Before the internet, and even before the advent of the local comic shop and direct market, comic readers, collectors, and enthusiasts gathered around home-grown, grass roots fanzines and other circulations to discuss and exchange comics. One of the longer running “zines” was Rocket’s Blast Comicollector. This unofficial fanzine ran from 1964 to 1983, almost 20 years! During that time it connected comic collectors with regular articles, advertisements, and classifieds for exchanging back issues. The zine contained news and regular review articles discussing all corners of the budding comic industry. Apart from the fan community this magazine fostered, it also provided amateur artists and writers the opportunity to break into the comic book publishing industry. Within its pages, you’ll find many household names who went on to produce great works at the House of Ideas, Distinguished Competition, and other publications.
Now, of particular interest to the Star Wars comic collector, RBCC did a special Star Wars edition for their issue #139 circa October 1977. The issue contains an interview with Mark Hamill, a checklist of Star Wars magazines, a review of the Alan Dean Foster novel, and a scathing critique of the first 6 Marvel Star Wars adaptation issues. In fact, James Van Hise was so critical of Howard Chaykin’s work on the adaptation, that he asked Kerry Gamill to try his own hand at adapting Obi-Wan’s Mos Eisley Cantina scuffle, with gruesome results!
Vital stats:
- Estimated Print Run: 2100
- Dated: ca October 1977
- Dimensions: 8 1/2″ x 11″
- Pages: 80
Check out some of the amazing, obscure, Star Wars art from early comic fandom below!
