Lettercolumns of Yore (70s and 80s)
George Grattan
but we eventually drifted around to the comics we both read during our youth
in the 70s and the 80s-- he hasn't read many comics since then, so was
asking me about various changes in the industry. We got to reminiscing about
some of the great LOCs back in those days, and we were so surprised at how
many names we remembered, I thought I'd raise the issue here.
Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the Wu
sisters (Alicia and ?), Kent Phenis, T.M. Maple, Uncle Elvis, Tamsyn
O'Flynn, and Charles (?) D. Brown? Any idea if these folks (or others you
remember) are still "active" in fandom? (I think I recall hearing on Usenet
some years back of T.M. Maple's death, actually...) These and other
correspondents wrote great, thoughtful criticism of comics month in and
month out, and editors used to write thoughtful replies, too! (Imagine
that!) When LOCs even run, now, they seem to be little more than extend
plugs for upcoming projects and/or inane lists of "Who will join/guest
star/fight next?" (Not that old LOCs didn't have their fair share of the
latter-- but it was usually relegated to a second page for that express
purpose, as in the regular tally of requests for new members in _JLA_.)
We also recalled seeing more than a few names of those who (I was able to
inform him) have gone on to be come pros in the industry, such as the
Bierbaums, Kurt Busiek, and Richard Pini and Wendy ? (Didn't they "meet" in
an X-Men letter column?) Any others come to mind?
We tried to recall as many names of lettercolumns as we could, too: The
Batcave (in _Batman_), Metropolis Mailbag (_Superman_ or _Action_?), JLA
Mail Room, Flash-Grams (which I never liked), Ring and Arrows (_GL/GA_--
which pun I must confess I didn't get until years afterwards), Legion
Outpost, X-Mail- what else?
Finally, four particular columns stood out in each of our minds as having
been excellent reads in their own right: Paul Levitz's "Legion Outpost," Roy
Thomas' "All-Star Squadroom," "X-Mail" for a time (especially when Claremont
scripted responses from the characters themselves to the letters), and, a
bit later, "The Sherwood Forum" in Grell's _Green Arrow_.
Not sure what any of this adds up to-- those days are long gone, I know, and
the few letter columns that manage to hang on in superhero books are mere
shadows of the fora that once launched revolutions in comics (indy
lettercolumns are much, much more vibrant), but it was fun going down this
memory alley for a bit, so I thought I'd throw it out here.
Shalom, Peace, Salaam,
George Grattan
gra...@rcn.com
"These are our few live seasons. Let us live them as purely as we can, in
the present."--Annie Dillard, _Pilgrim at Tinker Creek_.
Dale Hicks
>
> Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the Wu
> sisters (Alicia and ?)
Karen. From Cupertino, wherever that is.
I tell ya, T.M. Maple and Clint "Buc" Thomas must've shared my tastes, as
they're the only names I remember from back in the day (although on
rereadings, I do catch a few more). It pays to pick a cute nickname.
I was wondering on Joe Peluso, from New York. He was very vocal in
Superman and the Legion books. I saw a Joe Peluso who's fairly high up
in the Navy, and he was of the right age. I've wondered if that was the
same guy.
> We also recalled seeing more than a few names of those who (I was able to
> inform him) have gone on to be come pros in the industry, such as the
> Bierbaums, Kurt Busiek, and Richard Pini and Wendy ? (Didn't they "meet" in
> an X-Men letter column?) Any others come to mind?
I've seen a Jim Owsley letter in a 70's Superman book. Devin Grayson in
a Kyle Green Lantern. Fabian N_______ in some book that escapes me now.
Bob Rozakis in Legion and Superman.
> Ring and Arrows (_GL/GA_--
> which pun I must confess I didn't get until years afterwards),
How embarassing. What pun?
--
Cranial Crusader dgh...@bellsouth.net
Grant Enfield
"Dale Hicks" <dgh...@bellSPAMsouth.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:MPG.17981c31...@news1.lig.bellsouth.net...
> Karen. From Cupertino, wherever that is.
San Francisco Bay area. Affluent and to the south, I believe.
grant
Tom Galloway
Dale Hicks <dgh...@bellSPAMsouth.net.invalid> wrote:
>Karen. From Cupertino, wherever that is.
Silicon Valley, perhaps best known for being Apple Computer's HQ (and thus
having a street named Infinite Loop). Also known locally, and in China/Taiwan,
as having done a demographic shift to a substantial Chinese population in
recent years (likely due to its school system having a very good rep) with
lots of restaurants, groceries, and associated stores catering to it.
>> Ring and Arrows (_GL/GA_--
>> which pun I must confess I didn't get until years afterwards),
>How embarassing. What pun?
I'm guessing "Slings and Arrows".
tyg t...@panix.com
Tom Galloway
George Grattan <gra...@rcn.com> wrote:
>Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the Wu
>sisters (Alicia and ?), Kent Phenis, T.M. Maple, Uncle Elvis, Tamsyn
>O'Flynn, and Charles (?) D. Brown? Any idea if these folks (or others you
>remember) are still "active" in fandom? (I think I recall hearing on Usenet
>some years back of T.M. Maple's death, actually...) These and other
Unfortunately, The Mad Maple died a few years back. Real name was Jim Burke
if I'm recalling correctly.
>correspondents wrote great, thoughtful criticism of comics month in and
>month out, and editors used to write thoughtful replies, too! (Imagine
I suspect a lot of that came from editors such as Julie Schwartz who was
familiar with the old sf pulps and their lettercols and interaction with
the editor.
>We also recalled seeing more than a few names of those who (I was able to
>inform him) have gone on to be come pros in the industry, such as the
>Bierbaums, Kurt Busiek, and Richard Pini and Wendy ? (Didn't they "meet" in
>an X-Men letter column?) Any others come to mind?
Wendy Fletcher at the time. Silver Surfer lettercol I believe; she was then
living in LA and Richard was an undergrad at MIT.
While I certainly recognize the names you mentioned, I go back far enough
to think of regular letterhacks like Guy Lillian III (now in sf fandom and
a former Worldcon chair), Irene Vartanoff, and the like. The one I always
wondered what happened to was Gary Skinner of Columbus, OH, who had a lot
of DC letters printed but then just went poof around 1969.
tyg t...@panix.com
Richard
"George Grattan" <gra...@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:B953C696.1D86B%gra...@rcn.com...
> A high school friend and I were talking this evening about many subjects,
>
> inform him) have gone on to be come pros in the industry, such as the
> Bierbaums, Kurt Busiek, and Richard Pini and Wendy ? (Didn't they "meet"
in
> an X-Men letter column?) Any others come to mind?
Ralph Macchio was a very prolific letter writer before turning pro.
Others
who also come to mind are Mark Gruenwald, Peter Gillis, Steven Grant,
Mike W. Barr, Alan Kupperburg, David Michelinie, and Cat Yronwode
I just recently picked up several issues of the Planet of the Apes magazine
Marvel put out in the mid -70's. Issue #3 has a letter from J. Michael
Straczynski. He liked the first issue so much that he was recommending
the magazine to his fellow UCSD students, as well as to a professor who
taught a course in Science Fiction.
Richard
Brian Doyle
"Dale Hicks" <dgh...@bellSPAMsouth.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:MPG.17981c31...@news1.lig.bellsouth.net...
> a Kyle Green Lantern. Fabian N_______ in some book that escapes me now.
> Bob Rozakis in Legion and Superman.
And Norm Breyfogle submitted a new costume design for Robin as part of a competition
in the pages of Batman Family. Not mch sign of the artists to come in that alas.
Sidne Gail Ward
>While I certainly recognize the names you mentioned, I go back far enough
>to think of regular letterhacks like Guy Lillian III (now in sf fandom and
>a former Worldcon chair), Irene Vartanoff, and the like.
The first time I met Jim Shooter we ended up discussing Irene Vartanoff.
It turns out a letter from her in Adventure was the first time his name
ever saw print. At the time of my discussion with Shooter I hadn't known
that Vartanoff ended up working for Marvel for awhile.
--
Sidne Gail Ward
sw...@computonet.com
Brian
"Brian Doyle" <brian...@afdigest.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:agm5hj$ck8$2...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
I have that issue as a matter of fact. I was amused when I was looking at
the names and I saw Breyfogle.
Brian
> but we eventually drifted around to the comics we both read during our
youth
> in the 70s and the 80s-- he hasn't read many comics since then, so was
> asking me about various changes in the industry. We got to reminiscing
about
> some of the great LOCs back in those days, and we were so surprised at how
> many names we remembered, I thought I'd raise the issue here.
>
> Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the
Wu
> sisters (Alicia and ?), Kent Phenis, T.M. Maple, Uncle Elvis,
I have always wondered what happened to Uncle Elvis. His name was in letter
columns of almost every book I collected in the 80's.
Kevin
seeing a comic noted as having a letter written by Todd Mcfarlane.
Wish I remember which comic, but is was well before he became a pro.
Kevin
On Thu, 11 Jul 2002 23:34:47 -0400, George Grattan <gra...@rcn.com>
wrote:
Landru99
Batcave (in _Batman_), Metropolis Mailbag (_Superman_ or _Action_?), JLA Mail
Room, Flash-Grams (which I never liked), Ring and Arrows (_GL/GA_-- which pun I
must confess I didn't get until years afterwards), Legion Outpost, X-Mail- what
else?>>
Some great letter column titles from days past:
Iron Man : Sock It To Shell Head
FF: Fantastic 4 Fan Page, Baxter Building Bulletins
Hulk: Green Skin's Grab Bag, Green Mail, GammaGrams
Daredevil: Let's Level With Daredevil
Captain America: Let's Yap With Cap, Let's Rap With Cap, American Graffiti
Thor: The Hammer Strikes
Amazing Spider-Man: The Spider's Web (still in use)
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man: Peter Parker's Pad
Marvel Team-Up: Web-Zingers
Landru
George Grattan
> In article <B953C696.1D86B%gra...@rcn.com>, gra...@rcn.com says...
>>
>> Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the Wu
>> sisters (Alicia and ?)
>
> Karen. From Cupertino, wherever that is.
Ah! Yes- Karen! Thanks...
>
>
>> We also recalled seeing more than a few names of those who (I was able to
>> inform him) have gone on to be come pros in the industry, such as the
>> Bierbaums, Kurt Busiek, and Richard Pini and Wendy ? (Didn't they "meet" in
>> an X-Men letter column?) Any others come to mind?
>
> I've seen a Jim Owsley letter in a 70's Superman book. Devin Grayson in
> a Kyle Green Lantern. Fabian N_______ in some book that escapes me now.
> Bob Rozakis in Legion and Superman.
Those Rozakis letters must have been early 70s, yes? I thought Bob began
writing for DC by 75 or 76-- but perhaps it was later.
>
>> Ring and Arrows (_GL/GA_--
>> which pun I must confess I didn't get until years afterwards),
>
> How embarassing. What pun?
:-) It's a line from Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, from the famous soliloquy in
Act III, Scene 1:
"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them....."
Considering that's Hamlet's ultimate dithering speech, and given the themes
of the GL/GA stories of the era, it's not wholly off-base, but it's still a
pretty poor pun, I think. (Of course I think that, since it makes me feel
better about not having clued into it for far too many years.....)
Matthew Shepherd
>> Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like
>> the
> Wu
>> sisters (Alicia and ?), Kent Phenis, T.M. Maple, Uncle Elvis,
>
IIRC, T.M. Maple was The Mighty Maple, a Canadian. Might have been The Mad
Maple. I think that a while after he started writing letters, obvious
pseudonyms were no longer acceptable in letter columns, so he became the
more plausible T.M. Maple. He and Uncle Elvis (an obvious pseudonym, so
maybe I'm crazy) are the only two I really remember...
- Matt Shepherd
--
Kick the crap out of me to respond...
...or visit www.man-man.org!
~consul
> Dale Hicks <dgh...@bellSPAMsouth.net.invalid> wrote:
>>>Ring and Arrows (_GL/GA_--
>>>which pun I must confess I didn't get until years afterwards),
>>How embarassing. What pun?
> I'm guessing "Slings and Arrows".
I got that part myself, but why is that a good letters name?
--
"american girls . . . all weather and noise . . ."
Jameson Stalanthas Yu
(remove the 'x's for e-mail) xdedes...@dolphins-cove.com
http://www.dolphins-cove.com
Brenda W. Clough
>A high school friend and I were talking this evening about many subjects,
>but we eventually drifted around to the comics we both read during our youth
>in the 70s and the 80s-- he hasn't read many comics since then, so was
>asking me about various changes in the industry. We got to reminiscing about
>some of the great LOCs back in those days, and we were so surprised at how
>many names we remembered, I thought I'd raise the issue here.
>
>Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the Wu
>sisters (Alicia and ?), Kent Phenis, T.M. Maple, Uncle Elvis, Tamsyn
>O'Flynn, and Charles (?) D. Brown? Any idea if these folks (or others you
>remember) are still "active" in fandom?
>
The great Irene Vartanoff married SF editor Scott Edelman, and at one
time was writing romance novels under a pseudonym. Don't know if she's
still doing that.
Brenda
--
---------
Brenda W. Clough
Read my novella "May Be Some Time"
Complete at http://www.analogsf.com/0202/maybesometime.html
My web page is at http://www.sff.net/people/Brenda/
M-Wolverine
> but we eventually drifted around to the comics we both read during our youth
> in the 70s and the 80s-- he hasn't read many comics since then, so was
> asking me about various changes in the industry. We got to reminiscing about
> some of the great LOCs back in those days, and we were so surprised at how
> many names we remembered, I thought I'd raise the issue here.
>
> Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the Wu
> sisters (Alicia and ?), Kent Phenis, T.M. Maple, Uncle Elvis, Tamsyn
> O'Flynn, and Charles (?) D. Brown? Any idea if these folks (or others you
> remember) are still "active" in fandom? (I think I recall hearing on Usenet
> some years back of T.M. Maple's death, actually...) These and other
> correspondents wrote great, thoughtful criticism of comics month in and
> month out, and editors used to write thoughtful replies, too! (Imagine
> that!) When LOCs even run, now, they seem to be little more than extend
> plugs for upcoming projects and/or inane lists of "Who will join/guest
> star/fight next?" (Not that old LOCs didn't have their fair share of the
> latter-- but it was usually relegated to a second page for that express
> purpose, as in the regular tally of requests for new members in _JLA_.)
>
> Finally, four particular columns stood out in each of our minds as having
> been excellent reads in their own right: Paul Levitz's "Legion Outpost," Roy
> Thomas' "All-Star Squadroom," "X-Mail" for a time (especially when Claremont
> scripted responses from the characters themselves to the letters), and, a
> bit later, "The Sherwood Forum" in Grell's _Green Arrow_.
>
> Not sure what any of this adds up to-- those days are long gone, I know, and
> the few letter columns that manage to hang on in superhero books are mere
> shadows of the fora that once launched revolutions in comics (indy
> lettercolumns are much, much more vibrant), but it was fun going down this
> memory alley for a bit, so I thought I'd throw it out here.
>
> Shalom, Peace, Salaam,
>
> George Grattan
> gra...@rcn.com
Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
forget... a few others that cloudly come to mind....Charles S.
Sperling, Kowalski from Detroit, and this guy from Norway, or Sweden
(always wondered how he got so many letters printed with the overseas
rate!).
God, those were the good old days....I remember even appearing in
Sherwood Forum a few times. And don't forget the Question's letter
page! That one had some great debate.
Now, it's noticably bad. I am finding myself skimming the pages,
because all the letters are the same; and I never used to do that.
Criticism beyond "the new X-Force team sucks" doesn't seem to make the
page, to make the editors witty remarks seem smart. I used to be
bothered when the letter page was dumped for another ad, but now,
since the page is basically an ad anyway, it just saves me time
reading.
I don't know, maybe with email, and posting boards, the letter page is
a thing of the past. But even as a poster, I still think more thought
goes into putting pen to paper and paying for a stamp than what we do
here. I'm not sure the editors think so anymore.
Anyway, Thanks George, for bringing back some good memories. It's
almost like a tradition, handed down from one to another. Fun stuff!
-Chris C.
stace
ric...@nospam.edu wrote on 7/12/02 1:12 AM:
I wrote this short piece for a comic book website that went under before I
could submit it. Please pardon my sharing, and I hope you enjoy it.
A LESSON FROM THE LETTERS PAGE
BY
STACEY JOHN HOSKIN © 2002
This week, I came across a pile of old comic books that belonged to my
wifeÄ…s brother a long time ago. They were tucked away in a closet at my
in-laws house, stacked neatly on the shelf, back in the corner. I pulled
them out and saw a lot of books I remembered owning myself; everything from
an old ÅšMad MagazineÄ… to DCÄ…s incredibly terrible ÅšPlopÄ….
Most of the books are nondescript, non-event books of the type you buy under
the auspices of ÅšcompletionismÄ… even though the fan in you retches at the
story and/or art. There were a few interesting books in the pile, though,
such as ÅšPeter Parker TSSM #64Ä… which appears to be the origin of the
characters of Cloak and Dagger (feel free to check me on that, IÄ…m not
sure). Then thereÄ…s ÅšHoward the Duck #23Ä…Å a Star Wars parody. That one was
interesting for about .04 seconds.
I read them all, of course. They are old, and have never been in a mylar
bag, nor been told to sit still on an acid free board. ThatÄ…s right, these
books were actually read and enjoyed (well, no accounting for taste) by
readers. They smell like history, and the advertisements, maybe even more
than the stories, pull me back in time. American Seeds, Slim Jim, Daisy Air
Rifles, Dungeons & Dragons, and SnapTite model kits. When I was a kid, I
wanted all of that stuff as much as I wanted a webshooter.
I read the books from cover to cover, and remembered how those books, even
the bad ones, made me feel when I was a kid. Every time I got a new comic, I
would read it ten times in a row and then write my own stories. Comic books
fed my imagination, and my dreams and desires. I wanted to write stories
that would be published in the pages of a DC or Marvel comic book. I wanted
a shot at deciding whose butt Spiderman was going to kick in the next issue.
And I was like every other kid reading those books.
Which brings me to ÅšJustice League of America #129, April 1976Ä…. The cover
would have looked promising to me, back then( but then again, I was only
seven). A giant red robot clinging to the top of a skyscraper reminiscent of
the Empire State building, duking it out with the J.L.A. The action of the
cover features Big Red (his name in the book is Nekron) smashing Superman
one across the chops, and the title of the issue, captioned below Supes is
Å‚THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING!Ë› I probably would have loved it when I was sevenÅ
Well, itÄ…s a pretty mediocre issue except for the fact the Red Tornado gets
smoked. So, for all you Red Tornado fans out there, I mourn with thee. All
three of you.
I closed the issue and tossed it on the pile, the realized that I hadnÄ…t
read the letters page. I picked it back up and started reading. A couple of
people wrote in to welcome Gerry Conway to the J.L.A. writing staff, and
praised his work. Then, a letter regarding the dismal turn of plot lines
infesting the title. The fan wanted to know why the J.L.A. was always
fighting a big alien menace (and to which Bob Rozakis replied: Å‚How many
Earth-bound criminals can you name who could threaten the whole world and
need the entire Justice League to overcome them?Ë› IÄ…m willing to bet the fan
is still trying to answer that one.)
The final letter on the page was different. The fan hadnÄ…t written in to
complain about or praise the plots or the artwork, but instead commented on
Gerry ConwayÄ…s portrayal of Two-Face, and found the efforts to go beyond the
stereotype of the character refreshing. This fan had looked beyond the
simple plot twists and machinations used by the writer to tell a story in 18
pages, and looked instead at the actual characterization; the stuff that all
good writers try so hard to bring to the four-color medium. This insightful
individual signed off as ÅšJo Duffy, Wellesley, Mass.Ä…
I finished that letter and did a double-take. Jo Duffy? How many can there
be? Of course it was her. She was reading the comics, and paying attention.
She was learning the craft. And back then, it meant something. Jo DuffyÄ…s
name will forever be linked to comicdom now, because of the fantastic
fantasies she had as a kidÅ dreaming that one day, her name would be on the
splash page.
These days you need to be a published writer just to get them to look at
your stuff. Strike that. Screw ÅšpublishedÄ…. You have to be more than
published. You have to be a ÅšnameÄ…. A name that will ring familiar to the
buyers of todayÄ…s books. The other two primary means of becoming a comic
book writer in the space age are to have a hit movie out, or a hit TV series
on the glass teat.
As I sat there having this epiphany, my eyes just about fell out of my head
as I looked below DuffyÄ…s letter. It said (and the caps are theirs):
Å‚DEPARTMENT OF NEW LOGOS: Longtime fan MARK GRUENWALD of OSHKOSH, WIS.
Recently sent in a new design for the JLA MAILROOM banner to mark the return
of WONDER WOMAN and the departure of RED TORNADO. Working from MarkÄ…s
drawing, JLA artist Dick Dillin pencilled in the new banner and Tex
Blaisdell supplied the inks. A round of thanks to you all, guys!Ë›
Mark Gruenwald.
It was a double-blowÅ a one-two punch that sent my head spinning. There on
the same page, a statistical improbability that Braniac would have a tough
time dealing with. Two young people, fans, write into a book they enjoy
reading. They get their names on the letters page. They go on to be two
major players in the comic book industry. They lived the dream I hadÅ the
dream I still have. MarkÄ…s gone now, his will having requested that his
ashes be mixed in the inks of a comic book; his Squadron Supreme collected
novel reprint is a book that the creator really put himself into. Really.
What more could a fanboy ask for?
I think that those of us who dream of one day writing, pencilling, or inking
a comic book can all take something from that old letters page. More than
that, the comic companies themselves should look back on their own history
and realize that the best and brightest stars of the field were once just
kids with a pocket full of change, ready to buy and believe in the four
color dream.
Dale Hicks
>
> Those Rozakis letters must have been early 70s, yes? I thought Bob began
> writing for DC by 75 or 76-- but perhaps it was later.
I thought so as well, but checking, I don't find the Answer Man in those
older comics. Perhaps someone will know when he made the transition.
--
Cranial Crusader dgh...@bellsouth.net
Michael R. Grabois ... change $ to "s"
>Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
>well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
>forget... a few others that cloudly come to mind....Charles S.
>Sperling, Kowalski from Detroit, and this guy from Norway, or Sweden
>(always wondered how he got so many letters printed with the overseas
>rate!).
You might be thinking of Olav Beemer. I ran into him in San Diego a few years
ago, just about literally: I turned a corner and nearly bumped into him, and
out of habit looked at the name tag to see if I recognized the name. Wonder of
wonders, I actually did!
You may also remember Al Schroeder III from the 1970's Superman letter columns.
Shades of the Pinis, he met and married the former Barb Long, also a frequent
Superman letterhack. Al still posts here from time to time, and I've seen Barb
around occasionally too.
--
Michael R. Grabois -//- http://chili.cjb.net
"Do me a favor, Lightning Lad... shut up and dance!" (S/LSH 232)
Johanna Draper Carlson
> since the page is basically an ad anyway, it just saves me time
> reading.
They've always been ads. They just have a different approach now.
I agree, the letter pages aren't as good as they used to be. I don't
know which came first -- lesser quality letters (which start a cycle,
because you get the kind of stuff you publish) or flight to other fora
(because getting immediate feedback is more worthwhile, so many letter
hacks quit writing when they went online).
I miss the reactions. Some of the columns just print the letters with no
responses.
There are also other alternatives. If you found some great insights in a
comic, now you can write a paper about them or an article, not just a
letter.
> even as a poster, I still think more thought
> goes into putting pen to paper and paying for a stamp than what we do
> here. I'm not sure the editors think so anymore.
Editors have to retype (or have retyped) the print letters. Online, they
can cut and paste.
--
Johanna Draper Carlson joh...@comicsworthreading.com
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Newly updated: July Previews, many comic minseries sets for sale!
George Grattan
> Tom Galloway wrote:
>
>> Dale Hicks <dgh...@bellSPAMsouth.net.invalid> wrote:
>>>> Ring and Arrows (_GL/GA_--
>>>> which pun I must confess I didn't get until years afterwards),
>>> How embarassing. What pun?
>> I'm guessing "Slings and Arrows".
>
>
> I got that part myself, but why is that a good letters name?
Supposedly it was the lettercolumn title for the _Green Lantern/Green Arrow_
comic (one used a ring, one used arrows).
See- it really *wasn't* that good a pun from any direction.... :-)
George Grattan
>
> Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
> well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
> forget...
They wrote really wonderful letters, IIRC, frequently to the Superman books.
They stick out in my memory for the quality of their commentary, the fact
that they were sisters (who sometimes wrote separately, sometimes jointly),
and (I must confess) because they were (I so assumed) Asian-American girls
or (young) women: at that point in my life, it surprised me that
Asian-American girls or women would be reading superhero comics, much less
commenting on them.
>a few others that cloudly come to mind....Charles S.
> Sperling,
Ah- can't believe I forgot the prolific Mr. Sperling!
> Kowalski from Detroit, and this guy from Norway, or Sweden
> (always wondered how he got so many letters printed with the overseas
> rate!).
What was the Norwegian's name, if you remember? That rings a bell....
>
> God, those were the good old days....I remember even appearing in
> Sherwood Forum a few times. And don't forget the Question's letter
> page! That one had some great debate.
Yes, yes- can't belief I omitted it. I loved the Recommended Readings that
Denny O'Neil-- and then readers-- complied for every issue. Anyone have (or
feel like compiling) a complete bibliography of those?
>
> Now, it's noticably bad. I am finding myself skimming the pages,
> because all the letters are the same; and I never used to do that.
> Criticism beyond "the new X-Force team sucks" doesn't seem to make the
> page, to make the editors witty remarks seem smart. I used to be
> bothered when the letter page was dumped for another ad, but now,
> since the page is basically an ad anyway, it just saves me time
> reading.
>
> I don't know, maybe with email, and posting boards, the letter page is
> a thing of the past. But even as a poster, I still think more thought
> goes into putting pen to paper and paying for a stamp than what we do
> here. I'm not sure the editors think so anymore.
I agree- the electronic fora have all but utterly supplanted lettercols for
good and for ill. There are distinct advantages to both-- it's too bad they
couldn't both survive in mainstream books. Vertigo's lettercols hung on at
high quality for quite some time, of course, before being dropped
altogether. I notice that the lettercols in books like Blue Monday, Optic
Nerve, Amelia Rules and other non-DC/Marvel titles are still good reads.
>
> Anyway, Thanks George, for bringing back some good memories.
My pleasure-- I knew I'd enjoy reading the responses!
Shalom, Peace, Salaam,
George Grattan
gra...@rcn.com
"These are our few live seasons. Let us live them as purely as we can, in
George Grattan
>>
>
>
> I wrote this short piece for a comic book website that went under before I
> could submit it. Please pardon my sharing, and I hope you enjoy it.
>
> A LESSON FROM THE LETTERS PAGE
>
> BY
>
> STACEY JOHN HOSKIN © 2002
>
(snip)
That's quite a pleasant read, Stacey- thanks!
George Grattan
wizardimp$@yahoo.com wrote:
> On 12 Jul 2002 11:26:26 -0700, ch...@pnc-wbi.com (M-Wolverine) wrote:
>
>> Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
>> well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
>> forget... a few others that cloudly come to mind....Charles S.
>> Sperling, Kowalski from Detroit, and this guy from Norway, or Sweden
>> (always wondered how he got so many letters printed with the overseas
>> rate!).
>
> You might be thinking of Olav Beemer.
Yes! That's the guy!
>
> You may also remember Al Schroeder III from the 1970's Superman letter
> columns.
> Shades of the Pinis, he met and married the former Barb Long, also a frequent
> Superman letterhack. Al still posts here from time to time, and I've seen Barb
> around occasionally too.
Both of those names come back to me now, too. Who'd have thought one could
keep so much stored in those dusty corners of the brain?...
>
Shalom, Peace, Salaam,
George Grattan
gra...@rcn.com
"These are our few live seasons. Let us live them as purely as we can, in
Brenda W. Clough
>on 7/12/02 2:26 PM, M-Wolverine at ch...@pnc-wbi.com wrote:
>
>
>>Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
>>well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
>>forget...
>>
>
>They wrote really wonderful letters, IIRC, frequently to the Superman books.
>They stick out in my memory for the quality of their commentary, the fact
>that they were sisters (who sometimes wrote separately, sometimes jointly),
>and (I must confess) because they were (I so assumed) Asian-American girls
>or (young) women: at that point in my life, it surprised me that
>Asian-American girls or women would be reading superhero comics, much less
>commenting on them.
>
<hee hee!>
Brenda (had a couple letters in various Batman lettercols in her day)
Tom Galloway
Rob Hansen <r...@fiawol.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>On 12 Jul 2002 01:48:59 -0400, t...@panix.com (Tom Galloway) wrote:
>>While I certainly recognize the names you mentioned, I go back far enough
>had a shortened version of his name - Paul Gambi - used as the name of
>the criminal tailor who made the costumes for Flash's Rogues' Gallery?
>He's been living in here in the UK for decades now. He does radio and
>TV, is a gay rights activists, and briefly co-owner of a London comics
>shop with TV presenter Jonathan Ross.
I know of him, both his Tuckerization and recent history, but he predates
my reading comics by a few years so I wasn't aware of him at the time he
was writing letters. I start around 1964-5.
tyg t...@panix.com
Christian Henriksson
<gra...@rcn.com> sayeth thus:
>on 7/13/02 3:13 AM, Michael R. Grabois ... change $ to "s" at
>wizardimp$@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>> On 12 Jul 2002 11:26:26 -0700, ch...@pnc-wbi.com (M-Wolverine) wrote:
>>
>>> Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
>>> well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
>>> forget... a few others that cloudly come to mind....Charles S.
>>> Sperling, Kowalski from Detroit, and this guy from Norway, or Sweden
>>> (always wondered how he got so many letters printed with the overseas
>>> rate!).
>>
>> You might be thinking of Olav Beemer.
>
>Yes! That's the guy!
From Holland, actually.
Christian Henriksson
(che...@tiscali.se)
--
"Drink," said the Irish priest,
"is this country's great curse.
It makes you quarrel with your neighbours.
It makes you shoot at your landlord,
and it makes you miss."
Rob Hansen
GREEN LANTERN #10 (Jan '62) is the earliest comic I recall being
bought for me, and I also remember getting JLA #11 (May '62) while on
holiday that same year. I have no memory at all of the Cuban Missile
Crisis (Oct '62 - and given the timing, it suddenly occurs to me to
wonder if this is why they started using 'crisis' in the titles of the
JLA/JSA team-ups) but I remembered the stories from both pretty well
even before I eventually got to reread them in the Artchive volumes.
--
Rob Hansen
=============================================
Home Page: http://www.fiawol.demon.co.uk/rob/
RE-ELECT GORE IN 2004.
GregSaundersFan
My favorite was always watching the masthead of the JLA Mailroom, seeing how
it changed with the changing membership. I always wondered how they would
fit the next person in that little box, especially around the time of the
Super-Spectaculars when the team kinda exploded in members.
--Rich
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.375 / Virus Database: 210 - Release Date: 7/10/2002
stace
wrote on 7/13/02 8:42 AM:
Thanks for the kind words, George! Much appreciated.
stace
M-Wolverine
> on 7/12/02 2:26 PM, M-Wolverine at ch...@pnc-wbi.com wrote:
>
>
> >
> > Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
> > well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
> > forget...
>
> They wrote really wonderful letters, IIRC, frequently to the Superman books.
> They stick out in my memory for the quality of their commentary, the fact
> that they were sisters (who sometimes wrote separately, sometimes jointly),
> and (I must confess) because they were (I so assumed) Asian-American girls
> or (young) women: at that point in my life, it surprised me that
> Asian-American girls or women would be reading superhero comics, much less
> commenting on them.
That's why I know I'd have remembered them if I saw them. :) As
mentioned though, the 70's Superman books, just before my time.
> >a few others that cloudly come to mind....Charles S.
> > Sperling,
>
> Ah- can't believe I forgot the prolific Mr. Sperling!
>
> > Kowalski from Detroit,
Bob, who still writes, as pointed out.
and this guy from Norway, or Sweden
> > (always wondered how he got so many letters printed with the overseas
> > rate!).
>
> What was the Norwegian's name, if you remember? That rings a bell....
Well, by now you know, it's Olav Beemer. And he's from Holland, not
where I said. Which is stupid, because we actually took a good
natured argument in Green Arrow or Question, and personally
corresponded for a brief period. My bad.
> > God, those were the good old days....I remember even appearing in
> > Sherwood Forum a few times. And don't forget the Question's letter
> > page! That one had some great debate.
>
> Yes, yes- can't belief I omitted it. I loved the Recommended Readings that
> Denny O'Neil-- and then readers-- complied for every issue. Anyone have (or
> feel like compiling) a complete bibliography of those?
> >
> > Now, it's noticably bad. I am finding myself skimming the pages,
> > because all the letters are the same; and I never used to do that.
> > Criticism beyond "the new X-Force team sucks" doesn't seem to make the
> > page, to make the editors witty remarks seem smart. I used to be
> > bothered when the letter page was dumped for another ad, but now,
> > since the page is basically an ad anyway, it just saves me time
> > reading.
> >
> > I don't know, maybe with email, and posting boards, the letter page is
> > a thing of the past. But even as a poster, I still think more thought
> > goes into putting pen to paper and paying for a stamp than what we do
> > here. I'm not sure the editors think so anymore.
>
> I agree- the electronic fora have all but utterly supplanted lettercols for
> good and for ill. There are distinct advantages to both-- it's too bad they
> couldn't both survive in mainstream books. Vertigo's lettercols hung on at
> high quality for quite some time, of course, before being dropped
> altogether. I notice that the lettercols in books like Blue Monday, Optic
> Nerve, Amelia Rules and other non-DC/Marvel titles are still good reads.
Yes, I agree, it has it's positives and negatives....but, while I
understand it's easier for the editor to use, I still think the ease
of the electronic for the writer means less effort and thought is
often put into it. Not always, of course.
> > Anyway, Thanks George, for bringing back some good memories.
>
> My pleasure-- I knew I'd enjoy reading the responses!
>
>
And a last note, I too, vaguely remember the Elvis Orten
nickname/creator fight- so I don't think the other posters memory is
failing him....now whether it was true or not, that' a whole another
can of worms...
Chris C.
Jim Lawless
wrote:
>
>"Brian Doyle" <brian...@afdigest.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:agm5hj$ck8$2...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
>>
>> "Dale Hicks" <dgh...@bellSPAMsouth.net.invalid> wrote in message
>> news:MPG.17981c31...@news1.lig.bellsouth.net...
>> > I've seen a Jim Owsley letter in a 70's Superman book. Devin Grayson in
>> > a Kyle Green Lantern. Fabian N_______ in some book that escapes me now.
>> > Bob Rozakis in Legion and Superman.
>>
>> And Norm Breyfogle submitted a new costume design for Robin as part of a
>competition
I believe a letter from Brian Michael Bendis appeared in the pages of
John Byrne's Next Men. ( Though this may have been in the 90's...)
Jim Lawless * ji...@radiks.net * http://www.radiks.net/~jimbo
http://www.mailsend-online.com * Command-line e-mail tools,
tiny scheduler, DUN hangup, batch script language
Dale Hicks
wbi.com says...
> George Grattan <gra...@rcn.com> wrote in message news:<B955B35A.1DA22%gra...@rcn.com>...
> > on 7/12/02 2:26 PM, M-Wolverine at ch...@pnc-wbi.com wrote:
> >
> > > Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
> > > well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
> > > forget...
> >
> > They wrote really wonderful letters, IIRC, frequently to the Superman books.
>
> mentioned though, the 70's Superman books, just before my time.
Actually, I think it was 80's Legion, with possibly a few letters showing
up in the 70's. I know I've read more Legion lettercols than any other.
Add the non-Bills quarterback Jim Kelly to the list of people I remember.
He was also an 80's guy, IIRC.
--
Cranial Crusader dgh...@bellsouth.net
George Grattan
muzikREMO...@ANDTHISSTUFFTOEMAILMEptd.net wrote:
> I'm sorry to hear of T.M. Maple's passing. His banter was always a fun read.
>
> My favorite was always watching the masthead of the JLA Mailroom, seeing how
> it changed with the changing membership. I always wondered how they would
> fit the next person in that little box, especially around the time of the
> Super-Spectaculars when the team kinda exploded in members.
>
It's funny you mention this-- I was just re-reading some issues from that
era and there was a letter complaining that new members like Red Tornado and
Hawkgirl weren't visible in the group shot. The editor replied that, of
course, they were there reading the mail with all the other Leaguers, but
simply off-panel, since there were now so many Leaguers to fit in. :-)
George Grattan
> In article <86ac6ac0.02071...@posting.google.com>, chris@pnc-
> wbi.com says...
>> George Grattan <gra...@rcn.com> wrote in message
>> news:<B955B35A.1DA22%gra...@rcn.com>...
>>> on 7/12/02 2:26 PM, M-Wolverine at ch...@pnc-wbi.com wrote:
>>>
>>>> Wow, what a compelation.....I remember Elvis, Maple and Brown
>>>> well....don't remember the Wu sisters, as that I don't think I'd
>>>> forget...
>>>
>>> They wrote really wonderful letters, IIRC, frequently to the Superman books.
>>
>> That's why I know I'd have remembered them if I saw them. :) As
>> mentioned though, the 70's Superman books, just before my time.
>
> Actually, I think it was 80's Legion, with possibly a few letters showing
> up in the 70's. I know I've read more Legion lettercols than any other.
The Wu sisters had letters in several different titles throughout the late
70s and early 80s, including the Superman books and Legion.
james ambuehl
maybe Susan? I recall reading a comic where 2 of them had separate
letters in the same column, and when this unusual moment of
synchronicity was ponted out by the editors in a later issue (FLASH, I
believe it was), Alicia replied that there was actually yet one more
comics-reading sister in her household! Hmm . . . wonder what lucky
guys got to marry those 3 comics-babes? ;-)
-- Jim
"Currently she was standing in the middle of what appeared to be his
TARDIS library. But it was a library of the evil and the arcane, where
the godless 'Necronomicon' was sandwiched between those terrible works
'Liber Inducens in Evangelium Aeternum' and 'The Black Scrolls of
Rassilon'. Where the infamous 'Book of Vile' and its Black Appendix sat
next to 'The Ambuehl Lores' and the wretched 'Insidium of Astrolabus'
.."
-- THE QUANTUM ARCHANGEL by Craig Hinton
George Grattan
> Actually, I believe there were 3 Wu sisters: Alicia, Wendy and um,
> maybe Susan?
If my memory has been refreshed correctly (and I think it has), two of the
sisters were named Alicia and Karen. I don't recall a third sister, myself,
but definitely remember these two-- I don't remember a "Wendy Wu," which
rather speaks for itself, I think. :-)
There could well have been a third letter-writing Wu sister, of course.
Any other familial letterhacks out there in the old days? (Excluding couples
who met through the lettercols, of whom there seem to be an impressive
number.....)
BTW: In one of the JLA lettercols that former letterhack Tamsyn O'Flynn
(always loved that name) edited after s/he began working at DC, there's an
excited announcement from Tamsyn than another letterhack was turning pro and
would soon have her first Batgirl story published: Barbara Randall (now
Kesel).
Tom Galloway
George Grattan <gra...@rcn.com> wrote:
>Any other familial letterhacks out there in the old days? (Excluding couples
>who met through the lettercols, of whom there seem to be an impressive
>number.....)
I believe Irene Vartanoff had a letterwriting sister, Ellen.
Although neither of us could be called letterhacks, an ex- of mine did
have at least one letter published in Adventure re: Legion, and one of
my 2-3 published letters was, quite a bit later, published in Legion
(the infamous "If the moon exploded as portrayed, the only multi-cellular
lifeforms left on Earth would be Daxamites" with the "Informed scientific
minds can differ" response during v4). While those letters were written
respectively long before and long after we were together, she did write
a published letter, not to Legion, when we were together than prominently
mentioned me as figuring out something about a storyline. And no, we didn't
meet via letter columns.
tyg t...@panix.com
>BTW: In one of the JLA lettercols that former letterhack Tamsyn O'Flynn
>(always loved that name) edited after s/he began working at DC, there's an
She.
>would soon have her first Batgirl story published: Barbara Randall (now
>Kesel).
As a side note, based on a recent interview with Karl Kesel (unfortunately,
I'm forgetting where it was posted, but it was at a reliable site), it'd
seem they're now divorced. It'd appear Barbara is keeping the surname, at
least professionally.
tyg t...@panix.com
George Grattan
> In article <B9589D8C.1E01C%gra...@rcn.com>,
> George Grattan <gra...@rcn.com> wrote:
>> Any other familial letterhacks out there in the old days? (Excluding couples
>> who met through the lettercols, of whom there seem to be an impressive
>> number.....)
>
> I believe Irene Vartanoff had a letterwriting sister, Ellen.
>
> Although neither of us could be called letterhacks, an ex- of mine did
> have at least one letter published in Adventure re: Legion, and one of
> my 2-3 published letters was, quite a bit later, published in Legion
> (the infamous "If the moon exploded as portrayed, the only multi-cellular
> lifeforms left on Earth would be Daxamites" with the "Informed scientific
> minds can differ" response during v4).
:-) Gotta go look that up, now....(should I be looking for a similar letter
from Mike Schiffer regarding a dwarf star in v3?)
>> would soon have her first Batgirl story published: Barbara Randall (now
>> Kesel).
>
> As a side note, based on a recent interview with Karl Kesel (unfortunately,
> I'm forgetting where it was posted, but it was at a reliable site), it'd
> seem they're now divorced. It'd appear Barbara is keeping the surname, at
> least professionally.
Sorry to hear of that (though it's not like I know them, of course). Two of
my favorite creators, actually. Barbara's take on Barbara Gordon was, to my
mind, the best in the business (with John Ostrander's and Kim Yale's a close
second).
Tom Galloway
George Grattan <gra...@rcn.com> wrote:
>on 7/15/02 3:54 PM, Tom Galloway at t...@panix.com wrote:
>> my 2-3 published letters was, quite a bit later, published in Legion
>> (the infamous "If the moon exploded as portrayed, the only multi-cellular
>> lifeforms left on Earth would be Daxamites" with the "Informed scientific
>> minds can differ" response during v4).
>:-) Gotta go look that up, now....(should I be looking for a similar letter
>from Mike Schiffer regarding a dwarf star in v3?)
Don't think so, although my bad science letter was co-written with Mike's
former partner in Comics For Physicists, Paul Estin. The difference is that
Paul Levitz ended up admitting that the white dwarf was over the top,
while there was no reasoned rebuttal to Paul and my points about why there'd
be nothing left of Earth given a Lunar explosion as shown (large chunks
of moon rock impacting on Earth, all Powerspheres disabled so no 30th
century miracle tech, etc.).
Actually, I was somewhat more disappointed that they radically shortened
the other letter that was in the same envelope. The complete membership
of the "let's get it right this time" Bizarro Legion of Super-Heroes.
Including the most powerful of all, Anti-Matter-Vomiter Lad. They mentioned
a couple of 'em, but not him. Alas, my post with the complete membership
doesn't seem to have made it into the Deja archives.
Also cut out the Roman Legion of Super-Heroes, mostly done by Paul, Mike,
and the UChicago SF club. Those were the heroes Superboy would've
encountered if he'd flown back in time instead of forward. I recall
Colosseum Boy as one, and I added Saturnalia Girl, who had the power to
mentally induce a state of drunkeness or hangover in others.
tyg t...@panix.com
Dale Hicks
>
> Any other familial letterhacks out there in the old days? (Excluding couples
> who met through the lettercols, of whom there seem to be an impressive
> number.....)
Well, there's Tom and Carl Bierbaum, again of the Legion.
--
Cranial Crusader dgh...@bellsouth.net
George Grattan
>
> Actually, I was somewhat more disappointed that they radically shortened
> the other letter that was in the same envelope. The complete membership
> of the "let's get it right this time" Bizarro Legion of Super-Heroes.
> Including the most powerful of all, Anti-Matter-Vomiter Lad. They mentioned
> a couple of 'em, but not him. Alas, my post with the complete membership
> doesn't seem to have made it into the Deja archives.
>
> Also cut out the Roman Legion of Super-Heroes, mostly done by Paul, Mike,
> and the UChicago SF club. Those were the heroes Superboy would've
> encountered if he'd flown back in time instead of forward. I recall
> Colosseum Boy as one, and I added Saturnalia Girl, who had the power to
> mentally induce a state of drunkeness or hangover in others.
Priceless stuff. I'm struck by just how fortunate they all were that
Anti-Matter-Vomiter Lad and Saturnalia Girl never met....
james ambuehl
regularly reading and enjoying many of same? I never did, and I always
enjoyed reading the ones that began . . . "I've been reading Marvel
Comics for 25 years now, but it was your comic AQUAMAN, a DC Comic,
which made me finally bite the bullet at last and write. I looooove the
book!"
I did think about writing a few letters, and even drafted 2 of them in
pen and ink in preparation for re-typing: One was a letter to AVENGERS
after reading MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #86 wherein Sandman has an epiphany and
starts upon the road to reform, and I was suggesting him for team
membership -- a letter both somewhat prophetic and fated to be
ultimately cursed by an awful Mackie-era Spidey retcon (Boo! Hiss!);
the other was a letter to Mike Baron begging him to give the character
Wombat from BADGER #15 or so, his own comic book. Both were thankfully
never sent, as were no others even started, despite my being a comics
fan (off and on) for some 30 years! ;-)
MG
> A high school friend and I were talking this evening about many subjects,
> but we eventually drifted around to the comics we both read during our
youth
> in the 70s and the 80s-- he hasn't read many comics since then, so was
> asking me about various changes in the industry. We got to reminiscing
about
> some of the great LOCs back in those days, and we were so surprised at how
> many names we remembered, I thought I'd raise the issue here.
>
> Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the
Wu
> sisters (Alicia and ?), Kent Phenis, T.M. Maple, Uncle Elvis, Tamsyn
> O'Flynn, and Charles (?) D. Brown? Any idea if these folks (or others you
> remember) are still "active" in fandom? (I think I recall hearing on
Usenet
> some years back of T.M. Maple's death, actually...) These and other
> correspondents wrote great, thoughtful criticism of comics month in and
> month out, and editors used to write thoughtful replies, too! (Imagine
> that!) When LOCs even run, now, they seem to be little more than extend
> plugs for upcoming projects and/or inane lists of "Who will join/guest
> star/fight next?" (Not that old LOCs didn't have their fair share of the
> latter-- but it was usually relegated to a second page for that express
> purpose, as in the regular tally of requests for new members in _JLA_.)
>
> We also recalled seeing more than a few names of those who (I was able to
> inform him) have gone on to be come pros in the industry, such as the
> Bierbaums, Kurt Busiek, and Richard Pini and Wendy ? (Didn't they "meet"
in
> an X-Men letter column?) Any others come to mind?
>
> We tried to recall as many names of lettercolumns as we could, too: The
> Batcave (in _Batman_), Metropolis Mailbag (_Superman_ or _Action_?), JLA
> Mail Room, Flash-Grams (which I never liked), Ring and Arrows (_GL/GA_--
> which pun I must confess I didn't get until years afterwards), Legion
> Outpost, X-Mail- what else?
>
> Finally, four particular columns stood out in each of our minds as having
> been excellent reads in their own right: Paul Levitz's "Legion Outpost,"
Roy
> Thomas' "All-Star Squadroom," "X-Mail" for a time (especially when
Claremont
> scripted responses from the characters themselves to the letters), and, a
> bit later, "The Sherwood Forum" in Grell's _Green Arrow_.
>
> Not sure what any of this adds up to-- those days are long gone, I know,
and
> the few letter columns that manage to hang on in superhero books are mere
> shadows of the fora that once launched revolutions in comics (indy
> lettercolumns are much, much more vibrant), but it was fun going down this
> memory alley for a bit, so I thought I'd throw it out here.
No one mentioned him but I can tell you that Hurricane Heeran is still
involved in fandom.
Al Schroeder
> "George Grattan" <gra...@rcn.com> wrote in message
> news:B953C696.1D86B%gra...@rcn.com...
> > A high school friend and I were talking this evening about many subjects,
> > but we eventually drifted around to the comics we both read during our
> youth
> > in the 70s and the 80s-- he hasn't read many comics since then, so was
> > asking me about various changes in the industry. We got to reminiscing
> about
> > some of the great LOCs back in those days, and we were so surprised at how
> > many names we remembered, I thought I'd raise the issue here.
> >
> > Anyone else out there recall reading regular letters from folks like the
> Wu
> > sisters (Alicia and ?), Kent Phenis, T.M. Maple, Uncle Elvis, Tamsyn
> > O'Flynn, and Charles (?) D. Brown? Any idea if these folks (or others you
Yo! I'm not one of those you named, but I racked up quite a few
lettercolumns in my time, as well as one universally-reviled Superman
issue. I signed it as "Al Schroeder III" at the time, and my letters
were everywhere.
Well...in 1979, I started getting letters from one Barb Long who
had seen my letters, we started corresponding---
Six months later we met face-to-face---
Six months after THAT we were married. (We honeymooned in NYC, and
met Julie Schwatz, Cary Bates, Jennette Kahn, Sol Harrison, Roger
Stern, and Jim Shooter...)
We've had three children since then---two non-verbal autistic(and
a middle one who talked for all three and THEN some)---and the eldest
died a few years ago when he was sixteen, from a heart embolism. We're
still married after 22 years, still crazy for each other, and we still
read comics, although more selectively than before...
On the internet, I've had an on-line journal for ohhh, five years
or so which has won some awards in that particular ghetto of
self-indulgent literati...
But more of interest to THIS group is that I've recently (since
mid-April) started a webcomic---a non-parody superhero(ine) no
less....called MINDMISTRESS, at http://mindmistress.keenspace.com. I
can say that she has an alter ego who is utterly unlike anything being
done in comics, print or web, at the moment (or at least that I'm
aware of)---and I've been having a lot of fun while doing it, although
my learning curve with computer graphics programs has been a steep
one....
And of course I maintain a forum, cast page, even done some
minor/minor team-ups, that sort of thing, with the character.
So I've been keeping busy.
---Al Schroeder III (boy, does it bring back memories to sign
myself THAT way...) at http://mindmistress.keenspace.com
George Grattan
>
> Yo! I'm not one of those you named,
Yes, of course Al-- I do remember seeing your name quite a bit in those
days! Sorry you got left off my initial list...
> but I racked up quite a few
> lettercolumns in my time, as well as one universally-reviled Superman
> issue.
Care to elaborate on that last bit? I don't remember what issue you're
referring to.
>I signed it as "Al Schroeder III" at the time, and my letters
> were everywhere.
> Well...in 1979, I started getting letters from one Barb Long who
> had seen my letters, we started corresponding---
> Six months later we met face-to-face---
> Six months after THAT we were married. (We honeymooned in NYC, and
> met Julie Schwatz, Cary Bates, Jennette Kahn, Sol Harrison, Roger
> Stern, and Jim Shooter...)
"We Honeymooned with Julie Schwartz"-- now *that's* a title for a comic
fandom memoir if ever there was one...:-)
> We've had three children since then---two non-verbal autistic(and
> a middle one who talked for all three and THEN some)---and the eldest
> died a few years ago when he was sixteen, from a heart embolism. We're
> still married after 22 years, still crazy for each other, and we still
> read comics, although more selectively than before...
So sorry to hear of your struggles and losses, so wonderful to hear of the
happiness that you've had despite them-- thanks for letting us know this,
and that you and Barb "met" through the lettercols.
I'll have to check out Mind Mistress soon-- best of luck to you!
Al Schroeder
> Yes, of course Al-- I do remember seeing your name quite a bit in those
> days! Sorry you got left off my initial list...
Oh, no problem at all.
>
> > but I racked up quite a few
> > lettercolumns in my time, as well as one universally-reviled Superman
> > issue.
>
> Care to elaborate on that last bit? I don't remember what issue you're
> referring to.
The one where it was "revealed" how the glasses hid Superman's secret
ID. Marty Pasko read the letter I sent in, liked the idea, and we
split the fee for the story. The only thing I didn't like was the way
Clark was portrayed by Swan---or rather, the hypnotized image that
everyone was seeing---as balding. I conceived Clark as slimmer and
less muscular, but still reasonably handsome, sort of like the
difference between Don Blake and Thor. Still, I think it's a more
reasonable idea than everyone not noticing Clark is Superman with
glasses on...and made good use of a ridiculous super-power,
super-hypnotism.
>
> "We Honeymooned with Julie Schwartz"-- now *that's* a title for a comic
> fandom memoir if ever there was one...:-)
*Grin* He asked us why we were there for four days without coming by
there---Barb and I just looked at each other and said, "We were busy."
> So sorry to hear of your struggles and losses, so wonderful to hear of the
> happiness that you've had despite them-- thanks for letting us know this,
> and that you and Barb "met" through the lettercols.
Yeah, it was like Internet romances, albeit through snailmail.
>
> I'll have to check out Mind Mistress soon-- best of luck to you!
Thanks, George---ditto to you.--Al
http://mindmistress.keenspace.com ----The Greatest Superpower of All.
Dale Hicks
> on 7/17/02 5:16 PM, Al Schroeder at al.sch...@nashville.com wrote:
>
> > but I racked up quite a few
> > lettercolumns in my time, as well as one universally-reviled Superman
> > issue.
>
> Care to elaborate on that last bit? I don't remember what issue you're
> referring to.
Super-hypnosis.
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=36848925.6376475%40news.goodnet.com
FTR, I loved the idea, and thought it explained the ultra silly in a
method that was just slightly less silly. Good job, Al. Not everyone
hated it.
--
Cranial Crusader dgh...@bellsouth.net
Dale Hicks
al.sch...@nashville.com says...
> [cowriter on]
> The one where it was "revealed" how the glasses hid Superman's secret
> ID.
FTR, this was SUPERMAN #330:
http://216.150.214.165/istore/images/fullsize/83754703976.330.GIF
Also FTR, the single best cover ever may have been SUPERMAN #317:
http://216.150.214.165/istore/images/fullsize/83754703976.317.GIF
--
Cranial Crusader dgh...@bellsouth.net
Al Schroeder
> > > lettercolumns in my time, as well as one universally-reviled Superman
> > > issue.
> >
> > Care to elaborate on that last bit? I don't remember what issue you're
> > referring to.
>
> Super-hypnosis.
>
> http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=36848925.6376475%40news.goodnet.com
>
>
> FTR, I loved the idea, and thought it explained the ultra silly in a
> method that was just slightly less silly. Good job, Al. Not everyone
> hated it.
Thanks, I appreciate it. (It's kind of funny---now I have a webcomics
character that uses a version of super-hypnosis --albeit induced via a
device---quite a lot. I call it a silly power, but I can't seem to get
away from it...)
---Al
http://mindmistress.keenspace.com ---the Greatest Superpower of All
~consul
>>[cowriter on]
>>The one where it was "revealed" how the glasses hid Superman's secret
>>ID.
> FTR, this was SUPERMAN #330:
> http://216.150.214.165/istore/images/fullsize/83754703976.330.GIF
Hey, so why was she so dense and why was he trying to convince her?
--
"american girls . . . all weather and noise . . ."
Jameson Stalanthas Yu
(remove the 'x's for e-mail) xdedes...@dolphins-cove.com
http://www.dolphins-cove.com
George Grattan
>
>>
>> Care to elaborate on that last bit? I don't remember what issue you're
>> referring to.
>
> The one where it was "revealed" how the glasses hid Superman's secret
> ID. Marty Pasko read the letter I sent in, liked the idea, and we
> split the fee for the story.
A-ha. Well, don't count me as one of the ones who universally reviles that
story. I remember it well, and thought it was a clever Silver Age-ish idea
brought forward into the 1970s context, rather like much of what Elliot S!
Maggin did with the super-cigars, et al.
>The only thing I didn't like was the way
> Clark was portrayed by Swan---or rather, the hypnotized image that
> everyone was seeing---as balding. I conceived Clark as slimmer and
> less muscular, but still reasonably handsome, sort of like the
> difference between Don Blake and Thor.
I agree- and remember thinking the same thing, that Swan had overdone the
differences just a bit too much. Clark should have looked like Superman's
slightly older, shorter, thinner brother, not like his consumptive uncle.
:-)
>Still, I think it's a more
> reasonable idea than everyone not noticing Clark is Superman with
> glasses on...and made good use of a ridiculous super-power,
> super-hypnotism.
I'm with you all the way on this, actually, *if* one feels an explanation
for the genre convention is called for. (I don't think it is, actually,
since Clark's glasses are no more ridiculous than, say, Hal Jordan's mask
when you come right down to it, and that never seemed to throw as many
people into fits of disbelief...)
There's a part of me that rather likes the psychological, Purloined-letter
aspects of the current "explanation", and it was singularly clever of Pa
Kent/John Byrne to suggest that the key to the deception lies in making sure
than no one's aware there is a deception-- but that ultimately only goes so
far.
On the whole, I liked the unintentional super-hypnotism handwave better--
but I really don't think any explanation can satisfy.
>>
>> "We Honeymooned with Julie Schwartz"-- now *that's* a title for a comic
>> fandom memoir if ever there was one...:-)
>
> *Grin* He asked us why we were there for four days without coming by
> there---Barb and I just looked at each other and said, "We were busy."
Good ole Julie, ever the innocent....
Dale Hicks
cove.com says...
> Dale Hicks wrote:
>
> >>[cowriter on]
> >>The one where it was "revealed" how the glasses hid Superman's secret
> >>ID.
> > FTR, this was SUPERMAN #330:
> > http://216.150.214.165/istore/images/fullsize/83754703976.330.GIF
>
>
> Hey, so why was she so dense and why was he trying to convince her?
I answered this in another post on dc.universe, in case you don't read
both groups.
--
Cranial Crusader dgh...@bellsouth.net