Well, well, we've got some real humble artists here at Fantagraphics!
This past weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, Inkpot Awards were received by our artists Joyce Farmer, Frank Stack, and editor Bill Schelly! But no one brought their award back to the booth! So, instead you get this absolutely charming photo of Joyce and Frank.
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!
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!
Okay, we can't offer you the ninety-minute wait in ninety-degree weather outside the convention center, the greasy ten-dollar pizzas, the terrifying crush of Saturday afternoon attendees here to get an autograph from a Battlestar: Galactica co-star, or the sight of costumed attendees who apparently only chose the Flash costume because their more appropriate pick, Jabba the Hutt, was out. But what we can do is this!
SORRY YOU WON'T GET THE EARLY BOOKS?
The following books will have their world premiere in San Diego. If you order them directly from us we will have them sent to you directly from our main U.S. distributor's warehouse where they land on their journey from overseas in August, which means you will be getting your copy a few days before even the first of our distributors get them. (Note: U.S. orders only. Rush shipping not available — choose Media Mail from the shipping options to avoid being overcharged.) To this list we will even add The Armed Garden, The Cabbie, and Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson Volume 2, three books that for various reasons will miss San Diego and thus you will really be the first customers to get!
You can preview many of those books right now here on our website, and the rest of them shortly after our web guy comes back from San Diego! Just hit those links above and you'll see links to download PDF excerpts, and stay tuned for our usual photo and video previews.
SORRY YOU WON'T GET SKETCHES?
Some of the cartoonists who will be attending the convention — Joyce Farmer, Gilbert Hernandez, Paul Hornschemeier, Mark Kalesniko, Johnny Ryan, Frank Stack and Esther Pearl Watson — have agreed to provide anyone not attending the convention who buys one or more of their books off our website this week with a personalized sketch which will be mailed to him or her! (Note that sketches will be mailed separately from the books and at a later date.)
SORRY YOU CAN'T SHMOOZE WITH THE OWNERS?
Part of everyone's San Diego experience is to ask the Fantagraphics moguls penetrating questions such as "Where the hell is Pogo?" and "Why don't you publish XXXX??" and "Which Jacques Tardi album should I buy first?" For this weekend only, if you have a question for Gary Groth, Kim Thompson, or Eric Reynolds, add your question to your order and whoever you're addressing will personally answer it!
SORRY YOU CAN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DESPERATION SALES?
On the last day of the convention, as Gary, Kim, and Eric survey the piles of unsold books and "God, do we have to lug all these back home?" panic sets in, suddenly fantastic sales deals begin to materialize faster than you can say "HOW MUCH for that Box Set?" Therefore we are not only offering 20% OFF EVERYTHING on our website — use coupon code FANTACON11 at checkout — but a whopping 50% OFF ALL our biggest and heaviest books (see them all here — note that items are discounted 40%, which works out to 50% when the coupon discount is applied) during the convention and beyond, from Thursday, July 21 (that's today!) through Monday, July 25 — and you won't even have to lug them home or pay all those extra baggage fees! We'll send them to you!
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.
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!
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'sPrison Pit 3at 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.
Trying to keep up with Online Commentary & Diversions while also at Comic-Con may be foolhardy, but I'll be giving it a go:
• Plug: "Reviewers will compare [Everything Is an Afterthought] to Lester Bangs’s Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, but Avery’s palpable esteem for his subject elevates the book above anthology to research-rooted valentine; indeed, the book is partly a biography of a Minnesota-grown rock journalist whose lean style recalls the film noir he adored." – Heather McCormack, Library Journal
• Interview: At Comicdom, Thomas Papadimitropoulos talks to Michael Kupperman (interview in English follows introduction in Greek): "Despite having some enchanted associations, I still very much feel I'm an outsider, and I need very much to prove myself every day. This is one of the simplest rules of life - creativity is at it's strongest when it comes from necessity. I sincerely hope that at some point in the future I will be more successful and then I will not be as funny. That's how it works."
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.
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!
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 Comicswith 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]
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!
The French are, not unreasonably, excited by the strong showing of French cartoonists and graphic novels in the Eisners this year -- nine nominations for eight titles, four of 'em for Fantagraphics: http://www.actuabd.com/Neuf-nominations-pour-la-BD
We think it's sort of charming that the item was posted on Bastille Day. Hence our Marseillaise quote above, for those of you who missed it.
The 2013 Fantagraphics Ultimate Catalog of Comics is available now! Contact us to get your free copy, or download the PDF version (9 MB).
Preview upcoming releases in the Fantagraphics Spring/Summer 2013 Distributors Catalog. Read it here or download the PDF (26.8 MB). Note that all contents are subject to change.
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