Andrew Smith is an American

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, best known as “Captain Comics,” a columnist on comic books and pop culture for newspapers and websites, currently syndicated by

Tribune Content Agency Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media ...

. He has also maintained an online discussion board about comics and pop culture since 1998. Smith became a newspaper writer and editor in 1981, but went national when the comics and pop culture column “Captain Comics” launched in January 1992 at The

Commercial Appeal ''The Commercial Appeal'' (also known as the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'') is a daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by the Gannett Company; its former owner, the E. W. Scripps Company, also ...

newspaper in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, where it was syndicated by the newspaper's sister organization,

Scripps Howard News Service The E. W. Scripps Company, also known as Scripps, is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by E. W. Scripps, Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a ...

. The column became independent of the newspaper in 1994. SHNS was bought out by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services in 2013 which was then bought by

in 2014, where the column remains today. He launched a self-created message board in 1998 answering questions and entertaining discussions about comics throughout history and pop culture. The site has continued online in one form or another until the present, where it is located at captaincomics.ning.com as the “Captain Comics Round Table”. Smith became a Contributing Editor at

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publ ...

newspaper (later magazine) in 2000, writing the “Dear Cap” column, answering reader questions, analyzing trends and running reviews, interviewing comics creators and writing commentary. His column began in CBG #1394 (July 21, 2000) and ran in every issue until the last issue of CBG, #1699 (March 2013). He has also contributed essays to scholarly books on comics and pop culture. “J. Jonah Jameson – Hero or Menace? Spider-Man’s Nemesis Hard to Pigeonhole” appeared in ''Web-Spinning Heroics: Critical Essays on the History and Meaning of Spider-Man'' in 2012. “Supervillains Who Needs Superheroes (Are the Luckiest Villains in the World)” appeared in ''What Is a Superhero?'' in 2013. A third essay, "Jack Kirby: The Not-So-Secret Identity of the Thing," was published in ''Working-Class Comic Book Heroes: Class Conflict and Populist Politics in Comics'' in 2018. He currently has a book contract with

McFarland & Co McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its curre ...

. Publishers to explore the use of journalism in U.S. comic books, 1938 to present. Smith was also the Chairman of the Memphis Fantasy Convention from 1983 to 1985.

Published works

* * Smith, Andrew A. (2013). "Supervillains Who Love Superheroes (Are the Luckiest Villains in the World)'. In Rosenberg, Robin S.; Coogan, Peter. ''What Is a Superhero?'' Oxford University Press, Publisher. pp. 101–106. * Smith, Andrew A. (2018) "Jack Kirby: The Not-So-Secret Identity of the Thing". In DiPaolo, Marc. ''Working-Class Comic Book Heroes: Class Conflict and Populist Politics in Comics.'' University of Mississippi Press, Publisher. pp. 191–204.

References

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External links

Captain Comics columns

Captain Comics Round Table Community

Captain Comics Round Table

Andrew A. Smith, Tribune News Service

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Andrew Living people 1958 births University of Texas at Austin alumni University of Memphis alumni American male non-fiction writers American columnists