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G.B. Love was the driving force of comics fandom in south Florida and one of the main forces of comics fandom in it’s infancy. G.B. published The Rocket’s Blast, a comics fanzine, in the early 1960s, which later merged with another fanzine to become The Rocket’s Blast ComiCollector, known to most simply as the RBCC. The RBCC was an expensive ($5) magazine-size publication with fan (and future pro) art and articles and tons of ads from comics fans and dealers. It was one of the first and largest forums for fans to buy and sell comics through the mail. This was in the days before comic stores and before The Buyer’s Guide (later known as Comic Buyer’s Guide) existed. Often, the only way for fans to get back issues was through ads in RBCC. The RBCC also showcased fan art and many whose work appeared within its pages often went on to professional comics careers. The RBCC was also an educational forum, with rich articles devoted to comics and creators long absent from the newsstands, such as EC Comics. 

If that were all that G.B. Love had done, he would definitely have earned his place in the annals of comics fandom, but he was also active on the local level. He organized the first comic book conventions in south Florida, beginning in the late 1960s in the non air conditioned Fireman’s Hall in Coral Gables, and later at various American Legion Halls in Coconut Grove. Of course, he had help from a cadre of fellow comic fans, including Jim Van Hise, Andy Warner, John Ellis, and Rick Coy. The nucleus of south Florida fandom would spring from those conventions, bringing together fans like Joe Kimbro, Vince Lavarello, Phil Beracha, Sam Ennis, Glen Lightfoot, Keith Sillman, Rob Miller, Jim Campbell, Mike Zeck, Mike and Rob Zarillo, Jeff Young, and Dennis Lambson (whose uncle was Captain Marvel artist C.C. Beck, who had retired to Miami). 

But most incredible about G.B. was that he accomplished all this while suffering from Cerebral Palsy. Before the Americans With Disabilities Act, before handicapped ramps and handicapped parking spaces, in a time when being disabled was equated with being less than a whole person, and presumably helpless as well, G.B. Love rebuffed the stereotype. “You didn’t see young handicapped people at public gatherings back then. Society was not as accepting, there were many physical impediments, and the handicapped often felt shunned. G.B. couldn’t really use his fingers, but he would sit at the admissions table and grasp the dollar bills with his gnarled hands. When he spoke, his speech was so badly affected that it often sounded more like seal utterances. But you knew that trapped in that body was an amazing person, who began each day with a reserve of more bravery and determination than most of us have to tap in a lifetime,” Sillman said. G.B. left Florida in 1974 and moved to Houston, Texas, where he co-edited a series of Star Trek books entitled The Best of Trek. In November of 2000, he was injured in a car accident and never fully recovered. Gordon Belljohn Love died on January 17, 2001. He was 61. 

A mention is made later in that paragraph about an article on Love in an upcoming issue of TwoMorrows Alter Ego publication. I did some searching and it looks like it appears in issues 133-135, 140-142, and 144, which can be ordered here.

I know I have an earlier issue of this fanzine somewhere…for now, let’s just take a look through issue 7, shall we?

First off, I took some pains scanning and stitching the gorgeous Don Newton cover painting together so you could see the whole image of this stunning front and back cover. It adorns the top of this month’s installment, and Don is featured throughout the zine (and in many other issues of this fanzine as well). I loved Don’s work from the first moment I saw it. He falls into that category of “realistic” comic book art, along with greats such as Gray Morrow. Don appeared in a ton of other fanzines, just take a look at the list of zines on my website Ink Stains page and you will see!

This issue has a three pronged attack of artists. The aforementioned Newton, Richard Corben (seen later) and John Adkins Richardson, who did several sections in issue 7, as well as being the subject of an interview. G. B. did not supply a lot of info on the interiors, just a short and succinct editorial, so we are left to guess a bit.

For example, the first feature is an article on the old serial-esque character, Rocketman, and has a logo that, to these eyes, looks suspiciously like it was done by Dave Sim. See what I mean above.

Before the Corben Conan portfolio (many of the images later printed in other fanzines) is a full page illustration by Richardson seen below.

When I reached out to my fellow fanzine aficionado, Aaron Caplan, for more info on The Golden Age, he promptly replied with info on each of the issues, as well as his informed opinion of them. Below are his thoughts on GA in general.

GB Love created a slew of original fanzines during his run as editor of RBCC, including The Golden Age (article zine focused on the golden age comics and heroes), Rocket’s Blast Special (article zine usually focused on a single topic or comic company), Fighting Heroes Comics (stripzine), Rocket’s Blast Annual (reprints from earlier Rocket’s Blast issues), and Fandom Annual (reprints from many fan publications all published under his S.F.C.A. banner).

The Golden Age really wasn’t my favorite RBCC series, probably owing to G.B. Love’s horrible typesetting and that horrible courier font he liked to use in random sizes. Unfortunately, GB had less than perfect production values. My favorite issue is #1, which was printed in glorious mimeograph which I tend to favor because these fanzines were clearly a labor of love generated by ultra-enthusiastic early fans. For example, this issue included a Flash Gordon cover by Ronn Foss, contents page with an early Fantucchio illo, and an 11 page comic strip by a very young Alan Weiss … extremely well done considering drawing on a mimeo stencil was practically impossible! The articles were by such fandom luminaries as Raymond Miller, Phil Seuling, Ed Lahmann, Margaret Gemignani and Rick Weingroff, all legendary fandom BNFs [Big Name Fans-Ken]! The Golden Age #2  was a similar effort, a high quality mimeozine with more emphasis on articles than art, but still pretty good for a mimeozine. #3 was the first offset/wraparound issue with an awesome full color Don Newton cover, but marred by the amateur typesetting and the inclusion of several comic book or movie serial newspaper reprint articles. The layout was poorly done too.

The Golden Age 4 was a mess: awesome Don Newton centerspread (but poorly reproduced) along with a slew of comic book page and cover reproductions! A nice 2-page article on fan artist Landon Chesney and great illustration by Jim Jones, but much of the issue was of zero value. #5 was a bit better with excellent Don Newton cover and interior art, plus great illoes by Martin L Greim, Dick Mosso and Rich Buckler. But again marred by inconsistent layout/typesetting, several newspaper articles of little value and comic book cover reproes,  all poorly reproduced in some kind of horrific grey-tone. The Golden Age #6: Nice art (by Bill Black, Jim Jones and Robert Kline), but the articles and the horrible typesetting and layout … meh! I can remember feeling ripped off when I received these issues in my youth (they were much more expensive than other pro-zines at the time). Not sure if I would call these “pro-zines” as they certainly did not look it.

So that brings me to issue #7, the best of the offset produced bunch. This issue is a vast improvement over the previous issues. The wraparound Tarzan cover painting by Don Newton is absolutely stunning and iconic! And the layouts are much, much improved, likely because by the early 70’s GB had hired Andy Warner, someone with a much better eye for design and an artist in his own right. The issue lists editing and layouts by Andy Warner, and it shows. The typesetting is consistent and professional looking for once! The art in this issue is also pretty exceptional including a ton of Newton (everything he did for GB was just amazing), a portfolio by Richard Corben, John Adkins Richardson (not my cup of tea, but his Maxor and Mnemo strip are fine), and the incredible Jim Jones (one of the unsung heroes of fandom).

More on Richardson later, but now we can feast our eyes on a few masterful black and white illustrations from one of the greats, Richard Corben. This is billed as The World of Conan, and I know I have seen several of these illustrations in other fanzines. I assume they appeared later, since G. B. says in the indicia that none of the contents can be reprinted without permission (italics mine). At any rate, here are three of the six images.