Alter Ego #11 Preview

Roy Thomas ’ Marvelous Comics Fanzine

5.95

$

In the USA

No. 11

THE

Titans

November 2001

OF

Timely!

(That’s

Starring:

SYD SHORES Artist Extraordinaire

MICKEY SPILLANE CREATOR OF MIKE HAMMER

VINCE FAGO TIMELY’S “FORGOTTEN” EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

VALERIE BARCLAY

Human Torch, Captain America, Sub-Mariner TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

“GLAMOROUS GIRL INKER”

Marvel

To You! )

Featuring Art & Artifacts By:

JOE SIMON JACK KIRBY CARL BURGOS BILL EVERETT CARL PFEUFER DON RICO FRED BELL HARRY SAHLE ALEX SCHOMBURG —not to mention

CHARLES BIRO & JOE SHUSTER!

Vol. 3, No. 11 / November 2001

™

Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editors John Morrow Jon B. Cooke

FCA Editor

P.C. Hamerlinck

The Titans of Timely

Comics Crypt Editor

Section

Michael T. Gilbert

Editors Emeritus

Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich

Cover Artists Carl Burgos, Fred Bell, & Carl Pfeufer Don Newton

Cover Color

Contents Writer/Editorial: The Timely Times, They Are A-Changin’! . . . . 2

Tom Ziuko Don Newton

Mailing Crew

re: letters, what else?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

And Special Thanks to:

“IVinceLetFago,People Do Their Jobs!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Timely/Marvel’s third editor-in-chief—interviewed by Jim Amash.

Russ Garwood, Glen Musial, Ed Stelli, Pat Varker, Loston Wallace

Bill Alger Valerie Barclay Dennis Beaulieu Blake Bell Bill Black Jerry K. Boyd Gary Brown Michael Bryan Mrs. Olympia Certa Mike Costa Mike & Carole Curtis Rich Dannys Al Dellinges Wayne De Waid Rich Donnelly Tom Fagan Vince Fago Shane Foley Ron Frantz Ken Gale Dave Gantz Robert Hack Bill Harper Richard Harpster Mark & Stephanie Heike Jennifer T. Go

Robert Hack Al Hewetson Chris Irving Barry Keller David Anthony Kraft Harry Kremer Al Lenny Ed Lane Joe Latino Stan Lee Paul Levitz Jon Mankuta Anthony Newton Eric NolenWeathington Ethan Roberts Trina Robbins Howard Siegel Dave Sim Joe Simon Mickey Spillane Maggie Thompson Jim Vadeboncoeur Michael J. Vassallo Jean Walton Hames Ware Jay Willson

In Memoriam: Chuck Cuidera Jerry de Fuccio George Evans Barbara Knutson

That “Glamorous Girl Inker”! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 The enigmatic Valerie/Violet Barclay, profiled by Trina Robbins.

“Comics Were Great!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 And Mike Hammer creator Mickey Spillane should know! He wrote a million of ’em!

Nuggets: Missives from Mickey (Spillane) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Jerry de Fuccio’s colorful correspondence with the author of I, the Jury.

Syd Shores: A Biography and Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 A vintage 1973 celebration by Al Hewetson.

FCA, ME, & Comic Crypt, Too! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: For a change, editor Roy Thomas and publisher John Morrow opted to do a montage featuring Timely’s Big Three super-heroes of the ’40s: The Human Torch (by Carl Burgos), Captain America (by Fred Bell—though they thought the artist was Syd Shores till an expert told ’em different!), and Sub-Mariner (by Carl Pfeufer). [©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Above: When Bill Everett entered the Army after Pearl Harbor, Carl Pfeufer became the chief “SubMariner” artist, and Namor’s head got more and more triangular, his arms and legs more like turkey drumsticks. Still, Pfeufer’s art had a whacky charm of its own. From Marvel Mystery Comics #41 (March 1943). [©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Alter EgoTM is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows, 1812 Park Drive, Raleigh, NC 27605, USA. Phone: (919) 833-8092.

Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: Rt. 3, Box 468, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8.00 ($10.00 Canada, $11.00 elsewhere). Eight-issue subscriptions: $40 US, $80 Canada, $88 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada.

FIRST PRINTING.

8

Vince Fago

“I Let People Do Their Jobs!”

A Conversation with VINCE FAGO—Artist, Writer, and Third Editor-in-Chief of Timely/Marvel Comics Interview Conducted and Transcribed by Jim Amash [INTRODUCTORY NOTE: Vince Fago has worn many hats and worked in many capacities and fields and genres over his long career, and is still active today, at the age of 87. Even so, he remains relatively (and undeservedly) unknown even by many longtime comics fans, especially in his capacity as Timely/Marvel’s third editorin-chief—probably because his predecessor and his successor in that position were the same man: None other than Stan Lee. Just as Stan had followed Joe Simon as Timely’s editor, so did Vince step into Stan’s shoes when the latter was drafted in 1942, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, until Stan was mustered out of the service, probably in late 1945. But let’s let Vince speak for himself... —Roy.]

JA: What inspired you to be an artist?

FAGO: I always liked to draw. In 1922 or ’23, Al got a job with the Alexander Smith Rug Company. Everybody thought he’d be on the assembly line, but he was put into the design department. He had gone to a trade school and knew woodwork and painting.

He used to put a rug on a big piece of paper on the side of the apartment we lived in and grind his own colors and paint little squares on that paper.

JA: What newspaper strips did you like as a child?

FAGO: The Katzenjammer Kids, Tillie the Toiler, Mutt and Jeff, Bringing Up Father, and Moon Mullins. Kids like colors, so it was a dream event every Sunday.

JA: When did you start your art career?

FAGO: I graduated from De Witt Clinton when I was 20. I had lost the vision in one eye when I was 16.

In those days, they didn’t care if you were handicapped, so I stayed longer in high school. I started at Audio Productions in 1933 as a tracer and worked there about a year. We were in the old Edison studios, and because film was so flammable, that building had been fireproofed. I became an in-betweener when the studio moved from the Bronx to the Fox Movietone News Building.

I. Of Fagos And Fleischers JIM AMASH: Where were you born—and who was older, you or your brother Al? VINCE FAGO: I was born Vincenzo Francisco Gennaro Di Fago, in Yonkers, N.Y., on November 28, 1914. Physically, Al was ten years older than me.

Mentally, he was ten years younger than me. That’s good or bad, depending on your point of view. One of my sisters was a dress designer and the other one a beautician. My parents came over from Naples about 1890 on a boat that took three months to get to America.

Three years after he stepped down as Timely’s editor-in-chief, this photo of Vince Fago—flanked by two versions of Peter Rabbit—appeared in the Sept. 20, 1948, issue of Newsweek. We’ve taken the liberty of adding a pair of Timely/Marvel heroes who were under his aegis from 1942-45. The Cap figure is from Captain America #22 (Jan. 1943)—Torch from Marvel Mystery Comics #42 (April 1943). Photo courtesy of VF, ©2001 Newsweek. [Cap & Torch art ©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Peter Rabbit art ©2001 respective copyright holder.]

Some guy from New York got a job in Detroit as an animator, and they didn’t think much of his ability. So they sent Doc Ellison to New York, and he set up in a hotel room with a drawing board and tested us out to see who’d get the Detroit job. I did. I worked in Detroit at the Jam Handy Company for about four years. We did films for Chevrolet, and stop-motion pictures, and Technicolor films for the Metropolitan Insurance Company. They had a $35,000

“I Let People Do Their Jobs!”

Technicolor camera that I got to use.

I worked in Detroit for about four years, and there were several Disney people there. Then Fleischer Studios hired us to come to New York.

But then Fleischer Studios had a strike, so I didn’t start working for them until it was settled.

After the strike they moved the entire operation to Florida.

They moved everyone’s furniture and paid the train fare and hotel bills for a while. I ended up working for Fleischer for four years.

Vince’s brother Al in 1934, at age 30, “in front of a graph (squares) of a rug he was designing for Alexander Smith-Bigelow-Sanford.”

Photo courtesy of Vince Fago.

JA: Why did you leave Detroit?

FAGO: I went down to the railroad tracks and got on a train and figured it’d change my life. I was unhappy in Detroit.

JA: What did you do at Fleischer’s?

FAGO: I was an assistant animator. I worked on a lot of the films.

Recently, someone from Harvard was looking for a speaker at a film festival Ken Burns was involved in. They asked me to do something on Gulliver’s Travels. They had about 300 people in the theatre at North Hampton. I had a bunch of slides and kept the young people entertained. They also had the Beach Boys; I don’t understand why. But it was very successful. Ken Burns had a morning slot and I was the featured speaker on Saturday night. I not only received a fee but they paid our transportation and hotel for three days. I never thought I’d ever get to do something like that.

JA: Who did you work with at Fleischer’s that we might know for their comic book work?

9

JA: Did the staff have a big reaction to doing the Superman cartoons?

FAGO: Oh, yeah. Whoever worked on it felt they were doing something beyond the call of duty. I was an assistant animator on it, and I remember helping draw a train that Superman was pushing. Doc Ellison animated Superman, and he would push out his jaw in an exaggerated way for effect. Abner Kneitel was a friend of mine, and I worked for him on several different cartoon features.

JA: Do you remember meeting Joe Shuster when he came down to the studios and did some model sheets for the cartoons?

FAGO: I did meet him, but I really don’t remember much about him.

JA: So you were there when Paramount bought out the Fleischer brothers?

FAGO: Yes. The Fleischers owed Paramount money, and when they had trouble paying it back, Paramount took over and kicked the Fleischers out. Paramount knew how to beat people because they were from Hollywood.

The building had a jail on the eighteenth floor. And sometimes the animators would have a wild weekend and tear up a bar or something and they’d land in jail. But at least they’d be in the same building. [laughs] JA: How did the staffers react to the change from the Fleischers to Paramount?

FAGO: I wasn’t really upset because I was going to leave anyway. A while back, I had gone on a vacation to New York. I’d quit but I didn’t tell anyone. So for two weeks I did model charts for an animation studio. “Pepsi Pete” was one of the characters I did. Then I went back to Florida and never told them what I had done. They were still holding my job for me because they thought I was on vacation.

Sometimes they’d check out a guy’s work if they were suspicious of his work habits. There was this one guy who kept the same drawing on his desk for a month. He never bothered to change it. He wasn’t working!

Anyway, the transition from Fleischer’s to Paramount was no big deal. Paramount was really running the studio the whole time they were in Florida. Sam Buckwald was in charge of the staff people. Max wasn’t too active, but his brother Dave was. Dave had a big, booming voice.

FAGO: Pauline Loth—a great artist—was an assistant animator there. I hired her at Timely when she left Fleischer’s and came to New York. She did “Miss America” for us and created her costume. And Doc Ellison, who did the rotoscoping for Gulliver’s Travels.

I worked with him in Detroit and I hired him when I hired Pauline Loth.

JA: How much did you make while working for the Fleischers?

FAGO: They started me out at $30 a week. After I’d been there a year, I was given a three-year contract at the same salary. I got a raise later on, and by the time I left, I was making $40 a week, which was very good money then. I worked on Popeye, Betty Boop, Superman, Mr. Bug Goes to Town, and Gulliver’s Travels.

I remember Steve Muffati’s opening shot for Superman. He had that down to an art. When Paramount took over and we redid the beginning, Steve was ready to do it again. He had it mapped out in his head. He was a real artist with a terrific background.

Vince Fago in Florida, 1939. Fellow animator Larry Reilly drew a cartoon of Vince in the Sunshine State because “I liked to draw bones in the late 1930s at Fleischer Studios.” Photo & art courtesy of VF. [Art ©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

10

Vince Fago for over a month. Walter Winchell [famous newspaper columnist] said the reason it stayed broken was because Fleischer couldn’t find a relative who knew how to fix clocks.

JA: Did you get to know the Fleischers?

FAGO: Yes. Max was a kindly, older man. I used to bowl on Monday nights with Max. One time, he hit himself with a bowling ball and fractured his leg. I drew a caricature of that. They always asked me to draw caricatures because they felt I was the best. I felt I was the worst.

Dan Gordon, who wrote Gulliver’s Travels, was a genius. Guys like him really ran the place. When we moved to Florida, Disney animators came and worked for us. I always worked with them. People would say, “Vince Fago never worked for Disney. Why does he know so much?” I paid attention to what people did and that’s how I learned. It was just common sense.

Vince says: “The Florida studio had 700 employees—there were ten animator groups—they did all the original drawings—working in pencil only—the drawings went to the inking department and were traced onto transparent acetates (cels) they went to the painting department and were painted on reverse side. Next they were photographed by the camera-men.” In this slightly cracked photo of “Tom Palmer’s animation group,” a reference to “Disney” means that person had also worked for Walt Disney Studios: [Standing, l. to r.:] “Shane Miller (background layouts); Unknown; Nelson Demarest (Disney); Abner Kneitel (Max Fleischer’s cousin); Tom Palmer (Disney director); Arnold Gillespie, Disney animator.” [Seated, l. to r.:] “Vince Fago (assistant animator); Stan Quackenbush, Disney special effects; and ‘Frankie.’” Photo courtesy of VF.

Max Fleischer had his relatives working for him, running the studio restaurant and such. There must have been over thirty of his relatives working for him in various capacities. The Fleischers would look around for a relative before they hired anyone. Like Izzy Sparber, who was a distant relative. He had been a tailor and he couldn’t draw, so they made him a director.

The New York studio was located in the Paramount Building, in Times Square. It had a big clock on it that quit working and wasn’t fixed

We were required to do thirty feet of animation a week. Arnold Gillespie, who had worked at Disney, said he could do thirty feet a week but it wouldn’t be his best work. He said he could do twelve feet and it’d be great. So they let him, and we worked together. We were the only guys working on that quota. Gillespie was also the first man to do pencil tests. We shot the scenes in pencil to see how it’d look.

II. A Timely Change JA: Where were you when you heard the news about Pearl Harbor?

FAGO: I was on the lawn in Coral Gables listening to the Philharmonic when they broke in with the news that Pearl Harbor had been bombed.

I didn’t understand what had happened. So I took a train up to New York. I just figured it was too big a change to stay where I was. The studio started doing war work and I didn’t want to be a part of that. I moved in with my mother in the Bronx.

I went to Timely Publications looking for a job in comics. The owner, Martin Goodman, was doing comics, pulps, detective magazines, and sex hygiene books. Once a week, a guy named Frank Torpey would come in and Martin would give him a check for 25 bucks. This was his reward

Joe Shuster’s Superman was adapted for the great Fleischer/Paramount cartoons in the early ’40s. (L:) An original pen & ink by Joe Shuster, circa ’70s, courtesy of Joe Latino. (R:) A model sheet from the Fleischer Studios, signed by Dave Fleischer; courtesy of Rich Dannys.

Both drawings appeared in CFA-APA #43, June 1997. [Art at left ©2001 Estate of Joe Shuster; Superman TM!& ©2001 DC Comics.]

28

Valerie Barclay

That “Glamorous Girl Inker”!

A Meeting with VALERIE BARCLAY

by Trina Robbins In 1947 Stan Lee published a little black-&-white book called Secrets behind the Comics, telling—well, secrets behind the comics. You could order a copy from Famous Enterprises, Inc.—which, we now know, was Stan Lee himself, then the editor of Timely/Marvel—for the grand sum of one dollar. Anyone lucky enough to own a copy today knows that it’s worth a great deal more. (Secrets was covered in detail by Mike Barr in Alter Ego, Vol. 3, #6 [Autumn 2000].)

Among the information presented in this little wonder of a book is the fact that, as Stan Lee writes, “As you can see, there are women artists as well as men in the comic magazine field!” This statement is accompanied by a drawing of a pretty girl and the words: “Meet Violet Barclay, glamorous girl inker of ‘Rusty’ and many other strips.”

In March 2001 I met Violet Barclay, known as Valerie Barclay since she changed her name back in the late 1940s when she went freelance. I visited her in her antiques-filled New York apartment in the West 50s, where crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling and her walls are covered with mirrors and John Singer Sargent oil paintings. The paintings are by Valerie herself—perfect copies of her favorite artist’s work. Since she couldn’t afford to own an original Sargent, she informed me, she had made her own.

Valerie was seventeen years old and working as a hostess in the Café Rouge in Pennsylvania when one day cartoonist Mike Sekowsky came walking into the restaurant. She and Sekowsky had known each other when they had gone to the School of Industrial Arts, and he decided Valerie needed to be “saved.”

He introduced her to Stan Lee, who hired her to ink funny

The “glamorous girl inker” phrase in Secrets behind the Comics was one of Smilin’ Stan Lee’s very first amazingly alliterative appellations to see print. Her caricature by Ken Bald introduced the section that explained the inking process. [©2001 Stan Lee.]

Violet Barclay at 26, when she worked for Timely Comics.

Photo courtesy of Valerie Barclay via Trina Robbins.

This “Rusty” panel from Nellie the Nurse #15 (1947) was penciled by Kin Platt, inked by Violet Barclay, and reprinted in Secrets behind the Comics that very same year. [©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Mickey Spillane

31

“Comics Were Great!”

A Colorful Conversation with MICKEY SPILLANE Conducted by Roy Thomas Transcribed by Jon B. Knutson [NOTE: As the creator of hard-boiled detective Mike Hammer and the author of I, the Jury and many other novels, Mickey Spillane is one of the bestselling authors of the 20th century. It’s been known for decades that he wrote for comics during the 1940s, but he has rarely talked about these experiences at length. Early in 2001 fan-writer Chris Irving interviewed Spillane in conjunction with a different project for TwoMorrows, and was later instrumental in setting up the following phone conversation between Spillane and Ye Editor. For that, and for allowing us to print material which to some extent anticipates his own interview with the writer, we thank him most sincerely. —RT.] ROY THOMAS: When we were setting up this interview, you mentioned you’d worked for “the magazines,” meaning, I take it, the pulps, before getting into comics.

MICKEY SPILLANE: Oh, yeah. That’s a long time ago. I was writing mostly mystery stories, or adventure stories. Don’t ask me the titles, there were so many!

RT: There were thousands, I know. I believe you used to write features for newspapers, too.

SPILLANE: I did stuff for King Features. See, you’re going back here sixty years. It was around the time I did comics. I was continually writing. It was a business. I don’t know the titles of the magazines I wrote for. I had a lot of the old A photo of Mickey Spillane a couple of decades magazines and whatnot on back. Courtesy of Jerry de Fuccio. my shelves, and then Hugo just pretty much destroyed it all. I lost the house, I lost everything I had except my valise.

[NOTE: Hurricane Hugo, one of the most devastating storms ever to hit the South Carolina coast, struck Murrells Inlet in 1989. —RT.] RT: That’s terrible.

SPILLANE: Oh, I got another house. [laughs] RT: Was your radio work also before the war?

SPILLANE: Yeah, I did a lot of that. I was even into early television, but you didn’t take note of all these things you were doing. People don’t know that, back in 1936, they were broadcasting stuff from Coney Island. The first tower built for long-distance stuff was up in Newburg, New York.

RT: So when and how did you get into comic books? Was it about 1939?

SPILLANE: I don’t know the year, but Ray Gill—who was a good artist and a good writer—I was a friend of his brother’s. Joe later turned out to be a great comic book writer. He introduced me to Ray, and Ray said, “Come on, give comics a try.” So I went up with Ray, and I started—Bam!—right into Funnies, Incorporated. I was doing other things on the outside, but then I got into comics, and I started to enjoy it. Now don’t forget, I’m not a young guy! But I was then—and all these new experiences were pretty exciting and nice and enjoyable. I was never a comic book reader until I got into the business itself.

RT: Lloyd Jacquet put together Funnies, Inc. What was it like to work for him for that year or two?

A splash from Marvel Mystery Comics #41 (March 1943); art by Carl Pfeufer.

Spillane may or may not have scripted this particular tale, since he was in the USAAF by the time it would’ve been written. Repro’d from Canadian photocopies of the original art. [©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

SPILLANE: Oh, that was a lot of fun! Boy, he was a very strange man.

He looked just like [General Douglas] MacArthur; he looked so much like him that he used to smoke a corncob pipe! [laughs] But he was a

32

Mickey Spillane

Among the features at Novelty Press which Spillane sometimes wrote were “Target and the Targeteers” (art here by Ken Battlesby?) and “The Cadet” (art by John Jordan?), both in 1941 issues of Target Comics. But did he write these stories? You tell us!

Art courtesy of Jerry Bails. [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

these things, there’s a slave who’s got a big tray, and what he’s carrying is a large [male sex organ]! [laughs] And nobody noticed it! And it was put there to be noticed and edited out with a blue pencil, and they already had a covering thing they could just paste right on there, to put something else in place of it. It was just a joke. Their editors never saw it, and it got printed!

RT: Bill Everett told me how guys would put in stuff, just for fun, figuring it would be taken out. But sometimes it wasn’t. Anything else you can tell me about Lloyd Jacquet? I’ve been interested in him ever since Bill used to talk to me about the Funnies, Inc., days. nice guy, he let us alone, we did our jobs. We were a studio. We did things for other publishers. Funnies did not publish itself.

RT: I know that two of the main companies they packaged for were the early days of Martin Goodman’s Timely Comics, and Novelty, for which you did a lot of work. Novelty did Four Most, Blue Bolt, Target.

SPILLANE: Oh, yeah, I did a lot of those.

SPILLANE: Well, Lloyd never could understand artists and writers. He was a general overseer of us. I don’t think he quite knew what he was doing. But he was a nice guy. Let me give you an example of what happened. I used to make up these little helicopters; they were pieces of paper, cut, only about 2-3 inches long, but they’d spin down like... you know these things from a tree, the “polynoses,” they used to call them? The seeds would spin down, they’d have the leaf in the top, like an airflow design. Well, we used to make these things up, and just have fun... it was just

RT: When whole books were produced by Lloyd Jacquet and Funnies, Inc., did Funnies just make up the package and present it to the publisher, or did the publisher tell Jacquet what the book’s name was, or what the characters might be?

SPILLANE: Lloyd Jacquet acted as an independent group. They presented the entire concepts right there. The ones who published it exercised editorial concept of a grand nature; they didn’t edit. We took our pleasure in screwing them.

RT: [laughs] How’s that? It’s okay to tell now! It’s a long time ago.

SPILLANE: I’ll give you an example.

Now this, I didn’t do, but some others did. They had a medieval scene, and in the background, all the slaves were carrying in these big things—a boar’s head, a pig with an apple in his mouth and so forth, and in the midst of all

Spillane’s first script page for a 5-page feature called “Smarty Pants”—renamed or re-routed to “Jackie the Slick Chick”—written in November 1945. At right is a splash by artist Marvin Levy (“Marv Lev”) from a different “Jackie” story. Note that the “magazine” for which the script is listed as being done is “Funnies, Inc.”—which of course was the name of Lloyd Jacquet’s shop, not a particular comic book. [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

42

Syd Shores

Syd Shores A Biography and Interview

by Al Hewetson [NOTE: The following piece is reprinted from the Now & Then Times, a Canadian fanzine published in 1973 by Dave Sim (creator of Cerebus the Aardvark), and is reprinted with permission of Dave and Harry Kremer. It was written soon after Syd’s untimely death that year. Syd’s birth year is given in this article as 1916; in Jerry Bails and Hames Ware’s 1974 Who’s Who in American Comic Books the year is given as 1918. Special thanks to Blake Bell. —RT.] This is an intimate biography of the late Syd Shores. Syd began his comics career when comics began, before most of today’s talents were born, before comics had an identity, before Captain America and Superman were household words. His contribution was more than great; it was essential, for in the days of beginnings when artists were “packaging” comics, Syd was drawing them.

Syd Shores was an artist who knew and understood that comics were art, and he must be remembered as one of the true artists of the medium. And so we begin—an affectionate portrait of Syd Shores....

Was it Tolstoy who once said: “Art is not a handicraft; it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced”?

If it was, it seems Leo Tolstoy was just as incurable a romantic as Syd Shores, for Syd had the graphic transmission of power that defines art, and defines the expression of experience. There is a reality about Syd’s drawing, a feeling of life, an expression of his emotions and his love for life and art. It has that “something” about it which makes discussion of his work not an obituary, but a dialog about something that is alive.

For example, let’s say the picture is of Captain America jumping from one rooftop to another. If the average comic artist were doing it, maybe you’d see a powerful man leaping a building, muscles taut, frozen in the panel in mid-air, captured like a single frame of a movie.

But while photography is unquestionably art, it doesn’t follow that art is a photograph!

Syd’s picture would be real; it would have depth and a quality of realism that something frozen doesn’t have. Cap would be leaping, not “in a leap”—he’d have one foot propelling the body forward; and the hands wouldn’t be flailing in mid-air or clamped shut in fists—’cause that’s not the way it would really happen. While one hand grasped the famous red, white, and blue shield, it’d also be grasping the other hand, so that both arms would be fully stretched out in front of the Avenger to give him aim—the security of knowing he could grab the ledge if he

The comic book career of Syd Shores was spent primarily at Timely/Marvel, though he also did work at times for Fawcett, Orbit, Avon, Ziff-Davis, Skywald, and Warren. This heavily-shadowed photo is reproduced from the Now & Then Times issue in which this interview first appeared. Late in life, Syd contributed the excellent sketch below to an early San Diego ComiCon program book. Like Al Hewestson says in this article, Syd the Kid still had it— right up to the end! Thanks to Jerry K. Boyd. [Art ©2001 estate of Syd Shores; Captain America ©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

didn’t quite make the jump—the proper positioning for a good roll when he reached the other side.

All the things a well-trained, reallife Captain America would know and do—that’s how Syd would draw.

What is important about this is perhaps a mite hard to grasp in these 1970s of Neal Adams and Jim Steranko and the other great youngbloods. Syd was an artist in the medium when there were few other artists. Jack Kirby and the late Bill Everett were perhaps the “few” others.

Syd established a criterion: He intimated through his art that a knowledge of anatomy was not a “help”; it was an essential. He intimated that an expression of power was a definitive understanding of the medium; his art intimated that comic people be artists, and there is not a professional in the entire medium who fails to afford Syd this due.

One such professional is Stan Lee, Syd’s co-worker for over thirty years: “Syd Shores was one of the real pros in the comic book field. He’s been a top-flight penciler, inker, and story-strip teller for more than three decades. He represents the best in the art of comic books: Talent, sincerity, and devotion to his craft.”

While millions of readers out there are consciously and unconsciously aware of Syd’s capabilities, Syd bashfully denied it whenever I told him how great he was, which was quite often. It’s not that he wasn’t proud— he was, justly—of his work. He just didn’t think about it in those terms.

Like most pros, he was full of praise about the work of others, spoke highly of nearly everybody in the comics field, and felt his association with them made it all worthwhile.

AL HEWETSON: Who influenced your art, Syd? SYD SHORES: Jack Kirby influenced my sense of dramatics. Jack Kirby influences everybody in comics, though! Before I got really started in the field, it was Alex Raymond and Hal Foster; they were my

Syd Shores gods back then.

But Kirby was the most immediate influence.

AH: How would you describe your own style?

SHORES: Well, I’m conservative in my approach to art, and that means I concede to being realistic.

But my sense of realism does not confine me; it doesn’t stop me from distorting action in order to create the illusion of dramatics.

As Al Hewetson noted in 1973: “‘The Terror’ was Syd’s very first story, circa 1940—in fact, he hated the very sight of this art and actually grew to loathe it so much through the years that he insisted on throwing the only stats of it away, despite its obvious value; fortunately a copy of the complete story is preserved”—if you happen to be rich enough to own a copy of Mystic Comics #5 (March 1941). [©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

In humor I can distort with ease.

There’s not the pressure of knowing that this arm is wrong here, or that arm doesn’t look right there, and I feel free to make characterizations that I would never do with a super-hero or macabre piece. Expressions on faces, and the people themselves, the shapes of their bodies can be pulled out of perspective, and things can be done with them that can’t be done with realism.

43

Although, I suppose I should say one thing—in comic art a person is drawn normally at seven heads in height. In super-hero material, he’s drawn eight or nine heads high. This is distortion, sure, while everyone around the super-hero—say, in a crowd scene—may be seven heads, the super-hero is nine heads—making him look about ten feet tall. It gives an added sense of power and drama to comic heroes.

AH: Do all artists in comics draw characters at this height?

SHORES: No, but most of the artists in comic books do, although I’ve seen some work where the people are drawn naturally and normally and they just don’t look like good super-heroes. Kirby is a master at this idea of a powerful stand-off look to chief characters. He won’t make people look all that much taller, but he gives them power in having a tremendous chest, huge over-sized hands and head, thick legs three times the normal thickness—and it comes out beautifully. Well, all Kirby’s work is beautiful.

Jack Kirby hired Syd Shores as an aspiring young artist when comics were just starting in the Golden Age. In 1940, unemployed and just married, Syd was looking around for work after his uncle’s whiskey bottling plant closed its doors. He’d worked seven years with his uncle as a manager of forty men, a blender, the keeper of government records for the firm, having worked his way up from the bottom as a truck driver when he joined the firm in 1933 at the age of 17. At the age of 16 he’d attended the famous Pratt Institute in New York, where he had studied commercial art: The originators of Captain America, of course, were Simon & Kirby. This recent Cap sketch (below left) by Joe Simon—done, ‘twould seem, for someone at a photocopy store—was provided by Jon Mankuta, via Blake Bell, and is used with permission of both. For his part, Jack Kirby returned to Captain America in the ’60s and ’70s; his cover for The Invaders #6 (May 1976) was inked by Joe Sinnott and is repro’d from photocopies of the original art, provided by John Morrow. [C.A. art ©2001 Joe Simon; Captain America & Invaders ©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Captain Marvel TM & © DC Comics.

Roy T Thomas homas’ S Shazamic hazamic Roy Comics Fanzine

5.95

$$

In the the USA USA In

No. 11 November 2001

Plus: Plus:

&

2

DON NEWTON C.C. BECK MARC SWAYZE BOB POWELL JOE CERTA JOHN BELFI FRED MEAGHER FRANK BOLLE FRED GUARDINEER FRANK BRUNNER TRINA ROBBINS JERRY DE FUCCIO BILL SCHELLY JIM AMASH P.C. HAMERLINCK JERRY SIEGEL MICHAEL T. GILBERT & More!

Vol. 3, No. 11 / November 2001

™

Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editors John Morrow Jon B. Cooke

FCA Editor

P.C. Hamerlinck

FCA

Comics Crypt Editor

ME !

Section

Michael T. Gilbert

Editors Emeritus

Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich

Cover Artists Carl Burgos, Fred Bell, & Carl Pfeufer Don Newton

Cover Color

Contents

Tom Ziuko Don Newton

Mailing Crew

Russ Garwood, Glen Musial, Ed Stelli, Pat Varker, Loston Wallace

And Special Thanks to: Bill Alger Valerie Barclay Dennis Beaulieu Blake Bell Bill Black Jerry K. Boyd Gary Brown Michael Bryan Mrs. Olympia Certa Mike Costa Mike & Carole Curtis Rich Dannys Al Dellinges Wayne De Waid Rich Donnelly Tom Fagan Vince Fago Shane Foley Ron Frantz Ken Gale Dave Gantz Robert Hack Bill Harper Richard Harpster Mark & Stephanie Heike Jennifer T. Go

Robert Hack Al Hewetson Chris Irving Barry Keller David Anthony Kraft Harry Kremer Al Lenny Ed Lane Joe Latino Stan Lee Paul Levitz Jon Mankuta Anthony Newton Eric NolenWeathington Ethan Roberts Trina Robbins Howard Siegel Dave Sim Joe Simon Mickey Spillane Maggie Thompson Jim Vadeboncoeur Michael J. Vassallo Jean Walton Hames Ware Jay Willson

In Memoriam: Chuck Cuidera Jerry de Fuccio George Evans Barbara Knutson

Writer/Editorial: FCA & ME 2! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Magazine Enterprises, Part II— More about Vin Sullivan’s Big Little Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Joe Certa, John Belfi, Frank Bolle, Bob Powell, and Fred Meagher Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 It’s a bird—it’s a plane—it’s Super Sam! Michael T. Gilbert on Jerry Siegel at war.

The Don & Maggie Thompson Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Two of the founders of comics fandom, interviewed by Bill Schelly and Jeff Gelb.

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #70. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Marc Swayze, C.C. Beck—and a spotlight on the career and art of Don Newton.

Special Section on the Titans of Timely! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: This is a Captain Marvel painting by Don Newton—or, in truth, only a part of a painting—that Ye Editor bought from the artist circa 1980. When, a few years after Don’s untimely passing, Roy was gearing up anew to write a Shazam! series, DC’s managing editor Dick Giordano hoped to use it as the wraparound cover of its first issue. See the entire painting—albeit, alas, only in black-&-white—on Page 44. The art is used by permission of Don’s son, Anthony Newton.

[Art ©2001 estate of Don Newton; Captain Marvel ©2001 DC Comics.]

Above: Roy admits it: He’s always had a weak spot for Jet Powers, the hero of ME’s short-lived Jet. How could he not love a science-fictional hero drawn by Bob Powell, written by Gardner Fox, and calling himself a “Captain of Science”? This is the splash page of #1. [Art ©2001 the estate of Vin Sullivan.]

Alter EgoTM is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows, 1812 Park Drive, Raleigh, NC 27605, USA. Phone: (919) 833-8092.

Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: Rt. 3, Box 468, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8.00 ($10.00 Canada, $11.00 elsewhere). Eight-issue subscriptions: $40 US, $80 Canada, $88 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada.

FIRST PRINTING.

The Durango Kid

The Decades Part II

3

The Durango Kid on Page and Screen

by Bill Harper [EDITOR’S NOTE: The following piece is reprinted in slightly edited form from FCA #39 (a.k.a. FCA & ME, TOO! #3), and is ©2001 by Bill Harper. —RT.] In 1949 Magazine Enterprises struck a deal through the legal department of Columbia Pictures to publish the exploits of the movie hero The Durango Kid in comic book form. The studio received a 15% commission, of which Charles Starrett, who acted the title role, received 50%.

In an interview with Bill Black of AC Comics, Starrett said, “I enjoyed the books. They were good publicity.” And good business, too.

The “B” western movies came into box office prominence in the mid1940s, and comic book publishers capitalized on cowboy stars’ popularity, allowing fans an opportunity to enjoy the derring-do of their favorites between movies, and also served as a means to introduce comic readers to the movies. Thus, the first issue of The Durango Kid proclaimed “The Movies’ Most Colorful Western Star—Charles Starrett as The Durango Kid.” Charles Starrett rode the range for 17 years (1935-52) for Columbia Pictures, starring in 132 westerns, but it is in the role of the black-clad Durango Kid that he is best remembered. In 1940 the first Durango Kid movie was released, titled simply The Durango Kid. Although Starrett approached the role as he did any other western, the fans and theatre owners clamored for more. Five years later (1945), the dark phantom of the prairies again leaped into the saddle of his white horse Raider, and

rode the thin line between good and bad on the silver screen in The Return of the Durango Kid. Over half the 65 Durango Kid features had been produced before Magazine Enterprises introduced the comic version on the stands with a Sept.Oct. 1949 dateline.

The magazine outlasted the movie career of both Durango and Starrett by three years, ending with issue #41 in 1955.

To quote from AC Comics’ Best of the West #5 The Durango (1999): “Western film star Charles Starrett stands Kid comic did what beside his alter ego—the mysterious Durango Kid—in the movies never this publicity still from Columbia Pictures.” No hard did—gave the trick, since virtually all the Kid’s scenes were played character a by a stunt double, not by Starrett! What Ye Editor consistent a.k.a.— remembers most about Durango Kid movies—besides namely, Steve Brand. the hero’s ever-changing last name—was that, when In the first film he masked, Durango never got knocked down by the was known as Bill bad-guys. Never. Not once, in the dozens of Durango movies Ye Ed saw as a boy. (Nobody ever Lowery; he was later called him “Kid,” either!) With thanks to Bill Black, called Steve the Heikes, & AC Comics. [©2001 the respective “Whatever” for the copyright holder.] remaining releases, his last name changing from movie to movie for no apparent reason. Smiley Burnette, who played the comic sidekick in most of the Durango Kid films (just as he had earlier played Gene Autry’s sidekick Frog Millhouse), was replaced in the comics by the not-dissimilar Muley Pike, since Burnette had his own comic book at Fawcett and thus could not be depicted in an ME mag.

The first illustrators associated with the Durango Kid comics were Joe Certa and John Belfi. The two had teamed together on other projects prior to joining ME. Later issues were drawn by Fred Guardineer.

Belfi recalled that, in the Certa-Belfi team, he did most of the breakdowns. Joe Certa tightened the penciling, and Belfi “took over the completion and delivery to Ray Krank,” ME’s editor. Of course, with the volume of work they produced, the order of production varied on occasion, but according to Belfi that was the usual routine. Joe Certa’s wife disputes that version of things, as will be seen on the next page...

A Fred Guardineer panel of Durango with his comic book sidekick, Muley Pike. Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Ethan Roberts. [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

John Belfi

5

John Belfi Interview Conducted and Transcribed by Jim Amash [NOTE: John Belfi had a long, distinguished career that began in the early days of comic books. Nearly every comics reader over the age of thirty has had some contact with his work; but because it was never signed, his craftsmanship and dedication to comics have gone largely unappreciated. Belfi’s art has graced many a DC reprint comic over the past 3-4 decades, and he worked with some of the most important people in the field. This interview was conducted by mail during the spring of 1992, and was expanded and re-edited in February 2001, with an eye toward covering both John Belfi’s own career and his views on other artists, writers, and editors. —Jim.]

PERSONAL LIFE Married at 19. I had three children, divorced after 30 years, remarried to a wonderful English woman, Valerie, on New Year’s Eve ten years ago [in 1982].

We met in New Jersey. I was in charge of production of several weekly newspapers.

John Belfi at the drawing board, 1981—and the Straight Arrow illo he was doing at the time, both reproduced in FCA #39.

Photo and art courtesy of Jim Amash and Bill Harper. [Straight Arrow ©2001 Nabisco; art ©2001 the estate of John Belfi.]

My work habits: A “hard worker.” In comics, I’d work 16 hours a day, seven days a week, for many years! I loved it— and I made pretty good money—$150 to $300 a week at 16; then, the average person was making $50 a week.

After 20-plus years in comic books, I did several daily/Sunday syndicated strips (4 or 5), then drifted out of comics. I just couldn’t take the hours at the board any longer. I was a member of the National Cartoonists Society for many years—but dropped out—I just didn’t like New York City anymore. I worked nine years for Lederle Laboratories, Pearl River, New Jersey (a division of American Cyanamid) as senior artist. I had no training in graphic art/advertising—but again, learned on the job! I designed thousands of packages, labels, posters, safety drawings, brochures—created exhibits, etc. Then I co-owned several small (then large) ad agencies in NYC, with major accounts: Chase Bank, Revlon, Arrid, Breck Shampoo, etc., etc.

bones! They were all deteriorated (five of them) and were cutting off the circulation to my body. The reason, according to my surgeon: Bending over a drawing board for many years, close-up work, literally wore my bones down to almost nothing. Fortunately, a hard operation, a year-plus recuperation—I can now hold a pencil/pen, etc.

[INTERVIEWER’S NOTE: What follows are John’s written responses to questions as to what he remembered about various of his comic book colleagues over the years.]

One of the earliest comic book artists. He gave me my start about 1936-37! I was about 13 or 14.

He lived about eight blocks from me in the Bronx.

I heard that an “artist” lived in the area—so I knocked on many, many doors and asked, “Is there an artist around here?” Finally, somebody said, “I think so. I see a man with a black portfolio down about 4 or 5 houses.”

Off I went—and met Frank Frollo. He hired me after school hours. I worked for him from about 3:30 to 11:00 p.m. at his home, all day Saturday and Sunday (about 16 hours a day).

As a self-taught artist, I always wanted to teach others. I began teaching about twenty years ago at three colleges, high schools, vo-techs [vocational technical colleges], art schools (Joe Kubert’s for seven years), and still do! (Not at Joe’s.)

I did cleanup work, retouched for a few weeks, then penciled and inked backgrounds and secondary figures for a couple of months. Then started full inking... by the time I was 15. I did dozens and dozens of stories for Frank in those early days. I learned “on the job.” Although Frank never taught me, I learned by doing it and watching him.

My longing desire: To create good books on: cartooning, graphic arts/advertising. The ones I have seen are horrible! [INTERVIEWER’S NOTE: Sadly, John did not live long enough to do those books. He died on October 2, 1995.]

PERSONALLY: I became very sick a little over six years ago. I became more paralyzed day by day.

Both hands and legs. I couldn’t hold a pencil, etc.

After many doctors, tests for over a year, my troubles were found: I had practically no neck

FRANK FROLLO

A panel from “The Blue Lady,” drawn by Frank Frollo for a 1941 Centaur comic.

Courtesy of Jerry G. Bails & Hames Ware. [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

By the time I was 16 he called his publisher (Jerry Iger). I went to New York City—and they gave me a script to do on my own! I don’t even

6

John Belfi

remember what it was. But that’s how I started. I’ve never had any formal art training. I wish I did. It would have been easier!

Jack Cole could pencil a six-page story in a day. He did a lot of his writing as he drew the story. He wrote all his material on the pages with no typed script (just notes).

Martin DeMuth then lettered and I inked. I was 17. Cole smoked four packs of cigarettes a day. He would have a fit if he didn’t have a cigarette in his mouth. Sometimes he’d have one in his mouth and one burning in the ashtray. He also used to hide Paul Gustavson’s cigarettes.

From there on, I was on my own.

I did occasional work for Frollo, because he helped me get started, had patience, and guided me. He was not a great artist... mostly swipes from Raymond, Caniff, etc. I still have two pages of Buck Jones and two pages of “Lucifer” he did before I started with him. They are crude, but so were most comic book artists in those days.

Although a quiet worker, Jack was a great kidder, very funny “offstage”—all the time! Some of the practical jokes he played: Glued ink bottles to cabinet/tabouret, put a whoopie noise-maker under the chair cushions, a dry bottle of India ink turned over on another artist’s work—he created ink blotches on paper, put it on the work on the drawing board so that it looked like someone had spilled ink all over the drawing: I was one of the guys he did this to. He took one of his old brushes, used glue to create a great point, and left it on another artist’s table. When they tried to use it—it was hard as a rock.

MAC RABOY

A very quiet, introverted person; a very easy-going professional. I worked primarily at home when doing “Captain Marvel Jr.” for him.

Mac did the pencils and I was inking.

On one story I did pencils and inks.

I wasn’t very talented at 15, but he was very kind to me, not bellowing that my work was not the greatest. I was learning “on the job.” Mac never taught me, or suggested better ways of doing things... just accepted what I was doing. Watching Mac pencil was a thrill! It would take him a We also went bowling some late whole day to pencil a single figure or A “Nightmare” splash page by Maurice Del Bourgo, from Hillman’s Clue evenings after work. I never met two—and a full second day to ink Comics. Courtesy of Jerry G. Bails. [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

Cole’s wife. He never mentioned his his own figures. He never washed his home life to me. His hobbies were brushes. He kept them rock-hard, bowling and eating. He was tall and fairly heavy. I was proud to be but only used a small portion of the tip for his fine lines. doing work with him and learned a great deal sitting next to him and Mac was extremely slow—we did use a learning by watching. Busy admired all the considerable amount of stats for heads, full artists in his bullpen staff. figures (of all the major characters). Even I greatly admired his full-color sound effects. He was a great artist—and renderings for Playboy. When he very insecure about his work—but very easy committed suicide—I could not believe it. to work with for two years. He shared his This was not the Jack Cole I knew! office with Bernard Baily, Maurice Del Bourgo, and one or two others. I inked quite PAUL GUSTAVSON a few of Baily’s pencils, some of Del Bourgo.

JACK COLE

I inked most of his pencils: “Midnight,” “Human Bomb,” etc.

A fantastic person to work with! Similar to Mac Raboy—very quiet, a great humorous artist. He kept to himself pretty much—spoke to others only when required.

I inked dozens of “Plastic Mans”. He also never guided me—only kept giving me work to do. It seemed like he worked at Busy Arnold’s 16 hours a day. He was a very fast penciler—fairly tight. Less tight if he inked.

If I did the inking—a little tighter. I never liked inking very tight pencils. It left little creative inking to do. If his pencils, or those of other pencilers (Lee Elias, Carmine Infantino, etc.) were tight—I’d erase half of the lines before I did the inking.

LOU FINE, WILL EISNER, ALEX KOTZKY, AND THE SPIRIT Fine was a great artist, one of the finest I’ve ever known. We were great friends for a long time. Lou was a super, friendly person, soft-spoken, never harsh—a little shy, probably because of his limp. Bad leg.

I admired his pencils as well as his inking. My inking his work did injustice to his pencils. But he was a gentleman. He never criticized what I did. He was supergood—super-fast. It took Alex Kotzky and me to keep up with him. Kotzky and I A 1939 “Flame” panel by the fine Lou Fine. Courtesy of Jerry Bails & Hames Ware. [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

Bob Powell

11

Bob Powell Notes On Selected “Magazine Enterprises” Series

by Ed Lane [EDITOR’S NOTE: In 1978-80 fan/publisher Al Dellinges put out two slim books dealing with Bob Powell: The Art of Bob Powell and the majority of Near Mint #18, containing text by Powell enthusiast/researcher Ed Lane. In order to give ME’s most prolific artist something resembling his due in these two issues of A/E, we’re reprinting (but with minor editing) some brief analyses Lane made of several Powell titles for Vin Sullivan’s company. This printed material is ©2001 Al Dellinges... but we’d love to get in contact with Ed Lane with regard to further coverage of Powell. —Roy.] JET POWERS: Jet #1-4 was a short-lived series that related the derring-do of “Jet Powers, Captain of Science.” He wasn’t exactly a costumed superhero, but he certainly was a super-doer: In four issues he saved Earth six times and Mars twice. These comics were science-fiction, but most were not of the Buck Rogers type. Rather, they were set in the “present” with present-day technology. Many of the exaggerations were not all pure fantasy, but rather what one might expect with a slight surrender of one’s credibility.

This photo of Bob Powell was printed in Sick magazine in the 1960s.

Special thanks to Jerry de Fuccio and Al Dellinges.

tunity to go all out with action and backgrounds. A rather pleasant way to take your Inapak Malted Milk Drink.

BOBBY BENSON’S B-BAR-B RIDERS: This comic was a spin-off from the popular western radio show of the same name. Bobby Benson is a “boy” cowboy who owns a huge ranch in the Big Bend area of Texas. The time is the present.

Along with his four constant companions (his “Riders”), he becomes embroiled in many dangerous situations, from cattle rustling to tiger hunts. And everywhere the gorgeous western scenery.

In the best tradition of the Saturday matinee western heroes, Bobby had a “comic” relief sidekick, Windy Wales, who was, in my opinion, one of the most memorable of the species. Windy was a gangly, bowlegged, yarnin’ (windy) galoot. As drawn by Powell, with his fiery red hair and disheveled appearance, he was comic relief just to look at.

This type of “sci-fi,” where the events depicted are within the grasp of a decade or two, deserves a rating of very good. When such stories are illustrated by Powell, they rate a superlative. “Powell-isms” brazenly pull your leg right on the covers of #1 and #4. On #1 Jet’s spaceship has the identification letters “SR-1”; on #4 his spaceship has ID letters “SRP2”; and issue #2 had two similar “Powell-isms” inside. This extremely well-done series would be a must for any science-fiction fan... it is an “absolute must” for any Powell sci-fi collector.

“The Lemonade Kid” was an interesting Powell hero who appeared in each issue from #1-13. He was costumed in a bright yellow and green cowboy outfit and his drink was lemonade. He was sort of a cowboy “Sherlock Holmes” who beat the badhats by mental prowess more than muscle. Because of his status as a “costumed hero,” his stories provided contrast to Bobby’s more “straight” cowboy stories. This was the way he could become involved with bizarre and imaginative criminals. One of his best stories Covers of Jet #2-3 (1951). Much of the latter was reprinted in appeared in #4 and involved a master AMERICAN AIR FORCES: Powell loved criminal who dressed in a striking Black the 1980s by Ray Zone as a 3-D comic—although ME itself planes and could he draw them! This series Widow outfit. Powell did a tremendous had resisted the temptation to turn out 3-D titles in the ’50s. was made to order for him. It is obvious that [©2001 the estate of Vin Sullivan.] cover for this issue, showing the Lemonade he put a lot of care into it. The airplanes and Kid battling the Spider in his web. flying scenes are illustrated with beautifully (Incidentally, this series wasn’t too far along before a detailed craftsmanship. The stories involved the “Powell-ism” gets slipped in: On page 2 of issue #1, there Korean War, which held center stage of the world at is a freight car of the “S.R.P. Line.”) the time. If you like airplanes, flying, or combat adventures, this is your series. It was the continuation of Jet #1 through 4, as proved by AAF #5, which introduced “Army Air Force Ace Jet Powers,” which was none other than Capt. Johnny “Jet” Powers. Powell did every book totally, plus covers, except for six pages in #7 and seven pages in #10, which were done by two unknowns.

RED HAWK: Powell did one “Red Hawk” story in each issue of Straight Arrow from #2-55. In #1 he did a onepage filler. Powell did “Red Hawk” stories in Red Hawk #11 and Bobby Benson #13 and #15. In this long-running series Powell reached one of his peaks. If one considers the series as belonging to the genre of “Indian lore,” Powell has set the highest standards for any other artist who wishes to do this genre.

MAJOR INAPACK, THE SPACE ACE: A 16-page giveaway comic, all Powell, that involves a flight to the moon to save Earth from invaders from another world.

This comic is one of Powell’s better sci-fi stories; it’s fastpaced, with lots of action on the moon, and chock full of great space vistas. The 16 pages gave Powell an opporThe American Air Forces #6 (1951). [©2001 the estate of Vin Sullivan.]

Red Hawk was a young Cheyenne warrior. The stories were well written, usually exciting and imaginative. They were set in the West prior to the invasion of the white man, and usually pitted Indian against

Straight Arrow

13

A Short History of

Straight Arrow

by Bill Harper [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: The following overview of Straight Arrow—from radio program and cereal premium to comic book and comic strip—was printed in Pow-wow, Vol. 7, #27 (Fall 1992), and is ©2001 Bill Harper and Pow-wow. It has been slightly edited here.]

When Straight Arrow aired to millions nationwide over the Mutual Broadcasting System, starting February 7, 1949, three times weekly, Monday 8-8:30 PM, Tuesday and Thursdays 5-5:30 PM, this wellorchestrated and finely tuned production had been in preparation for over a year.

During late 1947 or early 1948 Sheldon Stark was engaged to script a radio show audition for McCann-Erickson Advertising Agency of New York, portraying an Indian as the hero. A storyboard was given Stark to develop into an action-packed 30-minute western. Stark, a native New Yorker who had previously worked at WXYZ Detroit [radio station] from 1932-1942 scripting The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, Challenge of the Yukon, among others, submitted the completed script January 5, 1948.

The finished product was produced in New York and presented to McCann-Erickson’s client, National Biscuit Company (Nabisco), for approval. Nabisco was looking for a vehicle to sell its Shredded Wheat, considered to be an “adult” cereal, to youngsters. The Straight Arrow concept was accepted by Nabisco, which subsequently became both sponsor and owner of the property.

McCann-Erickson - Los Angeles was given the responsibility of auditioning persons to fill the roles. Howard Culver, a familiar West

Coast voice, was selected to play the dual role of Straight Arrow/Steve Adams.

Veteran actor Fred Howard (Wright) was chosen to be Packy McCloud, hired hand at Adams’ Broken Bow Ranch, sidekick to both Steve Adams and Straight Arrow and the only person knowing In 1986 the Harpers launched Pow-wow, a quarterly that Steve Adams was illustrated newsletter dedicated to Straight Arrow in all born Comanche incarnations and all media; it was published through Indian: The legendary 1993. Complete compilations of Pow-wow, which Straight Arrow. Gwen include photos of the radio cast and comics personnel, Delano, another information on the many Nabisco Shredded Wheat seasoned performer, premiums, a radio script, cassettes of the radio show, won the role of and a nigh-complete run of the Straight Arrow daily Mesquite Molly, newspaper strip by Gardner Fox, Joe Certa, and John housekeeper of the Belfi, are available from Bill at 301 E. Buena Vista Av., Broken Bow Ranch.

North August, SC 29841. A stamped, self-addressed envelope will get you a flyer on how to receive these Frank Bingman goodies... or contact Bill via e-mail at rounded out the <whh_mht@bellsouth.net>. The logo photo is of sustaining cast as Howard Culver, who played Straight Arrow on the radio, narrator and and in the June 1951 Portland, Oregon, Rose Parade—of announcer, while which a video is also available from Bill Harper!

Milton Charles, [Straight Arrow ©2001 Nabisco.] organist, was responsible for the music.

McCann-Erickson and Nabisco gave the show a trial run over the Don Lee Network, a Mutual affiliate on the West Coast. The first show aired May 6, 1948, and continued weekly, Tuesday 8-8:30 PM, until January 21, 1949. Produced in the studios of KHJ Hollywood under the supervision of McCann-Erickson’s J. Neil Reagan (Ronald Reagan’s brother), the first show featured a spectacular “premium” offer—“the son of the mighty horse rode [sic] by Straight Arrow.” The horse plus tack or $1000 would go to the person submitting, with a Nabisco Shredded Wheat boxtop, the name selected for Straight Arrow’s golden palomino. In the meantime, Straight Arrow rode from the secret cave for three months on a horse without a name! From 50,000 names, “Fury” was selected. The winner, according to Sponsor magazine (Dec. 9, 1949), turned down the horse and took the money instead. All the contestants received a two-red-feathered Straight Arrow headband for their efforts.

From Sheldon Stark’s fertile imagination came the story of Steve Adams, rancher, born Comanche Indian, orphaned and then reared on the Broken Bow. Later, while rescuing Packy, Steve was lured into the “secret cave” in Sundown Valley by a golden palomino and his identity as Straight Arrow, “the legendary figure spoken of around the council fires of the Comanches,” was revealed. However, this idealistic origin story, developed over a period of time, was never aired in its entirety. When the radio show premiered, the character of Straight Arrow was “full-blown.”

In the first show the dual role of Steve Adams/Straight Arrow was established and, much to Steve’s chagrin, alluded to by Packy even before the first trip to Sundown Valley was broadcast. Stark would later prepare the origin story for Nabisco, and it was edited and printed on the inside front

A panel from the 5-17-51 Straight Arrow daily drawn by Certa and Belfi.

Courtesy of Ethan Roberts. [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

14

Straight Arrow

cover of the Injunuity manual premium offered in 1951.

was a coupon soliciting readers’ interest in a daily newspaper strip featuring Straight During the 39 Arrow. This Bell performances of the Syndicate strip was show on the West written by Gardner Coast, McCannFox under the Erickson’s office in aliases “Russ New York was Gardner” and “Ray preparing a Gardner, and was premium and drawn by the Joe merchandising Certa and John Let’s get acquainted—Comanche style! The first Straight Arrow strip by Joe Certa and John Belfi. [©2001 Nabisco.] operation. Perhaps Belfi team that was the most successful, freelancing ME’s popular, and far-reaching promotional items were the Injun-uity cards The Durango Kid comic book. The strip lasted little more than a year separated the Shredded Wheat biscuits. from July 1950 through August 4, 1951—appearing in 200 papers— before problems between the artists and the Bell Syndicate caused its These, three cardboard dividers per box, were printed guides to cancellation. outdoor crafts in the Indian way. The first set of 36 cards were issued in

1949 with illustrations and information credited to Fred L. Meagher, “Indian illustrator and authority.” There were three more “books” of 36 cards; Book 2 was issued in 1950, Book 3 in 1951, and Book 4, 1952.

Also, Nabisco offered eleven Straight Arrow premium items, including the two-red-feathered headband already mentioned, an Indian war drum, golden tie clasp, bandanna and slide, face ring, mystical wrist kit, patch, golden nugget cave ring, Rite-a-Lite arrowhead, Injun-uity manual, and the Injun-uity wall chart (available to Boy Scouts only!).

Advertisers Service Division, Inc., secured rights to produce Straight Arrow merchandise items. John Walworth, who would eventually design many of the premiums, was responsible for the creation of a catalogue worth of Straight Arrow items.

Selchow and Righter introduced a Straight Arrow board game in 1950, keeping it in Selchow and Righter’s catalogue until 1956.

Two other toys—bow and arrow target game and magnetic target game—were offered by Novel Novelties, Inc., in 1950.

Meanwhile, the radio creative team made Straight Arrow number one among children’s multi-weekly programs, as well as making it the first children’s show to break into the top ten of all multi-weekly programming.

The three-time weekly offering ended February 2, 1950, when a twice-weekly schedule began February 7, 1950, Tuesdays and Thursdays 5-5:30 PM, until cancellation June 21, 1951. The only exceptions were Mondays from June 20, 1949, until September 12, 1949, when Nabisco pulled its sponsorship due to the poor response of its second self-liquidating premium offer, the golden tie clasp. Mutual sustained the program for the 13 shows. Also, there were no programs from June 22, 1950, until Sept.

12, 1950, followed by repeats September 1219, 1950. Sheldon Stark, who secured the copyright to the scripts, wrote all 292 episodes.

The premier nationwide show offered the first of the premiums: The same two-redfeathered headband previously offered to contestants. It was free with one boxtop from Nabisco Shredded Wheat, but this time over 500,000 were requested!

In early 1950 Magazine Enterprises (ME) published Straight Arrow comics in a fourcolor format. “See your favorite character!!!!” was printed across the top of the first issue, dated February-March 1950. A promotional flyer boasted the first issue a sellout, as well as the 600,000 copies of the second issue. By the third issue the book was elevated from bimonthly to monthly status.

Vincent Sullivan, former editor of National Periodical Publications’ Action Comics, which heralded the modern comics with the debut of “Superman” in 1938, was ME’s publisher. Editor for the Straight Arrow magazine was Raymond C. Krank, and the elusive Fred L. Meagher, illustrator of many of the Straight Arrow promotional items, was the artist credited with every issue. Rounding out the team was Gardner F. Fox, who wrote most if not all of the “Straight Arrow” stories. The book survived the radio show by five years, ending with issue #55, dated March 1956.

In issue #3 of the Straight Arrow comic

MUSIC: STRAIGHT ARROW THEME...

RESOLVE TO SHARP STING ANNCR: Keen eyes fixed on a flying target...

MUSIC: STING—UNDER ANNCR: A gleaming arrow set against a rawhide string...

MUSIC: A strong bow bent almost to the breaking point, and then...

SOUND: WHIP THROUGH THE AIR MUSIC: PICK UP FLIGHT—TREMOLO

Doubtless the most popular Straight Arrow premium were the “Injun-uities,” of which this was Card No. 8.

More are available from Bill Harper. [©2001 Nabisco.]

SOUND: ARROW HITS—SHARP SOUND

Fred Meagher

17

In Search of the “Enigmatic”

Fred L. Meagher

by Bill Harper and Jean Walton A 15-year search for comic artist Fred L. Meagher, who was responsible for the illustrative chores on Magazine Enterprises’ Straight Arrow comic, was one of constant dead ends.

It did, however, lead to the publishing of the Pow-wow newsletter, which was dedicated to the Straight Arrow promotion of the late ’40s and early ’50s. Pow-wow, which was published for eight years, is the definitive source for information regarding Straight Arrow.

It seems that Fred L. Meagher was not really so enigmatic, after all.

This was just one egocentrism in a colorful career that began in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, on April 11, 1912. Born the eldest son of Charles and Emma Meagher, Frederick Lawrence Meagher—or Ted, as he was called—began to show a flair for art at the early age of four. His first professional piece was sold to his father at age eight, when he painted a bull on the side of his dad’s truck. His brothers tell of a mural that was a painting in the family home as well. During his school years, he entertained his classmates with blackboard illustrating and, at the age of 16, he enrolled in the International Correspondence Schools in art.

Continuing with ICS until 1935, Meagher was honored by them as “an outstanding alumnus of the ICS commercial art course” in an article published in Bootstraps, ICS’s newsletter, in the late ’50s.

We just had been looking in wrong places and with the wrong pronunciation of his last name!

Fred L. Meagher, in a photo courtesy of Richard Harpster, who interviewed the artist in 1969 and 1971... and the cover of ME’s Straight Arrow #1 (Feb.-March 1950), reproduced from a slightly discolored photostat of the original art, courtesy of Bill Harper. [Straight Arrow ©2001 Nabisco.]

In 1932 Ted entered Alfred University, the oldest co-educational college in New York and, at the time, considered the foremost college in commercial ceramics. In 1936, examples of his work appeared in two shortlived pulps: A cover for Dan Dunn Detective Magazine, Vol. 1, #2 (Nov. 1936), the cover of Tailspin Tommy Air Adventures, Vol. 1, #1 (Oct. 1936), and the cover and interior for Tailspin Tommy, Vol. 1, #2, all from Hershey Publications.

However, Richard Harpster, a reporter who interviewed Meagher in 1969 and again in 1971, wrote in a July 23, 1971, article in the Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Free Press of Meagher’s joining the staff of the Philadelphia Inquirer as an illustrator and political cartoonist prior to 1936. In the Harpster article, Meagher told of learning “life lessons” when his political cartoons cost him his job. From Philadelphia, Meagher told Harpster, he joined the New York Sun Herald as a political cartoonist. The artist related that he found a note under his door, after his satirizing of local mobsters, threatening, “Your next cartoon will be your last.” The newspaper gave him a different assignment, and Meagher told Harpster, “But I got the message and gave up political cartooning.”

Throughout Meagher’s life he always insisted on the Celtic version, which sounds like “Marr.” His brothers accepted either pronunciation; but, according to family members, Fred Meagher always articulated his last name as “Marr” in preference to “Mee-ger.”

Meagher related to Harpster that he was one of the 300-plus artists involved in the creation of Walt Disney’s first full-length animated movie classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and later Fantasia.

However, it was in the book illustrations for writer Assen Jordanoff that the familiar Meagher style was developed. Of the seven books on aviation by Jordanoff, it is certain that Meagher was an illustrator on Wings (1935), Through the Overcast (1938), and Safety in Flight (1941), all published by Funk & Wagnalls Company.

[Superman, Perry!White, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen TM & Š 2001 DC Comics.]

21

22

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

Editorial

by Michael T. Gilbert Welcome to the last leg of our three-issue “Comic Crypt” Superman marathon.

The first two dealt with legendary “Superman” artist Wayne Boring. As you can see on our intro page, we found one final Boring item—a onepager that appeared in the June 1971 issue of the late, lamented National Lampoon magazine. The gag seems tame for the take-no-prisoners Lampoon, but it made me chuckle.

While surfing eBay a few months back, I noticed a unique Supermanrelated item that the owner, Michael Bryan, had for sale. As it turned out, Michael’s father, cartoonist Ben Bryan, had served in the military with Jerry Siegel back in 1943. Together they created a new strip for one of the armed forces magazines (probably Yank). The premise was cute, indeed: Sam Stupe, a goldbricking G.I., falls off a cliff. Superman, flying overhead, spots the luckless soldier as he lies dying. “Doggone it! This is one time Superman was too late!”

Ah, but all is not lost! Superman gives the lad a super blood transfusion.

Naturally, with all those Kryptonian corpuscles coursing through his veins, Sam Stupe becomes a super-soldier himself. And so Super Sam was born!

I must confess, it’s strange to see a strip from the early ’40s featuring Superman with “Jerry Siegel and Ben Bryan” on the masthead, rather than the familiar “Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.” But “Super Sam” was one strange strip! In all likelihood, this first origin strip was the only one actually featuring Superman, but I’m just guessing, as this is the only episode that’s turned up so far. Many thanks to Michael Bryan for allowing us to run this strip and the vintage photo of his dad with Jerry Siegel.

And, we’ve got two other extremely rare Superman items to share with you.

One is a piece entitled “Superman in Radio,” from a 1942 issue of Radio and Television Mirror, sent in by A/E fan Robert Hack. But first— Last issue I mentioned a longforgotten Superman spin-off from the early ’40s. Though it was written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, it wasn’t published by DC. Forget Superboy and Superdog. We’ve got Super Sam, the dogface of steel! No, really!

Wartime photo of Ben Bryan (l.) and Jerry Siegel.

IS BACK! Mr. Monster TM & © Michael T. Gilbert.

Now shipping is MR. MONSTER: HIS BOOKS OF FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE, VOLUME ZERO! Gathered within this Trade Paperback are twelve twisted tales of Forbidden Knowledge––collecting all the the hard-to-find MR. MONSTER stories from A-1, CRACK-A-BOOM! and DARK HORSE PRESENTS in mysterious black-&-white!

PLUS: VOLUME ZERO also includes over 30 PAGES OF ALL-NEW MR. MONSTER ART AND STORIES! See the long-lost 1933 MR. MONSTER NEWSPAPER STRIP! Experience the Forbidden Knowledge of our extra-special 8-PAGE FULL-COLOR INSERT, featuring a terrifying Trencher/Mr. Monster slug-fest, drawn by KEITH GIFFEN AND MICHAEL T. GILBERT! Can you stand the horror as titans (and art styles!) clash!? READ IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

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TwoMorrows. Bringing New Life To Comics Fandom.

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24

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

Next, from the February 1942 issue of Radio and Television Mirror (later Radio and TV Mirror), an anonymous article which seems to be an overview of a Superman radio sequence. It’s a bit of a curiosity—and now, without further ado:

SUPERMAN in Radio [Art and text ©2001 DC Comics.]

Darkness had fallen in Metropolis’ Chinatown. The narrow, winding streets were empty save for a few wraith-like figures, standing in shadowed doorways. Here and there a dim light burned in a store window piled high with bits of milky jade, lacquered boxes, and all manner of strange curios from a land beyond the seas. The silence was broken only by the purr of a motor car moving slowly through the streets. Then, as its occupants noticed, under the dim street lamp, the number 44, it drew up to a stop.

The two men stepped out. The older one turned to his companion: “Well, Kent, here we are. Chee Wan owns this jewelry store and lives just above it. Comes on, let’s go up.”

The odd pair climbed the curving, ill-lighted stairs. They reached the top and knocked on the massive oak door. A stooped, aristocratic elderly Chinese answered in perfect English: “Greetings, Mr. White. It is an honor to welcome the distinguished editor of the Daily Planet. The trip will be worth it, I assure you.”

The Doctor’s words were slow and measured:

And now Wan, terrified that Huffman would kill him and steal the jade, wanted Perry White to take them for safekeeping.

White, trying desperately to ease the worry that seemed to weigh so heavily on the old man, insisted that nothing would happen to him.

Laughingly he urged him to keep the Dragon’s Teeth until the next morning. By that time he could get an expert from the National Museum to come in and look at them. Quietly, Dr. Wan acquiesced.

But, no sooner had the two newspapermen returned to their office than Kent turned to his superior: “Mr. White, I’ve got a funny hunch about that Wan case. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go back and sort of keep an eye on the old man.”

The editor nodded his agreement and Kent, waiting for no more, ran out of the building. Once alone, he dropped the guise of the gentle reporter and became—Superman, Champion of the Weak and Oppressed! Quickly he leaped high into the air and then, red cloak streaming in the night wind, he sped through the darkness. In an incredibly short time he was back at the building he had left so brief a while before. But too late! Someone had been there before him. Climbing lithely through the window, Superman saw the form of Dr. Wan lying on the floor, inert in a pool of blood. The gentle, learned Chinese had been beaten to death! Only too obvious was the motive—the black Clark Kent and the editor listened attentively to the Chinese Doctor's velvet box that had once held the precious pieces of jade was lying, words: "Before the next sun rises—I will be dead!" he said. empty, near the body of its owner.

“Before the next sun rises—I will be dead. Don’t question that statement. If you will bear with me, I shall try to tell you why I have asked your help. In 1930, while traveling through Western China, I discovered in an ancient temple in the Province of Shenshing, a goatskin manuscript composed by an unknown scholar 3000 years ago.

“The characters were faded almost beyond legibility, but by dint of patient effort I was able to decipher them.”

representing a rare herb found only in the mountains of western China.

These herbs—all ten of them—when combined and ground into a powder were said to make the human body free of disease. Dr. Wan had located nine of the jade pieces, but the tenth and last was owned by a man, once his assistant, Hans Huffman, a dealer in jewels, a man who, knowing the value of the jade, would stop at nothing to get his hands on the other nine pieces.

Wasting no time, Superman leaped to the windowsill and out! In a flash he had reached the office of Hans Huffman. But the jewel dealer was gone! Questioning the employees in the building and piecing together the fragments of the stories he heard, Superman learned that Huffman had left, burdened with traveling bags, for San Francisco.

Huffman must be the murderer! With the ten Dragon’s Teeth, he must be on his way to China!

Back to the office of the Daily Planet Superman sped. He had been right. Huffman, he learned, had boarded a coast-to-coast transport plane less than an hour before!

Acting hastily, he persuaded the editor to send him and Lois Lane, star girl reporter, on the next plane out. Huffman must be stopped before he could get a China-bound boat!

Excitedly, Perry White broke in: “Go on—what did it say?”

“You may not believe me—but there, written on a square of goatskin 3000 years old...”

In hushed, almost reverent tones, Dr. Wan continued with his story. He told how the manuscript described ten pieces of clear jade known as the Dragon’s Teeth—each of them engraved with a different symbol

But Superman had miscalculated With the threat of an ugly, snout-nosed revolver, Huffman brutally forced Lois, girl reporter, to go to San Francisco with him.

Comic Fandom Archive

26

The Don and Maggie Thompson Interview

by Bill Schelly & Jeff Gelb Transcribed by Brian K. Morris All Photos Courtesy of Maggie Thompson Last issue we took a close look at the memorable seven-issue run of Don and Maggie Thompson’s seminal fanzine Comic Art from 1961-68.

This time, they tell their story in their own words, in an interview conducted in 1992. Here’s how it came about: After my initial period of involvement in comic fandom (when I published a fanzine called Sense of Wonder), I had dropped out of all fannish activities until 1991. When I returned, I found I had a keen interest in chronicling the history of our hobby, and began the research that led to The Golden Age of Comic Fandom and other books.

MAGGIE THOMPSON: The earliest thing I can remember was an issue of Tom and Jerry—also some early issues of Raggedy Ann. When I was five years old, I got rheumatic fever and I wasn’t permitted to get out of bed for about six months. Just to keep me shut up, my mother would buy me comic books and read them to me. I learned to read through comic books, through that process.

DON: It teaches you a little bit of taste, too, when you’ve got to live with the same comic book for a week.

MAGGIE: I came back one day with a comic book that my mother enjoyed reading to me for entire week. She was delighted by its variety and wit. That was a Pogo comic. She wrote a fan letter to Dell and was put in touch with Walt Kelly. This was before he had started Pogo in The Star. A friendship began with Kelly from my family’s correspondence with him. This was when I was still a kid and so we had the Curtis— which is my maiden name—the Curtis Family Kelly collection.

And every time a Walt Kelly comic book would come out, it would go into that collection. No plastic bags—we just read ’em until they fell apart.

My first major comics convention was the 1992 San Diego Comicon, at which Jeff Gelb and I had a chance to interview the Thompsons as part of a series for Comics Buyer’s Guide (which they edited together) to be called “Fandom’s Founders.” At first, we wondered if the interview would DON: However, your mother ever happen, as they were so did buy multiple copies because much in demand at the Krause she discovered that they did fall Publications booth. Finally we apart.

San Diego, 1992 (l. to r.): Bill Schelly, Maggie, Don, and Jeff Gelb. managed to shepherd them to a Photo courtesy of Bill Schelly. table in the relative quiet of the MAGGIE: Oh, yes. Because by upstairs refreshment area for our that time there were two kids, so there was to be one for each. My folks tape-recorded talk, and a quick photo-opportunity afterward. visited Walt Kelly a couple of times. My mother was going to script a science-fiction strip for him. They even went up to visit in Darien, Parts of the interview appeared in CBG around the time of Don’s Connecticut, before plans for that strip fell through. But as a result, we untimely death in 1994, but I’ve always felt it should see print in a more were more tied in than many people with the world of comics, so we got nearly complete form. Thus I’m happy to do so in honor of the fortieth to see it from that point of view. When Don and I met in 1957, one of anniversary of Comic Art—though it covers everything from how Don the big topics of our conversation was comic books, because so few and Maggie met through their ascension to the editorship of CBG. people at that point knew anything about them.

—Bill Schelly.

BILL SCHELLY: What are your earliest memories of reading comics?

BILL: Were both of you actually collecting them at this point?

DON THOMPSON: I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading comics or having them read to me by my older brothers and sisters. I’d watch as they read them and discovered one day that I could read them for myself.

MAGGIE: Yes.

BILL: Were these comic strips or books?

DON: Books, comic books. I’ve had some surprises—like, I will come across an issue of Captain Marvel, Jr. #1 and realize that I read it when I was very young. But mostly what my brothers and sisters read me was Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, similar titles, and that is when I discovered I could read.

DON: I had been collecting ECs, although I wasn’t consciously thinking of collecting them. I just hung onto them because I knew I wanted to re-read them. The same was true of the Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck comics. That was basically all I had. At various times, I had accumulated large numbers of other comic books, and like everyone else, something happened to them. They got discarded.

BILL: Did you ever see or contribute to any of the EC fanzines?

DON: I saw a couple of them but I never contributed. I did have letters

Don And Maggie Thompson published in a couple of EC comics. I had one in Panic and one in, I think it was Tales from the Crypt.

JEFF GELB: How did you two meet?

DON: We met at a science-fiction picnic at the home of Basil Wells in Pennsylvania. He was a pulp magazine writer and there were people like Andre Norton, Edmond Hamilton, P. Schuyler Miller, Leigh Brackett— a whole bunch of people. I discovered, somewhat to my surprise, that one of these people was Betsy Curtis, who had written some very good stories in the magazines. And there was this annoying little 14-year old kid named Maggie running around. [laugher] MAGGIE: Yeah, right.

JEFF: What year was this?

MAGGIE: 1957, June 8th.

DON: That’s one of the two anniversaries we celebrate, the other being, of course, our wedding anniversary, June 23rd. They’re five years apart, so this year was 35 years since we met, 30 years since we were married.

their Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel costumes. We won Best Group because of my mother’s costuming. We went as the Five Fannish Senses.

My father was Sense of Science, wearing his doctor’s gown. My mother was Extra Sense, wearing the clothes she had and looking like a fortune teller. My sister was Sense of Humor. She had a third leg and little jokes written all over her. I was Sense of Wonder with bright red hair and looking startling.

BILL: You were the original Sense of Wonder!?

DON: I was covered with shiny little bottle caps that sort of looked like coins because I was the 35 to 50 “Cents” the science-fiction magazines cost. [laughs] Getting back to that conversation we had with Hal and Will, we said there ought to be a fanzine about comics. Science-fiction fans were interested in an awful lot of topics. They’d at least mention some comic strip whether it had science-fictional content or not. But there had never been, per se, a comics fanzine.

MAGGIE: There was no comics fandom the way there was a sciencefiction fandom, and we said, “Wouldn’t that be neat? We don’t know anything about the comics that we love.”

DON: What we were going to do was a science-fiction fanzine about comics.

Right after the convention, we sent out this little one-sheet, both sides, called Harbinger… which was a request for material for a fanzine about comics, which became Comic Art.

BILL: Your mutual interest at that point was mainly science-fiction?

MAGGIE: Comics, musicals—I mean, when you have as many things in common as we had, coming from very different backgrounds, we just talked for a day.

BILL: When was Comic Art #1 published?

DON: Then, maybe a month later, I happened to see a copy of Humbug #1 on the stands. On a whim I bought two copies and sent one to her because we’d talked about Kurtzman. A correspondence grew out of that. I visited her a few times. We lived about 30 or 40 miles apart, which is a lot further than it is nowadays.

MAGGIE: When you’re hitchhiking, which you were. It just kind of grew out of that.

BILL: Did you do any fanzine work separately before you published one as a team?

27

DON: March. I’m certain it was in March, or maybe April.

MAGGIE: Spring.

DON: Jerry [Bails] didn’t get his copy until April, so he figures Alter-Ego #1 had come out ahead of us.

Dick and Pat Lupoff appeared as Captain and Mary Marvel at the masquerade of the World Science Fiction Convention in Pittsburgh over Labor Day weekend, 1960, at which they also handed out copies of Xero #1, with the first installment of “And All in Color for a Dime.” This photo is more rarely seen than the one that originally appeared in Alter Ego, Vol. 1, #5, in 1963.

DON: I had worked on one when I was at Penn State called Ballast, which was the Science Fiction Club publication.

MAGGIE: My mother and father did a fanzine called Cricket which actually had comics content and was named for a Walt Kelly story in which they’re talking about how you show that you were refined was that you played cricket. That was the end of the 1940s. But it wasn’t just devoted to just comics.

BILL: What was your earliest fanzine you did together?

JEFF: You guys think that Comic Art might have pre-dated Alter Ego? DON: It might have. Harbinger definitely did, by months.

BILL: How did you know how to do a comics fanzine when there was no such animal in the past?

DON: We didn’t have any limits on it. We just said anything about comics… and this meant comic strips and comic books.

MAGGIE: By the time of the first issue, we were friends with Dick and Pat Lupoff. After the Pittsburgh convention, Bill Thailing (I think) gave us a copy of Xero #1, and we started corresponding with the Lupoffs.

They connected us up with other sf fans who were also into comic books. So we sort of grew into that science-fiction thread. Then Jerry and Roy also had Alter Ego, so as soon as we found out about each other, we started crossing those threads. Their focus was the super-hero.

DON: That was Harbinger. We got together at the banquet at the Pittsburgh Science Fiction Convention in 1960 over Labor Day weekend, and we talked with Hal Lynch and Will F. Jenkins. We hadn’t seen Xero. Its first issue was being handed out, free, at that convention and we didn’t even know about it.

MAGGIE: We didn’t care. It was anything on comics as far as we were concerned, from animated cartoons to magazine filler cartoons and everything in between.

MAGGIE: We were at the masquerade when Dick and Pat Lupoff wore

DON: We had no problem with doing an issue that had, for example, a

DON: We never had that limit.

No. 70

DON NEWTON • Pencils/1972 P.C. HAMERLINCK • Inks/2001

In this issue-

©2001 DC Comics

DON NEWTON Plus—

MARC SWAYZE • C.C. BECK’S FATMAN • FAWCETT-TO-GO

34

We Didn’t Know...

Was I looking down my nose at the romances?

Maybe so. Or was it just that I couldn’t figure them out? Who was expected to read them, anyway? Comic books were for boys. Romances were for girls. Little girls didn’t mow lawns and deliver papers... they didn’t have any money. If they did, they wouldn’t spend it for comic books.

So went the mind of a comic book artist in 1948 who, having absolutely no knowledge of romance comics... nor of little girls... shouldn’t have had an opinion about them.

By

[Art & logo ©2001 Marc Swayze; Captain Marvel ©2001 DC Comics]

And I may as well tell you: Back at the age when one mulls over a future career... whether it be the major leagues, professional rodeo, big band

[FCA EDITOR’S NOTE: From 1941 to 1953, Marcus D. Swayze was a top artist for Fawcett Comics. He was the first artist to bring life to Mary Marvel and drew her earliest tales; but his primary task was to illustrate “Captain Marvel” stories and covers. He was also a writer of many “Captain Marvel” scripts, which he continued to produce while in the military. After World War II he made an arrangement with Fawcett to work for them on a freelance basis out of his Louisiana home, where he created both art and often story for “The Phantom Eagle” for Wow Comics, as well as artwork for Fawcett’s romance comics (in addition to drawing the Flyin’ Jenny newspaper comic strip for the Bell Syndicate). Marc’s ongoing professional memoirs have been FCA’s most popular feature since his first column appeared in issue #54 in 1996. Last issue, Marc went further into his memories of producing “The Phantom Eagle” for Fawcett.

This time he discusses the advent of his prolific output of artwork for Fawcett’s romance comics. —P.C. Hamerlinck.]

It was puzzling. Why, with comic books like Wow being snuffed out, would a publisher want to stick with romance comics? The bottom of the barrel, or so they were sized up in some corners. It was as if the voice of the masterminds had spoken: “So everything else has gone stale—let’s try the love stuff!”

Marc Swayze was no stranger to drawing pretty girls... or fashion... or action, as amply demonstrated by this page from Mary Marvel’s debut in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (Dec. 1942). [©2001 DC Comics.]

music... and, hey, the Presidency... back then the great old adventure illustrators were moving on, and in their places the Whitcombs, Whitmores, et al., began to decorate the pages of the big, slick magazines. Romance stories... love stuff... remember? A good artist could enjoy a long, comfortable career doing nothing but girl heads.

I came along in that atmosphere. Consequently I drew girl heads.

Also bodies.

“My first story was ‘Fortune Hunter,’ and the title panel called for no less than eight girls!” [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

That may have accomplished as much as anything else toward a preparation for the comic book romances. Maybe more. Because there’d be women, lots of women. Love stories, as far as I could imagine, were for, by, and about women.

Don Newton & Captain Marvel

37

Don Newton Captain Marvel A Match Made at the Rock of Eternity

by Barry Keller (with Jay Willson)

This photo appeared in Texas Magazine in the Sunday, Aug. 12, 1973, edition of the Houston Chronicle, accompanying an article titled “They’re Kooky for Comic Books and Film Freaks” by Blair Pittman—in which Don Newton (the adult in the Captain Marvel costume) is mistakenly referred to as a “California artist.” Don disqualified himself from costume competition because he had won in ’71. Behind Don, wearing a shirt with a Shazam lightning bolt, is the late G.B. Love, publisher of the Rocket’s Blast/ComiCollector.

[Photo ©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

Artist Don Newton spent much of his life pursuing a love of anything relating to Captain Marvel. This article explores Don’s passion for Captain Marvel and the many contributions that he made to the character over the years, including rare and previously unpublished work from the artist who was taken from us far too soon. We’ll also see how this passion for The World’s Mightiest Mortal transformed the dreams of a small boy into reality.

Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck the Mesa Tribune and pulled a number of other stints as a cartoonist for other newspapers.

He also did commissions for paintings during this time, one of which was a series of six religious paintings for the Hattie Klienbrook Memorial Collection, also in Mesa.

These paintings were turned into a set of beautiful Christmas cards.

Besides being a grade school art teacher in Phoenix, Don also worked part-time as a student art reviewer for the mail-order “Master Artist’s Painting Course.” He was successful, but something was missing; he could not shake his interest in comics.

Don eventually discovered comic book fandom, while searching for a source to purchase old comics. A friend gave him a copy of the Rocket’s Blast/ComiCollector (RBCC).

Don sent the publisher, Gordon (G.B.) Love, a sample of his work entitled “The Great Comic in the Sky,” which eventually saw print as Don’s beautiful rendering of Captain Marvel and the Shazam the back cover of Golden Age #3, Growing up in Mesa, Arizona, in the 1940s, gods and heroes first appeared as the centerspread in RBCC another fanzine Love published #64 in 1969; it was later reprinted in The Fandom Annual #2 Don Newton began drawing when he was a under the auspices of the SFCA and FCA #57. [Art ©2001 estate of Don Newton; Captain young boy—with the comic books he collected (Science Fiction and Comics Marvel ©2001 DC Comics.]

(Captain Marvel Adventures, Whiz Comics, Association). This piece featured Batman, Daredevil, Planet, All-Star Comics, 1940s comic book characters and others) as a major influence on his artwork. His favorite characters Skyman, Airboy, Bulletman, Target, Spy Smasher, Cat Man, Black were Batman, Daredevil, and, most of all, Captain Marvel. Don Terror, and the original Daredevil listening to Captain Marvel tell a tale devoured anything that involved the Big Red Cheese, including from his glorious past. Excited about seeing his artwork in print and Republic’s Captain Marvel serial, which he watched at the local movie having found an outlet for work through which he could express his theatre. rekindled love of comics, Don was hooked on comics fandom. Comics fandom also became hooked on the artwork of Don Newton, and would As a child, Don was a serious collector of comics; but when he enjoy a mountain of artwork from him in the years to come. reached his high school years, he had already dumped his comic book

I. The Early Years

collection in the garbage can (gulp!), even though he had nearly complete runs of both Captain Marvel and Whiz. A growing attraction to the opposite sex, as well as to weight-lifting and potential competition in that arena, had reduced his available time for comics to practically nothing, and he felt it was time to explore other interests. Don thought he was done with comics.

By the mid-’60s Don Newton was a successful artist and teacher of art. He drew a small cartoon feature entitled Sport Star of the Week for

II. The SFCA Years During this period he became an artistic staple of all the SFCA publications. He produced nearly two dozen covers for the RBCC, and between 1968 and 1973 it was difficult to find an SFCA publication that did not feature something by Don Newton. He did not limit himself exclusively to the SFCA; he worked for most of the major fanzines during these years. Through all of this fan work, Don’s favorite subject

38 continued to be Captain Marvel.

One Newton RBCC cover of note was that of issue #91 in 1972. It was an interesting half-painting/half-pen-and-ink illustration of C.C. Beck and his creations. Don also did Captain Marvel illustrations for the SFCA Classic Reproductions, Fulcrum, Nebulous, The Newton Portfolio, Paragon, Paragon Golden-Age Greats, RBCC, Styx, The Collector, and The Golden Age. G.B. Love remembered Newton’s contribution to his publications this way: “I guess I discovered Don. In the early ’60 he wrote me a letter along with a couple of photos of his work. One was a color painting of Captain Marvel and Shazam. I wrote him back asking if he would like to do some art for the RBCC, and I mentioned the painting in the photo looked very nice. A couple of weeks later I received it in the mail as a gift. I will say one thing: Don has much (if not more) to do with the success of the RBCC as anybody.”

Don Newton & Captain Marvel The style of this strip stands as a stark contrast to the work he would produce for DC Comics almost a decade later. It is possibly the best version of Cap that Don ever did.

One thing that makes this book such a treat is that he used it as a vehicle not only to show off his own talents, but to illustrate Captain Marvel in several different styles. In particular, Don employed a style on the inside front cover that defies description. It incorporates the best of his fandom inking style with his love of bodybuilding to illustrate a Captain Marvel far removed from the world of C.C. Beck. This is a publication that no Captain Marvel or Don Newton fan should be without.

III. C.C. Beck

By 1972 Don Newton was deeply immersed in the Phoenix comic fan scene. Don’s friend and future comic book publisher, Bruce Hamilton, was the chairman of the Phoenix Con 72. Don This first piece of art that Don sent G.B. Love in the 1960s (and Don loved the entire Marvel Family. was put in charge of the art contest for which later graced both Golden Age #3 and The Newton For Bill Black’s Paragon Publications he the show, and it was at this convention Portfolio) shows Cap relating Shazamic tall tales to Catman, did an illustration of Cap, Mary Marvel, that Don finally met his childhood hero, Daredevil, Black Terror, Target, Spy Smasher, Bulletman, and Captain Marvel Jr., and another of C.C. Beck. RBCC columnist and Skyman, and Airboy. We like to think Don’s there to eavesdrop, the Lieutenant Marvels; both were inked as well. [Art ©2001 the estate of Don Newton; characters ©DC longtime Newton friend Howard Siegel Comics & the other respective copyright holders.] by publisher Black. The Newton recalls that Don “introduced himself, Portfolio features not only illustrations citing his professional credits, and asked of Cap and Junior, but also a painting of the Marvel Bunny. During this Beck to look at his work. Don and C.C. retreated to a table in the snack period, Don Newton’s infatuation with Captain Marvel was evident. area, and the Newton wares were presented. Beck was impressed, but skeptical of Don’s real ability, so Don took out a sketch pencil and Don’s personal stationery, which he changed regularly, almost always added figures around the inked Captain Marvel character.” contained a picture of Captain Marvel. In one issue of the RBCC he placed an ad looking for Captain Marvel items. Don also made two or three Captain Marvel costumes that he wore at comic conventions, as well as on The Wallace and Ladmo Show, a local daily kids’ TV program in Phoenix. Don’s then-wife made herself a Mary Marvel costume, as well, to go with his Cap costume.

Even though Don was not a very extroverted personality, he enjoyed “creating” a living version of Captain Marvel, and was able to look the part due to his many years of weight training.

In 1971 Don was asked to work on one of the true monuments of Captain Marvel fandom at the time, The Rocket’s Blast Special #8. This was an all-Captain Marvel issue, for which Don produced a beautiful fivecolor wrap-around cover, three highly-detailed full-page illustrations, and a two-page retelling of Cap’s origin. This was Don’s first published comic strip featuring Captain Marvel, and it is quite unique in its vision.

CM’s origin retold in RB Special #8. Newton’s rain here provided great atmosphere.

[Art ©2001 estate of Don Newton; Captain Marvel ©2001 DC Comics.]

44

Don Newton & Captain Marvel

Don Newton Talks with C.C. Beck (From the FCA archives - previously unpublished) BECK: Don, I’ve known you for eight years now. You were a struggling school teacher back when I first met you—now you’re a full-fledged comic illustrator. What comics are you working on today?

NEWTON: I’ve got your old job, C.C.! I’m drawing “Captain Marvel” for DC. I’m also drawing “Batman.”

BECK: Good for you! How do you like the work?

NEWTON: Captain Marvel is my favorite character, but I like drawing “Batman” because I get the chance to work with shadows, something I enjoy.

BECK: Do they keep you busy at DC? NEWTON: Oh, yes. When I’m not drawing “Captain Marvel” or “Batman” I fill in with ghost stories and science-fiction.

BECK: Don, you’re one of the “new cartoonists”—you don’t draw in the old-fashioned cartoony style we used back in the Golden Age. Why not?

NEWTON: Because today’s super-hero is pretty much devoid of humor and is quite serious. A more serious story calls for more realistic art.

But you worked in a different time era. Comic styles change, and artists must adapt themselves to the changes in taste.

BECK: Schultz and Walker, to name only two of today’s syndicated cartoonists, make crude, childish, ugly drawings. Yet their strips are very successful. What’s your explanation?

NEWTON: Those artists grew into styles that are acceptable for their readers. In comic books we must develop styles acceptable to our readers.

BECK: In closing, what advice would you give to young people who want to get into comics today?

NEWTON: To begin with, they must realize that they’re not going to create any masterpieces. Comic book production is like the fast food business... you just keep cranking out work to fill the orders. You can’t work on one panel for several days; you have deadlines to meet. In comics, you may hate the stories you’re illustrating and you may never get to draw what you would like to draw. I’d suggest that young people get a good background in art school first, then be willing to accept any jobs they can get. Above all, be prompt and reliable and never get the idea that you can tell a comic company how to run things. You can’t!

BECK: Back when “Captain Marvel” started, there were many serious comics and pulps on the stands. “Superman” was originally drawn in comic style and so was “Batman.” “Captain Marvel” was pure cartoon. These three put all the others out of business and are still going strong today.

Of course, they aren’t funny now. Why aren’t they?

NEWTON: They aren’t funny today because today’s readers don’t want a comic approach.

BECK: I have just gone through a list of all the “Captain Marvel” stories published by Fawcett. The variety is amazing. There were adventure, fantasy, whimsy, science-fiction, detective stories, and more. Captain Marvel would be in Minneapolis in one story and in the next he’d be on another planet, or back in pre-history, or in the far future. Can the same be done today?

NEWTON: Yes, E. Nelson Bridwell is presenting a wide variety in the stories he’s writing for Captain Marvel.

BECK: The art today is far superior to that in Golden Age comics. Is it because we oldtimers were rotten artists?

NEWTON: No, you were highly skilled.

The full painting of Captain Marvel and Shazam by Don Newton, of which we’ve used about 60% as our cover.

We just wanted you to get an idea, even in black-&-white, of how great the whole thing looks!

[Art ©2001 estate of Don Newton; characters ©2001 DC Comics.]

The Lost Fourth Issue of C.C. Beck’s Fatman

45

The Lost Fourth Issue of

C.C. Beck’s Fatman

by Gary Brown [NOTE: In the last few years, Gary Brown and Wayne DeWaid (onetime publishers of the 1960s fanzine Comic Comments) contacted editor Jon B. Cooke of Comic Book Artist and offered use of the following article on the “lost” fourth issue of the legendary Fatman, The Human Flying Saucer. This essay was originally printed as a very limited press run (120 copies), accompanying CAPA-alpha #324 and Southern Fandom Press Alliance #163, back in October 1991. Though Jon planned to use this piece in CBA #14, he was cramped for space (as usual), and, with permission from both Gary and Wayne, offered FCA and Alter Ego use of this fascinating piece. Thanks to Gary, Wayne, and Jon for their efforts.—P.C.H.]

that we might run out of questions after ten minutes or so.

The initial visit to Beck’s home turned out to be a delight. He was very cordial and tolerant, telling us that after Fawcett went out of the comic book business he drew some comics for a Canadian publisher, then moved to Florida and started doing technical drawings, renderings, cartoons, and other illustrations for local firms.

His hobby was making weapons out of wood. Swords, guns, arrows, you name it. He had many of his creations hanging on the walls of the modest three-bedroom home he shared with his wife.

Then he dropped the “bomb.”

It was pure, dumb luck.

Friend and college roommate Wayne DeWaid and I were just into publishing a little monthly letter/news ’zine called Comic Comments in 1967 when we discussed getting an interview with some top comic artist or writer. After all, we lived in Miami and we knew that some artists lived in Florida.

Wayne mentioned he had read that C.C. Beck, artist and co-creator of Captain Marvel, lived in Florida somewhere. Great, we’ll try to find him, we agreed.

It didn’t take long. Wayne checked the Miami telephone book and was shocked to learn that the Charles C. Beck listed in the phone book in North Miami was indeed the famed C.C. Beck.

He talked to Beck on the phone and arranged a visit.

Needless to say, we were thrilled. Here’s a living legend who had not received much “fan” press—and he resided just a 30minute drive from our homes. We were also nervous. Neither one of us was an expert on Captain Marvel comic books and we were afraid The covers of Fatman #1-3, all by C.C. Beck. Each one trumpeted “Written & Drawn by the Creators of the Original Captain Marvel— O.O. Binder ^& C.C. Beck.” [©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

“I guess you two have heard all about the new comic book Otto Binder and I are doing?” Beck asked casually.

I still can recall the look on Wayne’s face as we turned in wide-eyed wonder and looked at each other. No, we hadn’t.

Fatman stomps his way to legend in this pin-up from Fatman #1. Repro’d from the original art, courtesy of Bill Alger. [Fatman ©2001 the respective copyright holder.]

So, Beck filled us in on Fatman the Human Flying Saucer. It was to be published by Lightning Comics, a new player in the comic book game.

They would be publishing three comics, Beck said: Fatman, something called Super Green Beret