Original Underground Cartoonist: SPAIN

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Colin

Spain Rodriguez is one of the original Zap cartoonists and a fascinating figure with a lot of great stories. He’s having an art show and will be speaking at the Cartoon Art Museum this Thursday, Sept 17.

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Here’s the invite:

The Cartoon Art Museum proudly presents Spain Rodriguez: Rebel in Ink, a retrospective exhibition celebrating the art of seminal underground comix creator and San Francisco legend Spain Rodriguez.

Rebel in Ink looks back on Rodriguez’s 40-plus years as a comic book artist, providing the most comprehensive gallery exhibition of his work to date. In the late 1960s, Rodriguez was one of the pioneers of the underground comix movement, through work on such groundbreaking publications as The East Village Other, Zap Comix, and the first underground tabloid, Zodiac Mindwarp, which was created by Rodriguez. Trashman, one of Rodriguez’s best known creations, was an icon in underground newspapers of the 1960s and 1970s. Rodriguez was an early pioneer of online comics as well, and he collaborated with the late comics historian and writer Bob Callahan in the 1990s on The Dark Hotel, which was featured on the popular website Salon.com. Rodriguez has also been active as an educator at various Bay Area colleges and schools. Among his more recent works are numerous illustrations for the mainstream press, several anthology comics collections, and the critically acclaimed Che: A Graphic Biography, a 2008 graphic novel depicting the life and times of Che Guevara.

The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Thursday, September 17, 2009 from 7:00-9:00pm. Spain Rodriguez will look back at his long and storied career in a discussion moderated by Cartoon Art Museum founder Malcolm Whyte. This event is free and open to the public.

Cartoon Art Museum
655 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-CAR-TOON
www.cartoonart.org

Junko Mizuno signing at New People

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Colin

Thanks to everyone who came out to see Junko Mizuno and get copies of her new book, Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU! And thanks to New People for hosting the signing! Deb Aoki wrote an article about the signing and did an interview with Junko as well. Same Hat also has some pics and a post about the signing and New People.

Junko Mizuno signing Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Colin

Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU

Junko Mizuno will be signing her new book, Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU Vol. 1, on Saturday, August 22 at 2pm at NEW PEOPLE The Store in San Francisco’s Japan Town.
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PELU is a cute extraterrestrial critter who travels to Earth to find happiness in the form of a bride. Prepare to be astounded as the search for fulfillment takes him from the surface of his fantastic alien planet to an off-kilter modern Japan inhabited by aspiring enka singers, sassy girls, paint-sniffing bad boys, sushi chefs with unspeakable secrets and the body-switching students of a mysterious high school.

Preview PELU here.

PELU has been getting great reviews. This is your chance to meet Junko and pick up a signed copy of her newest release!

NEW PEOPLE
1746 Post St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
Saturday, August 22, 2pm

Praise for Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU:

…Fluffy Gigolo Pelu suggests that her work is only veering into more vividly mischievous territory. It offers a look at an exercise that is comparable to taking the broken crumbs from the bottom of a bag of candy and trying to melt them into a lollipop – bright and supposedly sweet, but deformed and foul smelling where it’s burned. Pelu’s stories of alienation, unconventional pregnancy and huffing are overtly cracked, but the view that it presents of less incendiary subjects like office work dreariness and career dissatisfaction similarly fit into its scheme of candy colored unhappiness.
…noting the diversity of Earth’s population, Pelu leaps into a magic mirror hoping to find someone like himself. His mad anti-trip-to-Oz whirlwind is captured in a montage of dreary meetings, lottery wins, and over eating – framed by a psychedelic expectoration of bubbles.
Little Fluffy Gigolo Pelu features enough dire absurdity that it’ll force you to laugh.
– Scott Green, Ain’t It Cool News

Whether her stories titillate you or not, it’s hard to deny their unique place in the world of manga. Sans narrative, they’re vintage candy wrappers that you hold on to because you know you’re going to want to just look at them again sometime down the road. In that respect, maybe Little Fluffy Gigolo Pelu is the lovelorn-tragedy-laced Laffy Taffy of the bunch.
…is there enough love on our cruel planet to include a vomit-green, bow-tie-wearing cotton ball like Pelu? Maybe the answer lies in volume two, but I’m digging the journey so far.
– Joseph Luster, Otaku USA

…certainly does not disappoint if you love Mizuno’s mix of cute / grotesque humor.
– Deb Aoki, About.com Guide to Manga

Beautiful artwork and character designs that find the sexiness in Japanese “kawaii” pop culture. Unapologetic in pushing the envelope in decency and standards.
– The Anime Almanac

The book is filled with bizarre, disturbing, but utterly engaging adventures, like the chapter where Pelu’s friend the Space Hippo arrives on Earth, eats too many unfamiliar foods, and ends up vomitting an acid-like substance all over the town’s local poodle ranch.
– John Jakala, Robot 6

Todd Schorr Book Signing

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Colin

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Todd Schorr will be signing his beautiful new book, American Surreal, this Saturday, August 15th. The new book picks up where his bestselling book, Dreamland, left off and includes the exquisite ape themed paintings that were unveiled earlier this year.

The large format, hardcover, 100 page book was published by Last Gasp, San Francisco, and will be available for sale at the signing at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles. Limited edition giclées and show posters are also available.

Did we mention that wine and cookies will be served? Mark your calendar for this Saturday, August 15th, from 2-5pm for your time with the master Mr. Schorr.

Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 2pm
Merry Karnowsky Gallery
170 S. La Brea Ave (in the Art 170 Building) Los Angeles, CA 90036

http://www.mkgallery.com

Last Gasp Comic-Con Signings – Booth #1616

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Colin

Todd Schorr, Mark Ryden, Joe Ledbetter, James Jean, The Pizz, Scott Musgrove, Ron English, and Travis Louie will all be signing at the Last Gasp booth (#1616) at Comic-Con this year.

Todd Schorr will be signing American Surreal (preview) and Dreamland

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Mark Ryden will be signing The Tree Show book, Tree Show Micro-portfolio (preview), Sweet Wishes, and his new toy YHWH (limited quantities)

Joe Ledbetter will be signing Creatures of Habit

The Pizz will be signing The Dizzy Dictionary (limited quantities)

Scott Musgrove will be signing The Late Fauna of Early North America

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James Jean will be signing The Hallowed Seam: Process Recess Vol. 3, limited quantities of Fables Covers, and XOXO Postcards

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Ron English will be signing Abject Expressionism and Popaganda

Travis Louie will be signing Curiosities with a Comic-Con exclusive cover

We will also have copies of the Hi-Fructose Collected Edition Box Set (sold out) for sale, as well as many other new, rare, and exciting books.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday
Ron English, Noon
Mark Ryden, 2pm
Scott Musgrove, 4pm

Saturday
Joe Ledbetter, noon
Todd Schorr, 2pm
The Pizz, 3:00pm
Mark Ryden, 4:00pm
Joe Ledbetter, 5:30pm (2nd signing)

Sunday
Travis Louie, noon
James Jean, 2pm

Joe Ledbetter Book Signing and Limited Edition T-Shirt

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Colin

Creatures of Habit Event

LAST GASP and GAMA-GO present
The San Francisco Creatures of Habit: The Art of Joe Ledbetter book signing.

A new, limited-edition Joe Ledbetter and Gama-Go collaboration shirt will be available.
Joe will also bring some new paintings for your viewing pleasure.

WHEN: Thursday, July 2nd, 5:30 – 8:30pm
WHERE: the new Gama-Go store at 8th and Folsom
335 8th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 626-0213

THE BOOK:

Creatures of Habit
For the first time, Joe Ledbetter’s best paintings have been compiled into one book. Influenced by classic animation, graphic design, and daily life, Joe Ledbetter’s art is… well… a lot of things. Light- hearted in its approach, he often combines cute and cuddly creatures with unfortunate — albeit humorous — situations.

With emphasis on the subversive and absurd, these scenarios are all too familiar, questioning our tendency of taking life (and ourselves) too seriously. Creatures of Habit offers a look at Ledbetter’s unique and original painting style during the first five years of his career (2003 – 2008).

The book is arranged chronologically, and the viewer can follow the development of the artist’s trademark visual style of emblematic line- work, vibrant colors, and endearing characters. Throughout the book, Ledbetter includes his favorite paintings from his many solo exhibitions, themed group art shows, collaborations with fellow artists (such as Nathan Jurevicius, Luke Chueh and Greg “Craola” Simkins), and many pieces from private collections previously unseen by most fans. 9″ x 6″, hardcover, full color.

Todd Schorr: American Surreal

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Colin

We’re super-excited about our newest book, Todd Schorr: American Surreal. It just arrived at our warehouse and you can see a preview here.

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This is the latest collection of paintings by one of contemporary surrealism’s most influential artists. American Surreal picks up where Dreamland, Schorr’s previous bestselling collection of mind-bending paintings, left off. The viewer can look forward to countless hours of eye bulging investigative thought while examining the impeccably rendered subject matter that has become the hallmark of Schorr’s outrageous vision.

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One of the seminal figures in what has come to be known as the Lowbrow or Pop Surrealism art movement, Schorr has continually and systematically set the bar ever higher in his quest to bring classic old master painting technique to his pop-culture-infused subject matter. This latest collection continues that journey culminating with the epic masterpiece Ape Worship, included in this volume. Schorr’s paintings are the subject of museum retrospectives in 2009 and 2010, and are highly prized and coveted by collectors the world over. American Surreal is sure to satisfy those with an overly-developed visual appetite.

The book accompanies a museum retrospective of Todd’s work that is now up at the San Jose Museum of Art. Todd will be signing his new book at a special book release and opening party at the museum on July 16 (information below). He will also be on a signing tour, including the following stops:

July 16 – Opening reception and book signing at SJMA (7:30-10pm), 110 South Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113 • (408) 271-6840 • www.sjmusart.org

July 25 – San Diego Comic-Con International, Last Gasp booth (#1616).

Aug 15 – Merry Karnowsky Gallery, 170 S. La Brea Avenue (in the Art 170 Building) • Los Angeles, CA 90036 • (323) 933-4408 • www.mkgallery.com

Oct 10 – Jonathan Levine Gallery, 529 West 20th Street, 9E New York, NY 10011 • (212) 243-3822 • www.johnathanlevinegallery.com

Sept/Oct (exact date TBA) – Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Via Reggio Emilia 32 c/d, 00198 Roma, Italy • 06 44247451 • www.mondobizzarro.net

Todd Schorr at San Jose Museum of Art

Last Gasp BEA 2009 in New York

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Colin

Last Gasp will be in New York for Book Expo at the end of May. We’ll be at booth #4651, at Javits Center showing our newest books, including advance air copies of American Surreal and other exciting releases. We will also have books and previews from the many wonderful and exciting publishers we distribute. As always, we’ll have a special discount for retailers who come by and place an order at the show. This will be the first place to get our new 2009 publishing catalog with cover art by Mark Ryden and Todd Schorr. The show runs from May 29-31. Please come by and say hello!

Hot Todd Schorr opening in LA

Posted on April 1, 2009 by Colin

We went down to LA this past weekend for Todd Schorr’s opening at Merry Karnowsky Gallery. What a show!

If you missed it, your next opportunity to see Todd’s work will be at his museum retrospective opening June 20 at the San Jose Museum of Art.

It seems a few other people, including Vanity Fair, thought it was a good party too:

VF Daily’s picks for the top three parties around the globe last night.

A Schorr Thing
What: Todd Schorr art opening.
Where: Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles.
Who: David Arquette and siblings Patricia and Alexis Arquette, Todd Schorr, Merry Karnowsky, Thomas Jane, Ron Turner, Apollonia, Ryan Eggold, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Why: David Arquette hosted the evening, which celebrated Schorr’s newest works and raised funds for Feeding America.
Talking Point: Art. Guests couldn’t get enough of Schorr’s wild style, which he calls “cartoon realism.”

You can read more about it and see some pictures at SuperTouch and Arrested Motion.

Studio Visit with Todd Schorr

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Colin

Arrested Motion has posted an interview with artist Todd Schorr. Todd’s work is brilliant and Last Gasp is excited to be publishing our third book with him. The new book is called “American Surreal” and includes all work done since the last publication, Dreamland. This weekend Todd has an opening at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in LA. In June, a museum retrospective of Todd’s work will open at the San Jose Museum of Art. We just reviewed the proofs for American Surreal and it is going to be an incredible book. It is very large (10×15) and over 120 pages. The cover is quarterbound with faux leather over cloth. Somehow we managed to keep it affordable too! Just $39.95. Look for it at your local bookstore this summer, or visit us at Comic Con in San Diego and you might be able to pick up a signed copy…

American Surreal Cover