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Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the erotic Eros Comix imprint.
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| Founded | 1976 |
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| Founder | Gary Groth Michael Catron |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Seattle, Washington |
| Distribution | W. W. Norton & Company (United States) Diamond Book Distributors (Canada)[1] Turnaround Publisher Services (United Kingdom)[2] |
| Key people | Gary Groth Kim Thompson Eric Reynolds |
| Publication types | Books, comic books, magazines |
| Imprints | Eros Comix Ignatz Series Redbeard Inc. |
| Official website | fantagraphics |
Founding
Fantagraphics was founded in 1976 by Gary Groth and Michael Catron in College Park, Maryland. The company took over an adzine named The Nostalgia Journal, which it renamed The Comics Journal.[3][dead link]
As comics journalist (and former Fantagraphics employee) Michael Dean writes, "the publisher has alternated between flourishing and nearly perishing over the years."[4] Kim Thompson joined the company in 1977, using his inheritance to keep the company afloat.[4] (He soon became a co-owner.)[5]
The company moved from Washington, D.C., to Stamford, Connecticut, to Los Angeles over its early years, before settling in Seattle in 1989.[6]
Beginning in 1981 Fantagraphics (under its Redbeard Inc. imprint)[7] published Amazing Heroes, a magazine which examined comics from a hobbyist's point of view,[8] as another income stream to supplement The Comics Journal.[9] Amazing Heroes ran for 204 issues (plus a number of specials and annuals), folding with its July 1992 issue.[10]
Comics publisher
Beginning in 1979, Fantagraphics began publishing comics, starting with Jay Disbrow's The Flames of Gyro.[11] They gained wider recognition in 1982 by publishing the Hernandez brothers' Love and Rockets,[12] and moved on to such critically acclaimed and award-winning series as Acme Novelty Library, Eightball, and Hate.
The company moved operations to Greater Los Angeles in 1984.[6]
Catron acted as Fantagraphics' co-publisher until 1985 (also handling advertising and circulation for The Comics Journal from 1982 to 1985), when he left the company.[13]
The Kirby Award and the Harvey Award
From 1985 to 1987, Fantagraphics coordinated and presented (through their magazine 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.[14] A compromise was reached, and, starting in 1988, the Kirby Award was discontinued and two new awards were created:[15] the Eisner Award, managed by Olbrich; and the Fantagraphics-managed Harvey Award, named for cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman.
Relocation to Seattle
In 1989, Fantagraphics relocated from Los Angeles to its current location in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.[6]
In 1990, the publisher introduced Eros Comix, a lucrative line of erotic comics that provided a replacement revenue stream for Amazing Heroes and which helped the company again avoid bankruptcy.[4]
Longtime employee Eric Reynolds joined Fantagraphics in 1993, first as news editor for The Comics Journal from 1993, before moving to marketing and promotion in 1996.[16] Groth and Thompson acknowledged Reynolds was key to the company's rise to profitability.[17]
Tom Spurgeon, later known as the publisher of The Comics Reporter, was editor of The Comics Journal from 1994 to 1999.[18]
Financial ups and downs
In 1998, Fantagraphics was forced into a round of layoffs;[4] and in 2003 the company 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.[19] One employee quit during the subsequent downsizing while denouncing Fantagraphics' "disorganization and poor management."[4] Fantagraphics was saved by a restructuring and a successful appeal to comic book fandom that resulted in a huge number of orders.[4] After restructuring, the company has had greater success with such hardcover collections as The Complete Peanuts, distributed by W. W. Norton & Company.[6]
In 2009, Fantagraphics ceased publishing the print edition of The Comics Journal,[20] shifting from an eight-times a year publishing schedule to a larger, more elaborate, semi-annual format supported by a new website.[21][22]
European line
Starting in 2005, Fantagraphics began a European graphic novel line,[23] starting with the co-publication of the Ignatz Series, edited and produced by the Italian artist Igort. The publisher announced a deal with Jacques Tardi in March 2009 that would see co-publisher Thompson translate a large number of his books.[24]
New challenges
In 2006, Fantagraphics opened its own retail store, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood.
In 2009 Jacq Cohen started as the publicist for Fantagraphics.[25]
Co-publisher Kim Thompson left Fantagraphics due to illness in March 2013,[26] and died of lung cancer a few months later.[27] His absence left the company without a number of titles it had been counting on for the summer and fall of 2013;[23] and, in November, Fantagraphics started a Kickstarter campaign to raise $150,000, which it surpassed in four days.[23][28]
In August 2020 the company rebranded, from Fantagraphics Books to just Fantagraphics. At the same time it introduced a more compact logo featuring a stylized ink pen nib and a torch.[29]
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Ignatz Series
The Ignatz Series is an international comic imprint. It is published by Fantagraphics (U.S.), Avant Verlag (Germany), Vertige Graphic (France), Oog & Blik (Holland), Coconino Press (Italy), and Sinsentido (Spain). It is named for Ignatz Mouse, a character in the comic strip Krazy Kat.
The books in the Ignatz Series are designed midway between standard North American comic book pamphlet-size and graphic novel-size. Each title is 32 pages, two-color, saddle stitched, 81⁄2″ × 11″, with jacket, priced at $7.95.
The Ignatz collection is edited and produced by Italian artist Igort. Fantagraphics editor Kim Thompson frequently provided translations.
Eros Comix
Eros Comix was an adult-oriented imprint of Fantagraphics,[30] established in 1990 to publish pornographic comic books like Gilbert Hernandez' Birdland and reprints of work by Wally Wood and Frank Thorne.[31][32] Eventually, Eros added to its catalogue dozens of comics titles, over 40 collected editions, anime videos, DVDs, and books of erotic art and photography. The 2006 Eros Comix print catalog sold over 470 items, including adult comic books and humorous cheesecake-style comics often featuring pin-up girls like Bettie Page. The Eros Comix imprint was popular enough that it is credited with making Fantagraphics financially solvent.[33]
Notable Eros titles include Bill Willingham's Ironwood, SS Crompton's Demi the Demoness, Howard Chaykin's Black Kiss, Domino Lady; and the Italian series Djustine, Ramba, and Adult Frankenstein.
Writer-artist Tom Sutton contributed work to Eros titles under the pseudonym "Dementia".[34] Other contributors to Eros titles included Eric Stanton, Mary Fleener, Mikael Oskarsson, Bill Pearson, Malachy Coney, Richard Bassford, Gary Dumm, Frank Stack, Bob Fingerman, Molly Kiely, Yanick Paquette, Robert Peters, John Workman, Colleen Coover,[35] Marc Andreyko, Raulo Cáceres, Larry Fuller, Dennis Eichhorn, Dennis Cramer/Justine Mara Andersen,[36] Jon Macy, John Blackburn, and Greg Budgett.
Eros' MangErotica line featured translated hentai manga[37] by the likes of Isutoshi, Oh! great, Toshiki Yui, Teruo Kakuta, and Benkyo Tamaoki; and titles like Bondage Fairies, Hatsuinu, Hot Tails, A Strange Kind of Woman, Slut Girl, and Super Taboo.
In the beginning, there was some controversy over Eros titles featuring back cover ads with phone sex numbers.[38] In 1994, Eros editor Tom Verre was replaced by Jeremy Pinkham.[39]
By the late 1990s, the imprint was no longer profitable, and the publication of new material diminished rapidly.[40] The Eros Comix website was no longer being maintained by 2017; its titles no longer appear on the Fantagraphics website under that label.
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Comics anthology magazines
Magazines
- Amazing Heroes (1981–1992) – a defunct publication devoted mostly to mainstream comics
- The Comics Journal (1977–present) – magazine of comics news and criticism
- Honk (1986–1987) – magazine of comics news and criticism
- Nemo, the Classic Comics Library (1983–1990) – a defunct magazine devoted to classic comics
Comic book series
- Acme Novelty Library
- Artbabe
- The Adventures of Captain Jack
- Angry Youth Comix
- Big Mouth
- The Biologic Show
- Black Hole
- Castle Waiting
- Crap
- Cud
- Dalgoda
- Doofus
- Duplex Planet Illustrated
- Eightball
- The Eye of Mongombo[41]
- Evil Eye
- Fission Chicken
- Frank
- Ganges
- Good Girls
- Grit Bath
- Hate
- Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1-4 by Ed Piskor
- Jim
- Jizz
- Journey
- La Perdida
- Love and Rockets
- Meatcake
- Mechanics (Three-issue miniseries)
- Megahex
- Naughty Bits
- Neat Stuff
- The Nimrod
- Raisin Pie
- Real Stuff
- Schizo
- Shadowland
- Stinz
- The Stuff of Dreams
- Unsupervised Existence
- Uptight
- Usagi Yojimbo (up to volume 7)
- Tales Designed to Thrizzle
- Wandering Son
- Weasel
- Whot Not!
- Wuvable Oaf
# series
- 0: Babel #1 by David B. [France]
- Baobab #1 by Igort [Italy]
- Insomnia #1 by Matt Broersma [U.K./U.S.A.]
- Wish You Were Here #1: The Innocents by Gipi [Italy]
- Interiorae #1 by Gabriella Giandelli [Italy]
- Ganges #1 by Kevin Huizenga [U.S.A.]
- Chimera #1 by Lorenzo Mattotti [Italy]
- Insomnia #2 by Matt Broersma [U.K./U.S.A.]
- Babel #2 by David B. [France]
- Wish You Were Here #2: They Found the Car by Gipi [Italy]
- Reflections #1 by Marco Corona [Italy]
- Baobab #2 by Igort [Italy]
- Niger #1 by Leila Marzocchi [Italy]
- Delphine #1 by Richard Sala [U.S.]
- New Tales of Old Palomar #1 by Gilbert Hernandez [U.S.]
- Interiorae #2 by Gabriella Giandelli [Italy]
- Calvario Hills #1 by Marti [Spain]
- The End #1 by Anders Nilsen [U.S.]
- Reflections #2 by Marco Corona [Italy]
- New Tales of Old Palomar #2 by Gilbert Hernandez [U.S.]
- Delphine #2 by Richard Sala [U.S.]
- Sammy the Mouse #1 by Zak Sally [U.S.]
- Grotesque #1 by Sergio Ponchione [Italy]
- Niger #2 by Leila Marzocchi [Italy]
- Reflections #3 by Marco Corona [Italy]
- Insomnia #3 by Matt Broersma [U.K./U.S.A.]
- New Tales of Old Palomar #3 by Gilbert Hernandez [U.S.]
- Ganges #2 by Kevin Huizenga [U.S.]
- Baobab #3 by Igort [Italy]
- Delphine #3 by Richard Sala [U.S.]
- Grotesque #2 by Sergio Ponchione [Italy]
- Interiorae #3 by Gabriella Giandelli [Italy]
- Sammy the Mouse #2 by Zak Sally [U.S.]
- Grotesque #3 by Sergio Ponchione [Italy]
- Delphine #4 by Richard Sala [U.S.]
- Ganges #3 by Kevin Huizenga [U.S.]
- Niger #3 by Leila Marzocchi [Italy]
- Grotesque #4 by Sergio Ponchione [Italy]
- Interiorae #4 by Gabriella Giandelli [Italy]
- Sammy the Mouse #3 by Zak Sally [U.S.]
- Ganges #4 by Kevin Huizenga [U.S.]
- To be released
- [when?]
- XX: Babel #3 by David B.
- XX: Baobab #4 by Igort [Italy]
- XX: Calvario Hills #2 by Marti
- XX: The End #2 by Anders Nilsen
- XX: Wish You Were Here #3 by Gipi [Italy]
Graphic novels
- King by Ho Che Anderson
- Pixy by Max Andersson
- Ghost World by Dan Clowes
- Caricature by Dan Clowes
- Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron by Dan Clowes
- Patience by Dan Clowes
- Beasts by Jacob Covey[42]
- My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris
- Drawn to Berlin by Ali Fitzgerald
- The Wipeout by Francesca Ghermandi
- Black is the Color by Julia Gfrörer
- Laid Waste by Julia Gfrörer
- Amsterdam by Simon Hanselmann
- Megahex by Simon Hanselmann
- One More Year by Simon Hanselmann
- Palomar by Gilbert Hernandez
- Locas by Jaime Hernandez
- I Killed Adolf Hitler by Jason[43]
- The Lie and How We Told It by Tommi Parrish
- Anywhere But Here by Miki Tori
- Palestine by Joe Sacco
- Safe Area Goražde by Joe Sacco
- Harum Scarum by Lewis Trondheim
- The Hoodoodad by Lewis Trondheim
- Alphabetical Ballad of Carnality by David Sandlin
- Weathercraft, Congress of the Animals, and Fran by Jim Woodring
- Frederick and Eloise: A Love Story by Brian Biggs
Classic comics compilations
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Other titles |
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Books
- Black Images in the Comics: A Visual History by Fredrik Strömberg
- Blacklight: The World of L.B. Cole by Bill Schelly
- Film Noir 101: The 101 Best Film Noir Posters from the 1940s & 1950s by Mark Fertig
- Laura Warholic by Alexander Theroux, 2007
- Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It edited by Anne Ishii, Chip Kidd, and Graham Kolbeins
- No Straight Lines edited by Justin Hall
- Significant Objects edited by Joshua Glenn and Rob Walker
- Tales of Terror! The EC Companion by Grant Geissman and Fred von Bernewitz
- Take That, Adolf! The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War by Mark Fertig
Eros Comix titles
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MangErotica titles
- Bondage Fairies (1996)
- Hot Tails (1996)
- Spunky Knight (1996)
- Super Taboo (1996)
- Secret Plot (1997)
- Countdown: Sex Bomb (1997)
- Misty Girl Extreme (1997)
- Secret Plot Deep (1998)
- Silky Whip by Oh! great (1998)
- New Bondage Fairies: Fairie Fetish (1998)
- Co-ed Sexxtacy (1999)
- Slut Girl (2000)
- Pink Sniper by Kengo Yonekura (2006)
- Domin-8 Me! by Sesshu Takemura (2007, original title: Take On Me)
- Milk Mama by Yukiyanagi (2008)
- Love Selection by Gunma Kisaragi (2010)
- Too Hot to Handle by Jogi Tsukino (2010, original title: ♭37 °C)
- Love & Hate by Enomoto Heights (2011)
- A Strange Kind of Woman by Inu (2011)
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Kirby Awards
1986
- Best Black-and-White Comic: Love and Rockets, by Jaime Hernandez and Gilbert Hernandez[45]
Note: In 1988, the Kirby Awards was disbanded and replaced by the Harvey and the Eisner Awards.
Eisner Awards
List of won Eisner Awards:[45][46][47][48]
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1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
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2007
2008
2009
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
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Harvey Awards
List of won Harvey Awards:[49]
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1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
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2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2011
2013
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