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Graphic Visions 2: Sept 1975
Publisher/editor: Chris Lomelino

I actually had plans to do another fanzine that I had already prepared (basically, made sure all the scans were fine, then column images made into jpegs, etc, etc), but when I couldn’t find it right away, I remembered this zine (partially because it was the first actual fanzine I had some work published in a later issue…and I am glad I did! This little zine has all the enthusiasm that screams “fanzine,” along with many of the constantly published artists of the time. You will see Carl Taylor (as in the back cover seen above), Rick Williams, Frank Cirocco (of Venture fame), Doug Hazlewood, and Jim Jones, along with pros like Kurt Schaffenberger and Gil Kane…as well as future pros Tim Conrad and Dave Sim! As Stan the man says, Onward!

Above you see the front cover by a pre-Cerebus Dave Sim, along with one of the best illustrations I have seen of Carl Taylor’s from this time on the back cover. A great wrapping paper to share with you (I am working on this Xmas eve day)!

“Doc” Larry Brnicky, a fandom biggie if there ever was one, starts off with an installment of his column, One Last Desperate Chance, covering writer Gerry Conway and his move from Marvel to DC. It is illustrated by not only a great double punch of Carl Taylor (below), but another early Sim piece, Spider-man no less!

Carl Taylor is fairly active on Facebook, posting new work, inside scoops and more. That’s Carl, to the left, drawn by Jack Kirby in a story! I asked him a few questions and he was nice enough to provide a wealth of info!

My Mother signed me up to the Dr. Seuss book club, and every month I’d get one of his books. About six months later, when I was five years old, my father took me to a barber shop. Before going in, I could see in the drug store next door a rack of comics. From outside the window, I could see some were Jack Kirby books, though I didn’t know his name then. I wanted to ask my father to let me get one, but I knew he would say no. There were some comics in the barber shop as well, including Challengers of the Unknown, also by Kirby. I wanted the books so badly, I thought I could sneak some out the back, or along a wall outside, but there was a huge and very mean dog there, so I gave up the idea at that point. A friend of my father read comics and while visiting his house, I found Fantastic Four 15. It was then and there, at seven years old, that I started that comic of mine.

I then asked him about his introduction to fandom and he continued.

I had been creating my own digest sized full color comics and one of my art teachers told me she knew some one who knew Jack Kirby! I was amazed!

That someone was Scott Shaw. This was early 1971. The teacher had him send me a letter in which Scott told me that one day maybe we could go to Kirby’s house! That was unbelievable to me. 

Although that never happened, Scott later told me Kirby was appearing at a Disneyland convention. I thought I’d never be able to go. But a cousin and her son came down from Oakland and wanted to go that same day. We got there late and when I asked around where Kirby was a guy came running by with a Kirby sketch in his hand and told me Kirby had just left. I was so crushed! I don’t remember how it happened But somehow right after that I met Richard Kyle. I showed him my digest comics, which he liked, later introducing me to Jim Steranko. Steranko liked my comics too! Kyle got my address and give me a free subscription to his newsletter Graphic Story World and Bill Spicer’s Graphic Story Magazine. From there I learned more about fandom. Richard also sent me a letter explaining the original size of most comic art pages and what tools Mike Royer used to ink Kirby’s pencils.

Dave Stevens was very grateful to Carl (among others) for helping him early on. Carl told me he received many letters from Stevens thanking him for things such as telling him what pencils to use, what art books to study from, advice to get a P.O. Box, since Carl knew he’d be very successful. Carl also told me that he was helpful in Dave keeping the name the Rocketeer. On Carl’s advice, Dave put “TM” behind the name (look at the early stories and you will see there no “TM” behind the name.

Carl has tons of great stories of the early days of fandom…he shares one below.

After I met Kirby the third time, I recorded our conversation on cassette. Later, a then unknown Dave Stevens approached me wanting to collaborate. Which we did! I introduced him to everyone I could think of. He inked a very quick sample I did and I was totally amazed at how well he inked. I introduced him to Martin Greim (of Comic Crusader), Mike Friedrich (Star*Reach, Marvel, and DC) and many more. He did a full page thank you to all the people who helped him go pro, and put my name on as the largest. I went on to win best superhero artist in the art show. The award was signed by Kirby and others. Jack took me aside and said, “I pushed for that.”

Some of Carl’s favorite memories follow.

Meeting Kirby and Gil Kane was huge for me. A fun job I had in ’73 had me painting 30 super hero heads and 3 huge figures on the front of a comic shop’s windows. After that, a customer paid me to paint Spider-Man clinging to the roof top of his car!

It was also a thrill to have had George Clayton Johnson admiring my work, as well as meeting and collaborating with so many other fan artists, many of them inking my pencils. Several of those artists went pro, such as Doug Hazlewood, Sam De LaRosa, Willie Byberg, and of course, Dave Stevens.

It was a trip when Gil Kane started working at an animation studio in California and needed a place to stay. He also called me and arranged a meeting there. I convinced Larry Houston to come, who told Kane what he needed to know, and he was so happy he paid for our lunches!  Also, when Roy Thomas lived on the west coast, he used to throw birthday parties. I was invited, as well as many comics pros. I got a chance to talk to Kirby and Kane as well as others who were there too.

Lastly, I did some artwork that appeared in the movies Kingdom Come and Boys in the Hood. I was also in the first Spider-man movie (in the audience of the wresting scene)!

I also wanted to know what might be his first published work in fandom.

Actually, before my work in fandom I worked as an “Inbetweener” for a small animation company called Smiles, [for an explanation on what an inbetweener is, check out this link -Ken] which was subcontracting work from Hanna Barbera, just down the street in Hollywood. One of the earliest fanzines I do remember is Eclipse, which included a few spot illustrations by John Byrne (before he was a pro). Later I did a lot of work for Paul Legrazie Jr., including 4 continuing strips for him from 1972 to 1974, until his offset printing prices got too high. I was I was 18 or 19 around then, and a few years later, I got a more stable job in 1975 and moved out on my own at 24 years old.

In ’76 Will Meugniot (who had been contributing to Paul Legrazie’s zines around the same time as me) moved to L.A. and got a job doing storyboards on the Lone Ranger cartoons. By coincidence, where I worked was only a mile from where he moved. We met and Will tried to help me get into Filmation. I went home and tried to do the samples but I didn’t think I was good enough. I also was too scared to quit my recently acquired government job. I passed the opportunity to Larry Houston, who I had become friends with after meeting at a con. After I Introduced him to Will, Will helped get him into that business instead of me.

Lastly, due to Carl’s budding friendship with Kirby, the King gifted Carl with the piece below, in exchange for a piece of Carl’s!

John Pierce is up next with an interview of professional Kurt Schaffenberger, who adds some art, with some illustrations also by Taylor/Wes Smith and Rick Williams. See Kurt’s simple and elegant work below.

Up next is a Doc Garbage Adventure by Dave Mcdonnell, followed by the letter column…which contains one long ass letter by….me! The address tells me it was done in my senior year of high school in Utah. There are a couple of nice illustrations by more fandom constants, Rick Williams and the quirky Jim Jones (no, not THAT Jim Jones!).

Editor Lomelino and Larry Lankford next presents a short Spider-man article and checklist of sorts, accompanied by a really stylish pin up by Wes Smith (as well as a spot illo).

Next up is an admittedly very short interview with John Romita, some editorial ramblings, and Scott Paauw’s Fantasticomments (covering a few sword and sorcery comics). Elaborating on the article are a few spot illos by Gil Kane, inked by Tim Conrad. A few more illustrations follow and the zine ties it all up.

OK, that was a somewhat short column, I will confess…but, hey, it’s Christmas eve! Hope you all had a great holiday! Tune in again on February 1st for the next installment of Ink Stains! Oh heck, almost forgot to thank Manny Maris for providing the zine for me to scan! Also, big thanks to Carl Taylor for taking the time out to provide some juicy stories!

Ken Meyer Jr.
kenmeyerjr@yahoo.com