Interview: FairSquare Diversifies Their Portfolio

Off the bat, if there is one thing that you want people to know about FAIRSQUARE, what would it be?

Fabrice Sapolsky: First, I’d like people to get our name right, especially when we’re changing it (laughs). We are now FairSquare Graphics (formerly known as FairSquare Comics). We have a new logo and identity because, even though, at heart, we’re comics people, we realized that there’s still a form of ostracization from several retailers and libraries outside of the direct market. This is something we’ll never stop fighting, but in order to get to places where our audiences are, we needed to make this slight adjustment. Now that it’s done, we can explain to people that graphic novels are thicker comics, but comics anyway. Our mission statement hasn’t changed, we’re still putting underrepresented voices in front of audiences and our approach to ownership is also still the same, with three colors symbolizing our commitment to creators’ rights. We also just got our first nomination for the Eisner Awards with A BOY NAMED ROSE, a gender-fluid story and one of our best sellers. Last but not least, and we probably don’t communicate enough on this, we’re environmentally conscious. We print 95% of our books in North America, containing our carbon footprint and supporting local economies.

What new stories can we expect from FairSquare Graphics in the second half of the year?

We are diversifying our portfolio even more by adding ManFra (French-style manga), Manchua (Chinese-style manga), and even a little bit of horror. This is a big step for us. Strong demand for Asian-style graphic novels has pushed us to think about which kind of books we could bring to the American market while maintaining our values. Turns out there’s more manga-style content from immigrants and minorities than one could think. And we’re proud to bring those to readers. We recently released “III” an ManFra retelling of The Three Musketeers as well as Butterfly Tears, an anthology mixing romance and supernatural with queer elements from Chinese creator Fang Yili. And we’re soon releasing Red Flower, a grand saga based on legends from Ghana from Lou-I. On top of that, though I don’t want to give too much away, we’re going to launch a brand-new line of books in 2025, unlike anything we’ve published before. People are going to be very surprised. It’s exciting.

There seems to be an emphasis on various cultures in terms of subject matter. Is this part of the mission of FairSquare Graphics?
It is. And it’s been there from the start when we created the company five years ago. Our motto is still “Comics From the Rest of Us.” From immigrants, minorities, Queer, Disabled, and most generally underrepresented to…everyone. Whether it’s stories that we create in-house, creator-owned books that we welcome to our family, or volumes that we acquire from third-party publishers, our identities are visible, not buried at the bottom. That said, we aim to be subtle and inclusive. We come from a place of unity, not division. Graphic novels are entertainment for sure, but they can also open minds, and start conversations. Bringing people together, that’s what we’re striving to do.

One of the projects you’re working on as a writer is “INTERTWINED THE SPIRITS OF WU-XING SAGA.” What can you tell us about that project?
INTERTWINED is one of our four flagship titles, with NOIR IS THE NEW BLACK, LADY-BIRD, and MUTINY: BLACK GIRL MAGIK. It’s the first project I created when I moved to the United States from my home country, in 2015. It’s a hero’s journey from the perspective of an immigrant and a Kung Fu murder mystery. It was initially published by Dynamite Entertainment, but I was never quite happy with the quality of the book (I’m all about print quality). So when Fred Pham Chuong, my co-creator, and I got our rights back, I decided to reissue the graphic novel as I always envisioned it. But it sold out. We did a spin-off series in 2023, Intertwined: The Last Jewish Daughter of Kaifeng, which also sold out and was a direct market exclusive. So, this year, we’re reprinting everything all together in a premium hardcover edition of 300+ pages with new stories and more amazing features. It’s the definitive edition of that series. It should make people wait until we can create the next chapter. That’s after Fred and I wrap up our current projects. INTERTWINED packs a lot of what FairSquare Graphics is: it highlights immigrants, it shows minorities in the US in a very unlikely and cool way, it has major queer elements and I’ve been told it’s an inspirational series for whoever feels different in this world. I’ll take the compliment! In all cases, INTERTWINED has been a constant showstopper and success everywhere we go.

You have multiple books in your lineup. How does an editor keep pace with so many titles?
Great question! Indeed, I’m editing almost all the books, except one (MUTINY: BLACK GIRL MAGIK). I guess I’m very organized. Especially with 12 to 15 titles a year and, as of 2024, 4 crowdfunding campaigns. On top of editing and writing/drawing, I also handle production, lettering, design, publishing, fulfillment, and administrative duties… And I tour a lot, attending about thirty conventions a year. FairSquare Graphics is a family business. It’s mainly me with some help from my partner Kristal and my son Ethan. We’re… working hard and a lot. But we’re here to win and to stay. There’s no plan B. We succeed or we succeed. We’re not joking when we say that we’re the only family, immigrant, and minority-owned publisher of graphic novels. We’re one of a kind.

In terms of audience, who is FairSquare Graphics for?
We pride ourselves in releasing content for everyone because comics are for everyone. It’s kind of funny: When people show up at our table at conventions, they’re impressed by the number of different titles we have. We’re not only offering content from diverse creators, we also publish a wide range of genres and topics: from action/adventure to slice of life, from fantasy to Noir, romance, supernatural, and everything in between. We also have titles for all audiences from middle grade to mature readers. It’s hard to put us in any box and that represents who we are at heart.