Colophon

Colophon is a South African independent publication archive dedicated to preserving and showcasing the country’s countercultural print history and editorial design. Its collection documents more than seven decades of creative resistance, tracing how artists, writers and designers used magazines and other independent publications to challenge censorship, mainstream narratives and social conventions. The archive spans four eras, from early little magazines and garage presses to publications shaped by the State of Emergency, the transition to democracy and later subcultures.

Colophon features original physical copies and an expanding online selection of titles, including Bitterkomix, iJusi, Staffrider, Stet, Sheet, ADA, Ophir, The Bloody Horse and Jungle Jim. Its shop offers selected books, magazines, rare issues and publication bundles from the archive, with profits supporting the collection. Colophon also welcomes research enquiries, contributions, consignments, offers and donations, and is actively seeking missing volumes to help complete its holdings. By making these materials accessible, the archive connects underground creativity with South Africa’s broader cultural history and preserves publications that might otherwise be overlooked.