It’s a beautiful thing when New Comic Book Day happens to fall on April 20th and what awaits you in stores includes Kramer’s Ergot #9 and the latest from Simon Hanselmann- Megg & Mogg in Amsterdam.
When you buy Megg & Mogg in Amsterdam (or Hanselmann’s previous book, Megahex) from Fantagraphics.com you can also receive an exclusive, free copy of Minihex, a collection of rare, controversial and previously unpublished work packaged in a full-color mini comic.
Simon Hanselmann will be signing copies of Megg & Mogg in Amsterdam at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery this Saturday in his new hometown of Seattle. And because his talent doesn’t stop at art, Simon will also be playing some tunes while you marvel at his original art during this exhibition opening. More event details can be found here.
If these books are your flavor, you’ll probably also want to go ahead and pre-order Matt Furie’s Boy’s Club, coming out next month:
We’re also celebrating 4/20 with a stoner sale. Save 20% off select titles now through Sunday.
Fantagraphics staff members share their sale picks below:
Anna- Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia
Teenage years are the only the beginning of a life full of complete uncertainty, and Liz Suburbia paints this with almost painful accuracy in her magical realist drama, Sacred Heart. Sex, parties, friendship, death and drugs are underscored and heightened by the absence of any authority in town, be it parents or law enforcement. Illustrated to enhance the floating and often out-of-body experience of adolescence, we’re allowed perfect glimpses of the lives of these kids left behind, just trying to hold together a town that might not last through the summer. With the bigger picture of the town’s mysteries obscured by everyday pains of love and loss, Sacred Heart is youth in a bottle, with a punk soundtrack.
RJ- Dungeon Quest by Joe Daly
I’ve never gotten high and played Warhammer 40k. I haven’t needed to, because I’ve read Dungeon Quest by Joe Daly. Book 3, at almost twice the size of the previous installments, is a “hero’s journey” only in a very loosely defined sense of the word, as the journey itself becomes more absurd as the heroes hilariously try to stave off their ineptitude. Daly is a unique cartoonist, seemingly capable to level up as many times as his muscly-necked role-playing warriors do and keep the high fantasy plot from going off the rails even as he introduces new mystical spells and manic characters like the minuscule man who humps heads. Sure, you could classifyDungeon Quest as a weird stoner comedy, but it’s so much more because it probes into our priorities. What’s more important: saving an enslaved friend or trying to shake loose that dime bag dangling in the rickety vending machine? In Dungeon Quest Book 3, Joe Daly isn’t afraid to ask the big questions.
Keeli- The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book by Joe Daly
Red Monkey Double Happiness Book features a couple of dudes solving mysteries and fighting real estate developers, with a bit of psychedelic toad licking thrown in for good measure. Plus, it takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, and has one of the dankest baboon attack scenes you’ll ever see in comics.
Mike- Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life by Uli Lust
A non-stop punk rock adventure. #bongrips
Britta- The Adventures of Jodelle by Guy Peellaert
When I get fucked up, I kind of want to make out with everyone. In such cases, it might be wiser to bring a book to bed than a Tinder match. Regardless of your intoxicant of choice, The Adventures of Jodelle, often cited as the very first adult-themed graphic novel, makes for excellent, artfully pervy reading material.
The book bursts with a vibrant pop-art palette, colorful sexploitation and features characters recognizably inspired by French Ye-Ye girls like Sylvie Vartan and Francoise Hardy.
The plot is absurd, surreal and delightfully anachronistic as it follows mod spies engaged in a Dionysian romp through the Roman Empire. It is a book that never asks you to fully comprehend what is happening- which is part of what makes it perfect as a woozy, late-night read.
Flipping through the pages is kind of like falling asleep while changing channels between French New Wave films, Peter Max animations, softcore porn and 1960’s advertisements. Best of all- this book is stylish, semi-cerebral and handsomely packaged, so you won’t be embarrassed to leave this one out on your bedside table.
Still not sure what to read while stoned? Our friends and local literary experts at The Seattle Review of Books have previously explored this topic:
“Instead of reading books, give graphic novels a try. Ignore what little text there is and focus on the beautiful illustrations. I’d start with Black Hole and Bottomless Belly Button – both of which, if memory serves, are pretty light on text. Another option is to pick up Weathercraft or Congress of the Animals by local genius Jim Woodring. Most of his books are wordless, beautiful and weird.”
Sage wisdom. Happy 4/20 Fanta fans.