Science Fiction and Comics Association

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Fan Club
Name: SFCA, Science Fiction and Comics Association
Dates: 1961-1974
Founder(s): G.B. Love
Leadership: G.B. Love, Andy Warner
Country based in: U.S.
Focus: science fiction, comics
External Links:
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G.B. Love's letter to the letters column of Mystery in Space about his new science fiction club.

The SFCA was a fan club/publishing group created by G.B. Love in 1961. It was initially a science fiction club, called the "Science Fiction Club of America", and then in May 1962[1] the name (but not the acronym!) was changed to the "Science Fiction and Comics Association" to encompass the group's overlapping interests in sci-fi and comics. According to Bill Schelly in his book The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, there was another name change later, this time to "South Florida Comic Association"[2].

First page of the SFCA's first publication, Rocket's Blast #1 (1961)

Love promoted the group in a number of professional comics, including letters of comment in Julius Schwartz' Mystery in Space #72 in December 1961( (see image to the left), and Marvel's Fantastic Four #10 (January 1962)[3], which lead to the expansion of the group beyond its first six members. There is little information on the group's activities outside of the zine publishing, but James Cassara remembers comic gatherings hosted by the group every few months[4].

The first ten issues of the group's first publication, Rocket's Blast, acted as the club's newsletter, with a notice to the members and a request for material, including a planned Feature about individual members, in the first issue:

In this space that you are now gazing upon was suppose [sic] to be our Feature, an article about one of the members. But the information I asked for from one of the members did not reach me in time to be included in this issue. However, starting with the next issue, The Feature will be included.

 [5]

Over time, the SFCA appears to have become more a publishing group than a fan club[2]. John Ellis describes how, as a young fan who had moved to South Florida and attended the first meeting of the South Florida Comics Council (of which Love and his friend/co-worker Andy Warner were members), he was invited to work in the SCFA offices in September 1968[6]. At this time Love was also running "Ye Olde Fanzine Shoppe" (est. 1968), a direct purchase outlet for reprints of the better amateur fanzines, and was using the SFCA name for correspondence and advertising[7]. This was also reflected in the change of Rocket's Blast from a newsletter zine to adzine for early comics fandom, later amalgamating with The Comicollector to become the very popular Rocket's Blast Comicollector in 1964.

Photo of G.B. Love 'welcoming' John Ellis to the SFCA office (1970). The replica Conan the Barbarian battle-axe was a gift from C.C. Beck picked up that day.

John Ellis describes the situation thus:

Somebody said the other day that this [the SFCA] was a way for G.B. to make money...well it became that after a while, but he just wanted to start a club that he himself would belong to, to enjoy his own fannish interests. Didn't start out to make money, but it just evolved and took off and eventually more money was coming in than he spent on putting out publications. He would have been a fool not to encourage making a living at it (and G.B. was no fool). He spent money on color covers and better paper and put in a lot that everyone could enjoy. He changed the world of fandom for the better of us all 😉

 [8]

The SFCA published a number of other mostly comics fanzines between 1961 and 1974 under the Association's imprint, culminating in The SFCA Price Guide written by Andy Warner in 1974. It was here that the group struck trouble with Bob Overstreet:

Much of The SFCA Price Guide was lifted from the Overstreet Price Guide. The ad copy refers to the Overstreet Guide without naming it. When Overstreet cited G.B. Love with copyright infringement, it was pulled from circulation. Unsold copies are said to have been destroyed...

 [9]

This coincided with Love's relocation from Florida to Houston and his focus shifting to Star Trek fandom. Whether a contributing factor or not, the ill-fated Price Guide was the Association's last publication. The Rocket's Blast Comicollector was sold to Jim Van Hise and continued under his name for another nine years. The SFCA appears to have faded into obscurity. It had, however, been a launchpad for a number of the "BNFs" of 1960s-1970s comic fandom as well as some of the most important zines of the period. The group also was the first experience of fandom for many who became artists, writers and editors within the industry.

Membership

The names of new members were posted in each issue of Rocket's Blast in "The Rocket's Roll", up until Issue #29 when it became the Rocket's Blast Comicollector. Names are collected from images of individual issues and/or the description provided by the MyComicShop.com or Poopsheet Foundation listing. This is by no means a complete roster of members.

*December 1961
  • April 1962
    • Michael Maginnis - Maryland
  • February 1964
    • new subscribers list posted, names unavailable
  • March 1964
    • final new subscribers list posted, names unavailable

Publications

References

  1. ^ "IMPORTANT: We are changing the name of our club to the Science Fiction and Comics Association. As you will notice, the initials are the same." in Rocket's Blast #6, May 1962
  2. ^ a b "Love published under the aegis of the SFCA. This originally stood for Science Fiction and Comic Association, but was changed to South Florida Comic Association. In any case, it was merely the name of Love's company" - excerpt from The Golden Age of Comic Fandom by Bill Schelly, reprinted in "The RBCC Story", Alter Ego #133, June 2015.
  3. ^ John Ellis sharing Don Price's post in "G.B. Love, Andy Warner & RBCC Memories!" on Facebook, Nov 4/18
  4. ^ James's Post to G.B. Love, Andy Warner & RBCC Memories! on Facebook, Apr 1/18
  5. ^ Rocket's Blast #1 (December 1961)
  6. ^ "Back in My Days at the RBCC - Part 3 (of many)" by John Ellis, "G.B. Love, Andy Warner & RBCC Memories! group on Facebook, Jan 14/18.
  7. ^ "Robert's Post" by Robert Beerbohm at G.B. Love, Andy Warner & RBCC Memories! on Facebook, Jan 1/18.
  8. ^ comment to "Robert's Post" by John Ellis, "G.B. Love, Andy Warner & RBCC Memories! group at Facebook, Jan 1/18.
  9. ^ "S.F.C.A. Price Guide, The - Notes", Poopsheet Foundation. Wayback May 15/24)
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