We have an update to our schedule of Fantagraphics-related events at this year's Bumbershoot festival: our own Nico Vassilakis will be participating in the Pecha Kucha multidisciplinary arts showcase tomorrow at noon. Looks fascinating!

So Jim Woodring was officially declared a Genius by The Stranger; now he and the other Genius Award winners are being feted with a gala event on Friday, September 17, at the Moore Theatre in Seattle. Get your tickets here!

(The portrait of Jim is a good likeness, but why is he dressed like Brock Samson?)

First a bit of related happy news: Peter Kuper's "Ceci n'est pas une comic" (which Peter generously allowed us to host here following its various print appearances) was selected for inclusion in Best American Comics 2010, edited by Neil Gaiman.

This week we're pleased to bring you a sexy & romantic Flog-exclusive unpublished 5-page story by Dame Darcy, a hilarious new strip by Stephen DeStefano which will run for the next 11 weeks, and our usual weekly visit with the President from Steven Weissman:

"The Tunnel of Love" by Dame Darcy (permanent link):

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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 starting with this fine how-do-you-do, seen here in color for the first time.

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

Success! Thanks to everybody who pledged toward actualizing Jim Woodring's amazing project; we look forward to bringing you progress updates on this:

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "For the most part, Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s might be viewed as a graphic/comic aficionado’s plaything, but there are lots of material that a social historian should find relevant. [...] Editors John Benson and Greg Sadowski have done extensive research to collate the best of EC’s competitors... and have diligently digitally restored the art to reflect the standards of that era. [...] By the way, I found the images hilarious. Yup." – Robert Birnbaum, The Morning News

• Review: "A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, the Fantagraphics collection of short stories from across Moto Hagio’s career, is one of those books that spoils you. It’s so lovingly conceived and beautifully produced, and the material it contains is so strong that it’s hard not to envision who might be next to receive this generous treatment. Hagio, one of the founders of modern shôjo manga and great contemporary manga in general, certainly deserves as much of a gracious spotlight as publishers are able to provide. [...] It’s also vibrant reading." – David Welsh, The Manga Curmudgeon (He's also giving away a copy — click for details.)

• Plugs: "There’s a nice pile of interesting things from Fantagraphics this week. Firstly there’s A Drunken Dream & Other Stories by the legendary Moto Hagio, whose acclaimed shōjo (girls’ comics) are seeing print in English for the very first time. There are ten stories in this collection which spans an entire career of work (Hagio’s been at it for over 40 years) along with an interview and a foreword by underground comix icon Trina Robbins. [...] Grotesque #4 is the final chapter of Sergio Ponchione’s bizarre masterpiece, Interiorae #4 is the final glimpse you’ll get into the lives of everyone in the apartment building, but Niger #3 is not the end and nor is Sammy the Mouse #3. Handsome books. And they always smell nice." – The Gosh! Comics Blog

Jim Woodring explains the engineering behind his proposed giant pen nib, with the above diagram. There's still a few hours to donate!

TIME.com's Techland brings you an exclusive 7-page preview of Lucky in Love Book 1: A Poor Man's History by George Chieffet & Stephen DeStefano, on sale now here and at finer comic shops nationwide!

Visitors to the "Counterculture Comix" exhibition at Bumbershoot in Seattle this weekend will get a preview of the latest installment of Hooked on Comix. Director David P. Moore will attend all three days of the festival and screen clips from the new volume, featuring Fantagraphics favorites Dame Darcy and Tony Millionaire [seen below together at Comic-Con - Ed.], who will be at Bumbershoot on Monday.

The show features continuous screenings of classic early volumes of Hooked on Comix. The exhibition celebrates Seattle's legacy of alternative comix awesomeness. It's free on Friday, and the holiday weekend includes giants of pop music (Bob Dylan, Courtney Love, Neko Case, Mary J. Blige, Weezer, etc.), as well as contemporary film, lit, visual arts, and more.

After whetting your comix appetite at the Bumbershoot exhibition, drop by our store to stock up on reading material and the last viewing of Dame Darcy's delightful show of original artwork. Open Friday and Saturday until 8:00 PM, Sunday 11:30 to 5:00 PM. The store will be closed on Monday for Labor Day. Mark your calendars for the Carol Tyler event the following Saturday, September 11.

I shot a photo & video preview of the 2009 first softcover edition of Charles Burns's Skin Deep last summer, but never had time to upload it, and it slipped through the cracks for many months — until now! You get to ogle this amazing book and I finally get to cross it off my to-do list. Click here if the embedded player isn't visible below or to enlarge it in a new window (recommended).

Ghost World just recently went into its 17th softcover printing, so we thought we'd take the opportunity to create one of our world-famous video & photo preview slideshows for our most famous graphic novel and — why not? — offer it for 17% off for a limited time!

Ghost World
by Daniel Clowes

17th Softcover Edition, 2010
80-page duotone 7" x 10" softcover • $11.95 $9.92 for a limited time
ISBN: 978-1-56097-427-7

Add to Cart • More Info & Previews

Ghost World has become a cultural and generational touchstone, and continues to enthrall and inspire readers over a decade after its original release as a graphic novel. Originally serialized in the pages of the seminal comic book Eightball throughout the mid-1990s, this quasi-autobiographical story (the name of one of the protagonists is famously an anagram of the author's name) follows the adventures of two teenage girls, Enid and Becky, two best friends facing the prospect of growing up, and more importantly, apart. Daniel Clowes is one of the most respected cartoonists of his generation, and Ghost World is his magnum opus. Adapted into a major motion picture directed by Terry Zwigoff (director of the acclaimed documentary Crumb), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. This graphic novel is a must for any self-respecting comics fan's library.

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