Random - Make Mine Marvel!

About 2-3 years ago I took a job in Saskatoon to work on the kids show  "Wapos Bay" .  While there I made some really great new friends and contacts  - and more specifically it was there that I met Andrew Forbes who shared the same love for comics  as I have .  We talked about everything and anything comic book related  and even spent almost a full day laughing at the 40 worst Rob Liefeld drawings. (Link: http://progressiveboink.com/archive/robliefeld.html).  Anyways, I told him about my 'letter' and he wanted to see it so eventually  I managed to dig it up from the depths of my storage facility to show to him.

Fast forward to the present day.

Currently I'm working on a comic book  of my own.  It just so happened that Andrew was in town for  "The First Days" plate shoot and we were reminiscing about Wapos Bay....and comics came up again.  That night I couldn't sleep and stayed up until 3am looking for the letter that I  had once again misplaced.   After a good two or three days it was  located in one of my  many  boxes I had left at my parent's home.   Don't worry - I  am now  framing it so I never lose it again.  This letter represents everything that has inspired all that I have done, I will do, and will never stop doing.

The story goes like this (from what I can remember):

16 years ago. September, 1995.

I get this awesome idea for a character called 'Acid Man'  - very original, I know.  I don't have the drawings anymore and I know I had drawn several villains to go with the set but those have been lost forever.  Acid Man looked very similar to Captain America but in yellow and red, and had a giant 'A' on the forehead of his mask.  He also had a cape - something Capt. America did not so you know... that made mine original.   Anyway,  I remember what the drawing looked like - just a simple line drawing, no shading, on a white piece of printer paper.  I had notes all around the sides and possibly a mock up of his vehicle. It was pretty bad ass,  in my humble opinion.

I don't remember where I got the envelope from, but I remember getting the address to the Marvel Comics studio from one of my issues of Spider-Man - I believe from the Maximum Carnage series.  My parents worked beside a Bi-Rite Drugs (now a Shoppers Drug Mart) and  I got my  Dad to send the letter out for me.

My wife,  Amy, brought up an interesting point the other night  -  what if my Dad had told me it was stupid and didn't send the letter out? What if he told me not to bother?  I'm a firm believer in things happen for a reason .   So at that point when I was about 13 years old I would have easily been convinced to do something else and everything would have been different.  This letter plays a huge part in my life's journey.

So the letter is sent and a month later I receive a response ....it's a rejection letter enclosed with my returned drawings.  I don't remember why I kept it or where I hid it to keep it in as good condition as it is today but I am very glad I did.  I know I was disappointed and felt defeated but that never stopped me and I'm very glad to be where I am now with my beautiful wife Amy, my 3 lovely boys.. err cats   and on my way to having my own studio.


And so here it is ... the letter: