FLOG! Entries tagged 'arbitrary cuteness'

Please welcome our new temp

mike

He's fitting in okay but he's only shown a real interest in one of our books.

Steven Weissman in The Stranger

TheJenVaughn

Most Seattlelites recognize the cartoons of Steven Weissman since he's been drawing I, Anonymous for the Seattle Stranger for quite awhile. In this weekly letter column, he pens the diatribes of the angry, bitter, self-loathing and oblivious. Last month's was a favorite of mine, a huge fan of the C-word, handled with the utmost care (see above). Weissman's love of duotone, gray shading and dot-matrix-heavy shading makes his drawings perfect for print and they look hella fine on the web too. Weissman was sweet enough to answer some questions about how he approaches the weekly illustrations.

Q: Do the letters appear on your doorstep in a huge sack just steeped in vitriol?

A: [Art Director] Aaron Huffman sends me a letter sometime between Wednesday and Friday each week after Stranger associate editor David Schmader or some shadowy 'they' pick the letters.

Q: What is your process like for a weekly drawing based on someone else's ideas?

A: I've usually scanned the letter once by Friday. I'll print it out on Sunday night, underline key phrases and make a couple of sketches. By Monday morning, I have a pretty clear idea of what I'm drawing.

Sometimes the Seattle-specific letters can be puzzling (I'm in Los Angeles), but I can only think of one where I was completely stumped, and all I remember about that one is my solution being some guy eating a toaster waffle.

Q: Have you ever been contacted by the people who wrote the letters or the ones who figured out they were the subject?

A: I've sold drawings to people related to the letters before. They make great gifts for friends recovering from messy breakups (35% of I, Anonymous letters are breakups). Original art is also a great way to say "I'm sorry I gave you V.D."

What a Weiss-ass! More of those illustrations are available for sale via Weissman's Pinterest board as are his books, Barack Hussein Obama, Chocolate Cheeks, Chewing Gum in Church.

Jeremy Eaton's Jumbles Keep Coming

TheJenVaughn

Fantagraphics' veteran Jeremy Eaton continues to draw his mashup characters or Jumbles since his show last fall in Seattle. Luba and Olive Oyl is one of our favorites, good thing that iconic Luba hammer exists for the sake of Olive Oyl's shoes (created by Gilbert Hernandez and E.C. Segar respectively). Jeremy's posted more than a few of his 'jumbles' online so check it out today! And try to name all the characters jumbled together below.

Holiday Hauntings by Josh Simmons

TheJenVaughn

Looking for that special something to give to special someone you love? (In my case, that would be me.) Order a commission directly from an artist! Josh Simmons of The Furry Trap, House and Jessica Farm is one of the many artists offering his service to you. Simmons said he is very flexible and can tailor things to peoples' budget, or something like the Witch-King of the Nazgul painting above is the most time-consuming, would go for the highest price. When I asked if the highest price was money, the soul or a bucket of blood, he agreed any of the three would do. Horrifying.

But like most cartoonists, artists, people of note, Simmons can create for children too! So for the parent who wants an original drawing but needs G-rated content, Simmons has a sweet side too. Well, it's still spooky.

Suds up Percy Gloom

TheJenVaughn

Cathy Malkasian thinks we're dirty. What else can we expect when she sends us a box of beautifully-crafted soap? We're working so hard on publishing books; its a sweaty business. To be fair, she sent the box to Eric Reynolds but he is nice and clean enough to share with the rest of us. Each soap is a charcter from Malkasian's 2007 hit, Percy Gloom. Look at those perfectly molded soaps, Percy even has his cute hat on!

Malkasian's next graphic novel is due out in April entitled Wake Up Percy Gloom! S0 get soapy and squeaky clean for the next book. You'll have to pardon me for ending this FLOG! post early, I've got a sudsy, frothy Percy soap face to stick into my sweaty under-arms.

New target market

mike

Due to privacy concerns I'm slightly uneasy about posting photos of other people's babies, but this is too good not to share, so I'll just leave it anonymous and say that it came via Kevin Huizenga, who says "Wanted: more readers like [this]."

This just in: Moto Hagio is adorable

mike

Matt Thorn, editor/translator of our manga books, tweeted: "Me with Moto Hagio at tonight's Japan Cartoonist Association award ceremony, where Hagio was a recipient." Hooray! (And love the new hairstyle!)

But here is the pièce de résistance: "A photo I took earlier tonight of Moto Hagio in cat ears. No, seriously. Not Photoshopped." Excuse me while I go DIE FROM CUTENESS.

Cats Love Comics (to sleep on)

mike

Here's Nili, deeply engrossed in Steve Brodner's Freedom Fries. Via Steve's blog.

Help Stephen DeStefano's sick kitty

mike

Stephen DeStefano and his wife Siobhan have announced that he will be selling some comics and animation art and other memorabilia from his animation career on eBay in an effort to defray escalating vet bills as his beloved kitty Lola battles what's looking like cancer.

Having had our own experience with kitty cancer over the past couple of years, Janice and I strongly encourage you to send your support Stephen and Siobhan's way.

Johnny Ryan motion comic, sorta

mike

Meet Princess Kitty

Look what I stumbled on when I went to watch a funny cat video: Johnny Ryan's illustration for the Found Footage Festival has been animated motion-comic style for the intro to the FFF's series of videos for The A.V. Club (see it following the commercial). Neat. Also: you tell 'em, kitty.

Cats love Love and Rockets

mike

Flickr user Ben Herman shares this photo of his cat Squeaky perusing some issues of Love and Rockets Vol. II...

...and I may have posted this photo from Flickr user "Asimuth" of the appropriately-named Magpie using The Death of Speedy as a blanket when I first found it in 2007, but the current Flog archives don't go back that far, so here it is maybe again.

Send us photos of your adorable pets enjoying Fantagraphics comics and we'll post 'em here!

Skylight Books TV ad features Love and Rockets

mike

How do you know that L.A. independent bookstore Skylight Books is awesome (aside from the two magic words "independent bookstore" that is)? The fact that they feature closeups of Locas II AND kittycats in their new TV ad, that's how! (Via The Believer on Twitter.)

That's not a mushroom

Eric

A few months ago, I was having dinner with a certain cartoonist and his family, we went to a lovely place near the Fantagraphics Bookstore that welcomed kids, and even gave the kids crayons and a coloring book. The kids took to the coloring like gangbusters, and it wasn't until some time had passed that any of the adults looked at what the kids were coloring. It turns out they had discovered a drawing that someone else had already started, of a large mushroom in the forest -- the perfect place for a group of elves to have a picnic under.

It was a delightful evening, both for us and the elves.

Blogosphere roundup for 8/15/08

mike

Apologies for the late update -- technical difficulties and all that. This week's reviews:

• Joe McCulloch, AKA Jog, takes a good look at Tim Lane's Abandoned Cars

• Joe/Jog also looks at Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes

• Sequart examines Explainers by Jules Feiffer

• Retailer Mike Sterling says Tales Designed to Thrizzle #4 by Michael Kupperman is "all you need to know about the new comics coming in this week," and then promptly sells out of them! Sequart looks at the issue too

• This week's coverage of Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell comes from Publishers Weekly, The Village Voice (second on the page), and Steve Bissette

• Black Heart Magazine reviews Ellen Forney's Lust

• French site Wart looks at Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw

• We take 3 spots on this top-10 list at Creative Loafing (and 2 of those are Acme Novelty Library)

• Our Eric Reynolds is posting scans of our press clippings on his Flickr account

• Harry Allen appreciates The Pin-Up Art of Dan DeCarlo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

• The Forbidden Planet International blog looks at The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 by Thomas Ott (reposted from the Blank Slate Books blog)

• Flickr user jjohnshea not only poses his sweet-looking dog with Maakies with the Wrinkled Knees by Tony Millionaire and Chance in Hell by Gilbert Hernandez (among other books... and look, here's his other dog with The Frank Book by Jim Woodring), he reviews them too:

In other links...

• This guy scored some great stuff at our Summer Sidewalk Sale last weekend

• Richard Grayson has a great report from last Friday's Where Demented Wented book release event at Desert Island in Brooklyn

• Blake Bell has the hots for my wife and writes some other things about his Comic-Con experience

• Paul Hornschemeier posts a video of Jonathan Lethem and Daniel Clowes talkin' shop at MoCCA

• At Blog Flume, Ken Parille connects the dots between Swiss appropriationist Ugo Rondinone, Jason, and Carl Barks

• Also at Blog Flume, Jonathan Bennett presents the complete It Was a Dark and Stormy Night by Snoopy

• Are you keeping up with Amazing Facts... and Beyond! with Leon Beyond by Kevin Huizenga, Ted May and Dan Zettwoch?

• In other webcomics news, Roger Langridge announces the temporary return of Fred the Clown

• Tim O'Shea interviews The Comics Journal Online Editor Dirk Deppey

• News To Me Dept: Hey, this Angry Youth Comix cover is based on this Li'l Abner paperback cover

• An amazing piece of original art by Michael Kupperman and the bitter story behind how it was acquired (via Sean T. Collins)

• Our own Kristy Valenti posts her Comic-Con 2008 wrap-up at ComicMix

• At Thought Balloonists, see photos of Jim Woodring at his Comic-Con spotlight panel and video of Jaime Hernandez sketching John Hancock for a fan at our Comic-Con booth

• Our own Larry Reid is quoted in this Los Angeles Times article about photographer Edward Colver

• Tim of Sparky Malarkey has a lot of our books on his shelves

• More Anders Nilsen sketchbook comics

Blogosphere roundup for 7/18/08

mike

No update next week due to Comic-Con, but the next one will be a two-fer. In this week's web reviews:

• The Stranger weighs in on Dash Shaw's Bottomless Belly Button

• Sean T. Collins looks at Mome Vol. 11

• The Toronto Star, Newsarama, Javier Hernandez, ComicMix and Maclean's on Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell - see this previous Flog post for even more recent links related to this book

• On the NPR website, Laurel Maury looks at Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin; The Miami Herald also takes a look

• Til the Last Hemlock Dies looks at I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks

• Vice loves Johnny Ryan's Angry Youth Comix #14

• Sequart continues their detailed examination of Love and Rockets Vol. 1 with issue #34

• Sequart also looks at the anthology fanzine Mineshaft #19

• Sequart additionally examines The Comics Journal #291

• The Alex Ross Collector looks at Ross's covers for TCJ #216 and #223

• Newsarama digs the Comic Arf anthology

In other news:

• Here's what the hardworking Roger Langridge is up to lately

• Empire magazine names Usagi Yojimbo the 31st-greatest comic book character of all time (the highest-ranking alt-comics character on the list is Vladek Spiegelman, at #13)

• du9 presents a 2004 interview with Daddy's Girl author Debbie Drechsler

• The latest cat-n-comix find on Flickr, from user "contrasts":

Blogosphere roundup for 6/13/08

mike

A two-fer this time around, since I was out last Friday. I need to come up with a better name for these link roundup posts. Any suggestions?

• When Comic Books Ruled the Earth is enthusiastic about The Education of Hopey Glass by Jaime Hernandez

• Sequart on Amor Y Cohetes by the three Hernandez brothers

• Also at Sequart, their in-depth look at every issue of Love and Rockets Vol. 1 has reached issue #33

• Joe McCulloch (a.k.a. Jog) reprints his Comics Journal review of the first two issues of Gabriella Giandelli’s Interiorae

• Chris McLaren, in discussing Jules Feiffer's Explainers, reveals that this Feiffer print hung at one time (and possibly still does) in Neil Gaiman's bathroom

• Boing Boing boosts Bottomless Belly Button by Bash Dash Shaw

• Largehearted Boy's Book Notes also looks at Bottomless Belly Button

• The Oregonian, Jog again, and Sequart again, all on Jason's Pocket Full of Rain and Other Stories

• The Forbidden Planet blog on Jason's The Last Musketeer

• Shuffleboil on Ray Fenwick's Hall of Best Knowledge

• Panels and Pixels says Willie & Joe: The WWII Years by Bill Mauldin "might be the most important comic reprint project of the year"

• The Comic Book Bin on R.C. Harvey’s Meanwhile… A Biography of Milton Caniff

• Sequart once more, on the Comic Arf anthology

• Again with the Comics starts a series of posts on the work of Peter Bagge by looking at his series Neat Stuff

• The Floating Lightbulb looks at E.C. Segar's Sappo as it appears in our Popeye collections

• Fantasy writer Icats Nitram takes a look at our 1986 release Children of the Night Tide by Jan Strnad, Dennis Fujitake and Tim Solliday

Plus...

• Our own Eric Reynolds explains Mome to Comic Book Resources (with a preview of the forthcoming Vol. 12)

• See Paul Hornschemeier's photos of Kevin Huizenga, Anders Nilsen and the trio's artwork at the Bilbolbul festival in Bologna, Italy

• Presspop has photos of a Jim Woodring exhibit in Japan

• WFMU apparently has more Fantagraphics clutter to auction off; this time it's the first collection of Kaz's Underworld

• Rod McKie spotlights the work of Jason

• Ty Buttars reports from Tuesday's Jason event at The Beguiling in Toronto

• And finally, from our Flickr group pool, a cat reading Peanuts upside-down:

Los Angeles Cartoonist's Cat Bird Up For Adoption

covey

Nothing directly to do with comics but Steven Weissman writes on his Flickr page: "We rescued this kitten out of a bird's nest in one of our cypress trees this weekend. We're taking care of it for now, but if anyone wants her, please let us know. She's cute, sleeping through the night and maybe 3-4 weeks old."

Are you going to pass up the opportunity to adopt a cat who thinks it's a bird??

Cats love comics

mike

Found on Flickr, from user Jessie Johnson. Taken at Comic Relief in Berkeley.