And now the pièce de résistance, found in Gary Groth's office:

 Wait for it...

We shit you not. 

(Click for larger image.)

From Irwin Chusid, Jim Flora archivist and editor of our Flora books:

Jim Flora Art LLC has released a limited-edition, archival-quality fine art print of an uncirculated 1963 Jim Flora tempera painting entitled Back to Bellefontaine. Flora was born in Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio, in 1914. He lived in the town until 1934, when he enrolled at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

Only twenty-five (25) prints of Back to Bellefontaine were produced for this edition. Back to Bellefontaine has not previously been reproduced or published.

Some remembrances of the town by the artist are on the Jim Flora blog.

A quick break from "Flog! Photo Friday" for a new installment of Steven Weissman's "Chocolate Cheeks"! In this week's strip: Pullapart Boy's instigatin'. (Remember, you must be registered and logged in to read.)

More Flog! Photo Friday, this time with audio! Last night at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, moderator Gary Groth was joined by Peter Bagge, Ellen Forney, and Jim Woodring for a lively discussion about Robert Crumb and a range of related topics. More photos can be seen on Flickr, in regular and slideshow styles.

Plus! Download the complete audio of this event (24.5 MB MP3). It's a bit low-fi, but mostly intelligible. (We are still working on bringing you a full-fledged podcast... stay tuned for that.) We've also archived this feature on our website at this page.

Regina Hacket has a nice critical assessment of Drew Friedman's work in the Seattle P-I today. 

And just because, here's a piece from the show currently hanging in our gallery:

Flog! Photo Friday continues with the complete stack of Jaime Hernandez's original artwork for his 50-page story in Love and Rockets: New Stories #1, the first issue of the new, annual incarnation of Love and Rockets, which will debut in July at ComiCon in San Diego:

DREW FRIEDMAN AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS:
MORE OLD JEWISH COMEDIANS • MARCH 29th

WITH BEN SCHWARTZ, ANDY KINDLER & MORE SPECIAL GUESTS

WHO: Drew Friedman
WHAT: Discussion, Q&A and book signing
WHERE: Skylight Books
1818 N. Vermont Ave. • Los Angeles, CA 90027 • 323.660.1175 tel.
WHEN: Saturday, March 29, 5PM

“Drew Friedman isn't just a brilliant artist. He takes you to a place. He takes you back in time. He makes you smell the stale cigarettes and cold brisket and you say thank you for the pleasure.” — Sarah Silverman

Join cartoonist DREW FRIEDMAN along with BEN SCHWARTZ and more special guests (TBA) for a special discussion and booksigning to promote the release of More Old Jewish Comedians.

This all-new sequel to 2006's wildly popular Old Jewish Comedians, which earned raves from Jerry Lewis, Howard Stern, The Believer, Entertainment Weekly and many others, includes the famous (Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Soupy Sales, etc.), the less-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 presents a thorough visual history of the 20th Century's greatest Borscht-Belt comedians in 28 full-page, liver-spotted portraits.

It's Photo Friday on Flog! First, "The Fun Never Stops!" with Drew Friedman at our storefront last night. Below, the exhibit pre-opening: 

Below, the crowd gathers. That's Drew second from left.

Extreme close-up!

Lots more photos in our Flickr stream, in regular and fancy slideshow formats.

Don't forget, Drew appears at Skylight Books in L.A. tomorrow with guests Ben Schwartz and comedian Andy Kindler. Details here.  

No sooner has our own Matt Silvie posted Flickr photos of Ruth Bellthomaz's house than the city has won out on forcing her to beautify her property. Anyone who's ever visited the Fantagraphics Books, Inc., headquarters surely remembers her house, brimming with chaotic art and a constantly evolving landscape.

My desk here at the office looks out on Ruth's property. I've frequently seen her out there securing the wall of window frames that she has nailed to her house. The squirrels and stray cats love climbing on the scaffolding-like structure, but Matt tells me that she has all those seemingly useless windows there to keep the FBI from monitoring inside her home. Which is at least a little less crazy sounding when you realize that those are the initials for our company and I AM staring at her.

Anyway, she's over there today with an industrial-size dumpster and a hammer dismantling and trashing. I just hope we don't lose all of her handpainted signs (see above).

Seattle's lively industrial arts district continues its monthly celebration of creative diversity with the April installment of the Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack. This colorful community event includes more than 30 galleries, studios, boutiques, cafes and nightclubs featuring dozens of local, regional and international artists working in a variety of disciplines. The public of all ages is welcome and admission is free. Festivities commence at 6:00 PM on Saturday, April 12.

Among the many highlights: An exhibition of mixed media works by Georgetown artist Sherri Scott at George; "Internal Guidance Systems," an installation of visionary art from the collection of internationally-acclaimed artist Anne Grgich at Georgetown Tile Works; "Hello Cruel World," a show of recent works on paper by Steve Roumas and Roger Shurtleff at Calamity Jane's; "Hanging," a show of new work by Georgetown painter Mark LaFalce at the Hangar; Martin Bland's "Randomized Control Trials," an experimental sound installation, together with a display of New York cartoonist Drew Friedman's stunning illustrations at Georgetown Records/Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery; "The Worst of the Trading Musician," an acoustic musical revue organized by Georgetown resident and Trading Musician proprietor Mike Smith at Jules Maes Saloon; an exhibit of bronze, clay and multimedia sculptures by students of Matt Buckner at Georgetown Art Center; paintings and woodblock prints by Georgetown artist Angielena Chamberlain at Bella Vitale Studio Gallery; adventurous shopping, exotic dining, and boisterous mingling in one of our region's most enchanting urban environments.

The Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack is a production of the Georgetown Merchants' Association. A detailed map and other information can be found at: www.georgetownartattack.com. For additional information contact GMA chair Kathy Nyland, or Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid.

Listing Information

Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack
Saturday, March 8, 6:00 - 9:00 PM.

All City Coffee, Artcore Tattoo, Art at the Top of the Stairs. Backstage, Bella Vitale, Belle & Wissell, Bolte Creative, Calamity Jane's, Catherine Gill Studios, A Dog's Dream Natural Pet Supply, Equinox Studios, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, Fruit Cocktail Collectibles, Full Throttle Bottles, George, Georgetown Art Center, Georgetown Liquor Company*, Georgetown Records, Georgetown Tile Works, Great Stuff, Hangar Café, Jules Maes Saloon*, MIX, 9 Lb. Hammer*, Smarty Pants Restaurant*, Squid and Ink, The Stables, Stellar Pizza & Ale, Two Tartes Bakery, 24 Karat, and more.
* Indicates 21 + with valid ID.