This coming weekend, Saturday, March 24th and Sunday, March 25th, New York City will celebrate their own with Comic New York: A Symposium, bringing together "creators and academics to discuss the intertwined histories of American comics and the town where they were born." 

There is a stellar jam-packed schedule in place for the weekend, and here are a few panels featuring Fantagraphics' own that you should check out!

Saturday, March 24th

3:00-4:00 PM: Alternative New York
• Bill Griffith
• R Sikoryak
• Charles Brownstein
• Julia Wertz
• Moderator: Gene Kannenberg Jr.

Sunday, March 25th

1:30-2:30: New York as Breeding Ground
• Al Jaffee
• Miss Lasko-Gross
• Tracy White
• Dean Haspiel
• Moderator: Danny Fingeroth
• Dedicated to the memory of Jerry Robinson

Comic New York: A Symposium will be held in the Faculty Room, Low Library, of Columbia University.  This event is FREE and open to the public. Thank you to the wonderful Comics Beat for the tip-off!

We're excited to announce that Camille Rose Garcia (seen here with our own Gary Groth at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery) is returning to Seattle for a book signing with our friends at Roq La Rue on Saturday, March 31st!

She'll be celebrating the release of her latest book Snow White, but be sure to bring your copies of her Fantagraphics release The Magic Bottle for signing! 

And then later that night, Camille will be a special guest at our Emerald City Comicon Pinball Party at Shorty's, right down the street from Roq La Rue [ 2312 2nd Avenue, between Bell and Blanchard ]. All the Fantagraphics fun will be right there in the Belltown neighborhood! See you there!

You'll actually want to go to Summer School when Ignatz-nominated artist Tim Lane is teaching!

Professor Lane will be conducting a project-based workshop on the graphic novel and graphic short fiction for students seriously interested in producing their own graphic fiction. Participants will look at work from Tim's fellow Fantagraph-ians Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Joe Sacco, Art Spiegelman, and Kim Deitch, among others.

The class runs from May 21st through June 22nd at The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts [ 1 Brookings Drive ] at Washington University in St. Louis. Registration deadline is May 15th, and you don't have to be a university student to register! Click here for more information.

Come say hola to Mario Hernandez, who will be a special guest at the 2012 Latino Comics Expo in San Francisco!

On Saturday, May 5th, Mario will be signing copies of Love & Rockets from 1:00 to 2:30 PM.  And on Sunday, May 6th, from 1:15-2:00 PM, he'll be doing a very special reading from Love & Rockets, followed by a Q&A! Mario? Theatrical? Yes, it's true!

Mario (yes, Mario!), Gilbert, & Jaime at the San Diego Comic-Con 2011

The Cartoon Art Museum [ 655 Mission Street between New Montgomery and Third Streets ] is around the corner from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and a dozen other museums which comprise the Yerba Buena Gardens cultural district of San Francisco’s South of Market area.

Hoo boy, it's a busy week for Fantagraphics fans!

Tuesday, March 20th 

• DeKalb, IL: The Northern Illinois Unversity Art Museum debuts the exhibition “Graphic Novel Realism: Backstage at the Comics,” curated by our own Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist, artist and editor, Paul Karasik, and featuring work from Joyce Farmer, Jaime Hernandez, Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash, as well as Jason Lutes, Seth and James Sturm. (more info) 

Friday, March 23rd

• Chicago, IL:  Zak Sally will be at Quimby's signing copies of Sammy the Mouse Vol. 1, a self-published, self-printed collection of the first three issues of his Eisner-nominated Ignatz series. (more info)

Saturday, March 24th

• Seattle, WA:  The idiosyncratic work of cartoonist Lynda Barry, a Seattle native, is the subject of a new book by Portland author Susan E. Kirtley. Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass is the first comprehensive critique of this influential American artist. Kirtley will discuss her book with Real Comet Press publisher Cathy Hillenbrand, who published Barry’s first four books, at 6:00 PM at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. An informal reception and book signing will follow the discussion. (more info)

• Chicago, IL:  Join Zak Sally, along with John Porcellino and Dale Flattum, at Johalla Projects for the opening reception of "Physical Evidence," a show of their comics, printmaking, zines and more. (more info)

• New York City, NY:  Comic New York: A Symposium kicks off at Columbia University, with a wealth of panels, including one with our own Bill Griffith!  Stay tuned to the FLOG for more information about this event, coming soon!

Sunday, March 25th

• New York City, NY:  Comic New York: A Symposium wraps up at Columbia University, and among the busy schedule of panels today is one with both Al Jaffee and Miss Lasko-Gross!  Stay tuned to the FLOG for more information about this event, coming soon!

 Monday, March 26th

• Northridge, CA:  Gilbert, Jaime, & Mario Hernandez will be speaking to Professor Charles Hatfield's class on Monday, March 26th at the California State University, Northridge (in greater Los Angeles). This event is open to the public, not just students! (more info)

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "The existence of serious rock criticism became central to the transformation of rock into art in the '60s; [Paul ]Nelson's artful criticism permitted this music to assume a high-culture position with swift ease.... His personal story defies alignment with the brilliance of the writings presented in this gorgeously designed book [Everything Is an Afterthought]. Nick Tosches writes in the foreword that Nelson 'never wrote about anything he didn't know to the full of its depths…' This book clearly supports what Tosches says. Avery has captured the mysterious life Nelson wound up living without compromising the productive and innovative one he led while creating what we think of today as rock criticism." – Martin Jack Rosenblum, The Shepherd Express

• Review: "Everett worked on numerous comics throughout his lengthy career and this book explores his key contributions during the early Golden Age (1938-42)... Bell not only reprints several of the stories featuring the largely forgotten creations Skyrocket Steele, Amazing-Man, Hydro-Man, Sub-Zero Man, and others, but places Everett within the proper context of history through a brief bio of the artist during this period and notes about the individual pieces. Deserving a place in most graphic libraries, the handsome Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives Vol. 1 successfully re-introduces the talented Everett to a new generation of readers." – Rick Klaw, The SF Site: Nexus Graphica

Yet another honor for Wilfred Santiago's 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente — now it's been named one of Booklist's "Top 10 Graphic Novels: 2012" (so named even though it's all 2011 books), with Ian Chipman saying "Kinetic compositions washed with Pirate-yellow hues and a narrative that traces both Clemente’s personal and athletic triumphs combine in this biography of the pioneering Puerto Rican baseball great." We know it leads of the list because it's alphabetical, but we like the way it's part of the header graphic:

The list appears in print in the new issue (cover dated March 15), which also contains Gordon Flagg's review of Is That All There Is? by Joost Swarte:

"In the early ’70s, when American underground-comic artists like R. Crumb were drawing subversive stories in styles derived from the comic strips they grew up with, Dutch cartoonist Swarte was similarly warping the graphic approach of Europe’s most famous comics artist, Tintin creator Hergé. It was Swarte who coined the term ligne claire, or 'clear line,' for the distinctive, meticulous style marked by the use of unvarying, evenly inked lines. Swarte applied that technique to significantly more grown-up fare than Hergé’s rousing adventure tales, as shown in this collection of nearly all of his adult comics work, much of it featuring Jopo de Pojo, an oversized naïf with a Tintinesque quiff, and the pompous intellectual Anton Makassar. Some are globe-spanning escapades that are clearly inspired by Tintin’s exploits, albeit with sex, drugs, and gore; others are shorter satirical or humorous pieces. Since the main attraction is Swarte’s alluring visuals, a larger page size would have showcased the intricate illustrations to better advantage; but considering the previous unavailability of his work in English translation, that’s an ungrateful quibble."

It's your new Nicolas Mahler Angelman page and a brand new Up All Night strip from Michael Kupperman:

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Angelman by Nicolas Mahler (view at original size):

Up All Night by Michael Kupperman (view at original size):

No, not that kind of doctor! Wonderful news via Gahan Wilson's official Facebook page: "Gahan Wilson is to receive an honorary PhD from his Alma Mater, The Chicago Art Institute, in May of 2012!" Congratulations Gahan! I can't think of a more well-deserved honor.

A typical Johnny Ryan fan // photo courtesy of H&M.com

Yes, our Johnny Ryan puts the hurl and mucus in H&M with his brand-new collection for the Swedish fashion empire that is quickly sprouting up stores around the USA. (Think IKEA for clothes.)

Johnny was one of four guest artists for the Spring 2012 Divided collection, and his work can be found on two tees (seen below) and that fetching tank top, above.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like online purchasing is available in the US, so you'll have to venture out to one of their locations to get one. I, myself, will be attempting to buy some this weekend. I'll keep you posted...