Back Issue #116 by TwoMorrows Publishing

SUPERHEROES vs. MONSTERS ISSUE! r 2019

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Batman and the Horror Genre • Marvel Scream-Up • Dracula and Godzilla vs. Marvel • DOUG MOENCH and KELLEY JONES’ Batman: Vampire • DC/Dark Horse Hero/ Monster crossovers • Baron Blood with CLAREMONT, CONWAY, DIXON, GIBBONS, GRELL, GULACY, JURGENS, THOMAS, WOLFMAN & more

MONSTERS IN METROPOLIS! SUPERMAN’S SCARIEST BATTLES!

Relive The Pop Culture You Grew Up With In RetroFan! If you love Pop Culture of the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties, editor MICHAEL EURY’s latest magazine is just for you!

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Featuring a JACLYN SMITH interview, as we reopen the Charlie’s Angels Casebook, and visit the Guinness World Records’ largest Charlie’s Angels collection. Plus: an exclusive interview with funnyman LARRY STORCH, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Captain Action—the original super-hero action figure, a vintage interview with Jonny Quest creator DOUG WILDEY, a visit to the Land of Oz, the ultra-rare Marvel World superhero playset, & more! (84-page FULLCOLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 Ships Dec. 2019

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Interviews with MeTV’s crazy creepster SVENGOOLIE and Eddie Munster himself, BUTCH PATRICK! Call on the original Saturday Morning GHOST BUSTERS, with BOB BURNS! Uncover the nutty NAUGAS! Plus: “My Life in the Twilight Zone,” “I Was a Teenage James Bond,” “My Letters to Famous People,” the ARCHIE-DOBIE GILLIS connection, Pinball Hall of Fame, Alien action figures, Rubik’s Cube & more!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Interviews with the ’60s grooviest family band THE COWSILLS, and TV’s coolest mom JUNE LOCKHART! Mars Attacks!, MAD Magazine in the ’70s, Flintstones turn 60, Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, Honey West, Max Headroom, Popeye Picnic, the Smiley Face fad, & more! With MICHAEL EURY, ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, and SCOTT SHAW!

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THE CRAZY, COOL CULTURE WE GREW UP WITH! LOU FERRIGNO interview, The Phantom in Hollywood, Filmation’s Star Trek cartoon, “How I Met Lon Chaney, Jr.”, goofy comic Zody the Mod Rob, Mego’s rare Elastic Hulk toy, RetroTravel to Mount Airy, NC (the real-life Mayberry), interview with BETTY LYNN (“Thelma Lou” of The Andy Griffith Show), TOM STEWART’s eclectic House of Collectibles, and Mr. Microphone!

HALLOWEEN! Horror-hosts ZACHERLEY, VAMPIRA, SEYMOUR, MARVIN, and an interview with our cover-featured ELVIRA! THE GROOVIE GOOLIES, BEWITCHED, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, and THE MUNSTERS! The long-buried Dinosaur Land amusement park! History of BEN COOPER HALLOWEEN COSTUMES, character lunchboxes, superhero VIEW-MASTERS, SINDY (the British Barbie), and more!

40th Anniversary interview with SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE director RICHARD DONNER, IRWIN ALLEN’s sci-fi universe, Saturday morning’s undersea adventures of Aquaman, horror and sci-fi zines of the Sixties and Seventies, Spider-Man and Hulk toilet paper, RetroTravel to METROPOLIS, IL (home of the Superman Celebration), SEA-MONKEYS®, FUNNY FACE beverages, Superman and Batman memorabilia, & more!

Interviews with the SHAZAM! TV show’s JOHN (Captain Marvel) DAVEY and MICHAEL (Billy Batson) Gray, the GREEN HORNET in Hollywood, remembering monster maker RAY HARRYHAUSEN, the way-out Santa Monica Pacific Ocean Amusement Park, a Star Trek Set Tour, SAM J. JONES on the Spirit movie pilot, British sci-fi TV classic THUNDERBIRDS, Casper & Richie Rich museum, the KING TUT fad, and more!

Interviews with MARK HAMILL & Greatest American Hero’s WILLIAM KATT! Blast off with JASON OF STAR COMMAND! Stop by the MUSEUM OF POPULAR CULTURE! Plus: “The First Time I Met Tarzan,” MAJOR MATT MASON, MOON LANDING MANIA, SNUFFY SMITH AT 100 with cartoonist JOHN ROSE, TV Dinners, Celebrity Crushes, and more fun, fab features!

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Volume 1, Number 116 October 2019 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Michael Golden (A commissioned illustration from the collection of Michael Eury.) COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS Neal Adams Dennis O’Neil Cary Bates Martin Pasko Marc Buxton Benjamin Raab Chris Claremont Rose Rummel-Eury Gerry Conway Bill Sienkiewicz DC Comics Jerry Smith J. M. DeMatteis Roger Stern Chuck Dixon Roy Thomas Steve Englehart Steven Thompson Dave Gibbons Roger Stern Michael Golden Toho Co. Ltd. Grand Comics 20th Century Fox Database Film Corp. Glenn Greenberg Marv Wolfman Mike Grell Alan Zelenetz Paul Gulacy Karl Heitmueller, Jr. Heritage Comics Auctions Dan Johnson Dan Jurgens Michael Kronenberg Adam Kubert James Heath Lantz Doug Moench

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BACKSEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 FLASHBACK: Superman vs. Monsters in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 If aliens and mad scientists weren’t enough, Metropolis was also plagued by monsters FLASHBACK: Batman and the Horror Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Batman of the early Bronze Age was a frightful creature of the night PRINCE STREET NEWS: Monster Mash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 A new cartoon by Karl Heitmueller, Jr. FLASHBACK: Marvel Scream-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Marvel’s monsters meet, greet, and beat (up) Spider-Man and the Thing BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Baron Blood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 What villain could be worse than a sniveling Nazi vampire? BEYOND CAPES: Dracula vs. the Marvel Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 The Lord of Vampires stakes his claim in the House of Ideas FLASHBACK: Godzilla vs. the Marvel Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 The King of Monsters takes on Marvel’s mightiest PRO2PRO: Interviews with the Batman: Vampire Creators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Doug Moench and Kelley Jones’ Batman: Red Rain trilogy BACKSTAGE PASS: Batman vs. Predator and Superman vs. Aliens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 The earliest DC/Dark Horse superhero/movie monster crossovers BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 News you can use BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 112 Fairmount Way, New Bern, NC 28562. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Eight-issue subscriptions: $82 Economy US, $128 International, $32 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Michael Golden. Superman, Titano the SuperApe, and the Daily Planet TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2019 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

by M

There’s a story behind this issue’s theme and cover, and it starts with Man-Bat. Michael Golden’s art blew me away from the first time I saw it, when I was a teenager. You might remember that one of his earliest gigs was the Man-Bat feature that appeared in DC’s Batman Family during the late ’70s. I certainly remembered that, even after those Batman Family pages had yellowed with age. In 1990, no longer a teenager but certainly still a young man, I was sitting behind an editorial desk at DC Comics in New York City, charged with producing the recently rebooted Who’s Who in the DC Universe in its new loose-leaf format. One day, it came time for me to assign an artist to the Man-Bat entry, to appear in Who’s Who #12 (Sept. 1991). While Man-Bat has been illustrated by no end of talented artists, including two of my all-time favorites, Neal Adams, who originated his look, and Jim Aparo, who drew him in a Batman team-up in Brave and Bold, for me, THE Man-Bat artist was Michael Golden, making him my choice for the Man-Bat Who’s Who assignment. Luckily, at that time Michael was also working at DC, as an editor. So I skedaddled down the hall to his office, keeping my inner fanboy in check but allowing just enough of it to bubble forth so that Michael would see my enthusiasm for his work on this character. Apparently, my enthusiasm was contagious, as Michael promptly accepted the assignment, then soon delivered the Man-Bat original art. I wish I’d saved a photocopy of Mr. Golden’s golden line art—not only was it gorgeously rendered, but it featured Man-Bat flying upside-down, arcing downward toward Gotham City. Or did it? I recall flipping the art from top to bottom, again and again, realizing that its clever composition works both ways… making “top” and “bottom” a matter of choice. Since the goal of Who’s Who was to provide a “signature” shot of each DC character, when preparing Michael’s art for production I opted to have Man-Bat soaring upward—which places the background’s intricate gothic architecture coming down from the top. As drawn by Michael Golden, this art, no matter which way you position it, creates a dizzying vertigo effect.

ichael Eury

Fast forward to nearly two decades later. I had just spent a year or so poring through gorilla comics in the research of my TwoMorrows book, Comics Gone Ape: The Missing Link to Primates in Comics. Michael Golden was still one of my favorite artists, and so I commissioned from my old pal a recreation of the Silver Age classic cover for Superman #138, with the Man of Steel being bombarded by Titano the Super-Ape’s kryptonite vision atop the Daily Planet building, an obvious riff on the climactic scene from King Kong. I knew that Michael would provide some off-kilter architecture, as he had with the Man-Bat pinup. Michael’s schedule prohibited his drawing this for a while, but when the original art arrived, it was well worth the wait. It’s framed and is hanging over my office desk. Off and on over the past few years I’ve thought about how I’d like to share it with BACK ISSUE readers, but at face value it’s a Silver Age image, and our purview is the Bronze Age. Every few years I like to do a spooky theme for our Halloween issue. Realizing that we were due one for 2019, I didn’t want to repeat the generic “Bronze Age Horror” grab-bag format of the past. So, in thinking about some monster comics that we’ve yet to cover in BACK ISSUE, I noticed there was a subgenre: monsters fighting superheroes. And a theme was born! But what to feature on our cover? The answer was right there, over my desk: Michael Golden’s Superman vs. Titano commission. Who cares if it was inspired by a Silver Age comic? Mr. Golden got his start in the Bronze Age, and in my Superman vs. Monsters article that begins on the next page, you’ll read that DC’s kryptonite-blasting TM & © DC Comics. Super-Ape made a return in 1978, smack-dab in the middle of the Bronze Age. So I sent a scan of the art to BI cover colorist Glenn Whitmore—no stranger to Superman—and the result is in your hands (or on your screen). So, how do monsters fare when squaring off against men of tomorrow and slingers of webs? And more importantly, what happens when superheroes accustomed to bashing costumed crooks take on creatures born of nightmares? From Dracula to Godzilla and many monsters in between, this issue examines the role of monsters as surrogate supervillains in comics… and despite the creepy subject matter, this issue is a lot of fun, as is the spirit of the classic pantheon of Universal Monsters that has thrilled generations of fans.

2 • BACK ISSUE • Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue

by M i c h a e l

If you were cornered by a thirsty bloodsucker, the clambering undead, or a snarling lycanthrope, you’d probably opt for the Man of Steel in your corner rather than a Van Helsing. Or maybe not, since the supernatural—technically, magic—is among the few weaknesses of the Bronze Age Superman. Yet beginning in 1970, when editor Julius “Julie” Schwartz slid into the Superman editorial chair vacated by the recently retired Mort Weisinger, the DC Comics editor who had shepherded the Metropolis Marvel throughout the Silver Age of Comics, Superman would occasionally encounter monsters, despite Schwartz’s clearly established preference for science fiction over matters macabre.

Eury

Sticking His Neck Out Big Blue versus Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster! Detail from the cover of Superman #344 (Feb. 1980). Art by José Luis García-López. TM & © DC Comics.

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SILVER AGE MONSTER MASH-UPS

Before we unleash the musty odors of those brittle, yellowed pages from the ’70s and ’80s and the fearsome fables they contain, let’s first pry open the Mylar tombs of the previous era of comic books, the Silver Age, for some important historical gravedigging. Blustery, iron-fisted DC editor Mort Weisinger famously kept his eye on trends and conducted focus groups of children (his readership) while fishing for subject matter for his Superman writers. During this time, a proliferation of classic horror films invaded late-night and weekend-matinee television schedules thanks to Shock Theater and its endless slew of clones, low-budget camp-fests hosted by TV weathermen and local goofballs masquerading as spooky, yet witty cryptkeepers. Youngsters were discovering the Hollywood monsters of yesteryear while also being regaled by the current crop of cinematic creepers blobbing and tingling their way into darkened movie theaters. Kids loved monsters, and Mort took notice. And so Superman, Monster Fighter became one of the hero’s tropes when Weisinger was commanding the franchise (at first abetted by World’s Finest Comics editor Jack Schiff, who, as legend has it, often bent to Mort’s formidable will). Amid Superman’s never-ending battle against supermen from other realms, robots, Luthor’s inventions, and a certain female reporter’s nutty marriage schemes, every few issues or so of Superman, Action Comics, World’s Finest, Superboy, and even Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen and Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane forced the Man (or Boy, or Baby) of Steel into conflict with a gruesome grotesquerie guaranteed to make the average kid peek nervously under his bed before turning out the light at night. The majority of those abominations challenging Superman (and at times, his World’s Finest BFFs Batman and Robin), however, were not the archetypal Famous Monsters of Filmland: the vampires, werewolves, and patchwork men of lore, Universal Studios shockers, and Forrest J Ackerman magazines. They were, instead, extraterrestrials. Witness the Frankenstein-ish Bizarro prototype, the “Invulnerable Enemy,” in Action Comics #226 (Mar. 1957), who was actually a “petrified spaceman,” tethering Superman to his sci-fi roots while only flirting with monsterdom. The same can be said of the myriad monsters ambling through World’s Finest in the early ’60s, from the tentacled, pear-shaped “Alien Who Doomed Robin” (issue #110) to the saw-nosed Bigfoot called “The Creature That Was Exchanged for Superman” (#118)—they were among many, many cover-featured interplanetary visitors passing for monsters on Superman-related comics of the day. Weisinger, like Superman himself, was a product of science fiction. As a young man Mort was active in the burgeoning realm of sci-fi fandom, networking and forming professional relationships with other similarly minded visionaries, including Julie Schwartz. Before taking his job at DC, Weisinger edited sci-fi and fantasy pulp magazines—and years later, some of the horrific creatures he encountered in the pulps made their unofficial reappearances in the pages of the Superman titles. A domed-topped, bug-eyed automaton from the cover of the March 1940 edition of the pulp Startling Stories became “Jimmy Olsen’s Private Monster” 20 years later in Jimmy Olsen #43. And a towering, scaly man-monster from a pulp that Weisinger edited, Thrilling Wonder Stories’ July 1940 edition, was appropriated (with a supplanted Jimmy Olsen head) and introduced to DC readers as “The Giant Turtle Man” in Jimmy Olsen #53 (June 1961). Not only did Weisinger’s Boogey-Man Bistro stuff Superman readers silly with generous helpings of sci-fi-inspired monsters, but the editor’s story cauldron also simmered with kid-friendly pastiches of filmland’s most famous monsters that were dipped into by his writers, time and time again. Spooked by Wolf Man movie reruns? Then you’ll howl over Jimmy Olsen’s

Teenage Mutant Cub-Reporter Turtle (top) The terrifying titan on the cover of the July 1940 edition of the pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories imprinted DC Comics’ Superman editor Mort Weisinger so much that he “borrowed” the beast for (bottom) one of Superman’s pal’s wildest transformations. Cover to Jimmy Olsen #53 (June 1961) by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye. Thrilling Wonder Stories © 1940 Thriling Publications. Superman and Jimmy Olsen TM & © DC Comics.

4 • BACK ISSUE • Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue

Ant Farm (left) Warner Bros.’ Them! drove moviegoers buggy, and Weisinger took notice with

If Weisinger wasn’t in the audience for 1954’s Them!—the schlocky giant ant movie that epitomized (right) Jimmy Olsen #54 (July 1961) and other the atomic-bomb parables of postwar America—some of the children in his focus groups must have seen it comics with Superman fighting giant ants. and excitedly reported to him, as giant ants often Cover by Swan and John Forte. Them! poster bolted from the crevices of Uncle Mort’s House of Super-Scares. Actually, giant ants first infested Weisinger’s courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com). mind in the pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories’ Them! © Warner Bros. Superman and Jimmy Olsen TM & © DC Comics. December 1938 issue, whose cover depicted a man riding the back of a menacing, enormous ant; this image was cribbed for the Curt Swan-drawn cover of transformations into “The Wolf-Man of Metropolis.” Jimmy Olsen #54 (July 1961), where Superman’s “pal” Shrinking from fear from Dr. Cyclops and The Incredible lorded over kryptonite-wielding giant ants. Also, a giant Shrinking Man? Then Brainiac or an evil Olsen ant engineered “The Defeat of Superman” in Superman imposter is on hand—with pincers— #110 (Jan. 1957), and the Metropolis Marvel to chase after scampering miniaturized himself—with a mutated ant-head that Superman family members. Thrilled by would make The Fly’s David Hedison the mood swings of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. nervously blubber, “Help meeeeee!”— Hyde? Then don’t miss Lois Lane as led a skyscraper-scaling colony of giant the devilishly duplicitous “Madam ants in Action #296 (Jan. 1963). Jekyll of Metropolis.” Has The Mummy Dragons must have also polled high left you unraveled? Then be amazed among the focus-group kids, as Weisinger unleashed those scaly as Superman cowers from a mummy’s unveiling of his “Face of Fear.” Going fire-breathers with alarming frequency ape over King Kong? Then watch in numerous Superman comics, stretching Superman monkey around with Titano, back to 1952 and Superman #78’s the Super-Ape, the lethal leviathan “The Beast from Krypton” (many with kryptonite vision. Frankenstein monstrous Kryptonian creatures of mort weisinger fans muttered, “Mort, Good!” all types would follow). The Silver Age © DC Comics. during the Silver Age: not only was produced no shortage of Superman Superman’s topsy-turvy doppelganger Bizarro a vs. dragon tales, from a dragon from King Arthur’s Frankensteinish view of the Action Ace through a Court, to a space dragon, to return bouts with the cracked lens, but a not-so-scary version of the Flame-Dragon of Krypton. Even after the franchise Frankenstein Monster became a familiar cameo star changed editorial hands in the 1970s, dragons continued in Superman comics. Even Satan—or approximations to thunder into Superman tales, including the Superman/ thereof—raised a little hell in Silver Age Superman Teen Titans team-up in World’s Finest #205 and the tales, making Superman-marriage pacts with lovelorn Man of Steel’s apparent condoning of a dragon eating Lois and turning Supergirl into a demon! Metropolis citizens (!) in Superman #270.

TM & © DC Comics.

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of the Daily Planet, who vows to ply sensationalized gossip and sex to “bring this paper out of the Dark Ages!” Oddly, the Planet immediately finds itself under attack, first by a shimmering apparition, then by the Frankenstein Monster, who slaps around both Clark Kent and Superman. It turns out that the newspaper is under the spectral protection of its original printer’s assistant—or a “printer’s devil”— who uses supernatural occurrences to scare away Waxman. The story’s use of Frankenstein is nominal, but warrants a cover appearance. A few years later, in 1986, readers were counting down toward what truly would be “A New Kind of Superman Coming”: writer/ artist John Byrne’s The Man of Steel, rebooting Superman’s continuity. Editor Julie Schwartz was marking time to retirement—actually, to consultant status at DC, serving as the company’s “goodwill ambassador”—and a variety of writers and artists were cranking out old-style Superman stories before the Man of Tomorrow became the Man of Tomorrow’s Continuity. Once such tale was “Caitiff: First of the Vampires!” in Action #577 (Mar. 1986), plotted and penciled by Keith Giffen, scripted by Robert Loren Fleming, and inked by Bob Oksner. This trio, with editor Schwartz, might’ve been the creative team behind the wacky Ambush Bug projects, but their “Caitiff” tale was nothing to poke fun at. The horrors start as the Metropolis Center for Disease Control battles “a new form of seizure that has mystified medical experts,” likened to acute anemia. Superman sticks his super-nose into the “disease” and concludes, “Unless I’m losing my mind, those hospital patients are the prey of a modern-day vampire!!” Utilizing deductive skills that would make Batman proud, Superman tracks his prey to his hideaway in the sewers. But as Superman moves in to apprehend the vampire, Caitiff—the last of his people, a race of ghouls that came to Earth generations ago and “gave birth to the legend of Dracula”—leads Superman to the poignant realization that this First of the Vampires is, like the Last Son of Krypton, the “sole survivor” of his race. Caitiff scurries away while Superman is lost in thought, and at story’s end the Man of Steel ponders, when considering what he’d do were he in the vampire’s position, “I’d survive at all costs, for the sake of my race!” Would Superman still honor his duty to capture the vampire? While this tale begs a sequel, the impending revamp would deny it. And now we return to the aforementioned Marv Wolfman, who scripted Superman #422 (Aug. 1986)—the penultimate issue of the pre-Crisis series and the issue before Alan Moore’s landmark “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” Wolfman’s is a wolf-man’s tale, “Dark Moon Rising,” its frightening, monochromatic Werewolf Superman cover by Brian Bolland sure to induce nightmares for the faint-hearted. In what was editor Schwartz’s last gimmick cover, this wasn’t actually Superman wearing the “S” but a lycanthrope named Lawrence, who overpowers the Man of Steel in a battle in the story and steals his super-suit as a “trophy” of his victory. Lawrence is one of a group of scientists at Lupus Labs in Metropolis, and when Superman investigates further he discovers a group of scientifically created werewolves and rolls up his sleeves for what might be his last fight.

Bad Moon Rising Late-Bronze Age Superman vs. monsters encounters in (top left) Action #531 (May 1982, cover by Ross Andru and Frank Giacoia), (top right) Action #577 (Mar. 1986, cover by Keith Giffen and Bob Oksner), and (bottom) Superman #422 (Aug. 1986, cover by Brian Bolland). TM & © DC Comics.

The truth is, it was Superman’s last fight with monsters—at least this version of the hero, the Silver/Bronze Age Superman. These monster skirmishes, while generally disregarding previously published similar stories and treating each encounter with its Frankensteins, vampires, and wolf-men as new, emphasized plot contrivances over monster bashing. Yet they also represent a gradual maturation of the comic- book medium, with Superman writers exploring new, more formidable threats for a powerhouse who had been known to push planets and knock out bad guys merely by flicking his finger. They may be considered primitive by contemporary standards, but these Superman vs. monsters stories pointed the character toward the destructive Doomsday and Darkseid wars that would follow… and they each provided 22 or so pages of fun for the reader. Special thanks to Cary Bates and Marv Wolfman. Denny O’Neil, Martin Pasko, and Len Wein quotes hail from 2006 interviews I conducted for my book, The Krypton Companion (TwoMorrows, 2006).

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by M

[Editor’s note: The following essay originally appeared in the book The Batcave Companion by Michael Eury and Michael Kronenberg (TwoMorrows, 2009). It has been edited for publication in BACK ISSUE.] It seems only fitting that Batman, the “creature of the night,” would be pitted against the forces of terror in the form of monsters, ghosts, and ghouls. In Batman’s first year of existence, no less than three issues featured him battling vampires and werewolves in Hungary, and hulking killer monsters created by Hugo Strange. In many ways, the Batman’s own costume and appearance indelibly links him to supernatural forces. In his groundbreaking book The Steranko History of Comics vol. 1 (1970), legendary comic-book artist and historian Jim Steranko wrote, “Heavily steeped in Teutonic atmosphere, Batman conjured up visions of vampires with his black cloak, grim visage and white slit eyes. He moved through cubistic backgrounds of

ichael Kronenberg

warped perspectives and paranoic tilt shots, of shadows and silhouettes that gave credence to the thought that he was indeed more bat than man. Dressed like a wealthy count by day, he would emerge Dracula-like at night for fantastic forays amidst moonlit settings.” Batman’s debut in 1939 closely coincided with Hollywood’s exploration of horror in the movies. With Batman’s Bronze Age conversion, it followed suit that creators would renew his clash with the “armies of the night.” Many of Batman’s brushes with horror in the 1970s mirrored pop culture’s love of “things that go bump in the night.”

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ first collaboration finds Batman embroiled in a case involving a married couple who have been alive for over 120 years. “The Secret of the Waiting Graves” in Detective Comics #395 (Jan. 1970) finds Batman in Mexico investigating the strange occurrences

Creatures of the Night The Gotham Guardian versus Man-Bat! Detective Comics #400 (June 1970), featuring Man-Bat’s first appearance, and his prompt return in issue #402. Covers by Neal Adams. TM & © DC Comics.

Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue • BACK ISSUE • 15

Life or Death Choices (top) Adams’ cover for the gothic chiller “The Secret of the Waiting Graves” in Detective Comics #395 (Jan. 1970), at the dawn of the Bronze Age. (bottom) Courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com), original Neal Adams cover art for Man-Bat’s third appearance, in ’Tec #407 (Jan. 1971). TM & © DC Comics.

at the estate of Juan and Dolores Muerto. On the opening splash page the Batman stands over two open graves with the Muertos’ names engraved on them. Bruce Wayne is a party guest of the Muertos. Thugs, wolves, and falcons guard the Muertos’ compound, protecting their dark secret. They have discovered eternal youth through the rare Sybil flower, but the side effect is “total and utter insanity,” as described by a Mexican government agent. The agent confronts the Muertos in the monastery where they hide their cache of flowers. The government agent is attacked by the Muertos and Batman follows closely behind, only to be overtaken by the strong hallucinogenic power of the Sybil flowers. Overcome by the flowers, the agent and Batman are bound and left for ravenous falcons by the Muertos. Through sheer force of will Batman resists the flowers’ effects and defeats the birds of prey. He sets fire to the flowers. When the Muertos discover the fire they panic and run back to the monastery only to see the effects of the flowers’ fumes negated by their excitement. Neal Adams portrays the couple running, and panel-by-panel they age 100 years, dying before our eyes. They drop into the open graves we see on the story’s splash page. The theme of attaining immortality and its final frightening cost has been explored many times in books, movies, and television. In 1935 RKO Pictures released She, produced by Merian C. Cooper, who created King Kong. She is the story of a 500-year old civilization that is discovered in the Russian arctic and whose queen has lived that long by bathing herself in a mystical eternal flame. One of the most famous stories of eternal youth gone wrong is The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Oscar Wilde novel was adapted into a classic movie by MGM in 1945, starring Hurd Hatfield and George Sanders. It tells the story of Dorian Gray, a handsome young man who has his portrait painted. Under certain influences he becomes morally corrupt and as he ages, the portrait reflects his debauchery and age, while he remains youthful. Over time, the painting depicts a hideous monster and those close to Gray become suspicious of his eternal youth. Possibly the most underrated movie about the pitfalls of eternal life was Hammer Films’ The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959), starring Anton Diffring and directed by Terence Fisher. It features a truly terrifying ending that’s very similar to the final fate of the Muertos in “The Secret of the Waiting Graves.” The story unfolds as Dr. Georges Bonnet (Diffring) discovers he can live forever through periodic gland transplants from young, healthy victims. One of the finest episodes of The Twilight Zone explored the immortality topic in “Long Live Walter Jameson” (Season One, Episode 24, original airdate 3–18–60). Penned by the brilliant writer Charles Beaumont, it starred Kevin McCarthy as Walter Jameson. In this story, a father forbids a history professor from marrying his daughter when he discovers that the captivating lecturer has actually lived for thousands of years. Ironically, not long after this episode was aired, Charles Beaumont began to suffer from a rare form of advanced aging. He died at the age of 38 from Alzheimer’s disease.

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. BAT

The first major addition to Batman’s Rogues’ Gallery in the Bronze Age was the monstrous Man-Bat. Created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams, he made his first appearance in Detective Comics #400 (June 1970). Bat-researcher Kirk Langstrom desires to attain the powers of the bats he studies so he can “have a natural ability even the great Batman doesn’t possess!” By taking doses of gland-extract from the bats, Langstrom begins to develop super-sensitive hearing and possesses a bat’s natural sonar, which allows him to navigate in darkness. Side effects take place and Langstrom takes on the physical attributes of a giant bat—a Man-Bat. He desperately tries to discover an antidote. In his debut, Man-Bat fights alongside Batman, thwarting a gang of would be thieves at the museum where Langstrom works. Langstrom blames Batman for his condition, telling him, “It was your inspiration… your great fight against criminals of the night—that brought this on me!” In future issues, Man-Bat’s mutation would continue both physically and psychologically. In Detective Comics #402 (Aug. 1970), “Man or Bat?,” we find Langstrom working feverishly to put together 16 • BACK ISSUE • Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue

Terrifying Tribute (left) Neal Adams’ Batman #227 cover, an homage to 1939’s moody Bob Kane cover for ’Tec #31. TM & © DC Comics.

the ingredients for an antidote, but to no avail. He also develops giant RUNNIN’ WITH THE DEVIL bat-wings and can fly. He begins to lose his human traits, thinking and One of Neal Adams’ most celebrated covers is Batman #227 (Dec. 1970), becoming more like a bat. The story continues in Detective Comics #407 featuring an omnipresent Batman hovering over a fog-enshrouded (Jan. 1971), “Marriage: Impossible.” Man-Bat is now fully deranged and mansion, while a caped man lead by ravenous wolves chases a has kidnapped his fiancée Francine. She allows him to inject her with the fleeing woman. Adams’ cover is an homage to the cover for Detective bat-serum—changing her into She-Bat. Using the advanced lab equipment Comics #31 (Sept. 1939), which shows Batman in a similar pose with he possesses in the Batcave, Batman develops an antidote. After a a fog enveloped castle as the Monk (the Hungarian vampire) flees, protracted struggle with the bat-couple, Batman injects both Man-Bat carrying a woman. Batman #227 contains Denny O’Neil’s story “The Demon of and She-Bat with his antidote, returning them to their human forms. Neal Adams thought up and wrote a synopsis for a Man-Bat Gothos Mansion,” illustrated by Irv Novick and Dick Giordano. In this Lovecraftian horror tale, Batman agrees to look in on Alfred’s story and intended to present it to Julius Schwartz. “I had been niece Daphne (she had previously appeared in Batman #216, thinking about how I was going to approach Julie because Nov. 1969), who has taken on what has turned out to I didn’t want this Man-Bat story changed and ruined,” be a troubling and worrisome position as a teacher for Adams recollects. He found his opportune time when the family of Clifton Heathrow. Batman finds Daphne a story meeting between Schwartz and writer Frank Robbins turned up nothing fruitful. When Schwartz and quickly discovers she is being held captive by a asked Adams for ideas, he presented his Man-Bat coven of black-magic worshippers led by Heathrow. pitch. Adams was able to convince Schwartz to They are preparing to sacrifice her to the demon Ballk. use his idea, but the story had to be handed over After being captured himself and escaping from a to Robbins to write. deathtrap, Batman must overcome Heathrow’s followMan-Bat’s most recognizable influence is Robert ers and rescue Alfred’s niece. Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Like Jekyll, Some of writer H. P. Lovecraft’s most well-known stories dealt with strange cults that worshipped Langstrom develops an elixir that will transform him demons and attempted to bring them back to life. for the betterment of man, but the experiment goes neal adams Of particular note are The Dunwich Horror and The woefully wrong, transforming him into a hideous Call of Cthulhu. monstrosity. The two finest film adaptations of © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Legendary film director Jacques Tourneur’s Night Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the 1920 version starring John Barrymore and the 1931 version starring Frederic March. March won of the Demon (1957) tells the story of American psychologist John the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal. Holden (played by Dana Andrews) traveling to London, where he The rather obscure 1957 film The Vampire bears some similarities participates in a symposium aiming to expose witchcraft and devil to Man-Bat. It has an interesting twist: The movie’s star, John Beal, worship as fraudulent. Holden focuses his attention on a cult run by plays a mild-mannered, small-town doctor who turns into a vampire Julian Karswell (played by Niall MacGinnis). Holden soon discovers that after accidentally ingesting pills that a deceased scientist had created Karswell does possess the ability to summon demons. Their confrontation while experimenting with vampire bats. The experiment attempted becomes a titanic battle of wits between good and evil. to regress the mind to primitive instincts so that methods could be The movie The Wicker Man (1973) deals with some of the elements found to improve our brains (seems like convoluted logic). But instead of “Demon of Gothos Mansion.” A policeman (played by Edward of improving the doctor’s mind, he becomes ill and addicted. He must Woodward) investigates reports of a missing girl in a strange, isolated take one pill every day. But each time he takes a pill he turns into a town. He finds the missing girl and believes she is going to be sacrificed monstrous and insane killer. by the town’s leader, Lord Summerisle (played by Christopher Lee). Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

by D a n

Haunted House of Ideas (left) Morbius invades Marvel Team-Up #3 (July 1972). Cover by Gil Kane and Vince Colletta. (right) A Thing or two, on the Kane/ John Romita, Sr. cover to Marvel Two-inOne #1 (Jan. 1974). TM & © Marvel.

The Marvel Universe has always been filled with wonders and thrills, featuring amazing beings from countless time periods and realms. Some were created to stir the soul and rouse the human spirit. But others are dark and terrifying, created to chill the blood and make the faint of heart quiver. While the Marvel Universe can be a bright and shining place, sometimes the brightest light casts the darkest shadows… and in those shadows lurk the monsters. Before Marvel Comics existed in the form that became popularized beginning in the early 1960s, the publisher was known as Atlas Comics. Atlas was like a lot of the other comics companies of the 1950s. They published war comics, Western comics, jungle comics, humor comics, and even dusted off their best superheroes from the 1940s like Captain America, the Human Torch, and Sub-Mariner, to see if there was a market for them. And then there were Atlas’ horror comics. In the early 1950s, Atlas published such spooky titles as Adventures into Weird Worlds, Menace, and Suspense. Then came Dr. Frederic Wertham’s juvenile-delinquency witch-hunt that

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J o h n s o n and M i c h a e l E u r y

nearly drove a stake through the heart of the comics business. In its wake arose the watchdog organization the Comics Code Authority, and as a result Atlas’ content steered away from horror toward science fiction and fantasy. Comicdom often regards the Atlas era of the 1950s and early 1960s as a monster-lovers paradise, and understandably so: The universe that would eventually spawn the Spider-Man and the X-Men was populated by brutish behemoths like the Glob, Zzutak, Bombu, Googam, Torr, and Fin Fang Foom! Initially, these Atlas monsters were birthed in science, or they came from other worlds, since science-gone-wrong creations and alien invaders were Comics Code-friendly. Plus, these sci-fi stories and the monsters presented therein appealed to kids who were watching chiller and flying-saucer films that ran at their local movie theaters or on television, usually presented by a horror host on their local stations. But Atlas’ publishing content would change with the uniting of superheroes dedicated to fighting for justice… heroes that belonged to the Distinguished Competition.

The Scary Marvel Marching Society (top left) Monsters like Rorgg were a dime a dozen in Atlas titles. (top right) Creature cravers were lured to 1961’s Fantastic Four #1. (middle left) Monster or hero? 1962’s Hulk #1 lets fans decide. (middle right) Spider-Man foe the Lizard would’ve felt at home in an old Atlas comic. (bottom) Marvelous monster-maker Stan Lee in an Atlas era photograph. TM & © Marvel.

WHERE MONSTERS DWELL

As legend has it, Martin Goodman, the publisher of Atlas Comics, saw the success rival DC Comics was having with its revitalized superheroes, especially the newly created Justice League of America. “I was asked to create a team of superheroes because DC’s team was selling well,” Marvel’s editor and writer, Stan Lee, explained in 2004 in an interview for the TwoMorrows book, The Justice League Companion. “Who the team would consist of, what their powers would be, and what they would do was left entirely up to me.” Lee and FF co-creator Jack Kirby hedged their bet by putting the grotesque Thing in their team (it also didn’t hurt that the FF’s first adversary was the freakish Mole Man, who lived on Monster Isle, surrounded by all manner of beasties), a monsterhero who looked as if he might have tromped off the pages of an Atlas monster book. That way people might pick up Fantastic Four and think it was another monster magazine. As issue after issue of Fantastic Four came out, readers sympathized with the plight of poor Ben Grimm, doomed to live out his days as the orange, rocky Thing. Even though Ben was the mightiest member of the amazing quartet, all victims of cosmic-ray mutation, originally he considered himself a hideous outsider who would never be accepted by normal people. Where his teammates could go out in public and have a normal life, the Thing frightened passersby, and cloaked his startling appearance behind a trench coat and hat. Lee and Kirby again mixed the horrific and the heroic when creating the Incredible Hulk, owing more to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein than Superman and Captain Marvel. Scientist Bruce Banner, a man who committed an act of bravery during a gamma-bomb test, as a result was cursed to transform into a monster of pure rage. The US Army, led by General Thunderbolt Ross—who fell just short of wielding a torch and pitchfork—relentlessly hounded the Hulk, who just wanted to be left alone. A fine line separating the horrific and the heroic runs through other origins of the Silver Age Marvel heroes, who were created in the same sciencegone-wrong manner as many monsters in the Atlas stories. For example, Hank Pym’s first appearance in Tales to Astonish #27 (Jan. 1962), where he shrinks to become “The Man in the Ant Hill,” is the stuff of nightmares—and Richard Matheson stories. But by issue #35, Pym has become the costumed, sizechanging hero Ant-Man and mastered the ants that once threatened him. As the Marvel Universe grew, many of its superheroes ended up fighting a few monsters. In his first appearance Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue • BACK ISSUE • 27

As I arrive in the mountains of Romania, an ancient castle lies before me. I knew such castles from my childhood in England, that land of imbecilic knights and screaming maidens. It is a country I have come to loathe. Everyone said Stoker’s penny dreadful was fiction. They mocked me for believing. Yet here I stand. The castle doors will not budge, but I find the servant’s entrance and push it open inch by inch. I laugh. No barrier can long delay the true heir of Falsworth. I enter through a door meant for peasants, but I will leave here the master of this land, with my own undead slaves. My torch lit, I move through the dusty kitchen. I walk into the grand foyer, past an ancient piano and ruined chandelier. Vermin scurry from the flickering light. Finally, I find it. The stone staircase leading to the lower depths. I ignore the cobwebs that lick my face as I tread carefully through broken stones and burn-scarred walls. Fearful locals have destroyed most of this once mighty fortress, except for the hidden room I seek. Checking the small map which cost me dearly, I pull down the wall sconce and the hidden door swings back. I shove hard, forcing an opening wide enough to squeeze through. Ahh… there they are. Four jet-black coffins that still have a sheen of polish to their timeworn exteriors. I pry the largest one open with my hammer and chisel. After some effort, I thrust the lid of the coffin onto the stone floor. And there he is. Alabaster-skinned Dracula, Lord of the Undead. Fortune and glory await me now. I shall control this monster, and the world will be mine… including my despised homeland. Unexpectedly, the demon’s eyes open and he takes me in with a withering glance. “What have we here?” he states, as one would address a cockroach. Before I can reach my cross or stake, he engulfs my throat in a vise-like embrace. “I thirst,” he seethes, and his fangs flash like razors. My last thought of that life is, “How? How can my perfect plans have failed so utterly?” When I wake, I am… something else. I am no longer the master here, if I ever was. I am the slave. Over the decades, creators have done an amazing job bringing nuance to comic-book characters; heroes, villains, even supporting casts. Magneto was scarred by his childhood experiences in a concentration camp. Dr. Doom has an innate nobility and honor to complement his campaign for world domination. However, occasionally superhero fans welcome an antagonist of pure, undiluted malevolence. Fans, meet Baron Blood. John Falsworth, a.k.a. the bloody Baron, is not just a supervillain; he’s a vampire Nazi supervillain. They don’t come more evil than that.

FIRST BLOOD

The good Baron first bit into the Marvel Universe in Invaders #7 (July 1976). The Invaders, of course, were Marvel’s premier superhero team of World War II. Charter members included Captain America and Bucky; the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond; his kid sidekick Toro; and a prickly Namor, the Sub-Mariner. The Invaders spent the bulk of their time in Europe, fighting the Axis menace. Their war cry of “Axis, here we come!” sent many enemy soldiers scattering in fear for their lives [see BACK ISSUE #39 for more on this iconic Bronze Age series—ed.]. The comic was created and written by Roy Thomas, and mostly drawn by artist Frank Robbins. Robbins is often criticized by collectors for having an over-the-top, cartoony style, but his art worked perfectly for Thomas’ kinetic and action-filled Invaders tales.

Bad Blood The Star-Spangled Sentinel necks with Baron Blood in Captain America #254 (Feb. 1981). Cover by John Byrne and Joe Rubinstein. TM & © Marvel.

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by J e r r y

Smith

World War Tooth Courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com), Baron Blood premieres in Invaders #7 (July 1976). Original art by Jack Kirby (signed) and Frank Giacoia, with John Romita, Sr. alterations. (inset) The published cover. Note that the price increase was delayed. Invaders went to 30 cents with issue #8. TM & © Marvel.

Roy Thomas spoke to BACK ISSUE regarding the genesis of Baron Blood: “I was doing takeoffs on various DC and even Marvel heroes, turning them into villains, and wanted to do a Batman type. But Batman is pretty boring power-wise and no match for the Invaders, so I figured a ‘vampire bat-man’ (a phrase from the last panel of Harvey Kurtzman’s ‘Batboy and Rubin’ back in the color MAD) was a better idea. I didn’t know till later that there’d been a movie vampire by that name, or I might not have used it [Baron Blood, a 1972 Italian film]. So I’m glad I didn’t know, ’cause I feel Baron Blood’s a very good name!” As Invaders #7 opens, the Invaders are involved in a fiery air battle in England. After an explosive victory, our boys go out for a night on the town, minus the Human Torch, who feels the need to walk the streets and work out some internal issues. When he hears a woman scream, he foils the attack of Baron Blood on two English civilian volunteers. And what an introduction for the Baron! He is dressed in a body-hugging, gray-and-purple batinspired costume, including a cowl with flared bat-ears. John Falsworth’s upturned nose and bat-like features only increased the character’s bat-like persona. He and the Torch battle on the streets of London, with the bloody Baron whipping up a windstorm to put out the Torch’s flame. Monologuing about how invincible he is, the Baron then beats a retreat into the night. Shouting threats as he flees in fear, his main personality attributes of sniveling and arrogance are highlighted for the first time. bloody Baron, but he still managed to escape. After dinner, The Torch discovers the Baron’s intended victim is the Invaders go hunting for the Baron—and find him. Jacqueline Falsworth, daughter of Lord James Falsworth. Fighting to a standstill, the Invaders are joined by a Returning Jacqueline to the stately family manor, surprise ally—Union Jack! Lord Falsworth has donned her father, Lord Falsworth, relates to the Torch that he his uniform for the first time in decades to fight the was actually the original superhero Union Jack, sort of vampire menace. Blinded by an explosion of silver dust, a British Captain America. Union Jack fought alongside Baron Blood once again snivels off into the night, shouting the superhero team Freedom’s Five in World War I. empty threats. One can just imagine him cowering behind That is also where Union Jack first encountered Baron his creator, Dracula, and shouting at vampire hunters, Blood. As he explains to the Torch, “The mysterious “The master will destroy you!” while he trembles and looks for cover. Baron Blood was the German’s greatest secret roy thomas Thomas finished this first tale of Baron Blood in weapon in the closing days of the last war… a vampire! The one foe we could never defeat!” Probably because Invaders #8, which is filled to the brim with story. © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Baron Blood was too busy running away. Jacqueline Falsworth collapses from her previous attack Baron Blood then stages an attack on the rest of the Invaders, who are by the Baron and is saved by a blood transfusion from the Human flying through the English night in Namor’s airship. The Baron scares the Torch. This later transforms her into the heroine Spitfire, and she holy hell out of them by soaring out of nowhere and doing a full- eventually joins the Invaders. After hypnotizing Union Jack, Baron Blood body crash through their windshield. Toro runs the Baron off, and he confronts Jacqueline and reveals his identity—and his origin story. once again flees laughing into the night. When he lands, the Baron Leaving England in the early 20th Century in search of power, is first revealed to readers as Lord Falsworth’s brother (now immortal John Falsworth’s journey takes him to Dracula’s castle, where the Count and posing as his nephew), John Falsworth! Currently, vampire John is easily overpowers him and transforms him into a vampire. Still bitter living in the Falsworth mansion, posing as a rather obnoxious British about Jonathan Harker trying to kill him (as related in Bram Stoker’s aristocrat (which he is, I suppose). He even reveals to readers that Nazi Dracula novel), Dracula dispatches Falsworth to wreak havoc on England, scientists have given him treatments that allow him to resist sunlight Harker’s homeland. To do this, he joins the German side of World War for short periods, assisting with his human disguise. When asked if he I. After the war, Falsworth returns to Germany and eventually becomes had fun making Baron Blood so delightfully evil, Roy Thomas remarks, a follower of Adolf Hitler, noting, “I recognized him and his followers “I suppose so… I don’t recall. But [when creating him] I had in mind as men truly as evil as myself—aye, even Count Dracula himself.” certain Nazi-sympathizing English lords I knew about.” The Invaders burst on the scene for a battle royale in a local abandoned The story picks up in Invaders #8 (Sept. 1976). During a dinner cave (apparently they’re all over England). In the skirmish, Lord Falsworth’s party, Lord Falsworth relates to the Invaders his final battle of World War Union Jack is crippled and Captain America slams Baron Blood onto a I, fighting Baron Blood on the London Bridge. Union Jack defeated the stalagmite—resulting in his first death. Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue • BACK ISSUE • 39

Geof Isherwood, Vic is calling himself Khiron and preying on the criminal element of New York, slaughtering anyone he thinks is guilty. Even Morgana has decided to kill him if he returns to their apartment. When Dr. Strange forces him to recognize that he almost murdered an innocent, Vic impales himself on a stake, taking his own life. This is the bloody end of the second Baron Blood.

BARON BLOOD, ACT THREE

The third and final version of Baron Blood is revealed in the excellent 1998–1999 miniseries Union Jack #1–3, by Benjamin Raab and John Cassady. Here Union Jack is still Joey Chapman, the character created by the Stern/Byrne team in Captain America. Again, Chapman was a friend of Kenneth Crichton, grandson of the original Union Jack. Kenneth had no interest in continuing the Union Jack legacy, but Chapman, a working-class Englishman, did. Chapman has become adept a being a hero, devoting most of this time to destroying vampires. His friend Kenneth suffers from a rare form of anemia and is in desperately declining health. Enter vampire Baroness Blood—the daughter of the original Cromwell, who was the man the first Baron Blood masqueraded as to infiltrate the Falsworth household in the Stern/Byrne story arc. Baroness Blood is a nasty piece of work, as revealed when she offers to turn Kenneth into a vambenjamin raab pire to cure his anemia. He agrees, and the third Baron Blood, grandson of Lord Falsworth, the origCourtesy of Benjamin Raab. inal Union Jack, is born. According to writer Benjamin Raab, now Writer/Co-Executive Producer on the CW show Arrow, “I bought Invaders #40 off the spinner rack while on a family vacation in Florida. I remember being drawn to the Dave Cockrum/Joe Sinnott cover in which Cap, the Human Torch, and Namor were oblivious to the fact that [Baron] Blood was holding hostage Miss America right behind them. This was my first exposure to the original incarnation of the character. I was probably about eight years old when that book came out. To a young Jewish kid who thought vampires were scary as f*ck to begin with, the idea that one of those bloodsuckers would be in league with the Nazis was doubly terrifying.” Raab continues, “The seduction of Kenneth Crichton that led to him becoming Baron Blood was all about exploiting his desire for power. On the surface, it was about him having the power to overcome his crippling anemia. But on a deeper, more emotional level, it was about him acquiring the power to exact revenge on his friend for stealing the legacy of Union Jack—a legacy Kenneth believed should’ve been his in the first place.” Following instructions from his mistress Baroness Blood, the new Baron Blood steals the Holy Grail from a museum, giving the Baroness an artifact that will make her invincible. She betrays Kenneth to the sunlight, and he crumbles to dust in his friend Joey’s arms. Thus Union Jack declares a bitter goodbye to the last Baron Blood. “[John and I] saw him as being more desperate than evil, per se,” says Raab. “Which is why Union Jack was able to hold out hope that just maybe he could save his friend… up until Crichton’s final moments when he was crumbling to dust in Joey’s hands. At that point, it was clear that there’d be no redemption for Baron Blood.”

Victor Strange, Vampire Supreme (top left) The new Baron Blood, on Jackson Guice’s cover to Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #15 (Mar. 1990). This cover proved controversial and earned Marvel a lawsuit from its unauthorized use of Christian/pop singer Amy Grant in its background. (bottom) Vic’s at it again, on this signed original cover by Geof Isherwood to issue #56 (Aug. 1993), courtesy of Heritage. (top right) The bloody bad guy battles the patriotic paragon on John Cassady’s cover to Union Jack #2 (Jan. 1999). TM & © Marvel.

Although Baron Blood is dead (for now), he is quite busy at modern Marvel. In the Spider-Gwen Universe, Baron Blood is a vampire based on the musician Prince. In the goofy miniseries Marvel Apes, where Earth’s heroes have corresponding ape versions, Baron Blood poses as Captain America in the Ape-Vengers. In the Old Man Logan comics, Logan has a flashback where Baron Blood and other villains stand over the dead bodies of the fallen heroes in that world. The Baron has his own toys, busts, and action figures. What makes this sniveling sensation so popular, 45 years after his first appearance? Roger Stern remarks, “He’s a vampire supervillain with a great name and costume… what else do you need?” Baron Blood co-creator Roy Thomas has an idea, too. “Well, the Baron was a Nazi vampire. There’s both real world and supernatural evil bound up in one individual. It’s not easy to find a more obvious villain.” The author would like to offer sincere thank-yous to Roy Thomas, Roger Stern, Benjamin Raab, Randy Bowen, and Steven Thompson for assistance with this article. Couldn’t have done it without you! JERRY SMITH is a sales rep and freelance writer living in Northern Kentucky. He has read comic books since before he could read. Follow his blog about comics and pop culture at https://jerryshumbleopinions.blogspot.com.

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by G

lenn Greenberg

When The Tomb of Dracula launched in 1972, readers could be forgiven for thinking that the series was set outside the Marvel Universe. Based on its unrelentingly dark mood and tone, its singular style, and especially its insular nature, it was anything but clear that the Lord of the Undead and his most relentless pursuers— Rachel Van Helsing, Frank Drake, and Quincy Harker— lived on the same Earth as the numerous costumed crimefighters, godlike beings, and cosmic crusaders appearing in Marvel’s other titles. That was very much intentional on the part of the Dracula creative team. But over time, as commercial considerations—namely sales figures—became more of a factor, the dividing line between Count Dracula’s world and the Marvel Universe blurred. What had once seemed highly unlikely— Dracula crossing paths with the likes of a certain Web-Slinger, a Master of the Mystic Arts, and a former herald of Galactus—became a reality. Such encounters were kept to a minimum, at first. But a growing number of Marvel’s writers seemed to find the Count as irresistible as his many victims did, and, for better or for worse, Dracula eventually became not just a vampire but a full-blown supervillain. To the writer most associated with Marvel’s version of Dracula, this was not an ideal development.

WORLDS APART

“To me, all of the horror books were outside the Marvel Universe,” says Marv Wolfman, who took over as the writer of Tomb of Dracula with #7 (Mar. 1973) and remained until the very end. (Wolfman’s arrival followed two-issue stints by, in order, Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin, and Gardner Fox.) “It was a hard enough problem creating mood, tension, and suspense in a comic book, which is all still pictures. But to then have to worry about superheroes or supervillains at the same time—I didn’t feel that would work,” he tells BACK ISSUE. Wolfman was diligent about keeping Tomb of Dracula its own thing. “Every writer at Marvel at that time had one book that was unique,” he says. “For Roy [Thomas], it was Conan. Steve Gerber—Howard the Duck. Don McGregor— Black Panther. Doug Moench—Master of Kung Fu. Dracula was the special book for me, and I was not going to let that be screwed up, no matter what.” Wolfman was not totally averse to crossovers, as long as they felt natural. He expressed no objections to Dracula’s run-in with Robert E. Howard’s Puritan adventurer, Solomon Kane, who often fought supernatural threats. That encounter, set several centuries in the past, occurred in a story written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Alan Weiss and the inking team “The Crusty Bunkers,” and published in the black-and-white magazine Dracula Lives! #3 (Oct. 1973). (A sequel, by writer Donald F. Glut and artist David Wenzel, ran in The Savage Sword of Conan #26, Jan. 1978.) It also felt appropriate for Dracula to guest-star in The Frankenstein Monster #7–9 (Nov. 1973–

Blood Storm Ororo gets a taste of vampirism on the creepy, cool Bill Sienkiewicz cover of X-Men Annual #6 (1982). TM & © Marvel.

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Mar. 1974), written by Gary Friedrich, penciled by John Buscema, and inked by John Verpoorten. Set in the late 1890s, the three-part storyline revealed that the Frankenstein Monster unwittingly helped to resurrect Dracula shortly after his death at the end of Bram Stoker’s novel. And The Tomb of Dracula #18 crossed over with Werewolf by Night #15 (both Mar. 1974), which made sense too—especially since Wolfman was writing both titles. (Yes, Marvel’s werewolf comic book was at one time being written by a guy named Wolfman.) Still, there came a point when the needs of the company overrode artistic integrity. In 1974, Marvel decided to launch “Giant-Size” 64-page comics starring its top-selling characters, one of which, of course, was Spider-Man. For the Giant-Size Spider-Man series, the idea was to emulate Marvel Team-Up, where each issue would pair the Web-Slinger with another Marvel character. It was decided that the first issue would feature Spider-Man co-starring with— you guessed it—Dracula, whose own title was already receiving widespread acclaim.

WORLDS COLLIDE

“For some months now, we’ve been on the receiving end of letters regarding the possibility of an issue of our everpopular Marvel Team-Up mag being devoted to a meeting of two of Marvel’s mightiest super-stars—none other than the Amazing Spider-Man and the diabolical Count Dracula,” then-Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas wrote in an article published in Giant-Size Spider-Man #1 (July 1974). “An equal number cried ‘Heaven forfend!’ to the whole thing, and decreed/demanded that Morbius and the Man-Wolf were fine, since they fit in the same science-fictional atmosphere as the Wall-Crawler himself—but that a non-negotiable curse would descend upon our heads if we dared cross the line… to feature Dracula and his Undead ilk.” But, as Thomas revealed, the story was inevitable, based on the popularity of both characters. He acknowledged the “vague, uneasy relationship” between Marvel’s superhero titles and what he termed the company’s “mystery mags.” A story starring Spider-Man and Dracula would, he explained, finally answer a question that readers had been asking for quite some time: “Where does Dracula fit in the Marvel Universe? Is he in the same space/time continuum as Spider-Man… Morbius… the Hulk… Conan, for that matter?” Thomas answered with an unequivocal “yes.” Explaining his reasoning, he wrote that, as opposed to DC Comics, “What Smilin’ Stan Lee had in mind there, a little over a decade ago now, was a consistent Universe—where Spidey and Dr. Strange and the Hulk could develop side by side with yet-undreamed-of Marvel co-stars like Dracula, Conan, and even Killraven, Warrior of the Worlds.” There was one problem, however. Wolfman was opposed to a Spider-Man/Dracula encounter—enough to decide to have nothing to do with it. “I turned it down,” he says. “They had someone else write it because I wouldn’t do it.”

Team-Ups of Terror (top left) Drac and the Monster, in Marvel’s Frankenstein #8 (Jan. 1974). Cover by John Buscema. (top right) A Count/Wall-Crawler team-up (sort of) in Giant-Size Spider-Man #1 (July 1974). Cover by John Romita, Sr. (bottom) Tomb of Dracula scribe Marv Wolfman’s first Dracula/Marvel crossover, with Brother Voodoo, in #35 (Aug. 1975). Cover by Gil Kane and Tom Palmer. TM & © Marvel.

44 • BACK ISSUE • Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue

Strange Tales A two-part crossover, in Tomb of Dracula #44 and Doctor Strange #14 (both May 1976). Covers by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. TM & © Marvel.

That “someone else” was Wolfman’s close friend and colleague, CALL IN THE DOCTOR Len Wein, who teamed up with penciler Ross Andru and inker Don Dracula’s next foray into the Marvel Universe—albeit its outer fringes— Heck for an unusual mix of superheroics and the supernatural. In the occurred in Tomb of Dracula #34–37 (July–Oct. 1975), in which Jericho story, Spider-Man has to sneak aboard a Manhattan-bound ocean Drumm, a.k.a. Brother Voodoo, guest-starred. Drumm and the Count liner to find the eccentric Doctor A. J. Maxfield, who is transporting an never meet, but the Voodoo master does come to the aid of Dracula’s experimental medicine designed to fight a powerful and deadly new descendant, Frank Drake, in Brazil, where Drake, as part of a plot strain of flu. With Aunt May having contracted the virus, and time launched by his ancestor to kill him, is set upon by a horde of zombies running out for her, the Wall-Crawler has only a matter of hours (called “zuvembies” in the story, to adhere to the Comics Code to reach Maxfield and bring the drug back to the city. Authority’s then-ban on the walking dead). Meanwhile, Dracula also boards the ship secretly, Several months later, Wolfman finally committed to a to track down the same doctor. The vampire, for reasons full-on crossover, one that would bring Dracula face to that are never fully explained, sees Maxfield and her face—and in direct conflict—with one of the major Marvel characters introduced in the Silver Age. Tomb of drug as a potential threat to his plans for world Dracula #44 kicked off a two-part story that concluded domination, so he intends to eliminate them both. in Doctor Strange #14 (both May 1976), which should To complicate matters further, mob boss Anthony clue you in on the identity of the vampire’s adversary. Cavelli and his goons are on board as well, with Cavelli determined to force Maxfield into turning After Dracula attacks and apparently kills Dr. the drug over to him, so he can use it as a negotiating Strange’s faithful servant, Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme hunts down the Lord of the Undead to avenge the tool to gain re-entry into the United States after murder—and hopefully find the means to restore having been exiled. While the storylines weave in and out of each Wong to life. Dracula proves to be more than a other, Spider-Man and Dracula never actually face match for Strange, however, and kills the mage too. marv wolfman off—they don’t fight, nor do they team up against a But considering this is the Master of the Mystic Arts Facebook. common enemy. The only time they cross paths is a we’re talking about, death isn’t really the end—and in short, two-panel scene where an out-of-costume Peter Parker literally their rematch, it’s the vampire who goes down, seemingly once and for all. bumps into the Count as each man pursues his own agenda. Wolfman no longer remembers what prompted the crossover, Presumably Wein, who passed away in 2017, shared Wolfman’s view but suspects it was an effort to increase the sales on Dracula. “When you that mixing the two genres wasn’t such a great idea. Putting the two have the sales figures in front of you, you can make adjustments,” lead characters in the same place yet keeping them apart was a clever he says. “And my view was, only if there was a significant problem solution, to be sure, and perhaps the only one that would satisfy about would I do a crossover or a guest appearance. I considered any of the crossovers as anomalies, and I did very few of them.” as many readers as it disappointed. Why Dr. Strange? Wolfman can’t recall, but there is one thing he On the art side, Spider-Man is served well enough—no real surprise there, since Andru was the regular penciler on The Amazing is certain of. “I know that I didn’t have a problem with it,” he says, Spider-Man at time. But it captured very little of the mood and “because Dr. Strange fits into a very different universe to begin with, atmosphere generated by the regular Tomb of Dracula art team of because of his unique nature and his ability to move through dimensions Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. and stuff like that. Even though he teams up with superheroes, I could Wolfman, incidentally, can offer no opinion of the story. “I never make an excuse as to him fitting into the supernatural universe, so that read it,” he says. “I saw no reason to.” was acceptable to me. Same with Brother Voodoo. Spider-Man wasn’t.” Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue • BACK ISSUE • 45

On the current cinema scene, Marvel and Godzilla are two of the biggest box-office attractions in the world. Fans love both the superhero smash-ups of Marvel and the Kaiju [Japanese giant-monsters—ed.] smackdowns of the world of Godzilla, and it seems that every subsequent film focusing on both hero and on monster will make box-office bank. Imagine if the two words collided—if the world of Godzilla and the world of Marvel crashed together in a seismic, Kaiju-versus-hero rumble with Iron Man, Thor, Dr. Strange, or the Hulk, testing their heroic mettle against the biggest, baddest monster of them all. Verily, the heavens would shake. In the Bronze Age, fans did not have to imagine this improbable monster-versus-hero mayhem because in the late ’70s, Marvel versus Godzilla was a reality. In 1977 writer Doug Moench and the late, great artist Herb Trimpe delivered the blazing-hot Godzilla #1 (Aug. 1977) to ravenous Marvel fans. At that time, Godzilla was a TV staple, with the King of the Monster’s films appearing all over syndicated and local television in various “Monster Week” incarnations. Yes, Godzilla was huge in 1977, and so was Marvel, as the House of Ideas became home to many outside licenses. Marvel welcomed with open arms Toho Co. Ltd.’s Godzilla into the house that Stan and Jack built. Herb Trimpe was no stranger to big, green, angry protagonists, as he had already become one of the DOUG MOENCH most legendary Incredible Hulk artists in Marveldom assembled. Trimpe taking the artistic chores of a bigger and greener monster just seemed perfect, and with the new Godzilla title basically being a Kaiju tour of the Marvel Universe, it made sense to have a yeoman Marvel artist like Trimpe leading the charge. Many Marvel heroes would appear in the pages of Godzilla, but it was a Marvel legend of a different kind that recruited writer Doug Moench to the project. “As I recall,” Moench tells BACK ISSUE, “I believe this was the one time Stan Lee himself asked me to do something specific. I don’t know why [he thought] I would be good for the project, but I remember going to a screening of a new Godzilla movie with Stan. He had a great time; he just laughed and clapped the whole time, but I thought it was really goofy. But I thought it was a good opportunity to do something different, to write a book aimed at younger readers.” In many of the Toho films, kids were Godzilla’s greatest allies, and it was this youthful appeal that drew Moench to the project. “I kept telling Stan, ‘Our readership is aging with us. At this point, most of them are adults.’ I thought we should be targeting kids more. If we couldn’t do it with the price, we’d do it with the kind of stories… I would do Godzilla deliberately aimed at kids. It wouldn’t be juvenile, it wouldn’t be talking down to kids. I would try to do it in a way adults could also enjoy. It would be designed to hit those things kids responded to in Godzilla. And kids were obsessed with Godzilla. Stan took three seconds and said, ‘You got it, Doug.’” So a title was born, a Godzilla book that would merge the world of Godzilla with the Marvel Universe, with the mission statement of attracting young readers. Unfortunately, Marvel’s deal with Toho did not allow for Godzilla’s more famed friends like Rodan or Mothra or foes like Gidorah to accompany Godzilla to the House of Ideas. But fans did get to see Trimpe’s Godzilla go against some of Marvel’s most legendary heroes. Plus, fans even got to witness some of Moench and Trimpe’s original creations survive and become part of the Marvel Universe after the Big G’s book was cancelled. So let us observe Kaiju history from a safe distance and witness the greatest geekdom battle royal of all, Godzilla versus the Marvel Universe, brought to us by two true legends, Moench and Trimpe!

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes vs. the King of Monsters Marvel’s Big Guns take on Toho’s Big G on the Herb Trimpe/ Dan Green cover to Marvel’s Godzilla #23 (June 1979). Godzilla © Toho Company Ltd. Marvel characters TM & © Marvel.

56 • BACK ISSUE • Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue

by M a r c

Buxton

GODZILLA VS. S.H.I.E.L.D., ROUND 1

Moench had a very good reason for frequently relying on familiar Marvel icons as he attempted to merge the worlds of Marvel and Toho. In a 2004 article by Tom Stewart about Marvel Comics’ Godzilla published in BACK ISSUE #6, Moench recollected, “I think in comics, which don’t have the I’m ready for my scale of movies, it’s very hard to have the main character be a monster. close-up, Mr. Lee! You need to offset it, very strongly, with the human element. In movies, they do it with the movie stars; in comics, they do it with the stars from Big G’s Marvel the other titles. I felt he probably needed a little… humanization?” debut, in Godzilla To humanize the giant lizard, Moench turned to the characters of the Marvel Universe. Imagine today, if Big G stomped onto an IMAX screen, #1 (Aug. 1977), shooting white-hot nuclear fire at a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. It would pure Moench/ melt the brains of moviedom assembled! But this impossible battle happened in the first issue of Moench and Trimpe’s Godzilla. Trimpe magic During Trimpe’s legendary run on The Incredible Hulk, the Green putting (bottom) Goliath was taken on a world tour and faced some of the best international stars and settings Marvel had to offer. Trimpe and Moench’s S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Dugan Godzilla would follow a similar plot structure. and Woo on the In the first issue of the King of the Monsters’ comic, Godzilla surfaced in Alaska. By setting the opening tale in the United States instead of monster’s trail. Godzilla’s usual stomping grounds of Japan, Moench allowed the book to include instant Marvel guest-stars. And sure enough, almost right after Godzilla © Toho Company Ltd. Marvel characters TM & © Marvel. Godzilla starts destroying Alaska’s oil pipeline (during the ’70s energy crisis—the denizens of the MU must have felt that at the pump!), Dum Dum Dugan and Jimmy Woo, famed and familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, show up on the scene to combat this new gargantuan menace. Nick Fury shows up as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. throws Stark weaponry at Godzilla, to no avail. S.H.I.E.L.D. was a natural for inclusion in Godzilla. Moench tells BACK ISSUE, “S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t have their own book at the time, [and as such] we wouldn’t impact continuity. They had this helicarrier that was huge and could go against Godzilla.” Furthermore, S.H.I.E.L.D. was used in Godzilla to protect the reputations of Marvel’s bigger guns. “Any of the other Marvel characters, if they weren’t able to stop Godzilla, they’d seem weak… you’d just be diminishing the reputations of the Marvel characters,” Moench Godzilla editor Archie Goodwin was aware of the King explains. “‘You mean, the Fantastic Four can’t stop of Monsters’ inherent economic realities. It was he who wanted Godzilla in the Marvel Universe and asked this?’ ‘You’re telling me Thor can’t stop this giant Moench to make it happen. Moench tells BI, “Archie lizard? He’s fought dragons, for Pete’s sake!’ The said, ‘You know, it would really help sales if we could S.H.I.E.L.D. guys worked. Then you only had to overlook, ‘Where’s Thor and the other guys when Godzilfeature some Marvel characters in here.’ I remember la’s stomping around?’” always thinking Archie was the best editor I ever worked Dum Dum Dugan is an excellent choice to play with. He didn’t bother you much. Everything he ever Captain Ahab to Big G’s white whale as Moench suggested was good. The people who bought it would be establishes S.H.I.E.L.D. as Godzilla’s main adversary for exposed to the Marvel Universe.” [Editor’s note: Starting the new title. Jimmy Woo is also a welcome addition. with issue #12, a succession of editors—Jim Shooter, As one of the few Asian Marvel characters at the time, Bob Hall, Jo Duffy, and Al Milgrom—oversaw Marvel’s herb trimpe it was appropriate to have Woo appear in a comic Godzilla until its conclusion with issue #24.] inspired by one of the biggest film sensations on that great continent. Yeah, Woo was Chinese and got his start in the “yellow GODZILLA VS. S.H.I.E.L.D., ROUND 2 peril” Yellow Claw title from 1956, but the character had become one Along with S.H.I.E.L.D. appearing as recurring characters, Moench and of the standouts in issues of Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and gave Trimpe also introduced a team of Japanese Godzilla experts in the Godzilla much-needed and culturally appropriate diversity. pages of the new mag. The young Robert “Rob” Takiguchi, the kindly Fans expecting to see Nick Fury lead the charge against the Big G and brilliant Tamara Hashioka, and the cold, yet humanistic Dr. Yuriko would be in for a disappointment, however. Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. Takiguchi (Rob’s grandfather) all make their debut in the premiere issue didn’t have its own book at the time, “we couldn’t use Nick Fury because of Godzilla, and believe me, these cats are right out of Toho central he was being used here and there,” Moench says. “It would complicate casting. (I think there’s an international law that states that every Kaiju any plans for Nick in other books if he was stuck on permanent Godzilla story has to have the brilliant older scientist, the warm-hearted female scientist, and the Godzilla-loving young boy.) assignment. It had to be the second-tier S.H.I.E.L.D. characters.” Also making his Godzilla debut in the second issue (Sept. 1977) is By going up against the King of the Monsters, the “second-tier” S.H.I.E.L.D. characters became first tier very quickly. After all, Dugan and S.H.I.E.L.D. legend Gabe Jones, one of the first African-American Marvel Woo were battling one of the biggest international film stars the world heroes [from Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos—ed.], who joins had ever seen! Another reason that S.H.I.E.L.D. became such a regular his S.H.I.E.L.D. brothers to take the fight to Godzilla as the King of the part of Marvel’s Godzilla was because the writer liked the concept and Monsters stomps across Seattle and tries to eat the famed Sky Needle its history. Moench fondly relates, “I was one of the few on my block who like a Smashburger. With the help of their three new Japanese friends, actually loved Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. I thought it was great. Dugan’s S.H.I.E.L.D. unit—now officially dubbed “the Godzilla Squad”— I loved Dum Dum Dugan. I wanted Dum Dum to fight Godzilla.” uses non-lethal weapons to force the Big G back into the Pacific. The first The first issue also gave readers a truncated origin for Godzilla, mention of Tony (Iron Man) Stark occurs in this issue as well, but sadly, one that would be familiar to audiences. Like in the films, Godzilla was this does not lead to a Godzilla versus Godzilla-buster Iron Man battle. awakened and mutated by a nuclear explosion. So Godzilla joined the No, sadly, the hopes of that epic throw-down has to live in the ranks of character like the Hulk, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Daredevil imaginations of Marvel fans, but those fans would not have to wait as a Marvel character enhanced by radiation during the Cold War. long for Godzilla’s first direct confrontation with Marvel superheroes. Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue • BACK ISSUE • 57

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DC Superheroes vs. Dark Horse Movie Monsters (left) Chris Warner’s rock ’em-sock ’em cover to Batman versus Predator #3 (1991). (right) Dan Jurgens and Kevin Nowlan’s Superman/Aliens #3 (1995) cover. Batman and Superman TM & © DC Comics. Predator and Aliens TM & © 20th Century Fox.

“Soon the hunt will begin.” (Tagline for Predator.) Who is the hunter? Who is the hunted?

“In space no one can hear you scream.” (Tagline for Alien.) What if the scream comes from a Kryptonian?

Those questions probably came to mind when DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics creators got together for the Batman versus Predator and Superman/Aliens projects. Combining the cinematic creatures that took on Sigourney Weaver and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the big screen with DC Comics’ World’s Finest heroes was nothing more than fanboy questions of “What if Batman Fought the Predator?” and “Could Superman beat a Xenomorph?” before 1991’s Batman versus Predator and 1995’s Superman/Aliens were released. BACK ISSUE has a ringside seat to fandom’s battles of the century as the Dark Knight takes on the extraterrestrial hunter and the Man of Steel fights Xenomorphs and Facehuggers. Watch out for the acid blood, dear readers.

BUT FIRST…

In 1979, director Ridley Scott, writers Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, and artist H. R. Giger gave horror a new face from space to scare-film audiences in Alien. Seven years after Alien’s crew of the USSS Nostromo was slaughtered by what was later called a Xenomorph, the ship’s sole survivor, Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, is awakened after being in suspended animation for 15 years to battle a colony of the creatures in James Cameron’s sequel Aliens. In 1987, one year after Aliens, cinema audiences went to the jungles of Central America with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and their group of special-forces commandos as they go from hunter to prey. They are pursued by a menace from the stars, a tech-cloaked “invisible” slayer—often called Yautja or Hish-qu-Ten in expanded media—

Superheroes vs. Monsters Issue • BACK ISSUE • 71