According to Heidi MacDonald of The Beat Olney has passed away. I have nothing good to say about the man, but I do feel that his passing should be noted on this forum.

58? He looked 85.

http://comicsbeat.com/rip-rick-olney/

Interesting guy. Heidi puts it well... "He was a colorful, strange figure—my condolences to his family, his wife, and five children."

Condolences, of course, despite his troubled past.

And it appears that even Comicon itself has decided to forgive and forget, since the very name Rick Olney could not be successfully typed here at one time. So an era has indeed passed.

I received the news about Olney's death Friday morning when I was woke up by a mutual friend who had seen the news announced on a mutual friend of his (Olney had no contact with my mutualn friend for a very long time ago) in that Olney lost his battle with lung cancer that day.

I have passed it about the many, two principles which Olney jousted with a great deal, Rick Veitch and Steve Conley among a few. Of course, there are a few comic book folks who believe this could be another con from Olney, but this time I believe this is legit.

We had not (about a decade ago, we were) friends for many years, (him having pursuing scorched earth policy with myself and others)as many of us warned him about his ways, so for me to mourn his passing would be an exercise in hypocrisy.

It is what it is. I neither rejoice nor mourn, in this I just report.

Samuel D. Catalino

Wow, last week we lost Jack Klugman, Charles Durning, and Norman Schwarzkopf, and now this?!?!?

I once covered the fraud trial of a sleazy huckster -- a longtime con-artist -- who ultimately avoided conviction by dying of a heart attack while the jury was deliberating.

The bailiff came into the courtroom and formally notified the judge.

"I'm half-tempted to ask for someone to cut off the head and bring it to me as proof," the judge said.

I just posted a message on Spin Flippery for Jack to see I even did a comic back in 2003 of Jack and Rick fighting alas it was pretty stupid.

Actually the comic was Drawn on January 1st 2001 I coulnd't scan the pages cause they are the book is too thick.