CELEBTRATED CARTOONISTS JAIME HERNANDEZ AND STAN SAKAI APPEAR AT FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKSTORE & GALLERY ON APRIL 4

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery proudly presents two of the most accomplished and popular cartoonists in America on Saturday, April 4, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Jaime Hernandez, co-creator of the phenomenal Love and Rockets series, will appear with Stan Sakai of Usagi Yojimbo fame for an exhibition of original art and book signing event. They will be joined by special guest Paul Hornschemeier signing copies of his handsome new hardcover Mother, Come Home.

Jaime Hernandez, together with his brother Gilbert, revolutionized the comic book form with their epic series Love and Rockets. Introduced in 1982, their mythical tale of contemporary multicultural society re-energized a moribund medium and gave birth to the “alternative comics” genre. Jaime’s central characters, Maggie and Hopey, emerged as icons for a generation of disaffected youth and their stories remain relevant and compelling today. With nearly 100 comic books to his credit, and over a dozen collected anthologies published by Fantagraphics Books, Jaime Hernandez is among the most influential cartoonists of his generation. In the words of Alan Moore, "Jaime's art balances big white and black spaces to create a world of nuance in between, just as his writing balances our big human feelings and our small human trivias to generate its incredible emotional power. Quite simply, this is one of the twentieth century's most significant comics creators at the peak of his form, with every line a wedding of classicism and cool."

Much like Jaime Hernandez, Stan Sakai relies on his cultural heritage in the expansive adventure series Usagi Yojimbo. Sakai chronicles the escapades of wandering Samurai bunny Miyamoto Usagi in feudal Japan with beautifully crafted artwork and an engaging narrative style that appeals to readers of all ages. Usagi Yojimbo is at once poignant, edifying, funny, and spellbinding – a singular achievement in the comics medium. Fantagraphics Books and Portland-based Dark Horse Comics have collected his work in over 24 volumes. According to comic book sage Stan Lee: “One of the most original, innovative, well-executed comic books anywhere to be found.”

Mother, Come Home is Paul Hornschemeier’s piercing graphic-novel debut, long out of print and now available for the first time in hardcover. It secured the cartoonist’s place as one of his generation’s most skillful and ambitious practitioners, and proved a harbinger of the subject matter that the artist would go on to explore most consistently in later work: the nuclear family.

The exhibition and reception on Saturday, April 4 will serve as the official after-party for the Emerald City ComiCon. Expect an array of comics professionals and luminaries to be in attendance. Admission is free. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street at Airport Way S. in Seattle’s colorful Georgetown arts community. Open daily, 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sunday until 5:00. Phone 206.658.0110.

LISTING INFORMATION

Jaime Hernandez, Stan Sakai

Love and Rockets and Usagi Yojimbo
Art exhibition and book signing

Saturday, April 4, 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Emerald City ComiCon after-party
Special guest Paul Hornschemeier

Exhibition continues through May 6, 2009.

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
www.fantagraphics.com/bookstore