The package of posters and prints arrived for the Charles Burns X'ED OUT appearance this Saturday at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. Seeing his wonderful work on a larger scale is such a treat. He sent copies of 10 rare pieces spanning the range of his career. Prices start at 25 bucks! Yes. You read that right.

The colorful silkscreen image of Elvis seemed hauntingly familiar. Only $150! Burnin' love, indeed. I couldn't recall the source at first, but perused my comix and zine collection and came across the hilarious "Elvis in Hell" issue of Greed magazine from 1988 with a different colored version on the cover. (Plus a feature on Peter Bagge inside.)

The uncut sheets of "Goon Squad" trading cards with a bonus black and white image on the back are just 50 bucks, but we only have 3 copies.

In addition to posters and prints, the exhibition will include Burns' work from the early 1980s for Seattle's Sub Pop record label and Art Spiegelman's RAW magazine. Don't miss this amazing event as Charles Burns returns for a rare visit to his hometown. See you all then.

Check out Tim Lane's cover for the current Seattle Weekly. I love that this could easily double as a lost crime comic cover from the Golden Age. 

Your SAT analogy of the day: Dash Shaw is to John Cameron Mitchell's new film Rabbit Hole as Sophie Crumb was to the film version of Ghost World. Says Dash, "I drew the comic that Miles Teller’s character draws in the movie, and it’s my hand drawing the lines and funnel shapes in the trailer! Yes! Ha ha ha." See more images at Dash's Ruined Cast blog.

And don't forget, Dash gives a "Distinguished Alumnus" lecture at SVA on November 4 — more info here.

As always, we had a swell time at the Alternative Press Expo this year.

We had a lovely selection of books and comics on display.

This little guy was stowed away with the Cathy Malkasian books as we were unpacking on Saturday morning. Enjoy your new San Francisco home!

This Saturday shopper was sporting a splendid Floyd Gottfredson Mickey Mouse shirt and was very excited to hear about our upcoming reprint series! Thanks for spreading the word, nice man whose name I never found out!

Megan Kelso attracted an avid group of fans to her signing following her spotlight panel on Saturday. We sold the last copies of Artichoke Tales and The Squirrel Mother to the last fan at the very end of her signing on Sunday — uncanny! That's our own always-engaging and effervescent Janice Headley behind Megan in the second picture.

Two more views of our table as the fans peruse our selections.

Photo op! Jim Blanchard (working on his Popeye impression, apparently), Mario Hernandez and Dan Clowes had a friendly chat at Jim's table next to ours.

Next, Dan stopped by our table to say hi to Megan.

Tony Millionaire time! Tony was congenial and voluble as always, much to the delight of his many fans.

Tony points out future Eisner winner Billy Hazelnuts and the Crazy Bird to awards administrator Jackie Estrada.

Saturday we sold out of Tony's latest book Little Maakies on the Prairie but on Sunday we still had enough of the Billy Hazelnuts books to keep fans happy, and there was beer to keep Tony happy. (Photo above by Robot 6's J.K. Parkin.) Below, Tony works on a Maakies original during a lull in the crowd:

That about wraps it up. Thanks to everybody who came by the table, all the helpful APE staff and volunteers, all our exhibitor pals and neighbors, and especially to Megan and Tony for making it a great show! See you again next year, APEketeers.

Currently available only at participating comic book shops while supplies last: a FREE promotional Halloween mini-comic containing a special 10-page "Spook Preview" of our upcoming all-ages graphic album by Stéphane Blanquet, Toys in the Basement, plus a two-page sneak peek at David B.'s The Littlest Pirate King! Some stores may have them available now; some may be saving them for trick-or-treaters — check with your local shop for terms and availability.

Our weekly strips from the Steves:

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Monday's Strip by Stephen DeStefano (view larger)

Originally run as an experiment on Stephen's blog starting in 2008, Monday's Strip is re-presented here.

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Barack Hussein Obama by Steven Weissman (view at original size):

Online Commentary & Diversions returns from a sick day:

• Review: "With elegant simplicity, this comic-book fable [Set to Sea] unfurls the tale of a life cast on an unexpected course and the melancholy wisdom accrued upon the waves. First-time graphic-novelist Weing has produced a beautiful gem here, with minimal dialogue, one jolting battle scene, and each small page owned by a single panel filled with art whose figures have a comfortable roundness dredged up from the cartoon landscapes of our childhood unconscious, even as the intensely crosshatched shadings suggest the darkness that sometimes traces the edges of our lives. [...] Weing’s debut is playful, atmospheric, dark, wistful, and wise." – Jesse Karp, Booklist (Starred Review)

• Review: "...[A]n absolutely stunning [book], collecting some of the best and most trenchantly funny illustrations by a contender for the title of America’s Greatest Living Caricaturist in a lavish, full-colour hardback. [...] Friedman is a master craftsman who can draw and paint with breathtaking power, and his work is intrinsically funny. [...] His caricatures are powerful, resonant and joyful, but without ever really descending to the level of graphic malice preferred by such luminaries as Ralph Steadman or Gerald Scarfe. Too Soon? is a book for art lovers, celebrity stalkers and anyone who enjoys a pretty, good laugh." – Win Wiacek, Now Read This!

• Review: "...A Drunken Dream showcases the full range of Hagio’s short stories, while also granting readers insight into the themes of lost innocence, family dysfunction and perseverance in the face of abuse that underscore much of her work. [...] With distinct character designs, detailed backgrounds and emotive character acting, Hagio’s artwork conveys the full emotional range of her stories, with dollops of humor mixed into sagas of sadness, survival and hard-won contentment. [...] A Drunken Dream and Other Stories finds another important voice in Japanese comics history washing up on American shores. One hopes that Hagio, whose work manages to be both stark and beautiful, finds a welcoming and receptive audience." – Michael C. Lorah, Newsarama

• Review: At The Hooded Utilitarian, Noah Berlatsky continues his story-by-story examination of A Drunken Dream and Other Stories with "Angel Mimic"

• Review: Sean T. Collins looks at "La Maggie La Loca" and "Gold Diggers of 1969" from Love and Rockets Vol. II #20 as part of his "Love and Rocktober" series at Attentiondeficitdisorderly: "Maggie may just be an apartment manager anymore, she may now get in way over her head (literally) when she attempts to have a fun island adventure like she used to, but the way Rena sneaks into her room at night just to watch her sleep reveals that the aging heroine could use a dose of the community and camaraderie that's part and parcel of Maggie's dayjob."

• Review (audio): Jeff Lester and Graeme McMillan discuss the latest issue of Mome in the new episode of the Wait, What? podcast at The Savage Critics

• List: Sam Costello of iFanboy names House by Josh Simmons as one of "13 Great Horror Comics for Halloween": "Josh Simmons is some kind of horror savant. There are few really, truly, deeply disturbing comics out there. If you’re willing to take the risk of reading a comic that you’ll literally want to cover your eyes while you read, Simmons’ work is for you. House, his nearly wordless tale of a trio of friends exploring a dilapidated, cavernous mansion, is less explicit, but worth a look. Its suffocating, despairing loneliness is affecting." (Via Robot 6)

• Commentary: "It was like the sky: pleasant, visually appealing, reliable. Peanuts had a Picture of Dorian Gray quality; you kept getting older and more decrepit and more cynical, but it didn't. By the time you started reading it, you were already older than the characters in the strip, so it immediately made you nostalgic for childhood. Not necessarily for your childhood, but for the childhood Lucy and Charlie and Linus were having." – Joe Queenan, The Guardian

• Interview: At Comic Book Resources, Chris Mautner talks to Johnny Ryan about Prison Pit: "I think in a strange way the book(s) are very revealing about myself. I felt as if I was really exposing myself here. I was very anxious about that."

• Roundtable (audio): The Best American Comics Criticism editor Ben Schwartz is joined by Gary Groth, Jeet Heer and Inkstuds host Robin McConnell for a lively discussion about the book

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid will appear with musician and producer Steve Fisk on Seattle's KEXP-FM this Saturday evening at 7:30 [90.3 FM in Seattle and streaming worldwide at KEXP.org – Ed.]. The segment will focus on the recent documentary I Am Secretly an Important Man by NY filmmaker Peter Sillen. The movie chronicles the life of esoteric poet Jesse Bernstein, often cited as "the Godfather of grunge." The movie runs at the Northwest Film Forum October 22 - 29. In the film Reid is interviewed during his stint as a curator at Seattle's Experience Music Project museum, where he organized a Bernstein exhibition. He's standing in front of Charles Burns' original cover art for Sub Pop 200, on which Bernstein appears. Fisk produced Bernstein's posthumous Sub Pop release Prison.

While on the subject, we should congratulate Fisk for his production work on Soundgarden's Telephantasm album, which went Platinum last week and is featured on the new "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" video game. Kudos also to Fantagraphics friends Ben, Matt, Chris and Kim. Hey, don't you fellas need some new comic books?

Southern California residents will have three chances to meet Mitch Schauer, Mike Vosburg, Michael Lessa and Justin Yamaguchi, the creative team behind Rip M.D., the new graphic novel from Lincoln Butterfield Animation and Fantagraphics Books.

First, Borders Glendale will play host a ghoulishly fun Halloween party and creator signing for the launch of Rip M.D. Taking place on Friday, October 22, between 6-7:30pm, the evening's events will consist of a creator book signing, Rip M.D. Monster Costume Contest, Ghoulish Trivia, prizes and Halloween themed refreshments. All four creators will attend the Borders Glendale event to sign copies of the graphic novel and judge the Rip M.D. Monster Costume Contest. Location: 100 Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91204 (818.241.8099). RSVP on Facebook.

Promising to get comic book fans ready for Halloween, Hi De Ho Comics will host a creator signing for Rip M.D. at Hi De Ho's Santa Monica location (525 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica California 90401) on Saturday, October 23, at 1:30pm. Schauer, Lessa and Yamaguchi will attend the Hi De Ho Comics event. RSVP on Facebook.

And lastly, Golden Apple Comics will host a creator signing for Rip M.D. at their Long Beach Comic Con booth (#418) at the Long Beach Convention Center (300 E Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802) on Saturday, October 30, at 3:00pm. RSVP on Facebook.

The Lincoln Butterfield crew are a swell bunch of guys so come on out and meet 'em!