A letterhack is a fan who is regularly published in magazine and American comic book letter columns.
Contents
Origin
The term comes from fanspeak, the slang of science fiction fans, and originally referred to prolific writers of letters to fanzines and professional science fiction magazines of the early twentieth century. It was considered to be an important part of fanac ("fan activity").
Celebrity and recognition
Many letterhacks became well known throughout the industry. Writer Mark Engblom describes the phenomenon this way:
Some letterhacks gained entrée into an actual career in comics because of their letter-writing expertise. 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. Kurt Busiek, Mary Jo Duffy, Mike Friedrich, Mark Gruenwald, Fred Hembeck, Tony Isabella, Paul Levitz, 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.