THE
C O M PA N I O N by Rik Offenberger Paul Castiglia & Jon B. Cooke from THE GOLDEN AGE…
through the silver age…
into the 1980s…
up to the present day!
The Complete History of the Archie Comics Super-Heroes!
The MLJ Companion: The Complete History of the Archie Comics Super-Heroes Written by Rik Offenberger, Paul Castiglia, and Jon B. Cooke • Edited by Paul Castiglia and Jon B. Cooke Design and Production by Jon B. Cooke • Proofreading and Published by John Morrow Cover art by Rich Buckler and Joe Rubinstein • Cover Coloring by Glenn Whitmore Dedications Paul Castiglia : To my parents, who kindly indulged and enabled my post-church comics-buying habit at Pal’s Stationary in Pequannock, New Jersey; and the librarians at the Pequannock Township Public Library, who never seemed to mind the fact that I borrowed and renewed the book The Great Comic Book Heroes so many times that I practically owned it! Rik Offenberger: To my father, Martin, who shared his love of comics with me. To my wife, Denny, who put up with my lifelong hobby and joined me in all my comic book related activities. To Brad Cobb, Shawn Clay, and Scott Martin, who helped me develop www.mightycrusaders.net. To Michael Silberkleit and Mike Pellerito, who made me part of Archie Comic Publications, and to Paul Castiglia, who has been my friend for more than ten years. Without all of you, this book would never have happened. Jon B. Cooke: This one’s for Vic Torr… that is, the mighty Victor Gorelick, editor extraordinaire at Archie Comic Publications, Inc. Disclosures Editorial Package ©2016 Paul Castiglia, Rik Offenberger, Jon B. Cooke, and TwoMorrows Publishing. All rights reserved. The text of individual features is © the respective authors. All rights in the MLJ Comics characters were assigned to Archie Comics. Archie Comics does not endorse or confirm the accuracy of, or the views expressed in, this book. Red Circle, Dark Circle, Spectrum Comics, Mighty Comics Group, and Archie Adventure Series are TM Archie Comic Publications, Inc. All titles in the Impact! Comics line were published by DC Comics, under license by Archie Comic Publications, Inc. All Archie characters names and likenesses TM & ©2016 Archie Comic Publications, Inc. Archie characters created by John L. Goldwater. The likenesses of the original Archie characters were created by Bob Montana. The Mighty Crusaders, Black Hood, Black Jack, Bob Phantom, Captain Flag, Comet, Dusty, Fireball, Firefly, Fly-Girl, Fox, Hangman, Inferno, Jaguar, Madam Satan, Mr. Justice, Roy the Super-Boy, Shield, Steel Sterling, Super Duck, Web, Wizard, and all associated characters and titles TM & © Archie Comic Publications, Inc. • Avengers, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Human Torch, Spider-Man TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. • Batman, Capt. Storm, Flash, Justice League of America, Robin, Superman TM & © DC Comics. • G.I. Joe TM & © Hasbro. • Dynamo, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents TM & © Radiant Assets LLC. • The Shadow TM & © Condé Nast. • Thunder Bunny TM & © Martin Greim. • The Silver Spider, The Double Life of Private Strong, and The Adventures of the Fly © Joseph H. Simon Estate. • The Web Online Adventure © Chuck Grimes. Special Thanks The authors and publisher would like to share their sincere appreciation to all who helped with the production of this tome. Our gratitude to Neal Adams, Vicente Alcazár, Bill Black, Richard Bruning, Rich Buckler, Sr., Steve Butler, Joe Carroll, Barbara Jarvie-Castiglia, J. Michael Catron, Shawn Clay, John Coates, Bradley Cobb, Continuity Associates, Dwight Decker, Tom DeFalco, Dan DiDio, Michael Dunne, Steve Englehart, Angela Fernot of Spiderwebart Gallery, Dave Garcia, Allan Goldman, Jon Goldwater, Ron Goulart, Chuck Grimes, Melissa Groben, Ernesto Guevara, Clizia Gussoni, Damian Harris, Jason Harris, Dean Haspiel, Roger Hill, Christopher Irving, Oliver Isabedra, Kelley Jones, Paul Kaminski, James Kealey, Amanda Kechely, Ray Kelly, Todd Klein, Jennifer Lahr, Mark Lester, Paul Levitz, Stephen Lipson, Mike Machlan, Sam Maronie, Doug Martin, Scott Martin, Bob McLeod, David Merrill, Will Murray, Michelle Nolan, Denny Offenberger, Grant Offenberger, Martin Offenberger, Steven Oswald, Mike Pellerito, Jeff Rovin, Joe Rubinstein, Mike SanGiacomo, Jean Scrocco, Alex Segura, Greg Scott, Jim Simon, Rob Smentek, Andrew A. Smith, Chris Squires, Kris Adams Stone, Roy Thomas, Maggie Thompson, Steven Thompson, The Time Capsule, Stan Timmons, Michael Uslan, Jim Valentino, Jeffrey Vaughn, Glenn Whitmore, Gregg Whitmore, Kendall Whitehouse, Alex Wright, Rob Yeremian, Craig Yoe, and Tom Ziuko. Recognition The authors and editors would also like to acknowledge the research and journalism of the following: Jim Amash, Dwight R. Decker, Michael Feldman, George Gene Gustines, Ryan McLelland, Joe Queenan, Vaneta Rogers, David Saunders, Paula Span, Don Thompson, and Sheldon Wiebe.
TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614 www.twomorrows.com • e-mail: twomorrow@aol.com First Printing • August 2016 • Printed in China Softcover ISBN: 978-1-60549-067-0
Chapter 1: MLJ Heroes in the 1930s and ’40s Partner Profiles: The Men Behind MLJ Magazines ........................................... 76 All The Way With MLJ! by Ron Goulart.............................................................. 79 Creator Chat: Irv Novick...................................................................................... 96 The Black Hood… on the Air!.............................................................................. 101 Stanley Taffet Takes the Top-Notch Prize......................................................... 105 The Black Hood, Pulp Fiction Hero................................................................. 107 A Brief History of Canada’s Golden Age Archie Comics .............................. 108 Super Duck, the Cockeyed Wonder.................................................................... 110 Close-Up: MLJ Comics… Exposed!...................................................................... 114 Interlude: The Archie Phenomenon.....................................................118 Chapter 2: Mighty Comics in the 1950s and ’60s Those Mighty Crusaders by Will Murray........................................................... 120 The Anti-Crime Squad........................................................................................ 123 MLJ Done the S&K Way.................................................................................... 127 The Pre-Mighty Comics...................................................................................... 130 The Spider and the Fly......................................................................................... 132 Too Many Ultra Heroes!..................................................................................... 139 Mighty Comics “Expands”................................................................................. 140 Mighty Marvel and the Mighty Crusaders...................................................... 142 The Other Fly-Man................................................................................................ 144 The Invasion of the High Camp Super-Heroes................................................. 146 Jerry Siegel’s Second Act...................................................................................... 149 Super Heroics: the Game of Crime Fighting..................................................... 150 The Shadow’s Forgotten Era at Archie Comics................................................. 152 The Secret Life of Mr. Archibald Andrews........................................................ 156 Interlude: Where are the Heroes?.........................................................160 Chapter 3: 1970s’ Red Circle Comics Group Sorcery Supreme! Vicente Alcazár Interview by Jon B. Cooke........................ 162 Creator Chat: Gray Morrow.............................................................................. 164 Red Circle Comics Group Index....................................................................... 167 Interlude: Mighty Legion of Justice......................................................168 Chapter 4: The Red Circle Heroes of the ’80s The Red Circle Years by Rik Offenberger............................................................. 170 Creator Chat: Rich Buckler................................................................................ 174 The Eve of Neal Adams........................................................................................ 177 With One Magic Clap… Thunder Bunny!...................................................... 179 Creator Chat: Cary Burkett............................................................................... 180 The Mighty Crusaders Action Figure Line..................................................... 184 Creator Chat: Dick Ayers................................................................................... 186 Creator Chat: Bill DuBay................................................................................... 188 Creator Chat: Stan Timmons ........................................................................... 192 Fox in Archie’s Henhouse: Alex Toth’s Edgy Take on the MLJ Hero ......... 195 Interlude: Descent into Darkness.........................................................198
Table of Contents
Foreword by Paul Castiglia ............................................................................... 69 Introduction by Rik Offenberger .................................................................... 71 Prelude: Roots of the MLJ Line........................................................................ 72 A Key to the Mighty Heroes of MLJ ................................................. 74
Chapter 5: The Ill-Fated Spectrum Comics Line Into the Spectrum by Rik Offenberger & Bradley S. Cobb............................... 200 Creator Chat: Kelley Jones................................................................................. 200 Creator Chat: Mark Ellis..................................................................................... 201 Creator Chat: Jim Valentino.............................................................................. 202 Steve Englehart Charts the Fly’s Course............................................................. 204 Scott Fulop on Spectrum (and those PSAs)...................................................... 207 Spectrum: The Comics Buyer’s Guide Article..................................................... 208 Spectrum: Killed at Birth....................................................................................... 210 Interlude: In the House of Superman...................................................212 Chapter 6: Impact Comics of the 1990s Making an Impact by Bradley S. Cobb................................................................. 214 The Impact Trading Cards.................................................................................. 220 Creator Chat: Brian Augustyn........................................................................... 224 Impact Socks It Old School................................................................................ 227 Creator Chat: Jimmy Palmiotti......................................................................... 229 Character Stats: The Black Hood, The Comet, and The Fly.......................... 230 Interlude: DC’s Diminishing Impact....................................................236 Chapter 7: Between Impact and Archie The Fly (almost) Goes Hollywood by Paul Castiglia....................................... 238 Creator Chat: Michael Uslan....................................................................239 Chapter 8: An MLJ Hero in the Digital Age The Web Goes World Wide by Paul Castiglia................................................... 244 Chapter 9: The Archie Gang Joins the MLJ! MLJ Goes to Riverdale by Paul Castiglia............................................................ 246 Creator Chat: Paul Castiglia.............................................................................. 248 Interlude: The Straczynski Effect...........................................................252 Chapter 10: The Crusaders Return to DC Into the DC Universe: Rachel Gluckstern Interview by Rik Offenberger.... 254 Creator Chat: Marco Rudy................................................................................. 256 Creator Chat: John Rozum................................................................................ 257 Creator Chat: Eric Trautman............................................................................. 260 Creator Chat: Brandon Jerwa............................................................................ 261 Creator Chat: Tom Derenick............................................................................. 263 Interlude: Full Circle at DC Comics.....................................................264 Chapter 11: Red Circle’s Fox and New Crusaders Digitizing MLJ’s Heroes by Jon B. Cooke............................................................ 266 Interlude: Archie’s Monster Makeover.................................................270 Chapter 12: Dawning of the Dark Circle Red Circle Goes Dark: Alex Segura Interview by Rik Offenberger................ 272 Bright Ruminations on the Dark Circle Comics.............................................. 276 Postscript: Those Majestic MLJ Heroes 75 Years (and Counting) of Archie’s Ever-Changing Super-Heroes............ 278 Collecting MLJ Comics: J. C. Vaughn Interview by Rik Offenberger........... 280 Learn More About MLJ......................................................................................... 284 It’s a Mighty MLJ World........................................................................................ 286
Top Notch Comics #19 [Sept. 1941]. Script: Harry Shorten [as “Cliff Campbell”]. Art: Al Camy.
7
Pep Comics #30 [Aug. 1942]. Script: Harry Shorten. Art: Irv Novick. 46
47
THE JAGUAR: Zoologist Ralph Hardy, friend to all animals, picks up a mysterious jaguar belt left by the ancients and transforms into The Jaguar -- complete with superheightened animal powers! THE SHIELD: Chemist Joe Higgins devoted his life to fighting evil after the murder of his father by the diabolical Eraser. Donning a patriotic costume, this G-Man has become an extraordinary hero!
THE COMET: An experimental substance gives young scientist John Dickering powers beyond belief -- including the power of flight! He soon decides to use his newfound powers in the fight for justice!
THE FLY: Attorney Tommy Troy, using the powers of the magic ring given to him by Turan, emissary of the extraterrestrial Fly People, transforms into the Fly. He possesses the strength of 100 men, has the ability to see in all directions and is endowed with super quick insect reflexes -- making him a super guardian of justice!
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tradition of crime-fighting,
THE WEB:
Detective Matt
Professor
Burland dons
John Raymond,
a black hood
criminologist
and special
and famed
utility vest to
mystery writer,
fight crime and
dons his
corruption.
web costume as he wages psychological warfare against lawbreakers everywhere!
Fly-Girl: Turan, the emissary of the extraterrestrial Fly People, reacting to the fact that evil forces abound
Key to the Mighty Heroes of MLJ
THE BLACK HOOD: Following a family
throughout the world, decides to bestow a magic ring to another -- this time, actress Kim Brand.
In addition to these core members, the following have also served at one time or another: • The Hangman • Steel Sterling • Private Strong • The Fox • The Darkling • Black Jack • Captain Flag • Mr. Justice • Firefly • The Wizard • Inferno • Bob Phantom • Fireball and more... The Mighty Heroes of MLJ
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1
Chapter One
MLJ Heroes in the 1930s and ’40s
Archie Comics put out a whole slew of super-hero characters beginning in their very first comic publication, Blue Ribbon Comics #1, way back in November 1939. Other super-hero titles they published during the 1940s included Zip Comics, Jackpot Comics, Hangman Comics, Shield-Wizard Comics, and even Pep Comics—which before Archie came along in issue #22, was home to the first-ever patriotic super-hero, the Shield.
Partner Profiles: The Men Behind MLJ Magazines by Rik Offenberger [Editor’s Note: The following originally appeared in slightly different form in Borderline #19 (Mar. 1, 2003).] Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit and John Goldwater formed MLJ Magazines and started publishing in November 1939. The company name was derived from the initials of the partners’ first names.
M
aurice Coyne (Sept. 15, 1901–May 9, 1971) Maurice Coyne had worked with Louis Silberkleit in several publishing ventures, starting with employment from Hugo Gernsback. Maurice Coyne and Louis Silberkleit were partners in Columbia Publishing. Maurice Coyne also served as MLJ’s bookkeeper and chief financial officer.
L
ouis Horace Silberkleit (Nov. 17, 1900–Feb. 21, 1986) Louis Silberkleit had a college degree from St. John’s University, was a licensed registered pharmacist, and also had a law degree from New York Law School. Silberkleit was regarded as having an uncanny knack as a circulator and was known for setting very tight distributions and being an extremely tough negotiator with printers, distributors, and separators. He worked for a pulp chain in the late 1920s and, in the early 1930s, Silberkleit, Martin Goodman, and Maurice Coyne started Columbia Publications. Martin Goodman soon
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MLJ Comics Index Black Hood Comics Winter 1943-44 to Summer 1946 #9–19
Blue Ribbon Comics (Blue Ribbon Mystery Comics #9-18) November 1939 to March 1942 #1–22
Hangman Comics Spring 1942 to Fall 1943 #2–8
Jackpot Comics Spring 1941 to Spring 1943 #1–9
Pep Comics
January 1940 to January 1948 #1–65
Shield-Wizard Comics Summer 1940 to Spring 1944 #1–13
Special Comics Winter 1941-41 #1
Top-Notch Comics December 1939 to June 1944 #1–45
Zip Comics
February 1940 to Summer 1944 #1–47 Next page is a circa 1943 photo of the three founders of MLJ, a company name derived from the initials of the owners’ first names. From left: Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John Goldwater. Note the painting.
left that company and it was owned solely by Silberkleit and Coyne. Columbia was one of the last pulp companies, putting out its last pulp in the late ’50s (only Pines’ Ranch Romance ran longer).
J
ohn L. Goldwater (Feb. 14, 1906–Feb. 26, 1999) John Goldwater grew up as an orphan in Harlem, New York. As a teenager, he traveled the country working odd jobs. Eventually returning to New York, he began working loading magazines at the docks, before starting at Independent News. Goldwater served as editor-in-chief and co-publisher for MLJ. He was focused primarily on the editorial end of the business. Goldwater was one of the founders of the Comics Magazine Association of America, and served as its president for 25 years. The CMAA is best known to comics fans for its Comics Code Authority. He was also a national commissioner of the Anti-Defamation League. All of them—Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John Goldwater—had met when they worked at Independent News for Paul Sampliner. Sampliner, along with Jack Liebowitz and Harry Donnenfeld of DC Comics, founded Independent News, which was, in turn, the distribution company of DC Comics. Louis Silberkleit worked on some publishing ventures with his friend Martin Goodman, who was a founder of Timely/Marvel Comics.
The MLJ Companion
Chapter One: MLJ Heroes in the 1930s and ’40s
Maurice Coyne
M
MLJ Heroes in the 1930s and ’40s
LOUIS SILBERKLEIT
L
JOHN GOLDWATER
J
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1 Irv Novick
An Interview with Creator Chat
Conducted by John Coates [Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in the 1990s and it originally saw print in Comic Book Marketplace #77 [April 2000]. From 1939 to 1946, Irv Novick (April 11, 1916 – October 15, 2004) worked for MLJ Comics. He was the primary artist for the super-hero comics, including the Shield, Bob Phantom, the Hangman, and Steel Sterling. Irv continued to work in comics through the 1990s, mostly for DC Comics. Primarily focusing on the war comics, in the super-hero line he worked on Superman, Batman, The Flash, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman. Our thanks to Brian K. Morris for a retyping assist.]
“[MLJ] Was Paying More Money Than Chesler Was” John Coates: How did you become interested in comic books? Irv Novick: Well, I graduated from the [National Academy of Design] in 1938 and had seen an ad in the New York Times newspaper for artists to draw comic books. Being that the industry was still in its infancy, I had never heard of a comic book, never seen one, didn’t know what it was other than it meant work. I showed them my showcard art and they hired me right away. This was with Harry Chesler’s outfit. At first, I worked in his shop but eventually moved to working freelance from my home. Working in the office was pleasant, but I preferred working at my own pace, on my own time. I’ve always been a night person. I like to work at night when everyone else has gone to bed. I never went to bed before two o’clock. JC: How long did you work for Harry Chesler? Novick: A few years, I believe. At the time, MLJ was buying most of the work being produced from Chesler’s studio. MLJ was a publishing house founded by Morris Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John Goldwater. Anyway, after a while, Louis came to me and asked if I could work directly for them. They wanted me to work on a character called The Shield. They were paying more money than Chesler, so I did. I think this was around 1940.
Above is a portrait of Irving Novick as young MLJ artist. Below left is the artist in 2002 with his wife Sylvia. Novick would pass away two years later. On the opposite page is Novick’s Shield pin-up from the back cover of Top-Notch Comics #19 [Sept. 1941].
character. Did they have a ready-made character when you arrived? Novick: Well, they had an idea for a hero that was based on the patriot theme. From their initial idea, I designed the costume and created his character of being a G-man. Once I had defined and created the character, Harry Shorten was brought in to write and edit the stories. I believe The Shield was the first patriotic hero. He appeared in Pep Comics. JC: You’re correct; he was the first patriotic hero. Were you at all excited or surprised when it became a hit? Novick: I tell you, John, to me it was just a character and a job and that was it. I tried to do it to the best of my abilities. That’s it! JC: What was the creative process at MLJ? Novick: Well, MLJ provided me with a script, and I penciled and inked it. If I wanted to change things in the story, they were always open to it.
JC: Let’s talk about The Shield. You JC: While at MLJ, there were other artists of note. Let me toss out a said MLJ wanted you to work on the few names: Charles Biro?
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MLJ Heroes in the 1930s and ’40s
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4
The Red Circle Heroes of the ’80s
After taking a break in the 1970s (except for a brief Black Hood appearance in ’79), the heroes returned full-force in the 1980s, when Archie spun the characters off into a new line of periodicals called Red Circle Comics. The notion was for the House of Archie to claim its stake in the burgeoning direct sales market of that era, specifically appealing not just to the general reader but to the growing super-hero fan base. Leading the charge—once again—was the Mighty Crusaders, with Archie’s Silver Age characters, Lancelot Strong as the Shield and the Fly, getting their own series (as well as Golden-Agers Steel Sterling and the Comet helming their respective titles, along with the modernized Black Hood) and Blue Ribbon Comics was resurrected to showcase other costumed characters.
The Red Circle Years
Dropping the camp and cornball, the MLJ line of super-heroes get real and gritty for the ’80s by Rik Offenberger The concept of the direct market—comics publishers distributing their titles through stores specializing in the sale of comic books— was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling, organizer of the New York Comic Art Convention. At the time, comics were dispersed by magazine distributors and sold to newsstands, pharmacies, and candy stores. These retailers had no choices of title, quantity, or publisher. The distributor would drop off the comics, and pick up the unsold copies, charging the retailer for the sold comics only, and destroying the unsold ones. Magazine distributors refused to deal with comic book specialty shops, used book stores, or with any retailer who dealt in back issues. These distributors believed comic shops would purchase used comics from their customers for pennies, and then send those copies back for credit as “unsold.” The distributors had no way of knowing if a comic had been sold at full retail price to the reader and then repurchased by the shop, with the intention of getting both a sale and a full credit for the returned product.
shops were allowed to order specific comics directly from the publishers. The most important elements of the system were that retailers’ orders were pre-paid and non-returnable—the retailers could chose which comic titles they wanted to sell and the quantity of each they would receive. Compared to newsstand distribution, Archie Comics owners Richard Goldwater and Michael Silberkleit saw the new direct market system as a bonanza. The newsstand distributor would subtract unsold returns from their payments to
Seuling formed Seagate Distributors as a method to get comics into the hands of collectors and enthusiasts. He made deals with Archie, DC, Marvel, and Warren to buy their comic books from a central distribution center in Sparta, Illinois. This was called the direct market distribution system, wherein specialty At right, cover detail from The Mighty Crusaders #6 [Mar. ’84], with art by Rich Buckler (pencils) and Ricardo Villagran (inks). Next page, top, is detail from Jim Steranko’s cover for The Fly #1 [May ’83] and, bottom, back cover detail by artist Gray Morrow for The Black Hood #1 [June ’83].
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Red Circle/Archie Adventure Series Index
the Mighty Crusaders March 1983 to September 1985 #1–13
THE Original Shield April 1984 to October 1984 #1–4
SHIELD/STEEL STERLING December 1983 #3
STEEL STERLING January 1984 to July 1984 #4–7
Out,” and a Black Hood tale originally printed in 1979, “Life’s Not Like A Comic Book,” drawn by Neal Adams and written by Gray Morrow. Archie sales were strong at Seagate, and Seuling spoke with Silberkleit and Goldwater about producing more titles. Richard Goldwater hired John Carbonaro to edit a relaunched line of super-hero comics under the Red Circle brand. The name had been used by Archie prior, most recently with the Red Circle horror comics line of the ’70s, which also released the one-shot movie adaptation, The Super Cops.
Carbonaro started production with two titles: The Fly and Captain Thunder Bunny Strong. Prior to this, CapJanuary 1984 tain Strong had sported #1 the name the Shield, in The Double Life of Private Strong. Carbonaro didn’t want confusion between the Simon and Kirby Shield and the Golden Age Shield, and he thus felt a name change would solve any problem.
The Red Circle Heroes of the ’80s
Chapter Four: The Red Circle Heroes of the ’80s
Archie and, by the time the accounting was done, Archie wouldn’t know if a comic was successful for approximately six months after publication. With Seagate—and the 20 regional direct distributors that soon followed in its wake—Archie was able to calculate prior to publication how well a comic would sell in the direct market based on ARCHIE’S SUPER HERO SPECIAL pre-orders. 1978 #1 In 1981, longtime ARCHIE’S SUPER HERO comics fan John CarbonCOMICS DIGEST MAGAZINE aro purchased Wallace 1979 Wood’s classic 1960s #2 Tower Comics title, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Black Hood and formed JC Comics, June 1983 to October 1983 using his initials as the #1–3 imprint’s name. Shortly Blue Ribbon Comics after acquiring rights to the November 1983 to December 1984 T.H.U.N.D.E.R. heroes, #1–14 Carbonaro made an arrangement with Archie THE Comet Comics to print and October 1983 to December 1983 distribute JC’s titles, which #1–2 were initially black-&white, magazine-size THE Fly periodicals. The first of May 1983 to October 1984 these, JCP Features, in#1–9 cluded the early Silver Age Lancelot Strong, The ShiEld Fly story, Joe Simon and June 1983 to August 1983 Jack Kirby’s “The Hide#1–2
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Impact Comics of the 1990s
The next incarnation of the MLJ heroes was Impact Comics, a line of comics published by DC Comics in the 1990s. Archie licensed the rights to DC and while many of their titles received critical acclaim, there were already too many super-hero comics flooding the market, so interest was curtailed.
Making An Impact
Recalling those bygone days when DC Comics licensed the Archie super-hero line
by Bradley S. Cobb It was 1991. Memories of the 1980s Red Circle era were still floating around in some comic fans’ minds. Some of the more astute fans were still wondering where the Spectrum Comics line went. It was a time when X-Men and Spider-Man got brand new titles which sold way more than they should have (and is McFarlane’s art really that good?). Mike Gold, along with Brian Augustyn and Paul Kupperberg, were coming up with some plans. Gold, for quite some time, had been a champion of bringing in younger readers to comic books. The big three really hadn’t paid all that much attention to the idea (Batman Adventures being a notable exception from DC), but in 1991, the House of Superman gave it a shot. The premise was simple: find some old characters that have some name recognition, and update them. And, while not “dumbing them down,” make them easily accessible to the eight-to-twelve year-old age group. How well it worked can be debated forever (and seeing that Impact folded after two years, the naysayers may have a point), but it brought this reader into comic books, and into the world of cool super-heroes. After deciding not to go with the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (there were legal issues still surrounding the characters at the time), it was decided that the Mighty Crusaders would At left is a detail of Grant Miehm’s Shield illustration for Who’s Who in the Impact Universe Vol. 1 [1991]. Above is the clever Impact logo, which graced the cover of every one of the imprint-within-the-DC-imprint line. Letterer Todd Klein shares that the logo, as well as the first six logos for the comics line, were designed by Keith “Kez” Wilson.
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THE Black Hood
December 1991 to November 1992 #1–12
THE Black Hood Annual 1992 #1
THE Comet
July 1991 to December 1992 #1–18
THE Comet Annual 1992 #1
Crucible
February 1993 to July 1993 #1–6
Pretty much, all the creators involved spent a weekend together getting ideas, and pitch-
THE Crusaders
May 1992 to December 1992 #1–8
THE Fly
August 1991 to December 1992 #1–17
THE Fly Annual 1992 #1
Impact Winter Special 1991 #1
THE Jaguar
August 1991 to October 1992 #1–14
Jaguar Annual 1991 #1
Legend of the Shield July 1991 to October 1992 #1–16
Legend of the Shield Annual 1992 #1
THE Web
September 1991 to October 1992 #1–14
The Web Annual 1992 #1
Who’s Who in the Impact Universe September 1991 to April 1992 #1–3
Impact Comics of the 1990s
ing them. It was from this conference that most of the stuff that appeared was created.
Impact Comics of the 1990s
Impact Comics Index
be good candidates. So, Archie Comics was approached, and the rest is history. Artists were brought in, as well as writers (and some doubled as both), and the first Impact Comics Conference was held.
The first books to hit the stands were Legend of the Shield and The Comet. The following month, The Fly debuted, then The Web and The Jaguar. As the summer went by, a new character emerged in the books. The Black Hood was a Punisher-type vigilante who shot first and asked questions later. He was going around the country recruiting the various super-heroes to join together as a team called “the Superiors.” In the Winter of 1991, Impact Comics put out what could be considered its “annual” for the year. The Impact Winter Special was a spotlight of each of the books in the Impact line— it contained short stories featuring each of the characters done by their respective creative teams, and was tied together with bookend stories by Mark Waid and Carmine Infantino. This could be considered the first appearance of the Crusaders in Impact. The Black Hood finally got his own series shortly thereafter, only to be killed off in issue #1. Mark Wheatley, writer of the title, said “surprised you, didn’t it?” From that issue on, the Black Above is a flopped cover detail from The Jaguar #13 [Sept. 1992], featuring pencils by Mark Matos and inks by Richard Space.
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The Crusaders Return to DC
In 2009, Archie once again licensed the Mighty Crusaders and related characters to DC Comics. Unlike the previous Impact line, DC chose to integrate the Red Circle heroes into their larger cosmos, so that they shared the same universe with such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. The Red Circle project brought not just new heroes to the DCU, but a new writer as well, in J. Michael Straczynski. Originally, the plan was to introduce the characters through the DC team-up book The Brave and the Bold, but a series of one-shots was launched instead. Once again, the DC project failed to hold an audience, and the line was cancelled.
Into the DC Universe…
The Mighty Crusaders on Earth-S (as in Superman) [Editor’s Note: The following creator interviews were originally published in 2009, for promotion as the new DC series were about to launch, and should be viewed in that light.]
Rachel Gluckstern Conducted by Rik Offenberger [Editor’s Note: Rachel Gluckstern was an editor at DC Comics from 2010-2015. She worked in the Batman office and was the editor for the Red Circle line at DC Comics. This interview was conducted on Aug. 24, 2009.] Rik Offenberger: DC licensed all the Red Circle heroes from Archie Comics. Will we be seeing more of those heroes showing up in The Web and The Shield?
Rachel Gluckstern: Most definitely! And in the Inferno and Hangman co-features, too. With such a rich array of characters available, you can bet we wish to take full advantage of the opportunity to build up a new corner of the DC Universe. In that vein, I’d like to encourage readers to keep an eye out for the second wave of characters to cameo somewhere in issues #4–6 of both the Shield and Web. Each feature will have a new Red Circle hero popping up somewhere, but I’m not going to say where. It’s going to be like a scavenger hunt, and the prizes are the Black Hood, the Jaguar, the Comet and Mr. Justice! RO: Will we see some of the Red Circle heroes join existing teams, similar to the way Static Shock has joined the Teen Titans? Gluckstern: As the most public figure, the Shield will definitely clock some hours with existing DCU teams. I hear the JSA will be looking for some new members soon, and there’s a Kryptonian situation that the U.S. military is monitoring very carefully. The other three aren’t exactly team players, but they have some encounters waiting in their future for sure. RO: When will we be seeing some of the DCU heroes guest-starring in the Red Circle titles? Gluckstern: Pretty much right away! Inferno will run into both Green Arrow and Black Canary as he hits the road; the Web has a painful encounter with the new Batgirl coming up; and the Shield has to cross paths with former Marine Corps Officer Magog. It is the law. And I think we know just how well Army personnel and Marines tend to get along. Above is a custom-made “imaginary” Red Circle logo, concocted to resemble the ’60s DC “bullet.” At left is detail of The Red Circle: The Web, the DC Oct. 2009 one-shot. Art by Jesús Saíz.
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The MLJ Companion
RO: Will there be some form of the Mighty Crusaders, where all the Red Circle heroes are part of a larger team? Gluckstern: That is the grand plan. The four Red Circle writers have been developing an excellent mythology together, building off J. Michael Straczynski’s foundation, and it’s all going to come together with a reason for the team to form. But as I said before, the Web, Inferno, and the Hangman aren’t really team players, and the Shield is still active in the army, so there aren’t exactly going to be hugs all around either. These guys shouldn’t be in the same room together without a damn good reason—and we’re going to give them one. RO: With co-features in the titles, how do you determine if the Hangman or Inferno are successful? Gluckstern: The same way we do for all the co-features—reader feedback and demand. I’m inclined to think that having two titles instead of four is a lot more reader-friendly, especially in these troubled times.
The DC Red Circle Index Green Arrow and Black Canary July 2009 #20
Justice Society of America April 2010 #36
MAGOG
June to August 2010 #8–10
Mighty Crusaders
September 2010 to February 2011 #1–6
Mighty Crusaders Special July 2010 #1
Red Circle: The Hangman October 2009 #1
Red Circle: Inferno October 2009 #1
Red Circle: The Web October 2009 #1
Red Circle: The Shield October 2009 #1
THE Shield November 2009 to August 2010 #1-#10
Superman July 2009 #688
THE Web
November 2009 to August 2010 #1-#10
situation right now, don’t you think? RO: Inferno was a minor villain turned hero in the original Red Circle universe. What brought him to the forefront instead of some of the other better known heroes? Gluckstern: I’m not sure what exactly appealed to JMS in that regard, but when reinvigorating a line, I think that there’s more freedom with minor characters, and it provides a nice balance to the heavy hitters like the Shield. I think we can all agree though that JMS does world-building like
Chapter Ten: The Crusaders Return to DC Comics
The Hangman… you never know who he’s going to meet or who he’s already met! Given how long he’s apparently been around the DC Universe, he probably knows more people than we realize right now, or knows who to avoid. Eventually, I would think that an immortal figure of supernatural ability and a bent for punishing the guilty might inevitably run into a certain wraith known for carrying out God’s vengeance. Possibly, maybe. It’s a shame you didn’t ask about any DCU villains showing up. But now, my lips are sealed!
Wonder Woman
July 2009 RO: With the Shield as the only patri#32 otic hero in the DCU, will we see him filling that role across the DCU? The Red Circle: The Hangman Gluckstern: Somehow, it sounds like Superman just got #1 [Oct. ’09] cover detail by artimpugned! I’m kidding; I know what you mean, and yes, that ist Jesús Saíz, a version created is supposed to be the Shield’s role in the larger DCU. And like I by writer/Babylon 5 showrunner said before, the U.S. military has a close eye on the Kryptonian J. Michael Straczynski. The Crusaders Return to DC Comics
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