This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new titles. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators and web-savvy comic shops are saying about them (more to be added as they appear), check out our previews at the links, and contact your local shop to confirm availability.  

50 Girls 50 and Other Stories (The EC Comics Library)
illustrated by Al Williamson et al.; written by Al Feldstein et al.

264-page black & white 7.25" x 10.25" hardcover • $28.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-577-8

"these comics still matter, at least to hardcore fans. I think they look great, and I enjoy these comics for what they are as opposed to how they were seen in the miserable context of 1950s mainstream comic books. I'd buy the Williamson before the Davis, but I think most people I know prefer the Davis." –Tom Spurgeon, Comics Reporter

"Al Williamson's classic tales from Weird Science and Weird Fantasy which stand as landmarks in comics sci-fi/fantasy." –Benn Ray, Atomic Books

"The great Al Williamson is one of my all-time favorite artists…Unlike the cookie-cutter plots of the EC horror stories, 50 Girls 50 contains  original ’50s style Sci-Fi stories including three tales adapted from the works of SF Greats Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison. And like the great Mr. Loomis mentioned above, Al Williamson is a master at capturing the female form in all its glory times 50!" –Andy Mansell, HeroesOnline

'Tain't the Meat... It's the Humanity! and Other Stories (The EC Comics Library)
by Jack Davis & Al Feldstein

224-page black & white 7.25" x 10.25" hardcover • $28.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-578-5

"…this edition is an ideal place to get the true feel of the 1950′s EC Horror comics. These horror stories are rather formulaic, but the art of Jack Davis makes them essential.  But that taint all…" –Andy Mansell, HeroesOnline

"Fantagraphics continues its excellent series of EC Comics Library editions with two new books. 'Tain't The Meat collects some of Jack Davis's Tales from The Crypt stories which highlight his masterful balance of gore, humor and terror." –Benn Ray, Atomic Books

Wilfred Santiago's baseball biography comic is ready to read on the way to your next away game at comiXology. 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente follows Clemente's life from his early days growing up in rural Puerto Rico, the highlights of his career (including the 1960s World Series where he helped the Pirates win its first victory in 33 years, and his 3000th hit in 1972 during the last official at-bat of his life) as well as his private life and public mission off the field.

Named one of Library Journal's Best Books 2011: Graphic Novels, one of Booklist's Top 10 Graphic Novels: 2012 (for 2011 books), one of ALA/YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2012, 21 is a great book for teens, adults and baseball fans all around. 179 pages of the struggle and success of a immigrant baseball player achieving the American dream can be yours. Batter up!

"...21: The Story of Roberto Clemente... is drawn with a jagged whimsy that gets at the sudden sharpness of a baseball game's action, the frenzy that comes from out of nowhere to temporarily replace the long, slow stretches of waiting, scratching, spitting and eyeballing opponents that are endemic to the sport…Comic books bring a different kind of narrative that's not possible in any other medium — not books, not movies.'" – Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune

"Santiago evokes the world Clemente lived in, from the dusty Puerto Rican streets where he played baseball with bottle caps and tree branches to his years as a perennial All-Star. The art is scratchy and abstract when it’s dealing with home and homesickness, and then hardens into the stuff of superhero comics whenever Clemente steps to the plate." – Noel Murray, The A.V. Club

"I stand in awe of Drew Friedman's technique and the certain flavor of sad old America he captures. I love his stuff... He's such a wacko!"
--R. Crumb 

Old Comics, Old Freaks, Old Jews, and LOTS of fun!

Join graphic humorist Drew Friedman on Wednesday, April 24th for the third in a series of Weekly Comic Book Round Table Talks at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art in New York City! 

Host Danny Fingeroth will ask this master cartoonist and satirist about his life and career, and Drew will unveil previews of new, unreleased work, including his "Legends of Comic Books" series!

Drew will also discuss/argue all things Old Jewish Comedians, Sideshow Freaks, comic book legends, urban legends, (Milton Berle, Danny Thomas, Billy Barty, Lester...), Shemp Howard, Joe Franklin, Abe Vigoda, Sammy Petrillo, Sophie Tucker, Tor Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Officer Joe Bolton, Harvey Kurtzman, Dave Berg, Zagnut, Jimmy Grippo, Plonsky, etc.

Special guests to be announced, once funds are secured for their cab fares.

Tickets are $12 in advance, $17 on the day-of-show and at the door, so you should probably get yours now online at Brown Paper Tickets. This event runs from 6:30-8:30 PM. The Soho Gallery for Digital Art is located at 138 Sullivan St, between Prince & Houston.

Don’t miss the opening of our fabulous exhibition "Dash Shaw: Stories" with music by Lexi Lee at Fantagraphics Bookstore this Saturday, April 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The show includes more than a dozen original drawings by the provocative contemporary cartoonist together with an array of his comix, graphic novels, and small press publications. Banjo player Lexi Lee will perform traditional folk melodies with a modern twist. This event coincides with the festive Georgetown Art Attack, featuring challenging art, music, and more at locations throughout the historic industrial arts corridor.

Mark your calendars for Friday, April 19 at 7:00 PM as Lucy Knisley presents Relish: My Life in the Kitchen with a slide talk, book signing and tasting of delicious recipes from the book.

Dash Shaw will appear in person on Saturday, May 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. He’ll be discussing his work with a screening of his animated shorts, followed by a book signing featuring the debut of his latest graphic novel New School. May 4 also marks Free Comic Book Day. Drop by the store for a free mini comic created by local cartoonists exclusively for Fantagraphics Bookstore.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street in the heart of Seattle’s historic Georgetown arts community, only minutes south of downtown. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110.

Wandering Son (放浪息子 / Hourou Musuko) Vol. 4 
by Shimura Takako; edited and translated by Matt Thorn

224-page black & white 7” x 9.5” hardcover • $19.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-605-8

Selected views of the book (hint: they're organized right-to-left), which should be on shelves in 5-7 weeks; click thumbnails for larger versions and get more info, see more previews and pre-order your copy here:

http://www.fantagraphics.com/wanderingson4

Cathy Malkasian is back with Wake Up, Percy Gloom!, the sequel to her award-winning 2007 graphic novel Percy Gloom, which charmed and beguiled readers of all stripes (with the equally amazing Temperance in between). Don't just take our word for it; listen to two of comics' greatest world-builders and creators of lovable iconic characters:

"Cathy Malkasian's Percy Gloom shines a light on a hidden world, using language and ideas that are daringly naked and vulnerable, evoking something real, rare, and relevant. Such exquisite drawing, in the service of such rich ideas, sustained for such a long, lovely dance! The world looked differently to me after I'd finished reading it." – Jim Woodring

"I love this book! Cathy Malkasian's Percy Gloom swirls with echoes of cartoon landscapes from the past and present. You can almost hear Percy Gloom's meek, docile little voice. Her writing is so full of wit and charm that we, like the title character, walk dutifully to the edge and fall in. And like Percy, we are rewarded equally with night terrors and secret treasures." – Jeff Smith

This all-new story, due out in the second half of May, expands Percy's world with new sights, new mysteries, new delights, and new dangers. On our pre-order page we have a 17-page excerpt for you to read and a fun animated "commercial" created by the artist, and we have more previews to come. And for the full Percy package you can buy both books together for a nice discount!

Wednesday, April 10th

• New York City, NY:  Our own James Romberger will be part of the infamous CAROUSEL series hosted by R. Sikoryak!  Join James and this all-star cast at Dixon Place [ 161A Chrystie Street (btwn Rivington & Delancey) ] starting at 7:30 PM! (more info)

Saturday, April 13th

• Seattle, WA:  The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery launches its brand new exhibit, Dash Shaw: Stories, featuring 14 original artworks! Come get a first look at the show, and then join us again on Saturday, May 4th when Dash Shaw joins us in person for a film screening, discussion, and book signing. (more info)

• Somerville, MA:  And, oh hey, Dash Shaw will be at Hub Comics doing a film screening, discussion, and book signing for New School! Be one of the lucky first to get a signed copy of this beautiful new work from Dash, starting at 7:00 PM. (more info)

Wandering Son (放浪息子 / Hourou Musuko) Vol. 4
by Shimura Takako; edited and translated by Matt Thorn

224-page black & white 7" x 9.5" hardcover • $19.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-605-8

Ships in: May 2013 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now

Wandering Son Vols. 4 - 6 Subscription

Price: $65.97 $52.78 POSTPAID

Wandering Son has garnered extensive praise (from the GLBT community, from manga fans, and from comics fans in general) for its uniquely funny, warm, and sensitive treatment of the travails of two Japanese tweens who find themselves coping with the knotty issue of gender identification as they slowly realize that maybe they aren't who they were meant to be.

In this latest volume, love is in the air. It's in the trees and on the streets. It's hanging on the walls and piled in great heaps on the floor. Or is it really love? These sixth and seventh graders don't really know. But something is definitely amiss. They can't sleep, and when they do sleep they have strange dreams. They get angry and cry for no reason. They blush and grin like idiots for no reason. And it isn't even spring. But the standard rules apply: If A is in love with B, B is certain to be in love with C, and C is likely to be in love with D, or possibly A.

And now it seems a good third of the alphabet is in love with our shy protagonist, Nitori-kun. But the flip-side of love is jealousy, and hate. The simple friendships of childhood develop into the complex, tense relationships of adolescence. Friends become strangers, or worse. But while everyone seems to have caught the bug — even characters whose names you can't remember — Volume 4 revolves solidly around the triangle of Nitori-kun, Takatsuki-san, and Chiba-san. Yet centrifugal force seems to push the three away from each other, and there is a certain grimness as they say goodbye to elementary school, and put on the (highly gendered) uniforms of junior high school…

25-page excerpt (download 3.9 MB PDF):

Video & Photo Slideshow Preview (view in new window):

Praise for the Series:

One of ALA/YALSA's Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2012

Named to the ALA GLBT Round Table's 2012 Rainbow List of recommended books for young readers

One of MTV Geek's Best Manga Series of 2011

Named "Best New Seinen/Josei: Slice of Life" on About.com Manga's 2011 Best New Manga

Named one of The Best Comics of 2011 by NPR - Monkey See

Anders Nilsen is a unique and fearless cartoonist: on one hand, he's an innovative and boundary-expanding experimenter with the comics form; on the other, his emotional and philosophical explorations of being human are deeply felt and enormously powerful. No work of his better exemplifies these qualities than The End. Produced in the aftermath of a devastating personal loss several years ago, The End is a wrenching, sometimes abstract, sometimes angry, sometimes bitterly funny meditation on grief, loss, mortality, and hope.

For this new hardcover edition, due out late next month, the original 32-page comic from 2007 has been expanded to 80 pages, including new full-color work. Read an 11-page excerpt, and pre-order a copy right here.

The rules have changed! We can now offer upcoming volumes of The Complete Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz for presale, which means we can extend this special offer:

Pre-order The Complete Peanuts 1987-1990 Gift Box Set now and we will send you Volume 19 (1987-1988) right away, and Volume 20 (1989-1990) with the slipcase when they are available in Fall 2013! (Sorry, our contract with Peanuts prevents us from selling to customers outside the U.S. and Canada.)

Not only do you get to read each volume as they come out, you get them at the box set price (cheaper!) and the deal even saves you a few bucks on shipping. Yup, it's just like our special offer on the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Color Sundays Gift Box Set!

Order now, and if you've already bought Volume 19 direct from us, contact us about upgrading your purchase to take advantage of this offer — we'll apply your purchase price to the box set price!