« Et les fanzines ? », quand un journal à grande diffusion nous parle des marges

Abstract

From December 1972 to March 1978, a full page of the Spirou magazine was dedicated to fanzines. The title asks "What about the fanzines?" and the page was adorned with a drawing by André Franquin, thereby emphasizing the importance of the subject. These pages, signed by Terence (the pseudonym of Thierry Martens, the editor-in-chief), marked the life of the journal for a few years, providing immense visibility to titles with sometimes anecdotal circulations. They present a fairly unique case of a dedicated section in widely-distributed magazine. After searching for precedents, particularly within the Belgian version of the Tintin magazine, this article conducts a detailed analysis of the columns and its themes, with an ongoing reflection on fanzines and their "crisis". The article explores how the column helped construct a fandom through reviews, with dedicated actors and a specific vocabulary. It highlights the role of this column as an influential force, both for fanzines and for the Spirou magazine itself.

Keywords

• bedephilia
• fandom
• comics
• fanzines
• Spirou
• Thierry Martens