Stan Lee
Writer/Publisher, Marvel
Working on: Silver Surfer (with Moebius and with Buscema), Marvel history book
Lee discusses his three concurrent Silver Surfer projects, including the collaboration with Moebius (in regular comic form), one with John Buscema (a graphic novel with full-page illustrations), and one with Keith Pollard. He reflects at length on Marvel history, from his start at Timely in 1939–40 through the Comics Code controversy and the drug-story incident where he published uncoded Spider-Man issues at the government's request and received a PTA commendation. He credits Marvel's letters pages, Bullpen Bulletins, No-Prizes, and MMMS fan club as key drivers of comics fandom, and mentions a forthcoming large-format Marvel history book to be published by Simon and Schuster.
Jean Giraud (Moebius)
Artist, Marvel / Métal Hurlant
Working on: Silver Surfer #1 (with Stan Lee)
Moebius describes the Silver Surfer project as one of the most difficult of his career, saying he was in a state of "total panic" for months about inheriting an established character's look. He explains that the result is intentionally "mid-Atlantic," neither fully European nor American, and praises Stan Lee's script as poetic, philosophical, and "sad and dark," closer to Dark Knight than to typical superhero fare. On the Kirby/Marvel ownership dispute, he offers a controversial view that Kirby was responsible for his own situation by choosing to work within a system he understood, arguing that pitying him robs him of agency.
Dennis Mallonee
Writer/Publisher, Hero Comics / Heroic Publishing
Working on: Champions, Eternity Smith, Flare, Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt
Mallonee argues that Hero Comics produces material equal to or better than 90% of Marvel and DC output, and discusses the challenges of distribution and retailer perception facing independents. He explains how Champions originated from a spontaneous offer at a Hero Games presentation in San Diego and was initially published as a mini-series by Eclipse against his preference for an ongoing title. He announces that due to distribution constraints, Eternity Smith, Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt, and The Marksman are going on hiatus while Champions and the new Flare solo title continue.
Brief editorial noting the rapid proliferation of crossover banners on Marvel and DC titles, speculating that the trend is heading toward a perpetual crossover mega-narrative, and inviting readers to consider whether that is what fans actually want.
Kim Thompson of Fantagraphics responds to a previous letter about adult comic stores, arguing that dozens of existing graphic albums already constitute a viable inventory for a mainstream adult comics store, and that the key is to stock and display them like a proper bookshop rather than a hobby shop.