Friday, October 05, 2007

Letters, They Got Letters!

One of the most dearly-missed (by ME, anyway) features of comics gone by, is the Letters Column. In it, readers would brag, ask questions, offer up explanations for goofs spotted by themselves or another reader, and so on.

Here’s the Metropolis Mailbag contained in the Superman comic featured yesterday in Three-Part Thursday – Superman 158.

You should read all the letters, and the sometimes-wisecracking editorial responses. Gosh, weren’t those great times?

If you’ll notice the last letter at the bottom of the left-hand column, and its reply at the top of the right side, check out the name of the sender. Yes, this reader with the convoluted, continuity-saving suggestion, E. Nelson Bridwell, is the same guy who came to work for DC via Mad magazine.

In the early 1970s, he became the kind of continuity guru towards which many of us aspire, and became the Brain Trust for DC and its reprint series, most of which were edited by Bridwell.

He also wrote some Superman comics stories, most of which were concerned with Super-history, or in someway contributed background to the Super Mythology.

ENB was born in Sapulpa, but when this letter was printed, he was in his teens, and writing from my own burg, Oklahoma City.

Here are a few web listings with a little more information about one of my many heroes, E. Nelson Bridwell of OKC!


http://www.starland.com/sus/2006/sus060112.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Nelson_Bridwell

1 comment:

  1. The Action Figure Museum in Paul's Valley has a small section devoted to Oklahoma comic writers and artists (strips and comic books). I do believe ol' E. Nelson makes an appearance. Well worth the visit if you're travelling through Paul's Valley.

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