Peerless Power of Comics!

Dick Ayers passed away on May 4th, 2014 at the age of 90. As a comic book artist he was always a solid, dependable craftsman. As a person he was a class act. Dick was the first pro I ever interviewed and he was both patient and gracious. Over the years I had the pleasure of seeing both him and his lovely wife Lindy often at New York Comic Cons, and was thrilled to be a guest at his house on several occasions with fellow friends and comics scholars  Barry Pearl, Michael J.Vassallo and my esteemed brother John Caputo (AKA The Yancy Street Gang). Dick had a wonderful display of original artwork on his walls and in his studio, and it was an absolute delight to listen to his stories about his comic book career. One of the most amusing anecdotes Dick told was recounted in Barry Pearl's article about our visit ("The Yancy Street Gang visit Dick and Lindy Ayers"; Alter Ego # 90, Dec 2009). Once when Dick's young daughter was in school students were asked what their fathers di...

There were many talented artists in the Charlton line-up and Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio is one of the best and most underrated. Born on June 8th,1927 in Staten Island, Rocco exhibited an affinity for drawing early on, and by the age of 17 he began working in comics. Credits for Rocke include pencils and/or inks for ACG, Avon, Harvey, Hillman, Toby and Timely-Atlas. His longest association, though, was with Charlton Press, beginning in 1954 and running until his death in 1968. This bio of Rocco appeared in Creepy # 16, Aug 1967 and included many interesting facts about the artist. Joe Orlando was a fellow classmate (and friend) at the School of Industrial Arts; Mastroserio enjoyed using different techniques when drawing; influences included Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and in particular, John Severin; Charlton editor Pat Masulli allowed him to experiment on stories and he had ambitions to work on a syndicated strip.            Mastroserio's cover to Wyatt Earp # ...

With the 11th Anniversary issue The Comic Reader once again returns to its original name. After years of various permutations (On The Drawing Board; the recent double-name of Etcetera and The Comic Reader), publisher Paul Levitz wisely decided that less is more.                                               Cover to The Comic Reader # 90, October 1972. Art by fan Marc Bilgrey Levitz's A Letter From The Editor closes the door on "the double name nonsense". He further explains that Etcetera will become a separate fanzine with many of the ongoing columns appearing therein (which did occur). The really good news? The Comic Reader will REMAIN The Comic Reader for the duration (that doesn't mean there won't be ANY changes, though...)     The Marvel news section tells of the Marvel Origins book being delayed. That was an understatement, since it wouldn't appear for ...