FLOG! Entries for Mike Baehr - January 2009

Daily links: 1/30/09

mike

• Interview: On the Comicon.com message boards, Jennifer M. Contino gets all the Usagi Yojimbo scoop from Stan Sakai

• Things to see: The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project Blog re-runs a great article on Walt Kelly

• Things to see: A hilarious doodle by Steven Weissman

• Things to see: A page from Doug Wolk's con sketchbook by Jordan Crane

• Things to see: On the Covered blog, Richard Sala takes on Batman #197

Webcomics update for 1/30/09

mike

Time for the new 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. In this week's installment: springing into action!

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: Rocky's ignominious homecoming to Sweden.

Daily links: 1/29/09

mike

• Review: The Chicago Reader says that Beasts! Book 2 will "[set] loose something that will devour your still-palpitating innards"

• Review: ComicMix approves of Ghost World: Special Edition by Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff

• Review: An older one that we missed - Thmazing reads The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 by Thomas Ott in the store without buying it, declares it "terrific"

• List: Kiel Phegley's "The Ten Best Comics I Read in 2008" includes Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by the Hernandez Brothers at #7 and Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw at #1

• Analysis: Consequentialart examines a multi-page spread by Pat McEown from Dave Cooper's Weasel #1 (link via Sean T. Collins)

• Excerpt: Entrecomics posts some of Jason's Darth Vader gag strips from Meow, Baby! (as also seen in our 2006 Free Comic Book Day offering) and a page of his juvenilia as printed in The Comics Journal #294

• Preview: The Star Clipper Blog looks ahead to Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me and Other Astute Observations, our forthcoming collection of Peter Bagge's Reason strips

• Events: Comic Book Resources has the announcement of "The Art of Stan Sakai" at the Cartoon Art Museum (we'll have our own related event to announce in the not-too-distant future)

Daily links: 1/28/09

mike

• Review: J. Caleb Mozzocco likes Colleen Coover's "girly porno" comic Small Favors

• Analysis: The Groovy Age of Horror takes an in-depth look at House by Josh Simmons (link via Sean T. Collins)

• Tourism: The Reading Copy Book Blog recounts a recent visit to the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery

• Things to see: Jim Blanchard re-creates the cover of Blatch #14

Daily links: 1/27/09

mike

• List: Same Hat! Same Hat! names the "Best X of Everything 2008: Comics!" with Tales Designed to Thrizzle #4 by Michael Kupperman in the #5 position

• Review: Optical Sloth likes Johnny Ryan's Angry Youth Comix so much, he's willing to buy you $5 worth of stuff from our website if you don't like it too

• Things to see: For The Boston Globe, Alexander Theroux reviews a recent book about Edmund Wilson and Mary McCarthy

• Things to see: In Douglas Wolk's convention sketchbook, a page by Charles Burns

Daily links: 1/26/09

mike

Buckle in:

• Review: The Beat says "You should be reading Rocky"

• Profile: Shameless looks at the collaborative comics of Ellen Forney

• Analysis: Vibrational Match finds Jack Kirby parallels in Gilbert Hernandez's XXX comic Birdland

• Interview: The Daily Cross Hatch posts the second of their three-part chat with Lilli Carré

• Blurbs: At Robot 6, Chris Mautner and Richard Thompson (Cul de Sac) both declare that they're currently reading recent volumes of The Complete Peanuts

• Birthday: On the Jim Flora blog, Irwin Chusid commemorates the 95th anniversary of Flora's birth yesterday

• Birthday: Relatedly, The Comics Reporter notes Jules Feiffer's 80th birthday today

• Things to see: It appears that Michael Kupperman has a new blog under construction; the Internet might be about to get measurably funnier

• Things to see: This slideshow of photos by Lou Siroy at FOTO8 is accompanied by an introductory essay by Alexander Theroux

• Things to see: More sketchbook pages (a.k.a. "Doodle Dump") from Tom Kaczynski

• Things to see: More Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-themed desktop wallpaper from Ellen Forney

• Things to see: Rare vintage animation by Hank Ketcham (via The Daily Cartoonist)

• Things to see: A new book cover illustration by Anders Nilsen

Bottomless Belly Brussells

mike

Belgians, catch American cartoonists Dash Shaw and Alec Longstreth at Librarie MultiBD in Brussells on February 6 - click here for more information.

Critics' Picks Sale ends soon!

mike

Just a reminder that tomorrow (Jan. 26) is the last day of our 2008 Critics' Picks sale, wherein all of our 2008 titles that have been selected as the best of the year by the pundits and pros are marked down 20%! Click here for the full selection and don't delay in placing your order -- the clock's a-tickin'!

Comics of Note 2008

mike

Here are some thoughts on last year's comics that I would like to share with you. I don't dare call this a "Best Of" list -- these are merely some comics that I read and that stand out to me, excluding Fantagraphics releases because it's my job to love them all equally, though you'll find some stuff from Fanta folks in here. Listed more or less alphabetically:

• Against Pain by Ron Rege Jr. (D&Q) - A nice hefty slab of Ron's unique vision. I'm always compelled by Ron's stuff and it's great to have this much of it in one place.

• Capacity by Theo Ellsworth (Secret Acres) - A warm, cleverly constructed, visually stunning tour through the artist's amazingly fertile creative imagination. Ellsworth synthesizes his mind-bogglingly detailed fantastical world-building with autobiography in a really natural and satisfying way without seeming like a crazy person, which is quite a feat.

• Dead Ringer by Jason T. Miles (La Mano) - A big, haunting slab of swampy beauty, mortality, cartoon gore, poetry and lovely chipboard. Morbid, funny, sublime, and lowbrow all at once. I get to sit next to this guy at work.

• Fight or Run: Shadow of the Chopper by Kevin Huizenga (Buenaventura) - Huizenga makes an experimental comic and the result is pure, distilled, uncut, unadulterated Comics Fun. Nifty!

• The Man Who Loved Breasts by Robert Goodin (Top Shelf) - Like a master class in expressive cartooning. Just look at George Olavatia's face from panel to panel, for Pete's sake.

• Trubble Club (online and self-published mini) - Cute, weird, gross, sad, funny jam comics from over a dozen participants (including Laura Park and Lilli Carré). Almost every panel goes in a delightfully unexpected direction.

• Welcome to the Dahl House by Ken Dahl (Microcosm) - His story in Papercutter hooked me on his acerbic worldview and crackerjack cartooning. This is mostly earlier stuff and as such a little rougher but it brings you up to where the greatness is.

• Renee French's blog - I look forward to Renee's daily drawings more than anything else in my RSS feeds. I especially love her lo-fi cameraphone (?) doodle snapshots and she occasionally flat out blows my mind.

New poll: overdue collections?

mike

We've brought our previous website poll to a close. In answer to the question "Following Palestine and Ghost World, what should get the Special Edition treatment next?" the top response is "The Bradleys / Buddy Bradley saga" after an early lead for "Complete (non-Frank) Jim Woodring" and a long period of domination by "Complete Eightball." See the final results here. (UPDATE: apparently we've been the victims of ballot-stuffing -- see the comments for details.) So does your top choice have a chance of being made? Well, they've all been discussed at one point or another, but so far the only one to make it onto our schedule is Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition, debuting at Comic-Con this summer as a two-volume slipcased hardcover set with loads of extras -- our biggest Special Edition re-issue yet!

Our new poll asks "What never-reprinted Fantagraphics series would you most like to see collected?" Vote in the right-hand column here on Flog or on our home page. As far as I know, none of the choices have actually been discussed as a possibility, but who knows, if we get an overwhelming response...

New Jim Flora print: Kid Ory

mike

The newest release from Jim Flora Art is this fine art screenprint of Flora's cover for Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band. More details and ordering info here.

Daily links: 1/23/09

mike

• List: The Comics Reporter posts Rich Tommaso's Best of 2008 list, which includes Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by the Hernandez Brothers

• Review: Swedish blog Weltklasse Serier says Ganges #1 by Kevin Huizenga is "a blue anemone in the great series of forest," according to the Google translation

• Blurb: Irish illustration blog Scamp takes note of Beasts! Book 2

• Things to see: Getting excited for the imminent release of our Humbug collection? Whet your appetite with some original pages, courtesy of Joey Anuff

Webcomics update for 1/23/09

mike

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, Rocky has his last hurrah in New York City.

First look: Unlovable Vol. 2 by Esther Pearl Watson

mike

Sweet baby Jane! We just barely got Esther Pearl Watson's Unlovable Vol. 1 out the door, and now we've got the cover for Vol. 2 to show you! This one will feature pink glitter and I'm guessing that the orange is going to be day-glo like the hot pink of Vol. 1. I'm betting that Vol. 2 will be out early next year -- Eric can correct me in the comments if I'm wrong.

First look: The Complete Peanuts 1973-1974

mike

Here's the world premiere of Seth's cover design for The Complete Peanuts 1973-1974, this Fall's volume in the series. This is a preliminary version; the final printed version will likely have minor changes. If you'd been wondering (like I had) how Seth was going to handle the scale issue for the Woodstock cover, here's his beautiful solution. And watch out: the 1971-1972 volume (with Sally on the cover) is looking like it will arrive earlier than expected!

Now in stock: Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1959-1960 (Vol. 5)

mike

Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1959-1960 (Vol. 5)
By Hank Ketcham

We are proud to present the fifth volume of Hank Ketcham's phenomenal panel covering the end of the Postwar Era, 1959-1960. Ketcham captured the mischievousness, rambunctiousness, and anarchy of a kid's world better than any other cartoonist. The strip appeals to both parents and children — while parents shake their head ruefully at how accurately Ketcham caught the essence of children's natural zest for mayhem, children identify with Dennis and the chaos that he leaves in his wake. Ketcham's gags are funny, subtle and touching, and executed with a vivacious, exquisite line.

Ketcham drew Dennis the Menace from 1951 to 1994, when he retired and let his assistant take over the strip. This fifth volume of Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace publishes every single panel strip from 1959 and 1960 in one handsome brick of a hardcover. Ketcham's legendary pen and ink work is in full flower in this volume as are the various situations and themes that Ketcham would return to again and again, featuring Dennis and his regular group of supporting players: his long-suffering parents, the even longer-suffering neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, Dennis's dog Ruff and his best pal Joey, the annoying Margaret, the adorable Gina, and more.

672-page black & white 5.5" x 6.25" hardcover • $24.99
Add to Cart • Read More...

Daily links: 1/22/09

mike

• Interview: The Inkstuds radio programme talks to Beasts-master Jacob Covey

• Interview: Newsarama asks David B. about his latest book Nocturnal Conspiracies and his work in Mome (with answers in both the original French and translated English -- nice touch)

• Review: Newsarama posts the latest rave for Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw

• Preview: The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log takes a sneak peek at Carol Swain and Bruce Paley's comics memoir Giraffes in My Hair: A Rock 'N' Roll Life, which we've currently got on our schedule for August this year

• Things to see: The New York Times presents an animated ode to the Bowery by Gary Leib

• Things to see: This Animal Collective video that's blowing up the internets features animation by Jon Vermilyea

• Things to see: Johnny Ryan illustrates the cover of the current Las Vegas Weekly

• Things to see: The latest batch of sketchbook scans from Anders Nilsen

Have an Unlovable Valentine's on Feb. 7!

mike

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery presents Esther Pearl Watson’s UNLOVABLE art exhibition and book launch on Saturday, February 7.

With Valentine’s sentiments in mind, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle is pleased to present UNLOVABLE, an exhibition of original art and book launch celebration by Esther Pearl Watson on Saturday, February 7 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Watson’s visual interpretations of the diary entries of teenager Tammy Pierce will resonate with everyone once afflicted by the eccentricities of adolescent isolation, unrequited love, and other torments of teen angst. The revealing narrative of the protagonist is perfectly suited to the artist’s endearing and empathetic renderings.

Los Angeles-based artist Esther Pearl Watson has exhibited work in prestigious galleries throughout the U. S. and Canada. Her recent paintings are currently featured in a solo exhibition, “Visions of the Future,” at Billy Shire Fine Arts in Los Angeles. She is author of The Adventures of Jules and Gertie (Harcourt Children’s Books, 1999) and The Pain Tree and Other Teenage Angst-Ridden Poetry (Houghton Mifflin, 2000). Watson is co-author of What'Cha Mean, What’s a Zine? (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) with her artist husband Mark Todd. Her latest book, UNLOVABLE, published by Seattle-based Fantagraphics Books, is loosely based on a teenager’s diary from 1985 found in a gas-station bathroom, detailing the sometimes ordinary, sometimes humiliating, often poignant and frequently hilarious exploits of underdog Tammy Pierce. Laurie Henzel, creative director at Bust magazine, which serialized portions of the book, observes, “No matter how cool or smart you may be as a grown up, I think there is a little Tammy in all of us.”

Esther Pearl Watson’s first exhibition in Seattle will include original drawings related to the book, which will debut at the event on February 7. The artist will be present to sign copies of the book. Musical entertainment will be provided by Rusty Willoughby, performing a solo serenade arranged for the occasion. Willoughby, currently fronting Llama and a former member of seminal Seattle bands Pure Joy and Flop, has countless recordings on Sub Pop, Frontier, Sony Music and other labels.

Please join us on Saturday, February 7 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM to welcome this remarkable artist to Seattle. The exhibition remains on view through March 4, 2009. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street (at the corner of Airport Way S.) in Seattle’s Georgetown arts community. Phone 206.658.0110. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM.

Listing Information

Esther Pearl Watson
UNLOVABLE
Art Exhibition and Book Signing
Saturday, February 7, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Serenade by Rusty Willoughby
Exhibition continues through March 4, 2009

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

The Squirrel Machine website

mike

Artist Hans Rickheit has launched an official website for The Squirrel Machine, his upcoming Fantagraphics graphic novel, with excerpts, teasers, extras and more information about the book.

Daily links: 1/21/09

mike

• List: I Love Rob Liefeld loves Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw and Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga, putting them on the top-10 list of "The Best Comics of 2008" at #2 and #8, respectively

• List: A top-25 "Best Comics of 2008" list from Matthew Brady, with Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by the Hernandez Brothers at #19, Pocket Full of Rain and Other Stories by Jason at #16, and Bottomless Belly Button at #12

• Review: Reason "briefly notes" Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell

• Review: ComicMix recommends Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly

• Interview: The Daily Cross Hatch starts a 3-parter with Lilli Carré

• Interview: The Comix Claptrap podcast talks to Andrice Arp and Jesse Reklaw

• Things to see: Photos from Jim Blanchard's art opening at Wall of Sound in Seattle a couple of weekends ago

• Things to see: Photos of Dame Darcy at her exhibit opening in D.C. (with news of an upcoming musical gig in Portland); the D.C. Examiner looks at the exhibit too

• Things to see: Covered blog founder Robert Goodin contributes his version of Wonder Woman #155