DAMN IT!!! Mark Evanier is reporting the death of Tom Fagan. Tom was the Big Name Fan of all comic book BNFs in the 1960s and 70s. About a year ago, I publicly tried tracking him down for some interviews and, while I got some wonderful help, I didn't pursue it aggressively enough and that opportunity is now gone forever.
Tom was, by all accounts I've seen, well loved and respected by the comic community, and was written into a number of comic book stories, including the first one that really hooked me into comics: Batman #237. He was one of the pillars of comic fandom, whose name resides next to the likes of Jerry Bails, Don and Maggie Thompson, Ronn Foss, Biljo White, and all the other BNFs you've ever heard of. Rutland and their Halloween parade is precisely what it is because of Fagan.
I'm a little irked at myself for not trying harder to get a hold of Fagan. Not so much that I missed on a chance to talk with him, but that the comic community has missed an opportunity to formally hear from him. I'm certain he had a lot of insights about fandom which would've proved absolutely fascinating. It's really a terrible shame that we've lost him.
The Rutland Herald just ran this 2007 interview and has his obituary.
DAMN IT!!
3 comments:
Thank you for your kind words. Tom Fagan was my mother's cousin. He was a great guy, who would have been flattered by your kind words. Thank you from his/my family and myself.
--B.C.
I can get you in touch with Tom's daughter if you would like to talk to her. She has a major amount of info and would like somthing written in memory of her dad.
Hey, Robert --
Thanks for the offer; that would be great! You (or Tom's daughter) can email me through my Blogger profile.
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