comics
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
news-
fanzine
A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
published from
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
direct market
The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of:
* four major comic distributors:
** Lunar ...
era (before the proliferation of comics retailers), ''TCR'' was the first regularly published comics industry news fanzine, and was able to secure many contacts from within the ranks of the larger publishers. As ''TCR'' increased in popularity and influence, it was able to attract professional artist to illustrate the covers. ''TCR'' also proved to be a launching pad for aspiring comic book creators, many of whom published work in the fanzine as amateurs. Contributors from the world of fandom included founding editor
Jerry Bails
Jerry Gwin Bails (June 26, 1933 – November 23, 2006) was an American popular culturist. Known as the "Father of Comic Book Fandom," he was one of the first to approach the comic book field as a subject worthy of academic study, and was a primar ...
, key editor
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
,
Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg (born June 14, 1955) is an American writer and comics editor. He is currently a writer and executive editor at Charlton Neo Comics and Pix-C Webcomics, and a contributing author with Crazy 8 Press. Formerly, he was an editor for D ...
,
Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951) is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as ...
Neal Pozner
Neal Pozner (1955 – June 21, 1994), sometimes credited as Neil Pozner, was an art director, editor, and writer known for his work in the comic book industry. He worked with DC Comics at two points, first as a design director and later as Group ...
,
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known simply as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his Disney comics stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and other characters which Carl Barks created for Di ...
,
Carl Gafford
Carl Gafford (born November 23, 1953) is a colorist (and occasional editor) who has worked for several decades in the comics industry. His career has spanned several publishers, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics and Topps Comics.
Biography E ...
, and
Doug Hazlewood
Doug Hazlewood (born September 20, 1954) is an American comic book artist, known primarily for inking.
Hazlewood has primarily worked for DC Comics during his career, often partnering with pencilers Tom Grummett and Nicola Scott, and he occupies a ...
.
The fanzine was founded in 1961 as ''On the Drawing Board'' by
Jerry Bails
Jerry Gwin Bails (June 26, 1933 – November 23, 2006) was an American popular culturist. Known as the "Father of Comic Book Fandom," he was one of the first to approach the comic book field as a subject worthy of academic study, and was a primar ...
, the "Father of Comics Fandom", changing its name to ''The Comic Reader'' in 1962 and being named the official bulletin of the
Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors
The Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors (ACBFC) was the first official organization of comic book enthusiasts and historians. Active during the 1960s, the ACBFC was established by Jerry Bails, the "father of comics fandom". A vital player in ...
(ACBFC). During its run, ''TCR'' won a number of industry awards, including the
Alley Award
The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with th ...
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 ...
. In its last incarnation, published by Street Enterprises, it was more professional magazine than fanzine, and was known colloquially as "the ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' of the comics industry".
Publication history
''On the Drawing Board''
Jerry Bails
Jerry Gwin Bails (June 26, 1933 – November 23, 2006) was an American popular culturist. Known as the "Father of Comic Book Fandom," he was one of the first to approach the comic book field as a subject worthy of academic study, and was a primar ...
founded and published ''On the Drawing Board'' in October 1961, to showcase the latest comic news.Yutko, Nick "1961", Absolute Elsewhere, Oct. 3, 1998. Retrieved July 16, 2008. Spinning-off from Bails' other zine, ''
Alter Ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...
'' (after appearing for three issues as a column within that publication), ''On the Drawing Board'' "was devoted to blurbs and news items pertaining to upcoming events in pro comics".
Released in stand-alone form as "a single-page news-sheet", ''On the Drawing Board'' #4 (#1-3 being applied to the columns appearing in those issues of ''A/E'') debuted on October 7, 1961.
Bill Schelly
William Carl Schelly (November 2, 1951 – September 12, 2019) was an Eisner Award-winning author who chronicled the history of comic books and comic book fandom, and wrote biographies of comic book creators, including Otto Binder, L.B. Cole, J ...
, "Jerry Bails' Ten Building Blocks of Fandom" in ''
Alter Ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...
'' Vol. 3 Issue #25 (June 2003) pp. 5-8 Comics fandom historian
Bill Schelly
William Carl Schelly (November 2, 1951 – September 12, 2019) was an Eisner Award-winning author who chronicled the history of comic books and comic book fandom, and wrote biographies of comic book creators, including Otto Binder, L.B. Cole, J ...
described its impact:
Birth of ''The Comic Reader'' and a succession of editors
In March 1962, issue #8 of ''On the Drawing Board'' was retitled ''The Comic Reader''. The "On the Drawing Board" name was retained for the periodical's news section. The (generally) monthly title became "a mainstay of fandom", winning a 1963
Alley Award
The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with th ...
.
In January 1964, Bails announced the merger of ''The Comic Reader'' with another of his fanzines, ''The Comicollector'', under the editorship of Bill White. However, a death in White's family prevented the merger from happening, at which point Florida-based published
G. B. Love
''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 c ...
merged ''The Comicollector'' into his own fanzine '' Rocket's Blast'', as well as offering to absorb ''The Comic Reader''. The ACBFC board, however, voted to maintain ''TCR'' as a standalone publication, and in mid-1964 New Mexico-based comics enthusiast Glen Johnson stepped forward to take over editorial duties.
Johnson was followed a succession of editors, including Derrill Rothermich, who switched the fanzine to offset printing in late 1965. Mark Hanerfeld took over ''TCR'' in 1968 with issue #65, but by mid-1969 was having trouble maintaining a consistent publication schedule. Hanerfeld was doing double-duty as executive secretary of the ACBFC, and apparently this workload was too much for him. The ACBFC went defunct in mid-1969; and despite winning a 1969 Alley Award, by early 1970 ''TCR'' was no longer being published.
Levitz era
In early 1971, New York teenager
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
bought the property and took over ''The Comic Reader''Rhoades, Shirrel. ''A Complete History of American Comic Books'' (Peter Lang, 2008), p. 94. with issue #78, merging it with ''
Etcetera
''Et Cetera'' ( or (proscribed) , ), abbreviated to ''etc.'', ''etc'', ''et cet.'', ''&c.'' or ''&c'' is a Latin expression that is used in English to mean "and other similar things", or "and so forth". Translated literally from Latin, means 'an ...
'', a zine he had previously co-published with
Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg (born June 14, 1955) is an American writer and comics editor. He is currently a writer and executive editor at Charlton Neo Comics and Pix-C Webcomics, and a contributing author with Crazy 8 Press. Formerly, he was an editor for D ...
. From issues #78–#89, the merged zine was called ''Etcetera & The Comic Reader''; after issue #90 the zines split up again.
Under Levitz's editorship, ''TCR'' increased circulation (going monthly after a previous schedule of eight issues per year) and changed format, usually featuring an illustrated cover and typically 16 pages in length. As the zine gained in popularity and influence, it was able to attract industry professionals, such as
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...
,
Rich Buckler
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...
,
Walt Simonson
Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...
, and
Howard Chaykin
Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.
Early life ...
, to illustrate the covers. During this period, ''TCR'' won two Best Fanzine
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 ...
s. Due to his work on the zine, Levitz became well known at the offices of
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
, where he eventually ended up working for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles.
''TCR'' published ballots for the 1973
Goethe Awards
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 ''Maggie Thompson, Newfangles'' and then shared ...
(for comics published in 1972); ''TCR'' staff also produced the program booklet for the 1973
Comic Art Convention
The Comic Art Convention was an American comic book fan convention held annually New York City, New York, over Independence Day weekend from 1968 through 1983, except for 1977, when it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 1978 to 1979, w ...
.
Issue #99 (July 1973) featured ''TCR'''s first color cover.
Street Enterprises
In November 1973, with issue #101, Wisconsin-based publisher Street Enterprises took over ''TCR'', and Mike Tiefenbacher took over as editor. Under Street Enterprises' oversight, ''TCR'' changed format to
digest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately , but can also be and , similar to the size of a DVD case. These sizes have evolved from the printin ...
, giving it even more the impression of being "the ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' of the comics industry". The magazine also began licensing its U.S. comics news material to the British fan press, particularly
Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
's ''Comic Media News'' and
Martin Lock
Martin Lock (born 1950Willis, Russell"AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN LOCK (PART THREE , THE HARRIER COMICS YEARS),"''Under the Stairs'' (2013). Accessed Feb. 8, 2020. in the United Kingdom) is a British comic book critic, writer, and publisher. As pu ...
The Menomonee Falls Gazette
''The Menomonee Falls Gazette'' (subtitled "The international newspaper for comic art fans") was a weekly tabloid published in the 1970s by Street Enterprises that reprinted newspaper comic strips from the United States and the U.K. Comic strip ...
'', the publisher moved many of the strips featured in ''The Gazette'' over to ''The Comic Reader''.
The emergence of ''
Amazing Heroes
''Amazing Heroes'' was a magazine about the comic book medium published by American company Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. Unlike its companion title, ''The Comics Journal'', ''Amazing Heroes'' was a hobbyist magazine rather than an analyt ...
'' in 1981, published by
Fantagraphics Books
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 ...
, ate into ''TCR'''s readership. As long-time Fantagraphics co-publisher
Kim Thompson
Kim Thompson (September 25, 1956 – June 19, 2013) was an American comic book editor, translator, and publisher, best known as vice president and co-publisher of Seattle-based Fantagraphics Books. Along with co-publisher Gary Groth, Thomps ...
put it: "If you want to look at it cynically, we set out to steal ''The Comic Reader'''s cheese. Which we did".
''The Comic Reader'' published its final issue, #219, in September 1984.
Features
In addition to news about creators, publishers, conventions, and the like, ''TCR'' ran recurring
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 ...
s and features such as:
* "Bullet Crow" by Chuck Fiala (strips reprinted in 2 issues published by
Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...
in 1987)
* "Captain Kentucky" by
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known simply as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his Disney comics stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and other characters which Carl Barks created for Di ...
* "Dateline @!!?#" by
Fred Hembeck
Fred Hembeck (born January 30, 1953) is an American cartoonist best known for his parodies of characters from major American comic book publishers. His work has frequently been published by the firms whose characters he spoofs. His characters are ...
* "Dick Duck, Duck Dick" by Jim Engel
* "Fandom Confidential" by Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala
* "Fowl of Fortune" by Chuck Fiala
Awards
* 1963:
Alley Award
The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with th ...
for Best Comics Fanzine
* 1969:
Alley Award
The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with th ...
for Best Unlimited Reproduction Fanzine
* 1973: Goethe Award for Favorite Fan MagazineLevitz entry ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Accessed Feb. 4, 2016.
* 1974:
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 ...
for Favorite Fanzine
* 1975:
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 ...
for Favorite Fanzine
* 1983: (nominated) Eagle Award for Favourite Specialist Comics Publication"The Eagle Awards - Results: 1983" Eagle Awards website. Archived at the Wayback Machine. Accessed Jan. 27, 2020.
* 1984: (nominated) Eagle Award for Favourite Specialist Comics Publication"Eagle Nominations Announced; American Flagg Nominated for 10", ''The Comics Journal'' #89 (May 1984), p. 11.
See also
* ''
Amazing Heroes
''Amazing Heroes'' was a magazine about the comic book medium published by American company Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. Unlike its companion title, ''The Comics Journal'', ''Amazing Heroes'' was a hobbyist magazine rather than an analyt ...
''
* ''
Marvel Age
''Marvel Age'' was a promotional comic book-sized magazine from Marvel Comics published from 1983 to 1994. Basically a comic-length edition of the Bullpen Bulletins page, ''Marvel Age'' contained previews of upcoming Marvel comics, as well as in ...
: Issues #65–77, edited by Mark Hanerfeld, were published on an 8-times-a-year schedule, though Hanerfeld had trouble maintaining even that reduced frequency.