Or:
Department of Mysteries/Episode I
What … on … Earth … — !?
Many of you may recognize Editor in Chief Jim Shooter and Creator/Penciler Ron Wilson. That just-about life-size poster behind the speed bag frame is the one, the only Mohammad Ali. No doubt something to aim for when working out.
What is Jim doing? No idea. You fill in the gag.
This first image is part of a confusing narrative muddied by being 38 years old, no one having a proper memory of why this took place, half-remembered aspects, incomplete photo coverage (what I do remember is that my color images were never returned to me—my suspicion is that they were returned to the other photographer that day, Vinnie Colletta…) and none of the images shot that day seeing print.
There’s going to be many odds and ends thrown in here; it may be impossible to present a coherent story at all. (Sure, just ask Jim. You ask Jim.) The setting is Bath Beach Gym. A famous gymnasium and weight training establishment of Bay Ridge-Bensonhurst in far south Brooklyn, NY. Famous for starting many a pro-boxing career. Made more famous to this series of pictures by Jack Morelli!
Some may recognize Jack—Letterer Extraordinaire, Raconteur, Physical Culturist and Best Friend of Mine, Jack Morelli. [Yes! I have four-five “Best Friends” –settle down you Bozos – Multi-Tasker Brown] You might not recognize that sinewy forearm or bulging bicep, as Jack was much more modest around the office.
This day, Jack extended his own world of boxing to do several things—and here I veer away from the “known” and into the unknown. [Jack couldn’t remember much– neither could Mike Carlin! “Ace” Brown, PI] Jim was a boxing fan, as was Ron and when they found out that Jack was also a fan as well as training… Jim wanted a “ring” experience. Ron was already a highly trained, serious amateur boxer.
Ron had proposed a Graphic Novel, Super Boxers and was ready to punch Shooter silly till he agreed.
©Disney/Marvel
Check out that snazzy Sienkiewicz cover! Buy a couple of these and have Ron and Bill sign them at the next convention!
But wait, there’s more. Somehow Editor of All Things Universe, Mark Gruenwald, got wind of this and wanted to take videos of this event. OR: Shooter knew Mark had a video camera set-up and wanted him to video the event.
Jim had the ground-breaking idea of preparing a video of some kind to be distributed to Direct Sales Comic Shops around the country. This fight was to be tied into the selling of Super Boxers. Maybe. As I said, no pictures ever saw print. About 20-seconds of the video shot that day was used for maximum yoks in Cheap Laffs (The Cable-TV Comedy Show!).
Also pictures were to be taken. Possibly for an article about or a “behind the scenes” of the event.
Normally I don’t like to bad mouth other photographers, but Legendary Inker Vinnie Colletta, was a rank amateur who was better suited to shoot police mug shots. He used a 6x7cm Bronica camera, which is considered the “poor man’s Hasselblad.” [To be fair I used a 35mm Nikon FM, the “poor man’s Nikon.”—“Click” Brown]
I confess this series of competing photographers was all about – what else? – money. Y’see, when it came time to talk about money for the Marvel Fumetti Book, I quoted a very high price per page. I know at the time, I explained to Jim why—but I might as well have been tech talking to a bowl of soup. Jim heard the dollar amount and switched off. To be sure, Jim is not very interested in photography or the whys and hows, etc.
The photographic print needs to be made into a printing plate. A screen of dots is placed over a sheet of light-sensitive film and the image of the photo is projected onto that film. The screen breaks down the image into a collection of dots. When the film is processed you get an image made up of dots, all various sized and will look like that photo. Remember, though, that comic paper is a certain kind of low-quality. When the dot of ink is whammed down on the paper, it’s like a drop hitting a sponge. A little drop spreads a bit. It’s called by the printer devils, “dot gain.”
If you look at a regular comic, where only the colors are made with a screen, that dot gain works in the overall color’s favor—except for when all three colors are mushed together. [The “brown” family (no relation, heh) all looks the same because of this—The Brown Family] Black ink, all on its own in this Fumetti comic was going to get pretty contrasty. I knew this because I had helped Editrix Lynn Graham work on a B & W Slick book that featured someone on board the air-ship Hindenberg. Comic characters were placed in some very nice photos from the day.
So! To make the Fumetti Book as good-looking as I could, I was going to warm up my old darkroom and make low-contrast prints for every page I shot. The purpose was to give the separators something to compensate for “dot gain” with.
Darkroom chemistry and silver-based print paper was not cheap! So I think I quoted $125 per page. Jim told me he’d get back to me. He did not, he instead ran right to the only other “photographer” he knew and wondered if this was a fair price for photography.
Yes! That is Referee Bob Harras breaking up this lovely waltz.
Of course, Vinnie came from a time, in the 1950s when a loaf of bread cost a nickel and a good pair of loafers could get $5 per page for inking. I think, maybe, Vinnie quoted $35 per page. And Vinnie would hand over his film to get processed by Marvel. I planned on doing my own processing.
Thus, Vinnie was brought down to Bath Beach to “cover” this fight. I came along because Gruenwald asked me to.
One more level of confusion: Gruenwald was not one to squander a nifty opportunity like having a boxing ring for an afternoon! His Assistant Editor funny-man Mike Carlin, myself and Jack Morelli were all in the beginning or middle of making Cheap Laffs (The Cable-TV Comedy Show!)
I was not around for that bit of planning, I showed up and took pictures. Those guys gathered up Editors Ralph Macchio—his Assistant Bob Harras, Bob Budiansky and Writer Alan Zelenetz to show up and do something. Mark and Mike wrote some fabulous “Rocky” movie franchise hilarity, gave Bob a cigar, put cups on Ralph in his finest giant sweat shorts and threw them into the ring!
Who was Ralph fighting? Tune in to Episode II…
I think we know who won this contest and who put in a good showing!
©Disney/Marvel
NOT Super Boxers! But do buy a copy and make sure (Writer/Penciler) Ron signs it at the next convention!