Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "Battling an administration that smugly created their own reality, even if (and sometimes, especially if) it flew in the face of reason, morality and/or common sense, [in Twilight of the Assholes] Kreider employed a vicious, scorched-earth set of tactics that matched the passionate intensity of the right, only imbued with a wicked and outrageous sense of humor to go with a keen sense of observation. Whether or not one agreed with all of Kreider’s observations about American culture..., the sheer relentlessness of Kreider’s attacks combined with the elegance and intensity of his line carried a certain punishing quality." – Rob Clough, The Comics Journal

• Review: "...[L]et us celebrate a title of subtle and peculiar power from a creator of signal grace and range. Uptight #4 continues Crane’s dual and quite distinct serials: the urban romance between Leo and Dee — which, despite its superficial placidity, includes in the present chapter two scenes of disquieting violence — and the far more whimsical (if decidedly Roald Dahlicious) misadventures of the waifs Simon and Rosalyn and Simon’s lariat-tailed cat, Jack. ...[T]he sublimity of Crane’s Uptight makes one gloomily deplore that so many of the main indies appear to be abandoning comic books as such." – Bryan A. Hollerbach, PLAYBACK:stl

• Review: "What is incredible about this journal is the diversity of the works represented. It appears that Mome does not favor any particular aesthetic. Rather they celebrate the multiplicity of aesthetic possibilities. As someone just barely scratching the surface of the graphic story form, I found this a terrific way to learn about the variety of comics and stylistic choices. [...] There is so much to see and so much to learn in Mome. The artists are of an exceptionally high caliber and for those who are interested in teaching comics as literature, or simply learning more about comics in general, this journal would be a wonderful beginning." – Becky Tuch, The Review Review

• Review: "...[A]t the center of What I Did is 'Sshhhh!' – a rather lengthy tale of the entire life of a (bird-)man, told in pictures, without the use of any words other than the section numberings. It’s an ambitious piece by Jason... 'Hey, Wait' is a touching tale about childhood tragedy that sticks with someone for his entire life. 'The Iron Wagon' is the only tale of the three where the original isn’t currently available, because it’s out of print. The book replicates the beautiful red tone of the original, and it’s a fantastic mystery, expertly told by Jason..." – Bill Jones, Pads & Panels

• Review: "[Interiorae] is less concerned about the petty secrets and lies of people and more interested in the idea of inbetween spaces.  There’s the space between sleep and consciousness, the line between life and death, the space between commitment and detachment, the line between love and hate." – Rob Clough, The Comics Journal

• Profile: "Mascots is a collection of one to three panel comics that are really small paintings. Fenwick calls it a 'short story collection.' Though conceptually loose, the book developed from some paintings Fenwick had done, using found book covers as backgrounds and painting over top. He didn't approach the work as a narrative, but more as a series of vignettes with recurring themes and moods. [...] 'It's got a foot in the world of comics — in that it's text and image - but it's mostly language and not a ton of drawings. It's kind of a loose definition of comics,' Fenwick says." – Laura Kenins, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal

Jaime Hernandez had an illustration in last week's issue of The New Yorker (hopefully still on the stands), for an article on asteroid hunters. This is as big as I can show it to you without a subscription — hopefully you have one so you can check it out full-size!

Photo credit: Jonas Seaman

Get ready! This weekend, Friday, March 4th - Sunday, March 6th, Fantagraphics will be taking the 9th Annual Emerald City Comicon by storm!

And slashing things open on Friday, March 4th will be Jacques Boyreau, editor and cultural historian of the book Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art of the VHS Box, a celebration of some of the most louche, decadent, minimo-pervo artwork to ever grace a VHS box.

Join Jacques at the Fantagraphics booth at space #808! He'll be signing copies of Portable Grindhouse, and showing film footage, on Friday, March 4th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. 

[Jacques will also be joining our friends at the Northwest Film Forum on Friday, March 4th for the opening night of Metalhaus: 1977-1995, a series of heavy metal concert footage, curated by Jacques and Darren Aboulafia! Badass! ]

And yes, the rumors are true! Tickets for the Emerald City Comic-Con are still available at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Georgetown.  See you there!

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"Ham-N-Tashen" by Steven Weissman (for the Henry & Glenn art show in L.A.; view at original size):

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And elsewhere:

The All-New Cartoon Boy Adventure Hour by John Kerschbaum (an encore presentation of John's Act-i-vate strip at MTV Geek) concludes:

Belligerent Piano by Tim Lane:

Ectiopiary by Hans Rickheit:

Mugwhump the Great by Roger Langridge (at Act-i-vate):

The Pain — When Will It End? by Tim Kreider (with essay):

Truth Serum by Jon Adams:

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "...Joyce Farmer’s Special Exits depicts old age as a wild, lurching ride from medical crises to euphoric nostalgia to an eerie calm as the end draws near. [...] Aging and dying are rare topics in literature and cinema, let alone in comics, which makes Special Exits an automatic standout. But it would be an excellent book even if the shelves were full of fictionalized memoirs about elder care." – The A.V. Club

• Review: "...[W]ith Special Exits, Farmer delivers a wonderful memoir about her aging parents and their aging process. [...] This is no quick read, nor is it an easy one. It’s intentionally difficult at times, because it’s unflinching. This story will resonate and it will haunt you. But it will also impress you. Farmer doesn’t pull punches, but she doesn’t go for self-pity either. Special Exits is a loving tribute to life’s final moments, and the love that is left behind after we leave." – John Hogan, Graphic Novel Reporter

• Review: "Buz Sawyer: The War in the Pacific covers the first couple of years of the strip... [and] damned if these early Buz Sawyers aren’t still a blast to read, with lots of gorgeous drawings of aircraft and a devil-may-care hero who somehow finds women to snuggle up to and joy to be had even in the Pacific Theater of WWII." – The A.V. Club

• Profile: Seattle's CityArts magazine gives you a glimpse inside Ellen Forney's apartment

• Scene: Joe Sacco spoke at Dartmouth College yesterday, and Beth Kanell of Kingdom Books has a report

Lilli Carré reveals on her Kettle of Fish blog that she's contributed a 4-page story and cover illustration to the next issue of long-running Swedish comics magazine Galago. Lucky Swedes!

Here's the Peanuts cartoon modified by Michael Kupperman which is lighting up the comics blogosphere today after being tweeted by @MKupperman last night. Below, perhaps of more interest to serious Kupperman fans, another tweeted image from last night: a glimpse of his next book coming in September, Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910-2010 (in which "Twain meets with Ike Eisenhower and his unbelievably hot wife, Mame"):

As we announced on our Twitter feed last week, the highly anticipated next release in our manga line, Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko) Vol. 1 by Shimura Takako, is now at the printer and set for a May/June release.

In this sensitive masterpiece from Japan's most prominent creator of LGBT manga, Shuichi is a boy who wants to be a girl, and Yoshino is a girl who wants to be a boy. Shimura portrays their journey with affection, sensitivity and humor.

We know lots of you are really champing at the bit for this one — here's your first look at the final cover artwork! In the meantime, the Hourou Musuko anime series is currently broadcasting in Japan, and you can catch up on episodes at CrunchyRoll.

Northwest residents won't want to miss out on the action after the Emerald City Comicon in Seattle on Saturday, March 5. Captain Kirk, Riker, Data, Crusher... hell — half the crew of the Enterprise will be guests at the convention. After the convention, beam yourself down to the Jewel Box Theater at the Rendezvous for the fabulous "Con Artists" concert. The show is FREE with convention credentials.

The party opens with a solo music set by Matthew Southworth, co-creator of Stumptown (with convention guest Greg Rucka.) Before concentrating on his comics career, Southworth made a splash with the Capillaries. Also on the bill is Peter Bagge's Can You Imagine? Bagge will be at the con on Saturday, and will entertain revelers at the Jewel Box with his pop combo featuring legendary musician and producer Steve Fisk. The festivities conclude with a set by the Rheas, fronted by our dreamy associate publisher Eric Reynolds. The lovely Janice Headley will spin spacey platters, and the Rendezvous, located at 2322 in Seattle's lively Belltown neighborhood, features fantastic food and affordable drinks. 21 and over with ID.

A limited number of advance tickets to the convention are still available at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery at 1201 S. Vale Street. Phone 206.658.0110. See you soon.

Today's brief Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Reviews: Rob Clough is re-posting his reviews of our Ignatz Series titles from the now-defunct Sequart site to his own High-Low blog; here's a huge batch from 2008 and  a smaller follow-up batch