The Friends of the Nib present a Valentine-themed art show for an evening of canoodling, carousing and commerce at Seattle's Cafe Racer on Valentine's evening (hey, that's today) from 6 to 10 PM. Mr. Woodring provides the enticement and details.

This week's free preview is a downloadable 12-page excerpt (including the gorgeous covers and endpapers) of Hall of Best Knowledge, the innovative new book from Ray Fenwick which is scheduled to arrive in April. These previews are exclusive to registered Fantagraphics.com users, so sign up and/or sign in to view.

(As a reminder, 20/20 Club members receive these previews two weeks before we post them on the website, just one of many great reasons to join up...) 

Irwin Chusid, editor of our Jim Flora books, writes:

Jim Flora Art LLC has produced a limited-edition, archival-quality fine art print of a 1954 Jim Flora hand-tinted woodcut entitled Manhattan.

The cityscape depicts New York in its 1950s glory, including a number of gotham landmarks such as the Empire State Building, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Madison Square Garden, the Statue of Liberty, famous theaters and legendary musical bistros, Washington Square arch, subways, taxis, horse-drawn carriages and tourists.

Only twenty-five (25) prints of Manhattan were produced for this edition. We are offering five (5) prints (#21/25 through #25/25) now on eBay. After these five prints are sold at the asking price, prices will increase for the rest of the edition.

In the time it's taken me to write this, 4 of the 5 have sold. Yipes! 

For those of more modest means, Jim Flora notecard sets (and other snazzy goods from artists like Meomi, Matthew Porter, Mark Burrier and many others) can be purchased from copacetique.com (note: big fat conflict of interest/nepotism alert).

Kurt Wolfgang talked to Gary Groth and survived in November 2005; we printed it in Mome Vol. 3; and now you can read the interview in its entirety here on the Fantagraphics website as part of our ongoing series of Mome interview web reprints. Previously: Paul Hornschemeier and Gabrielle Bell. Next up: Jonathan Bennett.

It was a wild time down at our store on Saturday night at the opening party for Ellen Forney's LUST exhibit. Here's a brief clip of her slideshow presentation (NSFW language, or, as someone in the audience shouts, "Dirty!"):

Below, a few photos; for many more, see our photoset on Flickr. Our pal Ben Haley has some great shots on Flickr too.

Another benefit of registering on Fantagraphics.com: access to exclusive previews! We offer downloadable excerpts from upcoming books absolutely FREE to registered users. We'll be posting a new preview every week, starting today and usually on Wednesdays starting next week. Today's installment is a 12-page excerpt from The Education of Hopey Glass, the newest Love and Rockets collection from Jaime Hernandez. Make sure you're signed up and logged in!

(Psst... want to see these previews before everyone else? Join the 20/20 Club and we'll email you exclusive links a full 2 weeks earlier than we post them on the website, plus extra exclusive savings offers on top of the usual 20% off!)

Jeet Heer posts an excerpt of his introductory essay from Krazy & Ignatz 1941-1942: "A Ragout of Raspberries" along with some additional tidbits and thoughts. (Hat tip to Spurge.)

Friday means a new installment of Steven Weissman's "Chocolate Cheeks!" This week's strip finds the Yikes tykes sportin' and stylin'. (Remember, you must be registered and logged in to read.)

More Old Jewish Comedians
By Drew Friedman

This comprehensive collection of portraiture of Jewish comedians is a sequel to 2006's wildly popular Old Jewish Comedians, which earned Friedman raves from Jerry Lewis, Howard Stern, The Believer, Entertainment Weekly and many more, and earned Friedman his own roast at New York's legendary Friar's Club. This all-new collection includes the famous (Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Soupy Sales, etc.), the not-so-famous (Jerry Stiller, Zeppo & Gummo Marx, Larry Storch, Zero Mostel, etc.) and the largely unknown (Molly Picon, Herbie Faye, Jan Milton, etc.). The Reuben Award-winning Friedman, one of the great caricaturists of his age, presents a thorough visual history of the 20th Century's greatest Borscht-Belt comedians through 28 full-page portraits; every crease, mustache hair, and liver spot looks utterly real. As Booklist put it (after the first OJC), "If only we were all funny enough to get Friedman to draw us!" A BLAB! Storybook.

36-page full-color 10" x 10" hardcover $16.99
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Shag: A to Z
By Shag

Shag: A to Z presents, quite simply, 26 original paintings corresponding to the letters of the alphabet. Each painting is accompanied by a short verse extolling the pleasures of a hedonistic lifestyle and the virtues of overindulgence. Shag has spent the last decade creating a body of work based on his idiomatic aesthetic preferences, a world of mid 20th century modern architecture and design, populated by hedonists, supplicants, and indifferent women. A BLAB! Storybook.

32-page full-color 10" x 10" hardcover $14.95
Order Now!