Business envelopes - The Studios

Hanna-Barbera - Scooby Doo meter

Hanna-Barbera - Fred Flintstone

Charles Mintz - 1932

1977 prior to the release of the Motion Pictures stamp, I sent a letter to several movie studios requesting an un sed business envelope to create first day cover. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a couple of responses:

MGM

Walt Disney World

Paramount Pictures Corp - signed by actress Jane Russell

1937 Warner Brothers meter - That Certain Woman - American melodramatic film written and directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Bette Davis, Henry Fonda and Anita Louise

1982 Extra-Terrestrial Productions - Rocky III

Space Travel, Science Fiction and Other Worlds...

2015 - my tribute to Wally Wood. I had just finished reading the Fantagraphics book Spawn of Mars and other Stories by Wally Wood, when I decided to attempt the above sketch, which was based on Wood's self-portrait from the story Rescued!..

Although I did not specifically follow Wood's work, I have always been a fan of science fiction and fantasy in any form. Reading these stories was a special treat for me in that I had a chance to step back in time and see what people were reading in the 1950's. The designs of the space suits, the Twilight Zone feel of each story.

Wood also provided work for MAD magazine, Marvel's Daredevil (he created the red suit!) and long time science fiction an fantasy stories for EC Comics.

Since I have always been a fan of science fiction, especially space travel..I endlessly watch any space movie good or bad. I can remember watching the John Glenn launch. I was in grade school. All of the students were brought into the auditorium, and a black and white TV was rolled onto the stage, so we could all watch history unfold. I dreamed of being an astronaut, and I still do... 

While researching some retro rocket designs, I came across a ship that look similar to the one I drew. My thought was to have droplets of flame instead of a giant plume. Since it was October I was probably eating candy corn at the time, and like the idea...

When the 1977 Motion Pictures stamp was release I had written to several production companies to ask for a corner card envelope I could use to create a first day cover. I received responses from MGM, Disney, and Paramount. Besides their routine envelopes, Paramount sent this Star Trek the Motion Picture envelope, which thrilled me. The Star Trek movie would be released in 1979...

The official cachet from the Motion Picture Association of America - Committee for the Celebration of the Talkies. The reverse of the envelope contains the following text: The cachet depicts six landmarks films in the history of talking pictures: The Jazz Singer, first feature film with synchronized dialogue; Fantasia, optical stereo sound; The Robe, magnetic stereo sound; Oklahoma, six-track 70mm sound; earthquake, low frequency sound; and Star Wars, stereo sound with noise reduction, using the present state-of-the-art in sound technology

Amazing since Star Wars was only released in May of 1977. In several days the latest installment of the Star Wars saga continues with the Force Awakens....

Jim Calafiore - Batman

2012.03.31 NY Comic Book Marketplace, NYC

Jim Calafiore first broke into comics on Valiant's X-O Manowar and Armorines. Moving on to DC and Marvel to produce quality work on Aquaman, Exiles Gotham Underground, various Batman titles, Secret Six. On his webiste Califiore lists his influences as John Byrne and the X-Men, along with Berni Wrightson, Barry Windsor-Smith, Richard Corben's work in Creepy and Eerie, Windsor McKay, Maurice Sendak, Bilal, Caza, Drulliet and most important Moebius.

Favorite characters are the Hulk, Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, Metal Men

The first day cover honors the 50th anniversary of the motion picture industry in 1944, with the central design of the stamp showing GI's in the South Pacific watching the 3 Musketeers in a native setting. With this cover I had been waiting for the right artist to sketch the Batman as seen in the 1943 Columbia Pictures serial. The Batman had very pointed ears and a longer nose on the cowl. Calafiore depicted the character perfectly, and looks as if it could have been drawn in 1943.

The NY Comic Book Marketplace featured many great guests most notably Stan Lee. My son Matt had the opportunity to obtain Lee's signature on a Fantastic Four book and also obtained a signature from Joe Sinnott. All of the artists and celebrities in attendance were great, and a pleasure to meet. From Henry Winkler to Mark Texeira (his signed Ghost Rider comic is on Matt's Page). An excellent experience and a day to remember...

Marvel Comics - Fantastic Four Lost Adventures, signed by Joe Sinnott and Stan Lee.

We waited close to 1.5 hours for the Stan Lee signature. They kept all the fans at a 2-table distance from Stan, and used an intermediary to hand items back and forth. It was worth it. Through it all Stan kept his sense of humor and was very pleasant.

A quick out of focus photo of Stan Lee and Matt

I was speaking with Don Smith and Spiro Ballas at the Super Mega Show in Whippany in June 2012. When mentioning that Matt met Stan Lee, Don quipped "So he got his 30 seconds of Stan Lee!" Very appropriate. 

updated 2012.06.30

The autograph ticket was excellent, featuring a nice color sketch of Stan. However they collected the tickets as you reached the table and would not let you keep them. They would have made an excellent souvenir of the event.