Fantagraphics Blog

Now available for preview and pre-order: Unlovable Vol. 2 by Esther Pearl Watson, the second and concluding installment in the hilarious saga of hapless high school underdog Tammy Pierce and her seemingly never-ending series of humiliations and heartbreaks. Watson nails the story's 1980s middle-America milieu with affection and devastating accuracy. Download an exclusive 20-page PDF excerpt right here (3 MB). This book is scheduled to be in stock and ready to ship in roughly 4-5 weeks and in stores roughly the same time (subject to change). View a photo & video slideshow preview of the book embedded here. Click here…

Featuring: David Sandlin, Michael Kupperman, Chadwick Whitehead, Jayr Pulga, Sam Henderson, Glenn Head, Danny Hellman, Karl Wills, and R Sikoryak!

This looks like a great show:    FUNNY (not funny)Recent Comic Art Exhibiting Signs of Black HumorCurated by Ryan Standfest January 22 – February 26, 2010Reception: Friday, January 22 6-9pm The University of Michigan Work : Detroit Gallery3663 Woodward / Suite 150Detroit, MI 48230 Participating Artists:Ivan BrunettiChris CillaSue CoeLisa HanawaltGlenn HeadTim HensleyIan HuebertBen KatchorMichael KuppermanMats!?Daniel MawTaylor McKimensTravis MillardTom NeelyMark NewgardenDavid PaleoJonathon RosenDavid SandlinRob SatoJon Vermilyea The "FUNNY (not funny)" exhibition seeks to elicit uncomfortable laughter in the realm of black humor-a place where the serious and the taboo are fodder for comic provocation. Artists in numerous media have long sought…

Our own multifarious Jason T. Miles appeared on the Inkstuds radio programme today to discuss his comics, his new Seattle-centric zine distro venture Profanity Hill (Seattle-area zine makers: Jason wants you! Everyone else: go buy some stuff already), and toiling in the Fantagraphics salt mines — listen here.

Is this it for Online Commentary & Diversions today? I guess so: • Review: "Jacques Boyreau’s book [Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art of the VHS Box] pays tribute to… imperfection. Not only is its cover — well, the cover of the book’s slipcase, at least, designed to look like a videocassette — but the photos inside showcase boxes in far from mint condition… All of this helped take me back to my VHS days, but it’s mostly the garish art that did it — lurid snatches of visual salesmanship, many of which have been burned in the back of my…

Paul Hornschemeier spills the beans on the first volume of the new book-format iteration of his one-man anthology series Forlorn Funnies, comprising serialized and standalone comics and prose stories. Head to Paul's blog for details on what's in the first volume, coming out from Fantagraphics this fall, as well as a look at the original art for the cover (the final version of which is seen above). He also posted a separate teaser showing a test panel from one of the stories. Exciting!

This is the original art for a 1985 J.R. Williams comic reprinted in Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s; J.R. seized the opportunity to offer it for sale on Comic Art Collective — it's already sold, but still worth a look! This is the sort of thing you can expect to see at our yet-to-be-officially-announced Newave art show opening Jan. 30 at Fantagraphics Bookstore…

Peter Bagge sent us a link to this song inspired by his immortal Hate character, by Adam Green (perhaps best known by oldsters like me as half of The Moldy Peaches with Kimya Dawson), from his new album Minor Love.

I attended Joe Sacco's Town Hall event last night in Seattle, and it was, as expected, a great talk. Is there a more charming, erudite, and intelligent soul in this racket? I tend to think not. Anyway, I'm not even going to begin to write a recap — too many foreign sects, races and historical events to keep track of — except to say that the talk focused on the social and political events from about 1949 to 1956 that led to the massacre investigated and reported on in his new new book, FOOTNOTES IN GAZA, followed by an excellent Q&A session….