein. In it she discusses her creative processes and her comics inspirations, including Charles Burns and Peter Bagge (the latter of whom she'll be appearing with in NYC very soon — stay tuned for an announcement). It's part of a series of "video portraits" created by the website Etsy to spotlight artists who use the site to sell their wares — here's Leslie's page where you can buy her self-published comics and artwork.

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Luminous really is the right word for the visuals here [in R.I.P.: Best of 1985-2004]: Their pure-white-on-pure-black construction makes every line and reverse-negative shading — carved out with scalpel precision — practically shine forth from the glossy black and white pages. Like Charles Burns’s inks or Drew Friedman’s stippling, Thomas Ott’s scratchboard work is art to be marveled at as much as read." – Sean T. Collins, The Comics Journal • Review: "This initial collection is the perfect means of discovering or rediscovering Crane’s second magnum opus — spectacular, enthralling, exotically immediate adventures…

Renowned Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn uses his guest editorship at Magnet magazine to espouse Franco-Belgian comics and Jacques Tardi in particular: "One of my favorites was Tardi’s series about a female private detective in fin-de-siecle Paris named Adèle Blanc-Sec. Fantagraphics has now released some of the Adèle stories in a form worthy of the original editions. They’ve put out other Tardi titles as well. This is exciting, even if I have them at home in French. It’s fun to think of a whole new audience discovering the work of such a great graphic novelist!"