Congratulations are in order for Paul Hornschemeier!  Earlier this month, the Columbus Museum of Art and Thurber House announced a collaboration for their first ever Graphic Novelist Residency, and the receipient is none other than this Ohio State University alumnus!

Paul will spend three weeks starting in March living in a two-bedroom apartment located in the boyhood home of author and New Yorker cartoonist, James Thurber. In addition to researching and producing new work, he will also take part in several awesome events around Columbus!

Monday, March 26, 6:00-8:00 PM
Paul will lead an adult writing workshop for the graphic novel at Thurber House.  Deadline to register is March 16th.

Wednesday, March 28, 6:00-8:00 PM
Paul will lead a young writer's studio at Thurber House.

Saturday, March 31, 2:00 PM
Otterbein professor of philosophy Andrew Mills will speak about Hornschemeier’s work in a philosophical context at the Columbus Museum of Art. Presented in collaboration with The OSU Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities. Admission to the lecture is free.

Thursday, April 5, 7:00 PM
Join Paul at the Columbus Museum of Art as he speaks about his creative process with interviewer, comics writer, and blogger Jared Gardner, a professor of English and Film Studies at Ohio State University. In conjunction with his talk, the museum will display a selection of Hornschemeier’s scripts, storyboards, and sketches highlighting his creative process. Free with museum admission.

* Other People's Publications
** Yeah, You Know Me.

Hey, it's the very first 2012 edition of "Down With OPP," our occasional column where we spotlight books from other publishers that you can find at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle!  And I was thrilled to get to the store this past weekend to find the latest volume of the celebrated Kramers Ergot anthology, from our friends at PictureBox.

It's chock-full of Fantagraphics artists: It opens with a great "Jimbo" strip from Gary Panter. There's also a wonderfully-drawn one-page gag from Tim Hensley. Kevin Huizenga re-draws a sci-fi story originally written decades ago by Bill Molno and Sal Trapani. And Frank Santoro & Dash Shaw turn in a beautiful collaboration on, well, catching pedophiles. 

Reading Johnny Ryan's story, I found myself thinking, "This might be the most romantic thing he's ever written," but then I ended up nearly laughing out loud by the end. It complements Sammy Harkham's marital comic, in a weird way.

I couldn't help reading the comic from Ben Jones in an "Alfe" voice, and the dialogue is so hilariously quotable, I just wanted to post random lines from it on Twitter.

And there's still more I haven't even mentioned, like the glossy full-color photography, the 70's Penthouse reprints, and the intro from Ian Svenonius, who will forever be to me "The Sassiest Boy in America."  

Get a copy for yourself at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, located at 1201 S. Vale Street in Seattle's Georgetown district. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone: (206) 658-0110.

Saturday, February 4th

• Seattle, WA: The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery kicks off Black History Month with the debut of two diverse books. Seattle-based music scholar Pat Thomas, author of Listen, Whitey!: The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965 – 1975, will be joined by Seattle authors Mark Long and Jim Demonakos, who together with cartoonist Nate Powell created the graphic novel The Silence of Our Friends. (more info)

Gung Hay Fat Choy! According to Chinese astrology, it is the Year of the Dragon, and our friends at Giant Robot are celebrating with a fiery dragon-themed show, featuring mythical creatures from our own Andrice Arp, Renee French, and Steven Weissman, among many others!

Astrologists say the Year of the Dragon is a year of change and mobility, so it's only appropriate that this event also serves as a farewell to Giant Robot's Michelle Borok, who is moving to Mongolia. I will miss seeing her and her awesome eyeglasses at conventions!

Year of the Dragon opens on Saturday, January 28th with a reception from 6:30 to 10:00 PM at  GR2 [2062 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA], and the show runs until February 15th.

The great Frank Santoro (center, with Dash Shaw and Jon Vermilyea, back at APE 2009) is heading to the west coast for a Comic Book Layout Workshop that will have you flexing your mental muscles!

The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is thrilled to welcome this talented artist and TCJ Contributor for this FREE workshop on Saturday, February 11th! Everyone is welcome, whether you're an artist yourself, or just interested to discover how some of your favorite cartoonists map out their panels.

The workshop runs from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, right before the opening reception of our exhibit Funny Valentines: A Tribute to Jack Davis -- more exciting details about that to come -- so, head to Georgetown early for what's sure to be an excellent evening!

And for those of you outside of Seattle, here are the rest of Frank Santoro's Comic Book Layout Workshop tour dates:

Thursday 2/2
Escapist Comics
Berkeley, CA

Friday 2/3
Mission Comics
San Francisco, CA

Thursday 2/9
Floating World Comics
Portland, OR

Saturday 2/11
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
Seattle, WA

Thursday 2/16
Lucky’s Comics
Vancouver, BC

It's that time again -- time to head on over tonight to Luca Lounge [ 222 Avenue B, NYC ] for the monthly series The Crime Stoppers Club, a celebration of comedy, comics and film, with your hosts Michael Kupperman and Kate Beaton!

Here's a video sneak peek from Kupperman himself, which will hopefully still be online if it hasn't been yanked for copyright violations:

This month, they'll be joined by Matt Koff, Lisa Hanawalt, Dyna Moe, Geoff Lapid, Anthony Wilson, and Sam Henderson!  Here's a sneak peek from Sam of one of the ten or so short strips he'll be reading:

The fun starts at 7:00 PM, so don't delay!  And don't forget to follow the The Crime Stoppers Club right here on Facebook to keep up with all their monthly events!

Tuesday, January 24th

•  New York City, NY: The mighty Michael Kupperman hosts another installment of his monthly comedy series The Crime Stoppers Club, co-hosted with Kate Beaton, and this month, featuring Matt Koff, Lisa Hanawalt, Dyna Moe, Geoff Lapid, Anthony Wilson, and Sam Henderson! The fun starts at 7:00 PM at Luca Lounge. And stay tuned to the FLOG for some video sneak peeks tomorrow!

Saturday, January 28th

•  Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics is proud to co-sponsor the 2012 Graphic Novel Panel, held by the Seattle Graphics Arts Guild, featuring panelists Megan Kelso, Matthew Southworth, Brandon Jerwa, Emi Lenox, and Chuck Messinger. The panel is from 1:00-4:00 PM at the Seattle Design Center, and the after-party will be held at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery from 4:30-6:00 PM. (more info)

• Los Angeles, CA: Giant Robot kicks off the exhibit Year of the Dragon, featuring work from Andrice Arp, Renee French, and Steven Weissman, among many others! The opening reception is from 6:30 to 10:00 PM at GR2, and the exhibit runs until February 15th.

Everyone adores Frank Stack! // seen here with Joyce Farmer, San Diego Comic-Con 2011

Good thing the Charlotte Street Foundation presents an exhibit on underground comix legend Frank Stack, titled: Good Thing I Used a Pseudonym: Work From a Three-Part Career: Frank Stack as Painter, Connoisseur, and Incognito as Graphic Novelist Foolbert Sturgeon.

PHEW! You gotta have a long title for an exhibit encapsulating Stack's five-decade-long career! Not to mention, this is the very first exhibit of Frank's that will include his traditional artwork made under his real name alongside the comix he created as "Foolbert Sturgeon." A very special exhibit, indeed!

The opening reception is this Friday, January 20th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, and the exhibit will run through March 3, 2012.

And on Saturday, January 21st, join Frank Stack along with curators Anne Thompson and Nathan Boyer for a public discussion of his work at 2:30 PM.  Anyone who saw his panel at San Diego Comic-Con last year can tell you, you will not want to miss this as Frank is a delightful and brilliant storyteller!

It all goes down at Project Space [ 21 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO ], a Charlotte Street Foundation Urban Culture Project venue.

This Thursday, January 20th, join acclaimed author Alexander Theroux for a "ramble through" his latest work, Estonia: A Ramble Through the Periphery.

He'll be speaking at the infamous Strand Bookstore in NYC, discussing what happened when he joined his wife — artist Sarah Son-Theroux, whose work adorns the cover — on her Fulbright Scholarship to Estonia.

Let Theroux's razor-sharp writings transport you to this fascinating country without having to leave your seat in the Rare Book Room on the 3rd Floor of The Strand [ 828 Broadway (at 12th St.) ].

The event kicks off at 7:00 PM, and you can either buy Estonia from The Strand or a $10 Strand gift card in order to attend this event. Both options admit one person.

Lotsa reasons to brave the cold this week, or in the case of that Max retrospective, um, the sun. Check it out:

Thursday, January 19th

• New York City, NY: Join author Alexander Theroux at the Strand Bookstore for a discussion and signing of his latest work, Estonia. You can either buy Estonia from The Strand or a $10 Strand gift card in order to attend this event. Both options admit one person. (more info)

Friday, January 20th

•  Kansas City, MO: The name of this exhibit says it all: "GOOD THING I USED A PSEUDONYM: Work From a Three-Part Career: Frank Stack as Painter, Connoisseur, and Incognito as Graphic Novelist Foolbert Sturgeon." This is the first exhibition that will include Stack’s all-important comics work. The opening reception is from 6-9 PM, and the exhibit runs until March 3, 2012. (more info)

Saturday, January 21st

•  Chicago, IL: It's your last chance to see the Lilli Carré exhibit at the Ralph Arnold Fine Arts Annex! Don't miss this collection of Lilli's comic artwork, recent string drawing pieces, and a projection of her short animated films she describes as “moving drawings.” (more info)

•  Kansas City, MO: In conjunction with the aforementioned exhibit "GOOD THING I USED A PSEUDONYM: Work From a Three-Part Career: Frank Stack as Painter, Connoisseur, and Incognito as Graphic Novelist Foolbert Sturgeon," Frank Stack himself will appear at Project Space for a discussion with curators Anne Thompson and Nathan Boyer at 2:30 PM. (more info)

Sunday, January 22nd

•  Mexico City, Mexico: Say "adios" to the Max retrospective exhibition, Panóptica, which closes this weekend at the Centro Cultural de España. The collection features his work from 1973 to just last year. (more info and photos)