Maggie Thompson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maggie Thompson |
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Thompson at Wizard World Chicago, 2017
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| Born | Margaret Curtis November 29, 1942 |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Editor |
| Pseudonym(s) | Arthur Judson (when collaborating with late husband Don Thompson) |
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Notable works
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Comics Buyer's Guide |
| Awards | Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award Eisner Award Inkpot Award Jack Kirby Award Harvey Award |
Maggie Thompson (born Margaret Curtis; November 29, 1942) is an American editor and writer. She is well-known for her long career editing Comics Buyer's Guide, a magazine about the comic book industry. Maggie is also a big fan of science fiction and a collector of comics.
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Early Life and Comics Fandom
Margaret Curtis, known as "Maggie," was born on November 29, 1942. Her mother, Betsy Curtis, was a science fiction writer. Betsy was even nominated for a special award called the Hugo Award for one of her stories.
Maggie and her husband, Don Thompson, were very important in starting what is now known as comic book fandom. Fandom is a community of people who share a strong interest in something, like comics. In the 1960s, Maggie and Don helped bring comic fans together.
They published early fan magazines, sometimes called "fanzines." One of their first was Harbinger in 1960. It announced a new magazine called Comic Art, which was one of the first magazines about sequential art (which is another way to describe comics). Later, they started Newfangles in 1967. This fanzine focused on what was happening in the world of comic fans, not just news about the comics themselves.
Maggie Thompson's Career
In 1983, Maggie Thompson started working for a company called Krause Publications. She became the editor for two magazines: Movie Collector's World and Comics Buyer's Guide.
Maggie and her husband, Don, wrote many articles and books together. These included guides for collecting science fiction and fantasy items, and checklists for Marvel Comics. They also helped create the Comics Buyer's Guide Checklist & Price Guide, which is now in its 15th edition.
Maggie also worked on projects by herself. In 1981, she created and edited Fantasy Empire magazine. She also wrote a comic book series called Dark Shadows: Book Two - Lost in Thought in 1993.
After her husband Don passed away in 1994, Maggie continued to edit Comics Buyer's Guide. The magazine later changed from a newspaper to a monthly magazine. In 2013, she started writing a column called "Maggie's World" for the San Diego Comic-Con's blog.
Maggie's son, Stephen Thompson, also works in media. He became an editor for The Onion and helped create The A.V. Club. Now, he works for NPR and co-hosts a podcast called "Pop Culture Happy Hour." Maggie has even appeared on his podcast several times.
Awards and Recognition
Under Maggie's leadership, Comics Buyer's Guide won the comics industry's Eisner Award twice. This award is like an Oscar for comics. Maggie also received the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award. She was the first person to receive the Friends of Lulu's Women of Distinction Award.
Maggie and Don Thompson received many awards together for their work in the comics world. Some of these include:
- Comic Fan Art Award for Favorite Fan Writer in 1973 and 1974.
- Inkpot Award in 1976.
- Jack Kirby Award for Best Comics Publication in 1985.
- Diamond Lifetime Fandom Award in 1991.
- Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Periodical in 1992.
- Harvey Award for Comics Industry Pioneer Award in 2019.
- Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2020.
Don Thompson Award
The Motor City Comic Con used to give out an award called the Don Thompson Award. This award was given from 1992 to 1998. It was first called the "Compuserve Comics and Animation Forum Award." After Don Thompson passed away in 1994, the award was renamed in his honor.
