The Complete Zap Comix Collection Coming from Fantagraphics in September 2026
Fantagraphics will publish 'The Complete Zap Comix' in September 2026, a comprehensive collection of the groundbreaking underground comic series that began with Zap #1 in 1968. The series, spearheaded by R. Crumb, revolutionized comics by blending conventional visual language with taboo-breaking storylines, free from the Comics Code Authority. Early contributors included Crumb, Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffin, S. Clay Wilson, Gilbert Shelton, and Spain. Moscoso and Griffin initially collaborated on a comic template before joining Crumb's project. Zap #0, an all-Crumb issue, was published after Zap #1. The series pushed boundaries, leading to legal battles: Zap #4 was banned in New York and City Lights bookstore in San Francisco was busted over Crumb's 'Joe Blow' strip. Later issues like Zap #7 and #8 featured more experimental and satirical content. The collection documents how underground comics challenged social mores and free speech.
Key facts
- Fantagraphics will publish 'The Complete Zap Comix' in September 2026.
- Zap #1 debuted in 1968, spearheading the underground comic revolution.
- R. Crumb created Zap and contributed characters like Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural.
- Early contributors included Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffin, S. Clay Wilson, Gilbert Shelton, and Spain.
- Moscoso and Griffin initially planned a collaborative comic before joining Zap.
- Zap #0 was an all-Crumb issue published after Zap #1.
- Zap #4 was banned in New York and led to a police bust at City Lights bookstore in San Francisco.
- The series tested Supreme Court 'community standards' on pornography.
- Later issues featured experimental strips like Crumb's 'Patton' and Spain's 'Lily Litvak'.
- The collection is available for preorder from Fantagraphics.
Entities
Artists
- R. Crumb
- Victor Moscoso
- Rick Griffin
- S. Clay Wilson
- Gilbert Shelton
- Spain
- Robert Williams
- Pablo Ferro
- Wes Wilson
- Stanley Mouse
- Kim Deitch
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Institutions
- Fantagraphics
- City Lights bookstore
- PRINT Magazine
- East Village Other
- The Gothic Blimp Works
- SCREW
- The New York Review of Sex
- MAD magazine
- Pinnacle Productions
- The San Francisco Chronicle
- Yale University
- Disney
- DC Comics
- Marvel Comics
- Comics Code Authority
- Supreme Court
Locations
- San Francisco
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Paris
- Pere Lachaise Cemetery
- Haight Street
- Mexico
- United States