Cliff Biggers
Encyclopedia
Cliff Biggers is a comic book
writer and journalist. His first published writing appeared in fanzine
s in the mid-1960s. He was a founding member of the amateur press alliance
(APA) Myriad and was active in the Southern Fandom Press Alliance, a southeastern-based science fiction apa
. He was also involved in Galaxy, CAPA-Alpha, Apa-5, and other amateur press alliances.
's Mediascene magazine in 1972; he worked intermittently for Steranko for two years. At the same time, he and his wife Susan H. Biggers co-edited and published the science fiction review magazine Future Retrospective. He and Susan Biggers received the 1977 Rebel Award for outstanding Southern science fiction fan achievement for their work with Future Retrospective.
Biggers was a founding member of the Atlanta Science Fiction Club (ASFiC) in 1977. He wrote and edited Atarantes, the ASFiC publication, until 1982, when he cut back his involvement in Atlanta science fiction.
In 1982, Biggers became a co-owner of a comic shop, Dr. No's, for which he began writing a newsletter, The Doctor Knows. That newsletter grew into Comic Shop News
, a publication he co-launched with Ward Batty in the spring of 1987. CSN grew to become the largest-circulation weekly in the comic book industry, and still continues as a weekly publication.
Biggers also wrote dozens of articles for Krause Publications' Comics Buyers Guide in the 1980s and 1990s, and acted as their primary price guide adviser for many of those years.
Biggers also created and wrote the comic book After Apocalypse, which featured the first published artwork of Mark Bagley
(who would later go on to illustrate The Amazing Spider-Man
and Ultimate Spider-Man
) and Dave Johnson.
In the 1990s, he co-wrote Earth Boys with Brett Brooks; the series was illustrated by co-creator Dave Johnson. The recurring comic book story was featured in several issues of Dark Horse Comics
' Dark Horse Presents
.
He and Brett Brooks also co-wrote the final three issues of I-Bots, the Tekno Comics series based on a concept by Isaac Asimov
. In those issues, they introduced the Corp-Bots, a group of characters who were scheduled to appear in their own adventures until Tekno abruptly ceased publishing.
Biggers remains the primary writer for Comic Shop News and is a frequent contributor (with a featured column appearing at least monthly) to the Newsarama
website.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
writer and journalist. His first published writing appeared in fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
s in the mid-1960s. He was a founding member of the amateur press alliance
Amateur press association
An amateur press association is a group of people who produce individual pages or magazines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group.-Organisation:...
(APA) Myriad and was active in the Southern Fandom Press Alliance, a southeastern-based science fiction apa
APA
- Associations :* Aborigines Progressive Association, an Australian organization* All Peoples' Association , a British voluntary organization* Allied Pilots Association, the certified collective bargaining agent for American Airlines pilots...
. He was also involved in Galaxy, CAPA-Alpha, Apa-5, and other amateur press alliances.
Career
Biggers' first professional writing was done for Jim SterankoJim Steranko
James F. Steranko is an American graphic artist, comic book writer-artist-historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator....
's Mediascene magazine in 1972; he worked intermittently for Steranko for two years. At the same time, he and his wife Susan H. Biggers co-edited and published the science fiction review magazine Future Retrospective. He and Susan Biggers received the 1977 Rebel Award for outstanding Southern science fiction fan achievement for their work with Future Retrospective.
Biggers was a founding member of the Atlanta Science Fiction Club (ASFiC) in 1977. He wrote and edited Atarantes, the ASFiC publication, until 1982, when he cut back his involvement in Atlanta science fiction.
In 1982, Biggers became a co-owner of a comic shop, Dr. No's, for which he began writing a newsletter, The Doctor Knows. That newsletter grew into Comic Shop News
Comic Shop News
Comic Shop News is a free weekly newspaper distributed throughout comic book specialty stores. It was launched in 1987 by Cliff Biggers and Ward Batty, both of whom continue to edit it today.- History :...
, a publication he co-launched with Ward Batty in the spring of 1987. CSN grew to become the largest-circulation weekly in the comic book industry, and still continues as a weekly publication.
Biggers also wrote dozens of articles for Krause Publications' Comics Buyers Guide in the 1980s and 1990s, and acted as their primary price guide adviser for many of those years.
Biggers also created and wrote the comic book After Apocalypse, which featured the first published artwork of Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...
(who would later go on to illustrate The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
and Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
) and Dave Johnson.
In the 1990s, he co-wrote Earth Boys with Brett Brooks; the series was illustrated by co-creator Dave Johnson. The recurring comic book story was featured in several issues of Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
' Dark Horse Presents
Dark Horse Presents
Dark Horse Presents was the first comic book published by Dark Horse Comics in 1986 and was their flagship title until its September 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was published on MySpace, running from July 2007 until August 2010...
.
He and Brett Brooks also co-wrote the final three issues of I-Bots, the Tekno Comics series based on a concept by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. In those issues, they introduced the Corp-Bots, a group of characters who were scheduled to appear in their own adventures until Tekno abruptly ceased publishing.
Biggers remains the primary writer for Comic Shop News and is a frequent contributor (with a featured column appearing at least monthly) to the Newsarama
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
website.