Replies

  • Is it still being published?

  • I'd say, as I often have, that I favored Amazing Heroes to The Comics Journal, because Amazing Heroes celebrated comics and superheroes, and The Comics Journal took a tone of "superheroes are terrible and stupid, and if you like them you're terrible and stupid, too."

    Plus, in my eyes, it didn't help that The Comics Journal and Harlan Ellison went out of their way to heap insults on one of my favorite writers, Michael L. Fleischer. So much so that Fleischer sued for libel. The whole episode comes off as the cool kids bullying the class nerd, and getting away with it (Fleischer lost).

  • I'm not too familiar with The Comics Journal other than what I have heard about it. I think I bought only one issue, for the cover feature, Nexus. I loved The Comics Buyers; Guide.

  • At one point in the early 80s, I subscribed to The Comics Journal but its heavy emphasis on independent comics went way over my teenage head.

    Plus I found myself reluctantly front and center in the Gerry Conway/Steve Englehart feud and it was very uncomfortable reading. 

  • Philip Portelli said:

    At one point in the early 80s, I subscribed to The Comics Journal but its heavy emphasis on independent comics went way over my teenage head.

    Plus I found myself reluctantly front and center in the Gerry Conway/Steve Englehart feud and it was very uncomfortable reading. 

    What do you mean by that? What Gerry Conway/Steve Englehart feud?

  • I read The Comics Journal regularly in the late Seventies. It was the most professional looking of the fanzines available at my local comic book shop. It was that magazine-like quality that attracted me. Eventually I grew tired of the hipper than thou attitude and general rejection of mainstream comics that others have mentioned.

    On the positive side it was through TCJ that I learned about people like Carl Barks and Will Eisner which motivated me to seek out their work.

  • ClarkKent_DC said:

           Philip Portelli said:

           Plus I found myself reluctantly front and center in the Gerry Conway/Steve Englehart feud and it was
           very uncomfortable reading. 

    What do you mean by that? What Gerry Conway/Steve Englehart feud?

    I've never read The Comics Journal but I have never heard of a feud between these two either.

  • Steve Engelhart gave an interview in The Comics Journal #63 where he says that he left Marvel in 1976 due to Gerry Conway's very brief stint as editor-in-chief where Conway allegedly "took" The Avengers away from him among other grievances.

    In TCJ #68, they published a very nasty letter by Conway who called Engelhart a "liar", an "egotist" and implied heavy drug use. This went back and forth for a while and they dragged in Roy Thomas as well.

    ClarkKent_DC said:

    Philip Portelli said:

    At one point in the early 80s, I subscribed to The Comics Journal but its heavy emphasis on independent comics went way over my teenage head.

    Plus I found myself reluctantly front and center in the Gerry Conway/Steve Englehart feud and it was very uncomfortable reading. 

    What do you mean by that? What Gerry Conway/Steve Englehart feud?

  • I never read any of the original material when it was initially published. Honestly, it wouldn't have interested me at the time. Now I did buy The Comics Journal Library vol. 8: EC Artists. Now that I loved.

    Also, I believe some of the chapters in Sparring With Gil Kane were originally published in the magazine as well.

  • Well, that answers one of my questions; some people here do remember some of the ancient quarrels that informed the Journal's history.

    While going through my blog, I came across a satiric spoof-song I composed about some of the Journal's problematic moments. Since there are no JOURNAL people here, I would think that it doesn't violate any rules about flaming; it's meant as satire of people who took themselves a little too seriously. I will post it in the hope that it amuses; if not, feel free to delete.

    ("To the tune of JINGLE BELLS")

    Ohhhhh--

    Journal Belles, Journal Belles, Journal all the way,

    Oh what fun it is to ride A hobbyhorse all day, Hey!

    Journal Belles, Journal Belles, The superhero's bane,

    If you don't like alternatives Then "fanboy" be thy name.

    Slashing through Frank Cho

    Giving Sim and Miller sass

    Slanting Harlan's coverage

    Got GAUNTLET on their **s!

    Bashing Peter David

    Made no one look too bright,

    What fun it is to chide and sting And start a great big fight!

    Oh, Journal Belles, Journal Belles,

    The patrons of the arts,

    Too bad their current criticism Is

    Not

    Worth

    Six

    Wet

    [Things That Rhyme with 'Arts']--!

This reply was deleted.