Why Not Say What Happened?

Scott Edelman
  • 0.0 (0)
  • ARTS
Why Not Say What Happened?

I’ve lived my life in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic books, attending my first convention in 1970, hired by Marvel Comics in 1974, publishing my first short story in 1981, editing my first magazine in 1983, launching my first podcast in 2016, and more. Along the way, I've been witness to the history of multiple genres, which has caused many of my friends, followers, and fans to suggest I write my autobiography. But since I don't plan to take time away from everything else going on in my life to do so, I've decided to periodically share nostalgic stories from my many creative journeys here. Join me!

  1. Episode 20: The Barry Smith Comic Book Which Caused Me to Disobey My Parents

    4 DAYS AGO

    Episode 20: The Barry Smith Comic Book Which Caused Me to Disobey My Parents

    In my latest look back at the comics field of the '70s, I share about the home away from home Phil Seuling built for fandom which earned his recent much-deserved accolade, whether the Ethics columns I wrote for The Comics Journal during the '80s burned any bridges (and if I even cared those bridges were on fire), the kung fu comic book series I'd completely forgotten I'd pitched to Marvel, why my job in the Bullpen stunned writer/editor/artist Bob Budiansky, the Barry Smith Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. comic which caused me to disobey my parents, my initial fears I might not last long enough at Marvel to be eligible to receive unemployment benefits if I were fired, and much more.

    34 min
  2. Episode 19: What Gerry Conway Wasn’t Allowed to Say About Gwen Stacy in F.O.O.M.

    FEB 19

    Episode 19: What Gerry Conway Wasn’t Allowed to Say About Gwen Stacy in F.O.O.M.

    While shredding another old notebook from my early comics career, I reminisce about the many wretched one-act plays I created while being taught by famed playwright Jack Gelber, the lie I told Marv Wolfman and Len Wein which got me hired at Marvel, the most wrongheaded conclusion Fredric Wertham reached in Seduction of the Innocent, my plot for an Inhumans strip starring Karnak which had no reason to exist, the most ridiculous method any writer ever conceived of for killing a vampire, what Gerry Conway said about Gwen Stacy which was censored out of his F.O.O.M. interview, the first words to reach readers about my Scarecrow character, and much more.

    36 min
  3. Episode 18: The Day I Should Have Defended Herb Trimpe

    FEB 10

    Episode 18: The Day I Should Have Defended Herb Trimpe

    Another look back on my early comics career has me considering the possible reason Robert De Niro's Max Cady character cared about Captain Marvel in the 1991 movie Cape Fear, the day Jim Shooter and I parachuted out of an airplane (and why an ambulance was called), my surprise over a 1974 House of Mystery submission to editor Joe Orlando, why 2025 Scott is curious about what Crystal leaving the Fantastic Four meant to the 1970 fanboy I was, the reason Doc Savage and Scooter Pies are inextricably linked in my memory, my regret over not having defended artist Herb Trimpe from his detractors, and much more.

    35 min
  4. Episode 17: How My Meeting Margaret Hamilton Became a Marvel Comics Contest

    FEB 3

    Episode 17: How My Meeting Margaret Hamilton Became a Marvel Comics Contest

    Listen in as I look back half a century on what it was like being in the room with Len Wein and Dave Cockrum (or as much as I'm willing to admit) as they plotted Giant-Size X-Men #1, why my mid-'70s likeness still hangs on the wall at Marvel Comics HQ, my freelance income during the first six months of my life as a comics professional, the collaborative short stories my friends and I stayed awake 24 hours to write on Harlan Ellison's 39th birthday, an article I commissioned for F.O.O.M. about collecting comics in 1975 which should make you weep 50 years later, how my meeting with Wicked Witch of the West Margaret Hamilton ended up being a Marvel Comics caption contest, and much more.

    43 min
  5. Episode 16: What Teen Me Got Wrong (Twice!) About Jim Steranko

    JAN 27

    Episode 16: What Teen Me Got Wrong (Twice!) About Jim Steranko

    Join me as I look back at the trouble I had getting out of an elevator at the first Star Trek convention, what my ballot looked like when I voted for the 1968 Alley Awards, the composers who wrote the music to match the lyrics I had Rick Jones sing in Captain Marvel #50, what teen me got wrong (twice!) about Jim Steranko, the three comics characters I almost cosplayed as at the 1972 Rutland Halloween parade, the mystery woman who would have been my Beautiful Dreamer on a Forever People float, and much more.

    36 min
  6. Episode 15: My Mysterious Mid-'70s Comic Con Meeting with Anthony Bourdain

    JAN 19

    Episode 15: My Mysterious Mid-'70s Comic Con Meeting with Anthony Bourdain

    Shredding hundreds of pages torn from notebooks filled by my teen and twentysomething self causes me to reminisce about my collaboration with artist P. Craig Russell which could have been, the poem 18-year-old me wrote about Action Comics #1, my mysterious mid-'70s New Jersey comic convention meeting with Anthony Bourdain, why when it comes to the process of writing I'm a voyeur but not an exhibitionist, the complete lyrics to a song I had Rick Jones sing way back in Captain Marvel #50, my joy upon seeing Superman co-creator Joe Shuster's name in my old address book, how the Grim Reaper might have prevented my Scarecrow from being born, and much more.

    34 min
  7. Episode 14: Tony Isabella's Essential Edit of My Early Avengers Script Assist

    JAN 10

    Episode 14: Tony Isabella's Essential Edit of My Early Avengers Script Assist

    While destroying hundreds of pages of bad poetry I scribbled as a teenager, I made a few surprising discoveries which cause me to reminisce about my poem "Ode on Comic Book Company Loyalty," written 18 days after I was hired by Marvel Comics, my extremely rough sketch for the second Scarecrow splash page, my team-up with Quicksilver and 7-Eleven to freeze your brain with Slurpees during the summer of 1975, Tony Isabella's heavy edit on my early Avengers script assist (and why we should all be grateful), my forgotten horror pitches bounced by Marvel in 1974, and much more.

    35 min
  8. Episode 13: How Joker Co-creator Jerry Robinson Predicted I’d Work in Comics

    JAN 5

    Episode 13: How Joker Co-creator Jerry Robinson Predicted I’d Work in Comics

    As I consider the way getting rejected by the Clarion Workshop in 1974 helped me break into comics and getting accepted by the Clarion Workshop in 1979 helped me break out of comics, I remember the writing schedule suggested by Harlan Ellison which proved impossible for me, the terrible comics-related advice I got from Damon Knight, Thomas M. Disch's tips for building better characters, the questions Robin Scott Wilson wanted us to ask when critiquing short stories, the night Joker co-creator Jerry Robinson predicted I'd work in comics someday, the Barbie artist who painted me with tattoos and drew my portrait, the Robert Graves poem which explains why I had to quit writing comics, and much more.

    36 min
See All (20)

About

I’ve lived my life in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic books, attending my first convention in 1970, hired by Marvel Comics in 1974, publishing my first short story in 1981, editing my first magazine in 1983, launching my first podcast in 2016, and more. Along the way, I've been witness to the history of multiple genres, which has caused many of my friends, followers, and fans to suggest I write my autobiography. But since I don't plan to take time away from everything else going on in my life to do so, I've decided to periodically share nostalgic stories from my many creative journeys here. Join me!

Information

You Might Also Like

  • Eating the Fantastic
    Books
    Books

    Updated Monthly

  • Explicit, Weird Studies
    Arts
    Arts

    Updated Biweekly

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada