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ROUNDTABLE

the Brave & the Bold jim aparo

PRO2PRO

21 creators discuss the f f

ROUGH STUFF

super teams pencil art

FLASHBACK

SUPER TEAMS ISSUE! Dennis O’Neil talks teams! Teen Titans! Super-Sons! Visit Metropolis! Comics DVD GUIDE and SANTA CLAUS IN COMICS!

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SUPERMAN, BATMAN, AQUAMAN, SPECTRE, AND PHANTOM STRANGER TM & © 2004 DC COMICS. FANTASTIC FOUR AND CLOAK AND DAGGER TM & © 2004 MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. DNAGENTS TM & © 2004 MARK EVANIER AND WILL MEUGNIOT

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TwoMorrows.Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. (& LEGO! ) TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

ll a r o f e n o d n a All for one,

The Ultimate Comics Experience!

ouurr IItt’’ss o

s M A E T super e!

Volume 1, Number 7 December 2004

ue ! iissssu

Celebrating the Best Comics of the '70s, '80s, and Today! EDITOR Michael “Brave and Bold” Eury

EDITORIAL ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 A salute to B&B and Teen Titans writer Bob Haney

PUBLISHER John “Two-in-One” Morrow

FLASHBACK: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD ............................................................................. 3 The history of DC’s much-more-than-just-a-team-up title

DESIGNER Robert “World’s Finest” Clark PROOFREADERS John Morrow and Eric Nolen-Weathington —in one issue together! SCANNING AND IMAGE MANIPULATION Rich “Super Friend” Fowlks COVER ARTISTS Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson COVER COLORIST Murphy Anderson III

FLASHBACK BONUS: THE BRAVE, THE BOLD, AND THE BOB ........................ 21 Bob Haney, through the eyes of Mike W. Barr PRO2PRO MINUS 1: JIM APARO INTERVIEW ................................................................... 23 The Bat-artist supreme looks back on his Brave and Bold days THE ULTIMATE TEAM-UP GUIDE................................................................................................. 28 A checklist of B&B, Marvel Team-Up, and other team-up titles ROUGH STUFF: SUPER TEAMS ...................................................................................................... 32 Pencil art by Brigman, Byrne, Cockrum, Gammill, Heck, Infantino, Leonardi, Newton, Robbins, Ross, Swan, and Toth

BATMAN CREATED BY BOB KANE SUPERMAN CREATED BY JERRY SIEGEL AND JOE SHUSTER SPECIAL THANKS Jason Adams Neal Adams Murphy Anderson Jim Aparo Terry Austin Mike W. Barr Spencer Beck Jerry Boyd Tom Brevoort June Brigman Rich Buckler Mike Burkey Cary Burkett Kurt Busiek John Byrne Nick Cardy Chris Claremont Dave Cockrum Gerry Conway Don Corn Tom DeFalco Mike Dunne Kieron Dwyer Steve Englehart Ric Estrada John Eury Mark Evanier Ramona Fradon Marguerite Haney French Kerry Gammill Dick Giordano Grand Comic-Book Database David Hamilton Wallace Harrington Jack C. Harris Russ Heath Heritage Comics Carmine Infantino

Dan Johnson Randy Kerr Karl Kesel Chris Khalaf Scott Kress Joe Kubert Stan Lee Rick Leonardi Paul Levitz Willie Lumpkin Andy Mangels Will Meugniot Moebius Cookie Morris Brian K. Morris Dennis O’Neil Jerry Ordway George Pérez Adam Philips John Romita, Sr. Alex Ross Steve Rude Rose Rummel-Eury Paul Ryan Jim Shooter Bill Sienkiewicz Walter Simonson Joe Sinnott J.E. Smith Jay Stephens Roger Stern Roy Thomas Alex Toth George Tuska Mark Waid Len Wein Marv Wolfman

THE GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: TEEN TITANS SWINGIN’ ELSEWORLDS (AND THE SUPER-SONS) ................................................... 44 Jay Stephens talks Titans and Bob Haney, daddio! With unpublished art PRO2PRO ROUNDTABLE: FANTASTIC FOUR .................................................................... 47 The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine, as seen by 21 top creators PRO2PRO INTERVIEW: MARK EVANIER AND WILL MEUGNIOT ................... 62 The writer and artist recall DNAgents, with tons of juicy Meugniot artwork OFF MY CHEST: DENNIS O’NEIL .................................................................................................. 74 A guest editorial on the perils of writing super teams BACKSTAGE PASS: METROPOLIS LIVES! ............................................................................. 76 BACK ISSUE’s guided tour of the “home” of Superman GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD STOCKING STUFFER ........................................ 80 Marvel’s Santa Claus, plus Christmas comics of the ’70s and ’80s DVD BACK ISSUES, PART TWO ..................................................................................................... 81 Our checklist of comics-to-film-to-DVD titles continues BACK TALK ....................................................................................................................................................... 88 Reader feedback on issue #5

BACK ISSUE™ is published bimonthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. BACK ISSUE Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor, 5060A Foothills Dr., Lake Oswego, OR 97034. Email: euryman@msn.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $30 Standard US, $48 First Class US, $60 Canada, $66 Surface International, $90 Airmail International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Spectre, Phantom Stranger, Brave and the Bold, and Teen Titans TM & © 2004 DC Comics. Fantastic Four TM & © 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc. DNAgents TM & © 2004 Mark Evanier and Will Meugniot. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2004 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

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With this issue, BACK ISSUE begins its second

(far right) Bob Haney’s

year of publication! We’ve worked hard to improve

continuity-busting

our editorial and design content, and your letters

Super-Sons of

are supporting our efforts. Thanks for sticking with

Superman and Batman,

us. And tell your friends about BACK ISSUE—especially

as seen in World’s Finest #238 (1976). Courtesy

the ones who haven’t read comics in a long time. This issue’s “Super Teams” theme allows me a degree of editorial (and fanboy) self-indulgence with

of Wally Harrington.

(B&B), my personal fave funnybook. Regarding our “Pro2Pro minus 1” interview with B&B artist Jim Aparo, my original goal was to moderate a dialogue between Mr. Aparo and his former B&B collaborator, writer Bob Haney. Haney, the scribe responsible for tightly plotted, incredibly inventive, and often offbeat DC fare like Aquaman, Teen Titans, the “Super-Sons” in World’s Finest Comics, and, of course, tons of B&B team-ups, had rarely been interviewed, so this intended “Pro2Pro” would be a coup for the magazine and a thrill for me.

be a vicious beast, assaulting mercilessly and elimi-

retired from Woodstock, New York, to somewhere in

nating or eroding an individual’s ability to commu-

Mexico, but had no telephone and could only be

nicate. My father, who died in March of this year, had

reached by US mail to a PO box. In March 2004 I wrote

endured this torture during his last months. And

sample copy of BI and a self-addressed stamped envelope for his reply. After weeks without a response from Haney, I finally connected—with the help of fellow B&B fan Chris Khalaf—with Randy Kerr of the BlueRoadrunner.com site, the visitor’s information site for

Randy Kerr (www.blueroadrunner.com).

wishing to send him a card or letter of encouragement may do so at:

Bob Haney had suffered a stroke in early 2004, and

Community Convalescent Hospital

had been moved to a convalescence hospital in

8665 La Mesa Blvd.

southern California.

La Mesa, CA 91941

good (he sees, tries to smile, [and] moves his right

[This news was upsetting for me from two perspectives. Professionally, the proposed Haney/Aparo interview could not take place. But that minor dis-

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As you’ll read in this issue, Bob Haney never quite received the accolades he deserved for his myriad comic-book contributions. I am honored that in some small way, BACK ISSUE can aim the spotlight onto this wonderful talent whose creative voice provided hundreds of hours of entertainment

arm only).”

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from his sister’s report from June. BACK ISSUE readers

Room 308, Bed 1

to say that “Bob’s condition is stable but not too

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At this writing, Bob Haney’s condition is unchanged

Through Randy I received the sobering news that

Marguerite) French, who wrote me in June of 2004

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a similar plight.]

Robert Haney

I connected with Haney’s sister, Margaret (aka

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now one of my favorite storytellers was weathering

San Felipe, Baja, Mexico, Haney’s home since 1998.

After several communications with Mr. Kerr,

much of my childhood and adolescence. A stroke can

Philips of DC Comics informed me that Haney had

Bob Haney with an interview request, including a

Photo courtesy of

over Bob Haney’s illness. I’d never met Bob, but felt close to him, as his imagination guided me through

Tracking down Bob Haney was not easy. Adam

Bob Haney in 2003.

appointment was eclipsed by the personal grief I felt

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to hundreds of thousands of readers. Here’s to you, Bob Haney! Michael Eury, editor

Titans,Tryouts, and Team-Ups by

Michae

l Eury

“When all else has faded and been forgotten in the vast cave of time-one thing alone survives-brave men doing bold deeds! This alone endures!” Opening caption by writer Bob Haney “Hell is for Heroes” The Brave and the Bold Special (DC Special Series) v. 2 #8 (1978)

The Brave and the Bold was DC Comics’ most influential series of the Silver and Bronze Ages. There. I said it. You can stop laughing now. It’s easy to dismiss The Brave and the Bold as “that Batman team-up” comic —that was its role for almost two-thirds

of its 200-issue run (1955–1983). Granted, the words “brave and bold” have become synonymous with the team-up concept: DC has twice

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This was a revolutionary concept. Super-hero

the team-ups that followed, at least one of the

crossovers—adventures where a character from one

characters starred in his own comic. B&B team-ups

series appeared in another’s—first occurred during

ranged from the predictable—science-based Justice

the Golden Age, beginning with battles between the

Leaguers the Atom and the Flash (#53)—to the con-

Sub-Mariner and Human Torch. Super-teams had also

venient—DC’s resident “super chicks,” Supergirl and

been around since the 1940s: The Justice Society of

Wonder Woman (#63)—to the extraordinary—

America, the Young Allies, and the Seven Soldiers of

Batman vs. the “hero and villain in one man,”

Victory were a few such groups.

Eclipso (#64)—to the patently bizarre—the pairing of

But never before The Brave and the Bold was the

the Flash (as a triplane-flying poltergeist!) and the

team-up concept—two separate heroes sharing one

Spectre (#72). As characters came and went through

adventure, with a different combination following in

B&B’s revolving door, so did artists: Howard Purcell,

the next issue—employed (discounting DC’s own World’s

Joe Kubert, Alex Toth, Bruno Premiani, Ramona

Finest Comics, of course—while its long-running

Fradon, Murphy Anderson, Win Mortimer, Dick

Superman/Batman feature seemed like a team-up

Giordano, Carmine Infantino, and George Papp were

title, with the logos of “Your Two Favorite Heroes”

just some of the illustrators who lent their talents to

appearing together on the splash pages and occasionally

the series (see this issue’s “The Ultimate Team-Up

on the covers, this dynamic duo [trio, if you count

Guide” for a complete listing of B&B team-ups).

Robin] was more an ongoing partnership than a

George Kashdan and Murray Boltinoff co-edited

team-up). Recalls writer Mike W. Barr, who would

the first five issues of B&B team-ups (with the excep-

eventually script the final B&B team-ups: “Back in

tion of #52’s teaming of war heroes, edited by Robert

the 1960s, when it was rare for DC characters to even

Kanigher), with Kashdan then taking over the title

acknowledge each others’ existence outside of the

solo (aside from a two-issue vacation during the

pages of Justice League of America and World’s Finest,

Starman/Black Canary installments in #61 and 62,

the idea of a regular exhibition of DC team-ups was

which were edited by Julius Schwartz). Kashdan epit-

exciting.” Less exciting, however, was the initial team-

omized the old-school, button-down, story editor:

up choice of Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter,

The script is the key, just hire a warm body to draw it and

not quite the heavy hitters one would expect to launch

we’ll keep the trains moving on time, thank you very

a groundbreaking new concept. This odd pairing of

much. So The Brave and the Bold kept churning along

second bananas seemed predicated upon B&B’s previous

under Kashdan’s watch, never missing a beat, seem-

“showcase” format—a one-time “split” adventure

ing artistically schizophrenic with its rotating artists,

was a safe way to test their marketability.

but always delivering surprises.

BOB HANEY, B&B-KEEPER

Hawkman, the first of whom already had his own

While a regular B&B reader could not anticipate the

title, with the second’s series in the works (Hawkman

next issue’s artist, there was one creative constant on

#1 launched in early 1964). And for the majority of

most of the stories: writer Bob Haney. Haney started

1968

1969

Batman

Neal Adams

Green Arrow’s

becomes

begins 8-

new look is

permanent star

issue stint in

in #74.

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#79.

1967

introduced in #85.

issue, to be exact. Issue #51 featured Aquaman and

That rationale didn’t last for long, though—one

at DC in late 1950s, having previously honed his skills for a variety of comics publishers including

Haney is probably best known as the scripter of those sometimes

Fawcett, Harvey, Dell, and Quality. He was a regular

endearing, sometimes absurd,

contributor to DC’s war line, writing for Star Spangled

early Silver Age issues of

War Stories, All-American Men of War, Blackhawk, and

Te e n Ti t a n s , a g r o u p h e

the Revolutionary War series Tomahawk. Haney was

formed by combining Kid

also no stranger to super-heroes: He authored many

Flash, Aqualad, and Robin

issues of Aquaman (following the Sea King to television

in B&B #54, then bringing

in 1967 as one of the screenwriters of his animated

them back (with Wonder Girl

adventures, as well as cartoons starring other DC

added to the cast) cover-billed as

cartoons); co-created (with principal scribe Arnold

the “Teen Titans” in issue #60.

Drake and artist Bruno Premiani) DC’s “strangest

Yes, it was Haney who coined such

heroes,” the Doom Patrol; and created (with artist

teen-speak as “Twinkletoes” for Kid Flash,

Ramona Fradon) one of DC’s most bizarre heroes,

“Wonder Chick” for Wonder Girl, “Bird Boy” for

Groovy Gillhead

Metamorpho the Element Man, whose two-issue tryout

Robin, and “Gillhead” for Aqualad, you dig? With

A 2003 commissioned

in The Brave and the Bold #57 and 58 interrupted the

Titans villains like the hot-rodding Ding-Dong Daddy

sketch of Aqualad

title’s team-up format.

and the Austin Powers precursor the Mad Mod, Bob

by Nick Cardy.

Haney presumably fancied himself to be acutely hip,

From the collection

but frequently came off as someone’s out-of-step dad,

of Michael Eury.

cating with “the youth of today” (in his defense, Haney was certainly not alone in this regard). Bob Haney’s pulsating prose rivaled Stan Lee’s, inciting readers into a frenzy with his boisterous

Holy Blue Hannah!

captions. His opening caption for issue #64 screamed, “Get set for the big switch—as we present two costumed

(left) A recent

caperers battling each other . . . the one and only

Ramona Fradon

Batman, tangling with the devilish, dastardly Eclipso!

pencil drawing of

Need we say more? No, but we will . . . it’s the most!”

the “Fab Freak of

And before a reader could catch his breath after

1000-and-1 Changes,”

finishing an exhilarating issue, Haney’s hyperbolic

Metamorpho. Courtesy

closing captions guaranteed more action to come, as

of Heritage Comics.

in this teaser from issue #69: “And Brave and Bold

time will come again, too, real soon, with fabulous DC team-ups in the very next issue! Miss it never! Read it ever!”

1974

Super DC Giant

#98 is first

Centennial

B&B #112

#S-16 is first B&B

B&B with

issue teams

begins

Jim Aparo art.

Batman with

short-lived stint

reprint edition.

“4 Famous Co-Stars.”

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in response to a letter writer’s query about a rumor circulating over the title’s cancellation, “Much though we hate to admit it, at this point in time it does indeed appear as if Brave and Bold #200 will be the last issue of the mag in its current incarnation. Sales simply have not been sufficient enough to continue B&B as we know and love it.” But B&B did not go out with a whimper. Its final issue, the double-sized #200, featured a 40-page tale by Barr and Dave Gibbons “teaming” Batman with his Golden Age counterpart in parallel stories set in two different eras (“The Earth-Two Batman story was set in 1955 because B&B debuted in 1955,” reveals Barr) and wonderfully drawn in modern and Dick Sprang-influenced classic styles by Gibbons. Also in that issue, Barr and Aparo united for a special 16-page preview of their B&B follow-up series, Batman and the Outsiders. Unfortunately, space limitations in The Brave and the Bold #200 crowded out a farewell Mailbag (with one last “B&B seeing you”); however, the Caped Crusader’s words on the last page of the Batman/Batman tale provided the perfect appraisal of his long and illustrious run in this classic series: “. . . I’ve faced my greatest challenge . . . and I won.”

B&Before and After You don’t remember Batman tangling with Chemo in B&B #187’s

Special thanks to Mike W. Barr

Metal Men team-up? That’s because Aparo’s original art (above,

and Chris Khalaf for their valu-

courtesy of J.E. Smith) was doctored by DC’s production department

able fact-checking assistance;

to pit the Caped Crusader against giant robot B.O.L.T.S. instead, as

and to Paul Levitz, Dick Giordano,

seen in the printed version (right). The artist and editor don’t recall the

Jack C. Harris, and Cary Burkett

reason for the change, but at least we have this chance to see the

for their contributions.

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The Brave, the Bold, and the Bob by Mike W. Barr I was affected more deeply than I had thought by the news that Bob Haney lies in a stroke-induced coma from which he will probably not recover. Not that I ever bore any animus toward Bob, it’s just that as a fan, though I did enjoy many of his stories, he was never one of my favorite writers. But when I became a staffer at DC Comics in late 1977, Bob was one of the few writers—Robert Kanigher being one of the others—from the Silver Age that were still active, many of their compeers, including Gardner Fox, John Broome, and Bill Finger, having been blacklisted by DC years earlier. I was just the staff proofreader, the absolute lowest man on the totem pole, but Bob nonetheless remembered my name, often greeted me before I saw him, and was generally a lot nicer than he had to be to the last dog in the pack. The joke around the office—Bob laughed at this as heartily as anyone—was that Bob was the guy you wanted to have pose for the picture on the dust jacket of your novel. Tall, ruggedly handsome, and bearded, Bob was the idealization of the novelist come to life. Bob was writing only a handful of regular features for DC by that time: Unknown Soldier, possibly the Superman and Batman feature in World’s Finest, and—the reason we’ve assembled here today—Brave and Bold. Though Bob’s best-remembered stories are his early collaborations with Neal Adams, it would be unfair to say he was ever just carried by the artist, whether that was a young Adams or, after Julius Schwartz filched Adams away to work on Batman and Detective Comics, a mature Jim Aparo, at the peak of his considerable powers. Bob was not only a good plot man, but possessed a distinct prose style, bombastic yet somehow sincere, that stood out in a field that was growing increasingly fuller of refried Stan Lee. (“Yes, the loom of fate weaves a weird tapestry this nigh—upon which the Batman and his old ally, the Atom, are forced into a team-up so bizarre that only death itself can cut the thread that ensnares them. . .” B&B #115, “The Corpse That Wouldn’t Die.”) Some of Haney’s B&B issues deserve to stand with the best work of O’Neil and Frank Robbins. B&B #106’s “Double Your Money—and Die!” (with Green Arrow) is an excellent action-mystery story, omitted from the many recent “best” collections of Batman stories only because Haney and his work are no longer considered politically correct, due to his freewheeling approach to DC continuity. Eventually, I guess, it was decided that youth must be served—literally. Though Bob continued to write B&B for years, the occasional fill-in issue by another writer, often DC staffer Cary Burkett, was seen in latter days. Cary, with whom I shared an office for a few months, also once rewrote a Haney script and was given co-scripting credit by editor Paul Levitz, to whose hands B&B was given as new group editor of all the Batman titles. Cary told me that Haney was quite angry over this, and another writer never again shared credit with Haney. Which is not to say his scripts weren’t rewritten, the rewriter simply wasn’t credited. I, as Paul’s assistant after Cary left staff, did major rewrites on two B&B scripts, issue #155 (“The Fugitive from Two Worlds,” with Green Lantern) and #157 (“Time. . . My Dark Destiny,” with Kamandi). Paul, knowing my interest was in

writing, would cock an eyebrow and a mischievous grin at me over lunch, and say, “I’ve got a 17-page Brave and Bold script that needs a total rewrite by 5 PM. Interested?” In retrospect, I was far more interested than I should have been. Not that I wasn’t grateful for the chance, but the styles of a continuity scofflaw like Bob and—in those days—a hardcore continuity buff like me just didn’t mesh. I would get myself a couple of cans of Coke and lock myself in my office, hang a sign reading “Do Not Disturb! Working For Paul!” on my door, then try to shoehorn aspects of other Batman stories into Bob’s scripts that didn’t belong, causing one fan to exclaim that he didn’t even know Bob Haney knew about the Mystery Analysts of Gotham City. Times were changing. Bob Haney just wasn’t giving editors— or at least, the B&B editor—what he wanted. To be fair, at least some of this was Bob’s own fault; it seemed he rarely read the books to see what the characters he teamed with Batman were like in their own books. A prime example of this was a scene in his original draft of the script for B&B #155. Green Lantern, meeting a number of other GLs on the planet Oa, is spoken of by them with contempt. I wondered where this came from, when I realized Bob was probably trying to write what he conceived of as a modern scene, a Marvel-style scene, circa 1963. But this was 1979. Too, Bob didn’t realize how the business was changing. I recall witnessing a conversation he had one day in the early 1980s with Marv Wolfman, then the scribe of DC’s meteoric Teen Titans revival. Bob was harrumphing about the newly instituted system of royalty payments, claiming that the payments received were not from “real sales.” This led both Marv and me to wonder why DC would be shelling out bucks for books bought by imaginary readers. In retrospect, it may have been that Bob was angry over the fact that he was not asked to write the new Titans book, a title he had co-created and seen revived by other writers—twice—while he was still active with the firm. (Having seen the title Outsiders recently revived after being repeatedly told that DC had no plans whatsoever to revive it, I may be attributing my own feelings to Bob. The difference is that Bob had no interest in updating his approach to the material or knowledge of the characters.) I asked Cary why Bob wasn’t taken out for a firm but cordial lunch and asked to update his approach, with some help from the

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younger guys. Cary replied that DC didn’t think such an intervention would “take.” Perhaps, but it should at least have been tried. And, last but not least, Bob also had the temerity to get old in a business that was, like the show business it more and more modeled itself after, discarding the aging—unless they were editors or executives. DC VP Joe Orlando was quoted as saying that no writer over 35 would work for him. When Doom Patrol writer Arnold Drake pointed out that Orlando would never see 35 again, Orlando replied, “I’m the exception to the rule,” an exception that became rule at DC. Though Bob continued to work for DC for a few years after that, his tenure on Brave and Bold was soon over. When I became editor of Unknown Soldier (US), a World War II title featuring a character that I believe Bob co-created, I was told I could use a different writer. I preferred to talk to Bob about updating his approach, believing he certainly deserved that opportunity for his years of service. His US scripts for me required an occasional slight rewriting, but nothing drastic. When I attempted to expand the editorial appeal of the book in its last days, Bob wrote a swell three-part Tomahawk story for me, leading me to believe that Bob was most comfortable with assignments that stood alone, without having to account for their protagonists’ appearances in simultaneous exploits elsewhere. But management had decreed that the day of the anthology books at DC was over, despite how well they might have been doing, though most of them probably weren’t doing very well. With Bob Haney off Brave and Bold, the assignment rotated, giving the readers more variety in the type of story told. I wrote ten issues all told, beginning with #169, a Batman/Zatanna team-up entitled “Angel of Mercy, Angel of Death!” Looking back on the first Batman story I ever wrote, it’s okay and owes, oddly enough, much to Haney’s style of plotting and pacing. By this time editor Levitz had added a back-up to the title, “Nemesis,” by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle, leading to a book-length teaming of Batman and Nemesis. The editorial reins of the Batman titles shifted again, first to Dick Giordano then to Len Wein. For Giordano I wrote #177, featuring Batman and the Elongated Man (A seeming natural, but it had never before been done in B&B. But then, sales of the issues of Detective Comics in which the characters had teamed were among the lower-selling issues of the run.), #184, Batman and the Huntress, and #190, Batman and Adam Strange. This latter take utilized a point of trivia set up by Gardner Fox in Adam’s run in Mystery in Space, but never before acknowledged. It drove a lot of continuity buffs nuts, so I guess Bob Haney was still casting a shadow over B&B. Dick’s editorial approach was less rather than more; he would talk over an idea with me and make very few suggestions (save to occasionally suggest the insertion of a line of dialogue referring to events in other Batman books), nothing that I could point to in the final script, yet the script was better than it would have been without his involvement. I can’t explain it, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it. For Len Wein I wrote #192 (Batman and Superboy), #194 (Batman and the Flash), #195 (Batman and I . . . Vampire!), #198 (Batman and Karate Kid), #199 (Batman and the Spectre), and #200 (Batman and the Earth-2 Batman, a particular favorite in that the protagonists never really met). My approach to the title was usually to see what Batman and a character from a list of proposed guest-stars either had in common or in what way were they diametrically opposed, and exploit that. Batman and Superboy, for example, differed from a standard World’s Finest team-up in that Superboy had all the powers of his adult self, but less of the sophistication and control he would later attain. And once brought to the future (well, his future) by the machinations of villain I.Q.

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(another creation of Fox), how would the Boy of Steel react when he learned his beloved adoptive parents were dead in this era? Sometimes a point of DC continuity drove a title, but by providing a point to pivot characters around, never as an end in itself. When I learned that Karate Kid was to marry Princess Projectra in Legion of Super-Heroes, I wondered how the girlfriend KK had left behind in the 20th century in his own title would take the news. With the blessings of the Legion team, who had no interest in tackling the issue themselves, we got a good story and some cross-pollination. Sometimes it’s that easy. Sometimes. Most of the team-ups were with characters who were currently inactive, but when active characters were used, I did my homework. Thus I was told that Marc DeMatteis, creator of “I . . . Vampire,” very much liked the approach I took with the character in #195. #200 was, of course, The Brave and the Bold’s last issue, to be replaced on DC’s schedule by upstart title Batman and the Outsiders. But even after B&B’s cancellation, Bob Haney’s spirit lived on. In BATO #17, an LOC asked why Metamorpho didn’t know Batman’s secret identity, since, after all, he knew it way back in B&B #123. I replied that, since in that story Bruce Wayne needed Metamorpho’s help in escaping from prison, that story could not have been part of the same continuity that featured master escape-artist Batman in BATO each month. All well and good—I thought. Then, a few weeks later, I received a letter from a different fan (I won’t name him, but he was a fairly prolific letterhack) who said he thought declaring such a story non-canonical would make me very unpopular. (He was right, just about 19 years too early.) “In fact,” he continued, “I wouldn’t attend any conventions this summer if I were you, as I can’t guarantee your chances of survival.” HUH? While I grant that said letterhack probably didn’t realize the full import of what he was writing, that was no excuse. I called the FBI and gave them a copy of the letter. A few days later, they called and said their local office had confronted the young man and his parents. The former had broken into tears, and the latter were not happy. And I probably cost us a reader. Oh, well. Words have meanings and threats have consequences, and people have to realize that. But, looking back, it does occur to me that Bob would have gotten a laugh out of the whole affair, not at my expense, but at how seriously these stories, and the fates of their characters, can be taken. The companies still don’t know how to exploit that, thus the abysmally low sales of the current books. My next contact with Bob Haney was in 1987 when I was researching an article on one of the aborted attempts to form a union for comic-book freelancers, and its consequences—the blacklisting of many writers that had made DC what it was, such as Gardner Fox, John Broome, Bill Finger, and France Herron. (“The Madames and the Girls—How DC Got Rid of the Troublemakers,” reprinted in an issue of Comic Book Artist.) His memory was sharp and clear, and the pain of those days still fresh in his mind. I read he had placed a western-themed short story with one of the independent publishers about that time, possibly his last published work. I most recently saw Bob on July 17, 1997, at the San Diego Comic-Con. He had moved from upstate New York to Baja, California. He had shed his trademark beard and looked good. I prefer to remember him that way, a big, garrulous guy, who loved comics but had no pretensions about their alleged cultural significance, and who had been put out to pasture long before it was necessary. Fortunately his work is still out there, which is probably how he—and any other writer—would like to be remembered. Best of luck, Bob. B&B seeing you, someday.

Batman’s

Bravest and Boldest Ally:

MICHAEL EURY: You came to DC Comics at the invitation of Dick Giordano, who was your editor at Charlton Comics before he was hired by DC. JIM APARO: Dick was a really good friend of mine. He still is. He hired me at Charlton. We’re about the same age, we had the same amount of children—two daughters and a son; we were duplicate copies, you know? EURY: Your first issue of The Brave and the Bold was #98, teaming Batman with a character whose book you were drawing at the time: the Phantom Stranger. But you didn’t

conducted on May 24, 2004, and transcribed by Brian K. Morris.

draw the next issue of B&B. Was the Phantom Stranger team-up originally a one-time event, or did editor Murray Boltinoff have you in mind to permanently take over the strip? APARO: I believe it was just for that one issue. But I liked drawing Batman and Murray was satisfied with the work I did, and brought me back permanently [beginning with issue #100]. EURY: What approach did you bring to Batman that was different from that of Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Irv Novick, and the other Bat-artists of the day? APARO: Not much. Neal, of course, was one of the big

interview

by Michael Eury

stars of Batman. I know we all looked at him on how to

draw Batman. Yeah, Neal was quite a help. Not personally, but his style of art. Now he’s in advertising, I think. EURY: That’s true. APARO: I was in advertising before I got into comics. I worked in an outfit in West Hartfort, Connecticut. I was one of the artists on the advertising staff. EURY: What types of accounts did you work on? APARO: Oh, local stuff, either stores or factory-type things.

Pop quiz for the B&B junkie: Who appeared most

EURY: Fashion illustration?

frequently with Batman in The Brave and the

APARO: No, it had nothing to do with that. I’d make

Bold? No, not Green Arrow, but artist Jim Aparo, whose versatility with drawing a host of heroic co-stars dazzled readers for almost 100 issues. My original goal with this “Pro2Pro” was to moderate an interview between B&B’s team supreme,

Undetected Cover

Aparo and writer Bob Haney, but Mr. Haney’s

An unused Aparo

recent illness (see editorial) unfortunately made

cover intended for

that impossible. But a solo chat with the amiable

Detective Comics

Mr. Aparo is far from settling for second best, so

#481 (1978). Courtesy

read on as one of Batman’s premier illustrators

of Mike Burkey

shares his recollections on his unparalleled tenure

(www.romitaman.com).

as the tsar of team-ups. –Michael Eury

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TEAM-UP GUIDE ael Eury

by Mich

Back in the ’70s and ’80s, super-heroes were pairing off—and sometimes squaring off—on the stands almost every week. The Ultimate Team-Up Guide collects all of DC’s and Marvel’s team-up titles of BACK ISSUE’s era in this comprehensive checklist! (Guest-star appearances or crossovers in regular series are not included.)

DC Comics Presents teamed the Man of Steel with tons of titans. Cover art by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano.

DC Comics 1963–1982 (team-up format) #50: Green Arrow and the Manhunter from Mars #51: Aquaman and Hawkman #52: 3 Battle Stars: Sgt. Rock, Lt. Cloud, and Tankman Stuart #53: the Atom and the Flash #54: Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Robin #55: the Metal Men and the Atom #56: the Flash and the Manhunter from Mars #59: Batman and Green Lantern #60: the Teen Titans #61: Starman and Black Canary #62: Starman and Black Canary (guest-starring Wildcat) #63: Supergirl and Wonder Woman #64: Batman vs. Eclipso #65: the Flash and the Doom Patrol #66: Metamorpho and the Metal Men #67: Batman and the Flash #68: Batman and Metamorpho #69: Batman and Green Lantern #70: Batman and Hawkman #71: Batman and Green Arrow #72: the Spectre and the Flash #73: Aquaman and the Atom #74: Batman and the Metal Men

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(Batman takes over lead) Batman’s teammates: #75: Spectre #76: Plastic Man #77: Atom #78: Wonder Woman co-starring Batgirl #79: Deadman #80: Creeper #81: Flash #82: Aquaman #83: Teen Titans #84: Sgt. Rock #85: Green Arrow #86: Deadman #87: Wonder Woman #88: Wildcat #89: Phantom Stranger #90: Adam Strange #91: Black Canary #92: Bat-Squad #93: House of Mystery #94: Teen Titans #95: ? (Plastic Man) #96: Sgt. Rock #97: Wildcat #98: Phantom Stranger #99: Flash #100: 4 Famous Co-Stars (Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Robin) #101: Metamorpho

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#102: Teen Titans #103: Metal Men #104: Deadman #105: Wonder Woman #106: Green Arrow plus ? (Two-Face) #107: Black Canary #108: Sgt. Rock #109: Demon #110: Wildcat #111: Joker #112: Mister Miracle #113: Metal Men #114: Aquaman #115: Atom #116: Spectre #117: Sgt. Rock #118: Wildcat co-starring Joker #119: Man-Bat #120: Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #121: Metal Men #122: Swamp Thing #123: Plastic Man and Metamorpho #124: Sgt. Rock #125: Flash #126: Aquaman #127: Wildcat #128: Mister Miracle #129: Green Arrow co-starring Atom, Joker, and Two-Face #130: 4 Famous Co-Stars (Green Arrow, Atom, Joker, and Two-Face) #131: Wonder Woman vs. Catwoman #132: Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #133: Deadman

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD

Courtesy of Heritage Comics.

ULTIMATE

The

#134: Green Lantern #135: Metal Men #136: Green Arrow and Metal Men #137: Demon #138: Mister Miracle #139: Hawkman #140: Wonder Woman #141: Black Canary #142: Batman vs. Aquaman #143: Creeper #144: Green Arrow #145: Phantom Stranger #146: Unknown Soldier #147: Supergirl #148: Plastic Man #149: Teen Titans #150: ? (Superman) #151: Flash #152: Atom #153: Red Tornado #154: Metamorpho #155: Green Lantern #156: Doctor Fate #157: Kamandi #158: Wonder Woman #159: Ra’s al Ghul, Master of Assassins #160: Supergirl #161: Adam Strange #162: Sgt. Rock #163: Black Lightning #164: Hawkman #165: Man-Bat #166: Black Canary #167: Blackhawk #168: Green Arrow #169: Zatanna #170: Nemesis #171: Scalphunter #172: Firestorm #173: Guardians of Universe #174: Green Lantern #175: Lois Lane #176: Swamp Thing #177: Elongated Man #178: Creeper #179: Legion of Super-Heroes #180: Spectre #181: Hawk and Dove #182: Robin the Ex-Boy Wonder (Robin of Earth-2) #183: Riddler #184: Huntress #185: Green Arrow #186: Hawkman #187: Metal Men #188: Rose and Thorn #189: Rose and Thorn #190: Adam Strange #191: Joker #192: Superboy #193: Nemesis #194: Flash #195: I . . . Vampire

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS DC Comics 1970–1972 ■

Batman briefly vacated the series in the early 1970s to make way for different Superman co-stars.

All issues star Superman, with these guest stars: #198: the Flash #199: the Flash #200: Robin #201: Green Lantern #202: Batman #203: Aquaman #204: Wonder Woman #205: the Teen Titans #206: Batman (reprint Giant) #207: Batman #208: Dr. Fate #209: Hawkman #210: Green Arrow #211: Batman #212: the Martian Manhunter #213: the Atom #214: the Vigilante

All issues star Spider-Man and these guest stars, unless otherwise noted: #1: the Human Torch #2: the Human Torch #3: the Human Torch #4: the X-Men #5: the Vision #6: the Thing #7: the Mighty Thor #8: the Cat #9: the Invincible Iron Man #10: the Human Torch #11: the Inhumans #12: the Werewolf [by Night] #13: Captain America #14: the Savage Sub-Mariner #15: the Ghost Rider #16: Captain Marvel #17: Mister Fantastic #18: Human Torch and the Hulk (no Spider-Man) #19: Ka-Zar #20: the Black Panther #21: Doctor Strange #22: Hawkeye #23: Human Torch and Iceman (no Spider-Man) #24: Brother Voodoo (Issues #1-24 reprinted as The Essential Marvel Team-Up vol. 1) #25: Daredevil #26: Human Torch and Thor (no Spider-Man) #27: the Hulk #28: Hercules #29: Human Torch and Iron Man (no Spider-Man) #30: the Falcon #31: Iron Fist #32: Human Torch and the Son of Satan (no Spider-Man) #33: Nighthawk #34: Valkyrie #35: Human Torch and Doctor Strange (no Spider-Man) #36: the Frankenstein Monster #37: Man-Wolf #38: the Beast #39: the Human Torch #40: the Sons of the Tiger #41: the Scarlet Witch #42: the Vision #43: Dr. Doom #44: Moondragon #45: Killraven #46: Deathlok

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#55: Doctor Fate and Hourman (guest-starring Green Lantern) #56: Doctor Fate and Hourman

SHOWCASE DC Comics 1965

■

#47: the Thing #48: Iron Man #49: Iron Man #50: Doctor Strange #51: Iron Man #52: Captain America #53: the Incredible Hulk #54: the Incredible Hulk #55: Warlock #56: Daredevil #57: the Black Widow #58: Ghost Rider #59: Yellowjacket and the Wasp #60: the Wasp #61: the Human Torch #62: Ms. Marvel #63: Iron Fist #64: the Daughters of the Dragon #65: Captain Britain #66: Captain Britain #67: Tigra #68: the Man-Thing #69: Havok #70: Thor #71: the Falcon #72: Iron Man #73: Daredevil #74: the Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Players (from Saturday Night Live) #75: Power Man #76: Dr. Strange #77: Ms. Marvel #78: Wonder Man #79: Red Sonja #80: Dr. Strange and Clea #81: Satana #82: the Black Widow #83: Nick Fury #84: Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu #85: Shang-Chi, Black Widow, and Nick Fury #86: the Guardians of the Galaxy #87: the Black Panther #88: the Invisible Girl #89: Nightcrawler #90: the Beast #91: Ghost Rider #92: Hawkeye #93: the Werewolf #94: the Shroud, Master of Darkness #95: Mockingbird #96: Howard the Duck #97: the Hulk and Spider-Woman (no Spider-Man) #98: the Black Widow #99: Machine Man #100: the Fantastic Four #101: Nighthawk #102: Doc Samson #103: Ant-Man #104: the Hulk and Ka-Zar (no Spider-Man) #105: the Hulk, Power Man, and Iron Fist (no Spider-Man) #106: Captain America

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#107: She-Hulk #108: Paladin #109: the Dazzler #110: Iron Man #111: the Devil-Slayer #112: King Kull #113: the Fantastic Four #114: the Falcon #115: Thor #116: Valkyrie #117: Wolverine #118: Professor X #119: the Gargoyle #120: Dominic Fortune #121: the Human Torch #122: the Man-Thing #123: Daredevil #124: the Beast #125: Tigra #126: two team-ups: Spider-Man and Hulk/ Power Man and the Son of Satan #127: the Watcher #128: Captain America #129: the Vision #130: the Scarlet Witch #131: Frog-Man #132: Mr. Fantastic #133: the Fantastic Four #134: the Jack of Hearts #135: Kitty Pryde #136: Wonder Man #137: Aunt May and Franklin Richards vs. Galactus (no Spider-Man) #138: the Sandman #139: Nick Fury #140: the Black Widow #141: Daredevil #142: Captain America #143: Starfox #144: Moon Knight #145: Iron Man #146: Nomad #147: the Human Torch #148: the Mighty Thor #149: Cannonball #150 Spider-Man and the Uncanny X-Men

MARVEL TEAM-UP Marvel Comics 1972–1985

#196: Ragman #197: Catwoman #198: Karate Kid #199: Spectre #200: Batman (of Earth-2)

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ton Hamil ” e n o amb vid “H y Da

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BATMAN AND SUPERMAN • CURT SWAN

Curt Swan penciled this commissioned illustration back in 1984, and when BACK ISSUE editor

Michael Eury found a copy of it in your humble Hambone’s files, he immediately got on the horn and asked Mr. Murphy Anderson to ink it

as this issue’s cover!

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B A T M A N A N D S U P E R M A N • ALEX TOTH

From Superman Annual #9 (1983), the World’s Finest team by Alexander (Alex) Toth! Of course, Mr. Toth’s sizeable credits include Super Friends, “Green Lantern,” “Johnny Thunder,” House of Mystery, and hundreds more classics. See our “back issues” section for Comic Book Artist #11 (Jan. 2001), featuring a

Toth spotlight.

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s n t a i T Teen ’ Elseworlds: Swing in’ E

o o G G a Haney ) r e h e w o (N Michael

Eury

Hey, man, like, remember the ’60s? Some of you don’t, because you weren’t born yet. And some of you don’t, because you lost too many brain cells back then. And some of you (like me) who grew up in the ’60s remember—and even revere—writer Bob Haney, who spoke our language (or at least tried to) with his wild, sometimes hokey, but always charming Teen Titans scripts. A lot of kids wanted to be Batman, but I thought Robin was the coolest (his briefs and booties aside), largely due to Haney’s characterization of the Boy Wonder in the Titans. Haney’s Robin was smart, athletic, and a natural born leader—and he still had time to dig the sound of the Flips, to his mentor’s dismay (to which Robin remarked, “Batman—you are definitely un-round. . . ” in Showcase #59). Many comics profes-

Whither Goest They?

sionals also grew up on Haney’s stories, so it came as no surprise in 2002 that DC Comics planned a nostal-

To limbo, baby, that’s where!

gic Teen Titans flashback tale in its “Elseworlds” non-continuity imprint.

The pencils to page one (far

Then-DC editor Dan Raspler spearheaded the project, and recruited Bob Haney himself to type (yes, type—

right) of Teen Titans Swingin’

the esteemed Mr. Haney never joined the computer age) the script—who else could best recapture the feel of

Elseworlds Special, courtesy

those ’60s classics? While the script was not available for review, it was reportedly set in the early 1960s and

of artist Jay Stephens, and

involved both President John F. Kennedy and the Vietnam War. Original Teen Titans artist Nick Cardy returned to draw the cover, with interior art by Jay Stephens and Mike Allred. Everyone was committed to

the finished version (above)

making this one-shot a visual blast from the past. In 2003, Teen Titans Swingin’ Elseworlds Special was solicited,

with inks by Mike Allred.

then. . . . . . it disappeared.

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Faster than Kid Flash, mention of the book seemed

stuff so deadly seriously. Not me, and not Bob. You can

to vanish. Also, editor Raspler was let go from DC (he

still love super-hero comic books and have capital-“F” fun

wasn’t alone, incidentally) as part of an editorial

with the genre. Kids dressing up in primary-colored cos-

Conspiracy theorists, take a powder: The shelving of the Titans Elseworlds seems more an editorial decision

tumes to fight injustice is an inherently stupid idea, after all. I happen to like that kind of stupid. . . EURY: What do you have to say to Haney’s detractors?

than a boardroom machination. While no official rea-

STEPHENS: Keep reading the Ultimate comics and pre-

son was ever stated by DC for the book’s removal from

tending you’re “mature.” We think it’s cute!

its schedule, the Swingin’ solicitation came at a time

EURY: How did Haney’s typewritten script compare to

when both DC’s Teen Titans revival and the Cartoon

scripts and plots by contemporary writers?

Network’s Teen Titans series—neither of which bear

STEPHENS: Ha-ha-ha-ha! Haney’s scripting hasn’t changed

any resemblance to Haney’s incarnation—were becom-

one little bit in all these years . . . it was like opening a

ing runaway successes. Titans Elseworlds’ retro look

time capsule. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy many a good,

stood in sharp contrast to the Titans the market was

modern comic script (and I’ve worked with some of the

embracing. Granted, some BACK ISSUE readers prefer

best), but Haney is from another planet entirely!

restructuring. Wha’ hoppen??

the swingin’ version of the teen super-team, but other than its commendable reprint line, which includes Archive Editions of both the Silver Age and the New Teen Titans, DC Comics is in the business of moving its characters forward. But since many BI readers are curious about might have beens, I contacted cartoonist/animator Jay Stephens (whose TV cartoon Tutenstein recently won an Emmy— congrats, Jay!) via email to ask him a few questions about Swingin’ and Bob Haney. Jay, who lives in Canada, was also kind enough to send the penciled pages you see here, as a glimpse at the Teen Titans you didn’t see. MICHAEL EURY: How’d you land the Swingin’ Titans assignment? JAY STEPHENS: My old chum, Doc Allred, got wind of the gig, and knew I’d like a shot at the pencils. EURY: How familiar were you with the 1960s’ version of the TTs? STEPHENS: Very. I’m in love with the checkerboard era of DC Comics [in case you came in late, mid-1960s DC covers had a “go-go checks” pattern running across their top borders] . . . I’d like to marry it one day. You know, if my wife ever divorces me. Which is entirely possible. EURY: And with writer Bob Haney? STEPHENS: Bob’s one of my all-time favorite comics writers. He co-created the Doom Patrol, you know . . . best superhero team, ever. The Titans ain’t so bad, either. Also . . . Fat Batman [Bat-Hulk, in The Brave and the Bold #68]. EURY: Bob Haney was known (loved by some, disliked by © 2004 DC Comics.

others) for his often crazy ideas, pseudo-hip dialogue, and disregard for continuity. I’m guessing those elements played right to your sensibilities. . . STEPHENS: Oh, God, yeah. So many people take this

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sidebar sidebar sidebar sidebar sidebar sidebar sidebar sidebar sidebar

EURY: Did you know that Bob Haney also has an ani-

Punish Not My Super-Sons

mation background? He wrote scripts for many of the DC toons produced by Filmation during the ’60s. STEPHENS: I actually drew the “Monster Machine” [an episode written by George Kashdan, actually, a Haney contemporary] from Filmation’s Teen Titans cartoon

This issue’s coverage of super-hip

into the opening splash of the Titans Lair. Most kids

super-team writer Bob Haney would

from that era were watching super-hero cartoons

not be complete without mention of one of his . . . well, oddest

before they could read. Their first impression of the DC

creations, the teenaged sons of

characters is more often than not Bob Haney’s! The

Superman and Batman.

campy Batman TV show (another one of my faves)

In late 1972, when World’s Finest

shares that Haney sensibility, too.

Comics readers were anxiously

EURY: What was the Swingin’ Titans story about?

awaiting the latest in editor Julius Schwartz’s series of non-Batman

STEPHENS: I’m not telling. Well, okay . . . JFK is kid-

Superman team-ups (see this issue’s

napped by aliens.

“The Ultimate Team-Up Guide”), fans

EURY: This would’ve been JFK’s first appearance in a DC

were blindsided by issue #215’s

comic in some time. What challenges did the story’s

new editor (Murray Boltinoff) and

mid-1960s setting present?

the return of the Superman/Batman

STEPHENS: I was asked to drop some acid to get into

team—and their co-stars, Superman Jr. and Batman Jr.! The “Super-Sons”

the right mindframe. I watched a lot of Star Trek and

were the brainchild of Bob Haney,

Yellow Submarine.

who defended his continuity-shat-

EURY: Now that’s dedication! With Speedy being

tering concept in that issue’s letters

involved, all five Titans appeared in the tale. Did you

column: “It is not imaginary, not

have a favorite to draw? A least favorite?

fantasy, but the way it happened,” the author wrote. “Thus, this issue

STEPHENS: Speedy is definitely my favorite to draw.

gives you just one other, previously

And Wonder Girl. My least favorite was the Joker’s

undisclosed portion of [Superman

Daughter. Just kidding . . . no Joker’s Daughter in this

and Batman’s] unique stories.” Even

story. You know who else isn’t in this story? Ragman.

Haney’s most diehard supporters

EURY: Did any of the Titans guys do the Batusi with

(myself included) scratched their

when the majority of your citizens were still blissfully supporting your current President’s new war. Doc Allred’s X-Statix story featuring the late Lady Diana had recently been pulled, so that might have jinxed us, too. EURY: How’d you take the news of the book being put

Wonder Girl?

heads over this one, but the writer

and the book was originally scheduled to come out

managed to incorporate his “gener-

STEPHENS: Well, without giving too much away,

ation gap” perspectives into the lives

someone actually MAKES OUT with Wonder Girl in this

of DC’s big guns in 11 endearing

story, and later proposes marriage! EURY: In today’s post-9/11 USA, do you think the story’s depiction of a kidnapped US President and the Vietnam War might have given DC cold feet? STEPHENS: Could be. It’s a blatantly anti-war story,

on hiatus? STEPHENS: Badly. I dropped more acid and joined a commune. Want a hand-woven basket? EURY: How many pages had you done when the plug was pulled? STEPHENS: The entire book is penciled, inked, and colored, and had actually been solicited before it was shelved. Nick Cardy’s gorgeous cover was done. Orders

stories that appeared sporadically

Kieron

i n Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t u n t i l 1 9 7 6 .

based on sales.

Dwyer

Denny O’Neil penned a 1980

EURY: Any chance this book might get the green light

illustrated the last,

script which was the Super-Sons’

again?

last hurrah, but Haney came out

STEPHENS: I have no idea. You’d have to ask DC. I’m

of retirement in 1999 to write “Superman Jr. is No More” for DC’s Elseworlds 80-Page Giant. This

Readers wanting to experience more of Jay

unlucky indeed: Elseworlds 80-Page

Stephens fun ’n’ fab artwork are encouraged to visit

Giant was recalled by DC due to

his website (www.jaystephens.com). Buy a hand-

controversy over a different story

woven basket while you’re there.

reportedly exist.

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not speaking to them anymore. And by not speaking to them, I mean they aren’t returning my phone calls.

13th tale of the Super-Sons was

in the issue. Only 1,500 copies

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hadn’t come in yet, so it was an internal decision not

roundtable discussion

hosted by Peter Sanderson

The Fantastic Four:

John Romita Sr.’s Fantastic Four, for an unspecified project. Courtesy of Heritage Comics.

The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine

The Fantastic Four is where the modern super-hero genre truly began. Created in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Fantastic Four was the first series in the“Marvel Age of Comics,” giving rise to all the rest. Lee and Kirby endowed the FF with multidimensional personalities, with flaws as well as virtues. In their 102 issues together, Lee and Kirby created the Marvel Universe, demonstrating an imaginative reach unsurpassed in the medium. Yet their epic fantasy was rooted in a world recognizably our own, in which their characters could experience tragedy as well as triumph. Moreover, with Fantastic Four, Lee and Kirby turned what was considered trivial juvenile fiction into a vehicle for personal expression. Fantastic Four set mainstream comics on the road toward the greater artistic sophistication they have achieved in the four decades since it began. Fantastic Four also revolutionized the super-hero team book. Though created in response to DC’s Justice League of America, the FF was no coalition of unrelated characters from different series. The four leads— Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, their genius leader; his wife Susan, the Invisible Woman; her younger brother Johnny Storm, the Human Torch; and their best friend Ben Grimm, the monstrous Thing—were each at once distinctive individual personalities and necessary components of a conceptual unit. One can see them as a family, as human embodiments of the four mythic “elements” (water, air, fire, and earth), or of different aspects of a single mind, sometimes at odds with each other, but ultimately united. For this roundtable discussion we have submitted 12 questions about this landmark series to its cocreator, Stan Lee, and 20 other comics professionals. Most of them have written, drawn, or edited Fantastic Four over its long history; all have been influenced by it. Most people responded to the questionnaire via email; Gerry Conway and Alex Ross instead asked to be interviewed by phone. With a new motion picture adaptation now in production, Fantastic Four is on the brink of reaching beyond comics to a vast new audience. In this roundtable, comics creators from over the entire span of Fantastic Four history tell us what this landmark series has meant to them.–Peter Sanderson

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serious, it has to be Victor Von Doom. There is a breadth and depth to that character that still hasn’t fully been explored, and we’ve been working on it for over 40 years. Right after Vic, however, I would have to add the Impossible Man. God, there’s something about writing that pointy-headed foul-up that I absolutely adore. CLAREMONT: Doom is one, the Impossible Man, another (and, I confess, Valeria is third). [Chris Claremont introduced Reed and Sue’s daughter, Valeria, as a teenager from an alternate future. She was later born in the FF’s present-day timeline.] Doom, basically because he’s Reed’s primal opposite. He presents the opportunity to present a character who can be as close to three-dimensional, and yet remain majestically larger than life, as any in comics. Impy is the exact opposite, one sight gag after another, the perfect opportunity to puncture any and all hope of pretentiousness with giggles and a visual aesthetic derived from Will Elder and Wally Wood. Valeria: sorry, but she’s my (small) contribution to the canon and I felt like I’d only scratched the surface of her stories when I had to leave the book. And also, Salva [Salvador Larroca] drew her so beautifully. Also, there’s Namor, for many of the reasons that apply to Doom, except that he’s essentially a good guy and he carries a blazing torch for Sue. If that isn’t food for conflict and heartbreak, what is?

THOMAS: None of the others really ever mattered to me, unless you count Sub-Mariner and Dr. Doom, in that order. SIMONSON: Too many to choose from because the book has had such an impressive roster of guests and villains. Black Panther and Galactus are two that instantly spring to mind. But there are a lot of choices. And of course, I loved Weezie’s [Louise Simonson’s] version of Franklin over in Power Pack. ;-) DeFALCO: I certainly had a lot of fun with Franklin because I got to see the man he would become and Reed and Sue should be proud. [Tom DeFalco introduced an older version of Franklin from an alternate future.] BYRNE: Alicia Masters. She was a dream to write. It seemed like every time I approached her I found new layers, new nuances. STERN: I’d have to say Alicia Masters. She’s been part of the “family” since issue #8, she’s been a big part of the Thing’s life, and the Surfer’s, and the Torch’s, though the last was later explained away. EVANIER: I liked the Silver Surfer in his earliest, purest form. There was something very fresh about the character, the way he reacted to people around him, and the way they reacted to him. I’m one of those folks who never cared for him after he started to figure out the human race, perhaps because I haven’t.

Romita’s costume sketch for the Sub-Mariner’s 1970s’ look. Courtesy of Mike Burkey

KESEL: Dragon Man. Like a million other Lee/Kirby concepts, he’s brilliantly realized—capable of raging like a wild animal one instant, as innocent as a puppy the next. More

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than any other FF character, Dragon Man touches the 12year-old fan in me—probably because he’s the kind of “dog” I would have killed to have had as a kid. In fact, I once heard that Roy Thomas (I believe) was going to have the FF take in Dragon Man as their pet—which the 12-year-old in me would have loved to see! ORDWAY: I am a big fan of Wyatt Wingfoot. Again, the book was so good during that time. And if you reread the issue where the Torch goes off to college [#50], you can see how brilliant the creators were to keep changing the status quo—virtually rebooting the storylines every year or so. Wyatt was such a strong character, yet he needed no powers. RYAN: Willie Lumpkin. You just gotta love those ears. Reminds me of myself when I was younger. SANDERSON: Doctor Doom is obviously the FF’s foremost villain, but who is the next best villain in the FF series? WEIN: Well, that’s a slam dunk, isn’t it? Clearly, it would have to be (a little drumroll here, please) Tomazooma, the totem that walked like a man. RYAN: That would have to be Occulus. Such a interesting character, such power, such majesty, such . . . what, Tom [DeFalco] and I created him. Must have slipped my mind. BUSIEK: Diablo! No, Paste-Pot Pete! No, Darkoth the Death-Demon! STERN: Gotta be the Monocle. Wait, come back! I’m kidding. DeFALCO: I just hope it isn’t Avi Arad! SANDERSON: Okay, guys, let’s get serious! LEE: Galactus. BREVOORT: In terms of trendsetting, it would have to be Galactus, especially as he was portrayed in that first appearance. He’s the granddaddy of all the many cosmic giants who’ve come after him, and yet none of them can really hold a candle to the original, no matter how hard they try. BYRNE: Though technically not a “villain” in the classic sense, I would have to say Galactus. BUCKLER: Galactus. RUDE: Galactus. ROSS: The default setting always goes to Galactus, just because it’s the biggest story. WEIN: C’mon, obviously, it has to be Galactus. I mean, here’s a character that uses planets as hors d’oeuvres. How much more dangerous can you get? And yet there is something tragic about the character. Another perfect melding of menace and melodrama. WAID: The obvious answer would be “Galactus,” but I think that’s deceptive in that there’s just not much you can DO with him—or, probably, SHOULD do with him. At best—at BEST—any other Galactus story ever can only hope to equal, not better, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s initial Galactus story. I’d actually lean towards the early Frightful Four—the ones who actually beat the crap out of the FF early on. CONWAY: It’s a tossup between Sub-Mariner and Galactus. Doctor Doom is the main threat to Reed Richards because he’s Reed’s equal in terms of intelligence. Sub-Mariner is Reed’s major threat to his emotional stability, because he was the main competitor for Sue’s affection. Galactus raised

the stakes for the Fantastic Four from saving the Baxter Building to saving the world, and for Marvel Comics in general.

CLAREMONT: Reed. Because when you come right down to it, it’s all his fault.

BUSIEK: Nah, it’s gotta be Namor. Sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe, always imperious and larger than life, with tons of presence.

SANDERSON: What is the Fantastic Four’s co-creator most proud of in his FF stories?

THOMAS: Sub-Mariner, in those first few years before he got tamed down to relative insignificance. ORDWAY: Prince Namor was, to me. He not only had the same scope as Doom—he was fighting for his people —but he also had that romantic connection to Sue, which probably made us hate him all the more for Reed! WOLFMAN: I would have to say SubMariner because he challenged the FF on an emotional level that most of the others didn’t and couldn’t. Both Subby and Doom had personal connections to the group and they played the best. STERN: The problem is that Doctor Doom is such a great villain, everyone else winds up tying for last place in comparison. The Sub-Mariner would be a natural secondplace finisher, if not for the fact that he was Marvel’s first and foremost anti-hero. In fact, a lot of the FF’s best opponents—the Inhumans, the Surfer, the Panther—turned out to be heroes in their own right. And Galactus, dangerous as he was, was more a force of nature than a villain. I suppose I’d give the nod to the Mad Thinker. After all, he did worm his way into the Baxter Building on three different occasions. SIMONSON: Too many to chose. Maybe Galactus, but I thought the Inhumans were great even if, in the end, it turned out that most of them weren’t villains in the ordinary sense. ENGLEHART: Kang/Rama Tut has moved to The Avengers, but since he originated in the FF, I’ve got to go with him. In the “villain (?)” category, Galactus. EVANIER: The Mole Man. But there was also something compelling about the Red Ghost. I always imagined Stan or Jack coming up with the character and the other one saying, “Not bad but he needs something . . . hey, how about a couple of Super-Gorillas?” KESEL: I’ve got two answers. The most self-serving: the Frightful Four—the way Mark Waid and I are redefining them in FF #514–516 as a dark reflection of the FF themselves. [This new Frightful Four is more of a family, comprised of the Wizard, his ex-wife, and his daughter, with Hydro-Man as the Thing’s counterpart.] It’s an idea that’s just been sitting there, waiting for someone to do. I don’t know why the Frightfuls should exist if not as an example of everything the FF aren’t—or everything they are, gone horribly wrong. My guilty pleasure: the Skrulls—the scrawny, bugeyed Skrulls from FF #2! Imagine an entire race of shifty, untrustworthy, back-stabbers, all played by Steve Buscemi! What’s not to love? I’m also really intrigued by the idea of a shape-shifting race, and what sort of culture would evolve from that.

FF foe/friend Sub-Mariner vs. Iron Man in a George Tuska sketch.

LEE: The characterization, the really far-out concepts, and the humor.

Courtesy of Don Corn.

SANDERSON: And what do the rest of you consider your greatest contribution to the Fantastic Four mythos, and why?

DeFALCO: Getting fired—just ask the FF fans who still call me “the Evil One”! WEIN: Gee, I don’t know, getting off the title before I had a chance to screw it up too badly? Seriously, I’m not really sure I made any major contribution to the book. The only villains I added to the mythos were the Eliminator, Nicholas Scratch, and Salem’s Seven, and the most significant thing I did was to break up the team in the final issue I fully scripted. Not exactly a memorable run.

A John Byrne-drawn pin-up from the FF’s 30th anniversary issue, #358 (1991). Courtesy of Heritage Comics.

WOLFMAN: Mostly not screwing it up too badly. But I’d say the realization that Galactus was using elemental characters as his heralds, and creating Terrax. Also, issue #200, the only issue I wrote I really liked.

C L A R E M O N T: To b e honest, I don’t think anything of mine matters that much. Good as the stories may have been, inspired as I may have felt, everything I did derived from the work of Stan and Jack. They built this glorious mosaic, they defined the essence of the characters and told pretty much all the best stories; all I’ve done is add some minor gilding around the edges. CONWAY: I’m not really sure I had one. Of all the Marvel characters I wrote, [I thought] my job [on the FF] was primarily a caretaker, not to change or contribute to the book, [just to] keep it going. I didn’t feel it was my destiny to write Fantastic Four like I felt it was my destiny to write Spider-Man [laughs]! BUCKLER: I had the opportunity to indulge myself as a fan and artist, and attempt to

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How to Build a Better Super-Team: by Dan Johnson conducted on June 18, 2004

Mark Evanier and Will Meugniot on DNAgents You can’t keep the good guys down for long. Sure, every team of super-heroes has its darkest hour, those moments when it looks like all is lost. If you’re lucky (and a member

interview

of the Teen Titans or the X-Men), those bleak periods might only last a few issues. For other super-teams, the dark times can last much longer. You want to talk long stretches of nothing but shadows in a room painted black? Try over a decade. That was the long stretch visited upon one of the most original super-teams of the 1980s, the DNAgents. This team of genetically engineered super-heroes— Surge, Rainbow, Amber, Tank, and Sham—was last seen in the late

Engineered for Action

1980s in their series published by Eclipse Comics. For too many years,

A pin-up by

DNAgents appeared to be nothing

Will Meugniot

more than a pleasant memory, lost

from the DNAgents

forever except in back-issue boxes.

series bible. All

But the longer the wait for the

artwork in this

return of heroes, the sweeter it seems

feature is courtesy

when they finally come back to us. The DNAgents are proving just that with the release of their first

of Will Meugniot.

reprint collection from About Comics. This volume collects, for the first time ever, the first six issues of the original DNAgents series in trade-paperback form. To mark this occasion, BACK ISSUE sat down

with the team’s creators, writer Mark Evanier and artist Will Meugniot, for this special “Pro2Pro” in which we uncover the secrets that went into building one of the best super-teams ever. —Dan Johnson

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DAN JOHNSON: Let’s start off with something fairly easy. MARK EVANIER: Will, you want to start? WILL MEUGNIOT: Sure. Actually, it came about from a couple of things. Both Mark and I had been following the then independent comics movement with a lot of interest. I was working at Marvel Productions [animation] at the time, and Dave Stevens would come by the bullpen with his Rocketeer pages and the guys and I were all just blown away. I was already toying with the idea of doing something in the area, when I ran into Stan [Lee] on the way to the office. We were in the middle of working on the [early 1980s NBC] Hulk cartoons, and the network had just decided that the Hulk’s clothes had to magically appear on him

Beginnings:

Cartoon-comics scripts for Disn ey and Gold Ke and an apprentic y, eship under Jack Kirby (circa 1969–70)

Milestones:

Comics: DNAgen ts / Groo / Crossfi re / Tarzan / Blackhawk / Cr ossfire / Welco me Back, Kotte Fanboy / POV co r/ lumn / The Mig hty Magnor Animation and Live-Action TV: Welcome Back Kotter / Garfield , and Friends / Pl astic Man / Thundarr the Ba rbarian / The Tro llkins / ABC Weekend Spec ial / Rickety Ro cket / Superman The Animated Se : ries / Richie Rich / Dungeons & Dragons / That’s Incredible!

Respective Co mpanies

What was the story behind the creation of the DNAgents?

Works in Progress:

thinking, (laughing) “You know, it might be fun just to do a comic where you didn’t have to do that kind of stuff.” So

POV Online / DNAgents and Crossfire TPBs (About Comics) / Superheroes in My Pants

I called Mark, and Mark was ready to go on something. EVANIER: Yeah, we went to lunch down in Little Tokyo that day and talked over ideas, what we wanted to do and themes that interested us both. Somehow, in a flash of inspiration—or maybe it was Teriyaki sauce—we got stuck

Cyberspace: w

with this idea.

ww.newsfromme .com

JOHNSON: Mark, if I’m not mistaken, DNAgents was the first time you had ventured into the super-hero genre, right?

every time he transformed back to Banner. I got started

EVANIER: Not quite, but it was fairly close. I did a few super-hero things before then, but I had stuck closer to funny-animal comics and I did the Tarzans for a couple of years. I like all kinds of material, and I’d been eager to do a super-hero story for some length of time. I thought it would be interesting to try and build some new characters, as opposed to playing with someone else’s. MEUGNIOT: I gotta say that was one of my interests too. When I had done stuff for Marvel before, like the Tigra series and Howard the Duck, I was never happy about not having any editorial control over what happened. Vince Colletta inked my second job, and Sonny Trinidad inked my third. So I thought it would be nice to have control over who was inking my stuff and to work with a writer I really liked. JOHNSON: When DNAgents came out, the independent market was really just starting to take off. Mark, I had read the stories about Blackhawk at DC—

Beginnings:

Rutherford’s The Gila in Tony First fanzine art: shell (1967) ditto zine, Bomb e-Woman in t: Tigra the Wer ar ed ish First publ #3 (1976) Marvel Chillers

Milestones:

nity / / DNAgents / Va l Chillers (Tigra) erica Am y ar Comics: Marve M / rs ve / FemForce co on / The Thing / Exotic Fantasy nds / Flash Gord ie Fr r pe s/ Su n: io Animat s Amazing Friend ider-Man and Hi / x Si ic on Lone Ranger / Sp m / Bi of the X-Men / Je G.I Joe / Pryde venturer / Ad e th n na Co / Captain Planet ited ider-Man Unlim Silver Surfer / Sp

ss: Works in Progre nom (direct-to-video feature) / vs. Ve G.I. Joe / Valor

i Monkie Monde

EVANIER: (faking bewilderment) Wait, DC published Blackhawk?

) (Komikwerks #4

JOHNSON: That’s what I’ve heard.

: Cyberspace oardpro.com www.storyb

MEUGNIOT: I never even heard of that book, man! JOHNSON: Well, I’ve heard rumors to that effect. I hope one day DC will realize that they published it and put it out in a trade paperback, because that was a terrific series. EVANIER: I think there’s more of a chance of O.J. finding the real killers. MEUGNIOT: It’s funny, sometimes the things that we’ve done that we love are the ones that are least likely to get recognition.

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First Issue Special Will Meugniot’s

EVANIER: Yeah, you can’t be too results-oriented in this

about having the better printing that Eclipse had than anyone

pencils to the cover

business. Sometimes, your favorite projects are not the most

else. I think the only downside was the higher cover price.

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lucrative or the most noticed. You just have to do enough

JOHNSON: You do bring up the good point that you two

different things so that it all averages out.

were the first creators to be represented by an agent in the

JOHNSON: Gotcha. Anyway, I was going to ask, what

industry. Tell us about that.

would you say were the immediate advantages of taking

EVANIER: I had known Mike for many years, and I was used

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DNAgents out through the direct-sales

to being represented by an agent for my television work.

market, besides the artistic control that

I thought at that point the comic business needed to

Will mentioned?

mature. There was a time in the industry when they not

EVANIER: We actually had an auction,

only wouldn’t talk to agents, they wouldn’t let you show a

courtesy of Mike Friedrich, who at that

contract to a lawyer before you had to sign it. I just felt

time was agenting comics properties. In

there was a maturation process emerging in the comic-

fact, I believe we were the first thing he

book business at that time and I was eager to do my part

ever offered around. Mike wanted to use

and support it.

the DNAgents to start his agency, and

MEUGNIOT: I felt the same. There were a lot of things about

he asked if he could even submit it to

DNAgents that [were ground-breaking]. It was actually the first

publishers that we wouldn’t want to go

comic that was sold via a television-style pitch. Mark and I did

with, just so he could help establish the

a bible with illustrations, just like you would if you were selling

commerce of his business. He passed it

a television show.

around, and there was a lot of interest

JOHNSON: Both you gentlemen have pretty impressive

everywhere, but the most serious offer

careers in the television industry. What was the pitch like for

came from Eclipse. That was the one we

the book?

liked the best and that’s why it wound

EVANIER: We devised these characters together and we

up there. They made the best offer, both

wrote up descriptions of them. I had been doing bibles for

in terms of money and format, and also

Saturday-morning cartoon shows. At some point I think I

creative control.

held the record for the most pilots that actually went on to

MEUGNIOT: We were both really excited

become series. So we did a 15- to 20-page bible describing

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each of the characters. One of the great things about these

EVANIER: Well, I would take issue with that, because one of

bibles is that once you sell the property, whether it’s a TV

the things they were buying was Will Meugniot artwork.

show or a comic book, you can pretty much ignore the

Everyone liked the artwork. I never heard anyone say they

bible. If you went back and looked at it today, I’m sure

didn’t like the way the comic was drawn, except maybe

you’d see all these different ideas that we never used and

those damn inkers!

all these elements that we changed as we got into it. The

MEUGNIOT: Poor Al [Gordon]. He used to suffer mightily.

bible provides a certain comfort and a starting point. It’s

EVANIER: That’s one of the first things you have to under-

easier to start with something and deviate from it than to

stand in this business. Never listen to the inker saying the

start with nothing. Will did some wonderful drawings of

pencils aren’t fabulous. That’s just his way of saying, “I

the characters and he drew a six-page sequence—

want more money.” Al, I think, really had a wonderful time

MEUGNIOT: That we actually wound up using in the first

doing the book. He enjoyed the hell out of it. Ultimately, I

issue, with some minor modifications.

think, people responded to the fact that Will and I seemed

EVANIER: I think it was pretty much the drawings that

to be in sync. We seemed to have the same idea and at least

snagged everyone. When you have just words on paper,

we both liked it.

they’re just words. But once you have actual pages with

JOHNSON: Mark, I read over the letters to the readers that

word balloons and panel borders, suddenly there’s a comic

you did in the first few letter columns for DNAgents, and

book there. It becomes a little easier for someone to say “yes”

you made the point that this book wasn’t just your idea by

DNAgents #2’s cover,

or “no.”

yourself, that DNAgents was definitely a collaborative

in pencil form.

MEUGNIOT: I think Mark is underestimating his appeal

effort between you and Will. I was curious what insight you

there. At that point, though I had done a little bit of stuff

could give us into who contributed what exactly to the

for Marvel, and had talked to DC, I had not actually been

making of the comic?

responsible for a regular book before. I’ve got to say, a lot of

EVANIER: One of the great testimonies to the way we work

what sold the book was Mark’s credibility and the fact that

together is that I’m not sure of very many of those. There

he was willing to put me forward as being an acceptable,

were times I said to Will, “Hey, that was a good idea you

professional person who would turn a book around on

had there” and he said, “I thought that was your idea.” I

time. I doubt I could have sold a book by myself.

was trying to disabuse people that all the ideas on the page

Catch Me If You Can

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Metropolis Lives! A Guided Tour of Superman’s City, June 2004 by

Brian K. Mo

rris

You’re Entering Superman Country Superman watches over travelers half a mile west of Interstate 24’s exit 37. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs

Metropolis truly exists. But there are no shining metal

accompanying this

and crystalline skyscrapers filled with alien technology to be

article were taken

found. This is Metropolis, population 6,482 and founded in

1838, the official, honest-to-Earth Prime home of the Man of

Brian K. Morris.

Steel, Superman. The real-life Metropolis, the only city with this name listed in the U.S. Postal Zip Code Directory, rests amidst rolling farmlands in the southeast corner of Illinois. When the late Robert Westerfield moved here, he became the prime mover behind the city’s “adoption” of the Last Son of Krypton. Illinois House Resolution #572, dated June 9, 1972, declared Metropolis, Illinois, as Superman’s “official” home. With DC Comics’ permission, the “Superman Association” got to work. A museum opened and investors lined up to fund “The Amazing World of

is Metropolis’ most

Superman,” an ambitious 1,000-acre theme park conceptualized by Neal Adams

impressive and famous

(see DC Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-31, Oct-Nov., 1974), and a tabloid-sized magazine

landmark, in all

promoting the park was produced. However, the dream was not yet to be. Delays in

its 15' glory.

completing the nearby interstate and petroleum shortages at the time scuttled the city’s plans. In 1974, every asset of the museum was auctioned off and the Superman Association shelved its plans. But in 1979, when Superman: The Movie convinced the world that a man could fly, phone calls poured into Metropolis, and the idea of putting on an annual festival

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Guarding Market Street

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took on full four-color life. The result: The “Superman

Scott

Celebration” is held each year during the second weekend in June. Open to the public at large, the

“Superman”

event is free.

Cranford greets two pint-sized

THE CITY OF SUPER-PEOPLE

festival-goers

If the billboard near the last exit in Illinois doesn’t tell you who this town belongs to, the image painted on the water tower might. Or perhaps it would be the signs that advertise souvenirs at the gas station, the drugstore, the greeting-card shop, the quick oil change garage, or ones along Route 45 that proudly say, “Super Statue Ahead” They lead travelers to Superman Square, where a 15-foot-tall bronze statue depicts the town’s favorite son. Erected in June 1993 at a cost of

Noel Neill poses with

$100,000 to commemorate the [DC Comics event the]

one of her adoring fans.

death of Superman, this statue replaces a seven-footer from 1986. Each brick in the foundation represents donations from local fans, businesses, families,

man was dressed as Robin, the Boy Wonder, and the

schools, and celebrities.

ceremony was attended by “Jor-El,” “Zatanna,”

During Superman Celebration 2004, a huge tent on

“Supergirl,” and dozens of well-wishers.

the statue’s left side houses magicians, musicians, tives sell T-shirts, distribute schedules for the week-

THE CLASH OF CAPE AND COWL

end’s festivities, and cheerfully greet the estimated

Ever since 1993, the Celebration plays host to

models, and more. Chamber of Commerce representa-

20,000 visitors from all over the globe.

celebrities from movies, television, and comics. In

Along the next few blocks, vendors line the street,

some years, the stars come from outside the world

selling curly fries, ice cream, funnel cakes, and just

of Superman, such as recent attendees Adam West,

about anything that can be deep-fried or can fit into a

Yvonne Craig, and Julie Newmar from TV’s Batman;

pita. Icy cold drinks are gratefully consumed to counter

or the 2004 guests, TV’s Hulk Lou Ferrigno and original

the usual June heat and humidity. Families shop for

Captain Marvel (in Shazam!) Jackson Bostwick. Over

toys, comics, and craft items before moving toward

the years, both TV Superboys from the 1990s, John

the carnival rides and other attractions. The festive

Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher, have

atmosphere is distinctly “small town” with its easy

greeted fans, as have live-action Men of Steel Kirk Alyn

pace and simple fare.

(from the Superman movie serials), Bob Holliday (from

What would a Superman Celebration be without its

the stage musical It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman),

Superman? Wearing the familiar red, blue, and yellow

and Lois & Clark star Dean Cain. Superstars from

uniform, Scott Cranford, the city’s Superman since

the comics pages have included Jeph Loeb, Mike

2000, strides the streets of Metropolis as if he’d just

Carlin, Kerry Gammill, Steve Rude, and Alex Ross,

stepped from the pages of Action Comics. He greets

the latter of whom met his wife at the event. Super-

children and adults alike with a warm smile and a firm

cinema stars Lois Lanes Margot Kidder and Phyllis

handshake, giving everyone the feeling that they’ve

Coates; Jimmy Olsens Tommy Bond, Jack Larson, and

actually met their favorite hero. A professional actor

Marc McClure; and Valerie Perrine, Lane Smith, Jeff

and stand-in, Cranford has made appearances in

East, Jack Halloran, and Sarah Douglas have also

television’s first

movies like Batman Returns, Independence Day, Predator

appeared as guests.

Captain Marvel, poses

Jackson Bostwick,

with Brian K. Morris.

II, and Die Hard II. He also operates his own website,

But if there’s royalty here, it’s Noel Neil, the official

www.heroicworld.com, where he displays his photos,

“First Lady of Metropolis” and the Lois Lane that

Photo by and ©

artwork, and writing. In 2001, Cranford got married in

many baby boomers grew up with while watching

2004 Cookie Morris.

full uniform at one of Metropolis’ city parks. His best

George Reeves repel bullets and duck from the empty

S u p e r

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Back Issue #7