Maggie Thompson (born Margaret Curtis; November 29, 1942), is an American longtime editor of the now-defunct comic book industry news magazine ''
Comics Buyer's Guide
''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publ ...
'',
science fiction fan
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...
, and collector of comics.
Early life
Margaret (
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
, "Maggie") Curtis was born November 29, 1942. Her mother, science fiction writer
Betsy Curtis
Elizabeth M. Curtis (September 17, 1917 – April 17, 2002) was an American science fiction/fantasy writer.
She was born in Toledo, Ohio. She earned a BA and MA in English from Oberlin College. In 1966, she earned a MEd from Allegheny Coll ...
, would be nominated for the
Hugo Award for Best Short Story
The Hugo Award for Best Short Story is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The short story award is available for works of fiction o ...
in 1969 for her story "The Steiger Effect"; she carried on a long correspondence with colleagues such as
Robert Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...
and
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianeti ...
. According to family tradition, Betsy claimed descent from
Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet ( née Dudley; March 8, 1612 – September 16, 1672) was the most prominent of early English poets of North America and first writer in England's North American colonies to be published. She is the first Puritan figure in ...
and at least two presidents of
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
.
Thompson and her late husband and fellow science fiction fan Don Thompson (October 30, 1935 – May 23, 1994) were among the instigators of what developed in the 1960s into
comic book
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 of ...
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 ...
.
Their ''Harbinger'' (a mimeographed one-sheet published in the autumn of 1960) announced the upcoming publication of ''Comic Art'', one of the early amateur magazines devoted to all aspects of sequential art (a term not then in use). The initial issue of ''Comic Art'' was released the following spring.
[Biographical information at CBGXtra.com](_blank)
/ref> Seven issues were published at irregular intervals between 1961 and 1968. As publication of ''Comic Art'' wound down, they shifted their attention to a new venture as the Thompsons started a fanzine titled ''Newfangles'' in March 1967. Unlike other comics news fanzines of the time it was devoted to the doings of comics fandom instead of news about comic books and comic book professionals.
Career
Thompson began working for Krause Publications as the editor of '' Movie Collector's World'' and ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' in 1983. That same year she created and edited ''Fantasy Empire'' magazine and wrote ''Dark Shadows: Book Two'' #1-4 for Innovation Comics
Innovation Publishing (also known as Innovation Books and the Innovative Corporation) was an American comic book company based in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was co-founded by David Campiti in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising U ...
. With her husband Don, she wrote a miscellany of articles and comic-book stories; ''The Official Price Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy'' (1989, House of Collectibles); five years of ''Comics Buyer's Guide Annual'' (1992–1996, Krause Publications); ''Marvel Comics Checklist & Price Guide 1961-Present'' (1993, Krause Publications); and ''Comic-Book Superstars'' (1993, Krause Publications). With others, she produced the ''Comics Buyer's Guide Checklist & Price Guide'' (now in its 15th edition, Krause Publications); and the ''Standard Catalog of Comic Books
The ''Standard Catalog of Comic Books'' is the world's largest book about comic books. A joint production of the team behind ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' magazine and the CD-ROM program ComicBase, the first edition was released in 2002 from Krause Pub ...
'' (now in its 5th edition, Krause Publications).
Krause later sold the movie newspaper, but Thompson continued to edit ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', long after her husband's death in 1994 and the transformation of the publication into a monthly magazine. In 2013 she began a column for San Diego Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
's Toucan blog called "Maggie's World".
Her son Stephen Thompson would go on to become an editor for ''The Onion
''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satire, satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on ...
'' and creator of ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' before moving on to NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
. Stephen co-hosts "Pop Culture Happy Hour", a pop culture-themed podcast on which Maggie has made multiple appearances.
Accolades
Under Maggie's editorial direction, ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' twice won the comics industry's Eisner Award for periodicals, among other awards. She was a recipient of the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award and was also the first recipient of the Friends of Lulu
Friends of Lulu was a non-profit, national charitable organization in the United States, which operated from 1994–2011 to promote readership of comic books by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry.
Membership was op ...
's "Women of Distinction" Award.
Maggie and Don Thompson received many joint awards,[Thompson entry](_blank)
Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. including:
* Comic Fan Art Award
The Goethe Award, later known as the Comic Fan Art Award, was an American series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1971 for comics published in 1970. The award originated with the fanzine '' Newfangles'' and then shared close ties with ...
Favorite Fan Writer, 1973 & 1974[Don Thompson entry]
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Accessed Feb. 4, 2016.
* Inkpot Award
The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual conv ...
, 1976
* Jack Kirby Award
The Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards were a set of awards for achievement in comic books, presented from 1985-1987. Voted on by comic-book professionals, the Kirby awards were the first such awards since the Shazam Awards ceased in 1975. Sponsored ...
, Best Comics Publication, 1985
* Diamond Lifetime Fandom Award, 1991
* Eisner Award, Best Comics-Related Periodical, 1992
* Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...
, Comics Industry Pioneer Award, 2019
* Eisner Award, Hall of Fame, 2020
Thompson Award
The Motor City Comic Con awarded the Don Thompson Award
The Compuserve Comics and Animation Forum's Don Thompson Awards (also known as the Thompsons) were given for achievement in comic books, comic strips, and animation. Initiated in 1992, they were originally known as the Compuserve Comics and Animat ...
from 1992 to 1998. Originally known as the "Compuserve Comics and Animation Forum Award", the name was changed to the "Compuserve Comics and Animation Forum's Don Thompson Award" (or, simply, the "Thompson") after Don Thompson's death in 1994.
References
External links
Maggie Thompson official site
Maggie's World
(column for Comic Con's Toucan blog)
Comics Buyer’s Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Maggie
1942 births
Living people
American print editors
Comics critics
Oberlin College alumni
Science fiction fans
Female comics writers
Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award winners
American librarians
American women librarians
Women print editors
Harvey Award winners