Fantagraphics Blog

Online Commentary & Diversions:   • Review: "It's a closely observed story — specific in its details but broadly recognizable from the lives of a million young men — in an expressive, inky style… Night Fisher [is] an excellent naturalistic story of these young men in this closely examined place." – Andrew Wheeler, The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent. • Panel: Inkstuds host Robin McConnell presents an audio recording of the TCAF spotlight panel with Dash Shaw and Paul Pope which he moderated • Birthday: Matt Thorn, editor of our upcoming manga line, wishes Moto Hagio a happy birthday

  Many  Seattle artists (including three Fantagraphics employees — Jacob, Jenny, and myself) joined forces to create a series of illustrations for 826 Seattle and the Greenwood art walk. There is a piece depicting each of the planets in our solar system (plus Earth's moon) and they all have been made into postcards which can be purchased here:   http://www.greenwoodspacetravelsupply.com/catalog/011197.html Also, if you are in the area and have the time, please come out to the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. this Friday evening for the opening reception and to see original art and prints from the project (for sale CHEAP). The weather is…

The Best Show on WFMU host Tom Scharpling welcomed Tales Designed to Thrizzle creator Michael Kupperman as a guest on May 4 (along with Dave Willis and Dana Snyder of Aqua Teen Hunger Force), and the audio is now archived for your listening pleasure here.

Here's a treat for Krazy Kat fans, Dave Alvin fans, and especially people in the Venn diagram overlap: the previously unheard Dave Alvin instrumental "Krazy and Ignatz" is available to stream or download as part of a free Yep Roc Records digital sampler.

Jim Woodring just dropped by the office to drop off the first 36 pages of his in-progress follow-up to Weathercraft, titled Congress of the Animals. We don't have a release date set for it but I'm guessing it will probably be about a year from now. Click the photos for bigger images.

JimFlora.com is launching a quartet of small, low-cost limited edition screen prints of a 1950-51 Jim Flora painting entitled Mardi Gras. Flora, who was living in Mexico at the time, rendered the work in four color patterns, which have been replicated in the print series. 

Daily clips & strips — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources: • A fan's Li'l Enid tattoo, spotted by Peggy Burns at TCAF • Tim Hensley re-posts "NSFW," his story from Kramer's Ergot 7, this time with scans of the original tracts which inspired the strip • Nut shot aftermath! It's this week's Belligerent Piano by Tim Lane • Steven Weissman's pieces from the Butter and Blood art show at GR2 are now for sale online • Frank Santoro sneakily updated his Silver Surfer image, and Spurge makes my day by confirming that it is, indeed, for Marvel's Strange…

Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: The Alita Comics blog praises Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s as a "quasi-encyclopedic compilation of the genre… with thuggish humor in abundance, sex, parody, joints, experimentation, obscenity, violence, aliens, punk, grotesque creatures and several Martians" (translated from Spanish)

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery welcomes visionary cartoonist Jim Woodring on Saturday, May 22 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. He will give a slide presentation focusing on his latest work WEATHERCRAFT and sign copies of the book, which debuts at the event.   Jim Woodring’s idiosyncratic aesthetic has earned him an international following as both a cartoonist and visual artist. He was a recipient of the prestigious United States Artist Fellowship in 2006 (with frequent collaborator Bill Frisell) and was an Artist Trust-Washington State Artist fellow in 2008. His work is published and exhibited worldwide, finding him traveling to exhibitions in…