No-Prize

[Joebern28]

I was re-reading the original Marvel run recently and when I got to the end of one of the comics I saw the infamous no-prize awarded in the letters section. Does anyone know exactly what was awarded when someone received this coveted No-Prize? It always made me wonder when I was younger and now twenty years later it again piques my interest!

[spacemonkeymafia]

You were awarded a "No Prize"...meaning you got nothing......

[Diablogunner]

The no-prize was just that, no prize. When people would write in and point out things that the editors missed, they would thank them and tell them they won a no-prize. I read in an interview with Stan Lee once that he and someone else had come up with the idea one day.

And now, you know...

[Joebern28]

Hey thanks! That makes sense, people were always bent out of shape to receive one and I always wondered. You would have to think some of those people would have been pissed to expect something in the mail lol.

[Joebern28]

The no-prize was just that, no prize. When people would write in and point out things that the editors missed, they would thank them and tell them they won a no-prize. I read in an interview with Stan Lee once that he and someone else had come up with the idea one day.

And now, you know...


...And Knowing is half the battle!! Thanks for the quick reply guys!

[copperhead33]

I was re-reading the original Marvel run recently and when I got to the end of one of the comics I saw the infamous no-prize awarded in the letters section. Does anyone know exactly what was awarded when someone received this coveted No-Prize? It always made me wonder when I was younger and now twenty years later it again piques my interest!

empty envelope, pretty sure

[Troynos]

Absolutely nothing. That was the point of the "no-prize".

[dmizrok]

empty envelope, pretty sure

yeah, thats what i remember too...

[Killjoy]

yeah, thats what i remember too...

I'm pretty sure that was exactly it.

However, it wasn't just pointing out the error, but you had to come up with something to explain it too if I remember correctly...

[Joebern28]

The empty envelope makes it even better if thats true. That would be great get to your mailbox, get a letter from marvel, open it ....... and nothing!

[copperhead33]

whats even better if i remember correctly, is that it was mailed IN another envelope.

[Freedom]

Yeah, to win a No-Prize, you had to explain why something that looked like a mistake, really wasn't a mistake.

For example if a character was remembering an event to another character and he said another character was there that wasn't there. That seems like a mistake. Well, you explain that it is not a mistake, because that's how that character remembers it, or in fact, that character was there. Just off-panel.

Then you say, "Do I get my No-Prize"?
And Hama says, "It's in the mail!"
Then you wait by the mailbox for weeks waiting on your No-Prize only to be disappointed when all you get is an empty envelope. An empty envelope?! After all the money you've spent on G.I.Joe, Nth Man, and Wolverine comics supporting your idol, Larry Hama, all he sends you is an F'ing envelope?!

Then you go down to your local McDonald's and shoot everybody inside with an AK-47 you bought on the black market.

Now you're in prison and it's all Larry Hama's fault.

I gotta go. The guards are telling me internet time is over.

[wildbill73]

lol

[darthfoley]

No-Prize - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_prize)

[nightforceoutback11]

Behold the No-Prize!!!!!

[Captain Carstein]

Although I knew how you were supposed to win one, I always remember wondering what a "No-Prize" was as a kid. Thanks for clearing up one of life's little mysteries for me. :)

[Joebern28]

Although I knew how you were supposed to win one, I always remember wondering what a "No-Prize" was as a kid. Thanks for clearing up one of life's little mysteries for me. :)

I completely agree with the captain, one small mystery solved! With photographic evidence. Thanks everybody. Now if we can only figure out that damn sasquatch......

[fireflyguy]

That's funny that someone brought this up. I was just thinking about it the other day! I never did win a "no-prize", but I remember finding a few things that I could've written in about if I'd just not been lazy.

[nighthawk]

I actually asked Larry Hama a few years back and that's what he said too. It's just an empty envelope. I remember once though that someone did get something special once, but can't remember what it was. I think it was a signed G.I.Joe comic. I think it was the person who pointed out something significant. Might have had to do with the revelation that Firefly was the Faceless Master, but I can't really remember right now.