The only time I ever met Paul Fung, Jr., who was the artist on the Blondie comic book for 40 years, he was younger than I am now, and I was 17.

I was attending the 1973 Reuben Awards banquet thanks to friend Bill Kresse, and clueless teen comics fan that I was, I wandered the ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria with a pad and magic markers and asked the artists there—who were far more interested in eating, drinking, dancing, and schmoozing with their friends—for sketches.

Which is how I ended up with drawings of Superman by Curt Swan, Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker, Zonker Harris by Garry Trudeau, and many others … including this one from Fung.

Here’s wishing Paul Fung, Jr., who took the time to be nice to a teen noodge long ago and far away, a happy 91st birthday. May there be many more!

Happy birthday, John!

If I am remembered for nothing else from my relatively few years working in comics, it will likely be for having scripted your debut story. The six-page tale, “Chaos at the Coffee Bean,” appeared as a back-up in 1977’s Amazing Spider-Man Annual #11.

Here’s the splash page (click to view at a larger size):

Amazingly, up until the future star received this assignment, he was being discriminated against. No one would give him a shot because his Dad was Marvel Art Director and Spider-Man artist supreme John Romita (who had no need yet to be identified by a Sr. after his name). No one wanted to be seen as rewarding John, Jr. on the basis of his family connection alone.

I thought that was a stupid idea. Talent should out, and as I said at the time, the only thing worse than nepotism is anti-nepotism—not giving a shot to some who would otherwise have deserved it. (more…)