Back Issue #138 by TwoMorrows Publishing

CLASSIC HEROES ISSUE! er 202

8 3 1 . o N 10.95 b Septem

™

82658 00476 1

Flash Gordon • Zorro • Popeye • Lone Ranger • Son of Tomahawk • Jungle Twins with JURGENS • LANSDALE • McGREGOR • TRUMAN • YEATES & other all-star talents

RetroFan: The Pop Culture You Grew Up With! Remember when Saturday morning television was our domain, and ours alone? When tattoos came from bubble gum packs, Slurpees came in superhero cups, and TV heroes taught us to be nice to each other? If you love Pop Culture of the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties, TwoMorrows’ new magazine is just for you! Editor MICHAEL EURY (author of numerous books on pop culture, former editor for DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics, and editor of TwoMorrows’ Eisner Award-winning BACK ISSUE magazine for comic book fans) has assembled an unbeatable roster of regular and rotating Celebrity Columnists to cover the pop culture you grew up with: • ANDY MANGELS (best-selling sci-fi author and award-winning pop culture historian) • ERNEST FARINO (Emmy Award-winning visual effects designer, animator, and director) • SCOTT SHAW! (acclaimed cartoonist, animator, Emmy Award-winning storyboard artist, and historian) • WILL MURRAY (pulp adventure novelist and pop culture historian) • SCOTT SAAVEDRA (graphic designer, cartoonist, and COMIC BOOK HEAVEN creator) • MARK VOGER (renowned pop culture newspaper columnist and book author), and others!

RETROFAN #21

RETROFAN #22

RETROFAN #23

RETROFAN #24

RETROFAN #25

Meet JULIE NEWMAR, the purr-fect Catwoman! Plus: ASTRO BOY, TARZAN Saturday morning cartoons, the true history of PEBBLES CEREAL, TV’s THE UNTOUCHABLES and SEARCH, the MONKEEMOBILE, SOVIET EXPO ’77, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Surf’s up as SIXTIES BEACH MOVIES make a RetroFan splash! Plus: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, ZORRO’s Saturday morning cartoon, TV’s THE WILD, WILD WEST, CARtoons and other drag-mags, VALSPEAK, and more fun, fab features! Like, totally! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Meet the stars behind the Black Lagoon: RICOU BROWNING, BEN CHAPMAN, JULIE ADAMS, and LORI NELSON! Plus SHADOW CHASERS, featuring show creator KENNETH JOHNSON. Also: THE BEATLES’ YELLOW SUBMARINE, FLASH GORDON cartoons, TV’s cult classic THE PRISONER and kid’s show ZOOM, COLORFORMS, M&Ms, and more fun, fab features! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Interviews with Lost in Space’s ANGELA CARTWRIGHT and BILL MUMY, and Land of the Lost’s WESLEY EURE! Revisit Leave It to Beaver with JERRY MATHERS, TONY DOW, and KEN OSMOND! Plus: UNDERDOG, Rankin-Bass’ stop-motion classic THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, Christmas gifts you didn’t want, the CABBAGE PATCH KIDS fad, and more! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Meet Mission: Impossible’s LYNDA DAY GEORGE in an exclusive interview! Celebrate Rambo’s 50th birthday with his creator, novelist DAVID MORRELL! Plus: TV faves WKRP IN CINCINNATI and SPACE: 1999, Fleisher’s and Filmation’s SUPERMAN cartoons, commercial jingles, JERRY LEWIS and BOB HOPE comic books, and more fun, fab features! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Aug. 2022

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Oct. 2022

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Dec. 2022

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Feb. 2023

TwoMorrows. The Future of Pop History.

RETROFAN #17

RETROFAN #18

RETROFAN #19

RETROFAN #20

Dark Shadows’ Angelique, LARA PARKER, sinks her fangs into an exclusive interview. Plus: Rankin-Bass’ Mad Monster Party, Aurora Monster model kits, a chat with Aurora painter JAMES BAMA, George of the Jungle, The Haunting, Jawsmania, Drak Pack, TV dads’ jobs, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by FARINO, MANGELS, MURRAY, SAAVEDRA, SHAW, and MICHAEL EURY.

Our BARBARA EDEN interview will keep you forever dreaming of Jeannie! Plus: The Invaders, the BILLIE JEAN KING/BOBBY RIGGS tennis battle of the sexes, HANNABARBERA’s Saturday morning super-heroes of the Sixties, THE MONSTER TIMES fanzine, and more fun, fab features! Featuring ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW!, and MICHAEL EURY.

Interview with Bond Girl and Hammer Films actress CAROLINE MUNRO! Plus: WACKY PACKAGES, COURAGEOUS CAT AND MINUTE MOUSE, FILMATION’S GHOSTBUSTERS vs. the REAL GHOSTBUSTERS, Bandai’s rare PRO WRESTLER ERASERS, behind the scenes of Sixties movies, WATERGATE at Fifty, Go-Go Dancing, a visit to the Red Skelton Museum, and more fun, fab features!

MAD’s maddest artist, SERGIO ARAGONÉS, is profiled! Plus: TV’s Route 66 and an interview with star GEORGE MAHARIS, MOE HOWARD’s final years, singer B. J. THOMAS in one of his final interviews, LONE RANGER cartoons, G.I. JOE, and more! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 USA 919-449-0344 E-mail:

store@twomorrows.com

Order at twomorrows.com

Volume 1, Number 138 September 2022 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Unknown (possibly George Wilson) Originally published as the cover of Gold Key Comics’ Flash Gordon #25 (Feb. 1979). Original art courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions. COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER David Baldy

Don’t STEAL our Digital Editions! C’mon citizen, DO THE RIGHT THING! A Mom & Pop publisher like us needs every sale just to survive! DON’T DOWNLOAD OR READ ILLEGAL COPIES ONLINE! Buy affordable, legal downloads only at

www.twomorrows.com or through our Apple and Google Apps!

& DON’T SHARE THEM WITH FRIENDS OR POST THEM ONLINE. Help us keep producing great publications like this one!

BACKSEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 FLASHBACK: The Lone Ranger in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Masked Man’s rough ride through the 1970s and beyond BEYOND CAPES: Son of Tomahawk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 DC Comics’ short-lived attempt to reboot its ailing frontier comic FLASHBACK: Popeye in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 From Charlton Comics to Ocean Comics and beyond, blow me down! BEYOND CAPES: The Jungle Twins and the Brothers of the Spear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Venture into the veldt as we revisit these Gold Key oldies ROUGH STUFF: Hostess Unwrapped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Bonus feature! Pencil art by Dan DeCarlo, Dave Cockrum, and Keith Pollard FLASHBACK: Flash Gordon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Gold Key/Whitman’s 1978–1982 adventures of the legendary space explorer PRO2PRO: Dan Jurgens and Robert Greenberger: DC Comics’ Flash Gordon . . . . . . . 49 The writer-artist and editor of the 1988 reimagining of the space hero revisit the series FLASHBACK: Zorro in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 The return of the Masked Fox and the debut of Lady Rawhide BACK TALK: Reader Reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 BACK ISSUE™ issue 138, September 2022 (ISSN 1932-6904) is published monthly (except Jan., March, May, and Nov.) by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Back Issue, c/o TwoMorrows, 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: $90 Economy US, $137 International, $39 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Flash Gordon TM & © King Features Syndicate, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All editorial matter © 2022 TwoMorrows and Michael Eury. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

Background art: The Masked Fox—Zorro—in a 2008 illo by Thomas Yeates. Courtesy of the artist. Zorro © Zorro Productions, Inc.

SPECIAL THANKS Joe R. Lansdale Jim Amash Michael Ambrose Tim Lasiuta Paul Macchia Mark Arnold Don McGregor Cary Bates Ted Naifeh Ed Catto Jorge Pacheco DC Comics Donnie Pitchford Bob Deveau Ruben Procopio Grand Comics Tod Smith Database Tim Truman Stephan Friedt Fred Grandinetti Universal Studios Glenn Whitmore Robert Renee Witterstaetter Greenberger John M. Hartman Thomas Yeates Zorro Productions, Allan Harvey Inc. Heritage Comics Auctions Dan Johnson Dan Jurgens King Features Syndicate, Inc.

by M

ichael Eury

Gil Kane’s rendition of the Lone Ranger, produced circa 1974 for an “Aurora Comic Scenes” model box and comic-book insert, was originally intended to be the cover of this edition of BACK ISSUE. Licensing restrictions unfortunately limited it to interior use only. But here it is, in its Wild West glory, with amazing color art by our own Glenn Whitmore! The Lone Ranger © Universal Studios. Original art scan courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com).

2 • BACK ISSUE • Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue

by D

an Johnson

Not Riding Off Into the Sunset Reruns and merchandising kept 1950s television’s Lone Ranger and Tonto, Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels, in the public eye long after production ceased on the show. This 1977 print of the Western heroes was issued by Nostalgia Merchant. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). The Lone Ranger and Tonto © Universal Studios.

Saturday, August 12, 1978 is a day I will never forget. That was the day I saw the Lone Ranger in person. I was seven when I discovered comic books and began collecting them earlier that year. Along with the thrill of buying new comics every week, I also watched superheroes on television. Every weekday I would catch reruns of Adam West’s Batman and George Reeves’ Adventures of Superman.

But mixed in with the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel was another hero, the Masked Rider of the Plains, Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger. I still remember the excitement I felt when I saw an ad during the broadcast of the series on WFMY Channel 2 announcing that the Lone Ranger himself would be making a personal appearance at the Carolina Circle Mall in my hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina!

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 3

My pop took me to see Clayton Moore as the actor addressed a crowd that seemed like it numbered in the thousands. The mall had him speak from the center of the top floor, just above the mall’s ice rink. This was usually reserved for kids to meet Santa Claus at Christmas and the Easter Bunny at Easter. Mr. Moore spoke to the crowd about working on the TV series and how important the character was to him. And he also spoke about what the Lone Ranger stood for: justice, loyalty, and devotion to God and country. It was pretty powerful, and he made a heck of an impression on me. My only regret was not getting an autograph that day, but like I said, there were a lot of people at this event and Pop, God love him, was never big on crowds. The reason I am leading off this article with this story is to show how important the character of the Lone Ranger was to me in shaping my love of heroes, which in turn further fueled my love of comics. Even if the Masked Man was not appearing in his own comic book when I was growing up, he was there in the mix the whole time, and he meant a great deal to me. That being said, even if you couldn’t find the adventures of the Lone Ranger and Tonto on a spinner rack on a regular basis during the Bronze Age, they did make their presence known from time to time.

RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF YESTERYEAR

While the Lone Ranger scarcely appeared in comic books of the Bronze Age, that certainly wasn’t the case during the Golden Age and the Silver Age. Dell Comics featured The Lone Ranger in several issues of Four Color (#82, Aug. 1945; #98, Feb. 1946; #118, Sept. 1946; #125, Nov. 1946; #136, Feb. 1947; #151, June 1947; and #167, Oct. 1947) before spinning him off into a book of his own, which ran for a total of 145 issues (Jan. 1948–May 1962). Tonto was also spotlighted in an issue of Four Color Comics (#312, Jan. 1951), and then was quickly spun off into his own solo series for 32 issues (Oct. 1951–Jan. 1959). These solo adventures of Tonto offered a different and refreshing look at the character, and it just so happens that this was a favorite of one of the creators who would go on to redefine him decades later. “I didn’t follow the Lone Ranger comics,” says Tim Truman regarding the Dell issues. “I was more into Tonto, drawn by Alberto Giolitti. Those comics can be pretty interesting. Tonto is his own man in those books. When he speaks with members of other tribes, he doesn’t speak in Pidgin English. Also, Giolitti

Golden Age Favorites Dell’s Four Color title often featured the Masked Man and his allies. Covers to (top) Four Color The Lone Ranger #82 (Aug. 1945), (bottom left) Tonto #312 (Jan. 1951), and (bottom right) Silver #369 (Jan. 1952). © Universal.

4 • BACK ISSUE • Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue

From Dell to Delbo With The Lone Ranger #22 (Sept. 1975), Gold Key Comics ceased reprinting Dell Comics’ material and commissioned new work. (top) Original painted cover art to issue #22 by an unidentified artist (if anyone can positively I.D. this painter, please contact ye ed at euryman@gmail.com). Courtesy of Heritage. (bottom) A panel from that issue, illustrated by Jose Delbo. © Universal.

seemed to do some research when he portrayed specific tribes. He didn’t make all the Native people members of the generic ‘Feather-Bonnet Tribe.’” The Lone Ranger was so popular, even his horse got this own series. After two appearances in Four Color (#369, Jan. 1952 and #392, Apr. 1952), The Lone Ranger’s Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver ran for 14 issues (July 1952–Oct. 1955). Dell also had enough faith in the character’s popularity to feature the Lone Ranger in three of their Giant comics, The Lone Ranger’s Western Treasury #1 and 2 (Sept. 1953 and Aug. 1954) and The Lone Ranger’s Golden West #3 (Aug. 1955). Dell also published a Giant comic adaptation of the 1956 Lone Ranger feature film in The Lone Ranger Movie Story (Mar. 1956). Gold Key Comics would relaunch the Lone Ranger comic book with a brand-new issue #1 (Sept. 1964), and this version would initially run through issue #16 (Dec. 1969). During this time, they printed a special one-shot, The Lone Ranger Golden West #1 (Oct. 1966). The Lone Ranger comic would be revived with issue #17 (Nov. 1972), and finally end with #28 (Mar. 1977). Throughout the Gold Key run, up until The Lone Ranger #22 (Sept. 1975), all the stories and the cover artwork were reprinted from the earlier Dell Comics run. Beginning with issue #22, the comic book would feature all-new stories with artwork by Jose Delbo, the famed Argentine artist who had previously worked at Charlton Comics and Tower Comics and who would later go on to work at DC and Marvel Comics throughout the Bronze Age.

jose delbo Super Festivals.

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 5

Still Riding the Range In recent years, the Lone Ranger and Tonto have returned to print in a variety of publications, including crossover comics co-starring Zorro and the Green Hornet. The Lone Ranger and Tonto © Universal. Zorro © Zorro Productions, Inc. The Green Hornet © The Green Hornet, Inc.

RIDING INTO THE FUTURE

The Lone Ranger has been around going on almost 90 years. Because of his rich history in so many mediums, he is a character that publishers still feel has an audience, as evidenced by the various Dynamite Comics series of the 2000s and also the prose stories published by Moonstone Publishing. The clean-cut, straight-and-true presentation that Clayton Moore embodied is still the version that is popular with many fans, and it is the one that they try to pass along to their children and grandchildren. Even if the world isn’t as black and white as what the old television series made it out to be, I personally feel there is still a place, and a need, for heroes like the Lone Ranger and Tonto. And I think they can find a place with a modern audience, so long as creators hold true to what makes the character a hero. “I think the reason Batman had replaced characters like Lone Ranger was because Batman interrogated the simplistic notion of white-hats vs blackhats,” reflects Ted Naifeh. “I think Joe’s [Lansdale] first job digging back into this old-school character was reconsidering what being a white-hat meant, though in the end, he still went for two-fisted pulp adventure, just through a more modern lens. I’d be curious what he’d do with the idea now. Joe keeps up with the times, and I think he’d do something really interesting with the character now. Perhaps the real problem was that the world hadn’t yet circled back to the Lone Ranger. This was a time when comics were still in love with ‘edgy’ reinterpretations. And though Joe could have given us that, he also knew better than to trash a classic character just to make him edgy.” As the Lone Ranger Creed so famously puts it, “I believe that all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever.” So long as modern creators hold to the truth that, at the end of the day, the Lone Ranger is a hero of the highest order, the stories they tell of him can and will find an audience. As a fan of the character, I like to think the journeys of the Masked Man and Tonto are not over yet. DAN JOHNSON is a comics writer and pop-culture historian. He is a co-founder, editor, and writer for Empire Comics Lab (empirecomicslab.com) and Old School Comics. Dan has written for Antarctic Press, Campfire Graphic Novels, Golden Kid Comics, InDELLible Comics, and ACP Comics, and is a writer for the Dennis the Menace comic strip.

16 • BACK ISSUE • Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue

by A l l a n

Harvey

Your humble author once opined on an online message board that he didn’t particularly care for comics in the Western genre and always flipped past books such as Tomahawk when browsing through the back-issue bins in a comic shop. No sooner had that comment flown into the ether than a retort materialized proclaiming that Tomahawk was, in fact, not a Western— and couldn’t be—because it wasn’t set west of the Mississippi River. Since I am British, this kind of definition of what was considered a Western had never occurred to me: To my younger self, anything set in the America of the 18th and 19th Centuries and featuring horses, “Indians,” wide-open plains, and plenty of gunplay, had to be a Western. First appearing in Star Spangled Comics #69 (June 1947), “Tomahawk” was the nickname of Tom Hawkins, a soldier who fought with George Washington both before and during the Revolutionary War against the British (1776–1783). As a buckskin-clad, frontiersmantype character, he had anticipated the Disney Davy Crockett craze of the mid-1950s by almost a decade. Awarded his own title in 1950, which ran alongside a couple of backup strips elsewhere, he was, by 1968, one of DC’s most enduring properties—but his sales were falling. For much of the 1960s, Tomahawk’s adventures had been written by France Herron and drawn by Fred Ray. The pair produced solidly entertaining stories, but had fallen into a rut, taking the well-worn DC Silver Age route of having their hero face off against giant monsters, gorillas, and aliens. There was even a kind of “Tomahawk Family” in the form of Tomahawk’s Rangers—who had wild names such as Stovepipe, Big Anvil, and Cannonball—and Miss Liberty, an early patriotic superheroine. Such gimmicks no longer wowed the crowds, however, and change was needed. Something, dare one say, (r)evolutionary. Editor Murray Boltinoff assigned his star artist, Neal Adams, to draw the cover to Tomahawk #116 (May–June 1968), and its design was radically different to anything that had appeared on the title before. It proved so popular that future comics writer Tony Isabella sung its praises in a later letters column, and requests from fans as to how to purchase the original art saw print as well! A run of Adams-drawn covers followed, and soon the changes were rung on the interior pages too, with the art chores handed over to DC newcomer Frank Thorne starting with #119 (Nov.– Dec. 1968), and Robert Kanigher came on board as writer to provide stories with a little more grit. When this too failed to stem the loss of sales, editorial director Carmine Infantino had Tomahawk reassigned to editor Joe Kubert, who instigated an even more radical change of direction.

There’s a New Kind of Tomahawk Coming… The gunman’s POV, on this Joe Kubert–drawn cover to (Son of) Tomahawk #131 (Nov.–Dec. 1970), the first issue of an attempted revitalization of DC’s long-running frontier mag. TM & © DC Comics.

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

Trailing Tomahawk (top left) Artist Fred Ray’s cover for Star Spangled Comics #100 (Jan. 1950) was the gold standard for the long-running DC Comics “Tomahawk” feature. (top right) By the mid-1960s, the series had clearly run its course (although you’ve gotta admit, a frontier Frankenstein is pretty cool). (bottom) Stunning Neal Adams covers like these 1968 examples offered Tomahawk a much-needed defibrillation. TM & © DC Comics.

18 • BACK ISSUE • Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue

THE SON OF TOMAHAWK

A professional artist since the age of 11 in the 1930s, Kubert was by 1970 probably most known for his work on DC’s war books, featuring characters such as Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace. He chose to shake up the ailing Tomahawk by abandoning the status quo and pushing the period setting forward by some 40 years. Readers would soon discover that in the intervening decades between Tomahawk #131 (Nov.–Dec. 1970) and the previous issue, Tomahawk had quit the Rangers and moved far into the West of the country, where, he explains, “a man kin breathe without someone’s elbow pokin’ his eye out…” Along the way he met & married a Native-American woman, Moon Fawn, and together they have two sons: Hawk, who is roughly 20 years old, and his much younger brother, Young/Small/Little Eagle (the adjective changes from issue to issue, which is unfortunate). Interestingly, Hawk appears Caucasian, while Young Eagle has a more NativeAmerican skin tone (or, at least, the color combination that passed for such in the four-color comics of 1970). This aspect is played upon in several of the stories. Renamed—on the cover only—Son of Tomahawk, the title would henceforth nominally feature the adventures of Hawk, and with the Revolutionary War left far behind, the series began to present more familiar Western trappings. While the elderly Tomahawk remains a constant presence in the book and continues to wear his animal-skin outfit and coonskin hat, Hawk is quite the natty dresser in his black shirt and fancy, patterned waistcoat, every inch the gunslinging hero figure of the mythologized Wild West. To complete the look, his shock of black hair has a distinctive white/blond streak. Both Kanigher and Thorne remained in situ as the creative forces on the book, but Kubert immediately moved to save money on the weakening title by cutting the lead story from 17 pages to around 13, with reprints frequently making up the remainder of the editorial content. Under an exciting Joe Kubert–drawn cover, Tomahawk #131 opens with a young woman being pursued by a horseback-riding mob intent on lynching her. Hawk intervenes and is strung up for his trouble. Just as the hangman’s noose is about to tighten, the rope is severed by a well-thrown weapon: a tomahawk axe. The white-haired Tomahawk reveals himself, and together he and Hawk chase off the miscreants, who are after the girl’s family’s gold mine. Later, Hawk sets a trap and dispatches the villains. Old Tomahawk puffs on his pipe and reasons that his son no longer needs his help. It’s a fine, if largely forgettable, introductory story, but Kubert and company had a plan. Just as

six months earlier, starting with Green Lantern #76 (Apr. 1970), writer Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams, under the sure hand of editor Julie Schwartz, had begun to use that superhero title to scrutinize heavy topics torn from the headlines of the time, so, from this point on, would Kanigher and Thorne use their new Western series to examine then-current-day socio-political concerns through the lens of the Old West. The civil rights movement in the US was well underway by 1970, with tensions still running high following the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. two years earlier, when Tomahawk #132 (Jan.–Feb. 1971) was published. Here Kanigher and Thorne highlight the racial prejudices faced by the mixed-race Hawk and Small Eagle when thugs assault them in town. Later, after the racists have been made fools of, they launch a vicious revenge attack on Tomahawk’s Echo Valley home, forcing Small Eagle to grow up very quickly. This is a fine story with plenty of incident and action and ends on an ironic note when Small Eagle decides to use a potentially priceless artifact as an ornament: freedom is all about choices. Racism and misplaced vengeance are the themes explored in Tomahawk #133 (Mar.–Apr. 1971), which sees Hawk relentlessly pursued by a bounty hunter bent on killing all “Injuns” due to his own family being killed by Native-American renegades. The unforgettable climax is set high in the snow-capped mountains, and Hawk learns a valuable lesson about his heritage. The backup story here is a 1950s reprint, but a new introductory section, written and drawn by Kubert, firmly fixes the historical period in which the Son of Tomahawk series is set.

A RANGER RETURNS

One of Tomahawk’s old Ranger pals is the surprise antagonist of issue #134, when a gang seemingly led by Cannonball terrorizes a nearby town. The elderly ex-Ranger has been struggling to find a role for himself in the post–Revolutionary War world and has chosen the wrong path, but Tomahawk shows him a better way. The idea of an older generation out of step with the young is to a certain degree timeless, of course, but the coming of age of the early, post–World War II Baby Boomers in such large numbers in the mid-1960s saw the rise of the counterculture, the fear of which led to a backlash and the so-called “generation gap.” In Tomahawk #135 (July–Aug. 1971), Kanigher turns his eye to a critique of consumer culture when he has Hawk acquire a peddler’s catalogue. Intrigued by the bright and wondrous items displayed within, he develop further as the 1970s wore on!—while #138 is determines to leave home and find his fortune. Soon, a special Christmas-themed tale with some terrific, and he discovers a gold mine, but it quickly, and tragically, unexpected, imagery from the artist. Snow continues to fall in Tomahawk #139 (Mar.–Apr. becomes apparent that there are more important 1972), although the grim and violent story is reminiscent things in life than the pursuit of wealth. of a spaghetti Western, a film genre popular Kubert broke out his grease pencil for the in cinemas in the ’60s and ’70s. Hawk and cover to the following issue, featuring an his father are caught in a snowstorm and ethereal, chained slave. “A Piece of Sky” is decide to find shelter in a nearby town, an unforgettable, if somewhat on-thebut they soon realize that all the nose, return to the subject of racism. inhabitants have been murdered by Tomahawk and Hawk encounter vicious criminals intent on claiming the Jason and Mary, who have escaped town’s gold mine for their own. This slavery and want nothing more than issue has a Statement of Ownership to live free under the eponymous declaring the total number of copies expanse of sky, but are stymied at every printed as 300,000—but the circulation turn by those who would deny them as less than half that, at just 142,103. such simple rights. Suffice to say, There are zero subscriptions to things don’t end well for the couple. the title. For comparison, the StateTomahawk #137 (Nov.–Dec. 1971) joe kubert ment in issue #121 (Mar.–Apr. 1969) is a flashback story showing how declared sales of 156,000 and a Tomahawk met Moon Fawn, and giving Frank Thorne an ample opportunity to depict subscriber base of 176. This may go some way to explaina scantily clad female—a skill he would famously ing why the next issue of Tomahawk was the last.

Spaghetti Western, DC Style Artist Frank Thorne’s arresting title page to Hawk’s first adventure, from Tomahawk #131. Image restoration by Allan Harvey. TM & © DC Comics.

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 19

The last time Popeye appeared in the pages of BACK ISSUE (#130), we discussed Popeye’s Career Comics from the 1970s, as published by King Comics. This time, we are going to look at Popeye’s other appearances during the Bronze Age—at Charlton, Gold Key/Whitman, Harvey, and especially the three all-new issues released by the short-lived Ocean Comics label.

HE YAM WHAT HE YAM

Popeye the Sailor was a character that debuted on January 17, 1929, in a comic strip called Thimble Theatre, which was already in its tenth year. Popeye was introduced to the strip as a random sailor that was hired by Olive Oyl’s brother, Castor Oyl, to help him and Ham Gravy sail to an island. During the sailing trip, it was discovered that Olive Oyl had stowed away on the vessel, and after a quick kiss from Popeye, Olive Oyl became instantly enamored with him. Popeye promptly became the star of the strip from that point forward. The success of the comic strip with Popeye spawned tons of merchandise as well as an animated cartoon series first by Fleischer, then by Famous, then by King Features, then by Hanna-Barbera. [Editor’s note: See our sister mag, RetroFan #12, for a history of Popeye’s television cartoons.] There was also a live-action Popeye movie starring Robin Williams that was co-produced by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions. After Popeye creator E. C. (Elzie Crisler) Segar’s untimely death in 1938, the strip was continued by Doc Winner, then Tom Sims and Bela Zaboly until 1955, Ralph Stein and Bela Zaboly through 1959, Bud Sagendorf through 1994, Bobby London from 1986–1992, and currently, by Hy Eisman since 1994. Popeye debuted in comic books as early as 1937 as a series of Feature Books, published by David McKay Publications and written and drawn by Popeye’s creator, Elzie Segar. Then, after a few Four Color issues published in the early 1940s by Dell, Popeye finally earned his own starring title in 1948, which began with #1, a rarity for comics that graduated from Four Color. After a lengthy run of Popeye comics released by Western Publishing through their imprints of Dell Comics from 1948 through 1962 and then Gold Key Comics from 1962 through 1966, King Features took over publishing their own comic books from 1966 through 1969. Amazingly, Harvey Comics was able to publish Popeye at the same time as Dell with their Family Funnies title in 1950, which became Tiny Tot Funnies and later Junior Funnies before being cancelled with issue #13 in 1952. Popeye historian Fred Grandinetti comments about these Harvey issues: “The material in the Harvey comic books were Thimble Theatre Sunday page reprints by Tom Sims and Bela Zaboly. It was not new material and probably under a different licensing agreement from King Features Syndicate.”

The Bare and the Bold The Sailor Man’s caught with his pants down on this rare Popeye giveaway comic book produced by Charlton Comics as a promotion for Bold laundry detergent. It reprinted Popeye #94 (Feb. 1969), Charlton’s first issue. Cover art by Bud Sagendorf. Popeye TM & © King Features Syndicate (KFS), Inc.

24 • BACK ISSUE • Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue

by M

ark Arnold

CHARLTON COMICS

“I wound up in the hospital, flat on my back, Then, the Popeye comic book kept its numbering and looking at the ceiling, thinking, ‘What the heck am I entered the Bronze Age, being published by Charlton doing?’ I got an offer from Charlton because I had Comics. As explored in BACK ISSUE #136, Charlton done some freelance for them in the late 1950s doing had taken on the licenses of a number of King Features fillers. They made me an offer: Would I take a position as assistant editor? Syndicate comic-strip characters that had previ“As editor, I determined that Joe Gill was ously been published by Dell, Gold Key, our in-house writer. You could say, ‘We need and King, a lineup that included Popeye. six pages in an hour, Joe,’ and you had it. The Charlton Popeye series ran from #94 That’s how fast he could write, and he (Feb. 1969) through #138 (Jan. 1977), would write well, too. It wouldn’t be when the license returned back to garbage. He was amazing. Western Publishing. “When I hired [assistant editor] Somewhere along the line, Charlton Nick Cuti, Joe got worried because this published a giveaway through Bold Nick guy was also a writer. He was cool detergent, which was a reprint of #94. toward him because Nick had the same Other Charlton issues of significance deal I did. ‘You can still do freelance were #108 (June 1971), which featured writing as long as you can handle a story called “The Story of Popeye,” your job as editor.’ It all worked out covering the sailor’s life from 1929 george wildman good with Joe and Nick.” through 1971, and #116 (Sept. 1972), Before that, King published 15 iswhich contained “The Story of Eugene sues of Popeye Career Comics in 1972, the Jeep.” In an interview by Lum and Abner cartoonist Donnie concurrently with the Charlton run. As mentioned in Pitchford on September 12, 2009, artist George Wild- the BACK ISSUE #130 article, these career comics were man recalled how he got involved with Charlton: “In not issued to standard newsstands. In a 2005 interview by Jim Amash with Charlton the 1960s, prior to Charlton, I had my own art studio,” Wildman recalled. “My career was in advertising, and writer Joe Gill, Gill said this of the career comics: “When I did a lot of work with that. Things were going nicely, Wildman was editor, 1972–1973, I wrote a 15-book and then I started having problems with my health. At series for King Features for young children in the the same time I got that word, I lost my major account. early teens, on choosing an occupation. Popeye was

Sailor Man by Wildman Original cover art by George Wildman for Popeye #108 (June 1971), the issue featuring the character’s life story, and #129 (June 1974), with Sea Hag getting the upper hand on our heroes. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). © KFS.

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 25

Well, That Takes the Cake! (right) Houligans bust up The Wedding of Popeye and Olive! Cover to #1 and only (1999) by Tom Grummett and Sam de la Rosa. (left) The marriage scene. Written by Peter David, penciled by Dave Garcia, and inked by Sam de la Rosa. © KFS.

POPEYE COMICS PUBLISHED IN THE BRONZE AND COPPER AGES • Popeye #94–138 (Feb. 1969–Jan. 1977) – Charlton • Popeye Bold Detergent Giveaway (1969) – Charlton • Popeye Career Comics #E-1–E-15 (1972) – King • Popeye L-2 (1974) – King • Popeye #139–171 (May 1978–1984) – Gold Key/Whitman • Popeye Special #1–2 (Summer 1987–Sept. 1988) – Ocean • Popeye Summer Special #1 (Oct. 1993) – Harvey • Popeye #1–7 (Nov. 1993–Aug. 1994) – Harvey • The Wedding of Popeye and Olive #1 (1999) – Ocean

always very speculative. Though I had hoped to publish again, some health issues in 2001 put things into a new perspective. I decided to concentrate on my day job, paying down debt and saving for retirement. I successfully accomplished that.” Popeye eventually came back in the 21st Century with two series published by Yoe Books and IDW. One was an original 12-issue series that ran from 2012–2013 and the other was a title that ran from 2012–2017 reprinting the 65 Dell Comics issues. Of course, Hy Eisman continues to draw new Popeye Sunday strips to this day. Special thanks to Mike Ambrose, Fred Grandinetti, Bob Palin, Jorge Pacheco, and Donnie Pitchford. For more about Donnie’s Lum and Abner comics, visit lumandabnercomics.com. MARK ARNOLD is a pop-culture historian with over 15 books to his credit on subjects including The Monkees, The Beatles, Underdog, Pink Panther, Cracked, Disney, Dennis the Menace, and more. He is currently at work on another Disney book and a book on the history of MAD.

32 • BACK ISSUE • Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue

OUR STORY, “ROYAL WARRIORS”…

by S

tephan Friedt

A plane crashes in the African jungle. A jungle chieftain, Molo, of the Wakondis, who watched the crash, heads to the site, despite it being in the lands of their fierce enemies, the Badogos. The plane is partially destroyed, but the chief can hear the cries of babies coming from the fuselage wreckage. His men are afraid to go inside, but Chief Molo goes in to rescue the crying babies— twin boys cradled and protected by the bodies of their dead parents. The chief rescues the babies and brings them home to raise them alongside his own son, Bakali. Chief Molo names the new additions to the family Tono and Kono. On their 18th birthdays, along with their foster brother, Tono and Kono set out to explore the ruins of the plane crash to learn of their roots. They retrieve documents, a pair of twin knives, and a box of royal jewels. While at the plane ruins, they are attacked by a party of Badogos. They escape and in the process come across the Badogo village, where a white anthropologist and his teen daughter are being held captive. They rescue them and bring them to the village of the Wakondis. The anthropologist translates the papers they found in the wreck and immediately identifies them as princes, the sole survivors of the royal family of the (fictitious) European country of Glockenberg. Their parents had fled the country after revolutionaries seized it. They both have the royal birthmark in the shape of two hearts on their lower backs, which is also the family crest on the box of jewels and the documents. The anthropologist describes their mountain kingdom and asks the boys if they would like to return. They decline, stating that the Wakondis and the jungle is their true home. That’s a synopsis of the scripts of the first and 18th issues of The Jungle Twins (issue #18 reprinted issue #1). The series ran for a total of 18 issues: #1–17 were cover-dated April 1972 to November 1975 under Western Publishing’s Gold Key logo, with #18 coming cover-dated May 1982 under the Whitman imprint, in what was part of Western/Gold Key/Whitman’s last gasps as a comic-book company. The other 16 original stories would be a series of generally standalone jungle adventures with titles like “Marked for Destruction,” “The Deadly Arena,” and “Survival,” as the twins battle the Badogos and various jungle creatures. In issue #6, the boys find a hidden civilization in “The Black Tower of Koor,” loosely based on H. R. R. Haggard’s She, and in issue #7 they battle against man-animal mutants in “Lair of the Monster Master” (a spin on The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells?).

THE CREATORS

The covers of the issues #1–17 were all painted covers by Western’s prolific cover artist George Wilson. George’s one and only interview can be read in the TwoMorrows magazine, Comic Book Artist #22 (Oct. 2002).

Big Korak Attack Tono and Kono are in a spot! Detail from painter George Wilson’s cover to Gold Key’s The Jungle Twins #1 (Apr. 1972). © Random House.

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 33

BRITMANIA

by MARK VOGER

Remember when long-haired British rock ’n’ rollers made teenage girls swoon — and their parents go crazy? BRITMANIA plunges into the period when suddenly, America went wild for All Things British. This profusely illustrated full-color hardback, subtitled “The British Invasion of the Sixties in Pop Culture,” explores the movies (A HARD DAY’S NIGHT, HAVING A WILD WEEKEND), TV (THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR), collectibles (TOYS, GAMES, TRADING CARDS, LUNCH BOXES), comics (real-life Brits in the DC and MARVEL UNIVERSES) and, of course, the music! Written and designed by MARK VOGER (MONSTER MASH, GROOVY, HOLLY JOLLY), BRITMANIA features interviews with members of THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES, THE WHO, THE KINKS, HERMAN’S HERMITS, THE YARDBIRDS, THE ANIMALS, THE HOLLIES & more. It’s a gas, gas, gas! (192-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $43.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-115-8 • SHIPS OCTOBER 2022!

Get Mark Voger’s three other books for $99.95! Monster Mash • Groovy • Holly Jolly Normally 120, get this specially-priced trio for only $ 99.95! $

Save $24!

Advertise With Us! RetroFan & BrickJournal Ad Rates: Back cover or inside cover: $1000 ($900 for two or more) Full-page interior: $800 ($700 for two or more) Half-page interior: $500 ($425 for two or more) Quarter-page interior: $300 ($250 for two or more)

Alter Ego • Back Issue • Comic Book Creator • Draw • Jack Kirby Collector: Back cover or inside cover: $800 ($700 for two or more) Full-page interior: $600 ($500 for two or more) Half-page interior: $300 ($250 for two or more) Quarter-page interior: $150 ($125 for two or more) AD SIZES: COVERS & FULL-PAGE: 8.375” wide x 10.875” tall trim size, add 1/8” bleed. (7.625” x 10.125” live area.) HALF-PAGE: 7.625” x 4.875” live area (no bleeds). QUARTER-PAGE: 3.6875” x 4.875” live area (no bleeds).

Call or e-mail for frequency discounts! Send ad copy and payment (US funds) to: TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 919-449-0344 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com

We accept check, money order, and all major credit cards; include card number and expiration date.

These rates are for digital ads supplied (PDF, JPEG, TIF, EPS, InDesign, or Quark Xpress files acceptable). No agency discounts apply.

HERO-A-GO-GO!

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

HERO-A-GO-GO! celebrates the camp craze of the Swinging Sixties, when just about everyone—the teens of Riverdale, an ant and a squirrel, even the President of the United States—was a super-hero or a secret agent. RETROFAN magazine and former DC Comics editor MICHAEL EURY takes you through that coolest cultural phenomenon with this all-new collection of nostalgic essays, histories, and theme song lyrics of classic 1960s characters like CAPTAIN ACTION, HERBIE THE FAT FURY, CAPTAIN NICE, ATOM ANT, SCOOTER, ACG’s NEMESIS, DELL’S SUPER-FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA, the “Split!” CAPTAIN MARVEL, and others! Featuring interviews with BILL MUMY (Lost in Space), BOB HOLIDAY (It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman), RALPH BAKSHI (The Mighty Heroes, Spider-Man), DEAN TORRENCE (Jan and Dean Meet Batman), RAMONA FRADON (Metamorpho), DICK DeBARTOLO (Captain Klutz), TONY TALLARICO (The Great Society Comic Book), VINCE GARGIULO (Palisades Park historian), JOE SINNOTT (The Beatles comic book), JOSE DELBO (The Monkees comic book), and more!

A fascinating and detailed year-by-year history of over 300 television shows and their 2000+ comic book adaptations across five decades. Author PETER BOSCH has spent years researching and documenting this amazing area of comics history, tracking down the well-known series (STAR TREK, THE MUNSTERS) and the lesser-known shows (CAPTAIN GALLANT, PINKY LEE) to present the finest look ever taken at this unique genre of comic books. Included are hundreds of full-color covers and images, plus profiles of the artists who drew TV comics: GENE COLAN, ALEX TOTH, DAN SPIEGLE, RUSS MANNING, JOHN BUSCEMA, RUSS HEATH, and many more giants of the comic book world. If you loved watching The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, The Andy Griffith Show, The Monkees, The Mod Squad, Adam-12, Battlestar Galactica, The Bionic Woman, Alf, Fraggle Rock, and “V”—there’s something here for fans of TV and comics alike.

(272-page FULL-COLOR TRADE PAPERBACK) $36.95 ISBN: 9781605490731 • (Digital Edition) $13.99

(192-page FULL-COLOR TRADE PAPERBACK) $29.95 ISBN: 9781605491073 • (Digital Edition) $15.99

TwoMorrows. The Future of Pop History. TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

From Small Screen To Printed Page

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com Don’t miss exclusive sales, limited editions, and new releases! Sign up for our mailing list:

https://groups.io/g/twomorrows

THE ORIGIN OF FLASH GORDON

by E

d Lute

Philip Francis Nowlan’s novella Armageddon 2149 A.D., published in Amazing Stories (cover-dated August 1928), introduced the world to Anthony Rogers. Rogers returned the following year in Nolan’s sequel, The Airlords of Han, in the March 1929 cover-dated issue of Amazing Stories. John F. Dille, owner of the John F. Dille Co. newspaper syndicate (later known as the National Newspaper Syndicate), saw potential in the main character, and between the publication of these two stories he commissioned a newspaper strip featuring Rogers. Dille paired writer Nolan with artist Richard “Dick” Calkins to create the daily strip which debuted on Monday January 7th, 1929 as an adaption of the first novella. However, one important and lasting change was made when the hero’s name was changed from Anthony to the nickname “Buck,” with the title of the strip being Buck Rogers in the 25th Century A.D. Roger’s first name was changed from Anthony to William for the 1979–1981 television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. The newspaper strip was very popular and successful, and the title hero started appearing in movie serials and radio programs, as well as on children’s merchandise. With the success of the Buck Rogers newspaper strip, King Features Syndicate wanted a sciencefiction comic strip of its own. Unfortunately, the company’s first try was unsuccessful, as they were unable to come to terms with Edgar Rice Burroughs for the rights to publish a strip featuring his creation John Carter of Mars. Enter Alex Raymond, a staff artist for King Features Syndicate. Raymond’s creation was space-opera adventurer Flash Gordon, who first blasted onto the pop-culture landscape via the Sunday funny pages on January 7, 1934, with artwork by Raymond, working with ghostwriter Don Moore. Raymond based his strip on the 1933 novel When Worlds Collide by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer. In the novel, an athletic hero, his girlfriend, and a scientist rocketed to a planet that is hurtling towards Earth. The first storyline in the strip closely mirrored When Worlds Collide with Flash Gordon and Dale Arden being kidnapped by the mad scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov, who rocketed towards the planet Mongo, which was headed on a collision course with Earth. The story also introduced Flash Gordon’s arch-nemesis, Ming the Merciless. Most of Flash Gordon’s iconic elements were introduced during this story arc or other early storylines. The Sunday strip proved very popular, so King Features introduced a daily strip as well. The daily strip was first published on Monday May 27, 1940. Both the Sunday and daily strips remained popular for decades. The final new Sunday strip appeared in newspapers on March 16, 2003 although reprints would continue to appear in some newspapers. Saturday July 3, 1993 saw the final new daily newspaper strip see print.

Flash Is Back! This eye-grabbing painted cover by an uncredited artist and a funky orange-and-pink ’70s font blurb trumpeted Gold Key’s reboot of Flash Gordon with issue #19 (Sept. 1978). Flash Gordon TM & © King Features Syndicate (KFS), Inc.

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 43

comic-book format in Flash Gordon #31–33 (Mar.–May 1981). While the Gold Key/Whitman series continued some fun and exciting Flash Gordon stories with good artwork, the movie adaptation was the highlight of this run. Writer Bruce Jones and artist Al Williamson’s artwork helped to bring a new level of excitement to the title. The movie was an entertaining, campy adventure that followed the storyline of the movie, albeit with a more classical style (especially the artwork) that belied the film’s camp origins. The covers for the movie adaptation were a hybrid of Williamson’s illustrations and stills from the film. Artist Williamson was no stranger to Flash Gordon. A self-proclaimed Flash Gordon fan since encountering him in the movie serials, Williams had previously illustrated issues #1, 4, and 5 of the King Comics run as well as the cover for #3. With someone who was a fan of the character and an outstanding artist, you would think that the adaptation would look amazing, and you would be right! Williamson’s work remains a highlight of the the title, as well as Flash Gordon comics in general. After the movie adaption, Flash Gordon #34 (Oct. 1981) picked up from issue #30, with the heroes continuing their journey across Mongo in search of allies to help defeat Ming. This time Flash and his companions were exposed to a gas that gave them nightmares courtesy of Ming, encountered the Ice Kingdom, and a kingdom of woman who were loyal to Ming. Issues #34–37 each contained two stories. The final issue of Flash Gordon was #37 (Mar. 1982), but unfortunately the issue didn’t wrap up the ongoing storyline. To date, this is the longest-running Flash Gordon comic-book title. Issues #19–27 were published as both Gold Key issues and Whitman issues, but from #28–37 they were only published as Whitman titles. Gold Key titles were released on comic-book racks and newsstands, but Whitman editions were released in polybagged three-packs and sold in grocery stores and department stores such as K-Mart.

Multiple Formats Western Publishing issued its Flash Gordon movie adaptation in multiple formats, including poly-bagged comic books and a Golden Book album edition. © KFS.

Although never as popular as the newspaper strip, movie serials, or 1980 feature film, Flash Gordon comic books have contained some great stories and outstanding artwork. The character has continued to be featured in comics from DC (explored elsewhere in this issue), Marvel, Ardden Entertainment, Dark Horse, and most recently as of this writing, Dynamite Entertainment. The 1994 two-issue miniseries from Marvel even contained artwork by Al Williamson that once again reminded readers why the artist is almost as associated with the character as his creator Alex Raymond is. This article is dedicated to my father, Edward Lute (1939–2021), who introduced me to the wonders of science fiction (as well as many other things) and gave me my love for Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and too many other iconic sci-fi heroes to list. Thanks for everything, Dad! I love you and miss you every day. ED LUTE didn’t need to play the 1980 Flash Gordon movie soundtrack album while rereading these comics or writing this article—the songs just automatically played in his head. Ah-Ah!

48 • BACK ISSUE • Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue

interview conducted by R o b e r t

Greenberger

Science fiction was something new in the 1930s, and after Buck Rogers launched to great success in 1929, King Features Syndicate wanted to get in on the action. After failing to license John Carter from Edgar Rice Burroughs, they asked staff artist Alex Raymond to create something new. He responded with one of the most beautiful and influential comic strips of all time. His Flash Gordon launched on January 7, 1934, and was an immediate hit. With ghostwriter Don Moore, Raymond introduced us to Flash, Dale Arden, and Dr. Zarkov as they left Earth in order to keep it and the rogue planet Mongo from colliding. Once on the alien world, they became freedom fighters, helping to topple the despot. The strip ran daily through 2003, which gave rise to all manner of merchandising, notably the three energetic serials starring former Olympian Buster Crabbe as the hero. There have been six live-action or animated television versions of the character and a short-lived radio serial. To date, there has been one feature film, the 1980 film from Dino DeLaurentis best known today for its score by Queen. In comics, the strip was reprinted in numerous titles from Dell, Harvey, and Gold Key. King Comics in the 1960s boasted original tales, some drawn by Al Williamson. He collaborated with Mark Schultz on a two-issue story for Marvel. The short-lived Ardden Entertainment tried their hand in 2009 with a few titles from Brendan Deenan, Paul Green, and Eduardo Garcia. Most recently, there was Dynamite Entertainment’s take on the characters, written by Eric Trautmann with designs from Alex Ross. However, none of the comic-book adaptations took as radical a rethinking of the Raymond premise as Dan Jurgens did in the mid-1980s for DC Comics. At the same time as the company was enjoying a creative renaissance, it was also branching out with various licenses, such as Star Trek (see BI #5, 23), V (see BI #128), the TSR role-playing game titles, and from King Features, The Phantom (see BI #47) and Flash Gordon. Fresh from his work on Sun Devils, Warlord, and Booster Gold, Jurgens wrote and penciled the nine-issue maxiseries, inked by Bruce Patterson, lettered by John Workman, and colored by Anthony Tollin. Jurgens considered his audience and adapted accordingly. DC supported this by making it a Mando Format comic, which entitled it to 24 story pages, full bleeds, and extra color tones, enriching the appearance. Released in 1987–1988, it met with middling success as comic-book readers liked it well enough, but comic-strip enthusiasts, including Tollin, had their qualms. I was able to chat with Dan about this over the summer of 2021, as we look back on the miniseries, the source material, and the time of its creation. This interview was conducted by phone and email and has been edited for clarity. – Robert Greenberger

New Format, New Version Writer-artist Dan Jurgens reimagined the classic Flash Gordon mythology for the 1980s in this DC Comics maxiseries. Flash Gordon #1 (June 1988) cover by Jurgens and Bruce Patterson. Flash Gordon TM & © King Features Syndicate (KFS), Inc. DC logo TM & © DC Comics.

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 49

BOOKS FROM TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING

REED CRANDALL

Illustrator of the Comics

MAC RABOY

Master of the Comics

MIKE GRELL

HERO-A-GO-GO!

KIRBY & LEE: STUF’ SAID

History of Crandall’s life and career, from Golden Age Quality Comics, to Warren war and horror, Flash Gordon, and beyond!

Documents the life and career of the master Golden Age artist of Captain Marvel Jr. and other classic characters!

LIFE IS DRAWING WITHOUT AN ERASER

Career-spanning tribute to the Legion of Super-Heroes & Warlord comics art legend!

Looks at comics' 1960s CAMP AGE, when spies liked their wars cold and their women warm, and TV's Batman shook a mean cape!

Presents JACK KIRBY and STAN LEE’s own words to examine the complicated relationship of the creators of the Marvel Universe!

(256-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-102-8

(160-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-090-8

(160-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $27.95 (Digital Edition) $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-088-5

(272-page COLOR paperback) $36.95 (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-073-1

(176-page COLOR paperback) $26.95 (Digital Edition) $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-094-6

OLD GODS & NEW

JACK KIRBY’S DINGBAT LOVE

IT CREPT FROM THE TOMB

THE WORLD OF TWOMORROWS

MLJ COMPANION

The complete history of ARCHIE COMICS’ super-heroes known as the “Mighty Crusaders”, with in-depth examinations of each era of the characters’ history! (288-page COLOR paperback) $34.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-067-0

COMIC BOOK ARTIST BULLPEN

Collects all seven issues of JON B. COOKE’s little-seen self-published zine, produced just after the original COMIC BOOK ARTIST ended its TwoMorrows run in 2003! (176-page paperback with COLOR) $24.95 (Digital Edition) $8.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-105-9

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES

FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER SERIES

documents each decade of comics history!

8 Volumes covering the 1940s-1990s

Documents the genesis of JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD series, his gods in THOR and other strips, how those influenced his DC epic, and affected later series like ETERNALS and CAPTAIN VICTORY!

The final complete, unpublished Jack Kirby stories in existence: Two unused 1970s DC DINGBATS OF DANGER STREET tales, plus TRUE-LIFE DIVORCE & SOUL LOVE mags!

Digs up the best of FROM THE TOMB (the UK’s preeminent horror comics history magazine), with early RICHARD CORBEN art, HP LOVECRAFT, and more!

An anniversary behind-the-scenes retrospective with publisher JOHN MORROW, JON B. COOKE, MICHAEL EURY, ROY THOMAS, GEORGE KHOURY, and others!

(160-page COLOR paperback) $26.95 (Digital Edition) $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-098-4

(176-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $43.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-091-5

(192-page paperback with COLOR) $29.95 (Digital Edition) $10.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-081-6

(224-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $37.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-092-2

GROOVY

A psychedelic look at when Flower Power bloomed in Pop Culture. Revisits ‘60s era’s ROCK FESTIVALS, TV, MOVIES, ART, COMICS & CARTOONS! (192-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $15.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-080-9

OUR ARTISTS AT WAR AMERICAN TV COMICS (1940s-1980s)

JOHN SEVERIN

TWO-FISTED COMIC ARTIST

Examines US War comics from EC, DC COMICS, WARREN PUBLISHING, CHARLTON, and more! Featuring KURTZMAN, SEVERIN, DAVIS, WOOD, KUBERT, GLANZMAN, KIRBY, and others!

History of over 300 TV shows and 2000+ comic book adaptations, from well-known series (STAR TREK, PARTRIDGE FAMILY, THE MUNSTERS) to lesser-known shows.

A spirited biography of the EC COMICS and MAD mainstay, co-creator of Western strip American Eagle, 40+ year CRACKED magazine contributor, and Marvel Comics artist.

(160-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $27.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-108-0

(192-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $29.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-107-3

(160-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-106-6

TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History. Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614

Zorro was one of the early pulp heroes, perhaps inspired by the notorious-but-well-loved outlaw, Tiburcio Vasquez. El Zorro (“The Fox,” in Spanish) originally appeared in 1919 in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly in five weekly installments. The first adventure, “The Curse of Capistrano,” would set the tone for the next century of adventures for the Masked Fox in movies, TV, books, comics, and more. By comics’ Bronze Age, Zorro’s adventuring had cooled off. In the mid-’70s, a made-for-TV Zorro movie starring Frank Langella and an Italian spaghetti Western starring Alain Delon made many fans less excited and somewhat embarrassed by the swordsman. But that would all soon change. The creativity of comic books would open new and exciting venues for Zorro. by E

d Catto

ZORRO AT ECLIPSE COMICS

Eclipse Comics, one of the Bronze Age independent publishers, opened new vistas for Zorro in 1986 with an oversized collection of six ten-page stories that were originally published in French. They were created for Disney and published in Le Journal de Mickey. The Comics Journal had a brief news item describing the publication: Eclipse Comics brings back the classic character Zorro, created by novelist Justin McCarthy in The Curse of Capistrano. The Eclipse Zorro, in a $6.95 graphic novel format, features a Tom Yeates cover and six ten-page adventure stories written by Nadaud and illustrated by Carlo Marcello for Le Journal de Mickey. “We like Zorro,” said Eclipse publisher Dean Mullaney. “We wanted to do an original, and this is a way of testing the market to see if Americans are interested in Zorro, not just for comic shops, but if we can move a good number through the regular bookstore channels. If so, there’s enough material for a second volume, and we’re looking at the possibility of doing an all-new story that we would create with an American artist and an American writer.” Indeed, Thomas Yeates, a graduate of the Kubert School and already a fan-favorite from his work on titles like Saga of the Swamp Thing, Airboy, thomas yeates and Timespirits, brought a gusto and vibrancy to the cover of this Henrik Bernd/ Lambiek.net. reprint, sometimes referred to as Zorro in Old California. “I was always a Zorro fan, and I drew pictures as a little kid because [Zorro] was a Disney show, which was so well done, and it still holds up today,” Yeates tells BACK ISSUE.

The Mark of Excellence Eclipse Comics’ 1986 Zorro, alternately known as Zorro: The Graphic Album and Zorro in Old California. Cover art by Thomas Yeates, logo by Tom Orzechowski. Zorro TM & © Zorro Productions, Inc. (ZPI).

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 57

Master Swordsman Frontispiece from Eclipse’s Zorro graphic album. One of the secrets to Yeates’ Zorro illustration work is that he has real fencing experience, having studied it for three semesters in college. “You gotta exaggerate it,” he candidly admits to BACK ISSUE. TM & © ZPI.

“…I did a Zorro sketch for the hell of it. There weren’t any Zorro movies or comics going on—this would have been in the ’80s. I used to go to the Eclipse offices— I moved to a part of California that was just about 20 minutes from there. So [Eclipse’s editor-in-chief] cat yronwode saw [the Zorro sketch] and said, ‘You like Zorro? I like Zorro!’ She asked me to do another one for the masthead of one of her editorials.” This led to more Zorro work. “[Eclipse was] really clever about how to make money,” says Yeates. “They got the rights, real cheap, for a French Zorro Graphic Novel. It was very well drawn. Pretty solid stuff. But they wanted a new cover. They asked me to do the cover because I had drawn Zorro. So I did the cover of Zorro up in the tree.” Yeates would enjoy this project more than he expected. “I said, ‘Hey, this is really fun. Why don’t you do endpapers too?’” Eclipse agreed. “So I got to draw more Zorro. All those just flowed right out of my pencil. It was so much fun to do that.” Yeates’ art also caught the attention of Zorro’s licensors. “…When they saw my art, they went, ‘Ah! We like this guy.’ So whenever something came up where they needed an artist, they wanted me to do it.” These relationships would lead to more Zorro work down the road for Yeates. Otherwise, The Graphic Album (as it was called in the Eclipse in-house ad) was a rather pedestrian affair. The stories, written by Jean-Marie Nadaud and illustrated by Carlo Marcello, were perfectly fine, but not particularly memorable. One key element, however, was the logo by Tom Orzechowski. This dynamic logo with broad strokes, as if boldly rendered with a flat marker, would be reused and modified over the years.

In 2020, American Mythology, as of this writing the current comic publisher of Zorro, would reprint Zorro in Old California as a standard-sized comic entitled Zorro: Timeless Tales.

ALEX TOTH’S ZORRO

Two years after Eclipse published the graphic album, the company would reprint 1950s Zorro comic-book adventures illustrated by master illustrator Alex Toth. Zorro: The Complete Classic Adventures by Alex Toth vol. 1 and vol. 2 (1988), published in the same format as Zorro in Old California, reprinted in black and white Zorro issues from Dell Comics’ long-running Four Color series. Each Toth volume from Eclipse had wonderful introductions. The first volume featured Howard Chaykin’s engaging and honest (as is everything that Chaykin writes) essay. Toth himself wrote the second volume’s introduction. Toth’s words speak for themselves, but for a more modern commentary, there’s one man to turn to. Ruben Procopio is a longtime illustrator and animator who has worked for almost every pop-culture behemoth, including Disney, Warner Bros., and even DC Comics. He’s illustrated Zorro in several books, and, in fact, one of his illustrations graces the cover of a recent German reprint of these particular books. Procopio also became very friendly with Toth, who even introduced Ruben to his future wife. There’s probably no one better with whom to discuss the work of Alex Toth. “I can still get all jazzed up all over again, every time I see an Alex Toth page—it doesn’t matter how many years go by,” reveals Procopio. “I’ll look at a page and it inspires me. This is such a great collection.”

58 • BACK ISSUE • Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue

TM & © ZPI.

THE ZORRO COMIC STRIP THAT WASN’T

Here’s a find from the vaults of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com)—original art for a proposed Zorro newspaper strip, circa 1980s, illustrated by the incredible Russ Manning of Tarzan and Magnus Robot Fighter acclaim. Our breath, like the lovely senorita’s depicted herein, is taken away!

How did Toth feel about these Zorro stories? Procopio has some insights, but they come with caveats and humility. “Some things I didn’t push with Alex, and I don’t have a very great memory,” Procopio offers. “I think other folks that were friends with Alex have a better recollection. “But I kind of think this is what happened. I do remember talking to him a little bit about it, and when he kind of goes a little like, ‘Eeehhh’… I didn’t push it too much. But in reading and seeing people’s commentary and notes and even having known Alex, I think what happened there is that he didn’t agree with the direction of the writing. He was a big fan of the 1940s Tyrone Power [movie The] Mark of Zorro. A huge fan! That was one of his favorite films. I think next to Errol Flynn and all that he did, that movie is probably his favorite swashbuckling kind of film. He was hoping to do something more like that [in these Zorro comics]. “That said, I think there was conflict with the direction of this storytelling. You can tell that Alex did his best and came through. He was probably very excited at the beginning. He would have liked to do Zorro. It’s funny because I can imagine like when we were kids, we were fans of certain things like the Batman TV show or this show or whatever, whereas older kids then, or even younger adults, kind of pooh-poohed it.” Procopio speculates that television’s Zorro (1957–1961) disappointed a fan like Alex Toth, who revered the Tyrone Power version of the character. “Perhaps when Alex saw the Guy Williams [Zorro] TV series, he thought, ‘Oh, you know, whatever.’ But I think Alex had other expectations. He kind of took a rough rock and made a diamond out of it. He took that and now it’s regarded as a collection

Deceptively Simple Design Toth’s original art to the first volume of Classic Adventures, courtesy of Heritage. TM & © ZPI.

Classic Heroes in the Bronze Age Issue • BACK ISSUE • 59