Dear Editor,

A cry at bewilderment rises from Turok's Lost Valley. A laugh at incredulity radiates from Doctor Solar’s Atom Valley. Why these responses? Because they are amazed at what they find in Valiant’s reprint volumes The Original Doctor Solar and The Original Turok, Son of Stone.

Who am I? I am the man who wrote these stories that Valiant is reprinting. With that proprietary involvement, let me after some corrections and comments.

No doubt out of its respect for comics, Valiant has an archivist. An archivist keeps documents and records, and is an authoritative source at reference...but maybe not in Valiant’s Universe. Inside the back cover of Original Turok #1, there is an "Afterword" written by Valiant’s "archivist."

He starts his tribute to Turok's artist by misspelling his name, renaming him Alberto Gioletti, when it should be Giolitti. The archivist may protest that this is precisely how Overstreet spells it. Any professional archivist would check at least two sources. Both Jerry Bails's Who's Who of American Comics and Turok issues from #98 on give him the correct spelling. 

However, the archivist was busy elsewhere, as he had Turok "accidentally enter Lost Land." From issue #8 on, for over 25 years, I wrote 95 percent of all the Turok stories. Apparently I had misplaced my hero, as I had staged his adventures in Lost Valley. 

Next, the archivist humbly confesses that, "Turok's creation is a mystery." Mystery? Why hadn't he looked on his no-doubt crowded reference shelf? There, he would have Found a copy of last year's Wizard Special Edition, The Beginning of the Valiant Era. On page 9, the archivist would have read, "Newman was then to help shape a character who has become a pillar of the Valiant Universe...Turok first appeared in 1954, created by Western editor Matt Murphy. The series was beautifully illustrated by Al Giolitti." There it is! In just two sentences the name of the man who had created Turok, my imaginative editor Matthew H. Murphy, and the accurate spelling of Giolitti.

Let me state that I hold the archivist blameless for bringing us "a newly revitalized original with recolored artwork." What he means is Valiant's Ted Turner-ization at the original art. In the May issue at Original Turok, I thought I noticed black scratches denigrating Andar’s face, but then I realized the "enhancing" artist was a graduate of the Blown-Hair-Across-Face School at Art. In other panels, the 15-year-old Andar looks aged enough to be Turok's father. For a more detailed critique at the art, check Robin Snyder's January 1995 Comics newsletter. Robin had been a Turok editor and knows what Valiant’s insolent revitalization really means.

Now, permit me to briefly make corrections to Valiant's Original Doctor Solar since I also happened to have written the first nine issues of the "Man of the Atom." 

Despite the archivist’s assuring us that, "Representing these classic stories from the original Solar series is a labor at love," he didn't labor hard enough to find out how to spell the artist's name. It is Fujitani—not as he misspelled it with a "g."

Once again, the archivist describes his difficult task, "As time has passed, memories have faded, records have been lost, and ascertaining credit has become a matter of detective work." It was all there waiting for the Archivist to see on page 10 of the Wizard Valiant Special, where it notes, "Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, premiered in his own book in October, 1962. Like Turok, Doc Solar was the creation of editor Matt Murphy. Paul S. Newman wrote the first few issues." Solved!

Now, a more personal note: On November 7, I994, I wrote to Steven J. Massarsky, Valiant's president. I told him I had heard that Turok and Doctor Solar reprints would soon be issued. I requested that even though there might be no contractual obligation to pay me for reprinting my stories, I hoped that Valiant would do what Marvel and DC do when they issue reprints—pay the original writer a small royalty. I also asked for writer's credits in the reprints.

Over two month's later, I have not had the courtesy of a reply. Oh, I realize that Mr. Massarsky is preoccupied with canceling books like Harbinger, Rai, and others. But he could have won "acclaim" in the industry it he even sent me a 10 dollar bill in a "valiant" effort to repay someone from whom he profited.

No, this is not sour grapes because Valiant did not ask me to write their Turok and Solar. In Fact, [former Valiant editor- in-chief] Jim Shooter asked me to write Turok. He came up with a brilliant concept—he asked for a plot that would allow 24 artists to draw two-page pin-ups while moving Turok and Andar through their previous adventures in Lost Valley. But then Jim left the company. Mr. Massarsky did pay me for this plot. 

Anyway, I am too busy now writing for Marvel’s country music books like Billy Ray Cyrus and Disney stories including my favorite animated hero, Darkwing Duck, who appears in my 4,119th comic book story. Yes, I still find enchantment in visualizing heroes and heroines in exotic locations and suspenseful situations. I will keep writing as long as I enjoy it. Best of all, it gets my grandchildren, Mara and Daniel, what their father Peter and their Aunt Lisa once had received—free comic books. 

Paul S. Newman
King of the Comic Book Writers