Iranian Missile Hits Hormuz Ship Carrying Fantagraphics Graphic Novels

Posted in: Comics, Fantagraphics | Tagged: atlas comics, bill everett, fantagraphics, iran, Roberta Gregory

Iranian Missile Hits Hormuz Ship Carrying Fantagraphics Graphic Novels

Iranian Missile hits a vessel on the Straits of Hormuz, carrying print runs of Fantagraphics titles Bitchy Bitch and Atlas Comics Library

Published Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:24:09 -0500
by Rich Johnston
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Article Summary

• Iranian missile strikes a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz with Fantagraphics graphic novel shipments onboard
• Print runs of Bitchy! by Roberta Gregory and Atlas Comics Library No. 9 were on the damaged cargo ship
• Delayed book releases expected as Fantagraphics awaits updates on the ship’s crew and possible cargo loss
• Bitchy! collects feminist comics history; Atlas Comics Library No. 9 reprints classic 1950s horror anthology

The co-founder of Seattle-based comic book publisher Fantagraphics, Michael Catron, posted the following news to social media.

"Fantagraphics Books learned today that a cargo vessel carrying the full print runs of two of our books was struck by an Iranian missile in or near the Strait of Hormuz. The report we have is that the ship has limped to a safe port, where we await further news. Our thoughts are with the crew, and we hope and pray for their safety.
"The two books, The Atlas Comics Library No. 9: Adventures Into Weird Worlds Vol. 1 by Russ Heath, Bernard Krigstein, Bill Everett, Joe Maneely, Carmine Infantino, et al. and Bitchy! The Exasperating Existence of Midge McCracken by Roberta Gregory and Helen Chazan, were printed in India and were bound for the Port of New York. Both books had been scheduled to go on sale in early June, but that timeframe now seems unlikely. If the books themselves were not damaged and the crippled ship's cargo can be offloaded to another vessel and that vessel can then safely exit the danger zone, it could add a month or more to the delivery time.
"We have no information on the cargo ship's itinerary, but our speculation is that it was dropping off other cargo from India to that region or picking up additional cargo bound for the U.S. Bitchy Bitch is most exasperated by this unexpected turn of events, echoing the title of one of Weird World's horror stories "When a World Goes Mad!"

This also comes as the Sharjah Animation & Comics Conference 2026 in the UAE has been cancelled due to the Iran War. Bleeding Cool recently ran an exclusive extract from Bitchy!, and Atlas Comics Library No. 9 reprinted the 1950s Atlas anthology horror comic Adventures into Weird Worlds for the first time in 70 years. Former DC Comics staffer Michael Catron founded Fantagraphics with Gary Groth fifty years ago, in 1976, and stayed there until 1985, when he left the company. Agent for the estate of Joe Shuster, founder of Apple Comics and board member for the Grand Comics Database, he returned to Fantagraphics on the editorial side in 2012.

• Bitchy! The Exasperating Existence of Midge McCracken by Roberta Gregory
  One of the most influential, feminist comics series ― the riotous "Bitchy Bitch" stories by pioneering cartoonist Roberta Gregory ― is now in one definitive collection. Midge McCracken is the abrasive, self-destructive pessimist every office has. Not to mince words, she's a bitch: bitter, mistrustful, racist, and completely unfiltered in her words and thoughts. But she comes by it honestly, growing up with hateful, racist parents, suffering sexual abuse as an adolescent, experiencing an unwanted pregnancy, etc. Did we mention that this is a comedy? Roberta Gregory's unflinching sense of humor is the engine driving Bitchy! This mammoth tome collects Gregory's "Bitchy Bitch" stories, presenting a life from childhood into middle age, following the character through multiple decades. Along the way, Gregory's wider cast of characters are introduced, notably Bitchy's suffering and insufferable coworkers: the obnoxiously cheerful Sylvia (who never met a problem that positive vibes won't cure); the upwardly mobile and power-hungry Pam (aka Bitchy's boss); the intolerant, God-fearing Marcie; her hapless friend-with-benefits, Kenny; and many more. In 1976, Roberta Gregory released Dynamite Damsels ― the first underground solo comic created and self-published by a woman. After contributing regularly to the influential anthologies Wimmen's Comix and Gay Comix throughout the 1980s, she launched Naughty Bits in 1991 while working as a production artist at her publisher, Fantagraphics. It became the longest-running solo alternative comic book series by a female cartoonist, coming to an end in 2004 after an influential and pioneering 14-year, 40-issue run. The Bitchy Bitch stories remain the pinnacle of a historic career, and a highwater mark in comics and graphic novels over the past 40 years. Black-and-white illustrations throughout,
• The Atlas Comics Library No. 9: Adventures Into Weird Worlds Vol. 1
  With Fantagraphics' latest Atlas Comics Library collection, Adventures into Weird Worlds is an exploration of four-color, pre-Code depravity unseen since the early 1950s. In the unrestrained days before the Comics Code Authority censored the industry, these stories drawn by the cream of the Atlas crop ― Russ Heath, Bill Everett, Joe Maneely, Carmine Infantino, Mort Meskin, George Tuska, Bob Fujitani, Joe Sinnott, and Bernard Krigstein ― chilled readers to the bone: Irradiated, postapocalyptic monsters become "The Walking Death!" A frantic, tiny voice calls out from "The Thing in the Bottle"! Humanity faces intergalactic doomsday "When a World Goes Mad!" A cemetery robber tells how "I Crawl Through Graves"! Satan himself unveils "The Pit of Horror," as only Bill Everett could envision it! This is the first of three volumes that will re-present this classic Atlas horror series in its entirety. Adventures don't get any weirder! Full-color illustrations throughout

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