Four in a Row
Welcome to the fourth installment of 20th Century Refugee, the official newsletter of author Glen Cadigan. So far I've discussed The Life and Art of Dave Cockrum, Tall Tales, Fairy Tales, and Bedtime Stories (For Former Children), and my article in Back Issue! about a Dave Cockrum project that never got anywhere called, "The Man With the Dinosaur Brain!" Speaking of which...
You've Got Mail
I received my comp copies of Back Issue! this week, and it's always nice to hold your written work in your own hands. TwoMorrows is always great about mailing out the comps, which is actually not as common as it should be in publishing. (Sometimes I'll get an issue of Alter Ego and I'll think, "Why did I get this?" and I'll realize I sent Roy Thomas an email a year earlier and now it's been printed in the letter column, for which I receive a free copy. That's thorough!)
Of course, I took a picture to share with all of you:
And here's a picture I didn't take: it comes from Richard O'Hara, and it's of Paty Cockrum after she discovered two copies of The Life and Art of Dave Cockrum in the wild. She signed them, which is appropriate, as the book is dedicated to her. Not only that, but she authorized it, contributed to it, and now she's signing copies she encounters whenever she leaves her house. If you live anywhere near South Carolina, maybe you'll find them!
And speaking of Dave...
The Reviews Are In!
Here's what the Midwest Book Review had to say about The Life and Art of Dave Cockrum:
"Profusely illustrated in full color throughout, "The Life & Art of Dave Cockrum" is a 'must' for the legions of Dave Cockrum fans and will hold a special interest for all dedicated comic book buffs. Informed and informative, "The Life & Art of Dave Cockrum" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library American Graphic Art & Comics History collections."
That's pretty high praise! And they weren't the only ones with something nice to say. Turns out, longtime Marvel Executive Editor & Senior Vice President Tom Brevoort wrote this in his Substack newsletter, back when the book first came out:
"I also put a big dent in THE LIFE AND ART OF DAVE COCKRUM from TwoMorrows Publishing this afternoon, a very fine volume on the life of the best super hero character designer of the 1970s. It’s packed with behind-the-scenes artwork and photographs and includes a detailed section on the creation of the All-New X-Men, as you’d expect that it would. But it also covers all of the other facets of Cockrum’s career, including his fan press days and his time designing models for Aurora and so forth. I bought it in the Hardcover version containing a few extras (and in typical fashion, I’ve wound up with two copies) but the more affordable Softcover is equally fine. I think Dave’s work is a bit underrecognized for the impact it had on the field, so it’s nice to see him and his work spotlighted in this manner. And author Glen Cadigan totally gets across that Dave was a huge fanboy."
Thanks, Tom! I only discovered Tom's newsletter, Man With a Hat, recently, and spent the following week catching up on its archives. (The first day I found it, I didn't get anything productive done for the rest of the day!). Tom knows his comics history, and he's lived it, being employed by Marvel for over the last thirty-plus years. He can speak firsthand on things that have happened while he's been there, and it's a fascinating newsletter to read. You can find it over at tombrevoort.substack.com. If you like mine, you'll love his!
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
We're already into December, and that means Christmas is on its way. If you're thinking about ordering gifts online, remember to allow for shipping as it's busiest around the holidays. And if you're looking for something to order, well, I have a few suggestions, but I’m going to have to spread them out over two newsletters because Substack tells me if I don’t, I’ll go over their email limit.
T-Shirts
Okay, it's not exactly t-shirt weather, but you have to wear something under those Christmas sweaters, otherwise you'll itch! I've got a few patterns available at TeePublic:
They’re on sale right now for $14 (down from $22), so head on over to TeePublic today!
Books
If you're here, this is probably why. I've got lots of stuff available, both print and digital.
Of course, The Life and Art of Dave Cockrum is still available from your local comic book store or online, either at Amazon or TwoMorrows' own website. And if you're heading over to the TwoMorrows site and don't already have it, The Titans Companion 2 is selling for the reduced price of $10, so it's something to consider. I know there are people out there who think they can't read it unless they've read the first one, but that's not true. Plus, the first one is out-of-print and not going back into print, so if you're waiting for that, you're like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin -- he's not going to show.
Tall Tales, Fairy Tales, and Bedtime Stories (For Former Children) is still blurbed by R. L. Stine (yup, that R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series) and is still available in print, digital, and audiobook. It's joined in that regard by both Bedlam & Belfry collections, and by something that isn't a comedy: Top of the World.
Something I haven’t mentioned here yet is an anthology Peter David edited (along with his wife Kathleen) called The Fans are Buried Tales. My story, “The Ice Cream Man,” is inside. It marked the third time in my career I sold something to someone whom I had previously interviewed (Roy Thomas and Mark Waid were the others) and all three times my words were pretty much left as-is. I still don’t know if that means they did their jobs right or if I did mine, but the best place to find out is on Amazon:
If you haven’t heard, Peter recently had a stroke (and mild heart attack) and is recuperating in hospital. The prognosis looks good, and a GoFundMe is set up to help pay his bills. Click the link if you want to contribute!
So there's lots of reading material out there with my name on it. Next week, more stuff you can buy. . . and other news!
‘Til then,
Glen