Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez’s long-running Love and Rockets comic series contains decades of incredible storytelling—here’s a list of essential reading!
Fantagraphics Bookstore Best of 2020
Time for a belated list of 2020 favorites from Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid. This was a tumultuous year and the independent comix community was hit particularly hard. New titles were delayed and some were simply overlooked. In the struggle to keep the bookstore viable, I missed a lot of new titles completely. As a result, this list is far from comprehensive. Still, some stellar work appeared despite the dire circumstances. Below, in no particular order, is a baker’s dozen of the books that most appealed to me Daniel Clowes: Original Art. The latest in Fantagraphics’ series of deluxe studio…
Glorious Digital Books!
This week’s digital releases are crazy good and there’s plenty of them, so no time to waste . . . We’ll kick off this week with Love and Rockets Vol. IV #3. The Locas girls’ punk reunion has come to a close, but the evening has just begun. The Animus situation has gotten out of hand. Plus, some classic Palomar characters are awkwardly reunited. Catch this brand-new issue digitally through comiXology. Right before the television drama based on the book comes to Netflix, rediscover Charles Forsman’s The End of the Fucking World. Originally released to…
New Digital Love and Rockets . . . and more!
Jaime and Gilbert are back with another brand-new issue of the pure excellence they can only bring to this fallen world. Also, some more backlist titles! The new issue of Love and Rockets picks up right where #1 left off. Over on Jaime’s side, it’s La Llorona’s turn to hit the stage at the punk rock reunion show and the Hellmets are closing in on Princess Animus. Is Hopey ready? Is Isla ready? Are you?! On Gilbert’s side, Fritz and her twin daughters have a meeting, while Pipo and her new squeeze visit the mysterious Dr. Emil in prison in…
Blubber On Your Tablets!
Blubber is back! And we’ve got some backlist books by a few of the medium’s most interesting artists available on your tablets for the first time. Let’s jump right into this week’s digital debuts! Explore the Tower of the Sindog in the latest issue of Gilbert Hernandez’s solo underground side project Blubber. Issue 4 features mummies, zombies, fauns, sex, snowmen, and a new super heroine Red Tempest. Find out why Hernandez is considered one the greatest living cartoonists by picking up Blubber #4 from comiXology. As mentioned above, we’ve also got backlist releases from two…
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…
Digital Releases: New Love and Rockets and more!
Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for Love and Rockets and heralds in a collection of one of punk rock’s best artists—all on your tablets and personal reading devices! Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez are back with brand-new stories in Love and Rockets Vol. IV #1! You get Maggie and Hopey! You get Princess Animus! You get Fritz and Pipo! You get it all! The punk friends and family drama begins again right here—catch the first issue of the new ongoing series on comiXology today. Also, to continue celebrating the return this series, we’re…
