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T.M. Maple (c. 1956〔("Petition for the Return of the Letters Page!" Newsarama (Nov. 10, 2006). ) Accessed Sept. 28, 2008〕–1994) was the pseudonym of Jim Burke, a Canadian who wrote more than 3,000 letters to comic book letter columns between 1977 and 1994.〔Cronin, Brian. ("Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed" #92, Comic Book Resources (Mar. 1, 2007). ) Accessed Sept. 27, 2008.〕 Burke's letters were quite popular among readers as well as editors, and he wrote prolifically to a diverse number of comic publishing companies and titles. Burke originally signed his letters as "The Mad Maple," but Marvel Comics editor Tom DeFalco abbreviated it to "T.M. Maple" to make it sound like a real name (thus circumventing a new policy at the company to stop printing letters submitted under pseudonyms).〔 Burke took a liking to the new name and began using it exclusively (including variations like "Theodore Maddox Maplehurst") until 1988, when in Scott McCloud's ''Zot!'' #21 he revealed his real name.〔 At around the same time, he also revealed his real name in a letter to ''Action Comics Weekly #615.〔''Action Comics Weekly'' #615 (DC Comics, August 30, 1988).〕 Starting in 1986, Burke wrote a column called "The Canuck Stops Here" in the fanzine It's a Fanzine. With artist/publisher Allen Freeman, Burke co-created the superhero Captain Optimist and wrote five issues of the series.〔〔''Captain Optimist'' #1 (Fan-Atic Press, 1986).〕 Some believe that the ''Simpsons character the Comic Book Guy was based on Maple.〔("Best. Comic. Fan. Ever." L-Dopa (Apr. 4, 2006). ) Accessed Sept. 28, 2008.〕 ''Simpsons'' creator Matt Groening, however, has repeatedly stated that the Comic Book Guy was based on "... ''every'' comic-bookstore guy in America". After Burke died of a heart attack in 1994, he was eulogized in a number of letter columns published by DC Comics, the company he probably wrote to most prolifically. == Tributes == In tribute to Burke, the St. Paul, Minnesota comic book convention (FallCon ) holds all of its guest panel presentations in the "TM Maple Edutorium."〔(T.M. Maple tribute page at Sequential: Canadian Comics News & Culture (Jan. 23, 2007). ) Accessed Sept. 28, 2008.〕 In 2014, the Joe Shuster Awards inaugurated the T. M. Maple Award, in recognition of someone from the "Canadian comics community for achievements made outside of the creative and retail categories who had a positive impact on the community."〔("New award for 2014: T.M. Maple Award," ) Joe Shuster Awards website. Accessed June 30, 2014.〕 The first recipients of the award were Burke himself (posthumously) and Debra Jane Shelly.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「T. M. Maple」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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