The colorful Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack celebrates the holiday season on December 11 with a diverse array of challenging visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic business district. Dozens of independent artists' studios will be open to the public, joined by the many creative enterprises that make Georgetown a wonderfully unique civic asset.

Among the many highlights of the holiday Art Attack: Open studios at Equinox with live music, blacksmithing demonstrations, refreshments and the work of over 50 resident artists; Georgetown Arts and Cultural Center hosts figurative sculpture by Katrina Wolfe; the 4th Annual Holiday Artisans Bazaar Party with lights, treats and special guests at the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall featuring soft sculptures by artist Rick Baker of Hallava Falafel in the Frida Trailer Gallery and a Trailer Park Cinema screening of "Santa Claus vs. the Martians" among other holiday classics; quilt artist Mary K. Parkhurst and photographer Sue Benyak at Two Tartes Café; a lively Art Jam at 9 Lb. Hammer featuring Georgetown artists creating works on site to a rhythmic urban beat; Holiday Art Sale with all paintings under $100 at the Miller School of Art; Bella Vitale studio features "Flamenco paintings" and cold weather glam clothing for humans and dogs by Bella Vitale; Brandon Bowman's fantastic metalwork and paintings at Nautilus studio; Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery's fabulous 4th anniversary party with music by Zak Sally and Mark Pickerel and "Medieval Thinkers" comix art exhibition curated by Friends of the Nib; hip hops at Full Throttle Bottles; stencil artists Randal Owen and of Dave Ryan at Calamity Jane's; and much, much more.

The Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack is a monthly promotion of the Georgetown Merchants Association. For more information contact Art Attack coordinator Larry Reid at numbers above. For a printable map of participants please visit: www.geoorgetownartattack.com.

This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new title. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators are saying about our release this week, check out our previews at the link, and contact your local shop to confirm availability.

Special Exits
by Joyce Farmer

208-page black & white 8" x 10" hardcover • $26.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-381-1

Ordering Info & Previews

"A decade-plus in the making project by underground veteran Joyce Farmer; observations of the declining health of her father and stepmother, and Farmer’s own changing role in their lives. I know nothing more, but I’ll be eager to look further." – Joe McCulloch, Comics Comics

"Joyce Farmer's fictionalized memoir of dealing with her parents' final years is incredibly powerful and sad; it's also got some fascinating stylistic ties to her underground work from the '70s (you can see where that kind of post-Binky Brown aesthetic has ultimately led her)." – Douglas Wolk, Comics Alliance

"Joyce Farmer's new book about seeing to elderly parents. This book's appearance speaks well to comics' ability to rediscover certain voices and give their best work a publishing platform no matter when in life that best work comes. As long as there's some ability for a cartoonist to walk into a publisher with a big stack of page and walk out with a book contract, comics is going to be okay." – Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter

"...Special Exits [is] a new memoir by former underground cartoonist Joyce Farmer about how she came to take care of her ailing parents in their final years. Yes, there’s been quite a lot of those kind of books out lately, but Farmer’s an interesting talent (she famously founded Tits n Clits in the 70s as a response to the misogynism of the early undergrounds) and the book has been building a strong, steady buzz. I’m curious." – Chris Mautner, Robot 6

"Having cared for both my parents as they grew old, I know that final journey can be sad but also marked with moments of humor, terror, and pathos. It looks like Joyce Farmer gets it, and her family is quirky enough to make for some good reading..." – Brigid Alverson, Robot 6

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "The second volume of Linda Medley's quirky Eisner-winning modern classic has finally arrived. [...] Castle Waiting is a warm yet bittersweet ramble through the margins of the fairy tale world. [...] Medley's distinctive black and white art is full of life, while her writing is as engaging if leisurely as ever." – Publishers Weekly

• Review: "...[O]ne of the best and most under-covered of many under-covered comics of 2010 [is] Fantagraphics’ English-language edition of Jacques Tardi’s It Was the War of the Trenches. [...] Fascinatingly structured as a 20-page overture leading into an illustrated prose account of wartime experiences by the artist’s grandfather, and only then starting the work proper, a non-chronological barrage of soldiers’ experiences told in wide panels, three per page, unwavering, in contrast to the overture’s more dynamic usage of the page – everything in this book’s makeup draws attention to itself as a comic." – Joe McCulloch, Comics Comics

• Review/Profile: "One day, the gods of all ART great and marvelous, finally will decide to roll out their lengthy gilded achievement banner listing cartoonists, illustrators and caricaturists... who have been creatively talented beyond the skills of mere mortal men and women. Without a doubt, near the top of this list of illustrious souls... will be the name... Drew Friedman. [...] With Too Soon? Drew Friedman has not only once again solidifies his stature as one the of the planet's funniest, most observant and skilled artists, I can add the often used, but in this case it's actually true, label of that of a living legend. [...] If I could give this book ten stars I would. If I could give this book whatever letter should come before the letter 'A' because it is better than an 'A' then I would give it not only that mysterious letter, but add around five or six pluses. Buy this book as a gift for yourself, your friends, loved ones, siblings, children, parents and grandparents." – Robert Jaz, Forces of Geek

• Profile: At the CCS Visiting Faulty blog recounts Carol Tyler's visit to the school last week: "When the fun was over, Tyler put on her Lois Lane Reporting Hat to deliver her scoop on herself. She started with a photo of her home, which boasts a bountiful garden out front. 'That isn’t yard work,' she said, 'What you’re looking at are scripts. If I can’t figure out a punchline, I’ll just rip up part of my lawn.'" (See photos on the CCS Flickr page.)

• Interview: It's the final installment of The Daily Cross Hatch's conversation with Jaime Hernandez: "I remember hoping — I remember that, when Gilbert and I were doing fanzine work for small publishers, some guy in his bedroom, he would say, 'we would like people to send their art,' and things like that. We just wanted to be published. We knew it wasn’t the big time, but it was just kind of fun to be out there, even on a small scale. Yet, at the same time, we did have stories to tell, and we were hoping that one day they would be published."

Gipi recounts the story behind this illustration, learning that he's not the first artist in Italy to have this idea recently.

An exciting announcement from Zak Sally and his La Mano 21 imprint: The Kim Deitch Files print portfolio nears completion and will make its debut at two opposite-coast events in December: the Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival on Dec. 5 and the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery 4th Anniversary celebration on Dec. 11, where Zak will also be performing a solo music set. Sez Zak:

"The Kim Deitch Files is a limited edition portfolio of the looseleaf 'story' pages which serve as Kim's sketchbook; it's where he works out the ideas for his comics. included in this folio are selections of the original story pages from many of Kim's major works (Alias The Cat, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams) as well as many of his other projects (Deitch's Pictorama, Southern Fried Fugitives), never before seen projects (the aborted Alice's Adventures Underground) and even a couple pretty jaw dropping life studies. they are exclusively in pencil, many in a fully rendered style that is both insanely gorgeous and (in their way) totally different than what you 'expect' from Kim's art. these pages have rarely been seen, and as individual pieces and as a look into the process of a master cartoonist...this is the real deal, folks."

More details and progress photos at the La Mano website. I can't wait to see this sucker in person!

Here's an illo Ray Fenwick did for O Magazine (bigger at Ray's site).

Dreaming of a Black Christmas? Start your holiday shopping at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle this weekend. We'll be giving away a free BLACK HOLE comic book with every purchase through Sunday, November 28. An amazing stocking stuffer valued at $4.50. Visitors will get a chance to see the exquisite exhibition of Seattle native Charles Burns. This wonderful display, spanning his 30-year career in comix, remains on view through December 7.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street in the heart of Seattle's lively Georgetown arts community. Open daily 11:30 - 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Holiday hours: Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Years Day. Open until 4:00 PM on Christmas Eve. Phone 206.658.0110.

Click for improved/additional viewing and possible artist commentary at the sources:

• Noah Van Sciver draws a rock show (Danzig!) for the Denver Westword, plus more stuff at his blog

• Richard Sala's "Psycho-rama" from Blab #7, 1992

• Jackie No-Name diorama cutout and Belligerent Piano intro page from Smoke Signal #3 courtesy of Tim Lane 

• Speaking of Smoke Signal, here's Leslie Stein's "Murmur" from that selfsame publication

• Robert Goodin does Simon & Kirby at Repaneled

• Carol Tyler was a visiting artist at the Center for Cartoon Studies last week (and celebrated a birthday yesterday), all noted on her Screened-in Porch blog

• Gipi discusses his recent health problems and presents a series of self-portraits at his blog

And more Things to See from the past week:

• Early strips, illustrations, outtakes and film reviews by Jason at his Cats Without Dogs blog

• Steven Weissman's latest "I, Anonymous" spots and sketches (and Post-its for sale) on his Chewing Gum in Church blog

• A new print at John Hankiewicz's Clip Joint blog

• Sketches by Frank Santoro at the Cold Heat Comics blog

• An exhibit announcement at Marco Corona's Il Canguro Pugilatore blog

• Vintage Jim Flora illustrations & artwork (plus shelf porn) at the Jim Flora blog

• Nature sketches with running commentary by Debbie Drechsler at her Just Around the Corner blog

• More sketches for Mark Kalesniko's forthcoming graphic novel Freeway (now up for pre-order!) at his blog

• Sergio Ponchione re-launches Splog!, the Sergio Ponchione Lost Objects Gallery blog

• Drawings, sketches, photos from Renee French

• Daily drawings (and a few videos) from Dash Shaw at The Ruined Cast blog

• Caricatures, a new Need to Know video, and commentary on current events by Steve Brodner

• Pages and panels by Derek Van Gieson at his These Days I Remain blog

• New sketches by Eleanor Davis at her We Be Ouija blog

Mack White appears as "Sir Real" in this clip from the film-in-progress Bozoland by J. Ryan Barone. Some old-school Austin weirdness there. See two additional clips at Mack's website.

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "Greg Sadowski‘s excellent Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s (Fantagraphics Books) was the first of a quartet of books on horror comics to surface this fall, and for my money, it’s arguably the most invaluable of the bunch. [...] There are some real revelations here, and I can tell you that this hardcore horror comics scholar/collector/creator is eternally grateful for all that Sadowski and Benson have added herein to a richer knowledge of these unique comics and this grossly misrepresented and misunderstood period in comics history. With an eye toward entertaining fully as well as curating, Sadowski’s greatest accomplishment here is making Four Color Fear such a fun and engaging read, cover-to-cover. [...] In this, Sadowski brings far more care to his anthology than any of the original editors of these comics seemed to; the cumulative effect, at times, is intoxicating, and the ways in which both the individual art styles and the narrative content are woven into a satisfying tapestry are often witty, sly and insidious. There’s a lot of smart work, here, and as a result it’s a super read for everyone, whether you’ve never before sampled this era’s strange fruit or are (like me) a long-time fan and collector." – Steve Bissette, The Schulz Library Blog

• Review/Interview: "That meeting place between responsible parenting and letting your kids love monsters is at the heart of the new graphic novel Rip M.D.... The parental dilemma (just how much horrific stuff should we let our kid get into?) is mined as a story point, while the book itself serves as a family-friendly gateway to gruesomeness. ..[T]the story focuses on Ripley’s personal growth as he accepts responsibility for these monstrous misfits. It’s a legitimately positive message delivered via a story about creatures, all of which sits close to Schauer’s heart. 'I grew up an only child, predominantly surrounded by adults,' Schauer recalls. 'I had to find something to entertain myself. It turned out to be monsters. [...] I’m trying to pull from the emotion I felt when I first saw those classic monsters, not as something to fear but something that was misunderstood.' [...] Rip M.D. doesn’t skimp on the macabre while reinforcing the ideal of an understanding family and the importance of not passing judgment on society’s outcasts…at least until you know them well enough to deliver an informed diagnosis." – Jack Bennett, Fangoria

• Review: "In High Soft Lisp, Gilbert traces the relationship history of Fritz Martinez, the ultimate sex goddess in a career full of them, and in so doing reveals that her every fetish outfit and sexual free-for-all is fruit from the poisoned tree. Lots of characters in this book enjoy the living shit out of Fritz’s sexuality, not least Fritz herself, but to a man and woman they’re revealed to be creepily predatory about it, embracing the worst in themselves and encouraging the worst in Fritz. And here’s the thing: What have we been doing over the hundreds of pages we’ve spent watching Fritz adorably and kinkily fuck her way through the post-Palomar cast of Beto’s comics? What has Beto been doing? What does that say about all of us?" – Sean T. Collins, Attentiondeficitdisorderly

• Review: "Mome... is where the smart kids with the sharpest pencils, shiniest pens, biggest brushes and best software go to play before they blow your minds in great big award-winning graphic novels. It is intense, sometimes hard to read and crafted to the highest production standards. This volume signals five incredibly impressive years and the eclectic graphic mix presented here augurs well for the next fifty… Whether you’re new to comics, fresh from the mainstream ghettos or just need something new, Mome always promises — and delivers — a decidedly different read." – Win Wiaceck, Now Read This

• Interview: Bef got two minutes with Jaime Hernandez

• Plug: Allan Holtz at Stripper's Guide presents some samples of Gene Deitch's Terr'ble Thompson and recommends our collection of the strip

• Plug: In the head-scratchingest gift guide ever, Tom Mason of Comix 411 suggests our Prince Valiant volumes as a wedding gift for Prince William: "One or two volumes would be nice for the royal couple. They can pretend it’s history."