Alter Ego #53 by TwoMorrows Publishing

Roy Thomas’ Undead Comics Fanzine

HELLZAPOPPIN’

HALLOWEEN ISSUE! ISSUE!

6.95

In the USA

No. 53

THOMAS & GIORDANO’S

October 2005

DRACULA DICK BRIEFER’S

FRANKENSTEIN ANDRU & ESPOSITO’S

MISTER MYSTERY MR. MONSTER’S

COMIC CRYPT

AND MORE!

PLUS: PLUS:

Vol. 3, No. 53 / October 2005

™

Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

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

let me show YOU more of my newspaper comic strip samples...

Production Assistant Eric Nolen-Weathington

Cover Artist Dick Giordano

Contents

Cover Colorist Tom Ziuko

And Special Thanks to: Christian Voltar Alcala & Family Heidi Amash Tom Andrae David Armstrong Ger Apeldoorn Joan Appleton Rodrigo Baeza Pat Bastienne Michael Baulderstone Alberto Becattini Richard Beaizley Mark Beazley Allen Bellman John Benson Daniel Best Steve Bissette Brian Boerner Dominic Bongo Adam Brooks Chris Brown Stacia L. Brown Frank Brunner Mike Burkey Mike & Hilary Catron Russ Cochran Gene Colan Tom Conroy Al Dellinges Michael Dunne Mike Esposito Mark Evanier Justin Fairfax Creig Flessel Bob Fujitani Ray Funk Janet Gilbert Dick Giordano Stan Goldberg Matt Gore Ron Goulart Dan Hagan Jennifer Hamerlinck

Jostein Hansen Jack C. Harris Daniel Herman Carmine Infantino Rob Jones Michael W. Kaluta Richard Kyle Phil Latter Mark Luebker Mike Mignola Mike Mikulolvsky Fred Mommsen Matt Moring Brian K. Morris Frank Motler Will Murray Jim Murtaugh Jerry Ordway John G. Pierce Dr. Michael Posner Ken Quattro Paul Ryan Scott Shaw! Keif Simon Jeff E. Smith J. David Spurlock Jim Stanley Bhob Stewart Ronn Sutton Marc Swayze Greg Theakston Dann Thomas Michael Uslan Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Pete Von Sholly Mike Vosburg Terry Vraspir Loston Wallace Hames Ware Tom Wimbish Marv Wolfman Bernie Wrightson Rodrigo M. Zeidan

This issue is dedicated to the memories of

Owen McCarron & Bruce Hamilton

Writer/Editorial: A-Haunting We Will Go!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Three Decades Of Dracula—And Count ing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Giordano, Thomas, & Beazley on the 30-year voyage of Stoker’s Dracula.

Happy Halloween! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Haunted art by Wrightson, Brunner, Heath, Kaluta, Alcala, Ditko, Bissette, Everett, et al.

Frankenstein In The Funny Pages? – Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Dick Briefer and his Monster-ous newspaper strip—a special A/E comics section.

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership That Lasted Until The Day He Died” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Inker Mike Esposito tells Jim Amash about his and Andru’s pre-DC days.

1966: The Year Of THREE New York Comicons! – Part I . . . . . . . 60 Bill Schelly on the John Benson convention.

Comic Crypt: “The Horror! The Horror!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Michael T. Gilbert on the ghost-story cover of Little Lulu—and John Stanley.

Tributes To Owen McCarron & Bruce Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 re: [corrections, comments, & correspondence]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #112 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 P.C. Hamerlinck presents Jerry Ordway, Marc Swayze, Spy Smasher, Mr. Tawny, and 2 pages of the classic Brazilian Captain Marvel /Human Torch crossover. About Our Cover: For the whole story behind this awesome art by Dick Giordano, see pp. 7-8. [©2005 Dick Giordano; Marvel Dracula TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Above: Dick Briefer’s cover for Frankenstein #2 (May-June 1946)—with a slightly altered dialogue balloon. Thanks to Al Dellinges. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] 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.

writer/editorial

A-Haunting We Will Go! I

t’s become an annual tradition, Alter Ego’s Halloween issue—each time with a cover featuring a major monster who’s appeared in comic books, whatever his/her/its origins.

Our first Halloween edition (A/E #29, 2003) sported Pete Von Sholly’s inspired “Classics Not Illustrated” cover of King Kong—as well as a Frank Brunner Batman/graveyard scene on its flip side. Our second (#41, 2004), which was devoted largely to a history of Frankenstein’s Monster in the comics, was fronted by a frightening image from Bernie Wrightson’s 1970s-80s illustrations of scenes from Mary Shelley’s novel. This year, our cover spot goes to Dracula, in honor of the completion and now hardcover publication by Marvel, after more than three decades, of Dick Giordano’s and my nearly 200-page graphic novel adaptation of Bram Stoker’s masterpiece. And we couldn’t possibly be happier with the powerful Dracula cover that Dick drew especially for this issue! We thought about devoting this year’s Halloween edition to Dracula in the comics, but there’d been a coffin-full of such coverage in Back Issue #6—so we’ll wait a year or three before adding appreciably to it. Besides, thanks to Al Dellinges, we still had on hand six weeks’ worth of unsold humorous Frankenstein dailies done by Dick Briefer that we couldn’t squeeze into our 2004 issue, and we’d promised ourselves to print more of them this time around as a special comics section. We also

wanted to feature horror-related art by some of comics’ greatest talents… so we did, in a gallery of gruesomeness. In addition, nearly every issue of A/E since #11 has included at least one interview conducted by Jim Amash. This month, we opted for printing the first half of his entertaining and informative in-depth interview with ace inker Mike Esposito (with the second half to follow in #54), using as an excuse the fact that Mike and longtime partner Ross Andru’s most successful title for their own 1950s comics line was a horror anthology called Mister Mystery. That, plus Michael T. Gilbert’s tribute to the supernatural-oriented work of major Little Lulu writer John Stanley, completes our roster of Halloween-related material this time around… but that should be enough for anybody. Especially when we round out the issue with the latest installment of P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA, a rousing “re:” section, and the first chapter of Bill Schelly’s multi-part coverage of the three New York comicons of 1966—the first year in which more than the barest handful of comics pros attended such events, nearly forty years ago. Fact is, we kind-of envy you. Because we’ve already read and savored this issue’s cataclysmic contents… and now it’s your turn. Bestest,

54 ESPOSITO & KANIGHER— & ANDRU Makes Three!

COMING IN NOVEMBER

• Brand-new re-creation (with a difference!) by MIKE ESPOSITO of a classic Wonder Woman cover by himself and ROSS ANDRU! • “The MIKE ESPOSITO Interview, Part II – The DC & Marvel Years!” Working with ROSS ANDRU on Wonder Woman, Metal Men, The Flash, & “The War That Time Forgot”—& inking Spider-Man, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, X-Men, Avengers, et al.! Learn why JIM AMASH says, “Mike Esposito is as good a teller of comic book yarns as there ever was!” • Rare art & raucous anecdotes from the Golden & Silver Ages featuring ANDRU, KANIGHER, INFANTINO, SCHWARTZ, LEE, KIRBY, KANE, SEVERIN, SMITH, ROMITA, BUSCEMA (both of ’em), GIACOIA, COLLETTA, BRODSKY, THOMAS, HECK, CONWAY, TUSKA, EVERETT, GOLDBERG, & many others! • First-Person Extra! Golden/Silver Age scripter/editor ROBERT KANIGHER writes about the creation of Metal Men & Sgt. Rock—with added comments by JOE KUBERT & BOB HANEY!

• FCA with MARC SWAYZE, MICHAEL USLAN, etc.—ALEX TOTH—MICHAEL T. GILBERT presents a never-before-seen interview with JOHN STANLEY— BILL SCHELLY with more on the 1966 JOHN BENSON comicon—& MORE!! Edited by ROY THOMAS

SUBSCRIBE NOW! Twelve Issues in the US: $60 Standard, $96 First Class (Canada: $120, Elsewhere: $132 Surface, $180 Airmail). NOTE: IF YOU PREFER A SIX-ISSUE SUB, JUST CUT THE PRICE IN HALF!

TwoMorrows. Bringing New Life To Comics Fandom. TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

Three Decades of Dracula ––And Counting! Artist DICK GIORDANO, Writer ROY THOMAS, & Editor MARK BEAZLEY Talk About STOKER’S DRACULA—Marvel’s Longest-Running Project Ever! Interview Conducted by Roy Thomas

etween Halloween of 2004 and the early weeks of 2005, Marvel Comics published four issues of Stoker’s Dracula—a 176-page adaptation (probably the longest and most faithful ever done) of Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 vampire novel by Yours Truly (as writer) and artist Dick Giordano. The first 76 pages of this adaptation had seen print in 1974-75 in Marvel’s black-&-white magazines Dracula Lives! and Legion of Monsters; it was completed thirty years later, through the good offices of Marvel editor Mark Beazley. Which is definitely a long time between drinks, even of blood! Since this long-lived project—planned as a graphic novel from the start, when the term barely even existed—commenced during the period which is A/E’s province, Ye Editor wanted to tell its story from the angle of all three major participants, without simply repeating what Dick and Roy wrote as afterwords to two of the recent series’ issues.

This three-way conversation was conducted via e-mail between Dick, Mark, and myself. Originally I planned to edit the e-conversations to read as if the three of us were in the same room at the same time— but, in the end, it seemed to work better simply to begin with my interview with Dick, then move on to the one with Mark. As this issue of A/E goes on sale, Marvel has collected all four issues into a gorgeous hardcover edition, just in time for Halloween 2005, as originally planned. —Roy.

Part I - Dick Giordano ROY THOMAS: I presume you still don’t recall, Dick, any more than I do, precisely when or where we first discussed Dracula, so that we both knew of each other’s interest in it by 1974. But perhaps we did discuss it before I decided to adapt the novel in comics form. DICK GIORDANO: As a guess, I would think the subject of Dracula came up at one of our lunches in New York, at either the Auto Pub (remember that place?) or at the Playboy Club. We both declared our affection for Stoker’s novel. That would have been sometime between 1967-68 and when the idea germinated in your head to do the adaptation for Dracula Lives! I can’t come up with any specifics, but I’ve always had the feeling that we discussed it before you started. By the time we began, I was up to my shoulders at Continuity

Dick & Roy Have Aged 30 Years Since Then —Dracula Not A Day! At left are Giordano and Thomas “the way they were” when they launched their adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel in 1974. Dick’s photo appeared in the 1975 Marvel Con program book; Roy (then Marvel’s editor-in-chief for a few more weeks) is seen giving a talk at the 1974 San Diego Comic-Con, where he was a guest of honor. Dick’s Dracula rough above is one of numerous unused cover sketches which were printed in Stoker’s Dracula #3 in 2004, but is repro’d here from his original pencils, which he kindly packed up and mailed Ye Editor. Incidentally, Dick is accepting commissions to do full, finished versions of any or all of those sketches, as well as other work; see his notice on pp. 7-8. [Marvel Dracula TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.; art ©2005 Dick Giordano.]

Giordano, Thomas, & Beazley Talk About Stoker’s Dracula doubtless recall that we both had copies of the same Dracula softcover, and your notes pretty much told me when to telescope or eliminate events that were not critical to the story. Also, my ability to hear on a telephone in those days was significantly better than it is today, and since you were the (de facto) editor, there was no one between you and me, so we settled all questions via phone, between ourselves.

[the art service company created by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano], and I recall doing a lot of it at my home studio on weekends and on the one weekday that I didn’t venture into the city. THOMAS: You’ve mentioned Dracula as being the first horror novel you ever read. GIORDANO: After getting into reading comics, I progressed, as most comics readers of the day, to the pulps and, after that, to genre fiction. I know you and I have discussed the first “hard-boiled” novel I read, and I have the replica of the Maltese Falcon on a shelf to prove it. It was a gift from you when you, Dann, and I were working together on Jonni Thunder, a.k.a. Thunderbolt. A copy was on Jonni’s own shelf, somewhere in that story. I also read some Westerns, a bunch of James Fenimore Cooper, and others, beyond Dracula, that I can’t recall. Again, as a guess, I would say I read Dracula between the ages of 9 and 12. The horror of Dracula was often off-screen and written in diaries, notes, and journals by the victims/participants after the acts had occurred; and, to me, that was more horrible than having the author spell out every bit of the gore as it happened!

THOMAS: We had to truncate our conception of the adaptation just a bit—to 100 additional pages besides the 76 already completed. At one point, I believe there were to have been 44 more pages—for a total of 144 new pages, or 220 in all. This would have allowed us to do the adaptation at more like the length it would probably have been had we completed it for Marvel in the 1970s. Was this scotched, do you feel, because of Marvel’s requirements, or did you feel 100 pages was more doable for you than 144?

“What Has Gone Before” When the Dracula adaptation was continued from six issues of Dracula Lives! into the one and only edition of Legion of Monsters (Sept.1975), Roy and line editor Tony Isabella had Marvel’s production department paste up art from panels in Chapters I & II, to make up the first page of a 5-page recap of “The Story So Far.” When he wrote a text piece for 2004’s Stoker’s Dracula #1, Roy misremembered Dick as having done such paste-up jobs, which were designed to be “drop pages,” discarded if and when all the material was eventually collected in its always-planned graphic novel form. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

THOMAS: As you say, you were very busy working at Continuity Studios with Neal Adams and others at that time, on advertising and TV work, etc., and didn’t know where the time would come from. Where did it come from? Did it involve burning more than the usual amount of midnight oil? That, of course, would be quite appropriate in the case of Dracula. GIORDANO: I was more of the business partner at Continuity. Neal was the head honcho as far as the creative end of our business was concerned. Oh, I did art… loads… but much of it was craftsmanship rather than creativity. So when a dream creative project like Dracula came along, I’d fit it in, somehow. Besides, Neal and I agreed to put all of our income into the company and draw salaries, so I could and did work on Dracula at Continuity, and used its resources and manpower, and 12 pages every other month wasn’t an overwhelming schedule, anyway.

THOMAS: In Stoker’s Dracula #4 you give from memory what is probably a pretty accurate reconstruction of a sentence or two from one of my synopses—not just telling what was going on, but talking about page numbers, and how we should drop the events on this page and keep those on another one, etc. Did you find that hard to follow? GIORDANO: Not at all, Roy! I rather enjoyed it, since it gave me more room to contribute to the pacing and storytelling of the novel. You

GIORDANO: NO! NO! NO! I would have much preferred to go the 144-page route. I really needed more room to tell the story most dramatically, and I had the time to do it! But Mark [Beazley] was able to sell the project to Marvel on the basis of a collected version to be released in book stores and comics shops for Halloween 2005. That would have required a fifth issue and two months’ more work on my part, and a release day of issue #5 too close to the release date for the collected edition. I think we did a good job with the shorter page count, but it would have been even better if we had been able to go

the longer route. THOMAS: I know I said at one point that we could do it in 70-80 new pages if we have to—and we would have, though thank God we didn’t have to! Any thoughts about that? GIORDANO: Lord! If I felt shortchanged at 100 new pages, less than that would have made me feel very uncomfortable. My heart dropped when you said that to Mark. I will agree, though, that the really cool Dracula stuff was in the first 76 pages! Still, you’ve got to finish a project like that seamlessly, and there would have been holes… if not in continuity, then in style. THOMAS: Any remembrances of your feelings when the adaptation died a trickling-out death in 1975 with our final then-completed chapter going into the only issue of Legion of Monsters? GIORDANO: I knew that was the beginning of the end (it was actually the end of the end, at least for nearly three decades), and I was saddened but too busy with Continuity to stand in place and weep. I got on with it… albeit without the best assignment I’d worked on in years! And I’d miss one of the best collaborations I’ve had in this business!

Three Decades of Dracula–––And Counting

“As We Were Saying Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted…” This “Chapter VIII” splash and page 2 from Stoker’s Dracula #2 (top right & bottom left) are the first new art and story Dick and Roy produced to recommence their adaptation in 2004—repro’d from the first page of Roy’s synopsis, and Dick’s pencil roughs, which were on 8H” x 11” sheets of fairly lightweight paper. To get back into the feel after three Dracula-less decades, note that Dick did some inking with pen on these two initial pages. The roughs were “blown up” and the penciling finished on Marvel art paper, prior to inking. Alas, Dick has few originals of the 1974-75 work; he did have all his original art for nearly three decades—but finally sold most of them, not long before he and Roy were contacted about continuing their version. As per Mark Beazley on p. 11, Roy requested one slight art change on this first new page: Prof. Van Helsing needed to be carrying his medical bag, so Dick redrew the vampire-hunter’s left hand, as seen on the published page at bottom right. Somehow, too, “Wolves” became “Wolf.” [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Giordano, Thomas, & Beazley Talk About Stoker’s Dracula material from Marvel, and got nowhere… but was that the same time when we wound up in the Marvel offices in the 1990s? I must’ve been in from South Carolina for something-or-other. Marvel decided, at that meeting, that it would publish the material, old and new… though I don’t recall what executive we met with. GIORDANO: I don’t, either. I think he was there for about 38 minutes, and then he was gone. Matt Ragone (of distribution) joined us in midconversation, as did editor Glen Greenberg, who later claimed to have fetched the negatives and had them in his office when he was downsized [during the infamous “Marvelution”]. In a letters pages somewhere, I read a letter from Glen gently chastising us for not remembering his name; and in it, he mentioned the name of the exec we talked with. THOMAS: I may have forgotten his precise name—I’ve never been very good with names—but I do remember Glen’s enthusiasm clearly…less so any exec’s. You mention that your phone rang in early 2004, and it was Mark Beazley asking about the two of us continuing the Dracula adaptation for Marvel. He contacted me at the same time. What was your reaction? GIORDANO: Surprise, of course, and delight—mixed with a sense of irony that, after all this time spent trying to find a way to get someone to help us finish Dracula, suddenly one day the phone rings and our original publisher inquires if we have any interest in finishing it! It’s a good thing Patti [Pat Bastienne, Dick’s longtime associate and assistant] was handling the phone, or I might have uncharacteristically sputtered!

THOMAS: Busy as I was then, too, I felt pretty much the same way. I’ve been trying to remember—do you think I had given you a synopsis for the next [eighth] chapter? We had a title I wrote at the end of the last one published in 1975—“The Hour of the Wolf”—but I don’t know if I wrote another synopsis before the axe fell. GIORDANO: I don’t recall another synopsis having been written… but I guess it’s possible. You could have waited until the last minute to write it. We both knew what the next chapter would be about (hence your final blurb title), and since it needn’t be approved by a Marvel editor, your synopses then were briefer than they were for the final 100 pages, which did have an editor hovering over them. THOMAS: And “hovering” very well, as I’m sure we both agree. Do you recall about when we first began to discuss the possibility of finishing Dracula somehow, after the cancellation of first Dracula Lives!, then Legion of Monsters? GIORDANO: Not really. Only that, by that time, life had slowed down for us somewhat, and I, at any rate, remembered the work on Dracula fondly and that it had been particularly fulfilling and that I wanted to finish unfinished business. I don’t recall that your attitude was as schmaltzy as mine, but you were more than willing to give it a go! It became more of a mission for me! I couldn’t tell if you were feeling the same way, but I suspected that you wanted to do it more than you let on. THOMAS: Gee, I guess my usual reserved facade fooled you! I was always about as eager as you were to finish it, I think. I recall that once you and I got together and even tried to lease the rights to the

THOMAS: I know you had some reservations about committing to 100 or more pages of new material, since Marvel might decide to kill the project at some stage—and even though you figured you’d be paid for everything you did, you were reluctant to get involved without some sort of assurance that the adaptation would actually be published… because you’d have taken yourself out of circulation for some months. How did you finally get around this problem? GIORDANO: That was a talking point for Mark and me. After trying to get such a clause inserted, he said Marvel wouldn’t give such a guarantee. But he personally promised to do whatever he could not to let the project disappear, and I guess in the end my desire to finish Dracula overcame my concerns about committing to a large body of work without a play-or-pay clause, which DC used to issue almost routinely. Of course, it all worked out, so—“What, Me Worry?” THOMAS: In what ways do you feel it was different working on the material now as opposed to thirty years ago? GIORDANO: Well, my focus and perspectives as an artist have changed somewhat. I am now more concerned with graphic storytelling than I was 30 years ago, and less concerned with the illustrative quality of each drawing. I will more often opt for the clear diagram as opposed to the cool drawing. Of course, the two are not mutually exclusive, and when I’m on, I can sometimes deliver both in the same place! I also tended this time around to run out of gas earlier in the day. And yet another sign of the advancing years is occasionally not being able to coordinate my eye and my hand. I think, hopefully, that I’m more aware of these differences than my audience! THOMAS: I’m sure you are. I accidentally wrote in my own piece in the 2004 Stoker’s Dracula #1 that you had to trace and redraw the work we’d done in 1974-75. I either misunderstood something I was told, or else was working from earlier and happily superceded information. Did Marvel find good copies of the work? GIORDANO: Marvel came up with the original 30-year-old film of the pages, and re-mastered them. I complained to Mark after seeing proofs of issue #1 that Marvel had used the wrong paper (hi-gloss) and had lost

Three Decades of Dracula–––And Counting

too much definition. He said Marvel always used that paper for collection editions and graphic novels, which completely ignored the needs of this particular book. They seemed disinterested in experimenting on the balance of the issues, but Mark recently told me that they’re looking into matte stock for the collected edition. Let us pray! Additionally, Mark is re-scanning 30 pages of the original 76 that I still held, and if the scanning is successful, those 30 pages, at least, will be superior to the mini’s pages, even if printed on the hi-gloss stock. I don’t know where your information about “tracing” came from. At the very worst, I could’ve scanned from the original books and have produced results that would at least equal the quality of the negs. Remember I asked you for issues that I was missing, and you said that you had yours bound? I ordered the missing issues from Mile High Comics and had a full set that could be used in a pinch. And no, I would not have re-traced them. That would have taken the starch out of my sails, and the deadlines would have been blown. That would have been at least three months’ work. THOMAS: Were there any particular problems—or just interesting anecdotes—that you’d care to repeat concerned with working on our Dracula adaptation—either now, or back in the 1970s? GIORDANO: You might take this as a compliment… or not. But when you killed Renfield twice in your plots [in #3, and then again at the beginning of #4], I never questioned it. I expected that you had a reason that would soon become apparent. Oh, well…. [NOTE: More about that little incident in the Mark Beazley section.]

So Many Vampiresses, So Little Time! Dick feels that, if he and Roy had completed their adaptation in the 1970s, he’d have had more pages in which to expand this sequence with the Count’s three “vampire brides” from Stoker’s Dracula #4. As it stands, the lethal ladies taunt Van Helsing on this penciled page, then flee laughing on the next. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Marvel’s insistence that their prohibition on showing characters smoking applied to classics like Dracula seemed somewhat ludicrous, in view of the fact that the character smoking was doing it for a specific plot point. We agreed that the point wasn’t important enough to take a stand there, but still, for a rule to have legs, it should accomplish some good, no? I suffered from some frustrations with the lack of room. I could have done a neat bit with Dracula’s three “wives” as they confronted Van Helsing and Mina in the woods as they rested before continuing their journey to corner Dracula. As drawn, that sequence took about two pages. Would have been much scarier with four pages. Similarly, the battle in the sun/snow shower could have gone a few pages longer. THOMAS: You’ve done some Dracula commissions since Stoker’s Dracula began to come out. Were these all based on the cover sketches of yours that were printed in issue #3? Did you do all 16 of those at one time, and Mark just picked from them as he needed them? GIORDANO: Actually, to date, aside from convention drawings, I’ve sold just two commissions based on the cover roughs printed in issue

Giordano, Thomas, & Beazley Talk About Stoker’s Dracula

majoring in Archaeology and Classical Civilizations at Boston University, but came to the realization that the world of academia wasn’t for me—I didn’t want to be in school for the rest of my life. Somehow I managed to convince one of my professors that interning at Marvel would provide an excellent background to examine the archetypal themes present in comics which directly link back to the same themes present in Classical Mythology, borrowing heavily from Joseph Campbell. He agreed to sponsor an independent study which enabled me to receive credit for the internship.

Three Guys With A Stake in Dracula (Left:) Marvel editor Mark Beazley. (Center & right:) Dick and Roy as they are today. Thanks to Keif Simon & Jim Murtaugh for the photo of RT at the April 2005 Big Apple Con; and thanks to Rob Jones & Pat Bastienne for the recent photo of DG. Clearly, Dracula’s held up better than his mortal adapters since 1975—but they’re doing their best.

#3, plus three of the cover roughs themselves. Hardly a cottage industry. Mark would e-mail the need for cover roughs as each cover became due, and I would spend the day drawing 3 or 4 roughs, fax them to Mark, and [Marvel editor-in-chief] Joe Quesada would pick one. I didn’t know that Mark was holding onto the faxed covers until they were all printed in one of the issues. If I’d known, I’d have provided the originals… faxes ain’t cool!

After I graduated, there weren’t any positions available at Marvel, so I drifted into editorial in publishing. I spent several years as an assistant editor at a parenting magazine called American Baby. The contacts I’d made during my internship bore fruit eventually, and I rejoined Marvel in early 2002. My duties in editorial were more administrative initially: scheduling, editorial planning, and handling freelancer payments. I would work on the occasional special project. I co-edited the first two Marvel Encyclopedias. I was Marvel’s liaison for the Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game—largely because I was one of the only members of editorial who had ever played a role-playing game. Ever so slowly, I started moving more into the collections department, putting together trade paperbacks and hardcovers, and am now fully transitioned there,

Aside: I sent the head shot rough that eventually became the cover of issue #4 every time they asked for roughs. It was a favorite of mine, and it was ignored until the last cover. See, Roy? Perseverance pays. THOMAS: Inevitably, everybody has his favorite. For my part, I fell in love with the sketch that became the cover of this issue of Alter Ego. At first I was mildly unhappy it hadn’t been chosen as one of the four comic covers—but now, of course, I’m delighted, because A/E got a great cover out of it—and, as soon as this issue is published, thanks to your generosity, it’ll be hanging on the wall in our guest house, where I’ll see it every day, since Dann and I have turned our guest house into a combination library and gym. Thanks again for that! As for commissions—if people take a close look at those sketches in Stoker’s Dracula #3, you’ll probably keep getting orders for years to come. They can contact you through the notice in this very issue. GIORDANO: Editing and follow-up questions graciously accepted—as will be $100 bills!

Part II - Mark Beazley THOMAS: Just for the record, Mark—what were you doing in 1974, the year Dick and I began our adaptation of Dracula? MARK BEAZLEY: The adaptation began—and ended—before I showed up on the scene. I was born in 1977. THOMAS: How long have you been in the comics field, and how long at Marvel? BEAZLEY: I interned at Marvel the spring of my senior year of college in 1999. I was double-

The Book That Wouldn’t Die! Essential Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 1 (2003) should’ve been out in 2002. We’ll let Mark Beazley tell you why it wasn’t. Its cover art from Tomb of Dracula #1 (April 1972) is by Neal Adams. The 1999 Colan pencil drawing above is actually from his 2000 Gene Colan Annual: Painting with Pencil, but shows the version of Dracula that Dick and Roy were “competing” with in the mid-’70s. There’s more mindnumbing Colan art on display in Tom Field’s new TwoMorrows volume Secrets in the Shadows: The Art & Life of Gene Colan. [Art at left ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Colan art ©2005 Gene Colan]

Three Decades of Dracula–––And Counting

working primarily on hardcovers, Essentials, and trade paperbacks of classic material. THOMAS: When did you first become aware of Dick’s and my unfinished Dracula? BEAZLEY: When I first started at Marvel, we had solicited an Essential Tomb of Dracula book timed to coincide with Halloween. It was solicited in Previews, but at the time, the powers-that-be weren’t keen on reprinting classic material. They were of the mindset that nobody wanted old comics, so the book was cancelled. The fans proved otherwise by ordering the book in staggering numbers: the figures that came in were outselling most of our current collections. It took until the following October—and possibly a title shortfall—to convince them to reschedule that first volume, which promptly sold out. The trades department decided to use those sales figures as leverage to get the rest of the series collected. I started researching how to evenly Hell, Boy—This Is Bram Stoker’s Dracula! spread out the rest of the volumes. (Right:) Mike Mignola’s pencil studies of actor Gary Oldman as both old and young Drac, done before the artist Around this time I went to my commenced drawing the Topps Comics adaptation of the Francis Ford Coppola film Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1992. parents’ place for Thanksgiving and We’re sorry a bit of “old Drac’s” face got cut off at left on our photocopy. [Art ©2005 Mike Mignola.] was hanging out with my good friend (Left:) Mignola’s cover for the graphic novel edition of the adaptation, which collected the four Topps Comics issues. Peter Druckenmiller, who has introThe Topps adaptation was scripted by Roy Thomas. [©2005 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.] duced me to I don’t know how many great comics, novels, and movies. and Dick. I absolutely loved the lush ink-wash in those books and Peter loves Dracula. When I talked to him about the Tomb Essentials, lamented that Marvel wasn’t doing something equivalent today. I he told me I needed to sneak in as much of the ’70s horror magazines as couldn’t believe you never got the chance to finish it! At first I was just I possibly could. He dug out his issues of Dracula Lives! and Legion of excited about being able to fit all those great stories into the Essentials. Monsters and let me borrow them to figure out what we could include. About the same time I came across an issue of Comic Book Artist dedicated to ’70s Marvel horror books. Both you and Dick indicated That’s where I first came across the adaptation of the novel by you that leaving the Dracula adaptation unfinished was one of your biggest regrets in comics. That fed my own desire to see you guys complete the project. THOMAS: And we’re overjoyed that it did! Are you an admirer of Stoker’s novel, or other such work?

Back to Drac Besides his spells of collaboration with Dick G. on their rendition of Stoker’s classic, Roy edited (and even anonymously co-plotted the first issue of) Marvel’s 1970s Tomb of Dracula and scripted a few tales for Marvel’s black-&-white Dracula Lives!—and in the 1990s he wrote two post-movie-adaptation Drac series for Topps, working with editor Jim Salicrup. (Left:) Spanish artist Esteban Maroto’s evocative cover for Dracula: Vlad the Impaler #1 (Feb. 1993). This 3-issue series was actually a fairly accurate biography of Vlad Tepes, the 15th-century historical Dracula—except that Roy and Esteban turned him into a vampire at the end of the final issue. Thanks to Terry Vraspir. (Right:) Though by then already busy with Hellboy, Mike Mignola took time to draw the covers for all three issues of Topps’ Frankenstein/Dracula War. Interior art was by Claude St. Aubin & Armando Gil. Issue #3 was cover-dated April 1995. [Both pieces of art ©2005 Topps Chewing Gum.]

Giordano, Thomas, & Beazley Talk About Stoker’s Dracula

covers he did for the X-Men annual crossover the summer before so much that I thought about not buying the issues themselves. Anyway, back to the Coppola film: the only theatre my friends and I could sneak into in order to see the R-rated film was in downtown Allentown, right across the street from the Lehigh County Prison. Sometimes when you were waiting for your parents to pick you up after a movie, the prisoners would yell down at the parking lot. I enjoyed the film visually, but was disappointed in how Dracula was depicted. Making him a tragic figure was and is an interesting take, but it wasn’t the Dracula I’d read about or the Dracula I wanted to see in an adaptation touted as Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I didn’t want a starcrossed romance that made Harker seem even more of an ineffectual fop and useless character. I wanted a villainous Dracula, a Dracula who was evil incarnate. I didn’t want to sympathize with him; I wanted to be terrified of him. I’ve come to enjoy the film more now, but it took a while for me to forgive Coppola for taking away my villain. I haven’t dug up any other of Stoker’s works. As far as other vampire books: the first few Anne Rice novels were interesting. I also enjoyed Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula Tapes, which might have helped soften my opinion on Coppola some. One of my earliest encounters with vampire fiction came from James Howe’s Bunnicula and The Celery Stalks at Midnight about a vampire rabbit. I remember loving those as a kid. THOMAS: What caused you to decide to see if you could reunite Dick and me to finish off the adaptation? BEAZLEY: The Essential Tomb of Dracula thing was certainly a factor. Ultimately I wanted a project that felt uniquely mine, something on which I was in on the ground floor. That may seem odd in speaking about a project that actually started before I was born, but resurrecting the adaptation wasn’t something I was assigned or inherited mid-stream in my mind. I did the legwork. I did the research and factored in all the costs. I convinced Marvel the project was worth doing and convinced you guys that Marvel was worth coming back to in order to finish it.

BEAZLEY: I can’t recall exactly when I first read the novel. The copy I used to brush up on before I contacted you and Dick was one I had bought sometime during elementary or middle school. The thing that sticks out most in my memory of reading it for the first time was the use of journal entries, newspaper articles, and diaries. I hadn’t encountered any kind of narrative such as that previously, where the entire story unfolds through multiple points of view and where events occasionally overlap. I re-read the book shortly before seeing the 1992 Coppola film Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I remember the first issue of the Topps adaptation by you and Mike Mignola, and the scene where we’re introduced to Quincey Morris. Somehow in my first reading I had missed or didn’t understand the scene of Lucy unsheathing his knife and calling it “so big.” I was shocked at the ballsiness of what I thought was her fondling him. That adaptation also marks the first time I recall enjoying Mike Mignola’s artwork. It seems odd now to think of a time when I didn’t, but I actively despised the

In November and December of 2003, I ran around trying to figure out what the costs would be of gathering the old material and what it would take to produce the new pages. At the time I was heavily involved in preparing all the information to present to those in charge of approving projects, so I knew I had to be able to show the series would be profitable doing before I presented it officially. And I talked about it frequently among the editorial staff, trying to drum up support. [Fellow Marvel editor] Ralph Macchio in particular was extremely encouraging in my efforts to get the project going. He became my de facto read-out editor, and I always showed him new pages as they started coming in. I badgered manufacturing to get quotes from the printers on printing 1-color to save cost on both the comics and an eventual collection.

Cover Story How times change—and Dracula covers, too! In 1974-75, for cross-referencing purposes, Roy and Dick each had a copy of the same Dell edition of Stoker’s novel (left), whose mostlyblack-&-light-blue cover depicted a stylized mug shot of “old Dracula.” That of the 2003 Pocket Books edition (right) was a bit artier— and for some reason featured silhouettes of corpses impaled on stakes, something the historical Vlad Tepes was infamous for doing— but which isn’t even mentioned in Stoker’s 1897 novel. Also, oddly, the author’s name is more prominent on that cover than the book’s title. Well, we guess that’s what happens when you “enrich” a “classic”! [Covers ©2005 Dell Publishing Co., Inc., & Pocket Books/ Simon & Schuster, respectively.]

Three Decades of Dracula–––And Counting

Trick Or Treat! The covers of all four comic book issues of Stoker’s Dracula, plus (below) the cover of the hardcover graphic novel, now on sale wherever discriminating vampires shop—208 pages for $24.99 (ISBN: 0-7851-1477-7). Sorry, no softcover or trade paperback edition at present. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Another of our major proponents was Sales Director David Gabriel who, long before the project was actually approved, made mention of it on a conference call with our bookstore buyers. Evidencing the bookstore interest in a hardcover was a tremendous help. That gave me a tentative go-ahead to approach you and Dick to see if such a collaboration was even feasible. I called you both the same day in early January of 2004.

At that time, Marvel was trying to increase from around 60 titles a month to something like 80 a month. They were having trouble creating new projects out of whole cloth using the limited pool of creators they were comfortable working with, however. I think I used the fact that neither of you was currently working for Marvel at the time in my pitch. I wasn’t draining our overtaxed resources—aside from my own—to do Stoker’s, which would add a few more issues of revenue to the year’s totals. THOMAS: Interesting—although, of course, Dick and I would be even happier if we were in that “limited pool of creators” Marvel felt “comfortable” working with. Dick, as you know, had some reservations about the contract. He was concerned with what might happen if he started on the project and then it was killed after he had invested a lot of time in it. I liked the title of one of your e-mails to him: “Don’t bow out just yet.” That’s not exactly a question… more of a plea. BEAZLEY: We were all concerned about getting heavily invested in a project that had already experienced so many stops and starts. It was only natural for Dick to be wary. Unfortunately, I couldn’t guarantee 100% that once we started in, the rug wouldn’t get pulled out from under us. I could never fault Marvel for canceling a book that wasn’t profitable. Regardless of our love for the medium of comics, we all have to realize that it’s still a business. And if our book didn’t sell well enough to cover the costs, there was always that chance it would get canceled. We just had to be sure to sell enough copies to erase that as a possibility. I was certain that once we got started, the story of reuniting the team to finish this 30-year-old project would promote the book well beyond what we needed to stay solvent—let alone the quality of the work, which speaks for itself

After I had initially contacted you both, there was another month or two where we hashed out various details and revised our calculations. I could only bug the higher-ups so often without driving them so crazy they’d reject the book out of spite. I was fearful you and Dick would think we were jerking you around again. At one point Dick hadn’t heard from me in a few weeks and he became understandably despondent. I had to reassure you guys and myself every so often that this was all going to work out. After all this time, it seemed fated.

Dick also had some concerns about being given the opportunity to make any necessary art corrections himself. Marvel’s standard policy is that we can make whatever adjustments we see fit inhouse in order to get the book out the way we want it. Once I assured Dick that I, as the editor of the project, would never think of having corrections made to the boards without asking him first, his fears were quelled. The only corrections to the new material I can recall were to maintain consistency in panels where Lucy had blood covering her face from biting the small child. I sent the boards back to Dick and he fixed them immediately. It wasn’t really a hassle. We did have to do patches on two of the old pages. When you originally introduced Quincey Morris, Dick accidentally drew him identical to Arthur Holmwood, so he had to come up with a new visual for our American cowboy. And on the last page of Chapter 7, Van Helsing and Seward burst in to find the prostrate Lucy. Van Helsing was shown the page before carrying his medical bag, but it had vanished from his hands in the big splash. Since he’d be using materials from that bag on the very next page (the first page of new material), we had Dick draw a new hand for Van Helsing where he’s carrying the bag. [See p. 5.] THOMAS: Happy as Dick and I are with the finished project, we did have to make it from 25 to 50 pages shorter than it would’ve been had it been finished in the ’70s. Was 176 pages of content about the maximum you felt Marvel could/would do on this project? BEAZLEY: When I first started estimating what it would take to finish adapting the book, I dusted off my math skills to come up with a starting figure. I found the exact point you’d left off in the novel, which

Giordano, Thomas, & Beazley Talk About Stoker’s Dracula commit to something he would have to rush out or couldn’t do his best possible work on. He cared about this project so much that he was willing to let it go rather than see it done improperly. You have to respect that, but I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut that day. I scrambled around frantically trying to figure out a way to keep this alive. Dick had told me about what his pace was per page. Using that as a guide, I figured out that if we dropped down to only 100 new pages—a 4-issue adaptation—we could start the series at the end of October and ship the rest on a 7-week schedule finishing in early 2005. We could then collect everything for October 2005, and that would allow Dick the time he needed to finish his other commitments like the consummate professional he is and give him enough time to dedicate to drawing the best Dracula book possible. I’ll never forget Dick’s email back to me. His sole response was “YIPPPPEEEEEEE!” I was ecstatic to be making the days of two giants in the comics industry. THOMAS: I refer to our adaptation as a graphic novel and have always thought of it in those terms, because it was always designed so it could be collected in full one day—though Lord knows why I did that, since back in the mid-’70s neither Marvel nor much of anybody else in the US was publishing circa-200-page comics! Will it be marketed as a graphic novel in the Halloween collected edition? BEAZLEY: I’m fairly certain we were always touting the book as being an eventual collection. That might have hurt the sales on the series itself somewhat, but really it was the entire point of the project. We wanted put out the most faithful comic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel. Marvel is really trying to present this collection as something unique and special. We’re using a matte paper stock to better highlight the ink wash. The jacket treatment is a stark black with a trickle of red—the only speck of color in the entire book—with a spot UV finish over one of Dick’s Dracula faces so the black line of the Dracula image will seem like it’s shimmering on top of the black jacket. The book is getting a cloth case as opposed to the vinyl our hardcovers normally have. We’re even having a ribbon bookmark sewn into the spine. It’s truly intended to be a graphic novel, so that’s how we’re treating it.

Count Dracula: Titled Aristocracy On this cover rough for Stoker’s Dracula #1—which is a bit different from the version of the sketch seen in issue #3—Dick lettered his own very tentative title for the 2004-2005 series: Bram Stoker’s Tale of Terror – DRACULA. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

was on page 146. My copy was 414 pages long, so figuring it took you 76 pages of comic story to adapt 146 pages, I calculated it would take about 215 total pages to finish up the rest—I still have the scratch sheet saved with my Christmas present shopping list on the back side. Since most monthly comics today are 22 pages of editorial, I decided to bump that up to 220 pages, which would have been a 10-issue series. That seemed rather a long period to make readers wait, particularly when my initial goal was for a hardcover collection to be in stores in October 2004, in time for Halloween. I shifted that around to 5 issues with 44 story pages each, which allowed us to run a 48-page comic with 4 pages of extra material and no ads junking up the book. That was what I initially presented to you and Dick: a 5-issue limited series starting in May 2004. The first 76 pages of older material would have spread over the first two issues, and then there would’ve been 144 new pages to complete the adaptation. I intended for us to collect all that in a 240-page hardcover in time for bookstores to sell it for Halloween. Then we hit a snag. Dick had other work commitments: his book Draw Comics with Dick Giordano prevented him from starting on new pages until June or July. Poor Dick actually wrote me an e-mail saying he had to regrettably decline the project because he didn’t want to

THOMAS: On Friday, March 19, 2004, you sent a message titled “Bram Stoker’s Dracula was Approved!!!!!!” I’m sure Dick and I both appreciated your enthusiasm. BEAZLEY: I was bouncing off the walls that day with a huge grin on my face. It seemed as though the fates were aligned in our favor to finish this up exactly 30 years after it began. THOMAS: How was the title Stoker’s Dracula arrived at? Was Bram Stoker’s Dracula considered as “taken,” even though the Coppola movie (and the comics adaptation I wrote for Topps) was a decade in the past? BEAZLEY: I remember looking at the Topps book and noting that Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a title was trademarked, which I found frustrating, because there is no better title than that. I didn’t want to have Dracula by Bram Stoker or Marvel Presents Bram Stoker’s Dracula or something along those lines. The impact just seemed diminished the more you played around with it. I wanted people to know that this wasn’t just Marvel’s version of Dracula—this was the most faithful comic adaptation of the novel ever. This was Stoker’s Dracula. It was short and direct. I think it works well. THOMAS: It does, although I’ll confess I personally would’ve had no objection to either of the other two potential titles you mention. It was a lucky happenstance that the “Jonathan Harker’s Diary” part of the adaptation exactly coincided with the 44 pages needed to make up issue #1, wasn’t it?

Three Decades of Dracula–––And Counting BEAZLEY: I remember realizing that one day: how perfect a synchronicity it was that the first segment of the novel was ending at the first-issue break. If there’d been more Harker material, I guess it would have just flowed into issue #2, but I think we did a good job of making the issue breaks carry their own weight. #2 is about Mina and Lucy and ends with Lucy’s death. #3 is where the heroes fully realize the horror of Dracula and ends with everyone at their lowest point, as every good “darkest before the dawn” story should. And #4 is where the heroes truly begin to hunt Dracula in earnest and finally put an end to him. I’m proud that each chapter works individually; as does each issue, and the story as a whole. THOMAS: You made several helpful editorial suggestions along the way, because you’d read the novel not long before I re-read it prior to doing the new synopses for Dick. But your best suggestion was the trickiest—the fact that Dick and I (and this was primarily my fault, as the plotter) started off issue #4 an asylum attendant showing Seward and Van Helsing the dying Renfield in his quarters. I’d moved that scene forward into #3 to save space—then somehow forgot that fact when plotting #4—so we ended up with a 3-panel sequence on pp. 1-2 of #4 that repeated a scene from #3!

was one of those nebulous shots I wasn’t sure we were going to get away with. Rather than rock the boat on something which, as you say, wasn’t germane to the plot and was easily written around, and potentially stir up controversy over one of my favorite sequences in our series, it seemed easier to just take it out. THOMAS: Were there any particular problems that rose in the course of putting out the four issues, or assembling them into graphic novel form? BEAZLEY: Getting the best quality film for all the older material pages proved a little more difficult than I’d originally thought. Unfortunately the first chapter in issue #1 is the one that suffers the most from that. I know Dick wasn’t happy with the way that reproduced. For the collection we managed to find some better sources on some of the pages.

Your suggestion that the sequence be written to show Seward and Van Helsing merely discussing what to do with Renfield’s corpse worked out especially well… since in a comic book, a dead man and a dying man look remarkably similar. I even found prose in Stoker’s novel that I could use to give additional information—like the fact that it would be said that Renfield broke his neck falling out of bed. Any remembrance of how you came up with that particular suggestion? BEAZLEY: I think we were all so caught up in everything that, like you, when we got to the beginning of #4 we weren’t thinking about what we’d already done. We were just chugging full speed ahead. I seem to recall Dick making an off-hand remark questioning the scene when he turned in the pencil roughs, but I guess it didn’t register until you turned in the script for the issue and described Renfield taking his dying breaths. I looked back at #3 to confirm that Van Helsing does indeed pronounce him dead there. Technically, we could have made it work, because Seward is narrating that end chapter of issue 3 and then #4 starts off with Harker writing in his journal, so we could have viewed the death from the two different perspectives. I think that repeating Renfield’s death would have diminished its impact, however. In discussing what we could do to fix this with you and Dick, we contemplated chopping the first panel from the top of the page and cramming it onto page 2, or having Dick redraw page 2. We were starting to get close to our deadline, though. You were scripting from the pencil roughs by issue 4. I was hesitant to interrupt Dick’s momentum when he was so close to finishing. Besides, I knew you and I could come up with something so we could keep that great image of Renfield and not have to muck with the art at all. I believe I just went back to the text. I pored over that section again and again until I came across the snippet you ended up referencing. THOMAS: One of the few changes you asked for in my plots was to drop the idea of Lord Godalming smoking at one point, while they’re waiting for Dracula to arrive. The omission was easy, since it wasn’t especially germane to the plot… but is this a hard Marvel policy? BEAZLEY: It seems somewhat more lax as a policy now than it had been in the past. The intent is noble: if kids are looking to emulate our heroes, and our heroes are smoking, they might end up smoking just like our heroes. We probably could have snuck it through, but I was concerned that bringing the smoking sequence under scrutiny might then bring a more watchful eye on an earlier scene in the same issue. In that earlier sequence, Lucy is brutally staked through the heart on panel, causing blood to spurt everywhere—and then they decapitate her. That

You Only Die Once—Unless You’re Renfield No need to print the published art for the “Renfield death sequence” that Roy (and then Dick) accidentally included in both the third and fourth issues— ’cause they’re on view in both the comics series and the new graphic novel. But here are Dick’s pencils (with some inking on the heads) for page 1 of Stoker’s Dracula #4. See? You can’t tell if the guy’s alive or dead—so, at editor Mark’s suggestion, Roy scripted it as if Renfield were already deceased, rather than merely dying! Dick says he basically trusted Roy’s instincts, but he still (understandably) added the note at top right: “All: Just so that we’re all on the same page… Renfield ‘died’ on pg. 28 of Book 3. I presume there’s a reason for him to ‘die’ again. –D.” Yep, there was: Roy forgot, as explained in the interviews. Hey, if (as they say) “Homer nods”—then the rest of us poor writers can be expected to downright doze once in a while! [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Giordano, Thomas, & Beazley Talk About Stoker’s Dracula

Betty & Veronica—Meet Lucy & Mina! Two powerful pages from “Book 3” in Dick’s roughs: Lord Godalming drives a stake through the heart of his beloved (but now vampiric) Lucy—and the “gang of five” burst into the Harkers’ bedroom as Dracula forces Mina to suck blood from his bare chest. Subtext, anyone? [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Dick even uncovered some of the original art boards, which I wasn’t aware he still had, so we’re replacing the pages we can with the better source material, which will make the collection all the better. Other than that I can’t recall any major difficulties. You and Dick are truly professionals. Neither of you missed a deadline, and you’re both a pleasure to work with. Every time I’d start to get worried about when I would see stuff from Dick, I’d come into work and have a fax with a dozen or so pages of inks, or the next chapter or two in pencil roughs. THOMAS: Anything else you’d like to add? You may recall something that I don’t know enough about to even ask questions about! BEAZLEY: When we were about to get started, I remember sending you both a care package in the hopes of getting you excited to begin. Inside was Essential Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 2 (which had just come out), photocopies of the original 76 pages of the adaptation clipped together, and a fresh paperback copy of Dracula. Finding a store that had three copies of the exact same version of Dracula, so we could all be referencing the same page when discussing the book, was a bit of a pain. The version I wound up buying for us all

wasn’t my ideal, because of the annotations and notes by an Irish literature scholar. I remember you scoffing at some of his notes, and I could probably have done without his interpretation of the text in regards to Irish/English relations. It got to be a bit much at times. THOMAS: Fortunately, we could totally ignore that interpretation, or any other modern or post-modern one, since we were just adapting Stoker’s novel. I only wish Dick and I had also begun an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or The Phantom of the Opera or even Werewolf of Paris, so we could finish that one, too! But alas, back in the 1970s I had to turn Marvel’s Frankenstein adaptation with artist Mike Ploog over to Gary Friedrich to write. He did quite well with it, but I’d have loved to have done a graphic novel adaptation of that, as well! I did adapt the Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein movie for Topps in the ’90s, but that wasn’t the same thing. BEAZLEY: You never know what might happen. If there’s enough interest in Stoker’s Dracula, perhaps you’ll see those early Monster of Frankenstein issues that adapted the novel collected together in a nice package.

Happy Halloween! A Horrific Helping Of Awe-Inspiring Artwork

ast year’s Halloween issue threw a spooky spotlight on Frankenstein in the comics, as depicted by Bernie Wrightson, Dick Briefer, and other talented souls. We don’t have an overall “theme” this time—dividing our coverage between versions of Dracula and Frankenstein—but we wanted to devote a special section to “monster-ous” art by some masters of the macabre. —Roy.

The Wright(son) Stuff Though we printed a number of pages from it last October, we couldn’t resist starting out with still more art from the wonderful 1993 volume which features Bernie Wrightson art that didn’t make it into the 1983 Wrightson-illustrated edition of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, which is well worth seeking out. Both are preliminary sketches for quite different finished illos in the Marvel/Dodd & Mead book. For a copy of Bernie Wrightson: The Lost Frankenstein Pages, contact Mike & Hilary Catron at <hcatron@earthlink.net> Priced at just $9.95 per copy postpaid— and worth every penny. Some things shouldn’t stay lost! [Art ©2005 Bernie Wrightson.]

A Horrific Helping of Awe-Inspiring Artwork

Brimstone From Brunner No Halloween issue of Alter Ego would be complete without a sampling of art by Formerly Far-Out Frank Brunner—so here are two previously-unpublished specimens of his awesome art. [Art ©2005 Frank Brunner; Death TM & ©2005 DC Comics. And you have no idea how weird it felt to type that last part!]

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)

Visit my NEW website at: http://www.frankbrunner.net

Happy Halloween!

Alcala Was Awesome! The late Alfredo Alcala was a phenomenon in two countries in two hemispheres—first in his native Philippines, where he had his own comic book for several years, and later in the United States, both as full artist of many a horror/mystery tale for DC and Marvel, and as inker/embellisher of the pencils of John Buscema and others in Marvel’s The Savage Sword of Conan. Here’s a real phantasmagoria of a page from his Filipino work, scripted in the Tagalog language. With thanks to Christian Voltar Alcala and the rest of Alfredo’s family. [©2005 Estate of Alfredo Alcala.]

A Heap Of “Heap” Ernie Schroeder, who was interviewed in depth in A/E #42, wrote and drew both the “Heap” and “Airboy” features for the final several years of Airboy Comics—and did it quite well, too! This page from Airboy Comics, Vol. 7, #11 (Dec. 1950) shows the Heap in battle with a Frankenstein wannabe. Note that the old green-skinned swamp manthing is referred to in panel 2 as a “hulk”! Thanks to Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

A Horrific Helping of Awe-Inspiring Artwork

“Did You Ever Hear Of—Konga?” (Above:) A page from Charlton’s Konga #7 (July 1962). Steve Ditko drew several comics featuring this big star of a 1960 monster flick. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Stop The Clock—I Want To Get Off! (Above & right:) Although his name will doubtless forever be linked with his co-creations Spider-Man and Dr. Strange (not to mention Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, The Creeper, The Hawk and The Dove, and maybe a few other super-heroes), Steve Ditko was also one of best practitioners of “creepy” art to come of age in the 1950s, as per this art—most likely from a Charlton story. These pages are repro’d from a black-&-white Australian reprint comic, with thanks to Michael Baulderstone. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Happy Halloween!

Bissette Does Batman—And Swamp Thing Steve Bissette is known especially for his work on DC’s Swamp Thing, but the moody drawing of Batman at left served as the cover of the Spring 1996 issue of Jeff Smith’s fine fanzine Secret Identity—and we felt it belonged in our Halloween issue. But so, of course, did a page from Swamp Thing itself—as witness the page below that was reprinted in the same zine. We couldn’t hope to improve on Jeff’s caption there: “Swamp Thing’s sophisticated narrative was a synthesis of Alan Moore’s intelligent scripting, and Steve’s intricate page design, illustrating his aesthetic that the page, not the panel, is the whole. Also a good example of John Totleben’s evocative inking style.” Indeed! With thanks to Steve and Jeff. [Art ©2005 Steve Bissette; Batman TM & ©2005 DC Comics.]

A Horrific Helping of Awe-Inspiring Artwork More Monsters By Maneely (Right:) What? You thought we’d exhausted our store of great Timely/Marvel horror comics covers by the magnificent Joe Maneely back in A/E #28, which featured Dr. Michael J. Vassallo’s monumental essay on his life and career? Hey, we barely scratched the surface! Here, Joe does a riff on the old haunted-castle routine. It appears that walking suit of armor wants to get a-head in this world— or did we use that pun this issue already? This cover was done for Adventures into Weird Worlds #27 (March 1953), but we lifted it from Mike Benton’s invaluable Illustrated History of Horror Comics. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

All About Eve (Above:) In last year’s Halloween hoedown, we trick-or-treated you to some art from Michael W. Kaluta’s 1970s DC series “Spawn of Frankenstein.” This time, although we have sadly forgotten who sent us a scan of the original art a while ago, we have a wonderfully weird Kaluta framing page with horror hostess Eve that would seem to be from Secrets of Sinister House #6 (Aug-Sept. 1972). Even EC never did it better than this! Repro’d from a scan of the original art. [©2005 DC Comics.]

Eerie Everett (Right:) In 1950 band-leader Phil Harris had a hit with the pop song “The Thing”—which may or may not have been inspired by knowledge that an sf/horror movie called The Thing (from Another World) would soon be hitting the nation’s theatres. The tune dealt with a guy who finds a repulsive “thing” (represented in the song by three knocks—“bump-be-bump”) inside a box on a beach, then finds he can’t get rid of it. Here, artist (and probable scripter) Bill Everett does a comic book take on the song in Venus #19 (April 1952), the last issue of the love goddess’ multi-genre series. Repro’d from photocopies of the original art. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Happy Halloween!

And Now—A Heap Of Heath We had some halcyon horror art left over from our lengthy interview with Russ Heath in A/E #40, as well. In Adventures into Terror #4 (June 1951), Russ drew “The Brain”—and, two issues later (#6, Oct. ’51), “The Return of the Brain.” He also drew the rapaciously-rendered cover for Astonishing #22 (Feb. 1953). Thanks to Doc V. for all three scans. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

A Horrific Helping of Awe-Inspiring Artwork Loston Space (Left:) Loston Wallace has made a name for himself as artist on Strange Passages, Cavewoman, and other alternative comics. He draws a mean Batman, too. (Well… not “mean” in that sense.) [Art ©2005 Loston Wallace; Batman TM & ©2005 DC Comics.]

The Halloween Spirit Okay, so the above isn’t exactly a scary pic. But we take our original drawings of The Spirit by the late great Will Eisner when and where we find ’em! Some years back, collector Al Dellinges sent Will his own rendering of the splash page of a vintage Halloween Spirit tale, and the ever-gracious Mr. E. responded with this cartoon. [©2005 Estate of Will Eisner.]

The Wright(son) Stuff—The Finale We started with Wrightson—so we’d like to end with the artistic co-creator of Swamp Thing, as well. Adam Brooks sent us a scan of this eldritch 1970 illo by a young Bernie. We frankly don’t know if it’s ever been published before—but if it hasn’t, it should have been! [©2005 Bernie Wrightson.]

Like We Said——Happy Halloween, Everybody!

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ALTER EGO #41

ALTER EGO #42

ALTER EGO #43

ALTER EGO #44

ALTER EGO #45

Halloween issue! Covers by WRIGHTSON & MARC SWAYZE, WRIGHTSON on his ’70s FRANKENSTEIN, art by KALUTA, BAILY, MANEELY, PLOOG, KUBERT, BRUNNER, BORING, OKSNER, TUSKA, CRANDALL, SUTTON, and others! Plus FCA #100, ALEX TOTH, MICHAEL T. GILBERT—and more!

Covers by FASTNER & LARSON and ERNIE SCHROEDER, a celebration of DON HECK, WERNER ROTH, and PAUL REINMAN, rare art by KIRBY, DITKO, AYERS, Hillman & Ziff-Davis remembered by SCHROEDER, HERB ROGOFF, and WALTER LITTMAN, FCA, ALEX TOTH, & more!

Flip covers by TUSKA and STEVENS, yuletide art by SINNOTT, BRUNNER, CARDY, TOTH, NODELL, and others, interviews with Golden Age artists TOM GILL (Lone Ranger) and MORRIS WEISS, exploring 1960s Mexican comics, FCA, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, & more!

JSA/All-Star Squadron/Infinity Inc. special! Interviews with JOE KUBERT, IRWIN HASEN, MURPHY ANDERSON, JERRY ORDWAY, 1940s Atom writer ARTHUR ADLER, art by TOTH, SEKOWSKY, HASEN, MACHLAN, OKSNER, INFANTINO, FCA, MR. MONSTER, ORDWAY cover, more!

Interviews with Golden Age Sandman artist CREIG FLESSEL and 1940s creator BERT CHRISTMAN, MICHAEL CHABON on researching his Pulitzer-winning novel Kavalier & Clay, art by EISNER, KANE, KIRBY, & AYERS, FCA, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, & more!

(108-page magazine) $8 US

(100-page magazine) $8 US

ALTER EGO #46

ALTER EGO #47

ALTER EGO #48

ALTER EGO #49

ALTER EGO #50

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MATT BAKER, Golden Age cheesecake artist of PHANTOM LADY, plus art from AL FELDSTEIN, VINCE COLLETTA, ARTHUR PEDDY, JACK KAMEN & others, FCA, BILL SCHELLY talks to BUD PLANT, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, and more!

The late WILL EISNER discusses ’40s Quality Comics with art by FINE, CRANDALL, COLE, & CARDY! EISNER tributes by STAN LEE, GENE COLAN, & others! ’40s Quality artist VERN HENKEL interviewed, FCA, MR. MONSTER, TOTH, & more!

Interview with CARL BURGOS’ daughter! Unused 1941 cover layouts by BURGOS and other Timely titans! The 1957 Atlas Implosion, MANNY STALLMAN, and the BLUE FLAME! Also, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER and more!

ROY THOMAS covers his 40-YEAR career in comics, with ADAMS, BUSCEMA, COLAN, DITKO, GIL KANE, KIRBY, STAN LEE, ORDWAY, PÉREZ, ROMITA, and many others! Also, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER and more!

(100-page magazine) $8 US

ALTER EGO #55 (DEC.)

ALTER EGO #51

ALTER EGO #52

ALTER EGO #53 (OCT.)

ALTER EGO #54 (NOV.)

Golden Age Batman artist/Bob Kane ghost LEW SAYRE SCHWARTZ interviewed, the Golden & Silver Ages of AUSTRALIAN SUPER-HEROES, Mad artist DAVE BERG interviewed, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on WILL EISNER, ALEX TOTH and more!

JOE GIELLA on the Silver Age at DC, the Golden Age at Marvel, and JULIE SCHWARTZ, with rare art by INFANTINO, GIL KANE, SEKOWSKY, SWAN, DILLIN, MOLDOFF, GIACOIA, SCHAFFENBERGER, and others, JAY SCOTT PIKE on STAN LEE, MARTIN THALL, and more!

Halloween issue! GIORDANO & THOMAS on STOKER’S DRACULA, never-seen DICK BRIEFER Frankenstein strip, MIKE ESPOSITO on his work with ROSS ANDRU, art by COLAN, WRIGHTSON, MIGNOLA, BRUNNER, BISSETTE, KALUTA, HEATH, MANEELY, EVERETT, DITKO, and others!

ALEX ROSS cover, JACK and OTTO MIKE ESPOSITO on DC and Marvel, BINDER, KEN BALD, and VIC DOWD ROBERT KANIGHER on the creation of interviewed, FCA with MARC SWAYZE Metal Men & Sgt. Rock (with comments and EMILIO SQUEGLIO, Christmas Card by JOE KUBERT & BOB HANEY), art by Art from CRANDALL, SINNOTT, HEATH, ANDRU, INFANTINO, KIRBY, SEVERIN, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, GIL KANE, plus FCA MOONEY, and CARDY, 1943 superheroine Pin-Up Calendar, ALEX TOTH, and more! with SWAYZE, ALEX TOTH, & more!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

(100-page magazine) $8 US

(100-page magazine) $9 US

SUBSCRIBE! Twelve Issues in the US: $60 Standard, $96 First Class (Canada: $120, Elsewhere: $132 Surface, $180 Airmail). NOTE: FOR A SIX-ISSUE SUB, CUT THE PRICE IN HALF! The cover price of Alter Ego increases by $1 as of #52, but the subscription price remains the same.)

Frankenstein In The Funny Pages? DICK BRIEFER & His Merry Monster Comic Strip

Part II

n last year’s Halloween issue, #41, along with Don Glut’s coverage of Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein comic book, Alter Ego printed remembrances of correspondence with Briefer during the 1970s by Al Dellinges… extended remarks by the Golden Age artist which he had sent during that period to Howard Leroy Davis… and 25 sample dailies of a Frankenstein comic strip Briefer prepared (in the 1950s?), soon after publication of the comic book version ceased. Soon afterwards, Briefer drew 36 more dailies, retelling one of the two 1950s stories from the earlier strips (itself an adaptation of a published comic book tale), with totally new art and script. This time around, we’re presenting the first 20 of these, right after the following piece which has been edited slightly from its original publication in Al’s 1970s fanzine Near Mint #35. Dick Briefer passed away in 1983. —Roy.

A Word about DICK BRIEFER by Ray Funk & Al Dellinges

victory,” because he incorporated that into his new approach—and, would you believe it, shortly thereafter, Frankenstein had his own book, and it lasted for quite a few issues.

The parade was soon to Frankenstein, Meet Your Maker! Dick Briefer’s first comic book work appeared end, though, for everybody, Dick Briefer’s comic book version of Frankenstein in Jumbo Comics #1, and continued for several because in the late 1940s, comic —in a pose painstakingly traced by Al Dellinges— issues dealing with a picturized version of the books began going downhill. Like contemplates his creator, in a photo that first appeared Victor Hugo’s classic work The Hunchback of in Rocket’s Blast-Comicollector #84 several decades many of the other comic book illusNotre Dame. His work also appears in several back. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] trators, Briefer left the business and went other first issues: Planet Comics #1 features into serious painting. But try as he did, “Flint Baker,” Jungle Comics #1 features a story he couldn’t get the beloved Monster out of his system, and in the early titled “Drums,” and Mystery Men Comics #1 contains a “Rex Dexter” ’50s he wrote and drew a series of daily Frankenstein strips in the tale. Reprints from various issues of Mystery Men Comics make up the humorous vein, aimed at syndication. He was unsuccessful at selling the 1940 Rex Dexter of Mars Comics #l, and there is yet another “Rex strip, but he did get several offers to do a comic book version. Dick Dexter” story in Eagle Comics #l. declined. He never told us why, but he made it very clear that a comic All of this comic book work was done by Dick just prior to his book version was out of the question. association with Prize Publications, where he created his famous version And that’s how it was for about a quarter of a century, until we of Frankenstein. He had a copyright on his own version of the famed contacted Dick regarding a book we wanted to do about him. It was monster, and in 1982 he was on the verge of syndicating a Frankenstein 1977, and Dick was very receptive about the idea. In fact, our contact daily strip, done in the comic style. More on this in a moment. First, let’s even revived his interest in the Frankenstein daily strip again. go back to Prize Comics #3, which featured the world’s first look at Briefer’s art on the dreaded Monster. So we prepared a booklet for him, containing the strips he had originally done in the ’50s, and resubmitted them. But it was again turned Dick’s Monster was something to behold. Whatever possessed him to down, except for one publisher who wanted to have Dick do a comic put the creature’s nose up on the forehead is beyond us—but it worked, book version of the monster. But Dick still had no interest in doing a making it possibly the weirdest-drawn Frankenstein Monster ever done. comic book version. Perhaps it was for the best, as Dick’s health had His facial expression reflected evil to perfection, but it was different and, been failing and he might not have been able to keep a commitment. He if the word fits, refreshing. He was bad, and he stayed bad, and he left a recently passed away, and we had several inquiries as to the availability path of destruction unparalleled in equality. He did not deteriorate, nor of his unpublished Frankenstein daily originals. We tried to contact his slow down, nor lose his strength; but, somewhere along the line, Briefer wife about them, but never received a reply. had a change of heart about the Monster and made him cute and sweet. This showed just what a genius Briefer really was, because the monster As we see it, Dick’s contribution to the world of comic art will never now changed into a humorous character and was more popular than ever. be surpassed, and he had an influence on every artist who ever wanted to draw the Monster. In fact, Alex Toth was an admirer of Briefer’s art and Apparently Briefer was well aware of the old cliché, “Comedy is

Frankenstein In The Funny Pages? ––– Part II often made quick sketches of the monster à la Dick Briefer’s style on postcards he sent out. Dick Briefer’s art always left you laughing. [Next: Following are four letters Briefer wrote to Al D. during this period, which will help put the sample dailies on pp. 28-32 in perspective:]

August 25,1979 Dear Al Dellinges, blame for this very late Howard Lowery isn’t to have rde wa d to me. I am lazy, response to your letter for out s wa and s, old comic day very little nostalgia for the orinf s thi use l stil can . If you of town for several weeks mation, fine. at you wanted in the Actually, I don’t know wh want to know if the you If . “interview” you requested go along d on is okay—sure, I’ll arrangement you planne with you. itten up in several books My “resume” has been wr rd’s sed is a page from Howa on comic history. Enclo bably pro you ry— sto the s tell auction brochure which have that. my first contribution to The “Hunchback” was ed a lot of original story add I , comics. To stretch it out , er for that first magazine line. I think I did the cov r,” xte De ex “R e cam en . Th Wow!, of Eiger & Eisner s interest in, and the art wa which I had absolutely no n ctio olle rec no e not, I hav terrible—and believe it or and a lot of other strips er” Bak int “Fl of r eve what sI generally right. The one people claim I did and are Lev for ” nce Pri Pirate enjoyed most were “The t,” il?), a comic “Who Dunni dev are (D ks boo n’s aso Gle put I ich wh in ro & Wood) Crime Does Not Pay (Bi io Durante and his whole rad my Jim . . . w kne I people t. pri cul the s nard Bernstein wa crew, and one where Leo in short 3-4 page stories Outstanding to me were onin—good stories and Cr . E.C several books edited by good art. , version, was always a joy Frankenstein, the comic ly dai ted jec samples of a pro and I have some superb down by syndicates in the ned tur n bee had strip that is , even though “horror” life past. At this stage of my in. aga out rt sending it “in,” I’m too lazy to sta say—I hope I haven’t Al—this is about all I can If I rs with this late response. fouled up any plans of you loss. did it was probably my r from erest, and maybe I’ll hea int r Thanks for you 10 to ber tem Sep e ay from hom you some day. I’ll be aw d. rde wa for is il ma my November 10 or so, but again, Best to you and thanks r efe Dick Bri

27 November 12, 1979

Dear Al,

Apologies and explanatio ns: I was out of town fro m September to today in the DC/Baltim ore area. This is a yearly vacation. Although my mail was forwarded to me by a responsible person —there was a miss-up on some things, especially you r magazine that I just qui ckly glanced through. I did get your letter plus the check before I left, me ant to write you and tha you but never got around nk to it, so I really belong on your shit list! Apologies. I even brough t the Frankenstein strip with me to send to you you wanted to look at it, if but didn’t do that either. So first, thanks for the che ck. Next, the book is am some of the stuff I don’t azing to me because remember at all, and the “Hunchback” was the firs time I’ve seen that in 40 t years or so! The only thing that bother ed me is that I alone did and inking, on everythin all the art, pencil g I ever did. So changes in style were not the res of different inkers! (You ults probably wouldn’t recogn ize some of the fine pen art (no brush) in some of the Romance Stories I did for Prize.) I don’t know how a syn dicate would react to Fra nkenstein (the comic version) at this time. Ha lf hearted attempts in the past to sell it got nowher except for one syndicate e, who showed some intere st and had me redraw it their specifications. The to story line is based on old stories, and if it were to published, there’s enough be in them to last as long as I could last. So, if I were to send you the originals, and you we re to print a batch to send to all the syndicate s (I would tell you the one s I contacted and who turned me down), maybe we can make a deal if you were to sell it for me. I’m lazy at this time of my life, and won’t go to the if you want to do it and trouble myself—so benefit if it is sold—and not benefit if it isn’t—let me hear from you. My firm promise—I wil l answer you immediate ly if and when you write again! Honest Real American!

Laughing All The Way To The (Blood) Bank (Right:) A 1948 “Frankenstein (The Merry Monster)” page by Briefer, repro’d from a photocopy of the original art. With thanks to Al Dellinges. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Best and Thanks Dick Briefer

Dick Briefer & His Merry Monster Comic Strip December 14, 1979 Dear Al, Dear Al, ’t stand the r for me workwise—I can This is a busy time of yea Parcel, and ited Un or fice Of st lines at the Po include— to thought of bucking the you kage and write a blurb for letting I’m to make up a suitable pac p, stri my for ils watching the ma and the me so, rather than have you for h the Xmas rush is over, bot of the e aus you know that as soon as bec t tha to kage. I’m committed P.O., I’ll send out the pac . ted oin app you’re not dis money you sent! Hope answer him h today—now I have to Got a letter from Alex Tot ’ll have to He s. day k boo p about comic and write the same old cra wait, too. Best Season’s Greetings, Dick

[And now, the Frankenstein comic strips. Comparing the following rendition of the “Invention Day Party” with the earlier version featured in A/E #41, you’ll note that the Werewolf character is missing, perhaps because Briefer planned to re-do the story that introduced him at a later date. In addition, characters are generally shown in medium shots or close-ups, with fewer long shots, probably reflecting the unfortunate trend in newspapers to print their

February 21, 1980

Should have written soo ner thanking you for sen ding copies of strip — looks fine — exc ellent job — and apprec iate efforts you have gone through to help me . Now I worry that it ma y sell

and I’ll have to work aga in!! Al Grossman (letter you forwarded to me) commis sioned me to paint a “Rex Dexter of Ma rs” thing. Just finished it and will send it. An 18” x 24” acrylic pai nting duplicating Rex De xter #1 book (1940). Thanks for that lead. I’d like it if you’d send about 3 more samples of the strip. Close friends would lov e to have one of their ow n. Al—thanks again for all you’ve done for & with me, and for your patience in the way I correspond. Let’s hear from you— Best, Dick

comic strips smaller and smaller. Now, through the good offices of Al Dellinges, whom Briefer gave full permission to have the strips printed, sit back and enjoy 20 delicious chunks of comic art by a master stylist, which are ©2005 Estate of Dick Briefer:]

Frankenstein In The Funny Pages? ––– Part II

Dick Briefer & His Merry Monster Comic Strip

Frankenstein In The Funny Pages? ––– Part II

Dick Briefer & His Merry Monster Comic Strip

That’s it for 2005! Next Halloween—the final 16 Briefer Frankenstein dailies!

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“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership That Lasted Until The Day He Died” Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Inker MIKE ESPOSITO Talks—About Darn Near Everything! Interview Conducted by Jim Amash

Transcribed by Tom Wimbish

knew Mike Esposito had a long career, ranging from Fox Features to Hillman, Standard Publishing, Ziff-Davis, Archie, Skywald, and of course DC and Marvel Comics, plus a few others. And I also knew about his publishing ventures with Ross Andru and other partners, so I figured that we would have a lot to talk about. The happy surprise for me was just how sharp Mike’s memory was on all these events and much, much more. For those of you who thought of Mike Esposito as “just” an inker, I suspect you’ll see him in a whole new light after reading this interview. So far as I know, with the exception of Joe Simon, Mike’s the only man around who can give us an idea of what it was like to be a publisher in the uncertain 1950s— and if that isn’t enough, then wait until you read his thoughts on the people he worked with in his 50+ years in comics, particularly his longtime friend and partner, the late Ross Andru. Andru and Esposito were among the best art teams in comics and deserve all the praise we can give them. This interview takes a look at the Andru and Esposito team and at Mike’s solo career, in as much detail as Mike could stand to give me (the poor guy!). Seriously, it was a lot of fun spending those hours with Mike, telephonically, and I have our mutual friend, Stan Goldberg, to thank for giving me the contact info. Because of the length of this interview, we decided to split it between this issue and the next, with the second part covering Mike’s career after he and Andru began working for DC Comics in the 1950s. Meanwhile, if you want to see Mike on the Internet, go to www.MightyMikeEspo.net. You can contact him about re-creating your favorite Andru/Esposito cover or one of Mike’s many others, as well. Okay, enough talking from me. It’s Mike’s turn. —Jim.

Mike & Ross & Friends While Ross Andru (top right) and Mike Esposito drew at one time or another for virtually every comics company around, few of their four-color forays were as important as DC’s Wonder Woman #98 (July 1958), the issue in which they took over the mag’s interior art—and they later got to work together on a number of issues of Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man, such as this splash for issue #156 (May 1976). Thanks to Rodrigo Baeza for sending us a list of Andru & Esposito’s ASM work. The photo appeared in Comic Book Marketplace #78 (May 2000), to which it was provided by Mike; it’s the only one we have of the two longtime partners together after high school—so count on seeing it next issue, as well! [Wonder Woman art ©2005 DC Comics; Spider-Man art ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

“Comics Were Burlesque… Fine Arts Were Broadway” JIM AMASH: Since you were there at the time, maybe you can tell me when and where you were born. MIKE ESPOSITO: I might not have been there; I might have been out of it. I was born in 1927, on July 14th. I guess I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was a baby. JA: I see that you went to the High School of Music and Art, and then the Cartoonists and Illustrators School. ESPOSITO: Yes, I started at the High School of Music and Art at age 14; I guess it was 1941. I think Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was responsible for that school; he started it in around 1939.

35 kids were afraid; all the guys 15 or 16 years old were walking around wondering if they were next. My sister had also died when she was 14 and I was 11. These kids dying so young was traumatic for me. Once I got back out on the street that day, I collapsed, and my friends all carried me home. My mother naturally went into a panic, because my sister had just died two years before. I’ve been nervous all these years, because that’s what pressure does to me.

“Ross and I Were Drafted Into The Army” JA: Isn’t that about the time you first met Ross Andru? ESPOSITO: Yeah. He was starting the next term. Ross’ family was Russian, and his real name was Rossoslav Andruskevitch. They had been living here for about 14 years when Ross was born, so they were pretty Americanized, and he always called himself Ross Andru. He came from Cleveland, Ohio. His father was a brilliant musician who played French horn for the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra and the Ballet Russe.

In the 7th or 8th grade, one of my teachers was very impressed with my little sketches. In fact, I did a mural, and if the school is still there, it’s The Line-Up probably still on the wall. It was an Alice in (From left:) Mike’s cousin Richard—Mike Wonderland scene; she’s sitting on a mushroom himself—and his brother Ralph. 1938 photo with all the characters. The teacher was impressed. courtesy of Mike Espositio. One woman said, “I don’t know of an Italian who can’t draw.” Is that riiiiiiiiight? We can sing, too. We have no rhythm, I did a report for my class on making animation, in which I was very though. We can’t dance. interested. I wanted to become a Disney cartoonist, an animator. I did Anyway, she was positive that, if you were Italian, you had to be an something on the blackboard on how to make a movie—I talked about artist. My brother was there, but he couldn’t draw. He was a couple of Disney, using extreme and in-between drawings, and doing flip-books— years behind me. They used to ask him, “Why can’t you draw like your and the teacher was very impressed. It was unusual for me because I brother?” But it doesn’t work that way. I’m sure the Buscema brothers never did my homework; I was a bad student. She said, “I know a young went through the same thing in school. man your age who just came here from Cleveland. He’s in art, too, and his name is Ross Andru. Would you like to meet him?” Until you got to the big leagues, every young fella in the neighborhood who later became an artist was the cat’s meow; they were the I met him outside on a winter day. I went outside and saw this little big guys. I used to draw on the streets with chalk—Batman, and all the guy—horn-rimmed glasses and a little round face, with his jacket other characters—and the neighbors used to hate it, because they had to buttoned up to his neck and two scarves—making snowballs and wash the streets. What happens is, your mother tells you you’re great, throwing them at a tree. We introduced ourselves, and he showed me his everybody tells you you’re great, because you’re the only one doing it. stuff, and I thought it was bad. I felt sorry for him. It was pretty bad. I When I was ready to go to the High School of Music and Art, my tried to explain what was wrong to him: it was crude. Ross and I became mother said, “Listen now, you’re going to meet other kids from all over, very close after that. and you’re going to find out you’re not the only one. Don’t be upset.” JA: While you were at the School of Music and Art, were there any The school was at 125th Street and St. Nicholas, way up in Harlem. I other guys who went into comics there? had to take two subways for a nickel each to get there. I walked in there to take a test, and I saw these paintings and drawings by the advanced students who were 17 and 18. I said to myself, “My God, I can’t compete with these guys.” It was what my mother told me: be prepared. I was prepared, but to this day I’m still trying to catch up.

ESPOSITO: Yes. Gene Colan, Joe Kubert, and Jack Abel were there. Bess Myerson, the future Miss America, was there, too; you know what happened to her. There weren’t many comic artists, because the school didn’t have a class in comic art.

I got into the school, and everything they taught was fine arts. There were no comic strips; that was taboo. Comics were burlesque… fine arts were Broadway.

I was about 16 when I got sick and had to quit the school. I spent my time hanging around my father’s grocery store, and I became the local boy who never went to school. All the mothers were nice to me, and their kids were nice to me. I would draw pictures for them. I could make friends that way, and I had a gift for that.

I got very sick, and never went beyond my sophomore year. I was about 15, and I fainted from all the stress—back and forth between the two subways, back and forth—and I collapsed. The doctor told me I had a little heart murmur, which I don’t have any more. He said it was the kind of murmur that you get when you’re 16 and you’re growing very quickly, but he might have been just pacifying my family, because they wanted an answer of some kind. I fainted because it was a hot, hot day, and I had just been to the funeral parlor to see a friend of mine who had just died. I was sick to my stomach from seeing him lying in the casket. My friend died of spinal meningitis, I think; he went very fast. All the

The truant officer came by one day, and said, “Your son hasn’t been to school in six months.” My father said, “Well, he’s sick.” He brought me over to him, and I said, “I can’t ride the subways.” I hadn’t gotten over it yet. I got over it years later, once I started believing in myself. Back then, the whole problem was a lack of self esteem, and a fear of the big world around me. I really got over it when I went into the Army, because the Army became my mommy and daddy. I didn’t worry about a thing. If I collapsed, they picked me up. If I fell down and hurt myself,

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything! Snapshots A Kodak cornucopia of photos of young Mike Esposito (and even Ross Andru), sent to us by Mr. E.

Mike, age 16. He didn’t tell us the name of the girl. Maybe he doesn’t remember? Mike and Ross clowning around at Music and Art High School, 1945. Mike’s labeling makes it clear which is which.

Mike in the Army, also 1945. Of the boots, Mike says: “If you had to put these on in less than 5 minutes flat—you’d be mad, too!”

Relaxing with a couple of Fräuleins in Germany, ’45.

they’d take me to the hospital. I never worried, until I got home again. Ross and I kept up our friendship over the phone, and when I got a little better—I was about 17—I took a subway ride to his house in the Bronx. We made plans to do animation. We were going to do chapters of realistic animation. We were going to beat Disney! That’s how dumb we were. We were going to do dinosaurs. The title was Smarty Smith and the Time Machine, and it was a damn good idea. We put it together, and we took it to King Features when we got out of the Army. We talked to

the head editor, Joe Musial. He was really impressed with it, but he said, “Y’know, I can’t buy this from you because we syndicate all of Disney’s stuff.” Every time there was a movie, they’d do a strip based on the movie. So we didn’t get it. He said, “You guys are good, and you know something else, fellas? You’re better than Disney.” He made us feel good; he was being a nice guy. We used to go to the Museum of Natural History. We’d draw the dinosaurs’ bones, then draw skin over them. Finally, Ross graduated

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

from the High School of Music and Art. In 1945, Ross and I were drafted into the Army. He was drafted one month ahead of me, and they put him in the infantry. He’d write to me about how miserable he was while he was still in basic training. Eventually, he got pneumonia, and they released him because he developed a heart defect. From the time they let him go until his dying day, he received a medical pension from the Army. I was drafted on September 15, 1945. They sent me to Camp Dix, and then to Camp Crowder in Missouri. Some guy saw me drawing and put me in the Signal Corps, but I couldn’t stand heights. They had me climbing poles, and I’d freeze up there, couldn’t move up or down. They finally took me out of the Signal Corps and made me a clerk-typist. Putting Yourself Into Your Work On my application, I had (Left:) Lacking any of the drawings of dinosaurs that Andru & Esposito did at New York’s Museum of Natural History in the written that I had worked as a early 1940s, here’s the next best thing: a full-blown A&E page from the story “The Jungle That Time Forgot” in their comic clerk in my father’s store—I Mister Universe #2 (Oct. 1951), wherein the modern-day wrestler battles a T-Rex (or something a lot like it) in a lost world put cans of vegetables up on or a war that time forgot or even a Jurassic park. For the splash from this story, see p. 56. the shelves—so some idiot (Right:) Nope—we don’t have any more pics of the boys in uniform, either. But their wrestler-hero had suddenly became made me a clerk-typist. I’d a soldier in the Korean War in #4. You’ll have to settle for the cover of Ross & Mike’s Mister Universe #5 (April 1952), never had a typewriter in my the last issue. Art may be by Walter Palais, who drew two interior stories. Thanks to Frank Motler for both scans. life! So I had to practice for [Both pages ©2005 the respective copyright holders.] about five weeks before I got About two weeks later, I got my orders to go home. I went home on to a point where I could type pretty fast. a Kaiser liberty ship that creaked and creaked the whole trip. They took Some time after that, a colonel noticed that I could draw, and shipped us around the Azores, through these storms, and I never thought I was me out to Germany to draw for a base newspaper there. When I got going to make it home. That little Kaiser was bouncing like a top. there, though, they were closing down the place. Eventually, I got a job in Germany doing venereal disease posters. I did a very famous one that was in all the Army papers, and on posters all over Germany. It was a picture of a guy in a hospital, seen from the rear as he looks out the JA: So you left the service…. window at American boats departing, and it said, “If you’re drippin’, you ain’t shippin’.” It was famous; I got more compliments on that ESPOSITO: Yeah. Finally, in 1948, I was safe at home again. Ross and I thing. I did another one that said, “VD or not VD; that is the question,” went to Burne Hogarth’s Cartoonists and Illustrators School [later with a hypodermic needle in the middle, a hot blonde on one side, and renamed the School of Visual Arts]. While we were there, Burne fire on the other. Hogarth started a couple of newspaper strips. He was doing Tarzan, and

“I Had To Try Something, So I Went To Fox”

There was a major who was so nuts about these posters that he wanted to keep them. He wanted me to do them for him, and he wanted me to do some of them a little more naughty than usual. To keep him happy, I did what he wanted. He kept me in good stead with my outfit. He said, “Your term is over in about five months, but if you sign up for 20 years, I’ll promote you. By the time you retire, you’ll be at least a major, with great benefits and retirement pay.” I was a sergeant at the time, and I hadn’t even finished high school, but he was going to give me a field promotion to lieutenant. I said, “But I want to be a cartoonist!” He said, “You can be all that here. You can do these posters! Forever!” I thought it over, and I realized that I’d be living in Germany, I’d get married, I’d learn to speak German, and I’d become a completely different guy. So I said, “No, I have to go home.”

he wanted to do another one, Miracle Jones. He got the idea from James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and it was a Sunday-only strip. It was a humorous thing: the main character would be a simple little feeble guy, and then his dreams would take over, and he would become powerful. United Press Syndicate published Tarzan, and because he was with them, he was able to get another strip very easily. But Hogarth needed help. He pulled Ross Andru out of the class. He saw what Ross was doing—his ability to manufacture layouts and design big pages—and he had Ross lay out the Tarzan Sundays. Ross was the sort of guy who would work and work until it just came out of his ears. He would spend the whole night sitting in his room working; he would never do anything else. I was amazed at what he was producing. Hogarth would say, “Give me that,” and he would erase it with a rubber eraser, and then he would do his slick inking technique. It would really change every-

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything! bat. Years later, he retired to New Mexico because he’d had enough of the rat race. He was a slim, pleasant-looking guy. He was very friendly, and made me feel good about myself. He wasn’t like some other guys who would make you want to crawl into a hole. There was another editor named Hy Vigoda, who said to me, “When you receive your check, I want $2 a page commission.” I was getting $25 a page. When he left the company, he started putting together stories by calling up artists and getting them to do single pages “for charity.” I was a naive guy, so I said, “Okay.” One day, he called up my mother, who was a tough girl, and he said, “Your son hasn’t given me the pages.” She said, “Well, you haven’t paid him.” He said, “It was for charity.” She said, “My son doesn’t work for charity. He wants to be paid.” He said, “He got paid for another story, and he never kicked back the $2 a page to me.” And she said, “Well, he spent that already.” He hung up, and I never heard from the guy again.

Hogarth Gets A-Head Circa 1948, legendary Tarzan artist Burne Hogarth (above right) drafted young Ross Andru into laying out his Sunday page so Hogarth could draw a new comic strip. If Ross wasn’t on the job long enough to be involved in the infamous 1949 sequence featuring the apeman’s battle with the giant heads—well, he should have been! It would’ve been good practice for drawing all those Egg Fu stories in Wonder Woman, a decade and a half later! This Tarzan strip is the one for Sept. 18, 1949. [Tarzan art ©2005 King Feature Syndicate, Inc.]

thing. It would look like it was all Hogarth when he got through. JA: Tell me about how you got into comic books. ESPOSITO: Ross was doing Tarzan, and I figured I had to try something, so I went to Fox Features Syndicate. I started there in 1949, penciling my own stuff, and worked until Victor Fox closed the business in 1950. I penciled and inked Outlaw Women in 1948. It was pretty bad. [chuckles] I also did a crime story, “The Life of Harry Tracy.” I used my Uncle Joe’s face for Harry Tracy, with a bald head. I don’t know why; it didn’t look good, but I wanted to impress him by putting him in a comic book. He took it everywhere with him. Harry Tracy was a criminal from the late ’30s. I guess I did a few stories. I wasn’t fast, so I might have gone six months between stories.

JA: Did you deal much with Victor Fox? ESPOSITO: I never met him. He was in and out, all over the place. From what I heard, he was a pretty flashy character. JA: I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve heard he once owned a bank in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

ESPOSITO: Well, the checks came from there, so that explains that. Suddenly, they said they were bankrupt, just like that. Years later, I got a letter from the bankruptcy court. He owed me about $2500, and they were going to pay ten cents on the dollar. A story paid $250—$25 a page for ten pages—but you had to do the lettering as well. But I was pretty lousy at it. We also had to do some editing: if a story was too

JA: Who were the editors working for Fox? ESPOSITO: I remember a woman named Yvonne Rae, who later became one of my writers when I was publishing in the 1950s. There was no money in it, and things were going downhill like crazy by the time I got involved, so editors came and went as if they were playing musical chairs. Another guy there, Hank Chapman, later became a big writer for Timely Comics. He was at Fox for a very short time. He liked my stuff, and gave me scripts right off the

Foxy Women Meanwhile, Mike kept busy drawing—yep, both penciling and inking—comic books for the Fox Features Syndicate owned by the infamous Victor Fox. Mike even signed this story from Women Outlaws #4 (Jan. 1949), whose first and last (10th) page is seen here. With thanks to Hames Ware. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

great penciler, but he was able to do whatever they gave him. He would go through the comic books and swipe page layouts. He would turn pictures around to change the angles, then incorporate them into his pages. He did it in a way that made it look new, and then I would repencil it in my own technique, so nobody could tell that he was lifting other guys’ storytelling. He wasn’t that dramatic a penciler; he was better at humor. Later, when we were doing Mister Universe, I let him ink one story, and he did a pretty good job; it had a snappy look to it. After we stopped publishing, he got a divorce, moved to California, and created The Munsters with his cousin, Norman Liebmann. JA: How did you meet Ed Haas?

“What? Me Worry?” The above photo of a contract signing was taken in 1954—and the whole weird outcome is described by Mike on p. 47-48—but, since it shows Ed Haas, whom Mike met at Timely circa 1949, we’re printing it here. Haas is standing at left, Mike at right—with a seated Walter T. Johnson shrugging his shoulders. Johnson drew comic books from 1942-51 for Novelty, DC, Avon, Lev Gleason, et al.; in 1951-52 he drew a syndicated strip called Rick Kane. Mike, who provided the pic, says that, circa 1950-51, Eddie Haas acted as a go-between, getting Ross and Mike comics work. Jerry Bails & Hames Ware’s 1970s Who’s Who of American Comic Books spells his last name “Haase.”

long, they’d say, “Take a hundred words out of this.” This is where I got into trouble. I was already angry at them for having to do all this extra stuff for free, so I just took out words at random. [laughter] If the script said, “Harry goes down the street,” I took out “street.” I turned it in, they gave the script to a letterer, and the guy said, “Hey, this doesn’t make sense.” I felt good about that. [Jim laughs] JA: How did you get to the point where he owed you so much money? ESPOSITO: He’d pay you for the first story you turned in, and then he’d give you two or three more to do, and then he’d stick you. The whole time, you’d be telling yourself, “I’m making $250 a story!” I never even got a penny from the bankruptcy court. JA: What happened after you stopped working for Fox? ESPOSITO: I started working with Ross. He had stopped working for Hogarth, and he called me and said, “I’ve got no work. Maybe we could do something together.”

“Stan [Lee] Wasn’t That Worried About What The Artwork Looked Like” JA: Where was the next place you went to work? ESPOSITO: Timely Comics. I went up and saw Stan Lee. I showed him my samples, and he liked them. But Stan wasn’t that worried about what the artwork looked like. He was a writer and a producer. His thinking was that he needed pencilers and inkers. He was one of the first to separate pencilers and inkers; he had separate stables of pencilers, inkers, writers, and letterers. I had a lot to learn, but my stuff was good enough for him at the time. He gave me a staff job as a penciler for $85 a week. I wasn’t at Timely very long, because they let us all go in late 1949 or early 1950. I was one of the first to go, because I was one of the last to get in. Ed Haas was a penciler there. He was a couple of years older than me. We worked together; he’d break things down for me. He wasn’t a

ESPOSITO: There was an agent named Renaldo Epworth. He was a nice little guy who lined up comic artists for publishers. Around 1950 or ’51, Eddie Haas came to the studio on 6th Avenue and said he could get work for Ross and me from Renaldo. Eddie would come to the office and bring us scripts to draw. Some of the stories ended up at Fawcett. We did romance stories, Westerns, a little bit of everything. Eddie Haas probably isn’t a name you’d be familiar with in comics, because he never did much for which he would have gotten a byline. Eddie and I worked together until about 1952. He did a two-page filler for Get Lost that was a parody of a song that was popular then called John and Marsha. It ended with two tombstones in a cemetery that had “John” and “Marsha” engraved on them. He wrote and drew it himself; it was the only thing he ever did for us. JA: Who else was at Timely then? ESPOSITO: Al Jaffe was up there, editing. Johnny Severin was there drawing; we were all in the same room. In the other room, Gene Colan was sitting at the second desk, behind him was John Buscema, and behind John was Mike Sekowsky. Gene Colan owned a wire recorder, and one day he brought it into the office. He came into our room to show it to us, and he had a recording of a radio show with William Powell. It was a good little story, very nicely recorded, and we listened to the whole show. Then he said that he was trying to record sound effects for a fight scene, and he was having trouble getting that smack sound of a guy hitting another guy. He said he’d finally figured it out: he could get the sound by smacking a steak against a table. He was very much into the show biz side of things Inkers got $65 a week, and pencilers got $85. Mike Sekowsky made a lot of money because he could turn out five pages a day. I was working on a Western one day, and I was doing two pages the same day, and some of the guys came up and said, “What, are you crazy? Do you want to ruin it for us?” The quota was one page a day. Stan would make deals with the guys, though: he would let them take home some freelance work to increase their income. I asked if I could take some inking home, because it looked so easy compared to penciling. The pay difference was only a couple of dollars a page, but you could do it faster. There was a woman named Bonnie Hano, who made all the inking assignments. I was downstairs at the bar one day, and she was there with Mike Sekowsky, who looked down his nose at me because I was a kid. I asked her if I could pick up some inking, and she gave me a couple of pages of Ed Winiarski’s stuff. Stan saw the pages when I brought them back. He had a little intercom—he would use it to tell us to shut up if we were talking too much—and he called me in and asked who gave me the pages to ink. I wouldn’t tell him, but I said I did it to make a little extra money. He said, “I’ll tell you something: this is pretty good, but you’re a penciler. You can’t do any more inking.” I think I inked a couple more pages after that, and then he eased up on me. Then, one day, I’m sitting at my desk working, deep in concentration, and the guys gave me a hotfoot. I started yelling and screaming, and all the guys were laughing, and then I heard, “Esposito, come into my office.” It was Stan, and he was angry. I

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything!

don’t think that’s why I was let go so quickly, but he was angry about it. JA: Dave Gantz told me that, in the late ’40s, Timely put in a time clock. How did you feel about that? ESPOSITO: I didn’t care one way or the other. I had no political aspirations to be annoyed by. In fact, whenever I was late, a young girl in the office would punch my card in for me. Maybe she enjoyed my company. She saved my day every time. I was kind of, uh, stupid. I was trying to be Marlon Brando. I hadn’t grown up at that point. I had to take a big emotional beating before I grew up, bankruptcies and things like that.

“Do You Remember…?” JA: Do you remember Bill Walton?

In the Heat of Battle Comics Here’s another of those rarities— comics work penciled, inked, and signed by Mike Esposito! Despite the emphasis on the bold word “BATTLE” in the blurb, this Korean War story is from Men’s Adventures #6 (Feb. 1951). Thanks to Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

ESPOSITO: I think he went down to the village to have dinner with Jerry Grandenetti and me. Grandenetti and I were pretty close friends. In fact, when I published Mister Universe, he penciled and inked a story for me. He was a good man; fast and good. I met him up at Crime Does Not Pay, at Lev Gleason Publications. JA: What do you remember about Rudy LaPick? ESPOSITO: I probably met him in the bullpen at Timely. I went to his house up in the Bronx, and Rudy’s kid brother was a fantastic penciler. He drew boots like Alex Raymond. I was stunned by the way he designed characters. He was only 14. JA: What about Sol Brodsky? ESPOSITO: He was in the inkers’ room with Gene Colan. I was in the other room with most of the new pencilers. Syd Shores was in that room, too. He was handing out work and giving guys little lectures on the pencils. He stayed with them as long as they could keep him. Some guys they held onto, as best they could, until the company collapsed completely. JA: Do you remember Carl Burgos? ESPOSITO: Yes! Carl was a really nice guy. My wife and I saw him years later at a restaurant on Long Island. He was starting some kind of a publishing venture. Back at Timely, I didn’t know him, but I knew of him, because he was an older guy, and didn’t mix with me. I knew his name because he had created “The Human Torch.” Naturally, I was very impressed, because I had been a big comic book fan in 1939 and ’40 when those things came out. JA: In the late ’60, he and Myron Fass did a few— ESPOSITO: Myron Fass! Of course! I know him! He almost wrecked my car! He wanted to drive it, and he’d never had a driving lesson in his life! He’d come to a street, we’d say, “Stop,” he’d almost run through the intersection, and Ross and I would go, “Aaaauuugh!” Myron was a big guy who lived in Brooklyn. Ross and I did something for him for Ballyhoo magazine, a satire of $64,000 Question. We did a hell of a job, and he paid us good money for that period. It was like $65 a page, which was unheard-of at the time. It was only a 5-page story. He was a very ambitious guy; very talkative and full of life. When I saw Carl Burgos in the restaurant years later and he told me to drop by sometime, my wife said to look him up. Then I found out he

was publishing these things with Myron Fass, and I wasn’t too keen on doing it because [mutters] he almost wrecked my car. [laughter] JA: Do you remember Mario Acquaviva? Rudy said his name means “Lively Water.” ESPOSITO: Well, he didn’t look like lively water. He was a good artist, and a ladies’ man. I remember playing cards with him and Mike Sekowsky, and I lost my shirt! They took me for a lot of money; I think it was $80. I didn’t have it in my pocket, and they kept saying, “You can just owe it.” I didn’t know how to play cards, and they took advantage. Sekowsky always wanted that money, and kept bugging me for it. So finally, years later when I was publishing 3-D Romance, I asked him to work for me, and he said, “You still owe me the money!” I paid him with my company’s money, and said, “You’re paid now.” He had hounded me for years. I was a stupid kid who didn’t know how to drop out of a hand! I played every hand like I had a royal flush, even when I didn’t have anything. Both of them just ate it up. JA: Do you remember George Klein? ESPOSITO: Well, I remember who he was, but I don’t recall knowing him personally. When he died in 1969, he was working for Marvel, inking The Avengers over John Buscema. I got a story that was originally intended for him: he was unable to do it, so I got to ink the wedding of The Wasp [Avengers #60]. I love that story! It’s one of the few things I did with Buscema in The Avengers. That was nice-looking stuff, and it was back in the days when he drew complete pencils. Years later, he saw what his brother was doing, and he said, “What, am I crazy? He’s knocking out five pages a day, and I’m doing one a day!” So he started doing breakdowns. There was only one guy that I can remember who could ink his breakdowns, and that was Tom Palmer.

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

41 However, comics weren’t really dynamic during that period. It wasn’t until Stan made the breakthrough—which had a lot to do with Jack Kirby—that he started to find the dynamics of the Marvel look. When things were really popping in the 1960s, and Stan met John Buscema the second time, he got John to realign his thinking and change his whole approach to storytelling. That’s where Stan excelled. He got John Romita to tell stories more dynamically. A lot of it had to do with working without a finished script and letting the artist take off on his own, pace himself, and do it his way. Then Stan would add the balloons. He loved to add word balloons. When things were slow at Marvel, he’d put out magazines of stills from monster movies with funny word balloons added, like Monsters to Laugh With. Stan was very innovative; he kept moving and he never stood still. When he didn’t have comics to do because Timely went belly-up in ’57, he did the Mrs. Lyon’s Cubs syndicated strip. His brain was so fertile that he’d just bat ’em out.

Sci-Fi & Spies Yeah, we know “trufans” of science-fiction never call it “sci-fi”—except maybe Forrest J. Ackerman, who invented the term—so consider our heading a lame joke. Above are Timely splashes by Andru & Esposito from two genres: “Phooey on Phanga” from Uncanny Tales #15 (Dec. 1953) and a “Rick Davis” story from Spy Thrillers #3 (March 1955). Note the credit for Andru alone on the former—Stan Lee apparently didn't like penciler-inker credits! Thanks for both scans to Doc V. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Stan Was Always A Bit Of A Ham”

As time passed, Stan got to be a lot of fun. He got to be very outgoing with his bullpen. He became a big buddy-buddy guy; he became a winner, and he shared it with his crew—Marie and Johnny Severin, Sol Brodsky, Johnny Romita. He became like Walt Disney with his staff. It was his group making a stand against DC, and he used to say to me,

JA: What was it like to work for Stan Lee in 1949? ESPOSITO: I remember when Stan didn’t like a story I penciled about a lawyer. He said, “With this lawyer, you’ve got to make his hands and face very delicate. With a truck driver, make his neck twice as thick, and his hands thick and lumpy.” He had insight into all of that. Once, when I didn’t know how to draw a certain shot in an action scene, he got up on his desk and acted it out. Stan was always a bit of a ham, and still is. We’re all geniuses if we’re given the chance to become them. Lots of guys have the potential, but they never get to express it. Technically, I’m a genius, but no one believes it. [laughs] On a personal level, I didn’t pay much attention to Stan, because I was scared to death. It was my first big job, and I was in a big room with all these pencilers. He didn’t fraternize with the artists much in the early days, except for a few guys like Sol Brodsky. He had a lot of respect for Mike Sekowsky, but I don’t think he cared much for John Buscema’s work at the time, because it wasn’t dynamic.

“Nor Any Drop To Drink” Two pages from a thirst-producing A&E story in Uncanny Tales #27 (Dec. 1954), sent by Ger Apeldoorn of the Netherlands, from a black-&-white reprint. [©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything!

“We’re going to be bigger than them.” I didn’t believe it; I thought, “Hey, is this guy nuts?” It was like saying that the Brooklyn Dodgers were going to look cleaner than the New York Yankees. At Marvel, the people were freewheeling, free-drinking, punchy, brawny guys, while DC was [frightfully precise diction] very proper, very proper; all the forks and knives and napkins on the table, and the drawing very exact. Marvel? Just lay it out there!

“When Things Slowed Down…” JA: Was there anybody else that you played cards with during your original bullpen days? ESPOSITO: At lunch hour in the inkers’ room, we always had a big card game, with Sol Brodsky, me, Mike Sekowsky, and a lot of other guys. They had a row of desks on one side of the room, and a row of desks on the other side, and in the middle was a big, folding, card table. We sat down every day at 12:00 and played cards. JA: Do you remember John Cuddy? ESPOSITO: I remember John. He was a very slim guy with a narrow face. I think he had a mustache. Very toothy; he had attractive teeth. He used to smoke thin cigars. I didn’t know him too well, because I was only there for five or six months before they started letting people go. JA: Do you remember how you were told that the staff was being let go? ESPOSITO: No, I only remember being told that I personally was being let go. I was one of the first because I was a Johnny-come-lately, and I didn’t have any seniority. They cut me from the staff, but I still freelanced for them.

They tried to hold on for another few months. Syd Shores cut back the number of pages we got. Less and less work was handed out to all the guys, but Timely was still paying them the same salaries. Finally, Timely realized that they couldn’t afford it: the salaries had stayed the same, but the amount of work going out was decreasing. They started relying on freelancers to do most of the work, but they kept a few guys like Syd Shores on staff, because he did a tremendous amount of work for them. When things slowed down, people like Syd got the bulk of the work, and the rest of us were gradually let go. JA: When you were on staff, did they give you health insurance or anything? ESPOSITO: Nah, never heard of it. I never heard of health insurance in my life until the ’70s, when I got to Marvel. They gave us very good health benefits. I was a freelancer, and those were the days when Roy Thomas was taking over for Stan because Stan was too busy. When I first started working for Timely again in 1951, Eddie Haas did my layouts, but most of my work for them was with Ross. Stan was unhappy about the job my “ghost-penciler” screwed up. When I showed him samples that Ross and I had done together, though, Stan said, “I’ll hire you, but only if you work with Ross.” We did lots of mystery, western, and horror stories. In fact, Stan loved one Journey into Mystery story that Ross and I did so much that he asked us to do a sequel to the story for a later issue. It was about some aliens who came to Earth, fell in love with it, and didn’t want to go back home. JA: Did you work for any editors besides Stan at that time? ESPOSITO: I worked for Hank Chapman, too. Al Sulman was also there, and I socialized with him in those days, but he was in the Magazine Management part of the business, so I didn’t work with him. Stan was the top dog. There was a woman who handed out scripts, but Stan had the final say on everything. He was the true editor; more so than at Marvel, where he had to delegate some of his authority. Hank Chapman treated me really well when I was at Fox Periodicals. He told me that I was better than the other guys. I realized later in life that guys like Hank would try to build up my confidence and selfrespect, so that I would do better. In the ’40s and ’50s, I was a very introverted little guy who was afraid of his own shadow. That’s why Ross and I were such good partners: he was introverted, and so was I. JA: Do you remember when Timely quit publishing in 1957?

ESPOSITO: I remember it very well. Sol Brodsky came to my apartment in Forest Hills. He was Stan’s right-hand-man at the time, and he showed up looking very down. He said, “I went on vacation, and when I came back, the doors were shut.” Everybody went on vacation for two weeks in the summer, and when they got

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

back, there were no jobs; they had closed the doors. Sol was really down; there was no work. Even Magazine Management closed down. Some of these guys were single and had money in their pockets; I think Al Sulman ended up going to Europe for a vacation. But other guys who had families to support, like Sol, couldn’t relax that way. That’s when Sol said to me, “Let’s do some things on our own.” He had ideas for different kinds of magazines: game books that kids could play in the car on long trips, puzzle books. We went up to the company that did TV Guide and showed them some of Sol’s ideas, but there were no takers. Publishing was a dead, dead market in all areas. JA: But you still had DC at the time, right? ESPOSITO: Oh yeah, I said to Ross one day that we were very lucky to have left Timely and stayed one step ahead. We were already at DC because we’d been unhappy about the way things were going up at Timely: we’d had trouble getting work there, and the rates were very low.

Black Diamonds In The Rough Mike, shown here in a 1950s photo, opines as how maybe he “didn’t have much tact” when he told editor (and oft artist!) Charlie Biro that he thought the latter’s work in Black Diamond Western was “very stiff.” Nice insight, Mike! Shown here is the Biro-signed cover of BDW #16 from 1949. So waddaya think? [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Years later, Stan called me up while I was living in Howard Beach and said, “We’re starting to put some stories out. Would you and Ross like to do one?” I said, “How much are you paying?” And he said, “It’s only $18 a page, but you can do it any way you want, for speed.” We did a story, and he liked it, so we did a couple more. [Mike chuckles] I think Stan signed them, “By Stan Lee”; he used to sign every script. But he was right: he knew that you have to keep that name in the public eye, like “Walt Disney Presents.” Ross never wanted to sign anything; he was embarrassed by it. But Andru and Esposito were well-known for some of those war books, because we put “Andru and Esposito” on the covers.

“When You Saw [Lev Gleason], You Figured He Was A Big Shot” JA: Let’s move on to Lev Gleason. You worked on staff, and did stories in Crime and Punishment and Crime Does Not Pay. Was that what you did right after leaving your staff job at Timely? ESPOSITO: Yes. I said something to Charlie Biro that didn’t put me good stead with him. I sat in front of his desk—I was a kid, and I didn’t have much tact—and he asked me, “Is there anything we do that you don’t like?” I said, “Well, I’m not particularly wild about your Black Diamond Western. It’s very stiff.” I blurted out everything I didn’t like about it. His eyes bugged a little bit, and he fell back in his chair. And it wasn’t long before I was gone! [laughter] JA: Was he the one who hired you? ESPOSITO: Lev Gleason hired me. Biro was a talker, but his partner, Bob Wood, was different. Bob was a very quiet, gentle guy. He was the writer. He had a lot of problems, with that murder and everything. I saw the girl he killed; she was a beautiful blonde. Biro used to throw Christmas parties for the whole staff up in his apartment, and again, I didn’t endear myself too well. They gave us fake paper money for some sort of party game; it could be traded for small prizes, like a cigarette case or lighter. I was in the hallway playing dice with the guys, winning all their fake money. I think the wives got a little annoyed because I had it all. I was young, and I didn’t learn how to be tactful until much later. JA: When you worked on staff for Gleason, did you pencil, or did you ink?

ESPOSITO: I penciled. I might have inked my own stuff occasionally, but I was really hired as a penciler. Lev Gleason wanted pencilers, just like Timely did. There were inkers who were all freelance, but on staff, they wanted a penciler who could fill in certain things, who could be a troubleshooter. I didn’t do too much for them. I was penciling fillers because I wasn’t that good, wasn’t that experienced. Fred Kida and Bob Fujitani were their top guys. Lev Gleason was a very nattily-dressed guy, as I recall. He was tall and slim, and seemed to be a clothes horse. He knew his position. When you saw him, you figured he was a big shot, as opposed to a publisher who might have worked in his t-shirt. I only saw him once in a rare while, when he would come through the work area. There were a lot of other guys who worked around him; maybe they were officers or vice presidents or something. He had a big organization. As I recall, Charlie Biro and Bob Wood were servicing Lev Gleason and getting him all the artwork. They created a studio: they got an allowance of so much per page, and they hired all these artists. They had the pencilers and inkers under their wing; it was their department. They used the publisher’s office building as workspace for the staff, and it was like a small Timely. There was a lot of that going on. Fawcett Publications had a studio like that, also. Publishers would farm out work to an individual—and he may not even have been an artist—and he would find guys to draw it. I guess all the old-timers like Harry Chesler had that kind of a studio setup. Jerry Iger too, though I never worked for him. These guys would get commissions from the publishers, hire guys to draw them, and take something off the top. If the publisher was paying $25 a page, they’d give the artists $20 and keep $5. If they got a volume of work, it added up. There were a ton of those guys, because comics were big then, and the publishers didn’t want to bother with interviewing artists. JA: How many people worked at Gleason Publications? ESPOSITO: In the bullpen itself, there was me, and a letterer named Irv Watanabe, with whom I became very good friends years later. He was a health nut, and I remember him telling me in the mid ’70s that he had the body of a 35-year-old. There was also a big, heavy-set guy who was a letterer. A real sweetheart of a guy, but I can’t remember his name. He

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything!

was built like a boxer or a wrestler. JA: Did Fujitani and Kida work there on staff? ESPOSITO: They were freelance, and they were very good, and very well-paid. They were getting about $40 a page when the average rate in those days was maybe $25. Maybe they were even getting more, because when they put out Tops Magazine, Gleason almost went bankrupt on that book. Biro and Wood talked him into doing something very mature for adults, in an oversized format. They spent a lot of money to do something outside the norm. There are established print runs and engraving sizes, and to do something that doesn’t fit the rhythm of what’s going on, you have to pay through the nose. They have to stop production and do yours a certain way. Tops was very well done, but it was too realistic for the average comic reader at the time. In some ways, it was the forerunner of graphic novels, which became more commercial later. JA: Did you have any work in any of the Tops issues? ESPOSITO: If I did at all, it might have been a panel, an “Is It True” type of thing. JA: Did you know either of Bob Wood’s brothers? ESPOSITO: I knew one of them—I can’t remember whether it was Dick or Dave—who wrote for DC in 1957 or ’58. He seemed kind of subdued, but I don’t know if that was because of what had happened to Bob.

I remember going to one of their last office Christmas parties in around 1953. Ross and I were freelancing for them at the time. Everybody was happy and having drinks, but I remember seeing Fred Kida and Bob Fujitani looking very downcast. They had been making big bucks, and suddenly the hatchet had fallen. Books weren’t selling, Gleason was in trouble, and that meant that everybody down the line was in trouble. I got the impression that their rates had been cut, and they were very unhappy about it. Charlie Biro would come by and try to be conciliatory to them, and they were saying things to him in private like, “What the hell’s going on?” Not long after that, Fred Kida ended up at Timely doing horror stories. He was probably getting much better money, and Stan let him do whatever he wanted. I loved his lighting and the way he spotted blacks.

“The Editor [At Avon] Was A Madman” JA: Tell me about working at Avon Comics. ESPOSITO: I hadn’t started freelancing for Timely yet. I was doing my own thing with Ross, and I went to Avon to pick up a job here and there. I did the Avon work without Ross; I penciled and inked it myself. In 1953, my first publishing venture had just about ended, and I went to Timely for freelance work. I remember a particular Western story that I did for them. There was a guy I’d known at the Hogarth school who said he’d lay out the job for me. I said good, because I had too much to do. His layouts were unbelievable: he’d put down a little arrow saying, “horse,” and another little arrow saying, “dead cowboy.” It was stuff he intended to rough in, but he ran

JA: How aware were you of Bob Wood’s alcoholism? Did he drink in the office? ESPOSITO: If he did, he kept it pretty quiet. You’re right, though: he was an alcoholic. The pressure got to him, or something got to him. JA: Anything else you remember about Charlie Biro? ESPOSITO: Years later, I was at Roosevelt Raceway, a trotting track here in New York, and there was Charlie Biro at the $2 window, on the down side of his life. JA: What reason did they give for letting you go? ESPOSITO: I don’t remember. It could have been they weren’t satisfied with me, or they didn’t have room for me any more. In those days, staffs didn’t hold up; they’d have a skeleton crew, and if they got too many guys, some of the new guys had to go, unless they were brilliant. For example, Jerry Grandenetti was so fast they had to keep him.

Crime On Their Hands The splash at left from Crime Does Not Pay #73 (March 1949) boasts Fred Kida's signature—and we kinda wonder if the one on the right from CDNP #44 (March 1946) might be by Bob Fujitani. But we know the Hangman sketch above is by Bob, who was interviewed in A/E #23. Michael Dunne says that Bob drew it for him at a recent con—and was surprised when he wound up being asked to draw Hangman heads for numerous other fans, as well. Thanks to Jim Amash for the Gleason art. [CDNP art ©2005 the respective copyright holders; Hangman sketch ©2005 Bob Fujitani; Hangman TM & ©2005 Archie Comic Publications.]

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

so late that Stan was screaming for it, and I had to take it away from him and turn it in to Stan that way. He was screaming, “What the hell did you give me here? I don’t care if you’re the last man in the world, you’re not getting any more work!” I used to go into Avon’s office almost every day, because it was right down the street from where we had our studio. There was a very pretty blonde girl working the switchboard, and I think she lived near me in New Hyde Park. I liked to hang around there for that reason. She was very good to me, and always let me know what was happening. Sol Cohen was the editor at Avon, and he Gigolo Meets Gigolette was a madman. He said Two collectors—Dave O’Dell and Daniel Best—both recently sent us scans of the original Andru & Esposito art to this entire to me one day, “I’m story from Heart and Soul #1 (April-May 1954), published by Mikeross Publications. Daniel’s book Partners for Life about Ross going to build this and Mike (co-written by Mike himself) will be published next year by Hermes Press—see ad on p. 56. Though Daniel lives in company into the top Australia, he and Roy helped each other out on their Andru-Esposito projects, and Roy wrote an introduction to Daniel’s book. five,” because they were Naturally, there’s some unavoidable duplication of info and pictures, but many images appear only in one or the other. down near the bottom. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] He loved science-fiction. That’s when Harry the one with the ugly girl,” and my heart sank. The ugly girl. I thought, Harrison suddenly realized, “Why the hell am I knocking myself out “Looks like I’m not going to get this job,” and I didn’t. drawing?” He was a pretty good artist, but he decided he was going to I finally called up Ross, and he said that Hogarth had dropped him write. He started writing a 10-page story a day, so he was making $50 a because he’d dropped the Tarzan strip. Ross wanted to get together day, which was unheard-of at that time. He was damn good. He wrote because he had no work, so we started teaming up. I was working with the book on which the movie Soylent Green was based. He wanted his Eddie Haas in my own studio on 6th Avenue in Manhattan; I was name taken off the movie because they changed the whole thing—ruined penciling for Timely, and Eddie was laying out stories for me and the whole story. helping me ink. I didn’t know how to ink at the time. Ross came up to If I did more than one or two stories for Avon that weren’t Westerns, the studio and said, “Can you do something for me? I went to Hillman I did them in conjunction with other artists. I can’t recall whether it Publications, and they gave me a story, and I don’t know how to ink. would have been Ross or some other guy. Nothing exciting happened, Would you please ink it for me?” I said, “Ross, I don’t know how to except that Sol Cohen hated me. He didn’t like the way I handled myself ink.” He said, “Please do it.” So I did it, and he took it to Hillman—he with the artwork, and he was very tactless. I wasn’t married then, and didn’t tell them who I was—and the editor said, “Very good; I’ll give he’d say, “You married?” I’d say no, and he’d say, “I’m going to give the you another one.” We did the second story, the editor liked it, too, and work to the guys who are married.” It wasn’t that he didn’t like my he gave Ross a third story. Finally, I said, “Ross, we’ve got to be a team. work; he just thought that the guys with kids should get the jobs. Maybe If I’m going to learn to ink, and just ink you, then we should be like he was right, but I just couldn’t understand that. That would have been Simon and Kirby.” So we shook hands, and it lasted until he died. in around 1949 or 1950. JA: The editor at Hillman was Ed Cronin...

“Ross, We’ve Got To Be A Team” JA: After Avon, what did you do? ESPOSITO: I did nothing for a while, then I did some samples. I went up to DC, looking for freelance work, with a sample page of a guy on a horse and a pretty blonde girl. Ray Perry, who was looking my work over, told me to see Julie Schwartz. Julie had kind-of a quick tongue, you know. I showed him the page, and Julie looked at it and said, “Oh,

ESPOSITO: That’s right! I went to see him once, and I wanted to get a job so bad that I made believe I had drawn something. Hillman did a lot of Westerns, so I brought a Western comic book in, and there was a story in there with nobody’s name on it, so I said, “I did that one.” I figured I’d snow my way through. Ed Cronin said, “You did this?” I said, “Yeah,” and he gets on the phone. My heart started to sink. He calls up the penciler, and talking in a roundabout way, he finds out I didn’t do the story. Finally, I confessed to him. I said, “I wasn’t going to do a whole page on spec, but I didn’t have anything to show you.” He

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything!

said, “Well, I’ll tell you what. I have no work for you, but I’m going to put a star next to your name on this list of artists who come up here.” I thought, “Oh, bull!” So he gave me a star, and I never heard from him again. But when Ross and I revealed that we were working together for him, Ed and I became friends. Another time, when super-heroes were dying off in the late ’40s, I went to the editor of True Comics. By that time, I had done a lot of stuff for Fox and Timely. He looked at my stuff, and he was pacing back and forth. He said, “Y’know, I like your stuff, but things are so tight...” I said, “Look, tell me it stinks and give me a dollar,” and we started laughing. That’s the way things were.

“The Only Place Where We Didn’t Sign Our Work Was Timely” JA: Let me ask you about a couple of smaller companies that you worked for. One was called Harwell Publications, and was also known as Comic Media.

lettered the strips Ross and I tried to syndicate. Gaspar also created the logos for 3-D Love and 3-D Romance comics, in addition to the Heart and Soul logo. JA: That reminds me: when you and Ross were a team, were you given one paycheck to split between yourselves? ESPOSITO: In the beginning, I said to Ross, “Look, let’s not give DC a problem of who’s who; just put down Ross Andru, and you pay me.” That was a mistake, though, because bookkeeping saw his name on everything, and didn’t know who the hell I was when the time came for taxes and bonuses. Finally, I told Bob Kanigher that it had to stop, and he said, “Hey, you guys wanted it done with one check.” I said, “I can’t keep doing it that way because I’m invisible to Irwin Donenfeld.” When I’d ask for a raise, Donenfeld wouldn’t know who I was; he’d say, “Who are you? Do you clean the office latrines?” [laughter] Earlier, at other companies, I was probably paid in cash sometimes.

ESPOSITO: Oh yeah, Allen Hardy! We were in the same building! Ross and I were publishing then, as well, and penciling and inking for other companies. We were known as Media Publications; we did Mister Universe and Mister Mystery. One of Allen Hardy’s best guys was a young fellow named Don Heck. He did a ton of stuff for them. I remember that period so well. I think Allen Hardy eventually had a heart attack and had to close his doors.

JA: At the smaller companies, did you have to supply your own paper? ESPOSITO: Oh yeah. Brushes, paper, ink, everything. JA: Were you able to sign your work at those companies? ESPOSITO: The only place where we didn’t sign our work was Timely. I don’t think we ever got a byline as a team at Timely.

JA: Here’s what I have you listed as doing at Comic Media: Danger Comics, Death Valley Western, and Weird Terror, all circa 1953 and ’54. Do those sound right? ESPOSITO: Yes. Ross and I were publishing Get Lost in 1953, and Hardy was right down the hall, though we didn’t know that when we moved in. Before that, we’d had a studio up at Columbus Circle; that’s where we did Mister Mystery.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Mister Universe The low-budget 1951 movie Mr. Universe introduced a young Vince Edwards (below) wearing a blond wig in the title role, a decade before he became Ben Casey for six successful TV seasons. Starring were Jack Carson, Janis Paige, and Bert Lahr. In the film a bodybuilder is convinced to become a pro wrestler—and it was the wrestler angle that Ross, Mike, and their partners used for the licensed comic book. Above is the artists’ cover to Mister Universe #1 (July 1951). Unfortunately, the film wasn’t a big hit—and neither was the comic. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Allen Hardy was a really nice guy. He was pretty young, maybe 40, and he was a neat, attractive guy; a good dresser. As I recall, he really wasn’t a creative guy; he was a businessman. There were a lot of guys doing that, knowing there was an easy buck in comics. He probably edited his books, though; it wasn’t a big deal to edit.

All he had was a little office, not much bigger than mine, and he had a guy named Feldman, who was a letterer, working there. Feldman lettered for me years later on Get Lost; a damn good letterer. He’d gotten married, and lived in Levittown. He did creative lettering. When we did Get Lost, we wanted to get the characters’ personalities in the balloons, in the ways they would talk. An average letter would just want to churn it out at $3 a page, but Feldman understood what we wanted, and gave it to us. Gaspar Saladino also did a little lettering for us; he created the Get Lost logo, and later

“We Called Ourselves ‘Mister Publications’” JA: Okay, moving on to some of the other small companies, I have you down as inking covers at Stanmor in 1951 and 1952.

ESPOSITO: Let me tell you about that. Stanley Morse, who published Stanmor, was my silent partner. Back in 1951, when we published our first book, Eddie Haas said, “I know a guy named Harry Kantor whose cousin works for Archie Comics. He knows distribution, and if you want to publish, he could be a silent partner.” We talked to Harry, and he said “I can get my cousin, Stanley Morse, to be the silent partner, and we’ll publish.” Eddie Haas said, “Wow, we’re gonna be publishers!” Harry Kantor wanted to be a writer. He was very thin, and a wonderful guy. When he was in the Army, he was a paratrooper. His plane was shot down, and his knees were broken when he parachuted to the ground. He was taken prisoner by the Nazis and put in a camp. All of the other prisoners were very concerned about him because he was Jewish, and the Germans were especially unkind to Jewish prisoners. Naturally, he was circumcised, and the Germans saw that when he

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...” showered and knew he was a Jew. I don’t know all the details, but he was given a really hard time. Before the war, he could throw a 98-mileper-hour fast-ball, and the Brooklyn Dodgers were interested in him, but when he tried out with them after the war, he had lost the ability to throw that hard. The first book we did was Mister Universe, because Eddie Haas and I saw a movie called Mister Universe at a local theater. At Timely Comics, Stan Lee used to give us press passes to see movie previews. We saw Mister Universe, and Eddie said, “I’m going to go talk to the director. This would make a great comic book.” The studio said okay, and gave us the rights for 5% of the sales of the comics. Then we turned to Harry Kantor and Stanley Morse, who said, “I’ll get you a distributor to do Mister Universe, but you’ve got to do two books, so we did Mister Universe and Mister Mystery, and we called ourselves “Mister Publications,” and also “Media Publications.” That’s where the name “Mickey Demeo” first came in.

it for a dollar or you’re going to accrue all these debts, and the company will go under.” It scared us. We didn’t know about this stuff; we were 22-year-old guys, so we got out. One day at a meeting, I saw Harry Kantor bouncing a rubber ball, looking very sad, and I thought, “There’s something going on.” I smelled a rat. It turned out that they had fixed it so the distributor sent us letters telling us that we were failing, to force us to sell out and go back to freelancing. Then we got a call from a comic book artist named Walter Johnson, a Southern guy. He had been hired to continue our books after we

The original partnership was Eddie Haas, Ross Andru, Harry Kantor, and me, and Stanley Morse was involved with the contracts and distribution. Our distributor was Kabel News. Harry Kantor was writing some of the scripts. Ross and I were the editors, but we didn’t have a formal editor; the four of us were a team. The sales of Mister Universe were mediocre, but Mister Mystery took off. That was a selling point that kept Stanley Morse in business for two or three years. JA: Did Stanley Morse base his own company on what you were doing? ESPOSITO: One day, we received some cover proofs from the distributor, and there was a proof for what looked like an Archie character in there that wasn’t ours. I said, “What’s going on here? We never did this.” I realized that something was going on. I called the distributor, and they tried to avoid the question, but it turned out it was Stanley Morse. He was publishing an Archie-like character because he worked for Archie: he was an accountant there. Archie didn’t know he was doing this character, and they thought we were only doing supercharacters and Mister Mystery. It turned out that Stanley Morse was piggy-backing his own book onto our contract with the distributor. Later, Ross and I were squeezed out of the company, and Morse took over everything, and published all of our books under his company’s name. We were told that our sales were so bad that we were going to have to sell the company, and he got a buyer. They bought the company for a dollar. A dollar! That was the legal advice: “You’d better sell

I Love Mister Mystery The cover and three splashes from Andru & Esposito’s Mister Mystery #1 (Sept. 1951). In the battle of Mister Publications’ two “Misters,” the narrator of that comic’s horror stories was the clear winner over Mister Universe. With thanks to Chris Brown. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything!

All Fair In Sales And War The wrestling-themed cover of Mister Universe #3 (Dec. 1951) flanked by those of #2 & #4. On the latter pair, ‘twould appear Andru & Esposito repeated the hero’s figure, transplanting him from general adventure into Korean War action, in search of better sales. But the magazine died with #5. Thanks to Frank Motler for the #3 cover scan. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

quit, and he wanted to get Ross, Eddie, and me to do the books. We agreed, and then I did everything possible to butcher the art. And they accepted it! I did crazy inking techniques like dots and stuff. I was really trying to screw the whole thing up. He kept us under lock and key in his penthouse. He didn’t want us to go: “Finish the work! Finish the work!” I have a picture of him with us, signing contracts, and there’s a woman in the picture. Turned out she was an actress. [NOTE: See photo on p. 39—except there’s no woman in it. We looked. —Roy & Jim.] Another actor pretended he was a D.A. from down South. Johnson got us to believe all these guys. They were laughing behind our backs! They were Broadway people that he knew; he was a drug addict and everything. We finally sued him, and gave him a summons. He said, “Open the drawer and throw it in there,” and when we opened the drawer, there was a pile of them. He didn’t care. One time he collapsed on the street from all his non-sleeping and running back and forth. I could go on and on about the crooks in the business. It was pretty bad. We were naive kids: all Ross would do is sit in a corner and draw, and all I would do is sit in another corner saying, “Something’s going on.” I was the suspicious one; Ross had to block that stuff out or he couldn’t work. JA: How long did this venture last? ESPOSITO: About a year, and then Stanley Morse found other artists to draw for him. They continued the books without us until 1954. Tony Mortellaro did a lot of work in those books. He did it for me and Ross, and he continued to work once Stanley Morse took over. He worked on Mister Mystery #7, a famous issue done by Basil Wolverton. Wolverton didn’t work for us; Stanley Morse got him. Tony Mortellaro was my friend. I knew him from the Burne Hogarth school, and we visited each other after we left school. When we were publishing, I gave him a chance to do something. He did the story “Me, the Verdict” in Get Lost; it was a take-off on Mickey Spillane’s I, the Jury. Harry Harrison wrote for us when we were publishing Mister Mystery. He also wrote a two-page filler for Get Lost, with a picture of Ross and me smoking about 15 cigarettes at one time. It was about how

we met, and how it all began. He was a great comedic writer, too. I met Harry when we worked at Avon Publications. JA: Let’s finish up about Stanley Morse. Did you ever like the guy? ESPOSITO: I liked him when I was a naive kid. I believed everything he told me. He’d put his arm around me, y’know; he was older, and wiser. He invited me to a New Year’s party at his house. I can remember Eddie Haas shaking my hand and saying, “We’re really going to make it,” while Morse was having a poker game with some friends. I ran into Morse again at Archie Comics in about 1972. He was like, “Heyyy Mike! How are ya, buddy?” Ross and I were working on the book Up Your Nose and Out Your Ear, and we were having problems with distribution. We needed a backer. He asked me what I was doing, I told him about it, and he said, “Meet me at the Polo Club,” which was a restaurant in Manhattan near the Waldorf. We met for lunch, and he had this fellow with him, a guy who was almost 80. He was Stanley’s buddy, a big money man who was helping him with various projects. Ross and I had dinner with them, told them all about the stuff, and they were very interested. I was spilling my soul about the way we wanted to write this book, and what its potential would be. Then Stanley started saying things, and I suddenly felt that we were never going to see the end of him, and that the book wouldn’t really be ours. So any potential deal died right there. JA: I’m surprised that you would even consider dealing with Morse after what he had already done to you. ESPOSITO: We wanted to get the magazine going. We had spent $25,000 of our own money. When you put out a book of that size— black and white, Mad magazine size—it’s not like doing a little comic book: the print run is more expensive. Just another dream that didn’t make it. There’s another company that you probably don’t know about. I worked for Al Capp’s company, Toby Press. Ross was on vacation, so I penciled and inked a job for them myself. It had to do with knights in a chess game, human beings on a big chess board. This was in 1952.

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

“The Only Thing I Remember About Ziff-Davis…”

artists who didn’t stray were ahead in the rate scale. It took us a long time to get back up to $35 a page. That was rough.

JA: Before we started this interview, you told me that you had worked at ZiffDavis...

“If You Didn’t Bleed When You Worked, You Weren’t Doing A Good Job”

Call Me Mister!

The covers of Mister Mystery #2 (Nov. 1951) and #3 ESPOSITO: For a short period, but they (Dec. 1951) bookend the splash page of the lead story only existed for a short period. I think it in issue #2. With thanks to Chris Brown. [©2005 the was around 1951. All of my work there JA: How did you start working for respective copyright holders.] was inking Ross; we were a team then. We Standard Publications? did Wild Boy and a couple of sciencefiction stories. I loved the way Ross laid out one of the science-fiction ESPOSITO: In those days, Ross was the more laid-back of the two of stories; I wish I could see it again someday. us, and I was the more aggressive one, the sales-person. I was going out and trying to get work for Ross and myself. I went up and met Joe JA: Ross’ bio in Jerry Bails’ online Who’s Who says that at ZiffArchibald, who was the editor-in-chief at Standard. The editor beneath Davis, he had work in G.I. Joe, Famous Stars, Wild Boy, and various him—with whom I usually dealt—was Mike Peppe. Mike was crazy romance, science-fantasy, and Western titles. Do you think you would about Alex Toth. Toth got all the lead stories because he was Mike’s have inked all that? man. That’s when Ross developed an Al Toth look. They liked that look. If you look at some of the stuff we did in Joe Yank. Ross tried to get ESPOSITO: Probably so. At that point, I was the only inker Ross was that flat, cut-out look in his character design. He did “Go Get Lulu,” teamed up with. The only thing I remember about Ziff-Davis was being one of the Joe Yank stories; I love that story. Ross used to put so much on an elevator, going up to drop off a job. There was a guy on the in: if a guy was firing his machine gun, all the shells that fell on the elevator with us, and he said to me, “I hear you’re working for us.” I ground were designed in a pattern. And he wanted every one done said, “Yes, we’re doing Wild Boy.” He said, “The stuff looks very exactly the same way. It took me two days to ink a page! good.” He was very stuffy. You know who it was? Jerry Siegel. He was very businesslike, though he wasn’t that way years later. He took over It was suddenly taking Ross a really long time to do a damn page. I the whole project at Ziff-Davis. He had gotten screwed by DC, and he said, “What are you doing?” He said, “Well, they’re paying us $45 a was out to be a real businessman, but he didn’t have the stature for that. page, so I’ve got to make it worth the money.” $45 a page was $5 more I saw him years earlier—he and Shuster gave a lecture on comics at the than we’d ever gotten. I said, “Ross, they’re not paying us more because School of Visual Arts—and he was a very timid guy. He didn’t have the they want you to do more; they’re paying us more based on what they strength of character to succeed as an editor or publisher. saw we could do. You’re don’t have to go beyond that.” He said, “I want their eyes to pop.” I said, “Their eyes popped when they saw your JA: Who did you deal with at Ziff-Davis? samples, and they’re willing to pay you their rate!” Toth got much more ESPOSITO: I dealt with the editor. I guess it was Siegel, or one of his money, and Mike Peppe got paid much more to ink Toth’s stuff. assistants. I didn’t see them that much, because we only did four or five Ross always felt that if you didn’t bleed when you worked, you stories for them. We didn’t stay there long. And we weren’t that fast. We weren’t doing a good job. I inherited that attitude after he died. I was were filling in on a few stories there because we had left DC earlier, and never the kind of guy to think that way until after Ross died and I were trying to get back in at DC. We had been self-publishing, and we started doing re-creations of old covers and splash pages. I even started had to accept a pay cut because we had left them. I’ll never forget it: Bob doing things over. I didn’t like the way it was coming out compared to Kanigher said, “You can come back, but you have to take $5 a page what I did 30 years ago. I could hear Ross saying [whispers], “You gotta less.” We were behind everybody after that, because it was a scale. It was bleed.” I would be driving Ross into Manhattan, on the way to deliver a like the Army: you had to have been there for so long to get a raise. The war story to Bob Kanigher, and he would look at the pages—half-asleep

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything!

because we’d worked 48 hours straight—and say, “Oh Mike! That wrist, that wrist! The kid’s wrist where he’s doing the somersault! It’s bent and it doesn’t look right!” I’d say, “Ross, what are you doing? The kids reading the comic in Arkansas or Wyoming don’t give a damn if you change it! They won’t know what was there before you changed it!” He couldn’t understand that. He’d say, “I have to satisfy myself.” That’s exactly what I inherited from Ross. Now I say, “Ross, you cursed me with a desire not to hack anymore! I was happy when I was hacking!” Now I feel that every line I put down is going to be ridiculed! At Standard, I bawled Ross out about that, and said, “Never again!” Later, I finally taught him how to hack a little bit by buying a little kiddie projector. I said, “Wanna make some money? Swipe figures from Rip Kirby. We’ll just take some comics and project them on the wall, and you take a piece of paper and knock it out real fast.” He said, “I think maybe you’re right.” I said, “We’ll turn out pages like crazy.” We weren’t getting much for a page, and that was the only way to make it pay. It worked! Yvonne Rae was buying the stuff; we did a lot of horror stories...

JA: Which company was this? ESPOSITO: Yvonne Rae was the editor at an independent company; I don’t remember what they were called. There were about ten of these little companies publishing comics around 1955, before the Comics Code got them. JA: That was probably this company that had several names: Story, Master, Premiere, and Merit. I have you down as doing crime, horror, mystery, and romance stories for them. ESPOSITO: That’s it. Yvonne Rae wrote most of the stories for them. JA: What do you recall about Joe Archibald at Standard? ESPOSITO: He was a nice guy. He had a very businesslike look about him; he always wore a tie and vest and everything. He was always very proper; had a very nice haircut, and a little mustache. JA: Since you guys were penciling and inking, how did they letter the stuff? ESPOSITO: I think we sent them the stuff penciled and inked. We’d have to pencil in the balloons, and then the letterer would take it from there. That’s not the way Stan Lee would do it; Stan changed it all around. JA: What did you think of Mike Peppe? ESPOSITO: He was a very sharp guy, a very natty, very hip, goodlooking guy. A bit of a ladies’ man. When things got slow for Mike Peppe up at Standard, he offered Ross all the work he wanted if he could be Ross’s inker. Ross said “No,” and Peppe was amazed. Ross said, “Mike and I are a team, and we’re going to stay that way.” Ross and I had a handshake partnership that lasted from high school until the day he died. We had some breaks along the way. For financial reasons, he had to go to DC because he broke away from Marvel, and in so doing, we got separated. He worked with other inkers at DC, and eventually became an editor. When my daughter got married in about 1980, I invited Ross and his wife Natalie to the reception we threw. Ross took me off to the side and said. “Mike, you’ve got to do something for me. I think they’re going to let me go up at DC. I’m not getting along with everybody.” He was a very introverted guy; he wasn’t outgoing enough to endear himself to the workers around him. He would pull himself into a little area, and put a wall around himself, if you know what I mean. Unless you got to know him, you would figure that he was standoffish, that he was being a snob. But he wasn’t; he was just shy. If he tried to come out of his shell and act extroverted, he was clumsy. He would say all the wrong things and trip over himself. He didn’t have the social grace to do it. Some people have a way of snapping their fingers and going, “Whaddaya say, kid? How ya doin’?” Ross couldn’t do that; he was stiff. He tried to be friendly, but he would work at it until it wasn’t natural anymore. The people who really got to know him didn’t see it that way, though; they thought he was great. I saw him having that problem: he kept tripping over himself with groups of people. JA: Was there anything else about Standard that you remember?

Setting A High Standard… During the early 1950s, Alex Toth’s art on war comics published by Standard raised the bar for other artists. This Toth page is repro’d from Greg Theakston’s Buried Treasure #3 (1987). The page is from “The Eggbeater” (with inks by Mike Peppe) in Jet Fighters #5 (Nov. 1952). It was shot, Greg reported, from either “original art or silverprints found in the two Fawcett Publishing warehouses during 1985. Four waist-high stacks of original artwork from Standard Comics included their entire output for 1952-54. Much of Toth’s finest work was found in the brown paper packages….” [©2005 Pure Imagination.]

ESPOSITO: It was a very friendly place to work. In fact, Ross met his wife up there. I think she was a switchboard operator or something like that. He started dating her in about 1955. They eventually got married in 1957, I think. The offices were pretty small, about the same size as the offices we had when we were publishing Get Lost. They might have had more room in the back somewhere, but the front office was no big deal. There was no bullpen that I recall.

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

“Mad Sued Us [Over Get Lost]” JA: You and Ross started Mikeross Publications in 1953. Since you’d already been burned once in publishing by Stanley Morse, what possessed you to try it again? ESPOSITO: It was just going to be Ross and me, with no one else involved. We were the sole proprietors of the company. Mike Estrow of Leader News, our distributor, funded the production; he gave us $10,000 in advance. Leader News was across the street from DC Comics, and he had a beautiful office with a terrace that looked out over the whole city. Mad #1 had just come out, and we fell in love with it. We loved to write humor and satire, so Ross and I thought we could do something like that. We …And Meeting A High Standard went to my uncle’s house, trying to get him interested in putting Two powerful pages by Andru & Esposito from a circa-1953 issue of Standard’s Joe Yank. Thanks to Dominic Bongo for retrieving these original-art images from a Heritage Comics auction—and to Heritage for making an archives of its files up a few bucks—like $100—to available for historical purposes. Check ’em out at <www.HeritageGalleries.com>. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] get us started. My uncle’s friend and his wife were in the There was 3-D this and 3-D that, action action action... so we decided: kitchen—she was making coffee—and we were throwing possible titles “let’s do llllllllove!”” [mutual laughter] You know why there were no back and forth, insulting things like “Drop Dead,” you know. She said, 3-D love comics? Nobody wanted to look at 3-D love comics! They “Why don’t you just call it Get Lost?” were just boring stories, balloons, no tigers jumping through nets. We It’s crazy when you have people throwing ideas back and forth like produced two back-to-back titles, 3-D Love and 3-D Romance. We that, and you grab one out of the air. That was the one. Pow, there it printed 500,000 copies of each title. We got Gaspar Saladino to letter the was! We embellished it and said, “Bored with life? Get Lost! The logos. Alex Toth did one cover, and Ross was such a perfectionist that he magazine designed to send you.” We had a thing going down the side didn’t like what Alex did. As brilliant as Ross was, he drew characters in just like Mad’s “Humor in a jugular vein.” We actually imitated their tricky angles and in-between poses, as in animation. It was an interesting whole damn layout. [chuckle] So Gaines had a reason for suing us. We approach, but the fans prefer poses with impact; they want to see the went to Leader News, and Yvonne Rae told us, “No no no, go to DC’s pow, like Carmine Infantino did with “The Flash.” Those in-between distributor, Independent News,” because Leader News was already poses usually aren’t attractive or dynamic. So when we got ready to do distributing Mad. We were embarrassed about going to Independent the cover, Ross made a sketch of a guy kissing a girl, but when Toth got News, because we were working for DC at the time. We thought we’d it, he flattened out the image. I loved it, but Ross said, “Look what he’s look like fools. We had no confidence, no self-esteem. So we didn’t do done!” Ross was a bit of an egomaniac—we all have a little of that when that. we’re artists—and he got upset that Toth didn’t do it exactly as he had sketched it. We went to Leader News, because they distributed Mad magazine. We figured that they would appreciate what we were doing. So we That’s why Ross only wanted to work with me: I did exactly what he walked in, and Mike Estrow started laughing his head off. He said, put on the paper, even though it might have been wrong. In my “Y’know, two guys came in here in 1938. They had an idea, and I kicked thinking, it might have been a little unattractive, but I couldn’t argue them out. They went across the street to National Periodicals, and now with the guy about it, because he wanted what he had drawn. Alex did a their idea is called Superman. I’m not going to let that happen again.” beautiful job, and Ross accepted it because we had paid Alex, but Ross He called his secretary in and told her to write us a contract and a check was unhappy. He wanted the face tilted a little more, so it would be for $10,000, to give us enough money for the first couple of months of more three-dimensional, but doing so would have lost the swiftness of it, production. I’m telling you, after Ross and I stepped out into the hall, the clarity. Toth did it right. we bounced off the walls like a couple of kids, doing pirouettes and JA: After you printed half a million of each of the 3-D romance circles with the check held up in the air. comics, how were the sales? We took that money and set up our studio in a suite at a cheap hotel ESPOSITO: [ruefully] How about 5%? Nobody bought them; nobody in Manhattan, until we could get a real office. We started writing and even looked at them. drawing, but Mike Estrow said, “Stop! Don’t do Get Lost yet! Do something in 3-D first!” [sepulchral voice] The kiss of death. He said, “They’re all doing it! Mighty Mouse sold over a million copies at 25¢!” So we wondered what we could do in 3-D that hadn’t been done already.

Get Lost #1 went out while we were still in production of 3-D Love and 3-D Romance. We printed 350,000 copies, and sold about 50%— which was pretty good for those days—at 10¢ a book. Mike Estrow

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything!

called us and said, “We’ve got a winner. We’re going to compete with Mad.” That’s when all hell broke loose, and Mad sued us. Mad’s lawyers served us with a court summons. Estrow and Leader News were also sued for breaching their contract with Mad. We went to court, and the judge was actually laughing. He said, “You can’t copyright humor,” which was a precedent that had been set with Archie Comics years before. The only way in which Mad won was that they knocked us out of the box. We had to spend months preparing a defense for the lawsuit. Gaines took the distribution rights to Mad away from Leader News, because he thought Mike Estrow was feeding us tips about what they were preparing to publish. Leader News was knocked out of the box, and couldn’t distribute Get Lost any more. Ross and I were going to do a whole line of comics with them, but the lawsuit left Estrow with a bad taste in his mouth towards us. We had five different titles planned, but Estrow said, “No, we’re going to distribute Simon and Kirby’s Mainline Comics instead.” Eventually, Leader News collapsed. That’s when Mad went to American News. Later, my Uncle Joe and I went up to see American News about distributing Get Lost. I can remember the guy pacing back and forth in his office while Ross, my uncle, and I were sitting there. He said, “Y’know, you’ve really got a funny book, but we’re suffering from the same thing as everybody else: 3-D killed us all. I can’t distribute your book.” They had flooded the market with 3-D, and it just fell on its face. St. John Publications was getting letters from Europe saying, “Stop what you’re doing and sell your yacht. We’re holding the money, and you’re all going under.” 3-D had a tremendous start, and later, a tremendous crash. The smart companies like Timely and DC didn’t get burned because they each just put out one 3-D book; they tested the market very carefully. Harvey and all these other companies flooded the market with 3-D.

JA: Krigstein said that Bob Kanigher went to the meeting and addressed the members, essentially castigating the entire idea of such a union. He also said that Ross became acquainted with Kanigher then and intimates that Ross lost interest in the union at this time and then starts working for Kanigher. ESPOSITO: That part of it isn’t true. We went to Kanigher because our publishing venture failed. JA: That’s what I figured, but I wanted you to verify it for me. By the way, Martin Thall worked at Mikeross. What do you remember about him? ESPOSITO: I met him at Hogarth’s Cartoonists and Illustrators School. He was a few years younger than us; he came in as Ross and I were going out on our own. He inked a couple of Get Lost and Heart and Soul jobs for us in 1953, when he got out of the service. He had some money, and he put up $1,500—which was a lot of money in those days— and became a partner in our business. We told him all the problems we were having, and his lawyer was against it, but he was insistent. He said, “No, no, we’ve gotta try.” He just loved the idea of being a publisher. When he left us, he said he wanted to go into the film business, which he did. He was a fun-loving guy. We were both single, and we used to go on double-dates. You know, our romance stories were really adult. They were very dramatic; they were not sugar-coated like DC’s were at the time, very pretty-pretty. Ours were not pretty, because Ross didn’t think pretty, neither did I, and neither did Martin Thall. Martin’s inking was very strong; it had a very hard line. I liked it. JA: Moving on now: did you know Pete Morisi? ESPOSITO: Pete used to come up to my office on 42nd Street when

We published three issues of Get Lost. After that, we went back to DC with our tails between our legs, and took that $5 per page cut in pay.

“I Remember The Union” JA: In Greg Sadowski’s first book on Bernie Krigstein, there’s a discussion about Krigstein’s attempt to form a union, called The Society of Comic Book Illustrators. I learned that Ross was an executive board member. ESPOSITO: I remember the union. Now, Ross would join something like that, because he was for unions. He wanted to make more money per page, so he could do fewer pages and take more time drawing them. We were publishing at the time, and Ross might have felt like this was a good idea. I didn’t join because I’m not a politically-minded person. It just wasn’t my thing. My memory isn’t very strong on this, but I do recall some artists were afraid to join because they didn’t want to take a chance on losing work.

Spooks At Twelve O’Clock High A pair of A&E pages from the “Spook Squadron” story in Standard’s Jet Fighters #7 (March 1953). The comic book biz being the way it is, this final issue was actually only the third with the Jet Fighters title. Thanks again to Dominic Bongo and the good folks at Heritage Comics. Oh, and note the “Mikeross” signature; “Mikeross” was also the name of their new company. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

were all up there in Derby, Connecticut; it was like a big factory. I drove to Derby with Ross—I had a nice little 1950 Kaiser-Frazier in those days, I loved it—and we sold Ed Levy on the idea of this book. Levy looked at all of our ideas, and when he saw Never Again, he said, “I want that one.” It was about the war to end all wars, Hitler, and the Holocaust. “Never Again” was the byword of survivors of the Holocaust, and Ross and I unconsciously borrowed the phrase for our book title. We did the first page ourselves, and the rest of the book was reprints. Levy had his hands on old work from publishers who had gone bankrupt, so he was able to provide stories to fill out the book. We only did one issue, and we never got paid. [laughs ruefully] I wasn’t too happy with the setup there; they were worse than Fox Periodicals. JA: Did you know Frank Carin at about that time?

“We Put This Out So You’d GET STUNG!” That’s a line the EC guys wrote, obviously meaning it as a slap at Get Lost—which was actually a pretty good little mag. Shown are Russ & Mike’s covers for #1-2 (1954), from a 1987 reprint. We were gonna print the cover of Get Lost #3, as well—but even the Gerbers’ invaluable Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books didn’t have that one! But it existed—and material from it was reprinted by Roy Thomas in Marvel’s Arrgh! in the 1970s. [©2005 New Comics Group.]

ESPOSITO: Frank Carin did the penciling on one of our features called Tom the All-American Cat, but he did the pages the same size as a printed comic book. I was shocked. We paid him $25 a page, or whatever it was, but he was insulted that I was upset that the pages were so small. They were nicely done, and he was a good humor artist, but it looked like he had drawn them straight in pen, as if he hadn’t really penciled them. They printed fine, but they were so small! I was doing my pages 15"x20" in those days, but he did his

Ross and I were publishing, and sit and talk to us. He was going to be a cop; he was disgusted with the comics industry. I loved the way he drew; he tried to imitate George Tuska’s style, and did a very good job. He had a feel for it. He was a really sweet guy, and I didn’t know he had died until I read about it a couple of days ago.

“Ross And I… Created An Idea Called Never Again” JA: I want to ask you about your Charlton Comics work in the 1950s. You did a story for Foxhole in 1954, and inked some covers in 1956. Foxhole was a Simon & Kirby book, but Charlton did the last couple of issues. ESPOSITO: Ross and I did a job for Simon & Kirby’s Foxhole book, and we never got paid. I asked my father how to get to the town where Kirby lived, and then Ross and I drove out to his house. I rang the bell, Kirby came to the door, I told him we wanted our money, and he wrote us a check. Ross and I went up to Charlton, and met with Ed Levy at his office. We had created an idea called Never Again. We had an Unknown Soldier character in there; we wrote the stories and drew the cover, and I think we got Gaspar Saladino to do the logo. Ed Levy was always looking for new ideas. He was like a supermarket; he would turn books out. Rocke Mastroserio and Bill Molno were working there Those guys were fast, and they were churning out pages like a machine. They

Looking At Life Through Rose- (And Leaf-) Colored Glasses The cover of 3-D Love #1 (Dec. 1953)—and a full-page 3-D house ad in 3-D Romance #1 (Jan. 1954) for 3-D Love #1. But by the time these came out, the bloom was off the 3-D rose, and they helped Mikeross to tank. Thanks to Frank Motler for the scans. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything! wasn’t for me, your kids wouldn’t eat.” I’ll never forget that. Jack Abel used to sweat and get bellyaches when he had to meet with Kanigher. Jack shared a studio with Arthur Peddy, Bernie Sachs, Ross, and me on 46th Street, on the second floor of a building with a creaky old elevator. Sachs and Peddy [see photos on p. 57] initially rented the studio—we got wind of it— and they let us come in with them. It wasn’t really a formal studio; we just shared office space. It was bad working there at night, because there was an ex-boxer living there who would bang his head against the wall because he was hearing bells. He was really punch-drunk. I’d see him in the daytime and he was pretty normal, but at night, he’d have these screaming nightmares. Maybe he was using drugs.

“Shane”—Er, We Mean “Strain” Perhaps the best thing from Andru & Esposito’s three issues of Get Lost is their parody of George Stevens’ now-classic film Shane. They made no attempt to caricature star Alan Ladd, but they caught his young co-star Brandon deWilde perfectly. The storytelling and focus in Get Lost were often far more Kurtzmanesque and ontarget than that of most Mad wannabes of that era, some of which seemed to have not the slightest concept of what the EC comic (or parody itself) was really about. The story’s final pages capture the feel of the movie’s famous and oft-parodied ending. Script probably by future science-fiction writer Harry Harrison. Repro’d from the 1987 b&w reprint. [©2005 New Comics Group.]

small for speed. He was a very nice, quiet guy, a sweetheart of a guy. We used to talk about his days at Terrytoons, because I wanted to be an animator, and he was very high on my list of people to respect.

“First Contact With DC” JA: What was your first contact with DC? ESPOSITO: While we were publishing Mister Universe and Mister Mystery, Gaspar Saladino gave us a lead to see Bob Kanigher. Gaspar told Bob that he knew these two guys who were pretty good. DC was looking for artists, so we went up and got the job. We started slow: 5-page stories, no bylines. We were told we couldn’t put our names on Wonder Woman because we weren’t the original creators. Kanigher was frightening to a lot of guys. He once said to me, “If it

Arthur Peddy was a mildmannered, quiet, sensitive guy, and a damn good penciler. Bernie Sachs was more business-oriented, and he was a brilliant inker, especially for romance stories. He inked a lot of Tony Abruzzo’s romance stories; they were slick, and those women were beautiful. I don’t know how much of it was Bernie Sachs, because I never saw the pencils. The work was so beautiful and silky that it set the standard for DC’s romance, just as Alex Toth set the standard for Westerns, Gil Kane did it for super-heroes, and Carmine Infantino did it for science-fiction. Bernie was also inking Arthur at the time; they were partners. They had back-to-back desks in the studio, and one day Bernie had the pencils in front of him, and I saw that he was reading a script. After a few minutes, he took his brush out and started working. I said, “What are you reading the script for?” And he said, “I have to read it to get the mood.” I said, “You really believe that? The mood can’t be influenced by reading the script; the mood comes from the way the penciler dramatizes the story.” I still think I was right about that, too. JA: Both Peddy and Sachs, along with Mo Marcus, were members of that union, too. ESPOSITO: I’m not surprised, but as I said, I wasn’t involved in any way. To get back to those studio days, Jack Abel was a very neat guy when he inked. He had to have water and a towel, and he always had his brush in the water, cleaning it. He always put a cloth over his lap so he wouldn’t get ink blotches on his pants. Bernie Sachs was also very neat. I was a sloppy guy, and I wish I could have been more like Jack. His pages were immaculate, clean. Mine were filthy like Ross’, with coffee stains. Ross and I were never uptight when we worked; we were very relaxed.

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

Jack Abel also had a very good singing voice. He loved baseball, especially the New York Yankees and Mickey Mantle. I was a Giants fan, so we would argue all the time about my man Willie Mays and his man Mickey Mantle. Jack was a very uptight guy, though; he developed ulcers very early in life, and high blood pressure, and that’s what killed him. It had to do with the editors irritating him. Bernie Sachs would leave every day at 5:00 on the button. He’d do his allotment of pages every week, collect his $200, and go home to his wife. It was a nine-to-five job to him, but Ross and I would work there around the clock sometimes. We would dawdle, go see a movie, or brainstorm through the night, talking about writing a book or a movie. We loved to sit up there and talk about this stuff. While we were up there one time, around March 22, 1955, it snowed so bad that we couldn’t go home. The snowdrifts were four feet high in Manhattan, in the middle of March! It reminded everyone of the blizzard of 1888. The heat in the building had gone off in the evening, but we needed to keep working. We didn’t know what to do. There was a hotel across the street, a real dump called the Howard Hotel. It was a $5 a night flea-bag, and we only had maybe $10 between us. Finally, I said, “OK, you go over there and sleep for an hour. Then I’ll call and wake you up, you come back over here, and I’ll go over there for an hour.” We went back and forth, and the hotel was none the wiser. When Ross would sleep, you couldn’t wake him up. I’d have to pour water on his head, shake him, and slap him in the face to get him back into the studio and working. Anyway, the next day, it became very warm, the snow melted, and flooded everything. After Ross bought a new house for his mother, we started working in her old house in Richmond Hills, Queens. We put together a studio in the basement—it wasn’t a finished basement, but at least it was warm—and I’d go there every day to work. One day, I walked in, and there was Ross, kicking down a wall. He would run at it, throw his big, Slavic legs up in the air, and BOOOM! I said, “What are you doing?” He said, “I’m going to combine the porch and the family room to make one big room.” He tore out the wall, hired guys to put a new floor down, and made a really nice house out of it. We used to have big parties there. He was a bachelor, naturally, and I would go there and go crazy. I’d stay all night long at his parties. When Joe Maneely died, Stan Lee gave us Annie Oakley, and he said he needed it in a week. I drove Ross to the subway station so he could go into Manhattan to pick up the script, and as I was driving back, I broke out in chills. I got back to the studio, and discovered that I had a 103-

A Rose By Any Other—Oh, We Did That Joke Already, Two Issues Ago! In this 1950 photo, artists Martin Thall (with tie, at left) and Mike Esposito share a double-date. Thall, nee Martin Rosenthal (who also drew for a time under the name “Marty Rose”), was interviewed in A/E #52, where we saw the cover he inked over Ross Andru for Heart and Soul #2. Photo courtesy of Mike E.

degree fever. I said, “Ross, I can’t work,” and he said, “You’ve gotta work! We have to have this done day after tomorrow!” I couldn’t see straight, I had chills, and I was throwing up, so I told Ross to call my doctor. We paged my doctor at a dance. He knew I was a hypochondriac, so he told Ross, “Just get him to drink a lot of tea, get him to keep throwing up, and he’ll be all right.” Boy, I had a hangover the next day at work, and the pages didn’t look too good, but Stan thought they were fine.

More Love Stuff A&E’s cover for Mikeross’ Heart and Soul #1 (April-May 1954) —with thanks to Michael T. Gilbert for the scan. For some unguessed reason, the Gerbers’ generally excellent Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books doesn’t picture either of the two issues of Heart and Soul. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

“Ross Grew Up With A Natural Distrust Of People” JA: Off-tape, you told me a story about Ross’ chain-smoking…. ESPOSITO: Ross and I were leasing a studio in an old, three story brownstone in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The woman who leased it to us was a very quiet, prim and proper type, and Ross and I were loud. Whoo, we were loud. I used to take two big sheets of Strathmore illustration board and shake them to make thunder sounds. We had a tape recorder in the studio, and we used to record things—jokes—and act them out. A lot of noise was going on in there, and we constantly worked all night long. Ross was a chain-smoker, a real chain smoker. I smoked a lot, too, but Ross would smoke a cigarette down to the end, then turn it around, light another off of it, and throw the butt in the waste-paper basket. One time, one of those butts set fire to the paper in the basket. It really caught; there were dancing orange flames against the wall. I yelled, Ross said, “Oh, my gosh,” and stomped out the flames with his foot. We used to go to the same doctor, and years later, when Ross was about 35, the doctor told Ross that if he didn’t stop smoking, he would be dead by the time he was 40. We both quit smoking in about 1957, but Ross had another problem. While he was in the Army, he developed pneumonia and it affected his heart, which I already told you about. However, his

Mike Esposito Talks–––About Darn Near Everything! smoking was aggravating the condition, which is why the doctor told him to quit. JA: You’ve told me that Ross was very reserved around other people, but that he would open up when he was with you. ESPOSITO: Right. No one thought Ross had a sense of humor, but I got to see it. When we wrote for Get Lost and the other humor books, my stuff was more schtick, broader, while Ross’ was drier and more clever. His humor was also more political than mine. I was more “funny ha-ha,” and he was more “funny peculiar.” As the child of Russian refugees, Ross grew up with a natural distrust of people. Even after they escaped to America, his family was worried that someday there would be a knock at the door. Ross trusted me, though, so when it was just the two of us together—whether we were in our studio in Brooklyn or our publishing office on 42nd Street—he would open up and become a very funny guy. We would make recordings on the tape machine, and he would crack me up. He was really funny, but you would never know it if you saw him during the day. He was very tight-lipped, and his mouth was always

The Jungle That Editors Forgot In Mister Universe #2 (Oct. 1951), with a lead story written by Harry Kantor and drawn by Andru & Esposito, the comic entered territory Ross and Mike would re-visit, starting nearly a decade later, when they and DC writer/editor Robert Kanigher launched the “War That Time Forgot” series—as exampled by the cover of Star Spangled War Stories #92 (Aug.-Sept. 1960). Mike, however, doesn’t recall that he and Ross gave the idea to Kanigher, and feels RK may have come up with it on his own—since the concept is owing to Arthur Conan Doyle and the title to Edgar Rice Burroughs. Even so, we can’t help wondering if Kanigher ever saw a copy of Mister Universe #2. With thanks to Frank Motler. [©2005 DC Comics.]

“Ross Andru And I Had A Handshake Partnership...”

Andru & Esposito At DC, At Marvel, & Up Your Nose Wonder Woman—“Suicide Squad”—“The War That Time Forgot”—The Metal Men— Sub-Mariner—The Amazing Spider-Man—from the mid-1950s onward, Ross and Mike continued to work often, if not always, in tandem, first at DC, then at Marvel—as well as on their parody magazine Up Your Nose! Don’t miss the conclusion of Jim Amash’s Esposito interview in Alter Ego #54. Seen here, to whet your appetite, are Andru & Esposito’s cover for Wonder Woman #124 (Aug. 1961)—the splash page of Sub-Mariner #37 (May 1971)— and the origin of “Garlic Man” in Up Your Nose #1 (March 1972). [Wonder Woman page ©2005 DC Comics; Sub-Mariner page ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Garlic Man art ©2005 Mike Esposito & Estate of Ross Andru.]

turned down at the corners. He seldom smiled, and always had a sad look on his face. It was almost as if he was working at being a sourpuss. He always took the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was constantly worried, a champion worrier, and I became more of a worrier years later because I had been hanging out with him. My attitude was that everything was wonderful and rosy; with him, it was always down, down, down. Now, I’m like he was. I did a recreation of the cover of Spider-Man #39, and while we were packing it, I was worrying about the quality of the piece. When I expressed my worries to the client, he said, “Mike, you’re not getting old! This is the best work you’ve ever done.” Ross used to come to my house when we were kids and my mother would feed the hell out of him. And he could eat! One year, he had his own Thanksgiving dinner with his parents, then he came to visit my mother and father in New Hyde Park, Long Island, and he had another Thanksgiving dinner. Towards the end of the evening, he was picking the bones on the bird, and my father said, “Does this guy ever stop eating?” Ross had the ability to eat and eat and eat, and yet he didn’t get fat.

“Bernie [and] Arthur… Were Partners” Arthur Peddy (on left, seen while in the Army during World War II) and Bernard Sachs (at right in the early 1950s) were a penciling-and-inking team at DC for years, including on later issues of All-Star Comics—starting with #40 (April-May 1948). Peddy later moved on to other art fields, while Sachs inked the first few years of Justice League of America in the 1960s. Photo of Arthur Peddy courtesy of his son-in-law Michael Posner; photo of Sachs, from the hardcover book The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino, courtesy of Carmine and J. David Spurlock.[Art ©2005 DC Comics.]

[The DC and later Marvel years of Mike Esposito—still often, but not always, with Ross Andru—will be covered in the second part of this definitive interview, in the next issue of Alter Ego. A checklist of the interviewee’s work will appear therein.]

“Rob Lindsay, a boy from the real world who finds himself transported to the comics world and transformed into a super-hero! What comics fan wouldn’t love that?

“’40s Nostalgia, ’80s Nostalgia, and Wish Fulfillment— A Wonderfully Fun Combination!” —Jack Abramowitz, Comic Buyer’s Guide (Aug. 2005)

Alter Ego: The Graphic Novel The 1986 Homage to the Golden Age by

ROY THOMAS & RON HARRIS 128 Pages in Full Color – $17.95 ISBN 0-929729-02-1 Still Available Directly From: HEROIC PUBLISHING 6433 California Avenue Long Beach, CA 90805

Visit Our Website at: www.heroicpub.com

A Comic Fandom Archive Special Multi-Part Series...

1966: The Year Of THREE* New York Comicons! (*Or Maybe 2H—See Explanation Below)

ith grateful acknowledgement to Jack C. Harris, Bhob Stewart, Tom Conroy, and John Benson for their help on various aspects of this piece, including a great deal of the visual material. Extended quotes from the tapes of the convention were transcribed by Brian K. Morris, and edited by Bill.]

Series Introduction In some ways, the most exciting aspect of fandom’s rise in the 1960s was the emergence of the comic book convention—a gathering of fans of comic art in one place, to enjoy the camaraderie of likeminded individuals. Nothing could be more central to the purpose of fandom than these opportunities for meeting industry professionals, exchanging information, and the trading and selling of back issues. You didn’t have to have writing or art talent to participate, as one needed in the world of fanzines. You merely needed to be able to get yourself to the appointed spot at the appointed time. The rest would take care of itself. It was fandom in its purest, most direct form.

by Bill Schelly

Hot Dog! Summer In The City! In July 1966, the Park Sheraton Hotel (now the Park Central, shown here in a recent photo taken by John Benson) was the scene of John’s New York Comicon—which was attended in large part (though not solely) by fans of 1950s EC and of DC and Marvel, as per this symbolic montage executed by A/E layout man Chris Day. The (Kurtzman & Wood?) EC figures at left are from a house ad in Weird Science #18 (March-April 1953) for Mad #3 (the first glimpse the world had of “Superduperman”!)—the JLA heroes at right appeared in black-&-white in Amazing World of DC Comics #14 (1977) in an illo by Dick Dillin & Sid Greene—and the Marvel rooftop battle tableau was the Ron Wilson-penciled cover for a 1970s Marvel-UK reprint. The latter is repro’d from the original art, courtesy of “RomitaMan” Mike Burkey. John says the hotel “is no longer in the Sheraton chain. It’s now an Omni hotel and called the Park Central. Unfortunately, there is scaffolding up over the sidewalk now.” [Art ©2005 respectively by William M. Gaines Agent, DC Comics, & Marvel Characters, Inc.]

1966: The Year Of Three New York Comicons! We at Alter Ego are dedicated to taking long, in-depth looks at the earliest comicons. The first major New York gathering (1964) was covered in A/E, Vol. 3, #7, and the 1965 New York Comicon took up much of our 20th issue. Shel Dorf treated us to his account of the Detroit Triple Fan Fair of 1965 in A/E #31. Now we advance to 1966, the year that began with a mini-con thrown by Calvin Beck of Castle of Frankenstein magazine (thus the reference to “H” of a comicon on the previous page), and offered two full-fledged conventions in the Big Apple in the course of a single summer, less than a month apart, organized separately by John Benson and Dave Kaler. Our series begins with the comicon chaired by John Benson— because, frankly, that’s the one we’ve been able to document the best, aided immeasurably by tapes of the entire formal program provided by Benson himself. For example, we will be running a transcript of the legendary appearance by Leonard Darvin of the Comics Code Authority, who was confronted by a feisty Ted White from the

audience. This is a priceless addition to the history of fandom, as we’ll see in a very-near-future episode of this series. In addition to the tapes, John provided additional data and comments that appear throughout the article and in captions. (Quotes by Benson which are not attributed are taken from recent correspondence.) A note about the transcriptions from John Benson’s tapes: while the tapes are mostly “good,” there are numerous places where comments are unintelligible, making the editing process exceedingly difficult. Be assured that every effort was made to make certain the speakers’ meaning has been accurately represented. As the series progresses over the next few issues, we’ll present features focusing on the Beck and Kaler cons. Though we don’t have tapes of panels from those shows, resulting in briefer coverage than for the Benson con, those reports will be special in their own way. And now—on with the comic book show!!

Part I: The 1966 New York “Benson” Con Featuring Jack Kirby, Otto Binder, Leonard Darvin, Klaus Nordling, Archie Goodwin, Dick Giordano, & more! “Let’s Put on a Comicon! Er…. TWO Comicons….?” In 1966, major news stories told of the Apollo test-launch that killed astronauts Chaffe, Grissom, and White, and the fact that a lost H-bomb was found off the coast of Spain. The Selective Service was drafting 50,000 men a month, part of an effort by President Johnson to win the war in far-off Vietnam. 1966 will also be remembered as the year that the Beatles made their “Rubber Soul” album, and the Beach Boys released their quintessential recording, “Good Vibrations.” And as the year the terms “flower power,” “black power,” and “hippie” came into popular parlance.

Conventionmeisters Three (Left:) 1965 comicon host Dave Kaler was profiled in the Long Island newspaper Newsday on November 4 of that year. A fuller version of this photo appears in Bill Schelly’s acclaimed book The Golden Age of Comic Fandom. (Right:) John Benson was apparently too much of a blur at his 1966 con for anyone to snap a photo of him—so here’s one he provided for his fascinating and informative 3-part interview that ran in A/E #27-29, showing him talking with Phil Seuling (seen at right) in 1969, at the first of the latter’s New York Comicons. Photo courtesy of John.

For comics fans in America, much attention was aimed toward New York City, and the news that there would be not one, but two major New York comicons that summer. Why two? What set of circumstances led to this odd duplication of effort? Organizing and chairing one comicon was difficult enough. Putting on two just added to the difficulties. For one thing, fans living in outlying areas would most likely have to choose one or the other. Wouldn’t this inevitably lead to lower attendance at both? Similarly, wouldn’t the duality result in a halving of the number of guest professionals? To answer these questions and more, one must back up and look at the history of the first and second cons in Gotham, and examine the events that occurred in the fall of 1965….

Setting the Scene Though the 1964 New York Comicon is generally called the first

“real” comicon, it was more of a dry run than an actual convention. Only about 50 fans attended, and it all took place in a single afternoon. It was a start, but clearly it would take a more concerted effort to mount a comics convention that would be spectacular enough to draw fans from more than a regional area. But who would spearhead this task? Enter: David Kaler, a young marketing executive. Because DC editor Julius Schwartz had begun publishing readers’ full addresses in his letter columns, fans were able to get in touch with each other through the mail. Kaler wrote both Jerry Bails and Roy Thomas, thus discovering Alter Ego and the fanzines that came in its wake. Many comic art enthusiasts entered fandom through this same portal. When it came time to plan a follow-up to the first small con of 1964, local fans persuaded Dave to volunteer to become convention chairman. He also became executive secretary of the Academy of Comic Book Fans and Collectors, after Paul Gambaccini stepped down. His 1965 “Academy Con” was a smashing success [see the account in A/E V3#20], but when it was all over, an exhausted Kaler announced that he was never going to put on another convention.

Comic Fandom Archive rooms, and perhaps hoped for some guests staying at the hotel, though obviously we made no guarantee on that score.” Two people he invited to attend were his idols Harvey Kurtzman and Will Eisner. Unfortunately, both would be traveling in Europe during late July, and conveyed their polite regrets. Jack Kirby accepted Benson’s invitation to be the Guest of Honor; and others indicated they would be in evidence and thus were given brief biographies in the con booklet: Wally Wood, Otto Binder, Bill Harris, Gray Morrow, and Gil Kane, whose loquaciousness had so impressed Benson at the previous year’s New York con. Angelo Torres responded, too, saying he would probably be there, at “I’ll Be There, But I Have least on Saturday—though, oddly, he didn’t sign in, so A Code!” his attendance has never been confirmed.

The date on this letter on Comics Code stationery (we added the Code stamp seen at right) indicates that its acting administrator, attorney Leonard Darvin, was lined up as a convention guest more or less at the last minute. He had only recently succeeded the previous administrator, who had the wonderful name of Mrs. Guy Percy Trulock. Darvin’s appearance created fireworks—as will be seen in detail in A/E #55! Letter courtesy of John Benson.

One of those who heard this pronouncement was John Benson, a long-time fan who had been involved in fannish activity as early as 1956, as a member of postEC fandom. The wheels in Benson’s mind began turning immediately. Organizing next year’s con seemed like a worthwhile endeavor. Benson double-checked with Dave Kaler. “I asked him again later, making it clear that if he was going to do a con, I would not,” Benson explained recently. “He assured me he wasn’t, and offered to help me, mainly by contacting pros and publicizing the event.” What led 25-year-old John Benson to believe he could put on a comicon, having had no prior experience doing that sort of thing?

The answer is that he had an ace in the hole: long-time science-fiction fan Mike McInerney, who had considerable experience helping with science-fiction cons. McInerney had become a friend after Benson met him at the weekly sf FISTFA/Fanoclast meetings in New York City. Mike was essential, because he knew how to deal with the hotel which would be Benson’s single greatest expense. John ran his idea by Mike for feasibility, and to get a handle on how much work was involved. McInerney’s expertise gave Benson the confidence to go forward. In truth, comicons more or less developed by adapting the template used in the past at sf conventions. Benson reached out to other friends for help in various capacities. The Committee listed in the program book was Mike McInerney (cochairman), Roy Thomas, Andy Porter, Ted White, Jon White, and Chris Steinbrunner. Ted and Jon, who are not related, just said they would offer advice. Andy Porter made his ditto machine available to run off fliers announcing the con. Roy was corralled to write a brief bio of Jack Kirby, who was to be Guest of Honor, for the program book. Benson selected July 23 and July 24 for his comicon. “You know, today’s conventions are so huge, they have a huge staff,” John recalled. “I didn’t have any staff. Mike McInerney was the only one who really committed any time. I think he went with me to negotiate with the [Park Sheraton] Hotel.” Still, most of the tasks involved with putting on a comicon fell on Benson’s shoulders. “The fact is, not much was happening in July in New York in those days,” Benson said. “The people at the hotel were glad to fill the meeting

At the suggestion of fans (and Comic Art editor/publishers) Don and Maggie Thompson, Benson also invited Leonard Darvin, acting administrator of the Comics Code, who responded on official Code stationery: “I shall be happy to serve on the panel or participate in any other manner that would be helpful.” The guest list was shaping up nicely.

Little or no money was expended on publicity— just the cost of printing up a series of fliers, each one with a slightly more evolved agenda. Certainly there were free plugs in various fanzines, such as The Comic Reader. The convention even got a prominent plug in Cue, the now-defunct weekly “what’s on in New York” newsstand magazine.

“I remember calling in that plug, and the woman asking whether there’d be Batman comics there,” Benson recalled. “Each time I’d say, ‘Well, we’ll have this and that other stuff.’ Finally, after the third time, I said, ‘I can’t guarantee there won’t be a single Batman comic there, but, really, the event is about all comics and isn’t about Batman.’ So, of course, the plug emphasized Batman.” With the Batman TV show the sensation of 1966, the connection was unavoidable.

A Dark Cloud Unknown to John Benson, however, was the fact that Dave Kaler had changed his mind, and decided to chair an Academy Con again in 1966, after all. Benson says that, when he first heard rumors to that effect, he quizzed Kaler about it, and Dave denied it. But when John visited DC Comics shortly thereafter, he learned that Kaler had given Murphy Anderson an August date for the convention, rather than July 23-24. Now Benson was sure that, whatever Dave said, the truth was that Kaler was doing his own convention—though he had to move the Academy Con, which had been in July in ’65, to August 12-14, so as not to compete directly with Benson’s conclave. “There was no point in talking to Dave again after that,” Benson explained. “Some people would relish such a fight, but the whole thing was so distasteful to me that I just sortof pretended the problem didn’t exist.” According to an article previewing both conventions in The Comic Reader #51 (spring issue), “The members of the Academy in New York and Connecticut have been working on the Academy con since early in February.” In 1994, when I was researching The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, I asked Dave Kaler why he bothered to put on a show when Benson was already planning one. He told me, “I don’t remember the specifics any more. I seem to recall that I wanted a con that would be for everybody. The word was that John Benson’s convention was an adult con only for those people who were interested in EC and the older type comics, and that was the big brouhaha there.”

1966: The Year Of Three New York Comicons! According to Benson, however, that just wasn’t so. “Our early conversations … made it clear that [the July con] was to be an all-comics convention,” he stated. Unfortunately, all recent attempts to contact Dave at his last known phone number and address have proved futile, so we are unable to get a follow-up statement from him.

Comicon: Day One

It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again! Especially for this several-part A/E series, John Benson revisited the Park Sheraton (now Park Central) and took several photos to help A/E’s readers visualize the scene. He reports: “Everything inside the hotel was exactly as I remembered it! It looks like not a thing has changed, not the names of the room, the décor, even the kind of ‘hotel facility’ chairs in the meeting rooms.” (Top left:) John says: “As you come up the stairs to the mezzanine level, you see a long wide hall, which is where the registration table was. It looks as if they still have that same table in exactly the same place! That’s where the hotel had set it up, and I should have moved it to the head of the stairs, but I didn’t.”

(Center:) The Gotham room, one of the two rooms set aside for dealers during the con. Benson again: “This room is a little For some comics fans, larger than I remembered, but I think if you put dealers’ tables in there with space for dealers behind them and attendees in whenever they hear “Summer the main area, there might be as few as ten dealers in the room, assuming a few might have had two tables.” in the City” by the Lovin’ (Right:) Benson: “The main meeting room, the Manhattan Skyline, is one of those rooms that can be separated into two Spoonful, which topped the rooms, or be one room, as it was set up for the comicon, and as it was set up when this picture was taken. Those chairs are charts in 1966, it conjures definitely the same style as 1966; I think they’re universally used in hotels.” memories of heading to midtown New York City to It turned out that fannish zeal had been his undoing. The night before the nexus of 56th Street and Seventh Avenue, where the Park Sheraton the event, Mike stayed up all night talking with a visiting fan. He didn’t Hotel was (and still is) located, albeit today with a different name. show his face at the hotel until after the lunch break.

Saturday, July 23—the first day of the third annual comic convention—was a thrilling day for fans of the much-maligned comic book medium. A little after 9:00, they began arriving in twos and threes. Those who had attended the 1965 con couldn’t help but be favorably impressed by how nice the hotel was compared to the dilapidated Hotel Broadway Central the previous year. There were no winos in the lobby, the hotel staff was helpful and efficient, and the building itself wasn’t on the verge of collapse. Also, crucially, it was fully air-conditioned. After roasting in 1965, out-of-towners had learned how unbearable the heat and humidity on Manhattan Island could be in July. Some would stay overnight at the hotel, though the rates (there was no special convention rate) weren’t cheap by 1966 standards: $11.50-$16 per night for a single, $16.50-$21 for a double. Others may have stayed at nearby hotels also recommended by Benson: the Wellington, across the street from the Park Sheraton, the Henry Hudson, and the Paris Hotel.

This left Benson alone to deal with the impatient throng. He would have to improvise. Luckily, one or two friends offered to handle the registration table, leaving John to do whatever else was necessary: check the P.A. system, make sure the chairs were placed properly, set up the tape recorder, etc. For $4 admission, each person was handed a spiffy photo-offset program and membership badge (orange for fans and cream-colored for pros). The 16-page program book was the first of a long line of sleek, collectible New York comicon booklets. It was designed by Bill Pearson, and bore an arty, unique cover: a close-up of penciled panels by Kirby.

As fans came in by the main entrance, a sign pointed the way for them to turn and climb the staircase to the right to the mezzanine level. Early attendees were greeted by a puzzled throng, and perhaps the sight of the dealers hurriedly carting their goods inside. (Dealer Tom Conroy remembers arriving at the last minute: “I was late in setting up, so I had to deal with the first rush of buyers right out of my boxes.”) Where were the con people, to register them? Mike McInerney had said he would get everything ready at the hotel, so John Benson didn’t arrive until about 9:40 a.m. The dark-haired, bespectacled convention chairman was greeted by a chattering group of several dozen fans, eagerly waiting for the doors to open. Excitement was palpable, certainly fueled by visions of all the dealers’ wonderful wares, especially since the word was out that a number of out-of-town dealers had shown up. They were Claude Held, Bill Thailing, and Jim Steranko, as well as Ken Mitchell (from Canada). The contingent of local dealers was made up of Howard Rogofsky, Tom Conroy, the Jay Bee Magazine store, Henry Keller, Brooklyn’s own Phil Seuling, and perhaps one or two more. Where was McInerney, co-chairman of the con?

Cover Me! This front cover of the first-ever photo-offset program book produced for a New York comicon featured panels from an unused page of Jack Kirby pencils, drawn for Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966), complete with the artist’s margin notes to editor/scripter Stan Lee—while the back cover was a drawing by Wally Wood done especially for the occasion. See them bigger in A/E #29. [FF art ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Wood art ©2005 Estate of Wallace Wood.]

Comic Fandom Archive

Since most fans hadn’t as yet seen Jack’s pencils (or probably any other pro’s pencils) in 1966, it garnered a lot of interest. The back cover sported a finished drawing by Wood done especially for the book. Advertisers were Marvel Comics (in an ad prepared by Roy Thomas), Roy himself (for Alter Ego #10—promising it would be out soon), Grand Book Center (from Brooklyn), Claude Held, Monster Mania (a newsstand publication helmed by Russ Jones, whose ad was drawn by Mort Drucker), Bill Thailing (Cleveland), Phil Seuling, and Wally Wood (in those early days when witzend was advertised under the title of Et Cetera), plus a few more. Both the membership badges and the program were printed by Al Schuster’s Aton Press. Al was an sf fan of sorts and a good printer. There were two Dealer Rooms (the Liberty and Gotham Rooms) to accommodate this activity, with the Meeting Room (named the Manhattan Skyline Room) given over to a dais with a rostrum and rows of folding chairs. This is the first time all dealers were separate from the panels, so that anyone who wished could continue to shop while the convention program went on without disturbance. Benson estimates there were probably a dozen tables in each room, with the bigger dealers using two or three tables, bought in advance for something like $14 each. When the doors opened at 10:00 a.m. or thereabouts, many in the crowd stampeded to the Dealer Rooms, anxious to check out their smorgasbord of old comics, magazines, Big Little Books, and much more. The rest congregated in the Skyline Room, greeting friends and correspondents, or chatted with the line-up of industry professionals who had begun to arrive. The comicon had begun!

Ad’s All, Folks! (Above:) Bill and John credit Ye Editor with having “prepared” this program book ad for Marvel—but Roy T. would bet his old MMMS card (if he could find it!) that Marvel production manager Sol Brodsky had something to do with it! The ad featured the original Kirby-penciled cover art for Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965), the wedding of Sue and Reed. [Art ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.] (Top right:) At the time of the Benson con, Roy still had hopes that the long-delayed Alter Ego [Vol. 1] #10 would see print in a couple of months—but it actually took three more years, by which time the issue’s contents had been totally, er, altered. \[Llarn & Capt. Ego art ©2005 Estate of Sam Grainger; Eclipse art ©2005 Estate of Ronn Foss; Captain Ego TM & ©2005 Roy Thomas & Bill Schelly.]

As everyone knows, when you put fans together in one space, things have a way of (Right:) Russ Jones persuaded Mad’s great movie taking off with no further encouragement. Of parodist Mort Drucker to draw this ad for his new the paying attendees, over fifty came from Monster Mania. We don’t remember the mag itself, the five boroughs of New York City. About a but the illo’s too good to lie unreprinted in the 1966 program book—which, incidentally, was loaned to us dozen hailed from the far away states of by Fred Mommsen. [Art ©2005 Mort Drucker.] Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Delaware. One was from France, and two of the paying members came from Canada (Ken Mitchell and his wife). was “What Should—or Should Not—Be Permitted in Comics?” The remainder (30-plus) were from the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Not surprisingly, a high percentage of these dedicated “I’m very excited at this time in the program,” Benson began. “We travelers are known to us today. Some of the most recognizable names have a debate between Don Thompson, the editor of Comic Art, and on the comicon roster were Don and Maggie Thompson, Martin Greim, Mr. Leonard Darvin, the Acting [Comics] Code Administrator [sound Michael Uslan, Margaret Gemignani, Frank Brunner, Art Spiegelman, of boos from audience] and they’ve already started fighting. They are Gary Dolgoff, and Steve Stiles. Jack C. Harris was there with his camera, going to make short statements first, and then rebuttal, I believe. Then snapping color photos. Other cameras were surely in evidence, with we’ll open the floor to questions.” sudden flashes becoming a routine occurrence. (Unfortunately, Harris’ pics are the only ones that have surfaced thus far.) Leonard Darvin took the podium. “Can you all hear with this mike? [audience gives assent] After Don and I get through, I will answer questions which I imagine might be a little more pointed than those that Don might throw at me.

The Leonard Darvin Address & Debate

The first panel to begin the formal program, scheduled for 1:00 p.m.,

1966: The Year Of Three New York Comicons!

people with whom you’re associating in the professional field are exactly the kind of person that you’d like to think they were. And that’s why it gives me a particular pleasure at this time, without any further ado, to introduce probably as fine a person as I know… and also—this is a little more important, perhaps, for you—probably as fine an action super-hero comic book artist as has ever picked up a pencil and not been able to put it down again. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Jack Kirby!” [wild applause and whistles]

A Card-Carrying Member Each participant was given a membership card to write his/her name on and to wear during the con. One attendee whose photo survives was Tim Battersby, who wrote several scripts for Tower Comics before his untimely early death. Photo by Jack C. Harris.

“I might say at the outset that hearing these boos when my name was mentioned is a refreshing experience, because I take it that the boos come from the fact that the Code is restrictive. Yet for the past eleven years I’ve appeared before groups that tell me that the Code isn’t strong enough, and that we’re in the pay of the publishers, and we’re absolute frauds and kept people. So I enjoy hearing the other side and it’s an unusual experience for me to have to defend the Code from the opposite direction….”

When Jack Kirby took the rostrum to speak, though he radiated an obvious pleasure to be there, he was visibly nervous. After all, being a great comic book artist in no way prepared him to speak in public. He acknowledged this as he began: “What I’d like to say is that, to allay my own fears of facing an audience, I was originally going to get up and say, ‘I can lick any fan in the house.’ But after listening to this fellow who defended EC, I’d like to say that I’m really a laudable coward [audience laughs], and my monsters are lovable and my characters are lovable, and I don’t think [readers] have ever been treated to anything worse than a dull story….” [NOTE: The above is just the slightest taste of Jack’s remarks on this historic occasion… his first talk ever before a comics convention… meant to whet your appetite for the rest. His entire speech, along with the ensuing questions from the audience, was recently printed in The Jack Kirby Collector #43.]

[NOTE: A complete transcript of this panel will appear in A/E #55.]

The Kirby Keynote Speech After the lunch break, characterized by another frantic period of buying back issues and other merchandise in the Dealer Rooms, everyone gathered in the Meeting Room. Chairman Benson turned the microphone over to Roy Thomas, who took the podium to enthusiastic applause and began: “Before I perform the somewhat ludicrous task of introducing Jack Kirby, who needs no introduction from anybody, I’d like to mention some of the professionals who are here.” Those he singled out were Al Williamson, Gray Morrow, Archie Goodwin, Larry Ivie, Wally Wood, Jim Steranko (“a new artist … who has done a couple of things at Marvel coming out in the next month or two,” to which Roy added: “It’s always good to have an entertainer here”), Russ Jones, Dan Adkins, Gary Friedrich, and “one female professional here, without whom there would probably be no Marvel Comics… Miss Flo Steinberg.” [loud applause, and a few hoots of approval] Also introduced and either standing or waving in acknowledgement were E. Nelson Bridwell, Otto Binder, and Paul Krassner, editor of The Realist. (Not mentioned at this time, but also guests of the con, were Frank McLaughlin, Edd Ashe, Klaus Nordling, Dick Lupoff, Dick Giordano, Gil Kane, Bill Harris, Jack Binder, Sal Trapini, and Rocke Mastroserio.) Roy then introduced the comicon’s Guest of Honor: “It’s a very nice thing to find out that the

How Much Wood…? As Bill writes, future DC editor Jack C. Harris may have taken the only photos at the con that have turned up to date, but they’re real winners—such as this evocative double-exposure of ace artist Wally Wood, then overseeing T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and launching his prozine witzend. Thanks a heap, Jack!

Rocke Rode In

One of numerous pros in attendance was artist Rocke (pronounced “Rocky”) Mastroserio, then drawing such Charlton comics as Captain Atom (inking Steve Ditko), Billy the Kid, et al. The pencil drawing of Billy was done in ’67—probably at another comicon—especially for fan (and soon-to-be pro) Marv Wolfman, who kindly shared it with us. [Art ©2005 Estate of Rocke Mastroserio.]

Comic Fandom Archive weren’t happy when Benson or other volunteers announced the start of each panel. Inevitably, fans would stop bartering and buying; few wanted to miss an opportunity to learn more about the history of comics, or hear a pro writer or artist speak. At one point, one of the dealers’ wives complained to Benson that the events were hurting their sales because everyone would leave. After explaining that the formal program was the reason he was putting on the convention in the first place, Benson finished with: “You don’t think I’m putting this on for the dealers, do you?” Her surprised reaction indicated that she had, in fact, thought the con was mainly for the sake of the dealers.

Kirb(y) Your Enthusiasm A somewhat nervous Jack Kirby giving the con’s keynote speech in the Manhattan Skyline Room, in a photo taken by Jack C. Harris. Two years later, Jack sketched the World War I ace at right for Marv Wolfman. [Art ©2005 Estate of Jack Kirby.]

When time was up, Kirby received a great deal of appreciative applause. The Saturday auction was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. No record was kept of what was sold in the auction. John Benson was the auctioneer. “Dick Giordano [who initially heard about the con from Steve Ditko] brought a few pieces of recent Charlton artwork to be auctioned off,” Benson told me. “I wanted a Ditko page, so I got someone else to auction that page so that I could step into the audience and bid for it. I won the page for, I think, $4. I don’t have that page now. I don’t even remember what feature the page was from.”

“The Forgotten ’50s” At 4:00 p.m., after the auction and a break, the second panel of Day One commenced. John Benson began: “This panel is called ‘The Forgotten ’50s,’ which will [be a discussion of] some of the comics classics of the 1950s. Our panel consists of three people who are in the professional fields today and who were all fans during the ’50s.” Introduced at this time were Ted White, who was the assistant editor of Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine and had just signed a contract to write a Captain America novel for Bantam Books… Archie Goodwin, then editor and chief writer for James Warren’s black-&-white magazine-format comics Creepy and Eerie, and bhob Stewart, editor of Castle of Frankenstein magazine and movie editor for TV Guide. [NOTE: A complete transcript of this panel will appear in a near-future installment of this series.] “The Forgotten ’50s” could have gone on past the allotted hour, but it was time for the dinner break. Those who weren’t hungry were free to return to the Dealer Rooms. Incidentally, it’s worth mentioning that some of the dealers

The Serial Shot From Guns This display ad for the revival of the 1941 Republic serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel was used when it played in 1966 at the Trans-Lux 49th Street Theatre in Manhattan—complete with misspelling of “Scorpion” and “villains.” Ye Editor recalls attending a late-night showing of all 12 chapters there with Flo Steinberg and Len Brown. The ad was reprinted in Alan G. Barbour’s excellent book on movie serials, Days of Thrills and Adventure. The reason for the revival, of course, was the phenomenal success of the Batman TV show. [Captain Marvel TM & ©2005 DC Comics.]

Most fans left to get dinner, many unaware that a private function followed for the professionals in attendance: the Pro Reception. It was held in an adjacent room, with a bartender set up to provide the social lubricant. The exact time of this event is hard to place. Benson seems to remember that it was still going after the film program started (at 7:30), but such a reception would seem more likely before dinner than after, which would place it not long after the formal program (the ’50s panel) was completed. Possibly the pro reception was still running at 7:30 and broke up around 8:00 p.m. Those who were interested in attending the film show found their way back to the Skyline Room at 7:30 p.m. This part of the program was entirely run by Chris Steinbrunner. He was a film critic, writer of radio and TV scripts (he had sold his first script, to the Shadow radio show, at the age of 17), expert on old-time radio and films, active in the Mystery Writers of America, and director of the film program at WOR-TV in New York City. “He was a great, friendly guy who always greeted me effusively,” Benson recalled, “even though we didn’t know each other that well. A wonderful character.” Chris provided the 16 mm films for free, and even brought along the projector and the screen. What films made up the bill? No record was kept, but the selection probably consisted of the usual fare for this sort of comicon show: movie serials (perhaps Flash Gordon or Captain Marvel), maybe some cartoons, then a feature (King Kong was one of the most popular films at comicons over the years). It must be remembered that, in the days before home video, fans generally had no way to see movie serials, so they were a big draw—especially because quite a few of them had “adapted” (often very freely) comic book characters: The Shadow, Batman, Green Hornet, Captain America, Blackhawk, The Phantom, and others. [NEXT ISSUE: Day Two of the Benson Con. Meanwhile, for those who want to know more about the history of fandom’s early years, the third printing of Bill Schelly’s acclaimed book The Golden Age of Comic Fandom is still available from his Hamster Press. Bill’s cogent account is augmented with dozens of rare photos and illustrations, including an 8-page color section Fanzine Cover Gallery. See p. 58, or check out his website at www.billschelly.com.]

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

“The Horror! The Horror!” (John Stanley’s Double Life – Part 1) by Michael T. Gilbert Something caught my eye while I was flipping through Ernie Gerber’s Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books back in ’91. For those unfamiliar with this four-volume set, the Photo-Journal Guide reprints literally thousands of rare Golden and Silver Age comic book covers. The one that grabbed my attention was the cover of Little Lulu #21, which bore a cover date of March 1950. In John Stanley’s drawing, Lulu sat in an overstuffed chair clutching a book labeled “Ghost Stories,” as grinning spooks surrounded her. The bright green chair and purple background made the cover pop out. Adding to the effect, Stanley’s ghosts, inked in black, were transformed into ghostly white outlines. By any measure, the cover was a classic. So why was I looking through the Gerber book? Well, I needed a cover idea for the third and final issue of a mini-series spotlighting Mr. Monster’s fabulous gal Friday, Kelly. Kelly was intended as a homage to popular 1940s-50s “girl” comics like Archie and Veronica, Mary Marvel, and Little Lulu, so a John Stanley-tribute cover seemed perfect.

Five months later I received a package from Egmont containing an assortment of Danish Disney comics. I pulled out the latest Anders And & Co. (Donald Duck & Co.) and did a classic double-take. The cover of their Halloween issue featured another variation of Stanley’s cover— in Danish, no less! This time Little Lulu had morphed into Donald Duck. What were the odds of seeing this particular Twice-Told Cover— twice!? Better than you might expect. Months later, while looking through the quarter box at my local comic shop, I spotted an old issue of Cracked magazine. Actually it was a 100-page “Cracked Collector’s Edition” titled Monster Party #1. And what was on the cover? You guessed it—yet another version of Stanley’s cover, drawn by Bill Wray! This time a gaggle of ghost-monsters surrounded Cracked’s mascot, Sylvester. The magazine was coverdated January 1988, which meant Bill’s re-do was drawn years before mine. So much for my unique, one-of-a-kind idea! Now Stanley’s cover was Thrice-Told. But there was more to come! At the 2002 San Diego con, cartoonist Pete Von Sholly showed me an advance copy of Morbid, a horror comic he was pitching to publishers. In addition to some great horror stories, Morbid also included some wickedly funny “what if” covers in which Pete reworked classic comic book covers in a Lovecraftian mode. And lo and behold, here was another pastiche of that cover!

John Stanley, of course, was the genius behind the Dell Little Lulu and Tubby comic books. Although Marjorie “Marge” Buell created This time Lovecraft’s monster Cthulhu replaced Little Lulu in 1935, it was John Stanley who brought Lulu, with a logo change from Little Lulu her to life. From 1945 to about 1961, he to Little C’lulu! Clever, no? By the way, if John Stanley got his own well-deserved button in the wrote hundreds of classic “Little Lulu” Pete’s cover sounds familiar, Alter Ego Famous Cartoonists series, for which he did a selfstories and provided rough layouts for reprinted it in 2003’s Halloween issue. caricature. [©2005 Estate of John Stanley.] finisher Irving Tripp. Stanley also drew numerous Little Lulu covers and a handful So that brings us to four different of solo stories. versions of the cover of Little Lulu #21—and that’s just the ones I know about! Mind you, that’s not counting the Little Lulu Library hardcover I wound up drawing a cover using Stanley’s basic layout and color reprint, in which their LLL bullet replaced the original Dell logo. And it scheme, but transforming Little Lulu into Not-So-Little Kelly! Working doesn’t include the most recent variation, either. on the assumption that Stanley achieved his color-holds by inking the ghosts on an overlay, I did the same (though Mark Evanier informs me By coincidence, the cover to Gemstone’s Donald Duck and Friends that at least some Dell covers of that period were drawn on a single piece #332 (out this very month!) reprints the 1992 Egmont version. Imagine of art and converted into pure color by the engravers). my surprise, flipping through Previews shortly before completing this article, and learning about that unexpected Halloween treat! Spooky, eh? Unfortunately, before the book could see print, our publisher vanished into comic book limbo. Luckily, I kept busy writing for Who can say how many more John Stanley re-dos are still out there? Egmont, a Danish company producing Disney comics for worldwide I half expect to find a Post Office pamphlet somewhere with Mr. Zip distribution. reading a magazine, surrounded by ghostly dead letters. Brrr! Or Image Comics eventually picked up Kelly, and in May 2000 my cover perhaps I’ll stumble on an old Harvey comic with Hot Stuff reading finally saw print, complete with a John Stanley dedication. I was feeling Casper the Friendly Ghost as Spooky and the Ghostly Trio look on. pretty pleased with myself. Re-doing a 40-year-old kiddie comic? Who When it comes to Twice-Told Tales, the possibilities are endless! else would come up with such a unique idea? Who else indeed?

“The Horror! The Horror!” 69

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

“The Horror! The Horror!” (John Stanley’s Double Life – Part 2) John Stanley didn’t limit his horror to a single Little Lulu cover. Kids growing up in the ’50s also remember his wickedly funny Witch Hazel, whom Lulu outwitted on a regular basis. And then there were Stanley’s hilarious Melvin Monster stories in the mid-’60s. Though never as popular as Lulu, Melvin remains a cult-favorite revered by hardcore Stanley fans. In fact, Pete Von Sholly recently revived the character, creating new stories with the blessing of John Stanley’s son, James Stanley. James even pitched in by scanning his dad’s lettering to create a Melvin Monster font for the series. You can see these strips at: www.vonshollywood.com Lulu and Witch Hazel. This panel was scanned from Little Lulu #174. [©2005 Western Publishing, Inc., or its successors in interest.]

John Stanley liked to mix humor with his horror, but sometimes he played it straight. In the early ’60s, he wrote a series of horror tales for Dell comics that were truly shocking for the times. This was all the more remarkable coming from Dell, whose comics were always squeakyclean—so clean the company had refused to join the Comics Code, stating that their own standards were far stricter. And indeed they were, with one notable exception. In 1961, Dell hired artist L. B. Cole to edit and artdirect some of their comics. It was a strange choice for such a conservative company. Cole had illustrated many gruesome horror covers in the ’40s and ’50s for titles like Suspense and Weird. Under Cole’s editorship, John Stanley scripted a series of subtly-subversively horror tales, illustrated by different artists from his layouts. Nervous parents flipping through the comics would find little to cause alarm. The art by Frank Springer and others was subdued—light years away from EC’s graphic horror. On the surface, Ghost Stories seemed like Dell’s usual clean and wholesome fare. But once you actually read the stories, it was a different matter. Tales like “Mr. Green Must Be Fed!” and “The Door!” aimed for a different type of dread than the old pre-Code horror. Early issues of Ghost Stories and Dell’s 1962 one-shot horror giant Tales from the Tomb featured unsettling tales of creatures that lurked beneath ordinary throwrugs, waiting to trap the unwary. Or parents slaughtered because they refused to heed their daughter’s warnings about something evil hiding in the closet.

Stanley’s yarns sounded like scary campfire stories. His tales were grounded in reality, which made them even creepier. And one of the creepiest was a little 10-page story, “The Monster of Dread End!” “Dread End” first appeared in Ghost Stories # 1 (Sept.–Nov. 1962). No one really knows who drew the unsigned story, though Ed Robbins has been suggested as one possibility. This Lovecraftian tale featured a sewer-monster who slithers out at night to grab sleeping children from their beds, sucking every drop of blood before tossing their balled-up bodies in the gutters. Yow! This, mind you, in 1962––in a Dell comic! Little Lulu was never like this!

While the story may not give kids nightmares nowadays, it made a powerful impression in 1962. This was, after all, nearly a decade after the Comics Code had neutered the gory horror comics of the early ’50s. In that context, it’s not surprising a more innocent generation of young comic book readers found “Dread End” so memorable. Horror fans Scott Shaw!, Mark Evanier, and Taboo’s Steve Bissette still sing its praises, and Rich Veitch even included a “Dread End” tribute in his 2001 Greyshirt: Indigo Sunset mini-series. “Dread End” also had a profound impact on Pete Von Sholly. Pete’s a horror-nut who draws comics on the computer when he isn’t dashing out movie storyboards. In 2002 he decided it would be fun to redraw “The Monster of Dread End,” keeping most of Stanley’s script and layouts but using digitized photos to give the visuals a more realistic feel. Pete’s re-do first appeared in Morbid and truly captured the spirit

“The Horror! The Horror!”

of the original. In a recent e-mail, Pete explained the origins of his Twice-Told Tale: “I had been doing ‘digimetti’ stories for my MORBID series and wanted to try adapting ‘The Monster of Dread End’ in that format—to see what the monster might look like in “real life”—plus I had fond scary memories of that story since childhood when I first read it. I made two changes in the story: one was to show the balled-up corpses, even using one in an added nightmare sequence, and the other was to take the end a little further, taking a cue from Lovecraft by implying that there’s plenty more where that monster came from... and possibly much worse lurking there below. I didn’t think the monster needed an explanation per se, but giving a teasing hint of where it came from appealed greatly to me. John Stanley’s son, James, told me he thought his dad would have loved my version of ‘Dread End.’ Of course I can’t say if that’s true, but I sure do like the idea.” So do we, Pete! Sadly, John Stanley passed on in 1993 at age 79 and never got to see Pete’s version, but we know he’d have loved it. And we know you readers will love comparing these two versions of “Dread End.” Consider it a Twice-Told Halloween treat! Pete’s “Dread End” was printed in issue 12 of Peter Normanton’s great horror-zine From the Tomb. And while you’re at it, don’t miss Pete’s Morbid magazine from Dark Horse, or his hilarious Famous Monsters of Filmland parody Crazy Hip Groovy Go-Go Way Out Monsters, available from TwoMorrows.

(Above, the two pages on left:) Ed Robbins probably illustrated John Stanley’s “The Monster of Dread End” in Ghost Stories #1 in 1962. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] (Above, the two pages on right:) Pete Von Sholly rewrote Stanley’s original story 40 years later, using computer graphics for a more realistic look. [©2005 Pete Von Sholly.]

Two versions of Stanley’s “dweller in the cellar”! The one at left is Stanley’s original… the one at right is Von Sholly’s computergenerated re-interpretation. [Art © the respective copyright holders & Pete Von Sholly, respectively.]

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

(Above:) Another Stanley “Dread End” page at left—and Pete Von Sholly’s reinterpretation of that page at right. [©2005 Pete Von Sholly.] (Below:) Rick Veitch did his own take on the “Dread End” monster in issue #1 of Greyshirt: Indigo Sunset in December 2001. [©2005 America’s Best Comics, L.L.C.]

They all get Mr. Monster’s highest recommendation! And of course any fan of schlocky horror simply must visit Pete’s VonShollywood website at: www.vonshollywood.com If you’d like to read the original “The Monster of Dread End” story, it’s posted online at Scott Shaw!’s Oddball Comics site: www.comicbookresources.com/columns/ oddball/index.cgi?date=2002-10-31 And finally, special thanks to Stanley fans Joan Appleton and Scott Shaw!, as well as Mark Evanier. You definitely want to check out Mark’s always-entertaining website at: www.newsfromme.com Next issue: Stop by for a second heaping helping of Twice-Told Tales. It’s Mr. Monster’s treat! Till Next time…

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In Memoriam

Bruce Hamilton (1932-2005) “He Helped Expand The Frontiers”

OTE: This is an abridged version of the tribute which appeared on the Scoop website, http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com]

A towering figure in the history of American comic books is gone. Bruce Hamilton, publisher of Gladstone Publishing, comics historian, and fan activist, passed away at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 18, 2005. Known around the world for the licensed line of Disney comics he lovingly published, Hamilton was a central figure in documenting and advancing the detailed history of the medium. Through his involvement in fandom to the limited edition Disney lithographs and fine bone china figurines his companies produced, he remained committed to gaining a wider, more serious acceptance for comic characters in mainstream circles. Possessed of an imposing stature, a radio announcer’s voice, and a fiery drive, Hamilton was a primal force in getting the comics industry organized, first as a dealer in Golden Age comics, then in other diverse collectibles such as original art, movie posters, and cartoon cels. He was among the first to suggest that classic material be repackaged in deluxe formats. Although Carl Barks’ work as the writer/artist of the classic 1940s-50s Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comic books was already known, thanks to the efforts of Malcolm Willits and others, Hamilton and Russ Cochran were largely responsible for promoting Barks into the superstar he became in the 1980s and onward. Hamilton began a 20-year relationship with The Walt Disney Company in 1980 when he and Cochran acquired a license to produce The Fine Art of Walt Disney’s Donald Duck, a collection of all of the Carl Barks Disney-based oil paintings to that date. The book sold out quickly and won an award for excellence in production values from the American Bookbinders Association. The success of that project enabled Hamilton to acquire the Disney license to produce limited-edition lithographs based on newly-produced Barks oil paintings. After Western Publishing dropped the license to produce the Disney comics in the mid-1980s, Hamilton was granted the license, and the now-legendary Gladstone Publishing Company was created. “This is a bitter loss for the entire industry, and a very personal one for me,” said Steve Geppi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Comic Distributors. “My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies go out to his wife, Helen, his daughter, Summer Hinton, his son-in-law, Richard Hinton, and his three grandsons.” “Bruce Hamilton recognized very early the potential that our industry had and still has,” said John K. Snyder, Jr., President of Diamond International Galleries. “His foresight helped preserve the history of Disney comics for future readers, and he also helped expand the frontiers by growing past the printed page and expanding into figures, lithographs and different areas.” While his Disney licenses date from the early 1980s, his enthusiasm and vision for comics were honed much earlier. When the first Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide was published in 1971, he understood its potential importance to the market and worked with Bob Overstreet on future directions for the annual publication.

Bruce Hamilton in a recent photo—and a Carl Barks drawing (below) which appeared in the Another Rainbow volume The Carl Barks Library of Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge – 1952-1959 – Uncle Scrooge 1-20, published in 1984. With special thanks to Stacia L. Brown, editorial coordinator of Scoop online magazine. [Art ©2005 Walt Disney Productions.]

A lesser-known accomplishment of Hamilton’s is the instrumental role he played in spear-heading the development of independent grading certification of comics. He actively encouraged Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) to enter the comics market, which led to the formation of Comics Guaranty, LLC (CGC). He was a force in record-collecting, as well. Together with partner and musicologist Jerry Osborne, Hamilton produced over a dozen record price guides between 1976 and 1984. However, it remains comics for which he’ll be best remembered. “I met Bruce Hamilton at a comics convention in the early 1970s, and our mutual interests in the works of Carl Barks and in collecting original comic art led to us becoming good friends,” said Russ Cochran, now publisher for Gemstone Publishing’s Missouri office. “We formed a partnership known as Another Rainbow Publishing and Gladstone Publishing in 1980 to explore the possibilities of publishing the works of Carl Barks, including his oil paintings and his comic book stories. Bruce was an unforgettable character, full of idiosyncrasies which often made him difficult to deal with, but his natural intelligence and life-long love of learning made people respect him. He was a rare and strange duck, and I will miss him.” After relinquishing the Disney comics license, Hamilton worked behind the scenes to support Gemstone Publishing’s acquisition of the license. John Clark, who served as Gladstone’s final editor-in-chief and is now editor-in-chief of Gemstone’s Disney line, says: “I first met Bruce circa 1970 when he was a DJ for radio station KBUZ in Scottsdale, Arizona. He had just moved to Arizona, and my friend, artist Don Newton, got in touch with him through an ad Bruce had run in the Rocket’s Blast-Comicollector fanzine. It offered for sale original Grandma comic strip art and some obscure, non-super-hero Golden Age comics. Little did Don or I realize at that time that Bruce would go on to be one of the truly driving forces in early comics fandom, and that his lifetime of accomplishments would have considerable impact on collecting. Bruce’s legacy in fandom will truly live on through the ages.”

In Memoriam

Owen McCarron

In the 1960s-70s, the entirely self-taught artist had a daily comic strip in both Ottawa and Halifax newspapers. For several years, he also drew once-a-yearmultiples of giant newspaper pages in the broadsheet format on the topic of the Halifax Explosion—the very real tragedy of Dec. 6, 1917, wherein an accidental collision between two munitions ships in Halifax Harbour caused the most powerful man-made explosion prior to the Nuclear Age, with great loss of life.

(1929-2005) “Now That’s Professionalism!” by Phil Latter

y friend, Canadian comic book artist Owen McCarron, passed away in his home on Monday, June 27, 2005. He was 76 years old.

Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 25, 1929, Owen McCarron in the 1960s and 1970s produced dozens of selfpublished, full-color comic books as giveaways, including various issues of Binkly and Doinkel. Others he produced were published by the Federal government of Canada. On some of the latter he was assisted by Robin Edmiston.

Despite his age, McCarron always had art-in-progress on his drawing board, and was interviewed several times by the industry magazine Cartoonist PROfiles. He was proud of the fact that he never once missed a single deadline for any of his clients over his entire career. Now that’s professionalism!

Owen McCarron was an historian and art director, and he loved children (most of his comics were filled with smiling children); he was a husband, a father, and a grandfather. He worked for 32 years for The Halifax Herald, Ltd., publishers of newspapers The Chronicle Herald and The Mail Star, both of which are distributed daily throughout the province of Nova Scotia. The “Owen McCarron Fun and Games” series was published once in week in the 1970s-80s in the TV supplement of these newspapers; it featured children’s puzzles and quizzes involving Marvel Comics heroes.

The walls of his home, as I learned when I interviewed him on in May 2003, were festooned with framed, signed original illustrations by Charles Schulz, Roy Crane, Alex Raymond, and Johnny Hart, to name but a few—gifts to a colleague.

Later, Stan Lee commissioned Owen to draw these puzzles in comic book form, as well as a series of Marvel Comics activity and coloring books. There were numerous book collections of these, published by Fireside Books. Additionally, he drew new original covers for many of Marvel’s paperback reprint books.

Owen McCarron, in a photo from the July 3, 2005, Halifax Daily News, perusing one of his Marvel Fun and Games books—plus a Binkly and Doinkel cover, and the final page of a sequence in one of his books, in which Rascally Roy Thomas learns the “Puzzlemaster” is none other than Smilin’ Stan Lee himself! “Puzzlemaster” art sent by Justin Fairfax; other material by Phil Latter. [Binkly & Doinkel art ©2005 Estate of Owen McCarron; Marvel heroes TM & ©2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

I regarded Owen McCarron as a friend. I would bump into him every so often, doing research at the Halifax Main Public Library for his newspaper docu-comic books, in the grocery store, or on the street. We would retire to a coffee shop or walk along together, and get all caught up. He wasn’t an active comic book collector like myself, but loved talking about the art form. He had been a comic book collector in his younger years, and a big fan of the “Canadian Whites.” He drew various war and Western comics for Charlton in the 1960s, including Fightin’ Army and Fightin’ Navy. He later did a very brief stint at DC Comics, and in the 1970s for Marvel drew issue #28 (1978) of the motorcycle-riding Ghost Rider and issues #42-44 of Spidey Super Stories for young readers. His feature “Jonn” appeared as a back-up in the first issue of Captain Canuck in 1975.

His last published work was on Friday, May 20, 2005, in the pages of the Halifax Chronicle Herald: two broadsheet-spread newspaper pages on the history of Halifax’s very first airport. This last but very detailed published contribution by Owen McCarron was filled with his illustrations of airplanes of various vintages. His family, including his son Adam, had helped with the research for that piece, as with others in the past. I’m still reeling from the shock of the passing of my friend Owen, and I want to spread the word about this great talent.

76 I’m currently writing a book on Siegel and Shuster and the birth of the super-hero, based on my interviews with Siegel and Shuster and other material about their career. I would very much like to hear from fans who have anecdotes, quotes, and rare artwork pertaining to Siegel and Shuster. I’m also working on a book for Gemstone that will include my old Nemo interview with them, as well as interviews I’ve done with Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, Will Eisner, Walt Kelly, Carl Barks, Floyd Gottfredson, and others on Bill Finger, Jack Kirby, Marge, John Stanley, and Harvey Kurtzman. It will be called Masters of Comic Art and will also include a lot of rare comic art and histories of the authors of some of the major super-heroes and cartoon characters in comics. I would love to hear from Alter Ego’s readers about material that could be used in it.

re:

Tom Andrae e-mail: andrae@global.california.com

Glad to spread the word, Tom… and, of course, I must admit that A/E and I would be happy to have copies of that selfsame material! Apologia: I treated the book you co-wrote with Bob Kane (Batman & Me, ostensibly by Kane “with” Tom Andrae) a bit unkindly in A/E #51, and I’d like to take this opportunity to make it crystal clear—as you’ve already said you understand—that my calling the book “dishonest” was a reference to Kane’s basic attitude, not to anything you did as his collaborator. I think we all know the constraints you were working under; it was basically Bob Kane’s book.

onn Sutton, who worked with Michael T. Gilbert on our “Canadian super-heroes” cover for A/E #30, is the latest generous talent to draw one of our “maskots” for our letters section. His drawing of the super-hero called Alter Ego—whose adventures are still very much on sale, as per ad on p. 59—is much appreciated. Ronn also pointed out that, back in issue #36, we accidentally misspelled his e-mail address, so we wanna give it another try. It’s: ronnsutton@aol.com. Check it out—and thanks, Ronn! At least you spelled my address right on the envelope A/E’s holding! [Art ©2005 Ronn Sutton; Alter Ego TM & © Roy & Dann Thomas.] Lots of comments from pros and fans about A/E #45’s coverage of “Sandman” artists/writers Creig Flessel and Bert Christman, plus other letters-page material that dates back to issue #37, so let’s get moving— with a missive about the latter from Tom Andrae, who’s written a couple of books on comics: Dear Roy, Jim, and Bill, I’ve been a reader of Alter Ego for many years and congratulate you on the fine job you’re doing in documenting the history of Golden and Silver Age comics. I’m writing in response to letters in #45 concerning Philip Wylie and Jerry Siegel. I have copies of all five issues of Siegel’s fanzine Science Fiction and can affirm unequivocally that none of them contains a review of Gladiator by Siegel. I talked with Jerry in person about this matter and he told me he did not recall writing such a review. He was a bit miffed that this error kept being repeated since it was first published in Steranko’s History of Comics. I also asked him about the influence of Gladiator on his creation of Superman. While he admitted there was an influence, he claimed people had exaggerated it as an inspiration. He claimed that Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars and Tarzan were much greater influences. John Carter has both the theme of the visitor from another planet and the idea of super-strength and the ability to leap great distances. Burroughs was Siegel’s idol, and this substantiates this view. Nonetheless, Gladiator was an important influence among many others.

And it’s nice to (perhaps) finally put that story about Jerry Siegel’s alleged review of Philip Wylie’s Gladiator to rest once and for all. I personally suspect Gladiator was a bigger influence on Jerry’s co-creating Superman than he may have felt he could admit in print, but that doesn’t diminish his accomplishment. And, of course, Edgar Rice Burroughs must have been an influence on Wylie, as well. Next: whenever longtime fan/collector Richard Kyle deigns to write a note, it’s generally deserving of printing at length, and this one re A/E #45 is certainly no exception to that rule: Dear Roy, Great issue for those of us who fell in love with comic books before there was a good excuse. Then, Creig Flessel’s work was even more astonishing that it seems today. He was a comic book rarity, a genuinely first-rate illustrator who was also a fine comics artist. They just weren’t around much then. (And there have never been many.) My longtime interest in “serious” comic book stories probably began with “Speed Saunders” and “Pep Morgan” and “Steve Conrad” and Flessel’s great DC covers—with good, strong illustration that could easily have appeared in far more upscale surroundings. Looking back, it’s clear he had the talent to do a long, adult, fullydeveloped graphic novel right at the very beginning of comic books—a talent, if you think of it, only Caniff and Sickles, in newspaper strips, had, as well. What a misfortune that no one could see further ahead. (Of course, within a short time, a number of other gifted artists came along, but by then the format of comics had been set for the next 35 or so years.) Flessel’s comments on the other DC contributors, brief as they were, were fascinating. No one else talks about them. Tom Hickey and Jim Chambers and Bill (then “Will”) Ely, Sven Elven, and the others— what happened to them? Hickey must have wisely gone into another line of work after the war. But Jim Chambers displayed considerably more talent, and his departure surprises me. As you say, Ely, an early favorite of mine (who also drew the terrific “Hurricane Kids” serial for Dell a couple of years later), would do DC’s Time Master in the ’60s. But the later art had a puzzling stiffness about it that wasn’t in his fluid early work.

re:

77 Skulls, Sermons, & Sand A trio of offerings by Creig Flessel, over a period of 2/3 of a century: (Left:) One of Creig’s first art assignments was a series of drawings to accompany stories of the skull-faced adventurer Sheridan Doome, in The Shadow pulp magazine. This “double truck” illo from the Oct. 15, 1938, issue was sent by researcher Will Murray. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.] (Below:) One of the things Creig is proudest of is his 1960-1970 run as writer/artist of David Crane, which Maurice Horn’s 1996 volume 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics calls “perhaps the only straight story strip with a clergyman as its hero.” [©2005 PublishersHall Syndicate or its successors in interest.] (Left center:) Creig drew this quick sketch of The Sandman on a return envelope sent to collector Keif Simon. In a few lines, he captures the essence of the original version of a most resilient character concept. [Art ©2005 Creig Flessel; Sandman TM & ©2005 DC Comics.]

The Bert Christman story was very well written and researched, and Christman surely deserved it. Odd that work done so long ago is still as contemporary as his and Flessel’s is. In 1940, 65 years ago, stories and drawings from 1876 were far, far more antiquated than Scorchy Smith and “The Sandman” and “The Three Aces” are to us. You’d think the reverse would be true, since we live in a world of stroboscopically rapid innovation. Jeff Gelb has done many things, all admirable, many probably more significant than his script for that Bettie Page Comics story—but none more satisfyingly funny. I loved Gill Fox’s “Poison Ivy” one-pagers—and, not being a perhaps deservedly sensitive Asian, “Wun Cloo the Defective Detective.” His later commercial style was admirable, but the “Poison Ivy” style is the one I hankered for.

today—the original conflict isn’t working as well these days because unmuscular four-eyed guys who think for a living are no longer as socially, financially, and sexually unacceptable as they were in the twofisted breadwinner 1930s, when horn-rimmed comic book wannabe scripters couldn’t get a man’s job or win a cheerleader’s everlasting love to safe their la-de-da souls. Besides, with everybody scarfing steroids and working out and getting laser eye corrections, it’s increasingly hard to find a certifiable four-eyed geek. Those story dynamics may also explain something about the “KMetal” script. As a kid, Jerry was clearly Clark Kent is every way except that he had no alternate identity. As long as he was a failure, the triangular situation in “Superman” was realistic. But when the strip became a success, so did Jerry. It probably made sense to him then for Clark/Superman to reveal his identity to Lois and to destroy the original, now seemingly obsolete, triangle. Fortunately, someone at DC caught the story before it could be published. The triangle may have no longer applied to its creator, but it still represented the everyday life of most non-jocks in junior high and high school who longed hopelessly for the jocks’ cheerleading girlfriends.

Gladiator was no blueprint for “Superman,” even if it provided a lot of inspiration. The physical superman and the hero with double identities existed before Jerry was born. But although John Carter and The Scarlet Pimpernel and Zorro were very popular, they weren’t the worldwide phenomenon that Jerry’s creation became. Gladiator’s “blueprints” were not enough, nor were the Pimpernel’s or Zorro’s. Jerry’s contribution was in combining the physical superman and the double-identified protagonist into one—thereby creating a perpetual, unresolvable three-cornered story conflict. That’s the reason everyone knows who Clark Kent and Lois and Superman are. They subconsciously recognize the mechanism behind them. Clark Kent is in love with Lois Lane and Lois is in love with Superman. Lois loves Superman’s bod (“Wow! A superkisser!”) and despises Clark Kent’s brains (“You worm!”), and that’s why she can’t see the—blatantly—obvious fact that they are both the same man. The minute Lois recognizes it, everything comes apart. And that, of course, is what is happening

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christman A page from Bert Christman’s “Three Aces” story in Action Comics #20 (Jan. 1940). The influence of Noel Sickles and Milt Caniff is obvious—and beautifully utilized. With thanks to Dave Armstrong, who wrote the invaluable Christman biography in A/E #45. [©2005 DC Comics.]

Oh yes, I keep forgetting to tell you that Joe Shuster did only the three full-color plates and the cover for the George Lowther Superman hardback book. Joe did not do the full-page black-&-white illustrations or the sketchy black-&-white chapter headings. I asked him about them specifically. I knew he had not done the full-page b&w drawings (they are

corrections, comments, & correspondence

not his style at all), and was virtually certain he had not done the chapter headings. He confirmed that he’d drawn neither, and did not know who the artists were (clearly the work is by two different people). He seemed incensed about the chapter headings—and I can’t say I blame him. By the way, $5 a page was not all that bad a price for a page of comic book art in the 1930s. Adjusting for inflation, it’s about $100 a page today. Not great, perhaps, but this is the middle of the Great Depression. Admittedly, the Major [Malcolm WheelerNicholson] wasn’t paying everybody—but the price itself wasn’t too bad, and Flessel, at the least, collected it. I wish A/E would note this in historical pieces. I’ve talked with economists, and most agree that multiplying 1930s rates by twenty and 1940s rates by ten is a good rule-of-thumb.

Shuster—& Not-Shuster Richard Kyle informs/reminds us that Superman co-creator Joe Shuster drew only the handful of color illos (one of which is repro’d in b&w at right) for the 1942 Superman novel written by George Lowther—but we’ve always felt that the “chapter heading” drawings which incensed Joe (such as the one above left) actually caught much of the spirit of his dynamic early work, and were a fine tribute to him. [©2005 DC Comics.]

Years ago, [comics historian] Bill Blackbeard was kind enough to lend me two issues and a fragment of Siegel and Shuster’s mimeographed Science Fiction magazine. One contained Jerry’s mental superman story, “The Reign of the Superman”—the other, as I remember, a previously-unpublished short story by science-fiction writer David H. Keller. The squibs and news features talked up other Siegel and Shuster projects. There was no mention of Gladiator. This was impressive work. Joe got more out of mimeograph stencils than you could reasonably expect (it was so easy for the stencils to tear, especially if you used the complicated shading Joe sometimes used). And Jerry, under the circumstances, was a very good writer and contributor. If they’d had the printing capabilities of—say—A/E, they’d have turned out completely professional-looking magazines with professional and near-professional stories.

Actually, Mike, I do regret not adding a reference to the racial stereotypes when I wrote the caption which accompanied that art. I try to look at each image with an eye toward possible offensiveness before we run it, but I felt (and feel) that the cover art supplied by Jeff Gelb to Bill Schelly was drawn by Dave Stevens in the sense of parody of the always-ludicrous jungle-goddess genre, rather than with any racist intent. Bettie Page was drawn humorously, as were the “natives”— nor was there much more exaggeration in their features (excluding the war paint, etc., which was based in part on African tribal realities of an earlier day) than there was in hers. Still, I apologize for my failure to mention the potential offense given by the drawing, taken out of context. Now, a bit of information from comics historian (among his other accomplishments) Ron Goulart: Roy:

Enjoyed #45, which arrived today. A couple of comments: The “Sandman” splash at the top of page 40 is by Chad Grothkopf, who designed the character’s new costume, introduced Sandy, and did the first adventure of the new, improved Sandman. Paul Norris drew the next two stories, and then Simon & Kirby took over. Anyone familiar with Chad’s work can see that the logo and the lettering are in his style. Chad lived in nearby Westport, CT, and I got to know him in his final years. I discussed this particular story with him, and my entry on “Sandman: 1” in my recent Encyclopedia recounts what he told me. As to “The Sorceress of Zoom”: the sample on the left is certainly not by Don Rico. His distinctive inept style was already on display in Fox comics at that time. The page on the right is by Harry Lucey. Keep up the good work.

Richard Kyle

Ron Goulart

Being crowded, Richard, we’ll have to leave it to others to comment on your analysis. We received one other, less sanguine comment re Bill Schelly’s interview with Jeff Gelb—from pro artist and longtime colleague Mike Vosburg:

And it’s guys like you who help keep us honest, Ron. Thanks for the info and corrections. Here are comments on the “Sandman” aspect of issue #45 from Golden Age Timely artist Allen Bellman, who was interviewed in A/E #32:

Roy—

Roy,

Subject: Dave Stevens’ cover in Jeff Gelb article. When asked what the difference was between art and pornography, the exotic actress Gloria Leonard replied: “Good lighting.” Unfortunately, there’s no “good lighting” for racism. However great a painter and illustrator he may be, Frank Frazetta’s cover of Thun’da #1 is an ugly piece of racist propaganda worthy of the Third Reich. The fact that Dave Stevens chose to pay homage to it as a tribute to Bettie Page is equally sad and ignorant. I’ve always been astounded that anyone in the ’80s (outside the KKK) could have been insensitive enough to publish it. What’s your excuse? You’re an educated and erudite man who should know better. You put out a terrific and interesting magazine, with so much stuff I always find fascinating… this puts a tarnish on the image. Mike Vosburg

I found the stories on Creig Flessel and Bert Christman in A/E #45 very interesting. I have always admired Mr. Flessel’s work, even as a student in high school. Prior to joining the staff at Timely, I was always creating new characters, and “The Sandman” inspired me to create “The Fog,” which never went anywhere. In my early teens I was a copy boy for the Associated Press, and I made occasional appearances in the art department speaking to the cartoonists. There was Milt Morris, who did editorial cartoons, and Tom Paprocki, who signed his sports cartoons “Pap.” They knew I hoped to become a cartoonist, and someone gave me a couple of Scorchy Smith comic strips by Bert Christman. Little did I realize that sometime in the coming years I would be given the opportunity to take over that strip. As for the original Christman strips, I don’t know what happened to them. I treasured them, but when my first wife and I split, I left them behind. Allen Bellman

re: Gracias for the anecdote, Allen. We hope to print your report on your appearance at the Orlando MegaCon early this year in the next issue or so…. And now, onetime comic book writer Michael Uslan returns, just two issues after presenting us all with some intriguing “historical tidbits,” to drop some more on us, in between his film-producing endeavors: Hi Roy… Another educational, entertaining, and enlightening issue of Alter Ego. A few corrections for the sake of posterity: As you know, I was mentored into the comic book business by former DC Comics President Sol Harrison, who was around since the days of Famous Funnies #1. As one of the “Junior Woodchucks” working at DC in the ’70s, I often spent my lunch hours with Gerda Gattel, the keeper of the DC library, who would allow me to read volume after volume of all the DC Comics ever made. As I was reading the 1930s material, I noticed the name “Sven Elven” and asked Sol about the man. I was convinced this name was a pseudonym that took off on the dice term “Seven-Eleven.” But Sol corrected me. No, Sven was his real name and he was a big strapping Scandinavian guy. Everybody liked Sven. So this is to officially correct Creig Flessel’s statement on page 9 that his name was “Sven Eleven” or a pseudonym (it was neither). Correction #2: regarding Gerry Jones’ fantastic book Men of Tomorrow, “Steel Sterling, the Man of Steel” was still around into the summer of 1944, while Jerry Siegel started using the term “Man of Steel” to describe Superman years before then. Therefore, it’s a mistake to say that Superman appropriated the sobriquet after Steel Sterling was done with it. Two Otto Binder notes: Fred Guardineer’s bio lists his main artwork for Harry “A” Chesler’s shop as being “Dan Hastings.” That was one of Otto Binder’s earliest writing assignments… along with “Iron Munro, the Astounding Man.” (Was your Arn “Iron” Munro in The Young All-Stars a tribute to Otto?) Secondly, one of Otto’s very first writing assignments for Fawcett, in addition to “Dr. Voodoo,” was “El Carim” the magician (yeah, I know… “miracle” spelled backwards), which was, if memory serves me, illustrated by none other than…Sven Elven, for a time. Mike Uslan The info you offer is always appreciated, Mike. But no, my using the name “Arn ‘Iron’ Munro” for one of The Young All-Stars originated wholly in the fact that the hero of John Campbell’s 1930s novel The Mightiest Machine was a future-age hero with super-powers, while the only-vaguely-related character “Iron Munro” had appeared in early issues of Army and Navy Comics. A/E #45’s letters section dealt in part with #37, which in turn had featured Jim Amash’s extensive interview with comic book and longtime Phantom artist Sy Barry. Some comments therein about other artists on that comic strip garnered us this response from Jostein Hansen in Norway, where The Phantom is astoundingly popular:

79 the Phantom syndicated newspaper strip. Unfortunately, there were errors in the list on page 77. I think it’s a bit unfair not to credit Sy Barry for doing a lot of more (brilliant) pencil and ink work on The Phantom. He also did a lot of penciling in the mid- to late 1960s, which is not mentioned. Below are my corrections. This is a very suitable time to deal with The Phantom, because George Olesen has now retired from The Phantom dailies, and the excellent Paul Ryan has taken over from the strip. Ryan has worked for the Scandinavian Phantom magazine since 2001. Phantom Artists and Writers (1936-2005): Officially Credited: Leon “Lee” Falk – (d/S)(w) 1936-99; Raymond Moore – (d)(a, some signed) 1936-47, (S)(a) 1939-48; Wilson McCoy – (d/S)(a) c. 1942-48, (d)(a) 1946-61, (S)(a) 1949-61; Sy Barry – (d)(a) 196162, (d)(a) 1965-72, (d)(i) 1972-94, (S)(a) 1962, (S)(i) 1962-94; George Olesen – (d)(p) 1995-2005, (S)(p) 1995-2000; Keith Williams – (d)(i) 1994-2004; Fred Fredericks – (d)(i) 1996 (1 week), (S)(i) 1995-2000; Graham Nolan – (S)(a) 2000-; Paul Ryan – (d)(a) 2005NOTE: Lee Falk had reportedly done some sketches for the first Phantom story in 1936. Wilson McCoy was not officially credited before Feb. 1949, but he assisted and ghosted the original artist Ray Moore from the early 1940s on. Sy Barry did not sign the strip before Feb. 1962, but took over from McCoy in August 1961. After Barry left in Sept. 1994, the strip was not signed before the next year, by Olesen/Williams/Fredericks. Ghosts and Assistants: Bill Lignante – (S)(ghost a) 1961-62; Carmine Infantino – (S)(ghost a, 1 week) 1961; George Olesen – (S)(ghost p) 1962-73, (S)(ghost p) 1979-95, (d)(ghost p) 1980-95; Bob Forgione – (d)(ghost p) 1962-65; George Roussos – (ghost i) late 1960s?; Don Heck – (d)(p) 1972-73; Joe Giella – (d/S)(p/i) 1970s and ’80s; John Rosenberger – (d/S)(ghost p) 1974-76; André LeBlanc – (d/S)(ghost p) 1976-80, (d/S)(ghost p) 1986-88; Rich Buckler – (d/S)(ghost p) 1978-79; Frank Springer – (d)(ghost p) 1979; José Delbo – (d/S)(ghost a) 1979; Keith Williams – (d)(ghost i) 1994-95; Eric Doescher – (S)(ghost i) 1994-95; Alfred Bester – (d/S)(w) c. 1942-45; Tony De Paul – (d)(w) 1999-2005, (S)(w) 2003-2005; Claes Reimerthi – (d)(w) 1999/2003, (S) 2000-2003; Donne Avenell – (S) (w) 2000; Graham Nolan – (S)(w) 2003-2004. Ben Oda, Milt Snappin, and Milt Shapiro did the lettering. The last new artist on the strip is Paul Ryan, who took over from George Olesen with the strip dated 1/31/05. At the same time, Tony De Paul was officially credited as the new writer. The strip is syndicated by King Features, also on www.KingFeatures.com. Jostein Hansen Norway

Hi again, Roy, I got Alter Ego #45 this week and can only praise your work. However, I myself have done research about comics and artists for over 25 years, and have a detailed list of ghosts on

The Ghosts Who Walk The Phantom daily for Nov. 19, 1965. Jostein Hansen lists this as a period when George Olesen was doing some ghosting for artist Sy Barry, though we won’t attempt to credit this particular strip. It’s nice work, in any event—and Jerry Bails (in his Who’s Who) didn’t mean to deny the talent of Sy Barry, who’s responsible for some of the finest Phantom work in the feature’s long and illustrious history. [©2005 King Features Syndicate, Inc.]

corrections, comments, & correspondence

We don’t generally emphasize checklists as much as some publications do, Jostein, and we’re always aware there’ll be corrections and omissions…yet that’s part of what comics-historical work is all about, right? And here are even more, from Alberto Becattini, who wrote at length about artist Matt Baker in A/E #47, but whose interests clearly range far and wide in terms of American comics: Roy— Some additions/corrections to the Creig Flessel Checklist in A/E #45: Syndicated Credits: David Crane (w/a)(d/S) 1960-70 (or 1972, according to some sources); Friday Foster (ghost a)(S) 12/30/73 to 1/13/74 (I don’t think Flessel ever ghosted on the dailies, unless it was at the very end of the strip’s run in mid-1974); Li’l Abner (ghost p)(d/S) 1958-60; [Carl Payne Tobey’s] This Week in Astrology (a)(S) c. 1973 COMIC BOOK CREDITS: KK Publications (to 1962): fillers [in Jungle Jim] (a) 1958; Ranee – Princess of the Jungle (a) 1958 [back-up strip in Jungle Jim] Now to an addition to Jerry Bails’ Phantom ghost writers/artists checklist in the letter column: André LeBlanc ghosted (pencils, some pencils and inks) on the dailies 1976-78/80/82; on the Sundays 1976-78/80/82/86-87. Among the many sequences he ghosted was the famous one depicting The Phantom’s marriage to Diana Palmer in late 1977. Alberto Becattini

Glad to add your and Jostein’s commentary, Alberto. Now, on to a few final corrections and additions in short-order form: Richard Beaizley points out that “Sandman’s first Silver Age appearance was in Justice League of America #46 (Aug. 1966) and was drawn by Mike Sekowsky and Sid Greene. Dick Dillin first drew Sandman in JLA #64 (Aug. 1968).” Thanks also to Brian Boerner, designer/layout man on my All-Star Companion, Vol. 1, for noticing the Sekowsky/Dillin error in Lou Mougin’s short history. Dan Hagan, whose letter about A/E #37 got crowded out of #45, said re the early multi-media Superman that he interviewed writer Jackson Gillis for Dave Kraft’s Comic Interview a few years ago: “Jack wrote several of the best episodes of the Adventures of Superman TV series in the 1950s. He said the TV writers became upset because their stories were being used without credit (and, I presume, payment) in the comics. I know ‘Panic in the Sky’ and ‘Around the World’ (about the little blind girl who doesn’t believe in Superman) were two of his stories which also appeared in the comics. ‘Panic in the Sky’ also inspired an episode of Lois and Clark.” That pretty much kicks it in the head this time around. Send your comments, corrections, and knishes to: Roy Thomas/Alter Ego Fax: (803) 826-6501 32 Bluebird Trail e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com St. Matthews, SC 29135 And don’t miss Part 2 of our Mike Esposito issue next issue… along with material on and by writer/editor Robert Kanigher!

No. 112 October ’05

“R IVE R S OF TIM E”

by Roy Thomas

The Screenplays That Time Forgot!

Read The Movies That Hollywood Never Made–But Maybe Should Have!

Also available: Doc Dynamo by Gerry Conway & Roy Thomas—and more fun but never-produced screenplays by Marv Wolfman, Mike Baron, Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier, Steve Englehart, & others! $15.95 apiece at www.blackcoatpress.com

83 FCA #54, 1996. In this issue, Marc remembers his magazine “spot illustrations” and Fawcett Publications layout artist Harold Noyes. —P.C. Hamerlinck.] Have you ever noticed, when reviewing the lives of early comic book creators, how every now and then a bitterness seems to raise its ugly head? And how often the blame was placed among those at the top … the employers? By

There has been some difficulty in understanding that, because the experience here has been exactly the opposite. Not only were there pleasant conditions in which to work … and pleasant people to work with … but now, discovered in retrospect, there seem to have been special privileges accorded all along the way. The assembly-line question, for example. Once my objection to participating in that type of work was voiced, the subject never arose again.

[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 Another was that, when first joining the Fawcett ranks, I had spoken Marvel Introduces Mary Marvel with the art director regarding (Captain Marvel Adventures an early interest in magazine #18, Dec. ’42); but he was illustration. Shortly after that primarily hired by brief conversation I began Fawcett to receive occasional Publications to requests from the nonillustrate comics staff for just such Captain Marvel work. stories and covers for Whiz Comics They were no big deal and Captain Marvel … those “special Adventures. He assignments” … also wrote many mostly classified as Captain Marvel “spot illustrations.” scripts, and continued The company did not to do so while in the publish the magazine military. After leaving fiction that had been the service in 1944, he made an so tremendously popular arrangement with Fawcett to produce in the ’20s and ’30s … and had art and stories for them on a freelance always included lavish renderings that in basis out of his Louisiana home. There he many cases made the illustrator more famous created both art and story for The Phantom than the author. Nevertheless, these extra Eagle in Wow Comics, in addition to assignments involved an interesting variety drawing the Flyin’ Jenny newspaper strip of subjects and the opportunity to work for Bell Syndicate (created by his friend in media other than the usual. and mentor Russell Keaton). After the cancellation of Wow, Swayze produced Not long ago I received a request artwork for Fawcett’s top-selling line of from a gentleman who had purchased a romance comics, including Sweethearts painting at, I believe, a gallery in and Life Story. After the California. He had learned that company ceased the artist had once been affilpublishing comics, iated with Fawcett Marc moved over Publications in New York to Charlton City. Had I known Publications, the painter, he where he ended asked … Harold his comics Noyes? career in the X Marks The Spot Illustrations mid-’50s. His It brought Marc says these magazine ongoing profesmemories … 1941 illustrations of his “were no big sional memoirs … Harold and I deal… nothing like those lavish have been illustrations of the ’20s and ’30s… discussing a wash FCA’s most but were an opportunity to work in drawing I had just popular feature media other than the usual. They completed … one covered an interesting variety of since his first of those non-comic subjects….” [©2005 the respective column illustrations … copyright holders.] appeared in

FCA [Fawcett Collectors of America]

84 “Great,” Harold was saying. He always said that when shown a rendering, no matter how lousy. “But it was supposed to be in two colors. You have it here in three.” Poor Harold. I couldn’t make him understand. “No, not three, Harold. Two. Remember? See? Pale orange and light blue … over the subject …” It wasn’t exactly an argument we were having … right there within earshot of all those professionals. I tried to be patient and went into a discourse about how the subject had been rendered in black, with two colors overlaying it. Black was not to be classified as a color … but as the absence of color. That lesson had been drilled into us, I told him, as far back as freshman painting class!

Among his friends and neighbors were members of the Horrace Heidt Orchestra, and through that connection he and I had music as a common interest. Like most of the people in our art department, Harold’s talent went far beyond his daily performance. One morning at work Harold told us of having been picked up by his wife at the train station the previous evening. In the car was a guest being given a lift from the bridge party they had attended. Having paid little attention at the hasty introduction, after the passenger had waved goodbye, Harold turned to his wife:

“Who was that … again?” Even more soft-spoken, more patient than I, Harold Noyes, Fawcett Publications Harold’s eyes widened as he approached the end Harold stood his ground. “Black may not be a color page layout artist—from a group of his story. in freshman painting class,” he began calmly, but photo in P.C. Hamerlinck’s Fawcett Companion. firmly. “But it’s a color here in the publications “Madeline Carroll,” said his wife. “You’ve seen business … and most likely everywhere else … and her in the movies.” with a price tag on it as such. This illustration is to be in two colors!” “Madeline Carroll!” exclaimed Harold. “Can you imagine?! Right I did it over. there in our car!” Harold Noyes was one of those expert page layout specialists in the Fawcett art department. I believe he was among those who had moved east from Minnesota with the company a few years previously. He commuted from his residence in the Greenwich, Connecticut, section. In the department he was accountable for the general appearance of True Confessions, top seller in that category, plus perhaps several additional titles.

MINUTE MAN BLACK TERROR AVENGER PHANTOM LADY CAT-MAN DAREDEVIL CRIMEBUSTER CAPTAIN FLASH MR. SCARLET SPY SMASHER SKYMAN STUNTMAN THE OWL BULLETMAN FIGHTING YANK PYROMAN GREEN LAMA THE EAGLE IBIS The above is just a partial list of characters that have appeared in AC Comics’ reprint titles such as MEN OF MYSTERY, GOLDEN AGE GREATS, and AMERICA’S GREATEST COMICS. Virtually all issues published to date are available at $6.95 each. To find over 100 quality Golden Age reprints, go to the AC Comics website at <accomics.com>. AC COMICS Box 521216 Longwood FL 32752 Please add $1.50 postage & handling per order.

That’s what I like to remember about Harold Noyes. As long as I knew him he never became “big city oriented.” He remained just as awed by such incidents of wonderment as the rest of us. [Marc Swayze will be back next issue for more memories of the Golden Age of Comics.]

“Death To Spies In America!” The Saga Of Spy Smasher by P.C. Hamerlinck Four-Color Forays When Captain Marvel made his debut in Fawcett Publications’ Whiz Comics at the turn of 1939-40, so did another popular Bill Parker/C.C. Beck creation: Spy Smasher. This hero, based in Washington, D.C., was one of the first comic book characters to become active in early war efforts by entangling with spies, enemy agents, and fifth columnists ... two years before America’s entry into World War II. The first “Spy Smasher” story quickly established the strip’s essential components: patriotic, undercover spy-squashing operations conducted within the United States. It begins with a fire destroying a Naval aircraft carrier, a Navy ship mysteriously exploding, and other obvious acts of espionage. U.S. Naval Intelligence officer Admiral Corby relays the news of the recent terrorist events to his daughter Eve and her fiancé Alan Armstrong. Unknown to the Corbys, Alan would soon investigate the works of sabotage against the U.S. in the guise of a certain goggled hero. Across the city another meeting takes place. A man whose face is hiding behind a white handkerchief-like mask orders one of his collaborators to kill Admiral Corby and to steal top secret papers from his safe. The evil plan is set in motion ... only to be interrupted by Spy Smasher. The thugs flee, but are soon pursued by Spy Smasher in his Gyroplane (a smallish, egg-shaped, single-passenger, highly-versatile air-land-sea vehicle). Spy Smasher quickly defeats the gang, but their masked leader gets away. Nothing is known about him, other than that he is referred to simply as “The Mask.” But the stage is now set for further encounters.

ation from U.S. Naval Intelligence in his ongoing battle against The Mask. However, the villain did not appear in every story; other Spy Smasher adversaries, such as The Vulture, America Smasher, a villainess named The Dark Angel, and, of course, Hitler, were always linked somehow to The Mask’s terror organization.

It’s soon revealed that The Mask runs a multi-faceted spy network across America. Taking direct orders from Adolf Hitler himself, The Mask keeps Spy Smasher very busy as the villain carries out campaign after campaign to cripple America’s defenses in order for a Nazi invasion to sweep across the U.S. Alan Armstrong soon shared his secret identity with Eve, and Armstrong would often learn of current spy activity discussed with him in confidence by Admiral Corby, thereby helping Spy Smasher determine his next courses of action. Although working alone, Spy Smasher was given full cooper-

Any Questions Why They Call Him “Spy Smasher”? Early “Spy Smasher” art by C.C. Beck from Whiz Comics, as reprinted in black-&-white in AC Comics’ Men of Mystery #35. AC has reprinted a number of “Spy Smasher” stories, and has recently re-released the 1942 Spy Smasher Republic movie serial on DVD; see AC’s ad on the opposite page. [Retouched art ©2005 AC Comics; Spy Smasher TM & ©2005 DC Comics.]

It took over a year for Spy Smasher to put an end to the Mask, but not before he hypnotized Spy Smasher into carrying out bombing missions against America. Captain Marvel stepped in to stop the madness in an epic battle that lasted through several stories in which the characters would cross over into each other’s strips in Whiz Comics #1518. Captain Marvel finally got his colleague to snap out of it, and Spy Smasher went forth to carry on his heroic feats right through the end of WWII. Spy Smasher’s uniform, originally designed by artist C.C. Beck, had a khaki/brown WWI Calvary officer/aviator look, complete with tall brown boots. As actor Fred MacMurray’s features served as his model for Captain Marvel, Beck used actor Errol Flynn as a basis for Spy Smasher. While I personally favor Beck’s original military/nonsuper-hero artistic approach to the character, it wasn’t long before Fawcett requested that the artist re-design the character. Spy Smasher’s costume suddenly became less baggy and more superheroic/long-underwear-looking by Whiz Comics #15. The colors remained the same, but a black

FCA [Fawcett Collectors of America]

and later Charles Sultan, Emil Gershwin, Alex Blum, Ken Bald/with the Jack Binder Shop, Irv Steinberg, Charlie Tomsey, and even a young Carmine Infantino (some of his first published work). There were also several memorable covers, powerfully rendered by Mac Raboy.

diamond chest emblem appeared; and by Whiz Comics #25, the diamond chest emblem suddenly became red with a matching red cape, and his costume was now a bright green.

Serial Killer Republic Pictures’ memorable interpretation of the character took place in 1942 with the release of its 12-chapter Spy Smasher movie serial. Aside from Alan Armstrong having a twin brother (named Jack—although there was already another All-American boy named Jack Armstrong running around by then), the serial was quite faithful to Fawcett’s comic book version—The Mask was its villain!—and it still stands today as one of the finest comics-to-film adaptations. Kane Richmond’s portrayal of the title character was perfect, as were co-stars Big Little Spy Smasher Marguerite Chapman as Eve Corby, Sam Spy Smasher and the Red Death! (1941) was a Dime Flint as Admiral Corby, and Hans Action Book—Fawcett’s answer to the Big Little Schumm as The Mask. Spy Smasher was Books. [Spy Smasher TM & ©2005 DC Comics.] directed by William Witney, who had directed Republic’s successful Adventures of Captain Marvel serial released the previous year. And, like Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher included superb stunt work by David Sharpe. The Spy Smasher serial has been recently re-mastered and re-issued on DVD by AC Comics [see www.accomics.com].

As WWII came to a close, Spy Smasher was met with the same predicament as fellow Fawcett patriotic wartime hero Minute-Man, who was actually cancelled in 1944 and replaced by Radar, the International Policeman. Fawcett, however, made a dire attempt to salvage Spy Smasher. Alan Armstrong dumped his famous costume and Gyroplane and wore a suit and hat to battle the underworld as “Crime Smasher.” Eve Corby remained, but Admiral Corby was written out of the series. Unfortunately, without the colorful costume, the drama of working with U.S. Naval intelligence, and the ongoing pursuit of The Mask and his organization, the transformation to “Crime Smasher” was a failure. The once-exciting vigilant hero had become an ordinary private detective in a trench coat. His days of glory were already behind him when Fawcett dropped the feature in March 1947.

During the 1940s, major theatres featuring first-run movies rarely showed movie serials. The distribution of B-films and serials was usually geared for the smaller neighborhood movie houses. But with World War II intensifying, the patriotism of Spy Smasher led many of the major theatres to ignore their usual policy by electing to show the serial each week.

Spy Smasher In War And Peace Spy Smasher’s popularity grew to a new level in 1942, right behind the success of Captain Marvel, contributing to a huge sales surge of Whiz Comics, one of the top-selling comic books during wartime. Surprisingly, other than comic book appearances and a popular movie serial, Fawcett did little in the way of merchandising Spy Smasher, with the exception of a few items. The first of these was a Mac Raboy-illustrated Spy Smasher 8"x10" pin-up, signed, “Death to Spies in America! Spy Smasher.” There was also a club membership card and a small pin-back button, which read: ‘I AM A SPY SMASHER.’ Bill Parker wrote the early scripts, and later freelancers such as Manly Wade Wellman handled the writing chores. Eventually, the ever-prolific Otto Binder took over writing the series. Early story art was by Beck, Beck/Pete Costanza,

A Moving Picture A scene from Republic’s 1942 Spy Smasher serial. This still photo is autographed to P.C. Hamerlinck by actress Marguerite Chapman, who portrayed Eve Corby in the movie. [Spy Smasher TM & ©2005 DC Comics.]

The Saga of the Spy Smasher

SPY SMASHER Golden Age Fawcett Index Whiz Comics # 1-83, Feb. 1940-March 1947 [Crossover story with Capt. Marvel in issues #15-18; team-up with Capt. Marvel for a double-length story in #33; becomes Crime Smasher after WWII #76-83. America’s Greatest Comics #1-6, 8 (1941-43) Spy Smasher #1-11 (1941-43) Spy Smasher reprints in Xmas Comics #1,2, Gift Comics #1, 2, Holiday Comics #1, Spy Smasher Mighty Midget (1943), Whiz Comics-Wheaties giveaway comic (1946) [the latter actually contained a Crime Smasher reprint] Spy Smasher Dime Action Book - “Spy Smasher and the Red Death” (1941) Crime Smasher #1 (1948)

Together Again! Tokyo, Look Out! (Right:) Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher shared the cover (and a second adventure) in Whiz Comics #43 (June 1943). Art by C.C. Beck. The heroes earlier co-starring epic can be seen in its entirety in DC’s hardcover Shazam! Archives, Vol. 2. [©2005 DC Comics.]

Every issue of THE MISSING YEARS presents up to 80 pages of classic adventure comic strips such as Rip Kirby, Johnny Hazard, Terry and the Pirates, and a host of others—plus the work of Alex Raymond, Frank Robbins, George Wunder, Phil Davis, and a few surprises. Each issue contains strips not seen in the US since their newspaper appearances over 50 years ago. If you like Golden Age stories and art, this is the place to be! You can order a subscription to THE MISSING YEARS at specproductions.com. All back issues are available.

Talkin’ Mr. Tawny Captain Marvel’s Talking Feline Friend by John G. Pierce Re-edited By P.C. Hamerlinck [Originally presented in FCA #59 & the out-of-print Fawcett Companion ]

s a second-generation Captain Marvel fan (i.e., one who became an enthusiast subsequent to the demise of Fawcett’s comics, or in other words, one who was not around to read Fawcett’s comics when they were originally published), I am grateful to those writers—most of them first-generation fans—whose articles about Captain Marvel and company told me a lot about these characters and stories I’d missed out on, and in essence prepared me for the day when I would start reading and collecting the Captain Marvel and Family line of books… as well as enjoying the reprints in DC’s Shazam! title.

But when I finally managed to read the actual stories, occasionally I found myself disagreeing with some of the opinions expressed by those writers in their articles. Most of my disagreements centered around the character known as Mr. Tawny. For instance, Jules Feiffer, in his 1965 book The Great Comic Book Heroes, mistakenly pegged Mr. Tawny as a villain. But Feiffer was not a Cap-fan, and simply did not know what he was talking about. However, some folks who most emphatically were fans of the Big Red Cheese admitted to disliking the character. So said the author of the 1970 Rocket’s Blast Special #8, who described the tiger as “a character I personally did not care for.” And Dick Lupoff, in his “The Big Red Cheese” essay from the book All In Color For a Dime, wrote that, “I never warmed to Mr. Tawny. It may sound strange, but I think it was because he seemed unrealistic. I mean, the whole Marvel sequence about this little boy who could summon magic lightning to transform him into an invulnerable flying man. That I could believe. But a talking tiger? It just didn’t fit.”

daydreamed of himself as a hero (CMA #102), turned against his friend Captain Marvel (CMA #113), went on a culture craze (CMA #137), sought new personalities (CMA #115), looked for happiness (CMA #117), engaged in a sales campaign (CMA #119), had to diet (CMA #121), went on a quest for youth (CMA #131), was talked into marketing bouncing shoes (CMA #134), and became a hermit (CMA #149). Looking over that list, almost any reader might surely find at least a few situations where he or she could identify with Mr. Tawny. Mr. Tawny sometimes had to learn some hard lessons, usually with the assistance of his friends Captain Marvel and Billy Batson. Tawny was actually the star of the stories in which he appeared, with Cap being more of a supporting character, not totally unlike the “Jimmy Olsen” and “Lois Lane” tales of the 1950s and 1960s. (Of course, it should be noted that Captain Marvel never played cruel or elaborate tricks and hoaxes on Tawny the way Superman did on his friends!) But through it all, Mr. Tawny usually remained a hard-working individual. His occasional grumblings or dissatisfactions were excellent reflections of emotions most people have felt at one time or another. If young readers could identify with Billy Batson, older readers—of whom, reportedly, there were many— should have been able to identify with Mr. Tawny. He was more fully human, more fully realized, than many of the “human” characters in other comics ... and the fact that he just happened to be a tiger simply added to the charm, in much the same way as Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge are also very human figures whose humanity is paradoxically more acceptable because they happen to be anthropomorphic ducks.

But, I must sharply disagree. Splash from Captain Marvel Adventures #96 (May 1949). Also, if older readers could I feel Mr. Tawny fit quite well Story by Otto Binder, art by C.C. Beck. [©2005 DC Comics.] see themselves reflected, into the Captain Marvel mythos younger ones could imbibe and world (which had already good moral and social values delivered in the form of entertaining included an intelligent, talking worm—a concept Lupoff heartily adventures happening to thoroughly likable characters. Unrealistic? Not approved of, incidentally). Those who did not like Tawny may not have quite. Mr. Tawny, in his own way, was one of the most real characters carefully read his stories, for they are among the most charming and ever to appear in super-hero comics. And how any reader could fail to amusing—not to mention insightful—in the entire Captain Marvel miss all that is beyond me. canon. For, you see, Tawny wasn’t just a talking tiger. He was a character fully imbued with human traits, including shortcomings. He was lionized by Hollywood (Captain Marvel Adventures #92), lost faith in mankind (CMA #96), had a persecution complex (CMA #98),

And what of the recent version of Mr. Tawny published by DC? The one who is really a doll that sometimes comes to life and sits around drinking beer with Uncle Dudley? He has almost none of the charm, nor redeeming social value, of the real, true, original Mr. Tawny.

Talkin’ Mr. Tawny

MR. TAWNY Story Index Compiled by P.C. Hamerlinck All stories from Captain Marvel Adventures. Written by Otto Binder, Illustrated by C.C. Beck #79, Dec. 1947 - “Captain Marvel and the Talking Tiger” #82, Mar. 1948 - “Captain Marvel and the Return of Mr. Tawny” #86, July 1948 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Problem” #88, Sept. 1948 - “Captain Marvel vs. the World’s Wildest Man” #90, Nov. 1948 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s New Home” #92, Dec. 1948 - “Captain Marvel and the Lionizing of Mr. Tawny” #96, May 1949 - “Captain Marvel in Mr. Tawny Loses Faith in Mankind” #98, July 1949 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Persecution Complex” #100, Sept. 1949 - “Captain Marvel in Dr. Sivana and the Plot Against the Universe” (Tawny co-stars) #102, Nov. 1949 - “Captain Marvel and the Adventure Within An Adventure” #104, Jan. 1950 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Masquerade” #108, May 1950 - Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Detective Case” #110, July 1950 - “Captain Marvel and the American Century” (Tawny co-stars) #113, Oct. 1950 - “Captain Marvel and His Feud with Mr. Tawny” #115, Dec. 1950 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Personality” #117, Feb. 1951 - “Captain Marvel in Mr. Tawny Seeks Happiness” #119, Apr. 1951 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Sales Campaign” #121, June 1951 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Diet Dangers” #123. Aug. 1951 - “Captain Marvel in Mr. Tawny, Fighting Mayor” #126, Nov. 1951 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Fight for Fame” #128, Jan. 1952 - “Captain Marvel in Mr. Tawny’s Pleasure Peril”

Tiger, Tiger, Partying Bright Artist C.C. Beck felt writer Otto Binder put a lot of the latter’s own human qualities into Mr. Tawny’s personality. Author John Pierce feels the talking tiger was one of the most “real” character ever to appear in super-hero comics. This splash is from CMA #128 (Jan. 1952). [©2005 DC Comics.]

#131, Apr. 1952 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Quest For Youth” #134, July 1952 - “Captain Marvel and Tawny’s Bouncing Shoes” #137, Oct. 1952 - “Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny’s Culture Craze” #142, Mar. 1953 - “Captain Marvel Fights the Tiger Terror” #149, Oct. 1953 - “Captain Marvel in Mr. Tawny ... Hermit”

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SPECIAL BRAZILIAN BONUS! Here are two more pages from the story written, drawn, and published in Brazil in 1964, which featured the meeting of two super-heroes who had been defunct in the U.S. for a decade: Fawcett’s Captain Marvel and Timely’s Human Torch. As noted in A/E #52, this tale originally appeared in Almanaque do O Globo Juvenil, was illustrated by Rodriguez Zelis, and has been translated from Portuguese into English and lettered by Mark Luebker, with art restoration and gray tones by Matt Moring, with special thanks to John G. Pierce, Rodrigo M. Zeidan, and Matt Gore. [©2005 the respective copyright holders.]

“Captain Marvel Meets The Human Torch” (Continued)

NOTE: As you’ve doubtless noticed, neither Cap nor the Torch (nor even Billy Batson) appears on these pages (well, Cap does—but he’s in disguise). Intriguingly, the story’s bad-guy—The Cobra (a word that is the same in both Portuguese and English) seems to be the very same Timely villain who had made his debut fighting The Angel in Sub-Mariner Comics #2 (Summer 1941), and had then returned to take on both Namor and The Human Torch in Human Torch #8 (Fall 1942). Only thing is—back in early-’40s Timely tales, he was called—The Python! For art from The Python’s Timely appearances, see the recent hardcover Marvel Masterworks: Sub-Mariner #1-4—and Alter Ego #49. [© 2005 the respective copyright holders; Captain Marvel TM & ©2005 DC Comics.]

“Captain Marvel Meets The Human Torch” (Continued)

[See more pages of this offbeat Brazilian classic in future issues of A/E & FCA.]