Our second volume (of six) of the acclaimed hit series collecting the entirety of E.C. Segar's original Popeye (a.k.a. Thimble Theatre) comic strips begins with a foreword by Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker and continues with an introduction by noted film and cartooning critic Donald Phelps. This second volume features work from 1930 to 1932, and most notably includes the debut of Segar's second greatest character: J. Wellington Wimpy. Wimpy stands as a one-of-a-kind icon some 70 years after his creation, the most likeable lowdown cad ever to grace the comics page. Popeye Vol. 2 includes the stories: "Clint Gore" (continued from the cliffhanger last volume); "A One-Way Bank," in which Popeye opens a bank that allows withdrawals but no deposits; a long war story featuring King Blozo that begins with "The Great Rough-House War"; and "Skullyville," which wraps up the daily strips for this volume.
168-page 11" x 17" B&W/color hardcover with die-cut cover $29.95 Order Now!
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery Proudly Presents "UNSEEN PEANUTS," an Exhibition of Rarely Seen Works by Charles M. Schulz Opening November 23.
"It's no stretch at all to say that Charles Schulz was the most popular and successful American artist who ever lived." — Charles McGrath, New York Times
Perhaps no American artist is more closely associated with the holidays than "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, in association with the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, celebrates the holiday season with "Unseen Peanuts," a display of little known works by this incomparable master of the comic strip medium. The exhibition opens on Friday, November 23 and continues through December 31, 2007.
Having mastered comic books and gag cartoons, in 1958, nearly two decades after he unveiled Plastic Man to the world, Jack Cole set his sights on the cartoonist's pot of gold — a syndicated newspaper strip. He hit the bull's-eye with Betsy and Me, a breezy domestic farce focusing on a middle-class urban couple and their smart-aleck genius son. Cole stripped his style down to its bare essentials, creating a strip that sparkles with economy, wit, and charm. What gave the strip its edge, however, was Cole's innovative storytelling, which utilized ironic tension between protagonist Chet Tibbit's words and actions to reveal him as fatuous and delusional. Betsy and Me was an instant success and newspapers were lining up to buy it. Then, with only two-and-a-half months' worth of strips completed, Cole purchased a .22 caliber pistol and ended his life. R.C. Harvey's insightful introduction serves as a biographical sketch and sheds light on the circumstances surrounding Cole's suicide.
November is Classic Comic Strip Month! 20% Off Comic Strip Reprint Books
Fantagraphics Books is celebrating national Classic Comic Strip Month in November with a 20% discount on all strip reprint titles. Now is the time to explore the delightful works of timeless artists like Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in Slumberland), E.C. Segar (Popeye), Hank Ketcham (Dennis the Menace), George Herriman (Krazy Kat), and the incomparable Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts), among countless others.
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle will feature these and other titles all month long at 20% off our already bargain prices. Look for similar promotions at your local shop and pick up a copy of the free "Comic Strip Masterpieces" tabloid.
Fantagraphics Bookstore is located at 1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.) in Seattle's lively Georgetown arts district. We're open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone: 206.658.0110. Don't miss our spectacular "Unseen Peanuts" exhibition of rarely seen works by Charles M. Schulz opening Friday, November 23 continuing through December 31, 2007.
We are truly living in a Golden Age of classic comics strip collections, and as such we're collaborating with CHECKER PUBLISHING (Flash Gordon, Little Nemo, Steve Canyon), DRAWN AND QUARTERLY (Moomin, Oh Skin-nay!, Walt and Skeezix), and IDW (Dick Tracy, Terry and the Pirates) to produce a cool, oversized promotional sampler that comic shops can distribute in November (cover pictured above). This full-color 11" x 17" tabloid showcases some of the very finest Gasoline Alley, Dick Tracy, Krazy Kat, Little Nemo in Slumberland, Steve Canyon, Terry and the Pirates, Dennis the Menace, Flash Gordon, Yellow Kid, Little Orphan Annie, Peanuts and Popeye strips. How can you go wrong?
Designed like an old-time classic newspaper comic strip supplement, Comic Strip Masterpieces will feature superb reproductions, including many stunning full-color Sunday pages! There will also be a "sequel" of sorts to the hugely popular Unseen Peanuts (an annotated spread of Peanuts strips from the upcoming ninth volume of Complete Peanuts that have never been reprinted since their original newspaper release almost 40 years ago), as well as biographical notes on the cartoonists, a checklist of classic comic strip reprints, and more. Reading Comic Strip Masterpieces will be like traveling back in time to an era when comic strips were actually good!
So badger your shop already to stock this! And for those of you unable to get to a comic book store, we're also making a PDF available for download RIGHT HERE. It's a 4.6 MB download, and nowhere near as cool as the actual printed sampler itself, so don't let this electronic version prevent you from getting a physical copy from your favorite retailer. Tell 'em Fantagraphics sent ya!
Forbes' annual top-earning deceased celebrities list is out, and once again, Charles M. Schulz is near the top of the list, coming in at #3, behind #1 Elvis Presley and sandwiched between two Beatles (after John, ahead of George). I don't know why this thrills me every year, but it does. I mean, the Beatles and Elvis? Sure. But a shy cartoonist from Minnesota? The mind reels. Schulz really was the Beatles of comics.
There is one conspicuously absent name not on this list: are we to infer that the Beatles aren't the only celebs more popular than Jesus? (Just a little joke, America! Please don't burn our books.)
Set your DVRs immediately! Tonight is the night: PBS will air a documentary on the life of Charles M. Schulz. In "Good Ol' Charles Schulz," AMERICAN MASTERS presents an unexpected portrait of the man behind the most popular comic strip in history. The feature-length documentary premieres tonight, October 29, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET on PBS.
The 2013 Fantagraphics Ultimate Catalog of Comics is available now! Contact us to get your free copy, or download the PDF version (9 MB).
Preview upcoming releases in the Fantagraphics Spring/Summer 2013 Distributors Catalog. Read it here or download the PDF (26.8 MB). Note that all contents are subject to change.
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