"50 Years Ago: First Times I Got Published...In A Comic Book"

Fifty years ago this month, at age 14, I got published for the first time.  My handwritten letter to "Daredevil #63" (above) was surprisingly analytical AND critical of my beloved Marvel Comics!! Like MOST 14 year-olds, I thought I knew it all (Lol) so I guess you could say this was my very first "Chetitorial." Click it to enlarge and read it, if you can...

Above is the COVER of the issue my letter appeared in (in January 1970.) In those days, letters appeared AT LEAST three months after they were written, and the date on the COMIC was always three months AHEAD of time, that's why it says "April" (1970.) They did it that way because old comics hung out on newsstands shelves 2-3 months.  (If they didn't sell right away they still looked "current," you see.)

My friends at Arts High were AMAZED that I had a letter in "Daredevil." Remember, Arts High was a magnet school for Art and Music only.  When I got there, because of my ART talent, I became fascinated with WRITING (Prose AND Poetry) as a result of exposure to Edgar Allan Poe's works. Consequently, I neglected my art.

A lot of the kids and teachers thought I was just lazy and to some extent I was...but the reality is that I became obsessed with WRITING there, something only a few of my friends were allowed to know.  And Arts had nothing, really, to help you develop THAT except for the (yawn) English classes.  Some of my friends read my poems and short stories considered me a genius, but the fact is that I was just "doing" something intensely that no one else around me was. I had failing grades, the adults at home didn't care, and I dropped out due to BOREDOM a few years later.

Ironically , the NEXT issue of "Daredevil" ALSO printed a letter of mine (below.) But THIS letter was written about two months BEFORE I went to Arts and REALLY got into writing....as a result it lacks the structure, cohesion and FLOW that the FIRST one they printed has.

Above: the cover of "Daredevil #64," May 1970 issue. My letter there was written SIX months before it appeared in print, so though it was printed AFTER the first one, I wrote it BEFORE the first one.

By the way, around this time I aspired to be a writer /artist for Marvel one day, inspired by the great JIM STERANKO who had just risen to prominence in Marvel around 1968-9 or so.  But, God knew what He was doing, and I would not change a THING about how my life has gone!!