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Roy Thomas’ 24- Carrot Comics Fanzine

2007 EISNER AWARD WINNER!

BEST COMICS-RELATED PERIODICAL

SCOTT SHAW! & ROY THOMAS ON CREATING

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CAPTAIN CARROT & HIS AMAZING ZOO CREW!TM

No. 72 September 2007

PLUS:

DICK ROCKWELL THE GHOST OF

82658 27763

MILT CANIFF

AND:

Vol. 3, No. 72 / September 2007 Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editorial Honor Roll Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Mike Friedrich

Production Assistant Chris Irving

Circulation Director Bob Brodsky, Cookiesoup Periodical Distribution, LLC

Cover Artist Scott Shaw!

Cover Colorist Tom Ziuko

With Special Thanks to: Robert Latona Rob Allen Scott LeMien Heidi Amash Arthur Lortie Nick Arroyo Bruce Mason Paul Bach Fran Matera Bob Bailey Jim McQuarrie Rod Beck Sheldon Moldoff Frank Brunner Brian K. Morris Mike Catron Charles Chamberlin Will Murray Jim Murtaugh Mike & Carole Ken Nadle Curtis Dave O’Dell Jeff Dell Jake Oster Michaël Dewally Mark Paniccia Chris Elliott Barry Pearl John R. Ellis Rubén Procopio Charles Ettinger Robby Reed Michael Eury Steven Rowe Mark Evanier Scott, Judith, & Rex Ferrell Kirby Shaw! Greg Fischer Keif Simon Shane Foley Bhob Stewart Janet Gilbert Marc Swayze Stan Goldberg Jeff Taylor Tim Gordon Dann Thomas Harry Guyton Jennifer Hamerlinck Dave Trimble Ken Van Court David Hedgecock Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Fred Hembeck Michael Vance Rick Hoberg Dr. Michael J. Shawntae Howard Vassallo Jeff Kapalka Greg Vondruska Denis Kitchen Hames Ware Richard Kyle Thomas G. Lammers Mike Zeck

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Don Christensen & Marshall Rogers

Contents Writer/Editorial: Bringing Out The Beast In Me . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Rabbits And Turtles And Pigs—Oh, My! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Mike Curtis takes an affectionate look back at the Zoo Crew.

“Not Just Another Funny-Animal Comic!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Scott Shaw! and Roy Thomas on the 1981 creation of Captain Carrot—and beyond.

Pens And Nadles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Ken Nadle on Golden Age DC humor-mongers Larry & Martin Nadle.

“The Drawing Board Is My Sanctuary” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Dick Rockwell talks to Jim Amash about drawing comic books and Steve Canyon.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! Kooky Krossovers (Part 2) . . . 55 Michael T. Gilbert finishes off those tintinabulatin’ 1940s team-ups at MLJ & Quality.

Robert Schoenfeld, R.I.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Bill Schelly & Bob Latona salute the late-1960s editor of Gosh Wow!, et al.

Tributes To Don Christensen & Marshall Rogers . . . . . . . . . 68 re: [comments, correspondence, & corrections] . . . . . . . . . 71 FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #131 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Marc Swayze on scripting and C.C. Beck on drawing—presented by P.C. Hamerlinck. On Our Cover: Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! began life as a funny-animal version of the Justice League of America, so original CC artist Scott Shaw!—he of the exclamatory monicker—flawlessly executed this anthropomorphic homage to the iconic Mike Sekowsky/Murphy Anderson cover of The Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960). ’Nuff said? [Characters TM & ©2007 DC Comics.] Above: One of Scott’s very first concept sketches of the good Captain—never before published! See pp. 12-25 for more of same! [©2007 DC Comics.] 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: $9 US ($11.00 Canada, $16 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $78 US, $132 Canada, $180 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. ISSN: 1932-6890 FIRST PRINTING.

writer/editorial

Bringing Out The Beast In Me A

ctually, I thought long and hard before I decided to do this issue of Alter Ego.

For several years now, cartoonists Scott Shaw! and Jim Engel and I have been discussing an issue of A/E devoted to funny-animal super-heroes like Supermouse, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny—and Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!, the comic book Scott and I co-produced in the early 1980s. We may get around to it yet.

A few months ago, however, Scott e-mailed me that he’d just been asked to draw a revival of Captain Carrot—without me as writer. After both of us getting nowhere making individual proposals from time to time over the years for a revival of the title, we had agreed neither of us would make a separate approach to a DC editor again— but Scott hadn’t initiated this series; an editor had gone to writer Bill Morrison of Bongo Comics, then to Scott. While I remain virulently hostile to the idea that a new Captain Carrot series has been launched with one of the series’ two main creators cut out of the loop very much against his will—let there be no mealy-mouthed mistake about that!—I didn’t have it in me to ask Scott to turn down the opportunity to draw the characters again. After all, they’re a far larger percentage of his comic book legacy than they are of mine—and I’m keeping quite busy with the Marvel Illustrated series and work for TwoMorrows and Heroic Publications, thank you very much. So let me make it clear that I’ve no animosity toward Scott—or Bill—for taking the gig. As to those involved over their heads… well, don’t get me started. On the other hand, I was slightly (if only slightly) mollified to learn that, in conjunction with this revival, Captain Carrot #1-20—i.e., the

entire canon, except for the final 6 issues, which were put together as the three-issue mini-series The Oz-Wonderland War in 1985-86— were to be published as a 500-page Showcase volume. Moreover, I received a reasonably hefty royalty check for my work reprinted therein—and it arrived two months before the black-&-white book went on sale! You’ve gotta give at least a few points credit for that. So Scott and I decided we’d talk about the original Captain Carrot run for an A/E issue to come out around the same time as the new one—and I invited Mike Curtis, editor and co-publisher of Shanda Fantasy Press, to write a brief overview of the 1980s comic. By coincidence, I’d also recently invited Ken Nadle to write about his father, Golden Age DC humor-comics editor Larry Nadle, and his uncle Martin Nadle. The latter had been the 1940s artist of “McSnurtle the Turtle—The Terrific Whatzit,” a speedster terrapin who’d made a comeback guest appearance in an ’80s issue of Captain Carrot. That seemed like a perfect fit for the issue, as well. But we’ve also got plenty of goodies for readers who prefer their heroes, artists, and writers human—including an interview with the late Dick Rockwell, 1950s comic book artist who ghosted Milt Caniff’s newspaper strip Steve Canyon for more than a third of a century. We regret that Dick passed away a year or so back, not long after Jim Amash interviewed him… but we know his family, as well as many comics enthusiasts, are looking forward to reading the interview at last. Bestest,

# COMING IN OCTOBER 73 A HALLOWEEN TRICK-OR-TREAT

WITH BRUNNER, BIRO, & ALL THAT BUNCH! • Never before seen! A gorgeous FRANK BRUNNER painting of Dr. Strange and Clea hangin’ out at 177A Bleecker Street! • Formerly far-out FRANK BRUNNER annotates his own spooky art of Dr. Strange, Howard the Duck, Death, and the whole gruesome gang! • CHARLES BIRO—the “murderous maestro” of Golden Age comics like Crime Does Not Pay, Boy Comics, & Daredevil! A never-published interview—plus, JIM AMASH talks to BIRO’S DAUGHTERS about their fabulously talented and influential dad! • A Deadly Dose of REALITY! ROBERT GERSON tells RICHARD ARNDT about his early-’70s horror comic—as illustrated by MICHAEL W. KALUTA, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, JEFFREY JONES, & others! • Plus—MICHAEL T. GILBERT’s Comic Crypt—FCA with C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE— L. BING by JIM VADEBONCOEUR & HAMES WARE—& MORE!! Edited by ROY THOMAS

[Dr. Strange & Clea TM &

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Rabbits And Turtles And Pigs—Oh, My! An Affectionate Look Back At Captain Carrot And His Amazing Zoo Crew!

ooking through the DC comics of the mid-1980s, one sees names that are still household words among comic fans today. Titles like Arion—Lord of Atlantis! Or Omega Men! Or I, Vampire! Sword of The Atom! Or even “How to Sell GRIT”! Well... I guess these names aren’t really so well remembered. But there’s one series which flourished during that decade and which still has a fan following today, even of advance of its return in the next few weeks—Captain Carrot And His Amazing Zoo Crew! Captain Carrot certainly was an offbeat series, especially for a title published within that decade. DC had greatly expanded just a few years before, only to suffer the Great Implosion at the end of the 1970s, and the canceling of many of their titles—some of them about to go to press. In the ’80s, it was once again a time for new ideas. Some great talents came together for this spoof of super-heroes done in the funny-animal vein.

by Mike Curtis before. (The one exception to this will be discussed later.) The only “fly in the ointment” regarding this character was the later decision to call him Rodney, after Disney announced its forthcoming film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The good Captain became the iconic “Superman” of his anthropomorphic world and was attracted to teammate— ALLEY-KAT-ABRA, a.k.a. Felina Furr. In the world of furry fandom where I am most active, this doll still shows up in fan art and pinups, not to mention in erotic fan fiction. In my own Shanda the Panda, the characters sometimes take on lives of their own and “write” themselves. I suspect that this is what happened with Felina. The token magician of the group, her Mew Orleans background may have added to the feisty attitude she exhibited early on. On several occasions she seemed to be trying to make the Crew a duo of herself and Roger, although she has a semi-sidekick in her magical focus object, “Magic Wanda.” She also had an ongoing feud with the other female Zoo Crewer—

In the article that follows this one, Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw! tell the tale YANKEE POODLE, a.k.a. Rova of their efforts on the creation of the Zoo Barkitt. Every group needs a patriotic Crew. But let me add that, at that time, So Zoo Me! character, and this is the only icon there was probably not a better creative The cover of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! #1 missing from DC’s Justice Society. While team that could have been assembled. (March 1982) was penciled by Scott Shaw! and Ross Andru, the the “USA” theme only extended to YP’s Scott Shaw! is still a legend in the furry latter drawing the Superman figure; inks by Bob Layton. costuming and powers, her abilities were community, although he rarely ventures Thanks to Bob Bailey. [©2007 DC Comics.] surprisingly innovative. Yankee used into comics these days. And Roy Thomas stars from one hand to repel and stripes could have used James Robinson’s title from the other hand to draw things toward her. In her secret identity, Pocket Encyclopedia as his own. At that time, other than his writing the Poodle was a Hollywood gossip columnist and friend to— tag-team partner E. Nelson Bridwell on Carrot, there was probably no one else more well-versed in comic book history than Thomas. And comic history played a large part in Captain Carrot. RUBBERDUCK, a.k.a. Byrd Rentals. The Plastic Man of the group, in real life he was a movie star, just as in our world, Burt Reynolds was But before we examine the adventures of the group, let’s look at the one of the biggest stars of the 1980s. Most of his character and dialogue individual members of The Zoo Crew. were pure Hollywood. He was probably the least developed of the group personality-wise. Unlike— CAPTAIN CARROT, a.k.a. Roger Rodney Rabbit. It was a brilliant stroke to make Roger (sorry, that’s what I’m going to call him) a comic PIG-IRON, a.k.a. Peter Porkchops. The muscleman (or musclehog) of artist and writer. This unique profession made him the perfect leader the band. He was an update of the 1950s DC comic star named above. for a team of super-heroes in a world that had never experienced them Here’s where both Roy’s and Scott’s love of the past came in. The only

An Affectionate Look Back At Captain Carrot And His Amazing Zoo Crew!

I don’t know if it was planned that way, but the Zoo Crew get their largest shot of character development in these three issues. In today’s field of anthropomorphic comics, the personalities drive the storylines. If Carrot had continued, I think we might have seen it develop along those lines. The Captain is commanding, but also shows human qualities, in his own way. Even Pig-Iron shows some a hint of his quiet side. Felina gets several key scenes in which she displays realistic emotions, which are made more immediate since her character’s been the most developed through the previous 20 tales. She and the Captain finally show their affection for each other. She makes an effort to be team leader when he’s out of the picture, as opposed to her non-team sentiments early on. She and Yankee Poodle have a true-to-life disagreement with no jokes, while Rubberduck and Fastback hold up their ends of the story. Even Little Cheese gets some solo time, with romance thrown in. Extrapolating from this, I think we might have seen a more slice-of-life approach with fewer puns and gags. If there had been more Zoo Crew. Sigh. Except for a single page in Evan Dorkin’s World’s Funniest, that was the last we got to see of the Zoo Crew in an actual comic book from then to now. Yes, I am ignoring the terrible updating in Teen Titans, where Little Cheese was murdered by Felina—just as most fans of the series have. Roy Thomas has said that, in that storyline, not only was the Little Cheese who was “killed off” a clone—but all seven characters were! And, him being the original guy behind the series, he ought to know. That being said, and with a new series now hitting the nation’s comic shops, it’s fitting that at last the original classic 20 tales (21, counting the Teen Titans insert) are being reprinted, as one of those black-&-white Showcase books. If we’d had that one around earlier, I wouldn’t have had to borrow Roy’s bound volumes to write this overview!

When Fantasy Worlds Collide Carol Lay’s great cover for The Oz-Wonderland War #1 (Jan. 1986) showed the Captain trying to keep the worlds of Carroll/Tenniel and Baum/Denslow/Neill apart—but editor/conceptualizer Roy Thomas was determined that they were gonna collide! [©2007 DC Comics.]

I have to admit that I have mixed feeling about the swan song of the Zoo Crew. I think Lay’s artwork on the Crew is at its best, as are her layouts. She even manages to bring to the comics the art style of Oz artist John R. Neill, as well as of Sir John Tenniel’s Wonderland. But I find the combined effect of these art styles a bit jarring. In fact, I find it downright peculiar. The plot involves the Nome King Roquot. He allies himself with baddies from Wonderland in an attempt to take over both fairylands. Probably the highlight of the mini-series is the “AllRabbit” issue, wherein Captain Carrot teams up with Hoppy the Marvel Bunny and Wonder Wabbit, as well as other comic and famous lepines.

Costumed Critters Two mags of anthropomorphic adventures from Mike & Carole Curtis’ Shanda Fantasy Arts: SFA Spotlight #1: Valiant Varmints (1998), with cover by Mike Sagara, and SFA Spotlight #5: Zebra Comics, with cover by longtime DC staffer Carl Gafford. The covers, of course, are tributes to Jack Kirby’s The Avengers #1 and an Andru/Esposito Wonder Woman. [©2007 SFA.]

Mike Curtis writes and co-publishes Shanda the Panda (for 15 years now!), under his and wife Carole’s comic imprint Shanda Fantasy Arts, along with Carole’s Katmandu and other fine anthropomorphic comics. He is also a comics historian and Superman collector. Check out their website at www.shandafantasyarts.net

“Not Just Another FunnyAnimal Comic!” A Conversation Between SCOTT SHAW! And ROY THOMAS About The Creation Of Captain Carrot And His Amazing Zoo Crew!—1981 Interview Conducted by Roy Thomas & Transcribed by Brian K. Morris Italicized Text by Roy Thomas

oy here—and, below, wherever italics are used in this piece. It was a tricky subject to cover: the creation of the Captain Carrot comic book for DC in 1981, and its subsequent development and handling over the years 1982-86 by Scott Shaw!, myself, and a handful of others. In May of 2007 Scott and I talked on the phone for an hour or so, with the intention that the resulting interview would be one section of this issue’s coverage of the series… and I’d do a text article that would precede it (since the concept’s roots predate Scott’s role in things, however essential he became to the mag later).

Man Of Steel, Bunny Of Bronze (Age, That Is) (Above left:) Roy T. figures you had your fill of photos of him in issue #70, so here’s a sketch of RT executed, for some unfathomable reason, by Mike Zeck, and sent to us by Barry Pearl. Thanks to both! [©2007 Mike Zeck.] (Above right:) Scott Shaw! and son Kirby, who’s named after The King. Special thanks to Judy Shaw. (Left:) The first that most of the world saw of Captain Carrot was on this interior “cover” of the 16-page Preview insert in The New Teen Titans #16 (Feb. 1982). Ross Andru penciled Superman, Scott Shaw! penciled everything else, and editor Dick Giordano inked the whole magilla. From the very beginning, like the topline said, Captain Carrot was “Not Just Another Funny-Animal Comic!” Repro’d from a scan of the original art, courtesy of Scott. Incidentally, all scans of Scott’s original CC art for this piece were made by Dave Hedgecock. Dave’s the editor/co-publisher of Ape Entertainment and the artist of Slave Labor’s Gargoyles comic, and cites reading Captain Carrot 25 years ago as a major influence on his becoming a cartoonist. [©2007 DC Comics.]

But that didn’t seem to work, somehow. So many things I’d want to say in my account would necessarily pre-empt and undercut matters Scott and I discussed, so that parts of our conversation would either have to be deleted as redundant, or else seem like mere footnotes. So I decided to take a slightly different tack. I’d start out by writing my own account of the creation, which antedates Scott’s involvement, dealing with events more or less in chronological order—then dovetail into and out of the interview with Scott. So that’s what you’ll find below…cribbed from my own and Scott’s memories (without time or space to seek out much input from the other writers, artists, and editors involved), with my own memory augmented somewhat by the text pieces I wrote for the first couple of issues of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! A word about the illustrations that accompany this hybrid piece:

A Conversation Between Scott Shaw! and Roy Thomas

Interlude:

A Change Of Rabbit (& Other Species) Besides The Terrific Whatzit, the Golden Age of Comics was reasonably rampant with funny-animal super-heroes, as witness these exemplars:

Mighty Mouse

Hoppy The Marvel Bunny Probably the foremost hero in this sub-genre created specifically for comic books, Capt. Marvel Bunny was drawn (and perhaps written?) by Chad Grothkopf, who’d later ink Captain Carrot #4 & 5. He’s seen here with Billy the Kid on the cover of the British edition of Fawcett’s Funny Animals #53 (1947). [©2007 DC Comics.]

Supermouse The cover of Supermouse #1 (Dec. 1948)—though “The World’s Greatest Mouse” had earlier appeared in other comics from Animated Cartoons, Inc. (one of the early names of the Pines/Nedor/Standard company). The question mark chest symbol was later replaced by a square “S.” Art probably by Carl Wessler, says Steven Rowe. [©2007 the respective copyright holders.]

Super Rabbit The “Super Rabbit” splash from an I.W. (Israel Waldman) reprint of that title, featuring the 1940s Timely/Marvel character. Since a number of pics of Super Rabbit have previously been printed in Alter Ego (see #13, et al.), here’s one where he isn’t wearing his super-hero suit with the words “Super Rabbit” emblazoned on his chest—but is relaxing on the beach, reading an issue of Captain America! Artist unknown—though Syd Shores may have drawn the Cap head. [©2007 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Bee-29 Even insects wanted to get into the act! The cover of Latest Comics, Vol. 2, #1 (real #2), circa 1945. Alas, we’re not certain who the “JCA” who drew the cover and “Bee-29” story is—but the airborne bug leads his fellow bees in an attack on a (human) Japanese spy! [©2007 the respective copyright holders.]

The most celebrated super-funny-animal ever! He started out called Supermouse in his first few movie cartoons, but had become Mighty Mouse by the time his licensed exploits were published by Timely/Marvel—probably because the Nedor “Supermouse” feature started around the same time. Here’s the cover of Mighty Mouse #7 (1947); artist unknown. [©2007 the respective copyright holders.]

“Not Just Another Funny-Animal Comic!”

Atomic Mouse Al Fago was the creator and artist (and probably writer) of this Charlton character—though his brother Vince said he had a hand in it, as well. This is the back cover of Atomic Mouse #8 (May-June 1954)—but, though it’s signed by Fago, that sure looks like Hoppy, the alter ego of Fawcett’s Marvel Bunny, at bottom right! [©2007 the respective copyright holders.]

Freddy the Firefly What? Another super-powered insect!? As discussed back in A/E #49, this blazing bug, published by early EC, was an imitator of Timely/Marvel’s Human Torch, down to the red coloring in most issues! Here’s the cover of Animal Fables #2 (Winter 1946). [©2007 Fables Publishing Co., Inc., or its successors in interest.]

Atomic Bunny Never as good a character as fellow Charltonian Atomic Mouse, he still got in a good lick or two, as per this splash from Atomic Bunny #18 (Sept. 1959). [©2007 the respective copyright holders.]

Cosmo Cat

Super Goof

Originally published by Fox Publications, then by others, Cosmo Cat last starred in the I.W. reprint from which this splash is taken. No date—but probably late 1950s or early ’60s, using earlier material. [©2007 the respective copyright holders.]

Soopermutt (Far right:) This is the only super-feat he manages in his 5-page lead feature in Animal Adventures #2 (no date, though this issue may be a 1950s or early-’60s reprint of earlier material), from Accepted Publications, Inc. But hey, he did wear a cape! [©2007 the respective copyright holders.]

Whew! And we didn’t even have room to show you Super Duck, an Archie quackpot who was only super-powered for his first couple of issues (as seen A/E #71). Maybe we’ll yet have to do that special all-funny-animal-super-heroes issue of Alter Ego we’ve been talking about for so long with Scott, Jim Engel, et al.!

A Conversation Between Scott Shaw! and Roy Thomas

networking years before the term was coined. After all, who loves comic books more than cartoonists? Well, I did befriend a number of H-B staffers, but I also had a number of experienced pros from the comic book industry as regular customers. These included Bob Kane (one of the few cartoonists whose personality impressed me in a negative manner), Steve Gerber (for whom I’d eventually contribute to his fund-raising Destroyer Duck #1), and an affable, talkative Midwestern fellow by the name of Roy Thomas.

Although I was born in Queens, New York, in 1951, my family soon moved to San Diego, California, since my father—a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941—was an officer in the US Navy. Growing up in San Diego in the 1950s and 1960s made for a wonderful childhood—especially since every one of the naval bases there had a fully stocked comic book rack! In the late 1960s, I was part of a group of comic book fans and aspiring cartoonists (including John “Garbage Pail Kids” Pound) who put together the very first San Diego Comic-Con. It was at one of these that I first met Roy Thomas, although I doubt if Roy remembers it; after all, it was fairly soon after Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian was first published (cover-dated Oct. 1970), thanks to Roy’s efforts. Although the esteemed Mr. Thomas was already the hottest writer at “The House Of Ideas,” everyone with a spare 15¢ in their jeans was talking about this new funnybook of his, and therefore, nearly everyone in attendance was seeking a moment or two with Roy, including Yours Truly. [NOTE: Roy suspects it was the 1972 San Diego Comic-Con, the first he attended.] The second time I met Roy was after I’d moved from San Diego to Los Angeles in the hopes of establishing myself a career as a professional cartoonist. I’d already written and drawn a number of stories for the “underground comix” (note the “x,” although very few if any of my subterranean tales were X-rated), but I was hoping to crack into mainstream comics, animation, or both. To do so, I took a job as manager of the Studio City branch of the American Comic Book Company, owned by my friends Terry Stroud and David T. Alexander. I even set up an art studio in one of the store’s back rooms, where I’d work on my cartooning after hours. Since the shop was only a few miles from Hanna-Barbera Productions—whose cartoons of the late 1950s and early 1960s were a major inspiration to me to become a cartoonist back when I was a kid—I reasoned that it was likely that some of their staff artists would visit the store… and voila—I’d be

Roy lived nearby and was a regular visitor to the funnybook store on Ventura Blvd., and seemed surprisingly interested in my fledgling efforts in Mike Friedrich’s then-current Quack!, an all-funny-animal “ground level” comic (as opposed to “underground”) that was intended to exploit the recent wild popularity of Gerber’s Howard the Duck. Since Roy was editor of Marvel’s new alternate-universe comic, What If?, he eventually—and, to me, startlingly— suggested that I work up a concept for a humorous funny-animal back-up story for the book. Before long, his generosity and my cartoonery bore fruit in the form of an 8-page tale “What If the Spider Had Been Bitten By a Radioactive Human?”—colored by Carl Gafford, lettered by Carol “Story Minute” Lay, and with last-minute inking assists by Dave “The Rocketeer” Stevens, Ms. Lay (credited as “The Dawn Patrol”), and Mr. Gafford—in the pages of What If? #8 (April 1978). (Surprisingly, that issue remains something of a collector’s item, due to the legendary Dave Stevens’ participation in inking my story, which has been reprinted more than once in trade paperback collections,) And, although my “Man-Spider” story didn’t exactly set the comics world on fire, its unusual approach did garner some favorable attention, as well as strengthening Roy’s and my friendship. We began to collaborate on a variety of development “pitches,” including a comic strip based on the feature film The Secret Life of Plants (a popular documentary shot with time-lapse photography by my Crawford High School pal Louis Schwartzberg) and The Barx Brothers (a concept for an animated cartoon series based on canine versions of Groucho, Chico, and Harpo Marx). I even drew the invitation for Dann and Roy’s 1981 wedding outside the Griffith Observatory high above LA’s Griffith Park (see A/E #58). And eventually—as no surprise to anyone perusing this issue—we co-created an odd little funny-animal series for DC Comics titled Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! The details of that anthropomorphic comic’s genesis are recounted a few pages back, but possibly the most pleasurable aspect of our collaboration was the evenings Roy, Dann, and I spent together plotting stories over her delicious spaghetti dinners. I’ll always be grateful to Roy for bringing this rank amateur to DC’s attention and risking his reputation for nurturing promising talent with my relatively untested abilities. Although my career in the funnybook field has nearly hit the 40-year mark, I’ve never been a “hot property” in the comic biz— which is probably why I’ve never “cooled off”—but if anything ever “put me on the map,” however briefly, it was Captain Carrot—and I owe that almost entirely to Roy. I may never be able to pay him back for the many kindnesses he’s extended to me, but I certainly try to “pay it forward” whenever I can help out a talented newcomer, just as he did for me. Thanks, Roy. They may call you “Rascally,” but to me, you’ll always be “Respected.”

Pens And Nadles Golden Age Humor-Mongers LARRY & MARTIN NADLE

by Ken Nadle

cerry Bails, late founder of Alter Ego and the world’s #1 JSA fan, would have loved to read the following article! Ken Nadle, a photographer by trade, is the son of Larry Nadle, who was editor of DC’s humor comics (both human and funnyanimal variety) from the mid-1940s through the early 1960s—and the nephew of Martin Nadle (who also spelled his name “Naydel”), artist both of DC humor and of the “Flash” and “Justice Society of America” series during the mid-’40s. When I established contact with him online, I invited him to write a memoir of his father and uncle for A/E, and I’m delighted that he accepted my offer. All photos were sent to us by Ken; two of them, as noted, were forwarded by him from Martin’s son, Jeff Dell. —Roy. When I was seven, my father, Larry Nadle, showed me a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer strip (he was the ghost writer for Robert L May, and Rube Grossman did the art) in which Santa yells from his sleigh, “Hurry, Rudolph, we’ve got to get this present to Kenny’s house!” I was that Kenny. But I didn’t really understand what my father did for a living until he took me to visit his office. It was sometime in the early 1950s, and National Periodicals [DC Comics] had just moved from 480 to 575 Lexington Avenue. I must have been nine or ten at the time. This is one of the earliest memories I have of him in connection with his work as an editor of comic books. He was born Lawrence Malcolm Nadle in Manhattan on Sept. 29, 1913, the middle son of three. His older brother by two years was Martin, and his younger brother by two years was Henry. They had one sister, Jean, but this story is really about the three brothers, and in particular, about Larry. Larry distinguished himself as being a good writer

when he was just nine. He won a story-writing contest and had his picture in the newspaper. He never went to college. Instead, he teamed up with his best friend, Jack Arnold (who later directed the movies The Mouse That Roared and The Creature from the Black Lagoon), and they performed an acrobatic/tap dance/comic routine in vaudeville. I think Larry was embarrassed about not having gone to college, but he shouldn’t have been. He could spell any word in the dictionary. When we went riding in our car, he would often point out misspelled words on storefronts. He wrote everything in capital letters, and every Sunday would finish the New York Times puzzle with his black ballpoint pen in less than an hour. Sometimes, as a game, I would sit with a dictionary in my lap and randomly pick some fancy words for him to spell—and sure enough, he’d get them right. He married very young. My mother was sixteen, he was eighteen. They eloped, and when they returned from their honeymoon, she went back to stay with her mother and he returned home to his parents house. The need to get a place of their own may have been his motivation to get a job outside of show business. His father Joseph was a children’s clothing buyer, and my father became a buyer of men’s clothing.

A Family Affair (Left:) The Nadles in the family car—a photo taken circa 1914 depicting (l. to r.) Joseph (father), Martin (brother), Anna (mother), & Larry. Below: the splash of the “McSnurtle the Turtle – The Terrific Whatzit” story from Funny Stuff #9 (May 1946), as edited by Larry and drawn by Martin. [Art ©2007 DC Comics.]

Golden Age Humor-Mongers Larry & Martin Nadle

MARTIN NADLE (a.k.a. NAYDEL) Checklist Name: Martin Nadle (c. 1911 – c. 1965) (writer; artist) Pen Names: Martin Naydel; Martin Dell, “mn,” possibly Martin Naydell Family in Arts: See entry in Larry Nadle Checklist Influences: Sam Loyd, great puzzlemaker at turn of 20th century Member: National Cartoonists Society Syndication: Jumble [puzzle] (d)(S) (w)(a) 1954-c. 1950; Pogo and Penny [puzzle feature] (w)(a) King Features Syndicate 1954-c. 1950 Comics in Other Media: Kiddies Heaven [puzzle feature] New York Evening Graphic (dates unknown); Noodleteaser Family (w)(a) [puzzle feature] New York Post (dates unknown); Jumble (w)(a) 1955 collection of the scrambled word game COMIC BOOK CREDITS (Mainstream US Publishers): [NOTE: M. Nadle was generally the letterer of material he drew.] DC Comics: covers (a) 1944-51; Everything Happens to Harry (a); fillers 1940s-1950s; The Flash (a) 1943-48; Green Lantern (asst a) 194546; Justice Society of America (a) 1945-47; McSnurtle the Turtle (a) 194446; Money Stuff (w)(a) filler 1954; Ol’ Judge Owl (w)(a) filler 1944-46; Play Army (a) filler 1955; Play Rover (w)(a) filler 1954; Quizzlers (w)(a) filler 1954; Slam Bradley (a) 1944; Winky, Blinky, and Noddy (i) 1947 Humor Publishing: The Adventures of Detective Ace King (w)(a) 1933 (original comic book) Parents’ Magazine Press: True Comics (a) 1941

The WHO’S WHO of American Comic Books (1928-1999) FREE – online searchable database – FREE http://www.bailsprojects.com No password required

A quarter of a million records, covering the careers of people who have contributed to original comic books in the US.

Super-Heroes And Stooges Martin Nadle/Naydel (top center), and a “Flash” splash page from Comic Cavalcade #12 (Fall 1945) which showcased both his humorous and super-hero work. It features both the “Fastest Man Alive!!” and his buddies Winky, Blinky, and Noddy, the Three Dimwits, who were DC’s answer to Moe, Larry, and Curly. By now, original writer Gardner Fox’s name has been dropped from the masthead. Photo courtesy of Jeff Dell. [Art ©2007 DC Comics.]

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“The Drawing Board Is My Sanctuary” DICK ROCKWELL On Being The 36-Year Ghost Of The Great Milt Caniff Interview Conducted by Jim Amash

he late Dick Rockwell, whom I interviewed in December 2004, has two of the most interesting claims to fame a former comic book artist can have. He was the nephew of the great Norman Rockwell, whose Saturday Evening Post covers were among the most important reflections of 20th-century life. He was also the long-time assistant to the legendary Milton Caniff on the Steve Canyon newspaper strip. He spent a few years in the comic book field, both before and after the Canyon years; and, while he doesn’t remember a lot about those particular times, you’ll find his observations about Caniff—who was one of the most influential artists comic books ever had—particularly fascinating and revealing. Special thanks to Scott LeMien for putting me in touch with Dick Rockwell—Scott did all of us a very great favor. —Jim.

“I Just Always Knew I Was Going To Be An Artist” JIM AMASH: When and where were you born? DICK ROCKWELL: I was born in Mamaroneck, New York, on December 11, 1920. My father was somewhat of an artist, a model builder, and so forth. My uncle was Norman Rockwell, and the house, of course, always had Norman’s paintings. And I could draw and took a great interest

Maybe Crime Doesn’t Pay—But Comics Do! Dick Rockwell (ab0ve) with one of his court sketches—juxtaposed with images from the two comics-related phases of his career: a comic book splash page done for the legendary Charles Biro, for Crime Does Not Pay #121 (April 1953)… and the Steve Canyon comic strip daily for July 26, 1957. Thanks to Mark Evanier’s newfromme.com website for the photo, and to Mike Catron for the art. [CDNP page ©2007 the respective copyright holders; Steve Canyon strip ©2007 Field Enterprises, Inc., or its successors in interest.]

Transcribed by Brian K. Morris

Originality In Art Essay by C.C. Beck [A previously unpublished essay from 1986 by Captain Marvel’s cocreator and chief artist—from the vaults of PCH’s Beck estate files. Since he was described and dubbed by many as a “crusty curmudgeon,” you’ll find Beck’s thought-provoking observations either hopelessly conservative … or delightfully worthwhile. —PCH.]

any years ago, when I used to go around to grade schools giving illustrated talks on comic book work, I met a teacher who told me that she wouldn’t allow her pupils to draw established comic characters but insisted that they create their own. “I insist that they learn to express themselves, not just copy other artists’ work,” she declared. I didn’t bother to explain to this teacher that even grown artists with many years of experience have extreme difficulty in creating their own comic characters, and that children could hardly be expected to come up with new, wonderful characters which the world would welcome with open arms. There are a lot of things about art that are not worth explaining to teachers, who don’t realize what a cold, cruel world professional artists face. There are two reasons why originality in art— “expressing one’s self,” as the teacher put it—is not the great thing that many think it is. The first reason is that almost anything that anyone can come up with in art has probably been done before. As in securing a patent, originality is almost impossible to establish; somewhere, at some time or other, somebody else has probably come up with the same idea. Some ideas, like buttonholes and safety pins, are centuries old; others are like trick vegetable-slicers and electric toothbrushes, which are more trouble than they’re worth. In the field of art, airbrushes are a new invention, although their basic idea is thousands of years old. In caves studied by archeologists there are paintings and designs which were made by blowing powered pigment through a straw. When I was young, fixative was applied by blowing through a little tin apparatus we stuck into a bottle of shellac. Today’s spray cans and airbrushes are only mechanized versions of the caveman’s

Kids And Coloring Books (Above:) Two photos of Charles Clarence Beck’s “illustrated talks” to grade-schoolers, given August 23, 1979, at the Fort Meade, Florida, library. Photos scanned directly from Beck’s clippings scrapbook. (Right:) All art that accompanies this article—and the cover of this FCA section—consists of Beck’s illustrations from Fawcett Publications’ 1941 Captain Marvel Coloring Book, from pages that had previously appeared in its comics. [©2007 DC Comics.]

Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck

Originality In Art

In comic books there has always been a movement fostered by some writers, artists, and publishers to make the stories and art more realistic not by drawing or writing more realistically but by making the readers believe that distorted drawing and fantastic, unbelievable characters and situations are true accounts of actual events. Unfortunately, the average reader, who is unable to distinguish between a photograph and a line drawing, can easily be duped into buying such deceptive storytelling and art, just as he can be lured into buying vitamin pills, wrinkle creams, get-rich-quick newsletters, and miracle-working bracelets and charms. Young artists who have been taught that they should express themselves in their art often think that merely doing the opposite of whatever is established will bring them instant fame and fortune. This is a great mistake; thousands of artists have starved to death trying to upset the world with their original, never-seen-before art. The few artists who did succeed in introducing new elements in art were almost all derided and hooted at during their lifetimes, and much of what was later acknowledged to be new and different was seen to be worthless or even harmful by later generations. Why art should be regarded as a way of revealing to the world what goes on in one’s own life and mental adjustment (or maladjustment) to it is a mystery to me. Art—or cartoon art, at any rate—should not be produced for people with warped personalities, for psychopaths, for inmates in insane asylums or prisons … but for normal, average, everyday citizens. Just as average citizens would rather associate with other average citizens than with weirdos and perverts, average citizens would rather read about and look at pictures of normal, happy people doing things that everyone understands and enjoys. Making pictures that look just like photos of normal people and writing stories about people who behave exactly like average citizens does not provide much in the way of entertainment, however. Such work may be useful for classes in good citizenship and for textbooks and sociology reports, but it won’t sell comic strips or comic books. [©2007 DC Comics.]

powered ochre and reed or straw. In my opinion, paintings made with airbrushes are monstrosities, worse than pictures made by people who glue together scraps of newspaper headlines, chunks of linoleum, and odds and ends from trashcans and then put their “creations” on display in avant garde salons. Computer-generated pictures, which are being hailed as a great leap forward in art, are no more than paint-by-the-numbers work or jigsaw puzzles produced electronically and are of about as much value as pictures made by gluing together butterfly wings or by dripping paint onto canvas while standing on top of a ladder. The second reason that originality in art should not be encouraged is that, if you come up with something new and original, it will in all probability not be any better than what the world had before. In the field of cartooning, Hal Foster and Alex Raymond came up with the idea of drawing comic strips as if they were museum paintings or art school studies in anatomy, costume, and design. Second-rate artists (and many fans) adored this perversion of cartooning and launched the school of realistic comic strips, which flourished for a few years in the syndicated comics, then died out as the field went back to mostly cartoon-style comics again.

In my way of thinking, comic art is a form of entertainment. It should never touch, except very lightly, on serious subjects such as religion, sex, child and substance abuse, various kinds of perversions, and ethnic and racial matters. Few cartoon producers are qualified to handle such material, and even if they are, putting such matters into cartoon form trivializes them and doesn’t entertain the kind of people who read comic strips and comic books (there are some people who don’t, remember). To be entertaining, comic stories and art must be exaggerated from the way things are in the real world. Cartoon characters can have noses two or three inches long (but not two or three feet long); cartoon children can be about a foot tall with their heads taking up half their heights; animals can walk around on their hind feet and talk; young heroes can be over six feet tall and weigh 200 pounds, but cartoon heroes over seven feet tall with chests the size of refrigerators and thighs like those of Macy Parade balloon figures are disgusting. One or two distortions of real life are enough for any comic book story, I believe. Like jokes, comic book stories should be brief and to the point. Epics and pseudo-religious mythologies leave me cold; they’re all worse than the old epics and mythologies of years ago. I believe it was Alexander Pope who wrote: “True art is nature to advantage dressed; what oft was thought but ne’er so well expressed.” I [Continued on p. 86]

Alter Ego #72