The Drink Tank Issue 107 a Little Bit Psycho Letter Graded Mail Problem That the Facts Being Argued Sent to [email protected] About Were Pure Fabrications
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The Drink Tank Issue 107 A Little Bit Psycho Letter Graded Mail problem that the facts being argued sent to [email protected] about were pure fabrications. by my Gentle Readers The same thing can be said about Ladies & Gentlemen...Eric Mayer! Bigfoot or Loch Ness or Mokele- Chris, Mbembe. Bigfoot’s probably the As I keep repeating to folks, worst of them. There’s a lot of if I’m kind of brief/late/silent it’s discussion about the two most because I’ve been pushing to get to famous videos: the Patterson the end of the first draft of the new Film of 1967 and the Redwoods book before I’m hit with the avalanche video of 1995. People will always of legal writing which is even now point to things out the video, like thundering down the slopes toward the fact that Patterson knew a me. Great Ghu. If I could ever not have Hollywood effects guy, as a way to do that for a living I’d be thrilled. to debunk. I know it’s hard to Must be maddening. I thank Roscoe discredit something entirely within that I’ve got a gig where I can do and the Tooth Fairy. The more you the discussion of the piece, but my FANAC and no one ever notices. understand the more boring it all turns little things are often blown out of I think my fannish productivity out to be. It’s nice to think there might proportion. would drop if I didn’t work be amazing things going on that aren’t I don’t particularly want to know anymore! so mundane after all. if all the “facts” about Roswell are true. I did find your Roswell article I love UFOs, I’m still not convinced Let’s have some mystery in the world. fascinating. I’ve read about it over the that they’re not out there. One major premise, to me, is a given. years, but the details become hazy. It The trouble is, most of the The US government does indeed lie! must have been over thirty years ago Roswell type stories turn out to be That one goes without saying! when there was a big UFO craze and based on false information. I once I’ve never talked with any of I collected books featuring pictures of saw a compelling, if distressing, the first person types who were hazy disks -- flying saucers, or pie tins show debunking the tales about the around at the time, but I’ve talked or hubcaps. Bermuda Triangle. It turned out that with researchers who have and I thought Jeff’s article was great. most of the “facts” which, if you added I’m convinced that something I’ve been to Roswell, but not for them all up formed a remarkable happened, even if it was just a test years. I’m the proud owner of a picture of weird occurrences were flight gone bad. Roswell Film Festival T-Shirt, simply false to begin with. So people Sorry about TAFF if I didn’t though. would argue that the Bermuda Triangle already say so. Lot of politics involved I love to imagine it might all be believers were drawing the wrong there always seems to me. I sure hope true. As you get older a lot of the magic conclusions from the facts while the you get the trip next time. goes out of the world. Things that believers argued convincingly that they I’ll give it my best shot in 2007! make life interesting, like Santa Claus weren’t. But no one had addressed the Eric FRANK FRAZETTA BIOGRAPHY Elementary School, Frazetta created By Jeff Redmond comic books with the main character a snowman and an array of assorted Make no mistake about it: I am characters. most definitely a Frank Frazetta fan, Frazetta began drawing his own and forever will be. comic books around the age of six. For a while in the late ‘80s, I Intricate, labor-intensive colored pencil lived from one Conan the Barbarian stories featuring his original characters paperback to another. And it just like “Snowman” and “The Red Devil wasn’t because of the Robert E. & Goldy” still exist and exhibit a level Howard stories, but especially for of style and sophistication that is the cover art by Frank Frazetta. Any amazing. One of his sisters would often book with a Frazetta cover was a take Frank’s home-drawn comics, book sold as far as I was concerned. But as much as I loved Frazetta, I and trade them to other kids for knew little about him. This was on their store-bought issues of Famous purpose, though. I often try to keep Funnies. an ignorance going with my heroes Frazetta’s artistic ability wasn’t a secret to his elementary school because knowing too much can end his praises as an original who had an your admiration for someone. teachers. “Christmas, Easter, and effect on their work. But now that a new DVD about Thanksgiving were my big days,” The oldest of four children and him has come out, I just couldn’t he remembers “I guess I drew more the only boy in the family, Frank resist. I just had to know something Santas, bunnies, and turkeys on Frazzetta (he would later drop one about this man who had given me so blackboards than anyone could count. of the “z”s) was born on the 9th day much pleasure. “Frazetta: Painting At the insistence of one of my teachers, of February, 1928 in Brooklyn, New With Fire,” a two-disc package, is a fine my parents enrolled me in the York. He discovered the wonders of introduction to the artist and, since I Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts when I knew very little about the man, the film drawing before he was three, when was eight. filled in for me nicely. he sold his first crayon drawing to “The Academy was little more We learn about the life of this Grandma _ for the tidy sum of one than a one floor/three room affair artist, and hear from an impressive penny. It was through her interest and with a total of thirty students ranging list of interviewees, who tell us what encouragement, that he continued his in age from eight–me!–to eighty. I an incredible influence he was in the drawings through those early years. still remember the Professor Michael world of illustration. Artists such as When he hit kindergarten, his Falanga’s look of skepticism as I signed Bernie Wrightson, Bill Stout, Neal teachers were astounded that there in. He was rolling his eyes and you Adams, Dave Stevens, Michael Kaluta, was a child only 5 1/2 drawing better could almost see the thought balloon Al Williamson and John Buseema sing then ten-year-olds. Throughout over his head, ‘Oh no! Not another my own style.” child prodigy!’ He sat me down with When Frank started working a pencil and paper and asked me to for Magazine Enterprises and copy a postcard featuring a group of National (now known as DC Comics) realistically rendered ducks. When he graduated to the adventure titles he returned later to see how far I and drew stories for Durango Kid, had progressed, he snatched up my Manhunt, Adventure Comics, and drawing exclaiming, ‘Mama mia!’ and Blackhawk. His covers for Ghost Rider ran off waving it in the air, calling received tremendous recognition and in everyone over to look at it. I thought I 1951 M.E. gave Frank the go-ahead to was in some kind of trouble.” create his own comic, Thun’da . Falanga, a fine artist of some “I came up with this Tarzan_like renown in his native Italy, was character who gets trapped in a lost impressed with Frazetta’s natural world,” he explains. “They brought ability and believed he had tremendous in Gardner Fox to write the script potential. based on my idea and the first story “He died when I was twelve,” in the book followed my plans pretty Frank explains, “right about the time closely. Then the editor, Ray Krank, he was making arrangements to send had Fox take everybody out of the me off to Italy at his own expense to prehistoric setting, by the end of the study fine art. I haven’t the vaguest third story in the book, and ruined the idea of whether it would have really entire concept: they turned it into just affected my areas of interest. I don’t another cardboard jungle comic.” know, but I doubt it. You see, we never become a very famous fine artist!’ And Thun’da #1, published in 1952, had any great conversations. He might that didn’t thrill me! After he died the was the only complete comic book look over your shoulder and say, ‘Very students tried to keep the school going; Frazetta ever drew. nice, but perhaps if you did this or we had become such close friends that He quit working for M.E. after that...’ He spoke very broken English we couldn’t bear to close up shop so they sold the rights to the character to and he kind of left you on your own.” we all chipped in and paid the rent and Columbia Pictures for a serial starring “I think I learned more from my continued to hold classes. I did nude Buster Crabbe. Since he had created friends there, especially Albert Pucci. life drawings and still lifes; we’d paint Thun’da under the comic industry’s Falanga would look at some of the outdoors.