Good grief, I forgot to post this yesterday! I'll have today's batch later today. • Paul Gravett names Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell and Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes two of the Best Books About Comics of 2008 • The editors at Amazon put Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw at #4 on their list of "Top 10 Books: Comics & Graphic Novels" • The Inkstuds radio programme presents a conversation with Mome contributor Robert Goodin • The Village Voice casts a favorable eye on Beasts! Book 2 •…
Rebel Visions: a cartoon appreciation
Check out Joseph Remnant's cartoon appreciation of Rebel Visions: The Underground Comix Revolution 1963-1975 by Patrick Rosenkranz, as published in the July 2008 issue of Arthur magazine, now available to read online.
Oh, my.
Femtasia!
Artist Femke Hiemstra has launched a fantastic new website, FEMTASIA. If you haven't heard of her yet, Fantagraphics will be publishing Hiemstra's first art collection, ROCK CANDY, in the late Spring of this year, so you will soon.
Eat your heart out, Neal Adams!
 In the February 2009 issue, DISCOVER magazine will launch the first in a series of comic strips illustrated by our good pal Peter Bagge. Bagge's "History of Science" comic will present the characters and events of science history in a fresh and irreverent light, sure to capture the eyes of DISCOVER's readers and blind them with science. DISCOVER's February issue hits newsstands January 13, 2009.
John Kerschbaum in the Met!
Over the holidays John Kerschbaum sent me an amazing poster that he recently completed for NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's a Family Guide/Map of the entire museum with seemingly every artifact in the museum drawn into it, a maze of detail that would make Will Elder proud and that will spellbind kids in ways that I bet the Met has trouble doing sometimes, unfortunately. Cartoons to the rescue! The poster is available for free at the museum. Just ask for a "Family Map" at the main info desk in the Great Hall. The Museum is currently working on a swanky version available…
Esther Pearl Watson show in LA this weekend
Esther Pearl Waston – "Visons of the Future"Exhibition: January 10 – February 7, 2009Opening Reception: Saturday, January 10th, 7-10 pmwith a performance by Party People. billy shire fine arts5790 washington blvd.Culver City, CA3232970600 "Visions of the Future" opens January 10, 2009 with a performance by the "Party People; " space-themed music will play through a Commodore computer-the perfect complement to Watson's father's futuristic visions using outdated engines and computers. Of particular interest to comics fans: the opening reception will include the world premiere of Esther's new book, UNLOVABLE, in limited quantities! I love this book so much and hope you will, too….
“Rocky” by Martin Kellerman – #404
{mosimage} Fritz the Cat meets Jane Austen!?! This mostly autobiographical daily strip details the rudely hilarious travails of a young cartoonist and his layabout pals and neurotic girlfriends. Basically, it’s the pottymouthed animal-headed Seinfeld-esque comic strip we’ve all come to love. A smash hit in its native Sweden, presented in English for the first time. Join us Monday through Friday for a new daily strip, with a rolling archive of a week’s worth of strips. “It’s being acclaimed as the funniest Swedish comic of our time, but it’s more than that. Rocky is the long awaited generation novel that no…
Jefferson Machamer.
I recently purchased this original art by Jefferson Machamer, whom I first disliked, then loved. And here I talk about my impressions of his approach in general and this piece in particular in both analytical and personal terms, should the Flog reader be interested. [PS: Are there any great comics writers out there who want to do a book on Machamer?]
New Comics Day 1/7/09
Our lull continues, with no new Fantagraphics releases scheduled to arrive in comic shops this week. Check back each week for updates.
