Alter Ego Collectors' Item Classics by TwoMorrows Publishing

ALTER EGO

KING-SIZE BULLPEN TRIBUTE THO MA Y O

S’

COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS

TWO MORROWS PUBLISHING

COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS

THREE GREAT ISSUES! EACH MOVIE-LENGTH COLLECTORS' CLASSIC IS GUARANTEED TO BE...

AMAZING! ASTONISHING! AS FANTASTIC AS THE DAY IT FIRST APPEARED!

THE NEVER-TO-BE FORGOTTEN SOLD-OUT ISSUES FEATURING:

STEVE DITKO!! JACK KIRBY!! AND STAN LEE!! VER PA G E S 3 0 N E W ERS OF PLUS: O

FOUND ON THE VEL BULLPEN! R THE MA

COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS Representing features from Alter Ego #160, 161, and #170, plus new material Edited by Roy Thomas

Above: The art of the oft-wonderful Steve Ditko first drew the notice of 19-year-old Roy Thomas with the debut of “Captain Atom” in Charlton’s Space Adventures #33 (March 1960), 2½ years before Amazing Fantasy #15, in stories written by co-creator Joe Gill. This splash panel and the origin story depicted Cap mostly in shades of blue—though on the cover his outfit was red and yellow, which would supersede the former hues in early future issues. Years later, after a costume change, the hero was purchased by DC and has been around ever since. Reproduced from DC’s 2004 hardcover The Action Heroes Archives, Vol. 1. [TM & © DC Comics.]

New material compiled, designed, and edited by Roy Thomas, John Morrow & Shane Foley

Original issues’ credits: Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash Design & Layout Christopher Day FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck J.T. Go (Assoc. Editor) Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert Editorial Honor Roll Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Mike Friedrich Proofreaders Rob Smentek William J. Dowlding #160 Cover Artist Steve Ditko #161 & #170 Cover Artist Jack Kirby Cover Colorists Glenn Whitmore Tom Ziuko

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 919-449-0344 www.twomorrows.com ISBN 978-1-60549-116-5 First printing, January 2023 Printed in China

Alter Ego Collectors’ Item Classics © 2023 Roy Thomas and TwoMorrows Publishing. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication, except for limited review use, may be reproduced in any manner without express permission. All quotes and image reproductions are © the respective owners, and are used here for historical presentation, journalistic commentary, and scholarly analysis. All reprinted material is © the respective authors, as detailed in the original issues of Alter Ego magazine (#160, 161, and 170). All characters shown are TM & © their respective owners, as shown next to each illustration. Special thanks to these contributors to the original issues: Paul Allen Heidi Amash Ger Apeldoorn Roger Armstrong David Armstrong Richard Arndt Bob Bailey Josh Baker J. Ballmann Nancy Bardeen Mike W. Barr Robert Barrett Michael Barrier Alberto Becattini Al Bigley Bill Black Jon Bolerjack Chris Boyko Ricky Terry Brisacque Julia Brown-Bernstein Bernie & Lucille Bubnis Bernie Bubnis Bart Bush Aaron Caplan Nick Caputo John Cimino Shaun Clancy Pierre Comtois Jon Cornell Chet Cox

Brian Cremins Brian Cronin Mark Ellis Jim Engel Steve Englehart Austin English Mark Evanier Justin Fairfax John Fishel Shane Foley Ron Frantz Stephan Friedt Janet Gilbert Karen Green Walt Grogan Roberto Guedes Clizia Gussoni Bruce Guthrie Dan Hagen Mark Halperin Carole Hemingway Robert Higgerson Michael Hill Roger Hill Rand Hoppe Sean Howe Mike Howell Richard Howell Tony Isabella Eric Jansen William B. Jones Brian Kane James Kealy Jim Kealy

Rob Kirby David Anthony Kraft Tom Kraft Robert Landau Paul Levitz Mark Lewis Larry Lieber Alan Light Jean-Marc Lofficier Art Lortie Jim Ludwig Russ Maheras Manny Maris Doug Martin John McShane Robert Menzies Will Meugniot Mike Mikulosky Mike Mikulovsky Brian K. Morris Frank Motler Will Murray Jack Kirby Museum Joe Musich Eric Nolen-Weathington Peter Normanton Jake Oster Barry Pearl John Pierce Bud Plant Paul Power Marshall Ramsey Warren Reece Gordon Robson

Bob Rozakis Rich Rubenfeld Randy Sargent David Saunders Jim Shooter Robin Snyder J. David Spurlock Bryan Stroud Benedikt Taschen Dann Thomas Terry A. Thomas Stephen Tice Mike Tiefenbacher Mort Todd Mike Tuohey Michael Uslan James Van Hise Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Marco Tulio Vilela Mark Voger Mike Vosburg Ray Wergan Nyla White Qiana Whitted Jay Willson Marv Wolfman Andy Yanchus Craig Yoe Yocitrus DitkoCultist.com (blog) Four Color Shadows (blog) Comic Book Plus (website) Grand Comics Database (website) Heritage Auctions (website)

TABLE OF CONTENTS ALTER EGO #160: The Amazing Steve Ditko Issue Writer/Editorial: Steve D., We Hardly Knew Ye! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Steve Ditko: A Life In Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 A brief bird’s-eye view of a remarkable artist—and storyteller—by Nick Caputo.

Steve’s Secret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Paul Levitz remembers collaborating with—and knowing—Steve Ditko

Steve Ditko Interview—1968 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Mike & Richard Howell and Mark Canterbury, from the pages of Marvel Main #4.

“A Very Mysterious Character” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 An essay on Ditko by Yancy Streeter Barry Pearl.

A Life Lived On His Own Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Bernie Bubnis tells of his personal encounters with Spider-Man’s co-creator, 1962-2017.

Two Visits to Steve Ditko’s Studio/Sanctum Sanctorum . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Russ Maheras on meeting the elusive artist.

Steve Ditko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Craig Yoe on Ditko, himself, and the Muppets.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! First Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Michael T. Gilbert examines the very first art and stories by the great Steve Ditko.

NEW! Mark Ditko Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Steve Ditko’s nephew speaks to Alex Grand.

FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #219 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 P.C. Hamerlinck presents Brian Cremins’ look at Ditko in This Magazine Is Haunted.

ALTER EGO #161: The Astounding Stan Lee Issue Writer/Editorial: The Last Gathering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Guest editorial by John Cimino, about Roy T. & himself visiting Stan on Nov. 10, 2018.

An Interview With Stan Lee – Conducted On-Air By Carole Hemingway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 In 1975, junketing to plug a book, Stan had a great time with one talk-radio lady.

Tributes To A Titan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Marvel minions Thomas, Wolfman, Shooter, Isabella, Kraft, & Englehart on Stan Lee.

Stan Lee & Moebius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Jean-Marc Lofficier on bringing two legends together to produce Silver Surfer: Parable.

Stan Lee, Al Landau, & The Transworld Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Rob Kirby spotlights the man who succeeded Stan as president of Marvel Comics.

Comic Fandom Archive: My (Admittedly Minor) Encounters With Stan Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Bill Schelly showcases his few (but meaningful) contacts with The Man.

NEW! Stan Lee In 1968 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 A vintage interview for Rutgers University’s radio station.

FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #220 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 P.C. Hamerlinck presents a multitude of Fawcett collectors—remembering Stan Lee!

“Steve D., We Hardly Knew Ye!”

[Characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.; other art © Estate of Steve Ditko.]

Stan, and wouldn’t even repeat his answer to Stan if he didn’t want me to. (That’s a promise I’m not sure I’d have been able to keep, but I meant it when I said it, so I’d like to think I would have.) Steve replied, “Well, you know, when a guy’s working against you…” and then his voice kind of trailed off and he never finished his sentence. I felt it best not to pursue the matter, and soon moved on to talk to others. Colleagues like Flo Steinberg, Gary Friedrich, and Denny O’Neil, among others, were also present that evening. Fast forward at least three or four years, and I happened to run into Steve on E. 86th Street, where I’d moved in late 1968 with my new bride Jeanie. We were throwing a party in a few days, so I spontaneously invited him, and he accepted. He turned up, though I recall nothing else about his being there. For some reason I feel that may have been the same night and party at which DC writer Mike Friedrich suggested to Denny and me that, as current writers of Justice League of America and The Avengers, we should find a way to do a surreptitious crossover between our two groups… which led to my creating and designing the Squadron Sinister, forerunners of the visually identical Squadron Supreme. But Steve had nothing to do with any of that. I sincerely believe that was the last time I ever saw Steve Ditko, although we did exchange brief letters from time to time, always at my initiation. When I revived Alter Ego at the end of the 1990s, I managed, through the good offices of his friend Robin Snyder, to gain permission to reprint the piece he’d written on his memories of working with Stan on the creation of “Spider-Man” in 1962, and even to reprint his drawing of what he recalled Jack Kirby’s earlier version of the web-spinner’s costume as looking like. Other than that, however, my few attempts to communicate him were less successful. When he and I worked together on the Secret City Saga mini-series for Topps Comics in the early ’90s,

utilizing concepts devised by Kirby, I wrote him a letter asking if I could possibly buy a page of original artwork from the series as a souvenir. I received a rather curt, handwritten reply turning me down and stating that “I’d prefer not to get into that market,” whatever that meant. I took the hint, though I may have attempted (unsuccessfully) from time to time through Robin to get permission to reprint something of his that had run in The Comics! I’ll confess that little of Steve Ditko’s post-1960s-Marvel work has any special appeal for me, though he remained an interesting and individualistic artist to the very end in the middle of last year. Beware The Creeper and The Hawk and The Dove seemed to me like pale echoes of Amazing Spider-Man, although naturally I purchased them and somewhat admired the art. His later mainstream efforts from “Starman” to Shade the Changing Man to Speedball had even less appeal to me, and I doubt that I bothered to buy every issue. Still, I remain convinced that his rendering of Amazing Spider-Man was the most important Marvel comic ever that hadn’t been penciled by Jack Kirby. I recall, a couple of decades ago now, when Stan had been wrapped up in a lawsuit with Marvel over the Spider-Man movie money, I suggested to him that if he won a big settlement, it would be a great gesture to offer some of the dough to Ditko. Stan brushed that aside; he never saw himself and Ditko as joined at the hip as creators of the arachnid. And, despite his oft-reprinted letter in which he acknowledged Steve as the “co-creator” of Spider-Man, it was clear to me, and probably to most people, that he didn’t really mean it. That was something I always disagreed with Stan about, just as much as I take umbrage at Ditko saying, in a piece reprinted in this very issue, that he considered Stan merely the “dialoguer” of Spider-Man. Even after Steve took over full plotting, I maintain that there was nothing “mere” about Stan’s dialogue, least of all with respect to the wall-crawler’s sales. Perhaps even more so than Stan and Jack Kirby, Stan and Steve were on opposite pages on just about everything after a while. It’s a shame, because they made quite a team… and between them produced two of the most important comicbook features of the 1960s. And if they’d produced only one (you guess which one!), that would still be just as true. Well, at least one thing is relatively certain now. They won’t be arguing over Spider-Man plotlines any longer. Rest in peace, both of you. You were two of the greats.

Bestest,

STEVE DITKO: A Life In Comics

A Brief Bird’s-Eye View Of A Remarkable Artist by Nick Caputo

teve Ditko was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on November 2nd, 1927, where he spent his childhood and teenage years. After high school he joined the post-World War II Army, and upon his return to civilian life became a student at the Cartoonist and Illustrators School in New York City. There he was taught by comicbook artist Jerry Robinson, one of the early (and renowned) contributors on “Batman.” Ditko was greatly influenced by Robinson, along with many other comicbook and strip artists, including Mort Meskin.

story was “Paper Romance” in Daring Love #1, cover-dated Sept.Oct. 1953, for Stanmor. Other 1953-executed stories include the even earlier “Hair Yee-eeee” (signed “SS,” likely a collaboration with fellow student Sy Moskowitz) in Strange Fantasy #9 (Dec. 1953; Farrell) and at the Simon & Kirby studio, assisting on Captain 3-D # 1 (Harvey) and the unpublished second issue (primarily as background inker) and as full artist on “A Hole in the Head,” a 6-page thriller in Black Magic, Vol. 4, #3, for the Prize group.

Ditko’s entry into the comicbook field began with a number of small publishers. While his first sale, scripted by Bruce Hamilton (“Stretching Things”) for Ajax-Farrell, appeared in Fantastic Fears #5 (Jan. 1954), his first full-art published

Steve Ditko in one of the most-reproduced of the relatively few photos of him known to exist—flanked by the splash page of the most famous story he ever drew, the origin of “Spider-Man” from Amazing Fantasy #15 (Sept. 1962), scripted by Stan Lee— and a splash featuring his most personal creation, “Mr. A,” from witzend #3 (1966). Thanks to Bob Bailey and Jim Kealy, respectively, for the two art scans. [Amazing Fantasy page TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.; “Mr. A” page TM & © Estate of Steve Ditko.]

In addition to more Black Magic stories and Ditko’s first Western for Timor [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: See p. 35], 1954 launched a long and creatively rewarding association with Charlton Press. In his first year with the company, Ditko produced

Up Close & Personal With Steve Ditko!—Part 1

Steve’s Secret

A Remembrance by Paul Levitz

t’s monstrously difficult to eulogize someone when they’ve made it repeatedly clear that they wish their private life to be kept scrupulously private, and to have their work judged, well, strictly as their work presents itself. A full and fair analysis of the 65-year body of Steve Ditko’s comics work I must leave to more unprejudiced scholars, but even judged on the most superficial level it’s a triumph: some of the most memorable monsters from a particularly dreary period in comics (the ‘50s); arguably the most significant single run of a super-hero comic in their resurgence (his Spider-Man leading the commercial revitalization of Marvel); the first enduring character to emerge from the indie movement (Mr. A coming out of witzend); and going on to create until, probably, his dying day. He spanned comics from the newsstand to Kickstarter, and every page he produced was distinctively his. But of all the talents he displayed in his stories as a creator, a writer, and an artist, none impressed me more than his ability to create firmament from his imagination. A Ditko fantasy world was somehow, impossibly, concrete at the same time as it was spun from wisps of ink. When his characters travelled to other dimensions, heaven, hell, or outer space, they moved with an incredibly realistic grace. The worlds built around them were utterly unreal, but solid and substantial. I know this first-hand. I had the pleasure of collaborating with Steve on 18 stories, tasking his imagination to build medieval

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Paul Levitz This tribute by the comics writer who was, just a few years ago, the longrunning president of DC Comics, isn’t really about visits to Steve Ditko’s studio… but Paul did meet with the artist in person, a number of times over the years. One of the fruits of their encounters was the Stalker sword-andsorcery series, a page of which (from issue #1, June-July 1975) is depicted here, courtesy of Nick Caputo. The detail from a 1985 photo of Levitz is courtesy of Bob Rozakis. [Page TM & © DC Comics.]

worlds, hell, a fantasy dimension, and a galactic empire, and it was always a delight to see the pages as they came in. The work was always personal, distinctive, the storytelling crystal clear, and the environments he created so deeply imagined that you could almost walk into them. Call it skill, talent, or a special gift, it was distinctively Ditko. Each world, each creature, was unique and completely unrealistically real. So perhaps he had a reason for keeping his private life private. Perhaps behind that simple door to his studio was a genuine gateway to other worlds that only he could open, whether by magic or science. Implausible, perhaps, but so was the work, wasn’t it? Maybe the secret of Steve Ditko was just a bit more complicated than we could ever imagine.

STEVE DITKO

Interview–1968 Conducted by Mike & Rich Howell and Mark Canterbury

A/E

EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview, which was conducted by mail, first appeared in the fanzine Marvel Main #4 (Oct.-Nov. 1968). It has been reprinted with the permission of Mike & Rich Howell. At our request, Mike wrote the new introduction below, which immediately precedes the interview. Alas, Mark Canterbury, who asked a few questions of his own, passed on several years ago. The interview was retyped for Alter Ego by Eric Nolen-Weathington.

Steve Ditko & Richard Howell The former, on left, in the mid-1960s—and the latter, on right, in a more recent photo (though, alas, we have none of his brother Michael or of Mark Canterbury). Above them is Rich’s cover for Marvel Main #4. [Heroes TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Part I - Introduction

How Steve Ditko Talked To Marvel Main by Mike Howell, founding editor of Marvel Main

he summer of 1968 was one of the most historic in American culture. Along with assassinations, demonstrations, and presidential elections, another, quieter, bit of upheaval was taking place: Steve Ditko was bringing out new characters and often-polarizing stories. News of this tectonic change in the national comics industry was spread by the Blue Blazer Irregulars who made up the nascent comic fan community through their network of choice: the fanzine. Through a combination of idle determination, sincere respect for Ditko’s work, and an elevated sense of mission, I directed my self-published mimeographed fanzine, Marvel Main, toward trying

to get a “big name” interview. And we got a beauty, from Steve Ditko. How difficult was that? you might wonder. Well, if you were a sheltered, suburban 14-year-old it was really quite a challenge. To start, I had no idea where (although New York City was a starting guess) or how to locate Ditko. My trips to the big city of Boston helped me learn the subway system and become familiar with Filene’s Basement and its automatic markdown policy that was catnip to my mother. When my brother Richard and I accompanied her there, we almost always were rewarded with a Tintin book, so braving the crowds had its perks, but that didn’t get us any closer to Steve Ditko. A bit of background. Our core fan group was very tightly held: myself, my brother Richard, and our next-door neighbor, Mark Canterbury. We shared a delight in comics and absurdist humor and quirky corners of what would grow into America’s pop culture. The fact that we all sucked at sports and that dating, etc., seemed decades away helped with our hermetic association. Our impulse to keep ourselves amused led each of us to found a self-published

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STAN LEE, AL LANDAU, & The Transworld Connection by Rob Kirby

Stan Lee and web-headed friend in a photo taken in 1974, during the period when Lee and Landau were publisher and president of Marvel Comics, respectively. Thanks to Ger Apeldoorn.

Al Landau in a photo taken sometime in the 1980s. Courtesy of his grandson, Robert Landau. Albert Einstein Landau was the godson of Albert Einstein... named after the renowned physicist in honor, Rob Kirby discovered, of his having helped to raise funds to keep The Jewish Telegraphic Agency going between the world wars.

hile greater knowledge and insight into comics’ history has been accumulating in print during recent decades, both in book form and in magazines such as this one, there are possibly have become aware of the Mighty World Of Marvel #2 (Oct. 14, 1972) undoubtedly many other tantalizing Transworld name. The same holds We showed you the cover for MWOM #1 (Oct. 7, 1972) in secrets still waiting to be uncovered equally true for those aficionados conjunction with Robert Menzies’ article on Marvel UK in Alter and deciphered. One such mystery has Ego #150—so here’s the Jim Starlin/Joe Sinnott cover for issue #2, of the many and varied reprint long surrounded a company known as which spotlighted the ever-Incredible Hulk. Thanks to the Grand comics published in Australia, Transworld Feature Syndicate, Inc., and Comics Database. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] New Zealand, and on mainland how exactly it became involved with Europe—likewise the products Marvel’s global expansion. Through my of a variety of local publishers—where the Transworld name researches into the origin and development of Marvel’s own line would again often be displayed somewhere within their copyright of British comics, it’s now clear that, despite Transworld Feature information. Beyond that, there was little to go on. Syndicate being involved with the comic giant’s overseas activities Who, and what, exactly, was Transworld? The puzzle seemed until the 1980s, it was never owned by Marvel, or indeed by any unsolvable. of the companies that later bought Marvel. This discovery is somewhat at variance with what, for example, Roy Thomas seems The origins of the Transworld family were equally a mystery to have assumed when writing 75 Years of Marvel: From the Golden to me when I first began research for a history of Marvel UK after a Age to the Silver Screen (p. 494), but as you’ll discover in these pages, decade-long search to index every single story published by Marvel Transworld initially operated in quite a different area altogether. in Britain since 1972—not an easy task, pre-Internet. There was next to nothing to be found about who Transworld were; and. after the Read All About It! birth of the web… actually, there still wasn’t that much extra to go on. I would eventually find out more, but only after widening my If you’ve ever read any of Marvel’s own British reprint comics purview to take into account all those licensed comics referred to from the first half-decade or so of their existence—or indeed above that preceded Marvel’s creation of The Mighty World of Marvel any of the earlier licensed comics pre-1971, which used material in 1972, a lineage that went as far back as 1951. from the Marvel/Atlas vaults, hailing from companies such as Thorpe and Porter, Alan Class, Odhams, and IPC—you might

In looking back right to the beginning, there were hints that

Stan Lee, Al Landau, & The Transworld Connection

Transworld could well have played a vital role in the genesis of the entire British project, although final confirmation of that came only after tracking down one elusive key player in the story. As I started to piece things together, it also became clear that I needed to track the development of Marvel from its origins as Timely Comics, to help explain how it seemed to me that parts of Stan Lee’s career, in hindsight, led almost inexorably towards their later British invasion on their own terms. Although I touched upon Transworld in my previous article on Marvel UK’s early years in TwoMorrows’ Back Issue #63, with Stan’s recent passing it seems an ideal time to look further at the company, and how his connections to Transworld helped set in motion the events leading up to Marvel’s adventures in the United Kingdom.

What’s In A Name? To begin with, I should make it clear that we’re not talking here about the similarly named “Transworld Publishers.” That entity was founded by Bantam Books, Inc., back in 1951 (and later purchased by the Bertlesmann group), and published paperback lines such as Corgi. The Transworld Feature Syndicate, Inc., in the frame here had been formed a year earlier by Ida Landau. A graduate of New York University, she had not long begun work as a lawyer before meeting and marrying Jacob Landau in 1921. The Viennese-born Jacob ran The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), which had other offices situated all around the world, from Warsaw to Jerusalem. In a far-sighted move, during the inter-World War years, the JTA had originally been set-up as a way of propagating the experiences of Jewish people right across the globe, and they are still active online today. Ida would eventually switch careers and join the JTA as its business manager until 1942, after which she went on to manage the Overseas News Agency (ONA) for Jacob until 1951, reporting on the plight of refugees towards the end of World War II. After setting up Transworld, and following the death of her husband the previous year, she began travelling around the world during 1953. In October of that year, she sustained head injuries in a car crash, which eventually led to health concerns that forced her to take a backseat in the new company. Based in midtown New York at 23 W. 47th Street during the

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early 1960s, as its name suggests, Transworld Feature Syndicate, Inc., provided a photo-and-features service for the international press. It employed illustrators to create magazine artwork and syndicated work by many photographers, such as the awardwinning Peter Skingley (who netted the UPI’s Overseas Press Club Special Award in 1968 for his news reportage). Transworld joined a long line of specialist agencies such as Rex Features, Magnum, and Getty Images, in providing such services to the news trade. It had taken the company a while to build up to this level of diversity, though, having started out as a syndication agency re-selling material in Central and South America, along with illustrative material destined for women’s glossy magazines.

Syndicated Adventures It wasn’t long before Transworld had branched out into comics as well, after coming into contact with Marvel publisher Martin Goodman, who also produced a whole host of magazines through the rest of his company Magazine Management. Transworld soon began handling the worldwide syndication of Goodman’s comicbook features, which grew into a much bigger concern as the new super-heroes forged in the Marvel explosion came to prominence. Any comics company wishing to use material from the Timely/Atlas/Marvel archives, or indeed any of the other American publishers that they would eventually represent (including Tower, Charlton, and the American Comics Group), would simply contact Transworld, requesting to purchase the rights to incorporate the strips they required for their own comics. Whatever they purchased appears usually to have been supplied in the form of prints, although Alan Class has previously mentioned that he received negatives, too. As foreign publishers began to latch on to the sales possibilities inherent in this new wave of super-heroes, it made sense for comics companies to have such outside agencies handling the time-consuming demands of licensing specific material to interested publishers around the world, and specialist companies such as Transworld Feature Syndicate, Inc., became vital. In time, this elusive organization would also help provide the key to unlocking the full potential of the UK marketplace for them. In the meantime, Ida’s health was now worsening and she naturally turned to her son, in the hope that he’d take over the business, keeping the company firmly within the family. This happened gradually, though, as Albert Landau was still studying for a law degree at Columbia University at that time.

All Around The World

Ida Landau

Jacob Landau

(1899-1986). Photo of Al Landau’s mother, founder of Transworld Feature Syndicate, Inc., located on Internet.

Al’s father died in 1952. Decades earlier, he had founded The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, which connected people of Jewish heritage all around the world. This photo appeared in The New York Times, and is from its online archive. [© the respective copyright holders.]

As the 1960s swung by, Albert Landau would assume complete control over the business. Expanding now on what I wrote in Back Issue #63, that “there were actually two separate businesses sharing the Transworld name, along with a network of subsidiary offices spread across the world”—these were located in various key cities including Milan, Paris, Helsinki, Mexico City, Stockholm, Munich, and Buenos Aires, amongst others. Landau then became permanently based in London as he built up the business there, punctuated by visits home to New York to oversee the head office. Understandably, he became increasingly keen to return home for good, and the means to do so came during his return visits to New York, after meeting up with the recently resident Ray Wergan. A former British sports reporter of note, Wergan [see photo on p. 143] had begun his career as a trainee reporter on The Manchester Evening Chronicle in 1957, before moving over to Thomson Newspapers in 1960. A year later, he took up the post of syndication manager at the Express newspaper group, and after their New York

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Comic Fandom Archive

All In Color For A Crime! Bill writes: “Unrelated to anything else in this article, I was honored in 1999 to be asked by Roy Thomas to draw up his idea of a ‘Stan Lee Roast’ cover, homaging Jack Kirby’s for Fantastic Four #1. (Text by Roy, obviously.) It appeared in Alter Ego, Vol. 3, #1 (1999)— but, for its appearance here, it has been specially colored by Randy Sargent.” See photo of the Roast octet on p. 122. [Art © Bill Schelly.]

Encounter #3 A few years later, I was writing a biography of Harvey Kurtzman. Since Harvey had worked for Timely from 1945 to 1948 or so, I asked Stan for a quote about him and received this on February 10, 2013: Hi, Bill, How’s this for Harvey K---? Harvey Kurtzman was one of the most talented, creative people in comics—or anywhere else. He was both an incredibly gifted humorist and a superb story-teller. His artwork and layouts were totally unique and his writing ability was awesome. His was a huge and inspiring talent and I’m grateful to have known him. – Stan Lee

Encounter #4 This isn’t actually a single encounter; it’s an amalgam of several e-mails I traded with Stan in 2013 and 2014 when I needed permission to use certain photos of him in my upcoming books, including The American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s. Stan always said “yes,” for which I was grateful. One time, he asked for a copy of a photo, because he hadn’t seen it before (or had forgotten seeing it).

Osmar, founder of the miniscule Marvel Fan Club a Go-Go, had seen the whole thing.) I did have enough class to send a copy of the printed book to Stan, hoping he wouldn’t object to the quote. I think I even enclosed a note about it. A few days later, I received one of those Spider-Man notecards that Stan was using at the time (there are probably hundreds of them out there, with this or that scribbled answer). On it, he wrote, “Hi Bill, The Golden Age of Comic Fandom is every bit as good as I said it was. Many thanks for sending me a copy. Wishing you much luck and success—Excelsior! Stan.” Thirty-three words that made my day! –week! …year! … decade! And, of course…. Stan’s personalized autograph.

Hence, my last interaction with Stan Lee was sending him a print of the photograph of himself for his own purposes. I can’t express how good it felt, giving something—even if just a small photograph— to a man who had given so much to me –not personally (since these encounters are small), but the “me” who was one of the legions of fans of Marvel Comics in its greatest era. NOTE: Please check out the series of new books that I’ve done through Pulp Hero Press: Bill Schelly Talks with the Founders of Comic Fandom, Vol. 1 & 2 (collected interviews, including new ones with the late Grass Green and the very present Roy Thomas). Also, don’t miss The Bill Schelly Reader, a trade paperback that collects my best prose pieces on the history of fandom and comics. If you’ve enjoyed my writing about Joe Kubert, Otto Binder, Jim Warren and Harvey Kurtzman, and the history of fandom, you’ll want this collection of my short pieces which come from such disparate magazines as The Comics Journal, Alter Ego, ACE magazine, Comic Buyer’s Guide, Big Bang Comics, and Paperback Parade (and maybe a couple of others). You can order these Pulp Hero Press books from Amazon.com, either in print form or as Kindle books. There’s info on them on my web site: www.billschelly.net, where you can find my e-mail address if you want to write to me. —Bill.

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STAN LEE In 1968 Transcribed by Steven Tice

his interview was conducted in the Marvel Comics offices on either February 8 or 18th, 1968, for WRSU, the radio station broadcasting from the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and serving the greater Central New Jersey area. Further specifics are lost to time, but enjoy this conversation with the face of Marvel Comics, speaking to his beloved college audience. STAN LEE: Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to welcome you to the home of Marvel Comics, the Batty Bullpen. And now, as I look at this sea of happy, smiling faces and contented readers… I hope we’re not on. ANNOUNCER: That was Stan Lee, editor of the Marvel Comics Group. Over the past few years, Marvel comics have become some of the most popular reading matter on virtually every college campus in America today. WRSU went to New York to discuss the success of, and future plans, of Marvel Comics with Stan Lee. Here’s what he had to say to our panel of experts. INTERVIEWER #1: I was wondering, there may be some people who have maybe just seen them on the stands and figured they were another one other comicbook, or another brand of comicbooks, and I wondered how exactly you got started, and how did you revitalize some of the new characters that have been floating around, or how did you create your new ones? LEE: Well, actually, I think, for the first twenty years of our publishing history, it would be honest and fair to say that we were just another group of comicbooks. And then, about six years ago or

Photo Synthesis 1968 Marvel comics sported a house ad (above) where, for a measely $1, you could order an autographed photo of Marvel’s fearless leader. A planned series of pix of other Bullpenners never materialized. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

The School Of Hard Rocks English guitarist, singer, and songwriter Marc Bolan (frontman for the group T-Rex) began following Marvel Comics around age 20— and Stan played up their meeting in the Bullpen Bulletins page, in an onging effort to court the college-age audience. Above is Bolan’s interview from the UK’s Mighty World of Marvel #199 (July 21, 1976). Thanks to Robert Menzies for the scan. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

whenever, when we first brought out the premier issue of The Fantastic Four, we were kicking around ideas and wondering what to do, and it occurred to us, as I say, “Let’s try and do the kind of books that we would enjoy if we read comics. Let’s not try to do something that we think a ten-year-old will buy.” And we introduced the Fantastic Four, and our objective there was to violate all the rules, and to violate all the clichés. Heretofore, any books involving teams of superheroes had heroes who got along beautifully with each other, and were always successful, and always acted and reacted in very predictable ways. So we thought, “Why don’t we get a team of super-heroes who argue among themselves, and fight occasionally, are dissatisfied, want to quit, maybe they have money troubles, and so forth? They won’t wear costumes.” The first two issues of the FF, they didn’t even wear costumes. I learned that was a mistake. When the mail started coming in, the readers said, “Gee, that’s the greatest book in the world! Oh, we love it! You gotta get a lot more like it! But give them costumes. They gotta have costumes.” That was one of the little rules I learned that I wouldn’t have suspected: in a super-hero strip, you just need costumes, because the avid fans can’t really relate to them or something unless they’re

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Alter Ego #170 writer/editorial

A Jack For All Seasons

s I say in my article that begins on p. 225, I’ve been a fan of Jack Kirby’s art and concepts since at least 1947, when I was six or seven years old. Back then, of course, his byline was always shared with his partner, Joe Simon, so few people knew just who did what in that talented twosome… nor did we worry much about it.

Kirby’s work and influence have been a part of this magazine at least since founder Jerry G. Bails’ third spirit-duplicator issue of the then-hyphenated Alter-Ego [Vol. 1] (Fall 1961), wherein he adapted a “Simon + Kirby 1941” figure to illustrate an essay on the 1944 Captain America movie serial. In addition, Jack became the first pro artist ever to send Jerry a drawing for inclusion in the fanzine:

The first photo-offset issue, #4 (Fall 1962), printed a wonderful pencil illo of the Thing (inked by Jerry), holding up a sign that plugged A/E. (See p. 185.) A few years ago, TwoMorrows publisher John Morrow asked me a question that took me aback: “If TwoMorrows didn’t have The Jack Kirby Collector, do you think you’d be featuring Jack more in Alter Ego?” My answer was a resounding yes; the only reason there haven’t already been several issues devoted to the work of the guy Stan Lee dubbed “The King” is that TwoMorrows’ flagship title is totally built around Kirby, and I didn’t figure there was much left for A/E to say about a man celebrated thus far in 80 editions of a mag named for him! Still, I figured that sometime, someway, there should be an Alter Ego that was centered around Jack. But I dillied and I dallied for years, since so many other pros and concepts vied for attention. The notion of a Kirby issue of A/E was consigned to the back burner of my over-stretched mind. And then my manager and friend John Cimino sent me a scan of a Kirby drawing that was being auctioned off, and which had been brought to his attention by Heritage Auctions co-chairman Mark Halperin. It depicted both Jack and his (to me) greatest Marvel Comics creation, the Thing, sharing a laugh as Dr. Doom and The Red Skull attempted to sabotage them. It was even inked by Joe Sinnott, the ultimate FF embellisher. When I learned that illustration had never been printed, I told John Morrow that I’d like to make that art the cover of an entire Kirby issue. John immediately gave his blessing, and I set about to line up material that didn’t simply duplicate what had already appeared in TJKC. Thanks to the efforts of Will Murray, Barry Pearl, Nick Caputo, Aaron Caplan, John Cimino, Robert Menzies, Michael T. Gilbert, Peter Normanton, Mark Lewis, P.C. Hamerlinck, and a host of generous scan-senders, this became a wall-to-wall Kirby issue. Even more so than #169, this is a one-subject issue—and the subject is the greatest super-hero/action artist in the history of comicbooks. Yes, we’re sorry to lose, for the second issue in a row, both the letters section and John Broome’s memoirs—but it had to be done. For Jack was an artist for all eras, and it was high time we made certain that everybody knew that we knew it, too!

Bestest,

173

THE SECRET KIRBY ORIGIN OF IRON MAN JACK KIRBY, DON HECK, Ol’ Shellhead, & Marvel Comics

by Will Murray

Heavy Metal— Early Editions

ow an essential Marvel Universe super-hero, in the beginning Iron Man straggled in late, struggling to find his rightful place in the Marvel Universe, ultimately becoming one of the few spinoffs of Marvel’s fantasy titles whose own comicbook title has run uninterrupted to this day.

The Usual Suspects The Jack Kirby-penciled, Don Heck-inked cover of Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963), flanked by the four men credited with bringing the future “Golden Avenger” to life, as pictured in the 1964 Marvel Tales Annual. Will Murray says that Heck claimed to have done a bit of redesigning of the armor, with editor Lee’s tacit permission, when he inked Kirby’s pencils. Thanks to the Grand Comics Database. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

The origins of the character are complicated, and many behind-the-scenes details have either never been fully reported or are in dispute. According to Mark Evanier (friend and early-1970s assistant to Jack Kirby), who got the story from the artist himself, Kirby created the character design for Iron Man and brought it to Stan Lee sometime prior to the creation of Thor, Spider-Man, and Ant-Man. If verified, this` may date from the period during which he brought in the original version of Spider-Man. Little if any thought was given to who the man inside Iron Man’s bulky armor would be. Kirby’s concept sketch ultimately became the cover to Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963).

Mark Evanier in a photo from his informative website www.newsfromme.com. Since the 1970s, Mark has had an enviable career in first comics, then TV.

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Kirby’s Greatest Hits—Literally!

spectacular battle that shook the entire industry to its very core. Kirby’s pacing of the fight is nothing short of pure genius. The Hulk eventually throws Thor against the underground cavern wall, causing an avalanche to separate them. Soon, the Hulk digs himself out and would find Thor fighting the Sub-Mariner and the rest of this scrap continues back in Avengers #3. Later, we see the Hulk in the desert shouting out to the world that he will one day defeat the Thunder God. How could any comicbook reader not shout “Make Mine Marvel!” after reading this issue back in the day? This is super-heroic storytelling at its finest.

1.) FANTASTIC FOUR #25-26 (1964): Hulk vs. Thing (with the Fantastic Four and The Avengers) The Hulk slugging it out with the Thing goes by many names: “The Battle of the Behemoths,” “The Clash of the Titans,” and so on. But whatever you want to call it, it has to be considered “The Brawl That Started it All!” Even before the Hulk clashed with the Thing, comics fights had come a long way under Jack Kirby’s guidance. But, despite his innovations, nothing really special had happened yet. After the two brutes first fought in Fantastic Four #12 and showed a dynamic between them that captured the imagination of the fans, Kirby set the standard of what a true comic slugfest was supposed to be, while taking the meaning of “city-leveling action” to a whole new stratosphere, when he gave them a rematch in Fantastic Four #25 & 26. Needless to say, once “Hulk vs. Thing” entered into the Marvel-mythos, the comicbook world was never the same. Not only is this Jack Kirby’s greatest slugfest, it has to be considered the greatest slugfest in Marvel history. If that’s not enough praise, it can also be considered the greatest slugfest in the history of the medium! Can anyone prove me wrong?! After Fantastic Four #25 & 26 hit the newsstands, Jack Kirby was officially crowned “The King of Comics,” because these are the issues that set the standards for what a super-hero slugfest is in comics, cartoons, video games, movies, whatever! Never was a battle so grand, so epic, and so influential! It really was a total game-changer. The sense of wonderment that a reader felt taking this all in is something that can never be replicated. With Stan Lee’s brilliant dialogue meshed together with Kirby’s unparalleled storytelling, it represents heroic drama on a level very few comics have ever achieved. Stan Lee billed this as “The Battle of the Century” on the cover of issue #25, and who am I to argue with that?

Hail, Hail, The Gang’s All Here—And Fighting Like Hell! One of the first of Marvel’s infamous “continued stories” was the clash between the Fantastic Four (especially the Thing) and the Hulk in FF #25 (April 1964), whose cover is seen on the first page of John Cimino’s article… which segued the next month (#26) into an FF/ Hulk/Avengers free-for-all that set the pace for all Marvel battles to follow! Inking by Sol Brodsky. Thanks to JC. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

John Cimino is a Silver and Bronze Age comic, cartoon, and memorabilia expert who contributes articles to RetroFan, The Jack Kirby Collector, Back Issue, and now Alter Ego, for TwoMorrows Publishing. He runs The Roy Thomas Appreciation Boards on Facebook and likes to drag Roy and Dann Thomas away from their daily chores on the farm to a comic convention. Check out his blog at Hero-Envy.blogspot.com, contact him at johnstretch@live.com, or follow him on Instagram at megostretchhulk, because he likes the attention.

From Ben Grimm—To Grimlock! (Above right:) When Ye Editor asked John C. which photo of him to stick on the end of this piece, JC insisted it be this one, wherein the erstwhile Rascally One is considering slitting JC’s throat as he holds up two 2020 issues of Marvel’s Savage Sword of Conan written by RT—in the first of which appeared a suspiciously slimy character named “Simino.” Photo by Dann Thomas. (Left:) The cover of Songs of Immortality, a new 12” vinyl record that contains material by the 1990s hardcore band Grimlock, from a CD originally released in 1997. And yes, the front man at left (possessor of what one recent review called “one of the angriest voices in hardcore”) is indeed the same John Cimino who authored this Kirby-clash retrospective. [Album cover TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

209

JACK KIRBY 1976 Interview conducted by Peter Smith

ublisher’s Note: The following is from a questionnaire concerning various aspects of Jack Kirby’s life and work, submitted by Peter Smith to the artist in November 1976, with Kirby’s answers from December 10, 1976. Peter was working on a dissertation about Kirby while attending Leeds Poly (a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England) in 1977, and that full thesis will appear in an upcoming 2023 issue of The Jack Kirby Collector. Our thanks to Peter and Ian Blake for sending this in, and for their patience waiting for it to finally see print. PETER SMITH: Which artists would you say have had the greatest influence upon the development of your style of drawing? JACK KIRBY: Milton Caniff and Alex Raymond were veritable inspirations for style and motion. Hal Foster seemed more like a camera to me, but his storytelling was great and well worth studying. SMITH: After your work for the Max Fleischer Animation Studios, which newspaper strips did you work on, and for which newspapers? KIRBY: I worked for a small newspaper syndicate which serviced

700 weeklies Not So Near Term throughout the (Above:) Jack’s May 23, 1977, letter to Peter Smith, in States. It was response to receiving a copy of Peter’s doctoral thesis. called Lincoln It took Pete a full five months to submit it after getting Newspaper Jack’s answers. [Captain America TM & © Marvel Features Characters, Inc.] and offered (Left:) Circa 1937, an unfinished Kirby pencil panel for everything his Abdul Jones newspaper strip. from editorial cartoons to comic strips. I became involved in all this variety which included two good strips called Socko The Seadog and Abdul Jones. SMITH: What was your first comicbook sale? KIRBY: My first comicbook feature was called “Lightning And The Lone Rider”. If it sounds like a Western... it was. SMITH: When and how did you first meet Joe Simon?

Holiday Horror? From December 25, 1937, came the Hal Foster inspiration for Jack Kirby’s Demon. [Prince Valiant TM & © King Features Syndicate; Demon TM & © DC Comic.]

KIRBY: I met Joe Simon when he was an editor at Fox Features, one of the very early ventures in comics publishing. SMITH: It is often written that your own methods of storytelling have been influenced by the narrative techniques of the cinema. Are there any films or filmmakers which form a conscious inspiration for your work?

214

Jack Kirby 1976 Interview

enough to produce any changes. SMITH: Finally, do you see your role as comicbook artist to be primarily that of an entertainer or a moralist? And what would you define as the central motivating force behind your enormous creative output? KIRBY: Your question is both valid and perceptive. We’re basically all entertainers. The size of our audience depends on our personal drive to gain attention. In fact, the most spectacular performances in history generated the kind of popularity that leaves large holes in continents. I trust you and I never merit that kind of grand finale.

Kirby Does Kubrick (Above:) Rather than use collage as he’d sometimes do in his 1960s and early 1970s work, Jack actually drew the pivotal special effects scene in his 1976 adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey. [Captain America, Thor, & Cyclops TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

KIRBY: I’ve done a bit of that throughout the years. They involve pulp and slick paper mags, newspaper panels and illustrations for toy packages. SMITH: Does your move from New York to Los Angeles signify a new direction in your work? KIRBY: California provides a more tranquil atmosphere. Thought, here, inspires many things... mostly awareness. SMITH: The West Coast has over the past decade become the centre of an alternative source of comicbook art from the hitherto unchallenged dominance of the New York companies. Do you see the function of “Bullpen West” in this light? KIRBY: Bullpen West can prove to be very fruitful. I’ve found an abundance of fine talent here, including Mike Royer, a truly fine inker. The challenge to the East is self-evident, but not potent

Who’s Bigger Than Jack? (Right:) The 1976 Mattel toy line “Big Jim’s P.A.C.K.” launched with advertising art and packaging illustrations by Kirby. Fellow Marvel bullpenner Big John Buscema also handled some of the illustration chores for the line. [© Mattel.]

215

Discovering Kirby in the ’60s! by Shane Foley

began reading Marvel comics sometime in 1967 (I was about 10) and was quickly hooked. I didn’t immediately understand how Kirby was such a creative cornerstone to the line, because most artists were doing their best to imitate Kirby’s dynamism in their art. But clearly he was best. I still remember being stunned—skeptical even— that the man who drew Fantastic Four #62 (one of my all time favourite Kirby books) was the same man who, about five years earlier, had drawn Fantastic Four #3 (which I saw in a reprint)! But there it was!

I remember collecting reprints of FF #3, 9, 10, 15, 18, 23, 28 and so on, and being astounded by the development in the art... the evolution and reinvention (to quote Tim Sale’s insightful comment from the Jack Kirby: Storyteller documentary) was astonishing! By the mid ’60s, Kirby was at his greatest! He had slowed his output to a mere 50 pages per month (!)— no longer doing layouts on other strips and so many covers—and the effect was explosive. Issue after issue, month after month, unbelievable creative genius was on virtually every page. And it wasn’t only in his dramatic action storytelling, or his amazingly creative designs for costumes and machines and cities that boggled the mind… it was even in the minutiae. It was there in lesser elements where he needn’t have bothered. But bother he did—and it’s mind-blowing! It was then—and it is now.

Thor #137 Take Thor #137 (Feb. 1967, one of the first Kirby books I ever owned). After seeing all those wonderful armour designs, after witnessing the dramatic-looking and beautiful Sif being introduced, after the power and wonder of the full page drawing of Ulik, and the battle with Thor that followed, suddenly, there are the trolls ready for invasion. “Throw open the doors of... the invasion shaft!” comes the order from the King. And there, Kirby has drawn, for one panel only, a most unique and powerful, out-of-left-field design for that switch to be thrown (page 15, panel 2). He could have just drawn a lever being pulled— but no. He drew something more ‘out there’ than that! Then on the next page, the creative fountain explodes again with the trolls’ flying invasion machines, one with those glorious tentacles writhing beneath. What a brilliant panel. What a brilliant issue! But it’s not over. The five “Tales of Asgard” pages that follow

Confounding Colletta Though fans at the time often praised the inking of Vince Colletta over Kirby on Thor (it gave the strip an almost Prince Valiant-like weathered look), only much later did readers learn the extent to which Vinnie omitted or blackened out details in Kirby’s penciling. That giant all-black area in the top panel from #137 surely didn’t lack Kirby Krackle when Jack drew it. [Thor TM & ©Marvel Characters, Inc.]