Paper Fan Mail in the Time of Social Media

Receiving a letter seems so quaint and thoughtful in this century

In the 1990s, I received a fair number of letters from readers of my Rat Bastard comics. Several letters were from a fellow who was serving time in Ossining Prison in upstate New York. Eventually, we all moved to email or commenting on social media as a means of reaching whomever, and the intimacy and joy of a letter or a card faded along with the 20th century. 

Today, I pulled out two envelopes from my mailbox—my annual breakdown of quarterly property tax payment stubs and a wonderful example of fan mail. I have no idea how this person found my address, nor am I concerned, but I was taken by the fact that someone was so stoked about something I took part in creating that they took the time to sit down and write me a letter and drop it in the post.

To be completely transparent, Kevin Altieri directed and made the video with his crew of super-talented humans. Robocop creator Edward Nueimeier wrote the screenplay based on my comics. The video has been getting a massive spike in viewership lately after languishing for twelve years on YouTube. Something about algorithms and the suggestions section of videos that appear on the right side of the screen.