Fantagraphics Blog

So, Tuesday nights are band practice. We get together in a seedy old building in Seattle's Ballard district, an old theater of some kind that's been subdivided into a bunch of nonsensical, Winchester Mystery House-style rooms and stairways. The Grunge Era lives on here, where garbage bags filled with empty beer cans are piled in the main "lobby" about ten feet high by at least as wide. The cavernous, pitch black hallways that lead to the restroom can make you feel like you're in an indoor version of "The Blair Witch Project". The bathroom stall is splattered with red paint…

  I've linked to these jumbles a zillion times, but can't get enough. And now Jeremy Eaton is posting a new one every day. Doctor Doofus!

Ooh, this is "Sleep Heap," a lovely new print by Lilli Carré for sale now at Tiny Showcase, benefitting Doctors Without Borders. They go fast! (Via Lilli's blog)

Legendary Master of Macabre Cartoonist Gahan Wilson Appears at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, February 13!  February 2, 2010 – Seattle, WA. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to host a rare appearance by the incomparable Gahan Wilson. Best known for his grotesque gag cartoons commenting on contemporary culture, the revered artist commemorates the publication of GAHAN WILSON: Fifty Years of Playboy Cartoons with an exhibition of original art and book signing on Saturday, December 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Gahan Wilson's singular aesthetic with decidedly low brow sensibilities has roots in his adolescent exposure to lurid horror…

Your periodic roundup of visual stimuli, still in its embryonic stages: • Stephen DeStefano shares some concepts and developmental sketches for his forthcoming Fantagraphics graphic novel Lucky in Love • Two Cups by John Hankiewicz • Charlie Yup and pals from Jim Flora's rarest children's book (about which more info at the link) • The Humanzee by Olivier Schrauwen • Steve Brodner draws Howard Zinn in this video… straight to marker, no pencils, while talking… amazing (more on Zinn on Steve's blog) • Don't forget Renee French posts new art every day

Online Commentary & Diversions have seen their shadow: • List: Our pal Bully the Little Stuffed Bull has started his annual Fun Fifty countdown. In the first installment, coming in at #46, Blazing Combat: "War, huh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothin'… aside from bringing us this gorgeous archive edition of a classic comic every war comics fan oughta have in their library." • Review: "Back in the days of Factsheet Five, I used to order tons of minicomix. Most were mediocre, but a few were terrifically good and that made it worth the risk to send in the…

The Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack celebrates is second anniversary on February 13, just in time for Valentine's Day. What better place for art mavens of all ages to observe this romantic occasion than in the enchanting industrial arts quarter of Georgetown? In the short span of two years the Georgetown Art Attack has gained a reputation as one of the region's most provocative and colorful cultural outings. The public is invited to experience the excitement on Saturday, February 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM as dozens of nightclubs, cafes and creative enterprises present a vast array of visual and…

High Soft Lisp (Love and Rockets Book 25) By Gilbert Hernandez 144-page black & white 6.5" x 9.75" softcover • $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-60699-318-7 Ships in March 2010 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now “Five six. Hundred twenty-eight pounds. Forty-three twenty-two thirty-six. High soft lisp. Genius level I.Q.” That’s how motivational speaker Mark Herrera sums up Rosalba “Fritz” Martinez, bombshell, former punkette, former psychiatrist, “Z” movie star — in this supremely sexy, constantly surprising graphic novel. And Herrera should know, being only one of many to fall under Fritz’s “lithping” spell — others including slobbish rocker Scott “The Hog” and high…