Come see Gary Panter kill it at Death by Audio [ 49 South 2nd Street, Brooklyn ]!

He and his band Devin, Gary & Ross will be bringing their "stunning psychedelic chicken music" to this Brooklyn venue on Wednesday, September 26th.  Also on the bill are Sunfoot, Volunteers Park and Ice Balloons. Don't miss it!

We just gave you your first glimpse of our big, deluxe collection of Basil Wolverton's Spacehawk; now here's a look at a much smaller Spacehawk package which you can pick up for FREE on Halloween exclusively at participating comic shops: our Spacehawk Halloween ComicFest 2012 mini-comic! Featuring a complete space-faring, monster-jammed Spacehawk story and some fun Spacehawk surprises cooked up by our own Jen Vaughn, this all-ages treat was produced especially for Halloween ComicFest 2012. It's our second 2012 Halloween freebie along with Jack Davis's Tales from the Crypt!

Spaaaaaaaacehaaaaaaawwk! We just got our advance copies of a book that Basil Wolverton fans have been clamoring for for years and anyone who likes weird, wonderful comics will definitely want to check out: a complete collection of Wolverton's amazing Spacehawk sci-fi/Axis-busting adventure comics from 1940-1942. Painstakingly restored in glorious, saturated full color in an oversized (seriously, it's a big book) Flexibound softcover, this magnificent package will have your eyeballs blasting out of their sockets and into deep space. It'll be available in about 2 months; you can pre-order a copy and read a honking 26-page excerpt now, and we'll have more previews to share in between now and then. (And check our next post for more Spacehawky news.)

Paul Hornshemeier recently shared with us some animation stills he made for the IFC show Comedy Bang! Bang! Check out a clip of the show here and check Paul's website for more exciting stuff!

Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez are stocking the shelves with awesome as the Love & Rockets 30th Anniversary Tour heads to the Rock Shop in Brooklyn this Friday, September 21st! 

For two punk afficianados as the Bros, this is guaranteed to be a rockin' night! They'll be joined by special musical guest Jeffrey Lewis! In fact, Jarvis Cocker says Jeffrey Lewis is the finest lyricist of his generation! (That's for our Office Manager, Steph!)

So, shop 'til you drop at the Rock Shop this Friday night starting at 7:30 PM! The Rock Shop is located at 249 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.

THE HORROR: SELECTIONS FROM THE EC COMICS LIBRARY seduces Seattle at Fantagraphics Bookstore on October 13.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery celebrates the legacy of two American masters in “The Horror: Selections from the EC Comics Library” opening Saturday, October 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. On display will be pages reproduced from the work of acclaimed EC editor (and creator of EC’s insurgent MAD magazine) Harvey Kurtzman, as well as Wallace Wood, among the world’s most admired cartoonists. The exhibition celebrates the publication by Seattle-based Fantagraphics Books of the first two titles in the EC Comics Library series: Corpse on the Imjin! and Other Stories by Harvey Kurtzman and Came the Dawn and Other Stories by Wallace Wood. Visitors to the reception will be among the first in the country to receive complimentary copies of Fantagraphics’ Tales From the Crypt EC sampler featuring the work of incomparable cartoonist Jack Davis.

The lurid crime and horror comics of the fifties created nationwide hysteria. Unsubstantiated claims that comic books caused juvenile delinquency, circulated by psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham in his book Seduction of the Innocent, led to sensational Senate hearings and the introduction of the Comics Code Authority – a self-censoring body that ended this age of classic American comics. At the peak of their popularity, crime and horror comics on the EC imprint sold millions of copies each issue despite being demonized by political opportunists. It was only later understood that these disposable publications were arguably the work of the greatest cartoonists of their generation.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Swedish-born, Berlin-based recording artist Molly Nilsson. Her haunting vocal delivery and lyrical approach perfectly complement the EC aesthetic. This event coincides with the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout Seattle’s spookiest neighborhood. Celebrate the beginning of Halloween season in style on this extraordinary evening.

Listing information:

The Horror: Selections from the EC Comics Library
Opening reception Saturday, October 13, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Performance by Berlin-based recording artist Molly Nilsson.
Exhibition continues through Halloween.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
2101 S. Vale St. Seattle, WA 98108
206.658.0110  www.fantagraphics.com
Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM. Sunday to 5:00 PM

To celebrate their annual SEX issue, the San Francisco Bay Guardian appropriated Jacques Boyreau's book cover image from SEXYTIME. 

Marke B. and Caitlin Donohue said, "His book brings us back to a time when porn was just as reviled as it is in these present days of virgin-brandishing Republicans — which leaves us with the comforting lesson that, no matter what the crazies are saying on Fox News, there will always be something to jerk off to."

Recently, Boyreau (below) held a Seattle-based party at a car dealership with hot rods and hot bods in attendance (in addition to the scuzzy Fantagraphics staff). In the style of Sexytime, bikini fashion shows were accompanied by spinnin' DJs in an attempt to recreate that beautiful 70's porn atmosphere. Looking for something to laugh at, lust after and sweat to when you're alone? Look no further for a Sexytime.

Corpse on the Imjin! and Other Stories (The EC Comics Library)
by Harvey Kurtzman, et al.

240-page black & white/color 7.25" x 10.25" hardcover • $28.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-545-7

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

BARGAIN COMBO:

Corpse on the Imjin! + Came the Dawn (The EC Comics Library) Gift Set

Price: $57.98 $46.38

Order this book and receive the Jack Davis's Tales from the Crypt Halloween mini-comic shown here as a FREE bonus! Limit one per customer while supplies last.

The creation of MAD would have been enough to cement Harvey Kurtzman’s reputation as one of the titans of American comics, but Kurtzman also created two other comics landmarks: the scrupulously-researched and superbly-crafted war comics Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat. Here were finally war comics without heroic, cigar-chomping sergeants, wisecracking privates from Brooklyn, or cartoon Nazis and “Japs” to be mowed down by the Yank heroes, but an unflinching look at the horror and madness of combat throughout history.

Kurtzman employed some of the finest of the EC artists including Jack Davis, John Severin, and Wallace Wood, but his vision came through clearest in the dozen or so stories he both wrote and drew himself, in his uniquely bold, slashing, cartoony-but-dead-serious style (“Stonewall Jackson,” “Iwo Jima,” “Rubble,” “Big ‘If ’,” and Kurtzman’s own favorite, “Air Burst”) — as well as his vividly colored, narratively-dense covers, all 23 of which are reproduced here in full color in a special portfolio.

Corpse on the Imjin! is rounded off with a dozen or so stories written and laid out by Kurtzman and drawn by “short-timers,” i.e. cartoonists whose contributions to his war books only comprised a story or two — including such giants as designer extraordinaire Alex Toth, Marvel comics stalwart Gene Colan, and a pre-Sgt. Rock Joe Kubert... and such unexpected guests as “The Lighter Side of...” MAD artist Dave Berg and DC comics veteran Ric Estrada — as well as a rarity: a story by EC regular John Severin inked by Kurtzman.

Like every book in the Fantagraphics EC line, Corpse on the Imjin! features extensive essays and notes on these classic stories by EC experts — but Kurtzman’s stories, as vital, powerful, affecting, and even, yes, modern today as when they were created 60 years ago, are what makes this collection a must-have for any comics reader.

25-page excerpt (download 3 MB PDF):

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

Just arrived and shipping now from our mail-order department:

Buz Sawyer Vol. 2: Sultry's Tiger
by Roy Crane

228-page black & white/color 9.25" x 9.25" hardcover • $35.00
ISBN: 978-1-60699-499-3

See Previews / Order Now

BARGAIN COMBO:

Buz Sawyer Vols. 1 + 2 Gift Set

Price: $70.00 $56.00

World War II has ended, and with so many pilots mustered out at the end of the war, jobs for pilots are hard to find, and Buz’s record as a “hot-shot” pilot does not recommend him to commercial airlines. While looking for a job, Buz visits his old alma mater and spends time with glamorous Tot Winter and girl-next-door Christy Jameson. He finally finds the perfect job as a troubleshooter for International Airways, flying to trouble spots all over the world.

He encounters Sultry, the beautiful and dangerous woman he met on a Japanese-held island during the war, with fatal results for a major character in the strip. He travels to the arctic to stop the Mad Baron, an insane ex-Nazi trying to shoot down International Airways planes. And, in the only adventure to combine the daily and Sunday story lines, he teams up with his old pal Roscoe Sweeney to discover a fabulous ancient Mayan treasure. This book reprints the Sunday pages from this adventure in full color for the first time.

In the last adventure in our 2nd volume, Buz is kidnapped and flown to Africa by mysterious assailants. His friend Chili Harrison bets International Airways chief Mr. Wright $200 that even in this desperate situation, Buz will manage to get involved with a pretty girl. Long-time readers of the strip will have no trouble guessing who wins that bet.

Comic strip historian Brian Walker wrote, “Buz Sawyer combined fast-paced adventure stories…with authentically illustrated military equipment and real locations, which Crane researched during trips around the world.”

Roy Crane’s drawing and storytelling skills just get better and better. With this volume’s Buz reprints from 1945 to 1947, Crane hit his stride.

Readers of Shimura Takako's Wandering Son series are among the most vocal and devoted fans we have, and to reward your loyalty we're pleased to offer a special discounted subscription on the next three volumes (4-6) with FREE domestic shipping (and discounted foreign shipping rates)! Or, if you prefer, you can pre-order this December's Vol. 4 and/or next June's Vol. 5 separately right now. We'll start posting previews of Vol. 4 next month, so be on the lookout for that.