Issuu

THE LATE, GREAT

WILL EISNER 5.95 A MAN OF QUALITY!

In the USA

PLUS: PLUS:

No. 48

EISNER TA L K S ABOUT HIS D AY S AT QUALITY COMICS

May 2005

1940s QUALITY A RT I S T S

VERN HENKEL & CHUCK MAZOUJIAN TO P PROS PAY TRIBUTE TO T H E L E G E N D A RY A RT I S T OF THE SPIRIT! Spirit & related characters TM & ©2005 Estate of Will Eisner: Uncle Sam, Plastic Man, Blackhawk, Red Bee, & Doll Man TM & ©2005 DC Comics

Vol. 3, No. 48 / May 2005

™

Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

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 Artist & Colorist Will Eisner

And Special Thanks to: Vern Henkel Heidi Amash Hal Higdon Pedro Angosto Glen Johnson Ger Apeldoorn Faustino R. Arbesú Jeffrey Kipper Henry R. Kujawa Bob Bailey Stan Lee Mike W. Barr Alan Light Alberto Becattini Juan C. López Allen Bellman Sam Maronie John Benson Chuck Mazoujian Jon Berk Lou Mazzella Jerry K. Boyd John McDonagh Lee Boyett Will Murray Chris Brown Mikel Norwitz Nick Caputo Troy Pierce Gene Colan Bud Plant Pat Curley Teresa R. Davidson Ken Quattro Charlie Roberts Lee Dawson Ethan Roberts Al Dellinges Steven Rowe Roger Dicken & Wendy Hunt Diana Schultz Shel Dorf Marc Swayze Arnold Drake Tony Tallarico Sofia Carlota Greg Theakston Rodriguez Dann Thomas Equeren Mort Todd John Evans Anthony Tollin Shane Foley Stan Tychinski Stephan Friedt Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Carl Gafford Dr. Michael J. Janet Gilbert Vassallo Donald F. Glut Chris Wallace David Hajdu Hames Ware Jennifer Hamerlinck Tom Wimbish Bruce Heller

This issue is dedicated to the memories of

Will Eisner & Bill Yoshida

Contents Writer/Editorial: The 30-Year Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Only Real Middle-Class Crimefighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Marilyn Mercer’s essay on Will Eisner, from The New York Herald Tribune, Jan. 1966.

“I Always Felt Storytelling Was As Important As The Artwork” . . . . . . . . . . 7 Will Eisner to Jim Amash on Quality Comics, Eisner & Iger, & The Spirit.

“Will Eisner... Still Cares!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Jim Amash takes a personal look at a comic art legend.

The Spirit of Will Eisner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Remembrances by Gene Colan, Stan Lee, Allen Bellman, Will Murray, Anthony Tollin, and others.

“The Last Spirit Story”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Artist Alex Saviuk on working with Will Eisner.

“I Was Doomed To Be An Artist” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Chuck Mazoujian on drawing Lady Luck and others.

“I Always Liked Working” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Vern Henkel on his days at Quality, Timely/Marvel, and elsewhere.

Comic Crypt: The Wonder Of It All! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Michael T. Gilbert presents Will Eisner’s 1939 “Wonder Man” story—reprinted in full.

Finding The “Inner Bud” – Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Bill Schelly concludes his talk with the founder of Bud Plant Comic Art.

Bill Yoshida (1921-2005) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Tribute to a veteran comic book letterer.

re: [comments, correspondence, & corrections] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #107 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 John Pierce & P.C. Hamerlinck on A.J. Hanley & Mark Swayze on comic strip syndication.

About Our Cover: The main image is from a “Spirit” poster by Will Eisner sent to comics shops by Kitchen Sink in the 1990s, probably in conjunction with its then-ongoing Spirit comics title. TwoMorrows head honcho John Morrow says: “My local retailer gave me my copy. It does have a plug for the thenupcoming Spirit TV movie.” John, working with Ye Editor, assembled this cover from his copy of that poster—a panel of Commissioner Dolan, his daughter Ellen, and Ebony—and a quintet of Quality Comics covers. [Eisner art ©2005 Estate of Will Eisner; Uncle Sam, Blackhawk, Doll Man, & Red Bee TM & ©2005 DC Comics.] Above: This Will Eisner drawing has previously appeared in various places, including on the cover of The Spirit: The First 93 Dailies, published by Ken Pierce in 1980. Maybe The Spirit is on his way to kick down that door on our cover? [©2005 Estate of Will Eisner.] Alter EgoTM is published monthly by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, 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, $11.00 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 30-Year Dinner I

t just doesn’t seem possible that Will Eisner is gone.

Though I never knew him well, he’s long been a Presence in the comics biz—always looming just over our collective shoulder, both intimidating and inspiring us not by verbal admonishment but by example, as well as by sheer force of personality.

When I entered the field in 1965, Will had been totally out of the mainstream comics industry for more than a dozen years, working in related areas but never really looking back. And yet, from the day he reentered our everyday consciousness in 1965-66— first with Jules Feiffer’s fulsome praise in Playboy and the hardcover volume The Great Comic Book Heroes, then with a brand new Spirit story and Marilyn Mercer’s perceptive article in a January 1966 edition of The New York Herald Tribune—it was as if Will Eisner had never been away. He instantly became, once again and virtually overnight, one of the most vital and important figures in comics, even when merely providing a few new stories or covers for reprints of vintage 1940s-50s Spirit material.

always suspected that the partnership of Stan Lee and Will Eisner might possibly have been an uneasy one, both men being strong-willed; but it remains a tantalizing “almost-happened” event, one perhaps realized on what I refer to as “Earth-22.” A year or two later, at a con, I was flattered when I spoke with Will briefly and he suggested I might do something for his Poorhouse Press. “There’s no one I’d rather go broke with,” he told me as he strode off— a phrase which startled me, since we hardly knew each other. But whether it was merely a pro forma compliment, or whether he actually meant it, even if only for that moment, I’ve never forgotten it. After that, we merely met in passing at the occasional convention, mostly in San Diego, and I was always pleased and surprised that he remembered who I was, considering our minimal acquaintance. He remained an impressive figure. I recall the second-from-last San Diego Comic-Con I went to, sometime around 2000, when I attended the Eisner Awards ceremony and watched as several eager young people hauled a chair onto the stage for Will to sit on. He was already well into his 80s, but he ignored the chair and stood throughout the proceedings, as vital and alive as if he were half a century younger. Last June, Paradise Conventions flew Dann and me to Canada for the 2004 Toronto Comicon, at which Will was guest of honor. He and I nodded to each other once or twice as our paths crossed (just barely), and that seemed fated to remain our destiny—ships passing in the night, or day, or whenever. Then, as some documentary filmmakers were finishing an interview with him, I saw Will momentarily alone. I figured he almost certainly already had plans for the evening, but, having nothing to lose, I walked up and suggested that he and Dann and I, as well as Michael T. Gilbert and his wife Janet, have dinner together. Will said he and Cerebus the Aardvark creator Dave Sim had very tentative plans, but why didn’t we all get together in our hotel’s dining room? Sounded good to me.

Of course, it wasn’t Eisner’s nature to rest on his laurels, formidable though they were. While others over the decades from Quality Comics to Fiction House to Harvey Comics to Warren Publications to underground comix to Kitchen Sink endlessly reprinted The Spirit—and God bless them for doing so—Will forged ahead by becoming, if not necessarily the undisputed “father of the graphic novel” that some credit him as being, certainly one of the most influential progenitors and most skilled practitioners By chance, that evening, Will and I sat across of that evolving comic art form. A Contract from each other and talked while Dave and with God and the many graphic novels that Michael were mostly otherwise engaged a bit The cover of the program book of the June 18-20, followed may have built on his prior reputation further down the table. I found Will just as full 2004 Toronto Comicon featured an image of The as the creator of The Spirit and co-creator of of life as ever, giving out his own opinions on Spirit and Dave Sim’s Cerebus the Aardvark, Doll Man, Blackhawk, and others, but they matters related to the industry, but also drawing taken from The Cerebus Jam (1985). [Art ©2005 proved it was not only the younger generation of me out (which wasn’t all that hard) about my Dave Sim & Estate of Will Eisner.] comics/comix creators who could produce own take on things. It was an, er, spirited original material that moved beyond the exchange between us all, lasting a couple of hours, with Will’s only juvenile—and, moreover, that “adult” comics could mean more than concession to his advanced age occurring when he needed to excuse taking the easy route of sexual frankness, political outrage, and drug himself a time or two to visit the bathroom. “Goes with growing old,” references. he said with a self-mocking smile. Myself, I never knew Will Eisner as well as Chuck Mazoujian, Jim Amash, and a couple of other folks represented in this issue. But I was definitely in awe of the man. Before last summer, we had shared only one meal in the more than three decades since I first met him. Sometime circa 1973-74, when I was Marvel’s editor-in-chief, publisher Stan Lee asked me to have lunch with Will to discuss the possibility of his producing for Marvel a new magazine that would try to carve out a humor niche between the longestablished Mad magazine and the newly-successful and far brasher National Lampoon. Stan already had a good title: Bedlam. Will and I had our hour-or-so lunch, which I remember only dimly, and he went off to work up material. Things never quite jelled with Bedlam, and I’ve

If I’d been asked that night, I’d have found it almost unthinkable that, less than a year later, he’d be taken from us—at a time when he was still at the height of his artistic and intellectual powers, and was working, as always, on new and inventive projects—as witness Alex Saviuk’s relating on pp. 36-37 of his work with Will on a “Spirit” story for Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist for Dark Horse—not to mention the publication this very month by W.W. Norton & Co. of Will’s final graphic novel, The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocol of the Elders of Zion. One will look in vain, in those tales, for any real dimunition of Eisner’s powers as a storyteller or artist. The man was a phenomenal talent—and a force in the comic book field.

writer/editorial.

A force, we hardly need add, for good. I’ve never felt such a loss at the passing of any comic book figure I personally knew so slightly. I’m grateful that, in 2004, Jim Amash was able to interview Will, primarily about his memories of Quality Comics and its personnel during the late 1930s and 1940s, and that Will personally approved both the text of the interview and the choice of cover art. I’m grateful that DC Comics is carrying on the noble work of reprinting Will’s Spirit stories in a marvelous Archives series—15 volumes at this writing, with hopefully more to come till the run is finished—and that DC and others are keeping his graphic novels and related material in print. And I’m grateful that Bob Andelman’s biography Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, prepared with Will’s cooperation, will see print in late summer. Maybe for just a little while, all these things, and The Plot, will make us forget that the man himself is no longer among us. But then, he is still among us, isn’t he—just as Homer and Hemingway and others are—as long as their words (and in Will’s case, pictures) have the power to grab us by our mental shirtsleeves and take us out of ourselves into another, more wonderful world. Don’t go away for good, Will. We need you. Bestest,

™

# COMING IN JUNE 49 MARVEL MYSTERY MAN

Edited by ROY THOMAS

CARL BURGOS AND HIS FUMIN’ HUMAN TORCH! • Fabulously fiery, never-before-seen 1941 BURGOS cover art—painted for 2005 by MARK SPARACIO! • CARL BURGOS, artist/creator of The Human Torch, Iron Skull, The Thunderer, White Streak, the 1960s “Split-Xam!” Captain Marvel, et al.—remembered by daughter SUE BURGOS, in an in-depth interview with JIM AMASH! • Rare Golden/Silver/Marvel Age Human Torch art by BURGOS, BILL EVERETT, DICK AYERS, JACK KIRBY, EDD ASHE, JIMMY THOMPSON, ALEX SCHOMBURG, JOHN BUSCEMA, & et al! • Never-before-published 1941 cover layouts featuring Human Torch and Sub-Mariner, drawn by CARL BURGOS & others! • Two weird Torch wannabes! “The Blue Flame” by ZOLTAN SZENICS (yes, that’s a real name)—and GER APELDOORN on a pyrotechnic prototype by MANNY STALLMAN! • “TThe Timely/Atlas Implosion of 1957!” TOM LAMMERS tells why there almost was no Marvel Comics to revive in the 1960s! With tons of scarce 1950s art! • FCA with MARC SWAYZE, C.C. BECK, & BILL BLACK—MICHAEL T. GILBERT says goodbye to the great WILL EISNER—BILL SCHELLY on ’60s comics fandom—ALEX TOTH—& MORE!!!

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A Vintage Document Of The Mid-1960s “Rediscovery” Of Will Eisner

was harassed by criminals, but also by Ellen Dolan, his He had a gallery of minor characters who seemed to more or less fiancée, by Ebony’s school teachers, and by come from some overzealous Central Casting. There the Department of Internal Revenue. There were times, were the dangerous women: P’Gell, Silk Satin, Plaster many times, when he just couldn’t cope. He of Paris. (After a while, some of them stopped being wandered through his baroque adventures sometimes dangerous; The Spirit at one point had P’Gell get with an air of disbelief, as if at any moment he might installed as headmistress of a girls’ school. But he turn around and say to his creator, “Eisner, you’ve could never really trust her.) There were the villains: got to be kidding.” The Octopus, arch criminal (you only saw his hands), and Mr. Carrion, who had an unnatural relationship “The Spirit is, you could say, a pure existentialist, if with his buzzard Julia. There was Sam Klink, the I understand existentialism and I’m not sure I do. He honest rookie cop; Ward Healy, the political boss of was living in and dealing with the world as it was and Central City. There were the tragic heroines, Sand Saref (a solving crimes for no apparent reason. He was always, like strange choice of name for an anti-typeset, proeverybody else, a victim of circumstances. The visual man), The Spirit’s childhood sweetheart Art for the Will Eisner button in the Famous Spirit was the only real middle-class crimefighter.” gone wrong, and Sparrow Fallon, girl waif and allCartoonist Series, issued in 1975. Thanks to time loser. There was Inspector Guillotine of the Bob Bailey. [Art ©2005 Estate of Will Eisner.] Couldn’t, I asked, the middle-class crimefighter Sûreté, Pancho the talking bull, Zoltan P. Yafodder, come back? The old tap dancer looked doubtful, who went around drawing mustaches on subway although he allowed that a West Coast television outfit had been after posters—well, the list could go on indefinitely. him with that very request. “It would be fun,” he said. “The Spirit to me The principal characters, in spite of their stock outlines, were quite real to Spirit fans, and to Eisner, too. Ebony, for one. He was the first Negro to play a major role in an adventure comic. “Ebony was really an attempt to introduce a Negro boy in a meaningful role,” says Eisner. “He had a dignity all his own, even though he had a Southern accent.” Ebony never drew criticism from Negro groups (in fact, Eisner was commended by some for using him), perhaps because, although his speech pattern was early Minstrel Show, he himself derived from another literary tradition: he was a combination of Tom Sawyer and Penrod, with a touch of Horatio Alger hero, and color didn’t really come into it. The Spirit himself was, in the long run, the realest of all. Despite the mask, which Eisner eventually found an impediment, he was human. He

is like an old mistress—you hate her, but you still have a yen for her.” Then Eisner the entrepreneur took over. “But I can’t do anything about that now. Do you realize,” he said, “that by 1970 one-third of the population of the United States will be in school? Did you know that?”—and he went on to describe, enthusiastically, several new approaches he’d dreamed up for teaching elementary school subjects through visual devices. “It’s a wide-open field,” he said, “ and it’s getting bigger. That’s the area I’m going to explore next, if I can ever find the time to get started.” He always did have more ideas per week than he could ever possibly use.

“I Always Felt Storytelling Was As Important As The Artwork” WILL EISNER Talks About Quality Comics, Eisner & Iger, The Spirit—And Other Stuff Interview Conducted & Transcribed by Jim Amash

ill Eisner wasn’t WILL EISNER: Originally, Eisner & considered a national Iger was doing business with Quality treasure by comic book Comics. We were packaging stories; fans for nothing. His that was the basis of the Eisner & Iger influence on the industry cannot be business. We were not publishers; we overestimated, and he remained a simply packaged for publishers, like vital, inspirational storyteller up to the Fiction House, Victor Fox, and all the Will Eisner in 1941 (left) and circa 1980, flanking one of his most day of his passing. Publisher Everett rest of the new companies. Our staff oft-reproduced images of The Spirit—used in this instance on the “Busy” Arnold’s Quality Comics was produced the insides of the books and cover of Ed Aprill Jr.’s Great Classic Newspaper Comic Strips (1968), an aptly named company, and Eisner we delivered them ready for publiwhich reprinted the 1942 daily Spirit strips. The 1941 photo appeared was their creative driving force in its cation. This is how we got to work for in The Art of Will Eisner (Kitchen Sink, 1982). Circa-1980 photo by early days. As important as The Spirit Quality. Jerry Iger was actually the Sam Maronie. [Art ©2005 Estate of Will Eisner.] was to comics, our main focus in this salesman for the company; I produced interview was on his other work for the merchandise. Quality. Many of the characters he originated still survive in print to JA: The Eisner & Iger shop was in business before Quality, and this day, and now we’ll learn how they came to be, as we discuss, Feature Funnies was the company’s first book. among other things, Eisner’s relationship with Quality Comics, though we’ll stray off point a little and talk about Eisner & Iger, the EISNER: Eisner & Iger started in late 1936, and we were packaging comics shop begun by Eisner and partner S.M. “Jerry” Iger. Hey, features for Feature Funnies before Busy Arnold owned the title. It was anytime I can get a little more comics history on tape (and in print), only natural that we continued to supply work for Arnold. you know I will! —Jim. For example, Arnold would say, “We want to publish another magazine.” I’d come up with a rough idea for a magazine, like Hit Comics, and create the individual features. Then I’d submit the idea to him, and Iger was the one who took it over to Arnold. Sometimes I made rough sketches of the characters and Arnold would say, “Yeah, I’ll do that,” and we’d deliver the book to him. JIM AMASH: How did you discover that Quality Comics was publishing? Did they come to you first, or did you approach them? JA: So Arnold approved each individual feature.

“Packaging Stories…Was The Basis Of The Eisner & Iger Business”

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“Will Eisner Still Cares!” A Personal Look At A Comic Art Legend by Jim Amash

ditor. Art Director. Writer. Artist. Letterer. Colorist. Painter. Publisher. Businessman. Taskmaster. Teacher. Lecturer. Biographer. Storyteller. Warrant Officer. Pioneer. Creator. Mentor. Promoter of the Arts. Icon. Theoretician. Genius. Husband. Father. Will Eisner. He was born March 6, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York. A keen observer of humanity even in his youth, this son of Jewish immigrants possessed a burning ambition to transcend the poverty of his environment, and the artistic temperament to succeed. Eisner’s first published artwork appeared in the DeWitt Clinton High School newspaper. He became hooked on the arts; now he had to make a living at it. In 1936, Eisner found brief employment at Henle Publications, an early comic book publisher, creating the “Harry Karry” and “The Flame” features for Wow, What a Magazine. Along with the ambitious Jerry Iger, a cartoonist better suited for salesmanship, Eisner became the co-owner of the Eisner & Iger Studio, perhaps the first shop to package features for comic books and newspapers. The legendary group of fledgling and down-on-their-luck cartoonists that populated the Eisner-Iger shop included Bob Kane, Jack Kirby, Lou Fine, Bill Bossert, Alex Blum and his daughter Audrey/Toni (possibly the first woman to write comic books), George Tuska, Bob Powell, and Chuck Cuidera. Eisner created or co-created most of the shop’s features: “Muss ‘Em Up Donovan,” “Hawks of the Sea,” “Doll Man,” “The Ray,” “Black Condor,” “Uncle Sam,” “Blackhawk” (though Chuck Cuidera disputed this particular claim), “Sheena – Queen of the Jungle,” “Espionage,” and numerous others. He also wrote and drew some of the features and covers, and acted as boss, editor (supplying camera-ready art to Quality Comics and other companies), art director, and inspirational force. Unlike most comic book creators of the time, Eisner and Iger also retained some ownership of their characters. Eisner and Iger were making a lot of money, but Eisner grew increasingly unhappy. He wanted to do more than just children’s fantasy stories, and his relationship with Jerry Iger wasn’t harmonious. Enter Everett “Busy” Arnold, publisher of Quality Comics, one of Eisner & Iger’s main accounts. The Des Moines Register and Tribune Syndicate’s sales manager, Henry Martin, approached Arnold with an idea for syndicating comic books as newspaper inserts. Arnold liked the idea and contacted Eisner as the man capable producing the material. Eisner found an escape hatch from his situation and took the job.

The result of this venture was The Spirit Section, starring the strips/features Mr. Mystic, Lady Luck, and of course, The Spirit himself. Eisner took what could have been just another detective feature (the lead character’s mask, gloves, death, rebirth, and lack of socks notwithstanding), and created a legend. The pre-war stories were a cut above the ordinary, as Eisner stretched the graphic boundaries of standard comic book fare. That’s more than can be said for the war-time stories, even though luminaries such as Lou Fine, Jack Cole, and Manley Wade Wellman were responsible for some of them. Eisner was on his way to becoming the O. Henry of comics: the pre-war Spirit was full of adventure, humor, and pathos. However, it was the post-war Spirit

stories that really shone: Eisner refined and expanded the ordinary conventions of sequential storytelling into uncharted territories. Seldom equaled and never surpassed, this body of work catapulted Will Eisner into the pantheon of comic book greats. When The Spirit Section ceased publication in 1952, all rights reverted to Eisner, making him one of the few comic artists to totally own his feature. During World War II, Eisner served in the Army as a warrant officer, creating instructional manuals and posters that sometimes featured his “Joe Dope” character. In 1948, he launched an ill-fated comic book company that crashed as soon as it took flight, taking Baseball Comics, Kewpies, and the unpublished John Law with it. (John Law’s adventures were later turned into Spirit episodes, before finally seeing the light of day as originally intended in the 1980s.) Eisner founded the American Visuals Corporation, a commercial art company that provided illustrations and comics for commercial and education purposes. He began producing P.S. magazine for the Army, a venture that lasted almost twenty years. He also took over the Bell-McClure Syndicate, briefly

THE SPIRIT OF WILL EISNER Tributes To The Creator Of Denny Colt From A Handful Of Comics Pros And Fans

In A Spirit Of Friendship (Above:) Three veterans of the Golden and Silver Ages share a moment at the 1996 San Diego Comic-Con. L. to r.: Jim Mooney, Will Eisner, & Joe Giella. [Photo ©2005 Charlie Roberts.] (Right:) A vintage Spirit page, repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Ethan Roberts. Ethan says this page is "pure Eisner, both pencils and inks, with caricatures of Eisner, Andre LeBlanc, and Ben Oda." [©2005 Estate of Will Eisner.]

ince the contents of this issue of Alter Ego were basically already in place before Will Eisner’s regrettable passing, we did not solicit tributes or comments on his life and career. Even so, however, we found ourselves in receipt of several examples of same, so it is our bittersweet pleasure to feature them here.

Gene Colan Comics Artist Will Eisner will be greatly missed by everyone in or out of the comic strip industry. Although I never knew him personally, I was deeply influenced by his cinematic approach, even before my own career began. The Philadelphia Record featured his famous strip The Spirit, and I would study his art like a wide-eyed kid with his nose against a toy window. The atmospheric effects he used so well to give a burst of sudden light to a scene, like a lightning flash, were captured so effectively. I believe I heard somewhere that his father was a stage set designer. What a fabulous background for Will Eisner as a youngster! We certainly have been diminished by this loss.

Will Murray Writer

Spirit-ual Inspiration I first encountered Will Eisner through the Harvey Spirit giants of 1966-67. Although I was a dedicated Marvelite, I was enthralled by this dramatic yet whimsical character with the cool domino mask and cooler name. I didn’t know that The Spirit was a kind of take-off on Leslie Charteris’ Saint—and I doubt I would have cared. I saw him more in the

tradition of The Green Hornet or The Lone Ranger. He was classic. Only two Harvey Spirits were released, but I read them over and over, and never forgot them. Or the mystery-man behind The Spirit, Will Eisner. Flash forward to 1973. The Spirit was back, thanks to Kitchen Sink. It was one of the few comics I still read after I dropped my Marvel habit. I had no sooner begun my writing career than I encountered a problem. I had signed my first two published articles with the name by which I was then known. Simultaneously, a new rising comic star was appearing in the media. I didn’t want to be known as the “other” Bill Murray, but what to do? That was my name. The exact moment of inspiration has faded from memory, but I know from whence it came. Little did I imagine that in changing from Bill to Will, I was following in the former Bill Eisner’s footsteps exactly. He had done the identical thing early in his career, too. I paid Eisner homage during my 40-novel run on the Destroyer paperback series, when I had the convicted and “executed” ex-cop Remo Williams one day visit the grave where he was supposedly interred. In

“I Was Doomed To Be An Artist” CHUCK MAZOUJIAN On Drawing Lady Luck And Others

Conducted by Jim Amash

long with other greats like Lou Fine and Bob Powell, Chuck Mazoujian was part of the stellar Eisner production studio that produced The Spirit and hundreds of memorable stories for Quality Comics and other publishers. Although he only worked in the Eisner & Iger shop for a year and a half, Mazoujian made his mark on comics history when he created the Lady Luck series for Eisner’s syndicated Spirit Section. Still creating visual imagery, Chuck reflects back with fondness on simpler times, when a little Lady Luck smiled on his life and ours as well. Thanks to Dave Hajdu, author of the Bob Dylan/Joan Baez study Positively Fourth Street for putting me in contact with Chuck. —Jim.

Transcribed by Tom Wimbish JA: What got you interested in art? MAZOUJIAN: I started drawing when I was five years old, right from the beginning. I drew a horse, and it looked pretty good, so I continued making pictures. From there on, I used to copy sports and religious subjects from the newspapers and magazines. Sports was the main thing I loved to draw, though. I played football in high school, and I’ve loved sports my whole life. I loved drawing religious subject matter, too. I’m a Christian, and I used to go to church and talk to the priest; I was fascinated by religion.

“I Drew All The Time”

I went to school, and the teachers noticed me drawing. When I was eight or nine, I copied a picture of George Washington’s head in pencil. The teacher saw it, grabbed the drawing, framed it, and put it on the outside of her door. From that point on, I was doomed to be an artist.

JIM AMASH: When and where were you born? CHUCK MAZOUJIAN: I was born in Union City, New Jersey, on August 24, 1917. JA: I’m curious about your name... MAZOUJIAN: It’s an Armenian name; they all end in “ian” or “yan.”

My father was an actor who played Julius Caesar at Swiss Turnhall, which had a theatre; the actors spoke Armenian. There was a big Armenian population in New Jersey then. My father was an artist, too. He was in the printing business, but he used to

Chuck Mazoujian today, beneath one of his paintings— bookended by a pair of pirate illos: a page from the Lady Luck story for Aug. 25, 1940, and his later book illustration for The Barbary Pirates by C.S. Forrester. See the first page of the former on p. 18. Photo courtesy of C.M.; book art provided by Lee Boyett. [Lady Luck art ©2005 Estate of Will Eisner; other art ©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Chuck Mazoujian On Drawing Lady Luck And Others

do fashion drawings for the old Butterick Magazine. He didn’t want me to go into the art world; he thought it was a tough business. I proved to him that I could make a living, though, because I worked for 20 years for Ogleby & Mather Advertising in New York, and they really paid me a lot of money. I drew all the time, and I did good illustrations as I became a teenager. In high school, they’d find some colored chalk and tell me to get up and draw something on the board for each holiday. Anything that they wanted me to do, I did it for them. As I was getting out of high school, my brother was going to Pratt Institute in the evenings. I went with him one time, and I was in heaven. I graduated Pratt after three years but I didn’t get a degree. By the way, a lot of comic book people went to Pratt: Bob Powell, Ken Bald, Chuck Cuidera, among many others. Some of the greatest times of my life were at Pratt. I went there from 1936 to 1939. I served in the military for over four years during World War II, and somebody spotted my work while I was stationed at Fort Hancock, and published a page of my drawings in Life magazine. That was in about 1942. Later, one of my commanding officers also saw my drawings, and I was assigned to G-2 at the Pentagon in Washington, doing G-2 training manuals. I worked on four manuals, showing what the Germans and Japanese were doing. The bulletins that I worked on were disseminated to the servicemen.

“Lady Luck ... Was Patterned After My Girlfriend” JA: How did you you get into comics? MAZOUJIAN: Bill Eisner and Jerry Iger had a comic book studio on 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. I had done a cover for some company with a King Kong type of character. Eisner saw my work, telephoned me, and said, “Come on over; I want to look at your stuff.” I went over there, and he said, “How would you like to work for me?” And I said, “What can you pay me?” [laughs] He offered me a pretty good sum of money, and I worked for him for a year and a half, until I got drafted into the service in 1941. Eisner was a marvelous writer; he had excellent ideas, and he never had more than a high school education. Bill was one of the finest writers of comics I ever saw, and a very nice guy. He once wrote an article for the first page of The New York Times magazine section, and he did a terrific job. His artwork was good, but he actually copied Lou Fine’s work. He had Lou Fine do a lot of his drawing; Bill did some layouts and Lou would do the artwork. Lou loved Bill, and he was a naturalborn artist. The reason I stayed with Bill was because of Lou Fine: I liked the guy, and I liked the way he drew. Bill paid me $25 or $30 a week, and I was being paid more than anybody else. The rest of the guys were getting $15 to $18 a week. Later, when my work went into syndication, Eisner gave me bonuses. I was doing a lot of work for him, and he was getting extra money for the syndication, so I think he gave me a couple of $500 bonuses before I left there. That was nice of him. I know there were some people who weren’t happy with their pay, but those things happen. I was working on Lady Luck at the time. She was patterned after my girlfriend, who later became my wife. Her maiden name was Edna Munson; she was a Swede. She was a beautiful girl: blonde, blue-eyed, gorgeous. She was going to Pratt, and as soon as I laid eyes on her, I said, “I’ve got to get to know this girl. Two years later, I married her. We had two marvelous kids: a daughter, Gwen, and a son, Craig. For a time, I used the pen name of “Ford Davis” when I worked for Eisner. Davis was an old illustrator’s last name. Bill asked me to do it; I

don’t know why. I did a lot in that year and a half. In addition to Lady Luck, I did some extra freelance work that Bill asked me to do. I’d work on that stuff at night, at home. I didn’t like the idea. I did it for a while, and then I thought, “What am I doing? I work all day, and then I come home and work some more.” My wife would say, “What the heck are you doing? Get to bed.” So I quit doing freelance.

“Eisner And Iger Didn’t Like Each Other” JA: What did you think of Jerry Iger? MAZOUJIAN: He wasn’t around very often. To tell you the truth, I never liked Iger. I didn’t like him because he was so damned businesslike, and he thought that he knew it all. Eisner used to say, “Don’t pay any attention to him; he’s here because he’s a good businessman,” which I guess he was. I didn’t deal with Iger much; I dealt with Bill. Everybody called him “Will,” because that’s the way he signed his comics, but I called him Bill. Eisner and Iger didn’t like each other, but Eisner made a lot of money doing comic books. He published them himself, and he made a lot of money. He’s still making money. He’s still working. I was visiting somebody in West Palm Beach, Florida, and I found out where Bill was, so I drove down to see him. [NOTE: This interview was conducted before Eisner’s death. —Jim] Eisner was fine to work for. He knew from my work when I was

“I Was Doomed To Be An Artist”

CHUCK MAZOUJIAN Checklist [NOTE: See p. 24 for explanation and key to this Checklist. Additions and corrections have been supplied by Hames Ware and by Chuck Mazoujian himself, and others are invited, either via Alter Ego or directly to Jerry. Key: (a) = full art; (p) pencils only; (i) = inking only; (w) = writer; (d) = daily comic strip; (S) = Sunday comic strip.] Full Name: Charles John Mazoujian [b. 1915] (artist, occasional writer)

Syndication Credits: Lady Luck (S) (a) 1940-41

Nickname: Chuck

Comics Shop: Eisner & Iger Studio (a) 1939

Pen Name: C.J.M. (at Timely)

Comics Reprints: Lady Luck (a/some w) 1980 graphic album reprint; Lady Luck (a)(some w) 1983 reprint

Cousin: Art Pinajian Member: Society of Illustrators

COMIC BOOK CREDITS

Book Illustrations: Story of the Marines (1951), The Barbary Pirates (1953).

Fiction House Comics: Capt. Terry Thunder (i) 1941

Magazine Illustrations: Coronet (1949), Life (no date) Teacher: Pratt Institute

Quality Comics: Jack and Jill (a) 1941; Quicksilver (a) 1940; Sally O’Neil (a) 1939-41; Samar (a) 1940; Z-11 (a) 1941; Zero, Ghost Detective (a) 1940

Honors: Watercolor Prize at National Museum of Art; won nationwide Soldiers’ Art Contents

Timely/Marvel: Marvel Mystery Comics (a) 1940

We’ll close with a pair of Chuck Mazoujian artworks from different periods. (Left:) An illustration done for Coronet magazine in 1949; he signed it below the baby carriage. (Right:) The fourth and final page of the Lady Luck feature from The Spirit Section for July 28, 1940. For the former, thanks again to Lee Boyett—and to Lee’s pal John Evans, who helped him get the best repro possible for many images printed with Chuck’s interview. [Coronet illo ©2005 the respective copyright holders; Lady Luck art ©2005 Estate of Will Eisner.]

Novelty/Curtis: miscellaneous (a/some w) 1941

“I’ve Always Liked Working” Artist VERN HENKEL On His Days At Quality, Timely/Marvel, And Elsewhere Interview Conducted & Transcribed by Jim Amash Vern Henkel in 1950 (at top left) and at the turn of the 21st century. The older photo is from the front page of a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Sunday newspaper, dated Dec. 10, 1950. It and a photo of his friend and fellow artist Allen Ulmer appeared above the headline “Lancaster-Born Comic-Book Artists Find Product Losing Villain Role.” The gist of the article was that comics appeared to be weathering the storm of controversy that had recently erupted concerning crime comics and the like—but of course Seduction of the Innocent and the Kefauver Subcommittee were still a few years in the future. The worst was yet to come! Courtesy of Vern Henkel.

York, which was publisher Busy Arnold’s first office. I had been working for Quality for a year when I received a letter from Frank Markey of the same address informing me that he thought my feature had newspaper syndicate possibilities and he wanted me to come to New York and meet him. I had never been up there before.

ern Henkel was an early contributor to Quality Comics. He had a clean, consistent drawing style, adaptable to any subject matter, and he wrote fun adventure stories, too. Publisher Busy Arnold’s unique treatment of Henkel, recounted below, speaks volumes of the esteem in which he was held. Henkel also spent a fair amount of time at Timely Comics, where he fought crime and war at his drawing board. Later on, he hooked up with a famous comedian for a series of coloring books. “Fun” is a good description of what awaited anyone who ever read a Vern Henkel story. —Jim.

“[Busy Arnold] Wanted A Bunch Of Work From Me” JIM AMASH: I’ll start off with the basic questions, like when and where were you born? And how did you get your start in comic books? VERN HENKEL: I was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where I still live, November 27, 1917. I remember seeing comic books as a kid in high school. I used to go down to the corner store and buy them. Famous Funnies was one of the comics I bought. I liked all the comic books that were coming out. I used to copy the Sunday comics while drawing on the floor and started drawing around five. In high school, my first published work was “Heroes of History” for Golden Fleece magazine, which was published in Chicago. It ran for about seven issues, and it got me going. This gave me the idea that I could do comics, and I started creating my own series. “Gallant Knight” was the first one I created, and Quality Comics was the publisher. That’s where I started my comic book career, in 1937. Quality Comics was at 369 Lexington Avenue in New

I didn’t know that I was stepping into the middle of a reorganization. Busy Arnold had something going with McNaught Syndicate and I thought I’d meet McNaught, but I was steered away from him. Arnold wined and dined me at the Hotel Commodore and told me about this new comic book he was starting, so I began working directly for him. I even signed a year contract. As I dined, I noticed that the emblem on the bottle of the good Pilsner beer I was drinking was a pasteover. It read: “Made in Pilsen, Germany.” I peeled it off to see the original label, which read: “Made in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.” Later, when I was on the train back to Lancaster, it dawned on me that I never did meet the guy who invited me up there. Just as the label on that bottle of beer had been switched, so had my meeting, and I would be working for the next eight years for the Quality Comics Group. [laughs] Talk about being wet behind the ears! Vern says this is his “first published page”—a pen-&-ink drawing done during his senior year at Lancaster (PA) Boys’ High School in 1937—and, amazingly, published in the pulp magazine Golden Fleece, where he shared space with the likes of Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan! “Vernon Henkel” started out already pretty good, by our lights. Sorry for the curvature and darkness of the art at left, but it’s well-nigh impossible to photocopy a full copy of a page from a pulp without damaging its spine. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

JA: How did you get the “Gallant Knight” job? HENKEL: I just starting drawing it and mailing the work to New York. It was like a syndicated feature, because it was published in several English-speaking countries. I

Marc Swayze production. Downtown, clerking at an auto parts business, there was a young veteran of the Navy, already making a name as a cartoonist in commercial car journals. I saw need of the talents of both. When the search extended out over the land, I was impressed at the enthusiastic assistance of the company personnel department. As a matter of fact, I was impressed with the whole organization. The team spirit was like at a home-game season opener … everybody excited with the new ownership and objectives. Pierre represented my long-time goal. But just look at the situation … the uncertainty of it. Time changes things … comics change … reader preference changes. How many realistic comic strips do you see on the newspaper page today? I suspect that all the wishy-washy correspondence from Bell Syndicate was because Joe Agnelli saw a true picture … and just couldn’t help being a gentle soul. There seemed to be a decision at hand. But leave the comics? I couldn’t do that!!! Or could I …? [Marc’s memories of the Golden Age continue next issue.]

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Alan Jim Hanley: The Story Of A Good Guy by John Pierce

Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck

NTRODUCTION: FCA is proud to present John Pierce’s reverent review of the often-overlooked work of late fan artist Alan Jim Hanley, whose cheerful comic strips graced various fanzines—including his own Comic Book—throughout the 1960s and ’70s. Hanley’s original, Golden Age-inspired stories contained a genuine, warm, and humanistic feel—combined with a dry, gentle sense of humor. I had corresponded with Hanley a couple of times before finally meeting him in person at a 1979 Minneapolis comic convention. As we exchanged bright ideas at his table (okay, it was mostly just me listening to his corny jokes!), he sat there with his ever-present pipe in mouth and sketched out a version of me—an awkward teenager at the time—as Captain Marvel Jr. As he belted out this masterpiece while we talked, I felt as if I were talking to that clean-living superhero himself, “Goodguy,” Hanley’s humble Captain Marvel-like creation. Even if you never had the opportunity to meet the amiable Mr. Hanley, but had read an issue of his Comic Book or any “Goodguy” adventure, then in a way you did indeed know the man, because his humor, opinions, and love for comics always shone through his work.

Commercial publishers had no need for him, even though Hanley aspired to see his work appear one day in “major league” comics. But he was in a league of his own, and most likely wouldn’t have been very content illustrating another writer’s script or having to depict things he truly felt were bad for comic books. The exception would have been a shot at drawing his admired hero from childhood, the Big Red Cheese, Captain Marvel. C.C. Beck himself suggested Hanley as the artist to succeed him on DC’s Shazam! comic after Beck quit the book. But drawing Captain Marvel for DC never materialized for Hanley, who held great disdain for the company’s handling of the character. He told John Pierce in June, 1980: “Let’s face it: the vision, the personality, and the luck that created the original Captain Marvel just ain’t there! A certain verve, independence of spirit, spunk, and a certain educated romantic mind—and maybe a few other highly individualistic qualities—are required to pull a guy like Captain Marvel together and put him over the top. Do I have enough of the above to do it? Looking over my past stuff in an increasing distant retrospect, I think it is obvious that I do. … It would have been nice to have had the opportunity to work with a good, knowledgeable editor on Captain Marvel.” Even though Hanley didn’t “officially” contribute to the mythos of The World’s Mightiest Mortal, it certainly doesn’t diminish the enduring quality of the numerous creative contributions he gave to the world of comic fandom …work that was definitely in the same spirit as the original Captain Marvel. In addition, there would be no FCA in existence today had Hanley and Bernie McCarty not convened that one Sunday afternoon over 35 years ago at Hanley’s suburban Chicago apartment to discuss a way to revive the old Captain Marvel Club of their youth … a planted seed which McCarty would eventually develop into the Fawcett Collectors of America newsletter. —P.C. Hamerlinck.

The first page of A.J. Hanley’s Comic Book #4. The artist drew himself wearing a badge saying “America’s No. 1 Starving Artist.” [All art reproduced with this article is ©2005 Estate of Alan Jim Hanley; all characters are TM & ©2005 the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

Captain Marvel has had many devoted fans over the years. Some, such as E. Nelson Bridwell, Don Newton, Jerry Ordway, and Alex Ross, have even had the opportunity to work on one version or other of the character. But no one else took his enthusiasm for Captain Marvel in particular, and comics in general, in the direction followed by one singular, creative fan: Alan Jim Hanley. When Jim (as he was generally called) died an untimely death at the age of 41, on December 24th of 1980, he left behind an impressive body of work. But with the exception of some text illustrations for Charlton Publications, and a few for Crazy magazine, none of it appeared in professional comics. Instead, his work was seen in numerous fanzines of

Alter Ego #48