Fantagraphics Blog

Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Unlike current shojo manga, Hagio's sentiment is more restrained, recounting a calmer account of destructive sibling rivalry, a quieter portrayal of a romance destined for failure, a subtle unraveling of a young woman in mourning. Her craftsmanship reflects wisdom and exercises the creative strength necessary to unravel and tie together the range of narrative threads that make up the tragedies and slow recoveries of life. … A Drunken Dream collects stories by Hagio from her beginning, middle, and current career. The consistency of her work is evidence of why she's finally being translated into…

We only just found out about this and it started at 2:30 PT, but you can still stream the program in its entirety: Jaime Hernandez & Todd Hignite appear on KCRW's Politics of Culture to discuss The Art of Jaime Hernandez with host Eric J. Lawrence today.

The "Summer of HATE!" continues at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery with a fresh batch of signed copies of Peter Bagge's HATE ANNUAL #8 available for cover price. If you haven't read this awesome issue yet, you're in for a thrill. If you have, pick one up for a friend. And while supplies last, you can also spread the HATE with a set of 10 collectable HATE postcards for the special price of only $2.48. The cards include beloved Bagge characters like Buddy and Valerie, explosions, demolition derby crackups, and more! When you're in Seattle, drop by our store for a…

We have a programming change for the presentation Gary Groth is giving at the GRAPHIC festival in Sydney this weekend. The following is a mix of Gary's words and mine: Gary was asked to speak about the history of The Comics Journal and Fantagraphics (as it says in the event description on the GRAPHIC website) but decided that that was too aggrandizing even for us, so he decided to weave those two subjects into a broader history of alternative and independent comics from the '70s to present; don't worry, though, he promises that it'll still be megalomaniacal enough to posit…

My picture-taking fell off on the last day of Comic-Con as things got even more hectic with last-minute wheeling & dealing, including our Sunday-only 20%-off-everything sale. Here are a few things I managed to capture: Peter Bagge chats with Scott McCloud (while our own Eric Reynolds and D&Q 's Jessica Campbell watch from a distance)… …and with Jeffrey Brown, visiting from the neighboring Top Shelf booth (while our own Jason T. Miles confers with Sparkplug's Dylan Williams in the background). Pete keeps his Inkpot trophy handy while Stephen DeStefano diligently signs and sketches. Carol Tyler's rad handmade Nancy brooch. Above,…

Periodic clips & strips — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources: • Yoinked from Facebook, Miss Lasko-Gross's self-portrait for the Graphic Details art show at the Cartoon Art Museum • Another Facebook find: Charles Schneider posted this new album cover illustration by Gahan Wilson • Facebook strikes again: a rejected cover sketch for Gil Kane's Savage!, from the Gil Kane Unchained page (see the final cover and read a review of the book at Guns in the Gutters) • A Jim Woodring sketch on his own letterhead from 1993 along with a 1992 interview at TCJ.com's Guttergeek • Bob…

Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "By the 1980s, however, the anti-establishment sensibility of the underground comix had been replaced by a faith in just 'do-it-yourself' — making your own 'zines,' and that sense of independence is what [editor Michael] Dowers praises [in Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s]." – George Elliott Clarke, The Chronicle Herald • Review: "…Jim Woodring's Weathercraft creates a fantastic alternative universe. …Woodring constructs a nightmarish tale in which Manhog falls victim to the villainous depredations of the all-too-aptly named Whim and the spells of the witchy pair Betty and Veronica. Those unfamiliar with…

In collaboration with Frank Oros, Tim Lane has produced another "Radio Drama" adaptation of one of his short stories, this time "Spike," which was printed in the 3rd volume of the Hotwire anthology. Download the MP3 from Tim's blog.

Drew Weing celebrated the release of his new graphic novel Set to Sea with a signing, raffle, skull cookies baked by Eleanor Davis, and pirate cut-out fun at Bizarro-Wuxtry in Athens, Georgia last Friday. More photos on Drew's Flickr page.

This sounds awesome. At her blog, Ellen Forney says: I have several posters, some original ink drawings, and a 6′ hand-painted black light banner in this show. Thunderbitch: Women Designers in Northwest Rock 1966-2010 Opening party August 5, 5-8pm Exhibit runs August 5 – 27Tether Design Gallery , 323 Occidental Ave S From DIY Xerox flyers to album covers to silkscreened posters, women designers have shaped the visual identity of music in the Northwest for decades. Artists include: Lynda Barry, Ellen Forney, Lisa Orth, Alice Wheeler, and dozens more! With live music by Barbara Ireland + Stone Gossard and Visqueen,…