FLOG! Entries for Mike Baehr - February 2009

Drinky Crow's Maakies Treasury: Previews, Pre-Order

mike

Now available for preview and pre-order: Drinky Crow's Maakies Treasury, the latest compilation of Maakies strips by Tony Millionaire. This volume, designed as a sequel to Premillennial Maakies (and to introduce fans of TV's The Drinky Crow Show to the source material), collects the second 5 years of the strip (previously reprinted in the volumes When We Were Very Maakies, The House at Maakies Corner and Der Struwwelmaakies) in a single thick volume splendidly designed by Chip Kidd. This book is scheduled to be in stock in early March and in stores approximately 4 weeks later.

View a photo & video slideshow preview embedded here. Click here if it is not visible, and/or to view it larger in a new window (recommended). And visit the product details page for a downloadable, 20-page PDF preview!

Webcomics update for 2/27/09

mike

Friday is new webcomics day! First up, such language in this week's Blecky Yuckerella strip by Johnny Ryan!

Chubby's plan turns out to be surprisingly sensible in this week's installment of Steven Weissman's in-progress pages from "Blue Jay," an epic 32-page story from Chocolate Cheeks, the next collection of the Yikes! gang's adventures. (Have you been counting how many pages we've posted?)

The time-honored rituals of Rocky and his pals pervade our current 5-day chunk of Martin Kellerman's hilarious Swedish smash-hit Rocky, updated Monday-Friday!

Daily links: 2/27/09

mike

• Review: French-Canadian site L'Autblog says Ripple by Dave Cooper is "a fascinating little book" according to the Google translation

• Blurb: Richard Cowdry is the latest blogger excited about Humbug

• Interview: The Pulse talks to future Mome-inista Noah Van Sciver

• Interview: The link for this Newsarama interview with C. Tyler isn't working at the moment; hopefully it'll be back up later

Preview downloads: now for everyone!

mike

We hope you've been enjoying our downloadable PDF excerpts of recent releases! Last year we posted a group of these previews that were available only to folks who are registered and logged in to the website. We've decided to make all of these previous excerpts available to the general public as well (just as we did with our webcomics a few weeks ago)!

Gorge yourself on juicy chunks from over 20 of our 2008 releases, including some of our most lauded and talked-about titles like Bottomless Belly Button, The Education of Hopey Glass, Explainers, and Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko. See the list of newly-public previews here. You'll also find these downloads, plus our famous slideshow previews, on the product pages for each title, just as you will with all the new previews we've been posting. And stay tuned for even more previews of upcoming books right here on Flog, including a brand new one later today!

(20/20 Club members, you'll still get exclusive first looks at some of these previews -- watch your inbox! Not a member yet and want in on the action? Join today!)

Now in stock: The Tijuana Bibles Hardcover Vol. 1

mike

The Tijuana Bibles Hardcover Vol. 1
By various anonymous artists; edited by Michael Dowers

In all its many guises, sex has been around for a long time. Back in the 1930s it was these little eight-page sex comics that became the talk of men's clubs, bars and some of the rougher workplaces. Famous Sunday-funnies cartoon characters were the earliest, and most popular, targets of these XXX-rated parodies; a parade of Hollywood actors and actresses madly copulating in a wide variety of positions soon followed. These "Tijuana Bibles" were so popular in their day that fans anxiously awaited new releases; men and boys got a genuine education when they realized there was more than one position that could be used to have sex. As the years went on, pornography evolved into men's girlie magazines, and then today's adult film industry; one look at these sexy, silly little comics will have you hankering for the good ol' days.

This fat hardcover volume collects all of Vols. 1-3 and most of Vol. 4 of the original Tijuana Bibles softcover series. Like those volumes, this book features a new original cover illustration by Pat Moriarity. This volume also includes comics historian R.C. Harvey's introductory essay "Getting Our Pornograph Fixed."

520-page black & white 5.25” x 7.75” hardcover • $35.00
Add to Cart • Read More...

Daily links: 2/25-26/09

mike

I was out sick yesterday, so here's a double dose:

• Review: The Fort Worth Business Press takes a loving look at Humbug

• Review: The Daily Cross Hatch finds "a lot to love" in the pages of Boody. The Bizarre Comics of Boody Rogers

• Review: The Lighthouse Keeper's Cat says that The Magic Bottle by Camille Rose Garcia is "a great graphic novel"

• Review: Jog takes you story-by-story through Supermen!

• Blurb: The Comics Reporter is somewhat overcome by the arrival of Humbug

• Blurb: Scamp: An Irish Illustration Blog previews Humbug

• Profile: USA Today Pop Candy spotlights Dame Darcy

• Oddity: Exclusive to the D&Q blog: Paparazzi catch A-list celeb in clutch with Ivan Brunetti

• Oddity: Hopey Glass is in Montreal, posting on Craigslist (via The Beat)

Then & now

mike

Now (as currently seen on Ribs's blog):

Then (preliminarily):

Coming in Fall/Winter. Serialized weekly right here.

Dame Darcy signs & sings in Seattle

mike

In case you missed this part of our Humbug exhibit announcement yesterday:

Don’t miss a special performance and book signing by cult cartoonist Dame Darcy on Saturday, March 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Darcy will perform with her three-piece acoustical combo and sign copies of her wildly popular Victorian gothic comic book series Meat Cake, as well as her new graphic novel Gasoline. This event coincides with the colorful Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentation throughout the historic neighborhood.

Listing Information

Saturday, March 14, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Dame Darcy
Music performance and book signing

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.)
Seattle, WA 206.658.0110
Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM
www.fantagraphics.com/bookstore

Daily links: 2/24/09

mike

• Review: J. Caleb Mozzocco says The Lagoon by Lilli Carré is "a great comic"

• Review: Parka Blogs looks at Beasts! Book 1

• History: Furry 101 reprints a 1992 article cementing Fantagraphics' place in mid-to-late 1980s furry culture with our brief heyday of anthropomorphic comics

• List: Sporadic Sequential recommends Anywhere but Here by Tori Miki if you're looking for funny manga

• For comiXology, our own Kristy Valenti looks at George Herriman's illustrations for archy and mehitabel

• Things to see: On the Covered blog, Paul Karasik takes Jimmy Olsen into the 3rd dimension, sort of

• Things to see (and buy): "Comic Panel Cut-Ups" from Jeremy Eaton

• Things to see: Richard Cowdry gathers all of Richard Sala's "Invisible Hands" in one place thanks to the miracle of YouTube

Now in stock: The Comics Journal #296 (Best of the Year Issue)

mike

The Comics Journal No. 296
Edited by Michael Dean & Kristy Valenti; Gary Groth, executive editor

Our annual Best of the Year issue includes interviews with critics' faves Lynda Barry, Frank Quitely, Dash Shaw, David Hajdu and Mike Luckovich, as well as Best Picks of 2008 from an all-star lineup including Kim Deitch, Anders Nilsen, Emmanuel Guibert, John Porcellino, Mark Newgarden, Johnny Ryan, Paul Karasik and others. Plus, a first look at C. Tyler's upcoming project You'll Never Know, a gallery of comics from Finland's best young talents, and more.

200-page color/b&w 7.5” x 9.5” squarebound softcover magazine • $11.99
Add to Cart • Read More...

Daily links: 2/23/09

mike

• Review: Comic Book Resources gives Sam's Strip 4 out of 5 stars and calls it "a must for any fans of comic strips"

• Review: Comics Worth Reading takes on Supermen!

• Review: Rob Clough examines Mome Vol. 13

• Review: Parka Blogs checks out Beasts! Book 2

• Profile: Paul Gravett examines (and recommends) the work of Mark Kalesniko in an article which also appears in Comics International

• Blurb: Jared Axelrod, applying his "10 Rules of Quality Superhero Fiction," declares Jaime Hernandez's story in Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 "one of the best superhero comics of the past year"

• Blurb: John Whitlock recommends our Popeye books

• Blurb: The Geek Curmudgeon (a.k.a. Rick Klaw) previews Humbug, Boody and Supermen!

• Blurb: Books Are People, Too (a.k.a. Russ Kick) also previews Humbug

• Blurb: Rod McKie describes how comics by Daniel Clowes, Peter Bagge and the Hernandez Brothers helped him get through a health crisis

• Video: Slick Rivera visits Larry Reid at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery and finds out where the good stuff is stashed (found via Frank magazine [not to be confused with our Frank])

• Interview: Vice talks to Johnny Ryan and a couple of the other funny cartoonists who are in Kramer's Ergot #7

• Interview: If you're curious about new Mome contributor Hernán Migoya, and speak Spanish, LaNuez has a couple of video interview clips for you (via Entrecomics)

• Things to see: On his blog, Derek Van Gieson previews his work in the just-released Mome Vol. 14 (and keep exploring for a teaser of Mome Vol. 15)

• Things to see: On his blog, Dash Shaw presents a Bottomless Belly Button ex libris plate he created for French comics shop Super Heros (you may also have seen Jason Miles's photo of Dash at Super Heros here on Flog recently)

• Things to see: Boing Boing Gadgets presents a blast from future past, Frank Thorne style

• Things to see: Is an excuse needed to scan and share Seth's cover designs for The Complete Peanuts? The Comics Reporter thinks not

Now in stock: The Wolverton Bible by Basil Wolverton

mike

The Wolverton Bible
By Basil Wolverton

Cartoonist Basil Wolverton was known for his grotesque drawings, fantastically odd creatures, spaghetti-like hair, smoothly sculpted caricatures and insanely detailed crosshatching. His career in the golden age of comic books lasted from 1938 until 1952, after which his illustrations and caricatures extended into such publications as Life, Pageant and MAD magazines. Stylistically, he has been regarded as one of the spiritual grandfathers of underground and alternative comix.

Less well known and understood is his work for the Worldwide Church of God, headed until 1986 by radio evangelist Herbert Armstrong. From 1953 through 1974, Wolverton, a deeply religious man, was commissioned and later employed by the church to write and illustrate a narrative of the Old Testament (including over 550 illustrations), some 20 apocalyptic illustrations inspired by the Book of Revelations, and dozens of cartoons and humorous illustrations for various Worldwide Church publications.

Compiled and edited by Wolverton’s son, Monte, the 304-page Wolverton Bible includes all of Wolverton’s artwork for the Worldwide Church of God corporation. Recording artist and noted EC authority Grant Geissman (Tales of Terror: The E.C. Companion and Foul Play!: The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics!) provides an insightful foreword, while Monte Wolverton delivers commentary and background in the introduction and in each section. This volume is authorized and commissioned by the Worldwide Church of God and endorsed by the Wolverton family.

Many of the illustrations in this book are regarded as Basil Wolverton’s finest work. Still others have never been published, and some of the humorous drawings printed here rival Wolverton’s work in MAD magazine.

(While supplies last, all orders for The Wolverton Bible will also receive, FREE, a set of 10 Wolvertoons Postcards!)

320-page black & white 8” x 10” hardcover • $24.99
Add to Cart • Read More...

Now in stock: Sam's Strip by Mort Walker & Jerry Dumas

mike

Sam's Strip: The Comic About Comics
By Mort Walker & Jerry Dumas

Sam’s Strip was ahead of its time when it debuted in 1961. Mort Walker and Jerry Dumas’ offbeat creation took the inside joke of breaking the “fourth wall” to a new level, playing with the basic elements of the cartoon form, experimenting with different art styles and featuring famous characters from other strips. Sam and his cartoonist assistant owned and operated the comic strip they inhabited. The Yellow Kid, Jiggs, Krazy Kat, Dagwood, and Charlie Brown were among the many familiar faces who made walk-on appearances. Sam and his assistant discussed the inner workings and hidden secrets of life within the panel borders. This type of self-referential humor, called “metacomics” by scholar Thomas Inge, had been explored previously by Al Capp, Ernie Bushmiller, and Walt Kelly and has been used on a more regular basis by such contemporary cartoonists as Garry Trudeau, Berke Breathed, and Bill Griffith. Sam’s Strip, which never appeared in more than 60 newpapers, was too esoteric for most readers, and was terminated by its creators in 1963. It is considered a cult classic among comic-strip aficionados today.

This collection features the complete 20-month run, almost 510 daily strips, of Sam’s Strip. Mort Walker and Jerry Dumas provide first-hand accounts of the creation of the strip and other rare, behind-the-scenes material, including unpublished sketches, original artwork, photographs and sales brochures. Take a trip beyond the fourth wall and rediscover this unique behind-the-scenes look at the world of comic strip humor.

208-page black & white (with some color) 10” x 8” softcover • $22.99
Add to Cart • Read More...

Now in stock: Mome Vol. 14 - Spring 2009

mike

Mome Vol. 14 - Spring 2009
By various artists; edited by Gary Groth & Eric Reynolds

The Spring 2009 edition of MOME is anchored with Lilli Carré's (The Lagoon) new, 32-page graphic novella, "The Carnival." Gilbert Shelton is back with the second part (of three) of his new graphic novel, "The Last Gig in Shnagrlig," and both Olivier Schrauwen and Laura Park are back with their sophomore Mome efforts. 2008 comics darling Dash Shaw delivers "Scenes from the Abyss," while Mome regulars Derek Van Gieson, Ray Fenwick, Jon Vermilyea, Sara Edward-Corbett, Conor O'Keefe, Émile Bravo, and Josh Simmons all return. To wrap it up, Ben Jones, Frank Santoro, Hernán Migoya and Juaco Vizuete all pop their Mome cherries this issue as well (the former two with a Cold Heat-related story).

120-page color/b&w 7” x 9” softcover • $14.99
Add to Cart • Read More...

Daily links: 2/19-20/09

mike

Oops, I put yesterday's update together but forgot to click "publish." Here's a two-fer, then:

• Review: Rain Taxi says Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw is one of the best graphic novels of 2008

• Event: Chapman University in Orange, CA has an exhibit of original comic art by Tony Millionaire, Jeffrey Brown and Adrian Tomine currently showing through March 13

• News: On her blog, Ellen Forney celebrates the news that I Love Led Zeppelin is to be published in a Czech edition

• Things to see: New sketchbook drawings and comics by Anders Nilsen

• Things to see (and buy): Prints by John Hankiewicz

Webcomics update for 2/20/09

mike

Friday is new webcomics day! First up, Johnny Ryan's Blecky Yuckerella to the rescue, sort of, in this week's strip.

And in this week's installment of Steven Weissman's in-progress pages from "Blue Jay," an epic 32-page story from Chocolate Cheeks, the next collection of the Yikes! gang's adventures: the best laid plans...

And don't forget to catch up on our current 5-day chunk of Martin Kellerman's hilarious Swedish smash-hit Rocky, updated Monday-Friday! This week: celebrating New Year's, Rocky-style.

Sam's Strip: Read the Authors' Introductions

mike

Our collection of Sam's Strip contains two introductory essays by the strip's creators, which we've placed online for you to read and enjoy while you're waiting for the book to be released (any day now): "How Sam's Strip Began" by Jerry Dumas and "My Time with Sam's Strip" by Mort Walker. Together they comprise a Rashomon-like tale of the strip's run.

Humbug signature plate - first look

mike

The tri-fold signature plate shown above (front and back -- click here and here for better views) that comes with Humbug: Limited Signed Edition is currently winging its way between Jack Davis, Al Jaffee and Arnold Roth as they apply their signatures to it. (While they're hard at work, you can reserve your copy today.)

Daily links: 2/18/09

mike

I didn't find any links yesterday, so there was no update (in case you were wondering). Today, however:

• Review: Beyond Race Magazine says that Deitch's Pictorama by the brothers Deitch is "entertaining, as well as a unique way to read comics"

• Review: Sean T. Collins presents his review of Mome Vol. 4 that originally ran in The Comics Journal in 2006

• Review: The Groovy Age of Horror examines the psychology of Fletcher Hanks and I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! (link via Sean T. Collins)

• Blurb: Thanks to Mike Lynch for hyping Humbug

• Things to see: Golden Age Comic Book Stories presents a whole bunch of vintage Barry Windsor-Smith art

• Things to see (and buy): A new blog of drawings for sale by Matthias Lehmann

• Things to see (and buy): Johnny Ryan drew a new strip to promote his Angry Youth Comix dolls from Span of Sunset

He draws good, too

mike

On the Covered blog, our own Eric Reynolds takes on Moon Knight vintage 1982.