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(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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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Vol. 3, No. 23 / April 2003

™

Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editors John Morrow Jon B. Cooke

FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editors Emeritus Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich

Production Assistant Eric Nolen-Weathington

Cover Artists Bob Fujitani H.G. Peter

Cover Colorist

& Friends Section

Contents Writer/Editorial: The Wonder Years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Queen Hepzibah, Genghis Khan, & the “Nuclear” Wars . . . . . 4 Three “lost” Wonder Woman adventures— with unseen art by H.G. Peter! Comic Crypt: Flying Discs and Floating Chairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Michael T. Gilbert presents rare art by Simon & Kirby.

Tom Ziuko

And Special Thanks to: Bob Bailey Dennis Beaulieu Jack Bender Jon Berk Bill Black J.R. Cochran Bill Cooke Teresa R. Davidson Al Dellinges Roger Dicken & Wendy Hunt Rich Donnelly Stephen Donnelly Gill Fox Bob Fujitani Glen David Gold Stan Goldberg Victor Gorelick George Hagenauer Ron Harris Mark & Stephanie Heike Roger Hill Tom Horvitz

Bill Howard Richard Howell Ed Jaster Steve Korté Richard Kyle Sheldon Moldoff Scotty Moore James Plunkett Ethan Roberts Carole Seuling David Siegel Joe Simon Robin Snyder Marc Swayze Greg Theakston Joel Thingvall Dann Thomas Alex Toth Michael J. Vassallo Hames Ware Robert K. Wiener Marv Wolfman

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Jack Keller

Alex Toth on Noel Sickles & Fred Ray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 From Scorchy Smith to Terry and the Pirates to Tomahawk! Claude Held, Pioneer Comic Book Dealer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Bill Schelly interviews one of the first comics dealers—and gets some great stories. Jack Keller (1922-2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Dr. Michael Vassallo on an artist who drew men on horseback—and in hot rods. re: [comments & corrections] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 FCA [Fawcett Collectors of America] #82 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 P.C. Hamerlinck presents Marc Swayze, Sheldon Moldoff, and Bill Parker. All the Way with MLJ Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: Merciful Minerva! Recently, Carole Seuling, the wife and partner of comics dealer/conventioneer Phil Seuling back in the ’60s and early ’70s, let slip that she owned a never-published piece of original 1940s Wonder Woman art by H.G. Peter. It’s beautiful as Aphrodite— and once we’d seen it, we were wise as Athena to use it, with Carole’s blessing, as a cover for Alter Ego! Thanks, old friend! [Wonder Woman TM & ©2003 DC Comics.] Above: By 1958, his last year as Wonder Woman artist, H.G. Peter’s quirky, individualistic art wasn’t all it had been. But he still had a couple of good moves left—one of which was this splash from Wonder Woman #97, the art for which was offered in a 1993 art catalog. Thanks to Glen David Gold for reminding us about it! Whether Diana’s barebacking a stallion or a carnosaur, she always comes out on top! [©2003 DC Comics.] Alter EgoTM is published monthly 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@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8 ($10 Canada, $11 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $120 Canada, $132 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.

Title writer/editorial

The Wonder Years Well, wadda you know! An actual entire half of an issue of Alter Ego without a real “theme”! Who’da thunk it? Of course, thanks to the scripts and synopsis provided by Joel Thingvall, plus all the H.G. Peter art generously donated by other collectors, the “lost Wonder Woman” article which follows is long enough to be a theme all by itself. It isn’t officially counted as one of our “Written Off - 9/30/49” series because, so far as we can tell, neither of the two finished stories was written off for tax purposes on that date— indeed, not until several years later—though the end result was the same. Most of the art in the piece is reproduced from parts of pages that had been cut into thirds, and to date we haven’t learned of any time that was done except in the instance we’ve mentioned before in A/E—when then“intern” Marv Wolfman sliced them in that fashion in the latter 1960s, after production manager Sol Harrison told him he could take home some pieces of art (which otherwise Marv had to consign to the DC incinerator) as long as they had been cut so that they weren’t full pages. Even here, however, there are at least two full pages—both splashes!

you don’t count the one lone issue published by Mike Friedrich in ’78), and reawakened Roy’s commitment to recording the history of comics’ Golden Age and since. We wish Jon and Comic Book Artist good luck... and the two editors will stay in touch, cooperating as the occasion permits. We’ll miss ya, Jon. You helped it all happen. Bestest,

But, we’ll let the article speak for itself... since Ye Editor wrote it. Hopefully, the comparison of the scripts and the finished art will be instructive to aficionados of the medium. We’ll let Alex Toth and Michael T. Gilbert and Bill Schelly and Dr. Michael J. Vassallo and P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA gang (not to mention our letter-writers) speak for themselves, too—for we think that each of them, in his own way, adds to the known history of the industry. Each issue of Alter Ego, like those produced by its fellow comics cartographers, fills in a bit more territory on the map of the comic book world, leaving just a bit less space marked “Terra Incognita.” But there’s still plenty to go... and we’ll be chipping away every month. Just room left to say a hearty but sad “hail and farewell” to Jon B. Cooke’s Comic Book Artist, whose final TwoMorrows issue should be hitting the mails ’round about now, if it hasn’t already, before it departs for the Top Shelf. Naturally, Ye Ed will always have a warm spot in his heart for CBA, and for Jon personally, in part because it was in the flipped back-pages of #1-5 of that mag that Alter Ego was revived, after a hiatus of two decades (nearly three, if

“Everything looks worse in black-&-white.” Actually, we couldn’t agree much less with songsmith Paul Simon, and we offer in evidence this gorgeous, previously-unprinted H.G. Peter Wonder Woman art, which is also used as our color cover. We wanted you to see it both ways... and besides, that gives us another opportunity to thank Carole Seuling for sending us a photocopy of it. Harry G., Dr. Marston, M.C. Gaines, or somebody sure liked the idea of the Amazon on horseback—since she’s depicted thus on the cover of Wonder Woman #1 in 1942, on a Comic Cavalcade cover, and elsewhere—including in the previously-unpublished illo owned by Marty Greim that was seen in A/E V3#1! But we’ll let the Freudians worry about that one...! [Wonder Woman TM & ©2003 DC Comics.]

COMING IN MAY

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NOW MONTHLY!

MUTANTS & MESKIN!

SPOTLIGHT ON THE SILVER/BRONZE AGE X-MEN-AND ONE OF THE GOLDEN AGE’S GREATEST ARTISTS! • Never-before-seen color covers by DAVE COCKRUM & MORT MESKIN! • X-Men—the first dozen years! New interviews with STAN LEE, DAVE COCKRUM, CHRIS CLAREMONT, LEN WEIN, et al., on Marvel's merry mutants—conducted by JIM AMASH—plus classic and unseen art! • A previously-unpublished panel on the Silver & Bronze Age X-Men featuring COCKRUM, ARNOLD DRAKE, JIM SHOOTER, & ROY THOMAS! • The magnificent MORT MESKIN! The 1940s artist of Vigilante, Johnny Quick, Wildcat, Black Terror, and more—profiled by his sons and by fellow legend ALEX TOTH! Plus seldom-glimpsed art by JERRY ROBINSON & others! • FCA with C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE, & WILLIAM WOOLFOLK—MICHAEL T. GILBERT—BILL SCHELLY on the Golden Age of Comics Fandom—& MORE!! Edited by ROY THOMAS • 108 PAGES!

SUBSCRIBE NOW! Twelve Issues in the US: $60 Standard, $96 First Class (Canada: $120, Elsewhere: $132 Surface, $180 Airmail). NOTE: IF YOU PREFER A SIX-ISSUE SUB, JUST CUT THE PRICE IN HALF!

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

Submit Something To Alter Ego! Alter Ego is on the lookout for items that can be utilized in upcoming issues: • Convention Sketches and Program Books • Unpublished Artwork • Original Scripts (the older the better!) • Photos • Unpublished Interviews • Little-seen Fanzine Material We’re also interested in articles, article ideas, or any other suggestions... and we pay off in FREE COPIES of A/E. (If you’re already an A/E subscriber, we’ll extend your subscription.) Contact: Roy Thomas, Editor Rt. 3, Box 468 St. Matthews, SC 29135 Fax: (803)826-6501 • E-mail: roydann@ntinet.com

Submission Guidelines Submit artwork in one of these forms (in order of preference): 1) Clear color or black-&-white photocopies. 2) Scanned images—300ppi TIF (preferred) or JPEG (on Zip or floppy disk). 3) Originals (carefully packed and insured). Submit text in one of these forms: 1) E-mail (ASCII text attachments preferred) to: roydann@ntinet.com 2) An ASCII or “plain text” file, supplied on floppy disk. 3) Typed, xeroxed, or laser printed pages.

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The TwoMorrows Two-Fer! Prepay for two ads in Comic Book Artist, Alter Ego, or any combination and these discounts apply: TWO FULL-PAGE ADS: $500 ($100 savings) TWO HALF-PAGE ADS: $300 ($50 savings) TWO QUARTER-PAGE ADS: $175 ($25 savings) The above rates are for black-&-white ads, supplied on-disk (TIF, EPS, or Quark Xpress files acceptable) or as cameraready art. Typesetting service available at 20% mark-up. Due to our already low ad rates, no agency discounts apply. Sorry, display ads are not available for the Jack Kirby Collector. Send ad copy and check/money order (US funds) payable to: TwoMorrows 1812 Park Drive Raleigh, NC 27605 Phone: (919)833-8092 Fax: (919)833-8023 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com

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Queen Hepzibah, Genghis Khan, & The “Nuclear” Wars!

Queen Hepzibah, Genghis Khan, & The “Nuclear” Wars! Three “Lost” WONDER WOMAN Adventures –––with Never-before-seen Art by H.G. PETER & Scripts by DR. WILLIAM MOULTON MARSTON

by Roy Thomas Cancelled Comics Cavalcade —1940s Style So near, and yet so far...! Naturally, most comic book stories which get as far as being scripted, penciled, inked, and even lettered wind up being published. After all, by that time, a reasonable amount of money has usually been paid to the writers, artists, and letterers of the material—and if it isn’t used, that expenditure is a dead loss... or at best becomes a tax writeoff, like DC Comics’ infamous one of Sept. 30, 1949, touched on in several issues of Alter Ego. Of course, if a comics title is cancelled with scant advance notice, there’s likely to be a bit of spare art and story lying around in some stage of completion; but the publisher has decided, rightly or wrongly, that he/she is better off swallowing the loss of a story (or even a whole issue) or more, and moving on. That’s probably what happened in the case of much of the “Written Off - 9-30-49” material we’ve seen over the past years, such as “Green Lantern,” “Flash,” “Dr. Mid-Nite,” “Ghost Patrol,” “Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys,” and other 1940s series. These partly-surviving but never-published stories were most likely produced not too long before either (a) a particular feature was dropped from an ongoing title, as per the latter two, or (b) entire mags were cancelled or altered in format, as in the case of the trio of Justice Society members mentioned above. In 1948 All-American Comics became All-American Western, leaving no berth for Doc’s exploits—and in ’49 both Green Lantern and Flash Comics were cancelled outright, leaving no place for unprinted tales of the titular heroes (not to mention Black Canary, The Atom, and

A vintage “Wonder Woman” splash page, with writer William M. Marston (top) and artist Harry G. Peter (middle). As mentioned below, the entire 13-page story that goes with this 1940s splash was finally printed in black-&-white in 1974’s The Amazing World of DC Comics #12. The photo of Dr. Marston is from the Oct. 25, 1940, issue of The Family Circle magazine, while the circa-1910 portrait of HGP by his friend, illustrator Louis Arata, was sent by Scotty Moore. [Wonder Woman art ©2003 DC Comics.]

Hawkman) to roost. Some of the “Flash” and “GL” stories orphaned by these cancellations seem to have been prepared even earlier, intended for All-Flash or Comic Cavalcade, two super-hero mags which had been deep-sixed in ’48 (the former discontinued, the latter transformed into a funny-animal

Three “Lost” Wonder Woman Adventures

This piece of art, recently acquired from the estate of H.G. Peter and offered for auction at an estimate of “$20,000 and up” via Heritage Comics’ Oct. 2002 catalog, is indeed just what it claims: “an incredible piece of comics history.” These would seem to be the artist’s very first sketches of Wonder Woman, doubtless done in 1941, with the figures roughly 8" tall. The catalog also says his real name was H.G. Roth. Special thanks to Ed Jaster. [Art ©2003 estate of H.G. Peter; Wonder Woman TM & ©2003 DC Comics.]

comic). These tales would have sat on the shelf for a year, awaiting an open slot that never came. DC’s Sheldon Mayer, who edited all comics which starred Flash and/or Green Lantern, was by all accounts usually three issues ahead on every mag he handled, so it was inevitable there’d be a few leftover stories. DC had to simply swallow the loss. Okay—but how about when a comics title isn’t cancelled—and doesn’t change format or genre? Like Wonder Woman. From her debut in late 1941 through his own return to writing and drawing in 1948, Shelly Mayer was the editor of all comics in which the Amazon appeared, as well: Wonder Woman, Sensation Comics, Comic Cavalcade, and All-Star Comics. Even excluding the latter, in which the original Princess Diana had little to do prior to 1948, that’s six circa-12page stories every two months once wartime restrictions were lifted: three in her own bimonthly title, one each in two of the monthly Sensation, and one in the bimonthly CC. Those 72 pages came under the joint jurisdiction of editor Mayer and Dr. William Marston, the psychologist who had been Wonder Woman’s major creator (under the pseudonym “Charles Moulton,” utilizing the middle names of publisher M.C. Gaines and himself). Even the artwork, produced via a shop system with veteran artist Harry G. Peter as the primary artist, was done under Marston’s supervision, contrary to DC’s usual practice. Many details about the way Marston worked (and about his

unorthodox private life) were brought to light by Les Daniels in his deservedly award-winning 2000 volume Wonder Woman: The Complete History from Chronicle Books. And I’m glad they were, ’cause that frees us, for the most part, from having to surmise about the conditions under which the unpublished stories were produced. Instead, we can simply examine the stories and art themselves. There were several 1940s “Wonder Woman” stories which were completed but not published at the time, three of which were first printed in DC mags decades after they’d been prepared: The 13-page “The Cheetah’s Thought Prisoners,” belatedly saw the light of day in DC Special #3 (April-June 1969). An 11-pager, “The Stormy Menace of Goblin Head Rock!”—likewise featuring the villainous Cheetah—finally surfaced in Wonder Woman #196 (Sept.-Oct. 1971). A third left-over “Wonder Woman” exploit, “Racketeer’s Bait,” was first seen (in black-&-white) in DC’s own house-published fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics #12 (Sept.-Oct.1974) But there were others... A couple of years back, longtime collector and Wonder Woman enthusiast Joel Thingvall generously mailed me photocopies of several DC scripts that had come into his possession. Two of these were full scripts for never-printed “Wonder Woman” tales. Also in the package

Missing a Back Issue? Got a hole in your Mr. Monster collection? We’ll gladly e-mail you a free Mr. Monster EEEK-Mail Catalog! Just Contact Michael T. Gilbert at:

MGILBERT@EFN.ORG

For a printed version, send one dollar to Michael T. Gilbert, P.O. Box 11421, Eugene OR 97440

IN APRIL: ’70s NATIONAL LAMPOON COMICS!

tional Lampoon

han Wilson. Na

Art and charac ductions.

CBA #24, the next-to-last TwoMorrows issue, features “THE COMICS OF NATIONAL LAMPOON,” a look at the great adult humor mag’s funny-book material. Behind a new GAHAN WILSON cover (plus interview) and a VAUGHN BODÉ-inspired back cover (featuring Cheech Wizard!) by his son, MARK BODÉ, we talk to NatLamp legendary art director MICHAEL GROSS, and the magazine’s many contributors, including NEAL ADAMS, FRANK SPRINGER, SEAN KELLY, SHARY FLENNEKIN, ED SUBITSKY, M.K. BROWN, B.K. TAYLOR, BOBBY LONDON, MICHEL CHOQUETTE, ALAN KUPPERBERG, and many more! So be here as we takes a renewed look at Tarzan of the Cows, Frontline Dentists, Dragula, Son O’ God, Nuts, Trots ‘n’ Bonnie, The Appletons, One Year Affair, Norman the Barbarian, and more from the Me Decade, when satire was king and NatLamp was THE place to be! $9 postpaid in the US!

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

Simon & Kirby: Flying Discs and Floating Chairs! Simon & Kirby were arguably the greatest comic book combo of the Golden Age. Joe Simon focused primarily on writing and inking, while Jack Kirby concentrated on penciling. Together they produced comic book magic. Captain America, The Boy Commandos, Black Magic, and Young Romance were just a few of their top-selling creations. This issue, we’ve uncovered three previously unpublished pages from this “team supreme.” Two are from the very beginning of their partnership, and one is from near its end. Let’s start with...

The Black Cat Mystery! Or, if you prefer, the strange case of “The Comic That Never Was!” But before we tell you about Simon & Kirby’s connection to that caper, we need to talk about Black Cat Comics. Few comic book series ever had a more schizophrenic history than Harvey Comics’ Black Cat. Harvey’s sexy super-heroine of that name debuted in the first issue of Pocket Comics in 1941. She switched to Speed Comics in 1942 before winning her own title in 1946. By 1949 super-heroes were dying out, so Black Cat Comics became Black Cat Western with issue #16. Luckily, The Black Cat and Linda Turner (her movie star alter ego) looked as sexy on horseback as she had on a motorcycle, but the experiment lasted only four issues. By #20 the title reverted to Black Cat (minus the “Comics,” but with the unofficial title “The Darling of Comics”)—then changed to Black Cat Mystery Comics nine issues later. The masked super-heroine apparently vanished from the interiors after #29,

The first “Black Cat” splash—story credited to Alfred Harvey, art to Al Gabriele—from Pocket Comics #1 (Aug. 1941), as reprinted in The Original Black Cat #6 (Aug. ’91). [©2003 Lorne-Harvey Publications, Inc.]

Title Comic Fandom Archive

Claude Held, Pioneer Comic Book Dealer

by Bill Schelly

Claude Held (at left) with an unknown fan, 1964— flanked by the covers of vintage issues of two pulp magazines he mentions: Weird Tales (May 1934) cover-featuring Conan, and Amazing Stories (Feb. 1940) spotlighting an Eando (Otto) Binder tale of Adam Link, Robot. Both Conan and Adam Link —as well as Binder—would make their mark in comic books between the early 1940s and the 1970s. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

[Introduction: Although comic fandom emerged as a recognizable entity in the early 1960s, there were people who collected comic books from the very beginning of the medium. And where there were collectors, eventually there would be comic book dealers to supply the demand for back issues. As far as I know, the earliest known comic book dealer was Claude Held of Buffalo, New York, who began amassing comics for re-sale in the mid-1940s. While researching fandom’s “pre-history” for the second edition of my Hamster Press book The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, I had the opportunity to chat with Claude about those early days. In the relatively brief time we talked, he related some wonderful stories about some of the early deals he made, and I had the feeling we had only scratched the surface. But, as I was unable to fit most of the information in my book, for space considerations, I’m pleased to be able to print the full transcript of our talk now. Our conversation took place by telephone on February 19, 1998; the tape was transcribed by Brian K. Morris.] BILL SCHELLY: Let’s start with finding out a little about you. You were a science-fiction fan as a kid, weren’t you? CLAUDE HELD: Right. I lived upstairs and Kenny Krueger lived downstairs. We lived on Fountain Street in Buffalo, New York. Around 1937 and 1938, we both became interested in the science-fiction pulp magazines. I think the first one we ever had was a Thrilling Wonder Stories. A few months after we got interested in that, a used-book store was opening in the next block on Carlton Street, and Kenny’s father had contracted to do the interior painting. Ken and I got in there the day before they opened, and found they had racks and racks of used pulps— Weird Tales, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Amazing, many others—all selling for three cents apiece. But none of us had any money in those days. I managed to scrounge up fifteen cents. I even knew which ones I was going to pick out—nice big early Wonder Stories. I went in the next day after school and they were all cleaned out already. Somebody beat

me to them. [laughs] That was my first real disappointment. Anyway, from then on, both of us collected science-fiction, bought and sold, and I think right away I got the idea that maybe I could pick up magazines and sell them through the mail. This was around 1939, 1940. SCHELLY: You were about what grade in school at the time? HELD: Eighth grade. But I didn’t come out with my first real list until around ’42 or ’43. I’d like to buy some of that stuff back today. [laughs]

SCHELLY: At those prices. HELD: You’re not kidding. Well, anyway, after high school, I was in the Navy a couple of years. I was discharged in ’46. I went to the University of Buffalo. All my classes were in the morning between eight and eleven or twelve o’clock. That gave me plenty of time for a part-time job, and I got the idea of opening up a bookstore. So I went to school in the morning, opened up the bookstore from noon until about nine. SCHELLY: A storefront. HELD: Right, and the comics started from that. The store was on a busy corner, on Utica near Jefferson in Buffalo. One day this guy who’d just gotten out of the Army pulled up his car outside my store. I happened to be standing in the doorway at the time. He jumped out of the car and he said to me, “Do you buy comics?” I said, “Yeah.” At the time, I was selling old comics for three cents apiece, just like those pulps I mentioned before. Well, he said, “Okay, I’ve got some. What do you pay?” And I said, “A dollar a hundred.” He says, “Okay,” and he went and parked the car a block or so down the street. When he came back, he had these two stacks. He had tied them up in stacks of a hundred. He brought them in the store, and then he turned around and started out. I asked him, “Where are you going?” He said, “To get some more.” By the time he was done, he’d brought in some 1700 comics. [laughs] Remember, I had just started this store, and I didn’t have a hell of a lot

Marc Swayze

paying what sounded to me like fabulous rates. They were not, I soon learned, wasting time on beginners. I did hit it off pretty well with the music magazines… and discovered that the gag cartoon business, on down the line, was not all that lucrative. The news rack at the local drug store included an occasional comic book with original stories and art, rather than the more familiar reprinted newspaper comics. They interested me as a means of improving my work on Flyin’ Jenny… a good way to practice penciling, inking and lettering. I dreamed up and drew up several samples, the first comic book art and writing I ever attempted. I admired Russell Keaton. At the drawing board he was a whiz… fast, sure, and clever. When it came time for a new plot, however, he seemed to be in agony. I couldn’t help but notice, and I wanted to help, but the nearest I ever came to it was the suggestion of a character. The little hypnotist, “Raghead,” first appeared in the Flyin’ Jenny Sunday page, April 28, 1940, and didn’t remain with us long. It was 1940 when we relocated to a larger community where flying lessons were available to Keaton. My wild shots at the future had discontinued; my sights narrowed to a single goal… syndication… my own creation… characters… writing and art.

I am thankful that, although a trip to the syndicates with a jungle girl idea came to little more than experience and a few more contacts, it resulted in an extreme rekindling of confidence and determination. Toward the end of my employment with Keaton, the importance of getting out where the action took place intensified. I was reviewing correspondence with syndicates, comic strip creators, and publishing companies when one letter, especially, held my attention. It was probably due to the address: New York City… home of most of the big syndicates… home of the big publishers who dealt with important illustrators… the place I wanted to be. It was signed by a France E. Herron. I looked again at the letterhead:

“FAWCETT PUBLICATIONS!” [Marc’s memories of the Golden Age of Comics continue next issue.]

WANTED: C.C. BECK FAWCETT COVER RE-CREATION PAINTINGS contact: fca2001@yahoo.com

The Life of Bill Parker

Major Parker The Life of BILL PARKER... and His Mightiest Creation by P.C. Hamerlinck He came up with a little six-letter word that has become a part of the English language. While the genesis of the World’s Mightiest Mortal has been told in various versions in a variety of places, what do we really know about Bill Parker, the often-overlooked writer/editor who combined elements of old literature, the Bible, mythology… and that little six-letter word... to produce a truly classics-derived modern-day folk tale all of its own— a tale which captivated readers in the 1940s and has withstood the test of time all the way to slick 2003. Parker far exceeded his job duties when he was asked by his publisher to “come up with a character like Superman.” Parker was the catalyst of the world known as Captain Marvel, whose occupants included, amongst many wonderful inhabitants, his alter ego Billy Batson, a mysterious stranger in an old abandoned subway, an ancient Egyptian wizard who gave Billy his powers, a scheming proverbial “mad scientist” named Dr. Sivana, and his stunning daughter Beautia.

The World’s Mightiest Collaboration Bill Parker’s artistic collaborator, Charles Clarence Beck, was always adamantly clear to point out to the present author—and to the entire world—that he had very little, if anything, to do with the success of Captain Marvel, one of the top selling characters during the Golden Age of Comics. While Beck modestly felt that any and all credit regarding the creation and popularity of the Big Red Cheese should go to Parker, the other writers, and Fawcett’s editorial staff—and that the stories, not the artwork, were always first and foremost of greatest importance—it is quite clear that Beck contributed more to the success and readerpopularity of Captain Marvel than any other of the individuals at Fawcett Publications who participated in the birth and development of

the character over its 13-year lifespan. In 1939, at the age of 29, Beck’s professional experience and skill as a cartoonist was a vital factor as he fleshed out the first Captain [Thunder] Marvel drawings. Beck’s visual delineation of the hero and his continuous enthusiasm for the character, plus his supervision of many Fawcett artists who eventually contributed to the expanding Marvel Family of titles, made Fawcett comic books superior in quality to most of the field. Beck’s contribution did not stop with the artwork. He also made very valuable contributions to the storylines, the stories themselves, and the shaping of the personalities of characters such as Mr. Mind, Sterling Morris, Ibac, Mr. Tawny, and the rest of the cast that really distinguished the stories in the Captain Marvel canon. It was Beck—along with prolific Captain Marvel writer Otto Binder—who over the course of time developed the unique, whimsical, tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek, kid-and-adult-pleasing humor that was lightly inserted into the stories, setting Cap apart from the other super-characters that were appearing virtually overnight. According to Fawcett’s long-time editorial director Ralph Daigh, Beck had complete authority to change, edit, and adapt any of the purchased scripts. It was these additional skills that helped develop the consistency of the storylines and characterizations, as Beck transferred the typewritten scripts to drawings. Obviously, without Beck’s talent, skill, and countless contributions to Captain Marvel, something far different would have developed from the early suggestions and concepts—or, as Daigh himself once concluded, perhaps nothing at all. That said, there still seems to be a general consensus agreeing with Beck’s assertion that Bill Parker should be the one given top billing for creating the world accepted as Captain Marvel. Parker produced the first typed manuscript that marked the birth of the character, including a summary description and the very first script. He also created and wrote all of Fawcett’s first comic features in Whiz Comics, including Spy Smasher, Ibis The Invincible, Golden Arrow, Lance O’Casey, Dan Dare, and Scoop Smith. Shortly thereafter, he created Bulletman, the cover star of Nickel Comics.

A Hero Is Born Captain Billy Fawcett and his company Fawcett Publications had already established themselves as a leading force in the publishing field, beginning first with their saucy humor magazines (such as Captain Billy’s WhizBang) and, upon relocating from Minnesota to offices in New York City and Greenwhich, Connecticut, various movie magazines. The decision to develop and produce a new super-hero type of character in the stillCharacters co-created by Bill Parker for the first issue of Whiz Comics (Feb. 1940) included Captain Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, infant comic book field was Dan Dare, Lance O’Casey, Golden Arrow, Scoop Smith, and the still-shadowy Spy Smasher. Cap, Ibis, & Spy Smasher were made at one of Fawcett’s drawn by C.C. Beck, Golden Arrow by future CM artist Pete Costanza, Lance by Bob Kingett; artists of Dan Dare and Scoop monthly meetings of Smith unknown. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Sheldon Moldoff

“Fawcett Was The Best!” Golden Age of Comics Great SHELDON “SHELLY” MOLDOFF on His Years with Fawcett Publications

Recent Captain Marvel commission art by Moldoff—and a 1999 photo of Shelly and his late wife Shirley (the pair on the left) at WonderCon, with two other of the earliest artists to work for DC Comics: cover illustrator Creig Flessel (standing) and Zatara creator Fred Guardineer. Photo courtesy of David Siegel. [Art ©2003 Sheldon Moldoff; Captain Marvel & logos TM & c DC Comics.]

by J.R. Cochran Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck Looking back on his Golden Age comics career, a career that included everything from Hawkman to Captain Midnight to This Magazine Is Haunted, Sheldon Moldoff says that Fawcett was his favorite shop: “Of all the companies I worked for, Fawcett was the best.” Moldoff began working for Fawcett Publications in 1945. If the pay rates were pretty much the same across the board, Fawcett’s editorial staff was a lot more outgoing than other shops, he says. “The editors were much friendlier at Fawcett. Stan Lee ran Marvel with an iron fist, and DC had a flock of editors driven by rivalry of each other.” Will Lieberson, who was executive editor at Fawcett, was also Moldoff’s favorite comics editor. “He was the only editor I ever became friends with. We hit it off right from the beginning. We socialized and remained friends until he passed away five or six years ago. I believe he had a heart attack.” Moldoff, who makes his home in Florida, also has fond memories of Lieberson’s editorial team, including Wendell Crowley, Dick Kraus, Roy Ald, and Virginia (Ginny) Provisiero.

Shelly worked on the licensed aviator/super-hero Captain Midnight for several years. This art is from Captain Midnight #54 (Aug. 1947). Hope you caught Alter Ego’s extended coverage of this radio-born super-star, last issue. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

“Fawcett Was The Best!”

“Will Lieberson was with Captain Marvel for a long time,” Moldoff recalls, adding that he felt the Big Red Cheese “was a real comic book hero.” Years later, Moldoff’s Fawcett comics connections would lead to several freelance jobs. He illustrated a comic book giveaway for The Apple Institute (Johnny Appleseed), for which Lieberson wrote the script. Lieberson later recommended Moldoff to The American Jewish Committee, where for several years he drew a comic strip called Joe Worker. In addition, he remembers that the two of them did a special supplement for “an outfit named Bradbury.” The supplement was called Fighting Heroes, and it was distributed to the Armed Forces. When Dick Kraus left Fawcett and went to Parents Institute, Moldoff soon got a job with that company, illustrating a feature called “Dig Baily” for Calling All Boys magazine. While having good recollections of Fawcett’s editorial team, Moldoff doesn’t recall any of his fellow artists who drew for Fawcett comics. However, he remembers once meeting C.C. Beck at his and Pete Costanza’s Englewood, New Jersey, studio. The Hawkman artist has no truck with DC’s current takes of the World’s Mightiest Mortal and the others. “The Alex Ross version of Captain Marvel looks like an ad for Van Heusen shirts,” he grumbles. “Alex Ross and others are terrific illustrators… but they’re not cartoonists! I think realism is destroying the feeling of cartooning. The original Superman, Batman and Captain Marvel were the best.” By 1948 Moldoff began illustrating love stories for Fawcett’s expanding line of romance comics. His Fawcett comics credits include Captain Midnight, Captain Marvel Jr., Don Winslow of the Navy, Tex Ritter Western, and several of Fawcett’s movie adaptation comics. He feels that Fawcett’s page rates were “pretty standard throughout the field. If you got $5 more than somebody else, you weren’t getting a hell of a lot more. The main thing was how many pages a week you could count on, since that was how you made your living.” “A couple of years ago I did a few pages for DC for a special edition of Batman. It was $300 a page. In my days back in the ’40s and ’50s, you got that much for doing a whole book! “Bill Gaines paid the best of anybody [in the old days]. He lavished money on people,” Moldoff recalls, adding that he had a falling-out with Alfred E. Neuman’s dad. “I gave him the idea of a horror comic book, Tales of the Supernatural.” Gaines failed to honor the terms of the contract, which granted him a percentage of the sales, Moldoff says. Moldoff had showed the title to Will Lieberson, but the executive editor stated that Fawcett would never do horror. However, after

Gaines’ success with EC’s horror line, Fawcett had a change of heart and wanted to get into the field. Lieberson immediately bought This Magazine Is Haunted (October, 1951) from Moldoff, who created Doctor Death, host of TMIH, and did all of the covers and lead stories of the comic. Moldoff contributed greatly to Fawcett’s entry into the horror comics genre by also selling them Worlds Beyond (Nov. 1951— the title changed to Worlds of Fear with #2) and Strange Suspense Stories (June 1952). According to Moldoff, Fawcett kept all the horror titles going until the near-legendary Kefauver Committee put the whole industry into a chill in the mid-’50s. “They blamed everything on the comics, which was a lot of hooey,” he says. After the Kefauver Committee brought on the ice age and DC kept trying to drive Fawcett into the wall with its plagiarism suit, the company folded its comics department tents, and Will Lieberson and his Fawcett co-workers lost their jobs.

“After the demise of Fawcett comics,” Moldoff recalls, “Will tried to put out a couple of books with Bernard Baily, but he couldn’t get the distribution. Distribution was allimportant. All the magazines were returned… still in bundles.”

Alter Ego #23