Gary Groth

Gary Groth was born on September 18, 1954, in the United States. He is best known as the co-founder of Fantagraphics Books, the long-serving editor-in-chief of *The Comics Journal*, and the founder of the Harvey Awards. Groth entered comics as a critic and publisher, launching Fantagraphics in the mid-1970s and building it into a premier independent house. His signature work lies in his editorial stewardship of *The Comics Journal*, where he fostered rigorous criticism and championed alternative voices. Key collaborators include Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, with whom Fantagraphics published *Love and Rockets*, and Gahan Wilson. Groth’s most notable co-creations are the Harvey Awards themselves, established in 1988 to honor the industry’s creative talent. Later in life, he continued to oversee Fantagraphics and *The Comics Journal*, shaping the discourse around comics as an art form. His legacy is that of a tireless advocate for comics as literature. He has received multiple Eisner Awards for his editorial and publishing work.