If not for Mark Evanier's tremendously entertaining and informative Web site, POVonline, I would never have been inspired to finally get around to doing my own Web site, such as it is.  I have followed POVonline regularly since Mark started it in December, 2000.  If nothing else, DogRat.com exists to provide another link to POVonline.  There is a very nice linking graphic at the top of this page, although I think the link posted by his friend, the movie critic, film historian and TV personality Leonard Maltin, has a couple billion times more exposure potential.  The content of POVonline was originally based upon a selection of Point of View articles first published in the Comics Buyer's Guide, a then-weekly trade paper that I contributed to myself on occasion, for a few years.  POVonline is one of the few Web sites I send money to solely because it exists, especially for Mark's frequently updated Weblog, News from ME.  Beyond that, Evanier has done a couple of things on my behalf that I really appreciate.  The story of one of them is told at this link, and the other is explained below.

So who, exactly, you ask is Mark Evanier (pronounced ev-uh-near)?  This begs the question, how come you don't know already?!  Ok, I'll tell you.  Mark Evanier is a professional writer living in Los Angeles.  In fact, he has always lived in Los Angeles, and for Mark I believe that has made all the difference.  (Macabre side-note: Mark claims he will die in Los Angeles!)  Growing up, Mark wasn't just exposed to television and movies, he got to meet TV and movie stars; sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident, and he actually saw the filming (or taping) of programs like The Dick Van Dyke Show and Laugh-In.  Mark has written prime-time TV shows, Saturday morning cartoon series, comic books, magazine columns, and a zillion other things.  One of the funniest and, yes, intelligently written children's shows ever produced was Garfield and Friends, which was written mostly by Mark.

Besides the writing he does in order to make a living, for years Mark has freely contributed uncountable volumes of authoritative factoids and balanced, informed opinions on the Internet, relating to a dizzying array of subjects; but, what the heck, let's try to get a rough count.  Google reports about 6,610 "hits" for his name, while their Usenet archive, Deja, has almost 12,000 entries.  Even taking into account duplications and those items that merely refer to him, Mark has a considerable electronic paper trail out there, in addition to the many, many scripts and articles he has had published in one hardcopy format or another.  Among the items by Mark that are available on Amazon.com, Mad Art is a great book about the artists of Mad Magazine.  Other recent books by Mark, Comic Books and Other Necessities of Life, and Wertham was Right!, are collections of comics-related essays that aren't available on POVonline.

Mark's formula for success is simple:  First, he loves writing.  Second, he apparently can write faster than most people can read.  And finally, everything he writes is always worth reading, even if a particular subject may not be of inherent interest to you.  (In my case it's Las Vegas.  Mark really enjoys the place, but I agree with Mark's friend and associate, the legendary Stan Freberg, who did a great piece of satire about Las Vegas on his short-lived radio show in 1957.  You can hear it on my Freberg of Arabia page.)

The first time I became aware of Mark Evanier was in or around April 1967, in the item shown at right from Marvel Comics writer and editor-in-chief Stan Lee, in the so-called Marvel Bullpen Bulletins.  Mark was 15 when this letter was published.  In it he proposed a ranking system for Marvel's in-house fan club, the Merry Marvel Marching Society.  Not only was Mark's letter printed, but Stan the Man chose it for special attention, immediately elevating Mark beyond his own proposed rank of Quite Nuff Sayer, from his self-proclaimed status of Real Frantic One.

Stan modified Mark's ranking system and adopted it for Marvel fandom.  I paid my money to join the fan club (a whopping 69 cents), bought plenty of Marvel Comics at 12 cents a pop, converted another kid to being a Marvel fan, and even earned a No-Prize (if you don't know, don't ask!).  But, darn it, I never managed to have a letter printed in a Marvel comic book, thereby failing to attain the highest ranking of MMMS membership.  Rather than accepting the possibility that my letters may not have been worth printing, I have blamed Evanier, who later worked for Stan, all of these years for proposing the ranking system in the first place  ;-)

A couple of years ago, Mark mentioned that he was going to have lunch with a wonderful character actor and voiceover artist named Chuck McCann.  I became a Chuck McFann while growing up in Norwalk, Connecticut in the 60's.  Chuck's TV kid's show in New York was absolutely the best in the city, which meant it was the best anywhere.  McCann performed a hilarious range of characters, from Little Orphan Annie to Oliver Hardy, with the energy of a power plant and more heart than a cardiologist will see in a lifetime.  Chuck really connected with me, as I'm sure he did with a lot of other kids.  Immediately, I dashed off an email to Mark asking if he could please, please let Chuck know how very much he is appreciated.  A few weeks later, Mark posted the following item on POVonline:

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I posted this item about my pal, Chuck McCann.  I mentioned we'd be having lunch soon and that prompted a flurry of e-mails from folks who said, "I love Chuck McCann.  Please tell him I'm a huge fan of his."  Several elaborated on watching him over the years and one or two, on brief meetings with the man.  All wished that I convey their affection and admiration to him and, today, we lunched and I did.  Matter of fact, after turkey sandwiches, Chuck followed me back to my house and I showed him all the e-mails.  So if you sent one, know that Chuck got to read it and that he was quite pleased.

Without Mark Evanier and POVonline, how on Earth could I have possibly expressed, from a Boston suburb, my appreciation to Chuck McCann In L.A., who I enjoyed watching so much in a suburb of NYC when I was the age my son is now?  Answer: I couldn't.  Thank you, Mark.