The Community Behind the Comics

A collection of interviews by comic book historian Bill Schelly with notable personalities from the early years of comic book fandom.

The genesis of comic fandom took shape with a brainy crew of amateur authors, editors, and artists who in the early 1960s gave fans of all comic books, from science fiction to superheroes, a like-minded community in which to exchange their ideas, sharpen their minds, and share their passions.

Among the comic-book pioneers in thsi volume:

• ROY THOMAS, former editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, reflects in a lengthy interview about LBM (Life Before Marvel), including growing up in Jackson, Missouri; discovering comic fandom; and landing a very short-lived job at DC

• RICHARD KYLE, who coined the phrase “graphic novel,” chats about his long association with comic fandom, from buying Action #1 right off the rack, to publishing his own fanzines and running a popular bookstore in Long Beach, California

• BUD PLANT, a pioneer in selling comic books through the mail, remembers the days when valuable comics could be bought by the stack at flea markets—his flagship mail-order store is still going strong, nearly 50 years later

• STEVE PERRIN, a prolific contributor to comic fanzines of the 1960s, talks about his more recent accomplishments as an equally prolific game designer

With photos, illustrations, and index.

A rousing paean to the primeval world of comic fandom!