"RIP, M.D." Inks Graphic Novel Deal

"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."