Mary “Mary Mac” MacPherran—Doyen of the Bullpen

I have written about Mary Mac before—my first encounter with Mary was when she was Stan’s secretary at one of the odd, transitional Marvel Editorial offices. Still on Madison Avenue at (I think) 625 Mad, where the parent company (Magazine Management) was as well. I was a verve-filled messenger boy for the split-off company that had the advertising contract (Kalish, Quigley & Rosen at which my mom worked, revealing the entirety of my sordid nepotistic connections – at 667 Madison, so not much bouncing around the city… I was 13 I believe). These pics were shot at 575 Madison. Also note: Mary Mac was what everybody called her. I used to think ‘Mac’ was her last name for a long time…

I’m afraid modesty (and various direct legal threats) prevents me from showing an image of Titania to compare with one of Mary (but, comic chums, they are out there!) but here’s Mary:

Messenger boy, I say—Some time in 1968, I brought over a piece of art for Stat Man Stu Schwartzberg to fuss over and there was Mary– who was also the receptionist. This petite super blond in a neon green micro-mini skirt. The shot above is when Mary’s hair was much shorter—back then, down to the—ahem—hem line.

Mary was of Irish extraction (Irish by way of Brooklyn!). As such, a natural close chum of Marie Severin. Marie described Mary as being, “As Irish as Paddy’s pig!” Which, I understand would be taken as fighting words if not an Irishman saying it. Let it be known I am approximately 1/128 Irish so it’s okay.

On a contemporaneous note, the Marvel character Titania is coming back into prominence. In what is now known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [I go back so far, that meant “Japanese TV Spider-Man” and Movie of the Week, “Dr. Strange”—Cineaste Brown] Marvel/Disney has chosen, recently of The Good Place, star and siren Jameela Jalil to portray her!

For me, Titania was a post-modern invention of Jim Shooter’s. In 1984, Jim, who was the Exalted Editor in Chief of all things Marvel, was writing Secret Wars. This was the first edition—which Almost-As-Exalted Editor Tom DeFalco and I, Very-Debased-And-Debauched Assistant Editor, was um… editing. I may sound timorous when saying that, but you know the old expression, “Hold a tiger by the tail…” (etc.)—well, editing Jim meant not holding that tail. Jim had been writing comics and facing down editors since before he buckled his pants above the knee. So when he named a brand-new typically extra-large female character after Mary MacPherran, I figured he knows what he’s doing.

Upstairs personage Cindy Cavanaugh, fellow stat-man Mark Rogan, Mary Mac, Bullpenner Mike Higgins. All at my first Christmas Party at Marvel, January, 1979!

Mary Mac back by The Mighty Marvel Slop Sink, getting water for her plants! This was back by myself and fellow stat-man then, Robbie Carosella.

By the time I’d aged a bit and got that stat-camera operator job at Marvel, Mary was assisting Lenny Grow, Head of the Production Department. It behooves me to recap the history of how things got done up to around the time of the above picture (early 1980). The Editorial teams edited. The work we know as pencils and inks, lettering and coloring, were assigned by Lenny. It’s more complicated (for example, Legendary Letterer of Yore Danny Crespi worked with Lenny for years but was made Head of Bullpen), of course and, indeed, the Editors did have input and such. But it was Lenny who figured out who was to do what and by when. Mary was his assistant.

That’s the Rolodex of Power in the foreground. I know… what’s a Rolodex? A brand name for those little special alphabetized cards that held phone numbers and addresses. What the hell’s that roller thing in front of it? Looks like something the Mayans might use to sharpen that little knife that cuts out hearts—oh—sorry! That’s because, Mary, normally very pleasant, could become the monster that was needed to deal with freelancers. [Actually, it’s a dish of water with a roller used to wet stamps and labels, so you can spare your tongue! –Lick-Spittle Brown]

In the pic above, you can see Lenny’s desk in the background. Also the Wall of Progress! You can tell how late someone is by having each stage of comic completeness pinned in position. Thus, Mary knew everyone in comics. She was Masterful (‘Misstresful’ is a bit of a mouthful) at dealing with the sniveling wretch freelancers and all — ALL — their simple-minded excuses.

Mary Mac in the jungle of her area! The window partition separated this “Traffic” office from Production or The Bullpen. Not too long after this pic, this wall – made was moved to about the spot between Mary’s and Lenny’s desks. That then was Publishing Liaison Milt Schiffman’s office.

Mary did a lot—a lotta lotta—things. She mailed out art board, I think returned art to the creators, scripts and who knows what. She made office copies of pencils and inks. There was this horrid Savin copying machine—one of the few office models that were 11×17—the standard art board size. What made it horrid was that it was a liquid based toner. Which got everywhere and stunk. Mary did have using it down to a science—she would stack the entire book on the copy table (platen) and let it rip. This infernal contraption had a moving platen and each time it would “tag, you’re it,” Mary would rip a board out from under and place it on top. Very efficient.

NOW It Can Be Told!

All you comic enthusiasts out there have seen the “jump” point at the bottom of a page. Located just before an ad or group of ad pages. “CONTINUED AFTER NEXT PAGE.” It was Mary who Scotch Taped that strip of photostat paper down, over and over, for years on end! And those page numbers as well! She had learned a lot production tricks over the years ) I believe she was up in Glamorous Executive, Kathy Nuzelese’s Subscription Department. The last time I saw her (without camera, curse me to a shallow grave) she had risen to Executive Secretary to then Editor in Chief Bob Harras, Executive Editor Tom DeFalco—and possibly Other Executive Editor Mark Gruenwald—all three. Though I cannot recall Tom’s new and higher title (President of Executive Editors? Vice President of Vice?). Or maybe two Exec Editors was okay. (At that point, Jim Shooter had departed.)

To give a picture of how Mary Mac had circled about from Stan’s Secretary to EiC Harras’ Exec Sec. Showing the contrast of the youthful mini-dress sporting kid to the highly polished secretary—in a billowing white blouse and cowboy skirt to the floor—just demonstrated that in comics, people like the characters, are multitudes. Capable of much.

[To be thorough about Jim’s creative urge to rifle through the Phone List to find character names—also for SW#3, he included Marvel’s own Marketeer, Marsha Rosenburg as Volcania—both having been modified by quintessential villain and practical jokester, Dr. Doom –Archive Scouring Brown]