Later, after turning down an editorial assistant position at Marvel Comics in 1973,[6] Groth worked briefly as a production and layout assistant at the movie and comics magazine Mediascene,[7] which was edited by Jim Steranko.[3]
After dropping out of his fourth college in 1974, Groth and his financial partner Michael Catron put on a rock and roll convention that ended in financial failure. Nonetheless, he and Catron dabbled in music publishing with the short-lived magazine Sounds Fine.[3]
In 1976 Groth founded Fantagraphics Books, Inc. with Catron and Kim Thompson, and took over an adzine named The Nostalgia Journal—quickly renaming it The Comics Journal.[8] Groth's Comics Journal applied rigorous critical standards to comic books. It disparaged formulaic superhero books and work for hire publishers and favored artists like R. Crumb and Art Spiegelman and creator ownership of copyrights.[9] It featured lengthy, freewheeling interviews with comics professionals, often conducted by Groth himself.
Groth and Light were friends before Light published Groth's final issue of Fantastic Fanzine; Light's expedient business methods met with Groth's disapproval.[12]Fandom: Confidential, Ron Frantz's history of the WE Seal of approval program (WSA),[13] outlines Groth's confrontations with Light at conventions and via late night collect calls. Light in turn cashed a check for a Comics Journal advertisement that he refused to print. Groth acquired a copy of the WSA mailing list, and without authorization, used it to solicit subscriptions; Groth later apologized for what he claimed was a misunderstanding,[14] and soon after broke ties with WSA. In 1983 when Light sold TBG, a Groth editorial denounced Light.[15] Light's subsequent libel suit against Groth was eventually dismissed.[16]
Groth's 1991 Comics Journal editorial "Lies We Cherish: The Canonization of Carol Kalish",[17] which criticized what he saw as the unwarranted hagiographies for then-recently deceased former Marvel Comics Vice President of New Product Development, whom Groth characterized as "selling cretinous junk to impressionable children",[18] caused controversy within the industry,[19] including outrage by Kalish's friend and colleague, writer Peter David.[20][21]
^Pollack, Joel. "Our History". Big Planet Comics. Retrieved March 1, 2023. I helped with the third Metro Con in 1973. The first two, organized by Gary Groth, had been in '70 and '71 respectively. For the one to be held in 1973, my friend, Warren Bernard was working with Groth.... Despite the major talent we had, attendance was low and the Con lost money.
^Constant, Paul. "Gary Groth". The Stranger. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
^Groth, Gary. "Editorial,", The Nostalgia Journal #27 (July 1976).
^Maheras, Russ. "The Comics Journal #32, Jan. 1977", The Comics Journal Message Board (February 9, 2007): "The earliest issues focused on a clash between Groth and Alan Light, publisher of competing adzine The Buyer’s Guide for Comic Fandom."
^Light had "[taken] over the publishing chores of Fantastic Fanzine Special II, the last issue of FF I edited" - Groth, ibid
^Frantz, Ron (2000). Fandom: Confidential. Mena, Arkansas: Midguard Publishing. pp. 128–173. ISBN978-0-9678273-0-8.
^Groth, Gary. "Editorial," The Comics Journal #181 (May 1983): "[Light is] fandom's first real business predator. His career of hustling is a monument to selfish opportunism and spiritual squalor."
