Roger Lewis Obituary at Daily Cartoonist

It's a nice overview.

Roger K. Lewis – RIP

D. D. Degg

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2024/10/11/roger-k-lewis-rip/

A tip of the hat to Art Haupt

 By Matt Dembicki

If you self-published comics in the D.C. area post-2005, you probably ran into Art Haupt at some point. Whether he was encouraging local comics creators, buying their books at local shows or penning his own stories, Art was a quiet but consistent presence in the D.C. comics scene. He passed away on May 3rd at age 78, after battling dementia for several years.

A copy editor by trade, Art had a keen eye for using the right word—or cutting a string of superfluous ones. He and I met in 2005 during his time at Kiplinger Washington Editors. Art was old school and very proficient in his craft, preferring to use a ruler and red pen when editing a printed article. During our work interactions, we found much in common, including our Polish heritage and love of comics.

Our conversations about comics started with his passion for comic strips--especially for the classics such as Peanuts, Calvin & Hobbs and anything by Milton Caniff or Hal Foster. It was during this time that a few comics creators in the Washington area started to mull an idea to create a local comics creators collective. I asked Art to join us for our first meeting, and he did--trudging through a snowstorm to get to a bar in Arlington, Virginia, where a handful of us gathered for the initial gathering of the D.C. Conspiracy (DCC) comics-making group.

At first, Art was mainly a supporter, talking with folks about their projects and perusing the portfolios they brought to meetings, which in the early days were held regularly at Dr. Dremo's Taphouse, a car dealership-turned-brewery in Courthouse section of Arlington that closed in 2008. It was when the DCC started to create its own publications that Art began to dabble in writing comics.

 

Art Haupt (second from right) at a D.C. Conspiracy meet-up at Dr. Dremo’s circa 2006. (Photo: Matt Dembicki)

Art's father, Zygmunt Haupt, was a renowned Polish author and painter, and Art was passionate about his father's work. He arranged to have much of his father's work housed at Stanford and helped to organize and speak at several Zygmunt Haupt Festivals in Poland in the 2010s. Art for years worked on his own unfinished opus that he guarded and only shared with family and let a few friends see a few chapters.

But comics gave Art an immediate creative outlet, especially in the anthology format. The works were smaller in scope and provided a chance for Art to collaborate with others in the DCC. His first published comic story was in DC Conspiracy Presents Shear Terror (2006), an anthology that featured stories with scissors in them. "They Gleam" was actually a prose story that included spot illustrations by local comics creator and DCC co-founder Evan Keeling. The opening paragraphs summed up Art's succinct writing style (and it also captures his fondness for crime noir, which carried into his other works):

 He got annoyed as hell when she started playing around with the golden shears.

No more showing off his grand-père's archaeological trophies, he vowed silently. Should never have let her touch the damn things.

Aloud, he called out: "Dana...Dana! Those scissors are old and very fragile. They're valuable!"

But she only snatched a newspaper off the big carved desk. Waved the shining blades at him, safely out of reach. Then snick--and the shears worked.

The Dartmouth graduate's next comics writing was for Doctor Dremo's Taphouse of Tall Tales and Short Stories: The Spoils of Crime. The eight-page story "Murder Summer" again includes art by Keeling, this time in full comics paneling.

Art continued with his crime writing when he wrote an online comic called Porter Black, which he created with another local comic booker and DC Conspiracy member, Andrew Cohen. The strips were later pulled into self-published collections, "Porter Black" Murder Under Midnight Suns" (2011) and "Porter Black: True Romance" (2013). The two also teamed in 2012 for a Porter Black comic that was the center-spread in the 3rd issue of Magic Bullet, the D.C. Conspiracy's comics newspaper. 

In 2012, Art teamed on writing "Truman" with another local creator, Rafer Roberts, who illustrated the seven-age story about the assassination attempt on President Harry S. Truman in 1950. It was published in District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, D.C. (Fulcrum Publishing, 2012). 

Art Haupt, 3rd from left. See footnote for others.

Art's body of comics work wasn't large, but he still had an impact on the D.C. small press comics scene. Aside from his creative work, he frequently participated in small press events, such as the signing of local talent's new releases, various venue presentations and he enjoyed meeting new people through gatherings such as the annual Small Press Expo, AwesomeCon and the D.C. Conspiracy's own Counter Culture Festival, which featured comics makers, crafters, musicians, magicians, tattoo artists, belly dancers, comedy troupes and more.

Awesome Con comics convention in Washington, DC. District Comics panelists - Art Haupt, Rafer Roberts, Mike Cowgill, Andrew Cohen, Jacob Warrenfeltz, Mike Rhode, Carolyn Belefski and Troy-Jeffrey Allen.

 

Art and his late wife, Linda “Lee” Martindale, who passed away in 2013, also hopped on the occasional D.C. Conspiracy outing, such as when the group visited the now-closed Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore, which housed some of the comics distributor Stephen Geppi's most prized comics.

--

Matt Dembicki is a co-founder of the D.C. Conspiracy, and a former editor of this blog. He's been on a creative hiatus since 2019.

 

*“District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, DC”  Sunday, August 19, 2012  book signing at One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia.

1. Evan Keeling
2. Grant Jeffrey Barrus
3. Art Haupt
4. Rebecca Goldfield
5. Mal Jones
6. Kevin Rechin
7. Michael Rhode
8. Michael Brace
9. Jacob Warrenfeltz
10. Jason Rodriguez
11. Rafer Roberts
12. Tabita Whissemore
13.Carolyn Belefski
14. Andrew Cohen
15. Joe Carabeo
16. Michael Cowgill
17. Carol Dembicki
18. Rand Arrington
19. Gregory Robison
20. Steve Loya
21. Matt Dembicki
22. Dale Rawlings
23. Paul Zdepski

 

Mike Violante, RIP

Mike Violante died last week. Edward Michael "Mike" Violante won't be a name familiar to anybody as some one in the comics field. But for me, he's a major figure. Along with my parents, he aided and abetted my love of comics. He also started my love of science fiction and fantasy novels. To use a space shuttle analogy from my youth, if my parents were the solid rocket boosters, with copies of Richie Rich, Archie, Superman, Mad, Disney digests, and Peanuts paperbacks around the house, Mike was the liquid fuel tank that fed the engines to push the shuttle into orbit. 

Mike was the person who got me started on Marvel. When he married my cousin Emma around 1970, I was 5 years old. A few years later than that (I would guess I was about 8), he gave me a stack of his comics. This was before speculator booms and they were only 10-15 years old at that point anyway, but it was still a generous gift. There were a lot of DC Silver Age science fiction and early Marvels. I grew hooked on Carmine Infantino's Adam Strange with its sleek futuristic lines, Space Cabbie, and the Challengers of the Unknown. Meanwhile Marvel's interlinked universe was a tantalizing mystery, as I read single issues of the Avengers and Spider-Man, including the ones that introduced Kang (Avengers 8) and the Green Goblin (Amazing Spider-Man 14; I have those numbers memorized). I still read Curt Swan, Elliot S! Maggin and Cary Bates' clever stories in DC's superhero line, as they tried to deal with a Superman who could move planets, or a Flash who could run faster than light. But when I started earning a bit of paper-delivering money, I bought Marvel and got thoroughly invested in their soap opera super heroics. Fortunately, my parent's ecumenical tastes carried me along, and even though superheroes have palled for me to this day, I read all types of comics. I have gotten to know a wide range of creators too, something the 8-year-old me would never have imagined.

Mike also gave me his Science Fiction Book Club collection after introducing me to fantasy books by giving me a copy of the Richard Corben-covered Llana of Gathol and John Carter Warlord of Mars combined edition. After a long physical and mental decline, Mike passed away last week in Arizona, thousands of miles and a lifetime away from growing up in northern New Jersey. As far as I know he never returned to comic books, although I think he still read science fiction at times. My last email from him was in January 2017, but it's safe to say that without Mike Violante, I would not be the person that I am today and I remain very grateful to him. I read those comics to death, and they have no value at all now to anyone but me, but boy, do they mean a lot to me. Thanks for everything, Mike. 

Bono Mitchell's obituary and service

The service is tomorrow, October 17th. Details are in the obituary which suggests donations to Team Cul de Sac.

AUDREA MITCHELL OBITUARY

AUDREA Bono MITCHELL

Bono Mitchell, 75, of Arlington, VA passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, October 2, 2022. She was a gifted artist, successful business owner in DC and Virginia, generous benefactor of the arts and mentor to many young artists and designers. She had a long and successful life as a magazine designer and graphic artist in the Washington, DC, and Arlington area. She graduated from George Washington University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Over the years she worked in the graphic design department at ABC News; graphic design at NAHB; art director of Bono Mitchell Graphics in DC and Arlington; Co-owner with Tom Specht, and Art Director of BonoTom Studio in Arlington. Bono retired in 2017 and enjoyed a life full of friends and family. She traveled widely, painting watercolor landscapes at every destination. She enjoyed weekends at her Chesapeake Bay house on Kent Island and couldn't wait to get back there to view the beautiful bay. Bono was preceded in death by her loving mother and father Autrey B. Mitchell and Margaret L. Mitchell of Stevensville Md, niece Audrey Simpson and brother-in-law Milton T. Calhoun. She is survived by her two loving sisters, Gaye Calhoun of Mclean Va and Sissie Simpson and husband Keggs Simpson of Ocean Isle, NC, nieces and nephews Melody Newton, Brett and his wife, Jennifer Calhoun, Tara Calhoun, Pete Calhoun, as well as a host of great nieces and nephews and other family members. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to your favorite charity or to fundraiser.michaeljfox.org in behalf of her beloved friend Richard Thompson. Gravesite funeral is planned for Monday, October 17, 2022, 1 p.m. at the Remington Cemetery in Remington, VA.

Published by The Washington Post on Oct. 13, 2022.

Baltimore's Ron Barlow obituary - EC fan and publisher (updated)

Photo: Ron Barlow & Bernie Wrightson c. 1974

by Joel Pollack

R.I.P. Ron Barlow (1949-2022).

Ron commissioned and published Bernie Wrightson's Badtime Stories, the first deluxe comic fanzine devoted to a single artist.

Ron worked as an editor at Woody Gelman's Nostalgia Press, where he edited hardcover reprints of classic comic strips including the finest Alex Raymond Flash Gordon strips. It was at Nostalgia Press that Ron edited EC: Horror Comics of the 1950s.

Ron and his partner, Bruce Hershenson, published the earliest full-color EC reprints, under the East Coast Comix imprint.

In 1972 , Ron and Bruce staged the first and only EC Comics convention, attended by most of the EC staff. For that convention, they published EC Lives, a collection of articles about EC Comics written by EC creators.

Ron was active in Star Trek fandom, and owned and operated the Federation Trading Post in Manhattan c. 1973.

Joel's contacted other friends of Barlow's on Facebook for their reminiscences. Here's Bruce Hershenson's:

RIP Ron Barlow January 1, 1949 - August 9, 2022

When I was 15 I spent four days over the 1968 July 4th weekend buying and selling comic books. Not so strange nowadays, but beyond bizarre back then. I left my home with 6 boxes of comic books and $20, and after 4 frantic days of wheeling and dealing I went home with 20 boxes of comics and $100, and I knew I had found my life's calling!

 

I also met two 18 year olds who would have a massive impact on my life. One was a Californian named Barry Bauman (a story for another day), and the other was from Baltimore, named Ron Barlow, and both were very good looking guys with very long hair (well before that was mainstream) and for the life of me I could not see what either of them saw in me, but their friendships sure helped this pathetically nerdy and shy 15 year old immeasurably!

 

Flash forward to the end of 1971. I was in college and hating it, and spending most of my time buying and selling comics, completely supporting myself doing so. It was at this point Ron Barlow re-entered my life in a big way. He had gone to work for Woody Gelman, the visionary who first saw a market for deluxe hardcover reprints of classic comic books.

 

One of those books was devoted to EC Comics, and through editing it, Ron caught the eye of Bill Gaines, and they became great friends, despite being decades apart in age. Ron had grown up with Berni Wrightson and Jeff Jones, and he had the idea of a new publication that would be a tribute to EC Comics, but with all new stories by modern artists, and instead of a lowly comic book, a "graphic novel," printed on the finest paper.

 

Ron was able to persuade Berni to draw one entire book called "Badtime Stories", and he gave him an astronomical page rate, AND returned the art, something never done in those days! I came into the picture in early 1972, because Ron and I were both living in Great Neck, New York, and thanks to my successful mail-order business in comics, I had put together some savings from it, even though I was now only 18.

 

Ron had run out of money, and he proposed that I put up the printing bill, and that I handle the distribution of the book, and that once we each got our investment back, we would split whatever profits that were made 50/50.

 

I agreed, because I felt then that Berni was the young artist who most could have been an EC artist had he been 20 years older, and I thought his work on Badtime Stories was especially wonderful. So that's how I became the 18 year old "publisher" of Badtime Stories, and what started my longtime partnership with Ron Barlow.

 

It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but I got us all the money back on Badtime Stories, and Ron told me he admired my business acumen and wanted us to together organize a convention solely for fans of EC Comics, a "theme" convention no one had done before.

 

I had zero knowledge about running a convention (although I had attended many), but it sounded like "fun", so I agreed. I was now 19, and Ron was 23, and somehow we were able to rent the giant McAlpin Hotel in New York City for four days (with no money!).

 

What made the convention a major success (except we made no money, but that was not important to us) was that Bill Gaines was able to convince just about every EC artist and writer to attend, and there has never been another convention like it. Ron next suggested we approach Bill with the "crazy" idea of reprinting the original EC comics as full-color comic books (the very first time fans ever did that for ANY comic book company), and to our amazement Bill agreed!

 

That led to my dropping out of college, and Ron and I co-publishing 12 issues of full-color reprints of EC comics over the next two years, under our "East Coast Comix" label (we were given the catchy name by longtime Ron friend, Joel Pollack!). Sadly, there just weren't enough comic book collectors back them to fully support the project, and we folded it after 12 glorious issues! 

 

After that I was partners with Ron in a vintage clothing business in Baltimore. He discovered the Internet in the late 1980s and wanted us to move our business online, but it sounded "sketchy" to me, and I talked him out of it, to my eternal regret, because WE might have become early Internet moguls, bringing collectibles to the Net, as eBay did years later!

 

Ron had also discovered vintage movie posters, and he wanted to do a mail order business of those as well as the vintage clothing. But as so often happened with Ron, he grew tired of the posters, and offered to trade me his half of that poster business for my half of his vintage clothing store and I reluctantly agreed.

 

But I took that tiny poster business and it evolved into my current business, eMoviePoster.com, with $107 million in total sales, so in a way I owe that success to Ron Barlow as well!

 

In the late 1980s Ron moved to Santa Fe and started selling antiquities, with a very successful gallery there. He later moved back to Baltimore (where he started out) and pursued a career as a painter, something I wish he had more vigorously pursued far earlier.

 

Ron was the most gifted, talented, and "ahead of his time" person I have ever met! I have just barely scratched the surface of the many business ideas he had over the years. He launched a free "adzine" for comic book collectors, years before The Buyer's Guide copied his idea. He owned a store entirely devoted to Star Trek memorabilia, in the days when it was a cult favorite, but long before it became a beloved franchise.

 

Ron was incredible at "spotting talent" and upcoming "trends". It was he who told me in 1976 about the forthcoming Star Wars movie, and he told me it was sure to be a giant hit, and that he had been able to buy the rights to some merchandising, with the little money he had, and he had a real "score" from that.

There was so much more to Ron's incredible life! If only he had been able to stay focused longer on each individual project, he likely would be a household name today, but that was just not his way. Once a project took fruit, his mind was on to his next idea!

 

So rest in peace my old friend. You surely have earned some time off. But knowing Ron, I bet he is at St. Peter's shoulder, giving him endless ideas on how Heaven could be run better!