Fan Letter to Don Rosa, author and artist of the amazing Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck!

 

Fan Letter to Todd Varian

 

Manifest Destiny 37-42 6/1/2020

Gentles:

Here we go again! But the pace has increased, many incidental creatures and adventures are single panel journal entries and the corp no longer checks out each arch, eh? So, what do I love most over these recent issues? It's getting hard to pick out outstanding moments as you guys are so consistent, but two things I love: Amazon Were-Hares? Oh, I saw that was gonna be a difficult one as soon as we find humans out in the Wierderness. Still, gotta say, that was pretty damn cool. Even better; Lewis and Clark outing Maldonado! Of course, now, Maldonado has shifted strategies; excited to see what he's up to, and to learn the mystery of the arches.

Jensen continues not only to survive but to thrive; I trashed him early on, but kind of have a sentimental attachment now. Curious about Randolph and Russell; should've known two sensitive men of the time might end up together. I bet Lewis and Clark suffered rumors. Still, was this based on any research or created whole cloth by you guys?

No judgment! I couldn't be happier with MANIFEST DESTINY unless it was free and sent to me autographed each month. Keep it up guys, and I will keep buying.

--

Griffin (like the monster) Mauser (like the gun)

Fan Letter to Kim Deitch 05/27/2020

Leviathan 1-2 05/25/2020

Holy Crap!

Layman and Pitarra (i see your darrows) are killing me! Thassome crazy kaiju! Go to town!

I know it's early in the game but man what a way to start! I love big and little stories together and Layman is no disappointment! Story has to bake, but Pitarra's art keeps my eye so excited that I am just pouring over the pages wondering where the hell this monster is going. I haven't had this much funzilla in ages! I imagine a Shaolin Cowboy, Sabretooth Swordsman, Leviathan Jamocalypse!

Alright, Layman, lessee what happens to ol' Viv and Ryan, and make Pitarra's imagination bleed monsters! Whoo hoo!

First Published Comic Book Letter!

Just found my first comic letter back in Warlord #37.  I signed it Muffin Thundergrunt, a nickname friends and I made up back in 1979 at Mountain View Camp, the Assemblies of God summercamp in Jacksonville in Deep East Texas. Mike Grell was popular enough to get into a Fred Hembeck comic for his Warlord and Green Arrow work. Warlord was amazing! Fantasy, SciFi, and toughguy! Come on, a gladiator with .44 AutoMag pistols. Here it is with any response.

Dear Folks,

     Ish 31 was absolutely super. The cover was the most fantastic of all. Better than "The Hunter." One gripe. Watch production. My cover was off-centered. Pages 2 and 3 were super. I was impressed especially with the blood on the sword. No drips, which is better.

     A small thing: Thanks so much for putting the subscription coupon on the back of ads.  I do so hate cutting up frames of art for a new subscription.

     Here's my WARLORD MOVIE LIST:

     MORGAN: Charlton Heston; MARIAH: Tina Louicse or Marilyn [sic] Henner; TARA: Buffy St. Marie; MACHISTE: George Foreman & DEIMOS: Leonard Nimoy.

Muffin Thundergrunt

Jack C. Harris responds:

Don't blame our production department for your off-center cover. It was the cutting machine at our printer's and such a happening is rare.  Do you realize how much an off-centered print on a STAMP would be worth?

You all realize that there are no plans in the works for a WARLORD movie, but it's fun to try casting such a project. Who knows? Maybe a producer will pick up an issue of the WARLORD and fget an idea from all of this--JCH

Fan Art to Jim Woodring of "Frank"

Just received FRANK, Bk One and I am blown away by Woodring's originality. Nothing else he does is like FRANK, well, except JIM? Anyway, there is no way I can describe this work and make anyone else understand; you should go see it for yourself.

FanArt to Geoff Darrow

Ask Nick Pitarra of LEVIATHAN (if you didn't already know): Geoff Darrow is the shiznits! Do it! Go now and buy all of Shaolin Cowboy and pour over it again and again. This is the guy who designed the squids in the Matrix trilogy. He also created an amazing animated series, BIG GUY AN D RUSTY THE BOY ROBOT! Don't call yourself a comic fan if you don't know Darrow!

FanArt to Lynda Barry

What can I say about Lynda Barry? Like she says, her comics are drawn ugly and she has too many words. That only buys you several titles on the shelves all over the nation, a college professorship, and cartoons in more magazines than I can remember. She is great!

FanArt to Neil the Horse

Sent this letter out to Katherine Collins (formerly Arn Saba) of Neil the Horse! If you haven't read it, then you are missing out! The Collected Neil the Horse has all the stuff plus commentary. Get it at your local independent bookstore or direct from Conundrum Press.

Letter to Manifest Destiny issues 1/2

Destined:

Yahoo! I can love me some weird! I am all over Manifest Destiny 1 and 2 and eager for 3!  I am so glad to see that I am not the only fan of the coolest niche genre in existence, "weird".  I, too, have long been a fan of such "weird" books as Eerie and Creepy, Heavy Metal, Weird Adventure, Weird War and the like. Remember ole Grimjack and the more recent House of Secrets.

But now comes a mashup of my favorite genre and my favorite explorers! You guys have hit on one of the coolest ideas I've read in 47 years of comics fanaticism.

Dingess' story is both plausible and fantastic. Of course Jefferson would send unconnected men on a dangerous journey, and while Jensen is a coward, he certainly is no fool, though thoroughly, but believably, despicable. I like Clark and Lewis' interactions so far, both true to what I know of the two explorers and carefully played throughout the first two issues. Dingess', you must be having a blast.

And Mr.s Roberts and Gieni seem to be enjoying themselves as well. Roberts renders sufficient identifiable and authentic detail without cluttering a single panel.  His characters are recognizable and expressive through costume and panel changes. Again, Jensen in particular stands out as a character in whose face I can see his thinking.  The first frame of the rat-faced traitor already establishes his ilk.  Three other images stick in my mind: the heron, the skull flower and the buffalotaur.  Mr. Roberts, your attention to detail on the real heron and the totally imaginary flower are only second to the seamless construction of your buffalotaur. Well done. And Gieni's colors are fantastic. Never muddy, the balance of contrast and match makes the artwork even more readable. I was worried that with nothing but earth, sky and greenery, the palette would get bland, but I was wrong.  Of course, a little bright bloody red violence doesn't hurt. 

Even your sound effects work well, specific sounds with plausible spelling without resorting to what I have "heard" a million times before.

Good work, gents.  I can't wait till next month.

Letter to Ice Cream Man re 1-17, 03/23/2020

Gentles: 

Just caught up with you guys through number 17(still a couple holes, but...) and wanted to throw in my own adulation.

ICM gets right up under my skin, like hearing that my gut microbes have a whole society inside me, like realizing i drowned a roach in my hot coffee after pouring it in the dark, like finding blood i can't identify.  It took me a long time to decide this is horror, but it is. I still keep wondering what's the story of the man in white and his foil, the man in black.  Shades of King's Black Tower.  The palindrome issue must have been a design challenge, but it sure works. Tiny Lives creeped me out. Coat Check Story was a straight up psychodelic trip with all the terror of Midsommar. I hope you gotta lot more of these tramping about in your headspace, Mr. Prince.

Mr. Martin's clear line, Mr. Hallorhan's colors, and Good Old Neon's design work make a perfect setting, like the dining room for a feast.  The design creates unity from issue to issue. Clear and clinical colors and the fine black line detail throughout allow the stories' textual creepiness lead. 

This book stays in the collection to read again!  You guys should probably check out DC's FLINCH from 90's(?), a good collection of creep outs.

--

Griffin (like the monster) Mauser (like the gun)

Letter to Grendel Devil's Odyssey 1-3

Gentles:

Just finished reading Grendel Devil’s Odyssey 1-3!

Thanks, Matt et. al., for another incarnation of Grendel. I have about 5000 books in a collection from as early as 1976 and am about to have a major cull down to half, keeping only my most favorite titles and two of ‘em will be all of Mage, and all of Grendel!

Devil’s Odyssey couldn’t be more perfect! Grendel Prime is GrimJack, Judge Dredd, Deathlok, and beyond, and this arc is lovely! Grendel Prime, the reliable authoritarian makes the perfect foil to establish the unique norms of the strange new worlds he is encountering and we have five more issues of exploration ahead with every image lovingly planned and rendered. Matt’s pencils are so consistent yet become more and more refined, leaving all that great design bared at the surface! Brennan’s colors are emblematic and set the black of Grendel Prime the role of the ultimate straight-man.

Can’t wait for issue 4! But I will! Bring it on Misters Wagner, and a “hear hear” for pre-Hunter Rose Grendels!

Vivat Grendel!

Griffin Mauser