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Fanzine 76 vol 2 no 2: July 1976
Publishers/editors: James Pack/Dave Yetter

Hello and welcome to another installment of Ink Stains, your friendly neighborhood fanzine review/celebration column! This time out, we cover an issue of Fanzine 76 (there are also Fanzine 75 and 77, some of which you can see at this link).

The main reason I remember appreciating this zine was the really polished artwork of Mitch Sonoda. To my eyes, a combination of Neal Adams and Berni Wrightson, with some nice typeface design as well. Mitch was nice enough to answer a few questions via email for me, which you will see sprinkled throughout the column. He also added some cool art I have not seen before that you will see here. Below, he tells us about the beginnings in his usual informal and entertaining manner.

In 1973, almost a half of a year out of high school, I attended a comic book convention in Bowling Green, OH. the guests were Vaughn Bodé, Jeff Jones, Bernie Wrightson, Mike Kaluta and Stan Lee. Swamp Thing had just come out the previous November and Bernie’s Studio works (with Jones and Kaluta) were gearing up to go public (or had just gone public).

I was a newbie fanboy fresh out of my parents’ basement. Where HEAVILY influenced by Wrightson’s art, I drew, inked, and lettered a 14’’ x 17’’ tribute to Swamp thing and Batman.

And when I got up to his table in the autograph line, I gave it to him. “Uh… I don’t sign other peoples work, sorry.”

“No. It’s for you. It’s, kind of, a thank you for showing me how much fun comic books are.”

“You want to… GIVE? this to me?”

“Yeah!”

The guy behind me in line, “YOU are GIVING him THAT?”

As I walk away, he says “Hey, cool, Hi, Bernie. Can I see what he gave you?”

Another, “Hey, Bernie. Can I see the picture he gave you?”

And another, “Hey, Bernie. What did he give you?”

That con was where I met Larry Blake, Larry Nibert and Jim Pack. All from southern Ohio. Bowling Green was a mere 3 hour day trip from their back yard, Cincinnati.

Later while waiting for an informal meet-and-greet they introduced themselves and started asking about my artwork and if I had anything or was willing to do that they could use in their fledgling projects. We exchanged contact info and showed each other what we had with us. We talked a bit to Bernie and stayed ‘til we got kicked out because of their supper break. On parting ways Jim Pack took me aside and said, “I want you to draw for my ‘zine! I’ll PAY you to draw for my ‘zine.”

Later still while waiting for Stan Lee to return from dinner the rest of the guests where assembled for an upcoming panel discussion, Bernie saw me and waved me up to the pit in front of the stage and introduced me to Vaughn and Jeff.

“This is the guy who gave me that artwork I showed you. Hey. Do you want them to sign something for you?” “Hey. Here, will this work? Stan signed the front.”

Jeff: “Did you draw this?”
Vaughn: “Gimme. There I signed it. Now you hafta.”

Jeff: “Okay.”

Bernie: “Hey! Dot the ‘O’.”

Jeff: “I only dot it on MY work!”

Vaughn: “C’mon. Dot it.” Bernie: “Dot it.”
Jeff: “Okay, I’ll do it!”
Jeff: “Hey! Where’s yours?” Bernie: “Go ahead. Show them.”

This issue of the zine is composed of several stories…nothing really in the way of spot illustrations and pin ups, it is all in service to story. After a little preview vignette by James Pack to lead us to the Table of Contents, story one is by the great (and still very active…check Facebook) Rick McCollum. Ever self critical, Rick (via email) told me in reference to the story below, “Wow. 1975! I was still in college when I did this! No memory of it, which does line up with when I drew it! The art is not as cringe worthy as it could have been, showing even then my penchant for detail, violence and nudity. My main self-criticism, aside from the drawing, is that it could have had more detail and, importantly, much more imagination!

Dunno anything about the scripter, nor how I even ended up getting into this! 48 years ago? I am a far different artist and person now.”

After the letters page (where I make an appearance both in a letter and a letterhead! I was in college as well at that time, just a year in), Larry Nibert appears with Demon of the Mind (lettering by Pack). This story had some inking assistance by Sonoda and Val Mayerik (!)…I can definitely see Mitch in the pages below. I also really like the font treatment on the title.

Following that story is a Springfield, Ohio con report by David Yetter, and then a well paced horror story by Yetter again called Strangers in the Night. Nothing in Common comes next (by Pack and Larry Blake), with a big reveal at the end. No horseplay here!

Up next is a story by Pack with art by Sonoda, featuring Captain Cannibas and Ampheta-Man (!), fun and professionally illustrated by Mitch (who also contributes the back cover).

More inside info from Mitch follows below.

Previously my creative curiosity was focused on more commercial forms of illustration.

The foremost influence was the discovery of James Bama, primarily his cover artworks for the 1960’s paperback releases of the Doc Savage pulp novels. I was stunned to find out that the few covers that I treasured were PAINTED and NOT enhanced or doctored photos! It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I was able to find out anything about his career. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that I would be able to perceive the scope of his talent.

At about the same time I was harboring the idea that I might like being able to draw better. I had been privy to cartoons illustrators the likes of those in Playboy, Dick Sheyd, Dink Siegal, Dik Brown even Leroy Neiman. While their works were “tittilating,” they lacked… something.

When I turned 14 I discovered/became aware of BOOBs. Her name was Diane! I also discovered a book named, Fun With A Pencil (Andrew Loomis, a standard for many comic artists).

I went from editing copied art to building my own ideas, one shape at a time. Then…

In 1969 I was jarred out of DC induced comic book apathy by Marvel’s X-Men #58—Enter the Man Called Havok (with art by Neal Adams). It wasn’t ’til that point that I truly began thinking of comic books as art. Then I discovered Bernie Wrightson, Gene Colan, Dan Adkins, Tom Palmer, Rich Corben, Roger Dean, Esteban Maroto, Gil Kane and many more than I can list here.

Many fanzine editors had buddies who were into comics, but Mitch says…

I didn’t meet others with my interests until after graduating from high school.

While in school I had compatriots interested in doodling along with me. There was, however, little compunction to improve or expand upon execution. The brick wall of wanting to draw but not having it look like what was originally thought of became a deterrent for most of that group.

After graduating, my best friend’s brother asked me where I learned to draw. He was encumbered with the same art teacher that I had in high school and was not impressed with the stodgy limitations of, “Use your feelings to guide your (whatever).” The concept of ‘gesture drawing’ was lost amid the flowers and trees and colors of her ‘feelings,’ She was, however, very supportive of what ever you were willing to tackle. As long as you finished it.

I convinced him to read the high school library’s copy of Fun With A Pencil (which he may have surreptitiously absconded with before his graduation).

During that time I had done stories and illustrations for Larry Nibert’s Epitaph (1975), Larry Blake’s Afterworld

(1975) and had just finished the artwork for Fanzine’75’s This Sword Is Mine (1975)

I didn’t meet others with my interests until after graduating from high school.

While in school I had compatriots interested in doodling along with me. There was, however, little compunction to improve or expand upon execution. The brick-wall of wanting to draw but not having it look like what was originally thought of became a deterrent for most of that group.

After graduating my best friend’s brother asked me where I learned to draw. He was encumbered with the same art teacher that I had in high school and was not impressed with the stodgy limitations of, “Use your feelings to guide your (whatever).” The concept of ‘gesture drawing’ was lost amid the flowers and trees and colors of her ‘feelings,’ She was, however, very supportive of what ever you were willing to tackle.
As long as you finished it.

After getting him to read the high school library’s copy of Fun With A Pencil. Which he may have surreptitiously absconded with before his graduation.

During that time I had done stories and illustrations for Larry Nibert’s Epitaph (1975), Larry Blake’s Afterworld (1975) and had just finished the artwork for Fanzine’75’s This Sword Is Mine (1975)

Before then he made the acquaintance of three likewise inspired people in his commercial arts class at the local vocational education facility with which our high school was affiliated. For their senior project they elected to produce a fanzine from raw stock to the sale of final product.

To accomplish this they horn-swaggled the vocational school’s printshop teacher and senior printing

press technicians into using the entire senior printshop class to print it out for part of their senior grade.

Siege was born (also 1975)!
A lot happened that year.

I also asked Mitch where he got any actual art training.

High school art was not one of them. But I excelled at not operating within the parameters of the scope of the course limits. Whatever the hell that means.

Most of my study has been trying to understand the works of artists whose work I admire, John Berkey, Syd Meade, Raymond Lowe, James Bama, George Molnar, Neal Adams, Drew Struzan, H. R. Giger, Frederick Hart, Jeff Jones, Peter Cross, Hal Foster, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and Alphonse Mucha.

I had some mechanical drawing along with shop class which introduced me to drafting techniques, disciplines and equipment.

My parents thought my desires for artistic endeavors were frivolous and somewhat bohemian. (I was raised by second generation Japanese-American farmer stock, expected to aspire to mediocrity. Because not being white meant failure to achieve a dream that was certainly too much to expect!)

Community College art classes actually pandered information! If you do this, then THAT happens! What a concept! Oh. And a boob is made up of, at least, eight parts. AND THEY SHOWED US THE PARTS.
I took medical A & P.

I took drawing,life drawing (mo mito monai! YO! Remember the under achieving farm stock), painting, commercial advertising, graphic design, mechanical drawing, architectural Ddrawing and an art appreciation class where the teacher could not be bothered with anything so banal as illustration.

All of my college papers were illustrated and laid out. Even if they were hand written.

Mitch, of course, went on to do other work post fanzine. He elaborates below.

In 1982-5 I did some stories for Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor: Comics From the Streets of Cleveland.

From 1981-1999 I worked for Cleveland Scene Entertainment Weekly and its affiliate companies, Northeast

Scene Graphics, Screen Gems, Scene Specialties (remember the pervasive comment from above?) I also did cover illos, spot art for ads, art for flyers, promo designs, band logos, club logos, high tolerance form designs and final art (do you realize that until the early ’90s the artwork for computerized check print outs was done manually?)

I did some freelance record album covers, some industrial illos, logo designs, custom costume and set designs, business card designs for my late wife, Halloween costumes for my sons, the odd mural or super-graphic design, storyboards,

I retired from professional graphics work in late 2015. I did some fan stuff up until seven years ago.

In 2000-3 I worked on a three issue “furry” comic mini-series about foxes (well, all kinds of anthropomorphics being led by foxes) in space, Wild Frontier. I’m still waiting for the fourth issue script to be finalized.

As to what Mitch is up to now, he says he is “trying to make sure that my remaining son stays alive. And scanning everything that I’ve ever drawn. Cruising the internet. Trying to find some way to draw that doesn’t entail arranging 10,000 different things EVERY TIME I wanna sit down and draw. Drawing on an iPad SUCKS.

That about wraps up this installment! Remember to go to my site to download the pdf and see all the other installments! Thanks a ton to Mitch for all his great input and the super scan of the zine! Who knows what is up next month! Later, gator!

Ken Meyer Jr
kenmeyerjr@yahoo.com