Bronze-Age Spideys 12 12

[Phicks]

The lettering on the water tank? As I recall, some assistant artist sometimes inked backgrounds during the bronze age. He would spell out "Backgrounds by _______ (whatever his name was)", on background signs, but you would only ever see a few letters at a time in any one panel. You had to read all the comics that month to figure out the message.

[Spider-Variant]

The lettering on the water tank? As I recall, some assistant artist sometimes inked backgrounds during the bronze age. He would spell out "Backgrounds by _______ (whatever his name was)", on background signs, but you would only ever see a few letters at a time in any one panel. You had to read all the comics that month to figure out the message.

 

We have a Winner!!!!!!

 

Tony Mortellaro was a background artist in the bronze age who loved to put his name where ever he could find a spot. I never saw a hidden message though, only his attempt to get some clever credit.

 

Above Luke Cage's head is "nds" which would have been Backgrounds and on the water tank is "Mor", which is short for Mortellaro.

 

Now, you may think that is a stretch, but go flip through those Bronze Age spideys. Look at issue 121, he has a few in there.

 

And he wasn't the only one.

 

Ok, so a no-prize to the first one to find another Spidey cover that Tony left his mark on.

 

 

 

[mysterio]

Didn't take too long. Look at the Hotel sign in the background. I had never heard about this or noticed it myself. Cool stuff!

 

[Spider-Variant]

Didn't take too long. Look at the Hotel sign in the background. I had never heard about this or noticed it myself. Cool stuff!

 

 

Nice, not even the one I was thinking about.

 

Your no-prize is in the virtual mail.

 

Still at least one more out there guys.

 

I have another no-prize ready to go!

[Phicks]

Looks like the tail end of his name on the cover of #139.

 

 

[bababooey]

Wasn't there something in one of the letters pages about Mortellaro & Dave Hunt doing this for all the bronze age Spidey interiors too? I'm pretty sure it was in the letters page & not a fanzine.

[sckao]

 

What's also weird is that John Romita apparently has at least three ways to sign his name to his work...

 

Note that he seems to sign them a little more after being promoted to Art Director at Marvel... but then lapses back into not signing them at all for a while.

 

 

[Spider-Variant]

Looks like the tail end of his name on the cover of #139.

 

 

Yes, this is the other example on the cover.

 

 

[Spider-Variant]

Wasn't there something in one of the letters pages about Mortellaro & Dave Hunt doing this for all the bronze age Spidey interiors too? I'm pretty sure it was in the letters page & not a fanzine.

 

Not sure, but I have tracked these over the years. I had fun finding them all.

[Engr62]

Note that he seems to sign them a little more after being promoted to Art Director at Marvel... but then lapses back into not signing them at all for a while.

 

 

I've seen interviews with John Romita where he states that he didn't put his signature on a cover unless he inked it as well.

[steveinthecity]

It's very cool to get this info on the books/art/artists. Keeps the hobby always interesting.

[mysterio]

Looks like the tail end of his name on the cover of #139.

 

 

Yes, this is the other example on the cover.

 

 

Here's a pic (courtesy of Comiclink). Next time I'm bored in the office I'll be looking for other examples.

 

[Phicks]

As we move into the mid 1970s, John Romita was drawing lots of covers, but no longer drawing interiors. Does anyone know if he gets any royalties when such a book is reprinted? Or is it only the interior penciler/inker who get a royalty?

[mysterio]

I don't know that he would get any additional royalties as he was already paid to produce the page/cover. What Marvel does with it once they buy it is up to them. This past weekend in NO I was chatting with Alex Saviuk and showed him a book that reprinted some exerpts of his Spidey pages, and he complained that Marvel didn't pay him anything extra for those reprinted pieces.

[Silver Surfer]

Maybe a Copper Spidey in the bunch but what the heck close enough:

 

 

[NP_Gresham]

Nice Haul

[Silver Surfer]

Thanks. More junk! Love these because they remind me of when I bought them all of the rack back in the day.

[mysterio]

Nice books! I too bought some of the Twin Cities copper ASMs and am waiting for them to come back from CGC.

 

I've been meaning to start a Spidey thread in the copper room because so many good books came out during that time. I was also buying off the rack from the mid eighties through the mid nineties and fondly remember that time.

[Silver Surfer]

Some great story arc and artwork during those days, I haven't really been able to collect/read Spidey's since then. Pretty much anything Roger Stern wrote back then was just pure gold.

[Ghost Town]

Nice haul. I've always liked this Byrne cover a lot.