Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship to our mail-order customers:

Oil and Water
by Steve Duin and Shannon Wheeler

144-page black & white 7.75" x 9.75" hardcover • $19.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-492-4

See Previews / Order Now

When ten Oregonians travel to the Gulf Coast in August 2010 to plumb the devastation wrought by the Deepwater Horizon spill, they discover that “Oil and Water” is just the first of the insoluble contradictions. Between the tarred sands of Grand Isle and the fouled waters of the Louisiana bayou, they come to find out that Gulf Coast residents are economically dependent upon the very industry that is wreaking havoc on their environment. In the shadow of the greatest ecological disaster of our time, they are forced to reassess their roles as witness, critic and environmental steward.

In this 144-page graphic novel — written by Steve Duin, a columnist for The Oregonian, and illustrated by Eisner-winning New Yorker cartoonist Shannon Wheeler — readers will tour the shark-pocked beach at Grand Isle with the local head of Homeland Security; step aboard the crabbing boat of a 20-year-old Mississippian who works 16-hour days and spends his nights dreaming of M.I.T.; enter the “Hot Zone” where volunteers work desperately to save brown pelicans drenched in British petroleum; and hear shrimpers, Vietnamese and good ol’ boys alike, describe what happens to their livelihood when 200 million gallons of oil flood the scene. The readers’ perspective on what hope and what mission remains along a ravaged coastline, and one awash in both seafood and oil, will be changed as irrevocably as that of these ten Oregonians.

Advance Praise for Oil and Water:

"Duin and Wheeler offer a penetrating perspective on what many considered to be the worst environmental disaster in United States history. With a resolutely unsentimental voice, they capture many of the complex and deep tragedies of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon event in post-Katrina coastal Louisiana. Through accessible images and writing, they portray the spirit of real people in real places imperiled by a disaster of global proportions. As a documentary of visiting, engaging and learning from these communities, their work illustrates how Louisiana and its people are defining the legacy (writ large) of energy and the environment in contemporary society." – Dr. Michael J. Blum, Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University

"Reporter Steve Duin and cartoonist Shannon Wheeler visited Louisiana to investigate the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, and their legwork shows. By contrasting the perspectives of out-of-state do-gooders and hard-bitten locals, Duin and Wheeler tell a nuanced story that goes a long way to evoking what the catastrophe means to those who still live with it." – Joe Sacco

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship to our mail-order customers:

Estonia: A Ramble Through the Periphery
by Alexander Theroux

352-page 6" x 9" hardcover with color illustrations • $29.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-465-8

See Previews / Order Now

Any journey with Alexander Theroux is an education. Possessed of a razor-sharp and hyperliterate mind, he stands beside Thomas Pynchon as one of the sharpest cultural commentators of our time. So when he decided to accompany his wife — the artist Sarah Son-Theroux — on her Fulbright Scholarship to Estonia, it occasioned this penetrating examination of a country that, for many, seems alien and distanced from the modern world.

For Theroux, the country and its people become a puzzle. His fascination with their language, manners, and legacy of occupation and subordination lead him to a revelatory examination of Estonia’s peculiar place in European history. All the while, his trademark acrobatic allusions, quotations, and digressions — which take us from Hamlet through Jean Cocteau to Married… with Children — render his travels as much internal and psychical as they are external and physical. Through these obsessive references to Western culture, we come to appreciate how insular the country has become, yet also marvel at its fierce individuality and preternatural beauty — such is the skill of Theroux’s gaze.

This travelogue of his nine months abroad also brims with anecdotes of Theroux’s encounters with Estonian people and — in some of its most bitterly comedic episodes — his fellow Americans whom he at times feels more alienated from than the frosty, humorless Europeans.

Estonia: A Ramble Through the Periphery is as biting and satirical as it is witty and urbane; as curious and lyrical as it is brash and irreverent. It marks a new highlight in an already stellar career and a book that continues Fantagraphics’ exceptional line of prose works.

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "Artists of vision toiling within the gears of a vision-suppressing machine, Carl Barks and Floyd Gottfredson drew and wrote great swathes of the best popular art of the twentieth century, mostly in the least auspicious venues available: comic books and comic strips credited to Walt Disney.... Fantagraphics is currently collecting the work of both artists: Barks's transcendent Donald and Scrooge McDuck comics, and Gottfredson's sprightly Mickey Mouse serials. To the publisher's credit, the books are gorgeous but designed for readability rather than coffee-table displaying. This is great art you can feel guilt-free perusing in the bathtub....

"The initial volume in the Barks series is... all pleasure, a treasury of deceptively simple gag and adventure stories that fashioned with wit, irony, and impeccable craftmanship.... The longer stories here... are suspenseful, surprising, funny, and fresh... These kids' comics are far from kids' stuff -- this is for everyone....

"Like the goofy, violent, darker-than-expected cliffhangers of the second Indiana Jones flick, Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse -- especially in in its second volume, covering 1932 and '33 -- is an exhausting achievement in can-you-top-this adventure storytelling.... This kids' stuff isn't for kids, either. But it's revealing and thrilling, both a guide to what's long been wrong with this country -- and guide to what's great in its imagination." – Alan Scherstuhl, SF Weekly

• Review: "...I’d been looking forward to the Fantagraphics [Carl Barks Library] series, and I’m happy to say it’s being done right.... I like to think that Carl Barks, an unpretentious storyteller who created for an audience of children whose intelligence, ingenuity and decency he never doubted, would approve and be gladdened by how his work, this time around, is being put back out into the world." – Tom De Haven, The Comics Journal

• Review: "...[I]n this insightful and riveting biography, Avery has brought the flat-capped, sunglassed, mustachioed, Nat Sherman-smoking, hamburger eating, and Coca-Cola guzzling wordsmith back to life; a writer as fascinating -- and frustrating -- as many of his interview subjects.... Thankfully, more than half of the books pages are given over to reprints of Nelson's own work... And while Everything Is an Afterthought will bring renewed attention to the work of Paul Nelson, it's the work of Kevin Avery that resonates most as he tries -- and succeeds as much as possible -- to unravel the enigma of Paul Nelson's mind." – Bob Ruggiero, Houston Press

• Review: "Michael Kupperman’s Tales Designed to Thrizzle #7 has many more laughs than it does pages. It’s jokes that build on jokes that lead to more jokes through left turns, fakes, surprises, and nerdy pop culture references.... One premise leads to the next, like one of the better episodes of Monty Python or Mr Show... – this book is funny enough to make you crack up on a crowded bus." – Tom Mohrman, CultureMob

• Interview: David Fernández of Zona Negativa has a career-spanning Q&A (in English and Spanish) with Jason: "You don’t do comics for the money. You do it for love of the medium, for the need to tell stories in images. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. You feel a connection to other struggling cartoonists. It’s something you have in common. There some humility in it. So there are very few cartoonist assholes. I haven’t met any."

• Plug: At Forbidden Planet International, Wim Lockefeer spotlights our upcoming collection of Joost Swarte comics Is That All There Is?

Our new Ultimate Catalog, arriving in mailboxes soon! Dig that glorious Floyd Gottfredson artwork. If you’re not already on our mailing list and like getting cool stuff in the mail, contact us to request your free copy. And if you want a tree-free version (although they're already all printed, so you wouldn't really be saving anything) we'll be making it available as a PDF download soon too.

(click image to enlarge)

A fitting Pogo sentiment on a day after elections. The original art from this strip will be on display at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery along with 15 others for "Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly." The show opens on Saturday, December 10 — the centerpiece of our festive 5th anniversary gala. Pogo party, indeed!

Seattle has always had a reputation for its strong underground comics scene, but dang it, how is it we haven't had our own small press show before?

Well, that all changes this Saturday, November 12th as the Short Run Small Press Fest makes its debut at the Vera Project at Seattle Center, from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Fantagraphics won't have a table there ourselves, but many of our artists will be exhibiting, including Andrice Arp, Jim Blanchard, Jason T. Miles (with his distro Profanity Hill), Megan Kelso, Michael Dowers, Pat Moriarity, and Roberta Gregory.

Afterwards, the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is thrilled to present the Short Run After Party and Art Show from 6:00 - 9:00 PM, featuring original comix art, illustrations and self-published books. Entertainment will be provided by DJ/musician "Brainfruit."

As we were preparing for the art show, I thought it'd be fun to chat with the organizers of Short Run -- that would be, Martine Workman
, Kelly Froh, 
Jenny Gialenes, 
Eroyn Franklin -- about the inaugural event:

So, how did the idea of Short Run come together?

Martine: I've been going to comics events since 2004, even though I don't really make comics. I always wanted to attend an event that welcomed all sorts of makers and small publishers of comics, writing, poetry, zines, and artist books. Last year Eroyn saw my work and contacted me out of the blue since we were both publishing our own books in Seattle. Our friendship grew out of conversations about self publishing, art, craftsmanship, and wanting to create a community for ourselves. Around this time, Profanity Hill was up and running for a bit, and it was exciting and surprising to see so much local work being made. After talking to my pal Jenny, who works in literary event promotion and moonlights as a zinester, it seemed possible to bring the self publishers of our region together by organizing a small press fest! She came up with the name -- which I love! -- and agreed to help coordinate the event. Kelly, a true blue mini-comix maker and fantastic organizer, joined us soon after and rounded out the group. We've had a lot of fun and I feel really lucky we work so well together as a team.

Jenny: The first night Martine and I spoke about Short Run, we were talking about the need for this kind of event - I had just come back from SF Zine Fest and felt like I found my mission in life. There was this sense of community there that I had only seen small glimpses of in Seattle.

What do you see as the main focus of Short Run?

Eroyn: Short Run hopes to extend Seattle's exposure to the small press world that exists within and around it. We want to expand the audience for small press work and let artists engage directly with the people who like what they do. Short Run will build on the small press community that we do have and foster communication between artists who work in different mediums and styles. As a group we don't commit to any particular medium or aesthetic -- we are not a comic-con or a craft fair or a zine festival but we encompass aspects of all of these because we think they can all be engaging.

How do you define what is "small press" to you?

Kelly: Small press, in regards to what you will see at Short Run, are hand-made, self-published, “short run” art books, comics, zines, and literary works. You’re going to see a lot of work that has been photocopied, screen-printed, side-stitched, glued, covered in gold leaf, stencil-cut, and folded in ways you can’t conceive of! Many of the artists and writers have had one or more of their books “professionally” published, or hope to some day, but Short Run’s heart is the home made.

Even though Fantagraphics won't have a table, several of our artists will be in attendance... like Megan Kelso! How did you get Megan involved?

Kelly: We are honored to say that Megan contacted us! In fact, when we received her email, we knew we were on the right track, and it gave us confidence. Megan might be a published cartoonist, but she has a career history built on DIY, Riot Grrls and self-published zines and minis. Her zine collection that was on display at Fantagraphics a few months ago was inspiring.

Speaking of Fantagraphics artists, also exhibiting will be Michael Dowers, editor of Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s... Do you think underground mini-comix are making a resurgence?

Kelly: We are totally excited that Michael Dowers will be at Short Run! We don’t think mini-comix ever went away, but the people creating them scattered and many new comic artists were not aware of any kind of “scene”. Seattle does not have a Fallout Comix anymore, or a Confounded Books, or even a Pilot Books. Besides a few dusty spin racks, there is no physical hub for selling and sharing mini-comics. There are lone creators and drawing groups all over Seattle that meet on different nights in difference places, and mini-comics are being made.

Eroyn: The capability to self publish is more attainable than ever and people are definitely taking advantage of new technologies and affordable printing to produce great work.

Kelly: The problem is that once they’re made, they’re usually not going very far out into the world. Larry Reid is bringing in an assortment of minis at Fantagraphics, and there is a small press section at Elliot Bay Books but for the most part, you are on your own to market your mini-comic if you make one.

Eroyn: Along with these stores and a few independent distros like Jason T. Miles’ Profanity Hill, we hope to help foster underground press in Seattle.

And, finally, what sort of future do you guys envision for Short Run? Do you hope to keep it small and local? Or will it eventually be the Seattle-version of an APE or Stumptown?

Jenny: I would like to see Short Run grow into itself organically. Big is not necessarily better - unless there is a solid community there providing the support. It's the difference between a stadium concert and going to see a local band at your favorite club - both have equal measure, they are just two very different experiences.

Kelly: It was our experiences at these larger festivals that helped us to decide what we did and didn’t want to be. We want to always be free to the public, and we want to always have low cost tables. Being local was really important to us as well, and one aim of Short Run was to draw out first-time tablers and try to reach people who had maybe shied away from other larger conventions. Looking over our exhibitor list, you will see that we have a lot of exhibitors from Portland. We can learn a lot from the comics community that they have built but Seattle has its own history of alternative cartoonists, and we need to grow from there. Short Run not only has a few of these “legends” of small press in attendance, but we have a ton of more obscure artists and writers, not only from comics, but from zines, animation, and the literary world. It’s a great showcase of artists and writers and we are really excited to share Short Run with Seattle!

The Short Run Small Press Fest is this Saturday, November 12th at the Vera Project [ Warren & Republican Ave N ], and the Art Show & After Party is from 6-9 PM at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery [ 1201 South Vale Street ]. See you there!

"HI, I'M ALFE. AND THIS IS MY ART SHOW."

Hopefully you're already watching The Problem Solverz on Cartoon Network, and if you're not, then get on it. As previously reported on this here FLOG, it's the insane (emphasis on the word "insane") animated series from Ben Jones, featuring fellow Fantagraphics artists Jon Vermilyea and John Pham on staff.

Our friends at Giant Robot will be hosting an art show featuring original artwork created in the style of the program and its characters, opening on Saturday, November 19th!

Opening reception is from 6:30 - 10:00 pm at GR2 [2062 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA], and the show runs until December 7th.

Are you on Google+? Now we are too! Join our circle, or +1 us, or whatever they call it... we're still figuring it out, but I think we're off to a fairly decent start.

Don't forget we have lots of other ways for you to socially network with us too!

Discover the genius of famed music critic Paul Nelson in the very city whose scene he documented for years in Rolling Stone magazine.

Author/editor Kevin Avery will appear at the Strand Bookstore in New York City tonight for a discussion and signing for Everything is an Afterthought: The Life & Writings of Paul Nelson.

He will be joined on stage by Dave Marsh, a rock critic, historian, anti-censorship activist, talk show host and "Louie Louie" expert who has written more than 20 book about rock and popular music.

Buy the book or a $10 Strand Gift Card in order to attend this event. Both options admit two people. The event starts at 7:00 PM in the Rare Book Room on the 3rd Floor of The Strand [ 828 Broadway at 12th Street ].

This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new title. Read on to see what comics-blog commentators and web-savvy comic shops are saying about it (more to be added as they appear), check out our previews at the link, and contact your local shop to confirm availability.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec Vol. 2: The Mad Scientist and Mummies on Parade
by Jacques Tardi

96 page full-color 9" x 11.75" hardcover • $24.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-493-1

"Jacques Tardi's deadpan, slightly tongue-in-cheek turn-of-the-previous-century adventure series continues: this volume contains two of the French volumes, rendered here as 'The Mad Scientist' and 'Mummies on Parade.'" – Douglas Wolk, Comics Alliance

"Again, an easy choice for me — the second volume of Jacques Tardi’s Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec from Fantagraphics. I’m on a big Tardi kick right now, having just recently read the first Adele collection, and am eager to experience more." – Chris Mautner, Robot 6

"On racks tomorrow, wonderful new Adele Blanc-Sec from @fantagraphics" – Forbidden Planet International

"CONFLICT OF INTEREST RESERVOIR: It’s been out for a while on the comics show circuit, but now Diamond-serviced retailers will have The Extraordinary Adventures Of Adele Blanc-Sec Vol. 2: The Mad Scientist and Mummies on Parade, a new pair of albums from Jacques Tardi’s ongoing adventure series, sporting maybe the most bracingly downbeat ending imaginable in this particular installment; $24.99." – Joe McCulloch, The Comics Journal