In 1976, a group of young men and women coalesced around a fledgling magazine and the idea that comics could be art. Now comics intended for an adult readership are reviewed favourably in the New York Times and sell in bookstores comparable to prose efforts of similar weight and intent. Comics As Art: We Told You So tells of Fantagraphics Book’ key role in helping build and shape an art movement around a discredited, ignored and fading expression of Americana in the words of the people who lived it and saw it happen. Comics historian and critic Tom Spurgeon and longtime Comics Journal editor Michael Dean assemble an all-star cast of industry figures, critics, cartoonists, art objects, curios, and groundbreaking publications to bring you a detailed account of Fantagraphics' first 40 years. Comics as Art includes appearances by Chris Ware, Art Spiegelman, Harlan Ellison, Jim Shooter, Stan Lee, Dan Clowes, Frank Miller, Peter Bagge, Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Dave Sim, Steve Geppi, Todd McFarlane and every other major figure in the arts or business end of modern comics. More than a corporate history or a fond look back, Comics As Art: We Told You So makes the warts-and-all case for Fantagraphics Books’ position near the heart of the modern reclamation of the comics art form. “Editors Spurgeon and Dean ... give space to every side of the story ... and the personal touches from candid interviews provide a fascinating insider’s perspective.” - Publishers Weekly