Bullpen Bulletins - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

"Bullpen Bulletins" was the news and information page that appeared in most regular monthly comic books from Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

. In various incarnations since its inception in 1965 until its demise in 2001, it included items such as previews of upcoming Marvel publications (the "Mighty Marvel Checklist"), news about and profiles of Marvel staff members, occasional references to real-world trends and events, and perhaps most famously, "Stan's Soapbox" (alternately known as "Stan Lee's Soapbox"), a monthly column written by Stan Lee

Stan Lee

Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....

.

With "Bullpen Bulletins," Lee created the friendly, chatty editorial voice of Marvel Comics — "a style that could be characterized as High Hipster — two parts Lord Buckley

Lord Buckley

Lord Richard Buckley was an American stage performer, recording artist, monologist, and hip poet/comic...

, one part Austin Powers," putting "himself on a first-name basis with the readership at a time when the rival DC

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

editors generally came across... as... stodgy adults."

The "Bullpen Bulletins" page was where Lee rhapsodized about the Marvel "bullpen," the stable of in-house creators who produced the company's comics. He often bestowed colorful sobriquets on Marvel staffers and creators; nicknames such as Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby

Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....

permeated into mass culture. The fictional Marvel staffer Irving Forbush also appeared regularly — as the butt of Lee's humor. Similarly, phrases like "Excelsior!", "'Nuff said," "True Believer," and "Make Mine Marvel," as well as other company mainstays like the No-Prize

No-Prize

A No-Prize is a faux award given out by Marvel Comics to readers. Originally for those who spotted continuity errors in the comics, the current "No-Prizes" are given out for charitable works or other types of "meritorious service to the cause of Marveldom". As the No-Prize evolved, it was...

, were popularized there as well.

Lee often used "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" and "Stan's Soapbox" to needle other comic book publishers, which he referred to as the "Distinguished Competition" (i.e., DC) or, more disparagingly, "Brand Echh." ("Brand Echh" was a play on an advertising convention of the time, in which a competitor's product was not referred to by name, but simply as "Brand X.")

In 1982, in an edition of "Bullpen Bulletins," then Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter

Jim Shooter

James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...

defined and described the Marvel Bullpen:

Origins, 1965–1972

The tone of "Bullpen Bulletins" was inspired by a series of boys' adventure books Lee read as a child. Penned by Leo Edwards, the end of each Jerry Todd book had the unusual feature of printed letters from readers and the author's warm, informal responses to them. As Lee said in a 1992 interview, "I don't know if I consciously remembered those books when I set out to do the Bullpen page years later, or if I was unconsciously influenced and only afterwards realized where I got the idea from. I do know that talking to the readers informally and indirectly seemed like the natural thing to do."

What became "Bullpen Bulletins" started out as part of the letters section

Comic book letter column

A comic book letter column is a section of a comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns , letter pages, letters of comment , or simply letters to the editor...

of Marvel's flagship title Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...

. This two-page section often concluded with a "Special Announcements Section" where Lee responded to general letters and promoted other Marvel titles. "The Mighty Marvel Checklist" appeared for the first time — embedded in the Special Announcements Section — in Fantastic Four #33 (Dec. 1964).

A separate "The Merry Marvel Bullpen Page" appeared in comics cover-dated July and August 1965, but the checklist and special announcements were still on the letters pages. Finally, the first stand-alone "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" page, complete with checklist and special announcements, debuted in the issues cover-dated December 1965.

For many years, starting around this time, each edition of "Bullpen Bulletins" included an alliterative subtitle. The first one read "More mirthful, monumental, mind-staggering memoranda from your Marvel madmen!" Other memorable subtitles include "A Profound Potpourri of Perplexing Pronouncements and Preposterous Philosophy, all Portending Practically Nothing!" and "A Riotous Roundup of Ridiculous Rumors and Rabelaisian Reports." Editor Archie Goodwin eliminated the alliterative subtitle with "Zounds! A Zealful Zetetic of Zestful Zanies to Zap the Zeitgeist," which ran in Marvel comics cover-dated June 1977.

"Stan's Soapbox" first appeared in the "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" of June 1967. Later on, when filling in for Lee in the space that was originally slotted for "Stan's Soapbox," Thomas's column would be titled "Roy's Rostrum."

Post-Lee: Roy Thomas through Archie Goodwin, 1972–1978

With Stan Lee's stepping down as editor-in-chief in 1972, "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" was put together (with the exception of "Stan's Soapbox," which Lee continued to write on a regular basis) by his successors, including Roy Thomas

Roy Thomas

Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...

(1972–1974), Archie Goodwin

Archie Goodwin (comics)

Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work...

(1976–1978), and Jim Shooter

Jim Shooter

(1978–1987).

By 1973, much of the space formally used in the "Bullpen Bulletins" page for inside info and Bullpen gossip had been taken over by the checklist and special announcements. From at least 1974–1975, Marvel ran a "Bullpen Bonus Page," which hosted the checklist, fan page information, and announcements; freeing up the original "Bullpen Bulletins" page for the cherished "inside info" traditionally featured in that spot. For the most part during these years, however, the page retained the tone and flavor of when Lee edited it.

The Shooter years, 1978–1987

During Jim Shooter's tenure as editor-in-chief, "Bullpen Bulletins" underwent various format changes. An abbreviated checklist returned, the gossipy "Items" came and went, and except for one month in 1981 the page disappeared entirely from Marvel's books. When it returned in issues cover-dated January 1982, the page was missing the checklist and "Stan's Soapbox," and was for the first time actually signed by its author: Shooter. Shooter rededicated the page on its return, promising readers that:
Throughout the rest of his tenure, Shooter gradually did away with the traditional tone of the page — for instance, eliminating the colorful nicknames for Marvel staffers — in favor of a new idiosyncratic voice where Shooter wrote in the first person and even signed his name. New innovations included guest columns written by various freelancers, a Hype Box, and tongue-in-cheek photo features.

In the early 1980s, Shooter also created a separate page, titled "Bullpen Bulletins Specials," which ran only in Marvel's direct market

Direct market

The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for North American comic books. It consists of one dominant distributor and the majority of comics specialty stores, as well as other retailers of comic books and related merchandise...

titles Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...

, Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar is the name of two jungle-dwelling comics fictional characters published in the United States. The first appeared in pulp magazines of the 1930s, and was adapted for his second iteration, as a comic book character for Timely Comics, the 1930s and 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics...

, and Micronauts. These "Bullpen Bulletins Specials" featured Shooter's interviews with various Marvel creative talents.

In 1983, Shooter launched Marvel Age
Marvel Age
Marvel Adventures is an imprint of Marvel Comics intended for younger audiences, including small children. Unlike the standard comics published by Marvel, which often take place in story arcs spanning several issues, each Marvel Adventures comic tells a standalone story.The idea was initially...

, which was essentially a comic book-length version of "Bullpen Bulletins," filled with company news, creator interviews, and previews of upcoming books.

By the end of Shooter's tenure, "Bullpen Bulletins" contained very little original material, as it was mostly filled with design elements and an abbreviated Marvel Comics checklist. "Stan's Soapbox" had been revived in the pages of Marvel Age (beginning with issue #41). After Shooter's departure from the company (corresponding with comics cover-dated February 1987), there were no "Bullpen Bulletins" for three months.

Mark Gruenwald, 1987–1996

Tom DeFalco

Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well known for his association with Marvel Comics and in particular for his work with Spider-Man.-Career:...

took over Marvel's editorial reins in 1987, and for the first time, someone other than the editor-in-chief was put in charge of "Bullpen Bulletins": beloved writer/editor Mark Gruenwald

Mark Gruenwald

Mark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...

. During this period, a single-panel comic called "The Bull's Eye" was often featured on the page. Created by Rick Parker and Barry Dutter, "The Bull's Eye" often featured DeFalco, as well as Gruenwald, who was often depicted as a caricature and foil for DeFalco's antics. Other recurring "Bullpen Bulletins" features during Gruenwald's rein included the "Pro File," short Marvel Handbook-style profiles of Marvel staff-members; and the "COOLometer," a light-hearted list of current pop-culture fads. Gruenwald edited "Bullpen Bulletins" until his death of a heart attack in 1996.

Demise, 1996–2001

In 1999, Marvel began running Chris Giarrusso

Chris Giarrusso

Chris Giarrusso is a graphic novel author/illustrator best known for the all-ages series G-Man at Image Comics and Mini Marvels at Marvel Comics.-Career:...

's "Bullpen Bits" strip on the "Bullpen Bulletins" page. Many of the strips featured "Mini-Marvels," cutesy takes on the various Marvel heroes as kids. Marvel discontinued the "Bullpen Bulletins" page in 2001.

Collected edition

In January 2009, Marvel Comics/The Hero Initiative

The Hero Initiative

The Hero Initiative, formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR, is the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers and artists in need...

published Stan's Soapbox: The Collection (ISBN 0979760291), a 144-page softcover containing all of the "Stan's Soapbox" columns from 1967 to 1980, with commentary from Joe Quesada

Joe Quesada

Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...

, Roy Thomas, and many others. The book was also published in a hardcover edition limited to 250 copies.

Quotes

Author Jonathan Lethem

Jonathan Lethem

Jonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels...

:
Writer Mark Evanier

Mark Evanier

Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...

External links

(Note: As of April 4, 2008, dates given are off by one month: the December 1966 listing is for November 1966 comics, etc. See "The Mighty Marvel Checklist" in each for date confirmation.)

"Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" Index Blog
Eye of the Bullpen "Bullpen Bulletins" archive for 1976 and 1982–1987, as well as a "Bull's Eye" cartoon archive for 1991–1994.

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.