We Told You So: Comics as Art

This delectable 40th-anniversary tribute to Fantagraphics, one of the world’s foremost publishers of comics and graphic novels, brings together the voices of employees, comic artists, and other industry insiders to paint a vivid picture of the publisher’s legacy in pop culture. Contributors include legendary cartoonists and comics artists Art Spiegelman, the Hernandez brothers, Daniel Clowes, Peter Bagge, and others. The book includes a full listing of Fantagraphics publications, reproductions of documents, photographs of the Fantagraphics crew at work and at play, cover art, and original comics created by Fantagraphics artists to honor the anniversary. The interviews provide an amusing window into the Fantagraphics lifestyle: the all-nighters, the “college fraternity” atmosphere, and exploits involving explosives and firearms (described as boyish fun). Editors Spurgeon and Dean, both former editors of the Comics Journal (a subsidiary of Fantagraphics), give space to every side of the story, including quotes from a disgruntled former employee who recalls cofounder Gary Groth as “vile, petty, [and] vindictive.” Fantagraphics’ history is also a history of the art form and industry, and the personal touches from candid interviews provide a fascinating insider’s perspective. Color illus. [em](Dec.) [/em]