tjarks (03/22/83)
(To see what prompted this article, look in net.news.groups.) Why does Gary Groth publish "The Comics Journal" if he hates comics? Quite simply, he doesn't hate comics. He likes the medium of the comics/illustrated story/panelology/whatever. It's the current output of the major comic companies and several of the minor ones that he hates. He covers the major comics because most of his readers read those comics, and if he just covered what he liked his circulation would go down the drain. I don't think the above is any excuse for his brand of "journalism" though. The news sections are either "Who is Jim Shooter forcing out of Marvel this week" or plugs for his favorite new "alternative" comics or "graphic novels". Eclipse tends to get a lot of news, as do the underground publishers. Also, not surprisingly, his Fantagraphics books get a lot of coverage. The interviews always try to get the subject to tell how horrible it is to work at Marvel, if not at both major companies, and how newsstand comics are quickly going down the toilet. Quite often, Groth manages to put words in the subject's mouth, e.g. when he got Harlan Ellison to libel Don Heck (I'm not sure Ellison knew for sure what Don Heck ever worked on, it was probably just a name he recognized.) The only major comics that escape harsh criticism in the Journal are current fan favorites, but watch out when popularity starts to wane. Anyway, I'm likely to let my subscription lapse in a few months. I'm interested in hearing what others on the net read for comics news and reviews. Right now, the only other comics related magazine I read is The Comic Reader (I recommend it for all comics fans). Also, has anyone out there read Fantagraphics "Love and Rockets". That is always being hyped in the Journal, but the samples I've seen there have turned me off the book totally. Tim Tjarks