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Fantagraphics June Newsletter
Summer is here and we’ve got plenty of amazing books to go with it! Read on for a selection of our new releases, an exclusive subscriber discount, and a sneak peek at Jim Woodring’s new book, One Beautiful Spring Day! First things first though, here’s the news roundup:
Lee Lai (Stone Fruit) is the winner of the 2022 Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ Comics—hooray! Speaking of winning, Lee Lai’s Stone Fruit is also the winner of the 2022 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize and R. Kikuo Johnson’s No One Else was named as named as a 2022 Lynd Ward Prize honor book—congratulations, Lee and Kikuo! Broken Frontier published a lovely in-depth review of Lure by Lane Milburn: “Climate change, inequality, colonialism, capitalist degradation of the arts, and more are touched on in a book that tackles these subjects with a quiet but unflinching power, communicating its points with subtle eloquence rather than pontification.” Library Journal printed a great starred review of Dog Biscuits by Alex Graham! Their verdict? “Graham has created an occasionally scathing yet perceptive portrait of an especially fraught period in American history.” “It’s a fast and furious contemporary take on the upbringing of a tortured genius.” Publishers Weekly gave Golden Boy by Mikael Ross (translated by Nika Knight) a wonderful review!
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Schappi by Anna Haifisch
A collection of absurdist comics short stories navigating etiquette and diplomacy within the vicissitudes of the animal kingdom: from proud ostriches to racist mice, and delicious-looking weasels.
In Schappi, Anna Haifisch blurs the boundaries between humans and animals in subtle and absurd ways. In these five collected comics short stories, carnivores and herbivores meet at a disastrous congress of the animals; we get to know a merciless, art-collecting lizard; and are introduced to dancing ostriches and a melancholy, meditating octopus. With singular humor and charm, and a brilliant eye for color, Haifisch tells of the everyday struggle from the prairie to the drawing table, of self-imposed isolation and friendship. At the end of the day, there is hope, even for crying weasels. Haifisch's wry sense of humor reveals many truths lying underneath her absurdist wit. Printed in five gorgeous Pantone inks, Schappi will shine from a bookshelf like a mad husky's iris.
The first 150 orders of Schappi include an exclusive bookplate signed by the author!
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A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Ludwig van Beethoven created music that moves and inspires us to this day; his very name sparks a melody in the ear. But are you born a genius? This graphic biography asks: "Who was Beethoven before he became 'Beethoven?'"
Master cartoonist Mikael Ross (The Thud) tells the story of Beethoven from 1778 to his first major public appearance in Vienna in 1795. It begins when the family is living a difficult life in Bonn. Father Johann battles with alcoholism and is deep in debt. Only young Ludwig and his talent at the piano offer any hope for the future — if only he would stop composing his own pieces and just play what's expected of him.
Author Ross was asked to do a small comic for the Beethoven Society. Through this opportunity, he discovered the diaries of the baker's son that lived downstairs from Beethoven's family, the content of which inspired Golden Boy. As in his previous book, The Thud, Ross skillfully mixes humor with empathy and pure social drama, crafting a coming-of-age story that transcends its biographical subject matter. His colorful, expressive style and mastery of the language of comics are perfectly suited to the tall task of capturing Beethoven's timeless music visually.
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When John Severin became editor of Two-Fisted Tales, he expanded the scope of its stories beyond its traditional war stories to head off to far-flung times and places, searching for adventure. This volume collects all those stories — the EC stories that Severin had the most control over. Severin wrote and drew the title story, about an old-fashioned Southern "gentleman" who sees grievance at every turn and regularly challenges those who are less skilled than he is to pistol duels. Is it murder when a man is defending his honor?
The other tales range from action and intrigue in the Old West to exploring for a lost city in the jungles of Peru, to facing danger in the Khyber Pass, to a Cold War chiller about the "ultimate weapon," to EC's only Vietnam story, "Dien Bien Phu!" Plus — the complete run of Severin's stories of globe-trotting two-fisted news photographer Steve Rampart, from the pages of Extra!. Severin was a master of detail, emotion, and reaction thanks to his precise, detailed line; it brought such realism to the page, it seems as if he is reporting from the scene.
BONUS: This volume also delves into the EC Pre-Trend era with a sampling of the work of lesser-known EC artists Lee J. Ames, Stan Ash, Ann Brewster, H.C. Kiefer, and Ed Waldman. Code of Honor And Other Stories, like its companion volumes, features extensive story notes and a Severin biography.
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The Treasure of the Black Swan by Paco Roca and Guillermo Corral (translated by Andrea Rosenberg)
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
May 2007. When an American treasure-hunting company uncovers a shipwreck containing the greatest underwater trove ever found, the world is captivated by their discovery. But over in Spain, a group of low-level government officials surmises that the sunken ship is in fact an ancient Spanish vessel. Thus begins a legal and political thriller, pitting a group of idealistic diplomats against a rich and powerfully connected treasure hunter, in which vital cultural artifacts and hundreds of millions of dollars hang in the balance.
Cartoonist Paco Roca and writer Guillermo Corral bring a cinematic flair to this graphic novel, combining threads of Tintin-inspired seafaring adventure, political intrigue, tense courtroom drama, and, in the midst of it all, a budding romance. A gripping dramatization of a little-known, unbelievable true story of money, political power, and cultural heritage.
The Treasure of the Black Swan was adapted into an original television series, La Fortuna, starring Stanley Tucci and debuted in the US on AMC Plus in January 2022.
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Mr. NFT is the Banksy of Red Rooms. Billing himself as the “human taxidermist." his exhibitions command the attention of the richest and most exclusive patrons on the dark web. Problem is, it’s all an elaborate sting operation, and several of those snared are amongst the powerful in the world and will do anything to avoid exposure. Red Room wraps up its second "season" with its most shocking issue yet! From the creator of Hop Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design!
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WINNER 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize, Best Webcomic
Social justice, "woke" culture, social media, gender dynamics, and insouciance intersect in this pandemic-inspired graphic novel about the repercussions of making mistakes.
It's July 2020 in Seattle. Gussy struggles to keep his dog biscuit boutique afloat while a global pandemic rages unchecked. The loneliness of lockdown and social distancing drives his employee Rosie to betray her principles. Rosie's roommate Hissy is at a personal crossroads. A love triangle emerges as they find themselves tangled in a web of police brutality, protests, drugs, dating apps and Covid chaos. Taking place over the course of just a few days, this is a snapshot of humanity — okay, animals — in crisis. Alex Graham's pandemic-inspired graphic novel was initially serialized six panels at a time on Instagram during the lockdowns of 2020 and became one of the most talked about comics of the year; this hardcover edition will remain a timeless work long after the pandemic ends.
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Ultrasound by Conor Stechschulte
In this graphic novel, which has been adapted into a feature film starring Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), Glen and Cyndi become unwitting test subjects in a mind-control experiment after a strange sexual encounter. They search for answers as their own memories become tools for manipulation.
Driving home from a wedding late one night during a heavy storm, out of cell range, Glen blows out his tires. He knocks on the door of the only house he sees and is greeted by an uncomfortably friendly middle-aged man, Arthur, and his attractive younger wife, Cyndi. The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by odd confessions and an unexpected offer that Glen can't refuse. Where Ultrasound zigs and zags from there is into a dizzying plot involving mind control, government secrets, gaslighting, and political intrigue that is always one step ahead of the reader. Stechschulte's brilliant use of color and mastery of comics storytelling yields a breathtaking puzzlebox of a sci fi thriller — the moment you finish, you will want to go back and reread Ultrasound from the start.
Ultrasound has also been adapted into an acclaimed feature film directed by Robert Schroeder and starring Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), from a screenplay by Stechschulte. The film earned raves at the 2021 Tribeca Film Fest and is scheduled for theatrical release in March 2022 and will premiere streaming on Hulu in June.
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Disciples by Benjamin Marra, David Birke, and Nicholas McCarthy
Marin County, 1978. In this graphic novel, teens Clara and Wendy get high one night alone at home. Before the night ends, they've disappeared — until five months later, when Clara is found, disheveled, but alive, in Death Valley National Park.
From Clara's mysterious reappearance in Death Valley, Disciples cuts to the present day, where stories of "The California Cult" and its enigmatic — and never-caught — leader, Billy Joe, are as much a part of the popular culture as the Manson Family. Clara, the lone survivor of the cult, has adopted a new identity to protect her and her daughter, Wren. And she mostly does, until one night when the past and present horrifically collide.
Disciples is a seamless collaboration between cartoonist Ben Marra and filmmakers David Birke and Nicholas McCarthy. Birke and McCarthy's script celebrates and reinvents a cult film ethos. It combines the best of 1970s era eerie-thriller-terror movies in a fresh and revelatory way, similar to how Marra has continued/reinvented the work of Abel Ferrara and George Cosmatos in graphic novels like Night Business.
The first 150 orders of Disciples include an exclusive bookplate signed by the authors!
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June Events:
Tuesday, June 14th, 6:00 pm PDT: Alex Graham (Dog Biscuits) in conversation with Phoebe Gloekner (Diary of a Teenage Girl), Virtual Book Launch co-hosted by Elliott Bay Book Company and the Seattle Public Library, Virtual Friday, June 17th-Sunday, June 19th: Fantagraphics + Lee Lai (Stone Fruit), Ho Che Anderson (Godhead), Benjamin Marra (Disciples), Conor Stechschulte (Ultrasound), Shira Spector (Red Rock Baby Candy), Anita Kunz (Another History of Art), and Ben Passmore (Digital Programming, BTTM FDRS) at TCAF, Toronto, Canada Tuesday, June 28th, 5:00 pm PDT: Jim Woodring (One Beautiful Spring Day) in conversation with Gary Groth, Virtual Book Launch at Powell’s Books, Virtual
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June “Deal of the Month” Discount
A little thank you to our loyal subscribers: Every month, scroll down and check this space for a limited-time discount, special offer, or other exclusive, plus a sneak-peek excerpt from an upcoming book! Enjoy, and thanks for shopping Fantagraphics! This month:
Use code FANTASUMMER at checkout through June 30th for 20% off your next purchase at Fantagraphics.com!*
*Cannot be combined with other offers
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