The Comic Reader
The cover of the final issue of The Comic Reader, featuring Evangeline.
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| Editor | Jerry Bails (issues #1–25) Glen Johnson (issues #26–40) Derrill Rothermich (issues 41–48) Bob Schoenfeld (issues #49–64) Mark Hanerfeld (issues #65–77) Paul Levitz (issues #78–100) Mike Tiefenbacher (issues #101–219) |
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| Categories | comic book advertising, art, strips, news, reviews, and criticism |
| Frequency | (generally) monthly |
| Publisher | Jerry Bails (1961–1963) |
| Total circulation (c. 1972) |
3,500[1] |
| First issue | Oct. 7, 1961 |
| Final issue — Number |
Sept. 1984 219 |
| Company | Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors (1963–c. 1969) TCR Publications (1971–1973) Street Enterprises (1973–1982) |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Brooklyn, New York (1971–1973) Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (1973–1984) |
| Language | English |
The Comic Reader (TCR) was a comics news-fanzine published from 1961 to 1984. Debuting in the pre-direct market era (before the proliferation of comics retailers), TCR was the first regularly published comics industry news fanzine. TCR also proved to be a launching pad for aspiring comic book creators, many of whom published work in the fanzine as amateurs. During its run, TCR won a number of industry awards, including the Alley Award and the Goethe Award/Comic Fan Art Award.
The zine was founded in 1961 as On the Drawing Board by Jerry Bails, the "Father of Comics Fandom;" changing its name to The Comic Reader in 1962.
Contents
Publication history
Jerry Bails founded and published On the Drawing Board In October 1961, to showcase the latest comic news.[2] Spinning-off from Bails' other zine, Alter Ego (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."[3]
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.[3] Comics fandom historian Bill Schelly described its impact:
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Suddenly, fans had a way to see what was coming up on the newsstands. In some cases, they also found out the names of the writers and artists of certain features, in an era before such credits were routinely given. While there was considerable interest in developments at DC (especially the revival of Hawkman), fans also closely followed the entrance of other companies into the costumed hero sweepstakes: Archie Comics, Gold Key, Charlton, and Marvel.[3]
In March 1962, issue #8 of On the Drawing Board was retitled The Comic Reader, and the (generally) monthly title became "a mainstay of fandom," winning a 1963 Alley Award. Bails ceded his editorial duties in 1963,[3] and The Comic Reader continued under editor Glen Johnson, and then a succession of editors. Despite winning a 1969 Alley Award, however, by late 1969, the zine was no longer being published.
In early 1971, New York teenager Paul Levitz bought the property and took over The Comic Reader[1] with issue #78, merging it with Etcetera, a previous zine he had co-published with Paul Kupperberg. From issues #78–#89, the merged zine was called Etcetera & The Comic Reader; after issue #90 the zines split up again.[citation needed]
Under Levitz's editorship, TCR won two Best Fanzine Comic Fan Art Awards.[4] During this period, TCR was typically 16 pages long. (Due to his work on the zine, Levitz became well known at the offices of DC Comics, 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 (for comics published in 1972);[5] TCR staff also produced the program booklet for the 1973 Comic Art Convention.[6]
Issue #99 (July 1973) featured TCR's first color cover.
In November 1973, with issue #101, Wisconsin-based publisher Street Enterprises took over TCR,[1] and Mike Tiefenbacher took over as editor. In early 1979, due to the cancellation of another Street Enterprises title, The Menomonee Falls Gazette, the publisher moved many of the strips featured in The Gazette over to The Comic Reader.[7] Under Street Enterprises' oversight, TCR changed format to digest size, giving it even more the impression of being "the TV Guide of the comics industry."[1]
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 strips and features such as:
- "Bullet Crow" by Chuck Fiala
- "Captain Kentucky" by Don Rosa
- "Dateline @!!?#" by Fred Hembeck
- "Dick Duck, Duck Dick" by Jim Engel
- "Fandom Confidential" by Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala
- "Fowl of Fortune" by Chuck Fiala
Contributors
As the zine gained in popularity and influence, it was able to attract industry professionals — including Jack Kirby,[8] Rich Buckler,[9] Walt Simonson,[10] and Howard Chaykin[11] — to illustrate the covers. Besides Bails and Levitz, other contributors from the world of fandom included Paul Kupperberg, Tony Isabella, Byron Preiss, Neal Pozner, Don Rosa, Carl Gafford, and Doug Hazlewood.
Awards
- 1963: Alley Award for "Best Comics Fanzine"
- 1969: Alley Award for "Best Unlimited Reproduction Fanzine"
- 1973: Goethe Award for "Favorite Fan Magazine"[12]
- 1974: Comic Fan Art Award for "Favorite Fanzine"[12]
- 1975: Comic Fan Art Award for "Favorite Fanzine"[13]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Rhoades, Shirrel. A Complete History of American Comic Books (Peter Lang, 2008), p. 94.
- ↑ Yutko, Nick. "1961," Absolute Elsewhere, Oct. 3, 1998. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bill Schelly, "Jerry Bails' Ten Building Blocks of Fandom" in Alter Ego Vol. 3 Issue #25 (June 2003) pp. 5-8
- ↑ "Comic-Con International Special Guests," Comic-Con Magazine (Winter 2010), p. 42.
- ↑ Miller, John Jackson. "GOETHE/COMIC FAN ART AWARD WINNERS, 1971-74," Comics Buyer's Guide (July 19, 2005). Archived September 20, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ The Comic Reader #93 (Jan. 1973).
- ↑ Beginning in The Comic Reader #164 (Jan. 1979).
- ↑ The Comic Reader #100 (Aug. 1973).
- ↑ The Comic Reader #s 84–84 (Mar. & Apr. 1973).
- ↑ The Comic Reader #99 (July 1973).
- ↑ The Comic Reader #94 (Feb. 1973).
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Levitz entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Accessed Feb. 4, 2016.
- ↑ The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom #123 (March 26, 1976).
External links
- The Comic Reader at the Grand Comics Database
- The Comic Reader on Cover Brower
- Turner, Greg. "Early Comic Reader Fanzines," Back to the Past website (Nov. 8, 2013).
- Caputo, Nick. "The Comic Reader reaches 100!", Marvel Mysteries and Comics Minutiae blog (Mar. 17, 2014).
