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June 9, 2005
Cousin Dick Archives 1: Peter Parker #101
I been getting’ a lot of comments from you whipper snappers that I ain’t real. Ain’t no way you’re a real hick and readin’ comics, Cousin Dick. Ain’t no way anyone could prefer Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom to Mr. Brian Michael Bendis. Well, you’d be surprised, pardners—Cousin’s been readin’ Mighty Marvel since you were a wet dream in ol’ Daddy’s pink eye! My chief advisor, Joe Bob, dug into our archives and pulled out a copy of Peter Parker Spider-Man #101. Now this was way back when, just after the Secret Wars I, when Spidey wore the black alien costume. Look at how purty that looks on that cover—that John Byrne was a clever feller to figure out how to draw that in pure black and white. Click on that image to expand it if you like—if you’re like me ya might not know! Inside the cover we got a great story by my pal Al Milgrom, the greatest editor/writer/artist who ever came down the pike.
Turn the pages to the letters column and you’ll see one of my favorite letters ever published in a Marvel comic. I put this here thumbnail picture of it on the left, click on it to zoom 100% and read it in all it’s glory. Al Milgrom was so choked up after readin’ this, he sent me six giant poster boards of U.S.1 concept art at his own expense! Now if that doesn’t prove that Al is a heck of a feller, what will? Now, a couple of other tidbits on this here letter page: is that Mr. “Busted Knuckles” Beau Smith from Silver Bullet? The editor was Jim Owsley, the feller who became later know as Christopher Priest. Don’t know why he changed his name, maybe he’s runnin’ from the law! And check out that paid circulation, 180,000 copies an issue, I figure Mr. Quesada would kill a moose with his bare hands for those sales.
Cousin Dick’s been here for four decades pardners, he’s real and he ain’t goin’ nowhere! Nuff said.
