But First, A Word From Our Founder

By Professor Fester Faceplant

Professor Fester Faceplant, Art © Daerick Gross Sr.

 In early-mid 2013 I started The Charlton Arrow, a Charlton Comics Facebook group because, well, much to my surprise, there wasn't one!

What I figured would be a just small group of like minded fans, almost immediately exploded into a rather large, well rounded meeting place for fans and pros alike. Indeed, the pros came out in droves, including quite a good amount of them who had worked for Charlton.

Sometime early on, I offhandedly suggested that I should start a small Charlton Arrow fanzine. Within minutes I had pros asking if they could contribute (the great Paul Kupperberg being the first!)--it was quite unexpected!

As the contributions -- both comics and articles -- began to pour in,  I saw the need to partner up with someone who actually knew what they were doing, or at least had some practical experience in publishing. Enter Daredevil and Captain America scribe Roger McKenzie, who also had been so inspired by what he saw on the Arrow page that he came out of comic book writing retirement to contribute to our efforts.

Things were progressing quite well, and I was fund myself doing the job of a comic book editor; reviewing submissions, finding the right artists for the right stories, etc. And the response to the call for submissions was overwhelming; in fact, along with articles written by myself and a few others and the comics coming in, there was enough material for a super-sized first issue. The Charlton Arrow #1 was, out of necessity, a slightly smaller, but no less excellent debut issue. (Nothing will go to waste; those unused articles will more than likely find their way into future issues.)

At some point, the proverbial circumstances-beyond-my-control made it impossible for me to get the issue into print, and the project, much to everybody’s frustration, lay dormant for several months.

Once again, I turned to someone for help. Enter Mort Todd, who had become the de facto colorist for the Arrow, as well as an enthusiastic contributor. With a heavy heart I turned over full production to Roger and Mort, knowing it was the best solution to get The Charlton Arrow to press. This turned out to be the right choice, as the long awaited comic book finally became a reality earlier this year!   

I am honored and proud to be a part of this project and to have the opportunity to work with so many exceptionally talented legends (and soon-to-be legends!), and to help spearhead the Charlton revival.