Fantagraphics Blog

If you're a member of the press, retailer or other comics industry person who needs a digital file of one of our logos for any reason (such as the above emblem by Daniel Clowes), we've just uploaded a selection of them to a Flickr set for you to grab and use. (If you need vector files, you'll still have to contact us.) And don't forget to check out all of our other digital assets on our Resources for Press and Retailers page!

  Larry Reid greets the crowd at Better Tardi Than Never Merci beaucoup! Thank you to everyone who attended the opening of our latest exhibit on Jacques Tardi, "Better Tardi Than Never: How France's Greatest Living Cartoonist Took a Mere 32 Years to Break Through to American Audiences." It was especially wonderful to see our friends from the Alliance Française de Seattle. Not only did we present the world debut of Tardi's fifth book, the epic "icepunk" tale The Arctic Marauder, but we were fortunate to have Fantagraphics co-publisher, editor, and Tardi translator Kim Thompson on hand for the always-informative…

Our Free Comic Book Day offering for this year is a 32-page doozy featuring strips from Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 1: Race to Death Valley by Floyd Gottfredson! There's also some bonus material included like an intro by series co-editor David Gerstein, an essay by certified Disney Legend Floyd Norman, and the cutest photo of Gottfredson with Carl Barks you ever did see. Check out a 5-page preview at the FCBD website! FCBD is on Saturday, May 7 this year.

Readers of last Sunday's edition of the Boston Globe were treated to Jane Roy Brown's travel guide to Massachusetts roadside attractions that have been featured by Bill Griffith in Zippy the Pinhead strips! You can read the article online but it lacks the illustrations, so we've posted images of the pages (provided by Bill) above. Thanks Bill!

Due to our hectic release schedule and the geographic vagaries of distribution, our comic shop arrivals are a bit of a jumble lately. Our first two titles here may have been available at some shops last week — see last week's post for additional blurbs — and are on the official shipping list for this week; the titles listed thereafter are not on the list yet but may ship to some shops this week. We apologize for any confusion and as always entreat you to contact your local shop to confirm availability. (Ordering in advance is always a good idea,…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Created during two overseas wars, rising inequity, a city lost under flood waters, skyrocketing public debt and the largest economic crisis since the Great Depression, this collection [Twilight of the Assholes] is the pained scream of a frustrated liberal trapped in a nation whose zeitgeist, he feels, spent much of the decade steadfastly marching in lockstep to the Right. The excesses of a neo-Gilded Age provokes Kreider with often hilarious results… Sometimes vulgar and crude but often insightful, always passionate, Kreider's essays and illustrations offer a voice for a nation seemingly without hope."…

Paul Hornschemeier, who says he feels bad about not updating his blog more often, is compensating by offering 20% off everything in his online shop (prints and original art) through Thursday (March 24). See here for more details and the secret magic discount code!

So much convention news to share today! The organizers of the Small Press Expo just announced an initial lineup of featured guests for the 2011 show, one of whom is Jim Woodring! Jim hasn't been to the show in quite some time so this will be an extra treat for SPX attendees. The show's still a ways away (September 10-11) so stay tuned for further details and announcements. (No word yet on whether he'll be bringing the Nibbus Maximus with him, but we're hoping so.) CORRECTION: I should've checked my facts before posting — this will be Jim's first time…

Just announced: The Raven by Lou Reed and Lorenzo Mattotti will be making its debut at the Toronto Comics Art Festival in May! Mattotti, as previously announced, will be a Featured Guest at the festival. TCAF organizer Chris Butcher puts it best: "Look for further information on Fantagraphics’ TCAF 2011 plans, as well as feature events with Lorenzo Mattotti, as the Festival draws closer."

We're a little late in reporting this exciting news: Megan Kelso has been announced as a special guest at the Olympia Comics Festival in our state capitol of Olympia, WA! Olympia, of course, has a storied history as a mecca of zine publishing and indie culture, so we can't imagine a better fit. The festival takes place on Saturday, May 21, and we are currently hustling production of the new edition of Queen of the Black Black along in the hope of premiering it at the show. Stay tuned and mark your calendars!