With the annual San Diego Con currently in session, I thought this might be a good time to dip into the expansive Fred Sez files for my very own little convention tale – albeit an East Coast based one. Enjoy.

Odin help me, but I have absolutely ADORED this crazy painting of Marvel mogul, Stan Lee, from the very first moment I laid my poor li’l ol’ eyes on it!!

That would’ve been way back at one of those small, monthly mini-cons the late Phil Seuling regularly held in New York City during the seventies, most probably ’74 or ’75. This FOOM issue, sporting the piece as its cover, came out in late ’76, but I clearly recall having had Arnold Sawyer’s masterpiece proudly hanging on my walls for a considerable amount of time already by then. And, believe it or not, I STILL do!

Yup, along with Neal Adams’ magnificent theatrical poster for the legendary sci-fi extravaganza, WARP, this remains my most beloved piece of wall art, and as I was loading up the VCR downstairs last night, it happened to catch my eye, prompting me to think back to our very first encounter. And I also remembered that not everyone shares my exceedingly high opinion of the piece. Far from it – and, as it turned out, THAT was readily apparent right from day one…

Like I said, when I first saw it from across a crowded dealers room, I made a bee-line to the table selling it and almost immediately forked over the cash that would allow me to take home with me my very own copy of this – yes! – Pop Art Masterpiece! Hey, what’s not to like? Combined with a very skillfully done likeness of lovable ol’ Smilin’ Stan is the cleverly colorful integration of nearly a dozen of his most famous creations – AND Howard the Duck. Hey, it was the seventies, after all, and Gerber’s fowl was getting all the publicity, so it makes a certain sort of sense that his diminutive hat was included in the mix. As for the rest of ’em, I’ll bet you can all easily name each and every one of them – meaning, of course, you’ve – uh huh – spent far too much time reading @#%$ing comic books!?! Hey, join the club…

Over the ensuing years, I’d always sooner or later ask any folks who’d visit whichever room currently housed this poster just what they thought of it. The results, I’m sad to say, generally weren’t pretty. Most seemed to find it either garish, creepy, a mish-mash, or just plain ugly – and these sentiments emanated from comics fanatics and non-fans alike! Luckily, since painter Sawyer wasn’t actually involved in the comics biz, but was instead a long-time neighbor of Stan’s who did this piece to express his admiration for the Man ( AND to pocket a few bucks as well!! Hey, artists gotta eat too, y’know!…), he didn’t have to endure the slings and arrows of fourteen-year old experts. Well, not usually…

Y’see, the poor guy wasn’t immune to ALL criticism. Flash back with me one last time to that long-ago mini-con. I hadn’t started up my cartooning as of yet, so I was just another nameless fan wandering endlessly through the aisles. On maybe my 17th time circling the dealer’s room, I again found myself near the table where I’d earlier bought my rolled-up treasure. I noticed that now, sitting behind the table with its original proprietor was none other than Howard Chaykin. Well, folks, I already was a big fan of Howie’s by that point, enjoying not only his stylish artwork, but his highly individualistic approach to scripting as well. And, whenever it snuck in, his bitingly sarcastic sense of humor, too. (I subsequently met Howie on several occasions in later years, and am pleased – and somewhat relieved – to report that, yes, he was always indeed a swell guy to me! Fact is, I continue to enjoy his efforts right up to this very day – but, anecdote-wise, that’s neither here nor there….)

Back to our story, then. As I hovered around the area, hoping to overhear some memorable bon mots from one of my favorite pros, a pair of teenage boys sauntered along, eventually stopping in front of the table in question, and looked up at the poster plastered across the wall behind the sales till. They considered it for a few seconds, and then one turned to the other and muttered, “That’s just about the ugliest thing I’ve EVER seen!..”

Our man Howie apparently caught enough of this exchange to cause him to lean forward, and request that our junior art-critic repeat his assessment.

“I said, that’s gotta be the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, don’t tell me, ” Chaykin said, a sly smile starting to play across his face as he pointed to the fellow sitting over in the next chair, “Tell him – HE’S the one who painted it, after all!”

At which point, our roving critic virtually shrunk to Ant-Man-like proportions, his skin turning redder than that of the Vision’s. I’m not all too sure Arnold himself was all that comfortable either, but it WAS a funny exchange, in a sort of nasty, Chaykinesque manner.

Proving once again, ALWAYS be careful what you say when you’re out in public – you just never know when Howie might be listening!

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Copyright 2006 Fred Hembeck

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