JULY 18, 2022—SEATTLE, WA—Fantagraphics is excited to announce a new partnership with the award-winning independent publisher Sunday Press.
Fantagraphics will distribute Sunday Press’s back list beginning in July 2022, and, in 2023, start publishing new books under the Sunday Press imprint.
Sunday Press, founded by Peter Maresca in 2005, is the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of high-quality, full-sized collections of classic American newspaper strips. Maresca’s first book was Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays, an oversized volume of Winsor McCay’s groundbreaking strip. He followed these up with Sunday with Walt & Skeezix (Frank King), Little Sammy Sneeze (McCay), and collections of strips by Gustave Verbeek, George Herriman, and others. Maresca’s books represent a high water mark in the full color reproduction and preservation of American comic strips.
Fantagraphics, now in its 5th decade, is the world’s preeminent publisher of classic comics and literary graphic novels. It has published compilations of many of the finest newspaper strips ever created, including George Herriman’s Krazy Kat, E.C. Segar’s Popeye, Walty Kelly’s Pogo, Crocket Johnson’s Barnaby, Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant, and Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, to name just a few. Its contemporary graphic novelists span two generations, including Daniel Clowes, Jaime Hernandez, Carol Tyler, Joe Sacco, Jim Woodring, Emil Ferris, Eleanor Davis, Lee Lei, and many of the most aesthetically challenging young cartoonists working today.
“It’s just a perfect fit for a small publisher like myself,” said Sunday Press founder and editor Peter Maresca. “I’ve always been a great admirer of the editorial decisions and quality production from Fantagraphics and I’m very happy for this chance to become a part of their family.”
Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth expressed his esteem for Maresca’s curatorial vision. “I’ve admired Peter’s publishing efforts from afar for years, and now I’ll be able to admire them up close. He’s that rare publisher of integrity where taste and conscientious execution combine to create a singularly beautiful work. Our aesthetic sensibilities complement each other and I look forward to working with him to publish his scrupulously edited and designed books.”
Fantagraphics’ trade distributor, W.W.Norton will distribute all of Sunday Press’ back list to bookstores, while Diamond Distributors will sell them to the comics stores. They are all available on Fantagraphics website for direct purchase (fantagraphics.com/SundayPress).
Fantagraphics and Sunday Press both have had a presence at Comic-Con International in San Diego for decades. This year, Fantagraphics is proud to host Sunday Press, displaying several of their latest titles, and offering free Sunday Press giveaways with the purchase of any book at the booth.