Celebrate the release of Even More Old Jewish Comedians with some old Jewish comedians, and the guest of honor, artist Drew Friedman, on Thursday, September 15th at the legendary Friars' Club in New York City.

The Friars' Club is the very one, infamous for all those celebrity roasts, and on that note... please excuse their use of "comic sans" in the flyer up there! OOOH! I did a roast!

I kid, I kid! We love The Friars Club for hosting this event. They helped us celebrate the release of More Old Jewish Comedians back in 2008 , and an estimated 400 people were there! And this time around, the event is open to the public! That's right, you do not have to be a friar to attend, and you do not have to RSVP. Just get yourself to The Friars Club from 6:00-8:00 PM... Why so early? Oh, right, 'cause it's the OLD Jewish Comedians trilogy! Ha, ha, ha! I'm gettin' a hang of this "roasting" thing!

Okay, no, I'm not, but you can meet some real comedians at this event who could easily show me a thing or two, and roast me to the ground: Friars comedians Freddie Roman and Stewie Stone (the cover "model" on the new book) will host the event, with special guests Larry Storch, "Professor" Irwin Corey, Bobby Ramsen, Joe Franklin, and our own MAD legend Al Jaffee! Plus, special surprise guests to be announced, and a tribute to the late Mickey Freeman.

So, come buy a book, get it signed by Drew, and meet some of the legends depicted in his books in person! The Friars Club is located at 57 East 55th Street, in New York City.

Mome 22 is finally out, and is quickly making its way into your favorite comic book stores, and your mailboxes. While you wait, we've been taking a look at some of the artists making their debut, and taking a bow, in our grand finale edition of Mome!

Today, we shine the spotlight on Victor Kerlow!

As I was putting together this Flog post, Mike looked over my shoulder and said, "His stuff looks like it's from The New Yorker..." AND GUESS WHAT? His stuff HAS been in The New Yorker! You can't get anything past that Mike Baehr.

This kinda looks like my car... And I am always driving into statues.

And here's a sneak peek at Victor's piece for Mome 22.  I know you are intrigued! Well, find out what happens, and see so much more, in the final double-sized volume of Mome, out now!

"Hey kids! Get off my lawn!"

That loving portrait of the incomparable Tony Millionaire can be found in the collection Heroes & Villains, out now from Zero+ Publishing. In fact, photographers Tatiana Wills and Roman Cho captured quite a few of our beloved artists in this volume! Take a look:

Johnny Ryan

Gabrielle Bell

Anders Nilsen

A book release and signing party is going on tonight in L.A., and an exhibition of selected photographs with contact sheets and Polaroids will be on view! I can't wait to see more!

LAUNCH LA
Thursday, September 1st, 7-10 pm
125 East 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Thanks to everyone in the Washington DC area who came out for last week's slideshow talk with editor Warren Bernard for Drawing Power: A Compendium of Cartoon Advertising! And thanks to the excellent Politics & Prose Bookstore for hosting this fun event!

The following pictures from the night are from photographer Bruce Guthrie -- you can check out even more pics at his website here!

If you weren't able to attend, don't fret! We've got an MP3 recording of Warren's presentation right here for you to enjoy -- just right-click-and-save:

• Warren Bernard at Politics & Prose, 8/25/11 [ 37.7 MB ]

And if you live here in Seattle, you won't wanna miss our Drawing Power exhibit, opening at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, September 10th. And we'll be joined for Warren for a slideshow ourselves on Saturday, September 24th, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM! 

But wait! There's more! Warren will be signing at the Fantagraphics table at SPX on September 10th and 11th.  We're lucky to get him to sit still for a couple of hours, because Warren is also the executive director of SPX!

Yup, he's a busy guy, that Warren, what with launching his book, gearing up for SPX and, oh yeah, announcing the SPX Collection with the Library of Congress... Come out and meet him this Fall, and ask him all about it!

Mome 22 is now in our warehouse, and is trickling out to your local comix stores as you read this! While you wait, why not meet a few more of the artists who are making their debut (AND FINALE) in the swan song double-sized issue of Mome!

Like, James Romberger here!

And you may also already know him from his extensive comics work, like his collaborative comic with Jay Cantor, Aaron and Ahmed, published by Vertigo.

But just wait 'til you see his piece for Mome 22! (That's a sneak peek above!)

Mome 22 is out now! And to celebrate, from now through Friday September 2, 2011, save 30% OFF all single back issues of Mome (or save big with our 5- and 10-issue bundles), PLUS save 30% off an amazing selection of books by Mome contributors!

I am pleased as punch to present to you the Fantagraphics low-down for the 2011 Small Press Expo, happenin' September 10th & 11th in Bethesda, Maryland!

We're bringing so many beautiful new books with us, and most of these listed below aren't even in stores yet!

• The Armed Garden by David B.
• The Art of Joe Kubert, edited by Bill Schelly
• The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, Vol. 2: The Mad Scientist and A Dusting of Mummies by Jacques Tardi

• Ganges 4 by Kevin Huizenga
• The Hidden by Richard Sala
• Like A Sniper Lining Up His Shot by Jacques Tardi

• Love & Rockets New Stories 4 by The Hernandez Bros
• The Man Who Grew His Beard by Olivier Schrauwen
• Mark Twain’s Autobiography by Michael Kupperman

• Mome 22, edited by Eric Reynolds
• Nuts by Gahan Wilson
• Prison Pit Vol. 3 by Johnny Ryan

• Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse box set
• Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Vol. 2: Trapped on Treasure Island by Floyd Gottfredson

And while you're at the Fantagraphics table, picking up these excellent new titles, why not get them signed by the artists? Many will be there! Check out our action-packed signing schedule below:

Saturday, September 10th
11:00 - 12:00 PM     Chuck Forsman / Jim Rugg
12:00 - 1:00 PM       Warren Bernard / Drew Weing
1:00 - 2:00 PM         Anders Nilsen
1:00 - 3:00 PM         Kevin Huizenga
2:00 - 4:00 PM        Johnny Ryan
3:00 - 4:00 PM        Diane Noomin
3:30 - 5:30 PM         Jim Woodring
4:00 - 5:00 PM        Ted Stearn
5:00 - 7:00 PM        Leslie Stein
5:30 - 7:00 PM        Paul Hornschemeier

Sunday, September 11th
12:00 - 1:00 PM      Chuck Forsman / Ted Stearn / Drew Weing
1:00 - 2:00 PM        Warren Bernard / Anders Nilsen
1:00 - 3:00 PM        Johnny Ryan
2:00 - 3:30 PM        Leslie Stein
3:00 - 4:30 PM        Kevin Huizenga
3:00 - 5:00 PM        Jim Woodring
4:30 - 6:00 PM        Paul Hornschemeier
5:00 - 6:00 PM        Diane Noomin

And surely you've taken note of our doozy of a panel schedule by now, right? If not, check it out on the Flog! Print it out, and carry it in your pocket, or perhaps stash it in this stunning Jim Woodring SPX exclusive tote bag? In fact, you'll wanna bring an extra tote bag to carry all our incredible debuts, plus, did I mention there will be some bargain boxes?

So, be sure to stop by and say hi to Kim, Gary, and Conrad! See you at SPX!

Eeeee!!! I totes want this tote!

Yesterday, our friends at SPX revealed this year's gorgeous tote bag design, featuring exclusive artwork by guest-of-honor Jim Woodring. Click here to see a larger version of the pic above, and really take in all the glorious details on this thing.

It will only be available at the 2011 Small Press Expo, happening September 10th & 11th in Bethesda, Maryland... and, I don't think it's gonna last long! (Kim! Gary! Somebody grab one for me!!)

More SPX details will be announced very soon! Make sure to take note of our panel schedule in the meantime...

The Bumbershoot Music & Arts festival is upon us again, and if you can navigate through the drum circles and shishkaberry lines, here's where you can find some Fantagraphics:

Bumber By Number: local culture vultures Marlow Harris and Jo David are featuring a fully-immersive and interactive paint-by-numbers art exhibit, which will also feature vintage paint-by-numbers kits altered by our own Jim Blanchard and Jim Woodring.

[ That's a shot of Blanchard's piece above, which will be for sale! ]

If you wanna check out Bumber By Number and the rest of this year's visual art offerings, head to Seattle Center on Thursday, September 1st for a FREE open-to-the-public preview from 3:00 to 9:00 pm!

And, just an aside, but this year's Bumbershoot graphics were designed by noneother than Fanta-friend Jesse LeDoux. 

This Fall, Fantagraphics presents Estonia: A Ramble Through the Periphery, a travelogue from author Alexander Theroux as he follows his wife — artist Sarah Son-Theroux — on her Fulbright Scholarship to Estonia.  (That's her work on the book cover, right up there.)

And this coming Tuesday, August 30th, Sarah Son-Theroux will present a talk at the Cahoon Museum of Art, in conjunction with her work in the exhibit "So What's In a Bog?"

Son-Theroux's talk begins at 11:00 AM.  The Cahoon Museum of Art is located at 4676 Falmouth Road, Cotuit, MA.

Open reception! Open critique! It's Open Ending, a show opening and closing this weekend, Saturday, August 27th and Sunday, August 28th, featuring new works by CalArts MFA students and recent graduates, such as our very own Esther Pearl Watson! 

Esther tells us she's been working on some larger paintings in this space, so if you're in the L.A. area, head to The Farley Building this weekend at 1669 Colorado Blvd. They'll be doing a 12 hour marathon critique on Sunday, with participating artists and the general public. Go tell Esther her stuff rocks!

And if, like us, you live far away and are sad about missing out, Esther has sent over a sneak peek of her new work, so check it out below!