Correspondence from Comic Book Company Folks!

I started writing letters to cartoonists in the early 1970s, eventually creating friendships, and buying lots and lots of varied pieces of artwork. The art was on display at local comic book conventions, as well as The Comic Suburb Art Gallery in the annex to Comic City in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1976-1980. I came across my box of old correspondence and am reproducing the various writings here. Most all of these letters will have been sold into the comic collectors marketplace by the time you see them all, but I am creating this record of the pieces that come from "The Correspondence Collection of Joel Thingvall." Yes, I wish I had kept them in the original envelopes. Or actually scribbled a pencilled date on many of the Holiday Cards that I got thru the years. My dad was a stamp collector who immediately grabbed any envelope to "clip the stamp" - thus the conflicts of hobbies. That I managed to save all of these is mind-boggling in itself as I moved about in life. That one box, under my desk, that had anything of "cartooning" note thrown into it over time. It was wonderful times when artists would answer letters, and the market for comic art originals was in an infancy stage. You could still get a free sketch, or maybe even a piece of art. But as conventions took hold and The Buyers Guide became a force, stuff started to sell. Yet the modest dollars most artists asked for their creations was small. And, like many a soul, we all dreamed of working in the industry. I visited the DC and Marvel offices as early as 1972. Of course wanted to be a writer. I worked as an assistant for Jim Steranko in 1974. But I returned to Minneapolis to pursue a career in the arts and journalism. I briefly made later attempts to get into sales or promotions with Bud Plant, Denis Kitchen, Carol Kalish at Marvel, and Defiant Comics. But ended up in my comfortable midwest neck of the woods for most of my lifetime. I worked in one of the first comics only retail outlets, Comic City. Produced conventions from 1977-1983. A fellow high schooler did artwork for the store and the conventions, Richard Larson, and I got him a job from Charlton and introduced him to Sal Q. Rich met Steve Fastner at one of the local shoptalk gatherings of David Mruz, the Godfather of Minnesota Comics History. I continued to promote the work of Fastner/Larson (getting them their first Marvel job, an intro to Warren), as well as encouraging any others in town to pursue their loves. You can read a lot about that history of Minnesota cartooning at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/387493525862317

There are 116 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     1 through 18 shown.

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There are 116 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     1 through 18 shown.

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Switch View to Alphabetically by Title