• More from the mid-aughts Arthur magazine archives: "Trauma Valley" (not to be confused with Profanity Hill) by our own Jason T. Miles and "Post-Election Funnies" from John Hankiewicz, Megan Kelso and others

• Dame Darcy started a new illustration series inspired by her new Southern-Gothic surroundings; that and more in her latest blog update

• The unpublished first version of Daniel Clowes's portrait of Bill Murray for GQ (shown on the Clowes blog alongside the final version)

• Warren Beatty as John McCabe by Jim Blanchard

• The true-life story of Bambi Bembenek as illustrated by Richard Sala for Playboy in the mid-1990s

• The volume of terrific sketches by Tom Kaczynski at his Transatlantis blog has really kicked up; there's also publishing news from his Uncivilized Books concern

• It's Johnny Ryan's poster for "Leprethon" (that's right, a St. Patrick's day marathon of Leprechaun movies) at Cinefamily

• Holy smokes it's a cavalcade of strips, sketches, illustrations and book proposals on Nate Neal's Flickr stream

• This album cover illustration by Eleanor Davis

And more Things to See from the past week:

• New sketches illustrations from Matthias Lehmann at his Bloc-Notes blog

• Vintage Mjau Mjau artwork and Audrey Hepburn film reviews by Jason at his Cats Without Dogs blog

• Steven Weissman's latest "I, Anonymous" spots (accepted and killed) on his Chewing Gum in Church blog

• Proportion, pages and other artwork from Frank Santoro

• Recent sketches by Marco Corona at his Il Canguro Pugilatore blog

• Sketches by Mark Kalesniko (for his new graphic novel Freeway and otherwise) at his blog

• Herrimanesque sketches and another page from a Kevin Huizenga "Focus" book at his New Construction blog

• A new illustration at Mondobliquo and an older series begins at Splog!, the Sergio Ponchione Lost Objects Gallery blog

• Sketches, portraits, & updates from Steve Brodner

• Daily drawings from Dash Shaw at The Ruined Cast blog (#125 is funny)

• Another old Chrome Fetus strip from Hans Rickheit

• Some magazine illustrations from Richard Sala's archives

• Ronald Wilson Reagan by our own Jason T. Miles

• A previously unseen Jim Flora piece at the Jim Flora Art blog

• Jim Blanchard did this custom-painted Chicken Little figurine a few years ago

• An older Chrome Fetus strip by Hans Rickheit that has been excised from his upcoming Folly collection

And more Things to See from the past week:

• New illustrations from Matthias Lehmann at his Bloc-Notes blog

• Various strips and illustrations by Jason at his Cats Without Dogs blog

• Steven Weissman's latest "I, Anonymous" spot on his Chewing Gum in Church blog

• The latest Dame Darcy artwork and handicrafts in her latest blog update

• A new illustration by Marco Corona at his Il Canguro Pugilatore blog

• A tale of the cartoonist's life from Noah Van Sciver

• Laura Park sketches a snowy Chicago street

• Another great batch of sketches at Splog!, the Sergio Ponchione Lost Objects Gallery blog

• New drawings from Renee French

• Sketches, portraits, & updates from Steve Brodner

• Daily drawings from Dash Shaw at The Ruined Cast blog

• New sketches & strips from Derek Van Gieson at his These Days I Remain blog

• Jason's commentary on this page of sound effects lettering for the English edition of You Can't Get There from Here (now seen in Almost Silent) is hilarious; plus more early strips, illustrations and film reviews at his Cats Without Dogs blog

• New artwork, illustrations and handicrafts and other news (she moved to Savannah, Georgia — be her new intern!) in the latest blog update from Dame Darcy

• Another early strip (from 1989) by Richard Sala

• A new sketch by Lilli Carré

• A new strip by Steve Brodner for yesterday's Washington Post

• "Connecticut" by Josh Simmons — ouch

• Several recent sketchbook pages by Anders Nilsen

• A glimpse at the final chapter of Derek Van Gieson's "Devil Doll" which will appear in Mome Vol. 22 this Spring

• I cannot imagine a better panel for Robert Goodin to have done for the Repaneled blog

And more Things to See from the past week:

• Steven Weissman's latest "I, Anonymous" spot on his Chewing Gum in Church blog

• A new print by John Hankiewicz at his Clip Joint blog

• Sketches by Marco Corona at his Il Canguro Pugilatore blog

• Vintage Jim Flora illustrations, sketches & artwork at the Jim Flora blog

• More artwork from Mark Kalesniko's forthcoming graphic novel Freeway at his blog

• Previews from the new Blammo and Mary Todd paper dolls from Noah Van Sciver

• Some excellent sketches at Splog!, the Sergio Ponchione Lost Objects Gallery blog

• Drawings, sketches, photos from Renee French

• Daily drawings and animation production artwork from Dash Shaw at The Ruined Cast blog

• An old sketch of a... Teletubby?... by Hans Rickheit

• Thematically similar new sketches by Eleanor Davis at her We Be Ouija blog

• At TCJ's The Hooded Utilitarian, analysis of sales of original Jaime Hernandez art, with pretty pictures (and graphs)

• New Dame Darcy artwork and other news in her latest blog update

• "The New Earthly Garden" by Eleanor Davis, plus commentary & inspirations

• Fight or Run roughs and a new "Focus Book" mini from Kevin Huizenga

• Two vintage strips from Richard Sala: the first appearance of Judy Drood and "Time Bomb"

• A film poster illustration (to be silkscreened) by Lilli Carré

And more Things to See from the past week:

• A new illustration and news of a new book (I think) from Matthias Lehmann at his Bloc-Notes blog

• Early strips and film reviews by Jason at his Cats Without Dogs blog

• Steven Weissman's latest "I, Anonymous" spot on his Chewing Gum in Church blog

• Artwork by Marco Corona at his Il Canguro Pugilatore blog

• Vintage Jim Flora illustrations, sketches & artwork at the Jim Flora blog

• A painting of Ty Cobb by Jim Blanchard at his Jim's Info Barn blog

• More artwork from Mark Kalesniko's forthcoming graphic novel Freeway at his blog

• New Year's resolutions and other updates from Noah Van Sciver

• The latest sketches from Laura Park

• A strip at Splog!, the Sergio Ponchione Lost Objects Gallery blog, and a teaser from a new strip in Linus at Mondobliquo

• Drawings, sketches, photos from Renee French

• Sketches, portraits, caricatures & commentary (including video) by Steve Brodner

• Daily drawings and animation production artwork from Dash Shaw at The Ruined Cast blog

• New images from Joe Kimball (be fast, sometimes they don't stay up)

Dame Darcy appears at Domy Books in Austin TX for a Meat Cake book signing on Thursday Jan. 6, 6-7 PM — more info here, and RSVP on Facebook here.

Following the signing, the Dame's band Death By Doll will be playing at Elysium for the full Dame Darcy multimedia experience! It's all brought to you by the Austin branch of Dr. Sketchy.

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• List: "King of the Flies: 1. Hallorave manages to combine dystopia and partying in one particularly morose suburban nabe. Artist Pascal 'Mezzo' Mesenburg’s crisp scenes of druggy costume soirées and bowling-alley liaisons deftly complement writer Michel Pirus’s slyly interlocking tales of depraved jollies in suburbia." – R.C. Baker, Village Voice "2010's Best Comics and Graphic Novels"

• List: Kelly Thompson of Comic Book Resources names Linda Medley one of her Favorite Female Comic Creators of 2010, saying "...Castle Waiting Volume 2 is easily one of the best fiction books I've read this year and that's thanks to years of hard work by Medley carefully crafting these stories and characters and flat out making me fall in love with them. Her illustration work remains truly exceptional."

• List: At Attentiondeficitdisorderly, Sean T. Collins's Comic of the Year of the Day is It Was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi, "a furious comic, furiously cartooned."

• Review: "So, the writing and conception are impressive, and Tardi’s art is typically glorious and surreal. [You Are There] looks like a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film, and would be of interest to anyone who grew up with Asterix and Tintin and prefers the atmospheric and character-driven style of adult European albums to the cinematic and genre-driven style of American comic books." – Grant Buist, The Name of This Cartoon Is Brunswick

• Review: "I was a huge Jason fan before this year, but after this year's excellent Werewolves of Montpellier and now this hardcover collection of the artist's most early works, he has officially become my favorite creator making comics today. [...] Reading through this collected edition, you can actually see Jason developing his trademark style. His anthropomorphic figures wearing apathetic faces are ever present, but as one turns the pages, you see a young artist become an expert storyteller. ...I guarantee if you take a chance on Jason's work, you will never forget it. What I Did is beautifully bound and could be a perfect gift for someone who needs to get in touch with their independent spirit this holiday season." – Mark L. Miller, Ain't It Cool News

 

• Interview: Guttersnipe's Shawn C. talks to Dame Darcy in advance of her appearance at the inaugural Comic and Zine Fair at the Waldorf in Vancouver, B.C. this Sunday

It's overdue!

• Another glimpse of Tim Lane's book-in-progress Folktales at his Jackie No-Name blog

• Among the early strips, illustrations, outtakes and film reviews by Jason at his Cats Without Dogs blog: "Dead Mickey"

• From Steven Weissman, a Repaneled panel and a new Yikes! animation (I dare you not to get the end credits song stuck in your head), plus his latest "I, Anonymous" spots and other things on his Chewing Gum in Church blog

• Lots of new artwork, merch, handicrafts and current events in the latest blog updates from Dame Darcy

• Richard Sala's... Hallmark card?? Believe it!

• Noah Van Sciver's cartoon interview with Geoff Johns done for The Comics Journal but never used

And more Things to See from the past week:

• Sketches by Frank Santoro at the Cold Heat Comics blog

• Illustrations by Marco Corona at his Il Canguro Pugilatore blog

• Lilli Carré sketches on her Kettle of Fish blog

• Nature sketches with running commentary by Debbie Drechsler at her Just Around the Corner blog

• More sketches for Mark Kalesniko's forthcoming graphic novel Freeway (now up for pre-order!) and paintings of stylish girls at his blog

• Paul Hornschemeier's latest t-shirt design available in the Forlorn Funnies Shirt Shop on his News and/or Head Lice blog

• Sketches and illustrations by Laura Park at her Flickr page

• Illustrations at Splog!, the Sergio Ponchione Lost Objects Gallery blog

• Drawings, sketches, photos (Wookiee chastity belt?) from Renee French

• Carol Tyler writes about Ron Santo and John Lennon at her Screened-in Porch blog

• Daily drawings and animation production artwork from Dash Shaw at The Ruined Cast blog

• Caricatures & commentary by Steve Brodner

• Something horrible from Josh Simmons at his The Furry Trap blog

• Illustrations by Hans Rickheit at his The Squirrel Machine blog

• Illustrations by Derek Van Gieson at his These Days I Remain blog

• Last year's Post-its from Andrice Arp on her Flickr page

• New sketches by Eleanor Davis at her We Be Ouija blog

As you hopefully know, many of our books are available with exclusive signed bookplates as a free bonus when you order direct from us — there's a whole great big list here, and we're currently adding and replenishing plates for many titles, including (in no particular order):

• 8 different titles by Jason
• Buddy Does Seattle and Buddy Does Jersey by Peter Bagge
• Temperance by Cathy Malkasian
• Artichoke Tales by Megan Kelso
• The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D. by Dash Shaw
• Zippy: Ding Dong Daddy from Dingburg by Bill Griffith
• The Search for Smilin' Ed and Deitch's Pictorama by Kim Deitch
• Meat Cake by Dame Darcy
• The Sanctuary by Nate Neal
• Chocolate Cheeks by Steven Weissman

This is just the tip of the iceberg — we have dozens and dozens more titles with signed bookplates, and more are arriving every week. You can't get these plates anywhere else, and they're all available at no extra charge — but supplies are super limited and can run out without notice, so don't hesitate to get your order in!

Click for improved/additional viewing and possible artist commentary at the sources:

• A John Pham sketchbook drawing posted by Jeaux Janovsky

• Johnny Ryan painted this Le Merde "Burgerbuns" figurine for an art show at Super7 — more info at Johnny's blog

• At Repaneled, Derek Van Gieson does one from Gilbert Hernandez and one from Jaime Hernandez

• Look closely and you'll see that Carol Tyler hatched in the shadow of her bouquet on her Artists Alley table at Comic-Con in San Diego, as posted on her Screened-in Porch blog

And more Things to See from the past week:

• Early strips, illustrations, outtakes and film reviews by Jason at his Cats Without Dogs blog

• Steven Weissman's latest "I, Anonymous" spots and sketches on his Chewing Gum in Church blog

• Drawings, other artwork and maniacal laughter by Frank Santoro at the Cold Heat Comics blog

• Holiday merch and handicrafts and a Northwest travelogue in the latest blog update from Dame Darcy

• Illustrations & sketches at Marco Corona's Il Canguro Pugilatore blog

• More sketches for Mark Kalesniko's forthcoming graphic novel Freeway (now up for pre-order!) and drawings of women wearing things at his blog

• Recent illustrations and/or comics from Sergio Ponchione at his Mondobliquo blog

• Paul Hornschemeier has two new t-shirt designs available in the Forlorn Funnies Shirt Shop since our last update from his News and/or Head Lice blog

• Comics, sketches, photos, stories and news from Noah Van Sciver at his blog

• Laura Park's sketches and comics from her visit to the hospital (feel better soon, Laura!) on her Flickr page

• The latest Josh Simmons cuteness (with Wendy Chin) at Quackers

• Drawings, sketches, photos and a new toy from Renee French

• Daily drawings (and a few videos) from Dash Shaw at The Ruined Cast blog

• Stephen DeStefano posts some examples of recent storyboard work at his blog 

This post has been in progress for nearly a month now... with so much to catch up on, I'll just be highlighting a few selected items and then giving you links to the regularly-updated stuff. As always, click for better viewing and possible commentary at the sources.

• At The Hooded Utilitarian, Ng Suat Tong reports on some recent Jaime Hernandez original art sales, with lots and lots of images

• At Not Quite Clobberin', a scan of a seldom-seen 1997 autobio strip by Jaime Hernandez

• Doc Shaner posted a bunch of Popeye art on his Tumblr last week, including this amazing "Sgt. Popeye's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by Stephen DeStefano

• Shucks, it's an illustrated love letter from 1916 from E.C. Segar to his wife-to-be Myrtle, at Letters of Note (via The Comics Reporter)

• Jason reveals the cover art for the French edition of Isle of 100,000 Graves (L'Île aux 100 000 Morts); plus early strips, illustrations, outtakes and film reviews at his Cats Without Dogs blog

• A new comic for Vice by Johnny Ryan

• Bob Fingerman's They Live poster for an art show at Maxwell's in Hoboken

• Three from Covered: Mome contributor Jon Adams does Yosemite Sam #2; Tom Pappalardo does Acme Novelty Library #1; and Dyna Moe does Tales Designed to Thrizzle #3. Also see Jon's latest Truth Serum strips

• Two from Repaneled: Matthew Allison takes on Johnny Ryan's Prison Pit and Steven Weissman gets in on the fun; also catch up on Steven's latest "I, Anonymous" spots and sketches on his Chewing Gum in Church blog and more on his Flickr page

• Eleanor Davis's letterpress print for The Cloudy Collection; plus her latest sketches, works in progress and other illustrations at her We Be Ouija blog

• Dig Gary Panter's logo design for his multimedia "band" Devin Gary & Ross

• A two-page all-ages horror story by Richard Sala

• A new war-story page by Tim Lane, with interesting background info; plus recent installments of his ongoing Belligerent Piano strip at his Jackie Noname blog

• At Gabrielle Bell's Lucky blog, the concluding installments of her "San Diego Comic-Con Comicumentary" (which Anthony Vukojevich interprets at Repaneled) and some "embarrassing older work"

• Paul Hornschemeier's weekly t-shirt designs at his News and/or Head Lice blog

• Noah Van Sciver's "Blue Wilson" and lots more drawings, strips and news on his blog

• "The King & The Beast" is a 2006 comic by Ray Fenwick

• New installments of the latest Simon & Jack (& Rosalyn!) story by Jordan Crane at What Things Do

And please catch up on the last few weeks worth of the following:

• Amazing Facts and Beyond with Leon Beyond by Kevin Huizenga and Dan Zettwoch; more Kevin at The Balloonist and New Construction

• Matthias Lehmann's Bloc-Notes blog and stunning new originals for sale

• Sketchbook drawings at John Hankiewicz's Clip Joint blog

• Drawings, paintings, collages and other images by Frank Santoro at the Cold Heat Comics blog

• Artwork, dolls, fashions, other handicrafts and spells from Dame Darcy

• Artwork & illustrations from Émile Bravo

• Illustrations & sketches at Marco Corona's Il Canguro Pugilatore blog

• Vintage Jim Flora illustrations & artwork (plus merch) at the Jim Flora blog

• Nature sketches with running commentary by Debbie Drechsler at her Just Around the Corner blog

• Lots of sketches for Mark Kalesniko's forthcoming graphic novel Freeway (just sent to the printer!) and drawings of women wearing things at his blog

• Comics, illustrations and news from Sergio Ponchione at his Mondobliquo blog

• Laura Park continues to add artwork to her Flickr page

• The latest Josh Simmons sketches, panels and updates at The Furry Trap and The White Rhinoceros and (with Wendy Chin) The Randy Gander and Quackers 

• An entire month's worth of drawings, sketches, photos and jewelry (!) from Renee French

• Animated drawings and Eyeworks Animation Festival updates from Lilli Carré at her Kettle of Fish blog

• Dash Shaw's daily drawings at The Ruined Cast blog

• Sketchbook drawings and comics by Sophie Crumb at her blog

• Caricatures, a new Need to Know video, and commentary on current events by Steve Brodner

• Sketchbook comics etc. by Anders Nilsen at The Monologuist

• More pages from Hans Rickheit's graphic novel in progress Ectopiary, plus other material and commentary at his Squirrel Machine blog

• Pages and panels by Derek Van Gieson at his These Days I Remain blog

• The latest Maakies strips and other updates from Tony Millionaire

• Drawings and works in progress by Joe Kimball on his Flickr page