Issue Description

This issue of the Journal makes for great reading: The Comics Journal #281 is our annual, controversial Year in Review issue, with our always hotly debated list of 2006's best comics and graphic novels. In addition to looks at the finest comics from 2006 by a host of cartoonists and critics, there are also feature interviews with gekiga pioneer Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Lost Girls artist Melinda Gebbie, plus short interviews with Lauren Weinstein, Miriam Katin, Megan Kelso, Renee French, Kim Deitch and Gilbert Hernandez. Also: Tom Crippen's look at Marvel's Civil War mega-crossover, Tim O'Neil's examination of Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik's online-comics phenomenon Penny Arcade, and much more. And from the past, we unearth a treasure trove of never-before-collected comic strips —Salesman Sam, Nonsense and High Pressure Pete — by George Swanson, whose comics, including the long-running The Flop Family, graced the newspaper page for more than 50 years. This generous 50-page retrospective is presented in full color!

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