Hooray! Lisa Hanawalt nominated for James Beard Award- again!

Lisa Hanawalt's work is hilarious, and the critics know it: she's been nominated for the James Beard Award in Humor for the second straight year! This time, the nomination is for "On the Trail with Wylie", her regular column for Lucky Peach .



From the Washington Post : “I’m honored to be nominated and recognized for my skills as a chef!” Hanawalt wryly tells The Post’s Comic Riffs. “Stay tuned for my cookbook, featuring signature dishes like ‘Hurry-Up Scrambled Eggs’ and ‘Handfuls of Cereal with Maple Syrup Reduction.’ ”

In honor of this, why not whip up a Hanawalt-inspired recipe and treat yourself to a re-read of My Dirty Dumb Eyes ? Winter is officially over and I think we could all use the laugh.



The James Beard Awards ceremony will be May 2 at New York’s Gotham Hall. Go Lisa!

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Brecht Vandenbroucke has a new gallery show opening in Paris, France

Paris: Brecht Vandenbroucke has a new show opening at Galerie Martel , with paintings from his new book, White Cube. The vernissage is next Thursday, March 20th, starting at 6:30 pm, and the exhibit will run until May 10th. The book is lush and bright and hilarious and you should seize the opportunity to see these pieces in person!

Galerie Martel is located at 17 rue Martel. We've all been practising our French over here in the D+Q office and wish we could be there, too!

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Toronto: Seth and Michael DeForge are at the Pages Festival this weekend

Toronto: The 2014 Pages Festival and Conference kicks off today, with great programming in music, art, books, and movies. Among these fine events is a graphic novel talk with Seth, Michael DeForge, and Fiona Smyth, hosted by Jeet Heer!

Here are Michael DeForge and Seth all the way back in October, sandwiched between Chester Brown and Peter Bagge

Seth will discuss his work as a book designer, with particular emphasis on his latest volumes of Palookaville. Michael and Fiona will talk about their careers, working in different genres, and the generational shift from the 1990s to now, and how cartooning has changed in that time.



Seth and Friends: The Graphic Novel takes place Saturday, March 15th, at 9pm, at the Randolph Theatre (736 Bathurst Street). Tickets are available through pagesfestival.com, with half-price rates available if you're a student! Go get 'em!

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Free Comic Book Day, 2014!

Oh Joy! Our brand new FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue is in! This lil' beaut features an excerpt from Shigeru Mizuki's second volume of Showa: A History of Japan, covering the period from 1944 to 1956.

And talk about coincidence, it's Mizuki's 92nd birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIZUKI! Look at that smile, what a cutie!

Now don't go thinking Showa is anything like a boring ol' history textbook, oh no! With compassion and wit, Mizuki gives us a first hand account of this turbulent time, recounting his own experiences from when he was drafted into the army as a young (and sometimes lazy) teen. Never lazy when it comes to food though! Here he is trying to open up a can of delicious pineapple using his thumb:

And getting a final farewell from friends and family:

Mark your calendars, Free Comic Book Day is on Saturday, May 3rd. In the meantime, why not reminisce a little by looking back at last year's FCBD extravaganza! Nothing better than hyper kids getting their grubby little hands on free comics and snacks, right?

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Toronto: Diane Obomsawin will be at The Henhouse tonight for On Loving Women

Hello, Toronto! Diane Obomsawin will be at The Henhouse tonight, Friday March 7th, for On Loving Women, her new collection of stories about coming out, first love, and sexual identity. Diane will present a slideshow and be interviewed by Town Dyke columnist Alex Tigchelaar for what promises to be an insightful, laughter-filled Friday night. Doors open at 9 pm!



"All of us have struggled with the desire to have another see beyond us and right into us at once; we are always trying to transcend our corporeal limitations—whether they relate to gender, race, class or age—to have someone witness the possibility we feel in ourselves. Obomsawin has a gift for speaking to this precious universal desire." —Alex Tigchelaar, Daily Xtra



"A mix of awkward, sexy, heartbreaking, and down-right adorable...Each individual chapter feels like peeking into someone’s personal diary, each story more entrancing than the last." —Sarah Karlan, Buzzfeed



NOW highlights the event, saying "any female who’s fallen for another female can relate to On Loving Women". See you there!

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Do you know Pippi?

Of course you've heard of the red-haired, horse-lifting, freckle-faced Pippi Longstocking, but how well do you really know her? Now's your chance to get acquainted, Philadelphia: Do You Know Pippi Longstocking?, an original new exhibition, is coming to the American Swedish Historical Museum !



The show sounds absolutely delightful, and true to Lingren's sense of humor. Kids will have the opportunity to go inside Pippi’s house and cook in her kitchen. You will also be able to test your strength by lifting Pippi’s horse, explore Pippi’s cabinet of treasures, and scrub-a-dub-dub the floor with sponges on your shoes. The exhibit will be complemented by life-sized tableaus of Ingrid Vang Nyman's beautiful, bright illustrations, and visitors will discover how Astrid Lingren influenced Swedish attitudes towards childhood. In other words, it will be like the best play date imaginable!



Do You Know Pippi Longstocking? is on view from March 23, 2014 until February 16, 2015. The American Swedish Historical Museum is located at 1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA.

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In stores today: WHITE CUBE by Brecht Vandenbroucke

Brightening my day/week/winter is Brecht Vandenbroucke's White Cube, in stores now! White Cube is wordlessly clever and lushly painted in beautiful bright colours; an art book that pokes fun at the art world. The book follows a pair of pink-faced twins as they visit galleries and attempt to understand the confusing, somewhat smug world of contemporary art. Their misadventures have them encountering works by artists ranging from Picasso to Marina Abramović, and wreaking havoc both online and outdoors. Their reactions to celebrated pieces of art are often funny, and reflect the things one thinks but doesn't say in a museum setting.

Here they are enjoying their new Warhol and not-quite enjoying a noise show,

teasing a neighbourhood boy that reappears several times throughout the book,

giving Guernica a fresh coat of paint,

and wandering through a gallery amongst the unsuspecting.

Get out to your local book store and pick up a copy of White Cube- I guarantee you will Like* it ;-)



*(Sorry.)

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A Bump Bump, Thumpin' Bumpin', El Bumpo: Or, look what we have here, a very special new book from da one and only Gilbert Hernandez!

Oh hey guys. We've been so busy getting this book ready for press that we forgot to brag endlessly about it. What in the world is wrong with us? And why are you reading this when you should still be admiring that cover up there? Perfect, non?



A raw, disaffected, punk rock/glam rock/drunk rock/speed-freak rock coming-of-age story about growing up in America, seen through the eyes of Bobby, or Bumperhead. Told in the subtle yet thought-provoking way that only Gilbert can, Bumperhead follows a life as it zooms by — from childhood bullying to first love to the realities of becoming a (disappointing) grownup.



Here's the first five pages for your previewing pleasure. You are welcome, indeed.

Old bumpy, bumpy Bumperhead will debut at Comic-Con 'dis summer. For everybody else, prepare to wrap your mitts around this treat in September. HOORAY FOR GILBERT HERNANDEZ. HOORAY FOR COMICS GENIUS.

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