Before we get to the announcement below (which explains the video above), we have some related information of our own to tout: Neil Gaiman will be providing one of two introductions to Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons, our mammoth three-volume slipcased set coming this fall. (The other introduction: Hugh Hefner. Stay tuned for more info about this release in tomorrow's "Fall 09 - Winter 10 Preview" post!)

And now, from The New Yorker, a must-attend event:

This Friday night at 7, the Morgan Library & Museum will hold a special screening of “Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird,” a documentary, directed by Steven-Charles Jaffe, about the life and work of the New Yorker cartoonist of the gleefully macabre bent. Wilson and the director will be on hand for a Q. & A. after the screening (which is being presented in conjunction with the museum’s exhibition “On The Money: Cartoons for The New Yorker”). Meanwhile, we have some new work by Wilson: he illustrated this short animated adaptation (also directed by Jaffe) of “It Was a Dark and Silly Night,” a story by Neil Gaiman... [embedded above; view it on the New Yorker site if it's not visible here.]

All this week and next week we're bringing you a sneak peek at our Fall 2009 - Winter 2010 schedule of releases! Today's excerpt from our latest book distributor's catalog includes a new softcover edition of The Classic Pin-Up Art of Jack Cole; the anthology From Wonderland with Love: Danish Comics in the Third Millennium; our first two Jacques Tardi reprints, You Are There and West Coast Blues; and This Side of Jordan, a new prose novel by Monte Schulz. (Note that all the info in this catalog is subject to change along the way to the books' release, including release dates, prices, cover art, book specs, etc.) Click here to download the PDF!

Upcoming
Anders Nilsen
Pictures of Dirt and Grass
Opening Saturday, April 18, 2009
6:00 - 9:00 pm

Closing brunch Sunday, May 3, 2009
12:00 - 3:00 pm

RAFT
Curated Installation by Laura Shaeffer + Rachel Tredon

Finestra Art Space
Friday, February 13, 2009
5:00pm - 9:00pm
410 S. Michigan Avenue
Suite 516
Chicago, Illinois 60605-1456

The Home Gallery in Hyde Park has been invited to do a show at Finestra Gallery in downtown Chicago. Artists include: Conrad Freiburg, Katrin Asbury and Shawn Greene, Casey Roberts and DeeDee Davis, Rose DiSalvo, Doug Shaeffer, Anders Nilsen, Nora Mapp, Jesus Mejia, Dax Tran-Caffee, and Andrew Nord.

Now available for preview and pre-order: Connective Tissue, the new boldly bizarre illustrated prose novel from Bob Fingerman. Some meat-flavored candy takes video store clerk Darla Vogel on a trip to a weird, throbbing, monstrous other world! This book is scheduled to be in stock this month and in stores approximately 4 weeks later.

View a photo & video slideshow preview embedded here. Click here if it is not visible, and/or to view it larger in a new window (recommended). And at our product info page, read the entire first chapter as a 15-page downloadable PDF!

• Review: The Star Clipper Blog on Boody. The Bizarre Comics of Boody Rogers: "To say Boody Rogers was ahead of his time is an understatement. Boody was underground before there was an underground. His comics were surreal and sexy before the Comics Code was even around to censor such outrageousness. Think of every bizarre and trippy moment from 40's Disney features, the overt sexuality of Fleischer Studios Betty Boop, and a Freak Show and Superman in a blender, and that's not even half as odd as Boody Rogers' comics. Will you have seen anything like it before? No, and you'll probably never see anything else like it again."

• Review: Blog @ Newsarama looks at Boody too: "[W]eirdness... permeates these stories and radiates outward from the pages. To say they're 'ahead of their time' would be an understatement; they seem like they were drawn just last week... [I]t's a beautiful book."

• Review: Obsessive-Repulsive finds a kindred spirit in the pages of the "rad" Ho! The Morally Questionable Cartoons of Ivan Brunetti: "I would go further than saying 'nothing is sacred' in his work and say that nothing is tolerated in Brunetti’s world. He skewers the hypocrisy, cruelty and weakness in people but it doesn’t appear that Brunetti loathes humanity nearly as much as he loathes himself. Check it out! Funny stuff!"

• Review: Comics Should Be Good! enthuses over Supermen! The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1936-1941: "I can’t recommend this book enough, people! Run, don’t walk, to your nearest purveyor of comics awesomeness and pick it up. You will not be disappointed... you could not buy another comic this year and be happy if you pick it up. Would I lie to you?"

• Preview: Robot 6's "What Are You Reading?" column's guest contributor this week is Dash Shaw, and regular contributor Matthew Maxwell says of The Wolverton Bible, "Wow. Just wow... man, that’s a piece of work."

• Interview: The Groovy Age of Horror talks to Josh Simmons about House and other more recent work

• Commentary: ReadingArt.ca imagines Snoopy's "It was a dark and stormy night" novel in a context of digital/mobile delivery (calling The Complete Peanuts "fantastically beautiful" while they're at it)

• Things to see/read: Conservative entertainment blog Big Hollywood has posted Steve Ditko's 2007 essay "Toyland" in its entirety (via Slog)

• Things to see (and buy)/bookmark: Jim Blanchard's "Fine Art Chophouse" blog is the place to buy original art and prints from Jim. The latest offering: a limited edition print of Butch & Petey, everyone's favorite Trucker Fags in Denial (only 16 bucks)

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS AND THE STRAND PRESENT:

AN EVENING OF HUMBUG

In 1957, five artists - HARVEY KURTZMAN, WILL ELDER, ARNOLD ROTH, AL JAFFEE and JACK DAVIS -- hot on the heels of creating MAD magazine, pooled their money and their talent and entered into the creative, exuberant folly of a lifetime by creating the greatest satirical magazine of their careers. Join HUMBUG co-founders Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee in a book signing and discussion about this historic publication with Fantagraphics Publisher and editor of the collected HUMBUG, Gary Groth. Attendees will also enjoy an exclusive screening of a documentary short film about the late Will Elder.

LISTING INFORMATION:

An Evening with HUMBUG
Featuring Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee in conversation with Gary Groth
Tuesday, April 14, 7:00PM
The Strand Bookstore
12th St. & Broadway, New York, NY

Leah Hayes and her band, Scary Mansion, are headed to France later this month for a short music tour (including a gig opening for Bonnie "Prince" Billy!). She'll even have copies of her two books, Funeral of the Heart and Holy Moly, for sale at the merch table. Go see Leah restore dignity to America.  

22/04 : PARIS* / La Maroquinerie

23/04 : GRENOBLE* / Le Ciel

24/04 : AJACCIO* / l'Aghja

25/04 : PRINTEMPS DE BOURGES / L'Auditorium (avec Bonnie Prince Billy)

27/04 : CLERMONT FD / Le rat Pacl

28/04 : BORDEAUX / Le Saint Ex

29/04 : CAEN* / L'Espace Puzzle
30/04 : VENDOME* / La Chapelle
01/05: NIORT / Le Bristrot de l'Eclusier

* Festival les Femmes S'en Melent

 www.talitres.com

Finally getting around to Flogging photos from Emerald City Comicon and our Jaime Hernandez/Stan Sakai exhibit opening last weekend. Lots more photos, plus a couple of short videos, can be seen in our Flickr sets linked above.

Jaime:

Dame Darcy (checking out Mother, Come Home) & Paul Hornschemeier:

Bill Schelly:

Green Lantern & friends flip through Ellen Forney's Lust:

Stan & Jaime post-show Saturday chatting:

Xaime & Sakai art (head to Flickr for closer looks at each individual piece):

Men of the hour: