Alter Ego #49 Preview by TwoMorrows Publishing

Roy Thomas’ Red-Hot Comics Fanzine

In the the USA USA In

5.95

No.49 June 2005

Vol. 3, No. 49 / June 2005

™

Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

Contents

FCA Editor

P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editors Emeritus

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

Susan Burgos talks to Jim Amash about her father, the creator of The Human Torch.

Diamonds In The Rough(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 A cornucopia of never-seen cover sketches from the Golden Age of Timely/Marvel.

Production Assistant

Eric Nolen-Weathington

Cover Artist & Colorist Mark Sparacio (from a sketch probably by Carl Burgos)

And Special Thanks to: Jack Adams Heidi Amash Ger Apeldoorn Mike W. Barr Michael Baulderstone Bill Black Ray Bottorff, Jr. Susan Burgos Mike Burkey Bob Cherry Robert K.S. Croy, Sr. David Davisson Dwight Decker Michael Feldman Jim Fern Danny Fingeroth Shane Foley Keif Fromm Janet Gilbert Ron Goulart Jennifer Hamerlinck Mark & Stephanie Heike Tony Isabella

Writer/Editorial: Marvel Mystery Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 “The Privacy Act Of Carl Burgos”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Yvette Kaplan Robin Kirby Paul Kupperberg Thomas G. Lammers Wally Littman Jim Ludwig Harry Mendryk Mark Miller Joe Moore Roger Mortimer Frank Motler Jake Oster Herb Rogoff Alex Saviuk Ernie Schroeder Eric Schumacher Mark Sparacio Carrie Strong Marc Swayze Greg Theakston Dann Thomas Alex Toth Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Hames Ware Robert Wiener

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Carl Burgos

Torch Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Roy Thomas on Golden Age heroes who kept the home fires burning.

“Pulling A Dragoom” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 A Timely/Marvel “human torch” of 1952, examined by Ger Apeldoorn.

Atlas Shrugged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Thomas G. Lammers takes a look at the 1957 “Atlas Implosion” and its far-reaching effects on comics—with a sidebar by Michael Feldman.

Comic Crypt: Remembering Will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Michael T. Gilbert on his personal encounters with the late great Will Eisner.

“Fate Did Its Odd Thing” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Alex Toth on his near-brush with Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon.

The Bill Finger Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Special Announcement from Jerry Robinson.

re: [comments, correspondence, and corrections]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Letters we got—and art to go with ’em—from a bunch of top comics pros.

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #107 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 P.C. Hamerlinck presents Marc Swayze, C.C. Beck, and Bill Black. About Our Cover: As you’ll read in expanded form on pp. 21-32, collector Robert Wiener recently sent us copies of nearly two dozen cover, splash, and house ad sketches done circa 194142 for comics starring “The Human Torch” and/or “Sub-Mariner,” almost certainly executed by artists in Lloyd Jacquet’s Funnies, Inc., comics shop. Ye Editor was wild to see one of those sketches used as the basis of an Alter Ego cover. So when veteran comics artist Alex Saviuk put Ye Editor in contact with his colleague Mark Sparacio—and once Roy saw an unpublished super-hero painting or two Mark had done—it was clear that this would be the perfect visual marriage. This particular sketch (see p. 22), in Roy’s opinion, was quite probably drawn by none other than Carl Burgos, creator of the Torch—but even if it wasn’t, it captures the essence of the style in which Burgos drew his blazing android through early 1942, when he went into the armed services. The Golden Age meets the 21st century—and we’re just glad we were here to see it! Bet you are, too! [Art ©2005 Mark Sparacio; Human Torch & Toro TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Above: This prototypical panel drawn by Carl Burgos is reproduced from photocopies of the original art for The Human Torch #4 (Spring 1941). [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Alter EgoTM is published monthly by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, 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 ($10 Canada, $11.00 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $120 Canada, $132 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 Privacy Act Of Carl Burgos” SUSAN BURGOS Talks About Two Marvel Mysteries: The Human Torch—And Her Father

Interview Conducted & Transcribed by Jim Amash

arl Burgos was an enigma. Few 1940s Timely Comics staffers even remembered him, because he worked for the company indirectly through Funnies, Inc., and I’m not certain he ever granted an interview to anyone except Jim Steranko. Most fans know of Burgos either through his creation of the original “Human Torch” or by his later, less impressive work with Myron Fass. He also achieved comics infamy with the unfortunate 1960s version of Captain Marvel. Careerwise, however, there was far more to Carl Burgos than that. He was a prolific staff cover artist for Timely during the 1950s, and briefly managed a final go at the Lee/Kirby version of the Torch in the 1960s. At his best, Burgos was a very effective artist, whose iconic, sometimes controversial “Human Torch” stories stand as a testament to good graphics and entertaining adventures. No one who has ever seen the Torch (in either incarnation) has forgotten him. While there’s much work to be done in regard to a Carl Burgos biography, we are pleased to present an interview with his daughter, Susan Burgos, as a first step in that direction. Thanks, Susan, for peeling back a few layers of the Burgos onion for us—and thanks to Write Now! editor Danny Fingeroth (and, indirectly, animation director Yvette Kaplan) for putting us in touch with Susan. —Jim.

“My Father Was A Very Private Man” JIM AMASH: Where and when was your father born? SUSAN BURGOS: He was born in New York City, April 18, 1916. His given name was Max Finkelstein, but he changed it to Carl Burgos when he was very young. JA: What do you know about his family background? BURGOS: Very little. My father was a very private man and didn’t talk much about himself. It does not surprise me that there is little information about him out there. He did have an older brother, Ruby. I do not remember my

Carl Burgos, circa 1948, in a photo supplied by his daughter Susan—flanked by pages featuring The Human Torch, from the three periods when Burgos drew his adventures. [Counterclockwise from above left:] splashes from Marvel Mystery Comics #20 (June 1941) and Young Men #26 (March 1954)—and panels from Strange Tales #123 (Aug. 1964), his lone effort at drawing the hero as revamped by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Fantastic Four, with inking by Dick Ayers. Thanks to Jerry K. Boyd for the 1941 splash. [Art ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Incidentally, the box on the 1941 splash reads: “WARNING! Marvel Comics’ wellknown characters, THE HUMAN TORCH, SUBMARINER, THE ANGEL, and KA-ZAR, have been registered in the United States Patent Office, and are further protected by United States Copyright with every issue, as are the full contents of the magazine. This is notice that infringers of the characters, in whatever form or manner, will be prosecuted by the publisher to the full extent of the law. –Publisher, Marvel Comics.” In other words, as supplier Jerry K. Boyd quips, “we can assume that messing with Marty Goodman means you will get ‘burned’!” Unhappily, “Torch” creator Carl Burgos eventually felt burned, as well.

Susan Burgos Talks About Two Marvel Mysteries

(Above:) “The Human Torch” by Carl Burgos debuted in Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939) to the tune of 80,000 or so copies. According to comics researcher Keif Fromm, a quick second printing with a November cover date sold around ten times that many. This page is from the 1991 hardcover quasi-reprint. (Right:) This primo Burgos page appeared in The Human Torch #2 (Aug. 1940—really the first issue), and is reproduced here from a photocopy of the original art. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

uncle or other family members after my teen years; whatever happened between the brothers, I do not know. Their parents immigrated from Russia and were of Russian-Jewish descent. I remember my uncle and his family as a child. He wore this ruby

ring that somehow always amused me. I do not remember my dad wearing any jewelry— not even a watch. In the later years, he discovered the art of jewelry making and proudly wore a ring he crafted. He produced some very creative pieces: rings, pins, pendants, etc. One jewelry designer that inspired him was a man by the name of Henry Steig. Dad always set the bar high and was completely selftaught, wanting to experiment and challenge himself. For instance, there was the “lamp period” where he crafted some interesting lighting fixtures for our home. My mother’s name was Doris. After my dad returned from military service, he was introduced to my mom by friends. Six months later, they were married, in 1947. They went on to raise two daughters—my sister Linda, and, of course, me. Because of “The Privacy Act of Carl Burgos,” I was confused about his comic book career. I always avoided talking about it because he hated it so much. It was only after his death that I started to visit book stores in search of articles and information. This was the first time I learned about his comic book career in detail. For many years, I actually thought his timeline was World War II, comics, and family. I never had a sense about the 1930s, before the war, when it all started. From my perspective as a child, you weren’t supposed to ask parents questions. It was the parents who asked the questions. Whatever he felt wasn’t important to him was not discussed. JA: As the son of immigrants, did your father learn to speak a foreign language? BURGOS: If he learned anything, it would have been Yiddish or Russian. I’m not sure. My grandfather died before I was born. My grandmother... well, I never understood her too well, because she spoke broken English/Yiddish/Russian. I do not remember an instance where we communicated, and I recall her as always being elderly. I was 16 when she died; she was in her 80s.

This Burgos page from Marvel Mystery Comics #2 (Dec. 1939) is repro’d from photocopies of the original comic, courtesy of Robert Wiener. Reproduction of the first four issues of Timely’s flagship title in the recent hardcover Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics, Vol. 1, wasn’t all one could have hoped— but even at $50 the book is still worth picking up. Like, you’re gonna get a better deal on Marvel Mystery #1-4 anytime soon? [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“The Privacy Act Of Carl Burgos”

JA: Then your father was multi-lingual? BURGOS: No, not really, although I remember more Yiddish phrases were used while my grandmother was alive. As the years went by, his Yiddish disappeared from his vocabulary, and from those of his brother and other family members. JA: Was he a strict parent? BURGOS: Very. We couldn’t stay out too late at night— typically teenage stuff. I always had a curfew. I thought it was unreasonable, but like true teenagers, I would ask permission to sleep over at a friend’s house—a friend who could stay out a little later than myself. That would be every friend I had. [laughter] JA: Was he the kind of father that you could go to with a problem?

Two Views Of A Burgos-Everett Blarney At left, from the 2004 reprint of the Human Torch vs. Sub-Mariner battle from Marvel Mystery Comics #9 (July 1940), is the splash of that slugfest that began in #8 and even spilled over into one page of #10. John Compton apparently wrote the story; Burgos drew the Torch therein, and Bill Everett the Sub-Mariner character he had created. At right is the splash from Brand Echh #1 (Aug. 1967). Although Bill Everett withdrew from the art chores after drawing very little of it and it was finished by Ross Andru (penciler) and Mike Esposito (inker), scripter Roy Thomas is 90% certain that this page was at least partly penciled by Wild Bill. [Both art pages ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

BURGOS: I cannot remember any instances when I went to my dad to solve any problems. The only time I approached my dad for help was when I had an art problem. He spent a lot of time in his basement studio and so I looked at my dad as the “go-to art expert” for school projects or independent projects at home.

“I Was Very Integrated Into The Studio”

and such with my family. Yes, family and friends were invited over to the house. I remember Stan Starkman, George Kapitan, and Herbie Cooper from Timely Comics coming to visit. My father was the type of man that his work was his work when he got home. I’d get out of school in the afternoon, my mom would come home and make dinner, and pick him up at the train station, in time for us to eat at seven o’clock. Then, he’d go down to the basement and work.

JA: Were you allowed to disturb him when he was working?

JA: Did he read very much?

BURGOS: I did. I was very integrated into the studio. I was an art student, so we shared a desk. He had a potter’s wheel and a kiln down there, so we made pottery together. If we needed a table, he built one. He made lamps, some dishware, and vases, too. There was always a project going on.

BURGOS: He loved history. He loved to read about American Indians and World War II. He was always reading about the war, and talked about it all the time. He didn’t discuss his personal experiences, which was why I didn’t know he was in Europe and spent a year in Germany during the Occupation. I learned about that when I found his journal— a couple of weeks before September 11.

He was a heavy smoker, so I made a lot of ashtrays in my youth. [laughs] We always made gifts for Christmas and Hanukkah. I don’t know if it was because... well, we certainly weren’t rich and I don’t think art was a great success for him, monetarily. I don’t know if that’s why we made things, but I still do that today. I write poetry and make Christmas cards. I had a lot of private art lessons from my father. My earliest memories of my father are of making things. JA: Did your parents entertain much? BURGOS: I do not think of my parents as entertainers. Of course, we rotated family entertaining during the holidays. I do not equate parties

I was reading that journal over and over again when September 11 happened—things like “Germany stinks of decay.” It was kind of overwhelming to me, considering what had just happened in New York and to our country. [Quoting from her father’s journal:] “When the smoke cleared, the corpse began to stink. Germany was like a child, wrinkled and decaying. The bewildered eyes asked, ‘Where now?’ The stench is unbearable, as decaying political theories roamed over the land. Will we be merely content to let it roam until another seed is planted?” I read, and then September 11 happened, leaving me to think that seed has grown into a forest. They say you accept things when you can, and here

Diamonds In The Rough(s)

A Cornucopia Of Never-Seen Cover Sketches From The Golden Age of Timely/Marvel

by Roy Thomas

n Alter Ego #46, in conjunction with my 1969-70 interview with “Sub-Mariner” creator Bill Everett, we printed four unused cover sketches done (’twould seem) by him and perhaps others circa 1941 for Novelty’s Target Comics, at a time when he served as an artist, writer, and art director for Lloyd Jacquet’s early comics shop, Funnies, Inc., which produced comics material for Novelty, Timely, and other comics companies. Those photocopies were generously supplied by longtime comics fan/collector Robert Wiener, vice president of Donald M. Grant Books, who owns the originals.

At the same time, Robert also mailed me copies of no less than 23 cover, splash page, and house ad sketches from the same period featuring Sub-Mariner and/or The Human Torch, all doubtless produced by Funnies, Inc., for Timely Comics (now Marvel). Many of the sketches had vintage typewritten notes attached that described the scene, perhaps for the benefit of publisher Martin Goodman and a very young Stan Lee, who’d recently become Timely’s editor upon the departure of Joe Simon and his partner Jack Kirby. In this instance, we knew the precise comic book issues for which some of these sketches were intended, since they illustrated real or symbolic scenes relating to The Human Torch #8 (Summer 1942)— one of the famed TorchNamor crossovers—or to other named-andnumbered comics. HT #8, on sale in spring of ’42, would’ve been prepared no later than the winter of 1941-42— i.e., shortly before or after America’s entry into World War II as a result of the Imperial Japanese miscalculation

which lives in infamy under the name “Pearl Harbor.” The identities of the artists of this material, however, are difficult to pin down, since we know Sub-Mariner creator Bill Everett entered the Army shortly after Dec. 7, 1941… with Torch creator Carl Burgos doing so not long afterward. We can’t be certain if Everett and/or Burgos had a personal hand in any of these drawings (either as artists, or at least as overseers), since neither man’s signature adorns even the 52-page story in Human Torch #8. Perhaps they were both just out the door, and their immediate successors drew the sketches in a similar style. Comics historian (as well as sciencefiction and mystery author) Ron Goulart feels some of the Namor art, at least, may be by Carl Pfeufer, Everett’s first and most important successor drawing “Sub-Mariner”…and that some of the Torch art may have been done by Harry Sahle or another Burgos assistant… but the jury is still out on the matter.

Some of the sketches on the pages that follow were definitely intended as potential layouts for Timely house ads such as this one from circa 1940-41. Ye Editor strongly suspects that, at the very least, Carl Burgos had a hand in the above art. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

My own feeling— based largely on gut instinct—is that Burgos did at least some of the Torch work that follows, since the Torch figures closely resemble his 1941 version. (Besides, Burgos was destined to become a virtual “cover editor” at Timely/Atlas during the 1950s, so he clearly had some skill in that area.) I’m a bit less inclined, alas, to find any Everett in the Subby art, which makes me lean toward Pfeufer in that case. Or maybe there’s another artist whom some eagle-eyed reader will champion. Though it seems unlikely that many if any of the

A Cornucopia Of Never-Seen Cover Sketches From The Golden Age Of Timely/Marvel

sketches are by humor cartoonist Vince Fago, Stan Lee’s wartime editorial stand-in maintained in his interview in A/E V3#11 that war-era covermeister Alex Schomburg was always given a sketch to follow, drawn either by Vince himself or by another staffer, rather than doing the cover roughs himself. Be that as it may, these sketches/roughs are rare and important artifacts—the “diamonds” alluded to in the title of this piece—of the early days of the Golden Age of Comics, of Timely/Marvel Comics, and of the seminal shop Funnies, Inc. So I’m delighted, with Robert Wiener’s blessing, to showcase them here, with a few words of added commentary. Let’s get cracking…!

(Above:) This, of course, is the rough on which artist Mark Sparacio based his stunning cover painting for this issue of A/E— though we can’t be sure if the original was intended for a cover or (more likely) a house ad. Was the concept that Adolf Hitler and a German soldier were hawking copies of something called Blitz Comics and that the Torch and Toro busted up their sales pitch? In the absence of written copy, we can’t be sure. During 1940-41 the British used the German word “Blitz” (“Lightning”) to refer to the Luftwaffe’s bomber raids on their cities. That term, in turn, was short for “Blitzkrieg” (“Lightning War”), the Nazis’ name for their combined air-tank-and-infantry attacks of 1939-41 on Poland, Western Europe, and eventually the Soviet Union. Again, if this sketch isn’t by Burgos, it may well have been prepared under his direction before he went into the service. [Human Torch & Toro TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Diamonds In The Rough(s)

(Above:) We’ve tried for a year to locate an actual copy of The Human Torch #8 (Fall 1942) so we could show you at least one lousy page showing The Python, the villain of the 52-page crossover (and that doesn’t count a two-page connected text story in the middle)… but nobody ever surfaced who owned one. So we’re running this blotchy print-out of the issue’s splash page from microfiche, just to give you a notion of what the Funnies, Inc., artists had to work with and what the villainous Python looked like in the comic itself. The red on the Torch’s figure caused it to print totally black, but you get the general idea. The fact that the page isn’t signed by either Burgos or Everett may mean they had already departed for the Army by this time. Thanks to Roger Mortimer. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

(Above:) Interestingly, this may be a potential sketchy layout for page 1 of the story rather than the cover, if we can believe the typed text (minus the crossed-out words): “Suggested page one HT VS SM – H.T. #8 Summer 1942 issue. SUBTERRANEAN dungeon; Python foreground – Horton chained and badly mangled on wall in background. Torch charging at Sm [sic], who is coming at torch [sic]. Winding staircase, snakes on beams, moldy-looking walls for background—Toro diving from chamber entrance and tossing fireball at Python.” In the published splash, Toro is bound and helpless… while on most of the sketches that follow, he’s attacking The Python while the Torch and Namor seem content to have at each other and let the kid do all the heavy lifting! Dr. Horton was the man who created the android Torch in Marvel Comics #1; he was thought dead at the start of Marvel Mystery Comics #2, but was brought back for this story, with The Python forcing him to turn the Torch into a “fiery monster” working for the Nazis. Interestingly, The Python seems to have made his debut in Sub-Mariner #2 (Fall 1941)—in a story starring The Angel! Catch it in the upcoming Marvel Masterworks volume reprinting Sub-Mariner #1-4! [Human Torch, Toro, Sub-Mariner, & Python TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

(Left:) Another version of that scene—though whether intended for page one of the issue or as a cover sketch isn’t clear. The typed copy, similar to that previously quoted, should be readable here. [Human Torch, Toro, Sub-Mariner, & Python TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Torch Types Other Golden Age Heroes Who Kept The Home Fires Burning

by Roy Thomas hen it rains, it pours—and when it rains fire, there can really be a deluge of brimstone!

While Jim Amash and I were discussing this issue’s contents a few weeks ago, and kicking around ideas for possible pieces that might complement his interview with Susan Burgos, Jim mentioned he had a copy of a Golden Age comic book containing a Human Torch clone from the 1940s—a hero whose only visual difference from the Timely/Marvel hero was that his flaming aura was blue rather than red. His name: The Blue Flame! I recalled seeing that puzzling story as a kid. Since I also had Ger Apeldoorn’s article and scans re a 1952 Timely story whose evil protagonist seemed to be a direct descendant of Carl Burgos’ Torch, I thought it might be interesting to feature the older “Blue Flame” version, as well. But, since I was aware there were also other Torch types in the Golden Age—not counting my retro addition of the female Firebrand in the 1980s All-Star Squadron—I thought I’d ask around on a couple of Internet lists to see if anyone could send copies of other characters influenced by the 1939 creation.

The primo flame-keepers during the Golden Age of Comics, of course, were Carl Burgos’ Human Torch and his young ally Toro—seen here in a panel drawn by their creator for The Human Torch #2 (Fall 1940), actually that title’s first issue. But you know how hard it is to stop a fire once it gets started… so the Torches had plenty of guys trying to hop on their blazing bandwagon…! [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Turns out I had literally opened the fiery floodgates—because several enthusiastic collectors soon inundated me with art and info re every Torch wannabe I’d previously known about, and added several that were new to me! So, what the hey—I decided to add this several-page pictorial on the heroes inspired by the original Human Torch. And if you think we still missed a few—let us know—but don’t get burned up about it! We’ll start off with Jim’s initial contribution and go on from there…

The Blue Flame This hot-shot hero appeared in Four Star Comics’ Captain Flight #11 (Feb.-March 1947), and is a dead-ringer for The Human Torch—except that, when ablaze, he was colored bright blue (with white highlights). Actually, since blue flame is hotter than red, that should make him even hotter than the Torch—although, since red is the color universally associated with heat, the Timely/Marvel colorists probably made the right choice when their boy was rendered in scarlet. The bare-chested Blue Flame’s trunks and boots were blue, as well, and his hair was brown. (Times like these, we wish Alter Ego had a budget for color!) The artist of this one-shot (?) feature, according to researchers Hames Ware and Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., is Zoltan (Zully) Szenics (yep, that’s a real name!). According to Hames and Jerry Bails’ 1970s Who’s Who in American Comic Books, Szenics worked for the Harry “A” Chesler shop and Quality Comics during the pre-World War II years, drew for Timely’s Krazy Komics #1 in 1942 and for MLJ in 1943-44… but the Who’s Who missed “The Blue Flame” the first time around. Incidentally, the artist was married to one Terry Szenics, a comic book letterer. [Art ©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Other Golden Age Heroes Who Kept The Home Fires Burning The Flame This Fox Comics hero was the first and best-known of the other costumed cut-ups with a fiery theme. But, since he burst on the scene in Wonderworld Comics #3 (July 1939), three months before Marvel Comics #1, he’s hardly an imitator of The Human Torch—or vice versa, except perhaps in respect to the notion of fire. Even if Burgos saw that issue right before he wrote and drew his hero’s origin, he certainly went far beyond it. (Hmmm… wonder if Victor Fox ever claimed Martin Goodman and Carl Burgos were copying his character!) The Flame generally fought crime using a flame gun, though on this cover for The Flame #6 (Aug. 1941), he’s definitely tossing a fireball à la the Torch! Later he teamed up with a Flame Girl. Some of the series’ early art was by the great Lou Fine, though apparently not this cover. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

The Fire-Man This generically-named stalwart (seen above and below) appeared in Centaur’s Liberty Scouts #2-3 (June 1941-Aug. 1941) and in Man of War #1-2 (Nov. 1941-Jan. 1942). According to Harry Mendryk, the collector who sent us the accompanying art scans, Fire-Man “was not an obvious takeoff [on The Human Torch]. He is made from flame-proof glass and is lighter than air… but he does not produce fire.” Fellow collector Jim Ludwig adds that the hero’s alter ego, Jim Reuben, “gained his ability to fly, to control fire, and to resist heat damage during a mad scientist’s deranged experiment. He used those abilities to fight crime as head of the Fire-Man Association, a small private-investigation agency he ran.” [©2005 the respective copyright notice.]

Ajax The Sun Man Ed Love sent the page at left from Street & Smith’s Doc Savage Comics, Vol. 1, #11 (Jan. 1943). Ajax, he says, “is a native of the core of the Sun but was drawn to Earth by the crime and evil here. He uses his ‘sun-powers’ to fight evil: the ability to generate great heat, invulnerability to heat, flight, and super-strength.” In this tale, “Ajax faces off against a gang that’s employed a fire-eater lookalike to pretend to be Ajax, though they have to fake most of his incredible powers.” Said powers, though, clearly didn’t include “flaming on,” since the real and bogus Ajaxes on this splash page are wielding dueling acetylene torches! Oh, and fellow collector Joe Moore mentions that in one Jack Binderillustrated story, Ajax “burns up a Nazi concentration camp commander (who is begging for his life) while saying to him: ‘Fires of Hell… I order you to consume this black-souled rat!” You gotta love ’im! [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

“Pulling A Dragoom” A Human Torch “Prototype”—Or A Fast-Fading Echo?

by Ger Apeldoorn

ack in Alter Ego #29 & 31, Thomas C. Lammers wrote an exhaustive study of the so-called “Marvel prototypes”— stories which the Overstreet Comics Price Guide has listed over the years as being “prototypes,” stalking horses, trial balloons, or whatever one wishes to call them, for the Marvel super-heroes that Lee, Kirby, Ditko, et al., began to churn out starting in 1961. Tom’s viewpoint was that few if any of the stories should actually be called “prototypes” by the dictionary definition of the term. Recently, Dutch TV-sitcom writer Ger Apeldoorn, already a frequent contributor to these pages, sent Ye Editor scans of a story which some might call yet another “prototype” for the revived Human Torch who would (admittedly 9 years later) co-star in Fantastic Four #1, and we were so intrigued by the story and art that we invited him to write about it in depth.... —Roy. In early 1952 the company that would eventually evolve into Marvel but was then still known as Atlas—or as Timely, by those who worked for it—published a story about a burning man, who could melt his way through steel doors. The story is called “Escape From Death,” and it deals with a flaming eight-foot giant, red all over with a bald head and naked body apart from a tastefully drawn pair of underpants. His opponents call him a “murdering torch” and even a “human torch”! But he is not an early revival of Carl Burgos’ famous super-hero from the 1940s. That wouldn’t happen until 1953. Super-heroes had left the newsstand and had no more relevance for their time. Romance, war, Western, and horror were the genres of the day. The six-page story in Suspense #18 (cover-dated May 1952) was in fact nothing more than an anomaly. In more ways than one.

Joe Maneely’s cover for Suspense #18 gives no hint that, inside, a Golden Age super-hero has been used as the basis of a new and frightening monster— but any reader old enough to remember Marvel Mystery Comics and The Human Torch from 1949 or before, upon beholding Manny Stallman’s powerful splash page, was liable to catch on fast! He’s even called a “murdering torch” in the splash panel. But—does anybody have any idea why his execution was backdated to Oct. 12, 1941, a decade earlier, instead of having it be contemporary, since the entire story occurs over a period of only three weeks? [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

First, let’s tell you the story. It’s all about a criminal named Elk Diamond who is put to death in the electric chair in 1941. On the night of his death, his body is lying in a New York mortuary when, at the stroke of midnight, a strange glow surrounds his corpse. Something stirs in the coffin—and the criminal is resurrected as an eight-foot flaming monster!

It turns out that he was given a magnetic pill by a mysterious Dr. Orgesky, who is also some sort of gangster. The magnetic pill absorbs the electric charge of the electric chair and gives him his powers. Although the story has all the hallmarks of a super-hero origin, neither the words “super-hero” nor “powers” is used. But he is powerful enough to open any safe in the world and had made a deal with the gang leader to work for him for a month. After that, the gangster will return him to his natural state—as a living,

Atlas Shrugged

A Detailed Look At The 1957 “Atlas Implosion” And Its Effect On Comics by Thomas G. Lammers The Timely/Atlas super-hero revival of 1953-55 occurred during the Atlas period—so what could be more fitting as a title image for this article than to picture the fabled Atlas globe of 1951-57 held aloft Atlas-like by Captain America (from a smallish John Romita panel in Young Men #26, March 1954)? Thanks to A/E’s liltin’ layout man Chris Day for putting these two icons together. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

[All art, unless otherwise noted, provided by the author.]

n Alter Ego #29 & #31, Tom Lammers, who in what’s known as “real life” teaches biology (esp. botany) at a college in Wisconsin, took a skeptical look at the so-called “Marvel prototypes” of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which are purported to have been “trial balloons” for the Marvel heroes which sprang up from 1961 on. When he and others on the online Timely-Atlas List began exchanging e-mails about another reported phenomenon—the “Atlas Implosion” (which takes its name retroactively from the late-1970s “DC Implosion,” so called because it followed on the heels of a companyheralded “DC Explosion”)—we invited Tom to outline that epochmarking event for A/E’s readers. —Roy.

Introduction When I was a kid back in the 1960s, I was quite a fan of the Marvel Comics Group; a big chunk of my weekly allowance went towards following the exploits of my favorite comic book heroes. At that time, I had the impression that the company was rather a young concern. After all, the mainstream press1 heralded their super-heroes as the latest fad. Everything about the books seemed to scream “New! New! New!” Furthermore, issue numbers on most titles were quite low; my fifth-grade math skills were more than adequate to figure out that in most cases, only a few years had elapsed since those magical #1s. But some facts didn’t jibe with this impression. Journey into Mystery and Strange Tales had issue numbers well over 100. Stray comments in the letters pages2 alluded to comics Marvel had published years earlier. The debut

stories of the Sub-Mariner (Fantastic Four #4, May 1962), Captain America (Strange Tales #114, Nov. 1963, and Avengers #4, March 1964), and the original Human Torch (Fantastic Four Special #4, Nov. 1966) intimated that this was not the first time these characters had been in comics. The clincher came when Marvel began to reprint material. At first, the stories reprinted were no older than the late 1950s and early 1960s; soon, however, stories from the early 1940s began to appear.3 Clearly, there was much more to Marvel’s corporate history than I had realized!

When I began to collect vintage comic books three decades later, I discovered that the Marvel Comics Group of my misspent youth indeed had a history that could be traced back under various names to the years preceding World War II. I learned that they had published over 5800 issues through the 1950s, not just super-hero and fantasy titles but humor, romance, Westerns, war, horror, crime, and adventure books as well. Before Amazing Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, there were Devil-Dog Dugan and “Battleship Burke,” Kent Blake of the Secret Service and Jann of the Jungle, Sherry the Showgirl and Homer the Happy Ghost. I wondered how this diverse array of characters, titles, and genres had been whittled down to the handful of super-hero books I knew from my childhood. What had decimated the ranks so profoundly? What terrible bottleneck had the company passed through? As I got more involved with comics scholarship, I began to hear stories about a phenomenon some collectors referred to as “The Atlas Implosion,” a late-1950s business catastrophe of seemingly Biblical proportions. Dozens of titles had been canceled overnight, and scores of artists thrown out of work. Only after some period of inactivity did the

Fantasy Masterpieces #1 (Feb. 1966) reprinted fantasy/science-fiction features from late ’50s/early-’60s Goodman comics. With #3 (June ’66) the title became a big 25-center, showcasing poorly-restored 1941 Simon & Kirby “Captain America” tales behind a new Kirby-penciled cover—and by #7 (Feb. ’67) FM had added Golden Age “Human Torch” and “Sub-Mariner” reprints, with a new Gil Kane cover. Clearly, young Tom Lammers realized, Marvel Comics’ history went back a wee bit further than he had imagined! [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

The 1957 “Atlas Implosion” And Its Effect On Comics

“Before Amazing Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, there were Devil-Dog Dugan and ‘Battleship Burke,’ Kent Blake of the Secret Service and Jann of the Jungle, Sherry the Showgirl and Homer the Happy Ghost.” And if that ain’t a cue for a Marvel-and-Atlas montage, we don’t know what is! Above, Spidey and Ol’ Greenskin eye a sextet of pre1961 Timely/Marvel goodies: a Jim McLaughlin splash from Devil-Dog Dugan #1 (July 1956)—a Joe Maneely “Battleship Burke” splash from Navy Action #1 (Aug. ’55)—the covers of Kent Blake of the Secret Service #2 (July ’51—artist unknown) and Jann of the Jungle #13 (Sept. ’56—art by Maneely)—and Dan DeCarlo’s covers for Sherry the Showgirl #1 (July ’56) and Homer the Happy Ghost #2 (May ’55). Thanks to Dr. Michael J. Vassallo for the splashes, and to Mike Burkey for the Spidey/Hulk illo by John Romita, which was printed in full back in A/E V3#9. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Martin Goodman in 1941, holding a color proof of the cover of Captain America Comics #11 (Feb. 1942). This photo originally appeared in Les Daniels’ first-rate 1991 history Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Comics. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Atlas Shrugged company regroup and resume publication on a far more modest scale. Clearly it was this event that had transformed an allencompassing comics empire into the seeming upstart of my youth.

unknown to most comics readers. On a few occasions in the 1940s, we see half-hearted attempts at establishing a unified identity for the comics produced by this plethora of corporate entities.11 Although fans often refer to Goodman’s 1940s output as “Timely Comics,” that imprint only appeared on the covers of certain titles and issues with July to September 1942 cover dates. An “Atlas” emblem was used on a few books with late 1943 and early 1944 cover dates. Some books dated Dec. 1946 to May 1947 were identified as “A Marvel Magazine” via a cover logo that looked like a turneddown corner. Books dated Feb. 1949 to June 1950 rather consistently bore a “Marvel Comic” red circle logo, although starting in December 1949 this was replaced on the romance titles with a heart-shaped logo that read, “A Lovers Magazine.” Other than these brief periods, Goodman’s 1940s comics were not marked with any sort of corporate imprint.10

Details regarding this critical episode in Marvel’s history were frustratingly scarce. Standard comic book histories4 briefly mentioned the Atlas Implosion from a business perspective; artist biographies5 spoke of the personal toll. However, I could find virtually nothing about effects on the books themselves. For the titles that survived, it was all but impossible to learn how long publication had been suspended; I had no idea which issue was the last before the Implosion or the first after, nor the length of the hiatus separating them. Similarly, it was said that when publication resumed, editor Stan Lee relied for some time on a huge backlog of material created by the numerous cancellations. But how long did this inventory last? When were new stories finally commissioned? I soon realized that the only way I could answer these questions was to obtain the books and discover the answers for myself. It took nearly eight years, but I am finally able to answer my many questions. In this article, I would like to share with you what I have learned from the books themselves about this fascinating period in the evolution of the Marvel Comics Group.

Throughout the 1940s, Goodman depended on an independent firm, Kable News Co., to get his products from the The copy at the bottom of this house ad from Astonishing #19 printing plant to wholesalers, and from (Nov. 1952) bolsters Tom’s thesis that the name “Atlas” was there to retailers and the reading public. meant to identify Goodman’s comics company, not just the This relationship was denoted by the distributor. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.] presence of Kable News’ “K” logo on the cover, along with the North American map that symbolized the Independent Distributors group to which Kable belonged.10

Taking Care Of Business

Martin Goodman became a publisher of cheap popular periodicals (so-called pulp magazines) circa 1932-33.6 A few years later, he released his first comic book: the legendary Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), filled with material produced by the Funnies, Inc., studio, including Bill Everett’s “Sub-Mariner” and Carl Burgos’ “Human Torch.” Sales were sufficient that Goodman expanded his comics line and soon hired his own staff of writers and artists. Both the number of titles and the number of issues increased steadily through the 1940s. After a brief retrenchment in 19507, the line continued to expand.

The Atlas Age Of Comics In the early 1950s, Goodman decided to maximize profits by cutting out this middleman and establishing his own distributor.9 Atlas News Co., Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, was paid a fee to distribute the products of Chipiden, Manvis, and the rest. Because Goodman owned them all, he was essentially taking money out of one pocket and putting it in the other.

Goodman has been aptly described as a “binge-and-purge” publisher.8 His primary business strategy was to determine what sorts of books were selling well (either for himself or for competitors) and then to flood the market with books like it. This trend-chasing strategy meant that if Love Romances did well, it would soon be joined on the newsstand by Love Adventures, Love Classics, Love Dramas, Love Secrets, Love Tales, and Lovers. If competitor DC Comics had A Date with Judy, Goodman had A Date with Millie and A Date with Patsy. His empire was “built on selling paper, not innovation.”9

An Atlas globe logo was added to the covers of all Goodman’s comics beginning with the Nov. 1951 issues. Many comics scholars maintain that this was the imprint of the new distribution firm, not another attempt at a unified corporate identity. However, the logos of Kable News remained on the covers through the Aug. 1952 issues.10 This 10month overlap of the Atlas and Kable symbols supports the view that “Atlas” was intended as a product imprint, not a distributor’s mark. And it definitely was used to encourage brand loyalty and to promote sales. Interior pages frequently carried on their bottom margin the exhortation: “For the best in [name of genre] tales, look for the Atlas seal on the cover!”

Today, “Marvel Comics” is a brand name nearly as widely recognized as Coca-Cola or Chevrolet. However, for many years, Goodman did not seem overly concerned with establishing a distinctive product identity for his comic book line.10 He set up over 50 different corporate entities (e.g., Canam Publishing Sales Corp.; Chipiden Publishing Corp., Lion Books, Inc.; Male Publishing Corp.; Manvis Publications, Inc.; Vista Publications, Inc.) to serve as publisher-of-record for his comics. All of these were wholly owned by Goodman and appear to have been subsidiaries of his main corporation, Magazine Management Co., a name

In 1956, Goodman decided to give up on self-distribution and once again entrust his product to an outside distributor. American News Co. (ANC)12 had been the nation’s largest distributor of periodicals for over four decades. Major magazines such as Time, Look, Life, Fortune, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Glamour, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, and Popular Mechanics were placed on America’s newsstands by ANC. The company was financially quite sound, reporting a net income for 1956 of nearly $2.4 million on net sales of $172 million; this was an increase of 40% over the previous year’s profits.

hen Will Eisner passed away on January 3, 2005, the comics world lost a true friend. I lost a friend, too. With your indulgence, I’d like to share a few of my memories of Will Eisner.

I first encountered Will when I was about 12 or so, in the pages of an unauthorized Spirit comic book, published around 1963 by Super Comics (also known as IW). The experience was confusing, to say the least! The issue’s lead story introduced me to The Spirit, the character most associated with Will Eisner. “The Man Who Killed The Spirit!” told the tale of a crooked accountant traveling by trolley through an eerie marshland outside Central City. The story itself was prime Eisner, if something of an atypical Spirit tale. A passenger steps into the trolley, calmly carrying what appears to be The Spirit’s corpse. The accountant, a guy named Crauley, does a double-take when he sees it. Things get worse when he looks around and finds himself surrounded by his former partners in crime, “Killer” Conch and “Bottles” McTopp. Crauley made the fatal mistake of double-crossing them, and now they’ve tracked him down. In the final minutes of his life, he tells them (and us!) the sordid tale of how he ratted them out to The Spirit, and stole their money. In a final doublecross, Crauley shot The Spirit in the back. In the end, we discover the seated crooks are actually dead, killed earlier in a battle with the cops, and placed there by The Spirit to elicit a confession. The Spirit’s corpse (seen throughout the story) turns out to be a dummy that only resembles the blue-suited Spirit. And where is The Spirit when all this is going on? Why, he’s been sitting up front, disguised as the conductor. Whew! That was one complicated plot— even for Eisner! Since I had never even seen The Spirit before, I was baffled. Was The Spirit a hero (as he seemed), a villain, or a ghost? The flashback implied he was some sort of cop, but who knew? The story, drawn in 1946, was

unlike any I’d ever seen. Pages oozed atmosphere. Dead bodies littered the trolley, their demented eyes frozen in death mask. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing, but I was sure of one thing. I loved it! Two other stories in the issue featured Carrion, another Eisner villain, and his beloved vulture Julia. A fight between The Spirit’s kid sidekick and Julia was as brutal as any I’d seen in all my 12 years. The storytelling was brilliant, and Eisner’s art was the perfect mixture of illustration and classic cartooning. In short, it was everything I was looking for in a comic. Will Eisner had me hooked. I was desperate for another shot of Spirit, but in the early ’60s Spirit stories were nearly impossible to find. After all, Eisner had pulled the plug on his newspaper strip and comic books in the early ’50s. I did stumble onto a second Super Comics Spirit reprint, but the art wasn’t nearly as exciting. No wonder. Years later, I discovered the issue had been ghosted by Lou Fine. Former Spirit-scripter Jules Feiffer provided my next encounter with Will Eisner. In 1965 Feiffer came out with The Great Comic Book Heroes, a fascinating book devoted to early heroes and their creators. Feiffer spoke of his former boss in glowing tones, at one point stating that: “Alone among comic book men, Eisner was a cartoonist other

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt Each story was a classic, with breathtaking art. I read and reread the comic dozens of times, carefully studying how Eisner manipulated the size and shape of his panels to control the pace and the emotional impact. Even today, 40 years later, I can’t imagine a more effective “How to Draw Comics” primer. Charged up by Eisner’s work, I began drawing my own comic book pages. A few months later, a second giant Spirit comic came out, every bit as breathtaking as the first. Previews for issue #3 promised more great stuff. Sadly, the Harvey line never really took off, and the 25¢ Spirit comic was cancelled after two issues. Would I ever see The Spirit again? Well, of course! My next Spirit encounter occurred at Len Wein’s house a few months later, shortly before Swamp Thing’s co-creator went pro. We both lived in Levittown, so a few fanboys had dropped by to see Len’s legendary collection. In a pile of old comics I found a slick pro-zine published that year by Ed Aprill, Jr., that reprinted some of Eisner’s rare Spirit daily comic strips. Though Eisner claimed to dislike the daily comic strip format, he seemed to have effortlessly mastered it. I desperately wanted to own that beautiful book. Years later, I finally did. Patience rewarded! Then, in 1969, I learned even more about Will Eisner—courtesy of Will Eisner! Issue #6 of witzend, a prozine founded three years earlier by Wally Wood, another former Eisner assistant, featured John Benson’s seminal interview with Eisner. It was the first time I could peek behind the panels and hear the person behind one of my favorite characters. Eisner

“The Man Who Killed The Spirit” (a.k.a. “The Last Trolley”) originally appeared in the Spirit newspaper section of March 24, 1946. It was later reprinted in Super Comics’ The Spirit #11 in 1963. [©2005 Estate of Will Eisner.]

cartoonists swiped from.” To prove his point, he reprinted an early Spirit story. Good as it was, it wasn’t nearly enough. In 1966 I finally got my first major dose of the real thing. During the Batman TV craze, comic books started selling again, and almost every publisher tried to cash in on the gold rush. Harvey Comics was no exception. When they hired Golden Age great Joe Simon to edit a line of adventure comics, Joe invited Will to put together a Spirit comic. Joe was familiar with The Spirit, having drawn the cover of the bootleg Super Comics reprint mentioned earlier. A few months later, on the way home from Hebrew school, my dad and I stopped by a drug store to pick up a few comics. Lucky me! I found two new titles, giant 25¢ comics filled with pre-Code reprints. One of these was Joe’s own Fighting American comic book, done in the ’50s with Jack Kirby. A new Kirby super-hero? Cool! But even cooler was the first issue of Harvey’s Spirit comic. My heart did a triple-gainer when I saw it! The Harvey Spirits were truly crackcocaine for Spirit fans. In addition to reprinting seven of the very best Spirit stories from the late ’40s, Eisner (and assistant Chuck Kramer) drew a new origin tale, plus a cover and two-page filler story. The comic was so good I bought two copies, an almost unheard-of extravagance for this cash-strapped 15-year-old! Joe Simon’s, er, striking cover to the bootleg Super reprint. Three years later, Joe became editor at Harvey Comics, and got Will to produce two fully-authorized Spirit issues for that company. [Spirit TM & ©2005 Estate of Will Eisner.]

“Fate Did Its Odd Thing”

ALEX TOTH On His Near-Brush With MILTON CANIFF’s Steve Canyon ack in issue #37, Alex related how artistic fellow-legend Noel Sickles told him of being asked by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to become a prime artist of Superman. Here, on his monthly postcard from the edge of Southern California, Alex tells of his own dealings with Sickles’ friend and colleague Milt Caniff, who in the late 1940s moved from one super-popular newspaper strip (Terry and the Pirates) to start another (Steve Canyon), and of his own nearconnection with the latter. —Roy.

Visit the official Alex Toth website at: www.tothfans.com.

Caniff’s Steve Canyon Sunday for Aug. 30, 1953…definitely a Cold War classic. Note that the art continues outside the panel borders— to be dropped when photostats were made of the originals. [©2005 Field Enterprises, Inc., or successors in interest.]

85 better way... easier way... faster way... to introduce your super-hero and promises of forthcoming action than through a familiar microphone in the hands of a likeable youngster about the age of your readers?

mds& (c) [Art

FCA EDITORS NOTE: From 1941-53, Marcus D. Swayze was a top artist for Fawcett Publications. The very first Mary Marvel character sketches came from Marc’s drawing table, and he illustrated her earliest adventures, including the classic origin story, “Captain Marvel Introduces Mary Marvel (Captain Marvel Adventures No. 18, Dec. ’42); but he was primarily hired by Fawcett Publications to illustrate Captain Marvel stories and covers for Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures. He also wrote many Captain Marvel scripts, and continued to do so while in the military. After leaving the service in 1944, he made an arrangement with Fawcett to produce art and stories for them on a freelance basis out of his Louisiana home. There he created both art and story for The Phantom Eagle in Wow Comics, in addition to drawing the Flyin’ Jenny newspaper strip for Bell Syndicate (created by his friend and mentor Russell Keaton). After the cancellation of Wow, Swayze produced artwork for Fawcett’s top-selling line of romance comics, including Sweethearts and Life Story. After the company ceased publishing comics, Marc moved over to Charlton Publications, where he ended his comics career in the mid-’50s. Marc’s ongoing professional memoirs have been FCA’s most popular feature since his first column appeared in FCA #54, 1996. Last issue, Marc recalled contemplating over his career in comics in 1956 while he tested the waters of corporate work. This time, the versatile artist discusses his writing “Captain Marvel” scripts near the very beginning of the Golden Age, and the usage in the stories of the World’s Mightiest Mortal’s 14-year-old alter ego. —P.C. Hamerlinck.

t was 1938… radio sets up and down the street... and in the dorms at Louisiana Tech... were blaring startling news that we, the USA and the rest of the world I suppose, were being attacked by unknowns from outer space! Turned out to be a hoax, I am thankful to say today. Come to think of it, more thankful then.

It can be assumed that writers... like the incredibly prolific Otto Binder... got around to opening some Captain Marvel stories without the customary Billy Batson scene. Of the tales scripted for the feature by others, however, including myself, it’s a safe bet that few began otherwise. In the majority of cases it was Billy... setting the stage... arranging the props... providing a supporting cast... hinting at a plot... moving toward his initial “Shazam”... to return at the story’s close for his farewell... after the magic word again, of course. There weren’t any special memos or pep talks about it, but the general understanding was that Eddie Herron, Al Allard, and very likely Ralph Daigh expected to see Captain Marvel out front very early in the stories. So did the Madison Avenue suits upstairs. The name of the game... the comic book game... at Fawcett was Captain Marvel! My somewhat impromptu entry into the writing arena came about when there was a spur of the moment need for a script and I volunteered. I don’t know why I did that, except that I considered myself a team player... and Fawcett was my team. My big brother’s words echoed then and still do: “Don’t make your infielder have to dig the ball out of the dirt! Throw him a perfect strike!” Not bad advice. Not easy to forget. They didn’t know I could write. Nobody did... but me. There had been no mention of writing in my résumé... how could they know? Of course, in my own personal ratings of authorship I invariably found myself at or very near the top... up there with the literary greats. No sense in selling oneself short... to oneself. I call it confidence... selfconfidence. Little can be recalled about the story after it was accepted and scheduled... not even whether it was illustrated by C.C. Beck or by me. I did a couple more scripts after that but not under similar pressure circumstances. I have since wondered occasionally how they were handled in the accounting department. Surely not in my name, a salaried member of the art department. There was a strict no-no on the premises that purchases never be made from company employees. The benefit that I was to enjoy from the experience was the satisfaction when I left for military service a year or so later that I was not the only one who knew

Scared the daylights out of us but didn’t hurt us. Nor did it hurt the young radio announcer, Orson Welles, who spawned the joke. Another production of his, Citizen Kane, hit the movie screens three years later with almost as great an impact. Maybe greater. If Orson was not already a star by that time, he was well on his way to becoming one. So was another young radio announcer, high in the upper tiers of Manhattan... kid named Batson with station WHIZ. Billy is perhaps better remembered by the name of his alter ego, Captain Marvel. Billy Batson, one of a surprising number of Golden Age good-deeders from the creative mind of Fawcett writer-editor Bill Parker, must have been his creator’s gift to comic book writers of the day. What

“The kid with radio station WHIZ is perhaps better remembered by the name of his alter ego, Captain Marvel. In the majority of stories, it was Billy… setting the stage….” Marc Swayze panel from Captain Marvel Adventures #15 (Sept. 1942). [2005 DC Comics.]

Man of Mystery

BILL BLACK’s AC Comics by P.C. Hamerlinck [Special Thanks to Robert K.S. Croy, Sr.]

A Fan In Florida

uper-heroes and cowboys influenced a boy who would one day own his own comic book company.

Bill Black was first exposed to comics as its Golden Age dissipated directly following World War II. Black witnessed firsthand many of his favorite super-heroes fall and vanish into thin air. Still, the youngster with a strong passion for comics kept a steady vigil near the newsstands, armed with dimes and ready to grab any heroes still left standing. His family moved to Florida in 1951. During the 1950s, he had his definite favorites: Simon and Kirby’s Fighting American, Bullseye, and Stuntman. By sixth grade, Black was already creating and drawing his own comics. Another top pop-culture love of Black’s was films. He took an immediate liking to the Saturday afternoon matinee B-western movies, and was particularly awestruck with the Durango Kid films starring Charles Starrett. The combination of Durango’s heroics and all-black outfit filled a void

Marvels All! (Above:) Bill Black talks with a bearded C.C. Beck about his gun collection at an OrlandoCon in the early 1980s. (Below:) The Marvel Family—penciled by Don Newton, and inked by Bill Black. [Art ©2005 Bill Black & Estate of Don Newton; characters TM & ©2005 DC Comics.]

for Black during a time when many of his favorite comic book costumed characters continued to shrink in numbers. (Black soon discovered to his delight Magazine Enterprises’ Durango Kid comic book and was lassoed into the thriving cowboy comics genre of the period.) As early as 1959 Black started to produce his own regular 8mm and super-8 horror films. He even made it as a finalist in a contest sponsored by Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Eventually Black became more serious with his movie projects and began filming in 16mm, making roughly twenty movies. (He continues film work today, with plans to put more time and energy into the field.) Black entered Florida State University in 1963, majoring in Advertising Design while he fine-tuned his art skills. He produced his first professional work with underground comix publisher Bill Killeen on The Charlatan, a humor magazine based in Tallahassee, Florida. After graduating from FSU in 1966, Black was drafted into the Army and assigned to teach photography and painting at Fort Stewart in Georgia. While in the service he married his college sweetheart, Rebekah, who soon understood her husband’s fascination with comics after she read his entire box of early Fantastic Four issues. During this time Black discovered comics fandom by stumbling upon an issue of G.B. Love’s comic fanzine, The Rocket’s BlastComicollector. Through the RB-CC’s large number of advertisers, Black began buying Golden Age comics from dealers and fans and developed friendships with others in fandom. Black would soon become one of comic fandom’s major figures.

Paragon And Prodom In early 1969 Black began to create small press publications under the banner of Paragon Publications. The previous year he had

Bill Black’s AC Comics on a new life of their own, transforming from fanzines into professionallyproduced and -designed magazines. Various then-current and future comics professionals provided art contributions to Black’s magazines, including Gil Kane, Joe Staton, and Jerry Ordway. In 1972 Black decided to write to his childhood idol, Charles Starrett, the actor who had portrayed The Durango Kid. One evening close to midnight, a ringing phone awakened Black. The familiar-sounding voice on the other end said, “This is The Durango Kid!” Black’s friendship with Starrett had begun, lasting almost two decades until the actor’s death. Starrett had granted Black permission for the continued use of his name and image in Durango Kid comics. Black promised Starrett that he would keep him and Durango alive by always having “The Durango Kid” in print … a promise that Black has kept since 1973.

Bill’s contact with the late Charles Starrett, who had played “The Durango Kid” in a series of movies in the 1940s and early ’50s, led to his eventually reprinting numerous Western comics stories from that period—e.g., in Best of the West #26 (2002) and Western Movie Hero #2 (2001) with Monte Hale, Lash LaRue, Tom Mix, and Tim Holt. These and most of the rest of AC Comics’ product are still available; see ad on p. 86. [Covers ©2005 AC Comics.]

published Paragon Golden Age Greats #1, which contained reprints of Golden Age stories of “Rocketman,” “The Spirit,” “Captain Marvel,” and others. It was produced on a photocopier and was an extremely limited edition of one copy. The next year, a week before his discharge from the Army, Black persuaded his supervisor to buy a used printing press, and with it he printed Paragon Golden Age Greats # 2. The book contained reprints of Golden Age “Captain Marvel” stories, which, Black learned, could have caused him trademark problems. Thus, with the exception of a dozen or so ultra-rare copies, the entire print run was trashed. Noteworthy of this rarity was the inclusion of a brand new Captain Marvel story, written and drawn (in then-current Marvel Comics-style) by Black, years before DC Comics officially revived the World’s Mightiest Mortal. Luckily, Black had saved the original artwork, which was reworked and re-lettered and subsequently published in the next Paragon book, Paragon Publications – Captain Paragon #1. (The second issue was titled Paragon Presents – Dark Continent #2, featuring Tara, originally drawn by Black on typewriter paper.) Returning to Florida after his time in the service, Black did a brief freelance stint with Warren Publications, illustrating horror stories for Creepy and Eerie magazines. He continued to produce books under the Paragon banner during evening hours. Black became heavily involved within fandom and produced many covers and spot illustrations for various fanzines, most notably for Bill Wilson’s The Collector, Gary Groth’s Fantastic Fanzine, Marty Greim’s Comic Crusader, and other fan-related projects. By producing an entire line of different titles, Black’s own fanzines were unique from his contemporaries’. In 1970 Black moved to Tallahassee and worked at the Florida State University Media Center as an illustrator and supervisor. During his employment with them, Black persuaded yet another of his employers to obtain a used printing press! In evenings down in the FSU basement Black printed his Paragon books. (He would eventually obtain a printing press of his own while in Tallahassee.) The Paragon books began to take

Black became involved in Florida’s OrlandoCon in the late ’70s. The convention became well-known for its big-name guests, including Will Eisner, Marty Nodell, C.C. Beck, and many others. Black’s association with OrlandoCon lasted 17 years.

In the mid-’70s, Marvel Comics editor Roy Thomas asked Black if he would be interested in some freelance inking work for them. Black inked stories in What If #9 & #12 and The Invaders #31. Black then turned down further freelance work from Marvel and relocated to Longwood, Florida, where he took an art director job with a film production company. Black continued to contribute art for various comics and fanzines. In the early ’80s, he illustrated several covers for Charlton, including Billy the Kid and Gunfighters. He also assisted Dan Reed on the “Blue Beetle” strip and provided artwork for Charlton Bullseye.

Turning On The AC In 1982, Black decided to form his own independent comic book company: AmeriComics—later renamed AC Comics. For 13 years Black had run Paragon Publications out of his home, but with AC, he opened up offices in Longwood, where the business has since remained. Wisconsin artist Mark Heike, whom Black calls “my first fan,” relocated to Longwood to join AC as associate editor and artist. AC Comics was one of the pioneering four-color comics publishers responsible for the development of the independent direct sales market. The company grew quickly and was soon publishing several titles. 1985 marked the year that Black, long inspired by Golden Age “good girl” art (specifically Matt Baker’s Phantom Lady), began publishing comics featuring what would become his most popular creation: “Femforce.” The successful and longest-running super-heroine group is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. By the late ’80s Black began to experiment in publishing different genres, reprinting Golden Age western, crime, jungle, and science-fiction comic stories—in addition to reprinting public domain super-hero stories from the ’40s and ’50s. Charlton departed from the comic book business in 1987 and began

True Art

“But you have to change things!” these copyists maintain. “You have to bring things up to date, and use modern terms that readers will understand.” In other words, you must rewrite history. If an old story is bloodthirsty and horrible, you must clean it up and make it all pretty and nice. If an old story is simple and direct, you must clutter it all up and make it mind-boggling. Above all, you must make everything polished, slick, homogenized like a TV dinner or a fast-food milkshake.

by C.C. Beck Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck

[Originally presented in FCA/SOB #11 (FCA #22), 1981.]

ot long ago a young artist asked me whether the purpose of art was not to search for new ways to see things and then to show the world how to view everything in new and wonderful ways.

He seemed shocked when I said that I didn’t hold much to that view. Perhaps, I said, in the long run artists manage to teach the public new ways of seeing things, but only gradually and after the passage of many years. No individual artist can bring about any great change, I pointed out. In my opinion it is much more important that artists use standard, accepted methods to show things that everyone is familiar with but of which most people are not aware. Art, like language, must be understood by ordinary humans. There is no point in creating new and strange terms which nobody can understand. Such work, in either literature or art, is no better than gibberish.

This is utter nonsense, of course. If an old story (there really aren’t any new ones, and haven’t been since prehistoric times) is still worth telling, tell it the way it was told in the first place. Don’t fruit it up with all sorts of meaningless garbage. If you have no story to tell, don’t expect to get many readers to buy your work for the sake of the beautiful, mostly meaningless art you give them instead. To me, art is like magic. True art should make viewers say, “I don’t know how he did that, but it’s a great job.” False art makes viewers say, “Now why did he do that? I can’t make heads or tails of this fellow’s work.” Even other artists don’t really like such false art. So many of them sit down and produce art that’s even more false. After a while, everything becomes so meaningless that it all falls apart and disappears, never to be seen again. The whole shebang is buried under tons of rubble and later generations forget all about the misguided souls who thought that their names would be remembered forever.

Political cartoonists merely exaggerate politicians’ noses, ears, teeth, jowls, and other features so that they can become instantly recognizable characters. “Why, that looks just like Nixon, or Reagan, or Carter, or Tip O’Neil!” the reader laughs—or snorts— depending on his politics. Political cartoonists don’t show figures as if seen from directly overhead, or from a manhole, or leaping off the page in startling perspective. They don’t tip and distort everything merely to show off. They do not use an airbrush, or acrylic paint, or even, most of the time, any color. Comic book cartoonists, however, seem to be trying to impress readers with their artwork, not with their ability to depict great characters. They seem to be always experimenting, like so many students, with strange angles and weird techniques in hopes of finding something new and wonderful. What that something may be, nobody knows. After a political character has been established in cartoon form, other artists copy the caricature mindlessly. They distort it farther and farther away from the original form until it becomes grotesque and meaningless. This happens to comic book characters, too. All the great Golden Age characters have been so changed over the years that they are no longer recognizable. They are like the great heroes and villains and saints of ancient times whose stories and images were retold and reshaped by copyists and scribes who hadn’t the faintest idea of what they were supposed to be doing.