Vintage Fanzines Now Online

Regular visitors of this blog have read about the 1971/1972 fanzine Informative On Comics in previous blog entries, such as Fanzine Flashback. Both issues have been scanned and put on the internet at their own blog located at Informative On Comics.

***

Also, Maggie Thompson, who along with her late husband Don Thompson, published fanzines in the 1960’s named Harbinger, Comic Art and Newfangles. Maggie has graciously scanned and posted those issues on the internet as well and can be found at Fandom Library.  

***

For a fun and historical look at a slice of comic book fandom decades ago check them out! Let’s hope this is a trend.

Wanted: Time Machine Pt. II

Here is another trip in the Wanted: Time Machine to the late 1930’s and 1940’s. Below is a collection of vintage comic book photos and newsstand photos found over the past several years on the world wide web, among other places. Our first installment is located here: http://doclehman.wordpress.com/category/wanted-time-machine/ More to come!

***

Iowa 1941

1939

DAMAGE: Ohio 70’s Bands

The band Damage, based primarily in Orrville, OH, was a great hard rock band that I spent time with, mainly as a roadie and some PR. They had a great following and all of the members knew how to rock, believe me!
***
If memory serves in 1978 the band rose out of the ashes of a band called Soily that Rick Thistlethwaite was in with Bill Forrer and Mike Sommers. After some slight adjustments they settled on a line-up consisting of guitarists Jerry Kirven (Fat Taxi) and Mark Good, drummer Tom ‘Bones’ Morrison, bassist Michael Johnson and singer Rick Thistlethwaite. Rick Gidley joined the band as the light and sound technician.
***
The band played primarily hard rock in the J. Geils Band-ZZ Top-Thin Lizzy vein and within a year had a large following. In addition to covers the band played several originals and soon was playing throughout the Wayne-Holmes-Ashland-Stark-Summit county areas in clubs and bars including the Hitchin’ Post, Columbo’s/Grouchos, Fort Fizzle and many others. Some of the theatres/clubs they played included the Castle Theatre in Millersburg, OH (where they set subsequent attendance records) and the Theatrical in Wooster. They also played venues like the Sportsman Club and various outdoor events including support for Savoy Brown/Kim Simmonds at Wayne County Speedway.
***
A great, tight sound, stage presence and one hell of a following, when the music stopped the D-A-M-A-G-E was done!
***
Unfortunately on January 24, 2008 Michael Johnson, Damage’s bass player who Kim Simmonds remarked could go to the “big time”, passed away at age 48.
***
Below are photos of Damage in action from December 31, 1979 at the Castle Theatre. Photos were taken by Gary ‘Plastic’ Fulmer.

Rick Thistlethwaite, Bones Morrison, Jerry Kirven

The great one: Michael Johnson

Rick Thistlethwaite

 

Rick Gidley, theatre mgmt., Michael Johnson, Doc Lehman

 

Doc & Bones

Doc can be contacted at: DocLehman@sssnet.com

Led Zep’s ‘77 Tour

 

This past Christmas my younger brother was given the complete Led Zeppelin remastered box set edition of their catalogue from his stepson (and he listened to the CDs on his way to and from Daytona when he went down for Speedweeks last month) and after hearing him talk about the mighty Zeppelin we recounted the much anticipated 1977 Led Zep tour.
***
When word was announced they would tour everyone in northeast Ohio and beyond were fired up immediately. Scheduled for the Coliseum in Richfield, OH for two nights, the promoters threw a monkey wrench into the ticket buying process. They decreed that to have a chance to purchase tickets it had to be done by mail order using money orders and the orders had to be postmarked on a selected date in order to have a chance to buy tickets. I think they limited each order to only four (4) tickets per order.
***
So the night before tickets were to be accepted Flash and I had purchased several money orders and used our names and addresses as well as various brothers and sisters and drove up to Richfield the night before so we could drop our orders off at the Richfield post office right at midnight. We weren’t the only ones to think of that as there appeared to be a caravan snaking through the small town of Richfield to the post office.
***
A couple weeks later we were thrilled when we each received tickets for both nights! We sold the remaining tickets and each kept two for both nights. The first night was April 27, 1977 and we took dates. The second night, April 28, 1977, we went solo with a couple of buddies to raise hell and have fun. We did. Amazing shows! We were extremely happy we were able to see them on two consecutive nights let alone one and I’m glad we did because that was the last chance we had to see Led Zeppelin as it turned out.
***
We had procured tickets for the August 9, 1977 show at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh but that was eventually cancelled when Robert Plant’s son passed away at the end of July. When they announced the next tour in 1980 I dutifully ordered tickets but before they could be processed word came out that drummer John Bonham had died. That was the end of Led Zeppelin as we knew them.
***
But the Richfield Coliseum shows were outstanding. ‘An Evening With Led Zeppelin’ is seared into my memory banks and I’m glad I had the chance to catch them on that tour. I bought the T-Shirts (one white, one black, both now long gone) as did my brother. He still has his. A number of years ago some company reissued those ’77 t-shirts and while at an area mall once I noticed a young man wearing one who wasn’t even born when that tour happened. As I passed him in a record store I mentioned ‘Nice shirt! I bought mine at a Led Zep concert in ‘77’. He stopped in his tracks and proceeded to grill me for 15 minutes on the band and the Richfield appearances.
***
As you may know Led Zep reformed for several concerts in England recently with Jason Bonham on drums. They may or may not do a USA tour (a local radio station reported last week that Robert Plant was against it) so we’ll see. But if they do, this old man just may make the effort to check them out again.
***
If I can get tickets!

Mistreater: Ohio 70’s Bands

Mistreater was a band that was formed towards the latter part of the 70’s with primarily Wayne County band members. The original line-up included Larry Nottingham – guitar; Ronnie Wilmoth – guitar; Kurt Luedy – singer; Donnie Frase – drummer and Tom Piarowski – bass. You could consider them a hard rock band but I’d have to say they leaned more towards the heavy metal side. It wasn’t long before they started playing gigs all around north central Ohio including gigs in Wooster, Creston, Burbank, Medina, Orrville, Millersburg and elsewhere. They soon became one of the top ‘local’ bands in terms of talent and popularity.
***
“A co-worker from Frito-Lay, Paul Leatherman, told me of two friends of his (both guitarists) who were looking for a bass player,” related bass player Tom Piarowski recently on the formation of Mistreater. Piarowski was in the band Red Dog prior to Mistreater. “He took me and my equipment to meet up with these two in one of their mobile homes. I got there and these guys sat on the couch and one would play a crunchy metal rhythm pattern while the other did this mind blowing lead, then they would switch…. then they progressed to dual leads. Meanwhile my jaw fell to the floor. I had never seen anything like these guys - at least in a mobile home in Wayne County!”
***
”Larry Nottingham and Ronnie Wilmoth were their names and I joined them and singer Kurt Luedy and drummer Donnie Frase to form Mistreater. We did mostly originals with a few covers like some early UFO and we even did Stranglehold by Nugent. Larry did the entire song’s leads note for note. We practiced and performed at a place called Strip’s Party Barn in Burbank. It was the upstairs of a garage/barn that some friends turned into a club. We did monthly keg parties there and finally ‘progressed’ to playing the Hitching Post in Creston.”
***
“We ended up gaining the reputation as the loudest and heaviest band to ever play there and even broke the highest attendance records set there by a local band named WR Gas every time we played there. We played local parties and stuff like that. My last gig with Mistreater was a big outdoor event at Strip’s place outside.”
***
“We were headliners with a really great band from Cleveland warming us up. Typical interpersonal differences, to be polite, caused Ronnie Wilmoth and me to break from the band and go on to something new after that outdoor gig. Larry continued Mistreater with a new bassist as a foursome and put out a couple recordings that as I have read are early metal jems that are collectable now.”
***
After Piarowski and Wilmoth left to form Toprow with Steve Hanna (guitarist) and Jerry Shell (drummer), Steve Walker joined Mistreater as the new bass player and in the early 80’s the band released the HELL’S FIRE album in 1981. A half dozen years later they released their second and final album, SWAMI before disbanding altogether.

Smoke ‘N Ash: Ohio 70’s Bands

 

Smoke ‘N Ash photo by Cid-Mor

Smoke ‘N Ash was a band that was formed circa 1974 with Scott Miller of Orrville; Dave Bennett of Canal Fulton and Jeff Nichols of Massillon. They lasted until the latter part of 1977. I don’t have any notes left from back in the day and a cloudy memory hampers me but I do remember them being a tight hard rock band that played covers and some originals. I can say without hesitation that they played one of the best versions of Train Kept ‘a Rollin’ that I have ever heard. It burned!

***

Among the many venues Smoke ‘N Ash played over the years was the Thrillseeker in Rittman, Massillon Legion, the 9th Street Union Hall in Massillon, the Moose and Columbo’s in Orrville and various other clubs and outdoor events throughout Wayne, Stark, Holmes and Medina counties.

A Lifetime Of Impact From A 5th Grade Teacher

 

 Mrs. Jill Hyde’s 5th Grade class at Apple Creek (OH)  Elementary school - February 4, 1969.

***

1st Row (Front): Karen Ries, Jo Etta Miller, Bonnie Peppler, Brenda Cowger, Patsy Swick, Kathy Holcomb, Brenda Troyer

***

2nd Row: Rick Poling, Doc Lehman, Ruby Nussbaum, Matt Amstutz, Clayton Miller, Russell Geiser, Curt Raber, Monty Young

***

3rd Row: Ralph Deal, Lynn Orr, Beth Boldman, Denise Mudge, Cheryl Lehman, Ronnie Stoltzfus, Kim Stauffer, Betty Weaver

***

Back Row: Faline Fry, Jim LeMay, Bill Kennedy, Ruth Musser, Sara Dickerson, Keith Rowland, Patricia Schneider, Bill Chupp ***

Motivation is everything and as a wannabe writer I had been motivated by several influential sources during my youth, primarily my Aunt Margie but also from three teachers I had. I’ve always wanted to write, ever since second grade. In second grade I wrote a story as an assignment, it was on the Pony Express of all things, and my teacher (Mrs. Dunham) at Apple Creek Elementary School just blew me away with her praise. I remember reading it after it was returned (with an ‘A’) and thinking, egotistically of course, that ‘hey, this ain’t too bad’. I was hooked on writing and creating.It goes back to my aunt.

***

My aunt, who lived next door for several years, taught me to read and write before I entered kindergarten. All I did growing up was read and write. Well, in between raising cain and getting my butt paddled! But a real boost also came from my fifth grade teacher, Jill Hyde.

***

When school started that year Mrs. Hyde was new to Apple Creek Elementary here in Ohio and I remember hearing my mother and others talking about the new (‘gorgeous’) teacher that arrived and that she was a no-nonsense teacher who strived to motivate and educate and push her students to excel.

***

When school started that year it rapidly became evident that Mrs. Hyde was, in a positive way, tough. Her job was to educate and that she did! And she stressed that to obtain good grades one had to earn it. And that’s the way it was. She was a bit of a taskmaster but in looking back it is clear she challenged all of us to do better, work harder and learn more. And when you achieved in those areas she was full of praise and encouragement, something all of us, especially myself, needed. When you didn’t achieve she exhibited compassion, concern and a willingness to help. In a nutshell, she was terrific.

***

Her encouragement, praise and constructive criticism went a long way in my decision to try and become a published writer. I remember specific incidences when I would write a class report or a book report and got that proverbial pat on the back. To please Mrs. Hyde and draw praise from her meant the world to me. One wanted to do well just for her. And not just because she was the most young & beautiful teacher I (and we) had ever had or seen in a school! She had that quality to bring the absolute best out of her students regardless of their limitations. She just commanded respect and we were happy to give it, willingly and earnestly. The first time that I can remember actually going that extra mile and putting forth extra effort for any school-related work came willingly, in her class.

***

I have considerable memories and recollections from that year in grade school and they all come back to Mrs. Hyde and her style of teaching and interacting. She encouraged my love of reading (each morning she would read a chapter of LITTLE BRITCHES by Ralph Moody to the class) and writing.

***

Within three years I was being published in comic book fanzines and soon after my career in motorsports journalism began at age 16 and lasted for the next 34 years resulting in being inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2006 after three decades of work in national and international motorsports publications in addition to local newspapers. A big part of that came from the motivation, compassion, interest and encouragement of Mrs. Jill Hyde.

***

Four or five years ago I made contact with her through the internet. We emailed several times and she very generously and graciously sent me a class photo from the year I was in her class. Soon after my computer crashed, losing all data, files, documents and email addresses including hers and I unfortunately lost contact with this wonderful lady.

***

But even though it’s been close to 40 years I will never forget her kindness, consideration and compassion she displayed not only to myself but to the entire class.  She was, to reiterate, a wonderful, classy and thoroughly professional educator and I am grateful that I was fortunate enough to be a student of hers.

***

Above is the class photo she sent. It’s 39 years old! But what memories! (I got my first kiss from a girl in that class, in Mrs. Hyde’s classroom!) All those students were some pretty great individuals and I am positive they all went on to achieve great things in their lives. I recall some fun times with those students and remember having stay-overs and birthday parties with guys like Rick Poling, Monty Young and Ronnie Stoltzfus, among others. The only dummy in that class was me! So she had 30 successes out of 31 students. Pretty terrific stats I’d say!

***

Contact Doc at: DocLehman@sssnet.com

Confession: I Read 16 Magazine (44 Years Ago)

I have a confession to make. I once read 16 Magazine. Now before you call my manhood into question let me elaborate. Back in ’64 when the Beatles hit my older sister Cheryl and cousin Sue were your typical early 60’s teenyboppers and they had Beatlemania like you wouldn’t believe! Cousin Sue had all the LPs and 45’s and got all, and I mean all of the magazines like 16, Tiger Beat and the rest. You couldn’t go into a drug store or grocery store without seeing them in the magazine racks. 

***

I can remember when the British Invasion was in full force Sue and her family moved to Ghent, OH. When visiting them and, loving the Beatles and all things rock ‘n roll, I would go through her stack of teen magazines and read them (I was all of eight or nine years old). More often than not when we would visit Sue would invariably give Cheryl back issues of the ones she missed. (If there was a poster of the Beatles, Tommy James or Sonny & Cher, for example, Cheryl would have them on her bedroom walls or school locker.)

***

 Fast forward a couple years and it soon became apparent (due to peer pressure…and taste) that 16 Magazine (and the rest of that ilk) were for girls only and no way would a guy buy or read them! So by 1968 they were off limits. Once the 70’s hit I remember my kid sister, five years my junior, buying those magazines plastered with David Cassidy, the Defranco family, Donny Osmond and whoever else was the flavor of the month. I vividly remember giving her hell and constantly teasing her for reading such ‘baby crap’ magazines when she could be reading my Creem, Rolling Stone, Circus, Crawdaddy or any of the other ‘true’, ‘adult’ magazines.  

***

Of course, (*harrumph*) when I read 16 Magazine for a couple years it featured the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who and all the rest of the ‘mature’ rock bands, no bubble gum in sight (have I justified myself yet?). But in all honesty, it would be a kick to be able to leaf through and read a couple of them from 1964-1966 today, just for the sake of nostalgia and to remember the innocence of a different time and era. 

***

Do they still publish the thing?

***

For my recollections (and obession) on 70’s rock ‘n roll magazines visit this entry: Biology & Rock ‘N Roll ‘Literature’

***

Support The Brian Epstein Campaign!

 

I’m not much of a fan of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame anymore, what with their wacked out bizarre selections of recent years but there is a website run by a group of people actively trying to get a special person finally inducted and this particular person more than proves the point that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is crazed and losing credibility: Brian Epstein. 

***

Over the past 40-some years I have read and heard a multitude of people say, “Where would rock & roll be without the Beatles?” True. But where would the Beatles have been without Brian Epstein? As has been the case very single year since the start of the Hall of Fame - his name has never been included on the list of non-performers selected by the Hall’s Nominating Committee to be considered for induction.

***

The Campaign To Have Mister Brian Epstein Inducted Into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has an online petition going and if you have any love of rock & roll and/or the Beatles take one minute and stop by and sign it! Go to BrianEpstein.com – the Official Website dedicated to celebrating the life and achievements of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Go now!

Fanzine Flashback After 33 Years

***

A blast from my past showed up in the mail today. A little comic fanzine that was published 36 years ago, and one that I haven’t seen in 33 years, magically appeared thanks to Doug Supila. Informative On Comics came to life in 1971 in, as I mentioned in a previous blog entry on CPL, the throes of junior high school. My pal and fellow collector Mike ‘Buck’ Humrichouser and I produced two issues of this fanzine, one on the fall of 1971 and then the second in March 1972 (cover dated April ’72).

***

As I mentioned prior we were avid devourers of fanzines back then and I always looked forward to receiving such ‘zines as Stan’s Weekly Express, RBCC, The Collector, Alan Light’s TBG, The Comic Reader, Etcetera, CPL, Fantastic Fanzine, Epoch, Eclipse, Comics Blast, The Journal (Canadian tabloid), Mirkwood Times, The Media (out of NYC I think, would love to have a couple of those again), Big Barda Believers, Comic Crusader, Wonderful World of Comics, Inside Comics, Steranko’s Comixscene and scads of others. 

***

Once we decided to produce a fanzine we dutifully rented a post office box, named our ‘company’ Hudom Comics (a combo of our names), put together an advertisement using my Dad’s typewriter and some horrible sketches I drew (Cyclops is one I remember) and purchased an ad in The Buyer’s Guide For Comics Fandom. I have no idea how many we sold, possibly 25 or 30 maybe out of a print run of 100 for the first one. We had a print run of 125 for the second one and I know we had more orders for that one due, we assumed, to the Steranko factor. We probably mailed out another 30 or more for free (and for reviews) and gave the rest away to our friends. We also made sure our principal and selected teachers received one.) If memory serves I think we sold them for a whopping twenty cents! 

***

The first issue was all mimeo and the second one a combination of printing. The main portion was done using stencils and the remainder good old ditto. Buck’s mother, who worked for the county school administration, supplied us with the stencils and Richard Smith, our principal at John R. Lea Intermediate School in Apple Creek, OH, allowed the school secretary to print copies off for us! And despite quoting us a price, he never charged us for paper or ink or use of the machine. He was probably happy we were doing something other than sneaking out back to smoke a cigarette. 

***

Three years later in a move made by my parents to a new home the container with all my remaining copies of Informative On Comics, in addition to a large collection of other fanzines, was lost (as were the containers housing my kid brother’s comic book collection). So I haven’t laid eyes on a copy of either of the two issues since 1975. Until today, that is. 

***

A couple weeks ago while surfing the net I came across Doug Supila’s website. Suplia owns Doug Suplia’s Comic World, a retailer of all things fanzine (and every thing else). I had to laugh when I discovered his website because I remembered his advertisements in the old adzines in the 70’s. So while going down through this monster list of vintage fanzines I unexpectedly, and quite surprisingly, discovered he had a copy of Informative On Comics #2! I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t think any copies existed anymore anywhere! 

***

For years and years I always assumed they were all gone and none existed. I never thought anyone would keep them. Glad I was wrong! It was a real rush, to say the least, pulling it out of the packaging and seeing it after all these years. I damn near got a chill running down my back when I first opened it. Like being submerged in a nostalgia tsunami.

***

Informative On Comics #2 is a ten-page, one-sided fanzine that was produced in March 1972 and cover dated April 1972. The cover (Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD) was drawn and lettered by John A. Mozzer, who I began to correspond with after the first issue of IOC. Mozzer also supplied a very detailed three-page Supergraphics checklist. (Mozzer lived in a nearby town near Reading, PA and struck up a friendship with Jim Steranko.) Also in issue #2 Buck and I editorialize, and there are various features (secret identities), news (comics & fanzine) and reviews by Buck and I, Mozzer and (Kim) Haven Metzger.

***

I’ve had it for 12 hours now and I’m about as giddy as one of my grandsons on Christmas morning. Long forgotten memories have begun to return and it does this battered, beaten and worn-out old ticker of mine good to reflect and contemplate a bit of the past. It also serves as a somewhat grim reminder of exactly how many years have passed!

***

I think I’m going to put it in a safe place and save it for the grandsons. And if anyone by any chance at all has a copy of Informative On Comics #1, let me know!

***

NOTE: Doug Supila’s Comic World gave me fantastic service and the effort they put in to securing orders prior to shipping is remarkable. Quality service. You can check out the website at Doug Supila’s Comic World

***

 

Doc can be contacted at: DocLehman@sssnet.com