It's not often that we reprint Marvel Comics press releases, but we couldn't resist this one. Not only is Marvel finally releasing that long-promised Peter Bagge Hulk story, but they've commissioned other alternative degenerates to provide their visions of Marvel characters, including Dash Shaw, Tony Millionaire, Michael Kupperman, Johnny Ryan (uh-oh...) and Jason.

See below for a totally exclusive preview of the Jason Spider-Man story!

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Marvel Comics is proud to announce the release of Strange Tales MAX #1 (of 3) in September 2009, featuring the most acclaimed creators in independent comics today! This landmark three issue limited series, overflowing with 48 pages of all new stories, features your favorite Marvel heroes-from Spider-Man to the Hulk-like you've never seem them before! Paul Pope, Peter Bagge, Molly Crabapple & John Leavitt, Junko Mizuno, Dash Shaw, James Kochalka, Johnny Ryan, Michael Kupperman, Nick Bertozzi, Nicholas Gurewich, Jason and more unite for the all-new Strange Tales MAX!

Just what does Peter Bagge have planned in "The Incorrigible Hulk", a story so incredible that we had to serialize it over all three issues? Will Spider-Man make it out alive of Jason's thrilling story? This first issue comes wrapped in a marvel-ous cover by Paul Pope and Jose Villarubia!

"Flat out, this is the apex of human artistic achievement. This is it. The end. The crowning result of tens of millions of years of evolution, right here, in three packed-to-the-gills issues," said Editor John Barber. "The philosophy of the book was to have these creators from ‘indy' or ‘alternative' or "literary" or ‘art' comics come in and do what they do best. I think Marvel readers will really dig seeing radically different versions of their favorite characters, and the fans of these cartoonists will get to see the creators work in a milieu they never thought they'd get to see. It's win-win. It's really the best of both worlds."

Editor Jody LeHeup added, "This book is a metric ton of solid gold awesome. The talent we've got lined up are without hyperbole some of the greatest creative minds working in comics today. I mean, who wouldn't want to read a Spider-Man story by Jason? Or an Iron man story by Tony Millionaire? Or anything by any of the contributors we've got attached to the project? I've been reading independent comics my whole life and I've always wanted to see what those creators could do with Marvel characters if they were given free reign to tell their stories. Well, now that vision's becoming a reality and I can't tell you what an incredibly special thing it is to see the final result. If you're a fan of comics of any school, do yourself a favor and pick this up."

Now's your chance to experience the Marvel Universe through the eyes of the best and brightest indie talents! Don't miss Strange Tales MAX #1 in stores this fall!

STRANGE TALES MAX #1 (of 3)
Written and Drawn by: PAUL POPE, PETER BAGGE, MOLLY CRABAPPLE &JOHN LEAVITT, JUNKO MIZUNO, DASH SHAW, JAMES KOCHALKA, JOHNNY RYAN, MICHAEL KUPPERMAN, NICK BERTOZZI, NICHOLAS GUREWICH, AND JASON
Cover by PAUL POPE
Explicit Content ...$3.99
On-Sale In September!

"GW Breakdown"

I'll bring the box back in

I might be able to have an intern look

for those missing pages

I'll bring back the last 200 pages

so I can read through them

leaving the first 700 for you

I'll bring back those 200

tomorrow

WHEN IN TEXAS- ACT LIKE A TEXAN

ESTHER PEARL WATSON
MARK TODD
MARTHA RICH
SILKE THOSS
DM BOB TOOKE
SCOTT OGDEN

opening tonight and running until August 9th, 2009.
music by the Watzloves

Douglas Wolk raves in the New York Times Book Review yesterday about Carol Tyler's ambitious memoir YOU'LL NEVER KNOW. "It's impossible not to compare ‘You'll Never Know' with Art Spiegelman's 'Maus,' the first great graphic novel about what happened to a cartoonist's father during World War II," says Wolk. "Tyler's book is a vivid, affecting, eccentrically stylish frame built around a terrible silence." 

Thanks to this wonderful review, the book is climbing up the graphic novel charts at Amazon, currently sitting at #6 behind some Wimpy Kids, Watchmen and Buffy. 

If you live anywhere near Cincinnati, don't miss this event on Saturday(June 13) with Carol and her 90-year-old father, Chuck, the star of the book.

"You'll Never Know" Dad & Daughter Book Signing with Carol & Chuck Tyler
Saturday, June 13, 2009
5 - 7 PM
FREE!

Shake It Records
4156 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45223
(513) 591-0123

There isn't much to see in the "Tower of Basil" Flickr group just yet but this one surprised me. If anyone has more photos of playground toys influenced by (surely not created by?!) Basil Wolverton I sure hope they put them up there.

Tomorrow! 2009 MoCCA Festival! Find us at tables #110-114 -- that's along the north wall (on the right from the main entrance).

Have we mentioned we have 11 new titles debuting at the show (barring any shipping snafus)? Holy crud! It's going to be awesome!

For updates from the show floor, follow us on Twitter -- we'll be posting as much of the action as we can, time permitting.

Here's our updated signing schedule as it stands right now -- we've had a couple of changes since we first announced it.

See you there!

FANTAGRAPHICS MoCCA SIGNINGS

SATURDAY SIGNINGS

11:00 am - Noon • Paul Hornschemeier, Dash Shaw & Derek Van Gieson (Mome)

Noon - 2:00 pm • Jason & Michael Kupperman

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm • Paul Karasik & Bob Fingerman

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm • Lilli Carré, Miss Lasko-Gross & Ted Stearn

4:00 - 5:00 pm • Arnold Roth & Al Jaffee

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm • John Kerschbaum & Dash Shaw

SATURDAY PANELS

3:00 pm - 3:50 pm
 • AH, HUMBUG! Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee in conversation

4:00 pm - 4:50 pm
 • Scandinavian Comics 101, With Steffen P. Maarup, Thomas Thorhauge and Ib Kjeldsmark (From Wonderland with Love)

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
 • Paul Karasik on the Twisted Genius of Fletcher Hanks

SUNDAY SIGNINGS

11 am - Noon • Steffen P. Maarup, Christoffer Zieler, Ib Kjeldsmark, Allan Haverholm, Thomas Thorhauge, Simon Bukhave and Søren Mosdal (From Wonderland with Love)

Noon - 1:00 pm • Paul Karasik, Sara Edward-Corbett (Mome) & Ted Stearn

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm • Dame Darcy & Dash Shaw

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm • Jason & Michael Kupperman

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm • Bob Fingerman, Paul Hornschemeier & Miss Lasko-Gross

SUNDAY PANELS

11 am - 11:50 am
 • Kent Worcester and Tom Kaczynski in conversation

Noon - 1:00 pm
 • The Astonishing SVA Roundtable with Dash Shaw

3:45 pm - 4:45 pm
 • Gary Panter and Frank Santoro in conversation

WHAT:

2009 MoCCA FESTIVAL

The 8th annual art festival celebrating comics and cartoon art.

WHEN:

Saturday, June 6th and Sunday, JUNE 7th

11:00am - 6:00pm each day

WHERE:

The 69th Regiment Armory

68 Lexington Avenue at Lexington Avenue at 25th Street

New York City
By subway: 6 Train to 28th Street Station

The annual show of cartoonists' work at Giant Robot opens this weekend. Check out their website in the near future to see works.

Meanwhile, check out the GRSF site for their current show, Pencil Pushers. Some nice work, including this piece from Mark Giglio.

This is the perfect time to mention this gem I found online. Surely there is a  Flog reader who needs an electric eraser.

Online Commentary & Diversions returns (probably) Tuesday next week, as your humble correspondent travels to and from the MoCCA Festival. Fortunately, looks like things are quiet out there (as I doom myself saying that):

• Review: "[Luba] seems more and more like a great book every time I pick it up. I guess I shouldn't be surprised... It's going to be until the end of the year before I can attempt a bigger piece on the book... I feel I can wait that six months before a summary statement because there won't be many works in this calendar year better than this one, and if there [are] I'll be so happy I won't care... For now I just want people to know how good it is and remind folks that it's out there. It's a good read, too... It's going to be a good year spent in this book's company." - Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter

• Review: "To say they don’t make them like this anymore is a gross understatement... [The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley's Cartoons 1913-1940] is a very welcome introduction to an artist whose skills need to be seen to be believed, and an even more welcome reminder that newspapers used to offer readers a lot more than just news and commentary — they also used to offer honest-to-God fine art." - J. Caleb Mozzocco, Las Vegas Weekly

On his blog, Mack White posts a bunch of teaser images for "Roadside Hell," his story in the upcoming Hotwire Comics Vol. 3, coming early 2010. Zombies, snakes, a luchador executioner... looks good!

"You'll Never Know" Dad & Daughter Book Signing
Saturday, June 13, 2009
5 - 7 PM

Shake It Records will be hosting a book signing with local artist C. Tyler for her new graphic memoir You'll Never Know, Book One: A Good and Decent Man.

And, as an added rare bonus, her father, 90 year old World War II veteran Chuck Tyler -- subject of the book -- will also be there to sign copies.

A Cincinnati Exclusive!!!!

You'll Never Know Book One: A Good and Decent Man is published by Fantagraphics of Seattle. It tells the story of the 50-something author's relationship with her World War II veteran father, and how his war experience shaped her childhood and affected her relationships in adulthood. "You'll Never Know" refers not only to the title of her parents' courtship song from that era, but also to the many challenges the author encountered in uncovering the difficult and painful truths about her Dad's service.

You'll Never Know makes full use of Tyler's virtuosity as a cartoonist: stunningly rendered in detailed inks and subtle watercolors, it plunges the reader headlong into the diverse locales: her father's wartime experiences and courtship, her own childhood and adolescence, and contemporary life.

C. Tyler is an accomplished artist who has been drawing comics for over thirty years. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and has two other solo books, Late Bloomer and The Job Thing, also by Fantagraphics. She teaches a class in comics at the University of Cincinnati's DAAP School of Art.

"If you want to find out what happened to Willie and Joe after they got home from World War II, You'll Never Know is the perfect place to start. C. Tyler's graphic novel, passionately conceived and brilliantly drawn, extends the range of Bill Mauldin to cover the aftershock of the Last Good War on the warriors who fought it and the collateral damage to their families. Not since Catch-22 has anyone probed the secret heart of the Greatest Generation with this kind of raw, icon busting courage."
-Tom Mathews (Our Fathers' War: Growing Up in the Shadow of the Greatest Generation)

"One of the true greats of the 'underground' generation."
-Chris Ware

"Her work has the extremely rare quality of genuine, authentic heart."
-R. Crumb