Fantagraphics Blog

Roger Ash of Westfield Comics conducted a very informative Q&A with David Gerstein, co-editor (along with Gary Groth) of our forthcoming series of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson. It's a must-read for anyone who's been looking forward to these reprints! A sample: "Mickey’s brave, witty, imaginative and incredibly daring in Gottfredson’s stories. He’s a scrapper, ready to fight for what he believes in; but he’s not always right about what he thinks is right, so he can create a mess for himself and have to do some great soul-searching afterwards – serious and funny at once (which is…

Another death in the family, alas. When I created Critters back in the 1980s, it was largely so that I'd have a publication in which I could publish the work of cartoonists within the funny-animal genre that I liked (Stan Sakai, Freddy Milton, J. Quagmire, and Steven Gallacci), as well as on occasion chiseling some work out of other cartoonists in the same ballpark (Jim Engel, Mike Kazaleh, Ty Templeton, and Mark Armstrong). A side benefit was that as the comic became better known, I started to receive submissions from other cartoonists, several of whom became regulars in the magazine….

Since its inception in February 2008, the Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack has warmed the hearts of Seattle art patrons. This lovely showcase of adventurous visual and performing arts enters its fourth year on February 12, just in time for Valentine's. What better way to celebrate this romantic occasion than with boisterous revelry in the heart of Seattle's historic Georgetown industrial arts quarter? Among the programming on February 12: Rat City Brass in concert at the 9 Lb. Hammer; the first annual "Freakfest" at the Mix featuring Ramona the Band, burlesque acts, DJs and more; "The Chair Project" at Seattle…

[The Comics Journal interns Laura Pieroni and Chi-Wen Lee put together a series of discussion questions about Linda Medley's Castle Waiting Vol. 2 for use in book clubs. As these questions are intended for those who have read the book, please be warned that they may contain mild spoilers. – Ed.] Synopsis: Linda Medley's fairy-tale misfits are back in the second volume of Castle Waiting. While some of Castle Waiting's residents reminisce, a Hammerling pair ventures to the castle for assistance in putting together a woman's wardrobe. In return for Lady Jain's help with the clothes, the Hammerlings assist in…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "[The Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec] is Tardi riffing on the sensational and wordy mysteries of the era just removed from the Victorian period. […] So it's intentionally silly and comically austere. […] This, for me, is all about the art, the cartooning, and the post-Victorian subject matter. While the stories are somewhat light, with intentionally flat dialogue, it's all a wonder to behold. A fantastic looking book to tuck next to my Tintins." – Paul Montgomery, iFanboy • Review: "…I bring to you my second choice for best of 2010: Werewolves of Montpellier…

Dungeon Quest, Book 2 by Joe Daly 136-page black & white 6" x 8.25" softcover • $12.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-436-8 Ships in: March 2011 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Millennium Boy, Steve, Lash Penis, and Nerdgirl continue on their twin mystical quests to find the missing parts of the Atlantean Resonator Guitar, as well as to locate the prophet and poet Bromedes and return his borrowed penis sheath, in this second hilarious, violent, and rip-roaringly entertaining installment of Joe (The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book) Daly's role-playing-game-inspired graphic novel series. Fortified and empowered with a brand new collection of weapons and…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: The number ten original graphic novel on Greg Burgas's "Best Ten of 'Ten" at Comic Book Resources is Cathy Malkasian's Temperance: "Malkasian’s odd fable is a haunting book about hiding your true self, coming to grips with deceit, and the necessity of striking out from the safety of home to discover new and possibly dangerous things. […] Temperance is an amazing comic, always a bit oblique but never impenetrable… It’s a weird book that feels like a dream, which allows Malkasian to use metaphor to reveal fundamental truths. Malkasian is a superb creator,…

Another wonderful animated short from Steven Weissman and crew! It's a slightly longer one which means the return of the end credits theme song, yay.

[In this installment of our series of Editors Notes, Kim Thompson interviews himself (in a format he's dubbed "AutoChat") about The Arctic Marauder by Jacques Tardi, now available to pre-order from us and coming soon to a comics shop near you. – Ed.] Hey, whoa, another Tardi book? Didn't the last one come out like three months ago? Yeah, sorry. The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec Volume 1 ran a little late because of designer bottleneck, and then this one was on time. Not that I'm complaining. So, what made you select this one out of the dozens of Tardi…