Mitch O'Connell's Lollapaloosa

Mitch O'Connell is a great artist who sometimes draws comics. You must remember his and Mike Baron's beautiful World of Ginger Fox graphic novel. Also he has drawn spot illustrations for many popular magazines. I'm crazy about his super-slick style.

I've written in the past that I intended to publish a comics fanzine in the mid-1970s, but didn't. Mitch O'Connell intended to publish one also, and he did. Named Lollapaloosa and running five issues in the late 1970s, it was a sharp little package. Printed on very heavy white paper, it featured some pro drawings and some stories that Mitch wrote and drew himself and articles on Batman and on EC Comics. I believe that my fanzine would have been very much like this one! Maybe you'd like even more evidence that Mitch and I were like-minded in our publishing outlooks? Remember this great Captain Marvel drawing I commissioned from Mr. Kurt Schaffenberger for my proposed zine? Well Lollapaloosa #5 features a full-page poster of the same Big Red Cheese!

When I sent in my order for Lolla #5, I included a note to fellow Chicagoan M. O'C about the possibility of me submitting a drawing for a future issue. Mitch included the note I've reproduced above with the issue he sent me. I never did send any comments to Mitch about his great fanzine, at least not until writing this little article. Some items take thirty-two years to get crossed off the checklist. Welcome to my hayfamzone.