Mome Vol. 18 - Spring 2010
by various artists; edited by Eric Reynolds

128-page color/b&w 7" x 9" softcover • $14.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-303-3

Ships in: March 2010 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now

The multiple Harvey and Eisner Award nominee returns for its fifth year. With this issue, the series has now featured over 2000 pages of comics in its four and half years of existence (2109, to be exact), which may be a record for an English-language alternative comics anthology. This issue's cover is by Nate Neal, who delivers "The Neurotic Nexus of Creation," a 15-page explication of the creative process. MOME 18 also includes the first new comic in several years by Dave Cooper, as well as the MOME debuts of Tim Lane, Ivan Brun, Joe Daly, and Jon Adams. Also returning are MOME stalwarts Lilli Carré, Ben Jones, Frank Santoro, Jon Vermilyea, Nicolas Mahler, Ted Stearn, Renée French, Conor O'Keefe, Derek Van Gieson, and T. Edward Bak.

Download an EXCLUSIVE 15-page PDF excerpt (5.9 MB) with a page from every artist in the issue.

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

Check out these photos by Daniel Seth Pagel of Sunday night's classy-looking launch party for Mome Vol. 17 at Bergen Street Comics which I ganked from Nate Neal's Facebook page.

Sara Edward-Corbett and Nate Neal

Gabrielle Bell and Sara Edward-Corbett

Nate Neal, Gabrielle Bell, Derek Van Gieson

Derek Van Gieson and Nate Neal

Don't miss an opportunity to get a sneak peek at some of the great books you'll be reading later this year at the FANTAGRAPHICS 2010 PREVIEW event this Saturday, January 9 at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle.

On display will be work from Fantagraphics favorites like Peter Bagge (HATE ANNUAL #8), Tony Millionaire (BILLY HAZELNUTS AND THE CRAZY BIRD), Jim Woodring (WEATHERCRAFT), Jason (WEREWOLVES OF MONTPELLIER), Michael Kupperman (TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE #6), Richard Sala (THE HIDDEN), and Gilbert Hernandez (LOVE & ROCKETS NEW STORIES #3), as well as new offerings from masters like Jacques Tardi and Carol Tyler and relative newcomers like Joe Daly and Nate Neal, among many others. 2010 promises more of the amazingly diverse yet cohesive line of compelling comics you've come to expect from Fantagraphics Books. See for yourself this Saturday.

The opening from 6:00 to 9:00 PM coincides with the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations at several locations throughout the historic neighborhood. For details and a map visit www.georgetownartattack.com.

Fantagraphics Bookstore is located at 1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.) only minutes south of downtown Seattle. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110.

Hey looky, the cover art for Nate Neal's graphic novel The Sanctuary, coming in August/September 2010. Mayhap you remember this amusing promotional video for the book from a few months ago.

At the risk of making Nate Neal uneasy, reluctant self-promoter that he is, we'd like to point out that he's made three collections of his work available as downloadable comics — each is well over 50 pages for just $3.99.  There's a collection of his Mome stories to date (pictured), a collection of his stories from the Hoax anthology, and a collection of his work predating that. More info and links to purchase and preview the collections can all be found here.

Join a bunch of Mome contributors for a party celebrating the release of the 17th volume of the anthology at Bergen Street Comics. Flyer by Derek Van Gieson. More details TBA.

2010 will mark the fifth year of our anthology MOME and we've got some good stuff lined up for the next few issues. We just sent MOME 18 (Spring 2010) to the printer and are already prepping MOME 19 (Summer 2010), and I thought I'd share the covers to both. 

The MOME 18 cover is by Nate Neal, who delivers "The Neurotic Nexus of Creation," a 15-page explication of the creative process that calls to mind his "Reality Comics Quartet" from MOME 12. The MOME 19 cover is by Josh Simmons, and the issue will feature the first part of his psychedelic extravaganza "The White Rhinoceros," written by co-conspirator The Partridge In a Pear Tree.

I don't want to give up too much about either issue, but MOME 18 also includes the first new comic in several years by Dave Cooper, the MOME debuts of Tim Lane, Ivan Brun, Joe Daly, and Jon Adams, as well as returning stalwarts Lilli Carré, Ben Jones, Frank Santoro, Jon Vermilyea, Nicolas Mahler, Ted Stearn, Renée French, Conor O'Keefe, Derek Van Gieson, and T. Edward Bak. 

MOME 19 will have some very exciting surprises, including an all-new, 12-page story by some guy named Gilbert Hernandez, as well as returning regulars such as Dash Shaw, Tom Kaczynski, and Olivier Schrauwen. Plus, an amazing 21-page debut by Seattle cartoonist DJ Bryant, riffing on an old horror comic by Steve Ditko. 

I recently calculated that with MOME 18, we have now published over 2000 pages of comics in the series over the last four and half years (2109, to be exact). By our count, this may be a record for an English-language alternative comics anthology (and no, I'm not counting Dark Horse Presents).

UPDATE: Olivier Schrauwen has a preview page up from his 25-page story for MOME 19 here. This guy is amazing.

Mome Vol. 16 - Fall 2009
By various artists; edited by Gary Groth & Eric Reynolds

This issue features several of our favorite alternative comic artists of the last 15 years, bringing us great joy. Archer Prewitt is the first, with an all-new “Funny Bunny” strip created in between his active musical career. “The Moolah Tree” is the new Fuzz & Pluck graphic novel from Ted Stearn, following Fuzz & Pluck and Fuzz & Pluck: Splitsville, beginning serialization here. We are equally proud to debut new work from Renée French, whose work is also featured on the front and back cover of this issue. And Nicholas Mahler debuts to ask "What Is Art?" (translated by secret weapon Kim Thompson).

Also: the second chapter of T. Edward Bak's "Wild Man - The Strange Journey - and Fantastic Accounts - of the Naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, from Bavaria to Bolshaya Zemlya (and Beyond)"; a new "Cold Heat" story by the team of Ben Jones, Frank Santoro & Jon Vermilyea; Dash Shaw interprets an episode of "Blind Date" into comics form; and new stories from Lilli Carré, Conor O'Keefe, Laura Park, Nate Neal, and Sara Edward-Corbett, with incidental drawings by Kaela Graham.

112-page color/b&w 7" x 9" softcover • $14.99
Add to Cart • More Info & Previews

It brings us great joy to welcome four of our favorite comic artists to the Mome fold in this Fall's Volume 16: Renée French (who graces the cover), Nicholas Mahler, Archer Prewitt and Ted Stearn. Of course, our returning artists are also nothing to sneeze at: T. Edward Bak, Dash Shaw, Lilli Carré, Conor O'Keefe, Laura Park, Nate Neal, Sara Edward-Corbett, and the "Cold Heat" crew of Ben Jones, Frank Santoro and Jon Vermilyea. This issue is now available for pre-order in our online shop. Download our free 12-page PDF excerpt for a sample page from each contributing artist. This book is scheduled be in stock and shipping in mid-September, and in stores approximately 4 weeks later (subject to change).