Tom Spurgeon, founder/editor in chief of The Comics Reporter, died today at the age of 50. His death has been reported by friends and coworkers on Twitter; no cause of death is known yet.
Spurgeon wrote about comics for the past 37 years, most notably as the editor of The Comics Journal from 1994 to 1999. His website, the Comics Reporter, is, frankly, one of the best resources for quality comics writing anywhere.
It is hard to put into words exactly what Spurgeon means to the comics world. He was as close as the industry has to a Walter Cronkite or Dan Rather, yet he wasn’t some distant icon. He was accessible and present, always a tweet away. His tastes were broad and deep, and he was as great a champion as a creator could ask for.
He was also an incredibly supportive elder statesmen for budding comics journalists of all stripes. On a personal level, he was always very nice to Multiversity, even when we disagreed over something. When Multiversity was nominated for an Eisner in 2014, he sent former Editor in Chief Matthew Meylikhov a note of congratulations, a generous and classy move from a guy who was not nominated that year. It’s not that his work wasn’t worthy of nomination; he asked to not be nominated anymore, as he did not want to take away from others winning. That is the kind of guy Tom was.
It is not hyperbolic to say that the comics discourse, not just in the United States, but worldwide, will never be the same without Tom there to help guide it to better and more thoughtful places.
Rest in peace, Tom. You will be greatly missed. Below is just a sampling of the outpouring of love from the comics internet on Twitter.
We lost @comicsreporter today. He was the reason I stuck with doing what I do in comics for so long and the industry will be much poorer without him.
— Christian Hoffer (@CHofferCBus) November 14, 2019
Just terrible, terrible news. It's hard to imagine this industry without Tom Spurgeon as a part of it. https://t.co/E43Q6UDEPv
— Parker (@jeffparker) November 14, 2019
I didn’t know Tom Spurgeon personally, but @comicsreporter’s presence as a critic & voice seemed to kind of vibrate in the bones of comics. The day he followed me, I instinctively straightened up in my chair, honored & nervous. The adults were watching. I hope he rests in peace.
— Jason Latour (@jasonlatour) November 14, 2019
One of my favorite things about Tom Spurgeon was always that, for one, he was really kind and conscientious and deeply loved comics, but at the same time, he had no truck with bullshit and would surprise you with such a cutting remark about some garbage 😙👌
— Alejandro A. Arbona 🇵🇷 (@Alejandrobot) November 14, 2019
Our good friend, everyone's good friend, Tom Spurgeon @comicsreporter, winning an Eisner in 2012 for best comics reporting. We love you Tom, may you rest in peace. {still processing, totally heartbroken} pic.twitter.com/8fD0VcsViN
— Drawn & Quarterly (@DandQ) November 14, 2019
I didn't know Tom Spurgeon very well, but he was always incredibly kind and welcoming in what felt like a very intimidating environment. He was someone I thought about when the comics ecosystem made me wonder why I even bothered with it. People like him, always. Rest in peace.
— Nineties Misfit Benjamin Birdie (@BenjaminBirdie) November 14, 2019
Continued belowAnything I want to say about how much Tom Spurgeon's passing removes some of the industry's luster for me just sounds trite in the face of a human life lost.
I hate the narrowing of comprehension among industry observers, and losing Tom's voice squeezes things even tighter.
— B. Clay Moore (@bclaymoore) November 14, 2019
And, finally, here is a (blurry) shot of Tom and the aforementioned Matt Meylikhov on a panel together at San Diego Comic Con 2014.
