I always read the letters column first, each time I get an old comic. I always loved trying to recreate what the issue must've been like when I'd read the comments; sometimes a writer makes suggestions that are fun to imagine, too. Names like Ed Via and T.M. Maple and "Uncle Elvis" Orton used to pop up from time to time in many of the l.c.s, always sharing honest opinions and insights. You sometimes find Marvel luminaries such as Ralph Macchio or J.M. DeMatteis. One of these fans-turned-pros is Kurt Busiek. If you haven't heard of him, you haven't been reading any super hero comics in the past couple of years; I particularly recommend his "Astro City" and its various series. Here, Kurt wrote to praise the return of Kirby's very last red-headed step child for Marvel, and I can't complete my Machine Man series without mentioning his letter. He pointed out that Marv and Steve Ditko had addressed what he perceived to be the biggest problem ...