Back Issue #123 by TwoMorrows Publishing

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The Many Loves of Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark • Star Sapphire villain history • Superhero Weddings • Elongated Man & Sue, Aunt May & Doc Ock, Torch & Alicia, Supergirl’s Secret Marriage and more! • featuring a wedding party of your favorite Bronze Age creators

Superhero Romance Issue

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MAKE MINE MARVEL! ENGLEHART’s “lost” issues of West Coast Avengers, O’NEIL and INFANTINO’s Marvel work, a WAID/ NOCENTI Daredevil Pro2Pro interview, British Bronze Age Marvel fandom, Pizzazz Magazine, Speedball, Marvel Comics Presents, and backstage at Marvel Comicon ’75 and ’76! With DeFALCO, EDELMAN, KAVANAGH, McDONNELL, WOLFMAN, and cover by MILGROM and MACHLAN.

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NUCLEAR ISSUE! Firestorm, Dr. Manhattan, DAVE GIBBONS Marvel UK Hulk interview, villain histories of Radioactive Man and Microwave Man, Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy, and the one-shot Holo-Man! With PAT BRODERICK, GERRY CONWAY, JOE GIELLA, TOM GRINDBERG, RAFAEL KAYANAN, TOM MANDRAKE, BILL MORRISON, JOHN OSTRANDER, STEVE VANCE, and more! PAT BRODERICK cover!

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BATMAN MOVIE 30th ANNIVERSARY! Producer MICHAEL USLAN and screenwriter SAM HAMM interviewed, a chat with BILLY DEE WILLIAMS (who was almost Two-Face), plus DENNY O’NEIL and JERRY ORDWAY’s Batman movie adaptation, MINDY NEWELL’s Catwoman, GRANT MORRISON and DAVE McKEAN’s Arkham Asylum, MAX ALLAN COLLINS’ Batman newspaper strip, and JOEY CAVALIERI & JOE STATON’s Huntress!

SCI-FI SUPERHEROES! In-depth looks at JIM STARLIN’s Dreadstar and Company, and the dystopian lawman Judge Dredd. Also: Nova, GERRY CONWAY & MIKE VOSBURG’s Starman, PAUL LEVITZ & STEVE DITKO’s Starman, WALTER SIMONSON’s Justice Peace (from the pages of Thor), and GREG POTTER & GENE COLAN’s Jemm, Son of Saturn! With a Dreadstar and Company cover by STARLIN and ALAN WEISS!

SUPERHEROES VS. MONSTERS! Monsters in Metropolis, Batman and the Horror Genre, DOUG MOENCH and KELLEY JONES’ Batman: Vampire, Marvel Scream-Up, Dracula and Godzilla vs. Marvel, DC/Dark Horse Hero/Monster crossovers, and a Baron Blood villain history. With CLAREMONT, CONWAY, DIXON, GIBBONS, GRELL, GULACY, JURGENS, THOMAS, WOLFMAN, and a cover by MICHAEL GOLDEN.

SUPERHERO STAND-INS! John Stewart as Green Lantern, James Rhodes as Iron Man, Beta Ray Bill as Thor, Captain America substitute U.S. Agent, new Batman Azrael, and Superman’s Hollywood proxy Gregory Reed! Featuring NEAL ADAMS, CARY BATES, DAVE GIBBONS, RON MARZ, DAVID MICHELINIE, DENNIS O’NEIL, WALTER SIMONSON, ROY THOMAS, and more, under a cover by SIMONSON.

GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD! ALEX ROSS’ unrealized Fantastic Four reboot, DC: The Lost 1970s, FRANK THORNE’s unpublished Red Sonja, Fury Force, VON EEDEN’s Batman, GRELL’s Batman/Jon Sable, CLAREMONT and SIM’s X-Men/Cerebus, SWAN and HANNIGAN’s Skull and Bones, AUGUSTYN and PAROBECK’s Target, PAUL KUPPERBERG’s Impact reboot, abandoned Swamp Thing storylines, & more! ROSS cover.

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HEROES OF TOMORROW! Mon-El hero history, STEVE LIGHTLE’s Legionnaires, and the controversial Legion of Super-Heroes: Five Years era. Plus SEKOWSKY’s Manhunter 2070, GRELL’s Starslayer, Charlton’s Space: 1999 tie-in, Paradox, and MIKE BARON’s unfinished Sonic Disruptors series. Featuring the BIERBAUMS, BYRNE, GIFFEN, MAYERIK, SIMONSON, TRUMAN, VOSBURG, WAID, and more. LIGHTLE cover.

CONAN AND THE BARBARIANS! Celebrating Celebrates the 40TH ANNIVERSARY of the 50th anniversary of ROY THOMAS and MARV WOLFMAN and GEORGE PÉREZ’s BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH’s Conan #1! The New Teen Titans, featuring a guest editorial Bronze Age Barbarian Boom, Top 50 Marvel by WOLFMAN and a PÉREZ tribute and Conan stories, Marvel’s Not-Quite Conans art gallery! Plus: The New Teen Titans’ 40 (from Kull to Skull), Arak–Son of Thunder, GREATEST MOMENTS, the Titans in the Warlord action figures, GRAY MORROW’s media, hero histories of RAVEN, STARFIRE, Edge of Chaos, and Conan the Barbarian and the PROTECTOR, and more! With a at Dark Horse Comics. With an unused NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED PÉREZ TITANS WINDSOR-SMITH Conan #9 cover. COVER from 1981!

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Volume 1, Number 123 November 2020 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Dave Gibbons (commissioned illustration from the collection of Paul Greer) COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS Mike W. Barr James Heath Lantz Cary Bates Bob Layton Chris Claremont Brian Martin Gerry Conway Franck Martini Tom DeFalco Marvel Comics J. M. DeMatteis Brad Meltzer Kevin Dooley Luigi Novi John Drake Dennis O’Neil Mike Dunne John Romita, Sr. Steve Englehart Bob Rozakis Carol Ferris Rose Rummel-Eury Dave Gibbons Buddy Scalera Grand Comics Paul Smith Database Joe Staton Robert Greenberger Roger Stern Paul Greer Ty Templeton Karl Heitmueller, Jr. Eddy Zeno Heritage Comics Auctions Phil Hester Dan Johnson John Kirk

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FLASHBACK: Weddings in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 From big events to nearly forgotten marriages, Robert Greenberger crashes comics’ hero-hitchings COVER GALLERY: Weird Wedding Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 These offbeat weddings might swear you off of dating for good! WHAT THE--?!: The Almost-Marriage of Aunt May and Doc Ock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 A walk down the aisle through The Amazing Spider-Man’s most offbeat love affair BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Star Sapphire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Green Lantern’s most mixed-up menace is of two minds on the subject of villainy FLASHBACK: The Romance of Ralph and Sue Dibny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Turns out that stretching isn’t the Elongated Man’s greatest attribute PRINCE STREET NEWS: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Cartoonist Karl Heitmueller, Jr. only has eyes for comicdom’s greatest lovers FLASHBACK: The Many Loves of Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Comparing and contrasting the Bronze Age romances of Batman and Iron Man IN MEMORIAM: Martin Pasko and Dennis O’Neil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 FLASHBACK: May–December Love in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Cupids Claremont and Englehart discuss the controversial Colossus/Kitty Pryde and GL/Arisia love affairs PRO2PRO: Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 The Johnny Storm/Alicia Masters marriage from the writers who shook up fandom ART GALLERY: Bronze Age Power Couples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Rare illos of some of our favorite superhero sweethearts ONE-HIT WONDERS: Supergirl’s Secret Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The bombshell event that was detonated at wake of Supergirl’s tragic death in Crisis BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Reader reactions 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: $89 Economy US, $135 International, $36 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Dave Gibbons. Green Lantern and Star Sapphire TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2020 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows, except Prince Street News © 2020 Karl Heitmueller, Jr. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

by R

2 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

obert Greenberger

And Lo, There Shall Be… a Wedding Covers for some of the DC and Marvel marriage issues explored in this article. Wedding cake photo by shine oa / Wikimedia Commons. Amazing Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Incredible Hulk, Ka-Zar, Sub-Mariner, X-Men TM & © Marvel. Action Comics, Batman and the Outsiders, Jonah Hex, Justice League of America, Legion of Super-Heroes, Mister Miracle, Superboy, Swamp Thing, Teen Titans TM & © DC Comics.

“Mawage. Mawage is wat bwings us togeder today. Mawage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam wifin a dream... “And wuv, twue wuv, will fowwow you foweva... “So tweasure your wuv- ”

The Princes Bride © 20th Century Fox.

-The Impressive Clergyman, The Princess Bride

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 3

A staple in the stories we grew up on since early childhood usually involves a great romance, often culminating in true lovers finding one another and maybe even getting married. They then live happily ever after. Or so we’re told. In comic books, marriage has proven to be a tricky affair. It seems the enduring marriages can only happen to supporting and peripheral characters while the protagonists have to love and maybe try marriage. But so often, it never lasts. The Bronze Age of Comics was a time when many of those long-simmering romances culminated in storied ceremonies, but all too few have them have survived retcons, crises, and the vicissitudes of monthly storytelling.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE SILVER AGE

As comic books were considered children’s fare (despite the fact that soldiers read them while at war), the Golden Age heroes couldn’t marry their beloveds since that would make them seem… old, like the readers’ parents. Most every hero had a mate, a constant companion, someone who knew their alter ego, most remaining blissfully ignorant. When the Silver Age launched, the conventional wisdom that comic readers were averaging eight to ten years old was upended. Heroes could now have steady girlfriends or boyfriends and maybe even date around. Slowly, but surely, the concept of married superheroes was rolled out. They were few and far between, but the readers rejoiced because after a steady dose of Imaginary Stories and fake-outs, these were real. Without fanfare, editor Julie Schwartz’s revival of Hawkman in The Brave and the Bold #34 (Feb.–Mar. 1961) gave us Katar and Shayera Hol as a married couple from Thanagar, come to Earth on a case. The first to tie the knot were Ralph Dibny and Susan Dearbon, as recounted in The Flash #119 (Mar. 1961), a mere year after the Elongated Man first met the Fastest Man Alive. In “The Elongated Man’s Undersea Trap!” we not only meet Sue for the first time, but they marry according to a newspaper headline, and Ralph reveals his identity to the world. Forever after, they are partners and world-renowned celebrities. Then, in rapid succession, we had three more high-profile pairings. In 1963, Aquaman met the other-dimensional Mera, beginning a 14-month courtship that culminated in their marriage in issue #18 (Nov.–Dec. 1964) of the Sea King’s title. Their wedding was attended by a handful of the Justice League and Robin, the Boy Wonder. When Reed Richards finally married Susan Storm in the pages of Fantastic Four Annual #3 in 1965, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby tossed in every hero and villain you could ask for, with the creators themselves trying to attend the affair. This seemed to set the standard for superhero nuptials, as we shall see. In 1966, Steve Dayton, the millionaire who adventured as Mento, married Rita Farr, actress-turned-member of the Doom Patrol, in Doom Patrol #104. In attendance, in a rare crossover of DC editorial franchises, were Batman, Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Beast Boy’s Teen Titans pals Kid Flash, Robin, and Wonder Girl. The oddest attendee had to be Super Hip, the humorous superhero from the pages of DC’s licensed title starring comedian Bob Hope. A few months later, Barry Allen and Iris West finally wed, but not before Eobard Thawne impersonated Barry, in the hopes of stealing Iris from him. It gave rise to that wonderful cover where the Flash objects to Barry marrying Iris.

Silver Age Ceremonies A sampling of superhero weddings from the 1960s (although the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl— later Hawkwoman—were already married when they arrived on Earth). Elongated Man, Hawkman, The Brave and the Bold, Aquaman, Flash, Doom Patrol TM & © DC Comics. Fantastic Four and Avengers TM & © Marvel.

4 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

I Do, Duo Damsel The wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel (nee Triplicate Girl), from Superboy starring the Legion of Super-Heroes #200 (Jan.–Feb. 1974). Can you spot a couple of seriesmisplaced Martians in the crowd? By Bates and Cockrum. TM & © DC Comics.

As the Silver Age drew to a close, Roy Thomas and John Buscema threw readers for a loop when Janet Van Dyne was ready to marry, after a whirlwind romance, the brash newcomer Yellowjacket. It was revealed he was really her longtime lover, Hank Pym (in the first of his series of psychotic breaks, which would haunt him for decades).

THE BRONZE AGE OF WEDDINGS

There appeared to be a lull in weddings as the first generation of creators made way for the next generation, as both the characters and readers continued to age. Then, like a dam bursting, three couples wed in 1974, kicking off the Bronze Age in earnest. The festivities began in DC’s 30th Century as the unlikely pairing of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel wed in Superboy #200 (Jan.–Feb. 1974). Bouncing Boy was a well-liked character, despite his seemingly useless power and his runs of bad luck where he lost his “bounce” and resigned, only to regain his powers before leaving he team second time. Meanwhile, Duo Damsel was originally Triplicate Girl until one of her bodies was destroyed by Computo. Once she got over her long-time crush on Superboy, she began spending time with Bouncing Boy. Fulfilling Adventure Comics #354’s Adult Legion revelation that they would one day wed, their friendship blossomed into love. In the pivotal story from Cary Bates and Dave Cockrum, the team’s longtime foe Starfinger arrives and steals one half of Duo Damsel’s dual bodies. He wants to study her and learn to replicate himself. It’s Superboy, Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy to the rescue before the entire team, minus Shadow Lass and Mon-El, turn up for the ceremony. They willingly wed despite knowing the by-laws of the day meant they had to resign from the team. When Cockrum asked for the original art from the wedding, editor Murray Boltinoff was willing to give it up, but editorial director Carmine Infantino refused, causing Cockrum to quit the series and take a job across town at Marvel, leading to his X-Men work. Love works in mysterious ways. Barely a month later, the final issue of Mister Miracle, #18 (Feb.–Mar. 1974), resulted in writer/artist/editor Jack Kirby giving his titlestarring hero and Big Barda, Mister Miracle’s lover, a happy ending. When Scott Free (Mister Miracle) tried to escape Apokolips, as recounted earlier in the run, he encountered Barda, one of Granny Goodness’ Female Furies, who abandoned her team to follow him to Earth. They fought for a “normal” life on Earth as Darkseid commanded his forces to retrieve his adopted son and his well-trained weapon. Instead, they persevered and his true father, Izaya (Highfather),

leader of the New Gods of New Genesis, conducted the brief ceremony, with Orion and Lightray in attendance, which ended with them jointly touching Izaya’s Wonder Staff (let’s not go there). Darkseid arrived to spoil things, but it was too late; they were married and one of the more enduring romances of the DC Universe has continued despite reboots and reshufflings of reality. Several months pass before Marvel takes a turn at superhero marriages, and a more surprising wedding had yet to be depicted. Quicksilver (Pietro), the mutant speedster and brother to the Scarlet Witch, had been a member of the team since issue Avengers #16, but came and went under Roy Thomas’ scripting tenure. In his final issue of Avengers (#104, Oct. 1972), the writer left the hero on the horns of a dilemma as Pietro lay dying following an attack by a Sentinel. Thomas picked up the thread four months later in Fantastic Four #131, where he revealed that Quicksilver had been rescued by Crystal of the Inhumans and brought to hidden race’s home of Attilan. During his recovery, the speedster fell in love with the young elemental… much to the dismay of Crystal’s old boyfriend, the Human Torch. The hot-tempered, prejudiced Quicksilver rejected his sister’s by-then-established romance with the Vision. Maybe it was brotherly concern or bruised feelings since it meant she’d be spending less time with him. Maybe it was jealousy since he’d never had a romance of his own. Whatever the reason, Pietro announced his engagement to Crystal soon after (Avengers #110), but became estranged from his sister over her own continued romance with the Vision. Cut to Avengers #127 (Sept. 1974) from writer/colorist Steve Englehart and artists Sal Buscema and Joe Staton. Gorgon of the Inhumans interrupted the Avengers’ Thanksgiving meal when he and Lockjaw arrived, wondering why the heroes weren’t pampering themselves for the wedding. Their blank looks caused him to thunder, “You did not know! It was arranged for that arrogant, posturing fool to notify you, but you did not know!” As we pick up in Fantastic Four #150, by writer Gerry Conway and penciler Rich Buckler, Crystal greets the team and so wants to get know her future sister-in-law Wanda. The theme of prejudice is made manifest here as the Inhumans’ own preconceptions against Attilan’s Alpha Primitives is used to power a machine designed by the black sheep of the Royal Family: Maximus the Mad. He uses it on Medusa and Iron Man, who attacked Alpha Primitives in front of a cheering crowd, exacerbating matters. Maximus had been working with a being called Omega, who was revealed to be—wait for it—Ultron-7. Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 5

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THE ALMOSTMARRIAGE OF AUNT MAY AND DOC OCK by M

ichael Eury

Growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, I witnessed quite a few offbeat weddings, in fiction and in real life. One of the first issues of Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane I remember buying, late 1968’s #89, featured an imaginary story with the Daily Planet’s heartsick headline-maker marrying—no, not Superman, but Bruce Wayne, becoming “The Bride of Batman!” Tiny Tim, the falsetto-voiced “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” singer who looked like a freaky Tim Burton creation, famously married Miss Vicki in 1969 on Johnny Carson’s show—before a television audience of 40 million. And when my coolest uncle got hitched, his bride was so nervous she repeatedly flubbed the repeating of her wedding vows, getting so tongue-twisted that she, then everyone in attendance, spontaneously burst out laughing. By the time I was a junior in high school, I thought I’d seen it all so far as wacky weddings were concerned. Then The Amazing Spider-Man #131 (Apr. 1974) hit the stands, with its wonky cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia depicting… the bridal-veiled Aunt May, beloved mother figure to one Peter Parker, secretly the Wall-Crawler himself, at the altar with one Otto Octavius, in reality Dr. Octopus, Spidey’s arch-foe. And the wedding party consisted of the seediest group of gangsters ever assembled for a “holy” event. What the--?! Readers expected this kind of goofy goings-on at the Distinguished Competition, but not at the House of Ideas! Sure, Marvel’s mightiest sometimes walked down the aisle—usually to suffer matrimonius interruptus thanks to wedding-crashing supervillains— but a kindly matron with a weak heart marrying a mechanical-armed megalomaniac with a black heart? Who was the matchmaker responsible for this nightmarish nuptial? Gerry Conway, that’s who! The white-hot Spiderscribe was the third writer to chronicle the Web-Slinger’s adventures in The Amazing Spider-Man, following Stan Lee and a brief, Morbius-introducing stint by

Unholy Matrimony Marvel’s most offbeat wedding of 1974! Amazing Spider-Man #131 (Apr. 1974) cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 25

The Wedding Crasher Hammerhead butts in on Ock’s wedding, on page 3 of Amazing Spider-Man #131. Original Andru/Giacoia art courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © Marvel.

issue, the action builds to the climactic cover shot when Spidey invades Ock’s lair, defensive of the woman that neither Doc nor May realize is the hero’s relative, battling his foe—and going over the deep end when Ock says he’s shielding May because he’s “a man in love.” Spidey wins the battle and the criminal Dr. Octopus is taken into custody, but later, when Peter Parker wants his aunt to come home, she lovingly declines, opting to keep the jailed Otto’s “house in order” because he, unlike the now-independent young Parker, needs her. Wow! What a blow to Peter—and an Ock-shock to the reader! We now arrive at ASM #131’s opening wedding scene as written by Conway, now firmly in control of the book as Spider-scribe, and illustrated by Spidey’s new penciler, Ross Andru (this issue inked by Frank Giacoia and Dave Hunt). “As for why I chose Doc Ock as Aunt May’s beau, it seemed like an obvious move to me,” Conway explains. “Stan had established she knew Otto and thought he was a nice man, and at the time, May was written by Stan as something of a sweet but slightly dim old lady. I was simply extending that characterization to what I felt was its logical conclusion. “That was my approach to the book in general— taking what I perceived as Stan’s characterizations and expounding on them, probably pushing them much further than he would have.” Conway wastes no time in disrupting the wedding proceedings, as Hammerhead barrels in on page 2, reigniting his mob war with the would-be groom. May, in her wedding gown, is safeguarded from gangsters by the tuxedoed Ock, and as Spidey closes in and the issue continues, readers discover that it’s not love, but greed, that is at the root of Otto’s “affection.” May has inherited an island off the Canadian coast, one that boasts its own nuclear reactor and is rich with uranium. So when it’s all said and done, the manipulative Dr. Octopus is little more than a gold digger, planning to wed May Parker to share her inheritance… then off his new wife to fully reap the benefits. Spidey luckily saves May from Ock’s nefarious plans,

narrowly escaping from the island with her before the Octopus/ Hammerhead battle culminates with a nuclear explosion, apparently blowing up the bad guys… …but we know better than that, don’t we? Looking back on the story, Conway reflects, “I really thought the idea of Aunt May marrying Doc Ock was kinda hilarious. I love taking silly story ideas to absurd extremes—for better or worse.” (And in sickness and in health.) There’s another element of romance in Amazing Spider-Man #131, a piece of advice from the Daily Bugle’s own pipe-smoking managing editor, as he lectures Ned Leeds, who’s concerned about Peter Parker falling for the “flighty” Mary Jane Watson. “Now, I know you’re saying to yourself—‘What does Joe Robertson know about romance?’” (True, he wasn’t the Bugle’s advice columnist, but Joe lays it on thick here.) “People find their own way—usually without an eager friend’s help— especially a guy like Peter Parker—a bright young man with both feet planted firmly on the ground.” For the rest of his Amazing Spider-Man run, Gerry Conway did his best to topple sure-footed Peter. After issue #131 and up to his final issue, Amazing Spider-Man #149 (Oct. 1975), the Spiderscribe presented the return of the Molten Man, the introduction of the Tarantula, Gwen Stacy’s clone, Spidey battling the Harry Osborn Green Goblin, and the returns of the Punisher, Mysterio, and the Scorpion—and let’s not forget his landmark DC/Marvel superhero crossover, the Superman vs. the Amazing SpiderMan one-shot of late 1975. Sure, Gerry’s Spidey issues with the Kangaroo, the Mindworm, Cyclone, and the Grizzly might not have earned A-list status among the Wall-Crawler’s greatest battles. But for my money, Conway’s stint as The Amazing Spider-Man’s writer is second only to Stan Lee’s for its sheer thrills and unpredictability, with the Aunt May/Doc Ock wedding, “for better or for worse,” remaining a vital chapter in this legendary era of Spider-tales. Special thanks to the always-helpful Gerry Conway for his recollections. We’ve saved you a slice of wedding cake, Gerry! You know that Gerry Conway is the creator of the Punisher, but did you know that BACK ISSUE editor MICHAEL EURY is the creator of the Punfisher, a character he and artist Alan Kupperberg introduced in late 1980s in the “Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham” feature in the back pages of Marvel Tales?

28 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Superhero comics are dependent on the existence of a large pool of supervillains for the heroes to battle. There are even some villains who have alter egos belonging to someone close to the hero they battle most frequently. However, if you will forgive the pun, very few of them have as many facets as Star Sapphire. This is mainly because the villainess’ primary other identity is Carol Ferris, Green Lantern’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. We’ll touch on a couple of the other Star Sapphires as we go along, but our main focus will be on Carol and the psychological questions the various portrayals of the character (or is it characters?) have presented. by B

rian Martin

STRANGE KIND OF WOMAN

Carol Ferris debuted as Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan’s boss in his very first appearance, Showcase #22 (Oct. 1959), by John Broome and Gil Kane. A triangle was quickly formed with Carol attracted to both Hal Jordan and Green Lantern, more so to the superhero. The arrival of Star Sapphire occurs in Green Lantern #16 (Oct. 1962). Early in the story, Carol thinks about her feelings for both Green Lantern and Hal Jordan, believing it is not possible for someone to love two different people the same way. This simple observation may foreshadow all that is to come for the Star Sapphire character, and maybe Carol herself. Carol is soon abducted by women from the planet Zamaron, a world populated by an immortal race composed solely of women—all immortal, that is, except their queen, who is always a mortal woman that must look identical to Carol! Since their previous queen has just died, they come to Earth seeking her replacement. Carol is unwilling to go due to her love for Green Lantern, but the Zamarons tell her the lowest of them is superior to any man, and they will have Carol prove that herself. They outfit her with a pink and purple costume (the garb their queen wears when hunting), then use a large pipe organ to fill her with energy that is focused through the gem she sports on her tiara. The Zamarons compel her to challenge and overcome Green Lantern, but, of course, GL eventually prevails. Defeated, Star Sapphire is spirited away by the Zamarons, who now feel that since she was beaten by a man, she is unfit to be their queen. They remove all memory of the incident from her mind and return her to where they found her. Green Lantern tracks Carol down and at the same time discovers a star sapphire buried in the sand. Where it gets interesting is that during her battles with Green Lantern, Star Sapphire is conflicted. Part of her wants to defeat GL, but part of her hopes to lose. The schism is such that she thinks to herself, “I seem to be two people.” Is Star Sapphire an aspect of Carol’s

Torn Between Two Lovers Jim Starlin illustrates the ultimate romantic triangle on this exciting cover to Green Lantern #129 (June 1980). TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 29

personality, or another intelligence entirely? This question is central to examining her entire history. Star Sapphire returns in GL #26 (Jan. 1964), where we learn that Carol will occasionally feel a compulsion to become Star Sapphire again. The Zamarons left behind that gem to allow her to do so. Carol transforms again and thinks, since Carol wants to marry GL but Star Sapphire wants to be a queen, if she gets GL to agree to be her consort, she can accomplish both. GL defeats her again, this time finding out it is Carol behind the mask. Probing her mind, he observes that she has no memory of her time in the costume since she is, essentially, “Two people in one.” In Sapphire’s next appearance he expands on this, saying neither persona is aware of the other’s existence! Carol again forgets about Star Sapphire and returns to normal.

THE OTHER WOMAN

In Green Lantern #41 (Dec. 1965), Carol finds herself attacked by forces unknown and seeks out the gem again. Green Lantern becomes involved and soon discovers that the attacker is Dela Pharon of Xanador, a woman the Zamarons chose to become their queen after Carol failed them. Learning of her rival, Dela Pharon heads to Earth to take her out. Dela makes a crucial mistake when, masquerading as the Carol version of Star Sapphire, she mentions a detail from Carol’s life to GL, a fact that persona would not know. GL realizes who she is, defeats her, rescues Carol, and returns things to the status quo of Carol remembering nothing about Star Sapphire. These stories show that the disconnection between Star Sapphire and Carol Ferris is a crucial plot point. And yet we are never given the slightest indication that Dela Pharon and Star Sapphire are separate identities.

WHO ARE YOU?

In Star Sapphire’s next appearance, Green Lantern #73–74 (Dec. 1969–Jan. 1970), by Mike Freidrich and Gil Kane, Carol looks at a sapphire brooch given to her by a suitor and is turned back into Star Sapphire. Sinestro arrives, revealing he supplied the gem, and they team up to defeat GL. Star Sapphire will not let Sinestro kill GL, however, saying she reserves that honor for herself if she cannot possess him. (Love can at times be close to hat, can’t it?) As the two GL rogues argue, the Emerald Gladiator recovers and triumphs, turning Star Sapphire back into Carol, with Star Sapphire referring to her as “an identity of which I know nothing.” This time, though, Hal reveals to Carol that she is Star Sapphire. Carol runs away crying… and the issue ends. And the matter is basically forgotten in subsequent issues!

A Star is Born (top) The rarely seen Golden Age Star Sapphire! Detail from the splash of late 1946’s All-Flash #32. Art by Lee Elias and Moe Worthman, from a Bob Kanigher script. (center) John Broome, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella introduce the Hal Jordan/Carol Ferris couple in 1959’s Showcase #22. (bottom) Two classic Kane/Murphy Anderson GL covers from the ’60s featuring Star Sapphire. TM & © DC Comics.

30 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

SHE’S GOT LEGS

A major change has occurred when Carol reappears in GL #83 (Apr.– May 1971), by the legendary team of Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams. Carol is in a wheelchair following a seizure believed to be caused by the issue’s villain. Yet she remains in the chair after that foe is defeated, and for the original run of the title until it was cancelled with #89. Star Sapphire returns in Superman #261 (Feb. 1973), as a set of circumstances lead Carol to believe that Superman has killed Green Lantern, robbing her of her prospective consort. She becomes Star Sapphire and attempts to take revenge but is foiled and fades away at story’s end. The tale’s author, Cary Bates, tells BACK ISSUE that, “Odds are this [ending] was just me and Julie [Julius Schwartz, editor of both Superman and Green Lantern] returning the character to her status quo so she’d remain available for future appearances.” Crucially, though, Carol is walking again in this story! So, how did she have her mobility restored? We may never know for sure, as Mr. Bates states his recollections of the story are understandably unclear, but that “Julie was the gatekeeper for that character, so I’d expect he would’ve made sure our story didn’t stray too far outside the bounds of previous stories.” So, was her crippling just a psychosomatic response to learning she was Star Sapphire, attempting to make herself unfit to be a Zamaron queen? Were the Carol and Star Sapphire personalities in constant war during that time, and did the villainess finally take over and restore the use of Carol’s legs? Whatever the reason, she remained ambulatory for the rest of the Bronze Age.

THE OTHER OTHER WOMAN

During this time a different Star Sapphire debuted in DC’s Secret Society of Super-Villains book [featured in BI #35], in 1976, and remained a member of the supervillain super-team title for its entire run. It is made clear this is not Carol Ferris, but a woman known as Camille… while later, SSOSV’s resident superhero, Captain Comet, gains a girlfriend named Debbie who looks identical to Camille! We never find out anything more about these women until a definitive origin was scheduled for the backup in issue #17. Unfortunately, Secret Society of Super-Villains was cancelled with #15. Fortunately, scribe Bob Rozakis kept the script. To summarize, this Star Sapphire is Remoni-Notra of Pandina. Just like Carol and Dela Pharon, she was recruited to be the Zamaron queen. She learned there are actually five gems and that if anyone

Mind Games Carol reacts poorly to her boyfriend’s revelation on this shocking page from Green Lantern #74 (Jan. 1970). Written by Mike Friedrich, with Kane/Anderson art. TM & © DC Comics.

suitable should find one, they could come and challenge Notra for the throne. She proactively heads to Earth to recover Carol’s gem, but upon tracking down Ms. Ferris she reads Carol’s mind and finds, “No clue to the location of the gem, nor to her existence as Star Sapphire!” Feeling it is her next best chance to locate the jewel, she joins the Society and creates her two Earthly identities. Her plotline from SSOSV was wrapped up in Justice League of America #166–168 (May–July 1979), and the character disappeared for quite a while. It is interesting to note that though they all Star Sapphires seemed to be the same personality, this version did have three identities! While we are mentioning other Star Sapphires, though published later in the real world, Mark Waid, Tom Peyer, and Barry Kitson crafted a story in Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold #6 (Mar. 2000) establishing the seldom-seen Golden Age Star Sapphire as a previous Zamaron queen.

IS IT ME?

The Carol Ferris version of Star Sapphire returns in DC Comics Presents #6 (Feb. 1979), then Green Lantern #129 (June 1980). In the former, she is presented merely as the villain. Between Star’s last appearance and this story, Carol had appeared a number of times, with her relationship with Hal seeing its ups and downs to say the least. Once again we have to wonder, were the two personas at war since GL #74, with Star Sapphire waging psychological warfare on Hal when she was able? In the latter comic, Sapphire is a pawn of Quardian General Fabrikant, who reintroduces her to the original gem. The story makes clear that at this point Carol is not aware she is Star Sapphire. Did she bury the knowledge subconsciously, or hysterically forget it? Did the Sapphire persona cause her to forget whenever Carol was dominant? Whatever the reason, by story’s end GL has defeated her, and yes, taken possession of the gem.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 31

by D

an Johnson

When we’re kids, superheroes exemplify everything we wish we could be. We want to be as strong as Superman or as fast as the Flash. Superheroes shape our lives in regard to how we want to live and even what career paths we will take. As we grow up, some of us still look to superheroes to serve as role models. Considering all the things other superheroes can do, Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man, was able to pull off something so few of his more powerful peers could: he found the love of his life and made her his bride. “There may be more married superhero couples in comics these days, but back in the Bronze Age it was something of a novelty, with Ralph Dibny and Sue (as well as Barry and Iris Allen) being among the exceptions,” notes Bronze Age Flash writer Cary Bates. “The fact that both marriages eventually ended in tragedy (Iris murdered by Reverse-Flash; Sue raped/killed by Dr. Light years later in Identity Crisis) doesn’t diminish our appreciation of such relationships. As created by [editor] Julie Schwartz and [writer] John Broome back in the day, Ralph and Sue were a happy couple, and that’s how I wrote them.”

A CLASS(IC) ACT

As a kid reading comics in the 1970s, I loved the Elongated Man stories that would pop up in random issues of Detective Comics, and he was always a favorite of mine in Justice League of America. Also, as a rabid fan of The Flash, I loved it when Ralph would team up with the Scarlet Speedster in Flash’s comic book. Early on, I realized that what I really loved about Ralph Dibny was the interaction between him and his better half, Sue. Their relationship had a charming playfulness and lovingness that took its cues from another famous detective and his socialite spouse. “I think of Ralph and Sue the same way they were conceived… they are Nick and Nora Charles, played by William Powell and Myrna Loy in the film series The Thin Man,” says artist Ty Templeton, who has worked on several Elongated Man stories, including inking The Elongated Man miniseries by Gerard Jones and Mike Parobeck (Jan.–Apr. 1992). “I’ve had a crush on Myrna Loy since the first time I saw her in a movie, as did most of the planet Earth. [Ralph and Sue are] so obviously based on those characters. They eventually become their own thing, but that’s the basic starting point, Powell and Loy, only with superpowers. [Or they are] Hart to Hart if you’re a child of the ’70s.” Mike W. Barr, a frequent writer for Elongated Man’s adventures in the ’70s and the early ’80s, has a different take on the characters, with a television couple that actually could have played the Dibnys at the time they were introduced in the pages of The Flash in the early ’60s. “I thought they were adorable,” says Barr. “Everyone assumes they were based on The Thin Man, but I’ve always thought they were based on the relationship of Rob and Laura Petrie, as played by Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore in The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

I Only Have Eyes for Sue From Identity Crisis #1 (Aug. 2004), Firehawk gets an earful from Elongated Man as he gushes over his wife Sue. By Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales, and Michael Bair. TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 39

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by J o h n

K. Kirk

Can’t Buy Me Love A montage of Batman and Iron Man images featuring our spotlighted heroes and some of their ill-fated romances of the Bronze Age, spoofing a cover logo of DC’s old licensed title based upon the early 1960s sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. A BIG thank-you to designer Rich Fowlks for realizing ye ed’s crazy concept and Photoshopping these images together! Batman and related characters and DC bullet TM & © DC Comics. Iron Man and related characters and Marvel logo TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 49

Vicki Waiting (top) In the Golden Age, Vicki Vale was Batman’s surrogate Lois Lane. Cover to Batman #79 (Oct.–Nov. 1953). (center) Writer Bob Rozakis brought back Vicki—married—in Batman Family #11 (May–June 1977). (bottom) That marriage was forgotten or sidestepped when Vicki returned in Batman #355 (Jan. 1983). TM & © DC Comics.

To be sure, there’s nothing common about Tony (Iron Man) Stark and Bruce (Batman) Wayne and the romantic relationships they have managed to accrue in their careers. While neither is really superhuman, they still have a lot of super-traits in common, namely: wealth, influence, good looks, and skills that have enabled them to achieve great things that fall into the superhuman range of accomplishments. Let’s face it— they’re what we’d colloquially consider “catches.” But what is common to these superheroes is that they have failed to commit to their romances. They attract—and are attracted to—women of distinctive types, but Stark and Wayne make poor choices, show weak decision making, or just have bad luck managing the relationships. Both men can’t succeed in achieving committed relationships. This is another super-trait they seem to share in common. Despite the immense list of high-quality partners available to Stark and Wayne, why is it that neither one of these guys can find a worthy partner to commit to for the rest of their lives? It hasn’t been for lack of quantity, and given that the list of romances available to both these billionaires is fairly long and the Bronze Age scope of this article is limited, I’ve narrowed down the choices that these men to the five most prominent women—in my opinion—for each of these heroes and arranged them into pairings of similar character in an attempt to explain why neither hero can successfully commit to their relationships. While the personal natures of both of these billionaire playboys is the real reason, I want to break that down further and examine the similarities between the top five girlfriends for both these heroes. Looking at similarities in the relationships with these women, their favorable qualities give way to the choices that drive the heroes away from their prospective partners and the committed lives they can never have.

VICKI VALE AND PEPPER POTTS – DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

The original girlfriends for both of these characters, Batman’s Vicki and Iron Man’s Pepper had the simplest of intentions and the easiest relationship to describe for both Wayne and Stark. As Vale predates Potts, first appearing in Batman #49 (Oct. 1948), her concept was simply meant to be the flirtatious, sporadically appearing female reporter who got into trouble and needed rescuing, in the tradition of Superman’s Lois Lane. She was also often the source of plots revolving around Batman’s identity. She was a character who provided a softer side to Batman, who was forced to consider her welfare, manners, and gentle reminders that women shouldn’t involve themselves in affairs they couldn’t handle. Hey, it was the Golden Age! Roughly 20-odd years later, in another comic universe, Virginia “Pepper” Potts appeared in the early issues of Tales of Suspense starring Iron Man—starting with TOS #45 (Nov. 1963)—as a clerical worker who spotted an accounting error, saving Stark Industries an undisclosed fortune and earning her an instant promotion to Tony Stark’s personal assistant. Despite the decades, roles for love interests in superhero comicbook storytelling really hadn’t changed much. During the course of their close working association, Potts became infatuated with Stark but was also often the center of plots involving her rescue as well as an eventual love triangle with Stark’s bodyguard and driver, Happy Hogan, who she would eventually marry. The similarities between Vicki and Pepper are plentiful. First, they’re both redheads. For some reason, superhero men attract redheads like flies to sugar. The examples are too numerous to mention, but the list of redheaded paramours is well-established in comic history. Another simplistic similarity is the alliterative structure of their names, presumably to render their characters simplistic and easy to remember. However, they were also very subservient characters. Victims of their original, straightforward character designs, the women characters of the late ’40s and early ’60s comics shared a similar degree of societal roles. They were to be 50 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

I’m a Pepper (left) Pepper Potts’ introduction, from 1963’s Tales of Suspense #45. (right) During Denny O’Neil’s tenure as Iron Man writer, this sequence in issue #165 (Dec. 1982) shows Pepper’s reaction to Tony Stark dating Indries Moomji. TM & © Marvel.

cared for, protected, and while they may have demonstrated talent, intelligence, and resourcefulness, they were still often targets of the supervillains their love interests encountered. In the days of her first appearances, Potts had to frequently contend with being held hostage by Iron Man foes like Melter, the Crimson Dynamo, and the Unicorn. Vicki Vale’s abductors weren’t supervillains, in the traditional sense, but she usually found herself antagonized by your typical garden-variety, gun-toting thug. Her attempts to root out a good story or prove that Bruce Wayne and Batman were one and the same still saw her in danger. Like Potts, she was someone who always needed to be rescued and protected. Because of their historicity, they are also characters that underwent a tremendous amount of development and change from their original inceptions. Vicki Vale re-emerged in the 1970s as a married woman, now forbidden to Bruce Wayne but clearly someone of continued love interest. In the ’80s, her marriage seemed forgotten by DC writers, but her romance with Batman continued, becoming serious competition for the likes of Catwoman. Pepper eventually married Happy, yet she would later divorce him and in the 1970s and 1980s and become an important figure in Stark’s successor company, Stark Solutions, and in this capacity a renewed love interest. When asked why the Bruce Wayne/Vicki Vale relationship failed, legendary Batman writer/editor Denny O’Neil replies, “Same reason Clark couldn’t succeed with Lois. Vicki is a career girl. That’s what’s important to her—getting ahead in her business. She didn’t have time [for romance] and hanky-panky. “Vicki Vale is just a superficial career chick. [In the 1989 Tim Burton-directed Batman movie], she walks into the Batcave and says, ‘This is nice.’ I had the feeling, particularly from the movie, that she was not really ready to make a commitment, and he was in the middle of developing what would he would become as Batman.” Iron Man artist Bob Layton has this insight to offer about Pepper Potts: “One of the reasons that [Iron Man writer/co-plotter David] Michelinie and I abandoned Pepper Potts was that she was previously portrayed as a stereotypical helpless, demure female. I could never

imagine someone as dynamic as Tony Stark ever being attracted to her. So, we created Mrs. Arbogast as Tony’s private secretary and the confident Bethany Cabe as his love interest. We wanted someone in that secretary job who was immune to Stark’s charisma and charm. In the MCU incarnation, they more or less took Mrs. Arbogast’s personality and transplanted it into their version of Pepper Potts.” In their earlier incarnations, both Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark were men who realized the level of responsibility a relationship to both of these characters would be and how much danger they would be in. Vicki Vale and Pepper Potts would always be in trouble and it would be better if they simply weren’t in their lives. The easiest solution for both Wayne and Stark in this sort of dependent relationship would be to simply not to commit to one, for both their sakes.

SELINA KYLE AND NATASHA ROMANOV – COMRADES-IN-ARMS

The dependent relationships with Vicki Vale and Pepper Potts were extreme ones that, while providing entertaining storylines, also demonstrated the type of women that both Stark and Wayne could not afford to have in their lives. Women without the ability to defend themselves from the villainy they encountered in their daily lives were liabilities and potential weaknesses. That would give way to an attraction to a type of potential partner that would not only prove to be attractive but also someone who could be regarded as an equal in ability and respected in combat. Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman, would be another 1940s female character that would also show a tremendous amount of character development over the decades and would prove to be a love interest with an adversarial nature, the combination of which would make her a perpetual source of fascination for Bruce Wayne. Originally created to provide some degree of sex appeal in first issue of the Batman comic book (Spring 1940), the Cat, as she was first called, was portrayed as an adversary who wasn’t truly evil, merely misguided. She engaged Batman through guile, leaving false clues and puzzles that were designed to intrigue and attract him. Batman frequently fell for her, hoping that she could be reformed and they would begin an on-again, off-again relationship that would see them partnered up on occasions. Catwoman’s appearances

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 51

IN MEMORIAM

MARTIN PASKO (1954–2020)

among his final made for the record, and might very well represent his last interview. We are honored to share them with you. I had the good fortune of working with Denny when I was a DC Comics editor, writing lettercols for Detective Comics and just observing this master storyteller at his editorial desk. Years later, when I interviewed him for my Justice League Companion book, I took the opportunity to thank him for helping shape my social consciousness with the “relevant” comic stories he penned during my youth, most notably the award-winning Green Lantern/Green Arrow. Of course, Denny as a writer was also responsible for introducing Ra’s al Ghul and Talia to the Batman mythos, depowering Superman, and revamping Wonder Woman and the original Captain Marvel (in Shazam!)— as well as writing such exceptional works as The Shadow, Iron Man, Daredevil, The Question, and so many others. Both Marty and Denny were avid supporters of BACK ISSUE, and frequently shared their recollections and anecdotes in many of our previous issues. My heart aches that we won’t be able to call upon them again. At least their comics endure, like the two we’ve shared on this page. This edition of BACK ISSUE is respectfully dedicated to their memory. – Michael Eury

Martin Pasko, the prolific writer of numerous comic books loved by Bronze Age readers (Superman, Wonder Woman, Metal Men, The Immortal Doctor Fate, DC Comics Presents, Saga of the Swamp Thing, E-Man, Star Trek, and Blackhawk among them), died on May 10, 2020. Marty also commanded credits in other media, including animation (where he won a Daytime Emmy for Batman: The Animated Series), animated film (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm), newspaper strips (The World’s Greatest Superheroes), and live-action television (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Twilight Zone, Roseanne). Marty was an original columnist for my other TwoMorrows magazine, RetroFan, writing about cinematic treatments of classic costumed heroes under the department header “Martin Pasko’s Pesky Perspective,” playing upon his “Pesky Pasko” moniker coined by DC editor Julius Schwartz during his early days as an often-critical letter writer. It was through RetroFan that Marty and I became friends, and as I pen these words on June 15, 2020, I remain deeply saddened by his passing. Dennis O’Neil, one of the most influential comic-book writers, editors, and teachers of any age, died on June 11, 2020, as this issue was going into production. In fact, his quotes in John Kirk’s preceding article about Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark are

dennis o’neil (1939–2020)

60 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

by J a

Prince wrote, “Why is age more than a number when it comes to love?” in his song “The Morning Papers” from 1992’s Love Symbol album. While he was discussing his relationship with Mayte Garcia, who was more than half his age at the time, His Purple Majesty probably would have had Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Boy, that dude got around… must be the ring) and Arisia Rrab and X-Men Piotr “Peter” Rasputin and Katherine “Kitty” Pryde in mind had he looked at the comic books of the Bronze Age more often. What would a BACK ISSUE salute to superhero romances be without taking a look at these two couples and the ups and downs in their respective relationships? Well, dear reader, you won’t need to ask that question, because we’ll take a look at these Green Lanterns and X-Men as they work through matters of the heart.

YOUNG LOVE, FIRST LOVE

“The Morning Papers” began with the phrase “He realized she was new to love, naive in every way.” That could describe both Arisia Rrab and Kitty Pryde in a sense. Yet, that isn’t all they have in common. Both are strong,

mes Heath Lantz

young female members of popular superhero groups. Both first appeared in the early 1980s Bronze Age comics, and both fell in love with male teammates who were much older than they. Now, it should be noted that the creators of Green Lantern and Uncanny X-Men at the time initially treated their feelings as, for lack of a better term, a schoolgirl crush. Hal calls Arisia “little sister” in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1 (May 1981), while Peter is taken aback by Kitty during moments such as a kiss under the mistletoe in Uncanny X-Men #143 (Mar. 1981). Writers Len Wein and Chris Claremont ran with the respective crushes well into the mid-1980s. The relationships between Peter and Kitty and Hal and Arisia blossomed in spite of Hal and Peter’s initial misgivings. This doesn’t stop Kitty and Arisia from flirting. In fact, these superheroic young ladies were the active pursuers. Hal rebuffs Arisia’s advances because he still sees her as too young. This hurts the teenage Green Lantern so much she uses her ring to age herself, even though she’s 28 by Earth standards at the time. This occurred in Green Lantern Corps #206 (Nov. 1986), while Arisia and Hal were trapped in a cave-in by the

First Kiss (left) When Green Lanterns liplock! Hal Jordan and Arisia, from Green Lantern Corps #206. (right) When mutants make out! Piotr Rasputin and Kitty Pryde, from Uncanny X-Men #165. Green Lantern TM & © DC Comics. X-Men TM & © Marvel.

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by F

ranck Martini

There’s One Weird Thing About This Wedding… …and it ain’t Bashful Benji Grimm! Detail from the cover to Fantastic Four #300 (Mar. 1987), by brothers John and Sal Buscema. TM & © Marvel.

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When it comes to the Fantastic Four, the relationship principles have long been set: Sue and Reed provide the family aspects, Johnny Storm is a womanizer, and Ben Grimm dates Alicia Masters, the blind stepdaughter of FF villain the Puppet Master. Beyond temporary roster changes, that setup prevailed all along the ’60s, ’70s, and early ’80s, until John Byrne’s Fantastic Four run and the 1984 limited series/crossover Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. Two key moments put that change in motion: Annihilus attacked the FF headquarters while the team was exploring the Negative Zone and tortured Alicia along with Franklin, Reed and Sue’s son (Fantastic Four #251–256, Feb.–July 1983). Shortly afterwards, Ben Grimm temporarily left the team at the end of the first Secret Wars to stay on Beyonder’s Battleworld. She-Hulk became the powerhouse of the team starting with FF #265 (Apr. 1984). Johnny and Alicia’s evolved friendship started with FF #269 (Aug. 1984) and grew into a very strong romantic involvement during the rest of John Byrne’s run. As Byrne explained on his Byrne Robotics online forum, he never clearly defined if Johnny and Alicia were to marry during FF #300 before leaving the book on issue #293 (Aug. 1986): “By the time I left the FF I had reached a rhythm with the characters that I was literally making it up as I went along. Letting the characters ‘tell’ me where the stories were going to go, with very little actual plotting out beyond the issue I was working on. (…) Because of this, I did not know when I left if I would actually have had Johnny and Alicia get married. I suspect not, but I don’t know for sure. The characters themselves had not yet ‘told’ me the way it was supposed to go!” Roger Stern took over the book as writer with issue #294 (Sept. 1986) and wrote Johnny and Alicia’s engagement in issue #297 (Dec. 1986) and subsequent wedding in FF #300 (Mar. 1987). Their relationship turned in a sort of love triangle during Steve Englehart’s tenure on the book (issues #304–333, July 1987–Nov. 1989). Sue and Reed had temporarily left the team and were replaced by Ms. Marvel/ She-Thing/Sharon Ventura (Ben Grimm’s then-girlfriend) and Crystal from the Inhumans (Johnny’s former girlfriend from the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby days), whose presence complicated Johnny and Alicia’s story. The relationship was sidelined during most of Walt Simonson’s run on the book (issues #334–355, Dec. 1989–Aug. 1991), and when new writer Tom DeFalco took over, he quickly changed the status quo by his third issue and created one of the most famous retcons in comic-book history: Alicia had been replaced by a Skrull spy named Lyja and had never really married Johnny Storm (FF #357 and 30th anniversary issue #358, Oct. and Nov. 1991). Lyja would stay with the group until the end of DeFalco’s run and would still be Johnny’s wife in the MC2 dystopic future in the Spider-Girl and Fantastic Five series, both written by DeFalco. A lot of the elements of this era of FF disappeared after the “Heroes Reborn” storyline, which brought back the team to basics. Lyja kept on appearing during “Secret Invasion” (she “replaced” Sue Richards) and during Jonathan Hickman’s run on the book as a member of the Future Foundation. Alicia and Ben Grimm broke up, yet Alicia remained a supporting character in FF as Franklin’s babysitter. She became romantically involved with the Silver Surfer for a period, tying with elements established by Lee and Kirby in the early FF stories. A surprising twist took place recently when, following Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars, the group was split for a rather long time. Dan Slott relaunched the series in 2018 and Alicia and Ben renewed their relationship and finally got married in Fantastic Four vol.6 #5, or issue #650 of the legacy numbering (Feb. 2019). BACK ISSUE virtually sits down with writers Roger Stern and Tom De Falco to discuss Alicia, Ben, and Johnny’s love life and their roles in it. – Franck Martini FRANCK MARTINI: How did you view the Ben Grimm/Alicia Masters relationship from the Lee and Kirby era? TOM DeFALCO: I thought it was one of the better love stories in comic books. ROGER STERN: Oh, that was the great tragic love story of the Lee/ Kirby FF. Two lovers who could be together, but were barred from true romance by physical circumstances. MARTINI: Were you reading Fantastic Four when John Byrne initiated the Johnny/Alicia story, and what did you think of it? DeFALCO: I was and still am a big fan of John Byrne’s FF, and I was curious where he’d go with it.

My Best Friend’s Girl (top) Writer/artist John Byrne brings together Johnny and Alicia in FF #269 (Aug. 1984). (bottom) Johnny pops the question—and Ben overhears, in FF #297 (Dec. 1986). By Roger Stern and the Buscema brothers. TM & © Marvel.

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