Fantagraphics Blog

Guy Colwell, an American painter and underground cartoonist, has drawn comix reflecting on economic inequality, injustice, racism, and the prison system since 1972. Titled Inner City Romance, these comics were catalyzed by his experience in jail for draft refusal, and every issue is included in this new book collecting Colwell's work. Sadly, the issues that fueled Colwell's work and activism are as relevant now as they were four decades ago. We are pleased to reveal the final cover art for Inner City Romance for you—and to announce the book's availability for pre-order beginning today.

"…the talented Knisley offers a pointed juxtaposition to her earlier travelogue set in Europe. When her grandparents Phyllis and Allen decided to take a cruise ship to the Caribbean, the author (recovering from a recent breakup) accompanied them on the 10-day journey… A moving but also very funny meditation on time, age and grace." – Kirkus Reviews Displacementby Lucy Knisley 168-page full color 5.5” x 7.5” softcover • $19.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-810-6 Due to arrive in 2-4 weeks. Click on the thumbnails for larger versions; get more info, see more previews, and pre-order your copy here: http://www.fantagraphics.com/displacement

The next gorgeous, oversized Prince Valiant volume has arrived at our office, popping with lush color and medieval goodness. Just check out the red on that upper right panel! Classic and timeless, Hal Foster's epic, decades-spanning comic strip is given the care and treatment it deserves in these deluxe hardcovers. Volume 10 covers the years 1955 and 1956, and is due to be released in late January. Of course, you can pre-order this baby now, then sit back and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

This week's figgy pudding of Online Commentaries and Diversions: Review: Arsène Schrauwen by Olivier Schrauwen "Olivier Schrauwen's Arsène Schrauwen is one of the most complex, and simply best, comics released this year. " – Hillary Brown, Paste Magazine "In this crackpot graphic novel from the historically minded and utterly original Schrauwen, the Belgian cartoonist imagines a fanciful history that slips the bonds of reality almost immediately." – Publisher's Weekly "Cockeyed, adventurous, and truly bizarre, the first full graphic novel from the Belgian cartoonist sets out to dramatize the heartsick youthful folly of the artist’s dim but determined grandfather." – Sean…

Thursday, December 4th   Portland – If you haven't pulled out your best patched jacket and bindle stick out, now is the time to do it, Portland. Cartoonist and rambler Tim Lane is heading cross-country for an art show featuring his dense original art and will also be signing copies of his newest collection of comics, The Lonesome Go. Get in the mood for the event with one of the songs he recorded from his comic. 6-10pm at Floating World is the place to me. (More details)     Friday, December 5th   Los Angeles –  Have you ever wanted to see EVERY…

Don't miss a chance to meet two of the country's most compelling contemporary cartoonists this Saturday, December 6 at 7:00 PM at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.   Tim Lane will sign copies of his fascinating new graphic novel The Lonesome Go. His work is inspired by 1950s pulp magazines, film noir, and EC crime and suspense comic books. The atmospheric artwork perfectly complements the midcentury mythology of Lane's engaging stories.   As an organizer of the recent Short Run Comix & Arts Festival, Eroyn Franklin has kept a prolific schedule. She'll present a preview of her new feature length graphic novel Dirtbag,…

Next Monday, St. Mark's Bookshop will gleefully celebrate the uplifting and beautiful comic collaboration between Marguerite Van Cook and James Romberger: The Late Child and Other Animals. In this generation-spanning autobiography, the journeys and struggles over decades of this mother and daughter (Van Cook) are linked in five episodes that veer between lyricism, wry wit, and harrowing suspense.   Starting at 7pm on December 8th, you'll find Van Cook and Romberger ready and rarin' to sign The Late Child plus their previous graphic novel, 7 Miles a Second. St. Mark's Bookshop is the place to be at 136 East 3rd Street, NY, NY 10019.   Join the Facebook…

This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new titles. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators and web-savvy comic shops are saying about them (more to be added as they appear), check out our previews at the links, and contact your local shop to confirm availability.        Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It edited by Anne Ishii and Graham Kolbeins 280-page black & white 7" x 10" softcover • $35.00ISBN: 978-1-60699-785-7  "The level of drawing in these erotic fantasies is extremely high, sometimes rivaling the work of the iconic Western porno artist Tom of Finland…The content…

This Tuesday afternoon, we've got our heads burrowed in our advance copies of Love and Rockets: New Stories #7. From the magical adventures of Aladdin to a Maggie and Hopey reunion, this is a hundred sweet pages packed with Beto and Jaime goodness. New Stories #7 arrives January 2015. Get ahead of the game by pre-ordering your copy now!

Noah Van Sciver is back with an all-new graphic novel—Saint Cole—and we've got an 8-page downloadable excerpt for you to read today! By page 2 we are treated to an immediate foreshadowing of the storyline, followed by an introduction of the main character, Joe—a 28-year-old pizza server trying desperately to make ends meet to support his girlfriend and their unplanned infant child. Saint Cole will be out in February, and we'll have more previews coming at you in the meantime. And, as always, you can pre-order the book ahead of its release date.