As seen in the pages of Previews, these are the books and comics slated for release by Fantagraphics Books in August, 2009. Please note that all details, including cover art, prices, specs, contents, and release dates are preliminary and subject to change.

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1973-1974

by Charles M. Schulz
Introduction by Billie Jean King
8.5 x 7, HC, 344 pages, BW, $28.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-286-9

Celebrate life with THE COMPLETE PEANUTS! Fantagraphics is proud to present the release of the 12th volume of the most recognized comic strip of all time! Charles M. Schulz’s American masterpiece has defined the way we read, create and consider comic strips. Nothing short of genius, Schulz’s ability to articuate the human experience through pathos and humor is authentic to the point where the line between art and existence is nearly unrecognizable. We are all Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and Woodstock!

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1971-1974 BOX SET

by Charles M. Schulz
Introductions by Kristin Chenoweth & Billie Jean King
2 books, 8.5 x 7, HC, 344 pages, BW, $49.95
ISBN 978-1-60699-287-6

CAPTAIN EASY, SOLDIER OF FORTUNE: The Complete Sunday Newspaper Strips Vol. 1

by Roy Crane
10.5 x 14.75, HC, 160 pages, FC, $35.00
ISBN 978-1-60699-161-9

Roy Crane is a GIANT among cartoonists and Fantagraphics is embarking upon an ambitious reprinting of his best work within CAPTAIN EASY, SOLDIER OF FORTURNE. Dig in and bask in the radiance of these FULL COLOR, prismatic Sunday strips! Discover with each page a buried treasure of adventure and chicanery replete with Crane’s mastery of comics storytelling. Citing Crane’s influence on comics, the artist Gil Kane once said, “Superman was Captain Easy; Batman was Captain Easy.” BEWARE! Beautiful women! Pirates! Sunken ships! And fun! fun! FUN! are barely contained within this beautiful package brought to you by Fantagraphics, the torchbearer of quality when it comes to classic comic strip reprints.

ROCK CANDY

by Femke Hiemstra
6.5 x 8.25, HC, 208 pages, FC, $29.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-149-7

Dutch artist and designer Femke Hiemstra has a unique style and vision that evokes the work of Robert Williams and Mark Ryden, but with a less cynical worldview that invites the viewer to enter the magic spaces she creates. ROCK CANDY is the artist’s first retrospective and spotlights her talent, whimsy and wit in a deluxe package certain to catapult her to the forefront of the Pop Surrealism movement. Hiemstra’s paintings and illustrations are united by a meticulous attention to craft that gives life to her dark, lush, fairytale landscapes where inanimate objects come to life and frolic with anthropomorphs of all types.

THIS SIDE OF JORDAN

by Monte Schulz
6 x 9, HC, 304 pages, $22.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-296-8

BE CAREFUL! WARNING! CAUTION! WARNING! THIS IS A PROSE NOVEL! THIS IS NOT A COMIC BOOK OR GRAPHIC NOVEL! Written for his father, the late cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz, Monte Schulz’s PROSE NOVEL opens in the spring of 1929, as the 19 year old consumptive farm boy Alvin Pendergast attends an ill-fated dance marathon he’s too sickly to participate in. After a year of his life has been stolen by a sanitarium, an invitation for a late-night slice of pie is too seductive to pass up and before he knows it, Alvin finds himself up to his eyeballs in horror, beauty, strangeness and death. THIS SIDE OF JORDAN weds the phantasmagoric with the Southern Gothic literary tradition all in search of the common as well as the cosmic satori of our experience. Cover by Al Columbia!

USAGI YOJIMBO: THE SPECIAL EDITION

by Stan Sakai
2 books, 7 x 10.25, HC, 1200 pages, BW, $95.00
ISBN 978-1-60699-154-1

USAGI YOJIMBO: THE SPECIAL EDITION - LIMITED SIGNED EDITION

$135.00, ISBN 978-1-60699-332-3

Created in 1984, Stan Sakai’s USAGI YOJIMBO (2008 Eisner Nominee for Best Continuing Series) has vaulted to the forefront of iconic modern comics characters and is a perennial, favorite. Stuffed with engaging supporting characters, villains, and even a romantic interest or two, USAGI YOJIMBO chronicles the action-packed wanderings of a masterless samurai in feudal Japan. For the first ten years of his career, the battling bunny was published by Fantagraphics. In honor of his 25th anniversary, Fantagraphics is releasing a deluxe slipcase set collecting the first seven USAGI YOJIMBO books! With over 1000 pages of story and brimming with extra’s (full color cover gallery! behind the scenes art! career-spanning interview! and more!), this is the complete! definitive! early USAGI YOJIMBO!

LOVE AND ROCKETS: NEW STORIES #2

by Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez
6.625 x 9, SC, 104 pages, BW, $14.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-168-8

This volume gets off to a flying start with “Hypnotwist,” Gilbert’s epic story of a beautiful, leggy redhead’s surreal journey into a night filled with mysterious shady characters, dreamlike violence, and sparkling retro spike heels. Then, in the concluding 50-page chapter of Jaime’s outrageous, acclaimed, superhero mash-up “Ti-Girls Adventures,” our protagonist, rookie do-gooder Boot Angel, learns more hard lessons about becoming a superheroine. Eventually, just about the entire cast gets together for a reunion that unexpectedly takes place in Maggie’s tiny bedroom apartment. Finally, Beto gets top heavy with “Sad Girl,” and introduces Killer! the sweetest teen startlet of the solar system! Forget WATCHMEN, LOVE AND ROCKETS is the big one!

LIKE A DOG

by Zak Sally
7 x 10.25, HC, 144 pages, PC, $22.99
ISBN 978-1-60699-165-7

One man’s heartfelt and irreverent record of his time on this rock, Zak Sally’s unflinchingly veracious book, LIKE A DOG, is both direct and oblique, which we find rather miraculous considering the messy and murky waters of human experience it manages to navigate. LIKE A DOG is among the few comic book testimonials burdened by the yen to understand and articulate the mundane and the magnificent. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself laughing and crying as you claw your way through each hard fought page!