I have a couple of Doug Chapel's 'zines. They're fantastic. Poetic, pulpy and punk!

TOM: So, I looked at your video twice and tried to understand what it was about. I appreciate you have worthy aims about increasing one’s audience and I must admit that this video reminded me that I had received this little book a while back (and I’d forgotten about it). To be honest (and respectful) I remember reading your proposal and thinking this is “another thing.” That means to be involved in this project I would need to apply myself to something new. Now this is quite different from simply contributing to one’s book, and I’ve been more than happy to do so as you know. Someone asks for a comic, illustration work, a short story, an essay, a cover (like for The Patriot) I’m happy to oblige. Your proposal involves administration and management. My understanding is that a publisher would fill out the questionnaire and you’d format and provide the finished product in PDF format. Now that means I’d get that from you, and I would have to print the pages, cut the sheets, collate, fold and staple it (I used to do that when I printed up Tales of Fantasy back in the day, all my comics are now printed at Ka-Blam which is so much easier). My mailing list comes to about 20-24 people (UFO guys plus others you probably know). If I had your Interview (for example) to distribute, how would I reach anyone new from my mailing list? It’s a worthy aim I think, but I can only speak for myself, and I think when I consider this kind of “another thing” it’s so much easier for me to just concentrate on what I do well, and that means writing, drawing, creating comic books (and every two months writing extensive reviews for the UFO co-op). As a sidebar another easy way to reach a broader audience is through the Print-On-Demand KDP arm of Amazon. I have 11 books on that platform and currently the best seller is my collection of 1960s comics essays. You have to do some work to get the word out, but they offer an advertising program (with commission) which I haven’t taken advantage of yet. So, these are my thoughts, as disjointed as they may be. I’m glad you are enthusiastic about publishing and your work is an inspiration to all of us small press publishers. Larry Johnson

Wow! what a tribute! my first book was quite expensive to produce back then with offset printing (i had the advantage of typeset from my newspaper job). i switched to ditto reproduction after that. you know on that Alter Ego strip, the writer John Pierce complained that my lettering was too big, but looking at it now i realize was following his script with load and loads of expositional dialogue (to put in the panels he designated). quite different from my approach. live and learn! i tell people when they go to art school, they never lose their style, they just get better. and i guess that was the case for me! consistency! at any rate, it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship with small press that continues to this day! thanks, Tom.

I was on the back cover of issue #42 I think.

Track down some Wolverton if you haven't already!!!

Thanks Tom, Larned is one of my favorite cartoonists.

That was an awesome zine, definitely one of your finest! Larned's cover (call me biased lol) was amazing! Verl Bond did a great job as did Joseph Morris and others, and Keith Newsome pulled out the stops! Your own contribution was very moving... the whole book was terrific. This is one I like to go back to and re-read, just a monumental moment for you as a self publisher.

Thats cool. Never heard of UFO.

I just found your channel. Cool. I had completely forgotten about that magazine. I remember getting a few issues and ordered some books out of it, like Colin Uptons mini comics etc. i sometimes cover small press stuff on my channel too. Mostly mainstream.

Yes, cover artist and all-around good guy Russ Maheras is still going strong! Lots of stellar trading card work. Ultra Klutz sightings at 4:30 6:30 13:45 hah hah. We were working towards the Ultra Klutz / Mightyguy jam issue for UK #10 at the time so Tim may have shined a little extra ink my way. I used to have all of these issues. Thanks for the time trip!

Keep up the videos really enjoyed it

Awesome review, as always. Yes, Ken Bailey, UFO is a good friend of mine as well as a collaboration partner. He has lots of stories that I can't wait to see formatted in this manner. The "NEWBIE" trilogy is going to be a sight to see.

Great video! I am not familiar with this zine. But I was in the UFO from around 1994 until I guess 2000 or so. I'm not sure. Met a lot of cool folks during that time!

Great review! Thanks!

The aliens in the first story remind ofr Kang and Kodos

Thanks for this video on the UFO. Great promo! Along with Steve Keeter, Jim Main, and Kurt Erichsen, I'm one of those publishers that had been a member of this co-op back in it's earliest days and we're still going strong! And that cover by Larry Blake featuring my character Madame Boogala (and her son Goomar) was in tribute for her 20th anniversary in 2007. Time flies when you are having fun! (Larry Johnson)

Thanks for the kind words about TF and the UFO, Tom. It's a definite honor to have you as a member. I think we're up to 16 members at this point. Very much enjoyed this page by page review and your FANZINE LIVE show, keep up the great work! :)

I enjoy the Hologram series, especially because it is a "slow burn." I have a number of "Sunday Reads" which are those comics I want to settle down with along with a Dr. PEPPER and Three Musketeers bar and just get lost in the story. Right now, Hologram joins Teri S. Wood's Wandering Star as one of my Sunday Reads . I like "epic" and other long form stories where I can meet the protagonists and every supporting character they can I can interact with. I sort of treat my comic tastes as neo-literature. I love worlds to explore and lives to walk along side. I try to do this with The Improbable Girl and The Wonder Kitty. Initially, many many people could not understand what I am trying to do. I want Mari and Niko to be sort of like "friends" you know. I like yo think of your Joe character in a similar way. We have to empathize and live vicariously with the character in his plight. The longer we spend with him and those around him, the more we ought to care about what he experiences.

The Helgramites is one of my faves from that era, too! I wish you'll be able to wear Matt down to republish these like you did with Heroes Past ... or better yet, do that plus finish the cliffhanger that #5 ended on!

Great artwork in these zines. Awesome review. Thanks for bringing obscure zines to the public eye💯

Chas was my best friend. Until the day he died. Shawn is my brst friend now, until the day he dies. Both are amazing artists and my Northside Minneapolis brothers. Im crying and laughing, but mostly just happy that they are both being recognized. It was super hard to self publish in the 80s, and "Yipes" was just phenomenal both as comic book art and graphic design. I was one of their groupies. I miss Chas every day

Thank you!

I would definitely make a big deal out of this one! It was a stunning issue! :)

Great review! How can I send you copies if my comic'zine for consideration for review?

Chas was the graphic designer. He was an amazing artist and had encyclopaedic knowledge of film, comics and art. We were best friends and did art and had various studios together of the years. I’ve made my living doing art since I was 16. Not a bad life. Oh and I kept changing the spelling of my name because I was wee bit pretentious back in the day. But you totally pronounced the Van Briesen part right. That rarely happens. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

Still have my copy!!!Was this the zine that blossomed into a tabloid size one or is that another one I'm thinking of? Maybe it was called Yikes!

I believe the first issue had a frazetta back cover!

Great review. Never heard of this book, might have to pick it up I like the cool art.

That cover is a master class is perspective drawing. I need to up may game

I've been checking out what I can find of this zine on the internet and now I really gotta get me that best of book! I love how the cover of issue 4 kinda looks like a Baudoin comic decades before Baudoin, or how the cover of issue 7 is literally fan art of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards. I hope your channel keeps growing dude, it's a gem! Wish you all the best.

I wish I had known him personally. Let us always share the memories of those of us who are departed. We keep the memories alive...it is our legacy as sequential artist.

Thanks for all the kind words! Glad you liked it!

Ralph Reese.

Another great video

Looks great. Love how you carried the brick wall comedy club theme throughout!

Hey, that's my husband!

Wow, it has been years since I heard of Cynicalman mini comics! I used to buy them back in the early 80's when I made my own comics! What a great blast from the past!

How very kind of you two to do this. I know Larry is looking down and smiling on you guys. And all of his small press friends. It's great to know his sufferings are over, and the memories will always live on. :)

Looks great

I still have copies. I was young and optimistic and had a pretty big print run. I'll bring some to SPACE

Interesting stuff

Thanks, Tom.

Larry is my uncle. I’ll let my mom know about this so she can see it.

Such great times! I was green as grass back then and absolutely thrilled to be included. 😊

Most of the photos presented here are by my brother Ron Corby.

Looked ok, bit 2000ad which is a good thing 👍

Big fan of Rob's DITKOMANIA! Looks like another high quality zine from him. Thanks for the ordering information.

Finding frendly comic shops is hard these days....in terms of carrying Indies and Small Press.

Excellent video. I will be reviewing this for UFO 🛸 after the next issue. I like Rob's works and plan to both use them in my lecture as a prime example of a quality Fanzine. Additionally, I plan to add your channel to a list of resources for those students.

Thanks for the review of CAPFAN #1! The back cover was an unpublished version of the cover of Cap #125 that I saw online. (I don't have any original art by Cap.)