Fantagraphics Blog

We're very pleased to present this interview with Cathy Malkasian conducted by contributing Mome cartoonist Robert Goodin. We typically have Fantagraphics staff members conduct these “Diaflogue” interviews, but when assigning an interviewer to talk to Cathy, I couldn't think of anyone better than Rob, who has known Cathy for years and published her first minicomics under his Robot Publishing banner. I was thrilled when Rob and Cathy agreed to have this conversation. Robert Goodin: I think you had a bit of an unusual path to comics.  Why don't you tell us about your background like education and your main profession. …

Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "So Fantagraphics recently released The Search for Smilin' Ed, which was serialized a while back but also contains a brand-new story as well. …Deitch really puts a lot on the page. And, for the most part, it's pretty fascinating. But I was struck by something in the book, and I must ask: Is this comic racist? … Deitch has a grand time twisting the way reality presents itself, bringing together his entire career in cartooning so that it all exists in the same odd universe. Deitch's intricate artwork completes this surreal adventure — it's…

Presenting some photos of Megan Kelso's Artichoke Tales book launch/signing/art exhibit opening at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery last Saturday, June 12. Thanks to everybody who came out to meet Megan, get books signed and marvel at her amazingly clean originals. Browse the whole photo set, including more shots of the artwork, on our Flickr page; there's also a slideshow embedded below. The show is up through July 7.

Jason brought our attention to this fan-made short film adapting a story from his book Sshhhh! It's quite well done.

Drew Friedman will be a guest on a live broadcast of WFMU's Seven Second Delay comedy/variety radio show from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in NYC next Wednesday, June 23. If you miss it the show will be archived here.

If you can't make it to Scott Eder Gallery to see the exhibit of Jim Woodring's original Weathercraft art (one of a trio of NYC appearances for Jim this week), you can preview the exhibit on the gallery website (spoiler alert if you haven't read the book).

Jim Woodring heads to New York this weekend for three events in three nights, beginning at Forbidden Planet in Union Square on Thursday, followed by an artist's reception at Brooklyn's Scott Eder Gallery on Friday and featuring an exhibition of all the original art from Weathercraft,  and concluding with a signing at Desert Island on Saturday (the above image is of the limited-edition silkscreen print Desert Island will be selling!). Don't miss out.  06/17/10 | 6PMNew York NYFORBIDDEN PLANET 06/18/10 | 6PMBrooklyn NYSCOTT EDER GALLERY  06/19/10 | 7PMBrooklyn NYDESERT ISLAND

I had some questions for Tales Designed to Thrizzle creator Michael Kupperman, which he graciously answered over email. All links below were added by me. MB: In the new issue of Thrizzle, apart from the move to full color, there also seem to be fewer short strips and gags and more multi-page stories — what led to this? Is this indicative of an evolutionary shift in the comic? MK: Well, yes — the comic has to keep evolving to keep going. For this issue I had been developing these three story ideas for a while, and it just worked out…

Hokey smokes, hope you've been saving your nickels because we've got 5, count 'em 5, brand new books slated to hit comic shops this week! Read on for more info and to see what the other new-comics-day bloggers are saying [now edited to add Tom Spurgeon]. Artichoke Tales by Megan Kelso 232-page monochrome 6.75" x 8.25" hardcover • $22.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-344-6 "I absolutely loved this Megan Kelso graphic novel — a kind of anthropological/fictional-historical fantasy/love story thing involving a fractured culture of people with artichoke leaves for hair — and I'm not afraid to say so." – Douglas Wolk, Comics Alliance…

Better-Late-Than-Never Dept: I finally got a chance to upload my photos from Michael Kupperman's appearance at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery back on May 8 for his art exhibit opening and launch of Tales Designed to Thrizzle #6. Browse the whole photo set, including shots of every piece of art, on our Flickr page, or if you like slideshows, there's one embedded below. And stay tuned tomorrow for our exclusive “Diaflogue” interview with Kupperman!