SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN!
By KERRY CALLEN
I’m doing something a little different this week. I think most of us feel nostalgia over the comics we had when we were a kid/teenager. I was recently looking through my old Marvel collection and came across 1976’s The Avengers #155, by Gerry Conway, George Perez and Pablo Marcos.
Cover by Jack Kirby and Al Milgrom (from a Milgrom layout)
As I flipped through it, I suddenly saw THIS page!
I had cut out a coupon! Looking at what was offered on the page, I had ordered the Bring on the Bad Guys collection. Looking at the other side of the page, I was unhappy to find part of the comic story itself was missing.
Then I noticed I had used a pen and colored pencils to draw on the ad page behind it.
When I laid it all flat, I had a “restored” page. I have no memory of doing this.
I would have been 16 at the time. I later realized I didn’t HAVE to cut out coupons. I only had to mail the same info as on the coupon. (Heck, I could have merely drawn the COUPON out of Avengers #155, and sent it!)
On the brighter side of things — I still own my treasured Bring on the Bad Guys book!
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Want more SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN? Come back next week!
Want a commission? Send an email to KerryCallenArt@gmail.com. You can also find other work at linktr.ee/kerrycallen.
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MORE
— RICOCHET ROCKETS: They Don’t Write Comic-Book Ads Like They Used To. Click here.
— RESTING COMFORTABLY: The INCREDIBLE HULK’s Incredible Visit to the Hospital. Click here.
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KERRY CALLEN spent much of his career as an artist and art director, developing product for Hallmark, but has also dabbled in comics for many years. As a freelancer, he creates work for a range of needs, spanning from Mad Magazine to children illustrations. He has two graphic novels available on Amazon worldwide, Halo and Sprocket: The Definitive Collection, as well as Dirtnap: Mystic Spit.
October 4, 2026
What a great look back. I’m right there with you as I seem to forget more than I remember. It’s a shame you didn’t figure out you didn’t need to cut out the ad sooner. But we didn’t question authority back then. If Stan said “cut here” then you cut!
October 4, 2026
Very resourceful move there 16yo Kerry.
By the by I also still have my Avengers #155 (intact) and Bring On the Bad Guys.
October 4, 2026
Slabbed and send it to CBG as “Kerry Callen Coupon version.”
October 4, 2026
Great discovery and story! Kind of a happy ending too lol.
October 4, 2026
THAT IS FRICKIND AWESOME
October 4, 2026
Now there is some real AI at work. As the biggest Fop and Thief we may ever know insists on calling the newwest electronic switches of the moment Super AI thet will never compare to Superimagination. Congrats sir
October 4, 2026
Fun! BTW, the 50th anniversary copy of Bring on the Bad Guys is out this Tuesday! I still have my original as well!