Fan Letters
Mr. Bellman,Thank you again for helping my Mom acquire such an amazing gift. I can't wait to hang the art and show it off to my friends. We are already talking about Orlando and I hope that I can take the leave to be able to come meet you.
Happy holidays and best wishes,
Mike H. and family.
To Allen Bellman,
Hello, this is Jeremy Kahn. I met with you a couple of weeks back when I was visiting my grandma in Florida. I wanted to get in contact with you to let you know how much of an honor it was to meet with you. I had a wonderful time talking with you and looking at your work. It means a lot to me that you were able to make time in the day to meet with me. So thank you very much again. I learned a lot from our conversation and will do my best to apply it to my own furore work and career. Please have a great day and I look forward to hopefully getting a chance to talk with you again.
From,
Jeremy K.
Just want to take a moment to say what a great experience Mitch and I had at the Cincinnati Comic Expo this weekend! Even flight cancelations and seemingly never ending travel delays on the way out, could not tarnish the truly perfect time we had. Gracious hosts, wonderful guests, and friendly, enthusiastic fans. We really couldn’t have asked for a better experience!
One of the biggest highlights was the Captain America retrospective panel Mitch and I were honored to speak at with comics legend, Allen Bellman. To top it off, we were able to spend time visiting with and soaking up tales of yore from industry heroes, Allen, Stan Goldberg, Jose Delbo and their beautiful wives, Roz, Pauline, Mabel, and Jose’s daughter Silvana. The icing on the cake was the 3 day Oktoberfest street celebration taking place outside our hotel in downtown Cincy. If I’m not mistaken, it is the 2nd largest Oktoberfest in the world! The streets were lively and friendly, filled with Bavarian treats, polka music, and Lederhosen!
All in all, what an incredible experience! Definitely one we will never forget.
Sincerely, Bettie Breitweiser
Thank you so much, Mr. Bellman, for coming back to cincy for the comic expo. Thank you for being so kind and such a nice person. It was an honor to talk to you again, and I loved your poster so much I made it my profile pic.
God bless,
Mark
Hi Allen!
I've been meaning to tell you I received the Captain America art that you drew for me, and I really love it! It's truly an honor to have it in my collection.
It was great meeting you at the Florida Supercon - I have lots of good memories from that weekend. Hope to bump into you again at another convention someday.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Allen,
sorry. I forgot to mention that I recieved it and it made for a wonderful birthday surprise!
I can't thank you enough and meeting you was definitely the highlight of the convention.
Best wishes,
Freddy
Dear Mr. Bellman,
Your sketch arrived today in perfect condition, and I could not be happier. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into this piece, it's absolutely wonderful! Also, thanks for the extra you added. Have a great summer, and thanks again for all the years of fantastic art you made, and for the tremendous sketch you made for me.
Curt
Mr. Bellman,
I received the Captain America sketch that I had commissioned at the Texas Comic-Con in San Antonio last month. It is FANtastic! Thank you so much for the sketch and the details that were put into the drawing. I will display it with pride and enjoyment.
Thank You,
Jim H.
WOW! I just received the sketch today and it was truly beautiful. Seeing the package in the mail made me fell like a little kid on Christmas morning. I paused in awe of what you did in a space the size of a comic book cover. It will be one of my most cherished pieces. Thank you again, Allen, to meet you and get a sketch like this means a lot to a fan like me. Again, thank you and hope to see you again.
Rodrigo
Mr. Bellman, I received the Captain America sketch that I had commissioned at the Texas Comic-Con in San Antonio last month. It is FANtastic! Thank you so much for the sketch and the details that were put into the drawing. I will display it with pride and enjoyment.
Thank You,
Jim H.
Mr. Bellman,
I just wanted to let you know that I got the Chaplin sketch in the mail today and I could not possibly be happier. I knew that it was going to be great and I was still surprised at how great it was. I can't thank you enough. It was a real treat meeting you in Orlando and I wanted to let you know that this piece will be something that I cherish forever. Hopefully I'll see you at a con sometime in the future.
Best,
Dan B.
Hey Allen,
Thank you so much for the fantastic art work. I'm getting a nice high quality frame and it's going on the wall in a prominent spot in our house. Captain America is my favorite character and you did an awesome job. The head shot alone was well worth the price of admission, but the additional full figure in the bottom right hand corner put this piece right over the top. So, thanks again Allen, this is something I will always treasure.
A Fan Always,
Ken L.
Allen, Thank you so much and I look forward to adding your unique art piece to my ever growing Captain America collection. Furthermore, I look forward to meeting you in person at the con it will be a dream come true for me.
Thanks again
Trey C.
I just received it today. Absolutely amazing sketch! I want to thank you again and know that I will treasure this piece of art forever. I hope to see you again soon at a convention. Take care.
Matthew K.
Dear Allen,
Hello. I wanted to let you know that I e-mailed a picture of the Captain America sketch you did for me to Roy Thomas. He liked it, and said he might publish it in a future issue of his magazine Alter Ego.
Take care, and have a good weekend.
Ben H
"I got them and they are wonderful. I'm doing a happy dance as I type. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"
Stewart P.
Dear Mr. Bellman, First of all, let me say that it was an unexpected pleasure to meet you at the art show here in Melbourne.To be honest, I've just recently become serious about comic books. I've always enjoyed the art of comic books, but haven't really been knowledgeable about the artists and writers behind them. But when I found out that you had worked on the early Timely/Marvel titles, I was eager to have you sign something.
And finally, I've begun writing on what I hope will become a long running comic book series, as yet untitled (The title I had in mind was apparently used recently, much to my chagrin). I was wondering if you could offer some advice for an up-and-comer. I know that you were an artist, but I was hoping you could tell me the things Stan Lee did that were particularly helpful/memorable, so that I can help my artist capture my vision, as you did for Stan.
Again, thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you at an upcoming convention.
Sincerely,
Ryan C.
Dear Mr. Bellmen i thought you'd enjoy this photo of you and i at the brevard art museum
P.S.
I'm having your autograph picture etc framed that way when i draw I'll think of my hero ;) hope you liked my superman costume
Hi Mr. Bellman,
Thank you for encouraging me with my artwork. I appreciate your friendship. God Bless you!!!
George M.
"Well, Allen...after I opened the package my new precious and priceless gift came in - my heart was filled, nigh immediate, with awe, delight, and true appreciation. I had to express my thoughts right away. I'm not usually set back easily like that. Then you responded and we even became FB friends, again being blessed with another gift.
I sure would love to chat some time and get to know you, though I know your time must be limited. Bryan and you have given me such a great and inspiring gift beyond compare, and I now have a really awesome Cap picture too. ;) Thanks for everything
Mark P.
Allen, I met you on the cruise. I liked hearing you speak. Thanks for your time and letting me take pictures.
Michael G.
"WOW! This is awesome! What a great drawing. My own piece of Golden Age treasure!
Thanks, Michael P."
I'm looking forward to getting the art. I saw the scan on Michael's site. It looks awesome! I'll always treasure this. I'm going to get it framed for my office wall.
Thanks,
Mark
Hey Allen,
I received the drawings last night and they are wonderful--just awesome. Thanks so much again as I have a true legends artwork in my collection. I do want another piece done and I will email you soon--something with a battle ship and sub mariner---thanks so much for making my Christmas--happy holidays and best wishes in 2011--also love the signed photo of you
Thanks james
"WOW! This is awesome! What a great drawing. My own piece of Golden Age treasure! Thanks, Michael and Mr. Bellman!"
Moe P
Allen,
I love the website. It is very well done.
(I think you'll like my holiday card this year. I'll be mailing them shortly.)
Best of the season to you.
Dewey Cassell
Dewey C
I was hoping to visit with you and your wife at Comic-con this year. I hope that you are both well and that I will have the chance to see you sometime. I have given the great Human Torch drawing that you did for me an honored place in our home. Thank you for the wonderful drawing. Best wishes always.
Steve B
Here are some recent fan letters that I have received over the years and wanted to share them with you.
An absolutely beautiful job, Mr. Bellman. I took the liberty of leaving you a voice mail message with my appreciation.
Thank you!
Bryan
Dear Allen,
Hello. I received the Captain America drawing in the mail today. I want you to know, I am very happy with it. Thank you so much for doing such a wonderful job on it.
By the way, I ordered a copy of the All Winners hardcover that reprints some of your work for Timely from the 1940s. I am really looking forward to seeing your work in print. Once I receive the book, if it is possible I would like to mail it to you to be autographed. On your website, you indicated to include a check for $10 with it to cover return postage, which I can certainly do. Please let me know if that is okay.
Also, if you need a photo of the Cap commission you drew for me, let me know, and I will e-mail it to you.
Thanks again for your time. Take care, and have a good weekend.
Ben H.
Hi, Mr. Bellman,
Thank you for taking time to come to Comic-Con. It was wonderful to meet you and your lovely wife in San Diego. As a writer/producer, I feel fortunate to be able to stand on the shoulders of giants such as yourself.
Best,
Michael L.
Here are some recent fan letters that I have received over the years and wanted to share them with you.
Dear Mr. Bellman,
Hello. I came across your website because I had seen several "sketch cover" commissions you had done, which had been put on display at the Comic Art Fans website. I did a search on Google, which led me to your site.
The reason I am writing is that I have been a tremendous fan of Captain America since I was nine years old. Okay, I am only 34, but still that is quite a while. Fortunately, I've been able to collect either original issues or reprints of Cap's stories from the 1960s onwards. However, the material from the "Golden Age" of the 1940s is more difficult to locate. I have a two volume hardcover set reprinting the ten issues Joe Simon & Jack Kirby did, and have also come across scattered reprints of other stories here and there.
So I was very pleased to be able to look through your website and view some examples of your artwork. Offhand, I cannot recall having the opportunity to read any of these. But looking at a list of your published work, I see a few have been reprinted by Marvel recently, so I'll try to locate them.
Anyway, I collect original artwork featuring Captain America and his supporting cast.
I would love to get a commission from you. Unfortunately, at this time I am unemployed, and so cannot really afford anything expensive. I do not know what your rates are. If you can, let me know what they are. I could always mail you one of those "sketch cover" issues with payment, and you could draw a head sketch of Captain America on it. Just a thought. If not, it's no big deal.
Anyway, I just wanted to write and let you know that I was thrilled to discover you website and your work. You definitely still have fans who appreciate the fine work you did on those classic comic books.
Thank you for your time. Take care, and stay well.
Ben H.
Dear Allen,
I hope this message finds you doing well. It was a real pleasure to have met you at the Cincinnati Comic Expo. I loved your presence at the panel - very humorous and insightful. In fact, I got the real sense you had many stories to share. I wish more time had been given for you (perhaps individual panels for you and Mr. Heath and Mr. Anderson would have been more appropriate).
As I noted in my FaceBook message, I'm a professor in the Dept. of Theatre and Film at the University of Toledo and my area of research is the superhero genre and comic books. I am currently writing a book on the genre, which takes up a good amount of my time. That said, I would like to take some time to speak with you in more detail about your experiences working in the industry in the 1940s. Do let me know if you would be available for this. Perhaps I could send you some questions sometime? (Or we could perhaps meet in person, depending upon where you live.)
Thanks for your consideration.
Kind regards,
Matt
Hey allen how are you? its been a long time since we last spoke. i just wanted to see how are you doing ? are you still drawing and doing comic conventions? well me im doing good thank go. My barbershop is doing good, and also im one semester away from graduating from college. i will never forget the speech you gave me , that in this country you can accomplish anything. it has really motivated me to achieve all my dreams, and i owe a big part of that to you. For that you will always be a special person in my life. Thank you so much allen and i hope to hear from you soon.
Raimondo
No, Thank YOU, sir, for all of your creative toil in comics. I'm sure it never occurred to any of you working in the business back in the forties and fifties that anyone would know or care all these years later, let alone make a fuss over your work. It is appreciated!
Thanks,
Steven T.
I'm glad it arrived in good order. No rush at all. I look forward to seeing your work. You are a true gentleman, Mr. Bellman.
Warmest regards,
Bryan