Sharing My Story

Comics Fandom 1982 Part 2

So I came into the group with some expectations that were
perhaps 15 years out of date. Most of the fans, a group of from
6 to 8 people, were primarily interested in discussing the most
recent offerings of Marvel or DC Comics. Some felt personally
betrayed by editorial changes made, for example, by Jim Shooter
(then editor-in-chief) at Marvel Comics. Many meetings tended
to degenerate into boring roasting Jim Shooter sessions. Others
hearkening back to recent runs on specific comics that were
supposedly so much better than what was then being offered.

While I had experienced some fan negativity through the fanzines
of the 1960s it seemed as if the major emphasis of these discussions
was on fault finding with the major comic companies. Some of the
more loquacious members used the group as a platform for
pontificating about the perceived faults of the major publishers.
Comics history, constructive discussion and methods of normal
civil discourse seemed to be in short supply during many of the
meetings. Even though I hung in with the group for a long time
in hopes that I might steer the discussions in more positive directions
I eventually found my efforts were not bearing fruit.

Perhaps the most important thing to come out of this association
was some friendships that developed. One was with John Tigne,
a young artist, who later did some artwork on Charles Whitley's
Dragonstrike (in Valiant Efforts). John later went on to work for
several years as a background artist with Image Comics.
David Seidman, who worked as a comics editor with the
Los Angeles Times Syndicate and later with Claypool Comics,
was one of the more reasonable and well-spoken group members.
Perhaps out of this experience was the realization of the very
limited potential of being part of a secular group where there was
a lack of positive direction and common conversational civility.

Labels: Claypool Comics, David Seidman, John Tigne