Volume 36, Number 1

Vol. 36, No. 1
January 2025
whole number 421
2025 pages 001-008

Rodney Schroeter provides the cover collage celebrating 35 of years of the newsletter.

In Under the Gun, Robin Snyder looks back on some memories and highlights of his publishing going back even before the newsletter.  Gary Kato's 2024 Christmas card is featured, Stephen Bissette writes in appreciation of some of the recent print-on-demand books featuring Gill/Ditko Charlton reprints and other things, plus outlines some of his future plans.  Daryl Coats, Eric Reese and Nick Caputo also write in, and the passings of Steve Erwin and Joy Seligsohn are noted.

Barry Pearl writes about his first hand experience with comics distribution and display in his family's store in the 1960s.

A Steve Ditko essay, "The Exceptional", includes some memories of the creation of the classic AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1 back in 1964.

Part 77 of the Robert Kanigher bibliography, "The Mystery Of The Human Thunderbolt" has a look at some of the members of Easy Company featured in various DC war books from 1957.

Volume 35, Number 7

Vol. 35, No. 7
July 2024
whole number 415
2024 pages 049-056

Volume 35, Number 2

Vol. 35, No. 2
February 2024
whole number 410
2024 pages 009-016

Volume 34, Number 12

Vol. 34, No. 12
December 2023
whole number 408
2023 pages 089-096

A pair of features from newsletter regulars in here, with a few pages of Robert Kanigher's unused script for a Green Lantern story "The Light That Failed" and a few pages of Sheldon Mayer work with Tenny Henson on the unpublished Rudolph story "Christmas For A Cave-Man".

Robin Snyder discusses the background of those stories, and other unused inventory from his time at DC, some of which he got published, others which remain unseen.

Under The Gun has a letter from Nick Caputo, and a few recommended recent books.

And as usual for the year-end issue, there's an index to the past year.

Volume 34, Number 3

Vol. 34, No. 3
March 2023
whole number 399
2023 pages 017-024 (8 pages)

This issue features excerpts from Robert Kanigher's 1943 book WHERE AND HOW TO SELL YOUR MANUSCRIPTS, published by Cambridge House, with its list of markets for comic scripts and a sample of a comics script format for "Adam Anthony", which I'm assuming wasn't a real comic.

That book was of course a companion to Kanigher's HOW TO MAKE MONEY WRITING... series, which included HOW TO MAKE MONEY WRITING FOR COMICS MAGAZINES, available in an 80th Anniversary edition.

In Under the Gun Robin Snyder looks at a few other early books about comics and there are letters from Mike Tuz, Nick Caputo and Joe Frank.

Volume 33, Number 12

Vol. 33, No. 12
December 2022
whole number 396
2022 pages 089-096 (8 pages)

Up front is part 72 of the Robert Kanigher bibliography, "The Mystery Of The Human Thunderbolt", featuring his character creations from 1947 to 1963.

Also featured are two pages from the Sheldon Mayer and Nestor Redondo unpublished "The Story Of Jesus" for DC, in both Mayer script/layout form and finished art by Redondo for the "Life In Bible Days" features.

There's a letter by Joe Frank "Under The Gun" and the yearly index to Vol. 33, 2022.

Volume 32, Number 10

Vol. 32, No. 10
October 2021
whole number 382
2021 pages 073-080

Some proposals to unfinished work by the versatile Ernie Colon are featured this issue, with the front and back cover featuring character designs and profiles for a 1991 detective project called Voudou. Also featured are the beginnings of two novels, Sector One and Wayward, part of an outline for a comic with Todd Klein called Hardware and some discussion of a WWII comic with Robert Kanigher called Operation Tidal Wave. Looks like Colon's already varied career (including books like Arak, Richie Rich, Amethyst, Underworld, The 9/11 Report and Damage Control) could have been even more varied in the right circumstances.

Volume 31, Number 3

Vol. 31, No. 3
March 2020
whole number 363
2020 pages 017-024

The cover is by Mel Crawford, from a 1970 issue of THE GOLDEN MAGAZINE which featured Gary Poole and his visit to the White House.

Part 63 of the Robert Kanigher bibliography, "The Mystery Of The Human Thunderbolt" has a quote by RK about the development of Rock and Easy, and the issue includes three pages from a Kanigher/Novick story from 1955 which is the first mention of Easy Company.

Part 13 of the Gary Poole bibliography looks at some of his 1980 work at Western.

Under the Gun has letters from Gary Poole on general topics, Rob Imes on fandom, and Charles Brenner and Gavin Callaghan both on the publication of Down Memory Lane, the last of Ditko's long-running 32-Page Series.

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 30, Number 3

Vol. 30, No. 3
March 2019
whole number 351
2019 pages 017-024 (8 pages)

A Jack Davis / Harvey Kurtzman page from Mad #1, 1952, on the cover to note the passing of Jack Davis a few years earlier.

For part 57 of "Mystery Of The Human Thunderbolt", the long-running bibliography of Robert Kanigher, Robin Snyder writes about hiring RK in the early 1980s to write for the long-running series Turok from Western, with the script for the first three pages of what was going to be Turok #135.  

On the backcover is a 1955 war comic splash from RK and Irv Novick.

Also, for some reason, a reprint of Ditko's 2000 page "Tsk! Tsk! AP2 - The Unearned", first seen in v11#2.

Volume 28, Number 10

Vol. 28, No. 10
October 2017
whole number 334

2017 pages 073-080

A look at some of the things Robin Snyder picked up in his time working for DC editorial in the early 1980s, some stuff he worked on and some earlier unfinished work from others.

The cover is an intro page intended for Ghosts #112, the final issue of the long-running series, featuring Squire Shade, the host for the last run of the book, written by Snyder and drawn by Howard Bender and Larry Mahlstedt. 

An uninked Green Lantern page by Don Heck and Snyder (with the hint that there are other unpublished GL stories by Giffen and Ditko).

 

From E. Nelson Bridwell is a layout for the first page of a Snow White parody, possibly intended for Plop.

A script for the first page of Savage World #3, an unrealized 1970s project from Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, this issue featuring dinosaurs (attn Stephen Bissette).

A layout for the final page from "Letter From A Corpse", a western story by Sheldon Mayer, which I believe was an "Ace Coffin" story, a prototype from the development stage of what became Bat Lash.

Volume 28, Number 9

Vol. 28, No. 9
September 2017
whole number 333
2017 pages 065-072

Mart Nodell is up front, with a 1993 illustration of his Golden Age creation Green Lantern.  

Inside Robert Kanigher, a frequent Green Lantern writer back in the late 1940s after Nodell's time, provides a few manuscript pages of an unpublished Green Lantern story he wrote in 1982.

Over in "Under the Gun", the passings of Vic Donahue, Blanche Fago and Vernon Henkel are noted and there are letters from Robert Rowe, Mike Tuz, Nick Caputo, Joe Frank, Gary Poole, Harry Leeman, Athos Bousvaros, Daniel Tesmoingt and Donnie Pitchford.

"And my favorite 'villain' would have to be the pathetic, infuriating, and maddeningly hilarious Grey Negotiator!" -- Gary Poole (on Ditko's new comics)

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 23, Number 10

Vol. 23, No. 10
October 2012
whole number 274
2012 pages 073-080 (8 pages)

Up front this time is part 4 of a biography of Artie Saaf, looking at the artist's career in the 1950s, from jungle comics shifting to the romance and then to advertising work. This biography was by the prolific Ron Goulart, who passed away in early 2022.

Part 33 of the bibliography of Robert Kanigher covers 1995 to 1999, which is mostly reprints in various DC books and a few unused inventory stories shown in the newsletter.

There's also the solution to a puzzle from Jim Ivey which appeared in the previous issue, some notes on the career of Terry Szenics (1919-1995) and several pages of letters in Under The Gun, including Mike DeLisa, Joe Frank, Stan Bycko, Bill Harris, Ben Herman, Gavin Callaghan, Jerry Deacon, Frederic Manzano, Michael Cohen, Athos Bousvaros and Barry Pearl.

Volume 23, Number 8

Vol. 23, No. 8
August 2012
whole number 272
2012 pages 057-064

A nicely obscure and typically well rendered piece by John Severin up top this time, sadly to mark his passing earlier that year. 

Robin Snyder shares some personal memories and Don Mangus has a long piece on his career highlights, plus there's a little seen 1986 page from a Marvel SAVAGE TALES story by Severin and Robert Kanigher. 

Also noted are the passings of Ray Bradbury, Tony Dezuniga, Norman Fruman, Maurice Sendak, Jim Unger and Robert L. Washington III. 

DeZuniga gets the backcover, an unused TUROK cover from 1982.

Ron Goulart has part two of his biography of Artie Saaf, looking at his time with the Iger shop, Fiction House and Quality in the early 1940s.

Also letters from Stan Goldberg, Nick Caputo, Steve Ditko, Bill Harris and Batton Lash.

Volume 23, Number 1

Vol. 23, No. 1
January 2012
whole number 265
2012 pages 001-008 (8 pages)

A cover of Archie's STEEL STERLING from 1984 on the cover, idea by Robert Kanigher, art by Carmine Infantino and Eduardo Barreto.  Inside are some commentary by Kanigher on cover design from 1983, plus part 30 of the ongoing bibliography of Kanigher, "Mystery Of The Human Thunderbolt", looks at 1989 and 1990, which are mostly reprints, plus some commentary on his work by Mike Esposito and Joe Kubert.

Under The Gun this time marks the passing of Jack Adler, Gene Colan, Del Connell and Peter O'Donnell.

Letters of comment by Stan Goldberg, Stephen Bissette, Bob Heer, Michael Barrie, S. Bycko, D. Fenton, Joe Frank, Nick Caputo and Paul DeVinny.

Hy Eisman provides the back cover, a celebration of the new year courtesy of Popeye.

Volume 15, Number 9

Vol. 15, No. 9
September 2004
whole number 177
2004 pages 065-072 (8 pages)

"The Avenging Mind" was a three part essay by Ditko presented across six consecutive issues of the newsletter in 2004. This issue concludes it, with the third section of part 3, "The Anti-Ditko Mentality".

The series actually began in the March 2003 issue, while Ditko was still in the middle of his "Mini-History" series about Spider-Man, but that first chapter was revised and reprinted in the April 2004 issue after the "Mini-History" wind-up.

"Another part of that question was answered in a letter I received after an early published Mr. A story. The writer said he would be afraid to walk down a dark alley and see Mr. A. What did he reveal, confess?" -- Steve Ditko

Despite the title, this was not included in The Avenging Mind [2008], and the series has not so far been reprinted outside the newsletter.

Also this issue, part 16 of "The Riddle of the Sphinx" bibliography of Robert Kanigher takes a look at his 1979 work, almost all for DC's various war comics (with one mystery story). Two pages of an unpublished Jerry Grandenetti story by RK, a "Force 3" story intended for All-Out War #7 (it was cancelled with #6 in 1980), are also featured.

Under the Gun letters from Daniel Sorenson, Nick Caputo, Tom Gill, Nathan Isaacs, Sharon Levine, Robert Rowe and Jeff Jatras.

Some passings are briefly noted are Bernard Baily, E.E. Hibbard, Chest Jon Koziak, Arthur Peddy, Kin Platt, John Saunders, Marty Taras, James V. Taurasi and George A. Ward.

Volume 14, Number 8

Vol. 14, No. 8
August 2003
whole number 164
2003 pages 057-064

Steve Ditko is on the front and back covers of this issue with a late chapter of his long series "A Mini-History" on the creation of Spider-Man, 13. "Speculation".  He features a then-recent quote by Lee on national TV discussing his tired old "saw a fly on the wall" version of the creation of the character, which even Lee admits might be made up. This also leads to one of my favourite Ditko quotes on the matter:

"A leap from a fly to a spider is like from man to a cannibal." -- S. Ditko

He goes into detail on what aspects of the creation he's familiar with and some thoughts about what might have been and what "creation" and "co-creation" means.

Matt Murphy talks about working with the then-recently passed Helen Meyer, publisher of Dell back in their heydey. 

Part 12 of the Robert Kanigher bibliography "Riddle Of The Sphinx" looks at part of 1976, which includes Ragman, Tarzan and some unpublished work like Savage World and Sextet.  

Part 11 of Paul Newman's bibliography, "Just Imagine", is up to 1955 and has him working at Dell, Timely, Avon, ME and Trojan, and that's just the A to F titles.

Lots of discussion in "Under The Gun", Snyder on Al Capp, a handwritten note by Hy Eisman on his career, Mark McMurray and David Transue on Ditko's "Avenging Mind", Murray Ward on Helen Meyer, Nick Caputo on an earlier "Mini-History" chapter, Jim Amash on Les Zakarin, Gary Kato on Mr. Jigsaw, Mike Ambrose on Jerry Grandenetti

Volume 14, Number 6

Vol. 14, No. 6
June 2003
whole number 162
2003 pages 041-048 (8 pages)

Steve Ditko on the front and back this issue, with a chapter of his "A Mini-History" series on Spider-Man:

11. "Further Complaints and Influences of the OOs".

Ditko discusses how two of the signature artistic touches of the series, the split-face and spider-sense used in panels where Peter Parker appears out of costume, were used in part to appease Stan Lee's wish for less of the school storylines, but later opposed by Lee thanks to the influence of "others, outsiders (OOs)", in this case college students who seemed to not understand the visual language.  Ditko also discusses the Comics Code as another source of OOs influence stifling creativity.

"But PP/S-m, a teenage hero, should be seen, understood, in his teenage context, environment. His normal (non-hero_ life can't just be shown in some brief transitional sequences between a number of hero/villain clashes." -- S. Ditko

 

The 10th chapter of the Robert Kanigher bibliography, "Riddle Of The Sphinx", covers more of his 1974 work for DC, with some Superman, Wonder Woman  Rima, Supergirl and Tarzan in addition to the war comics. Two pages of Frank Thorne art from the story "Big Man, Little Man" in RK's Gallery of War series are shown. 

Lively Under The Gun column, with letters from Sam Catalino, Nick Caputo, Orah Mae Miller, Mark McMurray, Robin Miller-Pallet, Marc Swayze and Arlen Schumer

Volume 12, Number 9

Vol. 12, No. 9
September 2001
whole number 141

2001 pages 067-074

Longtime Archie Comics artist Joe Edwards covers this issue with a nice pencil sketch of the company's title character along with the Edwards creation Li'l Jinx.  

Edwards provides a short letter about the early days at Archie as part of a long Under The Gun column.

The heart of this issue is a look at Kanigher's "Savage World" concept with editor Joe Kubert from the 1970s, an unpublished series about two naturalists who roam the world, framing stories about the various creatures they encounter (or encounter evidence of). 

Doug Wildey drew at least two issues, and this newsletter presents the Kanigher scripts for two pages of a story about elephants, along with Wildey's almost finished pages. Great stuff.

Additional letters by John Wells, Carol Newman, Marc McMurray, Daniel Tesmoingt, Jim Amash