I never thought I would get a Joe Sinnott sketch. I had met the legendary and talented comic book artist on several occasions, but somehow the opportunity to get artwork from him just never came up. When he announced his retirement earlier this year I figured that was it, whatever chance there might have been had passed.
Earlier this month, on June 8th, my girlfriend Michele Witchipoo had a table at IncrediCon in Middletown NY. I would have gone with her, but our cat Squeaky wasn’t feeling well and we decided I should stay home to keep her company (sadly Squeaky would pass away a week later). Michele took along my Avengers Assemble theme sketchbook because a friend of hers who was going wanted to see it, and just in case she met anyone there who might want to do a drawing in it.
Joe Sinnott was going to be a guest at IncrediCon. Michele said she could ask if he was drawing, and if he was she would try to get me a sketch for my birthday. I shrugged and replied “He’s 92 years old and he retired a few months ago. I doubt he’s going to be sketching. But if you want you can ask him.” Michele asked me what character I wanted and I said something like “Thor or anyone from the Fantastic Four.”
A few hours later I get a text from Michele: “You’re getting a Thor sketch.” My jaw hit the floor. I honestly did not expect that Sinnott would be drawing. Then about 15 minutes later she sent me a photo of the sketch. Whoa!!!
I’m really thrilled to get this. Joe Sinnott inked Jack Kirby’s pencils on the very first Thor story in Journey Into Mystery #83 way back in 1962, and then drew the full art, pencils & inks, for a few more of the early Thor stories in Journey Into Mystery. For most of the 1970s Sinnott was the regular inker on the Thor book, usually over John Buscema’s pencils, but also working with Rich Buckler on several issues, and even on a couple penciled by Neal Adams. Sinnott returned to Thor from 1989 to 1991, this time paired with penciler Ron Frenz.
That was when I first began reading comic books regularly, in 1989. The Tom DeFalco / Ron Frenz run on Thor remains a favorite of mine, especially the issues that were inked / embellished by Sinnott.
The first time I met Sinnott was at a comic book convention at the Westchester County Center in White Plains NY in 1992. I was in awe at meeting an artist who had worked on so many amazing comic book stories for Marvel Comics over the years. Sinnott was a very nice, patient, down-to-Earth person who took the time to answer all the questions posed to him by a gushing teenage fan. I’ve met Sinnott on subsequent occasions and gotten several books autographed by him. Nevertheless, I will always treasure that copy of Thor #414 he signed for me back in 1992.
In any case, Sinnott possesses a long, historic association with the character of Thor. So it’s wonderful to have obtained a sketch of the Norse god of thunder and founding member of the Avengers from him. And, as I said above, when I saw the piece he drew in my sketchbook I was seriously in awe. At 92 years old Sinnott is still an incredible artist. The detailed pencil work on this piece is amazing. Also, I like how Sinnott added birds (seagulls?) in the sky behind Thor in this sketch. Nice subtle bit that adds a little atmosphere to it.
Today is my actual birthday. So, once again, a very big “thank you” to Michele for this birthday present, to Joe Sinnott for the wonderful sketch, and to Joe’s son Mark Sinnott for all his help in making it happen.
Ten years ago, in early June 2009, a friend (now ex-friend) of Michele who had too many pets asked us to take in one of his cats. This cat, a black & white domestic shorthair named Kitten, was getting beat up by the other cats. This person told us that if we were not able to take in Kitten, he would have to drop her off at a shelter. We had only just adopted another cat, Nettie Netzach, a few months before, and we weren’t sure how she would react. However, Michele really did not want Kitten, who she remembered from visits to this person’s apartment, being abandoned at a shelter, so we took her in.
Squeaky on our bed in the old apartment
Kitten was incredibly shy. She often hid in the closet. Michele had to sit with her and talk with her gently while she ate. When she was finally able to get close enough, Michele discovered that Kitten’s mouth was in really bad shape. We immediately took her to the vet, who found that half of her teeth were rotten & infected.
We had Kitten’s bad teeth pulled. When we took her home from the vet, Nettie watched over her, helping to nurse her back to health. She quickly made a full recovery. Before our eyes, Kitten became a brand new cat, full of energy and love.
By the way, “Kitten” is a terrible name for an adult cat. We had been told that she was between six and eight years old, but for all we know she might have been older. Calling her “Kitten” was lazy and unimaginative. Michele decided she needed a proper name. When this cat meowed it often sounded like a squeak, so we decided to call her Squeaky.
Oh yes… now it can be told. The OTHER inspiration for Michele naming the cat Squeaky was infamous Manson Family member Lynette Alice “Squeaky” Fromme. Yeah, sometimes Michele has a bizarre sense of humor. Honestly, I was appalled, but the cat really appeared to take to the name, so Squeaky it was. All these years I’ve always told people the “squeaky” meows was the inspiration for her name, but, yes, I’ll just go ahead and admit to it now, “Squeaky” Fromme was the second one.
In any case, for the past decade Squeaky has lived with us. She was an awesome cat. As I said before, she was incredibly affectionate. She loved being petted and having her tummy rubbed. Most nights she would sleep on the bed between me and Michele, purring contentedly. We would call this a Squeaky Sandwich.
Squeaky staring up at me as I try to eat some chicken
Squeaky also loved to eat. She had been incredibly thin when we took her in, basically starving, so she was always obsessed with food. Michele thought Squeaky suffered from food panic. She would gulp down all of her cat food, would then try to steal Nettie’s food, and would often try to take food from our plates. Squeaky had big, round, greenish eyes, and she would stare at us longingly with them, pleading for food. She eventually because a very round & heavy cat, but she was happy, so usually we just let her eat as much as she wanted.
Squeaky was something of a quirky, misfit cat, but that just meant that she fit right in with us. She was a constant presence in our lives. She would often follow us around the apartment, meowing loudly. Often she would grab Michele’s pens & pencils & paintbrushes in her mouth and hide them all over the apartment, under the bed or chairs or rug.
Like most cats, Squeaky loved cardboard boxes. There was one cardboard box in particular, that a pair of Michele’s shoes had been shipped in, that Squeaky often contentedly occupied.
Squeaky in her favorite cardboard box
Squeaky also liked sitting with us when we watched television. Michele referred to Squeaky as my TV buddy. Other times Michele would play music, and Squeaky would sit next to the speakers, listening and purring. Squeaky seemed to especially enjoy music by the group Joy Division.
Squeaky and Nettie usually got along. They became like sisters. Occasionally they would get on each other’s nerves or fight, but most of the time they had a good relationship. Sometimes they would cuddle together, or would groom each other. If they realized we were looking at them they would then get embarrassed and quickly dart away from each other.
A little over two years ago we had to move to a new apartment. Nettie had grown up and spent almost all her life in the old apartment, and she was very upset & scared in the new place. I guess by now Squeaky had gotten more used to change. She adjusted to the new surroundings very quickly, and for the first couple of weeks was often by Nettie’s side, trying to comfort her. Eventually Nettie began to feel at home, and the two of them fell back into their old routine.
Squeaky and Nettie cuddling together on the bed
Last winter Squeaky had a cold, and over the past few months we noticed that she was beginning to lose weight. Then last month she appeared to age overnight. As I said before, we didn’t know exactly how old she was. At a minimum she was 16 years old, and was very likely closer to 19 or 20.
Over the past few weeks Squeaky was having more difficulty eating. We had to get her cat food that was in pate form; anything else she was unable to chew & swallow. Most of the time Squeaky sat on the windowsill, looking out at the backyard. We realized that she probably only had a short amount of time left.
We always celebrated Squeaky’s birthday on June 12th, the day we took her in. Every year we would throw a “birthday / adoption day” party for her, giving her gourmet cat food and singing happy birthday to her. This June 12th was Squeaky’s 10th “birthday” with us, and we brought her food to her at the window, and sang to her. She ate some of if, and seemed happy.
Squeaky sitting on the window sill on June 13th
Four days later, on Sunday afternoon, Squeaky stopped eating. She wobbled into the living room, collapsed, and began to have uncontrollable spasms. Michele and I both realized this was it. We had really hoped that Squeaky was going to pass away peacefully in her sleep at home, but now that was not going to be. Reluctantly we picked her up, placed her in her pet carrier, and took her to the veterinary office, the same place that a decade earlier had operated on Squeaky to remove her bad teeth.
The vet examined Squeaky, and told us her condition was critical. They could try treating her, but at most she would only last a few more weeks, and would probably be in pain the whole time. Reluctantly we made the decision to give her a quick, peaceful death. We were there with Squeaky when she passed away.
A few months ago Michele began working on a comic book about Squeaky. She finally finished it in early June and published it. “The Temptation of Squeaky” by Michele Witchipoo features Squeaky meeting the demon Maximus, who offers her all the turkey she can eat. It’s a very cute, adorable, funny story. I’m happy that our quirky cat has been immortalized in print.
Sometimes I like animals better than I do most people. That was definitely the case with Squeaky. She was more loving and loyal than a lot of human beings.
Michele and I both miss Squeaky. She was a good friend and a part of our lives for ten years. Pets really do become members of the family.
In My Not So Humble Opinion 