40. This Killing Joker Statue

Say cheese.

39. Our July 4th Drink & Draw & BBQ

To celebrate our great nation we will draw in only red, white, and blue. However, as usual, we will be drawing only penises.

38. Lady Thanos

Our favorite costume of a lot of great efforts at Heroescon.

37. Master Month

Every day this month we will be spotlighting a creator whose name alliterates with a day of the week. Wally Wood and Winsor McCay will be duking it out for control of Wednesday.

36. HOW TO SPEAK POETRY

Are you trying to suggest that you love butterflies more perfectly than anyone else?

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35. ADVENTURE TIME vol. 3

Because everyone should get the chance to choose their own Adventure Time.

34. Locust Moon in Concert, July 9th

Groove to the smooth, dulcet sounds of Ma Jolie, Sic Bacchus, and other hardcore punk bands.

33. EVIL

James Edward Clark’s black-blooded luchador freakout is like acid-laced tequila: it’s gonna kill you, but first there’s a hell of a ride down.

32. CALL ME MAYBE cover

We already know Carly Rae Jepsen’s one-hit opus is the platonic ideal of the modern pop song. But Brit Ben Howard may have turned it into…art?

31. HEROESCON

Sales were kind of a bust, but Shelton Drum’s festival was a glorious weekend of carousing, karaoke, and comics kismet.

30. HOW TO EAT A WATERMELON, by Petey Greene

Because summer’s here, and it’s never too late to learn. Twang it.

29. Cat Envelope

Because there is no faster way to our hearts than drawings of our cats. Thank you, Michelle Hay, founder of the upcoming…

28. HAVERFORD LIBRARY COMIC-CON

…where we will be representing ONCE UPON A TIME MACHINE and Locust Moon with bells on & ribbons in our hair.

27. THIS IS THE END

Pretty much exactly the movie you think (and/or hope) you’re going to get. Even James Stokoe would be impressed by the gronch on display.

26. BURNING BUILDING COMIX

Follow along with the hyperactive graphic imagination of Jeff Zwirek as he constructs a tower made of comic strips, then burns it to the ground. Cartooning at its most inventive & fun.

25. SUPERMAN/BATMAN

There is something almost absurd about seeing this much raw beauty in a book about costumed vigilantes. No one else can do what Jae Lee does.

24. MAD MEN Finale

“This is where I grew up.” Season six of this rich and thoughtful drama ends with what feels like a transformative moment for its anti-hero.

23. GRAND GESTURES

Retrofit is on a roll. This elegant minimalism is so effortless it almost disappears off the page. Simon Moreton cartoons with invisible ink.

22. Buddy Toy

He drinks! He smokes! For children of all ages.

21. SAGA vol. 2

This insane blend of wild sci-fi ideas, graphic sex and violence, star-crossed fantasy and mind-bending artwork is utterly personal, and humbly human at its core.

20. Thor Thursdays

The sleek & versatile cartoonist Jarreau Wimberly brings the thunder to power you through to the weekend. My favorite is this Bender-Thor.

19. GALACTUS BOTTLE OPENER

Because there’s nothing like a cold one to wash down a planet.

18. BARNABY

Crockett Johnson’s hugely inventive yet cool-tempered comic strip is clear-line cartooning at it’s finest. Teetering on the tension between a calm, guileless kid and his wildly unpredictable, possibly-imaginary cigar-smoking roustabout of a Fairy Godfather, this brilliant early newspaper comic is an obvious prototype for Calvin & Hobbes.

17. Erica Henderson

Ms. Henderson does many wonderful things, but for now just enjoy her naughty superhero pinups. The female gaze has never looked better.

16. Scrooge Print

We picked up some duck prints from the master, Don Rosa, at last month’s HeroesCon in North Carolina. A father and son had come all the way from Norway just to see him, and Don had them sitting with him for the entire weekend. That’s the kind of guy he is.

15. BLACK CHURCH

Andy Belanger’s vicious mini-comic is a Tommy Iommi solo over “Hammer of the Gods” — black magic, blood & bones, howling.

14. Neal Adams

We had a chance to talk to the maestro at HeroesCon. You’d expect Neal to be intimidating but he was open and warm and friendly. And honest. He told us a couple of stories about Roy Thomas and Stan Lee that we’ll share over drinks some time.

13. HECK

Zander Cannon’s wild Miltonian comic-strip character study is a satirical skewering of the Hero myth, and a sincere celebration of the heroic heart.

12. HAWKEYE #11

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Chris Ware is channeling his secret superhero fantasies through the medium of David Aja. This dog’s-eye-view issue is the most formally brilliant and emotionally engaging of this remarkable series.

11. PROPHET vol. 2

Brandon Graham and his merry men continue building this esoteric, Moebius-fueled space romp. An introspective, poetic take on Conan-in-space, this second collection boasts some of the finest work of Farel Dalrymple’s career. Where’s it all headed to? I have no idea. But we’re eager to find out.

10. SWEET TOOTH

Jeff Lemire concludes this modern-day fable with a loving touch. A quest story that has been gentle and harsh, often at the same time. Lemire and series colorist Jose Villarrubia have crafted one of the best books of the past decade. This is a perfect read for intelligent 12- to 14-year-olds.

9. THE PRIVATE EYE

Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente are far from the first creators to put out digital comics. But somehow THE PRIVATE EYE is so beautifully suited to the medium, in both form and content, that it feels like its own little revolution.

8. Steve  Mardo

Steve Mardo is working on two paired covers for future issues of QUARTER MOON. He will be exhibiting at the LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL. Until then you can see his whimsical, gorgeous & frequently hilarious comics, prints, and illustrations at stevemardo.com.

7. GAMMA

A disgraced monster trainer winds up a down & out drunk, wasting away at a bar where people pay $50 to ‘punch the coward.’ If it sounds depressing, it isn’t, and that’s due to the lively, critter-filled art from Ulises Farinas. Ulises’ stuff reminds us of Geof Darrow via Brandon Graham, and we’re on-board for anything he does.
We’ll be hosting a GAMMA release party July 27th. Come on out.

6. RATTICUS

The GAMMA maestro uses this alter ego to serve, protect, and terrify people in our North Carolina hotel.

5. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS

Becky Cloonan & Gerard Way’s new series is the last radio-transmission at the end of the world. Equal parts gleeful & devious, this book effortlessly constructs its own insane universe and sweeps us along for the ride. Killjoys never die.

4. Daniel Krall

We have seen some pages of this illustrious illustrator’s DOUBLE CROSS, his upcoming series for Ivan Brandon’s OFFSET COMICS, and it is impossibly awesome. Welcome back Daniel; comics has missed you.

3. Mike Sgier

The CID & FRANCIS maestro nears completion on his NEMO strip. Wait until you see these inks. In the meantime buy his beautiful prints.

2. QUARTER MOON

The first issue of our quarterly comics magazine is wrapped, wrapped-around & ready to roll. This edition showcases silent comics. A thousand thanks to Jeremy Baum for his endless help and guidance, his beautiful story, and this astonishing cover. Logo by the one & only Jasen Lex.

1. LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL poster

Rob Woods rips off Alex Toth, and everybody wins. This thing is glorious.