Floating World Comics & Fantagraphics present:

"CHOCOLATE CHEEKS" book release & art exhibit with Steven Weissman

This February's 1st Thursday in Portland OR, Floating World Comics is proud to present a book signing and art exhibit with one of their and our favorite comic creators, Steven Weissman, creator of Yikes!, celebrating the release of his brand new book Chocolate Cheeks.

LISTING INFORMATION:

WHO: Steven Weissman

WHAT: CHOCOLATE CHEEKS book release & art exhibit

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 4th, 6-10pm

WHERE: Floating World Comics, 20 NW 5th Ave #101, Portland OR

More info here.

Steven will also be appearing at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, Feb. 6 for a Chocolate Cheeks book signing — stay tuned for more information on that and more exciting Fantagraphics Bookstore events tomorrow!

It's your holiday Online Commentary & Diversions:

• List: Paul Gravett names "The Best of 2009: Graphic Novels": No. 9 is Giraffes in My Hair: A Rock 'n' Roll Life by Bruce Paley & Carol Swain ("Paley combines so perfectly with his partner Carol Swain to capture Paley’s walks on the wild side as he journeys through sex, drugs and rock’n'roll, from hippy to punk. ... Hers has always been an utterly singular approach."); No. 13 is (appropriately) Pim & Francie: The Golden Bear Days by Al Columbia ("These distressed, distressing comics and illustrations repeat and escalate like a stuck record or never waking from a recurring nightmare."); and No. 14 is You'll Never Know, Book 1: A Good and Decent Man by C. Tyler ("A tender, bittersweet tribute from a daughter to a father and his military service in a beautifully crafted, tactile memoir.") (via The Comics Reporter)

• List/Review: At The HeroesOnline Blog, Dustin Harbin explains why Popeye Vol 4: Plunder Island is #5 on his Fave 5 of 2009: "These Popeye books are made with the kind of love and care and attention to detail that’s rare in comics — it’s clear that their publishers treat this material with reverence, and it makes it even more pleasurable to crack a new volume open each year."

• Review: "Though [Like a Dog] may seem like a hodgepodge of bits of [Zak] Sally’s work, there is consistency in the overall feeling. Much of his work is a collection of personal demons -- his insecurities, self-doubt, anger, pain, sadness and darkness -- that are exposed in obvious and subtle ways. ... The grit of this collection lies in the sense that one has had a sideline view of an intensely cathartic therapy session." – Janday Wilson, two.one.five Magazine

• Review: "This is warts and all stuff, a young artist learning with every six pager. ... There is some juvenile pleasure to be had in the fact that these stories [in Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1] all predate the Wertham/Comics Code era, so there's quite a bit of blood, some severed limbs, and grisly comeuppance. And although still oscillating between styles and influences here, there is substantial growth... [E]ven in its infancy, Ditko's art is increasingly potent." – Christopher Allen, Comic Book Galaxy

• Profile: Comic Book Resources' Kelly Thompson surveys the work of Eleanor Davis

• Links: Love & Maggie continues their detailed, annotated and hyperlinked overview of The Comics Journal #38 from 1978 

• Nerd fight: Hey look, it's a message board squabble about something Gary Groth wrote in Amazing Heroes umpteen years ago

• Things to see: Hans Rickheit 's Ectopiary page 7

• Things to see: Gabrielle Bell's strip about Richmond concludes

Above is a preview of what will be in your COMPLETE UNLOVABLE box-set (minus the ghost-hand). Coming SOON!

An evening with GAHAN WILSON

Signing and discussing his new book:

GAHAN WILSON: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons

Tuesday, January 19, 7PM

THE STRAND BOOKSTORE
12th & Broadway
New York, NY

Gahan will discuss his distinguished career and answer questions in a talk moderated by Emily Gordon, former PRINT magazine Editor-In-Chief and proprietor of the Emdashes blog (about all things New Yorker). 

What says romance more than comics? If there is anything, we don't want to know about it. Once again we're offering a special selection of romantic and/or erotic gift books with which to woo your sweetie this Valentine's Day. From classic romance comics to cutting-edge erotica, from sweet to twisted, from timeless to unexpected (zombies?), these comics are fluent in the many dialects of love.

From now through the day in question (February 14, 2010), SAVE at least 15% on all of our Valentines Day gift selections!

I admire the smart punk aesthetic of Raymond Biesinger a great deal and I keep his small book "100 Black on White Illustrations" next to my desk to keep me motivated in dark times, to remind me why minimal color is best, and to reinforce my conviction that the computer is great but is bettered by analog techniques. He was in Beasts2 and now he's updated his site and has a blog.

Tell us how you really feel, Johnny.

Here's a late addendum to our preview/pre-order announcement for Unlovable Vol. 2 by Esther Pearl Watson: some Tammy Pierce for your computer or mobile phone screen! (Or if you prefer Tammy Vol. 1 style in hot pink, we've got that too.)

Just click on the size that matches your monitor resolution and the image will open in a new window; if you're on a PC, right-click the image and select "Set As Background"; if you're on a Mac, control+click and select "Set As Desktop Background." (We don't know what the procedure is for iPhones, but if you have one, you probably do, right?) For lots more wallpaper selections, find recent ones here and older ones here.