Fantagraphics Blog

It was exactly 2 years ago today that I first reported on some mysterious Jim Woodring artwork that appeared to be for a Frank pinball machine. Today our very own pinball aficionado Larry Reid sent me a link which sheds light on that unexplained image! Pinball collector and Woodring fan Eli Curtz commissioned the artwork from Jim, and then commissioned Classic Playfield Reproductions to produce a custom backglass (the vertical backlit display above/behind the playfield) for a homebrew Frank machine that Eli is constructing. This is just about the coolest thing I've ever seen. The backglass was produced in a…

The Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack rings in the New Year with a festive celebration of visual and performing arts throughout the historic industrial arts corridor. Please join us on Saturday, January 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM for this colorful cultural event. Among the highlights of the January 8 Art Attack: Our uniquely amazing Georgetown Trailer Park Mall includes the Comet Lodge Mercantile Trailer hosting the "Le Marche' Noir" trunk show, a collection of upcycled garments created by Parisian artist & designer Elisabeth Vedrine, and the Lula B Lightning Trailer presenting limited edition "Strange Religion" chap books by Amanda…

Our 3-day Inventory Reduction Sale ends tonight at midnight Pacific time and the response has been overwhelming! It's been working a little too well — a few items are now backordered, including Locas II, Luba, and the Krazy & Ignatz hardcover volumes. We have more on the way, so you can still order them at 40% off and we'll ship them to you in the 2nd week of January. Thanks everyone for the incredible response, and don't forget to get your order in before it's all over!

A pair of interviews with our staff have gone up today. First, The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon chats with Jason T. Miles about his job here, his own comics, and his zine distro Profanity Hill. Next, at The Comics Journal, check out the first part of Chris Mautner's chat with Eric Reynolds about editing our quarterly anthology Mome. Good job, fellas! UPDATE: Part 2 of the interview with Eric is up now.

The Strange Case of Edward Gorey (Expanded Hardcover Edition) by Alexander Theroux 168-page black & white 6.25" x 9.25" hardcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-384-2 Ships in: January 2011 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now The Strange Case of Edward Gorey is the most authentic portrait yet of this truly enigmatic American artist and writer of macabre, ghoulish illustrated books. It is a respectful and insightful consideration not only of the intriguing pen-and-ink drawings but of the inventive, opinionated and eccentric person himself. A balletomane, cat-lover, unbelievably wide reader, collector of many and surprising objects, and mad filmgoer, Gorey had many selves….

We are pleased to be distributing the new self-published issue of Sammy Harkham's great comic book series Crickets to comics specialty shops, scheduled to arrive today! We have a very limited number of copies available for order through our website for those of you who don't have a shop in your local area. (While we don't necessarily want to discourage you from ordering it from us, we do encorage you to obtain it from your local shop if at all possible.) We will also have a handful of copies available at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery starting tomorrow. Crickets #3 by…

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: Comic Book Resources continues counting down their Top 100 Comics of 2010. In today's batch: #71: Werewolves of Montpellier by Jason: "Every time Jason dives into an age-old genre he finds a way to make it seem alien. His cast of animal characters feel like an emotionally suppressed oven full of loaded guns. His expedition into werewolf tales brings all of these elements together throughout its rooftop chases and playful approach to the supernatural." – Brian Warmoth #67: It Was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi: "You want to know how…

Inspired by our recent graphic memoir triumphs You'll Never Know and Special Exits, and prompted by a reader request or two, we've gathered our memoir and autobiographical titles into their own section on our website. (The link can also be found under "Interests" in our "Browse Shop" menu.) Note that these are comics whose main content is autobiographical in nature; you can still find autobiographical strips and stories in other titles found elsewhere. It's also possible we've missed one or two titles, so if you notice any omissions, please let us know. Our memoir & autobio books are from a…

See an exclusive 7-page excerpt from King of the Flies Vol. 2: The Origin of the World at TIME.com – Techland! Introducing the pages, Douglas Wolk says "The first volume of European comics creators Mezzo and Pirus' King of the Flies, subtitled Hallorave, was one of the creepiest graphic novels of 2010… The follow-up, The Origin of the World, comes out soon, and it makes the story's vortex of terror spin even faster — the vibe is somewhere between Charles Burns' Black Hole and Blue Velvet, with a soundtrack of Misfits singles, Stones bootlegs and too-intense techno."

Holy feck! How I love this magnificent rendition of the dramatis personæ of Father Ted (the classic Britcom co-created by one of our funniest fans, Graham Linehan) by Roger Langridge.