In an ongoing effort to nurture young talent and provide a showcase for emerging artists, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery presents “The Massive World of Mini Comics.” This exhibition features art created by young students who attended an 826 Seattle workshop devoted to comic zines taught by Seattle cartoonists Max Clotfelter, Ben Horak and Tim Miller, and facilitated by Fantagraphics Books and Alex Bleecker, program coordinator for 826 Seattle. The opening on Saturday, July 14, and the work will remain on display through August 9.

Instructors Clotfelter, Horak and Miller are active participants in Seattle’s lively small press and self-publishing comics movement. 826 Seattle is a nonprofit writing and tutoring center dedicated to helping youth, ages 6-18, improve their creative and expository writing skills, in addition to helping teachers inspire students to write. The Seattle chapter is part of 826 National, founded in 2002 by acclaimed author Dave Eggers and educator Ninive Calegari.

The opening on Saturday, July 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM coincides with the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic arts community. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street at Airport Way S. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Swing on by July 14th or after to experience youth developing their writing skills through the medium of comics!

Please note Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, as well as our administrative offices and mail order department will be closed on Wednesday, the Fourth of July. Back in action on Thursday, July 5.

From our fine colleagues at Éditions Cornélius comes this gorgeous and excellently-titled hardcover collection La Crème de Crumb, of interest to Fantagraphics loyalists because a) duh, it's Crumb and b) it includes the 1988 interview with Crumb from The Comics Journal #121 by our fearless leader Gary Groth, translated into French (as are all the comics, natch). Francophone Seattleites take note, we'll have a couple of copies for sale at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery next week.

Graphic artist Dale Yarger was at the center of activity in Seattle throughout the 1980s and '90s as our city prepared to engage popular culture on a global scale. Yarger's tenure at The Rocket magazine in the 1980s included designing Bruce Pavitt's monthly Sub Pop column, where he refined the look and the ubiquitous logo of the future record label. He moved from there to the position of head art director at Fantagraphics Books during the formative period of alternative comix. He later left to become art director of The Stranger and helped guide that magazine to regional prominence and a national profile. Sadly, Yarger lost a long battle with cancer and passed away earlier this year at the age of 61.

The public is invited to celebrate the legacy of this remarkable artist at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Sunday, July 1st from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. "A Tribute to Dale Yarger" will include an exhibition of Dale's memorable design work, along with testimonials and anecdotes from his many friends and colleagues in Seattle. Please join us. The exhibition will remain on view through July 10, 2012.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street in the heart of Seattle's historic Georgetown arts community. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110.

photo credit: Fantagraphics editorial intern, Matt Burke

This past weekend, the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery welcomed back the acclaimed Joe Sacco to discuss his forthcoming release, Journalism, out later this month from Metropolitan Books. 

The last time we were lucky to have a visit from Joe was in 2007, when he and our Store Manager/Curator Larry Reid discussed Palestine: The Special Edition. You can watch video from that here. And, as you'll see in the video below, it was another riveting discussion, this time with our head honcho Gary Groth at the helm!

(Sadly, I missed the first couple of minutes of their talk, sorry!)

You can also check out some more beautiful shots from our new Editorial Intern Matt Burke (and some not-as-beautiful iPhone shots from me), both below, and on the Fantagraphics Flickr feed!

Gary Groth rocks the mic // photo credit: Matt Burke

The crowd before the Q&A began // photo credit: Matt Burke

Joe chats with local cartoonist Kelly Froh while Fantagraphics' own Russ Battaglia gives a grin

Joe signs a book for Marketing Director Mike Baehr

If you can't wait for the official release date, the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is the only place on the planet where you can get it before June 19th!  I bet your Dad would like a copy! We're located at 1201 S. Vale Street in Seattle's Georgetown district. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone: (206) 658-0110.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Wait, what am I saying?  It was earlier this month at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, fer crissakes. 

We were delighted to be joined by Jeffrey Brown, who was in town for a screening of his film Save the Date at the Seattle International Film Festival!  He graciously signed copies of his best-selling new book Darth Vader and Son, and even more graciously (way more graciously), chat with lil' ol me about the new movie, his upcoming books, and, well... cats. Kinda.

[ Warning: lots of giggling... ugh... ]

We still have some copies of Darth Vader and Son at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, so swing on by 1201 S. Vale Street in Seattle's Georgetown district. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone: (206) 658-0110.

Wednesday, June 6th

• New York City, NY:  Are you attending BookExpo America? Hey, so are we! Visit us at Booth #3422. Noah Van Sciver will be signing copies of The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln from 1-3 PM, and you can catch him at 11 AM on the Uptown Stage as part of the panel "Meet 2012 Graphic Novel Authors!"

Thursday, June 7th

• New York City, NY:  You've got another chance to meet Noah Van Sciver at Booth #3422 at the BookExpo America. He'll be signing copies of The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln from 10 AM-12 PM.

Saturday, June 9th

• Seattle, WA: The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to present Joe Sacco celebrating his new book Journalism. Sacco will discuss his unique approach to comix and journalism prior to signing books from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. (more info)

• Worldwide: Our warehouse hero Ajax Wood (occasionally Cannibal Fuckface) can be heard worldwide at 9 PM PT with his old band Last Gasp (cough) on radio station KEXP, streaming online across the globe at KEXP.ORG, or at 90.3 FM if you live in Seattle. (Full disclosure: fine, yeah, I work there, too.)

• Spokane, WA:  And Jen Vaughn, the latest addition to our marvelous marketing team, will be making an appearance at the Saranac Art Projects, giving a talk about life at The Center for Cartoon Studies! She'll also be available to review your portfolios, so head over there at 2 PM! (more info)

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "The sad, forgotten beauty of the in-between moments of daily life: playing a board game at a kitchen table just cleared from a family dinner; listening to music having just slipped off your shoes; daydreaming while doing the dishes. What would it be like if a series of graphic novellas tried to capture these moments? What if it also featured an omnipresent, invisible rabbit that could change sizes and a dark, cloud-shaped creature ('the Big Blind') living in the basement of an apartment building that fed on the memories, dreams, and nightmares of its inhabitants? It would probably be something like the Italian comic-book creator Gabriella Giandelli’s... Interiorae." – Nicholas Rombes, Oxford American

• Preview: At The Beat, Jessica Lee presents a 5 page sneak peek of the new book by Josh Simmons, saying "Toying with the vulnerability of characters that seem timelessly recognizable, i.e. fairies in a fantastical land or a batman-esque figure scaling a wall, The Furry Trap is a graphic novel that is set to shock and appall its reader, yet Simmons is able to retain an even stronger range of visual style that makes this graphic novel’s scope extend further than being just a horrific tale."

• Plug: "...[T]he new volume of Prince Valiant, volume 5, is here and an event all its own. Fantagraphics' new hardcover printings of these wonderful Hal Foster Sunday pages offers the finest reproduction yet, far superior to their old softcover series. While I own the original Sunday pages, collected years ago, I could not resist sitting down with these new volumes and getting re-hooked on the stories AND art by one of the very true masters of comic art." – Bud Plant

• Plug: "Out of the Shadows deserves your attention. Meskin is one of my favorite artists from the 1940s and 1950s.... Mort's work here are some of the hidden gems of the Golden Age.... This book comes a long way to reveal this incredible talent who rose above the mass of Golden Age artists." – Bud Plant

• Interview: I think we missed this February 2011 interview with Jaime Hernandez on the SiDEBAR podcast — The Comics Reporter caught it

• Commentary: At The Comics Reporter, Tom Spurgeon on becoming a regular Love and Rockets reader via the Mechanics reprint series

• Scene: The Seattle Star's Heather Logue reports on Saturday's Jeffrey Brown signing at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery: "And truthfully I did spend much of my time at the reading trying desperately to stop picturing in my mind the cartoon genitalia he’d drawn dozens of times in his books. Awkward."

• Scene: Jen Vaughn is driving cross country to start her new job here at Fantagraphics and she's making stops along the way to do portfolio reviews and evangelize for her former employer, the Center for Cartoon Studies. I think we picked a good one!

The FantaMenace is our entry in Hazardfactory's annual Power Tool Races at the Georgetown Carnival next Saturday. Powered by a Makita disc sander and built by Close Enough Engineering on a concept by Larry and Bella, this tool is wicked quick. We plan a triumphant return to the podium this year after our 2010 victory in the Georgetown Chainsaw Massacre. Don't miss Joe Sacco, Girl Trouble, Bubble Man and so much more. Free fun all day long. Listen to Fantgraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid discuss the Carnival with Marco Collins on Tuesday at 3:30 PM on Jet City Streamradio.

Wednesday, May 30th

• Hanover, NH: Join our very own Jen Vaughn at the The Howe Library for a lecture and discussion on Mother, Come Home by Paul Hornschemeier! (more info)

Thursday, May 31st

• Brooklyn, NY:  It's your last chance to see the exhibit Drew Friedman: My Way, his very first New York gallery show of comic strip and illustration art at the Scott Eder Gallery! (more info)

• Seattle, WA:  Join Jeffrey Brown at the SIFF Cinema Uptown for a screening of his new film Save the Date! See if you can spot artwork by  Paul Hornschemeier and Anders Nilsen around the set! (more info)

Friday, June 1st

• Seattle, WA:  It's your last chance to catch the Jeffrey Brown film Save the Date, this time over at the Harvard Exit theater! (more info)

Saturday, June 2nd

• Seattle, WA:  And then join us at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery as we welcome Jeffrey Brown for a book signing and informal reception, plus yours truly will be interviewing him about the new movie, his comics, and knowing me, probably cats. (more info)