We Get Letters: The Invincible Gene Colan errors

Dear Cliff,

I have just recieved my [Invincible Gene Colan] book. But I felt I had [to] e-mail regarding its production faults! I had 31 years in the printing industry as litho/gavure printer/supervisor in both/production manager. It would be unthinkable to produce a book or any print for that matter with that amount of overprinting, which I believe was two lots of text on the same black plate... It begs the question why did anyone not spot it. Everyone looks at the job (print); if they don't then they are not doing their job. It is such an obvious error the readers should have picked it up! But what dissappoints me most is that a decision was obviously made to ship to the customers and with an error sheet supplied. To my mind it was a no-brainer, reprint, no question. Aardwolf [Publishing] have supplied a sub-standard product and expected the customer to accept it as it stands. I am a devoted collector of Gene Colan art (8 pieces) and he deserves every penny, the man is a genius. Lets [sic] not forget we paid up front for this up-front in December, 2009! Contents amazing, production lousy. Cliff can you pass this message on , please and I very much look forward to eveyone's reply.

Kind regards,
Steve Chivers

Dear Steven,

After more than a year working on this book as its editor--and after approving perfectly clean proofs--no one was more disappointed than I. Not even Gene. He has 65 years of extraordinary work behind him. This was my first book for Marvel and it looks like a bird shit in it. Seven times.

But you are sorely mistaken. You write "Aardwolf have supplied a sub-standard product and expected the customer to accept it as it stands." Aardwolf simply took a book that Marvel printed and Diamond distributed and did nothing more than add Gene Colan's remarqued and signed bookplates.

Aardwolf ordered hundreds of books, in advance, like everyone else. Neither Aardwolf nor myself had any control over what was printed. The proofs that *I* saw were clean.

Someone in China didn't do their job. Or perhaps Korea. I was fairly sick when I saw the printing mistakes, but what could I do?

That said, Aardwolf Publishing stands behind everything it does. If you aren't happy, please return the book. Aardwolf will promptly refund your money and shipping expenses.

Clifford Meth