Issuu

STOP YER CRYIN’! OUR BIG BABY ISSUE IS HERE! Augus

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3 5 1 . o N 10.95 $

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MEET THE MARVELOUS MUTANT MOPPETS

X-BABIES

Sugar and Spike • Franklin Richards • Superbaby Dennis the Menace • Marvel’s kid humor comics Baby Snoots • Harvey Comics & more

Satiate Your Sinister Side!

“Greetings, creep culturists! For my debut

All characters and properties TM & © their respective owners.

issue, I, the CRYPTOLOGIST (with the help of FROM THE TOMB editor PETER NORMANTON), have exhumed the worst Horror Comics excesses of the 1950s, Killer “B” movies to die for, and the creepiest, kookiest toys that crossed your boney little fingers as a child! But wait... do you dare enter the House of Usher, or choose sides in the skirmish between the Addams Family and The Munsters?! Can you stand to gaze at Warren magazine frontispieces by this issue’s cover artist BERNIE WRIGHTSON, or spend some Hammer Time with that studio’s most frightening films? And if Atlas pre-Code covers or terrifying science-fiction are more than you can take, stay away! All this, and more, is lurching toward you in TwoMorrows Publishing’s latest, and most decrepit, magazine—just for retro horror fans, and featuring my henchmen WILL MURRAY, MARK VOGER, BARRY FORSHAW, TIM LEESE, PETE VON SHOLLY, and STEVE and MICHAEL KRONENBERG!” (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

#1 ships October 2024!

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CRYPTOLOGY #2

CRYPTOLOGY #3

CRYPTOLOGY #4

The Cryptologist and his ghastly little band have cooked up more grisly morsels, including: ROGER HILL’s conversation with our diabolical cover artist DON HECK, severed hand films, pre-Code comic book terrors, the otherworldly horrors of Hammer’s Quatermass, another Killer “B” movie classic, plus spooky old radio shows, and the horror-inspired covers of the Shadow’s own comic book. Start the ghoul-year with retro-horror done right by FORSHAW, the KRONENBERGS, LEESE, RICHARD HAND, VON SHOLLY, and editor PETER NORMANTON.

This third wretched issue inflicts the dread of MARS ATTACKS upon you—the banned cards, the model kits, the despicable comics, and a few words from the film’s deranged storyboard artist PETE VON SHOLLY! The chilling poster art of REYNOLD BROWN gets brought up from the Cryptologist’s vault, along with a host of terrifying puppets from film, and more comic books they’d prefer you forget! Plus, more Hammer Time, JUSTIN MARRIOT on obscure ’70s fear-filled paperbacks, another Killer “B” film, and more to satiate your sinister side!

Our fourth putrid tome treats you to ALEX ROSS’ gory lowdown on his Universal Monsters paintings! Hammer Time brings you face-to-face with the “Brides of Dracula”, and the Cryptologist resurrects 3-D horror movies and comics of the 1950s! Learn the origins of slasher films, and chill to the pre-Code artwork of Atlas’ BILL EVERETT and ACG’s 3-D maestro HARRY LAZARUS. Plus, another Killer “B” movie and more awaits retro horror fans, by NORMANTON, the KRONENBERGS, LEESE, VOGER, and VON SHOLLY!

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78 International 19 Digital Only

Volume 1, Number 153 August 2024 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Arthur Adams (Art originally appeared as a variant cover for Return of Wolverine #1, Nov. 2018. Scan courtesy of Tiang Woon Meng.) COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Kevin Sharp SPECIAL THANKS Arthur Adams Ann Nocenti Jim Amash Eric NolenMark Arnold Weathington Terry Austin Joseph Norton Cary Bates John Schwirian Bernie the Brain Louise Simonson Tom Brevoort Roy Thomas Dewey Cassell John Wells Gerry Conway Marv Wolfman Tom DeFalco Addisyn Fowlks Heritage Auctions King Features Syndicate, Inc. Christopher Larochelle Paul Levitz Ed Lute Alissa Marmol-Cernat Marvel Comics Tiang Woon Meng

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BACKSEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 FLASHBACK: Franklin Richards: Marvel’s First Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Life hasn’t been easy for Reed and Sue’s firstborn TERRY’S TOONS: Here’s Pie in Your Eye!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Superstar artist Terry Austin ribs a beloved comics ad campaign BEYOND CAPES: The Last Days of Sugar and Spike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Whatever happened to cartoonist Sheldon Mayer’s talking toddlers? FLASHBACK: Harvey Comics in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Richie Rich’s not-so-hostile takeover of Harvey Comics’ publishing line BEYOND CAPES: Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 The cow-licked cut-up was no stranger to Bronze Age spinner racks BACK IN PRINT: Marvel’s Bronze Age Menaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Meet Homer the Happy Ghost, Peter the Little Pest, and pals BEYOND CAPES: Baby Snoots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Gold Key Comics’ precious pint-sized pachyderm FLASHBACK: Me Am Superbaby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 The adventures of Superman when he was an infant WHAT THE—?!: Superbaby in Action Comics #466. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 If you thought the notion of a Superbaby was forgotten by the mid-1970s, think again FLASHBACK: X-BABIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Marvel’s mini mutants have got the mojo to keep coming back again and again BACK TALK: Reader Reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 BACK ISSUE™ issue 153, August 2024 (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: $97 Economy US, $147 International, $39 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover artwork by Arthur Adams. X-Babies, the X-Men, and Wolverine TM & © Marvel. All Rights Reserved. All editorial matter © 2024 TwoMorrows and Michael Eury. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING

Big Baby Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

TM & © Marvel.

Babies and superheroes don’t mix, some of you might argue. Judging from this issue’s contents, you’d lose the argument. Tying a cape around one’s neck and pretending to fly is a near-universal rite of passage in the real world… so why does such a visual give some of us pause when we see it in a comic book? Certainly contemporary comics creators and readers have no such compunction, as comics and comics-related media have shown us in the past couple decades. From Powerpuff Girls to The Incredibles to Tiny Titans to Mini Marvels to Superhero Squad to Funko Pop figures and the many miniature muscle-mites in between, if today’s fan has an itch for a superbaby, there’s one waiting to be “adopted” for a read, a viewing, or a spot on a collectibles shelf. Comics’ baby business goes back to long before our cover-featured X-Babies—to the Golden Age. DC Comics’ Superbaby—Superman as an infant— has been around (at least in flashbacks) since Superman’s origin was first told… but did you know that competitor Timely Comics— that’s Marvel Comics to us today—had its own “Super Baby”? This diapered dogooder, who premiered in late 1942 in Comedy Comics #13, was a pint-sized patriot that battled not only the Axis Powers but also troublemakers like the Horrible Horror and the Wild Man of Bronxeo! It’s uncertain as to who his creators were, but beyond a smattering of stories in Timely’s Comedy Comics (also the home of Super Rabbit—just sayin’) and Krazy Komics, Super Baby also squeezed in an appearance in Bailey Publication Co.’s Cisco Kid Comics #1 (Winter 1944). Another obscure superbaby you’ve probably never heard of is Super-Brat, a 1950s comic book headliner that was essentially Dennis the Menace with superpowers. The child was actually holy terror Ollie Orwell, who, while being punished, found a ratty old cape that gave him abilities far beyond those of mortal brats. Illustrated by Harry Betancourt, Toby Press’ Super-Brat ran for four issues in 1953 and 1954 and was later reprinted. And while we’re sharing baby superhero trivia with you, did you 2 • BACK ISSUE • Big Baby Issue

ichael Eury

TM & © Marvel.

by M

know that ye ed wrote several “Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham” stories when that was a backup feature in Marvel Tales in the late 1980s? One of them, from Marvel Tales #219 (Jan. 1989), featured Spider-Ham’s journey to an alternate world where all the superheroes were babies—including the Fantastic Four Tots, shown on this page (art by Alan Kupperberg and Joe Albelo). How can you not adore Sweet Thing’s catchphrase of “It’s slobberin’ time!”? The aforementioned Dennis the Menace, cartoonist Hank Ketcham’s standard bearer for bad behavior we somehow can’t help but love, illustrates the other type of “baby comic” you’ll read about this issue, all-ages humor comics starring toddlers and children. The popularity of Dennis as a comic strip (as well as a TV series, comic book star, and merchandising force) inspired no end of imitators, although Pat the Brat and the myriad other clones lacked Dennis’ staying power. Most of those types of books were becoming archaic at the dawn of the Bronze Age, and the few that hung on seemed out of place amid spin racks filled with vampires and monsters, kung fu, sword and sorcery, and, of course, superheroes. Their decline—particularly DC’s charming Sugar and Spike— is explored this ish. A few baby-starring comics have been previously featured in our pages, so if you wish to read about the following characters we kindly refer you to these issues: • • • • • • • •

Bat-Mite (not really a baby, but close enough…) (BI #73) The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (BI #72) Dennis the Menace (Marvel Comics) (BI #59) Muppets Babies, Flintstones Kids, etc. (Marvel’s Star Comics line) (BI #77) Power Pack (BI #38) Richie Rich (BI #19, 32, 69, 71, 85, 124, 136) Superboy (including the Bronze Age Superbaby) (BI #142) Super Jrs. (and the Baby Brigade) (BI #76)

In the meantime, I’m putting this issue to bed… so it’s time for you to babysit!

Franklin Richards:

Marvel’s First Son by J o e

Norton

Better Put on Your Big Boy Britches Young Franklin Richards faces a monstrous challenge in Fantastic Four Annual #14 (1979). Cover art—pencils and inks—by Joltin’ Joe Sinnott. TM & © Marvel.

Big Baby Issue • BACK ISSUE • 3

A New Addition (right) 1968’s iconic FF Annual #6. (left) From inside, the FF meets the newest member of the family! By the unmatchable Stan Lee/Jack Kirby/ Joe Sinnott.

Franklin Richards, son of Reed and Susan Richards— Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four—has had a storied life since his first appearance (and birth) in Fantastic Four Annual #6 (Nov. 1968). In the 56 years of his character’s life from infancy to his teen years, Franklin has been accelerated and then de-aged (twice), placed in a coma, served as an X-Man, been a freedom fighter in an alternate timeline (twice), been babysat by Agatha Harkness, and a god, with many stops in between. While placing children in dangerous situations and cliffhangers is a staple of the comics medium, certainly being the son of two superheroes meant a stressful life ahead for Franklin. But it wasn’t only the demands of the storytelling that exposed Franklin to danger, it was the ever-changing stable of creators that struggled to find a specific role for the child. Each character eventually settles into a stereotype or two (Johnny Storm is the hotheaded teen

TM & © Marvel.

Stuck in the Middle with You (opposite page) Bashful Benji Grimm gets an ego boost when learning newborn Franklin’s middle name. Lee/Kirby/Sinnott in original art form, courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com), from Fantastic Four #94 (Jan. 1970). TM & © Marvel.

rebel, Peter Parker is the down-on-his-luck underdog) and all stories build off those traits. Franklin never got a chance to establish himself as a stereotype, and consequently never really took off as a character despite being a member of Marvel’s First Family and playing a part of so many major Marvel storylines over the years (“Heroes Reborn” and “Days of Future Past,” to name two). Creators had no real template for Franklin and, as you will see in this article, did what they wanted, either completely ignoring what came before or benching him—with the exception of character defining run in another family team’s book. Which is unfortunate, as no character was better positioned for a long and exciting comic book life than Franklin Richards.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN YOUR BABY’S FIRST YEARS

Franklin’s birth was as exciting as you’d expect. Already aware that the cosmic rays that created the Fantastic Four are jeopardizing both mother and child, Reed takes Johnny and Ben into the

4 • BACK ISSUE • Big Baby Issue

Big Baby Issue • BACK ISSUE • 5

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BRONZE AGE SAVAGE LANDS, starring Ka-Zar in the 1970s! Plus: Turok—Dinosaur Hunter, DON GLUT’s Dagar and Tragg, Annihilus and the Negative Zone, Planet of Vampires, Pat Mills’s Flesh (from 2000AD), and WALTER SIMONSON and MIKE MIGNOLA’s Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure. With CONWAY, GULACY, HAMA, NICIEZA, SEARS, THOMAS, and more! JOHN BUSCEMA cover!

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MEN WITHOUT FEAR, featuring Daredevil’s swinging ’70s adventures! Plus: Challengers of the Unknown in the Bronze Age, JEPH LOEB interview about his Challs and DD projects with TIM SALE, Sinestro and Mr. Fear histories, superheroes with disabilities, and... Who Is Hal Jordan? Featuring CONWAY, ENGLEHART, McKENZIE, ROZAKIS, STATON, THOMAS, WOLFMAN, & more! GENE COLAN cover!

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by J o

hn Wells

New Kid on the Block One of DC’s earliest African-American characters was Raymond, introduced by cartoonist Sheldon “Shelly” Mayer as a supporting cast member of Sugar and Spike with issue #94 (Feb.–Mar. 1971). Unfortunately, the addition of Raymond did not keep the series from being cancelled soon thereafter. TM & © DC Comics.

Big Baby Issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

Look Who’s Talking (left) Mayer launched his chatterbox children’s adventures in Sugar and Spike #1 (Apr.–May 1956). His other creation for DC Comics, The Three Mouseketeers, got a 1970 revival as a reprint title which included an additional collection of oldies in (right) Super DC Giant #S-18. Cover by Phil Mendez. TM & © DC Comics.

[Author’s note: The quotes from Sheldon Mayer and his daughter Merrily Mayer Harris in the following article—unless otherwise specified— come respectively from their interviews with Anthony Tollin in 1975’s Amazing World of DC Comics #5 and Bill Alger in 2001’s Comic Book Artist #11. The latter interview is also the source of the anecdotes in paragraph one.]

ducing the adventures of teen cartoonist Scribbly, the young man also changed the course of history by successfully arguing that an oft-rejected feature called “Superman” ought to be published in a new title called Action Comics. Tiring of the editorial grind that included oversight of the likes of Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green Lantern, Mayer stepped down in 1948 to return to his first love of cartooning. The baby was stillborn. In a Harlem Observing in the mid-1950s that room on April Fool’s Day 1917, the humor titles “had been counting too boy’s grandmother desperately much on gags and not enough on swaddled the lifeless body first character development and human in wet cold towels and then interest,” the cartoonist was tasked warm ones until her prayers were by National Comics [a.k.a. DC answered. The baby grew up to Comics] President Jack Liebowitz to be man and, likely when he was come up with two new books. Mayer in his 20s, his doctor diagnosed delivered The Three Mouseketeers him with terminal cancer. “You’ll (a reconceived version of a 1940s feel fine for a while,” the medic feature) but struggled to develop sheldon mayer told him. “Just live.” Suffering in a kids comic “to compete with Self-portrait from Sugar and Spike #85. silence with his death sentence, the rash of Dennis the Menace the young man eventually learned that there had imitations that were then flooding the market.” been a mistake. His blood test had been mixed up Dennis the Menace cartoonist Hank Ketcham with someone else’s and he was perfectly healthy. had found inspiration in his real-life son, but The fragility and wonder of life would never be lost Mayer’s kids were nearly teenagers. Pulling out on Sheldon Mayer. silent movies of daughter Merrily and son Lanney Working as an assistant to cartoonist Ving Fuller as tots in the 1940s, the cartoonist “observed at the age of 14, Mayer found early employment in that they seemed to be communicating with each the nascent comic book industry. Along with pro- other. On this silent film, you would swear they

18 • BACK ISSUE • Big Baby Issue

The Next Generation (top left) Mayer’s Golden Age feature “Scribbly” was popular enough to spin out of (top right) All-American Comics into its own title. Scribbly #1 (Aug.–Sept. 1948). (bottom) A dozen years later, Scribbly— with his son, Scribbly, Jr.—reappeared in Sugar and Spike #30 (Aug.–Sept. 1960). TM & © DC Comics.

Big Baby Issue • BACK ISSUE • 19

Sugar and Spike Forever Over the years, many DC creators have ignored the so-called Shelly Mayer curse and cameoed Sugar and Spike in different series, including: 1) Showcase #100, 2) Blue Devil #9, 3) Crisis on Infinite Earths #9, 4) Justice League Spectacular #1, 5) Superboy #1,000,000, 6) Adventures of Superman #14, 7) Wonder Woman #113, and 8) Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14.

TM & © DC Comics.

7 36 • BACK ISSUE • Big Baby Issue

by M a r k

Arnold

Comic book titles and characters experience peaks and valleys in terms of popularity. Harvey Comics in the Bronze Age was no different. While there was nothing really specific to signify the beginning and the end of the Bronze Age at Harvey Comics, it seems that the true beginnings of the heavy Richie Rich expansion began in 1971 just after the Bronze Age started. By 1985 when the Bronze Age completed, the entire original Harvey Comics company had already imploded in 1982 before being resurrected in 1986 by younger family members, and then sold off three years later to outside investors. During this Bronze Age for Harvey, while Richie Rich expanded its line, many other long-running titles and characters were cancelled or at the very least, reduced to a bimonthly schedule and a shrinking page count. The largest implosion occurred from 1974–1976, with the cancellation of many titles featuring Casper, Hot Stuff, Little Audrey, Little Dot, Little Lotta, Nightmare, Sad Sack, Spooky, and Wendy. Probably the best way to tackle this subject is to explain the rise and fall of each character through their comic book publishing history. Traditionally, the sign of a successful title or character for any publisher was to create a spinoff title. For example, at DC, Action Comics begat Superman; Detective Comics begat Batman; and both of those begat New York World’s Fair Comics, which became World’s Best Comics and finally, World’s Finest Comics. Harvey Comics practice of spinning off titles was an early occurrence for the company, with the first such spinoff title being The Black Cat, spinning off of Pocket Comics and later Speed Comics in June 1946. Next, Joe Palooka Comics spun off Humphrey Comics in October 1948 and Little Max Comics in October 1949. Blondie Comics begat Dagwood Comics in September 1950 and Daisy and Her Pups in June 1951. Also in June 1951, Nutty Comics became Rags Rabbit. The Harvey characters that were awarded their own titles and respective spinoffs during the Silver and Bronze Age include Baby Huey, Buzzy, Casper, Gabby Gob, the Ghostly Trio, G.I. Juniors, Herman and Katnip, Hot Stuff, Jackie Jokers, Little Audrey,

The Gang’s All Here (But Not for Long…) Harvey Comics’ pantheon is well represented in this detail from Warren Kremer’s cover art for AstroComics #1, an American Airlines giveaway title featuring Harvey reprints. Despite flying high in this visible format, Casper and company’s popularity began a slow slide during the Bronze Age. © Classic Media, LLC.

Big Baby Issue • BACK ISSUE • 37

Looking for Some Hot Stuff? (left) Hot Stuff, the only Harvey star to debut in his own title. Hot Stuff #1 (Oct. 1957), cover art by Warren Kremer. (right) By 1982, the little devil’s days as a comic book star were waning… but future revivals from Harvey awaited! Hot Stuff #164 (Aug. 1982). © Classic Media, LLC.

Hot Stuff was a unique situation as he debuted in his own title without appearing previously somewhere else or in a Harvey Hits tryout issue. He eventually added Hot Stuff Sizzlers (July 1960), Devil Kids (July 1962), and Hot Stuff Creepy Caves (Nov. 1974). Hot Stuff was also unique in that his own title and Devil Kids were published until the very end of the original Harvey company run in 1982. Stumbo started in the back pages of Hot Stuff, then had a number of issues as part of the Harvey Hits series in October 1961. He never had a regular title of his own, but did get a giant-sized spinoff called Stumbo Tinytown (Aug. 1963), which ran until November 1966. Jackie Jokers was the last original Harvey character to earn his own title (in March 1973) without being paired with the increasingly popular Richie Rich, but eventually Harvey succumbed and Jackie Jokers was cancelled after four issues, being replaced by Richie Rich and Jackie Jokers. What caused this Harvey implosion and Richie Rich explosion in 1976 after a full line expansion during 1972–1974? The recession of 1975 and 1976 had something to do with it. Other publishers like DC had a similar mass cancelation of titles, which led to their Cancelled Comic Cavalcade [see BI #2—ed.]. Comic books were escalating in price faster than any other

42 • BACK ISSUE • Big Baby Issue

time in history, starting at 15 cents in 1970 and ending the decade at 50 cents a copy. There were other noticeable changes for the remaining Harvey comic books published during 1976. The width of the comics became narrower, and the paper stock became thinner and tended to bleed through the printed pages. The number of giant-size books was reduced, so titles that formerly were giant-sized like Richie Rich Millions were now standard 36-page books. By the time Harvey closed its doors for good in 1994, the idea of a comic book company sustaining multiple titles starring their characters had pretty much run its course, with only Archie Comics maintaining the practice. Strangely, it was at this point that Marvel and DC, the Big Two, heavily increased the amount of titles starring their characters… but that’s a story for another time and another columnist. MARK ARNOLD is a pop culture historian with over 15 books to his credit, including two on the history of Harvey Comics. His most recent books are about MAD magazine and the Turtles music group, and he is currently working on a TV Cartoons That Time Forgot book.

Fawcett’s 1970 -1979 Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine by E d

Lute

Everyone’s Favorite Troublemaker When it comes to imps, there’s no menace we love more than Dennis, and this original art from the Hank Ketcham Studio proudly touts his top-dog status. Produced as the cover for Fawcett’s Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series #187, from 1979. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). Dennis the Menace © North America Syndicate.

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by D e w e y

Cassell

Double Trouble (left) No relation to Spider-Man’s alter ego, Peter, the Little Pest #1 (Nov. 1969) was an odd entry to Marvel’s late Silver Age/early Bronze Age lineup. That cover’s art was altered from (right) artist Joe Maneely’s cover to the series’ source material, the oldie Melvin the Monster #5 (Nov. 1956). TM & © Marvel.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. For years, those are words you could find on virtually every bottle of shampoo. Is it because your hair is so dirty that it needs to be washed twice? Probably not, but it does sell more bottles of shampoo. Comic books have had a similar strategy over the years, only the words are different: Read. Reprint. Repeat. Its origins lie with the earliest of comic books, which began as reprints of newspaper strips. As comics began to feature new material, publishers looked for ways to leverage their investment. Over the years, comic stories would be reprinted in annuals, specials, digests, and trade paperbacks. Comic stories were also reprinted in foreign editions. Warren Publishing, known for its horror magazines like Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella, would sometimes have the word balloons pasted onto acetate overlays, so the same artwork could be reused with a different script. Reprinting was a popular path to profitability. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Marvel expanded its line of comics into a variety of new genres to reach a broader 48 • BACK ISSUE • Big Baby Issue

audience. For example, they produced several comic books targeted at female readers, like Night Nurse, Shanna the She-Devil, and The Cat. They catered to the sword-andsorcery crowd with Conan the Barbarian. And, in addition to trying out new stories, they made a concerted effort to leverage their substantial catalog of older material. This included reprinting vintage horror stories in titles like Beware!, Crypt of Shadows, and Uncanny Tales. Marvel did the same thing with the romance comics Our Love Story and My Love, which were launched with new material but which soon began to include reprints from classic titles of the 1940s and 1950s. And they used the same approach with comics for kids. When it came to profitability for comic book publishers, a close second to reprinting was imitation. If one publisher found success with a character, rest assured the racks would soon be full of knockoffs from all the other publishers. Interestingly enough, most of the copying—even when blatant—was taken in stride, with the notable exception of one red-caped fellow.

HOMER, THE HAPPY GHOST

So, beginning in the late 1960s, Marvel launched several comic books aimed at younger readers. And they were not only reprints, but they were reprints of knockoff characters. The first title, which debuted in 1969, was Homer, the Happy Ghost. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out that Homer was a not-sosubtle knockoff of Harvey Comics’ Casper the Friendly Ghost. Casper started as a cartoon in character in 1945, making his first comic book appearance in 1952. Homer debuted three years later. As a side note, the whole concept of a ghost of a child seems bizarre. I suppose it looked cute and being a ghost opened up new story ideas, but it seems that comic book publishers were banking on kids not giving the idea much thought. If they had, they would have realized that the main character was dead. This irony was brought to light in a parody called “Kaspar the Dead Baby,” which appeared in issue #8 of Crazy Magazine in 1974. And yet, Casper Halloween costumes were a perennial bestseller.

Come On, Get Happy (top) Homer, the Happy Ghost vol. 2 #1 (Nov. 1969). Its cover art, by Archie Comics great Dan DeCarlo, was repurposed from its original use for (inset) Homer, the Happy Ghost vol. 1 #20 (July 1958). (bottom left) From 1958, page 3 of Homer #18. (bottom right) That same page, updated and altered for publication in the reprint book Homer #1. Scans courtesy of Dewey Cassell. TM & © Marvel.

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by J o

And You Thought Your Toddler Was a Handful… Detail of Li’l Kal-El/ Clark Kent— DC Comics’ Superbaby!—from the cover of Superboy #112 (Apr. 1964). Art by Curt Swan and George Klein. TM & © DC Comics.

hn Wells

The premise was there almost from the start. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s vision of an infant waving furniture over his head appeared three panels into 1939’s Superman #1, echoed five years later, in 1944, in More Fun Comics #101’s first Superboy tale. By the time Superman’s origin was revisited in 1948’s Superman #53, the orphanage sequence had been expanded to seven panels of destructive hilarity. The concept of a Superbaby was comedy gold. Indeed, writer Alvin Schwartz and artists Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye had already played with the idea in the Superman newspaper feature. A Sunday sequence running from October 1947 through January 1948 found atomic radiation reducing the Man of Steel to infant-size, with “Superbabe” adopting a new costume until the effects wore off. The story seems to have been intended as a stealth promotion for a licensed

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Superbabe doll that was offered to select retailers that fall as a prospective Christmas gift. Superboy #8 (May–June 1950) brought the concept to comic books. Writer Bill Finger (joined by artists Curt Swan and John Fischetti) recalled “When Superboy Was a Superbaby,” taking a subdued approach to the idea. In this account, the infant Clark Kent’s powers didn’t truly manifest until he was one year old, and his vocabulary was limited to a few stray words. The Tot of Steel’s first big adventure found him innocently thwarting a gang of jewel thieves. Finger also included the crucial detail that Ma Kent fashioned a red and blue playsuit out of the baby’s impervious Kryptonian blankets since he wore out Earthly clothing so quickly. Superboy #26’s (June–July 1953) cover-featured sequel (“The Super-Tot of Smallville”) used a verbal shorthand to convey little Clark’s toddler state of

Bouncing Baby Boy (top left) That Kent kid sure can heave furniture over his head! From 1939’s Superman #1. (top center and right, middle row) The Little Fella of Steel, from the Superman Sundays of late 1947 and early 1948. (bottom right) The hard-to-find Superbabe doll, and (bottom left) an ad for ordering it. TM & © DC Comics.

NOT NECESSARILY SUPERBABY

Not be confused with the “real” Superbaby of Earth-One discussed in this feature, Superman has upon occasion been transformed into a child— as you’ll read in the next article—including (left) this humiliating outing in Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #32 (Apr. 1962). Cover by Curt Swan and John Forte. (right) Numerous imaginary stories have depicted various superpowered children of the Man of Steel, most often in stories involving Lois Lane’s marriage fantasies involving Metropolis’ most superpowered bachelor. An example: Lois Lane #23 (Feb. 1961). Cover by Swan and George Klein.

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seemingly disintegrates the Flash and Batman, and his friends’ apparent deaths send the Boy of Steel reeling. It’s only once he’s brought to this breaking point that the young hero realizes Luthor’s plan is nothing more than an attempt to exploit a new weakness—his “super-mind.” As it turns out, Superman hadn’t been de-aged at all, but rather hypnotized. Buoyed by that revelation, he deals Lex Luthor a finishing blow as his real self and goes to tell the actual Batman and Flash all about this latest adventure. And thus finishes the story that had seen the Man of Steel’s confidence shaken to its core, only for him to eventually prevail through willpower and friendship—it is, after all, his insistence that not even Batman would be indifferent in the face of a fellow Justice Leaguer’s death that unravels Luthor’s whole plot.

AGE BEFORE BEAUTY

Punchy, Ain’t He? In this page from Action #466’s climax, Luthor tricks a junior-sized Superman into a kryptonite gloved face-punch-fest. (inset) Of course, the joke was on Lex in 1989 when Toy Biz released this action figure of the villain whose “power- punch” allowed him to smack himself in the eye! TM & © DC Comics.

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Action Comics #466 and its preceding chapters call into question a number of misconceptions revolving around what exactly constitutes the Man of Steel’s effectiveness as a crimefighter, and invite readers to contemplate the difference between Superboy and Superman. Examining his fondness for the younger incarnation of the iconic hero, Cary Bates reveals to BACK ISSUE, “I was about ten years old when I began reading comics, and I remember being fascinated by the blurb that accompanied all Superboy stories back in those days: ‘The Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy.’ So, it’s fair to say some of that enthusiasm stayed with me as an adult when I was an actual Superboy writer. Even though I believe I wrote my last Superboy story for DC in the early 1980s, the character re-entered my career in a major way in 1989 when I broke into TV writing to become a story editor and writer for Ilya Salkind when he was producing Viacom’s syndicated Superboy TV-series.” But, of course, this is no standard-fare Superboy tale—what might have been a one-issue, one-off story a decade before ends up a tightly plotted three-part arc benefiting greatly from Bates’ familiarity with the character and his usual flair for innovation. One of the story’s more fascinating aspects is the analysis of how brute strength amounts to very little without an experienced mind behind it. “After re-reading Action Comics #464–466 all these years later,” explains Bates, “I think one of the themes we were trying to explore was how much did age and experience factor into how well superheroes were able to perform. Certainly Luthor’s scheme pivoted on the assumption that an adolescent Superman would be a lesser opponent.” Indeed, it is precisely this theme that makes this Bronze Age adventure stand out against the backdrop of all those other Superbaby stories spread across the years. Ultimately, the excitement of it never falters and the arc remains a definite highlight of an already fanfavorite Superman run. ALISSA MARMOL-CERNAT is a Londonbased aspiring filmmaker and freelance writer. A longtime reader of DC Comics, she spends most of her time hunting down back issues.

by C

hristopher Larochelle

Mite-Sized Mutants Readers met the X-Babies in X-Men Annual #10 (1986). Its cover, by the one and only Arthur Adams, homages 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1 cover. (title above) Crayon artwork prepared specially for BACK ISSUE by Addisyn Fowlks. TM & © Marvel.

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“We don’t perform… unless we get what we want!” 1986: the year that brought Frank Miller’s Dark Knight, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, and many more signs that American comics were suddenly getting a little darker all around. In Marvel’s X-Men line, the “Mutant Massacre” crossover [the subject of an article forthcoming in BI #161—ed.] played out, bringing new foes to the stories who pushed the X-Men and their allies to the limit in a tale that featured quite a bit of indiscriminate slaughter, lasting and drastic changes to characters, and an overall sense of foreboding to the stories of Marvel’s mutant teams. Fans of the X-Men might very well point to the “Mutant Massacre” as being where their favorite series acquired an extra helping of darkness that never went away. However, writer Chris Claremont’s singularly impressive run from 1975 to 1991 on X-Men didn’t succeed because of any kind of “rinse and repeat” strategy. No, Claremont’s run is full of variety, and some welcome levity arrived in Uncanny X-Men Annual #10 (cover-dated Jan. 1987 but released in Sept. 1986), a special issue that was released as the Mutant Massacre storyline was trickling out in individual issues. Yes, it was the X-Babies that allowed Chris Claremont and artist Arthur Adams to stretch out and tell a story that has as much humor in it as the Mutant Massacre tale has gloom. In “Performance,” the X-Men and the New Mutants join forces against the threat of Mojo, a villain who up to that point had only been seen in the chris claremont Longshot miniseries (Adams’ big break into comics, written by Ann Nocenti). © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Mojo has an idea for introducing havoc into the X-Men’s lives by teleporting Longshot directly into the heroes’ training area, the Danger Room. Arriving in a strange balloon of ectoplasm that bursts on the whole team, Wolverine knows something bad will follow: “Weird scent on this goop makes me edgy.” It turns out that all who made contact are soon regressing into baby versions of themselves. In the midst of a double-sized Annual story, the baby versions of the X-Men truly don’t get the spotlight for too many pages. They are soon restored to adulthood during a battle with the New Mutants, who suited up to save their friends. The story in Annual #10 really does come across as a “testing of the waters” for expanding the idea of these characters later on down the line. An easy argument can certainly be made that the true debut of the X-Babies was in Uncanny X-Men Annual #12 (1988). Since the previous story was about the regular X-Men being turned into babies, this second story is where readers find what would prove to be the lasting concept: the X-Babies are performers who are made by Mojo himself to be his biggest stars. Again, it’s Chris Claremont and Arthur Adams who tell the story in “I Want My X-Men!” This brief story only runs for 14 pages, but it’s jam packed with the kind of zany fun that

School for Gifted Goo-Goos X-Men Annual #12 (1988), reintroducing the X-Babies. Cover art by Arthur Adams. TM & © Marvel.

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Their Reunion Was a Longshot Longshot creative team Whilce Portacio, Ann Nocenti, and Arthur Adams, at a 2015 convention. © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons.

Mojo’s appearances are known for. In this tale, Mojo has a real problem on his hands: the X-Men, the biggest stars for his media empire, are now dead (yep—it was another X-Book crossover called “Fall of the Mutants,” and nope—the X-Men weren’t really dead). The X-Men can no longer be captured on video, through photos, or picked up on by any technological means, so it really is difficult to track them down. As Mojo’s servile assistant, Major Domo, puts it: “You’re a victim, Mojo, of your own success. You’ve created an insatiable demand for X-Men product. But the audience isn’t satisfied with reruns… they want original programming.” Mojo doesn’t know how to solve his little problem, and he calls in some advisors… all of whom certainly bear a strong resemblance to people involved on the other side of the fourth wall! Chris Claremont, Ann Nocenti, Arthur Adams, Bob Wiacek, Tom Orzechowski, and Bob Harras are all there to make comments, and it’s Ann who says that replacement X-Men might just do the trick. Mojo quickly passes this off as his own idea, and much of the rest of the story is made up of Mojo reacting to various riffs on the general concept. An X-Men team made up entirely of X-Women, with the male characters all genderbent? Mojo isn’t impressed. X-Men Transformers? Again, rejected. X-Men in “naughty” attire… antrhopomorphic X-Men… all are not quite cutting it for the ratings-minded Mojo. Far more possibilities are mentioned in Claremont’s narration than can be seen in Adams’ art, but things come to a standstill as the author declaims: “Just when he thought things couldn’t get worse… they’re young! They’re proud! They’re cantankerous! They are—the Mighty X-Babies!” Mojo’s main concern for the rest of this short story is trying to round up and maintain some semblance of control over his latest “stars.” Speaking with George Khoury and Eric NolenWeathington in the fantastic Modern Masters:

Arthur Adams book published by TwoMorrows in 2006, the artist credited with bringing the X-Babies into existence was asked if the characters were his idea. Emphatically, Adams replied in the negative. “Those were Claremont. Claremont called up and thought that this would be a great merchandising idea for Marvel to do X-Babies. I think someone might have given either him or Dave Cockrum a little baby version, a stuffed doll of Nightcrawler. Chris thought that would be a great idea to get Marvel to do all of the X-Men characters as these weird little baby characters. Heck, I think this may even have been before Japanese toy companies started doing their various super-deformed characters. You know, with all the cute-sified, little big-headed things.” According to Adams, “that apparently did all start out as a scam by Chris to get some X-Men merchandise going. Which, of course, Marvel never, ever did. We don’t know why.”

Rough Stuff A pencil sketch by Arthur Adams, circa the mid-1980s but signed by the artist in 2006, of the X-Babies and Spiral, with a mirthful Mojo sketch in the top corner. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). X-Men TM & © Marvel.

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