Alter Ego #186

Roy Thomas’ Reptilian-Brain Comics Fanzine

ANGELO TORRES

In the USA

No. 186 March 2024

82658 00518 1

Art © 2023 Angelo Torres.

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Vol. 3, No. 186/March 2024 Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editor Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor

P.C. Hamerlinck J.T. Go (Associate Editor) Mark Lewis (Cover Coordinator)

Comic Crypt Editor

Michael T. Gilbert

Editorial Honor Roll

Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Mike Friedrich, Bill Schelly

Proofreader

William J. Dowlding

Cover Artist & Colorist Angelo Torres

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With Special Thanks to:

Roger Hill Aaron Albrecht John Hitchcock Heidi Amash William B. Jones, Jr. Ger Apeldoorn Annie Gaines Ashton Sharon Karibian Arnie Kogen Sergio Aragonés Stefan Koidl Bob Bailey Jim Kealy Tom Batiuk Jason Levine Alberto Becattini Art Lortie Al Bigley Jim Ludwig Chris Boyko Ian Scott McGregor Bernie Bubnis The Meglin Family Josh Burns Clint Morgan Thommy Burns The Nerd Team John Cimino Harry North Jon B. Cooke Gilbert Ortiz Chet Cox Barry Pearl Ray Cuthbert Don Perlin Noel Daniels Ralph Reese Dick De Bartolo Robert L. Reiner Michael Elias S.C. Ringgenberg Miguel Angel Al Rodriguez Ferreiro Randy Sargent John Ficarra Carl Lani’Keha Shane Foley Shinyama Joe Frank J. David Spurlock Drew Friedman William Stout Stephan A. Friedt Bryan Stroud Miguel Angel Dann Thomas Ferreiro Andrew Torres Grant Geissman Angelo Torres Janet Gilbert John Torres Jon Gothold Dr. Michael J. Martin Gray Vassallo Tom Hamilton Sam Viviano Ron Harris Terry Wilson Heritage Art Curtis Woodbridge Auctions

This issue is dedicated to

Angelo Torres & to the memory of Al Jaffee

Contents

Writer/Editorial: And Now For Something Not Completely Different, But… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 What, Me Panic? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Pros and fans alike salute the great comicbook & Mad artist Angelo Torres, in a publication overseen & bookended by Robert L. Reiner.

“Here Comes The Fleagle Gang!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 A brief interview with Angelo Torres, conducted by Bryan Stroud.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! My Life With Wally Wood (Part 4) . 59 Michael T. Gilbert presents the conclusion of Ralph Reese’s take on an iconic artist.

Tribute to Al Jaffee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 re: [correspondence, comments, & corrections] . . . . . . . . . 67 Fawcett Collectors Of America [FCA] #245 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 P.C. Hamerlinck & Carl Lani’Keha Shinyama on The Marvel Family’s travels in time!

On Our Cover: This issue’s cover, drawn in 2018 by our noted honoree Angelo Torres, appeared in the Museum of Illustration program book celebrating Angelo’s work and his 90th birthday. Angelo’s name for it there was “Green Planet Revisited.” Obviously, the inspiration for its hero was Alex Raymond’s marvelous Flash Gordon, although, really, any space adventurer can wear fancy headgear like that. Thanks to Robert L. Reiner & Clint Morgan. [© 2023 Angelo Torres.]

Above: The young Angelo Torres must’ve made a singular impression on Timely/Atlas writer and editor Stan Lee, since The Man scripted and added a byline (for both of them) on several Western stories back in the day. Seen here is the powerful yet exquisite splash page by that duo for a story in Western Outlaws #15 (June 1956). Thanks to Bob Bailey. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] Alter EgoTM issue 186, March 2024 (ISSN 1932-6890) is published bi-monthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid 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: $73 US, $111 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.

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I

Article Title writer/editorial

And Now For Something Not Completely Different, But…

n this issue, we’re trying something a wee bit different.

First off, our cover-featured artist Angelo Torres, though beyond doubt one of the best comics illustrators to come of age in the 1950s, has very rarely drawn a super-hero comicbook—and, of course, super-heroes are generally the cape-clad bread and butter of Alter Ego. Well, okay, so he inked one “Fly”story and a Superman special (the latter had been been commissioned, believe it or don’t, for a kid’s bar mitzvah) and also drew a Supergirl giveaway linked to a safety campaign—but otherwise his renditions of super-powered guys in tights was limited to the parodies he did for satire mags like Mad, Sick, et al.

Secondly, the majority of this mag is actually a re-presentation (with a bit of additional art) of a program book produced by the world-famed Society of Illustrators at New York City’s Museum of Illustration, in honor of Torres’ 90th birthday in 2022, and consisting of numerous tributes by Angelo’s many professional friends and colleagues, including several from Mad magazine, which of course was one of the great publishing successes of the 20th century.

The reason we’re making this exception to our usual policy?

Because Angelo deserves it.

I have to admit up front: I myself have never had the pleasure of meeting the man, though I enjoyed much of his work in Mad, as an admittedly irregular reader since the 1960s. I knew him as the talented successor of Mort Drucker, who had basically established the caricature art-style that made Mad’s movie and TV takeoffs such a delight. Angelo had picked up that ball and run with it, and surely 99% of the audience never realized that one artist had left the

magazine and another had moved seamlessly into his place. That’s not something that is easy, let alone usual.

In addition—and here I’m previewing a subject that a few of the tribute-bearers on the next few dozen pages will re-visit from different angles—I had known since 1971 that Angelo Torres was the artist of the infamous story “An Eye for an Eye” that, by getting rejected (for no good reason) by the early Comics Code Authority, helped to bring about the total end of the color EC Comics line for which he was just beginning to draw. Maybe if Angelo hadn’t been such a skilled artisan, even in one of his very first full-art jobs, a less exquisitely rendered set of illustrations might have slipped past the zealots-for-hire and retired schoolteachers who then administered the Code with a heavy hand.

Probably not, but we can dream of an alternate past, can’t we?

Fortunately for fans of the late Golden Age and Silver Age of Comics, Angelo, after doing his little bit for EC, went on to draw many science-fiction, adventure, and “mystery” stories for Timely/Marvel and Warren Publishing, in particular—and those hold up well when measured even against those produced by his contemporaries like Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, et al. So we’ve tried to give you a generous heaping of such efforts, especially accompanying the short Torres interview conducted by Bryan Stroud.

All that, plus artist Ralph Reese writing of the late days of his mentor Wally Wood, and the FCA’s focus on the time-traveling travails of Fawcett’s Shazam-powered Marvel Family!

Your cup runneth over, no lie. Keep reading and see.

Bestest,

COMING IN APRIL

187

#

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A Presentation Of The Society Of Illustrators At The Museum Of Illustration, NYC, NY

(Above:) Torres at the opening of his celebratory exhibit at the Museum of Illustration hosted by the Society of Illustrators, May 2022. Photo by Jon Gothold. Special thanks to Robert L. Reiner and Clint Morgan for providing all photos and art scans that accompany this reprinting of the exhibit program book except where otherwise noted.

(Left:) The cover of the official publication connected with that celebration... the cover of EC’s Panic #6, with its strategically placed asterisk standing in for Angelo’s left eye in a Torres self-caricature. [Art © Angelo Torres; EC logo, etc., TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

I. Why PANIC?

M

by Robert L. Reiner, Curator ad magazine, the iconic satirical publication that skewered popular culture and boasted a circulation exceeding two million, began its life as a color comicbook.

Harvey Kurtzman created Mad to parody other comicbooks at first and then to broaden its reach to all manner of society. While the comic struggled at first, it soon hit its stride and took off from there. Success breeds copycats, and in short time there were dozens of Mad imitators. Not to be outdone, EC publisher Bill Gaines

decided in 1954 to launch an “authorized” knock-off of Mad—and Panic was born. Al Feldstein edited the new publication and had the luxury of drawing upon many of the same artists working for Mad. Kurtzman was upset, of course, but Gaines argued that they were all working for the same team.

Panic followed much the same path as Mad, but as the movement to censor comics was coming to a peak, Feldstein decided to publish an unusual cover. Although issue #6 carried the usual Panic masthead, except for an asterisk it was almost totally blank. At the bottom of the page was the statement: “This cover, the result of hours of conference, is EC’s final answer to the comic book controversy. Designed to offend no one, it is blank!”

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

Long-time EC fan and publisher Russ Cochran began reissuing the EC titles in the mid-1980s as hardcover collections, and then in the ’90s individual issues to replicate the look and feel of the original comics, including Panic #6 in June 1998. These are featured in this exhibition with new original art illustrations by Angelo Torres.

Why ANGELO TORRES? As the last remaining EC Comic artist (since, at the time of this writing, Al Jaffee is still alive and did draw for EC, but for Mad magazine, not for the comics), Torres was the logical choice to illustrate these imaginary covers. First, he remains immensely talented and versatile in his depictions of humor, horror, sciencefiction, crime, war, Western, and historical themes; and second, during his long career at Mad, Angelo had the opportunity to work with former Panic editor Al Feldstein and later with his old friend Mad co-editor Nick Meglin, bringing that DNA to bear on his artwork here.

The 2016 Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award winner celebrates his 90th birthday this year [2022]. He honors us by sharing examples of his stellar body of work, as well as new, neverbefore-seen illustrations, fresh from his well-used drawing board.

A Mugging On Lafayette Street

Kiss My Asterisk!* The “totally inoffensive” cover of EC’s Panic #6 (Dec. 1954Jan. 1955). Scan courtesy of Heritage Auctions. [TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

This was revolutionary and a clear poke in the eye of overreaching politicians and the anti-comics crusading psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham. But Panic would last only six more issues as the EC Comics line closed, and Mad would soon become a black-&white magazine. When Kurtzman left to chart his own direction, taking several artists with him, Feldstein took the reins as editor of Mad for the next 29 years.

Al Jaffee & Angelo Torres (left to right) toast each other a few years back as two of the last surviving oldtime EC artists. Alas, Al— the creator of the fabled “Mad fold-ins”—passed away on April 10, 2023, at the age of 102, after a long and full life (see tribute on p.65)… while, as this issue of Alter Ego goes to press, Angelo is still going strong at age 91. Thanks to Ian Scott McGregor.

Although it didn’t make the news at the time, a 23-year-old New Yorker was attacked in broad daylight for a drawing he did for a comicbook. The closed fist of the Comics Code Authority came down hard on a story, “An Eye for an Eye,” and ended the young man’s opportunity to have his first stand-alone story appear in an EC comicbook, Incredible Science Fiction #33.

Angelo Torres had collaborated on several EC stories previously with his friend Al Williamson, and often anonymously with Williamson and his other Fleagle Gang friends Frank Frazetta and Roy Krenkel. But here was publisher Bill Gaines sticking to his promise to publish Torres’ piece, only to have the censors block publication because the science-fiction story depicted a mutant. Gaines argued that there was nothing in the Comics Code mentioning mutants, but the censors wouldn’t budge. Gaines instead reprinted the even more controversial, openly anti-bigotry tale “Judgment Day,” and that was that.

What, Me Panic?

5

before I knew who he was. As a youngster in the ’60s, I first discovered his artistry in the pages of Creepy and Eerie, then later as I gleefully stumbled into EC Comics, and then full-throated in the pages of Mad. I certainly never thought that I would meet and befriend the man.

As a long-time fan of the EC and Warren artists, I began collecting original art by these amazing talents. I was thrilled to exhibit this work in shows from coast to coast and most notably at the Society of Illustrators [in New York City]. One story in my collection that is dear to my heart is “The Shell Game” from Piracy #2, because it brought Angelo together with his good friend and frequent collaborator Al Williamson. Close observation of the beautiful panels shows an “Easter egg” where a boat bears the name Meglin—a nod to his close friend and later Mad co-editor Nick Meglin. These were crazy twenty-something kids having a ball in the 1950s.

Those of us who admire Ange’s work share a sense of memory and nostalgia with him. Although most of us weren’t alive or were too young at the time, we can feel the sense of wonder, excitement, and joie de vivre that he has experienced, just by being in his presence. When we meet over bagels and wine to talk about the “good old days,” it’s as if we’re watching scenes from a movie. Every detail is there, every nuance and

Eye-Eye, Sir! The splash page of “An Eye for an Eye,” repro’d from its first printing, in the Nostalgia Press tome. Script by Oleck, art by Torres. Thanks to Michael T. Gilbert.

[TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

No more original EC comics were published thereafter.

Experiments with other formats failed, and only Mad would remain to carry the EC banner, but as a magazine. Torres’ story did see the light of day in 1971, when Nostalgia Press published the hardcover book Horror Comics of the 1950’s, highlighting the best of EC Comics. Later, Russ Cochran would reprint the EC line in original comicbook form, placing “Eye for an Eye” in its proper place.

Angelo Torres was commissioned by fans of his work to re-create variations of his “An Eye for an Eye” splash page, a version of which appeared in the Museum of Illustration exhibition.

Cheers To Angelo Torres What happens when an artist is forced to do his best work with one arm tied behind his back? If you’re Angelo Torres, well, you complain a lot and then you do your best work. For more than two years I tortured the poor guy into, in his words, “drawing on the worst damn paper ever!”

“Shell” And High Water

Let’s take a step back. Like many of those you’re about to hear from through their thoughtful essays, I loved Torres’ work way

Reproduction of the original splash page art for “The Shell Game” from EC’s Piracy #2 (Dec. 1954-Jan. 1955), by Al Williamson and Angelo Torres. Scripter unidentified.

From the collection of Robert L. Reiner. [TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

emotion. Just as it is in his artwork. We feel what he feels.

You’ll see in the exhibition Ange’s imagined Panic comics cover series [see pp. 8-9]. Because these were published with a mostly blank cover, they were the perfect canvas for fresh artwork.

I gave Torres three to start with and… nothing happened. He balked. Hated the paper. Didn’t know if he could do it. Then one day he asked me to come over to his Brooklyn apartment and showed me what he had done. They were amazing! I asked if he would be willing to do more. Once again, he balked, asked me to give him some blanks and then he did many more.

As the pandemic made it increasingly impossible to chat in person, we relied on electronic means to stay in touch. I wanted to assure Ange that he had friends who would check in on him every few days. Ian Scott McGregor, who lived in the neighborhood and who had introduced so many to Ange, had taken on that role for many years but was now moving to Los Angeles.

We introduced #TorresTuesday on Facebook to feature a new Panic cover each week for most of 2021, both to entertain the thousands of Torres fans and to let Ange know that people cared about him and appreciated his art. Although it was a great deal of work for the guy, he was always pleased when everything came out just as he wanted. A modest man, it was nice to hear him say, “I think some of them are pretty good.”

I knew that Torres’ 90th birthday was approaching but the pandemic had shut down most physical ways to celebrate. The Society of Illustrators was the logical and appropriate place to display his work, but it was uncertain whether space would be available and if Covid would prevent visitors from coming. When I showed Executive Director Anelle Miller what I had in mind, she whole-heartedly embraced the effort, and found the perfect venue for displaying Ange’s new work, as well as those which were published decades earlier.

An all-star line-up of essay writers—Torres admirers, comic art historians, and creators in their own right—volunteered to lend their talents to the cause. Clint Morgan jumped on board to offer much-needed design assistance and advice and, well, here we are, in the pages that follow.

ROBERT L. REINER exhibits his original art collection and speaks extensively on comicbook censorship, the impact of EC’s creators, artists and writers on popular culture, and the importance of comics and graphic novels as a vital visual literary art form. As a member of the Comic & Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association, he has written on these topics and has contributed to related comicbook history platforms. Fantagraphics has recently published his adaptation of the Otto Binder story “The Unwanted,” illustrated by Angelo Torres and Stefan Koidl, with a foreword by Eisner award-winning graphic novelist Emil Ferris [see pp. 44-47].

II. The Magic Maker

S

by Aaron Albrecht

ometimes, and I hope you can remember a few, you encounter magic. Maybe the first time you heard Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, or watched King Kong, or saw your first Universal or Hammer monster movie, or discovered that peanut butter and jelly also works on toast.

One of those moments for me happened in elementary school.

My mom had let me know that under a doormat she had left me a couple of magazines she found at a garage sale. Up to that time I had been reading a lot of comicbooks with dinosaurs or soldiers in the World Wars. Lots of good artwork and splashy colors. But on that day, I cracked the cover of Creepy #7 and inside, in glorious black-&-white, what did I find? A werewolf! On the roof of a village in the Pyrenees stretching away under a full moon. It was magical.

Also, there was a vampire and a ghoul! And what a ghoul! With pointy teeth all set for a big breakfast.

I was entranced and captivated. I had no idea about the artist.

Maybe it was by the same guy who painted the cover, Frank somebody with the cool signature. Didn’t matter. I was hooked and became more so as I tracked down more of the Warren magazine back issues. There were more werewolves stalking, and vampires lurking. I loved the glorious tale of gargoyles brought to life that started with that black silhouette of the beast overlooking a medieval town. And there was the crazed doctor, coulda been a twin for Vincent Price, locking up monsters in his castle dungeons.

And a whole glorious page on how to dispatch the bloodsucking undead. These wonderful images were playing in my head to the point that I started thinking up tales of my own like classic old films.

And I found that all this loving pen-and-ink work and sometimes ink wash was coming from the talented hands of one Angelo Torres, who actually got to hang out with that Frank guy.

Not only that, he also did war stories. A favorite of mine was the Civil War story Aftermath!, which could have fit very well in one of the monster magazines.

Creator & Curator A photo of Angelo Torres (on right) and curator/co-author Robert L. Reiner, taken at the Museum of Illustration’s Torres exhibit of May 11-Sept. 3, 2022.

Sometimes you encounter magic. And sometimes you discover a magician. I found that for decades Angelo Torres had been carving out magical tales in a rugged and realistic black-&-white style that still amazes and makes me smile. Actors say drama is easy, comedy is hard. Well, Torres did that, too, in his great parodies in Mad magazine. His workings-over of Star Trek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are two of my favorites.

What, Me Panic?

7

Archie Goodwin As editor of the early Creepy and its companion mags Eerie and Vampirella, and as writer of many of those publications’ best stories, Goodwin collaborated with Angelos Torres on several classic tales.

And Ghoul-y Makes Three!

The Torres-drawn “Duel of the Monsters” in Warren Publishing’s Creepy #7 (Feb. 1966) featured both a werewolf and a vampire—but its most crucial “monster” wasn’t revealed until the final panel. Script by Archie Goodwin. [TM & © The New Company.]

To top all of this off, he is a terrific gent, and it has been a pleasure to get to know him by correspondence. A salute to Ange is just what we need and what he richly deserves. Thank you so much for all the stories of mirth or monsters that you brought to vibrant life.

God bless ya, Ange.

Your friend, Aaron AARON ALBRECHT grew up loving monsters and dinosaurs. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia. He also taught English at the Lutheran Boys School in Kumamoto, Japan. Later he was a missionary and director of Hongo Student Center in Tokyo. He is married and has two daughters. His wife and girls are all made in Japan. He collects comic drawings and illustrations, a love that was sparked by the wonderful skills of Angelo Torres.

And The Winner Is… In “Aftermath” in Warren Publishing’s Blazing Combat #1 (Oct. 1965), writer Archie Goodwin and artist Angelo Torres created a powerful story of a pair of Union and Confederate soldiers who try to make personal peace as America’s Civil War ends, but wind up killing each other—with the watchful feral pigs the only beneficiaries of their encounter. Repro’d from the Fantagraphics hardcover reprinting. [TM & © Fantagraphics, Inc.]

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A “PANIC” SAMPLER

Celebrating Angelo Torres

This two-page gallery showcases 12 of the 40 fanciful Panic covers that Angelo Torres drew in 2021. They illustrate the depth of his imagination and the breadth of the genres he tackled, including horror, humor, science-fiction, and fantasy.

[Art © Angelo Torres; EC logos, characters, etc., TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

What, Me Panic?

9

10

Celebrating Angelo Torres

III. Ange, Ange, Ange

A

by Annie Gaines Ashton

ngelo Torres is a talented, kind, generous, and wonderful person who has always been a great friend to Bill and me.

He’s a big-hearted guy who’s unstinting in sharing his talent and his lifetime of memories with his fans.

He had an amazing 3½-decades-plus run in Mad, and the magazine simply would not have been the same without his fantastic artwork!

I celebrate him on his 90th birthday, and wish him all the best this year, and every year until he turns 100!

C’mon, Ange, you can do it! I send you all my love, you beautiful nonagenarian!

ANNIE GAINES ASHTON worked at Mad magazine for twenty years and was married to publisher Bill Gaines until his death.

“We Will Bury You” That’s the title of this colored illo of the three EC “GhouLunatics” executed by Angelo Torres especially for Chris Boyko. They’re disposing of three rival vintage comicbook hosts. [EC Ghoulunatics TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

V. What Can I Say About Ange?

Bill “Capital” Gaines Torres’ portrait of the larger-than-life publisher of EC Comics and Mad magazine. From the collection of Ian Scott McGregor.

[Art © Angelos Torres.]

W

by Chris Boyko hat can I say about Ange that has not been said before?

Turns out that the answer is: nothing. Thanks for reading.

No, seriously (or as serious as I can manage when writing about a Mad legend), Ange is one heck of a guy and a world class mensch. On top of those illustrious character traits, he’s also one of the most unassuming, self-deprecating fellows you could ever want to meet. He’s of that rare breed of supremely talented artists who is genuinely pleased and sometimes a bit surprised when he is profusely complimented on a particular piece of his art. Humble is the Ange, that’s for sure.

Now, it’s one thing to have Ange’s personality if he were, say, a commercial artist or (perish forbid) an accountant, but this is [continued on p. 12]

What, Me Panic?

11

IV. Ay Mi Querido Angelo

by Sergio Aragonés

Sergio Aragonés The longtime artist of the “marginal” drawings in Mad, Sergio is also the creator of Groo the Wanderer. Seen here at a meeting of the West Coast CAPS (Comic Art Professionals Society) in 2018. Photo courtesy of Terry Wilson. [Letter © Sergio Aragonés.]

SERGIO ARAGONÉS is a multi-award-winning artist and long time Mad genius, believed to be the fastest cartoonist in the world and among the most beloved.

12

Celebrating Angelo Torres

’70s. The book ends with what was at the time the first published printing of Torres’ legendarily censored story “An Eye for an Eye,” which had been rejected by the shiny new Comics Code Authority of 1954. But I was eight when I first read the story, and knew naught of the Comics Code, nor of the controversy that had surrounded EC Comics in those far-away-seeming 1950s. What I did know was that I didn’t see this guy Torres’ art anywhere else in the book that I was aware of. What made his story special?

Picture From An Exhibition Only this is a pic of the people present, not the artwork itself! Here, l. to r., are Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth, Mad writer Dick De Bartolo, Angelo, and former Mad editor-in-chief John Ficara. Courtesy of Robert L. Reiner.

[continued from p. 10] a man who spent nearly 36 years working for the 20th century’s most influential satire magazine and, amazingly, none of that Mad snark has rubbed off on him! I was once in the middle of a verbal tennis match of sarcasm and good-natured put-downs between Ange’s good friend Nick Meglin and Mad’s Maddest Writer™ and patent pending Dick De Bartolo which would have been the envy of any Don Rickles act, but this kind of classic Mad witty repartee is not Ange’s way. Yet, despite his apparently calm and unassuming exterior, he perfected the art of the sublime satirical parody with his innumerable movie and television spoofs! Meeting Ange, one does not get the sense of a master parodist lurking under the demure surface but, boy, is it there in spades! He’s like an undercover agent of spoofing: normal fellow by day—crazed satirical artist by night! Well, OK, I don’t think he draws all night, but you get the point.

I raise a glass of wine (of course!) to Ange’s 90th circling of Sol (that’s Sol Weinstein, of course) and wish him all the best on this remarkable achievement. Remarkable, of course, in that he survived the ups and downs of being a comic artist and came out relatively unscathed, especially when you consider he worked for those nutty bosses Stan Lee, James Warren, and Bill Gaines!

In closing, if I may mangle the dialog from a Stan Lee creation that Ange parodied in Mad #204: “Don’t make Ange angry, you would not like him when he’s angry… but you sure as heck will love him when he’s MAD!” CHRIS BOYKO is a parasitologist and marine biologist, a professor at Hofstra University on Long Island, NY. He’s also a card-carrying EC Fan-Addict and Marvelmaniac.

VI. The Mysterious Angelo Torres

A

by Josh Burns

ngelo Torres was something of a mystery to me when I was younger. I was first introduced to his work in “The Big Book,” a.k.a. Horror Comics of the 1950’s (Nostalgia Press, 1971) when my brother brought it home from the library in the late

Well, of course, reading the story paid immediate dividends in that it is a pretty cool tale, and Angelo’s art was certainly striking. But it wasn’t a horror story, you see, and so horrorhungry young Josh relegated it to the mental pile of “the sci-fi stuff” in the book—the stuff I didn’t return to for multiple reads nearly as often as others (not even Williamson and Krenkel’s “Saved,” with its bloodthirsty vampire twist, escaped my sci-fi disinterest at the time). So, the mystery of “A. Torres” and his “one and only” story was slowly buried under years of Ingels, Davis, and Craig with their reanimated corpses, werewolves, and GhouLunatic shenanigans.

Fast forward to sometime in the 1980s or ‘90s (far later than I care to admit, at any rate), and I had been casually collecting Mad magazine for some time. Now, I wish I could say that I remember exactly when and how the revelation occurred, but that brain-flash is lost to antiquity.

What I do know is that I somehow finally realized that the man, whose art I had been enjoying for years in Mad, was the mysterious “A. Torres” from the Big Book! Zounds!

This artist was no longer a mystery, this artist was an everysingle-day genius!

Needless to say, my appreciation for “An Eye for an Eye” only increased and was surely at least partially responsible for my eventual eschewing of that ol’ “sci-fi disinterest” of my youth (thank goodness)!

Fast forward once again to early 2021, and I am co-admin of the EC Fan-Addict Club on Facebook with my brother Thommy, and our two wonderful moderators, Ian and Jon. And, by this time, every single one of them was friends with Angelo Torres! But I’d still never talked to him! The man, the mystery, the everyday genius...

Horror You Doin’?

Horror Comics of the 1950’s, published in 1971

by Woody Gelman’s Nostalgia Press with the cooperation of Bill Gaines, was the first-ever hardcover collection of such vintage material.

Of course, its combination of title and contents, behind its Al Feldstein cover, seemed to suggest there were no horror comics during that decade except EC’s—but then, that’s pretty much the way EC fans saw things anyway! Image courtesy of Heritage Art Auctions. [TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

What, Me Panic?

I was now a mystery to him, unlike the others. And then suddenly, one day, we’re having a get-together, we admins and mods, and I find that arrangements have been made to have a video chat with Ange! My excitement knows no bounds, but I figure this is surely a big moment only for me. However, when the screen lights up with Ange’s face and he says hello to the group, I am eight years old again, filled with pure EC joy as the next words out of his mouth are, “All right, now, where is Josh?” And with that conversation, in which he specifically wanted to meet me (almost) as much as I wanted to meet him, Angelo Torres the man was well and truly no longer a mystery to me, nor I to him. I am grateful for his consistently stellar art throughout the years, and for the charming conversation we all had that day. I look forward to more conversations in the future. And I hereby render him an official apology for letting him remain a “mystery” to me for far too long!

JOSH BURNS is co-admin of the EC Fan-Addict Club on Facebook, and has co-moderated EC Fan-Addict panels at San Diego Comic Con, as well as guest-lecturing on EC with his brother at Pasadena Art Center College of Design. He is a writer, actor, composer, and general creative nutbag who lives in Southern California with his geeky movie collectibles and a whole bunch of DVDs, Blu-rays, and movie soundtracks.

VII. Not Approved

By The Comics Code Authority!

Ange Torres and the Notorious Banned EC Story!

A

by Thommy Burns

nyone who has had the grave misfortune to wander into the EC Fan Addict Club page on Facebook (or is it Meta?!?) has had more than one opportunity to learn about my discovery of my beloved EC Comics: when, in 1979 at the age of 10, I wandered into the Burke, Virginia, library and discovered—insert hushed reverence here—the BIG BOOK. While most of you are instantly calling to mind the garish orange “HORROR” against its blue background, and the Al Feldstein cover art with a panicked man beating at the doors of a crypt while a rotting corpse rises from its coffin, I’ll elaborate for those of you who need further explanation: the BIG BOOK is Horror Comics of the 1950’s, a.k.a.

“The EC Horror Library,” a beautiful, oversized collection of classic EC Comics stories, published

by Nostalgia Press in 1971.

Here’s Looking At You, Kid! Okay, we won’t keep you in suspense any longer!

Here’s the seventh and final page of “An Eye for an Eye,” with its surprise ending—which gave an additional twist to the title as well. As printed in the 1971 Horror Comics of the 1950’s. Thanks to Michael T. Gilbert. [TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

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My happy discovery of this almost sacred volume was also my first real exposure to the hip young group of somewhat carefree, if not downright rebellious, artists known affectionately as the Fleagle Gang. I was aware of Frank Frazetta—hell, everyone my age was aware of Frank Frazetta in the ’70s—and seeing his masterful “Squeeze Play” was a real treat, but two other stories in the collection also really captured my imagination: “Space Borne,” illustrated by Al Williamson, was an astonishing piece of work to my 10-year-old eyes, and it gave me some insight into EC’s science-fiction being just as good, if not even better, than its horror!

Then there was the final story presented, which was intriguingly introduced by my new friends the GhouLunatics as having been censored back in the ’50s. This gave it an even more forbidden air, and it was immediately evident that this was no mere unpublished cast-off. It was, in story and art, every bit the equal of the rest of the material in the book and stood proudly alongside the cream of EC horror, finally in its rightful place! This was “An Eye for an Eye,” illustrated by Angelo Torres.

It wasn’t until years later that I learned that this sci-fi shocker was originally to have been the final story in what proved to be

14

Celebrating Angelo Torres

for that notorious EC story of his.

Naturally I asked Ange how he would feel about doing a commission for me of the “Eye for an Eye” splash, and told him how much it would mean to me. He thought about it and said, “You know, I always wanted to have the couple being menaced by a huge snake!” Well, when Angelo Torres says he wants to put a giant snake into “An Eye for an Eye,” you do what any furshlugginer Fan-Addict would: you say yes! Needless to say, Ange hit it out of the park and the finished piece hangs lovingly on my wall. I also bought the pencil prelim from Ange and hope to display them side by side soon. To say Ange has still “got it” would be a gross understatement—he’s better than ever!

I treasure my friendship with this man, I treasure his many contributions to Mad and comicbook history, I treasure his good humor and love of Sinatra, and I treasure my original “Eye for an Eye” splash panel, giant snake and all. Viva Torres!

Zoom Went The Strings Of My Heart Angelo Torres enjoys a video chat and toast with Josh Burns and his fellow EC Fan-Addict Club administrator and moderator. Photos courtesy of Thommy Burns.

the final comicbook published by EC. When editor Al Feldstein subjected it to Comics Code Authority Czar Judge Murphy’s arbitrary scrutiny, “An Eye for an Eye” was rejected outright, with no revisions requested. When an astonished Feldstein asked why, he was told “You can’t have mutants.” Feldstein asked where it said that in the Code and was told he just couldn’t run the story. Ironically, Feldstein’s last-minute substitution, a story that had already run without incident in 1953, also met with Murphy’s displeasure. His objection to a black astronaut, and then to the sweat on his brow, led to a verbal confrontation with EC publisher Bill Gaines that has cemented “Judgment Day” a place in comicbook, and censorship, history forever. Ultimately, this experience led to Gaines ceasing the publication of comicbooks entirely, focusing all his attention and resources on his one successful title: Mad magazine. But he promised Torres that one day his story would run. Flash forward to 1971, and “An Eye for an Eye” was given the deluxe treatment, and showcase, that it deserved. [See p. 5.]

When I finally got in contact with Ange, the delightful mensch and genius artist himself, the first thing I wanted to talk about was that story. To joke and laugh and hear the memories of a living Fleagle, one whose only solo EC story was featured in the book that changed my life, was thrilling. Ange was happy to recount his excitement at getting the job, saying “Oh boy, a solo EC story! I’ve got it made!” only to then see it axed by the almighty blue pencil of the CCA! And he gave Gaines credit for making good on his promise and ensuring that it did see print. Ange has great memories of his time with Williamson and Frazetta who, along with Nick Meglin, Roy Krenkel, and George Woodbridge, made up the legendary Fleagle Gang, and he still has a soft spot

Which Old Witch Is That, Again?

EC’s “Old Witch” narrator, drawn by Torres in 2016. From the collection of Thommy Burns. [Old Witch TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.]

THOMMY BURNS is the founding administrator of the EC Fan-Addict Club on Facebook and frequently moderates or participates on EC-oriented panels at comic book conventions. He writes the intros for the ongoing Fantagraphics EC Artists Library series, and has written about EC Comics in The Life and Legend of Wallace Wood, Vol. 1 and The Comics Journal Library, Vol. 10: The EC Artists, Part 2 (both from Fantagraphics), The EC Covers Artists Edition, and Free Comics: The Untold Story of the Giveaways (both from IDW). He lives in Southern California with his wife, their cats, and his ever-growing EC collection.

What, Me Panic?

A(nother) Reptile Dysfunction Angelo’s latter-day “reinterpretation” of his splash for “An Eye for an Eye”—complete with the snake he wanted to add to the scene. Courtesy of Thommy Burns. [© Angelo Torres.]

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16

Celebrating Angelo Torres

VIII. Angelos Torres— Where It’s A.T.!

I

by Ray Cuthbert

came to my appreciation of the work of Angelo Torres somewhat late in my collecting. I had been collecting the work of his compadre, Al Williamson, for several years, and in so doing, I began to pick up Warren magazines from back issues at comic shops in the early ’70s. I’d be flipping through the used copies of Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella looking for Williamson’s work. Every once in a while, learning that Al’s work was pretty much confined to the earliest issues of Creepy and Eerie or to reprints of those stories, I would come across another story that would grab my eye.

“Ah! This must be Al’s work! …Or is it?” There were similarities, but the feel was a little different. I would page through to the first page of the story and find the credit: “Art: Angelo Torres.” Angelo Torres? Who’s that? At the time I did not know that Ange was a good friend of Al’s and part of the Fleagle Gang.

Nonetheless, I started adding Angelo’s Warren work to the Warren back issues I wanted to find. It was not all that difficult, as Al and Ange tended to do work for the Warren magazines pretty much only while Archie Goodwin was editing them, and where you would find Al’s work, Ange’s work was usually in the same issues.

As I matured in my collecting, I came to learn that Ange had been Al’s inker for a lot of his 1950s work, and it was obvious that the two artists were very sympatico. In his Warren work, Ange seemed to love period pieces from the French Revolution, or period stories of knights in armor, werewolves, or whatever was necessary to make the story a horror story in light of the Warren magazines’ mandate. I was never much of a horror fan, but I bought the Warren books that I did because of the artwork that was drawn.

I actually came to hate the notion that Angelo’s work for Warren was limited to those few Archie Goodwin-edited issues.

They were so good! What happened to his work? It was much later that I learned his primary outlet was in Mad magazine, a title that really did not appeal to me beyond a passing interest. Of course, Mad was a much better outlet for steady work, and I assume that Bill Gaines was paying better rates than Jim Warren.

Somewhere or another I read an interview with Angelo in which he mentioned that he had been given the opportunity to pick up his original artwork from the Warren offices when their inventory was about to be liquidated. I was shocked to learn that Angelo didn’t want to be bothered to get across town and pick up the work, so it was left unclaimed. From what Ange wrote, he came to regret that decision which had been so unfathomable to me when I read it. The only good thing about that from a collector’s point of view was that this meant that Ange’s work entered into the world of original art resale and pages became available to collectors like myself. I was fortunate to own the original art from Creepy #7, page 2, from the story “Duel of the Monsters.” Such a treasure!

One of my favorite collaborative jobs by Al and Ange was their artistic adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder,” which originally appeared in Weird Science-Fantasy #25. I had the advantage of discovering the story in Russ Cochran’s lovely reprint in EC Portfolio #5 (1974), where it was reproduced very close to the size of the original art and in glorious black-&-white as shot from the original art. As I looked at Al’s signature on that glorious splash page I saw—below Al’s signature and “54” indicating the

It Takes A Village… To Raise A Werewolf Page 2 of “The Duel of the Monsters,” from Creepy #7 (Feb. ’66), illustrated

by Torres, with script by Goodwin. Repro’d from the original art, which is in the collection of Ray Cuthbert. [TM & © New Comic Company LLC.]

year—the letters AT. Russ made it clear that the main inking on the job was by none other than Angelo Torres (although Roy Krenkel was also given credit). I can never think of that lovely splash page without thinking of Angelo Torres. Ange was where it is AT (!).

RAY CUTHBERT bought his first comicbook in 1963 and has been collecting original comic art since 1976. A member of the Comic and Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association (CFA-APA) since 1994, he has written for every mailing since. He has also had comic-related articles in Up ’n Coming! magazine, The Betty Pages, Alter Ego, and Comic Book Marketplace, among others.

IX. On Angelo Torres

O

by Dick De Bartolo ver a period of 40+ years, Ange and I worked on nearly 100 projects together, including a paperback book, A Mad Look at TV.

If you like to hear four-letter words, Ange is your man! He can’t seem to prevent himself from saying them. I would ask: “Ange, would you like to do the art for my paperback book A Mad Look at TV, and Ange would say: ‘Sure!”

What, Me Panic?

17

“Ange, do you have time to talk about a few of the panels you’re working on for the “Make-Us Sickly, MC”’/Marcus Welby, MD satire?” Ange: “Fine!”

“Ange, we need to talk about the splash for the “Mirthquake:/Earthquake satire.” Ange: “When?”

Okay, so you get the picture.

Those were the kind of four-letter words he used most. What a sweetheart of a guy to work with!

Talented, funny, and mellow. Or to use my own four-letter word: “Nice!!”

DICK De BARTOLO, a.k.a. “Mad’s Maddest Writer,” has been in every issue of Mad magazine for 50+ years. His current assignment is the toughest ever: coming up with ideas to write about reprinted material for the current Mad.

A Signature Of Thunder (Above:) The Al Williamson/Angelo Torres splash page (note Angelo’s initials added to Al’s byline) for “A Sound of Thunder,” their—and scripter Al Feldstein’s—adaptation of the famous Ray Bradbury story done for EC’s Weird Science-Fantasy #25 (Sept. 1954). [Adaptation & artwork TM & © William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc.; original story © Estate of Ray Bradbury.]

TV Or Not TV (Above:) The cover of the paperback A Mad Look at TV, which featured the artwork of Angelo Torres—including said cover. [TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.] (Left:) Angelo with longtime Mad writer Dick De Bartolo, at the Museum of Illustrators exhibit. Photo courtesy of Robert L. Reiner.

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

Sting Like A Butterfly…

The first pages of the De Bartolo/Torres parody of the film Papillon, from Mad #170 (Oct. 1974). Thanks to Michael Elias. The “marginal” cartoon at top right, of course, is by Sergio Aragonés. [TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

X: Lucky Me

I

by Michael Elias

owe my love of movies and TV shows to Mad and Mr. Torres. My first encounter with his artwork was from German Mad bound volumes from the 1970s. The Papillon movie spoof was marvelous, and the Kojak splash was the funniest I had ever read.

My first Mad paperback was The Mad Make Out Book by Larry Siegel and Angelo Torres. Was it coincidence or puberty?

I think both. Much later, I was in touch with Mad artist Don “Duck” Edwing’s stepson, who one day surprised me with drawings from an unpublished book written by Frank Jacobs and illustrated by Edwing and Angelo Torres. The drawings of movie actors were so different, so stylish, so beautiful. A Facebook friend connected me with Mr. Torres, and I e-mailed

The Horror Hosts With The Mostest “Crypt of Madness Revised” by Angelo Torres (2020) is a redrawn version of the cover of The Crypt of Madness #1 from several years back. It was designed to be used as the cover of a future “Best-of” issue of the popular fanzine. From the collection of Michael Elias. [GhouLunatics & Alfred E. Neuman TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.; Uncle Creepy & Cousin Eerie TM & © New Comic Company LLC.]

What, Me Panic?

him photos of the artwork. He was thrilled to see them again and asked if he could have them back for his collection. In return he offered to send me some spreads from The Mad Make Out Book.

How could I say no?

I have a Facebook site and fanzine project with three friends titled The Crypt of Madness. It honors EC, Mad, other humor magazines, and their makers and artists. For the first issue I drew a cover in the style of Angelo Torres. Editor Chet Jasper Reams suggested that I draw a re-creation of the first cover for a second printing. Lazy me, I had a better idea. I asked Mr. Torres to do the honors. And he agreed! The result was breathtaking, and it is one of the highlights in my collection.

Angelo Torres is a great artist and friend. Today I am the proud owner of original art pages from his paperbacks, as well as the complete Papillon movie spoof that I’ve admired for so long.

I can’t be luckier!

MICHAEL ELIAS lives in Germany and his love of Mad dates to his early teenage years. He collects rare magazines, books, and original artwork.

XI. My Friend Ange

W

by John Ficarra

hile driving through the Amish countryside, I once stopped at a farm which had several handmade quilts for sale displayed on its porch. Next to them was a sign that read, “If you think our quilts are expensive, try making one.”

The way the Amish feel about making their quilts pretty much sums up the way I feel about illustrating a Mad TV satire: Think it’s easy? Try doing one.

money in the bank. His art was always spot-on and a joy to pore over.

Professional, good natured, and open to collaboration, Angelo was an editor’s dream.

But while I love Ange’s artwork, the thing I remember most fondly of our decades working together is our lunches at the Society of Illustrators. The get-togethers were usually organized by Ange’s good friend and my co-editor, Nick Meglin. Other “usual gang of idiots” around the table might include Stan Hart, Paul Peter Porges, Dick De Bartolo, Al Jaffee, Lenny Brenner, and, when they were in town, Sergio Aragonés or Duck Edwing.

The topic of our conversations varied: sports, movies (both old and new), pop culture, and Mad. But the topic never really mattered; it always resulted in the same: rapid-fire one-liners, deadly zingers, and non-stop laughs.

Quiet by nature, Ange would sit back in his chair laughing and enjoying the banter. But he was also stealthy. Every now and then you could count on Ange to slip in a line that would just destroy everyone at the table.

Now we find ourselves back at the Society of Illustrators, but this time not for lunch. Rather, it is to pay tribute to the talented Mr. Torres and his wonderful body of work. It is a terrific exhibition and one that is well deserved.

I was extremely fortunate to have had the privilege of working with Ange. I am proud to call him my friend.

JOHN FICARRA was the long-time editor of Mad magazine, primarily due to the company’s lax hiring policies. He can walk and chew gum at the same time but would prefer not to.

Usually 24-30 panels, plus an opening splash, a typical satire required the artist to draw caricatures of 4, 6, 8, or more celebrities, several times over several pages. And, depending on the scene and the gag, sometimes the actor being caricatured needed to be laughing (or frowning), angry (or sad), stoic (or surprised).

XII. Commissioning Angelo Torres

I

by Grant Geissman

met Angelo Torres many years ago through original Fleagle Gang member— and longtime Mad magazine staffer—Nick Meglin. I had become friendly with Meglin several years prior to working on my first book, Collectibly Mad (1995), and, Nick being Nick, by default that meant that any friend of Nick’s was also a friend of mine. And Angelo, as it turned out, is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.

It is a tall order that humbled many a talented artist during my tenure as editor of Mad. Which brings me to Angelo Torres.

For over 40 years, Angelo illustrated countless memorable Mad TV satires.

Unlike other Mad artists (who shall remain nameless) Ange never kept me up nights worrying that he might screw up an assignment or miss a deadline. Angelo was

19

In The Shadow Of Alfred E. Neuman Mad editor John Ficarra (center) flanked by Angelo Torres (left) and associate editor Nick Meglin in the magazine’s former New York City offices. Courtesy of Ian Scott McGregor.

Not long after, Angelo was gracious enough to loan me some photos of, and unpublished artwork by, various Fleagle Gang members (including works by Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, and George Woodbridge) for my second book, Tales of Terror! The EC Companion (2000), all of which added greatly to the visual impact of the project.

My third book, Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s EC Comics,

20

Celebrating Angelo Torres

QUESTION: Who/What Was “The Fleagle Gang”?

Answer: Notorious bank robbers of the late 1920s—or a bunch of young 1950s comicbook artists and creators who would forever change the visual landscape of comic art. (Take your pick!)

Whether it was Harvey Kurtzman (as mythologized by Nick Meglin) or secretary Nancy Siegel (as Torres distinctly remembers) who first dubbed these crazy comics innovators “The Fleagles,” the name stuck. They often teamed up to finish one another’s work to meet a deadline or just to enjoy time together. Their collaborations were sometimes credited, often not, but they stand out as some of the finest work ever seen in the medium.

Who were they? (Left to right:) Angelo Torres, Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, Bill Gaines, Nick Meglin, George Woodbridge, and Roy Krenkel… though Gaines, technically being “management,” might merely be an honorary members. Art by Torres. [Art © Angelo Torres.]

featured a chapter on Al Williamson and the Fleagle Gang. I thought it would be a fun idea to commission Angelo to create a special piece for the book, depicting all the Fleagle Gang members hanging out in Bill Gaines’ office. Ange came through with a stunning color piece featuring Torres, Williamson, Frazetta, Meglin, George Woodbridge, and Krenkel, with Gaines sitting at his desk. Torres perfectly captured the vintage likenesses of the Gang and managed to include a visual comment on various aspects of their personalities as well. And Gaines’ office looked exactly like it appeared in the 1950s, right down to the various pieces of artwork hanging on the hospital-green walls, as well as the burgundy curtains that hung there.

A subsequent full-color commission, completed in February 2013 for Feldstein: The Mad Life and Fantastic Art of Al Feldstein!, depicted editor Feldstein in his office at Mad magazine circa 1965.

In this piece, Torres captures the zany spirit of the office, with various 1960s Mad iconography, including the Mad Zeppelin, the Mad Poiuyt, Flip the bird, Arthur the plant, and—hanging on the office wall—the caricature of Feldstein done by Jack Davis.

Although Angelo was a contributor to the original 1950s EC Comics, usually in collaboration with fellow Fleagle Al Williamson, he only did one solo story for EC (one that remained unpublished for about 16 years because of censorship by the Comics Code Authority), and he never did an EC cover on his own. Starting in 2005 I began commissioning Angelo to do a series of “what if?” EC Comics covers, meaning “what if?” EC hadn’t abandoned its line of comics, and Angelo had been asked by Gaines to tackle some cover assignments.

The first “what if?” cover he did was Incredible Science Fiction #34 (picking up after the actual final issue of the title). Completing the circle, Marie Severin, who was EC’s colorist during their heyday, hand-colored a print of the cover and wrote me that “Torres is good—never colored him before.” For Incredible Science Fiction #35 (done in 2006), I had Angelo base the cover image on the splash page he had done for “An Eye for an Eye,” the story that had been rejected by the Comics Code. Marie Severin again colored a print of this cover and wrote me: “Hope the coloring suits you. It’s a nice-looking cover.”

What, Me Panic?

21

Davis). After mentioning that he was tiring of doing horror covers, Angelo completed another science-fiction cover, Incredible Science Fiction #36, in December 2021, a cover that is reminiscent of his lifelong friend Al Williamson’s classic EC work.

Angelo Torres, in his 90th year, remains an amazingly talented and wonderfully versatile artist, one who is still turning out spectacular work that artists half his age would be proud to call their own. And along with all of this talent, he remains one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Could there be anything more inspiring than that?

GRANT GEISSMAN is a four-time Eisner Award nominee who has written several books related to the EC Comics and Mad magazine, including The History of EC Comics (Taschen), Feldstein: The Mad Life and Fantastic Art of Al Feldstein (IDW), Tales of Terror/The EC Companion (Fantagraphics), and Foul Play: The Art and Artists of the Notorious EC Comics (Harper-Collins). He is also an Emmy Award-nominated guitarist/composer.

Feldstein & Faux Covers (Above:) Torres’ 1962 portrait of Mad (and earlier EC) editor Al Feldstein. [© Angelo Torres.]

(Right:) An EC “what if?” cover by Angelo—for Incredible Science Fiction #36. Both pieces in this art grouping from the collection of Grant Geissman. [TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

I next asked Ange to do a “what if?” EC horror cover, The Haunt of Fear #29, also completed in 2006. For this one, I wanted him to channel the look and feel of EC’s premier horror artist, “Ghastly” Graham Ingels. I sent him a couple of Ingels’ EC cover images and asked him to depict the Old Witch in a moonlit graveyard. He managed to capture the Ingels mood, even recycling some of Ghastly’s original creatures from vintage EC covers.

By this time, Marie Severin had retired from doing any further coloring, and Ange did his own hand-coloring of a print of the piece. After a break, the commissions picked up again in 2011 with “what if?” covers to Tales from the Crypt #47 (with a nod to Jack Davis’ Crypt-Keeper) and The Vault of Horror #41 (in homage to Johnny Craig’s VaultKeeper), both of which again captured the spirit of 1950s EC covers, and which he also created hand-colored prints of.

More recent “what if?” commissions include The Crypt of Terror #2 (2020, featuring all three of EC’s horror hosts, the GhouLunatics, as well as Drusilla, mistress of the Vault of Horror) and #3 (completed in March 2021 and based on a vintage, unpublished EC cover sketch by Jack

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

Celebrating Angelo Torres

Crypt-o Currency (Above:) Another “what if?” cover by Torres (2020), this one for the neverpublished The Crypt of Terror #2, featuring EC’s horror hosts.

(Right:) And yet another—this one for the never-produced The Crypt of Terror #3, done in 2021, based on a vintage, unpublished EC cover sketch by Jack Davis. Both pieces of art from the collection of Grant Geissman. [TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

XIII: My 55 Years With Angelo Torres

I

by Jon Gothold

started reading comics in 1964, mostly Westerns, mysteries, and war comics. But what really got me hooked was my introduction to Mad in early 1965. An older kid gave me a stack of Mads dating from 1962 thru the end of 1964, and after reading those I was totally hooked not only on Mad, but on the whole comics medium.

During the summer of 1967, an event happened that blew the doors wide open for me in terms of discovering the identities of my favorite comicbook artists. I was spending a week at a friend’s house, and he brought out a stack of magazines which he had recently gotten from his older brother. He said, “I think you are really going to dig these” and handed me Creepy #4, #5, and #6,

Eerie #5, and all four issues of Blazing Combat. I had never seen a Warren magazine before, and I had never read horror and war stories anywhere near this good in the current Code-approved color comicbooks I was buying.

We spent that week pouring over those magazines, and I was totally, forever, and 100% hooked. Warren, unlike other publishers of the day, made sure to list all the artists and writers for each story, so now I was beginning to put together the names of these guys and where I had seen some of them before. Wallace Wood, Jack Davis, Joe Orlando, and John Severin I had seen in Mad. Frank Frazetta and Roy Krenkel were doing the covers for the Edgar Rice Burroughs books I was hungrily collecting at the time. But who was this new guy ANGELO TORRES?????

His work stunned me. Nobody in those early Warrens handled black ink the way Angelo did. His work was so moody, so realistic and so dark. As a budding young cartoonist myself, it had never dawned on me to use that much black, and I lacked the confidence to even attempt to do what Angelo was doing. For me, he was and always will be the master of light and dark.

I began collecting the Warren titles, as well as buying them fresh off the stands starting around 1968. Many of the finest artists in comics were in those early Warrens, but the more I read, the more I felt that Angelo Torres just might be the best one of them all. I think that editor Archie Goodwin must have had similar feelings about Ange, too. Warren covers usually had nothing to do with any of the stories inside, but on the few

What, Me Panic?

What Time Is It, Boys & Gargoyles?

(Above:) The final panel of the story “Gargoyle,” which Torres drew for Warren Publishing’s Creepy #6 (Dec. 1965); script by Archie Goodwin & Roy Krenkel. [TM & © New Comics Company LLC.] (Right:) Angelo’s 2020 reinterpretation of that panel. From the collection of Aaron Albrecht. [© Angelo Torres.]

occasions when they did, a large percentage of those stories were drawn by Angelo. Check out the cover stories for Creepy #6, #7, and #12, as well as the cover stories for Eerie #2 and #5—Torres tales one and all.

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Angelo was immediately surrounded by adoring fans. He signed a lot of autographs; he had a little wine, and he was smiling from ear to ear. Best of all for me, the complete original art for “The Shell Game” was part of this exhibit, and I got to hear directly from Angelo his recollections of drawing each little detail with his old friend Al Williamson. I felt that same thrill of discovery about that story that I felt 52 years ago. Only this time it was even better

As 1969 rolled around, a couple of major Torres events happened for me. Angelo’s work had disappeared from Warren, and I wondered where on Earth he went. And then one day, my subscription copy of Mad #130, Oct. 1969, arrived in the mail. Lo and behold, there was “Where Vultures Fare,” a movie parody illustrated by Angelo Torres. It had Nazis and tanks and, in many ways, reminded me of his story with Al Williamson from Blazing Combat #2... except that this was funny. Angelo can be funny just as powerfully as he can be serious! Who knew?? Fortunately for us all, Torres would remain a fixture at Mad for decades to come. Angelo was now a regular in the most influential magazine of my life, and I could not have been happier.

My other Torres discovery of 1969 occurred when I got my second full-color, comicbook issue of Mad, which was issue #17.

Inside was an EC house ad drawn by Wallace Wood for a new mag they were launching called Piracy. Wow! A comic about pirates drawn by EC guys like Wood??!? I had to have one, and I made finding an issue of Piracy a top priority. That turned out to be Piracy #2, which included the story “The Shell Game,” drawn by Al Williamson... and Angelo Torres! Of course! Angelo Torres was an EC guy, too! Just like so many of the other comic artists I loved so much. No wonder his work was so damn good!!!! Now it was all starting to make sense.

Fast forward to October 2018. Thanks to our mutual friend Ian Scott McGregor, I have had the opportunity to meet and break bread with Angelo Torres. We’ve talked about EC, Warren, Mad, and all the other aspects of his career. He sold me some of his original art and has even done some commissions for me. And on that October day, we traveled together from his home in Brooklyn to the opening of The Revolutionary Art of Mad and EC Comics at the Society of Illustrators. It’s amazing enough to get a chance to see original EC art by my all-time favorite comic artists. To see it with the last living EC comic artist was something I could scarcely believe was happening.

For A Few Doubloons More…

The sixth and final page of “Shell Game” from Piracy #2 (Dec. 1954-Jan. 1955), with art by Williamson & Torres; scripter unknown. Thanks to Art Lortie.

[TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

because I got to discover it all over again with Angelo Torres.

Thank you to Rob Reiner and the Society of Illustrators for bringing Angelo back for a well-deserved show of his own. Angelo is one of the true gentlemen in this business, and an authentic living legend. I feel so fortunate to have been able to get to know one of my boyhood heroes, and I am so happy to see him getting the hero’s treatment here. It couldn’t happen to a nicer or more deserving guy.

JON GOTHOLD’s life was changed forever when an older kid gave him a stack of Mad magazines in early 1965. As a nine-year-old he became obsessed with the work of Wallace Wood, Jack Davis, Will Elder, and Harvey Kurtzman after discovering The Mad Reader. That childhood fascination with all things EC has yet to subside. Professionally he is an advertising Creative Director, but on the side, he writes regularly about comics and comic creators and is an Admin for the EC Fan-Addict Club on Facebook. He has contributed to several Fantagraphics Wallace Wood collections, as well as worked on the recently published History of EC Comics from Taschen Books. He is the proud owner of a complete collection of EC’s New Trend, New Direction, and Picto-Fiction titles. At this stage in his life, it is safe to say that he will never outgrow comicbooks.

XIV. Angelo’s First Comic Job

I

was working by candlelight in his studio, due to a power failure resulting from the storm. Sid had taken on several comic jobs, including the current one he was working on, which was due the next day. As they soon found out, Frazetta was also helping Sid out on a Western job for another publisher and would be coming by in the morning with some finished pages. Although they knew of Frazetta, neither Nick nor Angelo had ever met the man and were thrilled to hear he was coming by in the morning. During our phone conversation, Angelo couldn’t remember the name of the job they were helping out on that night but told me it was a horror story and had something to do with a cat. After our phone call, and being a horror comic aficionado myself, I decided to rummage through my collection to see what I could find. Luckily, I stumbled upon Crime Mysteries #13, dated May 1954, which had a six-page story inside by Sid Check called “The Mystery of the Cross-Eyed Cat.” Could this be the one?

I quickly made Xerox copies and mailed them off to Angelo the following day, then called him up a week later at his studio.

“You found it, you found it, Roger—this is the story!” was his reaction. I was thrilled to have made this discovery for him and for myself. Several years went by before it dawned on me that, besides being Angelo’s and Nick’s first involvement in the comic

by Roger Hill

am honored to provide a little something to these festivities celebrating the 90th birthday of Angelo Torres. For many years collectors and historians like me had no idea how or where Angelo Torres got his start in the comic business. These kinds of details are usually lost to memory simply by the passing of time.

In 1987 I was editor for the Comic and Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association (CFA-APA), an organization I had started for original comic and fantasy art collectors. At that time, I was putting together an issue dedicated to Roy Krenkel and had called up both Angelo and Al Williamson to get some comments about their friendship with Roy. Both were eager to help out.

I had met Williamson years earlier at the EC Fan-Addict Convention in New York City in 1972 and before that was involved with the EC fanzine Squa Tront, which Al had contributed to during the 1960s. I had never met or talked with Angelo but had corresponded with him through the mail and had acquired his studio phone number. So, I called him up to talk about Roy Krenkel, which we did, then began asking how he got involved with comics, and queried him on what his first job was. As Angelo recalled, it happened in 1954 through his friend Nick Meglin.

Ange had met Meglin in the foundation class of Burne Hogarth’s Cartoonist and Illustrators School in 1953. He also met Roy Krenkel at the school. Meglin used to visit the offices of EC, Entertaining Comics, in those days and eventually met and became friends with Al Williamson. Nick eventually showed Al some of Angelo’s sample drawings and Al said he wanted to meet him. That didn’t happen right away. Instead, one day in early 1954, Nick received a phone call from Al asking if he and Angelo could help out a fellow comic artist friend of his named Sid Check. Sid had worked in Wally Wood’s studio early on, was now freelancing on his own, and up against a hard deadline. Sid lived with his wife and mother in the Sea Gate area of Brooklyn.

So, that evening, Nick and Angelo set out in a heavy rainstorm to find Sid’s place. They got there, soaking wet, and met Sid, who

A Check List Of Firsts Splash page of “The Mystery of the Cross-Eyed Cat,” drawn by Sid Check— assisted by Angelo Torres and Nick Meglin on this, their very first comicbook job. The story appeared in Ribage’s Crime Mysteries #13 (May 1954). From the collection of Roger Hill. [© the respective copyright holders.]

What, Me Panic?

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Shock Endings & Sexy Women &, Oh Yes, Rod Serling Between his stints at EC Comics and Mad, Torres penciled and inked a number of color comics stories for various other publishers.

(Above left :) Splash page from Timely/Atlas’ Astonishing #54 (Oct. 1956), as reprinted in Marvel’s Worlds Unknown #1 (May 1972). [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] (Above right:) Twilight Zone #14 (Feb. 1966), in which Rod Serling relates tales of the unexpected. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

business, it was also an important date for all the participants involved. Remember, the morning after was when these fellows got to meet for the first time Frank Frazetta, who picked them up, along with Sid, then proceeded over to Williamson’s place. Angelo finally met Al that morning as well, and away they all went into the city to deliver the various jobs to the publishers. I believe that morning was the beginning of the group known as “The Fleagles.”

Of course, they weren’t labeled with that title yet; that would come later. But thanks to Angelo’s memory, we have determined when his first work appeared in the comics, and an approximate time frame of when the Fleagles actually met and formed.

By the way, those Western pages that Frazetta was helping Sid on showed up in Masked Ranger #1, dated April 1954, for the story titled “The Valley of Dead Men!” And, can you believe it, three pages of original art from that story turned up in a Sid Check storage unit that defaulted during the mid 1980s.

With that said, I want to send Angelo Torres my personal wishes for a very Happy Birthday celebration at the Society of Illustrators and say THANK YOU for providing us all with your incredible art for over the past 60+ years. I wish I could have been there to celebrate this day with you. Best of health and personal regards.

ROGER HILL has been researching and writing about EC comics for the past 50 years. He was an original contributor to the EC fanzine Squa Tront, for which he’s still writing today and of which another issue will soon be coming out. Thus far he has written books on Wally Wood, Reed Crandall, and Mac Raboy, and is currently putting the finishing touches on his book on Johnny Craig. He is also editor and publisher of the EC Fan-Addict Fanzine, which he publishes on an irregular basis. He collects original comic art and illustration art and resides with his wife Terry in Wichita, Kansas.

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

XV. Angelo? Well, I Love The Guy

A

by John Hitchcock ngelo is one of my heroes. The first time I met him was on the printed page.

There was a very close-knit group of comic fans that understood from early on that somebody drew comicbooks. When I was a kid, I thought there was a big rubber machine that just

created this stuff. I mean, how could anyone sit down and draw like that? Comicbooks were a great mystery to me. But I soon understood these artists were just that good.

When I opened Creepy #1, and all that genius fell out, I was hooked for life. Angelo was one of those artists and he was as talented as anyone. Back in the ’80s I helped throw comicbook conventions in Greensboro, NC, and the guest lists were mind-bending. Archie Goodwin and Murphy Anderson were at the first show, and the next few cons had Will Eisner, Julie Schwartz, Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, and Al Williamson. Yeah, I know, it was a very magic time for us all.

I opened my own store in 1989 and started to have shows. The first featured Al Williamson, George Evans, Dave Stevens, the Hampton Brothers, and Angelo Torres. Al gave me Ange’s phone number, but it took me a week to get up the guts to call him. There could not have been a nicer guy, and he agreed to come to the show.

Trust me, to be a fly on the wall and to listen to this group tell stories was a dream come true. One time Dave Stevens fell off his chair laughing so much. Something I always did was to call and keep up with these marvelous people because we all became good friends. How lucky can a guy be? Happy Birthday to my great friend Angelo.

JOHN HITCHCOCK is the owner of Parts Unknown, a comic book store in Greensboro, NC, and a long-time comic art collector.

XVI. Angelo

I

by Arnie Kogen

n your career at Mad you’ve illustrated over 35 Arnie Kogen articles. I’m so sorry Feldstein, Meglin and Ficarra put you through that hell.

You did a brilliant job on so many of my film and TV parodies. Among them M*A*S*H, The Partridge Family, Kojak, Happy Days, The Gladiator, The Karate Kid, Newhart, and The Golden Girls. This last piece was co-written with my son Jay. Jay went on to win four Emmy awards, but this Mad spoof (“The Olden Girls,” Mad #263) illustrated by Angelo Torres is one of his proudest career achievements.

Jeepers Creep-sters!

“Pursuit of the Vampire” in Warren Publishing’s Creepy #1 (1964) was not only the first collaboration between writer Archie Goodwin and artist Angelo Torres—but was also one of the former’s first two horror efforts, both published in that issue. Script by Archie Goodwin. Courtesy of John Hitchcock.

[TM & © New Comics Company LLC.]

In my home office I have framed the opening splash of The Untouchables (“The Unwatchables,” Mad #276)— another parody we teamed up for. We see your wonderful depictions of

Arnie Kogen

What, Me Panic?

XVII. Feliz CumpleAñ(gel)os

The Golden/Olden Age Of Mad First page of the Golden Girls parody from Mad #263 (June 1986), by writer Arnie Kogen and artist Angelo Torres. [TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Charles Martin Smith, and Robert DeNiro. The title of the article does not say “The Untouchables” or “The Unwatchables.” It says “Die Unausstehlichen.” It’s a German edition of Mad magazine. The credits are: “Text: Arnie Kogen” and “Zeichnungen: Angelo Torres.”

Congratulations again, Angelo. You are one of the most gifted zeichnungeners I’ve ever worked with.

ARNIE KOGEN is a multiple Emmy-Award-winning comedy writer.

27

T

by Jason Levine

here is probably a reason I am a Mad fan/collector and not a contributor. I started reading Mad in 1977 at the age of eight, and my first issue, #189, had the Welcome Back, Kotter parody drawn by Angelo of one of my favorite shows at the time. As a younger “reader” of Mad I certainly gravitated to the shorter gag-type pieces, but it wasn’t long before I graduated to the TV parodies and eventually movie parodies. I would credit Mad for my learning to read, along with any pop culture knowledge I have, but that’s another topic….

I went from Mad reader to Mad saver to Mad collector. As a kid

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

collector, I was constantly searching for items as the ultimate fan.

I’d visit the Mad office, which was my equivalent of the Baseball Hall of Fame or a fancy museum. It was one of the real joys of my childhood and I was 1/2 quiet kid in awe and 1/2 kid in a candy store wanting everything! The staff was always welcoming, or at least I thought of it that way. As I got older, I went from a “fan boy” to more of an adult collector. It really changed my relationship with many of the editorial staff, artists and writers. I still greatly admired their talents, but I could get to know them for who they were and not just the contributions to the magazine. I am blessed to be a Mad collector in New York, which will always be Mad’s home in my mind. I have been lucky to meet so many of my heroes, and consider some of them my friends; Angelo is one of them. Two things so many of the Mad crew have in common are a giant heart and the ability to bring joy into peoples’ lives. I guess why work for a humor publication if you don’t want to make people smile and laugh.

I owe Ian Scott McGregor a big thank-you for bringing me into the circle. Ian and I became fast friends after a visit several years ago. He would organize meet-ups when Annie Gaines Ashton or collectors came to town, and that’s where I really got to know Angelo. In fact, over the years Ian and I would set up lunches with Angelo and Al Jaffee or Nick Meglin. Besides seeing longtime friends get together, it was a thrill just to be there. The stories and memories they shared were priceless. Angelo and Al shared a studio for many years, for those that might not know. Watching Angelo receive his Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award was a real honor. And I have enjoyed my many visits to Angelo’s for lunch and maybe a glass, or two, of wine. There’s always great conversation and it usually isn’t even about Mad. That said, on a visit late last year (sadly, with the Covid crisis the visits have been fewer and further between for safety), we actually video-chatted with a friend of mine in Venezuela. That is one thing about Mad collectors on an international level: you meet people all around the world. This friend is actually considered the “David Letterman” of Venezuela, as he used to have a TV show.

My friend had contracted Covid. I asked Angelo to send a video message wishing him well. My friend has been a huge Mad fan for 40 years. Hearing from Angelo brought him so much joy and made

Ange & The Pirates Angelo is presented with the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Cartoonists Society on October 24, 2016. Also seen: an unused potential cover by Torres for the 1981 paperback collection titled Mad Clobbers the Classics. Courtesy of Ian Scott McGregor. [Art TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

him forget about Covid for a little bit as they shared several video messages back and forth. It was a really special memory.

There have been so many special memories, and I am so lucky to have gotten to know Angelo. I can only wish him nothing but good health and happiness on his 90th birthday!

JASON LEVINE is a lifetime Mad reader, collector, historian and friend of Angelo’s.

XVIII. My Dinner With Angelo

T

by Ian Scott McGregor

he Production Offices of Mad magazine, located at 485 MADison Ave., Floor 13, New York, New York, had a brass plaque over the work sink, announcing: “Nixon Pissed Here.”

The walls were extremely busy and loud—art and preliminary work were tacked up all over the place, and inside jokes were scribbled everywhere—but to the ear, Production was an unexpected oasis of quiet in the chaos of Mad’s headquarters. Tall windows looked out onto Manhattan, and the big room of drafting tables was still, zen. Editorial, comparatively, had a snare drum and cymbal.

What, Me Panic?

Ian Scott McGregor

29

I was 13 years old. I’d spent the day interrupting Mad staff meetings and taking pictures of the famous cover paintings lining the halls. I’d ransacked the stock room for as much as I could carry, and I’d photographed each Mad staffer, artist, and writer I’d met—except Mad Art Director Lenny “The Beard” Brenner and Mad Artist Angelo Torres. I found them chatting in the Production Offices at the end of Mad’s longest hall.

When I crossed the threshold and approached Lenny for a photo, he was instantly grumpy, barking at me to “hurry up, c’mon,” which set Angelo laughing, “hurry up, do better, will you?”—until just before I snapped the shutter, when Lenny smiled like a real-life teddy bear.

I turned my camera to Angelo, a kind, unassuming artist who drew the Mad movie and TV parodies. I had him hunch over his newly finished “Babewatch” artwork with a Bic ballpoint pen, as if I’d caught him concentrating deeply on his craft.

At 13, I was unable to comprehend who these Mad people were. I certainly didn’t know who Angelo was. If I had known about EC Comics, how Ange was one of the last of the living EC artists, a student of Hogarth, a vet who’d shipped out to Korea with Mad #1 in his back pocket and returned home to see the near demise of the comics industry as a whole, I’d probably have had a ton of questions for him. Instead, I took his photo and asked him to autograph a plastic pizza plate.

Twenty-one years later I was back in New York City making my way as a professional actor, living in beautiful Park Slope, Brooklyn. Now grown, I’d educated and entertained myself with EC’s horror, sci-fi, and war comics for some time. In researching a project, I called up Mad and reconnected with Editor-In-Chief John Ficarra, who forwarded me to former editor Nick Meglin, and Nick sent me to Angelo Torres—who lived blocks away! My Mad neighbor!

I went over to Ange’s with some sandwiches and a bottle of green wine, and we were like old school friends reuniting. We talked movies, music, and, of course, comics. He’d tell me about his

Bombs Away!

A page by Torres from the 1977 paperback History Goes Mad. From the collection of Ian Scott McGregor. [TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

island life as a kid in Puerto Rico—he had a rich uncle who’d get all the good comics from the States and keep them in a shed. Ange would fill up a milk crate of funnybooks and drag them back to his house to pore over. For the next five years or so, I’d bring lunch and drinks over and visit with Ange almost every week. He’d giddily play down stories of attending the last EC Christmas party in a new tan suit and getting so sloshed he laid the tan blazer on the bathroom floor to nap, Wally Wood stepping over him.

Ange loved hearing about my acting career, as his late wife Joan was an actress, so I’d tell him about my auditions, and he’d tell me about his hunting trips with George Woodbridge, Nick Meglin, and Frank Frazetta—how they never caught anything! He’d tell me about going to midnight movies on 42nd Street with Al Williamson, or about meditative fishing trips with (not really) grumpy Lenny Brenner.

A Herd Of Nerds?

A vintage photo from what’s been called “the Nerd Team 30 interview.” (Left to right:) Mad art director Lenny Brennan, Bill Gaines, Antonio Prohias [Spy vs. Spy], Angelo Torres, & Nick Meglin. Courtesy of Robert L. Reiner... and, we guess, the Nerd Team.

Ange came to New York as a 14-year-old and ended up in art school with Nick Meglin and George Woodbridge. They’d loiter at Wally Wood’s studio, suggesting he draw cards falling out of Merlin’s sleeve for a Mad comic, or they’d storm the gates

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

Silly In Sicily of the EC offices for free comics, which is where the infamous “Fleagle Gang” label came from.

Meglin swore it was Kurtzman who coined the name for the group, but Ange insists it was Nancy Siegel, as she sat up front and played defense against greasy little nerds like them. Ange also says “the Fleagles” never identified themselves as such—in reality it was a few different overlapping groups of friends and no real “gang” to speak of.

My sharing pictures of Ange and his art on social media in comic collector groups had a snowball effect on the positivity of the “Old Twig’s” mood, and his fans were delighted to see he was doing well. Upon hearing Ange’s hi-fi was on the fritz, some fans decided to privately fund a new receiver for him. I brought it over, hooked it up, and he was back into his grooves.

Ange decided he needed a website to host his work, have contact with fans, and sell art, so I constructed one according to his designs, which made him enormously proud! I’m proud of it, too, as digitizing his legendary career was no mean feat. You can visit his website here: www.angelotorresart.com Years later, I took Ange into the city for Lenny Brenner’s funeral. I felt an impostor at the intimate gathering of family and Mad folks, but I’d brought along the picture I took of Lenny decades earlier, and gave it to his son Mark. Mark set his dad’s photo above the guest book and Lenny smiled over everyone signing in. After, we went for coffee and bagels with some Mad folks. Photographer Irving Schild told us of his escape from the Nazi prison camps on skis….

Ed Steckley, then President of the NYC National Cartoonists Society, helped organize a celebration of Ange’s career, and honored him with the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award.

Milton Caniff is one of Ange’s favorites, so I got him a hefty Caniff biography book to go along with his major award.

Ever curious, Ange once asked me why DJs use two turntables, so I found a YouTube video explaining it. Ange said, “Wow!” and dragged out his son’s record collection, asking me about each of the artists. We played Pink Floyd’s album Wish You Were Here on his resurrected turntable, and he put his feet up to read along with the lyrics, impressed.

When I discovered Ange’s love of fish, we’d go for sushi at the closest place, which happened to be the best sushi restaurant in Brooklyn! We’d have our minds blown by astounding fish served like art and try to level ourselves out with hot sake for the walk home.

I attended my first New York Comic Con with Ange in 2017 to see the farewell panel for the NYC Mad Staff. Mad, it had been announced, was retiring to Burbank to reprint itself to death, and a

Selected frames from Angelo’s Super 8 film of the Mad group trip to Sicily in 1985. (Pictured left to right:) Nick Meglin, Sergio Aragonés, Angelo Torres, and Bill Gaines. Film courtesy of Angelo Torres.

send-off was held in the basement of the Empire State Building. We drank Mad-themed cocktails and ate pasta with all the Mad folks, mourning the end of an era. In the cab back to Brooklyn Ange said, “I love this filthy town.”

When Meglin was visiting, we’d stuff ourselves at Katz’s Deli before going up to the Mad offices to interrupt work—just like I did when I was 13. One snowy afternoon at Katz’s I showed Nick and Ange digitized 16mm film Ange had taken on a Mad trip to Bora Bora. Nick was overjoyed to see the films again, and crowned me “Honorary Fleagle,” which he thought was hilariously meaningless, crowing: “They’ll write books about you now, slime!”

A few weeks later, Meglin’s ornery schtick still ringing in my ears, Nick’s grandson Max Korn called to tell me he had passed away. We took the train into the city together for Nick’s memorial.

Ange gave an earnest and moving speech about the meaning of Nick’s friendship, and afterwards we took bagels from the catering and hailed a cab home.

Though the pandemic put a damper on our lunches, I’d still venture out to drop bottles of wine to Ange. When my partner and I decided to move to California, Ange and I shared a summer sandwich and a couple cans of rosé in Prospect Park for old times’ sake. Ange was worried were we gonna get busted by the cops for open containers, but we escaped unscathed.

Ange and I keep up by phone and e-mail, even a rare video chat! I help with his website, answer his questions about Instagram (an account he mans largely by himself), and update him on my cats. I’ll have the wine shop drop him a few of our favorite bottles now and again, but only enough to keep Meglin’s voice from echoing in my head: “Did you have enough wine to keep Mr. Torres warm??”

I’m looking forward to visiting New York for this exhibit and seeing the “Old Bean” take a much-deserved bow. Thanks to Rob Reiner for organizing the show, and cheers to Ange for his tenacity and talents! Honor and a pleasure.

IAN SCOTT MCGREGOR is an award-winning actor, writer, and director. He is best known for providing the motion-capture and voice performance of Cletus Ewing in Grand Theft Auto V. As an actor, Ian has appeared in video games, feature films, national commercials, and television shows such as Boardwalk Empire, Law and Order, and Veep. As a director he’s created content for Condé Nast, Kodak, and Prediction Productions. Ian has been a Mad collector since age 8 and is a moderator for the EC Fan-Addict Club on Facebook. He lives in the Hollywood Hills with his fiancé and film-making partner, Will Mayo, and their two rascal cats.

What, Me Panic?

31

Angelo Torres - Good Shortstop, Better Artist, Best Friend.

Nick wrote his usual opus citing his recollections of events and conversations starting with the early years of meeting at the School of Visual Arts, their friendship and baseball games with Frank Frazetta and the Fleagles, working with a who’s who of comic greats like Al Williamson, Sid Check, George Woodbridge, Stan Lee, Roy Krenkel, Howard Simon, and others. Nick asked Angelo to proofread his “opus” and make corrections.

Here are excerpts from their e-mail exchanges that speak to the depth and warmth of their friendship: Ange’s response upon receiving it – “Always been uncomfortable with biographies and my checkered career doesn’t help. However, I have few regrets. I’ve always been busy, I have a loving family and I wouldn’t take anything for my friends, of which you head the list. I read and reread your piece and think you’re doing a fine job. I have now tweaked it as you requested and hope it gets the job done. I’ll probably get hammered for it, but here it is.”

Nick’s response – “That you have remained positive, loving, supportive, generous and can say things like ‘I have no regrets’ is more than a tribute to who you are as a person, it’s who I know.”

Angelo – “Nick, you are something special. We have been together and shared so much in the years we’ve known each other, we could fill a book. And the amazing thing is it has always been fun and full of laughs. Never a sour note. Never.

Having you for a friend for over fifty years has been one of life’s gifts. I said I have no regrets. I have some, everyone does. But I try not to dwell on them. This is who I am and this is what I’ve done with my life and this is my work. And I can accept your various recollections of things past. The problem is after a fiftyseven-year friendship, we sound like Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold in Gigi… ‘Ah, yes, I remember it well.’”

Nick turned in the final product, after many back-and-forth tweaks that spanned three months, and wrote this in an e-mail to Grant Geissman on September 23, 2011: “I’ll be totally truthful with you, Grant – my 55-year

We’ll Take A “Pass”!

(Above:) Re-creation by Chris Kohler of Angelo Torres’ and Al Williamson’s splash page for “Kasserine Pass!” in Warren’s Blazing Combat #2 (Jan. 1966).

Script by Archie Goodwin. Thanks to Robert L. Reiner & Chris Morgan.

[TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

N

XIX. Angelo Torres – A Tribute From The Meglin Family

ick Meglin would have been so proud of his dear friend Angelo and grateful to the Society of Illustrators for honoring the brilliance of this gifted artist and his oldest friend. Their friendship spanned 55 years (Nick said 55, Angelo said 57) and was rooted in mutual respect, admiration, love, and laughter.

This is evidenced in a series of e-mails between the two from July-September 2011, when Nick was asked by Mad-meister Grant Geissman to write an introduction about Angelo for a piece he was writing on EC Comics. Nick’s introduction was entitled

It Must Be Deli, ’Cause Jam Don’t Shake Like That!

(Below:) Nick Meglin and Angelo Torres pass the mustard at the iconic Katz’s Deli in Manhattan, 2017. Photo courtesy of Ian Scott McGregor.

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

Lust One Of Those Things Splash panel of Angelo’s parody of the TV series Love Boat, with script by Dick De Bartolo. From Mad #202 (Oct. 1978). [TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

friendship with Ange (we met in summer of ’56) has been one of only love and laughs and one of the best relationships I’ve ever had—but when it comes to Ange’s modesty, he is one pain in the ass!

I’ve had to tweak this epic several times (not kidding) to remove several passages that praised his work and words he found offensive like “brilliant” (again, not kidding!). Ange is not only modest to a fault, but in tennis terms, he is modest to a double fault!”

Bravo, Angelo!

With love, The Meglin Family (Diane, Bruce, Max, Elena & David, Chris, Susana, Benjamin, and Linda)

XX. Appreciating Angelo Torres: The Man And His Art

by Clint Morgan

“W

ho is this amazing artist who drew ‘Pursuit of the Vampire’?”

That was my thought as I read the story “Pursuit of the Vampire” in Creepy #1 back in 1964. It was my first exposure to a comicbook artist named Angelo Torres. He was unknown to me then, but he quickly became an artist I greatly admired.

Looking at that story—and many others that followed in the pages of Creepy and Eerie magazines—it seemed to me that this fellow Torres combined the best of Al Williamson and Reed Crandall, my two favorite comicbook artists at the time. His fine linework, figure drawing, and highly realistic rendering of faces all seemed very similar to that of Williamson. Unbeknownst to me then (I would not discover EC Comics for another couple of years), Torres had collaborated with Williamson on several stories for EC almost a decade earlier. It’s not surprising, then, that his later work would reveal some similarity to Williamson’s style.

In addition, the way Torres utilized lots of thin, parallel pen strokes to convey tone looked just like Crandall’s signature technique to me. I was not aware of Torres having collaborated with Crandall as he had with Williamson, so I recently asked Angelo if Crandall had influenced his use of that technique. He

replied, “The pen and ink technique you associate with Reed Crandall was used extensively by many. Jack Davis was a master at it, as was Al Williamson. It was influenced by the early pen and ink illustrators and was a nice way of achieving those middle tones in a black and white drawing.”

Of course, there were other aspects of Torres’ art that were uniquely his own. More than Williamson or Crandall, Torres employed loose, fluid brushwork. Also, he applied large areas of solid black (known in the trade as “spotting blacks”) better than any artist I had ever seen. He used high-contrast black-&-white to create lighting effects, mood, and atmosphere akin to film noir.

His story pacing, panel layouts, and variety of perspectives were incredibly cinematic. The overall effect in his Warren horror stories was to evoke the same look and feel found in the classic Universal monster movies.

In an e-mail exchange, Torres confirmed my impression that he was highly influenced by movies. He wrote, “All of my work has been influenced by my years watching movies and seeing how they are done. I’m a huge fan of directors and how they set up a shot and tell a story and that’s how I always tried to think when breaking down a script. It was done subconsciously, however.”

Regarding the specific influence of the Universal horror films, he related, “The first horror movie I ever saw was The Son of Frankenstein with Basil Rathbone and Karloff. I was in the second grade. Not long after that, I caught The Mummy’s Hand with Tom Tyler as the Mummy. These two movies caused me nightmares, almost nightly, for years to come. I was finally able to see Karloff’s first two Frankensteins and the original Mummy years later on television. By then I was hooked.”

What, Me Panic?

33

Subsequent to that initial get-together, I have been fortunate enough to enjoy other meals with Ange and visits to his Brooklyn home. He is an unfailingly warm and gracious host.

He enjoys discussing almost any topic, from his fellow Fleagles to his decades of drawing for Mad magazine to movies he’s recently watched on TCM (I was particularly pleased to discover Ange is a fellow film buff). While he freely shares first-hand accounts of comicbook artists he knew and admired, whenever anyone turns the subject to how fabulous his own artwork is, he responds with self-effacing humility. No outsized ego here!

Ange is a true mensch.

Whoever said “Don’t meet your heroes” clearly never met Angelo Torres. As much as I appreciate and admire his art, I appreciate and admire the man that much more.

CLINT MORGAN is the president of Morgan Design, a brand communications design firm in New York City.

XXI. Generous Plus Gifted

I

by Harry North

really learned so much from studying Angelo’s drawings and script interpretation. Mad could be tough on an artist, given the rigid format and emphasis of writing above illustration—especially with film and TV parodies. Frames would tend mostly to be elongated—lateral, also a frame with copious text (two talking heads) would receive a whole lot of

There’s A Lot At Stake!

A crucial page from “The Pursuit of the Vampire,” by Goodwin & Torres, from Creepy #1 (1964). The splash page was glimpsed on p. 26. Repro’d from the Dark Horse Archives edition. [TM & © New Comics Company LLC.]

This is the amazing artist who drew “Pursuit of the Vampire”!

Almost 50 years after being introduced to Angelo Torres’ art, I was introduced to the man himself by our mutual friend, Ian Scott McGregor. Ian arranged for a small gathering of EC Fan-Addicts to have lunch with Ange (as he is affectionately known) at his favorite Italian restaurant in Brooklyn. We sat entranced as Ange related stories from his early days in the industry. He told us about artists he knew and worked with, some famous and some not so famous.

As an example of the latter, I asked Ange if he knew Sid Check and, if so, what he was like. Sid Check, for those unfamiliar with him, was a comicbook artist of the 1950s who drew only a handful of stories for EC Comics. I asked Ange about him because I was intrigued by Check’s art, yet knew little about the artist himself.

Ange not only knew Check, he proceeded to unfold an enlightening and entertaining tale about their times together. I wish I had recorded the story for posterity’s sake and to capture all the wonderful details. This is just one example of how Ange is full of a priceless oral history of the comicbook industry.

Uncle Creepy In Slippers” That’s Angelo’s title for this 2019 color drawing. From the collection of Clint Morgan. [Uncle Creepy TM & © New Comics Company LLC.]

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

XXII. The Amazing Life & Career Of Angelo Torres

B

by S.C. Ringgenberg

orn in 1932 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Angelo Torres moved to New York City at age 14. He was interested in comics early on, starting with Will Eisner’s The Spirit, and later grew to love Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant, Bringing Up Father, Terry and the Pirates, and Tarzan, then being drawn by Burne Hogarth. Ironically, about a dozen years after moving to the U.S., Torres found himself sitting in Hogarth’s classroom in what was then called the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (now the School of Visual Arts). Prior to that, Torres went to junior high school in the Bronx. He went on to attend the School of Industrial Art for three years, graduating in 1951.

Torres enlisted in the New York National Guard and was called up by the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He served as a radar operator for an anti-aircraft artillery unit.

After his discharge, he used the G.I. Bill to attend C&I, where he made some lifelong friends, including Nick Meglin and George Woodbridge. About a year later, he met Roy Krenkel,

“More Stars Than There Are In—Cracked!”

Inside front cover art by Harry North for Mad #187 (Dec. 1976).

[TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

space, whereas an action frame with a small amount of text would itself be small: good for the writer, not so good for the artist.

Angelo had handled this format bias with a mastery that might pass unnoticed by 90% of readers (that’s a guess), but it didn’t pass unnoticed by me. I learned from Angelo a number of various ways to deal with this.

I also learned from him about character drawing. Now, to draw a single caricature from a well-focused, well-contrasted photo with a great expression is one thing, but imagine: you may, for the parody at hand, have been given five or six random photos of your star—or merely including your hardly discernible star—and it was then up to you to depict him/her from angles you didn’t have, i.e.: use your imagination. Furthermore, topping that, it had to be a humorous depiction that expressed the gag. Quite a challenge.

Thank you, mentor Angelo.

I’d also like to add a word recalling the first or second time I went to the minuscule MADison Avenue offices. I was busy lugging out all the art from its archives in the art department when Torres came in. I told him how, being a foreigner (English btw), I wanted to draw and photograph New York’s streets and avenues to capture the ambience. Without a moment’s hesitation, he volunteered to take me on a car tour of Manhattan from Harlem to Battery Park. As it turned out, this trek took more than a few days, and it gave me the wonderful opportunity to get to know one of the most generous and good fun people I’ve ever met. Thank you, friend Angelo.

HARRY NORTH is the only artist to contribute to both the U.K. and U.S. versions of Mad. He loved all his times with Mad: the work, the friendships, the trips—what’s not to love! It got his family through some difficult times. “Such good fortune.”

Hero Worship Portrait of Angelo Torres by Drew Friedman, from the latter’s 2014 Fantagraphics book More Heroes of the Comics: Portraits of the Legends of Comic Books. [© Drew Friedman.]

What, Me Panic?

35

publishers such as Premier Magazines, where his editor was future science-fiction great Harry Harrison. His work appeared alongside his friend George Woodbridge in the Masked Ranger title and included a story that was a collaboration with Nick Meglin (“Hostages of the Blackfeet” in Masked Ranger #9).

At Classics Illustrated, he drew adaptations of Toilers of the Sea and “The Man without a Country,” as well as contributing to CI titles in The World around Us series, including a special on dinosaurs, and doing most of the art for a special on World War II. A lifelong history buff, Torres excelled at depicting the personalities, machines, and locales of that era. Torres contributed illustrations to the Harwyn Children’s Encyclopedia, which was art-directed by old EC colleague, Jack Kamen, and featured work

by Wallace Wood, Al Williamson, Reed Crandall, and other EC alumni.

Torres took on assignments in the early issues of Cracked, one of the many Mad imitators, and then moved on to Joe Simon’s Sick, becoming a regular contributor. In 1964, Creepy debuted, and Torres was a frequent contributor to that black-&-white horror magazine and its companion title Eerie, as well as drawing for

“Caught” In A Quandry We’ve no way of knowing which story it was in 1955 of which Timely/Atlas editor Stan Lee asked Angelo to draw the first two pages on spec, with the other two to be assigned to him if The Man liked the first two—but here’s Torres’ splash page for “With These Hands!” from Caught #3 (Dec. 1956).

Which, by the way, was a four-pager. Thanks to Sharon Karibian. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Al Williamson, and Frank Frazetta. These pals played softball, went bowling, took in movies, chased girls, sometimes going on camping and hunting trips and helping each other out on art assignments. By 1954, Torres was assisting Williamson on several jobs for EC Comics and was eventually given a solo assignment by Bill Gaines: “An Eye for An Eye,” which was rejected by the Comics Code and didn’t see print until 1971 when it was included in the book Horror Comics of the 1950’s. Meanwhile, Torres continued his classes at C&I, being constantly cheered on by Nick Meglin.

In 1955, Stan Lee, the editor of Atlas Comics, came to C&I to announce a contest. Torres and the other students were given two pages of a four-page story. The winner would be given the rest of the story to finish and would have their work published.

Two weeks later, Lee returned to judge the results. Torres won, even though the pages he submitted had just been finished and the ink was still wet! When Torres turned in the final two pages, Lee asked him if he wanted more work, and Torres responded enthusiastically. He followed this up with another story for Atlas and his career as a professional cartoonist was launched.

He quit school and began working for Atlas, illustrating horror, war, Western, and science-fiction titles, and at other

“Hostages Of The Blackfeet” Splash page of the “Crimson Avenger” story—no relation to the early DC hero—from Premier’s Masked Ranger #9 (Aug. 1955), with shared art credit

by Angelo Torres & Nick Meglin. In the Grand Comics Database entry, Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., opined as how they might have had help from the likes of Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, and/or Roy Krenkel—which, whether true or not, merely shows how good the work is, harking back to the feel of Frazetta’s own “Dan Brand”/”White Indian” feature. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

36

Celebrating Angelo Torres

collaborations with Williamson, and by aficionados of good comic art.

Aside from his work in comicbooks, Torres also worked as a ghost artist on a variety of syndicated newspaper strips, especially Big Ben Bolt, where he ghosted the Sunday page for six years, and he occasionally contributed to Rip Kirby during John Prentice’s run on that strip. One assignment involved penciling two L’il Abner Sunday pages for Al Capp, long after his friend Frank Frazetta had left Capp’s employ. He even ghosted for old friend Al Williamson on Secret Agent Corrigan once in a while. In 2004, he returned to his love of history, illustrating Epic Battles of the Civil War: Antietam, the third in a four-book series, which was followed, appropriately enough, by a volume on Gettysburg, illustrated by fellow Fleagle George Woodbridge.

At age 90, Angelo Torres’ art is as remarkable as ever. He continues to create new illustrations and specialty drawings from his comfortable Brooklyn studio, and it’s fitting that we celebrate him here and now.

S.C. “STEVE” RINGGENBERG has been a freelance writer for more than thirty years. He has interviewed over 200 people, including comics professionals from every facet of the industry including Frank Miller, Joe Kubert, Harvey Kurtzman, Todd McFarlane, Archie Goodwin, Gil Kane, Jerry Robinson, and illustrators like Frank Frazetta, Robert McCall, Ken Kelly, Jeff Jones, and William Stout. Among his many published works,

The Cosmos & The Classics (Above:) Original art for page 3 of “The Red Planet, Part 4: A Trip to Mars,” drawn by Torres for The World around Us #30 (1961).

(Right:) Original art as well for page 2 of the adaptation of Victor Hugo’s The Toilers of the Sea, drawn by Torres for Classics Illustrated #56 (Spring 1962). Both scripters unknown. Both scans courtesy of Heritage Art Auctions. [TM & © Frawley Corporation and its exclusive licensee First Classics, Inc. All rights reserved.]

all four issues of Blazing Combat, turning in some highly regarded war stories, including one (“Kasserine Pass”) that teamed him up with Al Williamson again. His friend Nick Meglin urged Torres to join him at Mad in 1969, where he was a regular contributor for the next 36 years, mostly focusing on TV and movie parodies such as “Popicorn” (Papillon). While working for Mad, he also illustrated several non-reprint paperbacks such as History Gone Mad, The Mad Make Out Book, and others.

Throughout his career, Torres demonstrated tremendous versatility, both in style and subject matter, ranging from horror to war, historical subjects like World War II and the Civil War, science-fiction, Westerns, and vast numbers of humor stories for Mad and Sick. Torres is well-known by EC fans through his

What, Me Panic?

Sick Humor Before he moved on to Mad, Torres illustrated parodies for its major challengers, Cracked and Sick. Seen above is most of a Torres page from a 1966 issue of Sick magazine. Writer unknown… maybe editor Joe Simon himself?

[TM & © Estate of Joe Simon.]

he has written comics scripts and articles for DC, Marvel, Bongo Comics, Heavy Metal, and Dark Horse. He also authored six young-adult mystery novels for Simon and Schuster, and, co-wrote the book Al Williamson: Hidden Lands. Additionally, he contributed articles and interviews to Russ Cochran’s Complete EC Library. From 1999 until 2011, he wrote the “Dossier” column for Heavy Metal magazine.

37

“His Truth Goes Marching On” (Above:) A page from the Historical Souvenir Company series Epic Battles of the Civil War: Vol. 3 – Antietam, produced through Marvel. This 44-page graphic novel was penciled and inked by Torres and colored by Curtis Woodbridge, son of the late Mad artist George Woodbridge, who had been a friend and fellow Fleagle of Angelo’s. See more of this modern classic on p. 44. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Ripped!

(Below:) Art Lortie, the comics researcher who sent this scan, tells us that Alberto Beccatini’s invaluable Stripper’s Guide identifies this Dec. 23, 1969, Sunday art for John Prentice’s Rip Kirby comic strip as having been totally penciled and inked by Angelo Torres. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

XXIII. Angelo The Magnificent

I

© by William Stout

first encountered the brilliant comics work of Puerto Rican artist Angelo Torres in Warren’s Creepy and Eerie magazines. I found his work similar in style to a real favorite of mine (and, as I later learned, one of Angie’s best friends and movie-going buddies), Al Williamson. Torres’ work was a sort of robust version of Al’s work; they both seemed to evolve parallel styles over the years.

The first Torres piece that really knocked me for a loop was in witzend magazine, a comics fanzine assembled by the multitalented Wallace Wood. witzend was an avenue of expression for comics artists who wanted to create pieces free of editorial interference. witzend created a bridge between underground comix and the slick “overground” alternatives of DC and Marvel, giving these artists the freedom they couldn’t find working for the big

comics companies.

Angie’s piece in witzend #1 was a drawing of a lushly overgrown, vine-covered tree. This inked drawing was similar in style to the EC and other comics work of Frank Frazetta, most likely because both Frank and Angie shared a passion for the work of Harold Foster, the great Tarzan artist and creator of Prince Valiant. I couldn’t stop looking at it. It inspired me to try to rise to that level of mood and beauty in my own work. It also began my hunt for similar art by Torres that showcased his more exotic roots.

William Stout

Angie only got to draw one solo EC story: “An Eye for an Eye.” Because this tale ended up being rejected for publication by the newly formed Comics Code Authority, this mid-1950s story did not see print until 1971.

During the most treasured years of EC, Torres made some strong friendships. He occasionally helped out his pal Al Williamson with the inking on some of Al’s EC tales. Torres became a member of an artists group that were dubbed “The Fleagle Gang,” a talented bunch that included Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, Roy G. Krenkel, Nick Meglin, George Woodbridge, and on an honorary basis Wallace Wood. The original Fleagle Gang was an actual crew of 1920s bank robbers and murderers. It’s more likely, however, that it was a reference to the riotous Fleagle Gang in the great 1945 Fred MacMurray screwball comedy Murder, He Says.

I stumbled across several examples of Torres’ work in the Atlas comics publications while I was scouring the Atlas books in my hunt for Al Williamson’s work. I quickly discovered the Torres touch in the inking of several Williamson Atlas stories, and to my delight I also encountered many of Angelo’s beautiful solo efforts.

Torres’ 1956/1957 work for Atlas seemed to be a very romantic combination of Williamson and Frazetta’s EC work (with perhaps a touch of Albert Dorne). Angie mostly drew Westerns and organic sci-fi stories for Atlas, a company that eventually evolved into the Marvel Comics Group. A lot of his excellent work from this time period can be found in the Atlas Western titles Quick Trigger Western, The Outlaw Kid, Annie Oakley Western Tales, Western Gunfighters, Western Outlaws, Wild Western, Ringo Kid, Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt Outlaw, as well as the more exotic comics Adventure Into Mystery, Astonishing, Spellbound, Strange Tales of the Unusual, Journey into Unknown Worlds, Tales of Justice, World of Mystery, Strange Stories of Suspense, Uncanny Tales, Caught, Marvel Tales, and the war comics Battle Action, Navy Combat, and Battlefront.

“Tomb” Be Or Not “Tomb” Be A page of moody, powerful blacks in the story “Untimely Tomb!” in Creepy #6 (1965). Art by Torres; script by Goodwin. Repro’d from the original art, from the collection of William Stout. [TM & © New Comics Company LLC.]

What, Me Panic?

39

From Explosion To Implosion Torres splash pages from Timely/Atlas’ Strange Tales of the Unusual #10 (June 1957) and from Marines in Battle #25 (Sept. ’58). Both scripters unknown. These stories bookended the so-called “Atlas Implosion,” which almost put permanently out of business the company that would one day be called Marvel! Thanks to Jim Kealy & Michael T. Gilbert, respectively. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

After his Atlas stint, Torres worked for Classics Illustrated which blessed Torres with a wide variety of subject matter where his flexibility as an artist served him well. A few of those books allowed Angelo to exercise his skills at drawing prehistoric life.

Angie was a member of a small group of comic artists that Al Williamson dubbed “good lizard men,” meaning that they were great at drawing dinosaurs.

From 1964 to 1967, Torres drew twenty stories for the Warren titles Creepy, Eerie, and Blazing Combat. By then, his art had a new, slicker, more sophisticated look, similar to what Al Williamson was doing on the latter-day Alex Raymond and John Prenticeinfluenced syndicated strip Secret Agent Corrigan. A page from the story “Untimely Tomb!” (Creepy #5, p. 6) so captivated me with its quality that I spent years searching for the original art. Eventually, I was able to track it down and was lucky enough to purchase it.

Torres’ style changed again when he began working in October 1969 for the sole remaining EC publication, Mad magazine.

Angelo developed a style strongly influenced by Mort Drucker, drawing Drucker-esque satires of current television shows and, eventually, movies.

It has been thrilling watching the development of Angelo

Torres; we are all lucky to have been along for this fabulous visual ride. Torres is our last living link to the great, heady days of EC comics. He remains a talented artist who just gets better and better.

Lovers of superb comic art everywhere have been lucky to have had the magnificent Angelo Torres in our presence. May his work live on and be deservedly appreciated forever.

WILLIAM STOUT assisted Russ Manning on Tarzan and Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder on Little Annie Fanny. A key underground comix creator, he recently contributed to a new Slow Death anthology.

His acclaimed Legends of the Blues is the first of three volumes. Stout created the famous Wizards poster, as well as posters for Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, and More American Graffiti. He has worked on over 75 films, including both Schwarzeneggerstarring Conan movies, Predator, Masters of the Universe, Return of the Living Dead, and Pan’s Labyrinth. His book The Dinosaurs: A Fantastic New View of a Lost Era helped inspire the film Jurassic Park. The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom, San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Zoo all boast Stout murals. Stout co-founded the Comic Art Professional Society and was its tenth president. The book Fantastic Worlds – the Art of William Stout covers Stout’s 50-year career as an artist. He is currently completing a three-volume box set on all of his comics-related work.

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

photos of the TV screen, then covering the bathroom windows to develop his pictures. There was no Internet. Between darkroom chemicals and rubber cement, the house smelled lovely.

Even with this amount of work, family always came first. He was, and still is, the best dad. We did so much together. We built a model railroad, went camping and fishing, and went to the park to play ball. We went out sketching and to baseball games. We still share joys and frustrations over our beloved Mets. Even when we can’t be together, we make time daily for a phone call or text.

One of the greatest gifts from my father is my sense of humor.

We spent hours watching Laurel and Hardy, Mel Brooks, Jackie Gleason, Ernie Kovacs, Jack Benny, and others… laughing like crazy. Mom would pass by, smile, and shake her head. I’d go to bed Saturday night and he’d say, “See you for breakfast with the Stooges!” Today, I show his granddaughter the same classic comedy, passing down that Torres sense of humor.

I was aware of the enormous amount of work dad was doing, but only realized later how much of it was done overnight so that he would have time for us. His work was making people laugh around the world, but his joy was his family.

ANDREW TORRES works in radio and lives on Staten Island with his wife and daughter. He loves to draw and talk baseball with his dad.

The Lizards Of Ooze Angelo Torres demonstrated that he was what Al Williamson called “a good lizard man” in this page of original art from The World around Us #15 – The Illustrated History of Prehistoric Animals. Of course, technically, salamanders aren’t lizards—but you get what we mean. From the collection of William Stout.

[TM & © Frawley Corporation and its exclusive licensee First Classics, Inc. All rights reserved.]

XXIV. Growing Up With Dad

W

by Andrew Torres

hen [my brother] John and I were growing up, Mad was putting out an issue every month and Dad was almost always assigned a TV or movie parody. Every job had to be penciled, inked, and shaded with marker, on boards the size of end tables. Type had to be cut and pasted— not with a keyboard, but a razor blade and rubber cement.

Even before drawing could begin, he’d do research—taking

All In The Family (Above:) Angelo Torres flanked by sons John (on left) and Andrew.

(Right:) Torres enjoys a drawing session with his granddaughter Caitlin. Photo courtesy of proud father Andrew.

What, Me Panic?

XXV: My Awesome Dad

G

by John Torres

rowing up, I never really thought of or knew much about my dad and his friends’ and coworkers’ roles as groundbreaking cartoonists and illustrators. He was just my awesome Dad.

41

I can still remember the whir it made. He loved splicing his own reels and pulling out his reel-to-reel projector to show family movies and silent Laurel and Hardy shorts. He also loved showing us his movies of the Mad crew clowning around internationally on their yearly trips, such as Mexico, Tahiti, and Europe.

I thought his job was incredibly cool and interesting and was always surprised and pleased when friends’ parents or teachers would know about Mad and his work and make a big deal about it. It just further proved what I already knew: I had the World’s Greatest Dad.

When I was old enough to graduate from crayons, my dad showed me how to use his stuff. Back then, Mad’s content was in the grayscale format that it used until the beginning of the Digital Era, so he had the full set of gray markers, from dark to light, warm and cool. He taught me basic penciling, inking, and shading. Much of my childhood artwork, wherever it is, consists of planes, castles and rocket ships in grayscale. He taught me how to sew the patches on my Cub Scout uniform and got me started building plastic models, which is once again my hobby in my old age.

I realized in later years just how truly blessed we were as a family to have a dad who was able to be so present and active in our lives, even while he worked so very hard full time at the job he loved. In my earliest memories he worked mainly from home, and when I was at the age when I could reach doorknobs and was developing my skills at mischief and getting into everything, my parents had to put anti-toddler covers on the doorknobs to keep me from getting into dad’s work stuff, which included rubber cement, razor blades and ink bottles and myriad sharp and pointy things.

Unlike most of my friends, I was never into traditional super-hero comics. I would hang out at his studio and go through his collection of Famous Monsters of Filmland mags and read Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon book and the early EC horror compilations

Eventually he set up his studio in a brownstone two blocks from home (back when such things were affordable), so my brother and I were able to visit him every day on our way home from school, and he was always nearby, and home with us in the evenings for dinner. He and mom were devoted to us, and loving their children was the most important thing in their lives. They made sure we could read and write above our grade level and gave us as many books as they did toys.

One of the reasons I never thought much about the celebrity artist my dad and his colleagues were is because Dad himself never thought of it or talked about it that way. He loved his work, and his family, and is one of the most humble and compassionate men I have ever known.

When he wasn’t at the drawing board, he was chasing Andrew and me around with his video camera.

A Galaxy Far, Far Away…

John and Andrew Torres as toddlers— juxtaposed with the front and back of the Angelo Torres trading card put out in circa the 1980s by Topps Chewing Gum as part of its Star Wars Galaxy set. Thanks to Jim Kealy for the Topps cards.

[Star Wars material TM & © Disney; other art TM & © Topps.]

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

He is honored and delighted by all the love and attention of all his fans. He still seems surprised sometimes at all the love and attention he receives, especially now, with the Internet, from people around the world. Sometimes I have to remind him that he’s actually a rather famous artist.

To me, he is still and will always be, just my awesome Dad. JOHN TORRES was born to a Mad artist and his wife in Brooklyn in 1969. He rocked out in the ’80s Metal, Goth, and hippy scenes, swordfought in a medieval society, and studied Japanese martial arts, before finally settling down in Silicon Valley, California, in 2001. He now works for a big tech company, drives his Firebird, and builds science-fiction models.

XXVI. Angelo Torres

I Don’t Panic!

Before he drew for Mad itself, he worked for several of its imitators, including Panic, which had usurped the name of EC’s earlier “official imitation” of Harvey Kurtzman’s color-comics brainchild for the black-&-white magazine era. Scripter unknown. This page is from issue #3 (Nov. 1958). Oh, and the official name of the company was “Panic Publications.” [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

(and, of course, Mad). My dad introduced me to the comedy of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Abbott and Costello, and the Three Stooges, and later Monty Python, which really made me an even sillier person than I already was. He introduced me to Sean Connery as Bond, and the Errol Flynn swashbuckling movies, to Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire and Danny Kaye. Thanks to Dad, I was already on my way to becoming a full-blown science-fiction/fantasy geek. My parents had me reading The Hobbit at a very young age, and I graduated to Lord of the Rings.

When my parents let me start watching the original Star Trek, it was all over. I remember the day in 1977 when Dad was out in Prospect Park with me telling me about a new space movie called Star Wars that was coming out soon, and I was skeptical it could be better than Trek! My dad told me, “It will be better than a thousand Star Treks.” Of course, he was right and paid for it by having to buy me Star Wars toys every birthday and Christmas for the next 5 years...

There’s too much I could write about all the ways he influenced me as a person culturally and shaped who I would eventually become.

by Sam Viviano

first got to know Angelo Torres during my maiden Mad trip in 1987. I was still rather new to the Usual Gang of Idiots, and I was, to put it mildly, starstruck. These were the Olympian gods who had inspired the boyhood me to become a cartoonist, and here I was, traveling to Switzerland and Paris with them as a colleague. What a group of characters they were: Al Jaffee doing sight gags, Duck Edwing performing magic tricks, Jack Davis breaking into a soft shoe routine, and all the writers joking constantly in a non-stop effort to one-up each other.

In the context of this circus atmosphere, Torres was The Quiet Man. I didn’t even see him all that much: most of the time he was off playing tennis with Nick Meglin, Lenny Brenner, and Stan Hart. But in his own understated way, he made his presence felt: in the

Sam Viviano Mad artist and later art director, with Angelo— and, just to shake things up, another of Torres’ earlier caricatures, this one of John Wayne and done for another early Mad knockoff: Frantic, Vol. 1, #1 (Oct. 1958), from the Pierce Publishing Co. Thanks to Ger Apeldoorn. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

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was always Angelo. That’s when I realized you have to keep your eye on the quiet guy. Still waters run deep and all that….

What’s true of the man is also true of the artist. Throughout his long career, first in the trenches of adventure, horror, and sci-fi comics, and then during his remarkable decades with Mad magazine, Angelo may not have been the flashiest of artists, but he was never less than a superb draftsman, a skilled technician, and a gifted storyteller. I had the great good fortune to serve as his art director at Mad for over a decade, when I really got to witness his artistry first-hand. Ange was always up for anything we would throw at him, no matter how complicated or demanding (or stupid), and he always, always turned in work that was solidly drawn, impressively rendered, funny(!), and—not the least important to an A.D.—delivered on time.

In the last few years, Angelo and I have become even closer than in the days we both toiled in the Mad vineyards. Not so long ago I visited him at his home in Brooklyn, where he shared with me some of his more recent artwork. I was gobsmacked. Not only had he been turning it out at an amazing rate—there seemed to be dozens and dozens of drawings—but it was really, really good. No, not merely good—it was great! I had seen many of the artists I worked with at Mad visibly slow down as they aged: their drawing became simpler and less detailed, their rendering less sure. Angelo, however, hasn’t lost a step. His compositions remain clean and confident, his drawing as solid as ever, his inking tight and intricate. Approaching ninety, he’s drawing like an energetic millennial who happens to have seventy years of experience.

Angelo isn’t one to brag about himself, so let me do it for him: this guy is one of the all-time masters. I’m in awe of his skills, I’m overjoyed that I had the chance to work with him, and I’m so proud to be his friend.

The Collected Works Of “Reissue” From those early Torres “trenches of adventure, horror, and sci-fi comics” that Sam V. mentions, here’s a 1958 IW reprint featuring a cover by Angelo: Man o’ Mars! It featured reprinted stories from the defunct publisher Fiction House. Pro artist (and “Comic Crypt” editor) Michael T. Gilbert, who sent us this scan, relates the story behind it: “When I was ten or eleven, I got a copy of IW’s Man o’ Mars in a trade with other kids. I loved the cover and (even that early!) wanted to know who drew it. In very small letters on the bottom left I found the signature ‘Reissue.’ Naturally, today I know that that meant it was a reprint, but back then it was my only clue to the actual artist. I tried moving the letters around but didn’t find any name that made sense. It remained a mystery to me for over half a century. By then, I think the GCD [Grand Comics Database] had credited it to Torres, but I wanted to be sure. So I got my hands on Angelo’s e-mail address and send a copy of this and a couple of other covers. The next day, Angelo wrote back: “‘Hi Michael—The Man o’ Mars cover is probably something I did back in the ’50s, although I have no recollection of the things I did in those early years. but this one I’m pretty sure is one I did back then. It looks like my stuff. The other two I have no idea who did them. Hope this is of some help. —Best, Angelo.’

“Which was good enough for me. So, after half a century, I finally knew who ‘Reissue’ was—straight from the horse’s mouth!” [© the respective copyright holders.]

late afternoons, when we crowded into a local bar to loosen up (as if these trips needed any more loosening up), idle conversation would inevitably lead to movie trivia. Competitive movie trivia.

Serious, take-no-prisoners, down and dirty movie trivia. Meglin was very, very good; Edwing was even better, and quicker; but when the dust settled, the winner of these movie trivia slugfests

After 22 years as a humorous illustrator, SAM VIVIANO was named art director of Mad magazine in 1999. For the next two decades he had the good fortune to work with many of his favorite artists of all time.

XXVII. My Good Friend, Angelo Torres

T

by Curtis Woodbridge

o anyone meeting Angelo for the first time, what will immediately impress them is his warmth, enthusiasm, and honesty. Throughout his long and distinguished career, from the earliest comic work on to his stories for the earlier Warren magazines (where, were it simply for the pen-and-ink work, it would have been outstanding but, combined with those stories done in wash, not only were the results truly creatively extraordinary but also light years more advanced than any of the material by the younger artists whose work would soon be appearing in what remained of the coming issues of these same magazines), the remarkable work for Classics Illustrated and The World around Us and, a few years later, his work for Mad magazine. He brought this same integrity to everything he did and, simultaneously, gained a well-earned reputation for professionalism and reliability.

I have known Angelo all my life. He has always been a devoted husband and father and a staunch supporter of his friends throughout the years. He is my closest friend and, beginning in the ’70s, I was privileged to be able to work with him. We made a

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

XXVIII. The Otto Binder Project: The Unwanted

A

by Robert L. Reiner

s a young comicbook fan in the late ’60, I had a fanzine. In those days it was quite common for professionals in the industry to help these scrappy kids with their hobby by connecting them with potential contributors, including published artists and writers who might offer a sketch or a brief interview. I was lucky that the publisher of Famous Monsters of Filmland himself, Forrest J. Ackerman, offered to provide me with some leads.

One day, I opened my mail to find a manuscript from Eando (Otto) Binder. I didn’t know what to make of it, but I knew it was something special. There wasn’t a note or other information in the envelope, but it was clear that the piece had been written a while back. The paper had yellowed, and handwritten corrections and copy had been typed over.

I was just starting high school and quickly focused my efforts on the school newspaper and magazine, of which I would later become editor. My fanzine days were quickly put aside as my adolescence brought new responsibilities.

Decades later, when Bill Schelly wrote his wonderful book, Otto Binder – The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary, it jogged my memory that I still had a Binder manuscript.

I assumed that it had been published, but Bill knew nothing about it. He directed me to Binder’s papers, which had been left to Texas A&M University. I saw that “The Unwanted” had been written in 1953 and was unpublished. After following multiple leads, I found that there was no record of the story being published anywhere.

Hard To Think Of This As A “Civil” War Another page from the Antietam volume of the series Epic Battles of the Civil War, published by the Historical Souvenir Company via Marvel. Art by Angelo Torres; coloring by Curtis Woodbridge. See an earlier page from this volume on p. 37. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

good team and it was easy to work with him as we shared ideas and completed the work together. As time went on, I was able to work with Angelo on the Marvel Civil War series issue on Antietam as colorist. This is his favorite job, of which he is proudest. I will add that, while completing the pages for this particularly large and complicated undertaking, Angelo not only completed a large number of his usual jobs for Mad but also a few of the color stories he did for a children’s bi-monthly consumer magazine written by his friend Nick Meglin. For most other artists, there would not have been time left for any other work. But Angelo is an exemplary worker, combining a commitment to his art with a dedication to the business at hand.

Here’s wishing you a very happy birthday, my friend. Our relationship has prospered over the years because it has been one of learning and sharing and laughing, for which I will always be grateful.

CURTIS WOODBRIDGE is an illustrator, author, art conservator, and illustration archivist.

Binder was a shockingly productive author. His work for science-fiction pulps, “Captain Marvel,” and DC was well known.

But Binder took on other projects, including coming to EC when it appeared that Ray Bradbury was concerned that the anti-comics sentiment in the country might harm his writing career. Publisher Bill Gaines felt that Binder might be able to fill the gap, first by adapting his Adam Link stories and then with new stories of his own.

Gaines had published a controversial story in Weird Fantasy #18 (Mar/Apr 1953), later reprinted with even more notoriety in Incredible Science Fiction #33 (Jan/Feb 1956), “Judgment Day.” The story used a robot metaphor to illustrate racism with the famous ending revealing a black protagonist. It was this story that took the place of “An Eye for an Eye,” illustrated by Angelo Torres and banned by the Comics Code Authority.

Binder wrote a story with a twist on “Judgment Day.” The premise of the piece is that a census is to be taken in the distant future. A civilization of “Mastermen” rules the galactic empire and needs to evaluate whether the citizens of the various planets are worthy of inclusion in an imperial congress. Membership will mean access to technology and protection. In evaluating this particular planet, the Mastermen are shocked with what they find, but in a different sense.

When I re-read this story, I wondered how it might have been adapted for an EC science-fiction comic. I presented this to Angelo Torres, the last of the original EC artists still working. He first balked at the idea because he didn’t think that he was up to it. But he was intrigued at how he might go about adapting the

What, Me Panic?

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anything more and I stopped pushing him.

Months went by and I thought that he had decided just to drop the project. I asked a mutual friend, Ian Scott McGregor, if Ange was just not into it. Ian told me that he was still working on the project but that he had some distractions along the way and had just returned to the work. Months again passed and I e-mailed Ange to let him off the hook if he just wasn’t interested. He said that I should come see him and he would show me what he had done.

Ian had just visited Ange and said that I should expect an amazing surprise. My first thought was that he had finished the cover. But when I visited him in his Brooklyn apartment, he pulled out a little half-folded 8½” x11” penciled layout of the entire book!

Stefan Koidl Steps In In the months between progress reports from Torres, I had contacted the artist who I felt could bring Ange’s work to a modern audience. My original thought was to have a mix of artists involved in the project, illustrating the material in their own styles. But Gary Groth at Fantagraphics warned me that such mix-matches of artists

Unwanted? Not Exactly!

(Above:) Stefan Koidl’s finished illustration, based on an Angelo Torres sketch (at right), for the cover for The Unwanted, the 2023 Fantagraphics Books graphic novel edition of an Otto Binder short story.

(Right:) Angelo’s pencil layout for the finished book page by himself and Stefan Koidi seen above left. From the collection of Robert L. Reiner. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

work visually. We had long talks about the German expressionistic imagery that he enjoyed in films like Metropolis and M. He also loved the work his close friend Al Williamson had done on Star Wars. I prepared a panel-by-panel outline of how I thought the story might work hoping that he would imagine what to highlight.

Torres is no stranger to Otto Binder. In fact, he, Al Williamson, and Roy Krenkel had collaborated on Binder’s story “Lost in Space” for Weird ScienceFantasy #28 (March-April 1955). As a frequent contributor to Warren’s horror titles, Torres saw adaptations of Binder’s stories, most notably featuring the robot Adam Link.

There were many false starts initially, and Ange would only commit to penciling the cover. I told him that I just wanted him to do something that would make him happy. It was my hope that he would do the entire book, but he didn’t feel confident. We agreed that he should just focus on the cover, but every time we met, I nudged him a bit more and found he was cautiously interested in doing the whole story. I asked him to give it a try with no promises on his part. I liked his cover pencils and made some suggestions so as not to draw too much from familiar movies and comics. But he still wouldn’t commit to

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Celebrating Angelo Torres

A Towering Achievement (Above:) Two more of Stefan Koidl’s finished illustrations based on Angelo Torres’ sketches for The Unwanted, adapted from the yarn by Otto Binder.

(Below:) Torres’ pencil sketch for one of them. From the collection of Robert L. Reiner. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

Stefan Koidl

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would confuse an audience. His suggestion was to bring one point of view to the artwork, since this was a single story.

The artist I identified was Stefan Koidl, a young Salzburg-based sculptor.

Koidl is famous in his native Austria for his imaginative wood-carved Krampus masks. Krampus is the half goat/half demon companion of St. Nicholas who punishes bad children in alpine folklore. Krampuslauf (Krampus run) is a fun-filled seasonal event where young men dress in various Krampus masks and pretend to berate the populace. Besides creating these stunning works of art, Koidl is a master digital artist and speed painter. Many of his works have a science-fiction theme but with an undertone of horror. Some are photo-realistic while others take on dream-like visions.

I wasn’t sure that Torres would want someone else to take his layouts and pencils and to translate them into a new medium. But when he saw Koidl’s work

Angelo Torres in his studio, a couple of decades back. Courtesy of Robert L. Reiner & Clint Morgan.

his jaw dropped. He said that he felt that Koidl had captured his intent better than he could have done himself. I was relieved that Ange expressed so much admiration.

Adapted as a graphic novel, The Unwanted has recently been published by Fantagraphics with a foreword by award-winning graphic novelist Emil Ferris.

“Lost” & Found The splash of an earlier Binder/Torres collaboration of sorts: the splash page of “Lost in Space” from EC’s Weird Science-Fantasy #28 (March-April 1955), with script by Binder and art by Al Williamson, assisted by Angelo Torres and Roy G. Krenkel. Thanks to Michael T. Gilbert. [TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.]

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“Here Comes The Fleagle Gang!”

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A Brief Interview With ANGELO TORRES Conducted (January 26, 2015) & Transcribed by Bryan Stroud

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Angelo Torres RYAN STROUD: How did you become interested in art?

ANGELO TORRES: Growing up in the ’30s with the great Sunday funnies being drawn at that time and with so many great comicbook titles filling every newsstand, I began copying the characters and attempting to create my own.

My school notebooks were full of drawings, which didn’t help my grades, and by the time I got to high school all I wanted to do was draw a newspaper syndicated strip.

BS: What was your training?

TORRES: I attended the School of Industrial

c. 1958—at a time when he was already producing solo work like the splash pages (l. to r.) for Timely/ Atlas’ World of Mystery #1 (June 1956) and Harvey’s Alarming Tales #6 (Nov. ’58). Thanks to Robert L. Reiner & Michael T. Gilbert, respectively. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc., and the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

Art, a vocational high school in New York City, where I got my first formal art training.

Graduating in 1951, I went into the Army for the next two years, after which I used the GI Bill to study at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, which is now the School of Visual Arts.

BS: You have a very realistic style. What led you to comics?

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A Brief Interview With Angelo Torres

Working Wonders With Williamson A trio of tales in which Angelo inked the pencils of his friend and colleague Al Williamson. (Clockwise from above:) The lead splash page of EC’s Valor #1 (March-April 1955), written by Carl Wessler… the final page of “Harpooned” from EC’s Piracy #1 (Oct.-Nov. ’54); scripter unknown… and the first page of a tale from Billy the Kid #13 (Sept. ’58), writer unknown, from the temporarily leaner days after EC’s comics line folded. But can you believe that Charlton’s Billy the Kid lasted 145 issues, from 1957 to 1983?! Thanks to Michael T. Gilbert & Art Lortie. [EC pages TM & © E.C. Publications, Inc.; Billy page TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

TORRES: My dream had always been to do another Terry and the Pirates or Steve Canyon. I loved Milton Caniff’s work and tried to emulate it.

I was also a huge fan of Alex Raymond and Hal Foster, so even though I loved almost every strip appearing then, I wanted more than anything to draw in a realistic style. Attending classes at C&I, I found that my fellow cartooning students had no interest in doing a syndicated strip but dreamed instead of breaking into the comicbook business, with EC Comics as their main target. I found myself going in the same direction.

BS: You’ve done nearly every genre, from crime to adventure, war to Western, science-fiction, and even a little romance. Where did you feel most comfortable?

TORRES: I have always felt most comfortable and gratified doing historical work. My work on Prehistoric World and World War II for Classics Illustrated, the war stories for Warren, and the Civil War book for Marvel are still some of my most satisfying work.

BS: Tell me about the Fleagle Gang.

TORRES: Ah, the Fleagles. A couple of us from the art school, led

“Here Comes The Fleagle Gang!”

51

The Pursuit Of Politics By Other Means Torres-illustrated (clockwise from top left) war-story pages from Timely/ Atlas’ Marines in Battle #22 (March 1958)… Harvey’s Warfront #36 (Oct. ’65)… and Warren’s Blazing Combat #4 (July ’66). Latter tale written by Archie Goodwin; other scribes unknown. Thanks to Michael T. Gilbert & Robert L. Reiner/Clint Morgan. [Marines page TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.; Blazing Combat page TM & © Fantagraphics, Inc.; other material TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

by Nick Meglin [who in later years would become an editor of Mad magazine] had become regular visitors to the EC offices in lower Manhattan. Always welcomed by Bill Gaines and to some extent Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman, we also got to know some of the artists. Al Williamson became a close friend, and on one of his trips to EC to deliver work, Nick, George Woodbridge, yours truly, and Roy Krenkel tagged along with him. As we entered the office, somebody, they say it was Harvey, called out, “Here comes the Fleagle gang!” or words to that effect. It stuck, the fans got hold of it, and the rest is history.

BS: Most of your stories in the comics were 4 to 5 pages. Was that your sweet spot, or just what was assigned?

TORRES: I did whatever was assigned to me. If it was a subject I liked, I didn’t care about the number of pages.

BS: Did you have an editor you particularly enjoyed working with?

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A Brief Interview With Angelo Torres

Stan Lee in 1954. Thanks to Ger Apeldoorn.

How The West Was Wild (Clockwise from above:) Torres provided full art on the stories written by Stan Lee for Timely/Atlas’ Quick-Trigger Western #14 (Sept. 1956) and #15 (Dec. ’56)… while he inked Al Williamson’s pencils for Charlton’s Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal #20 (March ’58) and Cheyenne Kid #12 (June 1958).

Scripter of the latter yarns unknown. Curiously, Stan Lee’s byline appears on all four of the tales in QTW #14. Thanks to Bob Bailey & Michael T. Gilbert.

[Quick-Trigger pages TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.; other pages TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

“Here Comes The Fleagle Gang!”

Torres’ Early Marvels A clockwise compendium of Timely/Atlas sci-fantasy mini-classics drawn

by Angelo Torres (with apparently a bit of help from Frank Frazetta in the first of the three): Journey into Unknown Worlds #34 & 35 (April & June 1955), and Astonishing #55 (Nov. ’56). Scripters unknown. With thanks to Bob Bailey. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

TORRES: Archie Goodwin at Warren stands out, and of course, the guys at Mad— Al Feldstein, Nick Meglin, and John Ficarra, my editors for so many years.

BS: You were at it before the Comics Code. How do you feel that affected your work?

TORRES: It never affected my work except for the one story I did for EC, “An Eye For an Eye.” It kept being rejected and Gaines was forced to shelve it.

BS: You’ve done work for many, many publishers: EC, Archie, Warren, Prize, Marvel, Charlton, Classics Illustrated, Sick, Harvey, DC, and even Bongo. Any preferences?

TORRES: How can I choose? They all hired me and liked my work. But if I had to, it would have to be EC. There was no one like William Gaines.

BS: You’ve done very little super-hero work except for special projects like the Supergirl promotional comic from Honda and the “Celebrate the Century” super-heroes stamp album. Is it your preference to do other styles besides super-heroes?

TORRES: Ironically enough, one of the first characters I ever attempted to draw was Superman. My comicbook collection

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A Brief Interview With Angelo Torres

Meanwhile, Back At The Generals…

(Left:) The final page of Torres’ Antietam effort for Epic Battles of the Civil War, done for the Historical Souvenir company, via Marvel. Scripter uncertain. [TM & © Historical Souvenir Co.]

growing up was comprised mostly of all those super-heroes of the late ’30s and ’40s, but for some reason, my drawing interests were elsewhere.

BS: You also did an Epic Battles of the Civil War project for the Historical Souvenir Company. How did that come about?

TORRES: The Civil War project began with a phone call from Marvel. After learning that the other sections would be done

by George Woodbridge, Gray Morrow, and Richard Rockwell, I decided I had to do it. I have never regretted it and think of it as one of my better efforts.

BS: I see you had some work in the first issue of witzend. Did you work directly with Woody [Wally Wood]?

TORRES: I can’t remember what work of mine appeared in the first issue of witzend, and I never worked with Woody on anything.

BS: You seemed to find your home with Mad. Was your work at Sick a precursor?

TORRES: Absolutely, as was my earlier work with Bob Powell. It was great fun being in at the inception of Sick and working with Joe Simon.

BS: Do you prefer penciling or inking?

TORRES: I have always preferred penciling and inking my own work and have always done, so with very few exceptions.

BS: Are you still doing work?

Up, Up, And Awaaaaay!

Two rare Torres forays into the world of super-heroes: (Near right:) [American Honda Presents] Supergirl, in 1984, a giveaway for which Torres both penciled and inked the cover and 34 interior pages in honor of the Honda Safety Campaign.

(Far right:) Far weirder was a Superman [Bradford Commission] special done in 1988, with Torres inking Curt Swan’s pencils. The GCD says this 36-pager was “a custom comic commissioned by English real estate businessman Godfrey Bradman to celebrate his son Daniel’s bar mitzvah on his 13th birthday.” The comic features Torres-drawn likenesses of Daniel and his half-brother Andrew Hunt, as well as others in the family, in an 8-page story by David Levine titled “This Island Bradman!”— after the “sci-fi movie classic This Island Earth.” The rest of the comic reprints a John Byrne “Superman” yarn. It reportedly had a print run of 200 copies. Thanks to Robert L. Reiner. [TM & © DC Comics.]

“Here Comes The Fleagle Gang!”

A Fly On The Wall (Above & top right:) One of Torres’ few ventures into the world of fourcolor super-heroes was his inking of Al Williamson’s pencils for this story in Archie’s The Fly #2 (Sept. 1959). The Grand Comics Database attributes the script to Joe Simon. The artists were following a visual template set by artist Jack Kirby in the preceding issue. Thanks to Jim Kealy & Michael T. Gilbert. [TM & © Archie Comic Publications, Inc.]

TORRES: No big projects anymore, but, yes, I still do a piece here and there.

BS: Do you do commissions?

TORRES: Only those I feel comfortable doing and that look like fun to do.

BS: Do you think Gray Morrow did you justice in the “El Diablo” story?

TORRES: Gray Morrow was a dear friend and I loved his work.

BS: What else can you tell me about that story? I believe Gil Kane, Al Williamson, Dick Giordano, and Phil Sueling were also characterized.

TORRES: I know little about the story, but it was always fun to throw your friends into a job. We all did it at one time or another.

…Or Maybe The Devil Has Three Faces!

In DC’s “El Diablo” story for All-Star Western #2 (Oct.-Nov. 1970), artist Gray Morrow drew three of the banditos as (from top down, in panel 3) fellow artists Al Williamson, Angelo Torres, and Dick Giordano. Giordano was also managing editor of DC at the time. Script by Robert Kanigher. Thanks to Robert L. Reiner & Clint Morgan. [TM & © DC Comics.]

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A Brief Interview With Angelo Torres

ANGELO TORRES Checklist [This checklist is adapted primarily from information provided by the online Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999, established by Dr. Jerry G. Bails and viewable at http://www.bailsprojects.com/whoswho.aspx. Names of features that appeared both in their own titles and in others are generally not italicized. The source of some of the data below is the artist himself, with certain additions credited to William Stout. Key: (p) = penciler; (i) = inker; (c) = colorist; (d) = daily Mon.-to-Sat. comic strip; (S) Sunday comic strip] Name & Vital Stats: Angelo Torres (b. 1932) – artist Pen Names: Shared with Al Williamson: Smithfield Cobb & Zeno Beckwith [in underground comix] Education: Cartoonists and Illustrators School Influences: Frank Frazetta; Harold R. Foster; Milton Caniff; Noel Sickles; Robert Fawcett Print Media (Non-Comics): Artist – advertising; artist – juvenile books 1967 Meet Thomas Jefferson; artist – magazines – Quarterback

1972; Esquire 1972, 1987; Electric Company 1974); Nuestro (Latino magazine) 1978; artist – paperbacks Oddfather 1973 Animation: Krantz – storyboarder Syndication: Big Ben Bolt (S)(p)(i)(c) 1970, 1972 for King Features Syndicate; Li’l Abner (details unknown); Rip Kirby (S)(d)(p)(i) 1968-69; Secret Agent Corrigan (d)(asst. p&i) 1967 one week for King Features Syndicate Comics in Other Media: Bug Squad (p)(i) 1997 for Zillions

The Big Ones (Left:) Angelo says that one of his favorite assignments was drawing Classics Illustrated Special Issue #166A - World War II for Gilberton. Scripter unknown.

Repro’d from a scan of the original art.

(Right:) He also contributed excellent work to Classics Illustrated Special #167a – Prehistoric World”—though this page is more concerned with the beginnings of archaeology than with dinosaurs and sabertooths. Scripter unknown. Thanks to Michael T. Gilbert. [TM & © Frawley Corporations and its exclusive licensee First Classics, Inc. All rights reserved.]

“Here Comes The Fleagle Gang!”

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1959; The World around Us (p)(i) 1960-61 (see #18); World War II (p)(i) 1962 Harvey Comics: Alarming Adventures (i) 1963; Alarming Tales (p)(i) 1958; Blast Off (p)(i) 1965 from inventory; Race for the Moon (i) 1958; romance (p)(i) 1958 Hastings Associates: Eerie Tales (p)(i) 1959 Magazine Enterprises: White Indian (p)(i) 1955 Major Magazines: Cracked (p)(i) 1958-59 Marvel/Timely/Atlas: Adventure into Mystery (p)(i) 1957; Annie Oakley Western Tales (p?)(i) dates uncertain; Astonishing (p)(i) 1956; Battle (p)(i) 1957-58; Battle Action (p)(i) 1957; Battlefront (p?)(i) dates uncertain; Caught (p)(i) 1956; Gunsmoke Western (p)(i) 1957-58; Journey into Mystery (p)(i) 1957; Journey into Unknown Worlds (p)(i) 1955; Kid Colt Outlaw (p?)(i) dates uncertain; Marines in Battle (p)(i) 1958; Marvel Tales (p)(i) 1957; Navy Combat (p)(i) 1957; Outlaw Kid (p?)(i) dates uncertain; Quick-Trigger Western (p)(i) 1956; Rawhide Kid (p) (i) 1957; Ringo Kid (p?)(i) dates uncertain; Spellbound (p?)(i) dates uncertain; Strange Stories of Suspense (p)(i) 1956; Strange Tales (p)(i) 1956, 1958; Suspense (p)(i) 1956; Tales of Justice (p?)(i) dates uncertain; Uncanny Tales (p)(i) 1957; war (p)(i) c. 1955-58; War Comics (p)(i) 1957; Western Gunfighters (p?)(i) dates uncertain; Wild Western (p?)(i) dates uncertain; World of Fantasy (p)(i) 1958; World of Mystery (i) 1957 Panic Publications: Panic (p)(i) 1958-59 Pierce Publishing Co.: Frantic (p)(i) 1958-59 Prize/Feature: Black Magic (p)(i) 1960; romance (p)(i) 1960; Sick (p)(i) 1960-67 Story Comics (Premier): The Crimson Avenger (p)(i) 1955; Masked Ranger (p)(i) 1955 Topps Comics: Ray Bradbury Comics (i) 1993 (EC reprint, “A Sound of Thunder”)

That Old Black Magic Has Me In Its Spell Prize/Feature’s Black Magic outlasted most post-Code mystery comics. Seen here is Torres’ moody and evocative splash page for issue #43 (Sept.-Oct. 1960). Scripter unknown. Thanks to Jim Kealy & Michael T. Gilbert. [TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

Assisted: Al Williamson 1954-59, 1967; George Woodbridge c. 1954 (one job); Sid Check 1954 (one night) COMICS (U.S. Mainstream Publications): Apple Comics: Kasserine Pass! (p)(i) 1994 Archie Publications: The Fly (i) 1959 Candor Publishing Co.: Zany (p)(i) 1959 Charlton Comics: Billy the Kid (p) c. 1958; Cheyenne Kid (asst) c. 1957-59; humor (p)(i) 1959-67; romance (p)(i) c. 1957-59; Texas Rangers (i) 1958; Wild Bill Hickok (i) 1958; Wyatt Earp (i) 1958 DC Comics: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (p)(i) 1990; covers (p) (i) 1992 EC Comics: Mad (p)(i) 1969-94; Piracy (p)(i) 1954; Shock Illustrated (p) (i) 1956; Valor (p)(i) 1955; Weird Science-Fantasy (p)(i) 1954 Gilberton: Classics Illustrated Specials (p)(i) 1961-62; The First Men in the Moon (p)(i) 1958; The Man without a Country (p)(i) 1962; Prehistoric World (p)(i) 1962; To the Stars (p)(i) 1961; The Toilers of the Sea (p)(i) c.

Warner Books: History Gone Mad (p)(i) 1977 paperback reprint Warren Publications: Blazing Combat (p)(i) 1965-66; covers (p)(i) (paint) 1965; Creepy (p)(i) 1964-68, with reprints 1968-73; Eerie (p)(i) 1966, 1973; Eerie’s Monster Gallery (p)(i) 1967 filler Western Publishing: Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery (p)(i) 1956; A Tiger Walk (p)(i) 1964; Twilight Zone (p) (i) 1966

GET READY FOR A BRAND-NEW COMICBOOK ISSUE OF

by ROY THOMAS & RON HARRIS

FIND OUT MORE— PLACE AN ADVANCE ORDER!

www.heroicmultiverse.com/alterego

Art by John Romita.

Captain America TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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L

ast issue Ralph talked about his involvement with the magazines Web of Horror and the National Lampoon, as well as Wally Wood’s descent into alcoholism after a period of sobriety. Now let’s conclude…

My Life With Wood (Part 4)

by Ralph Reese

Wood’s Slow Decline…

After Woody moved to Connecticut, we didn’t see a lot of each other. I did go up there to visit a few times, memorably when he was getting married for the third time. The thing that really struck me at the time was that for a guy who was just getting married he did not seem very happy. The ceremony was very subdued, and he mostly just sat there looking kind of lost and sad. I had to ask myself, “Why are you doing this?” I guess at that time he needed to have someone to look after him, to see that his clothes got washed and that he ate once in a while.

I helped him out a little bit with the Wizard King book, inking a few backgrounds and stuff. I think he was hurt that, when pressed, I had to tell him I thought the story was maybe a little trite and that

Third Time Lucky?

Wally Wood married third wife Muriel Wood in 1977. That one ended badly, too. [Photo © Gilbert Ortiz.]

he didn’t need to put a skull on the villain’s shirt so that we would know he was the bad guy. Of course, Wood knew that he was dealing in archetypes; he was making an attempt to give his own slant to the Tolkien genre, but I don’t know that it was too successful. He self-financed it, and I think it was pretty disastrous for him.

We all went out shooting at the old quarry nearby a couple times, Wood, Wayne Howard, Paul Kirchner, and me, plinking at beer bottles and tin cans. Bill Pearson and Nick Cuti had also moved up there to work at Charlton, and helped Woody out with the Friends of Odkin fan club. I think he was still doing occasional work for Warren and some stuff for Screw, but I didn’t see a lot of it.

To be honest, it kind of made me sad to be around him, and to see how he was deteriorating, and I kind of avoided him for a while after that. Did I fail him as a friend? Maybe. But I couldn’t really stop him from drinking, or fix his life for him. And he had a lot of sycophants around him who pretty much went along with whatever he said. I had plenty of my own problems and was hardly without weaknesses or bad life choices.

Wood 1981 Wally Wood near the end of his life. [Photo © Gilbert Ortiz.]

During this period Wood developed a desire to become a musical performer, and put together and financed a self-published record album called Wally Wood Sings, as well as playing at open mikes, etc., at some local pubs and such. He had always played guitar and liked to do the old Hank Williams and Jimmy Rogers tunes, an interest which I shared; we had tried to play together a few times, but I found it difficult due to his slightly offbeat sense of timing. I know that Bob Layton became his assistant for some time, but I never met him then and am not really familiar with what they were doing. By that time Paul

My Life With Wally Wood (Part 4)

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K. had moved on and was working on his own material.

We pretty much dropped out of touch, and for several years I did not see him. I heard that he had divorced his third wife and had presumably moved, but of where he was or what he was doing in the late ‘70s I really don’t have any personal knowledge.

There were rumors that he was drinking heavily and behaving somewhat erratically.

I did, however, see him one last time several months before he went to California and wound up taking his own life.

I was still renting desk space at Neal Adams’ Continuity Associates when we got word that Woody was in the VA hospital in downtown Manhattan. Larry Hama, Jack Abel, and I got together and went down there to see how he was doing. At that time he had already had a couple of strokes that left him blind in one eye and partially paralyzed on, I think it was, his left side.

Besides that, his kidneys were failing and he was told he needed a transplant. He had approached his brother Glenn about donating a kidney for him, but this was just not something Glenn was willing to do.

Although they were brothers, they pretty much had lived separate lives, with Glenn staying in the Midwest and becoming an engineer and living a pretty normal life, as far as I know. To his credit, he some years later arranged a ceremony at the School of Visual Arts to endow a scholarship in his brother’s name.

Anyway, we went on down to the Veterans Administration Hospital (where Wood could always get free or low-cost treatment as a vet) and saw him there. He looked terrible. Although he was still only in his mid-fifties, he looked ten years older and just beat to hell. We chatted about his health problems and prognosis. He The Wizard King mentioned he was probably going to have Volume one of Wally Wood’s unfinished magnum opus, which was published in 1978. to go on dialysis. At one point he and I went [© Estate of Wally Wood.] into the smoking lounge to have a cigarette.

I asked him what his plans were once he got think that by then he may have sold off most of his original art out of the hospital, thinking that maybe we could find some way for cheap money just to keep himself afloat, and perhaps some to help him out. He told me that the first thing he was going to do of those who were close to him in those final years appropriated was to go and get a drink. What can you say to that? Here the guy some of it. Eventually, it fell into the hands of Bill Pearson to is obviously dying on his feet and surely knowing it, but yet and manage his posthumous affairs, which was fitting since Bill was still…. After some rather awkward moments of well-wishing we probably his most loyal and long-suffering friend. Bill is now in left him there, and I had a strong feeling that it might be the last his mid-seventies and has passed that mantle on to Dave Spurlock, time we would see him alive. who set up a Facebook page dedicated to Wood’s memory and work. I have to admit that it sometimes galls me to see his EC A few months later we heard of his death in California. pages, which had never been returned to him, now selling on eBay Although he did not leave a suicide note and the exact chain of for $40,000 while he died alone in a crappy little apartment far from events is unclear, I think that he had tried the dialysis once or anyone who ever really cared for him. twice, and then just decided that it wasn’t worth it to go on living like that, especially half blind and with partial paralysis. He In the end, however, Woody will be remembered for the had come to the end of the road. To this day I don’t know what laughter and excitement he brought to so many with his work. happened to his remains, and there was no funeral that I know That is his enduring monument. His Mad stuff was full of life, of. Since he died intestate and without heirs, there was then, and background gags, and his own brand of sly humor, and his sciencestill is, some doubt about what should be done with his estate. I fiction art took us into the cosmos with such depth and realism

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that you could lose yourself in his world for hours or days. A man who lived for his art and whose endless creativity and energy entertained and amazed millions of us for many, many years. The world is more fun and a better place since Wood was in it, and that’s about the best legacy you can have.

NOTE FROM MR. MONSTER: Ralph Reese is today semi-retired and living in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He is available for cover re-creations and commissions and can be reached at ralphreeseart@gmail. com We thank Ralph for allowing Country Wood us to reprint his fascinating article.

Woody was a big fan of country music. He may have fancied himself another Woody—Woody Guthrie! Wood enjoyed A lengthy interview with Ralph strumming the guitar, as he did while at this third wedding in 1977 (on right). He and Wood fan Richard Pryor (not the can be found in Jon B. Cooke’s actor) even produced a limited-edition 1978 album, Wally Wood Sings (left). [Photos © Gilbert Ortiz.] indispensable prozine Comic Book Creator #17 (Spring 2018). In that issue, Ralph fleshes out some of the stories he discusses here.

POSTSCRIPT

And now, before we go, here’s a bit of very dark humor instigated

by Wally Wood—courtesy of Ralph Reese, who says that he may be a little fuzzy about the exact details, but this is the story as he remembers it….

by Ralph Reese

“Wally Wood Is Dead!”

This is the story of a sort of famous prank that Wood, Larry Hama, and I played on Jim Warren back in ’72. There is a certain eerie aspect to it in the light of the fact that Wood later committed suicide. It was a subject that had crossed his mind before… I can remember him conjecturing about how people would react if he did and whether they would be sorry how they treated him. But anyway, to get on with the tale….

One Year Affair Ralph Reese, who penned this memoir, had a long, respected comics career. This included work for Marvel and DC, as well as the Son of Sherlock Holmes graphic novel for Byron Preiss. But Ralph may be best known for his popular One Year Affair series, written by Preiss. It was a continuing feature in the National Lampoon in the 1970s. [TM & © Ralph Reese & Estate of Byron Preiss.]

My Life With Wally Wood (Part 4)

63

It was in the summer of, I think, 1972, and Wood was living in Flatbush. It was after his second marriage had broken up and he was mostly doing his strips for Overseas Weekly (Cannon and Sally Forth), and I guess he was also doing some inking. I had hooked Larry up with Wood and he was working as his assistant every day, helping to write and draw those strips. By this time, I was mostly doing my own stuff and saw WW once in a while, although we remained good friends.

When Wood’s mother died, he called me to come and fill in ghosting the strips for a few weeks so he could go back to Minnesota for the funeral and to settle her affairs. He came back, I think it was on a Saturday, and we finished up the strips to his satisfaction by the evening.

We figured we would hang out for a while and shoot the sh*t.

We bought one of those half-gallon bottles of Almaden that all us hippies were drinking. After a glass or two we were starting to get bored and it was getting on in the evening, maybe ten o’clock or so.

Then Woody had an idea…

A Photo That Speaks For Itself A relaxed Wood and friend in later years.

“Why don’t we call Jim Warren?” he said. “I have his personal number at home. We can have a little fun with him….”

For those who don’t know, to say that [publisher James] Warren had an abrasive personality would be putting it mildly.

Wood despised him because he felt he had been screwed on a business deal they had going, where WW was going to procure his own magazine [Pow!] for Warren. I had a couple of run-ins with the guy and didn’t care for him much. So I was happy enough to go along, and Larry was like “whatever….” So it was decided that we would see if we could put him on for a while.

The first of us to call was Wood and he set the time. He told Warren that he had been arrested drunk and disorderly someplace down south and needed bail money. But he sounded kinda drunk and incoherent… and the call was cut off.

I was the next to call. I told Warren that I had heard from Wood and that he was in jail somewhere and could he help me get down there and help him out? Warren bought it hook, line, and sinker. It played to his preconceptions of what kind of person Wood was. I told him I would get back to him when I know more what was going on.

Of Grief & Grudges James Warren, as seen on the cover of Bill Schelly’s Warren bio, James Warren, Empire of Monsters, published in 2019 by Fantagraphics. Warren, founder of Warren Publishing and longtime publisher of Famous Monsters of Filmland, Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella, and other magazines, was a huge Wood fan, but Wood felt he had reneged on a promise to publish an ambitious anthology title of his, titled Pow!, in the early 1970s. Wood never forgot… or forgave! [TM & © the respective trademark Bill Schelly]

Then it was Larry’s turn to call. He said he was “Sheriff Bodine” of the Norfolk County sheriff’s office and he had this guy in custody who claimed to be a friend of Warren’s. He told him they were going to hold him overnight and send him to court in the morning. He suggested maybe Warren could calm him down and handed the phone back to Wood, who jabbered incoherently.

Meanwhile, in the background there were the sounds of a struggle and people yelling. Wood shouted how they would never take him alive as we banged chairs around and stuff. Then that call was suddenly cut off.

We figured that would be a good time to let him stew, so we didn’t call again for an hour or so. By now it was getting to be midnight or whereabouts.

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Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

It was my turn to call Warren again and give him the news… in a broken voice, and pretending to stifle sobs, I told him, “Wally Wood is dead!” I went on to explain how he had tried to escape and fought with the sheriff’s deputies, and accidentally sustained lethal injuries. I told him I didn’t know what to do and asked for his help. Warren commiserated and offered to give me money to go down there and pick up the body and bring it back to New York. It was agreed I would meet him at his apartment the next morning early. By this time it was 1:00 or 2:00 AM, so we kept him going for four or five hours with this bullsh*t….

The Preiss Was Right The cover of Byron Preiss’ Son of Sherlock Holmes, illustrated by Reese. (Above right:) A recent photo of Ralph, courtesy of Comic Book Creator magazine #17. [Magazine cover TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

Of course, by the next morning when I didn’t show up and meet him, Warren realized eventually that he had been had, and was very upset. Told everyone who knew us what had happened and what a dirty trick we had played. He probably would have been better off just keeping his mouth shut….

Word got around the industry, but most people just laughed. A few disapproved, but I have no regrets.

Warren knew who I was and of course knew Wood, but he was mystified by the identity of the third person involved. He kept bugging Flo Steinberg to reveal the identity of “Sheriff Bodine” so he could put him on his sh*t list, but she steadfastly told him she had no idea, which of course was baloney.

And that concludes Ralph’s fascinating trip down memory lane.

Many thanks to Ralph, Gilbert Ortiz, David Spurlock, and Jon B. Cooke.

Till next time…

One can imagine pistol-packing Wood taking aim at his “enemies” in this, er…shot. Alas, a different, self-inflicted shot ended his life in 1981.

And The “Hits” Just Kept On Coming!

Wood’s Shi…er, let’s say “Hit List.” This is a sharper re-creation of a fuzzy scan, with a problematic “S” removed. According to Reese: “Wood hated pretty much everybody he had ever worked for.” And this ever-changing list Woody made for his own amusement verifies that. And guess who’s #14 on the list? Publisher J. David Spurlock has a slightly different take: “Each (on the list) had disappointed him in some way. But most were also included with a bit of humor.

Even a few of his closest, dearest friends. I’m sure it made some squirm to be there, and it likely flattered a few in a perverse way.”

In Memoriam

AL JAFFEE

65

(March 13, 1921 – April 10, 2023)

“One Of The Great Cartoonists Of Our Time” —Arnold Roth, Fold This Book! (Warner Books, 1997)

by Stephan A. Friedt

W

e recently lost Al Jaffee at the fine old age of 102 in a Manhattan hospital from organ failure.

He was born in Savannah, Georgia, as Abraham Jaffee, the oldest of four boys, to parents who were Jewish immigrants from Zarasai, Lithuania. Beginning in 1927, his mother, Mildred, would take them back and forth from the U.S. to Lithuania a couple of times, finally bringing the three oldest boys back to America just prior to World War II, before returning herself to Lithuania. His youngest brother returned to the U.S. in 1940, just before the Nazis murdered the Zarasai Jewish population, including his mother.

While in Lithuania, Al’s father, Morris, would send the boys comic strip clippings from the U.S. through the mail. Al would use these to hone his art talent by tracing the strips. He attended the High School of Music & Art in New York with his brother Harry and fellow classmates Will Elder, Harvey Kurtzman, John Severin, and Al Feldstein.

Al would serve in the U.S. Army during World War II as an artist in many fields, including designing building floor plans. He

The Vastly Underrated Al Jaffee holding the original art to one of his iconic Mad Fold-Ins.... plus his splash page for “Silly Seal and Ziggy Pig” from Timely’s Krazy Komics #6 (March 1943). Al had a lonnnnng and illustrious career! Art scan courtesy of Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. [Ziggy page TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

would use the military’s “free name change” service to change his name to “Allan.”

He started his comics career as an artist for Timely’s Joker Comics, with his first published piece in the December 1942 issue.

Also for Timely, he created Ziggy the Pig and Silly Seal. After the war he returned to the company, where, under the guidance of Stan Lee, he edited Timely’s humor and teenage comics, including the popular Patsy Walker titles.

Al tried his hand at daily comic strips from 1957 to 1963. He drew Tall Tales for The New York Herald Tribune, scripted the strips Debbie Deere and Jason. From 1984 on he contributed the strip The Shpy for the Jewish children’s publication The Moshiach Times.

He started at Mad in 1955, in the second magazine-style issue.

Three issues later, editor Harvey Kurtzman departed in a dispute and Al went with him to work on Kurtzman’s Mad clones Trump and Humbug. When both those magazines folded in 1958, Al took his unpublished material back to Bill Gaines at Mad. Bill bought it all.

Al did his first of his long-running and most famous feature, the “Fold-In,” in Mad #86 in 1964.

He holds the Guinness World Record for “longest career as a comic artist.” For 73 years and three months, from his Dec. 1942 Joker Comics piece to the April 2013 issue of Mad, Al worked continuously. From April 1964 to April 2013, every issue but one of Mad had a Jaffee original piece.

Al Jaffee was loved and respected by his co-workers and fans.

Advertise With Us! RetroFan & BrickJournal Ad Rates: Back cover or inside cover: $1000 ($900 for two or more) Full-page interior: $800 ($700 for two or more) Half-page interior: $500 ($425 for two or more) Quarter-page interior: $300 ($250 for two or more)

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67

hand… and he’s on a horse!” I laughed and green-lit the cover immediately. Who wouldn’t? Then Don said that he had an idea for the other cover as well, and it was a great idea, too. So he was the only artist to do two covers for the project.

Don was a font of ideas, and it was so much fun to work with him. It was an honor to get to know, however briefly, one of the comicbook greats.

Tom Batiuk

Thanks both for the anecdote—and for providing us with scans of Don’s two colorful covers! (See next page.)

Next up: still another e-missive from a pro comics artist, in this case Ron Harris, who worked in the 1980s with Ye A/E Editor on Secret Origins and Young All-Stars, as well as his own series Crash Ryan: Hi Roy—

My introduction to Don Perlin was the “Focus: Danger” episode he did for Charlton. Though it was obviously a knockoff of I Spy, I’ve always liked non-super adventure stories.

One minor comment: The Mr. Apollo collection picture in the letter column isn’t a “publication” per se. It’s a digital compilation assembled and posted to Comic Book Plus [website] by Paw Boron (which is the online alias of my Scottish friend Stephen Montgomery, who wrote the Phantom piece in Sequential). It’s available free online along with a zillion other compilations of British (and American) public domain characters. The collection is here: https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=70711.

Ron Harris

P

erchance our rapturous readers have recognized the above Angelo Torres-derived figure from the splash page of his celebrated story “An Eye for an Eye,” seen earlier in this issue. Well, here is “maskot” artist Shane Foley’s Australian alternate, featuring Captain Ego and a latter-day descendant of “Miraaj,” the all-purpose damsel-indistress that Ye Editor used to have illustrators toss onto the covers of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian! Of course, Shane drew his sketch months before we had begun putting together this issue of A/E, so if anything we were copying him! And colorist Randy Sargent applied the relevant hues all on his own as well! [Captain Ego TM & © Roy Thomas & Estate of Bill Schelly; created by Biljo White.]

And now for our mostly cyberspatial salutations received re Alter Ego #177, with its in-depth coverage of artist Don Perlin and several other mostly-Marvel subjects, beginning with these welcome comments from Tom Batiuk, renowned writer/artist of the long-running (and recently retired) newspaper comic strip Funky Winkerbean, whose hardcover collections are often advertised in these pages: Roy,

I thoroughly enjoyed the interview with Don Perlin. He comes across in the interview just as he did during my brief interaction with him, so here’s a little postscript to the piece. A few years back, I was commissioning comicbook covers from my comicbook heroes to be used in Funky and then be auctioned off for the Lisa’s Legacy Fund. The covers were based on characters I created in the fifth grade. By the time I called Don, I only had two characters left: the Arizona Ranger and the Lunar Cadets.

Don was up for it, so I told him to pick one and get back to me with his idea. When he called back he said: “Here’s my idea for the Arizona Ranger. He’s in a bar, he’s shooting the pistol out of a bad guy’s hand and the ricochet hits the pistol in another bad guy’s

Thanks, Ron. We’ve covered the many, many British knockoffs of the original Captain Marvel, as well as other super-hero and science-fiction comicbooks in the UK, in previous issues of A/E, so we invite our readers to look up more stories on their own! Meanwhile, we may as well let A/Edom Assembled know that you and I are hard at work on a new, sixth issue (since 1986!) of the super-hero Alter Ego—see house ad on p. 58.

And here’s a real mystery, albeit one whose solution seems to lie in plain sight—pointed out to us by Tom Hamilton:

Hi Roy,

I recently finished reading A/E #177 and was surprised to see that the lettering on Perlin’s penciled splash (page 14) doesn’t match the published version. It’s a little hard to make out, but it looks like it says “Moon Blood” rather than “Moon Knight.” Was that the character’s original name, perhaps changed at the last minute? If so, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that before. Does anyone have any insights about this?

Tom Hamilton

Your fellow reader Martin Gray also spotted that penciled title and ID’d it as possibly saying “Moon Blind,” Tom—though, when we squinted at it, it did indeed look more like “Moonblood” to us. We sent an e-mail to writer/co-creator and old friend Doug Moench asking about the matter, but at press time we hadn’t received a response. But the more we think about it, the more likely the moniker “Moonblood” (probably as one word) seems like one that Doug might’ve come up with it. As a then-fairly new scripter at Marvel (after years spent writing horror stories for Warren, etc.), Doug always liked that kind of hybrid noun. Ye Ed recalls that virtually the first “hero” story Doug scribed for Marvel, a “Man-Wolf” tale, he titled “Gut Wrench!” I, as editor-in-chief, didn’t care much for that as a name for a “Man-Wolf” installment, and had it changed. Perhaps 1975 editor Len Wein felt the same about “Moonblood”—or maybe Doug had second thoughts and settled on “Moon Knight” at the last minute. If Mr. Moench ever fills us in, you’ll read about it right here, amigos—so thanks to both of you for calling that pencil lettering to our attention!

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[correspondence, comments, & corrections]

Comics In The Comics Tom Batiuk is well-known among comics fans for paying homage to classic comicbook covers in the Sunday edition of his popular strip Funky Winkerbean—as per the above tip of the hat to a Golden Lad cover from the mid-1940s by the magnificent Mort Meskin.

Also seen, courtesy of Tom, are the two “comics covers” Don Perlin drew for use in that strip and a later auction for cancer research: Arizona Ranger and Lunar Cadets. [Funky Winkerbean TM & © Tom Batiuk; Perlin art © the respective copyright holders.]

re:

69

Dear Roy,

In the Cracked article, the difficulty for [Harvey] Kurtzman and [Bill] Elder in returning to Mad surprised me. First, that they’d ever wish to return. Secondly, that they were apparently barred for a while. I could see that from, say, Bill Gaines. But Al Feldstein? Why should he be angry? Kurtzman’s departure had made for a great job opening, which Feldstein admirably filled for decades. Besides, Jack Davis also departed with [Kurtzman and Elder] and was welcomed back in the ’60s for a nice long run. The timing suggested it’s true, but I really don’t understand.

Joe Frank

We all have to allow, Joe, for the fact that, over the course of the early 1950s at EC, various artists and writers—being only human,

At Least We’re Sure About The “Moon” Part!

Here are details from the reproduction of the original pencils to the splash page of Werewolf by Night #13 (Aug. 1975) that appeared on p. 14 of Alter Ego #177. What say you, A/Ephiles? “Moon Knight”? “MoonBlood”? “MoonBlind”?

Thanks to Noel Daniels. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Martin Gray also pointed out that Marvel staffer Scott Edelman was referred to as “Steve” a time or two in the interview—“but you [Roy] likely know that by now.” Yeah, it was just a slip-up.

And who better to point out an error or two in the Classics Illustrated-related section of Don Perlin’s interview than William B. Jones, Jr., author of the essential hardcover study of that series, Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History: Hi Roy,

I wonder if the “guy” Don Perlin mentions as having met at the Pratt Institute who “called me up and told me he’d gotten a job at Gilberton” and “wanted to know if I wanted to do a book for them” was Sidney Miller, who replaced L.B. Cole in January 1961 as Classics Illustrated art director. He would be a likely candidate, as someone recently hired at 101 Fifth Avenue. But I can find next to no information about Miller.

Which reminds me, there are a couple of minor errors in the discussion of CI’s Robur the Conqueror on p. 8 in the Perlin interview.

The date for the May 1961 CI #162 is given as “June 1961,” and the scripter is said to be unknown; it was actually the prolific Alfred Sundel, who did every CI adaptation from November 1959 (The Invisible Man) to August 1962 (Faust)—and then Bill Kanter had him write scripts for the British and European CIs. (See my Classics Illustrated book, 2nd Edition, Appendix A, pp. 333-334).

Bill Jones

Thanks for the added info concerning Perlin’s artistic adaptation of that Jules Verne novel, Bill. And we’re looking forward to the imminent publication of the third and enlarged edition of your invaluable book.

Now this, from Joe Frank, concerning Michael T. Gilbert’s coverage in A/E #177 of the feud between Cracked and Mad:

Ghosting The Spirit Miguel Angel Ferreiro wrote from Spain of his disappointment that interviewer Richard Arndt neglected to ask Don Perlin “which particular Spirit stories he drew (uncredited) for Will Eisner.” He notes that the Grand Comics Database “identifies for sure only one story” [for Dec. 16, 1951, seen above]—as being drawn by Perlin, with the one for Jan. 13, 1952, listed as a “maybe.” “Given that Mr. Perlin has always stated that he drew three Spirit stories, there’s at least one missing.”

Richard A. reports that he did indeed question Don about which trio of Spirits he drew, but that the artist, understandably after nearly four decades, simply didn’t recall. And personally, Ye A/E Editor doesn’t think that the 1-13-52 yarn “Design for Doomsday” resembles Perlin’s artwork from four weeks earlier at all; to Roy, it (plus the one dated 1-27-52) looks more like it had been ghosted by Joe Kubert—but almost an earlier Kubert, not the one who around that time was drawing Tor for St. John Publishing. Not all mysteries get solved. [TM & © Will Eisner Studios, Inc.]

70

[correspondence, comments, & corrections]

after all—developed beefs with this or that colleague. Just as a ferinstance, without any inside knowledge on our part: It’s well-documented that in 1955 Harvey Kurtzman delivered an unwelcome ultimatum to Bill Gaines re Mad at a crucial time… which wasn’t something the latter could easily forgive, let alone forget. And if Gaines had wanted Kurtzman “barred” from Mad, who was Al Feldstein, even as the mag’s current editor, to say him nay? Nor do we know the precise dynamics of the relationship between the original editor/creator of Mad and the one-time editor of its in-house imitator Panic, which Kurtzman had definitely felt should not have been launched. Lots of room for bruised feelings, there—on all sides!

Shane Foley, our indefatigable “maskot” (and occasional cover) artist, is himself a bit of a researcher as regards “variant Marvel covers,” so he had this to say about that particular piece in #177: Hi Roy,

I was intrigued by Will Murray’s cover-versions piece. Since he got up to Fantastic Four #71, I thought I’d chip in with a couple it seems he missed (unless they’re in part 2).

FF #70: The cover of the reprint on Marvel’s Greatest Comics #53 has the Torch without flame and Sue’s legs repositioned. I reckon the reprint has the original version, especially since Sue’s legs on #70 don’t look to me the way Kirby would do them.

And it seems FF #71’s second cover got work done. Look at MGC #54, where the white space is actually a fully rendered blast, parts of which are retained in the Sue quarter of the cover on FF #71. Also, the Torch’s flame trail covers the android’s face at bottom left, with that being changed on FF #71. Surely the reprint is the original version.

On page 29 you show Kirby’s new cover for the reprint of FF #27 and ask, “Why drew a new cover?” (Kirby did a number of new covers around this time—for FF #35 and #36, as well as for Hulk, X-Men, and Daredevil reprints.) Could it be that, because this is around the time all Marvel stories were cut to 19 pages (remember

the half-size pages?), new covers were assigned so that artists didn’t get a pay cut? John Buscema has mentioned a pay cut at this time, but I wondered if he’s remembering instead that, due to the page reduction, he was getting fewer $$$$ per issue. Perhaps Stan’s assigning new covers alleviated that?

Shane Foley

I (Roy) can’t answer your questions for certain, Shane, even though I was either editor or associate editor when some of those covers were published. I suspect you’re right that the “pay cut” John Buscema spoke of was of the total amount he made on a given issue when the page count was cut by 5%, not a page rate decrease per se. However, I doubt any new covers for reprint issues were commissioned by Marvel in order to keep him or anyone else happy. After all, the whole point of the “split page” approach, and for that matter of reprint titles in general, was to save and/or make money! More likely, either some cover art proofs had gone temporarily (or permanently) astray, or there was some other reason we can’t fathom today.

Next, Chris Boyko answers a question Ye Ed asked with regard to the two covers of Marvelmania Magazine #1 back in the early ’70s: Hi Roy,

A couple of bits of information regarding two issues of Marvelmania Magazine: Issue #1 did indeed come in two “flavors,” as shown in the article: the Kirby Cap cover and the Kirby Black Bolt cover. The Cap cover came first and was sort of a test run for the magazine (Mark Evanier literally called it a “test issue” in his issue #4 editorial). It was 16 pages and was sent out to try to gauge potential readership, probably as a “freebie.” The Black Bolt-covered issue was the “real” #1; it was 32 pages and had completely different contents from the Cap-covered #1. The BB one is what nearly every subscriber got when they signed up in the early days.

The other interesting issue is #4, because there are two very different version of that one. the first one, which has a blue-tinted cover, is the one pictured on p. 47 and is rare as hen’s teeth (took me years to find a copy). That version was edited by Mark Evanier, and when he got fed up and left Marvelmania, Don Wallace had the whole run of #4 pulped and printed a second version with a gray-tone cover (same artwork), but with new articles printed where Mark used to be and with new co-editors (Bruce Schweiger and Jonathan Yost) listed. In other words, Mark was “erased” from the very magazine he edited! Fortunately, Mark left with a bunch of copies under his arm, and these are the only ones that survived Wallace’s purge, hence their rarity.

So Wallace was not only a poor businessman (I am sure the

Marvelmaniacs (Above:) An ad from an early-1970s Marvel comic advertising “portfolios”

by John Romita and Herb Trimpe—who, since they worked in the office, were probably importuned directly by Marvelmania head honcho Don Wallace.

Some pictures drawn by Romita and Trimpe for these portfolios have been published. Thanks to Barry Pearl. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] (Right:) This photo of the Marvel offices, purportedly taken in 1970, would seem to show some of the Marvelmania hung up in the corridors. Thanks to Al Bigley.

re:

71

printing of a second run of #4 did nothing to help Marvelmania’s money woes!), but was a vindictive fellow as well.

page. Honest, I never thought twice about the character except to enjoy Mac Raboy’s talents.

Thanks for the insights, Chris. I (Roy) probably met Don Wallace in passing, but Stan didn’t want me spending much time on Marvelmania stuff, since that was a license to Wallace and I was being paid to work for Marvel itself. So I don’t recall anything at all about the man, although I presume I was approached to write a column or two for Marvelmania Magazine, since I covered the recent emergence of the Conan the Barbarian title over a couple of installments. But the universal conclusion of those who had closer encounters with him seems to be that he stiffed Kirby and others who worked on the club and magazine, even though some nice work was produced. Was I paid for my writing for the magazine? I have no idea!

Sadly, Don Ensign passed away several years ago, and the Freddy Freeman piece was something P.C. Hamerlinck ran across in inventory. He had contributed quite a few nice articles to FCA over the years. But thanks for the clarification concerning the oft-reprinted Ditko photos!

Chris Boyko

And now, not to overlook #177’s FCA, let’s hear from regular Bernie Bubnis, who also comments on a couple of other aspects of that issue: Hi Roy,

I’m glad Amber Stanton is credited (in some way) for the Ditko/Stanton 1960s photos, but her dad took those pictures before she was born. His camera was always clicking, so I hope she finds the rest of those photos someday.

And—holy cow! Alex Jay dug up every piece of Marcia Snyder’s background! Loads of police work worthy of ½ hour on Dragnet.

Now on to Freddy Freeman (my very favorite piece in this issue, and I’m not kidding). My favorite line: “While in most stories Freddy had his own newsstand, he did take on occasional temporary jobs as a farm laborer, fisherman, sports manager, construction recruiter, and cabin boy.” Hey, stay in school, Freddy! I absolutely loved the dedication of Donald Ensign and P.C. Hamerlinck to follow Freddy’s long comicbook career so completely. A well-told story that kept this non-fan glued to each

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A parting shot: Al Rodriguez points out that Al Feldstein retired as editor of Mad magazine on December 31, 1984, by his own oft-accounting, so the last editions with him listed as editor appeared in 1985. He also asks: “Were Julius Schwartz and John Broome ‘best man’ at each other’s weddings?” No, that was a brain belch on our part, Al; Julie often related how Broome was best man at his wedding, but not the other way around.

Got a compliment or a criticism you want to unload on us? Send to: Roy Thomas 32 Bluebird Trail St. Matthews, SC 29135

e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com

Additionally: Interested in joining a classical-style online group about Alter Ego and comics? Try the discussion/chat group https:// groups.io/g/Alter-Ego-Fans. If you have trouble getting on board, e-mail moderator Chet Cox at mormonyoyoman.com and he’ll walk (or even trot) you through it. He’s that kind of guy!

Another kind of guy is John Cimino, who named and operates The Roy Thomas Appreciation Board on Facebook. It’s basically the WalMart (or Amazon) for information about what Roy T. is up to.

Oh, and if any convention promoter or comic shop owner would like to inquire about booking RT for a future event—or just for a podcast or whatever—please contact that very same John Cimino, Roy’s media rep and buddy. He can be reached (cybernetically speaking) at johnstretch@live.com.

The WHO’S WHO of American Comic Books 1928-1999 Online Edition Created by Jerry G. Bails FREE – online searchable database – FREE http://www. bailsprojects.com/ whoswho.aspx – No password required Angelo Torres’ cover for writer/ artist Mark Wheatley’s inventive Frankenstein Mobster #5 (2003) marked some fifty years since our featured illustrator had entered the comics field—and he was still going strong! Thanks to the Nerd Team. [TM & © Mark Wheatley.]

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It’s CAPTAIN MARVEL TIME!

75

The “Science” Of The Shazam Heroes’ TimeTraveling Ability

by Carl Lani‘Keha Shinyama

F

“Time is not a line but a dimension, like the dimensions of space. If you can bend space you can bend time also, and if you knew enough and could move faster than light you could travel backward in time and exist in two places at once.”

– Margaret Atwood or the original Captain Marvel in the Golden Age of Comics, the above quote was quite true, thanks in large part to the character’s primary writer, Otto Binder.

From Here To [The Rock Of] Eternity Question: Does Captain Marvel travel to the future—or does the future travel to him? Panels from “Captain Marvel Reaches the Age of Perfection” by writer Otto Binder, penciler C.C. Beck, & inker Pete Costanza, from Captain Marvel Adventures #101 (Oct. 1949). In this story, the Big Red Cheese himself served as narrator. [Shazam hero TM & © DC Comics.]

Binder, known in early pulps primarily for his creation Adam Link, the sympathetic metallic hero of his short story “I, Robot” and its sequels, was a science-fiction (or “scientifiction,” a term coined by Hugo Gernsback in the 1920s) writer for pulps before he embarked on a comicbook-writing career. As a teenager, he had had a strong fascination with chemistry and astronomy; he had once aspired to be either a chemical engineer or a research scientist and was an avid reader of astronomy, even purchasing a telescope.

Though Binder had no formal scientific degree when he began writing science-fiction, he did have a love of science and a love of the genre, which he discovered in 1926 upon first reading Amazing Stories, a pulp magazine dedicated to the subject.

many others, including more obscure villains such as Disaster Master (Whiz Comics #144), who invented a machine called the Disaster Dealer, which could “hurl invisible forces by atomic power anywhere on Earth, causing catastrophes!”

Even early on, the super-hero genre was one that went hand-in-hand with science-fiction, what with the burgeoning number of heroes with pseudo-scientific origins and of mad-scientist villains. Binder’s keen interest in real science made him a natural fit for the young genre, and informed much of his approach in writing the stories he told, especially those starring Captain Marvel. In point of fact, even before Binder began writing “Captain Marvel” scripts, the hero’s greatest enemy was a mad scientist (Dr. Sivana). He also faced aliens and thugs who often used scientifically advanced weapons to combat the World’s Mightiest Mortal, so the foundations of his world and stories leaned decidedly sci-fi.

It didn’t stop there, either, as some of the notable supporting characters Binder introduced to Captain Marvel’s stories were scientists like Doc Quartz and Dexter Knox.

Even Mr. Tawny, one of Billy Batson’s and Captain Marvel’s best friends and perhaps Otto Binder’s most famous co-creation, became a talking tiger through the means of a scientific serum—one that was said to have “energize[d] his brain and enable[d] him to use his vocal cords for speech!”

And that’s without mentioning many of the inventions of Dr. Sivana’s, including numerous varied ray guns and projectors he invented, such as the Germ Wave, Caveman Radiation Projector, Fear Ray Projector, Idiot Ray (not kidding! see Whiz Comics #86), Mute Ray, Hunger Ray, and Anger Ray Gun, to name a few.

During his comicbook career in the 1940s, Binder was a pioneer, being one of the art form’s earliest writers to outright cite real scientific theory as fictional explanations for the impossible feats and that occurred in super-hero stories.

With such a writer taking the lead, it was seemingly inevitable that Captain Marvel’s stories would come to be even more sciencefiction-leaning. Indeed, Binder would go on to expand Captain Marvel’s rogues gallery to include an alien telepathic worm (Mr. Mind), an evil caveman scientist (King Kull), and

Otto O. Binder was the foremost author of Fawcett timetravel stories. He sent this photo in 1964 to Roy Thomas for use in Alter Ego [Vol. 1] #7.

Thus, by the time Captain Marvel began time-traveling by way of exceeding the speed of light, the adventures he had were in a primarily surreal world of sci-fi wonders. In other words, it was Otto Binder’s world.

When dealing with time travel, many of Binder’s Golden Age contemporaries more or less pulled things out of thin air with no scientific theories to support their explanations. Take Jay Garrick, a.k.a. The Flash, for instance. When he accidentally time-traveled 500 years into the future, writer Gardner F. Fox did not use any established scientific theory to support it. Indeed, when

76

FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America]

Mind Your Manners!

Mr. Mind, an Otto Binder creation unlike any other!

A panel from “The Lost Sunrise”—Chapter 7 of “The Monster Society of Evil,” a serial which ran for more than two dozen issues of Captain Marvel Adventures—including in #28, Oct. 1943.] [Mr. Mind TM & © DC Comics.]

C.C. Beck

Pete Costanza

(1942)

(1940)

Fawcett Friends & Foes (Not Necessarily In That Order) (Above:) Tawky Tawny, perhaps the most human character of all of Otto Binder’s co-creations—a talking tiger, by way of a scientific serum! “The Return of Mr. Tawny”—Captain Marvel Adventures #82 (March, 1948). Art by C.C. Beck & Pete Costanza. [Shazam hero, Dr. Sivana, & Tawky Tawny TM & © DC Comics.]

(Left:) Leave it to Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana to invent an Idiot Ray! Of course, Captain Marvel was the one who made an idiot out of the World’s Wickedest Scientist in Whiz Comics #86 (June 1947).

Script: Otto Binder; art: C.C. Beck.

77

It’s Captain Marvel Time!

rather than rely upon the air to bring the sound to you. This is how Captain Marvel was able to locate the sound of elephant footsteps, despite the fact that they had escaped The Marvel Family’s ability to locate them visually.

With such scientific acuity and a background in sciencefiction during his days as a writer for the pulps, it was hardly surprising that Binder came to be a sci-fi pioneer in the young and growing field of super-hero comics. Indeed, he would go on to be a forerunner, if not the defining influential force, for how real-world scientific theory would be used and applied in subsequent eras of super-hero comics.

Said Alan Moore, writer of Watchmen: “Otto Binder was a kind of titan, a precursor of the gods… because he came up with basic primordial forms that later writers would perhaps polish to a greater luster. But Binder hewed them out of solid rock. He was mining the raw material.”

Flash Forward Jay Garrick, a.k.a. The Flash—the first super-hero ever to time-travel using super-speed, even if he didn’t mean to do so! From “The Liar’s Club,” Flash Comics #44 (Aug. 1943). Script by Gardner Fox; art by Lou Ferstadt.) [TM & © DC Comics.]

The Flash met a scientist in the future (Flash Comics #44), that scientist explained it thus:

It should be noted that Alan Moore was speaking of Binder coming into his own during the infancy of comicbooks, which for all intents and purposes was essentially a new medium of fictionwriting. With little guidance from which Binder could draw, he had to figure things out on his own. That is what Moore was talking about. Still, his statement applies to Binder’s application of real scientific theory in Captain Marvel’s stories as well, since Binder’s peers were not yet really doing what he was, but many writers later on came to do so. Thus, Binder was a true pioneer in this regard.

“Time travels at a certain rate of speed, based on the ratio of the sun’s speed racing through space toward the fixed star Varga and the rotation of Earth on its axis.”

Yes, scientific observations had been made by the 1940s that the sun moves through space, and the speed of the Earth’s rotation had been calculated. But neither of those facts had any relation to any scientific theory that pertains to time travel. In Flash’s time-travel story, he might as well have time-traveled by way of magic!

Otto Binder, meanwhile, was fond of incorporating real science from scientific theory to simple scientific concepts and principles.

For example, in one story Binder wrote, Mary Marvel defeated King Kull (The Marvel Family #73) using the principles of centrifugal force, which pushes objects away from the center by rotation. By rotating Kull so fast, beyond a certain point, Mary was able to remove the nearly completely invulnerable armor from his body. That is similar to centrifugation separation—a very common technique used to separate different fluids with different densities from each other, or even liquids from solids. In the story, Binder drew from the real scientific applications of centrifugation and applied them towards super-hero pseudo-science, even if the actual execution of it may not be plausible in real physics.

Another example is found in Marvel Family #87, wherein Captain Marvel listened for the sound of elephant footsteps in the distance by putting his ear on the ground.

Here, Binder shows his scientific acumen. Sound travels faster and more effectively in liquid and solids than through air. That’s because sound waves need a medium through which to spread and travel and—generally speaking—the denser the medium, the faster and more effectively that sound travels, because there’s less space between molecules. It’s why you can hear a train coming, even if it is too far away to see, if you put your ear to the railroad track,

Kull-ing The Crop Centrifugation, a clever way to disarm an armored caveman mad scientist— King Kull! Panel from “The Marvel Family Battles the Crust Cracker” by Otto Binder and artist Kurt Schaffenberger, in The Marvel Family #73 (July 1952).

[Shazam heroine TM & © DC Comics.]

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previously done so in prior tales, though it had then been achieved only through the use of time machines. Interestingly, and perhaps fittingly, Captain Marvel’s very first time travel adventure, in Whiz Comics #26, involved him assisting in the invention of a time machine!)

While Captain Marvel is not the first super-hero to time-travel using super-speed—both The Flash and Superman preceded Captain Marvel in that department—he was the first whose method of time travel incorporated real-world scientific theory.

Or rather, Captain Marvel was the first super-hero to outright cite Einstein’s Theory of Relativity as the explanation.

Says Captain Marvel, in Captain Marvel Adventures #101: “I have an easy way of visiting any past or future time, for by exceeding the speed of light in space, the Einstein Formula allows me to reach the Rock of Eternity!”

The Elephant Not In The Room Here, the science is accurate: sound travels more effectively in a denser medium, like the ground! Panels from “The Pinhead Plague!” in The Marvel Family #87 (Sept. 1953) by Binder & Schaffenberger. [Shazam heroes TM & © DC Comics.]

The first time-traveling adventure written by Binder in which Captain Marvel achieved that feat via super-speed saw print in Captain Marvel Adventures #79, a tale wherein the World’s Mightiest Mortal traveled back to ancient Egypt to prove the wizard Shazam’s innocence of a crime for which he had been framed back in that era.

(NOTE: Captain Marvel was no stranger to time travel, having

With Captain Marvel, it was easy for Binder to bring Einsteinian Theory into the picture. Not only did the theory itself have real-world theoretical implications on time travel, but Captain Marvel had long had the ability to exceed the speed of light and even to fly in space, both of which served as the foundation for it all.

(NOTE: Captain Marvel was first explicitly stated to be able to fly beyond the speed of light in Captain Marvel Adventures #2. Interestingly, in the same panel where Captain Marvel first exceeded light speed, he also flew in space for the first time.

Additionally, Captain Marvel had previously been stated to move at the speed of light in Whiz Comics #10. CMA #2 is just the first time he reputed to be surpassing that speed.)

But before we delve into Binder’s application of the theory, let’s answer a couple of questions …

What is the Einstein Theory?

And what does it have to do with time travel, at least where speed is concerned?

For our purposes, and for the sake of brevity, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is basically two different theories in one.

The first is General Relativity, which basically deals with gravity and its relationship with space and time.

The second theory is Special Relativity, which applies to all physical events in space-time where gravity does

It’s About Time!

(Above :) A notable non-Binder moment for two firsts: Captain Marvel not only exceeded the speed of light but also traveled in space for the first time, in the story “Invasion from Mars” in Captain Marvel Adventures #2 (Summer 1941). Art by George Tuska; writer unknown.

(Right:) The first outright citation of Einsteinian Theory explaining time travel in super-hero comics takes place in the tale “The Ancient Crime” in CMA #79 (Dec. 1947), courtesy of scripter Otto Binder, with the aid of artists C.C. Beck & Pete Costanza. [Shazam hero TM & © DC Comics.]

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It’s Captain Marvel Time!

both space and time.

Unfortunately, as so few super-heroes have powers of gravity, it was difficult to incorporate General Relativity in stories of time travel, so we seldom ever saw it.

Super-speed, on the other hand, was more common, and heroes like Captain Marvel had that in abundance. In fact, thanks to the Speed of Mercury, Captain Marvel not only could surpass the speed of light, he possessed unlimited speed. It is through Special Relativity, then, that Einstein Theory would be worked into super-hero time-travel adventures.

It should be noted that, where time is concerned, Special Relativity deals more with the perception of time, not the curving of it. Speed, therefore, does not affect time and space the way that gravity does and cannot be used as an impetus for time travel.

What that means is that it is impossible for characters who can move at the speed of light or beyond it to travel into the past or the future, at least where real world physics are concerned.

Always Make Time For Friends!

Captain Marvel co-invents a time machine with a disguised Dr. Sivana, in “Capt.

Marvel and the Amazing Trip Into Time” from Whiz Comics #26 (Jan. 1942). Art

by C.C. Beck & staff. [Shazam hero & Dr. Sivana TM & © DC Comics.]

not factor or is absent. It is this part of Einstein’s theory that we’ll be concerned with, since it is the one that deals with the speed of light and the relative observations of it.

Since Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is a complex topic that requires in-depth explanations, let’s look to Professor James Kakalios’ book, The Physics of Superheroes, to lay out what we need to know about Special Relativity in the simplest way possible: “The Special Theory of Relativity can be boiled down to two statements that appear simple, but contain a wealth of physical insight. They are (1) nothing can travel faster than the speed of light (sorry, Superman and Flash), which is the same speed for everyone, no matter how fast they are moving, and (2) the laws of physics are the same for everyone, regardless of whether you are moving or not.”

Of course, comicbook physics, as a made-up science, allows writers such as Binder to ignore that and take some creative license when applying Einsteinian Theory to Captain Marvel’s time-traveling ability. Moreover, with that in mind, that is all the excuse we—and writers such as Binder—need to indulge in imagining the theoretical underpinnings of time travel and ask the questions on how it might work, starting with: What happens when an object exceeds the speed of light?

How would time be perceived?

There are differing thoughts on that by physicists. Sam Stevenson, BA, thinks that time would appear to go or be experienced in reverse to the observer. Professor James Kakalios believes otherwise. In The Physics of Superheroes, he states: “I’m sad to say that time travel doesn’t work in a reversible manner… So time will appear to slow, but will never move backward. However, it is true that time travel into the future,

It is this part of Einsteinian Theory that establishes that the faster an object goes, the more the relativity between the object and space-time changes. More specifically, the closer an object approaches the speed of light, the more that time will appear to move slowly for them. Using that information, we are able to infer that at the ultimate speed in the universe, the speed of light, time will appear frozen to an observer.

Regarding time travel, this is where the fun begins.

Time travel is considered possible thanks to Einstein’s work on General Relativity, which demonstrated that time and space are malleable. Gravity from massive objects warps and curves the space around it.

What this means is that time could warp in a way so that time, as well as space, could bend back upon itself in a circle, which creates a pathway for one to move forward in a straight line and still return to one’s starting point in

Three To Get Ready…

When it takes three to go outside of three-dimensional space! “The Marvel Family Smashes the Legend of Atlantis” in The Marvel Family #39 (Sept. 1949). Script: Otto Binder; art: Kurt Schaffenberger. [Shazam heroes TM & © DC Comics.]

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in great leaps rather than a second at a time, is possible, if one can move fast enough.”

Kakalios likely believes that because, even if an object were to reach light speed, the rest of the universe is continuing to move on as normal. Therefore, thanks to Special Relativity, once a super-hero like Captain Marvel reaches light speed, time would appear frozen while the rest of the universe marched on, so all he would have to do is simply stop at a point of his choosing and it would be as if he just jumped forward in time!

Either way, that was not the mechanism that Binder used.

Instead of Captain Marvel either perceiving time going backwards once he exceeded the speed of light … or experiencing time-jumps forward as he should … Binder opted to have Cap thrown out of the normal universe and the “known universe” as Binder described it in “Captain Marvel and the Ancient Crime” (CMA #79), once Marvel moved at faster-than-light speeds.

It would appear that Binder’s idea was that, since time and space exist in our three-dimensional universe, the result of being outside of time and space essentially meant entering another dimension outside of our own. In fact, Binder has on at least one occasion called this dimension the Fourth Dimension.

Indeed, in Marvel Family #10, the Sivana Family used a rocket ship to reach a speed beyond the speed of light … and once they did so, they entered the Fourth Dimension.

(NOTE: There were also competing descriptions of where exactly The Rock of Eternity was located. In some stories, it was said to be located in the middle of space and time; and, in other cases, it was said to be positioned in the center of the universe.)

Once in the Fourth Dimension, Captain Marvel would find the Rock of Eternity— which had also been described as being located beyond all of time and space—and then pick any timeline he needed to go to.

Where this differs from real-world Rock Of Ages—Comicbook Style! theoretical What is outside of space and time? (The Rock of) physics is that, Eternity, naturally! From “The Plot against the according to Sam Universe,” in the very special (and very good) Stevenson, should Captain Marvel Adventures #100 (Sept. 1949) by someone exceed writer Otto Binder, artists C.C. Beck & Pete Costanza, the speed of light, and editor Wendell Crowley. [Dr. Sivana TM & © DC Comics.] they would not be thrown out of the physical universe or otherwise enter either a dimension outside of our own or the Fourth Dimension. No, in truth, they would still be able to interact with matter and they would still be in the same plane of existence as the rest of us. All they would be doing is simply breaking the rules of physics, which suits the super-hero genre just fine.

With Binder’s scientific acumen, it’s likely he knew that the way he wrote it was incorrect, but had he been completely faithful to the science, it would have meant needing to more fully explain Einsteinian Theory and its relationship to time travel for an audience of kids … and that would have been more complex than it needed to be. That, and the limited real estate of a Golden Age story, dictated that he take the briefest approach possible.

A fidelity to the science also would have meant wasting the opportunity to utilize a core aspect of Captain Marvel’s mythology, specifically the Rock of Eternity. By going the extra-dimensional route, it allowed Binder to use the Rock as a convenient cosmic bus stop for Captain Marvel to time travel. Once in the Fourth Dimension, Captain Marvel would readily find the Rock of Eternity, and from there, all he’d need to do is choose any point in time that he desired to visit. A simple and effective process for Captain Marvel’s readers of all ages to understand.

No matter! Binder’s work on time travel would be – ahem – ahead of its time!

Author Carl Lani‘Keha Shinyama has no formal background in science. For the purposes of this article, he consulted a physicist, Sam Stevenson, BA, whose expertise he relied on to help explain the application of Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity as it pertains to Captain Marvel’s time- traveling abilities, as well as consulting Professor James Kakalios’ book The Physics of Superheroes.

Go Fourth!

The Fourth Dimension—it’s actually about time! Timeless scenes with the Sivanas by Binder, Beck, and Costanza from the classic Marvel Family #10 (April, 1947). [Dr. & Junior Siavana TM & © DC Comics.]

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MITCH MAGLIO examines vintage jungle comics heroes (Kaänga, Ka-Zar, Sheena, Rulah, Jo-Jo/Congo King, Thun’da, Tarzan) with art by LOU FINE, WILL EISNER, FRANK FRAZETTA, MATT BAKER, BOB POWELL, ALEX SCHOMBURG, and others! Plus: the comicbook career of reallife jungle explorers MARTIN AND OSA JOHNSON, FCA, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more!

#191 is an FCA (FAWCETT COLLECTORS OF AMERICA) issue! Documenting the influence of MAC RABOY’s Captain Marvel Jr. on the life, career, and look of ELVIS PRESLEY during his stellar career, from the 1950s through the 1970s! Plus: Captain Marvel co-creator BILL PARKER’s complete testimony from the DC vs. Fawcett lawsuit, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and other surprises!

DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES! A who’s who of artists of NEIL GAIMAN’s The Sandman plus a GAIMAN interview, Sandman Mystery Theatre’s MATT WAGNER and STEVEN T. SEAGLE, Dr. Strange’s nemesis Nightmare, Marvel’s Sleepwalker, Casper’s horse Nightmare, with SHELLY BOND, BOB BUDIANSKY, STEVE ENGLEHART, ALISA KWITNEY, and others! KELLEY JONES cover.

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DAN JURGENS talks about Superman, Sun Devils, creating Booster Gold, developing the “Doomsday scenario” with the demise of the Man of Steel, and more! Traverse DON GLUT’s “Glutverse” continuity across Gold Key, Marvel, and DC! Plus RICK ALTERGOTT, we conclude our profiles of MIKE DEODATO, JR. and FRANK BORTH, LINDA SUNSHINE (editor of DC/Marvel hardcover super-hero collections), & more!

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Focuses on great early science-fiction author EDMUND HAMILTON, who went on to an illustrious career at DC Comics, writing Superman, Batman, and especially The Legion of Super-Heroes! Learn all about his encounters with RAY BRADBURY, MORT WEISINGER, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, et al—a panoply of titans! Plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more!

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Featuring a profile of The Partridge Family’s heartthrob DAVID CASSIDY, THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN, LEGO blocks, Who Created Mighty Mouse?, BUCKAROO BANZAI turns forty, Planet Patrol, Big Little Books, Disco Fever, and more! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER. Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

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Magic memories of ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY for the 60th Anniversary of TV’s Bewitched! Plus: The ’70s thriller Time After Time (with NICHOLAS MEYER, MALCOLM McDOWELL, and DAVID WARNER), The Alvin Show, BUFFALO BOB SMITH and Howdy Doody, Peter Gunn, Saturday morning’s Run Joe Run and Big John Little John, a trip to Camp Crystal Lake, and more fun, fab features!