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WE Seal Of Approval Program
WE Seal of Approval Program (WSA) was a consumer protection/anti mail fraud program that assisted collectors of nostalgia between 1970 and 1984 who had been victimized by fraudulent advertisers in hobbyist magazines. It aided collectors of comic books, Star Trek, movie memorabilia, pulp magazines, and baseball cards. Comic fandom historian Sean Kleefeld has dubbed it "an ersatz Better Business Bureau for the comic fandom industry while it was moving from amateur to professional capabilities." Origins WSA was started by Stanley Blair, a retired accountant and publisher of ''Stan's Weekly Express'' (also known as ''WE''), an early adzine for collectors started in 1969. When one of the advertisers proved fraudulent Blair took it upon himself to gather evidence and cooperate with appropriate authorities in the capture and prosecution of the defrauder, with restitution made to the victims. Blair had personal expenses of just over $200 for pursuing the case. Ron Frantz notes "The grateful ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comic Books
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialogue contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. "Comic Cuts" was a British comic published from 1890 to 1953. It was preceded by "Ally Sloper's Half Holiday" (1884) which is notable for its use of sequential cartoons to unfold narrative. These British comics existed alongside of the popular lurid "Penny dreadfuls" (such as "Spring-heeled Jack"), boys' " Story papers" and the humorous Punch (magazine) which was the first to use the term "cartoon" in its modern sense of a humorous drawing. The interweaving of drawings and the written word had been pioneered by, among others, William Blake (1757 - 1857) in works such as Blake's "The Descent Of Christ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Postal Inspection Service
The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), or the Postal Inspectors, is the law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. It supports and protects the U.S. Postal Service, its employees, infrastructure, and customers by enforcing the laws that defend the nation's mail system from illegal or dangerous use. Its jurisdiction covers any "crimes that may adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail, the postal system or postal employees." With roots going back to the late 18th century, the USPIS is the oldest continually operating federal law enforcement agency. There are roughly 200 federal crimes that can be committed which involve the mail. Thus, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's activities are markedly broad and ever-changing. In 2021, Postal Inspectors made 5,141 arrests leading to more than 3,700 convictions, mostly involving mail theft, mail fraud and prohibited narcotic mailings. The growth in illegal narcotics has resulted in 19,000 arrests and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest. A fandom can grow around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individual celebrity, or encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903. Many fandoms overlap. There are a number of large conventions that cater to fandom s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michigan State University Libraries
Michigan State University Libraries (MSU Libraries) is the academic library system of Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ... in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The library system comprises nine branch locations including the Main Library. As of 2015-16, the MSU Libraries ranked 26th among U.S. and Canadian research libraries by number of Volume (bibliography), volumes (7,261,157 volumes) and 11th among U.S. and Canadian research libraries by number of titles held (7,800,120 titles).Shaneka Morris & Gary Roebuck, ''ARL Statistics, 2015-16'', Association of Research Libraries (2018), pp. 46-47. The Africana Collection is one of the largest of its kind in the nation with a collection of over 200,000 items. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Krause Publications
Krause Publications is an American publisher of hobby magazines and books. Originally a company founded and based in Iola, Wisconsin, they relocated to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in April 2018. The company was started by Chester L. Krause (19232016) upon the publication in October 1952 of the first issue of '' Numismatic News''. In the coin collecting community the company is best known for its ''Standard Catalog of World Coins'', a series of coin catalogs commonly referred to as ''Krause-Mishler'' catalogs or simply ''Krause'' catalogs; they provide information, pricing, and Krause-Mishler (KM) numbers referring to coin rarity and value. Krause-Mishler (named for Krause and longtime employee Clifford Mishler) numbers are the most common way of assigning values to coins. The first edition was published in 1972. In addition, they established the Coin of the Year Award, first issued in 1984, for excellence in coinage design. In the paper money collecting community the company is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Groth
Gary Groth (born September 18, 1954) is an American comic book editor, publisher and critic. He is editor-in-chief of ''The Comics Journal'', a co-founder of Fantagraphics Books, and founder of the Harvey Awards. Early life Groth is the son of a U.S. Navy contractor and was raised in Springfield, Virginia,Jacobson, Aileen. "Serious Comics Fans," Washington Post (Aug 16, 1971), p. B2. in the Washington, D.C. area.Matos, Michelangelo"Saved by the Beagle," ''Seattle Arts'' (September 15, 2004)./ref> He read his first comic book in a pediatrician's office. Career Fanzines and Marvel Comics Inspired by film critics like Andrew Sarris and Pauline Kael, and gonzo journalists like Hunter S. Thompson, the teenage Groth published ''Fantastic Fanzine'', a comics fanzine (whose name referenced the Marvel Comics title ''Fantastic Four''). For two years, in 1970 and 1971, he organized Metro Con, a comics convention held in Washington, D.C. Later, after turning down an editorial assistant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Light (comics)
Alan L. Light (b. September 15, 1953) is a publisher involved in comics and pop culture fandom. He is best known as the founder of ''The Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom'' (later known as the '' Comics Buyer's Guide''), which was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. Publishing ventures Light grew up in the Quad Cities region of Illinois and Iowa; his first foray into publishing was as a 16-year-old when he produced the comics fanzine ''All Dynamic Magazine''. ''The Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom'' As a 17-year-old in February 1971, Light founded ''The Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom'' (''TBG'') as a tabloid-format monthly newspaper. Run out of Light's parents' basement in East Moline, Illinois, ''TBG'' began primarily as an advertising venue – known in comics fandom as an "adzine", i.e. a fanzine devoted to ads. ''TBG'''s frequency was soon changed to twice-monthly, and prominent fans Don and Maggie Thompson began a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U.S. counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes. Although many of the FBI's functions are unique, its activities in support of national security are comparable to those of the British MI5 and NCA; the New Zealand GCSB and the Russian FSB. Unlike the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which has no law enforcement authority and is focused on intelligence collection abroad, the FBI is primarily a domestic agency, maintaining 56 field offices in major cities throug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction over federal civil antitrust enforcement with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The agency is headquartered in the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, DC. The FTC was established in 1914 with the passage of the Federal Trade Commission Act, signed in response to the 19th-century monopolistic trust crisis. Since its inception, the FTC has enforced the provisions of the Clayton Act, a key antitrust statute, as well as the provisions of the FTC Act, et seq. Over time, the FTC has been delegated with the enforcement of additional business regulation statutes and has promulgated a number of regulations (codified in Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations). The broad statutory authority granted to the FTC provide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into various films, television series, video games, novels, and comic books. With an estimated $10.6 billion in revenue, it is one of the most recognizable and highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The franchise began with ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', which debuted in the US on September 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons on NBC. It was first broadcast on September 6, 1966 on Canada's CTV network. It followed the voyages of the crew of the starship USS ''Enterprise'', a space exploration vessel built by the United Federation of Planets in the 23rd century, on a mission "to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before". In creating ''Star Trek'', Roddenberry w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rocket's Blast/Comics Collector
''Rocket's Blast Comicollector'' (''RBCC'') was a comics advertising fanzine published from 1964 to 1983. The result of a merger with a similar publication, ''RBCCs purpose was to bring fans together for the purpose of adding to their comic book collections. It also proved to be a launching pad for aspiring comic book creators, many of whom corresponded and exchanged their work through ''RBCC'', and published work in the fanzine as amateurs. ''RBCC'' featured fan-generated art, original articles, and advertisements from comic book fans and dealers. Debuting in the pre-direct market era (before the proliferation of comics retailers), ''RBCC'' was one of the first and largest forums for buying and selling comics through the mail — often, the only way for fans to acquire back issues was through advertisements in ''RBCC''. And, as ''ComicSource'' wrote, "''RBCC'' was also an educational forum, with rich articles devoted to comics and creators long absent from the newsstands, such as E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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