This week's free preview is a downloadable 12-page excerpt (including the gorgeous covers and endpapers) of Hall of Best Knowledge, the innovative new book from Ray Fenwick which is scheduled to arrive in April. These previews are exclusive to registered Fantagraphics.com users, so sign up and/or sign in to view.

(As a reminder, 20/20 Club members receive these previews two weeks before we post them on the website, just one of many great reasons to join up...) 

Irwin Chusid, editor of our Jim Flora books, writes:

Jim Flora Art LLC has produced a limited-edition, archival-quality fine art print of a 1954 Jim Flora hand-tinted woodcut entitled Manhattan.

The cityscape depicts New York in its 1950s glory, including a number of gotham landmarks such as the Empire State Building, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Madison Square Garden, the Statue of Liberty, famous theaters and legendary musical bistros, Washington Square arch, subways, taxis, horse-drawn carriages and tourists.

Only twenty-five (25) prints of Manhattan were produced for this edition. We are offering five (5) prints (#21/25 through #25/25) now on eBay. After these five prints are sold at the asking price, prices will increase for the rest of the edition.

In the time it's taken me to write this, 4 of the 5 have sold. Yipes! 

For those of more modest means, Jim Flora notecard sets (and other snazzy goods from artists like Meomi, Matthew Porter, Mark Burrier and many others) can be purchased from copacetique.com (note: big fat conflict of interest/nepotism alert).

Jordan Crane built a new, enormous screenprinting table and now the artist has made this just for you and 43 uptight friends.

You owe him eighty bucks.

Kurt Wolfgang talked to Gary Groth and survived in November 2005; we printed it in Mome Vol. 3; and now you can read the interview in its entirety here on the Fantagraphics website as part of our ongoing series of Mome interview web reprints. Previously: Paul Hornschemeier and Gabrielle Bell. Next up: Jonathan Bennett.

Fantagraphics would like to extend its condolences to the family of Steve Gerber, who passed away on Sunday (if you'd like to read more about Mr. Gerber, the Comics Reporter has a very thorough index of online coverage of his life and works).

In honor of Mr. Gerber's legacy, our sister Comics Journal site has uploaded the entirety of Gary Groth's landmark 1978 TCJ interview (#41) interview with Gerber (this interview is also available in The Comics Journal Library Vol. 6: The Writers). For further context, we also present critic Dale Luciano's essay on the subject of Gerber's work.

Last week's New Yorker cover:

This was a nice little interview with Jason in last week's EW:

From an ad in the New Yorker, to which Ivan Brunetti is, ironically, a contributor. And I would wager that at least three of the contributors to this book are familiar with Ivan's work.

Read it here. (Thanks, Dirk.) And if you haven't read Gilbert's Speak of the Devil miniseries from Dark Horse, do. I read the first four last night and it's just great. Quintessential Gilbert, but at his most accessible. A good one for those unfamiliar with his brilliance.

In the last two days, I've read: Speak of the Devil #1-4, Omega the Unknown #1-4 by Lethem & Dalrymple, The Education of Hopey Glass by Jaime Hernandez, ACME Novelty Library #18 by Chris Ware, Mister Wonderful by Daniel Clowes, The Maakies with the Wrinkled Knees by Tony Millionaire, a rough draft of our forthcoming Unlovable collection by Esther Pearl Watson, and half of Julie Doucet's 365 Days. It occurred to me that I'm not sure I've ever read so many good comics in such a short amount of time. It's an embarrassment of riches 'round these parts for us funnybook aficionados.