Kurt Wolfgang talked to Gary Groth and survived in November 2005; we printed it in Mome Vol. 3; and now you can read the interview in its entirety here on the Fantagraphics website as part of our ongoing series of Mome interview web reprints. Previously: Paul Hornschemeier and Gabrielle Bell. Next up: Jonathan Bennett.

It was a wild time down at our store on Saturday night at the opening party for Ellen Forney's LUST exhibit. Here's a brief clip of her slideshow presentation (NSFW language, or, as someone in the audience shouts, "Dirty!"):

Below, a few photos; for many more, see our photoset on Flickr. Our pal Ben Haley has some great shots on Flickr too.

Another benefit of registering on Fantagraphics.com: access to exclusive previews! We offer downloadable excerpts from upcoming books absolutely FREE to registered users. We'll be posting a new preview every week, starting today and usually on Wednesdays starting next week. Today's installment is a 12-page excerpt from The Education of Hopey Glass, the newest Love and Rockets collection from Jaime Hernandez. Make sure you're signed up and logged in!

(Psst... want to see these previews before everyone else? Join the 20/20 Club and we'll email you exclusive links a full 2 weeks earlier than we post them on the website, plus extra exclusive savings offers on top of the usual 20% off!)

Jeet Heer posts an excerpt of his introductory essay from Krazy & Ignatz 1941-1942: "A Ragout of Raspberries" along with some additional tidbits and thoughts. (Hat tip to Spurge.)

Friday means a new installment of Steven Weissman's "Chocolate Cheeks!" This week's strip finds the Yikes tykes sportin' and stylin'. (Remember, you must be registered and logged in to read.)

More Old Jewish Comedians
By Drew Friedman

This comprehensive collection of portraiture of Jewish comedians is a sequel to 2006's wildly popular Old Jewish Comedians, which earned Friedman raves from Jerry Lewis, Howard Stern, The Believer, Entertainment Weekly and many more, and earned Friedman his own roast at New York's legendary Friar's Club. This all-new collection includes the famous (Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Soupy Sales, etc.), the not-so-famous (Jerry Stiller, Zeppo & Gummo Marx, Larry Storch, Zero Mostel, etc.) and the largely unknown (Molly Picon, Herbie Faye, Jan Milton, etc.). The Reuben Award-winning Friedman, one of the great caricaturists of his age, presents a thorough visual history of the 20th Century's greatest Borscht-Belt comedians through 28 full-page portraits; every crease, mustache hair, and liver spot looks utterly real. As Booklist put it (after the first OJC), "If only we were all funny enough to get Friedman to draw us!" A BLAB! Storybook.

36-page full-color 10" x 10" hardcover $16.99
Order Now!

Shag: A to Z
By Shag

Shag: A to Z presents, quite simply, 26 original paintings corresponding to the letters of the alphabet. Each painting is accompanied by a short verse extolling the pleasures of a hedonistic lifestyle and the virtues of overindulgence. Shag has spent the last decade creating a body of work based on his idiomatic aesthetic preferences, a world of mid 20th century modern architecture and design, populated by hedonists, supplicants, and indifferent women. A BLAB! Storybook.

32-page full-color 10" x 10" hardcover $14.95
Order Now!

Maakies with the Wrinkled Knees
By Tony Millionaire

Drinky Crow may be the drunken star of the weekly comic strip Maakies, but more often than not, he plays straight man to the hapless ape, Uncle Gabby. Here is the newest collection of Tony Millionaire's strip, never before published in book form. The suicide jokes may come less frequently than in earlier years, but the comedy and superb drawing style are at their peak, as is the volume of triple-X cartoon booze consumed.

Maakies features the comical adventures of a drunken crow on the high seas, blending vaudeville-style humor and a breathtaking line that harkens back to the glory days of the American comic strip. Designed by publishing's foremost graphic designer, Chip Kidd, Maakies with the Wrinkled Knees features over two years of strips in a beautiful, deluxe, landscape hardcover format that complements the strip's elegant and classical style.

120-page black & white 12" x 5" hardcover $19.95
Order Now!

The Comics Journal #288

New format! New design! In this special "Year in Review" issue, the most critically-acclaimed cartoonists of the year talk about their work and suss out the BEST COMICS of 2007 from a crowd of contenders; a crowd that includes the likes of Bryan Talbot, Grant Morrison, Adrian Tomine, Brian K. Vaughan, John Porcellino, Nick Bertozzi, Paul Karasik, Naoki Urasawa, Chris Ware, Gilbert Hernandez, Elvis Studio and Tony Millionaire. Plus — à la the Cannes Film Festival — last year's top creators give us their picks for this year's best comics. Alison Bechdel's literary graphic memoir Fun Home carried top honors for 2006 among Journal contributors: Who will earn that distinction in 2007? This newly designed issue also presents strips from the glamorous, panther-skin-suited debutante Miss Fury — the first super heroine created by a female cartoonist, Tarpe Mills, back in 1941. Noted comics historian Trina Robbins will provide an introduction detailing the fascinating facts of Mills' life.

200-page b&w/color 7.5" x 9.5" softcover $11.95
Order Now!

Collectible? Yes! Delectable? Quite! Behold the Ellen Forney LUST miniature chocolate bars that will be dispensed by lovely ladies at the opening party for Ellen Forney's LUST exhibition and book launch this Saturday from 6 - 9 PM at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. Also, a new performance piece by the artist, liquid refreshments, and just added — a kissing booth! Really. Get your Valentine a signed copy of LUST. Nothing says love like comics.