Dame Darcy has some nice-looking brand-new letterpress prints and stationery (and a haunted antique velvet dress) for sale -- see her blog for all the details.

No, Ellen isn't performing Billy Joel karaoke (that I know of). In celebration of her most recent cover illustration for The Stranger (above, and currently seen around the snowy streets of Seattle), Ellen presents a retrospective of her Stranger covers going back to 1993.

• Inside baseball: in a must-read slice of industry history from the mid-1980s, former Fantagraphics staffer Dave Olbrich comes clean about the debacle of the Jack Kirby Awards. Be sure to check the comments for official reaction from Kim Thompson

• Cartoon Brew recommends Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville by Ted Stearn

• Comics - History & Price Guides takes note of Krazy & Ignatz 1931-1932 by George Herriman

• Stella Matutina says Castle Waiting by Linda Medley would "make a great present for the fairy tale-loving feminist in your life"

• Rob Clough reviews Sublife Vol. 1 by John Pham

• Jim Hanley's Universe recommends Percy Gloom by Cathy Malkasian as a Staff Pick

• The Seattle Times includes Beasts! Book 1 and Book 2 in their listing of new local book offerings

An explosion of end-of-year lists:

• USA TODAY Pop Candy places Lilli Carré at #58 on the list of "Top 100 People of 2008" 

• Book By Its Cover includes Beasts! Book 2 in their Top 10 of 2008

• Jeff Smith says Popeye Vol. 3: "Let's You and Him Fight!" by E.C. Segar was a favorite of 2008

• Robert Boyd names Jules Feiffer's Explainers and the Hernandez Brothers' Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 two of "The Best Comics of 2008"

• Brian Nicholson places Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw at the top of his list of Best Comics for the year, with Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga not far behind

• Dustin Harbin's top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" has Bottomless Belly Button at #2, Popeye Vol. 3 at #4, and Ganges #2 at #7

• Johnny Bacardi puts Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 on his "2008 Personal 10 Best in Comics" list (previously noted, but I forgot the link)

• Mindless Ones names I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks a "Top Comic of 2008" (yes, it came out in 2007 but I think they're UK)

• At comiXology, Tucker Stone unveils #30-11 of his "Best Comics of 2008," with Mome Vol. 12, Jessica Farm Vol. 1 by Josh Simmons, Angry Youth Comix Vol. II #14 by Johnny Ryan, and Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 making the list

• GraphicNovelReporter names Bottomless Belly Button one of their "Best Graphic Novels of 2008"

• On the Forbidden Planet International blog, Mike Carey names Things Just Get Away from You by Walt Holcombe ("a strange little masterpiece") and Jessica Farm Vol. 1 ("willfully perverse") as two of his three favorite comics of the year

(Hat tip to Largehearted Boy's diligent compilation of "Best of 2008" Book Lists for a few of these links.)

Secret Headquarters Presents:

Ted Stearn's
Fuzz and Pluck: Splitsville
Join us for drinks this Friday the 19th at 8pm

Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville tells the hilariously bizarre adventures of Pluck, an irritable and featherless rooster, and his best pal, the awkwardly unsocialized but lovable teddy bear known as Fuzz. These two usually inseparable and co-dependent misfits find themselves suddenly separated and alone. Pluck vows to establish his place in the world's pecking order by becoming a champion gladiator, while the more demure Fuzz finds himself a POW in a stuffed animal collection, only to escape and befriend a mercurial ferryman who recruits him for an impossible task. These absurdities pile on and eventually converge in a fatal collision course that reunites our heroes.

Fuzz & Pluck is an odd, and unusually original graphic novel, a "funny animal" comic that is surprisingly human. Rich with pathos, wit, farce, existentialism and drama, often cruel, always funny, this superficially ridiculous struggle for survival is an Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups that reaches absurdly delightful heights. As Simpsons creator Matt Groening says, "This epic tale of a hapless li'l bear and his defeathered friend is why I love comics. All hail the peculiar Fuzz & Pluck and their creator, Ted Stearn!"

Ted Stearn is longtime storyboard artist for animation. Fuzz & Pluck is the author's most personal work, showcasing his vivid imagination and meticulous draughtsmanship.

SECRET HEADQUARTERS
3817 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90026

This has already made the internet rounds a bit but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention it: Jeremy Eaton reflects on drawing under the influence. Just what the heck kind of debauchery was going on at those Action Suits recording sessions, anyway?

If you want your order to arrive before Christmas, tomorrow (Friday, December 19) is the FINAL day to get your order in and you MUST select the 2nd Day UPS shipping option! Hop to it! Our handy Holiday Gift Guide will help you find lots of gift ideas for every interest and budget!

• The Village Voice places Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes and Most Outrageous: The Trials and Tespasses of Dwaine Tinsley and Chester the Molester by Bob Levin on its list of "2008's Best Comics, Clip Art, and Pedophilia"

• Pol Culture looks at The Lagoon by Lilli Carré

• Bob Fingerman presents outtakes from his upcoming book with us, Connective Tissue

An addendum to our post yesterday about C-SPAN2's BookTV program presenting a 45-minute profile of American political cartooning great David Levine: the network has posted this 7-minute preview on YouTube. As a reminder, here are the airtimes:

Saturday, December 20, 8 am EST

Sunday, December 21, 8 pm EST

Sunday, December 28, 11 am EST

• USA TODAY Pop Candy interviews Dash Shaw, who's named #81 of the "Top 100 People of 2008"

• The Daily Cross Hatch talks Glenn Ganges with Kevin Huizenga

• Quick Stop Entertainment leads off their last Weekend Shopping Guide with Popeye Vol. 3: "Let's You and Him Fight!"

• We weren't the only ones who had a jam-packed art opening last Saturday: spot Johnny Ryan, Tim Hensley, Jordan Crane and Steven Weissman in this video from the opening of the Post-It show at Giant Robot LA