The Oslo Comics Expo has announced 3 Fantagraphics artists as special guests for the 2011 show taking place May 27-28: Dave Cooper, Tony Millionaire, and Dash Shaw. Also on hand: our own Kim Thompson, whose activities at the Expo (beyond smuggling beer for Tony) are TBD.

It's that time of year, and as with past years for your browsing and shopping reference we have created a handy page of 2010 Critics' Picks, listing books that are being selected by critics, fellow artists, readers and other comics professionals as the Best of 2010. (See also the 2008 and 2009 lists — these lists can also be found under "Award Winners" in our "Browse Shop" navigation tab.) This page will continue expanding as the year winds down and more lists appear. And of course we're noting the critics' selections here in our "Daily OCD" posts on Flog — they're all categorized under the "Best of 2010" tag.

If you're a critic, blogger, pundit and/or enthusiast who's putting together your own Best of 2010 list and need to be reminded which of your favorite Fantagraphics releases were released this year, by all means use our complete and up-to-date 2010 Releases section as your guide. (Note that this list includes multipacks which may contain previous years' releases.)

We're proud to be a sponsor of the WXPFL (World Extreme Pencil Fighting League) Championships tonight at the Rendezvous JewelBox Theater in Seattle. It's extreme! It's fighting! With pencils!

Drew Friedman sent along this delightful illustration of Bob Dylan which ran in today's Wall Street Journal.

Tickets officially go on sale today for the Emerald City Comicon, which takes place March 4 through 6, 2011 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The popularity of the convention allowed producers to expand to 3 days next year. Advance tickets, ranging from $15 to $35, are available at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.

Featured guests this year include Star Trek's William Shatner from the original series and Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes from The Next Generation, as well as a substantial presence by alternative comix publishers and artists.

[Image from Destroy All Movies!!! – Ed.]

As you hopefully know, many of our books are available with exclusive signed bookplates as a free bonus when you order direct from us — there's a whole great big list here, and we're currently adding and replenishing plates for many titles, including (in no particular order):

• 8 different titles by Jason
• Buddy Does Seattle and Buddy Does Jersey by Peter Bagge
• Temperance by Cathy Malkasian
• Artichoke Tales by Megan Kelso
• The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D. by Dash Shaw
• Zippy: Ding Dong Daddy from Dingburg by Bill Griffith
• The Search for Smilin' Ed and Deitch's Pictorama by Kim Deitch
• Meat Cake by Dame Darcy
• The Sanctuary by Nate Neal
• Chocolate Cheeks by Steven Weissman

This is just the tip of the iceberg — we have dozens and dozens more titles with signed bookplates, and more are arriving every week. You can't get these plates anywhere else, and they're all available at no extra charge — but supplies are super limited and can run out without notice, so don't hesitate to get your order in!

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "A snapshot of Jason's career from 1997-2001, the stories in What I Did are also loosely thematically collected, circling around guilt as their central emotion. [...] There are many pleasures to be had from Jason's work, among them a wealth of clever cartoon metaphors and a impressively economic storytelling tricks. [...] At his best, Jason pieces together representations of complex thoughts and emotions through simple visual building blocks." – David Michelitch, Comics Alliance

• Review: "Somebody up there likes us. You need Destroy All Movies!!! in your life. It’s heartening to know that there’s people out there who are truly sick with it. Like, really, really obsessed with a single niche. Like cinematic punkers. [... Like] the very best books on cinema, ...this one will make you realise that you’ve only just scratched the surface of b-movies and provide a comprehensive education on some total rarities. [...] Fantagraphics have been sating a personal taste for the esoteric since my childhood, but this one really has blown me away." – Gary Warnett, Gwarizm

• Review: "...Lucky in Love is a very good book with an outstanding story and stellar art. The story is incredibly well written and Lucky, as a person, practically leaps off the page at you. His characterization was spot on... It’s hard to create a character that is so rich that anyone can relate to him, or her, but Chieffet and DeStefano have done it. [...] The influence of animation is evident and the images on the pages practically jump out at you. The book is predominantly 6 or 9 panel pages that are stuffed with detail. It's just fantastic." – Comics And...Other Imaginary Tales

• Review: "Moto Hagio’s stories are... masterful largely because she did not set out to be so. She wrote from the heart, stories that girls could understand, enjoy, identify with. [...] Moto Hagio is a woman, who draws stories for girls. She is a Master of her Craft. She is a groundbreaker in her field. None of these statements are contradictory. A Drunken Dream is a must-read for any serious student of manga. While you’re getting a copy, buy one for a niece or friend – and don’t tell them it’s 'important.' This way they’ll be free to just enjoy it, tropes and all." – Erica Friedman, The Manga Curmudgeon

• Plug: "[Fire & Water] is an incredibly well designed book chock full of amazing artwork.  It’s a great biography of comics legend Bill Everett (who was descended from William Blake!) and his journey through the early days of the comic book industry." – A.G. Pasquella, Advent Book Blog

• Plug: "The elusive Golden Age cartoonist Fletcher Hanks achieved a level of surrealism that few comic book creators today can match. The man made simply the medium extremely strange on his own terms (see: Fantomah, his skull-faced jungle heroine). Words don't do his work justice..." – Cyriaque Lamar, "10 Graphic Novels That Make Great Gifts (for People Who Don't Read Comics," io9

This is your last week to view the exquisite exhibition by Charles Burns at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle. Don't miss out on an opportunity to attend his first show in his hometown in over a decade — a career-spanning body of work, with prints starting as low as $30.

It's also the last week to bid on Sub Pop founder Bruce Pavitt's private collection of pristine RAW magazines and the original Charles Burns drawing for Sub Pop #5 cassette zine — the direct predecessor to the legendary record label. The silent auction bid for this historic piece currently stands at $1,500. A bargain considering Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen's EMP museum paid over 3 times that amount 10 years ago for Burns' cover drawing of Sub Pop 200. To place a bid contact Fantagraphics curator Larry Reid at 206.658.0110 during store hours.

Get a jump on your holiday shopping this weekend. Our store's knowledgeable staff can suggest lovely and affordable gifts to suit any taste. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM. Sundays until 5:00.

Ray Fenwick offers this image, available as a print-quality download, via his Flickr page. Merry oblivion, everyone!