Re/Read is a periodic feature by Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid that examines backlist books you may have missed or are worthy of another read. I recently had a conversation with Fantagraphics editorial assistant (and Yeti Press publisher) R. J. Casey where we discussed our mutual admiration for pioneering small press publisher, musician, educator, and cartoonist Zak Sally. I was reminded of my fondness for his wildly entertaining and enlightening anthology, Like a Dog. Zak Sally is a modern Renaissance artist. A former member of indie rock band Low, he is also proprietor of the adventurous La Mano press in Minneapolis,…
What’s in Store: The Life and Legend of Wallace Wood on January 14
Join us at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, January 14 as we celebrate one of midcentury America’s most influential artists. The Life and Legend of Wallace Wood debuts with an exhibition and slide talk by J. Michael Catron. Wallace Wood was among the most prolific and diverse artists of his era. His work included colorful covers for 1950s science fiction magazines and romance comics before contributing to the wildly popular war, crime, horror, and suspense comics on the notorious EC imprint, prior to its demise as result of the draconian restrictions imposed by the Comics Code Authority. He went…
Re/Read: No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics
Re/Read is a regular feature by Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid drawing attention to backlist books you may have missed or deserve another look. This time we’ll discuss No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, edited by Justin Hall. Comics frequently play a prominent role in social justice movements. Such is the case in the LGBTQ community, as demonstrated by No Straight Lines. Cartoonist Justin Hall carefully curated a comprehensive anthology of contemporary comics covering themes of coming out, the response to the AIDS crisis, and current issues and attitudes facing the LGBTQ community. His insightful introduction…
What’s in Store: Ed Luce at Fantagraphics Bookstore on January 7
Join us at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, January 7 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM as Bay Area artist Ed Luce presents his latest comix collection, Wuvable Oaf: Blood & Metal. Luce chronicles the adventures of Oaf Jadwiga, a gay former wrestler looking for love in unlikely places. The oversized Oaf lives in The City with a cluster of kittens and a fondness for Morrissey, queercore, and black metal music. The comical adventures and colorful characters in Luce’s work make for a wildly entertaining modern romance – at once outrageous and charming. With a background in fine art, Luce…
Re/Read: Palestine by Joe Sacco
Re/Read is a regular feature by Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid examining backlist books you may have missed or are worth another look. As much of the world’s attention turns to developments in the Middle East over two thousand years ago, I engage in my annual ritual of re-reading Joe Sacco’s Palestine. Shortly after arriving at Fantagraphics Books in 1992 as marketing and promotions director, Kim Thompson handed me blue line proofs of a new project by Joe Sacco. I remember thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?” There was precious little precedent for this type of treatment of…
What’s in Store: Top Ten of 2016
It’s come time for Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid to select my favorite comix of 2016. A tough task this year with so many wonderful new books – a little like choosing which of my children I love the most. The choices are so close this list could easily be reversed. 10. Hey Lady. With a button affixed to the cover of each issue, I was immediately attracted to Regina Schilling’s zines. When I was able to fully absorb the contents, it became clear there was more to these creations than a clever premise and seductive artwork. Schilling selects a…
Re/Read: Buddy Buys a Dump by Peter Bagge
Re/Read is an occasional column by Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid examining backlist books you may have missed or merit another look. This time we’ll focus on Buddy Buys a Dump by Peter Bagge. A generation of comix enthusiasts came of age following the foibles of Buddy Bradley and his crew of lovable losers in Peter Bagge’s Hate. This work came to define the youth movement associated with Seattle’s “grunge” counterculture. Bagge became a central figure in illustrating the attitudes and aesthetics of this global phenomenon. A truly remarkable achievement. Buddy Buys a Dump collects the 9 issues…
Re/Read: Love and Rockets: The Covers
Re/Read is an occasional column by Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid looking back at books you may have missed or merit more attention. This time we’ll discuss the alluring imagery in Love and Rockets: The Covers by Los Bros Hernandez. The colorful covers of early Love and Rockets comic books by Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario Hernandez foreshadowed profound changes taking shape in both the comix medium and American society as a whole. The work often reflected the artists’ experiences in their native Oxnard, California. They illustrated issues of cultural diversity, gender roles, sexual identity, and youthful alienation…
What’s in Store: 40 Years of Comics As Art
Fantagraphics Books commemorates its 40th anniversary with a series of talks, exhibitions, book signings, performances, and parties celebrating four decades of publishing the world’s greatest contemporary cartoonists. The impressive record of accomplishment and immeasurable influence of this Seattle-based enterprise are chronicled in the new book, We Told You So: Comics as Art, An Oral History of Fantagraphics Books. The festivities begin with a panel discussion on Fantagraphics’ first 40 years on Friday, December 9, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the elegant Folio library, located at 384 Marion Street in downtown Seattle. Moderated by Fantagraphics publisher and co-founder Gary…
Re/Read: Jim Blanchard’s Beasts and Priests
Re/Read is an occasional column by Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid examining backlist titles you may have missed or are worth another look. This time we’ll focus on Beasts and Priests by former Fantagraphics art director Jim Blanchard. As the title suggests, Beasts and Priests documents both divine and demonic personalities of American pop culture: from Rat Pack louts and rogue politicians to revered rock ‘n’ rollers and stars of the silver screen. Blanchard employs ingenious treatments to capture the cult of personality that surrounds these figures. Mod fashion model Twiggy, Manson murder victim Sharon Tate, and sixties sex symbols…
