Roy Thomas' All-Inclusive Fanzine
THE IRRESISTIBLE RISE OF
BLACK SUPERHEROES!
$10.95
In the USA
No. 173
1
Art TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
January 2022
82658 00451 4
GOLDEN AGE—
SILVER AGE—
MARVEL AGE—
& BEYOND!
Vol. 3, No. 173 / January 2022 Editor
Roy Thomas
Associate Editor Jim Amash
Design & Layout
Christopher Day
Consulting Editor John Morrow
FCA Editor
P.C. Hamerlinck J.T. Go (Assoc. Editor)
Comic Crypt Editor
Don’t STEAL our Digital Editions!
Michael T. Gilbert
Editorial Honor Roll
Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Mike Friedrich, Bill Schelly
Proofreaders
William J. Dowlding David Baldy
C’mon citizen, DO THE RIGHT THING! A Mom & Pop publisher like us needs every sale just to survive! DON’T DOWNLOAD OR READ ILLEGAL COPIES ONLINE! Buy affordable, legal downloads only at
www.twomorrows.com
Cover Artists
or through our Apple and Google Apps!
Jack Kirby (w/Joe Sinnott) Billy Graham Gene Colan (w/Joe Sinnott) Rich Buckler (w/Frank Giacoia)
& DON’T SHARE THEM WITH FRIENDS OR POST THEM ONLINE. Help us keep producing great publications like this one!
Cover Colorists
Tom Ziuko, et al.
With Special Thanks to: Paul Allen Heidi Amash Richard J. Arndt Bob Bailey Bernie Bubnis Glen Cadigan Colin Cameron Nick Caputo John Cimino Chet Cox Justin Fairfax Shane Foley William Foster III Stephan Friedt Janet Gilbert Alex Grand Grand Comics Database (website) Bruce Guthrie Keith Hammond JayJay Jackson William B. Jones, Jr.
Sharon Karibian Jim Kealy Jack Kelly Mark Lewis Jim Ludwig Mike Mikulovsky Barry Pearl Ken Quattro Mark Reznicek Randy Sargent David Saunders Jim Shooter Amber Stanton Tony Tallarico Dann Thomas Jim Thompson
This issue is dedicated to the memory of
Joye Kelly, Carl Gafford, & Norman Saunders
Contents
Writer/Editorial: Black Is The New Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Black Heroes—Silver Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A new look at the “Silver” & “Marvel” Ages by Barry Pearl.
“You Need Somebody To Give You A Sense Of That History” . 37 And William Foster III is the man to do it, say interviewers Alex Grand & Jim Thompson.
Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! Don’t Get MAD—Get ANGRY! . . 57 Michael T. Gilbert on Mad’s black-&-white competitors—and imitators.
Tributes to Carl Gafford & Joye Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 re: [correspondence, comments, & corrections] . . . . . . . . . 65 FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #232 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 P.C. Hamerlinck presents Part II of David Saunders’ spotlight on artist Norman Saunders.
On Our Cover: Since the main thrust of Barry Pearl’s lead article is how black heroes, both super- and other, came to Marvel, DC, and other mainstream comic companies, primarily over the course of the 1960s and ’70s, it was all but inevitable that (as neither DC nor Marvel wants us to “mix and match” its characters with those of its rival on our covers) we piece together one made up of Marvel stalwarts— since DC had relatively fewer such during that period. The Black Panther figure is by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott… The Falcon by Gene Colan & Joe Sinnott... Luke Cage by Billy Graham… and Black Goliath by Rich Buckler & Frank Giacoia. [Art TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] Above: But don’t worry—DC Comics and other companies get their fair share of four-color coverage from Barry (as well as from interviewee William Foster III) in this issue, from Lobo to Fast Willie Jackson. And here’s one of the biggest of them all—Black Lightning, as drawn by Rich Buckler & Vince Colletta for the month of August in the 1978 Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters. [TM & © DC Comics.] Alter Ego TM issue 173, January 2022 (ISSN 1932-6890) is published bi-monthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage pending at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Alter Ego, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. 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. Six-issue subscriptions: $68 US, $103 Elsewhere, $29 Digital Only. 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 China. FIRST PRINTING.
3
Black Heroes—Silver Pages A New Look At The Silver & Marvel Ages by Barry Pearl, F.F.F. (with special thanks to Nick Caputo, F.F.F.) A/E EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: This piece appeared earlier, in a slightly different form, on Barry Pearl’s blog “Barry’s Pearls of Comic Book Wisdom.”
T
his is not the history of African-Americans in comics. It is a chronology of African-American characters in the Silver and Marvel Ages of Comics, between 1956 and 1977.
During that double era, I did not have the African-American experience of growing up and living in America. But many of my closest friends did. And I read comics with them! Growing up, and even in adulthood, I saw and heard their concerns about isolation, exclusion, housing, schooling, jobs, and personal safety. We had read comics, and my friends were looking for someone to relate to. Often, Spider-Man was their favorite, because his mask covered his full face and he could be anyone behind it.
From Waku To Jefferson Pierce (Left:) Although his primary focus in the following piece is the late 1950s through the latter ’70s, author Barry Pearl gives a shout-out to the “Waku, Prince of the Bantu” series that ran in all seven mid-1950s issues of Timely/Atlas’ Jungle Tales. This splash page from #1 (Sept. ’54) is by Ogden Whitney; writer unknown. The “Waku” yarns dealt with Timely/Atlas’ version of the historical Bantu people in an era that seems to pre-date contact with whites; its all-black cast were not portrayed as the primitive, superstitious tribesmen on display in most other 1940s-50s jungle comics. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] (Above:) As a necessarily arbitrary bookend to his article, Barry chose DC’s Black Lightning series, which made its debut with a date of April 1977. Cover art by Rich Buckler & Frank Springer. Except where otherwise noted, all art accompanying this article has been supplied by Barry Pearl. [TM & © DC Comics.]
4
A New Look At The Silver & Marvel Ages
The term “African-American” refers to Americans with ancestors from Africa. In science-fiction I use the term “black” (whether capitalized or un-) because we often don’t know the nationality of the character—or even what planet he is from. William H. Foster III’s book Looking for a Face Like Mine is relevant. Mr. Foster explains why it was so important to him to have black characters in comics even if they were stereotypes. Mr. Foster writes: The images of black characters in mainstream comics in the 1960s and ’70s were almost non-existent, terribly
stereotypical, but didn’t represent any models worthy of emulation. All in all, people like me just didn’t seem to exist in comics. And, while this didn’t destroy my enjoyment of comics, it did leave me with a disquieting feeling that people who look like me weren’t welcome, not just in comics, but society as well. There were a few black supporting characters before 1960, but I am discussing the Silver and Marvel Ages—two somewhat indistinct (and partly overlapping) terms. In the early 1960s it was impossible for me to read the defunct newspaper comics section that had starred Will Eisner’s The Spirit and featured Ebony… or Atlas/ Timely/Marvel’s 1954 Jungle Tales with its series “Waku, Prince of the Bantu,” a dignified take on an African prince and perhaps a model for T’Challa, Marvel’s Black Panther.
Baby Steps (Clockwise From Above) While Ebony White was drawn and written in stereotypical fashion in Will Eisner’s acclaimed Sunday-supplement comicbook The Spirit, he was nonetheless treated as a sympathetic, admirable, and often triumphant character. In addition, as per the episode for Oct. 13, 1946, it should be noted that the young lady who’s the object of Ebony’s affections is no more a caricature than are The Spirit and Commissioner Dolan on the same page. Reproduced from DC’s Will Eisner’s Spirit Archives, Vol. 13. [TM & © Will Eisner Estate.] In a real rarity for the Golden Age at a major comics company in that era, the black hero “Waku, Prince of the Bantu” was spotlighted on the covers of all seven Jungle Tales issues, with each of the mag’s four series given its own box. Issue #3 (Jan. 1955) cover by Joe Maneely. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] And then there’s “Voodah,” drawn by African-American artist Matt Baker (writer unknown). Ken Quattro, in his book Invisible Men: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books, refers to Voodah as “the first clearly Black hero to have his own feature in a comic book,” starting with McCombs Publications’ Crown Comics #3 (Fall 1945), whose splash is pictured here… though Voodah’s and others’ skin tones print lighter here than on subsequent pages. Ken, who’s written several studies for Alter Ego, reports that Voodah appeared, but “white-skinned,” on the cover of Crown #5—then was colored as a Caucasian both on covers and in stories from #6 onward. More about Matt Baker next issue! [© the respective copyright holders.]
Black Heroes—Silver Pages
5
The Happy Days Syndrome
The Invisible Men Subtitled Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books, Ken Quattro’s excellent study went on sale in 2020. [Cover TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]
Early on, TV networks would produce a particular episode to show they were inclusive. The popular 1970s-80s series Happy Days contained an episode in which an African-American family moves in next door and encounters bigotry. But the leather-jacketed teenager Fonzie likes them, and then everyone does, and at the end of the episode they have dinner with the Cunninghams…. …AND THEY ARE NEVER SEEN AGAIN.
Another aspect of this syndrome is that black characters must appear in plots involving prejudice. There were hundreds of innocuous plots on Happy Days about dating, cars, staying out late, etc. However, when a black character shows up, the story has to be about prejudice.
Late 1950s & Early 1960s In the late 1950s into the 1970s, DC would often print publicservice announcements about friendship, equality, and brotherhood.
Oh, Happy Days! The Fonz (Henry Winkler), recent arrival Bill (Jack Baker), and Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) in “Fonzie’s New Friend,” the first Happy Days installment (season 3, episode 12) to deal with racial prejudice. It aired Nov. 25, 1975. Happy Days ran on TV from 1974 to 1984. Thanks to Barry Pearl. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]
characters, who are included in the British version. DC, however, not only re-colored the black characters to make them white; it had their faces redrawn to look Caucasian. (An earlier adaptation of Doctor No had been produced as a comic strip in Great Britain’s newspapers in 1960, drawn by John McLusky. There, too, black characters had been left intact.) An example of the Happy Days Syndrome: The “Sgt. Rock” feature introduced a one-shot black character, Jackie Johnson, in Our Army at War #113 (Dec. 1961). The cover showed only the back of his head, which was partly swathed in a bandage, making it easy
Even so, there were no AfricanAmerican people working at The Daily Planet or attending Superboy’s school in Smallville. Justice League of America and the Legion of SuperHeroes had green people, purple people, orange people, but no black people for years. There were no black youngsters at Supergirl’s orphanage or anywhere else. Mr. Foster points out that there was one story about black people on Krypton—and they lived on an island. “Even on Krypton,” Mr. Foster said, “we were segregated!” [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: By happy coincidence, the first installment of an interview with William Foster III follows this article. Meanwhile, an image from the aforementioned story can be seen on p. 34.] DC’s Showcase reprinted Doctor No, an adaptation of a James Bond novel that had first been published in Great Britain’s edition of Classics Illustrated. Much of the story takes place in Jamaica and spotlights Jack Schiff several black
“People Are People” Superman starred in these two early-’50s anti-prejudice “public-service” pages reportedly written by editor Jack Schiff. The one on the left, drawn by Al Plastino, appeared in Action Comics #143 (April 1950), as well as in other DC titles… while the other, drawn by Win Mortimer, popped up in, among other places, Mystery in Space #13 (April-May ’53). Since in the former the boys are reacting primarily to the Jewish name “Levy,” it’s likely that many readers had no idea exactly what kind of prejudice the lads were displaying! (Antisemitism, of course.) [TM & © DC Comics.]
Black Heroes—Silver Pages
23
Lift Up Your Spears! Splash page from Gold Key/Western’s Brothers of the Spear #1 (June 1971), which featured a rare and welcome equality between the races in a so-called “jungle” comic. Plot by Russ Manning; script by Jerry O’Hara; art by Jesse Santos. [TM & © Random House, Inc.]
Jumping ahead just a little: John Stewart is introduced as a “backup Green Lantern” in issue #87 (Dec. 1971) in a one-shot appearance that is another example of the Happy Days Syndrome. He does appear in Justice League of America #110 (April 1974), but it would be five years before he appeared again in a second GL issue, #94 (May 1977). He is then unemployed until Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #3 (July 1981). DC had many heroes without super-powers between 1968 and the early ’70s: Batman, Challengers of the Unknown, The Secret Six, the Blackhawks, and Sea Devils, to name a few, which perhaps it’s best to deal with here as a group, almost a genre. As a non-super-hero, Black Molo made his first appearance in Sea Devils #23, 1965, with pencils by Howard Purcell. August Durant made his first appearance in Secret Six #1, 1968. Mal Duncan made his debut appearance in Teen Titans #26 (March-April 1970). Not a super-hero at the start, he gained powers by issue #44, in 1976. Many count Mal Duncan as DC’s first bona
“Denny O’Neal Adams” That’s what some fans (and even pros) jokingly called the team of Denny O’Neil (left) & Neal Adams (right) when they worked together on series like “Batman” and the “Green Lantern/Green Arrow” issues of Green Lantern. Both are depicted in the early 1970s. Thanks to Mike Mikulovsky.
“What Did I Do To Get So Green, Black, & Blue?” (Above:) Perhaps the most famous panel sequence from the early 1970s: Green Lantern is stumped by a black man’s simple question in Green Lantern #76 (April ’70). Script by Denny O’Neil; art by Neal Adams. . (Right:) The cover of GL #87 (Dec. ‘71-Jan. ‘72), by the same O’Neil/Adams team. John Stewart was often referred to affectionately, by fans and pros alike—but not by Hal Jordan or the Guardians of the Universe—as “Black Lantern.” [TM & © DC Comics.]
24
A New Look At The Silver & Marvel Ages
Group Dynamics (Clockwise from top left:) The diver Black Molo makes his first appearance, in Sea Devils #23 (May-June 1965). Howard Purcell, pencils; Sheldon Moldoff, inks; writer uncertain. August Durant was one of The Secret Six right from the first issue, cover-dated April-May 1968. Script by E. Nelson Bridwell; art by Frank Springer. Mal Duncan made his dynamic debut, minus costume and super-powers, in Teen Titans #26 (March-April 1970). Script by Robert Kanigher; art by Nick Cardy. Flippa-Dippa has joined the revived Newsboy Legion in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (Oct. 1970), Jack Kirby’s first published outing as writer/ penciler after his jump to DC. Inks by Vince Colletta. [TM & © DC Comics.]
fide black super-hero. (Don’t tell Black Lightning!) At this point DC’s few black heroes were part of gangs or groups. That includes Walter Johnson, Jr., alias “Flippa-Dippa,” known for his diving suit and swimming abilities. He first appears in Kirby’s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (Oct. 1970). In November 1970’s Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #106, “I Am Curious (Black)!,” Lois visits the black neighborhood of “Little Africa” and is ignored because she is white. Using Superman’s Kryptonian gadgets, she transforms herself into a black woman. Returning to the neighborhood, she witnesses the problems of those who live there. However, at the end, once again, a black person needs her as his white savior. What got to me was the splash page. Lois asks Superman if he would marry her now that she was black. There should be no shock here, because, at that time, he refused to marry her when she was white!
1971 He wasn’t a major star, but Jack Kirby’s “Fourth World” introduced Vykin in Forever People #1 (Feb.-March 1971). He was the first black super-hero ever to appear in a DC comicbook.
Black Like Lois Lois Lane finds a science-fictional way to become a black woman—in search of a news story, natch. The story’s title was a nod to a popular (and critically acclaimed—at least by some critics) X-rated film then making the movie-house rounds, titled I Am Curious (Yellow). Incidentally, the word “Yellow” in that title had no racial overtones. The comics story in Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #106 (Nov. 1970) was by Kanigher (script), Werner Roth (pencils), & Vince Colletta (inks). [TM & © DC Comics.]
37
“You Need Somebody To Give You A Sense Of That History” Author WILLIAM FOSTER III Talks About AfricanAmericans In Comics—Both As Characters & As Creators Interview Conducted by Alex Grand & Jim Thompson
A/E
Looking For A Face Like Mine EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: William Foster III’s much-lauded 2005 William Foster III was, for years, trade paperback on blacks in comics to quote from TheRumpus.net’s is unfortunately out of print, and used transcription of a 2013 comics symposium, a “longtime copies command a premium price writer, educator, and researcher.” He was formerly an English these days—so we’re fortunate to have instructor at Naugatuck Valley Community College, and his this recent interview with the comics official title now is “Bro/Prof. Emeritus.” He has also been historian by Messrs. Grand & Thompson the consultant for several comics-history exhibitions and to cover at least some of the same is the author of the sadly out-of-print books Looking for ground, over the course of this A/E issue and the next. Cover art by Omar a Face Like Mine and Dreaming of a Face Like Ours. Bilal; thanks to WFIII for the ID. [Art © As that website paraphrases his words: “The importance the respective copyright holders.] of recognizing [early comics history and the stories of its creators] is even more urgent because it is in danger of being JT: And where did you lost in obscurity.” Alter Ego wishes to thank Alex Grand move to? and Jim Thompson for making available in print this transcription FOSTER: Oh, dude, from their recent conversation how much time have with Foster on their Comic Book you got? [chuckles] Historian Podcast. The text has I went to school in been lightly edited, omitting Massachusetts, and then small portions of back-and-forth moved to Connecticut. and brief interjections… and, I was working for Weekly Reader, except where otherwise indicated, of all places. It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but it was a lot of fun. all accompanying photos and And that’s where I am now, in Connecticut. Love it here. illustrations were provided by Alex Grand and, in some cases JT: Okay. All right, so no other parts of the country. Never lived in the indirectly, William Foster III. This South or anything like that? interview is being presented in two parts, with the second to follow in FOSTER: No. Detroit for a minute… and that was a blessing. our next issue, just two months [chuckles] I’m sorry. That’s wrong. But no, I got to tell you, I love from now…. New England, man. It really has an allure of its own. William Foster III ALEX GRAND: Today, we have a very special guest, Professor William Foster III, a historian in comics who specializes in African-American representation in the medium. I’m Alex Grand, with my co-host Jim Thompson. Professor Foster, thanks so much for joining us today. WILLIAM FOSTER III: Listen, it’s my absolute pleasure. Thank you, gentlemen, for extending the invitation. AG: We’re going to start with your early involvement in comics. Then we’re going to talk about your book, that we both enjoyed very much… Looking for a Face Like Mine. [It features] different articles on black representation in comics, which I found really moving and just really great history. Jim, go ahead and start. JIM THOMPSON: So, Professor Foster, where are you from? FOSTER: Originally, Philadelphia.
JT: That’s nice. Yeah, I’m from Virginia, originally, so I’m a Southerner. But… FOSTER: That’s where my dad’s from. Richmond. JT: Where in Richmond? Because which side of the river makes a great difference. FOSTER: [laughs] Doesn’t it always? Isn’t that true for every city? AG: I lived in Detroit for a year,
Alex Grand & Jim Thompson See the skinny on our intrepid interviewers at the end of this issue’s installment.
38
William Foster III Talks About African-Americans In Comics
but I was in Boston for a year, and you’re right. There is something about that New England vibe. I do love it, too. It’s multicultural, it’s really interesting. FOSTER: I’m telling you, it’s part of that New England… that Northeastern brain trust that goes on in our country. I love that. JT: So, let’s talk about your entry to comics. When did you start reading? What books or lines were you interested in? FOSTER: I started reading comics when I was about 11. But I was a voracious reader. You know that old insult that you’d give somebody, “Eh, go read the encyclopedia.” That was me. I was the, “Eh, read me the encyclopedia”… I couldn’t get enough. And comicbooks were just great. I mean, they told a story vividly, and in bright colors. Superman and Batman were my two favorite characters in the comics I could afford. And I was lucky that I had a couple of buddies who are twin brothers, and their parents were a little higher financial scale, so they bought them all the new comics, as soon as they came out. And I would come over and they’d let me read them. I’d say, “Hey, you guys are all right. I don’t care what anybody else says about you.” JT: What era of Superman and Batman are you reading? Because I don’t know your age. FOSTER: Silver Age. It was like the early ‘60s, and Curt Swan is my favorite Superman artist. AG: So, what’s the year of your birth, then? FOSTER: 1953. AG: Yeah, okay. This is kind of the approximate year of birth of a lot of our guests, it seems. Early ’50s, yeah. FOSTER: It was free, and cheap, entertainment. Everybody told us we were going to die and go to hell if we read comics. It was a great
time. Actually, it got better after people said that, because that way, now we really wanted to read them. [chuckles] JT: So, you were reading Curt Swan-drawn Superman, and you were around during the “New Look” Batman right before the time of the [TV] shows, so Infantino’s new look. FOSTER: Absolutely, but you know the Batman Annuals were reprinting stories from the ’50s before I was old enough to read them. Man, I ate those up, because Batman was just more dynamic. I mean, you couldn’t cross a roof without having a giant toothbrush or a razor, or something… It was great. JT: So now, did you limit yourself to those two characters at that point? Or did you step into Justice League, and The Flash, and all those other characters? FOSTER: Every Superman title I pretty much read, including Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. World’s Finest, of course, was obviously combining my two heroes; I loved that one. But my parents cleverly got me into Classics Illustrated. And then my cousins read all the Harvey Comics books—Hot Stuff, Spooky—and my sisters loved Archie… yeah, my sisters, it wasn’t me… never me… [chuckles] I had a really wide range of comics I was looking at. Even some Charlton Comics occasionally would drop by my way. Some old EC… my dad brought home a box of those, one time. It had a real heavy mildew smell. Like I cared… I just went through those, man. JT: So, which ones, the horror books, or the science-fiction? FOSTER: All of them. Had a nice selection. I used to love the fact that… this is something that the critics of comicbooks never got… something bad would happen to you, but only if you weren’t a good person. If you were an evil person or you had an evil plan, if you kill somebody for their money or you kill somebody’s husband so you could go out with their wife, you know what’s coming for you. And that’s the part us kids were looking for. JT: Oh, yeah. EC was really good about that, too. That if you were cheating on your girlfriend, you were probably going to end up with your head taken off and used as a bowling ball. FOSTER: Yeah, or served up to somebody with the eyeballs still in it. [chuckles] JT: Yeah, don’t sell tainted meat because you’re going to get it. AG: [chuckles] Tainted meat, that’s so true. JT: All right. So, it’s interesting, you haven’t mentioned Marvel yet. Did… FOSTER: When Marvel came out, I was hooked. But before that, I was a big DC fan, or a lot of different publishers. But when they brought out Spider-Man, Fantastic Four… those are two I kind of read. “Doctor Strange” I loved.
Your Two Favorite Heroes—SUPERMAN And BATMAN—In Separate Stories! Two more covers from the prof’s childhood: Superman #126 (Oct. 1962), with art by Curt Swan & George Klein (the classic story inside was scripted by Edmond Hamilton)… and Batman Annual #3 (Summer 1962), whose main “Gorilla Boss” cover scene is adapted from a 9-year-old cover by Winslow Mortimer and Lew Sayre Schwartz. Thanks to the GCD. [TM & © DC Comics.]
And then, as they moved into more titles… “Captain America” was okay, I liked him. “Thor,” not so much. “Iron Man,” okay. But Spider-Man primarily. Because, first of all, as history tells us, he was the first teenage super-hero, if you don’t count Superboy and Robin. They were sidekicks. Spider-Man was on his own, and he had a real complex life. JT: Now, with the EC Comics, they actually dealt with
42
William Foster III Talks About African-Americans In Comics
Tell us about that next stage, now that you’re like a little bit older. FOSTER: I was a voracious reader, like I said, and science-fiction was a major genre. I mean, I went through my school’s library like a wildfire. [Robert] Heinlein was one of my favorites… [Andre] Norton, Samuel Delaney… I read all of those guys. I love their work. Comicbooks were taking me the same way. It’s given me a world of fantasy, but… it helped me in science class, if you can believe it or not. Junior high school science class, one day, my science instructor says, “Okay, I’m going to give you guys a property of a metal, you tell me what metal it is.” I was the only guy in class, thanks to reading Metal Men, who knew every metal. I got the answers right. But at the same token, I had people… not my parents… people… I was from a big church-going family, so you’re always going to have somebody with an opinion and didn’t know how to shut up… they were telling me that that kind of books are going to rot my brain. “It’s a waste of time. Don’t read those funnybooks.” And I just said nothing. But I say a bunch now, because I’m still thinking, “Yeah, you were right. They’re not going to take me anywhere, except to Germany, China, Australia, Britain… Yeah, I didn’t go nowhere. I should put those comicbooks down. I wasted my life.” [chuckles]
Big, Bigger, Biggest You saw, on p. 14 of this issue, how Bill Foster was introduced in The Avengers #32 (Sept. 1966). He worked alongside Dr. Hank Pym in an attempt to master the latter’s size-changing formula. And master it Bill did, all on his own, in Power Man #24 (April ’75), just in time to clash with Luke Cage under his new super-hero moniker, Black Goliath. By then Bill had also become both husband and ex-husband to Luke’s old flame Claire Temple! Script by Tony Isabella; art by George Tuska. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]
which is like “Whoa!”… Where were we in America in 1966? JT: Were you reading that in real time? Or is that something that you discovered after? FOSTER: Oh, dude… They introduced him in The Fantastic Four… how was I not going to read that? It was great. And it’s funny that, even then, there were people who had never picked up a comicbook who were actually convinced Stan Lee was naming him after the Black Panthers Political Party. It’s close, if you look at the timelines for both, but no, there was no way that was a crossover. AG: Yeah. Timewise, [Black Panther may have appeared] three months before the political group. I think it was a coincidence, because there’s a delay in printing by the time it got out anyway. JT: But I think there was a reference to the party, in a newspaper or a magazine, that may predate it. I’ve argued with Arlen Schumer about this before, and that was fun. FOSTER: Oh, man. [laughs] But it’s funny… I clued you guys in on the [fan] geek boys. They don’t like coincidences. They don’t. It’s amazing. When they [Lee & Kirby] took the Fantastic Four to Wakanda, they’re super-scientific and the spear that’s not a spear, it’s a ray gun. They have rituals and a fine tradition. I was just like, “What a time—they couldn’t have timed it better.” JT: Back to your history, because we can get lost in the comics, and we’re going to for the next hour or so… Educationally speaking, so you’re reading comics. Do you put them aside and move on to science-fiction or some other thing? Or do you stay in comics and continue reading that? And what happens in terms of: Do you decide you want to be a professor? Do you decide you want to write? Did you ever want to work in comics?
But yeah, I was a simultaneous reader. Like I said, I couldn’t not read. Once I’ve picked that stuff up, and found out that, opening up a book, I can go into another world, that was it for me. I even tried reading novels from other eras, and novels not necessarily written for boys. I was a big Nancy Drew fan: See if I can figure out the mystery before anybody else in the room. Then I come to find out the books I was reading were like, what… they were 20 years old, and they’re still producing Nancy Drew. JT: Were there any genres that you just thought, “I just can’t handle this because it’s just too damn white? There’s no reference to my…” FOSTER: [laughs] There was a lot of them. JT: I’m thinking of fantasy especially. I mean, Tolkien is awfully white. FOSTER: True. JT: In all of that— and I love it—but there is no space… Whereas, with sciencefiction, even if it’s by metaphor, it slips in all the time. And I don’t think it does in fantasy, nearly as much. FOSTER: No. No, it didn’t. It’s
Panther’s Prey The Jack Kirby/ Joe Sinnott cover of Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966), featuring the world’s first glimpse of The Black Panther. Thanks to the GCD. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]
57
(Right:) A Wally Wood-illustrated page from Mad #17 (Nov. 1954), scripted by Harvey Kurtzman. [© 2021 EC Comics.]
58
Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!
Don’t Get MAD… Get ANGRY! By Michael T. Gilbert
A
l Feldstein was fed up. After Harvey Kurtzman abandoned Mad in an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle a second time (with Trump magazine), Feldstein had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of the man who was the heart and soul of the ten-cent Mad comicbook (and later, briefly, Mad the 25¢ black-&-white magazine).
Enough Is Enough! Feldstein finally had enough, and commissioned a two-page article in Mad #41 (Sept. 1958), purporting to make it even easier for imitators to copy Mad. He began by reprinting Jack Davis’ stunning Mad #27 cover (from April 1956), instructing the competition to “design a cover for your imitation that looks like Mad. Here’s an old Mad to copy. Note the border. Note the confusion. Note that our covers don’t even look like this anymore!” And indeed,
Though failure seemed inevitable, under Feldstein’s editorship Mad actually increased its already impressive sales and firmly secured its place as America’s #1 humor magazine. And what thanks did he get? Why, imitations, of course, sprouting like weeds. Over a dozen of them. Shoddy knockoffs with names like Thimk, From Here to Insanity, Snafu, Cracked, and Zany. One publisher even stole the name of Feldstein’s own Panic, after EC dropped that title. Now that’s chutzpa! Of course, this was nothing new. Mad creator Harvey Kurtzman had faced the same problem earlier. He had responded with his wicked “Julius Caesar!” parody in Mad #17 (Nov. 1954), a story both brilliant and audacious. In that eight-page tale, Kurtzman and artist Wally Wood deconstructed one of their own stories, demonstrating panel by panel precisely how to do a cheap Mad knockoff. I wonder what Al Feldstein thought of Kurtzman’s parody, knowing it was also aimed at EC’s own Mad clone Panic, which he was editing? Now, a few years later, as the editor of Mad itself, Al was in the same position, with imitators nipping at his heels.
What, Me Copy? From Mad #43 (Dec. 1958), the first page of their article “How to Put Out an Imitation of Mad.” Writer uncertain. [© E.C. Publications, Inc.]
Don’t Get Mad—Get Angry!
under Feldstein the ornate Kurtzman border had been eliminated, streamlining the magazine’s appearance. Mad also helpfully provided a listing of Mad synonyms, including “crazy, cracked, nuts, loco, frenzy, panic, wild”—all of which were actually used by the Mad copycats. Ironically, the listing even included the words “trump” and “humbug,” two of Kurtzman’s subsequent satire magazines!
59
Let’s Get Plastered! (Right:) Cracked’s mascot, master plasterer Sylvester P. Smythe, on the cover of Cracked #15 (Aug. 1960). Art by John Severin. [© Major Publications.]
Mad likewise took a swipe at the competition’s mascots,
instructing the copycats to create someone like Alfred E. Neuman… but different. “You could use a plasterer or a cat that drinks whiskey, or… a crutch… you know, really funny stuff like that.” The “plasterer” line was a clear swipe at Cracked’s Sylvester P. Smythe, who began his career plastering the cracks on the covers of the early issues, before morphing into a (very!) simple janitor. A Mad reprint of the issue’s actual index page followed, complete with handydandy liner notes to help future would-be thieves imitate Mad. It was an amusing in-joke, but if Feldstein and the article’s uncredited writer hoped it would end there, they were sadly mistaken.
Take That, Mad! Judging from the angry response from the competition, Mad hit its target squarely between the eyes. From then on, it was war!
All The Angry Young Men “How to Put Out an Imitation of Angry, the Sorehead Magazine,” from Thimk #4 (Dec. 1958). Artist (mercifully!) unknown. [© the respective copyright holders.]
The most direct response was from Counterpoint Publishing’s Thimk #4 (Dec. 1958). Appearing three months after the offending Mad article, Thimk basically published a point-by-point rebuttal under the title “How to Put Out an Imitation of Angry, the Sorehead Magazine.”
OUR ARTISTS AT WAR The first book ever published in the US that solely examines War Comics published in America! It covers the talented writers and artists who supplied the finest, most compelling stories in the War Comics genre, which has long been neglected in the annals of comics history. Through the critical analysis of authors RICHARD J. ARNDT and STEVEN FEARS, this overlooked treasure trove is explored in-depth, finally giving it the respect it deserves! Included are pivotal series from EC COMICS (TwoFisted Tales and Frontline Combat), DC COMICS (Enemy Ace and the Big Five war books: All American Men of War, G.I. Combat, Our Fighting Forces, Our Army at War, and Star-Spangled War Stories), WARREN PUBLISHING (Blazing Combat), CHARLTON (Willy Schultz and the Iron Corporal) and more! Featuring the work of HARVEY KURTZMAN, JOHN SEVERIN, JACK DAVIS, WALLACE WOOD, JOE KUBERT, SAM GLANZMAN, JACK KIRBY, WILL ELDER, GENE COLAN, RUSS HEATH, ALEX TOTH, MORT DRUCKER, and many others. Introduction by ROY THOMAS, Foreword by WILLI FRANZ. Cover by JOE KUBERT. (160-page FULL-COLOR TRADE PAPERBACK) $27.95 • (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-108-0 • NOW SHIPPING!
JOHN SEVERIN: TWO-FISTED COMIC BOOK ARTIST A spirited biography of the EC COMICS mainstay (working with HARVEY KURTZMAN on MAD and TWO-FISTED TALES) and co-creator of Western strip AMERICAN EAGLE. Covers his 40+ year association with CRACKED magazine, his pivotal Marvel Comics work inking HERB TRIMPE on THE HULK and teaming with sister MARIE SEVERIN on KING KULL, and more! With commentary by NEAL ADAMS, RICHARD CORBEN, JOHN BYRNE, RUSS HEATH, WALTER SIMONSON, and many others. By GREG BIGA and JON B. COOKE. NOW SHIPPING! (160-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 • (Digital Edition) $14.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-106-6
AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)
Hot on the heels of Back Issue #128, AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s) takes you from the small screen to the printed page, offering a fascinating and detailed year-by-year history of over 300 television shows and their 2000+ comic book adaptations across five decades. Author PETER BOSCH has spent years researching and documenting this amazing area of comics history, tracking down the well-known series (Star Trek, The Munsters) and the lesser-known shows (Captain Gallant, Pinky Lee) to present the finest look ever taken at this unique genre of comic books. Included are hundreds of full-color covers and images, plus profiles of the artists who drew TV comics: GENE COLAN, ALEX TOTH, DAN SPIEGLE, RUSS MANNING, JOHN BUSCEMA, RUSS HEATH, and many more giants of the comic book world. Whether you loved watching The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, and Zorro from the 1950s—The Andy Griffith Show, The Monkees, and The Mod Squad in the 1960s— Adam-12, Battlestar Galactica, and The Bionic Woman in the 1970s—or Alf, Fraggle Rock, and “V” in the 1980s—there’s something here for fans of TV and comics alike! (192-page FULL-COLOR TRADE PAPERBACK) $29.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-107-3 • SHIPS SPRING 2022!
Norman Saunders, Fawcetteer–Part II
73
by David Saunders
FCA INTRODUCTION: David Saunders, besides being an artist in his own right (and a historian of pulp art), is the son of the much-respected pulp-magazine and comicbook cover artist Norman Saunders. Last issue, David related the early history of Fawcett Publications in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and how his father came to work for the company in 1926. His career as an artist for the company was just taking off when Fawcett was struck by the Great Depression in 1929-30….
W
hen the banking system failed, the pace of manufacturing slowed, and that shut off the golden spigot of advertising that fueled the publishing industry. Nevertheless, Fawcett Publications continued to make a profit during those hard times by keeping a tight grip on overhead, packing every issue with cheap thrills, and depending on newsstand sales instead of corporate advertisers. In 1931 Norman Saunders and Fawcett’s Technical Editor, Weston (Westy) Farmer, joined forces to create Mechanical Package Magazine, which came in a paper carton with prefabricated parts to assemble a small machine, such as a steam engine, an electric motor, or a telegraph key. Hobbyists in that era were already fascinated with building model airplanes, so the magazine soon became a wildly popular craze. Devoted fans formed “Mech
The Men & The Magazines (Above:) A look inside Fawcett’s Robbinsdale, Minnesota, offices (“just one trolley ride from downtown Minneapolis”) in 1932, a year before the publisher’s move to the East Coast. At left, against the wall, is Fawcett’s future longtime art director Al Allard; in the middle of that row is artist Norman Saunders; forefront man unidentified. On the far right is artist Allen Anderson. (Below:) Norman Saunders’ cover(s) for Vol. 1, #2 (April 1932) of the unique Mechanical Package Magazine. It consisted of a stiff-paper box (below left) about the same size as a comicbook but about ½ inch thick. Inside that was a magazine (below right) that contained small parts that could be assembled into a little mechanism, such as a steam engine or model airplane. Saunders co-created the magazine with Fawcett’s technical editor, Weston Farmer, who was depicted in A/E #172. Thanks to David Saunders and P.C. Hamerlinck for all scans printed with this piece, unless otherwise noted. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]
Pack Clubs” all over the nation. In 1933 Westy and Norm produced another visionary magazine for Fawcett, called Technocrats, which proposed a new socio-economic order based on the supremacy of the inventor. (See Saunders’ cover for that magazine’s Jan. 1933 issue in A/E #172.) Westy had a formative influence on Norm’s ideal of creativity. In addition to illustrating covers and articles, Saunders also wrote articles under his own byline in Modern Mechanics, Mechanical Package, and Technocrats. In one such essay he wrote, “It is with a lusty cheer The Editors of this magazine congratulate modern interior decorators for kicking outmoded designs into the dump heap, and setting up a style that is as modern as tomorrow, based on the practicality of geometrical elements. Modern man does not wear mediaeval
74
Fawcett Collectors Of America
In 1933 the new Empire State Building was open to the thrill-seeking public, and Rockefeller Center was beaming nightly radio broadcasts from “high atop the Rainbow Room” to a mesmerized national audience. The NYC pulp magazine industry was booming, and Donenfeld’s “spicy” pulps had expanded into aviation, adventures, mysteries, detectives, and Westerns. In order to remain competitive, Fawcett decided to move to New York City. They kept most of their staff in Minnesota, where the labor costs were lower, but they opened executive offices at 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, next to Grand Central Station, and they also opened a printing plant in Greenwich, Connecticut. In the summer of 1934, Norm Saunders and fellow staff artist Ralph Carlson both quit their full-time jobs at Fawcett and went freelance! They boarded the train for NYC, and within a week were making a living. Ralph drew story Man & Machine At Work! illustrations for Dime Mystery, Dime Western, and Norman Saunders’ cover painting for Fawcett’s Modern Mechanics and Inventions magazine Ace High Western. Norm sold pulp covers to Dell, (July 1932)… along with a historic photo of the artist at work creating that cover image. Street & Smith, and Ace Magazines. He also sold [Cover TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.] work to longtime Fawcett rival Harry Donenfeld, but Norm wanted to remain on good terms with armor! Why then should his home be furnished with slavish copies Fawcett, so he used a fake name for those jobs and signed with only of antiquities?” his middle name “Blaine.” In addition to needing an in-house art staff to assemble Thanks to Norm’s hectic years with Fawcett, he was ready paste-ups and draw story illustrations, Fawcett also needed for the grinding challenge of the New York publishing world. He full-color covers to attract newsstand sales. This was a special field, so they had to hire professionals from New York City, such as Harry Parkhurst (1876-1962), Marland Stone (1895-1975), Zoe Mozert (1907-1993), Rafael De Soto (1904-1992), George Rozen (1895-1973), and his twin brother Jerome Rozen (1895-1987). These jobs were typically budgeted for $125. To save on this cost, Fawcett invited his staff artists to use their spare time to create prospective cover paintings for his approval, and if he liked one, he would pay $75 for it. Saunders jumped on this offer. He soon delivered six candidate covers, and a week later was told they were all accepted! Starting in May 1932, Saunders painted seventeen consecutive YOU ENJOYED PREVIEW, monthlyIFcovers for ModernTHIS Mechanics. This extra income made him CLICK THE LINK TO ORDER THIS the highest-paid artist at Fawcett. After signing one particularly IN PRINT OR DIGITAL largeISSUE paycheck, [publisher] CaptainFORMAT! Billy made a grandstand show of hand-delivering it to Saunders at his desk, while loudly announcing for everyone’s benefit, “I just wanted to ask you in person how the hell are you making more money than me?” This taste of success gave Saunders the desire to compete in the “big leagues” as a New York City illustrator. He knew that all magazine publishers closely watched their competitors’ products, so he soon began to wonder if his reputation was already growing beyond Minneapolis. To test the theory, he created some covers for NYC magazines and mailed them to the publishers for consideration. He was soon rewarded with several sales to George Delacorte at Dell Magazines, Lincoln Hoffman at Ranger Publications, and Harry Donenfeld at Trojan Publishing. Most artists were happy to have steady employment ALTER EGO #173 during theHEROES GreatIN Depression, so freelance BLACK U.S. COMICS! Awesome overview by illustrators were BARRY PEARL, from Voodah to Black Panther and beyond! In- life entirely considered reckless mavericks, because their terview with DR. WILLIAM FOSTER III (author of Looking for a depended on the visual appeal of their latest Face Like Mine!), art/artifacts by BAKER, GRAHAM, McDUFFIE,painting. Only a COWAN, GREENE, HERRIMAN, JONES, ORMES, STELFREEZE, handful of freelance artists earned enough to thrive as “hired BARREAUX, STONER—plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, and guns.” When Saunders discovered that his paintings appealed more! Edited by ROY THOMAS. to some art directors in New York,$10.95 he wanted to seek his (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) Edition) $4.99 fortune in “the big(Digital time.” https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_55&products_id=1645
Ralph Carlson Saunders’ Fawcetteer friend Ralph Carlson was one of the primary artists on the Rocky Lane Western comicbook, as evidenced by this splash page from issue #3 (July ’49). Carlson’s employment at Fawcett was terminated after the FBI informed the publisher of the artist’s alleged ties to the Communist Party. [Page TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]