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 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a frequent Green Lantern writer back in the late 1940s after Nodell's time, provides a few manuscript pages of an unpublished Green Lantern story he wrote in 1982.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 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 20, Number 3 - Extra Tags

 Vol. 20, No. 3

Extra Tags

See full index

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 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 7, Number 11

Vol. 7, No. 11
November 1996
whole number 83
1996 pages 061-066

Part 5 of "Just Imagine", the bibliography of Paul S. Newman, looks at his work from 1950 and 1951, plus a full page list of comics with his work.

"TAX RECORDS for 1950 show earnings of $6,800 for comics work"

"TAX RECORDS for 1951 show earnings of $10,900 for comics work"

There's also a 1961 editorial cartoon by Newman with artist Roy Doty.

Under the Gun has short comments from Francis Saint Martin, Claire Doyle, Gary Usher, Robert Rowe, Tom Christopher and Nick Caputo.

Volume 5, Number 3 - Extra tags

Vol. 5, No. 3

Extra tags

See full index

 

Volume 5, Number 3 - Extra Tags

Vol. 5, No. 3

Extra Tags

See full index

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 1, Number 12

Vol. 1, No. 12
November 1990
whole number 12
1990 pages 087-094

Creig Flessel provides a Sandman drawing and a short biographical essay in "Apples and Comic Books".

Flessel also leads the letter column in Under the Gun, with additional letters from Dick Sprang, Robert Rowe, Bob Haney, Rich Morrissey and Dick Ayers.

Robin Snyder takes a page to address some on-going issues, including communications with Eclipse, the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame not notifying inductees Steve Ditko and Alex Toth.

On the topic of "Who Created The Challengers of the Unknown", writer George Kashdan shares some recollections.

Dick Ayers writes "Fun", about his work method in his first decade in comics, and includes a drawing of Jimmy Durante, who he drew for Magazine Enterprises in 1948-1949.

Sam Glanzman provides a very entertaining look at his long career in comics, with a sample of his early work in Fly-Man and discussion about Charlton, Joe Kubert, his work and Marvel and then-current work at 4Winds.  There's also a brief bibliography of some of his major works and a funny comic strip in a different style than his usual.