David A. Kaler (b. 1936) is an American writer. He was a primary force in establishing 1960s comic book fandom, particularly through the form of the comics convention. Later, he had a short-lived career as a comics writer for such publishers as Charlton Comics, DC Comics, and Warren Publishing. Biography Fandom In 1965, Kaler was living in New York City, sharing an East Village apartment with burgeoning comics writers Dennis O'Neil and Roy Thomas. Employed as a market researcher, Kaler had a collection of between 4,000 and 5,000 comics. By that point, Kaler was Executive Secretary of the Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors (ACBFC), "... a fandom organization that would ... perpetuate the concept of comics as an art form." The group's charter included the formation of the Alley Awards, the publication of the comic news fanzine The Comic Reader, and the creation of "a directory of comic fans" to assist in establishing a yearly comics convention and to endorse a "code of fair practice in the selling and trading of comic books." Under Kaler's leadership, the academy produced three successful conventions in New York City during the summers of 1965–1967, and attracting industry professionals such as Otto Binder, Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, Mort Weisinger, James Warren, Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, Stan Lee, Bill Everett, Carmine Infantino, Julius Schwartz, Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, and Stephen Hickman. Kaler was given the 1965 Alley Award for Best Fan Project for his production of the first so-called "Academy Con". In the summer of 1966, Kaler was the guest of honor at the first Southwesterncon, the first comics convention held in Texas. During this period, Kaler also wrote the "What's News" column for the comics news fanzine The Comic Reader. For this work, he was twice selected for Alley Awards. In early 1968, Kaler left the ACBFC to pursue his professional comics writing. By this point, comics fandom had become well established, with annual conventions being held in New York, Detroit, St. Louis, and the Southwest, and the academy's mission had been essentially fulfilled. Academy member Maggie Thompson declared the ACBFC "moribund" and the group had disbanded by 1970. Comics writing In 1966, Kaler's former roommate Roy Thomas got Kaler in the door at Charlton Comics, as Kaler began a short-lived stint as a professional comics writer, often writing horror comics. He started out on Charlton's superhero title Captain Atom (shortly before the