Letterhack

Fans whose letters were published regularly in letter columns became well-known throughout the industry by virtue of their letters. Some of the most prolific "LOCers" or "letterhacks" include Bails, T.M. Maple (who supposedly published over 3,000 letters), Olav Beemer, Malcolm Bourne, Joe Frank, Shirley A. Gorman, Elizabeth Holden, Jana C. Hollingsworth, Kashif "Blue Panther" Husain, "Uncle Elvis" Orten, Kent Phenis, Bill Schelly, Al Schroeder III, Charles J. Sperling, and Delmo Walters Jr. Some letterhacks gained entrée into an actual career in comics because of their letter-writing expertise. For instance, Bob Rozakis parlayed his frequent published letters to DC comics during the late 1960s and early 1970s into a job as DC’s “Answer Man,” and eventually a solid career as a DC writer. Kurt Busiek, Fred Hembeck, Ralph Macchio, Dean Mullaney, Diana Schutz, Beau Smith, and Thomas are just a few of the many comic book professionals who got their starts as young letterhacks.