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Frazetta discusses the origins and philosophy behind the Frazetta Museum in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, which he and wife Ellie opened primarily for fans rather than profit, and reflects on his decision to retain his original artwork after watching gifted-away pieces appreciate dramatically on the secondary market. He recounts his experience co-producing Fire and Ice with Ralph Bakshi, including directing rotoscope action sequences and the challenge of making live-action reference translate into his exaggerated painted style. He speaks at length about his new series of Death Dealer paintings — this time a character he owns outright — and delivers strong opinions on originality versus imitation in art and what separates a true creative artist from a technically skilled draftsman.

Krenkel's last interview before his death from cancer on February 24, 1983, at age 63. A warm, rambling conversation about his life as a fantasy artist and inveterate collector, from doing background pencils for Al Williamson and Wally Wood at E.C. Comics to painting Ace paperback covers for Donald Wollheim. Shares vivid memories of his decades-long friendship with Frank Frazetta — all-night coffee sessions on Long Island, watching Frazetta paint with effortless brilliance — and credits Frazetta with pushing him to work more directly. Characteristically self-deprecating about his commercial ambitions ("I was busy dis-inventing work"), he reflects on his gifts as a visual thinker who grasps the "gestalt" of ancient civilizations, his compulsive collecting habits, and his late-life resolve to finally produce something worthy of his accumulated knowledge.

Suydam, a self-taught artist and Rockabilly musician living in Manhattan's East Village, discusses the origins of his grotesque-humorous Mudwog character (a nose that walks and talks), his frustration with Heavy Metal printing his strip chapters out of order, and his early career path through DC's House of Secrets and into Heavy Metal and Epic Illustrated. He cites Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta, EC horror artists (particularly Graham Ingels), Hokusai, and Norman Rockwell as key influences, and notes he has been hired to do concept design work for three film productions.

Reader mail includes a note from Bill Mumy announcing the DREAMWEAVER graphic novel for Marvel (pencilled by Gray Morrow) and work on THE COMPANY for Pied Piper Press. A Canadian reader reflects on Frank Frazetta's #42 interview in the context of creators' rights.

Reader Timothy Fay responds critically to a previous Buzz Dixon interview defending G.I. Joe as a "30-minute commercial." Artist William Stout and interviewer Steve Ringgenberg trade detailed corrections regarding factual and caption errors in a prior Frank Frazetta interview.

Includes a letter from Michael Delle-Femine, Editor-in-Chief of CRACKED, correcting a name misspelling and noting Sol Brodsky's foundational role in creating CRACKED; and a long letter from Tim Barnes of Gloucester, England, offering detailed critical commentary on the earlier Frank Frazetta interview.

Part two of a continuing interview with the Flash Gordon strip artist. Barry recalls working alongside Mickey Spillane at Funnies Inc. in the early comic book days, describes the editorial brutality of Bob Kanigher at DC, and reflects on his philosophy of storytelling in a daily strip — avoiding hard science fiction in Flash Gordon for readability reasons and his use of understated comedy and social commentary. Part three will cover Frank Frazetta.

Part three of a multi-part interview, focusing on Barry's early association with Frank Frazetta (whom he got his first job at age sixteen), his working relationship with Harry Harrison during his years in Europe, and his extended ordeal producing promotional artwork for Dino De Laurentiis's Flash Gordon film — for which he was poorly compensated despite two years of work. Barry also discusses Alex Raymond, Lou Fine, Wally Wood, and Stan Lee's handling of the Spider-Man newspaper strip.

Bisley traces his artistic influences (Frazetta, Sienkiewicz, Frank Miller) and his path into the comics industry through Titan Books connections and early DC work on Doom Patrol covers. He argues that black-and-white line art carries more raw energy than painted work, and discusses his experience on Slaine: The Horned God as a creatively mismatched project before finding his ideal collaborators in Giffen and Grant on Lobo.

Ringgenberg discusses his new bi-monthly science-fiction comic The Emissary (Electric Comics), co-written with Jorgensen, describing its elaborate world-building on the planet Calador and its aim for a more literary, cinematic storytelling style. He reflects critically on his earlier work for DC and Marvel, praises Alan Moore's Watchmen as the best comic on the market, and is sharply critical of Chris Claremont's verbosity and Frank Miller's insularity. He also discusses his role as associate editor at Byron Preiss Visual Productions, where he is adapting Bradbury, Bloch, and H.G. Wells stories into comics for the educational market.

DAK reflects on how a Frazetta paperback cover for an Edgar Rice Burroughs Ace edition may have been the pivotal moment that drew him into a world of imagination and ultimately led him to publish Comics Interview, meditating on the invisible but far-reaching influence of a creator's work.

Reader T.M. Maple praises the group-interview format of issue #39 while critiquing the overuse of multi-part installments and the shrinking letters column; DAK hints at a possible Comics Interview compendium. Reader E. Hoffmann Price argues that ancient Egyptians invented comics through illustrated papyrus narratives.