Volume 36, Number 3

Vol. 36, No. 3
March 2025
whole number 423
2025 pages 017-024

Artist Pierce Rice is the focus of this issue, with a 1942 cover from Harvey's SPEED COMICS up front, inked by Arturo Cazeneuve.  Two other unfinished pages by Rice inside, "Congo Jim" and "Liberators", as well as a 1994 letter to Robin Snyder about his career and a review he wrote for Classical America about some art books, also from 1994.

Under The Gun has some more memories of Rice from Robin Snyder, as well as a short note from Rice and some mentions of Rice in some letters from Jerry DeFuccio.  Additional letters from Robert Rowe, Sharon Levine and Tim Barnes.

RS also reviews a Creature Commandos book, and there's a very brief 61st segment of Just Imagine, the Paul S. Newman bibliography, with just a single Turok story from 1973.

Volume 26, Number 11

Vol. 26, No. 11
November 2015
whole number 311
2015 pages 081-088 (8 pages)

The cover to SHOWCASE #51 from 1964 by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson on the front, an issue featuring reprints of the 1950s DANGER TRAIL series.

Part 44 of the Robert Kanigher bibliography features a list of essays, commentaries and sketches, mostly from previous issues of this newsletter.

Athos Bousvaros, Hilarie Staton and Joe Staton write about some medical comics for all ages that they and others had worked on over the years (such as this).

Good Under The Gun column with several long letters from Jerry DeFuccio on some of his (often uncredited) work for EC, including a list of stories and fillers he wrote for Kurtzman. Also letters from Mike Tuz, Al Salton, Barry Pearl and Gary Kato.

The backcover is a page of the DeFuccio story "Carl Akeley", drawn by Wallace Wood at EC, which he talks about in detail in one of his letters.

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 12, Number 6

Vol. 12, No. 6
June 2001
whole number 138
2001 pages 043-050 (8 pages)

Remembering Western and Others by Tom Gill (Front page)

Under the Gun: letters from Athos Bousvaros, Matt Murphy, Gary Usher, Roy Thomas, Nick Caputo, Batton Lash, Robert Kanigher, Joe Gill, Zetta De Voe, Russ Jones, Jerry De Fuccio and Jack Burnley

Two pages of Robert Kanigher's "White Devil - Yellow Devil" script

The Romance Rondo by Robert Kanigher: RK on his work as editor/writer on romance comics (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 12, Number 2

Vol. 12, No. 2
February 2001
whole number 134
2001 pages 010-022  (16 pages)

Valentine's Day illo by Mort Leav (front cover)

Under the Gun: letter from Jerry De Fuccio

Promo by Steve Ditko image of a Spider and plus sign

Fortune by Mort Leav reminisce by Leav on his career. Includes many editorial illustrations, comic strips and ad art.

Editorial art by Mort Leav (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 11, Number 12

Vol. 11, No. 12
December 2000
whole number 132

2000 pages 093-098

One of the regular traditions of the newsletter is the December issue, closing out each volume, contains some work by Sheldon Mayer. That's been the case with every December issue I have access to since Volume 5, it might have started before that. 

It probably helps that two of the unpublished Mayer projects that Snyder has access to are a Rudolph the Reindeer story and the layouts to a second bible adaptation about the life of Jesus (to be finished by Nestor Redondo, like the published first Old Testament volume was). And Sugar & Spike had a lot of holiday themed stories as well.

 

This time the focus is on the unrealized THE SUGAR AND SPIKE POCKET TREASURY Mayer was working on in 1971, with a table of contents, a sample page (modified from the original publication, so a 4-page story would be a 9-page story in the reprint) and a proposed cover. There are also a few 1971 letters from Mayer to production chief Jack Adler and publisher Carmine Infantino about the project (the type of colouring he wants and the cover layout) and a short then-recent note from Infantino about shelving the book. A shame, Mayer was very much ahead of his time in terms of packaging reprints of comics.

Volume 11, Number 9

Vol. 11, No. 9
September 2000
whole number 129

2000 pages 077-084 (8 pages)

Warren Sattler is up front this issue, with a new illustration of the character he did with Joe Gill in the 1970s for Charlton, YANG. He singles that out as the work he was most satisfied with in a long career, as it harkened back to the adventure strips of his youth that made him fall in love with cartooning. 

There's also a sample of the long running Grubby comic strip Sattler did and a cute bit of super-hero art, a few samples of Barnaby from 1961 (one of the strips Sattler ghosted) and an appreciation by Jerry DeFuccio. 

Joe Simon has a short note about Red Raven and swiping.

We also get a few pages of Charlton's SUNSET CARSON comic from the 1950s, with Mario DeMarco writing about his work on the feature and other aspects of his career. 

Joe Gill also writes about the pace of writing for Charlton.

Steve Ditko closes the issue with the "The Rationalizers", the third and final part of his series on "The 'Stolen Art Page' Problem", later reprinted in Avenging World [2002].. 

"It is actually a negative claiming to be a superior positive, but endless zeroes still add up to nothing." -- Steve Ditko

Volume 11, Number 8

Vol. 11, No. 8
August 2000
whole number 128
2000 pages 071-076 (6 pages)

Dick Sprang Batman original art (front page)

Under the Gun: letters from Don Mangus, Robert Kanigher, Jerry DeFuccio, Mario DeMarco and Jim Amash

Dick Sprang 1945 account page

Smokey and Me by Carol Newman  an account on receiving the Gold Smokey Award from the National Foresters Association

The "Stolen Art Page" Problem and the Error of Non-Principled Thinking 2. The Context by Steve Ditko (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 11, Number 7

Vol. 11, No. 7
July 2000
whole number 127
2000 pages 053-070 (18 pages)

Illustration by Jerry De Fuccio and Mark Heike (Front page)

Under the Gun: letter from Jerry De Fuccio (includes a John Putnam illustration)

Happy Birthday by Warren Sattler Greetings to Jerry De Fuccio

Heike by Bill Black piece on Mark Heike

Jerry De Fuccio by Alex Toth

St. Peter and a Few Friends by Jerry De Fuccio includes numerous Golf Tournament illustrations by De Fuccio and Paul Coker, Frank Borth and Warren Sattler

Letter to De Fuccio from Percy Crosby and an original page of Skippy

The "Stolen Art Page"  Problem and the Error of Non-Principled Thinking by Steve Ditko

Essay by Ditko on back page includes cover for the unpublished The Tsk! Tsk! Forum

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 11, Number 6

Vol. 11, No. 6
June 2000
whole number 126
2000 pages 043-052 (10 pages)

   

Flash and the Carrots by Robert Kanigher essay by RK on writing the Flash Gordon comic strip

Occupying Chambersburg panel by Fred Ray

Under the Gun: letters from Manuel Auad, Fred Ray, Nick Caputo, Carmine Infantino, Don Mangus, Daniel Tesmoingt, Tom Christopher, Link Yanko, Tim Barnes and Jerry De Fuccio. Includes an illustration and comment by Irwin Hasen

Tomahawk original art page by Fred Ray

A Tribute to Fred Ray by Jack Burnley

The Story of the Alamo Illustration by Fred Ray

A Fred Ray Civil War Index by Don Mangus includes Gettysburg illo

The Comics Mail Order page includes cover for the never-published The Tsk! Tsk! Forum by Ditko

Static promo (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 11, Number 2

Vol. 11, No. 2
February 2000
whole number 122
2000 pages 009-016 (8 pages)

All in the Mall strips by Paul Newman and Mike Mikula (front page)

2nd Mr. A. promo by Ditko (similar to first one)

Under the Gun: letters by Alvin Schwartz, Jerry De Fuccio, Mort Leav, Gary Usher, Carol Newman and Stan Goldberg

Cage Without Bars: poem by Robert Kanigher

Mendy strip by Stan Goldberg

2nd Mocker Promo by Ditko

Tsk! Tsk! SA # 1 The Unearned by Ditko commentary and art on stolen art  (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 11, Number 1

Vol. 11, No. 1
January 2000
whole number 121
2000 pages 001-008 (8 pages)

Fred Rhoads Senator Crock strips (front page)

Mr. A. promo by Ditko (mostly words bouncing around, no image)

Under the Gun: letters by Roy Thomas, Lou Mougin, Jerry De Fuccio, Carl Gaffford, Steve Skeates and Gary Usher

Ramblings by Vince Fago: Fago discusses his career 

A Belated Bow to John Severin by Robert Kanigher

Original art page by John Severin from Savage Tales # 7 (accompanying RK's piece)

Mocker promo by Steve Ditko

Tsk! Tsk!  C # 3 The Fallacy of the half and half Men Ditko editorial with art (back cover)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 10, Number 12

Vol. 10, No. 12
December 1999
whole number 120
1999 pages 085-092 (8 pages)

Cover: Unfinished Rudolph page by Shelly Mayer circa 1979

Under the Gun: letters from Tim Barnes, Robert Kanigher and Jerry DeFuccio

The Ultimate Disclosure by Jerry DeFuccio: A personal account of student DeFuccio and his journey to New York with fellow students  seeing the giant Superman float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Includes a page by DeFuccio and Mark Heike and the original art to Jack Burnley's page that appeared in the New York Journal American on Nov 24, 1940

Illustrated ad by Ditko for The Mocker

Tsk! Tsk! C # 2 by Ditko "Public Debates" illustrated editorial (back cover)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 10, Number 11

Vol. 10, No. 11
November 1999
whole number 119
1999 pages 077-084 (8 pages)

Cover: Flare Path by Robert Kanigher answering letters from fans including Don Mangus

Under the Gun: letter from Jerry DeFuccio includes a promo for Steve Ditko's 160 page package

original page produced by Jerry DeFuccio and Warren Sattler for RS

Mr. A original art page from the then unpublished 1991 strip

Letter from Stan Lee "To Whom it May Concern" where he states he "considered" Steve to be Spider-Man's co-creator

Steve Ditko illustrated promo for Static 

Ditko Tsk! Tsk! C # 1 "Comic fans keep blowing meaningless Sound Waves" illustrated editorial

The Comics Mail Order (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 9, Number 8

Vol. 9, No. 8
August 1998
whole number 104
1998 pages 053-072 (20 pages)

cover: letter Al Wiseman sent to Walt Disney requesting a job.     

Under the Gun: letters from Eric Margolis, Gary Usher, Tristan Lapoussiere, Alex Toth, Roger Hill, Harry Miller, Jerry DeFuccio, Daniel Tesmoingt, Don Mangus and Hames Ware

The Al Wiseman Chronology by Bill Alger and Don Mangus     

About Ray Houlihan by Mario DeMarco includes two pages of Axis Grinder, an unpublished comic strip by Houlihan

scattered throughout this Al Wiseman tribute issue are panels and illustrations by Wiseman

Dennis the Menace page by Wiseman (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 8, Number 2

Vol. 8, No. 2
February 1997
whole number 86
1997 pages 007-018 (12 pages)

Page one: splash of "The Wandering Wedding Gown!" an unpublished DC romance story by Robert Kanigher, Ric Estrada and Tony DeZuniga. Original art penciled, inked and hand lettered, likely by Estrada. The rest of the story continues on pages 9-18.

Under the Gun: letters from Mark Evanier, Gary Usher and Jerry DeFuccio.

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 8, Number 1

Vol. 8, No. 1
January 1997
whole number 85
1997 pages 001-006 (6 pages) 

Cover Millie the Model OA page by Stan Goldberg

Under the Gun: Letters from Dan Barry, Bob Heer, Carmine Infantino, John Benson, Jack Burnley, Jerry DeFuccio, Alex Toth and a poem by Robert Kanigher. Illustration of Batman and Robin tackling the Penguin by Jack Burnley and a repro of a Burnley All Star page. 

The Last Word by Andre LeBlanc: a tribute to Dan Barry on his passing.

The Comics: Mail order (back page)

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo

Volume 5, Number 8

Vol. 5, No. 8
August 1994
whole number 56
1994 pages 073-084

(note, misidentified as "Vol. 4" in the indicia)

Cover this time is a collage of work by Rudi Palais, who answers Snyder's favourite question, what he considers his best work. Inside is a page from a 1953 horror/sci-fi story that looks intriguing.

Alex Toth has a short note and illustration. Batton Lash and Stan Lee also have short notes:

 

"[Steve Ditko's] a most complex individual." -- Stan Lee

Longer letters from Hames Ware and Jerry DeFuccio on a variety of topics.

William Woolfolk has the second part of his auto-biography, "Perseverance", on his work at MLJ:

"For the uninitiated there was a clear distinction between AGHH and AARGH, scrupulously adhered to by most writers. AGHH was when the villain suffered serious but not decisive or mortal blow. AARGH was when it was time to call the ambulance or the morgue." -- William Woolfolk

Robert Kanigher provides an essay titled "Flare Path", with some thoughts on the "DC" war comics:

"DC had no more to do with the war comics than it had with the building of the pyramids" -- Robert Kanigher

He also goes in depth on one particular story, "The Glory Boys" (Our Army at War #235, 1971), a Toth illustrated masterpiece.

Volume 5, Number 3

Vol. 5, No. 3
March 1994
whole number 51
1994 pages 021-032 (12 pages)

A copy of an old A Date With Judy page up front, to go with part 3 of writer Paul S. Newman's bibliography, covering 1947/1948. 

"Newman's comics earnings increased to $4500 in this year [1948]"

An obituary for the recently deceased Jack Kirby in here, with an anecdote about an interaction Snyder had with Jack and Roz Kirby when he was processing art returns for DC. One of those pages, the brilliant intro page to the then-unpublished In The Days Of The Mob #2, is on the backcover. DC has subsequently published the stories meant for that issue in various formats.

Long Under The Gun column this time, with a header by Fred Rhoads and correspondence from Rhoads, Jerry DeFuccio, Paul Norris, Creig Flessel, Jack Schiff, Dick Ayers, Bob Haney, Paul S. Newman (with a sample of a Smokey The Bear strip by Newman and artist Wes Wood from 1958), Chris Pedrin, Jon R. Warren, Nick Caputo, Ray Bottorff, Harry W. Miller, Michael Teitelbaum, Tim Barnes, Robert Rowe, Frances Saint Martin, Mike Benton, Joel Thingvall, Rodney Schroeter,

As a note of trivia, this appears to be the issue that the title of the newsletter took its final form, The Comics (unless you want to count punctuation).

Volume 4, Number 11

Vol. 4, No. 11
November 1993
whole number 47
1993 pages 000-xxx (6 pages)

cover: character studies by Alex Toth

Under the Gun: LOC from Russ Martin, Bob Haney, Jerry DeFuccio, Will Murray, Francis Saint-Martin and Alex Hiderwski (continues on back page)

Bravo for Toth Pt. 4: 1949-50 bibliography

-- Indexed by: Nick Caputo