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)
• 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)
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!
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 ComicsThe 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.
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.
Celebrate the 5th Anniversary of Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery! “Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly” opens December 10.
In 1970, Walt Kelly’s playful possum Pogo looked upon his polluted Okefenokee Swamp and uttered in despair, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” This line quickly became part of our cultural lexicon and cemented Pogo’s place in American popular culture. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery celebrates the publication of Pogo: Through the Wild Blue Wonder with “Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly.” This exhibition of original Walt Kelly strips opens Saturday, December 10 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM on the occasion of the bookstore’s 5th anniversary gala.
The long-anticipated Pogo: Through the Wild Blue Wonder, Volume 1 of the Complete Comic Strips collects early Sunday and daily Pogo comics from 1949 – 1950. Kelly introduces his huge cast of irreverent swamp dwellers and their singular dialect known as “swamp talk.” Politics soon became a central topic in the swamp. While Kelly claimed to oppose “the extreme right, the extreme left, and the extreme middle,” political figures cynically cloaking themselves in patriotic garb were clearly disdained. Kelly boldly caricatured red baiting Senator Joseph R. McCarthy as Simple J. Malarkey. An obvious parody of J. Edgar Hoover seemingly drove the FBI director to distraction. He reportedly assigned cryptographers to decipher the secret swamp talk “code.” (A strip from 1971 referencing this will be on display.) Kelly’s characters also embraced the burgeoning environmental movement and other progressive causes. “Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly” includes 12 memorable dailies and 4 Sunday strips. These original works reveal the artist’s concern for composition, delicate line quality, and detailed dialogue.
The opening on Saturday, December 10 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM promises to be a festive affair. Musical entertainment will be provided by Sawsome, a female saw and banjo duet. The evening commemorates the 5th anniversary of Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery and coincides with the holiday edition of the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring art exhibitions, special events and wandering carolers from Choir of the Sound throughout the historic neighborhood.
PLAYING POSSUM: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly Opening reception Saturday, December 10, 6:00 – 9:00 PM 5th Anniversary Holiday Gala with musical entertainment by SAWSOME Exhibition continues through January 4, 2012
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery 1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.) Seattle. 206.658.0110 Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM
An exhibit of Jim Flora's curiously sinister art opens tomorrow night, Saturday, November 19th, in the curiously sinister city of New York, and you do not want to miss this!
The Dorian Grey Gallery is proud to present the very first posthumous New York exhibit and sale of Jim Flora original art, curated by our own Flora archivist Irwin Chusid, in conjunction with gallery owner Luis Accorsi and director Christopher Pusey.
It's gonna be a doozy: Offerings include temperas on paper; woodcut prints (vintage and new); medium and large acrylics on canvas; pen & ink drawings on paper; fine art and screen prints, and branded Flora paper merchandise. Many of these exhibited works have NOT been previously published in our three Fantagraphics anthologies!
The opening reception is this Saturday night from 6:00 - 9:00 PM, and will include a live music set by the Cracked Latin trio, featuring gallery owner/vocalist Accorsi along with guitarist/vocalist Lane Steinberg and percussionist Charlie Zeleny. Zowie!
The Dorian Grey Gallery is located at 437 East 9th Street (between 1st and A) in New York City. The exhibit runs through January 8th.
It's that time of year again! The time of year where a flock of Fantagraphics artists participate in the annual Giant Robot Post-It Show, and like last year, it will be curated by the inspirational husband-wife team of Esther Pearl Watson and Mark Todd.
The Giant Robot Post-It Show 7 runs from December 10th through 29th at GR2 [ 2062 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA ] with an opening reception event on Saturday, December 10th from 6:30 - 10:00 PM. It's "cash-and-carry," so don't forget your bag-and-board!
