Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint.
The company is currently located in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.
Company 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 became a co-owner with Groth.citation needed
Fantagraphics publishes The Comics Journal, a magazine that covers comics as an art form from a critical perspective. It also has published critically acclaimed and award-winning series and graphic novels such as Ghost World, Hate and Love and Rockets. In 2003 the economic history of the company was summed up thusly: "The publisher has alternated between flourishing and nearly perishing over the years. It would have been out of business as long ago as 1978 if Kim Thompson hadn't poured his inheritance into the company's survival. In 1991, Fantagraphics was saved from closing its doors by the launching of its relatively lucrative erotic comics line. As recently as 1998, the company was forced into a round of layoffs."[1]
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.[2] One employee quit during the subsequent downsizing while denouncing Fantagraphic's "disorganization and poor management."[3] 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.citation needed
In 2006, Fantagraphics opened its own retail store in Seattle.
Select bibliography
Comic book series
Anthologies
- Snake Eyes
- Pictopia
- Graphic Story Monthly
- Hotwire Comix & Capers
- BLAB!
- MOME
- Blood Orange
- Zero Zero
Magazines
Graphic novels
Classic comics compilations
References
- ^ Comics Community Comes to Fantagraphics' Rescue. By Michael Dean, Posted July 11th, 2003; http://www.tcj.com/254/n_fanta
- ^ Seven Hills Follows LPC into Limbo, Marvel Abandons Diamond for CDS. By Michael Dean, Posted August 30th, 2002; http://www.tcj.com/246/n_booktrade
- ^ Comics Community Comes to Fantagraphics' Rescue. By Michael Dean, Posted July 11th, 2003; http://www.tcj.com/254/n_fanta
- ^ Comics Community Comes to Fantagraphics' Rescue. By Michael Dean, Posted July 11th, 2003; http://www.tcj.com/254/n_fanta
- ^ Review of I Killed Adolf Hitler, Silver Bullet Comic Books
External links
|
