Fantagraphics Books is an
American publisher of
alternative comics, classic
comic strip anthologies,
magazines,
graphic novels, and the adult-oriented
Eros Comix imprint. Many notable cartoonists publish their work through Fantagraphics, including
Jessica Abel,
Peter Bagge,
Ivan Brunetti,
Charles Burns,
Daniel Clowes,
Roberta Gregory,
Joe Sacco, and
Chris Ware.
History
The Fantagraphics booth at the Stumptown Comics Fest 2006.
Fantagraphics was founded in
1976 by
Gary Groth and
Mike Catron at
College Park, Maryland.
Kim Thompson joined the company in
1977, and soon became a co-owner with Groth. Catron acted as Fantagraphics' co-publisher until 1985, also handling advertising and circulation for
The Comics Journal from 1982-1985, when he left the company.
Fantagraphics moved from Maryland to
Stamford, Connecticut, then
Los Angeles, and finally in 1989 to its present location in the
Maple Leaf neighborhood of
Seattle, Washington.
[Matos, Michelangelo. ]Fantagraphics publishes
The Comics Journal (TCJ), a magazine that covers comics as an art form from a critical perspective. (From
1981 to
1992, Fantagraphics also published
Amazing Heroes, a magazine much lighter in tone than
TCJ, which examined comics from a hobbyist's point of view as opposed to an intellectual one.)
Since
1982, Fantagraphics has also published critically acclaimed and award-winning series and graphic novels such as
Acme Novelty Library,
Eightball,
Ghost World,
Hate, and
Love and Rockets. In
1990, the publisher introduced
Eros Comix, a lucrative line of erotic comics. Since
2005, Fantagraphics has been co-publishing the
Ignatz Series, edited and produced by the Italian artist
Igort.
In 2003, comics journalist (and Fantagraphics employee)
Michael Dean summed up the economic history of the company this way:
In
2003 Fantagraphics almost went out of business, losing over $60,000 in the wake of the 2002 bankruptcy of debtor and book trade distributor
Seven Hills Distribution. One employee quit during the subsequent
downsizing while denouncing Fantagraphic's "disorganization and poor management."
Fantagraphics was saved by a restructuring and a successful appeal to comic book
fandom that resulted in a huge number of orders.
After restructuring, the company has had greater success with such
hardcover collections as
The Complete Peanuts, distributed by
W. W. Norton & Company.
In
2006, Fantagraphics opened its own
retail store in Seattle's
Georgetown neighborhood.
The Kirby Award and the Harvey Award
From 1985–1987, Fantagraphics coordinated and presented (through
Amazing Heroes)
The Jack Kirby Award for achievement in comic books, voted on by comic-book professionals. The Kirby Award was managed by
Dave Olbrich, a Fantagraphics employee and later publisher of
Malibu Comics. In 1987, a dispute arose when Olbrich and Fantagraphics each claimed ownership of the awards. A compromise was reached, and starting in 1988, the Kirby Award was discontinued and two new awards were created: the
Eisner Award, managed by Olbrich; and the Fantagraphics-managed
Harvey Award, named for cartoonist
Harvey Kurtzman.
Since their inception, the Harvey Awards have been presented at various
fan conventions, such as the
Chicago Comic-Con, the
Dallas Fantasy Fair,
Oakland, California's Wondercon, and the
Pittsburgh Comicon. In 2004 and 2005, the presentation was held at the
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) in
New York City. In 2006 the awards' presentation was moved to the
Baltimore Comic-Con.
Titles
Comic book series
Ignatz Series
- Insomnia by Matt Broersma
- Wish You Were Here by Gipi
Anthologies
Magazines
- Amazing Heroes — a defunct publication devoted mostly to mainstream comics
- Honk — magazine of comics news and criticism
Graphic novels
Classic comics compilations
