The ‘In’ Crowd, by Martha Thomases

Martha Thomases

Martha Thomases brought more comics to the attention of more people than anyone else in the industry. Her work promoting The Death of Superman made an entire nation share in the tragedy of one of our most iconic American heroes. As a freelance journalist, she has been published in the Village Voice, High Times, Spy, the National Lampoon, Metropolitan Home, and more. For Marvel comics she created the series Dakota North. Martha worked as a researcher and assistant for the author Norman Mailer on several of his books, including the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Executioner's Song, On Women and Their Elegance, Ancient Evenings, and Harlot's Ghost.

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10 Responses

  1. Elayne Riggs says:

    Very enjoyable column, Martha! I too am often baffled as to why one of the first things often done by groups that are so excluded by the general society is the exclusion of others. It's like they can't wait to get back at someone for someone ELSE wronging them.

  2. MARK WHEATLEY says:

    But Martha – you have turned your weakness into your Super Power! You have become one of the worlds finest at getting others to accept an outside idea by making it an inside idea.In all the years I've been working with artists and writers at Insight Studios I've come to notice something important. I think I picked up on this because there have been so many creative people I've known before they developed into the artist or writer or whatever that they were headed for. But it usually works like this – The guy who is obsessed with how completely worthless he is at being able to draw is often the guy who all the other artists envy for his ability to draw. And this works this way because since he was obsessed with his weakness at drawing, that's where he focused all his thought, energy and creativity and study for years and years. I think we miss seeing that in a lot of people because we meet them already knowing their work and reputations. Who would ever think that that award winning artist was still obsessing over how to draw an elbow at a certain angle? But that is exactly what makes an award winning artist.And your Super Power has turned you into a Media Goddess. How much more do you want?

    • Martha Thomases says:

      I have this theory that New York City is made up of people who weren't popular in high school, so they came to the city to reinvent themselves. Except now NYC is too expensive for that to happen as much as it used to.

      • MARK WHEATLEY says:

        Ah yes – I remember you saying that before. And I still think it is a pretty good theory. These days people don't need to move to NYC for that. They have the Internet.

  3. Mike Gold says:

    "The guy who is obsessed with how completely worthless he is at being able to draw is often the guy who all the other artists envy for his ability to draw."You never worked with Alex Toth, I take it?

    • MARK WHEATLEY says:

      Sadly – I did not really know Alex Toth. I had an exchange with him when we were putting together the Gray Morrow VISIONARY book (and you can still order a copy through Diamond Comics at your local comic retailer), because Alex was a fan of Gray's work. But I did not get to know Alex and aside from the public stories I don't really know if you are saying he was egocentric or if he was a perfect example of my theory.

      • Mike Gold says:

        Alex was known to be a bit egocentric. He was hard to work with, particularly on color notes. But he was one of the most amazingly fantastic artists around; I worship his work. Still the definitive Black Canary artist in my book.

  4. John Tebbel says:

    As Husband Boy, I must exculpate my family on the charge of congenital indifference. According to them it was something I picked up on the street.On the other hand, at an early age I was serenely content to be one of two JFK supporters in my Fourth Grade class (shout out to Greg Smith, wherever you are). In spite of the rumors that he'd put "In Pope, We Hope" on the coinage. (In Toth, Wax Wroth)

  5. Valerie D'Orazi says:

    Your column brought back memories for me of going to the East Village for the first time when I was 12 years old, and just feeling like the world cracked open with new possibilities in art.

  6. Swayze says:

    Well, I, for one, always thought you were cool, and one of the main reasons was that you WEREN'T like the rest of us blonde bubbleheads – You were incredibly knowledgeable, engaged, and something of a hippie chick, which I always aspired to but couldn't pull off if I had slept with Jerry Garcia!Let's hope we manage to get together before the 40th,Much love,C.