Fantagraphics Books is in trouble, to put a long story short. Warren says it better and cleaner than I can in his column this week, so go read it for a little background.

Bottom line, if you got some cash to spare, go to the Fantagraphics online ordering site and grab a book or two.

I've reviewed a shitload of Fantagraphics books at Artbomb, if you want to dip your toes in some reviewing waters first.

If you're new to comics, new to Fantagraphics, or just not sure where to start, try these:

LOVE AND ROCKETS, quite possibly the most essential and innovative comic book published in the last twenty years. Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez are comics' own Tesla, thinking up cool shit years and years before its time.

The HATE books, by Peter Bagge. The first book, HEY, BUDDY!, is a great place to start. These get funnier as they go-- and they start off in the realm of pantswettingly funny.

The EIGHTBALL books ,by Daniel Clowes. If you're hep to comics, try PUSSEY!. If you're hep to Carver, try DAVID BORING.

Chris Ware's astonishing JIMMY CORRIGAN. It's a bleak ride, but you've never, ever seen comics like this. Worthy of the praise.

Jim Woodring's description-defying FRANK books: the comics that made me say out loud that yeah, I want to write comics one day. The fact there's nothing remotely similar between he and I is besides the point.

Joe Sacco, the guy that's doing Important Work in comics with books like SAFE AREA GORAZDE.

My favorite book going right now, Charles Burns' masterwork, BLACK HOLE.

Comics-- hell, literature-- will be much worse off if Fantagraphics goes away. Please try and do what you can. Call it early holiday shopping, pre-emptive birthday buying, team comix rah-rah activism, call it whatever you like. Every little bit can make a difference.

Anyway. Go.