The Comics Journal is returning to a print magazine format.  Fantagraphics Books will release the magazine twice annually, starting with issue #303 on January 22, 2019.  The full-color, 160-page softcover issue has an MSRP of $14.99. I ssue #304 is scheduled for June 2019.

In The Comics Journal #303, editor-in-chief and TCJ co-creator Gary Groth interviews beloved satirist and children’s book author Tomi Ungerer (The Three Robbers, Flix), Your Black Friend cartoonist Ben Passmore examines the role of art and comics in gentrification, and Mannie Murphy provides an introduction to Alex Gard’s homoerotic gag cartoons about the U.S. Navy.  The issue also examines how the comics marketplace and the perception of the medium have changed and much more.

The Comics Journal, founded by Groth and Mike Catron, started in 1976 as a monthly periodical that presented in-depth interviews and critical analysis of the comics format.  The magazine ended with issue #300 in late 2009, at which time the publishers embraced a lengthier and more elaborate book format and focused on a regularly updated website that circulated different content than the print edition (see “Online 'Odd Couple' of Comic Magazines Debuting This Week”).

RJ Casey and Kristy Valenti are managing editors for The Comics Journal semiannual magazine.  The online counterpart will exist separately and continue to add daily content under the guidance of editors Tim Hodler and Tucker Stone.