Back Issue #154 by TwoMorrows Publishing

$10.95

NO. 154 SEPT. 2024

NOT-READY-FOR-PRIMETIME

HEROES!

METAMORPHO, THE ELEMENT MAN!

VARTOX, SUPERMAN’S FRENEMY!

NUBIA, THE OTHER WONDER WOMAN!

LILITH, THE TELEPATHIC TEEN TITAN!

The O! BLACK S AL CANARY

★

! JLA’S ULTRAA AND US DITKO’S ODD MAN PL

★

MEET ! RA MR. ACTION-T EX JIMMY OLSEN

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

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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 154 September 2024 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Nick Cardy (Art originally appeared on various DC Comics covers; see editorial for details.) COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg

BACKSEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

PROOFREADER Kevin Sharp

FLASHBACK: Everybody’s Pal, Ralph Dibny: The Elongated Man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Stretchable Sleuth and his winding journey through the DC Universe

SPECIAL THANKS Brad Meltzer Terry Austin Tom Peyer Mike W. Barr Bob Rozakis Cary Bates John Schwirian Kurt Busiek Jennifer Contino Bryan D. Stroud Mark Waid Ed Catto John Wells DC Comics Gerry Conway J. M. DeMatteis Stephen DeStefano Robert Greenberger Jack C. Harris Bob Harrison Heritage Auctions Dan Johnson Dan Jurgens James Heath Lantz Ed Lute Elliot S! Maggin Rex Mason

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BEYOND CAPES: Jason’s Quest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 A boy, a motorcycle, and a misfire, from writer/artist Mike Sekowsky FLASHBACK: The Erratic Flight Patterns of Black Canary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 How do you handle a problem like Dinah? WHAT THE—?!: Jimmy Olsen: Man of Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Superman’s pal’s odd detour as a Bronze Age troubleshooter FLASHBACK: Who Is Nubia?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Wonder Woman’s trailblazing sister and her slow rise to stardom BACKSTAGE PASS: Is Metamorpho Out of His Element As a Solo Star?. . . . . . . . . . . 39 Metamaniacs Mike W. Barr, Mark Waid, and Dan Jurgens weigh in FLASHBACK: Vartox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Superman’s otherworldly frenemy has eyes for Lana Lang TERRY’S TOONS: DC Supervillain Luncheon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 A cartoon by Terry Austin ONE-HIT WONDERS: The Odd Case of the Odd Man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Steve Ditko’s quirky character was a casualty of the DC Implosion FLASHBACK: Lilith: That Girl You Just Can’t Forget. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Dating a caveman might be the most normal thing this enigmatic Teen Titan has ever done FLASHBACK: Ultraa, Earth-Prime’s First Superhero. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 This muscleman from the multiverse “tunes in” to DC writers and editors BACK TALK: Reader Reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 BACK ISSUE™ issue 154, September 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 Nick Cardy. All characters depicted TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All editorial matter © 2024 TwoMorrows and Michael Eury. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING

Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes • BACK ISSUE • 1

by M

Regular readers will realize that this issue is a sequel—no, make that a companion—to BACK ISSUE #139, which was themed “Not-Ready-for-Primetime Marvel Heroes.” That issue’s lineup of lower-tier Marvel characters—Doc Samson, Thundra, Stingray, Jack of Hearts, Nighthawk, Union Jack, and the like—was risky, ye ed initially thought. After all, it’s best to have a marketable character on view to ensure healthy sales. But you liked it—you really liked it! BI #139 was a crowd-pleaser that garnered lots of reader response. And more than one of those messages asked for a follow-up edition of DC heroes. So here we are. As BI #139’s cover parroted a Marvel Comics layout (from Fantastic Four #183, June 1977), including encircled headshots bordering the BACK ISSUE logo, this issue’s cover replicates the look of the cover layout for a Bronze Age DC Giant (courtesy of our cover designer, Mighty Michael Kronenberg). And who better to feature as our cover artist than the infinitely talented illustrator who was DC’s chief cover artist of the early 1970s, the one and only Nick Cardy. While we lost Nick

ichael Eury

over a decade ago, thanks to the original art archives of Heritage Auctions we have produced a “new” Cardy cover cannibalizing Nick’s cover art from the following sources: Lilith: Teen Titans #33 (May–June 1971) Metamorpho: The Brave and the Bold #101 (Apr.–May 1972) Vartox: Superman #281 (Nov. 1974) Nubia: Wonder Woman #206 (June–July 1973) Those images were colored anew for BI by Glenn Whitmore. Even the headshots of Black Canary and Jimmy Olsen which grace the bottom of the cover are by Cardy, from a similar banner on the cover of World’s Finest Comics #225 (Sept.–Oct. 1974), during that title’s run as a 100-Page Super Spectacular. One graphic keeps this from being a “pure” Cardy cover: the Elongated Man blurb stretching atop the BI logo. That’s by Murphy Anderson, and was employed on several covers of The Flash in the early 1970s when the Stretchable Sleuth was a backup feature in the Fastest Man Alive’s series.

2 • BACK ISSUE • Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes

by D

an Johnson

There are some comic book characters that are so dynamic, they own the spotlight. From their first appearances they are destined to be stars, the kind that hold down their own book, if not series of books; headline major motion pictures and television shows; and have their faces put on all manners of merchandise from T-shirts to lunch boxes to action figures. These are your Supermans, Batmans, and Spider-Mans. Then there are characters that hang out in the background. They rarely get their own title, and if they have a feature, it is usually a backup in an anthology anchored by one of the bigger superheroes. Also, if they get a cover, it is only because they are guest-starring in someone else’s book. I have always loved characters that never make the A-list. They aren’t powerhouses, but because they aren’t leads, they are offered more personality and quirks and they are just so much more lovable. That is certainly how I feel about Ralph Dibny, a.k.a. the Elongated Man. While the first-string heroes of the DC Universe were often off saving the world in epic story arcs, Ralph was content solving little mysteries that were wrapped up in about eight pages. Plus, because he rarely got dragged into the bigger, Earth-shattering events, he had time to commit to being a detective and husband. When Ralph did get involved with the greater DC Universe, he was able to make the super-stars shine a little brighter. It’s not a stretch to say he was the perfect wingman for his many superhero pals. He was the guy who kept it light. The guy who was happy letting his super-friends be the main attraction. And he was the guy who you could depend on to come through in the end.

FAST FRIENDS

The Elongated Man was introduced in the pages of The Flash #112 (May 1960) in a story called “The Mystery of the Elongated Man!” According to comic book legend, Ralph was created because editor Julius Schwartz wanted to feature a super-stretchy character similar to Plastic Man. Schwartz was unaware that DC owned the rights to Plastic Man, along with some other Quality Comics characters

Who’s Who? It’s Ralph and Sue! As any fan of the Ductile Detective will tell you, it’s the love of his wife and best friend, Sue Dibny, not Gingold, that gives Ralph Dibny—the Elongated Man—his pep! Entry from Who’s Who in the DC Universe #7 (Feb. 1991). Art by Carmine Infantino and Bart Sears. TM & © DC Comics.

Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes • BACK ISSUE • 3

they had purchased several years earlier. DC had not yet found the right opportunity to use Plas. Had Schwartz been better informed, Plastic Man might have made his DC debut as a companion to the Scarlet Speedster. I feel it is important to note Plas here because, as you will learn, this was a rare time when Elongated Man edged out his elastic rival. Initially there was talk of making Ralph another member of Flash’s Rogues’ Gallery, and his first cover appearance certainly could have led readers to think that he was a bad guy. But having him be a buddy to Flash was the right call. Ralph was the first superhero friend for Barry Allen, and the two teamed up on multiple occasions for over two decades. It was a good union. As strong as his bond with Crimson Comet was, though, Ralph was destined to meet a partner shortly after his debut that left Flash in the dust.

WEDDING BELLS FOR A SUPERHERO

In the Silver Age, it was rare for a superhero to get married. They were always too busy fighting archenemies, they never had time for the trials and tribulations of a domestic life. But Ralph broke with that by tying the knot with socialite Sue Dearborn. And talk about a fast courtship! He was hitched by his third appearance. We never got to see their wedding, although a newspaper announcement heralding their marriage appeared at the beginning of the Flash and Elongated Man team-up story “The Elongated Man’s Undersea Trap,” featured in The Flash #119 (Mar. 1961). The story showed the Dibnys on their honeymoon, which is interrupted by members of an aquatic race fishing for human slaves. With Ralph as a spouse, poor Sue learned quickly that a vacation with him would be anything but relaxing. And readers would soon learn that as good as Ralph was on his own, with Sue by his side, he could be truly great. After her first

Elongated Man Milestones (top left) The Scarlet Speedster meets a malleable masked man in The Flash #112 (Apr.–May 1960). (bottom) The wedding of Ralph and Sue Dibny, as revealed—briefly—in Flash #119. (top right) The “New Look” Batman was the main attraction beginning with Detective Comics #327 (May 1964), but that issue also debuted the Elongated Man’s backup series, which would stick around in the mag for (yes, we’re gonna say it) quite a stretch. All art shown penciled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Joe Giella. TM & © DC Comics.

4 • BACK ISSUE • Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes

appearance, Sue often showed up with Ralph stereotypes,” notes Meltzer. “What I appreciated when he visited the Flash, refusing to be left out about Sue is that for decades, she wasn’t just of the fun. The Dibnys had a partnership made there in service to a man. She was working the in comic book heaven. And the Elongated Man mystery too. She had history, a backstory, an had that one thing that many fanboys desired actual personality, and was well… different. And more than superpowers: a loving woman who she loved someone different. Like it says in the “got us.” “I always felt that Ralph and Sue book, vanilla is the most popular flavor, but loved each other,” notes Identity Crisis some people prefer butter pecan.” writer and novelist Brad Meltzer. Sue was that proverbial woman “Real love. Not the comic book behind the great man. She was sterile version of love where we’re proud of Ralph, as a superhero, told ‘they’re in love’ and there’s a detective, and just as a person. a tepid kiss scene every few No doubt, were she a real live issues, along with scenes where person, what lay ahead for the the woman looks lovingly at Elongated Man would have truly the hero as he (it’s usually a he) made her beam with pride. swings off/flies off to fight another BACKUP FOR BATMAN villain. Ralph and Sue had real It’s hard for modern fans to love. Complex love. This was an believe that there was ever honest-to-God love affair.” julius schwartz a time that Batman was not Sue was a great contrast the most popular character in to other girlfriends in comic books at that time, especially at DC. She wasn’t comics. Indeed, in 1964, the Dark Knight was scheming to expose the secret identity of Super- in danger of being cancelled altogether by DC man, like Lois Lane, and she wasn’t harsh and because sales of his comic and his anthology dismissive towards the man who loved her, like series, Detective Comics, were in a slump. More Carol Ferris was to Green Lantern. “They were than that, with the sleek Silver Age reboots of equals in a medium where most female characters Golden Age characters like Flash, Green Lantern, back then were so often two-dimensional and Hawkman, and their science fiction up-

I Should Stick My Neck Out for You Guys? (left) Ralph’s first JLA appearance, alongside guest-star and future member Zatanna, in Justice League of America #51 (Feb. 1967). Cover by Infantino and Giella. (right) After bouncing by for the centennial festivities in issues #100–102, the Elongated Man is at last inducted into the JLA in issue #105 (May 1973)— although his identity is a secret on this eye-catching Dick Giordano cover! TM & © DC Comics.

Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes • BACK ISSUE • 5

Motorcycles represented a form of freedom that proved very appealing in the latter years of the turbulent 1960s. In the spring of 1969, a pair of motorcycle-centric pop culture pieces arrived quickly. First, Then Came Bronson, which aired March 24 on NBC, starred Michael Parks as a journalist who takes to the road, seeking the meaning of life. The telefilm earned high enough ratings and critical acclaim to earn it a berth on the 1969–1970 television schedule. And as audiences awaited those weekly installments, they went to the theaters on July 14 to see Easy Rider. The latter, a road story written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper, starred Fonda and Hopper. While Bronson was seeking enlightenment, this pair sought adventure as they headed south, carrying the proceeds of a drug deal. Both were seen as attempts to understand the counterculture movement sweeping the nation, as both sides of a generational divide were fighting for the nation’s soul. The beatniks of the 1950s became the hippies of the 1960s, and they wanted freedom, to love who they wanted, to ditch their bras, enjoy free love, and to smoke more than a bit of marijuana. This put them in opposition to the conformist generation of the 1950s, who vehemently opposed such moral “looseness” and disrespect for the government, with the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War as the event over which they battled. The comic books of this era were slow to embrace some of the ideals found on the screen, large and small. In fact, they largely avoided controversy for another year or so, but interestingly, Mike Sekowsky took the first stab. Sekowsky (1923–1989) started in the late 1940s, drawing features like “Silly Seal” and more for Timely (later Atlas, ultimately Marvel). The cutbacks at Atlas led him to DC Comics, where he was caught in editor Julie Schwartz’s orbit drawing Western and science fiction stories before landing the Justice League of America, which he drew for 66 consecutive issues. As he came off that book, he went mike sekowsky to work for Jack Miller, helping the editor revamp Wonder Woman. © DC Comics. However, Miller was fired at a time when incoming editorial director Carmine Infantino was shaking

by R o b e r t

Hot Wheels You can’t run from your past, Jason Grant— especially when it’s haunting you in the form of background floating heads! Writer/artist Mike Sekowsky’s short ride, “Jason’s Quest,” begins here, in Showcase #88 (Feb. 1970). Cover inks by Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.

12 • BACK ISSUE • Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes

Greenberger

up DC’s Editorial Department. Suddenly, Sekowsky became an editor, and his work on the Amazon Princess, and to a lesser degree on Metal Men, gave him a lot of leeway with Infantino. Around the time Bronson aired, Sekowsky pitched a three-issue tryout for Showcase. As it turns out, Sekowsky holds the record for drawing the most issues of that experimental title, preceding this with the Adam Strange (#17–19), a rare Rip Hunter story (#21), B’Wana Beast (#66–67), the Maniaks (#68–69, 71), Jason’s Quest (#88–90), and Manhunter 2070 (#91–93). Readers got the first hint of the series with an eye-catching house ad featuring Sekowsky’s art and Gaspar Saladino’s distinctive letters. Award-winning letterer Todd Klein noted, “He probably designed the ad with his art surrounded by Saladino lettering running in all four directions. The

ad is memorable, and it gave Gaspar a chance to use his upper and lower case style more than usual, but the feature went no further.” The first issue, Showcase #88 (Feb. 1970), arrived the previous December, as America was caught in this pop culture phenomenon. Sekowsky grew more fashion conscious, as seen with Wonder Woman, and despite being 47, his work was skewing towards a younger look than a lot of the line had. The premise was pretty basic: a boy, his bike, and his search. The story begins when Jason Davis’ father is mortally wounded in a shooting. Jason then learns his real name is Jason Grant, Jr., and a man called Tuborg killed his real father when Jason was an infant. As Tuborg ransacked the house to find Grant’s latest invention, the manservant, Davis, protected the baby, sending the twin sister Geraldine into hiding with the housekeeper.

Born to Be Wild (left) Michael Parks starred in NBC’s Then Came Bronson (1969–1970), whose short TV run spawned this theatrical repackaging of select episodes. (right) Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper found that freedom has a price in 1969’s counterculture classic, Easy Rider, promoted here in an Australian daybill poster. Both, courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). Then Came Bronson © MGM Television. Easy Rider © Columbia Pictures.

Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes • BACK ISSUE • 13

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE magazine celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through recurring (and rotating) departments like “Pro2Pro” (dialogue between professionals), “BackStage Pass” (behind-the-scenes of comicsbased media), “Greatest Stories Never Told” (spotlighting unrealized comics series or stories), and more!

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DINOSAUR COMICS! Interviews with Xenozoic®’s MARK SCHULTZ and dinoartist extraordinaire WILLIAM STOUT! Plus: Godzilla at Dark Horse, Sauron villain history, Dinosaurs Attack!, Dinosaurs for Hire, Dinosaur Rex, Dino Riders, Lord Dinosaur, and Jurassic Park! Featuring ARTHUR ADAMS, BISSETTE, CLAREMONT, COCKRUM, GERANI, STRADLEY, ROY THOMAS, and more. SCHULTZ cover.

SPIES AND P.I.s! Nick Fury from Howling Commando to Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ms. Tree’s MAX ALLAN COLLINS and TERRY BEATTY in a Pro2Pro interview, MARK EVANIER on his Crossfire series, a Hydra villain history, WILL EISNER’s John Law, Checkmate, and Tim Trench and Mike Mauser. With ENGLEHART, ERWIN, HALL, ISABELLA, KUPPERBERG, STATON, THOMAS, and cover by DAVE JOHNSON!

SUPER ISSUE! Superboy’s Bronze Age adventures, and interviews with GERARD CHRISTOPHER and STACY HAIDUK of the Superboy live-action TV series. Plus: Super Goof, Super Richie (Rich), Super-Dagwood, Super Mario Bros., Frank Thorne’s Far Out Green Super Cool, NICK MEGLIN and JACK DAVIS’ Superfan, and more! Featuring a Superboy and Krypto cover by DAVE COCKRUM! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

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BACK ISSUE #146

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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!

SPIDER-ROGUES ISSUE! Villain histories of Dr. Octopus, Lizard, Kingpin, Spidey’s mob foes, the Jackal and Carrion, Tarantula, Puma, plus the rehabilitation of Sandman! Featuring the work of ANDRU, SAL BUSCEMA, CONWAY, DeFALCO, GIL KANE, McFARLANE, MILLER, POLLARD, JOHN ROMITA JR. & SR., STERN, THOMAS, WEIN, WOLFMAN, and more! DUSTY ABELL cover!

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!

Great Hera, it’s the 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF BACK ISSUE, featuring a tribute to the late, great GEORGE PÉREZ! Wonder Woman: The George Pérez Years, Pérez’s 20 Greatest Hits of the Bronze Age, Pérez’s fanzine days, a Pérez remembrance by MARV WOLFMAN, a Wonder Woman interview with MINDY NEWELL, and more! With a stunning Wonder Woman cover by Pérez!

DC SUPER-STARS OF SPACE! Adam Strange in the Bronze Age (with RICHARD BRUNING & ANDY KUBERT), From Beyond the Unknown, the Fabulous World of Krypton, Vartox, a Mongul history, the Omega Men, and more! Featuring CARY BATES, DAVE GIBBONS, DAN JURGENS, CURT SWAN, PETER J. TOMASI, MARV WOLFMAN, and more! Cover by CARMINE INFANTINO & MURPHY ANDERSON!

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’80s INDIE HEROES: The American, Aztec Ace, Dynamo Joe, Evangeline, Journey, Megaton Man, Trekker, Whisper, and Zot! Featuring CHUCK DIXON, PHIL FOGLIO, STEVEN GRANT, RICH LARSON, SCOTT McCLOUD, WILLIAM MESSNER-LOEBS, DOUG MOENCH, RON RANDALL, DON SIMPSON, MARK VERHEIDEN, CHRIS WARNER & more superstar creators. Cover by NORM BREYFOGLE!

DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES! A who’s who of artists of NEIL GAIMAN’s The Sandman plus a GAIMAN interview, Sandman Mystery Theatre’s MATT WAGNER and STEVEN T. SEAGLE, Dr. Strange’s nemesis Nightmare, Marvel’s Sleepwalker, Casper’s horse Nightmare, with SHELLY BOND, BOB BUDIANSKY, STEVE ENGLEHART, ALISA KWITNEY, and others! KELLEY JONES cover.

MARVELMANIA ISSUE! SAL BUSCEMA’s Avengers, FABIAN NICIEZA’s Captain America, and KURT BUSIEK and ALEX ROSS’s Marvels turns 30! Plus: Marvelmania International, Marvel Age, Marvel Classics, PAUL KUPPERBERG’s Marvel Novels, and Marvel Value Stamps. Featuring JACK KIRBY, KEVIN MAGUIRE, ROY THOMAS, and more! SAL BUSCEMA cover.

BIG BABY ISSUE! X-Babies, the last days of Sugar and Spike, FF’s Franklin Richards, Superbaby vs. Luthor, Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine, Baby Snoots, Marvel and Harvey kid humor comics, & more! With ARTHUR ADAMS, CARY BATES, JOHN BYRNE, CHRIS CLAREMONT, SCOTT LOBDELL, SHELDON MAYER, CURT SWAN, ROY THOMAS, and other grownup creators. Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS.

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Few DC characters frustrated me as a fan quite as much as the Black Canary. Although she lacked the name recognition of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl, the heroine in blue and black was in the top tier of DC heroines during the 1970s thanks to her status in the Justice League. For the first half of the decade, she was literally the only woman on the team. And yet…

BLACK CANARY OF TWO WORLDS by J o

hn Wells

But let’s back up for a moment. Black Canary was created in 1947 by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino as a frenemy of Johnny Thunder, a long-running comical adventurer whose series wasn’t long for the world. After co-starring in Flash Comics #86–88, 90, and 91, the Veronica Lake lookalike in a bolero jacket took the feature for herself. Issue #92 revealed that the blonde heroine wore a wig and was secretly a raven-haired florist named Dinah Drake. In both identities, she contended with a cocky private eye named Larry Lance in her own series while taking Johnny’s place as a member of the Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics. Diminishing returns on superhero comics brought an end to Flash Comics in 1948 with #104 and the JSA in late 1950’s All-Star Comics #57, but Black Canary’s story was far from over. She returned in an epic 1963 JLA/JSA crossover (Justice League of America #21–22) and was awarded a two-issue series tryout—co-starring with Starman— in 1965 (The Brave and the Bold #61–62). Scripted by Gardner Fox and impeccably drawn by Murphy Anderson, the latter showed the older Black Canary still in fine form, her martial arts skills wellhoned and supplemented with a few gimmicks. Happily married to Larry Lance, she still operated a floral shop in Park City. As the Silver Age shifted into Bronze, those happy times came to an end. At the climax of an encounter with a cosmic entity called Aquarius, Larry sacrificed his life to save Dinah (1969’s Justice League of America #74). In a state of shock, the grieving widow couldn’t bear to live on a world that reminded her of her husband. For those who came in late, this was not an insurmountable problem. Black Canary and the Justice Society lived on the parallel world of Earth-Two, so she simply asked if she could relocate to Earth-One and join the Justice League.

Then Came Canary Black Canary—one-time Justice Society member relocated to Earth-One’s Justice League—as rendered by the unmatchable George Pérez for DC’s 1984 Justice League of America postcard set. Unless otherwise noted, art scans illustrating this article are courtesy of John Wells. TM & © DC Comics.

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According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, “metamorphosis” is a change of physical form, structure, or substance, which is a pretty good way to define that swinging superhero from the ’60s, Metamorpho, the Element Man. The character first came onto the scene in The Brave and the Bold (B&B) #57 (Dec. 1964–Jan. 1965) under a dynamic cover penciled by co-creator Ramona Fradon, with Charles Paris supplying inks. “The Origin of Metamorpho” was also illustrated by the same artistic team, with Bob Haney scripting and editing by George Kashdan. by B r y a n

D. Stroud

THIS IS THE STORY OF THE ELEMENT MAN (METAMORPHO, METAMORPHO)

Readers are quickly introduced to Rex Mason, adventurer, soldier of fortune, and adrenaline junkie, who is passionately in love with Sapphire Stagg, socialite and wealthy heiress to the Stagg fortune. But meanwhile, Simon Stagg, powerhungry industrialist and brilliant scientist, is still alive, kicking and calling the shots. And boy, does he call them. When the term “control freak” was coined, they likely had “Mr. Millions” in mind. Stagg is suspicious of Rex Mason and serves as both antagonist and frenemy to his daughter’s suitor. Throwing into the mix Java—a prehistoric man revived by Simon with enhanced intellect, who additionally suffers an unrequited love for Sapphire—and you have a rich stew for conflict. Rex, in his bid to make his own fortune and extricate he and his lady love from the controlling Simon Stagg, accepts an assignment from “Daddykins” to fetch the Orb of Ra from an ancient pyramid in the Middle East. The gig pays a cool million dollars, but Simon has sent Java along and is plotting to ambush Rex. Once inside the mysteriously glowing pyramid, Mason interprets some hieroglyphics that show a meteor had fallen and the priest Ahk-Ton had removed a piece of it and made it into a scepter for the pharaoh—and thus the Orb of Ra came to be. Soon, Java and Rex locate the artifact in a chamber, but Java quickly seizes it and knocks Mason unconscious with the intent of leaving him inside the pyramid. The unconscious Rex Mason has accidentally activated a system of pulleys and counterweights

Way-Out Try-Out Oddball Silver Age superhero Metamorpho, the Element Man—with the character’s reunited creators, writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon, at the helm—gets another shot at stardom in 1st Issue Special #3 (June 1975). TM & © DC Comics.

Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes • BACK ISSUE • 39

METAMORPHO COVER GALLERY

48 • BACK ISSUE • Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes

by J o

hn Wells

The ‘Bear’ Necessities Nick Cardy’s provocative cover to Superman #281 (Nov. 1974) introduced DC’s hairiest he-man since Green Arrow’s makeover—Vartox! The cover’s sexism was spoofed in late 2009 in (inset) Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti’s cover for Power Girl #7. Unless otherwise noted, scans accompanying this article are courtesy of John Wells. TM & © DC Comics.

Among the pleasures that emerged from the revival of the Justice Society of America in the 1960s was watching their younger Justice League counterparts interact with heroes who had years more of experience. Earth-Two Flash Jay Garrick, in particular, became a fatherly advisor to Earth-One Flash Barry Allen. It was a relationship Superman could only dream of. As the model to which every other superhero aspired, the Man of Steel at best interacted with others as peers. Earth-Two’s Clark Kent, it was teased in 1970s text pages, had settled down to marry Lois Lane and succeed George Taylor as editor of the Daily Star. Sadly, writers of the period rarely gave the elder Superman the opportunity to share his wisdom with Earth-One’s younger Metropolis Marvel. Luckily, 26-year-old Cary Bates—already a veteran scripter of the Superman series— had ideas on filling that void. Accompanied by artists Curt Swan and Bob Oksner, he introduced a seasoned newcomer in Superman #281 (cover-dated Nov. 1974), on sale in August. Vartox, readers soon learned, was the champion of a world trillions of light years away, a 50-something hero who enjoyed the love and admiration of the entire population and had just married his own version of Lois Lane. Still in the honeymoon phase, Vartox was stunned to find his bride dead on their bedroom floor without so much as a mark on her body. He recalled that “for years she suffered from mysterious pains and ailments” and the autopsiscan confirmed that there was a connection. The hero was stunned to learn that she had been “biologically linked” to a woman from Earth. When her “bionic twin” died, his bride had perished as well. Using a time-scanscope of his own invention, Vartox discovered that his wife’s twin had been ruthlessly gunned down by an armed robber on Earth named Frank Sykes. Even more ghastly was that, thanks to a legal loophole, Sykes would not be punished for the crime. Vartox vowed to bring Sykes to his world for punishment, but concluded that a direct approach was not an option. “By hyper-powers, [he] mentally projected what would most likely happen if he carried out such a battle-plan—a clash between Superman and [himself]—ending in the death of the woman he loves” (i.e., Lois Lane, as seen on Nick Cardy’s vivid cover). Instead, Vartox met Sykes in the guise of a fellow criminal, manipulated him into stealing a jewel, and convinced him to return to his alien world for more riches. Despite the stealthy hero’s best precautions, Superman spotted Sykes snatching the gem and attempted to intervene. Still hoping to avoid a potentially disastrous confrontation with the Man of Steel, Vartox funneled some of his power into Sykes, who sent Superman spinning away like “a human corkscrew.”

Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes • BACK ISSUE • 49

56 • BACK ISSUE • Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes

Odd Man Out

by B

ryan D. Stroud

(left) Splash page to writer/artist Steve Ditko’s “Odd Man” story, originally intended to begin as a backup in Shade, the Changing Man but shunted into obscurity by the DC Implosion. Published in Detective Comics #487 (Dec. 1979– Jan. 1970). (right) Photocopy of Ditko’s original version of the same page, culled from its eventual publication in the ashcan edition, Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2. TM & © DC Comics.

At the risk of stating the obvious, Steve Ditko was an incredibly and both ended up instead in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade prolific creator over the course of his career, giving readers #2 for copyright purposes. [Editor’s note: See BACK ISSUE dozens of original characters and illustrating thrilling #2 for Mike W. Barr’s recollections of Cancelled stories with them and others along the way. Comic Cavalcade. And you’ll find no better history Quite often, he’d come up with something of the DC Implosion than Keith Dallas and unique. Such was certainly the case with the John Wells’ book, Comic Book Implosion, from Odd Man. While this character didn’t leave a TwoMorrows.] lot of footprints, the goal is to document those Prior to the company’s infamous Implosion, appearances here, so let’s get started. DC Comics was experiencing an “Explosion,” The first and most important appearance the addition of extra pages and backup features of the Odd Man was originally intended as a to titles—which was the reason the Odd Man backup feature to begin in Shade, the Changing came into being. Jack C. Harris, in his 2023 book Man #9 (Oct. 1978). The lower quadrant cover from TwoMorrows, Working with Ditko, recalled: treatment of the character was quite reminis“For his contribution to the ‘Explosion,’ I had cent of the similar workup for the debut of asked Steve if he would like to expand the steve ditko Ditko’s enigmatic mystery man the Question Shade adventures, or would he rather introduce on the cover of Charlton’s Blue Beetle #1 (Jan. a new character? I was hoping for the latter. 1967). Prior to publication, however, Shade—and therefore I had remembered when he was doing Captain Atom for the Odd Man—was among the casualties of the DC Implosion Charlton in the mid-1960s and had created a Blue Beetle Bronze Age Not-Ready-for-Primetime DC Heroes • BACK ISSUE • 57