The Comic Reader
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Comic Reader |
| Publisher: | Jerry Bails (1961–1963) Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors (1963-1969) TCR Publications (1971-1973) Street Enterprises (1973-1982) |
| Editor(s): | Jerry Bails (issues #1–25) Glen Johnson (issues #26–40) |
| Type: | news, articles, reviews |
| Date(s): | 1961 - 1984 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Comics |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | Wikipedia |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Comic Reader (TCR) was an award-winning news-fanzine focusing on comics. 219 issues were published between 1961 and 1984. Founded by Jerry Bails and originally called On The Drawing Board, it was renamed in 1962 when the zine was named the official bulletin for the Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors, the group later responsible for the early New York comic conventions. The zine was generally published monthly and became a mainstay of fandom. After a brief hiatus in 1970 it was revived by Paul Levitz in 1971 and in 1973 it was purchased by Street Enterprises who continued to print a digest sized version until 1982 when competition from Fantagraphics Book's Amazing Heroes put it out of business[1].
Reviews and Reactions
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Awards
- 1963: Alley Award for Best Comics Fanzine
- 1969: Alley Award for Best Unlimited Reproduction Fanzine
- 1973: Goethe Award for Favorite Fan Magazine
- 1974: Comic Fan Art Award for Favorite Fanzine
- 1975: Comic Fan Art Award for Favorite Fanzine
- 1983: (nominated) Eagle Award for Favourite Specialist Comics Publication
- 1984: (nominated) Eagle Award for Favourite Specialist Comics Publication
Content
TCR's numbering begins at Issue #8; On The Drawing Board's previous last issue was #7. Little information is available for issues #8-#10, but it appears those early editions were similar in format to OtDB - plain text news sheets of less than 10 pages. The first 25 issues of both OtDB and TCR are reprinted in The Comic Reader and On The Drawing Board by Dr. Jerry Bails: The First 25 Issues, an independently published book courtesy of Bail's widow and his estate. To quote (with apologies) the Amazon sales blurb:
Courtesy of Dr. Jerry Bails’ widow, Mrs. Jean Bails, and the Estate of Dr. Jerry G. Bails, all twenty-five issues are reprinted in their entirety, which represents the complete run published by Dr. Bails from 1961 to 1964, at which time he turned his editorship over to Glen Johnson with #26. As an added bonus, and little-known among collectors, Dr. Bails also published special “extra” editions of THE COMIC READER within the pages of other fanzines such as SUPER-HERO, MASQUERADER, THE ROCKET’S BLAST, and THE COMICOLLECTOR, and these eight special editions, each with all-new (at the time) content are also included in this book, bringing the total number of installments published by Dr. Bails to thirty-three, all of which are reprinted here. Each issue was selected from the best-known available copies from the meticulously-assembled archives of collector J. Ballmann, who has performed extensive restoration of the pages and who has written relevant commentary for all thirty-three issues that provides historical context to what was going on in the world of comic collecting at the time. These rare and now impossible-to-find publications are filled with letters by such luminaries as Stan Lee, Gardner Fox, Julius Schwartz, Roy Thomas, Bill Harris, Joe Kubert, Marv Wolfman, and include perhaps the only published letter by Marvel Secretary Judy Walsh, who announced in 1962 the upcoming arrival of Iron Man to the world for the first time. Also included are the first reviews of such iconic comics as FANTASTIC FOUR #1, THE INCREDIBLE HULK #1, X-MEN #1, and so many more, reviews that were untainted by nostalgia (since the characters were brand new) and with absolutely no idea of just how popular these characters would become. Equally as fascinating are the many ads by the dealers and collectors of the early 1960s, including ads by a young high school student named Howard Rogofsky who was selling comics such as AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 and FANTASTIC FOUR #1 for just $1.00 each!
Subpages for The Comic Reader:
Issues 11-25[3]
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References
- ^ "The Comic Reader" - Wikipedia
- ^ "THE COMIC READER AND ON THE DRAWING BOARD BY DR. JERRY BAILS: THE FIRST 25 ISSUES Paperback – June 11 2022" at Amazon.ca
- ^ "Comic Reader (1961) comic books" at My ComicShop.com (via Wayback Jun 27/24)