We're a bit late with this update but perhaps your comics will be too, due to East Coast Snowpocalypse '010? It's a big day for Fantagraphics releases at comic shops across the land today, with the following titles scheduled to ship:

Chocolate Cheeks
By Steven Weissman

Newsarama calls it "adorably dark — or perhaps darkly adorable," Robot 6's Chris Mautner asserts "If you like the Our Gang comics or Archie or the general 'kids pal around, go on adventures and make each other miserable' type of comic, chances are you'll really like this," The Stranger's Paul Constant called it "a doozy of a book," somebody at Austin Books & Comics "is raving about the latest @fantagraphics 'Yikes' collection. Something about most warped kids since Garbage Pail Kids" and webcomic character Lydia Park declares "Weissman is a genius."

Most importantly, Steven says "When you get yours, post a pic to YIKES! friendship and we'll mail you a FREE GIFT!" It's for real!

Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1959-1962 Box Set
By Hank Ketcham

Robot 6's Chris Mautner declares "See Dennis bother the barber! Pester the construction workers! Annoy Margaret! Confuse Joey! And generally drive Mr. Wilson and his parents up a frickin' wall. All in the name of fun. And adorableness."

King: The Special Edition
By Ho Che Anderson

Robot 6's Chris Mautner calls it "lush," Jog highlights it, and Gosh! Comics admires my "big sausagey fingers" in the preview video.

Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s
By various artists; edited by Michael Dowers

Robot 6's Chris Mautner again: "I'm a sucker for discovering unexplored corners of comics history, and this collection of mini-comics from the Reagan era... seems to do just that." The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon says "A really good book and quite effective as raw" and then forgets to finish his sentence but be sure to read his full rave review. Jog predicts "the real fun will likely be in editor Michael Dowers' selection -- honed in on life signs of the older 'underground' period -- of now-obscure period talents..." There's also a nice plug from Gosh! Comics.

All right, your local shop can let you know if they got 'em (or order 'em for you if they didn't) and of course you can get your fill of previews and info at the links above.

Looky (and clicky for better lookies):

• Newave! contributor Molly Kiely poses for a self-portrait with the book

• These and more sketchbook wishbones by John Hankiewicz

• The Skittish Horse by Jim Flora

• An unpublished commissioned portrait of Johnny Cash by Jim Blanchard

• What's this, new Fight or Run art from Kevin Huizenga? (click for full image)

• Hans Rickheit 's Ectopiary, page 10 (plus more on his blog)

• Ooh, Tim Hensley does Hitchcock: Frenzy (above), Marnie, Lifeboat

• A 2009 diary strip from Gabrielle Bell

Richard Krauss of Midnight Fiction has an excellent writeup and photos (such as the one of Al Greenier above) from the scene the Jan. 30 Newave! book launch and exhibit opening at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.

Light Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: Kevin Bramer of Optical Sloth examines a sampling of comics by Ariel Bordeaux, including her work in Raisin Pie #1

• Interview: In an interview with The Beat's Michael Fiffe, artist Mark Badger talks about his participation in Abstract Comics: The Anthology: "It came out of nowhere. It was absolutely stunning."

• Plug: "New from Fantagraphics Books, Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s. At 888 pages this is a substantial collection of the comix art of the New Wave mini-comix movement. Largely inspired by the Underground Comix movement of the 60s & 70s, these artists produced hand-made mini-comix for the pure joy of creating uncensored self-expression without the appeasement and quench of profit motivation." – Skip Williamson

• Plug: "Steven Weissman is awesome." – Paul Constant

• Plug: Robot 6's JK Parkin spotlights Stephen DeStefano's prep artwork for Lucky in Love (previously featured here on Flog)

• Cuteness: The Schulz Museum is offering free admission to little (and big) red-haired girls on Valentine's Day — how adorable is that?

Just arrived in our warehouse and ready to ship:

Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s
By various artists; edited by Michael Dowers

892-page b&w/color 5" x 6.25" hardcover • $24.99
ISBN: 978-1-60699-313-2
Add to Cart • More Info & Previews

Newave! is a gigantic collection of the best small press cartoonists to emerge in the 1970s after the first generation of underground cartoonists (such as R. Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, and Art Spiegelman) paved the way. These cartoonists, inspired by the freewheeling creative energy of the underground comix movement, began drawing and printing their own comix. The most popular format was an 8 1/2” x 11” sheet, folded twice, and printed at local, pre-Kinkos print shops on letter-size paper; because of the small size, they were dubbed “mini comix.” As they evolved many different artists, one by one, became interested in this do-it-yourself phenomenon. By the 1980’s they became known as Newave Comix, a term taken from England’s Newave rock ’n’ roll movement. An explosion of do-it-yourself artists emerged. Many talented artists went onto bigger and better things, others have disappeared into the fog never to be heard from again. Inspired by the creative freedom of their underground predecessors and unrestrained by commercial boundaries or editorial edicts, their work was particularly innovative and experimental. Here you will find a group of artists who could not get any attention from the mainstream, who were driven by the inner need to express themselves. This group was a pioneering force that still leaves a wake and an imprint on the alternative comix scene today.

Newave! features over 800 pages of comics (click here to read the full Table of Contents), as well as a historical introduction by editor Michael Dowers (click here to read), and interviews with several of the more prominent artists featured, such as Brad Foster, Artie Romero, Steve Willis, Dennis Worden, Bob X, J.R. Williams, Roger May, Tom Hosier, George Erling, and Bob Vojtko.

“Newave is not about artsploitation. Newave is about ideas. Nothing is taboo. Nothing is censored. No one is told what or what not to draw... Newave is social, political, rebellious, humorous, irreverent, libelous, inane, argumentative, blasé, blatant, belligerent, blasphemous, insane, kinky, ridiculous, absurd, loving, sleazy, and topical. Newave is back talk... Newave is the child of instant printing. Anyone can learn it. Anyone can participate. There are no aristocrats of newave, no comix stars. Newave is communication returned to people. It is out of the control of the mind manipulators...” – Excerpts from Clay Geerdes’ Newave Manifesto, 1983

Download an EXCLUSIVE 36-page PDF excerpt (2 MB) with samples from throughout the book.

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions starts with a rave:

• Review: "This is a fascinating book on a lot of levels. For one, it's distinguished by Adam Grano's design work to a degree I think noteworthy: on many levels, Newave! represents better than any book I've seen the clash of comics publishing impulses now and then. ... It says something about Grano's increasingly compelling body of work with Fantagraphics that he provides the work with much of the energy that helps the reader through nearly 900 pages. It's Michael Dowers that makes that trip worthwhile. By avoiding a summary statement and roping in so many cartoonists, presenting 700 pages of their work in doing so..., Dowers lets the reader come to the material rather than shoving it into their face. His confidence is justified: a lot of these comics are fascinating-looking, and the sheer handsomeness of many of the pages, this wall of better-than-expected craft, will probably be the biggest shock to those that kind of dismissed this kind of work whenever one encountered it along the way." – Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter

• Review: "...[Like a Dog] makes for a compelling scrapbook collection — and a beautifully-bound one at that. ... There’s an inspiring breadth of themes and styles on display here, although ultimately they all point to an artist in the depths of an existential crisis." – Will Fitzpatrick, Bookmunch

• Interview: Bookmunch's Will Fitzpatrick, whose review of Zak Sally's Like a Dog is linked above, has a good long email interview with Zak: "I actually enjoy reading comics so much that it’s slightly embarrassing. The stylistic diversity you mention was, again, not that conscious on my part: it was, again, just having this thing or idea and having to find a way to come at it that made sense, to me; and strangely enough, that often meant I had to experiment with what I thought comics were or weren’t to get there. I was just searching for a way to make comics."

• Contributor notes: Mini comix artist Ed Emmer talks about being included in Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s

• Links: Another exhaustive Love and Rockets link roundup from Love & Maggie

Online Commentary & Diversions have seen their shadow:

• List: Our pal Bully the Little Stuffed Bull has started his annual Fun Fifty countdown. In the first installment, coming in at #46, Blazing Combat: "War, huh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothin'... aside from bringing us this gorgeous archive edition of a classic comic every war comics fan oughta have in their library."

• Review: "Back in the days of Factsheet Five, I used to order tons of minicomix. Most were mediocre, but a few were terrifically good and that made it worth the risk to send in the fifty cents or so that they cost. ... Fantagraphics just released a massively thick (900 pages!) anthology of minicomix called Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s , and it's a treat." – Mark Frauenfelder, Boing Boing

• Review: "In Strange Suspense, Ditko already shines as a masterful designer of sinister mansions, ornate gateways and demonic doors and furnishings... And finally, there’s no mistaking those trademark Ditko faces, leering with evil or sweating and wide-eyed with terror, often lit or looking up from below. ... It is a pleasure to follow Ditko’s youthful artistic progression and there is a noticeable refining and streamlining of his drawing, going for greater clarity and impact. ... These morality fables are seldom subtle or surprising... but it’s Ditko’s artistry that elevates these mostly standard comic book nasties. ...[T]he $39.99 ticket is good value, and this is a weighty, hard-packed, deluxe package..." – Paul Gravett

• Review: "Successful art engenders powerful emotion in its observers. How do I know that Al Columbia's Pim & Francie is an amazing work of art? Because it seriously made me feel ill. Uncomfortable. It made me question my sense of aesthetics; played havoc with my expectations. It's unquestionably an amazing book. ... Rating: 8/10" – Jeremy Nisen, Under the Radar

• Plug: Boing Boing's David Pescovitz previews Esther Pearl Watson's upcoming painting exhibit and says "Unlovable is a terrific comic"

• Commentary: At The Daily Cross Hatch, Box Brown reproduces the epochal letters page from Ivan Brunetti's Schizo #2 (reprinted in Misery Loves Comedy) as part of a new column on cartoonists' letters to cartoonists

Chock full o' Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "The third volume of this comics anthology is a whirl-a-gig of vivid color, giddy fun, black angst, and hauntingly disturbing images... The volume brings together carefully crafted stories with eye-searing artwork, packed with scatological humor, violence, and disquieting sexual acts... Hotwire Comics 3 is not for the faint of heart, but those who love underground comics or want an introduction to that world as it stands today, will embrace the volume." – Publishers Weekly

• Review: "Classic kid comics are evoked with a weird, horror-inspired twist in [Chocolate Cheeks]... Weissman has a knack for combining the cute with the eerie and the unsettling, and the art—presented in both b&w and color—is outstanding." – Publishers Weekly (same link as above)

• Review: "But even Jaime devotees should be paying attention to Gilberto’s recent work; since he closed the books on Luba, he’s been flexing his muscles with some astonishingly effective genre exercises, the latest of which is The Troublemakers. A lurid pulp excursion featuring an appropriately leering cover by Rick Altergott, the book uses peripheral characters from Beto’s other works to craft a story about missing cash, hot sex, and two-timing that combines equal parts neo-noir and sleazy ’70s-throwback exploitation. But what elevates it from being a simple mélange of clever genre riffs is Beto’s determination to load it with uneasy surrealist images and clever symbolic elements. The Troublemakers doesn’t read entirely like anything he’s done before, but it may be his best work in years. [Grade] A-" – The A.V. Club

• Review: "[The] Troublemakers follows a cast of conmen as they double-cross one another until they run out of rope and hang themselves. It too features amazing cartooning. It’s very cinematic, but it’s not drawn with attention to realism like cinematic comics frequently tend to be... Instead, the storytelling relies on Hernandez’s masterful use of staging and talent with composition. His ability to spot blacks, place textures, and overall cartooning/drawing skills made this crime story a delight to read." – guest contributor Jim Rugg, Robot 6

• Review: "The end of [Thomas Ott's The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8] isn’t surprising, but the way that the logic is worked out to its predestined conclusion is nice, and the drawings are wonderful." – Journey to Perplexity

• Review: "If you are a student of the history of sequential art, Newave! feels like a must-have for your collection. It seems to be as perfect of a collection of mini-comix as you could ever find and it is informative as well as entertaining. It’s also the type of book that challenges your artistic side as well so that’s another bonus." – Chad Derdowski, Mania

• Interview: Publicola's Heidi Broadhead talks to Michael Dowers about the Newave! book and exhibit: "Well, there are still a handful of us who are completely driven. It is in the very cell walls of our mind, body, and soul. Some of these guys are about to hit 60 years old, me included, and we don’t know how to stop."

• Plugs: The Precocious/Manga Curmudgeon, David Welsh, recommends some Gilbert Hernandez books in recognition of Beto's birthday today: "For those of you who aren’t familiar with Palomar, it’s a small Central American town populated with interesting, complex people. It’s also populated with a variety of kinds of stories and tones, gritty realism one moment, magical realism the next. Hernandez really builds that web of community in these stories, exploring ties of family and friendship, lingering grudges, outside influences, sex, love and death."

• Plug: "...[Almost Silent] is all stellar material for the most part, especially [Tell Me] Something and You Can't [Get There from Here], which trade on Jason's perennial theme of love found and lost in rather odd settings. So if you weren't able to get these books when they first came out, I highly recommend doing so when this new edition comes out..." – Chris Mautner, Robot 6

• Plug/Contest: "Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art Of The VHS Box is a dose of heavy design nostalgia for those of us who haunted (or worked in) video stores in the 80s and 90s. So many gloriously awful titles are given their due here..." – Kevin Church (Beaucoup Kevin), who's giving away a copy!

• Update: What's Dame Darcy up to? Check her latest blog update and see

• Needling: Hey Spurge, I'll bet you 20 bucks that Gary doesn't get the joke

The Seattle Public Library's popular "Comixtravaganza" celebration concludes this Saturday, January 30. The Rem Koolhaas-designed central branch hosts a comics creating workshop with Fantagraphics friends Greg Stump and David Lasky at 1:00 PM, followed by a career-spanning media presentation by alternative comics titan Peter Bagge at 3:00 PM. Later that evening Lasky and Bagge will be featured guests at the fabulous book launch party for NEWAVE! The Underground Mini Comics of the 1980s at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. Admission is free to all events.

If you live in the Northwest, you won't want to miss these wildly entertaining spectacles.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to present a remarkable series of exhibitions, signings and receptions on successive Saturday evenings January 30 through February 13. These amazing events will feature both emerging talent and legendary masters of the comics medium.

Fantagraphics Books celebrates the publication of NEWAVE! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s with an exhibition, book signing, and mini comix workshop on Saturday, January 30 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The show will feature original art and graphics by underground mini comix pioneers Jaimie Alder, Jim Blanchard, Wayne Gibson, David Lasky, Wayno, Steve Willis, Dennis Worden, and XNO. NEWAVE editor Michael Dowers will produce and distribute a mini comic on site. This festive reunion also includes live music, a comix jam, and the debut of the NEWAVE! anthology.

On Saturday, February 6 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, prolific comics creator and illustrator Steven Weissman appears on the occasion of the debut of his latest book CHOCOLATE CHEEKS. The award-winning Weissman explores a peculiar alternative to traditional childhood relationships. Influenced by classic comic strip characters and pop culture icons, this wonderful artist appeals to readers of all ages.

Please join us on Saturday, February 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, when Fantagraphics Bookstore is honored to host an art exhibition and reception for living legend Gahan Wilson. His delightfully demented sense of humor is celebrated in GAHAN WILSON: 50 YEARS OF PLAYBOY CARTOONS, an exquisite 3-volume slipcase edition that includes over 1,000 comics and illustrations by the acknowledged master of the macabre. Don't miss this rare opportunity to meet one of America's most incredible idiosyncratic artists.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street, only minutes south of downtown Seattle. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110. See you all soon.