Craig Shutt

Craig Shutt (born May 22, 1954) is an American freelance writer and editor, best known as the writer of the “Ask Mr. Silver Age” column about 1960s comics for the Comics Buyer’s Guide monthly magazine, published by F+W Publications.

A native of Boardman, Ohio, Shutt moved to the Chicago area in 1972, where he attended Northwestern University and received a Bachelor of Science degree (1976) and Master of Science degree (1977) in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.^[1]

He became a freelance writer in 1992 and began writing humorous articles about comics for the Comics Buyer’s Guide with issue #955 (March 6, 1992). The articles focused on comics published during the years 1956-1970, known as the “Silver Age” of comic books.

In CBG #1020 (June 4, 1993), he created the “Ask Mr. Silver Age” concept for his articles, in which the column’s topic appeared to have been instigated by a question from a letter writer. The questions are patently fabricated, signed by comic-book characters who might be interested in the topic.^[2]

Shutt’s articles appeared sporadically until CBG #1476 (March 1, 2002), when he became a regular weekly columnist. The column continued to appear after the magazine shifted to monthly publication with #1595 (August 2004), and it still appears today.

His annual column on the “Mopee Awards” highlights Silver Age comics with illogical plots or events.^[3] The “Mopee” term derives from a character appearing in The Flash #167 (February 1967). The term now is used commonly in comics fandom to indicate a situation in a plot that fans ignore because it contradicts generally accepted continuity.

Shutt has contributed to other comics publications, especially Wizard, for whom he worked as a freelance contributor from 1994 to 2000.^[4] He was a contributing editor to Hogan’s Alley comic-strip magazine from 1997 to 2007^[5] and has had articles appear in Comic Book Marketplace, Comicology, and Hero, and at the defunct Web site Fandom.com.

He has moderated a Silver Age Trivia Challenge panel at the Chicago Comic-Com (formerly WizardWorld Chicago) since 1996 that pits two teams of trivia contestants in a competition. The panel questions and competition overview are later published in CBG.^[6] In 2010, the panel moved to the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2).^[7]

Four of his early columns were reprinted in Dr. Wonder #3 (July 1996), #4 (October 1996) and #5 (Fall 1997) published by Old Town Publishing. A collection of his early columns was published by Krause Publications in late 2003 as a full-color trade paperback, titled Baby Boomer Comics. It included illustrations of Mr. Silver Age by Jim Mooney, a long-time comic-book illustrator.

Shutt hosts the most active message board at CBG’s Web site, discussing both old comics and today’s industry.

In addition to his work in the comics field, he writes for a variety of business magazines, most often about aspects of the construction industry, under the name Craig A. Shutt.^[8]

References

1. ^ Alumni Notes, Northwestern’s Medillian alumni magazine, Spring 2004.
2. ^ “Breaking the Panels: Over 75 Short Interviews from Around the Comics Industry,” Mark Coale, O-Goshi Studios 1998.
3. ^ Comics Buyer’s Guide #1360, #1410, #1462, #1514, #1567, #1581, #1600, #1613, #1625, #1637, #1649 and #1661.
4. ^ Mastheads of Wizard #35 (July 1994) to #100 (January 2000).
5. ^ Mastheads of Hogan’s Alley issues #4 (1997) to #15 (2007).
6. ^ Comics Buyer’s Guide #1210, #1249, #1300, #1354, #1400, #1460, #1510-11, #1561-62, #1612, #1624, #1636, #1646, #1660.
7. ^ Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo Comic Convention and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) program schedule, 2010.
8. ^ Mastheads of various 2010 trade magazines such as LBM Journal, Shopper Marketing, Aspire, and Concrete Products.

External links

• AMSA Forum
• LinkedIn

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Name	Shutt, Craig
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Date of birth	May 22, 1954
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