This week, Fantagraphics and comiXology are thankful to release Tim Lane's Abandoned Cars for your digital reading devices. This collection of graphic short stories, noir-ish narratives that are united by their exploration of the great American mythological drama by way of the desperate and haunted characters that populate its pages. Lane’s characters exist on the margins of society—alienated, floating in the void between hope and despair, confused but introspective. Some of them are experiencing the aftermath of an existential car crash—those surreal moments after a car accident, when time slows down and you’re trying to determine what just happened and how badly you’re hurt. Others have gone off the deep end, or were never anywhere but the deep end. Some are ridiculous, others dignified in their efforts to struggle to make sense of, and cope with, the absurdities, outrages, ghosts, and poisons in their lives.

You'll be thankful for your crowded family American holiday dinners or for the empty streets as you enjoy the week alone. Either way, this 160 pages of execllent comics from Tim Lane are available to read on the bus, train, plane or car for a mere $16.99 at comiXology.

 “[Tim Lane] makes illustrations in that Brill Cream-soaked, hard-boiled, noir style with heavy hatching circa R. Crumb.” – Juxtapoz

"It’s vaudevillian and it’s Old Hollywood. It’s rock n’ roll and beat poetry. It’s introspective and depressing and quite often funny, and depicts a world that exists on the fringes of society where the American Dream meets the cold, harsh reality of life as viewed through a grimy windshield."  – Chad Derdowski, Mania

“Tim Lane’s stories resonate with a dramatic intensity and emotional life that’s genuinely rare in comics today. Heartache, hope, loss and redemption — all in their naked glory on every page. And his drawing is phenomenal!” – Glenn Head

Bizarre Magazine recently ran an article by Stephen Daultrey featuring some primo "JUICY" posters from our arty porn poster book Sexytime, edited by Jacques Boyreau and Peter Van Horne. Seeking to celebrate "the age of trashy porn with tales of enemas, garage lube, balcony wanking" and Sexytime, Daultrey and Boyreau's words effectively magic a nostalgia within the reader that I didn't think possible.

 The 1960s brought on such a world that "Grindhouse movie producers had begun competing about who could up the filth factor," Boyreau points out. This pushed the crazitude of poster art to a higher level, porny and punny. Think enemas, pumps and dumps.

But that's the beauty of the posters seen in Sexytime says Boyreau, "They activated their own post-porn, personal narratives. They're much like how Impressionist paintings or religious, symbolic paintings can induce visionary relationships between body and soul."

Let's face it, if you're reading our new hardcover collections of Hal Foster's Prince Valiant, you know that every volume is a must-have, but our latest, Vol. 6, is a particular can't-miss. In it, Val and his new bride Aleta travel the New World (beating Columbus, and even Leif Ericson, by centuries) from Newfoundland to Niagara Falls and are joined by a bouncing baby Prince — that's right, it's the birth of Arn! This volume also features some of our most spectacular bonus features ever, including a double-sized fold-out of a strip hand-colored by Foster. You can get it in January (and we'll have more extensive previews by then); pre-order is open now and you can read a 12-strip excerpt, all right here.

Shipping from our mail-order department and arriving in comic shops tomorrow:

Castle Waiting Vol. II #18
by Linda Medley

24-page black & white 6.75" x 10.25" comic book • $3.95

The conclusion to Castle Waiting Volume II! The castle folk prepare for winter as Dr. Fell surprises everyone with a previously hidden talent, and the exasperated poltersprites move to claim the Keep as their own.

"Castle Waiting creates a vibrant fantasy world not unlike The Lord of the Rings' Middle-earth but with a focus on the lives of women.... Fun to read and look at, Castle Waiting will enthrall fantasy readers of both genders." – Time

Read the first 3 pages below (click images for larger versions):

This Sunday, November 25th, the STAG (Strathcona Art Gallery) Library in Vancouver, BC will host a book launch party for The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008, edited by Nico Vassilakis and Crag Hill.

Running throughout the evening from 7:00 - 10:00 PM, there will be unscheduled pop-up readings and performances by: Jim Andrews (Vancouver), Judith Copithorne (Vancouver), Crag Hill (Idaho), Donato Mancini (Vancouver), Gustave Morin (Windsor), Michael V. Smith (Kelowna), Nico Vassilakis (Seattle) and possibly more.

The launch will also feature a window installation of visual poetry by Gustave Morin, and an exhibition of prints drawn from The Last Vispo.

The STAG (Strathcona Art Gallery) Library is located at 826 East Pender Street, Vancouver. BYOB, BC!

Weird Horrors & Daring Adventures: The Joe Kubert Archives Vol. 1
by Joe Kubert; edited by Bill Schelly

240-page full-color 7.5" x 10.75" hardcover • $39.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-581-5

Ships in: December 2012 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now

Joe Kubert sealed his reputation as one of the greatest American comicbook cartoonists of all time with the four-color adventures of Sgt. Rock of Easy Company, Enemy Ace, and Tarzan, all done for DC Comics during the 1960s and 1970s (themselves already the subject of archival editions)... but he had been working in comics since the 1940s. In fact, young Kubert produced an exciting, significant body of work as a freelance artist for a variety of comic book publishers in the postwar era, in a glorious variety of non-super hero genres: horror, crime, science fiction, western, romance, humor, and more.

For the first time, 33 of the best of these stories have been collected in one full-color volume, with a special emphasis on horror and crime. The Kubert work in this book is that of a burgeoning talent attacking the work with tremendous panache, and in the process, developing a style that became one of the most distinctive in the medium.

Since these stories were written and drawn in the pre-Comics Code era, they are more thrilling, violent and sexy (by contemporary standards) than much of his later, Code-constrained work. And just the titles of the comic books from which these stories are taken are wonderfully evocative of a bygone era of four-color fun: Cowpuncher, Abbott and Costello Comics, Three Stooges, Eerie, Planet Comics, Meet Miss Pepper, Strange Terrors, Green Hornet Comics, Whack, Jesse James, Out of This World, Crime Does Not Pay, Weird Thrillers, Police Lineup, and Hollywood Confessions.

As with Fantagraphics’ acclaimed Steve Ditko and Bill Everett Archives series, Weird Horrors and Daring Adventures boasts state-of-the-art restoration and retouching, and an extensive set of historical notes and an essay by the book’s editor Bill Schelly, author of the Art of Joe Kubert art book and Man of Rock Kubert biography.

22-page excerpt (download 14.9 MB PDF):

Video & Photo Slideshow Preview (view in new window):

Cathy Malkasian thinks we're dirty. What else can we expect when she sends us a box of beautifully-crafted soap? We're working so hard on publishing books; its a sweaty business. To be fair, she sent the box to Eric Reynolds but he is nice and clean enough to share with the rest of us. Each soap is a charcter from Malkasian's 2007 hit, Percy Gloom. Look at those perfectly molded soaps, Percy even has his cute hat on!

Here lie the records from The Hypo Pacific Northwest Tour starring Noah Van Sciver. Recently the Fantagraphics store hosted cartoonists David Lasky and Van Sciver as guests of honors for a signing, Larry Reid arranged their gorgeous work out on the wall. The two signings were perfect, graphics novels about a young depressed Abraham Lincoln struggling to be a great politician and a young family in a depressed era struggling as music makers. The Hypo is available on our website while The Carter Family by Lasky is available at Abrams. 

Frank M. Young, David Lasky, Ellen Forney and Noah Van Sciver pose with their books. Young (who survived as a TCJ editor for 13 months in the early 90s) and Lasky are both local to Seattle but Van Sciver was the Denverite on the move. Another Fantagraphics' favorite Ellen Forney stopped by to say hi (holding up her new book, Marbles). 

One dad brought his very interested and inquisitive children to the signing. They asked Noah many, many questions about Lincoln.

Our production and art director Jason T Miles wins the staring contest with Van Sciver.

Smartly, right-handed Lasky and left-handed Van Sciver smartly sat with their drawin' hands away from each other. Check out the amazingly posh table cloth provided by store curator, Larry. Nothing says MONEY like two books about depressed poor people! Luckily, each have their silver linings. 

Dennis Driscoll from K Records sang both songs by the Carter Family and some 'old' languid creations of his own. Forgive me but he needed a volunteer for the troll song.

Upstairs, an Intruder comic art show was also opening up at the One Night Stand Gallery. Noah and Kaz Strzepek enjoy the show.

Intruder and cartoonist Marc J Palm jaws on with Floating World's Jason Leivian.

The next day Short Run (a small press comics show in Seattle) was held at the Vera Project who had the sickest looking screen printing setup ever! Their vacuumed-table allowed for perfect printing on the thinnest of paper like this here comic.

The celebrated locals also sat pretty at their tables. Pat Moriarity shared space with Noah Van Sciver while Peter Bagge commanded attention, standing and selling and constantly talking.

The party continued at the Black Lodge, here Noah yukks it up with Fantagraphics' Jacq Cohen and Pat Moriarity (stolen photo from Robin McConnell).

The Hypo Pacific Northwest Tour hit the road again after a successful Short Run, this time over the border in Vancouver, Canada.

Noah's reading at Lucky's Comics took place on a rainy afternoon but that didn't stop us!

Another artist's soft sculpture provided some texture to the room during the reading.

Jason Zumpano, a local musician stopped by (far left) as well as local Ph.D. students and book sellers, interested in Noah's graphic novel.

Store owner Gabe and Noah.

Check out some the Fantagraphics books on the display!

We stopped by the Vancouver Comic Con (it takes place about every other month) organized by Leonard Wong. Below Noah cuts in line to speak to James Lloyd from Bongo Comics.

We were both sad because we saw a cute dog get attacked by another dog and then we read in the paper about a giraffe dying at the zoo. Noah commemorated the cute dog on a bookplate for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

The trip continued to Floating World thanks to Jason Leivian but the pictures were so epic, they exploded (digitally) when sent via email. But that's okay because I have another original Van Sciver for you. Remember that troll song? This JUST came in the mail today for me from Noah. What a funny man. 

Enjoy The Hypo and his other comics today! Thank you to everyone who came out, bought a book, talked to us, bought us drinks or showed us the way.  

Don your finest potato sack, put the nearest container on your head and get ready for the January arrival of Tales Designed to Thrizzle Vol. 2, the second hardcover collection of Michael Kupperman's cult-smash humor comic! Join Snake 'n' Bacon, Twain & Einstein, Quincy M.E., Jungle Princess and a cast of dozens more on an absurd journey through history, to the moon and into your dreams! This volume collects issues 5-8, plus a full issue's worth of brand-new never-before-seen material. See for yourself why Conan O'Brien says Kupperman has "one of the best comedy brains on the planet right now." Read a 16-page excerpt and pre-order your copy (with a money-saving deal on a set of both volumes) right here.

Who says Halloween is the scariest holiday? When you can't bear the sight of dirty dishes and leftovers, when the parents have worn your last nerve, or when you can't seem to button your jeans anymore, it's time to head to the Horror Hangover in Vancouver, BC!

(Yeah, I know Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving in October -- it's been a helluva hangover.)

This group show was curated by Robin McConnell of Inkstuds, who explains, "Horror Hangover is a chance for cartoonists to work on some conceptual ideas for visions of times mostly terrible, some exhausting, with a couple of positive examples." Sounds perfect for the holidays to me!

Not only does the show feature Fantagraphics' staffers Jason T. Miles and Jen Vaughn, but you can also find work from Mome veterans Malachi Ward and Jim Rugg! Plus, check out that poster illustration from Al Columbia!

The opening reception is this Friday, November 23rd, from 7:00 to 11:00 PM, and your last chance to see it is on Saturday, November 24th from Noon to 6:00 PM. Hot Art Wet City's Pop-Up Gallery is located at 752 E. Broadway.