FLOG! Entries for janice headley - September 2012

Taking Punk to the Nordstrom!

janice

The flagship Nordstrom store in downtown Seattle is currently hosting The Seattle Music Project, an exhibit of photos and ephemera commemorating five decades of Northwest music, curated by renowned local photographer Lance Mercer!

The exhibit is on display in the Mens Shop, downstairs...

... next to the rounder of plaid flannel shirts...

...and by the escalators, you'll find this photo by Cam Garrett of the legendary Fallout Skate Shop! Can you spot the employees of the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery? Yup, that's our very own Larry Reid and Russ Batagglia above, circa 1985! Fashion icons!

[ ETA: Eric informs me, "there's also two ex longtime-employees in that pic: Tom Price and Tim Hayes!" Nice! ]

"We love the grunge music..."

The Seattle Music Project exhibit will be on display at the downtown Seattle Nordstrom location [ 500 Pine Street ] through this Sunday, September 30th.

For more excellent photos and stories of the grunge-era, get yr hands on a copy of Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind! And stop by the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery [ 1201 S. Vale Street ] to say hi to Larry and Russ!

Jack Davis Exhibit at the Georgia Museum of Art!

janice

This fall, the Georgia Museum of Art presents “Beyond the Bulldog: Jack Davis,” an exhibition that will go deeper into Jack Davis’ career than the sports and caricature work for which he is best known, focusing on his black-and-white drawings in particular.

The exhibit opens on Saturday, November 3rd, and the next day, Sunday, November 4th, curator Patrick Dean, a cartoonist himself who sits on the board of the Jack Davis Foundation, will give a talk from 3:00 to 4:00 PM with a reception to follow.

Dean says, “The point of the show isn’t to shun his more popular sports drawing, but to bring attention to his work that may not be as well known to the general public. Visitors may recognize some of these images, but I hope they appreciate the level of detail Davis put into his work. Some of that detail gets lost when the images are shrunk down and printed on paper stock of varying quality. Studying Jack Davis’ crosshatching and brushwork will be a real treat to anyone who’s admired this man’s work.”

The Georgia Museum of Art is located at 90 Carlton Street in Athens, GA, at the University of Georgia. This exhibit runs through January 6th, 2013.

The Last Vispo Release Party in Columbus, Ohio!

janice

There's a lot to celebrate on Friday, October 12th!

Not only will it be the release party for The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008, but it's also the 70th birthday of visual poet, John M. Bennett, whose work is featured in the collection!

Join Mr. Bennett and his spouse, artist C. Mehrl Bennett, for an evening of art and music at the It Looks Like It’s Open Gallery from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. C. is also one of four contributing editors of The Last Vispo Anthology. She did research at The OSU Avant Writing Collection, for which John is curator, to research visual poetry to recommend to our editors Nico Vassilakis & Crag Hill, and to help develop her essay in the book. (Profits from book sales will be for the gallery/studio collective’s benefit.)

Work from The Last Vispo Anthology will be on display alongside mail art from The 70 Project, and John will perform his poetry in collaboration with sound artists & musicians: Jeff Chenault, Larry Morratto, Ryan Jewell, Mike Shiflet, and Byron Smith.

The It Looks Like It’s Open Gallery is located at 13 East Tulane Rd. in Columbus, Ohio.

Ron Reg�, Jr. Rocks In More Ways Than One...

janice

How did the band Lavender Diamond manage to score the great Ron Regé, Jr. to do their album cover? Oh, I dunno... maybe they asked their drummer... Ron Regé, Jr. Yes, not only is the guy an amazing artist, he's also an amazing musician. Yes, your parents were right: life is not fair.

The new album is titled Incorruptible Heart, and it is out today on Paracadute Records. Go stream their awesomeness on their Soundcloud page. For a limited time only, the band is offering a "deluxe package" including an original, hand-drawn piece of artwork from Ron, an exclusive tote bag, the limited edition vinyl (on lavender, natch), and a digital download.

And hey, east coast! Lavender Diamond is heading over for a short lil' tour, so don't miss them!

09.26.12 - Mercury Lounge [ New York, NY ]
09.27.12 - Kung Fu Necktie [ Philadelphia, PA ]
09.29.12 - Glasslands [ Brooklyn, NY ]
09.30.12 - Brighton Music Hall [ Cambridge, MA ]

(Don't forget, Ron will head out solo for the New York Art Book Fair on Saturday, September 29th! Be one of the first to get your lovin' hands on a copy of The Cartoon Utopia!)

This Week in Fantagraphics Events: 9/24-10/1

janice

Wednesday, September 26th

• Brooklyn, NY: Come see Gary Panter kill it with his band Devin, Gary & Ross at Death by Audio! (more info)

• Los Angeles, CA: It's your last chance to see John Pham's art exhibit at Giant Robot's GR2 Gallery. (more info)

Saturday, September 29th

• Brooklyn, NY: Author Pat Thomas presents his acclaimed slideshow presentation for Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts. He will also be spinning records from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. (more info)

• Bothell, WA: Nico Vassilakis & Crag Hill, editors of The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008, will perform a collaged reading of essays at the "Convergence on Poetics" conference at the University of Washington Bothell. (more info)

• Long Island City, NY: The good people of Desert Island will host a signing with Ron Regé, Jr. at the seventh annual NY Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1! Be one of the first to get your hands on a copy of The Cartoon Utopia! (more info)

• Asbury Park, NJ: Stephen DeStefano will be a special guest at the Asbury Park Comic Con! Yes, it is being held in a bowling alley, and yes, there will be beer! (more info)

photo credit: Joshin Yamada, Stumptown 2012

Sunday, September 30th

• Vancouver, BC: Peter Bagge will be a special guest at the Word on the Street National Book & Magazine Festival! He'll be signing at the "Authors Tent" at 1:30 PM, and at "The Word Under The Street" on 3:30 PM. (more info)

• New York City, NY: Pat Thomas will be joined by special guest, Aaron Dixon, the captain and founder of the 1960's Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party, at Kim's Video & Music for a signing of Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975! (more info)

Stephen DeStefano at the Asbury Park Comic Con This Saturday!

janice

The great Stephen DeStefano will be a special guest at the Asbury Park Comic Con this Saturday, September 29th! Stop by his table and get your copy of Lucky in Love Book 1: A Poor Man's History signed before it sells out!

The Asbury Park Comic Con is being held at The Asbury Lanes [ 209 4th Ave. ] from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Yes, it is being held in a bowling alley, and yes, there will be beer!

Ron Reg�, Jr. at the NY Art Book Fair This Saturday!

janice

The Cartoon Utopia is coming to the New York Art Book Fair this weekend, and our very own Ron Regé, Jr. will be signing on Saturday, September 29th!

The good people of Desert Island will host a signing with him at 3:00 PM in the lobby of MoMA PS1 (Gallery F). Be one of the very first to get your hands on this spectacular stunner of a book, which won't be in stores until October!

Free and open to the public, the seventh annual NY Art Book Fair runs from September 28th to 30th, at MoMA PS1 [ 4601 21st Street ], Long Island City, Queens.

Love & Rockets at the Brooklyn Book Festival This Sunday!

janice

The Love & Rockets 30th Anniversary East Coast Tour, sadly, comes to an end at the Brooklyn Book Festival!

Join Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez at the Saint Francis Auditorium [ 180 Remsen Street ] for some compelling chats this Sunday, September 23rd:

2:00 P.M. // Worlds Built over Time
This all-star panel brings together the narrative geniuses of Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adrian Tomine (New York Stories) and Gabrielle Bell (The Voyeurs) to discuss how they’ve developed characters, stories, and imagined worlds over serial publications. Moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos, co-organizer, Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. Featuring screen projection.

3:00 P.M. // The Sex Panel: Taboo in Pictures
Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Leela Corman (Unterzakhn), Molly Crabapple (Devil in the Details) and Bob Fingerman (From the Ashes) talk about sex and taboo in comics. What inspires and informs their work and drives their characters (and readers)? From obscenity to art, and the delicious in-between. Featuring screen projection, with viewer discretion advised! Moderated by Heidi MacDonald.

5:00 P.M. // Enduring Unlikable Women
Elissa Schappell (Blue Print), Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets) and Dana Spiotta (Stone Arabia) write difficult, complex female characters. Join these authors in a reading and discussion that looks at the bad boy and the unlikable woman in literature and how they are reviled or celebrated by their audience and creators. Moderated by Meredith Walters, Brooklyn Public Library.

Gary Panter at Death By Audio, Brooklyn!

janice

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!

Love & Rockets at the Rock Shop Brooklyn Friday Night!

janice

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 Last Vispo Converges On Poetics at the University of Washington Bothell!

janice

The editors of The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008 will converge upon Bothell on Saturday, September 29th for the "Convergence on Poetics" conference!

Join Nico Vassilakis & Crag Hill at the North Creek Events Center at the University of Washington Bothell [ Campus Way NE ] as they perform a collaged reading of essays at 3:00 PM.

Convergence on Poetics queries the current understanding and practice of poetics within writing communities and the academy. The conference consists of keynote panels, poetics postings, and author performances. All events will be scheduled singularly, so that a conversation of the whole can address, in the words of George Oppen, “the meaning / Of being numerous.”

The conference runs from September 27th through 30th, and you can read more about it here. There is no fee for attending, but registration is required, so click here to make it happen!

Listen, Whitey! at the Institute of International Visual Arts London!

janice

Due to popular demand, our author Pat Thomas is bringing Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 back to London this fall!

Join Pat on Monday, October 15th at the Institute of International Visual Arts, or INIVA, in London. Starting at 6:30 PM, he'll be giving his raved-about presentation, followed by a book signing.

INIVA is located at 1 Rivington Place. This event is sponsored by the University of East London.

Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez at the Free Library of Philadelphia!

janice

Join Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez for a free event at the Philadelphia Free Library! (So much better than the Philadelphia Expensive Library...)

Yes, the Love & Rockets 30th Anniversary Tour rolls on into the library's Montgomery Auditorium on Wednesday, September 19th! Join the Bros for a presentation at 7:30 PM, followed by a Q&A session. After the talk, fans and friends can get their books signed in the Library Lobby from 8:30-10:30 PM.

Note: there is a limit of 5 signed books per person!

The Philadelphia Free Library is located at 1901 Vine Street, between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway.

Justin Hall at the Escapist Comics Small Press Fest!

janice

Justin Hall, our wonderful editor of No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, is just one of many, many guests participating in the Escapist Comics Small Press Fest this week.

On Friday, September 21st and Saturday, September 22nd, there will be live readings and a Q&A, artwork projections, and even musical guests, all gathered to showcase underground comics in the Bay Area! The fun starts at 5:00 PM on both days, so don't be late!

The Escapist Comic Bookstore is located at 3090 Claremont Ave. in Berkeley.

Peter Bagge Brings Hate Down Under!

janice

And we mean that in the nicest way!

Peter Bagge will be the guest of honor at GRAPHIC 2012 in Sydney, Australia! Join Pete on Sunday, November 11th for an in-depth insight into his darkly comic and hysterical semi-autobiographical work. He'll be discussing Hate and other Neat Stuff starting at 7:30 PM at the famous Sydney Opera House. Aussies, do not miss this rare opportunity to see Pete speak in person!

Tickets for this event go on sale today, Monday, September 17th -- or, err, yesterday, since Australia is in the future! The Sydney Opera House is located at 2 Macquarie Street in Sydney, Australia. If you live in Sydney, I can't possibly imagine you'll have a hard time finding it.

This Week in Fantagraphics Events: 9/17-9/24

janice

Tuesday, September 18th

• Baltimore, MD: Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez continue the Love & Rockets 30th Anniversary celebration at Atomic Books at 7:00 PM! (more info)

Wednesday, September 19th

• Philadelphia, PA: The Philadelphia Free Library proudly hosts Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez for a presentation in the Free Library's Montgomery Auditorium, followed by a Q&A session. After the talk, fans and friends can get their Love & Rockets books signed in the Library Lobby from 8:30-10:30 PM. (more info)

Friday, September 21st

• Seattle, WA: Our friends at the Elysian Brewing Company debut "Blight," the latest from our 12 Beers of the Apocalypse collaboration, featuring artwork by Charles Burns from his weirdly apocalyptic Black Hole series! (more info)

• Brooklyn, NY: Friday nights may never be the same especially when the avid fans of punk, Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez, bring the house down at The Rock Shop starting at 7:30 PM. (more info)

Saturday, September 22nd

• Brooklyn, NY: Join The Comics Crowd at Bergen Street Comics for an evening of comics readings and panel projections from Michael Kupperman, Gabrielle Bell, Julia Wertz (Drinking at the Movies), Bob Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics), Lauren Weinstein (Girl Stories), Lisa Hanawalt (I Want You), and Aaron Diaz (The Tomorrow Girl). (more info)

Sunday, September 23rd

• Brooklyn, NY: The Love & Rockets East Coast Tour will end with a stop at the Brooklyn Book Festival. Gilbert Hernandez will join many other creators on "The Sex Panel: Taboo in Pictures," featuring obscenity, art and the area between the two. Meanwhile, Jaime Hernandez stars on a panel called "Worlds Built Over Time: Panel to Page, Book to Series" on world building and character development in the long term. Book signings will follow each panel discussion. (more info)

Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez Signing in Baltimore Tomorrow!

janice

How do those boys not have carpal tunnel syndrome by now?!

Following an action-packed Ignatz-carrying appearance at the 2012 Small Press Expo this past weekend, Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez will continue the Love & Rockets 30th Anniversary celebration at Atomic Books on Tuesday, September 18th at 7:00 PM!

Love and Rockets: New Stories #5 features a letter from Atomic Books' Ringmistress, Rachel Whang, who will also be available for signing.

This all-ages event is FREE and open to the public! Atomic Books is located at 3620 Falls Road in Baltimore, MD.

And stay tuned as the Bros continue their 30th Anniversary Tour down the east coast this week!

Good Grief! 50 Years of Peanuts at the University of Oregon!

janice

photo courtesy of KVAL.com

Happiness is an art exhibit honoring the work of Charles M. Schulz, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR has just that!

Exhibition curator Ben Saunders has chosen 25 originals spanning all five decades of PEANUTS that he hopes will allow the viewer to take in the origins, maturation, and final years of this great American masterwork.

Our own Gary Groth will make a visit on Thursday, November 8th to discuss the importance of Charles Schulz's work within the larger tradition of newspaper strip comics. This event begins at 5:30 PM, and is co-sponsored by the UO School of Journalism.

And on Tuesday, October 23rd at 5:30 PM, Saunders interviews Jan Eliot about her experiences with Charles Schulz and her own career as the artist of the nationally successful newspaper strip "Stone Soup."

Don't be a blockhead and miss this exhibit! GOOD GRIEF! Original Art from 50 Years of Charles M. Schulz's PEANUTS runs through December 1, 2012. The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located in Eugene, Oregon on the western side of the University of Oregon campus next to the Knight Library.

Fantagraphics at the 2012 Small Press Expo!

janice

Join Fantagraphics this weekend for the 2012 Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland! On September 15th & 16th, we'll be filling the Marriott Betheseda Conference Center with some dazzling debuts, panels, and signings! Come meet your favorite artists and get your books signed:

Saturday, September 15th
11:30-1:00 PM     Lilli Carré // Noah Van Sciver
1:00 - 2:00 PM    Daniel Clowes // Phillip Nel
2:00 - 3:00 PM    Mark Newgarden
2:00 - 3:30 PM    Steven Weissman // Chris Wright
3:30 - 4:30 PM    Kevin Huizenga // Rich Tommaso
4:30 - 6:30 PM    Gilbert Hernandez // Jaime Hernandez

Sunday, September 16th
12:00-1:00 PM    Lilli Carré // Steven Weissman
1:00 - 2:00 PM    Gilbert Hernandez // Jaime Hernandez
2:00 - 3:00 PM    Phillip Nel // Rich Tommaso
3:00 - 4:00 PM    Chris Wright
3:30 - 4:30 PM    Noah Van Sciver
4:00 - 5:00 PM    Kevin Huizenga
5:00 - 6:00 PM    Gilbert Hernandez // Jaime Hernandez

Fantagraphics will be located at tables W40-W44, as seen in the map excerpt below! For a larger version of the complete floor map, please click here.

It's mind-boggling how many debuts we're bringing -- and many of these books won't be in stores until October or November! Check out more details here.

• The Lost Art of Ah Pook Is Here: Images from the Graphic Novel by Malcolm McNeill
• Observed While Falling: Bill Burroughs, Ah Pook, and Me by Malcolm McNeill
• Barack Hussein Obama by Steven Weissman

• Blacklung by Chris Wright
• Came the Dawn and Other Stories (The EC Comics Library) illustrated by Wallace Wood; written by Al Feldstein et al.; edited by Gary Groth

• The Cartoon Utopia by Ron Rege, Jr.
• Corpse on the Imjin! and Other Stories (The EC Comics Library) by Harvey Kurtzman, et al.; edited by Gary Groth
• Naked Cartoonists: Drawers Drawing Themselves Without Drawers by Various Artists; edited by Gary Groth

• Heads or Tails by Lilli Carré
• The Hypo by Noah Van Sciver
• Is That All There Is? by Joost Swarte [softcover & hardcover 2nd edition debut]
• Love and Rockets: New Stories #5 by Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez

• Prison Pit: Book 4 by Johnny Ryan
• Ralph Azham Vol. 1: Why Would You Lie to Someone You Love? by Lewis Trondheim
• Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 4: House of the Seven Haunts by Floyd Gottfredson
• You'll Never Know Book 3: Soldier's Heart by C. Tyler

And click here to see a schedule of programming featuring our fantastic Fantagraphics artists!

It's gonna be an incredible year! See you at SPX!

The Comics Crowd at the Brooklyn Book Festival!

janice

The Brooklyn Book Festival is coming up, and our own Michael Kupperman has organized a "bookend" event to kick things off with hilarity! Join The Comics Crowd on Saturday, September 22nd for an evening of comics readings and panel projections!

Mr. Kupperman will be joined by an all-star cast, including Gabrielle Bell, Julia Wertz (Drinking at the Movies), Bob Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics), Lauren Weinstein (Girl Stories), Lisa Hanawalt (I Want You), and Aaron Diaz (The Tomorrow Girl).

The crowd will gather at 8:00 PM at Bergen Street Comics [ 470 Bergen Street, between Flatbush & 5th Avenues ]. Festivities are free and open to the public! Don't miss it!