Full Frontal Archie

Plus: Early Comic Book Cave Drawings And The Craziest Story Pitch In Marvel History.

As promised, I'll be answering some of your questions today. There are already enough to fill several newsletters, so moving forward, I'll make this a running segment. That said, if you find that I haven't gotten to yours in a reasonable time, it's probably because…

1- Your questions sparked an idea for a future newsletter (or video), in which case, thank you!

2- You're psychic or hacking my computer like good ol' Dave here, who asked a question that was either already answered or will be answered in one of my newsletters

Dave Hendrick- What three comic books made you want to make comics as a kid?

Let’s kick today’s column off with a question from Adam:

Adam Ming- How much fun is it for you to do a newsletter

Heh! Let me show you.

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The Cave

I had just begun working on The Ray for DC in the summer of 1991 when a fantastic opportunity came my way. My "cousin," who was moving out of NYC, asked me if I'd be interested in her apartment in downtown Manhattan. Since we were "related," she'd gladly sign over her rent-controlled lease to me for $1400.

In her defense, she had just done $1400 worth of renovation work on the place and wanted to recoup her investment. But that was a lot of money at the time and almost the entirety of my bank account. So, before making the deal, I went over to look at the place.

The building was a run-down, walk-up built in 1900. The staircase listed so severely that I felt drunk and uneasy as the steps groaned underneath me.

This recent photo of the renovated exterior doesn’t do it justice.

The apartment was a small railroad studio, dingy and dark despite having six windows, two of which faced the street. The other four had blackout shades that covered up this glorious view.

Ever wonder what the space between buildings in NYC looks like? I hear this space is currently going for $3000 a month, bird poop included.

In the center of the place was my "cousin's" major renovation expense, a hefty loft bed so close to the ceiling that two and a half feet were the only thing that stood between the mattress and a skull fracture.

The kitchen was tiny, but hell, who cares? I was single, and outside of the fridge, I didn't have much use for it. But it was a grand ballroom compared to a bathroom so small that you couldn't sit on the throne without your knees scraping up against the bathtub.

It had a nonworking, white-washed brick fireplace mantle in the living area, and, except for the kitchen (Formica) and bathroom (tile), the apartment's signature aesthetic showpiece was that it was covered in wall-to-wall, unpadded industrial gray carpet.

It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen.

The Cave, 1994. Note the cable running down the middle of the floor. There was only one phone jack in the place.

I set up my small studio underneath the loft bed, where over the next 8 years, I drew every single project from The Ray to Ash.

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She Clearly Lost A Bet

Sometime around 1996, I started dating a young gal by the name of Nanci Dakesian. Nanci was a professional comic artist and editor since 1983 and, at that time, the Managing Editor of Archie's entire line of Digest books, which were quietly the most profitable comics in the industry. She also did a ton of ghost-inking on the side for the legendary Dan Decarlo.

For those unfamiliar with Dan's work, depending on who you ask, he was the most influential Archie artist of all time, or at the least, top three. For Nanci, there was no question where he stood, and getting to meet and work with her artistic idol was a dream come true. Dan wasn't just her mentor, he became a second father, and I was already suspecting someone whose approval I'd need if our relationship was ever to go further.

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Teen Fashion Morgue

As we grew more serious, Nanci would spend more and more time at the Cave. On the nights she stayed over, she always had a stack of Dan Decarlo penciled pages that had to be inked for the next day. We both had very different schedules. She was asleep by 9:00 pm while I worked on average until 3:00 am. At 4:00 am, she'd be up inking, and by the time I staggered awake at 8:00 am, Nanci was already at the Archie offices. The hours were ideal because we never had to fight over the drafting table. And, more importantly, while she slept, I had the opportunity to study a fresh batch of Dan Decarlo penciled pages that were always left by the side of my desk.

I was in awe of Dan's economy of line, something that, to this day, I have yet to master. But what I found most unique was that he drew every character naked. No, not like that - that would be juvenile. There were no anatomical bits, just the character's forms as if they were Barbie and Ken dolls, though admittedly, seeing Mr. Weatherbee like that was the stuff of nightmares.

Because he wanted to ensure his art resonated with the young readers it was intended for, Dan was always buying the latest teen magazines and kept an extensive fashion morgue. He would then use this reference and add the clothing to the naked structure drawings. At the age of 77, Dan had a better grasp than me of not just current fashion but all the upcoming trends.

Before the internet, artists would gather and catalog images that might one day come in handy on a project. This was affectionately referred to as a photo reference morgue. Here's one of the many digital versions on my desktop.

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Reggie Manscapes

No electric groomer for Reggie. He’s old school and uses a straight razor.

Every night after Nanci went to bed, I would look over Dan's latest pencils. Then one evening before calling it a night, I was feeling a bit mischievous, and in very light pencil, I doodled on one of his pages. No, not naughty parts! How immature do you think I am? I added word balloons with loving messages for Nance to read in the morning.

It took a couple of weeks before I got the nerve to draw a giant dong on Archie.

Nanci didn't find the same humor in it that I did, so, of course, each subsequent night, I went further and further. It was harmless fun since she erased the pencils on the pages after inking them, and no one was the wiser.

Until the day that Dan picked up the inked pages before she had the chance to erase them. He was shocked at what his sweet innocent Nanci had done to his pencils. Embarrassed beyond words, she ratted me out.

"It wasn't me. It was my boyfriend."

"You're boyfriend?"

"Yes. He's a bit of an idiot."

Dan took a long pause. Nanci wasn't sure if it was because he was surprised that she had a boyfriend and hadn't told him yet, or if it was the anatomically correct Riverdale cast staring back at him.

Dan smiled and started laughing.

"I like this guy!"

Nanci and I got married 3 years later.

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Any Questions?

Bobby Swift- Looking at all of the companies you’ve done work for, which one was the most strict or easiest to do work for?

Bobby, every company is different, and each has its pros and cons. It’s also a matter of who you’re working with. If you have a great editor, they can shield you from some of the internal craziness. On the flip side, a poor editor could actually make life at a company feel more difficult than it actually needs to be.

Speaking of which…

Tom Brevoort- I’ve heard today’s story from you before in person, but not the part about Domingo. Which is a real shame. I’d’ve been calling you Domingo for years.

Are you referring to this story? See, my mom was right!

By the way, if you want to read a newsletter by one of the finest editors in the comics biz, check out Tom’s Substack Man With A Hat.

Chip Zdarsky- only one question thanks: can i borrow twenty bucks until payday? I swear I'm good for it

Chip, remember what happened the last time you borrowed money from me? I’ll tell you what, if you comp me a subscription to your newsletter, I’ll think about it.

It cost me more to find a guy in Canada to track Chip down than what he owed me. Worth it!

The Night Nerd- I'd like to know about pitches. What's the craziest one you heard and approved? What do you feel is the best pitch you've done personally? Any pointers?

Hey, Night Nerd, long before I was Editor in Chief, in the bullpen, in a filing cabinet filled with the craziest pitches ever submitted, was a fully drawn, colored in crayon fan submission…

Jesus vs. The Silver Surfer.

I couldn’t tell you who won because they teamed up in the middle of the story to fight the Planet of the Apes.

I also couldn’t tell you for certain that if I had mentioned it to Bill Jemas during the early days of my tenure, we wouldn’t have published it.

As for pointers on how to construct a proper pitch? Thank you, that’s a great idea for a future newsletter. Stand by.

Zach Rabiroff- What's the best pizza in Queens, and how can it possibly compare to the wonder of L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn?

Zach, you’re treading on very dangerous ground when you ask a fellow New Yorker about pizza.

First, I think we can both agree that the glory days of New York street corner pizza are over, especially in Manhattan. Thankfully, legendary spots like Spumoni Gardens are still around. But here’s the thing, it doesn’t make my list. I love a good Sicilian square, and they make theirs with the sauce on top of the cheese. I know, somewhere, Frank Tieri is screaming at me while he’s waiting on his never-ending breadsticks from the back of an Olive Garden, but I’m a cheese-on-top-of-the-sauce kind of guy.

I haven’t been there in about six years, but the last best Sicilian slice I had in NYC was at Rosa’s Pizza, 62-65 Fresh Pond Rd, Queens, NY 11385.

Now I’m hungry. Thanks for nuthin’

richard vaux- Will you be doing a Millar Time interview? You’re referenced in a fair few of them in fond terms. I’m a fan since your DC Ray days, thank you for your work.

Richard, Richard, Richard. The question is, will Mark ever do a Joe Quesada’s Drawing The Line Somewhere interview?

Hmmm, maybe Mark and I can do a multipart crossover. Two episodes here and the other two on--

What was his show called again?

Douglas Leftridge- Any good funny stories immediately come to mind about our mutual buddy, Jimmy Palmiotti, that you can share (without incriminating him 😁 )??

Hey, Douglas, hmmmm, nope. Not really.

This standee was created for an X-O Manowar #0 launch party Jimmy, and I threw back in 1993. It ended up at every subsequent party we hosted until it found a permanent home in the original Marvel Knights offices.

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Our Lines Are Open, And Operators Are Standing By

Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

So I had no idea this was a thing, but I just opened up the chat function for all subscribers. That means that you can start a conversation with me and like-minded Drawing The Liners any time your lil’ ol’ heart desires.

And for new subscribers, did you know that there’s an archive of my previous newsletters? How much fun is that!

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Thanks for reading.

You’re Amazing!

JQ