OR – Tongues Signing

Award-winning comics artist Anders Nilsen will officially unveil his new book Tongues at Floating World Comics in Portland on Thursday, September 7th from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. Original artwork from the book will be on display in conjunction with Portland’s First Thursdays Art Walk, and Nilsen will give a short talk about the book and the process of putting it together.

Set in Modern Central Asia Tongues follows the intertwined stories of an imprisoned god, an East African orphan on an errand of murder and a young American man with a teddy bear, lost on the tattered fringes of the human world. It is a story of adventure and revenge and a meditation on human nature in this fraught present moment.

The full-color, large-format Tongues is Nilsen’s most ambitious work to date and marks a return to something a bit closer to the more traditional comics form he last explored in his multiple award winning Big Questions (Drawn and Quarterly, 2011). The artist is serializing the book in large-format, full-color comics to be self-published and distributed in conjunction with No Miracles Press over the next few years until the story is complete.

About the author: Anders Nilsen is the author of nine books including Big Questions, The End, and Poetry is Useless. His comics have appeared in the New York Times, Kramer’s Ergot, Medium and elsewhere. His work has been translated widely, and exhibited internationally. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – My Pretty Vampire Signing

Cartoonist Katie Skelly appears at Floating World Comics for a book release party and signing on Thursday August 24th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

Clover is a Bardot-esque blonde who dreams of the (now dead) girl she once was before becoming a fanged bloodsucker. She is being kept prisoner by her brother, Marcel, who fears Clover will be hunted by the outside world. Clover’s curiosity, however, will not be suppressed: impetuous, sensual, strong-willed, and fearless, she plans her escape. Katie Skelly will be in store signing copies!

Katie Skelly is a cartoonist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Her previous comics include Nurse Nurse, and Operation Margarine. My Pretty Vampire is a sexy, sophisticated horror romp that heralds author Katie Skelly as a powerful voice in comics.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – Mr. Colostomy Signing + Ambergris Performance

Matt Thurber (aka Mr. Colostomy, aka Ambergris) appears at Floating World Comics for a comic signing and Ambergris performance on Friday July 21, signing at 6:00 PM, performance at 7:00 PM.

Ambergris is Thurber’s long running and indefinable investigation into musical performance, storytelling, and theater. Tonight Ambergris will be a 2-piece including Thurber’s longtime collaborator, Tom Phillips. For fans of Gilbert and Sullivan, Cole Porter, Sun City Girls, and Depeche Mode.

Matthew Thurber is a cartoonist, musician, filmmaker, and multimedia artist. Thurber was born in Washington State and has lived in New York City since 1996. His graphic novels 1-800-MICE and INFOMANIACS were published by PictureBox in 2011 and 2013. The recipient of a 2010 NYFA fiction fellowship, Thurber has created comics and illustrations for numerous anthologies and magazines such as Kramers Ergot, the Believer, the New York Times, Mould Map, the Ganzfeld, and Paper Rodeo. His artwork has been displayed at Southfirst Gallery, the Fumetto Festival in Switzerland, and at Weird Things in Toronto.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – Cold Cube Press Launch Party

Press Release:

Join Floating World Comics on Sunday July 2nd at 6:00 PM for a release party with Cold Cube Press and their two newest publications by local artists, Lindsay Anne Watson and Ross Jackson!

Ross Jackson’s “Sticky Sweets” is a wistful look at three kids in their early teens pulling pranks and making short movies to kill time in the height of a humid Florida summer. Equally humorous and heartfelt, Jackson employs his classic cartooning style to weave a non-linear story that examines the awkward phase between youth and adolescence. Part of a larger narrative, “Sticky Sweets” revolves around a young boy, Ari, who finds out his neighborhood friend has gone missing. To avoid confronting his emotions of loss or confusion, Ari travels with a neighbor to make short movies in the cool oasis of an air-conditioned mall. Past and present weave together through their movies and memories, as Ari and his friends establish their footing in the face of oncoming reality.

Lindsay Watson’s “Well at the Very Least” is a collection of work made over the past year. Split into three main sections, the book centers around what is lost in language between selves, be them distinct people or two (or more) parts of the same self. to quote Rich Smith in The Stranger : “Judging by all the dream logic, the doubling of selves, and the moon-eyed, moon-faced characters that dominate Watson’s collection, she seems mostly concerned with the cyclical nature of time and the multitudes we all contain.” Watson does not usually employ the typical panel diagram format of comics, and instead invites us to delve into each poem-drawing as the inhabit the whole page. Because there is no definite resolution to each of the sections, we are left to parse the dialogue and body language of these myriad selves that Watson has shown us.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – Pop Gun War: Chain Letter Release Party

Farel Dalrymple appears at Floating World Comics for a book release party and art exhibit for POP GUN WAR: CHAIN LETTER on Thursday July 6th from 7:00 – 9:00 PM.

Press Release:

Stuck in a small town with a broken-down van, Emily goes on a walk. After following some shady characters through subterranean tunnels, she discovers three video monitors showing stories from a magical present, dreamy past, and strange future.

In this long-awaited sequel to the award-winning and critically acclaimed graphic novel POP GUN WAR: GIFT, author and creator of The Wrenchies, FAREL DALRYMPLE, revisits his world of surreal urban fantasy.

Farel Dalrymple is a cartoonist. His book, The Wrenchies, from First Second Books is an original 304-page watercolor comic book/graphic novel. Farel’s Eisner nominated webcomic, IT WILL ALL HURT is completed and out in three comics book issues from Studygroup comics. Delusional, (Adhouse, 2013) is a collection of personal work, comic short stories, illustrations, and sketches. Farel was also the artist on Omega the Unknown (Marvel Comics 2010), with writer Jonathan Lethem. His creator owned comic book, Pop Gun War was a Xeric Grant recipient and won a gold medal from The Society of Illustrators. Farel is a co-founder of the comic anthology, Meathaus and has worked on a several Illustration and cartooning projects.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – Visual Abuse Release Party

Jim Blanchard appears at Floating World Comics for the Visual Abuse release party and exhibit on Thursday June 1, 2017 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM.

Visual Abuse is an outrageous and optically rich collection of the halcyon days of illustrator and cartoonist Jim Blanchard, whose work from 1982–2002 intersected with punk rock, grunge, psychedelia, alternative comics, “zine” culture, portraiture, and “girlie” art.

The book gathers Blanchard’s different eras and disparate art styles into a cohesive whole. After self-publishing the punk rock/art fanzine Blatch in Oklahoma, Jim brought his act to Seattle, Washington in 1987, where the nascent “grunge” rock scene was poised to erupt. Visual Abuse assembles the best of Blanchard’s LP covers, posters and flyers from the hardcore punk era through grunge, including iconic Black Flag, Nirvana, and Soundgarden posters. Augmenting the posters are exclusive photographs from the shows, including shots by famed photographer Charles Peterson.

Also chronicled are page after page of Blanchard’s obsessive psychedelic art, bizarre sociopathic comics, exquisitely detailed pop culture portraits, twisted “glamour girl” art, and some tongue-waggin’ eyeball-poppin’ freaks, making this an overwhelming and long-overdue compendium by an elusive, dedicated, and complex artist.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – In-Between Days Signing

Cartoonist Teva Harrison appears at Floating World Comics on Wednesday, May 24th at 6:00 PM.

Teva Harrison was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at the age of 37. In this brilliant and inspiring graphic memoir, she documents through comic illustration and short personal essays what it means to live with the disease. She confronts with heartbreaking honesty the crises of identity that cancer brings: a lifelong vegetarian, Teva agrees to use experimental drugs that have been tested on animals. She struggles to reconcile her long-term goals with an uncertain future, balancing the innate sadness of cancer with everyday acts of hope and wonder. She also examines those quiet moments of helplessness and loving with her husband, her family, and her friends, while they all adjust to the new normal.

Ultimately, In-Between Days is redemptive and uplifting, reminding each one of us of how beautiful life is, and what a gift.

TEVA HARRISON is an artist, writer and cartoonist.

She is the author of the bestselling, critically-acclaimed hybrid graphic memoir, In-Between Days, published by House of Anansi Press. The book was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction.

Teva is a Canadian Magazine Award and National Magazine Award finalist whose writing and/or comics have appeared in The Walrus, Quill & Quire, Huffington Post, Carte Blanche, The Humber Literary Review, and The Globe and Mail, and more. She has commented many times on CBC Radio, in the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and has appeared on Canada AM, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, Space TV’s InnerSpace, The Morning Show, in Maclean’s, Chatelaine, Rabble, and Quill & Quire.

Born and raised in rural Oregon, Teva currently lives in Toronto with her beloved husband.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – Telescope Release Party

Press Release:

Punk musician and underground Japanese artist Tetsunori Tawaraya is coming to the West Coast this May! His tour will bring him to Floating World on Tuesday May 2nd from 6-8pm to celebrate the release of his new Colour Code publication, TELESCOPE. We will have an exhibit of original artwork and other eclectic items from his tour.

TETSUNORI TAWARAYA started drawing portraits of people and musicians in San Diego in 1999. TAWARAYA’s prolific output of gig posters, comics, music started in San Diego simultaneously in 2001.

He formed 3-piece punk band Dmonstrations with the members of Dosage and Usage in 2003. They released EP, LP on SAF Records, GSL(Gold Standard Laboratories), then toured west coast with legendary punk band The Slits. He also writes and performs in Japanese punk duo 2up (pronounced up up) (2002-present), released on SAF Records, Ache Records, and Toad Records.

He was always having handmade comics at punk shows that was crafted with painted card board box as the hard cover, occasionally fur and photo collage were attached. Those independent comics were compiled and released in 400 page book Tetsupendium Tawarapedia in 2015.

His recent works were subsequently publishing on Hollow Press (Italy), Le Dernier Cri (Marseille, France), and Colour Code (Toronto, Canada).

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – Small Favors Release Party

Colleen Coover appears at Floating World Comics on Thursday, May 4th at 6:00 PM for the SMALL FAVORS release party and art exhibit

Press Release:

Eisner Award-winning co-creator of BANDETTE collects her landmark female-friendly erotica in its entirety for the first time ever. We are excited to host a book signing and art exhibit with Colleen Coover to celebrate the release of this collection.

Limerence Press, the world’s premier publisher of female & LGBTQ friendly, sex-positive erotica comics announced that they will publish Small Favors: The Definitive Girly Porno Collection, by Colleen Coover.

Small Favors is the critically-acclaimed, girly porno comic by Eisner award-winning cartoonist Colleen Coover. Often taught in college courses, Small Favors is a landmark work of comic book porno that completely re-defined the genre by portraying sexuality in a friendly, silly, and approachable light.

This deluxe hardcover edition includes volumes one and two of Small Favors, the never-before-collected color special, behind-the-scenes materials, and a brand-new introduction from Kelly Sue DeConnick.

Colleen Coover is an Eisner Award-winning comic book artist based in Portland, Oregon. Her comics include the adult title Small Favors and the all-ages Banana Sunday. She has been published by Oni Press, Dark Horse, Top Shelf, Marvel, and many others. She works with her husband, writer Paul Tobin, on the Eisner Award-winning series Bandette.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

OR – What Parsifal Saw Signing

Ron Regé Jr. appears at Floating World Comics on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 6:00 PM for the What Parsifal Saw book signing and art exhibit.

What Parsifal Saw collects work produced by artist Ron Regé, Jr. following the release of 2012’s acclaimed opus, The Cartoon Utopia (which is being re-released in paperback this season). Regé’s interest in esoteric ideas and spirituality has permeated into all aspects of his work, as highlighted by “Cosmogenesis,” his adaptation of selections from the writings of 19th century occultist Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. “Cosmogenesis” concerns the magical, alchemical, ancient, and mysterious ideas that strongly influenced The Cartoon Utopia as well. Regé’s work continues to a cosmic consciousness, psychedelia, outsider rawness, and pure cartoonish joy.

Ron Regé, Jr. is a cartoonist and musician from Plymouth, Massachusetts. He currently plays drums in the Los Angeles-based band Lavender Diamond. Regé began publishing his own minicomics while attending Massachusetts College of Art in 1988. He has since been published by Highwater Books, Fantagraphics, Buenaventura Press, McSweeney’s, and Drawn & Quarterly.

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Floating World Comics
400 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-0227

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