1. I'm gutted by the news that Tom Spurgeon (who had a presence here as @comicsreporter) died unexpectedly at the age of 51. Tom was one of my favorite people in comics, a presence in my life as long as I can remember, a fine critic and advocate for comics. 
2. I guess i first knew Tom as editor of The Comics Journal, later as maintainer of the essential news site Comics Reporter, co-author of very smart biography of Stan Lee, and co-compiler of a really fantastic oral history of @fantagraphics
3. Tom was a man of many many trades as an interviewer, reporter, convention organizer and even, for a few years, comic strip writer. But he was, above all, a fine & discerning critic. He loved comics & wrote about them with a rare acumen. We we so lucky to have him.
4. As a man, Tom was a lively, opinionated, curmudgeonly, warm, passionate about art. He loved talking about art and it was a ritual for me to spend an evening drinking with him every year at the Toronto Comics Art Festival, catching up on gossip.
5. I knew Tom had a serious health scare a few years ago but I honestly thought he had recovered. So his death is shock. I'm still trying to figure out what it means that Tom is no longer here. Tom Spurgeon, 1968-2019. RIP
