Volume 36, Number 2

Vol. 36, No. 2
February 2025
whole number 422
2025 pages 009-016

Michael Fleisher featured this issue, with a script for the first page of an unpublished Batman / Jonah Hex crossover he wrote in the early 1980s.  The story would have referenced the 1978 "The Last Bounty Hunter" story by Fleisher and Russ Heath. Also included, an unused Sunday page for a proposed Jonah Hex comic strip, circa 1980 by Fleisher and Heath, and a page from a 1978 issue of VAMPIRELLA by Fleisher and Jess Jodloman.

The Carl Wessler bibliography, "Upon Reflection" is up to 1968/1969 in part 61, featuring work for DC, Harvey and Warren.

In Under The Gun Robin Snyder looks at a Lincoln anecdote and how it applies to numbering presidents and grading comics.  Letters of comment from Nick Caputo on the breadth of Ditko's career and Joe Frank on Stan Lee's changing story on the creation of Doctor Strange, Jerry Siegel's letters and the enigmatic notations Carl Wessler sometimes used in his records.

Volume 35, Number 11

Vol. 35, No. 11
November 2024
whole number 419
2024 pages 081-088

Cover this time is a script page to THE THREE STOOGES IN ORBIT by Marvin A. Karp from 1962.  Karp's 2003 passing is noted with some notes on his career, as is Roger Elwood's 2007 passing.

Bob Haney provides a long memoir, "The Sixties", about some of his prolific career at DC, hitting all the highlights including Metamorpho and The Brave and the Bold.

Dave Sim reviews INTRODUCING CAPTAIN ATOM, the recent collection of Ditko's work at Charlton in 1960.

Part 60 of Carl Wessler's Upon Reflection has entries from 1968, including work at Harvey and DC.

Letters from Margaret Johnson, G.G. Faircloth, Joe Frank,T homas W. Scott III,W illiam Barker, Bernard Brannigan and Jim Stenstrum

Volume 35, Number 4

Vol. 35, No. 4
April 2024
whole number 412
2024 pages 025-032

Up front this time is a record of Carl Wessler's 1966 writing for Harvey as Part 66 of his bibliography, "Upon Reflection".  Somewhat enigmatic notations unless you're very familiar with their publishing of the time.  I'd estimate this is over 1000 pages of writing for the year (for only one of his clients), at $7 a page.

Under the Gun has letters from Al Salton and Nick Caputo, and as usual for Sheldon Mayer's April 1 birthday there's a sample of his work, a 3-page unfinished story circa 1975 meant for PLOP, "Behind the Door of Gregor's Grisly Grotto" and two finished unpublished pages from a circa 1981 Ronald McDonald story.  Snyder writes about finding unpublished inventory stories at DC during his time there and trying to get some of them into print.

Volume 30, Number 8

Vol. 30, No. 8
August 2019
whole number 356
2019 pages 057-064

Robert Kanigher takes the focus this issue with the massive (62 numbered paragraphs) essay "It Was Easy", covering his career in comics. Almost every paragraph could be the launching point for a chapter in the book that RK (presumably) never got around to writing.

"26. If Editor Schwartz  suggests or states that he co-edited any of RK's titles - he is a God damn liar. You can quote me on that."

There really needs to be a collection of Kanigher's writings, maybe packaged with a reprint of the long Comics Journal interview he did in the early 1980s.

Also presented are the first paragraph of a proposed story, "The Lady and the Unicorn", a comparison of RK and Schwartz's memories of DANGER TRAIL and a list of some prototype Rock/Easy stories as part 62 of the ongoing RK bibliography.

The bibliography of the prolific Carl Wessler continues with Part 48, listing work from 1957 for Timely, Harvey, Prize and others.

Volume 27, Number 5

Vol. 27, No. 5
May 2016
whole number 317
2016 pages 033-040

Sixty years of the Flash (Barry Allen) celebrated with the classic cover designed by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert.

Natalie Kirsten (aka Natalie Krigstein) has a short autobiography about her time writing comics for Timely, National, Prize and others from 1949 to 1954, with a bibliography of her known work, including stories with publications not yet identified.  A script page from such a story, "Skin Deep", is included.

Part 4 of Gary Poole's bibliography looks at 1967 and part 38 of Carl Wessler's "Upon Reflection" looks at 1956 and work for Timely.

Steve Ditko's "A Wider Context" provides an alphabetical list of characters he worked on outside of the four years from 1962-1966 that most concern "CBFs" (comic book fans).

The passings of Jeremy Dale, Greta Gattel and Jay Maeder are noted and letters from Gary Poole, Robert Rowe, Sharon Levine, Thomas W. Scott III, John Wells, Dave Sim and Chet Cox.

Volume 24, Number 9

Vol. 24, No. 9
September 2013
whole number 285
2013 pages 065-072 (8 pages)

Cartoonist Marting Filchock is featured, with some samples of his "Check and Double Check" that was a longtime fixture of HIGHLIGHTS, and with G. G. Faircloth providing the conclusion of a bibliography of Filchock, which is close to a list of late 20th century magazines that featured cartoons. A few other Filchock cartoons and an award he won are also included, as are some cartoons by Faircloth, "Star Tails" from FLORIDA SKIES and "M.T. Graves" (with Billy Small) from SCARY MONSTERS.

The Carl Wessler bibliography, "Upon Reflection" is up to 1955 in part 31, featuring work for Timely, Charlton and EC.

Letters from G.G. Faircloth, Volker Stieber, Stuart Adams, Andrez Bergen, Mike Tuz, Gary Kato, Donnie Pitchford, William Barker, Athos Bousvaros, Joe Frank, Tom Peirce, Tony Shillings and Nick Caputo

Volume 20, Number 4

Vol. 20, No. 4
April 2009
whole number 232
2009 pages 025-032

Stephen R. Bissette leads off the issue, with the long first part of his 3-part autobiographical essay "Moving Day", originally published on his blog in 2005 and a Center For Cartoon Studies commencement speech in 2008. It's about his journey to becoming part of the first class of the Joe Kubert School in 1976, and thus dedicated to Muriel Kubert. This chapter covers Bissette's background and how his time at Johnson State College led him to take a leap of faith on this fledgling new school opening up in Dover, New Jersey:

"In 1976, the thought of anyone, much less a hick from Duxbury and Waterbury, making a career in comics was a reckless, delusional undertaking -- I mean, comics weren't a profession, they were a hobby." -- S. R. Bissette

(said fledgling school is still around, now fully accredited, and having trained many professionals since the first class Bissette attended)

The on-going task of listing "The Works Of Carl Wessler" (later titled "Upon Reflection") hits part 24, and is only up to 1952, when he was writing a lot of comics for Timely, all over their crime, romance and horror lines. Also some work for Lev Gleason, including one amusingly titled "The End of Johnny Morrow", presumably no relation to the publisher John Morrow...

Long "Under The Gun" letter column, with Joe Frank, Mark Fuller, Matt Murphy, D. Fenton, Sandeep Atwal, Gavin Callaghan and Stan Goldberg.

Volume 20, Number 3

Vol. 20, No. 3
March 2009
whole number 231

2009 pages 017-024

Steve Ditko's "The Ever Unwilling" essay leads off this issue. Ditko had put to rest the oft-repeated claim that he left Spider-Man over disputes about the identity of the Green Goblin years earlier, but it kept being repeated, so he states it even more directly here. Spoiler alert, it still didn't take and is still repeated...

"I knew from Day One, from the first GG story, who the GG would be. I absolutely knew because I planted him in J. Jonah Jameson's businessman's club." -- Steve Ditko

Also this issue, part 23 of the Carl Wessler bibliography lists work from 1951 and 1952, working for Timely, Lev Gleason, Ziff-Davis and others.

Notes on the passing of six artists: Mar Amongo, Bob Bindig, Wayne Howard, Al Scaduto, Howie Schneider and Elmer Wexler.

There's a long Under The Gun with some discussion of Ditko's recent work and other topics by Daniel Tesmoingt, Bill Fields, Samuel Catalino, Joe Frank, Frederick A. Utech, William Parker, Dave Varine, Nick Caputo, Robert Rowe and Gavin Callaghan.

Volume 14, Number 2

Vol. 14, No. 2
February 2003
whole number 158
2003 pages 009-016

Steve Ditko with two pages this issue, with a chapter of his "A Mini-History" series on Spider-Man:

8. "Others, Outsiders (OOs): Complainers and Complaints Against Betty Brant".

He discusses the negative fan-mail reaction to the character of Betty Brant, especially when prospects of a romance between her and Peter Parker were hinted at in the comics, and refers to an extreme story idea he had for her which his editor, he concedes correctly, rejected.  He expands this to a general discussion of the tone of the comic and some other comics, like Iron Man's alcoholism storyline and Captain America's continuing to mourn over Bucky.

Jack Keller's passing is noted, with a short letter, an autobiographical page and a sample of his 1960s Charlton work on TEENAGE HOTRODDERS.

Part 14 of the Carl Wessler bibliography looks at some 1952 work at Timely.  Under The Gun features letters from Don Mangus, Nick Caputo, Jerry DeFuccio, Richard Prosch and Mark McMurray.

Volume 4, Number 10

Vol. 4, No. 10
October 1993
whole number 46
1993 pages 000-xxx (4 pages) 

The Works of Carl Wessler Part 5: 1957 Timely

Under the Gun: LOC from Sid Jacobson and Joe Simon

RK: MIA: column by Kanigher answering a letter from Alvin Schwartz (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 3, Number 6

Vol. 3, No. 6
June 1992
whole number 31
1992 pages 059-064 (6 pages)

The Shooting Gallery: commentary by Robert Kanigher

Under the Gun: letters by Robert Rowe, Russ Martin, T.K. Chrisotopher, Bob Hughes, Mike Benton, Daryl Coats, Joe Simon, Bob Haney, Gary Kato, Jim Amash, Mark Voger, John Hazard, John Wells and Nick Caputo

Carl Wessler 1978 DC stories compiled by Mary Wessler from his personal account records

Alex Toth letter to Robin with 2 illos (back cover) 

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 2, Number 11

Vol. 2, No. 11
November 1991
whole number 24
1991 pages 117-124 (8 pages)   

Timely stories written by Carl Wessler in 1956, compiled by Mary Wessler from his account books (including "Those Who Vanish", early Ditko shown on the cover)

Under the Gun: snips of letters from Mary Wessler, Joe Gill, Paul Pope, Bob Haney, Brenda Benton, James Schumeister, Bill Walker, Fred Rhoads, Bill Wormsted, Steve Rowe, Beverly Cooper, Roger Hill and Nick Caputo

comics for sale by Robin Snyder (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo