FLOG! Entries tagged 'Dennis the Menace'

Daily OCD: 4/7/11

mike

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "Former Haligonian and Coast contributor Ray Fenwick’s latest book [Mascots] extends the work that he began in this city: typography-heavy painting on found book covers. The books’ loose cloth weave is clearly visible through the paintings, and even though Fenwick’s lettering skills should be studied by scientists, there’s a refreshing sense of the typographer’s hand and thought. Using the traditional idea of mascots as symbolic figures, Fenwick’s collected creatures, characters, mantras and messages, some of which are connected through broken narratives, and others just appear like a slap to the head. Not for those with an aversion to weirdos or absurdity, Fenwick is hands-down one of the most clever contemporary artists and illustrators working in Canada." – Sue Carter Flinn, The Coast

• Review: "Kalesniko is a deft, widescreen storyteller... The final chapters [of Freeway] are paced like an action film, drawing Alex ever closer to his destination/destiny, and Kalesniko does skillfully edit his storytelling at a breathless clip. But the conclusion raises more questions than it answers..." – Brian Winkeler, Bookgasm

• Review: "There’s no doubt that Schulz lost his way in the 80s. But his strip was always about losing its way. As he grew doddering and inconsistent, he moved closer to the doddering inconsistency at the core of his art. The pleasures in this volume [The Complete Peanuts 1979-1980] are fewer, but, for fans at least, when they come they have a special bonk." – Noah Berlatsky, Splice Today

• Review: "Another hardboiled French thriller which violently riffs on the energy of New Wave cinema, Hitchcock and classic James Bond. ...[West Coast Blues] is a bit like The Bourne Identity, except on a lower budget and without anyone half as organised as the CIA involved. The captions are a bit wordy, as you’d expect with something adapted from a novel, but thankfully it’s in black and white — the constant spray of blood and bone fragments might be a bit off-putting otherwise." – Grant Buist, The Name of This Cartoon Is Brunswick

• Plug: The Huffington Post's Michael Glitz gives us a nice shout-out in his review of the Dennis the Menace tv-show DVD set: "Fans of the comic should definitely check out Hank Ketcham's collected works, lovingly presented by Fantagraphics. The jokes are just as familiar but his draftsmanship lifts it to high art."

• Profile: The Hartford Advocate's Christopher Arnott talks to Allan Greenier and Tom Hosier, creator of "The Purple Warp" minicomic included in Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s, saying of the book "Newave!, which has the same small size, but hundreds more pages than the miniature comics it celebrates, is a handy overview of this largely overlooked subgenre," and getting a frank account of the book's success from our own Eric Reynolds

Daily OCD: 9/30/10

mike

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review/Roundtable: TIME/Techland's "Comic Book Club" roundtable of critics (Douglas Wolk, Graeme McMillan, Evan Narcisse and Mike Williams) discusses You'll Never Know Book 2: Collateral Damage by C. Tyler. Wolk leads off: "The first volume of You'll Never Know, Carol Tyler's projected three-volume series about her father's experiences in World War II — and all the family history connected to it — was my favorite graphic novel of last year. The new volume, Collateral Damage, is even stronger in a lot of ways."

• Photo of the Week: That's a funny one of Stuart Immonen at Robot 6

• Breaking News/Quote of the Week: "I think I was more opposed to the show moving to Los Angeles/Anaheim than I was in favor of it staying in SD or going anywhere else. I'm not even sure why I was opposed to it, because I love visiting L.A. But it would just feel like we let the terrorists win at that point." – our own Eric Reynolds, quoted at The Comics Reporter

Daily OCD: 8/9/10

mike

Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "Of the artists that meant the world to me when I was young enough that lots of artists meant the world to me, Jaime Hernandez is the only one I know of that can still kill me dead with his newest and latest. Your mileage may vary, but Jaime's three-part story in the latest Love and Rockets brought to mind the same sweep of romance and regret and pursuit of all that's sweet in life as much as battered and broken insides allow that I remember all too well from the summer between my junior and senior years in college, when I would have put everything about my wonderful life on hold to climb into a black and white comic book for a little while. There are three or four panels in this newest effort worth some cartoonists' entire careers." – Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter

• Review: "Set to Sea is [an] auspicious debut... Weing's nameless, landlubbing protagonist aches to rhapsodize about the sea but discovers that something's missing. After dozing drunkenly on a dock, he awakes to discover he's been shanghaied. His adventures provide ample material for a volume of poetry in this hilariously violent picaresque tale." – Richard Pachter, The Miami Herald

• Review: "A book like The Best American Comics Criticism invites argument. If you put 'best' in your title, argument will follow. I’ve got arguments, but I wanted to start by praising both the editor, Ben Schwartz, and the publisher, Fantagraphics, for making the effort." - Derik Badman

• Review: "...[T]his story is one where Deitch tries to tie the various unruly strands of his many stories together. In a way, I almost prefer that these overlapping, nesting, and sometimes contradictory stories never really congeal, but The Search for Smilin' Ed is, like all of Deitch's work, a compelling and highly personal piece of work." – Robert Boyd, The Great God Pan Is Dead

• Review: "Although the images are very haunting, they are extremely beautiful. Pim & Francie is a pretty unique book. ... This book as a whole is actually quite creepy, haunting, scary, beautiful, and intoxicating. I seem to enjoy it more every time I look/read through it. With images on almost every single page, this book is worth a lot more than its cover price." – Steven Thomas

• Review: "Wally Gropius ...[is] John Stanley for the 21st century. Not that Stanley doesn’t work just fine in 2010, but Hensley is worthy of that sort of praise. I wish this guy was writing Archie." – Chris Reilly, Guttergeek

• Review: "I loved this book and am glad I... could read something this wonderfully twisted... I really wish I could tell you what genre this is, but The Squirrel Machine defies that sort of commercial branding." – Chris Reilly, Guttergeek

• Review: "Man, Joe Daly is awesome. ...[H]e is back with thunder in his pen and ants in his pants. [Dungeon Quest] is as good as Scrublands on page one and it just gets better and funnier, more bizarre and familiar (if you have ever met or hung out with Larpers) with each page turn. Welcome back, Joe Daly. You rule." – Chris Reilly, Guttergeek

• Review: "The Troublemakers... is Gilbert [Hernandez] doing a Quentin Tarantino, in that he dips into a sleazy old unpleasant genre of crime exploitation films of the 60s and 70s and cherry-picks a bunch of the good bits and smashes them together and cooks them into a really sweet pie." – Chris Reilly, Guttergeek

• Review: "The Culture Corner... is the biggest score for fans of Wolverton since the publication of the Wolverton Bible. I guess you could also say that this is the first reprint collection of Wolverton material since the Wolverton Bible if you wanted to nit-pick. Great stuff." – Chris Reilly, Guttergeek

• Plug: "I’m barely able to form coherent thoughts about Moto Hagio’s A Drunken Dream and Other Stories. It’s an amazing collection of her work, and I hope it just causes an explosion of interest in her work." – David Welsh, The Manga Curmudgeon

• Plug: Sarah McIntyre took some lovely photos of Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1961-1962

• Interview: At WFMU's Beware of the Blog, Kliph Nesteroff talks to Drew Friedman: "When I was talking to Albert [Brooks] at this party he said, 'Drew, did you know that Harpo's ex-wife married Frank Sinatra?' I said, 'No, it was Zeppo's ex-wife.' He said, 'No, no, it was Harpo's ex-wife.' I said, 'No, it was Zeppo's ex-wife. Look, we have Andy Marx, Groucho's grandson standing right here. Let's ask him.' I said, 'Andy, which one of your uncles married Frank Sinatra's wife?' He said, 'Well, that was Zeppo's wife.' That's why I love L.A. It's handy to have Groucho's grandson [around] when you need him." (Note: audio of this conversation will be available from the Inkstuds podcast soon; we'll keep you updated)

• Profile: Seattle Times book editor Mary Ann Gwinn reports on the partnership between Rick Marschall's Rosebud Archives and Fantagraphics Books: "Now Marschall's company, Rosebud Archives, and Fantagraphics have formed a joint publishing enterprise that will draw from Marschall's immense collection, reclaiming the work of the great 20th-century magazine and newspaper artists for the 21st-century public."

• Commentary: At The Hooded Utilitarian, Shaenon Garrity kicks off a critical roundtable on Popeye with a 7-part appreciation: "Popeye hangs on, indestructible..., the last of a tougher, smellier, funnier breed."

• Reviewer: At Comics Comics, our own Jason T. Miles looks at something I'm also fond of: Andy Helfer & Kyle Baker's late-1980s run on The Shadow

Things to see: 7/30/10

mike

Buckle in for two weeks worth of clips & strips — click for improved/additional viewing at the sources:

• Jaime Hernandez, 1977 (from friend/fan Bernie Ramirez on the Love and Rockets Facebook page)

• Anders Nilsen's Dennis Hopper for Cinefamily is magnificent

• How about a little Dennis the Menace/Lost mash-up at Big Shiny Robot?

• Moscow-born San Francisco-residing cartoonist Roman Muradov sends us some pages done in homage/tribute to Jason — they're good, and got a thumbs-up from Jason

• Again with the Comics presents a Scooby-Doo story drawn by... Ivan Brunetti?? (via Steven Thompson)

• Jason's sketch of Jean-Pierre Melville, plus more recent blog entries about Lino Ventura, Alain Delon, and summer reading

• Rosebud Archives presents a super-rare promotional flyer for Charles M. Schulz's Young Pillars

• It's the two latest weekly installments of "Cartoon Boy" from John Kerschbaum

• Gipi describes his new video "Antony" as "a classic film thriller"

• For The Bold Italic, Jon Adams profiles 3 real-life Bay Area Comic Book Guys (via Robot 6); also, two installments of Truth Serum

• From Kevin Huizenga, a new Amazing Facts and Beyond with Leon Beyond

• From Dash Shaw: a new silkscreen print; sketchbook pages; Ruined Cast sketches; The Lion King

• From Steven Weissman: "I, Anonymous" for last week and this week; Lumpy Noodle

• Frank Santoro gives another sneak peek at his Strange Tales Silver Surfer

• Drew Weing presents Set to Sea pages 112, 113, 114 & 115. Also, could someone snag me a set of these buttons?

• Tim Lane's Belligerent Piano episodes 21 and 22

• A 1950 profile of Jim Flora

• Johnny Ryan has a bunch of new prints for sale. We saw Matt Groening admiring the one above at Comic-Con, our own Kristy Valenti very happily bought the cat one, and the "Nachos" one is just 100% pure genius

• Debbie Drechsler's latest round of nature sketches features squirrels, birds, bugs & spiders

• From Mark Kalesniko, two sets of quick sketches

• Sergio Ponchione posts some pages of his artwork from Cattivi Soggetti, an anthology of noir stories written by Danielle Brolli

• Paul Hornschemeier's latest t-shirt design for his Forlorn Funnies Shirt Shop

• Noah Van Sciver posts an excerpt from Blammo #5

• From Josh Simmons & co: King Quackers, Skeezy Quacker, Quacker dreams, Quokkers, cupcake crimes

• Renee French has too many updates to link all of them individually; just go to her blog and work your way down. This, this, and this are highlights for me

• Steve Brodner's latest segment from PBS's Need to Know, "Obama Where Art Thou?" and his tribute to the late John Callahan

• I think the painting from Josh Simmons's House snuck into Hans Rickheit's Ectopiary

• Tom Kaczynski's sketches from the La Mano 2nd Annual Report and another show

• Something new & untitled from Joe Kimball

One-week Sale on Classic Strip Collections

mike

We're celebrating Father's Day with a one-week-only, first-time-ever sale on our collections of classic comic strips! Save at least 20% on volumes of The Complete Peanuts, Dennis the Menace, Krazy & Ignatz, Popeye, Prince Valiant, and much more, including one-off collections of rarities like Betsy and Me, The Brinkley Girls, Red Barry, Sam's Strip and more. The sale even includes the brand-new Captain Easy Vol. 1! Browse all sale items here. Order online now or by phone Monday-Friday 9 AM - 6 PM at 800-657-1100 (206-524-1967 outside the U.S.). Sale prices not effective at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. Sale runs through next Friday, June 25, 2010.

Daily OCD: 3/8/10

mike

The latest Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "Dash Shaw seems set to become a name to be reckoned with in comics... [The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D.] is a wonderful introduction to Shaw’s work, and should certainly find its way into the hands of those craving more." – Grovel

• Review: "I'm so glad I started reading this series and can't wait to catch up. Usagi Yojimbo is that rare breed of animal comic that works for me, blending Sakai's cartoon style with a story that would not be out of place in Lone Wolf and Cub. Fans of comics set in historical Japan should definitely check this out. You'll be glad you did. I think it would also be a good fit for manga fans looking to try a non-Japanese comic. I enjoyed this book a lot, and look forward to reading more." – Panel Patter

• Review: "Yet another reason to love Fantagraphics is their meticulous sequential collections of classic newspaper strips such as... Hank Ketcham’s Dennis the Menace. This volume collects the strips from 1961 - 1962 in a huge 654-page volume. What has always stood out about the Dennis the Menace strips is that they were single panel cartoons. It takes an incredible level of talent write a single panel cartoon and Ketcham was one of the best. ... Truly a delight that has lost none of its humor in fifty years. Grade A" – Tim Janson, The Gouverneur Times

• Review: "West Coast Blues might be an off-kilter story of insufficiently motivated violence and random ennui, but it's a gorgeous-looking one." – Andrew Wheeler, The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

• Review: "...Ho Che Anderson's Sand & Fury... [is] a slightly twisty tale of sex, serial killers, and the supernatural, told very stylishly in black, white, and red. Blood and shadows therefore get a lot of play across Anderson's desolate southwestern landscapes; and although his lines can be thick and blocky, his figures evoke a good bit of emotion. There's a lot of nudity, a whole lot of violence, and so the plot can be boiled down to a very simple level: revenge, good vs. evil, etc. However, Anderson's anonymous main character, and the people she befriends, are more than just nominally sympathetic. I feel like I'm not doing the book justice, because it is a very raw tale, full of death and sex, and I liked it a lot." – Tom Bondurant, Robot 6

• Plug: Sequential spotlights Ho Che Anderson's Sand & Fury, saying it's "nice to see something new after he told Howard Chaykin he was giving up comics in the Comics Journal 300 interview."

• Plug: "King creator Ho Che Anderson has a brand new Scream Queen book, Sand & Fury. Ho's work always looks good, and I'm personally pretty happy to see this one..." – Chris Butcher, The Beguiling

• Interview: At Robot 6, Tim O'Shea talks to Ho Che Anderson about the new Special Edition of King ("That’s one thing I wish I could have done more of, slashing dialog, rewriting more of it, but at a certain point you gotta let it go. (Yes, George Lucas, I am talking about you.)") and his new graphic novel Sand & Fury ("To me, sex and horror or sex and violence seem to go naturally together. They seem to stem from the same twisted areas of our psyches. What scares us can often arouse us, sometimes despite ourselves, and vice versa.")

• Profile: CNN's Bob Greene pays tribute to Bill Mauldin on the occasion of the release of Mauldin's commemorative US postage stamp this month: "Mauldin, and his work, meant so much to the millions of Americans who fought in World War II, and to those who had waited for them to come home. He was a kid cartoonist for Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper; Mauldin's drawings of his muddy, exhausted, whisker-stubbled infantrymen Willie and Joe were the voice of truth about what it was like on the front lines." (hat tip to Walt Simonson)

• Commentary: At Comics Comics, Dan Nadel pulls a quote about Hal Foster from the interview with Burne Hogarth in The Comics Journal #166

Daily OCD: 3/2/10

mike

Today's dose of Online Commentary & Diversions:

• List: The great John Porcellino names Zak Sally's Like a Dog as one of his favorite comics of 2009 (unsurprising, since he wrote the introduction): "It's impossible for me to be objective about this book, as Zak is one of my closest friends, but this is a really powerful, fascinating collection of comics. Very dark, and even brutal sometimes, but bracing, and highly original."

• Interview: Blogcritics' Michael Jones talks to Femke Hiemstra about her art book Rock Candy: "I do not deliberately strive for a 'childlike' feel or a 'children's book gone wrong' atmosphere in my work. But I'm aware that that's what's in me and therefore in my work, so a vibe like that will of course be a part of it. It's a funny thing, now that I think about it."

• Plug: School Library Journal's "Good Comics for Kids" column recommends some snow-day reading, including The Complete Peanuts ("The volumes from the mid-1960s onward... feature the gang that younger readers know from the numerous TV specials, newspaper strips, and products, and would be a great way to occupy an eight or ten-year-old for a few hours on a snowy day") and Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace ("his penchant for mischief has enduring appeal")

New Comics Day 2/10/10

mike

We're a bit late with this update but perhaps your comics will be too, due to East Coast Snowpocalypse '010? It's a big day for Fantagraphics releases at comic shops across the land today, with the following titles scheduled to ship:

Chocolate Cheeks
By Steven Weissman

Newsarama calls it "adorably dark — or perhaps darkly adorable," Robot 6's Chris Mautner asserts "If you like the Our Gang comics or Archie or the general 'kids pal around, go on adventures and make each other miserable' type of comic, chances are you'll really like this," The Stranger's Paul Constant called it "a doozy of a book," somebody at Austin Books & Comics "is raving about the latest @fantagraphics 'Yikes' collection. Something about most warped kids since Garbage Pail Kids" and webcomic character Lydia Park declares "Weissman is a genius."

Most importantly, Steven says "When you get yours, post a pic to YIKES! friendship and we'll mail you a FREE GIFT!" It's for real!

Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1959-1962 Box Set
By Hank Ketcham

Robot 6's Chris Mautner declares "See Dennis bother the barber! Pester the construction workers! Annoy Margaret! Confuse Joey! And generally drive Mr. Wilson and his parents up a frickin' wall. All in the name of fun. And adorableness."

King: The Special Edition
By Ho Che Anderson

Robot 6's Chris Mautner calls it "lush," Jog highlights it, and Gosh! Comics admires my "big sausagey fingers" in the preview video.

Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s
By various artists; edited by Michael Dowers

Robot 6's Chris Mautner again: "I'm a sucker for discovering unexplored corners of comics history, and this collection of mini-comics from the Reagan era... seems to do just that." The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon says "A really good book and quite effective as raw" and then forgets to finish his sentence but be sure to read his full rave review. Jog predicts "the real fun will likely be in editor Michael Dowers' selection -- honed in on life signs of the older 'underground' period -- of now-obscure period talents..." There's also a nice plug from Gosh! Comics.

All right, your local shop can let you know if they got 'em (or order 'em for you if they didn't) and of course you can get your fill of previews and info at the links above.

Now in stock: Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1959-1962 Box Set & Slipcase

mike

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship:

Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1959-1962 Box Set
By Hank Ketcham

two 672-page black & white 5.5" x 6.25" hardcovers in a custom slipcase • $39.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-312-5
Add to Cart • More Info & Previews

slipcase also available separately, exclusively from Fantagraphics • $4.99
Add to Cart • More Info & Previews

A swell custom-designed case containing the fifth and sixth volumes of Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace with strips from the years 1959 through 1962. (Sorry, case is not peanut butter or root beer resistant.)

(Click the following links for more details on the 1959-1960 volume and the 1961-1962 volume, including preview excerpts.)

Daily OCD: 1/27/10

mike

Online Commentary & Diversions for today:

• Plug: Chris Mautner of Robot 6 declares Hotwire Comics Vol. 3 his Pick of the Week: "Here's another hefty sampling of edgy, in-your-face alternative comics, edited by Glenn Head, who provides the cover as well as a couple of interior stories as well. This volume boasts a rather impressive A-list of contributors, including Mary Fleener, Michael Kupperman, R. Sikoryak, Mack White, Johnny Ryan and more. The Sikoryak story in particular — a mash-up between Dennis the Menace and Hamlet — is worth checking out, as is the great, surreal tale from White. If nothing else, I'm grateful to Head for giving folks like White a place to get their comics published, as they're the kind of artists we don't seem to see enough of these days."

• Plug: Marc Arsenault at Wow Cool hypes Hotwire Comics Vol. 3

• Plug: "The third volume of Fantagraphics’ Harvey and Eisner nominated Hotwire has arrived and it looks great. ... The Complete Dennis the Menace 1961 - 1962 by Hank Ketcham. Read it." – Gosh! Comics Blog

• Elsewhere: Irwin Chusid reports the good news that Jim Flora's children's books will start coming back into print with new editions from Brooklyn-based indie press Enchanted Lion Books

• Things to see: At What Things Do, part 3 of Steven Weissman's "This Already Happened"

Now in stock: Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1961-1962 (Vol. 6)

mike

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship:

Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1961-1962 (Vol. 6)
By Hank Ketcham

Dennis vaults into the 1960s with his anarchic spirit still intact. As always, this book is a series of unrelated panel gags (with the exception of one week-long story involving Dennis’s mild-mannered grandpa), but what gags! Hank Ketcham is legendary for being one of the most exquisitely skilled cartoonists of all time, and each and every panel is a small masterpiece of design and draftsmanship.

Dennis the Menace 1961-1962 features Dennis’s long-suffering parents, the Wilsons, his dog Ruff, his best pal Joey, his nemesis Margaret, and a seemingly endless parade of babysitters, as well as hapless shopowners, policemen, teachers, and family friends, all of whom come to realize that it’s Dennis’s world... they just live in it!

Ketcham drew Dennis the Menace from 1951 to 1994, when he retired and let his assistant take over the strip. This sixth volume of Hank Ketcham’s Complete Dennis the Menace publishes every single panel strip from 1961 and 1962 in one handsome brick of a hardcover. Ketcham’s legendary pen and ink work achieves its full flowering in this volume as do the various situations and themes that Ketcham would return to again and again.

Download an EXCLUSIVE 30-page PDF excerpt (868 KB) with a FULL MONTH worth of strips!

672-page black & white 5.5" x 6.25" hardcover • $24.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-311-8
Add to Cart • More Info & Previews

Bill Mauldin & Dennis the Menace postage stamps

mike

The U.S. Postal Service honors Bill Mauldin and his creations Willie & Joe with this first-class stamp, available March 2010.

And Hank Ketcham's Dennis the Menace gets his own stamp as part of the "Sunday Funnies" pane going on sale in July, along with Mort Walker's most famous creation, and hopefully that's a Dan DeCarlo Archie drawing. (Can anyone knowledgable out there confirm it?)

(Via The Comics Reporter.)

Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1961-1962 & 1959-1962 Box Set - Previews, Pre-Order

mike

Now available for preview and pre-order: the 6th volume of our complete reprinting of Hank Ketcham's unparallelled run on Dennis the Menace, featuring a week-long visit from grandpa and panel after panel of Ketcham's exquisitely funny cartooning. Download an exclusive 30-page PDF excerpt containing a full month of strips right here.

Also up for pre-order now: the box set containing the 5th and 6th volumes, and the slipcase by itself for those who have purchased the volumes separately.

These items are scheduled to be in stock and ready to ship later this month and in stores (excluding the slipcase by itself, which is only available directly from us) shortly thereafter (subject to change).

View photo & video slideshow previews of the book and the box set embedded here. Click the preceding links if they are not visible, and/or to view them larger in a new window (recommended).

First Look: Fantagraphics Releases for December 2009

mike

We just turned in our listings for the October issue of Previews, for our releases scheduled for December. The issue won't be out for a few more weeks, but you can get a first look at what's on tap right here! Spoiler alert: it includes King: The Special Edition by Ho Che Anderson, the Newave! anthology of 1980s underground minicomix, the new volume of Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace, a new edition of the out-of-print 12th volume of The Complete Crumb Comics, Uptight #4 by Jordan Crane, and Chocolate Cheeks by Steven Weissman! Another great month full of great comics -- the Fantagraphics juggernaut juggers on!

Fall 09 - Winter 10 Preview Part 7

mike

All last week and this week we're bringing you a sneak peek at our Fall 2009 - Winter 2010 schedule of releases! Today's excerpt from our latest book distributor's catalog includes the anthology Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s; reprints of two volumes of The Complete Crumb Comics; Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1961-1962 (Vol. 6); and Krazy and Ignatz 1916-1918: "Love in a Kestle or Love in a Hut." (Note that all the info in this catalog is subject to change along the way to the books' release, including release dates, prices, cover art, book specs, etc.) Click here to download the PDF!

Daily links: 3/6/09

mike

• Review: Bookgasm says of Supermen!: "...any self-respecting comics fan is going to eat [these stories] up like a Saturday-morning bowl of sugared cereal … and slurp up any leftover milk. If there’s a better gift of comics history this year… well, I’d no doubt fall in love with that one, too... Fantagraphics has done an amazing job in assembling this unique and colorful curio."

• Review: Comics Worth Reading gives "a big tip of the hat to the fine folks at Fantagraphics for getting Sam's Strip back into print after all these decades. As usual, they have spared no expense in putting together a visually excellent package... If you ever had more than a passing interest in newspaper strips, you owe it to yourself to check out this collection."

• Review: The Christian Science Monitor recommends our "beautiful" volumes of Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace

• Preview: Monsters and Critics says Supermen! "should get all comics fans excited."

• Preview: La Cárcel de Papel says "do not miss" our previews of Sam's Strip by Mort Walker & Jerry Dumas (according to the Google translation)

• Preview: LaNuez looks at The Tijuana Bibles Vol. 9 (Google translation)

• History: In his Savage Critics post about "vaporware" comics projects culled from the pages of mid-1980s Amazing Heroes Preview Specials, Douglas Wolk digs up our never-produced Alan Moore anthology series and a choice quote from Kim Thompson

Daily links: 2/5/09

mike

• Blurb: Comics on the Brain found Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1951-1952 at an unusual place and got a great bargain

• Blurb: Manxom Vroom posts info about The Wolverton Bible by Basil Wolverton

• Blurb: Newsarama looks at the April Previews, including glimpses at some of our upcoming releases

• Oddity: A life-imitates-comics moment from Ellen Forney

Excerpt extravaganza: free downloads

mike

We've been busy bees making downloadable PDF excerpts available for several new and upcoming books. Unlike previously, when PDF previews were only available to registered users, these downloads are available to everyone (and of course they're free)! Download links are available on the product listing pages for the books listed and linked below. Try before you buy with these nice juicy chunks:

• Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1959-1960 - read all the strips from January 1959!
• Unlovable Vol. 1 - preview the first 20 pages!
• Humbug - see what the Humbug hullabaloo is all about by reading the entire first issue!
• Mome Vol. 14: Spring 2009 - sample 15 pages, including almost every artist in the issue!
• Sam's Strip - read the first full month of strips!
• The Wolverton Bible - read the first 12 pages, comprising most of Genesis 1-6!

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

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
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