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A '''letterhack''' is a fan who is regularly published in magazine and American [[comic book letter column]]s.

==Origin==
The term comes from [[fanspeak]], the slang of science fiction fans, and originally referred to prolific writers of letters to [[fanzine]]s and professional [[science fiction magazine]]s of the early twentieth century. It was considered to be an important part of [[fanac]] ("fan activity").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jessesword.com/sf/view/1864|title=letterhack n.|work=Science Fiction Citations for OED|first=Jesse|last=Sheidlower|date=28 August 2009|accessdate=July 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Prucher |first=Jeff |title=[[Brave New Words]] |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780195387063 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bravenewwordsoxf00pruc/page/110 110]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|year=1958|first=Ralph Merridette|last=Holland|title=Ghu's Lexicon|page=12}}</ref>

==Celebrity and recognition==
Many letterhacks<ref name=century>Century, Sara. [https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-lost-art-of-the-comic-book-letters-page "THE LOST ART OF THE COMIC BOOK LETTERS PAGE,"] ''Sy Fy Wire'' (May 23, 2018).</ref> became well known throughout the industry. Writer Mark Engblom describes the phenomenon this way:
{{cquote|Chosen by the title's editor (or, in some cases, the writer), a few lucky fans would get the opportunity to share their opinion with not only the creators, but a captive audience of fellow fans as well. In fact, some of the most prolific fans had letters printed almost every month in a variety of titles, becoming minor celebrities in their own right.<ref>Engblom, Mark. [http://comiccoverage.typepad.com/comic_coverage/2007/05/the_letters_pag.html "The Letters Page = Fanboy Valhalla," Comic Coverage (May 7, 2007).] Accessed Feb. 12, 2009.</ref>
}}

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* [[Jerry Bails]] — the "father of comics fandom"
* Reed Beebe — over 300 letters published since 2010<ref name=harper>Harper, David. [https://sktchd.com/longform/letters-columns-longform/ "Backmatter and the Golden Age of Comic Book Letters Columns: In 2015, what have comic creators had to do make letters columns relevant again?"] ''Sktchd Chronicles'' (September 29, 2015).</ref>
* Olav Beemer — became one of the most prolific Dutch comic book translators
* Len Biehl
* Malcolm Bourne
* Brian Earl Brown
* Dale L. Coe
* Augie De Blieck Jr.<ref name=harper /> — claims to have published over 400 letters (184 confirmed through Grand Comics Database)<ref>De Blieck Jr., Augie. [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18169 "Pipeline: A Decade of ''Siren''," Comic Book Resources (Sept. 23, 2008).] Accessed Sept. 26, 2008.</ref>
* Brett Downard
* Joe Frank
* [[Paul Gambaccini]]
* Shirley A. Gorman
* Elizabeth Holden
* Paul Dale Roberts — published over 1,000 letters<ref>[http://www.comics.org/searchNew/?q=Paul%20Dale%20Roberts Paul Dale Roberts], Grand Comics Database. Accessed April 19, 2016.</ref>
* Jana C. Hollingsworth
* Kashif "Blue Panther" Husain
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* [[Guy H. Lillian III]] — omnipresent 1960s letterhack
* Marc Lucas
* [[T.M. Maple]] (aka Jim Burke) — published over 3,000 letters<ref name="Cronin">Cronin, Brian. [http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/03/01/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-92/ "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed" #92, Comic Book Resources (Mar. 1, 2007).] Accessed Sept. 27, 2008.</ref>
*Joey Marchese
* Rich Morrissey
* "Uncle Elvis" Orten
* Melissa Page
* Kent A. Phenis
* [[Peter Sanderson]]
* [[Bill Schelly]] — comic book historian
* Al Schroeder III
* Charles J. Sperling
* Irene Vartanoff— omnipresent 1960s letterhack who ended up working behind the scenes for Marvel in the 1970s and 1980s<ref>Friedrich, Mike. [http://www.challzine.net/20/20juliemike.html "Julius Schwartz: The Memorial Service," Challenger: A Science Fiction Fanzine (Summer 2004).] Accessed Sept. 28, 2008.</ref>
* Delmo Walters, Jr.
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[[David S. Goyer]] is an example of a fan who later wrote [[comic book films]].<ref name="trenholm20160330">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/batman-v-superman-writer-david-goyer-predicted-marvels-civil-war-30-years-ago/ |title=How a 'Batman v Superman' writer predicted Marvel's 'Civil War' 30 years ago |last=Trenholm |first=Richard |date=2016-03-30 |website=CNET |language=en |access-date=2019-05-11}}</ref> Some letterhacks gained entrée into an actual career in comics because of their letter-writing experience. For instance, [[Bob Rozakis]] parlayed his frequent published letters to DC comics during the late 1960s and early 1970s into a job as DC's "Answer Man" and eventually a solid career as a DC writer. {{cn|date=December 2022}}[[Kurt Busiek]], [[Mary Jo Duffy]], [[Mike Friedrich]], [[Mark Gruenwald]], [[Fred Hembeck]], [[Harlan Ellison]], [[Tony Isabella]], [[Paul Levitz]], [[Ralph Macchio (editor)|Ralph Macchio]], [[Dean Mullaney]], [[Martin Pasko]], [[Diana Schutz]], [[Beau Smith]], [[Roy Thomas]], [[Peter B. Gillis]], [[George R.R. Martin]], and [[Kim Thompson]] are just a few of the many comic book professionals who got their starts as young letterhacks.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

== See also ==
{{wiktionary|letterhack}}
* [[Comic book letter column]]
* [[Fan mail]]
* [[Letter to the editor]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Comics people]]
[[Category:Fan labor]]
[[Category:Fanspeak]]

{{comics-stub}}

Letterhack - Revision history

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