• The Deconstructing Comics podcast talks about I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks

• Publishers Weekly's "Comics Week" newsletter reviews Sublife Vol. 1 by John Pham

• The Daily Cross Hatch posts the third and final part of their interview with Dash Shaw

• Roger Langridge presents some Spongebob Squarepants strips he drew for Nickelodeon magazine in the styles of Winsor McCay, George Herriman, Milton Caniff, Charles M. Schulz and others

Congratulations to Daniel Clowes, Jason, Paul Karasik and Cathy Malkasian, all of whom took home awards on Friday night at San Diego's annual Eisner Awards gala (they even had Sam Jackson presenting!). Clowes won "Best Short Story" for his "Mr. Wonderful" strip from the NY Times Magazine; while Jason and I Killed Adolf Hitler won for "Best U.S. Edition of  Novel"; Paul Karasik took home the "Best Archival Collection" for I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets: The Comics of Fletcher Hanks; Malkasian was this year's Russ Manning Award Winner for Most Promising Newcomer, for her 2007 book, Percy Gloom. Congratulations to all!

Tom Spurgeon at Comics Reporter has the scoop on our forth-coming collection which will, according to expert/editor Paul Karasik, compile the last of all the stories Fletcher Hanks ever did. Check the CR site on Monday for all the details. 

Meanwhile, congratulations Paul Karasik for the Eisner win for Best Archival Collection with the first book of Hanks' work! 

Here's more interview audio for your listening/downloading pleasure today: Paul Karasik talks Fletcher Hanks with Worcester, MA NPR station WICN's "Inquiry" program.

Paul Karasik sends along photos and reports from last weekend's event in Brooklyn:

Well, it happened. Karasik and Newgarden in the same place at the same time. Tears of joy were wept by those in attendance. Tears of sorrow were wept for those who were not. An exhibit of Garbage Pail Kids rejects and Fletcher Hanks' student work remains on display at Desert Island in Williamsburg, a very fine book store.

More photos (all © Peter Angelo Simon) can be seen here; more info about this event can be read here.

Paul Karasik just sent along the unfortunate news that Fletcher Hanks, Jr., passsed away this week at the age of 90. Hanks, known by friends as "Christy," is the son of comic book pioneer Fletcher Hanks, Sr.

Christy was unaware of his estranged father's history in comics until Paul hunted him down to learn more about the (still) mysterious cartoonist. Paul sent over these photos shortly after completing the book "I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets"-- a collection of Hanks' comic book output. The picture below shows Christy's discovery that the book was dedicated to him.

As a pilot, inventor, and WWII veteran, Christy lived quite a life himself. Please read the obituary here.

You have exactly one-week to go over to the Comics Journal website and waste perfectly valuable work time reading an interview with Paul Karasik about Fletcher Hanks. Hanks is featured on the cover of the Journal's Best of the Year issue and they are offering the contents on-line for free this week only as a promotion.

Also, if you in in NYC this coming weekend, Paul will be signing books at Jim Hanley's Universe on Friday, March 14 from 5-7. After the Karasik signing, head on over to Rocketship in Brooklyn for a Hotwire nightcap at 8PM!

...and then on Saturday, March 15, Karasik will be giving a workshop on "Comics Deconstruction" at SPLAT: the Graphic Novel Symposium.

Jacob: "Did Norman Mailer really call Laura Warholic "brilliantly written?"

Eric: "He did! Very shortly before he died. Much like Vonnegut did with Fletcher Hanks. We're killing America's greatest writers."

Eric Reynolds pointed out the blog of "Antonius Radio Comix," a bewilderingly anti-comics cartoonist's blog and then Mike Baehr made the keen observation that "surely this guy is the Fletcher Hanks of comics blogging." And so I introduce to you: Antonius.

"I drew a cartoon for playboy I can not scan and neither show here, but it was that experiance in which things seemed to turn for me, and my armor first started to shred. It was their reaction to a cartoon I sent in in august for a nov or dec holiday issue. Their reaction was of a type which went beyond any dislike I ever saw before , and my mom thought, with her hatred for Hef and his published gynocological exams flying , said I got what I deserved. When you fuck a pig you get warts, she told me in Italian..."

To follow his thoughts on our Fletcher Hanks book I recommend you start with the entry of November 29 and work back: "I was once offered a jesuit scholarship due to a papers I wrote in tenth grade about Remus, the first victim of Romulus and his need for power,Leonardo, even the tuscans and such.... But for the pages I now see, I am almost speechless, they are that joyous."

And yet: "My new found love of Fletcher Hanks came to a sad bust..."