Wrapping up another week's worth of Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Bookmark: Presenting the newly redesigned BobFingerman.com

• Feature: At the Washington Post blog Double X, Sasha Watson recounts the emergence of female underground and alternative cartoonists, talking to Trina Robbins, Carol Tyler, and others, with an accompanying slideshow featuring Tyler, Jessica Abel, Lilli Carré and 10 more

• Review: "I really love comics. Reading a collection like Joe Daly's Red Monkey Double Happiness Book, I'm reminded of just why. ... It's drawn like a combination of Tintin, Dilbert, and King of the Hill. It's hilarious, both in terms of the plot and the one-liners. So, like so many other great comics, it's sui generis. ... Daly's plots move at a breezy pace, but his art is sharply detailed, and drawn expertly from a variety of perspective points. The palette is vibrant and fun. ...[T]his is some seriously funny shit." – Byron Kerman, PLAYBACK:stl

• Review: "Rickheit’s artwork [in The Squirrel Machine] is stunning, from the beautifully disgusting instruments to the ornate architecture. It’s like steampunk crossed with the animal-appropriating art of Damien Hirst or Ebony Andrews, with complicated machines adorned with the heads and torsos of unfortunate livestock." – Garrett Martin, The Boston Herald

• Review: "It's like a great adaptation of an old 1990s straight-to-video erotic thriller made unpredictable with a touch of magical realism. Hernandez's strength remains his depictions of women; like Love and Rockets, the female leads of The Troublemakers are both strong and believable, no matter how atypical their situations and dimensions may seem. – Garrett Martin, The Boston Herald (same link as above)

• Review...?: "Prison Pit is un-reviewable; it is what it is... [Johnny] Ryan is one crazy motherfucker, man — and I mean that in the nicest possible way." – Andrew Wheeler, The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

• Plug: Cartoonist Mike Lynch ogles the photos of Gahan Wilson: Fifty Years of Playboy Cartoons and shares a delightful Wilson anecdote

• Interview: Graphic Novel Reporter's John Hogan talks to Greg Sadowski, editor of Supermen! and our upcoming series of Golden Age reprints: "Any comic I want to read I can borrow from one of the collectors I know. I don’t need to own them. As you get older, you realize the folly of having too many possessions."

• Interview: Graphic Novel Reporter's John Hogan talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning author and well-known Love and Rockets fan Junot Díaz about his favorite comics; of course, L&R comes up

• Things to buy: The new Robert Pollard DVD, The Devil Went Home and Puked (a compilation of Guided by Voices and Pollard solo footage) is now available for pre-order

• Things to see: Tim Lane's "complete classic five Temptations" cut-outs

• Things to see: Sherlock Holmes vs. Moriarty by Kevin Huizenga

It's an all-star comics hootenanny this Thursday celebrating the release of this year's Charles Burns-edited, Michael Kupperman-covered volume of The Best American Comics. Lifted from PR:

featuring series editors
Jessica Abel and Matt Madden

and contributors
Gary Panter
Michael Kupperman
Gabrielle Bell
Jillian Tamaki
David Sandlin
Ben Katchor

Thursday, October 22, 7–9PM
powerHouse Arena · 37 Main Street (corner of Water & Main St) · DUMBO, Brooklyn

Come celebrate the release of this essential volume of the year’s best American comics at The powerHouse Arena. Series editors Jessica Abel and Matt Madden will join the authors for a discussion, readings, slide shows, signings and more.

Happy Halloween!

• Diamond's Previews, er, previews Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly

• Pol Culture looks at Bill Schelly's Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert

• Public Radio International's Studio 360 talks to Jessica Abel about the formative influence of Love and Rockets (streaming audio embedded below, or download the MP3)

If you're not a bookseller or librarian, skip this post, but the new issue of Booklist is the annual spotlight on graphic fiction, and there's some very useful stuff for those building a core collection of GNs. The issue includes an interview with James Sturm, an "honor roll of female pioneers" in comics, and a look back at a lifetime reading "the Funnies" courtesy columnist Michael Cart. There are a number of top 10 lists, reviews, etc. as well. 

One thing that was particularly gratifying to see was the "Core Collection: Graphic Women" list. Of the 13 books on the list, Fantagraphics published five (including books by Linda Medley, Mary Fleener, Roberta Gregory, Aline Kominsky-Crumb and Carol Tyler). A sixth, La Perdida, was originally published by Fanta in serial form. A seventh, Persepolis, we almost published (long story). An eighth, Summer of Love, was by Debbie Drechsler, whose equally great Daddy's Girl is being republished by Fanta this month. So that was kind of a cool list to see.

Meanwhile, congrats also to Drew Friedman, whose The Fun Never Stops! was named one of the top 10 comics collections/graphic novels of 2007 by Booklist.