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Edited by ROY THOMAS The first and greatest “hero-zine”—ALL-NEW, focusing on GOLDEN AND SILVER AGE comics and creators with ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS, UNSEEN ART, P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA [Fawcett Collectors of America], MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY’S Comic Fandom Archive, and more!

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GOLDEN AGE ARTISTS L.B. COLE AND JAY DISBROW! DISBROW’s memoir of COLE and his work on CAT-MAN, art by BOB FUJITANI, CHARLES QUINLAN, IRWIN HASEN, FCA (Fawcett Collector’s of America) on the two-media career of Captain Video, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom history, Cat-Man cover by L.B. COLE!

AVENGERS 50th ANNIVERSARY! WILL MURRAY on the group’s behind-thescenes origin, a look at its first decade with ROY THOMAS, STAN LEE, JACK KIRBY, THE BROTHERS BUSCEMA, TUSKA, ADAMS, COLAN, BUCKLER, ENGLEHART, MERRY MARVEL MARCHING SOCIETY, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, FCA, Golden Age Blue Beetle artist E.C. STONER, unused Avengers cover by DON HECK!

MARC SWAYZE TRIBUTE ISSUE, spotlighting FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America)! Salutes from Fawcett alumnus C.C. BECK and OTTO BINDER, interview with wife JUNE SWAYZE, a full Phantom Eagle story from Wow Comics, plus interview with 1950s Dell/Western artist MEL KEEFER, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and a SWAYZE Marvel Family cover art from the 1940s!

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X-MEN SALUTE! 1963-69 secrets, rare ‘60s BRAZILIAN X-MEN stories, lost ‘60s XMen “character sheet” by STAN LEE, ROY THOMAS on the 1970s revival, art and artifacts by KIRBY, ROTH, ADAMS, HECK, FRIEDRICH, and BUSCEMA—plus the MMMS fan club story, interview with Golden Age writer ED SILVERMAN, FCA, Mr. Monster, BILL SCHELLY, and JACK KIRBY’s unused X-Men #10 cover!

GOLDEN AGE JUSTICE SOCIETY ISSUE! Features on JOHN B. WENTWORTH (Johnny Thunder), LEN SANSONE (The Atom), and BERNARD SACHS (All-Star Comics inker), art by CARMINE INFANTINO, BOB OKSNER, HOWARD PURCELL, STAN ASCHMEIER, BEN FLINTON, and H.G. PETER, plus FCA, Mr. Monster, and more! Cover homage by SHANE FOLEY to a vintage All-Star image by IRWIN HASEN!

Farewell salute to the COMICS BUYER’S GUIDE! TBG/CBG history and remembrances from ALAN LIGHT, MURRAY BISHOFF, MAGGIE THOMPSON, BRENT FRANKENHOFF, “final” CBG columns by MARK EVANIER, TONY ISABELLA, PETER DAVID, FRED HEMBECK, JOHN LUSTIG, classic art by DON NEWTON, MIKE VOSBURG, JACK KIRBY, MIKE NASSER, plus FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!

DENNY O’NEIL’s Silver Age career at Marvel, Charlton, and DC—aided and abetted by ADAMS, KALUTA, SEKOWSKY, LEE, GIORDANO, THOMAS, SCHWARTZ, APARO, BOYETTE, DILLIN, SWAN, DITKO, et al. Plus, we begin serializing AMY KISTE NYBERG’s groundbreaking book on the history of the Comics Code, FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), Mr. Monster, BILL SCHELLY and more!

We spotlight HERB TRIMPE’s work on Hulk, Iron Man, S.H.I.E.L.D., Ghost Rider, Ant-Man, Silver Surfer, War of the Worlds, Ka-Zar, even Phantom Eagle, and featuring THE SEVERIN SIBLINGS, LEE, FRIEDRICH, THOMAS, GRAINGER, BUSCEMA, and others, plus more of AMY KISTE NYBERG’s Comics Code history, M. THOMAS INGE on Communism and 1950s comic books, FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!

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Golden Age “Air Wave” artist LEE HARRIS discussed by his son JONATHAN LEVEY to interviewer RICHARD J. ARNDT, with rarely-seen 1940s art treasures (including mysterious, never-published art of an alternate version of DC’s Tarantula)! Plus more of AMY KISTE NYBERG’s exposé on the Comics Code, artist SAL AMENDOLA tells the story of the Academy of Comic Book Arts, FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!

Second big issue on 3-D COMICS OF THE 1950s! KEN QUATTRO looks at the controversy involving JOE KUBERT, NORMAN MAURER, BILL GAINES, and AL FELDSTEIN! Plus more fabulous Captain 3-D by SIMON & KIRBY and MORT MESKIN— 3-D thrills from BOB POWELL, HOWARD NOSTRAND, JAY DISBROW and others— the career of Treasure Chest artist VEE QUINTAL, FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!

1940s WILL EISNER/”BUSY” ARNOLD letters between the creator of The Spirit and his Quality Comics partner, art and artifacts by FINE, CRANDALL, CUIDERA, CARDY, KOTZKY, BLUM, NORDLING, and others! Plus Golden Age MLJ artist JOHN BULTHIUS, more of AMY KISTE NYBERG’s History of the Comics Code, FCA, Mr. Monster, BILL SCHELLY, cover by DANIEL JAMES COX and JASON PAULOS!

CAROL L. TILLEY on Dr. Fredric Wertham’s falsification of his research in the 1950s, featuring art by EVERETT, SHUSTER, PETER, BECK, COSTANZA, WEBB, FELDSTEIN, WILLIAMSON, WOOD, BIRO, and BOB KANE! Plus AMY KISTE NYBERG on the evolution of the Comics Code, FCA, Mr. Monster, BILL SCHELLEY, and a new cover by JASON PAULOS and DANIEL JAMES COX!

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Vol. 3, No. 47 / April 2005

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Editor SPECIAL ISSUE ON

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors

MATT BAKER

Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editor

Contents

John Morrow

FCA Editor

Writer/Editorial: A Baker’s Dozen . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Baker Of Cheesecake. . . . . . . . 3

P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

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

Matt Baker & St. John Romance Comics . . . 36 An aesthetic appreciation by John Benson.

Production Assistant Eric Nolen-Weathington

Cover Artist Matt Baker

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The artist’s loving kinfolk talk to Jim Amash about a remarkable Golden Age talent.

Cover Colorist

“6 Billions Of Us, As Models” . . . . . . . . . . 57

Tom Ziuko

And Special Thanks to: Heidi Amash Lee Ames Matt D. Baker Mike W. Barr Alberto Becattini John Benson Bill Black Mike Britt Shaun Clancy Ray A. Cuthbert Howard Leroy Davis Shane Foley Frank Giella Janet Gilbert Ron Frantz Carl Gafford Jennifer Hamerlinck Mark & Stephanie Heike Jeffrey Kipper Lance Laspina

The life and times of Good Good artist supreme Matt Baker—by Alberto Becattini.

Mark Lewis Herb Lichtenstein Jean-Marc Lofficier Brian K. Morris Frank Motler Jake Oster Bud Plant Fred Robinson Jerry Robinson Eric Schumacher J. David Spurlock Marc Swayze Dann Thomas Alex Toth Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Hames Ware Tom Wimbish Marv Wolfman Glenn M. Wood

This issue is dedicated to the memories of

Matt Baker, Kelly Freas, & Marcel Navarro

Alex Toth on the art of drawing human beings in comics.

The Great And Wonderful Work Of Orestes Calpini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

James Vadeboncoeur, Jr., and Hames Ware toast an animator-turned-comic-book-man.

Comic Crypt: The Quest For Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon #1. . . . . 61 Michael T. Gilbert hosts Ray A. Cuthbert’s essay on vanished/stolen classic art.

Finding The “Inner Bud” – Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Bookseller Bud Plant tells Bill Schelly about his days in 1960s comics fandom.

Tributes To Frank Kelly Freas And Marcel Navarro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 re: [correspondence, comments, & corrections]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 FCA (Fawcett Collectors Of America) #106. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 P.C. Hamerlinck presents the views (and art) of Marc Swayze and C.C. Beck.

About Our Cover: Since Alter Ego is primarily (if not solely) a magazine about heroic comics and their creators, it was all but inevitable that, in an issue spotlighting the work of the great Matt Baker, our cover would be graced with the image of the “Foxy” Phantom Lady, with whom the artist is forever identified—and not only because Dr. Frederic Wertham reprinted one of her covers in his 1954 screed Seduction of the Innocent. We think we even found a perfect scene—from the “Red Rain” story in 1947’s Phantom Lady #15, celebrated by Albert Becattini on p. 14. But we decided that, since we were reprinting a splash panel, we wanted to add two Baker panels of other characters to make up the cover—and we chose art from “Tiger Girl” and “Sky Girl” stories. Hey, we may not know art, but we know what we like! Special thanks to Bill Black for providing a special scan of the “Phantom Lady” art, from the AC Comics publication that reprinted the story—and to publisher John Morrow for assembling this montage. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.] Above: Another “Phantom Lady” panel by Baker—but maybe you noticed that already! [Retouched art ©2005 AC 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

A Baker’s Dozen

Ferguson—who was basically if not solely a letterer—shows how relatively rare it was.

ven in the weird world of comic art, Matt Baker is a special case:

An artist who was never celebrated openly during his life or artistic career, and who signed relatively little of his work—yet who is today perhaps the most venerated practitioner of a sub-genre of comic book illustration: “Good Girl Art.” Myself, I’ve never cared much for that term… but we’re pretty much stuck with it now, and anyway the name itself isn’t important.

What matters is that, much like the far more celebrated Vargas and Petty, Matt Baker had a distinctive approach to drawing the female form— one that was clearly recognized and appreciated during the latter 1940s and the first half of the 1950s, both by his peers and employers, and by young male readers who were attracted to the well-drawn and erotic images he rendered.

All the more reason why I was delighted when Alberto Becattini, whom I met in Turin, Italy, a couple of years back, sent this issue’s study of Baker and his work. And when two of Baker’s kinfolk—a nephew and a half-brother, no less—made their existence known on Internet lists a few months back, giving Jim Amash a chance to interview them, we decided to devote most of a very special issue to a very good artist who drew very good—and, in another sense, sometimes very bad—girls. John Benson rounds out our special section with a brief appreciation of Baker’s work on the St. John romance comics. My only regret? We didn’t have thirteen of anything this issue, so I could use somewhere the punnish-ing title: “Baker’s Dozen.” That’s the reason I deliberately made this paragraph exactly thirteen paragraphs long… even if I had to make some arbitrary cuts to do so.

It’s an approach which has made his work collectible for the past several decades, and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable future. At least for as long as pubescent and post-adolescent males would rather look at curvaceous females than at bunny rabbits or at teenagers who’ve been wearing the same school sweater for more than sixty years. Matt Baker was also a special case because he was an African-American artist in a field which, for whatever reason (and I can’t believe that racial prejudice accounts totally for this), had very few of them in the 1940s and ’50s.

But then—does anybody out there still know that a “baker’s dozen” is—or at least used to be, when the expression was invented—thirteen of something: a dozen cookies, say, plus a “free” thirteenth one if you bought twelve of them? Forget it. Read the articles. And don’t just look at the pictures. You’re on your honor here…. Bestest,

The mere fact that the only other African-American comic book person from that period that I can think of off-hand was Howard

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Baker Of Cheesecake An Appreciation Of MATT BAKER, Good Girl Artist Supreme by Alberto Becattini A 1940s studio shot of Matt Baker, flanked by the kind of “Good Girl” art that he did better than just about anybody. Photo provided by Fred Robinson and Matt D. Baker, the artist’s half-brother and nephew—see the in-depth interview with them that begins on p. 39. [Photo ©2005 Fred Robinson.] (Left:) Logo and figure from the famous/infamous “headlight”/“bondage” cover of Fox Comics’ Phantom Lady #17 (April 1948). Featured in Dr. Frederic Wertham’s 1954 diatribe Seduction of the Innocent, this has become probably the mostoften-reproduced image by Baker. Most visuals in this article were provided by the author. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

(Below:) Ginger Maguire, a.k.a. Sky Girl, in what author Alberto Becattini calls her postwar “canteen-waitress” phase, in a splash page from Jumbo Comics #111 (May 1948). [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

UTHOR’S NOTE: I had been wanting to write an article about Matt Baker for quite a while, and I was enthused when Roy Thomas suggested that I write it for Alter Ego. My aim, in compiling what has ended up looking more like an essay than an article, was to put some order in what had been hitherto written about Baker, scattered here and there, often incorrectly, as well as making my own points about his works. The result is a sort of cavalcade through three decades, during which I have deliberately taken the liberty of writing about people and facts connected to Baker that I thought deserved some attention, too. Whereas I’ve triple-checked each and every piece of information, errors and omissions are still possible, so I expect feedback from whoever can provide further data. For helping me build up the present essay I must primarily thank Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. for his enlightening insights, and Jim Amash for his invaluable tips. I am also grateful to all those who provided information, either directly or indirectly—Lee Ames, Jerry Bails, John Benson, the Baker family, Bill Black, Shaun Clancy, Bill Devine, Jay Disbrow, Steve Duin, Michael Feldman, Al Feldstein, Jeff Gelb, Stephen H. Gentner, Bob Lubbers, Michelle Nolan, Mike Richardson, Antonio Vianovi, Hames Ware, and Steve Whitaker, as well as the late Jerry Iger, Les Zakarin, and Ray Osrin, and—of course— Roy Thomas, for making it happen! —Alberto.

Beginnings North Carolina, 1922. It was there and then that one of the most talented artists that ever graced the comics field was born, an African-American kid called Clarence Matthew Baker, who would soon move with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he did most of his growing up. Though nature had bestowed an outstanding talent on Matt, the rheumatic fever he suffered from as a child left him with a weak heart. One can imagine that Baker’s precarious heart condition, preventing him from doing sports or other physical activities, in a way favored his “addiction” to the drawing board, i.e., his career as a comic artist and illustrator. On the other hand, it was that very condition that would eventually (much too soon, in fact) steal him from

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

Webb, Blum, and Baker (Top left:) Some of Baker’s earliest work was done assisting artists Robert Hayward Webb and/or Alex Blum on Fiction House’s “Sheena,” circa 1944. This splash from an issue of Jumbo Comics, probably from a year or more later, shows off Webb’s art on the most celebrated of all jungle queens. It’s even possible Baker may have drawn this Sheena figure—or the lady in the next art spot. Reprinted from Good Girl Art Quarterly (Spring 1991)—a black-&-white comic still available (as are most of its great reprint mags) from Bill Black’s AC Comics; see ad on p. 34. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics; Sheena TM & ©2005 Paul Aratow/Columbia Pictures.] (Top right:) “Shark Brodie” splash by Alex Blum from Fiction House’s Fight Comics #31 (April 1944)—repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of George Hagenauer. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] (Left:) This 1945 “Sky Girl” page—an early example of Baker’s World War IIera work—is from AC Comics’ slightly-renamed Sky Gal #1 (1993). [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

Baker Of Cheesecake his family and friends, as well as from all those who admired his craftsmanship and who had the privilege to publish his artwork.

To New York City After finishing grade school, Baker left Pittsburgh to attend art courses at the Cooper Union in New York City. Reportedly, his favorite artists included such great magazine illustrators as Andrew Loomis as well as such prominent comic book artists as Will Eisner, Reed Crandall, and Lou Fine. Although he never managed to work together with the latter ones, Baker started his comics career at the studio run by the man who had been Eisner’s partner, as well as Crandall’s and Fine’s coemployer, up until early 1940—Samuel Maxwell (“Jerry”) Iger (19031990). As Iger himself recalled, “[Baker] came to my studio in the early ’40s; handsome and nattily dressed, ‘looking for a job,’ as he put it. His only sample was a color sketch of (naturally) a beautiful gal! On the strength of that, and a nod from my associate editor Ruth Roche, he was hired as a background artist. […] When given his first script, he showed originality and faithfully executed its story line. His drawing was superb. His women were gorgeous!”

The evolution of Baker’s style, from his early “Blum-ish” phase to a more personal post-war approach, somewhat paralleled the evolution of “Sky Girl.” The splash-page caption to the “Sky Girl” story in Jumbo #87 (May 1946) read: “They mustered Ginger Maguire out of uniform, but they couldn’t muster her away from flying… Yet the nearest she can get to flying now is an airfield cafeteria, serving mustard to the better class of pilots!” With Ginger demoted and working as a waitress, the strip now decidedly veered towards comedy. Ever wishing she could go back to her previous pilot status, Ginger did manage to fly again, yet she was more often seen hanging from planes’ wings rather than holding the control stick, in a whole series of predicaments whose ill-concealed purpose was to allow Baker to highlight the girl’s long legs, regularly uncovered by pitiless turbulence, to the delight of male readers. Ginger’s legs were the real plus in these stories. Baker drew them from every conceivable angle, in positions that were often ungainly. Deliberately so. In fact, Baker was the first comic artist who had the

Although in The Iger Comics Kingdom (1985) Jay Disbrow writes that Baker joined the Iger studio “early in 1946,” it is evident that he was already working on staff at the office located at 250 West Broadway by March or April 1944. In fact, Baker’s earliest documented art appeared in Jumbo Comics #69 (Nov. 1944), published by Thurman T. Scott’s Fiction House, which was Iger’s best client from 1938-53.

The Early Iger Years Like other “comic shops” of the time, the Iger Studio provided story and artwork to different comic book titles issued by various publishers, including Crown, Fiction House, Fox, Green, and Gilberton, to name a few. As in other comic shops, art chores on the same story were often shared between different artists, and at the start Baker apparently penciled backgrounds and female characters for other studio staffers. Thus, his earliest efforts are often hidden within somebody else’s artwork—mainly Alex Blum’s and Robert Hayward (Bob) Webb’s—mostly in the “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle” stories published by Fiction House in Jumbo Comics during 1944. Blum—a former painter/muralist old enough to have been Baker’s father, having been born in 1889—was kind-of the dean at the Iger Studio. Acting as an art director during the early 1940s, Blum was an early inspiration for Baker, who also occasionally teamed with him on “Wambi the Jungle Boy,” which appeared in Jungle Comics. In fact, Baker’s apprenticeship did not last long. By mid-1944 he was able to stand on his own feet and had become the resident artist on “Sky Girl,” a regular feature in Fiction House’s Jumbo Comics. Script-wise, “Sky Girl” was attributed to “Bill Gibson,” one of the many by-lines used at the Iger Studio, behind which hid different writers, including Iger himself. The titular character, whose real name was Ginger Maguire, was a curvaceous, red-haired Irish girl (reportedly based on actress Ann Sheridan) whose early, semi-serious adventures took place mostly in the Pacific theater, where she acted as a ferry pilot, often helping out Air Force aviators on missions against the Japanese.

You’ll see plenty of photos of Matt Baker, his friends, and his family later this issue— but here’s a primo example of his early “Sky Girl” art, from a 1945 issue of Jumbo Comics. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

(Above:) Baker’s Ginger Maguire (twice) in a prototypical situation: about to fall from an airplane, her clothes in dishabille. The splash at right is from Jumbo Comics #104 (Oct. 1947). Both these art spots, as restored by Bill Black & associates, saw print in Good Girl Art Quarterly (Summer 1991). [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

(Left:) Eisner & Iger/Fiction House/Fox collector George Hagenauer informs us that this art is a “Feldstein/Baker Vooda” page—which we take to mean Baker pencils and Feldstein inks on this page from the Iger Studios. George, who owns the original art, says the club in Vooda’s hand was originally a knife—doubtless a Comics Code-required change. At the turn of 1955 Four Star/Farrell/Ajax turned its horror comic Voodoo into Vooda (Jungle Princess) for its three remaining, Code-approved issues. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

Baker Of Cheesecake

It’s a (Pulchritudinal) Jungle Out There! (Top left:) This 1948 “Tiger Girl” splash appeared in Fight Comics #39 (Aug. 1945). Untypically, it’s signed by “M. Baker”! [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] (Above & left:) You can see a Baker “Camilla” splash on p. 17. This one from an issue of the long-running Jungle Comics is by Ralph Mayo. Fiction House had no less than three “Tarzanettes”: Sheena, Camilla, and Tiger Girl—and that doesn’t count Kaänga’s mate Ann, drawn at left by Maurice Whitman for Jungle! [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

courage to draw a beautiful pair of legs in an unaesthetic if natural way to increase the general humorous effect. Needless to say, he was hugely successful. Of all the characters Baker drew for the Fiction House titles, “Sky Girl” was the one he drew the longest, continuing until mid-1949.

Iger Studio Memories “Sky Girl,” as well as other features Baker drew at Iger’s from 194547, were often inked by Al Feldstein, who kindly provided an interesting insight to his and Baker’s Iger Studio days: “When I was discharged from the Air Force in 1945 after World War II, I returned to the S.M. Iger Studio (where I had worked prior to being called up for Service), and Jerry Iger immediately offered me a job. My drawing board was located right next to Matt Baker’s… and it might have afforded me an opportunity to get to know the guy… but that was not to be the case. Matt was a very withdrawn, quiet type. He rarely participated in the banter and joking that went on in the large room that

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme and further influenced my own style of drawing women… which I came to use successfully in my ‘headlight’ teenage comics for Fox Publications: Junior, Sunny, and [Meet] Corliss Archer. Not long after I had accepted the job at Jerry Iger’s, I decided to freelance… and so I left the S.M. Iger Studio… and Matt Baker… and his influence. But I will always remember him and his silent and withdrawn immense talent.”

More Jungle Girls For a while, Baker teamed up with Alex Blum on another jungle girl strip, “Tiger Girl,” which regularly appeared in Fiction House’s Fight Comics. At about the same time Baker took over “Sky Girl” in Jumbo, “Tiger Girl” became another regular assignment of his, and such it would remain until early 1949. Baker’s style greatly progressed during his 3H-year tenure on the jungle strip. In particular, in the first few “Tiger Girl” stories he drew, his depiction of wild animals was not on a par with his already proficient treatment of the human figure. Aided by a turbaned Hindu named Abdola, the statuesque blonde was very much an alternative version of Sheena, although she differed from the Queen of the Jungle in at least two ways: she derived her exceptional strength from a magic amulet (which she would often lose), and–more important–she spoke in an impressive Shakespearean idiom (“’Tis done! Now must we speed to Danbessi, and speed as the wind, for there lies the danger!” is how she would address her pet tiger Togara). By-lined “Allan O’Hara,” “Tiger Girl” was one of the few Iger Studio strips Baker occasionally managed to sign (e.g., in Fight Comics #39, Aug. 1945, and #43, Apr. 1946). Some of Baker’s “Tiger Girl” stories were reprinted in Jungle Comics during 1952-53.

This “Kayo Kirby” splash page by Baker appeared in Fight Comics #54 (Feb. 1948). Fiction House also published a pulp magazine called Fight Stories, just as it did Jungle Stories as well as Jungle Comics. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

housed the Iger artists. Although he was friendly when approached, Matt shyly kept to himself. Most of us brought bagged lunches or went out to local diners in small groups for our lunch breaks. I do not ever remember having lunch with Matt Baker. He would go off on his own and literally disappear. “Part of Matt’s problem, I feel, in retrospect, was due to a basic and despicable problem prevalent in America during the early post-war period—racial bias and racial inequality! Matt was a black man. He was a rare phenomenon in an industry almost totally dominated by white males. However, he was extremely talented, and it was his talent that overcame any resistance to his presence based on racial bias. But I feel that Matt, personally, was acutely aware of the perceived chasm that separated him from the rest of us. And it may be that, because of that perceived problem, there is little known about Matt Baker, aside from his stunning artwork that speaks for himself. “It must be said to his credit that, if Jerry Iger suffered from any innate racial bias, he was smart enough, as a business man, to bury it… to hire Matt… and to give him the opportunity his immense talent so richly deserved. And what a talent Matt had! He could draw women… white women!… like nobody else. With my board next to his, I could observe his pencils and his inking… and learn from it… absorbing it like a sponge. I was also privileged to be given the opportunity to ink Matt’s pencils on countless stories, which afforded me a priceless art education

Yet another Sheena clone the Iger Studio developed for Fiction House was “Camilla,” who starred in Jungle Comics, written mainly by Ruth Ann Roche (1921-1983). After donning a zebra-skin bikini, Camilla Dane—who had a blonde mane rather than blonde hair— became the beautiful Queen of the Jungle Empire. She was accompanied by her canine friend Fang, and “Mayomba!” (whatever it meant) was her favorite exclamation. Her idiom was similar to Tiger Girl’s, in that it sounded very lofty and theatrical–which probably justified the “Victor Ibsen” by-line. Baker worked on the character continuously during 1947-49.

Baker The Ubiquitous Although “Sky Girl,” “Tiger Girl,” and “Camilla” represented Baker’s main efforts for Fiction House, he worked on several other characters and series for T.T. Scott’s publishing house while at Iger’s. For Wings Comics, during 1944-45, he drew “The Skull Squad” (“by Ace Atkins”)—telling the adventures of an RAF team formed by Jimmy Jones (an American), Sandy McGregor (a Scotsman), and Ken Atkins (an Englishman). Another air ace whose adventures Baker portrayed for the same title during 1945 was “Clipper Kirk” (“by Cliff Dubois”). For Fight Comics, in 1945-46, Baker depicted the boxing feats of “Kayo Kirby” (by-lined “Chuck Walker,” albeit its actual writer was Ruth Roche). Although the aforementioned strips regularly featured charming female characters alongside their respective male protagonists, Baker was, of course, more at home with full-fledged heroines. Rangers Comics featured, among others, “Glory Forbes,” a charming if halfwitted girl who found herself in one predicament after another. By-lined “Bob Hickock”, her stories were drawn by Baker during 1947-49. During 1948-49, Baker was the sixth artist to work on “Mysta of the Moon” (“by Ross Gallun”), whose science-fiction adventures appeared in Planet Comics. “Mitzi of the Movies” (a.k.a. “Mitzi of Hollywood”), instead, was a back-up strip in Movie Comics #2-4 during 1947, starring a buxom bimbo who wanted to be a movie star.

Baker Of Cheesecake

Three Baker Babes (Above:) This Baker “Glory Forbes” splash is repro’d from the original art for Fiction House’s Rangers Comics #39 (Feb. 1948). [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] (Top right:) Boy, we just love science-fiction! Baker’s first splash page for “Mysta of the Moon” appeared in Planet Comics #53 (March ’48). [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.] (Right:) Alberto feels Baker “was at his best when he drew this ‘Mitzi in Hollywood’ splash page for Fiction House’s Movie Comics in 1947.” [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

Even Lorna Doone looked like a tough cookie when visualized by Matt Baker for Classic Comics #32 (Dec. 1946), especially in the splash scene above. William B. Jones, Jr., whose excellent 2002 volume Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations is still available from McFarland & Company, Inc., says that the splash, with its plunging neckline, was replaced in 1957. He adds: “Fine sequences of visual storytelling fill Baker’s Lorna Doone,” based on the 1869 classic. He captioned the splash page illo: “‘Good Girl’ Lorna as eighth-grade English teachers never imagined her.” [©2005 Frawley Corporation and its exclusive licensee, First Classics, Inc., a subsidiary of Classics International Entertainment, Inc.]

Huh? How’d a super-hero get in here? Well, actually, “Wonder Boy” had no special powers—just a yellow-red-and-blue costume. Art by Matt Baker and Al Feldstein for Elliot Publishing Company’s Bomber Comics, which put out four issues of the title in 1944, all with Wonder Boy on the cover. Alberto says to “Note the ‘Inspector Dayton’ tag in lower-left panel. Likewise written by Jerry Iger, ‘Inspector Dayton’ was a regular feature in Fiction House’s Jumbo Comics.” [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Baker Of Cheesecake

Baker drew “Ace of the Newsreels” for Crown Comics from 1945-47, for Golfing/McCombs Publications. This splash page features his charming assistant Foggy Gibbons. Matt Murdock’s partner Foggy Nelson was never like this! [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

known as Norlen Magazines), was active during 1944-47 and again from 1957-59. Its titles consisted mainly of reprints from different publishers (including DC, MLJ/Archie, and Fox), but there were some original stories too. Those which appeared in Atomic Comics #2-4 during 1946 were provided by the Iger Studio, and Matt Baker drew a fast-fisted character named “Kid Kane.” Bylined “Fred Foster,” boxing champ Kane was first seen in uniform along with his manager, Lenny O’Keefe. Soon after, he became a movie star and a part-time crimefighter–especially when a beautiful babe needed help. For several years, the adaptations and artwork for Gilberton Publishing’s long-lasting Classic Comics/Classics Illustrated series were provided by the Iger Studio. Although Matt Baker drew only one issue, he did a magnificent job of visualizing Richard D. Blackmore’s novel Lorna Doone (1869), set in 1680s South-West England and rotating around the love affair between a farmer and an outlaw’s daughter. This 48-page story, which made up the 32nd issue of Classic Comics, was first published in December 1946, and then periodically reprinted by Gilberton until 1968 (when it was also serialized in three weekly sections

Other publishers profited by Baker’s talent during the early-to-mid1940s. “Wonder Boy” was a teenage super-hero Jerry Iger himself (under the pen-name “Jerry Maxwell”) had created back in 1940 for Quality Comics, later re-launching him in Bomber Comics, published by Elliot (an outfit co-owned by John R. Mahon and former Iger Studio writer Robert Farrell). During 1944-45, Baker worked on at least two of Wonder Boy’s adventures (with considerable help from Al Feldstein on the one entitled “The Gold-Watch Gang”), which also featured the young crimebuster’s friends, Professor Benson and his pretty daughter Sally. Written by Ruth Roche and Frank Little, “Ace of the Newsreels” was another Iger Studio strip drawn by Baker, this time for Golfing’s Crown Comics, in 1945-47. The handsome, dauntless cameraman Ace Williams was accompanied by his red-haired assistant Foggy Gibbons, whose beautiful legs were always in the foreground. Ace and Foggy were also portrayed on the cover of Crown Comics #7 (Nov. 1946)–apparently, the only one Baker managed to sneak his initials on (“M. B.,” in the lower right corner) while at the Iger Studio. Another small comic book outfit, Green Publishing (later also As drawn by Baker, “Kid Kane” briefly starred in Green Publishing’s Atomic Comics in 1946. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

Two For The (Sea) Road (Left:) Her name was Alani, but she was better known as “South Sea Girl,” the exotic beauty starring in Seven Seas Comics during 1946-47. Baker drew all of her stories. His cover for issue #5 appeared in Alter Ego #21’s coverage of “The Iger Comics Kingdom,” written by Golden Age artist Jay Disbrow. (Right:) “Tugboat Tessie” was another feature Matt Baker drew for Seven Seas. In this series, the heroine’s niece Melody provided the sex appeal. [Both splashes ©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

in the Catholic newspaper Twin Circle). Besides being the only story Baker did at the Iger Studio that he received an official credit for (“Illustrated by Matt Baker” was clearly stated on the splash page), Lorna Doone constituted, in very many ways, Baker’s first foray in the romance genre, of which he would eventually become a master. There were occasional odd assignments, too—“odd” meaning that they had little or nothing to do with Good Girl Art—like the two stories Baker drew for Standard’s Real Life Comics, a title which presented the comics versions of famous people’s life stories. It is not known whether Baker was a baseball fan, but the story he did for Real Life #41 (Sept. 1947) was entitled “Home Run.”

Sea Stories In 1945, Jerry Iger decided to set up his own comic-book publishing outfit, and until early 1947 his Universal Phoenix (a.k.a. Leader Enterprises or Pentagon Publishing Co.) issued a dozen titles, some of them reprinting newspaper strips (like Claire Voyant or Flyin’ Jenny), and others offering new material. Among the original titles were Bobby Comics (with story and art by Iger himself), Slick Chick (a teenage humor comic by Iger and Frank Little), and Seven Seas Comics. The latter title was the one which had the longest run (six issues between April 1946 and early 1947), with Matt Baker, Bob Webb, and Bob Hebberd tackling its features artwise. Baker drew all the adventures

of the main character, “South Sea Girl,” attributed to “Thorne Stevenson” yet actually written by Manning Lee Stokes. The title character’s actual name was Alani—an exotic beauty with flowers in her dark hair, who lived on a faraway island. The setting’s uncontaminated peace was, unfortunately, periodically threatened by bloodthirsty slave traders or spies (not to count hungry sharks or giant octopuses), so that Alani was ever ready to save her fellow natives or occasional guests such as a blond and handsome (yet rather dumb) fellow named Ted. Aiding her was a pet cheetah named–Cheeta. Baker also portrayed Alani on four of the Seven Seas Comics covers–the one for #3 (Aug. 1946) being the very first he drew while at Iger’s. For the same title, Baker also regularly drew the semi-serious adventures of “Tugboat Tessie” (“by Lee Stoken”). This was yet another pen name for Manning Lee Stokes, who basically cloned writer Norman Reilly Raine’s Tugboat Annie, the protagonist of a series of popular magazine stories as well as of a 1933 movie directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery (followed by another movie in 1940 and by a TV series in 1958). Very much like Annie, Tessie was an elderly, stocky woman who ran her own towing business at the helm of the Harbor Lady. Whoever threatened the tough towboat skipper or her fellow Old Bill Jetty had to deal with her fightful fists. Aiding Tessie–but mostly being there to provide a good dose of charms–was her beautiful niece Melody, whom Baker added to his ever-growing pin-up gallery.

Baker Of Cheesecake

A Not-So-Secret Identity Wall Street veteran Victor Fox had set up his own publishing outfit, Fox Features Syndicate, back in 1939, with considerable help from the Eisner-Iger Studio as regards scripts and artwork. Around 1946, Fox decided it was time to revamp his comic book line and once again turned to Jerry Iger for art and stories. Soon afterwards, following the current trend, Fox turned such funnyanimal titles as All-Top Comics and Zoot Comics into veritable paper shrines of Good Girl Art, featuring the adventures of such heroines as “Rulah, Jungle Goddess” and “Phantom Lady.” The latter had had an earlier incarnation back in 1941, debuting in Quality Publications’ Police Comics in August of that year. Drawn by Arthur Peddy, the original Phantom Lady was Sandra Knight, wealthy daughter of a US senator. She was not a super-heroine, in that she had no particular powers, her only weapon being a blackout flashlight she used to temporarily blind criminals. Yet the most peculiar detail about the early Phantom Lady was that she wore a (green-and-yellow) costume but no mask, nor did she do anything to look different from Sandra (at least Clark Kent wore glasses and had a different hairstyle from Superman’s!). In spite of that, nobody seemed to recognize her.

It was writer/artist Frank Borth, who took over her adventures in 1943, who gave her a domino mask as well as a curvier body and a costume which allowed readers to admire her cleavage. The original “Phantom Lady” gave up the ghost in October 1943, reappearing four years later in Fox’s Phantom Lady #13 (actually, the first issue in the series), with story and art provided by the Iger Studio. By-lined “Gregory Page,” the revived character was actually written by Ruth Roche and drawn by Matt Baker, who apparently re-modeled the heroine after actress Linda Darnell. In civilian life, Phantom Lady was still Sandra Knight, she was still using her “black ray” to bedazzle her adversaries, and she was back to wearing no mask to hide her “secret” identity. Initially, the Lady’s field of action was Gotham City (perhaps in homage to the equally-affluent Bruce Wayne, alias Batman?), yet later the setting would change in almost every adventure, nor were there any recurring villains in the series. The only other regular characters were Sandra’s father, Senator Knight (although his looks and apparent age weren’t consistent at all), and her fiancé, Don Borden—yet another example of a “dumb mate” for what was possibly the best example of a “liberated woman” in the Good Girl Art genre. And Good Girl Art it was, thanks to Baker, who redesigned the heroine’s outfit, giving her a blue two-piece which generously revealed Sandra’s gorgeous body. (Her cape was now colored red.) The use of irregular panel arrangements added dynamicity to each and every page. Phantom Lady’s adventures appeared concurrently in Fox’s Phantom Lady (#s 13-23) and All-Top Comics (#s 8-17) until May 1949, with Baker drawing the majority of them (John Alton, Jack Kamen, and Gus Schrotter occasionally filled in). Baker also depicted the heroine on six covers, the most memorable of which is the one for Phantom Lady #17 (Apr. 1948). Described by Dr. Fredric Wertham as “sexual stimulation

A (Phantom) Lady of Quality (Left:) Arthur Peddy, who would later draw All-Star Comics and others for DC, was the first artist of “Phantom Lady” when it debuted in the Quality group’s Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941). This splash is from Police #10 (July ’42), as reprinted in AC’s Golden Age Spotlight, Volume 1, a 150-page “Phantom Lady” special. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.] (Right:) Frank Borth had taken over by Police #17 (Feb. 1943), as per the splash reprinted by DC Comics in Adventure Comics #416 (March 1972). [Retouched art ©2005 DC Comics.]

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

by combining ‘headlights’ with the sadist’s dream of tying up a woman” in his famous/infamous 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent, that cover visualized the scantily-dressed heroine in the act of freeing herself from ropes on a jetty, somewhat mimicking Jane Russell’s posture on The Outlaw (1943) movie poster. [See p. 3.]

The Lady Is A Fox! (Left:) Baker’s cover for the first issue of Fox Comics’ Phantom Lady (#13, Aug. 1947). (Center:) Splash page for “The Beauty and the Brain,” the first “Phantom Lady” story drawn by Baker— from that same issue.

memorable double panel, Baker shows her dead body lying on the floor–and that manages to be one of the most aesthetic corpses ever in the history of comics. In fact, I suspect Jim Steranko had that very panel in mind when he drew the dead body of the beautiful Suwan at the end of the “Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” story “If Death Be My Destiny” (Strange Tales #166, Mar. 1970).

As for the stories, they got more and (Right:) Baker’s cover for Phantom Lady #23 (April 1949) is another one that probably caught Dr. Wertham’s attention. more explicit themselves, as Victor Fox [All retouched art in this montage ©2005 AC Comics.] urged Iger to season his production with larger doses of murder and mayhem, the Of all the strips Baker drew for the Iger Studio, “Phantom Lady” was victims being mostly women. Whereas it is true that the killings in probably the one which best allowed him to exploit his own talents. In Phantom Lady were never as gory as those seen in other Iger-Fox joint fact, by late 1947/early 1948 Baker’s style may be said to have reached its ventures such as Rulah, Jungle Goddess, it must be observed that, as maturity. Signs of his “Blum-ish” phase are only visible in the very first opposed to his rather mediocre fellow artists, Baker was so good that story, “The Beauty and the Brain” (Phantom Lady #13, Aug. 1947), even when he would depict the stabbing or strangling of a beautiful girl, which was most likely drawn in 1946, months before the next one. In he would still manage to do it in good taste. the “Phantom Lady” stories, Baker made a decisive move towards a The story “Ghosts, Galleons, and Gold” (Phantom Lady #18, June more realistic approach, both in depicting characters and settings, 1948) is a case in point, as well as an excellent testimony of how much although every now and then he would still give grotesque features to Baker’s style had matured by then. In that story, a beautiful broad the heroine’s opponents, which would sometimes make a story graphinamed Lily is strangled by a criminal because she “knew too much.” In a cally unbalanced. This is the case with “The Red Rain” (Phantom Lady #15, Dec. 1947), where the realism of the first three pages (which includes the strangling of a beautiful, half-naked actress) somewhat clashes with the rest of the story, wherein Phantom Lady faces a bald, egg-headed mad scientist/spy and his two accomplices, all of them drawn in a caricatural way. [See cover art.]

Reaching Maturity

Great “double panel” (as many Golden Age artists called page-width panels) from “Ghosts, Galleons, and Gold,” drawn by Baker for Phantom Lady #18 (June 1948). [©the respective copyright holders.]

Sometimes, too, Baker fell “victim” to his notalways-competent inkers. 1947 was, in fact, the year when Baker’s monthly

Baker Of Cheesecake

output rose from an average 18 pages to 30 and more. Considering this, it is possible that prior to late 1946-early 1947 Baker had been inking at least some of the pages he had been drawing, whereas now he was only penciling–and keeping various inkers going. These included David Heames (who also succeeded Alex Blum as the Iger Studio art director), Al Feldstein, Ruth Harris, Ray Osrin, and possibly Ann Brewster, John Forte, and Les Zakarin. Thus, Baker’s drawings would look considerably better, or worse, according to the inker’s ability. Osrin was the one who best “understood” Baker’s pencils (on top of that, the two of them became very good friends), whereas some others would spoil his efforts—as exemplified by the “Phantom Lady” story “Satan’s Cargo” (All-Top Comics #8, Nov. 1947), where Baker’s usually slender-looking characters are “flattened” by the inker on duty (John Forte?). In the better “Phantom Lady” stories, though, one can find the hallmarks of Baker’s definitive style: his women have prominent cheekbones, his men have broad faces—and the eyes are always drawn rather far apart. The style Baker came up with was, and still remains, unique. Whereas most of the comic-book artists belonging to Baker’s generation were clearly inspired by such syndicated-strip masters as Alex Raymond, Harold Foster or Milton Caniff, this did not seem to be the case with Baker. His way of drawing was unmistakable and would prove inimitable.

Baker Or Not Baker? Considering the aforementioned distinctive features, it should be quite easy to pinpoint Baker’s style during his Iger Studio years, yet

Baker continues being associated with series, stories, and characters he never, or hardly ever drew. This is probably due to the fact that in the late 1940s the leading pencilers at Iger’s (i.e., Baker, Kamen, and Webb) were being imitated by other studio staffers. Also, as we have previously observed, different pencilers would sometimes work on the same story, and the same inker would work over different pencilers, thus making their styles look similar. When compiling the Checklist which follows the present essay, I have obviously emended previous lists, trying to check as many comic books as possible myself, or trusting the expert eye of my friend Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Although there are still several doubtful spots, it has been ascertained that Baker never did any original art for titles published by Ace/Periodical House, Ajax/Farrell, Artful (The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide has “Bakerish art” in Confessions of Love), Avon/Realistic, or Our/Toytown (although Overstreet says “3-page Baker story” in Love Diary #16). Things look a bit more complex as regards Baker’s output for Fox. In fact, besides “Phantom Lady,” Baker is also credited with drawing “Rulah” and “Jo-Jo” (both written by the ubiquitous Manning Lee Stokes under the respective pen-names “Alec Hope” and “Stan Ford”). In truth, none of the “Rulah” stories I have had access to look like Baker’s work—although he did draw the Jungle Goddess on the covers to All-Top Comics #16 and Rulah #24 (both March 1949). As for “Jo-Jo,” the only story starring the Congo King I have seen which seems to show bits of Baker art here and there is “The Fantastic Tusks of Terror” in #22 (Dec. 1948). This one too, though, was mostly drawn by Jack Kamen, and even the panels that look like Baker’s might

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme Jo-Jo (The Jungle Hero So Great They Had To Name Him Twice!) (Below:) Baker’s cover for Fox’s Jo-Jo Congo King #25 (March 1949). Any questions as to why the titular hero is in the background? (Right:) An example of (probably) Jack Kamen art (with maybe a touch of Baker) from “The Fantastic Tusks of Terror,” which appeared in Fox’s Jo-Jo Congo King #22 (Dec. 1948). [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

be by Kamen imitating Baker. Or was the whole story drawn by yet another artist who was imitating Kamen imitating Baker? The mystery, like the jungle where Jo-Jo lived, thickens. For want of a better guess, let’s just say that this is a good example of a “Kamenish-Bakerish” story.

The Artist, The Man The year was 1948, and Baker was in bloom. He was, undoubtedly, the most successful African-American comic-book artist of his time—a veritable rare bird in that field during the latter Golden Age. Still in his mid-twenties, Baker was a tall (5' 10"), handsome man who would drive many a woman crazy. Ever à la page, he would spend a good deal of his income on clothes. Ray Osrin remembered that “a lot of Matt’s clothing was bought in Browning King—a then high-fashion men’s store [in New York City].” Perhaps that Baker wanted to enjoy life as much as possible, sensing that his heart condition wouldn’t accord him a long time on this Earth. He had a reputation for being late at meeting deadlines, and he would blame his bad heart for that, yet backbiters would say that it was just an excuse for his laziness. Those who knew Baker well, though, said that he was a real gentleman, as well as a hard worker. He would often burn the midnight oil at the drawing board, listening to jazz music and smoking one cigarette after another—which certainly did not help his heart condition. He was also a generous man, who supported his mother back in Pittsburgh and helped out his brother John, who worked in a dryMore imitation Baker—from an issue of Fox’s Rulah – Jungle Goddess, perhaps the closest any jungle queen ever came to challenging Sheena’s throne. Artist uncertain. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Baker Of Cheesecake

“Rose o’ the Yukon.” The same date appeared on the first cover Baker drew for St. John, the one for Crime Reporter #2, where a magnificent blonde is shot from behind by a bespectacled hood. This was also the first cover on which Baker put his signature (only his surname, actually). It must be noticed that some sources (including the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide) seem to indicate that he had done a cover for St. John as early as 1944. This is, in fact, the date given for the St. John oneshot True Crime Cases from Official Police Files. Although Baker did do the cover art for this 100-page comic, he couldn’t have done it in 1944, when he was still a fledgling artist at the Iger Studio. The more mature drawing style adopted here and his cursive “Matt Baker” signature reveal that this unnumbered one-shot came out in the early 1950s. Most likely, thus, the 1944 date is a typo for 1954. Although Baker would tackle different genres for St. John, his ability at drawing the female figure was mostly exploited in romance comics. Teen-Age Romances was the first title he contributed to, starting with #1 (Jan. 1949), for which he drew the cover as well as an 8-page story entitled “They Called Me a Wayward Girl.” Baker soon became the undisputed master of the genre—at least, as regards the pre-Code era— drawing covers and stories for a variety of titles including Teen-Age Temptations, Pictorial Romances, Diary Secrets, Wartime Romances, True Love Pictorial, and Cinderella Love, a good number of which were written by former Iger Studio scribe Dana Dutch.

Splash page from one of the “Camilla” stories Baker penciled for Fiction House after leaving the Iger Studios. Perhaps because he didn’t ink the story, the art looks a bit different from his usual fare. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

cleaning store. It seems that John had a talent for drawing, too, but despite Matt’s attempts to introduce him to the right people and get him a steady job in the art business, he never made the grade. Fully aware he could stand on his own two feet, during 1948 Matt Baker left the Iger Studio staff, going freelance. On the strength of his talent, he managed to keep some of the accounts he had had while at Iger’s. For Fiction House, he continued to pencil “Sky Girl,” “Tiger Girl,” and “Camilla” for another year (the inking and lettering now being done by Fiction House staffers). Bob Lubbers, who was the art director at Fiction House in those years, remembers that “[Baker] was one of the guys whose freelance work we always checked out. He never disappointed. His girls were sexy and beautifully drawn and rendered. One of the pacesetters, an inspiration to all of us. A natty dresser. Always turned to the nines. Friendly and a good sense of humor. If he’d been on staff, he’d have been a star of the pen. He didn’t need that environment, though, and he was a hit with the ladies. Handsome, to go with all the rest of his attributes.” After leaving Iger’s, though, Baker’s main accounts came from Archer St. John, who published a variety of comic books and magazines.

King Of Romance The earliest art Baker did for St. John appeared in Northwest Mounties #1 (Oct. 1948), featuring a fearless Alaskan adventuress called

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme and there were also a couple of comic-book-style titles in the Dell Told in Pictures digest series—Twice Loved and Four Frightened Women, the latter written by George Harmon Coxe with art by Rick Fletcher.

First graphic novel or not, It Rhymes with Lust offered 126 pages of gorgeous Baker-Osrin art executed on Craftint’s Doubletone paper, which enabled them to create great shading effects on backgrounds. The anti-heroine of the comic, provocatively looking at readers on the cover, was a voluptuous red-headed femme fatale named Rust Masson (yes, it was her first name that rhymed with “lust”), owner of Masson Mines, Inc. in Copper Town. The male protagonist was a handsome journalist called Hal Weber, caught between Rust’s ambiguous charms and the crystal-clear love of Audrey The Comic Book Gospel According To St. John Masson, Rust’s lovely (Left:) “Fast Company,” in Teen-Age Temptations #9 (July 1953) is typical of Baker’s stepdaughter. Somewhat romance story production for St. John. reminiscent of Snow White and (Right:) “Murder in Mink,” which appeared in Authentic Police Cases #18 (April 1952), is one of the Baker-penciled the Seven Dwarfs (as regards St. John stories that may have been inked by Edd Ashe. [Both splashes ©2005 the respective copyright holders.] the wicked stepmother’s jealousy of her stepdaughter), Now sporting an utterly realistic style devoid of any caricatural this intriguing yarn foreshadowed Billy Wilder’s 1951 movie Ace in the residue, Baker drew an incomparable collection of believable lovestruck Hole (the cynical, drunken journalist interpreted by Kirk Douglas seems beauties. And after years of drawing more flesh than garment, he was to have something in common with Hal Weber), as well as in David now able to visualize his passion for clothing in almost every panel. It Lynch’s 1990-91 TV series Twin Peaks (with its morbid depiction of a must be said that his covers would generally look better than his interior Northwest town whose main resource is the Packard Sawmill, run by a art, as he would usually ink them himself. Once again, some inkers woman). Again, Baker’s (and Osrin’s) art is simply wonderful, with would make his drawing look rather stiff here and there, and the heavierevery single panel oozing sensuousness without ever being vulgar. The handed ones amongst them would even “hide” his pencils (see the stories digest-sized masterpiece is made even more precious by its extreme in Authentic Police Cases #13, 16 and 18, possibly inked by Edd Ashe). rarity. Only ten of less copies are known to exist. Once again, Ray Osrin was the inker who best “interpreted” Baker’s pencils. The two of them, by the way, were very close friends, and in 1949 Osrin (who had just left Iger to go freelance) asked Baker to be best man at his marriage, “but it just wasn’t acceptable yet,” he recalled, “and I think knowing my father’s South African heritage, he begged off.” Anyway, Baker would be godfather to Osrin’s first-born the following year.

The First Graphic Novel? Romance was one of the main ingredients of what was probably the best effort from the Baker-Osrin team. In 1950, St. John issued a digestsized, 128-page comic entitled It Rhymes with Lust. Carrying a Picture Novels heading, this squarebound paperback was in fact a one-shot which marked the debut of Arnold Drake as a comics writer (teaming up with fellow novelist Les Waller under the collective pseudonym “Drake Waller”). This has been said to have been the first graphic novel ever (the first realistic one, to be precise), though the point is debatable. By the way, the year 1950 was very prolific in this respect, as St. John itself issued a similar hybrid between a paperback and a comic book (The Case of the Winking Buddha, written by old acquaintance Manning Lee Stokes and drawn by Milt Caniff alumnus Charles Raab),

Baker Gets Syndicated Besides packaging and publishing comic book stories, Jerry Iger had been producing newspaper strips. As early as 1936, he had established his own Universal Phoenix Features Syndicate (a.k.a. Phoenix Features, Inc.), producing over twenty different weekly strips at the request of Eduardo Cardenas, head of publications at Editors Press Service. Between 1937 and the early 1940s, these strips were distributed by Editors Press Service to such non-American publications as the British/Australian Wags (beginning with issue #16, dated April 16, 1937), as well as the French Bilboquet and Hurrah!, the Mexican Paquin, and the Argentinian Pif-Paf , among others. There were adventure strips like “Hawks of the Seas” by “Willis Rensie” (a.k.a. Will Eisner) and “Sheena” by “W. Morgan Thomas” (written by Iger, drawn by Mort Meskin and later by Bob Powell), funny-animal strips like “Peter Pupp” by Bob Kane, and classic strip adaptations like “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” by Dick Briefer and “The Count of Monte Cristo” by “Jack Curtiss” (a.k.a. Jack Kirby) and later by “Jack Cortez” (Lou Fine). As of September 1938, all of these strips, and others yet, were being “recycled” for US publication in Fiction House’s Jumbo Comics

Baker Of Cheesecake

19 It Rhymes With Lust— Not To Mention “Bust”! (Left:) Matt Baker’s cover for It Rhymes with Lust, which co-author Arnold (“Doom Patrol”) Drake maintained in A/E #17 may just be the first “graphic novel.” The back cover was seen in that issue. Thanks to John Benson for the scan. (Center & below:) Two nice pages and a couple of spare panels from Lust, drawn by Matt Baker and Ray Osrin. For a photo of the two artists together, see p. 52. [Art ©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

(although “Hawks of the Seas” had previously appeared in Harry “A” Chesler’s Feature Funnies). After Eisner dissolved his partnership with him, Iger continued his newspaper-strip operation through the mid1940s, although in a more limited fashion. It was in 1947, apparently, that Iger started releasing original dailystrip versions of pre-existing comic book series, this time allowing the respective artists (including himself) to sign them. These strips appeared in a very limited number of US papers, whereas they could count on a much wider distribution overseas. The first one to be released, from late 1947 or early 1948 until 1950, was South Sea Girl by “Thorne Stevenson” (actually written by Manning Lee Stokes and drawn by John Forte). During the same period there also was an Inspector Dayton daily strip attributed—like its comic book counterpart—to “George Thatcher” (yet another of Jerry Iger’s pen-names) and very well drawn by Jack Kamen. After a one-year hiatus, Phoenix Features was back in early 1952 with no less than four strips: The Hawk by “Rod Maxwell” (written by Ruth Roche, drawn by Bob Webb), Jerry Iger’s own Bobby and Pee Wee (the latter being a panel)—and Flamingo by Ruth Roche

and Matt Baker. In 1953-54, Phoenix Features also distributed Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, written by Spillane himself, Joe Gill, and Ed Robbins and drawn by Robbins. This was apparently the only strip they released to appear both in the daily and Sunday version. With the exception of Mike Hammer, all of these strips and panels bore numbers besides dates, the latter being removed as they were periodically reoffered (and sometimes re-released) through the mid-1980s. Flamingo marked Baker’s debut in syndicated strips, as well as the start of his second stint with Iger—this time, though, as a freelancer. Promoted in the December 15, 1951 issue of Editor & Publisher, Flamingo first appeared in papers nationwide on February 11, 1952. The first strip introduced the main characters—the beautiful gypsy Flamingo and her grandfather Pepo, “mask-maker and age-wise ruler of the Romany tribe.” The first continuity was set in Dorset, England, and saw Flamingo unmask “Josef Petrow of the People’s Army,” an impostor who had pretended to be Sir Ludwell Syms in order to steal a secret formula from Lady Sharon’s mansion. The strip, thus, was a mixture of adventure, mystery, and romance (often seasoned with Cold War undertones), with the sensual Flamingo playing the role of an atypical avenger. As a matter of fact, Baker had first drawn “Flamingo” years before, in an 8-page story entitled “The Face in the Golden Comb,” which was an early, alternative version of the very first daily continuity (Feb. 11-Mar. 8, 1952). The opening caption to this story informs us that Flamingo “spat on swastikas, burrowed with the underground to become professional at killing Nazis, and now, war-weary, she returns to the tranquil downs of Dorset…”—which means that it was presumably drawn in 1946—as the style of drawing would seem to confirm. This story, though, never appeared in comic books until 1984, when Jerry Iger and his then-partner Lee Caplin unearthed the proof sheets and allowed Pacific Comics to publish it in Jerry Iger’s Famous Features #1. It must be noticed that a character named Flamingo had appeared in Holyoke’s Contact Comics during 1944-45, yet this was a “strange colorful

Baker Of Cheesecake

airman” who had nothing to do with “our” Flamingo—or the Iger Studio, or Matt Baker. Baker worked on the Flamingo strip until May 1952, giving it his best. It is possible, yet not certain, that he inked it himself, whereas all the lettering was done at the Iger Studio (now located at 310 West 53rd St.), mostly by Louis Goldklang. Baker drew a total of 132 dailies, his last strip being released on July 5, 1952, after which Flamingo was taken over by Iger Studio staffer John Thornton, who drew it until its demise on March 21, 1953. Why Baker left the strip after only six months is not known, although one may presume that meeting the daily deadline was too much for him, since while drawing Flamingo he kept penciling comic book stories on a regular basis for St. John, often doing entire issues of Teen-Age Romances or Wartime Romances. And, after abandoning the gorgeous gypsy to her own fate (in fact, her strip ended happily, with her marriage to a handsome American man named Joe), to St. John he went, hired as an art director.

The Cover Years For about two years, Matt Baker had his own office at St. John Publishing, on the 8th floor of a building located at 545 Fifth Avenue. Besides supervising the artwork coming in from different freelancers (including Lou Cameron, Bernie Krigstein, Al McWilliams, and John Prentice), he was now producing covers and stories on staff. Although he had already drawn over 90 covers for them, he now became the definitive St. John cover artist, reaching a total of about 220 by mid-1955 (at Iger’s, he had only drawn 22 covers from 1944-48), more than half of which bear his signature. The cover to Teen-Age Romances #1 (Jan. 1959), one of the very first covers Baker drew for St. John Publishing Co. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Although a good percentage of this output graced such titles as Teen-Age Romances (194955), Pictorial Romances (1951-54), Wartime Romances (1951-53) and Diary Secrets (1952-55), Baker also drew covers in other genres: the gun

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

molls he lined for Authentic Police Cases (1949-55) were memorable, as were his depictions of male and female gunslingers (The Texan, 1949-51; The Hawk, 1954-55) and of war scenes (Fightin’ Marines, 1951-53). He also did some outstanding cover art for Nightmare, which later became Amazing Ghost Stories. Of particular note is his underwater drawing for Nightmare #13 (August 1954), which depicts a diver surrounded by strange, greenish sea-plant girls. A unique combination of weirdness and sensuality. Naturally, Baker did not limit himself to drawing covers. In addition to that, he produced his regular output of romance, crime, and Western stories for the St. John titles, graphically creating some new characters. The most important one was “Canteen Kate,” another redhead bombshell whose humorous Army adventures were featured in Fightin’ Marines (1951-52), Canteen Kate (1952), and Anchors Andrews (1953). Although earthbound and short-haired, Kate was but a modified version of Ginger Maguire (a.k.a. “Sky Girl”) Baker had drawn in the previous decade, but she was cute all the same, dressed in the unbuttoned shirt and shorts which made up her scanty USMC uniform. While on staff at St. John, Baker also produced several illustrations for the digest-sized mystery magazine Manhunt, issued by Flying Eagle Publishing (most likely an alternative name for St. John). For the first four issues, dated January-April 1953, Baker did the two-color illustrations which accompanied a serialized story entitled “Everybody’s Watching Me,” written by none other than Mickey Spillane.

Back To Freelancing Baker left the St. John staff in mid-1954. By then, the company had drastically downsized its comic-book line, mainly due to the collapse of its 3-D titles. Their surviving comics now carried mostly reprints, and Baker’s “Canteen Kate,” from Fightin’ Marines #3 (Dec. 1951). [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Baker Of Cheesecake

The bulk of Baker’s artwork during the latter half of the 1950s was done for Atlas/Marvel, Quality, and Harvey. Marvel editor Stan Lee had Baker draw, among others, a few Western stories (mostly written by Lee himself) in such titles as Gunsmoke Western and Quick-Trigger Western. Among these tales, those that Baker apparently penciled and inked, such as “The Vengeance of Wes Harder!” (a 6-pager in Western Outlaws #13, Feb. 1956), are little masterpieces in their own right. For Everett “Busy” Arnold’s Quality Publications, Baker drew almost exclusively romance comics. A nice exception were the stories starring Robin Hood he did for Robin Hood Tales in 1956. Later that year, Quality Comics folded, selling some of its titles to DC Comics. Arnold, though, ventured into the men’s-adventure magazine business as Arnold Magazines, and during 1956-57 Matt Baker did several black-&white illustrations for Rage for Men and Gusto – He-Man Adventures. Another artist contributing to these short-lived magazines published by Arnold was former Quality Comics stalwart Bill Ward, who would often sign his spicy cartoons “McCartney.” For Harvey Comics, from late 1957 until mid-1958, Baker drew quite a few romance stories, but he also penciled one 5-page mystery yarn, “Half Man… Half What?” for Alarming Tales #5 (Sept. 1958), which was inked by Al Williamson. Angelo Torres inked two of the stories Baker drew for Harvey’s First Love. These, too, were almost certainly drawn in 1958, yet they were shelved when First Love was temporarily canceled and were only published when the title was briefly revived in 1962-63.

Baker continued to draw covers for them for another year, although on a freelance basis. Once-prosperous publishers like Fiction House had gone out of business after the introduction of the Comics Code, and it wasn’t easy for Baker to get assignments—or, rather, it was no longer easy for him to get the assignments he would have liked to get. The first one he came up with was at Western Printing (then publishing under the Dell imprint), for which he drew three consecutive issues of Lassie (#20-22). During this phase, the Dell comic paired up the famous collie dog with a trio made up by a blond young man named Rocky, a pretty brunette called Gerry, and the native boy Timbu. Each of the three issues Baker drew contained three adventures, set mostly in the forests of South America. As usual, although the female element was secondary here, Baker did an excellent job, aided once again by Ray Osrin. Business-wise, the two artists had parted around 1950, when Osrin had decided to temporarily leave comics, but they had continued being close friends and seeing each other quite often (although it is rumored— probably wrongly—that Baker lived and worked in Mexico for a while during the early 1950s). Osrin remembered that “[a]s I was leaving Pittsburgh with my tail within my legs, [Baker] had me help him on Lassie comics for Dell.” This was, in fact, their last collaboration. From 1954-57, Baker would be using other inkers—primarily Frank Giusti and Lou Morales. Baker did another book for Dell/Western, a beautiful 34page adaptation of the 1954 movie King Richard and the Crusaders, starring Rex Harrison and Virginia Mayo, which appeared in October that year as #588 in the one-shot Four Color series.

“We’re looking for people who like to draw!” Baker goes back to doing gunslingers for Timely/Atlas editor Stan Lee, who also wrote this one. This gorgeous splash page is from Western Outlaws #13 (Feb. 1956). [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

From 1953-57, Baker tried his hand at men’s-magazine illustration— with excellent results, naturally. Here are two great halftone pix from Rage for Men, Vol. 1, #2 (Feb. 1957). Rage was published by Everett M. “Busy” Arnold of Quality Comics fame. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Baker Of Cheesecake

The Charlton Cover Mystery During the mid-to-late 1950s, Charlton Comics of Derby, Connecticut, added several titles to its comic book line by purchasing them from other publishers. Among these dying publishers was St. John, whose Fightin’ Marines was taken over by Charlton as of #14 (May 1955) after a two-year hiatus and apparently skipping #13. Although #14, 15, and 17 had either a Baker cover or an interior “Canteen Kate” story, these were just reprints from the previous St. John series. It is, thus, very unlikely that at this stage Baker was doing original artwork for Charlton—as he in fact would be doing a few years later.

25 instead published in Weird Adventures #1, which had a May-June 1951 cover date. This was, in fact, the first time a Baker story was picked from the Iger Studio inventory and published years after it had been actually drawn. The same thing happened with two mystery stories, respectively entitled “Preview of Chaos!” and “Was He Death-Proof?,” both of which were first published in Journey Into Fear #1 (May 1951). According to Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., the original artwork for the latter story “is signed by Matt Baker and [the signature is] blacked out.... It is quite likely that the story was an unfinished piece that Iger decided belatedly to have completed or even reworked.” Jim thinks that “this story has rough layouts by Baker, [but] all inking and background art is Iger staff work, probably with finished pencils by Alex Blum and inks by David Heames.” Its drawing style, anyway, looks like 1946, early 1947 at the latest.

And yet—another title Charlton bought out was Negro Romance, previously published by Fawcett. Differently from Fightin’ Marines, which would continue until 1984, Charlton’s run of Negro Romance only lasted one issue (#4, May 1955), its contents being Journey Into Fear, by the way, was reprinted from Fawcett’s #2. Its cover, one of the titles published by another though, must have been newly-drawn, as Canadian outfit, Superior Publications. all of the Fawcett issues had photo Based in Toronto, Ontario, and headed covers. This cover shows three young by William Zimmerman, from 1947-56 African-Americans—two men and a Superior (a.k.a. Dynamic) reprinted pretty girl. One man, nattily dressed, is American comics for Canadian distriWas this Charlton-published Negro Romance cover (#4, May 1955) at the wheel of a yellow convertible car. bution while exporting its own titles to drawn by Matt Baker? If so, he might well have portrayed himself His dialogue balloon reads, “Fill ’er up, as the man in the car. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] the USA. Superior’s line of original buddy… Is there a hotel in this town? I comic books (mostly made up of like the scenery around here!” He is horror and romance titles) was supervised by Robert Farrell and Jerry saying this to a filling-station attendant who looks irritated. Next to Iger, whose studio provided the scripts and artwork. In 1944, Farrell had him, in fact, stands the girl who, smiling at the driver, thinks, “My, he’s started his own publishing house, Ajax/Farrell Publications (a.k.a. handsome… comes from the big city, too!” Excellent, Four Star, Steinway, and America’s Best), with financial help Now, I must admit that it is very unlikely that Matt Baker drew this cover. His art at Charlton would not emerge until 1959, whereas the only work he had apparently done for Fawcett had been a story in Don Winslow #64 back in 1948. Nevertheless, there is something “Bakerish” about this cover (the guy in the car, especially, has a “Baker face,” with eyes drawn far apart). Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., for one, disagrees, but my guess is that Baker at least penciled it (with inks, perhaps, by Vince Colletta or Dick Giordano). And if he did, I’d like to believe that he portrayed himself as the sparkling, elegant Big-Town guy. There is also the fact that Baker actually owned a canary yellow convertible Oldsmobile.

Refried Baker Although Baker had not done any comic book work for Jerry Iger since 1948, somebody must have thought he was still working for him as late as 1955, because his unmistakable style graced stories which looked brand new—but in fact were not. But let us take a step back. In the late 1940s, Iger had been producing story and artwork for D.S. Publishing, an outfit owned by Dick Davis which was also active on the Canadian market as P.L. Publishing. For D.S./P.L., Matt Baker had drawn a total of five stories, which had appeared during 1948 in Outlaws #2, Select Detective #1 and #2, and Whodunit? #1. The fifth story, entitled “The She-Wolf Killer,” was

from S. Lichtenbert. In the mid-1950s, Farrell decided to revive a few 1940s old Fox super-hero features such as “The Flame,” “Samson,” and “Phantom Lady,” with Jerry Iger and Ruth Roche now being respectively listed as art editor and editor in the Ajax titles’ indicia. None of the four Ajax/Farrell Phantom Lady issues had art by Matt Baker, although the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide still lists Vol. 1, #5 [#1, Dec.-Jan. 1954-55] as drawn by Baker. In fact an anonymous Iger Studio artist (Ken Battefield?) did his best—without great success, it must be said—to imitate Baker’s style. Baker’s art was instead present in Wonder Boy #17 (1955), in a story starring the titular hero reprinted from Bomber Comics, and two of Baker’s “Tugboat Tessie” stories from Seven Seas Comics were reprinted in The Flame #3 (1955) and Strange #6 (1958), respectively. So far, so good. The story gets kind-of odd with Voodoo, of which Farrell published 19 issues in 1952-55. Like the other Ajax titles, this horror comic alternated new stories with reprints. Among the latter were some of the “South Sea Girl” stories that Matt Baker had drawn years before for Seven Seas Comics. Some of these showed slight changes in dialogue and artwork, whereas others were heavily altered. By #2, which reprinted Baker’s story from Seven Seas #2, the heroine’s name had been changed from Alani into El’nee. That was not all. With #20 (Apr. 1955), the title became Vooda, and during its three-issue run it starred a gorgeous light-skinned jungle princess who fought against wild beasts and protected the native tribes of the Congo. Wait a minute. That sari, those flowers in her hair…!

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

Baker’s “South Sea Girl” splash page at left, from South Seas Comics #6 (1947), morphs into a splash page for Vooda #20 (April 1955). Note the dialogue and caption changes. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Vooda was but a refried version of South Sea Girl! Whereas the first story in each issue was new, the second was a reprint from Seven Seas Comics, with dialogue rewritten (including all the Alani’s changed into Vooda’s) and some alterations in Baker’s art. Vooda gave up the ghost in August 1955, but the “refried” “South Sea Girl” stories were to be seen again. Between 1966 and 1978, Eerie Publications published several black&-white horror magazines which offered gruesome stories drawn by US and South American artists, as well as reprinting Iger Studio material from the 1940s and 1950s. This comes as no surprise, because Eerie was started out by Robert Farrell together with former artist Myron Fass. The Iger Studio reprints included some Baker stories, like “He Rose from the Grave”, a modified version of a “South Sea Girl” story which, over a decade after having been reprinted in Voodoo, reappeared in sharp black-&-white in Weird Worlds Vol. 2, #1 (Feb. 1969), and in Tales from the Tomb Vol. 1, #6 (July 1969). The same mediocre artist who had drawn a new splash panel for this 8-page yarn also apparently altered the features of the giant brute (called “the beast-man” in the story) that Baker had originally drawn, making him look very much like the Frankenstein Monster. As noted before, the dialogue was partly rewritten by Ruth Roche, and Alani’s name was always re-lettered (possibly by Iger-Studio calligrapher David Glazer) as El’nee.

“What’s in a name?” This Baker page from a “South Sea Girl” story was originally published in a 1946 issue of Seven Seas Comics, later adapted for Ajax/Farrell’s horror title Voodoo, with the heroine’s name changed from “Alani” into “El’nee.” [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Baker Of Cheesecake

Nearing The End As previously observed, by mid-1955 Baker was penciling several stories for the Atlas/Marvel titles, his longest run being on My Own Romance (1955-59). Vince Colletta was a prolific freelance inker for Marvel—the most prolific of all time, in fact, as regards the romance genre. There was one problem, though. Most of what Colletta inked looked like it had been drawn by Colletta himself, whoever the penciler. Colletta had a reputation for taking out a lot of details to speed up things. As it was Colletta who inked most of the stories Baker drew from 1955 onwards, it is often very hard to detect Baker’s pencils underneath this India-ink steamroller that made everything look the same. This, by the way, is one of the reasons why comic fans and scholars long thought that Baker had died in the mid-1950s, his art having virtually disappeared from the comic pages during those years. It seems evident to me that by then Baker no longer cared about his work as he had before, because by 1957 he was working in the studio Colletta had at 22 Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rumor has it that a very young Jim Steranko also worked in the studio for a while when Baker was there, and it looks as if other artists were penciling for Colletta at the same time Baker did—one of them being Joe Sinnott, who drew a lot of the stories Colletta inked for Charlton Publications from 1959-63. In fact, besides Atlas/Marvel, Charlton was the other main account Colletta had, and Matt Baker drew several stories which appeared in

such Charlton titles as Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds (the story in #12, cover-dated Apr. 1959, was curiously signed “Bakerino”—apparently an acronym for Baker and Charlton stalwart Jon D’Agostino, who appears to have inked this one), Out of This World, Outer Space, and Sweetheart Diary. The result, it must be said, was in most cases a far cry from Baker’s one-time masterpieces. Again, Colletta may have been largely responsible for butchering Baker’s pencils, yet it seems to me that at this point Baker was only doing a routine job, without much attention to detail. Until recently, some researchers have believed that Baker’s art appeared in Charlton titles as late as 1962 or even 1964. The present writer, for one, thought that Baker had penciled the story for Reptisaurus Vol. 2, #4 (Apr. 1962), starring a gigantic flying snake. Reptisaurus took over from Reptilicus, which was based on a 1962 Bmovie, so that story had to have been drawn in 1962. And it seemed quite safe to credit the penciling to Baker, as at one time Colletta stated that Baker died in 1962 (as reported in Ron Goulart’s The Great Comic Book Artists, St. Martin’s Press, 1986). This has since been proven not to be the case, as Baker’s relatives have revealed that he actually died in 1959. His last published work at Charlton, then, was a Colletta-inked eight-pager in Strange Suspense Stories #47 (May, 1960). A few months before, Baker had succumbed to a sudden, fatal heart attack. His was an untimely, unjust death. When he passed away, he was only thirty-seven.

Two “Marvel” splashes by Baker during his “Vince Colletta period”—from Tales to Astonish #2 (March 1959) and My Own Romance #65 (Sept. 1958). With thanks to Dr. Michael J. Vassallo for the scans. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

Baker The Collectible During his best years—from 1947-56, in my humble opinion—Matt Baker was undoubtedly one of the greatest stylists in the comic book field. Although he had had some formal art training, he was always a natural at drawing—one of those talented draftsmen who are able to project mind pictures onto a white sheet of paper and draw the human figure from scratch, with no basic construction. True, his “swan song” at Charlton was a far cry from his earlier efforts, but this was just a minor blip in a much-too-brief yet intense career during which he produced a huge amount of outstanding art. Today, collectors are eagerly searching for Baker’s stories, and those who cannot afford buying the original comics can enjoy reading them thanks to such publishers as Pacific, Blackthorne, AC Comics, and A

This story from Charlton Comics’ Unusual Tales #20 (Jan. 1960) is an example of Baker’s lower-quality production during his association with Vince Colletta—for Charlton’s low rates. You get what you pay for—if you’re lucky! [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

An Inspector Calls—Twice! (Right:) This previously-unpublished “Inspector Dayton” story, presumably drawn by Matt Baker in 1946, appeared in A List’s Pulp Fiction #2 in 1997. (Below:) A rarely-seen Inspector Dayton daily strip drawn by Baker colleague Jack Kamen, later of EC fame. [Illos ©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Baker Of Cheesecake List who have, during the last fifteen years or so, contributed to reviving interest in this great artist certainly deserves. In some cases, then, readers have even been able to see previously-unpublished material culled from the Iger archives, like the alreadymentioned “Flamingo” story in Pacific’s Jerry Iger’s Famous Features #1 (1984), or the “Inspector Dayton” story, “The Case of Measles and Murder,” which appeared in A List’s Pulp Fiction #2 (1997). This story had never appeared in Fiction House’s Baker’s cover for Phantom Lady #15 (Dec. 1947) Jumbo Comics (where was utilized by AC Comics for its Golden-Age the Inspector regularly Greats Spotlight, Vol. 1, with most stories drawn featured from 1938by Baker. See AC Comics’ ad on p. 34 for how 44), so it is very likely to order AC’s vintage reprint goodies. that it remained [Restored art ©2005 AC Comics.] unpublished until 1997. Judging by Baker’s style, though, “The Case of Measles and Murder” was drawn in 1946, and that very year an “Inspector Dayton” story appeared in Green Publishing’s Atomic Comics #2. Was it the same story? Perhaps someone can check it out.

Regarding reprints, though, it is a pity that, whereas some stories have had multiple reissues in the space of but a few years, many others remain unreprinted. In this respect, John Benson’s gorgeous compilation of St. John romance comics, Romance without Tears (Fantagraphics Books, 2003) has been a veritable godsend for us Baker buffs. But I— like many others, I’m sure—am still expecting a book collecting all of Baker’s Flamingo strips. I do hope that somebody is listening out there, for this would be the ultimate homage to Matt Baker, the unforgotten master of Good Girl Art. [Alberto Becattini was born in 1955 in Florence, Italy, where he lives with his wife Luciana and a few tons of assorted comics, graphic novels, and paperbacks. A teacher of English in high school, he likes to think of himself as a comics researcher, and has written articles and essays for various European and American comics fanzines and magazines. Specializing in classic American comic books, syndicated strips, and magazine illustration, he has been a regular contributor to Disney-Italy newsstand magazines and books, as well as translating and/or prefacing several Disney stories for Gladstone Publishing. A senior editor of the Who’s Who of American Comic Books, he has written and edited books about such comics masters as Milton Caniff, Bob Lubbers, Jefferson Machamer, Paul Murray, Alex Raymond, and Alex Toth. On the occasion of comics conventions in Italy, he has hosted panels with such greats as John Buscema, Will Eisner, Alberto Becattini. Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Mike Mignola, and Jim Steranko.]

MATT BAKER Index by Alberto Becattini, with Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. plus added information from Jerry G. Bails’ Who’s Who of 20th-Century American Comic Books [AUTHOR’S NOTE: Although in compiling this index I have tried to leave out all the stories I have discovered not to have been drawn by Matt Baker, there still are a few question marks and, I’m sure, some blanks. Thus, I expect feedback, c/o Alter/Ego, from anybody who may provide additions and/or corrections. As for the present list, my greatest thanks go to Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. for his unparalleled expertise. Thanks, also, to Jerry Bails, the Grand Comics Database, Bill Black, the Mad Peck, and Antonio Vianovi who have, in different ways, made it possible. The designation “nn” means “no issue number.” —A.B.] Full Name: Clarence Matthew Baker [1921-1959] (artist)

Alarming Tales (Harvey, 1958) #5 [inks: Al Williamson].

Pen Name: Matt Bakerino (used when working with Jon D’Agostino)

All-Picture Adventure (St. John, 1952) #1 [R- Fightin’ Marines]; cover #1.

Influences: Lou Fine, Reed Crandall, Will Eisner, Andrew Loomis Staff: St. John (art director) 1952-54

All-Picture Adventures (St. John, 1952) #2 [R?].

Shop Work: S.M. Iger (a) 1944-c. 1952

All-Picture All True Love Story (St. John, 1952) Canteen Kate #1 [R?]; #2 [R- Wartime Romances #2]; covers #1, 2 [?].

[For family and educational information, see the interview with Baker’s half-brother and nephew, which begins on p. 39.]

All-Top Comics (Fox, 1947-49) Phantom Lady #8-14 [inks: Ray Osrin, John Forte et al.]; Cover #16 [Rulah].

COMIC BOOKS (Original Editions and Reprints): [ = R]

All-True All Picture Police Cases (St. John, 1952) #1, 2 [R- Authentic Police Cases].

Note: Although many of the stories Baker drew were inked by others, inkers are listed only when known to have worked on specific series or issues.

Almanac of Crime (Fox, 1948) Phantom Lady #nn [R- Phantom Lady #19].

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

Amazing Ghost Stories (St. John, 1954-55) Covers #14-16.

Comics #53]; Phantom Lady #12 [R- Phantom Lady #14].

America’s Greatest Comics (AC, 2002) Phantom Lady #1 [R- Phantom Lady #15].

Diary Secrets (St. John, 1950 [?]) #nn [R- Teen-Age Diary Secrets #8]; cover #nn.

Anchors Andrews (St. John, 1953) Canteen Kate #1.

Diary Secrets (St. John, 1952-55) #10-30; covers #10-30.

Approved Comics (St. John, 1954) # 9 [R- Western Bandit Trails #3]; Leatherneck Jack #11 [R- Fightin’ Marines #3]; #12 [R- Northwest Mounties #4]; covers #6 [Daring Adventures], 9 [Western Bandit Trails], 11 [Fightin’ Marines], 12 [Northwest Mounties].

Don Winslow of the Navy (Fawcett, 1948) #64. Dynamic Adventures (IW, 1958) Kayo Kirby #8 [R- Fight Comics #53]. Exotic Romances (Quality, 1956) #27, 28, 30 [pencils], 31 [pencils]; covers #27, 31.

Atomic Comics (Green, 1946) Kid Kane #2-4; Cover #3 [?].

Fantastic Adventures (IW, 1964) South Sea Girl, Tugboat Tessie, Sagas of the Sea – Old Ironsides #nn [R- Seven Seas Comics #4]; South Sea Girl #17 [R- Seven Seas Comics #6].

Authentic Police Cases (St. John, 1949-55) #10-16 [some inked by Edd Ashe], 18, 35 [2 reprint stories], 36 [2 reprint stories], 37, 38 [1 reprint story]; covers #6-15, 16-20 [part], 22-24 [part], 27-29, 31-38.

Femforce (AC, 1987) Camilla #10 [R- Jungle Comics #102].

Battle Stories (IW, 1964) Eagle of the Sea – Old Ironsides #nn [RSeven Seas Comics #4].

Fight Comics (Fiction House, 1945-49) Kayo Kirby #43 [Baker?], 44 [inks: Al Feldstein?], 46 [inks: Al Feldstein], 47 [pencils], 48 [inks: Al Feldstein?], 49 [touch-ups over Alex Blum], 50 [inks: Al Feldstein?], 52, 53 [pencils], 56 [with Jack Kamen?], 57 [pencils], 58 [pencils], 64, 78 [R]; Tiger Girl #36-43 [mainly assists/inks over Alex Blum] 4464 [some assists/inks over Alex Blum].

Big Girl Adventures (AC, 2002) Phantom Lady #1 [R- Phantom Lady #14]; Sky Girl #1 [R- Jumbo Comics]; Camilla #1 [R- Jungle Comics]. Blue Ribbon Comics (St. John, 1949) #4 [Teen-Age Diary Secrets], 5 [Diary Secrets]; Covers #2 [Diary Secrets], 4 [Teen-Age Diary Secrets]. Bomber Comics (Elliot, 1944-45) Wonder Boy #3, 4 [?] [At least one story is done in collaboration with Al Feldstein]. Brides’ Romances (Quality, 195556) #15, 18 [pencils], 21 [pencils], 23; cover #23. Canteen Kate (St. John, 1952) Canteen Kate #1-3; covers #1-3.

Fightin’ Marines (St. John, 195153) Leatherneck Jack #15 [#1]; Canteen Kate #2-9; covers #15 [#1], 2 [small Canteen Kate picture only], 3, 4 [small Canteen Kate picture only], 5-10. A page from Baker’s 1946 Classic Comics adaptation of Lorna Doone—the only story he drew for the Gilberton company of Classics Illustrated fame— repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, done on “S.M. Iger” paper. [©2005 Frawley Corporation and its exclusive licensee, First Classics, Inc., a subsidiary of Classics International Entertainment, Inc.]

Cinderella Love (St. John, 1954-55) #14; covers #15, 25, 26, 27, 29. Classic Comics (Gilberton, 1946) Lorna Doone #32; Cover #32. Classics Illustrated (Gilberton, 1951/64/65/68) Lorna Doone #32 [RClassic Comics #32]. Cowboy Action (Atlas, 1956) #11. Cowgirl Romances (Fiction House, 1952) Mitzi of the Movies #10 [RMovie Comics #4 with all-new dialogue]. Crime Reporter (St. John, 1948) Covers #2, 3.

Fightin’ Marines (Charlton, 1955) Canteen Kate #14 [R- Fightin’ Marines #2], 17 [R?]; Cover #15 [R?].

First Love Illustrated (Harvey, 1958/1962-63) #86 [inks: Vince Colletta], 87 [inks: Vince Colletta and Dick Giordano?], 88 [inks: Angelo Torres], 89 [2 stories, inks on first: Angelo Torres], 90 [pencils]. The Flame (Ajax/Farrell, 1955) Tugboat Tessie #3 [R- Seven Seas Comics]. Flamingo (A-List, 1998) Flamingo #1 [R- Reformatted 1952 daily strips; R- Jerry Iger’s Famous Features #1]. Flyin’ Jenny (Pentagon/Leader, 1947) cover #2 [Baker and/or Kamen?]. Four Color Comics (Dell, 1954) King Richard and the Crusaders #588.

Crown Comics (Golfing/McCombs, 1945-47) Ace of the Newsreels #28; Vooda #3; Covers #4-7.

Fox Giants (Fox, 1949) #nn [Secret Love Stories].

Daring Adventures (Super/IW, 1963/64) Kayo Kirby #8 [R- Fight

Frontier Western (Atlas, 1956-57) #5, 9.

Baker Of Cheesecake

Fugitives from Justice (St. John, 1952) #2 [R- Northwest Mounties #2].

Journey into Mystery (Atlas, 1957) #50 [inks: Vince Colletta].

Giant Comics Editions (St. John, 1949-50) #5 [Police Case Book- R], 6 [Western Picture Stories - R], 9 [Romance and Confession Stories- R], 11 [Western Picture Stories- R], 12 [Diary Secrets- R]; Covers #5, 6, 11, 12, 15 [Romances].

Girls in Love (Quality, 1956) Cover & story #57.

Jumbo Comics (Fiction House, 1944-49) Sheena #69 [minor assists for Alex Blum], 71 [minor assists for R. H. Webb and Alex Blum], 73 [minor assists for R. H. Webb]; Sky Girl #69 [pencils], 70, 71 [pencils], 72, 73-74 [pencils], 75-78, 80-82, 83 [pencils], 84, 85 [pencils], 86, 87 [with Jack Kamen?], 88-92, 93 [pencils], 94, 96-99, 100 [inks: Al Feldstein?], 101, 102 [pencils], 103, 104, 105 [inks: Al Feldstein?], 106108, 109 [with Jack Kamen?], 110-122, 123-130 [pencil layouts only?]; Ghost Gallery #69 [minor assists for Alex Blum].

Girls’ Love Stories (DC, 1958) #58 [inks: Vince Colletta].

Jungle Adventures (Super, 1964) Tiger Girl #14 [R- Fight Comics #36].

Going Steady (St. John, 1954-55) #10, 13, 14; Covers #10-14.

Jungle Comics (Fiction House, 1945-49) Wambi the Jungle Boy #64 [possible assists for Alex Blum], 65, 74 [assists]; Camilla #69 [assists], 100, 101 [layouts only], 102, 103-108 [inks: Mike Peppe?], 109-111 [inks: Mike Peppe?], 112 [pencil layouts only?], 113-114, 115-116 [Baker?]; Tiger Girl #153-159 [R- Fight Comics].

Great Action Comics (IW, 1958) Phantom Lady #8 [R- Phantom Lady #15], 9 [R- Phantom Lady #23].

Golden-Age Greats (AC, 1994-96) Phantom Lady #2, 6, 8 [R- Phantom Lady #13, 14, 15, 19 and All Top #8]; Sky Girl #9 [R- Jumbo Comics #101]; Mysta of the Moon #12 [R- Planet Comics].

Jungle Comics (A-List, 1997) South Sea Girl #2 [R- Seven Seas Comics].

Golden-Age Greats Spotlight (AC, 2003) Phantom Lady #1 [R].

Jungle Girls [Wild Side] (AC, 1992-93) Tiger Girl #4-7, 12, 13 [R- Fight Comics]; Camilla a.k.a. Wild Girl of the Congo #6, 7, 9, 14 [R- Jungle Comics].

Golden Age Men of Mystery (AC, 1998) Phantom Lady #6 [R- Phantom Lady # 20]. Good Girl Art Quarterly/Good Girl Comics (AC, 1990-95/2001) Sky Girl a.k.a. Sky Gal #1, 3-11, 13-19 [R- Jumbo Comics]; Phantom Lady #2, 7-9, 11, 13, 15-17 [R- Phantom Lady and All Top]; inside covers #2 [R- Covers to Phantom Lady #16-20]; Camilla #3 [R- Jungle Comics]; Tiger Girl #9, 18 [R- Fight Comics]; Mitzi in Hollywood #12 [RMovie Comics].

Jungle Girls Retro Comics (AC, 1997) Camilla #4 [R- Jungle Comics #102]. Kaänga Jungle King (Fiction House, 1953) Camilla #15 [R- Jungle Comics # 106]. Kid Cowboy (Ziff-Davis, 1951) #?. Lady Crime (AC, 1992) Cover #1 [RAuthentic Police Cases #33].

Gunsmoke Western (Atlas, 1955-60) #32, 34, 55, 56.

Lassie (Dell, 1955) Lassie #20-22 [inks: Ray Osrin].

The Hawk (St. John, 1954-55) The Hawk #9; Buckskin Belle #10; covers #812.

Lassie (Golden Press, 1978) Lassie #11193 [R- Dell’s Lassie].

The Hawk 3-D (St. John, 1953) cover #1.

Love Confessions (Quality, 1952-56) #20 [?], 39, 49, 51 [pencils], 53 [pencils]; Cover #49.

Heart Throbs (Quality, 1956) cover #46.

Love Letters (Quality, 1956) #48-50 [pencils]; cover #51 [pencils].

Hi-School Romance (Harvey, 1958) #75 [pencils]. Hollywood Pictorial Romances (St. John, 1950) #3.

Indians on the Warpath (St. John, 1950 [?]) cover #nn. Jerry Iger’s Famous Features (Pacific, 1984) Flamingo #1 [unpublished 1940s story]; Ace of the Newsreels #1 [R- Crown Comics]. Jerry Iger’s Golden Features (Blackthorne, 1986) Flamingo #1 [Reformatted 1952 daily strips]; Ace of the Newsreels #1 [R- Crown Comics]; South Sea Girl #3 [R- Seven Seas Comics]. Jo-Jo Congo King (Fox, 1948-49) Jo-Jo #16 [?], 17 [?], 22 [with Jack Kamen?]; cover #25. Journey into Fear (Superior/Dynamic, 1951) #1 [2 stories, second has Baker layouts with Alex Blum and David Heames finishes].

Love Romances (Atlas, 1954-60) #45, 57, 72, 75, 77, 78, 82; covers: 82 [pencils], 94 [pencils].

Lovers (Atlas, 1955-57) #65, 71, 85. Love Secrets (Quality, 1955-56) #46, 55; Covers #40, 56. March of Crime (Fox, 1949) Phantom Lady #nn [R- All Top #17], #nn [R- Phantom Lady #20]. Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 2000) Phantom Lady #20 [R- All-Top #12, 17], 27 [R- Phantom Lady #14]. Midget Comics (St. John, 1950) Cover #1 [Fighting Indian Stories]. Mopsy (St. John, 1953 [?]) Text illustrations #?. Movie Comics (Fiction House, 1947) Mitzi of the Movies/Mitzi in

An Appreciation Of Matt Baker, Good Girl Artist Supreme

Hollywood #2-4.

Romance Stories of True Love (Harvey, 1958) #50 [inks: Vince Colletta, et al], 51 [pencils], 52 [pencils].

My Love Story (Atlas, 1956-57) #3, 7. My Own Romance (Atlas, 1955-59) #47, 49, 56, 57, 60, 67, 70, 71 [all inks: Vince Colletta]. Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds (Charlton, 1959) #12 [signed “Bakerino”, inks: Jon D’Agostino], 15 [inks: Vince Colletta]. Negro Romance (Charlton, 1955) Cover #4 [Baker? Inks: Vince Colletta?] Nightmare (St. John, 1954) cover #13. Northwest Mounties (St. John, 1948-49) Rose o’ the Yukon et al #1-4; cover #4.

Romance without Tears (Fantagraphics, 2003) R- St. John romance stories from Blue Ribbon Comics #4; Teen-Age Romances #5, 16, 22, 37; Teen-Age Diary Secrets #6; Teen-Age Temptations #1, 8; Pictorial Romances #19; True Love Pictorial #10; covers R- Cinderella Love #25, 26; Teen-Age Romances #10, 14, 25, 31, 33, 34, 37, 38, 42, 43; True Love Pictorial #5, 7; Diary Secrets #11, 13-15, 18, 21, 24; Teen-Age Temptations #2, 4; Pictorial Romances #18, 21, 22; Wartime Romances #10; All-Picture All-True Love Story #1; Romantic Marriage #23; Going Steady #10. Romantic Marriage (St. John, 1954) covers #23, 24. Rulah, Jungle Goddess (Fox, 1948/49) Rulah #17 [?]; cover #24.

Outer Space (Charlton, 1959) #21 [inks: Vince Colletta].

Secret Story Romances (Atlas, 1956) #20.

Outlaws (D.S., 1948) #2.

Seduction of the Innocent 3-D (Eclipse, 1986) #2 [R- Journey Into Fear #1].

Out of This World (Charlton, 1959) #15 [inks: Vince Colletta].

Select Detective (D.S., 1948) #1, 2.

Phantom Lady (Fox, 1947-49) Phantom Lady #13-20 [inks: Ray Osrin, John Forte et al]; Covers #13, 15-20.

Seven Seas Comics (Universal Phoenix Features, 1946-47) South Sea Girl #1-6; Tugboat Tessie #1-4; Sagas of the Sea – Old Ironsides #4; covers #2-6.

Phantom Lady (Verotik, 1994) Phantom Lady #nn [R- Phantom Lady #14-17, and All-Top #9, 12].

Sky Gal (AC, 1993-94) Sky Girl reprinted as Sky Gal #1-3 [R- Fight Comics].

Pictorial Confessions (St. John, 1949) #1-3; Cover #1.

Space Wars Classics (ACG, 1998) “Abandon Spaceship” #1 [R from unknown Charlton comic; inks: Vince Colletta].

Pictorial Love Stories (St. John, 1952) Cover #1.

Spicy Tales (Eternity, 1989) South Sea Girl #2 [R- Seven Seas Comics #6].

Pictorial Romances (St. John, 1950-54) #4-24; Covers #5-24. Picture Novels (St. John, 1950) It Rhymes with Lust #nn [inks: Ray Osrin, 128-page graphic novel]; cover #nn. Planet Comics (Fiction House, 1948-49) Mysta of the Moon #5359 [pencils].

Stories of Romance (Atlas, 1957) #13. Thar she flies again! “Sky Girl” in a late-1940s splash from Jumbo Comics, as reprinted in AC Comics’ Good Girl Art Quarterly #13, which came out in summer of ’93 but is still available—partly in color, yet! [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

Planet Comics (A-List, 1998) Kid Kane #5 [R- Atomic Comics]. Pulp Fiction (A-List, 1997-98) Inspector Dayton #2 [unpublished story from Iger inventory, circa 1946]; Flamingo #2 [R- Reformatted daily strips, 6-27 MAY 1952], 3 [R- Jerry Iger’s Famous Features #1]; Tugboat Tessie #5, 6 [R- Seven Seas Comics].

Strange (Ajax/Farrell, 1958) Tugboat Tessie #6 [R- Seven Seas Comics].

Strange Mysteries (Superior/Dynamic, 1954) #19 [2 stories, R- Journey Into Fear #1]; cover#19 [R- splash page from first story in Journey Into Fear #1]. Strange Suspense Stories (Charlton, 1960) #45 [inks: Vince Colletta], 47 [inks: Vince Colletta]. Strange Tales (Atlas, 1957) #58. Suspense (Atlas, 1949) #1.

Quick-Trigger Western (Atlas, 1956-57) #12, 13, 18.

Sweetheart Diary (Charlton, 1959) #49 [inks: Vince Colletta].

Rangers Comics (Fiction House, 1947-49) Glory Forbes #36, 37, 39 [inks: Jack Kamen], 40 [pencils], 41 [Baker?], 42 [Baker or Kamen?], 43, 44-48 [Baker?].

Tales from the Tomb (Eerie, 1969) V1#6 [R- South Sea Girl story from Seven Seas Comics, with new splash panel and altered dialogue. Same as Weird Worlds V2#1].

Real Life Comics (Standard, 1947-48) #41, 45.

Tales of Justice (Atlas, 1957) #66.

Record Book of Famous Police Cases (St. John, 1949) cover #nn.

Tales of the Mysterious Traveler (Charlton, 1959) #13.

Robin Hood Tales (Quality, 1956) Robin Hood #3-5.

Tales of Voodoo (Eerie, 1969) V2#2 [R].

Romance and Confession Stories (St. John, 1949) #1 [R]; cover #1.

Tales to Astonish (Atlas, 1959) #2. Teen-Age Diary Secrets (St. John, 1949-50) #4, nn, 5-8.

Baker Of Cheesecake Teen-Age Romances (St. John, 1949-55) #1-27, 32-40, 42 [R- Cinderella Love #9], 43-45; covers #1-3, 9-27, 31-45. Teen-Age Temptations (St. John, 1952-54) #1, 3, 5-9; covers #1-9. Teen Angst (Malibu Graphics, 1990) #1 [R- Teen-Age Romances #20, Wartime Romances #1].

Western Bandit Trails (St. John, 1949) #3; covers #1-3. Western Outlaws (Atlas, 1956) #13. Whodunit? (D.S., 1948) #1. Wild Boy of the Congo (St. John, 1954-55) Covers #11-15. Wild Western (Atlas, 1957) #56.

Terrors of the Jungle (Star, 1953) Rulah #4, 8 [R- Zoot #13, 14]; Jo-Jo #4, 8 [R- Jo-Jo #16].

Wings Comics (Fiction House, 1944-46) Skull Squad #52-55, 57-60; Clipper Kirk #60-62, 65, 66.

Terror Tales (Eerie, 1969) V1#8 [R].

Wings Comics (A-List, 1998) Wonder Boy #4 [R- Bomber Comics].

The Texan (St. John, 1949-51) The Texan/Cheyenne Joe/Prairie Guns/Hawk Knife #4, 5, 7, 8, 10-15; Covers #4-9, 11, 13-15.

Wonder Boy (Ajax/Farrell, 1955) Wonder Boy #17 [R- Bomber Comics].

Thrilling Planet Tales (AC, 1991) Mysta of the Moon #1 [R- Planet Comics #53].

World of Fantasy (Atlas, 1959) #17.

Thrilling Science Fiction (AC, 1998) Mysta of the Moon #1 [R- Planet Comics #53].

Young Love (Feature/Prize, 1961) V4#2. Young Romance (Feature/Prize, 1960) V13#5.

Torrid Affairs (Eternity, 1988-89) #1-5 [R- Teen-Age Romances #20, TeenAge Temptations #9, and Wartime Romances #1].

Zago, Jungle Prince (Fox, 1949) Cover #4.

True Bride-to-Be Romances (Harvey, 1958) #29 [inks: Fred Kida?], 30 [inks: Vince Colletta].

Zoot Comics (Fox, 1947-48) Rulah #7-11 [?], 13 [?],14 [?]. [These were most likely drawn by John Forte, Jack Kamen, or other Iger Studio staffers, with occasional help from Baker].

True Crime Cases [from Official Police Files] (St. John, 1954 [?]) cover #nn. [Although this comic is dated 1944, it was evidently published in the early 1950s].

NEWSPAPER STRIPS

True Love Pictorial (St. John, 1952-54) #2-8, 10, 11; covers #2-11. True Secrets Comics (Atlas, 1956) #36, 37 [both pencils only]. True T ales of Love (Atlas, 1956) #22.

Maybe they call her “Phantom Lady” because she pops up everywhere! The credit line was added by AC Comics for Golden-Age Greats Spotlight, Vol. 1. See AC Comics’ ad on p. 34 for how to order AC’s vintage reprint goodies. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

Flamingo (Phoenix Features, 1952) Daily strips from February 11, 1952 to July 5, 1952. Lorna Doone (Twin Circle, 1968) RClassic Comics #32, serialized in 3 sections in the Catholic Twin Circle newspaper.

Two-Gun Kid (Atlas, 1959) Two-Gun Kid #47. Two-Gun Western (Atlas, 1956) #6.

MAGAZINES

Unusual Tales (Charlton, 1960) #20 [inks: Vince Colletta].

Gusto—He-Man Adventures (Arnold Magazines, 1957) #1-2 [?] [Baker interior art].

Vooda (Ajax/Farrell, 1955) Vooda #20-22 [R- South Sea Girl from Seven Seas Comics #6, 4, 3 in that order, with dialogue changes]. Voodoo (Ajax/Farrell, 1952-53/55) South Sea Girl #1, 2, 4, 8, 19 [all stories R- Seven Seas Comics]. Wartime Romances (St. John, 1951-53) #1-12, 16, 18; Covers #1-18. Wedding Bells (Quality, 1956) #16, 18, 19. Weird (Eerie, 1970) V4#6 [R].

Manhunt (Flying Eagle Publishing, 1953-54 [?]) #1-? [#1-4, dated Jan.April 1953, feature Baker’s illustrations for a serialized Mickey Spillane story, “Everybody’s Watching Me”]. Rage for Men (Arnold Magazines, 1956-57) #1, 2 [Feb. 1957: Baker illos for “The Queer Triangle of Murder” by Edward D. Radin, and “I Run a Girlie-Show Racket…” by Stu Wagner/Edwin Corley], 3, 4 [April 1957: Baker illos. for “How Girl Gangs Fight and Love” by Harlan Ellison, and “I Was Flogged by Red Sadists” by Angelo Distranega], 5 [exist?].

Weird Adventures (P.L., 1951) #1.

BOOKS

Weird Worlds (Eerie, 1971) V2#1 [R- South Sea Girl story from Seven Seas Comics, with new splash panel and altered dialogue. Same as TALES FROM THE TOMB V1#6, with halftones added].

It Rhymes with Lust (pencils only?) 1950 (forerunner of graphic novel). The Picture World Encyclopedia (1959) illustrations.

MATT BAKER & The Golden Age LIVE ON at AC Comics! PHANTOM LADY * SHEENA SKY GIRL * CAMILLA TIGER GIRL & MANY MORE! (The original 1940s-1950s exploits of BLACK TERROR, THE AVENGER, CAT-MAN, CAPTAIN FLASH, BULLETMAN, FIGHTING YANK, GREEN LAMA, the original GHOST RIDER, et al., are still available in AC Comics’ reprint titles such as MEN OF MYSTERY and AMERICA’S GREATEST COMICS—most at $6.95 each. To find over 100 quality Golden Age reprints, go to the AC Comics website: accomics.com cs ©2005 AC Comi

AC COMICS Box 521216 Longwood FL 32752 Please add $1.50 postage & handling per order.

ATTENTION: FRANK BRUNNER ART FANS! Frank is now accepting art commissions for covers, splash panels, or pin-up re-creations! Also, your ideas for NEW art are welcome! Art can be pencils only, inked or full-color (painted) creation! Contact Frank directly for details and prices. (Minimum order: $150) Write now (be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope!) and receive FREE with my reply an autographed Brunner “Star Wars Galaxy” trading card! Contact the artist at his NEW address:

FRANK BRUNNER 312 Kildare Court Myrtle Beach, SC 29588 Visit my NEW website at: http://www.frankbrunner.net

Previously Unpublished Art by Frank Brunner

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“DOC DYNAMO” A takeoff on 1940s movie serials

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Matt Baker & St. John Romance Comics An Aesthetic Appreciation by John Benson (Captions by the Author, Except Where Otherwise Noted)

att Baker illustrated over 175 stories (over 35% of the stories) for the St. John romance comics. St. John reprinted these stories heavily, some of them as many as three times. Nine are over 10 pages long, including five 16-page stories and one 17page story. Baker’s contribution over the six years of these titles was very uneven due to the boom-and-bust nature of 1950s comics publishing.

From January to June of 1949 (all dates given are cover dates) Baker did only five stories. In the headlong plunge from July to November 1949, when 15 issues were published, Baker did a whopping 28 stories, about 5H stories a month! In the long dry spell from December 1949 through June 1951, St. John averaged less than one issue a month, and Baker slightly more than one story a month. In the second boom period from June 1951 to July 1953, when St. John was averaging nearly five

Roy T. here. Alberto Becattini calls this cover from Cinderella Love #25 (Dec. 1953) “the best romance cover Baker ever did.” It was reproduced in Romance without Tears, John Benson’s recent book on the St. John love titles. Thanks to John for the scan. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

issues a month, Baker averaged four stories a month. Then, in August 1953, production dropped back to about 2.3 issues a month, with an average of one new Baker story in each issue. In July 1954 St. John switched entirely to reprints. Until Baker began doing romance comics, his successes in comics were largely in drawing enticing pictures that were attached to primitive narratives. The pictures had only to be dynamic and eye-catching, and to

From Pictorial Confessions #1 (Sept. 1949): Paula is Tom’s younger sister, yet she “bosses him around.” In the previous panel, she’s made Tom duck outside. This panel is the first time the reader really sees her, and her character is strongly emphasized. Casually leaning against the doorjamb, yet confrontational, with her hips thrust forward and her arms blocking the way, she’s obviously used to having her way. She has a butch-style haircut (very unusual in 1950s romance comics), but she’s still sexy. The rain barrel and the old-style hinge indicate the setting as a square dance in a barn. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

From Teen-Age Romances #6 (Oct. 1949): The heroine of this tale can’t seem to land a steady, even though she’s attractive. Her older sister, seen here, has a long-time steady “who is very sweet to her.” Baker portrays the sister as a bit plump throughout the story, with a suggestion of extra flesh on the jaw-line and slightly wider hips and waist than his usual heroines have. Her weight isn’t a factor in the story and is not mentioned. Perhaps the writer suggested it in his script, but just as likely Baker himself used this to add individuality to her character and to emphasize that she has a life of her own. (Incidentally, the heroine’s best friend at the office wears glasses.) Other romance comics occasionally highlighted the romantic problems of overweight girls, but this isn’t the only young woman in a Bakerdrawn St. John story who’s well adjusted and overweight but whose weight is not remarked on in the text. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Matt Baker & St. John Romance Comics

From Diary Secrets #6 (Oct. 1949): The heroine has committed a faux pas and is shunned by the gang, especially Kent, who, in front of the others, had earlier in the day told her to “Go away; we were discussing something private.” Kent’s downcast eyes and pensive expression in this panel emphasize that his apology is sincerely felt and suggest that it is quietly spoken. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

make the action of the story reasonably clear. Romance comics, particularly the St. John romance comics, dealt with ordinary people in realistic settings, which called for an entirely different kind of comics art. At first, Baker’s romance work was somewhat hesitant. Sometimes the figures were surprisingly stiff, standing rigidly upright as though Baker had used a ruler, or in stock poses. He seemed more at home when the scene called for a beautiful girl swimming underwater (as in Teen-Age Romances #3 and #4), at which times he produced panels reminiscent of Seven Seas Comics.

The cover of Teen-Age Temptations #4 (Oct. 1953) shows a lot of detail, yet the scene and situation can be taken in at a glance. The country trailer park is populated by lower-middle-class folks who have older cars that break down and who fix their cars themselves. The way the fellow is encircling the girl with his arm subtly suggests that he’s trying to control her rather than protect her. His expression is one of concern, but there’s something about his demeanor that suggests he isn’t sincere. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

But it didn’t take him long to develop an interest in this different sort of comics narrative, one where facial expression and body posture were the most significant storytelling tools. In these stories it was essential for the artist to understand what the characters were thinking and feeling, and to become a partner with the writer in communicating not action but rather attitudes and emotions. Instead of pin-up style beauty, he had to draw realistic, attractive young women who would appeal to female readers. The St. John heroines were lively and purposeful, yet still a little naïve. Their fellows were handsome, but often quiet and a bit reticent. Baker’s total understanding of these small-town teenage characters and

his ability to render them in an appealing way is the key to the success of his work in the genre. The girls may be beautiful and the guys handsome, but they have personality, which is the essential ingredient needed to bring the scripts to life. The locations for the St. John romance stories are also far from the exotic locales of Baker’s earlier adventure comics. The stories take place in everyday surroundings. For the most part, Baker places his people— figures and faces—solidly in the foreground, and the backgrounds are just that. Except for covers, Baker doesn’t bother with elaborate detail. But the details he sketches in are sufficient to place his characters properly in the context of their surroundings. Baker’s work on these stories isn’t flashy. There are few panels, or pages, where the composition or the action is riveting. Baker’s “camera placement,” for example, is no more sophisticated than the average ’50s comics artist. The pages are not strongly designed to make the eye move from one panel to the next. Instead, Baker concentrates on making the reader interested in the characters and what happens to them, a much more difficult and subtle task. Perhaps it is this lack of flash that has kept this extraordinary body of work from receiving its just due, in contrast to the acclaim that is lavished on Baker’s earlier work. Or perhaps it’s because for many years comics fans ignored romance comics in general, and thus were unaware of this material.

These two panels from Pictorial Romances #19 (May 1953) are from the 3rd and 16th pages of a 16-page story that chronicles the migration of a lower-class good-time girl to middle-class marriage. Baker gradually and very subtly changes the look of the heroine as the story progresses. In the beginning, she’s a bit haggard, with darker shadows around her eyes, slightly more pronounced cheekbones, and a more receding hairline. Toward the end, her features are cleaner, tighter. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Baker’s covers for the St. John romance titles are the most extraordinary part of this work. He did 139 covers, virtually every line-drawn cover for these titles, and every cover is different, original. Over the course of the run, Baker did montage scenes, iconic close-ups and simple scenes of couples in embrace, occasionally using even using a grease pencil effect. But, mostly, the covers were detailed scenes that told a dramatic incident, usually suggesting a longer narrative that might come

An Aesthetic Appreciation before and after. The variety of events depicted on these covers is incredible. Virtually no cover repeated any other cover, even slightly, not only in the events depicted but in composition. (Take a look through Gerber and note how many other titles have almost the same cover image issue after issue.) The cover images were strong, making the events clear at a glance, pulling the reader in to read the dialogue balloons and learn more. Unlike the panels in the stories, each of which was merely one of a string of scenes to tell a story, Baker created complete, detailed pictures for the covers. While the composition led one’s eye to the central characters, the background was fully detailed, creating a milieu and atmosphere that greatly added to the total effect. The events depicted sometimes illustrated stories inside, sometimes were original to the cover. They may have been suggested by the editors, but, just as likely, Baker may have come up with them himself, since he functioned as an art editor for a time at St. John. Though the cover scenes often had rather more detail than the usual comics cover, they never seemed cluttered; the detail always supported the drama, never overwhelmed it. The covers serve their purpose as an eye-grabber, but closer examination adds to one’s appreciation of both the event shown and one’s appreciation for Baker. Taken as a whole, these covers have to be considered a high point for four-color comics.

Note the wealth of detail on Baker’s cover for Wartime Romances #l7 (Sept. 1953): the drinks and the pack of cigarettes on the bar, the boxing pictures, the seltzer handles, the racks of bottles, the bored bartender reading a newspaper, the people in the background, even the bar’s front windows and curtains. Yet none of this distracts from the three figures in the foreground. The scene can be grasped in an instant, yet it depicts a narrative situation that suggests the events before and after the picture. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

NOT ALL ROMANCE COMICS ARE ALIKE! No tear-stained faces or plaintive thought balloons here! This anthology of romance comics from their golden age (1949-54) is actually fun to read! The heroines are lively, independent girls who do the most outrageous things, make all kinds of mistakes, and never suffer heartache or guilt, no matter what! Whether they're plotting to spend an illicit weekend with the boyfriend at a resort hotel or just trying to figure out how much to neck and pet, they're always in charge of their fate. Published by St. John and written by the until-now unsung Dana Dutch, these stories are a revelation!

Over 90 pages of prime MATT BAKER art! Edited by John Benson 160 pages – including 144 in FULL COLOR $22.95 at bookstores everywhere Or order direct from www.fantagraphics.com

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord” MATT BAKER’s Loving Kinfolk Talk About A Truly Remarkable Golden Age Artist— And Their Talented Family! Interview Conducted by Jim Amash

Transcribed by Tom Wimbish

he Matt Baker story has always been a short and sweet one, but that was due to the lack of biographical information and not because of the material that he created. Matt Baker was a prodigious worker who was almost always at the top of his game, and while his countless admirers (pros and fans alike) may have been frustrated at the lack of insight into his life, they have rarely been disappointed by the quality of his work.

Matt Baker at his drawing board, probably at his apartment on 45th Street in the mid-1950s—and a previously-unpublished sketch from that same era of his Fiction House heroine Ginger Maguire, “Sky Girl.” Illo provided by Fred Robinson and Matt D. Baker. The original art is the property of Matthew D. Baker and cannot be reproduced in any form. [Art ©2005 Estate of Matt Baker.]

Matt Baker is one of the most historically important comic book artists ever—not just because he was one of the earliest AfricanAmericans to break through into the comic book industry, though that was a significant achievement, considering the times in which he worked. Baker is just as important because of his drawing style. He didn’t just illustrate a story—he kept the action moving at a brisk pace with varying camera angles, compelling compositions, and expressive body positioning. And he drew the sexiest women in comics! “The Matt Baker Girl,” once seen, is not easily forgotten, as evidenced by the many reprintings of his Phantom Lady covers, among other examples—and not just by Dr. Frederic Wertham. But I’m leaving the comic book analysis of Baker’s work to Alberto

Beccatini and John Benson, whose comments you can read elsewhere in this issue. Right now, it is my personal pleasure and singular honor to present an interview with Matt Baker’s half-brother Fred Robinson, and Matt’s nephew Matt D. Baker. Between the two of them, we get a good look into not just Matt Baker, but the Baker/Robinson family itself. Strong, proud, and successful people, raised by their remarkable mother Ethel, the family history of the Baker/Robinson sons makes a compelling story. One that you now get to read—accompanied by numerous photos (all of which they provided) and illustrations. All photos accompanying this article are ©2005 Fred Robinson and/or Matthew D. Baker. —Jim.

“Everyone Back Then Was Below Middle-Class” JIM AMASH: Matt, since you have your grandmother’s family Bible with you, let’s start out with some information about your family. MATT D. BAKER: My Uncle Matt Baker, whose full name was Clarence Matthew Baker, was born on December 10, 1921, in Forsyth County, North Carolina, and died on August 11, 1959, in New York City. My Uncle John Franklin Baker [Matt’s older brother] was born in Forsyth County on November 16, 1919, and died in 1980. My dad, Charles Robert Baker [Matt’s younger brother], was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 29, 1924, and died on April 17, 2003.

Interviewees Matt D. Baker (on left) and Fred Robinson.

Their mother, Ethel, was born in Kernersville, NC, on March 15, 1896; she passed away on February 14, 1968. Their father was Clarence Matthew Baker. He went by the name “Clarence,” and was born in Abbott’s Creek, NC, on December 5, 1895. He died on December 15, 1925.

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk The fabulous Baker brothers, late 1920s (left to right: John, Robert, and Matt)— plus photos of their parents, Clarence and Ethel Baker. Clarence Baker died in 1925. Matt D. says of his Aunt Ethel, seen at right in the early 1950s: “She was always standing on the front porch looking for one of her kids—typical pose of hers.”

FRED ROBINSON: Matt Baker and I had the same mother; her maiden name was Ethel Viola Lash. I don’t know what year she married Matt’s father Clarence, who was also known as “Mac.” After Clarence died, I believe she married my father in 1930. I was born June 23, 1938, and I was really a big surprise, needless to say. My full name is Fredrick Leander Robinson. My father, Matthew Porterfield Robinson, was born in Newberry, South Carolina. When I was a child, he worked in a steel mill in Pittsburgh. He died in 1948. I was the only child that my parents had together. My father already had a family from a previous marriage when I was born, and they were all much older. There were six boys and one girl that were all living at the time. There was also an older sister to Matt and the brothers, but she died very early, maybe before Matt was born. BAKER: That’s right. The sister was named Ethel Viola, and she was born in 1918, and died in 1922. ROBINSON: We lived in Pittsburgh, and grew up in the Homewood-Brushton area in the eastern part of the city. The reason we call it that is because those were two main streets— Homewood Avenue and Brushton Avenue—and we lived in between them. They were several blocks apart, but people referred to the area as Homewood-Brushton.

Matt Baker (seen here in a self-portrait he drew in 1944, around the time he entered the comics industry) was kept out of World War II by his heart condition. But he kept up morale on the home front with the early “Sky Girl” in Fiction House’s Jumbo Comics, which was less a “cheesecake” effort during the war years. Still, his prowess at drawing the female form was advancing apace—and no doubt both editors and readers were noticing. The original art is the property of Matthew D. Baker and cannot be reproduced in any form. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

JA: Matt was named after his father, Clarence, but he never went by his first name, did he? ROBINSON: He never used the name Clarence; he always used the initial, “C.”

JA: I understand that Matt had rheumatic fever as a child. ROBINSON: Yes, he did. As far as I know, that caused the heart problems he had throughout his life. JA: Fred, what do you remember about Matt, John, and Robert from your childhood? ROBINSON: Robert and his future wife Cynthia were, for all intents and purposes, together from their youth. You couldn’t call it dating; they were only teenagers. I don’t think they were even in high school yet, but they called themselves boyfriend and girlfriend. Cynthia lived maybe two houses down from my family. The story goes that when I was born, I kept Cynthia from getting a very bad spanking. She was late

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord”

coming home from school, and her mother was just getting ready to really light into her for it when she told her mother that she’d better get up to the house because Mrs. Robinson was having her baby. She was lying about that—she had no way of knowing—but it just so happened that it was true. I’ve always said that I spared her a beating because I arrived on time. The boys were young when Mac died, and my mother virtually raised them herself. I don’t know when she met my father, but they knew each other for a while before they married. I have no idea how they met. She supported the boys by working as a seamstress. She made and altered clothes, and she was very good at it. She had a little grocery store in Pittsburgh at one time, too, and I think she might have still had it when she met my father. I don’t think she worked for anybody else until after my father died. When I was a teenager, she took a job for a while in a laundry that cleaned and altered uniforms. JA: Did anyone help her to raise the children? ROBINSON: Yes. I had a Great-Aunt Mamie. She helped my mother with me until I was six, which was when she died. There were a few other relatives that helped out, but basically, my mother was pretty much self-supporting. She was a very resourceful, strong woman. A true matriarch. JA: What was the economic status of your family at the time you were born? ROBINSON: It seemed like everybody back then was below middleclass. Even though my father was working at the steel mill when I was born, my mother was still taking in sewing. We were like any other family: my father worked, and my mother worked inside the home. It was the same for everybody else in the neighborhood. We never had a car; matter of fact, I don’t even know if my father ever learned to drive. There was no money for a car. The only time there was a car in the family, Robert brought it in. He was the first in the family to learn how to drive, because that was his interest; he was a mechanic. Matt learned to drive later in life, but John didn’t. JA: How many people were living in the house back then? ROBINSON: By the time I came along, it was my mother, my father, my sister Anna, and myself, plus Matt, John, and Robert, who were still teenagers. I think Robert quit school and joined the Army when he was 16 or 17. I don’t know if Matt had moved to Washington, DC, at that time or not. I’m pretty sure that the three brothers left Pittsburgh shortly after they got out of high school.

“[Matt] And John Were More Or Less Born With Pencils In Their Hands” JA: That would have been around 1940. Why did Matt move to Washington, DC?

The Baker brothers at Coney Island, 1940s. That’s John in the buggy, and Matt on the horse. Both were talented artists.

given it any thought. JA: What else can you tell me about him? ROBINSON: He was close to the rest of the family, but he was kind of a wild man. BAKER: My father was the renegade. He was the type of person who didn’t take any guff from anyone. He would often get into trouble because he would just go on and do whatever he wanted to do. My grandmother was constantly on him, always reining him in. My father was the sort of person that, if you said something to him that he didn’t like, he would tell you to go to hell and quit the job. He did that for quite a few years until we moved out to California, and then he started to settle down, and actually... I don’t want to say he’d accept whatever was going on, but he wouldn’t fly off the handle as fast as before. Over the years, I saw him mellow out quite a bit, and one of the things I was quite proud of was that he came to look at a job as something that he needed to hold onto for retirement, and he made sure that there was a retirement for him. He was never a person to not have a job; he’d have ten jobs in ten weeks if that’s what it took. I always thought I was one of the richest kids in the neighborhood because I’d have 15 or 16 cap pistols, but he was working in a junkyard where he’d find pieces of guns, and he’d bring them home and put them together. He was always a provider, but he wasn’t a person who would swallow his pride and walk away. If you were looking for a fight, you would find one with my father, but he was a very kind and gentle person to the people he loved. ROBINSON: He was very giving to those he liked or loved.

ROBINSON: There were a lot of government jobs down there then. Of course, Matt was draft-exempt because of his heart condition. John was also classified 4-F, because he had a busted eardrum. Robert was the only one healthy enough to join the Army, but he didn’t wait to be drafted; he volunteered. He served until the war was over, for five years. It wasn’t like today, when you can serve a couple of years and then leave while a conflict is still going on. Matt and John and Aunt Elva (John’s wife-to-be) were all down there at the same time. Washington was a big party town, and they were young.

ROBINSON: Yes, he was, almost to a fault of the person he was giving it to. He and Robert had that relationship going for a long time, until Matt told Robert “no” when he wanted something. That caused a rift between them for a while, but eventually Robert realized that it was the best thing Matt could have done for him, so he wrote Matt a long letter thanking him for saying “no” at that particular time.

JA: Was Robert in the service by the time Pearl Harbor happened?

JA: Do you know anything about what inspired Matt to draw?

ROBINSON: I would think he joined up afterward, but I’ve never

ROBINSON: I think it’s just that he did it all his life. Both he and John were more or less born with pencils in their hands. They always drew,

JA: Matt seems to have been that way, too.

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk accurate, partly because we know he signed his first story then. ROBINSON: That’s possible. I don’t know what year he left Washington and went to New York, but it’s quite possible that it was in the early ’40s. I don’t know who got him into comics; it might have been Jerry Iger. I remember that name. JA: I wonder what made him want to get into comics. ROBINSON: Probably money. I think he was working for one of the government agencies in DC. Tons of blacks moved to Washington, because World War II created plenty of government jobs. That’s the reason that today there are more women in Washington than men: black women in Washington could get jobs, and didn’t have to work as domestics. If they knew how to type or file, they could get government jobs. They were lower-echelon jobs, but at least they were able to work. JA: Do you have any idea if comic books were the first art jobs that Matt had? ROBINSON: My guess would be yes, because I can’t think of any other commercial art that he would have gone into. It definitely wasn’t advertising—like I did—and it wasn’t illustrating for magazines or other art directors, because that didn’t happen until the late stages of his career, which wasn’t a particularly good time for him. My guess would be that the comic books needed guys who could draw quickly, because they were literally cranking them out. I can remember that even during the

from the time that they were little boys right up until their deaths. I did pretty much the same thing. My memories of them living in the house are vague; my clearest memories were of when they would come home for visits. They would come home a lot, so I have memories of them playing with me, things like that. Matt and John inspired me. I wanted to be like my big brothers; I wanted to draw. I didn’t want to be a mechanic like Robert, because I wasn’t mechanically inclined, but I was always fascinated with him. I considered him to be the John Wayne type, because he was in the Army. For a long time, he was the only one who had cars and drove me around in them. Matt got his first car in 1949. It was a canary yellow 1949 Oldsmobile 88 convertible with a red leather interior. I remember it well, because I got to drive it. When I was about 11, he would take me out, sit me on a telephone book behind the wheel, and let me drive. The biggest thrill was driving down the street past all my friends. We always played ball at the end of this street. I drove down the street and blew the horn—they all had to move aside, and they were just freaked because I was driving this car. It was a brand new car, because that was a year when comic book sales were at their highest. Matt was doing quite well, so he was able to afford a brand new car.

“Comic Books Needed Guys Who Could Draw Quickly” JA: According to Jerry Bails, Matt Baker seems to have started as an inker at Jerry Iger’s shop in 1942, but I think 1944 is probably more

Historian/publisher Bill Black identifies this “Tiger Girl” art from Fight Comics as being by both Matt Baker & Robert Webb, no doubt during Matt’s early days at Fiction House. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord”

everybody go. That’s when I began to work as a freelance art director, for about two years. A lot went on in the market, and I ended up here in Iowa in 1984. I came here to an agency called CMF&Z. I worked for them for two years, then I freelanced for a year. Then I went to work for an agency called Zimmerman, Laurent, & Richardson. I retired from there four years ago, in 2001. Now I work for the schools out here, in the food services program.

year that I lived with him, comics were on the decline, but he would still get three or four stories at a time to draw. I’m sure that he got even more comics work back in the ’40s, probably as much as he had time to do. He was able to turn the things out so fast that he was in big demand.

JA: Were your parents in Pittsburgh while you were in New York?

JA: Where did Matt go to school? ROBINSON: He went to the Cooper Union School of Engineering, Art, and Design, in New York City. I graduated from there, too. Matt went there for a short time, and so did John. I don’t know what years they went there, or for how long, but I don’t think it was very long. I don’t think it was prior to World War II, because they were living in Washington, and they wouldn’t have known about Cooper Union until they moved to New York.

ROBINSON: My mother was, but my father died when I was ten years old. My mother raised two families as a single parent. While she was married to my father, she ran the house. He went to work, made his money, came home, and she took care of everything else. She was a Christian woman who believed in God, but she was not a church-going woman. My father was the one who went to church. They were of two different faiths: he was Baptist, and she was Methodist.

Fred Robinson still has a number of pristine printed proofs of covers drawn by his half-brother Matt for St. John Publications. Here’s the cover of Seven Sea Comics #6 (1947). Matt, of course, drew the “South Sea Girl” feature therein, as detailed in Alberto Becattini’s study. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

They probably went to the school at night, as I did. The school was set up so that the people who had jobs during the day could attend night classes. The people who went during the day were full-time students who took academic courses like English and art history in addition to the art and engineering courses.

I attended Cooper Union from 1958 until 1964, and I was a night student the whole time. I worked during the day. I started as a page at the New York Public Library. A page works in the main reading room, gets books for people, and re-stacks books on the shelves. Then I worked in a tie factory, filling orders; I was what was called a “tie picker.” That lasted for a month or so, and then I got a job at the Pace Advertising Agency. I started as a messenger, stayed there for about two years, and by the time I left, I was a key-line artist. I did finished art and made it camera-ready. There was also a period after the ad agency—it was the turning point of my whole career—when I worked for Dance Magazine and Ballroom Dance. They’re still in business. My instructor at Cooper Union worked there, and he hired me as his assistant. All my jobs were short-term until I left New York, returned to Pittsburgh, and started working for big advertising agencies there.

My mother had a sense of humor, and used to tell a few stories. My father was more of a storyteller and prankster than she was, though. My mother was a forceful, stern woman. I’ll tell you one of her sayings: “You don’t take any tea for the fever.” What that means is that when you’re sick and have a fever, they give you tea, but if you’re a really strong person, you don’t need it.

She definitely believed that sparing the rod would spoil the child. I was not spoiled, nor were my brothers. She gave us a strong sense of what was right and wrong. The police never ever had to come into her house to talk to her about her boys. She always encouraged her sons to follow what they wanted to do. Robert ran off and joined the Army, and once you join, you’ve joined, and that’s it. John and Matt went to DC for whatever reasons. Our mother wanted us to understand that after we finished high school or became 18, we had to get out and get jobs of some kind; it didn’t matter what. We were not going to stay around the house and sponge off of her. Because of that, the whole time I was growing up, I had this dread of graduating from high school, because I knew that when I did, I was going to have to leave home. I didn’t know if I wanted to leave, or would be ready to leave, but it was on my mind. As it happened, after I graduated, I stayed home for one year, but I worked the whole time. I had a couple of different jobs. I worked for a contractor, but I was working towards leaving and getting my own career going. The other thing that she insisted upon was that we go and get more education. She told us that she would get us through the first 12 years of school, through high school, but if we wanted more, we had to get it on our own. Whatever we decided to do, though, we had to get our butts out of

JA: Tell me more about your career after 1960. ROBINSON: When I graduated from Cooper Union and moved back to Pittsburgh in 1964, I started working as an art director for BBD&O. That was my first art director job. I worked there for three or four years, something like that. At the time, 60% of their billing was generated by one account: U.S. Steel, and they lost the account. Then I went to work for Ketcham, MacLeod, and Grove, again as an art director, and I stayed there for seven years. Then I went to work for a smaller local agency that merged with a larger agency named Marstellar. Then Marstellar was bought out by a New York agency, and they let

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk JA: What do you know about your mother’s parents and family? ROBINSON: I knew nothing about her parents. I knew her aunt, because she lived with us, and lots and lots of cousins, because they were always moving in and out of our lives. My brothers, being older, were always telling me how hard they had it. They were always saying, “When I was 12, Mama made me do this, and Mama made me do that.” They were really riding me about it one day, and my mother was sitting in her rocking chair and sewing, and they were saying what Mama had made them do, and I said, “Well, you all were poor then,” and I have never seen my mother laugh so hard. I had no idea; I didn’t think I was poor. That was a big laugh for her, because she was still struggling to take care of everything. I thought we were rich. We weren’t a middle-class family. I never thought about what class we were, because I had everything I needed. As I look back at all the families of my friends, none of us were middle-class, but everybody just worked hard. Everybody tried to survive. But we had everything we needed; if we asked for something, we got it. We really weren’t overly spoiled, though.

Look familiar? This is another version, also reprinted by AC Comics, of the Fight Comics page listed on p. 42 as being by “Baker & Webb”— although AC credits this one just to Baker. Tiger Girl and the elephant are the same, but everything else is different! Anybody know why, or which one came first? Anyway, it’s juxtaposed here with a photo of Matt Baker in a city park. Maybe he was on his way to a zoo to sketch the elephants? [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

the house and work. Nobody was going to sit around and become one of those guys who lives with his mama for 40 years. She prepared us for everything. It was remarkable that she raised not only two families, but four boys at the same time. And when she married my father, he had a couple of sons and a daughter—my sister Anna—still with him, so they lived with us, too. Anna was a child with special needs. As she grew up, her mental development never became that of an adult; it stopped at a certain level. The thing is, my mother never let her become an invalid who would have to be taken care of. She made her very self-sufficient. She taught her how to clean and iron, so that she was able to get a job to support herself. My sister always worked as a domestic; she worked for one particular family for years, taking care of their kids. She lived with them, but she would come home every Thursday. I don’t know how far she went in school, but she was able to support herself. There was another of my father’s sons who was probably about Robert’s age. His name was Ned, and Robert used to tell me about all the trouble that he and Ned would get into. Just mischievous trouble that he always got a beating for; he never got away with anything. That’s what I meant when I said that my mother was a disciplinarian; nobody could put anything over on her.

Holidays were always great. Matt and the brothers would always try to come home, if not for Thanksgiving, then at least for Christmas. Sometimes they would get home for Thanksgiving, and I can remember my mother cooking a big dinner. It was always a waste for me, because I didn’t like turkey or some of the other Thanksgiving foods. While everyone else was having this big feast, I’d have a bowl of Cheerios. [Jim laughs] The only things that I liked were Cheerios and pork chops. My meat was pork chops, and I didn’t like any vegetables—I would eat some peas, occasionally—but for me it was pork chops and potatoes, and Cheerios, Cheerios, Cheerios.

“I Could Recognize [Matt’s] Work Without A Signature” JA: Outside the holidays, how often would you hear from Matt and John? ROBINSON: Matt would come home any time he could; it didn’t have to be for a special occasion. The rest of the time, John was a letter-writer, and Matt would make phone calls. John was a prolific letter-writer; he loved to write, and wrote very well. Matt would telephone, especially while they were living in New York. He was doing quite well, so what the heck—he’d pick up the phone and call. We had a phone, because Matt provided a lot of the things we had. We rented our house for I don’t know how many years, and then Matt purchased the house and sold it to my mother for a dollar. Once he was doing well, he literally became a provider. When I was growing up, a lot of the help for me came from Matt. JA: Since Matt and John were artists, would they look at your work and critique it? How did that work in your family? ROBINSON: My brother John was more or less the teacher, and tried to expose me to the more advanced forms of fine art. Matt didn’t, but he would look at something I had drawn occasionally, or show me how to do something. If there was some glaring thing that I was having a problem with, he would say, “Now, this is the way you draw a nose.”

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord”

somebody else would ink it. I didn’t know how much of any particular panel he might have drawn; whether he just drew the girls, or everything else. Every time I saw him work, he was doing the whole job. I don’t know how he worked when he was living in New York in the mid-’40s; I was still in Pittsburgh. He didn’t work when he came home to visit, so I never got to see the originals during that time. JA: I’ve seen a few stories where somebody else drew everything, but the women are Matt Baker’s. Matt’s women are unmistakable. While Matt was doing comics between the end of World War II and the early ’50s, what was John doing? ROBINSON: I’m not sure. He did comics for a while, but he didn’t have the temperament for them. He was far more of a perfectionist, and the publishers wanted him to crank the work out. He considered that to be selling himself short and doing slop work. The perfectionism created all kinds of hassles about deadlines. That’s why he never made it. He had the ability and talent; he just didn’t have the temperament. The whole time, he just did other jobs to make a living. I don’t know what other jobs he did. Matt Baker seldom signed his work—but this art he did sign. It looks like cover art—a main scene and art spots representing a couple of other stories inside the issue. Anyone have any idea where it came from? Repro’d from a scan of the original art. The original art is the property of Matthew D. Clark and cannot be reproduced in any form. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Most of the time, though, my early art education was going through their portfolios, pulling out pieces of work, and copying them. Not tracing, but trying to copy. That’s how I began to really learn how to draw. Every imaginable type of drawing was in those portfolios. There were comical drawings of things that amused them, some comic book pages, some nudes from their art classes, sketches of hands, noses, and eyes. It was literally like going through an art book on how to draw. I also got all the copies of their comics that I wanted. Sometimes they would give them to me, and sometimes I would see them in the store and just buy them. JA: Did it bother you that Matt seldom signed his work? ROBINSON: I never thought anything about it. I never looked for his signature because I could recognize his work without a signature. JA: Did people know that your brothers drew comics? Did you brag about them? ROBINSON: I don’t think I did. When I would trade comics with my friends... if I traded a Sheena of the Jungle, I might say that it was my brother’s book. And they’d say, “Oh, wow, is it?” That’s the extent of my bragging about my brothers’ work. JA: When Matt worked in the Iger studio, he would sometimes not do full stories. Sometimes “Matt Baker’s women are he would pencil, and somebody else unmistakable.” Yet here’s a inked it. There was another guy slightly different riff—a sketch working for Iger named Bob Webb, and done by Baker for fellow artist sometimes on Bob Webb’s pages, all the Lee Ames (who was interviewed girls would be drawn by Matt Baker. I in Alter Ego #28). A copy was was wondering how aware you were of sent to us by collector Shaun all that. Clancy. Thanks, Lee and Shaun! ROBINSON: I was aware that a lot of times he would do the pencils and

When he did comics, he was both penciling and inking. I remember seeing him do some stories in the mid-’40s, when my mother and I would visit him and Matt in New York. They were sharing an apartment at 104 East 116th Street. It was a six-story apartment, and the elevator only worked part time.

“[John’s] Work Was Every Bit As Good As Matt’s” JA: When John was in the comic book business, did he work with Matt, or did he work alone? BAKER: I remember talking to my Aunt Elva, John’s wife, and she said that she remembered Uncle John helping Uncle Matt. It was probably with the inking, of course, and I remember her saying that he used to get very frustrated, because he wasn’t as fast as Uncle Matt was. He was trying to knock the stuff out, but he was more of a perfectionist. He would labor over his work a lot longer. By the way, Aunt Elva’s maiden name was White. JA: Didn’t John work at St. John Publications with Matt? ROBINSON: He may have helped Matt at St. John, but I don’t know whether he officially worked for St. John. He did some work for them, though, if my memory serves me correctly. I’m not sure whether it was penciling, inking, or both. I’m also not sure whether he was on staff or freelancing. JA: Some romance comics were published by a company called Ace that appear to have pencils—or maybe just breakdowns—by Matt Baker. The inking is definitely not by Matt, but we know that he had inkers from time to time. Hames Ware, who researched these stories, has wondered if these might have been John Baker stories on which Matt assisted John. What do you think?

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk

More cover proofs of Baker’s St. John work. (Clockwise from top left:) Pictorial Romances #12 (March 1952)—Fightin’ Marines #5 (1952)— Authentic Police Cases #6 (Nov. ’48) & 15 (Oct. ’50)—Diary Secrets #14 (’52)—and Going Steady #10 (Nov. ’54). Baker’s signature appears on the first two. Could his brother John have lent a hand on any of the others— or on stories Matt may have drawn inside? [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord”

inking or penciling. There were times when I saw John working from a comic script, but I don’t recall whether he was penciling or inking, and I don’t know whether he was working for himself, or for Matt. JA: It must have been tough on John, because there was only one Matt Baker. ROBINSON: John’s work was every bit as good as Matt’s. The only difference was that he labored over his work, and he never knew when to let it go. Matt would just do it and say, “Here it is, bring on the next piece.” If Matt wasn’t satisfied, he would try to do better on the next piece, but he wasn’t going to belabor one thing. JA: Who got into comics first? ROBINSON: Matt did. I don’t know when John got into comics. I have a feeling it was more or less, “Hey, I’m doing this, and it pays well. You can do it, too.” JA: Do you know if John was working for the Iger shop, or if he was just working with Matt? ROBINSON: I don’t know. When Matt worked for Iger, he was very young. My awareness of John’s comics work starts when he was working for St. John. That was around 1949, when I was about 10 years old. The art in the story "Because I Was Second" in Ace Periodicals' All Love #22 (May 1950) may be by both Matt and John Baker—at least, so feel senders Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., and Hames Ware—as well as Jim Amash. Thanks to Tom Wimbish for forwarding the scan. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

ROBINSON: It’s possible, but I wouldn’t have known about it. JA: I wonder if maybe Matt was penciling and John was inking, so that they could increase their mutual output. ROBINSON: I think that the difference in their speed was that John was more self-critical and meticulous. I don’t know if that would have been a problem when he was inking over Matt. You have to understand that I was just a kid, so to me, they were just drawing, whether it was

“Comics Came Easily to [Matt]” JA: At some point, you moved to New York and lived with Matt for about a year. How did that come about? ROBINSON: I left Pittsburgh and went to New York to attend Cooper Union, and I lived with Matt. I went there in 1958, and St. John Publications was dead by then. Matt was freelancing, and worked at home. He was still doing some comics, but he was also doing illustrations. BAKER: If I could interject something... I found one piece that looks like a storyboard or broadsheet, and it’s called “Joe Alumnus.” It says,

Here’s a real rarity—the only photo we’ve ever seen of publisher Archer St. John, who in 1953 would set the comics world briefly afire with the innovative 3-D comics produced by Joe Kubert & Norman Maurer, before his company sadly went under. Matt Baker and St. John are seen here at Grauman’s (now Mann’s) Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, in the early 1950s. The photo is framed by two more St. John covers by Baker: for Authentic Police Cases #8 (Aug. 1949)—again from those cover proofs—and the oft-reproduced one for Giant Comics Editions – Diary Secrets #12. John Benson, who sent us a scan of the latter, says that various copies of that reprint comic have totally different contents. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk

“[Matt] could draw men and women equally well.” Here’s an example of two renderings of the same drawing—first the pen-and-ink version, then that drawing with gray “wash.” The original art is the property of Matthew D. Baker and cannot be reproduced in any form. [©2005 Estate of Matt Baker.]

“Joe Alumnus goes to work, and learns about the right clothes for business.” It’s actually laid out in a comic book format, and essentially, it’s an advertisement. JA: I know he did some illustrations for the Picture World Encyclopedia in 1959. ROBINSON: I remember that. JA: Fred, can you describe Matt’s drawing method? ROBINSON: He would rough it out in pencil, lightly, with maybe a 2H lead. Then he would maybe come back and tighten it up a little bit. Then he would start inking, if inking was required. He might have done several roughs before illustrating an advertisement, but probably only if an art director had asked to see a couple of versions. If he had a script or something, he’d just put down what he felt it called for. He didn’t thumbnail his comic pages. He’d just rough it in right in the panel. BAKER: [impressed] Whoa! JA: He sent in the penciled pages to be lettered before he inked them, didn’t he? ROBINSON: Sometimes, yes. Sometimes he would even do his own lettering, if a job required it. In order to find the area for a balloon or caption, he would rough that in, and he might even rough in the

dialogue in pencil. Sometimes he roughed in the lettering, inked everything else, and then sent the pages to be lettered. When I’d visit him on vacation, I’d sometimes see him lettering his work, but by the time I lived with him, he wasn’t doing that anymore. JA: Do you remember if Matt relied on reference material very often? ROBINSON: Oh, yeah, he had a tremendous swipe file, and he was a voracious collector of reference material. He would go through magazines and cut or tear out pages, and he really had quite an extensive file of it, categorized and everything. If he needed reference, all he had to do was open up his file, and he could go right to it. He was very organized in that way. I kept his file for quite a while after he died, but I finally got rid of it. JA: Matt was known for drawing the most beautiful women. Did he ever use models? ROBINSON: No, other than when he was in art school. I used to go through his portfolio sometimes, just looking at the figures. He could draw men and women equally well. I don’t know if he had reference or art books that he might refer to when he was drawing the anatomy. Both he and John could literally sit down and draw the human form in any position whatsoever, without having a model there in front of them. JA: Did Matt ever express how he felt about doing comic books? ROBINSON: No. Knowing his personality, he probably thought it was just a job that paid well. He wasn’t a frustrated fine artist who was prostituting himself just to make a living. He had the same feeling about doing comics as I did about working in advertising. I was never a frustrated fine artist doing advertising because nobody was buying my paintings. It was a job that paid well, and it came very easily to me. Comics came easily to him, and paid him very well. His attitude about doing illustrations was the same: it was a job. JA: Did he ever do any paintings, or have any thoughts about trying to do fine art? ROBINSON: I never saw any. Did you, Matt? BAKER: I have one piece here that he did of Uncle John. It’s a charcoal, or a pastel. Do you remember that one, Fred?

The pastel which Matt did of his brother John in 1944 (left)—and one he did of himself sometime in that same decade. The original art is the property of Matthew D. Baker and cannot be reproduced in any form. [©2005 Estate of Matt Baker.]

ROBINSON: Yeah. He’d definitely do portraits in charcoal, pastel, or pencil, but he never painted them. He did one of me when I was a kid. We were sitting on the front porch, and he did one of me in

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord”

He was also very helpful with my classwork at Cooper Union. The way the school was set up at the time, it was totally an endowment school, and anybody who went to it was on a full scholarship. We didn’t have to pay any tuition, but we had to maintain a very high level of work in order to stay there. He was fascinated with what I was doing, because he had attended there for a while, years before. It was an opportunity for him to relive an era that had passed for him. When I took an architecture class, he was very helpful and fascinated, because I had to build these models that I designed. We would build those together, and he would come up with materials that I could use. That was kind of interesting.

Both Matt D. and Fred feel that the portraits (including the one at left) drawn of Matt Baker by his fellow comic book artist Aldo Rubano looked “nothing like him.” At right is a studio photo of Matt, minus the mustache he sports in many photos. [Art ©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

about an hour, or less. I have no idea what happened to it.

While I stayed with him, we helped one another out financially. Since Matt was a freelance illustrator, the work wasn’t always there. A lot of times, if things got just a little bit tight, he would help me out, or I would pay for my food that week. I did help Matt out on one story. He was showing me how to ink with a brush. I don’t recall how much work I did on that story, but I don’t think it was a whole lot.

JA: During this time, where was John, and what was he doing?

By the way, I saw the supposed portrait of Matt in Alter Ego # 21. I don’t know who drew it [Aldo Rubano], but it was the worst thing I’ve ever seen; it looks nothing like him. BAKER: I got a laugh out of it, Fred, because I told Jim the same thing. It looked like somebody just put something in there. I’ve got a couple of portraits here. One is a self-portrait that he did in 1944, done in pen and ink. It’s an interesting piece. I don’t think it was one of his best pieces, but it definitely looks like Uncle Matt. ROBINSON: Do you have one that John did of him in charcoal, too? BAKER: I have one of Uncle John that Matt did in charcoal, and the pen-and-ink self-portrait of Matt from ’44, and I have one that you did of Dad [Robert]. ROBINSON: When I was coming up, I was trying so hard to be like them, and I would do portraits. I would do self-portraits, which are really hard to do. It’s hard to look in a mirror and draw yourself; it never works out because you’re drawing the reverse image of yourself. BAKER: Jim, you asked about paintings, and I wanted to mention that he did some gouache paintings that look like they’re illustrations for magazine covers. ROBINSON: When you referred to paintings, Jim, I was thinking of fine arts. Matt did a lot of painted illustrations.

“It Was Really Great To Live With Him” JA: Matt was the art director at St. John from 1952 to 1954, and he also did illustrations for their magazines—for Manhunt, for instance—and what you have might be an unused cover. Or maybe it was used and Matt kept the original? It’d be nice to find out. Fred, considering the age difference between you and Matt, what was it like to live with him for a year? ROBINSON: I was probably 19 or 20 when I lived with him, and I would call that my coming of age. It was really great to live with him, because he had always been my idol. It was really educational for me. He talked to me about the way I dressed, and changed the way I expressed myself. I began to talk more like an adult, not like a kid. He really changed my Pittsburgh habits, and made them more New York.

Matt D. says of this “Mysta” splash (he inherited photostats of the entire story from an issue of Fiction House’s Planet Comics) that he doesn’t know “if Uncle Matt did it, or just held on to it for some reason.” Sure looks like vintage Baker to us—though apparently he only penciled the “Mysta” series! [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk

Three magazine-style illustrations done by Matt Baker in the 1950s. Whether these were ever published are not, we’ve no idea—but they should’ve been. The original art is the property of Matthew D. Baker and cannot be reproduced in any form. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

ROBINSON: John was in Brooklyn. He was working for an art supply warehouse called Bainbridge. The only drawing he was doing was evenings and weekends, drawing for his own pleasure. He may have done an art job here or there, but he was mostly out of the business. JA: What was John like? BAKER: I didn’t know Uncle John well until he came out to California much later. Uncle John always reminded me of a person who had a whole lot of culture, but didn’t have a way to express it. He loved to express it, but didn’t have an outlet for it. You could tell that he was well-read, and that he loved what I call foreign things, especially the Spanish language, and things like that. He picked up on things like that very easily, and reveled in them. My mother and father and Uncle John and Aunt Elva went down to Mexico one time, and you could see in his face that it was one of the greatest trips that he ever took. I remember hearing about him and his children going to the museums and galleries in New York. New York was perfect for Uncle John. I don’t think my father would have fit in in New York at all —it just wasn’t his style— but for Uncle John, it was quite beneficial to his way of living and thinking. He had a lot of respect for himself, and he expected it from other people.

JA: How many children did John have? ROBINSON: Three. He had a son named David Fredrick Baker, his older daughter was named Sidney, and Keris was his younger daughter. JA: Fred, when you lived with Matt, comics work was not as plentiful as before. How did he feel about the industry at that time? ROBINSON: He didn’t particularly like illustrating for art directors, because they were always making changes that were very subjective. A lot of times, art directors make changes just because they’re art directors, and they do it whenever a job comes back. They never accept it the first time. As an art director, I can say that honestly. [laughter] BAKER: That’s the other side of the coin. JA: Do you think Matt had a love for the comic book business? ROBINSON: Oh, I think so. During the heyday, he and other comic book artists probably weren’t as into the comics as people like you who are researching it now. Now it’s something out of the past, and there’s nostalgia about it. The people living it at the time probably didn’t realize how great or important it was.

ROBINSON: That describes him pretty well. He had a very high opinion of himself, and there’s nothing wrong with that. He was very wellread, and he was into the classics. He loved all types of music, including classical music. He was into Latin American culture quite a bit; he spoke pretty good Spanish, but I don’t think he ever studied it. He was able to speak it, read it, and translate it, and This (probably unpublished) illustration by Matt Baker was done in the early to mid-1950s. The original art is the I can remember him helping his daughter property of Fred Robinson and cannot be reproduced in any Keris with her high school Spanish lessons. form. [©2005 Estate of Matt Baker.]

BAKER: Looking at what he did, I think he was more in love with the art of the comics than he was in drawing comic books. I think doing comic books was a way for him to make a living, but doing the art—drawing and inking—were the things that he loved. ROBINSON: It was a job that came very easy for him, and it was something he really enjoyed doing. He loved to draw.

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord”

51 Sometimes, for a couple of weeks, he would work all night long, then get a couple of hours of sleep, and then start working again. This was when he was getting as much work as he could handle. Then the fatigue would catch up with him, and he would go into periods where he would sleep all the time. His body would just refuse to go any longer. He would work a couple of hours, and then he would just sleep. He would want to work, but he couldn’t. He was a heavy smoker, but he only drank socially. I only saw him drink at parties.

“He Didn’t Worry About His Heart” JA: But Matt knew he had a bad heart, didn’t he? ROBINSON: Yes, but he didn’t baby himself because of it. BAKER: I don’t know how many people in those days really did that, anyway.

“Why make one woman miserable when you can make so many happy?” Matt D. says the photo at top left of his uncle and “Olga,” taken in North Carolina, may (or may not) be of the artist with a relative—but that “May,” shown with him near Central Park in New York in the 1940s, was definitely a “ladyfriend.” And you can see two more females in the art above, as Phantom Lady battles The Ace of Spades. That “Gregory Page” should could draw, couldn’t he? [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics.]

He and John both loved it. That’s why we have so much of their work around: they were drawing all the time. JA: Since comics is a storytelling medium, unlike single illustrations, I think he must have enjoyed the art of telling the story, too. BAKER: Some of the panels that I see here, he was very creative in the way he put them together. I would agree with you that he had a certain amount of affection for that. ROBINSON: He had a very good sense of spatial design: how to arrange illustrations within a space. When to make it larger or smaller, to control the space. That’s where the talent comes in. JA: I know that Matt and John went to Cooper Union, but did they ever attend the Art Students League or anything like that? ROBINSON: Not that I know of. They may have, but I don’t know about it. I was the only brother who graduated from Cooper Union. Uncle John came to my graduation, and he told me how proud he was that I was the first and only of my mother’s children to graduate from college. I don’t know what their impressions were of Cooper Union. I didn’t even know that Matt had gone there until John told me. Matt was the one who told me about the school before I applied there, but I don’t know what their feeling was about the school. JA: Was Matt a night person, or a morning person? ROBINSON: Matt was a night person, but he would switch.

ROBINSON: Right. He didn’t worry about his heart. As a matter of fact, we were out together one time, and he was having palpitations and had to take some digitalis right away. It was a little bit scary. I remember him having me apply pressure to his eyeballs; he said that helped. I asked him if he wanted to go to the doctor or hospital, but he said he would be all right. JA: So he was aware that he had problems.

ROBINSON: Yeah. That’s what he died from. He had a sudden heart attack in his sleep. I was the one that found him. I had the key to the apartment, because I worked close by, and would come by for lunch a couple of times a week. This particular day, I stopped by, came into the apartment, and the shades were still drawn. He would usually have been up by that time of day. I went into the bedroom and found him. He may have had heart attacks prior to that, but I wouldn’t have known about it. He didn’t talk much about his health. He didn’t talk much about his feelings, either. He was pretty carefree and happy-go-lucky; you never knew if anything was bothering him. We only had a few tough days when money got kind of tight, but even then, it wasn’t a big worry thing. JA: Matt never married, right? ROBINSON: Right. His theory was: “Why make one woman miserable when you can make so many happy?” [everybody laughs] He was quite the ladies’ man. He was very good-looking, and he had a couple of very close women friends that I knew. I don’t know exactly how close they were, but they were obviously very close. He knew them for years. He was happy most of the time. We were all joke-tellers. He and John sometimes used to talk and joke with each other in these dialects, and it was absolutely hilarious. It’s hard to say what kind of dialect it was; it was kind of Southern, rural, and uneducated. John’s character was “Bubba,” and if Matt felt like getting into it, he would say to me, “Ask your Uncle Bubba.” I would say, “Who’s Uncle Bubba,” and John would start talking in this dialect. Matt would answer him in the same dialect. To somebody who was only 17 or 18 years old, it was absolutely hysterical; I would just be on the floor, rolling around laughing.

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk Matt D. Baker says of his uncle’s work on the cleverly-named Ato McBomb that this printed material, which is part comic book, part illustrated storybook, “looks like a prototype that never got off the ground for some reason,” but he has “no info on the book. It is bound on railroad board and the internal pages are of a pulp-type stock. I did notice some proof marks on some pages.” The title page says it was published by “Tel-Pic Sales, Inc.” in 1946. The credits read: “Drawings by Matt Baker – Story by Natham Hyman and Phil Marcus.” Anybody out there know anything about it? The original art is the property of Matthew D. Baker and cannot be reproduced in any form. [©2005 Estate of Matt Baker.]

JA: Would you say he was a life of the party type, or just one of the guys? ROBINSON: Oh no, he was the life of a party. BAKER: He could easily take center stage if he wanted to. JA: Did Matt do a lot of reading when he had time?

Matt were very close. I’m wondering if they were really ever separated.

ROBINSON: I don’t recall. He may have done some reading. John was a big reader, but I don’t recall Matt reading that much. He would listen to music while he was working. He liked blues music. He also liked Mexican music. He would sit and listen to rock and roll, but he didn’t seek it out. After he died, I got all of his blues records.

ROBINSON: Well, they were close, and they enjoyed a lot of things together, but they argued quite a lot. They would get upset, and would go after one another verbally.

When I lived with him, we would also watch Jack Paar on the Tonight Show. We were able to do that and work at the same time, because the TV was between our drawing boards.

JA: I imagine that the family took Matt’s death hard, especially since he was so young. How did everybody cope with it?

JA: Did he have any hobbies? ROBINSON: His hobby was drawing. In his free time, he would draw. BAKER: If I could ask you something, Fred, it seems like John and

BAKER: I know neither one of them would mince words.

ROBINSON: Well, you know how strong our mother was. To her, this was just part of life. John took it very hard. When I called out to Brooklyn to tell him, he just went to pieces. I had to wait at the apartment for him to get there. I handled it pretty well, but I’m a lot like my mother in that way. It’s just something you have to deal with. JA: You say you were a lot like your mother. What would you say about Matt in that regard? ROBINSON: He was a lot like her, too. He absolutely adored her. He doted on her, and anything and everything she wanted, if it was in his power to get it or make it happen, he did.

“We Pretty Much Ignored [Society’s Prejudices]” JA: Living during those times—which were hardly the most enlightened—I’m wondering how Matt dealt with society’s prejudices.

Matt Baker and two of his artist colleagues in the 1940s. At left are Baker and Ray Osrin—at right are Osrin and Frank Giusti. You can read about their work together in Alberto Becattini’s article.

ROBINSON: He pretty much dealt with them the way I did: we pretty much ignored them, unless confronted with them. If that happened, we just had to deal with it. The fact that we were black didn’t hold us back or make us feel that we couldn’t accomplish something. That was for other people. He went into an industry that was all white, and made it work for him. I did the same thing. JA: Did he experience a lot of prejudice when he was young?

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord”

(Left to right:) Matt’s mother Ethel, Matt, and her sister Elva in Washington, DC— a photo taken Feb. 9, 1940.

ROBINSON: Probably no more than I did. I don’t know all the neighborhoods he grew up in, and I don’t know how long they stayed in North Carolina, but growing up in Pittsburgh, we were in an ethnically mixed community where everybody was fine and we all got along with one another. They actually helped one another and looked out for one another. I never felt the prejudice when I was growing up. Even in high school, where the racial mix was 50-50, everybody there got along.

I don’t recall Matt being confronted directly with it. He did have a temper. He probably would have gotten angry if confronted with it, in much the same way that I probably would, and did. I’ll give you another story of how crazy he was sometimes. Elva told us this story. They were on a bus in Washington, and at that time, DC was still the deep South. Even though there were a lot of blacks there, things were still not equal by any means. They didn’t have to ride in the back of the bus or anything, but Jim Crow was still there. But my brother was just... crazy. He was riding on the bus, and he was standing up, holding onto a strap, and he started singing, “Oh, I’m tired of rubbing asses with white people.” [everybody laughs] The people on the bus didn’t know what the hell to say. They thought he was crazy, so they just began to move away from him. He would just do things like that. JA: Was he blowing off steam, or was he being rebellious? Why did he do that?

you is if you let them.” He was the type of person that made sure that nobody could get to him easily. They were going to have to think about it, and after they thought about it, they would think twice about trying. ROBINSON: He—and all of us—were blessed with the gift of being very quick-witted, and if you got into banter or an exchange of insults with us, you would probably lose. JA: Was Matt athletic? ROBINSON: He would have been if he hadn’t had the rheumatic heart. He was athletically built, and he could really run fast. I recall one time when I was a teenager, I did something to him and then took off running, and he took off after me. I was always very fast, but he literally ran me down. When we got back to the house, my mother was just livid, because he wasn’t supposed to be running. At the time, I didn’t know he had a bad heart. But he knew, so she just lit into him. He never worried about it. I don’t think our mother was overprotective, but she didn’t believe in letting your insufficiencies become handicaps. JA: Was Matt a sports fan? You guys lived through the time of Jackie Robinson, who was one of my favorite baseball players... ROBINSON: I don’t recall him being an avid sports fan, no. He was aware of Jackie Robinson, and rooting for his success, but not to the point that he was listening to every game or anything. JA: Matt died at the time that the civil rights movement was really starting up. Did he talk much about it? ROBINSON: Not while I was around. I don’t think he was very politically minded. I don’t remember him getting into any political discussions. JA: Given the social climate in which Matt was working, I think he would have had to be pretty strong then. He must have had to deal with some prejudice in the business. Maybe I shouldn’t make that assumption, but it’s an easy one to make. ROBINSON: It’s an easy one to make because it’s one that’s always true. I think all of us have experienced that in one form or another, either overtly or covertly. I know that I have, and a couple of times it was blatant, but other times, it was very undercover. The reason that Matt got so much work wasn’t because he was black

ROBINSON: Because he was crazy. BAKER: Jim, it’s like thinking, “Gee wouldn’t it be fun to do such-andsuch.” It sounds like Uncle Matt would just go ahead and do it. Uncle Matt was probably one of those people who didn’t allow people an opportunity to get to him. I’m reminded of a sign a teacher had on her door that said, “The only way somebody can get the better of

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk Two splashes from the period when Matt Baker worked with/for inker Vince Colletta appeared on p. 27. Here’s one more—from Timely/Marvel’s Journey into Mystery #50 (Jan. 1959). Actually, in Ye Editor’s opinion, in this instance Matt and Vinnie don’t make a bad combo. The heroine is very much a “Baker woman,” and Colletta was an accomplished inker of romance comics, even if pure Matt Baker art would probably have been even more sumptuous. Thanks to Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

because she was beautiful and strong. That was the type of woman Matt liked and spent time with, and it showed in his work. I would compare them to Angelina Jolie. JA: It seems to me that he was an open guy, but only up to a point. Did he keep his feelings behind a wall? ROBINSON: Yeah. Here again, though, consider the age difference. There were just some things that I didn’t need to know. That’s the way it was right up until he died: I was always the little brother.

“Vinnie Colletta… Was Right Off The Sopranos” JA: Did you know any of Matt’s friends? Were they artists? ROBINSON: There was one named Frank Giusti who was an artist. Frank was one of my brother’s oldest friends. I have a picture of the two of them together. I hope I still have it. The picture had to have been taken in the ’40s. I think he and Matt worked on some things together, but I don’t know if they originally met through work or not. There was another guy named Vinnie. He was also Italian, but I can’t remember his name. JA: It was probably Vinnie Colletta. We know that sometime in the late ’50s, Matt ghost-penciled for him. What do you remember about him? ROBINSON: Right. Vinnie Colletta was from New Jersey, and he was right off The Sopranos: the way he dressed, the way he talked, and everything. He was a little short guy; probably even shorter than I am, and I’m only 5'8". He was really short, and he had that complex about being short, so he’d try to overcome it by the way he

or white; he got it because he was good. It’s as simple as that. If you’re good, and you have what people want, they’re going to use you. You get hired. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier mainly because he was good; he could play ball better than anyone else. He just happened to be black, and was given a hard time because of that, but the fact remains that he was still good, and rose above all of that. JA: And Matt would be just as appreciated for his work, no matter what his color. You can’t look at his work and tell the color of his skin. ROBINSON: That’s right. Other artists’ women were like mannequins: they were all perfect and smooth, but they had no soul to them. But the women that Matt did created a fire within you, within your imagination. He did the same thing with his girls that Hugh Hefner did with his Playmates; he played upon the reader’s imagination. I think the “Matt Baker woman” struck such a responsive chord

Three more samples of Baker art, shot from the originals—a brush-&ink drawing at left, and a pair of lushly painted magazine-style illustrations. Could the crime scene have been intended (or even used) as an early paperback cover? The original art is the property of Matthew D. Baker and cannot be reproduced in any form. [©2005 Estate of Matt Baker.]

“The ‘Matt Baker Woman’ Struck A Responsive Chord”

dressed and talked. He and Matt got along okay. I wouldn’t say they were tight friends. I was a teenager when I met Vinnie, because Matt worked with Vinnie in the latter part of his career. Looking back, he was right out of a B-movie: a typical Italian wise-guy. Always very nattily dressed, dark hair... the sort of character that Joe Pesci would play, but he was betterlooking than Joe Pesci. Whenever I see Joe Pesci—with the accent and everything—I’m reminded of Vinnie Colletta. There were some things about him that my brother didn’t like. I don’t know what specifically, but I remember a certain feeling he had about him. JA: Vinnie used to get jobs, and get people to pencil for him. Then he would pay them out of his pocket, and he probably took a cut of that. [Fred agrees] I’m curious about how someone with the talent of Matt Baker would feel about ghosting like that.

ROBINSON: In a very tasteful way. He put together very nice outfits, and he looked good in them. He didn’t go for loud colors or patterns, or anything like that. And he made friends easily. JA: He was a “people-person,” though, right? ROBINSON: All my brothers were, except John. John was a peopleperson when he wanted to be, but not normally. BAKER: That’s interesting, because it always seemed like Uncle John and Aunt Elva had friends over at their house. They lived close to my family for a few years, and I can’t remember ever going over to Uncle John’s and Aunt Elva’s place without a whole crowd being there. ROBINSON: That’s the way it always was. Your Aunt Elva was the people-person; your Uncle John could be when he wanted to be, but he was usually a very moody person.

ROBINSON: At that point the business was falling off. Everything was on the down slide, and it was money coming in. There might have been a little resentment there about ghosting for Vinnie, but theirs was a business relationship.

Matt was really outgoing. Men liked him; women liked him; he was just a likable guy. If a person is very good-looking, but can still be down-to-earth and friendly with everybody, it’s easy for people to like them. Of course, there are good-looking people who are SOBs, and there are unattractive people who are SOBs.

On the other hand, Matt and Frank were friends. Frank got married and moved to Connecticut, and we went to his place for dinner one time. I was visiting during a vacation from high school, and Matt, John, and I went up in that ’49 Oldsmobile.

I can’t remember ever seeing Matt truly angry. He may have been angry about an argument he had with someone, but I never saw him really angry. He was never angry or cross with me; I was always his baby brother.

BAKER: The yellow one? [Fred agrees] My father took that car out to California. I was hoping that was going to be my first car, but it didn’t make it that far. I’d give anything for it right now.

Matt bore a strong resemblance to Lawrence Olivier, when Olivier was young. If you look at pictures of Olivier and my brother when they were both young men, I think you’ll be able to see the resemblance. He used to have professional portraits taken of himself. There would be his vanity, right there. He would get these Hollywood-type photos taken. He was definitely vain; I have no trouble saying that. It runs in our family.

“I Can’t Remember Ever Seeing Matt Truly Angry” JA: Since Matt was a good dresser and a handsome ladies’ man, would you consider him to be flashy?

JA: I would brag about my vanity, but modesty forbids...

Matt Baker’s Loving Kinfolk

Matt Baker had a winning smile—as well as a winning way with pencil, pen, and brush—and he left us far too soon. His photo here is flanked by an early, signed “Phantom Lady” splash page—and a magazine-style illustration. We figure the latter is the perfect image to close with, since many a Golden Age comics fan, just like these adrift seamen, has daydreamed of a “Matt Baker woman”! The original art is the property of Matthew D. Baker and cannot be reproduced in any form. [Retouched Phantom Lady art ©2005 AC Comics; illustration ©2005 Estate of Matt Baker.]

ROBINSON: I don’t have that kind of modesty; I know I’m vain, and my brother was the same way. As Little Richard used to say, “I’m not conceited; I’m convinced.” That vanity has helped us over the years. In an all-white world, it helps you to get over sometimes. If you have a low opinion of yourself, you’re unable to accomplish anything. You have to stand up for yourself, and not let people put you down. JA: Considering the high esteem in which he is held, Matt would be amused by all this attention, wouldn’t he? ROBINSON: Yeah, he would. I’m amazed and pleased by it, and a little bit amused by it, too. I was also pleased to tie my brother John into this, because he was equally gifted. He didn’t have the personality to go along with it. He was his own worst critic, to his detriment. It’s one thing to be very critical of your own work, but if it stops you from working, what good is it doing you? A lot of great artists were like that; they were never pleased with what they did, yet history regards them as geniuses. I think that one of John’s daughters has a lot of his sketches, if he didn’t destroy them all. BAKER: I’m very pleased to find out how respected and loved Uncle Matt’s work is, and that we’re able to do this biography of him. I just wish we’d have come forward sooner, when my father was still alive, so he could have talked about all this. But at least we’ve spoken for the record now, and can share what we know about Matt and John with your readers.

“6 Billions Of Us, As Models” W

ALEX TOTH On The Art Of Drawing Human Beings In Comics

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

“The Great Unknowns” Part IV

The Great And Wonderful Work Of ORESTES CALPINI When An Animator Played King Of The Hill (Hillman Publications, That Is!) by Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., and Hames Ware

OTE: Jim and Hames’ “Great Unknowns” series, which first introduced Orestes Calpini’s distinctive signature. most of us, at least by name, to Ernie Schroeder and Mike Suchorsky and Our previous several talented Italian artists, has been too long missing from these columns covered pages, due to our over-crowded docket. We’re glad to feature them lesser-known again, at last, and hope to present more of their articles in the very comic book near future. All art reproduced with this feature ©2005 the respective artists who never copyright holders and sent by Jim V. —Roy. signed any of their comic book work. This time we feature an artist who did sign some of his wonderfully whimsical features at Hillman Publishing Company in Punch & Judy... Calpini’s cover for Punch and Judy #10 (May 1946). but only with part of both his names, and only for the first five issues! At first glance the signature reads more like abbreviations for two western US states: “Ore Cal.” But, if one was cross-referencing other cartoon media as I had been, specifically animated cartoon credits, then those two abbreviations clearly stood for a great animator at Fleischer Animation Studios... Orestes Calpini. He was the director, along with Dave Fleischer, on their classic 1939 movie masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels and provided animation and stories for many other Fleischer cartoons of the 1940s. He was there at the very beginning of Hillman’s main comic title aimed at children. (Their only other titles at the time were Air Fighters and Clue Comics.) He drew and signed the “Starry Eyes” feature in Punch and Judy #1, 1944, through #5, Dec. 1945. With issue #5, he added the “Fatsy McPig” strip to his workload, but didn’t sign it. He continued on with both features for two more years, but never again signed his name to either one.

The splash of the “Starry Eyes” feature in Punch and Judy #1 (1944). The title ran through 1951.

The artwork was elegant, fluid and often surreal. He championed (or pioneered) the use of full-page panels that startled the reader and often made extensive use of shadow, especially in “Fatsy McPig.” He may have written his strips as well, since he was often credited at Fleischer as having contributed to scripts and stories. His comic stories were consistent: “Fatsy McPig” had a personality that constantly resulted in conflict and “Starry Eyes” had gentle adventures usually involving the

The Great And Wonderful Work Of Orestes Calpini

The “Fatsy McPig” splash from Punch and Judy #5 (Dec. 1945). The “Dickensian” aspect of the “Starry Eyes” strip that began in Punch and Judy, Vol. 3, #1 (Oct. 1947). Jim and Hames feel these stories probably weren’t written by Calpini.

troubles her friend Pinkie, the pink pony, would get himself into in and around the circus. The comic ran until Vol. 3, #2 (Dec. 1947), with Calpini art on both strips in every issue. The last few “Starry Eyes” strips took a dark turn as the main characters left the familiar circus environs for a more Dickensian life with a sick rich uncle and a conniving, evil aunt. It is difficult to imagine that these were written by the person who scribed the earlier episodes, and Calpini’s art became a bit more pedestrian. At that point, the title went on hiatus for several years and resurfaced in June of 1951 with one last and sad “Fatsy McPig” strip by Calpini and replacements for all but the title strip. Two of the early Punch and Judy strips that faded out in 1947 were “Earl the Rich Rabbit” and “Lockjaw the Alligator,” drawn by Jack Kirby! That a classic animator had rendered such marvelous children’s features at Hillman as “Starry Eyes” and “Fatsy McPig” made perfect sense. What wasn’t clear, and really has never been solved, is why this great animator chose to do his work almost exclusively at this smaller company, while his peers were filling the pages of Dell and other major companies. Perhaps Calpini preferred being the big frog in Hillman’s little puddle. Judge for yourself as from the Vadeboncoeur Collection we present the great and wonderful work of Orestes Calpini…!

(Left:) A “Fatsy McPig” page by Calpini from Vol. 2, #9 (April 1947).

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:

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

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

The Quest for Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon # 1 by Raymond A. Cuthbert [Article © 2005 Raymond A. Cuthbert] From before the time I could read, I loved Flash Gordon, Alex Raymond’s most wonderful strip. For decades I have felt that Al Williamson was the greatest of all the successors to Raymond’s creative tenure. Al’s claim to fame in that area occurred in 1966-1967, when he drew three comic books, four covers, and one record album cover featuring Flash. I have long considered Williamson’s Flash Gordon’s as the best-dressed series of comic books of all time.

(Above:) Panels from pp. 14 & 22 of the first King Features Flash Gordon comic book. Al Williamson used his longtime pal Gray Morrow as the model for Dr. Davro, a character invented by Williamson and writer Larry Ivie. In one panel we see the essence of Flash Gordon, with the romantic clinch between Flash and his lifetime love, Dale Arden. Repro’d from photocopies of the original art. [©2005 King Features Syndicate.]

back. And they said they’d have to get back to King Features on that, but they went along with the price, although they were hedging on the originals. I insisted that, if I don’t get the originals back, I don’t do it. Forget it. I wouldn’t touch it until I had it in black and white that I’d have the originals returned to me. I’d already had one book ripped off from me, and I wasn’t going to let it happen again. So I stood my ground, and they sent me a letter stating that the originals would be returned, and if any are lost they’d be insured for such and such a value, which I’d receive.”

In 1983 I ordered from Tony Raiola a softcover book done in large size, which had been printed by “Club Anni Trenta” of Genova, Italy. It was a marvelous product that reproduced in full color and at full size the first story (with the exception of the splash page) contained in the King Flash Gordon #1. On the back cover was a strange announcement in both Italian and English: “Important: This book is not a book for collectors. Not only that at least. This is a catalogue of original art on sale. We keep every page here printed, on sale. Please write which page you are interested in!*” The asterisk pointed to a Francesco Pozzo, and gave his address. I was tempted, but skeptical, since I knew that if I sent money overseas there would be no way of ever recouping it if the guy was not legitimate. That’s how things stayed.

VAN HISE: What book was stolen from you? WILLIAMSON: All of my originals from Flash Gordon #1 were stolen out of King Features offices years ago, and I still want them back! I’ve never heard about them being offered for sale, but whoever has them is in possession of stolen property and they belong to me. So if anybody knows where they are, I’d appreciate any help in getting them returned.” (Van Hise, p. 37; used by permission. Learn about Hise’s revised RB/CC at jimvanhise@aol.com) Al W. inscribed this panel of original art from p. 22 of Flash Gordon #1 to Ray at a 1996 convention. [©2005 King Features Syndicate.]

In June 1981, a fanzine called Third Rail was put out, edited by Ken Feduniewicz and Tom Yeates. I never saw the fanzine until after I’d seen the large Italian art catalogue. It had an interview with Al Williamson that contained this piece of unfortunate news:

WILLIAMSON: “My first Flash Gordon book was ripped off at King Features.… I busted my hump on that damn thing and it was ripped off. Some sonofabitch has got it somewhere, if they haven’t burned it or something.… I only got paid $35 a page to do that stuff! I didn’t do it for the money! And that’s what a businessman can’t understand. He thinks you’re stupid for doing it for the sake of doing it. They don’t understand the mind of an artist!” In 1983, James Van Hise’s The Art of Al Williamson was published. Inside, Williamson told Van Hise: “King Features and Western called me to do the Flash Gordon movie adaptation. I said, yeah, I’ll do it for so much and I want my originals

In July 1990, I was unable to attend the Chicago ComiCon. My friend Kim Takeuchi was going, so I gave him a very selective want list for artwork: Alex Raymond, Al Williamson, and Dave Stevens, I believe was the sum total, although I also might have mentioned Virgil Finlay. I told Kim that if he saw anything he thought I’d like, to give me a call collect and tell me what it was. Kim did call. There was a piece that Kim said I might be interested in. Kim started describing a Williamson Flash Gordon page in rather vague terms, and I started filling in the blanks. Yes, it had Flash being awarded some kind of medal by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Yes, the top left panel had Flash and Dale waving to a crowd from a balcony. I said to Kim, “Uh-oh, that’s one of the stolen pages from Flash #1.” I was in a dilemma. It was also one of my favorite pages in the whole book! Kim said that he thought he saw Williamson’s signature on the page. I asked him to check that out definitely. He called me back a few minutes later and told me that the page was inscribed “Al Williamson after Alex Raymond.” That made me think that there was a possibility that the page was a legitimate piece for sale. The pages had not been signed when they appeared in the comic, so it seemed that Williamson

The Quest For Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon # 1 must have signed it recently. Kim told me the price, and I told him to haggle if he could, but I’d authorize payment for the amount asked. I called around to some people knowledgeable in the art field and asked them if they knew anything more about this stolen art from Flash Gordon #1. My friend and wellknown art dealer, Albert Moy, told me that he had heard that somebody had turned up with the pages, and got Williamson to sign them. They were no longer considered stolen property, as he understood it. I had made friends with fellow Canuck and comic artist Ken Steacy, who offered to put me in contact with any artist in the business. I wanted to get in touch with Al Williamson! Ken came through and, after okaying it with Al, gave me his telephone number. On Friday, July 26th, 1991, I dialed the number and did an interview with Al. During the course of the interview, I steered Williamson to the topic of the stolen art for Flash Gordon #1. I complimented Al on the work he did on those King Flash Gordons and then came the question:

#4 directly from Williamson, but also informed me that he didn’t want to sell it. He said he’d wait until someone came along with a trade offer he couldn’t resist. He said, “It is the best cover, anyway, in my opinion.” I told Albert that I had always liked the cover to #3 the best. Albert said, “Well, you’ll never get that. Williamson traded it to Gray Morrow for a ray-gun Morrow had whittled himself.” Now, Gray Morrow is another artist whose work I collect, so I just filed that away as something to talk to Gray about if I ever got to meet him. Albert also told me that the cover to #1 was stolen along with the interior pages. I finally did get to meet Al Williamson in person at the Chicago ComiCons of 1995 and 1996. I spent considerable time visiting with him and with Tom Roberts, my good friend and now the author of the forthcoming biography Alex Raymond: His Life and Art (scheduled to be published in the summer of 2005). While Al and I were visiting, we talked about his Flash Gordon covers. I told him the cover to #3 was my favorite. Al said, “Oh, that one was stolen.…” I told Al I had heard that he had traded the cover to Gray Morrow for a ray-gun. Al replied, “No, that was the cover to #1. The #3 cover was stolen from King Features along with the art to #1. Anyway, Gray didn’t trade me the ray-gun for the cover. He made a gift of the ray-gun to me. I made a gift of the cover to him. He had helped me with the inking of the last page of the first story in issue one, too.” In the EC dedication mailing of the CFA-APA (Comic and Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association), I wrote about Al Williamson, and mentioned the story of the stolen artwork. Wally Harrington wrote to me in response to that Williamson contribution. Wally said:

RAY: I’ve read several times in interviews with you, that your original art for Flash Gordon #1 was stolen.…

Gray Morrow returned the favor by using Al as a dastardly bandit in his “El Diablo” story for DC’s All-Star Western #2 (Oct.-Nov. 1972). Al’s the fellow on top. Below him are fellow artists Angelo Torres and Dick Giordano. The same story also featured cameos of Gil Kane and conventioneer Phil Seuling. [©2005 DC Comics.]

AL: Oh yeah. Finally the whole book surfaced and now it’s all over the place. Not much I can do about it. I’m not the only one in this business who has suffered from that. Everyone’s been ripped off, so—that’s life, you know.” RAY: Somebody told me that an art dealer surfaced with a number of your pages and that he brought them to you to sign or something.…

AL: Well, at the point that I realized I couldn’t do anything about it, this particular guy phoned and said, “Listen, I can get ’em, but I don’t want to do it unless, you know.…” At this point I couldn’t bear it, and I said, “Well why don’t you get ’em, give me a couple, and I’ll sign them for you, and that way you won’t have any problems.” So that was good. He gave me a couple of pages. It worked out okay, because I looked at the originals and they’re not as good as I remembered them. [laughs] But I wanted them for nostalgia, you know. So that’s how that worked out. I was off the hook, even though I felt badly for Al. Albert Moy had a few of the Flash #1 pages with him at the 1992 Chicago ComiCon, which were on consignment from someone else. After quite a bit of wheeling and dealing, I left Chicago with another page from #1. Albert Moy told me that he had obtained the cover to Flash Gordon

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt it bothered him. I didn’t even want to be part of buying stolen art. He told me that I should go ahead if I wanted them, and that if I got them he would sign them to make them “legitimate.” I told him that I would give him the pick of the pages I got. “This will tell you what kind of a guy Al really is: Al was one of the guests at a show in Greensboro [North Carolina] right after I got the pages. Up in my room, after dinner, I pulled out the pages. “As you reported, Al made some comments about how the pages weren’t as good as he remembered, how the drawing was weak, and this figure or that figure was poor; this all to the protests of those looking over his shoulder. He did tell us about the emotions he had when drawing the [Roy G.] Krenkel cities in the second story, and how he always laid out the panels on vellum paper before he actually penciled them on the board. Still, when he complained about the quality of the pages, I honestly felt that Al was rationalizing here, realizing that a number of these pages would soon be scattered across the country. I told him that he could have his pick of three pages. I felt that was only reasonable; after all, they were his anyway! “He told me, ‘No,’ that he knew how much I had to pay for them and would take [only] two. He then, one by one, almost as if he were saying good-bye to them, signed the remaining ten pages. I sold seven of these pages at the San Diego Convention that year. I actually attempted to place them ‘in good homes,’ although I have since seen some of them come up for sale.” (Wally Harrington, letter, April 1995.) Wally also mentioned in his letter that one of the two pages Al received, he immediately handed over to a longtime fan who admired it—right then and there in Wally’s hotel room. Mark Schultz later told me that the other page that Al received was later given to his friend and fellow artist—Mark himself! So Al actually gave away all of the art that he had longed to have returned to him for so many years!

This page is the first page of Williamson’s Flash Gordon #1 art that Ray Cuthbert bought. Williamson had signed the page “after Alex Raymond” for two reasons—first, panels 2, 3, & 4 were lightboxed re-creations of Raymond’s work (Al so loved getting to retell this story that he redrew the original Raymond panels right onto the board, using a lightbox, rather than merely photostatting them!). Second—panels 1 & 5 show Williamson’s reinterpretation of Raymond’s storylines in this recap which begins the comic book. [©2005 King Features Syndicate.]

I continued to pick up various Williamson Flash Gordon pieces of artwork over the next few years: panel preliminaries, more interior pages, the cover to Martin Greim’s fanzine Comic Crusader #11, that featured one of the largest full-figure images of Flash that Williamson drew. In the summer of 1997, I had heard from a mutual friend and fellow Edgar Rice Burroughs collector that Gray Morrow was having a hard time finding work, which mystified both of us, who are ardent fans of

“I thought it kind of interesting reading along in your contribution and reading about ‘an art dealer’ who found the original art for Flash Gordon #1. Especially since that art dealer was me…. “Like most fans of Williamson, I felt that his work on Flash Gordon was his quintessential work.… I had asked Al about those originals a long time ago and he told me that story had never been returned to him and he figured that the art was stolen. After several years, and through a number of sources, I found that almost all of those originals were in Italy; the splash from the first story has been in the private collection of another artist (who shall remain nameless) since the late ’70s. I am not sure if anyone is really clear about how they got out of King Features’ office and made their way to Italy [see above]. Apparently, at one point, this man had offered to return the art to Al, but wanted Raymond Flash Gordons as trade. Al insisted that he would not pay a ransom to get his own originals back. “Curiously, [a collector said that he] could get the art, but he had to buy all of it at $550 per page. He asked if I wanted to be part of the deal. “As your contribution states, I immediately called Al. I told him that now I had access to the art, and asked if he wanted me to move on his behalf. He again said that he wasn’t going to pay anyone to get art back that was supposed to be his. I then told him that I wouldn’t buy them if

“Who is this Ray Cuthbert, and why is he so nuts about my art?” Perhaps Al Williamson was thinking that when this photo was taken at a Chicago con some years back.

The Quest for Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon # 1

Gray’s artistic talent. I asked this friend for Morrow’s address, and he supplied it to me. Over the next several months, I kept sending Gray list after list of pieces of his artwork that I was interested in buying. Gray responded with none of that artwork, but sent me two lists of other pieces of his artwork, which held less interest for me. We were unable to find anything to do a deal on. Finally, in desperation to give Gray some financing, and of course to get a piece of artwork I’d always loved, in a letter of September 2nd, 1997, I told Gray the story of my infatuation with the Williamson Flash Gordon artwork, and I made him an offer for the cover to Flash Gordon #1. It was a reasonable offer—much more than I’d paid for any piece of Williamson’s work before. Morrow must have thought the offer was generous enough to take. On September 15th, he wrote back, and at the tail end of his next letter he said: “As for Gordon #1—tough decision to make. Painfully, yes, if we can arrange it before I change my mind.” On October 16th, I sent off a money order to Gray for the amount we’d agreed upon. In the news, Canada was gearing up for a postal strike, but negotiations were still ongoing. About the time I expected the artwork to arrive, I got a letter from Gray, postmarked 4 November, saying: “Dear Ray, Got your check. Thanks. I’ll get the F.G. piece out of its frame, packed up and shipped out next week.” Not long after, Canada was in a postal strike. I telephoned Gray and asked him if he’d already sent out the parcel. If he hadn’t, I would have sent him, by courier, the additional funds for him to Fed Ex me the piece. Morrow said, “Oh yeah, I sent it out a while ago, I don’t remember exactly when, but a week or two ago.” I told him the problem with the strike, and that the artwork hadn’t arrived. We both stewed. After the strike ended and we gave it some time, neither Canada Post, nor Gray’s postmaster was able to track down the piece. Months passed by. The piece had vanished without a trace. On the afternoon of June 3rd, a parcel came to my door from Gray Morrow. I figured it was the photocopies I’d asked him to supply of some of the artwork he was willing to let me choose between as a consolation in the deal that went so badly wrong, but it was awfully well packaged for photocopies. Had Morrow picked out some artwork himself for me, wanting to get this horrible experience over with, once

Al reportedly used himself as the model for this portrait he drew of Flash Gordon. (Flash’s pal, Dr. Zharkov, stands behind him.) [Art ©2005 Al Williamson; Flash Gordon & Dr. Zharkov TM & ©2005 King Features Syndicate.]

and for all? I opened up the parcel and there was a note from Gray, which said, in part: “Flash returned yesterday, neatly wrapped, undamaged. No return address, NYC postmark. How? What? Why? Who knows? One for TV’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries,’ I guess. At least, no need for 2nd choice consolation deal now. However, I’ll be holding my breath until this reaches you without further ado. Best—Gray.” I called Gray right away, because in the parcel, eight months after I’d sent the money order, was sitting in front of me Al Williamson’s cover to Flash Gordon #1.

Michael T. Gilbert Postscript: Cool story, Ray—thanks for sharing! A more expanded version of Ray’s story (and more lovely Al Williamson art) can be found at the following website: www.comicartville.com/flashgordon.htm While we’re on the subject, I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Al Williamson: Hidden Lands (Dark Horse, 2004). This black-&white 224-page softcover contains 29 stories from the 1950s drawn by Al and his pals—including two previously-unpublished Atlas “Jann of the Jungle” tales. You’ll see war, Western, jungle, love, and sci-fi stories from Atlas, ACG, Charlton, and EC. It even reprints Al’s 4-page horror story from Eerie Tales #1, discussed in this column some time back. At $22.95 it’s a great read! Next issue: We say goodbye to Will Eisner, and take a look at his 1939 super-hero, Wonder Man! ‘Till next time…

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Title Comic Fandom Archive

Finding The “Inner Bud” ––Part 1–– Getting To Know The Owner Of Bud Plant Comic Art! by Bill Schelly [Interview conducted by telephone on June 26, 2004. Transcribed by Brian K. Morris; edited by Jeffrey Kipper.]

Introduction

s most of Bud Plant’s catalogues say in the front, “Yes, there really is a person named Bud Plant.” I guess some people think his name is “too cute” to be real. He had to have been ribbed about it a lot during the pot-smoking 1960s and 1970s, but the fact of the matter is that Bud Plant is really his name. Really. But who exactly is Bud Plant?

For most comics fans, his name is a household word owing to his mail-order bookselling business which has been going strong for forty-plus years. We know him as a businessman with an impeccable reputation, and when we do meet him in person, it’s usually at a booth at this comicon or that. Again, it’s Bud the Salesman we see. I’m a long-time customer and think it’s wonderful that such a nice guy is so successful with his life’s work, which has turned out to be disseminating books full of the wonders of comics, illustration, and related subjects. I am a book lover, so that puts Bud high on my list of favorite people. Still—I wondered…. What about the “inner Bud”? He obviously loves comics, and illustration, and pop culture in most of its many varied permutations, but… what does he collect? What comics did he love most as a boy? How much and in what way did he participate in the early days of comics fandom? Who are his favorite artists? How did he end up finding his life’s work? You get the picture. I wanted to get a picture of the comics world according to Bud. And, happily, he was receptive to my request for an interview, if a bit non-plussed. His public mode comes second nature; his private one is something he isn’t used to talking about. Not to worry, I found him an enthusiastic conversationalist and before long we were sailing along on uncharted—but relatively serene—waters. Did we find the “inner Bud Plant”? You decide! BILL SCHELLY: I would mainly like to talk to you as a comic book collector and fan, rather than as an entrepreneur. BUD PLANT: It’s kind-of hard to separate the two. BILL: Most people probably don’t know who you are as a collector. They know who you are as a book merchant. Can you tell me the early comics that you saw that you could remember? BUD: I think the earliest ones would be Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories. My folks had a subscription to it, I believe, in and around ’59, ’60, ’61, which would put me about 7, 8, 9 years old. And my earliest

(Top left & above:) Bud Plant, yesteryear and yesterday—at about age 15, shortly after discovering comic fandom—and in 2004, as the head of Bud Plant Comic Art—flanking the cover of his 1982 catalog, drawn by George Metzger. [Art ©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

memories of that are fighting over the subscription copies with my sisters. I have two older sisters. One’s four years older and one is six years older. I was born in 1952. BILL: What is your family background? BUD: My mom is from the east coast and my dad’s from Oakland, California. My parents actually met overseas during World War II. My mom was a nurse in the Nurse Corps. They were sending the wounded down to North Africa and she was caring for them. My dad was in the Signal Corps. Later he was in Motor Maintenance—he’s basically a maintenance guy. They met at a troop ship going to North Africa before the invasion of Europe. U.S. forces were in North Africa, then went into Italy after it fell. After that, they went northwest into France and Belgium. Dad was behind the lines. My parents got married in Cairo, Egypt. I have a lot of feeling about the whole World War II thing. I can see a movie like Saving Private Ryan and it really sort of chokes me up, because I just have this real great respect for people that went over there and put their lives on the line. It’s pretty amazing. So maybe some of that is just because my parents both were over there. BILL: World War II, in 1960, had ended just fifteen years earlier. And Combat was on TV, and there were lots of war comics being produced. We were really hyper-aware of the war. BUD: The post-war period was significant cultural change for everybody in the US. My folks came home to California and built a house in East San Jose, right up against the foothills of San Jose, and that’s where I grew up until I was about 19.

Comic Fandom Archive you hear about comic fandom? BUD: Starting in 1965 (when I was thirteen or fourteen years old) I went to the Twice Read Book Store in downtown San Jose. It was closest place to home that had used comics. They would sell comics for a nickel and even sold coverless ones. Sometimes they had old Atlas comics from the mid-’50s. One time I was there and some guy walked in and asked the clerk, “Can I look at your dollar comics?” The clerk pulled out a little stack of comics from behind the counter. I’d never heard of a “dollar comic”. That was a big thing for me. So after the guy was done with the stack, I said, “Can I look at your dollar comics?”

Three early favorites of the Plant family—at least when published in book form: a Chic Young Blondie daily from 1947, a Crockett Johnson Barnaby from ’46, and Charles Schultz’s Peanuts from 1950. [©2005 King Features Syndicate, the respective copyright holders, & United Features Syndicate, Inc.]

That was the introduction to the old comics for me, because I was collecting all the Marvels. I knew a little bit about older comics from that Feiffer article. I went through that stack of comics at Twice Read Books. In it was Thrills of Tomorrow #19, a reprint of Simon and Kirby’s “Stuntman.” That was my dollar comic. [laughs] I spent a dollar and walked outside the store.

My dad was working as a maintenance man at a fairly big company that was manufacturing vacuum tubes and big high-voltage vacuum switches. It started out with somebody who had a good idea and a few employees. By the time I was aware of it, it had become a fairly big company with about 400 people or so. My mom came home as a nurse. But once she started having kids, she stopped working. When I was about twelve she went back to work as a nurse again. BILL: Your parents approved of your interest in comic books? BUD: My dad has always sort of enjoyed cartoons and comics, although I couldn’t say he was a hardcore comic fan. He seemed to have some memories of Superman and Batman and stuff, but nothing really nostalgic for him. I remember we used to have a book that was a collection of 25 years of Blondie—one of the early cartoon reprint collections. We also had a reprint collection of Barnaby by Crockett Johnson and the early Peanuts books.

This guy who had first been looking at the stack was out there and asked me, “Hey, are you into comic books?” And I said, “Well, yeah, I sort-of am.” He said, “Hey, well, I’ve got a bunch of friends, we’re into comics,” etc. That was the instant that I connected up with fandom. The guy was Jim Leal. He dropped out of the group, but he was friends with John Barrett, who became my partner in Comics and Comix. BILL: And so right there, there’s a quick connection to someone who became quite important in your life. BUD: Yes. He had several friends interested in comics, but unfortunately, they all lived in west San Jose. This was a significant distance from my home. My mom usually had to take me over there, since I was too young to go that far by myself. Jim Leal, was also connected with Jim Buser (Buser was involved with comics and comix later on)— another guy, Tom Tallmon, who was in and out of fandom for a while— and Michelle Nolan. There was this whole little group, which I hadn’t known about it until then. They were publishing a fanzine since just before I met them. It was called Eccentric. John was doing a ditto or mimeo fanzine. He’d gotten one of these cheapo, ditto-master things. Jim Buser was doing artwork for it, imitations of the Justice League and stuff like that.

BILL: Where did you get your comic books when you were a boy? BUD: At a drugstore. There were two or three places within a couple miles of my house—two drugstores and a sort of a pseudonewsstand that had liquor, soft drinks, and packaged goods. They had a pretty well-stocked newsstand. The newsstand was the furthest away, so I had to make a major excursion to get there. They had the best selection of the magazines. Actually, I picked up (believe it or not) Fantastic Four #1 in late ’61. I was just a little bit over ten. BILL: So you got in at the very beginning, more or less, of the Marvel Age. BUD: I only had a casual interest in collecting, at that point. I also was into making model cars and painting them. One of the disastrous things I remember was using my copy of Tales to Astonish #22 as a pad. [chuckles] I got paint and glue on it. That memorable incident was “Pre-Collecting.” But, I read the Jules Feiffer article in Playboy around 1965, because my dad had a (Above:) This copy of Tales to Astonish #22 (Aug. 1961) is one that Bud didn’t use subscription. as a pad while he was painting his model cars. Pencils by Jack Kirby. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

BILL: At what point did

John used to have get-togethers at his house on Friday nights. We would meet, swap comics, and talk about the new issues and stuff like that. Then they introduced me to The Rocket’s Blast. That was the big deal. They had a couple issues and had a flyer for it. I thought that was exciting—people

Finding The “Inner Bud”

69 Dunlap editions that had come out in the 1930s. He used to loan me them, one at a time. I don’t know if this has any truth to it, but my father was really trying hard to get me into electronics because he was a ham radio operator. He wanted me to become one too, so he was teaching me the code. We actually built a couple of superheterodyne radios. I sometimes think the whole comics thing was pulling me in the opposite direction. It was sort-of getting me away from this “down-to-earth, practical area.” That was an area that Dad was really, really good at. I didn’t expect that I was would be the equal of my father. Dad could fix anything: cars, radios, plumbing, building a house. He could do it all. Back then, you could do it all because things weren’t quite so technical as they are now.

selling old comic books by mail! I was super-jazzed about that. Before I started getting The Rocket’s Blast, I started getting “for sale” lists of comics from people who got my address from some letters I had printed in Marvel comics. I know I got “a catalog” because I actually had bought some back issues though the mail. BILL: Do you remember what Marvel Comics you had letters in? BUD: Daredevil #16 (that was my best letter), [laughs] a Rawhide Kid and a Tales of Suspense. I think they were really short choppy postcardtype letters. I joined the MMMS as soon as that started, so I had my name in a Marvel from that. I think it was in Fantastic Four #39 or 40. BILL: But when letters were published with your full address on them, people got stuff in the mail.

But I think I sort-of headed off in the other direction [laughs] and just went into fantasy. BILL: Besides the Twice Read Book Store, were there any other stores that you could pick up old comics? BUD: I was really lucky because there was a San Jose Flea Market (Top left:) Joe Kubert’s cover for Our Army at War #112 (Nov. 1961). about three miles from home. I got Actually, Bud Plant had a subscription to this mag, since it into Mike Shayne and Mickey wasn’t retitled Sgt. Rock till issue #302 in 1977—but to readers, Spillane just before I got into it was always “Sgt. Rock”! collecting comics. I could buy those (Above:) Maybe Bud felt less embarrassed if he was caught reading there. Then I sort-of lost interest in about Batman battling the Living Beast-Bomb in Detective Comics #339 them. Then I discovered I could buy (May 1965). Script by Gardner Fox; art by Carmine Infantino & Joe comics there, for a nickel or maybe a Giella. Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of dime apiece at worst. The flea market Frank Giella. [Both art spots ©2005 DC Comics.] was a great source of recent back issues. I was buying stuff that was six months to two or three years old.

Coming Of Age In The Silver Age

BUD: I remember getting a couple of lists. There was a guy named Wayne Woods who was selling old comics. I started buying early issues of Avengers, Suspense, and Astonish from him. I started actively collecting every issue around spring of 1964, which was about when Spider-Man #13 and Fantastic Four #27 came out.

I only started collecting DC after I met my friends in this group. I had almost exclusively sought out Marvel line only, prior to meeting them. In fact, I had a subscription to Sgt. Rock, just before I started to collect Marvels and I remember—it sounds so stupid now—that I was actually sort-of ashamed of this fact when I became a Marvel collector. [laughs] It was as if I was thinking, “Stan wouldn’t approve of this.”

BILL: What was it about comics that particularly appealed to you?

BILL: Marvel fans walked a little taller, etc etc.

BUD: I liked to read them and temporarily escape into a fantasy world. Also one of the things I identified with was the fact that my comics—my collecting—was my own. As a child, it was something all my own.

BUD: Right. I was thinking, “What am I doing getting these damn Sgt. Rocks every month? They just don’t measure up to The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.” [laughs] And so I let my old subscription lapse on poor old Sgt. Rock.

BILL: Parents didn’t know anything about it. BUD: Yeah, yeah. It’s your own little gig and you can be an expert. I mean there were eight Marvels coming out a month and so [laughs] you could be an expert about Marvel and really know what was going on. I know definitely, the art was appealing to me. I really got into the artists and started collecting specific artists. I think I also got into Burroughs’ Tarzan and John Carter of Mars right around the same time. I really enjoyed them a lot. My neighbor across the street—a doctor—owned the original Burroughs Grossett-

My new friends suggested that I get the Julius Schwartz titles. They turned me on to Mystery in Space with Adam Strange, Strange Adventures with Atomic Knights, The Atom, Green Lantern, and Flash. Those titles were the most important ones for me. They were really well-drawn and had good stories. BILL: And for a slightly older reader than Superman. BUD: Yeah, yeah. Superman, yeah, I’d never actually really gotten into Superman until I got into Golden Age later on. I appreciate Superman a

Comic Fandom Archive

whole lot more now than I ever did back then. I thought that Superman and Batman were dumb, especially Batman. I mean ugh! Batman was just a terrible, terrible comic. BILL: Many fans do consider Batman of the early 1960s period the lowest that character had ever sunk. [Regular readers of Bill’s A/E columns know that he has a special fondness for the Schiff-era Batman, and interviewed Sheldon Moldoff about it in this very magazine.] BUD: As soon as Schwartz took over and started the “New Look,” then all of a sudden Batman was cool. BILL: When I first saw Golden Age comics, I thought, “Jeez, these are so crude. People must have really been desperate back then. I guess they just didn’t have good artists back then.” And a lot of the stuff I saw, I thought, “Boy, this stuff, I can’t really get into this.” Did you feel that way or did you immediately feel an affinity for the Golden Age comics?

Barks, Frazetta, Williamson, Wood—I mean those were my gods at that point, especially Frazetta. I started collecting ECs a little later, after I got a list from some guy with ECs and I said, “Hmm, I should start collecting these things.” But the ECs were selling for a buck to a buck and a half a piece! I started buying them and I was off and running. I used to keep track of how many ECs I had and how many I needed to complete my collection. [laughs] I had an ascending and descending thing… BILL: Well, to read an EC Comic was to fall in love with it. They were irresistible. Everybody loved them. They were so well drawn, particularly the sciencefiction titles. But they all had “the good artists.” Some people still say that the ECs had Wood’s best work ever. BUD: Absolutely. About the time my friends and I started collecting ECs, the bunch of us all got into Golden Age comics, too. I think that, perhaps purposely, we got into different publishers, so we wouldn’t really be competing against each other. It was hard to get old comics. My buddy Jim Buser collected DC Comics, John Barrett was into MLJs, and Michelle Nolan got Nedor or Standard Comics.

BUD: My big introduction to Golden Age One of the Quality Comics stories Bud might’ve had in his comics was the Jules Feiffer article. I collection was this one from Blackhawk #13 (Winter 1946). remember being fascinated by Captain Not exactly Reed Crandall or Chuck Cuidera—probably not even Bill Ward—but still, Blackhawk! Thanks to Jim Amash. America and by The Sub-Mariner. There was [Art ©2005 DC Comics.] something really appealing about them, because they were the same characters I was reading at that time, and I could compare them to what they were like 25 [chuckles] years ago. I thought that was really cool. I thought to myself, “Boy, I’d love to get those original comics.” Of course that was virtually imposBILL: The worst of all. sible for me at that time. Even a Sub-Mariner was pretty hard to acquire BUD: We would always give Michelle a hard time. Nedor and Standard when I was a kid in 1965. were pretty bad, but MLJs may be a second. BILL: What kind of spending money did you have? Did you have a BILL: Which publisher was your domain? paper route or receive an allowance from your parents? BUD: I did a lot of yard work for my parents and the neighbors. I actually did have a little income, and I had a paper route for a while. I would do odd jobs every now and then. I’d paint my parents’ house and I had a couple regular neighbors that would have me mow their lawn and that sort of thing. I had enough money to buy at least a moderate number of comics. I could buy all my Marvels and a handful of DCs. And then by 1967 I was starting to do some trading and picking up some dupes. I put an ad in The Rocket’s Blast, and I was starting to generate just a little bit of money by selling stuff. BILL: Were you a real hardcore collector at this point, with your stuff organized, adding to it, and always trying to fill in gaps? BUD: Absolutely! [Bill laughs] My father helped me build a little shelf to display my Marvels. It had like eight or nine slots. I could put my new issue in the front and see the cover. [chuckles] This did not help the condition of the front book. [laughs] Now I could look at my eight or nine Marvel titles that I’d have picked up each month. After that, I built shelves in my room and started stacking comics up on shelves. When I started acquiring older comics, I had a drawer that was my EC drawer, an old DC drawer, etc. BILL: Was EC the first Golden Age-type comics that you started collecting in a concerted effort? BUD: No, actually the very first, before EC, was concentrated on collecting what we called “the good artists.” My favorites like Carl

BUD: I started acquiring the Quality comics line and I discovered Blackhawk. I had read a couple Blackhawk comics previously, but once I got into Quality Comics I started collecting Blackhawk and Plastic Man. Just one book at a time because money and the books were scarce. I still collect Quality, even after all these years. I currently have an almost complete Quality collection. BILL: Quality had some really good books. BUD: Yeah, they did, although their prime period was up until about 1943 or so, in the mid-war period. After that, Reed Crandall and Jack Cole started putting in a lot more humor in their comics. I lost interest in Quality except for the early ones. I especially liked Lou Fine—I mean, oh, man! The creative juices were really flowing for a lot of the comics companies before the artists went off to the war. The prime Golden Age, for me, was 1940 to 1942. BILL: Did you and your collector friends get together as a “comic book club”? BUD: No, it was informal. We’d get together on Friday nights with couple of the guys who were older and had cars and sojourn north to Oakland to see Barry Bauman (who has since died). Barry had found a humongous collection. I think he got it out of Sacramento. BILL: I wrote about that in one of my books. Bill DuBay and Marty Arbunich told me about it. They lucked into a windfall of Golden Age comics cheap.

Finding The “Inner Bud”

71 Fiction House—From Comics To Pulps

Bud (shown here at age 17) acquired copies of both Jumbo Comics #127 (Sept. 1950) and various issues of the same company’s Planet Stories—perhaps even a copy of the Summer 1947 issue, shown here, which featured a cover credit for a story by Gardner Fox—which had been agented by his DC editor, Julius Schwartz. Fiction House also published Planet Comics, of course. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

BUD: Yeah, and Barry was our local source, although a 50-mile trip to Oakland back then was a major excursion. When we went up to Barry’s, John would buy his MLJs, and Michelle would buy her Nedors, and I would buy my Blackhawks. BILL: Didn’t Barry have like an upstairs den that was a special comic book room? BUD: What I remember most about it is he had a coffee table and he had his absolute best books right there. He actually had Action Comics #1, which at that time could be sold for $400. I think he had some early Timelys, some early DCs. I didn’t focus so much on those because they were so out of my price range. I was focused primarily on ECs and Quality Comics. I could afford those. I remember buying several Blackhawks from him for two bucks apiece. I don’t recall many other details about the setup of Barry’s room. I think it was an attic that had been converted into a dormer room. It was not a large room and had a low ceiling. BILL: I understand that Rudi Franke had done some artwork for the room, like painting right on the walls or floor. I also understand that Barry was close friends with Rudi and Bill DuBay—who were cranking out fanzines and fan art—and Marty Arbunich, who also was a fanzine editor. But Barry was mainly a dealer. BUD: Right. Barry was an interesting guy. He liked the comics but he was always willing to sell them. BILL: When we were preparing for this interview, you mentioned that Fiction House was another Golden Age line of comics you loved. What was it about Fiction House that particularly appealed to you? BUD: The very first Fiction House comic I got was sort of a representative Golden Age book. What happened was that I found a batch of ECs at the flea market around 1966. Like a fool, I didn’t really appreciate what they were because I was into Marvels. I called my buddies up and they said, “Oh, yeah. We’ll trade you some stuff for those ECs.” [chuckles] So we got together and brought over some Marvels and a handful of Golden Age comics. My first Golden Age comic was Jumbo Comics #127. I thought it was cool. It had “Sheena - Queen of the Jungle” and other really wild stuff. I think I got a Big Shot Comics, too. They just seemed really cool to me, even cooler than ECs. I hadn’t sat down and read ECs yet, so I didn’t really appreciate them at that point. I just thought that the Fiction House comics were so old and interesting. My buddies were not offering me Timelys or old Green Lanterns. I was sort-of getting the cast-off Golden Age comics that nobody else wanted. [laughs] They were probably taking advantage of me at the time, but oh, well. BILL: What was the deal you got at the flea market?

BUD: It was really a funny day at the flea market because I had found a bunch of Planet [Stories] pulps and I was really blown away. I thought their covers were really cool looking! So I bought a bunch of Planet pulps and I was virtually out of money. I think I had five or six dollars left. Then I ran across this batch of ECs and the guy and his girl friend wanted a quarter for two! That seemed like a lot of money—it amounted to six or seven dollars—and I didn’t have enough. I told him that I really wanted them, and his girlfriend talked him into throwing them all into the deal. “Get rid of them,” she said. “I don’t like those things. They’re nasty.” [laughs] I was able to score all those ECs from this guy. I got a nice run of Tales from the Crypt and Two-Fisted Tales, but I think I probably traded those all off in my quest to get earlier Marvels because I had a lot of holes to fill in there. BILL: When you got to high school, did you begin to feel (like so many of us) a little bit embarrassed about your comics, or were you comfortable with it? BUD: I can’t say I was completely comfortable with it. I think that I just sort-of kept it low profile. I did have a couple friends in school that were into comics and I was able to share it with them. These guys were not hardcore collectors like the folks across town were. They didn’t do fanzines or anything. They were into comics, but they were also into Robert E. Howard, Doc Savage, and heroic-type genre books. We also shared that together. I remember one of my more stupid moves in life. I was really interested in a girl when I was a sophomore in high school. I actually brought a copy of Weird Science #22 to school with the story “My World” by Wally Wood and showed it to her. I tried to convey how important this was to me [laughs], how meaningful and cool it was. I told her something like, “This isn’t like Betty and Veronica or Superman. It’s like a really significant, amazing thing and you really need to check this out.” I don’t think I got very far with her. [laughs] That was a fairly embarrassing moment in my life. BILL: That’s the thing about us comic collectors. We can recognize the quality of the best work in comics, and non-fans won’t even look for it. It’s their loss. Or, in this case, her loss!

End of Part One Next time, we talk about Bud’s interest and involvement in comics fandom… and just how he got started in the business of selling comics and books—lots more good stuff. A special note to everyone who has been reading my Comic Fandom Archive columns since Alter Ego returned in 1998: Please take a few moments to really check out the ad on the next page for my new book The Best of Star-Studded Comics. I want to assure everyone that this isn’t some “thrown-together” reprint book. I put a lot of thought into selecting the very best comic strips from that classic fanzine, and put together about 25,000 new words for a bunch of cool features: annotations, interviews, articles, etc.… so there’s plenty of editorial matter to complement the great comic strips, and I’ve assembled it with love and care. I’m writing this because this book is available only from Hamster Press, and your support is vital if you want me to continue doing “niche” books on very worthy subjects. You can purchase from the web site (www.billschelly.com), or via mail. Nuff said! —Bill.

VISIT MY WEBSITE AT: www.albertmoy.com

Ken Bald Dave Bullock

Richard Corben

Mike Golden

Erik Larsen

Jim Lee

John Byrne

John Cassaday

Darwyn Cooke

Jae Lee

Sam Kieth

Jack Kirby

Bruce Timm John Severin

WANTED: Neal Adams (covers, sketches, roughs, pages, pencils, illustrations, and paintings). Other artists of interest: Art Adams, John Byrne, John Buscema, Gil Kane, Adam Hughes, Lou Fine, Reed Crandall, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Joe Kubert, Wally Wood, Hal Foster, Alex Raymond, Charles Schultz, and many more. Interested in EC artwork, any Large Size covers, any Marvel and DC covers, large and small. Exclusive Agent For: Jae Lee, Jim Lee, Sam Kieth, John Cassaday, Ken Bald, David Bullock, Bruce Timm, Peter Snejbjerg, Darwyn Cooke, Erik Larsen, and Aron Wiesenfeld. Albert has much more art than the selection shown here. Please call him at (718) 225-3261 (8-11:30PM EST weekdays, all day weekends) if you are looking for something in particular and do not see it listed.

Peter Snejbjerg TERMS: Call to reserve art: (718) 225-3261. Will hold art for 7 days. $12 postage in U.S. $25 postage for Overseas orders. All Packages in U.S. are sent registered mail. Money Orders or Certified Checks accepted. We now also take payment via PayPal and Bidpay. Will consider trade offers — Let me know what you have to trade.

In Memoriam

Frank Kelly Freas (1922-2004)

A Fond Farewell by J. David Spurlock We are saddened by the news of the recent passing of Frank Kelly Freas. Kelly Freas was a dear, old friend of mine. He was well known both as “the dean of science-fiction illustrators” and as one of Mad magazine’s “usual gang of idiots”! Freas, who is best known for his covers to a plethora of science-fiction novels, was born on Aug. 27, 1922, in Hornell, NY, and died Sunday January 2, 2005, of natural causes in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 82. In a career that spanned 60 years, Freas illustrated stories by all the best, including Isaac Asimov, A.E. Van Vogt, Poul Anderson, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Frederik Pohl, just to name a few. Many of the authors became life-long friends with the celebrated artist. As a kid, in the 1960s, I’d scour the paperback racks for covers by the new guys, Krenkel, Frazetta, and within a few years Steranko and Jones. These were the new guys in a market in which Kelly Freas’ wellthought-out, many-color aliened compositions were already an institution! Kelly and I met in the mid-1970s at the Larry Lankford D-Con convention at which I was the “Party Guest of Honor.” I guess my title made me an odd hybrid of honored guest and co-host. My clearest memories are of Kelly, Jack Kirby, and myself at a party with Kelly regaling me about his times spent with jazz drum great Gene Krupa and Jack Kirby telling me about how, as a kid, he wanted to run away and join the circus. Jack also told me then, that super-heroes wore tights because circus acrobats wore tights. I believe that was the convention that sculptor, Richard McRee, myself, and others had some difficulty making our way down a hallway, cackling like hyenas, in the wee hours to see a rare screening of Rich Corben’s original short film Neverwhere. Kelly and I became close and kept up with each other after that.

Kelly Freas (at right in 1980s photo) with fellow giants Frank Frazetta (left) and Jack Kirby—and a 1953 black-&-white illustration from Fiction House’s pulp-mag Planet Stories. With thanks to Lance Laspina for the photo. [Art ©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

my character Bleugene. All types of sources including the songs of Cream and Hendrix influenced my work there. The scantilydistributed magazine also bolstered a portfolio of art by others including Kelly and the now-well-known illustrator (and sometime Mad cover artist) C.F. Payne. It was around this time that Kelly did the famous Queen album cover, News of the World, featuring one of his iconic giant robots reaching down… (inspired by one of his earlier sci-fi classics). I asked him how he got that magically-unique beaded highlight effect. He revealed that he would rub his finger on the side of his nose, picking up oil, then rub it onto the painting, followed by the application of highlight color! Kelly and I would talk on the phone and relish getting to see each other occasionally at conventions. At one such event, Kelly introduced me to Filksings (for the uninitiated, there’s a world of folk music based on science-fiction). Another time, I hadn’t seen Kelly for a good while and when I did I was amazed! How could this be? While my hair was starting to thin, Kelly was getting younger! He soon told me he was taking food preservatives! BHT, etc.—things most health food people were trying to get away from! He said you get sick like the flu for a few days at first but after that you’re preserved! I still don’t know what to make of that. Among the master’s many credits are 11 Hugo awards for art (a long record he may still hold); official patch design for NASA’s 1973 Skylab 1 orbiting space station; and a picture of a werewolf that appeared in the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. After the loss of Polly, Kelly was blessed with a new, young wife, Laura Brodian, who is also an artist. They traveled together showing their work. They told me how at one stop, while they went to check in, their vehicle was broken into with many of his best works stolen. The saddest thing was Kelly thought the pieces wouldn’t even live to see the black market. He feared the thieves had no idea what they had and would toss the traceable paintings in favor of selling the frames!

I remember when his first wife Polly was diagnosed with cancer. They tried to fight it, with the doctors ultimately telling them that it didn’t matter what they did, she had only five weeks to a few months to live! Have you ever seen infomercials of the “Juice Man”? That guy reminds me of Kelly—visually—plus, when Polly was sick, Kelly became the original “Juice Man”! They bought a blender and Polly went on a strict diet of nothing but raw fruits and vegetables. Instead of five weeks, Polly lived surprisingly well for another five years!

In the last decade or so my schedule kept me too busy and we spoke less. I did get to see him in Manhattan along with Jack Davis, Mort Drucker, and others at the Warner Bros. Store premiere of the Mad: Cover to Cover book which features Kelly’s Mad cover paintings (Kelly later did several covers for Marvel’s competing title, Crazy). I presented him with my then-recent Wally Wood Sketchbook—apropos for a Mad event. I also made a point to catch up with him for a few treasured moments each year at the San Diego Comic-Con.

In late 1979 or early 1980, Kelly blessed me with his contribution, a wonderful, and beautifully hand-lettered, introduction with illustration for the first comics magazine I wrote, drew, and published. The issue, Badge #1 (Sparrow Lake Enterprises 1980) featured two adventures of

He was a great, thinking illustrator (much of which was revealed in the first Art of Kelly Freas book) and a sweetheart of a man. His work from pulp-digests to paperback covers, to Mad and Crazy magazines, NASA, record album covers, etc., was always in top form. [Continued on next page.]

In Memoriam

Marcel Navarro (1922-2004) “The French Stan Lee” by Jean-Marc Lofficier

arcel Navarro (1922-2004), nicknamed “the French Stan Lee,” recently passed away in France at age 82. Navarro was a journalist in Lyon during World War II; he also moonlighted, writing and translating Italian comics for publisher S.A.G.E. There, he met Robert Bagage, the future founder of Editions Imperia, and artist Pierre Mouchot, who, in September 1944 asked him to create a new superhero character.

Marcel Navarro, framed by two of his many notable comics achievements: a page from his 1980 two-part continuation of the defunct “Silver Surfer” feature, utilizing John Buscema-derived art by Jean-Yves Mitton— and a page from the “Mikros” feature in Titans #63 (April 1984). At left, the Surfer prepares to pay a less-thanfriendly visit to the United Nations, as discussed in Alter Ego V3#1… while Mikros’ claw-handed ami Bobby Crag sports a costume made out of American flags. For more details, see Jean-Marc Lofficer’s extended coverage of the French “Silver Age” in A/E #30. [Titans art ©2005 J.-Y. Mitton; Silver Surfer TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

That character was Fantax. Fantax was rejected by several publishers before Navarro and Mouchot managed to get it published in 1946. In addition to Fantax, Navarro created and wrote the Western super-hero Big Bill le Casseur [Big Bill the Wrecker] and Robin des Bois [Robin Hood] for Mouchot’s newly-formed publishing company (using the pseudonyms “J.K. Melwyn-Nash” and “Malcolm Naughton”). But the two men parted ways in 1948 over the issue of Navarro’s ownership of his creations. Navarro then met another former French Resistant, Auguste Vistel, and together they created a new publishing company, Aventures & Voyages, with Bernadette Ratier, in 1948. For Aventures & Voyages, Navarro created Marco Polo, Diavolo, Brik and Yak. But, after starting yet another company with Vistel, Editions Lug in 1950, Navarro eventually sold his shares in Aventures & Voyages to Ratier in 1955. At Editions Lug, Navarro used his extensive Italian contacts to make the new company the leading publisher of French and Italian digest-sized comics and, starting in 1969, of French editions of Marvel Comics. At Lug, Navarro co-created and edited a number of popular characters such as Zembla, Rakar, Dick Demon, Wampus and, later, Kabur, Waki, Jaleb the Telepath, The Time Brigade, Waki, Mikros, Photonik and Phénix. Navarro also wrote a special episode of “The Silver Surfer” drawn by JeanYves Mitton for the French market. In 1989, Marcel Navarro retired when Editions Lug was sold to Semic.

[Continued from previous page.] We miss you Kelly and will see you again at that great Filksing in the sky. My love to his family.

[J. David Spurlock is publisher of Vanguard Productions, artistcreator of The Space Cowboy, and president emeritus of the Dallas Society of Illustrators.]

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(Speedy) Green Mask (Domino), The Hooded Wasp (Wasplet), HourMan (Jimmy Martin & Thorndyke), The Human Torch (Toro), Hydroman (Rainbow Boy), Cat-Man (Kitten), Gordon Fife??? (Nickie the Boy King), dunno about Yankee Boy, The Lone Warrior (Dicky), The Lynx (Blacky), Magno the Magnetic Man (Davy), Samson (David), Mighty Man (Super Ann), Mr. Scarlet (Pinky), Sandman (Sandy), Red Tornado (The Cyclone Kids), The Shadow (Shadow Jr.), Shaman (Flame), Silver Streak (Mercury), Flint Baker (Herc), Steel Sterling (Inferno), Sub-Zero (Freezum), TNT (Dan the Dyna-Mite), Vigilante (Stuff), White Streak (Red Seal), Yankee Doodle Jones (Dandy), Captain Flash (Ricky), Fighting American (Speedboy), Aquaman (Aqualad), Flash (Kid Flash), and Nightmare (Sleepy). Oh, and for a while in 1943, The Blue Beetle had a young costumed partner named Spunky (or was it Sparky?). Well, I didn’t get ’em all, but I gave it a shot!

oy here… accompanied by yet another of Aussie fan/artist Shane Foley’s inventive takes on our “maskot” Alter Ego— this time in what he calls “a Kirby-ish/Buscema-ish” style. And, of course, ’twas just a couple of weeks ago that Heroic Publishing’s Alter Ego: The Graphic Novel went on sale in comics shops across the country, collecting (in gorgeous color on slick paper) the four issues of the 1986 Alter Ego comic book series, with script by yours truly and art by Ron Harris. See ad on p. 66.

And, for copies of all the back issues of the magazine version of Alter Ego referred to at various places in our text, see the TwoMorrows ad bloc that begins on p. 90: 45 (out of 46) issues of A/E itself, plus The All-Star Companion, Vol. 1, and a bare handful of copies of the nearly-out-ofprint trade paperback Alter Ego: The Comic Book Artist Collection, reprinting 1998-99’s A/E Vol. 2, #1-5, with features on the Thomas/Adams X-Men and Avengers (Kree-Skrull War), The Invaders, Steve Ditko on Spider-Man, etc., etc., etc.—as Yul Brynner used to say! There was so much great material on Matt Baker this time that we can’t catch up further in terms of letters and e-mails, but at least we won’t fall any further behind, as we spotlight A/E #38, with its full-issue focus on Golden Age great (and primo early “Batman” artist) Jerry Robinson. So let’s get cracking…

Jake Oster Close enough, Jake—your free copy of this issue is on its way to you. Sure, you missed Yankee Boy, Johnny Rebel’s kid buddy in Yankee Comics—and Nickie, the Boy King, pal of Joe Spook in Novelty’s The Eagle. And there were actually two kid partners named Rusty—the other fought alongside Flag-Man in Captain Aero. But then, you may just have caught us with our tights down on The Blue Beetle (we’ll have to check that one out)—and we both forgot Tommy, the Amazing Kid, who was introduced in Centaur’s Amazing-Man #23, as well as Black Cat’s sidekick Black Kitten, Sparky from Captain Red Blazer stories in All-New Comics #6-12, and Rags in The Great Zarro in Great Comics! And does anybody out there know if the guy called Ace (a.k.a. Andy) in stories of The Dart in Fox’s Weird Comics #5-18 was a kid or an adult? Ditto Lance Cooper in Green Knight tales in Dynamic Comics? Actually, we were tempted to add Yank and Doodle from Prize Comics to the list, but they had their own feature from the outset, and when they teamed up with The Black Owl in the late ’40s, it was the twins who got top billing— just as The Star-Spangled Kid was the head of the DC SSK-&-Stripesy duo—and Subbie in Timely’s Kid Comix #1-2 never really hung with The Sub-Mariner, did he? Any more we may have missed? We didn’t count non-costumed kid groups like The Little Wise Guys and The Newsboy Legion, although the latter started off as sidekicks to the original Daredevil and the NL were the title characters of the series that also featured The Guardian. Yeesh! Thinking about all those kid heroes is making my head hurt, so it’s a pleasure to move on to a letter about living legend Jerry Robinson from longtime comics scribe Mike W. Barr:

First, here’s the sole response I recall getting to #38’s challenge to name the adult heroes accompanied by a whole bunch of kid sidekicks listed in conjunction with an early drawing of Robin the Boy Wonder. It came from reader Jake Oster:

Dear Roy, Roy— The super-heroes who mentored the kid heroes mentioned in the caption were (in order): Captain America (Bucky), Air Male (Stampy), The American Eagle (The Eaglet), The Wizard (Roy the Super Boy), Black Lion (Cub), Black Cobra (Cobra Kid), Black Terror (Tim), The Deacon (Mickey), Doc Strange (Mike), Dynamic Man (Dynamic Boy), The Eagle (Buddy), The Defender (Rusty), Flying Fist (Bingo), Green Arrow

One of the longer-lived kid sidekicks was The Shield’s pal Dusty the Boy Detective, seen here in an MLJ house ad taken from a cover drawn by Irv Novick. In the 1960s and beyond, of course, Novick would often draw a slightly better-known Boy Wonder, name of Robin. Thanks to Jim Amash. [© 2005 Archie Comic Publications, Inc.]

My enjoyment of A/E #39 (the AllJerry Robinson issue) was near complete, mitigated only by a couple of very small quibbles about language. (a) In a few instances your correspondences used the term “insure” when context obviously indicated the word “ensure.” It’s a small thing, but in the age of computer commands like Find/Replace it’s easily fixed. (2) You’re the only guy I’ve ever known to hyphenate the term “kind of.” Even my dictionary

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spells it as two words. This is equally small, but more baffling. By the way, Dick Giordano arranged a meeting between Jerry Robinson and me in the early or middle 1980s up at DC. I tried hard to interest him in a “Batman” project, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Glad to hear he’s in such excellent health. Regarding Don Cameron, I enjoyed the sidebar on him (p. 16, Part One) almost as much as anything else in the issue, as I believe Cameron is one of many comic book creators who never got what he deserved, and I found the speculation about the differences between Cameron and his father fascinating. Interesting to note that the dedication of his 1940 Abelard Voss mystery Grave without Grass (published by Henry Holt and Company as “by Donald Clough Cameron”) reads: “For My Father and Favorite Critic.” (Even more interesting to note that these may be two disparate persons.) Maybe he was trying to reach out. Mike W. Barr Glad for the added info about Don Cameron, Mike. Guess I got a bit careless about “ensure”/“insure”—but it’s definitely my choice to hyphenate “kind-of” (also “sort-of”) when those two words are used together as if they were one word, meaning “rather” or “more or less.” Call it a quirk. You’d think Alberto Becattini had done enough over in Italy by preparing the lengthy study of comic art giant Matt Baker in this very issue, but here’s an additional tidbit of information he sent us re Jerry Robinson: Dear Roy, The Jerry Robinson issue was fabulous! I can offer a few corrections/additions, which I hope will be of use. In the interview, when talking about Jet Scott (p. 15), Robinson affirms that Sheldon Stark was “a writer who hadn’t written comics before.” This is incorrect, as Stark had been the (anonymous) writer on the Inspector Wade strip for King Features Syndicate from 1935-51. Re the Checklist, Robinson worked on the following series for Dell/Western/Gold Key: Dell & related: Bat Masterson #1013, 2-9 (1959-61). He also drew the “Softspoken Smith” backup in that book. Lassie #33-44 (1957-59) Max Brand’s Silvertip #835 (1957) Western/Whitman/Gold Key: Boris Karloff Thriller #1 (1962) Dear Nancy Parker #1, 2 (1962) Rocky and His Fiendish Friends #1-5 (1962-63) He did not work on Twilight Zone, as listed. Alberto Becattini Thanks, Alberto. Naturally, no coverage of Batman and Robin would be complete without at least a touch of controversy concerning who created what, and A/E #39 was no exception, as per this letter from Mark Lewis: Roy,

ones, there seemed to be some difference of opinion as to just who created The Joker. In his CI interview, Robinson said it was he, just like he says in this more recent interview. But both Bob Kane (surprisingly) and Fred Finger [son of original “Batman” writer/co-creator Bill Finger] claim that The Joker came from Bill Finger! I bring this up not in the interest of creating controversy, but because I seem to recall you making a statement early on in A/E along the lines of letting interview subjects have their say about who did what, indicating that there’s a difference of opinion, and leaving it for the reader to sort out. So, at the suggestion of P.C. Hamerlinck, I’m putting this out there for whatever it may be worth. If nothing else, the Kane interview is interesting for the fact that he shows remorse for not acknowledging Bill Finger’s role more fully while Finger was still active. Mark Lewis Maybe so, Mark, but it never seemed to me as if Bob Kane actually took any of the blame for what many of us consider depriving Bill Finger of rightful status as the co-creator of Batman. Even today, stories and Archives editions carry the credit “Batman Created by Bob Kane,” which is only about half-true; we can only guess that that credit is, at this stage, a legal technicality, since it’s widely accepted by professionals that Finger co-created the Dark Knight. Kane’s regrets in later life—only stated after Finger had died and thus could not respond—were expressed as if Kane were indeed sorry that poor Bill didn’t receive enough credit for Batman during his lifetime, but were said as if that were an act of God for whom no one was responsible, when Kane could have remedied the situation at any time before Bill’s passing—or his own. Such a deed would not have robbed Kane of his status as one of the great comics creators, and probably the guy who did conceive the original idea for Batman—and it would’ve made a lot of us feel a bit better about him as a human being. Sorry about the soapbox, but this is something on which Mike Barr, Jerry Bails, Jim Amash, and I, along with a number of others, feel very strongly. As far as we’re concerned, as long as Bill Finger’s name isn’t listed with Bob Kane’s any time Batman-creation credits are given, the credit grab will continue posthumously.

The Jerry Robinson interview was great. I love seeing such indepth, lengthy coverage of someone like that (in fact, I’d encourage you to do more of the same with subjects of Robinson’s caliber). He’s plainly accomplished a whole lot more than many people would ever hope to.

Roy—

However, when I got to the part where the creation of The Joker was discussed, it brought back to mind something I’d read a long time ago in Comics Interview #31, a special issue focusing on Batman and his origins. Reading this new interview reminded me that, in those earlier

The Jerry Robinson interview in #39 was the first I’ve read of him and his personal life. It never occurred to me before that he might be Jewish, judging by his last name. The bio info about his parents’ and siblings’ names strongly suggests it, however (the details of his Breman

Some comments from Herb Lichtenstein:

[correspondence, comments, & corrections]

curatorship and wedding by rabbi are inconclusive). Herb Lichtenstein Yes, Jerry’s Jewish, as were so many of his contemporaries in the early days of comics—probably partly because the industry started out in New York City, which has a higher Jewish population than maybe even Jerusalem. Now, a few words from Howard Leroy Davis about comics pioneer Gill Fox, whose brief obituary/tribute appeared in #39:

aspiring cartoonists studying at the School of Visual Arts; and, second, the Scholarship will honor Wally for his enormous contributions to the field of comic art. Gifts of all amounts will be gratefully received. All gifts are tax-deductible. Checks should be made out to the “Wally Wood Scholarship Fund” and mailed to the following address: Visual Arts Foundation 15 Gamercy Park South New York, NY 10023 Thank you for your help. With your continued support, the Scholarship will become a reality.

Hi, Roy— Alter Ego #39 was a fascinating issue. Jerry Robinson’s life story is one that we can all envy and wish we could emulate. The Gill Fox tribute also caught my eye. I met Gill at a reception in Joe Kubert’s school in the mid-’70s. Joe threw a reception honoring Harry “A” Chesler, and many of the men who had worked in his shop were rounded up to attend. Our comic club, DVCC, assisted in the catering. Gill was a delightful man, but it was as Jim Amash says: Gill was honored as part of this or part of that. Little recognition for him in his own right despite his obvious talent. I guess that’s because he never really originated a fan-favorite. I know that I delighted in his work for Quality, but it was virtually always after someone else had originated a series and moved on: “Death Patrol” after Jack Cole, “Chop-Chop” after Jack Cole and before Paul Gustavson, “Torchy” after Bill Ward. Howard Leroy Davis Obviously, Howard, Gill never worried about originating features, because his main focus was always elsewhere. But he was an important figure in early comics, no doubt about it. Here’s a letter from Glenn M. Wood, brother of artistic great Wally Wood, that got crowded out a few months back, but which we wanted folks to read:

Glenn M. Wood Glad to be of help, Glenn, even if we’re a bit late. Two worthy causes—providing money for struggling students, and commemorating your brother, a true comic book great. A Few Additional Additions and Corrections re #39: When I congratulated Tom Ziuko, who colors most of A/E’s covers, on his excellent work on Jerry Robinson’s Batman cover for #39 and prodded him for details, he replied: “Thank you so much. I think this is the best coloring job I’ve done yet on the computer. And yes, the underwater effect is indeed there, both on the Joker figure and on the ocean floor. This is one of the many things I loved about coloring on the computer. In addition to having total control over airbrushing, grading, shading, and color tones, this kind of effect is now easily possible. I went online, found a photo taken underwater of a shark (whom I removed), and I used portions of the underwater background to lay over my color. I hate what a certain style of computer coloring has brought to modern comics—where Superman’s hair and skin and costume all look like highly reflective plastic or metal, and everything is shiny and polished.” We couldn’t agree with you much more, Tom, if we tried with both hands.

Alter Ego founder Jerry G. Bails says it was Bill Melendez, not Jack Mendelsohn, who produced the Peanuts TV specials in the 1960s and ’70s, but somehow the two names got confused in A/E #39 In the late 1960s, Wally Wood drew this Dear TwoMorrows: when I asked him for info—my fault, probably. Jim pencil sketch of his hero Animan for young A few years ago, I initiated the Wally Marv Wolfman. Thanks, Marv! Animan Amash put in his more-than-2¢-worth: “Jack Wood Scholarship Fund at the School of debuted in 1966, in the first issue of Wood’s [Mendelsohn] was a writer for many HannaVisual Arts in New York City. This schol“pro-zine” witzend, as covered in A/E #8, Barbera shows, including The Impossibles and our Wally Wood special. Check out this arship is in memory of my brother Wally, for Penelope Pit-Stop. He also wrote George of the issue’s TwoMorrows ad bloc for how to his outstanding contribution to the field of Jungle and Super Chicken for Jay Ward, and he order it—and Bill Pearson’s lavishlycomic art during his 33-year career as a wrote for Laugh-In, The Jim Nabors Show, The illustrated biographical memoir Against the freelance cartoonist. His life and accomCarol Burnett Show, etc. Jack started out as a comic Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood—not to plishment are vividly portrayed in Bhob book writer/artist.” He adds that Jack M. “would mention the Wallace Wood Checklist. Stewart’s recent book for TwoMorrows, like you to run the photo in his [forthcoming] Different art and material in all three! Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace [©2005 Estate of Wally Wood.] interview in A/E and playfully mis-ID Jerry as Wood. This is complementary to the earlier Jackie Robinson or something. I’m not certain how Wally Wood Sketchbook from Vanguard. During the past year, I estabserious he was about that, but it is funny.” lished a permanent exhibit about Wally at the historical museum in our Carl Gafford says that reading #39 stirred his memory: “I hometown of Menahga, Minnesota, and the historical museum at remember coloring [Jerry Robinson’s] Sunday Wit of the World strips Hurley, Wisconsin, where Wally and I attended high school. when I was in Noo Yawk. Continued briefly when I moved to San I wish to thank everyone who has contributed to the Scholarship to Fran back in 1989, but when I went on staff at Disney Comics in date. In my first appeal letter, I set forth a matching challenge to my sons 1990 I was too busy to keep up with it.” and myself for gifts up to an accumulated total of $1000. I am very happy to report that this goal was exceeded, and the total of all gifts now exceeds $4000 of the $10,000 needed to initiate the Fund. Now, I wish to extend the matching challenge. This means that my sons and I will match dollar for dollar for all additional gifts up to an accumulated total of $1500. If this goal can be achieved, the required funding for the Scholarship is virtually assured. I ask you again for your support of the Scholarship Fund. My objectives are twofold. First, the Scholarship will directly support

Send comments and corrections re this issue to: Roy Thomas Fax: (803) 826-6501 e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com 32 Bluebird Trail St. Matthews, SC 29135 And don’t miss next .month’s spotlight on the late great Will Eisner, as he talks about his years at Quality Comics and Eisner & Iger—and his Golden Age collaborators Chuck Mazoujian and Vern Henkel talk about Will!

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81 it. And that’s the way I went at it. Those cuffs, casually rolled back a couple of turns, were my own… in a mirror… sketched many times… same as the entire costume… all in the name of consistency. I wanted our boy to make a lasting impression wherever he went… like that “other fellow”… in the red suit.

[FCA EDITORS NOTE: From 1941-53, Marcus D. Swayze was a top artist for Fawcett Publications. The very first Mary Marvel character sketches came from Marc’s drawing table, and he illustrated her earliest adventures, including the classic origin story, “Captain Marvel Introduces Mary Marvel (Captain Marvel Adventures #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 discussed The Great Pierre strip, which finally led to his long-sought syndicate contract. In this issue, he continues his recollections of Pierre and his dealings with Bell Syndicate. —P.C. Hamerlinck.]

When I was in high school, my father bought me an ancient Model-T Ford. Got it for fourteen bucks! My cousin and I drove it all the way to the Chicago World’s Fair… but only after we had spent several weeks overhauling the engine. To me, the sight of all those auto parts… pistons and things… spread out on the ground… waiting to be reassembled… was discouraging… maybe even a little frightening. But not to Gus. When we finally cranked that old baby up again, she ran like a top… probably better than when she left the factory. That’s the way, when life got around to it, I tried to put together my comic strip characters… piece by piece… thought by thought. Seemed to make them less vulnerable to criticism. And it was more fun that way. Pierre… no exception. The various qualities that made up the Cajun were not casually thrown together like cards in a hat. Sketches of the character were all over the place by the time the strips were ready for printing. Reviewing the work, I had to confess to a moment of satisfaction. Five weeks… of writing and art… 30 strips… 90 panels… rendered at top speed, but pretty darn good! If the feature was ever to hit the market, I had done my part. Now it was up to the syndicate. But not so fast. That wasn’t the opinion of everyone involved. In the correspondence from Agnelli there was a wavering of the original enthusiasm. In his letter of February 1, he had said: “If you are coming to

Herron and Allard, two Fawcett names at the top of my personal roster of masterminds, never once, as well as can be recalled, spoke the word “consistency” when discussing Captain Marvel. Yet the word… its meaning… was ever present in the atmosphere. Can you imagine that? “Consistency,” as it might relate to the drawing of a super-hero? It meant, I came to realize, drawing your character to be easily identified and remembered… by the readers… all of ’em! I never questioned it. When Captain Marvel came from my drawing board, even as a tiny figure at great distance, the intention was that he be recognized immediately and remembered forever! And so it was in fashioning Pierre. I thought of him very much as I had Captain Marvel… but not quite the same… a good Joe, but without all the super-hero fanfare. There would be no red suit, no bright chest emblem… but there would be consistency. He would be seen in his casual, rustic attire whether in the wilds of the swamp or the offices of the Border Patrol. The same clothes… all the time? Absolutely. “Glued on him, if necessary,” my witty brother would have expressed

“When Captain Marvel came from my drawing board ... the intention was that he be recognized immediately and remembered forever!” And it worked! Illustration by Marc Swayze for Fawcett’s picture magazine Spot (1942)—also reprinted in Fawcett Companion (TwoMorrows), page 20. This drawing was later modified (as above) for “Captain Marvel Joins the Army” in Captain Marvel Adventures #20 (June 1942). [©2005 DC Comics.]

“We Didn’t Know...

town this week it might be a good idea to see our promotion man.” Promotion was a subject that would be bandied back and forth throughout my story in Derby. In August I wrote: “When I was at the Syndicate shortly before Easter it was understood that all criticisms concerning The Great Pierre were to be sent to me for one last revision… It has been suggested now that the first two weeks be sped up…” My letter went on about how such a modification would likely affect the originality of the character, but that I would proceed with it. Proceeding meant the trashing of two strips of the new introduction, itself a previous revision. That intro did indeed, as criticized, move the story forward rather leisurely… but so what? It carried enough interest and curiosity, in my opinion, to hold the reader a few days. And those characters… members of the Border Patrol offices… I had hoped to keep them around as regulars… for when Pierre reported in at headquarters. Heck… I liked those guys. In September my correspondence to Joseph Agnelli at Bell Syndicate said: “Your

“Pierre …much like Captain Marvel, a good Joe … without all the super-hero fanfare.” Scene from third week of The Great Pierre, drawn circa 1954. All four weeks done of that strip were printed last issue. [©2005 Marc Swayze.]

“Sketches of Pierre were all over the place….” In the artist’s opinion, the greatest satisfaction in creating the characters came when they were assembled piece by piece, thought by thought. [©2005 Marc Swayze.]

Monthly! The Original First-Person History!

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

...It Was The Golden Age!”

83 letter of August 11 stated that the syndicate’s preparation of Pierre promotion material was to begin at that time. I was disappointed when in your office the other day that matters were at the same stage as last April….” Then, on October 19: “It is evident that plans for your men to take The Great Pierre promotion proofs on the road after Labor Day did not take place….” Next word from Agnelli was a telegram, dated November 4: “…Sorry we were all jammed up and didn’t get to promotion proofs…” Was there some dawdling going on up there at Bell Syndicate? Stalling? [More Golden Age memories from Marc Swayze continue next issue.]

“Heck… I liked those guys! The intention had been to have them around for when Pierre made his reports at headquarters.” Created as regulars, Courtland and Keller were reduced to nameless extras when the new introduction was criticized as advancing the story too slowly. [©2005 Marc Swayze.]

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The Birth And Death Of The Golden Age by C.C. Beck Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck [Originally presented in FCA #15-17 (FCA/SOB #4-6), 1980-81]

Part I The Illusion of Action In Pictures Over a hundred years ago Eadweard Muybridge startled the world of art when he produced photographs taken in sequence. When these photographs were viewed one after another they created the illusion that the people in the pictures were moving … that they were in action. Muybridge projected his pictures on a screen and his first audiences were artists. Later, Thomas Edison perfected the projecting of “moving pictures” and the movie industry was born. As live actors were being captured on film by photographers in the early movie studios, artists were making the first animated cartoons. Drawing pictures to be seen in sequence, not individually, taught cartoonists the importance of the panel format or “strip” approach which developed into the comic strip, and within a few years every newspaper featured a line of comic strips, which became immensely popular. Cartoonists had long been producing individual cartoons, mostly political, but now they really came into their own with their daily and Sunday “funnies.” The public could see their favorite characters move and talk just as if they were alive! It made little difference that the characters were comic characters with potato noses and shoe button eyes; they seemed real to the readers. There were a few attempts made to introduce realistic drawing in comic strips, but they got nowhere. The world of comic strips was a world of illusion and fantasy where anything could happen; realistic drawing seemed out of place. In later years, after some comic strips had degenerated into soap operas, realistic drawing began to be used more and more. In the realistic strips the action was slow and dragged out and there was little or no humor. But both kinds of strips continued to be published in newspapers and still are to be found there today. The leading comic strips today, as in times past, are strictly comic, however. In comic books, which are a different thing entirely, the reverse is true today.

Although the early comic books looked and were intended to be read like the daily strips from which they were derived, there was pressure from their producers to get away from their “comic” look. It was this pressure which within a few short years caused comic books to lose the immense popularity they originally had at their start. By the early ’50s comic books were not comic, there was no action in them, and sales had dropped almost to the vanishing point. The Golden Age of Comics had ended.

Part II How To Kill The Illusion Of Action The early comic book heroes—Superman, Batman, Plastic Man, Daredevil, Captain Marvel—were drawn in comic style by cartoonists,

The Birth And Death Of The Golden Age

not by serious illustrators. Within a very short time these strips were expanded by their publishers to where dozens of artists and writers were employed in producing each of them. The new employees were not cartoonists but pulp editors and writers and artists from the fine arts and illustrative fields. They knew nothing about cartooning, which they regarded as childish and crude. The writers over-wrote their scripts, packing them full of outlandish action and long speeches which appealed to the editors, who then turned the stories over to be “illustrated” as they would have been in pulp magazines. The artists, anxious to impress the editors and writers with their knowledge of art, broke their comic pages into elaborate artistic layouts filled with captions and variously-shaped panels which would appeal to the eye, although they meant nothing to the reader. As a result, the illusion of action which the early comic strips had created by showing portions of an action panel by panel as if it were a movie was destroyed completely. Action is an illusion; it exists only in the viewer’s mind. No action can exist in a single picture; a picture is frozen in time and is as motionless as a piece of statuary or an exhibit in a museum. Cartoonists draw crudely and simply because they know that the more that is left out of a picture the more the viewer’s imagination will fill in the gaps. They know that a series of pictures leading up to an action is always more successfully shown than the action itself, which they usually indicate by a sound effect, a cloud of dust, or some other abstract symbol. The moments before and after an action can be drawn but the action itself must take place in the imagination. C.C. Beck, the original artist and co-creator of Captain Marvel, illustrates Muybridge’s photos The new editors and writers and illusof moving subjects. Art from Beck’s unpublished The Principles of Illustration. trators tried to show action, not to suggest From the collection of P.C. Hamerlinck. [©Estate of C.C. Beck.] it. They put in countless captions and panels filled with explanatory copy which led up to the action, then put the action itself into a drawing. Comic books became picture books – albums filled with all sorts of startling and eye-catching drawings, which looked attractive but meant nothing to a reader who was looking for an exciting story, not a collection of meaningless pictures. Far too many people, including far too many artists, believe that realism is preferable to non-realism. “I want to see everything just the And the action shown in the new style of drawing was forced and way it really looks,” they say. “None of your abstract art for me. It’s melodramatic. Characters gesticulated wildly while striking silly poses silly.” like ham actors. Backgrounds and props and costumes became so overelaborate that the reader was bewildered. “What is going on?” readers What such people don’t understand is that nothing is sillier than began to ask. “Where is the story?” realism where it doesn’t belong. It’s even sillier than non-realism in the wrong place. Pretty soon there was nothing going on. There were no stories, no action, and no more comic books. The Golden Age of Comics was over, Ordinary, everyday things like houses, cars, mailboxes, telephones, killed by the non-cartoonists who had turned them into non-comics. and the like are real objects in the real world. When an artist draws one

Part III The Deadly Dullness Of Realistic Art

C.C. Beck

BECK SIDEBAR:

Comics Are Jigsaw Puzzles Everyone has some artistic talent. Those who declare, sometimes proudly, that they “can’t even draw a straight line” seem to believe that this inability excuses their ineptness at art. But, as children, even those who later boast of their lack of artistic talent were talented. Humans are different from other animals. They have an urge to create as soon as they can sit up and use their hands.

There are many pre-formed elements used in comic book work. Costumes, for example, are set; the artist can’t change them. Certain poses are standard; so many of each must be included per page. Only certain situations are allowed; writers can’t insert new ones willy-nilly. Certain elements must be included in every story, whether they fit or not, to keep editors and publishers happy—and paying for the work.

Children build things with blocks and they make pictures with crayons and paints. They put together kits and they weave and sew and make figures and bowls and other things out of clay. No other animals do this; not until they are mature do birds build nests, wasps make clay vases, beavers erect dams, and so on.

Why are comics so cut-and-dried, so formula-ridden? Because the public which buys them will only buy easy to read, easy to follow stories and artwork. A comic book buyer is looking for a how-to-enjoyyourself kit with step-by-step instructions telling him when to laugh, when to cry, when to hold his breath, when to break out in a cold sweat, and so on.

Although when they grow up most people stop doing artwork, they continue to exercise their innate artistic talent. People who would never dream of being writers—a most difficult occupation—work crossword puzzles. People who can’t draw a straight line put together jigsaw puzzles or painstakingly create quite nice pictures “by the numbers.” They weave, and sew, and assemble birdhouses, or put together model boats and airplanes. They do carpentry work and they make furniture and they paint and decorate their homes.

Any comic which fails to give readers this “by the numbers” sort of instruction will not last long. Some comics have lasted for generations but others have disappeared forever. Sadly, many of the ones which have lasted are today so plasticized and homogenized that they resemble nothing better than waxworks stamped out with molds and as tasteless as fast food, or the sort of horrible artwork seen in amusement parks and arcades.

All these kinds of creative work call for plans worked out by someone else. Patterns and step-by-step construction copy is needed; even a crossword puzzle has a list of definitions and a jigsaw puzzle has an assembled picture printed on its box cover as a guide.

Comic books which try to be new and different or to be like fine art with too much detail and technique miss the mark. They may appeal to very small audiences of people with special interests, but they are not commercial successes.

The general public doesn’t know that comic book artists and writers also work from instructions. Publishers have editors who tell artists and writers what to do. In the comic field most characters are already established or, if they aren’t, the publishers, through their editors, tell writers and artists what sort of new characters they need.

Those who believe that comics—which is to say, animated, moving, and talking little pictures which seem to act out sequences for the viewer—will take the place of other forms of communicative art are, in my opinion, deluding themselves. Comics are, and always have been, no more than little, amusing, time-killing devices about as unimportant as crossword and jigsaw puzzles. To see them as anything else is not only rather silly but self-destructive, for when comics are turned into something else they lose their appeal and die quick deaths.

A writer’s job is then simply to assemble the required number of words of the proper sorts to describe the actions of the specified characters, a task not very different from working out a crossword puzzle. The artist to whom the typed copy is handed then fits pictures into the spaces specified, just about as if he or she were assembling a jigsaw puzzle.

—C.C. Beck [Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck. Originally presented in FCA #32 (FCA/SOB #21) 1984.]

The Birth And Death Of The Golden Age

A reader may believe that a soap opera is actually taking place somewhere and that the artist is merely reporting it. But very few readers believe, or even want to believe, that the things shown in comic books really exist. They may have existed in the past when people believed in elves and fairies and giants and magical creatures of all kinds, or they may exist in the future when all sorts of fantastic things will be possible, but they don’t exist today. Even a little kid knows that! Why, then, do so many comic book publishers and editors and writers and artists insist on realism in comics? Why do they show every muscle bulging and every bit of clothing wrinkling as their heroes leap, fly, fight, and show off their various imaginary super powers? Real people don’t fly, they don’t fight with swords and axes and lasers, and they aren’t seven feet tall and invulnerable to every force in the universe. Such imaginary things should not be drawn realistically at all; they should be suggested. Setting should not be drawn in minute detail; crowds should be suggested, not shown; shading and perspective should be used only when necessary, not everywhere. Panels should be square and unobtrusive, not fancied up. They’re only picture frames, not parts of the story! Captions should be eliminated—who needs subtitles? Imaginary creatures should look imaginary, not like hoked-up monsters out of a Japanese science-fiction movie or actors in bad makeup.

“The early comic book heroes—Superman, Batman, Plastic Man, Daredevil, Captain Marvel—were drawn in comic style by cartoonists, not by serious illustrators.” Above: the finale from Jack Cole’s “Daredevil Battles The Claw” in Silver Streak Comics #7 (Jan. 1941), as re-created by C.C. Beck in the 1970s for Mad magazine associate editor Jerry de Fuccio. Special thanks to Ron Frantz. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

of these objects in a picture it should look like a house, a car, a mail box, and so on, not like something else. Ordinary, everyday people should look ordinary and everyday, not like Greek statues or artist’s models. Cartoonists who draw “soap opera” strips should—and do— draw in a very realistic, dull, down-to-earth style, which is quite proper, as the readers are dull, down-to-earth types with no imaginations. Comic books deal in fantastic, unreal, imaginary characters in quite out-of-the-ordinary settings and doing far from everyday things such as flying, fighting, seeing through brick walls, breathing underwater, reading minds, and such. Drawing such characters realistically, making their imaginary settings and props and actions look “just like real life,” is not only silly but makes everything as deadly dull as a soap opera. Beck, from the same source: “When comic pages are presented in simple panel-by-panel format, as in this Golden Age page sample, the reader gets the illusion that something is going on, even though there is little or no action in the panels themselves. A story is being told, crudely and simply, but clearly and entertainingly.” See, for instance, the bottom 3/4 of this Beck page (scripted by Otto Binder) from Captain Marvel Adventures #61 (May 24, 1946), the first chapter of the "Cult of the Curse" serial. We don't see CM and Oggar butt heads, yet there is a strong impression of action, just the same. [©2005 DC Comics.]

C.C. Beck Above all, there should be some humor and some feeling and some weeping and some exulting. There should be some quiet moments, some breathing spaces. There should be some ordinary people in every comic story; an all-hero comic is ridiculous. And there should be some good villains … villains who are evil and obnoxious—and completely unreal! I’m not asking comic producers to change their approach by presenting everything in Mutt and Jeff or Happy Hooligan style. When the Golden Age started, nobody was shown wearing silk hats and spats or with tin cans on their heads as though drawn by cartoonists left over from 1890. We early cartoonists used realism where it was needed and non-realism where it was needed. Our comics had excitement, fantasy, imagination … and they seemed to be real, but not realistic. But far too early in the Golden Age realism started creeping into everything. Gradually the comic books became duller—and sillier—and harder to believe. Finally people stopped buying them and the Golden Age was over. Today? Happily, there are new comics coming along—comics that are drawn with imagination and skill … and non-realistically. Another Golden Age may be a-building! I hope that I may help those who are working on these new comics by pointing out how the Golden Age was killed. Don’t let it happen again!

Editor C.C. Beck and publisher Bernie McCarty, as drawn by Beck during the Fawcett Collectors of America’s “FCA/SOB” period, from which this issue’s Beck essays are reprinted. [©2005 Estate of C.C. Beck.]

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KIRBY COLLECTOR #64

BACK ISSUE #77

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“When Comics Were Fun!” HEMBECK cover and gallery, Plastic Man, Blue Devil, Marvel’s Star Comics imprint, VALENTINO’s normalman, Bronze Age’s goofiest Superman stories, and the Batman/Dick Tracy team-up you didn’t see! Featuring MAX ALLAN COLLINS, PARIS CULLINS, RAMONA FRADON, ALAN KUPPERBERG, MISHKIN & COHN, STEVE SKEATES, JOE STATON, CURT SWAN, and more!

“Weird Issue!” Batman’s Weirdest TeamUps, ORLANDO’s Weird Adventure Comics, Weird War Tales, Weird Mystery Tales, DITKO’s Shade the Changing Man and Stalker, CHAYKIN’s Iron Wolf, CRUMB’s Weirdo, and STARLIN and WRIGHTSON’s The Weird! Featuring JIM APARO, LUIS DOMINGUEZ, MICHAEL FLEISHER, BOB HANEY, PAUL LEVITZ, and more. Batman and Deadman cover by ALAN CRADDOCK.

“Charlton Action Heroes in the Bronze Age!” DAVE GIBBONS on Charlton’s WATCHMEN connection, LEN WEIN and PARIS CULLINS’ Blue Beetle, CARY BATES and PAT BRODERICK’s Captain Atom, Peacemaker, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, and a look at Blockbuster Weekly! Featuring MIKE COLLINS, GIORDANO, KUPPERBERG, ALAN MOORE, PAT MORISI, ALEX ROSS, and more. Cover by AL MILGROM.

“Flash and Green Lantern in the Bronze Age” (crossover with ALTER EGO #132)! In-depth spotlights of their 1970s and 1980s adventures, MARK WAID’s look at the Flash/GL team, and PAUL KUPPERBERG’s Lost GL Fillins. Bonus: DC’s New York Office Memories, and an interview with the winner of the 1979 Wonder Woman Contest. With BARR, BATES, GIBBONS, GRELL, INFANTINO, WEIN, and more. Cover by GEORGE PÉREZ.

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KIRBY COLLECTOR #65

ALTER EGO #131

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SUPER-SOLDIERS! We declassify Captain America, Fighting American, Sgt. Fury, The Losers, Pvt. Strong, Boy Commandos, and a tribute to Simon & Kirby! PLUS: a Kirby interview about Captain America, MARK EVANIER and other columnists, key 1940s’50s events in Kirby’s career, unseen pencils and unused art from OMAC, SILVER STAR, CAPTAIN AMERICA (in the 1960s AND ‘70s), the LOSERS, & more! KIRBY cover!

ANYTHING GOES (AGAIN)! Another potpourri issue with a comparison of Jack Kirby’s work vs. the design genius of ALEX TOTH, a lengthy Kirby interview, a look at Kirby’s work with WALLY WOOD, MARK EVANIER and our other regular columnists, unseen and unused Kirby art from JIMMY OLSEN, KAMANDI, MARVELMANIA, Jack’s COMIC STRIP & ANIMATION WORK, and more!

GERRY CONWAY interviewed about his work as star Marvel/DC writer in the early ‘70s (from the creation of The Punisher to the death of Gwen Stacy) with art by ROMITA, COLAN, KANE, PLOOG, BUSCEMA, MORROW, TUSKA, ADAMS, SEKOWSKY, the SEVERINS, and others! Plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom history, and more!

75 YEARS of THE FLASH and GREEN LANTERN (a crossover with BACK ISSUE #80)! INFANTINO, KANE, KUBERT, ELIAS, LAMPERT, HIBBARD, NODELL, HASEN, TOTH, REINMAN, SEKOWSKY, Golden Age JSA and Dr. Mid-Nite artist ARTHUR PEDDY’s stepson interviewed, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom history, and more!

Gentleman JIM MOONEY gets a featurelength spotlight, in an in-depth interview conducted by DR. JEFF McLAUGHLIN— never before published! Featuring plenty of rare and unseen MOONEY ART from Batman & Robin, Supergirl, Spider-Man, Legion of Super-Heroes, Tommy Tomorrow, and others! Plus FCA, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY, and more!

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BRICKJOURNAL #32

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DRAW! #29

LEGO ARTISTRY with builder/photographer CHRIS McVEIGH; mosaic builders BRIAN KORTE, DAVE WARE and DAVE SHADDIX; and sculptors SEAN KENNEY (about his nature models) and ED DIMENT (about a full-size bus stop built with LEGO bricks)! Plus Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, MINDSTORMS building, and more!

SWAMPMEN: MUCK-MONSTERS OF THE COMICS dredges up Swamp Thing, ManThing, Heap, and other creepy man-critters of the 1970s bayou! Features interviews with WRIGHTSON, MOORE, PLOOG, WEIN, BRUNNER, GERBER, BISSETTE, VEITCH, CONWAY, MAYERIK, ORLANDO, PASKO, MOONEY, TOTLEBEN, YEATES, BERGER, SANTOS, USLAN, KALUTA, THOMAS, and others. FRANK CHO cover!

BERNIE WRIGHTSON interview on Swamp Thing, Warren, The Studio, Frankenstein, Stephen King, and designs for movies like Heavy Metal and Ghostbusters, and a gallery of Wrightson artwork! Plus writer/editor BRUCE JONES; 20th anniversary of Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror with BILL MORRISON; and interview Wolff and Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre’s BATTON LASH, and more!

MIKE ALLRED and BOB BURDEN cover and interviews, “Reid Fleming, World’s Toughest Milkman” cartoonist DAVID BOSWELL interviewed, a chat with RICH BUCKLER, SR. about everything from Deathlok to a new career as surrealistic painter; Tales of the Zombie artist PABLO MARCOS speaks; Israeli cartoonist RUTU MODAN; plus an extensive essay on European Humor Comics!

DAVE DORMAN demonstrates his painting techniques for sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book cover, LeSEAN THOMAS (character designer and co-director of The Boondocks and Black Dynamite: The Animated Series) gives advice on today’s animation industry, new columnist JERRY ORDWAY shows his working process, plus more Comic Art Bootcamp by BRET BLEVINS and Draw! editor MIKE MANLEY! Mature readers only.

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DON HECK: A WORK OF ART

The third volume in PIERRE COMTOIS’ heralded series covering the pop culture phenomenon on an issueby-issue basis! Following his 1960s and 1970s volumes, this new book looks at Marvel’s final historical phase, when the company moved into a darker era that has yet to run its course. It saw STAN LEE’s retreat to the West Coast, JIM SHOOTER’s rise and fall as editorin-chief, the twin triumphs of FRANK MILLER and JOHN BYRNE, the challenge of independent publishers, and the weakening hold of the COMICS CODE AUTHORITY that led to the company’s creative downfall—and ultimately the marginalization of the industry itself. Comics such as the Chris Claremont/John Byrne X-MEN, Frank Miller’s DAREDEVIL, the NEW UNIVERSE, Roger Stern’s AVENGERS and SPIDER-MAN, the new wave of dark heroes such as WOLVERINE and the PUNISHER, and more are all covered, in the analytic detail—and often irreverent manner—readers have come to expect from the previous 1960s and 1970s volumes. However, the 1980s represented years of upheaval in the comics industry— with Marvel at the center of the storm—so expect a bumpy ride in the 1980s decade that marked the beginning of the end of Marvel comics as you knew them!

FEVER

(224-page trade paperback) $27.95 • (Digital Edition) $10.95

SHIPS NOVEMBER 2014!

2014 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (with FREE Digital Editions)

Media Mail

1st Class Canada 1st Class Priority US Intl. Intl.

Digital Only

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR (4 issues)

$45

$58

$61

$66

$127

$15.80

BACK ISSUE! (8 issues)

$67

$82

$85

$104

$242

$23.60

DRAW! (4 issues)

$34

$41

$43

$52

$141

$11.80

ALTER EGO (8 issues)

$67

$82

$85

$104

$242

$23.60

COMIC BOOK CREATOR (4 issues w/Special)

$40

$50

$54

$60

$121

$15.80

BRICKJOURNAL (6 issues)

$50

$62

$68

$78

$180

$23.70

CATCH

COMIC BOOK FEVER

THIS SPRING!

TwoMorrows. A New Day For Comics Fans!

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com • Visit us on the Web at www.twomorrows.com

PRINTED IN CHINA

by Jorge Khoury