Thomas Martin Spurgeon (December 16, 1968 – November 13, 2019) was an American writer, historian, critic, and editor in the field of

comic a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

s, notable for his five-year run as editor of ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...

'' and his blog ''The Comics Reporter''.

Early life

Spurgeon was born December 16, 1968, in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

. He was one of three sons of Sandra "Sunny" McFarren and Wiley W. Spurgeon, Jr. His mother was a senior manager in the

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

industry, and his father was the executive editor of the sister newspapers ''The Muncie Star'' and ''The Muncie Evening Press'', a role that included curating the newspapers' comics pages. Spurgeon was his

class president A class president, also known as a class representative, is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council. In a grade school, class presidents are generally elected by th ...

in high school, and attended college at

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

, where he was a lineman on the football team, and graduated with a BA in History and Politics in 1991. He spent the next two years in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

, studying at the

Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary (G-ETS) is a private seminary and graduate school of theology related to the United Methodist Church. It is located in Evanston, Illinois, on the campus of Northwestern University. The seminary offers ...

before leaving in 1993.

Career

Spurgeon was the managing editor, and later executive editor, of ''The Comics Journal,'' a comics trade magazine and critical journal published by Fantagraphics, from 1994 to 1999. Under his tenure, the magazine expanded the scope of its coverage to more regularly include European comics, introducing an English-language readership to the new wave of publishing from France led by the group of cartoonists centered around

L'Association L'Association is a French publishing house located in Paris which publishes comic books. It was founded in May 1990 by Jean-Christophe Menu, Lewis Trondheim, David B., Mattt Konture, Patrice Killoffer, Stanislas, and Mokeït. L'Association i ...

. As well, Spurgeon's ''Journal'' was notable for the coverage it gave to burgeoning scenes of American comics makers like the

Fort Thunder Fort Thunder (1995–2001) was a warehouse on the second floor of a pre-Civil War former textile factory in the Olneyville district of Providence, Rhode Island. From 1995 through 2001, the space was used as a venue for underground music and events ...

collective. After leaving ''The Comics Journal'', Spurgeon wrote the

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

'' Wildwood'' with his childhood friend Dan Wright. The strip, initially launched as ''Bobo's Progress'', was syndicated by

King Features King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial c ...

from 1999 to 2002 and ran in about 80 newspapers. With Jordan Raphael, Spurgeon co-wrote the biography ''

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book'' (Chicago Review Press, 2003). He was also the coauthor of ''The Romita Legacy'' (Dynamite, 2011). In 2004, with site designer Jordan Raphael, Spurgeon launched ''The Comics Reporter.'' Spurgeon co-authored a history of his former employer,

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

. Written with Jacob Covey, ''Comics as Art: We Told You So'' was initially scheduled for release in 2006. However, a defamation lawsuit launched by

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

against Fantagraphics, claiming they had defamed him in the book, saw publication delayed. The book was released, with references to Ellison omitted, in 2017. In 2014, Spurgeon became the Executive Director of

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) is an annual, free, four-day celebration of cartooning and graphic novels held in Columbus, Ohio. Venues for the festival include Ohio State University's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Hale Hall, and th ...

, an annual free four-day celebration of cartooning and graphic novels in Columbus, Ohio.

Personal life

Spurgeon described himself as "a big, fat guy", standing at six feet three inches tall and weighing at times over 400 pounds. In 2011, he underwent emergency surgery that placed ''The Comics Reporter'' website on hiatus. He wrote a
essay about the experience
A year later, he poste
a second essay
detailing his change in perspective, lifestyle modifications, and significant weight loss following his surgery. In it, he explains, "I wasn't sick ''because'' I was overweight. The weight was a factor in my recovery...My desire to lose weight greatly intensified because of the new health realities I faced." Spurgeon died on November 13, 2019, at age 50 in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

Awards

Spurgeon and ''The Comics Reporter'' won the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism in 2010, 2012, and 2013. The site was also awarded the UTNE Independent Press Award for arts and literature coverage in 2002. Spurgeon sat on the 2019

Ringo Award The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Ringo Awards, are prizes given for achievement in comic books. They are named in honor of artist Mike Wieringo and they were founded by the Reisterstown, Maryland-based Cards ...

s Professional Jury.Johnston, Rich
"Comic Book Folk Remember Tom Spurgeon,"
''Bleeding Cool'' (November 14, 2019).

Bibliography

* (with Jordan Raphael) ''Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book'' (Chicago Review Press, 2003) * ''The Romita Legacy'' (Dynamite Entertainment, 2011) * (with Jacob Covey) ''Comics As Art: We Told You So'' (Fantagraphics Books, 2016)

References

External links

The Comics Reporter

Chasing Tom Spurgeon", interview (June 13, 2005)

Tom Spurgeon , On the Serious Side (February 26, 2010)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spurgeon, Tom 1968 births 2019 deaths People from Muncie, Indiana Writers from Indiana 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers American magazine editors Place of death missing American comics writers Anime and manga critics Comics critics Eisner Award winners for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism Washington and Lee Generals athletes American biographers