Why Not Say What Happened?

Another rambling nostalgic episode reveals a lesson I learned from the composer of the Merry Marvel Marching Society theme song, what should get the blame for me talking so much about comics these days, why Nick Cardy, Jim Steranko, and Stan Lee popped up in my dreams, why I'm considering calling Jack Kirby's old phone number, the Bernie Wrightson sketch I regret having traded away, what I'll never remember about Dave Cockrum, the reason my relationship with Tony DeZuniga teaches you not to trust AI, and more.

This apologetic episode reveals why Eva Marie Saint's death at 102 caused me to reevaluate everything I've shared on this podcast so far, the hidden history of a $600,000 Green Lantern painting, the secret (to me anyway) life of one of my Marvel Comics coworkers, which Scarecrow letter I answered and which one I didn't, what my ancient vouchers have to say about the mid-'70s Jack Kirby letter column controversy, and more. 

This episode wrangles with some recent comics-related thoughts, including how Jim Steranko helped me have a 50th anniversary dinner, the surprising way George Lucas secretly surprised us all, my delight over a newly discovered 1972 photo of me hanging out with Howard Chaykin, how Paul Levitz's new book about Marvel's explosive growth proves everything I always thought about my comics career was correct, deciding what to do with my guilt over the life and death of E. Nelson Bridwell, and more. 

While shredding nearly 10,000 pages of my accumulated papers, I made several discoveries worth sharing, including memorable hate mail I received while writing Captain Marvel, multiple reasons I'm unqualified to write my own autobiography, a job application at Comico, why I refused to meet editors until after I'd already sold them stories, my unsuccessful score on a DC Comics proofreading test, four rejected Tales from the Darkside pitches which didn't end up published in Elvira's House of Mystery, and more.

I don't have much to say this episode, but I've decided to say it anyway, sharing about the way Stan Lee saved me in a dream, what I was thinking (or not) 52 years ago today on the eve of starting my Marvel Comics staff job, the PTSD of older creators who lived through the creation of the Comics Code, why I won't be writing my autobiography, when I'll be shredding half a century of daily diaries, and more. 

This time around, I reminisce about what it meant to have met Gerry Conway in 1971 when I was only 16, the comic book comrades I should have known better but never gave myself the chance, my dreams of decluttering with Bernie Wrightson, the first two origin stories I thought up for The Scarecrow before the one fans got to read in 1975, and more.

This time around, I dream of Action Comics #1, consider how the death of Sal Buscema has me thinking of Vinnie Colletta, decide Jim Salicrup will outlive us all, regret my near-miss with Jim Mooney during my honeymoon, remember the time Mike Friedrich threatened to punch me in the nose, and more.

This episode has me reminiscing about why I think of comics artist John Tartaglione every day, my dreams of Paul Anka's comic book collection and a visit from Gene Colan, my early attempts to get fired from Marvel Comics, a well-earned warning from Marv Wolfman, the puzzle of why covers to romance novels tend to feature aspirational art while comic book romance covers often lean into the problems, and more.

I grow a bit verklempt this time around while I rap about the Spider-Man rock album for which I made sure the band didn't miss a note, remember watching Dave Cockrum and Len Wein create Giant-Size X-Men #1 out of thin air, pass along the surprising truths Steve Ditko's family most wants you to know, critique the Metropolitan Opera's production of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, choke up while praising Marie Severin's posthumous induction into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame, walk the exhibit hall at Baltimore Comic-Con where only a single item of comics memorabilia tempts me...

In which I track down the Fantastic Four panel which caused me to first enter comics fandom, look back at a 1975 Planet of the Apes contents page where I was credited for no reason I can remember, remain confused about Daredevil's Matt/Mike Murdock subterfuge, laugh at the way "Fabulous" Flo Steinberg gave The Thing a super headache, and more.

Having survived my trip to the Seattle Worldcon, I share a few comic book dreams, learn why I should no longer feel guilty about one aspect of my Omega the Unknown fill-in issue, read up on how Marvel Comics artists felt during the mid-'70s about writers receiving original artwork, explain why the Comics Code Authority didn't seem to understand how to read comics, reveal the way a wolfman was responsible for me being credited on my DC Comics mystery stories, and more.

Rereading my mid-'70s run of Captain Marvel teaches me why I should never have been writing comics in the first place — but it also causes me to reminisce about how I rescued Rick Jones from the Negative Zone, the way the success of Crazy Rich Asians caused Captain Marvel reshoots, the travesty of the Teen Brigade's return, George Tuska's unseen Wonder Man, why I believe in back-shadowing, not foreshadowing, and more.

Tragic events and happy anniversaries cause me to reminisce about the convention where I last saw Jim Shooter, how my immaturity cost me my Captain Marvel gig, my sudden realization DC Editor Mort Weisinger could have had a connection to my quitting comics, the time I considered eating Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel's hair, how the Dreaded Deadline Doom discolored original artwork, my continuing regrets over accepting an assignment to write an issue of Omega the Unknown, and more.

After three conventions in four weekends, I finally catch my breath to celebrate several important personal comic book anniversaries, sort through Marie Severin's classic covers, realize my discovery of horror comics was topsy-turvy, fail to answer a question about how to break into comics, remember Stan Lee's fear of the word "horror," appreciate the increased respect professional writing organizations are now paying comics, look back at the day Jim Shooter stopped sharing original art with writers, wrestle with the morality of my original art collection, and more.

Join me for a rambling panel about Howard the Duck in which I share the Marvel Comics chaos which caused me to be hired there in 1974, my regrets over having written an issue of Omega the Unknown, my ethical queasiness about owning original art, what it means when I say I knew Stan Lee before he had hair, my terrifying Bullpen encounters with "Jumbo" John Verpoorten, what Howard the Duck has in common with the Silver Surfer, my Times Square street theater with Steve Gerber, the time Howard the Duck had to be hatched instead of laid, how immaturity...

This time around, I grow anxious over a dream discovery of long-lost original comic book artwork, realize I was wrong about a certain Alan Moore/Frank Miller memory, contemplate the difficulty of condensing the life of Marie Severin into a mere 1,200 words, share the meager remains of what was once a massive comic book collection, remember there's an issue of Fantastic Four I need to track down to solve an early fannish mystery, rededicate myself to Marie Kondo-ing my creative life, and more.

My latest look back at what I was doing in comics during the '70s has me remembering the weekend I couldn't stop myself from teasing Bill Gaines about the National Lampoon's satirical slam of MAD magazine, why famed con-runner Phil Seuling castigated us fans one afternoon for mistreating our mothers, the words Gerry Conway wrote for Daredevil's girlfriend Karen Page in the basement of a Times Square Nathan's, how my 1980 DC Comics vampire story ended up as an episode of Tales from the Darkside, the continuing mystery of the martial arts series I'd forgotten I'd tried to write...

In my latest look back at the comics field of the '70s, I share about the home away from home Phil Seuling built for fandom which earned his recent much-deserved accolade, whether the Ethics columns I wrote for The Comics Journal during the '80s burned any bridges (and if I even cared those bridges were on fire), the kung fu comic book series I'd completely forgotten I'd pitched to Marvel, why my job in the Bullpen stunned writer/editor/artist Bob Budiansky, the Barry Smith Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. comic which caused me...

While shredding another old notebook from my early comics career, I reminisce about the many wretched one-act plays I created while being taught by famed playwright Jack Gelber, the lie I told Marv Wolfman and Len Wein which got me hired at Marvel, the most wrongheaded conclusion Fredric Wertham reached in Seduction of the Innocent, my plot for an Inhumans strip starring Karnak which had no reason to exist, the most ridiculous method any writer ever conceived of for killing a vampire, what Gerry Conway said about Gwen Stacy which was censored out of his F.O.O.M...

Another look back on my early comics career has me considering the possible reason Robert De Niro's Max Cady character cared about Captain Marvel in the 1991 movie Cape Fear, the day Jim Shooter and I parachuted out of an airplane (and why an ambulance was called), my surprise over a 1974 House of Mystery submission to editor Joe Orlando, why 2025 Scott is curious about what Crystal leaving the Fantastic Four meant to the 1970 fanboy I was, the reason Doc Savage and Scooter Pies are inextricably linked in my memory, my regret over not having defended artist Herb Trimpe from his...

Listen in as I look back half a century on what it was like being in the room with Len Wein and Dave Cockrum (or as much as I'm willing to admit) as they plotted Giant-Size X-Men #1, why my mid-'70s likeness still hangs on the wall at Marvel Comics HQ, my freelance income during the first six months of my life as a comics professional, the collaborative short stories my friends and I stayed awake 24 hours to write on Harlan Ellison's 39th birthday, an article I commissioned for F.O.O.M. about collecting comics in 1975 which should...

Join me as I look back at the trouble I had getting out of an elevator at the first Star Trek convention, what my ballot looked like when I voted for the 1968 Alley Awards, the composers who wrote the music to match the lyrics I had Rick Jones sing in Captain Marvel #50, what teen me got wrong (twice!) about Jim Steranko, the three comics characters I almost cosplayed as at the 1972 Rutland Halloween parade, the mystery woman who would have been my Beautiful Dreamer on a Forever People float, and much more.

Shredding hundreds of pages torn from notebooks filled by my teen and twentysomething self causes me to reminisce about my collaboration with artist P. Craig Russell which could have been, the poem 18-year-old me wrote about Action Comics #1, my mysterious mid-'70s New Jersey comic convention meeting with Anthony Bourdain, why when it comes to the process of writing I'm a voyeur but not an exhibitionist, the complete lyrics to a song I had Rick Jones sing way back in Captain Marvel #50, my joy upon seeing Superman co-creator Joe Shuster's name in my old address book, how the Grim...

While destroying hundreds of pages of bad poetry I scribbled as a teenager, I made a few surprising discoveries which cause me to reminisce about my poem "Ode on Comic Book Company Loyalty," written 18 days after I was hired by Marvel Comics, my extremely rough sketch for the second Scarecrow splash page, my team-up with Quicksilver and 7-Eleven to freeze your brain with Slurpees during the summer of 1975, Tony Isabella's heavy edit on my early Avengers script assist (and why we should all be grateful), my forgotten horror pitches bounced by Marvel in 1974, and much more.

As I consider the way getting rejected by the Clarion Workshop in 1974 helped me break into comics and getting accepted by the Clarion Workshop in 1979 helped me break out of comics, I remember the writing schedule suggested by Harlan Ellison which proved impossible for me, the terrible comics-related advice I got from Damon Knight, Thomas M. Disch's tips for building better characters, the questions Robin Scott Wilson wanted us to ask when critiquing short stories, the night Joker co-creator Jerry Robinson predicted I'd work in comics someday, the Barbie artist who painted me with tattoos and drew my portrait...

A stack of mid-'70s Marvel Comics memos reminds me which Golden Age greats Stan Lee didn't want invited to the 1975 Mighty Marvel Con, my discomfort with what is probably a comic book editor's most important role, the day I donned a Spider-Man suit and crawled around the Bullpen, how Uri Geller destroyed my key to the Marvel Comics men's room, my snarky response when a publisher wanted me to find the smoking gun which would shut down our competition, why our softball team dubbed me the "Most Improved Player for a Boy," and much more.

Rummaging though a stack of mid-'70s memos has me remembering the time I attempted to convince Stan Lee to adapt Joseph Heller's novel Something Happened, who was responsible for mutilating the contents of Marvel's 1975 line of Giant-Size Annuals, how I repurposed a Winnie Winkle comic strip to resign from my staff job in the Bullpen, the day comic book fans ran a Baskin-Robbins out of ice cream, the meeting in which Stan Lee had a problem with Iron Man's nose, Gerry Conway's complaint to the Comics Code Authority about an Inhumans innuendo, and much more.

Staring at the hole in the ground which used to be NYC's Statler Hilton Hotel, home to my first comic book convention in 1970, has me remembering the time I heckled publisher Jim Warren (and what he shouted back), the original art I bought for a buck a page, why the National Lampoon's Michael O'Donoghue doused me with a pitcher of ice water, the reason I was locked in a dealers room overnight, the early morning I was stopped by two NYC police officers while wandering Penn Station in a Mister Miracle mask, and much more.

Mulling over whether 2024 me agrees with what 1984 me thought about 1974 me reminded me getting the gig to write Marvel's Bullpen Bulletins Page was both the best and worst thing that ever could have happened, why my willingness to burn bridges by writing an Ethics column for The Comics Journal shouldn't be confused with bravery, which comic book art recently caused me to reach out to Robert De Niro, Stan Lee's all-caps cover critique, the day Larry Hama verified Tony Isabella was right and I was wrong, and more.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to list the many things I have to be thankful for, such as being born at the perfect time to witness the birth of the Marvel Universe, what happened the day in 1963 the first issue of both The Avengers and The X-Men were released and I could afford to buy only one,  how my belief in anti-nepotism scored John Romita Jr. his first Marvel Comics art assignment, the magical night I raved to Brent Spiner about Stan Lee (and what "The Man" himself had to say about i...

A regrettable reminder to wish a dead comic book friend happy birthday sent me down a Marvel memories rabbit hole, reminding me of what it was like to know Stan Lee before he had hair, the cherry pie that almost got me fired, the day Archie Goodwin did parkour across Bullpen furniture, Len Wein turning us into a Mickey Mouse operation, Marie Severin's most inventive prank, my faux fight with Don McGregor, performing Time Square guerrilla theater with Steve Gerber, the time I was on Candid Camera (or was I?), and more.

With the future seeming bleak, I felt the need to gaze into the past instead, sharing about the day in 1970 I met Jim Steranko, the reason I continually cause archivists to cry, my day trip to see Steve Ditko's pre-Marvel sketch of Dr. Strange, my night at a highly redacted 1978 DC Comics poker game, which writing of mine Barry Malzberg immediately suggested I burn, the thickness of time at the 1979 Clarion Science Fiction Writing Workshop, why, when, and where I intend to destroy fifty years of journals, and more.

Join me as I demonstrate the limits of my memory by telling tales of why my first Worldcon was supposed to have been my second Worldcon, the question I never got around to asking my cousin, the actor Herb Edelman, which song I sang while dancing across a Manhattan rooftop with Larry Lieber, what Fantastic Four moment motivated the first letter I ever wrote to a comic book company, the string of serendipities which led to one of my DC horror stories being adapted as an episode of Tales from the Darkside, how the Washington Post got me a...

It's time for another trip back to when teen me strode through the Marvel Bullpen like, well, a big teenager, as I share what I remember (and what I've forgotten) about writing the Avengers, what Marvel's paying Assistant Editors these days vs. what I was paid in 1975, why Steve Gerber called me the most violent man on Earth, the way Conan caused me to write my first short story, the embarrassing cover letter I wrote at age 16 to accompany my first short story submission, how I unwittingly destroyed my comic book collection, what Dennis Etchison wrote in an acceptance...

I kick off Episode 3 by sharing a regret about Episode 2, which leads me to rattle off a list of regrets about my early days in comics, including being forbidden to attend what should have been my first convention, the questions I never thought to ask the giants on whose shoulders I stood, the missing paperwork which could have taught me lessons about my past, and the immaturity which got me removed from writing Captain Marvel — as well as why I'm fine if I end up being forgotten.

This time around, my upcoming Guest of Honor appearance at next year's StokerCon causes me ramble about the night in 2004 Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, George Saunders, and I were all up in the same Bram Stoker Awards category (and all lost), how I used my cousin Herb Edelman to break the ice when chatting with Hollywood stars such as John Astin and Jeff Bridges, why I dragged a fan kicking and screaming from a 1976 comic book convention while wearing face makeup painted on me by Jim Starlin, and more.

In which I explain how dreaming about the TV show Make Room for Daddy inspired me to launch a second podcast (and what it's all about), an extremely sketchy history of my fannish past plus how it led me here, the way I accidentally got my job at Marvel Comics, my love of the future with you in it, and a call for listener questions so I never have to write my autobiography.