Fantagraphics Blog

Some Online Commentary & Diversions to wrap up your week: • Review: "Artist Carol Swain brings a sober British reserve to her husband Bruce Paley's tales of hippie and punk excess for a nostalgic feel with the winning Giraffes In My Hair: A Rock ‘n' Roll Life. …[F]rom the late ‘60s through the early ‘80s, his peripatetic adventures with drugs, women, and punker Johnny Thunders make for a series of fun, roguish vignettes. … Swain uses pencil to understated effect, and works up a lyrical, nostalgic vibe. Her simple scenes arrange a loose chronological narrative into a warm experience conveyed…

Short notice: Tomorrow night at Big Brain Comics in Minneapolis there's a book release party for Zak Sally's Like a Dog and John Porcellino's Map of My Heart (from D&Q). Festivities start at 5 PM – more info at the La Mano blog. Twin Cities comics fans, this is a Must Do!

It's a Very Important Friday webcomics update! First, an inspirational, and uncomfortably titillating, message in this week's Blecky Yuckerella strip by Johnny Ryan…. … Steven Weissman says of this week's strip "THIS COMIC WILL CHANGE AMERICA FOREVER!" and I cannot disagree! The President earns his Nobel Peace Prize right here!… …and this week concludes our run of Monday-Friday Rocky strips by Martin Kellerman, wrapping up our presentation of the strips from Rocky Vol. 2: Strictly Business. Debuting next week, a new weekly feature: "The House of No" by Derek Van Gieson!

Today only (we think… it's not entirely clear), you can download Paul Hornschemeier's short prose story "The Spoils of the Fair" (which originally ran in Mome and is now collected in All and Sundry) to your "smart phone" for free at cellstories.net. Paul has a bit more info at his blog.

Poppin’ fresh Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Giraffes in My Hair: A Rock ‘N' Roll Life… is deeply personal but doesn't get bogged down with self service or making a Titan out of a man. I love that here we have a view of some of the seedier sides of counterculture that doesn't have an agenda beyond the act of sharing…of storytelling. It feels like a recounting, almost a journalistic telling of the facts of his personal history. But it also feels like you're having a great dinner with an old friend. … As a graphic novel it is…

Via Mike Lynch, by way of The Comics Reporter, comes this rare vintage radio interview (presented on YouTube in edited form, with an image montage) with Charles M. Schulz by host Dennis Daily.

Dash Shaw posted this announcement about his animated short film on his blog: "The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D. will be playing November 2nd and 5th at Cinema Tous Ecrans, a film festival in Switzerland. Here's the info." The book of the same title was a hit debut at APE last weekend and should be available for pre-order here soon. Read our news release for more info about the film and book.

This weekend Fantagraphics will be exhibiting at the first annual Seattle Bookfest in the Columbia City neighborhood of South Seattle. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10AM to 6PM each day. We'll have a slew of recent releases for sale, as will our pals from Top Shelf, who will be exhibiting right next to us. On Saturday from 3 to 4PM, our own Gary Groth will interview Megan Kelso and Ellen Forney on a panel and they will sign books afterwards. Should be a fun event, come on down! Columbia City Events Center 3528 S. Ferdinand Seattle, WA 98118