Stuart McIntire of Maryland Funnybook Fandom has passed away

Stuart McIntire, owner of the Facebook group, "Maryland Funnybook Fandom" has passed away. Stu was a font of knowledge about area cartoonists, and his passing will be a big loss to the community. His wife Amy has posted a note on his personal FB page that he died in hospice of stomach cancer.

I didn't know Stu well enough to write anything more personal, or even professional, but I hope to get someone who did write a formal obituary for ComicsDC. Stu wrote a few articles and comments for us here at ComicsDC.

 

With permission of his family, here's the note from his Facebook page:

 

We are heartbroken to share the news that Stuart McIntire died of stomach cancer on January 6, though we are grateful that he was comfortable at home and surrounded by most of his favorite people. He was only 65 years old.

 

Stu and his beloved wife Amy were inseparable since their first date over 45 years ago. He was the biggest fan of his three children and their partners: Katie & Vann Crucillo, Sarah & Joe Garifo, and Kevin McIntire. He got immense joy from being Papa to his five grandchildren: Molly, Steven, Asher, Logan, and Phoebe.

 

Stu loved sharing his love of Halloween, his comics collection, Universal classic monsters, the AFI Top 100, 20th-century American politics and ephemera, and making (and of course, eating) damn good barbecue. He was a gentle man: sentimental, nostalgic, playful, intelligent, creative, curious, kind, and brave.

 

Stu wants all of his family and friends to know that he loves you very much and you all touched his life in meaningful ways. He really enjoyed keeping up with all of you over the years.

 

The details of his memorial service are forthcoming. In the meantime, please give your dad a big hug and consider making a donation in Stuart’s honor to No Stomach for Cancer (nostomachforcancer.org) or the National MS Society (nationalmssociety.org).

 

Mark Wheatley illustrated The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom book

Mark Wheatley writes in,

Thanks to Michael Dirda, there is a great review of a book I spent about six months on last year, The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom. Although I designed the covers and painted the front cover illustration, as well as many illustrations all through the book, the main reason I enjoyed the book was the chance to produce documentary comics.

The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom is the brainchild of Father and son team, David and Dan Ritter. this has been a passion project for them for a few years now. They were great to work with and I’m looking forward to doing a few more projects with them.

Since the history of SF Fandom starts in the 1920s and 30s, there is little visual history of the people involved. So I was asked to illustrate some key moments, based on accounts. Here is a direct link to the story of how Ray Palmer went from ambitious fan to influential editor: https://firstfandomexperience.org/2020/02/29/palmers-ascension-a-true-story-from-early-fandom/

Check it out. Digital preview is here: https://firstfandomexperience.org/a-sample-of-the-visual-history-2/

A Remembrance of Ellen Vartanoff

Walt Whitman High School

Bethesda, MD

1969

by Stu McIntire

I don't remember exactly when or where I met Ellen Vartanoff, but there's a good chance it was October 4th or 5th, 1975 at a small comic convention (my first) at the Howard John's Motor Lodge in Wheaton, Maryland. Gene Carpenter made the introductions as I recall. That makes Ellen my third oldest acquaintance in the local comic community.

Of course, I got to see my new friend on a regular basis at convention after convention. It was sometime around 1978 when I, with one of her former art students, discussed an idea to publish a portfolio of comic art by Ellen's then-current art students, but that never came to fruition. It would be nearly four years until I again ran into Ellen at local comic shows, but that came to an end when I stopped attending comic conventions altogether by 1984. I did see her at a tiny show in Gaithersburg, Maryland (date unknown, possibly early 1990s). I missed her at an exhibit at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland that featured comic art in her and her sister's personal collection - as well as a small show in Rockville where Jerry Robinson appeared - and several of the SPXs. Finally, by 2012 or 2013 I started going to the Baltimore Comic Con every year and ran into Ellen a couple of times.

The last time I saw Ellen Vartanoff was Friday September 22, 2017 at approximately 5:00pm, at the (18th Annual) Baltimore Comic Con. We were standing at booth #813.

Ellen & Irene Vartanoff at SPX 2007, photographer unknown

OK. How can I remember such minute detail with clarity? It's easy. I have only attended the Baltimore show on a Friday (less crazy than Saturday or Sunday). I typically wind up my day at the show standing in front of Gene Carpenter's tables, which seems to be a gathering place at that time for old friends, some of whom I've known since my earliest days of collecting in the mid-1970s. When I pull my copy of the convention souvenir program, it shows booth # 813 as being All-American Comics (Gene Carpenter). Last year I was not at Gene's tables late on Friday. I don't know if Ellen was around, but I did miss Johnny Knight.

Ellen Vartanoff at Comic Art Convention Luncheon, July 5, 1969 

at the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York City

Ellen was, as usual, all grins and was genuinely excited to see me. I was proud to introduce her to my son-in-law. Our conversation was the typical cocktail of sharing the day's adventures on the  convention floor, catching up on current life events and other goings-on, and remembrances of past shared moments. I remember telling her about a project I have in the works that focuses on Mark Feldman, someone Ellen knew. Mark ran the Maryland Funnybook Festival between 1973 and 1978. My research revealed that Mark had made up pinback buttons that were given as freebies to those attending his first show. I remarked about the unexpected discovery of such detail and wondered rhetorically about the chances that such a throwaway item might still exist nearly 45 years later. Ellen said she wouldn't be surprised if she had one and encouraged me to follow up with her about it on the off-chance she might uncover the button. I also told Ellen that I had made it a daily routine to post on Facebook the recognition of birthdates of comic and animation creators past and present as well as comic strip creators, gag panelists, illustrators and so on. I am not at all alone in recognizing these events and certainly not the first or last. I do prefer to commemorate birthdates as opposed to anniversaries of deaths and told her so. Ellen looked at me smiling ear-to-ear. "That is really NEAT!" she exclaimed. Despite how trivial compared to The Important Things In Life, Ellen made me feel in that place at that moment that my obsession was the coolest thing ever.

Star Trek fan art

In the time since, I did attempt to call Ellen on one or more occasions, without success. I did learn that she had taught art classes at the Black Rock Center for the Arts in Germantown, Maryland and was frequently on the schedule for Wednesday afternoon sessions. Since that's about a ten-minute drive, I made a mental note to pay a before or after class visit one day so we could catch up. Rather than dropping by unannounced, I decided to call her, so she'd know to expect me. It was about a week to ten days ago when I finally got around to it. A gentleman answered the phone and said he'd put her on. In a few moments Ellen came on the line. It was obviously difficult for her to communicate but I shortly learned she was "...in Stage 4...". Not wanting to exacerbate her discomfort, I said I'd reach out to her shortly. We hung up and I dropped what I was doing to write Ellen a letter which I put in the mailbox that day.

Two days ago, I got a call from Ellen's sister Irene. She shared the very difficult news that Ellen was in hospice care. Irene said she was trying to track down a mutual friend so she could let him know. She'd gotten my number from another longtime friend. Though Irene and I had never met, she recognized my name from the letter I'd written to Ellen. I'm not skilled at the type of conversation I had with Irene. I stumbled through my attempt to express my regrets for what she was going through  and my appreciation for Ellen's friendship but promised I'd pass her message along as quickly as possible. Yesterday morning I learned that Ellen lost her valiant battle.

The thing is, I have this false idea that I'm still young and have all the time in the world to refresh old friendships, even when faced with evidence to the contrary.

Ellen Vartanoff was a fan, a collector, creator, artist, teacher, mentor and so much more to countless friends and admirers. Condolences to Irene, Scott, and all of Ellen's family. I will always carry with me the last time I saw Ellen.

Farewell, Ellen. You are missed already but always with us.

Stu McIntire
March 18, 2019

[editor's note: A 1997 Washington Post review of one of Ellen's exhibits, but not the one Stu refers to above.]

Joel Pollack on 30 years of Big Planet Comics stores (UPDATED)

by Mike Rhode



Thirty years ago today, Joel Pollack opened Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, Maryland. I became a regular customer soon afterwards. I'm glad to count Joel as a friend and to be able to run this 'thank you and congratulations' interview with him all these years later.

MR: When and where did the first BP store open?

JP: My first business partner, Gene Carpenter, and I opened the Bethesda Big Planet Comics on July 11, 1986. Our first location was on the second floor of 4865 Cordell Avenue, just 100 feet from our current location (at 4849). After one year, I decided that Gene's focus on back issues/collectibles was incompatible with my vision of what a modern comic shop should be, and I bought him out. It was an amiable split, and Gene and I remain friends.

MR: Why did you decide to open the store?

JP: I had worked in my father's drapery business since the age of twelve, and when he retired I found myself unemployed. I had toyed with the idea of opening a comic shop for at least ten years before I made my move.

Dave Lasky and Martha Burns at Big Planet Comics Bethesda, 2014.

MR: You'd been active in fandom and publishing before that. Can you tell me about some of your work, like selling Bernie Wrightson's original art?

JP: I became a part of "organized" comics fandom as early as 1963 when I discovered my first fanzine, "Rocket's Blast". I was a charter member of Biljo White's "Batmania." In 1965, I had my first letters published in Detective Comics #342 and 343. That same year, My aunt Kitty Goldberg introduced me to her friend, Ira Schnapp, who was a letterer and designer at DC Comics. Ira invited me to visit DC's offices (twice) and I met Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. It was those visits that made me determined to work in the comics field.

I attended my first convention (the first major comic convention) in 1968. Phil Seuling ran that convention and many subsequent July 4th conventions. At those conventions, I met many of my artistic heroes, as well as several up-and-comers who were my age. I became friends with several, including Bernie Wrightson, Jeff Jones, Michael Kaluta, Howard Chaykin, and Walt Simonson. I dabbled in publishing, first with Bob Lewis on "Colour Your Dreams," a fantasy coloring book, and later, the ill-fated "Wet Dreams" portfolio.

Bruce Jones, Kansas City, 1976

UPDATED 2/1/2022:

Why I described the Wet Dreams portfolio as ill-fated:

The project started out as a collaboration between Ron Barlow and me. Ron was a well-known fan, having published Wrightson's Badtime Stories, co-publishing early EC full-color reprints, promoting the first (and only) EC Comics convention, running the first Star Trek store in NYC, and many other fannish activities.

As the project grew, Ron had a diminishing role, and I eventually published it myself. It was near the end of the portfolio boom, and the explicit nature of the material (really only the Ralph Reese art was problematic) made it that much more difficult to sell. At some point, I just gave up and destroyed the majority of the print run. In 1976, Larry Kenton and I helped move Bernie Wrightson to Kansas City to pursue some gal. Bruce Jones lived in KC. I'm attaching a couple of photos of Bruce Jones taken in KC.

Unknown, Bernie Wrightson, & Bruce Jones, Kansas City, 1976

 
In the early 1980s, I started reselling original art and published four "Fantastique Illustration Catalogs," selling art by Wrightson, KaIuta and Jones, as well as by younger artists like Charles Vess and Jon J. Muth. I sold at least a dozen of Bernie Wrightson's original Frankenstein illos, none higher than $2000. Those same pieces now fetch tens of thousands. A lot of great art has passed through my hands.

Richard Thompson &Joel Pollack

MR: How did the decisions to eventually expand to four stores happen?

JP: It started when my protege, Greg Bennett, graduated college, and we opened the Vienna store together in 1992 (still in its original location). I mostly acted in an advisory role, while Greg did all of the hard work. In 2001, when it looked like an existing Georgetown comic shop was going to fold, Greg and I decided the time was right to make our foray into DC (I was born in DC). After years in our charming old rowhouse location in Georgetown, the building was sold, and we decided to move the shop to U Street for better Metro access and a younger population demographic.

The now-defunct Georgetown store

Our long-time store managers Jared Smith and Peter Casazza bought Liberty Books & Comics in College Park and turned it into the fourth Big Planet location, and now own the Vienna and U Street shops as well, allowing Greg to focus on Bethesda as I have been approaching retirement age. College Park is the only one I had no hand in, other than giving moral support, and licensing them the Big Planet Comics name.

MR: How have you survived the ups and downs of the comic book market?

JP: By mostly ignoring the collector in favor of the reader. Early on, we saw the future of contemporary comics in the collected editions, the so-called graphic novels/trade paperbacks. We eliminated 90% of our back issue stock, and gave over 75% of our rack space to collected editions. To this day, Big Planet Comics has the most comprehensive selection of comics in book form of any store in the area. The only back issues we carry in Bethesda are some vintage comics from the silver age.

Gene Yang & Joel Pollack in 2008

MR: How has the store changed over the 30 years? How is it the same?

JP: The main change is what I described above: a focus on collected editions and graphic novels. Our market has evolved from a primarily male collector-driven business to a much more diverse reader-driven base - especially with the tremendous growth in graphic novels for kids and young adults in the last decade.

Greg Bennett, Gary Panter, Steve Niles and Joel Pollack at Big Planet Comics, July 20, 2008

What has stayed the same is our focus on customer service. We constantly upgrade our inventory, and we're happy to fill special orders.

MR: What's next?

JP: For me, it's retirement. Even after retirement, I hope to continue in an advisory role, and spend a few hours weekly in the Bethesda store. I've made a lot of good friends there through the years, and I consider Big Planet Comics the high point of my life.

(Click here for more of my photographs at various Big Planet Comics stores and events)

Some surprising local publications

I went to a couple of booksales this weekend and found some cartoon publications with local ties that surprised me.

The New Yorker isn't based here of course, but they do specialty books on demand. Here's a local one that was probably a fund-raising premium for the local public radio and tv station:



The New Yorker Book Of WETA Cartoons
New Yorker Magazine
New York: Cartoon Bank, 2004

The University of Maryland's Terrapin Anime Society (TAS) produced at least 10 issues of this Tsunami fanzine:





This Fandom Directory out of Springfield, VA was a complete surprise to me. The online version lives at FANDATA:



Fandom Directory Number 19 2000-2001 Edition
Hopkins, Harry and Mariane S.
Springfield, VA: FANDATA Publications, 2000

When I finally get all of my local books and comics arranged in one place, it will probably be at least a bookshelf and not the Six Feet of Local Comics I had expected. I bought about eight signed Herblock books this weekend too which will take up most of a shelf by themselves.