The best way to start off Year 22 of Progressive Ruin.
Some of you folks may remember my old pal Batfatty, the most enigmatic member of the Associated Comics and Pop Culture Webloggers of Ventura County, CA and Outlying Environs (which is, as always, ACAPCWOVCCAOE for short). Well, he’s appeared out of the shadows to gift me with this swell item:
Look more closely, and you will see:
Yes, he got this signed for me by the legendary Len Wein some time ago, but the plan was to also get it signed by Bernie Wrightson, and, well, you know. Various things got in the way of getting it shipped out to me, but Batfatty perseveres, as he always does, and got it into my hands. It arrived yesterday, on the 21st anniversary of this very website, as is fitting.
Batfatty also told me that he chatted with Mr. Wein a while, informing him of my site and my love of Swamp Thing. So, there’s a very good chance my site was visited by the cocreator of my favorite character! A nice thought to have in these trying times. A big thanks to Batfatty for this wonderful gift!
Very cool! May the Muck be with you!
That’s awesome! Mike: out of curiosity, if you feel comfortable sharing, do you have anything signed by Bernie Wrightson? I was lucky enough to meet him at a con in 2001, and he signed my copies of his illustrated Frankenstein and Hulk & Thing: Big Change. Heck of a nice guy, too!
I never got to meet Len Wein, unfortunately. I’ve heard good things about him. Weirdly enough, I have a comic magazine signed by him: an issue of Tales of the Zombie that I bought secondhand. As far as I can tell, he didn’t work on the series in any significant way. I wonder why the book’s original owner had him sign it.
That’s a gorgeous cover. What a cool gift!
Mike, do you display any of these amazing comics in your shop? I guess the problem would then be offering you ridiculously tempting sums to buy them?
How awesome is this?!
I had a similar experience when I managed to make the acquaintance of the Thriller co-creators Robert Fleming and Trevor Von Eeden. I got a lot of art, including a page from one of the issues, and a copy of every script Bob wrote for that ill-fated comic, plus long conversations with both men about the book. Probably the pinnacle of my fanboy experience.
“ACAPCWOVCCAOE for short”
Wait a minute, that’s not short!
” this swell item”
AWESOME!!
“Tales of the Zombie that I bought secondhand. As far as I can tell, he didn’t work on the series in any significant way”
Did he edit? Or maybe he created one of the characters.
“including a page from one of the issues,”
Was it Scabbard? Scabbard was cool.