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)

* Other People's Publications
** Yeah, You Know Me.

"Down With OPP" is our erratically-scheduled column where we spotlight books by other publishers that we carry at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.  And I'm excited to announce we just got in a batch of Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown, out now from our friends at Chronicle Books!

This is a charming little book that depicts what it might've been like if Darth Vader had raised Luke Skywalker as a kid: bedtime stories about Darth Maul, trips to the zoo to see the banthas, afternoon baseball games with the lightsaber. You don't have to be a parent to appreciate the book, and you don't even have to be a Star Wars fanatic. After all, this kind-of humor is universal, amiright?:

But, y'know, Fathers Day is coming up on Sunday, June 17th, and this nice little embossed hardcover book makes a great gift for any Dad, even if he isn't a dark lord of the Sith. Why, you could even get it personalized this Saturday, June 2nd as Jeffrey will be making an appearance at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery from 6:00 to 8:00 PM! 

Yours truly will be awkwardly interviewing him about comics and his new film (!!!), the romantic comedy Save the Date, which will be screening Thursday, May 31st and Friday, June 1st at the Seattle International Film Festival.  (In fact, I'm told there's artwork by fellow Fantagraphics artists Paul Hornschemeier and Anders Nilsen around the set of the movie!) It's going to be a great night, and we may even have some special guests joining us... Plus, our own Larry Reid will be unveiling his latest power tool racer!

The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is 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.

Please join us at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery as we welcome two of the country’s most acclaimed contemporary cartoonists: Jeffrey Brown on Saturday, June 2 and Joe Sacco on Saturday, June 9. These remarkable artists represent the current diversity of alternative comix and their potential to impact both popular and political culture.

Upon graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago, Jeffrey Brown came to the attention of comix readers with works dealing with relationships and romantic misadventures. His primitive rendering style complemented his candid observations in a series of accessible graphic novels comprising the “Girlfriend Trilogy.” His recent work has taken a turn to humor and satire. Public response to his latest book, Darth Vader and Son (Chronicle Books, April 2012), has been nothing short of phenomenal. Brown imagines the Dark Lord in the role of “Father Knows Best” to mischievous young Skywalker. At once ridiculous and revealing, Darth Vader and Son resonates with generations of Star Wars fans. As co-writer of the new movie, Save the Date, Brown will appear at the Seattle International Film Festival with director Michael Mohan following screenings on Thursday, May 31 and Friday, June 1. This romantic comedy, nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, also features Brown’s comics. At his appearance at Fantagraphics Bookstore on June 2 at 6:00 PM, Brown will discuss his comix career followed by a book signing and informal reception.  

Joe Sacco’s journalism studies at the University of Oregon informed his career in comix. Following a trip to the occupied territories of the Middle East in 1991, Fantagraphics Books published his provocative comic book series Palestine. Sacco’s unfiltered portrayal of the tragic consequences of the continuing conflict helped alter American perceptions of Palestinian refugees. Now in its 14th printing, Joe Sacco’s Palestine is widely regarded as one of the transformative works in the comix medium. He has subsequently visited other regions ravaged by war and reported on the suffering of civilian populations, including atrocities in the Balkans (Safe Area Gorazde), Chechnya (Chechen War, Chechen Women), and elsewhere. His latest work, Journalism (Metropolitan Books, June 2012), collects Sacco’s documentary reports from North Africa, India, Iraq, and other areas of social and political unrest. Sacco will discuss his unique approach to comix and journalism prior to signing books at Fantagraphics Bookstore from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Saturday, June 9. Arrive early and enjoy the colorful Georgetown Carnival arts festival featuring lively visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic neighborhood.

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

Listing Information:

Jeffrey Brown discussion and book signing
Saturday, June 2, 6:00 to 8:00 PM

Joe Sacco discussion and book signing
Saturday, June 9, 6:00 to 8:00 PM

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale Street, Seattle
206.658.0110

Monday, May 21st

• Seattle, WA: Our friends at the Elysian Brewing Company will be launching the latest edition in our 12 Beers of the Apocalypse series, a collaboration featuring the artwork of the great Charles Burns from his weirdly apocalyptic Black Hole series! (more info)

Friday, May 25th

• DeKalb, IL:  It's your last chance to check out the exhibition “Graphic Novel Realism: Backstage at the Comics” at the Northern Illinois Unversity Art Museum, curated by our own Paul Karasik, and featuring work by Joyce Farmer, Jaime Hernandez, Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash, as well as Jason Lutes, Seth and James Sturm! (more info)

Saturday, May 26th

• Seattle, WA:  And it's your last chance to check out the exhibit "Collecting: Art is a Slippery Slope" at the Wright Exhibition Space, featuring the NASCAR collection of our own Larry Reid, curator and manager of the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. Or you can come to our many awesome events at the store in June, and Larry can show you the fancy exhibit catalog instead! (more info)

Study Group editor/impresario Zack Soto recounts his trip from Portland to Seattle last weekend for the opening of the art show he curated at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, which remains on display through June 6. Head on over for fun-time stories and pics of comics pals! And if you haven't checked out the exhibit yet, get yourself down to Georgetown — it's a great show and there are still some pieces left for sale at ridiculously affordable prices!

Join us on consecutive Saturdays in June as Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery welcomes two remarkable cartoonists back to Seattle. Jeffrey Brown will appear on Saturday, June 2 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. He'll discuss his role as co-writer of the romantic comedy "Save the Date" (which will screen the night before at the Seattle International Film Festival) and sign copies of his new book Darth Vader and Son. 

The following Saturday, June 9 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM we're pleased to present Joe Sacco celebrating his new book Journalism. Visitors to this signing will be among the first in the nation to see the book, which will be offically released 10 days later. Don't miss this opportunity to meet this extraordinary artist and pick up an advance copy of the book. Bonus! This event coincides with the colorful and wildly entertaining Georgetown Carnival arts festival.

As the year progesses we'll host appearances by some of the legendary figures in contemporary comix, including Gary Panter, Charles Burns, the Hernandez Brothers, and more!

Come to Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery this Saturday, May 12 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM and discover emerging artists associated with Zack Soto’s Portland-based publishing house Study Group. Enjoy an exhibition of original art, prints and book works by an array of independent cartoonists that represent some of the best in the small press movement.

Join Zack Soto, T. Edward Bak, Ian MacEwan, Kazimir Strzepek, and other exhibiting artists at this festive art opening. This event coincides with the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic arts community.

Fantagraphics Bookstore is located at 1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport Way S.) only minutes from downtown Seattle. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110. See you all soon.