TCJ issues overall: 3 out of 5

Gerber contribution (#37 – 40): 2 out of 5

Gerber interview: 3 out of 5

So, like, maybe I’ve never read a fanzine before.  I read comic news – Comic Shop News, some major websites – but these are widely read deals.  I feel like the fanzine of the 70s and 80s – small, hand-stapled affairs with text by non-pros – have their proxy in the fringes of the internet now, the stuff that’s generally, eh, not worth reading I guess, just random yahoos with opinions.  But back before the internet allowed geeks to sort of get their shit together (and allowed even the laziest of crazies to blog somewheres), fanzines and newsletters seemed like the source for info and conversations “real” fans wouldn’t find anywhere else.  And if I’m reading the subtext of TCJ properly, as they’d just graduated to a different format with issue #37, some people – like Gary Groth of Fantagraphics, main guy for The Journal – wanted to raise the bar.  So TCJ had a sophisticated tone to it, and was probably one of the better produced mags of that era.  It also seems like they were able to nab some big interviews – Steranko, Gil Kane – and articles would make reference to contacts at various publishers and whatnot, so The Journal was a step beyond, for sure.  But it was still a fanzine.  It was still littered with opinionative gabbers poo-pooing on everything except Citizen Kane, except poo poo on that too.

The tiny text articles / reviews take a bit of work to get through (I guess you got your bang for your cover price), but it is worth reading one of these from this time – late 70s – if you get the opportunity.  While TCJ still exists, I’m going to assume it’s shifted exclusively to indie books.  The attitude for that was there at the time of these issues, but the publications weren’t, so there’s still plenty of Marvel and DC.  So, interestingly, you get sophisticates analyzing Spider-Man and Conan.  It’s fascinatingly quirky.  Also being before the age of Tweets ruining your career within minutes, and balanced on the edge of fandom, those opinionative gabbers are mighty bold with their opinions, which seems to feed over into the interviews, which are surprisingly frank.

…For a couple of issues, anyway.  In 40 and 41 (so including the Gerber interview), the Q&A’s focus seems to become narrower and the interviewee rants a little less shocking.  Maybe it’s just luck of the draw, who’s doing the speaking; who knows.  If I track down some further issues, I’ll have a comparison point.

TCJ being an item of interest aside, though, one issue’ll do ya: Groth ran an impressive enterprise, but besides the letters column and interview, the mag feels incredibly random.  Articles aren’t consistent per issue, and the division between ads and articles is hard to detect at first… which goes back to the fanzine feel.  So: absolutely fascinating from a historical perspective, but only fascinating to read selectively.

As to the reason I bought these – the inclusion of some HTD newspaper strips, which are proving tough to track down – while the printing is clear, the execution is funny.  In issue 37 (strips), apparently unsure how to fit the horizontal panels onto the page, the strips are published such that you have to turn the mag sideways.  That’s fair.  …And then since you have it sideways, I guess they decided to adjust the reading order to match?  So the first strip is on the back cover, and then you read “in” to the magazine.  It’s weird.  Especially since they switch it back to left-to-right the following issue.   (…Fanzine).  But I think the most offensive thing is the lack of context: it really feels like they left out strips.  Maybe not, but the story really jumps around.  So that’s the bulk of the low rating, which is admittedly based on an assumption.  Meh.

The Gerber interview in 41 is nice and long, but as mentioned above, by this point, the interviews already feel like they’re playing it safe.  Not sure why.  So Steve covers a lovely range of topics that circle around his then-recent firing from Marvel, but it still feels like things are left unsaid.  Making this, alas, non-essential reading, and maybe demystifying a bit if you’re attributing a particular amount of wisdom to Steve, when his own explanation of his work simplifies things a bit.