Fantagraphics July

The small but perfectly formed comics publisher we call Fantagraphics has just announced their latest batch of releases, due for this summer. As ever with Fanta it is quite a diverse range of independent comics. I’m delighted to see the Fanta gang publishing a new edition of The Last Lonely Saturday by Jordan Crane after it being out of print for far too long. The book begins by offering an almost voyeuristic glimpse into the life of an older man as he sits full of despair in a house which has clearly been neglected. We soon realise that the man is actually a grieving widower and that this is the Saturday he visits the grave of his dear, departed wife. If this sounds like something of a downer, it isn’t – his life is about to change and Jordan’s simple but elegant artwork spins a beautifully emotional tale. On a totally different tack is Jason's latest, the Left Bank Gang, which takes 20s Paris and the writers Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Pound and Joyce and recasts them as graphic novelists!

There is also a new batch of Ignatz titles from Fantagraphics due in July. For those not in the know, the Ignatz range is somewhere between a rather fancy comic and a small graphic novel – comic-sized at 32 pages but bound with a stiff cover and flaps. There are some cracking artists/writers taking part in the range now and the format allows readers to try something a bit different, such as a respected European work, but for a pretty small outlay (especially when you factor in our generous discount on the already low price). The latest batch includes issue 2 of Baobab by the excellent Igort, the first of Reflections by Marco Corona and Niger #1, which produces the art in a woodcut style to tell an ‘ecological fable’. And yes, I know one shouldn’t judge by the cover, but it does have a very striking cover image.

If the Ignatz series is your cup of alternative tea (and if it isn’t you should take a metaphorical sip and try one or two) you may also enjoy this new offering which artist Melody Nadia Shickley sent our way, In The Hands of Boys 1, which deals with how the life of Anna, a young teacher, is changed when she has to tend to the young son of a friend killed in Bosnia. The pencilled artwork drew much praise (reminds me somewhat of the lovely silvery artwork on The Yellow Jar) and the book was a Xeric Award winner which is always a quality seal on an Indy comic as far as I’m concerned. The first of a two-part series, In The Hands of Boys 1 is due to be released in June.

On a related topic - if you are a comics fan and in particular an admirer of the material produced by companies like Fantagraphics then you could do worse than check out the wonderful Read Yourself Raw site. They produce a very interesting monthly previews column alerting you to many of the upcoming titles that will be worth seeking out. Not just comics but art mags and art toys also. In addition they have some excellent columns and features - we especially love the creator profiles. If you love comics make sure you bookmark RYR (we have a read regularly ourselves).