As we reported last fall, the mighty Ron Regé, Jr. will be leading a week-long intensive workshop at SAW, the Sequential Artists Workshop, from March 4th through 8th, in Gainesville, Florida!

Ron says, "If you are curious about, say, Jodorowsky's Psychomagic, surrealist revolution, alchemical archetypes, or other aspects of pulling spirits through the chaos of the ether (in relation to comics?) then come on over and we'll see what happens!" And who isn't curious about all those things?

Friend Ron on Facebook, and you'll get a sneak peek at his upcoming curriculum! He's been sharing PDF's and YouTube clips related to what he'll be throwin' down. It'll be the most magical Spring Break in Florida ever! And there's still time to sign up -- you can also get the "package deal" and take John Porcellino's class the week before. 

Join Fantagraphics Books in our hometown of Seattle from Jan. 25-28 at the American Library Association Midwinter show, taking place at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown. Fantagraphics will be exhibiting with our distribution partner, W.W. Norton & Co., in booth #2409.

We'll be showcasing our first 2013 releases, including a few none of you have seen yet, and also hosting weekend signings and raffles with authors PETER BAGGE and JIM WOODRING!

We'll also be giving away some freebies, including comic books by Carl Barks, Crockett Johnson, Woodring and Bagge, plus other surprises...

Here's the schedule:

PETER BAGGE: Saturday, Jan. 26th at 11AM

JIM WOODRING: Sunday, Jan. 27th at 11AM

SEAN PIDGEON: Friday, Jan. 25 at 6PM (author of Finding Camlann: A Novel, courtesy W.W. Norton)

It should be a fun show for us. Seattle and King County boast two of the great library systems in America, so you know it should be a great ALA, and we'll be excited to show our hometown pride. Come ask us for great book, comics, restaraunt and tourist tips!

Also, out-of-town visitors please note! We'll be hosting a reception at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery  that Saturday night from 4:30 to 6:00 PM following a Graphic Arts Guild workshop featuring Ellen Forney, David Lasky, Phil Foglio, and others. Stay tuned for more info. 

ALA Midwinter Booth #2409: FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS / W.W. NORTON

This is sure to be a very special and poignant event: C. Tyler will be making a rare West Coast appearance to discuss her work at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 31st!

Titled Scrapbooks, Army Surplus, Comics and Other Stuff: A Conversation with Graphic Storyteller C. Tyler, she will discuss her stunningly rendered and intensely personal series You'll Never Know: A Graphic Memoir, and will delve into comics, family memories, gender, and generations.

This event is FREE and open to the public. The discussion starts at 7:00 PM in the Annenberg Auditorium [ 3502 Watt Way ] of the University Park Campus. Reservations are recommended, so click here to RSVP!

...and we love Wonkette's graphics department, but today especially.

Here's a preview of the sassy Libby aka Lady Liberty as drawn by THE Jaime Hernandez for the 2013 Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's card. And they must have answered my prayers because I've been wanting a new baseball tee for a long time. I'll let Deputy Director Alex Cox tell you more below:

Legendary cartoonist Jaime Hernandez rings in 2013 for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund by providing the art for this year's membership program!  CBLDF protects the freedom to read comics by providing legal aid, resources, and education in the service of protecting the comics medium's First Amendment rights.  Members provide the monetary foundation CBLDF needs to protect perform that important work, and this year every member is being rewarded with a membership card designed by Hernandez.  Members who can afford to join at higher levels will also be able to receive exclusive items featuring Hernandez's striking art, including a member exclusive t-shirt, a limited letterpress print, and more!

Jaime Hernandez is best known as the co-creator (with brothers Gilbert and Mario) of the of the epoch defining masterpiece Love & Rockets. His characters Maggie and Hopey among the most iconic characters in the history of independent comics.  This year marks the 30th Anniversary of LOVE AND ROCKETS' debut, and the CBLDF is proud to have Mr. Hernandez's insightful take on Lady Liberty as the mascot for our 2013 membership program. When discussing helping the CBLDF, by creating this extraordinary piece of art, Mr. Hernandez stated simply, "It's pretty much a no brainer. We need the CBLDF."

This year we're asking everyone who supports the freedom to read comics to become an intellectual freedom fighter and join the CBLDF!  As a member, you will be an active part of the field's most proactive advocacy group, and ensure that our important work protecting the right to read, create, own, and sell comics can continue to grow.  Your support will help advance our important legal and education work from courtrooms to classrooms and beyond. Your membership contribution makes you an essential part of the team that helps protect and advance the rights of this incredible art form.

All members will receive the 2013 membership card by Hernandez.  When you join at the $100 Advocate Level, you will receive an exclusive long sleeve t-shirt, available only to members, as well as button pack and sticker set! This shirt features the gorgeous Jaime Hernadez line art, and will only be available to members who join the CBLDF in 2013! Other levels offer other incentives, including a limited edition signed and numbered letterpress art print, and CBLDF branded items including sports bottles, hooded sweatshirts, and embroidered polo shirts. All of these premiums thank our members for their generosity, and let them show that they're a proud member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund team, who are always ready to stand up for the freedom to read comics!

To view all of the membership levels and learn more about CBLDF's important work, please visit: http://cbldf.myshopify.com/collections/memberships

 So get involved and get some hot Jaime merchandise! We'll keep our eyes peeled for a Jaime-CBLDF inspired tattoo.

Like you, we recently learned that CBG is no more. We're sure that many of you are unhappy with the substitution of Antique Trader for the remaining balance of your CBG subscription, so we'd like to offer you a one-time-only money-saving alternative.

At Fantagraphics, we specialize in high-quality collections of classic comics by the best writers and artists in comics history. Exquisite collections featuring Walt Disney's Donald Duck by Carl Barks; classic EC Comics artists like Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and Al Williamson; Prince Valiant by Hal Foster, Peanuts by Charles Schulz, and Pogo by Walt Kelly, plus classic work by Joe Kubert, Steve Ditko, Basil Wolverton, and Bill Everett -- to name only a few.

Of course, we also publish The Comics Journal, the world's longest running magazine of comic art and criticism.

If you would like to sample any of these fine publications preserving and celebrating the medium we all love, we will give you a special $10 credit on any purchase you make of $20 or more from fantagraphics.com between now and Feb. 1, 2013.

To qualify for this exclusive special offer -- for former CBG subscribers only -- just do one of these things: forward your email notification from CBG to our " This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it " email address or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or scan of your copy of CBG #1699 with your subscription label on it (such as the example above). We'll respond with a personalized email coupon good for $10 off on any purchase you make for any of our books between now and Feb. 1, 2013.

Sincerely,

The Editors,

Fantagraphics

Yo La Woodring // photo credit: Eric Reynolds

The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is thrilled to announce that this Saturday, January 12th, as you admire our exhibit of original artwork by the legendary Jim Woodring, and while you get your copy of Problematic: Sketchbook Drawings 2004-2012 signed, you will be enjoying the sweet, sweet sounds of the not-even-released-yet Yo La Tengo album Fade in the background!

I don't even know where to start in listing all the ties between indie rock veterans Yo La Tengo and our own Uncle Jim. Jim did some of the illustrations in their CD The Sounds of the Sounds of Science. Their bassist James McNew has Pupshaw and Pushpaw tattooed on his arm. James' solo project Dump can also be heard on Jim's Visions of Frank DVD...

And this Saturday, you and Jim Woodring will be two of the first to hear their forthcoming album in its entirety, before it's even in stores! Fade officially comes out Tuesday, January 15th (or Monday, January 14th in Europe) on the fine Matador Records label.

Jim Woodring’s Problematic book launch is from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street in Seattle's Georgetown district. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Thanks to my dear YLT and our friends at Matador Records.

Seattle is once again the center of the alternative comix universe with shows opening all over town this weekend. On Friday, January 11 at Roq la Rue from 6:00 to 9:00 PM is the post-apocalyptic group show "I'll Love You Til The End Of The World" featuring Fantagraphics favorites Camille Rose Garcia and Scott Musgrove. The same evening you'll find "Friends" at Cairo, featuring Intruder artists Max Clotfelter, Darin Shuler, Aidan Fitzgerald, Tom Van Deusen, Marc J. Palm, David Lasky, Nikki Burch, Ben Horak, Jason T. Miles, Tim Miller, James Stranton, Kazimir Strzepek and Alexa Kristine Koenings. (The future of alternative comix now.)

The comix action moves to Georgetown on Saturday evening, with a show of "Paintoons" by John Ohannesian at the One Night Stand Gallery (located directly above Fantagraphics Bookstore.) John has been busy in recent months as a Fantagraphics freelancer faithfully restoring classic strips like Nancy, Buz Sawyer, and Popeye for your reading pleasure. It'll be interesting to see how this exercise informs his cartoon paintings. Across the street at LxWxH Gallery is Bette Burgoyne's "Forest," a 30-foot narrative scroll drawing. And, of course, don't miss the Problematic reception with Jim Woodring at our bookstore. Lots of great surprises await.

Ooh la la! The loveable duo of Fuzz and Pluck are making their French debut this month from our fine colleagues at Éditions Cornélius!

And to celebrate, an exhibition of original artwork is being launched at Librairie Les Super Héros in Paris! Join artist Ted Stearn on Friday, January 25th as he heads to the City of Light for the opening reception and book signing. Ted also reports that 20 original pages will be available for purchase! 

Super Héros is located at 175 Rue Saint-Martin in Paris. The exhibit will be on display through Saturday, February 9th.

Our collection The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008 continues its global voyage with an entire weekend of events in San Francisco!

Join editors Nico Vassilakis and Crag Hill for signings and readings on Thursday, March 14th at The Poetry Center on the campus of San Francisco State University [ 1600 Holloway Avenue ] at 4:30 PM.

Nico and Crag will also present The Last Vispo on Friday, March 15th at 7:00 PM at Meridian Gallery [ 535 Powell Street ].

Bay Area residents, don't miss these very special performances celebrating 21st century international visual poetry!