Lincoln Butterfield Animation has signed Fantagraphics Books to publish a graphic novel series based on the animated teen series "RIP, M.D." The first title will debut in Q1 2010.

"The only licensed properties we've published to date have been newspaper strips—Peanuts, Popeye and Prince Valiant—so this is new territory for us, but when I saw the work they'd done on "RIP, M.D.," I couldn't resist," says Gary Groth, co-founder of Fantagraphics Books. "It's smart, funny and has a jazzy visual style that tells the story with verve; it's precisely the kind of work that our profession constantly laments isn't published enough—good comics that will appeal to kids."

Besides "RIP, M.D.," Lincoln Butterfield Animation also produces "Tan," "NIT: Neighborhood Investigation Team," "Venture Probe" and "When in Rome."