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| Now, TIAH comes in a Handy Tub-Size! |
Recently, this Blog observed the occasion of the final
“print edition” of The Issue At Hand, my APA and Fanzine column -- HERE. I’ve
produced “TIAH” since 1994 – and it was the basis for starting this Blog.
I thought it might be a nice touch for any of the longtime readers
of “Dead-Tree TIAH” (Thanks, Chris!) to see that final column, as it appeared
in Issue # 23 of Arnie Hollander’s fine “Cooperative Press” publication “Grassroot
Reflections”.
Arnie often got his contributors to “stretch their writing
muscles” by assigning a SUBJECT for the issue.
Said subject could be interpreted as you saw fit. Once, the subject was “Cars” – and I
referenced the late ‘70s rock group “The Cars”!
You could work the subject into your contribution any way
you wished – or (as I sometimes did) outright ignore it. The subject for my retirement issue was “Time”.
…It played right into my hands!
Please enjoy my final “Dead Tree” column, and comments are
always welcome.
[ Now, It’s Time… To Say Good Bye… To All Our
Com-pan-nee…]
The Issue at Hand
by
Joe Torcivia
Welcome to The Issue at
Hand # 100. This will be the
last ever “print-edition” of this column!
And it seems somehow appropriate that we begin our final foray by
quoting from the closing theme for THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB – and move on to Arnie’s
Assignment of the Issue: Time! …Because
it’s “time” to for us to go!
“Time” is one of the primary reasons for this column’s
discontinuance. “Time” for reasons I did not anticipate – and do not fully
understand – comes at a greater premium now than ever before. Because of that, certain things – including
certain things that I ENJOY – have been cut back, or outright eliminated. The physical preparation of this column
(writing, printing multiple copies, packaging, delivering, etc.) has become one
of them.
Among the reasons influencing
this decision is our reaching the “Nice
Round Number of 100”, counted unofficially since this column’s beginning in
1994. Though, I’ve well exceeded that
number, considering the many “Non-Numbered Specials” I’ve done over the years,
it seems a good number to go out on!
Also, I’ve come to feel that, while I admire Arnie’s efforts
tremendously in maintaining this wonderful place, in which we are able to
express ourselves (on any subject of our choice) via the written word, that
this might not exactly be “my audience”.
My desired “audience” being one more enthusiastic toward my chosen
subjects of comic books, DVDs, and the many ancillary items and subjects that
spring from them. This may be more a
“feeling” on my part, than the reality – in fact, it probably is “more me than thee” – but it, too, has
influenced my decision.
I’ve also done this for 18
wonderful years, that I will always look back on joyously! In my first column, I wrote *ABOUT* Disney’s
UNCLE SCROOGE comic books. By the time
of my last column, incomprehensibly, I find myself writing *FOR* Disney’s UNCLE
SCROOGE comic books. Life takes you to
incredibly unexpected places!
The Blog will continue, for
those who’d care to join me there. The
comic book scripting has (hopefully temporarily) ceased. Publishers come and go in the modern
climate. But, as with this column, I’ve
had two significant “farewells” in that arena as well.
What might possibly be the
final American issues of both MICKEY
MOUSE and the venerable WALT
DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES were released in 2011 – and I had the honor,
along with great friend and editor David Gerstein, of scripting them both! Those issues being MICKEY MOUSE # 309 and WALT
DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES # 720.
It was bittersweet to think
these might be the last ever issues of these titles that I, and so many others,
grew up on, and all the more unlikely – unlikely to a staggering degree, if you
ask me – that I would be among the dedicated final few who would remain to
“turn out the lights”. Beyond that, I
could end up being the unlikely answer to a trivia question… “Who wrote the last original line of dialogue
for WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES?”
The two issues feature Parts
1 & 2 of Romano Scarpa’s “The Treasure
of Marco Topo”… and knowing that this could POSSIBLY (Again, please let me be wrong!) be the last issue of WDC&S for all time, I gave Mickey Mouse
what I’d like to believe is a very fitting closing line! Anyone reading the issue may decide for themselves.
Finally – and I DO, at last,
mean “finally” – before I go, I’d like to thank Arnie Hollander for “Grassroot
Reflections”, Ken Bausert for “Passions”, Mark Arnold for “The
Harveyville Fun Times”, Jeff Pierce for “WTFB”, and Dana Gabbard for
“The Duckburg Times”, all of whom have provided me with outlets for “the thing I love”…writing!
…Good Night and Good
Comics Reading and DVD Watching! And,
everyone… keep writing!
