Regrets? You'll have a few if you don't make it out to the Scott Eder Gallery for the opening reception of Drew Friedman: My Way, his very first New York gallery show of comic strip and illustration art!

It's also the official re-release party for the hotly-anticipated Any Similarity to Persons Living or Dead Is Purely Coincidental, Drew's first anthology, co-written by Josh Alan Friedman. Yes, it's finally back in print in sturdy hardcover, with brand new front and back covers!

It all goes down on Friday, April 27th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, so kick off your MoCCA weekend right with the largest display of Drew's original artwork to date! What will be on the walls? Well, Drew tells us:

The show will consist of 40 pieces, the earliest dating back to 1982. On display will be many comic strips which were originally collected in the first anthology of my work, Any Similarity to Persons Living or Dead Is Purely Coincidental. The timeline of the show ranges from my first comic strips (some written by Josh Alan Friedman) many of which originally appeared in RAW, Weirdo, High Times, Heavy Metal and National Lampoon, to comics created for Blab!, American Splendor and "Howard Stern's Private Parts", and more recent illustration work for created for Entertainment Weekly, MAD, The New York Observer, Rolling Stone and The New Yorker. Many beloved and familiar faces will be included: Tor Johnson, Shemp Howard, Wayne Newton, talk show host Joe Franklin, etc... the semi-famous, obscure, forgotten and maligned human beings who have resinated with me my entire life and whose legacy I've attempted to keep alive in my work. As my father, the author Bruce Jay Friedman has pointed out: "Drew notices the people that no one else pays attention to."

Alcoholic refreshments, Sodi waters, Artisan Cheeses, Crackers, Gefilte fishes, Pigs in the blankets, Wing Dings, lobster bibs, etc, will be served for your dining pleasures. There will be books, prints, and free My Way event posters! The Scott Eder Gallery is located at 18 Bridge Street, Suite 2i, in Brooklyn, New York.

Check out some of the tasty tributes to Jack Davis you'll find this Saturday at the "Funny Valentines" exhibition at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.

Two original drawings by Jim Woodring. Castaway, indeed. 

Original paintings by celebrated Southern California artist SHAG.

A multimedia homage by Seattle artist (and frequent Fantagraphics printmaker) Art Garcia. 

Plus awesome works by graphic design legend Art Chantry, ceramicist Charles Krafft, and cartoonists Tom Neely, Johnny Ryan, Roberta Gregory, Pat Moriarity, Peter Bagge (from the pages of MAD), and a dozen others, including the master himself, Jack Davis. Arrive at 6:30 to experience a virtual visit with Davis via Skype, hosted by Gary Groth.

Everyone adores Frank Stack! // seen here with Joyce Farmer, San Diego Comic-Con 2011

Good thing the Charlotte Street Foundation presents an exhibit on underground comix legend Frank Stack, titled: Good Thing I Used a Pseudonym: Work From a Three-Part Career: Frank Stack as Painter, Connoisseur, and Incognito as Graphic Novelist Foolbert Sturgeon.

PHEW! You gotta have a long title for an exhibit encapsulating Stack's five-decade-long career! Not to mention, this is the very first exhibit of Frank's that will include his traditional artwork made under his real name alongside the comix he created as "Foolbert Sturgeon." A very special exhibit, indeed!

The opening reception is this Friday, January 20th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, and the exhibit will run through March 3, 2012.

And on Saturday, January 21st, join Frank Stack along with curators Anne Thompson and Nathan Boyer for a public discussion of his work at 2:30 PM.  Anyone who saw his panel at San Diego Comic-Con last year can tell you, you will not want to miss this as Frank is a delightful and brilliant storyteller!

It all goes down at Project Space [ 21 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO ], a Charlotte Street Foundation Urban Culture Project venue.

Our wildly entertaining and talented cartoonist friend Tony Millionaire will appear at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, January 7 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM for a book signing and art show. He'll be exhibiting brilliantly sedate work from his new book 500 Portraits, recently released by Fantagraphics Books.

500 Portraits collects over two decades of work by the beloved creator of Drinky Crow's Maakies, Sock Monkey and Billy Hazelnuts. Tony Millionaire's gorgeous fountain pen illustrations are pretty amazing. Many of these 500 portraits were created for The Believer, the magazine founded by Dave Eggers that Millionaire helped define visually with images of interview subjects in every issue. The book also includes dozens of illustrations from various other publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and others.

The artist will be present to sign copies of his many Fantagraphics titles as well as the recent Encyclopedia of Hell and other works. The evening will also feature the premiere of the short live-action film "Everybody Loves Drinky Crow" by Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid.

The store is located at 1201 S. Vale Street at the corner of Airport Way S. in Seattle’s historic Georgetown arts community. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sunday till 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110

This is the last week to view the sensational exhibition "Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly" at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. The critical and popular response to this show has been nothing short of phenomenal. The exhibition will be on view through next Wednesday, January 4. We'll be open every day 11:30 to 8:00 PM except Sunday, January 1, when we'll be closed for New Years Day. 

Kelly's historic strips are being offered for sale at remarkably affordable prices. Several of these wonderful works remain available. If you can't make it to the space, feel free to call Fantagraphics curator Larry Reid at the bookstore at 206.658.0110 for more information. (Download the price list in PDF format.)

Provocative cartoonist Tony Millionaire will appear in Seattle at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, January 7 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM for a book signing and art show. He'll be exhibiting brilliantly sedate work from his new book 500 Portraits, recently released by Fantagraphics Books.

500 Portraits collects over two decades of work by the beloved creator of Drinky Crow's Maakies, Sock Monkey and Billy Hazelnuts. Tony Millionaire's gorgeous fountain pen illustrations, which combine naturalistic detail with strong doses of the fanciful and grotesque, include the famous (Bob Dylan), the infamous (Abu Ghraib soldier/model Lynndie England), the fictional (Yoda), the animal kingdom (a cockroach), and everything in between. Literary figures (Hemingway), literary characters (Don Quixote & Sancho Panza), Hollywood legends (Steven Spielberg), comics icons (Hergé, Daniel Clowes, Hernandez Brothers, etc.) and historical figures (Hitler) also figure prominently.

Many of these 500 portraits were created for The Believer, the magazine founded by Dave Eggers that Millionaire helped define visually with images of interview subjects in every issue. The book also includes dozens of illustrations from various other publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Ephemera Press Historical Maps, The Wall Street Journal, and others.

The artist will be present to sign copies of his many Fantagraphics titles as well as the recent Encyclopedia of Hell and other works. The evening will also feature the premiere of the short live-action film "Everybody Loves Drinky Crow" by Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid.

Listing information:

Tony Millionaire
PORTRAITS

Artist reception & book signing
Saturday, January 7, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Exhibition continues through February 8, 2012

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.)
Seattle, WA 98108
206.658.0110
Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM

Thanks to everyone who came by and bought books at the Fantagraphics tables at the Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival this past weekend! Here's a look at what events are coming up this week:

Wednesday, December 7th

• Los Angeles, CA: It's your last chance to see the The Art of Problem Solving at Giant Robot, a spotlight on the animated series from Ben Jones, featuring fellow Fantagraphics artists Jon Vermilyea and John Pham on staff. Make a pizza date out of it! (more info)

•  Seattle, WA: It's also your last chance to see the Short Run Art Show at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery! Curated by Kelly Froh, the exhibit features original comix art, illustration and book works by Max Clotfelter, Patrick Keck, Martine Workman, Elaine Lin, Jason T. Miles, Chris Cilla, Andrice Arp, Tim Root, Billis Helg, Marc Palm, Eroyn Franklin, Tom Van Deusen, Tim Miller, Tory Franklin, Jesse Reklaw, Sean Christensen, and Erin Tanner. (more info)

Friday, December 9th

• Brooklyn, NY: Get thrizzled with Michael Kupperman at Bergen Street Comics and celebrate the release of Tales Designed to Thrizzle #7! (more info)

Saturday, December 10th 

• Seattle, WA: The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery celebrates the publication of Pogo: Through the Wild Blue Wonder, Volume 1 of the Complete Comic Strips with “Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly.” This exhibition of original Walt Kelly strips coincides on the occasion of the bookstore’s 5th anniversary gala.  Musical entertainment will be provided by Sawsome, a female saw and banjo duet. (more info)

• Los Angeles, CA: Join Tony Millionaire at the third annual Feral House/Process Media Winter Solstice Celebration at the La Luz de Jesus Gallery. He'll be signing copies of his gorgeous new collection 500 Portraits. (more info)

• Los Angeles, CA: The Giant Robot Post-It Show 7 opens, curated by husband-wife team of Esther Pearl Watson and Mark Todd, and featuring work from Andrice Arp, T. Edward Bak, Lilli Carre, Martin Cendreda, Eleanor Davis, Renee French, Tim Hensley, Jaime Hernandez, Jesse Moynihan, Anders Nilsen, John Pham, Johnny Ryan, Jeremy Tinder, Jon Vermilyea, Esther Pearl Watson, and Steven Weissman. (more info)

Thank you so much to everyone who made it out to The Strand last night as our own Gary Groth chatted with the legendary cartoonist Jack Davis!  If you missed out, or you're just MAD for more, you're in luck!

Tonight, Friday, December 2nd, the Scott Eder Gallery in Brooklyn is proud to present an exhibit showcasing Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture, with the artist himself in attendance! (And it's his birthday so you can wish him a happy birthday in person!)

In his first solo exhibition at the gallery, the iconic artist will present a collection of his ingenious drawings from across his half-century long career. Included are watercolors used on the cover of Time and TV Guide; comic book pages from MAD; Davis' famously gnarled football illustrations; and a rogue's gallery of cowboys, hunters and frustrated politicians. Plus, there will be a surprise or two from his classic Bill Gaines' 1950's EC Comics The Crypt of Terror and Two-Fisted Tales. This exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the process and career trajectory one of America's greatest visual commentators.

Join Jack Davis at the opening reception, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Scott Eder Gallery [ 18 Bridge St. #2i, Brooklyn ]. This exhibit is presented in conjunction with The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival (where you can also meet Jack on Saturday, December 3rd)!

(click image to enlarge)

I have yet to see the movie, but I'm guessing J. Edgar Hoover's obsession with Pogo didn't make the cut. Walt Kelly regularly poked fun at powerful political figures, but apparently the Pogo parody of the FBI director drove him around the bend. According to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, Hoover ordered Bureau cryptographers to decipher the secret Okefenokee code. Remind me now. Who was the cartoon character here? 

A delightful example of this historically significant strip line will be on view at Fantagraphics Bookstore in "Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly" opening December 10. The original works will be offered for sale at remarkably affordable prices. The "J. Edgar" strip, measuring 19.5  by 6.5 inches, is only $575.  For additional information on these wonderful works, call curator Larry Reid at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. 206.658.0110.

So, our ol' pal Jacques Boyreau, he of the cinefantastic tomes PORTABLE GRINDHOUSE and the forthcoming SEXYTIME: THE POST-PORN RISE OF THE PORNOISSEUR (a collection of remarkably awesome movie posters from the Golden Age of adult cinema) from Fantagraphics, curated what looks to be an incredible art show in Anchorage, Alaska, of all places. I wanted to spotlight it on the blog, and figured the best way was to simply ask Jacques about. Here's what he had to say.

I've been involved with Fantagraphics for a few years now...as author-editor and all-around-nuisance. I suspect a reason for my insistency is that Gary G. is like the Travis Bickle-friend I always wanted. This association would be easier to make if G. had a buzz mohawk and was popping a red with a smile and several loaded handguns suckling the lean teat of his body, which is NOT out-of-the-question; it is, as they say, in the realm, where all visions are a'chomp.

But realm needs coin, and tomorrow's today's coin is gonna be SuperTrash. And that's what this little fucking blog's entry is gonna tell you a little something about. But back to Taxi Driver...I have always felt very resonant with the character of Easy Andy--the drug-Cadillac-Magnum.44 dealer--and his credo: "I'm just trying to get the right product to the right people"; with the risible connotation that Travis is alright...(and certainly you gotta wonder at least once: What If Travis had bought that pink slip from Andy?). See, Andy and I have the same credo it turns out. I experience selling as Compulsion, and that sutures with what Breton said about Beauty: it must be Convulsive. Society really should, and does take a step back and twist a funny thought out of its head when the Unacceptable becomes Accepted.

Our group mind does not entirely suck. The answer I'm afraid is so simple it's attainable. But why tell you when I cannot and SuperTrash can and you should find out if you can. Let's just say that: an art show purporting to be a portrait of the 20th century told through movie posters was built at the Andy Warhol Museum and is now in Alaska in the quite-enormous Anchorage Museum.

Video: local news coverage from KTVA CBS 11 News