FANTAGRAPHICS AT 50! We like putting on event coverage here at Broken Frontier Towers and it’s become something of a staple of our output over the years. And you, our readers, seem to appreciate it too if the corresponding spikes in traffic are to be believed. From coverage of big festivals like our Thought Bubble Month every year (75 published articles in four weeks in 2025!) to coverage that ties into BF’s ethos of promoting socially relevant work like our annual Pride Month, it gives us a chance to hone in and do something a little celebratory for special events.
Which brings us to what you will be seeing from us across August. Fifty years of publishing deserves acknowledgment and when the publisher concerned is one whose ethos ties so firmly into our own philosophy of exploring practice that embodies the pure language of comics it seems almost obligatory for us to give that some recognition. Fantagraphics’ output of alternative, experimental and genuinely indie-style comics, alongside their collections of classic material from the past, have ensured they have been a fixture at BF and for the next four weeks we’re going to be partying here at BF in honour of that huge anniversary.
What can you expect? Well every posting day we’ll have something Fanta-centric up at BF including interviews, reviews and exclusive previews of upcoming projects. Look out for alt work, socially relevant comics, classics from the ’50s, Manhwa, slice-of-life, genre fiction, graphic biography, maybe even a sidestep into non-comics material and much, much more. Or, more simply, expect a line-up that sums up what Fantagraphics has been been about between 1976 and 2026. We’ll be tagging every article as well and you’ll be able to keep track of all the coverage in one place here if you so desire.
Happy 50th Fanta! Let the party begin…
– Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier Editor-in-Chief
