Before there was Mome, before the current explosion of small-press anthologies, there was Blood Orange, the short-lived mid-'00s series edited by Chris Polkki which gathered rising stars of the art-comics scene in four distinctive, beautifully designed 48-page issues. Blood Orange captured the pulse of alt-comics circa 2004-2005. We recently recovered a small quantity of shrink-wrapped packs of all 4 issues from the distributor, and we're now offering them via mail-order for the special low price of $17.85 — that's 3 issues for the price of 4! (You can also get the individual issues for $5.95 each.)

In the first issue: Nicolas Mahler, Rick Altergott, Michael Kupperman, Lauren Weinstein, Typex, David Collier, Maaike Hartjes, Allison Cole, Tobias Tak, Dan James, Marc Bell, John Hankiewicz, Matthew Thurber, Kevin Huizenga, Ron Regé Jr., a sketchbook from Gary "Teacher's Pet" Baseman, and covers by Andrew Brandou.

The second issue continues to encourage experimentation, pushing the medium in new directions. Look for innovative stories from groundbreakers such as Archer Prewitt, Rebecca Dart, Chris Wright (with a full-length 18-page story), Ron Regé Jr., Jeffrey Brown, Matti Hagelberg, Lauren Weinstein, Cole Johnson, Helge Reumann, and Fabio Viscogliosi, along with drawings by Renee French... all wrapped in a lovely cover designed by the one and only Steven Weissman.

The third issue of this always-surprising quarterly anthology series features European cartoonists Pakito Bolino and Caroline Sury (of France's Le Dernier Cri), Ulf K., Alex Baladi, Nicolas Mahler, Olaf Ladousse, and Fabio Zimbres; as well the homegrown talents of Anders Nilsen, Renee French and Ben Jones (Paper Rad). Also includes a brand-new 11-pager by Jeffrey Brown! With an eye-popping cover by French illustrator Olivier Douzou.

Blood Orange #4 wraps up the series with exclusive new stories by Brian Ralph, Lark Pien, Tobias Tak, Rebecca Dart and Ted May. Covers by Lark Pien.

We're busy as bees getting ready for our Spring conventions! MoCCA! Stumptown! TCAF! Here are some other fine events to keep you busy in the meanwhile:

Tuesday, April 17th 

•  New York City, NY: The legendary Gahan Wilson will be teaching a Master Class in Cartooning at MoCCA! (more info)

Still from "In Suspense" by Lilli Carré

Friday, April 20th 

• Chicago, IL: Lilli Carré launches her exhibit Moving Holds at Western Exhibitions! More information about this show is coming to the FLOG this week! 

Saturday, April 21st

• Boston, MA: The 2012 Boston Comic Con kicks off today, with special guests Peter Bagge and Al Jaffee! (more info)

Sunday, April 22nd

• Kyoto, Japan:  The exhibit Three Sides Chicago: Squares, Squirrels & Dots, featuring Archer Prewitt, alongside Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge, closes at the Trancepop Gallery. (more info)

• Boston, MA: The 2012 Boston Comic Con continues today with special guests Peter Bagge and Al Jaffee! Plus, Al will be part of the panel "Legends of Mad Magazine" with Al Feldstein and Paul Coker Jr. (more info)

Monday, April 2nd

• Los Angeles, CA: Join editor Pat Thomas at the Norman Lear Center for a presentation on Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power, 1965-1975. (more info)

Tuesday, April 3rd

• Santa Barbara, CA: Author Monte Schulz will be making a hometown appearance for The Big Town, at Chaucer's Books. (more info)

 Wednesday, April 4th

• Los Angeles, CA: Monte Schulz will return to Skylight Books to launch the last book in his Jazz Age trilogy, The Big Town! (more info) 

• Los Angeles, CA:  Editor/curator Pat Thomas will be giving a presentation at BookSoup on Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975! (more info)

• Kyoto, Japan: The exhibit Three Sides Chicago: Squares, Squirrels & Dots, featuring Archer Prewitt, alongside Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge, will be opening at the Trancepop Gallery. All three artists will make an appearance at the opening reception. (more info)   

Thursday, April 5th

 • Los Angeles, CA:  Meet Daniel Clowes at Meltdown in Los Angeles!  The evening will be hosted by Blair Butler (of G4's Fresh Ink), and there will be an interview conducted by Mark Frauenfelder of BoingBoing, followed by a Q&A.  Also, it's the First Annual "Enid Coleslaw" Meet-Up at Nerdmelt. (more info)

• Los Angeles, CA:  Pat Thomas will be giving a presentation on Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 at Amoeba Records. (more info)

• Columbus, OH:  Join Paul Hornschemeier at the Columbus Museum of Art as he speaks with Jared Gardner, a professor of English and Film Studies at Ohio State University. In conjunction with his talk, the museum will display a selection of Hornschemeier’s scripts, storyboards, and sketches highlighting his creative process. (more info) 

Saturday, April 7th

• Santa Barbara, CA:  Pat Thomas will be giving a presentation on Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 at Warbler Records & Goods. (more info)

• Tokyo, Japan:  Three Sides Chicago: Squares, Squirrels & Dots spotlights the work of Archer Prewitt, alongside Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge, and they'll make an appearance at the Shibuya Parco B1F LIBRO on this final day of the exhibit. (more info)

Monday, March 26th

• Columbus, OH: Paul Hornschemeier will be leading an adult writing workshop for the graphic novel at Thurber House. (more info)

• Tokyo, Japan:  The group show Three Sides Chicago: Squares, Squirrels & Dots opens at the at Shibuya Parco B1F LIBRO, featuring the work of Archer Prewitt, alongside Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge. (more info)

• Northridge, CA:  Gilbert, Jaime, & Mario Hernandez will be speaking to Professor Charles Hatfield's class on Monday, March 26th at the California State University, Northridge (in greater Los Angeles). This event is open to the public, not just students! (more info)

Tuesday, March 27th

• New York, NY: Get ready for another editior of The Crime Stoppers Club with Michael Kupperman and co-host Kate Beaton! This month, they welcome Dave Hill, Victor Vardnado, Domitille Collardey, Jim Torok, and Corey Pandolphfor a night of laughter and imagery. This free event starts at 7:00 PM at Luca Lounge. (more info) 

Wednesday, March 28th

• Columbus, OH: Paul Hornschemeier will be leading a young writer's studio at Thurber House. (more info) 

• San Francisco, CA: Daniel Clowes will be interviewed by Rene de Guzman, Senior Curator of Art at the Oakland Museum of California, at the Kadist Art Foundation!  More details coming to the FLOG very soon!

Thursday, March 29th 

• New York, NY:  Kim Deitch will be on a panel discussing comic and graphic arts biographies for the 4th Annual Leon Levy Conference!  (more info)

Friday, March 30th   

• Seattle, WA:  Fantagraphics kicks off the weekend at the 10th Annual Emerald City Comicon!  Meet Ellen Forney at 5:00 PM and Jim Woodring at 7:00 PM.  Both artists will be part of our 6:00 PM panel "Northwest Noir: Seattle's Legacy of Counterculture Comix," with Real Comet Press publisher Cathy Hillenbrand, and Fantagraphics Books associate publisher Eric Reynolds. Moderated by Larry Reid of Fantagraphics Bookstore. (more info) 

Saturday, March 31st

• Seattle, WA:  Fantagraphics continues our appearance at the Emerald City Comicon at Booth 704 with special guests: Bill Schelly (editor of The Art of Joe Kubert) at 11:00 AM, Michel Gagné (editor of Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby's Romance Comics) at 2:00 PM, and Jim Woodring at 5:00 PM.  (more info) 

• Seattle, WA:  Camille Rose Garcia will be signing her latest at Roq La Rue in the Belltown neighborhood.  (more info) 

• Seattle, WA:  Join Fantagraphics for the Emerald City Comicon Pinball Party at Shorty's, with your host Jim Woodring! Free fun for all comix and pinball enthusiasts over the age of 21! (more info)  

• Columbus, OH:  Otterbein professor of philosophy Andrew Mills will speak about Paul Hornschemeier's work in a philosophical context at this free event at the Columbus Museum of Art.  (more info) 

Sunday, April 1st

• Seattle, WA:  It's your last day to visit us at the Emerald City Comicon!  Stop by our booth between 2:00 to 3:30 PM to meet Jacques Boyreau, editor of Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art of the VHS Box!  (more info)   

OhmyGOD. Our friends at PressPop have curated the show of my comic/music/critter-lovin' dreams!!!

Three Sides Chicago: Squares, Squirrels & Dots spotlights the work of Archer Prewitt, alongside Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge, who also happen to be his bandmates in The Sea & Cake.

The Tokyo exhibit opens today (Monday, March 26th) in Tokyo at Shibuya Parco B1F LIBRO, and when the show closes on April 8th, all three gentlemen (pun not intended) will be at the store for a signing!

And then on April 4th, a simultaneous show will open at the Trancepop Gallery in Kyoto featuring different artwork from the Tokyo show!  Archer, Eric & Sam will be there for the opening reception for a signing, as well. The exhibit will run in Kyoto until April 22nd.

Hmm, how about a Seattle show?? Whaddaya say, Presspop?!

Following their vinyl figurines of music/literary visionaries Bob Moog, Raymond Scott, and Allen Ginsberg, all of which were designed by Archer Prewitt, the good people at Presspop have pressed Prewitt into service again for a new figurine of dub inventor Lee "Scratch" Perry, coming this summer! Above, Archer's concept art (final product subject to change).

As Earwax Cafe, a hub of comics activity in Chicago for many years, slips into memory and legend, Lilli Carré shares the above scan and reports on her blog: "I went there one more time this past weekend as they were closing, and they let me have the last extra copy of their xeroxed menu, the cover of which is adorned with doodles by Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, Archer Prewitt, and others." What an artifact!

UPDATE: Paul Hornschemeier also shares some thoughts on the closing of Earwax on his blog.

Quite possibly the world's first Beat Poet action figure, now available to order from Presspop in Japan! The figurine, packaging and accessories were all designed by Archer Prewitt (also responsible for their previous figurines of music pioneers Raymond Scott and Robert Moog) and feature a cloth jacket, glasses, beaded necklace, papercraft Uncle Sam hat and book, and a CD of live poetry readings. It's adorable!

Periodic clips & strips -- click for improved/additional viewing and possible artist commentary at the sources:

• Michael Kupperman illustrates a New York Times op-ed piece written by William Gibson

• This video posted by Jim Woodring has a surprise ending

• At Comics Comics, Jeet Heer reminds us of Kevin Huizenga's tribute to Floyd Gottfredson in Or Else #2

• Another stage in Matthias Lehmann's scratchboard work in progress

• An unpublished 1987 Bob Fingerman drawing of young zombies in love

• The cover of the first comic Jason ever made, circa 1979 (it means Tim and Tom On the Go!, not Tim and Tom Are Farting!, you sillyhead)

• This week's "I, Anonymous" plus church sketches and more sketchbookery by Steven Weissman 

• Another page from a comic-in-progress by John Hankiewicz 

• Pegasus progress pics from Frank Santoro 

• An illustration by Marco Corona for Internazionale, with commentary in Italian

• Debbie Drechsler draws the belted kingfisher, with commentary

• From Renee French: fly, fly people

• Steve Brodner draws Abel Meeropol and former Sen. Alan Simpson, with commentary

• Ooh, pretty record cover art for Coil Sea by Archer Prewitt (via Presspop)

• A new animated Underworld cartoon by Kaz & co. (via Ben Schwartz)

• This week's Maakies by Tony Millionaire (still on Facebook for the time being)

• Our own Jacob Covey just posted a bunch of his drawings on vintage postcards to Facebook — I'm not sure what his privacy settings are but some of them are on Flickr too if that link doesn't work

• Paul Hornschemeier's latest t-shirt design for his Forlorn Funnies Shirt Shop — Biggeespeare joins the protagonist of Set to Sea in the ranks of hulking poets

Periodic clips & strips (slightly off schedule) — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources:

• Johnny Ryan hits that cute/offensive sweet spot yet again with his jungle hero who is also a bunny (via Facebook)

• Jon Vermilyea's entry in David Ryan's Calvin & Hobbes-themed convention sketchbook

• 1990 sketchbook pages and a 1996 illustration by Jason 

• Drew Weing's Set to Sea page 121

• Richard Sala presents a selection of drawings from his book The Ghastly Ones

• The latest installment of Tim Lane's Belligerent Piano

• Gabrielle Bell continues her Comic-Con "comicumentary"

• From Mark Kalesniko, another version of "Tina in a Polka-Dot Dress"

• Noah Van Sciver is selling drawings to raise money for his West Coast tour with John Porcellino, including original Blammo pages or commissions like this Wookiee Wolverine

• This 10" record of Allen Ginsberg & Arthur Russell from Presspop features jacket artwork by Archer Prewitt 

• From Renee French: black mountain, hagelbarger, bed, daisyy, rock

• Steve Brodner on the Golden Ticket to bigotry

• Hans Rickheit's Ectopiary page 36

• A Ray Fenwick illustration for the Globe and Mail