FLOG! Entries - February 2008

BEASTS! open call update.

covey

It's crazy hectic here at Fantagraphics so I only have a moment to thank all the people submitting art to the open call slot in BEASTS! Book Two. Deadline is Monday morning when I come into the office (I originally said March 1st but that's a Saturday).

I'm pretty amazed and grateful at the response (170 submissions already) and have no idea how I'll choose the art to be published. THANKS EVERYONE!

* That beautiful piece above submitted by Ian Huebert. (His site www.themilkmachine.com is not currently up.)

Chocolate Cheeks for 2/29/08

mike

It's your Leap Day installment of Steven Weissman's "Chocolate Cheeks!" In this week's strip: an update on the condition of Lumpy Noodle. (Remember, you must be registered and logged in to read.)

Textbook Jim Blanchard

mike

From the Never In America files: an Australian publisher is using a Jim Blanchard piece from Glam Warp in a high school history textbook. More info and larger image at Jim's blog.

Fantagraphics Books: helping people win Oscars

Eric

From Variety: "To learn how to format a screenplay, [Diablo] Cody picked up a shooting script for Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World at a local bookstore."

Thursday night in Seattle: LUST!

Eric

LUST: Kinky Online Personal Ads from Seattle's The Stranger
By Ellen Forney

Multimedia reading and performance
Plus! Dazzling dancer Fuschia FoXXX! (Voted one of the Stranger's "Sexiest Citizens"!) Scantily-clad boy AND girl sirens, including Holly Chernobyl! (Also voted one of the Stranger's "Sexiest Citizens"!) Chocolate kisses! More!!

Thursday, February 28, 7pm
Bailey/Coy Books
414 Broadway Ave. E. (across from QFC)

Ellen Forney's follow-up to her wildly popular I Love Led Zeppelin is a collection of cartoons celebrating the sometimes stunningly crude, sometimes surprisingly sweet online world of kinky personal classifieds. Forney has for several years been illustrating the Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger's "Lustlab" classified ads by interpreting the most interesting, outrageous, or idiosyncratic ad in that week's paper. To cap it off, the collection includes frank, revealing interviews with some of the advertisers conducted by Forney, plus an introduction by the notorious sex advice columnist and novelist (and Stranger editor), Dan Savage.

"Alternately clever and goofy, Lust is a fantastic voyage into the nether regions of human desire. A-" - Entertainment Weekly

"Whether you're a true kinkster or a part-time voyeur who occasionally skims online personals, it's hard to tear yourself away from Lust... No matter who - or what - your yen, Lust is worth a peep." - Readymade

"Give your partner a copy of Ellen Forney's Lust... It's a great way to open the door for discussing different kinks you might be interested in exploring." - Fleshbot

Members Preview: Jessica Farm Vol. 1

mike

This week's free preview is a downloadable 10-page excerpt from Jessica Farm Vol. 1 , the first installment in a life-spanning epic by House author Josh Simmons. 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...)

See ya in the funny pitchers

Eric

The Northwest Film Forum, Seattle's non-profit cinematheque with two screens located on Capitol Hill, along with a little help from their friends at Fantagraphics Books, is presenting a trio of film adaptations of classic comic strips. These family-friendly versions of DICK TRACY, ANNIE, and POPEYE are sure to win the hearts of new young viewers. These films will be a treat for parents too; they revisit the peculiar results of the unlikely directoral assignments for John Houston, (ANNIE), Robert Altman (POPEYE) and Warren Beatty (DICK TRACY).

Also, all attendees of the series will receive a 20% off coupon to the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, where you can purchase collections of the original strips these films were based on!

POPEYE: MARCH 1 - 2, Saturday-Sunday at 1:30, 4pm

(Robert Altman, USA, 1980, 35mm, 113 min)

ANNIE: APRIL 5 - 6, Saturday-Sunday at 1:30, 4pm

SING-A-LONG WITH THE MOVIE SUNDAY AT 4PM! Sheet music will be given out!

(John Huston, USA, 1982, 35mm, 127 min)

DICK TRACY: MAY 3 - 4, Saturday and Sunday at 2, 4pm

(Warren Beatty, 1990, 35mm, 105 min)

All screenings will be held at:

Northwest Film Forum
1515 - 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 329-2629

Pre-Order update: more Spring '08 releases

mike

More of our Spring 2008 releases are now available for pre-order! Pictured above: the fifth and final issue of Ted Stearn's mini-series Fuzz & Pluck in Splitsville; the first installment of Josh Simmons's multi-decade epic Jessica Farm; The Comics Journal #289, featuring Robert Kirkman on Marvel Zombies and much more; and Castle Waiting Vol. II #11 by Linda Medley. Below: the new, revised, expanded version of Rebel Visions; Bottomless Belly Button, the massive new graphic novel by Dash Shaw (with dual covers); the final (for now) installment of our Love and Rockets Library series, Amor Y Cohetes, collecting all the non-"Locas" and non-"Palomar" stories from L&R Vol. 1; and Mome Vol. 11, with cover star Killoffer. Check our Upcoming Releases page for the full listing of titles that are available for pre-order.

Call 1-800-657-1100 (or 206-524-1967 outside the U.S.) or click the links above to see full details on each title and add it to your shopping cart. New releases are usually shipped to our pre-order customers a week or two before they arrive in bookstores and comic shops, so beat the crowd and order today!

Greatest anecdote ever?

Eric

"I was at Bob Kane's funeral,"� Mark Evanier said. "There were only four people from comics there: me, Stan Lee, Mike Barr and Paul Smith. A whole bunch of Batman toys were put into Kane's coffin and they were lowering it down. As Kane was being put into the ground, Stan turned around to me and said ‘Steve Ditko was the best inker Jack Kirby ever had.'"

This anecdote is so sad and poignant on so many different levels, it just breaks my heart. I don't think I've ever felt more empathy for Stan Lee. Link via Ian Brill, bless him.

From the archives: Peter Bagge Hate Q&A circa 1997

mike

Round about the time he was wrapping up work on the original Hate series, Peter Bagge sat down for a Q&A which we've dug out of our musty files to present to you, archived here on our website. This is the one where Pete finally gave up the money quote: "Yes, I am Buddy Bradley!" (If you haven't yet read the second half of the Hate saga as collected in Buddy Does Jersey, be warned: the first question leads off with a big fat spoiler.)

The Comics Journal back-issue blowout - final days!

mike

Don't forget, this is your last week to SAVE 50% OFF all in-stock back issues of The Comics Journal through #250! They've been going fast, so don't wait until the last minute!

Click here to browse all TCJ back issues! Sale ends at 11:59 PM this Friday, February 29, 2008.

Sandlin's goings on

Eric

David Sandlin has been down in Athens, Georgia, this school year as the Lamar Dodd Chair/Visiting Artist of UGA's art department. Here's a few jpgs of his current show at the Lamar Dodd Gallery. There's also an exhibit of his artist's books at the Georgia Museum of Art...

Original Clowes Art Going Fast

covey

I wouldn't normally recommend buying original art off Ebay rather than through the artist but, then, it's not often you get the chance to buy early Dan Clowes pages... You only have a few hours!

Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack!

LarryR

Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack Continues with Spring Surge on March 8!

The inaugural “Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack” in February attracted countless throngs of art enthusiasts to Seattle’s colorful and creative Georgetown community. This lively event continues on Second Saturday, March 8, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The list of participants has expanded to more than 30 galleries, studios, nightclubs, boutiques, and cafes. The public of all ages is invited to explore the singular appeal of this diverse industrial arts district.

Among the many highlights of Art Attack festivities: Mike the One Man Band performing his vaudevillian act at Jules Mae's Saloon; an exhibition of expressive portraits by photographer Rebecca Bolte at Bolte Creative; an interactive “Comics Jam” with Jim Woodring’'s “Friends of the Nib,” featuring a guest appearance by underground comix legend Kim Deitch screening his rarely seen film short “Dial M for Monster” at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery; a show of recent work by Georgetown painter Mark LaFalce at Two Tarts Bakery, open house salons at Bella Vitale, Equinox, and Catherine Gill Studios; Jenna Colby'’s "The Hunted Verses the Hunters" exhibit at Georgetown Tile Works; and much more.

Come dine, drink, shop and socialize in one of our region’s most entertaining and engaging cultural environments. Most participating businesses cater to all ages clientele and admission is free. The “Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack” is a production of the Georgetown Merchants’ Association. Website: www.georgetownartattack.com

Listing Information:

“Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack”
Saturday, March 8, 6:00 – 9:00 PM.

All City Coffee, Artcore Tattoo, Art at the Top of the Stairs. Backstage, Bella Vitale, Belle & Wissell, Bolte Creative, Calamity Jane's, Catherine Gill Studios, A Dog's Dream Natural Pet Supply, Equinox Studios, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, Fruit Cocktail Collectibles, Full Throttle Bottles, George, Georgetown Art Center, Georgetown Liquor Company*, Georgetown Records, Georgetown Tile Works, Great Stuff, Hangar Café, Jules Maes Saloon*, MIX, 9 Lb. Hammer*, Smarty Pants Restaurant*, Squid and Ink, Stellar Pizza & Ale, Two Tarts Bakery, and more.
* Indicates 21 + with valid ID.

Hotwire / Rocketship postponed

Eric

Apologies to our New York fans, but due to inclement weather, the HOTWIRE2 comics signing (at Rocketship) originally slated for tonight has been RESCHEDULED.

It has been pushed back to March 14th (Friday nite 8:00-10:00) at Rocketship..... it is NOT ON TONITE.

Hope to see you all then, and apologies on behalf of Mother Nature. Stay warm, all!

Chocolate Cheeks for 2/22/08

mike

Time for your weekly dose of Steven Weissman's "Chocolate Cheeks!" In this week's strip: confusing advice and, um, health issues. (Remember, you must be registered and logged in to read.)

Point and Shooter

Eric

My good pal Kurt Schlosser took this pic of our store window, and it's part of an exhibition he's having soon called "Giant Polaroids" in our fine neighborhood of Ballard. Check out more here.

Arflover talks to Glenn Head re: Hotwire

Eric

Craig Yoe's ARFLOVERS blog has a nice new interview up with cartoonist and Hotwire editor, Glenn Head. Craig and Glenn will of course be on hand at Rocketship this Friday as well, along with Jonathan Rosen, Sam Henderson, Danny Hellman, Mark Newgarden, David Sandlin, Chadwick Whitehead, R. Sikoryak, Doug Allen, Marc Dean Veca, and more!

Stranger Beasts...

covey

Nice to see my pal Tyler Stout get some more mileage out of his BEASTS! book submission by snagging the cover of Seattle's beloved weekly, The Stranger.

Meanwhile, the response to the "open call" slot(s) for BEASTS! Book Two has been surprising and it's been fun to see the work of people I wouldn't have otherwise come across. I can't find time to respond to everyone and though there are a few standout pieces we're all looking forward to seeing more before the March 1st deadline...

Want to submit something? Here are the details...

Eaton / Blanefield art collaboration

Eric

Jeremy Eaton is collaborating with outsider musician Willy Blanefield III over at Blanefield's MySpace page, with Eaton providing illustrations for each of Blanefield's mercurial songs (with titles such as "Retarded" and "We Burned Frank Sinatra"). Meanwhile, Eaton is selling the originals over at Comic Art Collective, including this amazing Shaft-as-literal-sex-machine Kirby homage.