Carl's friend James Shegas sent me this…
I went with Carl to the San Diego Con somewhere in the late 1970s. He had brought a big painting of the Silver Surfer and Galactus to give to Jack Kirby, who attended every SDCC up to that time. We came up to Jack's table at the dealer's room where he and his wife Rosalind were. Jack was very impressed with the painting and Carl wanted him to take it as a gift. Jack hesitated to accept it, since he believed every artist should hold onto his work but was quickly overruled by Roz, who told him "Can't you see? He really wants you to have it."
Carl happily gave it to the King. He was so happy his hero appreciated his devotion and artistry. Carl was one of the good ones, always friendly, always helpful. His self-published mini-comics were very imaginative and exciting, and comics could have benefited from his energy and dedication to the form. Very sad day. REST IN POWER, Carl!
I recall Jack was impressed with Carl's work…and also Carl's love for the form and his general attitude. One of the reasons Jack attended all those Comic-Cons is that he wanted to meet people like Carl and he was aware of the power of his encouragement. That's a nice story, James, and I'm glad to be able to share it here.