Fantagraphics Blog

Steven Brower, author of From Shadow to Light: The Life and Art of Mort Meskin , is the subject of a retrospective exhibit of his acclaimed design work at The Art Institute of California — Inland Empire in San Bernardino, March 17 through April 30, 2011. There will be an opening reception and lecture March 17. Via Steven's blog .

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "If your sense of humor is still intolerant of situations in which people embarrass themselves, whether or not they’re conscious of that embarrassment, Unlovable is pretty much your nightmare. […] If there are flaws to point to here, they are: 1) that no one could possibly be as clueless and as unintentionally revelatory of that cluelessness as Tammy Pierce (i.e., that there’s too much authorial interpretation here), and 2) that, like any diary, it’s not particularly structured but instead consists of one damn thing after another (i.e., that there’s not enough shaping). That…

The world's most famous street artist paints the world's most famous blockhead in West Hollywood. Reported at Movie City News, via the SPX blog.

Diplopia is a series of jaw-droppingly stunning interconnected collaborative gouache paintings by Eleanor Davis and Katherine Guillen. Daaaamn. For sale here. UPDATE: More images & info on Eleanor's We Be Ouija blog.

It's a brand new offering from Drew Friedman Fine Art Prints: Drew's Old Jewish Comedians portrait of Joe E. Ross. Even if you're not going to buy the print, it's worth checking out the compellingly louche biographical details provided by Kliph Nesteroff & Irwin Chusid.

Tim Kreider signs and reads from his new book Twilight of the Assholes: Cartoons & Essays 2005-2009 at the Strand Bookstore in New York City tomorrow, February 17, 2011 at 7 PM. "In a slideshow, talk and Q&A, he'll wax nostalgic about the endearing atrocities and deadly foibles of the Bush administration and have a fond chuckle over the deadpan haplessness of Obama and the fascist antics of the tea party." More info here.

Now available to order (and in comic shops today): Uptight #4 by Jordan Crane 36-page black & white comic book • $3.95 Previews & Ordering Info Jordan Crane continues to display his mastery of adult drama and rollicking all-ages adventure equally in this issue of his acclaimed comic book series. This issue features the second chapters of Jordan's currently-ongoing, as-yet-untitled (as far as we know) stories introduced in the last issue. "Chapter 2: Trash Night" returns to the troubled relationship of Dee and Leo. Tensions continue to mount as Leo's suspicions about Dee reach a boiling point. Meanwhile, Simon &…

This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new titles. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators are saying about our releases this week, check out our previews at the links, and contact your local shop to confirm availability. Uptight #4 by Jordan Crane 36-page black & white comic book • $3.95 "Jordan Crane's entry into the 'Last Alt-Comic Standing' sweepstakes is as gorgeous and affecting as past issues, and I can't imagine any fan of those kinds of works not wanting to at least try it out." – Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter "…[F]or me the…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Ryan is in top form with his latest collection of Blecky Yuckerella strips, where every page brings a new round of vulgar, revolting, and offensive humor. Fans will welcome this installment of his no-holds-barred attack on polite sensibilities, while those who don't know his work will either embrace it or throw the book to the ground and run. Either way, Ryan's profane point of view, which entered the comics world with Angry Youth Comix in the mid-'90s, makes an impression. The Blecky Yuckerella strips here are brilliantly rude, their humor somehow sharp in…