Fantagraphics Blog

District 9 is the best socially conscious sci-fi story I've experienced since Ender's Game. I don't know if it was animatronics or computer-graphics or a combination of the two, but Christopher Johnson has my vote for actor of the year. Look at those eyes — they will melt your cold, cold heart. (Sharlto Copley as Wikus is a close second for actor of the year.) To avoid potential spoilers I won't go into too much detail here just PLEASE SEE THIS MOVIE. And it doesn't hurt that the graphic design within the movie is gorgeous as well. Here's some of…

  I'm a bit late with this, it somehow escaped me until last night, but the fine folks at Giant Robot need your help. Peggy Burns at D&Q already made a better case than I could as to why you might want to do this, so I'll simply direct you to her if you need reasons to help. I wholeheartedly concur with everything she wrote. 

Our contract with the Peanuts licensor stipulates that we can't pre-sell The Complete Peanuts books before they are relased, but we can still bring you these previews! The Complete Peanuts 1975-1976 (Vol. 13) By Charles M. Schulz 344-page black & white 8.5" x 7" hardcover • $28.99 ISBN: 978-1-60699-345-3 Ships in: March 2010 (subject to change) Good grief, Charlie Brown, we're halfway there! That’s right! With this volume, The Complete Peanuts reaches the halfway point of Charles M. Schulz’s astounding half-century run on the greatest comic strip of all time. These years are especially fecund in terms of new canine…

Amid all the well-deserved praise directed at R. Crumb's Book of Genesis, I was reminded of another often-overlooked Crumb masterpiece. As Fantagraphics newly minted 4th printing of Kafka reaches bookstore shelves, it seems like a good moment to reflect on the amazing achievement of Crumb and author David Zane Mairowitz. Entering college I was assigned The Trial for freshman lit. I just wasn't ready for it. I wasn't a total dunce, but there were so many alluring diversions (i. e. booze and babes.) Thus began, and ended, my brief exposure to the works of Franz Kafka. Only decades later did…

(…And this didn't get posted on time either. Yeesh!) I'm still trying to figure out how to handle frequent art bloggers like Renee French and Debbie Drechsler (below). Pick one post to highlight each week? Any suggestions or preferences? Also, some credit: I think I was inspired subconsciously to start these "Things to see" posts by Robot 6's Comics Cavalcade posts. • Our cartoonist pals rule our hometown alt-weeklies this week as Jeremy Eaton does the cover and cover story illustrations for the current Seattle Weekly • Twelve original collages by Robert Pollard for the Guided by Voices release Suitcase…

Oh no, I had this Online Commentary & Diversions update all set to go and then I forgot to post it… Earth to Mike! • List: At Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun!, our favorite little stuffed bull continues the annual Fun Fifty countown. At #36, Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1: "Ditko expert Blake Bell collects several dozen of Steve's 1950s work from Charlton and other publishers, plus plenty of amazing covers, in a thick, hardy collection with glorious gory and ghoulish Ditko comics from front to back. This thing's a gold mine!" • Review: "…T. Edward…

On his blog Comics Commentary, Rodrigo Baeza points out a page which was apparently somehow omitted from our 2nd volume of Walt Kelly's Our Gang, shown above in a scan from microfiche. We regret the error. UPDATE: We'll print this page at the end of Our Gang Vol. 5, which should be out as soon as late 2011.

Hey Seattle, come get this week's issue of The Stranger signed by cover artist (and weekly "I, Anonymous" illustrator) Steven Weissman when he's in town signing his new book Chocolate Cheeks at our flagship bookstore on Saturday! (Dear Steven: that cover image would make an awesome poster.)

  Seattle-based artist Michael Leavitt is involved in an ongoing 8-year project sculpting figures for his fanciful "Art Army." Inductees include Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Mark Ryden, Robert Williams, Ron English, Shag, Banksy, and countless others. His latest recruit is none other than underground comix legend R. Crumb. This fully articulated wood-carved sculpture was commissioned by an out-of-state collector. Before it ships off to the private collection, the piece will be put on public display at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery for one night only during the reception for Gahan Wilson on Saturday, February 13. If you can't make it then,…