This is, sadly, an obit for Bob Beerbohm, who was an important player in the rise of underground comix, comic book shops and conventions. In fact, he was a fixture at San Diego conventions long before they were called Comic-Con Internationals. For the last decade or three, he had been obsessive about researching the history of comics and comic shops and writing an exhaustive history of both.
Bob was 71 years old and the cause of death was cancer…one of many problems he'd been battling for years. Every time we spoke, he ticked off a long, long list of ailments so I don't think any of his friends are shocked by the news…saddened but not shocked.
Bob and I were friends though I did not endorse all of his writings on comic book history and in fact disagreed with a lot of it. Some of you on Facebook forums witnessed some of our back-and-forth and I may write about it here in the future…or I may not.
Right now, I just want to remember the guy as someone who was very passionate about comic books and the people who create them…and who was, like I said, very important in fandom and the marketplace. Despite our occasional disagreements, I have definitely lost a good friend and so has our field.