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50-457: With "Bullpen Bulletins", Lee created the friendly, chatty editorial voice of Marvel Comics — "a style that could be characterized as High Hipster — two parts Lord Buckley , one part Austin Powers ", putting "himself on a first-name basis with the readership at a time when the rival DC editors generally came across... as... stodgy adults". The "Bullpen Bulletins" page was where Lee rhapsodized about

100-423: A " Crusty Bunker " for Neal Adams ' Continuity Associates in 1977. At one point Milgrom lived in the same Queens apartment building as artists Walter Simonson , Howard Chaykin , and Bernie Wrightson . Simonson recalls, "We'd get together at 3 a.m. They'd come up and we'd have popcorn and sit around and talk about whatever a 26, 27 and 20-year-old guys talk about. Our art, TV, you name it. I pretty much knew at

150-457: A "Bullpen Bonus Page", which hosted the checklist, fan page information, and announcements; freeing up the original "Bullpen Bulletins" page for the cherished "inside info" traditionally featured in that spot. For the most part during these years, however, the page retained the tone and flavor of when Lee edited it. During Jim Shooter's tenure as editor-in-chief, "Bullpen Bulletins" underwent various format changes. An abbreviated checklist returned,

200-760: A daughter Laurie (b. 1951) and a son Richard (b. 1952). In the autumn of 1960, Buckley's manager Harold L. Humes organized a series of club dates in New York City, and arranged for him to make another appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (that was broadcast from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York). However, on October 19, 1960, while Buckley was making a public appearance at the Jazz Gallery in St. Mark's Place in Manhattan,

250-424: A hardcover edition limited to 250 copies. Author Jonathan Lethem : ...a page of Marvel gossip and advertising featured in every issue of every comic, written in a style that could be characterized as High Hipster — two parts Lord Buckley, one part Austin Powers. Stan Lee was a writer gone Barnum, who'd abandoned new work in favor of rah-rah moguldom. He was Marvel's media liaison and their own biggest in-house fan,

300-478: A heart attack in 1996. In the late 1990s, Stan Lee returned to writing the Bullpen Bulletins column. Readers were invited to write to Lee with questions, and anyone whose question was chosen to be answered in the column received a Marvel No-Prize . In 1999, Marvel began running Chris Giarrusso 's "Bullpen Bits" strip on the "Bullpen Bulletins" page. Many of the strips featured "Mini-Marvels", cutesy takes on

350-589: A license could mean arrest, revoking cards could permanently end careers – a threat that had been used in the past for political purposes or to solicit payoffs from performers. At a hearing two days later to have his card reinstated, Buckley was supported by more than three dozen major figures in the entertainment and arts world. However, it developed into a confrontation between NYPD Commissioner Stephen P. Kennedy and Buckley's friends and supporters, including Quincy Jones , George Plympton , and Norman Mailer . Three weeks later, on November 12, 1960, Buckley died from

400-490: A lot of slack. In 1982, in an edition of "Bullpen Bulletins", then Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter defined and described the Marvel Bullpen: [I]n the old days, virtually every comics company had a big room where all the artists and writers sat together, creating their works of four-color wonder. Creative folks generally being the garrulous sort, typically, quite a bit of 'bull' got tossed around these legendary rooms, so

450-643: A regular basis, inking a variety of titles. Beginning in the early 2000s, Al Milgrom freelanced for DC again, providing inks for titles like Mystery in Space (vol. 2), Ambush Bug: Year None , and Strange Adventures (vol. 3). In 2009, Cleburne: A Graphic Novel , written and pencilled by Justin S. Murphy and inked by Al Milgrom, was nominated for the Independent Book Publishers Association's Benjamin Franklin Awards . In 2016, Milgrom

500-500: A schmoozer. Writer Mark Evanier : I... really liked the friendly editorial 'voice' [Lee] established in his letter columns, house ads and especially in the 'Bullpen Bulletins'. He put himself on a first-name basis with the readership at a time when the rival DC editors generally came across not only as adults but stodgy adults. He simultaneously bragged about the greatness of Marvel and expressed such humility that when they screwed up, as they occasionally did, you were willing to cut them

550-517: A story arc for The Amazing Spider-Man and collaborated with Danny Fingeroth on The Deadly Foes of Spider-Man limited series. Milgrom has been a prolific inker, working on most of Marvel's line. He served an eight-year stint as the inker of X-Factor in 1989–1997. He inked Ron Frenz on Thor in 1991–1993 and Thunderstrike from 1994 to 1995. Other series he has worked on include Captain America , Generation X , The Micronauts , and

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600-563: A stroke at New York City's Columbus Hospital . His funeral was at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel at 81st Street and Madison Avenue in New York City on November 16, 1960. Buckley was cremated at the Ferndale Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. The scandal of Buckley's death, partially attributed to the seizure of his cabaret card, helped lead to the transfer of authority over cabaret cards from

650-415: Is an American comic book writer, penciller , inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics . He is known for his 10-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare ; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker on Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man ; his four-year tenure as West Coast Avengers penciller; and his long stint as the inker of X-Factor . He often inks Jim Starlin 's work. Milgrom

700-405: Is one of the tracks on the 1969 bootleg recording Great White Wonder . Composer David Amram composed a concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra titled Ode to Lord Buckley , and dedicated it to Buckley's memory. Arlo Guthrie has cited Lord Buckley and Bill Cosby as the primary inspirations behind his song " Alice's Restaurant ". George Harrison 's solo song " Crackerbox Palace "

750-566: Is the co-creator of DC superhero Firestorm . Al Milgrom grew up in Detroit , Michigan, and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1972. Milgrom started his comics career in 1972 as an assistant for inker Murphy Anderson . During that period, Milgrom contributed to Charlton Comics ' Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves , Star*Reach , and comics published by Warren Publishing and Atlas/Seaboard , before joining with Marvel. Milgrom also worked as

800-619: The Uncanny X-Men . Milgrom inked the limited series A-Next , J2 , Marvel: The Lost Generation , and Thanos . He was additionally an inker on The Spectacular Spider-Man from 1996 to 1998. In 2001 Milgrom was fired from his Marvel staff job when it was discovered he had added hidden slanderous comments against then editor-in-chief Bob Harras in the background of a page in the comic book Universe X Special: Spidey . Milgrom went on to freelance for Marvel, mostly inking Jim Starlin 's work. He also started to work for Archie Comics on

850-472: The British aristocracy . Buckley enjoyed smoking marijuana . He wrote reports of his first experiences with LSD , under the supervision of Dr. Oscar Janiger , and of his trip in a United States Air Force jet. Lord Buckley claimed to have been married six times. He had a son, Fred Buckley. His final marriage was to dancer Elizabeth Hanson (whom he referred to in public as "Lady Buckley"), with whom he had

900-641: The Marquis de Sade ("The Bad-Rapping of the Marquis de Sade, the King of Bad Cats"). He retold several classic documents such as the Gettysburg Address and a version of Edgar Allan Poe 's " The Raven ." In " Mark Antony 's Funeral Oration", he recast Shakespeare 's "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" as "Hipsters, flipsters, and finger-poppin' daddies: knock me your lobes." Reportedly, some of his comic material

950-550: The New York Police Department (NYPD) stopped him over allegations he had "falsified information" on his application to get a New York City cabaret card ; specifically he had omitted to record a 1941 arrest for marijuana possession. Cabaret cards had been a legal requirement since Prohibition for anyone, including performers, who wished to work in New York's nightclubs or the entertainment industry. Because working without

1000-492: The No-Prize , were popularized there as well. Lee often used "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" and "Stan's Soapbox" to needle other comic book publishers, which he referred to as the "Distinguished Competition" (i.e., DC) or, more disparagingly, "Brand Echh". "Brand Echh" was a play on an advertising convention of the time, in which a competitor's product was not referred to by name, but simply as "Brand X". The tone of "Bullpen Bulletins"

1050-531: The Marvel "bullpen", the stable of in-house creators who produced the company's comics. He often bestowed colorful sobriquets on Marvel staffers and creators; nicknames such as Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby permeated into mass culture. The fictional Marvel staffer Irving Forbush also appeared regularly — as the butt of Lee's humor. Similarly, phrases like "Excelsior!", "'Nuff said", "True Believer", and "Make Mine Marvel", as well as other company mainstays like

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1100-572: The alliterative subtitle with "Zounds! A Zealful Zetetic of Zestful Zanies to Zap the Zeitgeist", which ran in Marvel Comics cover-dated June 1977. "Stan's Soapbox" first appeared in the "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" of June 1967. Later on, when filling in for Lee in the space that was originally slotted for "Stan's Soapbox", Thomas's column would be titled "Roy's Rostrum". With Stan Lee's stepping down as editor-in-chief in 1972, "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins"

1150-616: The colorful nicknames for Marvel staffers — in favor of a new idiosyncratic voice where Shooter wrote in the first person and even signed his name. New innovations included guest columns written by various freelancers, a Hype Box, and tongue-in-cheek photo features. In the early 1980s, Shooter also created a separate page, titled "Bullpen Bulletins Specials", which ran only in Marvel's direct market titles Moon Knight , Ka-Zar , and Micronauts . These "Bullpen Bulletins Specials" featured Shooter's interviews with various Marvel creative talents. In 1983, Shooter launched Marvel Age , which

1200-402: The company (corresponding with comics cover-dated February 1987), there were no "Bullpen Bulletins" for three months. Tom DeFalco took over Marvel's editorial reins in 1987, and for the first time, someone other than the editor-in-chief was put in charge of "Bullpen Bulletins": writer/editor Mark Gruenwald . During this period, a single-panel comic called "The Bull's Eye" was often featured on

1250-791: The early 1940s. During World War II, Buckley performed extensively for armed services on USO tours, where he formed a lasting friendship with Ed Sullivan . In the 1950s, Buckley hit his stride with a combination of exaggeratedly aristocratic bearing and carefully enunciated rhythmic hipster slang. He was known for wearing a waxed mustache along with white tie and tails. He sometimes wore a pith helmet . Occasionally performing to music, he punctuated his monologues with scat singing and sound effects. His most significant tracks are retellings of historical or legendary events, like "My Own Railroad" and "The Nazz". The latter, first recorded in 1952, describes Jesus' working profession as "carpenter kitty." Other historical figures include Gandhi ("The Hip Gahn") and

1300-530: The first time — embedded in the Special Announcements Section — in Fantastic Four #33 (Dec. 1964). A separate "The Merry Marvel Bullpen Page" appeared in comics cover-dated July and August 1965, but the checklist and special announcements were still on the letters pages. Finally, the first stand-alone "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" page, complete with checklist and special announcements, debuted in

1350-489: The future — whenever [Stan Lee]'s got some big news to announce and he can spare ten minutes to write! ...We'll also present on this page occasional announcements, gossip, news, and nonsense from Al Milgrom , Denny O'Neil , Jim Salicrup , and Louise Jones , pertaining to the particular comics and magazines they edit. You'll also hear from Larry Hama about CRAZY! doings... and once in a while Archie Goodwin, Editorial Director of EPIC ILLUSTRATED , will enlighten us all about

1400-437: The gossipy "Items" came and went, and except for one month in 1981, the page disappeared entirely from Marvel's books. When it returned in issues cover-dated January 1982, the page was missing the checklist and "Stan's Soapbox", and was for the first time actually signed by its author: Shooter. Shooter rededicated the page on its return, promising readers that: "Soapbox Specials" which will appear on this page from time to time in

1450-435: The idea from. I do know that talking to the readers informally and indirectly seemed like the natural thing to do". What became "Bullpen Bulletins" started out as part of the letters section of Marvel's flagship title Fantastic Four . This two-page section often concluded with a "Special Announcements Section" where Lee responded to general letters and promoted other Marvel titles. "The Mighty Marvel Checklist" appeared for

1500-508: The issue's cover-dated December 1965. For many years, starting around this time, each edition of "Bullpen Bulletins" included an alliterative subtitle. The first one read "More mirthful, monumental, mind-staggering memoranda from your Marvel madmen!" Other memorable subtitles include "A Profound Potpourri of Perplexing Pronouncements and Preposterous Philosophy, all Portending Practically Nothing!", and "A Riotous Roundup of Ridiculous Rumors and Rabelaisian Reports". Editor Archie Goodwin eliminated

1550-422: The latest goings on in his domain... In between all those special things, I'll be giving you the general lowdown on things Marvel-ous. I'm not Stan Lee, but as Editor-in-Chief, I am right here in the middle of things, and I can fill you in on most of the important current events. And I will. Throughout the rest of his tenure, Shooter gradually did away with the traditional tone of the page — for instance, eliminating

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1600-420: The nickname 'bullpen' was a natural.... At any rate, these days, most comics artists and writers prefer to work in their own studios, but, still, here at Marvel, we have a big room, a production bullpen, where all of our art/production people work doing our paste-ups, lettering corrections, art corrections, and such — and even though the editorial folks are bunched in small offices off to the sides we still refer to

1650-468: The occasion, at least two original compositions were unveiled, with Gonzales debuting "Old McDonald Did the Twist" and Monk performing "The Lord Buckley Blast." Buckley's work has been sampled by Jaylib and Madvillain . Only four albums and three singles were released in his lifetime, but many collections have been released since, including: Al Milgrom Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950)

1700-606: The oilfields. He moved to Galveston, Texas where he got a job at the Million Dollar Aztec Theatre. By the mid-1930s, he was performing as emcee in Chicago at Leo Seltzer 's dance marathons at the Chicago Coliseum , In the late 1930s he worked for Al Capone who described Buckley as "the only person who can make me laugh" - Capone set Buckley with his own club, Chez Buckley , on Western Avenue where he through

1750-475: The page. Created by Rick Parker and Barry Dutter , "The Bull's Eye" often featured DeFalco, as well as Gruenwald, who was often depicted as a caricature and foil for DeFalco's antics. Other recurring "Bullpen Bulletins" features during Gruenwald's rein included the "Pro File", short Marvel Handbook -style profiles of Marvel staff-members; and the "COOLometer", a light-hearted list of current pop-culture fads. Gruenwald edited "Bullpen Bulletins" until his death of

1800-584: The police to the Licensing Department. Ed Sullivan reflected, "he was impractical as many of his profession are, but the vivid Buckley will long be remembered by all of us." "The jingle-jangle morning" in " Mr. Tambourine Man " is a phrase Bob Dylan said he took from Lord Buckley. from the line, "Jingle jangle bells all over", in "Scrooge." Early in his career Dylan performed " Black Cross ", one of Lord Buckley's signature pieces, originally written in 1948 by Joseph S. Newman . Dylan's version

1850-646: The sense that life's most immortal truths lie in the inextricable weaving together of love and irony—affection for all humanity married to laughter." Buckley's unique stage persona anticipated aspects of the Beat Generation sensibility, and influenced contemporary figures as varied as Dizzy Gillespie , Lenny Bruce , Wavy Gravy , Del Close , and, even after Buckley's death, Ken Kesey , George Harrison , Tom Waits , Frank Zappa , Robin Williams , and Jimmy Buffett . Bob Dylan , in his book Chronicles , said "Buckley

1900-605: The song is performed "with much respect to Lord Richard Buckley." Buffett performed his version less frequently after being sued for copyright infringement by Buckley's son in 1983. This lawsuit prompted the writing of "The Lawyer and the Asshole." George Carlin , during his acceptance speech at the Second Annual Comedy Hall Of Fame Awards, mentioned a long list of his comedy influences, and ended with "the great, great, great Lord Buckley." This can be heard in

1950-484: The streets of Tuolumne, singing for coins from passersby. When he was a bit older, Buckley got a job in the local lumber camps as a "tree topper," which was considered an especially dangerous position. It involved climbing up to the very top of a tall tree, cutting off the tip and then securing ropes that would guide the rest of the tree as it was felled. After quitting his job in Tuolumne, he travelled to Mexico to work in

2000-693: The televised show. A feature-length documentary, Too Hip for the Room: The Righteous Reign of Lord Buckley was released in 2016. On December 5, 1960, largely on the initiative of WEVD 's Mort Fega, a jazz memorial tribute to the late Buckley—as well as a benefit fundraiser for his widow and children—was held at the same venue in which he had last performed, the Jazz Gallery in New York. Participants included, among others, Ornette Coleman , Dizzy Gillespie , Dizzy Reece , Thelonious Monk , Ed Blackwell , Nick Stabulas , and Babs Gonzales , as well as comedians Orson Bean and Larry Storch . For

2050-582: The time, 'These are the good ole days.'" Milgrom came to prominence as a penciller on Captain Marvel from 1975 to 1977. He penciled the Guardians of the Galaxy feature in Marvel Presents , which was written by Steve Gerber and Roger Stern . Milgrom worked as editor at DC Comics from 1977 to 1978. While at DC, he co-created Ronnie Raymond , the original Firestorm , with writer Gerry Conway . Milgrom

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2100-399: The various Marvel heroes as kids. Marvel discontinued the "Bullpen Bulletins" page in 2001. In January 2009, Marvel Comics/ The Hero Initiative published Stan's Soapbox: The Collection ( ISBN   0979760291 ), a 144-page softcover containing all the "Stan's Soapbox" columns from 1967 to 1980, with commentary from Joe Quesada , Roy Thomas, and many others. The book was also published in

2150-733: The whole shebang as the Marvel Bullpen . It's a tradition dating back to the days when we actually were a one-room operation! Lord Buckley Lord Richard Buckley (born Richard Myrle Buckley ; April 5, 1906 – November 12, 1960) was an American stand-up comedian and recording artist, who in the 1940s and 1950s created a character that was, according to The New York Times , "an unlikely persona ... part English royalty, part Dizzy Gillespie ." Michael Packenham, writing in The Baltimore Sun , described him as "a magnificent stand-up comedian... Buckley's work, his very presence, projected

2200-652: Was an editor for Marvel Comics beginning in 1979, and editing Marvel Fanfare for its full ten-year run (#1–60, March 1982–January 1992). As editor of The Incredible Hulk , he designed the costumes of the U-Foes . He drew The Avengers (1983–85), The West Coast Avengers (1985–88), Kitty Pryde and Wolverine (1984–85), and Secret Wars II (1985–86), and wrote the Mephisto limited series (1987). Milgrom wrote and drew The Spectacular Spider-Man #90–100 (1984–85), and The Incredible Hulk (1986–87). In 1991, he wrote

2250-451: Was essentially a comic book-length version of "Bullpen Bulletins", filled with company news, creator interviews, and previews of upcoming books. By the end of Shooter's tenure, "Bullpen Bulletins" contained very little original material, as it was mostly filled with design elements and an abbreviated Marvel Comics checklist. "Stan's Soapbox" had been revived in the pages of Marvel Age (beginning with issue #41). After Shooter's departure from

2300-563: Was inspired by Buckley's former home in Los Angeles. The song mentions Buckley in the line "know well the Lord is well and inside of you," as well as Buckley's manager George Grief. Jimmy Buffett performed a version of Buckley's " God's Own Drunk " on his 1974 album Living and Dying in 3/4 Time and it became a signature piece for him until the release of Margaritaville in 1977. On his 1978 live album You Had to Be There , Buffett stated that

2350-504: Was inspired by a series of boys' adventure books Lee read as a child. Penned by Leo Edwards , the end of each Jerry Todd book had the unusual feature of printed letters from readers and the author's warm, informal responses to them. As Lee said in a 1992 interview: "I don't know if I consciously remembered those books when I set out to do the Bullpen page years later, or if I was unconsciously influenced and only afterwards realized where I got

2400-432: Was put together (with the exception of "Stan's Soapbox", which Lee continued to write on a regular basis) by his successors, including Roy Thomas (1972–1974), Archie Goodwin (1976–1978), and Jim Shooter (1978–1987). By 1973, much of the space formally used in the "Bullpen Bulletins" page for inside info and Bullpen gossip had been taken over by the checklist and special announcements. From at least 1974–1975, Marvel ran

2450-555: Was the hipster bebop preacher who defied all labels." Buckley's father, William Buckley, was from Manchester, England. He stowed away on a ship that eventually arrived in San Francisco. In California, William met Annie Bone. They married, and their son, Richard, was born in Tuolumne , a small town near Sonora , in a mountainous region where lumbering was a major industry. As children, Buckley and his sister, Nell, would often perform on

2500-675: Was written for him by Hollywood " beatnik " actor Mel Welles . Lord Buckley appeared on Groucho Marx 's popular TV program You Bet Your Life in 1956. In 1959, he voiced the beatnik character Go Man Van Gogh in "Wildman of Wildsville", an episode of the Bob Clampett animated series Beany and Cecil . (The character reappeared in several episodes made after Buckley's death, when he was voiced by Scatman Crothers .) Buckley adopted his "hipsemantic" delivery from his peers Cab Calloway , Louis Armstrong , Redd Foxx , Pearl Mae Bailey , Count Basie , and Frank Sinatra , as well as Hipsters and

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