G.B. Love

G.B. Love (1939-2001) was a high-profile fan in the U.S. comics and Star Trek fandoms, He was the editor and publisher of a number of early zines, as well as the founder of the Science Fiction and Comics Association fan club/publisher and was the organizer of some of the first comic book and Trek conventions in South Florida and Texas. All this he accomplished while suffering from severe cerebral palsy at a time when having a disability was equated with being less than a whole personInter-Fan Page Biography (taken from an article on CBR.com) - DOC Boucher   and accomodations were practically non-existent. 
As a result of his difficulties with physical tasks, Love had a number of fellow fans who assisted him, including Jim Van Hise, Andy Warner, John Ellis, and Rick Coy"G.B. Love Page" - Inter-fan.org .
Love formed the SFCA and published his first fanzine Rocket's Blast in December 1961. RB was released monthly for 28 issues before it merged with Jerry Bail's The Comicollector to become Rocket's Blast Comicollector, which continued the monthly publication (and numbering) of RB, starting from Issue #29. From 1964 to 1974, almost every issue was released on time"...1963 office fire traumatized and demoralized him and he couldn't imagine continuing publishing! Apparently it was the third week of January at about 7pm when G.B. noticed smoke coming from under his office door...his dad put it out with a garden hose before the Fire Dept. arrived, but the fire and/or water ruined everything including most of his printing equipment and comic collection (including two copies of Fantastic Four #1!). He said that luckily he had kept his subscription files in his bedroom and that with the help of several contributors and a little insurance money he got up and running again and was only about 2 weeks late with issue 16." John Ellis - comment to the G.B. Love, Andy Warner and RBCC Memories! Facebook group, January 12, 2021., an unusual occurrence in fanzine publishing! Jim Ellis describes the experience of working for Love on the 'zine: 
By 1968, Love had expanded from publishing fanzines to also acting as a direct point of sale for reprints of the better quality ones, through his "Ye Olde Fanzine Shoppe" mail order business. The zines were advertised in RBCC and the business proved profitable enough to allow Love to make a living from it. It also proved to be the means for many comics fans of the era to discover fanzines and the wider fandom - many credit his classified ads for the SFCA and RBCC in Marvel Comics as their entry point, although some blamed him for the "invasion" of mainstream comics fandom by the "Marvel Zombies" - die-hard Marvel Comics fans who would put down and insult everything elseJohn Ellis reposting Bob Beerbolm's post "G.B. Love, Andy Warner & RBCC Memories! group on Facebook, Jan 22/24.
Following his attendance at his first convention in 1968 (Southwesterncon), Love was inspired to start conventions of his own in his hometown of Miami, Florida. With the help of Andy Warner, who had joined the RBCC "staff" in 1968 as assistant editor, Love (as part of and with the help of the South Florida Comics Council) organised "MiamiCon", which was held in the unairconditioned Fireman's Hall in Coral Gables. It would prove to be an important move for South Floridian fandom:
That first MiamiCon was followed by others, running through to 1975. 
Following his relocation to Houston in 1974, he expanded his fandom activities; having assisted Earl Blair (aka Captain Bijou) with Houstoncon 1971, he acted as co-chair in 1974 and 1975. He also founded (yet another) fanzine, this time for Star Trek, with Walter Irwin as co-editor. Trek's best articles would later be compiled by Love and Irwin into a series of books, "The Best of Trek" and "The Best of the Best of Trek" which were released professionally. 
There certainly wasn't much GB wouldn't turn his hand at:
In November 2000, Love was injured in a car accident and never fully recovered. He died in January 2001 at the age of 61, resulting in an outpouring of tributes from fandom.
==Professional Works==
*The Best of Trek - published by GB Love and Walter Irwin (1978-1996)
*The Best of the Best of Trek - published by GB Love and Walter Irwin (1996-1997)
==Notable Fanworks ==
===Comics Zines ===
==== As Editor ====
*The Rocket's Blast (1961-1964)
*Fighting Hero Comics (1962-1964)
*Rocket's Blast Comicollector (1964-1974)
*Golden Age (1965 - ?)
*Fandom Annual (1967)
*Fantastic Exploits (1970s)
*The Illustrated Collector's Handbook/Collector's Handbook (1970)
*Fandom Marketplace (1970s)
*Marvel Times (1971-1973)
*Frazetta, Williamson, Wood, Crandall - An Art Folio (1971)
*Marvel Collector's Handbook - co-edited with James Van Hise (1973)
*The SFCA Price Guide (1974)
==== As Contributor ====
===Star Trek Zines===
==== As Editor ====
*Trek (Star Trek: TOS zine) (1974-1990s) - co-edited with Walter Irwin
==== As Contributor ====
=== Science Fiction Zines===
*Fantasy Soundtrack (1968)
*Collage (1971-1972) - co-edited with James Van Hise
===Convention Program Books===
*Star Trek Souvenir Book (1974) - co-edited with James Van Hise for the third and fourth Miami Star Trek Convention.
== Fan Clubs ==
* Science Fiction and Comics Association - founder
* Batmanians - member
==Conventions==
*Southwesterncon 
**1968 - first convention attended, convention report in Rocket's Blast Comicollector #59
**1969 - as panellist
**1970 - as attendee
*Comic Art Convention
**1969 - as attendee/member
*Multicon
**1970 - as attendee
*MiamiCon (1971-1975) - co-founded with Andy Warner
*Miami Star Trek Convention (1972-1975) - co-founded with James Van Hise
*Houstoncon 
**1971 - assistant chair
** 1974 - co-chair with Earl Blair
**1975 - co-chair with Earl Blair
== Reviews and Tributes==
==Photo Gallery==
File:SFCA 1970.jpg|G.B. and John Ellis in the Science Fiction and Comics Association offices, 1970
File:Jim Van HIse and GB Love 1971.jpeg|Jim Van Hise and G.B. Love, Miamicon 1971
File:MiamiCon 1971 Costume Contest.jpg|Cat Glais (Sue Storm), John Ellis (The Black Terror) and G.B. Love (Zorro) at the 1971 MiamiCon.
File:Walter Irwin, Roy Bonario and GB Houstoncon.jpg|Walter Irwin, Roy Bonario Sr. and G.B. Love at Houstoncon some time in the 1970s.
File:GB Love 1990s.jpg|G.B. in an undated casual shot at Roy L Bonario Jr's home, Easter 1990s.
File:GB Love and Roy L Bonario Jr 1990s.jpg|GB and Roy, undated casual shot at Roy L Bonario Jr's home, Easter 1990s.
File:GB Love 1990s 2.jpg|G.B. taken some time before the car accident in November 2000
==External Links==
*Founders of Comic Fandom: A Biographical Who's Who of Publishers, Dealers, Collectors, Writers, Artists and Other Luminaries of the 1980s and 1960s by Bill Schelly and Bob McLain (ed) [2018] Pulp Hero Press
*"On -isms: Better or Worse?" by Sean Kleefeld at his Kleefeld On Comics Tumblr
*Alter Ego, Issue 133-135, 140-142 and 144 - multiple part series of articles about Love and the RBCC following his death.
*G.B. Love, Andy Warner & RBCC Memories! - Facebook group
*"13 COVERS: A Groovy Salute to the Classic Mag ROCKET’S BLAST COMICOLLECTOR" by Peter Bosch, 13th Dimension.Com (Jun 25/22) (via Wayback Jun 10/23)
==References==
Category:Deceased
Category:2001 Deaths
Category:Convention Organizers
Category:Fan Club Organizers
Category:Zine Publishers
Category:Fanwriters
Category:Fanartists