Fantagraphics Blog

Online Commentary & Diversions will return next week. Have a great holiday! • List: From Alan David Doane of Comic Book Galaxy's not-technically-a-best-of end-of-year roundup: "…[O]f course Fantagraphics continued to make life better with its ongoing Complete Peanuts collections, and their Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1 was also one of the treasures of the year, filled with tons of the master's weird and wonky comics." • Review: "…I enjoyed the hell out of this book. … Not only did Portable Grindhouse remind me of ye olden days, it also gave me quite a laugh. You won’t believe…

Behold our official offering for Free Comic Book Day 2010: Are you ready? Because your life is about to change! Perception as you know it will cease! Fantagraphics proudly presents Jim Woodring's Weathercraft! Every other free comic book will pale in comparison to our powerful and supernatural print-barge for both the enlightened and perplexed masses. Marvel at the toothy preview of Jim Woodring's first original graphic novel, do your detective work with exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews, and gasp at rare out-of-print images, comics and transmissions, all from Jimland! Beware! Manhog lurks near… Final cover art may vary. Stay tuned here to…

Christmas Eve Eve Online Commentary & Diversions: • List: We published 6 of John Seven's top 10 "Decade's Best: Comics – Archives & Collections": The Complete Peanuts, Explainers by Jules Feiffer, the two Fletcher Hanks books, Humbug, Locas by Jaime Hernandez, and Supermen! The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1936-1941 • Review: "The packaging… is brilliant and the actual product is no less magnificent. The quality that Fantagraphics put into [Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art of the VHS Box] is top-notch. The card and paper stock could not be more perfect. The high resolution pictures and scans of each…

It's not on the official Diamond Comics Distributors shipping list for this week, but many sources (including but not limited to, um, our own publicity department) are reporting that The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D. by Dash Shaw is also arriving in comic shops this week. We usually recommend checking with your local shop to confirm availability, but especially so in this case.

On his blog, Josh Simmons drops a teaser of "The White Rhinoceros," his new comic (written by fellow provocateur Shaun Partridge) which begins serialization in the Summer 2010 issue of Mome. It's gonna be wild stuff, you can bet your hiney on that.

  Gahan Wilson was on WNYC's Leonard Lopate show today, promoting GAHAN WILSON: 50 YEARS OF PLAYBOY cartoons. The show is archived here. There's even a slideshow! 

Arriving at comic shops in the nick of time for your holiday gift-giving, something for just about every interest and budget: Conceptual Realism: In the Service of the Hypothetical by Robert Williams (Softcover Ed.) — 88 oversized pages of new artwork and writing from the lowbrow master. The Definitive Prince Valiant Companion (Softcover Ed.) — everything we said last week when the hardcover edition came out still applies! Gahan Wilson: Fifty Years of Playboy Cartoons (Collectors Edition) — just when you thought this collection couldn't get more deluxe! Includes an exclusive signed glow-in-the-dark letterpress print and a nifty box of…

Online Commentary & Diversions for you: • List: FEARnet names Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1 one of the Top 9 Comic Books and Graphic Novels of '09: "Shunning the spotlight of fans and the press, the artist has chosen instead to let his books speak for themselves. They continue to speak loudly, and with a weird grace lacking in much of his contemporaries' work." • List/Review: "Druggy noir vividly told, [The] Red Monkey [Double Happiness Book] is like watching Jim Rockford take a monster bong-hit before getting bashed in the jaw by some muscle of a rich…

Stuck with another ugly sweater, useless gadget, or awful CD this year? We know. Santa sucks! Get yourself the gifts you really want this weekend at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery's storewide sale. At least 20% off on every item in stock! Two days only — Saturday and Sunday, December 26 & 27. Hundreds of titles by your favorite artists and a big batch of brand new books. 2009 was a banner year for Fantagraphics Books. Don't miss this chance to catch up on the graphics action. For all you procrastinating shoppers, Fantagraphics Bookstore is open this week 11:30 to 8:00…

The Creative Community: Monte Schulz from The Santa Barbara Channels on Vimeo. Author Monte Schulz talks with host David Starkey about writing his newest book This Side of Jordan and his experiences with publishing a series of books. Join host David Starkey for a one on one interview with author Monte Schulz on this edition of The Creative Community. Taped on 12.16.09