I was tweeting last night about Sean Howe’s Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, which I’m currently about 75% of the way through (more on that later), and in response to my statement that I was glad I’d left Marvel before things got truly ugly there, I was asked whether I’d moved on before or during the Jim Shooter era.

Well, not only was I there during the beginnings of the Shooter era, but he and I actually once fell from the sky together!

In case you didn’t know that, check out this sidebar I wrote that appeared in the December 1976 issue of Marvel’s fan magazine FOOM.

And since the pics accompanying the article are quite fuzzy thanks to FOOM‘s far from state-of-the-art printing process, here are some of the original pics to show how insane (and young) we once were.

I only jumped from a plane one further time, and after that, retired with my record—of still being alive—intact.

February 20, 2022 update: It’s been pointed out to me by @johnlk_80 that Chris Claremont, in his script for Power Man Annual #1, published later the same year, had Luke Cage thank me for skydiving tips. I had no idea! It’s amazing what you can learn after 40+ years!