Mapping out indie comic influences for a zine uncovered generational divides in fandom

I've been researching underground comics from the 70s for a fanzine I'm putting together with friends. It's kind of wild how younger fans I've talked to don't recognize these roots at all, I mean, idk, maybe it's just me but it feels like a disconnect. Do you think appreciation for comic history is getting lost in current fan spaces?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_webb11d ago

Yeah, that "invented yesterday" feeling Julia mentioned is spot on. It happens when the current artists everyone likes don't talk about where their stuff came from. If they never mention Crumb or Green, why would new fans go look for them.

julia_ward11d ago

Reading about younger fans not recognizing those 70s roots... I used to assume that foundational history was just common knowledge among indie comic readers. But trying to discuss artists like Justin Green with a newer crowd last year... it really highlighted how that era isn't being passed down organically. Now I see it's not that appreciation is lost, but that the context isn't being provided, so everything feels invented yesterday.

oscar_johnson9911d ago

Is it any wonder kids think manga invented autobiographical comics last week? Without someone pointing to Green or Crumb, it all just blends into the background noise. Guess we need to start handing out history pamphlets at cons.