FLOG! Entries tagged 'Robert Pollard'

Bookmark: The Art of Robert Pollard website

mike

The collage art of Robert Pollard is now available to view and purchase at The Art of Robert Pollard website (still a bit under construction), including originals, prints, and the upcoming issue of Eat. (I don't see the Town of Mirrors book on there, so get that from us.) Art show announcements and other news will be posted there as well.

Daily OCD: 8/30/10

mike

Today's Online Commentary & Diversions will spill over into tomorrow because I have to take off to see John Porcellino & Noah Van Sciver...

• Review: "Oh, the things men do to torture themselves. [Catalog No. 439:] Burlesque Paraphernalia and Side Degree Specialties and Costumes is an amazing flashback to a time before the Internet, television, radio, movies and pretty much every other form of entertainment. [...] This book is chock full of some of the funniest and most sadistic devices ever dreamed up by the human mind. It’s almost as if the guy from the Saw movies had wanted to get laughs instead of frights — and fans of current outrage cinema may be happily startled to find something actually called 'The Human Centipede' in its pages." – Siobhan Greene, Fangoria

• Review: "Peppermint Patty is the cover girl for the latest volume of Charles Schulz’ classic [The Complete Peanuts], a fitting designation for an era that saw her emerge as one of the three most important characters of the strip. [...] It’s amazing that nearly thirty years into the strip, Schulz was still trying new things and finding new inspiration from old characters." – Rob Clough, The Comics Journal

• Review: "It's an odd little notion, the idea that you've lived a better, fuller life for having killed people. That's probably a somewhat unfair aspect of Drew Weing's good-natured, lushly drawn storybook (that's the term the comic practically demands I use) Set to Sea — a tale of a big lummox of a poet whose lackluster verses about life on the open sea are given new verve when he's shanghai'd into service on an actual ship — for me to seize on. After all, Weing's bigfooted style and inviting rather than intimidating illustrative chops place him squarely in the adventure-comics tradition of Carl Barks and Jeff Smith." – Sean T. Collins, Attentiondeficitdisorderly

• Review: "Freed from the burden of making a 'serious' work, Anderson delves into some grim and gritty pulp material, and you can feel his relish and delight coming off the page. [Sand & Fury: A Scream Queen Adventure] basically deals with the story of a murdered woman who comes back from the dead as a banshee and eventually seeks revenge against her killer, who in turn may be a supernatural demon himself. It sounds like a Jim Balent comic, but Anderson creates a lovely noir atmosphere here, full of blood, sex and other nasty goings-on that never once becomes camp. It’s a nice, effective little horror comic." – Chris Mautner, Robot 6

• Plug: The Venture Bros. co-creator Jackson Publick writes: "Venture alumnus, super-pal and yiddish-loving Italian-American Stephen DeStefano premiered his new graphic novel, Lucky in Love at the San Diego Comic Con, and I was fortunate enough to snag a copy. Now it's your turn. Go buy one."

• Interview: Graphic NYC 's Christopher Irving talks to Michael Kupperman. Irving on Tales Designed to Thrizzle: "Toss comic book art from the '40s and '50s into a blender with the dirty brand of humor that runs rampant in underground comics, and give it the pacing and spontaneity of skit comedy, and you get Kupperman’s distinctive Tales Designed to Thrizzle. Kupperman’s slick art has the polish and stiffness of old advertising art, creating a posed disconnect that adds a layer of absurdism to his offbeat stories." Sample Kupperman quote: "What I’m doing is more along the lines of sketch comedy. I grew up with Monty Python and SCTV, and those shows had a profound influence on me, through the writing and tone. My comic is humor for childish adults. I think I’m actually going to start putting that on the cover. It’s stuff that makes me laugh and part of my working method is to make stuff that will make others laugh as well."

• Profile: "One hundred-plus years after the newspaper comic strip was born in San Francisco, a reader might well ask: Who was the greatest comic artist of all time? Some scholars say the question was settled in 1924 by New York arts critic Gilbert Seldes, whose book on the American cultural scene, The 7 Lively Arts, devoted an entire chapter to a reclusive cartoonist in the Hollywood Hills named George Herriman and his avant-garde comic strip, Krazy Kat." – Anthony Mostrom, The Los Angeles Times (via The Comics Reporter)

• Profile: Katharine Zarrella of Interview magazine talks to Robert Pollard about his collage art and current exhibit thereof in New York City: "A handful of ex-bandmates are on Pollard's guest list, but what do they think of his artwork? 'It seems a lot of them dig it. I think secretly, and sometimes openly, my peers respect the insanity.'"

• Profile: "One of the most serious gaps that this blog has not yet filled is as follows: having been scandalously silent of the great art of Drew Friedman, one of the most popular and recognizable contemporary American illustrators, a genius capable of combining, with previously unpublished results, a technique of hyper-realistic depiction with the strong sense of the grotesque that characterizes the creative temperament." – Lucca Boschi, Il Sole 24 Ore (translated from Italian)

• Events: At AOL's TV Squad, Aaron Broverman recaps Blake Bell's presentation "Steve Ditko & Bill Everett: Spider-Man, Sub-Mariner, Daredevil & Beyond" at Fan Expo in Toronto, "a panel I expect will be one of the hidden gems of the weekend"

Daily OCD: 8/17/10

mike

Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: "Underground feminist comic artist Farmer’s account of how she looked after her aging parents [Special Exits] is a quiet wonder. ... Farmer renders everything in busy, densely packed black-and-white frames whose cluttered look mimics the dusty house, its surfaces thick with cat hair and memories. The story is stunning for its antisentimental realism, as well as for the glimpses of fantasy... that flicker by like ghosts." – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

• Review: "Billy Hazelnuts and the Crazy Bird is kind of horrifying, but hilarious nonetheless, and so lovingly detailed that one can’t help but enjoy reading it. ... It’s as crazy and weird as one would expect from a Millionaire story — and laugh-out-loud funny to boot. ... But it’s the humanity of his characters and their emotions that serve as our way into the story. ... The dense linework gives everything volume and weight, along with a leap-off-the-page energy. ... Millionaire’s narrative world is built on zany chaos, and a true storytelling wonder to behold. Yet, while it would be a scary and nightmarish place in which to live, it’s sure fun to spend some time there." – Matthew J. Brady, Indie Pulp

• Review: "Delving into the hidden world of secret societies of the Victorian Age in America, Charles Schneider blows the lid on the craziness... These revelations are culled from listings in DeMoulin Brothers Catalog No. 439... The actual catalog is a wishbook of possible DIY projects for the clever or crazy... As retail histories go, this is a vibrant one — if nothing else, it lets you know what foolishness your grandfather was up to when he looks back to the good old days and bemoans 'these kids today.' At least these kids today aren’t making a habit of using a Lifting And Spanking Machine on their friends." – John E. Mitchell, The North Adams Transcript

• Review: "Jack Cole was a brilliant artist and one of the most significant figures in American comics. ... In essence, these are single panel cartoons, beautifully composed and drawn as you would expect, accompanied by a gag or punchline. They are pleasing to look at and vaguely amusing, to be sure, but there is none of the surreal, chaotic, rollercoaster quality to be found in Cole’s comic book art. There is nothing too objectionable [in Classic Pin-up Art of Jack Cole] either, unless you regard cheesecake as commodification – which you’re perfectly entitled to do, of course." – P.P.O. Kane, The Compulsive Reader

• Interview: Comic Book Resources' Shaun Manning talks to Jason about his new graphic novel Werewolves of Montpellier: "Originally, I had thought the two werewolves would kill Igor, to make it more personal for Sven to go after them. But it just seemed so typical, it's what would have happened in any Hollywood film. It just didn't interest me. A conversation about looking at girls asses or the politeness of Frenchmen is more interesting."

• Interview: Caustic Cover Critic's Peter Lutjen talks to Bob Fingerman about book design: "My book Connective Tissue was my art, but the designer, Jacob Covey, completed it with his design and I was delighted. I really admire Jacob's work."

• Interview: At The Daily Cross Hatch, Brian Heater talks to Robert Pollard about his collage art: "It’s inspired by a recurring dream I used to have when I was in high school and college. In my dream was an unattended record store with racks and rows full of record sleeves by imaginary or dreamt rock bands. Needless to say, I was very disappointed when I awoke [and discovered] that it wasn’t real. Now it sort of is. At least slightly more real than the dream."

• Events: The Beat reports that Lilli Carré's short film "Head Garden" which you can watch here) is among the films selected for the first annual SPX Animation Showcase

Robert Pollard's NYC Art Show

Eric

Robert Pollard has a new art exhibit in NYC on August 27/28. Its open to the public, so come on down!

As writer Rick Moody put it in his introduction to Fantagraphics' TOWN OF MIRRORS: THE REASSEMBLED IMAGERY OF ROBERT POLLARD, "The visual art of Robert Pollard ... is uncanny, moving, strange, and it summons a dark melancholy.... We are lucky to have these riddles to ponder and unlock."

THE 45 SPACE in New York will host "The Public Hi-Fi Balloon," an exhibit of collages by Robert Pollard incorporating pictures, words, and sound on August 27 and 28, 2010.

Pollard, whose super-human productivity as a songwriter is the stuff of
indie-rock legend, created most of the works for this show in the past six
months. "I've been working long hours daily getting ready for this show," he says. "It's going to be insane."

Among the works on display will be more than 60 imaginary record sleeves, as well as dreamed-up magazines and coffee table books. "You can see Duchamp in Pollard's collages, as well as the influence of the painterly spaces of De Chirico and Yves Tanguy," wrote Moody in the introduction to Town of Mirrors. Moody also noted "a residual pulse in the images of the swinging sixties, not the flowers-in-their-hair iteration, but the dark bad-acid psychedelia of that low, dishonest decade."

Pollard is the leader of the seminal indie-rock band Guided by Voices, which emerged from Midwestern obscurity in the early 1990s to conquer the national scene with such transcendentally lo-fi albums as Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, and Under the Bushes, Under the Stars. One of Spin magazine's "Top 50 Rock & Roll Front Men of All Time," Pollard recently electrified fans and critics alike when he announced that the original lineup of Guided by Voices would be reuniting for a series of shows this fall.

Pollard created the cover art for most Guided by Voices releases, not to mention those of his many other musical projects. The cover collage for Guided by Voices' 1997 album Mag Earwhig was displayed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pollard's music and his visual art are unified at a fundamental level. "They
both have to do with re-assembling familiar imagery to create interesting
landscapes," he says. "One with sight, the other with sound."

Pollard was introduced to the New York art world in 2007, when visual artist Todd DiCiurcio and actor Michael Imperiole co-hosted "Do the Collage," a show that included the original art for several classic Guided by Voices album covers. DiCiurcio will co-host "The Public Hi-Fi Balloon" with Vanity Fair executive online editor Michael Hogan.

The 45 Space is located at 45 Bond Street (between Lafayette Street and the Bowery) in Manhattan. Opening night is Friday, August 27, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The exhibit will also be open to visitors on Saturday, August 28, from 2 p.m. until 11 p.m.

I Hope He Uses His Valuable Hunting Knife...

janice

Over at The Comics Alliance today, they've got "13 Songs They Wish Were Comics," and no surprise, the Guided By Voices interpretation is my favorite. [Thanks to the great Evan "Funk" Davies from WFMU for the heads-up!]

Things to see: 2/3/10

mike

(...And this didn't get posted on time either. Yeesh!)

I'm still trying to figure out how to handle frequent art bloggers like Renee French and Debbie Drechsler (below). Pick one post to highlight each week? Any suggestions or preferences?

Also, some credit: I think I was inspired subconsciously to start these "Things to see" posts by Robot 6's Comics Cavalcade posts.

• Our cartoonist pals rule our hometown alt-weeklies this week as Jeremy Eaton does the cover and cover story illustrations for the current Seattle Weekly

• Twelve original collages by Robert Pollard for the Guided by Voices release Suitcase 3, for sale on eBay

• Earth tongues by Debbie Drechsler

• Two films and an animated drawing (not shown here so as not to spoil it) by Lilli Carré

• Dash Shaw's Britney Spears

• At What Things Do, part 4 of "This Already Happened" by Steven Weissman

• Heermann's Gull by T. Edward Bak

Daily OCD: 11/19/09

mike

Online Commentary & Diversions:

• Review: Minnesota Public Radio enlists Tom Kaczynski to talk about Dash Shaw's new book The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D.: "They're stories full of nuance and expression, done in a very accessible style, but very fresh and modern." Listen at the link above (segment begins at 1:40), and find out about Tom and Dash's collaboration for the next issue of Mome here

• Review: "Charles Burns offers a glimpse of what might happen if EC Comics existed today with three tales of intrigue and absurdity in this softcover reissue... [of Skin Deep]. A master of the unearthly atmosphere — David Lynch has nothing on him — Burns unleashes tales of a man transplanted with a dog’s heart, a failing marriage with an alarming secret, and, best of all, an evangelist’s son’s encounter with God and his path to millions because of it. At once cautionary, creepy and curious, Burns is consistently one of comics’ deepest thinkers." – John Seven, Worcester Magazine

• Review: "The Troublemakers is the second in a series of graphic novels adapting movies starring or co-starring Rosalba 'Fritz' Martinez from the popular Love and Rockets series. An adaptation of a fictional movie starring a fictional character… I can totally dig that. ... Well, Hernandez has totally captured the look and feel of a B-movie with this one. You’d swear that Roger Corman, Russ Meyer or Samuel Z. Arkoff had a hand in it somewhere… only it’s a whole lot prettier because the guy is a hell of an artist. ... The characters are all very distinct and memorable and the story keeps you intrigued from page one to 120. It actually feels like you’re watching a movie while reading it. ... One can imagine a young Quentin Tarantino taking in a Saturday afternoon viewing of The Troublemakers and being quite inspired." – Chad Derdowski, Mania.com

• Review: "...[A] phallic-galactic odyssey of epic proportions... Prison Pit, the latest [Johnny] Ryan work published by Fantagraphics, is just that, an apologia for sidereal 'poor taste' able to shake the guts of the average reader of comics... Yes, he has hit the target with a homemade bomb and high destructive capacity. Ryan, bastard, you've nailed it." – Alita Comics blog (from mangled Google translation)

• Review: "Jordan Crane is a pretty incredible cartoonist, and this issue of his anthology series [Uptight] demonstrates that wonderfully, with two stories that are different enough that it's impressive that they came from the same creator, but both beautifully drawn and well-told." – Matthew J. Brady

• Events: Dame Darcy would like you to know that she's in NYC with stuff going on

• Distraction: Paste has a fun game: "Spam E-Mail or Bob Pollard Song?" (via our own Ambassador of Awesomeness Janice Headley)

Daily OCD: 11/6/09

mike

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

Daily OCD: 10/7/09

mike

Online Commentary & Diversions? Yes:

• Review: "An abstract comic? What the hell is that? And more importantly, what’s the point of a comic if it doesn’t tell a story? These are the questions a book like Abstract Comics raises right off the bat. Thankfully, it also answers them. The anthology, edited by Andrei Molotiu, covers the time period of 1967-2009 and is in all respects a Serious (capital S) volume. ... Worth a look, for sure, and maybe more." – Molly Young, We Love You So

• Plug: Ulrich Scheele of artblog peeks at the "charming" and "wonderful" Rock Candy: The Artwork of Femke Hiemstra

• Plug: "When it comes to creepy comics, Al Columbia isn't only a member — he's the president. And in Fantagraphics' Zero Zero #4, Columbia produced a short story called 'I Was Killing When Killing Wasn't Cool' that is so startling and nightmarish in its quiet elegance that it'll stick with you forever." – Rickey Purdin, Rowdy Schoolyard

• Plug: Some Love and Rockets nostalgia from California retailer/comics blogger Mike Sterling

• Commentary: At Comics Comics, Jeet Heer declares "It’s a good time to be a Nancy-boy."

• Interview: The Inkstuds radio program talks to Abstract Comics editor Andrei Molotiu, with musical selections by Andrei

• Things to see and buy: From the Robert Pollard camp, "New collages and price reductions on Bob art work for Rocktober. All collages from EAT 7 are avaliable." Available framed and unframed.

Daily OCD: 10/5/09

mike

Lots of Online Commentary & Diversions today:

• Review: "The graphic novel, it turns out, is a form especially well-suited to the noir genre. Maybe this isn’t surprising — comics have always run the gamut of moods from goofy to autobiographical to just plain smutty. But it still gives a shiver of pleasure to stumble upon a graphic novel that captures the hardboiled tone of classic noir as perfectly as West Coast Blues, Jacques Tardi’s adaptation of a 1976 crime novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette. ... The plot includes bursts of bruality, dark realizations, alluring women and grizzled observations from its antihero — all the best conventions of noir, in other words, preserved and reborn in a fresh new medium. File it next to Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler." – Molly Young, We Love You So

• Review: "...[West Coast Blues is] a well-crafted piece of genre entertainment. I dug it." – Sandy Bilus, I Love Rob Liefeld

• Review: "I had a significant crush on The Death Of Speedy Ortiz the summer I was 20 years old, reading and re-reading the serialized story with a passion I had never brought to a single comic story before then. ... I thought it was wonderful that summer I read it 10,000 times, and I remain convinced it's a special story every time I've picked it up since." – Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter

• Review: "One of the many, many things I like about Kevin Huizenga's work is that a lot of his comics are about things that are not likely candidates for visual representation, and he manages to make them fascinating to look at anyway. Most of [Ganges #3] is about the process of perceiving one's own consciousness--the sort of hyperconsciousness of your own mind that happens when you're trying to get to sleep and can't--which is potentially the least interesting thing anybody could draw. And it looks fantastic..." – Douglas Wolk, The Savage Critics

• Review: "[Prince Valiant Vol. 1: 1937-1938] is gorgeous. ... [Hal] Foster is frequently cited as an influence on other great cartoonists, and part of it is his precise line and the way he builds a convincing world from authentic architecture, clothing and armaments. That's part of the appeal, but Foster also excels at staging. ... Unlike daily strip collections, the full, weekly Prince Valiant page ends up a brisk, headlong read... Prince Valiant is something I picked up expecting to admire. I had no idea I would love it. – Christopher Allen, Comic Book Galaxy

• Review: "Although far from all the artists represented in the new anthology From Wonderland with Love are so experimental with form and content that you must ask yourself if this can really still be termed comics, it is truly the cream of the crop who are assembled here. This collection offers a great perspective on how broad and versatile the talent pool is in Denmark." – Torben Rølmer Bille, Kulturkapellet (translated from Danish)

• Review: "Charles M. Schulz is my favorite cartoonist, so I was excited to see that the 12th volume in the [Complete Peanuts] series has an introduction by the legendary Billie Jean King... This is a important series of books which I give an ‘A Plus’ and I think it would be the ultimate part of a Peanuts fan’s collection!" – The Catgirl Critics' Media Mewsings

• Interview: At Largehearted Boy, author Jami Attenberg talks to Ellen Forney, saying "This mixture of openness and strength makes her work... extremely powerful and relatable, and probably very necessary for your bookshelf." From Ellen: "Sometimes I have to reflect and remind myself that I do have many more skills and more experience in my repertoire at this point, and to appreciate that the challenges don't freak me out so much. Still, some challenges are exhilarating and some are a pain in the ass."

• Commentary: At Comics Comics, Dash Shaw comments on and posts a transcript of a panel he was on at TCAF earlier this year

• Things to see: Coffee shop sketchbookery by Robert Goodin

• Things to see and buy: Puzzle paintings by Tim Hensley for sale via Buenaventura. I got one of an earlier edition from Tim at Comic-Con for a steal and it is a glorious thing

• Things to see and buy: The 2010 Jim Flora calendars are in

• Tunes: At Stereogum, "How Wrong You Are," the new song and video from Robert Pollard's Boston Spaceships

Pollard art for sale

mike

Robert Pollard is having a spring cleaning sale of original collage art, including many pieces featured in our book Town of Mirrors: The Reassembled Imagery of Robert Pollard (the piece above was used for the back cover, for instance). There are unframed pieces and framed pieces starting here.

2008 Best-of List tally

mike

We've been posting these as we've found them, but here's a (slightly OCD) alphabetical list of Fantagraphics titles and whose year-end lists that they've appeared on, for your handy reference. (Links will continue to be added as we find them.) Rankings appear in parentheses; no number means the list was unranked:

Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane
• Mark Athitakis' American Fiction Notes, "Favorite Books of 2008"
• Alan David Doane, "Debut of the Year"
• Inland Empire Weekly
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (Honorable Mention)
• Frank Santoro, "Top 9 of '08" (#2)
• Marc Sobel (#2)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Best Books of 2008: Graphic Literature"

Amor Y Cohetes by the Hernandez Brothers
• The Independent, "Best Comics"

Angry Youth Comix Vol. II #14 by Johnny Ryan
• comiXology "Best Comics of 2008" (#15)
• Jog - The Blog, "Twenty 'Hot Ones' from 2008" (#9)

Beasts! Book 2
• Book By Its Cover "Best of BBIC 2008" (#5)

Beyond Palomar by Gilbert Hernandez
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#17)
• The Independent, "Best Comics"

Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw
• Amazon.com, "Best Books of 2008 - Top 10 Books: Comics & Graphic Novels" (#4)
• Derik Badman, "Best Comics of 2008"
• Tom Bondurant, "Robot 6," Comic Book Resources, "Favorite Comics of 2008"
• Bookmunch, "Graphic Novel of the Year"
• Matthew Brady, "Best Comics of 2008" (#12)
• Box Brown at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun! "Fun Fifty of 2008" (#25)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#4)
• Comic Book Resources "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#41)
• comiXology, "The Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#3)
• Daily Vanguard, "Top 10 Graphic Novels and Comics of 2008" (#9)
• Entertainment Weekly, "Best Fiction of 2008" (#5)
• GraphicNovelReporter, "Best Graphic Novels of 2008"
• Dustin Harbin, Top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" (#2)
• I Love Rob Liefeld, "The Best Comics of 2008" (#2)
• Tom Kaczynski
• Largehearted Boy, "Favorite Graphic Novels of 2008"
• Minty Lewis at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Original Graphic Novel" (runner-up)
• J. Caleb Mozzocco, "The Best Comics of 2008"
• Mari Naomi at The Daily Cross Hatch
• New York Magazine, "The Top Ten Graphic Novels" (#2)
• Brian Nicholson, "Best Comics of 2008" (#1)
• The Oklahoman's Nerdage blog , "2008's best graphic novels" (#4)
• Shannon O'Leary at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Nate Powell at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (#1)
• Arthur Smid at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Zack Soto, "personal 'best of/favorite' comics of 2008"
• Aron Nels Steinke, "My Top Ten"
• USA TODAY Pop Candy, "Top 100 People of 2008" (#81)
• USA TODAY Pop Candy, "Top Comics of 2008" (#1)
• The Village Voice, "Pulp Fictions: The Best of 2008"
• Washington Post, "Best Comics of 2008"
• Douglas Wolk, "Favorite Book-Length Comics of 2008" (#3)

The Complete Peanuts 1967-1968 by Charles M. Schulz
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#36)

Deitch's Pictorama by the brothers Deitch
• Michael C. Lorah, Newsarama, "Top Eleven: Best of 2008"
• Jeet Heer, "Best Comics of 2008"

Daddy's Girl by Debbie Drechsler
• Tim O'Shea, "Robot 6," Comic Book Resources, "Favorite Comics of 2008"

The Education of Hopey Glass by Jaime Hernandez
• Daily Vanguard, "Top 10 Graphic Novels and Comics of 2008" (#7)
• Alan David Doane, "Graphic Novel of the Year"
• Michael C. Lorah, Newsarama, "Top Eleven: Best of 2008"
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Comic I Didn't Get Around to Reviewing" (runner-up)
• The Oklahoman's Nerdage blog , "2008's best graphic novels" (#8)
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (#2, tied)
• Douglas Wolk, "Favorite Book-Length Comics of 2008" (#1)

Explainers by Jules Feiffer
• Robert Boyd, "The Best Comics of 2008"
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#37)
• Joe Matt at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Collection of Previously Published Material" (runner-up)
• Newsarama, "Top 5: Best Archival Comics, 2008" (#3)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Best Books of 2008: Graphic Literature"

Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga
• Box Brown at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#15: "the works of Kevin Huizenga")
• Comic Book Resources "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#51)
• "Comics Should Be Good: Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#4)
• comiXology, "The Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#1)
• Daily Vanguard, "Top 10 Graphic Novels and Comics of 2008" (#1)
• Dustin Harbin, Top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" (#7)
• I Love Rob Liefeld, "The Best Comics of 2008" (#8)
• Jog - The Blog, "Twenty 'Hot Ones' from 2008" (#7)
• Bill Kartalopoulos at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Comic I Didn't Get Around to Reviewing" (runner-up)
• Brian Nicholson, "Best Comics of 2008"
• The Oklahoman, "Top 10 Periodical Comic Book Series of 2008" (#4: "the comics of Kevin Huizenga")
• Jesse Reklaw at The Daily Cross Hatch (#2)
• Aron Nels Steinke, "My Top Ten"
• Jeremy Tinder at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Leigh Walton at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)

Ghost World: Special Edition by Daniel Clowes
• Alan David Doane, "Reissue of the Year"

Grotesque #2 by Sergio Ponchione
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#48)

Hall of Best Knowledge by Ray Fenwick
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#46)
• Drawn! "Favourite Comics and Art Books of 2008"
• The Cultural Gutter , "10 Comics I Liked in 2008"

Hotwire Comics Vol. 2
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#43)

I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks
• Mindless Ones, "Top Comics of 2008"

Interiorae #3 by Gabriella Giandelli
• Nate Powell at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)

Jessica Farm Vol. 1 by Josh Simmons
• Mike Carey at the Forbidden Planet blog
• comiXology, "Best Comics of 2008" (#17)
• Joe Infurnari at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)

The Lagoon by Lilli Carré
• Jeff Lemire at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Tim O'Shea, "Robot 6," Comic Book Resources, "Favorite Comics of 2008"
• Nate Powell at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (Honorable Mention)
• USA TODAY Pop Candy, "Top 100 People of 2008" (#58)
• USA TODAY Pop Candy, "Top Comics of 2008" (#6)

The Last Musketeer by Jason
• J. Caleb Mozzocco, "The Best Comics of 2008"

Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by The Hernandez Brothers
• Johnny Bacardi, "2008 Personal 10 Best in Comics"
• Robert Boyd, "The Best Comics of 2008"
• Matthew Brady, "Best Comics of 2008" (#19)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#42)
• Comic Book Resources "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#20)
• comiXology, "Best Comics of 2008" (#11)
• The Daily Blog, "10 for '08"
• Michel Fiffe at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Jeet Heer, "Best Comics of 2008"
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best New Series"
• The OC Weekly, "The Year's Best Graphic Books and Novels"
• Publishers Weekly "Comics Week's Third Annual Critic's Poll" (Honorable Mention)
• Frank Santoro, "Top 9 of '08" (#3)
• Zack Soto, "personal 'best of/favorite' comics of 2008"
• Rich Tommaso

Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly
• "Comics Should Be Good: Top Ten Moments of Comic-Related Happiness in 2008"

Mome Vol. 12
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#29)
• comiXology, "Best Comics of 2008" (#21)
• Daily Vanguard, "Top 10 Graphic Novels and Comics of 2008" (#5)
• Jog - The Blog, "Twenty 'Hot Ones' from 2008" (#18)
• Jesse Reklaw at The Daily Cross Hatch (#5 - includes Vol. 10-11)
• Marc Sobel ("the comics of Dash Shaw in Mome," #4)
• Douglas Wolk at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)

Most Outrageous: The Trials and Tespasses of Dwaine Tinsley and Chester the Molester by Bob Levin
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Book About Comics"
• Marc Sobel (#3)
• The Village Voice, "2008's Best Comics, Clip Art, and Pedophilia"

The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 by Thomas Ott
• The SF Site, Rick Klaw, "Nexus Graphica: Top Ten Graphic Novel or Comics Related Publications" (#2)
• The SF Site, Mark London Williams, "Nexus Graphica: Top Ten Graphic Novel or Comics Related Publications" (#5)

Perla La Loca by Jaime Hernandez
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#16)
• The Independent, "Best Comics"
• Zack Soto, "personal 'best of/favorite' comics of 2008"

Petey & Pussy by John Kerschbaum
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#7)
• Bob Fingerman at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Joe Infurnari at The Daily Cross Hatch (#5)

Pocket Full of Rain and Other Stories by Jason
• Matthew Brady, "Best Comics of 2008" (#16)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#35)

Popeye Vol. 3: "Let's You and Him Fight!" by E.C. Segar
• Dustin Harbin, Top 10 "Best Comics of 2008" (#4)
• Joe Matt at The Daily Cross Hatch (#2)
• Chris Mautner, "Robot 6," Comic Book Resources, "Favorite Comics of 2008" (#1)
• Newsarama, "Top 5: Best Archival Comics, 2008" (#2)
• Jeff Smith
• Frank Stack at The Daily Cross Hatch

Rebel Visions: The Underground Comix Revolution 1963-1975 by Patrick Rosenkranz
• The SF Site, Mark London Williams, "Nexus Graphica: Top Ten Graphic Novel or Comics Related Publications" (#1)

Sammy the Mouse #2 by Zak Sally
• Austin English at The Daily Cross Hatch (#1)
• Tom Neely at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)

Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell
• Alan David Doane, "Comic Art Book of the Year" (tie)
• Paul Gravett, "The Best of 2008 - Books About Comics"
• The SF Site, Rick Klaw, "Nexus Graphica: Top Ten Graphic Novel or Comics Related Publications" (#5)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Best Books of 2008: Graphic Literature"

Sublife Vol. 1 by John Pham
• Jeffrey Brown at The Daily Cross Hatch (#4)
• Comic Book Resources, "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#72)

Tales Designed to Thrizzle #4 by Michael Kupperman
• Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun! "Fun Fifty of 2008" (#11)
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#24)
• Comic Book Resources, "Best 100 Comics of 2008" (#70)
• "Comics Should Be Good: Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#5)
• comiXology, "The Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#8)
• Same Hat! Same Hat! "Best X of Everything 2008: Comics!" (#5)

Things Just Get Away from You by Walt Holcombe
• Mike Carey at the Forbidden Planet blog

Town of Mirrors by Robert Pollard
• KEXP, "2008's Best Books About Popular Music"

Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#38)
• Paul Gravett, "The Best of 2008 - Books About Comics"
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Collection of Previously Published Material" (runner-up)
• The Village Voice, "2008's Best Comics, Clip Art, and Pedophilia"
• The Village Voice, "Pulp Fictions: The Best of 2008"

Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin
• Rob Clough, "My Top 50 Comics of the Year" (#10)
• Shaenon Garrity at The Daily Cross Hatch (#3)
• The Boston Globe "Out of Line" blog
• Matt Kindt at The Daily Cross Hatch
• Chris Marshall at the Forbidden Planet International Blog (#2)
• Chris Mautner, The Patriot-Ledger, "Moxie Awards: Best Collection of Previously Published Material"
• Bram Meehan, "Top Ten Comics of 2008" (#10)
• Ben Ostrander at The Comics Reporter

Daily links: 1/6/09

mike

• In the day's biggest news, the winner of Publishers Weekly's annual Critic's Poll of graphic novels is Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw, with The Education of Hopey Glass by Jaime Hernandez in a 6-way tie for 2nd place and Honorable Mentions to Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane, The Lagoon by Lilli Carré, and Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 by the Hernandez Brothers

• Ben Ostrander sends The Comics Reporter his Top Books of 2008 list, which has Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin on it

• Marc Sobel lines up his Top Ten Books of 2008, with Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane at #2, Most Outrageous by Bob Levin at #3, and "the comics by Dash Shaw in Mome" at #4, and with Pocket Full of Rain and Other Stories by Jason, Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga, and Insomnia #3 by Matt Broersma in the "Other Noteworthy Books" category

• We've got 16 entries on Rob Clough's "Top 50 Comics of the Year", plus 8 honorable mentions; don't make me list them all out

• Comics And... Other Imaginary Tales says Petey & Pussy by John Kerschbaum is "obscenely good fun!"

• Not comics: Magnet has the scoop on Robert Pollard's slate of 2009 records

Daily links: 1/5/09

mike

• Michael C. Lorah's "Top Eleven: Best of 2008" at Newsarama includes The Education of Hopey Glass by Jaime Hernandez and Deitch's Pictorama by the brothers Deitch

• On Jog's "Twenty 'Hot Ones' from 2008" best-of list: Mome Vol. 12 (#18), Angry Youth Comix #14 by Johnny Ryan (#9), and Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga (#7)

• Comic Book Resources' new multi-author blog Robot 6 presents their "favorite comics of 2008," which include Tom Bondurant's choice of Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw; Chris Mautner giving Popeye Vol. 3: "Let's You and Him Fight!" by E.C. Segar the top spot; and Tim O'Shea including The Lagoon by Lilli Carré and Daddy's Girl by Debbie Drechsler

• The Oklahoman's "top 10 periodical comic book series of 2008" places "the comics of Kevin Huizenga" at #4

• In their "Bull Tongue" column for Arthur Magazine, Thurston Moore & Byron Coley check out Town of Mirrors by Robert Pollard and declare it "stunning"

• Newsarama talks to Craig Yoe about Boody Rogers and our upcoming Yoe-edited collection of Rogers's work, Boody: The Bizarre Comics of Boody Rogers

• Comic Book Resources' "Comics Should Be Good" spotlights the comics of Michael "Tales Designed to Thrizzle" Kupperman

• LIT MOB looks at The Lagoon by Lilli Carré

• The Northwest Science Fiction Society takes note of Beasts! Book 2

• The Daily Cross Hatch presents part 2 of their 3-part interview with Bob Fingerman

• Douglas Wolk has started sharing pages from his convention sketchbook; here's Roger Langridge

• Looking for our books in Tokyo? When Comic Books Ruled the Earth recommends Tower Records in Shibuya

• According to Boing Boing, "snoopy" is the 192nd worst password of all time (beating out "buddy" but just behind "chester")

Daily links: 12/10/08

mike

• Newsarama talks to Greg Sadowski, editor of our forthcoming anthology of early Golden Age superhero stories Supermen! (with a bonus deleted story)

• Dick Hyacinth's best-of-the-year long list includes his thoughts on a full baker's dozen of our 2008 releases

• The River Cities' Reader includes Robert Pollard's Town of Mirrors in its holiday recommendations of rock-related coffee table books

• At Comics Comics, Frank Santoro rediscovers an Eros Comix classic from the 1990s

Daily links: 12/8/08

mike

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?

Daily links: 12/4/08

mike

Got some extra links from Eric today:

• The Village Voice looks at Petey & Pussy by John Kerschbaum and The Lagoon by Lilli Carré

• Dr. K calls Petey & Pussy "vile and wrong" in the nicest way possible

• CMJ and the Philadelphia City Paper both feature Town of Mirrors by Robert Pollard

• The Gosh! Comics Blog blurbs Krazy & Ignatz 1925-1934 and 1935-1944

• Dark Worlds enjoys our collections of Walt Kelly's Our Gang

• Rip Post presents a bunch of Dave Cooper's recent artwork

• At Comicon.com, Jennifer M. Contino interviews Kevin Huizenga

Pollard prints

mike

Robert Pollard and Hard Pressed Studios have released the first in a series of 5 limited-edition silkscreen prints based on Bob's collage artwork (as seen in our new book Town of Mirrors). The first, Greetings from Camp Confusion, is available now from Rockathon Records (Bob's official merch arm) or direct from the printer.

Robert Pollard interview

Eric

The Boston Phoenix talks to Robert Pollard about Town of Mirrors and his new band, Boston Spaceships.

Robert Pollard Tour Starts Sept. 25

Eric

Later this month, the great Robert Pollard will head out on tour with his new band, Boston Spaceships (featuring former GBV bassist Chris Slusarenko and Decemberists drummer John Moen), to promote not one but two new albums, as well as his first book, our very own Town of Mirrors: The Reassembled Imagery of Robert Pollard. Pollard will have ToM for sale at each stop on the tour, so don't forget to hit that ATM on the way down to the show.

The tour kicks off Sept. 25th in Chincinnati. Don't miss it!

Thu 9/25 Cincinnati OH - Midpoint Music Festival
Fri 9/26 Cleveland OH - Grog Shop
Sat 9/27 Washington DC - Black Cat
Mon 9/29 Philadelphia PA - Johnny Brendas
Tue 9/30 Boston MA - Paradise
Wed 10/1 New York City - Highline Ballroom
Fri 10/3 Ann Arbor MI - Blind Pig
Sat 10/4 Dayton OH - Dayton Music Festival
Mon 10/6 Chicago IL - Double Door
Tue 10/7 St Paul MN - Turf Club
Thu 10/9 Champaign IL - High Dive
Fri 10/10 St Louis MO - Bluebird
Sat 10/11 Memphis TN - Hi Tone
Tue 10/14 Austin TX- Parish
Wed 10/15 Dallas TX - The Loft
Fri 10/17 Atlanta GA - The Earl
Sat 10/18 Nashville TN- Mercy Lounge

Also, Pollard & Co. are sponsoring a contest to create the first official Boston Spaceships music video. There's a week left in the voting, go here to check out the finalists. Here's my favorite: