• Inside baseball: in a must-read slice of industry history from the mid-1980s, former Fantagraphics staffer Dave Olbrich comes clean about the debacle of the Jack Kirby Awards. Be sure to check the comments for official reaction from Kim Thompson

• Cartoon Brew recommends Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville by Ted Stearn

• Comics - History & Price Guides takes note of Krazy & Ignatz 1931-1932 by George Herriman

• Stella Matutina says Castle Waiting by Linda Medley would "make a great present for the fairy tale-loving feminist in your life"

• Rob Clough reviews Sublife Vol. 1 by John Pham

• Jim Hanley's Universe recommends Percy Gloom by Cathy Malkasian as a Staff Pick

• The Seattle Times includes Beasts! Book 1 and Book 2 in their listing of new local book offerings

An explosion of end-of-year lists:

• USA TODAY Pop Candy places Lilli Carré at #58 on the list of "Top 100 People of 2008" 

• Book By Its Cover includes Beasts! Book 2 in their Top 10 of 2008

• Jeff Smith says Popeye Vol. 3: "Let's You and Him Fight!" by E.C. Segar was a favorite of 2008

• Robert Boyd names Jules Feiffer's Explainers and the Hernandez Brothers' Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 two of "The Best Comics of 2008"

• Brian Nicholson places Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw at the top of his list of Best Comics for the year, with Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga not far behind

• Dustin Harbin's top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" has Bottomless Belly Button at #2, Popeye Vol. 3 at #4, and Ganges #2 at #7

• Johnny Bacardi puts Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 on his "2008 Personal 10 Best in Comics" list (previously noted, but I forgot the link)

• Mindless Ones names I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks a "Top Comic of 2008" (yes, it came out in 2007 but I think they're UK)

• At comiXology, Tucker Stone unveils #30-11 of his "Best Comics of 2008," with Mome Vol. 12, Jessica Farm Vol. 1 by Josh Simmons, Angry Youth Comix Vol. II #14 by Johnny Ryan, and Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 making the list

• GraphicNovelReporter names Bottomless Belly Button one of their "Best Graphic Novels of 2008"

• On the Forbidden Planet International blog, Mike Carey names Things Just Get Away from You by Walt Holcombe ("a strange little masterpiece") and Jessica Farm Vol. 1 ("willfully perverse") as two of his three favorite comics of the year

(Hat tip to Largehearted Boy's diligent compilation of "Best of 2008" Book Lists for a few of these links.)

Holy figs, this daily link post looks like one of my weekly roundups of old:

• PopMatters takes a quick look at Robert Pollard's Town of Mirrors

• PopMatters again, on Bill Mauldin's Willie & Joe: The WWII Years

• Iconoctlán examines The Comics Journal #293 (en Español; Google translation)

• The Austin American-Statesman's lengthy roundup of coffee-table book holiday recommendations includes Bill Mauldin's Willie & Joe: The WWII Years and Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell

• NuVoid wraps up the 2008 output of Robert Pollard, including Town of Mirrors

• Did you know that if you buy the Popeye the Sailor: 1941-1943 (Vol. 3) DVD set you also get an exclusive Popeye mini-comic we produced with a story from our upcoming Popeye Vol. 4 collection? Booksteve noticed

• Chris Barat reviews Popeye Vol. 3: "Let's You and Him Fight!"

• Forward talks to Miss Lasko-Gross for a profile of Jewish women cartoonists

• The North Adams Transcript looks at Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane

• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch includes Abandoned Cars, Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell, and Jules Feiffer's Explainers on its list of "Best Books of 2008: Graphic Literature"

• Beard reviews Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by the Hernandez Brothers

• Tropismes (l'Appartement) is yet another French site looking at Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw (Google translation)

• Terri Torres is excited for the new issue of Linda Medley's Castle Waiting

• On the USA TODAY Pop Candy blog, Whitney Matheson declares Lilli Carré's The Lagoon is the "Best book [she] read" last week

• Cartoonist Mark Kaufman is looking forward to our Humbug collection

• Dustin Harbin's top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" includes Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga, Popeye Vol. 3, and Bottomless Belly Button

• Here's video from Pat Moriarity's art opening at 108 Occidental Gallery in Seattle, with music from Pat and his son Jack

• Bill Willingham looks back at Coventry

• Wayno talks about contributing to our forthcoming collection of 1980s "New Wave" minicomics

• On the Comics Comics blog, Mark Newgarden & Paul Karasik need your help in dating an Ernie Bushmiller Nancy strip

• Dan Zettwoch discusses his contribution to Beasts! Book 2

• The Dallas Morning News reports on an exhibit of Bill Mauldin cartoons at the 45th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City

• Mark Mattson compares our annual catalog favorably to the Sears Wish Book -- did you get yours?

Castle Waiting Vol. II #13
By Linda Medley

The bowling action from last issue reaches its rollicking conclusion! Will the unorthodox bowling technique that Chess learned from Tolly enable him to scare up a victory for his team? Post-game, will Jayne finally succeed in drawing the mysterious Dr. Fell out of his shell? And is Beaky still wearing that dress? Answers to these questions, and tantalizing hints at future mysteries yet to be revealed (where did that magic trunk come from, anyway?), in this issue of Linda Medley's hit series.

Video & Photo Slideshow Preview (view in new window):

24-page black & white 6.75" x 10.25" comic book • $3.95
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• Dash Shaw's animated trailer for Bottomless Belly Button is now available to watch on ComicBookTrailers.com (in addition to on our own site)

• Speaking of Bottomless Belly Button, Matthew Brady takes a good look at the book

• Congratulations and good luck to Linda Medley for being named a finalist (and the only American on the list) for the Prix de la Critique 2008 by the Association des Critiques et Journalistes de Bande Dessinée for Château l'Attente, the French edition of Castle Waiting

• More stunning sketchbook pages from Anders Nilsen

• Austin English has some very nice things to say about Lilli Carré's The Lagoon

• Ellen Forney has some bad-ass Brazilian jiu-jitsu desktop wallpaper for you to download

• Stickers and Donuts declares "Ray Fenwick is my boyfriend"

• Brian Ralph asks: "Did Charles Burns make this mask?" Note: Pee-Wee Herman is involved

After a couple of quiet weeks we're back with a vengeance at your local comics shop this week with the following titles scheduled to arrive:

• Castle Waiting Vol. II #13 by Linda Medley
• Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville by Ted Stearn
• The Lagoon by Lilli Carré
• Petey & Pussy by John Kerschbaum 

As usual, check the links for more info and previews. (Note that the new Castle Waiting is in stores before we have it in stock ourselves.)

Castle Waiting Vol. II #12
By Linda Medley

This is the long-awaited special all-bowling issue, as Henry, Dayne, Chess, Tolly, Peace and Simon wage an all-out ninepin war... and it turns out one of them has heretofore unsuspected bowling skills! Like all good sports competitions it's a high-stakes battle to the very last frame. Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Dinah and Jain pull out more and more dresses from the bottomless trunk and use a not-terribly-resistant Rackham to model them. All this, plus conjectures about what the heck's going on with the mysterious, elusive, and somewhat sinister Dr. Fell.

24-page black & white 6.75" x 10.25" comic book • $3.95
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As promised, here's an advance look at the new upcoming 12th issue of Linda Medley's Castle Waiting Vol. II, the long-awaited bowling issue! It's in stores now and if all goes well we should have it in stock here on the website next week. Click here if the slideshow doesn't appear above.

Just one new title from us scheduled to arrive at comic shops today:

• Castle Waiting Vol. II #12 by Linda Medley

This is a rare instance of a title arriving in stores before we receive it ourselves, so head on down to your local store and snap it up! (Also, we haven't had a chance to upload the preview for this issue yet, but it's coming soon.)

Hot on the heels of the release of Castle Waiting Vol. II #11, we have two more great new items for Castle Waiting fans: one bargain and one splurge!

Castle Waiting Vol. II #1-10 Starter Pack
By Linda Medley

The popularity of Castle Waiting continues to grow, and to help new fans catch up on the latest installments of Linda Medley's award-winning ongoing epic, we're pleased to offer the first ten issues of Volume II in one handy package at a significant savings over the combined cover price — over a dollar off each issue!

In these issues, a new chapter begins as the Castle welcomes some new guests, undergoes some renovations, and reveals more of its secrets. Secrets about the Castle's denizens are revealed as well, as we delve into the pasts of Lady Jain, Iron Henry, and Dr. Fell. Medley's sharp pen and even sharper storytelling create a delightfully adventurous universe.

A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil — but about being a hero in your own home. Linda Medley lavishly illustrates Castle Waiting in a classic visual style reminiscent of Arthur Rackham and William Heath Robinson. Blending elements from a variety of sources — fairy tales, folklore, nursery rhymes — Medley tells the story of the everyday lives of fantastic characters with humor, intelligence, and insight into human nature. Castle Waiting can be read on multiple levels and can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

ten 64-to-24-page black & white comic books • $24.99
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Castle Waiting: The "Hand Made" Special Edition
By Linda Medley

This ultra-deluxe, hand-assembled edition of the Castle Waiting graphic novel includes the following:

• Full-color archival chapter-divider bookplates printed on acid- and lignin-free 50 lb. stock with pigmented inks; the adhesive is a permanent modified acrylic (no gooey rubber to gum up the works). Each plate measures 4" x 5".
• Tipped-in front endpaper plate.
• Gilded edge pages.
• Tiny flat two-sided solid pewter charm added to the bound-in ribbon bookmark. Measures approximately 1/2" wide x 3/4" high.
• Original dustjacket with brass protective corners. Reproduced from the vintage tooled-leather cover Linda's very own extra special personal copy wears. Printed in full-color on heavyweight glossy paper.
• "Liberry Card" set of three cards: includes a Library Card, Borrow Slip, and Author Card in an acid-free pocket affixed into the book. All are printed both sides on acid-free cardstock and each card measures 2.75" x 5.5". The Library Card is reproduced from a Victorian (circa 1898) library card, and the signed Author Card is in the style of cabinet cards of the same era.

456-page black & white 5.5" x 8" hardcover • $150.00
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Castle Waiting Vol. II #11
By Linda Medley

A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil — but about being a hero in your own home. In this issue: with nary a strip-mall in sight, the castle folk enjoy an evening of bowling and clothes shopping; and Jain learns some interesting details concerning lovable Doctor Fell's puzzling condition.

24-page black & white comic book • $3.95
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