Well, that was fast! Less than an hour after putting out the call, I had scans for all the Captain America and Black Panther letters pages I wrote while at Marvel back in the ’70s.

So what will they reveal? Was there truly an orchestrated effort by us staffers, as some have claimed, to use the letters columns to sow seeds of dissatisfaction with Kirby among fandom?

Since I assembled many of those columns, I thought it important to respond with the facts, because as far as I know, none of those making such claims have done more than repeatedly make the claim, without evidence. What does a look at the actual texts of six such pages I put together for Kirby-created comics actually reveal?

(And a big thanks to Sean Howe, author of the upcoming history of Marvel in the ’70s, for responding so quickly!)

So let’s dig into Captain America 202, shall we?

Lots of positivity there, beginning with a letter that includes the line, “THIS is the Kirby I remember.” While the column does include is a letter hoping Kirby doesn’t do away with the characterization of the previous creative team, when isn’t there a letter like that whenever someone new is at the helm?

Since the column for issue 203 was about all-important issue 200, I managed to squeeze in 13 letters. And the ratio? (more…)