Roy T Thomas homas ’ Legendary Legendary Roy Comics F F anzine Comics anzine
Bonus! Rare Art & Artifacts by:
JOHN BROOME ROBERT KANIGHER JOE KUBERT FRANK HARRY ARTHUR PEDDY NICK CARDY GIL KANE
CARMINE INFANTINO talks about his life and times
$
5.95
In the USA
No. 10 SEPTEMBER 2001
(and wait'll you see This issue’s never-beforeprinted Carmine Infantino FLASH & GREEN LANTERN art! )
All characters shown TM & ©2001 DC Comics.
TwoMorrows Publishing Update 15%
SAVE
SUMMER 2011
WHE N YO ORD U ONL ER INE!
BACK ISSUE #51
BACK ISSUE #53
BACK ISSUE #54
• Digital Editions available: $2.95-$3.95! • Back Issue & Alter Ego now with color! • Lower international shipping rates!
(NOW WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “AllInterview Issue”! Part 2 of an exclusive STEVE ENGLEHART interview (continued from ALTER EGO #103)! “Pro2Pro” interviews between SIMONSON & LARSEN, MOENCH & WEIN, and comics letterers KLEIN & CHIANG. Plus JOHN OSTRANDER, MICHAEL USLAN, and longtime DC color artist ADRIENNE ROY! Cover by Englehart collaborator MARSHALL ROGERS!
“Gods!” Takes an in-depth look at WALTER SIMONSON’s Thor, the Thunder God in the Bronze Age, “Pro2Pro” interview with TOM DeFALCO and RON FRENZ, Hercules: Prince of Power, Moondragon, Three Ways to End the New Gods Saga, exclusive interview with fantasy writer MICHAEL MOORCOCK, art and commentary by GERRY CONWAY, JACK KIRBY, BOB LAYTON, and more, with a swingin’ Thor cover by SIMONSON!
“Liberated Ladies” eyeing female characters that broke barriers in the Bronze Age: Big Barda, Valkyrie, Ms. Marvel, Phoenix, Savage She-Hulk, and the sword-wielding Starfire. Plus a “Pro2Pro” interview with JILL THOMPSON, GAIL SIMONE, and BARBARA KESEL, art and commentary by JOHN BYRNE, GEORGE PEREZ, JACK KIRBY, MIKE VOSBURG, and more, with a new cover by BRUCE TIMM!
ORDER AT: www.twomorrows.com
(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital edition) $2.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Nov. 2011
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Jan. 2012
THE BEST IN COMICS AND LEGO MAGAZINES!
ALTER EGO #105
ALTER EGO #106
ALTER EGO #107
ALTER EGO #108
DRAW! #22
See comic art and script BEFORE and AFTER the Comics Code changes, with art by SIMON & KIRBY, DITKO, BUSCEMA, SINNOTT, GOULD, COLE, STERANKO, KRIGSTEIN, O’NEIL, GLANZMAN, ORLANDO, WILLIAMSON, HEATH, and others! Plus: FCA, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY, JIM AMASH interviews Timely/Atlas artist CAL MASSEY, and a new cover by JOSH MEDORS!
DICK GIORDANO through the 1960s—from freelance years and Charlton “Action-Heroes” to his first stint at DC! Art by DITKO, APARO, BOYETTE, MORISI, McLAUGHLIN, GIL KANE, and others, Dick’s final convention panel with STEVE SKEATES and ROY THOMAS, JIM AMASH interviews Charlton artist TONY TALLARICO, FCA with MARC SWAYZE and ROY ALD, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, BILL SCHELLY, GIORDANO cover, and more!
Big BATMAN issue, with an unused Golden Age cover by DICK SPRANG! SHEL DORF interviews SPRANG and JIM MOONEY, with rare and unseen Batman art by BOB KANE, JERRY ROBINSON, WIN MORTIMER, SHELLY MOLDOFF, CHARLES PARIS, and others! Part II of the TONY TALLARICO interview by JIM AMASH! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, BILL SCHELLY, and more!
1970s Bullpenner WARREN REECE talks about Marvel Comics and working with EVERETT, BURGOS, ROMITA, STAN LEE, MARIE SEVERIN, ADAMS, FRIEDRICH, ROY THOMAS, and others, with rare art! DEWEY CASSELL spotlights Golden Age artist MIKE PEPPE, with art by TOTH, ANDRU, TUSKA, CELARDO, & LUBBERS, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, cover by EVERETT & BURGOS, and more!
Interview with inker SCOTT WILLIAMS from his days at Marvel and Image to his work with JIM LEE, and PATRICK OLIFFE demos how he produces Spider-Girl, Mighty Samson, and digital comics. Also, MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ “Comic Art Bootcamp”, a “Rough Critique” of a newcomer’s work by BOB McLEOD, art supply reviews by “Crusty Critic” JAMAR NICHOLAS, and more!
(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Oct. 2011
(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Dec. 2011
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Jan. 2012
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships March 2012
(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Feb. 2012
LEE & KIRBY: THE WONDER YEARS (KIRBY COLLECTOR #58)
Special double-size book examines the first decade of the FANTASTIC FOUR, and the events that put into motion the Marvel Age of Comics! New interviews with STAN LEE, FLO STEINBERG, MARK EVANIER, JOE SINNOTT, and others, with a wealth of historical information and Kirby artwork!
(128-page tabloid trade paperback) $19.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Nov. 2011 (Subscribers: counts as two issues)
KIRBY COLLECTOR #59
BRICKJOURNAL #17
BRICKJOURNAL #18
BRICKJOURNAL #19
“Kirby Vault!” Rarities from the “King” of comics: Personal correspondence, private photos, collages, rare Marvelmania art, bootleg album covers, sketches, transcript of a 1969 VISIT TO THE KIRBY HOME (where Jack answers the questions YOU’D ask in ‘69), MARK EVANIER, pencil art from the FOURTH WORLD, CAPTAIN AMERICA, MACHINE MAN, SILVER SURFER GRAPHIC NOVEL, and more!
LEGO SPACE WAR issue! A STARFIGHTER BUILDING LESSON by Peter Reid, WHY SPACE MARINES ARE SO POPULAR by Mark Stafford, a trip behind the scenes of LEGO’S NEW ALIEN CONQUEST SETS that hit store shelves earlier this year, plus JARED K. BURKS’ column on MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION, building tips, event reports, our step-by-step “YOU CAN BUILD IT” INSTRUCTIONS, and more!
Go to Japan with articles on two JAPANESE LEGO FAN EVENTS, plus take a look at JAPAN’S SACRED LEGO LAND, Nasu Highland Park—the site of the BrickFan events and a pilgrimage site for many Japanese LEGO fans. Also, a feature on JAPAN’S TV CHAMPIONSHIP OF LEGO, a look at the CLICKBRICK LEGO SHOPS in Japan, plus how to get into TECHNIC BUILDING, LEGO EDUCATION, and more!
LEGO EVENTS ISSUE covering our own BRICKMAGIC FESTIVAL, BRICKWORLD, BRICKFAIR, BRICKCON, plus other events outside the US. There’s full event details, plus interviews with the winners of the BRICKMAGIC CHALLENGE competition, complete with instructions to build award winning models. Also JARED K. BURKS’ regular column on minifigure customizing, building tips, and more!
(84-page tabloid magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships Feb. 2012
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships Dec. 2011
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships Feb. 2012
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships April 2012
Vol. 3, No. 10 / September 2001 ™
Editor Roy Thomas
Associate Editor Bill Schelly
Design & Layout Christopher Day
Consulting Editors John Morrow Jon B. Cooke
FCA Editor
Infantino Co. Section
P.C. Hamerlinck
Comics Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert
Editors Emeritus Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich
Cover Artists Carmine Infantino & Terry Austin Dick Ayers
Cover Color Tom Ziuko
Writer/Editorial: Themes and Remembrances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 “Irritate the Eye!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Mailing Crew Russ Garwood, Glen Musial, Ed Stelli, Pat Varker, Loston & Carolyn Wallace
And Special Thanks to: The American Association of Comic Collectors Terry Austin Dick &Lindy Ayers Mike W. Barr Dennis Beaulieu Bill Black Nick Cardy Dave Cockrum Jerry de Fuccio Al Dellinges Shel Dorf Bruce Edwards Don Ensign Tom Fagan Patricia Floss Ken Gale Jeff Gelb Jennifer T. Go Fred Guardineer David G. Hamilton Paul Handler Bill Harper Ron Harris Mark & Stephanie Heike Tom Horvitz Carmine Infantino Shel Kagan Robert Kanigher Gene Kehoe Bob Koppany Joe Kubert
Contents
Joe & Nadia Mannarino Richard Martines Jim McLauchlin Brian K. Morris Emily Nelson Eric NolenWeathington Joe Petrilak Ethan Roberts Rob Schmidt Julius Schwartz Dave Siegel Dave Sim Jim Simmons Robin Snyder J. David Spurlock Bhob Stewart Steve Stiles Marc Svensson Marc Swayze Maggie Thompson Jim Vadeboncoeur Murray Ward Hames Ware Len Wein Dylan Williams Marv Wolfman Ed Zeno Mike Zeno
This issue dedicated to the memory of Rich Morrissey
Bob Koppany’s 1996 interview with Carmine Infantino... profusely illustrated.
The Man Who Launched the Corps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Rich Morrissey on the life and career of John Broome—with a P.S. on Doc Smith’s Lensmen Written Off – 9-30-49 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Scenes from a never-published Infantino “Flash” story from the Golden Age. Who Created the Silver Age Flash? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Round up the usual suspects: Kanigher, Infantino, Kubert, and Schwartz. “What’s So Great about Comic Art?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Bill Schelly walks us through fandom’s other founding fanzine. Happy Anniversary to Us! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 A Fast Look Back at Alter Ego, Volume 1!
Comic Crypt, FCA, & ME, Too! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: It started life as a commission drawing, done by original Silver Age Flash artist Carmine Infantino for super-fan Ed Zeno—and that pencil version can be seen on Page 19. But, with inks by Terry Austin, it became the main focus of our cover, which harks back (or did you notice that already?) to Showcase #4 in 1956. See elsewhere in this issue for fuller versions of the rare Golden and Silver Age Infantino art from which the images in the film strip were taken. [Art ©2001 Carmine Infantino & Terry Austin; two Flashes, Green Lantern, Batman, and Adam Strange ©2001 DC Comics.] Above: Ed Zeno strikes again—or rather, Carmine Infantino does, but Ed’s the one with the commission drawing! And thanks again to Carmine, who back in November of ’99, when I had left a phone message asking if I could use a particular piece of his art in A/E, left a wonderful response on my answering machine: “Roy—anything you choose—whenever you choose!” You’re a classy guy, Mr. I.! [Art ©2001 Carmine Infantino; Adam Strange ©2001 DC Comics.] Alter EgoTM is published quarterly by TwoMorrows, 1812 Park Drive, Raleigh, NC 27605, USA. Phone: (919) 833-8092. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: Rt. 3, Box 468, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@oburg.net. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8 ($10 Canada, $11 elsewhere). Eight-issue subscriptions: $40 US, $80 Canada, $88 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.
2
writer/editorial
Themes And Remembrances
I
hate theme issues!
On a regretfully more somber note:
No, honest—I really do. I just seem to keep doing them in Alter Ego, and I have no idea how to quit. “Stop me before I do more theme issues!” There. Now that I’ve got that out of my system, let me tell you about the not one but two major themes of this edition of A/E. One of them, which you can learn more about by standing on your head (or else flipping the mag over), is the comics and creators of Vin Sullivan’s Magazine Enterprises.
Like many other longtime comics fans, I was startled not many weeks before these words are written to learn of the untimely death of Rich Morrissey [a photo of Rich is on page 23]. I didn’t know Rich well, but we would encounter each other from time to time over the past two or three decades, and he was invariably excited about some piece of information he had run across concerning the history of comic books. The last two times our paths crossed stick out in my mind: The second-from-last occasion was in spring of 2000, at the memorial held in Manhattan for Gil Kane. Rich was certainly not the person in that gathering for whom I would have assumed the next memorial would be held.
Then, at the Orlando MegaCon this March, we ran into each other as I was heading off to grab some lunch. When I mentioned that my favorite hamburger chain in all the cosmos, Steak ’n’ Shake (an icon from my St. Louis days), had an outlet in the area, Rich insisted on driving there. Well, at least I paid for his lunch to salve my conscience. We yakked all through lunch about this and that. For one thing, he was eager to revise a piece he’d written for A/E about John Broome, in the light of new conversations with the writer’s widow. We also discussed the videotaped interview he and several others had done in ’94 with the late Vin Sullivan, which was slated to be printed (at least in part) in the same issue. (Little did we know that some of Rich’s helpful comments and corrections re The All-Star Companion would also wind up here, delayed Alter Ego, our super-mascot who appeared in four Eclipse comics in 1986— from last time.) with knockoffs of the Hillman heroes Airboy, Sky Wolf, et al., some of whom
We call this half of the issue our “Infantino & Co. Section,” since it features a CI interview, a piece on his longtime Flash collaborator John Broome, a study of a never-published ’40s “Flash” story penciled by Carmine (great fun tracking all this down!), and a dissection of the Silver Age Flash’s creation by him and others. Still, Rich Morrissey’s article is slanted if anything toward Broome’s work on Green Lantern, and Infantino’s only connection with that title came later, as editorial director and publisher.
It happens every time: I start out with one primo item—like, say, Bob Koppany’s interview with Carmine from a 1996 issue of CFA-APA—and decide it would be virtually a public service to reprint it for a wider audience. Then, after that item is set for a particular issue, other things just were drawn in the 1940s by Carmine Infantino. naturally begin to accrue to it, like But, above all, Rich was excited [Alter Ego hero ©2001 Roy & Dann Thomas; art ©2001 Ron Harris.] barnacles—only welcome because after lunch he was barnacles. In this fashion, each issue of A/E to date, like Topsy in Uncle rendezvousing with Peggy Broome, and among other things he hoped to Tom’s Cabin, “just growed.” arrange a phone interview for A/E at a later date. Next thing I know, I’ve got an entire half-issue devoted to Flash, GL, Infantino, and Broome, with healthy slices of Kanigher, Kubert, and even Julie Schwartz thrown in for seasoning—and I realize that, with space already set aside for regulars like Bill Schelly on comics fandom, Michael T. Gilbert’s “Comic Crypt,” P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA, plus newcomer (to these pages, at least) Jerry de Fuccio’s anecdotal “Nuggets,” Alter Ego V3#10 becomes yet another issue into which I can’t squeeze all the wonderful material I have on hand about, say, the Silver Age of Comics in other countries like France, Mexico, Canada, or Great Britain. Hell, there wouldn’t even be room for Luxembourg, if it had a Silver Age of Comics (and for all I know, maybe it did). There’s only one thing to do: One of these first issues, I’ll do a theme issue about the Silver Age around the world! Of course, that’ll just squeeze out something else...!
Rich and I talked on the phone once or twice after that. Eventually the Broome rewrite arrived via e-mail, and I was waiting to hear whether there’d also be a short Peggy Broome interview I should try to shoehorn into this issue—when I received a phone call from comics fan Dave Siegel, saying he had bad news. Since Dave is in touch with any number of older creators and I knew one or two of them had been ailing, I braced myself to learn that another link with the early days of comic books had been irretrievably broken. Instead, Dave told me that Rich Morrissey had passed away. Rich was an inveterate researcher. Several of his very helpful lists of information still reside in drawers where I put them for easy reference when he first sent them to me—while I was prepping the first issue of All-Star Squadron, two decades ago. So, in one sense—a link with comics’ history had been broken. We’ll miss you, Rich. In fact, we already do.
Ca TM & ptain Marv el ©DC Comic s.
IN NOVEMBER:
™
#
11
NEXT ISSUE:
NOW 8X A YEAR!
DOUBLE MARVEL FEAST! 1940S TIMELY/MARVEL—AND THE ORIGINAL CAPTAIN MARVEL!
™
• Two fabulous full-color covers—Timely’s greatest heroes by CARL BURGOS, CARL PFEUFER, & SYD SHORES—and a truly cosmic Shazam! painting by DON NEWTON! • Marvel’s Golden Age Masters! Interviews with writer MICKEY (Mike Hammer) SPILLANE—VINCE FAGO, editor-in-chief, 1942-45—artist SYD SHORES—and VALERIE BARCLAY, the lady Stan Lee called that “glamorous girl inker”! • Rare art by BURGOS, SHORES, PFEUFER, BILL EVERETT, JOE SIMON, JACK KIRBY, DON RICO, and other Timely titans! • Double-size FCA section featuring C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE, DON NEWTON, ALEX ROSS, and others!
Human
• “Magazine Enterprises—the Sequel!” Scarce 1940s-’50s art by BOB POWELL, DICK AYERS, JOE CERTA, JOHN BELFI, FRED MEAGHER, FRANK BOLLE, & OGDEN WHITNEY—with articles and interviews.
a Americ Captain rs, Inc. ariner, te Sub-M Charac Torch, Marvel TM & ©
• Plus: MICHAEL T. GILBERT on JERRY SIEGEL at war—BILL SCHELLY interviews DON & MAGGIE THOMPSON—”Nuggets” from JERRY DE FUCCIO—BUCKLER, WEIN, GIORDANO, and THOMAS on the All-Star Squadron—and MORE!!! Edited by ROY THOMAS • 100 pages SUBSCRIBE NOW! Eight Issues in the US: $40 Standard, $64 First Class (Canada: $80, Elsewhere: $88 Surface, $120 Airmail).
TwoMorrows. Bringing New Life To Comics Fandom. TwoMorrows • 1812 Park Drive • Raleigh, NC 27605 USA • 919-833-8092 • FAX: 919-833-8023 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com
And now suddenly Barb was gone, as well... a far greater loss, of course.
And, while her name was not overly familiar to fans of adventure comics, my wife Dann and I were likewise saddened to learn of the death, due to cancer, of artist Barbara Rausch, whom we knew mostly from conversations at parties (at our home, and at others’) when we lived in Los Angeles. A few years ago I proudly recycled her DC Barbie comics to the young daughter of a local friend, who loved them.
It’s my philosophy that, whether we stop and think about it or not, our whole lives amount to the proverbial “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” But you know something? Rearranging those colorful chairs—or in this case, writing or drawing comics (or even writing about comics)—makes as much sense, given life’s uncertainties, as most other things one might do with the time allotted. Like playing in the ship’s brass band, for instance. Or counting icebergs. Or even steering the damn boat.
Only the previous day, I’d been looking at a sketch by Barb that hangs in one of our guest rooms: Jessica Rabbit kissing our toco toucan. Glancing at it had saddened me, because that toucan, Bet, who shared our lives for a dozen years, had recently been killed in her aviary under mysterious circumstances, and I still haven’t quite got my mind around it. I was pondering the notion of running in A/E the handful of toucanrelated cartoons generously drawn for us over the years by talented friends like Sergio Aragonés, Cathy Hill (of Mad Raccoons)—and Barb Rausch.
You know something else? Maybe I’ll run the rest of those toucan cartoons one of these issues, after all... ...and dedicate them to Barb. Bestest,
Art ©2001 estate of Barb Rausch; Jessica Rabbit ©2001 Touchstone Pictures & Amblin Entertainment, Inc.
4
Carmine Infantino
“Irritate The Eye!”
A Strangely-Titled Interview with CARMINE INFANTINO — But Read On!
Conducted and Transcribed by Bob Koppany [EDITOR’S NOTE: This phone interview took place on January 13, 1996. Bob Koppany was in Los Angeles, Carmine Infantino in New York City. It was printed in the Winter 1996 issue of CFA-APA #39, an “apa” [amateur press alliance] fanzine published by and for a membership composed of serious comic art collectors, with only about 60 copies being printed of any given issue. The interview, which has been slightly edited here for space by Roy Thomas, is ©2001 by Bob Koppany and is reprinted by permission of Bob and Carmine.] BOB KOPPANY: Tell us about your days growing up.
in. Now, the artwork was not very professional, I’ve got to admit, and they turned it down. I did six pages of work and they never accepted it. Later I got a call from Al Capp [creator of the comic strip Li’l Abner]. Someone had recommended me. I brought him my artwork, and he wanted me to come to Boston to work for him. My father would not let me leave school, thankfully. I was very upset, of course, but he said, “Naw, finish school. If you’re any good, they’ll want you after school just as well as before. An education is important.” And he was right. Much later on, Milt Caniff offered me his strip to draw. It was either Terry [and the Pirates] or Steve Canyon, I’m not sure which. But I turned him down, because I was much too busy doing my own stuff.
CARMINE INFANTINO: I was born in Brooklyn. My schooling BK: Does that mean you got into there was in elementary school, comic books at that time? and then I went to the High School of Industrial Arts. When I INFANTINO: As a kid, I used to began there, it was a new roam Manhattan, looking for conception... a vocational school artists to talk to. I met a guy for just art. They didn’t have Carmine in the glory days as editorial director of DC Comics. And, at top, from the named Charlie Flanders. He drew much hope for it, so they housed 1971 San Diego ComicCon program book, here’s a Cinemascopic CI illo, with thanks The Lone Ranger [comic strip] us in this old Civil War hospital and had an office across from to John Morrow. [Art ©2001 Carmine Infantino; characters ©2001 DC Comics.] building on 42nd Street. It has Grand Central Station. He was a long since burned down. Later on, I went to Queens College, the Art very sweet man. When I was 15 or 16, I would run over after school to Students League, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This was on my see him. He’d let me scribble a little bit around the office and watch him. own, much later. That was the initial step. I ran into somebody that knew Harry Chesler’s studio. Chesler had BK: What sort of work did you do once you left school? an old factory kind of warehouse on 23rd Street. There was a brokendown elevator, and he was on the fourth floor. He packaged comics for INFANTINO: When I was 16 or 17 I did a job for a minor publishing minor publishers. I went up there, and I hung around... and I hung company called Fox. They gave me a script and I brought the artwork
“Irritate The Eye!”
One of Carmine’s early benefactors was Lone Ranger artist Charles Flanders, shown drawing Secret Agent X-9. The Lone Ranger daily depicted is from March 4, 1939, the end of Flanders’ first storyline. (For a truly great book on the Ranger in every medium, ambush a copy of From Out of the Past: A Pictorial History of The Lone Ranger by Dave Holland, published by The Holland House, 1988. You won’t be sorry!) [Lone Ranger ©2001 Lone Ranger Television, Inc.; a subsidiary of Palladium Media Enterprises, Inc.]
around. He had a reputation of being hard-nosed and cheap to artists. But he was more than fair to me. He said, “Why don’t you come here after school and Saturdays, and watch the guys work and learn. And I’ll give you five bucks a week for carfare and eating.” Which is very sweet. And he got nothing from it. I did that for quite a while. BK: How did you get to meet Charles Biro and into Daredevil? INFANTINO: I kept bringing my work around to all the comic houses. I hit there, I hit DC, I hit everywhere that anyone—I just kept going around. And then one day at Biro’s [Lev Gleason Publications], he said he was running late with one of his strips and he needed someone to work on the backgrounds. So I said, “Fine. I’ll take on anything.” I went to his house to work, with a kid named Norman Maurer. Norman finally married one of the Three Stooges’ daughters. We worked for Biro for a while, and from there I went over to Hillman Publications. Ed Cronin, the editor, had me drawing, and then he had me writing. I wasn’t sure I could write. But apparently I did. I drew a thing called “The Heap” for him. I also wrote a number of them. I wrote some Airboy stuff for him, too—drew and wrote. I got fascinated by writing, and I started reading Somerset Maugham and Sam Clemens/Mark Twain. I picked up an awful lot about writing from those gentlemen.
5
During the last year or two in school, I met Frank Giacoia. We got to be very friendly. We would each get a quarter a day to go to school and have lunch. You could have lunch on 15¢ a day in those days, which meant scrambled eggs and potatoes and coffee. What we would do is get one lunch, and share it, and we’d buy a comic book with the other money. We’d keep a dime for travel back and forth. Some days we bought all comic books and we walked home from Manhattan. It’s a rough trick, but we did it. He walked to Astoria; I walked to Brooklyn. It would take a couple of hours, but we felt it was worth it. We enjoyed at the time Lou Fine and Reed Crandall and the like. And we would roam the comic houses, looking for work. Well, one day we went to Timely Comics, and Frank and I got a strip called “Jack Frost.” Frank was the penciler. I was the inker... my inking was never that great. But he was a fairly good penciler at that time. They offered us a job in house [i.e., on staff]. My father said, “No way,” but Frank took it. He left school and he began with Timely Comics, which later became Marvel. Joe Simon was the editor-in-chief in those days. BK: Now, when you said you were inking, were you inking for a long time? INFANTINO: Just one or two jobs.
(Left-to-right:) Some of Carmine’s earliest work was “Hell’s Angels” in Holyoke’s Sparkling Stars. Note his progression from #1 (June ’44) through the Caniff-inspired page in #10 (Feb. ’46)... and his signed pencil-and-ink work in Aviation’s Contact Comics #4 (Jan. 1945) and in Continental’s Captain Aero Comics #26 (Aug. ’46). With thanks to Jim Vadeboncoeur. [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]
16
John Broome
The Man Who Launched The Corps A Look at the Career of Master Storyteller JOHN BROOME by Rich Morrissey There was a time when The Green Lantern Corps patrolled the universe, 3600 strong. They had fought for justice since before the dawn of life on Earth, their mission and their power given them by the immortal Guardians of the planet Oa. Among them were the avian Tomar-Re, the sinister Sinestro, the lovely Katma Tui, and above all, the fearless, heroic Hal Jordan. The man from whose typewriter emerged all the above—as well as Wally West, the current heir to the title of The Flash; the noble Atomic Knights of a future now safely in the past; the diabolical but delightful rogues’ gallery of the Silver Age Flash—now is gone, after three decades of commuting in happy retirement between Paris and Tokyo, painting and teaching advanced English to the Japanese. Yet his importance to the field of comic books is a matter of historical record, treasured in the memory of his fans and his long-time editor, and still persists today when the above characters and countless more continue their adventures on the four-color page, as well as in animated cartoons and live-action series.
I. Peggy, Fawcett, and Science-fiction Irving Bernard Broome was born in Brooklyn in 1913, and grew up with many interests, including literature, writing, jazz, and contract bridge. In college he joined the basketball team and there picked up the nickname “Long John” (probably after Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Treasure Island), and it was as John Broome that he would be known for the rest of his life. He also met a young woman named Peggy Siegel, who was not related to the man who was at that time changing the course of comic books forever by creating Superman, but with whom he had many interests in common, especially literature and the use of language. They were married in 1937, and remained a loving and mutually supportive couple for over sixty years. In the early 1940s one of Broome’s frequent bridge partners, Rod Reed, was an editor at Fawcett Comics, and invited him to write for the line. Starting out with a story featuring sailor Lance O’Casey in Whiz Comics, Broome soon was “ready for Captain Marvel” and wrote a number of early adventures of the legendary Big Red Cheese and other characters. Already interested in creating new and original villains for his heroes to battle, John Broome came up with Ibac, a small-time crook given the powers of four historical villains by denizens of Hell, much as
(L. to r.:) Julius Schwartz, Peg Broome, and John Broome in a photo taken by Julie’s future wife Jean Ordwein in September 1946—with thanks to Julie and Jon B. Cooke. Gil Kane’s pencil rough for the cover of Green Lantern #167 shows him amid the Guardians of the Universe, courtesy of David G. Hamilton. [Photo ©1999 Julius Schwartz; art ©2001 DC Comics.]
the gods had given Billy Batson the powers of six mythic figures. In the meantime, Broome was writing and selling prose fiction, at the suggestion of his friend David Vern, who would also become a prolific comic book writer in years to come. Vern introduced him to “the world’s first interplanetary agent,” Julius Schwartz, who represented Vern and a number of the top science-fiction writers of the day (selling, among many others, Ray Bradbury’s first story). Schwartz would eventually sell twelve of John Broome’s stories, and the two became close friends. But then came World War II, and Broome entered the Army and was sent to the Pacific theatre.
The Man Who Launched The Corps
17 scripted all six issues of DC’s comic, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, which were drawn by Sid Greene.
II. Apes and Atoms
Leaving the service after the end of the war, Broome again sought out Julius Schwartz. Schwartz, now an editor for AllAmerican Comics (a company Around the same once allied with DC Comics, and time, a short-lived recently purchased by it), invited newspaper strip him to write for his company, in featuring Nero an attempt to upgrade the level of Wolfe was launched writing in the comics under his with John Broome control. Most of the books were (along with his then being written almost in their friend and fellow entirety by veteran DC writers DC writer Ed Gardner Fox, John Wentworth, Herron) scripting; and Ted Udall. Schwartz Fran Matera and Frankly, we’ve no idea whether John Broome wrote the never-published, Infantino-penciled continued to obtain stories from another long-time late-’40s “GL” story from which these panels are taken, but he’s as likely a candidate as anyone Fox (and, indeed, encouraged him DC artist, Frank else. Courtesy of Len Wein. For the story behind the “written off” stamp, see next article. to write prose fiction for the first Giacoia, handled the [Green Lantern ©2001 DC Comics.] time: a field in which he would art. Years later, ultimately become prolific and successful in a number of genres), but Broome recalled visiting the home of Wolfe’s creator, Rex Stout, to get largely phased out the others in favor of freelancers Robert Kanigher his approval on his handling of Stout’s corpulent detective. and John Broome. He has frequently referred to the latter as “the best— my best writer, my best friend, and the best man at my wedding.” Writers rarely received credit on comic book stories at that time, but an exception was made for Strange Adventures, one of two scienceBroome again started out with backups such as “Wildcat,” “Dr. Midfiction titles (the other was Mystery in Space) conceived and edited by Nite,” “Little Boy Blue,” and “Sargon the Sorcerer,” but was soon Julius Schwartz. (Schwartz would be the editor on almost all of scripting headline features like the original “Flash” and “Green Broome’s DC work, though occasionally Broome would write a Lantern.” His familiarity with all these heroes led to Broome’s taking “Batman” or “Vigilante” story, or a sequence of the Superman over the scripting of the Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics, a newspaper strip, for Jack Schiff or Mort Weisinger.) Like the prose sf feature he would continue to write until its demise in 1950. Broome magazines, Strange Adventures credited its writers, especially those created several memorable villains for the JSA and its individual with any experience in prose SF, including Edmond Hamilton, Gardner members, including The Sportsmaster and the original Evil Star and Key. Fox... and John Broome. But super-heroes were already on the decline by the time John Broome started at DC, and he was soon proving his versatility on new and different features. He and Kanigher shared the writing of comics such as Rex the Wonder Dog, The Phantom Stranger (although Schwartz recalls the latter as having been created by Manly Wade Wellman), and the licensed Western movie hero Hopalong Cassidy (featuring art by Gene Colan and later by Gil Kane), which he would later recall as one of his favorites to write.
However, to get a wider variety of bylines, Schwartz had his writers employ several pseudonyms each. Broome was also both “John Osgood” and “Edgar Ray Merritt”: the former name combining Broome’s own (adopted) first name with his mother’s maiden name, while the latter nom de plume was an amalgam of sf writers Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Cummings, and A. Merritt. The bylines faded out before long, but Broome remained one of the primary scripters of the two sf titles for the rest of Schwartz’ tenure on them.
Broome created a recurring backup for Rex’s title: “Detective Chimp,” with artist Carmine Infantino. The title character was a highly intelligent chimpanzee who solved the murder of his first owner and was then adopted by Florida sheriff Fred Chase, with whom he worked on many more cases. This series, often cited by Infantino as his all-time favorite, was the first time, but decidedly not the last, that he and Broome would collaborate on stories involving apes.
By and large, the two DC science-fiction comics ran individual, self-contained stories without recurring characters. But increasingly as the ’50s wore on and gave way to the ’60s they would feature continuing characters, and John Broome contributed three of these.
Bobo the chimp was not the only detective whose adventures Broome chronicled during the 1950s; he also brought to comics two of the most famous detectives of prose fiction. Charlie Chan was originally created by Earl Derr Biggers in six novels and later starred in a series of movies featuring Warner Oland and Sidney Toler as the Asian-American detective of the Honolulu police force. In 1958-59 Broome
We do know that Broome wrote the never-reprinted Justice Society adventure “The Man Who Conquered the Solar System” in All-Star #55 (Oct.-Nov. 1950), with its combined Edgar Rice Burroughs and H.P. Lovecraft touches. Art by Frank Giacoia. [©2001 DC Comics.]
“Captain Comet,” written by Broome (as Edgar Ray Merritt) and drawn by Murphy
24
Postscript shaped “rather like an oil drum [with] four stump legs, and... four tenfoot tentacles which end in a myriad cluster of oddly-shaped tendrils”— and Nadreck, a barely-described alien “master mathematician.”
The he T
Lensmen Connection
The Lenses themselves, dispensed by the Arisians (who “always appear to the humans as a fused form—a single entity having the name Mentor, [who] is sometimes an old man, a patriarch, and at other times only a naked brain”) are “a platinum-iridium bracelet carrying, wristwatch-wise, a lenticular something [which] seemed to be composed of thousands—millions—of tiny gems, each of which emitted pulsatingly all the colors of the spectrum.” The wearers of a Lens (all male, due to certain properties of the Lens itself) do not realize its full potentialities at first. It has no actual power of its own, but instead “concentrates, intensifies, and renders available whatever powers are already possessed by its wearer.” Semi-alive, it is a perfect telepathic instrument, hurls bolts of mental energy, and kills anyone who tries to don it besides the individual to whom it is specially attuned.
by Roy Thomas
In the final novel, Children of the Lens, the four daughters of Lensman Rod Kinnison, though they cannot wear Lenses themselves, team up with the three alien Lensmen mentioned two paragraphs back and their father to accomplish the ultimate destruction of Eddore by use of a mental thunderbolt hurled and focused through the linked For the title illo in A/E V1 #9 (1965), Roy combined a photostat of Rod Kinnison from the Lenses. cover of Astounding Science-Fiction (Oct. 1939) with a Mike Sekowsky-Bernie Sachs Green Lantern. And while Ye Editor can hardly believe it himself today, in that era before the accessibility of photocopiers, he actually cut out the GL figure from a page of Justice League of America original art given him by Julie Schwartz! He’s never fully forgiven himself... and the rest of that page hangs in his foyer as a reminder of youthful folly. [GL ©2001 DC comics; Astounding art ©2001 the respective copyright holder.]
In 1965, for Alter Ego [Vol. 1] #9, at my suggestion, comics/sf fan Shel Kagan wrote an article entitled “Great Guardians!” which detailed the similarities between the comic book universe of the Silver Age Green Lantern (then a relatively new character) and the Lensmen novels by E.E. “Doc” Smith, which had begun in 1934 with serialization in Astounding Stories sf pulp magazine. In the mid-’60s the Lensmen novels (Triplanetary, Galactic Patrol, Grey Lensmen, Second Stage Lensman, Children of the Lens—and First Lensman, a prequel written to fill out the series) were being published in paperback form for the first time, so many comics readers were unfamiliar with their very existence. Many doubtless still are.
As Shel Kagan wrote in a postscript to his article: “The many similarities of the Lensmen concept to that of the Green Lanterns [and those earlier in “Captain Comet”] might naturally lead one to surmise unequivocally that the older concept directly inspired the younger. Investigation in this direction, however, points up the dangers inherent in such ‘educated guesses,’ for editor Julius Schwartz says he has never read the series (though, as a longtime sf fan, he has of course heard of it). And DC writer John Broome, author of both the ‘Captain Comet’ and Green Lantern series, disclaims all knowledge of the Smith books.
As Kagan pointed out, the Arisians (a.k.a. the Elders) in Smith’s galaxies-spanning multi-book saga were very much the conceptual ancestors of both of John Broome’s versions of the Guardians of the Universe—although the Arisians, unlike the Oans, had a less powerful super-race, the Eddorians, as their ongoing enemies, with the fate of the space-spanning human race hanging in the balance between them. The Lensmen were the predecessors of the Green Lanterns as Broome (and Julie Schwartz) conceived them. Many of the Lens“men” weren’t human at all. Among these were Worsel, “a winged snake with a body of steel... and the ability to compartment his mind so that he can perform hundreds of In 1965 Roy applied his own limited artistic skills to draw Gil Kane’s “Green Lantern of jobs at one time”— Barrio III” and his own conceptions of Tregonsee and Worsel. A few years later, for the first Tregonsee, whose body was
time, he encountered Charles Schneeman’s fine illo for the Oct. 1939 Astounding, which depicted Tregonsee, Kinnison, and Worsel. [A/E art ©2001 Roy Thomas; GL of Barrio III ©2001 DC Comics; Astounding art ©2001 the respective copyright holder.]
“In Schwartz’ words, the Guardians were and simply are a ‘pet idea’ of Broome’s. As if to establish beyond dispute the extent to which... the comics and science-fiction share a fund of common ideas, Broome himself has this to say about his concept: “‘The Guardians is just another name for God—who has appeared under numerous guises in forms of fiction down through the ages. Some day when man matures a bit, the question of how science proves religion will be a widespread one (I hope). When that time arrives it will no longer be necessary to introduce the idea of a Supreme Intelligence in dramatic metaphors—probably it will no longer be possible.’”
Written Off - 9-30-49
by Roy Thomas
25
Part I The Day The Heroes Died
[Except where otherwise noted, all original-art reproductions accompanying this article are from photocopies courtesy of Marv Wolfman.]
i. Infamy There aren’t many dates I could rattle off instantly if somebody woke me up in the middle of the night, shone a flashlight in my eyes, and demanded to know when a particular event happened. My birthday, of course... the date of JFK’s assassination (maybe because it happened on my 23rd birthday)... oh yeah, and Pearl Harbor (you’re surprised at this?). Oh, and one more: I could, with only a couple of seconds’ thought, give a correct answer to someone who was yelling in my face: “On what day were hundreds of pages of vintage comic art ‘written off’ by DC Comics?” My reply: “September 30, 1949.” Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little. Still, the above date has definitely been emblazoned on my brain in recent years—because I’ve seen it, over and over and over again, stamped on old pages and pieces of pages of comic art (or, more often, on photocopies thereof), as reproduced above.
In 1944 the 25¢, 128-page Big All-American Comic Book showcased virtually every super-hero in the AA lineup except Dr. Mid-Nite (and maybe he was originally scheduled to make a house call, since somebody’s name must’ve been in that blank space between “Bulldog Drumhead” and “Atom”!). But by 1949 none of them except Wonder Woman still appeared in a solo series. [©2001 DC Comics.]
On that long-ago Friday, DC co-publishers Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz, acting in concert with their lawyers and accounting department, decided the time had come to “write off” a huge quantity of original art and story for which they no longer had any use. By doing so, DC—then officially National Comics Publications, Inc.—could take a one-time tax deduction for what that material had cost them, anywhere from one month to more than half a decade before. Accordingly, a vast number of twice-up pages of finished artwork were rubber-stamped: “WRITTEN OFF - 9-30-49,” whether the actual marking was done on that date or a bit later. In all probability a goodly amount of comic book art (and probably some scripts, as well) was trashed at that time or soon afterward. Although that action reflected decisions that had been made a year, even several years, earlier, 1949 was a logical time for this wholesale dumping to occur. For, ’twas in mid-1948 that Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Green Lantern were evicted from the pages of the oversize 15¢ Comic
This half-page of “Dr. Mid-Nite” (by Peddy & Sachs?) was once scheduled for AllAmerican Comics #110; but unless Doc had donned cowboy boots and a ten-gallon hat, he’d have been out of the running—because by then All-American Western was eight issues old! [Dr. Mid-Nite ©2001 DC Comics.]
Number 3a, August 2001 • Hype and hullabaloo from the publisher determined to bring new life to comics fandom • Edited by Eric Nolen-Weathington
DRAW! Draws Huge Response! It’s official—DRAW! is a hit! Seems everyone’s talking about the newest member of the TwoMorrows family, including the pros! We had several big-name artists come up to our booth at HeroesCon and tell us what a great mag it is. So if you haven’t checked it out, what are you waiting for? The first issue is flying out the door, and editor MIKE MANLEY has many more top-notch interviews and How-To demonstrations lined up for future issues. Coming in September, DRAW! #2 has a new cover by and interview with GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY, the man behind DEXTER’S LABORATORY and the upcoming SAMURAI JACK! Inking tips and tricks with KLAUS JANSON! Plus PHIL HESTER, BRET BLEVINS, STEVE CONLEY, reviews, links, & more! Each issue is (at least) 88 pages, and includes a COLOR SECTION! Get your subscription today!
Do You Have A Sense Of Wonder? This October, TwoMorrows Publishing is releasing SENSE OF WONDER, a new 224-page, $15.95 trade paperback by Bill Schelly (author of THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMIC FANDOM and other acclaimed books on comics history). In it, fandom’s leading historian recounts his strange-but-true encounters with STEVE DITKO, DR. FREDERIC WERTHAM, JIM SHOOTER, BOB KANE and others! It’s all here: The fans, the dealers, the comicons, and more, including a special introduction by Rascally ROY THOMAS! PAUL LEVITZ writes: “[SENSE OF WONDER is] charmingly nostalgic, intimate and heart-warming. Schelly’s trip through the wilderness years of fandom echoes what so many of us felt when we made a magic connection with other comics fans.” It’s profusely illustrated with over 150 photos and illustrations, including rare work by DICK GIORDANO, JOE SINNOTT, STEVE DITKO, NEAL ADAMS, MIKE KALUTA, WALLY WOOD, DOUG POTTER, DAVE COCKRUM, C. C. BECK, DON NEWTON, and a knock-out Captain America frontispiece by JACK KIRBY and MIKE ALLRED!
PROS & CONS! Thanks to everyone who came by our booth at HEROES CON—we had a great time! We also had a fabulous time at COMICON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO (July 19-22) where Sergio Aragonés’ STREETWISE story won the Eisner Award for “Best Short Story”! And we ended up going to WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO (August 17-19), after all! But while he wasn’t with us in sunny CA, look for a couple of new items by ROY THOMAS in your local comics shop: AVENGERS: THE ULTRON IMPERATIVE and JLA ELSEWORLDS: THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU! If you need to contact the TwoMorrows editors (or want to send a letter of comment), try e-mail! John Morrow, publisher, KIRBY COLLECTOR editor (and the one to go to with subscription problems): twomorrow@aol.com Jon B. Cooke, COMIC BOOK ARTIST editor: jonbcooke@aol.com Roy Thomas, ALTER EGO editor: roydann@oburg.net Brian Saner Lamken, COMICOLOGY editor: comicology@aol.com Mike Manley, DRAW! editor: mike@actionplanet.com And the TWOMORROWS WEB SITE (where you can read excerpts from our back issues, and order from our secure online store) is at: www.twomorrows.com To get periodic e-mail updates of what’s new from TwoMorrows Publishing, sign up for our mailing list! Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/twomorrows
They Just Can’t Wait For The FF’s 40th! And neither can we! THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #33 is the one you demanded—the ALL-FANTASTIC FOUR issue! This tabloid-size tribute is scheduled for November to coincide with the FF’s 40th Anniversary, and we’re pulling out all the stops, including a new interview with STAN LEE, and 40 PAGES of Kirby FF pencils! If you haven’t tried our new size, this is the one you can’t miss! Editor JOHN MORROW proclaims this will be the ultimate issue of TJKC!
Kimota!... No... Shazam!... No, Both! This Sept. at TwoMorrows, lightning strikes not once, but twice, with two incredible new trade paperbacks: KIMOTA! THE MIRACLEMAN COMPANION and THE FAWCETT COMPANION! Miracleman is generating a lot of buzz on the Internet these days, and Gorgeous GEORGE KHOURY has uncovered all the behind-the-scenes secrets of the strip, from the character’s start as the British Marvelman, to the legal and creative hurdles during its 24-issue run at Eclipse Comics, and why you never saw that final NEIL GAIMANscripted issue! KIMOTA! THE MIRACLEMAN COMPANION! is a 128-page trade paperback chock-full of unpublished art, uninked pencils, and sketches by JOHN TOTLEBEN, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, MARK BUCKINGHAM, JIM LEE, & more! Not to mention in-depth interviews with MOORE, GAIMAN, TOTLEBEN, BUCKINGHAM, RICK VEITCH, & others! It sports a snazzy, new BUCKINGHAM cover as well as an introduction and back cover by ALEX ROSS! And if that’s not enough, it also includes a NEVER-PUBLISHED 8page MOORE/TOTLEBEN story, “Lux Brevis,” and an unused MOORE script! (A percentage of profits go to Miracleman artist John Totleben, who is battling the eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa, so order it already!) And if you really want to get to Miracleman’s roots, check out THE FAWCETT COMPANION, featuring: A new painted cover by JERRY ORDWAY! An index of all Fawcett comics published from 1940-1953! Interviews and features on C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE, OTTO BINDER, & others! Rare and unpublished artwork by BECK, SWAYZE, KURT SCHAFFENBERGER, MAC RABOY, ALEX TOTH, GEORGE EVANS, ALEX ROSS, and more, and a foreword by SWAYZE! If you love the FCA sections in ALTER EGO, this is a must-have! SHA-MOTA! Miracleman is a shared TM of Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc. and Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham.
DHL Speeds Up Delivery Time! INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIBERS, LISTEN UP! We know you guys have been taking it on the chin since postal rates went up in January, having to opt for slower Surface delivery. FEAR NOT! TwoMorrows has searched high and low for a remedy, and we found one! We’re now using DHL for overseas subscription delivery, so if you choose Surface shipping, you’ll receive your new issues within 2-4 weeks instead of upwards of 2 months—and all for the same price! But don’t worry, you can still choose Airmail if you just have to have it as soon as possible (and can afford it)!
™
Now 8 Times A Year!
Due to the amazing synergy that editor ROY THOMAS and new designer CHRIS DAY have achieved, ALTER EGO is moving from 4x to 8x a year! Of course, with its increased frequency comes a new price: An 8-issue sub to A/E is now $40 US, but we’ll accept 4-issue sub payments ($20 US) through the end of 2001. Can CBA be far behind in the circulation wars? Only time (and JON B. COOKE) will tell... COPYRIGHT NOTICES: Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak, Black Panther ©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc. Mr. Monster ©2001 Michael T. Gilbert. Uncle Creepy, Cousin Eerie ©2001 Warren Publishing. Superman, Captain Marvel, Bulletman, Bulletgirl, Mary Marvel, Capt. Marvel Jr., Spy Smasher, Isis, Ibis ©2001 DC Comics. Samurai Jack ©2001 Cartoon Network.
TwoMorrows Sells Out! Of ALTER EGO #1 and the COLLECTED JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR, VOLUME TWO, that is! You can’t say you didn’t have your chance, but now they’re gone—and the COLLECTED JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR, VOLUME THREE isn’t far behind, either! Get it while it lasts!
Now Shipping!
Shipping Soon!
The Jack Kirby Collector #32 Mr. Monster Vol. Zero Alter Ego #9 Comic Book Artist #14 The Warren Companion (softcover) Warren Companion (hardcover) Prime8: Creation #1
DRAW! #2 (September) Fawcett Companion (September) KIMOTA! The Miracleman Companion (September) Alter Ego #10 (September) Comic Book Artist #15 (September) Sense of Wonder TPB (October)
Who Created The Silver Age Flash?
37
Who Created The Silver Age Flash? An Oral History in the Words of Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Julius Schwartz—and Robin Snyder ROBIN SNYDER [Summarizing in History of the Comics, Vol. 1, #13, Dec. 1990:]
Carmine Infantino penciled and inked the wraparound cover for the out-of-print 1991 hardcover The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told, which included tales of both the Golden and Silver Age Flashes. Repro’d from the original art as seen in the Sotheby’s art auction catalog for June 18, 1994. [©2001 DC Comics.]
Compiled and Edited by Roy Thomas [EDITOR’S NOTE: Forget those interesting speculations concerning Captain Comet, Captain Flash, and The Manhunter from Mars. The Silver Age of Comics was born in July of 1956 when Showcase #4 went on sale, featuring two tales of a new/revived Flash written respectively by Robert Kanigher and John Broome, penciled by Carmine Infantino, inked by Joe Kubert, and edited by Julius Schwartz, technically under the direction of Whitney Ellsworth. Over the past decade, several of the above creators, beginning with Robert Kanigher, have gone on the record in Robin Snyder’s excellent monthly publication and “oral history” History of the Comics (now simply The Comics) concerning their memories of the origins of the Barry Allen Flash. [With the permission of all concerned, we have assembled those statements, plus a smattering of comments from other sources, to form a connected narrative. (We haven’t sought quotations by the late John Broome, as he was not involved in The Flash’s origin story.) It will come as no great surprise to any knowledgeable student of comic art—or of human nature—that in several key instances there are substantial disagreements between the parties involved. Our purpose is not to weigh in on the side of one creator or another in any disputed area—we are admirers of each of them—but merely to gather these statements in one place and let the reader make up his/her own mind... hopefully remembering that a fan, as readily as a pro, can be wrong. But first, let’s read what Robin Snyder had to say about the subject. It was his magazine, after all: ]
34 years ago, in Showcase #4, Sept.-Oct. 1956, Barry Allen/The Fastest Man Alive/The Flash first appeared, in a 12-page story, “Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt.” Today there’s a TV program bearing his name. Who is he? How did he come to be? Who created him? The publisher, DC Comics, has yet to give the creator or creators a byline as in the case of Superman and Batman. The producer of the TV series does not, either, though similar programs, from Batman to Tales from the Crypt, do carry such credits. Why the exception in the case of The Flash? Which standards are being used by the publishers and producers?
In my investigation of this puzzle, some have suggested the lack of creator credits is because the contemporary character is an updated and revised character. Yet the updated and revised Perry Mason movies are credited to the originator, Earle Stanley Gardner. In 1990 Batman bears little resemblance to the 1939 character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, yet Kane rates a byline. (Why Finger’s name is omitted is for the publisher to answer.) The current version of Superman is nearly unrecognizable when placed beside the original, yet Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster are still credited with his creation. And so forth. The question of who created The Flash has been addressed. By Julie Schwartz, Robert Kanigher, and Carmine Infantino. In the beginning, Schwartz said, in The Flash #161, May 1966: “...Robert Kanigher (originator of The Flash in its Showcase tryout)...” A few years later, in The Comic Artist #1, May 1969, Infantino said, “Schwartz became editor, Kanigher—writer, and I, etc...”
Robert Kanigher, scripter of the Silver Age Flash’s origin. Photo courtesy of RK.
In 1975 Infantino said, “Julie called me in... We were going to re-do The Flash. Kanigher would write it. I would do the pencils, and Joe Kubert would ink it.” [The Amazing World of DC Comics, Vol. 2, No. 8, Sept.-Oct. 1975.] In The Comics Journal #85, Oct. 1983, Kanigher said, “I created the modern Flash. I wrote about him. I sat with him and listened to his hopes and despairs and dreams. He has my genes.” In 1986, in Ron Goulart’s Great History of Comic Books, Schwartz is quoted as saying: “I worked out a story with Bob Kanigher—new costume, new secret identity, new origin.”
4
Vin Sullivan
“You Either Have It Or You Do Not!” A Brief Look at the Life and Times of VIN SULLIVAN—and at Magazine Enterprises by Bill Harper Vincent Sullivan’s introduction to the world of comic books came through his early love and appreciation for the Sunday funnies. “I always liked to draw and was always interested in cartooning,” said Vin (as he was usually called). He never had any formal art training. “I don’t think you can be taught to be a cartoonist; it is something you grow up with. You either have it, or you do not!” His determination and boldness led him to send his cartoon work to various newspapers and syndicates. After the New York Daily News bought several of his sports cartoons, he applied for the position of sports cartoonist when there was an opening. However, Gus Edson (creator of the popular strip The Gumps) got the job. “I think I might have been too young,” was how Vin figured it later. Still, he continued submitting and looking for openings as a cartoonist. He did not recall how he learned that Major Malcolm WheelerNicholson was forming a comic book publishing firm. After their initial meeting, Sullivan joined Nicholson and Whitney Ellsworth, also a cartoonist, as the first editors of National Allied Publications. Thus was Sullivan thrust into comics history by being in on the advent of the modern comic book when in 1938, as editor of Action Comics #1, he had a hand in debuting “Superman,” certainly the most important comic book series ever published, as the cover feature. Sullivan is also credited with encouraging Bob Kane to create a costumed hero; the result in that case was the debut of “Batman” in Detective Comics #27 (1939).
Magazine Enterprises’ first entry was The United States Marines,with cover by Mart Bailey, who had drawn “The Face” for Sullivan at Columbia. [©2001 the estate of Vin Sullivan.]
Vin Sullivan is thus organically connected to the two most popular and influential comic book characters of all time.
Vin Sullivan at the San Diego Comicon, 1998—flanked by his two most famous “discoveries.” But he was prouder of Magazine Enterprises. Photo ©Dave Siegel; provided by Bill Schelly. [Art ©2001 DC Comics.]
Born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 5, 1911, he joined Nicholson in 1935 at the age of 24. Because there were no precedents or job descriptions at the time, Sullivan was forced to learn all the tasks of creating “comic” books, drawing fillers, marketing the books, and, most importantly, distributing the things. Nicholson, who was deeply in financial debt to his distributor, Independent News Company, suddenly found its owner Harry Donenfeld stepping in and redirecting his firm into a new organization: National Periodical. It was at this juncture that Sullivan was made a full editor, overseeing various titles, particularly Action Comics. With this acknowledged position and working experience, Sullivan was approached by Charles McAdams, president of McNaught Newspaper Syndicate (to which Sullivan had earlier submitted cartoons), and Frank Marky, owner of a smaller syndicate, with the proposition of forming a comic book publishing firm. Sullivan agreed, and in 1940 Columbia Comic Corporation was launched. His main interest in the new company was to be with a firm “progressive” enough to develop and publish new features, rather than relying primarily on reprints from newspaper syndicates. Columbia did publish new work, including the super-heroes Skyman and The Face; but Sullivan felt that the company’s heads were reluctant (or, as he put it, “dragging their heels”) to make original material the foundation of the firm. Thus, in 1943, he formed his own company—Magazine Enterprises— beginning with a comic titled The United States Marines, which featured all-new stories. Vin Sullivan had moved from editor to entrepreneur.
“You Either Have It Or You Do Not!” His dream of being a cartoonist had led him to helm a company where, ironically, business responsibilities forced him further than ever from his dream of cartooning, yet allowed him to make yet another mark in comics history and to employ many of comics history’s greats. He brought a level-headed business approach to Magazine Enterprises, as he had to the other organizations for which he had worked. Magazine Enterprises (ME), which had many different company names—Life Romances Publications, Complix and Sussex Publication Companies, etc.—did initially rely in part on syndicate reprints, but eventually its lineup was composed of books with all-original features. To free himself to handle the business side of ME, Sullivan sought an editor for his new firm. He found a most unlikely candidate in Raymond Krank, who at the time was employed at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Krank wrote scripts, in addition to being very influential in the creative direction of ME. Many artists and writers interviewed in later years remarked on Krank’s editorial abilities. Interestingly, according to Sullivan, Krank never took a hand at cartooning. Unfortunately, very little is known about ME’s only editor. Under the leadership of Sullivan and Krank, ME supplied readers with fifteen years of one of the most creative, aggressive, and exciting lineups of comic characters. In 1944 ME introduced a comic book with the overall title A-1, in which many of the company’s successful series got their first tryout. The series’ numbering, as well as the A-1 logo, was discontinued after issue #17, with various features having numbers which corresponded to the times they had appeared as an issue of A-1. If a series broke away from A-1, the numeration would continue from that point. This system can make collecting ME titles maddening at times. With the success of ME’s Tim Holt series, depicting the adventures of a post-war cowboy movie star, Sullivan began to actively seek to license other popular culture icons. The two issues of Jimmy Durante, drawn by Dick Ayers and written by Raymond Krank, published in the A-1 series, were especially pleasing to Sullivan. He admired Durante, an amazingly popular stage and screen comedian of the period, known primarily for his big nose and raspy voice. This short-lived comic book had a single-story-per-issue format that was before its time.
ME is fondly remembered primarily for its western comics of the 1950s. After Tim Holt (and before it became Red Mask), a contract was penned to bring The Durango Kid (a Columbia movie series starring Charles Starrett as another masked cowboy) into a western lineup that would eventually include Straight Arrow (another secret-identity western series, based on a popular radio series) and Best of the West, which printed new stories of Straight Arrow, Tim Holt, The Durango Kid, and Ghost Rider (of whom more below). From radio, too, came From Tim Holt #41, one of Frank Bolle’s "3D Effect" comics about comedians issues; courtesy of Bill Black. Fibber McGee and [©2001 AC Comics & the estate of Vin Sullivan.] Mollie, and Bobby Benson’s B-Bar-B Riders (yet another western). Sullivan once remarked in a letter to the present writer that Straight Arrow, which had the longest run of any ME title, became the company’s best-seller, as well. A backup feature in all issues of Straight Arrow except the first was the Bob Powell-drawn “Red Hawk”; one solo Red Hawk issue was also included in the A-1 series. Both “Red Hawk” and Straight Arrow depicted Native Americans as heroes. In the late 1950s ME also put out an authorized Robin Hood comic, based on the TV series starring Richard Greene. In addition, ME packaged books as promotional giveaways. Major Inapak the Space Ace, drawn by Bob Powell for Inapak chocolate drink, and Little Miss Sunbeam Comics for Quality Bakers of America have been identified as two of ME’s promotional books. There was also a Strong Man, likewise drawn by Powell, listed as a complimentary comic copyright by Sales Promotional Publishers, under ME’s umbrella of companies. Recently uncovered was a Straight Arrow (#9) stamped “Compliments of Straight Arrow and Nabisco Shredded Wheat/FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY - NOT TO BE SOLD” with a Nabisco Shredded Wheat “Injun-uity” card tipped in the center with “Sample Card” stamped on the back.
An adaptation of the movie biography of baseball star Lou Gehrig (Pride of the Yankees) and another based on the Ingrid Bergman-starring film Joan of Arc, both drawn by Ogden Whitney, appeared in 1949. Another innovative technique developed at ME during the early 1950s was the “3-D Effect” created by artist Frank Bolle in Tim Holt and continued when its matinee-idol hero donned a disguise and the book metamorphosed into Red Mask. The “3-D Effect” was also used in the Red Mask spinoff magazine The Black Phantom. Sullivan remembered fondly how this answer to the 3-D craze required no glasses, yet gave a (supposedly) similar effect without the adding printing expense.
5
The late Charles Starrett, who played The Durango Kid in the movie series (though most of his masked scenes were done by a stunt double), autographed this publicity photo for Bill and Teresa Harper. [Durango Kid ©2001 the respective copyright holder; photo courtesy of Bill Harper.]
ME also boasted a lineup of humorous comics such as Funnyman, initiated by Superman’s creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, which had a six-issue run.
8
Vin Sullivan
Vin Sullivan The Decades A Candid Conversation with the Godfather of Magazine Enterprises Conducted by Joe Latino, Rich Morrissey, Ken Gale, & Tom Fagan Edited by Roy Thomas Transcribed by Brian K. Morris
[EDITOR’S NOTE: On October 8, 1994, four knowledgeable comics fans videotaped an interview with Vin Sullivan at his home. Much of this interview dealt with Sullivan’s editorship at DC, and there are unfortunately several periods during which the video-camera was turned off, with the conversation then resumed midstream. Most of this historically important interview will see print in a near-future issue of A/E. For the purposes of this issue, the parts that deal with Vin Sullivan’s company Magazine Enterprises have been excerpted, along with a bit of contextual material.—R.T.] RICH MORRISSEY: Gardner Fox told us you were the one who got him into the business.
VIN SULLIVAN: Well, we went to grammar school—elementary school, if you want to call it—together. He became a lawyer. But he always liked to write anyway, so when I got into this business, I thought of Gardner. And I had seen him occasionally, and asked him if he would be interested in writing some stories. He said he would and that’s how he got started. [EDITOR’S NOTE: At a later point, the videotape is turned off. When it resumes, in medias res, Sullivan is talking about the World War II years at his own company, Magazine Enterprises, abbreviated ME, which he had founded in 1943:] SULLIVAN: I helped keep [artist] Creig Flessel out of the war. They [the armed services] would give a citation to certain publications that were helping the war effort. And so I had The Marine Corps. [NOTE: Sullivan is probably referring here to The United States Marines, the first title published by Magazine Enterprises when it
Seven of Magazine Enterprises’ greatest adventure heroes—clockwise from upper left: The Avenger, Strong Man, Cave Girl, Jet Powers, Ghost Rider, Funnyman, Straight Arrow—by the likes of Bob Powell, Dick Ayers, the Joe Shuster studio (probably mostly John Sikela), Fred Meagher. Straight Arrow art courtesy of Ethan Roberts (repro’d from original art); Funnyman from cover of Funnyman #5 (July 1948); other images courtesy of Bill Black, who has reprinted many ME tales in his AC Comics line; see full-page ad elsewhere in this issue. [Ghost Rider is a TM of Marvel Characters, Inc.; GR & Avenger art ©2001 AC comics & the estate of Vin Sullivan; Funnyman ©2001 estates of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; Straight Arrow ©2001 Nabisco; other characters ©2001 the estate of Vin Sullivan.]
The ME Decades
9 SULLIVAN: [examining a copy of Funnyman] This I lost quite a bit of money on. [laughs] It just didn’t sell. MORRISSEY: How did it come about? Did Siegel and Shuster come to you? SULLIVAN: They came to me and they had this idea. They were constantly coming up with new ideas, and I guess they didn’t show it to Donenfeld. I’m sure they didn’t. MORRISSEY: They just finished their lawsuit with DC and settled. They supposedly got a generous settlement and lost most of it. GALE: When you were doing this, did you do just packaging the comics or what role did you have?
was launched in 1943.—RT] This was like an unofficial magazine of the Marine Corps! I went to Washington, and some brigadier general gave me some sort of semiofficial book. And as a result of that, we got a plaque. I say “we”— I did. The company, Magazine Enterprises, they gave a citation; I think it was called an “E.” I don’t know why. As a result of that, I was able to have Creig Flessel not drafted because he was doing work on a publication that was helping the war effort!
SULLIVAN: I was the publisher. I was paying out the money. TOM FAGAN: Were you a hands-on publisher? SULLIVAN: I was still editing the thing, if you want to put it that way. I had this fellow, Ray Krank, who was presumably my editor, and we would both look at the thing and decide what to do with it.
The cover of Funnyman #1 (Jan. 1948) gets reprinted fairly often, so we decided to emphasize the first splash page and origin page, probably mostly the work of former Superman assistant John Sikela. [©2001 the estates of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.]
Fred Guardineer was drafted and he met [artist] Ogden Whitney, I think. They were both drafted at the same time. I think they were in the same organization. I’m trying to think of things that Fred was saying—they were together in the same platoon. But Fred said he was always very annoyed about Whitney because he was such a slob. [laughs] KEN GALE: “The Odd Couple.”
SULLIVAN: Fred was always very meticulous. MORRISSEY: Well, you seem to be doing quite well with yourself and with your friends. When you were a publisher, did you try to treat the people better than Donenfeld had? SULLIVAN: Well, I hoped I did. MORRISSEY: Did you let them [the writers and artists] often keep the rights to their characters if they came in with a new character, or did they give away ownership? SULLIVAN: I didn’t keep those things at all, no. [At this point Sullivan is shown a number of ME issues which interviewers have brought with them.] MORRISSEY: As a Superman fan, I was especially thrilled by Funnyman because it was by Siegel and Shuster after they left DC.
MORRISSEY: It’s obviously Joe Shuster layouts, but we see a lot of John Sikela on various stories. SULLIVAN: Now, they had another fellow working here, on Funnyman. MORRISSEY: Was that Dick Ayers? SULLIVAN: No. Jerry had somebody else. In other words, Joe Shuster didn’t do this. MORRISSEY: Weren’t his eyes very bad by that point? He was having trouble. SULLIVAN: They were not the greatest to begin with. He was almost blind. GALE: Did Shuster draw any of the stories? SULLIVAN: Of Funnyman? I don’t think so. MORRISSEY: Did they just bring in the pages to you the way they had done at DC? SULLIVAN: Yeah, same way. MORRISSEY: So they were probably getting it done by other people. Do you think he may have done very rough layouts and had someone else finish them, like Sikela?