FLOG! Entries - April 2010

Artichoke Tales preview at Graphic Novel Reporter

mike

Head over to Graphic Novel Reporter for an exclusive 8-page preview of Megan Kelso's new graphic novel Artichoke Tales, coming this June from Fantagraphics.

Things to see: 4/30/10

mike

Daily clips & strips — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources:

• Oooh... "Everybody Lies to Me" is just one piece of Steven Weissman art in the show Butter and Blood opening at GR2 in LA next week

• Frank Santoro pulls the frame back as a train passes in the background

• Dash Shaw provides a glimpse at some sample animation art for his in-development animated feature film The Ruined Cast

• Dash (again) writes: "In the upcoming May issue of The Believer: a long comic strip called Spiritual Dad by Jesse Moynihan and I. It's glued into the last page. Just a bonus awesome thing stuck in there." I saw a test printing of this waaaay back at APE last year and it looks fantastic.

Daily OCD: 4/30/10

mike

Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "The latest (13th) volume of Fantagraphics Books The Complete Peanuts: 1975 - 1976 is a delightful visit with that 'round headed kid' and his friends. ... The cartoons Schulz produced in 1975 and 1976 feature more lighthearted and sillier touches than usual; we are even privy to the thoughts of inanimate objects such as the school building and the pitcher’s mound. Some highlights include Charlie Brown meeting his idol, Joe Shlabotnik; sister Sally’s trials in the classroom; Peppermint Patty enrolling in a private school (not knowing it’s a dog obedience school); and the gang’s continuing efforts to play a baseball game. ... Fantagraphics has won numerous awards for this series and they deserve them all for creating such a wonderful archive of this American treasure. This series is a must have for any Peanuts fan and can be enjoyed by the whole family. I wouldn’t miss a volume." – Rich Clabaugh, The Christian Science Monitor

• Review: Avoid the Future compiles parts 41-50 of their Twitter mini-reviews of the contents of Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s: "Continue on for Krazy Kat tributes, adolescent scarification, penis missiles, comics in the dark and a double helping of Mary Fleener."

• Review: "Despite a slow start through [You Are There] grows in absurd outcomes of the last chapters, and the script of Forest serves as a humorous critique the excessive attachment to material things of people. Jacques Tardi draws so realistic objects and scenes while portraying the characters so cartoonish and fun. This combination of caricature and realism, though not anything groundbreaking, is executed with great talent by Tardi." – Gustavo Guimarães, Top Comics (forgive the slightly awkward autotranslation)

• Plugs: At Robot 6 Chris Mautner takes you to "Comics College" and schools you on the comics oeuvre of the prolific Lewis Trondheim, saying "both Harum Scarum and The Hoodoodad remain supremely entertaining tales featuring McConey, Trondheim's shy, nonplussed, anthropomorphic rabbit and his friends," and saying of The Nimrod "It's a great hodge-podge of some classic Trondheim material... including autobio stories, McConey tales and the great wordless piece, Diablotus (found in issue #2). The back issues are available at dirt cheap prices too."

• Reviewer: Your must-read of the day: Guest writer C. Tyler reviews her husband Justin Green's seminal comic Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary for Comic Book Galaxy

• Interview: Talking to Allen Brooks at DCist, Daniel Clowes explains the influence of The Complete Peanuts on his new graphic novel Wilson: "So I thought, what if you took that conceit of these kind of daily moments, daily jokes or just kind of emotional moments and put them together in a sequence that actually had a narrative implied. As you say, in-between the strips, that's where the story's told."

Weathercraft FCBD sneak peek

mike

It's not as though you need any additional convincing to pick up our 2010 Free Comic Book Day offering Weathercraft and Other Unusual Tales by Jim Woodring at your participating comic shop tomorrow (right?), but here are a few glimpses of the finished product to whet your appetite. (Click here if the embedded slideshow player below isn't displaying, or to view it larger in a new window.)

Don't forget, Northwesterners and visitors to Seattle can get their copy direct from the hands of Jim himself at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery tomorrow from 12-1 PM! At the store we'll also have copies of Drawn & Quarterly's FCBD 2010 offering YOW!, and likewise for Montrealers Librairie D&Q will have copies of Weathercraft and Other Unusual Tales.

Kim Deitch & Jim Woodring coming (separately) to Desert Island

mike

Mark your calendars! Desert Island in Brooklyn welcomes Kim Deitch for a signing and celebration of his new collection of The Search for Smilin' Ed! on Friday, May 14, 2010. Then, on Saturday, June 19, Jim Woodring will be in the house to meet fans and sign his new graphic novel Weathercraft. As usual with Desert Island, exclusive silkscreen show prints will be available at the events — that's a process picture of one of the screens for Kim's print above, and you can see the others on the Desert Island blog. We'll let you know more details as they become available, but in the meantime you can RSVP on Facebook for Kim here and for Jim here.

Notice: Email troubles (Update: resolved)

mike

We're currently experiencing problems with our email server and haven't been able to send or receive email (except interoffice) for the past 24 hours or so. Right now the best way to contact us is by telephone: 1-800-657-1100 or 206-524-1967. We apologize for any inconvenience and we'll let you know when things are back to normal.

UPDATE: We seem to be back to normal. Please be patient as we work our way through the backlog. Thanks!

Things to see: 4/29/10

mike

Daily clips & strips — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources:

• A heck of a Seattle Weekly illustration by Jeremy Eaton

• Here's a color test for that series of School Spirits Stinckers that Steven Weissman's been working on (and here's another one — I like the green one better)

• Dame Darcy has info on framed original art, a bunch of new handmade dolls (we saw them at Stumptown; they're gorge), new purses and more on her blog

• Some great-looking digital prints of illustrations by Newave! artist Wayno are now available from Rockpop Gallery

• It's this week's Belligerent Piano by Tim Lane

• ...and this week's "I, Anonymous" spot by Steven Weissman

• ...and this week's Maakies by Tony Millionaire

• ...and this week's new Forlorn Funnies t-shirt (featuring artwork from All and Sundry) from Paul Hornschemeier (buy)

• Steve Brodner's pointed portrait of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer

Daily OCD: 4/29/10

mike

Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Reviews: At Comics Alliance, Jason Michelitch examines Our Gang Vol. 4 by Walt Kelly and Blazing Combat in the context of the "golden age of reprints," saying "Both are excellent books that reward both casual readers out for cheap thrills and stodgier folks who want some textual and contextual analysis to roll around in like a pig in a pen." He describes Blazing Combat as "an anti-war comic made up not of didactic preaching but of rough, unsentimentalized views of war with graphic violence and moral ambiguity front and center, produced at a time when America was ratcheting up its involvement in Vietnam and the public had yet to widely turn against it." He also says "Our Gang... [is] a lot of fun. There are lady rasslers and fake matter transporters and escaped lions and a character named Boo Boo the Illustrious Clown," and praises Kelly's "elegant... cartooning + dialogue driven style".

• Reviewer: At Comic Book Galaxy, guest reviewer Blake Bell looks at the Golden Age Marvel Omnibus Vol. 1

• Smurf: The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon comments on Adam Grano's Smurf plea

Tales Designed to Thrizzle extra fun downloads: wallpapers, funny ads

mike

There's a two-page spread of wallpaper designs in the forthcoming 6th issue of Michael Kupperman's Tales Designed to Thrizzle and what kind of fun would we be if we didn't offer up a couple for your computer desktop? No kind, that's what. And they're one size fits all! If you're on a PC, right-click the image and select "Set As Background"; if you're on a Mac, control+click and select "Set As Desktop Background." Set your background to tile or repeat and voila, the pattern on your screen!

"Here's Looking at You, Kid":

"Disco Veggies":

We also thought it might be fun to take a couple of the fake ads from the issue and turn them into banner ads for the web. Put them on your website and baffle your readers! (And link them to http://www.fantagraphics.com/thrizzle6 if you don't mind.)

Tales Designed to Thrizzle #6 by Michael Kupperman - Previews, Pre-Order

mike

Tales Designed to Thrizzle #6
by Michael Kupperman

32-page full-color 6.75" x 9.5" comic book • $4.95
ISBN: 978-1-60699-422-1

Ships in: June 2010 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now

Now in FULL COLOR! This issue includes Jungle Princess battling rhino traders, a story of Broadway theatrics in “All About Drainage,” more of America’s favorite physicist/writer duo, Twain & Einstein, plus slightly cursed merchandise, Cockney grave robbers, and Cowboy Oscar Wilde.

Download an EXCLUSIVE 4-page PDF excerpt (4.7 MB) starring Jungle Princess!

Photo Slideshow Preview (view in new window):

Bonus Savings: Order the Thoroughly Thrizzled Pack containing Tales Designed to Thrizzle Vol. 1 (collecting issues 1-4 in a deluxe hardcover) plus issues 5 and 6 all together for a discounted price of $27.49 (a savings of about 7 bucks)! Order now and we'll ship you all 3 items when issue 6 arrives in our warehouse.

An open letter to Terry Nantier of NBM:

grano

Dear Terry,

We have never met in person, but, if I can base anything on the books you publish, you are a decent fellow, and, in the wee hours of my 9-month anniversary with my lovely girlfriend, I'd like to make a public appeal to you to allow me to design NBM's upcoming SMURFS books. If I'm too late with this appeal, then ... bummer, but I just heard about your project yesterday (at which time, I made a pseudo-public appeal to you on the COMICS COMICS blog. If it helps, I would happily work for a pittance -- this is the comics industry after all.

I hope this doesn't seem like a crude way to propose this idea to you, and I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes (especially the designers at NBM). This is simply the most public forum I have available to me, and I think some people might support me on this. If I'm wrong, I will back away respectfully and look forward to the book nonetheless.

I just kinda love the Smurfs.

That feels strange to say, but I really do have a soft spot for the little blue halflings. I grew up on them. Here's proof:

"According to the USA Network's "Cartoon Express," Smurfs are four apples tall. This is FALSE assuming Gargamel is of the average human height (+/- 4"). Maybe four CRABapples tall. But not four red delicious-es."

That is NOT from the Smurfs Wikipedia page. That is from a a dusty corner of my brain. I would treat this project with respect, like Seth did with Peanuts, or Jacob Covey would with a TMNT book (attn: Nickelodeon -- get on that one).

All best,

Adam

P.S. If being pitiful will help: I broke a rib two weeks ago and I'm still two-to-four weeks from being healed. Ouch!

P.P.S. Also, the prospect of this is making my nine-month anniversary with my girlfriend even better.

Photo at the top taken by me. Larger version HERE.

Things to see: 4/28/10

mike

Daily clips & strips — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources:

• At What Things Do, the concluding half of Jaime Hernandez's amazing "The Ghoul Man"

• Newave! editor Michael Dowers has been working on a Tarot deck — here's the 6 of Wands, as posted on Facebook

• Matthias Lehmann emerges to reveal some recent illustration and comics work

• Looks like Frank Santoro's working out some Cold Heat layouts

• Paul Hornschemeier Kroffts it up at Covered (and comments on his blog)

• Anders Nilsen gets biblical on us

• "The Rite of Spring" by Jim Flora on the cover of the March 1944 issue of Coda

• Mike Sterling catches Snoopy making a grammatical error in The Complete Peanuts 1973-1974

• Two new Geek Love illustrations by Laura Park for Picture Book Report — the other one's even more NSFW than this one

• Lloyd Blankfein introduces you to his little friend, courtesy of Steve Brodner

• Derek Van Gieson is busy

• This week's Truth Serum by Jon Adams

Daily OCD: 4/28/10

mike

Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "There’s a certain exuberance in this book, a zaniness that Schulz follows with fewer excursions into pure melancholia. ... Each new volume [of The Complete Peanuts] adds a new layer of complexity to the work as a whole, and certainly puts the lie to the notion that Schulz had run out of ideas by this point. Indeed, Schulz had nothing left to prove and allowed himself to follow every flight of fancy that struck him, while never completely abandoning the core emotions of his characters." – Rob Clough, The Comics Journal

Jim Woodring at Oslo Comics Expo 2010

mike

Jim Woodring will be a special guest at the Oslo Comics Expo, May 28-29, 2010 (info in English). Jim requests the pleasure of your company on his blog and reveals OH MY GOD IS THAT A T-SHIRT DESIGN I WANT IT.

Ahem. Jim's Weathercraft and Jason's Low Moon are nominated for 2010 Sproing Awards (Best Translated Comic and Best Norwegian Comic, respectively), which are awarded at the festival. Congratulations to both!

Fanta's Own Burns and Allen

kvalenti

Interns Ian Burns and Jenna Allen en route to Stumptown Comics Fest:

Temperance by Cathy Malkasian - Previews, Pre-Order

mike

Temperance
by Cathy Malkasian

240-page two-color 8" x 10" hardcover • $22.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-323-1

Ships in: June 2010 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now

Do ideas of war and enemies hold a people together? Is a culture of conflict too seductive not to be irresistible? These are the questions Cathy Malkasian explores in her second graphic novel, Temperance.

Malkasian creates, as she did in the critically acclaimed Percy Gloom, a fully realized, multi-layered world, inhabited by vividly realized characters. After a brutal injury in battle, Lester has no memory of his prior life. For the next thirty years his wife does everything to keep him from remembering — and re-constructing — a society, Blessedbowl, that elevates him as a hero. Blessedbowl is a cultural convergence of lies, memories, stories, and beliefs. Its people thrive on ideas of persecution, exceptionality, and enemies, convinced that war lurks just outside their walls. They have come to depend on Lester, their greatest war hero, to lead the charge once the Final Battle begins.

What kind of enemy could topple such a people and its walls? Mere memory, it seems, as Lester gradually emerges from his amnesia. Temperance is an eyewitness’s account of recovery and awakening. The graphic novel works on two levels. It considers the concepts of violence, stories, and belief, and their place in holding a culture together, slyly echoing contemporary political issues in a nation at a stressful time currently at war with a ubiquitous enemy. Secondly, the fissures in Lester and Minerva’s marriage is echoed in the greater political upheaval around them.

Malkasian creates a densely textured social context, masterfully conveying the idiosyncratic physical domain with its spiraling structures and quasi-medieval architecture along with intimate yet plastic portraits of her characters in a rich, tonal pencil line. Temperance is a galvanizing work of empathy and violence by one of today’s most thoughtful and accomplished cartoonists.

2008 Eisner Award Winner: Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award — Cathy Malkasian

Download an EXCLUSIVE 16-page PDF excerpt (18.7 MB).

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

Dueling Danish cartoonists

mike

Signe Parkins, Peter Kielland, Thomas Thorhauge, Johan F. Krarup, Ib Kjeldsmark, Christoffer Zieler (who were all featured in From Wonderland with Love) and twelve other Danish cartoonists battle it out tournament-style in cartoonland until only one is left standing. Our good friends and colleagues at our From Wonderland co-publisher Aben Maler are posting a new duel from the first round each Friday on this page and collecting them all next month in a book titled Tegn eller dø. Five battles have already been waged — keep checking back for subsequent bouts.

R.I.P., Kees Kousemaker

Eric

Tom Spurgeon is reporting this morning that Kees Kousemaker, founder of the great Galerie Lambiek comic book store, passed away yesterday in the Netherlands at the age of 68. The staff of Fantagraphics Books would like to extend its sympathy to his family and to the entire Lambiek staff. Lambiek is not only the world's oldest comic book shop, it is arguably the very best, a true treasure trove of great cartooning spanning centuries. I've had the good fortune of visiting several times, and Kees was always gracious and generous, even putting me up in the legendary apartment above the store for several days during a trip in 1997 or so, a space which featured dozens of 'thank yous' to Kees and Lambiek in the form of cartoons drawn by the likes of Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, and many others on one of the walls. I've always felt immensely grateful to have been welcomed, even briefly, into the amazing Lambiek family and even if I never visit again it will always stand out in my memories as a near-magical environment for people who love good cartooning, and I am truly saddened to hear this news this morning. R.I.P., Mr. Kousemaker. Long live Galerie Lambiek.

ABOVE: Photo of Mr. Kousemaker with R. Crumb.

New Comics Day 4/28/10

mike

We've got three softcover collections hitting comic shops this week. Read on for more info and for comics-bloggers' comments on the week's releases:

Abandoned Cars (Softcover Edition)
by Tim Lane

168-page black & white 7.5" x 9" softcover • $18.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-341-5

Pick your favorite of the two alternate covers in person! At Comics Comics, Joe McCulloch calls it a "fascinating 2008 story study of the great American mythological drama." The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon praises this new edition of "the debut book from the muscular cartoonist Tim Lane."

Blazing Combat (Softcover Edition)
by Archie Goodwin & various artists

208-page black & white 8" x 10" softcover • $19.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-366-8

At Comics Alliance Douglas Wolk notes of the original series "it managed to get shut down after four issues, basically because its philosophical stance was 'war is horrible and futile, and by the way American soldiers are slaughtering innocent civilians in Vietnam.'" The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon calls it "an absolute must-have reprint of Archie Goodwin's Warren-era war comics. No one with even a tiny bit of interest in war comics could fail to like that Blazing Combat book."

Our Gang Vol. 4 (1946-1947)
by Walt Kelly

112-page 7.25" x 9.5" full-color softcover • $14.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-322-4

It's "scooping up another 112 color pages of Kelly’s franchise work," says Joe McCulloch at Comics Comics. The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon mentions the new volume, maybe not in the most flattering way, but we appreciate it anyway.

Much more information, including sneak peeks in the form of PDF downloads and video/photo slideshows, is available at the links above, as always. Smart shoppers know it's always good to check with your local shop in advance to confirm availability.

Steven Weissman art show with Marc Johns at GR2 opens May 8

mike

Steven Weissman and Marc Johns are having a two-man art show at GR2 in LA opening Saturday, May 8, 2010. More info here; RSVP on Facebook here. Steven's artwork looks so awesome in person.