What?
Comics Forum is a magazine of literary criticism and appreciation, based in the UK. While it isn’t a dry, academic tome—in this issue “Just How Stupid Are the Skrulls” and “The Space Canine Patrol Agency” should show that we still read comics for fun—we aim to offer reflection and perspective. When describing the magazine to people who don’t follow comics, I usually call it “the Times Literary Supplement of the comics world”—for those who know more about comics, it’s “the UK equivalent of the Comics Journal”.

There is a paper version which appears quarterly, with 68 glorious pages (albeit in black-and-white), enfolded in a glossy square-bound cover that makes you want to rush out and buy a worthy coffee table. Distribution is very limited, so if you don’t frequent the London comics shops, you may never have seen it.

This is the first issue of Forum on the Web. Long-time readers of the paper version will recognise some of the articles, but may find them even punchier with the new selection of illustrations, and in colour! For newcomers, we want to give you a representative sampling of what we have done—and will continue to do.

When?
We’ll be updating this site regularly with news and recent reviews, and producing a completely new issue every three months (or so).

No Where

Who?
The magazine was founded in 1992 by Guy Lawley, who produced it single-handedly for three years, then decided that he wanted his life back, and asked the other members of the Comics Creators Guild for help. Between 1995 and 1997 there was an editorial team of four (including Guy), but now of these there are only two names for you to forget: Fiona Clements, and Howard Stangroom. I (Fiona) was swept in on that wave of enthusiasm in the mid-80s (you remember? “Comics come of age!”) so don’t expect me to know about anything much before Swamp Thing. Howard, on the other hand, is a proper comics fan, with a serious track-record, introduced to the medium forcibly at the age of five when his exasperated mother, on a shopping trip, grabbed the nearest object to hand and hit him around the head with it. Fortunately, they were in the newsagent’s rather than the ironmonger’s, and the object in question was a copy of Metal Men 1. Since then, he’s successfully avoided any trace of a ‘proper job’ by running a London comic shop, from which he’s written comics and comics journalism for a startling variety of publications.

How?
To get notified of updates to this site:

Mailing List

To get copies of the paper version of the magazine:

Subscribe

The Past
My name is Berry Sizemore. I live in the Seattle area of Washington, in the US. I am a computer professional by vocation, and at night, I am a mild mannered web producer. I've been producing web projects for 2½ years. I love making different web sites, and am always surprised by the latest and most unexpected innovations. Although I don’t use every little new idea that pops up, I do try to weave the best new web technologies into the pages that I make.

The Present
This site, however, isn’t very experimental at all. My goal is to create the most solid, best performing set of web pages possible. That means, I want all browsers to correctly render this site. Whether you use Netscape or Internet Explorer, Opera or Lynx, you shouldn’t encounter any problems viewing this site. Most traditional magazines and the new breed that pop up onto the net as ezines seem to clutter their cover pages with ads and from the outset people are unable to decipher where the actual content is at. That’s where my other goal comes in. The cover page and the contents page will be as easy to read as it would be in its paper counterpart.

Which brings me to a much needed clarification of my role on this publication. I am not a writer; I probably will not write any of the articles. I am not an artist; I probably will produce small quantities of simple art, and you’re sure to be able to do better yourself. I am not a major decision maker; I don’t have much to do with the content that is provided. I’m just not qualified to tell people how to write their stories, interviews and pieces.

What I am is more of a producer than an editor. But since this is a legitimate publication, “editor” is a more appropriate title. Things that are within the sphere of my role is coding, functionality, accessibility, and universality. Also, I manipulate the graphics and paste them together with the text of articles. I troubleshoot and respond to Internet-related issues. I try to arrange advertising on the web (future endeavour) and implement web technologies that can enhance the site without excluding readers with older, less functional browsers.

After reading the article, I offered to host a copy of it in my site, and they said that would be good, and that I should offer my visitorship the chance to buy a subscription to comics Forum. I realized that they didn’t have a site yet. I became excited! I’d been searching for an opportunity to create a web publication. It’s easy to make pages (for me), but developing content is another matter. After a couple of emails, I’d gotten a copy of the most recent issue and saw a site forming before my eyes.

I was impressed with the simplicity and contrast of the issue I was looking at. I knew right away that it wouldn’t be a problem to translate it into a web site. After some discussion with Fiona Clements, we decided to expand the current magazine onto the Internet. Now Fiona has been working doubly hard to produce both the paper ‘zine and this ezine. I’m thanking her now for the opportunity to help this publication get onto the net, from where I’m sure the readership will swell. That means an even better publication for all.

The Future
In terms of how the web site works, I’m open to your opinions and suggestions. Send an email to me at the address below. You should direct email regarding content, stories, subscriptions, and general happiness to Fiona, at the address below. Please visit the forum often, and visit the readership forum to voice your opinion for all the world to see. Finally, I really hope you enjoy this incarnation of your favourite comics industry magazine!