All Hail Peggy Burns!

Peggy finally gets the well-deserved spotlight on her in today's feature interview on Comics Reporter. She is easily one of the smartest people working in comics today and the results of her hard work and dedication can be seen in virtually every facet of D&Q for the past seven years. Peggy is a good friend and also one of the people that I admire and respect most in this world. Thanks for everything Peggy -- you're the best!!!!

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Holiday Reading!

Of course, I did my big Acme Novelty Library #20 blog post last week, and three hits come in this week. Not that I'm complaining. Bring on more! The critic, Mr. Wolk, puts forth his top ten graphic novels for Time's Techland and kindly includes Market Day and Acme Novelty Library #20. MTV's top ten list includes Acme Novelty Library #20. And yesterday's comicsreporter interview featured blogger Matt Seneca and an extended conversation about Acme Novelty Library #20. It's good reading. But if you excuse me I have to now go read Simonson's Thor and Steranko's Outland.

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NYC Event! Leane Shapton at 192 Books, This Wednesday 12/22!

Leanne Shapton will be at 192 Books located at 192 10th Ave in Manhattan this Wednesday at 7 PM to celebrate THE NATIVE TREES OF CANADA.

In case you missed this weekend's Montreal Gazette, Cottage Life, the Globe and Mail gift guide, the Halifax Coast, the Paris Review, Maclean's, design sponge, the National Post, or the New York Times Book Review, let this post serve as a reminder to you to pick up the most charming and sweet holiday gift in stores this season. And for the always lucky New Yorkers, you can get it signed by Leanne this Wednesday, perfect if you have been procrastinating on holiday shopping.

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It's Been A Good Year For James Sturm!

This past April saw the release of the original graphic novel MARKET DAY by James Sturm, and just last month, we published James' "side project" DENYS WORTMAN'S NY (how many side projects can one man have?). People, you know you have had a good year when both of your projects merit their own NY Times article or review. Not to mention that each of the titles ended up on a handful of Best of 2010 lists including MARKET DAY on Amazon's and DENYS WORTMAN'S NY on NY Mag's Vulture. Avid D+Q blog readers may recall that James spent most of the Spring offline, while blogging (offline) for Slate, so for James and for everyone, here's a recap of pretty much the astounding press the book received.

George Gene Gustines notes about MARKET DAY: The splendid artwork in “Market Day” manages to evoke — depending on the scene — wonder or sadness, though the color palette mostly stays muted. Mendleman has the soul and vision of an artist.

NPR's Books We Like said: Throughout, Sturm's prose is straightforward, his art spare and deceptively simple; together, however, his words and images achieve the quiet lyricism of the folktale, the fable. And like many fables, the feeling Market Day leaves on us is one that's quiet, wistful and elegiac, one that even offers — though you really have to look for it — the slenderest thread of something like hope.

Booklist came in with the first review: The timeless dilemma of balancing artistic integrity and the dictates of the marketplace is addressed with compassion and sensitivity in this recounting of an eventful 24 hours in the life of a rug maker in eastern Europe in the early 1900s.

The Jewish Press said: Sturm is...a master of suggestion...Could there be a better metaphor for the struggles of the shtetl than a rug maker, so proud of the gorgeous detail of his black, white and gray rugs?

Publishers Weekly gave Market Day a Starred Review: Although the details of rural Eastern European Jewish life at the turn of the century ring true, the book is less rooted in a specifically explicated setting than some of Sturm's previous historical fictions, allowing Mendleman's dilemma to function as a broader metaphor for the perpetual struggle between independent creativity and impersonal market forces.

Of course, I particularly like what the Oregonian said: Sturm illuminates the rug maker's exile and his odyssey with sobering eloquence, and the detailing of the book reminds us that Drawn & Quarterly still cares about quality, even if Finkler's son-in-law doesn't. This is the best graphic novel, to date, of 2010.

Torontoist stated: Sturm’s style is economic and simple...But what is drawn is very expressive....The economic use of colour stands out. There is a fantastical atmosphere – despite the starkness of the drawing style, there is a sense of the unreal.

The Burlington Press asked the following questions after reading the book: Why does the artist create? How much can one day change an entire life? In what or who should we place our faith? These questions all arise on one trip to the market.

The Onion's AV Club gave the book an A-: Market Day is a meditation on the commercial concerns of artists, and how the industrial revolution made some craftsmen obsolete too soon, robbing them of their dignity. But it’s also about the joys and pains of creation itself, and how that sometimes trumps the need to make money.

Esteemed Comics critic D. Wolk reviews for Techland: James Sturm's splendid new graphic novel Market Day also makes a great deal of its sense of place and time, although it doesn't specify exactly when and where it's set--it's a fable, rather than a piece of invented history.

The jewish journal Zeek ends its thoughtful review with At 88 pages Sturm’s book may be small, but it is a masterpiece in miniature.

James went on tour for the book and when he stopped in his former home of Seattle, his alma mater (child?), The Stranger, glowingly reviewed the book: Market Day is a sublime bit of cartooning. Passages of large, postcard-sized panels stretch Mendleman's long walk to and from the marketplace into a picturesque journey.

At his stop on Portland: The Mercury states A STOMACH-DROPPING PARABLE crammed into a slim hardback graphic novel, James Sturm's Market Day distills anxieties about art and commerce, supporting a family, and how precarious life in a market economy can be.

The Willamette Weekly compares James to Herge and Beckett: A lyrical vignette that feels like Samuel Beckett by way of Hergé, Market Day follows an introspective rug-maker who’s trying to balance dreams and responsibility

News of MARKET DAY reached Halifax's The Coast: with this trip to the old country, he masterfully lays out the countryside and cobblestone streets of a village in eastern Europe.

Cliff Froeligh of the St Louis Post Dispatch offers: Although a sober work, "Market Day's" overall gloom is relieved by earthy humor, and the gorgeous artwork, with its muted colors and evocative landscapes and street scenes, conjures a world as beautiful as it is believable.

School Library Journal recommends it for 10th Graders and Up: With expressive and moody imagery, Sturm’s story is at once original and universal. The struggle to maintain one’s identity after losing a job is a tough one, and the author does an excellent job conveying

International retailing juggernaut, Forbidden Planet, who, by the way, have the best comics retailer site this way of our own 211 blog,: Market Day is a book that stays with you well after the final page, it’s power and heart lies in the beautifully observed character studies Sturm creates through some wonderfully powerful artwork. A quiet, thoughtful, understated classic of a book.

The Montreal Gazette states: Sturm renders the lost world of early 20th-century Eastern European Jewry with sombre-hued economy; as a writer, he unfolds his narrative with the deft, unforced momentum of an Isaac Bashevis Singer story...Market Day gets this reviewer's vote as graphic novel of the year.

And what is perhaps the best way to end the year? Well, when Al Jaffee weighs in with not only the best things to say about your book but it reminds him of his own childhood: [Market Day] particularly affected me because I spent my childhood between the ages of six and twelve in an environment that was very much like the one in the book...To me the characters became three dimensional and were living life as I remembered it.

MARKET DAY was James' first book in, let's just say a few years, but he has the best reason of any artist of why it took him a few years to get the story out of him--just that he and Michelle Ollie started the country's only school devoted entirely to cartooning and awards MFAs, The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, VT. The school is a non-profit, and if you would like to give money to its annual appeal, visit here and read a comic by CCS alum Joe Lambert. The comic addresses teh following statements: 1) Why I Came to the Center for Cartoon Studies 2) Why We Started A School, 3) Why CCS is important to Vermont 4) Why Comics Are Important and Why I Support CCS with testimonials from a wide and diverse list including Vermont's governor, Lynda Barry, Bill Boichel, as well as host of former and current students.

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The Slow Burn That Is The Selves

This summer Sonja accurately described her books as a slow burn, and was she right. This book came out in May, and has ended the year as a top pick in Canadian Art and they spotlight the book to a T: Ahlers’ compositions are at once delicate, familiar, strange and painful. They delve deep into the interior lives of women and consider the relationship between female fantasy and identity.

Sean Cranbury states on the advent book blog: Elegant, inspired, poetic and innovative, The Selves is the best book published by a Canadian press in 2010. I think a "damn!" is in order on both accounts.

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More On Mr. Ware.

I have been meaning to discuss the awe-inspiring Acme Novelty Library #20 for a while and apologies that I have not. Especially since Chris was one of the first D+Q cartoonists I met in comics, way back before either one of us were with D+Q. When I worked at DC and before Jimmy Corrigan, he, Ivan Brunetti and I ate lunch alongside both a Beatles Festival and a Wizard World in Rosemont, IL, a bit disconcerting but very memorable. Technically, #20 is the first Acme that D+Q has published and not distributed. It's also been selling so fast, that this print run is guaranteed to sell out much more quickly than #19. And while it may be obvious that, of course, a Chris Ware book would sell, I can't help but think of just how well it performs with nary an interview or event. (Note to other D+Q cartoonists, do not get any funny ideas!) As a publicist, is this making my job easier or just obsolete? I can't decide. Ok, I'm a bit self-obsessed here, let's return to what matters, that Chris has created another outright masterpiece. It's not hyperbole. Other people have noticed, too.

Gabe Fowler of Desert Island listed it as the #1 buzzed book on Flavorwire and pretty much sums up my opinion of the book as well: this most recent book is probably one of the most readable things that he has ever done. It’s innovative on all fronts — from the story and the lettering to the design and layout. In my world, this is a must-have book.

Good man RC Baker of the Village Voice selects Acme among the years best as well stating: we see parents’ faces slowly come into focus through their baby’s eyes, watch the young Jordan Lint grow into an adult-scaled world, then follow his punctured ambitions and bumptious middle-aged affairs to the moment when everything contracts back down to that first dot of consciousness. Astonishing.

Ian McGillis of the Montreal Gazette selects it as the years best and says {a} book that's a thing of beauty in itself.

Alan Brisbort of The New Haven Advocate: It is as handsome as any volume in the Acme series, swaddled in Ware’s antiquarian touches, from the Victorian wallpaper-like cover to the wistful scenes of Midwestern homes, muted browns, blues and greys.

Whitney Matheon of USA Today's POP CANDY: {Ware} still manages to slip in thick slices of pain and meaning that resonate long after the reading experience ends.

Publishers Weekly says the book is stunningly realized and notes the extraordinary climax which I am always hesitant to bring up as I am scared to be posting a "spoiler".

The Onion's AV Club connects it back to Jimmy Corrigan stating: What separates this work-in-progress from Jimmy Corrigan is that Ware seems to be working more intuitively, inserting rhyming images and structural parallels from chapter to chapter without overemphasizing their meaning. He’s showing how easily a shift in focus creates a shift in perception. In Rusty’s story, Jordan Lint is just a villain. In Jordan’s story, it’s not so simple… A- (I promise the reviewer read the book, har har.)

MTV weighs in: To put it simply, Chris Ware's "The ACME Novelty Library Volume 20", leveled me. As I finished its final page and closed the beautifully bound cover, I had a lingering, buzzing pain in my chest. A pain that felt like guilt, regret, loss, love, emotion. Everything that Ware's main character, Jordan "Jason" Wellington Lint, felt as his journey ended. The impact of the images, the complexity buried within each word, the layout of the pages, and the raw human intensity of the story affected me deeply.

Comics writer about town Sean T. Collins declares on his blog: the single best comic I have ever read. His complete review is here.

The Austin Chronicle offers a few words that can be summarized with wow!

Amazon selected it as the year's best, The Barnes & Noble Review weighs in. Even Art In America offers an opinion in connection to Chris' Fall show at the Adam Baumgold Gallery.

Congrats to Chris, but really thank you to Chris for creating yet again one of the most stunning pieces of graphic fiction to date. Every comic book fan in the world owes you one.

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More! Lynda! Interviews!

It's amazing that an interview with Lynda just never gets old. Yesterday was the Walrus and today is the AV Club. I imagine there will be a spate of interviews appearing because it probably took this long to transcribe her interviews. This is a very in-depth interview that covers a lot of ground including: her D+Q books; the end of her syndicated strip; why being published by a big publisher isn't all that and can actually be horrible; Maybonne, Arna & Marys; her technique including the creation of a strip; teaching in jails where her experience is amazing; her 2011 Ernie Pook collection; tabloids and reality shows; and her next novel Birdis. Reading the interview made me realize that I am going through some serious Lynda Barry withdrawal right now! Also what is interesting, is that the AV Club commenters actually have very nice things to say. Imagine that!

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Still Smarting!

I thought i may have had one of those nice wallet thieves, you know, the kind that takes the money and throws the wallet in a mailbox and all your ID gets mailed back to you? No such luck. And then I come across the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics photo on Dan Nadel's facebook page of Sammy, Gabrielle, Anders and Kevin, and it stings even more!

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Happy 40th or 41st Birthday, Tom Spurgeon!

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Lynda! Lynda! Lynda!

Nothing is better than when a million interviews have run with one artist and then one comes out and simply knocks you off your feet. Ladies and gents, I present Sean Rogers of the Walrus in conversation with Lynda Barry:

The Walrus: The last time we spoke, you told me about [Simpsons creator] Matt Groening’s Life in Hell strips, so I went and pulled his books from the library and read everything. It’s so great.

Lynda: Because of the success of The Simpsons, this huge contribution to the history of “our” kinds of comics has just been pushed aside. When I [guest edited] The Best American Comics, I included him, and there were fights about it!

The Walrus: And that was his best work in so long — the stuff with his kids.

Lynda: We see The Simpsons, and it has twenty-six writers and animators. But that strip is just Matt. There’s a couple other cartoonists who I feel never made it into the history of how comics were done. There was a group right before Matt and I started who were in the Village Voice--Jules Feiffer, Mark Alan Stamaty, and Stan Mack, who did Real Life Funnies. And I finally met him and he doesn’t look anything like he draws himself, which I thought was hilarious. There’s all these people who were in the early National Lampoon — but now it’s as if they do not exist…. When people say, “You’re one of the first women cartoonists,” I say, “Nooo, there was Shary Flenniken and M.K. Brown and Trina Robbins.”

[Instead we hear about] the underground stuff, with all the guys with their dicks out — which, right on, I’m all about it. I was on a panel with Chris Ware and Kaz and Dan Clowes, and we got to ask each other questions, and one of the things I said was, it always blows my mind why [male] cartoonists always have to draw themselves jacking off with a giant dick and then looking really sad afterward. But then I went up to my room and drew myself with a giant dick jacking off and looking sad afterwards and I totally understood.

More here.

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Our Spring 2011 catalog

We're going to make this a regular feature. As soon as we nail down the list, we'll offer up this catalog to you, dear readers. And look at that, it's all formatted to fit the computer screen--amazing! {Please note that both the Adrian Norvid (Nogoodniks) and Michael Dumontier & Neil Farber (Constructive Abandonment) books will be hardcovers.} Click image to download PDF.

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For a Good Cause

Look people I would totally do this, but there's already a Peggy in Acme, ok? It's a good thing, as the ebay bids have climbed to $1000! What's this about? Chris Ware, and a host of other authors such as Mona Simpson, Lorrie Moore, Vendela Vida and Jane Smiley have signed on to put your name in their next book. Proceeds benefit the thefirstamendent.org, which if the Tea Party wins any more seats, will be more valuable an organization than it already is.

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Next week in New York

Join Leanne Shapton at 192 Books as she presents The Native Trees of Canada, her book of bold, fauvist-like images that has garnered attention everywhere from the New York Times, The Paris Review, Maclean's, and National Post, to Design Sponge. Leanne will be accompanied by Jason Logan, who represents the "J" in J&L Books (the "L" is Leanne). Jason will be launching his new book, The Mushroom Collector, and both will likely also discuss their work running one of the more fascinating art book publishing houses of the past decade.

Wednesday, December 22, 7PM
192 Books
192 Tenth Avenue (corner 21st street), New York

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Gift Ideas # 37 and 38: Kids sure love their old-time comics

Young Clara Ware of Oak Park, Illinois, contemplates the delicacy of Doug Wright's linework while perusing the first in a series of annual Nipper paperbacks.

Rory Mackay of Ottawa, Ontario, is unfazed by the otherwise less-than-refined splendor of his settings because all of his attention is naturally focused on the book he's holding in his hands: a collection of quite possibly the funniest comic book ever published.

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CONSTRUCTIVE ABANDONMENT

All right, Chris Mautner!! I swear I was already planning on doing this post, but since maybe it's unclear what CONSTRUCTIVE ABANDONMENT by Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber is all about, I will speed it up.

Michael and Neil were founding members of the Royal Art Lodge, a hugely influential artist collective out of Winnipeg that also featured Marcel Dzama. Maybe this group is not completely known to Americans, but, believe-you-me, every single art student in Canada is familiar with their work. They work collaboratively, but their work flows together so seamlessly that you (or, well, I) can't distinguish their two hands within these paintings.

Beyond often being extremely funny, there is frequently something poignant in these works that speaks succinctly to culture and human experience more generally; I am totally amazed at how these two are able to say so much with such an economy of means. I'm thrilled to be able to work on this book and thought I would share a few pages with you!

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Brooklyn report

I'm almost a week late on this post, but here goes. Only in its second year, the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival has become one of the best shows of its kind in North America. Kudos to organizers Dan Nadel, Bill Kartalopoulos, and Gabe Fowler for the accomplishment.

Here's Lynda again, posing with a fabulous knitted Nearsighted Monkey wristband. It was given to her at the show by her long-lost cousin, whom she had not seen in 20 years.

Vanessa Davis and Lynda Barry signed together just a day before glowing reviews of their new books were published in The New York Times Book Review. Lynda speaks here with Anne Bernstein, first-ever cover artist for D+Q (circa 1989); behind her stands former CCS student and D+Q intern (and fine cartoonist in her own right) Melissa Mendes.

It took nearly a dozen years: Anders Nilsen celebrates (sort of) the completion of Big Questions #15, the final chapter in the long running serial (which will be collected in a 600 page book by May). Jillian Tamaki signed Indoor Voice and talked about the fascinating exploits of her grandmother (who was apparently a famous bellydancer in circa-1950s Montreal nightclubs).

An early debut of Adrian Tomine's new book (due in stores in February), Scenes From An Impending Marriage, quickly sold out at the show. Leanne Shapton brought a portable watercolor set for signing The Native Trees of Canada.

Kevin Huizenga signs Wild Kingdom; Keith Jones with Catland Empire.

One more time: the one-of-a-kind nearsighted monkey.

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Jack Kent Holiday Cheer

Yeah, we don't have anything to do with Jack Kent other than my being a big fan of his King Aroo strip and his children's books. But I was going through the archives and found this and it is timely so there you go. Also, Tom Spurgeon pointed out a seldom seen Christmas strip Jack did posted here on Daryl Cagle's blog. {Scroll down a bunch, it's near the bottom.}

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Lynda Barry in Montreal!!!!

Yes, folks, it's the day we've all been waiting for. Lynda Barry is coming to Montreal!!!!

7pm Saturday, January 15, 2011
Ukrainian Federation
5213 Rue Hutchison

Buy your tickets here, or at Librairie Drawn & Quarterly, 211 Bernard Ouest.

Seeing Lynda Barry in person is perhaps one of the greatest experiences you can have. She's somewhere between a motivational speaker and a stand-up comedian and brings to stage all of the wit, sensitivity and inspirational creativity you get from her books. This will be the not-to-be-missed event of 2011.

$5 ticket gets you $5 off of PICTURE THIS. Doors at 6:30,open seating (first come, first serve). Co-sponsored by Pop Montreal.

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Everything Is Coming Up Wilson!

Here's a fantastic way to end 2010, TIME Magazine has selected WILSON as one its best 10 fiction BOOKS.

Not comics, but books, see they think comics are books, and since it's fiction, they group WILSON with other fiction titles! Crazy, huh. Ok Ok, I do not mean to be snarky. Seeing Clowes on a list with other big books of the year like Freedom, Skippy Dies, A Visit From the Goon Squad, just makes sense. Critic Lev Grossman provides one of the best summations of WILSON to date. Must read.

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"I used to be a cartoonist, now I'm just a poster artist."

Jordan Crane said something like that. It's not true, of course, he's a great cartoonist. But he does make really good posters. What a great Christmas present!

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It's on your list

Time again to take a look at Ron's blog and see what he's got. He's cleaning off his desk and there are some great bits going for cheep. Give yourself a present. You deserve it!

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I want one of these!

Lynda left NYC to go to India for the INK conference. She sent me this photo of her brand new and very very rad Near Sighted Monkey Smoking wrist cuff knitted by a family member who showed up to the Brooklyn Festival! Love it!

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A Single Match

Well, the first day of winter is December 21st, so our last fall book arrived in the office with 13 days to spare--talk about being ahead of the game. I know...arriving in the office really means nothing as it wont be in stores for a month or so, but it means something to me. Yes, this was a momentous day--I can finally wipe my hands clean celebrate the completion of A Single Match.


It may not officially be winter yet, but that snow INSIDE the office window tells another tale. Poor Shannon, poor interns--you see, the snow window happens to be right by the intern desk. That snow's been there for two days now and it's showing no sign of melting.


I guess that's why it's necessary for Shannon to wear both a festive sweater and a scarf (I think we're breaking some labour laws...). Not pictured here but noted later was the addition of mittens to the ensemble. And she still managed to crack a smile for this pic. Now that's what I call an awesome intern.

But this post has gotten way off topic. Fear of Montreal winters set aside, I really can't express how thrilled I am to hold this book in my hands. I've been working on it since August and I still see new details in the images that amaze me, the stories still take me elsewhere, and, at times, still make me laugh. Oji Suzuki has a way of pulling the reader into another world--a world occupied by floating heads, bus driving birds, and figures lingering in the stars. Suzuki's art is the perfect balance of stark lines, vigorous hatching, and breathtaking silhouettes. I know what you're thinking: "Can silhouettes actually be breathtaking?" Well, they can. Crack open a copy of A Single Match and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.


And did I mention the cover's glossy? This picture was taken without flash and you can still see it shining. If A Single Match isn't on your after-Christmas list, I'd recommend slotting it in. (Does my thumb look fat in this picture?)

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Eww Gawd

Hey, lookie who has a top Canadian gift book according to the Globe and Mail--Mr. Marc Bell with his Hot Potatoe. Nifty. Above, a response to this news from Jeff Keane (no, actually one of Marc's friends. FAIR USE!)

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From the desk of... Julie Doucet

Here's an interesting website that offers up a profile and analysis of the contents of Julie's desk. I have to admit that I scoured this photo, trying to enlarge it, in the hopes that I could spot somehow a hint of a secret graphic novel project that she's been working on. I'm still looking.

And speaking of Julie, a new printing of her 1999 classic, My New York Diary, ships out next week to stores. I reread it recently as we were getting it together for the printer and was reminded again of just how powerful a story this is. Julie really was one of the best cartoonists out there and if you haven't read this before now's your chance...

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Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival (BACKFAT)

By all accounts (Twitter hearsay really) the Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival was a tremendous success. Sell outs were numerous and frankly I'm stunned by how crowded the place looks at all times.

While we wait for Julia to return with photos and Chris to write his report, here's a photo of our table that I snagged from the Desert Island flickr set (see group here. This photo is © Philippe Jarry.)

{I just wish that I could get the BACKFAT acronym to stick. What is so unappealing but that acronym I ask you? Other than it not being the real name of the show.}

Seriously, only the second year in and it looks like there is another must have show to attend. Special thanks to Gabe Fowler, Bill Kartalopolous, and Dan Nadel for putting together such a solid show.

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We should all listen to Al Jaffee

Over at website The Millions, National Treasure Al Jaffee has this to say about James Sturm's Market Day:

"It particularly affected me because I spent my childhood between the ages of six and twelve in an environment that was very much like the one in the book. James Sturm, who was not old enough to have lived in these circumstances, somehow has managed to capture the day-to-day dealings typical in the market place in Eastern Europe. The atmosphere he has created in his drawings is entirely accurate. The architecture and the clothing of the people rings true. To me the characters became three dimensional and were living life as I remembered it."

Full review here.

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Do you really like comics or what?

Of course you do. And you should prove it by going here and buying a bunch of comics and minicomics from Mister John Porcellino. Spit and a Half is THEE minicomics distro of all time and it is guaranteed that John has the best of the best. LOVE COMICS!! BUY COMICS!!

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New Blog Feature: Nice things people say about us

"A three-word response to those who believe the printed book is dead: Drawn and Quarterly. "–Alan Brisbort, New Haven Advocate in his review of PICTURE THIS and ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #20.

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Say Congrats to Vanessa and Lynda in Brooklyn today!

For their glowing New York Times Book Reviews in tomorrow's Holiday Books issue. Jennifer McDonald on Lynda:

"More than once, to get you started, Barry offers templates of a bunny, a bat, a bird and a pair of I-don’t-know-whats, urging the reader to cut, copy, trace, color and paste. “No!” you might say. “I wouldn’t dare defile a book as bewitching as this.” But then you realize: were Barry in the room, she’d probably hand you the scissors herself."

Douglas Wolk on Vanessa Davis:

"It’s proudly girly, chatty and frequently hilarious. Davis’s subjects are herself, her friends and the small pleasures and occasional irritations of her day-to-day existence. ...Her artwork is doodly and gestural; she doesn’t bother much with panel borders, and her characters look as if they’ve been molded from careful observation, then squished flat onto the page."

If you can't make the Brooklyn fest, then be sure to read Lynda's interview with Nicole Rudick in the Paris Review.

Or, this Wall Street Journal article on the festival by my good pal Bruce Bennett with quotes from Charles, Adrian and Lynda.

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Arrived in Montreal, For Sale in Brooklyn Tomorrow.

The stunning denouement of Ander's BIG QUESTIONS, debuting Saturday at the Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival.

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You need to buy some things for the holidays anyways, right?

Another post in a series. Marc Bell has an Etsy store. Where he sells his macrame owls, "fair use" Spiderman stuffed dolls, and prints and comics.

Jeez, go spend some of that dough that's burning a hole in your pocket on some of this stuff, wouldja?

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