3.21.2010

Letters to Vaughn Bode


 As is true for many, the late cartoonist Vaughn Bode was a big influence on me artistically. In the second issue of Kung Fu Grip! zine, I published a biography on the artist as well as a comic strip that I wrote and illustrated which featured some of Bode's better known cartoon characters.

A few days ago, I received an e-mail from a gentleman by the name of Dan Osterman who found my zine on Etsy. Apparently Dan was a hardcore collector of sci-fi fanzines back in the '60s and '70s, and a lot of those publications frequently featured the cartoons of Vaughn Bode.

Dan had written to tell me about a handwritten letter than Bode had sent him back in '68. At the present time, he has it posted for sale on his Etsy page.

For a fan like myself, it was really cool to see, and I'm glad that he told me about it. But I really think that Ebay would be a much better venue to sell such a rare missive.

Frankly, I also think that the price on it is a little bit on the steep side (ten Benjamins) -- even for a handwritten letter. Bode's artwork on the other hand, can command that price with ease.

Too bad he doesn't have any of Bode's sketches.

Or maybe he's actually holdin' on to those.

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