Comic Coverage

"Dear Editor..."

As much as the comics biz and its fan community have changed over the decades, a few things remain the same. Of course, today's storytelling style, printing methods and the cover prices are radically different from the comics of forty or fifty years ago...but when it comes to the passionate and polarized feedback of fans, it's like looking in a mirror.

Sure, the internet has made fan feedback more instantaneous than ever before, but at its core it's still about opposing fans who love or hate certain comics with equal intensity.

This "eternal truth" of comics fandom was confirmed as I read the letter's column of Action Comics #255 (1959), an old back issue I picked up this week.  You see, Supergirl had just made her debut a mere three issues earlier in Action Comics #252, which generated quite a reaction from Superman's young readers.

True to form, fans seemed to either like Supergirl or actively dislike her...with very little middle ground.  Sound familiar?

For instance, David Mitchell of Garland,
Texas thought Supergirl was "terrific"...

...while Herbert Linsey of the Bronx wasn't too happy about it,
confidently speaking for America's dismayed and disappointed boys.

I can just hear that little Bronx-accented voice asking "So how about moving Supergirl to Lois Lane...and make everybody happy? Badaboom!"

So, there you go.  Thanks to the Metropolis Mailbag letters page, you now have proof that highly polarized fan opinion is a comics tradition dating back at least half a century.

The Letters Page = Fanboy Valhalla

Here in the glamorous Internet Age, anyone with a computer and a keyboard can instantly tell a waiting world why the comic book they just read rox/sux.

However, there was a time when the only place fans could publicly express their like (or dislike) of a story was on a comic book's letter page.  Chosen by the title's editor (or, in some cases, the writer), a few lucky fans would get the opportunity to share their opinion with not only the creators, but a captive audience of fellow fans as well.  In fact, some of the most prolific fans had letters printed almost every month in a variety of titles, becoming minor celebrities in their own right. 

The rest of us could never hope to be a Dale L. Coe, Kent A. Phenis or the late, great T.M. Maple (a.k.a. Jim Burke) because...well...I guess we just didn't have much to say.  Of course, that's never stopped us here in the 21st century blogosphere, but back when the lag time between writing the letter and its (highly unlikely) publication was at least four months, that pretty much let all the air out of our tires.  That, and the fact that most of us didn't have the slightest idea of how to write a literate, entertaining letter.

Ah, but despite being only 13 years old, a story in Iron Man #132 (1980) inspired me to buck the odds and write my first letter to a comic book letters page. At the time, the Hulk was my favorite comic book character, and I was expecting my guy to turn Tony Stark into Scrap Iron Man.  As it turned out, Iron Man turned the tables and defeated the Hulk by focusing all of his armor's power into a single punch, then promptly collapsing afterward.

Well, as you can imagine, I wasn't too happy about that...and sent a letter off to Printed Circuits, the official Iron Man letters page.  As I mentioned before, the lag time between the issue number and its letter page commentary was at least four or five months, so, being a mercurial 13 year old boy, I most likely forgot all about my letter.

Flash forward a whopping six months later when, on a whim, I picked up Iron Man #138, cuz hey...a Dreadnought was on the cover! When I got to the letters page, you can imagine my utter flabbergastery when I saw my own name and address staring back at me.  There it was! They published it!  I was "in"!  Like Ralphie in awe of his Red Ryder theme paper in A Christmas Story, I re-read my letter as if it were a blistering Wall Street Journal editorial, or the watertight closing argument of Perry Mason. 

Here it is:

Obviously, my razor-sharp logic...backed up by devastating citations from other comics...must have silenced the Marvel Bullpen, right?  Wrong!  Iron Man writer David Michelinie himself jumped to the defense of his story...

Ouch!  Even twenty-seven years later, that slap-down still hurts!

Seriously, it was a blast getting a letter printed...and it would happen one more time in a Superman letters page a few years later (I'll get to that another day).  I have to admit, it does feel kinda cool having made it into a pre-internet letters page, back when it actually felt like an accomplishment having your opinion out there for all to see.  For that matter, it'll be there for all time, printed in the back of an actual comic book...still floating around in collections around the world.  It's only a molecule of "immortality", to be sure, but "Fanboy Valhalla" nonetheless.

Now, before I break out into the theme song from Fame, it sould be noted that my letters page debut was overshadowed somewhat by the appearance of a letters page Golden Boy, the aforementioned Dale L. Coe!

"For letters like yours, Dale?  Definitely!"

See what I mean? Golden Boy.

Dear Editor: A Thunder God's Work is Never Done

Comic book letter pages of any era are fun to read, but I find the letters printed from the late 1950's through the 60's especially entertaining.  When compared to today's more cynical "been there, done that" seen-it-all internet fan community, the letter-writing fans of that era had an endearing (and refreshingly non-jaded) brand of enthusiasm.  Sure, they had their share of cranks, too...but for the most part, they were a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed bunch that obviously loved reading comics.

For example, take this gem from The Hammer Strikes, the letters page from Journey Into Mystery #121 (1965). A lad named George Tsakiris from New York loves reading the adventures of Thor...but doesn't quite get the "Neverending Battle" aspect of the superhero's life.  Let's check out George making the case for Thor to get a day off once in awhile, followed by Smilin' Stan's playful reply of mock exasperation:

Cheee! Yeah, Stan had a good point there. Though George's heart
was undoubtedly in the right place, I don't think the world was
quite ready for a special All-Napping issue of Thor.

Of course, with the slow-moving, "decompressed" storytelling that defines today's comics, maybe George (if he's still reading comics) finally got his wish for relaxed, action-free superhero stories.

Dear Editor: Metropolis Mailbag...After Dark!

Over my many years of collecting Superman comics, I've certainly read my fair share of Metropolis Mailbag letters pages.  Through all those decades of Mailbags, young fans asked the burning questions like "How do you pronounce 'Mxyzptlk'?" or "Where does he put his Clark Kent clothes when he's Superman?", while the mysterious "editor" patiently answered them over and over again.

However, there were times when those old Mailbags genuinely surprised me, when a question or an answer would suddenly veer off into uncharted weirdness. One such letter was printed in Superman #143 (1961), as one Tony Armalis from Chicago asked a question regarding the marital status of Superman and Lois Lane....followed by an answer from the editor that bumped the normally G-rated spirit of the letters page into the neon-lit world of...

W-W-What?

First, a quick confirmation courtesy of
Webster's dictionary... (click to enlarge)

...and there you have it.   Editor Mort Weisinger invalidating the Lois/X-Plam and Superman/Jena the Space Girl marriages on the grounds that they didn't go all the way!

Wow. Just....wow.

Dear Editor: Flashing in Public

In the dawning years of comics fandom, the comic book letters page was a popular place for fans to share their opinions and ask questions about their favorite heroes.  While most letters dealt with the usual topics...praising or panning an issue, story suggestions, or nit-picking minor errors...there were occasionally letters that defied classification. Sure, you could probably file the Flash-Grams letter from England's Bruce MacTwaine under a fairly common heading: questions about the Flash's powers or mode of operation...but Bruce took things in a rather unexpected direction (especially for 1961)...

from Flash #120 (May, 1961)

A pretty smooth recovery from editor Julius Schwartz there...especially with the volatile words "female" and "sex" in such shockingly close proximity (it's 1961, people).  However, even though Julie artfully directed the discussion away from Barry Allen speedily stripping down in front of the ladies, the explanation doesn't quite add up, does it?

But then again, we're talking about the topsy-turvy world of superheroes here....so I guess it makes perfect sense that a man who could run faster than light and kept his costume inside of his ring could also wear that costume over his suit coat, slacks, street shoes and bow tie...yet somehow get it to appear skin tight.

Dear Editor: Forty-Six Years Later

Regular readers may be familiar with my occasional Dear Editor feature, which spotlights fan feedback from the vanished era of comic book letter pages.

A few months ago, I posted a "Dear Editor" letter from a young lad named Tony Armalis, originally published in a 1961 issue of Superman. Well, imagine my surprise when this comment appeared in my email inbox this past weekend:

"Mark, this is unbelieveable! I was having a hard time
sleeping, out of boredom did a search on my name, and
came up with this. I remember writing this letter back in
'61 at the ripe age of 14. I really got a kick out of this."
–Tony Armalis

Although the crux of the joke for that particular "Dear Editor" post was the editor's strange reply, I still have to hand it to "Grown-Up Tony" for having a good sense of humor over the whole thing. As surreal as it was to hear from him, I can only imagine how surreal an experience it was for Tony to see a letter he wrote forty-six years ago discussed on some geek's website.

I suppose in the age of Google, this sort of thing isn't quite the star-crossed cosmic coincidence it might have been in years past....but still....what're the odds?

Dear Editor: Your Friendly Neighborhood Superman

Every neighborhood has its eccentric characters, but as a letter printed in the Metropolis Mailbag of Superman #209 (1968) proves, some neighborhood oddballs take it one step further...

So, what was the reaction of the editor? Was he happy the ersatz Superman was "spreading the word" on their flagship character? Or, conversely, did he warn young Terry to alert the Madison authorities? Nope.

Dear Editor: "A Mob of Stupid Lunkheads..."

I keep coming across interviews with comic book creators who mention how discouraged they are with the relentless criticism and negativity of internet fandom. It's as if cynicism, sarcasm, and harsh critiques suddenly materialized with the advent of internet fan input, while the pre-internet days (by implication) were some kind of idyllic Garden of Eden between comic book publishers and their fans.

Well, I hate to burst their bubble, but you don't have to look too hard to find today's brand of negative snark in yesterday's fan forums.  Sure, in the case of comic book letters pages, the format was much more limited and stage-managed than today's more free-wheeling internet age...but the passion and intensity of both eras?  Indistinguishable.  Here....read this letter from the Avengers Assemble letters page in Avengers #37 (1966) and you be the judge:

"Ruining"?  "Lousy"? "Crummy"?  "Stupid Lunkheads"?...and how about that whiplash-inducing head fake in the final sentence?  I don't know about you, but the fans of forty-one years ago seemed to be every bit as brutally honest (and mercurial and occasionally incoherent) as their 21st century counterparts.

So, how did the boys of the Marvel Bullpen react to such whithering negativity?  Did they take their football and go home or whine that there was something deeply flawed or mean-spirited about the fandom of 1966?

Of course not.  They kept their game face on, had some fun with it, and ultimately kept the feeling of community intact.  Watch the masters at work:

Yes...I know...some internet critics take things way, way too far...and I'm not condoning that kind of stuff.  But come on...some of today's creators have a remarkably thin skin, and it would do them well to adopt a bit of their predecessors' good humor and unflappable attitude.

Dear Editor: The Kryptonian Hillbillies

As I mentioned in a previous Dear Editor, the debut of Supergirl caused quite a stir throughout the Superman fan community of 1959. Some of the feedback was positive, some was negative....and a small percentage of it fell in to its own bizarre category.  A prime example of that peculiar third category appeared in Action Comics #263 (1960).  Apparently, Bruce Cutler of Huntsville, Alabama had a plan for Supergirl and Superman that one could charitably describe as "controversial"...

Wow.  It's bad enough the guy wanted Superman to marry his cousin, but did he also have to be from Alabama?  Making matters worse was the nonplussed reaction of editor Mort Weisinger who, instead of writing "What?  Are you CRAZY?  She's his COUSIN!", decided to play the weaselly "age of consent" card:

Not exactly the proudest Metropolis Mailbag moment, was it?

Dear Editor: "Many Thanks for Remembering Him."

In the years following World War II, the concept of physical fitness suddenly became a national concern. As mechanization diminished the need for hard labor, unprecedented amounts of recreation time created a more sedentary lifestyle for Americans. Made worse by the mesmerizing (and still relatively new) influence of television, the government took notice of "The Soft American" and began promoting physical fitness throughout the country.

Although started by the Eisenhower administration, these national fitness programs were even more heavily promoted by his successor John F. Kennedy, whose youthful and vital image certainly didn't hurt the promotion. One element of this campaign was a comic book story created in conjunction with DC Comics titled "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy", in which JFK asks Superman to promote his fitness program to America's youth. However, just as the story was going to press in November of 1963, Kennedy was tragically assassinated. Out of respect for the fallen President, DC pulled the story...but after encouragement from President Johnson and the Kennedy family, they went ahead and published the story in Superman #170 (1964). For a more in-depth look at the story itself, I'll refer you to Robby Reed's excellent Dial B for Blog article for some great insights and story excerpts, but needless to say...it was an amazing (if surreal) story that marked a rare confluence of pop culture fantasy and real-world history.

As you'd expect, the story triggered quite a response from Superman's young readers. In letters printed in Superman #175, most were appropriately saddened by the tragedy, yet others couldn't help themselves when it came to more comic-booky concerns...such as Superman's secret identity:

Here's the specific panel young Miss Fox was concerned about:

Of course, no Secret Service agent (eavesdropping or otherwise) could be seen anywhere in the bright neon green Oval Office, but Rose's somewhat misplaced concern (and the editor's endearing decision to play along) is actually kinda touching.

Its brevity the key to its poignancy, an even more touching letter was printed from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was probably about ten years-old at the time:

It's this sort of thing that gives the larger-than-life drama of the Kennedy assassination an unexpectedly human component, as a young boy (albeit a somewhat famous young boy) offers a brief "thank you" on behalf of his uncle (albeit an uncle who just so happened to be the President of the United States).

Dear Editor: Military Wives Love Cap!

"These anonymous women are our unsung heroines who for more than 200 years braved wars to tend to their husbands, trekked the great American deserts and plains of the West, crossed the roiling waters of the Pacific, and survived violent political upheavals worldwide. When the great or small wars took their husbands overseas, each followed as far as she could, then set about to keep the home fires burning. Today, more than ever, the military wife is a pioneer who travels to strange lands, rears her family under nomadic and often inhospitable conditions, and, many times copes with the stress of surviving on her own."

from Campfollowing: A History of the American Military Wife by Betty Sowers Alt and Bonnie Domrose Stone (1991)

I have great respect for the men and women who serve in the U.S. military, and that respect certainly extends to their families. Bearing burdens and sacrifices most of us never will, the life of a military family has never been easy. Holding it all together is the one who's said to have "the toughest job in the military"...the military wife. While stationed on overseas bases with their husband and children, these masters of adaptation would cherish the small comforts and reminders of American life they missed so much. Surprisingly, one of these small comforts turned out to be Captain America comic books, as you'll soon see in a letter from Ms. Evelyn Van Winkle published in Captain America #105 (1968). Since Cap's solo series began only five issues earlier with issue #100 (taking over the numbering of Tales of Suspense, which Cap had shared with Iron-Man), this letters page would mark the inaugural edition of:

(click on the letter excerpts below for larger views)

KOF: No, this wasn't a military acronym, but rather one of Marvel's "Hallowed Ranks of Marveldom".  KOF stood for "Keeper of the Flame" and was defined as "One who recruits a newcomer to Marvel's rollickin' ranks"....so I would assume Ms. Van Winkle had recruited a few of her fellow military wives (and possibly their husbands and kids) to the growing ranks of Marveldom.

Okay, back to the letter...

Before we get to Stan Lee's response, more explanations for potentially puzzling references:

Agent Thirteen: Cap's girlfriend Sharon Carter.

PX:  Short for "Post Exchange", which is a multi-purpose store located on military bases.

Brasso: A widely-used metal polish.

Okay, now that you know about Brasso, on to Stan, who....God bless 'im, was obviously a man of his time. As anyone familiar with 1960's Marvel Comics knows, they didn't exactly represent the vanguard of feminism. Despite Evelyn's spunky letter and the strong, independent reputation of military wives, Stan...well, here...read it for yourself:

Wow. Well, despite the "little women" and pipe & slippers talk, it's clear Stan respected military men and their families, and even threw in a free subscription! 

How about showing your own respect and concern for military wives and their families by donating your time, treasure, or talents to Operation Homefront?  This awesome charity provides emergency assistance and morale to our troops, to the families they leave behind, and to wounded warriors when they return home. Made up of 4,000 volunteers in 31 chapters nationwide, Operation Homefront has provided assistance to more than 45,000 military families in need since it began in 2001. 

In the spirit of all those pretend heroes we spend so much time talking about, how about giving some real heroes a helping hand?

Dear Editor: Smart Kids Read Superman Comics!

Looking back, most of us comic book fans can recall varying degrees of incomprehension and disapproval directed at our "funny books" from the Usual Suspects. When I was a kid, my parents were more on the the "bemused incomprehension" end of the spectrum than the outright disapproval and "cease and desist order" end of it. Still, I can sympathize with kids whose parents did give them grief for reading comic books...such as John Quincey and his tale of parental persecution that kicked off the letters page of Superman #175 (1965).  Even though he lived in the coolest-sounding town ever, all was not right in Cheesequake, New Jersey...

 

In a remarkable break from their "All Glib, All The Time" policy, the DC editor (either Mort Weisinger or his assistant E. Nelson Bridwell) actually passed along some surprisingly helpful ammo to young Mr. Quincey, most likely taken from  a 1964 TIME Magazine article:

 

Take THAT Mr. and Mrs. Quincey! How dare you question your son's comic book reading when honest-to-goodness Smart Kids like Michael Grost read them, too?!  

"But that's not all!", 
says irritating informercial king Billy Mays!

Since I've heard from a couple of the letter writers featured in "Dear Editor", I thought I'd do a little "Google Fishing" for Michael Grost, the 10 year-old Wunderkind mentioned by the DC editor. As luck would have it, a website for Michael E. Grost popped up at the top of the search results...and it was immediately clear that this was the same guy.

As you might expect of a boy with that level of intelligence and curiosity, Michael grew up to become involved with a wide variety of disciplines, studies and interests...one of which remains classic comic books!

Well, as my own curiosity got the best of me, I decided to send Michael an email to (A) get absolute confirmation he was the same guy and (B) to get his side of the story...which I graciously received only short time later.  Here's what he wrote (printed with his permission):

"Thank you for the very nice email. 

When this story appeared in the press, the folks at DC Comics were so pleased, that they sent me a free year's subscription to Action Comics. It was the first time that comic books arrived by mail at our house. Before, they had always been purchased by me out of my allowance money. It was really interesting. This was my only contact with the DC people of that era. Wish now, I'd learned more!

Living near Michigan State University has enabled me to read all these great old comics again. MSU's astonishing Comic Art Collection has over 180,000 comic books. People come from all over the world to read and research.

Thanks,

Mike (Grost)"

Sounds like I need to take a road trip to Michigan State University!  

In a second email, I gave Mike the Superman issue number the letter appeared in, to which he replied:

"Your letter is the first time I've ever heard that I was mentioned in Superman #175. This is astonishing news. I read comics as a kid, regularly from 1962 through 1966. Then I lost interest, then started reading them again as a teenager in 1971 through 1975. As a kid, I was not organized (or wealthy) enough to read every issue. When I had money from allowance, or for special treats, I'd get a new comic book from the grocery store or drug store. I never read Superman #175 as a kid. And no one ever told my family about it. 

A few years ago, for my web article on Superman, I read all of the Superman stories from 1958 through 1966, at MSU Library's superb collection. I remember reading #175 there. It has the excellent Imaginary tale, "Clark Kent's Brother", written by Edmond Hamilton. I clearly remember at the time, that the story was new to me - I'd never read it as a kid. This was not uncommon. I must not have read the letters column of that issue. 

I've double-checked with my family. They remember DC Comics sending us a letter announcing the gift subscription to Action Comics. I remember this vividly too. No one has any recollection of Superman #175, or its Mailbag column."

I then sent Mike a scan of the original letters page so he could see it for himself, all these years later. 

Thanks for being such a good sport, Mike...and for giving John Quincey of Cheesequake the reassurance that smart kids do indeed read Superman comics!

Dear Editor: When Action Comics #1 was $100

It's common knowledge that Action Comics #1 (featuring the first appearance of Superman) is not only the most important comic book ever published, but also the most valuable. The 2008 Overstreet Price Guide places its value between $42,000 in rougher shape and a whopping $475,000 for tip-top "Near Mint" condition, but in many cases has sold for much more than that.

However, this "Holy Grail" of comic books hasn't always listed in the five figures-plus range...as you can see from this letter written by Guy Lillian, printed in Superman #192 (1967):

(click on the excerpts for a larger view)

Catch that? A copy of Action Comics #1 for the kingly sum of $100! Granted, $100 would be the equivalent to roughly $750 today...but that still makes an utterly unthinkable purchase actually seem within reach.

Ah, but poor Guy....the lucky owner of the comic book shut him down when it came to taking a peek at the interior, showing that even then the fussy condition-mongers were already starting to deny access of Action #1 to mere mortals...which is today only glimpsed from afar through nuclear blast-proof plastic.

Guy, taking the rejection in stride, goes on to comment upon Superman #190, which got high marks for what it didn't have...

In the spirit of Guy's closing remarks, may Supie's next 70 years be just as great (though not necessarily romance-free).

Dear Editor: "Jack, Are You Running Out of Monsters?"

As a founding father of the Marvel Universe, uber-artist Jack Kirby was a creative dynamo who could do no wrong in the eyes of 1960's Marvel fans (or "Marvelites" as they were known). 

Well, most of them, anyway.

Appearing on the letters page of Thor #155 (1968), a guy named Len Uricek from Flint, Michigan had a laundry list of visual gaffes and art observations that targeted Jack Kirby with a rare bit of (good natured) criticism...

Let's take a look at that NYPD hardware Len was talking about (click on the panels for a larger view)

Marvel (possibly Stan Lee himself) jumps to the defense of not only Kirby, but the New York Police Department as well....

Once the Thor-related questions were out of the way, Len also had something to say regarding the issue's back-up story, starring Triton of the Inhumans...

Here's the costumed actor Len is referring to, alongside the legendary Creature from the Black Lagoon. Yeah...a definite resemblance there.

The reply? Just some of that classic, good-natured obfuscation that 

characterized the free-wheeling Marvel Comics letter pages... 

Dear Editor: ...and Baby Jack Makes Three

One of the most enjoyable aspects of old comic book letter pages were the random, out-of-left-field observations fans routinely offered up.  One of the strangest had to be from Howard Leroy Davis, printed in Fantastic Four #94 (1969). Howard had a very ...unique... observation regarding the newborn baby of Reed and Susan Richards:

Whaaat? Alright, here's the "Baby Jack"
panel in question from Fantastic Four #90...

...and the reaction of the Marvel Bullpen:


So...what do you think?

Was Jack Kirby drawing his likeness onto fictional infants as Howard Leroy
Davis observed? Or were those comic book ink fumes starting to get to Howie?

Franklin Richards                          Jack Kirby

Dear Editor: The Axe Man Cometh

During the era of the comic book letters page, fan letters to super-team titles would often address the status of its membership. Much like sports fans wrangling over their favorite team's roster, some fans were perfectly happy with its lineup of superstars, while other fans lobbied for changes. Of those in the latter category, most would offer suggestions for new members...but there was also a smaller percentage who wanted to flat-out eliminate members.

This more cut-throat contingent was represented by a letter published in Justice League of America #64 (1968)...

Wow, no lengthy preamble for this guy...he's all business!  Let's see who his first recommendation for resignation was...

"For real"!  Gotta say, he's got a point.  A guy with a bow and arrow hanging around with powerhouses like Superman, Flash, and Wonder Woman never made much sense. Over the next few years, Green Arrow would get a "personality makeover" into a liberal firebrand, which added some interesting chemistry to the team...but prior to that, GA was pure vanilla.

Again, a pretty harsh assessment...but at the same time, Aquaman's literal "fish out of water" presence (and the token inclusion of water-based emergencies) has always been a recurring complaint/in-joke with JLA fans. As with Green Arrow, no big surprise.

However, the letter's final target for termination did come as a bit 

of a surprise, considering the character's Superman-level status...

 

If I didn't know better, I'd wonder if the letter writer could have been a young Dan Didio, DC's current Editor-In-Chief widely known for his itchy trigger finger. Dozens of characters have met their (sometimes rather grisly) end under Didio's reign...one of the most recent being (you guessed it) the Martian Manhunter!

Martian Manhunter's funeral from Final Crisis: Requiem (2008)

Actually, the letter writer was one Paul Nussbaum of Upland, Indiana...who not only wanted Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter to quit, but for all three of them to quit simultaneously!

Of course, I have no idea what occupation Nussbaum chose as an adult...but judging from his cold efficiency in fingering Justice League members for resignation, my guess is that he grew up to become a highly-paid corporate axe man, the guy responsible for laying off and firing a company's work force.

A future axe man whose first targets were three 

members of the Justice League of America!

A pensive Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter 

contemplate unemployment at the hands of Paul Nussbaum.

FOR REAL!

Dear Editor: The Gospel According to Cap

 

Hey, since I dipped my toe into the taboo subject of politics earlier this week, I might as well finish off the week by touching that other "third rail" of public discourse: religion! Back in Captain America #108 (1968), the "Let's Yap with Cap" letter page included this missive from one Gary L. Robinson (click on the letter excerpts for a larger view):

 

 

GASP!  Here are the controversial Cap panels Gary was referring to:

 

 

So...what was Gary's beef?  Read on...

 

 

Wow! I guess a vaguely Christian Captain America was just too much for ol' Gary to tolerate. Strangely, there was no reply from "traditional Christian" Stan Lee (who's actually Jewish), but three issues later a self-described atheist named Paul Johannes defended Stan's use of Cap's Christian witness (while somehow knowing that Gary was Jewish)...

 

 

Ah, but even though Paul had Stan's back on Cap's mini-homily, 

there was another religious comment he just couldn't let pass...

 

 

Here's the panel in question from Fantastic Four #72 (1968):

 

Paul continued....

 

 

Woah! "Minority-excluding remark"?  Let's see how our favorite theologian Stan Lee replied to Paul's rather serious charge...

 

 

Nuff said!

Dear Editor: LOVE on the Letters Page

As one might guess, the vast majority of fan letters published in the comic books of old were written by males. However, a small percentage of female fans had their letters published, too...most of whom commented on the same stuff their male counterparts did. Ah, but every once in awhile, a female fan would forego the usual shop talk and go straight for the mushy stuff! Temporarily transforming Flash #125 (1961) into what seemed to be an issue of the Tiger Beat teeny-bopper magazine, young Geneva Hawkins made a confession that boys weren't accustomed to reading on a Flash letters page...

Twelve years later, on the letters page of Avengers #117, the mysterious "Ms. S. Otis" revealed that she and her girl friends had a thing for a certain red-faced synthezoid. Complicating the matter was the fact that the Vision's budding relationship with the Scarlet Witch rendered him romantically "off limits" to Ms. Otis and her posse (nevermind the minor detail that he didn't actually exist)!

Er..."blood test"? This letter's taking a rather odd turn, isn't it? First Ms. Otis is going "ga-ga" over a fictional android (an android, mind you), then we take a sudden, unseemly turn into birth certificates and blood tests? Read on...

"After what you did to Gwen" was a reference to Spider-Man's (then) recently murdered girlfriend Gwen Stacy...but what did Ms. Otis mean when she thought offing the Vision or Wanda "wouldn't...be too safe"? For whom? Hey, are we getting into Fatal Attraction territory here? Probably not...but it's still a pretty weird direction to take her commentary. It looks like someone in the Marvel editorial department felt the same way:

This is exactly what I love about those old letters pages, particularly Marvel's...where the weird and surreal made frequent appearances (as this exchange proves). Nowhere else could an editor's reply begin with declaring a fan's musings "totally insane and absurd", working in the phrase "delinquency of a minor", and ending with an equally insane non-sequitur.

Now...where can I get some Low-fat Oranges?

Dear Editor: Dave Wants ZOMBIES

My look at Marvel Team-Up #23 the other day yielded another interesting item from that issue's letters page. Apparently, Dave Lofvers of Rochester, New York was pining for Spider-Man to team up with a rather controversial character...

 

Get that? Not only did Dave request a forbidden zombie and nudity in Marvel comic books, but he wanted the entire Comics Code abolished as well!  

So, what was the response? Well, unlike Marvel's typically flip and humorous replies to letter writers, the response of the editor (most likely Roy Thomas) was surprisingly thoughtful and candid...

Pretty astonishing stuff.  Granted, in his official capacity at Marvel Comics, the editor had to publicly support the Comics Code Authority and its standards, but at the same time it's refreshing to see someone openly challenge the knee-jerk assumption that sex and violence equals an "adult" reading experience. The response continued...

More stunning stuff here. See, in all my years of collecting comics, it's been the accepted orthodoxy that everything about the Comics Code was toxic and repressive, and that the comics of the early 50's were exempt from moral scrutiny and social responsibility.  Yet the editor acknowledges the excess and irresponsibility that lead to the Code's creation...a view I've long shared.  I'm no apologist for the extreme charges of Dr. Wertham, nor am I willing to defend every aspect of the Comics Code policies (some of which were pretty silly), but I have to say: I just don't buy the propaganda....so it's gratifying to see that people in high places were willing to break from the crowd. In the case of this editor, it was an attempt to separate sensational violence and nudity from a more elevated form of maturity...a truly adult way to tell a story.

You see, the inclusion of the Comics Code seal in my blog's header isn't an ironic statement, but actually a shorthand way to show visitors where my head and heart are at. To me, the code seal on the comic books I grew up with wasn't a symbol of persecution and First Amendment shredding, but a sign that adults were looking out for me who had an expectation that creators would find ways to entertain without resorting to easy, sleazy thrills. Same thing holds here at Comic Coverage.

So, since the Comics Code Seal isn't seen as the sign of the Anti-Christ here, fellow fans of code-era comics can visit my Secret Identity shop, pick up some Comics Code stuff (like the shirt to the left), and proudly show your support for a vanished era of comics.

Or hey, buy one and ironically wear one even if you oppose the code.  I'm not picky. Just be sure to order one in time for Christmas!

Dear Editor: Gimme Five (--or is it Four?)

Of all the missives appearing on the old comic book letter pages, some of the most common were from eagle-eyed fans who'd proudly spotted some kind of visual gaffe. In most cases, the error would be acknowledged by the editor, who would sometimes even send the fan something special (such as original artwork or Marvel's legendary "No Prize"). 

However, sometimes the error-spotting fan would be the one in error....but never quite as spectacularly as Michael Santagato, whose letter was printed in Marvel Two-In-One #27 (1977)...

Uhhh...yeah.  Let's have the Marvel Two-In-One editor take it from here...

Got that, Michael? NEVER!!!

Oh, I did a little research and tracked down that Reed Richards picture the editor was referring to. You've heard of Cool Hand Luke, right? Well, from the splash page of Fantastic Four #152 (1974), I present Three-Hand Reed! 

As a slam-dunk candidate for a fan "error letter", I jumped ahead four months to Fantastic Four #156 and, sure enough, Joe Tucciarone came through with a pun-encrusted note fishing for a No-Prize...

Not missing a beat, the Marvel editor fought pun with pun in his response...

 

Good enough for me!

Dear Editor: Lamest Excuse Ever

As standards evolved (eroded?) during the 1960's, not everyone was thrilled. Take Kristy Lindgren of Goose Bay, Labrador (Canada) for example. In a letter printed in Flash #189 (1969), Kristy reacts to the cover of Flash #185 published just a few months earlier...more specifically a sign held by one of the rampaging hippies.

First, the cover in question:

 

Next, Ms. Lindgren's objection:

Following her reasonable request for an explanation...she got one from editor Julius Schwartz. An incredibly lame explanation...but an explanation nonetheless.

It's true, Mayor John Lindsay did endorse the controversial "Give a damn" anti-poverty campaign of the late 1960's...but really, points for originality Julie....but I don't think I'm buying it.

Dear Editor: Asgard Needs Women!

The superhero comics of decades past were very much a "boys club", as both female characters and fans were few and far between...and often viewed as outsiders or interlopers by their male counterparts. Well, in Thor #138 (1967), letter writer Ronald Krauss bucked that trend when he had a sudden revelation regarding the gender balance of Asgard, mythic home of the Norse gods.

In classic form, editor Stan Lee had this to
say regarding Asgard's chronic lack of ladies:

Although Stan forgot to mention Hela, Asgard's mysterious personification of death, it's clear he realized that "Ronny" had a point. However, not even Stan's example of the fair Lady Sif appeared to be especially feminine (considering the bizarre way Jack Kirby was drawing her at the time)...

That giant forehead, receding hairline, and blobby spitcurl made Sif look more like Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman from the old Laverne & Shirley show than a beautiful Asgardian goddess!  Yeeesh!

Dear Editor: Aunt May Must Die!

The success any long-running serialized drama (such as a comic books or a soap opera) depends on its ability to give the illusion of change without changing too much (or anything, for that matter). 

In the case of Spider-Man comics, nothing has remained as unchanging as Peter Parker's beloved Aunt May. However, as important as her role in Peter Parker's life has been (and continues to be), some fans have grown a little tired of her constant presence, as well as her multiple brushes with death. One member of this Anti-Auntie May contingent was Dave Krasakove, whose frank opinion on the doddering ol' dame's continued existence was published in Amazing Spider-Man #98 (1971)...

Woah! How do you really feel about Aunt May, Dave?  Although I think he had a point when it comes to a shortage of normal, non-sensational deaths in comics, Mr. Krasakove seemed just a little too gung-ho about the whole thing.  So, what was Stan's response to the May Parker death wish? 

 

Ah, so according to Stan, the death of Gwen Stacy's father at the hands (and mechanical arms) of Doctor Octopus was enough senior citizen assassination for most readers...and enough to keep Aunt May safe from death for the next thirty-eight years? Oh, there were a few false alarms along the way, but ol' lady May is still alive and kicking (and sicking) all these years later. I wonder... could Dave Krasakove still be reading Spider-Man comics...and still longing for a "realistic" and "natural" death for Peter Parker's favorite (and only) aunt?

Dear Editor: Where Are the Ugly Superheroes?

It's no secret comic book fans complain about anything and everything, but the complaint of Anne Greco printed in Fantastic Four #95 (1969) took it to an entirely new level of nit-pickery. According to Ms. Greco, there just weren't enough ugly superheroes populating Marvel comic books!

 

Stan (or Roy) explained Marvel's apparent anti-ugly policy...

By this point, it's clear that Anne of Ontario was getting more of an 

explanation than she ever bargained for.  But wait...there's more!

...and more...

'NUFF SAID!

Which Came First? Brainiac or BRAINIAC?

Although Superman's villains don't enjoy as high a profile as, say, Batman's, most comic book fans are aware of Brainiac, an inhuman computer mind bent on destroying civilizations and stealing their knowledge. 

However, modern fans may not be aware that Brainiac's earliest appearances portrayed him not as an malevolent computer, but as a living, green-skinned humanoid with an advanced intellect. Sort of an intergalactic version of Lex Luthor. In fact, his original design in Action Comics #242 (1958) didn't even include the telltale diodes that have criss-crossed the top of his head for decades (and, strangely, that same issue's cover).

Then, six years later in Superman #167, Brainiac was suddenly revealed to be the evil computer we're familiar with today. Why the sudden switch?  For the answer, look no further than the Special Announcement printed on this issue's letters page:

Considering Otto Binder's affinity for actual science (which I infer from his work on Space World magazine), I'm guessing that his selection of the name "Brainiac" may not have been the "remarkable coincidence" the editor claimed it to be (perhaps under advisement from DC's legal department), but setting that aside, it IS pretty amazing to find out how DC Comics intersected with a guy like Berkeley (above inset photo), very much a "brainiac" himself in the nascent field of computer science & robotics.

So...how did DC respond to Mr. Berkeley's earlier claim to the term "Brainiac"?

 

Now, as much as I love the straight-forward innocence of these old letter pages, the 21st century cynic in me wants to peek a little further behind the scenes. In other words, was this public acknowledgment of the name duplication, and DC's decision to make Brainaic a "computer personality" enough for Edmund C. Berkeley and/or those representing his interests (i.e. "lawyers")?  My answer seems to materialize in the very next paragraph, as DC hypes the living daylights out of Mr. Berkeley's "Brainiac" home computer kit...a little quid quo pro, perhaps?

Far be it from me to just end it here, right?  After reading about this mysterious Brainiac Computer Kit, I just had to see a visual.  After a bit of searching, I finally found a shot of an original kit in all of its "less than $20" glory.  What do you think...does that look "simple" enough to construct at home?

Dear Editor: Brand ECHH Pushes Back!

One of the many charming aspects of Stan Lee's Marvel Comics was the good-natured "David & Goliath" rivalry he and his staff (i.e. "The Marvel Bullpen") had with mega-publisher DC Comics. You see, back then things were exactly opposite of what they are today, with DC Comics as the 800-pound gorilla and Marvel the scrappy upstart. 

Tweaking a common advertising convention of the time (in which competing products were only referred to as "Brand X"), Marvel would playfully refer to DC Comics as "Brand ECHH". In 1967, Marvel even rolled out a superhero satire title named Not Brand Echh, mocking both their own characters and those of their endearingly-square competition. 

However, not everyone was amused by the Brand Ecch stuff.  Take Steve Gordon's letter in The Amazing Spider-Man #56 (1968) for example (click to enlarge)...

And there it is: the gauntlet thrown. So...what do you say to that confrontational Brand Echh acolyte, Stan...and are you going to stand for that brainwashing charge?

Oh, OOUUCHH! Touche', my man Stan...answering the brainwashing charge with a wry implication of mental illness! Oooof!

A little feisty, sure...but can you blame the guy when he had to read so many of those confounded multi-page letters?

Dear Editor: (Affirmative) Action Comics

As one of the greatest speeches ever delivered, Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech continues to highlight how far we have come since that late August day in 1963, yet at the same time, it shows us how far we still have to go. As one of his central points, King proclaimed,

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

A noble goal if there ever was one, but how to reach that goal has been a struggle for our nation ever since. Do we just stand back and hope that King's color-blind ideal will happen spontaneously, or does it need to be officially "helped along" by government or institutions, usually in the form of so-called "affirmative action" policies...which sometimes seem to flatly contradict King's vision? As with so many matters involving race, the answers to those questions don't come easy, and may actually exist somewhere in between those two approaches.

Illustrating this tension was a suggestion from a Brooklyn school teacher named Lawrence Isaacson. In a letter printed in Avengers #54 (cover-dated July of 1968), Mr. Isaacson wrote:

Makes sense, right? Adding a black superhero to the Avengers would demonstrate that the once white-dominated world of comic book superheroes could become more diverse...so what's wrong with that? Well, invoking the spirit of Dr. King's immortal words, Marvel responded:

Once again, makes perfect sense, right?  Character and ability should be what defines someone...not their skin color, ethnicity, or religion.  Looks like the Avengers didn't subscribe to the Affirmative Action philosophy...or did they?  Again, as with so many things involving race, the picture wasn't quite as clear as Stan Lee's (or Roy Thomas') answer implied.  

Here's what I mean: When the Black Panther made his debut in Fantastic Four #52 (1966), the first black superhero wore a costume that covered his entire body, including his face. In a handful of subsequent appearances, he continued to wear the full mask. However, when he joined the team in Avengers #52, he suddenly began wearing a new version of his mask...one that seemed to call special attention to his race rather than downplay it. In other words, contrary to Marvel's claim of color-blind impartiality, the sudden appearance of the cowled half-mask seemed to be making his skin color a defining characteristic... and hardly the non-factor Marvel claimed it to be.

As if realizing they'd overplayed their hand, Marvel restored the full mask a mere four issues later, which has remained the Black Panther's look ever since. Is this a textbook example of screaming hypocrisy?  No...not at all.  But is does serve to illustrate the inherent difficulties and paradoxes of the long journey toward a truly color-blind world.

Dear Editor: Third Time's the Charm

For the longest time, I was under the impression that I'd had only two fan letters printed in comic book letters pages of old...so imagine my surprise when I recently came across a long-forgotten third letter!

Printed in Hawkman #4 (1986), I was apparently impressed with The Shadow War of Hawkman mini-series and its Hawkman Special finale, which had earned Hawkman and Hawkwoman yet another shot at their own series.

Okay...having read only a handful of the Golden Age (or "Earth-2") Hawkman's stories, I'm not really sure what I was basing my opinion on that the Earth-2 Hawkman was this "earthy" contrast to the more modern or "Earth-1" version (just one of the many Alternate-Earth overlaps common to this era).  But, whatever....Shadow War somehow changed that impression.  Got it.

What comes next I debated not reprinting at all, since it's a bit embarrassing to a hard-hearted curmudgeon like me.  However, keep in mind that I was a newly-engaged young man at the time, and this crazy kid had to let the whole world know he was en amour...

(shudder) Wow...I'm still in love with that same lovely lady, but...geez, kid...lay off the syrup!

Finally, the real reason I was writing: To pitch a new costume for Hawkman!

 

The response from writer Tony Isabella (and not editor Mike Gold, who I assumed was the person who'd most likely read my letter):

I really wish I'd kept a copy of my costume designs for the Hawks, but I vaguely recall them looking a bit like the costume of...THIS GUY:

Hmmmm.  Since Darkwing appeared several months after my sketches were received, it's certainly possible (though not likely) they were used to spark ideas for the villain's costume....but I'll never know for sure!