What’s in Store: Short Run Marathon Party!

    Please join us at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery this Friday, November 2 for our 8th annual Short Run Marathon exhibition and pre-festival reception featuring original art by Short Run guests Ali Fitzgerald, Mimi Pond, Carol Tyler, Anna Haifisch, Olivier Schrauwen, Antoine Maillard, Melek Zertal, Rina Ayuyang, Eroyn Franklin, and November Garcia, with a special Beatles sing-a-long hosted by Carol Tyler. A wonderful opportunity to casually socialize with an amazing array of regional, national, and international artists. Complimentary refreshments and great fun! The following Saturday, November 10 we’ll host an appearance by Short Run co-founder Eroyn Franklin presenting new work…

Re:Read | Farmer Ned’s Comics Barn

   Re:Read is an occasional column by Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid examining backlist books you may have missed or merit another look. This time we’ll focus on Gerald Jablonski’s visionary masterpiece Farmer Ned’s Comics Barn from Fantagraphics adventurous FU Press imprint. I’ve always been drawn to “outsider” art, characterized by deeply obsessive expression. Gerald Jablonski’s work seamlessly combines the naïve sensibilities of folk artists like Reverend Howard Finster with the meticulous sophistication of cartoonists like Daniel Clowes – fluid, yet strangely formal. Farmer Ned’s Comics Barn alternates between dense, intricate narratives and spare, wordless renderings. Amazingly, in an appended…

David Lasky and Nick Thorburn at Fantagraphics Bookstore

Join us on Saturday Septemeber 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Fantagraphics Bookstore as Seattle cartoonist David Lasky discusses his forthcoming Georgetown Steamplant graphic novel (in collaboration with writer Mairead Case) and discuss their approach to the project, scheduled for publication in fall of 2019. This is the first graphic novel funded by the City of Seattle’s public art program. Bookstore curator Larry Reid served on the panel that selected Lasky from more that 70 applicants. Lasky will publish a minicomic preview of the project to distribute free while supplies last. Interactive artist Jake Fennell will present “Reality is…

Hot Off the Press Book Fair feat. Jim Woodring & Lilli Loge

Fantagraphics Bookstore hosts the 4th annual Hot Off the Press Book Fair with special guests Jim Woodring and Berlin cartoonist Lilli Loge on Saturday, July 14 from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. Small press exhibitors include Czap Books, Paper Press Punch, Kilgore Books, FU Press, Short Run Micropress, Fogland Studios, Cold Cube and others with appearances by local artists Simon Hanselmann, DW, Marc Palm, Tom Van Deusen, Max Clotfelter, Rhodora Jacob, Sarah Romano Diehl, Kelly Froh, Alex Graham, Brandon Lehmann, Laura Knetzger, Hella Handa, and many more.   Jim Woodring’s latest book, Poochytown, will debut at the fair, the latest and…

What’s in Store: Georgetown Carnival feat. Jini Dellaccio!

  The 13th annual Georgetown Carnival arts festival on Saturday, June 9 offers a spectacular array of attractions in Seattle’s historic Airport Way S business corridor, featuring an exhibition by legendary photographer Jini Dellaccio at Fantgraphics Bookstore of music icons of the sixties, including vintage prints created in the late artist’s darkroom. Dellaccio documented Northwest proto-punk garage acts like the Sonics, Wailers, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and Buffalo Springfield, as well as touring bands like the Rolling Stones, the Who, Mitch Ryder, Yardbirds, among many others. Carnival highlights include Hardzardfactory’s Power Tool Drag Races featuring creative contraptions racing side-by-side from…

What’s in Store: Ben Horak’s Daydreamin’ Dave release party!

Join us at Fantgraphics Bookstore on Saturday, May 26 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM as we celebrate the publication of Daydreamin’ Dave by Ben Horak with a book signing, urban barbecue, and complementary refreshments. Dave is a mild-mannered, imaginative, anthropomorphic, joke-spewing day dreamer. Dave is constantly breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the delighted audience, ending every quip with a friendly wink. This is Dave’s world, we just live in it. But what happens when Dave is suddenly gone? How can the story continue? Who will entertain the audience? As the comic itself begins to break down and…

Celebrate Free Comic Book Day with Ellen Forney and Simon Hanselmann

  Celebrate Free Comic Book Day at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery as Ellen Forney presents her latest project, Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life, with an exhibition and book signing this Saturday, May 5 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Her appearance will be preceded by Simon Hanselmann signing copies of Fantagraphics’ free sampler, World’s Greatest Cartoonists, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Rock Steady is a sequel to Forney’s widely acclaimed graphic memoir Marbles, which addressed the artist’s experience with bipolar disorder. Her highly anticipated companion volume turns the focus outward, offering a self-help guide of tips, tricks, and tools by…

RE/Read: I Am Not Okay With This by Charles Forsman

   RE/Read is an occasional column by Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid examining books you may have missed or merit more attention. This time we’ll look at I Am Not Okay With This by Charles Forsman. Almost lost in the sensational response to the Netflix adaptation of Forsman’s The End of the Fucking World is the equally compelling graphic novel I Am Not Okay With This. This book explores similar themes of alienation and anxiety among tormented suburban teens. Employing a diary as a narrative device, Forsman follows his female protagonist as she navigates the familiar perils of…

What’s in Store: Record Store Day with Sky Cries Mary

Celebrate Record Store Day this Saturday, April 21 as Georgetown Records and Fantagraphics Bookstore host a live concert by Sky Cries Mary. This group features musicians that were pivotal to the “Seattle Sound” of the 1990s, including our good friend Jack Endino, widely considered the architect of grunge. DJ Jody McKane spins platters from 1:00 to 3:00, Jo Smitty from 3:00 to 6:00, with the band at 7:00 PM. Record stores continue to play an important role in the social fabric of American culture. Like many creative retail enterprises, their very existence is imperiled by our increasingly on-line economy. (Sadly, comix…

What’s in Store: Flayed Corpse with Josh Simmons and Friends

Please join us in welcoming Josh Simmons back to Fantagraphics Bookstore on Saturday, April 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM for a book signing and exhibition of original art from his new short story collection Flayed Corpse. The show includes work by Simmons and contributors Eric Reynolds, Eroyn Franklin, James Romberger, Tom Van Deusen, Ben Horak, Pat Moriarity, and Tara Booth, among others. Many exhibiting artists will be present. The exhibition remains on view through April 3, 2018. Combining black humor, social satire, and surreal terror, Flayed Corpse collects more than two dozen of Josh Simmons’ signature horror stories. Together…