T.M. Maple was one of the most widely published comic book letter writers of the 1980s.
His real name was Jim Burke and he was, of course, from Canada (“The Mad Maple” was his official name). He also published his own fanzines and contributed to many others: his column “The Canuck Stops Here” was a regular feature of Gene Kehoe’s seminal It’s a Fanzine.
Sadly, T.M. died in 1994 of a heart attack. Over at The Comics Journal Message Board [now dead but conversation is archived here on the site], older readers and fans share memories of him, including a comic strip.
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Other TM Maple links
Selection of Letters [dead, archived bellow]
T.M. Maple on Superman [dead, archived bellow]
Is the Simpsons’ “Comic Book Guy” based on T.M.?
The Fallcon in St. Paul, Minnesota holds all of its guest panel presentations in the “TM Maple Edutorium”!
The Internet is not always forever.
Some of these pages are gone, so we have harvested their content from the records on the wayback machine to archive here.
Orrigilally posted on theages.superman.ws/maple.php
The following letter by the renowned T.M. Maple appeared in the letter column of Superman #416, February, 1986:
Dear Editor
(and Bob! and I guess Laurie! and maybe this time, Chuckie! Did I ignore any possibilities?),Though the plot was a little weak in the technical feasibility department, #412 presented a compelling portrait of a Superman gripped by the horrific possibility that he could be manipulated into becoming a devastating instrument of destruction against mankind.
However, I would like to focus on the fact that the illusion that drove this home to Superman was one in which he was made to believe that he had actually killed Lex Luthor, his greatest enemy. This was an excellent choice by writer Cary Bates, since it reaffirms one of the greatest virtues of Superman, his belief in the sanctity of human life.
In years that are probably farther in the past than I’d like to admit, Superman was my favorite comic book character. Indeed, as a character, he still is and most likely will always remain so. He is the first, the most powerful, the greatest super-hero of them all, and he had a tragic origin, too. That in everyday life he was the wimpish Clark Kent only added to his appeal. But what placed him in a class by himself was his strict moral code, especially his oaths never to tell a lie and never to take a human life. He had the power to do whatever he darn well pleased and yet imposed on upon himself a code stricter than many people would feel is reasonable. He felt he had to be an example to others, but he also felt that his great powers imposed upon him the need for absolute correctness. Sure, people would say, some situations require the taking of a life, or a lie is acceptable at certain times. But Superman chose to take a difficult path. Over the years, these oaths, while technically still in force (I assume), were bent, winked at, and generally ignored. Now perhaps Cary’s scenario in #412 could help bring them to the fore once again.
In your search to revive the old-time appeal of Superman, these oaths should not be forgotten. Indeed, they should be emphasized. All too often in popular fiction, good wins out simply because it is stronger. There is often little to differentiate the tactics of the good guys from the bad guys. In fact, any hesitations that the good guy has about “fighting dirty” are often portrayed as preventing him from fighting effectively. But an emphasis on Superman’s two principal oaths would show that there is a clear difference between good and evil and good must operate differently. Of course there would be great difficulty in remaining true to these standards in the violent modern world, but it is worth the struggle.
Superman is not just some big guy with a lot of powers. He should be a shining example of all that is worthwhile in humanity. His morals should be “super” too.
The T.M. Maple Memorial Leaf Pit by Rose A. Hill
Orriginally posted at http://webpages.csus.edu/~sac53175/maple1.htm
Here is a humble sampling of the letters written to comic book letter columns through the years by Jim Burke, a.k.a. T.M. Maple. He was a legendary Canadian “letter hack” who wrote thousands of letters to comic book letter columns through the years. Burke first started writing letters in 1977 as “The Mad Maple”, but Tom DeFalco, in order to get around a new stipulation of the time at Marvel (thanks to Jim Shooter) that pseudonymous letter writers couldn’t get published, shortened it to “T.M. Maple” to sound like a real name. His letters kept getting printed, and Burke liked the new name, so he kept it for the rest of his letter-writing career. In Zot #21, from 1986, he revealed his true name, in letter #3,128. He also managed to sell a script to a small press comic company, and put out a fanzine in the late 80’s. Unfortunately, Burke died of a heart attack in February of 1994. His passing was noted both on Usenet and in the DC letter columns of the time. The purpose of this section is to remember one of the most famous patrons of that dying institution, the comic book letter column, and reproduce a small chunk of his comments. Your contributions of letters, comments and remembrances about the Mad Maple are welcome, and any contributions will be credited. I’m especially looking for scans or text files of letters by Burke, as my puny collection of letters barely scans the surface of his stuff ^^; . Ok, enough blather, let’s get to the goods!
Batman #576
Dear Editor,
So Sherlock Holmes is still alive, is he? Gosh, that would make him, um, well that would make him pretty darn old! I’m afraid I really can’t “buy” the fact that he still lives. However, I will allow you your portrayal of him in #572 (big of me, eh?), but only because you made such good use of him! His appearance was whimsical and satisfying. If this means that Batman must give up his title as the greatest Detective Alive, then he surrenders it to a most worthy person. Indeed, the contrast in personality between these two fine sleuths was nicely drawn. It just shows that brilliance is not welded to personality. (Though both men obviously share an incredible determination and strong will.)
I also much liked your approach to this anniversary issue. The recent preference for such issues has seemed to be to bring in “everybody”-a huge cast of characters that have been involved with the title in the past. Sometimes this tactic works-and it can be quite scintillating in that event. But other times it collapses under its own weight. Here, you selected a very few characters and wove a good story around them. They were good choices, too-and not necessarily the obvious ones, either! They allowed for a diversity of moods and approaches while still preserving a common theme.
The choice of artists was also quite appropriate-right down to the Dick Sprang centerspread. (I look forward to seeing more work from him in the future, as indicated in the issue’s introduction.)
Fifty years. A noteworthy accomplishment in publishing-and in life. To all the people who have worked to carry this comic book through the decades: Congratulations! I hope that in another fifty years (round about #1172) that this mag will celebrate its centennial! And I would very much enjoy being present for the occasion!
T.M. Maple
Consider yourself invited to write #1172’s first letter, T.M.!
Captain America #270
Dear Editor,
“Flight From Thunderhead” (#266) was, in most ways, relatively standard. Sure, it was rather exciting and better executed than most, but it had no really gripping features. It did, however, contain (or more precisely, continue) an element of Captain America’s characterization that is very pleasing to me: He is being portrayed as an older man, certainly in his 30’s at least. For instance, he calls Spider-Man “son” (and, being a post-graduate student, Peter is closing in on his mid-20s) and very much takes the role of the calmer, wiser, more-experienced man. This is a welcome undercurrent to the portrayal of Cap. Not only was he born before World War II (thus having “non-modern” concepts and tastes for a man his age, a matter touched upon in the past but still with lots of room for development), but he has actually lived more years and been through more and varied experiences (the Depression of the 30’s, World War II, his Avengers’ career) than your typical super hero.
There seems to be an idea on the part of many people in the comics field that super heroes must be young, certainly not more than 29. To have Cap as substantially older than this is not only a refreshing change of pace, it is in keeping with the whole concept of his being the embodiment of the American ideal. Part of that ideal is a rejection of prejudice and discrimination, and many people seem to base their feelings on the age of a person instead of that person’s nature and abilities. Cap’s age combined with his upstanding character is just another reminder of the incorrectness of that attitude. “Don’t trust anyone over 30” was one of the most unfortunate and ill-advised (not to mention stupid and narrow-minded) catch-phrases to come out of the ’60’s. Cap’s age is just another nail in the coffin of that straw man.
T.M. Maple
Captain America # 302
Dear Mark:
The ending to #297 was certainly a surprise, as we learned from the Red Skull that he had wanted Cap to save “Bucky” from the exploding drone plane and thus wipe out the guilt that has plagued our red, white, and blue hero for so long.
But somehow I don’t think that these events will have that effect. The original Bucky did die and there is no way to reverse that fact and thus, in Cap’s eyes at least, no way to erase his responsibility and guilt. In fact, the guilt could be worse now than ever, now that Cap has saved a second Bucky. The incidents of this issue must have proved once and for all to Cap that he could have saved the original Bucky (after all, he succeeded this time, didn’t he?). In the back of his mind, maybe there was a feeling that to save Bucky was beyond human possibility-but now that EXCUSE had been PROVEN wrong. Thus, in Cap’s mind he may eventually come to feel himself all the more guilty for being able to succeed, but still failing that first time.
And perhaps the Red Skull is more devious than he lets on. Perhaps he intended to plant this greater guilt as a hedge against the possibility that Cap would survive his dastardly plan. The Skull’s talk of respecting and rewarding Cap could then be seen as just an attempt to relax Cap, to make him less prepared for the horrors to come.
T.M. Maple
You’ve opened up a whole new can of worms, and we invite CAPophiles everywhere to pipe in with their opinions on this matter. We won’t say anything but this: Cap’s rescue of Jack Monroe/Bucky in #297 didn’t prove that the original Bucky could have been rescued. The reason Cap was able to reverse the pattern of the past was because he had the original event to remember. And that’s what saved Jack Monroe.
Ditko’s World #2
I haven’t even gotten past the cover of #1 and already I’ve got a couple of questions.
Firstly, is the title of this comic Robin Snyder’s Revolver or just Revolver? Just curious! Well, actually, if it is the former than(sic) that’s pretty impressive for you, Robin. Also, having your name in the title would help to personalize the comic, thus helping the(sic) combat a traditional problem with anthologies, namely the lack of a strong identity. Secondly, did you really mean to say Sci-Fi Adventure? To many people, sci-fi is a derrogatory(sic) term, denoting the worst of science-fiction–you know, things like “Attack of the Giant Tomato People.” They prefer the term SF. I’m not saying I prefer it, I was just wondering about the context in which you used Sci-Fi.
And while we’re speaking of names, I might as well mention the name of the letters column: Under the Gun. (Or, is that Robin Snyder’s Under The Gun?) At first I thought, ah yes, here’s the name of Robin’s letters column that seems to follow him form comic to comic. Then I realized that the title now finally fits in with the mag’s title. Was this a consideration in choosing Revolver or was it just a happy coincidence?
T.M. Maple
Flash # 7
Dear Flashy Ones,
Okay, let’s look back at the letter I sent in concerning last issue, featuring the debut of Kilg%re. Among my other incisive and prescient comments, I said, “it is good to see an opponent that the Flash can’t just outrun in order to gain victory.” So what happens in #4? I’ll tell you what! The Flash outruns Kilg%re in order to gain victory, that’s what! Thanks for making me look like a fool! (Not an unusual occurrence, I’ll admit-but that doesn’t mean I exactly enjoy it…)
But seriously, folks, the way in which the Flash outran the Kilg%re in order to gain victory made this something other than a standard “I’m really fast and you’re not” kind of triumph for Wally (and that is what I was really trying to get at in my last letter-trust me). First, it was not an easy zip-zip-zip victory, but one that truly extended Wally to his limits (and that was very well-portrayed, let me tell you!) Second, he didn’t win just through “brute speed,” rather he arrived in a situation in which his speed was crucial by using his brain to figure out the Kilg%re’s plan!
Otherwise, things are continuing to look up for this title. Cyborg was a good choice as a guest star and was intelligently used. (And without a big cover blurb trumpeting his appearance!)
Wally’s relationship with and feeling for Tina look like they could make for an interesting situation. Sure, she’s a lot older than him, but Wally does look like he’s a lot more than 20-whether he acts like that is another matter, of course!
And I still think “Kilg%re” is an overly cutesy name! But a good character…
T.M. Maple
So how do you pronounce Kilg%re, T.M.?
If we ever see the return of this guy, I think we’ll start a “pronounce the villain’s name” contest!
Iron Man # 158
Dear editor
“Continuity” is a much used and abused word in the comics world. Among its many meanings, to some it means the linking of the “histories” of the various characters in a mag or in many mags to produce a coherent and involving portrait of a complete alternate world; to others, it is merely and excuse for a writer to delve into obscure “inconsistencies” that are important only to him, and to spend one or more issues “clarifying” a situation that is worth, at most, a footnote.
With this in mind, we come to “The Other Side of Madness” (#154) and the Unicorn’s appearance therein. Now, who really cared about the Unicorn prior to this issue? He’d been in suspended animation for 40 issues and as far as most readers were concerned (if they remembered or even knew of him at all) he could stay there for 40 more. (After all, look at the Eternity Man from Avengers #169). Thus, the story was in danger of becoming typical of the second meaning of “continuity” given above.
But after reading the story, how many readers really care about the Unicorn? A far greater number I’m sure. He has become a pathetic (and even empathetic) figure, emblematic not just of the crazed criminal mind, but of the fragility of the human psyche that so much wants and needs something (anything) to believe in. David Michelinie has used “continuity” in its finest sense. As a springboard to produce an involving (and still a logically and dramatically extensive) story from past events, even little-remembered ones.
“T.M. Maple”
Conan The King #22
Dear Editor,
Ah, it’s the long-awaited (and long-heralded!) issue #20: “The Prince is Dead” it says. Well, it certainly was better than the average KING CONAN-oops, CONAN THE KING- issue, if not quite up to the exalted standards of the advance ballyhoo (but then, what could have been?). I applaud you for showing on the last page what every reader must have strongly suspected: Conn is not, in fact, dead. Now if only he doesn’t have amnesia! This removes some cheap suspense from next issue, but still leaves many valid tensions going. Like, how will Conan and Zenobia react to Conn’s “death” (personally and royally)? And, what battles of survival lie ahead for Conn? Will this act precipitate an insurrection?
Congratulations also on one of the more skillful and inconspicuous recappings of a hero’s career.
T.M. Maple
No, T.M., Conn doesn’t have amnesia! And no, Conan won’t be going off on an endless quest for him, as some of our other readers thought. Sorry, second-guessing us just ain’t that easy, folks…
Conan The King #25
Dear Kingly Crew,
It’s a good thing that I’m not nearly as depressed today as I was yesterday, because reading #23 might have done terrible things to the darkness of my mood. You see, I’m facing something of a personal crisis of a long-term nature, just as Conan is-though I guess in most ways it’s not nearly as bad as apparently losing one’s son. In any event, if I was looking for guidance on how to deal, in broad terms, with a crisis, I certainly wouldn’t look here, except maybe as a How Not To guide.
It’s amazing to watch Conan make almost all the wrong moves. But it is interesting and dramatically welcome as well. Conan has never been a big intellectual, to put it mildly. His successes have come primarily from three sources: (1) His tremendous physical prowess, (2) A basic soundness of personal philosophy and strength of character, and (3) Being an excellent tactician, i.e. being able to solve immediate problems, especially military-like ones. But now, the first and the third of the above traits are of no use to him and, more importantly, the second one is failing him. His personal philosophy and character have lead him to an almost instinctive way of acting, but because he doesn’t know the facts here and because his great personal grief is warping his personality, his instincts are not only failing to direct him, they are mid-directing him. We are seeing the disintegration of Conan’s way of conducting his life. Is this process irreversible? No. And for two reasons: (1) That very strength of character will not allow Conan to lose all touch with reality, as witness his rescue of Aemilius this issue and (2) Now, as never before in his life, Conan has a large circle of loved ones, friends, and good advisors.
As for the Conn backup: Please, don’t let this degenerate into Conan-like stories. This issue we see Conn starting a career as a thief. We can get our fill of thief stories in Conan’s other adventures. Unless there is something about this story that will make it one that could only happen to Conn, not Conan.
Yours truly,
“T.M. Maple”
Master Of Kung Fu # 116
Dear Editor,
Hey, can’t you guys take a joke? That “anti-dump Day Movement” letter of mine published in #110 was meant as satire- the inverse of reality. The gushing manner of my words was supposed to be the tip-off, but after seeing it in print I must admit that the letter’s jesting intent was less than obvious. I promise to be more clear in the future. Now all I have to do is figure out if you guys are having me on by pretending to take my comments seriously…
On to #110’s story. Even though Shang-Chi is not a superhero, he suffers from a problem often afflicting such characters. Namely, he is so powerful that it is difficult to reasonably come up with opponents having a chance to defeat him. (In this issue we have Ghost Maker, a guy who’s been in secret training for fifteen years.) That’s why I was glad to see Doug include the training sequence between Shang-Chi and Leiko. To show him beset by inner problems that cause him to neglect a proper workout and also cause him to be “defeated” by Leiko is a good way of perpetuating the main dramatic tension of this series. People who attain the pinnacle of proficiency in their chosen field are often defeated only by themselves, by failing to maintain whatever rigors brought them to the pinnacle. This is the true danger for Shang-Chi.
And, oh yeah, I loved Gene Day’s stuff. (Really. Honest.)
T.M. Maple
Sure, sure, Malple(sic)- a likely story. Resorting to one of the most petrified cop-outs in the book: “Hey, honest- I was only kidding!” Uh-huh.
Dear ‘Mazing Ones,
Why did grandma keep referring to Denton as “brother” (with quotes around it?) Is he not a bona fide part of the family as we had been previously led to believe?
T.M. Maple
Grandma is KP’s paternal grandmother. Her son married KP’s mother, then deserted his wife and daughter. KP’s mother remarried, and husband number two is Denton’s father. Thus, KP’s last name is Watson and Denton’s is Fixx, but they are brother and sister (or half-brother and half-sister, depending on which dictionary you consult for definitions).
Marvel Team-Up #118
Dear editor,
In MTU #114 (mainly on page 4 and 21) Spider-Man comes out against vigilantes but believes that super-powered individuals like himself have an obligation to use their powers for the public good. This seems to be confused reasoning, at best. The “goodness” of Spider-Man’s powers derives precisely from the fact that he does use them for the public good, thus it is clear that the aim of such use, not the actual powers used, determines the goodness of the act. And, since the Young Watchers (the “true” ones, at least) have the same aim as Spidey, they are equally as good and as justified.
Besides, even “gifted” individuals can abuse their roles (pick any number of super-villains).
However, the story does deal with what I feel to be the true danger of vigilanteism: lacking a proper framework that is answerable to the community, there is the danger of corrupt leadership and few ways to correct it. Here, the leadership was corrupt from the outset, but it is also common for a benevolent leadership to become corrupted over time and, as the members become more devoted to the group than its ideals, there is nothing to check this drift. The Mafia and the Tong are but two examples of initially honorable secret societies that devolved into criminal groups.
“T.M. Maple”
You’re right, T.M., Spidey’s reasoning was not always crystal clear- as the Falcon himself pointed out in the story. The web-head was responding to a feeling in his gut and reasoning his way from there. It was never our intention to provide any easy answer to the delicate question of vigilianteism; we simply hoped to get our readership thinking…and entertain them at the same time. Judging by your missive, we succeeded!
Power Man And Iron Fist #85
Dear Editor,
It’s obvious from POWER MAN/IRON FIST #81, particularly the cover and the dancing “girls” sequence, that you people have been watching those old Hope-Crosby movies (or perhaps the SCTV parody of same.) The mind boggles at the motherlode of riches of which you have just scratched the surface. And why stick to Hope and Crosby’s “team-up” efforts for inspiration? Why not look to their solo pics? I mean, Imagine the stuff you could do working with White Christmas, Going My Way, I’ll Take Sweden, Paleface, Casanova’s Big Night, Boy’s Town… oops, that last one was Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney, wasn’t it? But, speaking of Mickey Rooney, what about all those Andy Hardy Movies? I can picture it now:
JERYN: Well, Heroes for Hire is really in a bind. We’ve just got to raise some money…somehow…
DANNY: Say, let’s put on a show.
LUKE: Yeah, we can get the whole gang together. The Beast and Daredevil can do their high wire act, and maybe we could get Rom to do his C3P0 impersonation…and I wonder if the ex-Avengers glee club is still going…
Sorry, I guess I just got carried away. (Say, what about Jimmy Stewart in It’s A Wonderful Life? Y’see, Luke gets real depressed because they’re closing his favorite movie theater-you know the one-and he wonders what good his life has been if he can’t even save a louse building from the wrecking ball…say, what if they put on a show to raise funds-you see how everything fits in?…)
Yours nostalgically,
“T.M. Maple”
Superboy #50
Dear Editor,
Issue #46 continued Superboy’s interesting battle with Sunburst-though the action so far has fallen short of truly evoking the spirit of those marvelously bad Japanese monster movies of the 60’s. However, the most intriguing aspect of the issue to me lies in a subplot (soon, I think to (ahem) burst into greater prominence: Jonathan Kent’s incipient political career.
Specifically, it is the reason for his possible political involvement that intrigues me: the building of a new shopping mall outside of town. Part of Smallville’s charm to readers (this one, at least) has been its small town atmosphere, or rather its old-fashioned small town atmosphere. Is Smallville about to enter the modern age? It is, after all, entering the 1970’s (if I’ve got my time delay right), so maybe it’s time it started looking like a 1970’s small-to-medium size American town.
Additionally, there is the moral problem of whether or not the Smallville merchants have the right to try to stop the new mall. Is it not mainly self-interest out of which they act? Whether or not malls are good, economically or socially, they are certainly popular; they are what people want and is that not part of democracy? Would not the merchants be better off figuring out a way to modernize and/or compete instead of trying to freeze events?
Lastly, it seems that this situation will bring Jonathan’s determination and courage to the fore. We think of him more as the calm, wise voice of authority; we often forget the inner steel that he possesses. Those two thugs made exactly the wrong move. If that final panel of Jonathan’s determined countenance had had a thought balloon, it might have read: “Well, I wasn’t going to run-until you told me not to.” (However, I hope you’re not going to sidestep the above-mentioned social questions by making the mall people criminals-and hence automatically wrong.)
T.M. MAPLE
Zot! #11
Dear Zotters,
Well, if you just have to leave, for a while at least, #10 was the perfect issue upon which to do it. This was definitely the best issue so far: exciting, tense, dramatic, depressing, wistful, hopeful, amusing, surprising. It was all of that, and more. There was no easy solution, but there was a definite resolution to the plotlines you had set up. The final page was quintessential Zot: dramatic, hopeful, delightful- without being maudlin or ponderous.
I was greatly impressed by the centrespread, featuring Zot’s face on dozens of TV sets. I was transfixed by it, studying it for quite a while. A brilliant piece of work! It vividly communicated the importance of the moment, freezing it forever in memory.
I was quite taken by Zot’s reaction to the Sirians’ treatment of him immediately after he won the battle over Shrapp. I have often complained that in comics (and in popular fiction in general) good so often wins over evil simply because good is stronger. It is much more satisfying (and appropriate) to me when good wins because it is good, i.e. because it has some quality that evil necessarily lacks. Here, by Zot’s “punch in the mouth” speech, you seem to be saying that good may indeed simply be stronger than evil, but that good is more than that. Good must be respected (and desired) for what it is, not for just being victorious. This is a point well worth making. Also, you effectively demonstrate that freedom demands much of the people. Authoritarianism may not be better, but it’s simpler. But people must be made aware that freedom is worth fighting for.
I applaud your decision to take a rest from Zot. Like you, I’d rather wait several months for stories that will be done right, rather than get them soon, but in a mediocre version. Still, I can hardly wait to see how Jenny will face that great “menace”, reality. (Reality. What a concept!)
Lastly, you also keep me in suspense over the “winner” of the pie-in-the-face contest. But maybe you’re getting a bit nasty, as you depict a steaming hot pie in the lettercol. Ouch!
Yours truly,
“T.M. Maple”
Zot! #21
May 8, 1988
Dear Scott,
I’m not the sort of person who very often goes for the argument that “he’s not evil, he’s just sick. Now, maybe he’s evil and sick, but to have wrongdoing excusable on the basis of mental aberration seems to me to be less frequently justifiable than many people feel is equitable.
Though mental aberrations definitely influence people to perform unusual and antisocial acts, the nature of that person can influence the type of acts that are performed. (As someone said in jest but with some truth; A murder is just an extroverted suicide.) Now, let me hasten to add that nothing is absolute and the “mixture” between sickness and evil ranges from one extreme to the other. Some people are just sick, some are just totally evil-but most fall somewhere in-between.
In any event, I’m mentioning this in connection with this loc about #18 because of the presence of Dekko. Even for a person as “skeptical” as myself, you did an excellent job of showing that Dekko is not your typical nasty mad evil guy, but rather a very sick individual. Sure, he is tinged with genuine evil, but at base he has been driven to his current state by the experiences of his life. Some are experiences that we all have, some are extraordinary experiences that are virtually unique to Dekko. I don’t know if I exactly gained sympathy for Dekko. His reactions were a little too brutal (or brutal-minded, at least) and strange for that. However, I think I gained a lot of empathy and insight into his situation.
Very touching was the look at Dekko’s “perfect world.” It was a wonderfully poetic portrayal of how our fondest desires can be just slightly askew of what is real, possible, and desirable. There is nothing wrong with this, for a divergence from reality is what dreams are made of. But if such a dream is fanatically pursued (and what is madness if not the fanatical pursuit of that which is not ultimately real, possible or desirable?) it can turn into a nightmare. And if the nightmare is realized then the result can be far different from what we would have wanted if we had realized the implications of our fanatical pursuit. (And pursuing a deadly goal without realizing what you’re doing is one way of describing insanity, is it not?)
But did Dekko really commit suicide? Obviously, he did not do so in a literal sense, since his body still lives. But his mind appears to be gone and without that, life is not fully present. But is his mind really gone? Or is it perhaps “resting” somewhere? Rather than “rubbing himself out,” did Dekko just go through a great white curtain into some vast beyond? Maybe we’ll never know. Or maybe we will.
And say, Scott, maybe you could talk to someone in Finance about the Canadian cover price of this mag. When the US/Canadian exchange rate was in the 35-40% range the US$2.00/CDN$2.95 (a 47 1/2% exchange rate) wasn’t completely out of line, but now that the exchange rate is in the 25% range, a Canadian cover price of $2.50-$2.75 would seem to be more in line. I’m thinking of money stuff because the Ontario sales tax just went from 7% to 8%. This means that, for instance, I had to pay 3 cents “extra” for #18. Yes, three cents! Hey, it may not seem like much, but it all adds up!
Yours truly,
Jim Burke
aka T.M. Maple
PS: AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! You’ll have to excuse me for that outburst, but this is the first time I’ve signed both of my names (well, two of them, anyway) to a loc. It won’t be the last time, though-now that I’m past my tenth Maple anniversary.
After three-thousand one hundred and twenty-eight wonderful letters, Jim, I must say cat and I feel genuinely honored to be the recipient of this one! Thank you, as always, for putting your two cents in!
Sorry…five cents.