Famous Lettercol Writers

[Dick Pontoon]

These posts also got me thinking about Macchio, whose anti-Kirby rants upon the King's return to Marvel - especially in Captain America - were incredibly obnoxious.

I agreed 100% with Macchio. Even as a 12-year old, I felt I could write better than Kirby. Mad Bomb? Please. Kirby's art wasn't what I expected from reading SA Marvel reprints, either. It didn't even match his 4th World work at DC. As a huge Cap fan at the time, and a big fan of Kirby's work in FF and Thor, Kirby's return to Marvel was a huge disappointment, and among the junior high set he became a big joke as he rolled out more titles at Marvel.

 

When those books came out, I didn't like them either! They were a huge disappointment to me as well; we were probably both reading the same reprints and I had started picking up back issues, too.

 

In the last few years I've changed my mind out this period and have been buying back issues I'd gotten rid of long ago. A case can be made either way as to whether this was "good" Kirby or not. His dialogue could certainly be stiff or stilted but his art was still great and his storytelling was hampered by circumstances at both Marvel and DC.

 

What I find obnoxious in reading these lettercols now, is that Macchio for example, was slamming Kirby and his writing before he even took over Cap. He's entitled to his opinion and if he hated Kirby's writing, art or even Jack himself, that's his perogative. So I guess my problem is with the decision to repeatedly run mean-spirited digs that went beyond critical analysis in issue after issue of that run.

[tth2]

What I find obnoxious in reading these lettercols now, is that Macchio for example, was slamming Kirby and his writing before he even took over Cap. He's entitled to his opinion and if he hated Kirby's writing, art or even Jack himself, that's his perogative. So I guess my problem is with the decision to repeatedly run mean-spirited digs that went beyond critical analysis in issue after issue of that run.

Well, Macchio was probably basing it on Kirby's work at DC. Although some of the concepts of the 4th World stuff was great, the writing was also mediocre. Kirby's art in the 4th World books wasn't bad, but it got worse as the issues progressed, and his art in some other DC titles (I remember Our Fighting Forces in particular) was horrific. Macchio was presumably older than us at the time, so if it was grating on our adolescent sensibilities, what must have it been doing to a more mature reader?

 

What's interesting is that Marvel chose to keep running the letters.

[Aman619]

careful about dissing Kirby's writing at DC, The Kirby IS God Squad will come after you. They have long defended those awful stories as Shakespearean in nuance. But I agree with you on the subject.

[ecfanman]

I've got a copy of the 1966 fanzine Spectre #11. It's a monsters zine and has an early Jeff Jones cover.

 

However, it also has a letter from Gene Klein who later changes his name to Gene Simmons and joined a rock band - KISS!

 

There was actually a copy of it on eBay this week. It sold for $255 to Jim Halperin.

 

I also have another 1960's science fiction fanzine (with a Jeff Jones illustration) with an article by fanboy Dean Koontz.

 

ECFANMAN

[Zonker]

careful about dissing Kirby's writing at DC, The Kirby IS God Squad will come after you. They have long defended those awful stories as Shakespearean in nuance. But I agree with you on the subject.

 

[jonjesper]

Foom #2

 

People that sent in drawings often had them published...

in this issue

Steve Rude, Bill Morrison and Trever Von Eden

In the contest section (on the same page below) some names you may have heard of...

Michael Piazza

Fred Hembeck

Tom Lyle

[Mr. Zipper]

Foom #2

 

People that sent in drawings often had them published...

in this issue

Steve Rude, Bill Morrison and Trever Von Eden

In the contest section (on the same page below) some names you may have heard of...

Michael Piazza

Fred Hembeck

Tom Lyle

 

I suppose it's possible, but unlikely since the Mike Piazza we all know would have been 4 years old when this book was published.

 

[jonjesper]

Foom #2

 

People that sent in drawings often had them published...

in this issue

Steve Rude, Bill Morrison and Trever Von Eden

In the contest section (on the same page below) some names you may have heard of...

Michael Piazza

Fred Hembeck

Tom Lyle

 

I suppose it's possible, but unlikely since the Mike Piazza we all know would have been 4 years old when this book was published.

 

I saw the name and just typed

[racnek63]

that must have made Sim's day! Cerebus was, after all, a Conan homage in the beginning, before Sim's imagination and took off.

Speaking of Dave Sim... from Batman 235:

[racnek63]

And then there's this:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPERMAN-366-DC-Comi...1QQcmdZViewItem