I’ve been thinking about letter columns and editorials. Recently Ed Piskor posted a scan of an unbelievable editorial from Raphael #1 on BoingBoing. I’d recommend everyone take a few minutes to read it. It details the licensing build-up to the release of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toyline and cartoon.
Another favorite letter of mine came from someone on Facebook a few years ago (I can’t remember who posted it there and was unable to find it with a cursory search). It took some digging, but eventually I tracked this letter down to Punisher 19 – y’know the issue, the one where Frank goes to Australia and rides a…camel?
In explicably, there’s a reference to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creators on page 15:
Anyway, the letter column spread looks great. Check out Dolph Lundgren! I’m sure this version is better than the one with John Travolta:
The letter in question is this doozy. Read this paragraph first:
Then the beginning:
Another one of my favorites is GIJoe 24, which I wrote about before. It’s the follow-up to the famous silent issue, GIJoe 21, and it’s also the first appearance of Zartan!
If you have any recommendations for good editorials or letter pages, please share them in the comments section below.
Germanbo
In other news, I spent the morning re-lettering Rambo 3.5 for a German edition. I’m not sure what to say about this really. I don’t speak German, but it seems like there could be something lost in translation. I’m pretty sure this edition will be the weirdest comic I’ll ever produce:
Last but not least — we made a video!
New Dimension Comics in Ellwood City opens up their basement to the public twice a year. It houses half a million comics in alphabetical order for $1 each. Ed Piskor, Tom Scioli, Jasen Lex, and I went there to investigate with documentary filmmaker, Julie Sokolow:
You can read more about it on HTMLGIANT.
The sale is Saturday, September 25.
I remember somewhere in the early issues of the Micronauts (in the first year, I’m thinking; I don’t have them in front of me), a snotty letter from a fan got a response from the editor decrying the presence of the “fan elite” and how they spoiled stuff for everyone.
The letter column for DC’s Thriller had a certain amount of bickering too, especially after the creative team changed, as DC fans tried to make sense of the book and how it could fit into their universe.