Alter Ego #40 by TwoMorrows Publishing

1994--2004

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RUSS HEATH JIM AMASH INTERVIEWS AN ARTIST FOR ALL SEASONS

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No. 40

September 2004

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(NOW WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “AllInterview Issue”! Part 2 of an exclusive STEVE ENGLEHART interview (continued from ALTER EGO #103)! “Pro2Pro” interviews between SIMONSON & LARSEN, MOENCH & WEIN, and comics letterers KLEIN & CHIANG. Plus JOHN OSTRANDER, MICHAEL USLAN, and longtime DC color artist ADRIENNE ROY! Cover by Englehart collaborator MARSHALL ROGERS!

“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!

“Liberated Ladies” eyeing female characters that broke barriers in the Bronze Age: Big Barda, Valkyrie, Ms. Marvel, Phoenix, Savage She-Hulk, and the sword-wielding Starfire. Plus a “Pro2Pro” interview with JILL THOMPSON, GAIL SIMONE, and BARBARA KESEL, art and commentary by JOHN BYRNE, GEORGE PEREZ, JACK KIRBY, MIKE VOSBURG, and more, with a new cover by BRUCE TIMM!

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THE BEST IN COMICS AND LEGO MAGAZINES!

ALTER EGO #105

ALTER EGO #106

ALTER EGO #107

ALTER EGO #108

DRAW! #22

See comic art and script BEFORE and AFTER the Comics Code changes, with art by SIMON & KIRBY, DITKO, BUSCEMA, SINNOTT, GOULD, COLE, STERANKO, KRIGSTEIN, O’NEIL, GLANZMAN, ORLANDO, WILLIAMSON, HEATH, and others! Plus: FCA, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY, JIM AMASH interviews Timely/Atlas artist CAL MASSEY, and a new cover by JOSH MEDORS!

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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LEE & KIRBY: THE WONDER YEARS (KIRBY COLLECTOR #58)

Special double-size book examines the first decade of the FANTASTIC FOUR, and the events that put into motion the Marvel Age of Comics! New interviews with STAN LEE, FLO STEINBERG, MARK EVANIER, JOE SINNOTT, and others, with a wealth of historical information and Kirby artwork!

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“Kirby Vault!” Rarities from the “King” of comics: Personal correspondence, private photos, collages, rare Marvelmania art, bootleg album covers, sketches, transcript of a 1969 VISIT TO THE KIRBY HOME (where Jack answers the questions YOU’D ask in ‘69), MARK EVANIER, pencil art from the FOURTH WORLD, CAPTAIN AMERICA, MACHINE MAN, SILVER SURFER GRAPHIC NOVEL, and more!

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. 40/September 2004

™

Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

RUSS HEATH & FRIENDS Section

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

Cover Artists Gil Kane Russ Heath

Covers Colorist Tom Ziuko

And Special Thanks to: Neal Adams Ger Apeldoorn Manuel Auad Brian H. Bailie Bob Bailey Jeff Bailey Mike W. Barr Nick Barrucci Blake Bell Allen & Roz Bellman Dave Bennett Karen Berger Bruce Bristow Mrs. Peggy Broome Gary Brown Frank Brunner Mike Burkey Joe Caporale Nick Caputo Mike Carlin Bob Cherry Shaun Clancy Jon B. Cooke Peter David Teresa R. Davidson Al Dellinges Shel Dorf Terry Doyle Michael Dunne Harlan & Susan Ellison Mark Evanier Al Feldstein Bill Field Elliot Fine Shane Foley Neil Gaiman Carl Gafford Ken Gale José Garcia-López Frank Giella Janet Gilbert Glen David Gold Scott Goodell Bob Greenberger Beth Gwinn

Jennifer T. Hamerlinck Jack C. Harris Irwin Hasen Russ Heath Daniel Herman Roger Hill Andrea Hopkins Tom Horvitz Elaine Kane Fred & Rita Kelly Adele Kurtzman Paul Levitz Guy H. Lillian III Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier Ricia Mainhardt Rich Markow Donald Dale Milne Sheldon Moldoff Alan Moore Brian K. Morris Frank Motler Scott V. Norris Denny O’Neil Adam Phillips Robert Pincombe Paul Rivoche Steve Saffel Arlen Schumer Scott Sheaffer Bhob Stewart Marc Svensson Marc Swayze Dann Thomas Maggie Thompson Brian Thomsen Mike Tiefenbacher Anthony Tollin Alex Toth Michael Uslan Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Len Wein Tom Ziuko

This Issue Is Dedicated to the Memory of

JACK BRADBURY

Contents “I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Russ Heath talks to Jim Amash about comic books, comic strips, and Playboy. Gary Brown, Comic Book Reporter––Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Bill Schelly completes his interview re Comic Comments, Gremlin, and Comixscene. Comic Crypt’s Delightful “Clean-up” Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Michael T. Gilbert, Mr. Monster, Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, and more.

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #99. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Paul C. Hamerlinck presents Marc Swayze & The Fawcett/Charlton Connection, Part 2. Julie Schwartz & Gil Kane Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: As you’ll learn starting on the next page, if you didn’t know it already, Russ Heath has worked for a multitude of comics companies, in a multitude of genres—war, western, romance, jungle, horror, humor, science-fiction, adventure—and has even drawn a super-hero or two on occasion. Our cavortin’ colorist Tom Ziuko assembled this collage from a vintage photo and photocopies of original art provided by Russ himself, plus the cover of 1950’s Marvel Boy #1. Tom then applied his kaleidoscopic coloring skills to it. The result, we think, is a monumentally matchless montage. [Punisher & Marvel Boy art ©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Lone Ranger art ©2004 King Features, Inc.; soldier & Roman ©2004 Russ Heath.] Above: In the final Sunday of their Lone Ranger comic strip, on April 1, 1986, Russ drew himself and writer Cary Bates as a sheriff and deputy bidding farewell to the Masked Hero of the Plains. [©2004 Lone Ranger Television, Inc.] Alter EgoTM is published monthly by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8 ($10 Canada, $11.00 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $120 Canada, $132 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!” RUSS HEATH on Comic Books, Comic Strips, and Playboy Interview Conducted and Transcribed by Jim Amash

Russ at the drawing board, circa 1998—framed by two dramatic personalized figure drawings. On the right, Storm of The X-Men, done in 1987—and on the left, an illo of Sgt. Rock, dated 2002. For a guy who says he never liked drawing super-heroes, he sure didn’t do bad by Ororo! Photo courtesy of Russ Heath. [Storm TM & ©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Sgt. Rock art ©2004 DC Comics.]

[INTRODUCTION: Russ Heath is one of those greats who backs up good draftsmanship with a terrific drawing style. Real people, not cardboard cutouts, dominate the visual planes of Russ’ pages. Almost no one conveys the realities of a war story like he does, and even his cartoon work has a solid reality base that is pleasing and believable. Russ was the artist who made you believe you were underwater with the Sea Devils, fighting high above the battlefields of war, and down in the mud with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company. For the purposes of this interview, and because of Alter Ego’s general franchise, we are mainly focusing on Russ’ earlier work (though we do stray somewhat), in order to discover how his artistic vision was formed, and his thoughts about how that affects artists personally and professionally. Of course, since this interview was conducted specifically for A/E, we want to touch on his rare (but outstanding) forays into super-hero work, but Russ begins by explaining why he didn’t do more in that genre... —Jim.]

“I Couldn’t Believe Superman” RUSS HEATH: I was too much a realist and maybe too literal-minded to ever really get into super-heroes. I couldn’t believe Superman could jump over the Empire State Building without cracking the pavement on landing, or carrying his Clark Kent clothes. The minute you create a

super-hero, who are you going to put against him? It leads to unreality. JIM AMASH: And your earliest reading habits were not grounded in that genre, either. You were born in 1926. HEATH: September 29th, in New York, though I lived in New Jersey. I discovered comics in Florida, when I was a kid. I was in a store with my parents and saw the eleventh issue of Famous Funnies. Later on, I looked at comics like Captain America, but I really started out to be an illustrator. Then, when I got married and was expecting a kid, I thought I’d better take whatever I could get. JA: Did you have any previous involvement in comic books by the time you were married? HEATH: I had done a couple of freelance jobs in the summer when I was in high school, in 1943 or ‘44. I might have done this for two different summers, but I’m not sure. I worked for Holyoke Publications’ Captain Aero Comics, on the “Hammerhead Hawley” feature. My dad knew somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody who published Holyoke. I had an interview and got the job. Well, it wasn’t really an interview... I just went to see this artist who was working for them. His name was Charles Quinlan. The page rate was so low that you tried to turn them out as fast as

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

HEATH: I went into the Air Force in my senior year of high school, in 1945. I originally wanted to sign up with the RCAF, because you only had to be seventeen to join in Canada. The high school said they’d put me in an accelerated class so I could get through with high school. I almost made it, but then the [US] Air Force called me and in I went. I was in the service for nine months. JA: Did you do any artwork in the service? (Above:) Russ as an infant, between his grandmother and mother. (Right:) Russ’ father in 1916. Photos courtesy of Russ Heath.

you could. I didn’t spend that much time with him. I had always assumed that penciled pages were inked with a pen, and he said, “No, no, it’s brush work.” So he gave me a number three Winsor-Newton and I became a brush man. I drew two complete stories for Quinlan. I had been practicing and had done pages in school, just for my own amusement, so I was already into storytelling. JA: Where did you go from there?

HEATH: Yes. When they were waiting to find out what it would take to finish off Japan, I went over to the camp newspaper and did cartoons for them. I could do three cartoons in an afternoon. I had my own desk and a typewriter, and I’d write a couple of lines to my folks or something on it. I had a press pass, so I could leave the base at any time for 48 hours. I’d leave, come back, and go out again. I’d spend all morning on the beach, go to town, have lunch, and go to a movie. I’d probably be there yet, because my papers hadn’t arrived and I wasn’t getting paid. There’s only so much money your folks’ll send you, and I kept running up against this one sergeant, who said, “You’re lucky. You have nothing to do. Go away... you bother me.” After another month, I called headquarters up and said, “I’m Lieutenant So-and-So. Where are Russ Heath’s papers?” That got them hopping. They found them in a dead file, or else I’d still be there. JA: It occurs to me that you must have developed very quickly as an artist in order to draw for Charles Quinlan. Were you taking classes, or were you self-taught? HEATH: I was self-taught. I took regular art classes in school, but they hardly qualify.

(Above & center:) Russ’ first ongoing assignment—in fact, his first comics assignment, period!— was “Hammerhead Hawley,” in Holyoke’s Captain Aero Comics. These two pages are from Vol. 3, #12 (real #14, April 1944)—the feature’s final appearance—and are courtesy of Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. (Right:) The Holyoke artist/editor who basically hired Russ was Charles Quinlan, who drew its major feature, “Cat-Man.” Seen here is the cover of Cat-Man Comics #1 (1941), initiated after the hero had become a hit in Crash Comics. Thanks to the guys at Heritage Comics; check out their auctions and website at <www.HeritageComics.com>—and tell ‘em Alter Ego sent you, okay? We wanna keep on getting those bee-yootiful catalogs! [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

Russ in US Air Force uniform in 1945, juxtaposed with a drawing of another World War II flyboy (and his ladyfriend) that he drew in 2003 especially for collector Michael Dunne, who generously sent us a copy. [Art ©2004 Russ Heath; Blackhawk & Lady Blackhawk TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

“I Figured I’d Better Get a Regular Job” JA: When you got out of the service, what did you do? HEATH: I was in the 52-20 club, which was 52 weeks at twenty bucks a week to adjust to civilian life. I spent most of it in a bar, and then I got a job as a lifeguard at a swim club. I met a girl there and got married. After finding a baby was on the way, I figured I’d better get a regular job. I took my portfolio to New York every day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., looking for work. I used to visit famous artists, which was easier to do in those days because they didn’t have people to turn you away. I called up Albert Dorne, told him I was a young artist with a portfolio, and he invited me up. That’s how it was in those days. It took me seventy-some days to find a job. I’d go see someone and they’d say, “We don’t have anything now. Check back later.” And they’d tell me to go see someone else, so the list kept growing. Eventually, I got a job as a gofer at an ad agency, Benton and Bowles. I was making $35 a week, half of which went to travel expenses and laundry, so I decided I needed a better job. Eventually, I walked into Stan Lee’s office at Timely, and he hired me at $75 a week. I staggered out of there, realizing that I had just doubled my salary. This was in 1947. JA: What was Stan like when you met him? HEATH: He was exactly like he is now. I worked in the bullpen, and after a few months, Stan said, “You don’t have to come into the office every day. You can work at home if you want.” I was still on salary. I think Two-Gun Kid was the first thing I worked on. JA: What was it like to work in the bullpen?

HEATH: If I remember correctly, there were two other guys working in the room with me. There were other guys in other rooms, but it’s all pretty vague to me now. I remember that Syd Shores worked there, but I’m not sure if he was in my room. JA: Were many other staffers working at home, too? I know Dave Gantz did that. HEATH: It seems to me that there were. Some guys worked in the office and at home, too. Some only worked in the office. It varied from person to person. I started off doing complete art on the stories. The pencilers were filling in the black areas for the inkers (in pencil, not in ink) and I said, “That takes too much time. The inker can do that faster than the penciler,” but they had their own ideas. I took one of my pages, made a copy, which I darkened, and told them that they could just print from this. They thought it was a terrific idea, so Stan fired most of the inkers. Quite a few inkers were down on me for a couple of years. But then Timely found out that I was one of the very few pencilers who could pencil that cleanly, so it didn’t last that long.

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

Stan Lee in the 1940s (above, in a photo from Les Daniels’ 1991 masterwork Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Heroes)—Russ Heath drawing away in the 1950s—and the artist’s dynamic cover for Navy Action #1 (Aug. 1954). Thanks to Nick Caputo for the copy of the latter, and to Russ for the photo. [Art ©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

years. [laughs] Did you have any interaction with the writers? HEATH: Not really. Some of them I liked, like Bob Haney at DC. For the most part, I never met the writers. I never paid much attention at Timely as to who wrote the scripts. I was paying attention to how I was going to draw them. I know Stan Lee wrote a lot of stuff and I drew many of his scripts. Everybody went freelance because Stan found it too hard to fire people. He didn’t want to get into that again. JA: So you worked at home. Did you have a studio in your house? HEATH: Since I wasn’t working when we got married, we lived with my folks. My parents had a four-bedroom house, so one of the bedrooms was my studio. In two years, I had saved up enough money to make a down payment on a four-bedroom, $18,000 house.

“My Editor [at Timely] Was Don Rico” JA: While you were making the $75 a week, did you do freelance work for Stan, too? HEATH: Well, the rate kept going up. I don’t think I was doing anything else at the beginning, but I started doing some illustrations at ad agencies. What I found out was that, if you work at just one place, they have a tendency, if you’re under someone’s heel, to grind you into the ground. It’s just human nature. If you keep two or more accounts, they’ll know you’re not dependent on them, so it seems to work better for you. The amount of outside work I did depended on what was available. I always seemed to have multiple places to get work from. Once I worked at home, I only went into the offices once a week. Stories were usually seven pages, unless I got a ten-pager, and then there was no reason to go in until that job was finished. I’d go in, get a check for the last job, turn in the story I brought with me, and get a script for the next job. JA: How fast were you then? Were you doing a page a day, pencils and inks? HEATH: Sometimes. Sometimes, I’d do two pages. It depended upon what was on the pages. Obviously, it took longer to do battle scenes than it did to do talking heads. I did Kid Colt, Outlaw, and I hated that damn vest he wore. It was too “Hollywood.” JA: It must have been a good vest, because he wore it for twenty

JA: Was Stan handing you full scripts? HEATH: Yeah. JA: When you started out as an artist, did you make thumbnail sketches first, or did you just start drawing on the page? HEATH: I didn’t do thumbnails at the beginning. I just started drawing on the page. JA: Did you deal with Stan on a regular basis? HEATH: My editor was Don Rico, and he was a very easy guy to work for. JA: Oh really? I didn’t realize that Rico was editing that late at Timely. Al Jaffee was editing the humor books, and Al Sulman was editing, too. So Stan was not an editor so much as he was an editorin-chief? HEATH: Yeah. I didn’t get to know Jaffee until I began working on “Little Annie Fanny.” JA: You’re the only person I’ve talked to who remembers that Rico was editing at this point. What else do you remember about Rico? Did he have his own office? HEATH: I kind-of remember that he had his own small office. You had to go in there to realize he was there. And I remember that he later worked for Hanna-Barbera [in Los Angeles]. I met Harvey Kurtzman when I was working for Timely. I went to lunch with him... this was when he was doing “Hey Look!” for Stan. Some years later, when he was an editor at EC Comics, he asked me to do a story for the first issue of Frontline Combat. I kept having lunch with him, and I got “in” with the guys, like Jack Davis, Al Jaffee, Willy Elder, John Severin, etc. I’d go to lunch with them and I’d get a story from Harvey. I didn’t realize there was a connection, or I’d have had more lunches with Harvey. But to be one of the guys on the inside was much better than being on the outside of the group. I didn’t know they were getting vacations all over the world. [NOTE: EC publisher Bill

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

(Above:) Early Heath “Kid Colt” panels from Best Western #58 (June 1949). Russ hated that vest! (Right:) Mr. H. also drew this cover for Crazy #7 (July 1954), the final issue of Timely/Atlas’ first Mad imitation. It parodied the John Wayne movie Hondo. Thanks to Dr. Michael J. Vassallo for both scans. [©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Gaines took many of his employees and freelancers on trips for many years. —Jim.] I did work in all of Harvey’s books over the years, including Mad. I also had work in Humbug, which the guys chipped in to publish, but it was the wrong size for the magazine shelves. Hugh Hefner, who’d been a fan of Harvey’s for some time, published two issues of Trump before that. Then Jim Warren backed a book called Help! and I worked on that, too. JA: So you met Harvey at Timely. I wasn’t aware that he hung around the office that much. HEATH: He didn’t. He’d just bring his work in and then leave. I didn’t meet a lot of people there, because they might come in on Wednesday and I might come in on Friday. I knew a lot of people, but just to wave to. For a couple of years at DC, Ross Andru and I used to go out to lunch. Sometimes I had a girlfriend with me, so he got to know all my girlfriends. One at a time, of course. (Above left:) Artist/writer Don Rico served as an editor during Russ’ time at Timely. He’s seen here (on left) with Jack Kirby, in a photo from Mysticogryfil #2 (1975). [Photo ©1975 Paul Watry.] (Above right:) Harvey Kurtzman, circa 1948—in a photo from Blake Bell’s TwoMorrows tome I Have to Live with This Guy! The Kurtzman “Hey Look!” page at right, drawn for Lana #2 (Oct. 1948), parodies Li’l Abner, Dick Tracy, Blondie, and—more surprisingly—Will Eisner’s The Spirit, and foreshadows the Mad comic book he would create for Bill Gaines’ EC a couple of years later. [“Hey Look!” page & Kurtzman photo ©2004 Adele Kurtzman.]

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

I did get to know John Severin well. I went to his house for dinner once. He is a great guy.

“I Drew What They Gave Me” JA: When you drew a story at Timely, did the pencils have to be approved before you were allowed to ink them? HEATH: Oh, sure. In the beginning, they were. Before long, I didn’t have to get them approved and just went straight to inking them once they were penciled. JA: So once they decided you could give them the kind of storytelling that they wanted, you were trusted to bring in a complete job. HEATH: Yes. My thinking was that when you go in, you’re an unknown factor. You can have better samples than the guy they got working for them, but they won’t take you. I thought, “That’s not fair. Why is that?” But then I figured out that it was because you are an unknown quantity. They don’t know if you’re going to turn the job in on time or not. And maybe the editor’s wife and the guy working for him... their wives might be friends. Things like that. You got to be better than the other guy, and you have to break through that somehow. Then they try to neutralize the price range and pay everybody the same. It defeats the purpose of the American Way. My theory was, if you got a guy who’s better than me, then give the job to him and I’ll go home and practice until I’m better than him. And then I’m going to walk back in and expect to get the job. There are some people who get in the business, not so much in those days, but in these days, that shouldn’t be artists in the first place. They’d be better off going to work in their father’s plumbing supply. You have to expect people not to make it because they haven’t got it. That’s the way life is. If you give everybody the same salary, you’ve destroyed any incentive to do better work, and then they start hiring people that are not very good to help them.

“A western one week and a war story the next!” A marvelous montage of Timely splashes and covers by Russ Heath, in a quartet of genres, from: Arizona Kid #4 (Sept. 1951)… Battle Action #3 (June 1952)… My Own Romance #32 (July 1953)… Men’s Adventures #26 (March 1954, the last horror issue before Human Torch, Captain America, and Sub-Mariner took over for the title’s last two issues). The Battle Action cover is courtesy of Terry Doyle; for the other art, thanks to Doc Vassallo. [©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

8 JA: Do you think most of the artists at Timely were making the same salary?

Kubert walked in and said to Norman, “You don’t have to see that. He’s good.” Not that I didn’t show him anyway.

HEATH: I think they were pretty similar. I don’t think there were many people making better money than someone else was. They had an established page rate, and if you were newer, you weren’t getting what someone who was working there for several years was. I remember getting several raises over time, but I got to the point where I didn’t expect to get any more per page than I was.

JA: You also worked for Avon Comics. HEATH: I’ve worked for a lot of companies that I hardly remember. I worked for Victor Fox, as did a lot of people who went to him during the drought. They’d do a story and couldn’t get paid. Sometimes, when a place goes bankrupt, there’s a little money there, but not enough to pay the bills. Then the lawyers take over and they try to make the available money go further than it will. So I sent them a bill that said, “15% discount for cash in ten days,” and they paid me. And the discount can be taken off your taxes, too.

I was in and out of there a few times, so I don’t remember how often I got raises. I worked for other places besides Timely. I remember working mainly for one company and then for another. The business kept bouncing up and down.

I was looking at a book called Forum and was wondering what I was doing with that book. I looked through it and saw that I had two drawings in the book. I had completely forgotten about it.

I remember Stan saying to me, once, “I can’t give you the same page rate, and you probably wouldn’t accept it.” I asked, “How much can you give?” And he said, “$18 for pencils and inks.” I said, “I’ll take one story and try it and see how it works.” I tried to slap it out real fast, and it surprised me that it was quite good. [laughs] So I realized that you can defeat your purpose by being too careful; your work stiffens up sometimes.

[NOTE: Perhaps this is as good a place as any to mention that, while the company then known as Timely and now as Marvel sported an “Atlas” globe In Heath’s one and only “Human Torch” tale, which reintroduced the Torch and Toro logo during much of the in Young Men #24 (Dec. 1953), he redefined Carl Burgos’ hero visually. The result was an 1950s, Russ, like most other artistic triumph… which Russ has totally forgotten. See much more about the 1953-55 professionals, considered the Timely super-hero revival in Alter Ego #35, still available from TwoMorrows. company name to be JA: Did you request certain [©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Timely—so that’s the name features or stories, or did you that will be used for the purposes of this interview. just draw what they handed you?

HEATH: I drew what they gave me. JA: So you’d get a western one week and a war story the next?

“I’ve Worked for a Lot of Companies That I Hardly Remember” HEATH: Yes, and I’d get a lot of covers, too... war and westerns and horror. I did a couple of romance books, and a book about [pop singing star] Eddie Fisher. I’d get all kinds of stuff. Somewhere along the line, when the business went down, temporarily, I’d work for people like Charlie Biro [editor at Lev Gleason Publications]. I remember when Joe Kubert and Norman Maurer were doing the 3-D comics [for St. John Publications] and Maurer was interviewing me; he wasn’t familiar with my stuff. I pulled out my portfolio when Joe

Also—at this point, there was a discussion of Russ’ single “Human Torch” story, done in 1953 for the revival of that hero in Young Men #24. But since Russ’ and my brief discussion of that story saw print back in Alter Ego #35, we’re skipping it here, for space considerations. —Jim.] JA: I also see that you drew the first Marvel Boy story in 1950. Do you remember anything about the book? HEATH: No. JA: You did darn near every kind of genre for Timely. Did you have a preference? HEATH: Well, basically one of the things I didn’t like to do was to draw buildings with all the windows. If you’re going to do something besides making them look like packing cases, you have to develop a feel for architecture. I didn’t want to do cityscapes. When you do war

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

Russ’ cover and splash for Marvel Boy #1 (Dec. 1950). By the way, the now-empty arrow at bottom left on the cover read: “Marvel Boy Tries to Save Earth from the Menace of the ‘Lost World!’” (So—now you know!) A second “Marvel Boy” story in that first issue does not appear to be Heath’s work. By issue #2, Bill Everett had taken over the art (and maybe writing) of the feature; with #3, the comic’s title was changed to Astonishing, with greater emphasis on horror, and after a few more issues Marvel Boy was gone. [©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

stories, everything is rubble and uneven. You don’t have to draw straight lines. When you’re drawing rubble, who can tell you that you’re doing it wrong? The other one was Sea Devils, because everything underwater fades away from view. You have to draw things in the foreground, and there are no straight lines, either. Westerns are the same way. Buildings in those days were not evenly built, so there’s no need for straight lines. JA: Since I primarily do inks or finishes, I get more joy out of doing textures than mechanical stuff like buildings. That’s where the fun is, isn’t it? HEATH: Yes, unless you can get some kind of personality into the buildings, like on Dodge City’s mean streets.

“I Still Had to Be Careful” JA: Once you were established in the business and inking your own stuff, were your pencils still as tight as they were in the early days? HEATH: No, but I still had to be careful. When you pencil a job and send it in to be lettered, you can work on another story. Well, if you didn’t put the lighting in the pencils, when you get the story back later,

you’ve forgotten what you wanted to do. Neal Adams said I’m crazy. He said, “You’re the only guy I know who can put the word balloons in and the words will fit inside.” I said, “If I want to finish the balloons in ink, they got to fit.” When you do it over and over again, you learn how to do that. I even inked in the panel borders. When I send a page on, I don’t get it back. JA: You were doing that in the 1950s, too? HEATH: Yes. There’ve been a number of things people said I was nuts for doing. Like I hate to use white paint. When I put stars in the night sky, I don’t use white paint. I go around them. Neal said I was nuts: “There’s 2000 stars on that page!” I said, “Someone else can count them.” [mutual laughter] The few times I’ve taken work with me, like when I went down to the Caribbean, the moisture is different, so you have to use different pencils. The moisture makes the paper damp and the pencil will bite into it, so you have to use softer pencils. Some pencilers don’t realize that, and it makes things harder for the inker. JA: When you were doing covers for Timely, were you handed a cover rough first?

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

HEATH: Yes, but I can’t remember who was doing them. JA: Carl Burgos did some of them. Syd Shores did some, and maybe Mike Sekowsky, though Sekowsky wasn’t on staff after 1949.. HEATH: It could have been Burgos, but I’m not sure he did them all. I don’t remember working on Mike’s stuff. I remember that the horror covers had three panels down the left side, with the story titles listed. In the panels were written things like “Axe Murderer” or some other thing. I’d ask Stan what was the story about since I had to draw a picture to go with the title. He’d say, “I don’t know,” so I’d make them up. They had nothing to do with the inside stories. JA: Did you get a higher page rate for covers? HEATH: I’m not certain I did 100% of the time.

HEATH: Well, what I found is that I liked to go back and forth. I’d work for an ad agency for a year, and then I’d quit to go back to freelancing. When you work at home, you work late and then you get up late; the clock starts sliding around and you become a night person. Pretty soon, I found that it was like working 16 hours a day. I’d work for 16 hours and sleep for six, so I had two hours off every day. What I did to overcome that was to take a steady job. But the problem with ad agencies is that they are very political and I’m antipolitical. Ad agencies are pretty crazy, and I’d be out drinking and carrying on until the wee hours. Fortunately, I was good enough that I had enough left even if I was pushing, you know, until noon, until I felt totally okay. [laughs] I did a lot of inventive stuff and that part was fun. But the routine gets to you again and you start working at home again. I alternated like that all throughout my career.

JA: After a certain point, Stan started hiring back staffers. You never worked on staff again, did you?

“I Went Back and Forth to a Lot of Places”

HEATH: No. There were periods, like when I worked on staff at the Dancer-Fitzgerald Advertising Agency or for Doyle-Dane-Bernbach, which was in the early 1960s, I was one of the few guys who had every storyboard sold to a client. I can’t take full credit for that, because if the copy-writer doesn’t give you something to work with, you can’t do anything. But I was very adept at taking the ball and running with it.

JA: I’m looking over a list of your work at Timely, and it’s an incredible amount of pages and variety of subjects.

JA: Did you prefer to work at home rather than in a studio?

HEATH: I keep on being surprised when I keep finding out about other stuff I’d done. I wonder how I found the time to do all that work. JA: Not only that, but you did characters like Combat Kelly and Combat Casey, though there isn’t much difference between them. And then there’s all the western features you did.

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

Jim says Russ “did darn near every kind of genre for Timely”—as evidenced by this trio of splashes: “The Monster!” from War Comics #9 (April 1952)—the science-fiction filler “The Plot!” for Venus #11 (Nov. 1950)—and “The Eddie Fisher Story!” for that odd 1954 magazine World’s Greatest Songs #1-and-only, which advertised itself as featuring “All the Words & Music” from current hits. A photo of Fisher, then rising to prominence as a pop crooner, adorned the cover—and Russ drew a comics-format biography inside. Thanks to Doc Vassallo for all three art scans. [©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

HEATH: A lot of the features did seem similar to me in their own genre. I liked Apache Kid all right, but hated Kid Colt, as I told you. [slight pause] I guess he was okay, except for the vest. JA: Would you have preferred to have done “real” characters? Like Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy, for example? HEATH: No. I would have hated to do those, because they weren’t real cowboys. That’s what I hate about Remington as compared to Charley Russell. [Both are well-known painters of scenes of the American West. —Jim.] Remington went out to the West and made a bunch of sketches and went back to his studio in New Jersey or wherever the hell it was, and did his paintings. JA: In the mid-1950s, you started doing humor for Timely and Mad. I have you listed with a writer’s credit for Timely’s Snafu. Is that accurate? HEATH: It’s within the realm of possibility but not likely. If I’d written something, I’d have drawn it. I don’t know if the Mad work came before the Timely humor work. JA: Did you have a problem working from Harvey Kurtzman’s layouts at EC? HEATH: No. I liked Harvey’s layouts and followed them, like on that “Plastic Sam” story in Mad. I virtually inked his roughs, and Harvey always seemed to be pleased with what I did. He was very fixed in his

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

Heath drew just one story each for Harvey Kurtzman’s Frontline Combat (#1, July-Aug. 1951) and color Mad (the “Plastic Man” parody in #14, Aug. 1954). [“Plastic Sam” art ©2004 E.C. Publications, Inc.; “O.P.” splash ©2004 William M. Gaines Agent.]

opinions, but a lot of people are. He wasn’t tough to work for. JA: Why did you only do one war story for Harvey—“O.P.” in Frontline Combat #1? Was Stan Lee keeping you too busy? HEATH: That’s a possibility. As I told you, I could have gotten more work from Harvey if I’d had more lunches with him. JA: Was Stan the type of editor you could go to lunch with? HEATH: Oh, yeah. I did that with Stan and still do, even now. There could have been seven years where we never went to lunch. When you’re at this end of a long road, it’s hard to put together where things happened. And it wasn’t like I worked ten years for one guy and then ten years for another. I went back and forth to a lot of places. JA: You worked for Stan up until 1957, when Timely’s comic line was suspended, and you didn’t go back when they started the line up again, a few months later. I guess that was because you had gotten too busy elsewhere. HEATH: Yes. I’d gotten busy with Harvey Kurtzman, and DC, among other places.

“I Think [Arthur St. John] Came through the Room Once” JA: I’d like to get back to St. John Publications. You did that work in 1953. What do you remember about their set-up? HEATH: Norman Maurer was a very nice guy. There was another guy there, whose name was Bob Bean, who was working on the 3-D books. I remember him because, years later, I went to New York and I was kind-

of broke and had nowhere to stay and couldn’t afford to go to a hotel. Bob had worked as an assistant to me for about fifty bucks a week after the 3-D books went “balooey,” and then we went our separate ways. When I called around for a place to stay, Bob said I could stay at his partner’s place. They were making commercials and had a studio called Wild Films. He said, “My partner’s divorced and is going to the West Coast for Christmas to see his kid, so you can stay at his brownstone.” They later sold out their film studio for loads of money and I thought, “This guy used to work for me for fifty bucks a week!” [laughs] It was the best couple of weeks I ever spent in New York. His chauffeur had nothing to do, so he’d drive me wherever I wanted to go in his limo. The maid came in and would squeeze orange juice for me. I looked over the guy’s wardrobe...now I had never met the guy...and his clothes were from Savile Row and places like that. I learned about tailoring and wondered where people with money went out. I asked the chauffeur where this guy went to lunch and figured I’d go there and meet some of these people. I’d answer the phone and a girl on the other line would ask where he was and I’d tell her that he was out of town and I was housesitting. I figured that was kind-of dumb, so the next time a girl called, I said, “He’s not here. Can I help you with something?” She said, “He usually walks my dog with me.” I said I could do that. It worked. Pretty soon, I was going to parties with his friends. They didn’t know I’d never met him. I felt pretty badly at the end when it was time to leave, because I hardly had any money and was ashamed at what I was leaving. I left a note saying, “This is probably far less than you expect and far more than I can afford.” JA: Well, that was an extra bonus for working for Maurer and Kubert. Who was the editor there? Both of them?

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!” HEATH: I think so. They were always pretty equal, and for years Joe used to go out to California to visit Maurer. I didn’t work for them for too long because the 3-D comics sank the company. They thought there was a lot of money to be made when they got the returns on the first book. Everybody and their brother jumped on the bandwagon, and all the materials to make these books weren’t available, like cellophane for the eyeglasses. They got to the point where they were taking clear cellophane and dying it. Now, if you don’t match the colors of the ink in the book exactly with the glasses, the line art will have ghost images and it could really be hard on your eyes. Half the books looked that way because the colors didn’t match. It was one of those things that went zooming up and then zooming down. I worked on the Tor comic. I worked on backgrounds for Joe and did a couple of pages of my own. JA: This has nothing to do with our interview, but it’s a funny story. I used to work in a comic book shop, and one day a guy walked in and said to the manager at the time, “I got the first 3-D comic and I want to sell it.” Tom, the manager, asked, “Is it Tor?” The guy answered, “Naw, it’s all in one piece.” [mutual laughter] You should have seen the look on Joe Kubert’s face when I told him that story. [NOTE: Actually, the “Tor” issue was only the second 3-D comic— Kubert & Maurer’s “Mighty Mouse” book for St. John was the first—but it’s still a great story. — Roy.]

HEATH: I think he came through the room once. JA: Let me get back to Charlie Biro for a moment. HEATH: Charlie hired me, but Bob Wood was the one who directly gave me the assignments. Biro’s office was a lot larger than Wood’s. They had a suite of offices. Alex Toth did a great book for them, Crime and Punishment [issues # 66-68]. It had all these weirdly-shaped panels in it; they were influenced by the 3-D movie process. JA: Did you know Alex back then? HEATH: I don’t remember, but I know I ran into him somewhere along the line because he kept telling me to come to California. I went out there and didn’t call him, which didn’t make him happy. But it wasn’t personal and I didn’t realize he’d been trying so hard to get me a job at Hanna-Barbera.

“I Liked ‘Sgt. Rock’ Much More Than the Other Features” JA: Do you remember how you started working at DC? You started there in 1954, while freelancing at Timely. HEATH: I found it to my advantage to alternate between places. To the best of my memory, I went to Kanigher and showed him my samples.

JA: Did you go to Kanigher HEATH: I was at a convention a because he was editing the war few years ago and Joe and I were comics? next to each other on a panel. Joe HEATH: No, I think someone has always been extremely serious must have sent me because of my when he talks about comics, but I One of two dinosaur fact pages Russ Heath drew for Kubert & Maurer’s war stuff, and there wasn’t anyone figured what people really want to 3-D Comics “Vol. 1, No. 2” (Oct. 1953)—which actually was the second issue of else doing war comics, so he was hear are the stories in back of One Million Years Ago, the St. John comic that would soon be retitled Tor. All of the man to see. things: the stories that aren’t that great prehistoric-era work by Kubert, Maurer, Heath, Alex Toth, and others generally out there for public has been breathtakingly reprinted by DC in the first two Archives volumes of JA: Do you think you had a consumption. I feel that there are a Tor by Joe Kubert; a third volume features Joe’s work on Tor for DC, Marvel, and reputation for doing war comics lot of funny things that happened elsewhere. [©2004 Joe Kubert.] by then? You certainly had done that will crack the audience up. a ton of them. When you’re on the stage with a microphone, you’re really in the entertainment business, so I always try to put in a joke here and there. Joe HEATH: Well, I had the rep for that and westerns, and somewhere spent a half hour talking and I was next in line to talk about reference down the line, I always seemed to be doing girly stuff, too, though not and how we use it in our work. as often as the war comics. I think the war comics were the first things I

Joe brought up this one story that Mort Drucker had done about the nose wheel of a B-17 bomber. The whole story was told in voice-over from the nose wheel and the drawings were of the bombing below and the fighting and stuff. Then it was my turn to talk and I said, “There’s only one problem with that. B-17s didn’t have a nose wheel.” Joe jerked around with his eyes bulging and his mouth open and said, “You just killed my whole half hour!” [mutual laughter] Joe and I and the whole crowd just broke up laughing. JA: Did you ever meet Archer St. John, who was the publisher?

did at DC. I think “The Golden Gladiator” was mixed in, too. [NOTE: It was, as Russ drew the feature in 1955-56. —Jim.] And I did “Silent Knight” around 1959.

JA: For a long time, you were only doing stories with non-recurring characters. And then you started doing regular features, like “Silent Knight,” “Sea Devils,” and of course “Sgt. Rock.” Did you find it easier to work on a regular series with the same characters? HEATH: There was good and bad about doing Sea Devils. The good

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy A Near Half-Century of Rambunctious Russ Heath Romans! (Left:) The splash of (we think!) the second “Golden Gladiator” story, from The Brave and the Bold #2 (Oct.-Nov. 1955), as reprinted with credits added (and on quality paper!) in The Best of The Brave and the Bold #3 (Dec. 1988). The splash of the first “Golden Gladiator” tale was seen in A/E #9, along with a Heath “Silent Knight” splash. [©2004 DC Comics.] (Below:) This gorgeous piece of art, also reproduced in color on our cover, is a previously unpublished recent illustration. [©2004 Russ Heath.] (Bottom:) Probably the most widely-seen piece of Heath art ever, Russ feels, was the “132 Roman Soldiers” toy-set ad, which ran in the 1960s in color on the backs of many a comic book. This scan was sent by Bob Cherry; other copies were sent by Donald Dale Milne & Bob Bailey, bless you all! Over the years, the price went up from $1.98 to $2.98—for what were apparently rather disappointingly teeny-tiny Romans when they finally arrived. We believe Russ was also the artist of the ad for “126 World War II Fighting G.I.’s and Commandos and Full Battle Equipment” than also ran in many comics in the 1960s; those started out at only 99¢! There was one hawking Revolutionary War soldiers, too. [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

was, I didn’t have to rule any lines because everything happened underwater. And anything more than twenty feet in the background fades away. The trouble I found was with having four people and the protagonist: depending on how much copy there is, you can’t show all four people in every panel and the other people, too. Sometimes I’d draw two people and they’d overlap other people to save space. Then I’d draw a hand or a foot of another person, which becomes a pain.

it didn’t matter who was in the backgrounds.

I don’t think it makes for good stories because, first of all, your emotional ties are to certain characters. You’ve got your favorites and I’ve got mine. It’s dividing things up. I much preferred the personal stories that were, for example, mainly about Sgt. Rock or some other guy.

JA: Did you prefer “Golden Gladiator” or “Silent Knight”? They were individual character features.

I liked “Sgt. Rock” much more than the other features. A lot of people like my “Haunted Tank” work, but to me, it was essentially retelling the same story over and over again. I didn’t voice my opinions because it’s safer not to. You never know who’s going to say, “Let’s use someone else.” JA: Sgt. Rock led a platoon, but we generally only saw a few people. That made it easier for you. You could draw background figures and unless it was an established character, like Ice Cream Soldier,

HEATH: Right. And if the script called for showing more than one character, I could put some in one panel and others in the next. The Sea Devils were always working as a group; by that, I mean they were always within ten feet of each other, so I couldn’t divide them up as I did in “Sgt. Rock.”

HEATH: I didn’t get to work on them that long, so I couldn’t get close to the characters. They were just another comic book feature to me. I got “Sgt. Rock” down and had the feel and got more involved. JA: You drew a lot of “Rock” stories. Did you feel like you really knew that character? HEATH: Yeah. It’s more in the writing, though. I heard some artist claim that he couldn’t get into my work because my characters’ faces didn’t show emotion. That really ticked me off, so I worked especially hard to get as much emotion and expression into the characters as I could, in order to show him. [laughs] Which only worked to my benefit. I learned a lot about composition. I made a big jump forward on Sea Devils, because I had a girl living with me who was an artist. She’d been to four of the best art schools in the country and

Russ may feel that the “Haunted Tank” series he drew for DC was “essentially telling the same story over and over again,” but fans loved it! You gotta admit, Russ—not many war stories feature a Nazi Messerschmitt crashing into a tank guarded by the ghost of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart! The series was written by Robert Kanigher. Above is Russ’ cover for the Tank’s belated “origin” story, in G.I. Combat #114 (Oct.-Nov. 1965)—and a “Haunted Tank” page repro’d from a photocopy of the original art— both juxtaposed with a beautifully-rendered, previously-unpublished “tank shot,” done in 2003! [G.I. Combat cover ©2004 DC Comics; other art ©2004 Russ Heath.]

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

A Sea Devils Sub-Aqua Spectacular! Russ’ cover—and his rendering of the same scene for the splash—for Sea Devils #16 (March-April 1964)—juxtaposed at bottom left with a “Sea Devils” page from Showcase #29 (Nov.-Dec. 1960), their third and last tryout appearance. Bob Bailey, who owns the original art and sent us this scan, says the Comics Code stamp on the back is dated June 7, 1960. [©2004 DC Comics.] At bottom right is a 1999 re-creation by Russ of his cover for Showcase #29—we think. [©2004 DC Comics.]

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

So much great “Sgt. Rock” work by Russ Heath, as well as by artists Joe Kubert and Jerry Grandenetti, has been reprinted in the two hardcover volumes of The Sgt. Rock Archives issued to date by DC that we’re probably shortchanging that feature a bit in this interview, in favor of rarer work. But here are two powerful “Rock” pages by Russ, from Our Army at War #257 and #279, respectively, repro’d from photocopies of the original art, provided by Mr. H. himself. [©2004 DC Comics.]

they finally said, “We can’t teach you any more. You need practical experience.” I had practical experience, but didn’t really know the rules of art. A lot of my drawings were good by accident or bad by accident. If they were good, I didn’t know why they were good, and if they were bad, I didn’t know why they were bad. I set up two drawing boards in our apartment, and she taught me the theory of negative space, and in a couple of weeks I’d made a big jump forward in my abilities. I started understanding much more about compositions and tried to keep away from drawing wooden stuff. When you got four guys hovering over a map, they don’t look the same way. One’s got his arm on the table, another has his arms folded, and so forth. I tried to get more variety in my work. The storytelling comes first, if you’re going to be successful. I realized I was in danger of doing the same shot every time certain scenes came along. So how can I make it different and still be right on target in my storytelling? That leaves you with a nice little problem to solve. It’s funny... you think of someone leading a squad and he wants to bring them to a halt, so he holds up his hand. The first thing you think of is that you hold the hand, with the fingers pointing straight up, as if the squad was in front of you. And you don’t do that when people are behind you. You stick your hand out and the thumb is on the bottom. Little things like that you have to self-teach. I was always trying to improve, and my work did change over time. I

was looking for novel things to do in ways that hadn’t been done before. I remember this one story where some soldiers were in this old farmhouse at night, with a big hole in the roof. The flare fell into the hole and lit up the room. So when they came into the house, instead of using solid blacks for shadows, I left the shadows open for blue color. Your eyes can’t see because everything is light-struck. It worked for an effect because the blacks were canceled out. Everybody noticed it and said it was brilliant. I thought, “Wow. What do I do next week?”

“The Lone Ranger Was a Bloody Bore” JA: Did you find a lot of difference between working for Stan Lee and working for Kanigher, personalities notwithstanding? HEATH: Not really. The only difference was when Marvel started giving the artists a synopsis instead of a full script, though I don’t remember when that happened. I resisted that for many, many years, but finally did it for Son of Satan, in the 1970s. JA: You didn’t have much interest in writing your own stories, did you? HEATH: No, because my grammar was too simple. It’d be like “See Jane chase Dick. See Dick kick the dog.” That type of stuff. I was so interested in drawing that I didn’t want to do anything else. Sometimes, if I was running late, I might letter a story on the promise that they

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

18 didn’t tell anybody I did it. I didn’t want people asking me to letter stories. As far as writing goes, it was just when I had an idea, and there’s only two stories that I ever wrote. If I want something, I hire a writer to do it for me. When I did the Lone Ranger newspaper strip, the syndicate asked, “Do you want us to hire a writer or do you want to do it?” I said I would do it, because that way I could tell him what I wanted to draw. We—writer Cary Bates and I—used to have long confabs on the phone and went over storylines. Up until then, The Lone Ranger was a bloody bore because it seemed like the same material was being used over and over again. The temperature was always 75 degrees and I said, “How about a winter story? The Lone Ranger’s never been seen in winter clothes,” or in rain or mud or sandstorms.

We focused a little on the actual years the stories took place, and we brought in Jesse James and Doc Holiday and Mark Twain. I even used a giant, just to make it tough for the Lone Ranger. In fact, the giant threw him off a cliff in wintertime, so he hit the snow on the way down. JA: Wasn’t Fred Harmon, artist on the Red Ryder newspaper strip, one of your influences? HEATH: Yes... his early work. Before he did Red Ryder, Harmon did a feature called Bronc Peeler, and that stuff was classic. He was a classic pen-and-ink guy, but once he got to Red Ryder, he just slapped it out and did the same things over and over. There was a comic book called Tex Grainger, apparently done by an

old person in the 1940s. I don’t know what his background was, but he must have lived through a lot of the West, because everything was authentic. The stagecoaches, the ox carts; he drew all kinds of weapons... the man was a walking dictionary, so I saved all that stuff. Unfortunately, I had a robbery in my storage and all that stuff was destroyed. I was very upset, because I spent a lot of time going to the newsstands and saving that stuff. I think this guy might have worked on pulp magazines early on. I had a lot of stuff, like a couple of Big Little Books, that had a lot of stuff on western lore. JA: How much time did you spend on research for the war and western comics? HEATH: It was a constant gathering of material. When you get something good, you use it over and over again. It becomes part of you and you don’t have to research it again, if you’ve done your research properly the first time. I think it was around 1950, I was driving into New York from Jersey to deliver work and I picked up a young Marine who was hitchhiking. It turned out that he had just returned home from Korea and had to report in, then he was coming back home. He said I was welcome to stop by his house and so I did, getting there before he did. I think he told them I was coming and his family thought I was a buddy of his. [laughs] They were nice to me.

The Lone Ranger rides again—in the two dailies at top right of this page, and a great action Sunday drawn by Russ Heath and scripted by “Superman” veteran Cary Bates. The top row of two silent panels in the latter is a nice touch, even though the top tier wouldn’t have appeared in most of the newspapers that carried the strip. [©2004 Lone Ranger Television, Inc.]

Anyway, he had been in the thick of the fighting, was wounded, and got into photography while in the Marines. He showed me these 8” x 10” glossy pictures that he had taken in the war. These pictures had never been published, and they were great for my research. He gave me his handbook, and if you read it, you could damn near be a Marine, because everything was in

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!” there. They showed how to break down your rifle and other kinds of things, and I used that for my work. I asked him about a spot on the cover, and he said that was where a bomb had gone off. I thought, “This book’s seen some action!” I liked doing research because it was interesting. It can be a tremendous pain, but eventually, I was able to draw things accurately. I got to where I just knew it all. The weapons that we used in World War II weren’t much different from what was used in Korea... just a few details were changed. When I had to draw stories that took place in Vietnam, I had to start from square one. Everything was different, even the buckle on the helmet. The helmet might not have changed, but the details did. The top of a canteen was different, things like that—not to mention the weapons. I spent a good three months researching Vietnam so I could make the work look real. I even researched the bone structure of the Vietnamese so they’d look different than the Chinese and Japanese. I didn’t put a pencil to paper for two months while doing that. This was for a book called Hearts and Minds, which was the first book I ever did blue-lines for. I did this in 1990. JA: Wow! That’s some research. Back when you were doing comics in the 1950s, did you look at people like John Severin’s work? He was such a stickler for research and detail, too.

what’s the small panel on the page and how much copy do you have get on the page? So I made the thumbnails a little bigger and I found I was losing the looseness on the big panels. The little panels are not good to blow up because the drawing was too vague. If I’d put too much in, I couldn’t put it in later and have the same effect. I’d get caught halfway in between, so that didn’t work too well. Some editors have a good sense of visualization. They could describe something and you’d know what they wanted. Some guys left me with no clue as to what they wanted. They’d say they wanted the landing on Omaha Beach and show the facial expressions of six main characters, and 26 on the other side and they’re all talking. You’d go nuts trying to do that. You’d draw a guy’s back and he’s saying something, but you can’t see him. Interestingly enough, Archie Goodwin was very good at visualization. One time, he sent me a script and said, “I’m also sending you the story with stick figure thumbnails, but you don’t have to follow them.” I was afraid that looking at them would prejudice my own thinking, so I did my own separately and put his aside. I looked at them later and put them side by side with mine, figuring I’d use the pics that told the story best from each set of thumbnails. I think there were 40 panels, and when I compared them, there was only one panel that was different. I thought, “Man, this guy is amazing at visualization.” He was the best I worked with. JA: Was Kanigher good about that, too? HEATH: Not terribly. He had his moments where he was very good, but he had the same stuff in a lot of his stories. You know, like shove the grenade

Russ Heath in 2000—and a previously unpublished 1999 war drawing done in wash. Note that a folded copy of that very art lies in the foreground in the photo, so if a crease shows up in the repro here, don’t blame us! [Art ©2004 Russ Heath.]

HEATH: Yes. Occasionally, I’d phone him for something, but not too often, over the years. His stuff was always right on, even during the EC days. Like the Civil War—he even researched the pattern in clothes so he’d know where all the seams were. I said, “I give up! I give up! I’m not doing that!” [mutual laughter] I’d rather let him do the research and then I’d steal the stuff.

“[Archie Goodwin Was] Amazing at Visualization!” JA: Did either Kanigher or later, when he was your editor, Joe Kubert criticize the accuracy of your research? HEATH: No. In fact, I think Joe told students at his school, who were collecting research materials, that with the exception of Russ Heath, they could only use photos. I thought that was a great compliment. You asked about thumbnails before. There was a time when I did thumbnails, then blew them up on a machine and traced them off. JA: That’s what Neal Adams does. HEATH: Well, he doesn’t always do it. I worked at Continuity for a while, and I know Neal didn’t always trace off. JA: It seems like you’d lose some spontaneity when you trace off. HEATH: Yes. At one point, I decided I couldn’t do these ridiculously small stick figures. Now, you have to figure out what’s the big panel and

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

down the barrel of the tank, which was annoying, because the only thing that’d probably happen is that the grenade would blow itself out. And it’s boring if it happens in every other story. Then he had haystacks that’d hide machine-gunners, and they were always being bombed by Stukas [German WWII dive-bombers]. Kanigher had these gimmicks that he’d repeat all the time. Sometimes, when stuff was overwritten and I didn’t have space to show what’s going on, I’d take some stuff out. JA: Did Kanigher ever notice? HEATH: No. JA: Was he easy to work for? HEATH: As far as having to draw stuff and have it accepted, he was fine. He rarely asked for a correction on a panel—just here and there, and only then in the beginning. But he would go overboard on certain guys, and I don’t know how much of that was his personality or just doing a number on somebody. One time, he had a guy get down on the floor, saying, “You don’t have the feel of it. Get down on the floor and roll around.” I thought, “That ain’t going to be me.” From that day on, I wore a suit and a tie to the office. On a personal level, it was a little difficult, because he was a real odd bird. I’d be stone-faced with him, because he was looking for something in your personality to exploit. He’d feel around and try to find out where you were vulnerable. He did that a couple of times by accident,

The late great Archie Goodwin may be seen here in a photo from the 1975 Mighty Marvel Comic Convention program book, but most of Russ Heath’s major work for him was done for DC—as per this 1990s Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight page, repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Russ. [Comic page ©2004 DC Comics.]

but I kept such a stone face that he never knew he’d gotten there. JA: Why did Kanigher quit editing the war books? HEATH: There was a great shakeup at DC. And he also had some kind of nervous breakdown, so he became a freelancer. JA: You also drew a lot of Bob Haney’s scripts, too. HEATH: Yeah, I really enjoyed his work. Bob didn’t use the same sort of gimmicks over and over again. He’d give you something you’d never done before.

“I Was Out in the Evenings When I Should Have Been Working” JA: How different was it to work for Kubert rather than Kanigher, after Joe took over the war books?

HEATH: When I was working for Joe, I was living in Chicago, so everything was done by mail. It was a very strange period in the late 1960s, because the world was going through monstrous changes. The haircuts were different, the style of clothes changed, and so did lifestyles. In the 1950s, you did everything that you were supposed to do and didn’t do the things you weren’t supposed to do. You didn’t question those rules, and in the ’60s you

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!” questioned everything.

issue story for him for Legends of the Dark Knight in the 1990s.

I was going around with my sandals and bellbottoms and the hippy bars and chasing the girls. They burned part of Chicago and started assassinating leaders like Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. I was out in the evenings when I should have been working, which made me late on my deadlines.

JA: I remember those books, because I remember Archie saying, “This guy”—meaning you—“still does it right.” There was a lot of royalty money being made then. Archie told me he wanted to use people like you and Gil Kane, not just because he loved your work, but he wanted to help you make that royalty money.

I made these fantastic excuses when Joe got me on the phone, which was frustrating to him. I always tried to make my excuses have the ring of truth in them because truth is always stranger than fiction. There was enough truth there that he couldn’t always call me a damn liar.

HEATH: I think the most royalty money I ever made in a year was $12,000, but I didn’t make the money those guys who formed Image made.

I remember one time when he got so angry that he said, “If I had you here in New York, I’d punch you in the mouth.” I deserved every bit of that. Later, I read somewhere where Joe said that he wouldn’t work with me any more because of my lateness. At that time, I was gravitating into other directions and didn’t know that he felt that way. It’s one of those things because you’re not an automaton; you go through life and make changes. JA: I know what you mean. I spent most of my adult life working 1014 hours every single day and for what? Money? You start seeing your life slip away while you’re at the board. I’m glad my wife’s extremely patient. HEATH: Sometimes you lose both. I know people who get too deep into their own work. I was talking to some of the guys at Stan Lee Media, and some of the guys were working until 7:00 and 8:00 at night. I said, “What kind of evening does that make? You can’t even have dinner with your family. Your wife has to feed the kids and put them to bed and then you come home. You can’t neglect your family.” JA: Did you always have a lateness problem?

JA: Was Archie Goodwin your favorite editor? HEATH: Yes. Anybody who could visualize like he could was an artist, too. JA: Was Bob Haney a good visual writer, too? HEATH: He must have been, but at that time I wasn’t spending a lot of time thinking about it. It had to be good, because I had such a good feeling about his writing. JA: Did you like working for Warren Publications? HEATH: Yes, because nobody was going to mess up my work with bad coloring. I had total control over the finished work. I could go as far into painting as I wanted and didn’t have to render lines if I didn’t want to. On that African story, I think there are a couple of panels that are nothing but pencil. I found doing ink washes was the most satisfying way to work there. I even tried markers, but they kind-of make overlapping marks and I’d have to go back with a pencil to smooth it out. [NOTE: Russ has more to say about his Warren days in The

HEATH: I had a period in the late ’60s when I got the reputation for being late, but it was overblown. Eventually editors wise up and give you fake deadlines, so there’s extra time. If you’re late once, they don’t remember the twelve times you were on time. They only remember the one time you were late. So your reputation is usually worse than it really is. That’s one of the reasons my work really improved while working for Kubert, because I was trying to make up for being late. I wanted the work to look so great that it’d dazzle everyone when they opened the package in order to offset my being late. It worked to a great degree, because people told me that they’d wait around for my package to come in so they could see what I had done. Archie Goodwin wrote a short bio on me and said, “We’d all gather around to see what that crazy S.O.B. Russ Heath had done now. Then we’d go back to our drawing boards and typewriters and try to do a little better.” It was very flattering. I worked for Archie at Warren as well as at DC. I even did a four-

Russ in the 1960s. He says he was hell on deadlines—but his cover for Star Spangled War Stories #137 (March 1968) still looks like a million bucks—and that’s before inflation! Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Terry Doyle. [Art ©2004 DC Comics.]

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy were nude to the waist and Pollard’s shadow fell across one of them. I think I brought a couple of extra girls along for the shoot because they needed more girls. I met a lot of famous people while doing the fumettis, because they used a lot of famous people. JA: Tell me about Humbug. HEATH: All of Harvey’s group put in some money in order to get the thing going. I got a page rate and worked on a few of the stories. I also did retouching on some photos, too. I fixed planes, took some of my stomach off and thinned down some of the ladies... stuff like that. JA: How did you manage to get to live in the Playboy Mansion? HEATH: Well, I was working on “Little Annie Fanny” with Kurtzman, and we had to fly back and forth all the time because Hefner had to approve everything. For the first couple of stories, there was a suite in New York that the guys camped in, and a small group went to Chicago. It was Al Jaffee, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, and me. We were given space in the mansion and it was like two apartments. We worked day and night until we went to sleep in order to make the deadlines and design her and put the thing together. That dropped off when Jaffee went back to New York. He was only with us a week or two, so it was Harvey, Willy, and I flying back and forth. There was a misunderstanding between Willy and I, which I won’t go into. When we were in New York, Harvey saw to it that we didn’t come in on the same day. That was his way of dealing with the problem. Anyway, I ended up staying in Chicago, doing changes, just waiting for Hefner’s okay. He might not be able to see me for two weeks, and I’d sit there twiddling my thumbs, chasing girls, whatever. It was flying back and forth from New York that prompted my staying in Chicago. JA: Was Hefner paying for these flights?

Warren Companion, published by TwoMorrows. Yeah, I know it’s a shameless plug, but we like to do those things, you know. —Jim.]

“I Ended Up Staying in Chicago... Just Waiting for Hefner’s Okay” JA: Switching back to Harvey Kurtzman, another great storyteller... how did you get to work on Trump? Did he call you, or did you have a lunch with him then? HEATH: We always kept seeing each other, so I was always aware of what he was doing. When he did Help!, he used me as a model for some fumettis. They’d take a whole day to shoot the photos, and I got a token payment for signing the release. That was a lot of fun and it was a big ego-booster to see my face in print. He did one fumetti for Playboy and I was in it. That was a Bonnie-and-Clyde thing. The guy they picked up, D.W. something or other [played in the movie by Michael J. Pollard. —Jim], was in the fumetti, too. At one point, I’m holding two girls who

HEATH: Yes. “Annie Fanny” was the most expensive thing in the book, but they were rolling in dough and building all the Clubs, one after another. He didn’t mind spending money for something he wanted; it was coming in faster than it was going out.

JA: How much personal dealings did you have with Hefner? HEATH: A lot. He’d wander into the room and talk about this and that and discuss the feature. Then, when I was living in his house, he might be sitting in the living room one evening with ten different people and they’d be comedians that were playing in town or something. Shel Silverstein was a sort of semi-permanent guest. We’d be sitting there talking until eight in the morning, but Hef wasn’t there the entire time. He was always locked up in a room doing his “Forum” articles and such. JA: What did you think of Hefner’s art criticisms? HEATH: They were all very reasonable. In fact, we saw eye to eye on a lot of things. Harvey used to use me as a sounding board to figure out what Hef was going to say about things. And it’d usually be the same thing. I like Hefner on a personal level. I always thought he’d be weird or something, until I met him. If the average person was thrust into his

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

position, they’d be seven times as weird as he was. Hef was very loyal. He was nice to people and expected it back. Hef’s still a very loyal guy. I ran into Mort Sahl the other day and he sees Hef a couple days a week. He said I should go over to see Hef.

“When Harvey Did a Layout... the Thinking Was Done for You” JA: Since Harvey was more of a cartoonist and you were more of an illustrator, I wonder how you two managed to pull it all together the way that you did. HEATH: When Harvey did a layout on, say, “Plastic Sam,” the thinking was done for you. I felt more like an inker. I had to adapt to “Annie Fanny.” In my figures, when you got to the knee, you saw the bone in it. Willy’s figures were off the wall; everything was soft. My figures were firmer and everything was more delineated; but, being more of a cartoonist, Elder leaned more towards cartooning. When Harvey created the stories, he drew everything with a very dark pencil. It was finished in his style and he put all the blacks in. Then Hefner would

We’d show you more of Playboy’s “Little Annie Fanny”—but hey, this is a family-oriented magazine—provided you’re the Addams Family or maybe at least The Marvel Family! No, but seriously, folks—Russ drew this lush color piece in 1998. [Art ©2004 Russ Heath; Little Annie Fanny and logo are trademarks 2004 of Playboy Enterprises, Inc.]

go over it all and make changes. Then Harvey would do a watercolor, putting color tones on the panels. JA: The art process on Annie Fanny was so laborious. HEATH: Oh, yeah, it was. It was like painting the Sistine Chapel. JA: There are overlays upon overlays on this stuff on every page, and things were changed constantly. Did Harvey feel like it was overkill? HEATH: No, because he felt like this was how it should be. That’s how I got my salary doubled, because of all that work. I’d been asking Harvey for a raise for about six months because I had children to support and an ex-wife, among other things. Harvey’s attitude was, “Oh God, Russ! You’re working for Playboy magazine!” and all that stuff, which he was very much impressed by. I was, too, but that didn’t help my income. Finally, one day when I’d been up all night, we cut the page in half. I mean half, not down the middle because the panels weren’t that way. We’d cut down on this panel and over to the next and so on, so that Willy could be working on half the page while I was working on the other half. And there’d be all those tissue overlays, so tape was all over the place. When tape hits tissue, it sticks and the tissues are tearing and getting stuck together, and it’d be a mess. I was up all night, working in my underwear and t-shirt when Harvey came down from Mount Vernon about 8:30 in the morning. I was just ready to drop and he didn’t tell me that he was bringing his children with him. I opened the door and his young daughters ran by me as I stood there in my underwear, which was embarrassing. He should have told me.

We went over all the material while his kids were messing around the house. He’s getting ready to leave and I still had these tissues all over the floor and I hadn’t had any sleep, so I waited until he got home and phoned him. I said ‘Harvey, why don’t you come down here and pick all these pieces up? I’m done...I’m outta here.” I guess he panicked, and he called Hefner. About five in the afternoon, Hefner’s on the phone to me and said, “I’ll double your salary. I know you’re getting paranoid about living in New

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

with tremendous ideas, and his art style in the war books was just totally, terrifically executed. They weren’t like anybody else’s. And Kurtzman drawing could never be construed as anyone else’s. The power and economy of his work was amazing. And he had Tatjana Wood and, later, Marie Severin doing beautiful color work. JA: I thought Harvey’s work was as realistic as anybody’s, given that the definition of realistic is to make you believe in the world he drew. HEATH: There was one story that he inked over someone’s pencils, besides Toth, that really brought out the artist’s work. Harvey was really a bundle of energy. When I’d go to his house, he’d run up the stairs. He was always like that. I didn’t see him much later on, but I remember that, when he was teaching at the School of Visual Arts, he wanted me to come talk to his class. I was so hung over and he said, “Here’s a brush. Sit down and draw something.” I was so bad off that I didn’t know what end of the brush I was holding, but I faked it and everybody liked what I did. It was painful for me.

“When I Was Good, I Was Very Happy with the Work I Was Doing” Russ has never restricted his drawing of beautiful women to Playboy. And here’s a previously unpublished drawing he sent us to prove it! [©2004 Russ Heath.]

York (there was a lack of safety at that time). I know you always enjoy coming to Chicago, so I’ll move you here and give you my old office to work in.” That’s how I got to Chicago, which was about 1965.

JA: You did some westerns with Gil Kane for Western Publishing in the early 1960s. Did Gil ask you to come on board?

HEATH: Yes. I did Tales of Wells Fargo with him. I inked that over Gil, but he blew the deadline or something, and I completely drew the

JA: You worked on “Little Annie Fanny” from 1962 until 1969. Why’d you quit? HEATH: Everybody seemed to have such a terrible time figuring out who did what. The credits were up in the air; there was nothing to signify “I did this.” I guess I was just ready to move on. JA: I understand. If you’re a cartoonist, you’d rather get credit for your own work. HEATH: Yes, except I always felt I was more an illustrator than a cartoonist. Harvey kind-of ran dry, too. He’d already used all the best ideas, and it was getting hard to come up with new things. I know, later on, they hired writers to help out. JA: Were you a sounding board to Harvey in the writing, too? HEATH: No. Just in the way of the art. Hef and I had the same appreciation of women. A couple of times we almost clashed because of it. One day, Hef asked if there was a girl I’d been interested in lately. I said, “There was a girl in here yesterday.” I described her and it turned out that she was Mary Warren, who later became Hefner’s steady for a while. He said, “She’s mine.” I just smiled, because I certainly wasn’t going to clash with Russ in the 1980s—and a my boss. I do want to say that Harvey was the absolute tops at what he did. He came up

“I Was So Interested in Drawing That I Didn’t Want to Do Anything Else!”

More rousing Russ artwork of relatively recent vintage: a cover for Marvel Age #56 (Nov. 1986), and a lavishly detailed illustration of The Shadow—not to mention New York’s wonderfully Art Deco Chrysler Building—which he “painted especially for Roger Hill,” a prominent comic art collector. Both are repro’d from photocopies of the original art sent us by Russ, natch. [Marvel Age cover ©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Shadow art ©2004 Russ Heath; Shadow TM & ©2004 Condé Nast.]

last half of the book. I inked Laramie over Gil, too; actually, I think we did that book before Wells Fargo. Gil and I weren’t close back then, but we knew each other. We’d have lunch together and things like that. JA: It seems to me that, the further you got along in your career, the more illustrative you became. HEATH: I guess you could say that. I was always bothered by anything bad that I turned out. You go through periods when you’re better and worse. It’s like a continuous circle across a piece of paper. The line keeps going up. In other words, at one point, while you’re having these up times, you’re at the top of the circle, and other times, at the bottom. You

Monthly! The Original First-Person History– published by Robin Snyder

Write to: Robin Snyder, 3745 Canterbury Lane #81, Bellingham, WA 98225-1186

follow that along for the ride and you find the bottom is higher than it used to be, so you’re getting better as you move along. I used to get so pissed off at my work when it got to the bottom. I’d like to get a hold of it so I can burn it. But when I was good, I was very happy with the work I was doing.

CALLING ALL RUSS HEATH FANS (and who isn't?): Russ is currently selling copies of his portfolio "Lynne," consisting of 12 beautiful prints of calendar girl art, for just $75—that's only $6 and change per print! Ph. (818) 988-5236 in Van Nuys, California, for more information.

We’ve got Alter Ego—and so will you, when we make our big announcement about that 1986 comics super-hero, very shortly! Meantime, here’s our “maskot” on the cover of #2 of that 4-issue series. [Art ©2004 Ron Harris; Alter Ego is a trademark of Roy & Dann Thomas.]

Russ Heath on Comic Books,Comic Strips, and Playboy

RUSS HEATH Checklist [NOTE: The following is an abridgement of information provided by Jerry G. Bails from the former’s Who’s Who of 20th-Century American Comic Books, which can be accessed online at www.nostromo.no/whoswho. Additions and corrections are invited. If the name of a feature is not in italics, it is probably because that feature appeared in more comics than merely one named for him—e.g., Batman. Some data has been provided by Russ Heath. Key: (w) = writer; (a) = artist; (p) pencils only; (i) inks only. – (d) = daily comic strip; (wk) Sunday page for comic strip. All entries below are “artist,” unless otherwise indicated.] Name: Russ Heath (b. 1926) (artist); nee Russell Heath, Jr. – pen name: R.H.

Feature/Crestwood/Prize: covers 1958; Prize Comics Western 1958

Influences: Fred Harmon

Fox Comics: 1950 (no specifics)

Magazine Illustrations: Cheri 1976; Scholastic Magazine 1976; Weird Tales 1973.

HMH Publications: Trump 1957

Advertising (Partial): Florida Oranges 195152; ads in comics for toy soldier sets 1960s-70s; advertising comics—Apache Hunter 1954 promo thru Creative Pictorials & Spider-Man (i) c. 1978 for Peter Pan record album

Holyoke & Related: Hammerhead Hawley 1944 Humbug Publications: Humbug

Commercial Art: Continuity Associates 1977

KK/Western/Gold Key/Whitman/Dell: Laramie (i) 1960-62; Tales of Wells Fargo 1960-62

Album Cover: RCA Records albums

Lev Gleason: romance 1949-50

Animation: Art Director, Graz Entertainment—Conan the Adventurer 1992; Model Sheets, Marvel/Sunbow—Robocop 1988; The X-Men 1988; storyboards— commercials for Benton & Bowles; DancerFitzgerald; Doyle-Dane-Bernbach, L&M, General Mills Cheerios

Lopez: Apple Pie 1975 Major Magazines & Related: Cracked (a/covers) 1958, 1960

Marvel/Timely & Related (1950-1990): Adventures into Terror; Adventures into Weird Worlds; Amazing Detective Cases; Apache Kid; Arizona Kid; Arrowhead; Syndicated Credits: Disney Treasury of Astonishing; Battle Action; Battlefield; Classic Tales (wk) 1980-81; Flash Gordon Battlefront; Battleground; Battle; Bizarre (d)(ghost a) 1980-81; Latigo (d)(i) 1980; The Adventures; Combat; Combat Casey (a, Lone Ranger (wk/d) 1981-86; Terry and the some p); Combat Kelly; covers; Crazy; A fabulous Heath female—the cover of Lorna the Jungle Pirates (wk/d)(asst a) 1947-61 Frontier Western; G.I. Joe, Hearts & Girl #6 (March 1954). Thanks to Dr. Michael J. Vassallo for the scan. [©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Minds; Hitler’s Astrologer (The Shadow) Comics in Other Publications: “Little (i); Human Torch; Iron Mike McGraw; Annie Fanny” (asst a) 1962-67 in Playboy; Journey into Mystery; Journey into Unknown Worlds; Ka-Zar; Kent “Tuck It in” (w/a) 1976 in Cheri Blake of the S.S.; Kid Colt, Outlaw; Man Comics; Marines in Action; Shop Work: L.B. Cole (?) 1944-45; Crusty Bunkers (a) 1977 Marines in Battle; Marvel Boy; Marvel Tales; Men of Action; Men’s Adventures; Menace; Moon Knight; Mystery Tales; Mystic; Navy Comics in Independent & Joint Publishers: 3-D Zone/Ray Zone Action; Outlaw Fighters; The Punisher (a, some i); Quick-Trigger (no date); Cracked Classics 1989 reprint; Innovation/All American Western; Rangeland Love; Rawhide Kid; Reno Brown; Rex Hart; (covers) 1990; National Lampoon 1973-1986; Simon & Schuster/ Riot; romance; Snafu; Son of Satan; Spellbound; Spy Cases; Spy Fireside Books (no specifics) Fighters; Strange Stories of Suspense; Strange Tales; Suspense; Tales of the Savage Land; Tex Taylor; text illustrations; Two-Gun Kid; Uncanny COMIC BOOKS (MAINSTREAM U.S. PUBLISHERS): Tales; Vampire Tales; Venus; War Action; War Adventures; War Comics; Western Outlaws; Western Thrillers; Wild; Wild Western; Avon/Realistic: science-fiction/fantasy 1950s Wild; Young Men Charlton: Emergency 1976 Pierce Publishing Company: Frantic 1958-59 DC & Related Imprints, 1954-86: All-American Men of War, Ross Periodicals: Harpoon (i) 1974 Balloon Buster (also w); Bob Kanigher’s Gallery of War; covers; Enemy Ace; Fanboy; fillers; The Frogmen; G.I. Combat, G.I. Joe; Golden Satire Publications: Loco (a) 1959 Gladiator; Haunted Tank; House of Secrets; Hunter’s Hellcats; Jonah Hex; Kings of the Wild; Korak; The Losers; Mr. Miracle (i); Our Army Seaboard/Atlas: covers (a) 1975; Devilina (a) 1975; Planet of Vampires at War; Our Fighting Forces; Robin Hood; Sea Devils; Sgt. Rock; Silent (a) 1975; Thrilling Adventures Stories (a) 1975 Knight; Star Spangled War Stories; Strange Adventures; Tales of the Unexpected; Vietnam Scrapbook; War That Time Forgot; Weird War St. John/Jubilee: 3-D Comics (fillers)(a) 1953; Three Stooges (a) 1953 Tales; Who’s Who of the DC Universe; Wonder Woman (i) Warren/General Publications: Blazing Combat (a) 1966; Creepy (a) 1976-79; Eerie (a) 1973, 1979; Help! (a) (dates unknown); Vampirella (a) Disney/Hollywood: The Rocketeer 1991 1970s EC Publications: Frontline Combat 1951; Mad 1954, 1956 Whitstone Publications: Lunatickle (a) 1956 Fawcett: Lance O’Casey (?) 1949

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Comic Fandom Archive

Gary Brown,

Comic Book Reporter PART 2 of Our Interview with the Editor of Comic Comments, Gremlin, & Comixscene

by Bill Schelly Introduction When one starts thinking about highly active “second-generation” members of comics fandom of the 1960s, the name of Gary Brown pops right up, alongside Tony Isabella, Gary Brown (on right) and science-fiction great Ray Bradbury at the 2002 San Diego Comic-Con—juxtaposed with Steve Gary Groth, and Dwight Decker. In Fritz’s art for the cover of Comic Comments #24 (April 1971). [Art ©2004 the artist; Batman TM & ©2004 DC Comics.] Part I (in A/E #37), Gary discussed how he got involved in comicdom BS: At that point, in the spring of 1970, Comic Comments came back. and came to publish two popular fanzines, Comic Comments and So it was never too far from your mind, as far as something you Gremlin, with a lot of help from Wayne DeWald and Alan might want to do. Hutchinson. This time, we learn about some of Gary’s other fan activities, including writing a popular column for Rocket’s BlastBROWN: Right. I wasn’t out of fandom or collecting at all. It was just Comicollector for several years. But before that, we must first cover doing the fanzine that I couldn’t do. I stayed active in [comics amateur the second half of the publishing history of Comic Comments—the press alliance] CAPA-alpha, which I joined in 1966. I think my first half Gary did as sole editor. [This interview was conducted by zine was in ’67, early ’67. telephone on October 2nd, 2003, and was transcribed by Brian K. BS: If I’m not mistaken, your Ibid zines have been in appearing in Morris.] K-a ever since, and are still ongoing. And, of course, you were Central Mailer for a while in the 1970s, too. Has there been any break?

Gary Takes Over

BILL SCHELLY: After establishing Comic Comments as one of the most popular news and letters fanzines, there was a hiatus. You did Gremlin #1, which was your general fanzine, and those issues of Comic Comments. But in mid- to late 1967, it ended. Why? GARY BROWN: Basically, when Wayne [DeWald] didn’t come back to school [at the University of South Florida], I couldn’t do it. I started to take over a lot of it that one summer because I had access to a mimeograph. But, in school, it was tougher to do by myself. It was my third year of college; I was getting involved in a lot of other things. I decided to kind-of drop it for a while, because it was just a hassle. BS: Sometimes people don’t realize that fanzine publishing isn’t just typing it up and getting the artwork ready—it was running it off, it was collating the issues, it was putting on stamps, it was keeping track of addresses and subscriptions. There’s a lot of time involved, especially when a fanzine was selling close to 300 copies per issue. BROWN: Yeah, it would take up a good part of your weekend, just the production work alone. BS: When did you graduate from college? BROWN: I graduated in early ’70. My degree was in English Literature, with a minor in Mass Communications.

BROWN: I had an Honorary Membership for two or three years when I first got married, and moved around, but I still was getting the mailings, so there hasn’t been a break for me at all. It goes through a lot of different phases. Sometimes, it was, [flat voice] “Uhh, okay,” and other times, it’s like—I think, for the last seven or eight years, it’s been wonderful. I’ve really enjoyed it, more than ever. BS: Getting back to Comic Comments… you were the sole editor and publisher of its second heyday. Wayne contributed to it sometimes, though, didn’t he? BROWN: He did a little. I told him I’d like to do this, and he kind-of gave me his blessing. Wayne was just getting married. I was just out of college; I was really into it. I decided I was going to do this monthly newszine, maybe 6-10 pages at the most, and try to have a few letters, but mostly news. I talked to a few people who were my sources in New York, and had some editors who fed me some, basically, press releasetype news. BS: Sometime in its second run, your fanzine became a little bit more like a Comic Reader, where there was more emphasis on news and what was coming out. You were more like a fandom reporter this time. BROWN: Right, that was my intent. I didn’t want to make it too big a

Gary Brown, Comic Book Reporter

early and went up to DC. When I was waiting to go in, who should walk up but Al Williamson! He was turning in his first DC work. It was a science-fiction story, I can’t remember which mag it was for, maybe Witching Hour or House of Mystery. And Wayne had become fast friends with him the year before; in fact, he even visited his house after the con. So I introduced myself to Al, said I knew Wayne, and Williamson said, “That’s great. Come on with me. We’ll go in.” Neal Adams was there, and Giordano—you name it! We talked for a while, and when they decided to go to lunch, Al dragged me along. So I had lunch with Al Williamson, Neal Adams, Frank Robbins, Dick Giordano, and maybe Archie Goodwin. We were all there, sitting, talking comic books. I thought, “Boy, I wish I could take a picture of this!” [laughs] BS: Luckily, someone did get that photo of you and those guys at the banquet. That had to be a thrill, almost a surreal experience for a guy from Florida. BROWN: It was amazing. It really was. BS: And of course, that meant that, when you came back, your contacts were that much better for Comic Comments. BROWN: Oh, yeah, yeah. That helped a lot. Some said, “I’ll just let you know when I hear something,” and they did. Sometimes not for attribution, though. Occasionally, someone would call and say, “Hey, have you heard so-and-so?” I’d go, “No,” and they’d tell me what they heard, and I’d try to confirm it then. An Alan Hutchinson Deadman illustration for Gremlin #2 (1970). [Art ©2004 Alan Hutchinson; Deadman TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

job, because sometimes the early issues of CC would be 20-some pages, and I didn’t want to go through all that. I wanted to be able to do Xamount of pages and that was it. I could keep it on a monthly schedule that way, too.

The 1969 New York Comicon BS: For a while, you stuck pretty much to that schedule. I suppose some of those news contacts came from people you met in New York City at the 1969 Seuling con, so maybe now would be a good time to talk about that. Was that the first convention you attended? BROWN: Well, we had a mini-convention in Florida with seven or eight of us, but that didn’t count. Wayne had gone to the 1968 SCARP-Con the year before. He came back with sketches by Al Williamson, Murphy Anderson, and all these people, and just blew me away. So I said, “I’m going next year.”

An International Scoop! BS: The news of Fatman [see A/E #37] was a great scoop, but an even bigger one involved Hal Foster. How did that one come about? BROWN: One day, out of the blue, Marv Wolfman phoned and said, “Hey, have you heard that Hal Foster’s not going to be doing Prince Valiant any more?” He told me Foster had arranged for some people to try out for the strip: Gray Morrow, and Wally Wood, and John Cullen Murphy, and a few others. Marv said, “That’s all I know. I don’t even know if it’s true.” So I called King Features. See, this wasn’t big news back then, outside of the comic book realm. It wouldn’t have been considered particularly newsworthy. Now they’d have it on the front page of many newspapers. So King wasn’t really equipped to handle stuff like that. When they got my question, I talked to Bill Harris—I think it was Bill Harris— and he confirmed it. It was as easy as that. I wasn’t able to confirm it with Foster, who lived in Florida, but we ran with it anyway. As far as I know, we broke it before anyone else, worldwide.

BS: There’s that famous photograph—you actually were the one who provided it to me for The Golden Age of Comic Fandom—of the banquet at the 1969 New York Comicon. Among the sea of faces, you can be seen sitting at a table with a bunch of pros, including Archie Goodwin, and so forth—a lot of people you became associated with. Some of the Charlton people such as Sal Trapini. And there’s Angelo Torres and Gray Morrow. Just sitting at that table must have blown your mind. BROWN: You bet. That whole experience was the best I’ve ever had at a convention. I knew Marv Wolfman and Murray Boltinoff, and I made arrangements. I got there a day

A one-table detail from a panoramic photo taken at Phil Seuling’s first solo New York Comicon in 1969. Moving clockwise from Archie Goodwin (the man with glasses who has his hands folded under his chin, the revelers are: [unidentified], Gary Brown (the only other guy wearing glasses), artists Jeff Jones and Al Williamson, Jerry Weist, artist Sal Trapani, [unidentified, with first goatee], and artists Gray Morrow and Angelo Torres. For the big picture, pick up a copy of Bill’s ground-breaking volume The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, still available from Hamster Press (see ad on p. 42.).

Comic Fandom Archive

Gremlin #2 contained some real treasures! (Left:) One of the sample “Adam Strange” pages by newcomer Neal Adams—only a short time before he would draw first war stories, then The Spectre and “Deadman,” for DC. (Above:) Pete Morisi (a.k.a. “PAM,” from his initials, with which he signed his 1960s artwork) contributed this beautiful drawing of his Charlton hero Thunderbolt. [Art ©2004 Neal Adams & the Estate of Pete Morisi, respectively; Adam Strange & Thunderbolt TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

BS: An international scoop for Comic Comments! Very cool. Did you ever meet Hal Foster? BROWN: I did, at that 1969 New York Comicon, where he was the Guest of Honor. It was kind of a fluke. Everybody was waiting to go up to the banquet room on one of the top floors. Suddenly, all these people came and I got into the elevator, and right behind me come Gil Kane and Hal Foster. Then Phil Seuling stopped anyone else from getting on the elevator—I guess so nobody would get in and bother Foster. The door shut and the three of us went up. [laughs] So I introduced myself to both of them. They were both big favorites of mine, obviously. I talked to them a little after we got off. I had with me a copy of one of the hardback books Foster did, The Medieval Castle, and he signed that for me. I talked to him for about two or three minutes.

Neal Adams, PAM, et al.

that. Marv had talked to Neal, and Neal brought some of these stats in, and gave them to Marv to pass along to me so I could use them. BS: Another pro you were involved with has just passed away, Pete Morisi. You have a really nice Thunderbolt cover by Pete. How did that come about? BROWN: He was one of our favorites, and we were going to have the article on Charlton, so I sent him Gremlin #1 and asked if he’d like to do something for the second issue. At that time, we had a small interview with Hal Foster, and those pages by Neal. Pete wrote a short note, saying, “Boy, if those people are in, count me in.” And he sent that Thunderbolt illustration. We wanted to run it in color, so Bill Spicer did color separations for the cover, including putting down the Zip-a-tone. But the printer’s price went up a lot for color and I just couldn’t afford it, so we went with black-&-white.

BS: The second issue of your general fanzine Gremlin also had a scoop of sorts, when you published some portfolio pages by a very young Neal Adams. How did you come into possession of those?

BS: Still, it’s a really nice piece of work. Gremlin is a fanzine that you can be very proud of. Both issues are excellent. The second one is probably the more notable, because of the professional contributions, but the first one was wonderful, too, with that great Alan Hutchinson T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents cover.

BROWN: That was Marv Wolfman again. I had sent Neal and Marv a copy of the Neal Adams Index I had done, and I asked them to add anything that they knew. And one of the things was some of the advertising work he had done: “Adventures in Leather” that he had done for Tandy Leather Company, and the Marx Deal comic books, stuff like

BROWN: There wasn’t a lot of depth to either issue. I mean, they were nice little fanzines with a lot of little things in them. I would have preferred to do more detailed, longer interviews, but at that time that was as much as we could do. We had a lot of fun. That was the main thing.

Gary Brown, Comic Book Reporter

Enter: Jim Steranko BS: Comic Comments continued for about another year; then it changed into something else. How did you link up with Jim Steranko? BROWN: I had never met Steranko. Early in my CAPA-alpha contributions, I did a six-page fanzine about his work, listing all his stuff to date, and sent him a copy because his address was well-known—he was doing the Supergraphics things even then—and never heard anything. I also started sending him Comic Comments. I did that to a number of pros, free, but Jim never responded. Never said he liked it, he didn’t like it, or anything.

31 BROWN: Oh, gee. It went about ten issues, I think. By the eighth issue or so, Jim decided the base was a little too narrow with Comixscene, and that’s when we changed to Mediascene, to cover movies and other things. His goal, as far as I knew, was to get it on the newsstand. At the time, with the Comixscene title, it was sort of tough. But if he broadened the base, he’d be able to get all that stuff in and have a better chance of distribution, and better potential sales, too. BS: Why did you leave your post at Mediascene? BROWN: It was getting harder and harder for me to do things. Our coordination through the mail wasn’t always great.

Then, one day, just out of the blue, I get a phone call from him. And at first, I said, “Yeah, this is Jim BS: This is before FedEx, faxes, Steranko... Wayne.” [laughs] But we and the Internet. talked, and I realized it really was him. He said he really liked Comic BROWN: Exactly. So at some Comments. He was thinking about point, we just agreed I was just doing a fanzine and wanted to know going to be a contributor, and they if I would like to come in and help picked it all up themselves and had a him, etc. He said “fanzine,” but few other people help them, that’s basically, what he meant was a all. magazine with newsstand distriBS: What did you think of bution. I was interested, and Jim Comixscene and Mediascene? said, “What I’d like to do is buy your mailing list.” Essentially, buy Jack Kirby penciled (though we’re not certain he inked) this blockbuster BROWN: I loved it. I thought it Comic Comments, but he said he’d cover for Jim Steranko’s Comixscene #5 in 1973. [Art ©2004 Estate of was very well done. We were right Jack Kirby; Comixscene is a trademark of Supergraphics, Inc.] buy the mailing list. I wouldn’t together. The intent of the magazine publish any more, but I would work that Jim presented to me was for him. I’d be the editor of a new publication called Comixscene. I just exactly the type of magazine that I would want to do. It was a pleasure thought that was great, so I agreed to it. working with him, and we always got along real well. BS: Where were you working at that time? BROWN: The Miami Herald. BS: Did you consider moving up to Pennsylvania to work on Comixscene? BROWN: No, that wasn’t part of the conversation at all. I would gather what news I could get from Florida, and he would gather what news he could. BS: Why do you think he wanted the mailing list? I mean, if Jim Steranko had advertised a fanzine for sale, I’m sure he’d have gotten 300 people to send in money right away, no problem. Probably lots more than that. BROWN: What he did was, he took the mailing list and said, “Whoever’s getting Comic Comments, we will convert that over to Comixscene subscriptions.” So he’d have a built-in subscriber list of 300 people, plus his own, because he had done The History of Comics, the first part, by then. I think it was just (a) another good chunk of fans he could send stuff to, and (b) he needed somebody to help with it. I think he liked what I was doing with the news in CC. So I think I was listed in Comixscene as editor. BS: How long did you do that?

BS: He even did a drawing that appeared in the second issue of Gremlin. Was it done especially for you? BROWN: No, I bought that in an auction at the ’70 or ’71 New York Convention. We made a copy of it and Alan [Hutchinson] inked the copy. I still have the original penciled drawing.

Through the Keyhole BS: After you stopped editing Mediascene, you suddenly had no fanzine to publish. You ended up doing something quite interesting, which was to become a columnist for Rocket Blast-Comicollector. I’ll bet more people would recognize your name from your “Keyhole” column than anywhere else, due to the large circulation of RB-CC. How did that column come about? BROWN: I had known G.B. Love, and Jim Van Hise, and the group of guys he had working on his SFCA projects, for a number of years, because they were based in Florida. We would call each other, and there were conventions and little gatherings throughout South Florida over the years. Then, one day, they just asked me if I’d like to get a free subscription to Rocket’s Blast in exchange for a one-page or two-page column. I said, “Sure!” I really enjoyed doing that. It went on for a number of years—I think maybe four or five.

Comic Fandom Archive went to the San Diego Comicon together in 2002. We still good friends, even beyond comic books. BS: What about your interest in comics and the hobby in general? How has it changed over the years? What is your current level of interest?

BROWN: Well, back in the ’70s, I was what was called a “completist.” I would just buy everything. I can’t afford it any more. [laughs] I’ve never lost my enjoyment of the Superman books. I buy Batman and a few other things. I like the Alan Moore stuff, and special projects, the Frank Miller Batman stuff, and so forth. I buy books every week. I like the DC Archives and that type of book, also.

BS: Was the concept of “Keyhole” that you were kind-of peeking over the pros’ shoulders?

BS: Is your collection accessible, or is it one of those things where, to get in to look at your stuff, you have to dig out and it’s a big ordeal?

BROWN: Getting some news in, plus trying to make some sense of it— not just “Murphy Anderson’s going to ink So-and-so,” but, “Gee, this is great because he’s one of the better inkers, blah, blah, blah.”

BROWN: Yeah, I have a lot of great books here... but if you offered me a million dollars to find one of them, I couldn’t. [laughs] Because I’ve got boxes all over the place. Yeah, someday, someday I will untangle all this stuff. Then I’ll probably drop dead the next day! [laughs]

BS: You’d do a little featurette about it. It was the kind of thing where you’d have little sections in each column, right? BROWN: Yeah. It ended, I think, when I got married. I sort-of left fandom for about four years. I had two sons, so that was kind of allconsuming for a while. Even most of my comic book buying went by the wayside for that period while I tried to get things straight. BS: Was that when you had an Honorary Membership to CAPAAlpha, which meant you didn’t have to contribute but would continue to receive each mailing? BROWN: Yeah. I didn’t leave fandom, or the comic book hobby... but it was much, much more minimal than before. I just didn’t have time, being a dad, and all.

[P.S. FROM BILL: It occurs to me that, since 1964 represented the 40th anniversary of the Alley Tally Party (see A/E #34), it also represents my own 40th anniversary in comic fandom. In the fall of 1964, thanks to a plug from Julius Schwartz in an issue of Justice League of America, I first got my hands on Rocket’s Blast-Comicollector, and then Batmania, Yancy Street Journal, and (natch) Alter Ego. Never mind the fact that I dropped out of fandom for a number of years while I was trying to cope with that troublesome thing called “the mundane world”... I was always a fan at heart, and have had as much fun since re-joining as I did during my original stint. Comic Fandom Forever!!]

BS: When you think back on that period of time, what are the memories that come back? BROWN: It was a lot of fun making new friends left and right. You and I met that period. And I met—not met in person, but got to know—Jeff Gelb a little at that period and later on in K-a. For the first 5-6 years, it was all new—doing fanzines, going to conventions. It was so much fun sitting down and talking with all these other people who collected comic books—and meeting the professionals, the guys you admire, who would be very humble, and talk about how they’re grateful that you buy their work. BS: Right, the pros were rather accessible. They weren’t like movie stars or people that had to have buffers. The pros—especially the older pros—were just very happy that people appreciated their work. BROWN: Well, the last couple of Megacons I’ve gone to in Orlando, I’ve spent at least a half an hour with Nick Cardy and then Carmine Infantino, Russ Heath, and Jim Mooney. One of the things I never will forget is—a number of Megacons ago, Alan Hutchinson and I saw Gil Kane. He was sitting there sketching at a table, and there was nobody around him. There were two long lines for one of the new “hot” artists. Alan and I went up to Gil and chatted with him for, like, 40 minutes. And he talked to us, and he signed some things. Then finally another guy came up to talk to him, but nobody was crowding around, and this guy’s a legend. BS: At least Gil knew he was appreciated among the older fans. He knew because of Gary Groth, and Roy Thomas, and all his friends that his work was important in the history of fandom. Do you still keep in touch with Wayne DeWald and Alan Hutchinson? BROWN: Oh, yes. Wayne and I e-mail almost every day. Alan and I

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

Introduction

Next we have… Color, Commando, Communication. The Harwyn Picture Encyclopedia (later reprinted as Art Linkletter’s Picture Encyclopedia For Boys And Girls) was a multi-volume series published in the late 1950s. The books featured art by many well-known comic book artists, including Al Williamson, Reed Crandall, and George Evans.

by Michael T. Gilbert This issue we’re featuring some rare material by Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, and Al Feldstein, three of Mad magazine’s most famous alumni! So without further ado… Follow That Girl! (Opposite page & p. 36:) A few months back, the “Crypt” reprinted a series of late-’40s Harvey Kurtzman cartoons from Varsity magazine. Kurtzman, of course, was the genius who created Mad as a comic book in 1952. Dutch Kurtzmaniac Ger Apeldoorn discovered these rare Varsity strips, drawn at the dawn of Harvey’s brilliant career, and “lost” for half a century. The two articles in Alter Ego #33-34 collected what we believed to be all the strips Kurtzman had drawn for Varsity. But, shortly before our article appeared, Ger uncovered one more! This beauty is from Varsity, Vol. 2, #21 (Nov.Dec. 1949). We’re delighted Ger allowed us to share his latest find with you. Let’s hope there’s even more out there waiting to be rediscovered.

Wally Wood also contributed a handful of drawings for the series. We published some of these in A/E #26 & #28, but were unable to fit these two fine examples of Wood’s commercial work. Now we have, on pp. 37-38! The EC Crew. And finally, directly below, we have a short piece by former EC editor Al Feldstein. Here, Al discusses how he and publisher Bill Gaines hired many of the EC creators, including fellow Mad-men Wally Wood and Harvey Kurtzman. This sidebar got squeezed out of Al’s two-part e-mail interview in Alter Ego #37 & #39—but those issues’ loss is this one’s gain! And now, without still further ado, anyway…

The EC Crew in a Nutshell... as seen by Al Feldstein! WALLY WOOD: Wally Wood was recruited when he and his senior “partner,” Harry Harrison, solicited work from EC… and I consequently, after a job or two, talked Wally into getting Harry off his back and doing stories for me on his own. JOE ORLANDO: I noticed the talents of Joe Orlando when he became Wally Wood’s assistant after Wally struck out on his own… and I encouraged him to break free of Wally just as I’d encouraged Wally to break free of Harry. (I don’t know what it is about these talented guys that assist other artists while preferring to remain anonymous and in the background! Shyness? Insecurity?) JACK DAVIS: Jack Davis walked into our offices, a hayseed Southerner fresh from Atlanta, with a drawing and inking style like no other I’d ever seen before... (and I really doubt that Jack would have been received with open arms at any other comic book publishing house with those hairy, scratchy early samples!)... but I saw his potential and grabbed him for our newly-launched horror and crime books... later giving him sci-fi to do, as well.

me a spectacular portfolio and immediately earned his place on the EC team based on those wonderful samples. I wasn’t to learn until much later that he had his own unofficial stable of artists (“The Fleagles”) helping him and ghosting for him, including Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, Angelo Torres, etc., etc. GEORGE EVANS: George Evans visited the EC office, soliciting work, and was hired because he filled an empty niche somewhere between Jack Kamen and Jack Davis... a more dramatic style than Kamen’s… but tighter and more illustrative than Davis. And, later on, his incredible knowledge of World War I airplanes was invaluable in Aces High, one of our post-Code “New Direction” titles. [continued on p 33]

Jack… was the personification of the “Art Philosophy” that I was promoting at EC... encouraging artists to work in their own, inimitable, personal “signature” styles instead of imitating what was being done by other, successful artists. JACK KAMEN: Jack Kamen and I had worked together after World War II in Jerry Iger’s studio... until I decided to strike out on my own and freelance. Years later, when Jack walked into EC looking for an assignment, I made him a regular because I needed an illustrator-type who could draw handsome men and beautiful women in a clean, crisp illustrative style. REED CRANDALL: Ditto Reed Crandall, with his distinctive style. We’d worked together at Iger’s, and when he showed up at EC, I hired him on the spot as an EC team member. AL WILLIAMSON: Al Williamson showed

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

Delightful “Clean-up” Column JOHN SEVERIN & BILL ELDER: Johnny Severin and Bill Elder were hired by me (as a team) to do stories in my sci-fi books based on their samples... and later, I (and Harvey Kurtzman) encouraged them to split up and work on their own... leading to Will’s spectacular development as a humor artist for Mad and Panic... and later for “Little Annie Fanny” in Playboy. BERNIE KRIGSTEIN: Bernie Krigstein arrived at an opportune moment, and his stark, inventive, singular illustrative style fell right in with my “EC Art Philosophy”... and he was put to work on assignments immediately. JOHNNY CRAIG: Johnny Craig was at EC before I arrived upon the scene... as a competent freelance artist, working for Bill’s father, M.C. Gaines. When I began to write my own stories for EC, Bill Gaines urged Johnny to do the same. After I created and initiated the EC horror titles for Bill Gaines... I relinquished the editorship of The Vault of Horror to Johnny Craig, who then took over the writing of the lead title story in the book. (While I continued to write most of the other stories in each issue... with Johnny writing a few.) Johnny Craig was an exceptional writer, and he succeeded in delineating and improving upon the character and storytelling technique of “The Vault-Keeper”... while treating interesting and off-beat subjects with inspired originality. HARVEY KURTZMAN: Harvey Kurtzman dropped by and showed us some hysterical one-page pantomime sequences called “Hey Look!”... and Bill and I rolled on the floor, laughing. He was immediately hired. Lucky for Harvey, at that very moment, we needed an artist

for a “Sex Education Pamphlet” we were producing for, I believe, Columbia University (a sideline business of EC’s, “commercial” comics, being run by Bill’s uncle). So Harvey’s very first job for EC was a 16-page booklet about avoiding syphilis and gonorrhea. I then offered Harvey a job, writing his own stories and doing artwork for my science-fiction titles (because he detested our horror titles, and... except for maybe one or two stories... refused to participate in them).

Several years before he took over editorship of Mad magazine following Harvey Kurtzman’s abrupt departure, Al Feldstein edited his own EC knockoff of the four-color Mad, called Panic. This cover helped get the first issue literally “banned in Boston”! [©2004 William M. Gaines Agent.]

When Bill Gaines, spurred on by the success of our horror titles, wanted to expand his title line, I recommended that he give Harvey his own book... suggesting a “he-man adventure” type genre... which was how Twofisted Tales was born... which, when the Korean War began to expand, became a “war” book, along with its companion title Frontline Combat. Harvey’s singular approach to war and war stories was a breath of fresh air and an admirable effort at a time when most war comics were sickeningly unrealistic propaganda... depicting the enemy as “Gooks,” etc. Harvey, on the other hand, depicted the enemy as human beings, who believed as strongly in their own cause as American soldiers believed in theirs. And Harvey’s devotion to accuracy and the research to attain it is legend. When Harvey wanted to further increase his income, Bill Gaines offered him a third book to do... and through a series of brain-storming sessions between the three of us (in which I reminded Bill and Harvey about the “Hey Look!” pages that Harvey had showed us when we first hired him, and pointed out that, except for the “funny little animal” books like Donald Duck, there was no “adult humor comic book” being published... and that we might examine the possibility of assigning Harvey to fill that void). Harvey came up with the idea for an adult humor book that included humorous versions of the genre stories that EC was publishing at the time. And I suggested that, as the Crypt-Keeper referred to his title in his story intros, “Welcome to my mad mag, Tales from the Crypt, that we call it “EC’s Mad mag’... which Harvey immediately shortened to “Mad”… (no team-player, he!)... and which turned out to be an inspired move! Harvey was a genius.

He was inventive, innovative, and original. And he had a wonderful knack... the ability to be able to ruminate on suggestions that were offered to him... until, after enough time, he would initiate them as his own.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt together on June 19th at the Toronto Comicon. Roy was also a guest, so Alter Ego was well-represented.

It was at my urging that he began to expand Mad’s subject matter... from merely satirizing the comic book genres EC was publishing (a funny “crime” story, a funny “science-fiction” story, a funny “horror” story, etc.)... to other areas of Americana... like syndicated comic strips (“The Lone Stranger”), other competitive comic book titles (“Superduperman”), movies (“Ping Pong”), literature (“The Hound of the Basketballs”), etc., etc...

It was Fred’s first con, and he shared the stage with fellow Canadian GoldenAgers Ed Furness and Jerry Lazare. I was there, too, the odd man out! It was truly a delight to finally shake the hand of the man who created the original Mr. Monster—and especially memorable coming exactly 20 years after my first “Mr. Monster” story appeared in Vanguard Illustrated #7 in the summer of 1984.

...and Mad was on its way.

Postscript from MTG:

The historic first meeting of Mr. Monster creators Fred Kelly

Better yet, my wife Janet had a chance (right) and Michael T. Gilbert, minutes before their panel in Before we go, I’d like to update you on to chat with Fred and his charming wife Toronto, Canada, on June 19, 2004. Photo by Janet Gilbert. another recent “Crypt” column. Alter Ego Rita over breakfast the next morning. I’ll #36 featured my tribute to Canadian give a more detailed report of our meeting in a future column. And cartoonist Fred Kelly, creator of the Golden Age Mr. Monster. Kelly when we do, we hope to print an extensive interview with Fred Kelly toiled in the Canadian comic industry in the 1940s, leaving for greener that Robert Pincombe recorded shortly before the con. pastures when that industry collapsed at the end of the decade. Beyond It’s funny. When I wrote my tribute in Alter Ego #36, I dedicated it that, little was known about the mysterious Mr. Kelly. to Fred Kelly “… wherever you may be!”—never dreaming “wherever” A few weeks after my article appeared, I received an astonishing would be at the Toronto Comicon only a few months later! e-mail from Robert Pincombe, an expert on the history of Canadian Till next time… comics. Robert informed me that, days earlier, he’d managed to track Fred Kelly down! We’re happy to report that 81-year old Fred Kelly is alive and well— and a few days ago (as of this writing!) I actually got to meet him. Robert and Roy Thomas arranged for the two of us to appear on a panel

Missing a Back Issue? 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:

mgilbert00@comcast.net

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

BACK ISSUES OF THE ISSUE!

Want to see even more of JULIE SCHWARTZ and GIL KANE? Then pick up copies of A/E #2 for the full, unfettered story behind the secret origins of the Silver Age Atom—and A/E #38 for our “Julie Schwartz Special”! Still available wherever TwoMorrows back issues are sold—which means mainly via ad pages on an inside cover of this very issue! Thunder Agents TM & ©2004 John Carbonaro

Submit Something To Alter Ego! Alter Ego is on the lookout for items that can be utilized in upcoming issues: • Convention Sketches and Program Books • Unpublished Artwork • Original Scripts (the older the better!) • Photos • Unpublished Interviews • Little-seen Fanzine Material We’re also interested in articles, article ideas, or any other suggestions... and we pay off in FREE COPIES of A/E. (If you’re already an A/E subscriber, we’ll extend your subscription.) Contact: Roy Thomas, Editor 32 Bluebird Trail St. Matthews, SC 29135 Fax: (803)826-6501 • E-mail: roydann@ntinet.com

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[FCA EDITORS NOTE: From 1941-53, Marcus D. Swayze was a top artist for Fawcett Comics. The very first Mary Marvel character sketches came from Marc’s drawing table, and he illustrated her earliest adventures, including the classic origin story “Captain Marvel Introduces Mary Marvel (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 leaving the service in 1944, he made an arrangement with Fawcett to produce art and stories for them on a freelance basis out of his Louisiana home. There he created both art and story for The Phantom Eagle in Wow Comics, in addition to drawing the Flyin’ Jenny newspaper strip for Bell Syndicate (created by his friend and mentor Russell Keaton). After the cancellation of Wow, Swayze produced artwork for Fawcett’s top-selling line of romance comics, including Sweethearts and Life Story. After the company ceased publishing comics, Marc moved over to Charlton Publications, where he ended his comics career in the mid-’50s. Marc’s ongoing professional memoirs have been FCA’s most popular feature since his first column appeared in FCA #54, 1996. Last issue, Marc gave us a glimpse of what would’ve happened if Captain Marvel had appeared in Fawcett’s romance comics. This time, the artist discusses some of his drawing techniques... specifically, “body torque.” —P.C. Hamerlinck.]

have been a last-minute med school directive that, when confronted with such a question, they busy themselves at something else… to most assuredly denote utter indifference. “No, no,” I explained. “When you discuss that turn of the torso… what is the language you use?” “English,” said the doctor. Okay… so much for his vernacular… I would try my own: “I call it ‘body torque.’ It’s like when your hero stands flat-footed and swings a fist at his evil foe, his feet stay planted and…” “What’s wrong with ‘body torque’?”

If there’s one thing I learned along the professional trail about drawing people… it’s what I refer to as “body torque.” I call it that because of a long, completely unsuccessful quest for words that might be considered more appropriate.

What I learned about body torque… other than there being absolutely no acceptable substitute term for it…was like an awakening… a discovery. It had been there all the time and I hadn’t noticed. Interesting subjects for discussion were plentiful during my first job after the milk wagon. Russell Keaton knew so much about the business, and I so little. Yet, I don’t recall one word about “body torque.”

At one point I even turned in desperation to the medical profession. “How do you guys say it when you’re talking about the twist the body takes… that business where the shoulders turn one way and the hips another?” “Where does it hurt most?” was the reply. Those guys! There must

“Sounds too mechanical… like in an auto shop.” The doc, who also happened to be my son, was deliberately giving me a bad time. “Never mind,” I said. “I’ll take an aspirin and call you in the morning.”

In drawing Captain Marvel, a little later on, it was not a topic filed away in the back of the mind ever ready for action, as were his super-powers. If the mighty superhero twisted his hips a bit while slamming bad folks around, it was a natural action and, at my board, drawn as such.

Marc Swayze

Much the same with The Phantom Eagle. Old sketches of the young flyer picture him quite active, but with little more flexibility of the torso than a bar of laundry soap. His age may have had something to do with that. Emphasis on body torque just didn’t seem appropriate.

“Expressions.” There may also have been words dealing with “body torque,” but I doubt it. When a band of topflight illustrators pooled their thoughts and learning into a fabulous correspondence course, it’s possible a topic like “body torque” received thorough coverage. But it all came out too late to help me... I had already begun to assemble my own. It is difficult to determine just where or when in the general scheme of things attention turned to the subject… to the extent of a “professional-sounding” name being sought for it.

Come to think of it, more than just a slight suggestion of torso twist on male characters was out of the question. Had the subject come up for argument at Fawcett during the super-hero days, it might have been dubbed a definite nono. John Wayne, perhaps, could have gotten away with a little of it, but you or I couldn’t. Was body torque, then, of consideration only when drawing the ladies? A main objective when doing the first Mary Marvel stories was that she perform gracefully. Undue action between the hips and shoulders was not a part of that. It simply was not a move characteristic of Mary. Nor was it noticeable in the daily strips and Sunday pages featuring Flyin’ Jenny. Whether by the hand of Russell Keaton or my own, drawings of that forceful lass were never intended to be any less dignified than called for in the script. How-to-draw books were around when I was a kid. Probably some good ones. I never owned one, but through no-pay-peeking at the book stores, I knew that most included a page of laughing and scowling faces titled

“Flyin’ Jenny… whether drawn by Keaton or Swayze, [was] never intended to be less dignified than called for in the script.” This Sunday strip is for 2-10-46. [©2004 Bell Syndicate or successors in interest.]

We Didn’t Know... It Was The Golden Age! I don’t know about other comic book artists, but I’ve always thought of the characters in a story as my own. Each story, whether written by me or not, was regarded as a stage play, the characters my cast… I the director. That notion was of particular importance when the romance comics came my way. Probably suspecting that I wouldn’t have anyway, Fawcett comics editor Will Lieberson had not suggested that I study the romance books already doing well out in the traffic. Perhaps I should have. My knowledge of the romances was a vague, unfair impression from skimpy glances as the pages of the morning paper were turned. The image was of rigid, blank-faced figures… talking, talking, talking. I thought of the characters that had dwelt on my drawing board… the Cheese, Mary, Jenny, Mickey… and all the action that had taken place… physical conflict, war, rough stuff. And now… people talking… panel after panel… page after page… about love. Where would the action come from? How do you draw, I wondered, rapture... enchantment? “Body torque… like when your hero Where would be the interest… the fun? swings at an evil foe.” [Art ©2004 Have you ever witnessed a trivial little scene that just stuck in your memory and

If you’re viewing a digital version of this publication, PLEASE read this plea from the publisher! his is COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL, which is NOT INTENDED FOR FREE T DOWNLOADING ANYWHERE. If you’re a print subscriber, or you paid the modest fee we charge to download it at our website, you have our sincere thanks—your support allows us to keep producing publications like this one. If instead you downloaded it for free from some other website or torrent, please know that it was absolutely 100% DONE WITHOUT OUR CONSENT, and it was an ILLEGAL POSTING OF OUR COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. If that’s the case, here’s what you should do: 1) Go ahead and READ THIS DIGITAL ISSUE, and see what you think. 2) If you enjoy it enough to keep it, DO THE RIGHT THING and purchase a legal download of it from our website, or purchase the print edition at our website (which entitles you to the Digital Edition for free) or at your local comic book shop. We’d love to have you as a regular paid reader. 3) Otherwise, DELETE IT FROM YOUR COMPUTER and DO NOT SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS OR POST IT ANYWHERE. 4) Finally, DON’T KEEP DOWNLOADING OUR MATERIAL ILLEGALLY, for free. We offer one complete issue of all our magazines for free downloading at our website, which should be sufficient for you to decide if you want to purchase others. If you enjoy our publications enough to keep downloading them, support our company by paying for the material we produce. We’re not some giant corporation with deep pockets, and can absorb these losses. We’re a small company—literally a “mom and pop” shop—with dozens of hard-working freelance creators, slaving away day and night and on weekends, to make a pretty minimal amount of income for all this work. We love what we do, but our editors, authors, and your local comic shop owner, rely on income from this publication to stay in business. Please don’t rob us of the small amount of compensation we receive. Doing so will ensure there won’t be any future products like this to download. TwoMorrows publications should only be downloaded at

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45 wouldn’t go away? On the far side of a grocery parking lot I once saw a woman speaking to an attendant. Too far away to see the expression on her face or hear her voice, but it was perfectly clear what her words were. Her gesture told me. Hands high, palms turned skyward, shoulders shrugged up around the ears… no doubt about it, she was saying, “I don’t know.” It was a lesson. The scene could have been illustrated another way… the woman a blank-faced rigid figure… a dialogue balloon overhead… lettered: “I don’t know.” The difference was in the way the line was delivered. I had my answer to the comic book romances. To avoid the dreaded image of frozen vertical figures talking continuously, I would have my characters provide the action in the way they expressed their emotions… their gestures… their “body torque”! [Marc Swayze will return with more of his Golden Age memories in next issue’s FCA #100 celebration.]

…And Then There Were None! Charlton and the Remnants of the Fawcett Comics Empire–-–Part II by Frank “Derby” Motler

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Last issue we presented Part I of Frank Motler’s study of how Fawcett titles and even art and story were segued over to Charlton and its distributor, Capital Distribution Company, after Fawcett left the comics business near the end of 1953. Also examined was how Charlton/CDC released published and unpublished material from a third company, Toby Press, in a joint 1955 venture. Frank continues this account with, first, a look at Charlton and its history—then highlights some non-Fawcett inventory it also appropriated. —PCH.]

New Kid on the Block Based in Derby, Connecticut, Charlton Comics began publishing comics sometime in the mid-1940s. The company had been founded on the unauthorized reprinting of popular song lyrics, with such magazines as Song Hits and Hit Parader. While in prison for the offense, publisher John Santangelo formed a partnership with accountant Ed Levy, a fellow inmate, as detailed in Comic Book Artist #9. Upon their release, they sorted out the copyright problems and forged the necessary steps to becoming a successful business.

The champ and the not-quite-Charlton challengers: Captain Marvel, then the big chief among Superman rivals, contemplates “Yellowjacket,” “Diana the Huntress,” and “Telltale Heart” splashes from Yellowjacket Comics #6 (Dec. 1945). This mag (artists uncertain) was published by a forerunner of Charlton/CDC, which in the mid-1950s would pick up the reins of many of Fawcett’s non-super-hero titles. In 1945, however, Fawcett was still riding high, and even launched the brand new Marvel Family Comics. The C.C. Beck Cap figure at left is from the cover of Captain Marvel Adventures #83 (April 1948). [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

Unlike most companies, they would print and distribute their own publications. Most publishers of that time would contract this work out. Early editions of the cult super-hero title Yellowjacket Comics were published by “Frank Comunale Publishing Co., 49 Hawkins Street, Derby, Connecticut,” and later “The Frank Publishing Co.,” same address. This name would evolve into “Charlton Publications.” Yellowjacket ran ten issues between September 1944 and June 1946. Issues #3-5 feature Rudy Palais’ fine renderings. Regular features included “Diana the Huntress,” somewhat in the Wonder Woman mold, plus seven-page adaptations of stories from the pen of horror maestro Edgar Allan Poe. Under the banner “Famous Tales of Terror,” these included “The Black Cat,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Pit and the Pendulum.” During the period Yellowjacket Comics was in print, its super-hero star also made an appearance in TNT Comics #1 (Feb. 1946). Although published by the “Charlton Publishing Co.,” it is thought to be another Charlton precursor. With issue #11 (Oct. 1946), Yellowjacket Comics was retitled Jack in the Box, now published by Charlton; it featured the masthead “A Charlton Magazine” and corresponding indicia. Yellowjacket, presumably, was advised not to let the door catch his cape on the way out! A companion title was the earnest but dull Marvels of Science. In

...And Then There Were None!

“One short step for a man—one giant leap for mankind” (perhaps even into womankind!)—or, “From Sagebrush to Sci-fi, in One Issue!” With #40 (Oct. 1952), Cowboy Western became Space Western, starring “Spurs Jackson and His Space Vigilantes.” Frank Motler, er, points out Spurs’ “decent pair of breasts, shapely legs, plus riding shorts”—a hint that this cover was probably partly redrawn (by bylined artist John Belfi or others) from art that had originally featured a female protagonist. Fawcett horse operas were never like this! [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

1948, Jack in the Box was retitled with its 17th issue and became Cowboy Western. Fans of the obscure will relish its further retitling, as it became Space Western #40 (Oct. 1952), featuring “Spurs Jackson and His Space Vigilantes.” Zoo Funnies was another early runner. This was also renamed— initially for real-life western movie star Tim McCoy #16-21 (1948-9), with the final five issues becoming Pictorial Love Stories. The latter quintet feature odd but attractive, semi-painted photo covers. The weirdness continues inside with “Me, Dan Cupid,” with a mischievous semi-clad sprite as the lead in the romance issues. New offerings in 1951 were Sunset Carson, True Life Secrets, Hot Rods and Racing Cars, plus the crime titles Crime and Justice and Lawbreakers. (Sunset Carson was another western film star, whose true name was Winifred Maurice Harrison.)

The Big Time

With the acquisition of around 30 titles from Fawcett, Toby, and others, Charlton entered the major leagues. Before this, their range was modest, with no more than eleven titles. The loss of Fawcett, with its huge sales and quality product, would leave opportunities for the surviving comics companies. CDC’s early management was erratic. Edward Levy appears to have been the senior partner, with fellow owner John Santangelo assuming the role of business manager. Their respective sons, both named Charles, were given editorship credits in several early indicias. However, the more important “Statement of Ownership,” required by the US Post Office, ignored this in favor of Burton N. Levey [sic], who in 1953 was also listed as a co-owner. Charles W. Bishop edited the early Hot Rods and Racing Cars issues, until Alfred V. Fago assumed a general editorship of all titles in 1953. After 1954, his credit was changed to “Designed by Al Fago Studios.” Fago’s arrival in 1951 corresponded with an influx of interesting artists. Among them were John Belfi, Stan Campbell, Art Cappello, Albert Tyler, Bob Forgione, Frank Frollo, Dick Giordano, and Lou Morales. Any lack of polish on the part of these craftsmen was more than compensated for by their wild enthusiasm for the material they

These titles were supplemented in 1952 by Racket Squad in Action, Space Adventures, and The Thing! A large-format magazine, the shortlived Fantastic Science Fiction, also from 1952, is noteworthy. Edited by fabled pulp writer Walter Gibson, its issues contain covers and spot illustrations by several Charlton comic book artists. In 1953, the foregoing modest inventory of titles was supplemented by Atomic Mouse, a revamped Zoo Funnies, and the Mad imitation Eh! Dig This Crazy Comic!

Some of Charlton’s earliest titles, published while Fawcett Comics was still a going concern, were: Pictorial Love Stories (#23, Jan. 1950—really the 2nd issue, featuring a Don Ornitz cover photo of B-movie/Hal Roach TV actress Joy/Joi Lansing)—Hot Rods & Racing Cars #10 (June 1953; interior splash)—Crime and Justice #12 (March 1953)—and The Thing! (#5, Oct.-Nov. 1952; inside front cover). The latter three pieces of art are all by Lou Morales, who in Crime and Justice #5-18 drew the husband-and-wife detective team of “Curtis and Merry Chase,” doubtless inspired by the 1930s-40s Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. The “Chase” stories in #1921 were penciled by Joe Shuster and inked by Ray Osrin. [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America)

lived partner Toby. Morisi’s association with Johnny Dynamite would soon end, and the private eye’s final appearances in CDC’s Foreign Intrigues are lackluster. However, the use of inventory stories in various titles represents Pete Morisi’s first publication by Charlton. Like Roberge, he would join them as a regular in 1958. Morisi soon became a company mainstay, creating a host of superlative western, war, and occasional mystery stories, plus his notable 1960s hero title Thunderbolt. Don Heck’s formerly Comic Media art was reprinted in a number of titles, including Danger #13-14, Death Valley #7-8, and This Is Suspense #26. Although I have not discovered any Palais stories in contemporary CDCs, his Fawcett yarn “Forever Yours” was reprinted in Negro Romances #4. His art did find its way onto the cover of Cheyenne Kid #9 (October 1957), again probably from A truly remarkable Charlton cover: True Life Secrets #23 (Nov.-Dec. inventory. Nonetheless, he would draw a 1954) sported art reprinted from Fox Comics’ My Desire #4 (April smattering of stories for Charlton’s mid1950)—but with new, more suggestive dialogue, as originally noted 1960s mystery titles, including Many Ghosts when it was reprinted in NEC’s My Terrible Romance #1, also repro’d of Dr. Graves #1 (May 1967). here. The Fox balloon had read: “I’ll think it over…!” It’s rare that a Golden Age comics company’s covers are more salacious than those of Fox, noted for its Phantom Lady “headlight” art! Charlton had already come a long way from most Fawcett Sweethearts and Life Story fare! [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

worked on. Cappello became a company regular, working there till 1980, with romance as his specialism. Both Frollo and Morales could provide superb sketched illustrations for story splashes or spot illustrations; however, by 1955 most were gone. Marc Swayze also worked at Charlton during 1954-55 as editor, writer, and artist, after a long career at Fawcett.

Around 1955, Pat Masulli became Charlton’s managing editor, a post he held until being promoted to general manager in 1966. A former packager and writer for a variety of companies, he would still illustrate the occasional story or cover, and his name appears on various titles until at least 1966. Dick Giordano had joined as a freelancer and became Masulli’s assistant in the late 1950s, filling his vacated managing editor’s slot in ’66. Working in a large variety of genres, Giordano remained a company stalwart, with prolific output, until his departure in 1968.

Prizes, Prizes

From the ailing Mainline, owned by the legendary duo Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Charlton acquired Bullseye, Foxhole, In Love, and Police Trap, continuing the existing numbering. In Love #5, the first of these, appeared in May 1955. The collaboration had begun when Charlton launched Win a Prize #1, in the February issue, based on S&K’s novel idea. The indicia for the first issue reads: “Published by Simon and Kirby Publications, Inc.” Kirby contributed the covers and selected stories for the first two issues. The narration was supplied by the moustachioed “Uncle Giveaway,” promoting the prizes. The stories ranged from science-fiction to western to war to adventure. Robert McCarty, Paul Parker, Gerald McCann, and possibly Ross Andru were amongst the other artists utilized. The scheduled third issue

Dynamite! In late 1954/early 1955, Charlton acquired further titles from two small but interesting companies. Avoiding Comic Media’s proscribed horror titles, Horrific and Weird Terror, it obtained that publisher’s Danger, Death Valley, and Dynamite. Continuing the existing numbering, CDC’s initial issues appeared dated June 1955, a gap of more than six months after their predecessors. Some stories of “Noodnik,” CM’s humorous Eskimo boy, ended up in the otherwise newspaperreprint title Bo (The Dog With 30 Million Owners!). “Noodnik” artist Frank Roberge would establish himself at Charlton in the late 1950s. The feature artist for the Comic Media group was Don Heck, who drew the majority of covers, plus many stories. Other notables were Rudi Palais, Bill Discount, and Pete Morisi, with good support from Marty Elkin, Tom Feelings, A.C. Hollingsworth, Al Tewks, and others. Morisi had commandeered Dynamite, with the emergence of the hardboiled, one-eyed detective, “Johnny Dynamite” (#3, September 1953). After its absorption by Charlton, the title was renamed in Johnny Dynamite’s honor. This was probably due to Dynamite Magazine (1955-6), a topical scandal sheet CDC co-produced with their short-

...And Then There Were None!

49 Love You kept going until 1980; the others soon evaporated. Early issues of that title retained Simon &Kirby’s multi-story concept. The premiere also featured a Kirby cover, with Mainline inventory in early issues. In 1984, the last issue of Gunfighters (#85) reprinted Bullseye #7, the previous finale. Still, from 1959 until the early 1960s, Charlton offered prizes, with periodic cover promotions, in all regular titles.

Spin-Off! During this grand acquisition, Charlton introduced just one title of their own: My Little Margie, another spin-off from television. However, in the period 1955-56, Charlton would launch numerous original titles. These include the adventure/herooriented Danger and Adventure, Danny Blaze, Foreign Intrigues, Frank Merriwell at Yale, Long John Silver, Mr. Muscles, Nature Boy, Robin Hood and His Merry Men, plus Zaza the Mystic. The adventure titles fared indifferently, with only Robin Splash of a Pete Morisi “Johnny Dynamite” story done for Comic Media but printed in CDC’s Hood managing eleven issues before hanging Johnny Dynamite #11 (Aug. 1955)—and a Don Heck cover for Death Valley #7, probably left over up his Lincoln green in 1958. To Fawcett’s from CM inventory . [©2004 the respective copyright holders.] former romance titles, Charlton introduced sadly expired on the drawing board. In one of those strange quirks, Win Brides in Love, I Love You, Secrets of Love and Marriage, and Young a Prize #1 featured another Poe adaptation, this time “Telltale Heart.” Lovers. During their stay, Kirby also found time to illustrate the cover to Charlie Chan #6, the first issue from Charlton. The previous Prize series had featured S&K art throughout. Yet the title would not survive, and a final story ended up as the thinly disguised “Louie Lou,” in its successor, Zaza the Mystic #10. Earl Derr Biggers’ legendary detective and number-one son would reappear at DC in New Adventures of Charlie Chan, 1958. The restless team of S&K were soon on the move again, and the Mainline plus Comic Media influxes also proved transitory. By the end of 1955, all were canceled, or so it seemed. In typical Charlton fashion—Bullseye, Foxhole, In Love, and Police Trap were retitled Cody of the Pony Express, Soldier and Marine (Vol. 2, #9), I Love You, and Public Defender in Action—whilst Comic Media’s Death Valley became Frontier Scout Dan’l Boone. Only I

CDC’s long-running True Life Secrets was converted to a scandalseeking exploitation magazine. In the war and crime genres, Charlton added Badge of Justice, Fightin’ Air Force, Fightin’ Army, Fightin’ Navy, Never Again, Public Defenders in Action, Rookie Cop, Scotland Yard, and Sherlock Holmes. The new Fightin’ titles reinforced Fightin’ Marines, which CDC had inherited from St. John. Several more compatriots would eventually be added, including Army War Heroes, Battlefield Action, Submarine Attack, War, and War at Sea. Many achieved long runs. Conversely, the crime titles were soon dropped from CDC’s portfolio, leaving just Racket Squad in Action, which bowed out with a 68-page giant edition in 1958. (More about these giants later.) Crime, along with horror, had been the subject of particular scrutiny

Even Simon & Kirby wound up having material published by Charlton, including Bullseye #7 (Aug. 1955—the 2nd from CDC and the last issue of the title)—From Here to Insanity #11 (Aug. ’55—last comic book issue)—I Love You #7 (Sept. ’55), and the cover of Charlie Chan #6 (June ’55). [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America)

50 from Dr. Fredric Wertham, M.D., his bestselling book Seduction of the Innocent, anti-comics campaigners, and the Senate committees. Black Fury, Cody of the Pony Express, Frontier Fighter Dan’l Boone, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Range Busters, Texas Rangers in Action, Wild Frontier, and Wyatt Earp were added to their existing Cowboy Western and roster of post-Fawcett western titles. Several of these sought to capitalize on the success of the hugely popular and patriotic Davy Crockett Disney TV series. There are not many children of the time who did not own, or at least long for, a Davy Crockett coonskin cap. Several rivals, including Avon, DC, Magazine Enterprises, and Quality, would produce similar frontieroriented and/or patriotic titles of their own. However, Dell led the way, with its official TV adaptations, featuring photo covers of Disney-version star Fess Parker. Within this genre, Charlton’s 1957 title Jerry Drummer (Boy Hero of the Revolutionary War) is of particular note. This short series features beautiful covers, plus art by Maurice Whitman.

Funny Ha-Ha!

A decade before he’d become a top artist for Marvel, John Buscema drew this splash for the super-hero’s origin in Charlton’s Nature Boy #3 (March 1956, really that title’s first issue). The youthful protagonist could control wind and other “elements”—and of course took his name from the haunting song hit warbled by Nat “King” Cole in the offbeat 1948 film The Boy with Green Hair. Not that CDC’s Nature Boy had green hair! [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

There would also be an expansion in the humor titles, including several magazines. Titles include Atomic Rabbit, Bo, From Here to Insanity, Hillbilly Comics, Humbug, Li’l Tomboy, Timmy the Timid Ghost, Tom Cat, Crazy, This Magazine Is Crazy, and Crazy, Man, Crazy. The humorous My Little Margie’s Boy Friends, another spin-off from the popular TV series, was embellished in 1959 by My Little Margie’s Fashions. Atomic Rabbit was soon re-christened Atomic Bunny and joined CDC’s lovable Atomic Mouse and Atom The Cat.

Interior splash from Zaza the Mystic #10 (April 1956); artist unidentified. Since the Zaza title continued Charlie Chan’s numbering, Charlton slipped in a story of that fictional Honolulu detective, retitled “Louie Lou,” doubtless to avoid paying royalties. But the hero was still assisted by his “Number One Son”! [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

Although packaged and distributed by Charlton, Humbug was conceived and edited by Harvey Kurtzman, the former editor of Mad. After his departure from Bill Gaines and EC, Kurtzman was keen to produce an original humor concept he could call his own. It started as a 15¢ black-&-white comic, before changing to a 25¢ magazine for two final issues. CDC’s humor title Eh! underwent an even more complicated evolution, as it changed variously to From Here to Insanity to Crazy, Man, Crazy to, finally, This Magazine Is Crazy. It also made a confusing series of format changes. In 1976, Sick would also

Some issues of CDC’s Cowboy Western (like #53, March 1955) contained tales of the formerly-Fawcett version of Tom Mix, probably drawn by Carl Pfeufer, though the deceased cowboy-movie star wasn’t mentioned on the cover. But the short-lived mid-’50s Davy Crockett craze led to a rash of Charlton “frontier” and “patriotic” comics like Frontier Scout Dan’l Boone (#13, Aug. ’56, artist unknown)—Jim Bowie (#18, Jan. ’57, with cover by Giordano & Alascia), and Jerry Drummer (Vol. 3, #11, July ’57, really the 2nd issue—with cover & interior art by Maurice Whitman). Jerry Drummer, by the way, picked up the numbering of the then-defunct Jim Bowie; apparently, CDC’s patriotism mutated at a fierce rate. [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

...And Then There Were None!

51 for many of these issues is best described as workmanlike.

Regular artists of the period include John D’Agostino, Vince Alascia (inker), Stan Campbell, Art Cappello, Al Fago, Dick Giordano, Tony Iorio, Frank Johnson, Charles Nicholas, Ray Osrin (inks), Joe Shuster, Chic Stone, Sal Trapani, and Ray Winik. Among the brighter stars were Sid Check, Gene Colan, Vince Colletta, Steve Ditko, Sam Glanzman, Jack Kirby (briefly), Joe Maneely, Rocco “Rocke” Mastroserio, Pete Morisi, Rudy Palais, Paul Charlton did feature some nice covers, including Danger and Adventure #25 (Aug. 1955) by Dick Giordano & Vince Alascia— Reinman, John Severin, Marc Cheyenne Kid #9 (Oct. ’57—Rudy Palais, unsigned)—and Police Trap #5 (July ’55, the first CDC issue) by Simon & Kirby. Swayze, John Tartaglione, The latter material was doubtless left over from Mainline inventory—while Danger and Adventure #24-27 all starred Maurice Whitman, and Al the conveniently-named heroes “Johnny Adventure” and “Mike Danger,” in stories which Frank Motler says Williamson. There were also “look like old Fawcett inventory art.” [©2004 the respective copyright holders.] the occasional Bernard Baily, Bill Discount, Don Heck, Bob be transferred to the Charlton group. During his brief time there, Jack Powell, and Mike Sekowsky stories reprinted from Comic Media and Kirby would provide artwork for at least two humor issues, the comicFawcett. It is possible that a youthful Jim Steranko assisted Vince sized From Here to Insanity #11 and the magazine Crazy, Man, Colletta on several stories, as well. The superb Matt Baker certainly Crazy, Vol. 2, #2. Steve Ditko meanwhile, would supply short stories assisted Colletta during this period and may have also produced the for From Here to Insanity #10 and Vol. 3, #1, of the comic-sized blackoccasional solo effort. &-white magazine version. Charlton launched a few titles which served to release inventory With horror now proscribed by the rules of the Comics Code material from Fawcett, Comic Media, Mainline, and others. They Authority, surviving titles from Charlton and others were hastily include Cody of the Pony Express, Range Busters, This Is Suspense, revamped as mystery or science-fiction. New titles from CDC TV Teens, and Zoo Funnies (series 2). These comics saw appearances of comprised Tales of the Mysterious Traveler, Mysteries of Unexplored Fawcett series “Don Winslow,” “Ibis the Invincible,” “Lance O’Casey,” Worlds, Out of This World, This Is Suspense, and Unusual Tales. These complemented the former Fawcett horror duo Strange Suspense Stories and This Magazine Is Haunted. Several were graced by beautiful stories and covers from Steve Ditko. Whilst humor thrived, the mystery genre went through many fits and starts, before several new titles were added to the CDC armory beginning in 1966. These include Ghost Manor, Ghostly Tales, Ghostly Haunts, Haunted, The Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves, and Scary Tales.

Shotgun Wedding This scattergun approach produced many duds. In many cases, they were merely existing publications, renamed. Charlton became the masters of rechristening, with an awe-inspiring array of titles, volumes, and issue numbers. The result was that most of the above titles do not have genuine #1 issues. To add to the confusion, at various periods Charlton omitted the issue numbers and on-sale dates from the covers. Several more titles were introduced in 1957-58, but many of this esoteric first wave are now considered gems. It should also be noted that, apart from the mid-’50s Blue Beetle, the superb Nature Boy (featuring John Buscema art), Captain Atom (1960, with Ditko art), and perhaps Zaza the Mystic, Charlton eschewed the super-hero genre entirely until 1965. The art

Talk about mutation! From Here to Insanity, which had started life as Eh! Dig This Crazyy Comic!, became the black-&-white Mad wannabe Crazy, Man, Crazy (seen here are the covers of Vol. 2, #1, Dec. 1955, still bearing the FHtH title, as well, and of Vol. 3 #1). This title is not to be confused (though it probably was) either with the original subtitle of Eh! or with Timely/Atlas’ 1954 Crazy, another color parody comic. Are we having fun yet? Oh, and the V3#1 cover artist “McCartney” is apparently noted good-girl (and earlier Quality) artist Bill Ward; that issue (which sported several pages in color) also contained work by Basil Wolverton, Fred Ottenheimer, and Steve Ditko. [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) Toby—Comic Media—Mainline—even St. John! Charlton/CDC acquired comic book leftovers by the ton and repackaged them, often in helter-skelter fashion. But the good folks in Derby, Connecticut, saved some space to recycle Fawcett heroes, as well—for example: TV Teens #5 (Oct.-Nov. ’54) was the last issue to feature “Ozzie and Babs” who’d originated in Wow Comics. Art signed by Chic Stone. Range Busters #10 (Sept. ’55) showed western hero Golden Arrow putting together one of his famous candlelight suppers, in a tale probably from Fawcett inventory from the late lamented Whiz Comics (artist unknown). Danger and Adventure #22 & #23 (Feb & March 1955) cover-featured former Fawcett stars Ibis the Invincible and the sea-going adventurer Lance O’Casey, both also formerly of Whiz (artists unknown). The latter issue, whose dinosaur cover appears to have been cobbled together from Fawcett inventory, also contains a “Nyoka” tale. Nyoka the Jungle Girl #17 (July 1956) boasted a cover signed by Maurice Whitman, formerly of Fiction House’s Jungle Comics. [All art on this page ©2004 the respective copyright holders; Ibis the Invincible TM & ©2004 DC Comics; Nyoka TM & ©2004 AC Comics.]

“Nyoka the Jungle Girl,” and “Ozzie and Babs.” Some titles such as Bo, Scotland Yard, and Terry and the Pirates filled their spare pages in much the same way, utilizing those heroes and other material from Fawcett, Comic Media, Fox, Mainline, etc. Danger and Adventure #24-27 (1955-6) featured “Mike Danger” and “Johnny Adventure” stories, which appear to be ancient Fawcett inventory. This Is Suspense #24 reprinted Fawcett’s Suspense Detective #1 in CCA-censored form, with the new cover clearly derived from the original. Had it not been for the 1955 flood in Derby, Connecticut, which destroyed so much inventory material, CDC would probably have carried on this way for years. (Again, see Comic Book Artist #9 for more on this disastrous flood and its aftermath.) Others, like Range Busters #8 (really #1) (May 1955), have the definite look of Fox Features art. Fox is credited with a one-shot of its own. The final issue of Range Busters (#10, Sept. 1955) features new Charlton art alongside Golden Arrow, the former Fawcett hero, in “The Cattle Fraud.” The classic innuendo cover to CDC’s True Life Secrets #23 (Nov.-Dec. 1954) was reprised from Fox’s My Desire #4 (April 1950). CDC also used western characters who had been published by Avon. These include the famous outlaw Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickok, and Kit Carson. This is likely the shared use of public-domain characters, as with Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and others. “Jesse James” made appear-

ances in Cowboy Western from #31-39, plus #50-58 (1951-55). “Wild Bill” was featured in Cowboy Western #31-34 during 1951, with later appearances in Masked Raider #27-28 (1961). Wild Bill Hickok was also a radio and TV series, starring Guy Madison, with Andy Devine as his humorous partner Jingles. Charlton featured these stories in Cowboy Western/Wild Bill Hickok and Jingles #59-75, plus Six-Gun Heroes #38-43. Appearing briefly in Six-Gun Heroes #44-45 (1957) was “Kit Carson,” which starred Bill Williams in the television originals. Both these adaptations shunned photo covers, which brand-leader Dell employed to such great effect. [The conclusion of this series, including a full listing of the Fawcett-toCharlton titles, will appear in Alter Ego #42, two issues from now— we’ve got to make room next issue, as FCA celebrates its 100th issue!] [Frank Motler is old enough to know better, but still loves comics and collects comic books. There was a brief period when he traded them in for fast women and faster cars. However, common sense prevailed and he returned to the fold in 1975. He was born into a post-World War II London, England, in 1946. He has a much-loved teenage son, Francis, and a passion for Charlton, EC, Atlas, Ajax/Farrell, A-bomb ephemera, and numerous other Atom Age American comics.]

Now—FLIP US for our SCHWARTZ & KANE Section!

JULIE SCHWARTZ 1 & GIL KANE 5.95 1994--2004

’Nuff Said Said? ? ’Nuff

In the the USA USA In

No. 40

September 2004

NEAL ADAMS MURPHY ANDERSON ANDRU & ESPOSITO SERGIO ARAGONÉS KAREN BERGER HANNES BOK JACK BRADBURY JACK COLE REED CRANDALL DICK DILLIN WILL ELDER AL FELDSTEIN LOU FINE VIRGIL FINLAY NEIL GAIMAN JOSÉ GARCIA-LÓPEZ DAVE GIBBONS JOE GIELLA MICHAEL T. GILBERT BOB GREENBERGER JACK C. HARRIS IRWIN HASEN CARMINE INFANTINO JOE KUBERT HARVEY KURTZMAN SHELLY MOLDOFF PETE MORISI IRV NOVICK DOUG POTTER CHARLES QUINLAN MAC RABOY BILL SCHELLY MIKE SEKOWSKY SIMON & KIRBY CURT SWAN MARC SWAYZE ANTHONY TOLLIN ALEX TOTH MICHAEL USLAN LEN WEIN & WALLY WOOD!! &

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Vol. 3, No. 40/September 2004

™

Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

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

Cover Artists Gil Kane Russ Heath

Contents

Writer/Editorial: Three’s a Crowd––but That’s Not a Bad Thing! . 2 The Julius Schwartz Memorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 March 18, 2004: Remembrances of a Legend. My Second Favorite Julie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Mr. S. said to Jim Amash: “Tell these stories after I’m dead!” So he did.

Covers Colorist Tom Ziuko

JULIE SCHWARTZ & GIL KANE Section

This Issue Is Dedicated to the Memory of

JACK BRADBURY

Tributes to a Titan: The Sequel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Still more comics pros recall their close encounters with Julie Schwartz. The Agent of Cthulhu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 J.S. as science-fiction agent, recounted by Scott Shaeffer. “You Can’t Measure Comics Up against Anything Else!”. . . . 33 A short 1998 interview with the great Gil Kane, conducted by Daniel Herman. Sort of The Atom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Prototypes, precursors, and maybe just plain parallels of DC’s Silver Age Mighty Mite, by John Wells. Silhouettes Redux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Alex Toth on the awesome power of the outline in comic art. Jack Bradbury Remembered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Russ Heath & Friends Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: Collector Marc Svensson, who sent us this splendiferous piece of neverbefore-printed art, informs us that artist Gil Kane drew it as a gift for Julie Schwartz on his 80th birthday in 1995, and that it became “Julie’s most favorite thing on his office wall.” It’s a superb piece, which just cried out to be a cover on Alter Ego—and who are we to resist such a siren call? You can see it in black-&-white on p. 43 in this issue. [Art ©2004 Elaine Kane; Green Lantern, Flash, Atom, Rex, & Johnny Thunder TM & ©2004 DC Comics.] Above: In the second “Two Flashes” team-up, in The Flash #137 (June 1963), Vandal Savage forced the Crimson Comets to duke it out, both on the cover and in these panels drawn by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, written by Gardner Fox, and edited by Julie Schwartz. Reproduced from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of a generous donor whose name we have ungenerously overlooked—but whom we owe a free copy of A/E! [©2004 DC Comics.] Alter EgoTM is published monthly by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8 ($10 Canada, $11.00 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $120 Canada, $132 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

Title writer/editorial

Three’s A Crowd– But That’s Not A Bad Thing! Talk about “domino effects”! As most of you already know, we devoted 90%+ of Alter Ego #38 to DC editor/legend Julius Schwartz, who passed away last February. But we had so much material on hand, so many contributions, that we still couldn’t fit it all in. So when, by an amazing coincidence, Marc Svensson submitted an absolutely breathtaking drawing Gil Kane had done of Julie surrounded by the major heroes he’d drawn for him—yes, boys and girls, Gil did have a brief stint as artist of The Flash—I seized the opportunity to devote half of this issue to those two talented gents. There’d have been more about Gil, of course, if I hadn’t had so much already on hand concerning Julie— but rest assured we’ll be “raising Kane” again before long! And, can you believe it—with regard to Julie alone, we still had two more Will Murray interviews and an offbeat 1965 tape from Shel Dorf with Julie and Carmine Infantino left over! So we’ll make a commitment right here and now—approximately one year from now, an A/E

issue will once again spotlight Julius Schwartz, plus art he shepherded by the likes of Kane, Infantino, Anderson, Sekowsky, Adams, Novick, et al. And there’ll be scarcely an anecdote or art spot repeated from #38 or #40! Still, devoting half this issue to Julie and Gil meant that, since we already had Jim Amash’s long and informative conversation with artistic great Russ Heath lined up, as well, our regular departments—FCA, Bill Schelly, “Comic Crypt,” even Alex Toth—got kinda crowded. And our letters section got just plain crowded out, yet again… inspiring us to make a solemn vow to ourselves to catch up in the next 2–3 issues so that we’ll be back to allowing only five months between issues and comments thereon, so help us Crom! Bestest,

™

COMING IN OCTOBER HALLOWEEN

FRANKENSTEIN FEAR-FEST—

& THE FRANKLY FABULOUS

FCA #100!

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The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service Remembrances of a Legend Transcribed by Brian K. Morris

We couldn’t think of any more appropriate way to begin this transcript of the memorial than to reproduce the front and back covers of the four-page pamphlet handed out that day. The photo by Beth Gwinn was one of Julie’s all-time favorites of himself, a fuller copy of which adorned the cover of his 2000 memoir Man of Two Worlds: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics— while Joe Kubert’s masterful caricature-plus had first been published in color in a 1970s issue of DC’s own house fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics. Thanks to Marc Svensson for loaning us his personal copy of the pamphlet. [Art ©2004 the respective copyright holders; heroes TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

[EDITOR’S NOTE: On the morning of March 18, 2004, a memorial was held by DC Comics for Julius Schwartz, who had passed away at the age of 88 on February 8. Because of the limited time available, only a relatively small number of those in attendance were able to voice their thoughts about the man they had known… but those few words speak volumes. We have omitted noting points at which the audience laughed or burst into spontaneous applause; but rest assured, there were many such. You can imagine those places as well as we can. Julie was loved and revered by his peers… as you are about to be reminded. The remarks have been edited slightly, in spots, in the interests of space. These omissions are generally indicated by ellipses (…). —Roy.] PAUL LEVITZ: Good morning. Before we begin the formal memories—in his usual organized fashion, Mr. Schwartz decided to edit this event, and has had a long-standing arrangement with Rich Markow, who is the custodian of his jazz collection. Rich burned the CD you’re listening to, and it will play again as we’re going out, but Julie had a specific selection that he asked to be played today. Organized, as always, and keeping us on our toes, as always. May we please have a selection from the Schwartz Collection? [Tape plays of “Flee as a Bird/Didn’t He Ramble” by Louis Armstrong] LEVITZ: As far as I know, Julie had not arranged for anything else to happen here—but none of us would put it past him, so we’ll just take it a

Videotape Courtesy of Marc Svensson step at a time. Thank you all for coming. Over the years, days like this have been a very special tradition within our field. It’s now for me to share the life experience we’ve had as a community and of some unique people who have come through our lives and times. Julie was certainly unique among the unique, our self-proclaimed “Living Legend.” He had touched a tremendous amount of lives.

To those of you who have not been to one of these before, we have no system, we have no organization; we have an open mike, and there’s usually more than enough love and enough memory in the room to carry us. Because of the venue in which we’re doing this, we do have to wrap up by noon and then be out of here so the entertainment can go on for the rest of the world. And Julie would not approve of our missing our deadlines in the process. So I’m going to simply turn the mike over to people as we go. And my preference would be perhaps the suggested limit would not be more than a minute or two for every decade you’ve known Julie. There are a few people here who might account for quite a bit of time. Just to start it rolling, Brian? If you’d be so kind as to read the formal eulogy? Harlan Ellison sends his deep regrets at not being able to make it here, but a combination of the snow canceling a flight and last-minute health problems has stuck him in California, waiting for Julie’s call, and I’ll ask Julie’s collaborator to fill in. BRIAN M. THOMSEN: Nobody can deliver a piece the way Harlan can, so if you’ll bear with me. Also, it now gives me the rare honor to have now collaborated with two living legends…. In deference to the piece, I’m only going to take a minute before reading it and a minute again, and one minor interruption, in reading it. This piece came to Harlan about the Friday before Julie passed. I got a phone call from Harlan and he basically said, “Kiddo, the time has come. I’ve got to put something together and I don’t know where to start. And can you possibly just give me the key dates and facts and I’ll fill in everything else so that I don’t have to keep referring back to the book?” So I basically put together a one-page that was decade-by-decade… probably no more than 125 words. Oh, he hit the Lovecraft time, he hit the Solar Sales time, and all that, to send it all off to him so that he

Remembrances of a Legend

would have something to frame the story, but he was obviously upset, too. And then at the end, he said, “And while you’re doing this, you can’t tell anybody,” because we were doing this in preparation for Julie. So I sent off the research and Harlan put it together and I was quite surprised to see that I got a collaborative note on it by Harlan. And with that in mind, I will start reading it and please forgive me for not being Harlan’s equal. He doesn’t have many, and one of them has just passed. [begins reading; piece is ©2004 The Kilimanjaro Corporation]

“‘Softly, A Living Legend Passes’ “Obituary by Harlan Ellison “There are great men, and there are good men. Seldom are both qualities met in one person. But even Mel Brooks knew how to honor this great, good man: ‘May the Schwartz be with you!’ And now he has gone through that final doorway, if not the last of the great Golden Age editors, then surely the oldest. Julius Schwartz died peacefully from complications of pneumonia at Winthrop Hospital, Mineola, New York, at a minute or two of 2:30 AM, Saturday night/Sunday morning, 8 February 2004. “His vita of achievements will read, to anyone even passingly familiar with 20th Century literature and popular culture, as if someone had combined the dossiers of a dozen men and women working overtime, 24/7, for decades. He was the quiet, balding, gentle taskmaster whose creativity was pumped into hundreds of writers, artists, editors, and fans of the heroic milieu on a daily basis for at least three generations. His name again was Julius Schwartz, though everyone called him Julie; and his going confounds all of us who knew him, truly, as a Living Legend; and stuns us because we were convinced he was immortal. And until Sunday, none of us had lived in a world where Julie did not exist. Now he is gone, and 88-plus years doesn’t seem, somehow, nearly as amazing a run as we’d thought. The great educator and social reformer John William Gardner once noted, ‘Some people strengthen the society just by being the kind of people they are.’ Great, but also good. “That he was Ray Bradbury’s first agent, you may know. “That he was the editor of Superman for close on a quarter of a century, you may also know. “That he was the man who got Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness published, is also common legend. But here is a skeletal chronology of the Horatio Alger-style climb of Julie Schwartz from child of poor immigrants to, well, Living Legend: “His parents, Joseph and Bertha, emigrated from a small town outside Bucharest, Romania. Julie was a Jew, and damned proud of it, despite the tsuriss that pride would later bring. He was born at home. 817 Caldwell Avenue in the Bronx. 19 June 1915, smack in the middle of World War I. There is no truth whatever in the canard that he emerged from Bertha waving a New York Yankees pennant. But he did teethe on one. “He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School and was the humor editor of The Square Deal, the high school paper at that time edited by his mentor, the famous Norman Cousins. Mid-teens, and already an

DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz (top left) and Brian Thomsen (left), who collaborated with Julie (seen here with B.T.) on Man of Two Worlds—flanking a page from the first JLA-JSA team-up ever, in Justice League of America #21 (Aug. 1963), “Crisis on Earth-One,” which Paul has often said was the first comic book he ever bought. That’s what we call starting off at the top! Sekowsky/Sachs art repro’d from photocopies of the original, courtesy of Jerry G. Bails. Script by Gardner Fox. Thanks to Locus Publications at <locus@locusmag.com> for the Thomsen/Schwartz photo. [JLA page ©2004 DC Comics.]

editor; already reading science fiction pulp magazines; already writing (his column was called ‘Jest a Moment’); the cultural amber in which he lazed was already setting firmly. He graduated high school at age seventeen. In 1931, a mere five years after Hugo Gernsback published the first science fiction magazine, Julie made contact with a kid named Mort Weisinger, through the letter column Gernsback had initiated in Amazing Stories. In 1932 he and Weisinger and Allen Glasser started the first science fiction amateur magazine, the fanzine titled The Time Traveller. Letter columns that solidified a literary community, amateur publications that had the imprimatur of professionalism and editorial acuity, friendships with writers struggling to find their voices… foreshadowing. “1934, the year the writer of this encomium—” Mr. Ellison, not Mr. Thomsen “—was born, Julie, with Mort, started the first sf literary agency, Solar Sales Service. Their first sale was of Edmond Hamilton’s ‘Master of the Genes’ to Wonder Stories. They got 10% of the magnificent fee. The sale was for $35, do the math. “In 1935, Julie actually met H.P. Lovecraft, the great recluse, and somehow convinced him to let Solar Sales market one of his stories. An astounding $350 sale to Astounding Stories, the only time the supernatural scrivener managed to get into any of the top-paying markets. By

The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service

and encouraged what came to be known as the finest cadre of writers and artists who worked in the era famed as the Silver Age. Silver, because Julie brought back to life a pantheon of great comics heroes who had been dormant since the demented witch-hunt days of Wertham, the Kefauver hearings, and the Legion of Decency. He started by redesigning and reintroducing, in contemporary terms, The Flash. Then Green Lantern; The Atom; Hawkman; and then the Justice League of America from the ashes of the Justice Society in the 1940s.

(Above:) From left to right, three giants of science-fiction—authors Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison, and agent & super-fan Julie Schwartz— with awards they received at the 1998 Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott V. Norris, from the Julius Schwartz Collection. (Right:) By his accounts, Julie’s Solar Sales Service agented the first 70 stories young Bradbury sold, including his first—“Pendulum,” written with an assist from Henry Hasse and appearing in the Nov. 1941 issue of the pulp magazine Super Science Stories, with title illustration by Ray’s close friend, the talented Hannes Bok. [Art ©2004 the respective copyright holders; text ©2004 Ray Bradbury & Henry Hasse.]

the time Weisinger left the agency for editorial jobs, Julie was representing the absolute caviar of that pool of imaginative writers: Henry Kuttner, the magnificent Stanley Weinbaum, Leigh Brackett, Manly Wade Wellman, Eric Frank Russell, Otto Binder, and even Robert Heinlein for one story. 1938: Julie snags Robert Bloch, eventually selling 75 stories, including the memorable, many-times-reprinted ‘Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper.’ 1940: a kid named Alfred Bester comes to Julie, is mentored by him, and Julie makes his first sale, ‘Life for Sale,’ to Amazing Stories. 1939: Julie meets a kid named Ray Bradbury, takes him on, sells ‘The Pendulum’ to Super Science Stories, and it appears on newsstands on Bradbury’s 21st birthday. “In February of 1944 (Julie remembered it was the 23rd of February; he remembered that at age 87; he was old, he wasn’t senile), Julie entered the next phase of his career when he went to work for All-American Comics as an editor. All-American was one of the divisions that we know today as DC.

“He was the turbine that drove the resurgence of comic book popularity. He saved from nearextinction one of the few truly American art-forms. He was the Simon Bolivar of his genre. “And all through those times, those decades, no matter how many friends he had—and anyone who met him usually came away with a smile, an anecdote, and a tiny lapel pin of Superman—he was also the loving husband of Jean, and the loving father of Jeanne. Though few who knew him, however intimately, knew of the pain and difficulty that existed in his marriage to his beloved Jean. Not my place to speak of such here, but Julie lived to see not only his children grow into estimable adults, but his grandchildren, as well. He doted on them, brought them into his comics world, and led two separate and equally beguiling lives. Jean’s death… well, he never got over it.

“He wrote for DC and edited for DC and created for DC from 1944 till 1989 when he retired as Editor Emeritus, Comics Ambassador Plenipotentiary without Portfolio, and endless resource for the comic book industry. “But for those 45 years, nearly half his life, during which he went to the office every day in a jacket and tie like a real adult, during which time he worked on virtually every important DC title that shaped the morality and ethics of kids everywhere in this country—editing more than 160 issues of Strange Adventures, and more than 90 issues of Mystery in Space, and shepherding the revival of Batman—one of DC’s two most important, flagship characters—with his assumption of the editorship of Detective Comics with issue #327, and in 1970 becoming the group editor of all the Superman comic books, a job he held for twenty years, even through the legendary Neal Adams revamp and the Man of Steel’s appearance on the cover of Time magazine—for those 45 years he supported

This photo is one of a number taken in 1946, featuring (left to right) Mindy & Dave Feuerstein (she was the sister of Mrs. John Broome), Jean Ordwein (the future Mrs. Schwartz), and Julie. Though we weren’t aware of the fact when we printed several other pics from this period in Alter Ego #38, many of these photos were digitally restored a year or two before Julie’s death by comics fan & historian Marc Svensson. Marc says: “There are a bunch [of photos] from ’46 that I want to put all together in print someday, and write up the stories that resulted. I have video of Mindy, David, and Peggy [Broome] going over these photos.” Thanks, Marc, for sending us this one— and we hope you’ll give us a chance to print those additional photos and your notes in a future issue!

“This is his story, and I won’t shoehorn myself into it, save to say that one of the delights of the last eighteen years for me was the weekly call from Julie. Every Wednesday morning, 8:15 Los Angeles time, 11:15 in the DC offices whence Julie made his subway hegira every week, Julie called and we talked about what each of us knew of the week’s gossip, events, scandals, and hiring-firings. He was amazed that if he called me, 3000 miles away from the office in which he sat, I knew secret stuff that no one in the halls would talk about. He always wanted to know who my ‘inside man at the skunk works’ was. I never told him. “We talked about the Yankees (which he loved)—” I’m going to interrupt for a moment now. I, too, always had a weekly phone

Remembrances of a Legend

A caricature of Julie by his artist/friend Gil Kane on behalf of both of them for comics fan/collector Steve Saffel, who’s currently the editorial director of Media Projects at Ballantine Books—surrounded by a montage of art from comics Julie edited. The cover of Strange Adventures #31 (April 1953; artist uncertain—maybe Gil Kane)— All-Star Western #76 (April-May 1954; penciled by Gil Kane)— A Carmine Infantino/Joe Giella “Batman” splash from Detective Comics #339 (May 1965), repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, long owned by Batfan Biljo White, and courtesy of Frank Giella— Green Lantern #43 (March 1966) splash by Gil Kane from an Australian b&w reprint mag, courtesy of Shane Foley— and a splash by Curt Swan & Murphy Anderson from Superman #241 (Aug. 1971). [Comic art ©2004 DC Comics; caricature ©2004 Elaine Kane.]

The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service call with Julie, and also a weekly lunch. Sort of, well, Wallace Shawn had his dinner with Andre, I had my sushi with Julie. And invariably, I would call right at the stroke of 9:00, after Buffy the Vampire Slayer on some weeks, or before The West Wing on other weeks. And if the Yankees were on, he would immediately give me the update on the score and follow it by the fact that, “You know the Yankees? They’re not a very good team.” This was the man who loved them, but things were never as good as they used to have been. So when the Yankees go on and win the Pennant, they’re still, “Yes, but they’re not a good team.” We’re talking about a man who expected perfection from everyone else because he expected it from himself. And if he could expect it from himself, there was no reason he couldn’t expect it from the Yankees. So if they weren’t as good as the days of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, well, he wasn’t going to be satisfied. So even though he loved the Yankees, he was still known to say, “They’re not a very good team.” [returns to reading]

7 Schwartz. After the man had more or less retired—and he is the living example of why retirement doesn’t mean you have to stop working— when we were working on the book together, I would come in, bring in the tape recorder and the first few sessions were basically talk-for-awhile and certain anecdotes kept coming up, which he would then correct the following week. We started off where I would buy lunch one week, he’d buy it the next week. Originally, the menu was tuna salad sandwich and a cup of soup. Within a month of that, he started saying, “What’s that thing you’re eating?” And it was me with the sushi. From that point on, he would have his cup of soup and sushi, so it was indeed sushi with Julie.

Of course, he would talk about days with Ed Hamilton and then bring up, “Well, did you see what was on O’Reilly last night?” And I’d, “What?” Now mind you, Julie was a life-long Democrat, okay? Yet he could never stop watching Fox, so that he could rail against them. You know, everybody knows that Julie Julie loved editing team-ups, including this one of Batman and the pulp hero The Shadow, as per this mid-1970s splash from Batman #253, had a thing in his heart for blonde “—we talked about pea soup repro'd from a b&w Australian reprint comic, courtesy of Shane Foley. women. He used to give out names (which he loved), we talked about Art by Irv Novick & Dick Giordano, script by Denny O’Neil. like Kelly Kirkpatrick, Ann Coulter, [©2004 DC Comics; The Shadow TM & ©2004 Condé Nast.] Dixieland jazz (which he loved), and and all of these wonderfullywe talked about various people (some attractive women of the of whom he did not love). We practiced our Yiddish on each other, and Conservative side, and then lambast them like you would never—that he told me stories of the grandkids. He sent me fanzines with anecdotes they don’t know what they’re talking about, they’re hateful, they’re about himself outlined in red marker. rotten, and why does anyone bother to watch Fox to begin with? And yet, invariably, I always found out from him who was on O’Reilly the “When Ed Kramer and the Dragon*Con instituted the Julie Award night before. Not because he believed any of it, but because he for excellence in multi-media, he was beside himself with pride. It is a continued to watch it. large, awfully handsome sculpture, and speaks to Julie’s belief that artistic excellence in one venue can lead to outstanding efforts in several forms. The award is a great prize. “As was his friendship. “He was great, because from behind the scenes, softly and sweetly, he nuhdzed and kvetched and chivvied and prodded a plethora of talents from Alfie Bester to Len Wein to Neal Adams to Ray Bradbury to Paul Levitz to be better than they’d been before. To work at jobs that would pay their rent till they could move on to the production of landmark creations. “He was good, because he was gentle and kind and loyal and a dear loveable pain in the ass who always had time for a smile and a bad pun and a note of encouragement to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of otherwise-strangers who, having met him even once, felt he was their fondest friend. The outpouring of pain and loss at his passing has startled even those who knew him all their lives. “He was a Living Legend. He told me so himself. “And how could I doubt anyone I loved so much?” [end of reading]

My own few words: my involvement with Julie didn’t involve the Stone Age or the Bronze Age of Science-fiction Fandom, the Silver Age of Comics. My involvement with Julie involved the Golden Age of

Doing the memoir was trying to quantify and put everything together. Julie was telling his story—really through telling other people’s stories, because he really didn’t think his story was that important, no matter what people might think of the fact that he called himself a “Living Legend.” No, he saw everybody else as being important, and he was honored that people would bring in and call him “friend,” that Greg Bear would introduce him as a man who needs no introduction. This was all-important to him, and it made me think; and in coming here today, I scribbled down a line: “You can tell a man’s character by the company that he keeps.” Nay, I say you can tell a man’s character by the people who wish to be in his company: Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, John Broome, Neal Adams, Denny O’Neil, Irwin Hasen, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Mark Hamill, Billy Mumy, Miguel Ferrer; many, many beautiful blonde women—the list goes on and on. I got to know Julie during the Golden Years. The Golden Years have gone into all of us and his memory will always stay golden and we will all miss him. The final point I wanted to make, and then I’ll get off because I’m taking up way too much time—the Golden Years had a few rough spots in them. Julie had his self-proclaimed “bad arthritis.” Some days were better than others, so he would kvetch. But he kept coming into the office. And when he got a few medical setbacks, he preached doom and gloom, but he had a loving family; great grandkids who would listen to him extol all the virtues of one melon over another melon, who would

Remembrances of a Legend

listen to him on the proper way to cook salmon. And he also had a reason to go on, had to get into the DC office, because DC needed him. There was a period of time where he didn’t feel that he was necessarily needed any more. The man sitting in the front row, Mr. Paul Levitz, took care of that. I had just returned back to New York from a hiatus in Wisconsin, where I worked at TSR for a while. We were talking, back and forth, and he mentioned that Julie was getting depressed, kind-of discouraged. He needed something to do. I mean, after a while, proofing other people’s copy and saying there were errors in it, and everything, just didn’t fulfill him anymore when it’s only the introduction to an Archive volume. And Paul suggested, “I think we’ve got to get him back into the fold,” and the memoir became that. It was a reason to go on. It’s a very important history, not just because of what it said in time, but because, all of a sudden, Julie had a focus again, and it became very, very important. And the day the memoir came out, he was very, very proud with a sense of accomplishment, and he kept showing it to people, and he came up to me and he said, “We’re starting to work on the revision now, aren’t we?” I credit Mr. Levitz with gilding the Golden Age of Mr. Schwartz. He kept him working, kept him going, kept him contributing to all of us. Thank you, Mr. Schwartz. And thank you, Mr. Levitz. LEVITZ: Julie was impeccable about credits; and therefore, I must decline the credit that Brian offered. I played the role of connecting Julie, as the unlikely Scheherazade, with the amanuensis of Brian’s talent. The project started with Maggie—Harlan, I believe, although he’s never admitted it—and a number of other people who came up with the basic concept, and were originally proposing to do it under a uniquely imaginative arrangement to ensure that a national treasure was kept polished. My small contribution was finding a way to get it done in a little more conventional fashion, and the matchmaking of getting Brian and Julie in a room together. [scans the room for the next speaker] It’s a big hall, guys, and I’ve got lousy eyes, so just start moving on down. Dennis, is that you coming in the back? Mr. O’Neil.

O’Neil and Schwartz at Ithacon, 1988—in Ithaca, NY, where else?—in a photo from the Julius Schwartz Collection. Justly celebrated are Denny and Julie’s collaborations on “Batman” tales and issues of Green Lantern/Green Arrow. Ah, but who can forget the Mind-Grabber Kid, from the Creeper-guesting, Schwartz-edited Justice League of America #70 (March 1969)? Certainly Denny can’t! He has said that he made up that one-shot kid hero just to show how dreadful a character concept can be—but when he later encountered MatterEater Lad of the Legion of SuperHeroes, he realized he had been trumped in advance! Repro’d from a photocopy of the original Dick Dillin/Sid Greene art, courtesy of Jeff Bailey. [©2004 DC Comics.]

DENNIS O’NEIL: Well, he knew something about double identities. I mean, for a whole lot of Julie Schwartz’s professional life, he was concerned with this kind of fictional character who presented to the world a bland, or at least pretty ordinary, façade—but, underneath that, Übermensch, strange being from another planet with powers and abilities far beyond those, etc., etc. Just about three days ago, it occurred to me that Julie himself was a double-identity character. When I first walked into his office in ’66 or ’67, the guy behind the desk did not look like the God of Editors. He was middle-aged and had the white shirt and in fact he didn’t look like anybody I would have associated with New York media. He looked like he could have been a friend of my father’s, a Midwestern businessman. Later, I discovered, through talking to people, that he was a man of egregiously regular

habits. Same subway in from Queens every morning, at his desk at the same time, late morning phone call to his wife, even if someone was sitting across from him, made the phone call, lunch, maybe a few hands of Bridge at his desk, back to his office, same subway back to Queens every night. It’s said that the philosopher Emmanuel Kant was so regular in his afternoon walk that the citizen of Konigsberg could set their watches by the time he passed their houses. Compared to Julie, Kant was Courtney Love. What he saw was pretty scruffy: a hippie, a sort of an aging hippie, probably saw jeans or saw chinos and a tie-dyed shirt maybe, a flowered shirt, and a mop of utterly unkempt and overly-long hair. I know that’s hard to believe, but I have photographs of it to prove it. So we approached each other warily. He was, on top of everything else, an authority figure. And believe me, at age 26, I knew about authority figures. Yet within a very short time, months probably, we had developed mutual trust. Eventually, that became respect, and eventually it became friendship. I was too new at the freelance writer game to realize what a good editor he was and what a perfect editor for me he was. I needed some elbow room, so what Julie did was he set the boundaries. This is the playing field, and then he gave me a great deal of freedom as to how I would play the game within those boundaries, yet the boundaries were there... and I needed them. Never did his own ego come into the process. His friend Alfred Bester once wrote that “among professionals, the job is the boss.” Well, that’s the way it was with Julie. If I came in with a story already pretty much figured out, okay, this was going to be a short visit. If I came in with little or nothing, we

The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service

would sit and we would talk, and when I walked out his office door, I was prepared to go home and start typing. And never was his ego or mine allowed to come into it. What we were there for was to make the best story we could with whatever resources we had at the time. Nothing else really counted. “Among professionals, the job is boss.” Now, if I had squinted and looked a little harder, tried to see a little bit past the white shirt and tie, I would have seen real creativity, a special kind of creativity, the kind that is collaborative. He could encourage. He could draw from other people their best work. He could augment their ideas, if that was what was necessary. He could do what was necessary to get the best story we could get at the time with what we had to work with. I guess that was probably most manifest in something that was in Harlan’s piece that Brian just read. 1956, Julie was given the task of reintroducing The Flash. In introducing, he knew, somehow, that he had to do more than that, that he had to make this character who had been dormant for a relatively long time, contemporary. So he established the pattern that so many of us have followed since. You take the basic idea, what is basically appealing about the character, you leave that intact, and you make everything else contemporary so that the character and the stories are relevant to a contemporary reader. He started with The Flash, then he did Green Lantern, then he did dozens of others. Along with Stan Lee, he re-invented a genre. And he did it as though it was, I think, nothing special. I mean, he didn’t think of it as such a complex and magnificent achievement. It was what he did, it’s what he got paid for, it’s what he did in the office five days a week. “Among professionals, the job is boss.” Eventually, the façade, the shirt and tie, fell away, and we saw the Super-editor beneath the facade, the cranky, loveable, extremely creative guy that he was. “The only thing that I’ve talked about so far... [sighs] is professional. A lot of it is a matter of record. There have been flashes of realization over the last five years, in how we’d go in and talk to Julie on Thursday mornings, that someday I would be standing in a place like this, doing what I’m doing, trying to express my personal feelings toward Julie. And the time has come and I find I can’t do it. I want to howl, I want to weep. That seems to be the kind of response that the death of Julius Schwartz demands. And yet, if he were here and I did either of those things, he would be deeply embarrassed. So we will pass. I don’t think he’d mind my telling you that working with Julie has been—was one of the better things that happened in my life. And being able to call him “friend” was one of the absolute best. MICHAEL USLAN: I’m Michael Uslan. I’m another student of the Living Legend, and I was looking at some of my old notebooks from when I was a kid in preparation for today, and I found out that I actually met Julie 40 years ago this week on one of the weekly tours at DC. So that entitles me to five minutes from when I got here. I’ll do it in two. When I was eight, I thought his name was “Editor” because the letter columns of the comic books were all addressed “Dear Editor” and I didn’t know what an Editor was. I kind of thought his name was probably “Ed,” short for “Editor.” When I was nine, I began to read the indicias, all that little print on the bottom of the first page of every comic book. I then thought “Editor” was actually his last name because every comic book said “Julius Schwartz, Editor.” I remember thinking “Schwartz” was a funny middle name until my mother corrected me and said, “No, ‘Schwartz’ is a person’s name. ‘Editor’ is a person’s job.”

“Thank you, Julie, for… lots and lots of super-gorillas!” And surely erstwhile comics writer and now film producer (Batman, et al.) Michael Uslan, pictured here, included in that list the lead tale from Detective Comics #339 (May 1965), whose splash was printed back on p. 6. Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Frank Giella. Photo courtesy of Michael, and of artist Allen Bellman and his wife Roz, to whom he inscribed it. [©2004 DC Comics.]

From then on, my friends and I simply called him “DC’s Good Editor” because all our favorite comic books had his name on them. When I was thirteen, I began an ongoing correspondence with Julie after I met him on that first tour of DC Comics that I mentioned. 1964, I showed up on that tour as a kid and had a tattered copy of All-Flash #25 from my collection. He saw it as I was moving around the offices, introduced himself to me, and said, “Come with me.” He pulled me out of the tour—I was 13 years old—introduced me to John Broome. He and John signed my comic book. He took me by the hand into the DC archives and pulled out a volume to show me Flash Comics #1. I was a 13-year old kid on a tour. He answered every letter I ever wrote from then on. And it always came on “A Personal Note From the Desk of Julius Schwartz,” and he typed “JS” at the end of each note. That’s when I started to refer to him as “JS,” which to me sounded very Hollywood. When I was in college, Julie made a dream I had when I was 8 years old come true by letting me write “Batman.” He became known to Bob Rozakis and me as “B.O. Schwartz,” and that had nothing to do with his deodorant, but having everything to do with learning always to “Be Original.” When I became an adult, I was finally comfortable calling my idol, my mentor, my hero, “Julie.” He was also, in a strange way, my math teacher, because he taught me that certain ordinary, everyday numbers could have a new and special meaning. As a comic book fan, and as a Julie Schwartz fan, I’ll think of them every time I hear the

Remembrances of a Legend

number 327, or the number 105, or certain series of numbers like 22, 23, and 24; 28, 29, and 30; or 34, 35, and 36. And I’ll leave it to you Baby Boomers and hardcore fans to figure out what I’m talking about.

Julie and Irwin Hasen at the Charlotte (NC) Heroes Con in June 2000, the occasion of the “coming-out” of Julie’s memoir Man of Two Worlds, which Mr. S. relentlessly hawked from that day until his passing more than three years later. Irwin drew “Green Lantern” and “Justice Society” stories for editor Julie in the late 1940s, before becoming the original (and only) artist of the Dondi newspaper strip in the 1950s. Photo from the Julius Schwartz Collection. (On left:) This Hasen caricature of Julie, which first appeared in The Amazing World of DC Comics #3 (Nov.-Dec. 1974), was accompanied by Irwin’s description of his friend as having “the grin of an intelligent chipmunk.” (On right:) Irwin’s quick sketch of the Golden Age GL was drawn for the 2000 Heroes Con program book. [Art ©2004 Irwin Hasen; Green Lantern TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

So thank you, Julie, for “Flash of Two Worlds,” for “Crisis on EarthOne and –Two,” for the “New Look” Batman, for “The Planet That Came to a Standstill,” for “Kryptonite Nevermore,” for “The Return of The Spectre,” for “Dr. Fate and Hourman,” The Atomic Knights, Hawkman, “Starman and Black Canary,” lots and lots of super-gorillas. Goodbye Superman, the Man of Tomorrow, and Ra’s Al Ghul. Thank you for all the great talent you nurtured and all the careers you made by giving some us thin young upstarts a shot. Thank you for the friendship, the energy, the creativity, the fun, the history; and now, for the memories. You were right. You were the greatest. LEVITZ: On seniority, Irwin claims this next. Irwin Hasen. IRWIN HASEN: Just my size. Okay, now, Julius Schwartz was a legend in the Golden Age of Comic Books and an innovator at the Silver Age, but Julie was ageless. Remington knew the horse, Schwartz knew the comic book. Back in the 1940s, when Julie Schwartz was my editor at DC, there was Julie’s Law: on no occasion, from 12:00 noon to 1:15, were you to disturb his lunch of black bean soup and playing cards with Mort Weisinger. When I brought pages for Julie to edit, he would eyeball me and snap, “Too many damn silhouettes. You’re getting lazy.” But your check was always there when you finished your work. It was Julie who introduced me to jazz. Louie, Ella, “The Muskrat Ramble,” The Hot Club of France, Lee Wiley, Eddie Condon; oh, those halcyon days. Speaking of halcyon, Julie introduced me to Harlan Ellison. Julie and I would do the convention circuit together around the country. He was DC’s perennial ambassador. Aboard the airliner, he’d open up his jacket and show his shirt with the Superman logo, stand up in front of the audience of the audience of the passengers and say, “I’m Superman.” Honest to God. He would advise me on his eating habits. Twice-baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, sardines and salads. At a low point in my life, he advised me to go to Height Watchers. In the last few years, during the conventions, when his health was failing, Julie insisted I share the hotel room with him in case he fell on the way to the potty. It was usually Julie, the old bastard, who slept right through the night and it was I who kept vigil all night long. The last time I saw Julie was at a Big Apple Convention in New York City. Joe Giella and his son Frank drove him in from Queens. He

looked pale. I said, “Julie, take care of yourself.” He gave me that squirrely stare and said, “Why? Let somebody else do it.” He may have had a portent, I don’t know.

Julie loved sweet Manhattans with three cherries. So here’s to Julie Schwartz, my teacher, my mentor, and a friend. Thank you. LEVITZ: Jack Harris. JACK C. HARRIS: Good morning, my name is Jack C. Harris, and I am currently an instructor at The School of Visual Arts here in New York City. I’m also a fan of Julie Schwartz’s. I was a correspondent of Julie Schwartz’s, I was an editorial colleague of Julie Schwartz’s, and I was a writer for Julie Schwartz. And finally, I had the honor of being a friend of Julie Schwartz. I first became aware of the name of Julie Schwartz around 1960 when my mother ordered me to clean up the comic books that were scattered all over my house. Being the consummate collector, I not only cleaned them up, but I catalogued them, sorted them alphabetically and numerically, and stored them in a cool, dry place in my attic. However, I kept one box in my bedroom for easy access, filled with my favorite books. It was an eclectic assortment. There were science-fiction titles, super-hero titles, detective books, and even a war or western or two. I got to thinking, what was it about these particular titles that made them so appealing to me? What did they have in common? They were all DC Comics, because I had graduated from the funny animal and Little Lulu comics published by Dell some years earlier, but that wasn’t it. They were all DC titles, but other DCs that I had bought had not made it into my special stash. It wasn’t the art, for some was ultra-realistic, other was rather cartoony. It wasn’t the writing, either, some being deadly serious, others being rather humorous. The only common denominator I found was in the small print at the beginning of the first page of these comics. Every one of them listed someone called Julius Schwartz as “Editor.” At the time, I did not know who Julius Schwartz was and I had no inkling about what an Editor did. But whatever he was, or whoever he was, and whatever he did gave those comics a certain special fascination for me. And from that point on, whenever a new comic appeared on the stands, I would check the indicia for the name Julie Schwartz. In the months to follow, I was to learn who Julie Schwartz was and exactly what an editor did. Julie himself told me and thousands of other comic book fans through the pages of the letter columns, the best and liveliest letter columns in the whole comic industry. It was by reading

The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service

11 University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a degree in Illustration, but circumstances changed my career path into one as a writer, an editor, and teacher, but still firmly entrenched in the comic book industry, thanks to Julie Schwartz. I first met Julie at a World Science Fiction Convention here in New York. I was introduced by a fellow fan named Rick Norwood. Imagine my surprise when Julie not only remembered me as a letter column contributor, but he recalled exactly where I was from. His incredible memory was just one of his gifts.

Artist Murphy Anderson, Julie Schwartz, and 1970s-80s DC editor and writer Jack C. Harris share a trio of smiles at the Ramapo Comic Convention (no, we haven’t the slightest idea where it was held!) in 1994. At right: the Don Heck/Joe Giella splash of a story Jack scripted for Julie for Superman Family #197 (Sept.-Oct. 1979). [Art ©2004 DC Comics.]

those columns that I knew what comic book writers did, I learned what pencilers and inkers did, I learned about letterers and colorists, I learned what editors did. Julie let his readers in on the inside stuff of producing these comics, which included revivals of many of the World War II heroes and laid the groundwork for what is known today as the Silver Age of Comics. But Julie didn’t just give all this background information about comic books away. There was a price to pay. Julie demanded original, thought-provoking letters, missives that posted intriguing questions, that offered informative critique. I learned later that this was all part of payback from Julie Schwartz for his joys of science-fiction fandom in his youth. By encouraging these letters, by publishing the full street addresses and plugging the new comic book fanzines, Julie laid the foundation for comic book fandom. He is credited with starting the Silver Age of Comics, but it should be remembered that he created comics fandom, as well. In those days, comics companies not only bought the publishing rights to artists’ works, but they bought the physical artwork itself. They owned it and they could do with it as they saw fit. Julie recognized the value of his artists’ labors and offered the original artwork as rewards to his readers, to inspire them to compose and send in the kind of original letters he wanted to publish. And he got them from such correspondents as Jerry Bails, Roy Thomas, Paul Seydor, Paul Gambaccini, Guy H. Lillian III, Bob Rozakis, Don Thompson, and hundreds of others, including myself. When I was about 14 years old, my interest in comic books was waning a bit, having discovered girls and all, but it was rekindled into a blazing inferno when a letter I wrote was published in an issue of Mystery in Space and Julie sent me the original artwork to a 17page “Adam Strange” story. The art is still one of my most prized possessions. It changed my life. From the moment I beheld those Carmine Infantino originals, I wanted to be a comic book artist. I graduated from the

After graduating from college, I secured an assistant editor position at DC Comics that teamed me with editor Murray Boltinoff. The first day I came to work, the first person who greeted me was Julie Schwartz. Perhaps I’m wrong, but from my vantage point, I never saw anyone who didn’t like Julie Schwartz. He was a friend and inspiration to all. Writer Len Wein once described Julie as “everyone’s favorite uncle.” I thought that was a most accurate description.

Back in the 1960s, this exquisite Carmine Infantino/Murphy Anderson page from the “Adam Strange” story in Mystery in Space #72 was given to fan (and future DC editor) Jack C. Harris by editor Julie Schwartz for his letter printed in MiS #73. [©2004 DC Comics.]

Once, while attending one of Fred Greenberger’s New York comic book conventions, I was standing with Julie at the edge of the dealers’ room. It was filled with comic book dealers, fans, guests, and professionals as far as the eye could see. I turned to Julie and said, “You know, this is all your fault.” He smiled for me his toothy grin and said proudly, “Yeah, I know.” DC Comics’ Charlie Kochman recently observed that Julie was completely aware of his significance in the science-fiction and comic book world, but he had no ego about it. To Julie, being a comic book editor simply meant that he had to be the best comic book editor there ever was. Being significant, to Julie Schwartz, was all in a day’s work. But beyond the work, Julie inspired thousands. Not just the writers and artists who worked for him, but he inspired fans as well. Before I can conclude, permit me a little experiment. If you are in the comic book industry because of Julie Schwartz, either indirectly or directly, I would like you to stand up. [Some audience members rise to their feet.] And if Julie Schwartz is the reason you are being where you are today professionally, I would like you to stand up. [More people rise.] You see, Julie? It’s still your fault.

Remembrances of a Legend

Two final thoughts: my own professional association with Julie Schwartz remains one of the best experiences in my career. At one point in time, I was the writer for all of DC Comics’ super-females. I’m not sure why this happened, but at the time, I was writing the adventures of Wonder Woman in her own book and in Adventure Comics, I was writing the licensed character Isis, I was writing Batgirl adventures, I was editing even the sword-and-sorcery tales of a character called Starfire. So in 1979, when an editorial rearrangement occurred, I found myself assigned Supergirl’s tales for the Superman Family title and Julie was to be the editor. Sitting in Julie’s office, tossing around ideas and possible “Supergirl” story springboards, was some of the most enjoyable hours I’ve ever had in this industry. But after writing my first script for Julie, I spent an agonizing hour waiting for him to pass his editorial judgement on my work. I had dozens of stories under my belt by then, but none of them had been evaluated and edited by Julie Schwartz. After handing in the story to Julie, I went down the hall to my office. I found myself unable to do any work. I was just too nervous. Finally, Julie strolled down from his office to mine, my script in one hand and his ever-present editorial pen in the other. He stuck his head in our office, tapping on the script with his pen and said, “This was fine.” “This was fine.” This was fine? From any other editor, that would have been just a left-hand comment. But this was coming from Julius Schwartz, the greatest comic book editor of all time, and he said of my script, “This was fine.” I have never before, and have never since, received a more glowing comment on my work. “This was fine.” And finally, I’d like to believe that Julius Schwartz is now the permanent Guest of Honor at a combination science-fiction and comic book convention in Eternity where he can converse and otherwise hobnob with his brother professionals and his thousands of fans. I also like to think that they have rewarded him a Lifetime Achievement trophy or plaque. And I would like to be presumptuous enough to suggest an inscription for that award, an inscription that would accurately express the life and accomplishments of Julie Schwartz. It would read just three words: “This was fine.” This was fine. Thank you, Julie. We’ll miss you forever. LEVITZ: Ricia Mainhardt. RICIA MAINHARDT: I won’t talk about Julie in the past tense, because he is with us and will remain with us as long as we remember him. He is my mentor, he is my teacher, he’s my best friend, and he’s a father. He can be the biggest pain in the butt, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

soup, navy bean soup. After he felt I did an okay job with that, he said, “Well, you know, I really prefer baby lima bean soup.” Okay. Next, we began the process for baby lima bean soup. Then, finally, he felt I was ready for the ultimate soup: split pea. Now it can’t be just any split peas, you understand. You have to start with yellow split peas. And after many sessions and numerous pots of split pea soup, I am proud to say that he has said that I have created the world’s best split pea soup. Coming from Julie, that is indeed something to be proud of, perhaps one of my better accomplishments in life. Professionally, I continued on in a profession he started. He was the first science-fiction literary agent, and that is my career. Or actually, it’s my third, but who’s counting? Life is never going to be the same. I don’t remember life before I met Julie, and I really can’t imagine life without him. But we have to go on, and we will, by remembering him and making him proud of us. I love you, Julie. And for all of the people you were father of, or best friend to, or friend to, we thank you. The world is a better place and I know I’m a better person because of Julie. He was the best friend and best surrogate father a girl could ask for. Thank you. LEVITZ: Bob Greenberger. BOB GREENBERGER: Actually, today I’m in here, in the role of Len Wein who could not be here and sent something to be read. And for possibly the first time in Len’s life, he was a week early. [begins reading] “The first time I met the man, I was a neophyte writer, sitting in the office he then shared with the late and much-missed E. Nelson Bridwell. He’d just come from a confrontation I was wholly unaware of and he was not the happiest of men. He saw me sitting in Nelson’s guest chair, trying to look invisible, and pounced on me with glee. “‘You,’ he demanded, ‘what the hell are you doing here?’ “‘I, uh, I’m a writer.’ I stammered. ‘I’m hoping to sell Mr. Bridwell a back-up story for Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane.’ “‘No, you’re not,’ he said, quite literally grabbing me by the shirt collar and lifting me from Nelson’s guest chair to unceremoniously dump me in his own. ‘You’re writing The Flash.’ “’I’m what?’ I said. “’You’re writing The Flash,’ he repeated. ‘I don’t know who the hell you are, but you certainly can’t do a worse job than the little expletivedeleted I just fired.’

We used to go to lunch every Wednesday at the diner underneath the offices in 555 Sixth Avenue. Or was it 666? That’s the Number of the Beast? How could I forget? But there was a catastrophe at the diner. They stopped serving navy bean soup. We looked all over for another diner that served decent navy bean soup on Wednesday for lunch, couldn’t find one. Drastic steps had to be taken. I learned how to make bean soup. Well, one doesn’t just cook for Julie. First, there have to be the hours of preparation. Now, these hours of preparation are two yentas, Julie and myself, getting together to discuss the recipe. You thought this was a simple process, but no. We could spend hours, literally. First there was bean

“And that’s how Julie Schwartz became my editor. “About a year or so later, I happened to walk into his office for some now-long-forgotten reason, to find him hunched over his desk, pencil in hand, scribbling away, completely absorbed in the script he was editing. I stood there silently for several minutes, watching the master at work, until he finally chanced to glance up and notice my presence.

Science-fiction literary agent Ricia Mainhardt a few years ago, flanked by sf author Frederick Pohl (Gladiator-at-Law, et al.) and Julie, approaches a table where sit authors Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles, et al.) and Jack Williamson (Darker Than You Think, et al.). A tableau full of talent—and we hardly mean to exclude Julie, who produced untold thousands of pages of top-notch, influential comic books! Photo courtesy of Ricia Mainhardt.

“‘What the hell do you want?’ he demanded with his usual gruff charm. “I will never know what possessed me to answer as I did. ‘Oh, nothing,’ I replied, smiling. ‘I just thought I’d stand around for a while

The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service

and watch you grow senile.’ He glared at me for a moment, then he stared at me for a beat, and then he started to laugh and laugh and laugh. He laughed so hard, in fact, he actually fell out of his chair. In a blind panic, I rushed to him, offered him my hand, and helped him to his feet. “Eyes still wet from laughter, he looked at me and smiled. ‘Now that,’ he said, ‘was funny. Why aren’t you that funny in your scripts?’ “And that was how Julie Schwartz became my friend. Others will tell you how Julie, with the undeniable support of some legendary writers and artists, helped save the comic book industry by pretty much single-handedly ushering in the Silver Age of Comics, which in turn led to the Marvel Age of Comics, and the Bronze Age of Comics, and the Aluminum Age of Comics, and the Corrugated Cardboard Age of Comics, and, well, you get the idea. “They’ll tell you about Julie’s marathon lunch-hour Bridge games with letterer/production maven Milt Snappin, and of the inevitable screaming and berating that went—I’m sorry—with the territory. ‘How in God’s name could you possibly bid three Spades, Snappin? Only an idiot would bid three Spades there. What kind of idiot are you? That’s it! It’s over! We’re never doing this again!’ But of course, the game continued over lunch the next day to much the same tune, and for many years thereafter. “They’ll talk of Julie’s love of navy bean soup, and of his passion and devotion to his lovely wife Jean, whom he would call at home three times every day with Greenwich clock-like precision. And they’ll tell you of his strength after her untimely passing and how it freed him to rejoin the world, becoming DC’s roving ambassador of good will after his retirement. They’ll tell you of all these things and more, with love and admiration, and it’s right that they should. So I won’t. After all, the first thing Julie told me, as my editor was, always ‘Be Original.’ Instead, let me talk to you about the other things he taught me. Like, no matter how bad the situation looks, the hero must always be able to save himself; and it’s impossible for Superman to travel from Point A to Point B without having to handle some other minor catastrophe along the way; and if you’re going to bring back an old villain this month, I expect you to create a new villain for me next month. ‘Be original, damn it.’ “And he was an original. Maybe the original. He affected my life in almost too many ways to count, directly and indirectly. It was through Julie’s letter pages that I first learned about organized comics fandom and fanzines, and found the courage to start my own amateur magazine. It was through the letter columns of one particular book, Mystery in Space #75, if I remember correctly, that I met my lifelong friend and occasional writing partner, Marv Wolfman. All this, changing my life, years before I even met the man. And once I did meet him, he taught me plot structure, and ingenuity, and the persistence to keep at a story until it was right, until it was ready, until it was done. “Julie Schwartz’s passing leaves a hole in the world and in my heart. Just not quite so deep as Nelson Bridwell, nor so wide as Mort Weisinger, but ’tis enough. ’Twill serve. Sleep sweetly, old friend. Sleep well.” LEVITZ: Mike Carlin coming down. MIKE CARLIN: Well, folks, my name is Mike Carlin and it was 30 years ago, right around this time of the year, that I was an intern at DC

(Top left:) Veteran DC staffer Bob Greenberger, in a detail of a 1989 pic from the J.S. Collection. (Left:) Writer/editor Len Wein with Julie “in his mentor’s office,” in a photo that appeared in The Amazing World of DC Comics #3 (Nov. 1974). (Above:) Len Wein’s poignant final page in the shortest JLA-JSA team-up of all time, from Justice League of America #113 (Oct. 1974). Pencils by Dick Dillin, inks by Dick Giordano, editing by Julie Schwartz. Repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of Brian H. Bailie. [©2004 DC Comics.]

Comics in 1974. I was a high school intern and I guess that was the first time I met Julie Schwartz. Well, actually, I didn’t meet Julie Schwartz. I sat outside his office and, well, I guess I glimpsed Julie Schwartz every now and then, right around 12:00, when he came out to make his Cup O’Soup. Soup is a very big theme here this evening. Julie was Souperman. And Irwin, I’d like to talk to you about your joke writers. They’re a lot better than mine. The funny thing was, I was an intern, so I didn’t really register on Julie’s radar. He never said hello, he never talked to me, and that made sense to me. That’s the way it was supposed to be. He actually taught me that. I don’t talk to interns myself, now. And I do have soup every day. But it was funny because it wasn’t like he was trying to exclude me—I just didn’t fit into his day. I mean, he was efficient. I heard him yelling at Cary Bates, so he was cranky, and I took all these qualities to heart when I became an editor. I am efficient and I’m cranky, but it’s my pleasure to have stepped into his role as the editor of Superman at one point. And one of the first duties I had was to go to the premiere of Superman IV in Cleveland with Julie. He didn’t know who I was, but the fact that DC had hired me as the Superman editor was good enough for him; and as long as I knew how

Remembrances of a Legend

to tie his tuxedo tie, I was okay. So I was Julie Schwartz’s valet and from then on, friend. But I also was efficient and cranky and I had no time to talk to him when he was in the office on Thursdays. He had all of his other fans coming to talk to him and I had comics to put out. I truly regret that I didn’t get to talk to Julie as much as I should have, but the fact that I touched his neck will be enough for me.

But they said the same thing about Green Lantern and The Flash, back in the early ’50s, so we can’t be certain. This is comics. There’ll be some way around it, be some parallel world EarthFour Julie, born 30 years later, to account for problems in the continuity, and decked out in a jazzier and more streamlined outfit.

“A funny, brilliant, endlessly-enthusiastic 12-year-old got up in an old-man suit, Julie spent his life mining the goldI did learn a lot from Julie, and if seam of the future; is too big, then, to there are any beautiful blonde women Sheesh! Ray Bradbury couldn’t be much more prominent in this ever truly be swallowed by the past. He here, I have a stickpin here that I’d like issue (and in #38) if he were our interview subject—something was a friend, he was an inspiration, he to share on the way out. Thanks a lot. we’d love, actually. Here are Julie, DC editor-of-editors Mike was the founder of our dreams. He Carlin, and Ray B. in the DC booth at a 1990s San Diego ComicLEVITZ: Neil Gaiman, please. ruined my reputation as a gentle pacifist Con. Photo courtesy of M.C. by claiming that I had seized him by the NEIL GAIMAN: I met Julie in 1987 at throat and swore to kill him if he didn’t let me write his final episodes of the English World Science Fiction Convention and we were friends until ‘Superman,’ and how, now, am I supposed to contradict the classic Julie he died. However, I’m not actually here reading for me. I’m reading for Schwartz yarn? So, all right, it’s true. I picked him up and shook him Alan Moore. And this is what Alan just sent: like a British nanny, and I hope wherever he is now, he’s satisfied by the shamefaced confession. “Just off the plane from England, anything except fresh out of Kennedy, within an hour or two we’d all been introduced to Julie, all of “Good night, Julie. It’s been our privilege to have known you. You us early-‘80s economic migrants, awestruck, wide-eyed, staring like were the best. Alan Moore.” religiously-converted lemurs as at last we met our childhood’s god, the intergalactic cabby who wouldn’t shut up, the curator of the Space LEVITZ: Karen Berger, not to edit Neil’s version of Alan’s reply—Julie Museum. We loved Julie in the way that we’d love anyone we’d known would approve of the theory, but I’m not sure the practice would ever since we were small, who’d shared with us that secret rustling flashlightwork. dazzled space beneath the midnight counterpane. We loved him in the KAREN BERGER: I would not dare. One of the great things about way that we loved covers with gorillas on. comics, particularly at DC, it’s a sense of family. That there really is a “We followed at his heels, a quacking flock, along the migraineband, that this whole medium—for those of us who knew Julie, he was yellow dot-toned hallways of the DC offices. And if he thought of us as like family—a cranky but lovable uncle or grandfather. But he was a irritating Carl Barks nephews, as the Hueys, Deweys, and Louies that private man. He didn’t really brag or boast much. Occasionally, he he’s never really wanted, then he didn’t let it show. Quite the reverse. would talk about his grandchildren, but he really kept his lives separate, Julie indulged us like a visiting school trip for pale, consumptive English as Brian had said earlier. Thus, I know for me and for everyone at DC orphans, fragile coughing invalids at Fresh Air Camp. He sneaked us who was at Julie’s funeral, it was so touching to hear Julie’s grandpresents, file copies of some treasured Mystery in Space pulled from the daughters speak about him so lovingly with so many memories and so morgue drawers in his office from which rose the perfume of his life, much devotion to him. It made me feel so good to know that Julie had long decades of pulp pages, 50,000 comic racks in every corner magazine such a wonderful, loving family. And he really had two families, and it store that you ever visited or dreamed about. was just very touching for us to hear of such a wonderful relationship with his family. “He knew a captive audience when he saw one and appreciated our appreciation. All the anecdotes were new to us, the creaking chairbound jokes, fresh as this morning’s lox. The funeral for a much-feared fellow editor he told us of, whereat the section of the service set aside for testaments and kindly words concerning the deceased stretched into long, embarrassed silence until someone at the back stood up and ventured the opinion that the late lamented’s brother had been worse. We were a pushover. He made us laugh, he knocked us dead, and then there was this scrapbook with its pages full of letters, pictures, signatures, ‘I am, sir, your devoted servant, H.P. Lovecraft.’ Photographs of Julie with diamond-cutter eyes behind wire-rimmed spectacles, men in dark coats and Homburg hats on winter corners in New York, gray vapor twisting up from manhole covers, from cigars. ‘You see the crewcut kid, the newsboy there? That’s Bradbury.’ We’d gape and nod, could not have been possibly more impressed if he’d said, ‘See that old guy in the toga standing by Ed Hamilton? That’s Zeus.’ “And now we hear that Julie has been... discontinued? Cancelled?

When I first started working at DC many years ago, I didn’t really work with Julie, but I sat in the cubicle outside of his office. And, looking back, there’s a special quality about those times, something

DC/Vertigo editor Karen Berger—and two Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin panels of writers Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin being scared, er, spitless by B.O. Schwartz in Justice League of America #123 (Oct. 1975). We printed this art with Alter Ego V3#7’s extended coverage of the JLA-JSA team-ups, but, given Karen’s comments, we just had to show it again! [Comics page ©2004 DC Comics.]

The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service

very special and pure that’s kind-of hard to put into words. Almost like childhood memories. I’ve been at DC almost 25 years, so it’s a lot of time. And it’s kind-of like a steady blur with certain moments that sort-of come into sharp focus and then drift out again. And a lot of it is memories for me of Julie in the comings and goings from his office, Kurt Schaffenberger coming in every week and making a grand royal entrance, Curt Swan generally running in, the deep baritone of Murphy Anderson, Milt Snappin playing Bridge with Julie over lunch, Bob Rozakis finding Julie extra pickles.

story book, the magazine was noted for 16 pages of “art studies.” Uh-huh. We remember Julie for his many professional accomplishments, but he was also one of the very first fans; and I think one of Julie’s real legacies, just as important as anything he did in the comic book business, is the creation of the fanzine. Julie was there with Mort Weisinger and Alan Glasser to create the fanzine. And I think one of the really important things about Julie as an editor is that he remembered what it was like to be a fan, and thus he related to fans. And, of course, he helped create comics fandom. He remembered how science-fiction fandom got organized because of letter columns in sciencefiction magazines.

But the thing I remember the most about my osmosis-like existence outside of Julie’s office was his plotting sessions with writers who Neil Gaiman (left), writer of DC’s acclaimed Sandman, here reads By the way, I came out of would sit there, really scared s***— the words of fellow Brit Alan Moore (right), whose work—especially Minneapolis science-fiction fandom, sweating nervously, writers like Cary Swamp Thing and The Watchmen—helped put DC back on the creative and Minneapolis science-fiction Bates and Elliot Maggin, sweating it map in the 1980s. The page shown is, of course, one of the final Juliefandom came together in the late out as Julie plotted with them. And it edited “Superman” stories, scripted by Moore, for Superman Annual #11, 1960s because of a letter about the was just always an unusual time in his 1985, with art by his Watchman collaborator Dave Gibbons, before National Fantasy Fan Federation DC “Started All Over” re Superman continuity. [Comics page ©2004 day whenever Julie had a writer in his printed in Strange Adventures. DC Comics; Alan Moore photo by Jackie Estrada.] office. You could see that sparkle in About four or five people read that his eye as he constantly challenged letter, and contacted the National Fantasy Fan Federation, and then got them on the spot to take creative chances and to be original thinkers. put in contact with each other. Julie remembered what it was like as a fan Julie was smart, he was funny, he was gruff, he was kind. Ultimately, he of adventure and mystery fiction. He told me often about how thrilled had a way of working with writers that made a very deep impression on he was after having read the “Frank Merriwell” stories and the “Dick me. Merriwell” stories about two brothers when they finally got together Most of us knew Julie at the end of his career. And his accomplishand were teamed up. And he’d been waiting for it to happen, and it was ments and achievements were plentiful and resonant over his four just so exciting for him. Later, it happened in Detective Story Magazine decades of working in comics. And the thing that made the biggest with the cross-over of Mr. Chang and Rafferty, and then Johnston impression on me was when you think about Julie as a young man and McCulley’s Crimson Clown and Thubway Tham teamed up. how he’s fascinated by this new and weird genre of literature called And of course, Julie, remembering that, teamed up the super-heroes— science-fiction, and how he brought this interest and passion to another Flash and Green Lantern, Atom and Hawkman, and the Golden Age young medium called comics. To be at the forefront of two major literand the Silver Age Green Lanterns and Flashes—because he rememature forces and to have the impact and influence that Julie had in both bered, as a fan, what it was like. And I think that’s why we related as mediums is so incredible. It’s so hard to even put into words. Julie was fans to his comics so well. I got to know Julie first at DC, of course. the editor’s editor. He was the Über-Editor in more ways than one, and First, through his letter columns before that, but then I got to attend comics today really wouldn’t exist as it does if not for him. Thank you. Pulp-Cons with him, and that’s where much of Julie, as a fan, came out. Because, of course, he hadn’t read a comic book before the day he was LEVITZ: Anthony Tollin? hired, when he was coming up to DC for that first interview and bought ANTHONY TOLLIN: Most people here have been talking about Julie, his first three comics. But I got to see Julie be enthusiastic about the the professional, and I’d like to talk about Julie, the fan. [holds up a things that he loved as a child, and I found myself very lucky in that copy of a magazine] By the way, this was the magazine that changed the regard. I count myself so lucky to have been able to work for 15 years status. It was Julie’s first published sale in 1936. It’s a story called “While with the man who inspired me to get into this business. the Eggs Fell” by Julius Schwartz and Mortimer Weisinger. In a ten-

Remembrances of a Legend

And thank you, Julie. Thank you for the revival of the super-hero. Thank you for being the editor, the only editor in comic books who made science-fiction sell for a long period of years. Thank you for helping to create science-fiction fandom and, later, creating comic book fandom. LEVITZ: Nick? Nick? The eyes really are a terrible mess, I’m sorry. Nick Barrucci. NICK BARRUCCI: Hi, everybody. I’ve got a cute anecdote about Julie, but I’m going to lead into it. Julie touched my life about 16 years before I met him. I read the comics. I think everybody knows my favorite characters are the Barry Allen Flash and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern. And I went to my first comic convention after reading Flash, I think it was #235 or 238, where they had the Golden Age Wildcat and the Golden Age Green Lantern fighting The Flash for an All-Flash comic. And I went to the convention, traded some great Neal Adams Batmans, and got the All-Flash comic. And I held on to it forever. I finally met Julie at the DC offices and he was signing some comics and I asked him to sign the AllFlash to me. And as I was talking to him, I asked him, “What was it like working with Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Neal Adams, and, forgive me, everybody?” And he just looked at me and said, “You’re asking the

Longtime DC colorist Anthony Tollin (who also says a few words on pp. 26-27, left over from A/E #38) reading a Green Lantern Archives volume… no doubt one of the stories co-starring The Flash, since he talks about team-ups in our Julie Memorial transcript. One prose team-up we’ll bet Julie was enthusiastic about was the meeting of the sf hero Northwest Smith and the fantasy warrior maiden Jirel of Joiry, since they were the creations of his friend Catherine (C.L.) Moore—who was married to another friend, sf/comics writer Henry Kuttner. This epic pairing occurred in a 1937 issue of Weird Tales pulp magazine, with this illustration by the great Virgil Finlay. [Art ©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

wrong question, kid. You need to ask them what it was like working with me,” and then he smiled and said, “Now let’s get to signing these comics. How do you spell your name? Isn’t that a girl’s name?” I thought that was a little funny, considering my first name’s “Nicola,” so I had to explain it to him. Julie truly was a man of two worlds. He now, truly, is a man of two worlds. I’m sure he’s up there, looking down and saying, “Thank God you guys are saying nice things.” And all I can say is thank you, Julie, for touching my life before I met you and thank you for being a great guy once I met you. And thank you all for being here. LEVITZ: Maggie? Maggie Thompson.

Nick Barrucci, dynamic force behind Dynamic Forces and its limited edition publications and signings—and the Gil Kane/Murphy Anderson cover of Green Lantern #20 (April 1963), the first Flash-GL team-up that occurred in the Emerald Gladiator’s mag instead of the Scarlet Speedster’s. You can read the whole John Broome-scripted, Julie-edited magilla in The Green Lantern Archives, Vol. 3. [Green Lanter art ©2004 DC Comics.]

MAGGIE THOMPSON: First, I would like to give credit where due and express, once again, Harlan’s apologies for not being here. Getting Man of Two Worlds done was a conspiracy thought up by Harlan Ellison, who was concerned about Julie, in slightly failing health and feeling depressed, which Harlan knew from his phone conversations. He called me one day and said, “We’ve got to do something. We’ve got to have a maintained presence so that we can keep an eye on him and keep him focused.” And I said, “I’ll tell Paul.” So I told Paul, and not only did Julie get company and a goal, but we got a great book and learned more about a man without—I mean, not only would we not be here today without him, but I mean the comics industry would not be here today without him. The science fiction field certainly would not be what it is today without him. And the world at large will never comprehend just how important Julie was to all of us. Jack Harris has indicated, and so has

The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service

HARRIS: I mentioned earlier the number Anthony, his importance in viewing the of correspondents that Julie encouraged in importance of the consumer, if you want to his letter columns. One of the most talk in commercial terms. Because yes, prolific was a fellow named Guy H. having seen and been part of the instigation Lillian III, who was actually my predeof science-fiction fandom, which is a world cessor at DC Comics, and I got an e-mail in which I grew up, he began that commufrom him just this morning and he asked nication through comics that treasured the (Top left:) Julie and Guy H. Lillian III, whom the former that I read this on this occasion. It is from people who treasured the comics. Now referred to in a zillion letters columns as “Our Favorite Guy,” a novel by Philip K. Dick: interestingly, in the early days, one of the at a 1973 comics convention. anecdotes that I had heard about Julie was “I must be gone. There is a grave (Above:) The inspired illo by Mad artist Sergio Aragonés that a certain well-known fan had come to where daffodil and lily wave. I would which illustrated an article by Guy (as did the above photo) Julie’s office to visit. And Julie had been in 1974’s The Amazing World of DC Comics #3. Guy was the please the hapless fawn buried under the quite gruff in his questioning as to why on first, but far from the last, to use the phrase “Strange sleepy ground with mirthful songs before Earth any adult would possibly be interSchwartz Stories,” a take-off on the “Strange Sports Stories” the dawn. The shouting days with mirth ested in comic books. He was critical, he series Julie edited from time to time over the years! were crowned and still I dreamed and offended the fan deeply, and I think it was (Top right:) A recent photo of (l. to r.) Guy’s old pal from dreamt along. Working ghostly in the Julie searching for that answer. Why would comics fandom, Charles Spanier—GHL’s beloved wife Rosedew, pierced by glad singing through.” grown-ups care? And he paid attention to Marie, and Guy himself—or, as he phrases it, “me, fat and And that’s from Guy Lillian. the response, he paid attention to the bald and over fifty.” Don’t sweat it, Guy! Very few of us look letters that came in, and he tried to just the way we did thirty years ago! [Art ©2004 DC Comics.] LEVITZ: Our time is getting relatively encourage that communication not only to short. Ken Gale. him as an editor, but to the fans with each other. KEN GALE: I do radio about comics. I’ve been doing it for eleven My late husband and I did an amateur magazine called Newfangles, years now, and when you interview somebody, you tend to talk, you which was a newsletter to help fans communicate with each other. At hand the microphone over, you go back and forth. When I interviewed one point, we had a reliable report from someone who not only did not want to be identified, but whose identity I no longer recall, saying that Julie was going to retire very, very soon. He was stepping down, he was leaving DC Comics. Now this was in, probably, 1969, and we printed it. And he contacted us and pointed out that he was not retiring, thank you very much. And not only was he not retiring then, but every time we saw him after that, he would point out to us the fact that he was still at DC Comics. And something that I think needs to be rejoiced about is the fact that up to the very end, he was still with DC Comics and we’re so grateful. Thank you, Julie. LEVITZ: Yeah, the return of Mr. Harris. But this time on behalf of Guy H. Lillian. Maggie Thompson, originally with her late husband Don, has been the editor of the Comics Buyer’s Guide for well over two decades now. Above, she converses with Julie Schwartz—no doubt about comics industry news—at a convention a few years back. Thanks to Bill Schelly for the photo. At right is a cover for the 1970s comic From beyond the Unknown, which Julie edited as a successor to his beloved, long-running Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space. This seems appropriate art to accompany a photo of Maggie, since she and hubbie Don were always science-fiction fans as well as comic art enthusiasts. Sorry we’re not certain of the number, date, or even artist (quite possibly Gil Kane)—but at least we’ve repro’d it from a photocopy of the b&w original, courtesy of Mike Burkey! [©2004 DC Comics.]

Remembrances of a Legend

As Paul Levitz points out, E.E. “Doc” Smith’s intergalactic creation, the “Lensman” novels first serialized in the pulp-mag Astounding Science-Fiction (such as the issue at left for Oct. 1939, with cover art by Hubert Rogers), are a long-suspected influence on the Silver Age Green Lantern; but Julie always denied any conscious copying—and GL scripter John Broome said he’d never even heard of the series. Still, in the above “Captain Comet” story “The Guardians of the Clockwork Universe” in Strange Adventures #22 (July 1952), scripted by Broome, edited by Julie, and drawn by Murphy Anderson, there appeared Guardians who seem related to the godlike Arisians in the Smith tales—and who in turn served as the models for the Guardians of the Universe in Green Lantern, written and edited by the same team, with Kane/Giella art. There were also alien Lensmen—and alien Green Lanterns, as per the panel at left from GL #9 (Nov.-Dec. 1961). At the very least, something subliminal was going on here! [Lensman art ©2004 the respective copyright holders; comic art ©2004 DC Comics.]

Julie, I did that for about 30 seconds, then he grabs the microphone out of my hand and starts pontificating. I asked him to talk about being the person who started two different fandoms, separated by all those decades. It took me a while to get him on the radio. He kept saying yes, but he wouldn’t agree to a time. What I learned was he didn’t want to talk about himself. He wanted to talk about other people. He wanted to talk about Mort Weisinger, he wanted to talk about John Broome. I could call him at the last minute to do a show on John Broome, but I couldn’t do a last-minute, or advance, to talk about himself. But once he’d come on the show, when I’d see him at a convention, he would tell other people, especially from his era, in that gruff voice, “Go on his show. It’s good.” And it’s really nice, as a radio producer, to have somebody like Julie Schwartz shilling for you. So thanks, Julie.

is a millenniums-long war between aliens of great power as the human race evolves between them, in which agents of the malevolent aliens come to Earth to destroy the deviser of the drive that will take Earthmen to the stars, try to kill him, and discover he really wasn’t human at all. He was one of the good aliens, sitting there quietly among the humans, making sure they were going to get what they needed without necessarily taking the credit for much of it at all, and then scratching his head and going back to whatever it was he was doing and getting on about. I think that’s probably a fair metaphor of what we’re trying to conjure for Julie. I’m going to do Host’s Prerogative and do a last comment from Julie’s friends and admirers, and then if anyone from the family would like to say anything, and then I think we’re going to have to play a little more jazz and exit.

LEVITZ: Ken’s comments about Julie involving other people brings to mind a point of clarification that I think is important in all of this, that can only be brought out in terms of an author that was one of Julie’s first loves. I think one of the first pieces he ever did for The Time Traveller was an exhaustive piece on E.E. “Doc” Smith, the writer who did the “Lensmen” series. And much of the later “Green Lantern” material that Julie and John Broome cooked up was certainly inspired by Smith’s work. It’s important to note in these situations that we’re not talking about Julie as some earlier-day Forrest Gump, wandering in and out of scenes with all of these characters—but I think rather more clearly evoking a moment in “The Lensmen,” which

For years, Ken Gale has done a radio show about comics on WBAI-FM, titled ‘Nuff Said! You can learn about it on the web at <www.comicbookradioshow.com>. Thanks to Marc Svensson for the photo.

I’ve had the opportunity to write and speak about Julie many times these last weeks. And there are many here who have spoken far better than I can about facets of his accomplishments that they’ve studied or lived with. Let me speak briefly and to the point: thank you, Julie. He began teaching me when I was six through a battered copy of Atom #8 in an older kid’s box of comics. I learned about heroism requiring endurance, courage, wisdom, and modesty, as well. I didn’t know your name. I learned the joy of giving, reading Brave and Bold #61 aloud into a tape recorder for a blind friend who loved the story so much that he wanted it playing on his ancient reelto-reel long before there were audio books, so he could hear it again and again. Neither of us paid any attention to the credits, including yours. You offered me science facts and morals, soft-spoken in the background of stories. I took them, not noticing I was being taught or who was doing any teaching. When we met, I was 14 and had only the vaguest conception of who you were and what an editor was for. I wanted to be one. I was even

The Julius Schwartz Memorial Service

Andrea Hopkins, Julie’s granddaughter, sent us these historic photos. [Clockwise from top left, with Andrea’s notes:] “Gramps [Julie] with Grandma (Jean) and my mom Jeannie (1952)— “Gramps and my mother, his daughter Jeanne (1952)— “X-Mas 1993. I’m the one with the red sweater [in front with child and dog]. This is really Gramps’ family, that he had many a holiday with— “Gramps with his great-grandson Doug, at his 85th birthday party (2000).” A thousand thanks, Andrea! We know Julie would’ve wanted these photos printed, as his family clearly meant a lot to him! Julie’s family, by the way, has asked that, in lieu of cards, flowers, or other expressions at this point, donations may be made to the Neil Gaiman-suggested Julius Schwartz Visiting Speaker Fund, which will, in Peter David’s words, “support a different speaker each year. Said guest speaker would come to [a] college and do a talk about popular culture and how it was affected by comic books, science-fiction, fantasy—in short, the branches of literature in which Julie had been so active.” Its first “speaker” has been designated, appropriately, to be Harlan Ellison. Send all donations to the Fund c/o DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

signing my name that way on fanzines. I’d had no idea you had blazed the trails I was unknowingly following with my fanzines. You certainly weren’t going to tell me. As I watched, you taught organizational gifts I used throughout my editorial career; taught style and gravitas, all by example. While I studied my creative skills with other mentors, you were my model for what the role of an editor should be, and how an editor should present himself and deal with people. When you offered me an assignment, years later, I felt I was a professional writer at last, echoing words others had spoken. And then your pencil proceeded to teach me that there was still further to go and how to reach there. I regret one of the lessons I spurned when you and Milton were so desperate for another Bridge player, you offered to let me into your game. My father failed to teach me to love Bridge also, so please don’t take it personally. And I rejoice in the memory of the morning I walked into your office, flipped you a nickel in royalties. Editors have very rarely gotten royalties at DC, but this was from my pocket, not the company’s. I’d learned your lesson of picking the prettiest girl in the office to marry, and it was a life lesson that served me well. Thank you, Julie, for what you did and what you taught.

Andrea, Mike, Andy, I don’t know if anyone wants to say anything from the family to close. It’s not obligatory. Andrea Hopkins, Julie’s granddaughter. ANDREA HOPKINS: I just want to say this has been so overwhelmingly beautiful to see just how many people loved my grandfather, our grandfather. We really didn’t know. He was a very private man and we knew him as “Gramps.” But it is just amazing how much he’s done and how many people he’s impacted. And I just want to thank you all for letting us be here to share it. Thank you very much. LEVITZ: Patty, if you can cue the jazz. We have more selections from Julie’s jazz collection, courtesy of Rich Markow, and that will play for a bit so that people will have a chance to say hello to some of the folks who have wandered in and catch each other on the way out. Thank you all for coming. [Louis Armstrong’s “Flee as a Bird/Didn’t He Ramble” plays again] [NOTE: Adam Phillips of DC sent Alter Ego a copy of the music played at the memorial service. The CD was compiled by former DC staffer Rich Markow.]

A photo from the J.S. Collection of Julie addressing the faithful at the Dallas Fantasy Fair, 1990— framed by his Flash, then and now: (Left:) The splash of the very first Silver Age “Flash” story, in Showcase #4 (Sept.-Oct. 1956), with script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Joe Kubert. (Right:) We closed our tributes section in Alter Ego #38 with a José Garcia-López pencil drawing of The Flash—and here’s another by that talented gent, likewise drawn for collector Mike Zeno at the Kansas City Comicon in 2003. Thanks, guys! José forgot that Flash’s gloves end in a lightning design—but hey, that’s what inkers are for! [Comic art ©2004 DC Comics; 2003 art ©2004 José Garcia-López; Flash TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

My Second Favorite Julie

“Tell These Stories after I’m Dead!” by Jim Amash

Jim Amash with his “second favorite Julie” at the 1985 AcmeCon in Greensboro, North Carolina—and the Julie-edited, Murphy Anderson-drawn main splash from Hawkman #12 (Feb.-March 1966), as repro’d from a black-&-white Australian reprint, with thanks to Shane Foley. Script, as noted, is by Gardner Fox. Photo by Teresa R. Davidson. [Hawkman page ©2004 DC Comics.]

My sister Julie is my favorite Julie. The great Mr. Schwartz is in second place, and, knowing him, he would approve of my selection. In fact, he would insist on that ranking. And so would my sister. This is one of the few times Julie Schwartz ever took a back seat to anyone. I knew Julie for twenty years. I was aware of his work because DC Comics used to print the editors’ names in the indicia of their comic books. I quickly discovered that most of my favorite DC comics were edited by Mr. Schwartz. Whenever DC put out a new title, I almost always checked the indicia to see who the editor was. If I saw Julie’s name listed, I immediately bought the book. It didn’t matter what the book was about, because Julie always gave me my money’s worth. Julie’s letter pages were a lot of fun to read. He had a way of making young kids feel connected to his books, a feat few others managed. On his worst day, on his worst title, Julie was still the overseer of quality entertainment. A fan for life, I remained loyal to Julie’s books, never dreaming that I’d someday meet him. That changed in 1984. I was working for Acme Comics in Greensboro, North Carolina. The previous year, original co-owners Tom Wimbish, John Butts, and Mark Austin held the first of a series of AcmeCons, and one of their guests was Murphy Anderson. It was through Murphy that we got Julie as a guest for the second-year show. There were several other guests, including Will Eisner, Terry Austin, Archie Goodwin, Dave Sim, and Murphy once again. Despite that impressive roster, Julie Schwartz was the one I was most eager to meet. Murphy knew how much I admired Julie, so at the first opportunity, he introduced us to each other. Julie did not disappoint me: he was funny, warm-hearted, and charming. And he hit me with that larger-than life personality right away. As we shook hands, I said, “I’ve always wanted to meet you.” Julie gruffly replied, “What for?” Immediately, I started laughing, loudly. Once I managed to stop, I could tell Julie really got a kick out of my reaction. He loved to hear me laugh (something I do a lot of), and started telling funny stories, just to hear that laugh of mine. At dinner that night I sat across from Murphy Anderson, and we had an extended conversation about comic book art. Julie was seated to his right. Now, Murphy Anderson has one of the great bass voices of our time—a contrast to Julie’s higher pitch. Every so often, while Murphy was talking, Julie’s voice drowned his out, and I’d have to ask Murphy

to repeat what he said. At one point, Murphy said, “Are you listening to me?” I said, “I’m trying to, but I can’t hear you over Julie.” Murphy chuckled, “I know what you mean.” A few months later, Tom and John were planning the next AcmeCon, and because I knew Jack Kirby, they asked me to invite him to the show. It took a couple of weeks to get Jack and Roz to agree, primarily because they were going on a trip to Israel and we’d have to work around it. I suggested to the guys that we change the convention date in order to accommodate the Kirbys. They agreed, making the Kirbys’ appearance possible. A few days later, Julie called the comic shop, said he had talked the Kirbys into coming to the show. Julie was so eager to help us, that we never told him that Jack and Roz had already agreed to come. That’s the kind of man Julie was: always willing to help people he liked. The convention was held June 1, 1985, eighteen days before Julie’s 70th birthday. Murphy Anderson told us a secret: DC planned a special issue of Superman to celebrate Julie’s birthday. Elliot Maggin, Curt Swan, and Murphy had surreptitiously created the story and were going to spring it on Julie on that special day. We had a secret, too. We planned a surprise birthday party for Julie at Tom and Alyce Wimbish’s house.

My Second Favorite Julie

Comics booth at a San Diego ComicCon, when he asked me if I had any dinner plans. I said I hadn’t and he said, “Come with me.” When we got to the restaurant, I found myself sitting with Julie, Greg Theakston, Gil Kane, and Russ Heath (whom Julie knew I wanted to meet). Julie smiled at me and said, “I invited a few friends, too.” He got a big kick out of my surprise. By the way, it was funny watching Gil and Julie argue over who was going to pay for everyone’s dinner. Julie said, “I can put this on my company card.” Gil said, “Put it away, my boy, I’ll pay for this.” Julie said, “Why should you?” Gil answered, “Because I can!”—and so he won the argument.

(The same house, coincidentally, that Murphy played at when he was growing up in Greensboro.) After a home-cooked dinner for all the guests, everyone settled down in the den for conversation. Before long, everybody was asked to come into the kitchen. Julie was surprised by the cake and that we’d remembered his birthday. We sang “Happy Birthday” to him and he blew out the candles. As I was to find out some years later, Julie never forgot that party. That was the last time Julie was able to attend an AcmeCon. Normally, our shows were held the first Sunday in November, and Julie always attended Pulp Con that weekend. But Julie and I kept in touch through phone calls and Christmas cards, and spent time together at other comic book conventions. Every Christmas, I mailed Julie a box of his favorite treat: chocolate-covered cherries. In 1986, Julie and science-fiction writer Algis Budrys were guests on The Jim Bohannon Show, then a late-night Saturday radio talk show. I decided to call in. When Jim Bohannon said, “This next call is from Greensboro, North Carolina.” Julie said, “Who is this?” I told him it was me and we started talking... well, we almost started talking.

Only the Golden Age Atom is seen in costume in this mostly talking-heads page from the team-up story in The Atom #36 (April-May 1968), as penciled by Gil Kane, inked by Sid Greene, scripted by Gardner Fox—and edited by You-Know-Who. Repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of Joe Caporale. [©2004 DC Comics.]

Earlier in this piece, I mentioned how Julie loved to hear me laugh. By this time, he’d invented a greeting for me. Every time we met in person or talked on the phone, Julie would say, “Start laughing,” and damned if I wouldn’t! It was an involuntary reaction and trying to stop only made it worse.

When I identified myself on the air, Julie said, “Start laughing.” And, of course, I did—loudly—for millions of people, who probably wondered what kind of madman was loose on the airwaves. Jim Bohannon started laughing, and Julie said to him, ”Don’t worry, this is just a game we play.” It was a game, but my part of it was real. Julie had that power over me, and he never, ever let loose of it; he had too much fun making and hearing me laugh. One time, we were in the convention lobby at the San Diego Con, waiting for Gil Kane to join us for dinner. When Gil showed up, Julie looked at him and said, “Watch this.” Then Julie looked at me and said, “Start laughing,” and I did. When I stopped, Gil looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, my boy; we’ll have the last laugh, because Julie’s paying for dinner.” Which reminds me of another story. Gil was famous for calling men “My boy.” It didn’t matter whether you were older or younger than him—or even if he knew you. Gil knew me well enough to remember my name, but he always said, “Hello, my boy.” That expression drove Julie crazy. Julie told me that “my boy” used to be his greeting, and that Gil stole it from him. Sounding much like Perry White from the 1950s Superman TV show, Julie grumbled, “I’m older than he is, and he calls me ‘My boy!’ “ For at least a couple of years after that, Julie and I would occasionally greet each other with “Hello, my boy.” Not being one to let a good joke die, Julie once called me up and said, “Start laughing, my boy.” Julie loved to make people happy. Once, Julie and I were at the DC

Another time at the same convention, I was walking by myself and saw Julie. He said, “Walk with me. I want you to meet someone.” A few moments later, I saw this impossibly long line, leading to a convention guest. Julie cut through this crowd to get to the person who was signing books: Clive Barker. Barker saw Julie and gave him a big hug. Julie introduced me and a short conversation followed. As we were walking away, Julie said, “Stick with me and you’ll meet everybody.”

Truer words were rarely ever spoken. Because of my friendship with Julie, I met and/or shared meals with people like Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch. I even became the escort of the wife of a famous writer. We were at a Dragon*Con, and had just finished dinner. Julie and I went to meet a few friends of his, one of whom was a stunningly beautiful woman (whose name I cannot remember). They locked arms and Julie said, “Now I’m ready to go to the costume contest.” He then realized that I didn’t have an escort, since my wife was not along on this trip. Julie said, “Wait just a minute,” walked away and returned with another beautiful woman. He introduced us and said to her, “Jim needs an escort. He’s safe: he’s married.”

The four of us went to the show. On the way, we ran into the husband of my “date”: Martin Caidin, the novelist and creator of The Six Million Dollar Man. Until that moment, I had no idea that this lady was married to someone famous. Julie introduced us and told Caidin, “Your wife needed a younger man, so I got Jim to take over.” Everyone laughed and Caidin said, “How can I argue with Julie?” Once in a while, I played a joke on Julie. Again, this happened at a San Diego Con. Julie was supposed to have dinner with Harlan and Susan Ellison. Julie said, ”If you see Harlan, tell him to quit bothering me.” After we laughed, he said, “Seriously, if you see Harlan, tell him to come to the DC booth, so we can make plans about where we’re going to eat.” About fifteen minutes later, I saw Harlan Ellison, and said, “Julie Schwartz told me to tell you to quit bothering him.” The Ellisons—who didn’t know me—looked at me as if I was crazy. That’s when I told them what Julie really wanted, but with a special twist. I told them why I had given them the greeting I had, and to ask Julie why was he going around telling people that Harlan Ellison was bothering him. I don’t know how Harlan did it, but he must have followed through on the joke, because

“Tell These Stories After I’m Dead!” cancer, but beat it. When telling me about it, Julie said, “I’ve got the old man’s disease.” Another time, he contracted some form of skin cancer and took to wearing a baseball cap outdoors. Julie downplayed the seriousness of the problem, but later, there was a moment when I worried about him. In the mid-1990s, Julie attended a comic book convention in Greensboro. He asked me to meet him at the hotel so we could go to dinner. I got to the hotel and met Julie in the lobby. He said, “Before we go out, I need you to do a favor for me,” and suggested we go up to his room. Once up there, Julie pulled some bandages and medicine out of his bag and said, “I need a new dressing on the wound on my back. I need you to change it for me.” The “wound” was actually a place where some skin cancer had been removed. It was almost in the middle of Julie’s back, where he could hardly reach it. I took the old bandage off, cleaned the area, and rebandaged him. I was a bit startled by this, but said nothing. And neither did Julie, except for, “Don’t worry. It’s no big deal. I just needed some help.” This was the first time it ever occurred to me that Julie might actually die one day, though I quickly put that thought out of my head. Julie took friendships very seriously. If he’d heard that a friend was ill, Julie would be upset. He’d ask you a million questions about what you knew. He was the type to feel other people’s pain... to the extent that he’d change the subject of conversation in order to spare himself the pain he felt. Dwelling on pain was not in his character, at least around others. Julie hated sadness more than most people I’ve known.

Julie and Murphy Anderson at the home of former Acme Comics manager Tom Wimbish in 1985, on the occasion of Julie’s 70th birthday—plus an action page from the Dr. Fate/Hourman team-up in Showcase #55 (March-April 1965); script by Gardner Fox. Repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of Mike W. Barr and Tom Horvtiz. Photo by Teresa R. Davidson. [Hawkman page ©2004 DC Comics.]

the next day, Julie asked me, “Did you tell Harlan Ellison that I didn’t want him to bother me anymore?” I started laughing and admitted the crime. Julie said, “Why did you do that?” I explained how he had given me the idea for the prank, and finished with, “That’s for making me laugh like an idiot on The Jim Bohannon Show.” Julie smiled and said, “Start laughing.” Julie always got the last laugh, even if I was the one laughing. Julie had a running gag going with Jim Shooter. One day, Jim asked Julie for some change in order to make a phone call. Julie reached into his pocket and pulled all his change out, saying, “Take whatever you need.” Jim took two quarters and made his calls. Jim made a big, big mistake! Later, when he tried to give Julie his fifty cents back, Julie declined to take it, saying, “I like the idea that you owe me money.” For years afterwards, Shooter tried to give Julie his money back, and of course, Julie always refused it. He told Shooter, “You’re going to owe me that money for the rest of your life. When I die, you’ll still owe me that money.” It drove Jim crazy! I know, because I remember two different occasions when Jim tried to return Julie’s money. The look on Shooter’s face was hysterical—at least to me and to Julie. But right now, I’m wondering if Julie ever let Jim off the hook or did he die, leaving Shooter in debt. Everyone I knew was constantly amazed at how vital and energetic Julie was. Even into his 80s, he gave the Energizer Bunny a run for his money. Julie developed a few health problems, though. He had prostate

There had been sadness in Julie’s life. His wife and daughter died from smoking. Julie never quite got over their deaths. He hated smoking with a passion, and was one of the few people I didn’t smoke around. In my opinion, every time Julie smelled smoke, he reflected back to the loss of his loved ones. He always carried a picture of his wife Jean with him. Once, Julie and I were having breakfast together at a convention when he said, “I had a dream about Jean last night. You know, I dream about her quite a bit. And every time I do, she looks like she did when she was young. She’s never old in my dreams. What do you think that means?” I fumbled for an answer and gave a best guess that almost seemed to satisfy Julie. But I never forgot the smile in his eyes when he said, “She’s never old in my dreams.” One year, Julie asked me if I was going to Dragon*Con in Atlanta. I told him I was thinking about it, but money was tight for me that year, so I waffled about going. During the conversation, Julie asked me how Alyce Wimbish was doing, and told me to get her to come along with me. Alyce was sitting on the fence, just as I was, and I think money was an issue for her, too. Julie said, “Look: you tell her to come, and I’ll pay half of your hotel room.” With that, we agreed to come. In the meantime, a couple of other people needed a room, so there were enough of us to cover the room costs. I told Julie this, but he insisted on paying. “A deal is a deal. Tell me how much it costs for you and Alyce, and I’ll pay half of that.” I gave in, because there was one thing I learned a long time back: you don’t win arguments with Julie, especially when he wanted to do something for you. For Julie’s part, he really liked Alyce, and this was a little payback for her past kindnesses. And it gave him a chance to do something for me, too. Julie didn’t like to see his friends become estranged from each other. I

My Second Favorite Julie watched him play peacemaker a couple of different times. When I experienced a falling-out with a mutual friend, it bothered Julie quite a bit. For years, he would tease me about it in order to inject humor into the situation. Laughter was Julie’s favorite medicine. Julie was a real “people person.” Anyone who’s been to a San Diego Comic-Con in the last decade or so knows how crowded it gets. Julie made it his mission to see everyone he knew, which kept him pretty busy. Sometimes we’d be walking around the show together and Julie would say, “Let’s go over here. I gotta see this guy.” There’d be a brief chat and then we would leave. A minute or two later, Julie would grab my arm and say, “Hey, I gotta go and talk to this guy for a minute.” It bothered Julie if he discovered an entire show had gone by and he missed seeing a friend. Julie absorbed details like a sponge, never forgetting what he had heard. I once mentioned that I had trouble figuring out what to get my wife Heidi for her birthday. Julie tried to help, but neither of us came up with the proper selection. Three months later, at Christmas time, I was talking to Julie on the phone about a project I was working on, when Julie interrupted with, “Let me stop you for a second. You never told me what you got Heidi for her birthday.” What I told him met with his approval, but then Julie said, “Good, good! Now... what are giving her for Christmas? You’re not going to cheap out just because you got her something nice for her birthday, right?” “No, Julie, I won’t cheap out.” Julie said, “Good. In that case, tell her I made you buy her something expensive. Otherwise, I’m going to give you a kick in the tucchus.” He paused for a second and said, ”Ahhhh...you don’t know what a ‘tucchus’ is, do you?” When I proved to him I did know, Julie said, “How’d you know that?” I said I must have just picked it up somewhere and Julie said, “Okay. Now... what are you getting Heidi for Christmas? I need to know in advance.”

was proud and independent, but grateful for everyone’s concern. I can’t say this for an absolute certainty, but I’m pretty sure that I wrote the last thing Julie ever edited. Last summer, DC editor Dale Crain asked me to write an introduction to The Adam Strange Archives, Vol. 1. To insure accuracy, I called three friends of mine who worked on the original series: Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, and Julie Schwartz. After I finished writing it, Julie asked me to read it to him. Partway through the reading, Julie interrupted with, “Hold on a second. You need to change something. I’m going to be an editor now. You don’t mind if I edit you, huh?” I laughed and said, “Not at all. Do you think you have enough experience?” Julie made two minor corrections and said, “You did a good job there.” In a way, I felt like I had finally made the big time: being edited by Julie Schwartz! Julie knew I loved to hear about the old days and would tell me all kinds of stories, some of them with the caveat, “You can’t repeat this one.” When I became associate editor of Alter Ego, that line was changed to, “You can’t print this one.” I said, “Julie, some of these stories ought to be told, since they’re part of the historical record of who created the comics.” Julie agreed, but added, “Yeah, but I don’t want to embarrass anyone, especially someone who’s still living.” I said (and I couldn’t believe I said it when I did), “I have an idea. How about doing an interview where you tell me these stories? I have the perfect title: ‘Tell Them after I’m Dead.’ That way, no one can confront you with anything.”

By the way, Julie was a big baseball fan in his youth, his team being the New York Yankees. I asked him what it was like to watch Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig play. Julie said that he was in the crowd the day Lou Gehrig made his famous “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth” speech (having missed the last day of the World Con, the first science-fiction convention, which he had helped put together). Julie said the stadium was packed and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place, including his. In fact, he was slightly misty-eyed when telling me about it, sixty years after the event. Knowing the depression the comic book industry had suffered for the last decade, Julie was always concerned about how I was doing. We never got far in a conversation before he asked about my work situation. “Are you getting plenty of work? Do you think things will get better? What does Heidi think about what’s going on?” He was happy for me during boom times and worried about me when things were slow. Last year, I was on the phone with Julie when the Great Blackout struck the Northeast and parts of Canada. Concerned, he put the phone down to see if his building still had power. When he realized it wasn’t just his apartment, he begged off the phone to try to discover what had happened. I immediately turned on the television to check out the news, thinking Julie’s building probably blew a fuse or something. That’s when I discovered that a massive blackout had occurred. I called Julie back to tell him what happened. Later, when I checked on him, he said his granddaughter wanted him to come and stay with her (she still had her power), but he refused. “This is my house and I’m not leaving!” Julie

Julie laughed and said, “That’s funny!” He agreed to the idea, though Roy Thomas’ jaw must have dropped ten feet when I told him what Julie and I were planning. We had just started this project when Julie’s health began declining, so we didn’t get very far. And since Julie’s passing, I’ve found it too difficult to listen to the tape we made. Maybe I’ll be able to do it later.

If there was ever a human being who I thought would live forever, it was Julie Schwartz. While I believed the report when I saw it on the Internet, shock had set in, and I needed to talk to somebody. I immediately called Joe Giella, who had just heard the news from his son Frank. We couldn’t believe it. Sure, we knew Julie was ill, but everyone thought he’d recover. Joe had seen him just a week or so before, and Julie was in good spirits, though he wanted to get out of the hospital and go back to his own home. I called Roy and we immediately agreed that we would do a Julie tribute issue, which eventually spilled over into this one. When I spoke to Carmine Infantino to schedule an interview, I asked him if he’d be willing to do a cover for this special issue. Carmine agreed as a tribute to his old boss and friend. I had the distinct honor of inking Carmine (something I’ve always wanted to do), and this cover has more meaning for me than any I’ve ever done. Since Julie’s passing, I’ve done a lot of talking about him, and not just to those whose interviews you will read in this issue (and already read in A/E #38). Somehow, it seems like he’s still here. I’m not sure I’ve accepted that Julie’s gone, and I’m not the only one who feels that way. Of course, Julie isn’t gone. His legacy and his personality were so huge and interwoven in the lives of those who knew him or followed his work, that Julie will never truly die so long as we are here to remember him. He was a great man, a true believer in humanity. And he was my friend, and I was his.

Tributes to a Titan: The Sequel

Still More Comics Folk Remember Julius Schwartz [EDITOR’S NOTE: In A/E #38 we printed numerous tributes to Julius Schwartz that were sent in by pros and fans who had known and loved him. Because of the sheer volume of the responses—and we could have had far more, had we solicited them—several folks got bumped from that issue to this. Also, at the last minute, I remembered that I had forgotten to invite one of Julie’s most prominent artists, Neal Adams, to contribute, so I remedied that at once. So here is another round of tribute, from “Adams” to “Ziuko”! —Roy.]

NEAL ADAMS [Neal Adams is one of the most influential artists in the history of comic books, most noted for his contributions to DC’s “Deadman,” Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and the “Batman” titles, and on Marvel’s X-Men and “Kree-Skrull War” issues of The Avengers. His work on GL/GA, “Batman,” and The Spectre was done for Julie Schwartz.] When I was in high school, I wrote and drew comic book stories… that never saw print (because they were bad). I drew my stories and Bob Kanigher-type stories and Julie Schwartz stories.

I figured out Julie Schwartz’s style of story. He loved science gimmicks and concepts and discovery concepts. To do a Julie Schwartz story, you had to insert a scientific or technological concept that hadn’t or had rarely been explored before in a comic story.

(Above, left to right:) Neal Adams, Julie Schwartz, and A/E founder Jerry G. Bails, circa 1971—flanked by two superb specimens of Adams art featuring heroes he drew for Julie: a page from Green Lantern #89 (April-May 1972) and a Batman cover. The former page, in the mag then often unofficially called Green Lantern/Green Arrow, was inked by Dick Giordano. Both illos are repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of Scott Goodell. [Comic art ©2004 DC Comics.]

I never knew why this near-legendary comic book editor had this way of doing stories, but I knew it was true. Then, as a professional, I met him. He was exactly like I’d expected him to be, cranky, brusque, and sometimes loud. I was drawn to him immediately.

In time I drew an “Elongated Man” story for Julie, then later a “Spectre” story, then another and another. I watched the painful process writers went through to sell a story to Julie. I wanted to jump in and help as Julie shot down story after story. I wanted to tell the writers the secret: “insert a concept.” The secret that, apparently, only I knew. I said nothing. Finally, I asked Julie if I could pitch a “Spectre” story. I gave my writing credential and he said okay. I quickly threw up the first two “shoot-down” concepts which he invariably “shot down,” and got to the real story I wanted to sell.

Tributes to a Titan: The Sequel

He went for it like I knew he would. It was a story called “Stop That Kid before He Wrecks the World!” It was concept-driven. A month later I did the same thing. This time it was a Psycho-Pirate story, and I convinced him it should be a two-parter (a rare “sell” to Julie). He wasn’t finished with me. He was curious. He said he intended to give me a really hard time. He wasn’t a big booster of artists who write. How did I make such an easy time of it with him?

Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier scripted this Superman“Asterix” story, featuring an homage to the famous French comics character, in Action Comics #579 (May 1985). Art by Keith Giffen. [Page ©2004 DC Comics.]

I told him my secret. I even told him about the story I did in school in which the scientific hook had to do with electro-plating, and even then I saw the twinkle in his eye. He knew he was trapped, and he smiled and relaxed. Then he said, “Do you know that I worked with Ray Bradbury?”

I was stunned. And then Julie told me about his history in sciencefiction. I must’ve sat there slack-jawed listening to him tell me about the pioneer science-fiction writers that I’m sure others will tell you about in these tributes. Well, we made some news, Julie Schwartz, Denny O’Neil, and I, and that’s all well and good, but the story I just told you is the soil in which my relationship with Julie Schwartz grew. It was an oddly rich relationship. I have many stories that I won’t tell here. I resent Julie being taken away. I wish he was with us. I wish I could have given him a hug, damn it. I loved you, Julie.

JEAN-MARC LOFFICIER [As “R.J.M. Lofficier,” Jean-Marc and his wife Randy have written and/or edited numerous comics. Their Black Coat Press, as seen in A/E #37, has published two Shadowmen books about the heroes and villains of French pulp magazines and comics.] Randy and I remember going in to see Julie at the DC offices in 1985, during his penultimate year there as editor of the Superman books. He was such a character. He’d tell great stories about the early days of science-fiction fandom; he was a fount of information about all kinds of DC-related things (such as the German-produced-for-the-Germanmarket Superman)—and he could always make you laugh. But when it came to working with him as an editor, which we did when we wrote that infamous Superman-“Asterix” cross-over (Action Comics #579—art by Keith Giffen, 1986), he was a real pro. That’s something that is often missing today. Julie knew how to work with writers. He was clear in telling you what he was looking for and didn’t beat around the bush if you weren’t coming up with something that he wanted. He was wonderfully receptive to new ideas—let’s face it, a Superman-Asterix cross-over was a rather odd and unusual proposal— and he also stood up for his writers. That’s a rare trait, and one that was greatly appreciated.

JOHN MORROW [John Morrow and his lovely wife Pam are the co-publishers of TwoMorrows, and John edits The Jack Kirby Collector.]

John Morrow—and a pencil-and-ink illo done by Jack “King” Kirby for the 1983 San Diego Comic-Con program book. Seems only fitting to print the latter here, since Julie helped pull off the very first science-fiction convention in 1939, and contributed materially to the founding of comic book fandom in the 1960s. Thanks to Shel Dorf. [Art ©2004 Estate of Jack Kirby.]

Whenever I stop to remember Julie Schwartz, I’ll always picture him walking down the aisles of a comics convention (take your pick; he seemed to be at nearly every one I ever attended), with a beautiful woman on at least one of his arms. And, though he had probably more than a hundred people to see at each convention, he would, without fail, stop at our booth and chat for a while. It was always something encouraging about what we were publishing, mixed with some useful, constructive criticism, and an offer to help us in any way he could. I guess, coming from his background in early sci-fi fanzines, he could relate to the trials and tribulations we face in putting out our fan publications. I’ll also remember the day when, out of the blue, I went to my mailbox and found a copy of

Still More Comics Folk Remember Julius Schwartz Arlen Schumer and a great “Atom” page from Showcase #35 (Nov.-Dec. 1961) by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson. Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Mike W. Barr & Tom Horvitz. [Atom art ©2004 DC Comics.]

And besides, Schwartz had the team, the Justice League of America, which gave us his takes on the big two anyway (albeit in supportive, group roles). And, soon enough, Schwartz did helm DC’s franchise characters— first Batman (who can forget the electric frisson when “The New Look” hit in 1964?) and then Superman a few years later—and lifted those titans to heights they hadn’t reached in years, in turn setting the bar for their titles so high that it took years after Schwartz left before either character attained those heights again. By that time Schwartz had assumed his rightful position as Editor Emeritus and goodwill ambassador for DC—and comics in general. It was in this role that I invited Julie last fall to help sign my comic book history art book—and was humbled when he accepted my invitation. That night, sitting next to him, the fabled editor of my favorite comics of my youth, ranks as one of the highest of the highlights of my comic book life and career. Though he never told me explicitly whether he liked my book, I know he did, because I heard he proudly paraded it around the DC offices the day he got his advance copy. So when I leaned over and asked him if he would consider writing a blurb for the book’s promotion, I was stunned when he looked at me like my request was a little out of line (a look I’m sure all of the writers in his past employ must have seen way more than once), and said he’d give me one word, and one word only! Pausing for dramatic effect, a slight mischievous grin on his face, mine puzzled, he said…“Super!”

Galaxy Magazine waiting for me. Julie had seen that it contained an excerpted chapter from Jack Kirby’s unfinished novel The Horde, and had thought to send it to me, since I published The Jack Kirby Collector magazine. It may seem a small thing to some, but the fact that he took the time to do it, at a point in time where we’d probably only spoken once, meant—and still means—a lot.

ARLEN SCHUMER [Among other things, Arlen Schumer is the author of the recent and acclaimed book The Silver Age of Comic Book Art.]

Little did I, or anyone else in attendance at the CUNY Grad Center in New York City the night of November 21, 2003, know that it was to be Julie’s last public appearance. How fitting that it was in service of a book that was named for the Age he ushered in, and forever owned: The Silver Age of Comic Book Art.

ANTHONY TOLLIN [Anthony Tollin was a DC colorist in the 1970s and ’80s, and is an expert on old-time radio, having written and produced textual material and booklets for Radio Spirits, the Smithsonian Institution, et al.] Julius Schwartz’s professional accomplishments are well

To most of us who came of age reading DC comics during the early 1960s, Julius Schwartz became known through his letter columns first as “Ye Ed,” before we knew his actual name. Those columns were where we first learned the art of the pun, because his erudite, witty retorts were rife with them—but always in a goodnatured way, never mean-spirited. And he never failed to cap off each column with a tempting hint of what was to come, either in the next issue, or soon after that. And what issues they were! Schwartz’s roster of titles were the Cadillacs of DC Comics, a full cut above the other DC editors’ titles, with the slickest artwork, the most interesting stories, and the greatest line-up of characters—even without (at first) DC’s two biggest guns, Superman and Batman. Because in the pages of Schwartz’s Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, and Hawkman, filled with scientific fact and fantastic fiction, we kids felt we were not being treated like kids—which is how we did feel reading Mort Weisinger’s Superman and Jack Shiff’s Batman comics.

Anthony Tollin and the multi-artist splash of a Flash/Green Lantern team-up whose credits you can read for yourself. Silver Age art-spotter (and longtime pro colorist) Carl Gafford tells us this Australian reprint page, sent by Shane Foley, was originally from The Flash #222 (July-Aug. 1973). [Page ©2004 DC Comics.]

Tributes to a Titan: The Sequel

He was one of us. True, his childhood and teen years had occurred before the introduction of comic books, but he strongly recalled what had thrilled him as a young reader and fan. Julie had also recalled the way the pulp hero the Crimson Clown concealed his silk costume in a ring in his civilian guise, and bestowed the gimmick on Barry Allen when he revived The Flash. Julie’s love of space opera, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Martian tales, and E.E. Smith’s galaxyspanning epics are evident in his Green Lantern and “Adam Strange” features, just as his fondness for well-crafted detective stories led to his successful revamping of Batman and his enthusiasm for sports led to the creation of “Strange Sports Stories.”

known, but perhaps his greatest legacy is his major role in the creation of sciencefiction and comics fandom.

As an editor of the first fanzine and one of the organizers of the first regional and World Science Fiction Conventions, Schwartz paved the way for hundreds of future science-fiction and comics profesWe can print this recent photo of veteran colorist Tom Ziuko—but sionals who, like Julie, were lucky alas, not a sample of his color work enough to turn their hobby into their for Julie (though you’ll find his vocation. What would the genres of handiwork on the covers of most science-fiction and horror be without Thanks, Julie, for everything. issues of A/E, including this one). the contributions of Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Stephen King, Robert Silverberg, and the legion of authors who polished their craft in fanzines before breaking into the professional ranks? [Tom Ziuko is a longtime professional colorist.]

TOM ZIUKO

And look at the ranks of comics professionals who also started out in fanzines: writers like Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and Marv Wolfman; artists like Dave Cockrum, Jim Starlin, George Pérez, and John Byrne; letterers like John Workman and Tom Orzechowski; colorists including Carl Gafford and yours truly; and of course DC Comics’ president, Paul Levitz. Thanks to Julius Schwartz, we all found ways to become professionals, doing what we loved to do. The development of the fanzine gave us a place to practice our craft, while science-fiction and comics conventions helped us make valuable contacts with professionals already in the business. And of course we wouldn’t have been producing our own comics fanzines in the first place in Julie Schwartz hadn’t been editing comics that continued to retain our interest after we discovered girls. Just like the fans of Carl Barks recognized the work of “the good duck artist,” we recognized the work of “the good comics editor” in titles like Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkman, Justice League, Strange Adventures, Mystery in Space, and later Batman and Detective Comics.

When I started my career at DC, Julie was the first editor I was assigned to work with. As was the wise policy in those days, tinhorn colorists were put under the tutelage of the old master to learn the basics of good solid storytelling. One example concerned captions at the top of two consecutive panels: if the artwork showed blue skies, then the captions should be of a contrasting color; and, if the first one was yellow, then the second might be an orange tint, tying the two together and thus naturally leading the reader along. I’ll never forget his dictum, as Julie put it: “The eye must be happy!” Yes, in person Julie was a crusty, gruff, and grumpy curmudgeon, but you always had the sense that underneath beat a heart of warmth. Thanks, Julie, for showing me the ropes.

I even indirectly owe my own background in Minnesota science-fiction fandom to Julie, since it was a letter in Strange Adventures that led several Minneapolis-area sf fans to get together and organize Minn-stf, the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, and later Minicon, one of the largest regional sf conventions. I was privileged to work with Julie on a professional basis, and also to socialize with him as a fellow fan at venues like Pulp-Con. Julie still retained a fondness for the pulps and radio shows of his youth, and was delighted to find a fellow professional who loved Jack Benny’s radio programs, and who was familiar with Frank L. Packard’s Jimmy Dale stories and Arthur B. Reeve’s Craig Kennedy novels. Julie was himself a fan, and I think this is a key to his success as an editor.

Sheldon Moldoff, primo Golden Age “Hawkman” artist and “Batman” ghost from 1953-67, drew this panoramic illo of the Justice League of America battling some of their greatest foes for collector Bob Bailey a few years ago. Thanks to Bob for sharing it with us. Julie, of course, was editorial co-creator of four of the heroes depicted— The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and The Atom (as well as of the JLA concept itself)—and edited the Batman titles for many years, as well. [Art ©2004 Sheldon Moldoff; characters TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

28 [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: Much could be written about Julie Schwartz’s career before he started his job as Sheldon Mayer’s story editor on Feb. 23, 1944… but for the most part, we’ll let the reader interested in that aspect of his life read his 1985 memoir Man of Two Worlds: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics, written with Brian Thomsen. This piece by Scott Sheaffer, however, can suggest that earlier period even as it sheds light on Julie’s relationship with the brilliant 20th-century horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. —Roy.]

The Agent of Cthulhu

When the Future Architect of Comics’ Silver Age Met the Master of the Macabre by Scott Sheaffer The Colour Out of Providence Before he revived super-heroes and ignited the Silver Age, Julius Schwartz already had accomplished a great deal— outside of comics. The milieu he moved in before he took a job at All-American Comics in 1944 contained all the wonder of the four-color comic books he later oversaw. He and his pal (and fellow future DC editor) Mort Weisinger rank among the founders of science-fiction and fantasy fandom. Together with Allen Glasser, they created the first real sf fanzine, The Time Traveller. Julie also helped stage the first World Science Fiction Convention in 1939. Though agents like Otis Adelbert Kline already represented pulp authors, Julie and Mort had earlier established the first science-fiction literary agency, which they christened Solar Sales Service. When Mort became an editor for the Thrilling group of pulp magazines, Julie carried on alone. Among many other now-legendary clients, Julie represented a fledgling Ray Bradbury, Alfred Bester, and Robert Bloch. The name of one client arrests particular attention: H.P. Lovecraft, author of such stories as “The Colour Out of Space,” “The Rats in the Walls,” “Pickman’s Model,” and “The Call of Cthulhu,” and of course the creator of what has been called the Cthulhu Mythos. In his study of the horror field, Danse Macabre, Stephen King calls Lovecraft “the twentieth-century horror story’s dark and baroque prince.” Writers such as Robert Bloch (later author of Psycho) and Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan, regarded the Providence, Rhode Island, resident as a friend and mentor. Working with such a legend must have been great, right? Julie remembered it with fondness, but others might have pulled their hair out. Some of Lovecraft’s friends undercut Julie’s efforts to represent him. In addition, by then the writer’s productivity was virtually at an end. Even so, Julie aided the biggest financial success of Lovecraft’s literary career. All of this earned $35 for Julie’s agency. And yet, the meeting that made it possible nearly didn’t happen. Despite Lovecraft’s current posthumous reputation, in life he earned little from writing. Though he could live on $10 a week, he often found himself in desperate financial straits. His sales usually came courtesy of low-paying and slow-paying pulps like Weird Tales. The latter often paid not on publication, as promised, but months afterward. While some pulp writers compensated for low rates by cranking out material, HPL, a perfectionist, worked slowly. Nor did he tailor stories to the markets,

(Left:) A 1934 photo of horror/science-fiction master H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937). (Above:) By 1937, sf literary agent Julie Schwartz was hangin’ with sciencefiction heavyweights in what they called “The Steuben Gang.” From left to right standing are: Jack Williamson, L. Sprague de Camp, John D. Clark, Frank Belknap Long, Mort Weisinger, Edmond Hamilton, Otis Adelbert Kline. Kneeling, left to right, are: Otto Binder, Manly Wade Wellman, Julie. If you never heard of some of these guys, trust us—one day, virtually all of them would be pulp sf and/or comics legends! Photo from the Julius Schwartz Collection.

but rather he insisted on writing what he wanted to write the way he wanted to write it. He sometimes went long periods without producing any work. Nor did he follow Robert Heinlein’s sage advice about putting a story on the market and keeping it on the market until it sells. When one magazine rejected a story, Lovecraft often gave up submitting it professionally and merely sent it around to his friends. After Farnsworth Wright, editor of Weird Tales, rejected it in 1931, his short novel At the Mountains of Madness—the longest tale he ever wrote—shared this fate. Lovecraft told one friend: “Its hostile reception by Wright and others to whom it was shown probably did more than anything else to end my effective fictional career.” [H.P. Lovecraft: Selected Letters, Vol. 5, Arkham House, 1976, p. 224.] On their own initiative, Lovecraft’s friends submitted his stories to Weird Tales, but Lovecraft himself wouldn’t send another story to that magazine until 1936—only a year before his untimely death. There are other cases in which Lovecraft didn’t market a story at all. Dissatisfied with his work, he sometimes destroyed stories he’d labored over. An early version of “The Shadow Out of Time” met this end. He also considered destroying the final version. Lovecraft thought so little of the story that he didn’t type his handwritten manuscript; yet it is now considered one of his greatest stories.

The Agent of Cthulhu

Challenges from Beyond

McCauley’s plot to exploit the memories of HPL, Robert E. Howard, and Howard Wandrei. Stephen King? He was a client of McCauley’s.

Lovecraft knew Julius Schwartz through the latter’s fan activities. He read and contributed to fanzines Julie edited. Lovecraft also met Julie in person prior to their fateful 1935 encounter. Writing to Robert Barlow on January 13, 1934, HPL discussed visiting Frank Belknap Long in New York City:

In a recently published collection of Lovecraft and Wandrei’s correspondence, Wandrei mentions Julie only once. He says:

“On one occasion Long and I received a call from the youthful editors of Fantasy Magazine—formerly The Science Fiction Digest— Conrad Ruppert and Julius Schwartz. Both are admirably bright and pleasant boys….” [HPL: Selected Letters, Vol. IV, p. 342.] On another occasion, Lovecraft spoke about a crisis he and Julie faced with the all-star cast writing “The Challenge from Beyond.” Julie recruited five top science-fiction writers for a round robin sf story based on the title; he also asked five top fantasy writers to write a fantasy story using the same title. Julie originally set the fantasy order as C.L. Moore, Frank Belknap Long, A. Merritt, H.P. Lovecraft, and Robert E. Howard. Disaster loomed when Long devised a clever plot twist for the second chapter. Merritt balked at following Long. Back then, Merritt was a bigger name than either Howard or Lovecraft. He demanded that he get the second spot instead of Long. Julie gave in. Merritt’s behavior so incensed Long that he dropped out of the project. However, Julie and Lovecraft changed Long’s mind, and he wrote the final chapter. [See HPL: Selected Letters, Vol. V, p. 200, for Lovecraft’s account.]

The Shadow Out of Minnesota In summer of 1935, Lovecraft visited his friend Robert Barlow in Florida. During the visit, Barlow typed “The Shadow Out of Time,” creating a professional-looking manuscript for magazine submission. Heading homeward in late August, HPL left word of the addresses where he’d stop along the way. This allowed him to continue getting letters as he headed north. He said he wanted to visit his New York City friends, but that he was so broke he’d probably skip the stop.

“Copy of Fantasy Magazine arrived, containing interview with me. Schwartz & Weisinger garbled a remark I made about ‘The Call of Cthulhu’ into an anecdote that is discreditable to both you and me. I have already taken them to task, and I herewith extend apologies for my unfortunate part in the incident. I knew nothing of their action until the interview appeared, and the quotations are flatly not mine.” Joshi and Schultz quote the passage from Fantasy Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 3, May 1934, p. 11, that bothered Wandrei: “When I met Lovecraft I chanced to comment on his excellent story, ‘Call of Cthulhu,’ and I pronounced the word as it was spelt. Lovecraft enlightened me on its correct pronunciation, which sounds like a series of witches’ whistles. I asked Lovecraft how he could possibly pronounce the name different from my version of it, which was correct phonetically. He then said to me, ‘Look here, I ought to know how to say it, don’t you think?’” Anyone wondering where the fireworks were? If it was a misquote, setting the record straight is understandable, but what was “discreditable” about it? On pages 10-11 of HPL: Selected Letters, Vol. V, HPL tells Duane Rimel the anecdote was “largely fictitious,” but that he probably did explain the pronunciation to Wandrei. Lovecraft says human attempts to replicate the non-human pronunciation would sound like a man imitating a steam whistle or a crowing rooster or a neighing horse. Lovecraft answered Wandrei’s protest:

Enter Donald Wandrei. Lovecraft and Wandrei became friends in the 1920s. The Minnesota native corresponded with and visited Lovecraft in Rhode Island. HPL encouraged the young writer, and Wandrei began selling stories and making a better living at it than Lovecraft did. Since so many publishers resided there, Wandrei moved to New York. After Lovecraft’s death, Wandrei and August Derleth founded Arkham House, a small press centered on HPL’s work. Wandrei also conducted a smear campaign against Robert Barlow, HPL’s literary executor. He gave up his share in Arkham House during World War II, when he served in the Army and fought in France. After Derleth died in 1971, Wandrei fought Derleth’s estate over HPL copyrights which Wandrei and Derleth co-owned. In his last years, Wandrei refused permission for his own work to be reprinted, and he battled Kirby McCauley, the World Fantasy Convention, and Stephen King. Wandrei saw the World Fantasy Convention as literary agent Kirby

“Leedle Shoolie can be pardoned for careless reporting considering the wide territory he covers.” [See Mysteries of Time and Spirit, pp. 344-346, edited by S.T. Joshi and David Schultz, Night Shade Books, 2002, for the full exchange between Lovecraft and Wandrei, as well as the interview quote.] “Leedle Shoolie” refers to Julie. Lovecraft nicknamed members of his circle: Clark Ashton Smith was Klarkash-Ton, Robert E. Howard was Two-Gun Bob, Robert Bloch was Bho-Blìk, etc., etc.

At the Mountains of Manhattan or, The Greenwich Horror

Although Howard Phillips Lovecraft was one of Weird Tales’ most popular authors, his oblique, moody prose and the difficulty of artistically rendering many of his concepts meant that his stories rarely rated a cover painting—not even on this May 1941 issue, four years after his death, when a “never-before published novel” of his was bruited on that cover! Seabury Quinn’s tales of occult detective Jules de Grandin were for many years the most popular thing in WT. Cover by Hannes Bok. [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

In the summer of 1935, Wandrei shared a Greenwich Village apartment with his brother Howard at 155 E. 10th Street. Howard Wandrei departed. Learning of Lovecraft’s plight, Donald Wandrei invited HPL to stay with him. Arriving in New York on September 1st, Lovecraft stayed nearly two weeks. During this visit Lovecraft met Julie, now a fledgling agent, again. When Julie asked Lovecraft if he had anything which he hadn’t been able to sell, he must have made quite a pitch. Lovecraft mentioned to more than one correspondent about how insistent and anxious Julie had

When the Future Architect of Comics’ Silver Age Met the Master of the Macabre check from Astounding confirmed the rumors. “The Shadow Out of Time” sold for $280, and Lovecraft sent his thanks to—Donald Wandrei.

Whisperers in Darkness Soon a third person considered sending Lovecraft’s work to Astounding. William Crawford, from whom Julie got At the Mountains of Madness, also had “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” It’s not known whether Crawford actually submitted “Innsmouth,” however. Eventually, he published the story in a limited edition of a few hundred copies. Lovecraft expressed gratitude to both Schwartz and Wandrei. Writing to J. Vernon Shea, HPL spoke of the sales: Robert H. Barlow (left) typed up the manuscript of HPL’s “The Shadow Out of Time”—and later wound up feuding with Donald Wandrei (right).

been. [Mysteries of Time and Spirit, pp. 367-368, and H.P. Lovecraft: Letters to Robert Bloch, edited by Schultz and Joshi, pp. 75, Necronomicon Press, Rhode Island, 1993.] Lovecraft told Wandrei what he thought would happen: “I would never have given Leedle Shoolie the ‘Mountains’ MS. if I had the least idea of its acceptability at S&S’s. I thought it had not a ghost of a chance there, & frankly told Shoolie as much. I didn’t think the venture was worth wasting postage on, although I did have a vague notion (imbibed from Leedle Meestah Stoiling) of trying the thing on the moribund Amazing if Hill-Billy Crawford decided not to make a booklet out of it. [NOTE: Crawford planned amateur publication of the tale. —S.S.] When Shoolie insisted, I told him to get the thing from Hill-Billy at his own risk—but that I thought he’d be wasting his time. I assumed he would try it vainly on Astounding, then (probably vainly) on Amazing—& then shoot it back to Crawford or to me. I merely wished no stone to be left technically unturned. [Mysteries of Time and Spirit, pp. 367-368. Interestingly, this same 11-10-35 letter to Wandrei appears in HPL: Selected Letters, Vol. V, but the editors cut the vast majority of it, including all references to Julie. Only a short section of Lovecraft’s musings about marriage remains.]

“This astonishes me considerably, since none of my stuff is in the pulp vein favoured by that popular enterprise. The $595 derived from the two sales is a veritable life-saver, for I was never closer to the bread-line than this year. The incident encourages me to attempt further writing— although I realize that acceptances can’t keep coming. This dual placing is essentially a luck-shot.” [HPL: Selected letters, Vol. V, p. 210.] Not only was the money much needed, but the inspiration was, too. Lovecraft hadn’t written any fiction since finishing “The Shadow Out of Time” on February 24, 1935. [See HPL: Selected Letters, Vol. V, p. 120, where he also mentions thoughts of destroying the story.] In the euphoria from the double sale, he produced “The Haunter in the Dark.” This wasn’t Wandrei’s first unofficial agenting for HPL. Years earlier, Farnsworth Wright initially rejected “The Call of Cthulhu,” by common consent today one of Lovecraft’s most important stories. While passing through Chicago, Wandrei visited Weird Tales’ offices and praised HPL’s “Call of Cthulhu” revision, saying that, though he didn’t know why, the author wasn’t sending it to Weird Tales. He speculated that HPL had decided to broaden his markets. This allegedly made Wright fidgety. Wright asked Lovecraft to resend “The Call of Cthulhu”—and bought it.

Mysteries of Time and Spirit lacks Wandrei’s letters about the Astounding sales. However, in one of his letters, Lovecraft defends Julie’s commission-taking. Was Lovecraft just musing, or was he responding to something Wandrei said? Wandrei had refused Lovecraft’s offered commission:

Despite his doubts, Lovecraft told Bloch: “I imagine Schwartz ought to make a pretty good agent, since he has been in close touch with all the editors so long. I’m letting him try to market my “Mts. Of Madness,” though I really have no hope of the manuscript’s placement. [HPL: Letters to Robert Bloch, p. 73.] Meanwhile, after returning to Rhode Island, Lovecraft began circulating “The Shadow Out of Time” among his circle. Donald Wandrei got it first. Julie’s name didn’t appear on the circulation list, but Lovecraft intended for Julie to market it. Then Julie pulled off a coup. He sold At the Mountains of Madness to editor F. Orlin Tremaine at Astounding Stories. Unlike Weird Tales, the sf pulp-mag paid promptly upon acceptance. Tremaine bought the story for $350, netting Lovecraft $315 after Julie’s commission. Rumors reached HPL that other agenting activity was underway. A second

In 1931, Wandrei tried getting Wright to reconsider another rejection. Wandrei failed. The story’s name? At the Mountains of Madness.

Lovecraft’s short novel At the Mountains of Madness rated the cover of the Feb. 1936 issue of Astounding Stories. Ironically, Julie Schwartz said in Alter Ego V3#7: “I never could read [HPL’s] long stories. I would only read the short ones [like “The Rats in the Walls,” a Julie favorite of HPL’s].” [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

“As to the matter of commission—while of course I understand & appreciate your generous attitude (indeed, I wouldn’t accept a commission myself unless I were in some stern & definitely predetermined deal), I hated to think of your receiving so little return for a type of service which had just netted our pushing little friend Shoolie t’oity-five bucks a’ready! It surely was easy money for The Listener (to give him a Blackwoodian title based on his recent unabashed procedure at S&S’s), but of course he technically earned it fairly enough. The fact that the MS. he was handling landed at the first shot was simply his good luck. In another case an agent might have to tramp

The Agent of Cthulhu around interminably & waste postage on something which would never yield any return. It is on a preponderance of good ‘breaks’ over losses that the ability of an agent to carry on business depends.” [Mysteries of Time and Spirit, p. 367.]

Julius Schwartz—Reanimator Julie’s other clients attest to his value. Edmond Hamilton sold his own work for eight years before hiring Julie and Mort. That he stuck with Julie from that time on speaks volumes. Likewise, Robert Bloch had been placing work for about two years before hiring Julie. (In his memoir Man of Two Worlds, Julie says he became Bloch’s agent in 1938. In a June 1936 letter, though, Lovecraft refers to some material Julie was then handling for Bloch.) Bloch also stayed with Julie. Without Julie’s intervention, At the Mountains of Madness seemed destined for amateur publication. Instead, it ranks among Lovecraft’s biggest sales. Besides attempting to change Wright’s mind about that short novel, Wandrei also advised Lovecraft to consider Astounding as a story market. On both counts, Julie succeeded where Wandrei failed. One wonders if Wandrei would have tried selling “The Shadow Out of Time” if not for Julie’s success with At the Mountains of Madness. Though he had helped Lovecraft sell stories before, he didn’t try selling everything sent his way. When he saw “The Haunter of the Dark” a few months later, Wandrei didn’t sell it anywhere. Perhaps rivalry with Julie, or perhaps seeing Astounding accept Lovecraft’s stuff, inspired Wandrei to take charge on “The Shadow Out of Time.” On the other hand, Wandrei had been selling his own stuff to Astounding for years. He studied that market. Wandrei might have realized that “The Shadow out of Time” fit Astounding and brought it there even without Julie’s lead.

The Shunned Manuscript Wandrei’s and Crawford’s actions seem almost designed to discourage a professional agent. If they discouraged Julie from further domestic marketing, it was to Lovecraft’s detriment. An agent shopping HPL’s unpublished stories to all potential markets had a better chance of placing them than did friends who submitted stuff now and then. Julie had a new angle, though. Again Lovecraft seemed reluctant, but for a time, Julie’s enthusiasm prevailed. Julie and Mort’s first customer was Edmond Hamilton. Julie told Lovecraft that he’d sold Hamilton’s stories to a British publisher. (Does anyone know if Horror on the Asteroid and Other Tales of Planetary Horror is what Julie sold?) Julie asked HPL for a batch of stories to submit in Britain. Following the Astounding sales, Lovecraft wrote a new story called “The Haunter of the Dark.” That tale and the unpublished “The Thing on the Doorstep” were part of the package Julie planned to submit. Before mailing Julie the stories, Lovecraft sent them to Weird Tales. In a letter dated July 1, 1936, Lovecraft wrote:

Dear Wright: — Young Schwartz has persuaded me to send him a lot of manuscripts for possible placement in Great Britain, and it occurs to me that I’d better exhaust their cisatlantic possibilities before turning them over to him. Accordingly I am going through the formality of obtaining your official rejection of the enclosed—so that I won’t feel I’ve overlooked any theoretical source of badly-needed revenue. In the absence of other American markets for purely weird material, I won’t need to try them elsewhere—hence, if you don’t mind, you might send them on after rejection to Julius Schwartz, 255 East 188th St., New York, N.Y., instead of returning them to me. [HPL: Selected Letters, Vol. V, pp. 274-275.]

Neither is it certain that Julie would have replicated Wandrei’s success with “The Both stories probably sold on their own Shadow Out of Time.” A lot depends on “The Shadow Out of Time,” the HPL story marketed by merits. Still, if Wright had reservations, when Julie would have submitted the story. Donald Wandrei, also rated a cover when it appeared in the notice of Julie’s plans could’ve produced If he hadn’t brought it in until it had gone June 1936 issue of Astounding. Julie Schwartz told Roy the same effect Wandrei’s ploy had earlier. through its circulation list, his chances of Thomas that he felt he had been the one who truly sold Alerting Wright of Julie’s plans stirred selling it to Astounding would have this story. [©2004 the respective copyright holder.] potential problems, however. Early in dropped considerably. By that time, At the Lovecraft’s career, he didn’t specify that he Mountains of Madness would probably have been in print—and in only offered first serial rights. Claiming all rights, Wright later reprinted subsequent letter columns, Astounding’s readers massacred the story! those stories, often without paying Lovecraft. Eventually, Lovecraft Although Tremaine broached paperback publication of HPL in the ’40s, caught on and reserved all but first serial rights. Wright got some of in 1935 his immediate concern was Astounding’s readers. Also, heavy HPL’s stories published in the British Not at Night anthologies. In early editorial changes made by Tremaine incensed Lovecraft. Regardless of 1937 Lovecraft heard that his classic “Pickman’s Model” would appear money, he may have forbidden future submissions to Astounding. We in such a collection. It earned him the “princely sum” of £1.00. If Julie can’t be certain Julie could have placed the story elsewhere. If Julie had sought to include any of these early stories, Wright’s claims may have got his chance before the story left New York, though, there’s no reason been a problem. he couldn’t have sold it with the same ease that Wandrei did. Although Wandrei’s action deprived Julie of a potential commission, Julie and Lovecraft’s meeting took place that summer only because of Wandrei’s generosity. It’s unlikely that HPL would have sought Julie’s services on his own. Would Julie have traveled to Providence solely to pitch his services? Letters lack the immediacy of the face-to-face encounters, and it’s evident that Julie needed all his persuasive powers to win Lovecraft over.

In August, Lovecraft told Bloch about Julie’s British plans. With his typical positive outlook, Lovecraft panned their chances. He also mentioned that, while Wright had accepted two stories meant for the project, Julie had a number of other manuscripts. When Weird Tales illustrator Virgil Finlay expressed interest in illustrating a Lovecraft collection, Lovecraft put him in touch with Julie.

When the Future Architect of Comics’ Silver Age Met the Master of the Macabre

The Outsider and Some Others Then, on October 6, 1936, Lovecraft’s friends entered the fray again. Wilfred Blanch Talman, an old friend of HPL’s, worked for a New York publisher. At the time, so far as Lovecraft knew, Julie still had the other manuscripts and planned to send them to Britain. There is no indication from him that Julie had sent them yet. If Julie and Lovecraft’s correspondence survives anywhere, it could shed light on exactly what happened. Did Julie ever submit the stories? If not, was it because he was waiting to use the stories submitted to Weird Tales? Talman asked to present a collection of Lovecraft’s stories to his employer, Morrow. HPL decided he’d rather have Talman as an agent than Julie. He gave Talman his blessing and left up to him how to handle everything. Lovecraft didn’t think Julie’s British activities would interfere with parallel agenting by Talman in America.

write one at the moment, but he promised Talman could agent any novel he submitted to Morrow. On November 18th, Lovecraft told Fritz Leiber (of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser fame) that a large batch of previously loaned material had returned. Were these the stories Julie had meant to sell? If so, Lovecraft intended to resume lending them to friends, and Julie’s British plans looked moribund.

Julie with Robert Bloch, then famed as the author of Psycho, in the 1980s (photo by Beth Gwinn, from the Julius Schwartz Collection). Young Bob Bloch wrote “The Shambler from the Stars” as a contribution to HPL’s “Cthulhu Mythos,” in which a Lovecraftian monster gobbled up an unnamed dead ringer for the Providence author —and Lovecraft returned the favor by having “Robert Blake” killed by “The Haunter of the Dark” (right). Incidentally, to get in the last word, Bloch wrote a third related tale, “The Shadow from the Steeple.”

There was a problem, though. In those days before scanners and photocopiers, to make another copy, Julie would have to retype the stories. If he or Talman didn’t make copies, one of them had to wait on the sidelines. If Julie hadn’t submitted the stories by October 6th, it seems unlikely he had a chance after that. Less than a month later, Talman’s employer rejected a Lovecraft collection that included “The Colour Out of Space” and “The Music of Erich Zann.” On November 2nd, Lovecraft discussed the collection with Talman. Talman said his employer wanted HPL to try a novel. Lovecraft said he wasn’t ready to

In the coming months, Lovecraft complained of intestinal problems. The illness eventually hospitalized him, and he died of cancer on March 15, 1937. Shortly after, Donald Wandrei and August Derleth took charge. They formed Arkham House and published limited collectors editions. They raised awareness of HPL until mass market paperback publishers got onboard the Lovecraft bandwagon. Lovecraft’s posthumous success and recognition have dwarfed that which he received in life.

Julie went on to sell hundreds of stories for his clients, including 75 for Robert Bloch and 70 for Ray Bradbury. Though Julie only sold one Lovecraft story, it was a noteworthy sale. It gave HPL much-needed financial and moral support. It’s arguable that Julie impacted three other sales in Lovecraft’s favor. Julie’s British project prompted Lovecraft’s submission to Weird Tales of “The Haunter of the Dark” and “The Thing on the Doorstep”—and one can also wonder if Julie spurred Wandrei’s submission of “The Shadow Out of Time.”

Everyone deserves a

Golden Age!

Roy here, with a personal note: "Talk about a long time between drinks! In 1974-75 artist Dick Giordano and I adapted the first near-half of Bram Stoker's 1890 novel Dracula in six issues of Marvel's Dracula Lives! and in Legion of Monsters #1. We've been wanting to finish it ever since—and, at the invitation of Marvel editor Mark Beazley, we're finally doing it—three decades later! The first of four issues serializing this nearly 200-page adaptation will go on sale by Halloween. Above is Dick's eerie art for cover #1! GiVE BACK TO THE CREATORS WHO GAVE YOU YOUR DREAMS.

"Oh, and I've also written introductions to two new hardcover Marvel Masterworks volumes containing my Silver Age scripting that'll be in stores in September and November, respectively: The X-Men, Vol. 4, and The Avengers, Vol. 4. Hey, who knows—with 2005 about to mark my 40th year in the field, I might just make a career out of this comic book thing yet!" Thanks to Mark Beazley and Cory Sedlmeier for the scan. [Art ©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“You Can’t Measure Comics Up Against Anything Else!”

GIL KANE Speaks—Mostly about LOU FINE, JACK COLE, & MAC RABOY Interview Conducted & Transcribed by Daniel Herman

CITIZEN KANE—BEFORE & AFTER! Gil Kane—in a photo which appeared in the Fall 1973 (#3) issue of Foom!, Marvel’s “house fanzine”— is remembered for various projects and many series, but probably most of all for his body of work on the Silver Age Green Lantern.

(Above:) A page from GL #26 (Jan. 1964), from a period when action art was mostly eschewed at National/DC. Gil referred to this as the era when “the Dan Barry look”—by which he meant “good but bland drawing” (though of course Barry had shown himself adept at action earlier)—dominated at the company. Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, autographed by Gil, inker Joe Giella, and editor Julie Schwartz, courtesy of Joe’s son Frank. Script by John Broome. [©2004 DC Comics.]

(Left:) Beginning in 1966-67, Gil sought to re-capture his Jack Kirby roots, partly by drawing several “Incredible Hulk” stories for Stan Lee at Marvel. This pure-Kane cover for Tales to Astonish #89 (March 1967). [©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Gil Kane Speaks––Mostly about Lou Fine, Jack Cole, & Mac Raboy

[A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: In 2001, a year after Gil Kane’s untimely passing, Daniel Herman and Hermes Press produced Gil Kane: The Art of the Comics, the first book-length study of the artist’s career. In 2002 the same author/publisher put out a second volume, Gil Kane: Art and Interviews, made up of transcriptions from Dan’s interviews with Gil, Julius Schwartz, Roy Thomas, and sf/mystery/comics writer/comics historian Ron Goulart. The following is a short conversation Dan had with Gil on September 5, 1998. Though Dan quoted from it in the earlier book, it has never before been published in its original form, and is ©2004 Daniel Herman. —Roy.] DANIEL HERMAN: Gil, you have always been very fond of Lou Fine, and it’s clear from looking at your work that he was a big influence. This comes through especially in the Green Lantern and Atom strips you did in the 1960s. GIL KANE: Louie Fine was always one of my heroes. I remember when I was searching for his stuff the very first time and it just knocked me out. I was extremely devoted to him and have been for most of my adult life. Then someone swiped my clipping file. I had been clipping and saving Louie Fine material for years and years. Slowly, someone started sending me material that comprised a lot of the early stuff that Louie Fine had done. At that point I realized that his early work was very crude. However, as his style more fully developed, it’s clear that his work became much more assured, and that’s the Louie Fine that everybody admires. Ultimately he followed that early work with the more polished work that he is remembered for, but it’s still in the spirit of that early material. The spirit was always there. DH: At the end of his career as a cartoonist, Fine worked on Eisner’s Spirit and the work was toned down considerably. It’s clear that not only was Fine attempting to modify his style, but he was also clearly interested in keeping with the style of the strip at that time. Nevertheless, it’s clearly Lou Fine and not Will Eisner—or Jack Cole, who worked in tandem with Fine during the 1940s after Eisner had been drafted.

as an influence on my anatomy, and he was replaced immediately by other figure men. I was reading Crandall, who was a classic Bridgman man, and who was interested in composing a classic 19th-century sort of body, right out of the old Michelangelo school. And the fact is that Bridgman epitomized that approach to anatomy. Ultimately, the quality of grace that I was looking for I found in Bridgman. It took me a long time before I was able to finally crack the code of Bridgman. DH: Lou Fine turned in a lot of work for Eisner as well as Busy Arnold at Quality. Another artist that I already brought up who also worked on The Spirit after Eisner left was Jack Cole. What was your take on Cole’s cartooning? KANE: Well, of course, I watched the progression from the time he began working in comic books until after the Second World War. He did some of the most remarkable stuff I ever saw in comics. He was absolutely brilliant and going off in a new direction with enormous creativity, but he left after getting bored and ultimately ended up at Playboy. DH: Then for some unknown reason he killed himself. KANE: Yes, no one really understands why Cole did that, since he was successfully turning out cartoons at Playboy for Hefner and he had sold a humor strip to the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate, called Betsy and Me. Nobody could ever match Cole’s work on “Plastic Man.” There was something in Cole’s personality that clashed with some people, but that is a separate situation. In any case, the fact is that he was a remarkable artist. There was also an artist named John Spranger, and he did a lot of Cole’s work at Quality on “Plastic Man,” and he had Cole’s style down so close very few people could tell the difference. Ultimately Spranger was replaced by Alex Kotzky, and after that “Plastic Man” became more and more watered-down.

Working with writer/editor Roy Thomas in the late 1980s, Gil Kane drew Lou Fine-influenced pencil layouts for a 19-page retelling of The Ray’s origin for an issue of Secret Origins—but due to changes in company policy, it was never inked, let alone published. [©2004 DC Comics.]

KANE: When Fine went into advertising he became almost photorealistic. The fact is that his early stuff really influenced my take on action, and there was a very emotional connection between that work and the work that I was trying to bring forth. I never lost my connection with Fine because of the lyricism in his work, and that’s still part of what I am trying to convey in my work up to the present. DH: Your point about lyricism is very well taken. Clearly the work that Fine did on “The Ray,” “The Black Condor,” and “Uncle Sam” has a lyrical, almost gliding quality about it. KANE: All of his work during that period had a lyricism that I absolutely loved. Ultimately I discarded Fine as a teacher of anatomy or

DH: You worked on an homage to Cole with DC Comics when you did Plastic Man in the mid-’60s.

KANE: Yes, it was an homage of sorts, but that never seemed to take off. Plastic Man is a great character, and I still think that he could be appreciated by new audiences. DH: If I remember correctly, in our previous conversation we had spoken about your working for Bernard Baily and Mac Raboy. You worked on strips in Baily’s shop, and if I remember correctly you worked on the “Captain Marvel Jr.” strip. It is very well documented that Raboy was extremely slow. What was your firsthand experience with Raboy? KANE: Well, first thing is that Raboy worked with a hand mirror. He used to hold it up to his face, and that is how he would draw. I thought he was excellent in his best work, but I always found there was a certain

“You Can’t Measure Comics Up Against Anything Else!”

THE THREE LOU FINES [Clockwise, starting below photo provided by Lou Fine’s son Elliot for Alter Ego #17:] (Above left:) This vintage page of the “lyrical” Lou Fine from the “Ray” story in Quality’s Crack Comics #20 (March 1941) illustrates what interviewer Daniel Herman said in his 2001 study Gil Kane: The Art of the Comics: “Fine’s elegant figure work, where violence was choreographed as if it were ballet, influenced Kane and every other comic artist who saw his work.” [©2004 the respective copyright holders; The Ray TM & ©2004 DC Comics.] (Above right:) From 1942-45 Will Eisner’s Sunday-comic-book feature The Spirit was drawn by Fine, with assistance from other artists… but over this period, as Michael T. Gilbert points out in his introduction to the hardcover Will Eisner’s Spirit Archives, Vol. 11, Fine “changed his style. Radically…. He wanted to graduate from ‘kiddy comics’ into the more lucrative cartoon fields of syndicate comic strips and advertising.” The drawing in The Spirit was still good— perhaps better technically than it had been before, as can be seen by this splash page for Sept. 2, 1945—but the stories and art became “less fun.” Even so, \every one of the baker’s dozen of Spirit Archives volumes published to date is worth picking up—and DC Comics apparently doesn’t intend to quit until they’ve published the entire run. Good for them! [©2004 Will Eisner.] (Below:) Fine’s more sophisticated and sedate advertising style—which made him a major force in the field during the latter 1950s—carried over into his newspaper strip Adam Ames. This daily is from August 22, 1959. [©2004 The Hall Syndicate, Inc., or its successors in interest.]

Gil Kane Speaks––Mostly about Lou Fine, Jack Cole, & Mac Raboy

glossiness to his material that was almost kind-of asexual. I remember there was an asexual quality about Captain Marvel, Jr. The problem with Raboy was that he had an ability to turn out quality material but not on a regular schedule. When he used to do “Captain Marvel, Jr.,” I used to be one of his assistants, and he had 7 or 8 guys on his staff who used to work consistently with the characters.

posters. DH: Another element that I think is important in the comic books of the 1940s was the cross-reference with movies of the time, in terms of the shooting and composition of the interior artwork in comic books.

As a matter of fact, if you look at Captain Marvel, Jr., it’s not that Captain Marvel, Jr., is completely sterile or asexual, but he is rather more feminine. All of the material, instead of emphasizing masculinity, had a feminine grace about it which went all the way through when Raboy worked on it. In fact, the covers are really quite nice, and Raboy gave himself plenty of time to plan the composition so the covers were usually very good. Raboy simply couldn’t work on a regular schedule, and he needed time. In other words, if he had done the “Nobody could ever match Cole’s work on ‘Plastic Man.’” Spot on, Gil! covers alone, he would have Back in Alter Ego #25, which focused on Jack Cole, we printed a number been very consistent and very of panels from one of our candidates for the best “Plas” story of all satisfied, but having to do the time—the lead tale from Police Comics #100 (June 1950). Here’s a interiors at the beginning and wonderfully choreographed page of his battle with the electricallythe covers, he had to create a charged lady named Thrilla. [Plastic Man TM & ©2004 DC Comics.] factory with Bernie Baily to turn out the work. Ultimately, it became too much for him, and then he was lucky enough to take over the Flash Gordon Sundays. DH: I thought many of his covers would make excellent posters. KANE: Well, they were indeed pretty much just like

Mac Raboy, in a detail of an early-1940s photo taken by his colleague and background man Bob Rogers, nee Rubin Zubofsky—juxtaposed mostly with panels from the 1944 Fawcett Master Comics story “Capt. Marvel Jr. Meets Himself in the Future.” The story was reprinted in black-&-white in the 1977 hardcover volume Shazam! from the 40’s to the 70’s. Photo courtesy of Roger Hill. [©2004 DC Comics.]

KANE: Well, you know, I think you have to recognize that you can’t measure comics up against anything else. If comics have a value, which some of them do, it has to be assessed on a basis of its context. In other words, I’m saying, it’s like a movie, it has to connect on the visual level of the people actually acting in the movie. If there is any value or any sort of quality—unfortunately, for some reason many directors and those involved with films have been recognized as serious artists, but this has not been applied to comic books and art. While admittedly many who worked in comic books are just hacks, there are those who transcend this and turn in work which is on a very high level of accomplishment. We’ve just been talking about several of those artists, Jack Cole and Lou Fine. There are others, artists who have turned in superlative work over the years and who could be recognized; clear examples of this would be artists like Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, and Alex Toth. DH: For some reason, though, many artists are merely competent craftsmen and not great artists. There is the sticky problem with the difference and the delineation between art and craft.

KANE: That’s interesting. To some extent, that’s the whole point. But, you see, it’s because comics depend on craftsmanship. There has to be a knowledge and sense of a narrative skill, but that becomes trivial, because the comics as a whole are just not taken seriously. Comics can be considered important in different ways, since some of the values in comics translate themselves and have translated themselves into other media like film and so forth. The only way that I think comics can begin to become regarded outside the industry is for people to respect the work of those who work in comics as craftsmen and as artists. I guess we will just have to wait for this to happen. [Daniel Herman is the writer/editor of the volumes Gil Kane: The Art of the Comics and Gil Kane: Art and Interviews, which are still available for $25 each from Hermes Press, 2100 Wilmington Rd., New Castle, PA 16105, Ph. (724) 652-0511—or e-mail Geerherm@sgi.net.]

EIGHT IS ENOUGH: Besides Fine, Cole, and Raboy, Gil talks about four additional artists who have turned in “superlative work,” including Reed Crandall (see p. 34), Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, and Alex Toth. But lots of us would add an eighth talent to that list: Gil Kane himself!

JOE KUBERT entered the field while a young teenager, and is still active as teacher and artist. While best known for his work on “Sgt. Rock” over the years, he is celebrated by many for his work on “Hawkman,” and for Tor, the caveman hero he created in 1953. Here’s the cover for the sixth and final issue— officially “Vol. 1, No. 5” (Oct. 1954); his self-portrait appeared in another St. John issue. Joe’s half century of Tor work has been collected in three stunning DC Archives editions. [Art ©2004 Joe Kubert.]

REED CRANDALL, caricatured here by Will Elder, later did great work for Treasure Chest, EC, et al.; but in the early 1940s was noted for Quality’s “The Ray” (following Fine), “Blackhawk”— and “Firebrand” in early issues of Police Comics (as per splash from #3, Oct. 1941).[Caricature ©2004 William M. Gaines Agent; Firebrand TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

JACK KIRBY was paradoxically a force unto himself, yet created as part of two great teams—Simon & Kirby and Lee & Kirby—as well as on his own doing The New Gods and later work for DC, Marvel, and others. At right is the Kirby/Royer cover of The Sandman #3 (June-July 1975), repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Glen David Gold. 1966 or ’67 photo taken by Mark Hanerfeld. [Art ©2004 DC Comics.]

ALEX TOTH is one of the great designers comics have produced, and A/E is proud to feature his commentary and art in most issues. Beginning with the late1940s “Green Lantern,” he has been an influence on many who came after him. In 1981 he drew this illustration of the western hero he had co-created with Bob Kanigher in 1949. Thanks to Manuel Auad. Self-portrait is from the 1978 San Diego Comic-Con program book; thanks to Shel Dorf. [Art ©2004 Alex Toth; Johnny Thunder TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

After co-creating Green Lantern and The Atom, GIL KANE (whose likeness was used by Gray Morrow in All-Star Western #2, Oct.-Nov. 1970) became the longtime regular penciler of The Amazing Spider-Man. At left are his finished pencils for the splash of issue #123 (Aug. 1973), repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of Mike Burkey. [Caricature panel ©2004 DC Comics; Spider-Man art ©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Sort of The Atom Or, “It’s A Small World, After All!” named Kandor in the Superman books. And y’know, there’s a lot of potential there. Kids love seeing ordinary objects turned into threats and weapons, a normal man or woman suddenly rendered an underdog in a world of giants. Sure, DC’s run its share of stories of that sort in the past, but maybe it’s time to go one better and actually create an ongoing series featuring tiny heroes. Julie and Jack can each take a stab at the concept, and, to make things a little more interesting, Bob Kanigher can, too. Oh, and get Mort cracking on another Kandor story ASAP!

The size-changing Silver Age super-hero called The Atom, under the aegis of writer Gardner Fox, penciler Gil Kane, and editor Julius Schwartz, had adventures in which human beings were smaller than he—larger than he (the usual menu)—and the same size as he, as seen in these splashes from The Atom #30 & 32, 1967. Repro’d from black-&-white Australian reprints, courtesy of Shane Foley. [©2004 DC Comics.]

by John Wells [All art accompanying this article, except where otherwise noted, is from scans provided by the author, who points out that they should be duly credited to “the folks at ABPC.” Be it so noted.] It was 1958, and DC Comics was actively seeking the next big trend in comics. Sputnik had gone up late in ’57, and the word came down that DC editors would develop two new comics heroes set in outer space. One would be based in the present, the other in the future. Jack Schiff took the latter concept, launching “Space Ranger” in Showcase #15-16, and Julius Schwartz went with the former, introducing “Adam Strange” in Showcase #17-19. Just imagine, however, if that approach towards creating new characters had continued beyond that point. If there had been a subsequent editorial conference in which some of those present were charged with creating other new heroes, spinning out of the same general concept. But what should that concept be? Maybe a flip through DC’s recent output might help. Let’s imagine an imaginary editorial director’s thought processes, with mental memos to himself: Hmmm... Action Comics #245 has a story called “The Shrinking Superman!” Mort Weisinger really seems to be running with this new concept about a bottled city

The foregoing mental conversation probably did not take place; but it’s interesting, in retrospect, to note that all four of the above-named editors dabbled with the concept of tiny heroes during that fertile period of comics history in 1959. They couldn’t have done much more if there had been such an editorial Master Plan!

(Above:) In the final panel of the first “Kandor” story, from Action Comics #242 (July 1958), the Man of Steel uses his Kandor-scope to broadcast a message to the denizens of the bottled Kryptonian capital. Script by Otto Binder, pencils by Al Plastino. (Right:) The Curt Swan/Stan Kaye cover of World’s Finest #100 (March 1959). [©2004 DC Comics.]

Sort of The Atom

39 of a window shade, the “atom detective” managed to get enough momentum from the jolt upward to swing outside the window and make it to the alley outside.

With an off-kilter title like “The Atom Detective” (why not “The Atomic Detective” or even “The Atom-sized Detective”?), it’s hard not to see this story as a precursor, or even a test run, for the Mighty Mite who debuted two years later. But, as John Wells points out on p. 40, none of the Fox/Kane/Schwartz Atom team was involved in this tale illustrated by Bill Ely and edited by Jack Schiff. Writer uncertain—but it probably wasn’t Gardner Fox, who at this time wrote fairly exclusively for Schwartz. [©2004 DC Comics.]

Weisinger’s Kandor, of course, needs little introduction. Shrunk and bottled by the evil Brainiac, the surviving but miniaturized Kryptonian city was rescued by Superman in 1958’s Action Comics #242 (with story by Otto Binder and art by Al Plastino) and was provided sanctuary in his Fortress of Solitude. Even as he vowed to one day restore the population of Kandor to its normal size, the Man of Steel began having adventures inside this tiny direct link to his alien past. In just its first two years of existence, Kandor figured in nine separate stories, including another memorable shrunken-heroes cover on World’s Finest Comics #100 (March 1959).

Regaining his normal size as abruptly as he’d lost it, Randall took down three surprised crooks and laughed off police inquiries about Lober’s claims that he’d been a doll-sized man. “Forget it, lieutenant,” he smiled. “We can overlook those … er … small details.” Next up was writer/editor Bob Kanigher, who, with artists Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, turned out two tales of tiny titans in the same month. As part of their test run in The Brave and the Bold, The Suicide Squad were temporarily shrunk in issue #26’s “The Sun Curse” (Oct.Nov. 1959). The set-up, which involved the team of three men and a woman being strangely affected by cosmic radiation while returning to Earth in a rocket, seems familiar in its own right, but I somehow doubt that Stan Lee and/or Jack Kirby ever saw this one. In any event, the story is one of Kanigher’s characteristically visual ones, wherein the shrunken Squad ride a box of matches in a lake and use all their ingenuity to fend off a sea gull and to fire a machine gun at enemy agents before returning to their full height.

Schiff’s contribution to this party appeared in a six-page episodic piece illustrated by Bill Ely in House of Mystery #86 (May 1959). “The Atom Detective” was one Vic Randall, a private eye desperately seeking evidence to put a mobster named Lober behind bars. In the course of his investigation, Vic was doused in chemical steam and ended up only a quarter-inch tall. Suddenly, the mere act of securing evidence from Lober’s lair became a near-impossibility, and Randall was forced to employ all his resourcefulness in order to escape with his life and bring down the gangster. Randall managed to find (and hide) some evidence in Lober’s office, but escaping was more of a trick. Nearly drowned when the thug spilled his inkwell, Vic left a trail of black footprints and found himself pursued by the entire gang. Yanking on the cord

For the Squad, life at the size of action figures had merely been an interesting diversion. For Sarge and the Corp, though, it was to be (you should pardon the expression) the start of something big. They were “The Minute Commandos,” and their probably Kanigher-scripted story was recounted in the 13-page lead of AllAmerican Men of War #74 (Oct. 1959).

Since penciler Ross Andru and inker Mike Esposito’s cover for The Brave and the Bold #26 (Oct.-Nov. 1959) has often been reprinted, here’s their splash for the issue . Writer/editor Bob Kanigher’s “Suicide Squad” would go on to star in various issues of his Star Spangled War Stories; but two issues hence, in Brave and Bold #28, the “Justice League of America” would debut and sweep all before it. [©2004 DC Comics.]

The duo were part of a commando unit assigned to find a Nazi secret weapon in the midst of occupied France. They found it, all right, each man bathed in a green ray of light as they parachuted towards Earth. Sarge didn’t immediately realize what had happened, until a seemingly gargantuan hawk dived for him. “Whatever had made a Minute Commando out of me,” he recalled, “had also reduced the size of my gear—which was a good thing.” Blasting the bird with his machine gun, Sarge hooked up with the Corp [short for

“It’s a Small World, After All!” inch alter ego exists, it must surely be he. You couldn’t tell it from the covers, but the pleasant Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog series had begun a shift towards science-fiction in 1958. The cover stories in each issue continued to focus on action-packed if fairly realistic situations, but the John Broome-scripted back-ups had taken on a more fanciful bent.

Two different Andru-Esposito angles on “The Minute Commandos” from the cover and splash page of All American Men of War #74 (Oct. 1959)—oddly, the same month that writer/editor Kanigher also shrank “The Suicide Squad”! If there wasn’t an editorial dictate to create pint-sized heroes, R.K. was sure acting like there was! [©2004 DC Comics.]

“Corporal”] and, ignoring their diminished stature, carried on with their mission. If there were any doubts as to its urgency, they were erased when the men looked up and saw an Allied plane. In an instant, it was bathed in a green spotlight and blinked out of existence. With their tiny weapons essentially ineffectual, The Minute Commandos managed to acquire a full-sized Luger and, using their belts, pull back the trigger to kill a German soldier. On the other hand, the guys were now so light that they could traverse a minefield without setting off any explosions. Their adrenaline fueled by gunfire in their direction, Sarge and Corp managed to shove one of those mines directly into the scientific compound, setting off an accelerating burst of explosions that sent the little men flying into an electrified fence. Regaining consciousness, the groggy soldiers discovered they’d been restored to normal size.

In issue #38’s “Beast from the Stars” (May-June 1958), Rex and his owner Danny Dennis met an extraterrestrial in the Australian outback. Astonishingly, Xtar, a being from the world of Yquem, found that he could telepathically communicate with Rex. In a sequel two issues later, Xtar returned to Earth for the express purpose of bringing Rex to his planet and enlisting his aid in averting a civil war (#41’s “The Wonder Dog of Space”). But, for our purposes, the most interesting stage in the evolution of the series came in Rex #43 (Jan.-Feb. 1959), wherein our hero became “The Smallest Dog on Earth.” Here we met scientist John Rayburn, an acquaintance of the Dennis family who was working in a converted barn on a serum to enhance human eyesight. “I need absolute solitude to work in, “ he told the Wonder Dog, “but even a scientist needs companionship—and you’re an ideal companion.” In the tradition of pulp scientists everywhere, Rayburn intended to test his formula on himself. Also in that same tradition, something went wrong. In this case, it was a curious squirrel that knocked the contents

Alone in enemy territory with the fate of all their fellow commandos unknown, Corp wondered aloud what had happened to them. “We’ll never find out,” Sarge replied, “unless we watch our steps from now on—until we reach our own lines. Funny—it would be a lot easier if we were still Minute Commandos.” Unlike the “Atom Detective” story, this adventure was explicitly intended as a pilot for an ongoing series, the final caption suggesting that readers “write and let us know if you’d like to read more stories about The Minute Commandos.” But the further adventures of the world’s tiniest fighting men were never continued, and Sarge and Corp remain among the most obscure of DC’s anachronistic WWII heroes. Fans eager to find prototypes for 1960s heroes occasionally cite Vic Randall, protagonist of “The Atom Detective,” as a precursor for the Silver Age Atom, ignoring the fact that no one involved with the latter character had any involvement with the former, or, in all likelihood, even read his sole appearance. And, digging deeper than the surface detail of the “Atom Detective” title, they might find that a Julie Schwartz-edited book had introduced its own shrinking hero some four months earlier! His name was John Rayburn, and, if a forerunner for Ray Palmer’s six-

The two newly-shrunken Minute Commandos don’t even get to touch down before they’re attacked by a now-giant (to them) hawk. But we’re wondering: how did Kanigher intend “Minute” to be pronounced in the title? The better choice logically would be as “my-NOOT,” an adjective meaning “small.” Yet, most young readers would probably have said, “MIN-it,” as in 1/60 of an hour. Shrewdie that he was, R.K. doubtless realized it didn’t make any difference how (or if) they said the name aloud, as long as they bought the comic—and the concept. But apparently they didn’t. “The War That Time Forgot” this story wasn’t! [©2004 DC Comics.]

Sort of The Atom

Cover and story situations in most issues of The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog were fairly mundane—although relatively few German shepherds could guide a team of horses by holding the reins with their teeth. But John Broome had been a science-fiction writer, and Julie Schwartz an sf agent, so voila!— “The Smallest Dog on Earth!” in issue #43. Art in Rex by this point was always by Gil Kane as penciler, with Joe Giella usually inking. [©2004 DC Comics.]

of another beaker into Rayburn’s own flask. Consequently, the blond scientist found his vision blurring rather than improving, even as an astonished Rex watched him shrink to the size of an insect and plunge through a crack in the floorboards. “His keen mind working on all cylinders,” Rex quickly lapped up some of the serum himself—and shrank down to join Rayburn. Just in time, it turned out, because the scientist was struggling to survive in a rain puddle-turned-torrent. Pulling him from the “river” was only the first peril Rex had to contend with. From their perspective, John and Rex were now miles from the barn, requiring them to run a gauntlet of suddenly-deadly wildlife on the return trip.

Unfortunately for Rayburn, this was a “World of Human Rats” where “dogs have become the master race” and the green-skinned humanoids were subservient to them. Rayburn was promptly quarantined, but Rex was treated as royalty and communicated telepathically. Indebted to Rex for defeating the leader of a race of savage birds, the dog-men allowed him to reclaim his “pet.” And there was a new development: it seemed that the shrinking serum only stayed in the bloodstream so long. Regaining their normal stature, John was ready for a break from exploring micro-worlds.

But they succeeded, and the 5” Rayburn, who’d figured out what caused the mishap, was able to prepare an antidote. Which wasn’t easy when the beakers were taller than he was. Later, in the story’s final panels, he was recognized by the Science Foundation. “They say I’ve taken the first steps towards intergalactic travel—and that we may penetrate the atomic universe even before we journey to other planets!” And this was writer Broome’s true goal. The size-changing gimmick would prove to be simply a means to an end, an efficient method of involving Rex with alien cultures without the entanglement of rockets and long journeys through space. The story resumed in #44 (March-April, 1959), wherein Rayburn decided to increase the strength of his formula, hoping to shrink himself right into an atomic universe—with Rex coming along for the ride. In an instant, the duo saw dust motes as “big as boulders” and bursts of bright light. And suddenly an alien horizon stretched out before them, twin orange suns in a pink sky reflected in a green lake.

When Rex #45 (May-June 1959) opened, Rayburn’s priorities had changed. Since getting really small had been something of a disappointment, he decided to get real big. This time, his destination was “a super-universe— where our solar system is merely one atom among many.” His exploration was put on hold, thanks to an urgent call to Washington by the Science Council. But Rex wasn’t doing anything … so he decided to take a drink of the new serum. And suddenly he was on the macro-world of Lamenor, a somewhat medieval “Planet of Giant Dogs” where knights used the canines as mounts. As he did with Xtar, Rex found he could communicate with the humans of Lamenor and pledged his services to the heroic O-Tar, agreeing to serve as his mount in a contest for the affection of the Lady Elen. Despite the treachery of Gordred, O-Tar won the race. Rex returned to normal (and to Earth) immediately thereafter… only to have John Rayburn walk in on the story’s final page and launch himself and his canine companion onto a brand new adventure—in the closest the series ever came to a continued story, rare at DC (and elsewhere) in those days.

“It’s a Small World, After All!” that survived through 1953. Only Plastic Man and Blackhawk had more long-term success at the company. And, most significantly, DC now owned many if not all of the Quality properties, actually continuing to publish Blackhawk, G.I. Combat, Heart Throbs, and, for a time, Robin Hood Tales. Kane explained in the Aug. 21, 1998, issue of Comics Buyer’s Guide: “I needed some additional work when I was doing Green Lantern, and I knew DC owned No rest for wonder dogs! Rex #45’s doubly scienceThe Atom [the non-shrinking 1940s fictional “Planet of Giant Dogs” ends with John member of the Justice Society]. I Raymond returning home and instantly dragging his also knew they now owned the pooch along on a new adventure—to be related in #46! Doll Man title, so I created a new Art by Kane & (probably) Giella. [©2004 DC Comics.] character based on the two. I made up a series of drawings and submitted them to Julie, who submitted them for the final approval from [DC co-publisher] Jack Liebowitz. I got the okay for it and we were off and running.”

In “Mystery of the Magnetic Monsters” (#46, Sept.-Oct. 1959), Rex and John journeyed to a macro-universe—and to an arid, desolate planet therein. Also, to their joint amazement, man and dog found that, for the first time, they could communicate! After surviving a phenomenon called a land-wave, in which rock and soil thundered and rippled like a tidal wave, Rex and John found themselves face-to-face with O-Tar and Elen. The couple were on their honeymoon—on Lamenor’s moon—and were now stranded, thanks to the wave’s displacement of their spacecraft. Using his expanded size and the moon’s lighter gravity to his advantage, Rayburn recovered the ship. Meanwhile, Rex encountered emerald moon-creatures called Magnetos (yes!), beings propelled by magnetic energy in their hands and intent on invading Lamenor. Just as Rex and John returned to normal size, the newlyweds fled the moon to warn their world of the plot.

Those conceptual drawings from 1960, Kane recalled in Alter Ego, Vol. 3, #2 (Autumn 1999), included one that had a bullet bouncing off The Atom’s chest and another that featured the Tiny Titan astride a German shepherd. However, as Roy Thomas indicated in his in-depth examination of the origins of the Silver Age Atom in that issue of A/E, the story isn’t necessarily quite as simple as that. He pointed out that in August 1960 noted comics fan Jerry G. Bails had suggested a Doll Man-size revival version of The Atom in a letter to Gardner Fox which was seen by Julie Schwartz—a considerable mutation for a 1940s JSAer who had merely been a short young man with (after 1948) atomic strength.

There would be no follow-up this time. The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog ended its run effective with that issue, a second blow to penciler Gil Kane, who’d seen another of his regular DC assignments (Hopalong Cassidy) canceled four months earlier. Kane was far from unemployed, continuing to contribute to Julie Schwartz’s sf titles as well as to All-Star Western, and, by mid-1960, an ongoing Green Lantern revival. But he still had time on his hands … and an idea. One of the most successful properties of Quality Comics during the 1940s had been Doll Man, an itty-bitty hero whose successful series in Feature Comics (beginning with #27, Dec. 1939) had led to a Doll Man solo title in 1941

(Left:) The splash of the last story in Rex #46, which turned out to actually be the last of the entire series. (Right:) Rex rescues his friends O-Tar and Lady Elen. Art by Kane & (probably) Giella. [©2004 DC Comics.]

Sort of The Atom

43 in Showcase #34-36 (Oct. 1961-Feb. 1962). John Broome, however, would continue to use names and concepts from his “Rex” stories in other series. The planet Yquem, for instance, later became the stage for a tribunal in 1961 and 1962’s Green Lantern #9 & 11. And one of the memorable details of Broome’s “Atomic Knights” was the fact that they rode giant Dalmatians (starting in 1962’s Strange Adventures #138). It’s impossible to say how much significance, if any, John Rayburn played in the development of the 1961 Atom. Be that as it may, in Rex #43-46, John Broome and Gil Kane and Julie Schwartz—two-thirds of the team that would develop the 6” Mighty Mite—created a recurring, size-shifting action hero in the formative years of the Silver Age, only to have him lost and forgotten in a series unassociated with sciencefiction and super-heroics. This article marks, perhaps, the first small step in pulling him out of obscurity. [AUTHOR’S NOTE: Major thanks to Mike Tiefenbacher for telling me about these characters in the first place, and to Bill Field for providing a scan of Rex #45. This article originally appeared in Destination Cool! #19 as part of the apa-zine CAPA-Alpha #474.]

SIX OF A KIND (A Parting Montage) (Top right:) Two of the Silver Age Atom’s creators, Gil Kane and Julie Schwartz (with a lovely lass between them, as you may already have noticed), at a 1997 comicon. From the Julius Schwartz Collection. (Top left:) The Kane illo of Julie and various DC heroes which appears as this issue’s cover, featuring both Rex and The Atom (see contents page for more about this fabulous piece supplied by Marc Svensson). Note that another longtime Julie pal, Irwin Hasen, added his own message and caricature outside the borders! (Above:) Third Atom co-creator Gardner Fox as guest of honor at Phil Seuling’s 1971 New York Comic Art Convention. Thanks to Fred Mommsen. (Above right:) The 1985 cover of Sword of The Atom Special #2, part of the Kane-drawn, Jan Strnad-written series whose title inspired John Wells’ article title. [Sword of The Atom Special art © 2004 DC Comics; Gil Kane 1995 art ©2004 Elaine Kane; characters thereon TM & ©2004 DC Comics.]

Roy also suggested several other scenarios in which editor Julie Schwartz might have been the one to instigate the development of the new Atom, as Julie himself once claimed. But the presence of another shrinking scientific hero (John Raymond, not to mention Rex) in a Schwartz-edited, Kane-penciled comic book only a year earlier certainly adds another wrinkle to the mystery. Given the presence of the dog in the conceptual drawing, one has to wonder whether Gil intended his hero to be a now-costumed John Rayburn. Or had his illustrations of those four Rex stories merely planted a subconscious seed in his mind? And did Julie remember Rayburn when Gil proposed his Atom revival? Questions without answers. In any event, Gardner Fox ultimately became the writer on the new “Atom” series that was launched

(Above:) Darrel Dane thinks small, in a circa-1946 issue of Doll Man Quarterly; artist(s) uncertain. Actually, considerable doubt exists that DC did own the rights to Quality’s Golden Age Mighty Mite in 1960-61—but Gil Kane apparently thought they did, which is what matters! (Right:) Gil’s original 1960-61 concept sketches for the Silver Age Atom are scattered to the winds, if they exist at all—but for Alter Ego V3#2 in 1999, he drew his own recollection of the one with the hero atop a Rex lookalike, which visiting fan Jerry G. Bails saw in Julie Schwartz’s office in February 1961. [Doll Man & The Atom TM & ©2004 DC Comics; Gil Kane art ©2004 Elaine Kane.]

Silhouettes Redux

Golden Age Artist ALEX TOTH on Outlines in Comic Art

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Alex, of course, is a “graduate” of the Shelly Mayer/Julie Schwartz comics of the 1940s—and his old friend Irwin Hasen tells, elsewhere in this issue and in #38, about how Julie in particular hated the use of (blacked-in) silhouettes in panels, considering them “cheating.” Mr. Toth has an alternate notion…! —Roy.]

Mr. T. proves his point—that a silhouette or shadow can be every bit as expressive as a filled-in figure—with this sketch-page at left, which he drew a few years back. It and everything else on this page is ©2004 Alex Toth—including his parting shot to the right:

In Memoriam

Jack Bradbury

(1914-2004)

“One of the Greats” by Mark Evanier that they didn’t need studio approval of anything that Bradbury drew. When Dell adapted the Time for Beany puppet show into a comic book, producer Bob Clampett (who knew a little something about good animationtype art) specifically insisted that Bradbury be the man to transfer his characters to the printed page.

Jack Bradbury working at the Disney Studio in Burbank, CA, in 1940 (note Pinocchio model sheets in background)— flanked by his cover for Standard/Nedor’s Spunky #7 (Nov. 1951) and inside front cover gag-art from Bob Clampett’s Beany and Cecil #447 (1953—part of Dell’s Four-Color series). Thanks to Dave Bennett for the photo & Spunky cover; Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent fan Roy Thomas provided the Beany comic. [Art & characters ©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

[The following tribute originally appeared on Mark’s website, www.newsfromme.com, and is used with his permission.] Another great in the world of animation and comic book art has passed. Jack Bradbury died Saturday, May 15, after battling renal failure for months. He was 89 years old, having been born December 27, 1914. Bradbury’s art career began at age twenty when he went to work for the Disney Studios as an inbetweener and soon graduated to the rank of animator. Several key scenes in features were his handiwork, including the stag fight in Bambi, the Pegasus family gliding in to a watery landing in Fantasia, and Figaro walking across Gepetto’s bed in Pinocchio. In 1947, following a brief stint in Friz Freleng’s unit at the Warner Bros. Cartoon studio, he began a long association with Western Publishing. There, he illustrated hundreds of children’s books, including Little Golden Books and others published in the millions of copies. His work also appeared in most of Western’s comic books published under the Dell and later Gold Key labels. He was the main artist on “Pluto” stories, but could and did draw almost every animated character Western published. His renderings of the Disney characters were so “alive” and so faithful to the source material that Walt Disney himself reportedly told the Western editors

As good as his work was for Western’s comics, many of his fans prefer the hundreds of comic book stories Bradbury drew for a “shop” arrangement run by a cartoonist named James F. Davis. Working in his own style instead of some studio’s, Bradbury drew strips like “Spencer Spook” and “Hucky Duck” for HaHa Comics, Giggle Comics, and others published by Nedor/Stadard and ACG. (Davis also drew “The Fox and the Crow” comics stories for DC, and occasionally got Bradbury to fill in for him.) Some of today’s top animators and young cartoonists have sought out Bradbury’s work as a masterful example of how to pose a character and achieve maximum expression. One such student/fan, a popular cartoonist named Dave Bennett, became a friend of Bradbury’s and illustrated a limited-edition “first day cover” envelope that Bradbury autographed to coincide with Bugs Bunny’s appearance on a stamp. Eye problems and personal matters forced Bradbury to curtain his drawing after about 1970, but he continued to work intermittently for the Disney folks, mostly consulting and occasionally writing or even drawing for merchandise, especially coloring books. He was one of the greats, and I was sorry to hear of his passing.

Edited by ROY THOMAS

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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ALTER EGO #19

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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!

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ALTER EGO #24

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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!

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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!

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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

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!

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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!

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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!

(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!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

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!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95

(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

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

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

(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

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

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