News from Jim Flora archivist Irwin Chusid:

The Incredible Flutist is an uncirculated 1953-54 record cover painting by Flora that was intended for a 7-inch RCA Victor EP. Jim Flora Art LLC is offering a limited edition fine art print.

According to a purchase order discovered in the Flora archives, the work was commissioned by RCA in late 1953, but there's no indication it was finished, accepted, or used on a commercially released EP. This painting has not previously been published or offered in any form. An alternate version appeared in the book The Mischievous Art of Jim Flora.

Only 20 numbered prints of this work have been produced. Following the sale of two launch prints, edition prints are available for sale at JimFlora.com.

Fantagraphics was in full effect at the 2008 Stumptown Comics Fest. Your humble reporter was only there for Saturday of the two-day event, but had a smashing time (and went 200% over budget buying comics, art & t-shirts — yikes). Here's a brief video clip of our table:

Pals and table-mates J.R. Williams and Jim Blanchard:

Andrice Arp signs issues of Mome at the Fantagraphics table:

Georgene and Robert Goodin:

Mome contributor Tom Kaczynski:

For the full set of photos on Flickr, click here. Stay tuned for new sketchbook scans.

Ediciones La Cupula of Barcelona has just published the second issue of their spanish-language edition of MOME. It's pretty unusual for an anthology to get translated into foreign editions, so I just had to Flog these:

Courtesy Johnny Ryan:

The funny thing is, Johnny really does kind of have ripped abs.  

A new Joe Coleman show opens this weekend in NYC... 

Speaking of Joe, if you don't have this comic, you're missing one of the truly great oddities in comic book history:

Lizz Hickey is one of the reasons I decided to do another anthology this year. Working with a mythology all her own, her work is the kind of world I love to be let in on and the more I've looked at her portfolio the more she's become one of my favorite young artists. Primarily a printmaker, there is definitely an aspect to Lizz's work where an understanding of traditional print processes reinforces the awesome nature of what she does. Although there's an impulsive quality to her style nothing she makes is easy, nothing is throwaway. It's pure elbow grease. On the other hand, her work is personal and compulsive and can't be scrutinized on just some technical level.

The best part of the art is the way it works as a cummulative force, where every piece is an elaboration on a bigger universe. One piece may be dense with details (full of complicated social systems with that you can't even make out in that jpg up top) and another will just be some amorphous hand floating on the page, holding a ghost. But even then, most likely, the latter print will be printed and drawn upon a dozen different times, each time revealing more about the creatures and their world. And I can't say what it reveals, specifically, but I'm comforted by her playful characters who thrive in a world of mutual suffering and soothing and exploration.

April 28th-May 3rd Lizz has her Senior Show happening at Purchase College in New York. I'm a shut-in but if I were in the area I'd go to the reception April 30th if only to get ahold of the inexpensive silkscreened goodies she's selling. 

Visit her Flickr page for updates to her portfolio. 

Courtesy Joe Matt:

It's a late update with your weekly installment of Steven Weissman's "Chocolate Cheeks"! In this week's strip: Pullapart Boy ponders parenting. (Remember, you must be registered and logged in to read.)

Courtesy Spain Rodriguez: