The enduring influence of the late Wallace Wood can’t be overstated. From his work at EC, MAD, Marvel, and beyond, Wood left an indelible mark on American culture that resonates to this day. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery celebrates the legacy of this amazing artist through February 9. Wallace Wood came to prominence with his work for EC comic books, which enjoyed circulation in the millions, but were vilified by politicians, preachers, and crusading child psychologist Dr. Fredric Wertham. Together, they convinced the public that these comics were the cause of juvenile delinquency and social deviance. The establishment of the Comics…
Something Digital for Everybody
Make sure those tablets are turned on because we’ve got a wide array of digital releases for you this Wednesday! Collecting the final year of Charles Schulz’s classic strip, The Complete Peanuts Vol. 25 also has a forward by none other than the President of the United States. Rerun become a comic artist, Snoopy’s playing pranks, and the Li’l Folks are here — Schulz’s precursor to Peanuts that ran in his hometown paper. Be a part of history and read Volume 25 through comiXology. Josh Simmons is undertaking a grand experiment . . . Drawing one page each…
Stein and Ditko, Digitally
This week’s digital releases include two masterworks: one contemporary, one classic.
June 7: The World of Steve Ditko at Jim Hanley’s Universe!
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS & JIM HANLEY’S UNIVERSE PRESENT THE WORLD OF STEVE DITKO: SAT., JUNE 7 Fantagraphics Books and Jim Hanley’s Universe are proud to present a very special event on the evening of Saturday, June 7, to coincide with Fantagraphics’ appearance at the 2008 MoCCA Arts Festival. Join noted Steve Ditko scholar BLAKE BELL for the world premiere of his eagerly-anticipated book, STRANGE & STRANGER: THE WORLD OF STEVE DITKO, along with an exclusive screening of Jonathan Ross’s acclaimed BBC documentary, “IN SEARCH OF STEVE DITKO.” Bell will also give a powerpoint presentation and talk on Ditko’s work and career…
Pocket Full of Rain – Exclusive Preview
{product_snapshot:id=1484,true,false,true,left} An Anthology of Materful Shorts from the Creator of I Killed Adolf Hitler This multifaceted anthology collects over 25 stories from the first decade of Jason’s career, including his remarkable calling card, the novella-length thriller “Pocket Full of Rain,” which has never before been published in English. Like a number of his initial stories, “Pocket” is actually drawn with realistic human beings instead of blank-faced animal characters — a true revelation for Jason fans. In fact, this book showcases three distinct styles: his earliest “realistic” drawing style (used to unsettling effect in some particularly creepy stories), an intermediate “bighead”…
Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko – Exclusive Preview
{product_snapshot:id=1474,true,false,true,left} The First Critical Retrospective of the Work of the Reclusive Spider-Man Co-Creator Steve Ditko is best known as the co-creator, with Stan Lee, of Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and other classic Marvel and DC characters. But, in the context of Steve Ditko’s 50-year career in comics, his creative involvement with Spider-Man is merely the tip of the iceberg. Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko is a coffee table art book tracing Ditko’s life and career, his unparalleled stylistic innovations, and his strict adherence to his philosophical principles, with lush displays of obscure and popular art from the thousands…
Strange and Stranger – Introduction by Blake Bell
{product_snapshot:id=1474,true,false,true,left}By the 1950s, the superhero genre had been reduced to a minor piece of the comic-book mosaic. Patriots like Captain America — designed to boost the country’s morale and soothe wartime angst — ran aground of purpose with the end of World War II. The majority of heroes had been retired by the late ’40s, including the entire Timely Comics line, featuring Captain America, Sub-Mariner, and the Human Torch. The industry’s postwar output splintered into several distinct themes — crime, teen, funny animals, Western, war, and romance. Yet in the popular imagination the defining 1950s comics genre was horror. It…
Steve Ditko at MoCCA Festival?!?
“STRANGE & STRANGER: THE WORLD OF STEVE DITKO” to debut at the MOCCA Art Festival (June 7/8th). {mosimage} Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce that Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko – the first critical retrospective of Steve Ditko, the co-creator and original artist of the Amazing Spider-Man – will make its much-anticipated debut on Saturday June 7th, 2008 at the MoCCA Comics Art Festival. The author, Blake Bell, will be on hand both days at MoCCA to sign copies of the book and will debut his slide show presentation on Ditko’s work as part of the festival’s…
