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George Perez, Mike Gustovich, and Pat Broderick all have really
early work in the second issue of TCP!

TCP (The Comic Press) 2: Spring 1975
Editor and publisher: Russell Condello

There were many fanzines in the mid seventies that featured a selection of articles, art and stories and this month’s installment fits neatly into that group. Russell Condello assembled a good group of fans and “pre-professionals” for the second issue of his fanzine, The Comic Press (TCP). Above you can see the front cover by Michael Gustovich, who would go on to create Justice Machine, a collection of superheroes that was published by several companies in the 80’s (and also included fellow creators like John Byrne, Bill Willingham, Tony Isabella, Bill Reinhold and others). Below you can see another full page illustration by Gustovich. Michael went on, primarily as an inker, to work at most of the publishers in the 80’s and 90s, but later retired to teach. Mike was nice enough to answer a few of my questions via email about his time in fandom and beyond. He started reading comics, like most of us, at a very young age, saying “I must have been about 8 years old. The first comic I remember reading was the Fantastic Four issue with Gorgon and Dragon Man on the cover. Maybe my memory is all screwed up. My dad had taken me and my little brother to the house of a friend of his. His kids had a couple of comics and I remember that one specifically.” Also like most of us artists, his forays into drawing started early. He told me he started “from day one I think. My mom swears that she still has some cave drawings inside her womb. I have not had this verified yet. When the time comes an autopsy might give up the secret. I remember tracing drawings from comics by placing them on our kitchen window and putting lined notebook paper (that’s all I had back then) over the top. Strictly a daytime endeavor.” Sounding like the typical Marvel zombie, Mike listed his influences as “Jack Kirby, of course. He was my first influence (still is). Then came John Buscema, Adams, Wrightson, Steranko, etc. All of them are still with me. The greats always will be. Not that you may see it but John Buscema is my greatest influence today, for drawing that is. For inking there was Joe Sinnott, Tom Palmer, and Neal Adams. In fact, Val Mayerik, who graduated a year ahead of me at Howland high school started working for Marvel immediately after graduation, and spent a lot of time with me, tutoring me in my penciling and inking skills. I owe a great deal to him for helping me get in the business. In fact he and I may be doing some work together soon. Keep your pencils crossed.”

As far as Gustovich’s entry into fandom, he mentioned that

I discovered fandom early on (16-17) via fanzines. I also attended a few conventions which left me totally in awe. Still am. In ways I am still more of a fan than a pro. At cons nowadays I love going around to the other pro’s tables and talking it up. Most are great people, very friendly and helpful.” To elaborate even more on his wonderment at conventions, he stated “there are some fandom moments that stick out. There was a New York con where I met Adams, Wrightson, Kaluta, and a bunch of other pros. Cons back then were definitely different. I was invited to sit at the pro tables to draw for the other fans. It was a great honor. I still feel that way. Then there was the time that Bill Loebs and I drove out to New York to try to make some contacts. His car, “Lucky” by name, blew a gasket half way there. I remember a lot of smoke and cursing. We abandoned Lucky and somehow made the journey. Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end.” Lastly, when I asked if he stayed in contact with many of his fellow fans, he countered with “not fans so much as other pros. Some of my first contacts were Dan Adkins, Paul Gulacy, Craig Russell, and Val Mayerik. Please forgive me guys, if I’ve forgotten you. My memory is still rusty and contrary most times.

Along with Gustovich, another artist that became a professional…a HUGE one, later on, is George Perez. Below  you can see an illustration by George…but considering this is only a few years before he became a pro, I have a feeling this might have been inked (uncredited) by someone else. I am just spitballing here, but it looks like it might have been Bobby Wright, who did a lot of fanzine work at the time. At left you can also see a Perez piece inked (much better, obviously) by Gustovich. Mike also contributes a short story entitled They Came, They Saw featuring a very famous cartoon dog.

Tom Mason follows with a column dedicated to Charlton Comics appropriately titled The Big C, featuring a small illustration by a Charlton alumni, Wayne Howard (one of many artists who started as an assistant to the great Wally Wood). Sounds From a Silent Garden, fiction from C. C. Clingan, follows next. Even more fan fiction is included, this being a story called Madness is a Fire Which Burns the Mind from John Gunnar. After that is a centerspread by fan stalwart, and one of the few female fan artists at that time, Mercy van Vlack, featuring Dr. Strange (seen below).

Mercy contributed to many other zines as well, and went on to a career in commercial art. She and her husband, Ken Gale, produced a few comics of their own in the 80s and beyond. She was most well known for illustrations of female comic characters and later illustrated in an Alphonse Mucha inspired art nouveau style, but she also wrote for Richie Rich! To the left you can see her wearing a costume designed by the late, great Dave Cockrum, with her art in the background. You can learn more about her on the couple’s website here.

Jerry Baker then gives us a brief history of Horror Comics of the 70s. The Rac follows, TCP‘s review column, and lastly, the letter column. There are several illustrations inside by folks such as Doug Herring, Bobby Wright, Neil Riehle, van Vlack, and others. There are also a few charming little strips from the No Sex publisher, David Heath Jr. Below, you will see a few of the nice full page illustrations by the likes of Pat Broderick (with Mike Gustovich), and Mike Machlan, and Al Milgrom.

That Tiger-Man illustration makes me long for those Atlas comics of the mid seventies!

Well, I hope your time here in Ink Stains land was enjoyable. As always, you can download the pdf on my site here, as well as access all the previous columns. I owe thanks to someone for this zine, but I cannot remember who…if you see this, stand and be counted! Thanks very much to Michael Gustovich for giving of his time.

Ken Meyer Jr.
kenmeyerjr@yahoo.com