Comic book fanzines in the Algarve: A reflection on the motivations of young fans in the 70s and 80s

Since the 1930s, independent and alternative publications have gained an important place in cultural intervention and the sharing of experiences around subjects that are marginal to the dominant culture. Motivated by the enthusiastic dissemination of subjects such as science fiction, music, literature or comics, a large number of independent publications have sprung up in the most varied parts of the world. In this reflection text, we have tried to provide an overview of the development of amateur publications, commonly known as fanzines, seeking not only to understand their motivations, but also the publishing context in which they developed. By analyzing the particular path of some comic book fanzines that existed in the 1970s and 1980s in the Algarve region of Portugal, we intend to discuss the conditions and motivations of this type of independent publishing and its relationship to the historical context of the time.