JOHNNY RYAN'S ANGRY YOUTH AT FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKSTORE & GALLERY ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10

September 30, 2009 - SEATTLE, WA. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery loudly presents transgressive cartoonist Johnny Ryan on Saturday, October 10 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Ryan will sign books and present an exhibition of his original comix, colorful silkscreen prints, and sculpted figures.

This event marks the launch of Ryan's original graphic novel Prison Pit combining his love for WWE wrestling, Gary Panter's "Jimbo" comics, and Kentaro Miura's "Berserk" Manga into a brutal showcase of violence, survival and revenge. The prolific Los Angeles-based cartoonist is best known for his outrageous 14-issue Angry Youth Comix series published by Fantagraphics Books. Ryan also pens the weekly comic strip Blecky Yuckerella, which has been collected in three volumes including the recently released Comics Are for Idiots.

Please join us to welcome this wildly entertaining and talented cartoonist on Saturday, October 10 for 6;00 to 9:00 PM. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport Way S.) only minutes south of downtown. This event coincides with the colorful Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack featuring exciting visual and performing arts presentations in close proximity throughout the creative arts community.

LISTING INFORMATION

Johnny Ryan
Art show and book signing
Saturday, October 10, 6:00 to 9:00 PM

Exhibition continues through November 4, 2009

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.)
Seattle, WA 98108
206.658.0110
Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM
www.fantagraphics.com  

Cripes, September is over already? Here's your Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book makes for pleasant midday reading, maybe perched somewhere outdoors in the sun with a glass of ginger ale at your side. Read it in a lazy mood, identify with the slacker characters, and speculate on whether you could solve demented mysteries as well as they could. (Answer: probably not.)" – Molly Young, We Love You So

• Interview: Making his second appearance on the Inkstuds radio programme, Mr. Tony Millionaire

• Plug: "Man, if that Crumb book weren't coming out [Prison Pit: Book 1] would easily be my main pick for the week. Johnny Ryan does straight on fantasy/action, with no tongue in cheek, but without forsaking a single ounce of blood or guts. In fact, this may be even more gory and gruesome than his humor stuff... but those with strong stomachs will thrill to Ryan's grotesque and truly imaginative fight fest." – Chris Mautner, Robot 6

• Things to see: Dolls! DVDs! It's your Dame Darcy update

• Things to see: Fantastic Four #9, page 10 by Anders Nilsen

• Tunes: The latest entry in the Inkstuds Mixtape series of cartoonist-curated playlists is from Noah Van Sciver

• Staff: “Language is Hell and Other Concrete Poetry from Nico Vassilakis” at Pilot Books in Seattle

This is "Twelve Stories," Ray Fenwick's new letterpress print for Tiny Showcase. Super nice.

Be like Jerry and get yourself a copy of Drew Friedman's latest limited-edition fine art print reproducing his 2004 strip "HEY OSCAR!" illustrating reasons why Jerry deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award! Order here (make it a pair with Dino), and get some background and must-read anecdotes on Drew's blog.

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7PM

Mysterious Galaxy Books
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
Suite #302

San Diego, CA 92111

Tel: 858.268.4747


If you've got pictures of Fantagraphics at SPX, let us know! Here's a few that we've found on our own or have been sent to us. Con reports abound on the web: Rob Clough has a good one to start with, and Sean T. Collins has audio from the Critics Roundtable panel featuring our own Gary Groth.

Let's lead off with a video of Gahan Wilson at the Ignatz Awards, courtesy of Tom Neely:

Gahan Wilson & Gary Groth by Flickr user mgrhode1

Carol Tyler by Flickr user mgrhode1

From Rafer Roberts, the Gahan Wilson/Carol Tyler panel

Another view, from Colleen Venable

Carol Tyler presenting at the Ignatz Awards ceremony, by Greg McElhatton

Gahan Wilson at the Ignatz Awards, by Greg McElhatton

Gahan Wilson by Scott Edelman

Find more photos in our Flickr gallery.

Here comes your Online Commentary & Diversions for today:

• Interview: We Love You So, the blog of Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are movie, talks to newly-minted Ignatz winner Jordan Crane, saying "Presenting melancholy tales of workaday worries and broken relationships right alongside whimsical, child-friendly fare, Uptight provides a fascinating peek inside Crane’s constantly shifting thoughts, and never fails to entertain." From Jordan: "When I’m writing something I usually have a particular person in mind that I’m writing it for. Not a general thing like 'I’m writing for someone between the ages of 25 and 50' but rather an actual person."

• Plug: "Oh yes, it's finally here — Johnny Ryan's bloody sexual fight comic [Prison Pit Book 1], ...a two-fisted smash-up of international comics influence and the universal joy of tight-wound one-on-one combat, so tight that everything that comes out of a body becomes a weapon, and doesn't that have a way of mixing pleasure and pain? ... I liked this a hell of a lot." – Joe McCulloch, Jog - The Blog

• Events: Michael Cavna of the Washington Post lists his SPX highlights, including talking to Gary Groth and seeing Gahan Wilson

Scheduled to arrive in comics shops across the country this week (though by some reports I think some shops may have received it last week): Johnny Ryan's Prison Pit Book 1! Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter says "This is an awesome book, and you need to own it eventually so why not buy it today?" Indeed! But first, why not check out the previews & reviews here and contact your local shop to make sure they get it?

Mome Vol. 16 - Fall 2009
By various artists; edited by Gary Groth & Eric Reynolds

This issue features several of our favorite alternative comic artists of the last 15 years, bringing us great joy. Archer Prewitt is the first, with an all-new “Funny Bunny” strip created in between his active musical career. “The Moolah Tree” is the new Fuzz & Pluck graphic novel from Ted Stearn, following Fuzz & Pluck and Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville, beginning serialization here. We are equally proud to debut new work from Renée French, whose work is also featured on the front and back cover of this issue. And Nicholas Mahler debuts to ask "What Is Art?" (translated by secret weapon Kim Thompson).

Also: the second chapter of T. Edward Bak's "Wild Man - The Strange Journey - and Fantastic Accounts - of the Naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, from Bavaria to Bolshaya Zemlya (and Beyond)"; a new "Cold Heat" story by the team of Ben Jones, Frank Santoro & Jon Vermilyea; Dash Shaw interprets an episode of "Blind Date" into comics form; and new stories from Lilli Carré, Conor O'Keefe, Laura Park, Nate Neal, and Sara Edward-Corbett, with incidental drawings by Kaela Graham.

112-page color/b&w 7" x 9" softcover • $14.99
Add to Cart • More Info & Previews