The Fantagraphics Offer: Update #4

In the final issue of his self-published Glamourpuss, Dave Sim included an essay reflecting on the end of the series, and the possible end of his professional involvement with comics. The reaction online was widespread, and soon turned to a discussion of the future of Sim's earlier work, Cerebus. On a comments thread at TCJ.com, Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson expressed his potential interest in republishing some of Sim's Cerebus material. Sim, arguably the most iconic self-publisher in comics history, responded to that 'open offer' in a lengthy article at TCJ.com, and indicated his willingness to negotiate with Kim on a possible publishing deal for Cerebus, albeit in the public forum of the comments section at the TCJ.com website. Got all that? Now read on for the highlights from yesterday's postings...

KIM THOMPSON:

Top ten reasons I’d love to do the CEREBUS series.

1. It’s, on the whole, great work by a brilliant cartoonist, and great work like this should be made accessible to as many readers as possible.
2. Our doing it might make the difference between Dave continuing to do comics and working as a ditch digger, apparently, which I think would be a loss for comics.
3. It will make Dave some money (sort of a corollary to point 2).
4. It will make us some money.
5. This repackaging would be a fun editorial challenge for us.
6. It would ratchet up Fantagraphics’ ultimate goal of publishing every first-rate 20th century cartoonist by one more.
7. Clearly a number of Sim fans, and people who think they might be Sim fans if they didn’t have to suffer through those phone books, would be very pleased.
8. It would make a number of heads explode within the field, for a variety of reasons.
9. I’d like to have these books in a row on my own shelf myself.
10. I can’t deny the lovely symmetry of having been the one to really ignite Dave’s rise over three decades ago with that TCJ review and ending up being the one consecrating his magnum opus in a definitive, mass-market-friendly, first-rate edition.

Read the full post here.

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