Famous for editing a popular journal known as the Comics Buyer's Guide, she is also well known for her "Maggie's World" column in the San Diego Comic-Con International blog. For her work on the former publication, she won Eisner, Jack Kirby, and Inkpot awards, as well as a Comic Art Favorite Fan Writer honor.
After graduating from Oberlin College and working as a librarian, she collaborated with her husband on the creation of fanzines titled Harbinger, Comic Art, and Newfangles.
She sometimes wrote under the pseudonym of Arthur Judson.
Her mother, Betty Curtis, was a Hugo Award-nominated science fiction author. With her husband, Don Thompson, Maggie Thompson raised children named Stephen and Valerie and essentially co-created the comic book fandom.
She and television host Paul Gambaccini both published works of comic book fandom.