1976 was a formative year for many, but nothing was more formative than the founding of an American publisher which has gone on to be one of the biggest publications for alternative comics and manga; Fantagraphics.
In the 50 years of their existence, Fantagraphics have grown from a small press specialising in comic journalism through their zine-turned-magazine, The Comics Journal, to becoming one of the leading voices for independent comics. Under the watchful eye of co-founders Gary Groth and Michael Catron, soon followed by the late Kim Thompson and Eric Reynolds, the Seattle-based publisher gained wider recognition in 1982 by publishing the Love and Rockets series by the Hernández brothers—one of the first comic books in the alternative comics movement in the 1980s. Series like Acme Novelty Library, Frank, ZAP, Eightball, and Hate soon followed and their creators (Chris Ware, Jim Woodring, Robert Crumb, Daniel Clowes, and Peter Bagge) have gone on to become critically-acclaimed and award-winning cartoonists, as well as paving the way for later creators like Art Spiegelman Simon Hanselmann, Ed Piskor, Charles Burns, Emil Ferris, and Alex Graham.
Fantagraphics had a rocky start to the millennium, but were ultimately saved by publishing The Complete Peanuts, a series of hardcover books containing the entire run of Charles M. Schulz’s long-running comic strip. The high-quality printing and production values of this collection paved the way to captivate other publishers down the line, such as Marvel and Disney, to collaborate with Fantagraphics on some of their classic properties too.
It wouldn’t be long before Fantagraphics looked overseas at the European market of comics, thanks to the late Kim Thompson’s European upbringing and reading creators like Moebius and Tardi (the latter he would go onto translate). Fantagraphics formed the Ignatz imprint, which was edited by the Italian artist Igort and formed a deal with Jaques Tardi to translate many of his works, including The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec. Thompson sadly died in 2013, but his passion for European comics has lived on at Fantagraphics, with most of their titles originating from all across the world. Jason, Moa Romanova, Héctor Germán Oesterheld & Francisco Solano López, Erik Svetoft, Paco Roca, Solo Otero, Laura Pérez, John Kenn Mortensen, Milo Manara, and Olivier Schrauwen are just some of the international creators Fantagraphics publish.
Fantagraphics is also responsible for bringing manga and Japanese comics to an English audience by publishing the works of horror artist Shintaro Kago, LGBTQIA+ icons Gengoroh Tagame and Moto Hagio, alongside being one of the first publications to sell Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Fantagraphics announced their latest imprint, Takumigraphics, dedicated to encompassing a wide range of comics from across East Asia, with the republication of Wondering Son being one of their first titles.
Not only do Fantagraphics have their fingers on pulse of the contemporary comic scene, but they never shy away from publishing politically relevant comics either. From Joe Sacco’s 1990s Palestine to his 2023 one-shot issue War on Gaza, to Caitlan Cass’s Suffrage Song and Roberta Gregory’s to Joyce Farmer and Lyn Chevli’s Tits & Clits 1972-1987 collection, to Igort’s How War Begins and Marcelo D’Salete’s Angola Janga, Fantagraphics have always been at the forefront of current affairs and using their status to spotlight injustices and movements across the globe.
It’s no surprise then that with the 50 years behind Fantagraphics, they have gone on to win hundreds awards for their contribution to the comics industry. Back in 1984, Fantagraphics instituted The Jack Kirby Awards to honour the best works and creators in comics and later were replaced by the Harvey Awards. Around this time the Eisner Awards started up — it is estimated Fantagraphics currently have over 50 Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards to their name.
Since 1976, Fantagraphics have continuously shown the world to be a comics powerhouse with their dedication to publishing works of art and giving creators and illustrators a platform to kickstart their career in comics. Despite celebrating 50 years in the comics industry, they are showing no signs of slowing down, so here’s to the next 50 years of inspiring and ground-breaking comics.
