August 1975
"While we're on the subject of congratulations, let's hear it for Artful Archie Goodwin, who's returned to the fold after far too long an absence... "From Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1, No. 94
"While we're on the subject of congratulations, let's hear it for Artful Archie Goodwin, who's returned to the fold after far too long an absence... "From Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1, No. 94
July 1975
Just this week (That's Marvel Standard Time, O Keeper of the Flame, not to be confused with the week when you finally read these wondrous words), George Pal, producer of such well-remembered and deeply-cherished Science Fiction films as The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, dropped by 575 Madison Avenue to let us in on the scoop of what many say may be his greatest epic - Doc Savage, Man of Bronze!From Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1, No. 146
June 1975
"... let's not forget Dynamic Dave Cockrum, whose fan dream of a lifetime came true when he was chosen to illustrate the equally-all-new, equally-all-improved adventures of the X-cruciatingly X-citing X-Men, who are currently cavorting in their brand-new Giant-Size mag!Who says this ain't the Marvel Age of Sensational Second Chances?"
From Incredible Hulk, Vol. 1, No. 188
May 1975
"On his wedding day, paying no heed to the risks involved, Brave-hearted Bill Mantlo cast aside all thought of his own safety to race to the rescue of a driverless bus plunging backwards down a hillside towards a rapidly-approaching brick wall. Stopping the vehicle mere inches from impact, Bill calmly returned to his wedding ceremony with the profound thanks of two much-relieved elder states-people still ringing in his ears.We're proud of you, Bill, but no matter how much you argue, we still don't think Mantlo-Man deserves to star is his own mind-boggling mag yet."
From Giant-Size X-Men, Vol. 1, No. 1
March, 1975
"Holiday Greetings, right from the heartTo our wondrous scripters
Who make writing an art.
To our painstaking pencillers
Breathing life to each tale
And our illustrious inkers
Be they female or male.
To our editors, letterers,
Production folk too,
Colorists, proof-readers,
Both the old and the new.
But heading the list
Is our top superhero -
So, greetings to YOU, chum
Without you - we're zero!"
From Avengers, Vol. 1, No. 133
February 1975
"Let's roll out the red carpet for Free-wheelin' Frank Robbins, Marvel's newest artist and bon vivant! As many of you know, Frank's the artist and writer of the newspaper comic-strip 'Johnny Hazard' and is considered by his peers to be one of the finest craftsmen in the business."From Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1, No. 141
January 1975
"Remember how we promised you the latest scoop on our mighty Marvel softball team? Well, the other day the Marvel Comics (as some anonymous wag christened our Bullpen batters) took on the whole cockamamey staff of the Greenwich Village Voice, one of New York's best-known newspapers. We won't exactly tell you who won - but let's just say that our new team motto is, 'Wait'll next year!''Nuff said?"
From Captain America, Vol. 1, No. 181
December 1974
"Let's hear a hearty 'Welcome Aboard!' for a contingent of dynamic new artists who hail from the far-off Philippines, and who're adapting by leaps and bounds to the Mighty Marvel style of dramatic storytelling!First, there's Tremendously-Talented Tony deZuniga... Next, there's Awesome Alfredo Alcala (Alfredo, believe it or don't, pencils and inks some sixty pages per month of beautiful, finely-detailed artwork). Thirdly, there's Slammin' Sonny Trinidad - and then
there's Startling Steve Gan..."From Fantastic Four, Vol. 1, No. 153
November 1974
"All this and more await you in our first photo-profile, Hitler - produced by Marvel - and on sale now!"
From Incredible Hulk, Vol. 1, No. 181
October 1974
"The nominations for the annual awards given out by the Academy of Comic-Book Arts have been announced, and while we don't have room to sandwich 'em all in here, suffice it to say that the minions of Marvel were not exactly overlooked this time around."September 1974
"This last little tidbit isn't exactly chicken-fat, either! Yep, this is the month when the awesome, ultimate Marvel Value Stamp will appear somewhere - sometime - in one (count 'em, one) of our colorful classics!Nope, we still won't tell you just which of our world-famous super-stars it features: we'll leave you the fun of finding that out for yourself, when you discover it starin' back at you from one of our liltin' letters pages!"
August 1974
"And now, till we meet again, think peace - think love - think Marvel.It could be habit forming.
Excelsior!"
From Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1, No. 135
July 1974
"Here's a personal tid-bit or two we thought might be of interest: First off, let's give a harried hello to Lethal Larry Hama, who takes over as artist of our new Iron fist feature in the current ish of Marvel Premiere...
Speaking of kung fu, we've gotta tell you how pleased we are with Peerless Paul Gulacy, who's taken over our much-heralded Master of Kung Fu title, now that Judo Jim Starlin's devoting his full time to his own rendition of Captain Marvel.
Add the above names to the roster of new young talents who are swiftly growing to Marvel-ous maturity, a list which already includes Affable Al Milgrom, (Santa) Klaus Janson, plus the other new lights we've discovered - or, more truthfully, who've discovered us, since we're nothing without 'em...
From Fantastic Four, Vol. 1, No. 148
June 1974
Due to a last-minute emergency, we had to forego our widely-acclaimed Bullpen Bonus Page this go-round. So, we'll just have to wait till next month to tell you about all the brain-blasting bargains that'll be yours when you've amassed a complete set of Marvel Value Stamps - or about some of the hectic hijinx which the World's Weirdest Bullpen have been up to - not to mention the return of our capricious Checklist.May 1974
"As to our ever-enchanting color comics, they're mostly proofread and pondered over by Dutiful Don McGregor and our newest nabob, Devil-May-Care Doug Moench, who just blew in from the Windy City!"From Captain America, Vol. 1, No. 173
Get Well Soon, Marie Severin
Via Tom Spurgeon comes word that comics great and Bullpenner from way back Marie Severin has been hospitalized following a stroke. Get well cards can be sent to:Marie Severin, patient
c/o Huntington Hospital
270 Park Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
April 1974
"After all, didja know that Fantastic Four #1 is now selling for up to $50 in many back-issue comic-book store across the nation, and that Spidey #1 isn't far behind?"
From Avengers, Vol. 1, No. 122
March 1974
"So, starting now - and without abandoning our search for ever-newer horizons to conquer in the name of Marveldom Assembled - we're returning this paged to all its former, much-lauded glory, and adding a new Bullpen Bonus Page, to boot!That's right, believer - now you'll get two full pages of news and views each month (three, if you count our liltin' letters pages)!
And, for those of you who are counting: Nope, we haven't dropped any pages of art and story, just a paid ad which took up the space last month - and this is spite of ever-rising printing costs and that depressing paper shortage you've been reading about (often, we might add, in newspapers with fewer pages).So now who says mighty Marvel isn't the Company with a Heart?"
From Fantastic Four, Vol. 1, No. 144
Who Is Steve Ditko?
Co-creator of Spider-Man, Steve Ditko is famous for weird, distinctive art, his 1966 departure from Marvel Comics, and granting very few interviews in the course of his decades-spanning career, preferring to let creations such as The Creeper, the Objectivism-inspired Mr. A, and Squirrel Girl speak for him.
Okay, Squirrel Girl not so much.
Jonathan Ross - along with such comic luminaries as Stan Lee, John Romita, Flo Steinberg, Jerry Robinson, , Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, and Alan Moore's Beard - turns the spotlight on the artist in the swell BBC4 documentary, In Search of Steve Ditko (BitTorrent). Did they find him?
Well, that's The Question, isn't it?
February 1974
"RQF ILFBSHFXY UJDTUFEFIRQ SO LIGXSVW - VSHDJP
BSSJ DJ RQF QUXW!"
From Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1, No. 129
January 1974
December 1973
"Bad news, it seems, never travels alone. Only two months ago, this space told of the demise of our friend and co-worker, Bill Everett. And now, we regret to announce the untimely passing of another all-time great comic artist, Syd Shores, on Sunday, June 3, 1973."
From Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1, No. 127
November 1973
"Know what, friend and neighbor? It's been a good summer - at least from mirthful Marvel's point of view!"From Incredible Hulk, Vol. 1, No. 169
October 1973
"ITEM! Didja notice we just ran out of room? Oh, you did, huh?Oh well.. See ya next time, Marvelite!"
From Fantastic Four, Vol. 1, No. 139
September 1973
"Now, if we may, we'd like to get serious for just a moment. This is the Bullpen item we hoped we'd never have to write.Bill Everett, creator of the Sub-Mariner and a host of other great comic-book heroes, passed away on February 27th last.
Bill was known and loved by just about everyone in the comics world, and was respected as few of his peers are respected.
Rather than launch any lengthy eulogies here - something Bill wouldn't have wanted, in any case - we'd prefer simply to refer you to the pages of Sub-Mariner #65, now on sale, in which a final and well-earned tribute is paid to this most important of Marvel talents... this most kindly, most generous of men.
We sorta think that's where Bill would most have liked to be remembered."
August 1973
"Let's all give a hearty 'welcome aboard' to Battlin' Bob Brown, whom we've long respected as one of comicdom's most talented artists..."From Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1, No. 83
July 1973
"We're spacing the ads out, so you won't find each one in each and every title - but if you pick up a sizable handful of our masterworks each month, you can be certain you'll be kept abreast of just what mixed-up Marvel is up to!"June 1973
"Feast your eyes on the current Spider-Man super-spectacular. It's one of the greatest, most important issues ever - spotlighting perhaps the most momentous turning point yet in the career of our wondrous wall-crawler! Take it from us - this is the one! 'Nuff said?"
From Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1, No. 121
March 1973
"Hmmm... The Monster Times... The New Yorker... looks like there are no worlds left for the ol' wall-crawler to conquer, 'cept maybe the Ladies' Home Journal! But, who knows - maybe one of these fine days-!"From Captain America, Vol. 1, No. 159
February 1973
"Those of you who've been with us since the early days of Marvel have probably lost track of how many times I've hammered home the point that, unlike cigarettes, our comics are really good for you."From Fantastic Four, Vol. 1, No. 131
November 1972
"Anyway, for years now, we've wanted to start a comic-mag which dealt exclusively with the derring-do of a gal superstar, instead of the usual hunk of masculine muscle."From Avengers, Vol. 1, No. 105
October 1972
"Well, try Far-Out Frank Brunner, who teamed up with (Ahem!) old timer Barry Smith on a recent Dr. Strange mini-saga, and who's slated for other things to boot! Then of course there's Roisterous Ralph Reese... the Irreverent Billy Graham... Madcap Mike Trimpe, who's been helping brother Herbie splash India ink on the latest Ant-Man extravaganza - and this doesn't even count 'Duke' Wayne Boring, one of comicdom's potent pioneers..."From Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1, No. 78
September 1972
"Like a fella named Milhous recently said, Phase One has just about had it - and it's time for Phase Two to begin. No man, no group of men, no publishing company can rest on its laurels...So here's the real scoop - here's where we're at, and where we're headed - and be sure to pay attention, 'cause we're not making a move without ya!"
From Captain America, Vol. 1, No. 153
August 1972
"... this Ghost Rider is a mad, mod, mystic hero who straddles both the world of motorcycles - and the supernatural!(And that's some job of straddling!)"
From Fantastic Four, Vol. 1, No. 125
July 1972
"ITEM: January 5, 1972! Mark that date in your memory-book, faithful one - 'cause that's the night the batty Bullpen got it all together at Carnegie Hall, in the hectic heart of New york City!As we told you last month, the whole magilla was called 'A MARVEL-OUS EVENING WITH STAN LEE' - and it was a way-out compendium of music, magic, and madcap Marvel mayhem! Smilin' Stan himself was Master of Ceremonies - presiding over the frantic goings-on while images of mighty Marvel superheroes flitted across a giant movie screen. A trio of our titanic artists got into the act, too, as Jazzy Johnny Romita, Happy Herb Trimpe, and Big John Buscema did sensational sketches of Captain America, ol' Greenskin, and Thor - which in turn were projected onto that selfsame screen. (There was a passel of our cavortin' characters in actual attendance, too, including Spidey, Daredevil, Doc Doom, and even J. Jonah Jameson himself!)
The standing-room-only crowd exploded with applause, also, at the roster of famous names who had gathered to pay homage to the madness that is Marvel: World-famous film director Alain Resnais translated a few of the Silver Surfer's soliloquies into his native French; and there were also a few pungent paragraphs about our heroes which were intoned by radio personalities Alec Bennett and Earl Doud, by actors Rene Aberjonois and Chuck McCann (you've seen the latter a zillion times as the 'Hi Guy' neighbor on the other side of the medicine cabinet in those Right Guard commercials), and neo-journalist Tom Wolfe, resplendent in red, white, and ble as he read about - you guessed it - Captain America.
As for the music mentioned about, most of it was provided by the far-famed Chico Hamilton Players - but some more Marvel Madmen got into the act, too, as Hectic Herbie and Bashful Barry Smith plunked a couple of wild electric guitars while Rascally Roy Thomas belted out a rousin' rocker or two! Then, for the grand finale, just about everybody in the blamed Bullpen crowded onto stage to sing the Merry Marvel Marching Society theme-song - while, not to be outdone, dozens of cheering fans rushed onstage as well, and the show closed amid a revel of handshaking and autograph signing all 'round. And that was that!All in all, it was a wildly successful evening - and not necessarily the last of its kind, either! And, if there were a few bleary eyes and sore throats among the Bullpenners come the morning of the 6th - well, that's show biz, people!"
From Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1, No. 110
"... January 5, 1972, a day that will live in infamy... Consider this: Roy Thomas imitating Elvis."-Peter Sanderson
June 1972
"Wild Bill Everett, who created the Sub-Mariner many moons ago, has both written and drawn the fabulous 50th issue of Namor's own mag, now on sale!"May 1972
"Hello to Stalwart Steve Englehart, who's just joined our harried little staff, where he'll be doing proofreading, penciling, inking, scripting - and probably lettering, if somebody will lend him a spelling-book! Welcome aboard, Steve - may your inkwell never run dry!"From Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1, No. 108
April 1972
"These brief, random thoughts are being written just a short time after the Attica State Prison tragedy. Now I have no intention of imposing my own opinions upon you about which side, which party or parties might have been right or wrong. Instead, I'd like to discuss the theory of 'right or wrong' itself. Is it possible that too much harm, too much injustice has been caused in the name of 'right' - in the pursuit of combating 'wrong'?"From Incredible Hulk, Vol. 1, No. 150
March 1972
"This month I'm gonna try to answer the question which is asked of us more than any other. It's the plaintive, passionate poser, "How do I break into the comic-book biz?"Of course the easiest answer is "Why would you want to?", but I won't cop out that easily. (Mainly because I've gotta fill this furshlugginer column!)"
From Avengers, Vol. 1, No. 97
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