Monday, October 22nd

• Seattle, WA: The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to co-present "Building Comix with Charles Burns and Chris Ware" at Town Hall. The modest $5.00 admission fee can be redeemed on the purchase of any book at the signing following the presentation. (more info)

Tuesday, October 23rd

• Eugene, OR: The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR is hosting the exhibit GOOD GRIEF! Original Art from 50 Years of Charles M. Schulz's PEANUTS, and curator Ben Saunders will interview Jan Eliot about her experiences with Charles Schulz and her own career as the artist of the nationally successful newspaper strip "Stone Soup." (more info)

• Portland, OR: Editors Nico Vassilakis & Crag Hill will be joined by contributor James Yeary to perform a collage of excerpts of essays from The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008 at Gallery 214 on the campus of the Pacific Northwest College of Art. (more info) 

Friday, October 26th

• Portland, OR: It's your last day to check out pages of The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008 on display at Gallery 214 on the campus of the Pacific Northwest College of Art. (more info)  

• Seattle, WA: Jaap Blonk, revered Dutch voice virtuoso and contributor to The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008, will be performing at the Chapel Performance Space, as part of the annual Earshot Jazz Festival. (more info)

Saturday, October 27th

• Minneapolis, MN:  Visual poet John M. Bennett is bringing The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008 to the Cheap Theatre at the Black Forest Inn for an afternoon of avant poems, group sounds, collaborations, and more. (more info)

• Chicago, IL: See Lilli Carré at the annual Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation. For more Fanta-fantasticness, this year's programs were designed by Ivan Brunetti! (more info) 

Sunday, October 28th

• Los Angeles, CA: Both Steven Weissman and Ron Regé Jr. will be  signing and reading from their brand-new books, Barack Hussein Obama and The Cartoon Utopia, at Skylight Books. Mind-blowing! (more info)

• Chicago, IL: It's your last day to catch Lilli Carré at the annual Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation! (more info)  

Thursday, October 18th

• Chicago, IL: Cartoonist and comics scholar Ivan Brunetti will discuss his work, both in and out of the classroom, followed by a Q&A, at EnergyBBDO offices. This event is free and open to the public! (more info)

Friday, October 19th

• Portland, OR: Today kicks off the three-day event The Projects: International Festival of Experimental Comics and Narrative Arts, featuring Fantagraphics artists Frank Santoro, Sammy Harkham, Jason T. Miles, among many others! (more info) 

Saturday, October 20th

• Seattle, WA: Join us at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery for a signing with Charles Burns, Gabrielle Bell and Tom Kaczynski from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Charles will be debuting The Hive, the much-anticipated follow-up to 2010’s sensational dreamscape, X’ed Out. (more info)

• Seattle, WA: Jaap Blonk, revered Dutch voice virtuoso and contributor to The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008, presents a full live show with visuals at the Northwest Film Forum on Capitol Hill at 5:00 PM! (more info)

• Portland, OR: Workshops, panels, and more will continue to happen at The Projects: International Festival of Experimental Comics and Narrative Arts! (more info) 

Sunday, October 21st

• Seattle, WA: Join Charles Burns at the Elysian Brewing Company for the monthly unveiling of the latest flavor in their "12 Beers of the Apocalypse" series, "Omen"! (more info) 

• Portland, OR: Today's your last day to check out The Projects: International Festival of Experimental Comics and Narrative Arts! (more info)  

Monday, October 22nd

• Seattle, WA: The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to co-present "Building Comix with Charles Burns and Chris Ware" at Town Hall. The modest $5.00 admission fee can be redeemed on the purchase of any book at the signing following the presentation. (more info)

Limber up those drawin' fingers, Chicago! October is the time of The Big Draw, a festival of informal drawing programs, all across the city, all dang month long!

And on Thursday, October 18th, the beloved cartoonist and comics scholar Ivan Brunetti will lead a FREE creative salon! Join Ivan from 4:00 to 6:00 PM as he discusses his work, both in and out of the classroom, followed by a Q&A, at EnergyBBDO offices [ 410 North Michigan Avenue ].  

Stop by after work, grab some snacks and a beer, and listen to and learn from this renowned Chicago artist. An opportunity not to be missed!

The most delicious comic-con ever debuts this weekend, Saturday, June 16th and Sunday, June 17th... Introducing CAKE: the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo, a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, inspired by Chicago’s rich legacy as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists!

While Fantagraphics won't be tabling there ourselves (sob!), many of our wonderful artists will be there, as featured guests, panelists, exhibitors, or probably just walkin' around somewhere.

Some of the featured guests include:

• Jeffrey Brown Table 57
• Lilli Carré Table 1
• Paul Hornschemeier Table 71
• Anders Nilsen Table 80
• Laura Park (who did that gorgeous poster, btw!) Table 1
• Jeremy Tinder Table 3

Some more exhibitors:

• Gabrielle Bell
• Nick Drnaso
• Charles Forsman
• Justin Hall
• Kevin Huizenga
• Tom Kaczynski
• Jim Rugg
• Leslie Stein 

And check out these panels with our Fantagraphics artists! Why, it's the icing on the... okay, I'll stop:

•  Crude and Rude: Comics and Vulgarity: featuring Ivan Brunetti , Lisa Hanawalt, Hellen Jo and Onsmith, moderated by Josh Reinwald and Justin Rosenberg (Sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore)

•  Jeffrey Brown Makes a Minicomic: Jeffrey Brown makes a minicomic in 1 hour!

•  Double Vision: Comics and Animation: with a Q&A featuring Jo Dery, Jim Trainor, Amy Lockhart and Marc Bell, presented by the Eyeworks Animation Festival (Lilli Carré and Alexander Stewart)

•  Start a Micropress: featuring Sarah Becan, Austin English, Jesjit Gill, Annie Koyama, Greg Means and Caroline Paquita, moderated by Zak Sally

•  Comics In Chicago: The Past 10 Years (Sponsored by the Chicago Independent Radio Project - CHIRP): featuring Ezra Claytan Daniels, Lyra Hill, Paul Hornschemeier, Robin Hustle and Jeremy Tinder, moderated by Edie Fake;

•  Queer Communities, Queer Anthologies: featuring Justin Hall, Robert Kirby and Annie Murphy, moderated by Noah Berlatsky (Sponsored by Little Heart, a Comic Anthology for Marriage Equality)

•  Kevin Huizenga, Anders Nilsen and John Porcellino in Conversation, moderated by Caitlin McGurk

•  Violent Line: Mark-Making and Meaning: featuring Anya Davidson, Charles Forsman, Patrick Kyle, Grant Reynolds, Conor Stetchschulte, Lale Westvind and Mickey Zacchilli, moderated by Noel Freibert

•  Real Life: A Roundatable on Women and Graphic Autobiography: featuring Rina Ayuyang, Lucy Knisley, Keiler Roberts, Marian Runk, Leslie Stein, Julia Wertz

CAKE will be held at the Columbia College of Chicago's Ludington Building [ 1104 S. Wabash (8th Floor) ] from 11 AM to 6 PM. It is free and open to the public.  Go, and give our artists a hug and your money.

Hey Chicago! Stop whatever you're doing (yes, that means reading the FLOG) and go register for this NOW! Space is limited, and you do NOT want to miss out.

It's the Comics: Philosophy & Practice conference at the University of Chicago, held May 18th-20th.  And the line-up will make any comics-fan's head spin: it features Ivan Brunetti, Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, R. Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Gary Panter, Joe Sacco, Carol Tyler, and Chris Ware, as well as Lynda Barry, Alison Bechdel, Phoebe Gloeckner, Justin Green, Ben Katchor, Françoise Mouly, Seth, and Art Spiegelman... WOW.

Oh, and did I mention it's FREE? Why are you still reading this?! Registration opens TODAY (Friday, April 13th), but space is limited, so don't delay!

The Art Insitute of Chicago is holding a panel on "Comic Art and Fine Art," and who better to speak on that than our own Ivan Brunetti!

Join Ivan this Thursday, April 12th, along with fellow panelists Neal Adams, Geofrey Darrow, and J.J. Sedelmaier (YES! Saturday TV Funhouse!). They'll be discussing the history and future of this popular -- and populist -- art form. Richard Holland, co-founder of Bad at Sports podcast moderates.

The panel starts at 6:00 PM in the Rubloff Auditorium of the Art Insitute of Chicago [ 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago ]. Free with museum admission and for students with ID. "Comic Art and Fine Art" is held in advance for their major summer exhibition, Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective.

Tuesday, April 10th

• San Francisco, CA: Author Monte Schulz is bringing The Big Town to the big town of San Francisco, signing at the Modern Times Bookstore Collective! (more info)

• San Francisco, CA: And uncannily, editor Pat Thomas is also in the Bay Area that day, doing a signing and discussion of Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 at Booksmith! (more info)

• Seattle, WA: This is your last day to check out the wonderful Real Comet Press retrospective at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, featuring original artwork by Lynda Barry, Michael Dougan, Art Chantry, and Ruth Hayes, among others. (more info)

Wednesday, April 11th

• Santa Rosa, CA:  Monte Schulz will be reading and signing The Big Town at Copperfields! (more info)

Thursday, April 12th

• Chicago, IL:  Our own Ivan Brunetti will be part of a panel at the Art Insitute of Chicago titled "Comic Art and Fine Art"! More info is coming to the FLOG later today!

• Corte Madera, CA:  And author Monte Schulz wraps up his California book tour dates for The Big Town with a stop at BookPassage. (more info)

Friday, April 13th

• Salt Lake City, UT: Join author/editor Kevin Avery at The King's English Bookshop for a discussion and signing for Everything is an Afterthought: The Life & Writings of Paul Nelson! (more info)

 Saturday, April 14th

• Seattle, WA:  Join us at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery for the opening reception of “Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby’s Romance Comics.” The interpretive exhibition opens with a discussion by Michel Gagné, author of a recent collection of the same title from Fantagraphics Books! (more info)

• Oakland, CA: It's opening night for the exhibition Modern Cartoonist: The Art of Daniel Clowes at the Oakland Museum of Art! Lots more details are coming to the FLOG later this week!

• Park City, UT:  And author/editor Kevin Avery concludes his mini-tour of Utah with a signing and discussion at Dolly’s Bookstore for Everything is an Afterthought: The Life & Writings of Paul Nelson. (more info)

Sunday, April 15th

 • New York City, NY:  It's your final day to check out the exhibit Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women at the Yeshiva University Museum in the Center for Jewish History. The exhibit features the work of Miss Lasko-Gross, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Trina Robbins, and Diane Noomin, alongside a ton of other amazing female artists. I'm heading to New York this week and am hoping to see it myself before the exhibit closes! (more info)

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship to our mail-order customers:

Nancy Is Happy: Complete Dailies 1943-1945
by Ernie Bushmiller
introduction by Daniel Clowes

336-page black & white 8.5" x 8.5" flexibound softcover • $24.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-360-6

See Previews / Order Now

For many years, Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy, with its odd-looking, squat heroine, nearly abstract art, and often super-corny gags, was perceived as the stodgiest, squarest comic strip in the world. Popular with newspaper read- ers, true — but definitely not a strip embraced by comic-strip connoisseurs, like Krazy Kat, Dick Tracy or Terry and the Pirates.

But then those connoisseurs took a closer look, and began to realize that Bushmiller’s art approached its own kind of cartoon perfection, and those corny gags often achieved a striking zen quality. In its own way, it turned out Nancy was in fact the most iconic comic strip of all. (The American Heritage Dictionary actually uses a Nancy strip to illustrate its entry on “comic strip.”)

Charter members of the Nancy revival include Art Spiegelman, who published Mark Newgarden’s famous “Love’s Savage Fury” (featuring Nancy and Bazooka Joe) in an early issue of RAW; Fletcher Hanks anthologist Paul Karasik; Zippy the Pinhead creator Bill Griffith; underground publisher Denis Kitchen, who released several volumes of Nancy collections in the 1980s; Understanding Comics’ Scott McCloud, who created the “Five-Card Nancy” card game; Joe Brainard, who produced an entire Nancy Book of paintings in 2008; and Andy Warhol, who produced a painting based on Nancy.

Beginning in the Winter of 2011, fans will be dancing with joy as Fantagraphics unveils an ongoing Nancy reprint project. Each volume will contain a whopping full three years of daily Nancy strips (a Sunday Nancy project looms in the future), collected in a fat, square (what else, for the “squarest” strip in the world?) package designed by Jacob (Popeye, Beasts!, Willie and Joe) Covey.

This first volume will collect every daily strip from 1943 to 1945. (Fantagraphics will eventually release Nancy’s first five years, 1938-1942, but given the scarcity of archival material for these years we are giving ourselves some extra time to collate it all.)

This first Nancy volume will feature an introduction by another stellar Bushmiller fan, Daniel Clowes (from whose collection most of the strips in this volume were scanned), a biography of the artist, and much more.

Order this book and receive this FBI•MINI comic as a FREE bonus! The very best dailies (and Sundays) from the legendary "audition" by Ivan Brunetti to take over the Nancy strip in a perfect Bushmiller style. Click here for details. Limit one per customer while supplies last.

Find out the bittersweet autobiographical backstory behind Ivan Brunetti's cover illustration for the new issue of The New Yorker, and a slideshow of Ivan's other New Yorker covers, at the magazine's "Culture Desk" blog.

[Follow our Tumblr blog for lots more Things to See every day.]

Oh hey! We (I) forgot to tell you when we (I) posted the previews to Nancy Is Happy: Complete Dailies 1943-1945 by Ernie Bushmiller: when you order that book from us, you'll get The Nancy Auditions V.1, one of our FREE bonus FBI•MINI comics, containing Ivan Brunetti's legendary tryout strips when he auditioned (unsuccessfully) to take over the strip! Ivan made his best, sincere go of it in perfect Bushmiller style and this is the first "official" release of these strips!