The Comics Journal

The first chapter in a grand fantasy epic filled with psychic warrior monks, magic battles, monsters, and romance from the mind of Zack Soto!

"Originally published in single monthly issues as Copra."

COPRA returns in the first issue of its all-new ONGOING SERIES! Acclaimed comics auteur MICHEL FIFFE picks up where his band of mercenary misfits left off, reintroducing the entire cast of his Suicide Squad-esque revenge machine in a brutal standoff against their own leader. Jump right into the thick of it with the worldÕs greatest action team in this extra-length debut milestone 36 pages for just $3.99!

This highly anticipated new graphic novel from Manuele Fior (The Interview and 5,000 KM Per Second) showcases his singular talents as a once-in-a-generation visual artist and a deeply empathetic writer who uses science fiction to look to the future of humanity. The “Great Invasion” originated from the sea. It moved north across the mainland. Many fled, while some took refuge on a small concrete island called Celestia, built over a thousand years ago. Now cut off from the mainland, Celestia has become an outpost for criminals and other misfits, as well as a refuge for a group of young telepaths. Events push two of them, Dora and Pierrot, to flee the island and set sail to the mainland. There, they discover a world on the precipice of a metamorphosis, though also a world where adults are literally prisoners of their own fortresses, unintentionally preserving the “old world” at a time when a new generation could guide society towards a better humanity. Celestia is the most ambitious and successful graphic novel to date by one of the world’s most exciting storytellers.

An account of the author's experience of her father's illness, primary progressive aphasia, in graphic novel format.

This issue of the award-winning magazine shines a light on how comics creators are affected by chronic disease, disability, and our nation's health care system. This issue also features a document that is significant not only in terms of comics history ― but American history, as well. Created by the civil rights organization SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and the Black Panther Party in 1967, this hand-printed zine is a report about a black community in Alabama that attempted to take back their voting rights in their local elections. There is also a profile on cartoonist Kevin Huizenga (Ganges), and much more.

The Comics Journal #304 features Gary Groth in conversation with outspoken Tasmanian cartoonist Simon Hanselmann, who discusses how his tragicomedy webcomic starring a witch, a cat, and an owl became an internationally acclaimed, best-selling phenomenon, collected in books such as Megahex and Bad Gateway. This issue also highlights the labor and economics issues facing the medium — the past and future of organizing a comics union, work-for-hire contracts, and how comic conventions can better serve creators — with the Journal’s hallmark candor. Other features include an exclusive look at the unfinished graphic novel that Eisner and Geisel Award winner Geoffrey Hayes was working on before his untimely death in 2017, a peak inside the lush sketchbook of Sophie Franz, a timely work by Brazilian cartoonist Laura Lannes, a reconsideration of the comics canon by Skin Horse cartoonist Shaenon K. Garrity, and more!