Conceived of and edited by Gary Arlington, the anthology highlighted the work of many of San Francisco's top underground talents, including Bill Griffith, Robert Crumb, Kim Deitch, Justin Green, Rory Hayes, Willy Murphy, Jim Osborne, Trina Robbins, and Spain Rodriguez.

After a seven-year hiatus, issue #5 was co-published by the Print Mint and Last Gasp (although it was still copyrighted by the San Francisco Comic Book Company).

[3] Arlington determined to publish an anthology showcasing the work of the local underground cartooning community, and thus was born San Francisco Comic Book.

The two publishers then recruited cartoonists Rory Hayes, Willy Murphy, Larry Welz, Jack Jackson, and Jim Osborne — all credited as co-editors — to bring in more talent.

[4] As a result, issue #1 featured work from four members of the Zap Comix crew: Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, Spain, and Rick Griffin.