Issue Description

This month, Highwater Books' alternative publishing magnate Tom Devlin says goodbye to summer with short interviews of Spanish cartoonist/designer Mariscal, English cartoonist/philosopher Glenn Dakin and Japanese cartoonist/scatologist Enomoto. Also in this issue, we provide an overview of the comics of Tove Jansson (Moomin creator), and Seth takes a look at the comics of John Stanley. Brian Ralph goes to Gary Panter's studio to try on the Pee Wee Herman merchandise, Greg Cook looks at how fine art has influenced comics and why cartoonists get jealous when that influence shows up, Ron Rege tries to track down Mark Beyer, and Jef Czekaj (of Hypertruck) explains how to get a guaranteed grant for your comics project. Finally, Tom Devlin explains how the deification of EC Comics has stunted the growth of comics for over 40 years. With a cover and interior design by Jordan Crane, this issue is a must have for anyone who's ever read alternative comics.

The Comics Journal (1976)

Publisher

Fantagraphics

Volume Description

The Comics Journal is a magazine that covers the comics medium from an arts-first perspective, and one of the nation's most respected single-arts magazines, providing its readers with an eclectic mix of industry news, commentary, professional interviews, classic comics sections and reviews of current work on a regular basis. Due to its reputation as the American magazine with an interest in comics as an art form, the Journal has subscribers worldwide, and in this country serves as an important window into the world of comics for several general arts and news magazines.

Despite a contentious relationship with the rest of the North American comics industry, due in no small part to its investigative news stories and uncompromising review section, the Journal has won several industry awards, most notably the Utne Reader, Eisner and Harvey trophies.

In October 2009, we announced the next phase of the evolution of The Comics Journal, beginning in 2010 as a uniquely sized and formatted, evocatively visual and tactile semi-annual event, with expanded content at The Comics Journal website TCJ.com.

A comics magazine, which originally began as the New Nostalgia Journal, started in 1976 by Gary Groth and Mike Catron after the Nostalgia Journal (which ran 26 issues) lost their battle against the competing adzine, The Buyer's Guide. Gary and Mike, both in their twenties, had no plan, but somehow convinced the maker of the Nostalgia Journal to give them the paper.

As Gary Groth recalls:

I can’t remember how we talked them into this, but I suspect they were on their last legs and decided to hell with it, let’s give it to these two kids. Shortly thereafter, a box arrived in the mail with some back issues, a list of advertisers and a mailing list, and we were the proud new owners of Journal.

Please first Sign In before leaving a review.

Status: Not in Collection