Volume 1, Number 35 August 2009 Celebrating the Best Comics of the '70s, '80s, '90s, and Today!
The Retro Comics Experience!
EDITOR Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich J. Fowlks COVER ARTIST Mike Zeck COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg
BACK SEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
SPECIAL THANKS Michael Aushenker Michael Bailey Mike Bair Cary Bates Ned Beatty Jerry Boyd Trent Caldwell KC Carlson Ernie Chan Gene Colan Gerry Conway Peter David Tom DeFalco J. M. DeMatteis Ric Estrada Funky Flashman Shane Foley Ramona Fradon Ron Frenz Dick Giordano Grand Comic-Book Database Glenn Greenberg Robert Greenberger Lawrence Guidry Jack C. Harris Heritage Comics Auctions Dan Johnson Rob Kelly Todd Klein David Anthony Kraft Joe Kulbiski
Paul Levitz Marvel Comics Brad Meltzer Metropolis, Illinois, Chamber of Commerce Ian Millsted Brian K. Morris Karla Ogle Dennis O’Neil Martin Pasko George Pérez Jerry Robinson Tone Rodriguez John Romita, Jr. Bob Rozakis Rose Rummel-Eury Paul Ryan Jim Shooter Anthony Snyder Bob Sprenger Joe Staton Roger Stern Tom Stewart Mike Vosburg John Wells Marv Wolfman Write Now Mike Zeck
PRO2PRO: In Our Sights: Kraven’s Last Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck relive one of Spider-Man’s most chilling tales PRO2PRO ROUNDTABLE: When Hobby Met Spidey: A History of the Hobgoblin . . . .10 David, DeFalco, Frenz, Romita, Jr., Shooter, and Stern unmask the Spider-foe with the identity crisis CHECKLIST: Wanted, The World’s Most Dangerous Villains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 A quick look back at DC’s 1970s reprint series BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Secret Society of Super-Villains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Antagonists Assembled! The story of DC’s trouble-making team INTERVIEW: From Vixens to Villains: Mike Vosburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Why he hated Secret Society of Super-Villains, and other tales told by the top talent FLASHBACK: The Joker’s Not So Wild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 The Clown Prince of Crime in his own magazine THE JOKER ART GALLERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Six sizzling pages of Joker art by Chan, Estrada, Giordano, Pérez, Rogers, Ryan, and more! BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Magneto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 He’s bad, he’s good, he’s bad again—the history of the mutant Master of Magnetism BRING ON THE BAD GUYS PINUP: Big-Headed Bad Guy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Genial Gene Colan’s awesome rendition of Captain America’s enemy, MODOK FLASHBACK: Kobra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 The Kirby creation that slithered into his own short-lived series INTERVIEW: Ned Beatty: Time Out with Otis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 The acclaimed actor discusses Superman’s not-so-arch foe in this exclusive interview FLASHBACK: What Not to Wear: The Luthor and Brainiac Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 The ’80s makeovers that time (and creators) won’t allow us to forget GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: The Secret History of All-American Comics, Inc. . .78 Book Two, Chapter Seven of Bob Rozakis’ fantasy comics history reveals a “Crisis on Fanboy Earth” BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Reader feedback on “Teen Heroes” issue #33 BACK ISSUE™ is published bimonthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $40 Standard US, $54 First Class US, $66 Canada, $90 Surface International, $108 Airmail International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Mike Zeck. Spider-Man and Kraven the Hunter TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2009 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING. Villains Issue
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Joker headshot drawn by Dick Giordano for the logo of the Joker comic book. From the collection of Bob Sprenger. TM & © 2009 DC Comics.
PROOFREADERS John Morrow and Eric Nolen-Weathington