Alter Ego #21

TM

SHEENA QUEEN OF THE

IGER COMICS KINGDOM

Sheena TM & ©2003 Paul Aratow/Columbia Pictures

FEATURING JAY DISBROW AND BAKER• BRUNNER• CARDY• CELARDO CRANDALL• EISNER• ELIAS• EVANS• FRAZETTA HUGHES• KAMEN• KANE• KIRBY• MESKIN PALAIS• RENÉE• ROBBINS• ROSS• STEVENS TUSKA• WEBB• WHITMAN & MORE!

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“Gods!” Takes an in-depth look at WALTER SIMONSON’s Thor, the Thunder God in the Bronze Age, “Pro2Pro” interview with TOM DeFALCO and RON FRENZ, Hercules: Prince of Power, Moondragon, Three Ways to End the New Gods Saga, exclusive interview with fantasy writer MICHAEL MOORCOCK, art and commentary by GERRY CONWAY, JACK KIRBY, BOB LAYTON, and more, with a swingin’ Thor cover by SIMONSON!

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THE BEST IN COMICS AND LEGO MAGAZINES!

ALTER EGO #105

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See comic art and script BEFORE and AFTER the Comics Code changes, with art

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DICK GIORDANO through the 1960s—from freelance years and Charlton “Action-Heroes” to his first stint at DC! Art by DITKO, APARO, BOYETTE, MORISI, McLAUGHLIN, GIL KANE, and others, Dick’s final convention panel with STEVE SKEATES and ROY THOMAS, JIM AMASH interviews Charlton artist TONY TALLARICO, FCA with MARC SWAYZE and ROY ALD, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, BILL SCHELLY, GIORDANO cover, and more!

Big BATMAN issue, with an unused Golden Age cover by DICK SPRANG! SHEL DORF interviews SPRANG and JIM MOONEY, with rare and unseen Batman art by BOB KANE, JERRY ROBINSON, WIN MORTIMER, SHELLY MOLDOFF, CHARLES PARIS, and others! Part II of the TONY TALLARICO interview by JIM AMASH! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, BILL SCHELLY, and more!

1970s Bullpenner WARREN REECE talks about Marvel Comics and working with EVERETT, BURGOS, ROMITA, STAN LEE, MARIE SEVERIN, ADAMS, FRIEDRICH, ROY THOMAS, and others, with rare art!

DEWEY CASSELL spotlights Golden Age artist MIKE PEPPE, with art by TOTH, ANDRU, TUSKA, CELARDO, & LUBBERS, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, cover by EVERETT & BURGOS, and more!

Interview with inker SCOTT WILLIAMS from his days at Marvel and Image to his work with JIM LEE, and PATRICK OLIFFE demos how he produces Spider-Girl, Mighty Samson, and digital comics. Also, MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ “Comic Art Bootcamp”, a “Rough Critique” of a newcomer’s work by BOB McLEOD, art supply reviews by “Crusty Critic” JAMAR NICHOLAS, and more!

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LEGO SPACE WAR issue! A STARFIGHTER BUILDING LESSON by Peter Reid, WHY SPACE MARINES ARE SO POPULAR by Mark Stafford, a trip behind the scenes of LEGO’S NEW ALIEN CONQUEST SETS that hit store shelves earlier this year, plus JARED K. BURKS’ column on MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION, building tips, event reports, our step-by-step “YOU CAN BUILD IT” INSTRUCTIONS, and more!

Go to Japan with articles on two JAPANESE LEGO FAN EVENTS, plus take a look at JAPAN’S SACRED LEGO LAND, Nasu Highland Park—the site of the BrickFan events and a pilgrimage site for many Japanese LEGO fans. Also, a feature on JAPAN’S TV CHAMPIONSHIP OF LEGO, a look at the CLICKBRICK LEGO SHOPS in Japan, plus how to get into TECHNIC BUILDING, LEGO EDUCATION, and more!

LEGO EVENTS ISSUE covering our own BRICKMAGIC FESTIVAL, BRICKWORLD, BRICKFAIR, BRICKCON, plus other events outside the US. There’s full event details, plus interviews with the winners of the BRICKMAGIC CHALLENGE competition, complete with instructions to build award winning models. Also JARED K. BURKS’ regular column on minifigure customizing, building tips, and more!

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Vol. 3, No. 21 / February 2003

™

Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editors John Morrow Jon B. Cooke

FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editors Emeritus Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss Biljo White Mike Friedrich

Production Assistant Eric Nolen-Weathington

The Iger Comics Kingdom

Cover Artists/Colorists Irwin Hasen Dave Stevens

And Special Thanks to: Heather Antonelli Dick Arnold Bob Bailey Jeff Bailey Jack Bender Frank Brunner Rich Buckler Lee Caplin Diego Ceresa Lynda Fox Cohen Bob Cosgrove Ray A. Cuthbert Al Dellinges Jay Disbrow Shel Dorf Ken Dudley Will Eisner Michael Feldman Jeff Fox Gordon Green Martin Greim George Hagenauer Paul Handler Merrily Mayer Harris Irwin Hasen Adam Hughes Andy Ice Ed Jaster Tim Lapsley Rich Larsen

Joe Latino Richard Lieberson Dan Makara Linda Long Lanny Mayer Simon Miller Fred Mommsen Jerry Ordway Robert Overstreet John G. Pierce Dan Raspler Trina Robbins Ethan Roberts Don Rosick Alex Ross Steve Schanes Carole Seuling Gwen Seuling Robin Snyder Dave Stevens Marc Swayze Joel Thingvall Dann Thomas Alex Toth Jim Vadeboncoeur Hames Ware John Wells Steve Whittaker Andy Yanchus Ken Yodowitz Ray Zone

Contents Writer/Editorial: The Iger Counter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Iger Comics Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Golden Age artist Jay Disbrow on Jerry Iger & his comic art studio—featuring art by some of the greatest talents of the 1940s and ’50s—and today!

A Footnote on the Eisner and Iger Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Which artists worked for Iger—and which for Eisner & Iger? Jerry Bails’ full listing! re: [John Buscema] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Special JUSTICE SOCIETY Section, plus FCA . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: In 1985 Dave Stevens, now celebrated as creator of The Rocketeer among his other artistic accomplishments, drew a stunningly sensuous cover featuring Sheena for Jay Disbrow’s book The Iger Comics Kingdom. Thanks to Dave for allowing us to use it as the cover of this issue, which reprints and revises that 1985 tome—and there’s more Stevens Sheena art on p. 43! [Cover Art ©2003 Dave Stevens; Sheena TM & ©2003 Paul Aratow/Columbia pictures.]

Above: One of the shining artistic lights of the Iger Studios was Maurice Whitman, who did some of his best work on the Tarzanic “Kaänga” feature in Jungle Comics and in the hero’s own title. This splash page from Kaänga Comics #20 (Summer 1954—the final issue, alas) shows why his work is held in high esteem by collectors and fellow professionals alike. Reproduced from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of George Hagenauer. [©2003 respective holder.]

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

Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: Rt. 3, Box 468, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8 ($10 Canada, $11 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $120 Canada, $132 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada.

FIRST PRINTING.

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Title writer/editorial

The Iger Counter Whew! This half of the issue turned out to be such a mammoth undertaking, and to contain so much gorgeous and/or historic artwork, that I barely had room to squeeze in even this one-page introduction!

several nice pieces from a couple of other folks—and picked up still more from the 1970s Who’s Who in American Comic Books edited by Jerry Bails and Hames Ware.

For about a year now, I’ve been eagerly looking forward, with the permission of author (and Golden Age artist) Jay Disbrow, to print a slightly revised version of his 1985 book The Iger Comics Kingdom, which tells the story of the legendary 1930s-50s comics shop of Jerry Iger (who was in partnership, at least for a time, with Spirit creator Will Eisner). After Jay wrote a piece about Fawcett editor Wendell Crowley for P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA in Alter Ego #14, I contacted him at once, and we had the first of many enjoyable phone conversations. Jay was amenable to seeing his out-of-print opus reprinted, the more so since we meant to utilize more of the (unused) drawings he had done for that first edition. But there were problems. Aren’t there always?

Our main frustration is that often we couldn’t be 100% certain if artwork from Fiction House, Quality, Gilberton, or other companies was done by the Iger Studios, or by that particular company’s own inhouse staff. More: did an “Iger artist” draw such-and-such a page when he/she was employed by Iger—or later, directly for the company? As it is, we’ve included a handful of (identified) pieces of art which are almost certainly not from the Iger shop—usually to prove some point or other. But, for the most part, we’ve limited ourselves to reprinting material turned out by Jerry Iger and his talented associates. Even so, we have so much comic art (especially Fiction House!) left over that we’re gonna have to find some excuse to run more of it soon!

For one thing, Jay no longer had Also of enormous help with our his original manuscript. We both Herculean task was Steve Whitaker wanted to correct some errors that of England, who was suggested to us had crept into the first edition, based by his fellow collector Michael as it was on interviews and conversaFeldman. Steve, like Michael himself, tions Jay had with Jerry Iger, who Jerry Bails, and a handful of others, passed away in 1990. Even circa 1985, has done extensive research on the Jay had found Iger’s memory not Iger shop—and both he and I went always reliable, as he details in his new over the 1985 manuscript with a fineintroduction. Nor could Jay be certain tooth comb. Our object was to at this late date if perhaps, in the change as little in the original text as course of the editing of his manuscript possible, while at the same time nearly two decades ago, some alteraltering anything that more recent ations had been made or additional scholarship had shown to be untrue errors crept in. He also rewrote, from Bob Webb’s powerful cover to Seven Seas Comics #2 (June 1946), or, at best, undependable. (For memory, the seventh chapter, which apparently inked by Ann Brewster, was published by instance, you’ll find some problems deals with his own career in comics, “Universal Phoenix Features/Leading Publications,” according to the below about the approximate date which had been left out of the first Gerbers’ Picto-Journal Guide to Comic Books. A joint publishing when Will Eisner and Jerry Iger edition. The original art for his own venture between Iger and another? Thanks to George Hagenauer. dissolved their partnership—and we (unused) cover for the book was long [©2003 the respective copyright holder.] excised all mention of the possibility since lost, as well, but at least he had a that actor Martin Landau was once a member of the Iger shop, since photostat of it, which was good enough to reproduce from inside, if not Landau denies it and no precise records have ever shown differently.) as a cover.

Still, Jay concurred with my wish to see his book reprinted—and it was just short enough that we could squeeze it into half an issue of A/E. Steve Schanes, whose Blackthorne Publishing had put out the original edition, generously gave his consent to utilizing material from it that was not covered by Jay’s own copyright, for which we thank him and Lee Caplin, and we were off to the races.

At that point, I needed just one more little thing: art. Lots and lots of art. For, though there was quite a bit of art in the 1985 edition, I wanted to reproduce more and different illustrations, from the original artwork wherever possible.

Fortunately, as they always seem to do in these cases, several magnanimous collectors came through for A/E and for the cause of comics history. At a Baltimore comics convention in 2000 I had met Paul Handler, who collected (among other things) Fiction House art, and when I contacted him again he came through with a number of pages. So in particular did regular A/E contributor George Hagenauer, who sent us a veritable cornucopia of Fiction House and Iger art. We also received

Doubtless, errors remain—and, after the text has gone through the hands of various writers and editors over the past nigh-twenty years, they are not really the fault of any one person. The Iger Comics Kingdom can be considered a “work in progress,” with every knowledgeable A/E reader invited to send in suggestions as to corrections and additions. We plan to run an extended section on these updates a few issues from now.

But meanwhile, we think you’ll find the Alter Ego revised edition of Jay Disbrow’s The Iger Comics Kingdom a worthwhile and entertaining read.

And that’s not counting all the pictures—which most definitely do count!

(Hey, you didn’t think we were gonna get all the way through this piece without justifying its title “The Iger Counter,” did you?)

Bestest,

3

Jay Disbrow’s cover painting for his 1985 book wasn’t used, except for the logo (which was joined with Dave Stevens’ Sheena cover art, which also appears on this issue of Alter Ego). We’re pleased to print Jay’s version for the first time, even if we couldn’t give it the color it deserves. [Art ©2003 Jay Disbrow; Doll Man, Black Condor, & Blue Beetle TM & ©2003 DC Comics; The Flame, Kaänga, & The Hawk (of the Seas) TM & ©the respective TM & copyright holders; Sheena TM & ©2003 Paul Aratow/Columbia Pictures.]

with additional textual material provided by Steve Whitaker, Jerry Bails, & Roy Thomas

Introduction (2002) How This Book Came to Be Written Many will remember that the late Phil Seuling has frequently been called the “father” of the modern comics convention. From the 1960s through the early ’80s, he produced his famous Comic Art Conventions which were held each year either in New York City or in Philadelphia, on or about the 4th of July.

Phil was the man who enabled me to contact Jerry Iger after many years had elapsed since I had been an employee at the Iger Studios. Thus were put into effect the conditions that led to my writing The Iger Comics Kingdom.

Sometime prior to 1981 I came across one of Phil Seuling’s newsletters. In it he mentioned a telephone conversation he had recently had with Jerry Iger. This came as a shock to me, because I had erroneously assumed that Jerry had died. Nearly thirteen years had passed since I had last seen him, and he had been

Jay Disbrow in front of his home, July 2002. Photo courtesy of the artist.

4

Jay Disbrow

approaching age fifty at the time I worked at his studio in 1950-51!

When I learned Iger was indeed alive, it occurred to me that it would be a great idea to call him and renew our acquaintanceship. But, of course, I had no way to contact him directly. I did have Phil Seuling’s phone number, so one Sunday afternoon I called him and mentioned his article on Jerry Iger. I explained that I had worked at the Iger Studios in 1950, and that I would like to contact Jerry again. Phil provided me with Jerry’s number, and I called him immediately.

That was the first of a series of telephone conversations I had with Iger, and during the course of our discussion, he provided me with the address of L.B. Cole, the former editor and cover artist of Star Publications, for whom I had worked when I left the Iger Studios. (A few of my reminiscences of Cole will appear in Alter Ego a couple of issues from now.)

believed that I was equal to this task. The more thought I gave to it, the more I warmed to the idea.

Jerry Iger in the mid-1970s, holding an advertising brochure he’d done—flanked by an autographed reproduction of same, and a sketch done at one of Phil Seuling’s comics conventions.

Both pieces of line art courtesy of Ken Yodowitz; the photo is repro’d from the 1985 edition of The Iger Comics Kingdom, often abbreviated below as TICK. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

When I made contact with Leonard Cole, it was tentatively decided that all three of us would meet at a comics convention in New York City. Jerry Iger was amenable to this, and we arranged to meet at a predesignated destination. On the day appointed, I met again with the two comic book titans who had directed my early career in the comic art medium.

Leonard Cole was as gregarious as I had remembered from former years, but Jerry Iger was reserved and almost reluctant to partake of the conviviality that flourished at the convention. I later realized that this was because of his emotional makeup. If he could not dominate the situation he was in, he tended to pull back from it and did not fully participate.

I recall that I gave a lecture at that convention on my experiences in the comic book industry. I was introduced by Gary Groth, editor and publisher of The Comics Journal. Both Iger and Cole were in the audience that day, and during the course of my presentation I asked them to stand up and identify themselves to the audience. When they did so, the applause was thunderous. The audience really appreciated these two giants of the comics world.

I continued my relationship with Cole and Iger via the telephone in the months and years that followed. One day when I was talking to Jerry Iger, he began to reminisce about his long career in the comics. I was fascinated with what he was telling me.

“Jerry,” I said, “someone should write your biography. It would make a very interesting story.”

“Why don’t you write it?” he replied.

For a moment I was stunned by his rejoinder. Jerry knew that I had written many newspaper and magazine articles, and apparently he

The greatest hurdle would be to obtain all the facts relating to his career, and to the career of his former partner, Will Eisner. But since the subject of the narrative was alive and well, I would obtain that information directly from the source.

Little did I realize then how difficult that would be.

I made an appointment to meet him at his apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, in New York City. I took my wife and a tape recorder and drove to his home. As I recall, I found his place without a great deal of trouble, and Jerry greeted us warmly.

I placed my tape recorder on the coffee table in his living room, and, after plugging it in, I began the interview. It all went well for a few minutes; then his mind began to wander. I found it difficult to keep his mind focused on the details of his career. He preferred to relate a series of disconnected incidents from his past, while I attempted to pull him back to the chronological details of his life story. After a couple of hours, this proved to be a bit frustrating.

We finally broke for lunch, and the three of us walked to a nearby Wendy’s for our noontime meal. At the conclusion of the lunch period, my optimism began to rise. Surely the afternoon session would be an improvement over the earlier one. But as time went by, he continued to digress. He was having more fun telling isolated anecdotes from his past that were unrelated to his career. Finally, I was forced to conclude that the man was in his dotage. He simply could not fully concentrate on the task at hand. So I was forced to try a new tactic.

Beginning with the information with which I was already familiar, I asked him about times and events of the people who had worked for him. I kept narrowing the questions to keep him on track. This proved to be more rewarding. I attempted especially to pin down the details of his professional relationship with Will Eisner. He had an obvious respect for Eisner’s talent as an artist and writer, and for his editorial and organizational skills. But it was clear to me that he had never really forgiven Will for failing to renew their partnership at the conclusion of World War II. The fact that Eisner had carved out a successful career on his own seemed to be a difficult thing for Jerry to accept.

When I finally realized I had all the information from Iger I was likely to get, I packed up my tape recorder and my wife and I returned home. Every evening after work, I listened to that tape and took notes.

The Iger Comics Kingdom

heroes done for Fox, Fiction House, Quality, and other lesserknown publishers. I sent them to Steve Schanes, but only two of them appeared in the finished publication. That was a disappointment, to be sure. I’m happy that more of those art pieces are included in this expanded edition of The Iger Comics Kingdom, and Roy Thomas assures me that the others will see print in future issues of Alter Ego.

This then-recent photo of (l. to r.) Jerry Iger, artist L.B. Cole, and Jay disbrow appeared in the 1981 edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, later in Alter Ego #14 (thanks to Bob Overstreet for permission to print it). In the early 1940s Cole had drawn for Holyoke, including this great Cat-Man #29 (1945) cover, a scan of which was sent to us by Jim Vadeboncouer.

Jim, by the way, publishes the excellent magazine ImageS, which features fabulous reproduction of vintage art from the Golden Age of Illustration. ImageS #1-4 are available as a set for $60 from him at 3809 Laguna Av., Palo Alto, CA 94306, or call (650) 493-3841. Also available is the first 96-page Black & White ImageS Annual, for $23... or for $20 with issues #1-4. Check out the website at <http://www.bpib.com/images.htm>. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

This went on for several nights until at last I felt I was ready to begin the manuscript.

As I wrote the Iger biography, there were times when I ran into blank areas of which I was ignorant of the details. When a situation such as this developed, I would telephone Jerry for clarification. Usually he could provide me with an answer, if his mind did not stray off course.

Even as I continued composing the manuscript, I was troubled by the fact that I had no publisher to launch this effort. Then one day as I was nearing completion of the manuscript, I had a telephone conversation with Ray Zone (the 3-D comics master) from Los Angeles. Ray had a keen interest in the work that had been produced by the Iger Studios. When I told him about my project, he was delighted.

Blackthorne published the book in 1985, shortly after Columbia Pictures released its bigbudget production Sheena. Jerry loved the film based on his famous jungle character, and I think he was pleased with my biography of his life.

About five years after the book was published, Jerry Iger passed from this earthly scene. He had lived a long and fruitful life, but as so frequently happens to elderly people, I believe he spent his final years in abject loneliness.

This new edition of The Iger Comics Kingdom is sent forth with the hope that it will impart some additional enlightenment on this fascinating medium. As Roy explains in his editorial which immediately precedes this introduction, an attempt has been made to correct errors of fact which inevitably crept in. If there are still errors in the text (as there undoubtedly will be), I apologize herewith. But, based on the information given above, the reader will understand why such errors occurred.

Through his connections with the California-based Blackthorne Publications, Ray got my manuscript into the hands of Steve Schanes, Blackthorne’s publisher. Even at that time Blackthorne was publishing a series of reprint comics that had been produced by the Iger Studios in the 1940s and ’50s, so my project was given an immediate review. Within a few weeks, Ray called me to confirm the fact that Blackthorne would publish my book.

I immediately prepared a series of black-&-white illustrations (close to thirty) of the famous Iger comic book

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The published cover of the 1985 Blackthorne edition of TICK. [Art ©2003 Dave Stevens; Sheena TM & ©2003 Paul Aratow/ Columbia Pictures.]

In a letter I received from Will Eisner after he read the book in 1985, he indicated that the facts I presented were essentially accurate; but he also said that nearly a half century of time had blurred the memory of some of the details in his mind, as would be inevitable for any individual. So we send this book forth a second time, in the hope that it will rekindle an image of the Golden Age of Comics.

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Jay Disbrow

Foreword to the 1985 Edition With the introduction of Superman in issue #1 of Action Comics in 1938, the so-called “Golden Age of Comic Books” was born. The Man of Steel proved to be such a success that he was immediately followed by a host of costumed heroes, endowed with extraordinary physical prowess and dedicated to the eradication of crime and injustice.

A handful of businessmen saw the potential of this kind of comic book entertainment and were quick to exploit it for the profits it contained. It may seem incredible, after many decades of inflation, that 10¢ comic books could yield dividends in sufficient quantities to enable publishers to become wealthy upon their proceeds, but such indeed was the case.

Less than four years after the advent of Superman, America was deeply immersed in World War II, and it was during this period (from 1942 to 1954) that sales of comic books rose to astronomical heights.

They sold in the tens of millions, and there was scarcely an elementary or high school class that did not contain them by the hundreds, clandestinely brought in by eager readers who found comic book stories far more interesting than their studies.

In 1943 the market was glutted with more than 500 individual titles that were released on bi-weekly, monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly schedules. With titles selling an average of approximately 400,000 copies, it takes little imagination to visualize the tremendously lucrative value these publications represented.

Some of the best-known comics heroes to come out of the Iger Studios, as drawn by Jay Disbrow for the 1985 edition of TICK, but not used therein. (On this page and the next:) Blue Beetle... Black Condor... The Flame... Phantom Lady... Kaänga... and of course Sheena! [Art©2003 Jay Disbrow; characters TM & ©2003 the respective copyright holders; Sheena TM & ©2003 Paul Aratow/Columbia Pictures.]

Few people realize that, prior to the Golden Age, another comics age existed. Aficionados refer to this epoch as the “Platinum Age.” It ran from 1933 to 1938, and was characterized by both bold experimentation and blatant mediocrity. Much of the material this era produced was crude, both in terms of art and story structure. But some of the published efforts revealed genuine talent, serving as a springboard for the great era to follow.

Most of those early comics consisted exclusively of reprints of newspaper strips from even earlier years. Since this type of magazine sold well, it appeared the course of comic magazines had been permanently established as a reprint vehicle. However, there were a few men of vision in that early period who recognized the value of publishing original material.

Such a man was S.M. “Jerry” Iger.

Jerry Iger had plunged into the medium with an abandon that astonished the less venturesome entrepreneurs already in the field. While others were content merely to get their feet wet, Iger went for the entire show. But if his methods at times appeared a bit brash, there was sound judgment behind all that he did. From the humble beginnings of his Manhattan studios in 1935, he laid the

The Iger Comics Kingdom

7

foundation of a comics empire that sprang to glittering fruition during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Many of the heroes he created or whose creations he oversaw have found niches in the comics Hall of Fame that exists in the American psyche.

The most popular creation to come out of his studio was Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, that vivacious blonde beauty of the African wilds.

Numerous other comic book protagonists have also emerged from the fertile imagination of Iger and those who worked for him. Among them were Kaänga, The Blue Beetle, The Flame, Phantom Lady, Black Condor, Wambi, The Ray, Tiger Girl, plus Wonder Boy and a host of others.

In addition, a large number of the best and most famous artists of the Golden Age got their initial “break” at the Iger Studios. A mere sampling of names includes such stalwarts as Will Eisner, Bob Kane, Jack Kirby, Matt Baker, Bernard Baily, Bob Powell, Dick Briefer, Jack Kamen, John Celardo, Mickey Spillane, Mort Meskin, Lou Fine, Reed Crandall, and Bob Webb. The present writer also was fortunate enough to have gained entrance to the comics field by way of the Iger shop.

For more than two decades, the Iger Studios produced a plethora of comics material that entertained the nation. In addition to comic books, Iger also owned his own newspaper syndicate, Universal Phoenix, which provided comic strips to hundreds of newspapers throughout the U.S. and abroad.

The Iger Studios, although modest when compared to the giants like Walt Disney Studios, was nevertheless a corporation of considerable

magnitude. When one considers the sheer volume of comic book pages produced there, the imagination is staggered. When further consideration is given to all the prototypes and their spin-offs that resulted from that effort, the astonishment is heightened.

Almost every American beyond the age of fifty has at least a passing acquaintance with the material from the Iger shop. For the younger majority, this book will hopefully open new vistas into a magnificent age that exists only in fond memory.

This is the story of that era, and of a man who helped shape it. This is the story of the life and times of Jerry Iger: a man who founded a kingdom, the memory of which lasts to this day—The Iger Comics Kingdom.

8

Jay Disbrow

Chapter I

Born Samuel Maxwell Iger The year 1903 was significant in the annals of human history. Henry Ford was perfecting the design of his famous Model-T automobile.

Kaiser Wilhelm was building his military machine that would launch World War I. Albert Einstein was preparing the incipient formulas that would eventuate in his Theory of Relativity. Woodrow Wilson prepared his entrance into politics from his ivory tower at Princeton University. And... Jerry Iger was born.

His given name was Samuel Maxwell Iger... one of four children born to an immigrant couple from Austria in a tenement house in Manhattan, New York.

His father, Jacob Iger, was a native of the beautiful and romantic city of Vienna, and had served in the army of Emperor Franz Joseph in the late 1880s. It is possible that he might have become firmly entrenched in his military career, had he not met the blue-eyed blonde beauty, Rosa Mirschorn.

Rosa accepted his marriage proposal, and from the moment of their wedding she instilled within the young soldier a desire to come to America. In those days, many Europeans still clung to the illusion that American streets were paved with gold. Many of them received a rude awakening upon arriving on these shores.

A “Wilton of the West” panel and the cover of The Flame #1 (Summer 1940), both drawn by a very young Lou Fine for Iger Studios and Victor Fox. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

In the case of Jacob Iger and his bride, it was not the allure of economic aggrandizement but the “American Spirit” that motivated them. They wanted to become a part of the grand movement that had led numerous men and women from the New England shoreline to the Barbary Coast of California.

From far away Vienna they could feel the irresistible appeal of this virile young nation.

The couple began preparations for their momentous undertaking, saving all the money they could put aside. It proved to be a more formidable task than they could have imagined.

Relatives who had learned of their desire came forward with the financial assistance needed, and by the time Jacob’s enlistment had expired, they were ready for their great adventure.

After an uneventful crossing of the Atlantic, they arrived at Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as had many thousands who preceded them. After their immigration proceedings had been completed, they moved into a modest apartment in Manhattan.

Two children were born to them in the early years of their settlement: a girl whom they named Augusta, and a boy, Joseph. Both children were exemplary in conduct and behavior from the time they were toddlers.

However, with the birth of their third child, Samuel, the pattern shifted.

It seemed obvious to Jacob and Rosa that their son Samuel was

destined for greater things than a simple mundane existence. The talent he possessed was obvious; early on, his strong affinity toward art was evidenced.

The boy thrived in the atmosphere of the big city. The bustling tempo of the great metropolis wove a spell of enchantment about him. In those tender years he wasn’t at all conscious of its seamy side, even though there were ample indications of it in many areas of the city. On those rare occasions when his parents took him uptown, Samuel was enthralled by the enormous buildings that rose in majestic splendor above him.

He had hardly begun to enjoy the mystique of the big city when his parents whisked him away to the open plains of the great Far West. Jacob, who had plied the trade of a merchant since his arrival in America, was presented with an opportunity to join a business venture with his cousin, a merchant in Oklahoma. It was admittedly a risky venture, but it also held out the hope of providing a better standard of living than was possible in New York. Jacob was not the kind of man to take reckless chances with the security of his family, yet he felt he couldn’t pass up this opportunity. In the fall of 1908 he placed his wife, children, and all worldly possession on a train and headed west.

In those days, train travel was slow, rickety, dirty, and uncomfortable. For the Iger children it was a source of endless delight.

They would sit for hours watching the expanding and contracting, ever-changing landscape from the coach window. Their eyes would shine with wonder whenever they passed a herd of cattle, or glimpsed a string of horses.

Such creatures had been totally alien to their city environment.

The Iger family’s destination was a small hamlet called Idabel, in the northern sector of Oklahoma. The surrounding area was mostly arid, flat land with a few hills and valleys in the vicinity, and a mountain range in the distance. There in that rugged frontier town Jacob joined forces with his cousin, and together they began to serve the needs of the neighboring communities.

This section of the state was known as “Indian Country.” The Choctaw inhabited the hills and valleys of the region. Samuel and his siblings attended school with the Choctaw children. In spare moments the young Indians taught the Iger children the Choctaw language.

Samuel, who had great interest in such matters, was initiated into many aspects of the tribal lore. It was impossible for him to join the “council” sessions, where the legends of heroic Choctaw warriors were retold, as

The Iger Comics Kingdom these ceremonies were held at night. Yet the stories were passed on to him by the Indian boys, whose confidence he had won.

The small schoolhouse the Iger children attended was finished with the basic building material of the Old West: adobe. It was rugged and serviceable, and stood out in sharp contrast to the crude Indian dwellings that stood in close proximity to it. The principal professor, L.M. Gray, Iger recalls as the stereotype of every frontier principal. He was a strict disciplinarian who tolerated no nonsense in his school. In those days corporal punishment was an accepted method of dealing with unruly children, and Mr. Gray applied it with a generous hand.

Samuel Iger’s elementary school teacher recognized his talents and encouraged him to develop them.

“Some day you may become another Russell or Remington,” she said.

“But I like to draw funny cartoons,” the boy replied.

9

each frame on velum paper. The tracings would then be filmed, one frame at a time. The end result was an animated cartoon with the “feel” of live action.

Everyone is familiar with those marvelous color animated cartoons from the Walt Disney and Leon Schlesinger Studios. Few people realize that Max Fleischer preceded Disney by at least seven years, and Schlesinger (who produced cartoons for Warner Bros.) by twelve.

Filmmaking as a whole, and animated cartoons in particular, were at best a crude effort in the ’20s. After approximately a year at the Fleischer Studios, Jerry Iger felt that there was no more that he could contribute, short of becoming president of the company.

Time to move on, but to where? In the spring of 1923 the opportunity he longed for opened like a magic door before him. He applied for a job at The New York American, the flagship paper of the Hearst Eastern empire. In those days the paper was headquartered in a rambling old building at 238 William Street in lower Manhattan.

“If that is your desire, the only way to succeed at it is to perfect your skills,” she said. “That requires practice and study.”

Samuel took her advice to heart and began to draw in earnest. In the years to come, he would reap the reward of those early efforts.

The vast barrenness of the Oklahoma territory was etched deeply into Jerry Iger’s subconscious mind. Even into his seventies, a mere glance at a Swinnerton painting would conjure sweet memories of his boyhood days on the open frontier. The lifestyle and the philosophy of the Old West was so different from the Eastern culture that they might as well have been a million miles apart, but the days of quiet solitude at Idabel were soon to end.

In 1916 Jacob Iger received an offer from another cousin, in New York, to join him in a partnership in real estate in Brooklyn. Had conditions in Oklahoma measured up to his original expectations, Jacob wouldn’t have given the offer a second thought. As expectations go, he had not grown rich on the frontier, as he had hoped, and New York was unquestionably a better place to turn a profit. So again he packed his family, now consisting of four children (with the birth of a daughter, Belle) and goods, aboard a train and headed back to New York.

The real estate business did not prove to be the bonanza Jacob had hoped for, either; yet it provided the necessities of life in a civilized environment. Young Samuel attempted to pick up the threads of life where he had left them eight years before, but he wasn’t the same. Life on the Oklahoma plains had changed him, and he’d never quite be the person he had been in the past.

Chapter II

Learning a Trade World War I came and went, and as the nation settled down to peaceful pursuits, the youthful Samuel “Jerry” Iger felt more and more strongly the desire to get on with life and a challenging career.

In the winter of 1922 he learned of a job opening at the Max Fleischer animation studios in Manhattan.

He applied for the job, was hired, and was put to work operating the rotoscope machine. This was a unique device enabling the craftsman to convert live action motion pictures into animated cartoons. The principle was quite simple. An actor (in this case, Fleischer himself) would go through various motions before the movie camera. The developed film would then be projected onto a small screen in a booth, one frame at a time. An artist would trace

Is it just Ye Editor—or does Hateful Herman in this filler from Fiction House’s Fight Comics #52 (Oct. 1947) look just a wee bit like a certain “S.M. Iger” whose studio produced it? Was one of the artists maybe poking a bit of good-natured (?) fun at the boss? Artist unknown—unless there really was a “Donald Shaw” working for Iger. Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Paul Handler. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

10

Jay Disbrow an encouragement to him.

“You may be buffeted like a clump of paper in the wind,” he said, “but I know you will land on your feet, and some day I will be proud to have known you.”

The 19-year-old cartoonist was hired by the famed editor-writer Gene Fowler, author of the bestseller Goodnight, Sweet Prince and numerous other novels.

Fowler was a man of extraordinary talents, as well as being gifted with the ability to recognize talent in others. He saw in the youth from the western plains the rudimentary skills and organizational ability that would ripen one day into an outstanding career. Iger was eager to accept the challenge. He eventually worked on everything from spot cartoons to advertising layouts.

At that time Iger did not know that the project he was contemplating was already an accomplished fact. Comic books had been in production for at least three years. But their print runs had been small and hadn’t attracted wide notice. The kind of comic An example of Iger’s early commercial artwork, reprinted from the 1985 edition of TICK. books he had in mind [©2003 the respective copyright holder.] were far different from what was in existence.

Jerry was an innovator of the first rank, and what he would contribute to the medium would be more spectacular than anything that had While with the Hearst enterprises, he produced many pieces of preceded it. original advertising art, but his real love was panel cartoons and comic strips. In those early days at the American, he worked with some of the top professional cartoonists of the day... men such as Winsor McCay, Bugs Bear, and Joe McGurk.

Chapter III

Winsor McCay, artist of editorial cartoons for the American, had a career in comics that went all the way back to before the turn of the century. His greatest contribution to the medium was the magnificent fantasy comic page Little Nemo in Slumberland. A marvelous illustrator and writer, he also performed “feats of magic” onstage at a number of New York City theatres. Week after week, newspaper readers were treated to a series of whimsical “dream adventures” in full color.

Little Nemo would be placed in extraordinary situations of intrigue, peril, or just nonsensical confrontation. At the high point of interest on each Sunday page, Nemo would awaken from his dream and utter a charming homily of explanation.

In October of 1929 New York experienced a trauma that spread like the shock waves of an earthquake that eventually engulfed the entire nation. The infamous Wall Street “Crash” struck with a suddenness that caught the country by surprise and left misery and ruin in its wake.

Oddly enough, certain elements of the entertainment business were not adversely affected. Although vaudeville and the legitimate theatre were almost wiped out, the motion picture industry thrived as never before. Twenty cents would buy a movie ticket; even the poorest of individuals could scrape together the price of admission. During this period, even Hollywood’s worst productions could turn a profit.

Tinseltown was booming, its inhabitants becoming incredibly rich, while the rest of the nation sank deeper into poverty.

The newspaper business also thrived during this period. With The New York Daily News selling for 2¢ a copy, and the American and The New York Times going for 3¢, many people could afford the price to keep up with world events. Consequently, Jerry Iger’s job at The New York American wasn’t in jeopardy.

In 1933 Jerry felt that ten years with the Hearst Empire was enough.

Along with millions of other working people, he had been forced to take a salary cut. Of course, he recognized it had been a necessary condition to continued employment, but at the age of thirty he desired a more challenging career. Jerry was not afraid to take chances and knew the risks involved in a sudden change of jobs. Winsor McCay proved to be

The Great American Dream Factory In 1929 Phil Nowland and Dick Calkins wrote and drew, respectively, the first science-fiction comic strip, Buck Rogers, for the John F. Dille Syndicate. That same year Harold R. (Hal) Foster began working on the comic strip adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan for the United Features Syndicate.

In 1933 Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy exploded onto the comics scene and acquired an instant following. In 1934 Milton Caniff launched Terry and the Pirates for the New York News/Chicago Tribune combo. The Hearst-owned King Features Syndicate published Alex Raymond’s magnificent Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim, also in 1934. A year later Brick Bradford and Mandrake the Magician premiered at King.

Adventure comic strips were surging toward their tidal crest of popularity. The time had come for comics to step into their own exclusive milieu. According to The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (in a perennial article by Thomas Inge), the first four-color comic book released for newsstand distribution was a monthly publication called The Funnies, published by George Delacourte in 1929. From all information available, it appears this magazine had a very small print run and limited distribution, but it did publish new material.

Then, in 1933, Max C. Gaines (father of William Gaines of later EC fame) created a magazine called Funnies on Parade, using all reprint material from earlier newspaper comics. In 1934 Gaines published two more titles, A Carnival of Comics and A Century of Comics. It was on copies of Carnival that Gaines stuck a price sticker and displayed them at a local newsstand, to have them sell out over the weekend and show that people were willing to pay for this kind of magazine. A series of Famous Funnies priced at 10¢ was then brought out in association with Delacourte in early 1934, edited by Gaines; these were not immediately profitable, but soon led to Popular Comics #1 (Feb. 1936), edited by Gaines and a teenage Sheldon Mayer. The Famous Funnies title proper, on sale in May ’36, went monthly very quickly.

Comic books were now a young but proven institution, with a very promising future. The handful of publishers in that early period were

The Iger Comics Kingdom

11

A confession: we were naturally tempted, in this chapter, to run vintage art from the great action, jungle, and science-fiction comic strips which (along with pulp magazines) were a powerful influence on comic books. But we preferred to showcase as much Iger Studio art as possible, such as this montage of Fiction House pages: “Tiger Man” (John Celardo) from Rangers Comics #30 (Aug. ’46); “Tiger Girl” (by Matt Baker) from Fight Comics #54 (Feb. ’48); and Hunt Bowman in action in the “Lost World” series (by Lily Renée) from Planet Comics #37 (July 1945). We can’t be 100% certain all these pages were done for the Iger shop, since Fiction House also maintained a small house staff, but this montage is at the very least representative of the type of work Iger’s crew turned out.

Collector/researcher Paul Handler, who provided the “Lost World” page (we got the other two from his fellow Iger/Fiction House aficionado, George Hagenauer–these guys trade back and forth), writes: “Celardo started at the Iger shop and then became assistant art director at Fiction House.

Matt Baker and Lily Renée (Lily Renée Wilhelms Peters) worked for Iger. I got the Celardo and the Baker from a guy who was an assistant at the Iger shop, so those pieces would have come from the shop. The Renée pages I got from Ron Goulart a long time ago.” All pages are repro’d from photocopies of the original art. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

12

Jay Disbrow Fawcett’s “Captain Marvel” and Master Comics, as well as for the original Blue Bolt and Target Comics. At one point he released two comic books of his own, and wasn’t overjoyed with the results.

It’s amazing how a single concept can take root in the minds of several men at the same time, at divergent distances from each other.

The concept of comic books occurred to a tiny group of men, in no way connected to each other, at about the same time: the early 1930s. In January of 1936 Jerry Iger entered the comics scene. He answered a newspaper ad from a businessman named John Henle. Henle was looking for a combination editor-production man to run a Early Will Eisner work, on “The Hawk,” later “Hawks of the Seas,” as seen in TICK. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.] new magazine. He insisted that all applicants must be “college men.” Iger able to obtain financial backing from big industry, which paid the cost of applied anyway, and by the time his interview with Henle was over, all publication and distributed them free, as part of the promotional demands for advanced education were dropped. Iger was hired and given programs for their manufactured goods. But all of those early comic full responsibility for running the magazine. Jerry even chose the title, books consisted almost exclusively of reprint comics that had run years which was WOW! What a Magazine. Much of the content of this earlier in newspapers. That situation ended in 1935. publication was created and executed by Jerry himself. Realizing that he would need assistance in an effort of this size, he ran an ad in The New With a cover date of February of that year (but actually on the stands York Times, soliciting the services of cartoonists. in late 1934), Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who had been a cavalry officer in World War I, launched a comic book called New Fun The result?

Comics. This magazine was published by National Allied Publications, Inc., which was the precursor of the famous DC line of comics, and The response was overwhelming, but most of the applicants were contained all-original material. Nicholson hired a staff with Lloyd amateurs, with very few commercial skills. However, there was among Jacquet as editor, Dick Loederer as art editor, Sheldon Stark as cartoon the group a young man in his early twenties who was obviously cut editor, and William Cook as managing editor; it soon added John Mahon from a different cloth. Yet he approached Jerry with a timidity typical of as business manager. those whose hopes are high and fear of rejections is apparent.

New Fun Comics did not create a sensation in publishing circles, but it did garner sufficient sales that Bill Cook and John Mahon (who hadn’t been paid by Wheeler-Nicholson and were even out of pocket for some material) decided to team up and produce a comic book of their own.

They left Wheeler-Nicholson early in 1936 and established a publishing enterprises which they called The Comics Magazine Company; it later mutated into the Centaur Publishing Company.

Meanwhile, an enterprising young businessman, Harry “A” Chesler, decided that the newly-formed comic publishers would require the art and stories to fill the pages of their growing magazine output. He concluded that, by forming a pool of artists and writers, he could direct the mass production of comic books.

Chesler approached Wheeler-Nicholson with his idea and received a positive response. The two men worked out a deal whereby Chesler would provide a specified number of completed comic book stories and covers for an agreed-upon fee. In December of 1936 Chesler opened a loft studio on Manhattan’s lower Fifth Avenue. Word soon got around that such an institution existed, and young artists with stars swimming in their eyes began pouring into the Chesler Studios. Chesler hired as many as he could use, and production went into high gear. Some of those early cartoonists who started with Chesler went on to achieve big names in the comic book field. A sampling of that talent includes such luminaries as Paul Gustavson, Gill Fox, Fred Schwab, and Charles Biro, who later became producer, director, and star of Lev Gleason Publications.

Harry Chesler provided comic book material not only for Nicholson, but also for Nicholson’s chief competitors, the Cook-Mahon enterprises.

Several years later, he branched out and began producing work for

“Mr. Iger, my name is William Eisner,” he said, “and I would like to apply for the job as a cartoonist.”

“Have you had any experience, kid?” asked Iger.

“Yes, sir... some. I would like to show you my samples.”

Young Will Eisner opened his portfolio and carefully removed its contents. He placed each comic page sample on Jerry’s desk. Jerry examined each piece with a practical eye. He must have seen in those samples something representative of the greatness that would one day characterize Eisner’s work. The anatomical structure, the grace of line and mass, the supple contours of muscle and bone, the pulsing rhythm of figures in action or repose: all of these elements were present in rudimentary form.

To pass by such talent would be unthinkable, so Jerry hired Will Eisner and put him to work on several features appearing in WOW! magazine. Will was in no way a disappointment to Jerry’s expectations.

Before long he developed a work pattern than enabled him to produce a considerable amount of comic material without sacrificing quality.

A few weeks later, another young artist made his way to the Iger Studios. This applicant was no more than eighteen. Despite his tender years, his work reflected the grace and flamboyancy that would one day make him a household comic book name: Bob Kane.

At this early stage Bob Kane thought of the comics only as a vehicle for humor. Although he greatly admired the work of Alex Raymond and Milt Caniff, he evidently didn’t see himself cast in the role of an

The Iger Comics Kingdom

13

For Jumbo Comics #1 Bob Kane drew “Jest Laffs” and “Peter Pupp”— but in the latter he soon developed the more adventure-oriented style he would use on his 1939 feature for DC—“Batman”! “Jest Laffs” repro’d from Disbrow’s 1985 TICK; “Peter Pupp” art thanks to Jerry Bails & Hames Ware. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

adventure comic artist. Fresh from New York’s famous Art Students League, Kane came to the Iger Studios expecting (if hired) to do humorous strips. Jerry agreed to this approach and assigned Bob three comedy strips: “Hiram Hick,” the story of a bumbling country bumpkin, and gag features “Jest Laffs” and “Life in the Roar.”

In February of 1936 WOW! What a Magazine was released with mixed results. Initial sales were encouraging enough to warrant a continuation of the venture. Meanwhile, Jerry Iger approached (or else was approached by—stories differ) Max Gaines’ editor, Harold Moore, about the possibility of creating original comics material for Famous Funnies, which up till then had comprised only reprint material.

Moore was enthusiastic about the idea, especially when he saw the comic strip Jerry had created. So it came about that Jerry Iger independently created several new strips for publication in Famous Funnies.

Their titles: “Pee Wee,” “Bobby,” and “Happy Daze.”

When considering the conditions of the country as a whole, we must conclude that, by most measures, 1936 was a fairly good year. While the nation was still in the grip of an economic Depression, there were signs of recovery in various places. Employment had risen, prices had stabilized, and credit was again available. Relief programs were helping the poor, and private philanthropy was doing its part. The average income for a family of four was $30 a week.

Toward the end of 1936 the Iger Studios were thriving. Will Eisner had proven to be a powerhouse of creativity. As he turned out more and more art, his skills improved noticeably, and his inking technique began to take on the lush quality for which he later became renowned. Will wrote his own story plots and was soon developing strips that involved a combination of humor and pathos, which later became the Eisner trademark of excellence.

Bob Kane was making continuous progress. Iger suggested that he try his hand at a new funny animal strip. “Right now, Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat are going great,” Iger said. “Why not a comic strip about a dog? As far as I know, Pluto is the only one in existence, but he’s just a minor character in the Mickey Mouse strip. I want you to come up with a dog that will be the star of his own comic strip.” After some thought and planning, Bob created the new feature “Peter Pupp,” a whimsical canine with a built-in faculty for problem-solving.

In the spring of 1937, distressing news was coming from the Henle distributors. Sales of WOW! had dropped sharply. John Henle began to lose his nerve. He felt that to hold out would be economically disastrous. So he decided to cut his investments and close down his publishing office. Summer of 1937 found him severing all ties with the Iger Studios and walking out of comics history.

With his biggest market closed to him, Jerry Iger was faced with the unpleasant task of cutting overhead. By this time he had a staff of four workers producing comics on a fulltime basis, three of whom were laid off. Young Bob Kane and two other artists whose names are lost to posterity were reluctantly terminated.

Meanwhile, Jerry had been investigating the possibility of producing

14

Jay Disbrow

comic strips for distribution abroad. He reasoned that England and the European continent were more than ready for American comic strips.

He located a number of international distributors who were eager to handle his features. Iger realized that he would have to incorporate if his interests were to be protected. Will Eisner was a valuable business asset, and too expensive to keep on as an employee, so Jerry made him a full partner.

Thus was formed the Universal Phoenix Syndicate, an enterprise destined for great achievement in the field of illustrated narrative.

[Editor’s Note: But see the sidebar below for more information, some of it conflicting with this account as received by Jay Disbrow from Jerry Iger, on the Eisner-Iger business relationship.]

When all the legal details of the corporation were settled, Jerry’s first act was to re-hire Bob Kane to help produce all the new features that would emerge from this new undertaking. Meanwhile, new American markets were investigated and proved to be fruitful.

In the latter part of 1937 the Iger Studios produced a series of tabloid-size comics, printed on heavy tinted newsprint. Each issue ran 16 pages on stock tinted either blue, green, or pink. Those pale colors added an unusual quality to the finished product. Among those early releases appeared comics adaptations of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and several others. These comics were sold to newspapers overseas through the Editors Press Service of New York City.

As 1937 drew to a close, a new artist arrived seeking work at Iger’s

The Phoenix Rises–––But When and How? A Sidebar from the Editor of Alter Ego: Regretfully, at this point it seems advisable to interrupt Jay Disbrow’s narrative briefly, to insert a few alternative opinions with regard to the Iger-Eisner relationship.

First, English fan/researcher Steve Whitaker informs us that the Phoenix name pre-dates 1937: “The cartoons by Iger that appeared in Famous Funnies early in 1936 had ‘Phoenix Features’ on them; they were sold at least six months before Iger met Eisner. As far as I know, the ‘Universal’ Phoenix Syndicate brand first appears on the material done for Wags (1937-38) that ended up in Fiction House’s Jumbo Comics. I discussed Eisner’s fictionalized account of the Eisner-Iger partnership with Will in London in about 1990 or ’91. I was keen to identify all the thinly-veiled people in The Dreamer, so I roughed out a ‘cast list’ for Will to look through. He okayed everyone on it except ‘Gar Tooth,’ whom I’d identified as Bill Bossert—Antonia Blum’s future husband—whereas it was actually supposed to be George Tuska. [Editor’s Note: See “Footnote” at end of this section for IDs of characters in Eisner’s 1986 graphic novel The Dreamer.]

“We also discussed the sparky relationship between Iger and Eisner. Will repeated what he said in the novelization—he came up with the capital for a studio [the sum of $15!], so he got first billing: Eisner & Iger, not the other way around.”

Thus it seems that, if the name “Universal Phoenix Syndicate” was born in ’37 from Iger’s earlier “Phoenix Features,” the company identified on the artboard it supplied to its artists as “Eisner & Iger, Ltd.” was born from those selfsame ashes, at virtually the same time.

Iger created, wrote, and drew “Pee Wee” and “Bobby” strips, as per these examples that appeared in the 1985 edition of TICK. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

Jay Disbrow was told by Jerry Iger circa 1985 that he and Eisner had agreed that Will would return to the partnership after the war, and that Iger was “crushed” when he failed to do so. However, according to A/E associate editor Jim Amash, who has interviewed Will for an upcoming issue: “I do not believe Eisner would ever have gone back into partnership with Jerry Iger. They didn’t like each other very much. Eisner specifically told me he ended his partnership with Iger when he entered into the partnership with [Busy] Arnold, which I’m pretty certain is 1939.... It’s my understanding that Universal Phoenix was Jerry Iger’s alone after he and Eisner split... No way did Eisner have a partnership with Iger during WWII.” So was Jerry Iger’s memory faulty when he spoke with Jay Disbrow for his biography—or were there perhaps a few legal loose ends still to be tied up? —Roy

The Iger Comics Kingdom shop. He was Bernard Baily, who later went on to fame as the cocreator of DC’s ghostly avenger “The Spectre.”

Baily’s talents were still “raw,” but Jerry Iger saw his potential and hired him.

During the years he maintained his New York studio, it was typical of Iger to recognize the innate talent of young artists, even when it was in its most elementary form. It was almost as if he possessed an inner sense that saw the future.

There are many artists today who are grateful that Jerry Iger was endowed with this faculty.

15 “If that one proves successful,” he said, “we’ll consider others.”

The ball was now in Jerry’s court. He was given carte blanche regarding the type of magazine he would produce. “Just come up with something that will sell,” was Scott’s final admonition. Jerry gave his best thought to the project; he decided this must be bigger and better than anything before. He searched for a title that would reflect the qualities he had in mind. At last he found it in a name Although Jerry Iger and Will Eisner may have joined forces in one sense as coined by the great the Universal Phoenix Syndicate—perhaps, George Hagenauer suggests, showman P.T. mostly to syndicate overseas work—the art paper, called “limpboards,” Barnum. given out to the artists to draw on was topped by a very ornately-lettered

Eisner & Iger also supplied material to Everett “Busy” Arnold’s Feature Funnies in 1937, which “Eisner & Iger, Ltd.” After the partnership dissolved, the heading was In the early 1900s would contain Eisner’s “Hawk of the Seas” from changed to a less flamboyant “S.M. Iger.”

Barnum had exhibited #3 onward, as well as a mixture of syndicated the largest elephant favorites like Joe Palooka, Dixie Dugan, and ever seen by the western world. He had called the beast “Jumbo.” The Rube Goldberg’s newest feature, Lala Palooza, as well as “Jim Swift” by name seemed to possess magic, for it had captivated the imagination of Arnold’s editor, Ed Cronin. George Brenner’s early masked hero, “The American and European circus attendees. The name was ideal for Iger’s Clock” would strike from #2 onward. In 1938 Eisner & Iger produced new project, because this magazine would be bigger than any other material for Monte Bourjaily’s Circus Comics, a noble failure that saw comic book ever published. Thus was born Jumbo Comics. the debuts of Jack Cole (future creator of Plastic Man) and Basil Wolverton, as well as work by Eisner and Kane. During 1937-38 the Iger and his staff gathered the original plates (used in the foreign studio also contributed to CMC/Ultem/Centaur, including Eisner’s newspaper venture) and found more than enough material for the initial “Wild Tex Martin” in Western Picture Stories #1-4 (Feb.-June ’37).

64-page issue. This magazine would also be printed on pastel-colored paper. It was obvious from the printing source available that the finished In December of 1937 Jerry Iger met with Thurman T. Scott, a product would be as good as or better than the originals printed publisher of considerable clout. Scott was editor-in-chief of the Fiction overseas.

House Publishing Company, which produced pulp magazines. The term Jerry Iger had earlier sought an idea for a special comic hero. “pulp” was derived from the paper stock on which the magazines were Numerous suggestions were considered and discarded. Many root printed. The pages were cheaply reproduced, and as a result the texture sources from classical literature were consulted and eliminated. Finally, was very rough. Quite frequently, one could see actual splinters of wood he settled upon an Edgar Rice Burroughs legend. He would create a from the ground-up pulp that comprised the pages. The covers were Tarzan-like hero. Instead of a jungle man, he would create a jungle printed on a high-grade slick paper. Artists who did paintings for the woman. She would be the golden-haired white goddess of the African cover art usually rendered magnificent full-color oil paintings, designed jungle. She must be a creature of wondrous beauty, yet possess the sharp to capture the eye and excite the imagination of the prospective buyer. intellect and physical attributes enabling her to survive in the wilds of Iger brought to Scott’s attention the great potential that lay in comic Africa. book production. The publisher was interested, yet cautious. After all, the country was still in a Depression, and risk capital wasn’t easy to come by. To invest money in an uncertain project could be extremely dangerous.

Chapter IV

Comics Catch On

“Comic books are the coming thing,” Iger told him. “Right now they’re still in their infancy, and doing well. As I see it, comic magazines have an unlimited future.”

“If I could be positive of that, I’d give you the go-ahead right now,” replied Scott.

“There’s no reason to hesitate,” the cartoonist advised. “This is your chance to get in on a whole new enterprise. You already have the set-up for it. I can supply you with the scripts and the artwork. You can start with some of the comics I’ve already sold overseas. I can even supply you with the printing plates.”

Thurman Scott was not an easy man to convince, but Jerry was able to sell him on the idea of making an initial effort, and Scott authorized Jerry to proceed with one comic book as a trial.

June of 1938 premiered Action Comics, a DC Publishing (Nicholson Enterprises offshoot) release. That first issue introduced the hero from Krypton, known to millions as Superman.

What few people realize is that Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, made her debut half a year earlier in Wags, a magazine featuring comics material that was distributed in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Wags’ first (weekly) issue had had a January 1, 1937, cover date, and material commissioned from Eisner & Iger first appeared in #16 (the April 16 issue), as did “Peter Pup,” by Bob Kane, “Hawks of the Seas” by Eisner, and “Tom Sherill” by Don De Conn. The very next issue saw the beginning of an adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame by future “Frankenstein” artist Dick Briefer—and #46 (Jan. 14, 1938) had seen the debut of “Sheena” by Mort Meskin. (Wags’ last issue was #88, dated Nov. 11, 1938.)

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Jay Disbrow How’s this for a showcase for up-andcoming talent! Among the features in Jumbo Comics #1 (Sept. 1938) were Eisner’s “Hawks of the Seas” (done as “Will Rensie”)—no less than three pseudonymous strips by a young Jack Kirby (including as “Jack Curtiss”)—future Prize Comics “Frankenstein” artist Dick Briefer’s adaptation of Hunchback of Notre Dame— movie star caricatures by Bernard Baily, who by 1940 would be drawing “The Spectre” and “Hour-Man” for DC—and the Mort Meskin-illustrated “Sheena.” All this, plus Bob Kane, Lee Harris, et al.! Most art on this page is taken from Blackthorne’s 1985 b&w reprint of Jumbo #1, which was published by arrangement with the CaplinIger Company, Ltd.; the Kirby “Count of Monte Cristo” is repro’d from copies provided by Jerry Bails & Hames Ware. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

The Iger Comics Kingdom

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animals, outwitted evil men, and escaped innumerable traps that were sprung on her. In spite of these seeming incongruities, Sheena was fully accepted by comics fans, who cheerfully suspended their powers of disbelief in her favor.

The Jungle Queen slowly built her following. Among the readers who purchased Jumbo Comics on a regular basis was a corps of dedicated Sheena fans. With the release of Jumbo #8, the decision had been made to cut the magazine down to standard comic book size (about 7H" x 10" at that time) and to print it in full color, to make it more competitive with other commercial comics.

Jerry Iger and partner collaborated on the “Sheena” scripts, and the early stories were drawn by Mort Meskin. Sheena’s look was to undergo a number of subtle changes through the years, but the essential nature of Sheena remained the same through innumerable stories, and two decades of publication.

Meanwhile, Thurman Scott was delighted with financial returns from Jumbo Comics, and decided to plunge deeper into the waters of comic book production. He eventually released a throng of comic book titles under the Fiction House seal. The art and stories for those publications was handed to Iger, doing business as Universal Phoenix Features.

The next Fiction House title released was Jungle Comics, which was published in late 1939 with a January 1940 cover date. This magazine featured the adventures of a young “Tarzanian” hero with

Mort Meskin’s artistic style developed apace on “Sheena” in Jumbo Comics, as the 1938 page above (done under the house name “W. Morgan Thomas”) shows—but it was under Bob Webb (right) that the jungle queen reached her zenith. Both pages repro’d from photocopies of the original art; Meskin page courtesy of Jerry Bails & Hames Ware; Webb page (hmm, nice phrase that... wonder if it’ll ever catch on!) courtesy of George Hagenauer, from Sheena #7 (1950). [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

The first issue of Jumbo Comics was a tabloid-size magazine with numerous special features, some of which lasted for many years. Its size, layout, and color tints made for a most attractive publication.

From the onset Sheena captivated the minds of comics readers. The concept of a white woman raised in the wilds of equatorial Africa, being forced to pit her wits and survival instincts against savage beasts, primitive natives, and the forces of nature: these elements of the story exercised the fascination of comic book readers.

But it would be a mistake to assume that Sheena was a female Amazon brute. Despite the lack of civilized amenities in native surroundings, she was a lovely and completely feminine woman. She always appeared well-groomed in her leopard-skin covering, and her long golden hair was always freshly combed and appeared hygienically clean. Her survival skills were based on her innate intelligence plus her extraordinary agility.

Only once before had her like been seen—in the 1931 Paramount motion picture Trader Horn. Its jungle girl was a wild primitive creature who didn’t speak, whereas Sheena spoke perfect English and all the native dialects of central Africa. In addition, she fought with wild

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Jay Disbrow Celardo, Reed Crandall, Lou Fine, George Tuska, Alex Blum, Charles Nicholas, and Adolphe Barreau (the Maxfield Parrish devotee who later helped found Trojan Publications).

Early in 1939 Everett “Busy” Arnold glanced at sales reports on his In the 1985 Iger Comics Kingdom, Jerry Iger claimed that little-known actress Cynthia comic books over Evans, seen at left in a 1936 glossy she autographed for the artist/entrepreneur, was the past two years, the “inspiration” for Sheena. No other information about this was given in the book, and came to the however. [Photo & Bob Webb “Sheena” art ©2003 the respective copyright holders.] conclusion that they represented a very blond hair. His name was Kaänga (pronounced Kay-AN-ga). Actually, good investment. Since Arnold’s company had been supplied by Eisner Kaänga was a comic book adaptation of a jungle hero already owned by & Iger since issue #2 of Feature Funnies in 1937, he changed the Fiction House; in its pulp magazine Jungle Stories, a blond muscular ownership situation at Comic Favorites, Inc., and established a new jungle man named Ki-Gor had been appearing since the mid-1930s. company name—and he called in Jerry Iger to produce material that Other early Jungle Comics features were “Wambi” (a jungle boy), would be “different” from anything being published at the moment.

“Tabu” (a jungle wizard), “Camilla” (another jungle queen), and “Captain Terry Thunder,” a Foreign Legion type whose name and early “I’m interested only in quality material for my magazines,” he said. publication date may have had something to do with preventing Fawcett “In fact, that’s going to be the name of my publishing company: Quality Publications from registering “Captain Thunder” as a title and forcing it Comics.” to rename its new super-hero “Captain Marvel.”

Jerry Iger studied the problem posed by In rapid order the other famous “Busy” Arnold’s demands, and developed a Fiction House comic books began to line of comic book material that was not only appear. They were Planet Comics and “different” for the times in which it was Fight Comics (both cover-dated Jan. created, but which remained different, and 1940), Wings Comics (Sept. ’40), and superbly crafted, through the span of their Rangers Comics (Oct. ’41). All but the existence. This, of course, was the beginning last had titles taken from alreadyof the Quality Comics Publishing Company, existing Fiction House pulp magazines. an organization that became pure magic in In addition, at various times during the the realm of comics innovation. Through the ’40s, single-hero comics emerged from years, Arnold established a solid reputation the anthology books: Sheena, Kaänga, with such titles as Hit, Crack, Feature, Wambi, Firehair.

National, Police, and Military Comics.

Of the famous Fiction House heroes, at least half were created (at least technically) by Jerry Iger. He had the good sense to copyright those features in his own name. His employees’ creations were his property for life; he merely leased them for publication. This was a wise business practice that Jerry was to follow throughout his career, and it was this more than any other factor that enabled him to amass his fortune.

With the workload piling up, Iger stood in need of additional artists. An advertisement was placed in The New York Times, and the results proved to be even greater than anticipated. This time, artists of advanced skills showed up at the studio. Among the cartoonists he (and/or Will Eisner) hired in 1938 and 1939 are names that have long since become famous in the field of comic book production: Jack Kirby, John

You can peruse the actual (and nearly identical) color covers of the premier issues of Planet Comics and Wings Comics in the Gerbers’ splendid Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books.

These 1980s reprints from Pacific Comics and Blackthorne Publishing, done by arrangement with Caplin-Iger, Ltd., contained material from both #1’s, plus a bonus tale or two.

Ye Ed’s favorite hero in Planet #1 had the appetizing name “Spurt Hammond.” Alex Raymond had nothing to worry about. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

The Iger Comics Kingdom

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White Panther

In 1986 Blackthorne Publishing, in conjunction with the Caplin-Iger Company, Ltd., issued a black-&-white reprint of Jungle Comics #1 (Jan. 1940).

Behind a gorgeous Kaänga cover by Lou Fine (the jungle lord didn't fare nearly so well inside), that Fiction House premier issue featured "White Panther," a jungle quasi-super-hero with the power to see the future—also "Tabu," the rain forest's answer to Mandrake the Magician. "Camilla" started out as queen of a lost empire in H. Rider Haggard/She tradition, but soon became just another luscious vine-swinger à la Sheena and Tiger Girl. Incidentally, the beautiful artwork behind the Jungle Comics logo, which showed a lion stalking a gazelle, was probably also drawn by Lou Fine—and appeared on each of the mag's 157 issues from 1940-1954. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

Among the pantheon of famous heroes created for Quality were such illustrious characters as Doll Man, Uncle Sam, and Blackhawk.

[ALTER EGO Editor’s Note: Once again it becomes necessary to interrupt the flow of Jay Disbrow’s book because of all-but-indisputable facts which have come to light since The Iger Comics Kingdom was published in 1985. In the book Jay, basing his thinking on recent conversations with Jerry Iger, placed the end of the EisnerIger partnership in spring of 1941, when Eisner was drafted.

However, researchers Steve Whitaker and Jerry Bails both feel that the best current information points to the parting of the ways occurring sometime in 1939, not ’41. Jerry Bails writes: “I think any partnership between Eisner and Iger was dissolved in 1939.... I had lots of shop people comment when I asked about the two, and after

1940, no one mentioned any attempt of the two to join up again.

Clearly, Eisner was running his own separate studio [a smaller one, producing the weekly Spirit newspaper comics magazine] before he got drafted. It’s been characterized many times, and it had nothing to do with Iger at that point.”

[Accordingly, I have edited out the Iger Comics Kingdom’s later paragraphs in which the split comes after Eisner tells Iger he’s been drafted, replacing it with this more likely chronology. If someone has any contradictory evidence, we invite him to contact us at once! Now, back to Jay Disbrow’s lively narrative....]

One loss by Jerry Iger to Busy Arnold during 1939 was Will Eisner, who decided to work for and with Arnold, first as an artist and editor

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for the Quality line, then in partnership with Arnold on The Spirit, created for a new type of comics magazine that would be sold as a Sunday newspaper supplement. Eisner’s contribution would be missed, but a cash settlement between him and Iger was agreed upon, and the legal papers were drawn up and signed. Jerry Iger was once again the sole owner and operator of the studio he had established in the depths of the Depression, the principal difference being that the operation was now much bigger.

Around the turn of 1939, a middle-aged accountant came to the conclusion that comic magazine publishing might be more fun and profitable than balancing books. His name was Victor Fox, and he

Jay Disbrow

Art by a few of Iger’s late-’30s recruits: Alex Blum (“Tom, Dick, & Harry”— Fiction House, ’42)... Adolphe Barreau (“Dragon’s Teeth,” ’40, but apparently done for Harvey Comics)... and John Celardo (“Rip Regan, Powerman” in Fight #9, Oct. ’40). The legendary Reed Crandall drew only one or two “Kaänga” outings, long after his Iger shop days; but in Alter Ego #17 artist Murphy Anderson related the impact Crandall’s version, such as this splash from Jungle #42 (June ’43), had on colleagues who saw the original art. Blum & Barreau art courtesy of Jerry Bails & Hames Ware; photocopies of Celardo original art courtesy of George Hagenauer; traced Crandall art courtesy of Al Dellinges. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

learned of the Iger Studios through a mutual friend. Fox approached Jerry Iger, expressed his desire to enter the comics field, and requested his assistance on the production end of the product. He stipulated the amount of money he was prepared to invest, and agreed to leave all the creative details to Jerry and Will. Fox’s investment was sufficient to get a few titles off the ground, beginning with Wonder Comics #1, with its May 1939 cover date and its infamous Eisner-drawn hero Wonder Man, who got Fox instantly sued by DC and was never seen again. [See p. 22.]

The Iger Comics Kingdom

Quality publisher Everett “Busy” Arnold and one of his writers and editors, Gwen Hansen, at a nightclub, circa 1941, from the 1985 edition of Disbrow’s book— flanked by Quality pages drawn by artists under two Iger pen names. “The Purple Trio” from Smash Comics #6 (Jan. ’40) is reportedly by Alex Blum, and “Wonder Boy” from National Comics #5 (Nov. ’40) might be the work of Charles Mazoujian. Any contrary info out there? Thanks to Jerry Bails for the art and to Dick Arnold for the Hansen ID. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

Still, Jerry Iger and his staff did develop a kaleidoscope of marvelous heroes for Fox. Consider this cast of bigger-than-life protagonists: Blue Beetle, The Flame, The Green Mask, Samson, and the comics’ first superhero called Thor. [see p. 23.] Those characters are excellent examples of the period in which they flourished. Many Fox covers bore the unmistakable imprint of the artistic genius who rendered them—Lou Fine.

Perhaps of all the famous Fox comics heroes, the most charismatic one was The Blue Beetle. He was a dashing avenger of justice who relentlessly fought the denizens of the underworld. By day he was Dan Garrett, police officer of a large Eastern city. But at night he donned his brilliant costume of blue chain mail and black mask and prowled the city streets in search of lawbreakers.

The Blue Beetle, like all the early Fox heroes, thrived in a truly unique atmosphere. A strange aura of mystery seemed to surround all of them. This quality was masterfully captured in the title of one of the early Fox comic magazines, Mystery Men Comics. The Flame and The Green Mask seemed to move in a world of pure enchantment.

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Bob Kane had his hand in the production of those early Fox efforts, with efforts such as “Spark Stevens,” for the revived Wonder Comics, now rechristened Wonderworld, but with him it was not to be a lasting project. By early 1939 Bob left the Iger Studios and went to work fulltime for DC Publishing Company, whom he had been providing with humor and adventure strips for over a year by this time. The young cartoonist, although grateful to Jerry Iger, knew where his future lay. Around this time Bob Kane created the legendary “Batman” comic strip and marched into the pages of history.

The comic books produced for Fox Feature Syndicate (as Victor Fox called his publishing company) sold well and were kept in continuous circulation. However, within less than two years of their initial publication, a problem arose.

Fox became lax in his payments to the Iger Studios. Months slipped by, and his debts to Iger’s company began to multiply. After four months had elapsed with no payment forthcoming, Iger refused to deliver any further work to the Fox office.

Jerry Iger instituted a lawsuit against Fox to collect the thousands of dollars due to the Iger Studios for their work already delivered. While the lawsuit was pending, Jerry continued to supervise the ever-increasing volume of work pouring in from Fiction House, Quality, and Better (later Standard/Nedor) Publications.

When the case was finally brought to trial, a number of dramatic and amusing elements unfolded before the jury in a situation reminiscent of

22 the numerous radio dramas of the day. Iger submitted as evidence bills, invoices, and written statements of obligation which were conclusive proof of Fox’s indebtedness to the Iger Studios.

Notwithstanding, the case might have taken a different turn had it not been for the manner in which Victor Fox conducted himself when he was placed upon the witness stand to answer the charges brought against him. It was obvious to the jury that Victor Fox’s testimony was completely untenable, and it was not long before the defendant himself realized that he had made terrible blunders on the witness stand.

In the end, Jerry’s studio proved their charges and Fox was convicted. A court judgment was issued against Victor Fox, and he was ordered to pay his back debts and all court costs. But this was not the end of the Fox story. Nor was it the end of Jerry Iger’s relationship with the publisher. Their paths would cross again.

Jay Disbrow booming. National Comics Publications (DC) led the pack with their two red-hot properties, Superman and Batman. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were basking in a wave of popularity usually enjoyed only by top novelists. Bob Kane was also riding the tail of the brilliant comet of success!

At the same time, from New York City’s McGraw-Hill Building, a publisher named Martin Goodman was flooding the market with new comic book titles. His publishing company, Timely Comics (later to be called Marvel), had launched a number of super-hero types that were selling well. Among them were such titans as The Human Torch, SubMariner, and their stellar item, Captain America.

Jack Kirby, who had left the Iger Studios in 1938, had teamed up with an artist-writer named Joe Simon, and together they were soon turning out a vast array of comic book material, including for Martin Goodman.

One of the features they In the fall of 1940 a produced was the The cover of Wonder Comics #1 (May 1939) has often been reprinted, so here’s the splash page drawn young woman named Captain America by “Willis”—i.e., Will Eisner. You got lots better, Will! [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

Ruth Roche applied for a adventure comic. staff job at the Iger Studios.

Through their unique Ruth was an aspiring writer who wanted to try her hand at creating storytelling abilities and artistic talents, they carried Cap to the pinnacle stories and scripts for comic books. of comics popularity. While this as going on, a young writer at Timely was just getting his feet wet in the seething waters of comic book “Of course, I’m willing to start at the bottom,” she assured him. production. His name was Stan Lee. “Right now I’m only interested in getting the professional experience.”

Meanwhile, in 1939, at the Paramount Building in the heart of New It is indeed strange how important events occur under the most York’s Times Square, a publishing company that had previously been fortuitous of circumstances. The case of Ruth Roche is an outstanding involved in motion picture and radio broadcast magazines had decided example of this. Despite her obvious lack of credentials, Jerry hired her. to get involved in comic books. The management at Fawcett This proved to be one of the wisest decisions he ever made.

Publications turned over an entire wing of office space to their newlyformed comics department. Among the famous heroes they created were With the passing of time, he grew to depend more and more upon the Captain Marvel, Bulletman, Spy Smasher, and Captain Marvel Jr. Among talents and professional know-how of Ruth Roche. For her part, she had the brilliant talents that emerged from the Fawcett group were C.C. realized her ambition of becoming a comic book scripter. In the fifteen Beck of “Captain Marvel” fame, and Mac Raboy of “Captain Marvel years to follow, she would turn out reams of comic book scripts that Jr.,” who later went onto illustrate the Sunday Flash Gordon page for were converted into finished comic book stories. But more than that, King Features Syndicate.

Ruth became so proficient at business management that in 1945 Jerry made her a full partner in the Iger Studios.

There were numerous other publishers active in comics at this time.

Collectively, they enriched the state of the art in comic production. We would like to recognize them all, but space limitations will only permit It was now the summer of 1941, and the comic book industry was the listing of a few: Ace, Avon, Dell, Gilberton, Lev Gleason, Hillman,

The Iger Comics Kingdom

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Art from early Iger-produced Fox tales of “Blue Beetle” (drawn by Larry Antonette), “The Green Mask” (Walter Frehm, here re-spelled “Frame”), and “Samson” (our sources say Louis Cazeneuve—though “Alex Boon” usually stood for artist Alex Blum). Thanks to Jerry Bails & Hames Ware. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

Holyoke, Street & Smith, and Western Publishing Company.

At the Iger Studios, business was at a bustling pace. Iger hired two new artists who had exhibited considerable talent: Bob Webb and Jack Kamen. Webb was eventually assigned to the “Sheena” feature, where his exceptional talents enjoyed free rein. After several years of experience in working with and modifying the Jungle Queen, the talents of Bob Webb were indelibly stamped on the visage of Sheena. Jack Kamen produced a large volume of comics material for Jerry Iger, but he was to reach his highest achievement in comics more than a decade later at EC Publications.

John Celardo was doing a magnificent job on a number of features, but he struck his high-water mark when he was assigned to draw the “Kaänga” feature for Jungle Comics. This experience was eventually to lead him to United Features Syndicate, where for more than thirteen years he wrote and illustrated the Sunday Tarzan page that appeared in hundreds of American and European newspapers.

Meanwhile, other publishers were beating a path to the Iger Studios. New artists were arriving on a frequent basis, and at times the demands of production were so great that the prolific Ruth Roche could not supply all the scripts needed. At that point, Jerry was obliged to engage the services of freelance writers to fill the production gap.

It was the fall of 1941. Within a few months, the horror of Pearl Harbor would be felt, and America would be plunged into World War II.

Jerry Iger with his writer and later partner Ruth Roche at a New York restaurant in 1942. Though Iger doesn’t seem to have mentioned the fact to Jay Disbrow in the 1980s, apparently the couple were, according to reports, romantically involved.

Repro’d from the 1985 TICK. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

In early 1940 Jack Kirby ghosted the short-lived “Blue Beetle” newspaper comic strip. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

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Jay Disbrow

To accompany the short-lived “Captain Fight” (seen above Fight Comics #17, Feb. ’42, as drawn by an unidentified artist), other eager young talents were beating a path to the door of the Universal Phoenix Syndicate (and often winding up in Fiction House comics) in the days between the 1939 invasion of Poland and Pearl Harbor: George Tuska, “The Werewolf Hunter,” Rangers #9 (Feb. ’43)...

Frank Leonard, “Spy Fighter,” Fight Comics #3 (March ’40)...

Arthur Peddy, “Kayo Kirby,” Fight #29 (Dec. ’43)...

The “Capt. Fight” page sports an “Eisner & Iger, Ltd.” stamp; if the pair were no longer partners in ’41, then the Iger shop was still using leftover artist boards!

Thanks to Jerry Bails for “Spy Fighter.” All other art repro’d from photocopies of the originals: Tuska & Peddy courtesy of Paul Handler; “Capt. Fight” thanks to Ethan Roberts. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

The Iger Comics Kingdom

25 Japanese were constantly getting in his way.)

Fawcett Publishing Company went after the enemy with a passion.

Both Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. hunted Nazi and Japanese spies in America and abroad; Bulletman and Ibis the Invincible did likewise. Lev Gleason did its bit and produced a comic book that has become a sought-after classic: Daredevil Battles Hitler.

After Dec. 7, 1941, and the American entry into World War II, some Fiction House comics “were devoted exclusively to martial themes,” as in these Iger shop pages—two of them from Rangers of Freedom #7 (Oct. ’42—the name became Rangers Comics with #8).

Rudy Palais, whose interview is slated for a nearfuture issue of Alter Ego, drew the “Rangers of Freedom” story whose logo is missing, above, while the ubiquitous “Artist Unknown” drew the “Phantom Falcons” page from the same issue. Paul Handler, who supplied photocopies of the original art for all three of these pages, feels that Robert Webb (with Ann Brewster inking) drew “Rip Carson, Chute Trooper” for Fight Comics #34 (Oct. ’34). [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

Chapter V

The Comics Get into Uniform December 7th, 1941, has been called “a date that will live in infamy.” War had been thrust upon us. Americans rose to the challenge, and almost overnight the nation was placed upon a wartime footing.

Just as American heavy industry geared up for war, so did the American comic book industry. Numerous comic magazine publishers made the war the focal point of all their publishing efforts. Timely Comics was the best example of this. Captain America devoted all his skills and energies toward combating the Nazis and Japanese. The Human Torch and SubMariner did the same. (In the case of Sub-Mariner, it seems he fought the Axis powers not out of patriotic motives, but because the Germans and

At DC, Simon and Kirby, who had left Timely toward the end of 1941, created a number of comics heroes whose sole purpose was to wage war against America’s enemies. The most outstanding example was the famous “Boy Commandos,” featuring Captain Rip Carter, US Army.

Unlike some other companies, however, DC hesitated to make the war the cornerstone of all its comics stories.

Of course, at the Iger Studios, the war was the dominant subject of consideration. The Fiction House comics Fight, Wings, and Rangers were devoted exclusively to martial themes. Ruth Roche was forced to take a crash program in military tactics and hardware, in order to fill the demands for accurate war stories. Even Jumbo and Jungle Comics converted to war themes. In the remote jungle of Central Africa, both Sheena and Kaänga confronted the ubiquitous Axis powers.

During those war years, comic book stories were being written to a rigid formula that was rarely if ever departed from.

Certain criteria must of necessity be followed, and it would have been unthinkable for any comic book creator to defy those unwritten laws. For example, a hero could never display weakness in the presence of the enemy. He was not permitted to possess the emotions associated with fear, pain, or mental fatigue. He could not for a moment doubt the rightness or justice of his cause. He could not question the wisdom or folly of his orders. He simply obeyed them.

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Jay Disbrow Toward the end of 1944, comic book production had proliferated to the point where 500 individual titles were flowing from various publishers. Most of these were monthly publications. When one considered that each of these magazines was comprised of nearly 64 pages of comic art, something of the Herculean size of this industry can be appreciated.

In August of 1945 Japan surrendered, putting an end to the most destructive war of all history. People the world over began to restructure their shattered lives and property. It was a time of new beginnings for the world and, of course, for the comics industry.

Chapter VI

After the War In the fall of 1945, millions of American men who had gone to war began returning to their homes. At the Iger Studios, Jerry and Ruth welcomed back artists who had been gone for over three years.

However, new conditions existed that were not easy to deal with. With the end of hostilities and the subsequent reduction in the American Armed Forces, comic book sales dropped considerably. There were fewer military men to buy comic books, and as a result many

John Cassone drew “Doll Man” and other features for Quality from 1940-43, so this ’43 page is probably his work. Repro’d from a (sadly less than perfect) photocopy of the original art courtesy of Jerry Bails & Hames Ware. [©2003 DC Comics.]

An enemy was never permitted to inflict a mortal injury to a comic book hero, or to his sidekick. That hero may have been vulnerable in a number of ways, but it was ever incumbent upon the writer to leave a loophole for the hero to back out of, or leap through to safety. Cynicism was never permitted to be a part of a comics hero’s mental attitude. In fact, a cynical nature did not obtrude into the personae of comics heroes until the early 1960s, when some publishers decided to become more “realistic” in their material.

As the war progressed, it took a toll on the comic book industry.

The artists and writers who were young enough for combat were inducted into the ranks of the armed services. Those who were too old for military service, or unfit for war—as well as a number of women— tried to take up the slack. Older artists were sought after. The fierce competition for jobs that had formerly existed in the comics field was no longer a reality. Nearly anyone with a modicum of artistic talent qualified as a comics artist. As a consequence, comic book standards tended to fall during this period.

But comic book sales were phenomenal despite the paper shortages that plagued the industry. With nearly twelve million men in uniform, hungry for entertainment, comic books sold to the armed services in fantastic numbers. At the Iger Studios, the art staff was so overburdened with deadlines that they were forced to work long hours of overtime to keep up with the demand. Jerry Iger suffered the loss of some of his finest artists to the military draft, but his responsibilities had increased rather than diminished.

Before entering the armed services, Nick Cardy, neé Nicholas Viscardi, drew this beautiful page for Planet Comics #22 (Jan. ’43) and its long-running “Lost World” series starring Hunt Bowman, leader of a guerrilla force fighting alien invaders who have conquered the Earth—an inspiration to Ye Editor when he conceived the “War of the Worlds” series for Marvel in the early 1970s. George Hagenauer, who sent us a photocopy of this original art, has this page hanging on his wall at home. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

The Iger Comics Kingdom publishers were forced to cut back on production. Numerous titles were dropped. In fact, only the most popular titles were retained.

However, the long-term prospects were hopeful. The publishers assumed that, if they held out long enough, a new generation of teenagers and young people would eventually take up the slack, and production could go forward once more. This did transpire, exactly as they had hoped.

With the return of peace, new thematic elements for comic stories had to be found. There were no more Nazi S.S. men or Japanese kamikazes to kill, so the focal point for combating evil was shifted in new directions. The super-heroes at DC and Timely returned to fighting criminals, which were never in short supply. Fawcett’s ever-popular Captain Marvel turned to humor and began playing mostly for laughs. Standard Publishing Company started to dabble in science-fiction, while American Comics Group went in for mysteries with a supernatural flavor.

27 was no choice. Through a third party, Fox arranged a private meeting with Jerry Iger. When the two men came together, the atmosphere was heavy between them.

But finally, realizing what had to be done, Fox apologized for the bad relations that had existed between them.

“Look, Jerry, I know you’re bitter, and I don’t blame you,” he said. “But if we can work together again, I promise I’ll make it all up to you.”

Iger thought for a moment, and with characteristic good will replied: “All right, Victor, I’ll take you on again—but this time all will be handled through an ironclad contract.”

So began a great renaissance in comic book history. Fox Features Syndicate, defunct for nearly four years, suddenly sprang back into life. Jerry Iger and his shop created a whole new set of adventure heroes for Fox’s line. The secondgeneration characters became as famous as the first: Jo-Jo, Congo King; Rulah, Jungle Goddess; and Phantom Lady. Victor Fox, while never repaying his earlier debts to the Iger Studios, always paid thereafter. [See p. 29.]

Fiction House remained true to its original premise. Sheena and Kaänga returned to battling savage beasts and savage men in the jungles One “older artist” who drew for Iger before Pearl Harbor, during WWII, of Darkest Africa. The fliers in Again Ruth Roche was and through 1953, was H.C. Kiefer (1890-1957), who was from beginning Wings Comics reverted from to end the artist of the Mowgli-influenced “Wambi” in Jungle Comics and pounding out scripts for the Fox military to civilian pilots. The in his own title. Repro’d from the original art, from Ye Editor’s collection. magazines, and the entire art staff soldiers from Fight and Rangers [©2003 the respective copyright holder.] at the Iger Studios was assigned to simply became soldiers of fortune draw them. Among the artists of again. Planet Comics still followed that staff was a young man of extraordinary talent who came to the Iger its science-fiction fortunes, but a little less aggressively. New heroes and Studios early in 1946. As on so many other occasions, Iger recognized heroines were waiting in the wings. The great shift to western comics the artistic skills this youth possessed, and hired him immediately. His was about to begin, and the phenomenal romance comics were three name was Matt Baker. [See pp. 30-31.] years in the future. Comics stories and comics types would come and go, but the medium would remain the same. [See next page.]

Meanwhile, the curious situation developing would have an impact on the industry. In November of ’45 Victor Fox decided that the time had come to re-enter the comic book publishing field. With a return to peacetime conditions, he hoped to make a fresh start in the industry. But his initial efforts proved to be a flop. His common sense told him to go to a comics studio and arrange a package deal, but the expense of such a deal frightened him. Eventually, he had no choice. In the spring of 1946 he began to put out feelers to the industry, but the feedback was not encouraging.

The Chesler Shop looked upon him with suspicion. Harry Chesler had a long memory, and he recalled the litigations between Fox and the Iger Studios. Lloyd Jacquet, who had been running his own studio since 1939, cast a wary eye upon Victor Fox. He, too, was familiar with the unpleasant events of the past. This left only one alternative open to Fox... the Iger Studios.

It was a hard decision, for Victor Fox was a proud man. But there

Today the work of Matt Baker is truly legendary and is sought after by collectors all over the world. His bold but graceful figures in action situations created for him a reputation unequaled in the industry. Baker was assigned to Phantom Lady. While working on that comics feature, his illustration skills rose to the heights of perfection. In truth, Matt did such a superb job on Phantom Lady that he was contracted by Jerry Iger to draw the newspaper strip Flamingo, which was distributed nationwide and also in many European newspapers.

The special Matt Baker mystique was present in all his commercial work, but especially in the lovely, graceful female figures. Matt is still considered one of the finest artists the genre has known. Had it not been for a congenital illness, he would have undoubtedly gone on to produce a large body of work. In 1955, at the age of 37, Matt Baker died. The industry grieved the loss of this incredibly talented young man.

In 1947 Mickey Spillane, author of I, the Jury, produced a Mike Hammer comic strip for Iger’s Phoenix Syndicate, featuring his hardboiled private eye. Once again Bob Webb was drawing “Sheena,”

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Jay Disbrow Post-WWII Iger Studios work for Fiction House, all of it repro’d here from photocopies of the original art courtesy of George Hagenauer, including:

“Greasmonkey Griffen” from Rangers #25 (Oct. ’45),

by Al Walker, an example of the so-called “good girl art” associated especially with Fiction House and Fox...

“Risks, Unlimited” from Fight #52 (Oct. ’47), by Bob Webb— though George suspects “the degenerate with the bucket may be done by H.C. Kiefer”...

“Tiger Man” from Rangers #42 (Aug. ’48) by future EC great George Evans...

...and “Hooks Devlin” from Fight #55 (April ’48) by another proto-EC artist, Jack Kamen. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

The Iger Comics Kingdom

and John Celardo was back on “Kaänga.”

Rubin Moreira, who had drawn “Kaänga” during the war, was at United Features Syndicate, illustrating the Sunday Tarzan page. Summer brought Burne Hogarth’s return to the Tarzan strip.

A survey of adventure comics from the newspaper syndicates in 1947 makes for an interesting study. At King Features Syndicate, Alex Raymond was writing and illustrating his famous detective strip Rip Kirby. Raymond had left Flash Gordon in 1944 to enter the Marine Corps, but decided not to return to the blond hero when the war ended. Austin Briggs was drawing Flash Gordon, and would continue to do so until replaced by Mac Raboy a year later. Hal Foster was still turning out his marvelous Prince Valiant Sunday pages, and Brick Bradford and Mandrake the Magician and The Phantom were still adventuring in faraway places.

Field Enterprises launched a brand new adventure strip in 1947: Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon. For thirteen years the Caniff magic had been wrought upon the Terry and the Pirates feature, which was then taken over by artist George

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After World War II ended, the Iger shop turned out work for Fox Comics like there was no tomorrow, as seen by these pages from Jo-Jo, Congo King #7 (Sept. ’47) and Matt Baker’s Phantom Lady #17 (April ’48), and by the covers of Blue Beetle #50 (Nov. ’46) and Rulah #22 (Jan. 1949). The “Jungle Goddess” was for a couple of years a close runner-up to Sheena in the “Jungle Babe” sweepstakes among beadyeyed adolescent boys. In the 1980s Jay Disbrow drew his own version of Rulah, below, minus the spots from the hide of a reticulated giraffe. [Art ©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

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Jay Disbrow

The Legendary Matt Baker!

African-American Matt Baker was one of the foremost “good girl” artists of the post-WWII period. This portrait of him by fellow Iger artist Aldo Robano was featured in the 1985 Iger Comics Kingdom. On these two pages we present a monumental montage of some of Baker’s most noteworthy nonPhantom Lady work—all ©2003 by the respective copyright holders:

Flamingo dances the fandango (or something) in A List Comics’ 1998 Flamingo.

The “Flamingo” feature originally appeared in Holyoke’s Contact Comics in 1944.

Script probably by Ruth Roche. [Flamingo TM & ©2003 Lee Caplin.]

Wunder. Dick Tracy was still involved in acts of derring-do, and in the early part of ’47 the New York News Syndicate launched the adventures of Hopalong Cassidy, based upon the western motion picture hero.

Burne Hogarth, fresh from his Drago experience at the Hall Syndicate, was bringing Tarzan to new heights of glory. Also at United Features, a new and very talented artist-writer named Warren Tufts was doing the outstanding western strip Casey Ruggles. Al Capp was still producing his wonderful Li’l Abner, and a new cartoonist named Ray Gotta was beguiling readers with his whimsical comic strip about a hillbilly baseball star called Ozark Ike. In 1947 we were also introduced to a new full-page Sunday comic from King Features Syndicate. It was called Dick’s Adventures, written

by Max Trell and drawn by the well-known story illustrator, Neil O’Keif. The comic strip was drawn in the same format and general layout as the Prince Valiant page.

A “Wonder Boy” page done for Quality’s National Comics during the 1940s, repro’d from a photocopy of the original art.

While many people have thought of comic books as the “stepchild” of newspaper comics, it would be a mistake to assume that comic books have never been an influence on syndicate strips. Quite the contrary is true. Many features that had their genesis in comic books went on to achieve syndication and newspaper appearances. But, in addition, syndi-

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31

A magnificent example of Baker’s pen-and-ink styling of “Flamingo”—and a promotional piece for the Flamingo daily comic strip, as seen in the 1985 TICK. [Flamingo TM &©2003 Lee Caplin.]

Matt Baker’s cover for Seven Seas Comics #5 (no date, but ’46 or ’47), a comic apparently at least co-published by Iger’s Universal Phoenix Features... repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Ray A. Cuthbert.

cated comics often lifted ideas that originally appeared in comic books.

The format may be different, but the medium is the same.

In 1948 Fiction House launched a new comic magazine called Indians Comics. Jerry Iger and company created a new leading character for the book: a white woman with long red hair. In fact, her tresses were the primary characteristic of the feature, and served as the strip’s title: “Firehair.” This leading lady captured the fancy of comics readers, for it was not long before the sales of Indians began to rise sharply. The other Fiction House titles were also doing well, as were the publications for Fox, Ajax/Farrell, and a new client, Gilberton Publishing Company.

In 1949 Gilberton, publisher of Classics Illustrated (till 1947, Classic Comics) approached Jerry Iger with a request for a comic book adaptation of Mary Shelley’s horror masterpiece Frankenstein. They wanted a version that would be both “different” and “better” than what they had been receiving from freelance sources. Jerry turned the project over to Ruth, who researched the story and wrote the script. The script was given to Bob Webb to pencil. The finished product was a classic adaptation of a classic story. Gilberton was delighted with it, and comic book readers reveled in its marvelous reproduction. [See p. 33.]

In September of 1949 Jerry Iger had an opportunity to move his studios from their East 44th Street location to a more centralized location further uptown. He rented a two-story building on West 53rd Street and moved his staff and equipment into its more spacious facilities. It is fortunate for the author of this book that he did so.

Chapter VII

The Kid from New Jersey Arrives January 3, 1950, will always be a day of special significance to me.

For it was on that day that I was hired as a staff member of the S.M. Iger Studios.

Of course, I had heard about the Iger establishment a few years before this, but I had never known precisely where it was located. When I had been given his precise address, I hastened to it with all dispatch. It turned out to be a two-story apartment building on Manhattan’s West 53rd Street, near Eighth Avenue. There was a brilliant red door on the street level that gave entrance to the studio.

I opened the door and found myself in an ample corridor which led to a large paneled room containing several desks, filing cabinets, typewriters, and bookcases. And there I met the man himself: Jerry Iger.

I cannot say I was greatly impressed by his appearance. He was not a tall man, nor was he especially charismatic. But he had a rather intense demeanor which was apparent in all he did.

I sat down in a plush chair beside his desk and opened my portfolio. I withdrew several of my original comic book pages and handed them to him. He examined them with great interest, then rose from his desk.

“I’m going to take these upstairs to show to my art director,” he said.

Then he strode up a flight of stairs located at the rear of the room.

32

Jay Disbrow said. “We will take you on as an inker. Your salary will be $27 per week. Today is Friday, so we will expect you to report to work on Monday morning at nine. So have a good weekend, and we’ll see you Monday.”

Admittedly, $27 per week is a paltry income by today’s standards.

Even a half century ago, it was no princely sum, but it represented a start, and it was more than I would have earned as an apprentice. So all the way home on the train to New Jersey I was rejoicing.

On Monday, January 6, I climbed out of bed at 5 a.m., ate a quick breakfast, dressed, and walked the two miles to the Asbury Park railroad station to catch a train to New York City. I had no automobile in those days, but, as everyone knows, a brisk walk in extremely low temperatures is good for one’s constitution.

When I arrived at the Iger Studios, Jerry led the way up the staircase to the second floor, where his staff was housed. He introduced me to all of them. They consisted of Chester Martin, a young artist from California; Hal Fromm, a native of Brooklyn; Bill La Cava, son of a Hollywood motion picture director; Ruth Harris, the resident female inker; Larry “the letterer,” and Dave Heams, the art director.

When the Comics Code took effect in 1955, Four-Star/Farrell/Ajax Publications changed its Voodoo horror comic to Vooda (subtitled “Jungle Princess”—weren’t there any Caucasian commoners in the jungle?), with art chores turned over, at least on these pages, to the team of Al Feldstein & Matt Baker. Feldstein would go on to become, first at EC Comics, later at Mad, one of the most important writers and editors the field has produced. Repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of George Hagenauer. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

During his absence I waited in nervous anticipation, hoping they would find my work worthy of acceptance. A few moments later he descended the staircase and returned to his desk.

“We decided to take you on as an apprentice,” he said. “After a while you will probably become an inker, and perhaps eventually a penciler. It depends on the progress you make.”

I was delighted, of course, to be on the inside of the comics industry at last. It was what I had wanted since I was a kid, and now I was on my way. But, as a lark, I reached into my portfolio a second time and withdrew a large Sunday-type comics page. This was a science-fiction piece that measured about 18 by 30 inches. I handed this to Jerry, and as he examined it I detected an interest on his part that had not been there before.

“Just a moment,” he said. “I want to show this to Dave, too.” And he ascended the staircase a second time. He was not gone long, and when he returned he appeared to be almost jubilant.

“We’ve decided that you are already beyond the apprentice stage,” he

Lee Elias was the original artist of “Firehair” in Fiction House’s Indians Comics, whose stories were later reprinted in a Firehair Comics solo title. Above is a nice splash by Elias from Firehair #1 (Winter ’48). Although neither Elias nor later “Firehair” artist Bob Lubbers seems ever to have worked for Iger, the shop-owner told Jay Disbrow he created the character. Anybody out there have an answer for this enigma? Repro’d from the original art, courtesy of Paul Handler. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

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33

means that the butterflies in one’s stomach stop churning.

Soon I began to meet the layout artists who have long since become well known in the comics world.

For example, Bob Webb was the craftsman who defined the persona of “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.”

He was the most prolific artist I ever met. While his work contained a wealth of detail, he penciled his work with incredible speed.

Jack Kamen was an artist whose work was a pleasure to ink. His pencil line was so smooth and slick it brought out the best in any inker.

He later went on to become a “star” at EC Comics.

This self-portrait of Jay Disbrow, courtesy of Ralph Ellis/New Creation, also appeared in A/E #14. [©2003 Jay Disbrow.]

Ken Battefield made beautiful layouts. I greatly enjoyed inking his pages, whereas Henry Schroder had a rougher style of penciling. But it was workable until he reverted to a “scribbling” technique that was messy to deal with.

There were other artists whose names I have long since forgotten.

The sheer volume of work was so enormous that, after all these years, one has a tendency to see it all as a blur.

With splash-page credits for Ruth Roche (writer), Robert Hayward Webb & Ann Brewster (artists), and even one Louis Goldklang (letterer), the Iger shop’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein first appeared as Gilberton’s Classic Comics #26 (Dec. 1945). It was a good job all around, even if the illustrators couldn’t rid themselves totally of the Boris Karloff influence! [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

While I was at the Iger Studios, I had the opportunity to examine the original artwork of the famous Fiction House artists of that day. Fiction House would frequently send over pages of art that required minor changes or corrections. These were pages that did not originate under Jerry Iger’s aegis, but had been produced directly for the publisher.

There was a special table set aside for those pages, and frequently they lay there in all their glory, waiting for someone to pick them up and gaze at them.

I especially loved the work of Maurice Whitman, who drew the “Kaänga” stories for Jungle Comics. He took over the feature from

We seven staff members represented only the tip of the creative iceberg at the Iger Studios. The artists who penciled the comics pages were all freelance agents who worked in their home studios and delivered their layout pages to Jerry Iger for us to ink. But there was one other staff member upon whom Jerry depended heavily. This was the aforementioned Ruth Roche, who occupied the office on the first floor.

She was a combination secretary and comic book scriptwriter. From her fertile imagination she disgorged a plethora of comic book stories.

On my first day at his studio, Iger assigned me to a vacant drawing table, and Dave Heams handed me a penciled comic book page to ink. I opened my bottle of india ink, selected a red sable artist brush, and went to work. Work? It was more like pleasure. At first it was difficult to realize that at last I was using my creative skills to ink comic pages that would actually appear in print! This was what I had wanted since I was a small boy, and at last it had become a reality. And who could say what this might lead to? Perhaps the pinnacle of comic strip attainment.

But, as time went by and I settled into the daily routine of comics production, some of the glamour associated with this medium began to wear off. As difficult as it may be for comics enthusiasts to grasp, eventually comics production becomes primarily a means of earning a living. This does not mean that one ceases to put forth his best effort. It

In the 1985 edition of TICK, this photo was labeled “Jerry Iger and a lady friend at a New York nightclub, circa 1945.” Actually, the lady kinda looks like Ruth Roche to Ye Editor; sneak a peek back at p. 21 and see if you don’t agree. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

34

Jay Disbrow

Jay Disbrow has no copies of the comics he did for the Iger Studios, so here are vintage “Sheena” and “Tiger Girl” pages by Bob Webb—and Jay’s 1985 rendition of the latter. “Tiger Girl” page repro’d from a photocopy of the original, courtesy of George Hagenauer; thanks to Jerry Bails for the “Sheena” page. [Jay Disbrow art©2003 Jay Disbrow; other art©2003 the respective copyright holders; Sheena TM & ©2003 Paul Aratow/Columbia Pictures.]

John Celardo, who had gone over to Standard Publications.

Whitman’s figures were marvelously supple and powerful at the same time. The fact that he inked his own penciled pages added to the impact. [See pp. 1 & 36.]

I was also fond of Jerry Grandenetti, who did a mystery feature for Fiction House. His line was slick and smooth, but he relied heavily upon shadowy atmospheres and solid blacks. Most of his stories took place in darkened locales, which lent that special aura of mystery to his work.

H.C. Kiefer’s work was frequently there. He illustrated the well-known “Wambi” comic book feature. To me Kiefer’s technique resembled a style of art that had been popular back in the 1920s. His original pages always seemed better than the printed ones. [See p. 27] Mickey Spillane, the famous crime novelist, came by the Iger Studios from time to time. Jerry’s Universal Phoenix Syndicate was distributing Spillane’s Mike Hammer comic strip around the world. At that time (1950) Spillane was at his highest level of productivity, churning out novels and comic scripts at a furious pace.

Jerry loved to bring celebrities to his studio and introduce them to his staff. One day Vincent Lopez, the famous bandleader, showed up.

Lopez, who was world-famous back in the 1940s and ’50s, had a penchant for ancient legends and lost civilizations such as Atlantis. His enthusiasm for such things was quite apparent.

One day, Joe Shuster, co-creator of “Superman,” dropped by. He seemed to be interested in the work I was doing on that day, and we had an interesting conversation.

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35

infectious to young people, and I was no exception to its allure.

At least once a week, Chet Martin, Hal Fromm, and I would walk the three blocks to Madison Square Garden (which at that time was located at Broadway and 50th Street). The Garden occupied an entire city block, and at the rear of the building was the well-known Madison Square Garden Cafeteria. Its interior was spacious, with a flamboyant decor. The food they served was magnificent. For very little money one could gorge upon those succulent viands, which we did with great alacrity. The problem was, there was very little time at our disposal. Jerry allowed one half hour for lunch; thus, getting there and back on time was a real challenge.

Jerry Iger must have realized that my daily routine was causing my physical reserves to flag. For, one day, after I had been at his studio for about six months, he approached me and asked if I would like to work two days a week at home. Needless to say, I leaped at the opportunity. From then on, each Friday afternoon I gathered the penciled pages I would need to ink on the following Monday and Tuesday in my home studio. This proved to be a vastly superior work schedule, and it enabled me to regain my vitality.

Shortly after this, I asked Jerry if it might be possible for me to pencil a story from a script. This would represent the highest level of attainment at his shop. Bill La Cava had penciled comic book stories right on the premises, and by then he had moved on to another job. Iger replied that it was within the realm of possibility. But when several weeks went by with no script forthcoming, I began to think that he had reservations on the matter.

Then one day, to my surprise and delight, he handed me a script to pencil. The story had been written by Ruth Roche, and was for one of the small publishers that Jerry serviced. As I recall, the story was of the “romance” genre, which I had little regard for, but it represented a start on the next phase of my career, so I plunged in with abandon.

“I especially loved the work of Maurice Whitman,” says Jay... and who could disagree?

This splash from Wings Comics #123 (Spring 1954) made even the Korean air war look good! Thanks to Paul Handler. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

Jerry was fascinated with show business, and he knew many people who were actively involved with the Broadway scene. He had a fondness for bringing actors, actresses, singers, and dancers to his studios to show them off to us. I don’t think he knew many of the top performers of that day, but he knew many who were on their way up, and a few who were on their way down.

For me, working at the Iger Studios eventually proved to be taxing.

Had I lived around the corner on 8th Avenue, it would have been a snap. But on $27 a week, I could not afford to live on 8th Avenue, or anywhere else in that city. Rising each morning long before the crack of dawn to take a two-hour train ride was playing hob with my biorhythms, and was a disaster for my social life. I tried sleeping on the train as many did, but this often proved to be futile. I attempted to make up for my lack of sleep by walking very briskly up Broadway from the Pennsylvania Station at 32nd Street to the studio on 53rd.

Several times I tried jogging up 9th Avenue. This was fine, except for the day I got caught in one of the 9th Avenue street festivals. On that day all vehicular traffic was banished from the street. The vendors took over the sidewalks, and mobs of bargain-hunters thronged the street, making it virtually impossible to walk, much less jog.

But the city of New York had a pulse-pounding vitality that was

When I completed this assignment and turned it in, I was pleased to discover that it was accepted with no major revisions required. This was a great confidencebuilder. I was now ready to go on to bigger and better things, which were not long in coming.

Soon I was penciling stories of “Sheena,” “Kaänga,” and other famous Fiction House characters. These stories were for the quarterly Sheena and Kaänga magazines, and not for the Jumbo and Jungle comic books. The scripts were written by Fiction House authors. Was I pleased with this arrangement? For a while, yes. But I had a basic problem with it.

This 1945 celebrity sketch of Jerry Iger shows him at his bon-vivant best. [©2003 Arnold Henry Bergier.]

The problem was, I had a great love for

36 literature. From my early teens I had been exposed to the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sax Rohmer, Dr. Edward E. Smith, and even Max Brand. These men were superb literary craftsmen, and Fiction House had no one who could match their skills. Neither did DC, Timely, Standard, Quality, or any other comic This photo may not repro all that well from book publisher. I the 1985 Iger Comics Kingdom, but we wanted to realize the medium include this shot of Iger (seated) flanked by artist is quite different, Bob Webb, Mrs. Webb, and their young son. and comic books [©2003 the respective copyright holder.] suffered greatly from space limitations. But it appeared to me at the time that comic books were making no effort to upgrade their writing quality.

Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) stood as nearly the only comics craftsman who combined fine art with literary excellence, and there was no one in the comic book industry who could match his prodigious achievements. But I believed that it could be done in the comic book medium. A year or two after this period, Bill Gaines at EC Comics made the effort to do just that. Despite all the negative fall-out that surrounded Gaines, he did succeed in publishing well-crafted comic books that were superbly illustrated. He even adapted some of the famous science-fiction stories of Ray Bradbury to the comic book medium, in addition to the works of other well-known authors.

Jay Disbrow Meanwhile, at the Iger Studios, life continued as it had before I had arrived there.

Chapter VIII

The Legacy of the Golden Age The Golden Age of Comic Books was drawing to a close, although no one knew it at the time.

In the early 1950s the comics production machinery at the Iger Studios continued unabated, disgorging vast amounts of material. The comics pages rolled off the “assembly line” in a virtual unending stream, and ever-present deadlines were met.

In 1952 Jack Kamen left the Iger Studios and joined the elite group of artists at EC Publications. There, beside such giants as Frank Frazetta, Jack Davis, Al Williamson, and Wallace Wood, he began illustrating the fantasy science-fiction, horror, crime, and romance comics that made EC world-famous.

Although Jack was missed, another young man of considerable talent enlisted in the Iger ranks to help fill the void. His name was Dick Giordano, and he became the only artist in comic book history to build a following primarily as an inker. In the 1980s, after a long career in comics, Giordano became the main editor of DC Comics.

By 1952 the comic book industry was beginning to show signs of ill health. In 1953 a blow was struck that sent shock waves throughout the

As for myself, I yearned to produce comics stories that would include every facet of the creative process. I wanted to pencil, ink, and even write my own comic book stories. In short, I wanted to do everything that Hal Foster did on his Prince Valiant page. Was this an excessively ambitious desire on my part? No doubt many thought so. In 1949, while viewing one of my large Sunday-type comics pages, Dan Barry told me, “You’re attempting something that’s too big for you. Forget about writing your own material. Concentrate on developing your art styling.

Leave the writing to the professional writers.”

I did not agree with him, of course. I had written my own comics stories since I had been a kid. I was fully persuaded that I could do it.

Of course, I was still rather young at the time, but youth generates its own confidence.

At the Iger Studios, a certain modus operandi had long been established which would preclude me from writing my own comics stories for Jerry Iger. To accomplish what I was after necessitated my leaving the Iger shop and plunging into that vast pool of freelance opportunity.

This was, of course, a choice fraught with potential economic uncertainties, but at the same time I knew that nothing of value was ever achieved without risk. So I tendered my resignation to the Iger Studios and departed.

I established contact with L.B. Cole, editor of Star Publications, and after a bit he permitted me to write my own comic book stories, and to pencil and ink them. I even lettered all the narration and dialogue in each story. One of my principal ambitions had been achieved, and I was determined to make the most of it.

L.B. Cole’s 1950s Star Publications versions of Blue Bolt and other comics leaned heavily on science-fiction, so here’s a 1985 illo by Jay Disbrow of things interplanetary—though he intended as a salute to Fiction House’s Planet Comics. [©2003 Jay Disbrow.]

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to DC. Louis Nizer, one of the ablest lawyers in New York City, represented DC. Nizer was an attorney with a proven track record in plagiarism cases, and he went after results like a bloodhound on the trail of a fox.

After a long trial, DC emerged the victor. The owners of Superman were awarded damages against Fawcett. The settlement involved hundreds of thousands of dollars, and Fawcett was enjoined against further publication of “Captain Marvel.” This proved to be a crippling blow. It was so devastating, in fact, that the entire line of Fawcett comic books ceased publication. What had been a bustling enterprise was now a silent shadow of empty offices and corridors.

The entire comic book industry took note of this incident. Some trembled with anticipation of a similar fate. Jerry Iger also noted the trial and its results, but since his comics heroes did not resemble Superman or any of the properties of DC, he had little to fear.

By the beginning of 1954, comic book sales had begun to slump.

Many reasons have been put forth to explain why this happened. It has been suggested that the principal reason for the decline was that many comic book readers turned to television for entertainment. But there were other factors involved that proved more ominous for comic book publishers than television.

A page from a one-of-a-kind 1954 comic book! That’s when artist/entrepreneur Leonard B. Cole belatedly got into the short-lived “3-D comics” craze with the PictureScope Jungle Adventures Story and Coloring Book. He hired Jay Disbrow to produce interior art which, according to 1987 reprint-publisher Ray Zone, “utilized tremendous foreshortening and the visual repertoire common in the advertising art created for 3-D motion pictures of the early 1950s”—i.e., an attempt (also made by Lev Gleason, ACG, and a few other companies) to “simulate” the 3-D effect without the necessity of red-and-green glasses. The result was never particularly successful: you either did a 3-D comic or you didn’t.

In ’87, however, the indefatigable Ray Zone rendered the 28-page, onepanel-to-a-page story into true 3-D, cardboard specs and all, and published it via his own company, The 3-D Zone. It’s repro’d here from “2-D” photocopies. The hero and heroine bear a striking resemblance to Fiction House’s Kaänga and his Ann... and only slightly less so, of course, to Tarzan and Jane. Thanks to Ray for the copy of the artwork. [©2003 Ray Zone.]

entire comics field. National Comics Publications (DC) won its longstanding lawsuit against Fawcett Publications, which alleged plagiarism in the matter of the “Captain Marvel” feature. DC claimed that Fawcett had illegally appropriated the concept of Captain Marvel from the Superman legend.

On the face of it, such a charge was patently absurd. The only similarity between Superman and Captain Marvel was the fact that both characters possessed extraordinary physical prowess. The origins of the two heroes were totally different, and their story plots were totally unrelated.

There were other comic book heroes who were much closer to the Superman concept than Captain Marvel was. But those other heroes were not garnering the fantastic sums of money that the good Captain was bringing in each month; therefore they posed no economic threat

Corrupting the morals of youth? A semi-anonymous Iger shop page from Lonely Hearts #7, according to Paul Handler, who provided us with a photocopy of the original art—but darned if we could find a comic by that name in Overstreet or elsewhere! [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

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Fiction House’s entries in the post-WWII “horror comics” derby were Ghost Comics and the very-short-lived Monster Comics, which lasted just two issues.

Ghost #2 (Spring ’52) features an evocative “Ghost Squadron” tale drawn by Rafael Astarita, who’d worked briefly in the Iger shop from 1939-41, though this story was actually a reprint from Wings Comics #77 (Jan. 1947)—while Monster Comics #2 (1953) included the above page by John Belfi (as “Johnny Bell”).

Repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of George Hagenauer & Jeff Bailey, respectively—and thanks to Paul Handler for the Belfi ID! [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

In the spring of 1954 the United States Senate Sub-committee on Crime and Its Causes investigated comic books as a possible link in the rising crime rate in America. Bill Gaines of EC Publications was singled out as a primary target of the investigation (possibly because his horror and crime comics were some the most graphic of those being sold at the time).

December many of the smaller publishers began to fold up. Then the larger publishers, still hoping conditions would improve, finally capitulated. A handful of concerned businessmen, recognizing the desperate straits the industry was in, came to the conclusion that violence and sexual exploitation were responsible for most of the woes of the industry.

As a result of this national exposure, many parents of teenagers and pre-teens began looking at the comics their children were reading. In some cases they were horrified by what they saw and immediately forbade their youngsters to buy more comic books.

To combat this problem, a document was prepared stating the objectives to be sought in “cleaning up” comics. A copy of this document was sent to all the publishers, many of whom also saw it as the only way to survive and quickly signed it. Thus was created the famous “Comics Code,” the seal which has been affixed to millions of comic magazines since 1955.

To make matters worse for the industry, in the fall of 1954 Dr. Fredric Wertham’s book Seduction of the Innocent was published, and it exploded like a bombshell amid the comics world. It created a storm center of protest among civic and parental groups, who demanded an end to the “filthy trash called comic books.”

In his effort to impugn the world of commercial comic books, Dr. Wertham resorted to numerous incidents of convoluted reasoning. While some of his arguments were valid, many of them were based on assumptions that were purely subjective.

All of the above elements collectively mitigated against the comic book publishing business. The pressures continued to mount, and at the close of 1954 the sales of comic books dropped to an alarming level. By

Some of the subscribers of the Comics Code survived the “crash.”

Many publishers closed down during early 1955. Mad magazine changed size so as not to be considered under the classification of a “comic book.”

Fiction House Comics also caved in that spring, and Jerry Iger was forced to terminate his staff of many years. Phoenix Syndicate continued on, despite the untimely death of Matt Baker. Flamingo, Iger’s most popular strip, came close to its end, until a substitute was found. Few could emulate the fluid, graceful style of Matt Baker.

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Two daily strips produced by the Iger shop as “Phoenix Features, Inc.”: South Sea Girl by future “Legion of Super-heroes” artist John Forte, and a possibly unpublished strip by Jack Kamen. George Hagenauer came up with the original art for these, bless ’im. [©2003 the respective copyright holders.]

Fiction House Comics was now defunct, but its characters were not forgotten. Sheena got her own TV series, thanks to Universal, in 1957.

Irish McCalla starred in the title role.

In the mid-’60s a phenomenon occurred, and interest in the old comics picked up. ABC-TV’s series Batman gave the industry a boost from 1965-66. It was a time of rediscovery of the medium that had enchanted millions.

The renewed interest in old comics was reflected in sales of the new comics. For numerous publishers of the ’40s and ’50s, the movement was too late—the clock couldn’t be turned back.

The late ’60s brought a wave of “comics fandom” which swept the country. People from all walks of life became interested in comics.

A whole new industry started from this fandom: comic book shops and comics conventions. The latter brought together fans, artists, writers, and publishers.

At the 1974 Comic Art Convention in New York City, the “Lifetime Achievement Award” was presented to Jerry Iger for his contributions to the industry since its inception.

Chapter IX

The Man and His Epoch Jerry Iger has contributed more to the state of the art in comics production than most other professionals. During his time as director of the Iger Studios, the sheer volume of material that was produced almost George Hagenauer, who sent A/E a photocopy of the original art, thinks the unpublished cover art at left was “a tryout piece by an unknown assistant in the Iger shop in the early ’50s—right before they closed”—as did Fiction House, for that matter. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

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staggers the mind. His contributions in terms of types and styles of material is boggling. Iger’s competitors couldn’t even come close to the volume produced from the Iger shop.

It has been said that, during those hectic days of comic book expansion (the early ’40s), Jerry Iger and his crew created new comic heroes almost on a daily basis. While this may be an exaggeration, it’s undoubtedly true that his imagination was constantly being taxed, to keep up with the demand for new material.

Back then, Jerry was a man of boundless energy, a stickler for details, and in full command of the “tight ship” he ran. He tolerated no nonsense.

The Jerry Iger of the 1980s is a mild-mannered, unassuming gentleman. Jerry has always had a soft spot in his heart for children and animals (noted for his kindness to both). He was blessed with one child, his daughter Jayne—who is still the apple of his eye. His grandson, a robust young athlete, has little inclination toward cartooning.

As a Manhattan resident from the ’30s to the ’50s, Jerry became familiar with celebrities of the entertainment world. As a member of the Cartoonists Society of America, he kept in contact with syndicate giants Alex Raymond, Hal Foster, Al Capp, and Milton Caniff. A patron of the arts, Jerry was often in the company of stars of the Broadway scene. Actors, actresses, producers, newspaper columnists, bandleaders, singers, and dancers made up his roster of friends.

Samuel Maxwell “Jerry” Iger, the founder and sustainer of The Iger Comics Kingdom.

Epilogue I

by Jay Edward Disbrow (1985) The primary purpose of comics is entertainment. Whether they achieve that goal is dependent upon the ingredients that go into them.

Jerry Iger would be the first to admit that the Golden Age never produced great literature. These were simple stories of the conflict between good and evil; of course, the good guys always triumphed. The battle was usually very direct, due to space limitations, at times resulting in situations of sheer incongruity. Comics fans were willing to accept all but the most blatant examples.

During the 1930s the film industry suffered the same weakness; “B”grade movies prevailed abundantly. Nat Levine (Mascot Pictures’ “serial king”) once said: “We do not have the time for the luxury of re-takes.

My crew has to get it right on the first shooting!” This attitude resulted in bloops and blunders on the silver screen.

In the ’50s Jerry became something of an entertainer himself. He appeared on a number of television programs and radio interviews, and was written up in various periodicals.

The film industry suffered from time limitations. Comics were victimized by both time and space constrictions. Most comics ran 64 pages, and few stories ran in excess of 15 pages. Lead stories usually ran 13-15 pages, with several short back-up stories, hardly enough room for plot depth or character development.

The editorial staff of the Comics Journal magazine (comics news and critiques) have constantly lamented the failure of the industry to maximize its potential. Publisher Gary Groth has stated, “We love the comics medium, but deplore the absurd pap that is currently being disgorged from comic publishers.”

Jerry made it a lifelong practice to combat bigotry in all phases. He didn’t care about the color, gender, or religion of an artist or writer. He cared only about their talents, or lack of them.

Has the comics industry ever produced anything to rival great literature? In my opinion, yes. Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant has set a standard that has never been surpassed.

Few could rival his efforts. The comic book industry has never attempted anything remotely similar, not that it couldn’t be done. There certainly is no lack of talent (artists or writers) within the industry. But the mold has been set, and few publishers have extended themselves beyond it.

Experimentation must be encouraged to pull comics out of the realm of mediocrity.

If it were possible to take a poll of Americans to discover the number who have seen Jerry’s creations, that number would be amazing. To combine a love of vicarious adventure and sound business sense isn’t an easy accomplishment, yet Jerry merged the two in a practical manner.

One hallmark of Iger’s Studios was the graceful female figures rendered. Matt Baker was undoubtedly one of the finest “good girl” artists in the comics field.

Recently, publishers out of the mainstream of comics productions have begun to experiment with new concepts, sometimes very successfully. This is obvious cause for rejoicing, and a fond hope that it continues.

The comic books of the Golden Age represented little more than a form of escapism for millions of readers.

Many relaxed to the adventures of Sheena and others, yet some found more than a passing interest in comics. The collectors decided to preserve the newsprint treasures as heirlooms for the future. Such individuals formed the foundations of the comics fandom movement.

Looking back over four and a half decades of comics, one has to see the charm of the early efforts. The simplistic approach of the heroes to justice, fair play, and good will can’t just be written off as lack of Through all of this, Jerry Iger’s solitary figure stands sophistication. They played a large part in the out against this wonderful background of creation. formation of childhood ideals in the ’30s. During The accomplishments of his long career will World War II they helped instill patriotism and endure long after he’s left this mortal sphere. pride in the young readers. Despite its flaws, the The knowledge that he has contributed happy comics industry has served a good cause in many memories to millions of readers means more to For a generation of red-blooded young ways.

Jerry than his numerous awards and recogniAmerican males, the rightful image of Sheena is tions. forever that of Irish McCalla, the tall blonde At this juncture, I’d like to explain how the beauty who portrayed her on the late-’50s Iger Studios functioned, based on my personal Today, he lives in Queens, New York, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle TV series. This photo observations. As mentioned earlier, Ruth Roche surrounded by the memorabilia of a rich and appeared in the 1985 Iger Comics Kingdom book. wrote scripts, which were translated into finished rewarding career. This has been the story of [Sheena TM & ©2003 Paul Aratow/ Columbia Pictures.]

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comics stories. Supplemental scripts were supplied by the respective publishers, and from freelance writers.

Each script was a complete story, containing narration (the captions) and dialogue (“word balloons” containing the characters’ lines).

Instructions for the pencilers (scene setting, background, characters, and panel layout) were also included in the script. Note: The artists frequently ignored these instructions, to render the story as they saw fit.

Scripts were given to pencilers (layout artists), many of whom did the assignments on a freelance basis in their home studios. The stories were penciled 50% larger than the printed page, on bristol board. The finished “pencils” were then returned to the Iger Studios for lettering of the copy. The pages were then passed out to the inkers, who carefully inked the penciler’s drawing. From there it was on to an apprentice for the clean-up process: erasing all pencil marks, opaquing extraneous blemishes, and—last but not least—restoring inked lines that were erased during the clean-up process. Finally, the pages were reviewed by Jerry Iger or Ruth Roche and returned to the publisher.

Sometimes more than one inker worked on the same page. When hectic schedules prevailed, as many as three or four worked on a single page. All inkers strove to maintain the same technique (at least they were told to), with one artist inking only characters’ faces, etc. When the stories were completed, somehow the style of the penciler showed through in the finished product, and every story had the distinctive “Iger look” about it.

Epilogue II (1985)

The Caplin-Iger Company, Limited

by Lee Caplin, President, The Caplin-Iger Company, Ltd. Blackthorne Publishing has asked me to pen a bit of background information of events over the last number of years.

S.M. Iger and I have formed a corporation, The Caplin-Iger

From the 1985 edition of TICK: a 1940 photo of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Iger with former world heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey, at the latter’s thenfamed Manhattan nightclub—and a possibly-Iger-shop, possibly-KlausNordling splash of a Golden Age “Kid Dixon” story. Paul Handler, who supplied us with a photocopy of the original art, says “Kid Dixon” was “a regular feature in National Comics (Quality). However, this may have been published in Atomic or Bomber,” two post-WWII titles for which the Iger shop produced art and stories. Wonder what Dempsey would’ve said about the above early foretaste of kick-boxing? [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

Company, Ltd., which owns and controls all the titles from the famous “Iger Shop.” Historically, Jerry Iger never sold or transferred the copyright or trademark in any of his characters or titles. It was his practice only to negotiate a license to a publisher such as Farrell or T.T. Scott, etc., to publish a story or series of stories based on a given list of characters. Upon expiration of the license, all rights and title to those characters and stories reverted to Mr. Iger by the terms of the contract.

The Iger shop was run in a manner similar to all great design studios.

Jay Disbrow’s letterhead includes science-fiction themes, which he pursues in his Internet s-f/fantasy strip “Aroc of Zenith.”

It can be viewed at <www.marvelfamily.com/aroc>.

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Jay Disbrow then fell into a period of appearing poorly drawn, and still later appeared back in its old form. The implication is that Jerry Iger licensed or sold the character to a publisher, who then had the right to use or sell it. This is far from the case, and examination of existing contracts shows no legal transfers or chain of title out of the Iger Studios.

What seems like revival of characters in the mid-’50s was, as far as the Iger Shop was concerned, the re-introduction of characters which had found competent artists once again. Certainly Jerry Iger responded to the possibilities of utilizing outstanding artistic talent, as well as requests from publishers for specific material. One can speculate about the probable effects that war had on the types of characters appearing in comic book: during a time when we needed heroes, the comics creators poured forth characters committed to saving America—Wonder Boy is high on the list. In the post-war complacency of “grandfather” Ike, the country’s needs were different. Super-heroes gave way to “Archie”-style stories, or just plain folks. The Comics Code also undoubtedly was a softening effect.

This photo of Jay Disbrow appeared in the 1985 edition of The Iger Comics Kingdom. [©2003 Jay Disbrow.]

Epilogue III (1985)

In other words, Jerry Iger hired a crack staff of artists to execute characters which he invented, out of the blue or at the behest of a publisher. (E.g., see the historical notes by Jerry Iger.) The artists were employees, their work being executed under contract and belonging to the Iger Studios in perpetuity. Even in the case where Jerry Iger became partners with one of his artists (Will Eisner), upon dissolution of the partnership, all title to the characters created during the partnership remained with Jerry Iger, by contract.

Historic Notes: Memories of Sheena

Although stories were written by Jerry Iger (sometimes under the names of S.M. Regi or Jerry Maxwell, etc.) or in concert with his onetime partner Ruth Roche, various artists were called upon to draw the characters. Sometimes several artists would contribute to a feature, since one artist’s strong points were another’s weak points; this exception required a delicate balance of collaboration, coordinated by Jerry. Once in a while, one artist would take over drawing a feature whose artwork was “originated” by another, when the first artist was unavailable for whatever reason.

But the Iger Studios always made an effort to avoid an assembly-line approach in order to achieve an original look.

If a character seemed to go out of existence, it was only because there was no “contract artist” available who could produce artwork that Jerry Iger thought was up to snuff. When this happened, other companies sometimes used the opportunity either to republish Iger shop stories, or to create additional stories using the pirated characters. No royalties were paid to the Iger Studios, and Jerry never thought much of pressing legal claims to sue for petty damages. In the early days, with the exception of Marvel and DC, the proprietary interests of comics creators such as Jerry Iger weren’t defended as assiduously as they are today. Pirated comics characters inevitably disappeared when the marketplace became aware of the lack of quality, and sometimes they were even “sold”—not unlike the Brooklyn Bridge—to buyers who never received a valid title for their purchase! (It amuses me to read, for example, how Blue Beetle looked a certain way during “X” years,

by Jerry Iger So much has been said about “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle” that it’s become almost impossible to separate fact from lore. Certainly Sheena ranks among the all-time great comics heroines, and will remain in high esteem as long as there are comic book aficionados and collectors.

Back in 1937 I had been producing a lot of material under my own banner, “Universal Phoenix Features.” In my shop were some wonderful artists, many of whom worked freelance on an “as needed” basis.

Included were such names as Mort Meskin and Will Eisner. In addition to supplying comic strip material around the U.S., I had a business relationship with Editors Press Service. EPS represented American

In April 1985 Caplin-Iger Company, Ltd., and Blackthorne Publishing, Inc., teamed up to put out a handsome 72-page volume whose indicia title was Jerry Iger’s Classic Sheena #1. It featured six “Sheena” tales and one “Tiger Girl.” In 1986 followed Jerry Iger’s Golden Features #2, spotlighting Matt Baker “Wonder Boy” art. 1984 had seen Jerry Iger’s Famous Features #1, showcasing “Flamingo.” [©2003 Lee Caplin.]

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Two-thirds of a century after her creation, Sheena is still an icon—second only to Tarzan himself as a fictional jungle ruler well known to the public. So it was inevitable that modern-day talents try their hands at Sheena. [NOTE: Though the particular pieces of art on the next three pages may be copyright by the artist or publishing company, Sheena is TM &©2003 Paul Aratow/Columbia Pictures.]

(Right:) A Bob Webb page from Sheena #6 (Spring 1950), courtesy of Jeff Bailey. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

Dave Stevens, besides the luscious 1985 art which graces this issue’s cover, also drew one for the Sheena 3-D Special #1 that same year. A few years earlier, he had depicted the Jungle Queen for the program book of the 1981 San Diego Comic-Con. With thanks to the artist & to Shel Dorf. [Art©2003 Dave Stevens.]

Adam Hughes’ 1991 take on the voluptuous Jungle Queen. With thanks to Adam and to Joe Latino. [Art©2003 Adam Hughes.]

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Jay Disbrow for me doing “Hawks of the Seas” and “ZX-5.” He also did sports drawings that I syndicated with my other materials throughout the U.S. (A good collection of these drawings is in the book Heroes of Sports which I published with my partner, Lee Caplin, in 1984 as a trade book under the Pacific Comics label.)

Some people have thought Will also had a role in the creation of Sheena, but the closest Will got to “Sheena” was to do the art for a cover or two, long after the character had been published by Wags. The artists who are best remembered as drawing “Sheena” are Robert Webb and Bob Powell.

After Wags had been running the “Sheena” strips, I approached them to buy back the printer’s plates, so I could publish them in the United States. Editors Press Service agreed, so after the sale had been consummated, I approached Thurman Scott at Fiction House. I convinced

Alex Ross, illustrator of Marvels and many a beauteous DC volume since, did this gorgeous study of Sheena a couple of years back. Thanks to Alex, and to Joe Latino. [Art©2003 Alex Ross.]

syndicated services overseas, and was interested in the features I was publishing. At that time, I was supplying strips for a magazine called Wags. This was a black-&-white tabloid that enjoyed a large European circulation and was handled by EPS. Eduardo Cardenas, who was in charge of the EPS publication (and who later became the Foreign Editor for Reader’s Digest), called me in to plan some new features for Wags. He mentioned the popularity of Tarzan, and asked me whether I could do a “knock-off” for his magazine. I replied that my shop was known for its original material, and that I didn’t like the idea of doing a male jungle hero. “Why couldn’t we have a jungle heroine?” I asked Eduardo. He replied that it sounded okay to him, but what would I call it? Thinking back, it’s strange to remember all the random ideas that used to go into creating new characters.

For some reason, my mind wandered to early days in New York, when Jewish people were sometimes called “Sheenies” as an insult, and I piped up, “Why don’t we call her ‘Sheena’?” Eduardo didn’t ask how I thought that one up, and I didn’t offer, but the name had a nice ring to it, and it stuck. Once we had agreed that the new character’s name would be Sheena, Eduardo asked me to go back to my studio and bring him some sample drawings.

Arriving at the Universal Phoenix Features office, I looked through my roster of artists to see whom I’d pick to draw the prototype. I selected Mort Meskin for the first drawings. Mort was one of the freelance artists I relied upon. He mostly did illustrations, and this project offered him his first opportunity to sign his name to a published work. Another freelancer at the time was Will Eisner. Will was working Trina Robbins, underground cartoonist and author, gave Sheena her seal of approval, with this artful paper doll done for the 1989 San Diego Comic-Con program book. Thanks to Trina & to Shel Dorf. [Art©2003 Trina Robbins.]

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Thurman that we could reprint the tabloid-size plates as a giant comic book, just as we’d done at Wags.

“But what can you do about getting us some color instead of those black-&-white drawings?” Thurman asked. I thought for a minute, and suggested using colored paper to get a color comics effect. Thurman loved the idea, and that’s how Jumbo Comics got started—the name reflected those first eight issues cut to tabloid size. In fact, the last big Jumbo issue came out at the same time as the New York World’s Fair [of 1939], and was a commemorative issue.

After that, when the original Wags plates were used up, we re-edited the material and brought Jumbo to conventional comic book size (still called Jumbo). “Sheena” was still just one of the strips.

Around 1940 “Sheena” first appeared as a lead feature, and in the meanwhile Universal Phoenix Features had gone into a “holding pattern,” because I had gone into a brief relationship with Will Eisner in mid-1938, only to buy him out in 1940 when Will was drafted into the Army to do military posters. (Will had become so accomplished—and so expensive!—as a freelance artist that the only way I could afford his services was to make him a partner.) After “Iger & Eisner, Ltd.” was dissolved, I returned to publishing at “Phoenix Features.” A few years later, Fiction House requested that I produce a Sheena quarterly, and for the next ten years or so, Sheena had her own comic.

In 1953 there was a big to-do about 3-D comics. Thurman Scott

The one and only Frank Frazetta drew this sketch— which may or may not be Sheena, but hey, she’s a blonde wearing leopard-skin, right?

—which appeared in San Diego’s 1972 program book.

Thanks to Shel Dorf. [Art©2003 Frank Frazetta.]

called me to ask whether I could produce a 3-D Sheena to get in on the excitement. I said I could, even though I didn’t have the slightest idea how! The first thing I did was to call a close friend, Frank Little, for advice.

Frank was a highly talented animator for Paul Terry (“Terry-Toons” and “Mighty Mouse”), and he assured me he would pitch in and help. So, with Bob Webb to do the drawing, Frank Little to do the color separations, and yours truly doing the stories, we felt we had a dynamic team.

Thurman Scott was keeping his fingers crossed, hoping Sheena 3-D would be the smash hit we were hoping for to pull Fiction House out of its financial slump.

The Sheena “team” got all the material together.

Frank traveled to Waterbury, Connecticut, to Eastern Color Printing, to do the separations. Great care was taken with the inking and printing, and the Sheena 3-D was a masterpiece. The only disappointment was that Sheena alone couldn’t reverse the fortunes of Fiction House, and the company soon went out of business.

If memory serves me correctly, the Sheena 3-D was Sheena’s last comic book appearance until May 1985, when Blackthorne Publishing, Inc., re-released Sheena 3-D with retouched art and all-new 3-D separations!

Our new venture, “The CaplinIger Company, Ltd.,” is dedicated to presenting features from the “Iger Shop” in a historical context.

It is my hope that relating my personal experiences in connection with the evolution of “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle,” as well as other features, will increase the understanding and enjoyment of these Golden Age creations for future generations of comic book collectors.

And, for a closer: here’s a 2001 pencil illustration by Frank Brunner, no mean slouch at drawing the fair sex himself. Courtesy of FB. You can find out how to get your own Brunner original art elsewhere in this issue. [Art©2003 Frank Brunner.]

All characters ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Well, MIKE “Romita-Man”BURKEY wants to buy your Amazing Spider-Man #39-297 art, as well as “any” comic book art from the ’30s to present!

Check out Mike’s Web site with over 700 pictured pieces of art for sale or trade at:

www.romitaman.com or write: P.O. Box 455, Ravenna, OH 44266 PH: 330-296-2415 • e-mail: MikeBurkey@aol.com

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A Footnote on the Eisner & Iger Shops G. Bails, in conjunction with others, has amassed a detailed and reasonably comprehensive list of the two shops’ personnel, based in large part upon responses from the artists and writers themselves, back when so many more of them were still amongst us.

He has made this painstaking research from his online version of Who’s Who in American Comic Books available to Alter Ego—for which we humbly thank him. If there are any suggested corrections or additions to this list, please contact A/E at <roydann@ntinet.com>—or contact Jerry at <JerryBails@aol.com>. In addition, you can visit Jerry’s information-filled Who’s Who website at <www.nostromo.no/whoswo/>.

Also helpful was Howard Keltner’s monumental Golden Age Comic Books Index (1935-1955): The Revised Edition.

by Roy Thomas (utilizing the contributions of Jerry Bails and Steve Whitaker) While many of the artists, writers, and production people who worked for the Eisner & Iger, Ltd., shop, or later the S.M. Iger Studios, are mentioned by name in the course of Jay Disbrow’s The Iger Comics Kingdom, as reprinted this issue in slightly revised fashion, the 1985 book made no attempt to feature a full listing of the two shops’ personnel between the late 1930s and the mid-to-late 1950s when the Iger shop was finally dissolved, or a few years later when the last of its inventory was used up. To some extent, indeed, a truly complete listing of Eisner/Iger’s cast of characters may well be beyond the possibility of human accomplishment at this late date, the more so since some creators worked for one or both shops on some sort of freelance basis, rather than being on staff.

However, since he began his researches in the early 1960s, Jerry

Jay Disbrow’s tribute to Will Eisner’s “The Hawk,” which would resurface later as “Hawks of the Seas.” For a “Hawk” panel, see p. 12... and see the 1986 Kitchen Sink volume Hawks of the Seas for the later version. [Art ©2003 Jay Disbrow; character TM & ©2003 Will Eisner.]

Eisner & Iger Shop According to JGB’s Who’s Who, this shop was also called at one time Syndicated Features Corporation, and at various times between 1937-39 produced work for at least the following: Wags magazine (U.K.), Okay Comics Weekly (U.K.), and the comics lines of Quality, Fiction House, Fox, and Harvey. Features created in the shop during this period include “Hawks of the Seas,” “Yarko,” “Sheena,” “Spencer Steel,” and others. In the listings below, a question mark (?) after a creator’s name means that whether or not he worked for the shop in question is unverified at present.

Eisner & Iger Shop Personnel Vince Alascia (artist)–c. 1938-39 Jack Alderman (inker)–1939 Gerald Altman (lettering, backgrounds) –c. 1938-39 Larry Antonette (artist)–1939 Stan Aschmeier (artist)–1939 Rafael Astarita (artist)–c. 1939 Bernard Baily (artist) –1937-39 Winnifred Belefant (secretary) –c. 1938-39 Alex Blum (artist)–1938-39

Toni Blum (writer)–1938-39 (later married to Bill Bossert) Bill Bossert (writer)–1939 George Brenner (artist) –1936 (pre-Eisner & Iger) Dick Briefer (writer/artist)–1937-39 Ray Burley (artist)–1939 Nick Cardy (then Nick Viscardi) (artist)–1939 Arthur Cazeneuve (artist) –1939 Grieg Chapian (artist) –1939 Reed Crandall (artist)–1939 (continued on next page)

Whether it was Ruth Roche or someone else who wrote the adaptation of Homer’s Iliad in Classics Illustrated #77 (Nov. 1950), the combined script and Alex Blum art had such a powerful impact on Ye Editor, then just turning ten, that after reading it he located an abridged version of the original, and soon followed that with Samuel Butler’s 19th-century prose translation. It became his favorite work of pre-20th century literature... even though Blum drew Ajax the Greater and Ajax the Lesser, two distinctly different heroes, as if they were twins when they stood side by side! [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

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The Eisner & Iger Shops

Eisner & Iger Shop (cont’d) Don de Conn (artist)–1939 Will Eisner (director/writer/artist)–1937-39 Robert Farrell (writer)–1939 Gene Fawcette (artist)–c. 1939 Louis Ferstadt (?) (artist) –1937-39 Lou Fine (artist) –1938-39 Henry Fletcher (artist) –1939 Gill Fox (artist) –1937-39 Leonard Frank (?) (artist) –c. 1938-39 Walter Frehm (artist) –1939 Frank Frollo (artist) –1939 Robert Golden (letterer) –1937-39 Maurice Gutwirth (artist) –1939 Lee Harris (artist) –1939 Vern Henkel (artist) –1938-39

S.M. (Jerry) Iger (director/writer/artist) –1937-39 Ken Jackson (writer/penciler) –1939 Bob Kane (writer/artist) –1937-38 Jack Kirby (artist) –1937-38 Edwin Laughlin (artist) –1938-39 John Lindermayer (artist) –1939 Les Marshall (artist) –1937-39 Archie Martin (?) (artist) –c. 1939 Charles Mazoujian (artist) –1939 Mort Meskin (artist) –1938-39 Charles Nicholas (artist) –1939 Klaus Nordling (artist) –1939 Arthur Peddy (artist) –1938-39 Art Pinajian (artist) –1938-39 Bob Powell (art director) –1938-39

Pierce Rice (penciler) –1939 Coulton Riggs (?) (artist) –1939 Fred Schwab (artist) –1939 William A. Smith (?) (artist) –1938-39 Charles Sultan (artist) –1939 S. Summerfield (?) (specialty unknown) –1930s Charles Thorndike (writer/artist) –1936 (pre-Eisner & Iger) George Tuska (writer/artist) –1939 Ed Waldman (artist) –1938-39 Witmer Williams (artist) –1939 Dan Zolnerowich (artist) –1939

The S.M. IGER Studio Beginning around the turn of 1940, after what seems to have been the effective and perhaps formal split-up of Eisner & Iger, the S.M. Iger Studios produced work, between 1940-1958, to the following: Harvey, Fawcett, Quality, Fox, Fiction House, Great Comics, Gilberton, Hillman, Bomber Comics, Atomic Comics, McCombs, Seven Seas Comics, Superior, Ajax/Farrell, and EC Comics (some pre-New Trend features).

Iger Shop Personnel (Many creators, of course, continue from the Eisner & Iger period; some returned later.)

Nina Albright (artist) –1943-44 William Allison (artist) –early 1940s Gerald Altman (lettering/backgrounds) –1940-41 Lee Ames (artist) –1941-43 George Appel (artist) –c. 1941-47 Rafael Astarita (artist) –1940-41 Ayer (first name unknown) (artist) –c. 1944 Aylor (first name unknown) (artist) –1944 Matt Baker (artist) –1944-c. 1952 W.F. Baldwin (?) (specialty unknown) –c. 1942 Ken Battefield (penciler) –c. 1945-55 Winnifred Belefant (secretary) –1940-44 Harry Belil (inker) –1952-53 Helen Bennett (?) (business) –1953 Thompson Bennett (writer) –1953 L. Bing (?) (artist) –1940 Chester Blaski (inker) –c. 1951 Alex Blum (artist) –1940-54 Toni Blum (writer) –1940-42 Herman Bolstein (writer) –1940 Bill Bossert (artist) –1940-42 Ann Brewster (artist) –c. 1944-48 Steve Broder (pen name?) (writer) –1940-41 (not same as Steve Brodie, inker) Eleanor Brody (writer) –c. 1940-45 Al Bryant (artist) –c. 1941-42 Lina Buffolente (specialty unknown) –c. 1948-50 Nick Cardy (nee Nicholas Viscardi) (artist) –1940-42 Al Carreno (?) (specialty unknown) –c. 1940-41

Richard Case (artist) –c. 1940-46, early 1950s John Cassone (artist) –c. 1940-43 Arthur Cazeneuve (artist) –1940-41 Louis Cazeneuve (artist) –c. 194041 John Celardo (artist) –1940-41 Grief Chapian (artist) –1940-42 Sam Citron (artist) –c. 1942 Milton Cohen (letterer) –1941-43 Paul Cooper (artist) –c. 1945-48 Sam Cooper (artist) –c. 1944 Jay Disbrow (writer/artist) Sorry that a few lines dropped out of this “Señorita Rio” page –1950-51 drawn by Lily Renée for a 1948 issue of Fight Comics, but we Dana Dutch (writer) –early 1940s still wanted to spotlight her talent one last time before we Max Elkan (artist) –c. 1941 ran out of magazine! Thanks to Jerry Bails & Hames Ware.

S.K. Emerson (associate editor) [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

–1953 Walter Frehm (artist) –1940-41 Ezersky (first name unknown) Burt Frohman (backgrounds) –1944-45 (inker/letterer) –1943 Frank Frollo (artist) –c. 1948 Al Fagaly (writer/artist) Harold Fromm (inker) –c. 1951-53 –1941-c. 1948) Al Gabrielle (artist) –c. 1941-42 Myron Fass (artist) –1949-c. 1953) Frank Giacoia (assistant) –1941 Gene Fawcette (artist) –1940-41 Dick Giordano (assistant) –1951-52 Al Feldstein (writer/artist) David Glazer (letterer?) –dates unknown –1941-c. 1948 Robert L. Golden (letterer) –1940-42, 1945-52 Louis Ferstadt (artist) –c. 1940-41 Louis Goldklang (letterer) –1945-52 Homer Fleming (artist) –c. 1943-50 Ed Good (?) (artist) –c. 1945 Fontaine (first name unknown) (syndicate John Graham (artist) –c. 1946 inventory?) –1945 Alfred Grenet (manager/letterer) –c. 1941-43 John Forte (artist) –1945-c. 1949 Maurice Gutwirth (artist) –1942-45 Leonard Frank (artist) –c. 1940-41

The Eisner & Iger Shops Ruth Harris (bookkeeper; inker) –c. 1947-53 Ernest Huntley Hart (writer/artist) –1958-61 (art adjustments on inventory?)

David Heames (inker/art director) –1945-c. 1953 Hearne, Jack R. (artist) –c. 1945 Bob Hebberd (artist) –1940-50 Arnold L. Hicks (artist) –c. 1943-48 David Icove (writer/artist) –1943-49 S.M. (Jerry) Iger (director) –1940-61 Pagilang Rey Isip (artist) –c. 1941-44 Ezra Jackson (artist) –1940s Jack Kamen (penciler) –1942, 1946-52 Harry Kanter (writer) –c. 1944 George Kapitan (writer) –c. 1945 Jack Katz (letterer) –1945 Henry C. Kiefer (artist) –c. 1940-53 Alex Koda (artist) –c. 1949-52 Bill La Cava (artist) –c. 1950 Mort Lawrence (artist) –mid-1940s Andre Le Blanc (artist) –c. 1940-41 Mortimer Leav (artist) –1941-43 Frank Little (writer/penciler) –1943-58 R. Livingstone (artist) –1940-43 Pete Llanuza (artist) –early 1940s Les Marshall (writer/artist) –1940-45 Chet Martin (artist) –c. 1952-53 Phil Martin (pen name?) (artist) –1941-43 Charles F. Miller (?) (artist) –c. 1945-53 Jim Mooney (artist) –1940-42 Ruben Moreira (artist) –1942-43 Fred Morgan (writer/artist) –c. 1941-45 Jack Murry (artist) –c. 1941-43 Charles Nicholas (artist) –1940-42 Klaus Nordling (artist) –1940-41 Ray Osrin (inker) –1945-49 Munson Paddock (artist) –1940 Rudy Palais (artist) –c. 1941-43 Walter Palais (artist) –1940-44 Ramona Patenaude (artist) –1940-42 Victor Pazmino (writer/artist) –1941-42

Arthur Peddy (artist) –1940-42 Mike Peppe (artist) –1945 Don Perlin (artist) –1949-50 Art Pinajian (artist) –1940-42 Al Plastino (artist) –1940-41 Bob Powell (artist) –1940-43 Jean Press (writer) –1940-43 Clarence Ramon (artist) –c. 1946 Sy Reit (writer/artist) –c. 1941-42 Kenneth Rice (inker) –dates unknown Pierce Rice (artist) –1940 Don Rico (artist) –early 1940s Ed Robbins (?) (artist) –dates unknown Ann Roche (editor/colorist) –mid-1940s Ruth Ann Roche (editor/writer) –1940-61, partner 1945-61 Saul Rosen (artist) –1942-44 Aldo Rubano (artist) –c. 1941-42 Art Saaf (artist) –1941-42 Gustav Schrotter (artist) –1945-53 Fred Schwab (artist) –1940-41 Bob Schwartz (artist) –mid-1940s F. Schwartz (artist) –1940-42 Tom Scott (writer) –1945-47 Hega Seuss (pen name?) (artist) –c. 1941 Jerry Siegel (writer) –early 1950s Martin Smith (writer) –1941-43 William A. Smith (artist) –1940-42 John Spranger (artist) –c. 1953 Al Stahl (artist) –1941-43 Harry Stein (writer) –1940-42 Manning Lee Stokes (writer) –1945-54 E.C. Stoner (specialty unknown) –1940-42 Charles Thorndike (writer/artist) –c. 1942-43 John Thornton (penciler) –1951-69 Murray Tinkleman (inker/assistant) –c. 1951-52 Sal Trapani (inker) –1950-53 George Tuska (artist) –1940-41 Ed Waldman (artist) –1940-54 Al Walker (artist) –1941-43

51 Bill Walsh (artist) –1949-52 Priscilla Ward (artist) –1940s Robert H. Webb (artist) - 1941-53 Maurice Whitman (artist) –c. 1944-54 George Wilhelms (artist) –c. 1940-42 Witmer Williams (artist) –1940-41 Charles A. Winter (artist) –1940-41 Wollen (first name unknown) (?) (inker) –1943 Dan Zolnerowich (artist) –1940-44 Stanley Zuckerberg (artist) –1940-41 NOTE: It may be noticed that, although the Iger Studio closed its doors in the mid-1950s, a number of personnel listed above are mentioned as having done work for the shop at a time several years later. Steve Whitaker explains: “Iger continued to publish in Canada as ‘Superior’ up to the mid-’50s; I only know some of the romance stuff like G.I. War Brides, but this is Iger shop all the way.

Farrell’s line went to the wall in late 1957; his last comics have early 1958 cover dates. By this time Iger wasn’t supplying anyone else [but Farrell]. The ‘IW’ reprints start up in the late ’50s (as well as Red Top, which I suspect is an earlier incarnation [of IW, named for publisher Israel Waldman]), and it’s clear that a large amount of the material Waldman filched for his titles was Iger-originated (as well as Sullivan’s ME strips and some Simon & Kirby stuff).

Later, in the late ’60s, ex-Iger man Myron Fass at Eerie Publications and Waldman once again—this time at Skywald—ran reprints of Iger material...

“Which is a long-winded way of saying [for instance], “Yes, Ernie Hart could well have been kept busy at Iger’s between ’58 and ’61....”

A Postscript on Will Eisner’s The Dreamer On page 14, Steve Whitaker mentions his conferring a decade ago with Will Eisner, to check on the identities of the Eisner & Iger shop personnel who are fictionalized in his 1986 roman à clef graphic novel The Dreamer. Below is Steve’s Eisner-vetted list of the fictionalized versions, and the name of the actual creator whom Will told Steve had inspired the character:

Real Person = Character in The Dreamer Will Eisner =Billy Eyron Jerry Iger =Jimmy Samson Toni Blum =Andrea Budd Bob Powell =Bo Bowers Victor Fox =Vince Reyard Lou Fine =Lew Sharp George Tuska =Gar Tooth Jack Kirby =Jack King Harry Donenfeld =Donald Harrifeld Jack Liebowitz=Jakob Lovecraft Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson= Captain Montrose B. Wilson

M.C. Gaines=Chuck Maxwell Bob Kane=Ken Corn Alex Blum=Armand Budd Everett “Busy” Arnold=Beansy Everett Chuck Mazoujian=Chuck Mann John Henle (publisher of Wow!)= Henry (publisher of Socko) Henry Martin=Mike Henney Steve says he has thus far tried in vain to identify “O’Brien,” the pulp-mag editor on page 14 of the graphic novel.

Socko editor Jimmy Samson (stand-in for Jerry Iger) gives hopeful young artist Billy Eyron (=Will Eisner) the brushoff in a panel from Eisner’s graphic novel The Dreamer, recently reprinted in softcover by DC Comics. [©2003 Will Eisner.]

52

re:

re: with zip-a-tone, fine line, and any other effect he could come up with.

There would not be an inch of white left on a page. He was constantly indignant when John would teach anything but that, and really believed John didn’t know what he was talking about. I’m sure he’s gone far.

Alter Ego strikes again! The above comic book super-hero by that name, that is—our marvelous masked mascot from the 1986 First Comics series, as penciled by Ron Harris, inked by Rich Burchett, and written by Ye Editor.

[Alter Ego is TM & ©2003 Roy & Dann Thomas; art ©2003 Ron Harris.]

Sorry, but due to eleventh-hour circumstances, we wound up with only room for one of the three pages of letters we'd prepared for this issue; the rest will be in #22. Since A/E #16 was, in a sense, the second in a row done as an homage to the late, great John Buscema, let’s let Andy Ice, one of John’s workshop students during the 1970s, have the first word: Dear Roy: I enjoyed the accounts of the John Buscema Workshop by Joe and Kevin in Alter Ego #16. I was also a first-year student, and thought I’d add my own memories of that most unique and rewarding time.

I was just finishing college in Connecticut when the course was offered, and jumped at the opportunity. I would take the train from Bridgeport, meet two other students, Nick Ugolith and Jon Wrenn, on the train, then catch the 11:05 back to Bridgeport, followed by a mile walk home through the worst parts of the city, and loved every minute of it.

The first thing John told us as a class was that he couldn’t understand why we wanted to draw comics, and that the field was terrible and dying. John never pulled any punches with his “reality checks,” and I always appreciated his thoughtfulness and honesty.

John had little use for over-rendered, trendy artists, and this made for many debates with class members who wanted John to see just how great their favorite artist was. Rich Corben became an ongoing topic.

One night, someone flashed a Heavy Metal Corben story at John, who was not impressed with the airbrush and other techniques. He picked up a Marvel comic some guy had opened to the Bullpen Bulletins page, with a Kirby drawing of Ikarus of The Eternals in the corner, and expounded on the genius of the Kirby drawing.

I was surprised later in the year when John took another look at a Corben story and, looking beneath the gloss, agreed that he was a good artist and storyteller. That shook me up and made me take a second look.

As far as I and most of the class were concerned, it was like sitting at the feet of the master, and we wanted to take in as much as we could.

It amazed and amused me, however, to see a couple of guys who always took issue with John, and thought they knew more about comics and art than he did. One guy, whose name I forget, loved to ink in loving detail,

It was clear that guys like Bob Hall were going to make it. Bob was older than most, had already had success in theater, and was a great student. He really applied what John taught, and never got into the “fanboy” stuff. Bruce Patterson was already working at Continuity, and seemed to think himself a little above it all in the class. He would sit in the back row, and often bring in pages he was working on. I recall him showing some Charlton pages from some guy named John Byrne, that he was inking backgrounds on.

One night John gathered us around him as he showed us how he laid out a Conan page. It was amazing watching it pour out of him, as he told us his thinking at every step.

We would bring in our assignments and John would critique them, often laying tracing paper over our work and showing us how to improve. He would sometimes hand out roughs on newsprint, which I still treasure.

The only prize I’ve ever won was a detailed pencil drawing of a barbarian that John brought to class for some forgotten reason. It was stunning, and he picked a number out of a hat to see who’d keep it. I won, had him sign it, and it hangs framed on my wall.

It was always exciting when guests came. I was surprised that Stan Lee actually showed up. Although he addressed us in the usual Stan the Man tone, he was actually more honest than I was expecting. Don Heck was quiet, and I remember thinking I wish he knew how much most of us respected him, and welcomed him. But the biggest night was when Roy Thomas showed up. The word must have gone out, as suddenly the class was double the size. I remember Roy just starting in and hours later still talking, addressing everything from the state of the industry, to how the changing page size artists worked on had hurt Kirby’s work.

I loved every minute of it, though I never worked for Marvel. I did some truly forgettable books for Eclipse and Blackthorne in the mid’80s, before getting involved with animation, where I’ve worked since ’89 for most every studio from Warner Bros. to Disney.

A couple of additions to the “where are they now?” class list from #16: Bob Downs became an inker; I recall seeing him on some Avengers issues. Jon Wrenn became an editor at Charlton before they went belly up, and I’ve crossed paths with Dave Simon a couple of times in the animation industry.

Andy Ice John Buscema wouldn’t have been about to let even Roy talk to his class for “hours,” Andy—it probably just seemed like it! Thanks for the memories. By the way, in the 1980s, Bob Downs did a nice job inking DC’s The Young All-Stars for Roy. Next issue: more letters on Buscema, Romita, and the Binder brothers interview... plus Lou Fine, Arnold Drake, et al., from A/E #17—we promise!

Now—FLIP US for our JSA/All-Star Squadron Section!

PLUS: PLUS:

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No. 21 with MARC SWAYZE• C.C. BECK WILL LIEBERSON• BUD THOMPSON & KURT SCHAFFENBERGER

ALL-STAR Cast!

IRWIN HASEN ALEX TOTH CARMINE INFANTINO JOE KUBERT GARDNER FOX SHELLY MAYER RICH BUCKLER JERRY ORDWAY CHESTER KOZLAK STAN ASCHMEIER LEE ELIAS PAUL REINMAN MORT MESKIN SHELDON MOLDOFF FRANK HARRY MARTIN NAYDEL HARRY LAMPERT ARTHUR PEDDY BOB OKSNER H.G. PETER RICH LARSEN RON HARRIS MICHAEL T. GILBERT JIM AMASH ROY THOMAS & MORE!!

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Art ©2003 Irwin Hasen; JSA TM & ©2003 DC Comics

Art & Artifacts

by An

February 2003

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

TM

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE magazine celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through recurring (and rotating) departments like “Pro2Pro” (dialogue between professionals), “BackStage Pass” (behind-the-scenes of comicsbased media), “Greatest Stories Never Told” (spotlighting unrealized comics series or stories), and more!

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With art and commentary from BUCKLER, BUSIEK, FRADON, HECK, INFANTINO, NEWTON, and WOLFMAN, and a Norman Rockwell-inspired BYRNE cover!

“April Fools”! GIFFEN and LOREN FLEMING on Ambush Bug, BYRNE’s She-Hulk, interviews with HEMBECK, ALAN KUPPERBERG, Flaming Carrot’s BOB BURDEN, and DAVID CHELSEA, Spider-Ham, Forbush-Man, Reid Fleming, MAD in the 1970s, art and commentary from DICK DeBARTOLO, TOM DeFALCO, AL FELDSTEIN, AL JAFFEE, STAN LEE, DAVE SIM, and a Spider-Ham cover by MIKE WIERINGO, inked by KARL KESEL!

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Vol. 3, No. 21 / February 2003

™

Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editors John Morrow Jon B. Cooke

FCA Editor

JSA/All-Star Squadron Section

P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editors Emeritus Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss Biljo White Mike Friedrich

Contents

Production Assistant Eric Nolen-Weathington

Cover Artists/Colorists Irwin Hasen Dave Stevens

And Special Thanks to: Heather Antonelli Dick Arnold Bob Bailey Jeff Bailey Jack Bender Frank Brunner Rich Buckler Lee Caplin Diego Ceresa Lynda Fox Cohen Bob Cosgrove Ray A. Cuthbert Al Dellinges Jay Disbrow Shel Dorf Ken Dudley Will Eisner Michael Feldman Jeff Fox Gordon Green Martin Greim George Hagenauer Paul Handler Merrily Mayer Harris Irwin Hasen Adam Hughes Andy Ice Ed Jaster Tim Lapsley Rich Larsen

Joe Latino Richard Lieberson Dan Makara Linda Long Lanny Mayer Simon Miller Fred Mommsen Jerry Ordway Robert Overstreet John G. Pierce Dan Raspler Trina Robbins Ethan Roberts Don Rosick Alex Ross Steve Schanes Carole Seuling Gwen Seuling Robin Snyder Dave Stevens Marc Swayze Joel Thingvall Dann Thomas Alex Toth Jim Vadeboncoeur Hames Ware John Wells Steve Whittaker Andy Yanchus Ken Yodowitz Ray Zone

Writer/Editorial: The Magnificent Sevens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 “Them Justice Guys” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The awesome artists of All-Star Comics #33-41—“the best of the best”!

Triumph of the “Will” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Still more amazing artwork from that “lost” 1940s Justice Society adventure!

A Conversation with Shelly Mayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Jim Amash’s 1991 phone talk with the editor/co-creator of the JSA. About Irwin & Shelly & Us!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Master artist Alex Toth—who was there—writes about Hasen and Mayer.

Comic Crypt: Nuts and Bolts!

The Gardner Fox Scrapbook, Chapter II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Michael T. Gilbert examines the detailed records of the JSA’s other co-creator.

Preview –––of a Coming Attraction! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Roy Thomas continues the backstory of the 1980s All-Star Squadron.

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #80 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Cap’s artist Marc Swayze, exec editor Will Lieberson, and “little brother” Cap Jr.!

The Iger Comics Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: See the story behind this section’s colorful Hasen quasi-re-creation on the next page! [Art ©2003 Irwin Hasen; JSA & Alchemist TM & ©2003 DC Comics.]

Above: The Justice Society enters the world of Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm—and the results were nearly very grim, indeed! “The Invasion from Fairyland” in AllStar Comics #39, written by John Broome and illustrated entirely by Irwin Hasen, is the only issue from the classic run of #33-41 that hasn’t ever been reprinted. All Star Archives—what’re you waitin’ for! [©2003 DC Comics.]

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

Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: Rt. 3, Box 468, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8 ($10 Canada, $11 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $120 Canada, $132 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada.

FIRST PRINTING.

Title writer/editorial

2

The Magnificent Sevens That said, we nonetheless start off with a salute to the thirteen artists who illustrated a splendid late-’40s run of All-Star—because their talent, as much as anyone’s, made the heroes of the Justice Society come to life, issue after issue.

There must be something about Alter Ego, the number “7,” and the Justice Society of America.

Although we had brought out the All-Star Companion trade paperback in late 2000, we devoted much of 2001’s A/E V3#7 to the JLA/JSA team-ups of the 1960s-’80s—and last year A/E #14 covered the 1970s All-Star Comics revival. Both issues (and the now outof-print Companion) also showcased art from the unpublished 1945-46 “JSA” adventure, “The Will of William Wilson.”

To bookend the JSA side, I finally shoehorned in the fifth installment of my own “All-Star Squadron Chronicles”—not because I’m convinced that otherwise the world would stop spinning, but because this chapter deals with the 1981 Special All-Star Squadron Preview, and it was the JSA, not the other DC heroes, who were the stars of that “free insert” in the pages of Justice League of America #193. (Besides, we did get requests!)

And now, exactly seven issues later, here we are again, with still another JSA issue—actually our fourth to date, counting A/E V3#5.

Once again we can present a previouslyunseen piece of art from that “lost” issue of All-Star—and though it’s only 2/3 of a page, it’s a doozy! This find became the excuse for another celebration of the first and greatest super-hero group—and of the people responsible for some of its finest hours.

All that, plus P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA— No, no, don’t thank us. It was our pleasure.

And now, about Irwin Hasen’s JSA cover for this issue:

Do the names Shelly Mayer and Gardner At the age of 7, I first laid eyes on All[©2003 DC Comics.]

Fox ring any bells? If not, Michael T. Gilbert Star Comics #42 somewhere in Illinois, on an and Jim Amash and Alex Toth will be right overnight trip with my parents. I was stunned—because, in this issue, along to tell you why they should. Mayer, of course, was editor of AllHawkman had exchanged his beaked helmet for a simple cowl-mask...

Star from #1 in 1940 through #41 in ’48... while Fox wrote the first 32 and The Atom sported an almost entirely new costume, with an atomic published “JSA” epics (plus “Will”). These two gents deserve, if anyone symbol on his chest! I wondered if for some reason Illinois was sent a does, the title of co-creators of the Justice Society. different version of some comics than I was used to seeing across the Mississippi. When I returned home to Missouri, of course, I was quickly disabused of that notion. The “new looks” on Hawkman and Submit Something To Alter Ego! Atom were here to stay, through the series’ end two-plus years later.

Alter Ego is on the lookout for items that can be utilized in upcoming issues:

Then, last June, at Shel & Cynthia Drum’s Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC, I was chatting with the ever-amiable Irwin Hasen at • Convention Sketches and Program Books his table, when collector Bob Bailey strolled up and expressed an • Unpublished Artwork interest in one of Irwin’s re-creations of his Golden Age artwork— • Original Scripts (the older the better!) the cover of All-Star #42. I kidded Bob that I was thinking of buying • Photos it myself, and that we might have to have an auction—when I noticed • Unpublished Interviews something different about that particular re-creation. Namely, Irwin • Little-seen Fanzine Material had drawn Hawkman in his beaked, winged helmet instead of the We’re also interested in articles, article ideas, or any other suggestions... new cloth cowl he’d worn on the actual printed cover in 1948 (see and we pay off in FREE COPIES of A/E. (If you’re already an A/E subscriber, above). Bob got the re-creation (with no bidding war), but I we’ll extend your subscription.) Contact: wondered—what if, when Shelly Mayer stepped down as editor after All-Star #41, his successors Whit Ellsworth and Julius Schwartz Roy Thomas, Editor hadn’t decided (for whatever reason) to change Hawkman’s mask Rt. 3, Box 468 and The Atom’s whole costume? What if, in #42, those two stalwarts St. Matthews, SC 29135 had worn the same outfits as in the preceding several dozen issues?

Fax: (803)826-6501 • E-mail: roydann@ntinet.com

Submission Guidelines Submit artwork in one of these forms (in order of preference): 1) Clear color or black-&-white photocopies.

2) Scanned images—300ppi TIF (preferred) or JPEG (on Zip or floppy disk).

3) Originals (carefully packed and insured).

Submit text in one of these forms: 1) E-mail (ASCII text attachments preferred) to: roydann@ntinet.com (NEW) 2) An ASCII or “plain text” file, supplied on floppy disk.

3) Typed, xeroxed, or laser printed pages.

I promptly commissioned Irwin to draw (and color) for me yet another re-creation of the cover of All-Star #42—with Winged Wonder and Mighty Mite in their original gear—and I promised an extra payment if I found a way to use it as a cover on Alter Ego. The check is in the mail, Irwin!

Bestest,

COMING IN MARCH

#

22

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Marvel Fam ily TM & ©2003 DC Comics

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• Two colossal color covers by the heroes’ creators—Sub-Mariner by BILL EVERETT, and the Marvel Family by C.C. BECK! • BILL EVERETT & JOE KUBERT—interviewed by GIL KANE & NEAL ADAMS in 1970 —with classic and super-rare art by four Golden & Silver Age greats!

• Awesome art by Timely all-winners squad CARL BURGOS, SYD SHORES, MIKE SEKOWSKY, MART NODELL—plus, JIM AMASH talks with RUDY LAPICK! • ROY THOMAS on his 6-decades love affair with Sub-Mariner, featuring rare art by EVERETT, POWELL, COLAN, ANDRU, ADKINS, THE BROTHERS BUSCEMA, THE SEVERIN SIBLINGS, and More!

• Special double-size FCA with MARC SWAYZE, Tom Mix by CARL PFEUFER & JOHN JORDAN—C.C. BECK on Captain Marvel’s creation—& our Captain Marvel Jr. finale!

• &0DF0:B - :1B:49F in comics, radio, TV, movies, and Ovaltine mugs—scrutinized by JIM HARMON! Get out those (non-existent) Decoder Rings!

• MICHAEL T. GILBERT on WALLY WOOD at EC and in the Okefenokee Swamp— ALEX TOTH on comic art—BILL SCHELLY’s tribute to LANDON CHESNEY—and MORE!!

Edited by ROY THOMAS • Now 108 PAGES! SUBSCRIBE NOW! Twelve Issues in the US: $60 Standard, $96 First Class (Canada: $120, Elsewhere: $132 Surface, $180 Airmail).

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IN FEBRUARY: ’70s NATIONAL LAMPOON COMICS!

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CBA #24, the next-to-last TwoMorrows issue, features “THE COMICS OF NATIONAL LAMPOON,” a look at the great adult humor mag’s funny-book material. Behind a new GAHAN WILSON cover (plus interview) and a VAUGHN BODÉ-inspired back cover (featuring Cheech Wizard!) by his son, MARK BODÉ, we talk to NatLamp legendary art director MICHAEL GROSS, and the magazine’s many contributors, including NEAL ADAMS, FRANK SPRINGER, SEAN KELLY, SHARY FLENNEKIN, ED SUBITSKY, M.K. BROWN, B.K. TAYLOR, BOBBY LONDON, MICHEL CHOQUETTE, ALAN KUPPERBERG, and many more! So be here as we takes a renewed look at Tarzan of the Cows, Frontline Dentists, Dragula, Son O’ God, Nuts, Trots ‘n’ Bonnie, The Appletons, One Year Affair, Norman the Barbarian, and more from the Me Decade, when satire was king and NatLamp was THE place to be! $9 postpaid in the US!

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TwoMorrows. Bringing New Life To Comics Fandom.

TwoMorrows • 1812 Park Drive • Raleigh, NC 27605 USA • 919-833-8092 • FAX: 919-833-8023 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

4

“Them Justice Guys”

“Them Justice Guys” The Artists of All-Star Comics’ Pinnacle Issues

by Roy Thomas Although the title of this piece is a quote voiced by a hoodlum in AllStar Comics #6 (Aug.-Sept. 1941), anyone who’s read The All-Star Companion or my prefaces to DC’s All Star Archives knows that I consider All-Star #33-41 (1947-48) the quality high point of the 55 original tales of the Justice Society. Fellow JSAficionados Jerry Bails and Craig Delich concur in this view, as do others.

Consider these foes and themes: Solomon Grundy, The Wizard, Per Degaton conquering time, guest stars Superman and Batman, the Injustice Society, the “deaths” of all six male JSAers, an invasion from Fairyland, a special issue on juvenile delinquency—and a second Injustice Society! What’s more, all three Golden Age “JSA” writers worked on that year-and-a-half’s worth of epics—Gardner Fox (#33-34), John Broome (#35, 39-41), and Robert Kanigher (#37-38)—and one or more of them probably scripted the enigmatic #36, as well.

Just as outstanding as the concepts and writers were the artists— especially those who represented the “new blood” coming into National/DC at that time.

Thus, with seven of these nine primo issues reprinted in the recent Volumes 7 & 8 of the All Star Archives, and the remaining two doubtless slated for Vol. 9, let’s take a fast look at the “lucky 13” artists who penciled—and in some cases inked—the interior artwork of AllStar #33-41. (Win Mortimer drew #36’s cover, but no verified interiors.)

Here they are, in roughly the order in which their artwork appeared in the issues, starting with:

Irwin Hasen

(#33-37, 39, 41) Recently, Irwin re-created his splash art for All-Star #35 for collector Dan Makara; thanks to both gents for sharing it below. This scene echoes the very first JSA cover (All-Star #3), with the heroes sitting around their meeting table. This splash was unique in using the Justice Society’s emblem as the story logo. To contact Irwin about commission work, write to him at 68 E. 79th St., NYC, NY 10021, or phone (212) 861-6879. [Art ©2003 Irwin Hasen; JSA TM & ©2003 DC Comics.]

The Artists of All-Star Comics

5

Joe Kubert (#33-37)

Editor Shelly Mayer gave several pages of original 1945-46 Kubert “Hawkman” art to replacement Chet Kozlak as reference; this one’s from “The Land of the Bird People” in Flash Comics #71 (May 1946).

Probably written by Gardner Fox, it introduced Feithera, birthplace of Northwind of Ye Editor’s later group Infinity, Inc. Thanks to Joel Thingvall and Al Dellinges. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Stan Aschmeier (as “Stan Josephs”) (#33)

“The Revenge of Solomon Grundy” marked “Stan Joseph’s” final appearance in All-Star... at roughly the same time as this tale from All-American Comics #84 (April ’47) heralded his last “Dr. Mid-Nite” art.

Apparently he later taught at the University of Minnesota, among other accomplishments; Ye Editor met him circa 1970 through the good offices of Marvel inker Vince Colletta. [©2003 DC Comics.]

6

“Them Justice Guys”

Martin Naydel (#33)

All-Star #33 also featured the final work in that title of this artist who for years had alternated between The Flash and his turtle clone, The Terrific Whatzit, over in Funny Stuff. Comic Cavalcade #21 (June-July ’47), reprinted above, saw his “Flash” swan song in that mag, though he did draw the cover for the next issue. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Jon Chester Kozlak (#33)

Hmm... do we detect a trend here? The Solomon Grundy clash saw Chet Kozlak’s last work in All-Star, as well. Over in Comic Cavalcade he occasionally drew “Green Lantern” outings, as in #10 (Spring 1945). [©2003 DC Comics.]

The Artists of All-Star Comics

Paul Reinman (#33-35)

For 2-3 years Reinman was the “Green Lantern” artist in the monthly All-American, but by the time his final cover story appeared in #87 (July ’47), he hadn’t drawn “GL” there for months, so it was probably a story that had been held in inventory. [©2003 DC Comics.]

7

Lee Elias (#34-36)

For a short time, Lee Elias became the “great flight hope” of the “Flash” feature, till he moved on to Black Cat at Harvey. His artistic co-creation, the Golden Age Star Sapphire, made her second appearance in #29 (Oct.-Nov. 1948), that title’s last super-hero issue—and the only one containing his work. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Frank Harry (#34-35)

When Stan Aschmeier was taken off the “Dr. Mid-Nite” strip, Frank Harry briefly became its artist, commencing with AllAmerican #86 (June ’47), as shown here, and including two “Doc” chapters in All-Star. Harry also drew “The Ghost Patrol” in Flash Comics and had drawn two 1943 All-Star covers. [©2003 DC Comics.]

8

“Them Justice Guys”

Alex Toth

(#37-38, 40-41)

Harry Lampert (#34)

Alex Toth drew the assembled JSA in two issues and on two covers, and the “Atom” and “Dr. Mid-Nite” chapters in yet another, but most of Toth’s Golden Age super-hero work was done on “Green Lantern,” in such mags as Comic Cavalcade #27 (June-July ’48).

Ironically, he never drew a “GL” chapter in All-Star! See more of Alex’s work later in this issue. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Harry Lampert, the original “Flash” artist, had moved over to another Gardner Fox co-creation for Flash Comics, “The King.” Since by 1947 he was drawing primarily humor, Harry suspects he was simply asked to pitch in by doing the “Atom” chapter in the JSA’s first clash with The Wizard. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Bob Oksner Arthur Peddy (#40-41)

Arthur Peddy (usually inked by Bernard Sachs) would soon become the primary penciler on the “Justice Society,” till near the series’ end in 1950. Among other features Peddy & Sachs did for DC circa 1948 was “Dr. Mid-Nite,” seen here in two panels from a previously unpublished tale, sent to us by former Marvel colorist Andy Yanchus. [Dr. Mid-Nite TM & ©2003 DC Comics.]

(#38)

Though Bob Oksner is noted primarily as a humorous cartoonist, besides drawing the one “JSA” chapter, he also apparently inked several Hasenpenciled “Green Lantern” tales—and performed full art chores on the above “Hawkman” story in Flash Comics #91 (Jan. 1948). Its title: “The Phantom Menace!” Do you suppose—? Naaaah! [©2003 DC Comics.]

Carmine Infantino (#37-38, 40)

Here’s a real find! On the cover of A/E V3#5 we printed, for the first time anywhere, a Justice Society illo penciled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Jerry Ordway for fan/collector Marty Greim. Here—albeit a bit of art has been truncated at the edges—are Carmine’s pencils for that art, from a photocopy sent to us by Jerry and used with Marty’s permission and Carmine’s blessing. His pencils are a fine piece of work in their own right! [Art ©2003 Martin Greim; JSA TM & ©2003 DC Comics.]

The Artists of All-Star Comics 9

10

Triumph Of The “Will”

Triumph Of The “Will” Still More Art from the “Lost” 1940s Adventure of the Justice Society Installment No.

by Roy Thomas

Part IV

Yes, amazingly, yet another piece of art from the never-published 1945-46 Gardner Fox “JSA” story “The Will of William Wilson” has surfaced. But first: Recently, Gordon Green of Williamsville, NY, wrote us: “As much as I enjoyed Michael Gilbert’s rendition of the All-Star cover for ‘The Will of William Wilson’ [seen on A/E #14], I wondered what the actual cover might have looked like. Enclosed is my rendition, based on similar themes from other issues.”

Gordon sent us the intriguing artistic amalgam below, to show what 1946 readers might have beheld on the newsstands if “Will” had been published in All-Star Comics #31, as once intended. He combined artist Martin Naydel’s six “impossible things” (labeled here “the impossible crime,” but that hardly matters) from the existing splash of “Will” with JSA figures from the splash of All-Star #25 (Summer 1945)...

A nice bit of work! Still, one thing did nag at us: Gordon had combined Naydel’s artifacts with JSA figures mostly drawn by a different artist, Joe Gallagher. Had a “Will” cover been done in ’46, Naydel would have done the whole thing. So we asked our good buddy Al Dellinges—no stranger in A/E’s pages—to assemble an all-Naydel cover, juxtaposing the JSA from the cover of All-Star #32 with the artifacts from Naydel’s splash. And here ’tis, with Wilson’s last will and testament tossed in for good measure:

[JSA © & TM 2003 DC Com

ics.]

ics.]

[JSA © & TM 2003 DC Com

Thanks, Gordon and Al! You’ve given us a window into an alternate Earth, where “The Will of William Wilson” was indeed published in 1946!

Triumph Of The “Will” But now for the pièce de résistance: more never-before-seen art from that long-lost “Justice Society” adventure.

Oop, following Dave Graue’s death in a traffic accident. Jack became only the third person to draw the strip, which was originated in the 1930s by the late V.T. Hamlin. He sent us a beautiful full-size reproduction of a piece of original art which he owns from “The Will of William Wilson”—and it’s a splash panel!

[Atom © & TM 2003 DC Comics.]

Not long ago, Ye Editor received a surprise package from none other than Jack Bender, the talented artist who, a year or so back, took over the writing-and-drawing chores of the long-lived newspaper strip Alley

11

Unlike all other solo-JSAer chapters of 1946, this one has a title, though atop the original page is hand-lettered the notation “All-Star #31,” as it was on other pieces of the art. If one splash from “Will” survived—two, counting the full-page “JSA”-intro splash seen in A/E #14—then perhaps others are still around, as well. One of these days, pages may even turn up from the two solo chapters from which no art has yet surfaced—the “Hawkman” and “Johnny Thunder” exploits.

That’s right—the only solo-chapter splash which has yet come to light. The above splash is by Jon Chester Kozlak, who drew the 3 1/3-page worth of other “Atom” artwork printed in 2000’s All-Star Companion.

Another mystery—because, except for the 5page “JSA” intro sent to us by collector Steve Fishler for A/E #14, all the known extant artwork to “Will” had been cut into thirds. (We’ve explained previously how then-DC intern Marv Wolfman had to slice piles of “written off” art into rows of panels, or “tiers,” for the company incinerator, before he was allowed to carry off a tiny portion of it.) Only a very few 2/3-page splashes exist from Marv’s magnificent haul—and, however this “Atom” escaped the fire, we’re happy this is one of them!

Thanks to Jack Bender for sharing it!

Anybody out there got a page showing Hawkman with a dodo egg—or Johnny Thunder taking a trip to the moon on gossamer wings?

A sketch of artist “Chet” Kozlak by Rich Larsen, from the Nostalgia Zone’s 1995 catalog of Kozlak’s art collection; courtesy of Joel Thingvall. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

12

Shelly Mayer

A Conversation With Shelly Mayer Conducted and Introduced by Jim Amash [NOTE: This brief interview originally appeared, in slightly different form, in Robin Snyder’s The Comics! Thanks to Robin for giving his blessing to present it here.]

Sheldon Mayer wasn’t there for the very beginning of the modern comic book in the mid-1930s, but he didn’t miss it by much.

He was one of the earliest cartoonists who drew material for Dell and National (later known as DC Comics), a teenage writer/artist who understood the ins and outs of the fledgling medium from all angles. His important contributions range from that seminal work, to being the editor for publisher Max C. Gaines at All-American Publications (later sold to National/DC by Gaines), to carving an influential niche for himself in the humor genre.

Personally, I think Mayer’s greatest contribution to comics was his editorial stint for Gaines. It was then that he guided the most important magazines of the Gaines line, as well as many writers and artists. Among others, Mort Meskin, Irwin Hasen, Joe Kubert, Shelly Moldoff, Mart Nodell, Carmine Infantino, Lee Elias, and my particular favorite, Alex Toth, all became stars under Mayer’s sometimes less than velvet touch. Most of his creative people remember him fondly as a great artist, editor, and teacher.

He also helped create the first super-hero team in comics in AllStar Comics. DC thought so much of Mayer that in the late 1940s they gave him a lifetime contract.

Like many other people interested in comics history, I always wanted to talk with Shelly Mayer. Alex Toth and I spent many hours discussing Mayer’s career and personality. In 1990 I had Bill Gaines (EC publisher and son of M.C. Gaines) as a guest at one of my comic book conventions, and we discussed Mayer at some length.

Gaines informed me that Mayer was something of a recluse, but that if I dropped his (Gaines’) name, he might speak with me.

Bill was right. I called Mayer on June 11, 1991. Mayer declined a formal interview, but I wasn’t about to miss the chance to talk to him. Funny thing was, in the course of the conversation, he told me a lot of the things I would have asked him anyway, without prompting from me. We had a great time talking for two and a half hours. As soon as I got off the phone, I typed up everything I could remember that pertained to comics history. Then I called Alex Toth and told him about the phone call. I remember Alex’s comment about Mayer giving me advice on art: “That’s the same thing Shelly told me when I was a kid.”

Well, if the advice was good enough for Alex Toth, who was I to argue?

Shelly Mayer: writer, artist, editor, and teacher. Comic books still feel his influence today. That’s his legacy. We’d all be a lot poorer if he hadn’t passed this way.

Here, with some rearranging by Robin Snyder from their lone appearance in his monthly newsletter The Comics! Vol. 12, #12, Dec. 2001, plus a bit more tinkering since by Roy Thomas and myself in the interests of clarity, is what I wrote down concerning that noninterview with Shelly Mayer: MAYER: If Bill hadn’t said it was okay to talk to you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Bill Gaines is one of the greatest men on Earth, and if he likes you, then you’re okay by me. But I hate interviews.

Mayer’s mother was Austrian; his father was Hungarian. His

The cover of The Amazing World of DC Comics #5 (March 1975) heralded this combination of a Shelly Mayer self-portrait and the cover art from Comic Cavalcade #23 (Oct.-Nov. 1947). The three super-heroes were by Alex Toth, while the kids (from Harry Lampert’s “Cotton-top Katie” feature) were drawn by Mayer himself. [©2003 DC Comics.]

mother’s family came over to America more than one hundred years ago.

He told me that he started doing opaquing in 1934 for animation [at the Fleischer brothers’ studio]. He’d get an idea, scribble it down instead of doing his job. One day, he was caught doing this.

MAYER: They told me that I had a lot of good ideas, so why didn’t I go home and do them. That was fine by me, because I had confidence in myself. [He was getting 75 cents a day at age seventeen.]

I thought that was good money at the time.

He was working for the McClure Syndicate when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster brought “Superman” in. McClure rejected it, but Mayer took it to M.C. Gaines [Bill Gaines’ father]. Gaines asked if Shelly liked it.

MAYER: “Sure. It’s going to be big.”

Gaines gave it to DC publisher Harry Donenfeld. That was so the presses could keep running. Times were bad then. Gaines once told the printer that if they’d print his books, all he would ask for was a percentage of what he sold.

MAYER: Well, that was a great deal for them. Wouldn’t you accept it?

Shelly pasted up the “Superman” strips into pages and did some lettering, too.

MAYER: I recognize the lettering as my own. It was terrible.

Siegel and Shuster said that Joe did it, not Shelly.

MAYER: They denied me that credit. They didn’t want to acknowledge any other person’s involvement because they were suing DC. But they have said that I was partly responsible for

Jim Amash getting “Superman” published.

Mayer was also doing paste-up work for Famous Funnies and other reprint comic books.

MAYER: We used the originals. God, I can’t tell you how awful I feel now describing how we cut up Percy Crosby [Skippy], Milton Caniff [Terry and the Pirates], and others. Sometimes the artists used extra thick illustration board to draw their originals on, and I used to cut off the top layer of the board that had the art so I could reuse what was underneath. We used everything we could to save money in those days. Paper was expensive and some of that paper I got to use for my own art.

The printing presses in the 1930s only printed in two colors, usually black and red for the newspapers. Gaines’ idea was to have two presses run the same story, thus printing four-color comics. It was the job of people like Mayer to wipe the gum residue off the pages so they could be run on the other press.

13 them now. He also had some women helping him write the “Wonder Woman” stories. I sometimes wondered what his home life was like.

When I asked him to elaborate, Mayer declined.

MAYER: I knew more than I wanted.

Mayer said he co-plotted all the stories that Gardner Fox wrote for him and was “the first editor to co-plot at DC.” This method was later adopted by all the DC editors.

In the mid-to-late 1940s he created the DC humor comic Leave It to Binky and wrote it for Bob Oksner to draw.

MAYER: I didn’t draw women very pretty in those days. Bob drew them very well. Now I do draw them well, but not in those days.

Shelly was involved in the lawsuit Mayer said he was hardest on over “Wonder Man.” It turns out that the artists that he considered the publisher Victor Fox had seen most talented: Irwin Hasen, Alex “Superman” one day when he was Toth, Mort Meskin.

No phallic symbolism here—unless you count swordfishes’ snouts!— visiting Mayer at the printer. Fox took but some of the “Wonder Woman” stories which “Charles Moulton” Mayer out to lunch “so he could pick my MAYER: Meskin was very (a.k.a. Dr. Marston) produced with artist H.G. Peter were weird brain for info,” the artist told me. Soon strange. He quit working for me. enough on their own! This one’s from Comic Cavalcade #21 afterward, “Wonder Man” appeared.

He said that he did so because he (June-July 1947). [©2003 DC Comics.]

The reason that Shelly remembered the thought that I was not pleased date of his lunch with Fox is because it with his work. But I was. Mort was the end of April. That was the last day that oysters would be sold was one of the most gifted artists I ever knew. His panel composition in the city until September. So he wanted to eat oysters and they went and design work was wonderful. But I was always pushing him to do to Mayer’s favorite place to eat. better, because I knew that he could. He couldn’t handle the pressure.

MAYER: Fox didn’t like oysters and ordered something else. He probably liked them less after the lawsuit. He pumped me for inforAlex Toth is very talented. One of the brightest artists I’ve ever mation about “Superman.” seen. But you have to hit him in the head to get him to listen. To be talented is special. To be talented and Hungarian—well, you got your One day, a lawyer came to see me and asked me questions about hands full. I’m only half Hungarian, but both Alex’s parents were the lawsuit. When he discovered I knew Fox, that Fox had used me to Hungarian. He’s gone a helluva long way in his career and is a hard steal from “Superman,” and that I remembered dates and everything, worker. But he still looked at me as his editor. He sent me some of I was called to testify against Fox. My testimony was one of the main his Bravo for Adventure work and it was great. Alex could do reasons Fox lost the lawsuit. anything he wants.

Mayer used an old-fashioned calendar, where you’d tear off the latest day when that day was over. After the lawsuit, he used a different kind of calendar so he’d always have a record. A practice he kept for years. Shelly told me he still had the calendars.

He mentioned that Vin Sullivan, one of DC’s first two editors, was a very snappy dresser. The other, Whit Ellsworth, Shelly said was a nice man, but he drank too much.

He said that he occasionally had trouble with William Moulton Marston, the creator of “Wonder Woman.”

MAYER: Some of the scripts he turned in were too much for the reading audience. One time, he turned in a story where Paradise Island was attacked by men in penis-shaped rockets wearing penisshaped helmets and carrying penis-shaped spears. I had to reject that story. Marston wrote a few worse than that, but I can’t remember

Mayer always encouraged his artists to write and letter as well as pencil and ink.

MAYER: If you can do the whole job, then it gives you more power over your own work.

Shelly’s wife encouraged him to quit editing and be an artist fulltime. Which made him happier. Shelly says that he could have been a lot wealthier had he stayed as editor. But he had gotten tired and burned-out. The final straw was hearing two artists talking outside his office: “When are you going to show the work to the old man?” Shelly was only thirty at the time!

MAYER: Hearing that made me realize it was time to get the hell out. It was time to go.

Mayer originally owned “Scribbly,” the feature (and later comic

14

Shelly Mayer

book) he wrote and drew for DC. But when he left the editorship in 1947, he worked out an agreement with DC. They obtained ownership of “Scribbly,” but Shelly got a pension, as well as insurance.

It helped him pay for his wife’s illnesses. She’d had lung cancer since November 1989. Mrs. Mayer died a year or so after Shelly died. At the time I spoke to Shelly, his wife needed 24-hour nurse’s attention.

Despite this 1948 ad for Scribbly #1, Mayer’s young hero wasn’t a hit saleswise—maybe because by then he’d lost the charm he’d had when Mayer was doing him in All-American Comics as a teenage cartoonist. But Mayer’s later creation Sugar and Spike went on for years and is rightly considered a classic. The page below from a projected (but scrapped) early-’70s digest-size Sugar and Spike Pocket Treasury was first printed in 2000 in Robin Snyder’s The Comics! [©2003 DC Comics.]

Mayer stopped doing Sugar and Spike in 1971 because he was going blind. He had an operation to restore his sight.

When he could see well enough to draw again, he started doing Sugar and Spike for the foreign market.

MAYER: The strip wasn’t doing well enough in the U.S., but it was a big hit overseas.

He said he still owned a “Batman” story that he wrote and drew (in pencil) in a straight style.

MAYER: I did it to prove a point.

He told me he had also done a lot of science-fiction work and had won the Jules Verne Award for a story he did.

He was very close friends with Bill Gaines. In fact, Bill Gaines had come to see him only a few days before I called him in 1991. Mayer was having financial problems because of all the medical bills both he and his wife were accruing. Bill wanted to help, so he bought them an air-conditioner. They called it “Bill Gaines’ air-conditioner.” Mayer had known Gaines since Bill was fourteen.

MAYER: Bill was a fun kid, kind of round. We had the same interests and always got along well. Bill’s a great man. Too bad his dad didn’t see him become a success. His dad was hard on Bill.

When I told Shelly that I was an artist and had a master’s degree in fine art, he started questioning me about art. What did I like, who were my favorite artists? How much studying had I done and was I still trying to learn? Mayer then started giving advice on how to draw figures, and especially children.

MAYER: Go to a playground and quick-sketch every kid you can.

Sit somewhere where you won’t attract too much attention. Don’t draw to please people. That’s show-biz! Draw to improve yourself.

Pay attention to body proportions of small kids and notice how they change as kids get older. The envelope of the human form is always most important. Fill up all the sketchbooks you can.

Mayer told me he didn’t stay in touch with many people.

MAYER: I like people, but with my problems and my wife’s problems, I keep to myself most of the time. Artists tend to be

solitary people, anyway.

He also said that he usually kept people at arm’s length.

MAYER: I don’t allow many people to come and visit. There’s too much going on here and I like things quiet. But I do like talking on the phone with those I like. That includes you.

He did care if people still remembered him, and asked if there was a market for his originals. I told him there was, and he said he had thought about selling the Sugar and Spike originals he had left. I asked if he had managed to save any “Scribbly” pages, and he said he didn’t have any.

MAYER: I do have a couple of re-creations, but they’d be so expensive I don’t know if I could find a buyer. I loved doing Scribbly and wished I could have kept on doing that strip. But it quit selling.

I liked Mayer’s sense of humor. He struck me as a combination of Alex Toth and Sid Caesar. When he was describing his wife’s medical condition, Mayer informed me that he had to switch phones. When he came back, he said: MAYER: I’m on a portable phone and am sitting in an embarrassing place. But I was in the way of the nurses.

Mayer told me about his own medical problems; at one point he listed them all.

MAYER: They’ve worked on my stomach, my large intestines, small intestines, colon, semi-colon...

I started laughing. “Semi-colon?”

MAYER: Yeah. I wanted to see if you were paying attention.

He had a big, hearty laugh. Very endearing.

Alex Toth

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“About Irwin & Shelly & Us!!!”

ALEX TOTH on SHELLY MAYER and IRWIN HASEN [EDITOR’S NOTE: When I mentioned to Golden Age giant Alex Toth that two others of his species—namely 1940s DC/All-American editor Sheldon Mayer and Green Lantern/Justice Society artist Irwin Hasen—would be touched on in a JSA-related issue of A/E, he responded with a seven-page handwritten note on these talented gents, accompanied by several intriguing sketches. I’ve retyped his words below, preserving as much as possible his precise pacing and punctuation (for, as my friend and Fitzgerald/Hemingway scholar Matthew J. Bruccoli says, “To change an author’s punctuation is to change his style”)—and I hope Alex will forgive me for tossing in a bit of actual comic book art to illustrate the points he makes. —Roy.]

Self-portrait of Alex Toth done for the 1972 San Diego Comic-Con program book. Thanks to Shel Dorf. [©2003 Alex Toth.]

I met one because of the other—yup!

I loved Irwin Hasen’s wonderful ‘Wildcat’ series art—yes, it was early on, ’42 or ’43, so Irwin’s simpler style— Canifflike, and echoes of Willard Mullins’ sports cartoons’ figural boldness therein, posterlike simplicity prevailed, nice black-spotting, Wildcat’s black body, cowl, etc.—so like his earlier ‘The Fox’ series (for MLJ? not sure, sorry)—I was Irwin’s dedicated kidfan of 14 or so—and I wrote him a fan letter, not knowing Irwin was already drafted into the Army, “special services,” and, if I’m correct, was in hospital, recuperating from surgery (?), and my letter, via Gaines’ 225 Lafayette St./NYC/NY/editorial offices, and noted by editor Shelly Mayer there, did reach Irwin at Fort Dix/NJ, or (?). I did get nice reply from him, and it made my visit to the Gaines/Mayer offices possible— with my meagre godawful sample comic pages and cardboard portfolio in hand, I met Shelly, the marvelous generous wonderful loud and effusive funny maddening crafty brilliant guy, mentor, who, like Irwin, formed my attitudes, disciplines, studied explorations and revelations and assessments about the yay and nay, yin/yang, fun and fury, sweat and joy, inner satisfactions of the medium I grew to love ever more through the decades of my peculiar career!

Shelly, then 30, 31, was a cartoonist! Created and produced his ‘Scribbly’ backup short 4, 5, 6 page series for All-American Comics and was editor, too—9 to 6, 5 days a week! Innovator he, Shelly created the novel new Movie Comics—short-lived—in which he adapted current hit movies to color comic book format, via use of foto-stills, much-cropped, with captions/dialogue balloons further crowding scenes/panels, in very abbreviated versions of said films—a couple, three (?) per issue—and somehow managed to run Ben-Day screens of color dots over the

screened fotos—without (as I recall) the moiré patterns such combinations produced—no doubt, Shelly used solids of primary colors, and little dot-screened tints, to pull it off! But he did it! I think a Bela Lugosi movie serial, too, was running feature, issue to issue (?). Anyhoo, Shelly was quite an original thinker—and he, too, very much fancied Irwin’s work—we, of kindred spirit, tastes, affections, hit it off—I was made to feel welcome— he critiqued my few penciled and inked page samples—I can’t recall his tone or words—but he stressed that I should learn to do all of a job myself! That meant pencil/ink/and—ouch—lettering!!! Somehow, writing, and coloring, wasn’t cited—and I wish writing had—’cuz I came to it very late in the game—and I wrote only sporadically, when asked to/expected to/had to/wanted to/etc.—so I never quite got the hang of it—thus couldn’t accept the label!

Shy sneaky generous Shelly, during our quite long chat, had spoken

Irwin Hasen’s Wildcat, from Sensation Comics #1 (Jan. ’42), as reprinted in the 1990 hardcover The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told. Words by Bill Finger. Irwin must’ve liked animals, since in the early days he also drew Holyoke’s “Cat-Man” and MLJ’s “Fox.” [©2003 DC Comics.]

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“About Irwin & Shelly & Us!!!” [daily-and-Sunday] strips! Too, Art Sansom of ‘Drift Marlo’ space/sci-fi strip fame, created ‘Born Loser,’ a marvelously simple gagstrip—great gags—and art!!!

‘Knowing what to leave out!’ as Sol Harrison, DC Comics’ mentor, too, for many of us greenhorn tyros, kept stressing to me, a lot, and others—‘Fine, Alex—’ essaying a just-delivered job—but you still don’t know what to leave out!!!’

Ohh, the weight of it pained me for decades—echoes of his critiques, and Shelly’s, always rattling and booming around in my thick Hungarian head, every time I sat with my lapboard and blank sheets of bristol to fill—blessed ‘toughlove’ nudges—Thank God they cared!!!

Shelly Mayer in the 1940s—and an early’40s “Scribbly” page from All-American Comics, repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Joel Thingvall.

Photo courtesy of son Lanny Mayer & Jon B. Cooke. For more extended coverage of both Shelly and Alex Toth, grab hold of a back issue of Comic Book Artist #11 from TwoMorrows! [Art ©2003 DC Comics.]

to a staff member about something I wasn’t meant to hear— buzzbuzzbuzz, etc.—he got back to me, my work, Irwin’s work—I cited Irwin’s li’l 2-page ‘O’Malley’ series in one of Shelly’s/Gaines’ books—yes, it was a hoot—about a li’l guy (like Irwin), private eye, I think, with a big delightfully-chubbyfatfunny secretary, a mama-figure (?)—who helped him greatly. While we bounced from topic to topic, unbeknownst to me, things were happening—made to happen—by Shelly’s prior buzzbuzzbuzz—yes, Caniff, Robbins, Andriola were great—he cited a fact of interest—Caniff was originally more the gagtype-bigfoot-simple-cartoony cartoonist— who made the transition into illustrative adventure strip stylized realism—and was all the better for it, too—because his gag style’s economy/simplicity/clarity advantaged him thru his ‘straight’ career, stressing always those very necessary ingredients to wordpicture storytelling—and Shelly said it’s much harder, reversed, for such an illustrative adventure stripper to get the hang of economy, etc., and convert to the simple gag/bigfoot style!

Re bigfoot to straight adventure strip stylings, and vice versa—exceptions to Shelly’s rule are: Leslie Turner, who, illustrator for slicks, was converted to ‘licketysplitbangboom’ freestyled-cartooning by his friend/tutor/boss Roy Crane, learning to ghost for him, so damn well, too, adding his own novel twists and great skills with doubletone Craftint art on ‘Wash Tubbs’/‘Captain Easy’ and inherited the strip(s) when, in ’43, Roy Crane left NEA for KFS [King Features Syndicate], and his new ‘Buz Sawyer’/’Roscoe Sweeney’ d/S

Anyhoo—Shelly’d been comics editor/A.D. [art director] since he was 19! Then 30-31, he said, the only difference, 19-31, was that his salary was much greater!!! He was still, essentially, a cartoonist! I wanted to be only that, ‘ached to just do what you guys do’—but, I noted, tho 9-6 editor, etc., ‘Scribbly’ was his way of ‘doubling the brass’—no?—the best of both worlds!— no?—‘No, not really, kid—no’—I was puzzled by the sum of it— Back to Irwin—he was shaping up well—into a helluva good cartoonist—boosted by Shelly, he’d always have work at M.C. Gaines— his ‘Green Lantern’ added to Irwin’s chores—and he made it all fun to study and read!

Shelly cited use of a ‘reducing glass,’ to look at my panels/pages thru one, to really see how my work would reduce and hopefully reproduce on ol’ letterpress printing on newsprint! Point made, winding-down my/our long office visit—and filled with Shelly’s encouragements—and warnings, too—yes, 14/15 yr old me was told, seriously: ‘Y’know, kid, at your age, I’d rather see you muscling boxes in a stockroom somewhere for a few years, instead of getting into this business too early—and burn out too soon, too young!!!’

That was grim—but it dovetailed into memories of a visit to Lloyd Jacquet’s Funnies, Inc., 67 W. 44th, I think it was. Louis Ferstadt was editor/A.D. (?) and was very kind to me, too—graciously gave me a one page teen-gag page to do—I did it—my first and last gig there— it had to be awful!!!

By Comic Cavalcade #21 (June-July ’47), Irwin Hasen’s “O’Malley” had switched from private eye to the regular police force. [©2003 DC Comics.]

But while there, I met a ‘Gill’ (Tom? Ray? dunno). Anyhoo, he sat me at an art table, inking or

Alex Toth correcting a page— so nosey me peeked, we chatted. ‘What do you think of my work?’ he asked—I was poleaxed by the directness of him— ‘It’s very good, sir,’ said I—and he said—so help me— it stuck fast in my tope—‘No, it isn’t— no—I could draw rings around this stuff ten years ago— but—I hit a brick wall, for some When Terry and the Pirates debuted in 1934, reason, and I just writer/artist Milt Caniff was still working in what Toth couldn’t bust thru calls a “gagtype-bigfoot-simple-cartoony” vein. it—!!!’ Oh, God, [©2003 The Chicago Tribune-N.Y. News Syndicate, Inc.] I thought— reallyyyy?! That’s also resonated thru my head all these years! And I’ve seen it, felt it, known it, in others’ work—and my own, damn it! It can and does happen, in any profession, discipline, job, or art form! Look around you, at yourself, to see the truth of it—sad damnable truth! Yet, I’ve always felt most of it is due to internal vs. external causes—losing the fun of discovery, the new, the unexpected, accidental, or studied U-turns, insights, keeping a sense of wonder, curiosity, the student’s/ pupil’s P.O.V., fresh, waiting to be surprised, to then create surprises, for the reader/viewer/fan/wannabe/tyro/or contemporary pro or editor/A.D./publ’r—student of the art-medium! Damned hard to see the same old world in new ways, to tell stories in our quiet smallscale ways—making more of it all than it may deserve, sometimes—despite our ‘Oh, hell, I don’t give a damn anymore’ feelings—to somehow reach for the high road back to worthy work—to please all involved, and oneself!

So—Shelly was wrapping-up our long chat—when in walked the buzzbuzzbuzz staffer, with an armolad of ‘stuff’!!! For me!!! Holy Moley—Shelly handed me a new, pricey, 3" reducing glass!!! A fullsize ‘Wildcat’ by Irwin Hasen, storyset’s stats, big beautiful copies, mounted on their company’s 3-plya kidfinish bristol sheets— !!! And about ten pages/sheets of same, blueline-printed E.C./D.C./NPP/page blanks!!! Oh, too much!!! I was overwhelmed!!! Cloud 9!!! Incredible!!! I couldn’t thank Shelly enough!!! ‘Now go home, Alex, and when you think you’ve improved enough for me to have another

17

look, call me up, and come back— okay? And learn to letter, too! It’s important!!! All of it is!!!’

Riding the subway home, underground, I was soaring above Manhattan all the way to 77th and Lex. Station— Wow!!! What a boost, a An early Hasen “Green Lantern” panel, from All-American boon— Comics #39 (June ’42), repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Joel Thingvall. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Wellll—it wasn’t till 1947 that I dared visit Shelly again, and by then, he’d moved uptown, to 180 Lex. Ave., midtown, ‘Grand Central Palace Building,’ Offices of NPP/DC Comics! And, even then, only at the urgings of Irwin Hasen, Joe Kubert, and Lee Elias at Irwin’s digs on W. 79th St., just across the Park from me, almost-neighbors—I’d worked for ‘Famous Funnies’/’Heroic Comics’ and ‘Catholic Comics,’ doing 2, 3, 4 page shorts—and the ‘Catholic Comics’ gig, booklength, left me unpaid due to a lawsuit with the distributor, my work as evidence of ‘good faith,’ re second issue ‘in work,’ was held for trial, but no payment from its publ’r—so, dumkid me was ‘screwed, blued and tattoed’—I was very low, with trouble at home, too—tried to enlist in the Navy for four yrs, turned down, ‘color-insensitive’—not color blind—insensitive— light tints/color confusions, etc.—vital for deck duty, not so for below decks—so, no, thanks—and, with portfolio/tearsheets of my printed work in hand, floating around Manhattan, I phoned Irwin, who said, ‘C’mon up! Meet Joe Kubert and Lee Elias!’ —Wow! So, I did—and it boosted me no end—‘Hell, yes, Alec,’ Joe/Lee/Irwin said, ‘You already know Shelly, so go see him at 480 Lex.’

And by God, I did—and, truly, a great day—wilder, louder, more emphatic, dramatic, surprising than before—‘Okay, kid—you’re hired! And I’ll start you off at $30 a page—’cuz if I paid you only $25, you’d wait a helluva long time for a raise—$30 puts you up a notch—easier raises along the way.’ Well, there you are! Shelly Mayer, miraclemaker, saver of lost souls and idiot kid cartoonists! And he thumped me good—‘Just tell the story, kid!

Stop being artsy-fartsy Rembrandt! Clutteringup panels with gingerbread, embroidery! Just tell the story! simply, clearly, economically— okay?!!?’ He’d sail lousy pages across his office— Two cartoonists who made the unusual transition from an “adventure” style to “cartoony” were Leslie Turner, who moved from cuss a blue streak—he slick magazines to the Captain Easy newspaper strip in the late 1930s—and Born Loser creator Art Sansom, represented here by his floored me, one telling 1950s strip Chris Welkin, Planeteer (one of Ye Editor’s personal favorites). [©2003 NEA.] day, me, the dedicated fan of the great Mort Meskin, Jr. (‘Mort Morton, Jr.’, ‘Mort, Jr.’) who, that day, had delivered his turn at ‘Wildcat’—the storyset was gorgeous b/w art!!! It was in Shelly’s lap, being shuffled, slowly, as I peered down, at Shelly’s shoulder—he went

18

“About Irwin & Shelly & Us!!!” ballistic!!! Hated all of it!!! Oh, why?!? Meskin?!? Not good enough?!? I’ll quit now, thought newcomer me!!! But Shelly pounded home his point’ ‘It looks good, yeah!

But he’s not telling the damn story!!!’

Lord!!! I think he compared script direction to the panels/pages, to prove it—and, yes, his interpretation was his own—but, God, those great blackladen pages, compositions, EFX, the page design—Meskin inked all of it!!! Shelly rcvd [received] those pages from, maybe, Sol Harrison, or other staffer—Mort didn’t come near Shelly’s office—no! I savvied why!

I learnt, still do, all my lessons the hard way!!! Lots of big lumps from Shelly’s critiques—but—always—to teach me what I obviously did not know—but should—and, in time, did!

The hard way—

This circa-1947 photo of Joe Kubert (l) and Irwin Hasen (r.) clowning around on a California beach appeared in Amazing World of DC Comics #5 (March-April 1975).

And about 30-35 yrs after leaving NYC for the Left Coast, and bouncing to and fro, in and out of the Army, marriages, coasts, Sol Harrison and I, w/Norman Maurer at table, in the coffee shop at ‘Bev Hills Hotel,’ surprised Sol, and myself, really, saying the words, the revelation, clearly—that some of us, like me, spend the first half of our odd careers learning what to put in!!! and only the last half learning what to leave out!!! So, by default, or my discovery of subtraction, and thru the study of bigfoot/gag cartoonists’ work, seriously, and my lessons learnt via my years in animation, and live action film/TV, did I, at last, find my own blockheaded way to ‘get it’—to please/appease the haunting lefthanded kudo/jibe of Sol Harrison, ‘It’s okay, Alex—but you don’t know what to leave out!!!’

to La-La-Land, L.A.!

A couple of longhorn chats— some years before he died. ‘Save your money, Alex—too soon, you’re old, sick, and too many bills to pay—so wise up’ —L.A. to upstate NY—he and then ass’t editor Robin Snyder saw The Huntress has Wildcat trapped in a Mort Meskinto it that I got a set drawn panel from a later-1940s Sensation Comics. of old famous Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, ‘Minute Movies’ 2courtesy of Ethan Roberts. [©2003 DC Comics.] tiered daily strips of the 1920s/30s segued into comic book series/his own titles, via Shelly, at ‘NPP/DC’ — old hat cartoon style and all, I loved it—Shelly got most of deceased Wheelan’s originals—sharing them with me and, I’m sure, others who admired them!

A surprise to me—being a ‘Smitty’ fan, d/s folksy old strip I loved, grew up with it (and ‘Terry’ by Milt Caniff, & ‘Dick Tracy’ by Gould, ‘Little Orphan Annie’ by Gray, ‘Gasoline Alley’ by King, ‘Winnie Winkle’ by Branner—etc., etc.—N.Y. Daily News fare)—decades later, collected old 1930s/40s Sundays of ‘Smitty’—came upon a WWII or postwar sequence ghosted by a familiar hand—yes—it was—Shelly— doing his best to do Berndt—but, irrepressible, Shelly shone thru.

During our phone chats, coast to coast, Shelly, tending his ailing wife, and having ‘Sugar ’n’ Spike’ books to churn out as best he could, did house chores, breakfast, nursing, then sat down and wrote/drew his pages, despite many troubles plaguing the Mayer household—no radio/TV intrusions—just concentrated work!

He, thus, wasn’t kindly disposed to ‘drop-in’ visitors— Not even me—should I want to see him again—coffee klotsch!

Sol/Shelly—I get it—now, at last—honest, I get it!

Nope—his time/life’s demands wouldn’t permit—

And, thank you, both—for driving me nuts with it!

So be it—

I get it—I see it—want it—love it—respect it—and do try like hell to effect it! Still slip, occasionally, yes!

Much too soon after my joining ‘NPP/DC,’ Shelly gave up his editor’s desk for his work-at-home lapboard, created ‘Binky’ and later ‘Sugar ’n’ Spike’ gag series, plus writing many scripts for adventure titles—I drew only two of ’em—he wrote in a word/picture dummypage/storyboard fashion—directly—I missed his strong noisy funny dead serious ways at DC—met again, years later, briefly, at an ‘NCS’ [National Cartoonists Society] bash—Irwin there, too—too noisy to talk, really—my last visits to hometown NYC were 1960, ’70, ’72—so it was during a brief stay, per our last face-to-face—before winging back

I wrote him—got too brief, if any, replies—till, long out of touch, news came of his passing!

A very good man!

One of his 1947-vintage ploys in ‘NPP/DC’s’ offices was to do with a very sweet bright pretty girl, Selma, and me—he got a hoot out of getting her to join me in the office, so he could embarrass us both by saying, ‘Alex, what you, you big dumb Hungarian kid, need to straighten you out, shape up, is a good sweet smart Jewish girl, like Selma, here, to marry—settle down with, have lots o’ babies—the good life—(Shelly told me he, too, was of Hungarian descent, much later on,

Ed Wheelan’s late-’20s Minute Movies had a cast of “stars” who played different characters in different storylines. [©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

Alex Toth

19 by phone—nope! As we got to be close ‘NPP/DC’ buddies— always up against deadlines—lots of Saturdays or Sundays, too—at the board—I got to visiting Irwin at his apartment hotel, armed w/pencil/pens/brushes/ink/and lapboard and the pesky pages ‘in work’—I’d lean my lapboard up against a taboret or his art table, somehow, facing him, and we’d gab, work, listen to radio comedies/dramas, ‘Dragnet’s’ beginnings, etc.—me, smoking away.

Well, he was just a short crosstown busride thru the Park (at 79th St. near the ‘Met’ Museum) to West 79th, so my mom, with ‘sympathy’ for us, slaving away, would fill up a pot with her chicken paprikas, tarhonya, or nokkerli (egg barley/browned) (and lumpy pasta noodles that she made) and her cucumber salad, and An Alex Toth “Green Lantern” splash from Comic Cavalcade #27 (June-July ’48)—and Irwin Hasen’s for the “GL” story in Allsometimes soup, goulash, or American Comics #102 (Oct. ’48), the final issue before the mag was totally taken over by western heroes. [©2003 DC Comics.] chicken soup, and ol’ palacsinta tho)—Selma was no less blushpink than I at Shelly’s marriage-brokering (crepes, rolled-up, with thick black prune jam, thick as tar, semisweet, hints to the wise—and, tho I wasn’t Jewish, Shelly’d overlook that, as I with sugar/crushed walnuts on top! Ohhgoddd, I can taste it all now!). happily’d do so, with adorable softvoiced Selma as ‘my significant other,’ Anyhoo—somehow (don’t ask), covered pots/pans all on my should we ever meld—but, alas, not to be—Shelly’s kidding-on-thedrawing/inking gear/pages/board (till I got one extra to leave at Irwin’s) square sermons were played out a few times—and she and I fumbled and (lighten the load winter/spring/summer/fall) wet weather or dry—got on joked our way out of his office and line of fire. the 79th St. bus—or, later, hotty-totty, hailed a cab over to Irwin’s—and, voila! Brought us dinner or supper or enough for both! and we’d heat We all contributed our loose silver pocket change into Selma’s desk’s up, serve from his hidden closet kitchenette’s hotplate/stove/plates, ‘dischka’ (‘well’), collecting money for her ‘Hadassah’ Israeli group—I silverware—and enjoy emptying those pots! The good life! could never jingle my way past her desk—nope—and it was more of an excuse to dawdle and chat with lovely young her—my ‘jingle’ left in the He was busy with tons of ‘Green Lantern,’ only occasional ‘Wildcats’ ‘pischka’—and, hey, in the ’40s, we all had lots of honest-to-God silver (dunnowhy?), ’cuz Meskin, Krigstein, Reinman, Kane, others were at coinage weighing us down—silver dollars (cartwheels) on down—none it—no one did it like Irwin! Loved his way with ‘Wildcat’—and I always of this ‘funnymoney’ light alloy stuff of 45/50 yrs—and paper notes hoped to do at least one of ’em—written by Bill Finger!!!—but, backed by silver, too! somehow, was never asked to, nor, apparently, did I volunteer!!!

Dunnowhy?!! Puzzling—I guess I was ‘Johnny Thunder’-ing along Things just were more genuine, then! then—late ’40s—a few sci-fi/space gigs—and, ahh, love stories, spy, This 1980s sketch by Alex People, too! crime, and a few ‘G.L.’s, too—maybe into Korean War stories? E.C.’s gives just a hint of what a Kurtzman was doing great work on them—I did three for Harvey— Toth “Wildcat” strip (Irwin’s ‘Goldbergs’ daily strip had come ’n’ gone, too soon)—and, as he might’ve looked like. This Re friend Irwin Hasen—he loved is one that Shelly Mayer put it, at San Diego con in ’98, on a panel, he was ‘eased out’ of all that Hungarian cooking! My mother’s cooking! let get away! Thanks ‘NPP/DC’ load by Whit Ellsworth, our honcho, then—who suggested Tho he never, to my ken, met her, except to Al Dellinges. [Art ©2003 Irwin take a vacation—Irwin did—to Europe—Italy—only to realize Alex Toth; Wildcat TM & Whit, in his nice way, had ‘aced’ him out—O-U-T!!! Uncalled for, ©2003 DC Comics.] really! No real reason for it—after good years of good work, on time!

He didn’t deserve ‘ousting’!!! Odd, coincidental synchronicity! Both Irwin and I left ‘NPP/DC’ in ’52—I hopped over to Ned Pines’ ‘Standard Comics,’ and Irwin—? (He’ll tell you true) I think, by year’s end, was with Gus Edson, on their d/s ‘Dondi’ strip—longlived success—the gods smiled down on Irwin.

And there you have it—Irwin doesn’t like writing letters, but I do!

He likes phonechat—I rarely do—so, communication, 3000 miles distant—has been—sketchy! Very! Rare, out of the blue contacts—I write at length to him, but wear him out—I usually postcard people—to avoid that—it was Roy Crane who wrote to my 10 page missive—‘If you wrote much shorter letters, you’d get more replies’!!!

Sez me, after dunning you all w/this 7 page mess!

Previously Unpublished Art ©2003 Frank Brunner

ATTENTION: FRANK BRUNNER ART FANS! Frank is now accepting art commissions for covers, splash panels, or pin-up re-creations!

Also, your ideas for NEW art are welcome!

Contact Frank directly for details and prices.

(Minimum order: $150) Write now (be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope!) and receive FREE with my reply an autographed Brunner “Star Wars Galaxy” trading card!

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Got a hole in your Mr. Monster collection? We’ll gladly e-mail you a free Mr. Monster EEEK-Mail Catalog! Just Contact Michael T. Gilbert at:

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For a printed version, send one dollar to Michael T. Gilbert, P.O. Box 11421, Eugene OR 97440

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Nuts and Bolts!

The Gardner Fox Scrapbook, Chapter II

by Michael T. Gilbert Gardner Fox was a seasoned professional, and an incredibly prolific writer. By his own count, before his death in 1986 he had written well over 4000 comic book stories in a career spanning six decades. With a workload like that, inspiration doesn’t always come easy. Even the most facile and productive writer sometimes suffers fallow periods. Unfortunately, Fox’s grueling schedule didn’t allow very much “downtime.” As a result, he devised a number of writer’s tricks to jump-start the creative flow when the Muse was on vacation.

In the second half of our Gardner Fox Scrapbook (Chapter I appeared back in A/E #14), we’ll see some of those “tricks of the trade.” In the process, we hope to give you a small taste of the more mundane aspects of the writing business. And now, without further ado....

st of honor at Phil Gardner Fox was the gue vention in New York Con Art ic Com Seuling’s 1971 Seuling & Heather en Gw City. Photo courtesy of the 1972 program book Antonelli, from a copy of Mommsen.

Fred by ed provid

A. Fox was always trying to perfect his craft.

Over the years, he put together numerous folders and notebooks—some filled with arcane facts that could be used later in stories, others with writing tips culled from many sources. Plotto and The Plot Genie were two popular books of his day that offered mechanical formulas for writing stories. At right on this page is an example of one of those “how-to-write” formulas—followed (on the opposite page) by Fox’s using it to diagram a 1942 “Sandman” story.

P.S.: If you want to see the point of these exercises, read the first letter of each paragraph on the “General Comic Plot Synopsis.”

Our thanks to Lynda Fox Cohen and Jeff Fox, and to Linda Long, head of the Special Collections at the University of Oregon at Eugene, OR, for permission to reprint material from the Gardner Fox Archive.

The Gardner Fox Scrapbook

It’s been known for years that Joe Simon and/or Jack Kirby didn’t do all the scripting for their features—and indeed, in Adventure Comics #74 (May ’42), their third “Sandman” story after coming to DC trailing clouds of glory from their 1941 Captain America work at Timely, it would seem they worked from a (not-credited) script by Gardner Fox. But perhaps that’s not too surprising, since he had written some of the earliest stories of the original gas-mask-wearing version of Sandman. “The Man Who Knew All the Answers,” which was reprinted in Forever People #9 (June-July 1972), follows Fox’s “character plot” closely... bringing up the question of whether Simon & Kirby really re-wrote Fox’s “Sandman” JSA chapters in several mid-’40s issues of All-Star Comics, as long suspected—or whether they read like Simon & Kirby because Gardner had written previous “Sandman” stories for Joe and Jack! Or—was Gardner merely analyzing an already-existing Simon & Kirby “Sandman” tale for his own purposes? [Art this page ©2003 DC Comics.]

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B. Here’s another example of plotting by the numbers—and a few letters, too! This time, Fox tries another formula on a “Congo Bill” plot for Action Comics.

Gardner Fox may or may not have scripted this particular “Congo Bill” story (with art by John Daly—we think), but it’s typical of the period. From Action Comics #92 (Jan. 1946). [©2003 DC Comics.]

One element of nearly every Golden Age plot, including the one for this “Congo Bill,” was a happy ending. [©2003 DC Comics.]

The Gardner Fox Scrapbook

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C. When Fox got a story idea, he’d jot it down for future use.

Here are a few of his “plot germs”:

Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel originated “The Spectre” with artist Bernard Baily—but Gardner later became the Grim Ghost’s main writer, probably scripting this story in More Fun Comics #101 (Jan.-Feb. 1945). Because Superboy’s solo series debuted in that same issue, the comic was reprinted in 2000 in DC’s quality Millennium Editions. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Even transparent, The Spectre still packed a solid punch in More Fun #101—but by now he was only a ghost of his former nigh-omnipotent self. [©2003 DC Comics.]

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D. Pay in the “Golden Age” was anything but golden. Fox got paid as little as $1 a page when he started out in the 1930s. Money could be made, but you had to be fast! He used lots of “memory joggers” to speed things up. He’d jot down “cheat sheets” on every imaginable subject. There were pages devoted to useful historical facts, character names, and even such arcane subjects as different ways to secretly signal the hero. And, of course, there were lots of slang phrases for every genre— westerns included. Thunderation, ranny!

Gardner Fox may or may not have scripted the “Johnny Thunder” story in All-American Western #106 (Feb.-March ’49), only the seventh after writer Robert Kanigher and artist Alex Toth originated the hero in All-American Comics #100—but JT uses the plural form of “waddy,” so we couldn’t resist showing this panel! Pencils by Carmine Infantino? [©2003 DC Comics.]

One popular hero Gardner wrote for several years, “The Wyoming Kid,” even appeared with Superman and Batman on the cover of World’s Finest Comics #42 (Sept.-Oct. 1949), from which this Howard Shermandrawn panel is taken. Thanks to Jerry Bails. [©2003 DC Comics.]

The Gardner Fox Scrapbook

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E. Check out the rare examples on these two pages of Gardner Fox artwork.

Maybe it’s just as well he stuck to writing! Here he’s diagrammed a stagecoach to get the facts right—a Fox trademark.

By 1949-51 DC published All-American Western, Jimmy Wakely, Dale Evans, Western Comics, and even (sob!) All-Star Western... but Fox also wrote oaters for his childhood chum Vin Sullivan’s Magazine Enterprises, including Ghost Rider, Straight Arrow, Tim Holt/Redmask, Durango Kid, Bobby Benson, et al. The cover art for Straight Arrow #3 (June-July 1950) is by Frank Frazetta. Thanks to Don Rosick. [©2003 DC Comics.]

(Above:) When the sunlight falls on his shield, a captive Hawkman uses it as a “heliograph”—one of many factoids with which Fox liked to stud his stories. This tale from Flash Comics #4 (April ’40), the first drawn by Shelly Moldoff, was reprinted in the 1990 hardcover The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told— and why has this book been allowed to go out of print?

(Right:) On the next page, Shiera Sanders gets the message. [©2003 DC Comics.]

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F. A “Mr. Terrific” story gets broken down into its component parts.

The only place Mr. Terrific ever appeared besides Sensation Comics and AllStar Comics #24 was in the 128-page Big All-American Comic Book in 1944. By then, original writer John Wentworth’s name was no longer on the feature—so was it scripted by Gardner Fox in BAACB? At this late date—nobody knows! Art

by Stan Aschmeier.

DC Comics.]

In the “Starman” tale in Adventure Comics #62 (May ’41), only the second of the series, a madman called The Light does indeed kidnap a fellow scientist for pure revenge, as per Fox’s formula notes: “Many years ago you expelled me from your scientific college—you said I was mad, and laughed at me.” Artist Jack Burnley got credit, but not the writer, who was probably Gardner—though Jack maintains Fox didn’t write the first “Starman.” [©2003 DC Comics.]

G. Another Fox plotting exercise, illustrated at right: dissecting some old stories.

The Gardner Fox Scrapbook

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H. Plots! Plots! And more plots!

The Fastest Man Alive got his own mag with All-Flash Quarterly #1 (Summer ’41); the “backward” thunderbolt on his shirt suggests the cover art was “flopped,” and that he was originally drawn running from left to right.

Note that one suggested title Fox lists for a “Flash” story, “[The] Man Who Relived [His] Life,” was actually used for the “Justice Society” epic in 1944’s All-Star Comics #21. And wouldn’t we all have liked to read about that crossed-out concept, the “Comic Book That Came to Life”? [©2003 DC Comics.]

Whether or not “Charles Reizenstein,” the original writer of “Dr. Mid-Nite,” was a real person or not (he has no known credits in comics except “Doc”), Gardner evidently wrote the feature at one time. This splash by Stan Aschmeier (as “Stan Josephs”) is from All-American Comics #61 (Oct. ’44). [©2003 DC Comics.]

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I. Gardner Fox wasn’t precious with his work, even when he’d gotten his page rate raised all the way to $3 a page by what must be the early- to mid-1940s. He worked fast—and on the cheapest paper he could find. He’d often jot down notes on the back of old legal letters, bar stationery, and the like. Here are a few examples:

From Fox’s records, ’twould seem that he scripted all three main stories in Batman #16 (April-May 1943)—and even the “Alfred” shortie.

Thanks to Ken Dudley for this panel from “The Adventures of the Branded Tree.” Thanks to Ken Dudley. [©2003 DC Comics.]

In 1939 Gardner Fox quickly became the second man to write “Batman” scripts for Bob Kane, after co-creator Bill Finger. If, as is generally held, he wrote the Dark Knight’s encounter with the vampiric Monk in Detective Comics #31-32 (Sept./Oct. ’39), then Fox not only gave the new hero his first prototype Batplane (the “Bat-gyro”), but he also wrote Batman’s first continued story—and his last, come to that, for quite some time! [©2003 DC Comics.]

(Opposite page:) In a single issue of Flash Comics such as #40 (April ’43), Fox scripted the “Flash,” “Hawkman,” possibly even “The King.” (Art by Hal Sharp, Shelly Moldoff, & Joe Gallagher, respectively.) Incidentally, his note re All-Star’s JSA stories dropping from 56 pages to 48 indicates this sheet was probably written in late 1942. [©2003 DC Comics.]

The Gardner Fox Scrapbook

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J. Fox would keep track of his writing output with schedules like this. Some days he’d go “into city” to drop off work, confer with editors, and pick up new assignments. Incidentally, the pages noted here were not necessarily comic books, as Fox was also a prolific prose writer.

Though most of Gardner’s early-’46 entries (on liquor store stationery!) apparently refer to straight prose or unnamed comic book scripts in the works, there’s a special notation for an “All Star synopsis”—maybe because those stories were so lonnnnng? One “JSA” tale he’d have written about then is “The Workshop of Willie Wonder” for issue #31 (Oct.-Nov. ’46), which you can peruse in DC’s All Star Archives, Vol. 7.

Art by Martin Naydel. [©2003 DC Comics.]

K. Last, but certainly not least—payment!

Fox kept a careful record of how much money he made, and what it was paid for.

And these records, among others, were all donated some years back to the University of Oregon at Eugene, Oregon, where they form the Gardner Fox Archive.

And on that happy note we conclude our journey through Gardner’s Scrapbook.

Hope you enjoyed the guided tour!

All-Star Squadron Chronicles

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Chronicles

Part V

Preview–Of A Coming Attraction!

by Roy Thomas [WRITER/EDITOR’S NOTE: Sheesh, as Stan Lee used to say—still does, as a matter of fact! To date I’ve written four installments of the “All-Star Squadron Chronicles”—for A/E #6, 8, 12, & 14—and we’re still muddling through the preliminaries, and the “Special Preview” prepared for Justice League of America #193 (Sept. 1981). This time we’ll finish up discussing that section, at least. Hey, you knew we had to get to the actual first issue of All-Star Squadron sometime in this millennium, right? —Roy.]

Cover Story The Special All-Star Squadron Preview was to be 16 pages— a “signature,” as they called it in the parlance of the time—one big sheet of newsprint that became 16 pages of a comic book.

I only had to worry about 14 of them, however. Len Wein, as editor of All-Star Squadron, elected to put together the interior “cover” to the section, and the final page (which would advertise issue #1), with no input from me. Naturally, I’d have preferred to be involved, since I’d been used to being my own editor for years, but that’s the way things were at DC (and Marvel) now.

Besides, I knew Len would do a good job...

Actually, he did a superlative one. I’m a bit hazy on details, mainly because I never knew them in the first place, but Len had penciler Rich Buckler prepare two cover drawings, both of which would be inked by DC editor (and artist) Dick Giordano. One depicted Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite, and The Atom hunching over a table laden with “photos” of DC-owned super-heroes, with additional “photos” on the wall behind them. The other was your basic “Charge!” layout, with the entire late-1941 membership of the Justice Society (except Starman) rushing at the reader, with the Capitol Building and a looming American flag in the background; this grouping included honorary JSAers Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and The Flash, plus nearfuture member Wonder Woman.

To publicize the forthcoming All-Star Squadron series, Rich Buckler penciled and inked

this drawing of seven JSAers for the 3rd issue of Amazing Heroes fanzine (Aug. 1981).

My understanding, later, was that the photos-on-table scene [Art ©2003 Rich Buckler; JSA TM & ©2003 DC Comics.] was originally intended as the interior cover of the Preview, while the “Charge!” shot was to be the cover of All-Star got to work on my plot for the former. Therein I needed to get most of Squadron #1, but that Len elected to change them. That may not have the JSA (plus newcomer Wonder Woman) captured by super-villains been true, however, since each illo really only fit the place where it from future eras, so they’d be out of action during the first few issues of eventually ended up: ten of the 13 JSAers in the group drawing would All-Star Squadron. appear only in the Preview, and in #1 the Hawk/Doc/Atom trio would I had only 14 pages total to (a) account for 13 heroes, counting the be assembling non-JSA heroes to replace those who’d vanished. In any three who would elude capture by a quintet of baddies; (b) insert cameos event, the cover of Squadron #1 by Buckler and Giordano became one of several people who were destined to help form the Squadron; and (c) of my favorites among all the many covers on comics I’ve written over establish some of the historical backdrop of the storyline. the years... and I had nothing whatever to do with designing it!

The Plot Thickens...

Need I tell you that I reworked that synopsis several times before I mailed it in to Len?

By this point I had decided on the basic story for the Preview and the first three regular issues and had run it by Len in broad outline, so I

Ordinarily, at Marvel, my plots had consisted of either a telephone conversation (often followed by my mailing out copies of a Robert E.

Preview––of a Coming Attraction

33 knew somebody who’d give those three superheroes “a run for their money,” would be enough to clue in readers familiar with DC’s Golden Age reprints over the years that Mr. Chambers was secretly none other than the company’s other 1940s speedster, Johnny Quick. If they hadn’t seen those reprints or had forgotten them—no matter. They’d be filled in in All-Star Squadron #1. (This “page 1,” actually the second page of the Preview, was reprinted from the original art in A/E #14.)

Wonder Woman wins the race, in a panel based (again, whether the readers knew it or not didn’t matter) on the front cover of Comic Cavalcade #1, which would actually have a Winter 1942-43 cover date—but hey, photos can be taken a year before they’re printed, right? We quickly learn that Flash and GL have only just met the Amazon princess, whose American debut in Sensation Comics #1 had been cover-dated Jan. ’42 (and thus on sale in autumn of 1941), and that she perhaps won because the Fastest Man Alive underestimated her for a split second. Wonder Woman would very soon join the JSA, after a fashion—so This plug, with figures by Buckler and Ordway, appeared in the 4-page comics store giveaway though she wasn’t really a member yet, I wanted DC Coming Attractions #55 for June 1981, behind a front page depicting the covers of to get her “out of the way” with most of the All-Star Squadron #1 and Arak, Son of Thunder #1. For one brief shining moment, it was others in the group. The winner’s trophy is handed “Roy Thomas Month” at DC. Roy even wrote the Superman and the Fortress of Solitude out by a fourth costumed hero, Wildcat, standing special advertised therein! [©2003 DC Comics.] in for heavyweight boxing champion Ted Grant (who, numerous readers would have known, Howard short story for adaptation in one of the three Conan mags I’d secretly was Wildcat). To avoid autograph seekers and so they can get been writing), or a typed synopsis of from one to several pages. As had better-acquainted, the three racers prepare to split. (This “page 3” was been the case for a reasonably successful decade and a half, only rarely reprinted in A/E #14.) were those plots broken down even into blocs of several-page action (e.g., “pp. 18-20”). DC generally wanted a bit more pacing by the writer.

To many 1981 readers, the fact that the race was held to benefit the I felt no desire to change my method of working, since Marvel by then March of Dimes would have meant little or nothing. But in the 1940s was considerably outselling DC, so the “Marvel style” method was that was one of the most famous of charities, formed to fund the search obviously working... but I did what I had to do. for a cure for the dreaded disease known as polio or infantile paralysis.

The March of Dimes had a high profile partly because President In the Preview, in truth, I quickly realized I would have to break the Franklin D. Roosevelt had himself been stricken with polio years earlier; synopsis down into page-by-page action, or else risk the penciler pacing and while few people realized how wheelchair-bound he was because of the 14 pages quite differently from what I felt was needed. So I did a it, the illness was feared and loathed in all quarters. The “dimes” part of very detailed plot, saying what was to be drawn not in each individual the equation was meant to encourage children to collect pocket change panel, but at least on every page. Penciler Rich Buckler was certainly for the cause; the charity’s name probably owed something to The free to pace out things a bit differently, but my breakdown would help March of Time, a series of news-related short subjects produced for him know what had to be done. It also forced me to visualize each page showing in movie theatres from 1935-51. Nowadays, I almost even feel a in my head in a very detailed fashion, far more than I ordinarily did need to explain what “short subjects” were—but I won’t. (and, I believe, far more than a writer usually needs to).

Jerry Ordway mentioned in A/E #12 that he was often asked to redraw entire panels that had been penciled by Rich or by later layout artist Adrian Gonzales. In the Preview I probably asked Jerry to change a costume detail or two (with Len or myself sending him photocopies for reference), but I doubt if I asked him for more—except in one notable instance, which I’ll get to later.

March of Crimes I elected to start off by asking for a handful of panels showing two shadowed figures trying to contact the JSA—with the buzzer in the group’s meeting-room going unanswered. A caption would establish the time as 10 p.m. on a night in 1941, but would give no further hard information. Cut to Los Angeles, where it’s three hours earlier and a twoman movie newsreel team is filming a charity race between The Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman in a packed stadium. By the last panel on the page, we’d learn that one of the newsreelers is named Johnny Chambers—and that, plus a thought balloon hinting that he

(Not that I expected the reader to know all the above. My job was to tell a good story, which would give a reader whatever he/she needed to know as the tale rolled along. Ernest Hemingway wrote famously that everything a writer knows about a subject is like an iceberg—and what he writes is just the tip of that iceberg, all that shows above the water— i.e., in the story. What’s important is that the rest of the iceberg is there, just beneath the surface, giving a solid basis to what is written. As a student and sometime teacher of history, I intended to impart information about the WWII period in All-Star Squadron, whether the series lasted one year or thirty... but I hoped to do it in a sugar-coated way.

Quite a few letters at the time, and folks I’ve encountered in more recent years at conventions and through this volume of Alter Ego, accepted my little “history lessons” in that spirit. To those who didn’t—well, the hell with ’em.)

But onward...

Over pages 4-5 and part of p. 6, the Flash/GL/WW trio, during an impromptu picnic in L.A.’s Echo Park, are attacked by Solomon

All-Star Squadron Chronicles

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DC’s other hero group, the Seven Soldiers of Victory—chiefly because one of them, The Shining Knight, was secretly destined to become a charter member of the All-Star Squadron.

(Well, perhaps not too secretly. As mentioned in an earlier installment, Sir Justin was depicted on the Preview’s “cover” as if he were a member of the JSA—accidentally replacing Starman, who should have been there. The Knight, but not the Astral Avenger, would be shown on the cover of All-Star Squadron #1, as well. I didn’t see either of these drawings in time to suggest a change.)

On p. 6-7 and the top half of p. 8 came a sequence featuring Starman, Sandman, and Johnny Thunder, who are watching “worldfamed” journalist Libby Lawrence (secretly Liberty Belle) on that new medium called television. Regular TV broadcasting had started only a few months previously, but it was fun to toss into the mix something which, to the Preview reader, was a piece of furniture he/she had probably grown up with. (I myself had been in my teens when my family got their first TV set.)

Moments later, when a “pirate ship” floats through the night sky above Manhattan, these three JSAers go into action and find themselves face to face with The Sky Pirate, a modern-day buccaneer who in the latter 1940s would appear in several “Green Lantern” stories. This Justice Society threesome, like the earlier one, is taken captive. The world’s first and greatest super-hero group wasn’t having much of a night, was it?

Cut to: Dr. Fate’s windowless, doorless tower near Salem, Massachusetts, where the helmeted sorcerer smashes into what seems to be an attacking enemy of his named Wotan—but when both figures fall senseless to the ground, the attacker is revealed to actually be none other than Fate’s fellow JSAer, The Spectre!

(Wotan reveals that he had lured Spec to Salem chasing the image of his own foe, Kulak, from All-Star Comics #2... so that the two powerful heroes would crash into each other and knock each other unconscious.) This sequence, thank God, could be shorter than the other four in the Preview.

Starman, Sandman, and Johnny Thunder (with his magic Thunderbolt) attack airborne brigands. For period flavor, Roy tossed in references to Mickey Mouse and the Air Pirates and Karl Capek’s 1923 play R.U.R., which gave the word “robot” to the English language. Art by Rich Buckler & Jerry Ordway. Repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of Jerry Bails. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Grundy—that monstrous GL foe who actually first appeared in AllAmerican Comics #61 for October 1944, nearly three years after the events of the Preview. The reader who noticed this anachronism would either be intrigued by GL’s failure to recognize his enemy, or else would figure that Ye Writer had no knowledge whatever of DC Comics continuity. Either way, I hoped to grab his/her interest. I also used these pages to establish that Wonder Woman considered herself committed to American airman Captain Steve Trevor... and to suggest the chivalric impulses of the two male heroes when Grundy struck the Amazon. But the Marshland Monster downed all three stalwarts—only to be admonished by a voice within his head, a clear indication that something more than Grundy’s desire for revenge on GL was behind this assault.

The Harder They Fall On the remainder of p. 5, one of the two mysterious figures trying to contact the JSA is depicted realistically by Rich and Jerry... but I doubt if any 1981 readers recognized Harry Hopkins, FDR’s informal right-hand man during the later New Deal and most of World War II. No matter.

What was important was that Hopkins referred to (and a panel depicted)

Cut to: yet another incongruous scene, a pair of panels of Naval Ensign Rod Reilly (whom a bare handful of readers might know to be the relatively obscure Quality hero called Firebrand) and his redhaired sister Danette. What were they doing on a volcanic island?

Readers would find out—if they bought the first issue of the new series.

Cut to: Superman, Batman, and Robin opening a USO (United Services Organization) club, set up to entertain American servicemen. The inspiration for this sequence was yet another DC cover—World’s Finest Comics #8 (Winter 1942). Suddenly the celebration is interrupted by the attack of Professor Zobar Zodiak, the plump baddie who’d later be seen, for the first and only time in the Golden Age, in the not-yet-reprinted All-Star Comics #42 (Aug.-Sept.

1948). Actually, in that mag, Zodiak donned a gaunt-looking face mask and, for no good reason, seemed to shed fifty pounds in the process of becoming the arch-villain known as The Alchemist. In 1942, though, he had no need for a secret identity, and I preferred the name “Prof.

Zodiak.” He hurls an Alchemo-bomb at the Dynamic Duo, turning them into helpless children (as per ASC #42), and uses the legendary Philosopher’s Stone to down the Man of Steel—though his dialogue makes it clear that someone he calls “the master” covered the Stone with “powder made from that green meteorite”—kryptonite, of course, though neither in 1942 or in 1948 did the Earth of the DC Universe know about that phenomenon. So three more JSAers have bitten the dust.

Next, after the depiction of a shadowy figure who’d turn out, in #1, to be none other than Plastic Man, I grouped Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite,

Preview––of a Coming Attraction

newsdealers, with an accurate headline about a looming national rail strike, is the precise date of the events of the Preview revealed. By now it’s the “first moments of Sunday, December 7, 1941... a date destined to live in infamy...!”

and The Atom, the only three JSAers who wouldn’t be captured. Not that The Monster, from 1944’s All-Star #20, didn’t try, but the trio defeated him in the Lincoln Memorial. Indeed, before he faded away, he even turned back into his other self, industrialist Jason Rogers— not that the heroes saw him long enough to recognize him when they’d see him again, three years in the future.

(There were time paradoxes a-plenty in this first All-Star Squadron tale, but I figured they’d all be taken care of in the end. And I think they were.)

The code message FDR and Hopkins read, of course, had been the quite historical one sent from Japan to its diplomatic representatives in Washington, D.C., on December 6, which, again in the Real World, was intercepted and decoded by the nowfamous U.S. code-busting operation known as “Magic.” The Japanese message indicated to FDR—if not, ironically, to the Japanese diplomats who’d also received it, that Tokyo had decided to go to war with America.

A last also-shadowy figure is then seen nearby; he’ll turn out to be another non-JSA DC hero, Robotman. I related in A/E #14 how Rich accidentally drew the Iwo Jima Memorial statuary in one panel in which Robotman appears; but since the Pacific island of Iwo Jima wouldn’t fall to the American Marines for another 3H years, I had to ask Jerry to erase Rich’s nicely-detailed little drawing of the famous flag-raising, substituting instead the Washington Monument, which was around in 1941.

“This Means War!”

As a matter of fact, at the very moment the next day that those diplomats were supposed to be reading that message to U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Japanese bombs would be falling on American military installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In the welcome first volume of the Batman: World’s Finest Comics Archives published in 2002, the cover artist of 1942’s WFC #6 is uncredited. Any ideas out there? [©2003 DC Comics.]

Then, in the final few panels, as the clock strikes midnight, we realize that the man who was desperately trying to contact the Justice Society on pp. 1 & 5 was—none other than President Roosevelt, as rendered very recognizably by Rich and Jerry! Referring to a Japanese secret message he holds, which U.S. forces have intercepted and decoded, he declares, “This means war!” These words, and three additional balloons’ worth of dialogue, were indeed spoken by the President to Harry Hopkins on that occasion—although, in the Real World, Naval Lt. Lester R. Schulz, the man who had hand-delivered that note to FDR, was also present. Most readers were baffled when FDR called his confidant “Harry” on this page. At least one wrote in saying how clever it was to have Vice President Harry Truman there—but in point of fact, that Harry wouldn’t become VP till early 1945 (and President only a few months later, on FDR’s death).

And the Second World War would begin in earnest.

And so it ended, after 14 packed pages—with Rich and me credited as “writer/co-creators/penciler” and “Jeremiah Ordway” as “embellisher,” since Jerry was being paid as a “finisher,” not just an inker, despite Rich’s providing full pencils. As Jerry stated in #14, he figured the extra dough was so he would make artistic changes that I requested, without the work having to be sent back to Rich.

On the final page of the 16-page Preview came the full-page ad reproducing the Buckler-penciled, Giordano-inked cover of All-Star Squadron #1, which was advertised as going on sale on June 18th of that year (1981).

Already in the Preview FDR also says that he’d hoped to get the JSA to form “some sort of all-star squadron” to help out in the present emergency—only he couldn’t reach them.

Only in the final panel, when stacks of the next day’s newspapers are delivered to

35

“Now that you’ve sampled the action,” blared the ad, “get ready for the MAIN EVENT!” I might say the same thing to you... ’cause “The All-Star Squadron Chronicles” will continue soon— and very definitely not with six intervening issues, this time!

Asking America’s super-heroes to form an “all-star squadron” is just the kind of thing FDR would’ve done, too! President Roosevelt and Harry “The Hop” Hopkins in an otherwise historical moment from the final page of the Preview. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Next: The World On Fire!

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No. 80

WILL LIEBERSON “It’s What Goes Into The Balloon That Counts!”

Plus: POST-WAR CAPTAIN MARVEL JR. and MARC SWAYZE’S“We Didn’t Know... It Was The Golden Age!”

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Marc Swayze department—Ed Herron, Rod Reed and Will Lieberson— assured a continued creative freedom that hadn’t been expected.

Then there was the unusual long-distance, long-term freelance arrangement with editorial director Ralph Daigh… a dream of a deal!

So why leave it?

By

[Art & logo ©2003 Marc Swayze; Captain Marvel © & TM 2003 DC Comics]

[FCA EDITOR’S NOTE: From 1941-53, Marcus D. Swayze was a top artist for Fawcett Comics. The very first Mary Marvel character sketches came from his drawing table, and he illustrated her earliest adventures, including the classic origin story, “Captain Marvel Introduces Mary Marvel (CMA #18, Dec. ’42); but he was primarily hired

by Fawcett Publications to illustrate Captain Marvel stories and covers for Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures. He also wrote many Captain Marvel scripts, and continued to do so while in the military. After being discharged, he made an arrangement with Fawcett to produce art and stories for them on a freelance basis out of his Louisiana home. There he created both art and story for The Phantom Eagle in Wow Comics, in addition to drawing the Flyin’ Jenny newspaper strip for Bell Syndicate (created by his friend and mentor Russell Keaton). After the cancellation of Wow, Swayze produced artwork for Fawcett’s top-selling line of romance comics. When the company dropped its comics line, he moved over to Charlton Publications, where he ended his comics career in the mid-’50s. Marc’s ongoing professional memoirs have been FCA’s most popular feature since his first column appeared in FCA #54, 1996. Last issue, Marc discussed some of his Captain Marvel work. In this issue, he touches upon why he left comic books for good in 1956. —P.C. Hamerlinck.]

I always tried to keep the audience in mind.

“Audience” may not be the correct term to use… we’re talking about those folks out there who were expected to see and read the stuff that came from our drawing boards and typewriters.

“Readership” might be a more accurate term.

“Audience,” though, has sufficed a long time for the theatre people, so let’s go with it.

A couple of questions that came my way more than once have been: “Did you become angry with the comic books? Why did you leave that career?”

Angry? I loved comic book work! The great majority of it had been in affiliation with Fawcett Publications, and the cordiality shown by the people of that company, from the very start, went far beyond just welcoming a new guy.

The respect and confidence expressed by art director Al Allard and the successive executive editors of the comics

A montage of fabled Fawcett creators.

Clockwise from top left: Marc Swayze, Paramount Building, Fawcett Publications, NYC, in 1941... Al Allard, Fawcett Publications Art Director... Rod Reed, early Fawcett Comics editor and writer... Ralph Daigh, Fawcett Publications editorial director.

I watched the comic book audience shift and slide with the times… from reprints of the old Sunday funnies to the superheroes and -heroines… pre-war, wartime,

post-war… romance, human interest… on around the cycle back to the funnies. I don’t see how anyone could truly enjoy, or even understand, drawing or writing comics without a sincere consideration of the audience. Who’s gonna see it? Who’s gonna read it? Are they gonna like it?

Looking back from the mid-’50s on all that, I felt I was something of an expert on the subject of the comic book audience.

The only conclusion I could reach,

We Didn’t Know...

“It had been more than ten years since I had worked on Mary and Captain Marvel....” Splash page at right from Whiz Comics #37 (Nov. 1942), and the partial cover of Wow Comics #10 (Feb. ’43); art by Marc Swayze. [©2003 DC Comics.]

however, was that the comics did not promise much of a future at the time… for me.

The message was emphasized when Fawcett left the game in ’53 and Charlton was virtually washed from the map by the flood in ’55. The impression left was that the comics and I were not parting, but the career was crumbling before my eyes.

The suggestion was made that I approach other comic book publishers. It had been more than ten years since I had worked on Mary and Captain Marvel, and what I did then was being attributed to others. I doubt if publishers ever heard of The Phantom Eagle, always in the back pages of Wow Comics, created to fly in a war that was already over. Some of the best story art I did for Fawcett was in the romances, and publishers just didn’t seem to care much for the romance comic books.

And how would publishers know that much of the early Captain Marvel art was mine, when C.C. Beck had trouble distinguishing it? The point here is that publishers didn’t know me. Secondly, connecting with one would likely meant settling in New York

“The Phantom Eagle... created to fly in a war that was already over.” A never-before-published 1946 preliminary pencil sketch by Marc—and a panel from Wow Comics #46 (Aug. ’46). [Art ©2003 Marc Swayze; Phantom Eagle TM & ©2003 DC Comics.]

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40

Marc Swayze

“Some of my best story art... for Fawcett was in the romances....” Previously unseen character sketches by Swayze for a Fawcett love story. [©2003 Marc Swayze.]

City once again… this time with a family!

Over in the newspaper field, the fluctuating preferences of the comic strip audience had behaved in pretty much the same manner… around the cycle and back, it was beginning to appear, to the funnies. The trend shook my confidence in The Great Pierre, the feature for which I held a contract with Bell Syndicate. An adventure strip… and an audience favoring the funnies? Not good.

I am truly thankful for having had the opportunity to participate in the comic book game. I am convinced that the negative future I saw in it applied in my case only. I am pleased that others who stayed with it, some for life, fared well. The circumstances in which I found myself in 1956 were created by me alone, not the comic books. It was I who wanted, requested, and got the arrangement that permitted me to work from the South, which was wonderful, but amounted to virtual professional isolation.

It was almost weird: the way events seemed to have been pointing in a definite direction. The message was quite clear: “If you have a chance to get out… get out!” Equally weird, the chance was delivered like a pizza pie, almost to my front door. The packaging industry provided that.

It wasn’t easy turning away from a career that had meant so much… that had dominated thoughts and ambitions… had been so rewarding and satisfying… a bond with so many friends. Nor was it easy to part with all those characters, especially The Great Pierre, the swashbuckling Cajun border agent, surrounded by bad guys out in the middle of the ominous Lafoosh Swamp… …which, by the way, has been subdivided into attractive, expensive lots.

[Marc Swayze will return next issue with more memories of the Golden Age.]

WANTED: C.C. BECK FAWCETT COVER RE-CREATION PAINTINGS contact: fca2001@yahoo.com

“Nor was it easy to part with all those characters, especially The Great Pierre....” [©2003 Marc Swayze.]

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Will Lieberson

41

“It’s What Goes into the Balloon That Counts” Fawcett Executive Editor WILL LIEBERSON Remembered

by P.C. Hamerlinck [Special Thanks to Richard Lieberson.]

Richard Lieberson, the son of the late Fawcett Comics executive editor Will Lieberson, is not really an old comic book enthusiast or collector, although he read them as a kid. Occasionally he’ll have some contact with the world of comics through his collecting of vintage paperbacks and through his father’s association with Fawcett Publications during the 1940s and ’50s. Richard was born in 1949, and thus was still just a toddler when Fawcett folded its comics line in 1953.

Richard says he doesn’t believe his father ever regarded the comics as a unique art form or anything special. Will Lieberson viewed comic books as “just another job,” just as he did working on “girlie” magazines, or being the cartoon editor of True magazine (his first job at Fawcett), or—in the post-Fawcett years—publishing TV Junior (a TV

Comics may understandably have been “just another job” to Will Lieberson (right), but not every job leads to posing in a Captain Marvel sweatshirt with a cardboard cut-out of the World’s Mightiest Mortal! That’s editor Wendell Crowley on the left. Photo taken at Fawcett Publications office, NYC, 1947; courtesy of Richard Lieberson.

Guide-like publication for children) or Sunday supplements to military papers such as Military Life.

Will Lieberson’s real interest and love was always the theatre. Later in his career, Will became heavily involved in many Broadway productions as a director. However, during his eleven-year tenure editing Fawcett comics, he was always committed to producing them with excellence.

Richard vaguely recalls the time his father disclosed to him that he had never read a comic book before becoming executive editor of Fawcett’s famous line, which included Captain Marvel Adventures, Marvel Family, and Whiz Comics. “An exaggeration, I’m sure, but perhaps not far from the truth,” Richard reflects.

Will Lieberson believed editing comics was a social responsibility, and he was always ready to do battle with those who felt comics were polluting the minds of our nation’s children. Lieberson had once debated the very issue with Judith Crist on a radio program. (Crist, who was the first person to present to the public the views of Dr. Frederic Wertham, later became movie critic for the New York Post and for TV Guide).

“One time when I was a kid, I told my father I preferred ‘Superman’ over ‘Captain Marvel’ because it was more realistic, or something like that,” Richard recalls, “and he disgustedly replied that ‘Superman’ took itself too seriously.”

A rare Fawcett Comics inter-company flyer/memo prepared for the editorial staff; precise date unknown. That must be Don Winslow of the Navy with the Marvels. From the files of Will Lieberson; courtesy of Richard Lieberson. [Marvel Family TM & ©2003 DC Comics; Don Winslow TM & ©2003 the respective copyright holder.]

Richard adds, “Another time, when my father saw I was reading a novel by Patricia Highsmith, he mentioned that

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“It’s What Goes into the Balloon That Counts” she’d written scripts for Fawcett Comics. It seems the dark worldview of her novels would never have cut it in Fawcett’s comic books aimed at kids back then.” His father also mentioned noted trash-noir suspense novelist Mickey Spillane as having written for Fawcett Comics. (Of course, Spillane also worked for various comics shops before he made his big breakthrough in the late ’40s with his first Mike Hammer novel, I, the Jury.)

Richard also related an interesting tale from his father’s publishing career:

L. to r.: Fawcett Comics writer/editor Dick Kraus, editor Wendell Crowley, and executive editor Will Lieberson; date unknown. Co-worker/editor Ginny Provisiero says, “Dick loved playing the guitar and often brought it into the Fawcett offices and would strum a song during lunchtime. Dick edited many of the western comics. After a couple of years he decided he preferred to sing westerns rather than to edit them.

He left Fawcett and I inherited some of his comics. Dick played and sang very well.”

Photo courtesy of Richard Lieberson.

Cap, Mary, and Junior may have had to stop a hillbilly feud in this C.C. Beck art from Marvel Family #20 (Feb. 1948)—but the Fawcett editorial & art staff look like one big happy family in this 1947 photo, no doubt taken on the day the shipment of Captain Marvel sweatshirts arrived! [L. to r.:] Bob Laughlin, Roy Ald, Ginny Provisiero, Edna Hagen, Kay Woods, Len Leone, Wendell Crowley, Elinor Mendelsohn, Will Lieberson. A partial version of this photo appeared in Fawcett Companion, the FCA trade paperback collection still available from TwoMorrows Publishing. Photo courtesy of Richard Lieberson.

“My father used to write stories—under a variety of pseudonyms—for Behind the Scenes, a Confidential-type magazine that dished out various dirt on celebrities. [In the book Fawcett Companion, Will says writer Bill Woolfolk was the publisher of this magazine.] In high school or college, I was playing a Hank Williams record once when my father produced an issue of Behind the Scenes with a story he’d written (as ‘Sanford Mabry,’ or something like that) regarding Hank’s alleged backstage dalliances with underage girls. The issue, which appeared after Hank’s death, contained other stories he’d written under other pseudonyms. He told me he’d made it all up, and that I’m never to believe anything I read!”

Unless it has to do with saying a magic word to change into Captain Marvel, Richard!

Captain Marvel Jr.

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Captain Marvel Jr.: The Post-War Years

by Don Ensign Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck Part III

Horror, Science-Fiction–And Human Interest [NOTE: In our past two issues Don discussed the artists and several themes of the “Captain Marvel Jr.” tales in Master Comics and his own title (though not in The Marvel Family) in the years after World War II, including the bound-and-gagged motif, super-villains, various types of crime stories, plus mad and/or evil scientists. This time he moves on to other themes which became popular between 1946-53. —PCH.]

The Horror! The Horror!

Occasionally the “CMJ” writers scripted a story containing elements of the then-popular supernatural/horror genre.

In “Capt. Marvel Jr. Haunts the Ghost Vigilantes!” (CMJ #38, May 1946) Junior encounters ghosts who are the former inhabitants in an abandoned western town. After his fists prove ineffective against the phantoms, Junior tricks thems into leaving the town to its new living human inhabitants.

A macabre atmosphere pervades “Capt. Marvel Jr. Faces a Grave Situation” (CMJ #40). Freddy Freeman, as a Newsboys Club initiation rite, takes a walk through a local cemetery at night and falls into an uncovered grave. He climbs out, only to find another open grave. Both graves belong to deceased bankers. A greedy sculptor called “The Great Bernardo” has been exhuming bodies and dipping them in molten copper to make life-like statues to sell to their wealthy widows! Freddy is eventually knocked in the head (twice!) and gets bound and gagged.

But when Bernardo starts pouring the hot copper over him, it burns his gag away, allowing him to call out for Cap Jr. Rather than be captured, Bernardo dives into the vat of molten metal. This story is uncharacteristic in that it takes place mostly at night, with dark blues and purples predominating in the color scheme. Heavy spotting of blacks is also used; normally Junior’s artwork has bright daytime colors. The cemetery setting and the digging up of dead bodies give the story an eerie feel; this was several years before horror comics were to become popular. [See splash in A/E #19.]

In “The Ghost of Captain Marvel Jr.” (CMJ #71) two ghosts try unsuccessfully to kill Junior—because the ruler of good ghosts, the merciful Queen of Shades, believes only he (as a ghost) could defeat “the Evil One”—a Pan-like disgruntled ghost. Junior learns from the ancient wizard Shazam that his foe “wants to spread evil in the world by killing all the good people.” Shazam temporarily changes Junior into a ghost, and his phantom defeats the Evil One, who is forced to sign a contract to only do good thereafter.

It’s not just in the U.S.A. that Captain Marvel Jr. was a super-popular hero for many years. In Brazil, as we’ve mentioned before, the adventures of the Marvel Family were published in new Portuguese-language stories for several years after Fawcett discontinued its comics line in 1953—and Cap Jr. was so ~ Marvel Magazine with new art and well-liked that, as in this issue of Capitao stories, his story was printed in the front of the comic, while Cap’s tale brought up the rear! Note that Brazil had its own Comics Code! Thanks to John G. Pierce. [Captain Marvel & Capt. Marvel Jr. TM & ©2003 DC Comics.]

A classic movie monster confronts the World’s Mightiest Boy in “The Werewolf of London” (CMJ #117). This story of international spies plays up the horror aspect, when a panel shows Baron Drakis change into the giant werewolf, accompanied by such captions as: “The Baron’s body grows taller, stronger, and a thick mantle of fur envelops him!

Teeth become fangs, and the contours of his face change into an expression of horror!” This 1952 story was clearly trying to fit into the then-popular horror genre.

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Horror, Science-Fiction––And Human Interests

Science-Fiction While science-fiction elements are common in the “Captain Marvel Jr.” canon, actual s-f stories are fairly rare. This seems odd, as CMJ chief writer Otto Binder was a well-known pulp science fiction writer.

“The Warlords of the Moon” (CMJ #71) begins with Freddy Freeman visiting the famous Mt. Palomar Observatory—which is suddenly torn from its foundation by a huge cable attached to a rocket ship. Cap Junior saves astronomers dropping from the airborne structure, but the building vanishes and he can’t find it anywhere on Earth. The scene switches to the moon, where the observatory is being used by three brilliant but evil scientists who plan to use the telescope to aim huge bombs at the Earth. Junior sees their dummy test-bomb crash and calculates its trajectory; he then flies to the moon and defeats the scientists.

In CMJ #92 Captain Marvel Jr. visits the various planets of the solar system during an effort to stop a cosmic dust storm that is sweeping toward Earth. He discovers tree creatures on Pluto, rock creatures on Uranus, cave men on Saturn, and plant creatures on Mars.

He finally constructs a gigantic magnet to attract the storm away from Earth and hurls it into the sun.

We kinda jumped the gun by repro-ing art from some of Cap Jr.’s horror and science-fiction tales in our previous two installments, but here are some panels from Junior’s chapter in the time travel story from Marvel Family #10 (April 1947), with art by Bud Thompson. [©2003 DC Comics.]

Time travel is featured in “The Tunnel to the Future” (CMJ #99, Aug. ’51). A cave explosion sends Junior into the far future of 4,000,000 A.D., where he encounters small green men who are human descendants. The explosion has given Freddy temporary amnesia, but through a series of adventures he regains his memory and calls on Cap Jr., who convinces the council of the future men to send him and another displaced 20th-century man back to their own era. This story contains little green men, time-dimension overlaps, telepathy, meal pills, pacifier guns, and other common science-fiction concepts.

Extraterrestrial visitation is the theme of “Capt. Marvel Jr. and the Lost Space Ship” (CMJ #117—April ’53, two issues before the end of the series). Gas station owner Red O’Riley tells Freddy that, via his ham radio set, he has made contact with “a spaceship that’s approaching Earth!” The aliens say they are from the planet Elluria. Flying upward, Capt. Marvel Jr. can’t find the spacecraft, but he does rescue a reporter in a punctured hot-air balloon. He returns to Red’s service station in time to extinguish a fire in one of the gas pumps. At first they think the accidents were caused by hoodlums, but Junior eventually realizes the spaceship is tiny, and the aliens are intelligent insects who’ve crashlanded in Red’s window box! At story’s end, Freddy holds up newspaper headlines reading: “Space Insects Get New Home in Museum”: “We’re trying our best to make them feel welcome here on Earth, folks! One thing’s for sure! They won’t need much room!” The concept of a tiny alien spacecraft had been seen previously in a classic 1951 EC science-fiction tale, “Chewed Out!” and in a later Mandrake the Magician comic strip storyline.

Funny (And Not So Funny) Animals A number of Captain Marvel Jr. stories featured animals as significant thematic elements. Some of these stories were humorous, and some were very serious.

In “The Return of the Antbear” (CMJ #35) a rare striped panda is donated by an explorer, J. Billings, to a private zoo and is caged with an antbear (giant anteater). Rival explorer Sherman Shootum sends henchmen to steal the panda for his collection. Junior uses the antbear (“the world’s dumbest animal”) as a bloodhound to track the thieves to Shootum’s home, defeats them, and rescues the panda. Billings presents the antbear to a bewildered Cap Jr. as a reward at the end of the tale.

(The antbear had first been seen in CMJ #33.)

More humorous animal antics are seen in “Monkey Shines!” (CMJ #36). Freddy Freeman examines his fan mail, looking for the right name for his pet monkey. A man named Jess Wall uses his own pet monkey to commit a murder—and pins it on Freddy’s pet! Later, captured, bound, and gagged by Wall, Freddy is freed by his monkey, and Junior lifts a car to dislodge the fleeing Wall. Some of the panels in this yarn could easily have been used in a funny animal comic of the period. At the end of the story Freddy names the monkey “Jeep”—a bit ironic, since the Jeep vehicle was itself named after a fictitious animal in the Popeye comic strip. Freddy also names several readers who sent in the monicker chosen. While the comic book had no letters page, Freddy, in the story itself, acknowledges the importance of its readers.

Good-natured humor is continued in “The Dumb Dodo” (CMJ #96).

Junior saves Freddy’s fellow boarder Prof. Edgewise, who has climbed Mount Trespass to retrieve a giant dodo egg, which he then helps to hatch. An envious local zoologist, Prof. Brugge, flattens the absentminded scholar and makes off with the dodo. After a series of humorous escapades, Junior rescues the bird and apprehends Brugge. So, at least in the pages of Captain Marvel Jr., the dodo was no longer extinct!

“Revenge of the Beasts” (MC #68) presents a far more serious perspective on animals. Freddy and his friend Bill Morton go to a party at the home of “World’s Sportingest Big Game Hunter” Prof. Ransom, on an estate where wild animals such as mountain lions and bears roam

Captain Marvel Jr. freely... and where Ransom complains of being only second-best as a big game hunter. Junior must dispatch a gorilla, a tiger, and other fierce beasts—who’ve been hypnotized by Ransom to do his bidding! When Cap Jr. tosses water in Ransom’s eyes, he loses lose control of the beasts, who tear him apart. Junior learns Ransom meant to have the world’s biggest game hunters gathered at one big house party and killed, because he hated them for being better than he was: “His insane mind caused him to think the beasts wanted revenge, too!”

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Human Interest The 1942 Fawcett Writer Guidelines mention that Junior’s stories should contain “strong human interest plots” (Fawcett Companion, p. 25). There are such angles in many stories, such as the aging dilemma experienced by Dick Sanders in “The Boy Who Couldn’t Grow Up (CMJ #40), but there are certain stories where the human interest theme predominates.

For a young teenager, Freddy Freeman had little involvement with the opposite sex. An exception occurs in “Capt. Marvel Jr. Sees Stars!” (CMJ #37), where fading Hollywood movie star Lona Twister has

In “The Escape from the Zoo” (CMJ #67), Junior recaptures an escaped elephant and grizzly bear. After more bestial escapades, it turns out the ex-zoo director, Carkle, who had mistreated the animals, used special pellets to increase the animal’s strength twenty times, causing them to break free.

A scientist named Professor Ernest Vorst (a.k.a. The Animal Master) uses a “telepathy translator” in “The Animal Invasion” (CMJ #71). He commands beasts to drive out humans and take over the Earth for the animal kingdom. Captain Marvel Jr. defeats repeated onslaughts of animals—from elephants and lions to insects and worms. He tricks Vorst, gets the telepathy translator, and turns the animals against themselves.

A “Cap Jr.” panel by the late great Kurt Schaffenberger—juxtaposed with Kurt at the 1996 San Diego Comic-Con. Photo courtesy of Tim Lapsley. [Art ©2003 DC Comics.]

Cap Jr. stops the mad scheme of The Bird Thief to steal the world of all its birds in “The Great Bird Robbery” (CMJ #93) by using a huge magnet to re-route all bird migrations to a group of islands, where he plans to hold the birds for a ransom of one billion dollars.

Junior understands the seriousness of the situation: “With all the birds gone, insects will increase and destroy all crops! Also nobody will have eggs or fowl to eat, if all farm birds drown.

In short, the whole world will face famine.”

In each of the four above stories (as well as “Monkey Shines”). we see an evil or demented human using animals for their own heinous purposes.

Roscoe Fawcett (seen here in a 1942 photo) was one of the four brothers who decided on the editorial standards for Captain Marvel Jr. and other Fawcett comics.

her agent pull off publicity stunts to return her to the limelight. Freddy, her #1 fan, calls on Junior to help her out of contrived jams. But when she really is kidnapped by two thugs, Freddy winds up bound in the same room with Lona. He summons Junior, who makes it look as if Miss Twister overcame the kidnappers; this earns her a new ten-year studio contract. This is a delightful human interest story, showing an infatuated Freddy being kissed by the beautiful movie star. (The World’s Mightiest Boy is equally infatuated.)

The compassionate side of Captain Marvel Jr. is depicted in “The Trail of Death!” (CMJ #39). A Mr. Stone, having lost a fortune, decides to commit suicide by hiring Muggsy Phipps, a gangster, to kill him.

Later Stone learns he has inherited a fortune and changes his mind.

Junior saves him from one homicide attempt, but soon Freddy himself falls victim to the gangster and is (surprise, surprise!) gagged, tied, and dragged behind a speeding car. He is able to loosen his gag and calls on Junior to save Stone from being murdered by Phipps. This story shows Freddy and Cap Jr. as good Samaritans, helping people who are down on their luck.

A humorous tale of human foibles is chronicled in “The Phantom Crook” (CMJ #39). Lightning Larry Davis, a reporter friend of Freddy’s, tells the newsboy about a crook called Phantom Phil, who has an uncanny ability to blend into his surroundings. Both Larry and Cap Jr. search for the crook. Larry locates an office he thinks is Phantom Phil’s hideout—and promptly falls asleep on a cot. Junior captures Phantom Phil, while Larry sleeps through the entire episode. The Boy in Blue types up the story which the awakened Larry bewilderedly submits to his newspaper editor. This lightweight story is definitely played for laughs.

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Horror, Science-Fiction––And Human Interests Cap Jr.’s adventure in the Marvel Family monthly aren’t covered in Don Ensign’s series, but we couldn’t resist showing you art from two pages of Junior’s solo story in MF #20 (Feb. ’48), an early Kurt Schaffenberger art effort which combined a nutty invention with a touch of human interest. A “Giant Vitamin” puts the pounds on Freddy and others—but, though Junior is drawn as obese in the splash, when fat Freddy finally speaks his magic words, the World’s Mightiest Boy proves to be unaffected by it.

PCH says that’s a self-caricature of Kurt shouting “Hurry!” at bottom left. [©2003 DC Comics.]

long time.” The story’s final panel shows Mrs. Wagner looking in on a dozing Freddy: “Sleeping like a baby, the little dear. There’s nothing so good for a boy as a quiet night of rest!” This is a solidly plotted human interest story with no super-villains or supernatural gimmicks, just good characterization.

The Fawcett writers and editors sometimes published stories with fairly complex themes. In “Capt. Marvel Jr. Battles Worry” (CMJ #70), worries are personified as shadowy creatures that whisper doubts and concerns into people’s minds. When an optimist named Len Lightheart starts an Anti-Worry Club, his psychological approach of people talking to each other about worries is so effective that the “worry shadows” report back to the “King of Worry” about their failures. Eventually, Freddy’s personal “worry shadow” causes him to become almost too distraught to call on Junior to save him from an out-of-control truck. Because of his failure, Freddy’s “worry shadow” ultimately “worried himself out of existence!” Junior concludes, “If we keep up the battle, worry will never gain a foothold in human minds!”

Bud Thompson worked his artistic magic on this psychological story, one with a more sophisticated theme than is common in “CMJ” stories. Talking out one’s fears is a common counseling technique, often the first step in resolving real anxiety or worry. However, for a comic aimed at young boys, this is a remarkable story.

Next: Fantasy–––Fantastic Inventions––– And Our Fabulous Finale!

Monthly! Edited and published by Robin Snyder Occasionally fairly complex melodrama found its way into the series, as in “The City Sleeps” (MC #83). Moments after boarding-house owner Mrs. Wagner bids Freddy good night, he notices a prowler out his bedroom window, and Captain Marvel Jr. learns it’s escaped convict Billy Taggart. Searching for him, Junior encounters Police Officer Jim Bellows, who says he would welcome some excitement: “I can’t stand this dull life.” By the time Traggart kidnaps his own former girlfriend, she is rescued by Junior, Taggart steals an auto from Red’s gas station, a gun battle ensues between Taggart and Bellows, and Junior returns just in time to stop Taggart from shooting Bellows and O’Riley, the police officer observes: “I’ve had enough excitement to hold me for a long,

Write to: Robin Snyder, 2284 Yew St. Rd. #B6, Bellingham, WA 98226-8899

Number 9, Fall 2002 • Hype and hullabaloo from the publisher determined to bring new life to comics fandom • Edited by Eric Nolen-Weathington

Wives Speak Out! Will Eisner does what? Dave Sim is really like that? See what it’s been like living with comic book creators over the past 60 years, with the people who know them best! I HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS GUY! is a 208-page trade paperback that explores the lives of the partners and wives of such important comics creators as WILL EISNER, ALAN MOORE, STAN LEE, JOE KUBERT, HARVEY KURTZMAN, JOHN ROMITA, GENE COLAN, DAN DECARLO, ARCHIE GOODWIN, DAVE COOPER and more! In addition to sharing memories and anecdotes you’ll find nowhere else, their better halves have opened up their private files to unearth personal photos, momentos, and never-before-seen art! Many have their own careers in the comic book field to discuss as well! Join author BLAKE BELL and discover things you wouldn’t otherwise learn about the lives of these women (and man) and the men they love! Face it, you have to read this book! NOW SHIPPING! $24 US ppd.

Grass Green Succumbs to Cancer at 63 Richard “Grass” Green succumbed to lung cancer on August 5, 2002. He was the first prominent African-American active in comics fandom of the 1960s and was considered one of the top fan artists. His first published work was on the cover of the original ALTER EGO #4 (1962). His best known character, XAL-KOR THE HUMAN CAT, first appeared in the fanzine STARSTUDDED COMICS in 1964, and returned numerous times, most recently in 2002 in a graphic novella co-published by TWOMORROWS and HAMSTER PRESS. As anyone who met him knows, Grass was a delightful guy, always quick with a joke and a smile. Our condolences go out to his wife Janice, and his many friends throughout fandom.

PLEASE NOTE: You can still order XAL-KOR THE HUMAN CAT from HAMSTER PRESS, by sending check/m.o. for $9.95 to PO Box 27471, Seattle, Wa., 98125; or, you can order via PayPal at www.billschelly.com. Profits from the book still go to Grass’ estate.

Pick of the Week!

Bill Schelly’s SENSE OF WONDER was recently named a COMICS BUYER’S GUIDE “Pick of the Week”!

Enjoy this personal and delightful tale of the dawn of comic book fandom yourself—order it today!

It’s Official, Kids, G-Force Is Back!

Were you one of the thousands of kids who got up at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings because you just couldn’t miss BATTLE OF THE PLANETS? Well, this November, TwoMorrows is proud to present the OFFICIAL compendium to the Japanese animated TV program that revolutionized anime across the globe! Featuring plenty of unseen artwork and designs from the wondrous world of GFORCE (a.k.a. Science Ninja Team Gatchaman), it presents interviews and behind-the-scenes stories of the pop culture phenomenon that captured the hearts and imagination of Generation X, and spawned the new hit comic series! Cowritten by JASON HOFIUS and Eisner-nominated GEORGE KHOURY, this FULL-COLOR account is highlighted by a NEW PAINTED COVER from master artist ALEX ROSS! $20 US ppd.

Two in a Row! Hearty congrats go out to über-editor JON B. COOKE on his second consecutive EISNER AWARD for his great work on COMIC BOOK ARTIST! (We don’t count last year because they went without our category.) Regrettably they can’t give out two of those babies, because ROY THOMAS cranked out a great run of his Eisner-nominated ALTER EGO last year and (in our humble opinion) was equally deserving. Can’t find those CBA or A/E back issues you’re missing?

You need look no further! We have practically every issue in stock, as well as the COMIC BOOK ARTIST COLLECTION, VOLUMES 1 & 2 and ALTER EGO: THE COMIC BOOK ARTIST COLLECTION TPBs reprinting the sold-out issues of CBA and its ALTER EGO sections respectively. Check out these critically acclaimed issues and see what you’ve been missing!

COPYRIGHT NOTICES: Batman, Joker, Justice Society, Superman TM & ©2002 DC Comics. G-Force TM & ©2002 Sandy Frank Ent. Captain Action TM & ©2002 Karl Art Publishing.

Twins, Right Now! The newest addition to the growing TwoMorrows family, WRITE NOW! editor DANNY FINGEROTH, just had additions of his own—fraternal twins!

ETHAN DAVID and JACOB RUBIN FINGEROTH are both doing fine, and so is Mom. Congratulations, Danny!

Oh, Sweet Relief!

TwoMorrows is pleased to welcome JON WILEY, our new employee in Raleigh, NC! He’s helping beleaguered ol’ ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON with his thankless duties as our Production Assistant. Glad to have you aboard, JW!

Shipping in October!

Alter Ego #18 Comic Book Artist #22 Write Now! #2 I Have To Live With This Guy TPB

Coming Soon!

Comic Book Artist #23 (Nov) DRAW! #5 (Nov) The Jack Kirby Collector #37 (Nov) Captain Action TPB (Nov) G-Force: Animated TPB (Nov) Alter Ego #19 (Dec) Comic Book Artist #24 (Dec)

Pros and Cons The convention season is winding down but we’ll be making one last appearance at the Baltimore-Con on October 26-27 (go to www.comicon.com/baltimore for more info). It’s shaping up to be a great show—in addition to the TwoMorrows booth, DRAW! head-honcho MIKE MANLEY and ALTER EGO’s ROY THOMAS will both be in attendance!

Hope to see ya there!

If you need to contact the TwoMorrows editors (or want to send a letter of comment), try e-mail!

Back in Action!

The original super-hero action figure is back!

CAPTAIN ACTION was introduced in the wake of the ’60s Batman TV show, and could become 13 different super-heroes. With over 200 toy photos, this new 160-page trade paperback chronicles his history (including comic book appearances), with historical anecdotes by the late GIL KANE, JIM SHOOTER, STAN WESTON (co-creator of GI Joe, Captain Action, and Mego’s World’s Greatest Super-Heroes), & others, plus never-seen artwork

by GIL KANE, JOE STATON, CARMINE INFANTINO, JERRY ORDWAY, and MURPHY ANDERSON (who provides a new cover)! Put a little action in your life this November! $20 US ppd.

John Morrow, publisher, JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR editor (and the one to go to with subscription problems): twomorrow@aol.com Jon B. Cooke, COMIC BOOK ARTIST editor: jonbcooke@aol.com Roy Thomas, ALTER EGO editor: roydann@ntinet.com P.C. Hamerlinck, FCA editor: fca2001@yahoo.com Mike Manley, DRAW! editor: mike@actionplanet.com And the TWOMORROWS WEBSITE (where you can read excerpts from our back issues, and order from our secure online store) is at: www.twomorrows.com

Edited by ROY THOMAS

DIGITAL

The greatest ‘zine of the 1960s is back, ALL-NEW, and focusing on GOLDEN AND SILVER AGE comics and creators with NS EDITIO BLE ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS, A IL AVA NLY UNSEEN ART, P.C. Hamerlinck’s FOR O 5 FCA (Fawcett Collectors of $2.9 America, featuring the archives of C.C. BECK and recollections

by Fawcett artist MARCUS SWAYZE), Michael T. Gilbert’s MR. MONSTER, and more!

EISNER AWARD WINNER for Best Comics-Related Periodical

Go online for an ULTIMATE BUNDLE, with issues at HALF-PRICE!

ALTER EGO #4

ALTER EGO #5

ALTER EGO #1

ALTER EGO #2

ALTER EGO #3

STAN LEE gets roasted by SCHWARTZ, CLAREMONT, DAVID, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, and SHOOTER, ORDWAY and THOMAS on INFINITY, INC., IRWIN HASEN interview, unseen H.G. PETER Wonder Woman pages, the original Captain Marvel and Human Torch teamup, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, “Mr. Monster”, plus plenty of rare and unpublished art!

Featuring a never-reprinted SPIRIT story by WILL EISNER, the genesis of the SILVER AGE ATOM (with GARDNER FOX, GIL KANE, and JULIE SCHWARTZ), interviews with LARRY LIEBER and Golden Age great JACK BURNLEY, BOB KANIGHER, a new Fawcett Collectors of America section with MARC SWAYZE, C.C. BECK, and more!

GIL KANE and JACK BURNLEY flip-covers!

Unseen ALEX ROSS and JERRY ORDWAY Shazam! art, 1953 interview with OTTO BINDER, the SUPERMAN/CAPTAIN MARVEL LAWSUIT, GIL KANE on The Golden Age of TIMELY COMICS, FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, and SCHAFFENBERGER, rare art by AYERS, BERG, BURNLEY, DITKO, RICO, SCHOMBURG, MARIE SEVERIN and more! ALEX ROSS & BILL EVERETT covers!

(80-page magazine) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #6

ALTER EGO #7

ALTER EGO #8

Interviews with KUBERT, SHELLY MOLDOFF, and HARRY LAMPERT, BOB KANIGHER, life and times of GARDNER FOX, ROY THOMAS remembers GIL KANE, a history of Flash Comics, MOEBIUS Silver Surfer sketches, MR. MONSTER, FCA section with SWAYZE, BECK, and SCHAFFENBERGER, and lots more! Dual color covers by JOE KUBERT!

Celebrating the JSA, with interviews with MART NODELL, SHELLY MAYER, GEORGE ROUSSOS, BILL BLACK, and GIL KANE, unpublished H.G. PETER Wonder Woman art, GARDNER FOX, an FCA section with MARC SWAYZE, C.C. BECK, WENDELL CROWLEY, and more! Wraparound cover

by CARMINE INFANTINO and JERRY ORDWAY!

GENE COLAN interview, 1940s books on comics by STAN LEE and ROBERT KANIGHER, AYERS, SEVERIN, and ROY THOMAS on Sgt. Fury, ROY on All-Star Squadron’s Golden Age roots, FCA section with SWAYZE, BECK, and WILLIAM WOOLFOLK, JOE SIMON interview, a definitive look at MAC RABOY’S work, and more! Covers by COLAN and RABOY!

Companion to ALL-STAR COMPANION book, with a JULIE SCHWARTZ interview, guide to JLA-JSA TEAMUPS, origins of the ALL-STAR SQUADRON, FCA section with MARC SWAYZE, C.C. BECK (on his 1970s DC conflicts), DAVE BERG, BOB ROGERS, more on MAC RABOY from his son, MR. MONSTER, and more! RICH BUCKLER and C.C. BECK covers!

WALLY WOOD biography, DAN ADKINS & BILL PEARSON on Wood, TOR section with 1963 JOE KUBERT interview, ROY THOMAS on creating the ALL-STAR SQUADRON and its 1940s forebears, FCA section with SWAYZE & BECK, MR. MONSTER, JERRY ORDWAY on Shazam!, JERRY DeFUCCIO on the Golden Age, CHIC STONE remembered! ADKINS and KUBERT covers!

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #9

ALTER EGO #10

ALTER EGO #11

ALTER EGO #12

ALTER EGO #13

JOHN ROMITA interview by ROY THOMAS (with unseen art), Roy’s PROPOSED DREAM PROJECTS that never got published (with a host of great artists), MR. MONSTER on WAYNE BORING’S life after Superman, The Golden Age of Comic Fandom Panel, FCA section with GEORGE TUSKA, C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE, BILL MORRISON, & more! ROMITA and GIORDANO covers!

Who Created the Silver Age Flash? (with KANIGHER, INFANTINO, KUBERT, and SCHWARTZ), DICK AYERS interview (with unseen art), JOHN BROOME remembered, never-seen Golden Age Flash pages, VIN SULLIVAN Magazine Enterprises interview, FCA, interview with FRED GUARDINEER, and MR. MONSTER on WAYNE BORING! INFANTINO and AYERS covers!

Focuses on TIMELY/MARVEL (interviews and features on SYD SHORES, MICKEY SPILLANE, and VINCE FAGO), and MAGAZINE ENTERPRISES (including JOE CERTA, JOHN BELFI, FRANK BOLLE, BOB POWELL, and FRED MEAGHER), MR. MONSTER on JERRY SIEGEL, DON and MAGGIE THOMPSON interview, FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, and DON NEWTON!

DC and QUALITY COMICS focus! Quality’s GILL FOX interview, never-seen ‘40s PAUL REINMAN Green Lantern story, ROY THOMAS talks to LEN WEIN and RICH BUCKLER about ALL-STAR SQUADRON, MR. MONSTER shows what made WALLY WOOD leave MAD, FCA section with BECK & SWAYZE, & ‘65 NEWSWEEK ARTICLE on comics! REINMAN and BILL WARD covers!

1974 panel with JOE SIMON, STAN LEE, FRANK ROBBINS, and ROY THOMAS, ROY and JOHN BUSCEMA on Avengers, 1964 STAN LEE interview, tributes to DON HECK, JOHNNY CRAIG, and GRAY MORROW, Timely alums DAVID GANTZ and DANIEL KEYES, and FCA with BECK, SWAYZE, and MIKE MANLEY! Covers by MURPHY ANDERSON and JOE SIMON!

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

16

ALTER EGO #14

ALTER EGO #15

ALTER EGO #16

ALTER EGO #17

ALTER EGO #18

A look at the 1970s JSA revival with CONWAY, LEVITZ, ESTRADA, GIFFEN, MILGROM, and STATON, JERRY ORDWAY on All-Star Squadron, tributes to CRAIG CHASE and DAN DeCARLO, “lost” 1945 issue of All-Star, 1970 interview with LEE ELIAS, MR. MONSTER on GARDNER FOX, FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, & JAY DISBROW! MIKE NASSER & MICHAEL GILBERT covers!

JOHN BUSCEMA ISSUE! BUSCEMA interview (with UNSEEN ART), reminiscences by SAL BUSCEMA, STAN LEE, INFANTINO, KUBERT, ORDWAY, FLO STEINBERG, and HERB TRIMPE, ROY THOMAS on 35 years with BIG JOHN, FCA tribute to KURT SCHAFFENBERGER, plus C.C. BECK and MARC SWAYZE, and MR. MONSTER revisits WALLY WOOD! Two BUSCEMA covers!

MARVEL BULLPEN REUNION (BUSCEMA, COLAN, ROMITA, and SEVERIN), memories of the JOHN BUSCEMA SCHOOL, FCA with ALEX ROSS, C.C. BECK, and MARC SWAYZE, tribute to CHAD GROTHKOPF, MR. MONSTER on EC COMICS with art by KURTZMAN, DAVIS, and WOOD, and more! Covers by ALEX ROSS and MARIE SEVERIN & RAMONA FRADON!

Spotlighting LOU FINE (with an overview of his career, and interviews with family members), interview with MURPHY ANDERSON about Fine, ALEX TOTH on Fine, ARNOLD DRAKE interviewed about DEADMAN and DOOM PATROL, MR. MONSTER on the non-EC work of JACK DAVIS and GEORGE EVANS, FINE and LUIS DOMINGUEZ COVERS, FCA and more!

STAN GOLDBERG interview, secrets of ‘40s Timely, art by KIRBY, DITKO, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, MANEELY, EVERETT, BURGOS, and DeCARLO, spotlight on sci-fi fanzine XERO with the LUPOFFS, OTTO BINDER, DON THOMPSON, ROY THOMAS, BILL SCHELLY, and ROGER EBERT, FCA, and MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD ghosting Flash Gordon! KIRBY and SWAYZE covers!

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #19

ALTER EGO #20

ALTER EGO #21

ALTER EGO #22

ALTER EGO #23

Spotlight on DICK SPRANG (profile and interview) with unseen art, rare Batman art

by BOB KANE, CHARLES PARIS, SHELLY MOLDOFF, MAX ALLAN COLLINS, JIM MOONEY, CARMINE INFANTINO, and ALEX TOTH, JERRY ROBINSON interviewed about Tomahawk and 1940s cover artist FRED RAY, FCA, and MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD’s Flash Gordon, Part 2!

Timely/Marvel art by SEKOWSKY, SHORES, EVERETT, and BURGOS, secrets behind THE INVADERS with ROY THOMAS, KIRBY, GIL KANE, & ROBBINS, BOB DESCHAMPS interviewed, 1965 NY Comics Con review, panel with FINGER, BINDER, FOX and WEISINGER, MR. MONSTER, FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, RABOY, SCHAFFENBERGER, and more! MILGROM and SCHELLY covers!

The IGER “SHOP” examined, with art by EISNER, FINE, ANDERSON, CRANDALL, BAKER, MESKIN, CARDY, EVANS, BOB KANE, and TUSKA, “SHEENA” section with art by DAVE STEVENS & FRANK BRUNNER, ROY THOMAS on JSA & All-Star Squadron, MR. MONSTER on GARDNER FOX, UNSEEN 1946 ALL-STAR ART, FCA, and more!

DAVE STEVENS and IRWIN HASEN covers!

BILL EVERETT and JOE KUBERT interviewed

by NEAL ADAMS and GIL KANE in 1970, Timely art by BURGOS, SHORES, NODELL, and SEKOWSKY, RUDY LAPICK, ROY THOMAS on Sub-Mariner, with art by EVERETT, COLAN, ANDRU, BUSCEMAs, SEVERINs, and more, FCA, MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD at EC, ALEX TOTH, and CAPT. MIDNIGHT! EVERETT & BECK covers!

Unseen art from TWO “LOST” 1940s H.G. PETER WONDER WOMAN STORIES (and analysis of “CHARLES MOULTON” scripts), BOB FUJITANI and JOHN ROSENBERGER, VICTOR GORELICK discusses Archie and The Mighty Crusaders, with art by MORROW, BUCKLER, and REINMAN, FCA, and MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD! H.G. PETER and BOB FUJITANI covers!

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #24

ALTER EGO #25

ALTER EGO #26

ALTER EGO #27

ALTER EGO #28

X-MEN interviews with STAN LEE, DAVE COCKRUM, CHRIS CLAREMONT, ARNOLD DRAKE, JIM SHOOTER, ROY THOMAS, and LEN WEIN, MORT MESKIN profiled by his sons and ALEX TOTH, rare art by JERRY ROBINSON, FCA with BECK, SWAYZE, and WILLIAM WOOLFOLK, MR. MONSTER, and BILL SCHELLY on Comics Fandom! MESKIN and COCKRUM covers!

JACK COLE remembered by ALEX TOTH, interview with brother DICK COLE and his PLAYBOY colleagues, CHRIS CLAREMONT on the X-Men (with more never-seen art by DAVE COCKRUM), ROY THOMAS on AllStar Squadron #1 and its ‘40s roots (with art

by ORDWAY, BUCKLER, MESKIN and MOLDOFF), FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more! Covers by TOTH and SCHELLY!

JOE SINNOTT interview, IRWIN DONENFELD interview by EVANIER & SCHWARTZ, art by SHUSTER, INFANTINO, ANDERSON, and SWAN, MARK WAID analyzes the first Kryptonite story, JERRY SIEGEL and HARRY DONENFELD, JERRY IGER Shop update, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, and FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, and KEN BALD! Covers by SINNOTT and WAYNE BORING!

VIN SULLIVAN interview about the early DC days with art by SHUSTER, MOLDOFF, FLESSEL, GUARDINEER, and BURNLEY, MR. MONSTER’s “Lost” KIRBY HULK covers, 1948 NEW YORK COMIC CON with STAN LEE, SIMON & KIRBY, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, HARVEY KURTZMAN, and ROY THOMAS, ALEX TOTH, FCA, and more! Covers by JACK BURNLEY and JACK KIRBY!

Spotlight on JOE MANEELY, with a career overview, remembrance by his daughter and tons of art, Timely/Atlas/Marvel art by ROMITA, EVERETT, SEVERIN, SHORES, KIRBY, and DITKO, STAN LEE on Maneely, LEE AMES interview, FCA with SWAYZE, ISIS, and STEVE SKEATES, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, and more! Covers by JOE MANEELY and DON NEWTON!

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

17

ALTER EGO #29

ALTER EGO #30

ALTER EGO #31

ALTER EGO #32

ALTER EGO #33

FRANK BRUNNER interview, BILL EVERETT’S Venus examined by TRINA ROBBINS, Classics Illustrated “What ifs”, LEE/KIRBY/DITKO Marvel prototypes, JOE MANEELY’s monsters, BILL FRACCIO interview, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, JOHN BENSON on EC, The Heap by ERNIE SCHROEDER, and FCA! Covers by FRANK BRUNNER and PETE VON SHOLLY!

ALEX ROSS on his love for the JLA, BLACKHAWK/JLA artist DICK DILLIN, the super-heroes of 1940s-1980s France (with art by STEVE RUDE, STEVE BISSETTE, LADRÖNN, and NEAL ADAMS), KIM AAMODT & WALTER GEIER on writing for SIMON & KIRBY, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, and FCA! Covers by ALEX ROSS and STEVE RUDE!

DICK AYERS on his 1950s and ‘60s work (with tons of Marvel Bullpen art), HARLAN ELLISON’s Marvel Age work examined (with art by BUCKLER, SAL BUSCEMA, and TRIMPE), STAN LEE’S Marvel Prototypes (with art by KIRBY and DITKO), Christmas cards from comics greats, MR. MONSTER, & FCA with SWAYZE and SCHAFFENBERGER! Covers by DICK AYERS and FRED RAY!

Timely artists ALLEN BELLMAN and SAM BURLOCKOFF interviewed, MART NODELL on his Timely years, rare art by BURGOS, EVERETT, and SHORES, MIKE GOLD on the Silver Age (with art by SIMON & KIRBY, SWAN, INFANTINO, KANE, and more), FCA, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom, and more!

Covers by DICK GIORDANO and GIL KANE!

Symposium on MIKE SEKOWSKY by MARK EVANIER, SCOTT SHAW!, et al., with art

by ANDERSON, INFANTINO, and others, PAT (MRS. MIKE) SEKOWSKY and inker VALERIE BARCLAY interviewed, FCA, 1950s Captain Marvel parody by ANDRU and ESPOSITO, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY, MR. MONSTER, and more! Covers by FRENZ/SINNOTT and FRENZ/BUSCEMA!

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #34

ALTER EGO #35

ALTER EGO #36

ALTER EGO #37

ALTER EGO #38

Quality Comics interviews with ALEX KOTZKY, AL GRENET, CHUCK CUIDERA, & DICK ARNOLD (son of BUSY ARNOLD), art by COLE, EISNER, FINE, WARD, DILLIN, and KANE, MICHELLE NOLAN on Blackhawk’s jump to DC, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on HARVEY KURTZMAN, & ALEX TOTH on REED CRANDALL! Covers by REED CRANDALL & CHARLES NICHOLAS!

Covers by JOHN ROMITA and AL JAFFEE! LEE, ROMITA, AYERS, HEATH, & THOMAS on the 1953-55 Timely super-hero revival, with rare art by ROMITA, AYERS, BURGOS, HEATH, EVERETT, LAWRENCE, & POWELL, AL JAFFEE on the 1940s Timely Bullpen (and MAD), FCA, ALEX TOTH on comic art, MR. MONSTER on unpublished 1950s covers, and more!

JOE SIMON on SIMON & KIRBY, CARL BURGOS, and LLOYD JACQUET, JOHN BELL on World War II Canadian heroes, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on Canadian origins of MR. MONSTER, tributes to BOB DESCHAMPS, DON LAWRENCE, & GEORGE WOODBRIDGE, FCA, ALEX TOTH, and ELMER WEXLER interview! Covers by SIMON and GILBERT & RONN SUTTON!

WILL MURRAY on the 1940 Superman “KMetal” story & PHILIP WYLIE’s GLADIATOR (with art by SHUSTER, SWAN, ADAMS, and BORING), FCA with BECK, SWAYZE, and DON NEWTON, SY BARRY interview, art by TOTH, MESKIN, INFANTINO, and ANDERSON, and MICHAEL T. GILBERT interviews AL FELDSTEIN on EC and RAY BRADBURY! Covers by C.C. BECK and WAYNE BORING!

JULIE SCHWARTZ TRIBUTE with HARLAN ELLISON, INFANTINO, ANDERSON, TOTH, KUBERT, GIELLA, GIORDANO, CARDY, LEVITZ, STAN LEE, WOLFMAN, EVANIER, & ROY THOMAS, never-seen interviews with Julie, FCA with BECK, SCHAFFENBERGER, NEWTON, COCKRUM, OKSNER, FRADON, SWAYZE, and JACKSON BOSTWICK! Covers by INFANTINO and IRWIN HASEN!

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #39

ALTER EGO #40

ALTER EGO #41

ALTER EGO #42

ALTER EGO #43

Full-issue spotlight on JERRY ROBINSON, with an interview on being BOB KANE’s Batman “ghost”, creating the JOKER and ROBIN, working on VIGILANTE, GREEN HORNET, and ATOMAN, plus never-seen art by Jerry, MESKIN, ROUSSOS, RAY, KIRBY, SPRANG, DITKO, and PARIS! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER on AL FELDSTEIN Part 2, and more! Two JERRY ROBINSON covers!

RUSS HEATH and GIL KANE interviews (with tons of unseen art), the JULIE SCHWARTZ Memorial Service with ELLISON, MOORE, GAIMAN, HASEN, O’NEIL, and LEVITZ, art by INFANTINO, ANDERSON, TOTH, NOVICK, DILLIN, SEKOWSKY, KUBERT, GIELLA, ARAGONÉS, FCA, MR. MONSTER and AL FELDSTEIN Part 3, and more! Covers by GIL KANE & RUSS HEATH!

Halloween issue! BERNIE WRIGHTSON on his 1970s FRANKENSTEIN, DICK BRIEFER’S monster, the campy 1960s Frankie, art by KALUTA, BAILY, MANEELY, PLOOG, KUBERT, BRUNNER, BORING, OKSNER, TUSKA, CRANDALL, and SUTTON, FCA #100, EMILIO SQUEGLIO interview, ALEX TOTH, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, and more!

Covers by WRIGHTSON & MARC SWAYZE!

A celebration of DON HECK, WERNER ROTH, and PAUL REINMAN, rare art by KIRBY, DITKO, and AYERS, Hillman and Ziff-Davis remembered by Heap artist ERNIE SCHROEDER, HERB ROGOFF, and WALTER LITTMAN, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, and ALEX TOTH! Covers by FASTNER & LARSON and ERNIE SCHROEDER!

Yuletide art by WOOD, SINNOTT, CARDY, BRUNNER, TOTH, NODELL, and others, interviews with Golden Age artists TOM GILL (Lone Ranger) and MORRIS WEISS, exploring 1960s Mexican comics, FCA with MARC SWAYZE and C.C. BECK, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom, and more! Flip covers by GEORGE TUSKA and DAVE STEVENS!

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18

ALTER EGO #44

ALTER EGO #45

ALTER EGO #46

ALTER EGO #47

ALTER EGO #48

JSA/All-Star Squadron/Infinity Inc. special!

Interviews with KUBERT, HASEN, ANDERSON, ORDWAY, BUCKLER, THOMAS, 1940s Atom writer ARTHUR ADLER, art by TOTH, SEKOWSKY, HASEN, MACHLAN, OKSNER, and INFANTINO, FCA, and MR. MONSTER’S “I Like Ike!” cartoons by BOB KANE, INFANTINO, OKSNER, and BIRO! Wraparound ORDWAY cover!

Interviews with Sandman artist CREIG FLESSEL and ‘40s creator BERT CHRISTMAN, MICHAEL CHABON on researching his Pulitzer-winning novel Kavalier & Clay, art

by EISNER, KANE, KIRBY, and AYERS, FCA with MARC SWAYZE and C.C. BECK, OTTO BINDER’s “lost” Jon Jarl story, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom, and ALEX TOTH! CREIG FLESSEL cover!

The VERY BEST of the 1960s-70s ALTER EGO! 1969 BILL EVERETT interview, art by BURGOS, GUSTAVSON, SIMON & KIRBY, and others, 1960s gems by DITKO, E. NELSON BRIDWELL, JERRY BAILS, and ROY THOMAS, LOU GLANZMAN interview, tributes to IRV NOVICK and CHRIS REEVE, MR. MONSTER, FCA, TOTH, and more!

Cover by EVERETT and MARIE SEVERIN!

Spotlights MATT BAKER, Golden Age cheesecake artist of PHANTOM LADY! Career overview, interviews with BAKER’s half-brother and nephew, art from AL FELDSTEIN, VINCE COLLETTA, ARTHUR PEDDY, JACK KAMEN and others, FCA, BILL SCHELLY talks to comic-book-seller (and fan) BUD PLANT, MR. MONSTER on missing AL WILLIAMSON art, and ALEX TOTH!

WILL EISNER discusses Eisner & Iger’s Shop and BUSY ARNOLD’s ‘40s Quality Comics, art by FINE, CRANDALL, COLE, POWELL, and CARDY, EISNER tributes by STAN LEE, GENE COLAN, & others, interviews with ‘40s Quality artist VERN HENKEL and CHUCK MAZOUJIAN, FCA, MR. MONSTER on EISNER’s Wonder Man, ALEX TOTH, and more with BUD PLANT! EISNER cover!

(100-page magazine) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $2.95

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ALTER EGO #49

ALTER EGO #50

ALTER EGO #51

ALTER EGO #52

ALTER EGO #53

Spotlights CARL BURGOS! Interview with daughter SUE BURGOS, art by BURGOS, BILL EVERETT, MIKE SEKOWSKY, ED ASCHE, and DICK AYERS, unused 1941 Timely cover layouts, the 1957 Atlas Implosion examined, MANNY STALLMAN, FCA, MR. MONSTER and more! New cover by MARK SPARACIO, from an unused 1941 layout by CARL BURGOS!

ROY THOMAS covers his 40-YEAR career in comics (AVENGERS, X-MEN, CONAN, ALL-STAR SQUADRON, INFINITY INC.), with ADAMS, BUSCEMA, COLAN, DITKO, GIL KANE, KIRBY, STAN LEE, ORDWAY, PÉREZ, ROMITA, and many others! Also FCA, & MR. MONSTER on ROY’s letters to GARDNER FOX! Flip-covers by BUSCEMA/ KIRBY/ALCALA and JERRY ORDWAY!

Golden Age Batman artist/BOB KANE ghost LEW SAYRE SCHWARTZ interviewed, Batman art by JERRY ROBINSON, DICK SPRANG, SHELDON MOLDOFF, WIN MORTIMER, JIM MOONEY, and others, the Golden and Silver Ages of AUSTRALIAN SUPER-HEROES, Mad artist DAVE BERG interviewed, FCA, MR. MONSTER on WILL EISNER, BILL SCHELLY, and more!

JOE GIELLA on the Silver Age at DC, the Golden Age at Marvel, and JULIE SCHWARTZ, with rare art by INFANTINO, GIL KANE, SEKOWSKY, SWAN, DILLIN, MOLDOFF, GIACOIA, SCHAFFENBERGER, and others, JAY SCOTT PIKE on STAN LEE and CHARLES BIRO, MARTIN THALL interview, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, and more! GIELLA cover!

GIORDANO and THOMAS on STOKER’S DRACULA, never-seen DICK BRIEFER Frankenstein strip, MIKE ESPOSITO on his work with ROSS ANDRU, art by COLAN, WRIGHTSON, MIGNOLA, BRUNNER, BISSETTE, KALUTA, HEATH, MANEELY, EVERETT, DITKO, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, BILL SCHELLY, ALEX TOTH, and MR. MONSTER! Cover by GIORDANO!

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ALTER EGO #54

ALTER EGO #55

ALTER EGO #56

ALTER EGO #57

ALTER EGO #58

MIKE ESPOSITO on DC and Marvel, ROBERT KANIGHER on the creation of Metal Men and Sgt. Rock (with comments

by JOE KUBERT and BOB HANEY), art by ANDRU, INFANTINO, KIRBY, SEVERIN, WINDSOR-SMITH, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, TRIMPE, GIL KANE, and others, plus FCA, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY, MR. MONSTER, and more! ESPOSITO cover!

JACK and OTTO BINDER, KEN BALD, VIC DOWD, and BOB BOYAJIAN interviewed, FCA with SWAYZE and EMILIO SQUEGLIO, rare art by BECK, WARD, & SCHAFFENBERGER, Christmas Cards from CRANDALL, SINNOTT, HEATH, MOONEY, and CARDY, 1943 Pin-Up Calendar (with ‘40s movie stars as superheroines), ALEX TOTH, more!

ALEX ROSS and ALEX WRIGHT covers!

Interviews with Superman creators SIEGEL & SHUSTER, Golden/Silver Age DC production guru JACK ADLER interviewed, NEAL ADAMS and radio/TV iconoclast (and comics fan) HOWARD STERN on Adler and his amazing career, art by CURT SWAN, WAYNE BORING, and AL PLASTINO, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, and more! NEAL ADAMS cover!

Issue-by-issue index of Timely/Atlas superhero stories by MICHELLE NOLAN, art by SIMON & KIRBY, EVERETT, BURGOS, ROMITA, AYERS, HEATH, SEKOWSKY, SHORES, SCHOMBURG, MANEELY, and SEVERIN, GENE COLAN and ALLEN BELLMAN on 1940s Timely super-heroes, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and BILL SCHELLY! Cover

by JACK KIRBY and PETE VON SHOLLY!

GERRY CONWAY and ROY THOMAS on their ‘80s screenplay for “The X-Men Movie That Never Was!”with art by COCKRUM, ADAMS, BUSCEMA, BYRNE, GIL KANE, KIRBY, HECK, and LIEBER, Atlas artist VIC CARRABOTTA interview, ALLEN BELLMAN on 1940s Timely bullpen, FCA, 1966 panel on 1950s EC Comics, and MR. MONSTER! MARK SPARACIO/GIL KANE cover!

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19

ALTER EGO #59

ALTER EGO #60

ALTER EGO #61

ALTER EGO #62

ALTER EGO #63

Special issue on Batman and Superman in the Golden and Silver Ages, featuring a new ARTHUR SUYDAM interview, NEAL ADAMS on DC in the 1960s-1970s, SHELLY MOLDOFF, AL PLASTINO, Golden Age artist FRAN (Doll Man) MATERA interviewed, SIEGEL & SHUSTER, RUSS MANNING, FCA, MR. MONSTER, SUYDAM cover, and more!

Celebrates 50 years since SHOWCASE #4!

FLASH interviews with SCHWARTZ, KANIGHER, INFANTINO, KUBERT, and BROOME, Golden Age artist TONY DiPRETA, 1966 panel with NORDLING, BINDER, and LARRY IVIE, FCA, MR. MONSTER, never-before-published color Flash cover by CARMINE INFANTINO, and more!

History of the AMERICAN COMICS GROUP (1946 to 1967)—including its roots in the Golden Age SANGOR ART SHOP and STANDARD/NEDOR comics! Art by MESKIN, ROBINSON, WILLIAMSON, FRAZETTA, SCHAFFENBERGER, & BUSCEMA, ACG writer/editor RICHARD HUGHES, plus AL HARTLEY interviewed, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more! GIORDANO cover!

HAPPY HAUNTED HALLOWEEN ISSUE, featuring: MIKE PLOOG and RUDY PALAIS on their horror-comics work! AL WILLIAMSON on his work for the American Comics Group—plus more on ACG horror comics! Rare DICK BRIEFER Frankenstein strips! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY on the 1966 KalerCon, a new PLOOG cover—and more!

Tribute to ALEX TOTH! Never-before-seen interview with tons of TOTH art, including sketches he sent to friends! Articles about Toth by TERRY AUSTIN, JIM AMASH, SY BARRY, JOE KUBERT, LOU SAYRE SCHWARTZ, IRWIN HASEN, JOHN WORKMAN, and others! Plus illustrated Christmas cards by comics pros, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

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ALTER EGO #64

ALTER EGO #65

ALTER EGO #66

ALTER EGO #67

ALTER EGO #68

Fawcett Favorites! Issue-by-issue analysis of BINDER & BECK’s 1943-45 “The Monster Society of Evil!” serial, double-size FCA section with MARC SWAYZE, EMILIO SQUEGLIO, C.C. BECK, MAC RABOY, and others! Interview with MARTIN FILCHOCK, Golden Age artist for Centaur Comics! Plus MR. MONSTER, DON NEWTON cover, plus a FREE 1943 MARVEL CALENDAR!

NICK CARDY interviewed on his Golden & Silver Age work (with CARDY art), plus art

by WILL EISNER, NEAL ADAMS, CARMINE INFANTINO, JIM APARO, RAMONA FRADON, CURT SWAN, MIKE SEKOWSKY, and others, tributes to ERNIE SCHROEDER and DAVE COCKRUM, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER, new CARDY COVER, and more!

Spotlight on BOB POWELL, the artist who drew Daredevil, Sub-Mariner, Sheena, The Avenger, The Hulk, Giant-Man, and others, plus art by WALLY WOOD, HOWARD NOSTRAND, DICK AYERS, SIMON & KIRBY, MARTIN GOODMAN’s Magazine Management, and others! FCA with MARC SWAYZE and C.C. BECK, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER, and more!

Interview with BOB OKSNER, artist of Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Angel and the Ape, Leave It to Binky, Shazam!, and more, plus art and artifacts by SHELLY MAYER, IRWIN HASEN, LEE ELIAS, C.C. BECK, CARMINE INFANTINO, GIL KANE, JULIE SCHWARTZ, etc., FCA with MARC SWAYZE & C.C. BECK, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on BOB POWELL Part II, and more!

Tribute to JERRY BAILS—Father of Comics Fandom and founder of Alter Ego! Cover by GEORGE PÉREZ, plus art by JOE KUBERT, CARMINE INFANTINO, GIL KANE, DICK DILLIN, MIKE SEKOWSKY, JERRY ORDWAY, JOE STATON, JACK KIRBY, and others! Plus STEVE DITKO’s notes to STAN LEE for a 1965 Dr. Strange story! And ROY reveals secrets behind Marvel’s STAR WARS comic!

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ALTER EGO #69

ALTER EGO #70

ALTER EGO #71

ALTER EGO #72

ALTER EGO #73

PAUL NORRIS drew AQUAMAN first, in 1941—and RAMONA FRADON was the hero’s ultimate Golden Age artist. But both drew other things as well, and both are interviewed in this landmark issue—along with a pocket history of Aquaman! Plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, and more!

Cover painted by JOHN WATSON, from a breathtaking illo by RAMONA FRADON!

Spotlight on ROY THOMAS’ 1970s stint as Marvel’s editor-in-chief and major writer, plus art and reminiscences of GIL KANE, BOTH BUSCEMAS, ADAMS, ROMITA, CHAYKIN, BRUNNER, PLOOG, EVERETT, WRIGHTSON, PÉREZ, ROBBINS, BARRY SMITH, STAN LEE and others, FCA, MR. MONSTER, a new GENE COLAN cover, plus an homage to artist LILY RENÉE!

Represents THE GREAT CANADIAN COMIC BOOKS, the long out-of-print 1970s book

by MICHAEL HIRSH and PATRICK LOUBERT, with rare art of such heroes as Mr. Monster, Nelvana, Thunderfist, and others, plus new INVADERS art by JOHN BYRNE, MIKE GRELL, RON LIM, and more, plus a new cover by GEORGE FREEMAN, from a layout by JACK KIRBY!

SCOTT SHAW! and ROY THOMAS on the creation of Captain Carrot, art & artifacts

by RICK HOBERG, STAN GOLDBERG, MIKE SEKOWSKY, JOHN COSTANZA, E. NELSON BRIDWELL, CAROL LAY, and others, interview with DICK ROCKWELL, Golden Age artist and 36-year ghost artist on MILTON CANIFF’s Steve Canyon! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

FRANK BRUNNER on drawing Dr. Strange, interviews with CHARLES BIRO and his daughters, interview with publisher ROBERT GERSON about his 1970s horror comic Reality, art by BERNIE WRIGHTSON, GRAHAM INGELS, HOWARD CHAYKIN, MICHAEL W. KALUTA, JEFF JONES, and others FCA, MR. MONSTER, a FREE DRAW! #15! PREVIEW, and more!

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20

ALTER EGO #74

ALTER EGO #75

ALTER EGO #76

ALTER EGO #77

ALTER EGO #78

STAN LEE SPECIAL in honor of his 85th birthday, with a cover by JACK KIRBY, classic (and virtually unseen) interviews with Stan, tributes, and tons of rare and unseen art by KIRBY, ROMITA, the brothers BUSCEMA, DITKO, COLAN, HECK, AYERS, MANEELY, SHORES, EVERETT, BURGOS, KANE, the SEVERIN siblings—plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

FAWCETT FESTIVAL—with an ALEX ROSS cover! Double-size FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) with P.C. HAMERLINCK on the many “Captains Marvel” over the years, unseen Shazam! proposal by ALEX ROSS, C.C. BECK on “The Death of a Legend!”, MARC SWAYZE, interview with Golden Age artist MARV LEVY, MR. MONSTER, and more!

JOE SIMON SPECIAL! In-depth SIMON interview by JIM AMASH, with neverbefore-revealed secrets behind the creation of Captain America, Fighting American, Stuntman, Adventures of The Fly, Sick magazine and more, art by JACK KIRBY, BOB POWELL, AL WILLIAMSON, JERRY GRANDENETTI, GEORGE TUSKA, and others, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

ST. JOHN ISSUE! Golden Age Tor cover by JOE KUBERT, KEN QUATTRO relates the full legend of St. John Publishing, art by KUBERT, NORMAN MAURER, MATT BAKER, LILY RENEE, BOB LUBBERS, RUBEN MOREIRA, RALPH MAYO, AL FAGO, special reminiscences of ARNOLD DRAKE, Golden Age artist TOM SAWYER interviewed, and more!

DAVE COCKRUM TRIBUTE! Great rare XMen cover, Cockrum tributes from contemporaries and colleagues, and an interview with PATY COCKRUM on Dave’s life and legacy on The Legion of Super-Heroes, The X-Men, Star-Jammers, & more! Plus an interview with 1950s Timely/Marvel artist MARION SITTON on his own incredible career and his Golden Age contemporaries!

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ALTER EGO #79

ALTER EGO #80

ALTER EGO #81

ALTER EGO #82

ALTER EGO #83

SUPERMAN & HIS CREATORS! New cover

by MICHAEL GOLDEN, exclusive and revealing interview with JOE SHUSTER’s sister, JEAN SHUSTER PEAVEY—LOU CAMERON interview—STEVE GERBER tribute—DWIGHT DECKER on the Man of Steel & Hitler’s Third Reich—plus art by WAYNE BORING, CURT SWAN, NEAL ADAMS, GIL KANE, and others!

SWORD-AND-SORCERY COMICS! Learn about Crom the Barbarian, Viking Prince, Nightmaster, Kull, Red Sonja, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, Fafhrd and Gray Mouser, Beowulf, Warlord, Dagar the Invincible, and more, with art by FRAZETTA, SMITH, BUSCEMA, KANE, WRIGHTSON, PLOOG, THORNE, BRUNNER, LOU CAMERON Part II, and more! Cover by RAFAEL KAYANAN!

New FRANK BRUNNER Man-Thing cover, a look at the late-’60s horror comic WEB OF HORROR with early work by BRUNNER, WRIGHTSON, WINDSOR-SMITH, SIMONSON, & CHAYKIN, interview with comics & fine artist EVERETT RAYMOND KINTSLER, ROY THOMAS’ 1971 origin synopsis for the FIRST MAN-THING STORY, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

MLJ ISSUE! Golden Age MLJ index illustrated with vintage images of The Shield, Hangman, Mr. Justice, Black Hood,

by IRV NOVICK, JACK COLE, CHARLES BIRO, MORT MESKIN, GIL KANE, & others—behind a marvelous MLJ-heroes cover

by BOB McLEOD! Plus interviews with IRV NOVICK and JOE EDWARDS, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

SWORD & SORCERY PART 2! Cover by ARTHUR SUYDAM, with a focus on Conan the Barbarian by ROY THOMAS and WILL MURRAY, a look at WALLY WOOD’s Marvel sword-&-sorcery work, the Black Knight examined, plus JOE EDWARDS interview Part 2, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER, and more!

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(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #84

ALTER EGO #85

ALTER EGO #86

ALTER EGO #87

ALTER EGO #88

Unseen JIM APARO cover, STEVE SKEATES discusses his early comics work, art & artifacts by ADKINS, APARO, ARAGONÉS, BOYETTE, DITKO, GIORDANO, KANE, KELLER, MORISI, ORLANDO, SEKOWSKY, STONE, THOMAS, WOOD, and the great WARREN SAVIN! Plus writer CHARLES SINCLAIR on his partnership with Batman co-creator BILL FINGER, FCA, and more!

Captain Marvel and Superman’s battles explored (in cosmic space, candy stores, and in court), RICH BUCKLER on Captain Marvel, plus an in-depth interview with Golden Age great LILY RENÉE, overview of CENTAUR COMICS (home of BILL EVERETT’s Amazing-Man and others), FCA, MR. MONSTER, new RICH BUCKLER cover, and more!

Spotlighting the Frantic Four-Color MAD WANNABES of 1953-55 that copied HARVEY KURTZMAN’S EC smash (see Captain Marble, Mighty Moose, Drag-ula, Prince Scallion, and more) with art by SIMON & KIRBY, KUBERT & MAURER, ANDRU & ESPOSITO, EVERETT, COLAN, and many others, plus Part 1 of a talk with Golden/ Silver Age artist FRANK BOLLE, and more!

The sensational 1954-1963 saga of Great Britain’s MARVELMAN (decades before he metamorphosed into Miracleman), plus an interview with writer/artist/co-creator MICK ANGLO, and rare Marvelman/ Miracleman work by ALAN DAVIS, ALAN MOORE, a new RICK VEITCH cover, plus FRANK BOLLE, Part 2, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

First-ever in-depth look at National/DC’s founder MAJOR MALCOLM WHEELERNICHOLSON, and pioneers WHITNEY ELLSWORTH and CREIG FLESSEL, with rare art and artifacts by SIEGEL & SHUSTER, BOB KANE, CURT SWAN, GARDNER FOX, SHELDON MOLDOFF, and others, focus on DC advisor DR. LAURETTA BENDER, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

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21

ALTER EGO #89

ALTER EGO #90

ALTER EGO #91

ALTER EGO #92

ALTER EGO #93

HARVEY COMICS’ PRE-CODE HORROR MAGS OF THE 1950s! Interviews with SID JACOBSON, WARREN KREMER, and HOWARD NOSTRAND, plus Harvey artist KEN SELIG talks to JIM AMASH! MR. MONSTER presents the wit and wisdom (and worse) of DR. FREDRIC WERTHAM, plus FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) with C.C. BECK & MARC SWAYZE, & more!

SIMON & KIRBY and NOSTRAND cover!

BIG MARVEL ISSUE! Salutes to legends SINNOTT and AYERS—plus STAN LEE, TUSKA, EVERETT, MARTIN GOODMAN, and others! A look at the “Marvel SuperHeroes” TV animation of 1966! 1940s Timely writer and editor LEON LAZARUS interviewed by JIM AMASH! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, the 1960s fandom creations of STEVE GERBER, and more! JACK KIRBY holiday cover!

FAWCETT FESTIVAL! Big FCA section with Golden Age artists MARC SWAYZE & EMILIO SQUEGLIO! Plus JERRY ORDWAY on researching The Power of Shazam, Part II of “The MAD Four-Color Wannabes of the 1950s,” more on DR. LAURETTA BENDER and the teenage creations of STEVE GERBER, artist JACK KATZ spills Golden Age secrets to JIM AMASH, and more!

New cover by ORDWAY and SQUEGLIO!

SWORD-AND-SORCERY, PART 3! DC’s Sword of Sorcery by O’NEIL, CHAYKIN, & SIMONSON and Claw by MICHELINIE & CHAN, Hercules by GLANZMAN, Dagar by GLUT & SANTOS, Marvel S&S art by BUSCEMA, CHAN, KAYANAN, WRIGHTSON, et al., and JACK KATZ on his classic First Kingdom! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, STEVE GERBER’s fan-creations (part 3), and more! Cover by RAFAEL KAYANAN!

(NOW WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “EarthTwo—1961 to 1985!” with rare art by INFANTINO, GIL KANE, ANDERSON, DELBO, ANDRU, BUCKLER, APARO, GRANDENETTI, and DILLIN, interview with Golden/Silver Age DC editor GEORGE KASHDAN, plus MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER, STEVE GERBER, FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), and a new cover by INFANTINO and AMASH!

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(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #94

ALTER EGO #95

ALTER EGO #96

ALTER EGO #97

ALTER EGO #98

“Earth-Two Companion, Part II!” More on the 1963-1985 series that changed comics forever! The Huntress, Power Girl, Dr. Fate, Freedom Fighters, and more, with art by ADAMS, APARO, AYERS, BUCKLER, GIFFEN, INFANTINO, KANE, NOVICK, SCHAFFENBERGER, SIMONSON, STATON, SWAN, TUSKA, our GEORGE KASHDAN interview Part 2, FCA, and more! STATON & GIORDANO cover!

Marvel’s NOT BRAND ECHH madcap parody mag from 1967-69, examined with rare art & artifacts by ANDRU, COLAN, BUSCEMA, DRAKE, EVERETT, FRIEDRICH, KIRBY, LEE, the SEVERIN siblings, SPRINGER, SUTTON, THOMAS, TRIMPE, and more, GEORGE KASHDAN interview conclusion, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER, and more! Cover by MARIE SEVERIN!

Focus on Archie’s 1960s MIGHTY CRUSADERS, with vintage art and artifacts

by JERRY SIEGEL, PAUL REINMAN, SIMON & KIRBY, JOHN ROSENBERGER, tributes to the Mighty Crusaders by BOB FUJITANE, GEORGE TUSKA, BOB LAYTON, and others! Interview with MELL LAZARUS, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more! Cover

by MIKE MACHLAN!

The NON-EC HORROR COMICS OF THE 1950s! From Menace and House of Mystery to The Thing!, we present vintage art and artifacts by EVERETT, BRIEFER, DITKO, MANEELY, COLAN , MESKIN, MOLDOFF, HEATH, POWELL, COLE, SIMON & KIRBY, FUJITANI, and others, plus FCA , MR. MONSTER and more, behind a creepy, eerie cover by BILL EVERETT!

Spotlight on Superman’s first editor WHITNEY ELLSWORTH, longtime Kryptoeditor MORT WEISINGER remembered by his daughter, an interview with Superman writer ALVIN SCHWARTZ, tributes to FRANK FRAZETTA and AL WILLIAMSON, art by JOE SHUSTER, WAYNE BORING, CURT SWAN, and NEAL ADAMS, plus MR. MONSTER, FCA, and a new cover by JERRY ORDWAY!

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO: CENTENNIAL (AE #100)

ALTER EGO #99

GEORGE TUSKA showcase issue on his career at Lev Gleason, Marvel, and in comics strips through the early 1970s—CRIME DOES NOT PAY, BUCK ROGERS, IRON MAN, AVENGERS, HERO FOR HIRE, & more! Plus interviews with Golden Age artist BILL BOSSERT and fan-artist RUDY FRANKE, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), and more!

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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ALTER EGO: CENTENNIAL is a celebration of 100 issues, and 50 years, of ALTER EGO, Roy Thomas’ legendary super-hero fanzine. It’s a double-size triple-threat BOOK, with twice as many pages as the regular magazine, plus special features just for this anniversary edition! Behind a RICH BUCKLER/JERRY ORDWAY JSA cover, ALTER EGO celebrates its 100th issue and the 50th anniversary of A/E (Vol. 1) #1 in 1961—as ROY THOMAS is interviewed by JIM AMASH about the 1980s at DC! Learn secrets behind ALL-STAR SQUADRON—INFINITY, INC.—ARAK, SON OF THUNDER—CAPTAIN CARROT—JONNI THUNDER, a.k.a. THUNDERBOLT— YOUNG ALL-STARS—SHAZAM!—RING OF THE NIBELUNG—and more! With rare art and artifacts

by GEORGE PÉREZ, TODD McFARLANE, RICH BUCKLER, JERRY ORDWAY, MIKE MACHLAN, GIL KANE, GENE COLAN, DICK GIORDANO, ALFREDO ALCALA, TONY DEZUNIGA, ERNIE COLÓN, STAN GOLDBERG, SCOTT SHAW!, ROSS ANDRU, and many more! Plus special anniversary editions of Alter Ego staples MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, FAWCETT COLLECTORS OF AMERICA (FCA)—and ALEX WRIGHT’s amazing color collection of 1940s DC pinup babes! Edited by ROY THOMAS. (NOTE: This book takes the place of ALTER EGO #100, and counts as TWO issues toward your subscription.)

(160-page trade paperback with COLOR) $19.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • ISBN: 9781605490311 Diamond Order Code: JAN111351

ALTER EGO #101

Fox Comics of the 1940s with art by FINE, BAKER, SIMON, KIRBY, TUSKA, FLETCHER HANKS, ALEX BLUM, and others!

“Superman vs. Wonder Man” starring EISNER, IGER, SIEGEL, LIEBERSON, MAYER, DONENFELD, and VICTOR FOX! Plus, Part I of an interview with JACK MENDELSOHN, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, and new cover by Marvel artist DAVE WILLIAMS!

NEW!

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

ALTER EGO #102

ALTER EGO #103

ALTER EGO #104

ALTER EGO: THE CBA COLLECTION

Spotlight on Green Lantern creators MART NODELL and BILL FINGER in the 1940s, and JOHN BROOME, GIL KANE, and JULIUS SCHWARTZ in 1959! Rare GL artwork by INFANTINO, REINMAN, HASEN, NEAL ADAMS, and others! Plus JACK MENDELSOHN Part II, FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, and new cover by GIL KANE & TERRY AUSTIN, and MART NODELL!

The early career of comics writer STEVE ENGLEHART: Defenders, Captain America, Master of Kung Fu, The Beast, Mantis, and more, with rare art and artifacts by SAL BUSCEMA, STARLIN, SUTTON, HECK, BROWN, and others. Plus, JIM AMASH interviews early artist GEORGE MANDEL (Captain Midnight, The Woman in Red, Blue Bolt, Black Marvel, etc.), FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, and more!

Celebrates the 50th anniversary of FANTASTIC FOUR #1 and the birth of Marvel Comics! New, never-before-published STAN LEE interview, art and artifacts

by KIRBY, DITKO, SINNOTT, AYERS, THOMAS, and secrets behind the Marvel Mythos! Also: JIM AMASH interviews 1940s Timely editor AL SULMAN, FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, and a new cover by FRENZ and SINNOTT!

Compiles the ALTER EGO flip-sides from COMIC BOOK ARTIST #1-5, plus 30 NEW PAGES of features & art! All-new rare and previously-unpublished art by JACK KIRBY, GIL KANE, JOE KUBERT, WALLY WOOD, FRANK ROBBINS, NEAL ADAMS, & others, ROY THOMAS on X-MEN, AVENGERS/ KREE-SKRULL WAR, INVADERS, and more! Cover by JOE KUBERT!

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(160-page trade paperback) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $4.95

HUMOR MAGAZINES (BUNDLE ALL THREE FOR JUST $14.95)

ALTER EGO:

BEST OF THE LEGENDARY COMICS FANZINE

Collects the original 11 issues of JERRY BAILS and ROY THOMAS’ ALTER EGO fanzine (from 1961-78), with contributions from JACK KIRBY, STEVE DITKO, WALLY WOOD, JOHN BUSCEMA, MARIE SEVERIN, BILL EVERETT, RUSS MANNING, CURT SWAN, and others—and illustrated interviews with GIL KANE, BILL EVERETT, & JOE KUBERT! Plus major articles on the JUSTICE SOCIETY, the MARVEL FAMILY, the MLJ HEROES, and more! Edited by ROY THOMAS and BILL SCHELLY with an introduction by JULIE SCHWARTZ. (192-page trade paperback) $21.95 ISBN: 9781893905887 Diamond Order Code: DEC073946

COMIC BOOK NERD

PETE VON SHOLLY’s side-splitting parody of the fan press, including our own mags!

Experience the magic(?) of such publications as WHIZZER, the COMICS URINAL, ULTRA EGO, COMICS BUYER’S GUISE, BAGGED ISSUE!, SCRAWL!, COMIC BOOK ARTISTE, and more, as we unabashedly poke fun at ourselves, our competitors, and you, our loyal readers! It’s a first issue, collector’s item, double-bag, slab-worthy, speculator’s special sure to rub even the thickest-skinned fanboy the wrong way!

(64-page COLOR magazine) $8.95 • (Digital Edition) $2.95

CRAZY HIP GROOVY GO-GO WAY OUT MONSTERS #29 & #32

PETE VON SHOLLY’s spoofs of monster mags will have you laughing your pants off— right after you soil them from sheer terror! This RETRO MONSTER MOVIE MAGAZINE is a laugh riot lampoon of those GREAT (and absolutely abominable) mags of the 1950s and ‘60s, replete with fake letters-to-the-editor, phony ads for worthless, wacky stuff, stills from imaginary films as bad as any that were really made, interviews with their “creators,” and much more! Relive your misspent youth (and misspent allowance) as you dig the hilarious photos, ads, and articles skewering OUR FAVORITE THINGS of the past! Get our first issue (#29!), the sequel (#32!), or both!

DIEDGITIIOTANSL E

BL AVAILA

(48-page magazines) $5.95 EACH • (Digital Editions) $1.95 EACH

These sold-out books are now available again in DIGITAL EDITIONS:

NEW!

MR. MONSTER, VOL. 0

TRUE BRIT

DICK GIORDANO: CHANGING COMICS, ONE DAY AT A TIME

Collects hard-to-find Mr. Monster stories from A-1, CRACK-A-BOOM! and DARK HORSE PRESENTS (many in COLOR for the first time) plus over 30 pages of ALLNEW MR. MONSTER art and stories! Can your sanity survive our Lee/Kirby monster spoof by MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MARK MARTIN, or the long-lost 1933 Mr. Monster newspaper strip? Or the terrifying TRENCHER/MR. MONSTER slug-fest, drawn by KEITH GIFFEN and MICHAEL T. GILBERT?! Read at your own risk!

GEORGE KHOURY’s definitive book on the rich history of British Comics Artists, their influence on the US, and how they have revolutionized the way comics are seen and perceived! It features breathtaking art, intimate photographs, and in-depth interviews with BRIAN BOLLAND, ALAN DAVIS, DAVE GIBBONS, KEVIN O’NEILL, DAVID LLOYD, DAVE McKEAN, BRYAN HITCH, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH and other fine gents! Sporting a new JUDGE DREDD cover by BRIAN BOLLAND!

MICHAEL EURY’s biography of comics’ most prominent and affable personality! It covers his career as illustrator, inker, and editor—peppered with DICK’S PERSONAL REFLECTIONS—and is illustrated with RARE AND UNSEEN comics, merchandising, and advertising art! Plus: an extensive index of his published work, comments and tributes

by NEAL ADAMS, DENNIS O’NEIL, TERRY AUSTIN, PAUL LEVITZ, MARV WOLFMAN, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, JIM APARO and others, a Foreword by NEAL ADAMS, and an Afterword by PAUL LEVITZ!

(136-page Digital Edition with COLOR) $4.95

(204-page Digital Edition with COLOR) $6.95

(176-page Digital Edition with COLOR) $5.95

SECRETS IN THE SHADOWS: GENE COLAN

TOM FIELD’s amazing COLAN retrospective, with rare drawings, photos, and art from his 60-year career, and a comprehensive overview of Gene’s glory days at Marvel Comics!

MARV WOLFMAN, DON McGREGOR and other writers share script samples and anecdotes of their Colan collaborations, while TOM PALMER, STEVE LEIALOHA and others show how they approached inking Colan’s famously nuanced penciled pages!

Plus: a NEW PORTFOLIO of never-seen collaborations between Gene and masters such as BYRNE, KALUTA and PÉREZ, and all-new artwork created just for this book!

(192-page Digital Edition with COLOR) $6.95

ART OF GEORGE TUSKA

A comprehensive look at GEORGE TUSKA’S personal and professional life, including early work at the Eisner-Iger shop, producing controversial crime comics of the 1950s, and his tenure with Marvel and DC Comics, as well as independent publishers. Includes extensive coverage of his work on IRON MAN, X-MEN, HULK, JUSTICE LEAGUE, TEEN TITANS, BATMAN, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS, and others, a gallery of commission art and a thorough index of his work, original art, photos, sketches, unpublished art, interviews and anecdotes from his peers and fans, plus the very personal and reflective words of George himself! Written by DEWEY CASSELL. (128-page Digital Edition) $4.95

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OTHER BOOKS FROM TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING

PENCILER, PUBLISHER, PROVOCATEUR

COMICS’ FAST & FURIOUS ARTIST

THE ART OF GLAMOUR

MATT BAKER

EXTRAORDINARY WORKS OF ALAN MOORE

Shines a light on the life and career of the artistic and publishing visionary of DC Comics!

Explores the life and career of one of Marvel Comics’ most recognizable and dependable artists!

Biography of the talented master of 1940s “Good Girl” art, complete with color story reprints!

Definitive biography of the Watchmen writer, in a new, expanded edition!

(224-page trade paperback) $26.95

(176-page trade paperback with COLOR) $26.95

(192-page hardcover with COLOR) $39.95

(240-page trade paperback) $29.95

QUALITY COMPANION

BATCAVE COMPANION

ALL- STAR COMPANION

AGE OF TV HEROES

The first dedicated book about the Golden Age publisher that spawned the modern-day “Freedom Fighters”, Plastic Man, and the Blackhawks!

Unlocks the secrets of Batman’s Silver and Bronze Ages, following the Dark Knight’s progression from 1960s camp to 1970s creature of the night!

Roy Thomas has four volumes documenting the history of ALL-STAR COMICS, the JUSTICE SOCIETY, INFINITY, INC., and more!

(256-page trade paperback with COLOR) $31.95

(240-page trade paperback) $26.95

(224-page trade paperbacks) $24.95

Examining the history of the live-action television adventures of everyone’s favorite comic book heroes, featuring the in-depth stories of the shows’ actors and behind-the-scenes players!

CARMINE INFANTINO

SAL BUSCEMA

(192-page full-color hardcover) $39.95

MARVEL COMICS

MARVEL COMICS

An issue-by-issue field guide to the pop culture phenomenon of LEE, KIRBY, DITKO, and others, from the company’s fumbling beginnings to the full maturity of its wild, colorful, offbeat grandiosity!

IN THE 1960s

(224-page trade paperback) $27.95

MODERN MASTERS

HOW TO CREATE COMICS

Covers how Stan Lee went from writer to publisher, Jack Kirby left (and returned), Roy Thomas rose as editor, and a new wave of writers and artists came in!

20+ volumes with in-depth interviews, plus extensive galleries of rare and unseen art from the artist’s files!

(224-page trade paperback) $27.95

Shows step-by-step how to develop a new comic, from script and art, to printing and distribution!

(128-page trade paperbacks) $14.95 each

(108-page trade paperback) $15.95

IN THE 1970s

A BOOK SERIES DEVOTED TO THE BEST OF TODAY’S ARTISTS

FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT

FOR A FREE COLOR CATALOG, CALL, WRITE, E-MAIL, OR LOG ONTO www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows—A New Day For Comics Fandom!

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • Visit us on the Web at www.twomorrows.com