 Cover ofThe Rocket's Blast and the Comicollector #29 (April 1964), the 1st issue of the merger. Art by Don Fowler (Buddy Saunders). | |
| Editor | The Comicollector - Jerry Bails 1961–1962 - Ronn Foss 1962–1964 The Rocket's Blast -G. B. Love 1961–1964 RBCC - G. B. Love 1964–1974 -James Van Hise 1974–1983, 2002-2003 |
|---|---|
| Categories | Comic book Advertising Strips News Reviews Criticism |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | G. B. Love (1964–1974) James Van Hise (1974–1981, 2002–2003) New Media Publishing (1981–1983) |
| Total circulation | 3,300 (1979) |
| First issue | April 1964 #29 |
| Final issue | June 1983 #153 |
| Company | S.F.C.A. |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Miami, Florida |
| Language | English |
Rocket's Blast Comicollector (RBCC) was a comics advertisingfanzine published from1964 to 1983. The result of a merger with a similar publication,RBCC's purpose was to bring fans together for the purpose of adding to their comic book collections. It also proved to be a launching pad for aspiring comic book creators, many of whom corresponded and exchanged their work throughRBCC, and published work in the fanzine as amateurs.
RBCC featured fan-generated art, original articles, and advertisements from comic book fans and dealers. Debuting in the pre-direct market era (before the proliferation of comics retailers),RBCC was one of the first and largest forums for buying and selling comics through the mail — often, the only way for fans to acquire back issues was through advertisements inRBCC.[1] And, asComicSource wrote, "RBCC was also an educational forum, with rich articles devoted to comics and creators long absent from the newsstands, such asEC Comics."[1]
Inspired in part by thescience-fiction fanzine/"adzine"The Fantasy Collector, in 1961,Jerry Bails, "the father of comics fandom," createdThe Comicollector as "a publication devoted primarily to the field" rather than the occasional advertisements of comics for sale that appeared inThe Fantasy Collector.[2] After publishingThe Comicollector for a year, Bails passed it on toRonn Foss.
Meanwhile,Miami-based comics andscience fiction enthusiast G. B. Love had formed the Science Fiction and Comics Association (S.F.C.A.) and begun publishing his own fanzine,The Rocket's Blast (also debuting in 1961). In 1964The Comicollector andThe Rocket's Blast merged to formThe Rocket's Blast and the Comicollector.[2][3] The first issue of the new publication was #29 (continuing the numbering ofThe Rocket's Blast) and dated April 1964. (By about issue #50 [1966], the fanzine had shortened its title toRocket's Blast Comicollector, and often just referred to itself asRBCC.)
CartoonistGrass Green was an early and frequent contributor toRBCC, as wasBuddy Saunders (later proprietor of theLone Star Comics chain of comic book retailers), and Raymond L. Miller. Contributing writers during this era included science fiction authorHoward Waldrop.
Between issues #25 (published Dec. 1963) and #50 (1966), the zine's circulation grew from about 200 to over 1,100. ByRBCC #75 (1968), the circulation was 2,000. With issueRBCC #100 (1973), the circulation hit 2,250.
Between 1968 and 1973, comics artistDon Newton produced almost two dozen covers for theRocket's Blast Comicollector. Newton's science fiction stripThe Savage Earth ran from 1968 to 1970 inRBCC.
Joe Kubert serialized his strip "Danny Dreams" in the pages ofRBCC in 1971.
From 1972–1975 comics historianJames Van Hise serialized his (and Larry Bigman's) "Al Williamson Collector" in the pages ofRBCC.[4]
In the early 1970s,RBCC joined theWE Seal of approval program, a consumer protection/anti-mail fraud program.
Love publishedRBCC until 1974, when he moved from Miami toHouston, Texas, where he became involved withStar Trek fandom (and co-producedHoustoncon '74 and '75).
With Love's departure (issue #113, published in Sept. 1974), long-time contributorJames Van Hise took over the publishing duties ofRocket's Blast Comicollector. Van Hise introduced new features and columns to the zine, freshening its aesthetic for new audiences.[5] Van Hise published four issues ofRBCC under the auspices of the Science Fiction Comics Association in 1976–1977.
From 1976–1978, cartoonistDon Rosa serialized his adventure comic stripThe Pertwillaby Papers inRBCC.
With the rise of thedirect market system in the late 1970s and early 1980s,Rocket's Blast Comicollector was forced to shift its focus, as its readers could more easily find comics back issues in local comic shops rather than buying them through the mail. Competition from the likes ofComics Buyer's Guide pressuredRBCC as well; after publishing on a monthly schedule for most of its existence, in 1978RBCC went bimonthly.RRBC published four issues in 1979 (when their circulation hit a peak of 3,300), one issue in 1980, no issues in 1981, two issues in 1982, and its final issue, #153, in 1983. The last few issues were published byNew Media Publications, which also published the fanzinesComics Feature andLOC (and published many works by editor Van Hise).RBCC's final issue was a parody issue titled "The Contentious Journal," which appeared to be satirizing one of its competitors,The Comics Journal.
In 2002–2003, James Van Hise temporarily revivedThe Rocket's Blast and the Comicollector, publishing four issues out of a new headquarters inYucca Valley, California.[6]
Starting out as a photocopied fanzine,RBCC eventually morphed into a magazine-size publication.
RRBC regular features included columns, articles, reviews, interviews, and cultural commentary; fan-generated art; aletter column (titled "Blasts from the Readers"); andclassified comic book ads.
Other columns, most of which appeared a few times at most, were contributed by Bernie Bubnis,Phil Seuling,Paul Gambaccini, Calvin Castine,Tom Fagan, and Rick Weingroff.