Gary Groth and Kim Thompson will be at next weekend's SMALL PRESS EXPO in Bethesda, MD, debuting a slew of new books, including:

 • Zak Sally's LIKE A DOG

 • Al Columbia's PIM & FRANCIE

 • E.C. Segar's POPEYE Vol. 4

 • Jacques Boyreau's PORTABLE GRINDHOUSE

 • Steve Ditko's STRANGE SUSPENSE

 • Kevin Huizenga's GANGES #3

 • Hans Rickheit's THE SQUIRREL MACHINE

 • MOME Vol. 16

 • Jacques Tardi and Jean-Claude Forest's YOU ARE THERE 

... and more.

We have some very exciting signings as well. To wit:

SATURDAY:

SUNDAY:

Plus, several FANTAGRAPHICS-related panels:

Saturday, 12:30PM: Debut Cartoonists

Saturday, 3:30PM: Critics' Roundtable

Saturday, 4PM: Paul Karasik's Fletcher Hanks Experience

Saturday, 5PM: Gahan Wilson Spotlight

Sunday, 1PM: Carol Tyler Q & A

Sunday, 1:30PM: Source-Based Comics

Sunday, 3:30PM: Future of the Comic Book

BUT WAIT, THAT'S NOT ALL! 

To celebrate the great Gahan Wilson's rare convention appearance at SPX 2009, we have a very special offer for SPX attendees. In early 2010, we will be publishing GAHAN WILSON: 50 years of Playboy Cartoons, a massive, three-volume hardcover collection of his work. Designed by Jacob Covey, it's going to be absolutely STUNNING:

SPX attendees will have the opportunity to PRE-ORDER the book at the show get a limited edition (150 copies) silkscreen print signed by Mr. Wilson at the show! Even better, we are going to include FREE SHIPPING for the book (and believe me, you'll be happy you didn't have to lug this thing around SPX, it's HUGE) when it ships and knock $25 off the $125 retail price! 

For $100, you will get the book, an exclusive signed print, free shipping, and the chance to meet one of the great cartoonists of the 20th Century! Here's what the print looks like: 

These will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Don't miss out! 

See ya at SPX!

GRAPHIC NOVELIST BEHIND STRANGE NEW BOOK ANNOUNCES BOOK-SIGNING TOUR

WHAT IS THE SQUIRREL MACHINE? A rodent ensnarement device? A mechanism for concealing one's guarded harvest? An anachronistic fable for the convulsive elite? A nugatory diversion for the subliterate?

The answer to that question can be obtained in the form of an unusual new graphic novel in a book-signing tour working its way up the northeast coast this Autumn.

THE SQUIRREL MACHINE is the brainchild of HANS RICKHEIT, who will be making appearances to autograph books, make sketches and speak personally to curious readers.

The Plot: Situated in a fictive 19th Century New England town, two brothers, Edmund and William Torpor confront public scorn when they reveal their musical creations built from strange technologies and scavenged animal carcasses. Driven to seek a concealment for their aberrant activities, they make a startling discovery. Will they divine the mystery of THE SQUIRREL MACHINE?

This book is a meticulously-rendered creation that defies all known genres. It can best be described as "POST-RATIONAL" or "RETRO-FUTURIST." Disregarding labels and buzz-phrases, it is ultimately an immutably strange and haunting narrative that transcends known logics and presumptive dream-barriers. A distillation of subconscious beauty and madness. A dangerous object for the incautious. A revelation for the undernourished crypto-seeker .

HANS RICKHEIT was born in 1973 and grew up in New England, lived in the basement of an eccentric art gallery/performance space called the Zeitgeist Gallery from 1997-2002, and currently resides in Philadelphia. Aside from his many self-published efforts, he has appeared in many anthologies, including PAPER RODEO, HOAX and KRAMERS ERGOT.

"Recalling both the stark, controlled nightmares of Al Columbia and the gonzo repulsive sexuality of Dave Cooper, Hans Rickheit has trolled his id and purged it on the page" - Matt Fraction, ARTBOMB

"Rickheit has become more prolific with each passing year, producing work that has always been worthy of attention." - Chad Parenteau, THE COMICS INTERPRETER

"Rickheit is a vastly under-seen talent." - Tom Spurgeon, THE COMICS REPORTER

Book Info:
Title: THE SQUIRREL MACHINE
Author/Artist: HANS RICKHEIT
Publisher: FANTAGRAPHICS
$18.99 Hardcover 192 Pages
ISBN 978-1-60699-301-9
COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE: September 30, 2009

Websites:
BOOK INFO & SAMPLES: www.squirrelmachine.org
BLOG: www.thesquirrelmachine.blogspot.com
PUBLISHER: www.fantagraphics.com
OTHER: www.chromefetuscomics.com

###

TOUR DATES & LOCATIONS :

September 26th & 27th
SPX
The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center
5701 Marinelli Road
Bethesda, MD‎
(301) 822-9200‎

September 29th (6-7pm)
Brickbat Books
709 S 4th Street
Philadelphia PA
(215) 592 1207
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October 1st (6-7pm)
Forbidden Planet
840 Broadway
NY, NY
(212) 473 1576
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October 3rd (2-4pm)
Million Year Picnic
99 Mount Auburn
Cambridge MA
(617) 492 6763
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October 5th (4-6pm)
That's Entertainment
244 Park Ave
Worcester, MA
(508) 755 4207
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October 6th (7-8pm)
Rabbit Hole
805 Main Street
Fitchburg MA
(978) 345 0040
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October 7th (4-7pm)
Casablanca Comics
151 Middle Street #2
Portland ME
(207) 780 1676
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October 10th (7pm)
Quimby's
1854 W North Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 342-0910‎
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October 11th (2pm)
Vault of Midnight
219 S Main St
Ann Arbor, MI‎
(734) 998-1413‎
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As seen in the pages of Previews, these are the books and comics slated for release by Fantagraphics Books in December, 2009. Please note that all details, including cover art, prices, specs, contents, and release dates are preliminary and subject to change.

KING: THE SPECIAL EDITION

by Ho Che Anderson
6.625 x 9.75, HC, 288 pages, Full Color, $34.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-310-1

Ho Che Anderson spent over 10 years researching, writing, and drawing King, a monumental graphic biography that liberates Martin Luther King Jr. from the saintly, one-dimensional, hagiographic image so relevant in pop culture. Here is King – father, husband, politician, deal broker, idealist, pragmatist, inspiration to millions – brought to vivid, flesh-and-blood life. Out of print since 2006, King is our most-requested reprint. In recognition of the advances made in American social equality that has made it possible to elect America’s first black President, and in time to celebrate Martin Luther King Day (January 26, 2010), Fantagraphics Books is publishing King: The Special Edition, a newly designed volume that includes the original 240 page graphic biography, as well as nearly a hundred additional pages of “extras,” including: “Black Dogs,” a 14 page prelude to King, a dialogue between a young black couple expecting a child, living in LA in the aftermath of the Rodney King upheaval; excerpts from the diary and notebook the author kept when researching and writing King, with interstitial notes written specifically for this volume; preparatory sketches, discarded images and pages, an interview with the author, and excerpts from the draft of the script; an epilogue titled “Assassin,” written and drawn for this new edition, in which Anderson explores the question of whether James Earl Ray actually shot King.

NEWAVE! THE UNDERGROUND MINI COMIX OF THE 1980'S

by various artists; edited by Michael Dowers
5 x 7, HC, 892 pages, Color/B&W, $24.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-313-2

A GIGANTIC collection of the best SMALL press cartoonists to emerge in the 1970s after the first generation of underground cartoonists (such as R. Crumb, Gilbert Shelton and Art Spiegelman) paved the way. These cartoonists, inspired by the freewheeling creative energy of the underground comix movement, began drawing and printing their own comix. The most popular format was an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, folded twice, and printed at a local, pre-Kinkos print shop; because of the small size, they were dubbed “mini comix.” Just a few of the BIG talents included herein: Dan Clowes! Rick Geary! Mary Fleener! XNO! Jim Blanchard! Sam Henderson! J.R. Williams! Steve Willis! Doug Allen! Gary Leib! Mack White! and many! many! many! MORE! Inspired by the creative freedom of their underground predecessors and unrestrained by commercial boundaries or editorial edicts, their work was particulary innovative and experimental. Here you will find a group of artists who could not get any attention from the mainstream, who were driven by the inner need to express themselves. This group was a pioneering force that still leaves a wake and an imprint on the alternative comix scene today.

HANK KETCHAM'S COMPLETE DENNIS THE MENACE 1961-1962

by Hank Ketcham
5.5 x 6.25, HC, 672 pages, B&W, $24.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-311-8

Dennis vaults into the 1960s with his anarchic spirit still intact. As always, this book is a series of unrelated panel gags (with the exception of one week-long story involving Dennis’ mild-mannered Grandpa), but what gags! Ack! Cough! cough! Hank Ketcham is legendary for being one of the most exquisitely skilled cartoonists of all time, and each and every panel is a small masterpiece of design and draftsmanship. This volume of The Menace features Dennis’ long-suffering parents, the Wilsons, his dog Ruff, his best pal Joey, his nemesis Margaret, and a seemingly endless parade of babysitters, as well as hapless shopowners, policemen and teachers, and family friends, all of whom come to realize that it’s Dennis’ world... they just live in it!

HANK KETCHAM'S COMPLETE DENNIS THE MENACE 1959-1962 BOX SET

by Hank Ketcham
5.5 x 6.25, HC, 1,344 pages, B&W, $39.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-312-5

A swell custom-designed case containing the fifth and sixth volumes of Hank Ketcham’s Complete Dennis the Menace from the year 1959 through 1962. (Sorry, case is not peanut butter or root beer resistant.)

THE COMPLETE CRUMB COMICS VOLUME 12: "WE'RE LIVIN' IN THE LAP O' LUXURY!"

by R. Crumb
8.5 x 11, SC, 136 pages, B&W/Color, $19.99
ISBN 978-1-56097-264-8

Back in print after a several-year absence, the 12th volume of The Complete Crumb spotlights Crumb’s first collaborations with national treasure Harvey Pekar, which appeared in the legendary American Splendor. This collection also includes a skeptical report-in-comics on an aerospace symposium (commissioned by CoEvolution Quarterly, it comes off like one of Michael Moore’s cocky documentary films), Crumb’s encounter with an interviewer from High Times magazine, an evocative period piece featuring 1930s jazz musicians, another of Crumb’s collaborative “jams” with Aline Kominsky, and everything else that’s established R. Crumb as the master catoonist of his time! Makes a great gift and doubles as an evocative educational tool, teaching our youth what it means to be American (from the guy that moved to France)!

UPTIGHT #4

by Jordan Crane
24-page B&W Comic Book, $2.75
ISBN 978-1-60699-339-2

This holiday season the esteemed cartoonist Jordan Crane stuffs your stocking with Uptight #4. Picking up where Uptight #3 left off, the master of moods, Mister Crane, ends “Vicissitude” and dives into the next chapter of his new, atmospheric, graphic-novel-masterpiece-in-the-making. But wait there’s more! “Keeping Two” returns! The melancholic-pop medley for the ages is delivered by Master Crane, as only the cartoonist crooner can do! Wrap it all up with a stunning, to-be-framed, full color cover and you have your self a fine, refined, and defined read for the season! Remember, Uptight #4, for when the mood strikes right, you know where to go... for the standard!

CHOCOLATE CHEEKS

by Steven Weissman
7.5 x 7.5, SC, 120 pages, Full Color, $16.99
ISBN 978-1-56097-927-2

Hilarious, frightening, mysterious, adorable, and utterly bleak, Chocolate Cheeks has arrived to disgust and delight comic book readers of all ages. “Sweet” Chubby Cheeks and the Pullapart Boy (a 21st Century child of Frankenstein’s monster) are driving each other key-razy! Forced together by their dating parents, these two bitter enemies have alienated — or otherwise disposed of — most of their social circle, leaving them with plenty of quality time for each other. They go camping, start a business, form a band, join a team, try to make some new friends and engage in a “holy war.” Things go from worse to worst, though, when the two boys find a cat — or is it a bird??? — one hot, summer day. Blending such influences as Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, Universal Monsters, Hal Roach’s The Little Rascals and the noir stylings of Jim Thompson — Steven Weissman has created a unique, personal world replete with superior content and major drawing chops to that of the typical, humdrum comic book fare. His work is a treasure to our industry. Think Archie with fangs... or Little Lulu with blood and guts and existential dread. BOO!

MONTE SCHULZ TOURS WEST COAST IN SEPT.-OCT. TO PROMOTE THE RELEASE OF THE NEW NOVEL, THIS SIDE OF JORDAN

This September, Fantagraphics Books will publish This Side of Jordan, a novel by Monte Schulz. To support the release, the author will tour thirteen cities on the West Coast in September and October:

Fri., Sept. 25, 8PM • Southern California Writers Conf., Irvine, CA

Mon., Sept. 28, 7PM • Chaucer's Books, Santa Barbara, CA

Wed., Sept. 30, 7PM • Mysterious Galaxy Books, San Diego, CA

Thurs., Oct. 1, 6PM • Laguna Beach Books, Laguna Beach, CA

Sat., Oct. 3, 5PM • Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA

Sun., Oct. 11, 11AM • Wordstock Festival, Portland, OR

Tues., Oct. 13, 7PM • Third Place Books, Seattle (Lake Forest Park), WA

Wed., Oct. 14, 7:30PM • Tsunami Books, Eugene, OR

Tues., Oct. 20, 7PM • Modern Times Bookstore, San Francisco, CA

Wed., Oct. 21, 7PM • Copperfield's Books, Santa Rosa, CA

Thurs., Oct. 22, 7PM • Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA

Sat., Oct. 24, 2PM • The Bookseller, Grass Valley, CA

Wed., Oct. 28, 7PM • Time Tested Books, Sacramento, CA

"Monte Schulz's novel This Side of Jordan shows that Like Father Like Son -both superb!" - RAY BRADBURY

"Schulz proves himself to be a handy wordsmith in this literarily ambitious novel of pre-Depression America. Hand this straight-faced and multifaceted almost-satire to fans of the southern gothic tradition, all the way from Flannery O'Connor to John Kennedy Toole." - BOOKLIST, Sept. 2009

"I just finished reading a review copy, and I think this is a truly great American novel. Certainly I have not read anything by a modern American (white male) that I have so thoroughly enjoyed in my 13+ years at Tsunami Books. I won't go into the tale; suffice to say those who read this book will bear witness to the beginnings of a great new (American) voice that upholds the power of innocence in a long, dark era." - SCOTT LANDFIELD, TSUNAMI BOOKS 

ABOUT THIS SIDE OF JORDAN:

In the idyllic last American summer before the great stock market crash of '29, nineteen year-old farm boy Alvin Pendergast somehow decides he can escape a fatal relapse of tuberculosis by accepting the offer of a job across the Mississippi River from a slick-talking stranger who seems everything poor Alvin is not: smart, sharply-dressed, well-acquainted, and without a worry in the world. But beneath appearances Chester Burke is also a gangster and a sociopathic killer. On their traveling road through the small towns of the Midwest, Alvin quickly discovers how ignorant he is of life beyond the farm.

Fortunately, he finds another companion for this harrowing journey, a curious and clever dwarf whose own pathetic life has offered little resistance to fate, until the circumstances of Chester's cruel itinerary forces both him and Alvin to seek another path, if they hope to survive.

This Side Of Jordan is a story of another America, eighty years distant yet familiar, too, a vibrant and scandalous tapestry of eccentric characters from a nation embroiled in criminal liquor traffic, thrilled by Jazz Age fads and frolic, drunk amid the glittering showgrounds of a booming circus whose flag-topped tents are about to come down. Through mayhem and merriment, past the violence and hypocrisy of Prohibition, along miles of dirt roads and busy Main Streets, we see in this wonderfully evocative narrative a simple yearning for love and hope. This Side Of Jordan is about the distance we travel in America to find our rightful place.

This Side of Jordan is Monte Schulz's second novel. His first, Down by the River, was published by Viking in 1991. Library Journal raved that it compared to Stand by Me and Twin Peaks, and seemed "ready-made for Hollywood." He spent ten years writing Crossing Eden, from which This Side of Jordan is drawn as the first of three interconnected novels; the second and third, Fields of Eden and The Big Town, will be published in 2010 and 2011.

Monte Schulz received his M.A. in American Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He lives in Northern California. He is the eldest son of Charles M. Schulz (PEANUTS).

THIS SIDE OF JORDAN

By Monte Schulz

$22.99 Hardcover • 320 pages

ISBN 978-1-60699-296-8

PUBLICATION DATE: September 23, 2009