Thanks to everyone who came out for our first day of signings at the San Diego Comic-Con! And, guess what? We've just added THREE more artists to our already action-packed schedule! 

On Saturday, we'll be joined by Zack Carlson from 3:00 to 4:00 PM, and he'll be signing copies of the epic tome he co-edited, Destroy All Movies!!!: The Complete Guide to Punks on Film.  Stop by and try to stump him on punk movie trivia... YOU WILL NOT WIN!  

Also on Saturday, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, we'll be joined by Roger May, one of the contributors to our underground comix collection, Newave!  He'll be joining two of the greats of the underground scene, Joyce Farmer and Frank Stack -- It's sure to be a fascinating hour!

And finally, we welcome special guest Martin Olson, author of the encyclopedic satire Encyclopedia of Hell (Feral House), a book that features illustrations by our very own hell-raiser, Tony Millionaire!!  Martin will be signing on Friday, July 22nd from 5:00 to 6:00 PM.

So, to recap, here's our signing schedule for the rest of the weekend at Booth #1718!  Come by and say hello!

Friday, July 22nd:
11:00 - 12:00 PM    Joyce Farmer / Bill Schelly / Tim Hensley
12:00 - 1:00 PM    Floyd Norman / Wilfred Santiago / Frank Stack
1:00 - 3:00 PM    Gilbert Hernandez / Jaime Hernandez / Mario Hernandez
3:00 - 4:00 PM    Paul Hornschemeier / Anders Nilsen / Esther Pearl Watson
4:00 - 5:00 PM    Mark Kalesniko / John Pham / Malachi Ward
5:00 - 7:00 PM    Johnny Ryan
5:00 - 6:00 PM    Jon Vermilyea  / Martin Olson
6:00 - 7:00 PM    Robert Goodin

Sunday, July 24th:
11:00 - 12:00 PM   Joyce Farmer / Jon Vermilyea / Esther Pearl Watson
12:00 - 1:00 PM    Mark Kalesniko / Frank Stack
1:00 - 3:00 PM    Gilbert Hernandez / Jaime Hernandez / Mario Hernandez

It's exciting enough that we're debuting The Hidden by Richard Sala at San Diego Comic-Con. Now, Richard has made it even more spine-tingling by including this stunning limited edition, signed and numbered print -- a FREE gift with purchase of The Hidden, while supplies last... and they won't last long!  

You can pick up The Hidden at Booth #1718, but you better hurry as if a trail of monsters were hunting you to get your very own print!

Cineplex Manager: What the hell is wrong with you?
Enid : What? I was just joking around with the customers. It's my schtick.
Cineplex Manager : Well, lose it! And why aren't you pushing the larger sizes? Didn't you get training about upsizing?
Enid : Yeah. But I feel really weird. It's pretty sleazy.
Cineplex Manager : It's not OPTIONAL!
[he leaves her]
Enid : [rolls her eyes] Jesus.
[a customer comes up to the counter]
Soda Customer : Hi, can I get a medium 7-Up?
Enid : Medium? Why sir, do you not know that for a mere 25 cents more you can purchase a large beverage? And you know, I'm only telling because we're such good friends, medium is really only for suckers who don't know the concept of value.

-- Ghost World, 2001

Ohmygod. The film version of Ghost World celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Yeah, I'll just give you a second to feel really weird and old about that, like I feel right now. When Fanta Marketing Director Mike Baehr and I first moved to Seattle in 2001, we immediately went to the now-defunct Neptune Theatre to see this film before we even unpacked the moving truck! 

Anyway.

Fantagraphics is teaming up with Reading Cinemas and the San Diego Film Critics Society to present a special 10th Anniversary screening of Ghost World at the Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15 on Saturday, July 23 at 9:00 PM, in glorious 35mm! Thank you, Scott!

Admission is only $5 lousy bucks, and there will be a post-screening Q&A and discussion after the film! 

And do I even need to mention that we'll have the Ghost World: Special Edition and other fine Daniel Clowes books at Booth #1718 at the San Diego Comic Con?

For us out-of-towners, the Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15 is located at 701 5th Avenue, within walking distance from the San Diego Convention Center. Mike and I will definitely see you there.

Update: OHMYGOD, and did I mention actress THORA BIRCH will be there?! Yes!!! Let's ask her for the behind-the-scenes scoop on Dan! Trust me people, you're gonna want to get your tickets early... This WILL sell out.

Ajax Wood IS Cannibal Fuckface // Photo credit: the amazing Jonas Seaman

Get ready for the Friday Night Fuckface FrightFest as our own Ajax Wood reprises his role as Cannibal Fuckface to celebrate the debut of Johnny Ryan's Prison Pit 3 at the San Diego Comic-Con!

Seriously. You do not want to miss this. It's gonna be the San Diego Cannibal-Con from 5:00 to 7:00 PM this Friday night.

Not only is Fantagraphics debuting Prison Pit 3, but Johnny will be debuting the brand-new Cannibal Fuckface action figure -- 7.5" inches of "pure soft vinyl violence." And Johnny notes: "These figures also come with an extra, added surprise element we are keeping on the DL for now." 

Fuckface figurines will be on sale from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Global Figure Symposium All-Stars Booth #4937. Buy it, then come to the Fantagraphics Booth #1718 to buy Prison Pit 3 and get everything signed by Johnny Ryan himself. Then, get your picture taken with Cannibal Fuckface himself. Don't be scared  Sure, I'll hold your books for you.

It's the World Series of special editions! For the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, artist Wilfred Santiago has designed a very special custom version of 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente. This exquisite edition boasts so many special features, and it's limited to THREE copies. That's it. No more. And it's ONLY available at the Fantagraphics Booth #1718 at Comic-Con!

Wilfred Santiago will be signing at the Fantagraphics Booth #1718 from noon until 1:00 PM on Friday, July 22nd and Saturday, July 23rd. Don't miss your chance to meet this great artist, and check out this glorious piece of art!

Fantagraphics is puttin' the "comics" back in Comic-Con as we head to San Diego this week with a slew of scintillating signings, almost two-dozen dynamite debuts, and a collection of comics sure to please any comics fan... and fill those enormous free tote bags they give away at the door.

First up, DEBUTS!

• Love & Rockets New Stories 4 by Los Bros Hernandez
• Mark Twain’s Autobiography by Michael Kupperman
• Prison Pit Vol. 3 by Johnny Ryan
• Mome 22, edited by Eric Reynolds
• The Raven by Lou Reed and Lorenzo Mattotti
•  The Art of Joe Kubert, edited by Bill Schelly
• Setting the Standard: Alex Toth, edited by Greg Sadowski
• Esperanza by Jaime Hernanadez
• Like A Sniper Lining Up His Shot by Jacques Tardi
• Gil Jordan, Private Detective: Murder by High Tide by M. Tillieux
• The Pin-Up Art of Humorama, edited by Alex Chun
• Drawing Power, edited by Rick Marschall and Warren Bernard
• Sibyl-Anne vs. Ratticus by R. Macherot
• Willie & Joe: Back Home hardcover and Willie & Joe: The WWII Years softcover by Bill Mauldin
• The Armed Garden by David B.
• Complete Peanuts 1981-1982 (Vol. 16) by Charles Schultz
• Even More Jewish Comedians by Drew Friedman
• The Hidden by Richard Sala
• The Man Who Grew His Beard by Olivier Schrauwen
• Nuts by Gahan Wilson

Next up, SIGNINGS!

Thursday, July 21st:
1:00 - 2:00 PM    Joyce Farmer / Esther Pearl Watson
2:00 - 3:00 PM    Bill Schelly / Robert Goodin
3:00 - 5:00 PM    Gilbert Hernandez / Jaime Hernandez / Mario Hernandez
5:00 - 6:00 PM    Frank Stack / Paul Hornschemeier

Friday, July 22nd:
11:00 - 12:00 PM    Joyce Farmer / Bill Schelly / Tim Hensley
12:00 - 1:00 PM    Floyd Norman / Wilfred Santiago / Frank Stack
1:00 - 3:00 PM    Gilbert Hernandez / Jaime Hernandez / Mario Hernandez
3:00 - 4:00 PM    Paul Hornschemeier / Anders Nilsen / Esther Pearl Watson
4:00 - 5:00 PM    Mark Kalesniko / John Pham / Malachi Ward
5:00 - 7:00 PM    Johnny Ryan
5:00 - 6:00 PM    Jon Vermilyea
6:00 - 7:00 PM    Robert Goodin

Sunday, July 24th:
11:00 - 12:00 PM   Joyce Farmer / Jon Vermilyea / Esther Pearl Watson
12:00 - 1:00 PM    Mark Kalesniko / Frank Stack
1:00 - 3:00 PM    Gilbert Hernandez / Jaime Hernandez / Mario Hernandez

All the action awaits you at our usual spot, Booth #1718!

And don't miss our amazing PANELS!  I won't get into all the details, because Mike did so earlier here on the FLOG, so click on the date to see our previously posted full rundown on each panel!

Thursday, July 21st:
• 12:30-1:30     Spotlight on Bill Schelly [Room 8]
• 1:00-2:00     CBLDF Master Session 2: Shannon Wheeler [Room 30CDE]
• 2:00-3:00     Love and Rockets — Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario Hernandez [Room 9]
• 2:30-3:30     Joyce Farmer: Special Exits, A Memoir [Room 4]
• 3:30-4:30     Spotlight on Frank Stack  [Room 4]
• 6:00-7:00     Comics for Social Justice: The Making of Oil and Water [Room 9]

Friday, July 22nd:
• 10:30-11:30     Comics Arts Conference Session #5: Critical Approaches to Comics: An Introduction to Theories and Methods— Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan with panelist, Andrei Molotiu. [Room 26AB]
• 1:00-2:00     Comics Arts Conference Session #6: Wordless Comics with Andrei Molotiu. [Room 26AB]
• 12:00-1:00     CBLDF Master Session 3: Jaime Hernandez [Room 30CDE]
• 1:00-2:00     Publishing Queer: Producing LGBT Comics and Graphic Novels with moderator Justin Hall  [Room 9]
• 1:00-2:30     The Golden Age of the Fanzine moderated by Bill Schelly. [Room 24ABC]
• 10:30-11:30     Cartoon Network Comedy: Regular Show/The Problem Solverz and More! The Problem Solverz talent includes Ben Jones, John Pham, and Jon Vermilyea. [Room 6A]

Saturday, July 23rd:
• 10:00-11:30     50 Years of Comic Fandom: The Founders with Bill Schelly [Room 24ABC]
• 11:30-12:30     Bill Blackbeard: The Man Who Saved Comics with Trina Robbins [Room 24ABC]
• 12:30-1:30     Fantagraphics 35th Anniversary  [Room 24ABC]
• 1:00-2:00     Spotlight on Anders Nilsen [Room 4]
• 2:30-3:30     The Art of the Graphic Novel with Joyce Farmer (Special Exits, A Memoir) [Room 24ABC]   

Sunday, July 24th:
• Nothing. Come shop with us!

PHEW! And, can you believe it? This is only the beginning! Stay tuned to the Fantagraphics FLOG, Twitter and Facebook for important (we mean it!) Comic-Con announcements all week long! 

Throughout his career, Lyonel Feininger had one foot in fine art, as a leading figure of German expressionism and the Bauhaus.  But, as we all know, he had his other foot planted in the world of comics, with his ground-breaking strips in the Chicago Sunday Tribune, The Kin-Der-Kids and Wee Willie Winkie's World.

This summer, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City celebrates Feininger with his very first major show in the states in forty-five years! Lyonel Feininger: At the Edge of the World will showcase not only his historic strips, but his paintings, photography, and even a series of miniature hand-carved wooden figures and buildings he created, known as City at the Edge of the World. 

On Wednesday, July 20th, The Whitney spotlights some recent artists who also intersect fine art and comics: Gary Panter, Chris Ware , and Art Spiegelman!  Join them at 7 PM for the panel The Fine Art of Comics, moderated by John Carlin. 

You might even win tickets to the event if you follow The Whitney Museum on Twitter at @whitneymuseum!  At 2 PM ET, they'll tweet a trivia question, and the winner gets tickets to the panel, and a copy of Feininger's complete comics collection The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger!

Lyonel Feininger: At the Edge of the World runs until October 16th at the Whitney Museum of American Art [945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street, NYC].

Wow! The Usagi Yojimbo exhibit just opened at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles this past weekend, and the rave reviews are already pouring in!  We got some great photos from our friends at Dark Horse that we just had to share... like THIS ONE:

Why, that's no evil ronin! That's Sergio Aragonés! Gak, indeed!

Our friends at Giant Robot were also on the scene! They posted some beautiful shots of the show on their website, including a loving tribute sketch from Stan Lee, ha! 

Don't forget: Year of the Rabbit: Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo runs until October 30th at the Japanese American National Museum [369 East First Street, Los Angeles]. Go see it for yourself!

I can't think of a nicer way to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit than with this Usagi Yojimbo exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles!  

The exhibit gets hoppin' this Saturday, July 9th, as the great Stan Sakai is in town to give a talk, a demonstration, and sign some books!

In fact, the whole day is jam-packed with fun activities, including screenings of anime films from the '20s and '30s, origami workshops, and a cooking lesson on how to make a broccoli carrot slaw, sure to satisfy any samurai!

Sakai-san explains himself, on his blog: 

I have been in a lot of exhibits, but this one will be the most comprehensive. It will not only display a lot of art in all phases of production, but also merchandising such as UY toys, pajamas, and statues. There will even be a section of Usagi art by other creators such as Frank Miller and even Stan Lee. A mini-documentary will be shown in the theater, with interviews with friends such as Sergio Aragones, Scott Shaw, Stan Lee, Geoff Darrow, and others. 

The exhibit runs 'til October 30th, but the opening day is FREE and open to the public, so why wait!

On Saturday, July 9th, the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery debuts our exhibit The Quiet Rrriot: Visual Artists from the Riot Grrrl Movement.  We're celebrating the long-awaited reissue of Megan Kelso's incredible collection Queen of the Black Black, and we're also featuring two of her contemporaries from the '90s Olympia-scene, Nikki McClure and Stella Marrs. Yesterday, we took a closer look at Stella's art, and today, we're gonna talk about Nikki!

Nikki and Megan were in the same year at the infamous Evergreen State College, and you can see the Olympia-influence in both of their work.  Nikki's artwork graced the covers of releases from local labels K Records, Kill Rock Stars, and Yo Yo Recordings.  She even did set design for the rock opera "The Tranfused."  The program credits read like a Who's-Who of Oly artists:

Click here for a larger version on our Flickr page

By the way, look who played the role of "Corpse XY"!

Click here for a larger version on our Flickr page

Why, yes, that would be the Zack Carlson, editor of Destroy All Movies!!!: The Complete Guide to Punks on Film!!!

Nikki also produced zines in the '90s, such as Super Secret and The Great Chicken Escape. 

You can get a better sense of Nikki's signature style in The Great Chicken Escape: intricate scenes that she depicts using an X-acto knife and black and white paper. Her images capture the beauty of Northwest nature, in painstakingly-crafted silhouettes.

Nowadays, her work adorns journals and calendars, t-shirts and tote bags.  But you can see where it all began this Saturday at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery!  We'll have some of Nikki's originals on display, alongside originals from Megan and Stella.  Plus, Megan and Nikki will give a brief talk at 7:00 pm, discussing the lasting legacy of Riot Grrrls, before their signing!

The Quiet Rrriot: Visual Artists from the Riot Grrrl movement by Megan Kelso, Nikki McClure, Stella Marrs

Opening Saturday, July 9th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Artists talk with Megan Kelso and Nikki McClure at 7:00 PM, followed by a book signing.
Exhibition continues through August 31, 2011

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
This event is free and all ages