The Best of Alter Ego Volume 2 by TwoMorrows Publishing

Flash, Hawkman, & Dr. Fate TM & © DC Comics; other art © Estate of Sam Grainger.

The Best of

VOLUME 2 More Fabulous Features from the Legendary Comics Fanzine of the 1960s-70s

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 website: www.twomorrows.com First Printing: May 2013 • Printed in Canada • ISBN: 978-1-60549-048-9

Pedro Angosto Jean Bails Jerry G. Bails Doc Boucher Al Bradford E. Nelson Bridwell Sol Brodsky Bernie Bubnis Rick Burchett Mal Burns Pete Carlsson Jon B. Cooke Pauline Copeman Al Dellinges Steve Ditko Shel Dorf Jackie Estrada Tom Fagan Danny Fingeroth Shane Foley Ronn Foss Gary Friedrich

Mike Friedrich Dominique Gaillard Paul Gambaccini Steve Gerber Jean Giraud (Moebius) Sam Grainger Irving Glassman Larry Guidry Mark Hanerfeld Ron Harris Hurricane Heeran Robert Hopkins Glen Johnson Douglas Jones Shel Kagan Jay Kinney Joe Kubert Richard Kyle Ed Lahmann Stan Lee Arthur Lortie Russ Maheras

Douglas Marden Raymond Miller Drury Moroz Brian K. Morris Fred Patten Linda Rahm-Crites Trina Robbins Sam Rosen Derrill Rothermich L.L. Simpson Scott Stewart Ken Tesar Albert “Bud” Tindall Dann Thomas Harry Thomas Jean Thomas Mike Tuohey Biljo White Ruthie White Stan Woolston Mike Zeck

—and to Julie Schwartz, Gardner Fox, & Otto Binder… always

Acknowledgments (both to those who are living, and to those who have passed on)

This book is affectionately dedicated to the memory of Jerry G. Bails, Ronn Foss, & Biljo White —colleagues and friends Cover by Sam Grainger, colored by Tom Ziuko (Flash figure adapted by Shane Foley) [Hawkman, Dr. Fate, & Flash TM & © DC Comics]

All DC characters featured on the cover, the distinctive likenesses thereof, and all related elements are the property of DC Comics. Additional Copyright Information: Alter Ego name & logo TM & © Roy & Dann Thomas; Joy Holiday TM & © Estate of Ronn Foss. Characters from DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and others depicted herein are TM & © by their respective companies and/or creators, and are used here strictly for historical purposes. 2

“More of the Best” – Introduction by Bill Schelly ..........................................................................................4 “The SECOND Best of Alter Ego” – Introduction by Roy Thomas ...................................................................... 5 The Jerry Bails Interview ........................................................................................................................6 Jon B. Cooke’s e-conversation with the founder of the first comic book super-hero fanzine. The Naming of Alter-Ego, 1961 ............................................................................................................18 Jerry Bails on how The JLA Subscriber concept became… something else.

Alter-Ego #1-3: The Spirit Duplicator Issues......................................................................................19 How the “Ditto Masters of the Universe” gave birth to “purple” prose… and pictures.

The Comicollector—The Companion to Alter-Ego .................................................................................... 44 The coming of comic fandom’s first adzine—with features intended for A/E!

Alter-Ego #4: Jerry Bails’ Photo-Offset Finale....................................................................................55 Alter Ego #5-6: The Ronn Foss Issues .............................................................................................. 61 Alter Ego #7-9: The Roy Thomas Fan Issues ......................................................................................87 The Alter Ego #10 That Almost Was ..................................................................................................124 Alter Ego #10: The First “Pro” Issue ..............................................................................................138 Alter Ego #11: The Mike Friedrich Issue ........................................................................................154 Afterword by Roy Thomas & Bill Schelly ....................................................................................................159

[Special thanks to Shane Foley for the “Table of Contents” illo above—and for his drawings of Alter & Captain Ego, created by Biljo White. The Captain Ego figure is based on a Major Victory drawing by Biljo in Marvel’s The Invaders #16 (May 1977); the Alter drawing is based on art by Biljo in Alter Ego [Vol. 1] #7. Table of contents art © 2013 Shane Foley; Alter & Captain Ego TM & © 2013 Roy Thomas & Bill Schelly.] 3

An Alter Ego Extra!

The Jerry Bails Interview

A Candid Conversation With “The Father Of Comics Fandom” About His Life And Passion

“The Good Doctor”

Introduction by Interviewer Jon B. Cooke

e all have our heroes, whether the four-color, fictional crime-fighting type or the variety of champion composed of real flesh and blood. Me, as I grew into my teenage years, I was inspired less by spandex-attired do-gooders and more by the icons who toiled behind the scenes at drawing boards and on typewriters. I particularly admired those who effectively shared with me stories about hope, redemption, and fortitude in the guise of comic books, or were just plain honest about the world. Will Eisner, Joe Kubert, Harvey Kurtzman, Alan Moore, Gil Kane, Archie Goodwin, R. Crumb, and—especially—Jack Kirby were creators who always seemed authentic in their selfexpression, and they rarely appeared to condescend. I felt respected and was treated to expert and excellent storytelling. To these heroes, I was grateful. My interests as a teen and young adult expanded beyond the comic book universes and (partly due to Kirby’s “Captain America” stories in Tales of Suspense— don’t ask; long story!) I developed an avid interest in history and journalism, two subjects I majored in while attending college. Strange fellow that I was, I nurtured an obsession with bibliographies and indexes and documentation of exhaustive research. Well-sourced tomes with extensively laid-out footnotes and references spoke to me, expressing that the author held a respect for readers, telling us, “Hey, come and find out what I learned! Here’s the route….” It spoke to me of the joy of learning and how joy can be cultivated only if it is shared. By the grace of God (and an association with John Morrow and TwoMorrows Publishing), I was able to meld my passion for funnybooks and their creators with my love of history and journalism into Comic Book Artist magazine, a place I hoped to express my peculiar mania to a wider audience. My goal with the periodical was to focus on the artist and not so much the artifact, with CBA’s tagline boasting, “Price Guide Never Included,” because I loathed the crass money aspect of the hobby. The blessings continued as CBA attracted some attention and I was able to interact with many of my real-life comic book heroes. I recall with vivid appreciation, for instance, sitting down in an exhibit hall with Joe Kubert, who, despite my pestering questions, gave me his full attention and respect, thoughtfully sharing answers and making me, a nobody schlub annoying one of sequential art’s greatest creators, feel like a Somebody. For Joe and most of these guys, my hero worship only grew….

All-Star Light, All-Star Bright, First All-Star I See Tonight…

Jerry Gwin Bails in 2003 (middle)—interviewer Jon B. Cooke (top right)—and E.E. Hibbard’s cover for All-Star Comics #6 (Aug.-Sept. 1941), which Jerry said was the very first issue he ever saw of what became his favorite all-time comic book. By the late 1950s he had amassed a complete collection of the title’s 57 Golden Age issues— including bound volumes containing the 30+ issues authored by Justice Society of America co-creator Gardner F. Fox. All-Star was, of course, the 1940s precursor of Justice League of America, the mag whose debut inspired Jerry to launch the heroic-comics fanzine Alter-Ego in early 1961. Thanks to Jean Bails and Jon B. Cooke, respectively, for the photos; cover image retrieved from the Grand Comics Database. [Cover © 2013 DC Comics.]

Then came the doctor. Now, I never met Jerry Bails in person, but long before we corresponded by e-mail, I felt I knew the man, that we were kindred, that he was one of “my kind.” While I can’t remember when exactly Roy Thomas introduced the doctor to me and an entire generation of comics fans—no doubt there was repeated mention in RT’s legendary letters pages—Jerry’s name captivated me with an almost mythical power. I knew he had started Alter-Ego and helmed the Who’s Who of American Comic Books, and because of those achievements, he had to be a guy who was completely dedicated to the folks behind the stories and not so much the characters they created—a devotion to the artist behind the artifact, if you will.

Soon after launching CBA, I did get in contact with Jerry and—good gravy!—Dr. Bails expressed to me that, after reading my humble rag, he felt that we were kindred spirits! Imagine your hero telling you that! Heavens to Betsy, was that a rush! We always kept in touch, Jerry and I, and he was generous in offering access to his Who’s Who database and always answering my questions. We even planned an exhaustive multi-part interview, to be conducted via e-mail, which would span his entire life in minute detail. I wanted, y’see, to give Jerry back, if but a fraction, the same respect and attention he had given to recognize the achievements of many, many hitherto unknown comics creators. I also yearned to know what made this analytical guy, this scientist, this professor, love the wacky world of comic books so much…. So we started with an intensive discussion of his childhood (which you will find below), and plans were to periodically focus on different aspects of his development and career in fandom. To my great regret, Jerry and I never finished the interview beyond what is here. Somehow the aughts got away from me and I became less and less involved in the study of comics. Somehow real life intruded on my hero worship. Somehow I neglected to be grateful. But—thank you, Bill Schelly and RT!—at least we can read about Dr. Jerry Bails’ youth in his own words, in a proper forum, told to a proper audience. The Good Doctor remains a hero with me, standing shoulder to shoulder with other giants in the field, and I’ll forever be appreciative for our acquaintance. Thanks, Jerry. Kith and kin, you and I….

Subj: Date: From: To:

Part One of interview 2/3/2005 5:18:58 PM Eastern Standard Jerry Bails Jon B. Cooke

Jon, Here are my responses to your first several questions. Perhaps you should see them. You may want to reshape your remaining questions or send me off on a different tack. I can provide some scans as indicated herein. Bestest, Jerry

1) Where are you originally from, Jerry, and can you give us an idea of when you were born?

I’m of the generation of kids that were known as “Depression Babies.” I was born at the height of the Great Depression in 1933. It is interesting to note that the comic book in its “modern” pamphlet format was also a Depression Baby. Comic books and I grew up together. I was there when Superman first became popular. I was wearing a Superman sweatshirt for a family photo taken in 1940. My mom was pregnant that year with the youngest of my two brothers. [Want a photo?] I grew up in the “Heart of America”! That’s what they called my hometown of Kansas City, which is really two cities straddling the Missouri-Kansas state line. I lived on the Missouri side, and we liked to tease about the small hick town only a stone’s throw away. The border there was a hotly contested area in President Truman’s youth, with memories of the Civil War breaking out on that border, but it was pretty tame by my time. As a young driver, I frequently found that my favorite places to dance and park with my girl friend were on the Kansas side of Stateline. That was the name of a street that bore no reminder of the raiding parties that flourished there nearly a hundred years earlier. It was just a nice dark street

Jon B. Cooke Oct. 31, 2011

*****

Super-Exposure?

(Far Left:) A few years ago, following Jerry’s passing, his wife Jean sent Bill Schelly and Roy Thomas CDs containing scans of many of the photos he’d saved over the years. Among them—and the nearest thing we can locate to the “Superman sweatshirt” pic he offered to send to interviewer Cooke in 2005—is this circa-1940 image. According to Jean, it shows Jerry, his younger brother Joe, and a female relative known as Choppy, who “took care of the boys when Jerry’s mom was working a temporary part-time job as bookkeeper for a Unity church and also when Vessie was in the hospital for Jack’s birth…. Jerry said his mom scolded Choppy—gently, though—for having the photo taken of Jerry wearing a shirt with a hole in it…. Either the photo is so overexposed that any ID of the Man of Steel washed out, or as a kid he imagined the super-hero to be dressed in a sweatshirt and the color of it was not important…. Still, he said this was his Superman shirt. I didn’t argue, but I probably did look confused when he said it.”

(Near left:) Like many boys his age, Jerry no doubt pictured himself as looking like this dramatic Joe Shuster pose (inked by Paul Cassidy), as per the cover of Superman #6 (Sept.-Oct. 1940). Thanks to the GCD. [© 2013 DC Comics.]

5) Were you an avid reader as a kid? What was your culture like, and what particularly engaged you (i.e., radio, movie serials, comic strips, Big Little Books, etc.)?

days and comics with super-heroes were an extension of our imaginative games. Comics were an involving medium. I could draw my favorite characters, make up my own (as I’m sure all true comics fans do), and in my case, I entertained my two younger brothers with stories of my own. It was a regular feature of my babysitting for them. I’d draw a splash page and tell a story—usually a cliffhanger to keep them asking for more. Unlike radio and movies, one could hold onto comics and reread them. It seems natural that I would come to cherish them. It was the only medium that belonged exclusively to us kids. The condition of comics was not much on our minds. We simply wanted to read every comic we could get our hands on, and I read practically all of them. No easy feat! We traded comics back and forth all the time. Comics were everywhere. We had wagons full of them. One couldn’t go anywhere without seeing comic books. They were as ubiquitous as trees. Trading comics was pretty hard on the comics themselves. A single comic book might pass through a dozen hands. I was 12 before I started to think seriously about preserving my favorites. I loved All-Star Comics, of course, and began in 1945 to look for back issues in every place I could imagine. Comics frequently ended up in basements or attics and I went on many treasure hunts before I discovered my first usedmagazine store. The lady running the used-magazine store would get a little impatient with me because I wanted to look through her entire stock just to find one or two issues I might buy at a nickel each. This may be what prompted her to get rid of a lot of her comics or maybe she just needed the space for higher-priced items. One day, she asked me if I knew any poor kids who would like to have some old comics. I was quick on the trigger. “Sure,” I said, “I know just the kid who would appreciate

All of the above. I attended the movies regularly—a double feature every Friday night, and again on most Sunday afternoons. There were at least six theaters within walking distance of my home and most had serials, cartoons, and newsreels. I wasn’t a big cartoon fan. They were too juvenile for me. The serials were okay, but their production qualities didn’t measure up to radio. Radio I loved. I was a faithful listener to afternoon shows: Terry and the Pirates, Hop Harrigan, Superman, Capt. Midnight, The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, and my favorite, Jack Armstrong. I have recordings of most of these shows from the pre-war period when transcriptions were still delivered to local radio stations. I have the entire year-long adventure of Jack Armstrong from 1940-41. It is a great delight to listen to all the things I learned from that show that year. I learned about autogyros, photoluminescence, the Moros of the Philippines, the China Sea, sailing ships, Pearl Harbor, the potential of U-235 as a source of great energy, Walkie Talkies, and pedometers. The show had a lot to do with my lifelong interest in science and technology. 5) You obviously gained an unusual fascination with comic books, certainly by your young adult years. To what do you attribute such an obsessive tendency (if that’s the right word)?

The concept of dual identity has always fascinated me. At seven, I was just beginning to develop my public persona, but I was still aware of my more authentic self who would like to punch out the school bully, or rescue the girl next door. Costumes and circuses were also great fun for kids in those

A Time For Crime

Jerry’s mother, Vessie Bails, in the 1930s—and the Bails brothers (Joe, Jack, and Jerry) in 1943, the year she bought him an issue of Lev Gleason Publications’ Crime Does Not Pay while he was bedridden with infantile paralysis. Her gift might even have been the Nov. 1943 issue pictured here, as retrieved from the GCD. Cover art signed by Charles Biro. Thanks to Jean for the photos. [CDNP cover © 2013 the respective copyright holders.]

them.” I went home and dressed my younger brother in the oldest clothes I could find and we returned with a little red wagon. I don’t know if we fooled the lady or not. (I suspect she chuckled to herself.) Anyway we went home with a wagon loaded with comics and I found a coverless copy of All-Star #19. It was a splendid day.

ple-color jobs—a big advance in cheap reproduction technology at the time. In my senior year in high school, I was into all sorts of art projects and other activities. I illustrated a booklet for my history teacher, which got me out of his boring 7th–hour class. I made slides for one of the science teachers. I did layouts on the yearbook sitting at the back of a class on musical composition. I was excused from other classes to work on stage sets or do work on the school paper. I also took my final high school math course across the street at the junior college. The class was held only two days a week, so the other 3 days I spent at the drugstore across from school. I was seldom in class, as most students were expected to be. One day, when I was walking the halls during class time, the Vice Principal stopped me. I thought I was in for trouble. Boy, was I surprised when he said, “Let me know if you spot any kids out in the halls where they shouldn’t be.” Huh? I guess I had arrived. Such events may have played a part in my cockiness. I tended to believe I could become anything I wanted to be. I did have one experience that humbled me rather well. I was set designer for the school plays. I also had a part in the play, “Men are like streetcars (...Another will be along in a minute).” It resulted in what was very nearly my most embarrassing moment. I guess I’m old enough now that I can tell it without embarrassment. During the dress rehearsal, I was playing a scene in which I was being confronted by the “other guy” in a love triangle. He

6) What were your aspirations as a kid? What were your parents’ aspirations for you?

My dad wanted me to go into business, and bought me a set of business encyclopedias. That was about as far from my interests as one can get. I preferred microscopes, chemistry sets, and things like casting figures in lead. I melted my broken lead soldiers and poured the lead into a mold that produced a small airplane, along with a man and woman dressed in aviator outfits. Since they were solid lead, I needed lots of lead. I must have melted about 4 or 5 dozen hollow toy soldiers. I can just hear the toy soldier collectors moaning in the background. They were all broken anyway. Aviation was one of my great loves as a kid. It is something of a surprise that I didn’t go into the Air Force as some of my high school buddies did. I took aeronautics in high science. To this day, I can identify most all of the planes used in WW2, and I can do a fairly accurate drawing of many. One of my favorite premiums—and Wheaties had lots of great ones—had to do with aviation. It was the closest thing to a computer game that we had in those days. It was pasteboard model of a Piper Cub mounted in a TV-like console with a joystick and rudder controls that would turn, bank, and adjust the attitude of the plane via attached strings. A full-page ad for this great premium ran in many of the comics at the time. [Want a scan?] In addition to everything else I did as a kid, I always loved to draw. In 1941, I entered a drawing every week in a cartoon contest conducted for kids in the Kansas City Journal. My Minute Man and American flag won first place. [Scan available.] I was to receive two tickets to the best theater downtown. Unfortunately, I never got the tickets. The Journal closed its doors just days after I won. Damn, the Journal had two full pages of great daily comic strips. That was really a blow. Shortly after that I did take an art class at the Nelson Art Gallery, and, of course, I took art in high school. I was art editor of the school paper and layout editor of the yearbook. On a job I had as a teen, I made drawings on stencils in order to help sell the new Rex Rotary silk mimeograph machines. I traveled with my boss all the way to Milwaukee to sell it to the school board there. We got in so late at night that only one hotel room was left—the bridal suite. So, I spent the night with my boss in the bridal suite. And the next day, we sold the Milwaukee schools the new duplicator that did multi-

“I Found A Coverless Copy Of All-Star #19”

Thus, this is probably the first glimpse Jerry had of the comic he found at a used-magazine store circa 1945. He’d long since cut up his own copy of the 1943 comic, as he often did in order to create his own scrapbooks. Scanned from Roy Thomas’ personally-bound volumes. Art by Joe Gallagher. [© 2013 DC Comics.] 11

From Alter-Ego #1:

BESTEST LEAGUE OF AMERICA – PART ONE

2013 INTRODUCTION: At the time of Jerry Bails’ passing in November 2006, Roy Thomas, the official “co-editor” of the March 1961 Alter-Ego #1, had long since forgotten that, in addition to having on 1-26-61 sent Jerry a synopsis of his proposed “Justice League” parody “Bestest League of America,” he had also, three weeks later, sent Jerry the BLA drawing reproduced below. In early 2007 Roy was startled to discover, among other posthumous papers that Jerry’s wife Jean graciously sent him, an inked-andcolored illo Roy had prepared of the group’s seven regular members.

Until he saw that sketch for the first time in 46 years, he had long wondered if perhaps at some stage he had mailed Jerry the original art of the 5-page BLA chapter he’d completed by early February—not too likely, since the art on those poster-paper pages was 18” by 13”—and yet, one would assume Jerry would’ve wanted to see some visuals related to the story he proposed to begin serializing in the new fanzine’s first issue.

on plain old garden-variety 81⁄2" x 11" typing paper. On receiving them, in addition to everything else he was doing, Jerry traced that quintet of pages (and the cover) onto ditto masters. (The BLA drawing Jerry traced as the [color!] cover of A/E #1 was originally intended simply to be the internal “cover” of the BLA material, and Roy was surprised at his decision to use it to front the entire issue.)

The fact that the reverse side of the poster-paper sketch is dated “2-16-61” indicates it was done right after Jerry returned to Detroit by mid-February from his New York trip and wrote asking Roy to get to work on the first chapter of “BLA” for Alter-Ego #1. If Jerry ever saw the original “twiceup” version of those five pages before they were reprinted in Bill Schelly’s 1997 Hamster Press book Fandom’s Finest Comics, this book’s editors have never found any reference to that fact in the surviving correspondence.

As recounted by Roy in the “Alter Ego Story” he wrote circa early 1965 after perusing various letters exchanged between himself and Jerry, he immediately set to work redrawing “Bestest League of America,” Part One—not on ditto (spirit duplicator) masters, with which he was totally unfamiliar, but

The following five pages re-present both 1961 renditions of “Bestest League,” Part One, in a format which necessitates either turning this book sideways, or else lying on your elbow while reading it. The original “twice-up,” RT-penciled-inkedand-lettered art is printed on the left side of each ensuing page; the JGB-traced (and slightly edited) spirit-duplicator version done for Alter-Ego #1 is printed on the right.

“Twice-up” inked version, Dec. 1960 - Jan. 1961

Spirit duplicator (ditto) version, Feb. - March 1961 (Alter-Ego #1)

From Alter-Ego #2:

“Hail, Hail, The Gang’s All Here!” Part I – The All-Winners Squad by Roy Thomas

A recent issue of the fanzine Xero spotlighted an excellent arti-

simply, “All-Winners”—a smaller reproduction of the title logo on the cover. The pikers didn’t even bother to have an artist scribble in “Squad” underneath! The lead splash itself, done by a fairly good though unidentified artist who drew the whole story, pictures the seven Squadders standing about in various poses of horror as people fall dying all about them. In the middle of this scene is the supposed “dwarf,” looking properly fierce. Sort of gives you a hint that this is to be a kind of gruesome tale, doesn’t it? As the story opens, it seems that Captain America has summoned the other members because, in a raid on the hideout of a lovely but lethal villainess named Madame Death, he and his boy-partner Bucky have discovered that the fair maiden and her ruthless gang are about to team up with the dwarf, who is called “Future Man” in the story. You see, Future Man has come in a ship from 1,000,000 A.D. to wipe out all present-day human life so that his people can escape the dying Earth of their era by migrating back in time. Cap and Bucky were doing a good job of mopping up Madame Death’s gang when Future Man, who had evidently been reading Dr. Mid-Nite stories on the side, tossed a “Dark-bomb” on the floor, blinding our heroes. Naturally, all the crooks escaped in the dwarf’s rocket.

cle by Don Thompson of Cleveland, Ohio, on the subject of the Timely group of comic books, whose mainstays were the Human Torch & Toro, Sub-Mariner, and Captain America & Bucky. Fortunately for those others of us who like to write articles about comic-book heroes, Don left uncovered a few items of interest to fans. One of the most important of these, I believe, is the All-Winner Squad, an apparently stillborn JSAtype group consisting of the five above-named heroes plus a couple of minor ones, Miss America and the Whizzer. The reason I say that this super-squadron was stillborn is that, as far as I have been able to ascertain, All-Winners #21 is the only comic in which this group ever appeared. Of course, I’ve heard that an early issue or two of that magazine featured a 2page written featurette about a bunch of heroes, and everybody knows there was a lot of crossing-over (such as the TorchNamor fights); but those don’t really count as far as a real JSAlike group goes. Therefore, it is possible to give a pretty accurate portrait of this great if extremely short-lived organization by poring over this one issue, published for Winter of 1946-47; and, happily, in reading it I discovered that it can hold its own with most issues of All-Star and even today’s Justice League of America. The cover, reproduced elsewhere in this issue, boasted that it contained “a complete full-length mystery thriller,” which is fairly accurate, as the story ran over 40 pages. The title given on the cover was “The Riddle of the Demented Dwarf,” which really didn’t fit too well, as the villain was four feet tall if he was an inch, and no more demented than the average comic-book villain for my money. The reason they called him demented, I suppose, is that he wanted to kill everybody on Earth, but I think “anti-social” would have been a better description. At any rate, the first page of the real story, like that of many Justice Society adventures, features an entirely different and more appropriate title, “Menace from the Future World.” Evidently, though, the publishers of All-Winners were either lazy or extremely parsimonious, as the masthead of the story reads

Win-Win With All Winners!

2013 Editors’ Note: This image of the Jerry Bails-traced cover of All Winners Comics #21 which appeared in A/E #2, when compared with the printed cover of the 1946-47 mag, will reveal how hard he worked on those early spirit-duplicator issues. Not only did he carefully trace (somehow) the black line art of the cover of the slightly incomplete comic used by Roy Thomas to write the article—Jerry even added color! Five decades ago, before the hues had faded as ditto copies are wont to do, the Torches were rapturously red, the villain’s cloak gangrenously green, with plenty of blue and yellow on Captain America and The Whizzer. This required no less than five ditto masters—and a lot of man-hours. Although he flawlessly traced the title logo, Jerry decided to leave off the issue’s cover blurb. At this stage, neither he nor Roy knew the Squad had also been featured in All Winners #19. [All Winners Squad characters TM & © 2013 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

So that’s why Captain America summons his buddies, modestly admitting that he could not defend the whole world even with Bucky’s help. He hands out assignments so that the various divisions of the Squad are soon on their respective ways to Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, with Torch and Toro staying in North America. I felt kind of sorry for Australia, which was apparently forgotten in the shuffle. It’s a shame Future Man didn’t strike there first and louse up everything. Anyway, Cap and Bucky’s adventure is related first. The good Captain America was an ordinary human being except that he was strong as an ox, having been given awe-inspiring muscles by a Professor Reinstein some years before. (At least that’s how they explained it in the middle ’50s when he was revived for a time.) For those of you who have not yet identified him in the picture, he’s the one who looks as if he’s suited up for an American Legion convention. He carried a shield to ward off bullets (the chicken!). The blue-and-red-clad boy at his side is Bucky, a normal Robin-type who was to Captain America what Sandy is to Little Orphan Annie. Supposedly Cap was very fond of Bucky, but I notice he never let him carry a shield against bullets. Be that as it may, they arrive in Europe. Realizing that they cannot cover the whole continent on foot, they promptly borrow a jeep from the occupation forces and arrive on the scene just after a deadly future germ-bomb made by the “dwarf” has wiped out the entire population of a large city in five minutes. (No, they didn’t say which one.) Obviously, the gas dissipates pretty fast, as Cap and Bucky get along just fine by holding handkerchiefs over their noses. As “luck” would have it, they find a fragment of the bomb, which just happens to tell where it

was manufactured, and soon they are at Future Man’s hideout, which is situated between two snow-covered mountains in Switzerland. From then on it’s just a matter of time. While Future Man is inside turning out germ-bombs, Cap and Bucky have a typical fist-and-shield fight with the menial crooks. Eventually they get around to doing what they should have done in the first place. They climb the hill and use sound vibrations to bring a snowavalanche crashing down on the lab, getting the bombs soggy and killing all the crooks but Future Man and Madame Death. Cap then attacks the “dwarf” only to find it is really just his “astral image,” his real self being hidden elsewhere in safety. While the fading image explains all this to a wide-mouthed Cap and Bucky, Madame Death sneaks off to rejoin the real Future Man. Thrilling, huh? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Meanwhile, the Whizzer—in the picture he’s the one with the goose on his head—is guarding our Latin-American friends. As he does so, Future Man and Madame Death land at their secret base in South America—an extinct volcano, natch. Since Future Man’s astral image really can’t touch anything, he takes over the “puny minds” of some petty crooks and has them construct a Slow-Down machine, which slows people down to a crawl, and poor old Whizzer, one of the most direct imitations of the Flash ever, is slowed down to the speed of a mere racing car. Exactly how disastrous this slowdown would be after the initial plane, train, and automobile crashes is uncertain to me. Later, the Whizzer is slowed down to walking-speed by a full dose of the machine, but he escapes and does in everybody pretty well, except, of course, Future Man and Madame Death, who fly off, leaving the Whizzer to congratulate himself on saving South America. Sub-Mariner (or Prince Namor, as he was called back in the undersea kingdom which spawned him) is meanwhile protecting Asia. There’s a little time to waste while Future Man is fighting his buddies, though, so Namor amuses himself by knocking around a few overweight Chinese pirates. In case you don’t recognize him by his swimming trunks, he’s the one with the little wings on his ankles and the head that looks as though it had been caught in a triangular cookie-press. (In earlier days, those little wings enabled him to fly, though why he didn’t always end up upside down is a mystery to me. By the time of this story, however, Namor had lost his ability to fly—too much night life, I guess. It’ll do it every time.) Future Man’s plan for Asia is to create the most gigantic tidal wave in history. I suppose Sub-Mariner breaks this up with

From Xero To 60—Or Rather, To ‘61!

2013 Editors’ Note: In writing about the All-Winners Squad (and he should actually have deleted the hyphen), Roy T. was very much influenced (and intimidated) by Don Thompson’s Timely Comics overview in the fourth issue of Dick & Pat Lupoff’s seminal—and mimeographed— science-fiction/comics fanzine Xero, dated April 1961. One of the finest installments of the iconic “All in Color for a Dime” series, that article had been introduced by a tracing by Maggie Curtis (very soon to be Maggie Thompson) of figures and lettering from a 1940s Timely house ad which had sported the defiant words “O.K. Axis, Here We Come!” In the 1970s Roy would adapt that phrase as the battle cry of the wartime Marvel heroes in his comics series The Invaders—but he’s never managed to get a good scan of the actual ad from which Don and Maggie took their title and drawing! This art did not appear in A/E V1#2. [Human Torch, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, & Patriot TM & © 2013 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

From Alter-Ego #2:

Hawkman, Winged Wonder

[by Jerry G. Bails (unsigned) & Douglas Marden]

In this issue of Alter-Ego we are happy to feature drawings of

A WORD ABOUT JOE KUBERT. Joe, like so many other artists in the business, attended the High School of Music and Art in New York. That was in 1940. Less than a year later, at the age of fourteen, he got his first job working for comic books. When he was sixteen, he moved with his parents to New Jersey, which has been his home state ever since. The only time in the past twenty years that Joe has not spent drawing and producing comics was the time he spent in Germany as the guest of the U.S. Army. Kubert fans will always remember the all-too-brief existence of Joe’s own creation, Tor, the hunter, who appeared in 1953 in 1,000,000 Years Ago.

the Hawkman as he appeared over the years in Flash Comics. According to our best sources, the Hawkman was first drawn in 1940 by an artist named Neville, but the job was soon taken over by Sheldon Moldoff, who signed his work “Shelly.” Shelly, whose art first really captured the spirit of the Hawkman, handled this assignment until 1945, when the very youthful but very talented Joe Kubert took over. The several changes in Hawkman’s headgear probably reflect the several changes in the editorial staff at DC Comics.

A WORD ABOUT THE CREATOR. The Hawkman was created by author Gardner F. Fox. Gar, as he is known affectionately to his friends, also created the Justice Society of America, the original Flash, Space Ranger, and Adam Strange, and in collaboration with editor Julius Schwartz, is now giving us the Justice League of America and the new Hawkman and Atom. Gar has a B.A. degree in history and English, and an LL.B. Degree, but he gave up the practice of law many years ago in favor of writing. In addition to putting out a comic story or two a week, he writes historical novels under a variety of pseudonyms. One of his latest on the stands in paperback form is Veronica’s Veil by Jefferson Cooper. His real name is “owned” by Gold Metal and Crest Books, so he writes under a variety of names for the other houses (Pocketbooks Inc., Popular Library, Signet, Monarch, and Avon). Most of his novels are historical, with an occasional suspense or modern-day background thrown in. Here are the titles of some of his more recent works: Lover in Iron, The Question Sword, Borgia Blade, and Barbary Slave.

News-Beak

2013 Editors’ Note: For A/E #2, Jerry Bails painstakingly drew six Hawkman heads, in the styles of artists Dennis Neville, Sheldon “Shelly” Moldoff, and Joe Kubert, to show the evolution (or devolution) of the hero’s headgear between Flash Comics #1 and its last few issues when his helmet had become merely a cowl—plus a drawing of Hawkman as revived just as that issue of A/E was going to “press.” This study foreshadowed the artistic analyses that would be a staple of comics fanzines from that day to this. [Hawkman TM & © 2013 DC Comics.]

A Synopsis of the First Hawkman Story, T

Which Appeared in Flash Comics #1, Jan., 1940 (by courtesy of Douglas Marden)

he story opens in the weapon-lined library of Carter Hall, research scientist and wealthy collector of ancient weapons. Carter notices a strange package on the table near him. He guesses that it is another addition for his weapons collection that has just arrived from his friend in Egypt. He hastily opens the strange gift. The package contains an Egyptian knife made of glass. It was once used to offer sacrifices to the gods. The knife emits a strange glow which causes Carter to fall into a deep sleep. A weird dream shapes itself in Carter’s subconscious… He finds himself in ancient Egypt in the body of a Prince Khufu, who is being held captive by the high priest, HathSet. The priest addresses the prince, telling him that he will be beaten until he reveals the whereabouts of a girl named Shiera, but Prince Khufu refuses to say. He would rather die than let his beloved Shiera be sacrificed to the gods. With a surge of strength, the prince breaks away from his captors, and uses a chariot to escape into the desert, where he returns to the arms of his loved one. Unfortunately, Prince Khufu has been followed by the high priest and his temple guards. The prince makes a valiant effort to save Shiera, but he is outnumbered. They are both captured and returned to the temple of the feared Anubis, the HawkGod, where they are to be sacrificed. With his last breath, Prince Khufu vows that he and Shiera will live again, and that he will kill the evil Hath-Set. At this point the dream comes to an end, and Carter awakens. He leaves the house the next day for a short walk. As he passes a subway, he sees people running out, screaming about the rails and train turning blue and then bursting into flames. Carter races down into the subway to see the cause of the panic, and accidentally bumps into a girl. By some weird trick of fate, the girl is the reincarnation of Shiera. Together they look at the subway rails to see that they are being flooded by millions of volts of electricity. The people in the trains have been burned to cinders. Only a dynamo could have done this, Carter concludes. With Shiera, he then returns home; and on the way he relates the incredible story of his dream. Upon reaching home, he goes to his laboratory where he constructs a dynamo-detector. Shortly he emerges from his room clad in the guise of the ancient Hawk-God, Anubis. He is now Hawkman, Peril of the Night. His powers are derived from his discovery of the secret of the ages, ninth metal, which repels electricity and defies the pull of gravity. Hawkman goes forth into the night until he reaches a desolate house just beyond the city limits. It is the home of Dr. Hastor, where Hawkman’s instruments have revealed that a gigantic dynamo is in use.

Never Say Never, Neville!

2013 Editors’ Note: The first-ever reprinting of Hawkman’s origin came in DC’s tabloid-sized Famous First Edition “Vol. 2, No. F-8 (Aug.-Sept 1975), which reprinted the entirety of Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940), thirteen years after A/E #2 retold the story and Jerry Bails rendered an approximation of Hawkman’s helmet as drawn by original artist Dennis Neville. Script by Gardner Fox. This splash, of course, was not in A/E V1 #2. [© 2013 DC Comics.]

Inside, Hastor gazes upon his creation, a fantastic dynamo which he is using to make the city do his bidding. At this moment, a face appears at the window…. It is Hawkman! Hastor, who in reality is the reincarnation of Hath-Set, mistakes the Winged Wonder for the God Anubis, and tries to blast him out of the air by electricity from his dynamo. This fails, however, due to the fact that the costume that Hawkman wears is partly of ninth metal, and repels the electrical charge. Hawkman swoops down and smashes the dynamo with the quarter-staff which he is carrying. When he is finished, Hastor has escaped. Hastor, who now realizes that Hawkman is really the reincarnation of Prince Khufu, guesses that Shiera must be alive, too, and summons her through Anubis. When Hawkman returns home, he finds Shiera gone and immediately suspects Hastor. The Winged Wonder then takes a cross-bow and a cloak of ninth metal with him as he returns to Hastor’s house. Meanwhile, Hastor has prepared Shiera for sacrifice to the God Anubis. He is just about to destroy her with a bolt of electricity when Hawkman appears just in time. The Feathered Fury drops the cloak of ninth metal over Shiera, protecting her from the electrical charge. Then Hawkman turns his full vengeance on Hastor, killing him with a shaft from the ancient cross-bow. This time it is Prince Khufu who has won, and has slain the evil priest of Anubis, and it is the dying Hastor who has sworn vengeance. Hawkman flies home with Shiera in his arms. At the end of his first adventure, the Winged Wonder looks out over the night sky, sure that he has not seen the last of Hastor. THE END.

From Alter-Ego #2:

The Reincarnation Of The Spectre Part 2 by Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails

Once again, through the strange action of sunlight on the

menacingly and draws himself free from the confines of the doctor’s body, and materializes on the dark side of the room. “Ha, ha, ha, ha ha! I knew the good doctor’s curiosity would get the best of him sooner or later. Now I am free again! This time, I—Count Dis, Lord of Darkness—will defeat the astral forces which oppose me and subjugate this corporeal world! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!” As the gloating figure of Count Dis fills the room with his terrifying laughter, the second spectral figure, cloaked in green, materializes on the side of the room bathed in light by the Spectral Sapphire. In somber but confident tones, he addresses his evil counterpart: “Dis, you are the manifestation of Corrigan’s greed and conceit, and can therefore call into existence all of the venomous creatures which lurk in men’s minds; but you and your creatures can be defeated. I’ve done it before and, with the help of Solomus, I shall do it again!” “But you cannot summon Solomus,” screams the Evil Phantom in angry reply. “Solomus has abandoned the earth people because they persist in wars and persecutions. And without Solomus you are just the spectre of Jim Corrigan and are no more powerful than his sense of justice and charity.” With this, the Lord of Darkness lunges at his spectral twin, grabbing him by the neck and using his mighty powers to try to destroy him. But the Master of Light is not caught off guard, and the battle becomes almost at once a temporary stalemate. The Lord of Evil realizes immediately that victory will not be won as easily as he had hoped, and with the speed of thought covers himself with an aura of invisibility which even his ectoplasmic adversary cannot penetrate. With the disappearance of his evil counterpart, the Spectre’s thoughts turn to the unconscious form of his alter-ego. “My struggle with Dis has greatly weakened our earthly shell. If the force of life passes from the body of Jim

mysterious Spectral Sapphire from India, two ghostly figures from the inner dimensions of the human psyche emerge from the unconscious form of Dr. Jim Corrigan. One of them is dressed in black with a purple hood and cloak; he is clearly the incarnation of the evil which springs forth from the bowels of the id. The other figure, clothed in white with a green cowl and cloak, is just as clearly the incarnation of the good which ordinarily is locked away in those recesses of the human mind known as the super-ego. With a laugh that would wake the dead, the evil one gestures

Monsters From The Id— Heroes From The Super-Ego

2013 Editors’ Note: Knowing there had been no separate drawing of The Spectre and Count Dis in A/E V1#2 besides the cover, fanartist Larry Guidry composed this confrontation of super-ego and id especially for this Best of compilation. His drawing well illustrates what a DC splash page of such a revival might’ve looked like, since the Spectre chapters in A/E #1 & #2 together would have made up the plot of a single comic book issue. Roy Thomas provided the words, more than half a century after he wrote the original synopses–the second of which was somewhat rewritten by Jerry Bails, leading to a shared credit. [Spectre & logo TM & © 2013 38

his eyes through the gem onto the black form of Count Dis! Too late, the Master of Darkness realizes the Spectre’s plan! The intense white light is too powerful for the Evil Phantom to endure, and he is forced down into the crowd of people in the streets below, where he suddenly disappears. The Spectre then turns his mighty beam against the evil minions from the Dark Dimension, who, bereft of the leadership of Count Dis, flee back to the places from which they came. Hovering over the now quiet scene of destruction, the Master of Light offers a silent prayer: “O Great Solomus, help me to restore this magnificent city.” Then, as if in answer to his plea, the Spectre hears the voice of an astral force even more powerful than himself speaking to him from the Dimensions of Light: “Spectre, you have defeated Count Dis, but you have not destroyed him. Dis cannot be destroyed, for he, like yourself, is composed of pure life-force. Through the power of the Spectral Sapphire, you have imprisoned him in the mind of an earthman—which one, even I cannot tell! And someday, somehow, Dis may discover a way to re-enter the earth-plane through this human’s body, even as you and he first entered it via the form of Jim Corrigan.” Suddenly the voice is gone and all the inanimate objects of the great city are restored to their original state. Only the Spectre and the vanquished Count Dis know that this has been the work of Solomus, the astral force of a super-intelligent hominoid from a world bordering the three-dimensional Earth. Before the grateful populace can understand what has transpired, the Spectre is gone; and, in his office, young Dr. Corrigan regains consciousness with a full knowledge of all that has taken place. The only thing he does not know is where and when the evil Count Dis may be freed to strike at him again!

Corrigan, then Dis and I will go out of existence until the light of the Spectral Sapphire splits the personality of another hominoid. I cannot let Corrigan die; I must return my life-force to his body, but then I will lose the power to combat Count Dis. Somehow I must destroy Dis and resume the identity of Jim Corrigan before it’s too late!” Just then, the Spectre’s telepathic powers reveal to him a scene of fantastic horror! The Earth’s largest city is under attack by a horde of screaming, terrifying monsters called into being by the Lord of Darkness. Huge black bats knock even the largest aircraft from the skies. Gigantic and seemingly indestructible lizards and beasts crumple steel buildings like houses of cards; and the most terrible of these creatures, a black viper of tremendous power and length, has wrapped itself around the world’s tallest building and is using its long, dark tongue to pull down surrounding structures on the horrified populace below. With the speed of thought, the Spectre springs into action. Exercising superhuman strength and flashing bright beams of destruction from his ghostly eyes, he launches an attack upon the monstrous viper, sending it into a rage. In retaliation, the serpent’s long tongue shoots out with great speed, locking the Master of Light in a crushing grip. As the Spectre struggles to free himself, his evil twin appears on the head of the scaly serpent of doom and adds black bolts of destruction from his own eyes to the already terrific might of the snake. Surely even the Spectre cannot long survive both of these powerful opponents! As the Spectre seems to weaken, both he and Dis suddenly become aware that Jim Corrigan is on the verge of death. With the death of the young doctor, both the Spectre and Count Dis would go out of existence, but the evil monsters created by the Lord of Darkness would remain to lay waste to the earth. Realizing that, the Spectre will not let Corrigan die and, not wanting to be vanquished himself, Count Dis orders the huge viper to release the Spectre. In an instant, the Master of Light returns to the office of the unconscious human. But, instead of restoring life to the dying figure as Dis expects, he grabs the Spectral Sapphire and zooms back to battle his dark twin. In a desperate gamble, the Spectre concentrates all of the destructive beams of light from

The Spectre is a copyrighted feature owned by National Comics Publications, Inc. This feature appeared in Superman D.C. magazines during the 1940s. We are grateful to the publishers of National Comics for their permission to use the name and drawing of the Spectre in this piece of original fiction.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Where Are They Now?

The Atom

Spy-Smasher

Liberty Belle

Crimson Avenger Plastic Man

Ibis the Invincible

Captain Marvel

[from two different pages in Alter-Ego #2]

has lost a lot of weight and is making a comeback.

went over to the Russians, who promised him steady work.

finally cracked up, and now resides at Belle-view.

is currently being investigated by the House Committee on Un-American Activities (as are Mr. Scarlet and Pinky). had to retire; he has been suffering from arterial sclerosis.

has retired from crime-fighting, and now operates a magical novelty shop with his partner, Sargon the Sorcerer. was caught stealing thunder and was electrocuted by a charge from a D.C. generator. (By the way, the surviving members of his family were banished to the Rock of Eternity as accessories after the fact.) 39

From Alter Ego #5:

At any rate, within this world of Alter ’m here to welcome you to the pages Ego, you will find not only currently of this issue of Alter Ego; your world popular comic book heroes, but also and mine. By your, I mean just that. those of the Silver Screen (no relation to Your interest and enthusiasm is what TV) and books other than the seriokeeps Comic Hero fandom (pro as well comic. By simply glancing at the opposas amateur) alive and flourishing. ing page or leafing through this issue, Certainly, without the combined popular you’ll understand far better than I could demand of everyone concerned with explain, so I’ll not preview more. adventure heroes, there would be none. My point is that Alter Ego is your Someone somewhere sometime ago (I magazine—by many of you, for all of won’t say who for fear of being contestyou. If you like what you see, let me ed, and the point, per se, is relatively know. If you don’t see what you like, insignificant) conceived a fictitious hero then you’re reading the wrong zine, or and/or heroine, which has evolved into I’ve failed somewhere along the line— what we know today as the excitement by all means, let me know, too. In order A Photo-Offset Baton of adventure characters, sometimes to achieve the finest possible publication apparently unlimited as we mortals are, 2013 Editors’ Note: The photo of Ronn Foss that accompanied his first editorial was reprinted in our with the best efforts there are to be but nonetheless they never cease to amaze us and stir our spirit. Perhaps it first Best of volume. The above pic, not from A/E #5, found among fandom, I respectfully represents a symbolic “passing of the [Alter-Ego] request that you write the individual has always been the heritage of man to torch” from Jerry (at left) to Ronn. Although the dream of what he doesn’t ordinarily do, photo is dated “1964,” it may well have been taken directly whose particular work you like; tho I too want to hear your views of the but would perhaps like to—danger, some time earlier, as Ronn is holding a copy of material contained herein, for the purthrills, action … and anything and Jerry’s A/E #4, which was published for the fall of pose of retaining the contributors you everything the mind can imagine. If so, ’62. Apparently, the hyphen in Jerry’s original fanzine title fell off while JGB was handing it Ronn! prefer. Following each article is the then we are part of this heritage. As address of its author or artist—by correPhoto courtesy of Bill Schelly. active fans of adventure, it is not only sponding with him directly, he will get our privilege, but I feel, our responsibilithe full benefit of your appreciation for his work… or your (I ty to maintain this undefineable drive and determination hope) considered criticism. Most assuredly, I want your overtoward more and better adventure heroes… further exploration all opinion of AE; what you like best—and least. As is the and explanation of its wondrous history, and most important, policy with most fanzines, those letters of interest to all readcontinued exposure in the future. ers will be printed in the following issue. Perhaps at this point I’d best stop and offer the specific defiAlthough this issue has taken more time than was scheduled nition of Alter Ego’s repertoire. and is consequently late, I am pleased to be able to announce As the title implies, the pages contained herein deal with that AE-6 will be early. At this writing, I have over half the individuals of dual-identities. Whereas this generally infers a total material on hand. The next issue will be dated June, but mask being involved, this mask isn’t necessarily always matewill in all probability be in the mails late April or early May. rial or physical. In fact, a character needn’t even have two Here’s to many more to come. personalities to gain interest from readers. (Example: Very Sincerely, Aquaman, Blackhawk, Fantastic Four.) In the foregoing, I’ve

tried to stress adventure hero; which is to say, not only comic characters, but also those from books, motion pictures, and the trusty, unfortunately rusty old radio— Yes, there is a Captain Silver of the Seahound.

Bound For Oblivion?

2013 Editors’ Note: As it happened, Ronn, like Jerry Bails and Roy Thomas, was a devotee of Joe Kubert’s renditions of Hawkman—both in the 1940s and the early ’60s—so when it appeared for a time as if the revival version of the Winged Wonder wasn’t ever going to be awarded his own title, Ronn drew this vision of that hero joining the original (then, the only) Captain Marvel in limbo—perhaps forever! Who would’ve suspected that, along with an eventual Hawkman title, even the World’s Mightiest Mortal would return—in a DC mag! [Hawkman & Shazam hero TM & © 2013 DC Comics.]

From Alter Ego #5:

hen it was suggested that I write on the subject of Fandom from the viewpoint of why a fan stayed on in Fandom, it seemed like it would be an easy job. After all, I have been active in the Whirl of Fandom for over ten years, and I’ve published fanzines, written articles, and corresponded; been active in clubs and even on a Worldcon Committee, among other things. But looking deeper into the subject, it appears that it will take quite a few words to cover the apparent contradictions that would be involved if I sought to define the term. In this way it’s like science fiction (with or without the hyphen): it’s probably impossible to make up a definition that everyone would accept. The main element of science fiction is, I believe, individuality. Like science fiction, some people are attracted towards Fandom because they “like a story.” Undoubtedly, some fans would be happy with any sort of tale, or perhaps other sorts have become boring to them. Others may be attracted because of the art element, and both art and Fandom can attract people because they are interested in this. One of the things that is found so often in fanzines is opinion articles; and so selfexpression is but another reason for being active. However, I believe that socializing—to be part of a group of people with interests similar to one’s own—is the greatest attraction for gaining and retaining the attention of the fan. You will note an omission above: I’ve not mentioned the element of ego-boosting; or just plain “ego-boo.” This may be very important for the newer fan, but I would say that socializing—not only with other fans, but professionals as well—is a more fundamental appeal. Any person is naturally going to try to get more out of things which he has found interesting in the past, and so a certain process of growth begins with some of the readers. They may see a letter in a magazine, or an advertisement, and write for a feeling of contact with others to locate additional reading matter. It doesn’t take long for the feeling of companionship to involve him in correspondence and then the whole plenum of fanac—getting fanzines, writing for them, and in general becoming a part of a growing circle of various fan interests. Projects widen the number of contacts, or perhaps the publishing bug may bite. What is important is that there is a wide variety of things a fan can do, and it all depends on the individuality of each fan on exactly what he does. Each new contact may suggest another activity, and if the fan develops the

Fandom Is As Fandom Does

2013 Editors’ Note: This article is basically a re-run of an article from a science-fiction fanzine, with a few words changed (with the permission of author Stan Woolston, who is not known to have been a comics fan per se), because A/E #5-6 editor/publisher Ronn Foss felt it was equally applicable to comics fandom. The latter wrote in a note at the end of the piece that it was “reprinted (with minor revisions due to application) from Escape #1, a West Coast zine edited by Ron Haydock and Larry Byrd, with permission of the copyright owner. The author publishes his own reviewzine, Science Fiction Parade, and welcomes comment on the foregoing. Write: Stan Woolston, 12832 Westlake St., Garden Grove, Calif. The accompanying illustration is an adaptation of the original as done by Charlie Scarborough, by yours truly.” [Art © 2013 estate of Ronn Foss.]

ability to make decisions instead of going immediately into all of these things, his interest can be sustained for a long time. I hinted above that many fans have a certain type of mental outlook. Many seem to be more willing than the average person to look at the world as much more than merely a series of emotional problems that control his life. The idea of adopting the “scientific method”—of looking at new ideas and processes as related to a method of finding answers, by looking for causes and testing whether a possible solution will work—may be included. This is, I’m sure you’ll agree, just a few degrees above the idea “sock him in the nose” as the popular way to “solve” a problem. Setting up a theory and then testing it means seeing the universe as more than just chaos, and I believe more fans follow this method than any other people. Modern life seems closely related to engineering and science, and with someone who is science-oriented it is easier to see changes as logical developments instead of things to be

J’ONN J’ONZZ, (7) GREEN LEAGUE (AWWL); were it left to me, LANTERN, and (8) SNAPPER I’d as soon see her get the axe first. But CARR. you don’t know what I’m trying to do We picked up (10) GREEN yet.) ARROW; and just recently gained (10) None of the five characters I’ve “redThe ATOM. Soon, all going well, we’ll X’d” for disposal were members of the have (11) HAWKMAN … and there is original JSA. SUP-BAT were inactive. even talk of adding (12) ADAM That’s the key word—inactive. The STRANGE. Now, this is just too JLA ostensibly succeeds the JSA; rightdarned many. fully then, it should contain only those Like—WOW! JSA only had 7 members who are new versions of old members, and they had at least 32 page characters of the same name. (Or, in stories to work with even at their lowest the case of WONDER WOMAN, an ebb. JLA has only 25; on rare occaoriginal member.) sions, 26! Now, just what in heck are Ah, so now it dawns on you, does it? the “Great White Fathers” gonna do Yes, that’s why I kept WW, The [Dr. Fate & Starman TM & © 2013 DC Comics.] with all those beauties? Are they FLASH, The ATOM, and GREEN gonna keep ‘em out? Hardly! The LANTERN—because these members, fans will be heard. in their original form, were at one time Nor is cutting one member to admit active fighting members of the old JSA. another the solution … nor do they They and they alone are worthy to carry have the convenient “dodge” of the on the tradition. good old days of maybe creating You can see now that we have ample another Flash Comics or All-American room for expansion without overcrowdComics to deal with the “surplus.” ing. If HAWKMAN “wins his wings,” The new Flash and new Green he will become a fifth member. Should Lantern already have their own another old character appear as a comics—as does “pure-heart” everyrevival, he will become the sixth. Right body else in the JLA. here is quite enough for the limited Editors in the aforementioned good amount of space the new comics have, ol’ days really had it knocked. No letbut we could possibly add even a sevter-pages. They could, and as a rule enth. Here we must positively stop. did, turn a deaf ear to the fans. “So— But wait; I’m not done yet. What of [Spectre & Dr. Mid-Nite TM & © 2013 DC Comics.] 5,000 of you like the SPECTRE, do the “cutaway” members? Certainly you? Well, I don’t, and I’m the editor. Off with his head.” they are to be considered, and I’ve use for them. It’s not that way today, though—now the editors gotta listen to National had, at one time, another JSA-type group—they were the clamorings of literally thousands of “half-grown snots,” plus a called THE LAW’S LEGIONNAIRES (or 7 Soldiers of Victory), hard core of “half-baked ol’ timers” like myself; ’cause if they and they ran for quite a space in the old Leading Comics. That’s don’t, selfsame half-growns and half-bakeds will wheel and deal what to do with the “splinters” … they become the NEW Law’s with someone who will, and Ye Editor will starve! (Apologies to Legionnaires. They start with five, and can pick up ADAM any half-growns and half-bakeds who may be reading this. I’m STRANGE or any other strictly new character who happens to referring to “somebody else,” namely, those who ain’t!) come along. They can even add one more. If it’ll make them Like for example, cut GREEN ARROW, and 6,000 fans will happy, we’ll let them have more than the now “old” JLA. send threatening letters. And every character, great or small; and And if they’re happy, everyone else is happy, too. Best of all, no matter how much of an idiocy he may be in comparison to we get away from the current “mob-scenes” which seems to be the those characters who are idiocies in nobody’s book, has at least JLA’s heritage of misery. With two that many fans. strong, “virile” groups to take up the Cutting is definitely not the solution. But, we are still faced with slack, no fanwriter will ever have to ask: the problem of an impending superdoer “population explosion” in “The JLA—overcrowded?” the JLA. We can’t pretend that it’ll never come because we know that it is well on its way. The problem is there, patiently waiting Contrary to most fanwriters, for us to do something about it. Francis T. Frost prefers to remain Sphinx To High So—let’s be doing. incognito; therefore, rather than proHeaven GREEN ARROW is non-super … out with him. AQUAMAN duce a self-photo, he asked that this 2013 Editors’ Note: Ronn is a “fifth- wheel” outside of water—off with his head. J’ONN illustration (Sphinx) accompany his Foss drew this sphinx to J’ONZZ is too super; too much imitation of SUPERMAN—chop. article. Any correspondence directed SUPERMAN we see too much of anyway; also too super–slash. to him will be forwarded by the editor. represent the mystery of F.T. Frost. As noted on p. BATMAN also too much ‘see’; non-super—out. Out! All of you, 61, “F.T. Frost” was a out! pseudonym for fan-writer (Understand, I’m doing this against my personal prejudices. I’m Drury Moroz. [Art © 2013 the self-appointed chairman of the ANTI-WONDER WOMAN 66

estate of Ronn Foss.]

From Alter Ego #5:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dru Moroz and I met as most collectors do; via the mail. Within just a few letters, I noticed that he wrote with a “flair” and exuberance of one who really enjoys writing… I asked the logical question: “Are you now or have you ever been seriously interested in writing professionally?” He answered to the affirmative, and I welcomed him to the ever-growing ranks of pro-hopefuls. Both of us having created original characters, we began discussing professional potential any of them might have, with the thought of collaborating on a strip worth submitting. As, I believe, any amateur will discover when he gets down to brass tacks on the matter, nearly all the likely names for a hero (and gimmicks incorporated in an exceptional idea) have been more than well covered through the course of the 20 past years. Discarding this character and that in the search for something unique, Dru came up with a “mentalist”: a hero whose forte was that of a super-psyche. (All this was long before Brain Boy, and the revelation of Maximo.) We settled on DYNA-MAN, for Dynamic and Dynamo of Energy—shortly thereafter, Dell came out with the answer to our plans. We switched to a revival, since these were going strong and it appeared more were on the way. Several months went into the development of the plot and characterization… more weeks went into picking a fitting, yet original name, since we’d learned from Editor Julius Schwartz that copyright DC characters cannot be used as is. You have just read the fruits of our labors; the future - ?? Ronn Foss 76

From Alter Ego #5:

When Alter Ego first appeared, a skeptical reviewer in

one of those “established” science fiction fanzines offered his opinion that a fanzine devoted to costumed heroes would soon run out of material, fans would lose interest, and the zine would die an early death. Well, that was two years ago. Today, Alter Ego is probably the most widely circulated fanzine on six continents, and its distribution is still growing. And as for material, we have only just scratched the surface of the great wealth of material on costumed heroes. Just let me suggest to you some of the many possible topics for articles. Hopefully, maybe I can persuade you to research one of these topics and come up with an article. In this matter, I would be more than happy to help in any way I can to locate material or assist in preparing an article for publication. Of course, there is the article dealing with the history of a strip, comic magazine, publishing group, or an individual pro. However, there are many unique ways to approach these subjects. For example, an article could compare similar strips. Roy Thomas once suggested “The Cult of Mercury” as the title for a study of the Flash and all his imitators. Then, an article could easily be written which focuses on a villain or villains of a popular strip. (I’ve promised myself that one day soon I’ll write the second part of my Green Lantern article, which would tell the story of the original GL’s greatest enemies as seen through the eyes of his side-kick, Doiby Dickles—and by golly I will.) A third theme for an article might be a study of the problems of identifying and distinguishing pencil artists and inkers. I intend to use these pages myself to comment on my eighteen-year study of art styles, and I’d enjoy hearing from other fen on the subject. But let’s not forget that the comic book is not the only medium in which the costumed hero has appeared. Remember the great radio serials of the ’40s? There were Superman, Capt. Midnight, The Shadow, Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger, and a variety of non-costumed adven-

ture heroes deserving of attention. I remember in particular exciting adventures of Jack Armstrong, Hop Harrigan (from the pages of All-American Comics), Terry and the Pirates, Tom Mix, and Buck Rogers. Surely, somewhere the original scripts for these famous radio shows exist. Perhaps someone even has access to transcriptions or tape recordings of the more exciting episodes. I’m sure many older fans remember when Batman and Robin gueststarred on the Superman radio show. They may even recall the famous mystery thriller, “The Snow Man of Lake Placid,” on the Jack Armstrong program; but how many remember the story revealing that Britt Reid (alias The Green Hornet) was the son of Dan Reid, the nephew and frequent companion of the Lone Ranger? I for one would love to relive the exciting moments of these “breakfast-food operas” in the pages of Alter Ego. So, if you are one of those lucky people that have access to records of these great adventures of the air waves, take pen in hand and give us a feature article.

Perhaps the radio chapter-plays were written on the wind and survive only in our memories, but this is not so with the great adventure strips of the newspapers. Maybe you are one of those many dozens of fans who have a collection of the famous strips: Tarzan, The Phantom, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant, Mandrake the Magician, Superman, Batman, or The Lone Ranger. If so, then why not share your enjoyment of these renowned strips with the many hundreds of fans, new and old, who read Alter Ego? Just a few of the things I’d like to know are: (1) What great artists and writers handled these strips over the years? (2) What newspapers carried them? (3) When and how were interesting supporting characters introduced into the strips? Can you answer these questions? If so, how about preparing an article? Of course, comic books, radio, and newspapers were only a few of the many media in which the costumed hero appeared. Fortunately, Ron Haydock has recalled for

many of us the exciting moments of the movie serials, and Ed Lahmann had already led the way (in AE #4) by recalling for us the danger-packed adventures of Maximo, a Big Little Book hero; but there are other heroes of the movies and the BLBs that have not been covered. If you collect movie press books or BLBs, why don’t you try your hand at a feature article? Believe me, it is one of the best ways to gain even more enjoyment from your collection. Well, by now you’ve got the idea, and are probably way ahead of me. You may be thinking of the great heroes of the pulp magazines like Doc Savage and The Shadow, or perhaps you’re remembering the novels which featured Superman, Capt. Marvel, or some other hero. All of these would be fine subjects for an article, but there are many other ideas I haven’t even touched upon. Right now I’m recalling with pleasure the visit of Ronnie Graham to my humble abode. He brought along

Making A Point

2013 Editors’ Note: Jerry had practiced what he preached: A/E #3 & #4 had contained articles by Ron Haydock on the Captain America and first Batman movie serials. Above is another Ronn Foss illo done for the latter. [Batman TM & © 2013 DC Comics.] 78

his fabulous collection of original art. I encouraged him then and I encourage him now to tell us all how he acquired these precious drawings by such famous artists as Lee Harris, Bob Kane, Alfred Andriola, George Papp, Fred Ray, Paul Reinman, William Overgard, John Cullen Murphy, Al Borth, Henry Boltinoff, Basil Wolverton, Carl Hubbel, Fred Guardineer, Doc Winner, Sam Leff, and Wally McGinnis. I’ll bet Ronnie could write a whole series of interesting articles relating episodes in his career as a collector. Maybe you could, too. In fact, I’d like very much to hear from those fans who have collected movie stills, press books, decals, give-aways, bennie buttons, figurines, coloring books, membership outfits, foreign comics, etc., that relate to costumed heroes. I myself have a few items of this type, such as the miniature edition of Flash Comics that was given away with packages of Wheaties back in 1946; the original membership kits for the Junior Justice Society and Supermen of America; foreign editions of American comics and a few comics featuring original foreign costumed heroes; articles and books on how to write for the comics by Stan Lee, Robert Kanigher, and other famous editors and writers; and other interesting items such as my bound volumes of All Star Comics from the personal library of the author, Gardner Fox. What do you have in your collection, and what interesting stories can you relate? Give it some thought… I know I will. And finally, I’d like to suggest one other type of article that I’d like to see. Smudge and other fanzines devoted to the humor mags have made excellent use of this type of article—the interview with a professional editor, artist, or writer. In this connection the best articles are produced from tape-recorded interviews based on a list of questions supplied in advance to the person being interviewed. The next best thing to such a wellplanned and recorded interview is a personal letter from the pro in which he answers well formulated questions about his experiences in the comic field. In order to protect the pros from a heavy barrage of prying questions, the editor of Alter Ego will not in general give out the home addresses of pros, but if you would seriously like to do an article on your favorite artist, writer, or editor, contact yours truly and I will be glad to give you all the help I can. This last remark applies in general to any article you would like to write; however, I must warn you: every article should be thoroughly researched, carefully written, and rewritten if necessary, and the final decision regarding publication is in the hands of the publishing editor; but with that little warning out of the way, let me urge you all, and especially you fans with extensive collections, to research a topic and write an article. I’ll bet you can think of subjects and angles I have never even dreamed of!

From Alter Ego #6:

From Alaska to Japan, Australia to South Africa’s John Wright, Francis Lacassin and

The Torch Is Passed—Again!

Jean-Claude Romer in Paris, to Scotland and Canada, to Bermuda and Hawaii… Growing 2013 Editors’ Note: Beneath this photo in A/E #6, Ronn Foss wrote: “Biljo White (left), Wonder around the world! receiving his ’62 Ama Alley Award from your In AE-4, Fall 1962, there were 11 comic fanzines listed; AE-5, 6 months later, added 4 retiring ed. Along with the trophy goes the reins to total 15. Now, almost a year later, you’ll find over twice that many in the to A-E publishership, to be co-edited by Roy “Recommended Reading.” Incidentally, when writing any of the faneds for info, please Thomas (see photo in A-E #5).” include a stamped/self-addressed envelope; you’ll get a reply much faster. Joe Kubert writes: “Unlike many people in the comic book business, I don’t feel myself demeaned in working for comics. The fact is— I’ve always enjoyed this media—and I’ve always given what I felt is my best to it. I’m not ‘saving’ my ‘greatest works’ for painting, or advertising art, or even ‘pop’ art! My best efforts are what you see now!” For the benefit of our many new readers, as well as to clarify a major point to regular subscribers, it has become necessary to assert some concise position as regards the amateur fanzine editor/publisher in relation to periodicity of production. One must consider that the professional editor/publisher earns his livelihood in the field, doing work not unlike we amateurs—who must not only attempt to present some comparable effort, but also have the time to work for a living in some other, usually completely unrelated field of endeavor. The pro has his eight-hour day to do the job you see in print—this is what he’s paid for… whereas the amateur must put in a daily work elsewhere, then try to find time to devote a few hours to maintaining correspondence, editing, typing, layout, and infinitely more unimaginable tasks synonymous with fanpubbing. This, dear reader, is the primary reason for irregular publishing and erratic schedules. I simply ask that you regard this before expecting an issue of a fanzine tomorrow that you sent for yesterday. The foregoing is one of the many reasons I’ve found it impossible to continue A-E and CC. Notwithstanding the fact that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed editing and publishing (which encompasses bookkeeping, and other equally demanding clerical works), my foremost interest lies in illustrating and writing—which has been appreciably impaired in the course of the past 18 months. My dire hope is that my successor, Biljo White, artist that he is, finds some way of minimizing the time consumption of the painstaking trivialities required of a faned. I will by all means remain active in Comicdom—perhaps more so than ever—in the capacity of fanartist and writer. I hope to do as much as possible to further the development of more and better fan efforts, but I have found it imperative to state the sine qua non that I see an issue of your zine (assuming you request art/articles) before ever considering a commitment. Relieved of the obligation of editing and publishing, I plan to proceed with many ideas I’ve long harbored for improved strips, articles, other related fanworks, and general advancement of amateur efforts. I hope to very soon present Femmes in Fandom, capsule autobiographies and photos of all known female collectors—tho aren’t we all, fellas? Speaking of collecting—I’m selling / trading much of my own collection of comics, Big Little Books, etc. in favor of particular artists’ works; Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Wally Wood… and of course, Simon & Kirby and Kubert. If you have anything for trade, or would simply like to enlarge your own collection, write for my list, enclosing stamp, please. I must take this opportunity to express my very deepest gratitude for all the support and encouragement, as well as constructive criticism I’ve received in the span of A-E/CC under my handling. Fond indeed are the memories I shall always entertain of your quips, comments, and critiques of my efforts to enlighten and entertain. Special thanks to all who’ve had a hand in making Alter Ego what it is: contributors, supporters, and of course, Separated At Birth? you readers. 2013 Editors’ Note: Because the proportions of the Roy Thomas/Grass Green parody “Bestest League of America Meets… Da Frantic Four” would otherwise have left what he felt was too much empty space at the tops of its ten pages, Ronn Foss used that space to print readers’ short letters—and, atop the final page, to highlight this comparison between comedian Steve Allen and Alex Raymond’s comic strip hero Rip Kirby. [Rip Kirby art © 2013 King Features Syndicate, Inc.]

FANatically,

From Alter Ego #9:

As many of you already know, since the last issue of Alter Ego

so much of my supposed “spare time 2013 Editors’ Note: 1965 photo of RT and money,” I gener- taken by St. Louis roommate and high ally find it impossischool friend Albert “Bud” Tindall, then a ble to confirm orders, fellow high school teacher, and today a etc. If you wish your successful (if semi-retired) attorney. order confirmed, it would be best to include a postcard in your letter. I may miss answering a few of these, too, but I do try, so help me Alley.

I have, in my own small way, “gone pro”—having written and sold to Charlton Publishing Company one script each for Son of Vulcan and Blue Beetle and being currently at work on more scripts for the same two heroes. In honor of the occasion, I have decorated (if that is the correct word) this page with the above photograph of ye editor hard at work researching his next script (I’m the one between the remodeled models). After all, Blue Beetle in his alter ego is an archeologist, so anyone who writes his adventures should at least be able to count to Carbon 14. Writing the Charlton scripts has thus far been an almost entirely pleasurable task, which I look on as being as much a hobby as a job—albeit a grueling hobby, requiring long hours of slaving over a hot typewriter while sandwiching work on Alter Ego in the interim. It has, however, given me an excuse to do some long-intended re-reading in such things as Homer’s Iliad (my favorite work of literature after Yeats’ play “On Baile’s Strand”) and ancient Egyptian religion (which I would now be studying at the University of Chicago if I had several thousand spare dollars). When these issues come out in a few months, I would appreciate any comments (pro or con) which you might have on the stories. I tried, as I imagine most comics writers do, to steer a middle course between what I thought was salable and what I myself wanted to see in this second heroic age of comics. And if a few of you think you spot traces of one of your favorite heroes or villains of yesteryear peeping through now and then, don’t be too sure that your senses are deceiving you. After all, we’re all the products of our environments—and my early environment included a ferocious number of comic books. Heh heh heh.

* * * Two items scheduled for this issue are noticeably absent: the completion of Fred Patten’s “Supermen South” and Ronn Foss’ “Warrior of Llarn.” Fred was sending the article in three installments—and only the first two arrived in time for publication. It is hoped that “Warrior” (scripted by ye editor and based loosely on the Ace novel by Gardner Fox) will see print in AE-10, where it will dovetail nicely with the by-mail interview with the creator of Flash, Hawkman, and the JSA. And, speaking of problems, this brings me to a minor but troublesome matter which has arisen of late. Because of my various fan and pro activities which take up

* * * A small dispute seems to have arisen in regard to Blijo White’s character Captain Ego in AE-7. About two years ago David Kaler sent Bill a script for a hero called the Gypsy. There are a number of similarities between the two characters, at least in origin, which may indicate that Bill was unconsciously influenced to some extent by the Gypsy script in doing his Captain Ego strip for AE-7. There are no hard feelings on either side in this matter, since the characters are quite different except in origin; however, both Bill and I thought that Dave, a talented scripter, deserved at least a portion of the credit for the success of Ego. Bill himself is too busy at present to continue the series, but I’d like to close this column by printing a teaser panel sent me by Sam Grainger, a professional commercial artist and newcomer to fandom who wishes to illo a future Ego strip. And who could have refused?

2013 Editors’ Note: The Sam Grainger drawing that appeared on #9’s editorial page showed Biljo White’s hero Captain Ego knocking down Roy T’s door; it was printed in Best of, Vol. 1. The Grainger/Ego illo at left accompanied an ad for the adzine RB-CC, elsewhere in that 1965 issue. Balloon & lettering by RT. [Captain Ego & Tigris TM & ©

2013 Roy Thomas & Bill Schelly; created by Biljo White.]

102

From Alter Ego #9:

space nor the knowledge to write a full history of each character, from his origin story down through the years to the present. Imagine that you are walking through the streets of downtown Mexico City and you stop at one of the newsstands which abound at almost every street corner. This is what you’d find right now. * * * * * * * * * * * As I said, a very few Mexican hero comics are stylistic copies of their US counterparts. In support of my aforementioned theory that independent Mexican comics survive because they are more closely attuned to the Mexican cultural heritage and daily life, I [2013 EDITORS’ NOTE: All art accompanying this article © 2013 the respective copyright holders.] note that there are only two such pseudo-American comics being published today. These are n the first part of this article were discussed Mexican comicboth published by La Prensa, on a monthly schedule, at $1.00 books which reprinted U.S. super-hero stories, as well as origi(one peso—about 8¢) per copy, containing 24 pages, not nal Mexican comics which utilized characters from the counting covers. American magazines (e.g., Blackhawk). The only one of these two which can be unequivocally conActually, the bulk of Mexican super-herodom consists of the sidered a super-hero comic is Relámpago el Ser Increible (or, comics in the first of these classes. Virtually every super-hero in English, Lightning the Incredible Being). This comic is and science-fiction/fantasy comic being published today by exactly one year old as these lines are written, the first issue DC and Gold Key, not to mention several of Marvel’s best and being dated July 1964, so perhaps it would not be out of place such Dell titles as there are, appears on the Mexican newsto cover the origin story in some detail…. stands. With this horde of relatively cheap reprint material “The story of this extraordinary being begins in the laboratoavailable to readers, the chances of producing a significant ry of the notable scientist Dr. Van Hackett,” we translate from number of entirely original, financially successful super-hero the Spanish, “hidden in the high mountains of the Atlantic comics must be fairly slim.* coast”(which should place it in the state of Veracruz, if it’s not Such do exist, however, ranging from stylistic copies of the a completely mythical setting). In this lab Dr. Hackett is putAmerican magazines to those containing stories based much ting the finishing touches on an experiment which will “have more closely upon Mexican customs and daily life. Frankly, I revolutionized every concept of medicine.” suspect that the latter factor is one primary reason why indeTo his two assistants—his pretty 24-year-old daughter Linda pendent Mexican comics do exist: being more Mexican in their and young Rod Hanelson (who bears a striking resemblance to cultural background, dialogue, setting, etc., they appeal more Elvis Presley)—he demonstrates that he has kept a rabbit’s to the reader as “realistic” stories, just as we American readers heart beating artificially for ten days, and that other parts of praise the Marvel comics for their “more natural” American his equipment will restore other organs to functioning status: dialogue. “I’m almost sure that I could revive a corpse.” Rod has his This, then, is a coverage of the super-hero comic books feadoubts that such a revived being would still be human, and the turing entirely original characters to be found on Mexican doctor admits, “It will live electrically, and I don’t see how it newsstands today. And, while disliking to be a spoilsport, I’m will be capable of having sentiments and passions.” afraid I’ll have to emphasize that “today.” While I intend to go They are soon to find out, though. Leaving the laboratory to into as much detail as seems advisable, I have neither the

* If the reader doubts the veracity of this statement, let him consider what happened to the Australian comics industry—John Ryan will recount the story of the rise and fall of the Aussie super-heroes in a near-future AE. 103