SKETCHING STORIES. For close to 100 issues, Chippewa Valley illustrator David Recine has published Fanboy Comics, a free zine available at many downtown Eau Claire coffee shops and small businesses. Stick Figure Apocalypse (pictured), his latest project in the publication, details local happenings and other musings on life. (Scanned panels from Fanboy Comics, issue 98)

Whether you’ve been on a night out in Eau Claire or grabbing a cup of coffee over the years, you’ve more than likely stumbled upon an unassuming plastic tray filled with zines marked The Water Street Beat.

What started as a collection of stories and comics by local David Recine has since evolved into Fanboy Comics, an underground staple for those passing through the many downtown shops in the Water Street District.

Recine, a lifelong comics fan and collector, began drawing in the fourth grade. His passion to create and publish comics came from a genuine love for cartoons and a pattern of being told “no” when self-publishing his early works.

At first, it was kids in his class who rejected his style of art for school projects. Then, it was a high school principal who told him “absolutely not” after begging for permission to print his cartoons for his peers.

“It was developing this cult following among other high school and middle school kids. ... To get a copy, you had to know somebody who had it or by word of mouth.”

david recine

comic artist, fanboy comics

“In high school, I was actually asked to draw the comic strip for the Regis (Catholic) High School ‘Kings Chronicle,’ ” Recine said. “I (once) drew something and they shrunk it beyond recognition. Like it was just really, really tiny. I got really upset about that.”

As he got older however, Recine noticed a change: Locals stopped telling him he couldn’t do these comics and instead encouraged him to return after a hiatus period.

In the late 1990s, the first issue of Fanboy Comics debuted.

“They turned my zine into a school sanctioned extracurricular with a faculty advisor,” Recine recalled. “It was something I was unaware of, but copies of Fanboy were leaking out of Regis at the time.”

“It was developing this cult following among other high school and middle school kids who didn’t even figure out where it came from until they met me years later,” he continued. “To get a copy, you had to know somebody who had it … or by word of mouth.”

The Eaux Claires festival its 2026 artist lineup seemed to be on locals' minds this summer, including comic artist David Recine. (Scanned panels from Fanboy Comics, issue 98)

Recine admits the nature of his comics can be kind of self-deprecating. After all, the naming of Fanboy Comics was drawn from professional cartoonists calling zines “self-published fanboy garbage.”

It’s also worth noting Fanboy Comics has always and will always remain free to pick up and read locally, Recine said. He currently accepts submissions from other visual artists in the Chippewa Valley, from fellow comic artists to photographers.

Despite attempts to quit comic art multiple times – after high school, during college and again in later adulthood – he revived the series thanks to persistent encouragement from readers and friends.

Nearing his 100th installment of Fanboy Comics, Recine has no plans to stop sharing recurring issues in its new, 8.5-by-11-inch printed format.

But, in line with the attitude of his comics, he isn’t eager to make a very big deal about it.

“It was COVID and everybody was isolating; I wound up in two different COVID pods,” Recine said of Stick Figure Apocalypse, the latest project found in the pages of Fanboy Comics.

“I started building on my style more and what I was actually trying for in terms of the feel of the story,” Recine continued. “Bearing in mind that it's autobiographical – these are the moments I choose to capture.”

That sentiment continues today as Recine documents the “good” moments of his life through his eyes and showcases the work of local creators who hope to keep the “beat” on Water Street and around Eau Claire.

Pick up a copy of Fanboy Comics in person at Racy D'Lenes Coffee Lounge (404 Riverside Ave.), SHIFT (615 Graham Ave.), The Joynt (322 Water St.) and Truckers Union (413 Water St.) in Eau Claire.

Fans can submit their work to David Recine via email – at fanboyec@gmail.com – to be featured in future issues. Keep up with the zine online through Instagram (@fanboyeauclaire).