Measles

Over the course of eight issues from 1998 to 2001, Fantagraphics published Measles, a compact anthology series that gathered a playful, offbeat mix of short comics. The book was most frequently written and drawn by European master Joost Swarte alongside Gilbert Hernandez and Sam Henderson, with Kim Thompson also contributing scripts. Recurring characters like Venus, Glinda Gonzalez, and Yoshio Yoshiki gave the series a loose, quirky continuity, while its brief run captured a moment when the publisher spotlighted both avant-garde and humorous voices. Measles matters as a snapshot of late-90s alternative comics, showcasing Swarte’s clean ligne claire and Hernandez’s distinctive character work in a shared, experimental space.