I know I could google this or look it up in the wikipedia but I'm interested in this new (to me) genre of "self-insertion fanfic". Is it strictly a fanfic thing or has the term been applied to "pro" writing before? And how is it different from, say, Dave Sim in Cerebus, Steve Gerber in Howard the Duck #16, or, for that matter, Jack and Stan in FF, and various DC writers, editors, and artists self-inserting themselves into Superman comics?
Gonterman? Marissa Picard?
Remember later on, that you asked for it.
I'm sure you've probably come across some self-insertion fanfic but didn't know what it was called before. It's a story where a fairly transparent stand-in for the author (usually called a "Mary Sue" or "Marty Sue" depending on the gender) who experiences transparent wish-fulfillment desires, like joining and then saving the Avengers and getting it on with the Scarlet Witch. This is also found in stories where a never before encountered crewmember with an attractive heart-shaped face saves the Starship Enterprise.
While these sort of daydreams are rather normal, nobody finds these interesting except their authors.
By far the most mind-destroying are the ones written by fangirls concerning their idols. In these, they encounter their hero (be it Johnny Depp or Justin Timberlake) who is so idealized to the point they cannot possibly be real, and they have a purely asexual relationship. (end of a very long sigh) Whatever happened to the days of good old fashoined groupie skankiness?
I was being facetious when I compared Grant Morrison's appearance in ANIMAL MAN to a self-insertion fanfic, but his appearance did indeed had the stink of lack of professionalism and self-promotion about it. Perhaps the significant difference is that Stan and Jack's appearances were limited to two cute little scenes where they're thrown out of the Invisible Girl and Mr. Fantastic's wedding by goons, but when Grant shows up in ANIMAL MAN, suddenly the world stops and it becomes all about HIM.
Gonterman is considered the "Ed Wood" of the internet, and speaking from personal experience he deserves every bit of his legendary reputation. His writing style is like an express train full of things designed to hurt your mind. But don't take my word for it:
http://www.commuterbarnacle.com/gonterman/See for yourself!