May 1985

 

1985 May

ROBOTECH's MACROSS MAIL

1547 DEKALB ST. NORRISTOWN, PA 19401

ROBOTECH THE MACROSS SAGA #3

[Message from the Editor; (Gerry Giovinco\Diana Schutz, with imput from Carl Macek), printed May 1985 ; 

"Welcome to the first installment of "ROBOTECH's Macross Mail". Please take advantage of this space because, outside of an occasional plug or two from the person with that strange editing tool, this page belongs to you, the reader. Every comic boasts about how it values your imput, so who are we to be different. Let us know what's up! What do you think? How are we doing? What's going on out there in ROBO land? You can believe it; We really do care! So, keep us posted or a Varitech fighter may just transform into your house!"

"The following letters are all in response to MACROSS #1. Please do not be confused. MACROSS was the former title of ROBOTECH THE MACROSS SAGA. The title change was initiated with the second issue along with a ton of explanations for the change. Yes, a certain popular TV series had something to do with the change but if you want the full scoop go pick up the issue."

"Everybody got it straight? Good. On with the mail!"]

[NOTE: over 5 months after the first issue, and only the 3rd issue the Fan Letters Page was born.]

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Dear Comico,

I've just read Macross #1. I liked it. The big part of the enjoyment was the art style. Other- wise, it was okay. Your typical robot-space cartoon. However, I was deeply surprised to see the adult conversations the characters held!

Them Bones  McDonough, GA

[Editor's reply;

"Well Mr. Bones, we like to think that those types of character interactions that you mention are what makes ROBOTECH TMS not so typical."]

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Carl,

I'd like to congratulate both you and Comico on/for Macross #1. While reading Macross #1 I felt as though I was actually watching the onimored series, rather than reading the adaptation. The artwork was so beautifully rendered that it gave the illusion of being three-dimensional, and the illusion was further heightened and supported by the use and placement of the various types of colors.

All things considered, "Booby Trap" was quite impressive for a first our. (Or, for that matter, any outing.)

Elvis Orten    Chicago, IL

[Editor's reply;

- Elvis, you may have noticed that the style of coloring MACROSS has changed with the title. Let us know what you think of the current process.]

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Dear Sirs,

One word on your English adaptation of MACROSS.

Bravo!!

Keep up the good work!

Thanks,

David Ledermann    Cahokia, IL

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To: Carl Macek and all involved

Ar last!! An ENGLISH version of a beautiful Japanese animation show. This is first attempt at doing a comic book in English based on one of the Japanese animation shows. The Japanese of course, have many photo-novel type comics for their shows, which are excellent, but none are in English. Dedicated admirers of Japanese animation must too often rely on word of mouth descriptions of plot lines and characters, which vary in accuracy. Each new animation we view is an exercise in creative interpretation of the visuals and the vocal inflections of the characters. It's a major credit to the show that we will endure all these hardships, and still treasure what little we get to see.

And now, how do I react to your comic? I must say I was more confused by the comic than after watching the original show in Japanese. The drawings aren't faulty, but could definitely be improved. If a bi-monthly schedule is required to achieve the quality this comic deserves, I think it can be endured. I think the comic needs more narration or dialogue to explain what is going on. Hopefully in future issues you can start to explain the intricate relationships and motivations behind each of the characters.

Keep up the good work, and we'll follow along as the Earthlings discover the bizarre workings of the spaceship MACROSS!!

Rich Arnold    Aurora, CO

[Editor's reply;

Look for ROBOTTECH TMS every six weeks from now on and kiss those two month waits good-bye!]

[NOTE: ROBOTECH TMS refers to ROBOTECH THE MACROSS SAGA storyline, as it is the first of three eras that the ROBOTECH comico comics will run.]

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Dear Gentlemen,

I really love your comic MACROSS! I like it so much I can't wait for it to come out at my local comic book shop. I think it might even be a bigger hit than STARBLAZERS! I really like your characters and spaceships.

Your loyal fan, Steve Morey    Elyria, OH

[NOTE: "STAR BLAZERS" is the localised English name for the Japanese TV show and film franchise  “Space Battleship Yamato” (mainly aired from September 1979 to December 1984). It contributed to the Anime Fandom that spread out from Northern California . - The Anime Fan Club The E. D. C. (Earth Defence Command) based in Dallas Texas, had its roots as a 'STAR BLAZERS' Fan Club.]

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Dear Mr. Macek,

The Macross comic was spectacular! Being a fanaticist and known professor of such "mecha" as giant robots in my neighborhood, I'd known about the Macross for about two years, and had often wondered why the Zentraedi's commander had smashed in the Valkyrie's head in its battroid mode. Hopefully you could put that scene into print.

Again, or for the first time, congratulations for producing your English translation of Macross. It turned out great.

Sincerely, Gene G. Moy    Morton Grove, IL

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Dear Sirs,

I just finished reading Macross #1. I am very happy to say I will try to get every issue possible.

Sincerely, J. Tupta    Milwaukee, WI

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[Editor's reply;

Finally, special thanks to Tom Vincent for going to bat for us in the early innings with his paint brush. Tom colored the first ten pages of this issue as his professional debut but man- aged to miss the front page credits. You will see Tom in these pages again. Thanks, Tom, fine job.

signing out Gerry Giovinco ]

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[NOTE: Gene G. Moy  of  Morton Grove, IL. USA, used the phrase "Mecha", and was a big fan robot shows , and he knew about Super Dimension Fortress Macross, this sounds plausible, as it had aired in Japan from October 1982 to June 1983.]

[NOTE: Steve Morey of Elyria, OH, USA, is quoted as  forcasting that MACROSS will be such a success "I think it might even be a bigger hit than STAR BLAZERS!".]

[NOTE: Rich Arnold of Aurora, CO, USA, puts in wrting what it was like as a Japanese animation Fan; "Dedicated admirers of Japanese animation must too often rely on word of mouth descriptions of plot lines and characters, which vary in accuracy. Each new animation we view is an exercise in creative interpretation of the visuals and the vocal inflections of the characters."] 

(as many of us at the time viewed Anime in raw Japanese, NO sub-titles, NO English Dubs!)

[NOTE: Message from the Editor Gerry Giovinco; "Every comic boasts about how it values your imput, so who are we to be different. Let us know what's up! What do you think? How are we doing? What's going on out there in ROBO land? You can believe it; We really do care!" and adding to this the instution of "Please take advantage of this space" in refering to the Letters Page "MACROSS MAIL".]

ROBOTECH THE MACROSS SAGA #3

$1.50 USA   $2.25 CAN

SCRIPT: CARL MACEK,

PENCILS: NEIL VOKES,

INKS: RICH RANKIN,

LETTERS: BOB PINAHA,

COLORS: KURT MAUSERT,

EDITS: DIANA SCHUTZ

ROBOTECH The Macross Saga #3, May 1985. Published by COMICO the Comic Company, 1547 De Kalb St., Norristown, PA 19401. "ROBOTECH" is a trademark owned and licensed by Revell, Inc. Used here with permission. This story and the distinctive likenesses herein are 1985 Harmony Gold U.S.A., Inc./Tatsunoko Production Company, Ltd. All rights reserved. All other material, unless otherwise specified, is © 1985 Comico the Comic Company. All rights reserved. No similarity between any of the names, characters, persons and/or institutions in this publication and those of any existing or pre-existing person or institution is intended and any similarity which may exist is purely coincidental. ROBOTECH The Macross Saga is published 9 times a year. 

Printed in the U.S.A.

ROBOTECH THE MACROSS SAGA #3 MAY 1985.

ROBOTECH THE MACROSS SAGA #3 MAY 1985.

[NOTE: Two to the Twenty seven televisions  (Philadelphia  & Washington, D.C.) would NOT start to broadcast ROBOTECH until September of 1985, leaving Twenty five already showing  ROBOTECH each Monday thou to Friday, across the United States of America.]

It is solely my opinion, in that a generation DID NOT grow-up smoking pipes!

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Comico's first issue of MACROSS, (December 1984) that many of the letters refer to.

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