Genuinely tragic news from Fantagraphics’ Kim Thompson last night:

I’m sure that by now a number of people in the comics field who deal with me on a regular or semi-regular basis have noticed that I’ve been responding more spottily. This is because of ongoing health issues for the past month, which earlier this week resolved themselves in a diagnosis of lung cancer.

This is still very early in the diagnosis, so I have no way of knowing the severity of my condition. I’m relatively young and (otherwise) in good health, and my hospital is top-flight, so I’m hopeful and confident that we will soon have the specifics narrowed down, set me up with a course of treatment, proceed, and lick this thing.

It is quite possible that as treatment gets underway I’ll be able to come back in and pick up some aspects of my job, maybe even quite soon. However, in the interests of keeping things rolling as smoothly as I can, I’ve transferred all my ongoing projects onto other members of the Fantagraphics team. So if you’re expecting something from me, contact Gary Groth, Eric Reyolds, or Jason Miles and they can hook you up with whoever you need. If there are things that only I know and can deal with, lay it out for them and they’ll contact me.

Thompson’s partner in the company, Gary Groth released an accompanying statement:

Kim Thompson has been my partner at Fantagraphics Books for 35 years. He’s contributed vastly and selflessly to this company and to the comics medium and worked closely with countless fine artists over that time. This is a tough announcement to make, but everyone who knows Kim knows he’s a fighter and we remain optimistic that he’ll get through this and report back to report to work, where he belongs, doing what he loves.

Obviously, our thoughts are with Kim and his family and friends.

Approximate Continuum Comics
Written & Illustrated by Lewis Trondheim

Translated by Kim Thompson
Lettered by Stephanie Noell & Priscilla Miller
Published by Fantagraphics

Lewis Trondheim is one of Europe’s best cartoonists.

Let me revise that: Lewis Trondheim is one of the world’ best cartoonists. He happens to be French, however, and not all of his books are available in English, so it’s always exciting when something new comes to the States. (In the interests of complete documentation, the first half of Approximate Continuum Comics was previously serialized in English, but the latter portion was not – and I didn’t know Trondheim’s work at the time and missed the first half its first time around. So it’s all new to me.)

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The Arctic Marauder
Written & Illustrated by Jacques Tardi
Translated by Kim Thompson
Published by Fantagraphics

Fantagraphics has been injecting a steady stream of Jacques Tardi into the American comic book market, and I, for one, am appreciating it. From the ugly World War I drama It Was the War of the Trenches to whimsical fantasy The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, Tardi is proving a singular and unclassifiable cartoonist. Their latest translation, The Arctic Marauder, continues to showcase Tardi’s range.

Set in 1889, The Arctic Marauder tells of young Jérôme Plumier, a medical student, witness to the unlikely discovery of a sailing vessel lodged atop an iceberg. When his own ship is destroyed, Plumier is eventually rescued but begins a strange, surreal and twisted adventure, leading to the discovery of why so many ships have been sinking in the Arctic Sea and the origin of the iceberg-bound boat.

Whimsically dark, The Arctic Marauder doesn’t fit in with many other books. It’s steampunkish, with an innocent. humorous narration that contrasts the book’s cynically maniacal characters. I have to admire Tardi’s choice to end the book on the most unlikely note, where most writers would end the prologue.

Graphically, Tardi is a superb cartoonist, using strong layouts and strikingly iconic character designs that stay with the reader. His page designs add to the boldness of each composition, and the architecture and technology give the book a palpable sense of place and time.

In short, The Arctic Marauder is pure fun, silly and dark camp. It’s a beautiful book, with an appealing cover and a sturdy hardcover binding. Tardi’s narrative voice keeps the proceedings puckishly light and pleasant, while the plot itself explores oceanic depths and throws out characters rife with madness and egocentrism. There aren’t many books quite like it; comics readers are better off for having Tardi available here in the States.

Freeway
Written & Illustrated by Mark Kalensniko
Published by Fantagraphics

Mark Kalesniko’s Mail Order Bride was among the best comics of 2003, so his latest – Freeway – came with considerable expectations. Freeway is a return to Kalesniko’s alter-ego, Alex Kalienka; while trapped in a southern California traffic jam, Alex recalls starting out in the animation field, his childhood dream, while contrasting the reality of office politics, back-stabbing favoritism and compromise against his dreams of creative freedom and loving comraderie.

In the end, Freeway’s concept is stronger than its reality. Which isn’t to say it’s a bad book – Freeway’s a perfectly okay book, but just an okay one. The characters are well crafted, and Kalesniko does a fine job contrasting the reality of his circumstances against his dream scenario – particularly in the case of his own insecurity compared to his dream-vision’s easy-going confidence. The office politics are well played and all too real, and the pages are laid out well, the illustrations suitably charming.

Yet the narrative pulls in too many directions, as Alex dreams of not just his past and his ideal, but images of his childhood encamped on a stool in front of a television recur; a dark, sputtering car lurks behind him on the L.A. freeway; and a young Alex frets fearfully over his job interview and ever feeling at home in bustling Los Angeles. And then there are the morbid daydreams of his own demise – each tangent works on its own, but taken together, they pull the story in too many directions.

While the layouts are effective, Kalesniko’s transition panels between dream visions – a three-panel exchange with both past and dream overlaid in the middle panel – becomes heavy-handed and distracted after the first few usages. Some sequences are drawn out too long, although others, such as the multi-panel images of gridlock and Alex’s stream of curses, enforce the insistent inescapability of the freeway’s congestion.

Freeway is a good book, but it’s not quite a great book. A clearer focus would keep Kalesniko’s intent at the book’s fore, that dreams are wonderful, but the world isn’t what you dream. Kalesniko provides no answers for his protagonist – the animation business doesn’t suddenly become everything he hoped. The world is full of compromises, but with a little more care, Freeway could’ve been free of them.

Prince Valiant v. 3: 1941-1942
Written & Illustrated by Hal Foster
Published by Fantagraphics

Common consensus is that Hal Foster’s famed adventure strip Prince Valiant reaches the early days of its (long) golden era during the years collected in this book. Considering how much I enjoyed the first four years, when Foster was still finding the strip’s voice, I wasn’t sure how much better Valiant could get. Turns out, Prince Valiant achieves sheer radiance.

Now, for my money, Milton Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates remains the class of the newspaper adventure strip – frankly, it remains the class of all adventure comics, strip, book or otherwise. Hal Foster, however, is pushing hard for the second slot on this list.

In 1941 and 1942, Valiant spends over a year voyaging through Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, seeking the return of his fabled “Singing Sword” and pursuing the visionary beauty of Queen Aleta. Along the way, there are many fights won by Val’s determination, many romances enabled by Val’s kindness, and many tables turned by Val’s cunning. He travels with pirates in search of gold, battles against slave traders, and inevitably enriches the lives of good people everywhere, while demolishing those less worthy.

In short, Prince Valiant is noble romantic adventure fiction at its finest. The plots are classical, yet surprising, with chivalry and fair play constantly at the forefront. Poetic and strikingly descriptive, the narrations could nearly stand alone, but fortunately are accompanied by some of the finest comics’ art ever produced. Foster’s nuanced artwork captures the most subtle intentions of his immense cast, while the details and carefully crafted color work fill out Val’s world with rich textures from clothing to stonework, from animals to forests. Even the climates Val visits, sweltering Africa, frigid Britain – pounding rains and dehydrating days at sea – ground the reader in a palpable world.

Working from full-color syndicate printer’s proofs, Fantagraphics’ current Valiant reprints are the most pristine incarnations of Foster’s strip … well, ever. Surely the original newspaper versions didn’t showcase the full depth of his artwork, and the care put into the binding and the book design displays the publisher’s commitment to presenting Foster’s work in the best light possible. Prince Valiant v. 3: 1941-1942 finds a legendary strip reaching yet greater heights of creative accomplishment, presenting the strips with the full majesty of size, color and detail that its author always hoped for. After Foster, comics were never the same; this series is, simply, a must-have for any serious comics library.

Popeye v. 5: Wha’s a Jeep?
Written & Illustrated by E.C. Segar
Published by Fantagraphics

We’re closing on the end of Elzie Segar’s monumental comic strip accomplishment with the fifth volume of Fantagraphics’ recent Popeye reprint series. The next book will be the end, as Segar passed away and the strip passed into the hands of other – often still talented, but simply not as original – cartoonists.

This fifth volume introduces Eugene the Jeep, the yellow-furred, future-predicting pet and Popeye’s long-lost father Poopdeck Pappy into the mythology, effectively completing Popeye’s peculiar family unit. Popeye, Olive Oyl and Swea’pea form the semifunctional nuclear unit, with Wimpy, Castor, Eugene and Pappy rounding out the extended family.

While the daily strips focus on extended sequences, including Popeye’s kingdom Spinachovia feuding with Olive’s island nation and then facing invasion from neighboring Brutia. Then Eugene arrives and instigates the search for Pappy; Segar’s Sunday pages are couched in the strip’s unlikely family dynamic.

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King of the Flies v. 2: The Origin of the World
Written by Pirus
Illustrated by Mezzo
Colored by Ruby
Translated by Helge Dascher
Published by Fantagraphics

Pirus and Mezzo continue their brutal dissection of suburbia in the second of three King of the Flies albums. The creative team, Frenchmen both, craft a tale so universal that a single reference to a Euro is the only element that prevents the story from taking place in any American suburb.

In King of the Flies, Pirus and Mezzo move through their suburban nightmare in ten chapters, seven-page each. Switching narrators, the creators plumb deeper into the disaffected malaise possessing the listless community with each sequence. Prospectless teenagers pursue their own short-sighted desires, while mingling uncomfortably with adults whose limited ambitions and selfish yens provide an ugly mirror to the kids’ futures.

Artist Mezzo fills each panel with moody, sagging, worn-in details, and the book’s flat color palette enforces the rundown quality of the line art. Anger simmers below the surface of each panel, balanced by a resigned ennui. The beauty of King of the Flies: The Origin of the World lies in seeing which way that tenuous tension will fall for each character.

If you’re of a mind for the ugly side of humanity, the despondence of hopeless lives, you won’t find a better comic that Pirus and Mezzo’s King of the Flies. The dialogue crackles, the artwork’s astonishing, and every character’s swirling the drain of life – like a car crash, you won’t be able to look away.

It Came From the NYPL

Special Exits
Written & Illustrated by Joyce Farmer
Published by Fantagraphics

So this book is, honestly, about as sad as you’re likely to find. In Special Exits, Joyce Farmer, via fictionalized alter ego Laura, takes readers on her father and stepmother’s final journey. The final four years of their lives, with all the inevitable health failings and physical and mental difficulties, unfolds for all to witness.

Farmer is a dense cartoonist, with often two or three word balloons per page, making for a heavy read, but a worthwhile one. They encounter many physiological, mental and emotional potholes along the way, so she can’t dally – clipped scenes of sponge baths, sleeping, unhealthy but easy to prepare meals, and Laura’s hundreds of small and large sacrifices inundate readers with the inescapable reality of her parents’ decline.

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Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition
Written & Illustrated by Stan Sakai
Published by Fantagraphics

If you’ve been reading my musings for a while now, you’ll know this: Usagi Yojimbo is my favorite comic book of all time.  Ever since it was announced, I’ve been jonesing for Fantagraphics’ Usagi Yojimob: The Special Edition – a two-volume, slipcased hardcover collection of the first seven Usagi trade paperbacks. Nearly 1200 pages of Stan Sakai story-and-art goodness, with an extensive color art gallery (the first time I’ve seen most of those early covers in color), sketches and short-story odds-n’-ends. So my saintly wife gave me this striking tome for Christmas. Yes, I am a hell of a lucky guy.

Among the highlights of The Special Edition is the ease of witnessing Sakai’s growth as a writer, artist and storyteller. While the illustration in the earliest chapters is already solid, Sakai’s linework grows visibly more assured and looser, giving the pages a liveliness not seen in many comics. Similarly, the layouts evolve to capture the quiet elegance of the Japanese countryside, the gut-turned terror of Jei (comics’ best villain) or the kinetic ballet of a samurai duel in pitch-perfect fashion.

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The Search for Smilin’ Ed
Written & Illustrated by Kim Deitch
Published by Fantagraphics

The Search for Smilin’ Ed is the latest book collection from Kim Deitch, a longtime favorite cartoonist of mine. The story, originally serialized in the Fantagraphics anthology Zero Zero in the latter part of the 1990s, details Deitch’s research into the life of a forgotten (and mostly fictional) children’s TV show host, one Smilin’ Ed.

Deitch’s narrative weaves Deitch-as-character (with real-life acknowledgements) into a fictional tapestry of demons, underground societies, and pop culture oddities. Stacked with surprising twists and intricate plotting, Smilin’ Ed revels in Deitch’s increasingly complex personal universe, threading new characters into the established histories of his previous protagonists. Densely detailed and creatively laid out, the art can absorb a reader’s eye for days, with tons of nods, winks and subtle touches embedded in nearly every scene.

The plot, however, isn’t necessarily one of Deitch’s best. Smilin’ Ed comes across as somewhat half-imagined (by Deitch’s standard, which means it’s still three times as outlandish as most anything else out there), a series of disjointed sequences, failing to coalesce in a meaningful way. Despite this shortcoming, there’s more outlandishness going on in The Search for Smilin’ Ed than any five issues of most comics, and Deitch’s detailed, stiff renderings and engaging page designs make it worth the time for regular Deitch readers. Kim Deitch newcomers are directed to Alias the Cat or Boulevard of Broken Dreams to see the master shining his brightest.

Back in November, David Sedaris was a guest on The Daily Show and he was there to promote his then-new collection of animal fables, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk.

During the interview, Sedaris told host Jon Stewart that his original title for the book was Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls, but his editor responded, “Please don’t put the word diabetes in your book title,” and came up with final one instead.

I thought of  Sedaris’ editor when I opened an envelope to find a review copy of the fourth and final collection of Johnny Ryan’s Blecky Yuckarella strip, entitled Fuc_ __u, _ss__le.

Please note that I’m not trying to be demure and avoid saying “the F-word” and “the A-word” here on Newsarama; that’s the actual title of the actual book. Underscores are used to make the title look a bit like an unfinished game of hangman, an image emphasized by the cover, which features Ryan’s Blecky character hanging from a noose, her limbs shaking as sweat drops and  yellow-colored drops emanate from her figure (It’s the first of many appearances of piss in the book).

What if Ryan had Sedaris’ editor? If “diabetes” is a bad thing to have in a book title, how about the two words in Ryan’s title? And how would that initial conversation go? Perhaps “Hey Johnny, what do you want to call your new book?,” leading into an R-rated Abbot and Costello routine, with the editor all “Wow, what the hell Johnny? I’m just asking! There’s no need for that kind of language!”

Ryan obviously doesn’t have Sedaris’ editor, nor Sedaris’ publisher, and Fantagraphics Books is obviously quite in tune with Ryan’s sense of humor. This is, after all, the fourth of their Blecky books, and they’ve published two volumes of Prison Pit, starring a protagonist whose name I’m pretty sure I can’t post on Newsarama, as well as Ryan’s Angry Youth Comix.

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Castle Waiting v. 2
Written & Illustrated by Linda Medley
Published by Fantagraphics

There are few comics as pleasant at Castle Waiting.  Linda’s Medley’s fantasy series takes place sometime after the end of traditional fantasy – happily ever after and the great conflict both seem to be in the recent past, and a collection of diverse strangers have gathered in an abandoned castle to make a new life for themselves.

Clocking in at over 350 pages, v. 2 offers readers a meaty chunk of story, a nice compliment to the massive v. 1 hardcover.  In addition to continuing to explore their home, where they discover hidden passages, booby traps and more, the cast welcomes company in the form of Henry’s surrogate family (they’re dwarves, but don’t call them that; it’s offensive!).  The new blood introduces a new mix to the group, which Medley explores in considerable detail.

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The Troublemakers
Written & Illustrated by Gilbert Hernandez
Published by Fantagraphics

Gilbert Hernandez’s latest book, The Troublemakers, continues his series of movies-within-comics.  In his Love & Rockets series, Hernandez’s sometime protagonist Rosalba “Fritz” Martinez gave up her psychiatry practice to become a B-movie queen, and The Troublemakers is – after 2007’s Chance in Hell – the second Fritz “movie.”  In this book, Hernandez’s plot follows four grifters, each trying to get their mitts on a $200,000 payout.

A few years ago, Hernandez seemed to be experimenting with comics (see Grip: The Strange World of Men) in the style of filmmaker David Lynch – stories heavy with surrealism and obscurely symbolic imagery.  With his “movie” books, Hernandez has moved into the milieu of another filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino, by embracing and indulging in the excesses and clichés of his cinematic inspirations.  Oddly, while I’ve never cared for Tarantino’s films, I’ve enjoyed Hernandez’s books – though not as much as his best Love & Rockets’ material.

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A Drunken Dream and Other Stories
Written & Illustrated by Moto Hagio
Translated by Matt Thorn
Published by Fantagraphics

Although there are hundreds of manga titles for youngsters and teens, and even a handful of violent genre titles for older readers, on American shelves, Drawn and Quarterly (with gekiga-originator Yoshihiro Tatsumi) and Vertical (publishing latter-era Osamu Tezuka tomes) seem to be among the few publishers interested in providing mature, adult material.  So I’m happy to see Fantagraphics step up to the plate and deliver another such offering: A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, a collection of ten Moto Hagio short stories.

Compiling comics originally published between 1977 and 2008, A Drunken Dream showcases the full range of Hagio’s short stories, while also granting readers insight into the themes of lost innocence, family dysfunction and perseverance in the face of abuse that underscore much of her work. Two of the best pieces are “Hanshin: Half-God” and “Iguana Girl.”  In the former, one conjoined twin appears healthy and happy, but never developed beyond the most simplistic (yet upbeat) personality.  The other half, Yudy, processes all the nutrients that her sister’s body takes to appear healthy, while Yudy herself, her mind and personality fully developed, remains sickly and ill.  “Iguana Girl” shows a mother’s disgust with her own child (depicted as an iguana) and the trauma of emotional abuse. Yet the tale also depicts the strength to persevere, to find something better and to, maybe, understand the emotional failings of another.

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The Sanctuary
Written & Illustrated by Nate Neal
Published by Fantagraphics

Nate Neal’s The Sanctuary (which he originally wanted to title with only a drawing of a buffalo, which would’ve made referring to it by title quite difficult) stands as one of the best comics of the year.  Ostensibly about an outcast caveman, Neal’s ultimately explaining the origins of comic book storytelling and, in the bigger picture, the importance of creativity and storytelling in general.

Using only an invented caveman language, Neal effectively offers readers a pantomime book.  Sure, you can take time and puzzle out the dialogue, but it’s still largely monosyllabic words and short phrases, to-the-point communiqués.  The point being, the language may intrigue some readers; for most, the book is eminently readable without glancing at a caption.  Neal’s cartooning carries the meaning so clearly that no words are really necessary (though the hand-drawn fonts often assist the reader in deciphering a character’s intent).

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Fire and Water: Bill Everett, the Sub-Mariner and the Birth of Marvel Comics
Written by Blake Bell
Published by Fantagraphics

Blake Bell chronicles the life of cartoonist Bill Everett, most famous to most current comics readers as the creator of Marvel Comics’ Namor, the Sub-Mariner and Daredevil, the Man without Fear, in his latest book, Fire and Water: Bill Everett, the Sub-Mariner and the Birth of Marvel Comics.  An effective biography and a great showcase of classic comics artwork, Bell’s book provides an intriguing look into the life of a man who played an important role in the shaping of the creative side of the comics industry.

Although it weighs in at over 200 pages, Fire and Water does not provide a detailed biography.  As the figures behind the comics were not recognized during much of Everett’s career, interviews with the cartoonist are not plentiful.  As such, Bell relies on accounts from Everett’s family and colleagues to fill in the blanks and trace the young man’s introduction to the comics business and evolution across forty-odd years as an illustrator.  Accounts of Everett’s non-comics jobs and alcoholism are plentiful, as are tributes to his talent and lamentations to his many wasted opportunities.

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You’ll Never Know v.2: Collateral Damage
Written & Illustrated by C. Tyler
Published by Fantagraphics

The second (of three) volume in Carol Tyler’s memoir, You’ll Never Know: Collateral Damage, continues to address Tyler’s relationship with her World War II veteran father, as he finally opens up and reveals his experiences in the European theatre.  However, the emotional meat of the book comes from seeing how Tyler deals with her parents, her wandering husband and her trouble-bound daughter.

You’ll Never Know is ostensibly about Tyler and her father’s war experiences, but she’s ultimately explaining how her father’s experiences shaped him, and how he in turn molded her.  Though her father remains a constant presence throughout the book, Tyler is pulled in many directions.

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Ding Dong Daddy From Dingburg
Written & Illustrated by Bill Griffith
Published by Fantagraphics

The latest collection of Bill Griffith’s newspaper strip Zippy the Pinhead, Ding Dong Daddy From Dingburg is also my first exposure to the long-running once-underground icon.  Griffith created Zippy in 1971.  After a long life in independent comics and magazines, Zippy became a newspaper strip, syndicated by King Features, in 1986.  Ding Dong Daddy collects the daily and Sunday strips from September 2008 through June 2010.

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Penny Century
Written & Illustrated by Jamie Hernandez
Published by Fantagraphics

At this point, I don’t know what else there is to say about Jamie Hernandez or Love & Rockets.  I suspect that one day he’s going to make a truly terrible comic, if only because he must feel at least a little bit bad about showing nearly every other creator up so often.

In 1996, when Jamie and his brother Gilbert felt that they’d said as much as they wanted to say under the Love & Rockets title, they folded their long-running, acclaimed comic magazine, and each moved on to separate comic projects.  For Jamie, this meant creating a three-issue Whoa, Nellie! serial and a new series titled Penny Century.  Both series took place alongside his previous Locas stories in Love & Rockets; Maggie’s female wrestling champion aunt and two colleagues took the lead in Whoa, Nellie!, while Penny Century continued Maggie and Hopey’s life tales, with more focus on their blond bombshell, billionaire’s wife pal Beatríz “Penny Century” García.

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High Soft Lisp
Written & Illustrated by Gilbert Hernandez
Published by Fantagraphics

Perhaps Gilbert Hernandez’s most graphic work since Birdland, High Soft Lisp tells dual narratives of longtime Hernandez protagonist Rosabla “Fritz” Martinez and her ex-husband, washed-up motivational speaker Mark Herrera.  Essentially paralleling their incredible vanity with their own descent into self-deluded excess, the book stands out for its depiction of extreme sexual proclivities of each lead character.

Fritz, as longtime Hernandez readers know, threads low self-esteem and extreme sexual adventures together with incredible rapidity, but High Soft Lisp stands out for the sheer bleakness of the narrative.  Wallowing in sexual degradation and alcoholic abuse, Fritz wanders through her life, disconnected from the family that gave flexibility to her life in the pages of Luba.  Mark Herrera, unwilling to climb out of the orbit surrounding his ex-wives, continues his own routine of casting judgments and proclamations without any tempering self-assessments.  This isn’t to say that the book is without its joys – Hernandez maintains a careful, but certainly very dark, thread of humor throughout the entire book, portraying his cast with a knowing irony.

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