Mike mentioned Jim Blanchard's new limited-edition Trucker Fags In Denial print earlier this week, but did you know Jim will be at Stumptown this weekend, selling them? 

We'll be at Stumptown, too. Come on down and say hi and stimulate our economy, won't you? 

• Review: The Star Clipper Blog on Boody. The Bizarre Comics of Boody Rogers: "To say Boody Rogers was ahead of his time is an understatement. Boody was underground before there was an underground. His comics were surreal and sexy before the Comics Code was even around to censor such outrageousness. Think of every bizarre and trippy moment from 40's Disney features, the overt sexuality of Fleischer Studios Betty Boop, and a Freak Show and Superman in a blender, and that's not even half as odd as Boody Rogers' comics. Will you have seen anything like it before? No, and you'll probably never see anything else like it again."

• Review: Blog @ Newsarama looks at Boody too: "[W]eirdness... permeates these stories and radiates outward from the pages. To say they're 'ahead of their time' would be an understatement; they seem like they were drawn just last week... [I]t's a beautiful book."

• Review: Obsessive-Repulsive finds a kindred spirit in the pages of the "rad" Ho! The Morally Questionable Cartoons of Ivan Brunetti: "I would go further than saying 'nothing is sacred' in his work and say that nothing is tolerated in Brunetti’s world. He skewers the hypocrisy, cruelty and weakness in people but it doesn’t appear that Brunetti loathes humanity nearly as much as he loathes himself. Check it out! Funny stuff!"

• Review: Comics Should Be Good! enthuses over Supermen! The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1936-1941: "I can’t recommend this book enough, people! Run, don’t walk, to your nearest purveyor of comics awesomeness and pick it up. You will not be disappointed... you could not buy another comic this year and be happy if you pick it up. Would I lie to you?"

• Preview: Robot 6's "What Are You Reading?" column's guest contributor this week is Dash Shaw, and regular contributor Matthew Maxwell says of The Wolverton Bible, "Wow. Just wow... man, that’s a piece of work."

• Interview: The Groovy Age of Horror talks to Josh Simmons about House and other more recent work

• Commentary: ReadingArt.ca imagines Snoopy's "It was a dark and stormy night" novel in a context of digital/mobile delivery (calling The Complete Peanuts "fantastically beautiful" while they're at it)

• Things to see/read: Conservative entertainment blog Big Hollywood has posted Steve Ditko's 2007 essay "Toyland" in its entirety (via Slog)

• Things to see (and buy)/bookmark: Jim Blanchard's "Fine Art Chophouse" blog is the place to buy original art and prints from Jim. The latest offering: a limited edition print of Butch & Petey, everyone's favorite Trucker Fags in Denial (only 16 bucks)

• Review of the Year: Brick Weekly holds forth on The Wolverton Bible: "If you think that God was the greatest contributor to the Bible then you are wrong. In fact, when compared to the creative feats of legendary cartoonist Basil Wolverton, God’s work seems trite and superficial at best. So, throw out all of your old Bibles because you don’t need them any more..." And it goes on from there...

• Reviews: The San Antonio Current says "The Wolverton Bible collects everything [Basil Wolverton] did for the [Worldwide Church of God], presenting illustrations in chronological Biblical order — from Adam springing up from earth á la Spider-Man’s nemesis the Sandman all the way through the Old Testament and then hopping to the fantasy-friendly Book of Revelation, where eyeless corpses run rampant and jet planes tumble helplessly from the sky"; furthermore, "Humbug could be a comics blockbuster... it fills gaps in some cartoonists’ CVs and entertains like hell while doing it."

• Reviews: Andrew Wheeler rounds up some recent books: of The Lagoon by Lilli Carré he says "Carré has an expressive style reminiscent of Richard Sala -- and her stories are in the same literary territory as Sala's as well, so the gloomy blacks and busy cross-hatching add to the ominous, overwhelming feeling... there's real spookiness in these pages -- and she's telling a story in ways (particularly trying to evoke sounds and scents through a comics page) that I've rarely seen"; and of Jessica Farm Vol. 1 by Josh Simmons, Wheeler says "Josh Simmons might just be the Gutzon Borglum of comics. Simmons's... plan... is crazy, and I admire it for that."

• Reviews: Read About Comics reads The Complete Peanuts 1961-1962 and states "Now that I've finally hit the 1960s strips... I can't help but feel that I've entered the real Golden Age of Peanuts... I can’t wait to dive into the next volume."

• Interview: ComicBookMovie.com chats with Stan Sakai about the success of Usagi Yojimbo

• Things to see: Jim Blanchard's awesome portrait of Marty Feldman

• Things to see (and buy): The Paul Hornschemeier show print previously Flogged here is now up for pre-order

• Review: J. Caleb Mozzocco likes Colleen Coover's "girly porno" comic Small Favors

• Analysis: The Groovy Age of Horror takes an in-depth look at House by Josh Simmons (link via Sean T. Collins)

• Tourism: The Reading Copy Book Blog recounts a recent visit to the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery

• Things to see: Jim Blanchard re-creates the cover of Blatch #14

• List: I Love Rob Liefeld loves Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw and Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga, putting them on the top-10 list of "The Best Comics of 2008" at #2 and #8, respectively

• List: A top-25 "Best Comics of 2008" list from Matthew Brady, with Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by the Hernandez Brothers at #19, Pocket Full of Rain and Other Stories by Jason at #16, and Bottomless Belly Button at #12

• Review: Reason "briefly notes" Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell

• Review: ComicMix recommends Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly

• Interview: The Daily Cross Hatch starts a 3-parter with Lilli Carré

• Interview: The Comix Claptrap podcast talks to Andrice Arp and Jesse Reklaw

• Things to see: Photos from Jim Blanchard's art opening at Wall of Sound in Seattle a couple of weekends ago

• Things to see: Photos of Dame Darcy at her exhibit opening in D.C. (with news of an upcoming musical gig in Portland); the D.C. Examiner looks at the exhibit too

• Things to see: Covered blog founder Robert Goodin contributes his version of Wonder Woman #155

Jim Blanchard will have 16 recent paintings on exhibit at Wall Of Sound Records in Seattle from January 9 through February 28. The show is titled EYEBALL FATIGUE, as apt a descriptive of what Blanchard's seizure-inducing detail will do to you as any.

Opening Night is this Friday, January 9, from 7-9 PM. Jim will be there with his goat "Earl," I'm told. Wall Of Sound is located in Capitol Hill at 315 East Pine Street, right by the Bauhaus coffee shop.

• More French awards news: La Rivière empoisonnée, the French edition of Gilbert Hernandez's Poison River (collected by us in the new volume Beyond Palomar as well as its own older collection), is nominated for the Selection Patrimoine (Heritage Prize) 2009, to be awarded at the Festival International de la Bande Desinée d'Angoulême (caught by Spurge)

• I Wish I Had A Spare $200 Dept: New art for sale from Jim Woodring (going fast!)

• PLAYBACK:stl says Deitch's Pictorama has "a groovy charm" and "a vibe of pure fun"

• For The Patriot-News, Chris Mautner looks at Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes

• Elsewhere (Newsarama), Mautner talks to Ivan Brunetti

• Look, it's Jim Blanchard & J.R. Williams at APE

• Eye on Comics looks at Petey & Pussy by John Kerschbaum

• On the Inkstuds audio podcast: Josh Simmons

• The Beat reports from a recent NYC event featuring some of our favorite Euro-comics artists

• The Times-Union posts an essay about the mixed-race heritage of George Herriman and its effect on Krazy Kat (via The Daily Cartoonist)

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery Celebrates 2nd Anniversary on December 13 with a Spectacular Party and BEASTS Art Exhibition!

Over the course of two years, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery has become woven into the region’s cultural fabric and drawn attention to an impressive array of local, national and international narrative cartoonists, illustrators, graphic designers, and fine artists while providing a showcase for Seattle-based publisher Fantagraphics Books. To celebrate the second anniversary of this stimulating space, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery hosts a festive gala and reception for the phenomenal BEASTS BOOKS 1 & 2 book launch and art exhibition on Saturday, December 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

Since its publication in December 2006, BEASTS BOOK ONE has become a pop culture sensation, quickly selling out two printings and finding an enthusiastic worldwide audience. Meticulously designed, the book combines colorful illustrations of mythical monsters with imaginative text describing the folkloric origins and characteristics of these creatures. The brainchild of Fantagraphics Books design director Jacob Covey, the first BEASTS volume included accomplished contributors including Art Chantry, Tim Biskup, Tony Millionaire, Richard Sala, Martin Ontiveros, and Jordan Crane among many others. BEASTS BOOK TWO, which will debut at the December 13 event, continues the tradition of illustrations from interdisciplinary international luminaries including David B. (France), Jaime Hernandez (US), Femke Hiemstra (Netherlands), Toby Tam (China), Kim Deitch (US), Tatsuro Kiuchi (Japan), and many more. To commemorate the publication of BEASTS BOOK TWO and the simultaneous release of the paperback edition of BEASTS BOOK ONE, Covey has selected 45 representative artists from both volumes for an eclectic exhibition of original works and fine art prints.

The 2nd Anniversary celebration and BEASTS reception will be hosted by Fantagraphics stalwarts Ellen Forney, Jim Woodring, Jacob Covey, Peter Bagge, Jim Blanchard and special guest Ted Stearn. Musical entertainment will be provided by Peter Bagge’s new pop combo Can You Imagine? featuring celebrated musician and producer Steve Fisk. The public of all ages is welcome and admission is free. Guests can peruse a new crop of bad ass books and exquisite gifts from the Northwest’s most adventurous purveyor of comics, graphic novels and low brow art.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.) in Seattle’s lively Georgetown arts community. Open daily 11:30 – 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110. The 2nd Anniversary Gala and BEASTS exhibition on Saturday, December 13 coincides with the festive Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the neighborhood. Please join us for this auspicious occasion.

Listing Information

BEASTS art exhibition and 2nd Anniversary Gala
Saturday, December 13, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Music by Peter Bagge’s CAN YOU IMAGINE?
BEASTS exhibition of original art and prints by 45 artists continues through January 10, 2009.
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport Way S.) Seattle, WA 206.658.0110
Open daily 11:30 – 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM
www.fantagraphics.com/bookstore

A selection of imagery in a variety of formats is available for publication. For additional information contact Eric Reynolds at Fantagraphics.

• Dash Shaw and Tony Millionaire are amongst the the official selections from which the the Festival International de la BD Angouleme main prizes will be drawn from at January's festival. That is very cool.

• Joey Anuff has justified the Internet's existence.

• Charles Crumb, who passed away 14 years ago, is gone but not forgotten. 

• Rudy Ray Moore is not so far removed from the realm of this blog that it would be inappropriate to lament his passing here. R.I.P., R.R.M. A tip of the fur bucket to Rick Altergott and Jim Blanchard, who first introduced me to Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil's Son-In-Law.

• Dennis the Menace cartoonist Marcus Hamilton is a thankful man. 

• Bob Levin's blog is always worth reading.