You may want to read 4th Floor Interlude Pt 2:
The Bullpen in an Alternate Universe
June 1, 1992—a sweet blue-sky Monday morn saw the bleary-eyed Bullpen creep and crawl and swoop and swarm back… back to the 10th Floor!!!
What awaited them was the “new” look—very similar to the old look, but much improved. Great scientific methods were used so as to order and control every worker comrade. “Critical path” methodology was applied to the routes people were to move through the office, like a great intestine quivering with peristalsis.
The end result? Comics… the world’s finest comics!
Another preemptive apology—there’s a lot of people I met briefly, even several times, but exactly who they are have slipped away. For that I am sorry. Freelancers are, of course, the source of all that is good and great in comics. But there’s so many of them, who can remember!? In the case of staffers, I have a secret weapon, which is a floor plan! Yes, I was an inveterate pack rat when it came to skimming anything I could out of the office. My minor kleptomania is your memory…
Hard to spot Craig Anderson!
Sarra Mossoff congratulating Dan Cuddy for having all the office anyone needs. Which is a good Howard the Duck costume. And no cheapie, either, this had the 3-D duck bill!
Editrix Hildy Mesnik insists on perfection! Staff Colorist George Roussos abides!
Dude! Where’s my office? Asks Dave Wohl of Paula Foye and Marie Javins.
Office Manager Susan Ehrenreich comforts Dave Wohl. She’ll get him his office. Don’t know who the fellow is to the left– an 11th Floor sinecure is my best guess.
Executive Editor Mark Gruenwald flexing his Power Office concept. If he could have inset the TV into the wall or had his computer descend into his desk, he would’a!
Editor in Chief Tom DeFalco and his expansive corner office!
Hey, buddy, pick up something and pretend to read it… nice! Well, one has to admit this is a good picture of Tom.
Can’t say who the fellow in the red shirt is, best guess is he’s part of the moving crew as that is Mary Mac’s desk he’s sitting at. That’s Executive Secretary Mary MacFerran facing Sue Ehrenreich. The 11th Floor resident is between them. Traffic Manager Virginia Romita is looking on from the right. To the rear, freelance inking maniac Keith Williams is facing an unknown person.
To the rear: Editor Bob Harris and Assistant Lisa Patrick. The youngster to image left is intern, Sam Yoshiba of Kodansha a Japanese manga magazine! The other fellow is a more conventional intern, alas, unknown.
Senior Art Director — and legendary artist of all manner of stripe — John Romita Sr is attempting to bribe me into not taking his picture. But it’s all in jest as he knows I cannot be bought. wife Virginia, Sue Ehrenreich and 11th Floor Subaltern look on
John’s Secretary and Assistant Christine Aurilia.
Joe Andreani talking things over with my old comrade at arms, Statman Emeritus Robbie Carosella. Photostats are a durable, workable version of xerography. Actually made of photographic emulsion, so running these machines is no easy task!
Legendary staff color correcting Colorist George Roussos. This is my favorite picture of George. We all knew him as being very reserved, quiet, don’t make any fuss sort of a fellow. But George had a very playful sense of humor.
A step back from George’s desk– at the wall freelancer Keith Williams is leaning on. There’s that freelancer artist Manny Galen again. To his left is unknown.
Bullpenner Production Artist Dave Sharpe and legendary inker staff Proofreader Jack Abel. Jack is proofing The Daily News.
Sinewy thewed Bullpenner Steve Dutro with the arm blaster and tank top!
One of the few “desk” desks in the Bullpen belonged to Dahlia Aponte who, I believe, was Traffic Manager Virgina Romita’s assistant. But I’m probably wrong about the title. That would be Jerry Kalinowsky, Production behind her.
One of my favorite natural shots of the office. Mark Gru leading the lunch pack to the elevators. Steve Alexandrov, Production Bullpenner holds the door, behind Gru’s head, Dave Wohl invents “Photo Bombing” years before anyone knows its potential, Assistant Rob Tokar, Editrix Marie Javins and Assistant Editrix Paula Foye round out the Lunch Counter Encounter!
Seen through an architecturally necessary wall of security glass is the suspicious side of Rob Tokar! Noteworthy is another wall of security glass is Receptionist Supreme Erica Mitchell caught in a pensive pose and to the image right with his trademark sprayof blonde hair, Assistant Editor Kevin Somers.
The End!
These pix bring back all the old memories! Thanks, Eliot!
these were such fun shots….I remember that move…Rob Tokar was hiding under some carpet and crawled out pretending to be an errant troglodyte who had been living there for years. The carpet was full of wool and lint and dirt and dust, but Mark found it hysterical so Rob complied to execute the task….
That unidentified 11th floor guy is Peter Cooper who later became a Bullpenner and then worked in Creative Services (for me). He was also current Marvel publisher Dan Buckley’s roommate!
These are so great. So happy you archived us, Eliot. Happy Days.