Alter Ego #61 by TwoMorrows Publishing

Roy Thomas ’ American Comics Fanzine

6.95

In the USA

No. 61 SPECIAL ISSUE!

MICHAEL VANCE’S FABULOUS FULL-LENGTH HISTORY OF THE

AMERICAN COMICS GROUP– STANDARD/NEDOR COMICS– & THE SANGOR ART SHOP! -FEATURING YOUR FAVORITESMESKIN • ROBINSON • SCHAFFENBERGER WILLIAMSON • FRAZETTA • MOLDOFF BUSCEMA • BRADBURY • STONE • BALD HARTLEY • COSTANZA • WHITNEY RICHARD HUGHES • & MORE!!

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August 2006

Vol. 3, No. 61 / August 2006

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Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

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

Production Assistant Eric Nolen-Weathington

Cover Artist Dick Giordano

Contents

Cover Colorist Tom Ziuko

And Special Thanks to: Heidi Amash Dick Ayers Dave Bennett Jon Berk Daniel Best Bill Black Jesse Blair Dominic Bongo Ray Bottorff, Jr. Roger Broughton Mark Cannon Mike Catron Clare Cox Al Dellinges Michael Feldman Bill Field Barry Forshaw Ron Frantz Bill Fugate Carl Gafford Janet Gilbert Dick Giordano Mark Glidden Perry Grayson Howard Hallis Jennifer Hamerlinck Bill Harper John Hayes, Jr.

Heritage Comics Henry R. Kujawa Bill Leach Don Mangus Scotty Moore Matt Moring Brian K. Morris Mark Muller Edwin & Terry Murray Will Murray Michelle Nolan Peter Normanton Bob Oksner Owen O’Leary Gary Perlman Steven Rowe Ramon Schenk Mark Shaw Dan Stevenson Marc Swayze Dann Thomas Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Michael Vance Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Hames Ware Marv Wolfman

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Richard Hughes

Writer/Editorial:Truth,Justice,&TheAmerican(ComicsGroup)Way . . 2 Forbidden Adventures: The History Of The American Comics Group . 3 Michael Vance’s acclaimed tome about ACG, Standard/Nedor, and the Sangor Shop!

“The Lord Gave Me The Opportunity To Do What I Wanted” . . . . 75 ACG/Timely/Archie artist talks to Jim Amash about his star-studded career.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! Twice-Told Strange Tales!. . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Michael T. Gilbert asks—What if Dr. Strange had starred on all those 1960s Strange Tales covers?

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #120 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 P.C. Hamerlinck introduces Marc Swayze—and a fabulous Fawcett/ACG trio! About Our Cover: Between 1941-1967, Pines/Nedor and ACG produced a relative handful of Golden and Silver Age super-heroes; but hey, this is Alter Ego, so we decided several of those should appear on our color-splashed cover. We owe a debt of gratitude to artist and friend Dick Giordano, who certainly isn’t afraid of a little hard work (and at bargain basement rates, too!), since he volunteered to draw Roy’s vision of an homage to Jack Burnley’s JSA-featuring cover for 1942’s All-Star Comics #13, only spotlighting three Nedor and six ACG stalwarts: The Black Terror, The Fighting Yank, Miss Masque (somebody had to stand in for Wonder Woman!), The Hooded Horseman, The Spirit of Frankenstein, John Force – Magic Agent, Magicman, Nemesis, and Herbie the Fat Fury. Between this A/E cover and ones done for #9 & #32, Dick easily holds the record for the most super-heroes drawn for our triply-blessed title! (And three guesses which magazine editor wound up with that pulsating prize hanging on the wall of his gym/guest house! ACG’s Forbidden Worlds logo was adapted for A/E by Al Dellinges.[Cover art ©2006 Dick Giordano; characters TM & ©2006 the respective trademark & copyright holders.] Above: ACG wasn’t primarily about super-heroes, though—and indeed, the jewel in its quarter-century crown was the field’s first ongoing horror comic, Adventures into the Unknown. So here’s a splash panel by ACG mainstay Edvard Moritz from issue #20 (March 1952), as supplied by Mark Cannon. The story was called “The Mark of the Monster”—and that’s just what the creepy-crawlies made in AITU—a mark in comics history—for two dynamic decades! [©2006 the respective copyright holders.] Alter EgoTM is published monthly, except Jan., April., Sept., and Nov. 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: $9 ($11.00 outside the US). Twelve-issue subscriptions:$72 US, $132 Canada, $144 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

Title writer/editorial

Truth, Justice, And The American (Comics Group) Way

few years ago, I learned of the existence of a hardcover history of the American Comics Group, one of many comics-related subjects I wished to know more about. I found the book Forbidden Adventures: The History of the American Comics Group to be a thorough look at the small company which had given the world its first ongoing horror comic (Adventures into the Unknown, which even I had read for several early years), a pair of Silver Age superheroes (Nemesis and Magicman), and one truly creative, offbeat hero comic (Herbie, which I admired, even if I was never a regular reader). In addition, I was delighted that author Michael Vance also dealt with the somewhat earlier comics company alternately known as Pines, Better, Nedor, and Standard. In the later 1940s I had read its tales of Princess Pantha and Judy of the Jungle, Supermouse, and in particular its super-heroes The Black Terror and The Fighting Yank. The latter were good characters, even if their stories and art rarely lived up to the promise of their colorful names and outfits (except for the last few issues of their solo titles circa 1949, which contained not only better stories, often with real human interest, such as one tale set in Chinatown which had a profound impact on how I felt about such mysterious ethnic ghettos, but also superb artwork by the team of Mort Meskin and Jerry Robinson). True, the book said little about Standard/Nedor once ACG had emerged, but it was still more than I’d ever known about the Pines company. I also learned about the B.W. Sangor comic art shop and its intricate connections with both Pines and ACG (and with DC, which had puzzled me by carrying house ads for ACG’s The Kilroys). I was intrigued to learn that Richard Hughes, later ACG’s editor, had earlier conceived Black Terror, Fighting Yank, and several other Nedor heroes. I’d long heard the rumor that Hughes had single-handedly written every ACG story (turned out we were all wrong about that last part).

Much as I love the interviews that form the heart of A/E, I’ve always wanted to publish more “company histories” and “hero histories,” as well. I simply have to find folks who feel like writing pieces I feel like reading. I found that in Michael Vance’s book. Thus, when Michael independently contacted me on a separate matter, I immediately set about to acquire from academic publisher Greenwood Press permission to reprint Forbidden Adventures in Alter Ego, with considerably more art than the hardcover had contained (a single illustration). In that, I was aided not only by Michael, but by such worthies as Mark Cannon, Bill Field, Matt Moring, Daniel Best, Scotty Moore, Mark Muller, Bill Leach, Michelle Nolan, Steven Rowe, Ron Frantz, and several others whose names you’ll encounter in the pages to come. And special thanks to Michael and also to Hames Ware and Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., for last-minute help IDing some of the Nedor and ACG artwork that follows. Thanks also to Clare Cox of Greenwood Press—and to Brian K. Morris for retyping the text. Trying to squeeze the entire tome into a single issue of A/E, I stripped this edition down to just Forbidden Adventures, Michael T. Gilbert’s “Comic Crypt,” FCA—and a short interview by Jim Amash with artist Al Hartley, whose earliest work had been for Standard/Nedor and ACG. Even by adding an 8-page signature to give this issue 104 interior pages instead of the usual 96, we could only include what amounts to the first 128 pages (with minimal additional editing) of the book’s 161. We had to leave its three appendices and bibliography for next issue. But, for now, read and savor Michael Vance’s Forbidden Adventures…! Bestest,

62 COMING IN OCTOBER HORROR-HAPPY HAUNTED HALLOWEEN ISSUE! Werewolves & Man-Things That Go Bump In The Night! • Never-before-published Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night cover by MIKE PLOOG! • Interviews with Marvel master MIKE PLOOG & Golden-Age great RUDY PALAIS about their horror-comics days, conducted by CHRIS IRVING & JIM AMASH! • Fabled EC artist AL WILLIAMSON on his 1950s work for the American Comics Group— often with fellow legends FRANK FRAZETTA, ROY G. KRENKEL, & ANGELO TORRES! • Special features on ACG’s horror titles—plus MICHAEL VANCE’s lists of ACG & Sangor Shop personnel & milestones, lavishly illustrated by BUSCEMA, SCHAFFENBERGER, COSTANZA, REINMAN, STONE, WHITNEY, MOLDOFF, BALD, LANDAU, et al.! • The final DICK BRIEFER dailies starring his funky Frankenstein! • ANTHONY TOLLIN celebrates the 70th anniversary of The Shadow! • Plus FCA with MARC SWAYZE, MAC RABOY, JAY DISBROW, & C.C. BECK— MICHAEL T. GILBERT with more Twice-Told Tales of Dr. Strange—BILL SCHELLY on the 1966 KalerCon—& MORE!! Edited by ROY THOMAS -Thing, Art ©2006 Mike Ploog; Man

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Preface (1996)

orbidden Adventures: The History of the American Comics Group is the most comprehensive history of one comic book publisher ever written, reflecting the reading habits of millions of adults, teenagers, and children during the seminal Golden and Silver Ages of Comics (1938-1970). This book answers several long-standing questions among historians about the relationship between ACG and the largest publisher of comic books at this time, DC/National. Forbidden Adventures also dispels some long-lived myths about EC Comics and their (in)famous horror titles, while shedding light on the early history of the most popular art form in the world.

As an independent agent, the Sangor Shop began producing comic book material for publishers in 1941 and had grown into the American Comics Group in all but name by 1943. Never the largest publisher, ACG was nevertheless a microcosm of the entire industry, publishing titles in every major comics genre, including funny animals, horror, adventure, Western, romance, humor, and super-hero. At their peak, many of its titles sold 500,000 copies an issue. ACG’s comic books used as premiums or sales tools reached 10,000,000 copies an issue, and more than 1,000 comic books and 27 titles were published. During the Shop period of ACG, many famous comic book characters were created, including the first animal super-hero, “Supermouse,” and such crime-fighters as “The Black Terror,” “Pyroman,” and “The Fighting Yank.” ACG’s Herbie remains one of

The Terror, The Unknown—And Richard Hughes ACG editor/writer Richard Hughes, in a decidedly fuzzy photo—but it’s one of only two we’ve ever seen of the guy! Photo courtesy of Michael Vance. Hughes is flanked by covers of two important comics associated with him: (Left:) Pines/Nedor/Better’s Exciting Comics #9 (May 1941) introduced The Black Terror, the most notable Golden Age super-hero he created (Herbie would have that honor for the Silver Age). Art by Elmer Wexler, who was interviewed in A/E #36. (Right:) Adventures into the Unknown #1 (Fall 1948) was the first regularly-published horror comic book. Though Avon Periodicals issued its Eerie #1 one-shot in 1947, the ongoing series didn’t begin till 1951—with a new #1. Though the original edition of Michael Vance’s book credited this cover to Ken Bald, Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., IDs it as being by Edvard Moritz, and Michael now concurs. [Covers ©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group

the best-loved humor characters in comic books. Producing several of the earliest funny animal titles, the Sangor Shop used dozens of moonlighting animators and writers from the Fleischer and Walt Disney studios who collectively wrote and drew numerous cartoons and featurelength animated movies. Among these films were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the Pink Panther cartoons. For many, their only comic book work was published through Sangor, and their memories of early animation are recorded, as well.

Mutt And Jest While some experts challenge the primacy of The Yellow Kid as a comic strip (since it didn’t even start out in 1896 as a “strip,” but as a single panel), Bud Fisher’s Mutt and Jeff, launched as A. Mutt, was one of the most successful and long-lived of early entries. (Above:) The very first daily, from Nov. 10, 1907, as it appeared in the Classic American Comic Strips collection A. Mutt – 1907-1908, edited by Bill Blackbeard. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Most importantly, the first horror comic book series, Adventures into the Unknown, was created by Richard Hughes through ACG. It sparked an explosion of imitators and inadvertently triggered the infamous Kefauver hearings in the US Senate during the McCarthy era. Coupled with the release of Fredric Wertham’s book Seduction of the Innocent, and a growing paranoia over Communism, these events led to the most severe censorship in American history, under the Comics Code Authority, and to the complete destruction of a number of comic book companies.

Many major artistic talents germinated at the Sangor Shop and at ACG, producing novels, scholarly books, comic strips, motion picture posters, and motion pictures. Kin Platt wrote mystery novels, while Norman Fruman produced a book on Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Al Vorpan was a novelist and prominent member of the Jewish AntiDefamation League, and Everett Raymond Kinstler painted the portraits of several American presidents that can now be seen in the White House. Inventor Harry Lazarus holds many patents and illustrates children’s books, Patricia Highsmith wrote Strangers on a Train (filmed by Alfred Hitchcock), and Frank Frazetta produced dozens of famous book covers, movie posters, and the film Fire and Ice. Milt Gross (Count Screwloose), Frank Willard (Moon Mullins), Leonard Starr (On Stage and Annie), Hy Eisman (The Katzenjammer Kids and Popeye), and Al Williamson (Secret Agent Corrigan and Star Wars) have all been famous comic strip artists. This history surveys the Sangor Shop and ACG, using many primary sources, exclusive interviews with creative and editorial personnel, and a wealth of information available in the comic books themselves. It includes many capsule story summaries from selected titles. Much of editor Richard Hughes’ philosophy of writing and producing comics is explored, as well as the entire process involved in creating a comic book. Importantly, Forbidden Adventures is accessible to popular culture scholars as well as to comic book fans who are interested in comic books from this seminal period of time.

Acknowledgements I thank the American Comics Group writers, artists, and editors, as well as the comic book scholars who made this book possible. In particular, gratitude is extended to: Annabel Hughes, Norman Fruman, Jim Davis, Frederick Iger, Edwin Murray, Dr. Jerry Bails, Steven Rowe, Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., Hames Ware, Will Murray, and Dr. Jon Suter. Special thanks are given to R.A. Jones.

Chapter 1 Happy Birthday To Hughes I run into people who seem to think that literature is all words and that those words should preferably be a little stuffy. Who knows what literature is? The literature of the Cro Magnon is painted on the walls of the caves of Altamira. Who knows but that the literature of the future will be projected on clouds? —John Steinbeck, in his introduction to The World of Li’l Abner comic strip collection, 1953. The history of literature and the philosophy of criticism and the theory of criticism ignore what I call “transient, esthetic states,” namely, esthetic experiences which are not recoverable by future generations, or even by yourself even several years later, but which are, at the time, extremely important. All of us can remember movies that we’re embarrassed to look at on television now, or other things that we say we’ve outgrown that were important once. Those comic stories, for a great many people, were important experiences. —ACG editor, writer, and professor of Romantic literature, Norman Fruman.

Comic strips and comic books are the most popular art form on Earth. It is estimated that the Japanese alone buy one billion comic books each year. The comic strip Peanuts is enjoyed by more than 250 million readers a day. But, in 1906, no sane person would have bet on the bastard offspring of horse racing, cheap pulp paper, and origami to win that popularity title. In 1907, Bud Fisher created the first daily newspaper comic strip, which was published in The San Francisco Chronicle. It started as funny, illustrated horse racing tips. But A. Mutt copped the daily double by becoming the first daily sports panel to combine all of the elements recognized in comic strips: these include dialogue balloons and continuing themes, stories, and/or characters. A. Mutt was wildly successful and trotted on to national syndication as Mutt and Jeff, still running in newspapers nearly 100 years later. The first horse out of the comic strip gate, however, was The Yellow Kid, which began publication in October 1896. This strip eventually introduced the first newspaper color—yellow—and bred the longenduring slur, “yellow journalism.” It and early comic panels like The Katzenjammer Kids (1896) and Happy Hooligan (1900) even carried thematic concepts from one week to the next, but none contained all of the elements of contemporary comic strips.

Forbidden Adventures This American art form rapidly grew in popularity, and, on January 31, 1912, the first full page of comic strips was published in newspapers. By the 1920s, a crowded field of strips filled hundreds of pages in hundreds of newspapers. By 1933, the illustrated horse racing tips of Mutt and Jeff now ran with comic strips featuring the vineswinging Tarzan, pipe-chewing Popeye, and planet-hopping Buck Rogers. Readers could have made book that comic strips were becoming big business if they also had bet on origami to win. Origami was not a horse or even a comic strip about a horse. It was and is the art of folding paper, and the proud parent of comic books. By 1933, printer Harry Wildenberg must have watched newspaper comic strips roll off the presses at Eastern Color countless times. As the huge 36" x 23" sheets of newsprint were folded once by the press, a chaos of color, art, and words became a newspaper. But he must have wondered what these sheets would become if folded twice. They became tabloids. When folded a third time, one giant sheet of comic strips became 16 pages of comic book. Max Gaines, a salesman at Eastern Comics, sold these “books” of reprinted comic strips to Procter & Gamble, Canada Dry, and Wheatena. These soap, soft drink, and cereal companies gave buyers of suds, soda, or breakfast food a comic book as a premium when their products were bought. Famous Funnies, Century of Comics, Funnies on Parade, and other comic strip collections were given away in quantities of 250,000. Gaines watched those big presses printing and wondered if people would actually buy these new-fangled books of comics. With permission, he gambled and asked local newsstands to try selling Famous Funnies, the first comic book title, with 10¢ labels. The books hit newsstands in New York City on a Friday. They were sold out by Monday morning.

each, and titles including The Shadow and Doc Savage had become household names. But, by 1934, the Great Depression had stopped several publishers dead in their tracks and had crippled many others who would eventually turn to publishing comic books instead. Harry Donenfeld owned a number of presses fed by pulp magazines and published several pulp titles, including Pep, Spicy-Detective Stories, and Gay Broadway. Donenfeld also printed comic books for Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. Wheeler-Nicholson, a former pulp writer, edited and published several comic books, among them Fun Comics, Detective Comics, and Action Comics. As pulp magazines began to fade, it was common for their themes, ideas, and characters to find new homes in comic books, and Wheeler-Nicholson’s titles easily slipped into Donenfeld’s back pocket when the Major failed to pay his printing bills. Donenfeld first introduced the character “Superman” in Action Comics. By the 16th issue, this title was selling 87% of a 725,000 issue print run and out-performing Donenfeld’s pulps. When Superman graduated to his own title, the first issue sold a million copies in two print runs. Donenfeld had bet on comic books and won. It was in June of 1938 that Superman began leaping over skyscrapers like an angry red kangaroo and started punching holes through steel vaults. The reading public was initially puzzled. But newspapers were filled with adventure comic strips that were soon translated into movie serials. The Silver Screen was alive with animation, and The Shadow knew “what evil lurks in the hearts of men” both on radio and in pulp magazines. They had paved the way for Superman’s success.

These new comic books were sharing newsstand space with well-established pulp magazines. Cheap pulp paper had led many magazine publishers to the Winner’s Circle of profit in the 1920s and 1930s. Many “pulps” sold over a million copies

The first super-hero, Superman, stirred up a revolution in the fledgling comic book industry, which was busy reprinting comic strips. Almost overnight, a horde of eager imitators in skin-tight leotards were sucked into the backwash of his sky-rocketing success. Comic books had grown beyond their origins to become a separate and distinct art form. By 1941, there were over 30 comic book publishers producing 150 different comic books each month, with combined sales of 15 million copies a

Captains Of The Pulp Empire Sorry we couldn’t come up with a photo of publisher Ned Pines, but the one on the left shows his “legendary” editor Leo Margulies (the shorter of the pair; the tall guy is pulp & comics writer Manly Wade Wellman)— while on the right is a pic of Mort(imer) Weisinger, a Pines editor who in the early 1940s jumped ship to National/DC and in the ’50s and ’60s would helm the “Superman” titles. By Startling Stories, Vol. 12, #1 (Spring 1945), pulp sales were definitely ebbing; this mag starred the series hero Curt Newton, a.k.a. Captain Future. Photos from James Gunn’s 1975 tome Alternate Worlds: The Illustrated History of Science Fiction. [Photos & cover ©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group month and a projected readership of 60 million. By 1943, comic book sales had almost doubled again, to a new high of 25 million copies a month (as reported in Maria Reidelbach’s Completely Mad: A History of the Comic Book and Magazine, published by Little, Brown & Company, 1991). It was a golden age for comics readers. And from this fertile ground a small, stable, and very significant publisher sprang in 1943, eventually producing thousands of comic book adventures over a 24year period. This publisher would become the American Comics Group, or ACG, and Ned Pines would become its godfather.

Terror Firma The cover of the above copy of Exciting Comics #10 (June 1941) may be a bit dog-eared, but it and the interior page from the second “Black Terror” adventure demonstrate that writer Richard Hughes had come up with a winning character, whose skull-andcrossbones visuals were probably his strongest selling-point. Artistic originator David Gabrielson and Elmer Wexler are both credited with drawing the hero in its first year. Is the splash Gabrielson’s work, and the cover Wexler’s? Scans by Mark Muller. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Comic book publishers were multiplying like super rabbits when Ned Pines joined the hutch in 1941. Born in 1905, Pines had attended Columbia University and was a major pulp publisher in the 1930s and 1940s. With editor Leo Margulies, Pines had produced pulp titles that included Thrilling Wonder Stories, Startling Stories, Black Book Detective, Thrilling Sports, and Thrilling Mystery. Pines’ pulp empire eventually collapsed around 1954, but before its demise, his involvement forever altered the history of comic books.

Terror At Twilight In the last five issues of the solo title Black Terror (#23-27), the stories (no longer written by Hughes?) were drawn by the fabled team of Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin, as per the page at left from BT #24 (Sept. 1948), as restored by Matt Moring. (Note the reduced size of the heroes’ masks.) Another primo artist in the hero’s waning days was Ruben Moreira (above); this splash panel, supplied by Don Mangus, is reproduced from a photocopy of a halfpage of original art for Exciting Comics #65 (Jan. 1949). The late-’40s comics starring “Black Terror” and “Fighting Yank” deserve an Alter Ego feature all their own! [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures Thrilling Mystery, begun in October 1935 using Margulies’ editorial guidelines, laid the groundwork for the first horror comic book in 1948. Adventures into the Unknown became ACG’s first and longestlived horror title. Margulies himself became a legendary figure in the world of pulp fiction, eventually increasing Pines’ empire to 25 titles and earning the title of “The Little Giant of the Pulps.” He eventually edited magazines including Mike Shayne, Weird Tales, and Zane Grey. In the tightly

interwoven professions of pulps and comics, another Pines editor, Mortimer Weisinger, became a pivotal editor of Donenfeld’s National Periodicals [later and better known as DC Comics], one of the largest publishers of comic books in the world. Weisinger directed the development of the entire Superman mythos for several decades. Long before Adventures into the Unknown, writer Richard Hughes, who would become one of the most important players in the story of ACG, and artist David Gabrielson created a new super-hero,

The Yanks Are Coming! Four “Fighting Yank” pages from the Hughes hero’s heyday—though perhaps postHughes scripts. Clockwise from top left (and all ©2006 the respective copyright holders): A splash from Startling Comics #32 (March 1945) by Ken Battefield; with thanks to Mike Catron. Alex Schomburg’s cover for Fighting Yank #25 (Aug. 1948). Schomburg is best remembered as a pulp illustrator, and for his action-packed covers for Timely Comics during World War II. Thanks to Mark Muller for the scan. A Robinson-Meskin splash from FY #27 (Feb. 1949). Thanks to Mike Catron. A purely Meskin splash from FY #28 (April 1949). For some reason, Meskin and Robinson dropped this hero’s mask entirely! Did they have something against secret identities? Scan by Bill Field.

The History Of The American Comics Group

“The Black Terror,” for the 9th issue of Exciting Comics (May 1941), produced by Pines’ Better Publications division. At various times, Pines’ comics company was known as Better, Nedor, Standard, or Pines Publications, but throughout its history, “The Black Terror” would remain the top seller of the line.

“The Grim Reaper” and “Pyroman” soon followed from Hughes’ prolific pen, and the new pieces that would build the ACG puzzle fitted firmly in place. They had been put there by a relative of Ned Pines—a man named B.W. (Ben) Sangor.

The Black Terror donned his black costume emblazoned with skull and crossbones in more than 170 adventures. He fought throughout the pages of Exciting Comics until September 1949 (issue #69), in 31 issues of America’s Best Comics, and in his own title for 27 issues. He augmented his strength with a super elixir discovered by druggist Bob Benton, his alter ego. He fought crime on America’s streets and battled the Axis during World War II in hectic, two-fisted stories. The Black Terror’s creator would become an important piece in the puzzle that became ACG.

While Superman kicked down skyscrapers, animated cartoons were bringing down the house from coast to coast. Writers and artists were flocking to Detroit, Florida, and California for work. And a comic book industry (including Donenfeld and Pines) hungry for talent began to snatch crumbs from the tables of the animation studios. One agent who supplied those “crumbs” from the animation crowd was Pines’ father-in-law, B.W. Sangor. Using moonlighting animators, illustrators from pulp magazines, and new, untested talent, Sangor began to funnel hundreds of pages of art and story to Pines, as well as to Donenfeld and other publishers. These super-talents of animation were so prolific that Sangor began to skim off pages for his own adventures in the world of publishing. His publishing house was named Creston, and it was the final piece of the puzzle that would become ACG.

In September 1940, Hughes added a second super-hero, “The Fighting Yank,” to Pines’ Startling Comics. This patriotic do-gooder, first drawn by artist Jon Blummer, wore a three-cornered cap and a costume designed from an American flag. “The Fighting Yank” headlined Startling until January 1948 and starred in his own book for 29 issues. He quickly become Nedor’s answer to Marvel [Timely] Comics’ super-hero Captain America, and was also a response to the growing patriotism in America during World War II. A bulletproof cape added tremendous strength to quiet Bruce Carter III, The Fighting Yank, who used his powers to challenge crime.

Reap The Wildfire! (Above:) The Grim Reaper goes into action in Wonder Comics #16 (Feb. 1948), as retouched for AC Comics’ Nedor-filled Men of Mystery Spotlight #1—see AC’s ad on p. 91, for the best in black-&-white Golden Age reprints. Art by Al Cammarata. Hughes’ heroes had this thing about skulls and crossbones, didn’t they? Roy Thomas borrowed the character’s name, though little else, for a 1960s Avengers villain. [Retouched art ©2006 AC Comics.] (Right:) Pyroman looked (and his name sounded) like a Human Torch wannabe, but his powers were more electric—or perhaps we should say “eclectic”? This story apparently appeared in America’s Best Comics #3 (Spring 1942). It was retouched (with gray tones added) for AC Comics’ Golden Age Men of Mystery #9 in 1998, which is still in print. [Retouched art ©2006 AC Comics.]

In retrospect, ACG’s accomplishments from 1943 to 1967 remain impressive today. Unnumbered hundreds of thousands of ACG readers have had moments of epiphany forever etched into their memories as they traveled on forbidden adventures into unknown worlds of imagination. Written for scholars but accessible to comic book fans and casual readers as well, this book is intended for all people interested in comic books and in the history of the men and women who created them during the early days of the most popular art form in the world.

Forbidden Adventures

Chapter 2 B.W. Sangor At times in my films, I seek to find the color and verve of Flash Gordon and his [comic strip] world, like that which the Italian newspapers printed. —Federico Fellini, filmmaker, in his introduction to The Steranko History of Comics #1. Mr. Sangor was pressing him on why-the-hell-more-didn’t-get-done or why-they-couldn’t-do-this or why-they-couldn’t-do-that. They had this relationship in which Richard commonly felt threatened of not being fired, but of being disapproved of. I remember Richard keeping an account of everything that he did throughout the day, and then triumphantly showing them, expecting to get an apology or something. —Norman Fruman, ACG assistant editor.

In the early days of its existence, the comic book industry was centered in New York City. Many of the industry’s founding creators and publishers were Jewish, and more than a few were related to each other by birth or marriage. Among these publishers and shop owners were Harry Donenfeld and his partner Jack Liebowitz of National/DC Comics; Martin Goodman of Timely/Marvel; Jerry Iger and his partner Will Eisner; and Ned and Dora Pines of Pines/Nedor/Better Publications. These relationships intertwined to form a rather interesting “family tree” whose branches spread throughout the burgeoning business of publishing comic books. The history of these relationships is difficult to reconstruct because few records were kept, and decadesold memories are altered by time, personal prejudices, and the emotions common in all businesses. These tangled relationships can be readily seen in the formation of the Sangor Shop, which evolved into the American Comics Group. B.W. Sangor, who founded ACG, began his involvement in the comics field by establishing a studio that supplied artwork to other companies already publishing comic books. Frederick Iger, initially Sangor’s business manager by 1947 and briefly the son-in-law of Harry Donenfeld, went on to become ACG’s publisher after Sangor’s death. He has recounted the family connection that first drew Sangor into the field: His [Sangor’s] son-in-law was Ned Pines. Ned Pines needed artwork. They were using it at a tremendous rate at that time. And he casually mentioned to Sangor that he could use another source of art. And that gave Sangor an idea. He had some friends out in Hollywood that were associated at the time with the Fleischer Studios. He went out there and contacted a fellow by the name of Jim Davis. I met Jim later on. And he recruited Jim to set up a studio, and Jim got hold of a lot of artists, and they started to produce material. He [Sangor] was an attorney by trade. He had retired from practicing law. He was a good friend of Harry Donenfeld’s. They were gin players together. But, primarily he got into the business on behalf of Ned Pines. If I remember correctly, it was a matter of paper allocation, and I think Ned Pines had some connections in Canada to obtain newsprint. Mr. Sangor was an excellent businessman. [He died] in 1955 [in Florida], on a belated honeymoon, as a matter of fact. He was just married. The initial contacts, in fact, were made with animators Jay Morton and Jim Davis in Florida, not Hollywood. Jim Davis would soon move to California to recruit a new set of animators who would moonlight as

Kilroy Was Here! The Kilroys (with Sangor-produced story & art) was one of the early ACG titles that rated an ad (full-page size, yet!) in DC titles. This ad for issue #1 appeared, among other places, in All-American Comics #87 (July 1947). Art probably by Dan Gordon. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

comic book writers and artists. Norman Fruman, who came to work for ACG as an assistant editor in 1951, has added reminiscences of Sangor that shed just enough light on the man to reveal that there are still shadows and rumor in his background: Mr. Sangor was certainly in advanced middle age when I met him, between 50 or 60 then. He was stocky, a little overweight, with a round face. He had been in the publishing business before that, but I was never able to get any details about it. There were rumors around, rather dark ones, about him having been involved in—and these are all speculative—a publication of a kind that may have been mildly pornographic. And that Richard [Hughes] had been in his employ before that and had sort of kept some business affairs going for him. That he was in the publishing business at all was really quite surprising, since he was an immigrant—I believe that he had been in the country a long time—and was certainly not a cultivated man in the sense of being formally educated. I strongly suspect he was Eastern European, maybe Russian. Iger’s first connections to Sangor and eventually to ACG started with his relationship to Sangor’s friend Harry Donenfeld. From around 1939 to 1941, Iger worked briefly at National/DC Comics with Bob Maxwell, the producer of the radio shows Hop Harrigan and Superman. Born on July 12, 1924, Iger became an apprentice at about 15 or 16 years of age, learning the radio end of Donenfeld’s publishing

The History Of The American Comics Group He was a good office manager. I’ve been in the academic world now for the past 35 years, and I’ve been made crazy by the lax practices in both public and private universities in the way things are squandered. If Mr. Sangor had been working in any one of the departments that I have worked in, he’d be firing secretaries right and left for throwing out perfectly good manila folders, because they were also getting rid of some contents there. You know, he’d say, “What’re ya doin’, ya crazy?”

The Heir(s) Apparent Alas, if B.W. Sangor, who is of such crucial importance to this study, left any photos behind, we haven’t located them—but here are pictures of two of his closest associates and would-be successors: (Left:) Frederick Iger, ACG business manager (and later owner). (Right:) Both Richard Hughes and his wife Annabel believed that RH was to have inherited ACG upon the death of B.W. Sangor—but we all know what movie mogul Sam Goldwyn said about verbal contracts! Photos courtesy of Michael Vance.

empire until he went into the Army. On leaving military service, Iger invested with Sangor through Donenfeld’s offices, forming the B&I Corporation that published several titles under ACG’s corporate umbrella. Kurt Schaffenberger is an artist best known in comics for his long career of penciling and inking on DC Comics’ “Superman” titles. Schaffenberger also did a sizable amount of work for ACG during the 1950s and ’60s. His memories are somewhat different about Iger’s connection with ACG, illustrating just how overgrown are branches of comics’ family tree: “When I got to ACG, Fred Iger was the owner and publisher. Fred was the son-in-law of Harry Donenfeld, owner and publisher of DC Comics; and as Harry already had his son Irwin working at DC, Harry bought ACG for Fred as a wedding present and to keep peace in the family.” So close was Sangor and Iger’s connection to ACG and to Donenfeld, who died in 1965, that there has been speculation that Donenfeld owned a percentage of the company in addition to his ownership of National/DC. It was even believed by many until about 1990 that DC owned the rights to all of Sangor’s and Iger’s materials and characters when the company ceased publishing newsstand comic books in 1967. These speculations were fueled partly by the fact that, in the late 1940s, advertisements for such ACG titles as The Kilroys, Blazing West, and Hi-Jinx ran in DC comics. Frederick Iger disputes such speculation: What happened was, for the Independent News Company to distribute the books—since there were other partners in the Independent News Company—there had to be a guarantee to the distributor. In case of default or anything, somebody had to make good. Otherwise, they weren’t going to distribute these books. So Harry Donenfeld, in a sense of personal guarantee, listed himself as a part owner. But, in actuality, he wasn’t. Initially, there was also ambiguity about Iger’s own position as business manager at ACG. He was actually learning the business end of comic books, working with Hughes, editing and managing artists, and checking over copy. Sangor ran the business end of ACG while Iger learned how to buy paper, negotiate with printers, and handle tax situations. As Fruman has recalled, Sangor was a hands-on publisher, not always to the liking of the creative staff:

Like Fred [Iger], he interfered [in the creative process], and rarely to good ends. When [Iger and Sangor] said, for example—our major competitor was EC Comics then [they had very successful titles], they wanted to know why we couldn’t do as well. They simply assumed that you can duplicate what creative people do. Richard [Hughes], for example, was always being pushed beyond his very considerable talents, into areas where he was not gifted. Mr. Sangor was always saying, “Why can’t we compete with Mad comics?” Their writers and artists were really terrific. What is rarely realized now is that, to some extent, it was EC that brought Congress down on our heads [in the early 1950s]. When Sangor died unexpectedly in 1954 or 1955, Iger bought ACG from his widow Frances. At that time, 15 or 20 stories were held in escrow, from which the contents of Forbidden Worlds and Adventures into the Unknown were chosen each issue. The exception to this procedure was continuing series within the comics, like “The Living Ghost,” which ran on a regular basis in Adventures into the Unknown in the early 1950s. Iger did not write any of the few series, but he did write single-page “filler” pieces, such as a series on “strange” customs around the world. Despite their long working relationship to follow, a real or imagined conflict developed between Iger and Hughes, just as there had been tension between Sangor and Hughes. According to several letters from Annabel Hughes, the widow of ACG editor Richard Hughes, a verbal agreement had been made whereby Hughes was supposed to inherit the company upon the death of Sangor. This did not happen, because Sangor died without a will. Others were also aware of the situation. As Kurt Schaffenberger has written, “I do recall that Dick Hughes felt that Sangor had shortchanged Dick, in that ACG had been promised to Dick when Sangor died; but all that Dick got out of it was—to his thinking—just a small remuneration.” Fruman has remembered Richard Hughes in the 1950s as angry and bitter. Having seen this situation several times in his life, Fruman did not doubt Sangor’s intention and that some of Hughes’ anger must have arisen from his long-standing fear of Sangor: Sangor, I suppose, in some respects, was a bit of a tyrant. People of Richard’s generation [who grew up in the Depression of the 1930s] and, to some extent, mine, who had grown up very poor and constantly in debt... the thought of losing their jobs, especially a job like Richard’s that gave them a great deal of personal pleasure and prestige as chief editor of a large pulp house; he was very, very fearful. He was basically a fearful person, and lacking in confidence, despite very considerable gifts. He was a homely man. In fact, that contributed to it. And he came from a Jewish generation, like myself, which was—of course, he was older than I—particularly insecure. Fruman has also recalled an office tension existing between B.W. Sangor and Iger that colored their relationship in life and in death. If Fruman’s recollection in this instance is accurate, it offers a rather sad postscript to Sangor’s life:

Forbidden Adventures

Fred Iger had almost no feelings for Mr. Sangor. The rest of us liked him. His was the death of somebody that we knew, and we were sorry to hear that. And I recall that Sangor, for some reason, was not buried for a long, long time. According to Jewish law, you are to be buried as soon as possible, in 24 hours or so. I don’t know what the reason for this was, but I’ve never forgotten that when I asked Fred weeks or even months later what happened with Mr. Sangor’s body, he gave a kind of shrugging, cruel reply, like “They got him on ice somewhere,” or, “He’s rotting somewhere.” Completely without feeling, which stuck with me all these years. B.W. Sangor could at least have drawn comfort from the knowledge that ACG had been left in excellent hands. Though Richard Hughes was denied ownership of the company he had helped nurture from the very beginning, he and Frederick Iger would continue to serve as its editorial and business guardians until ACG’s own demise, 12 years after the passing of pioneer comic book publisher B.W. Sangor.

Chapter 3 Laughing Matter Good night, all you solid characters. I gotta hit the road! Thanks for a real righteous bash. But it’s getting’ late. So I better bail out! G’night, Tommy... Kitty... Square... Heppity. —Cartoon character Jitterbug, Hi-Jinx #2. [Jim] Davis handled the whole thing. He would hand out the scripts written by Hubie Karp, or whoever, edit the stories, and then send them on to New York. It was all for extra money. —Animator and comic book artist Ken Chapin (in Ron Frantz, “An Interview with Ken Champin,” in The Adventures of Spencer Spook #6, Ace Comics, 1987, p. 8).

In 1941, B.W. Sangor began publishing what remains a puzzling magazine that probably led to his entering the field of comic books. It was an advertising gimmick used at first to promote Fleischer’s animated features at movie theaters. The publication of Cinema Comics Herald initiated the long relationship with several moonlighting Fleischer animators who would soon supply Sangor with artwork and stories for several comic book publishers, thereby founding Sangor’s “Shop.” Cinema Comics Herald was a movie theatre giveaway, 7H" x 10H", that used line art and color photographs to advertise movies produced by Paramount Pictures, Universal, RKO/20th Century-Fox, and Republic. The features advertised included Mr. Bug Goes to Town (a Fleischer animated movie), Lady for a

Off We Go… Into The Wild Four-Color Yonder Cinema Comics Herald #5 featured an adaptation of the 1942 film Thunder Birds, starring Gene Tierney, who two years later would become forever enshrined in movie memory as Laura. Scan by Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The Crowded Skies As Michael V. states, “comic book circulations exploded in a firestorm of capes and boots in the late 1930s and early ’40s.” Here, artist Mark Glidden depicts two Pines/Nedor heroes (Black Terror and Fighting Yank), as well as Novelty’s Blue Bolt and Lev Gleason’s Daredevil—plus our own marvelous “maskot,” Alter Ego, making his contractual appearance. Great illo, Mark—we’ve gotta get together to do that Alter Ego comic we’ve been talking about for ages! [Alter Ego TM & ©2006 Roy & Dann Thomas; art ©2006 Mark Glidden; characters TM & ©2006 their respective TM & ©2006 holders.]

Night (starring John Wayne and Joan Blondell), and Reap the Wild Wind. Nine issues of these 4-page paper movie “trailers” were published under Sangor’s Cinema Comics imprint through 1943. In March 1941, Sangor published his second title, a single issue of TNT, a tabloidsized magazine edited by Richard Hughes, with Eric Godal as its art editor. Under the Cinema Comics imprint, it sold for 10¢. TNT featured cartoons on current issues and American and world politics, as well as burlesques of popular personalities, and was

The History Of The American Comics Group Sangor needed help, and Richard Hughes supplied it. According to Hughes’ résumé, this mail-order catalogue copywriter was hired by Sangor as a writer and editor in 1941. But Hughes’ wife Annabel remembered her husband going to work for Sangor in the late 1930s while Hughes was in his late twenties, a belief reiterated by another ACG editor, Norman Fruman. With freelance and staff writers and artists, Sangor and Hughes began to supply a wealth of art and story to comic book publishers who were entering the new field without their own stable of cartoonists. Among the publishers to which the Sangor Shop supplied stories were Pines, Creston (Sangor’s own imprint), and LaSalle and Wise (1944). In 1945, they supplied Pines, Creston, Leffingwell, Rural Home, and DC; in 1946, this client list still included Pines, Creston, and DC; and, in 1947, an unknown Canadian company, whose comics were published by Rotary Litho, rounded out Sangor’s clients.

Good—Better—Best The cover of the first issue of the oddly-shaped Best Comics—done for Ned Pines’ Better Comics. Was anything ever named just “Pretty Good”—besides Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery on radio’s Prairie Home Companion? The title hero of early Best issues was Red Mask, who was basically this guy who wore a red mask. Better things would come later from Better… until eventually that company set the Standard. (Well, at least it wasn’t the Nadir—er, Nedor. Ouch!) Thanks to Michael Vance!. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

dedicated to debunking sacred cows. These icons included “the snobs, the agents of oppression, the disseminators of political poisons.” Exposé magazines were parodied, as well. TNT, at 32 pages, was not a comic book, according to American Humor Magazines and Comic Periodicals (Greenwood Press, 1987; David E. Sloane, editor)—and it failed in its attempt to enter a field dominated by political satire magazines such as the long-successful Punch. As comic book circulations exploded in a firestorm of capes and boots in the late 1930s and early ’40s and numerous genres flourished, Sangor quickly noted the demand for writers and artists. Agents for freelancing cartoonists and animators fed this fire by forming clearinghouses for talent, called “shops.” And B.W. Sangor, whose son-in-law was pulp magazine publisher Ned Pines, began to pour art and story into comic books through the Sangor Shop, or “Studio,” which operated under names including Editorial Art Syndicate and Cinema Comics.

Sangor also established two studios of animators that supplied his shop with comic book art and story, specializing in funny animal work. Several of these animators had worked with Sangor on Cinema Comics Herald. Animator Jim Davis has recalled that it was a fellow Fleischer Cartoon Studios writer, Jay Morton, who first contracted with Sangor:

Jay Morton, in Miami, somehow made contact with Ben Sangor, and had lots of us who worked at the Fleischer Cartoon Studios draw comics for Sangor—I think in 1941 or 1942. Jay was an assistant animator. We all did the complete comics pages. We all drew it and inked it. Jay was a born promoter, and I understand he himself became rich in real estate in Florida, but I don’t know of his outcome. But, when Paramount Studios took over Fleischer, they decided to move back to New York City. I grew up in Los Angeles, and my first job was with Disney, and I knew a lot of the local talent. Not wanting to live in New York City, I decided to return to California, and wrote to Sangor.

Cinema Comics started producing work for Ned and Dora Pines’ new comic book titles under the Nedor imprint around mid-1942. Kin Platt, a Sangor Shop freelancer, had a story in the Pines’ first title, Best Comics, making him the first humor artist for the publisher. Previous to this, Ned Pines had bought work from the Jack Binder Shop, and it is possible that both Binder and Sangor sold work to Pines at the same time. Dora Pines was B.W. Sangor’s daughter, and it was this family relationship that Rara Davis brought him into A rare vintage photo of artist Jim Davis with his offspring— the business of his then-infant son, and several of the comics covers he comic books. But shepherded through the Sangor Shop. Photo courtesy of Michael Vance. [Art ©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Davis had also worked briefly for Screen Gems on The Fox and the Crow animated cartoons, directed by Bob Wickersham, another future ACG artist. These contacts with animation artists and writers won Davis the same sort of studio in California that Morton established in Florida. Sangor established this California corporation, called Artists and Writers Associates, opened an account at the Union Bank, and gave the checkbook to Davis to buy scripts and art. Davis met with Sangor each time the latter traveled to California. Sangor would stay at the Ambassador Hotel with his traveling companion, Harry Donenfeld. As Davis has said: The salary was paltry, but I was involved as head of the animation department of Raphael G. Wolff Studios in Hollywood, where we produced technical animation for the Armed Services and arms suppliers. Wolfe was a professional photographer who had

Forbidden Adventures

the General Motors account for some of their automobiles. A former Disney director, Paul Satterfield, got together with Ray, and they started to produce training films for the armed services. So I became the head of the animation department. And we produced complicated technical stuff for General Electric and other outfits that had bearing on the war efforts. Most of “my” artists had regular jobs in the animated cartoon studios. We were all young and the magazine work was a way to make an extra buck to help pay the costs of raising families. At the outset, the rates were only $5 per page for scripts and $10 per page for the art work. These same rates were being paid by Whitman Publishing in Beverly Hills for the comics they produced for Disney, Warner Bros., and MGM based on the characters developed in their animated cartoons. Dell Publishing distributed these magazines... some 500,000,000 copies a year! Sangor was not the first to establish such a shop. Among the best remembered of these clearing houses for comic books was the EisnerIger Shop, owned jointly for a short time by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger [of no relationship to Frederick]. Eisner is best known as the writer and artist of the newspaper comic book supplement The Spirit. As he has recalled: We ran it like a Ford Motor Company. We had to. We were selling pages at $5 and $7 each, so we had to get large volume production. [Most of the artists and writers] were there as a kind of steppingplace—a first stop to either, hopefully, becoming a syndicated cartoonist for the newspapers or going into book illustration. Those who started never dreamed, including myself, that they would grow up with their identity as a comic book artist. (Quoted in Mike Benton’s 1994 book Masters of Imagination, from Taylor Publishing Co., p. 7.) One of the most famous employees in Eisner’s shop was artist Jack Kirby. He has remembered the Eisner-Iger Shop as his first exposure to other aspiring cartoonists: “All the guys got together and we helped each other learn. None of us had a school, so we became each other’s school,” as quoted in the above Benton book, p. 29. Eisner’s and Kirby’s memories of the early comics shops concur with those of Gloria (Kamen) Charney, a Sangor freelance artist who was not an animator. One of the few women working in comic books at this time, she signed a “Doc Strange” story in Pines’ Thrilling Comics #14 (March 1941) and is credited with at least one other story. The confusion over her credits is apparent from her comments on her Sangor Shop days: I was involved with ACG for a few years after finishing art school at Pratt Institute during World War II. The demand for comic books was at its height, and artists were being drafted out of the studios. Very few women were interested in doing this type of art. I think I was one of the few in the field at that time. Richard Hughes was my second employer in comics. I had worked in a studio on 42nd Street (the name escapes me) as an inker, but decided to freelance after a year. [Author’s note: This first shop was the Binder Studio, where Charney worked in 1943.] I don’t believe I signed any of my drawings and couldn’t tell you the name of a single one. I not only didn’t keep a list, but threw away any copies I might have had. I do believe I worked at this time for about three years full-time, from 1943 to 1947, and then occasionally after that. All my work with Dick Hughes was for the

“Cartoonists Roost” This cartoon was the only artwork that appeared in the original hardcover edition of Michael Vance’s Forbidden Adventures. It was captioned: “A fictional drawing (artist unknown) of the Jim Davis division of the Sangor Shop” and listed as being “from the collection of Jim Davis.” Hames Ware thinks the artist may be Dan Gordon. Aren’t you glad we managed to squeeze a few more art spots into this issue of Alter Ego? [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Sangor Studio on West 45th Street. His [Hughes’] interest in comics, like mine, was probably for the money it paid, for neither of us thought of it as serious work. Most of my comic book art was in the realistic style of “Batman” or other adventure heroes for stories about spies, cops and robbers, or romance. Unlike Charney, Jack Bradbury’s interest lay in animation and funny animal work for Jim Davis’ California shop. Bradbury had been working at the Warner Bros. studio for around two years when Davis started his animation studio about a half mile away: He was looking for additional animators and offered me about $50 more a week than what I had been making. Ken Hultgren worked with us, also, but he preferred working at home, but would join us for lunch every day. At times, he [Hughes] would have an idea that he wanted done and would send it out here. The “Hep-Cats” was one. Cal Howard wrote the stories and drew them. Another time, he sent some stuff out here that Bob Wickersham drew. (As per Dave Bennett, “An Interview with Jack Bradbury,” in The Adventures of Spencer Spook #4, Ace Comics, 1987, p. 18.)

The History Of The American Comics Group

No, Not That Bradbury…

Among Davis’ freelancers were Melvin (Tubby) Miller, who lettered much of the art, and artist Owen Fitzgerald from Little Rock, Arkansas. They eventually earned $25 a page from Sangor, through Jim Davis, for their moonlighting efforts.

But artist Jack Bradbury wasn’t exactly chicken liver! Here, courtesy of later friend and colleague Dave Bennett, is a 1943 caricature of Bradbury drawn by fellow animator Hawley Pratt—plus a montage of some of his work. Clockwise from above: a vintage Snow White giveaway for Bendix washing machines (date uncertain)… a page from Dell’s Donald Duck #27 (Jan.-Feb. 1953)… and the cover of Standard’s Spunky #3 (1958). [Caricature ©2006 H. Pratt; Snow White & Donald Duck art ©2006 Disney Enterprises, Inc.; Spunky #3 ©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The industry leader at this time, Whitman Publishing, required artists to use a full sheet of Strathmore (a heavy gauge of paper) for each page, and their editors did not like empty space. They wanted lots of characters, with plenty of background detail. Davis has recalled:

With Sangor, we used a half-sheet of Strathmore for a page of art work, six panels per page. It was easier and allowed more spontaneity for both artists and writers, and I bought and shipped bales of their work to Sangor. The writers all storyboarded their scripts, I would buy them, and as guys would come needing work, they could take their pick of what they wanted to do. Eventually, I was working for an outfit called Gary Weston. They made live-action films, and they had a studio where you could do all of the shooting indoors. But they had a lot of front offices, and my deal was that I would [also] provide this talent at his beck and call if he chose to use it. So, I had an office, and that’s where, for some time, I conducted the Sangor business. The talent that I worked with and knew so well here in Los Angeles whose output was bought for the Sangor magazines was an extraordinary bunch, and a great deal of their work was of a quality that deserved to be perpetuated. It had more wit and charm than Mother Goose rhymes.

It’s A Bird… It’s A Plane… It’s Supermouse! When Ron Frantz’s ACE Comics readied a special issue on Jack Bradbury’s funny animal art, it advertised it with this montage of four characters he’d drawn—including Supermouse, who had his own comic book for a few years. Supermouse was yet another Richard Hughes co-creation. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures but Sangor found enough to meet his needs, and I’m sure Harry Donenfeld told him where to look.

Davis has remembered Sangor as a “crony” and ginrummy partner of Harry Donenfeld, the head man at National (DC) Comics [the publishers of “Superman”] and the owner of Independent News Distributors: “He was a short man, about five six or seven, way overweight, and he smoked big, black cigars. Sangor was educated as a lawyer and was from Wisconsin. He moved to New York... and, probably, it was Ned Pines who introduced him to Donenfeld. He was 53 or -4 then.” Davis has further reminisced: Donenfeld and Sangor were about the same age and enjoyed each other’s company. No doubt, Sangor’s relationship with Pines stimulated his interest in comics, but it was Donenfeld... that provided Sangor with a distribution outlet for Sangor’s magazines. As I recall, Pines released through the American News Corporation, and that avenue wasn’t open to Sangor. Donenfeld came up from the streets of New York City. But they traveled about a lot... Donenfeld keeping in close touch with his news distributors in every city, and Sangor searching out newsprint to print comics. During the early 1940s, newsprint paper was a black market item,

After the original pages of art and story were mailed to Hughes by Davis, Hughes would write lengthy critiques to direct future efforts by the West Coast Sangor artists. Paper copies called “silverprints” were made of the original art, and watercolor was added to these copies at the Sangor offices. Davis has recalled:

When DC Stood For “Donenfeld Comics” B.W. Sangor’s ginrummy partner Harry Donenfeld—who also just happened to be the co-publisher of National/DC and the owner of Independent News Distributors. Thanks to Michael Feldman for digging this one up! [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

One would have thought this material was costing $1,000 a page. In terms of the material from here, he exercised no editorial control whatever. I was buying work on average. Sometimes it would be very good, and sometimes it would be not so good. You don’t expect the Mona Lisa for five bucks. I never signed anything I did at Sangor. On some of the things, some of them did sign it, and some gave credit to the man who wrote the story. I didn’t see any point in it. It never entered our minds at the time to own our work.

When 1943 arrived, Richard Hughes was busy writing and editing the best-selling “American Eagle,” “Black Terror,” and “Fighting Yank” characters for Ned Pines through the Sangor Shop. Hughes was so busy that he must have used his feet to help Gerald and Andrew Albert, along with Sangor, to create Creston Publishing and its first two humor titles while writing and editing with his hands.

From existing circumstantial evidence, it is probable that Sangor struck a co-ownership deal with Gerald and Andrew Albert, who had published several science-fiction pulp magazines before World War II. Their titles included Red Mask Detective Stories, Red Hood Detective Stories, Cosmic Stories, Stirring Detective’s Western Stories, and Stirring Science Stories. “Jerry” Albert was listed as the managing editor for these pulps, which were released by Albing Publications with editorial offices at 19 East 48th Street, New York City. All were released in 1941, except one issue of Stirring Science, which came out in March 1942. The Alberts’ prewar paper allotment made publishing possible for Sangor, who had no paper allotment. Using his shop of writers and artists allowed Sangor and the Alberts to begin publishing under the name Creston in 1943. Their first two titles were Ha Ha and Giggle Comics, co-owned by Gerald and Andrew Albert. Although Jim Davis did not remember him, the first managing editor at Creston was Gerald Albert. Like Hughes, he was a New York University graduate. Creston was named after the street where Gerald Albert lived. He wrote under pen names for Creston, including the comic strip Miss Cairo Jones in 1945. Ha Ha and Giggle each ran for 101 issues, with title changes for their final two numbers. Giggle became Spencer Spook for #100-101; Ha Ha became Teepee Tim for #100-101. These were the first of ten humor titles [382 issues] from Creston/ACG. Spanning 24 years, these titles were Ha Ha, Giggle, “Cookie,” The Kilroys, Milt Gross Funnies, Hi-Jinx, Moon Mullins, Funny Films, Dizzy Dames, and Herbie.

Keep Fighting, Yank! This “Fighting Yank” page of original art from Startling Comics #11 (Nov. 1941), probably written by co-creator Richard Hughes, is owned by collector Jon Berk. Is it by the feature’s reputed first illustrator, Jon (“Hop Harrigan”) Blummer—or by Elmer Wexler, who has also been credited with it? Researcher Hames Ware says Wexler. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Ha Ha and Giggle were anthology titles that targeted a young audience who were read to by adults, older friends, or siblings, or who were just beginning to read themselves. Features changed with each issue, but talking animals dominated the books. The stories were simple with a single theme and employed mostly visual humor. Human faces were rare.

The History Of The American Comics Group “The Duke and the Dope” by Ken Hultgren ran for many years in Giggle and featured a clever fox who was always outfoxed by a dumb bunny sidekick. Created by Dan Gordon, “Superkatt” also had a long run in Giggle. Annabel Hughes remembered it fondly for Superkatt’s girlfriend, since the diapered feline had a heartthrob named Annabel, and so did Richard Hughes. The feature “Spencer Spook” dominated Giggle later in its history. (Ha Ha and Giggle joined Spencer in comic book heaven in 1955, only to be briefly resurrected in 1989 by Ace Comics.) The characters, as well as their artists and writers at Creston/ACG, were interchangeable among the funny animal titles produced in the 1940s. In fact, non-Creston/ACG features produced by Sangor’s Cinema Comics were often reprinted in ACG titles and by other publishers. From these early beginnings, Jim Davis has remembered Richard Hughes as very sensitive to any sexual allusions in the pages of Ha Ha and Giggle Comics; Hughes was quick to edit them out. “Artist Al Hubbard—as clean-cut a man as ever lived—once submitted a ‘Dodger Da Squoil’ strip, and the opening panel showed Dodger’s old hollow tree, and if the page was held sideways or maybe upside down, the tree appeared to have an anus and a tail. Dick accused Al of doing it on purpose, an insulting and disgusting observation.” Artist Ken Hultgren and his wife Martha visited Hughes in New York City during these early days of Creston Publishing and the Sangor Shop. Davis has recalled their fondness for Sangor: He treated them well, and they liked him... as others who worked there with him apparently did, too. Both Kenny and Martha had great regard for Sangor, as well. They had a nice house out in Glendale, and they used to invite Sangor out for barbeques

Always Leap In Laughing! Proto-ACG’s initial entries Ha Ha Comics and Giggle Comics debuted with an Oct. 1943 cover date. The house ad at right from Exciting Comics #54 (March 1947), sent by Mark Muller, shows the diversity of Standard/Nedor’s product in the postwar years. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures

and stuff, and they found him to be a very nice, grandfatherly sort of guy. They had three kids at the time, and their reaction to Sangor was totally positive. My wife Martha was married to Ken in 1939, and was married to him until he died in 1968. Ken Hultgren had previously worked for Whitman Publishing, headed by Eleanor Parker. He and other artists were glad to find another outlet for their work at the Sangor Shop. Davis remembered that Hultgren was the first artist to receive promotion from Sangor: Sangor liked his work and offered him a guaranteed $250 a week for 10 pages per week complete. Ken and his wife Martha wrote the stories he illustrated. I tried to get Sangor to publish a couple of titles that would use Ken’s stuff exclusively, but Hughes apparently chose to jumble everything together in Ha Ha and Giggle... the good, the bad, and the indifferent.

The Dude, The Duke, And The Dope Ken Hultgren was the original artist of “The Duke and the Dope,” which had a long run in Giggle Comics. Photo courtesy of Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Sangor was in it for the money and didn’t know the difference. All of us here kind-of frowned on both Ha Ha and Giggle because Hughes would make a jumble of New York City work and work from here. They didn’t equate. The stuff from here, uniformly, was better. So, we got our noses out of joint, to a degree, by the nature of those books. Disney [unlike Fleischer] trained his people very well. We used to, at the studio’s expense, attend classes to teach us the fundamentals of drawing. And that was the difference between the West Coast guys, who got that kind of training either from Disney or on their own, versus the Eastern guys, who were equally talented, but didn’t have the training.

An odd duck but not a funny animal, “Cookie” first appeared outside of the Creston fold in a one-shot title, Topsy-Turvey, in 1945. At Creston/ACG, “Cookie” ran from 1946 until 1955 (55 issues) and was created by Fleischer animator Dan Gordon. In 1942, Gordon wrote the Fleischer animated feature Mr. Bug Goes to Town, which was featured in a Cinema Comics Herald edition. He worked for several ACG humor titles and dominated ACG’s Hi-Jinx title, a comic book about teenage funny animals.

Spencer, You Don’t Look A Day Over Forty! A vintage photo of three key Sangor Shop personnel (l. to r.: Jack Bradbury, Hube Karp, Allan Hubbard), flanked by “Spencer Spook” splash pages produced four decades apart: (Left:) One drawn by Bradbury for Giggle Comics #58 (Oct. 1948)—and (right) for a story written years later by Bradbury and illustrated by fellow animator Dave Bennett. Both stories appeared in ACE Comics’ The Adventures of Spencer Spook #4 (March 1987). Photo courtesy of Michael Vance. [©2006 Animated Comic Enterprises, Inc.]

The History Of The American Comics Group

triumphs when her father is caught dressed in silly clothes and talking oddly for his lodge meetings.

Cookie is a firecracker of a teenaged kid whose limitless energy complicates the lives of everyone around him. His was a title full of teenage fashions, “jive” talk, and current fads. The 8th issue of “Cookie” was released in August/September 1947, sold for a dime, and was 52 pages of creative fun. It offered four features, one single-page filler story, three text pages, and one 3-page short story.

Fathers brag about their sons in 13 pages of the next feature, also titled “Cookie,” with art by Dan Gordon. In it, Cookie splashes his father Sangor Shopmates and Mr. Frobisher with his (Clockwise from top left, with a Hultgren-drawn “The Duke and the Dope” sequence in jalopy, which he has modified theirmidst:) Artists Al Hubbard—Karran Wright—Gilbert Turner. Photos & art courtesy with a turbo jet. Mr. of Michael Vance. [Art ©2006 the respective copyright holders.] Frobisher asks for a demonstration that melts his car. Humiliated, Cookie vows to prove his merit by supplying a band for his dad’s country club dance. He and his friends do so by lip- and The lead feature was titled “Cookie,” with 12 pages of uncredited instrument-synching to a hidden phonograph. Cookie also impresses art by Bob Wickersham. In it, Cookie’s girlfriend Angelpuss and his teenage friends meet at a soda shoppe where the jukebox music is interrupted by a scholarly old man. To end the bad influence of her friends, this man will interview Angelpuss for admittance into Sniffysnoot School. When Cookie’s rival Zoot announces that he will enroll there, as well, Cookie refuses to be left out, but his father cannot afford tuition. Cookie and his best friend Jitterbuck disguise themselves as the school representatives to discredit the school. They succeed by using broad vaudeville slapstick routines and jokes. As Cookie’s father chases them from the house, he runs into the real school representatives. Cookie’s father beats them, is stopped by a policeman, and is saved from jail by Cookie.

(Left:) A Dan Gordon-drawn panel from Cookie #1 (April 1946). Scan sent by Steven Rowe.

The next three pages offer no writer or artist credits on the feature “Cindy.” Angry at the excessive time Cindy spends on the phone, her father demands that she grow up and forget jive talk and silly clothes. Cindy

(Right:) Michael V. covers “Cookie” #8 (Aug.Sept. 1947) in such detail, we figured we should at least show you the cover of the darn thing! But is it by Fleischer animator Dan Gordon, who originated the character—or by Bob Wickersham, who drew the lead story? Scans by MV. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Cookie, Cookie, Lend Me Your Crumbs

Forbidden Adventures

his own Angelpuss, making Zoot, her date, furious. Zoot discovers the ploy, broadcasts insults through Cookie’s microphone, and creates mayhem. “Pickles,” the fourth major feature, was 8 pages in length and drawn by Al Hartley in a more realistic style. [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: See p. 75 of this issue for an interview with Hartley.] Pickles, a teenage boy, is chosen to judge his high school beauty contest. All of the “slick chicks” try to influence his decision with flattery, threats, or innocent favors. Pickles promises each that she will win and fails to evade his responsibility as a judge. But disaster ultimately becomes success. “Cindy” finished this issue with an 8-page story, again drawn by Bob Wickersham. Cindy babysits by taking Wayney for a walk around the park, but a “gabfest” with her friends leads to mixing up the babies, again and again. Jim Davis, acting as Sangor’s agent in California, collaborated closely with artist Dan Gordon, who worked on “Cookie” and other titles. As Davis has recalled: Dan Gordon worked out of New York. He was one of the finest talents ever to work in the animation or comics businesses. Dan could do it all... and do it better. His problem was that it all came so easy for him... if that’s a problem. I worked with Dan in Florida at Fleischer, and we were always amazed at his skills. It was said that Dan was a graduate architect, and judging from his layouts, I believe it. When he later worked at Hanna-Barbera Studios as a story man, his little thumbnail story sketches were so perfect that there was no need for a follow-up layout man. They just blew up Dan’s thumbnails.

Kilroy Was There, Too! This ad for The Kilroys #5 (Feb. 1948) appeared in DC’s Funny Stuff #30 (with the same date). In some ways, The Kilroys took its inspiration less from Archie Andrews than from the Riverdale teen’s own ultimate source, the popular radio show The Aldrich Family, whose resident young hero was Henry Aldrich. A/E’s editor concurs with the author of Forbidden Adventures that early Kilroys comics were among the best of their kind. Art by Dan Gordon—or Bob Wickersham? [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Another non-animal title, The Kilroys, was drawn by a number of ACG animators, including Bob Wickersham, and written by Cal Howard. It ran for 49 issues, from 1947 to 1955, and was inspired by the very popular Archie comic books of this era (produced by a rival publisher). The Kilroys title did not imitate Archie, however, and it captured the ambience and music of a teenager of the period. According to Davis: Cal had a couple of teenage kids at the time, and he caught the spirit of the teens of those times, and it was funny stuff. Bob was one of the best animators and cartoon directors of that era. Later, he was with the Chicago office of the Burnette ad agency, and later still operated his own animated TV commercial production outfit called simply TV Spots, Inc. He made a lot of the clever spots for Gillette razors, among other clients. One of Sangor’s most successful non-Creston/ACG books was The Fox and the Crow, produced through the Sangor Shop first by Wickersham and, eventually, by Jim Davis, who has noted: Whit Ellsworth, who was the editor-in-chief at National [DC] Comics, felt that National should have some books based on cartoons early on. Well, the only thing that was left was this stuff from Columbia Pictures... The Fox and the Crow. So, he signed some sort of a contract with Columbia Pictures to produce this thing. He was going to employ the guys from Screen Gems Studio who were turning it out, but I already had half of them working for Sangor. So, I complained to Sangor, and he talked it over with

Donenfeld, and so I took over the production of The Fox and the Crow. On the East Coast, throughout Fleischer’s move to Florida and during the studio’s return to New York, Vincent Fago, Joe Oriolo, and dozens of other writers and artists worked more directly for Sangor and Hughes than did Jim Davis’ crew. For a time, Fleischer’s studio was only an ink bottle’s throw from what would evolve into Creston in 1943, and into ACG years later. The address on Hughes’ door was 45 West 45th Street. And, unlike Davis’ operation in California, these artists and writers often carried their work into Sangor’s offices by hand. In 1944, Gerald and Andrew Albert sold their interest in Creston to Harry Donenfeld. At this time, Richard Hughes replaced Gerald Albert as managing editor of Ha Ha and Giggle Comics. Hughes would remain the only editor ever mentioned in ACG titles. The nowfamiliar ACG emblem on the covers of so many comic books, however, was still years away. As Hughes sat in his New York City office in 1944, smoking his pipe and listening to the classical music he so loved, it must have been completely beyond his imagination that he would play an important role in the history of the most popular art form the world has ever known. Comic books were now only eleven years old, and they had been financially successful for only the past six. But Hughes was on the threshold of success for himself and ACG.

The History Of The American Comics Group

Chapter 4 The Last Laugh Other men have sons they can be proud of, boys who can do something—but what have we got? A little fat nothing who does nothing. —Pincus Popnecker [Herbie’s dad] in Herbie #1. My God, when are we going to relax and know and accept all this, and get on with our creativity without feeling or having to alibi for great loves which seem silly or trivial to others?

Somebody Had To Write That Stuff! Hubie Karp was the “principal writer for Ha Ha and Giggle and many non-Creston humor stories for the Sangor Shop.” Here’s a splash he wrote and Ken Champin drew for Giggle Comics #21 (Aug. 1945), as reprinted in ACE Comics’ The Adventures of Spencer Spook #6 (1987). Photo courtesy of Michael Vance. [©2006 Animated Comics Enterprises, Inc.]

—Ray Bradbury, in his preface to The Collected Works of Buck Rogers.

During World War II, Ha Ha and Giggle often sold 500,000 copies of each issue. Many of the titles from other publishers that featured material from the Sangor Shop sold as well or even better. It was a brief but Golden Age for Sangor’s company.

and Karp worked many long years together, and Davis remembered him as an incredible talent:

Hubie Karp was a principal writer for Ha Ha and Giggle and many non-Creston humor stories for the Sangor Shop. Karp wrote more of the Sangor material that came from the Jim Davis organization in California than all the other scripters put together. “Spencer Spook,” “Witch Hazel,” and dozens of other titles were his, including “Starlet O’Hara.” This last was illustrated by another of the great talents, Owen Fitzgerald. Starlet was a movie-crazy, pretty girl in Hollywood. Davis

He once, when very young, was a hoofer for Franchon and Marco, who put on vaudeville shows. Hubie put on a lot of weight and had a profile of a barrel, but he could still trip the light fantastic, moving about light as a feather. Hubie had done the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip for Disney for a long time before he worked at Warner Bros., and later on, for Sangor. Hubie wrote about 100 pages of the magazine stuff a week at times, maybe 60 or 70 a week on average. He handed in dozens of single-page gags, and once Dell [Publishing] raised hell with Sangor and threatened to sue for plagiarism, for Dell was re-running old Mickey Mouse dailies at the same time some of Hubie’s one-pagers were running in Sangor’s magazines. And although the characters were different, the gags were the same... word for word. It was serious, but I told Sangor that anyone who turned out as much as Hubie could easily duplicate something he did in the past without being conscious of it. So, Sangor returned over one hundred of these single-page gags, and not knowing which might be repeats, Hubie went through the stacks as fast as he could read them and wrote a new topper as good as or better than the first... and he paid the artist to redraw the last panel.

Spooked! Two more “Spencer Spook” splashes. On the left, one by writer Richard Hughes and artist Ken Hultgren from Giggle Comics #95 (May 1954)—on the right, one drawn by Lynn Karp for Giggle #74 (early 1950s). Thanks to Ron Frantz. [©2006 Animated Comics Enterprises, Inc.]

Possessing a photographic memory, Karp could walk through a strange room once and describe every item in great deal. Karp was also fascinated with steam locomotives and train lore, often traveling from Los

Forbidden Adventures daughter Sonya, also a co-owner of National (DC) Comics. Creston and Michel Publishing were solely owned by Sangor at this time. In 1955, Frances Sangor, B.W.’s widow, sold ACG to Iger’s father-in-law, Harry Donenfeld, and Iger himself eventually became the sole owner of ACG.

Angeles to the Cajon Pass near San Bernardino to watch trains struggling over the mountain toward Barstow. He was also a great analyst of the way people thought and reacted, according to Davis. He worked side by side with Karp for ten years and found that watching him was as funny as the stories that Karp wrote. Davis felt that he was “all the way into the wish-world he was writing about; the characters he was dealing with were real, and he was amongst them, talking with them, and laughing with them, and making faces in keeping with what was going on.” Davis continued:

When Iger joined Sangor’s staff in 1947, ACG added four humor titles to its line: The Kilroys, Milt Gross Funnies, Moon Mullins, and Hi-Jinx, but only The Kilroys would survive beyond 1949.

He storyboarded his stories, and though Hubie was no finished artist, his scrawly sketches defined exactly what was going on... the layout, the mood, the expressions of the characters. He was just basically one helluva fine writer, and, if he’d lived, he’d have gone to the top of TV writing. The world lost a million laughs when Hubie checked out. He had his candle of life burning at both ends, and sometimes in the middle, and I used to kid him to slack off, or he’d never see forty. I wasn’t kidding, as it turned out. Hubie died at 38 in 1953, and that still man in his coffin wasn’t Hubie, for Hubie was never still.

Eventually, the Fleischer moonlighters began a long slide from dominance as Hubie Karp, Jim Davis, and Davis’ West Coast animators entered the ACG fold. Sangor continued to provide art for DC and Pines after Creston was formed. Editor Richard Hughes’ notes clearly separate material from the Davis group of artists into three categories as late as 1946— “Pines,” “Screen Gems” (DC), and “Us.”

Milt Gross Funnies, a collection of a famous newspaper comic strip, ran for two issues with Dan Gordon covers and introductory splash pages. One issue printed an ad for ACG’s “Cookie” title, and the premier issue carried a That’s My Pop comic strip reprint. These books were printed in Canada by Milt Gross Publications (both deviations from standard ACG procedures), and may have been only produced and distributed by the Sangor Shop. Whether this title should be listed as an ACG book remains unresolved. In any event, Milt Gross (1895-1953) is best remembered for his zany characters and wild imagination in strips like Nize Baby (1927-29) and Count Screwloose (1929-34). After the latter title was canceled, Gross’ final work in comics would appear for several years in random ACG titles, including Giggle and Moon Mullins. Frank Willard’s Moon Mullins began in 1923 as a newspaper strip and garnered six issues with ACG. Two final issues were published by St. John, a company not related to ACG. Willard’s characters Kayo, Emmie Schmalts, and Lord Plushbottom were backed by additional features by Gil Turner, Al Hartley, and Milt Gross. Although Willard (born in 1903) died in 1958, the strip continues today, long after the demise of ACG.

Around 1947 or 1948, the non-humor artists working for Pines through Sangor’s Shop seem to have separated from the other Sangor artists. These artists included Don Christensen, Rafael Astarita, Graham Ingles, Ralph Mayo, Arthur Saaf, Gene Fawcette, John Celardo, and H. C. Kiefer, who had all worked for Fiction House Publishing, as well. Ned Pines hired his own staff for Better Comics around 1947, and ACG continued using artists, including Leo Morey, Ed Moritz, Ed Good, Ken Battefield, Charles Sultan, Max Elkan, and King Ward. This shift in staff marks when the Sangor Shop really evolved into the American Comics Group. Frederick Iger, then very young and a co-owner of DC Comics, became the business manager at Creston/ACG and a co-owner of the B&I sub-company in 1947. He was then married to Harry Donenfeld’s

Another humor title, Hi-Jinx, was a strange mixture of funny animals and teenage jive; it ran for 8 issues, from 1947 to 1949. Dan Gordon was a predominant artist on the series, which also ran for some time in Ha Ha. Ostensibly, a Hi-Jinx annual was the only annual ever published by ACG, but that is not strictly so. Listed in the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide as an annual, this book had no real connection with the ACG Hi-Jinx title of bop records and Archie influence. This HiJinx was undated, had no indicia, offered 132 pages for 25¢, and was credited to LaSalle Publishing on its cover. The material published did feature characters produced by Fleischer artists and writers, and it was probably packaged by the

The History Of The American Comics Group its parent industry, including the obscurity of its history. ACG introduced Funny Films in 1949 and Dizzy Dames in 1952 on the relatively successful heels of The Kilroys and Hi-Jinx comics. In fact, ACG released no other new humor titles for the next 12 years; after 1955, the company would abandon its roots and publish no humor books until the release of Herbie in 1964. Funny Films was a funny animal anthology that ran for 29 issues until 1954. Its stars included “Whoo-Doodit” (an owl detective), “Puss and Boots” (a cat and dog), “Blunderbunny” (a rabbit inventor), and “Hector the Specter” (Hector was the only human in the magazine, although a dead one), all written and drawn by the West Coast animators. This title is distinguishable from ACG’s other funny animal books only by its framing device and characters. Each story begins on a movie screen of a crowded theater, becoming a comic book through a succession of ever more limiting close-ups that obscure the border of the movie screen. The title was the premise for Dizzy Dames, which was published for 6 issues in 1952-53. “Moronica” and “Broadway Babes” by Milt Gross used “dumb” women and situation comedy—a format that flourished in film, radio, and television in the 1950s. “Knothead Nancy” by Lynn Karp (Hubie’s brother) and “Screwball Sal” by Ben Brown and David Gantz did nothing to soften the formula. The first issue of Dizzy Dames was published for Sept.-Oct. release in 1952, was 32 pages long, and sold for a dime. Of its six features, “Broadway Babes” led off the issue with 10 pages of art and story.

Sangor Shop. But it featured no hip teenage animals, as did the ACG title, and the artists and writers in the series bore no resemblance to the talent in the annual. It was actually one of four 132-page titles packaged between 1944 and 1946 by the Sangor Shop and thus predated the ACG series. The four collections released include Funny Bones (144, La Salle, one issue), Merry Go Round (1944, LaSalle, 4 issues; 1946, Croydon, one issue), and Chuckle, The Giggly Book of Funny Animals (1945, R.B. Leffingwell Co., one issue). Although some material from these books was reprinted in later ACG titles, these were not products of the American Comics Group, either. These titles indicate that World War II paper shortages had helped to tangle the record of ACG and the entire industry. Books produced by one publisher without paper were released by another that possessed precious paper, and ownership of comic book titles became muddled. This system of skirting shortages also affected Sangor’s ACG imprint, and early books by LaSalle and Leffingwell publishers were “leased” publications through the Sangor Shop. The years between the birth of comic books and the official creation of ACG in 1947 were a time of creative energy and diversity, and of lazy hackwork, of originality and blatant plagiarism in comic books throughout the industry. Enthusiastic beginners worked shoulder to shoulder with masters who were embarrassed by their jobs. It was a time of contradiction and confusion, when history was being made, not kept. And ACG’s humor books inherited the best and worst traits of

Forbidden Adventures

“Moronica,” a beautiful, blonde young woman, was also a regular feature in Dizzy Dames. She is asked to answer questions at a bus stop for a telecast of Young Man in the Street, but she quickly reduces the misunderstood announcer to a cad, and a riot ensues. To escape her, the television crew relocates, but to no avail. Finally asked a question on camera, Moronica demands a nonexistent prize, and riot breaks out anew. “Moronica” was 8 pages of visual and verbal gags. In “Man-Huntin’ Minnie of Delta Pu,” plain-faced Minnie is given advice by her blonde and beautiful roommate. Because she cannot get a date due to her looks, she must use her personality to win a man, for ambitious men do not care about physical beauty. In her attempts to find that sort of male, Minnie is mistaken for both a man and a gargoyle, and ends up in jail. This feature completed the first issue of Dizzy Dames and was 8 pages long. In 1948, B.W. Sangor decided to end his clearinghouse for comic book art and story, instead concentrating all of his efforts on the American Comics Group. An industry-wide downturn in sales, the threat of television, and a growing belief that comic books contributed to rising rates of juvenile delinquency also signaled the beginning of the end of the incredible popularity of funny animal titles. A memo written in shorthand by Richard Hughes around 1947 offers additional information about the drastic cutback at ACG. The “Jack” being addressed lived in California:

Here Comes Herbie The splash of the very first “Herbie” story, from Forbidden World #73 (Dec. 1958), with script by Richard Hughes & art by Ogden Whitney. The page number “69” at bottom is because it’s reprinted here from an Australian b&w comics page sent by Mark Muller. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

“Broadway Babes” starred two sisters, Denise and Dotty, a dumb blonde and brunette. In their first episode, Denise works as a hatcheck girl while Dotty sells cigarettes at a nightclub. They want desperately to get their song-and-dance act on stage. This story opens with Denise switching hats on a frustrated customer in a routine clearly influenced by vaudeville sketches. Denise quickly switches to a plan, however, to foul the make-up of the club’s featured performers, the Gazelle Sisters, so that they can perform instead. The girls disguise themselves, Denise as a doctor, and Dotty as the wife of a talent agent, to fulfill their design. They succeed at last in booking themselves into the club. Unfortunately, they have no talent. Meanwhile, the Gazelle Sisters discover the fraud, and the riot that follows demolishes the club. But the audience, mistaking this battle for an act, loves what it sees. Three brief filler pieces (two pages each) were also featured in this issue: “Knothead Nellie,” “Love Dizzy,” and “Dee Licious.” Each continued the theme of stupid or unattractive women. In the first of these, Nellie is mistaken for a monkey at the zoo and actually benefits from it. “Love Dizzy” served to fulfill the postal requirement that each comic book have two pages of text to qualify for lower postal rates. It is a story about a girl’s attempt to attract her boss by wearing sport shorts and a halter top to work—a ploy that fails. “Dee Licious” finishes the issue with a woman’s attempt to maintain her figure by riding first a bicycle and then a horse in a restricted park, to the dismay of a dumbfounded policeman.

My dear Jack—I intend to keep you informed on the conditions in the comics field. Most of the comics today are losing propositions. The reason for it is the overflooding of the market with comic books. Only those [comics] survive [that] are tops. The rest, sooner or later, must fold. Because of this condition, plus the general uncertainty of the economic changes, make it impossible to plan for the future. I need not tell you that the backlog is sufficient to carry us for at least a couple of years. Jim Davis has remembered that, in 1948, B.W. Sangor cut work for his staff off abruptly. Hubie Karp, Bob Wickersham, and Davis went back to New York on a sit-up train. The comic book publishing business had always run hot and cold, and, by 1948, Sangor believed that television was going to make serious inroads. Therefore, he curbed activity very severely. The seat opposite Davis, Wickersham, and Karp held a squalling baby who cried loudly all the way to Chicago during the roughly 40hour trip. Having arrived bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, they changed trains to continue eastward. The artists stopped off in Washington to visit Davis’ sister, and, when they arrived at her apartment, all three dropped to sleep on the floor for several hours. As Davis has recalled: Hubie and I latched onto the production of all the Fox and the Crow and other Columbia Pictures Corp. titles directly from DC. Whit Ellsworth, the editor-in-chief, was glad to stop dealing through Sangor, whom he disliked. Wick got something from some other publisher, and the Sangor outfit was incensed by this; you’d have thought they had Wick under contract. In a way, Wick should have had The Fox and the Crow, for he had directed the production of most of the F&C animated cartoons made at Screen Gems in 1943, 1944, and 1945. Wick was a very, very talented animator who held that exalted position at Disney’s when I first went there in 1936. Sangor must have had a huge inventory of stuff. I used to send him bales of stuff. I’m sure that when he shut down, he had enough to coast on for quite some while. I’d done a couple of mice called

The History Of The American Comics Group material from earlier ACG titles, including Ha Ha and Giggle. Funny Comics reprinted an “Anthony and Cleopatra” story, as well as a “Blunderbunny” adventure. Gay Comics featured “Tee Pee Tim,” “Witch Hazel,” and “The Hare-Brained Tortoise.” Pop Comics included “Izzy & Dizzy” and “Our Pal Piggy,” while Smile Comics reprinted “The Duke and the Dope” and “Hector the Specter.” The final two titles were Tickle Comics, featuring “Rip Rooster” and other characters, and Whee Comics, which included “Robespierre” (a cat) and “Gabby Gander.” These issues are not catalogued as ACG titles because they were not sold on newsstands. Nevertheless, as is often true, as one door closes, another opens. In 1947, the heyday of ACG was actually on the horizon, and it would include Richard Hughes’ masterpiece, Herbie. Herbie was ACG’s final humor title; it ran for 23 issues from 1964 to 1967. This book won an Alley Award for Best Humor Title in 1964 and was written by Richard Hughes (under his pen name “Shane O’Shea”) and drawn by Ogden Whitney. Herbie began as a character in a story in Forbidden Worlds #73, reappearing in issues #94 and #116 of that title before he won his own book, due to an outpouring of reader demand. Many critics consider Herbie to be ACG’s finest moment and certainly its most original humor book. Annabel Hughes fondly remembered her husband’s love for Herbie “The Fat Fury,” and his spontaneous laughter when writing the series. Herbie Popnecker was short, fat, physically awkward, uncertain, socially shy, and an embarrassment to his parents. He embodied the self-image of most adolescent boys. But Herbie was also secretly magical (his power augmented by bizarre lollipops) and was universally known by all living and nonliving entities as the most dynamic, heroic figure in history. That is, known by everyone but his dumb mom and dad. Herbie was every child’s power fantasy—a premise that lies at the heart of all escapist literature.

“That Little Fat Nothing” Hughes must’ve liked that pose of Herbie, ’cause he utilized it again in this house ad when the super-powered youngster got his own comic book! (Maybe that lollipop was spinach-flavored?) Reprinted here from Fat Fury Special #1 (1998). More of Herbie’s “Fat Fury” stage coming up! [©1998 Roger Broughton.]

“Gnaw and Nibble,” and “Witch Hazel” and other stuff, but not much. Acting as an agent was what had taken up most of my time. I think the Warner Bros. cartoons were accepted by adults as entertainment, and good entertainment. And the Disney cartoons, likewise, I think. In those days, it was part of the show that you got a cartoon with every feature. We had the same attitude for Sangor’s material that the writers at Warner Bros. had. They were writing to be funny, but they were not directing it towards youngsters—it was just trying to be funny. With the exception of Herbie, 1955 marked the last breath of the humor era for ACG. The Sangor Shop (Cinema Comics) had closed its operations in late 1947 and early 1948. Ned Pines had contracted with another production shop, and DC had opted to work directly with Jim Davis and other West Coast animators. ACG continued to use these artists and writers until 1955, the year their humor line was canceled. Dan Gordon’s heading for the letter column in Adventures into the Unknown would continue to run until 1967. But the days of funny animals, funny teenagers, and moonlighting animators were gone forever from ACG. There was, however, a last gasp. In 1955, Modern Comics contracted with ACG to release 6 titles to be sold exclusively through department stores at a lower cover price. All 6 issues reprinted funny animal

A typical issue, Herbie #15 (Feb. 1965), included two stories written by “O’Shea” and illustrated by Whitney: “Call Me Schlemiehl” at 11 pages and “Herbie Goes Nap-Happy” at 9 pages. A 2-page “Here’s Herbie” letters column, plus assorted advertisements for Yubiwaza (self-defense martial arts), 7-foot long cardboard submarines, and muscle developers, filled out the issue. “Call Me Schlemiehl” promised “87,216 belly-laffs.” Herbie begins the tale by accepting a medal presented by Vice-President Herbert Hoover (!) for “moxie.” That honor is overshadowed, however, by the appearance of Pud Bimbo, an old classmate of Herbie’s father at Peepwhistle Prep. Bimbo had once dated Herbie’s mother and is still romantically interested in her. Herbie’s dad’s jealousy sparks a contest between him and Pud, promising disaster. After all, Pincus Popnecker is a complete failure and fraud! Herbie decides to help his dad secretly. The intended judge of this contest, Dean Whiffenpoofski of the music school, is, after a fashion, dissuaded from his judging; Herbie then disguises himself as the dean. The boxing match, swimming contest, mile run, and high jump competitions that follow are filled with visual pratfalls, fantasy, and Herbie standing by his “old man.” Pincus, Herbie’s dad, also kicks off the second adventure by trying to pick Herbie’s friends. They include their next-door neighbor Professor Flipdome and an alien from the planet Saurkraut. Meanwhile, a director living in “The Unknown” (a wild mixture of Heaven, Hell, and fantasy) has discovered someone selling magic lollipops to a mere mortal—Herbie. To prevent his superiors from discovering this transgression, the director commands that Herbie be eliminated. A “one-way time lollipop” carries Herbie into the lap of Napoleon’s empress, Josephine. Of course, all women are mad for Herbie, and a jealous “Nap” (Napoleon) puts Herbie literally through the wringer. But every torture simply leads Herbie back to Josephine’s arms. Only

Forbidden Adventures an “aging” lollipop saves both Herbie and Nap from the wrath of Josephine as they age back to 1965 and The Unknown. There, Herbie teaches the director a lesson, in a way that leaves Napoleon’s ego “super inflated.” The career of animator, agent, and comic book artist Jim Davis was representative of the careers of many early Creston/ACG comics artists. As a pioneer in animation and comic books, he had to draw more on his inherent talent and inspiration than on established techniques. Along with his fellow animators and Sangor freelancers, he was writing the guidelines for comics books as he created them. Davis’ memories of his own career and of this time are invaluable: I was first employed by Disney. I had sat home for a year trying to crack the magazine cartoon market, unsuccessfully. But I developed quite a set of samples, and took them to Disney, and got a job there in April of 1936. You begin as an “in-betweener”—making the fill-in drawings— and I got fired from there because I refused to sign a contract of employment of which (as far as I could interpret) if you signed it, they owned you. I didn’t choose to go that route. I was there April to November, and the fellow who was the head of their department, George Drake, formed Harmon-Ising, and got me a job there immediately so that I didn’t lose a day’s work.

Gulliver’s Travels as an animator. We did about a dozen Superman cartoons at Fleischer, and they continued them after I left. As a bridge, when they were between features or between that and Superman, we did Popeye.” The careers of Jim Davis and many of the moonlighting animators did not end in 1955 with Ha Ha and Giggle. These artists continued to produce cartoons and comic books that are fondly remembered by many readers even today: After that, it was just a mish-mash of working for everybody. Out here in the animation business, you work for anybody who’s got the production to be done. I worked at Warner Bros. We were producing half-hour television shows, and, essentially, they were made up of clips from the old cartoons. My job was to help animate the bridges that connected the stories, or help put it together. Or, in some instances, help write it. Late 1970s. Before that, I had worked when they reopened Warner Bros. Studios. I worked as an animator. I worked for DePatie-Freleng [on The Pink Panther]. Then, at one point, I was able to work on television commercials on my own. I started making commercials for the Seedway Gasoline Company. Davis’ personal animation favorites among his own work remain Sylvester, the cat, and Daffy Duck, but he is best remembered for his

Davis worked on the character of Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was the first full-length animated feature in history. The character was tedious to draw. At this time, one drawing was done for each frame, and 6/8" pencils were sharpened like needles to make the drawings. But these “ones” were later discarded when it was discovered that one drawing for every two frames gave a stronger illusion of natural movement. In fact, on the original release of Snow White, inkers could not follow those penciled lines, and the movies as seen today was actually rephotographed to smooth out unnatural movement. Jim Davis has remembered: There was an enormous enthusiasm among all of the animators. I can best describe that by saying we would show up for work, and almost immediately, it seemed it was time to go home. There had been a lot of publicity in Esquire magazine at that time by Disney employees decrying the outfit and the way Walt worked, and how cheap it was. But that didn’t enter my mind then. I was making the exorbitant sum of $15.38 a week. It didn’t have the particular feeling of working in a new art form. I wasn’t aware of the birth of comic books at the time. Walt Disney was producing expensive animated short features. Some of them cost $100,000, which was an enormous amount of money in those days. Somehow, Disney managed to bridge the gap and pay for them. It was because of outside exploitation income that he was able to do that. Disney’s animation was considered by many to be much better than that of anyone else at the time. Later, when Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera got together to produce cartoons at MGM, the quality of their animation was every bit as good as Disney’s, according to Davis. After his position as an assistant animator at Harmon-Ising, Davis and several other artists took positions with Jim Handy Picture Services in Chicago and Detroit by answering a newspaper classified advertisement. There, they made cartoons for Chevrolet that were shown in dealer showrooms. Davis has recalled one “ridiculous” cartoon in which a Chevy descended the beanstalk from the children’s story of Jack and the Beanstalk. “[Then, at] Fleischer,” said Davis, “I worked on the feature

The History Of The American Comics Group

All The Hues Of Hughes extensive work on The Fox and the Crow. He had only one regret in a career than spanned more than four decades:

For the Sept. 1, 1989, issue of Comic Buyer’s Guide, Michael Vance assembled a number of images from 1960s ACG comics which depicted editor Richard Hughes (left) and a quintet of the company’s other writers (clockwise): Lafcadio Lee, Shane O’Shea, Zev Zimmer, Leon Lazarus, and Pierre Alonzo. Only thing is—all five were just phony faces and pseudonyms for Hughes himself! Shane O’Shea became particularly popular as the Herbie scripter! [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Well, I think the great regret should come from guys at the Warner Bros. and other studios who made animated cartoons. They were low-paid, and they indeed have generated hundreds of millions of dollars with all their stuff. They got not one dime [of royalties]. And I’m sure that some of them have thought about it. In the comic book thing, we had the feelings that the animators did. And the situation was totally different. There was no reissue of comics at that time. They did eventually reissue The Fox and the Crow and a lot of other stuff. And we didn’t get anything from that.

Animator, agent, and artist Jim Davis is not alone in this regret, which is shared not only by the artists, writers, and animators in the early history of the industry, but by their fans, as well.

Chapter 5 Richard Hughes He was one of the best editors I ever worked with, partly because he thought my work was great. —ACG artist Kurt Schaffenberger. My dealings with Ben Sangor only concerned “animal comics,” and my relationship with Dick was more or less adversarial. —ACG artist/agent Jim Davis.

In the early years of the comic book industry, artistic credit on stories was usually non-existent, erratic, or even misleading because of the use of personal or house pseudonyms. Many artists, writers, and editors preferred this obscurity because comic books, like the pulp magazines, were considered by many adults to be the work of hacks, created exclusively for children. In addition, no one was sure that comics were not simply another passing fad in an industry where new magazines appeared and disappeared almost every week. Charles Biro and Bob Wood of Lev Gleason Publishing were among the first to step out of the shadows. They understood the marketing value of turning their names into company trademarks. Lev Gleason, an active comic book publisher from 1939 to 1956, produced such titles as Silver Streak and Daredevil, both of which

were initially super-hero magazines. Following the incredible success of their title Crime Does Not Pay (1942-55), the names of both Biro and Wood were featured prominently on covers and interior stories. Their fame turned to infamy, however, when Crime Does Not Pay became a principal target of the public outcry against sex and violence in comic books in the early 1950s. This backlash eventually led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a self-regulating censorship board, and it destroyed Lev Gleason as a publisher. Following the success of the series Adventures into the Unknown, William Gaines released several horror titles at EC Comics, an ACG competitor, including The Vault of Horror (1950-55), Tales From The Crypt (1950-55), and The Haunt of Fear (1950-54). Gaines quickly elevated himself, his editors, writers, and especially artists to star status, devoting full pages to their biographies, with photographs on the inside front covers of his titles. Letterers, inkers, and colorists were still ignored, however. Gaines’ titles also fell victim to the “social reformers” in the early 1950s—people worried about the rise in juvenile delinquency and the role that they believed comics played in this rise. Only Gaines’ Mad magazine, created by Harvey Kurtzman, escaped cancellation. The most successful marketing of comic book artists, writers, and editors in the 1960s was done by Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. Lee, whose name became as famous as those of his co-creations, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, even credited the letterers, colorists, and inkers on his stories. Lee’s name continues to be promoted and featured prominently on Marvel titles, years after he stopped actively writing or editing for the company. Just as Stan Lee will be forever identified with Marvel Comics, so too is Richard Hughes synonymous with the American Comics Group in the minds of many comic book readers. This identification is so powerful that a long-enduring myth has grown, among fans and early comics historians alike, that Hughes wrote almost everything in every ACG title. This sense of recognition is amazing, considering that his name never appeared on a cover, rarely on a letters page or as the host of a story, and very rarely in the credits for any story. Indeed, his reputation continued to grow for years after the American Comics Group ceased publishing. Although personal name recognition was

Forbidden Adventures very rarely used as a marketing tool by Hughes, his influence, editing, and writing touched every magazine containing material from the Sangor Shop or released under the ACG shield for more than 25 years. And, as evidenced by their accomplishments with other publishers after having left ACG or the Sangor Shop [see Appendix A—next issue], hundreds of artists and writers carried Hughes’ influence throughout the industry. Yet the first question asked in reference to this pivotal writer and editor remains: “Who was Richard Hughes?” Richard E. Hughes was born on November 5, 1909, and died on January 15, 1974, of myeloribrosis, a rare blood disease. Hughes and his wife Annabel were married on January 19, 1935, and their 39-year marriage produced only a single child: the American Comics Group.

him. He was a real talent.” Hughes was a pioneer in the comics magazine industry as one of its most prolific and influential editors and writers during his lifetime. “Dick” created dozens of memorable characters, edited thousands of comic book stories, and wrote well over a thousand of them in his career. Yet, when describing himself in his last résumé, he wrote, “An experienced and competent editor... a writer who knows how to employ the right words. Public relations oriented. Expert in visual writing. Able to wed words and illustrations with maximum effectiveness.”

His assistant editor, Norman Fruman, has painted a picture of Hughes that would have fit many of the early creators in the comics industry: “Richard Hughes was a fictitious name that he used. I suspect, in fact, that he had a substantially Jewish name and, for whatever reason, didn’t use it. Richard Hughes was not his name; his wife occasionally called him ‘Leo’ in my presence.”

Hughes’ career during the Great Depression of the 1930s is ignored in his résumé. Only his graduation in 1930 from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree (English major, Economics minor) is recorded. On his résumé, he listed no occupation before 1940 (when he was 31 years old). Thereafter, for one year, he worked as a sales correspondent for Standard Mirror and Metal Products of New York City. He was involved in catalog production, including writing product copy. He left this position “to secure higher wages” at Syndicated Features Corporation in 1941.

Frederick Iger has elaborated further, opining that Hughes’ real name was Leo Rosenbaum: “He had a dozen pen names, I just imagine for tax purposes. He had a terrific sense of humor. In my opinion, he was an absolute genius, the most underrated editor in the field. He was remarkable. He certainly deserves any accolades that could be accorded

By 1942, Hughes had become the bestselling writer and creator of the character “The Black Terror,” which appeared in Exciting and America’s Best Comics, produced for pulp magazine publisher Ned Pines. Hughes had also created and was scripting “The Fighting Yank,” “Pyroman,” “The Commando Cubs,” and “Supermouse,” all solidly popular comic

Richard Hughes’ Best Comics That’s what Pines/Nedor’s America’s Best Comics could have been renamed, since writer/editor Hughes seems to have co-created its four major stars (Black Terror, Fighting Yank, Doc Strange, and Pyroman), as seen in this Alex Schomburg cover and three splashes from #18 (June 1946). “Black Terror” splash by Edvard Moritz, latter two splashes by Ken Battefield. By ’46, some if not all of these were doubtless being scripted by others, but Hughes’ super-heroes endured till the late ’40s. Scans by Mark Muller. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group newspapers bought and read primarily by adults but were created to appeal to them and children. Comic books were perceived as being bought and read by children, and initially they were written and drawn to appeal mainly to that audience. Twelve or 13 years old was considered the general upper age limit for comic book readership.

Hughes’ opportunity came as a result of being in the right place at the right time—New York City, at the birth of a new art form. It was his talent, however, that secured him his position with Syndicated Features Corporation, one of Doc Strange, 1945 Style the many branches of Two Better/Nedor features conceived by Richard Hughes were “Doc Strange” and “The Commando Cubs.” The former, drawn by the Sangor Shop. In Ken Battefield, is from Thrilling Comics #51 (Dec. 1945), though whether it was scripted by Hughes is not known . This “Cubs” the beginning, splash, while we’re not sure which 1943 issue of Thrilling it’s from, sports the bylines of both Hughes and artist Bob Oksner. Bob Richard Hughes himself sent us this page—and one other, that’ll appear in conjunction with an Oksner interview in early 2007. As ever, we (and listed his position as Bob) regret the racial stereotyping of “Pokey Jones,” which was unfortunately in keeping with the times… but we strongly feel A/E should only record history, not rewrite it. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.] an editorial assistant, with proofreading, newspaper corresponbook features for the same publisher. dence, and advertising copy writing responsibilities. Still, the Sangor For aspiring writers and artists today who struggle for years before Shop also produced finished art and stories for several comic book being published, Hughes’ sudden success seems almost startling, but it publishers, all hungry for material to sell to a growing audience. is essential to keep this skyrocketing rise in historical context. It was a Hughes’ achievements in this new medium were not specifically different time and a different field from today. At the same time, the mentioned on his resume, nor was it listed that he was writing and extent of Hughes’ talent should not be downplayed; hundreds of artists editing characters such as “Doc Strange,” “Thunderhoof,” “American and writers entered the field at the same time he did, only to vanish Eagle,” and “Supersleuths.” In addition, he was editing a staggering virtually overnight. number of other features while employed as a “proofreader.” Comic books were then something new. Original material had been According to this résumé, these successes won him a promotion to the appearing in these four-color magazines for only a half dozen years, rank of editor at Syndicated Features in 1943. He called the company when “The Black Terror” thundered onto a very uncluttered field. the American Comics Group, although it did not actually exist under There were no college or correspondence courses available in comic that name until 1946. In titles that would be grouped under the ACG book scripting and illustration. No one had a résumé listing previous shield, Gerald Albert was listed as editor and co-owner in 1944, with successes, for everyone was learning to write and draw comic books Hughes as both managing editor and business manager. He was not simply by doing so. listed as editor in any title indicia until 1946, when the complicated and confusing handful of businesses owned by B.W. Sangor were all The only professional artists and writers with any related experience grouped together under the ACG insignia. Evidence suggests that were those who worked on newspaper comic strips. Strips were a wellHughes was an editor for the Sangor Shop, which produced stories for respected and comparatively lucrative field of endeavor, while comic Creston and Ned Pines’ publishing empire even before 1943. books were perceived as a fad that offered no security and low pay. In addition, the superficial similarities between comic strips and comic books hid very real, substantial differences, particularly in terms of timing, image area, and complexity. Comic strips were limited to four or fewer panels of art a day to tell a story that might stretch up to 25 weeks before being resolved. The same story in a comic book could be read in 20 minutes at a single sitting. Comic strips were published in

As the Sangor Shop editor, Hughes was writing and overseeing material not only for Pines but also for DC Comics, Rural Home, LaSalle, and Leffingwell publishers. Hughes’ notes indicate that he was writing or editing “The Phantom Detective,” “Miss Masque,” and dozens of lesser-known features at this time.

Forbidden Adventures Much of what is known of Hughes is due to the extensive notes, diaries, and records he kept during his career. After his death, these were donated by his wife to the Fairleigh Dickinson University library at Madison, New Jersey. They offer detailed insight into his work habits and duties, as well as into the profession as a whole, spanning a period of almost three decades. He wrote them in a tiny, cramped script or in shorthand. From these notes, it is obvious that an editor’s job during this time included proofreading and altering and correcting finished pages of art and story. Hughes paired writers with artists when necessary, blending their styles. Stories written at Sangor’s New York City offices were assigned to freelance artists, and a massive correspondence with these freelancers was maintained. A shorthand draft of a letter to an unknown recipient, written on Hughes’ desk calendar and dated Thursday, May 30, 1946, illustrates that correspondence and his critiquing of artist/writer Jack Bradbury’s work: Believing that you want the inks of the other originals, at least, I am complying with your suggestion, and you may raise Bradbury’s rates in accordance with that of [Bob] Wickersham. There’s one thing, however, that I must emphasize, and that is the fact that on examination, I’m confirmed that the level of Bradbury’s stories don’t live up to his art. At this particular stage, especially [indecipherable]. I suggest, therefore, that you urge Bradbury to accept

someone else’s stories, and enable them to turn out more work and benefit by the change. Please give your stories the best you’ve got, and if further [future?] art is outstanding and if the story could only live up to the standard of the art, I could be proud of the [indecipherable] of his work. The deal is still hanging in the balance, and the [indecipherable]. No matter what happens, within the next 4 to 5 weeks, I shall write to you. My kindest regards. Hughes’ remarks, especially of this sort, were not met with universal enthusiasm by every artist and writer. Human nature accepts criticism grudgingly, at best, and creative people are not known for being the best judges of their own talents. But Richard Hughes was held in high regard by most of the professionals he hired. It was his responsibility, after all, occasionally to rewrite and correct dialogue and captions, as well as to negotiate pay scales and raises for his staff. Hughes also oversaw these payments, as evidenced by his daily calendars. As editor, he also scheduled story and idea sessions with freelance talent located in or traveling to New York City, as shown by this memo on his calendar, dated Monday, October 28, 1946: • [Artist Ed] Good will be in to go to Standard [Publishing] on Wed. Nov 6th. • [Artist Sam] Cooper in Wednesday, 10/30 • [Artist Edvard] Moritz in Friday, 11/1 • [Artist Gus] Schrotter in Friday, 11/1 • [Artist Mike] Suchorsky in Wednesday, Nov 6 • [Artist Art] Gates in Friday, 11/1 • [Artist Sheldon] Moldoff in Wed., Nov 6 • [Artist Henry] Kiefer in Wed., 10/30 • [Artist Fred] Guardineer in Friday, 11/1

Behind The Masque Bob Oksner is credited with penciling the “Miss Masque” splash above, from America’s Best Comics #28 (Nov. 1948). Scripter unknown. Note that, in his 1946 memos quoted on the next page, Richard Hughes was already referring to Pines/Better/Nedor as “Standard,” the name which emblazoned the company’s comics logo beginning in 1949. This tale was reprinted in AC Comics’ giant Men of Mystery Spotlight #1 in 2001, whose cover (top right) was basically that of America’s Best #25 (Feb. 1948). Reprint art in both cases was retouched, with gray tones added on the interior art. The Nedor heroes shown on the AC cover are (main picture) Miss Masque, Fighting Yank, & Black Terror, and (added at bottom) American Eagle (another Hughes creation), Princess Pantha (a Sheena type), Pyroman, The Woman in Red (one of the very earliest masked heroines), & The Grim Reaper. [Retouched art ©2006 AC Comics.]

• Moldoff in Wed., 10/30 For Wed. 10.30 Cooper Moldoff Kieffer [sic]

For Friday 11/11 Moritz Schrotter Guardineer

For Wed. Nov 6 [Ed] Good Suchorsky

It is difficult to imagine where Richard Hughes found time to review new submissions, proofread color mats from the printer, schedule stories for each issue, and review readers’ letters to be included in ACG letter pages. The entry on his calendar for Monday, January 28,1946, is not atypical of his editorial workday.

The History Of The American Comics Group

• Send sample scripts, etc. to Leo [Isaacs?]

List of (potential) comic subpub names

• Read scripts to assign to Murphy • Get up or [?] collate information on Standard book setups • Finish editing SuperKat • Get up data for rubber stamps • Call Rosenbloom for printed forms—devise others, if necessary • See if we have Exciting stories to assign for new book • Devise new recording system for all scripts, with numbers. To [?] Murphy, Back [?] etc. • Edit Miss Masque • Have Standard material proofread and corrected • Check on backlog • Check on Langman [?] Puzales, order from Vi [?] • Check on colored story [indecipherable] coming in, assign to Battle [sic]—if necessary • Clean up desk Since each comic book featured at least four stories, and often many more than four, and since Hughes edited many titles for the Sangor Shop, one marvels at how Hughes found time to write. Also among Hughes’ papers at Fairleigh Dickinson University is this entry in his diary for January 1, 1946, recording a chore he did only once—choosing the umbrella name for Sangor’ comic book titles.

Rainbow Comics Dramatic " Keen Komics Cardinal Comics Creston Comics Group Superior " " Non Pareil American Comics Group National " " Universal " " World " " Worldwide " " Rainbow " " Champion " " Keen Komic " "

Elite Comics Leading " Banner " Color " Favorite " Headline " Blue Ribbon " Famous " Royal " Regal " Beacon " Modern " Supreme " Prestige Comic Group

Not long after the choice of “American Comics Group” was made, a postwar downturn in comic book sales, the threat posed by television, and public concern over comic book content convinced Sangor to close down his shop (1948). All of Hughes’ efforts would now be focused on expanding his little giant: the American Comics Group.

He began to broaden the titles released through ACG. Eventually, he would create, edit, or write for 34 different ACG titles (see Appendix C, next issue). In all, 1,010 ACG comic book issues would be released by the end of 1967 (not including either Custom Comics or Modern Comics books). At ACG’s peak, in 1952, Hughes edited and wrote for 16 titles. During his career with ACG, Hughes helped create the first continuing horror series in comics, Adventures into the Unknown. He also created the characters of “Herbie,” “Magicman,” “Nemesis,” and (possibly) “John Force, Magic Agent.” The books Herbie and Forbidden Worlds won Alley Awards in 1964 as superior comics, and Hughes’ patriotic stories prompted a Insurance Runs letter of thanks from The first and last pages of the 4-page Custom Comics done for Early American Life. The name of its artist, Edd Ashe, the White House. formed the basis of the monicker of the insurance agent in the final panel. Hughes was probably the writer. Sent by Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures

The success of the American Comics Group led to a separate imprint, Custom Comics, also called Culver Comics (1954), which Hughes did not create. His résumé described Custom as an arm of ACG that produced “special purpose magazines for major commercial companies and governmental agencies. Purpose: public relations and sales promotions. Write major portion of such materials.” Hughes did so through 1967, but copies dated as late as 1977 prove that Custom Comics remained a viable property even after his death and into the 1980s, as confirmed by publisher Frederick Iger. These comic books were produced for police and fire departments, Buster Brown Shoes, Howard Johnson, the US Air Force, and dozens of other institutions; they were given away free or as product premiums. One such Custom Comic was written and drawn for Early American Life, a mutual insurance company. In it, a prospective homebuyer encounters a stranger outside of the empty Adams house. The stranger relates the story of Tom Adams, a young, strong husband who loved his children and was never sick. Each description of Tom is illustrated by a panel depicting smiling children or a loving wife in a family situation. But whenever Tom was approached by insurance agent Ed Ashley, Tom always said “no” to insurance. When Tom was killed in an automotive accident, his family lost everything. By contrast, a neighbor with insurance, who is also a widow, is shown as being happy and secure. The resolution of this 4-page story comes when the stranger hands the home buyer a card. The buyer has been listening to insurance agent Ed Ashley! Subtly, Hughes’ sense of humor found its way even into this no-nonsense pitch for insurance: Edd Ashe was the name of the artist who drew this Custom Comic story. Assistant editor Norman Fruman has discussed his own involvement with the Custom Comics line of books: I was there when they were created. And to this day, when I see a pair of Wrangler blue jeans, for example, among the corners of knowledge that I have were some of the rodeo champions of whom I wrote little biographies that were put into the back pockets of Wrangler jeans. I strongly doubt if Richard came up with the idea, so it must have come from Sangor or Fred [Iger], or maybe even the companies approached us for all I know. This certainly would not have been after I was freelancing, because I simply remember being in the office and discussing them. We did a lot of them, and it was a successful operation. I wrote a lot of them. A lot of them were biographies of athletes. I did one, on a freelance basis, for Standard Oil of New Jersey, and it was a history of roads. Another one I did as late as 1956 or 1957. During his career in comic books, Richard Hughes also wrote many radio and television ads, and edited and wrote a magazine of satire and comedy for B.W. Sangor entitled TNT. He produced his last mainstream comic book work for DC Comics in 1967, writing uncredited stories for Jimmy Olsen, Hawkman, and several mystery anthology titles. Giving Hughes credit for authoring those stories now is based on the best opinion of several comics historians who specialize in identifying writers and artists by their styles, as well as on the opinion of Hughes’ widow. Hughes ended his career and his life writing response letters to complaints for Gimbel’s Department Store in New York City. An example is this letter to a “Mrs. Williams”: Obviously, you are completely unaware of the basic fact that lends a touch of humor to what you consider dunning on our part. Won’t you permit our Credit Office Bard to state the case... as follows: “Mrs. Williams just couldn’t rest until she bought a couple

The Bane Of Dr. Wertham’s Existence Though the heyday of horror comics would bring social critics’ wrath down upon the industry’s collective head, ACG’s pioneering Adventures into the Unknown mostly didn’t go in for the gorier aspects of the genre. This splash from AITU #19 (May 1951) was reprinted in the b&w Australian comic Haunted Tales #1; scan by Mark Muller. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Pantsuits which she charged on Gimbel’s bill. But having bought those Pantsuits, the heart within her burned... she was sure that she’d be happier if they were fast returned! “When this was wrought she promptly thought ‘There’s something that I lack—If I returned those Pantsuits, I should get my money back!!/She manned the phones... despite our groans, insisted we must pay./And that is why (we do not lie) a refund came her way. “Such a thing as this has never happened in the trade... a refund for an item that had not as yet been paid! When Gimbel’s learned what it had done, it threw a fit, of course... on account of we are merchants and we are not Santa Claus! This is not the sort of way we make things pay at Gimbel’s./If thus we do, our revenue would fit within a thimble./The very thought of what we’d done was practically chilling./That’s why Mrs. Williams has to pay what we are billing.” The above is innocent fun, Mrs. Williams... but represents exactly what happened! You didn’t realize it, of course, but you never paid for those Pantsuits! And you got that refund purely through our error. Which is why we must bill you for the sum involved... and insist upon its payment. Richard Hughes created important super-heroes during the early history of comic books, as well as the first funny animal parody of Superman. As the driving force behind the first horror comic book, he inadvertently helped spark the comic book witch hunt of the 1950s that almost destroyed the art form in America. Adventures into the Unknown led to dozens of imitations, among them EC Comics’ horror books, which are now thought of by many critics as the finest ever published. These EC titles inspired novelists like Stephen King and movie directors, including John Landis. In addition, many of the EC stories were adapted directly into movies and into a continuing series

The History Of The American Comics Group

on cable television, Tales from the Crypt. Hughes’ American Comics Group was one of the few publishers to survive the Comics Code Authority that it indirectly helped initiate. His mark on the history of comics is indelible, and his career can never be duplicated. Hughes’ life was important as “one of the best editors” in the so-called Golden and Silver Ages of comic books.

Chapter 6 An Editor By Many Other Names ARGH! Looks like... you’ve got me at last... but looks are deceptive! —Nemesis, from Adventures into the Unknown #161 (1965). Working with Dick was a pleasure. He was an educated, intelligent man with a great sense of humor. —Artist Gloria Kamen.

For 30 years, most comic book artists, writers, and editors worked anonymously, often doing so by choice. Wages were low, production values were frequently shoddy, and many creators took no pride in working for this offspring of the equally distasteful “pulps.” When stories were signed, it was by artists who, working through comic book “shops” and for many different publishers, used dozens of pen names. As far as readers could tell, comic books were written by machines. And, as Norman Fruman has recalled, “We were not aware [that we were involved in the birth of an art form] at the time, because comic books were looked down on then, and television was just burgeoning.” Many publishers encouraged or forced obscurity, fearing that a writer or artist with a following of fans would demand higher page rates for his or her work. Some companies seemed to be simply indifferent, employing bylines sporadically and randomly or using “house names” (pen names owned by the publisher and shared by dozens of different writers and artists). This policy had the added benefit of making small companies appear to be large, thriving publishers with substantial rosters of talent. The American Comics Group shared the industry’s apparent indifference to bylines in its early days, and the infrequent artist credits and nonexistent writer credits make it difficult or impossible to know who wrote or drew many stories published by ACG before 1959. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, writer Charles Biro gained celebrity status in books like Crime Does Not Pay, Boy Comics, and Daredevil, all published by the Gleason company. Also in the early 1950s, EC Comics raised its artists to star billing while virtually ignoring the writers. But, in 1959, ACG became one of the first companies to credit both writers and artists consistently. Names like Shane O’Shea, Ogden Whitney, Kurato Osaki, and John Rosenberger became well known to ACG readers. Eventually, even caricatures of the writers and artists were published with each byline, an approach that remains unique to ACG in the comics industry. Many biographies about ACG’s writers were printed in their letter pages, such as a background piece on Brad Everson, which ran in Forbidden Worlds. In this brief profile, either Hughes or Norman Fruman wrote that Everson was an adventuresome young man who had tried out for college football, only made the third team, and could not make a winning score. Eventually, Everson became a private investigator with the all-consuming desire to solve complicated and exciting cases. He excelled at accounting instead and discovered himself chained to bookkeeping while criminals ran free. Everson was patriotic and had

served during the Korean War, but a gall bladder operation sent the soldier back into the civilian world without a Congressional Medal or the fulfillment of his dreams for adventure. At last, Everson learned that while he could not live a life of high adventure, he was able to write about it in the fictional world of comic books! “Brad” was actually Richard Hughes. Or Norman, Is That You? Norman Fruman. Despite In 1951 Norman Fruman became Hughes’ the elaborate biography and assistant editor. Photo courtesy of caricature, Brad’s were as Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective fictitious as any other copyright holders.] writer’s biography and portrait in Forbidden Worlds and its sister books. Only the artists’ credits were factual; writers would have to wait several more years before Marvel Comics or DC Comics consistently gave writers (and letterers, inkers, and colorists) the credit they so richly deserved. Why did Richard Hughes the editor decide to condemn Hughes the writer (and other ACG writers) to the obscurity of house names? His widow Annabel has said the biographies and portraits were used because of her husband’s famous sense of humor. If this is so, the last laugh is on Hughes. His own credits as a writer on hundreds of scripts may be lost to time, failing memories, and scant records of the few left alive who wrote and drew the stories published during the Golden and Silver Ages of Comic Books. In 1951, when ACG was expanding its line of adventure titles, B.W. Sangor hired Norman Fruman as assistant editor to Richard Hughes. Fruman has recalled Hughes with much respect: Richard was a fanatically hard worker, much exploited by Mr. Sangor. Richard would have been extremely difficult to replace. He was underpaid and overworked and had a wide variety of talents. He knew the business upside down and inside out, and [Fred] Iger—I think there were not many people he could’ve hired to do it. I don’t know what Iger did when the business folded. One of Richard’s little jokes was that the names of four of the main people in the office were Sangor, Hughes, Iger, and Taub. And the first letters of those names you can spell out for yourself! Richard had a wonderful sense of humor, liked bawdy jokes, and was hyper-acute to the presence of the slightest sexual innuendo, real or imagined. For example, there was a cat in one of the comics called “Cleopatra.” In one of the episodes, she is in a race. Richard bluepenciled [the line] “Cleopatra, get on your mark!” as being sexually suggestive: [as in] “Cleopatra, get on your Mark [Antony]!” We once had a cover with a roaring monster of some sort—a kind of huge alligator. And preposterously, because the genitals would normally be showing in the position that the creature was in, Richard had a loincloth put on—which evoked a few letters to the editor from people. Fruman has also recalled that his duties went somewhat beyond what he had expected and were not all entirely pleasant ones. When he started as assistant editor with the company, his responsibilities included more than the classic definition of editing:

Forbidden Adventures I would, as Richard did, read all of the scripts that came in from people. It was my job to improve upon them if I could: changing language, making story suggestions, and so on. Very rapidly, I was asked to do writing myself. And that was not something that I thought I was going to be asked to do. I thought I was going to be, essentially, editing other people’s work. In fact, that became a problem, with my editing the work of the [staff writer], whose name I can’t remember, who was employed there. Because he’d been there longer than I, and he was long-winded. Well, no writer likes an editor, with few exceptions. So that was a problem between us. Fruman has remembered Hughes as a very fast worker and an accurate editor, driven by an industry more concerned with volume than with quality. He worked with an ancient typewriter that he loved, sucked on his pipe and chewed gum all day, and enjoyed fine clothing that he shopped for during his lunch hours. And he loved people: He had what was regarded as an important job, and was comparatively well paid, but he was always insecure. Bad sales reports always made Richard feel personally threatened. He was a child of the Depression, with all that meant by way of economic insecurity. Nobody can write for all the comic genres with equal success. Richard tried, sometimes very successfully, sometimes not. I’m sure he felt, as so many writers do, that he was not doing the work he was capable of doing. And it was certainly true enough that there was simply no time after the grueling days to write at another level after hours. Nobody but a freelance pulp writer can even begin to imagine the pressure one feels to write, write, write! Sometimes you get ideas which you know are much too good for the pulp medium. But you can’t lay it aside to use another time. Every idea has to be caught on the wing and used.

recalled by Frederick Iger: Did Norman ever tell you he appeared on [the television quiz show] The $64,000 Question? He’s a sweet guy. You remember the show. He won $48,000. His specialty was, I believe, 19th Century English Literature—which is now his field—and baseball! He was an encyclopedia of baseball. And when he won that money, that’s when he left us and he went into teaching. He’s a modest guy; I figured he didn’t talk to you about that. Like Fruman, Hughes had other talents, too. “I once asked Richard if he had any other writing to show me,” Fruman has said. “Eventually, he gave me the typescript of a detective story he had written. I found it a gifted work, and it was sad that Richard had never had the chance to develop his writing talents in other directions.” Al Williamson was an artist who did a significant amount of work for EC Comics during the height of their popularity in the 1950s. In more recent years, he gained a large following as the illustrator of the Star Wars newspaper comic strip. He also worked for ACG during two different periods of his career. Williamson’s work for ACG included Adventures into the Unknown #27 (with Roy Krenkel, in 1951), #91 (1957), #96 (1958), #107 (1958), #116 (1960), and #128 (1961); Confessions of the Lovelorn (March 1958); Forbidden Worlds #1 (with Frank Frazetta, in 1951), #3 (with Wally Wood, Joe Orlando, and Frank Frazetta, in 1951), #5 (with Krenkel, in 1952), #6 (1952), #63 (1958), #69 (with Krenkel, in 1958), #76 (1959), and #78 (1959); My Romantic Adventure (Feb. 1958); Out of the Night #1 (with Harold LeDoux, in 1952), #2 (1952), and #4 (1952); and Unknown Worlds #47 (1966). Of this body of work, illustrator and artist William Stout has written that Williamson did better art for Atlas and ACG comics than his more famous work at EC comics.

Artist Kurt Schaffenberger, in a letter dated March 10, 1978, expressed the feelings that he, like others, had for Richard Hughes: “Dick Hughes and I had a relationship that far exceeded that of editor and artist. I considered him one of my closest friends, and I am sure he shared that feeling.” Until Fruman joined the ACG staff, Hughes was the company’s only editor, responsible for everything; in addition, he wrote a substantial amount of the stories. He maintained frequent correspondence with writers and artists, sending them long missives that were dashed off quickly and laden with jokes. Hughes was fond of puns and seemingly gave all his acquaintances nicknames. Fruman himself had talents beyond his expertise in the field of comics— talents that he put to good use, as

Today, Williamson is still a highly respected creator in the comic book field—and still has fond memories of his association with ACG and especially of editor Richard Hughes, under all of his pen names: I remember buying the books, you know? There were some nice artists in them that I enjoyed very much. They never signed their work [in the early issues], so I didn’t know who they were. There was something nice about the books, so I thought I’d just go up there. I didn’t show any printed work; I think I just took originals that I had done.

Schaffenberger Nailed To The “Wahl” Kurt Schaffenberger (see self-caricature on p. 92), who liked and respected Hughes, drew many pages for ACG—including the cover of Gasp! #1 (March 1967), whereon he used his pseudonym “Lou Wahl.” Why? Read on! Scan by Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Small outfit. Small office. It had several little rooms. I think it was the spring of ’51. So I went there, [Hughes] liked the stuff and gave me a script. I don’t know who wrote the script. He did have some other guys working there, and I know a couple of times when I delivered work and he was not there—on vacation—

The History Of The American Comics Group

somebody else picked up the job and gave me a script. And one of the guys who gave me a script [Fruman?] said he just wrote it. The first job I did for him, Frank Frazetta worked on it. They loved it, thought it was very nice. They gave me another one—I think I did about four or five jobs for them. Williamson then left ACG to begin his stint with EC. When that publisher canceled nearly all of its titles following the imposition of the strict Comics Code guidelines, the artist made his way back to ACG and its editor by many other names:

EC Didn’t Have The Only Entertaining Comics Comics great Al Williamson (right) did considerable work for ACG over the years, occasionally aided and abetted in the early days by the incomparable Roy G. Krenkel (right). This joint effort appeared in Forbidden Worlds #6 (May 1952). Thanks to Michael Vance for scouting up the photo, and to Mark Cannon for the FW scan. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

I went back to work for Mr. Hughes in ’56 or ’57, I think, and there was absolutely no animosity.... In a way, I have mixed

emotions about having worked for EC. But, of course, you’re young, you’re 21 and working with all of these great people. You figure, this is it. They paid better than ACG. And they were very nice people. But Mr. Hughes was exceptional. He was a very sweet man. I think he was a very honest man. I understand he wrote some of the stories. The editor that I think I like best — this is not putting down EC guys at all—the one that I feel I should have done more work for, should have been the better artist for, is Richard Hughes. But I was young and stupid. I wanted to work for EC, and they asked me just to work for them, and not to do any work for anybody else. I remember calling Mr. Hughes... no, I must have been working on something because I remember taking a job in. I said, “Well, this will be my last job, ’cause I’ll be working for EC now.” He said, “Oh, I really am very, very sorry that you are.” He wished me success. This guy was an angel. I can’t give enough praise to him. Of all of the people in the business, he, I think, if I had to pick what editor you’d like to work the next fifty years for, I’d say, “Well, if you could bring Richard Hughes back, he’d be my favorite editor.”

More Williamson Magic This later Williamson splash, from a tale that originally appeared in Adventures into the Unknown #116 (April 1960), is taken from an Australian b&w reprint. Angelo Torres assisted Al on this story. Scan by Mark Cannon. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Ironically, whatever the motive for Hughes’ policy on pen names for himself and other writers at ACG, his decision was flawed. In an industry overflowing with fictional super-heroes with secret identities meant to protect themselves, their families, and their friends, some real ACG heroes damaged their place in history forever with the same gimmick.

Forbidden Adventures

35 Unknown #4 (April-May 1949). The length of the column increased from one to two pages in February 1958 (Adventures into the Unknown #93 and Forbidden Worlds #63).

Adding to ACG’s appeal was the editorial honesty displayed in these letters columns—an honesty seldom On The Fritz seen in comic books before or since. This openness in Future art-master Frank Frazetta (who drew under the pen name “Fritz” for responding to readers’ Standard/Nedor) worked with Al questions and comments gives Williamson on an ACG tale or two, a rare insight into the including the lead story in Forbidden philosophy that underlay the Worlds #1 (July-Aug. 1951). With thanks to editorial policies of ACG and Bill Field for the scans of the art, Michael influenced its creative and Vance for finding the photo. [©2006 the business decisions. It was an respective copyright holders.] honesty that included selfcriticism, even about horror stories published during the pre-Comics Code years, as shown in an answer to a reader’s letter in Adventures into the Unknown #161 regarding the quality of stories then being published. Hughes reminded the reader that he was an editor both then and before the implementation of the restrictive guidelines of the Comics Code. He agreed with the contention that there had been some terrific stories produced before that time but expressed the opinion that such quality had been rare. The very fact that they were such a rarity is what made them stand out in readers’ minds, yet, over time, the belief arose that such stories had been more common than reality would support.

Chapter 7 A Man Of Letters Midnight holds many mysteries for all men. Down through the ages, from out of the mists of antiquity itself, has come the concept of the witching hour. —Introduction to the letters page, Out of the Night #9, June-July 1952. One amusing thing that I recall was a fan letter that Dick received from some woman in Kentucky who claimed that invisible writing would appear on her leg at night and wondered what Dick thought of it. Dick wanted to write back asking her to send the leg in, but better minds prevailed. —Artist Kurt Schaffenberger.

The American Comics Group was a small, stable publisher, thought of by many readers as an underdog, and underdogs are often sentimental favorites. The ACG letters columns were also popular in the comics in which they were printed, representing some of the liveliest and most personal ones in comic books of that era. ACG’s first letters column appeared in Adventures into the

Just One Of Those Things “The Thing with the Golden Hair” appeared in Forbidden Worlds #27 (March 1954), but Hughes later wrote in a letters page that it couldn’t be reprinted under the Comics Code instituted at the end of that year. Interior art by Sheldon Moldoff; cover by Ken Bald, who was interviewed in depth in Alter Ego #55. Scans by Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group The super-heroes that ACG grudgingly introduced soon failed, but the circulation of Unknown Worlds held steady. Hughes stated in the letters columns that the superheroes had met with much resistance from steady ACG readers, and the books in which they appeared reverted to their original formats.

The reader had cited one particular pre-Code story, “The Thing with the Golden Hair,” as being particularly excellent. Hughes agreed with the fan’s assessment but told him bluntly that ACG could not reprint it or similar early stories simply because they would not be allowed under the Comics Code. He also told the reader that the depictions of horror and violence in pre-Code comics had nearly destroyed the industry, due to the public backlash. As a result of this public response, many magazines had been forced to suspend publication. As a further consequence, many writers had become unemployed—and unemployable.

A great deal of the appeal of the ACG letter columns can be attributed to the time and space that Hughes took in replying to readers’ comments. This practice was made necessary, partially, by the fact that he had few good letters on hand, as confirmed by Hughes’ associate editor, Norman Fruman:

Clearly, Hughes pulled no punches with his readers. The last pre-Code Adventures into the Unknown was published in Jan.-Feb. 1955, and the first Code issue was coverdated March-April of that year. During this difficult time for all comics publishers, Hughes saved his comics line by focusing more on human interest and adventure than on horror in the supernatural stories, as well as by increasing the number of science-fiction stories. This editorial shift worked and defined ACG’s story content for the rest of its existence.

Herbie And The Heroes

It was surprising, in view of how many people read them, how few letters we got. That is why, when [Hughes would] get a half-dozen letters or so on one particular story, we regarded that as really a lot. Sometimes, I answered the letters published in our letters pages, sometime he. And while I was there, we started an “Advice to the Lovelorn” column. I thought of that in relationship to a book that had become enormously popular back then (though it had been written long before) that was called Miss Lonelyhearts, written by Nathaniel West, that was later

An answer to a reader’s question in Herbie #14 (Oct.-Nov. 1964) guest-starred ACG’s other two superForbidden Worlds #137 clearly paints doers: Nemesis and Magicman. Art by Ogden Whitney. Scan by Richard Hughes’ feelings about experiBill Field. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.] menting with new titles during this time of cancellations at ACG and other publishers. He reminded the reader made into a movie. of the high stakes involved in comics publishing. Because of the way the newsstand distribution system worked, by the time that publishers Hughes would argue with those who took positions contrary to his knew a specific title was selling poorly, they would already have general policies, but he would also agree with readers that specific produced and paid for several more unreleased issues of that book. This stories or art had not met ACG standards and countered this by explained why publishers tended to play it safe when it came to promoting other successful stories. He printed criticism but always launching new titles. Hughes conceded that some publishers had taken followed with a rebuttal. One of his favorite ways of putting ACG in a risks that paid off handsomely, but contended there were many more more favorable light was to publish “crank letters” and, through them, whose risk-taking had simply landed them in bankruptcy court! create a negative reaction from other readers toward his critics. These Not long after the character Herbie was given his own comic in the were popular with readers and were used often to build up sentiment 1960s, ACG had a major policy reversal that may have contributed to for the company. Each crank letter drew responses from other readers their eventual downfall. Super-heroes were enjoying a boom sales in defense of ACG. In his exchanges with cranks, the editor gave period for other publishers, and the ACG letters columns reveal that himself the perfect opportunity to appear fair and reasonable. readers had been asking ACG to add a hero or two to its roster of An example of this technique can be found in the letters column of comic book titles. Unknown Worlds #23, wherein Hughes assured readers that he had no Hughes frequently stated in the letters columns that ACG’s success objection to receiving sincere criticism concerning stories. He proved had been built on a mixture of supernatural and science-fiction stories this by admitting that ACG had on occasion made mistakes and run with no continuing characters and that it would be against policy to stories that were of lesser quality. Stating that ACG had never tried to add something as alien as super-heroes. At last, he relented. In the avoid taking responsibility for justified criticism, he also averred that, letters column of Unknown Worlds #45, Hughes reiterated that ACG when necessary, the publishers would nonetheless fight back against critics they considered to be “cranks and publicity seekers.” had resisted introducing super-heroes into a line of magazines that was devoted principally to tales of the supernatural and science-fiction. But Hughes received favorable responses when he went out of his way continued and growing reader demand had forced ACG to rethink its to appear reasonable and human. This was accomplished by admitting position and give in to those demands. Hughes also stated, however, mistakes, as in Adventures into the Unknown #119, where he that even the super-heroes ACG was introducing would maintain a admitted in no uncertain terms that a story entitled “Mystery of the flavor of the supernatural element and that one title—Unknown Mist” in issue #114 had been an extremely bad one and that ACG had Worlds—would remain in its original format, devoid of super-heroes. shown poor judgment in running it. He even went so far as to beg

Forbidden Adventures

example of this came in Forbidden Worlds #113, where he replied to criticism of a story illustrated by artist Rudy Palais. It was, not surprisingly, the artist’s last published work for ACG. The story under consideration was entitled “The Ghost of the Museum,” and Hughes stuck to his belief that it had been an excellent story, filled with suspense and intrigue—the kind of story that should have been a fan favorite. Instead, it had flopped, and Hughes placed the blame for its failure squarely on the visuals. He rightly pointed out that in comics the artwork can either enhance a story or deprive it of all impact. He believed the latter to be the case here, apologized to the fans, and asserted that, had a different artist drawn the story, it would have been a success. Hughes also promoted stories that he thought had done well, as in Forbidden Worlds #137. He reminded regular readers that ACG had a deserved reputation for admitting to its mistakes and failures, and for apologizing for them. He therefore felt ACG was justified in bragging about stories of great merit. Other topics discussed in the letter pages included covers that did not illustrate an exact scene in an interior story. Hughes defended this practice because exciting representative covers sold copies. A few readers also complained that the stories were not true; Hughes gently pointed out the obvious. A frequent request was for one long story in an issue, as opposed to ACG’s usual three or more stories. Hughes responded that if a single story were unpopular, then readers would have nothing else to enjoy, and he would lose readers. Often criticized for inaccurate science, Hughes’ attitude toward the elements that characterize science-fiction appeared in Forbidden Worlds #74 and #110. He asserted his belief that it was a strong plot, peopled by fully developed and sympathetic characters, rather than “fake science,” that made for a good science-fiction story. He also claimed that stories were often given more pages in order to develop the plot and characterizations properly.

Did Palais Give The Story A Ghost Of A Chance? “The Ghost of the Museum” appeared in Forbidden Worlds #107 (April 1959). Hughes later said in a letters page that he felt the art by Rudi (also spelled “Rudy”) Palais had let down the story by “Lafcadio Lee” (i.e., Hughes himself). What do you think? Thanks to Michael Vance for the scan, and to Gary Perlman & the Great Comic Book Data Base for additional info. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

forgiveness from the fans. Again, in a general discussion on bad stories or art, Hughes pointed out the difficulty of matching stories with the specific talent of individual artists or the possibility that a written story might fail visually, as in Forbidden Worlds #93. He conceded that some stories would have fine scripts but poor art, while others mixed terrific art with weak scripts, explaining that such was inevitable in the publishing business. He assured the readers that every attempt was made to avoid lapses in the quality of art or story, but sometimes the system failed. Sometimes, he told them, bad art could be attributed to the fact that ACG had used a new and untried artist or that an established artist had simply fallen short of his usual standards. Most of the time, the stories that Hughes admitted to be inferior were short features of five pages or less, in which he lacked adequate space to flesh out a plot and characterizations. He said as much, numerous times, when referring to the many one- and two-page “filler” stories. These were published to compensate for advertising that went unsold and were simple narratives of strange events or discoveries, usually fictional. Hughes made it clear that these were a necessary evil. While he primarily criticized the writing on stories of the shorter length, he was not above blaming bad art for a story that failed. A good

Responding to the specific criticism of one fan, Hughes denied that ACG ever tried to talk down to its readers in how its science-fiction stories were presented. As always, he admitted to inadvertent errors but went on to inform the reader that some “mistakes” found in ACG’s stories were deliberate, done in the name of artistic license. He used as an example a story wherein early men might be shown coexisting with dinosaurs, even though it was a well-known fact that such creatures became extinct long before the rise of man. Yet he felt justified in using such a juxtaposition for the sake of telling an exciting tale, as did all other storytelling media. Likewise, he continued, other facts of science were occasionally bent or ignored outright in the service of a story, as in the use of faster-than-light space travel. Hughes asked the readers to understand this practice and to allow ACG this license in the cause of stories they would all enjoy. Because of the volume of stories published each year, core plots were often repeated with added twists and characterizations. Nonetheless, the complaint of “formula” was not unknown in the letter pages. Hughes admitted the use of formulas, but offered this defense in Forbidden Worlds #116. He repeated the oft-used contention, which was and is largely true, that novels, movies, and television all use plots that spring from a limited number of basic formulas. He pointed out that it was not the plot per se that made for a good story, but rather novel twists and fresh approaches. The reader to whom Hughes was responding had made mention of a story he had particularly liked, entitled “You’ll Make a Million Bucks Up There.” Hughes asserted that this story itself had employed a fairly standard space fantasy plot. He contended that the story succeeded because of its hero, who did not seem heroic at all but was merely a simple guy who had failed at every venture in his life and was taking one last shot at success by opening a grocery store in outer space! Hughes expressed his belief that it was the

The History Of The American Comics Group

Chapter 8 Nothing Adventured, Nothing Gained Some folks think a submarine is limited... but not this one! —Bill Battle, in Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub #2, 1954. It was this action-filled rawness, this world of lusty hoodlumism, of Saturday movie serials seven days a week that made the new comic books, from their first day of publication, the principal reading matter in my life. —Novelist, playwright, and cartoonist Jules Feiffer, in The Great Comic Book Heroes.

In 1951, when young Norman Fruman was hired as assistant editor for the American Comics Group, the comic book industry itself was barely in its teens and filled with a sense of adventure. Fruman has recalled in vivid detail the staff and surroundings of the ACG offices: It was one of the tall office buildings between 5th and 6th [in New York City]…. It is still one of the most elegant addresses in New York. The New Yorker [magazine] is one block away. So it certainly was a good address; and the major elegant stores were just a short distance away. And Richard [Hughes] liked to dress as elegantly as he could. There were a number of names on the door, including Sangor Studios. It wasn’t just the American Comics Group. What those different names represented, I don’t know. You entered, and there was a secretary as you opened the door, behind a desk. And that was Jeanette Taub, and Jeanette had worked there a long time. There was an office immediately on the left of that which belonged to one of the staff writers, whose name I have forgotten. It was a person about my age who was in his twenties.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The splash to the popular story “You’ll Make a Million Bucks Up There!” Script by Richard Hughes as “Shane O’Shea”; art by Chic Stone, for Forbidden Worlds #109 (Jan.-Feb. 1963). Scan by Michael V. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

use of this ordinary, believable character that made the story seem fresher than it really was. He obviously felt that characterization was pivotal to the telling of any good story. Hughes’ technique of using the letter pages to strengthen the sense of connection between publisher and readers has proved successful for other companies as well. Its ultimate proponent was Stan Lee, editor of Marvel Comics. In the 1960s, his chatty letter columns and “Bullpen Bulletins” pages created the strong impression that the readers had a personal stake in the affairs of Marvel. Lee convinced fans that their input was welcomed and vital to the life of his books, by repeatedly referring to them as being the “real” editors. As with the ACG letters pages, the result of this practice was that readers developed a heightened sense of importance and belonging to a special club. This in turn increased their loyalty and devotion to the publisher. The honesty, openness, and respect that Hughes gave to his readers through the letters pages of ACG titles was another of the secrets of ACG’s success. As attested by his co-editor Norman Fruman, and by many other ACG writers and artists, these qualities sprang naturally from Richard Hughes, left their imprint on both story and art for more than 24 years, and spoke sincerely to the millions of ACG readers who read those letters columns for almost a quarter of a century.

Next to that, going back farther, was an office that was shared by Richard Hughes, who was the chief editor, and me, as an assistant. And there was the office of Fred Iger, and then the very fancy office of Mr. Sangor by comparison. We looked out, in fact, on 46th Street. There was room there for letterers and colorists. Ed Hamilton, the letterer, I would see him working in one of the offices, and I suspect that was the one used by the staff writer. It was heady stuff for Fruman to know what he wrote was read by hundreds of thousands of eager readers every month. But reality has a way of wearing adventure down, even in the offices of the American Comics Group. Within two weeks, and maybe sooner, Fruman was called into the publisher’s office and made aware of how B.W. Sangor viewed his work—as well as Sangor’s philosophy for the workplace: He said, “So, Editor Fruman, how do you think you’re doing?” And I said, “I’m doing okay.” He said, “You’re understanding what’s happening, yes? Well, I think you’re doing well, too, so I’m gonna give you a $10 raise!” Which was not trifling money back then. And then, at that meeting or the next one—which could not have been more than three weeks or a month later, where he then raised my salary to $85—he said, “I’ll tell you one thing, though. You understand, you listen to me now. You should never put your penis in the payroll. You understand?” He meant never screw around with people who work for the firm. Freelancers. Writers. Colorists. It was a good piece of advice, actually.

Forbidden Adventures Along with editor Richard Hughes, it was Fruman’s job to shepherd comic book stories through every stage of their production. It began, of course, with an idea. Experienced writers like Leo Isaacs, a very gifted and erudite writer who was also “neurotic and competitive,” would simply mail their stories into the office. Most of the writers, including Fruman himself, however, would write an outline, and then Hughes would read it and give it the go-ahead for illustration. A story almost always started with somebody submitting an idea. We did have some writers so experienced—like that one fellow, Leo or Leon or whatever—who would just submit the whole story. And in regard to the comic writers, my recollection is that we always received from them the art and story together—but that wasn’t true of all of the comics writers. On the precis, which was possibly a paragraph and sometimes a page [in length], you’d get the go-ahead, and then you’d write up the script, with the directions to the artist. And then, usually, either Richard or I [when I was working there as an editor as well as a writer] would go over the script and make changes. Usually, the changes were in the direction of compression—reducing the number of words so there was more picture. The script was assigned by myself or Richard to an artist. Then, the artist would draw it and come in with it, and then we would look it over and decide what we should do. While the writer and artist were considered to be the principle creators of any comics story, the contributions of several other individuals were required before a book could be sent to press. The

story and art would usually arrive uncolored and unlettered, so they would then be assigned to a colorist and letterer: I did a good deal of the art editing, and what I generally found was that some of our artists would cut corners: for example, like having solid colored suits instead of plaids or cross-hatchings. And we tried very much to get the picture to look good and also to shy away from the six- or eight-box page and try to get some diversity with large pictures in some frames. Remember back to old comic newspaper strips like Prince Valiant—some of the artwork in that was simply dazzling. As with Calvin and Hobbes now, we tried to be inventive about the appearance of the page as a whole. And there again, one had to really scrutinize that the pictures varied, the clothing, that there were differences in close-ups and long shots and whatever. The ordinary reader has no idea of the complexities of production of that time, and it can almost seem silly, the amount of thought and effort that goes into it. But that kind of response comes from those who don’t know the field. Ed Hamilton was our letterer. The letterer had to work inside [the space left by the artist], and the directions to the artist were such that the artist could clearly figure out how much space the [speech] balloon needed from the text [of the script]. Even when the interiors of the books were complete, however, that still left one important step in the creative process—deciding on the covers. Ideas were thrown around concerning what was wanted, because covers were crucial for high sales: One does, also, run out of ideas for covers. I remember one very, very cheap one showing two mice on a rocketship. And one says to the other, “Just think, it’s made of green cheese!” It was cute. Overwhelmingly, but not always, covers sprang from stories that had already been written. In fact, one or more readers strongly objected when the cover didn’t come from a story. The covers were brought in and usually approved with modifications, but I certainly don’t recall several versions being done. That was a matter of money, also, because they were being paid for a particular thing, and if they were paid for a substantial revision that would have been another cost.

“Runaway Success” That’s what ACG assistant editor Norman Fruman says on the next page that Out of the Night was, among the company’s comics launched in the early ’50s. The splash at left, credited to Charles Sultan, is from issue #1 (Feb.-March 1952)—while at right is the cover for #3 (June-July 1952; art attributed to Ken Bald). Thanks to Mark Cannon and Michael Vance for the scans… and to Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., for the IDs. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

I wish I knew [what happened to those original art pages]. This was the era before anyone imagined that these would

The History Of The American Comics Group be worth anything. And of course, it would have involved substantial problems of space. Fruman has admitted that, despite the time, care, and attention to detail given to every book, there were occasions when mistakes were made, much to the chagrin of ACG writers, editors, and artists, as well as to ACG’s loyal readers. This included plagiarism by writers, which was not unknown at other publishers as well:

The one instance I remember was a very awkward one. It’s Dealing With Derleth curious that I remember the August Derleth—weird-story name of the author who writer, Arkham House publisher, complained. It was August and popularizer of the work of his Derleth, a well-known horror idol H.P. Lovecraft—complained writer. It was a story in one of to Richard Hughes that one of our magazines, called “The his stories had been plagiarized Ornalean Clock,” and it by an ACG writer. Derleth was involved the other staff writer. right! Photo from the Dunn book named on p. 5. Mr. Derleth wrote in (it surprised me that he was reading these comic books) and sent us the story that he wrote which was about an ornalean clock. It was clear that it had been plagiarized.

of the artists or writers credited. The issue led off with the adventure of “Johnny Injun,” a white man who had been raised by the Apache Indians in Arizona. In this story, Injun must foil a plan by white outlaws who conspire to have the Apaches driven off their land and onto a reservation. While occasionally slipping into racial stereotyping, as evidenced by the hero’s name and his declaration that, “It jest ain’t the way o’ redskins tuh turn on a friend!” this and the other Injun Jones stories did make an effort to portray Indians in a more or less even-handed way. Perhaps hoping to attract female readers to the book, the title also featured recurring stories of “Buffalo Belle,” a red-haired, miniskirted woman who was also a gun-slinging deputy in the Cherokee Strip. Just as capable as any man, here Belle is also up against a gang out to grab land illegally. The story (drawn by Charles Sultan) illustrates how loosely the comics handled historical fact, featuring the Pony Express in a story that takes place long after the agency had gone out of existence. A one-page illustrated piece on “Perils of the Old West” by Bob Lubbers then listed rattlesnakes, Indians, crooked gamblers, the derringer pistol, and “badmen” as among the early dangers, which had now been replaced by “paved roads and slick sedans.” Horace Brentwood had to be the most unlikely name for a Western hero, but he was better known as “Tenderfoot.” This Easterner “turned into a two-fisted dynamo” when he migrated to the West. “Bantam

It was very awkward. Richard confronted the writer, who did what plagiarists always do—that is, claimed he must have dipped into his unconscious, he wasn’t aware of it, and so forth. And perhaps the only defense he had was that it was so blatant! One of the most important decisions any publisher has to make is when and how to expand its line of books. Marketing surveys for comic books were unknown at the time and remain so even today. Instead, much was done by instinct, experience, and by what was selling well at other publishers. Therefore, circulation figures were guarded like King Solomon’s Mines. Fruman has described the thought processes involved in deciding to create a new title for ACG: It certainly came primarily from the way the titles we had were doing. It’s a little hard to distinguish the supernaturals from the science-fictions in comics, but that market was exploding as television was eroding the base for adventure or love stories or whatever. But television was no competition for the supernaturals. The supernatural was to rapidly develop from comparatively innocent beginnings to the horror genre that you know. Now, of all the titles created in the early ’50s, by far the runaway success was Out of the Night. On the whole, the new titles that we started were not successful. Eventually, that comes down to the paucity of writers. You can’t automatically continue to put out new titles unless you have new writers to add to your stable. Despite this shortage of suitable talent and the expanding competition from television, the decision was made to expand the company’s line of titles. In 1948, ACG began to branch out into genres other than humor. Blazing West was launched that year. It featured a remarkably diverse cast of recurring stars, as is evident in the contents of a representative issue: #7 (Sept.-Oct. 1949; 10¢). None of the main stories in that issue was given a title, nor were any

He Drew A Blazing Saddle A circa-1950 cover drawn for ACG’s Blazing West by Ogden Whitney. But—was it ever printed? If so, it probably appeared on some issue between #11-14. Repro’d from a scan of the original art, courtesy of Heritage Comics, with special thanks to Dominic Bongo. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures

I Spy With My Little Eye—And My Jet Plane After Spy and Counterspy #2 (Oct.-Nov. 1949), that Cold War comic transformed into Spy-Hunters, which often combined Korean War action with undercover derring-do. Shown at right is the cover of #20 (Oct.-Nov. 1952). Cover of #2 by Edvard Moritz. Scans by Michael Vance & Bill Field. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Buckaroo,” no doubt meant to appeal to the book’s young male readers, featured a boy in the lead role; its artist was Leonard Starr. The issue was rounded out by “Texas Tim,” a Ranger keeping the peace in the Lone Star State. Beginning with issue #23, in 1952, Blazing West was renamed The Hooded Horseman, spotlighting a Lone Ranger-esque masked gunman of the same name. Issue #26 introduced ACG’s most unusual “Western” series

Buffalo Belle, Won’t You Come Out Tonight? “Buffalo Belle” appeared in Blazing West starting in the first issue, cover-dated Fall 1948. Art by Maxwell Elkan. Thanks to Bill Field. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Horses, Dogs—and Elephants? By issue #20 (March-April 1952), Blazing West had metamorphosed into Hooded Horseman, featuring tales of the title hero (plus solo stories of his dog Flash), the wandering Westerner “Cowboy Sahib” (with art by Harry Lazarus), and the culture-spanning exploits of “Johnny Injun,” drawn by Bob McCarty. Cover by Ogden Whitney. Thanks to Bill Field. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group

of all. “Cowboy Sahib” told the adventures of a Wyoming cowboy who becomes the ruler of a fictional kingdom in India following World War II! The title change did not help the book, and it was canceled after five issues. Another adventure title, Spy and Counterspy, ran for two issues in 1949 before being retitled Spy-Hunters in the same year. Possibly editor Richard Hughes’ response to the highly successful crime comics of the late 1940s and early 1950s, Spy-Hunters was produced for 21 issues before ending in 1953. It presented a pseudo-realistic look at government spies and espionage during the Cold War era, a somewhat unusual theme for comic books. This anthology book did feature an occasional recurring character, such as “Jonathan Kent, Counterspy,” but most stories were independent adventures in which characters, exotic locations, and situations changed with each feature. No single artist dominated the title, and many of ACG’s horror artists also produced the action and violence found inside the pages of Spy-Hunters.

early issues of such DC Comics’ titles as Adventure Comics and Action Comics, before they and many other comics became dominated by super-hero characters. Of the two ACG titles, Operation Peril offered a wider variety of genres and story content. Three features dominated the title: “Typhoon Tyler,” “Danny Danger,” and “The Time Travelers.” They would remain the main features until the title was converted into a war comic near the end of its run.

Hughes must have felt that if nothing were ventured, nothing would be gained. The American Comics Group further attempted to diversify its line in the early 1950s, adding two adventure anthology books to its stable of comic book titles. Operation Peril was published for 16 issues, from 1950 to 1953, while Soldiers of Fortune ran for 13 issues, from 1951 to 1953. Both titles were heavily influenced by such newspaper comic strips as Roy Crane’s Wash Tubbs and Milton Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates. Both ACG titles also resembled

Typhoon Tyler was Indiana Jones’ grandfather in style, exotic locales, and plots. Ogden Whitney drew this feature. Typhoon’s sidekick, Charlie, looked a great deal like a later ACG character—Herbie— only older and balding. Since Herbie was designed by Whitney to resemble himself physically, one might call the character of Charlie the first draft of Herbie. As for Typhoon, he was a handsome, two-fisted rogue who always fought for the right, though initially his prime motivation seemed to be either filling his own pockets or winning a pretty girl. Danny Danger was a tough-as-nails private eye, in a strip drawn by Leonard Starr. The strip’s firstperson narration and style were inspired by Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels, though diluted somewhat to eliminate the sex and violence. The Time Travelers traveled through time with much the same flourish and style that would grace DC Comics’ better-known series Rip Hunter, Time Master, which came many years later. Both teams found themselves entangled with everything from dinosaurs to Roman gladiators.

Perils Before Swine Ogden Whitney’s cover for Operation Peril #8 (Dec.-Jan. 1952)—and a trio of splashes for that titles three most noted features (though not necessarily from that selfsame issue). George Carl Wilhelms drew the “Time Travelers” art. “Typhoon Tyler” art by Ogden Whitney, “Danny Danger” by Leonard Starr, perhaps assisted in this instance by Charles Tomsey. Scans by MV. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures Operation Peril also featured Western, adventure, and horror stories set in exotic locations. These were dropped, however, when the book was reduced from its original 52-page length, leaving Typhoon, Danny, and the Time Travelers to carry the title until its change in format. Peril became a war comic in response to the success of Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales, which were published by EC Comics. Soldiers of Fortune also joined the war comics craze, and both ACG titles quickly died of sales shock. A look at the fourth issue of Operation Peril (April-May 1951) reveals a science-fiction adventure of “The Time Travelers.” Here, Dr. Tom Redfield has devised a way of transporting radioactive waste gases to the moon for disposal. A mysterious man named Volka sabotages Redfield’s space ship, causing it to overshoot its mark. Redfield and his lovely companion Peggy find themselves rocketing toward Saturn. There they discover that the planet’s familiar rings are actually composed of thousands of space ships circling in orbit as they wait for word to launch an invasion of Earth. Even in 1951, readers would have known this to be a far-fetched idea, but comic book science-fiction still usually benefited from a huge suspension of disbelief on the part of its fans. Needless to say, our intrepid space travelers foil the planned invasion.

This story was followed by a one-page “Uncanny Mysteries” piece telling of a ghostly Headless Coachman who appears whenever someone is about to die. The book then jumped back in time for a feature entitled “Famous Western Outlaws.” Presented in this installment is Black Bart, a deceptively innocent-looking man who robbed Wells Fargo stagecoaches for a living. According to this supposedly true story, after Bart was arrested and had served time in prison for his crimes, Wells Fargo paid him a pension for life, in exchange for his promise to leave their stagecoaches alone! After onepagers dealing with, respectively, an attempted Spanish invasion of Holland in the 16th century and a ghostly battle between long-dead Civil War armies, the issue ended with a story of hardboiled private detective Danny Danger. As can be seen, this was a comic book that offered something for virtually every reader.

From outer space, the book then jumped to the South Seas and “Typhoon Tyler.” In this story, illustrated by the ubiquitous Ogden Whitney, modern-day pirates seek to find a hoard of gold that legend says was buried by Sir Francis Drake. Typhoon gets in their way and is forced to escape several deadly schemes to kill him.

Soldiers of Fortune featured “Captain Crossbones” (a pirate), “Ace Carter, Adventurer,” by Leonard Starr, and “Lance Larson, Soldier of Fortune,” by Charles Sultan. Lance was a Typhoon clone, eventually even being drawn by “Typhoon” artist Ogden Whitney. Soldiers lacked the eclectic variety of strips found in Operation Peril. A review of the contents of Soldiers of Fortune #3 (JulyAug. 1951) reveals the influence of motion pictures and novels on comic books, an influence still evident in today’s comic books. The issue opened with an uncredited story featuring “Ace Carter, Adventurer.” Late one night in Cairo, Egypt, young Ace drifts into a seedy bar in an equally squalid part of the city. His eyes are drawn to a

Soldiers of Fortune Favors The Brave The ever-busy Ogden Whitney drew the cover of Soldiers of Fortune #1 (Feb.-March 1951), but other artists at least got to provide some interior art! Leonard Starr, future artist of the newspaper comic strips On Stage and Annie, drew “Ace Carter”… Sheldon (“Shelly”) Moldoff, who had initiated the “Black Pirate” feature for DC’s Sensation Comics a decade earlier, drew “Captain Crossbones”… and Charles Sultan did “Lance Larson.” Scans by Bill Field. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group dashing star, actor Errol Flynn. As in the movie, Crossbones and his mates plunder Spanish ships, not as acts of mere piracy but in the service of good Queen Elizabeth. Arguably the best-written and best-drawn story in this issue, it ends with the bold captain scooping his love, Lady Nancy, into his manly arms!

scantily dressed “Egyptian” dancing girl. In reality, she is a Western woman trying to find “The Hyena”—a vicious slave trader she believes murdered her father. Ace, who talks in a clipped style made famous by such film tough guys as Humphrey Bogart, does not hesitate to offer his assistance to this damsel in distress. Along the way, these two discover a lost tribe of Egyptians living deep within a dormant volcano. The Hyena plans to steal the ancient “Crown of Tambura” from them, in order to use its symbolic importance to launch a full-scale rebellion against the Egyptian government. Ace foils this dastardly scheme and then sweeps the ersatz dancing girl into his arms for a night of romance, before moving on to his next adventure. Equally tough-talking is “Lance Larson, Soldier of Fortune,” star of the issue’s second story. A master of disguise who is known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces” and “The One-Man Army,” Lance battles the favorite villains of 1950s comic book writers: Communists. Here, Lance foils a plot by the “Commies” to develop a new type of atomic bomb. Then, like Ace Carter, he celebrates by sweeping his female friend off her feet, ending the adventure with a closing kiss.

Although none of ACG’s adventure series ever gained the success of the publisher’s romance, horror, and humor comic books, ACG would publish three other adventure titles before finally abandoning the genre.

Rounding out the issue’s main stories was an epic tale of “Captain Crossbones,” 16th-century British privateer (obviously influenced by such movies as The Sea Hawk). Visually, Crossbones bears more than a passing resemblance to that film’s

In 1954, ACG released both Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub and Young Heroes. Neither series would reach an 8th issue. Four intrepid challengers of the unknown, who were known collectively as the Atomic Commandos, piloted ACG’s amazing Atomic Sub. The team consisted of an Olympic weight lifter and decathlon winner, a former Secret Service operative, an escape artist, and an atomic scientist. Together, they battled everything from Communists to aliens in this esoteric series. By the third issue, the Atomic Sub had left the restrictions of the ocean to patrol the skies, brave the maw of an erupting volcano, and rocket to the moon! But, sadly, after just seven issues, the Atomic Sub and its gallant crew sank into oblivion, to surface no more. One artist who drew Commander Battle was Kenneth Landau. Although an infre-

Beneath The 10¢ Reef Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub was a “sub-sea Blackhawks” type of comic—or perhaps an underwater harbinger of DC’s “Sea Devils,” crossed with “Challengers of the Unknown.” The covers of the 2nd issue (Sept.-Oct. 1954) and of #5 (March-April 1955) featured giant sea creatures—while on others they faced flying saucers, sub-aqueous saucers, and an “H-bomb from the moon.” Cover artist(s) uncertain, though Shelly Moldoff and Ken Landau are credited with contributing interior art to the series through #5… and Jim Vadeboncoeur feels Ogden Whitney drew at least the cover of #2. The interior panel shows the Atomic Commandos at loggerheads with extraterrestrials—or was it subaquaterrestrials? Thanks to Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures

quent contributor, Landau did publish through ACG until 1967. He was a Pratt Institute student and member of the Art Students League, as well as a staff artist for the New York Daily News. Commander Battle was clearly a product of Cold War tensions, as can be seen in the pages of its seventh issue (Sept. 1955), as drawn by Landau. The issue’s lead story, entitled “D-Day for the World,” was 15 pages in length, told in two parts. It opens with Bill Battle and his fellow Atomic Commandos pursuing a Russian spy who has escaped from American custody. The foreign spy is killed when his escape vehicle crashes, but the Commandos discover hidden microfilm that reveals tantalizing clues to some devious plot being hatched by the Soviets. Meanwhile, in East Berlin, Commando Doc Blake unearths and destroys a huge weapons cache that had been intended for use in a planned Russian invasion of Western Europe. This Soviet “D-Day” is set to be launched on August 15. In the heart of Russia itself, Battle learns that the Soviets plan to keep America out of the coming conflict by launching an atomic bomb attack against the United States from somewhere in South America. The Atomic Sub speeds across the Atlantic. The Commandos discover an airbase hidden in the jungle, and the aircraft on its tarmac appear to be flying saucers. The Soviets have been using them to spy on the United States, knowing that most Americans would dismiss them as products of their imaginations. These saucers will be used the next day to batter America with atomic bombs. But the plan is foiled when the youngest member of the Commandos, Jonnie Flint, destroys a dam and floods the secret base. Between the two chapters of this story, there appeared an interesting two-page feature entitled “Pitfalls for Spies.” It detailed some of the mistakes that had been made by Allied spies inside Germany during World War II. One spy nearly starved to death because he had forgotten to bring along the German ration coupons that would have allowed him to buy food! Yet another two-pager spotlighted the daughter of the notorious spy Mata Hari. According to this piece, the

That’s Ogden, All Over! The cover of Young Heroes #36 (April-May 1955) was by the ubiquitous Ogden Whitney, whose self-caricature from a 1960s ACG story was provided by Michael Vance. Inside, Whitney drew “Roger of Sherwood Forest,” starring the youngest of Robin Hood’s Merry Men—“Prince Athel” (by Paul Gustavson) was basically “Prince Valiant in the Court of Charlemagne”—and Harry Lazarus drew pirate “Jeremy Jones.” “Frontier Scout,” by Bob McCarty, was a response to the Davy Crockett craze. Thanks to Bill Field. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Have You Got An Agent? The cover and lead-story splash page of John Force, Magic Agent #1 (Jan-Feb. 1961), both drawn by Paul Reinman, who is seen in a selfcaricature from a 1960s ACG comic. Thanks to Michael Vance and Bill Field. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group

Chapter 9 Kiss And Sell: The Romance Titles Goodness-gracious-mercery! Your bedded, wedded bliss is reason for rejercery The reason being this: You both have got a well-tied knot A guaranteed no-sever and all because you’re his, he’s yours You’re hooked you’re cooked—forever! —Previously unpublished poem by Richard Hughes. I... I must have been crazy—intoxicated with his glamour! I didn’t know what I was doing when I picked Second-Hand Love. —Tearful protagonist in Romantic Adventures #1, 1949

In 1947, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby became the first comics creators to unearth a vein of virgin gold with the publication of Lovelorn Got Shopworn Young Romance Comics. The comic book Ah, if only that betrayed lass hadn’t dropped her axe on the cover of Lovelorn #3 (Dec. 1949-Jan. 1950), industry was quick to embrace the romance the mag might’ve started a whole new genre: Crime Romance Stories! Later, Lovelorn tended toward archgenre, and the American Comics Group typical covers, as per the one at right for #20 in the early 1950s. Jim V. and Hames Ware feel both covers entered the field of love and heartbreak in are by Ken Bald. Scans by Michael Vance, Bill Field, & Bill Leach. 1949, offering two titles: Lovelorn and [©2006 the respective copyright holders.] Romantic Adventures. Over a 15-year span, ACG released 242 romance comic daughter Satra also became a spy, on the side of the Allies in World books under five titles. Of all the genres the company explored, only its War II. Like her mother, Satra ended her days in front of a firing squad. horror titles enjoyed a longer run of publication or greater financial Finishing off the issue was a simple 6-page “Atomic Commandos” success. story entitled “Typical Tuesday,” which focused on a hapless federal Lovelorn graced the newsstands for 113 issues through 1954, underagent who was assigned to help stand guard over the vaunted Atomic going a title change to Confessions of the Lovelorn in issue #52. Its Submarine. Of special interest is the fact that two of these stories were sister publication Romantic Adventures produced a total of 137 issues. illustrated by the aforementioned Ken Landau. It, too, underwent a title change, becoming My Romantic Adventures with issue #68; and would continue to be published until 1964. A third Young Heroes briefly replaced an ACG horror title, Forbidden romance title, Search for Love, was a brief affair, lasting only two Worlds, for three bi-monthly issues, appearing in 1954-55. As was issues in 1950. common practice in those days, Young Heroes simply picked up its numbering where Forbidden had left off; thus, its first issue was All of these anthology books were written and drawn mostly by labeled #35! Each of the book’s four features focused on the exploits of male artists, though directed at a teenaged, female audience. The teenaged heroes from past eras in history: Frontier Scout, Prince Athel, creators on these titles were enticed over from ACG’s horror and Jeremy Jones, and Roger of Sherwood Forest. In its turn, Young adventure titles, and included Chic Stone, Ogden Whitney, Howard Heroes was replaced in October 1955 by a resurrected version of Alexander, Paul Cooper, Al Williamson, and dozens of others. Titles Forbidden Worlds—which was also labeled as being issue #35, as if like “Whirlwind Romance,” “The Inspiration of Love,” and “Follow the publishers wished to pretend that the three issues of Heroes had Your Heart” were common fare in the genre but specific to ACG. never existed! ACG would not attempt another adventure title for The main theme of the romance books involved the dos and don’ts seven years. of dating, with the ultimate goal, of course, being a marriage that would In 1962, John Force, Magic Agent, drawn by Paul Reinman, last forever. Before the arrival of the censorship imposed by the Comics struggled through three issues. Force was an American secret agent Code Authority (which ACG readily embraced), no subject was who possessed a magic medallion that, when rubbed, granted him considered taboo; stories about drug abuse, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, powers of telepathy, illusion, hypnosis, or extrasensory perception. A murder, theft, lying, and conspiracy were not unknown. Although gift from the ghostly green spirits of Cagliostro, Nostradamus, Merlin, unusual, considering the social attitude in the 1950s toward women and Houdini, the medallion could defeat Communists and thieves, but who “abandoned” the home in favor of the office, many of the stories not poor sales. Magic Agent was ACG’s last try at grand adventure in were set in the workplace. Also particular to the ACG romance titles comic books. It could thus be argued that, although ventured, not was the average age of the characters; most were in their 20s and 30s much was gained by the American Comics Group in its efforts to instead of in their teen years. The stories were decidedly serious and broaden its titles into a new genre. moralistic in tone, as every permutation of the boy-meets-girl theme was explored, and several comic book critics have rated the ACG romance titles among the best of that genre produced by the industry.

Forbidden Adventures A look at the contents of Confessions of the Lovelorn #82 gives an idea of the tone set in ACG’s romance titles. That issue, cover-dated June 1957, featured two major stories, one minor story, and two pages of text. “The Type That’s Poison,” an 8-pager, was featured on the cover and drawn by John Rosenberger. In it, 19-year-old Helen meets a bohemian writer named Larry at a Greenwich Village party. Their whirlwind romance ends tearfully when Larry leaves for Mexico to finish the novel he is writing. A year later, Larry returns—with no book and no job. He again disappears, this time for five years. Helen encounters him again five years later, when he is a vagabond in jail for vagrancy. In the end, he is saved by Helen’s love and faith.

47 than I. I much admired her; she was a very good writer and a person of general culture and intelligence. She wrote outside of comics, but I can’t give you details. I remember she had a number of ideas for New Yorker articles. I really can’t remember how it was that she and Richard knew each other. Pat would occasionally criticize some of Richard’s love stories, or the editing of love stories, on the grounds—in some instances—that, not being a woman, he didn’t really understand. Pat was a sophisticated person. She was very much a New York intellectual: intense. She was there the whole time I was, and she was in psychotherapy—as just about everybody was at that time.

Discussing the focus of the ACG “Everything or Nothing,” also 8 pages in romance titles, Fruman has said, length, tells the story of Lew and Babs, “Generally, we were writing for the childhood sweethearts who have everything unmarried woman, working-class girls, and they need... except money. Their dream is to also teenaged girls, although the stories marry and open a record store. When Babs were often sophisticated; like the movies appears on a television quiz show, she wins with white tie and tails were also directed at Sin On The Slopes $8,000—enough for the store. Her sudden working-class women, as fantasies. We Well, at least the heroine on this cover for celebrity, however, also attracts a press agent, never got into the territory of being Romantic Adventures #13 (March-April 1951) got who becomes a rival for her love. She is improper in any way.” When the strict in a bit of exercise! Scan by Michael Vance; forced not only to decide whether to Comics Code was implemented in the midJim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., says the artist is Ken Bald. continue on the quiz show for the chance at 1950s, however, even the romance titles [©2006 the respective copyright holders.] $64,000, but also between Lew and her new came under increasing scrutiny, according beau. This story is uncredited, but, given his to Fruman. own experiences on the $64,000 Question quiz show, it is quite possible that it was written by Norman Fruman. When the Comics Code started under Judge Murphy, much to In “Reporter’s Romance,” Toni Bedell, a reporter for a gossip magazine, uses deceit to obtain candid photographs of a professional golfer named Hank. Unexpectedly, she also falls in love with her subject. “She’s Prettier Than You” was a 3-page, illustrated “advice column.” In it, a promising date sours when the new boyfriend meets Ruth’s beautiful cousin, but breeding, personality, and charm always win the day. As Richard Hughes’ assistant editor in the early 1950’s, Norman Fruman wrote many of the scripts for Lovelorn and Romantic Adventures. In fact, he wrote for all of the ACG books, with the exception of the humor titles, averaging two stories a week for many years. He and Hughes even instituted an advice to the lovelorn column in the romance titles. Fruman has recalled that they received critiques not only from their fans but also from other members of the ACG staff: I knew Pat Cherr very well during that time. She lived in the Village, and she was a friend. She was, at that time, much involved with a dentist. She was older

Advice To The Lovelorn Readers Lovelorn #39 (1949) featured these two “how-to” (or rather, “how-not-to”) one-page features. Art by Charles Nicholas (left) and Charles Tomsey (right). Thanks to Bill Field & Bill Leach. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group

Romantic Mis-Adventures Romantic Adventures #34 (June 1953) featured these three stories—plus another one (“Rebound Romance”) about a young woman involved with a baseball player whose love life had taken a bad bounce. Splashes respectively by Lin Streeter, Charles Sultan, and Dick Beck (with George Klein inking) —cover by Ken Bald. Thanks to Bill Field & Bill Leach. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

our surprise that also involved our love stories. And although I was all for the industry policing itself, and felt it simply was not going to do it without pressure, I very soon learned—and have been on a kind of intellectual seesaw ever since—what happens when you have a board of censors which goes far beyond its mandate, and it did so with our love stories. And it actually took the outrageous form of censoring the occasional story we had in which parents and children were in conflict. It just seems to me that that was disgraceful. They had no right to do it. There was nothing immoral or improper unless you take the position, as you might now [chuckle], that family values are endangered. But these were completely innocent matters. But once they started interfering in that way, they had almost no resistance from the profession, which just wanted peace. In his editorial position, Fruman worked with the artists, letterers, and colorists, being given a great deal of autonomy, although Hughes, publisher Sangor, and, later, publisher Fred Iger did exercise veto power on occasion. At the time that Fruman was writing for the American Comics Group, $10 was the top rate for a finished page—meaning it was divided among the writer, the artist, and the inker! “I don’t have a single intact copy of an ACG magazine in my possession,” Fruman has remarked. “What I did at a certain point— when it occurred to me that I ought to save copies of what I’d written— was to tear out the pages containing my stories. Had I the dimmest idea that comic books would one day have become fantastically high-priced collector’s items, I would, of course, have carefully preserved them!” He has further discussed how he came to work for ACG.

In the fall of 1951, I was hired by Mr. Sangor, the owner of the company, as an assistant editor to Richard Hughes. Although we put out some 20 titles every two months, Richard and I were the only editors working for the firm. There was a staff writer, whose name I have forgotten. I got the job in competition with a couple of dozen other applicants, all of whom were asked to write a story for one of the supernaturals. I’d not only never written such a story, I wasn’t even a reader of comic books. I took a stack of the firm’s publications home with me, and over the weekend wrote a supernatural [subsequently published] called “The Raven Sisters.” To my amazement, I got the job at $65 a week (I was never paid extra for the story, which was not uncharacteristic of Mr Sangor, of whom I was, in general, fond.) I worked as an editor there, doing a great deal of writing at the same time, for the next three or four years. The story of Fruman’s hiring was given a slightly different slant when recounted in the letters page of Adventures into the Unknown #20 (June 1951). In this brief story, Hughes wrote that the difficult choice was finally narrowed down to two writers. The first one had an extensive and distinguished editorial history as a skilled writer and distinguished researcher. Hughes thought this man was their new assistant editor and writer until it was discovered that the offered position would be just a humdrum job to him. The second applicant was much younger and had no résumé of editorial skills or experience. In conversation, however, Hughes learned that, from early childhood, this young scribe had been excited by frightening stories of specters, flesh-eating monsters, and “things that go bump in the night.” Hughes decided that, to this man, the supernatural meant an exciting land of dreadful fascination. No

Forbidden Adventures doubt this almost completely fictional essay was yet another example of Richard Hughes’ sense of humor at work. Eventually, Fruman discovered that freelance writers for ACG were making more money than he was. “So I left the job, on very amiable terms with everybody, and freelanced for them for the next three or four years, giving up comic writing altogether in the late fall of 1957. I never wrote for any other company but ACG, which bought everything I wrote. To this day, when I tell people of my own writing and editing, there is disdain, as if to say, ‘Is that the best you could do as a writer and editor?’” Fruman’s memories of Richard Hughes are fond ones. He carried on a vast correspondence with writers, some of whom lived in distant parts of the country, and even abroad. He’d dash these long letters off at breakneck speed. Nevertheless, they were well-composed and always studded with jokes. He was quick with puns, gave everybody nicknames, many of which stuck. For complex reasons, he nicknamed me “The Commodore.” When I got married, [he attended the wedding]; my wife, Doris, became “The Commodoris.”

As of 1995, Norman Fruman was a full professor at the University of Minnesota in charge of Romantic Studies (late 18th- and early 19thcentury British literature) He has taught at several universities and written a scholarly book that was a runner-up for the National Book Award several years ago. And for a time, he did kiss and sell.

Chapter 10 TrueVision: What You See Is Not What You Get [T]his magazine has always been a pioneer…. It [published horror comics] only after extensive research into just what the public wanted... and we’ve gone in for similar research into the matter of 3-Dimension comics. We found that the usual type which required the use of cumbersome and artificial glasses was definitely hard to read. This... has been overcome in the new and astonishing system which we developed... TrueVision! —Adventures into the Unknown #51 (1954) letters column. I was the creator of the 3-D comics which Richard published. I added the black and the zip-a-tone in the inking process. —ACG artist and writer Harry Lazarus.

With the release of the 3-dimensional motion picture Bwana Devil in 1952, 3-D became one of the best-remembered fads of the 1950s. Then as now, imitation was common in art and literature, and comic book publishers were quick to exploit the craze. Three Dimension Comics (featuring “Mighty Mouse”) was published in 1953 by St. John, and the floodgate for 3-D comics was thrown wide open. The American Comics Group walked through that gate into a new dimension of publishing with Adventures into the Unknown #51, produced late in 1953 and cover-dated January 1954. Although it was a brief experiment, ACG’s pseudo-3-D process, called “TrueVision,” would produce some of the most unusual stories in the company’s history. Artist Harry Lazarus created the TrueVision process and brought it to Richard Hughes as an alternative to the 3-D process that required the reader to wear paper-framed glasses with one red lens and one green lens. The process used art that was completely bordered in black, as if the stories were printed on black sheets of paper rather than white. An extensive use of BenDay (varying dots on sheets of otherwise clear plastic that produced shades of gray) within the story panels added to the illusion of depth in the panels. Elements within the art, such as an arm, a lamppost, or a boat prow, would also overlap panel borders into the black outer borders to complete the illusion of three dimensions. “He [Hughes] and the publisher loved the idea,” Lazarus has written. “The 3-D process where glasses were used caused many parents to worry about damage to their children’s eyes. Thus, all 3-D processes got a bad name... when the field began to react by dropping 3-D publications, my process went by the wayside. I enjoyed the entire experience, and was disappointed when it ended way back in 1953 or 1954.”

Taking It Personally The lead story in this copy of Lovelorn #73 (Sept. 1956) that Ye Editor picked up at a 2005 comicon must’ve had a special meaning for some reader. He/She had hand-labeled many of the characters depicted in romantic situations, as per “Levon,” “Homphrey,” and “Booney” (all sic) on the splash page. And they say there are no good role models for young people any more! Art by Emil Gershwin. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Lazarus’ career as an artist and writer included work for Holyoke (1944-46), Avon (1952-53), Marvel (1956-58), and ACG (1953-54; 1956-58, 1961). He was already a regular contributor to ACG’s romance and horror titles when he created TrueVision. His first TrueVision story, “Nightmare,” was the lead feature in Adventures into the Unknown #51. Despite a promise made in the letters column that readers’ response would determine the fate of this pseudo-3-D process, the next issue was already completely drawn in TrueVision by Lazarus. Publishing time being what it was, there would have been no

The History Of The American Comics Group

time for reader response to have influenced this, with only one month separating the release of the two issues. Lazarus eventually drew more TrueVision stories than any other ACG artist, even though the process was used in several of the company’s other titles, including Confessions of the Lovelorn, Romantic Adventures, Cookie, The Kilroys, and Commander Battle and the Atomic Submarine. Before the demise of the process, even paid advertising and the letters pages in the comic books were printed with massive black borders. TrueVision added a melancholy, foreboding atmosphere to the stories, effectively heightening the tension and anticipation of readers. While very appropriate for Adventures into the Unknown, when used on the humor and romance titles, this effect added an angst, an expectation of disaster, that went unfulfilled in the reader, and it inadvertently produced some of the most bizarre humor and romance comic books in the history of the industry. Whether TrueVision was abandoned due to growing industry sensitivity to demands for true 3-D comic books or because it failed to add new dimensions to sales, the process was gone by Adventures into the Unknown #61. Both Lazarus’ 3-D process and the original ACG are now history, but Lazarus still carries fond memories of his years in comics. “Today,” he has written, “I’m a long way from comics. In the 1960s through 1970, I became a book illustrator for many large publishers like McGraw-Hill, Western Publishing, and others. I also wrote children’s books for Putnam under my name. During that time and steadily since 1970, I have been functioning as a freelance inventor, and have over 35 patents in my name.” There is very little real innovation in art or literature. When a new twist is financially successful, imitation is the standard for television, movies, music, books, and… comic books. It has always been so, and, despite its claim to be a pioneer in the industry, the American Comics Group was more often a follower than a trendsetter. TrueVision was a response to and a variation on successful 3-D movies and comics. ACG’s funny animal titles followed the success of animation and other animation-related comics. “Cookie” and The Kilroys were ACG’s answer to the enormously popular Archie series of comic books. Likewise, near the end of ACG’s history, the company’s only two super-hero characters—Nemesis and Magicman—were simply a reluctant response to the booming new fad generated by Marvel Comics’ super-heroes in the early 1960s.

When Titans Clash In the 1960s, The Flash buddied around with Green Lantern, while Marvel’s heroes would instantly start clobbering each other upon contact. ACG opted for the latter approach when Magicman encountered Nemesis, as per this Kurt Schaffenberger cover for Forbidden Worlds #136 (July 1966). Like Costanza and Stone, Schaff had drawn “Captain Marvel” and other comics for Fawcett during the Golden Age. Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Scotty Moore. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

It’s Coming Right At You! Harry Lazarus’ detailed yet dynamic cover for Adventures into the Unknown #53 (March 1954) was one of several rendered in the not-quite-3-D “TrueVision.” With thanks to Barry Forshaw and Peter Normanton of the English horrorzine From the Tomb #17 (Oct. 2005). Barry’s coverage there of ACG’s horror titles will be featured in our very next (Halloween!) issue. To find out more about From the Tomb, email Peter.Normanton@btinternet.com. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Richard Hughes fought openly against including super-heroes in ACG’s line-up of titles for many months in his own letters pages. He had already created several very popular superpowered characters in the early days of the industry, and he had seen superheroes wax and wane in popularity several times over the decades he had spent in the industry. Possibly, Hughes believed that Marvel’s success with The Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four was

Forbidden Adventures

It’s Magic, Man Pete Costanza, who’d drawn Fawcett’s original “Captain Marvel” with the hero’s creator, C.C. Beck, was a mainstay of ACG’s “Magicman.” At left is a sketch he did for budding comics writer Marv Wolfman circa 1969, probably at a New York comics convention. Thanks, Marv! [Magicman TM & ©2006 the respective copyright holders.] The page at right (precise issue number uncertain) is repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Edwin & Terry Murray. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

merely a passing fad, like his own earlier experimentation with TrueVision. But, despite his opposition, “Nemesis” debuted in Adventures into the Unknown #154 (Feb. 1965), and “Magicman” was introduced in Forbidden Worlds #125 in the same year. They were obviously created with the thought of fitting the characters into the themes of the two supernatural titles. Hughes created and wrote both characters, using the pseudonyms Zev Zimmer (for “Magicman”) and Shane O’Shea (for “Nemesis”). Pete Costanza drew “Nemesis,” while both Costanza and Chic Stone drew “Magicman.” Both characters were written and drawn in the simple and direct style that had proved successful on Fawcett Publishing’s earlier and very famous “Captain Marvel” titles. Costanza had been an artist on those Golden Age series, while Stone inked much of Jack Kirby’s super-hero work at Marvel in the 1960s. Nemesis, who was a ghost, was “unbelievably strong” and “invulnerable to things feared by man.” He could fly at supersonic speed, and he had innumerable supernatural powers as the plot demanded. This ghost wore black-striped blue trunks (instead of the sheet traditional for ghosts), blue buccaneer boots and gloves, a red shirt emblazoned with an hourglass, a blue hood, and a black domino mask. When still alive, Nemesis had been Detective Steve Flint, assigned by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director J. Edgar Hoover to stop the sabotage of America’s space program, which was being threatened by the Mafia. While trying to foil this dastardly plot, Flint was killed by a train, but he convinced the Grim Reaper in The Unknown to let him

return to Earth as Nemesis to finish his FBI assignment. This he did by killing the godfather of the Mafia, a man named Goratti. In a nice twist, the slain mobster also became a ghost and gained incredible powers, returning to battle Nemesis as a super-villain. Nemesis carried on the good fight through 16 issues of Adventures into the Unknown before disappearing forever with issue #170. Magicman was the son of the Italian alchemist Cagliostro, who, when arrested for witchcraft in 1789, teleported his son to safety and gave him immortality with the same gesture. (Why Cagliostro did not do the same for himself is beyond logic.) In 1962, at the age of 173, the wizard’s son took the name Tom Cargill and joined the US Army for a tour of duty in Vietnam. As Magicman, he wore green Peter Pan shoes, gloves, belt, and turban, along with green leotards, purple cape, black sleeveless shirt cut to the waist, and black trunks. With the aid of his bumbling sidekick, Sergeant Kilkenny, he used his magical powers to battle Communism for 16 issues, up through Forbidden Worlds #141. Although both series were well done within the framework of their straightforward style, the public craved the pseudo-realistic melodrama and angst that characterized the super-hero comics being published by Marvel at the time. The Marvel approach proved to be much more than a passing fad and remains one of the dominant forms in comics today. The failure of Nemesis and Magicman paralleled the falling fortunes of ACG itself. In 1967, just four issues after the cancellation of these two super-hero strips, the company ceased publishing altogether. Nemesis and Magicman would remain in super-hero heaven until the 1990s.

The History Of The American Comics Group Richard Hughes, through the American Comics Group, who did so, beating Gaines to the punch by over a year. The first issue of ACG’s Adventures into the Unknown appeared in the fall of 1948. This introduction of the horror genre into the art form is arguably the most important contribution that Hughes and ACG made to the history of comic books. Gaines must have known about ACG’s new horror titles; his own editor and co-creator of the EC line of horror books, Al Feldstein, had a story published in the third issue of Adventures into the Unknown (Feb.-March 1949), entitled “The Creekmore Curse.” According to Al Williamson, who illustrated many stories for EC: “Even in the old days, when we were working for EC, we said, ‘Well, you know, EC didn’t really start them [horror comics].’ It was Richard Hughes that started the horror titles. I think it was one of the reasons EC did it. They won’t own up to it!” In fact, Gaines was not even the first imitator to follow ACG’s lead in this area. Marvel/Atlas Comics released Amazing Mysteries #32 (a book formerly titled SubMariner, featuring the adventures of an underwater super-hero) in May 1949. Ace Comics entered the field with The Beyond in

Faster Than A Speeding Rocket There’s more of Nemesis and Magicman—not to mention of Schaffenberger, Costanza, and Stone—in this issue’s special FCA section. Meanwhile, here’s a Chic Stone “Nemesis” page from Adventures into the Unknown #167 (Sept. 1966), showing our bare-legged super-hero riding a flying bomb— and no, we don’t mean the comic itself! You’ll find this story’s splash on p. 94. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Chapter 11 Hughes Loses, William Gaines: The Horror Titles The EC titles were the first really successful horror comics, and as such it was they who spawned imitators, not Adventures into the Unknown. —“Readers Guide to Pre-Code Horror” #7, Lawrence WattEvans/Comics Buyers Guide. Since the appearance of “AITU” several years ago, we have published more than 30 million copies! [Author’s note: over 638,000 copies an issue!] Rather impressive, wouldn’t you say? —Adventures into the Unknown #49 (Nov. 1953) letters page.

Despite the commonly held misconception that EC Comics publisher William Gaines created horror comics with the release of The Vault of Horror (April-May 1950), Tales from the Crypt (Oct.-Nov. 1950), and The Haunt of Fear (May-June 1950), it was actually

The Step-Son Of Frankenstein One of the few continuing series in any ACG horror comic was “The Spirit of Frankenstein,” which appeared in several early issues of Adventures into the Unknown. The splash to this story from issue #9 is printed on p. 55. Artist Charles Sultan and the (unknown) writer didn’t do a bad job—although the robot had no real connection with Frankenstein, or any personality to speak of. Michelle Nolan, who covered this series in some depth in Alter Ego #41, sent these photocopies. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures

November 1950. The American Comics Group would eventually publish eight “weird” titles: Adventures into the Unknown, Forbidden Worlds, Out of the Night, Skeleton Hand, The Clutching Hand, Unknown Worlds, Midnight Mystery, and Gasp. Adventures into the Unknown would become ACG’s longestrunning title, with 174 issues being published from 1948 to 1967. To understand the popularity of the horror books, it would be well to examine the contents of a representative issue of a title—in this instance, a postComics Code one. Adventures into the Unknown #126, cover-dated August 1961, featured three short stories and one longer one that was voted a readers’ favorite. “The Highway to the Past” was 6 pages long, with neither writer nor artist being credited. In it, an idealist living in 2558 A.D., a time when society is rigid and overly technological, travels back in time to 1926. In this simpler time, he discovers true love. But when his love develops a terminal illness, he must return to his own era to retrieve lifesaving medicine and decide where he will ultimately spend his life. “Was He… Psychic?” was a one-page biography of medium and spiritualist Daniel Homes. Was he legitimate, or was he a charlatan? The writer of this feature, too, was uncredited, as was the artist (though the style is recognizably that of John Rosenberger). “A Tomb for Hussein Ali” was credited to writer Derek Rutherford and artist Edd Ashe. It is the story of an Egyptian grave-robber cursed by a blind street prophet. In the story climax, Ali finds his fate in the tomb of Nikkim-Ra, by stepping into the long dead pharaoh’s “boat of the dead.” The issue’s lead feature, “Heavenly Heavyweight,” was one of the most popular stories ever published by ACG. Written by Shane O’Shea

Tales From the (American) Crypt Al Feldstein (left) drew horror stories for Richard Hughes’ ACG some time before he wrote, drew, and edited them for Bill Gaines’ Tales from the Crypt, et al., at EC. “The Creekmore Curse” by Feldstein appeared in Adventures into the Unknown #3 (Feb.-March 1949); seen here are its first and last (9th) pages. With thanks to Mark Cannon and those Aussie reprints. The photo appeared in Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman’s excellent 2000 volume Tales of Terror! [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

[Richard Hughes] and illustrated by Ogden Whitney, this is a tale of humor, sentimentality, and undying love. It opens on Ted Peter, a former contender for the heavyweight boxing title, who is now an angel in Heaven. In flashback, readers learn of Ted’s 43 knockouts, each marked by a special victory wave to the crowd. Alas, Ted died in the seventh round of his championship bout. His peers in Heaven tell Ted that he has earned the right to have one wish fulfilled. Looking Earthward, Ted sees his widow Francine, now old and destitute. He returns to Earth to aid her. Changing his physical appearance, Ted returns to the ring to earn money for Francine. Ted must contend not only with his boxing opponents but also with mobster Ace Carboni. He perseveres and again gets his chance at a title bout. Francine attends, and, in a bittersweet ending, she recognizes Ted when he ends the bout by again giving his trademark victory wave to the crowd. Tragedy becomes laced with never-ending joy. In all, 413 issues of horror books were produced, containing more than 1,650 stories. And, of the dozens of imitators from dozens of

The History Of The American Comics Group

The Winner And Still Champion According to letters pages, Hughes & Whitney’s “Heavenly Heavyweight” in Adventures into the Unknown #126 (Aug. 1961) was one of the mag’s most popular stories ever. “Highway to the Past” is from that same issue; art by Dick Beck. Scan by Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

There is strong circumstantial evidence that the “inspiration” for Adventures into the Unknown came directly from pulp magazines, specifically from Thrilling Mystery. Ned Pines was already a successful pulp publisher when he released this weird-mystery magazine in October 1935. His primary editor was Leo Margulies, who listed his requirements for story elements in a trade journal. Those formula rules were that material should center around: (a) vampires, witches, ghouls, werewolves; (b) strange cults, with demongod figures; (c) horrible monsters; or (d) villains who use horror methods to drive their victims mad. “The woman interest,” Margulies later added, “is definitely desirable in the novelette length, although not necessary in the short story... effective are stories in which the weird trappings are employed to scare people away from a locale... so that the victimizer

publishers that died under the censorship triggered by Fredric Wertham and Senator Joseph McCarthy by 1955 (see Chapter 12), Adventures into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds were two of only a handful to survive and even prosper under the self-imposed restrictions of the Comics Code Authority. Commenting on the creative input that went into these and other ACG titles, Norman Fruman has recalled: In all of the years that I was there— and I worked in the office from 1951 to 1955—Richard wrote very few stories. We had around 20 titles, and Richard had to read every one of those stories and comment and make changes. There were a couple of guys in California, one who wrote The Kilroys who was very good. Richard rarely wrote for the supernaturals. They, by all odds, were the most difficult ones to write. I wrote the supernaturals and sciencefictions and the love stories, which were the easiest to write. Stop to think, when you’re doing ten magazines a month, it was all Richard could do to keep up with just reading, because you didn’t use all of the stuff that came in.

Thrilling Mysterious Adventures Into The Unknown Michael V. feels there is “strong circumstantial evidence” that Adventures into the Unknown was ultimately inspired by Ned Pines’ magazine Thrilling Mystery, one of what are now referred to as “shudder pulps.” Above left is the cover for the Feb. 1937 issue. Artist uncertain. Since we already showed you the cover of the 52-page Adventures into the Unknown #1 back on p. 3, above right is that of #5 (June-July 1949). The line cut off at the bottom in this scan from Michael V. read: “All-Star Adventure Issue.” [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures

Dressed To The Nines Adventures into the Unknown #9 (Feb.-March 1950) was a typical early issue. Behind the moody cover depicting a dimly-glimpsed monster looming above an icy vastness came 48 pages of thrills. While picturing the splashes of three of the stories (including the ongoing series “The Spirit of Frankenstein,” covered in Alter Ego #41), we’ve included instead the powerful final pages of two of the tales: “The Thing at the Bottom of the Sea” and “The Boy Who Could Fly.” Art (clockwise starting with cover, directly above) is by, respectively: Edvard Moritz... Charles Sultan... John Belfi... Charles Sultan... Bob Jenney... Maxwell Elkan. Thanks to Bill Field for most of the scans—and to Michelle Nolan for the “Frankenstein” art. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group terization that was often lacking in earlier stories about werewolves, vampires, and zombies. In fact, such creatures, which had been staples in horror fiction, would never again populate an ACG story. For the time being and for many years to come, the day of these popular monsters was over. The shifting of focus away from pure horror can be seen in the contents of later issues of two of ACG’s supernatural titles. Forbidden Worlds #74 (Jan. 1958) featured such stories as “The Second Visit,” illustrated by John Rosenberger. In it, an ancient Persian scroll reveals not only a past visit to Earth by aliens but also foretells the date of their return. The archaeologists who uncover this scroll joyfully greet the aliens upon their Snow Job second coming—until they learn that the visitors mean to destroy Earth with a cosmic bomb. “Past, Present, The story “A Highly Localized Snowfall” and Future” presents a special pair of eyeglasses that (Forbidden Worlds #74, enable Robert Adams literally to enter any story that Jan. 1958) was drawn he is reading. by John Forte, whose self-caricature from another ACG story is also pictured. Scans by Michael V. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

can obtain gold, oil or other fortune.” This formula was certainly not new to pulps; Weird Tales had begun publishing in 1923, using a similar formula. But what was uncommon and specific to Pines and ACG was their close working relationship. After the publication of Thrilling Mystery, Pines added a line of comic books to his stable of magazines. Stories and art for these books was supplied by the Sangor Shop, headed by Richard Hughes and owned by Pines’ father-in-law, B.W. Sangor. Sangor had to know of Pines’ success with Thrilling Mystery, and it is reasonable to believe this knowledge colored his later decision to publish Adventures into the Unknown. Furthermore, Margulies’ story formula was identical to the formula that would be used by Hughes for the pre-Comics Code issues of Adventures into the Unknown. Although we may never know for sure how direct this influence was, it is certain that at least the style of the stories in Adventures into the Unknown was heavily influenced by pulp magazines. It is also true, however, that EC’s formula for its titles, in particular the use of twist endings, was more widely imitated by competitors than was ACG’s style; indeed, the EC formula influenced a handful of stories from ACG in 1954 and 1955. ACG did not produce books that concentrated on graphic blood-and-guts violence, opting instead to focus more on an other-worldly mood than on shock. But even ACG’s formula for horror underwent a dramatic change with the introduction of the Comics Code Authority in 1955. Almost every element of ACG horror stories was modified to escape the ax of negative public opinion. ACG’s stable of pre-Code artists was replaced by new artists such as Ogden Whitney, John Rosenberger, and Emil Gershwin. The cover logo for Adventures into the Unknown was redesigned, and its story formula now included humor, whimsy, more science-fiction, and a focus on plot and charac-

“A Highly Localized Snowfall,” which also appeared in this issue, became a favorite of many readers. Meteorologist Stephen Simms is drawn to an isolated, arid region that suddenly experiences a strange snowfall in July. When he parachutes through a blizzard, he finds himself drawn back through time to the American Civil War. Captured by Union soldiers and presumed to be a spy because of the weather maps he carries, Simms is sentenced to death by firing squad. But a mysterious Union officer spares Simms, provided that he help rescue a woman also being held prisoner. Simms does so, only to discover that, just as he has come from the future, the captive woman has come from the past—from the year 1512, to be exact. As they flee, Simms and the woman fall in love. As snow again begins to fall, Simms is shot and “killed”—only to awaken back in his own time. Haunted by the memory of the woman, he vows to find her again. The emphasis on science-fiction elements rather than outright horror is evident. The same holds true for a representative issue of Unknown Worlds, one cover-dated Dec.-Jan. 1964 (issue #36). The cover of this issue, illustrated by Kurt Schaffenberger, was based on an interior story entitled “The People Vs. Hendricks.” This story eventually went on to be voted the most popular supernatural tale ever published by ACG. This 11-page story was written by Zev Zimmer (Richard Hughes) and drawn by former EC artist and editor Johnny Craig. Craig’s work for EC, along with that of others, had helped to trigger the furor that led to the implementation of the Comics Code Authority. In an unusual mix of science-fiction and crime, Professor Hendricks stands trial for the murder of his son Richard. The prosecution’s first witness testifies that he found the famous elderly scientist and a young red-haired woman standing over Richard Hendricks’ warm corpse. As the trial continues, Hendricks’ mind wanders back to reflect on the life of Richard. Through high school, college, and into his professional career, Richard had been a loner, at least until red-haired Lucy had come into his life. Breaking the professor’s thoughts, his housekeeper shocks the court with her statement that the professor and Richard had actually built Lucy, who was nothing more than an android. Despite the fact that she was an artificial being, Richard eventually fell in love with her. The prosecutor claims the professor killed his son to put an end to this unnatural perversion. But Lucy herself takes the stand and testifies that she is indeed a human being—an out-of-work actress hired by

Forbidden Adventures Hendricks to end Richard’s loneliness and stop his attempts to build a robotic companion for himself. Finally taking the stand in his own defense, Professor Hendricks recounts his early study of computers and his invention of both an artificial brain and a plastic that can simulate the texture of human flesh. A photographic slide of Richard’s open coffin reveals both horror and proof of the undying love of a man for his son, in a startling twist ending. No one has summarized ACG’s post-Code formula better than Edwin Murray in his article, “The American Comics Group: A Sentimental Favorite”: This leads into what must be regarded as the dominant theme among all ACG comics, the success of the underdog. This theme is almost a plot in itself as it breaks down into a set pattern. The main character is introduced and the first part of the story establishes his character and what his problem is. Then a fantastic element is introduced, and the rest of the story follows him as he overcomes the challenges he is faced with. It is not uncommon for the hero to win by dying a heroic death. At ACG, a near majority of the stories dealt with one of life’s losers getting a chance [or a second chance] to make good.

By losers, I mean people who don’t have good looks, are poor, are handicapped, lack intelligence, are failures in love or business, are not accepted by their peer group, are cowards, have some domestic failure in their past, or [have] any number of other problems that trouble all people. All of us are failures in something (if we will only admit it) and can identify with some of the characters in these stories. This strong sense of identification was one of the best things ACG had going for them. When the hero of the story overcomes his problems and either redeems or vindicates himself, we are heartened to think that we, too, can overcome our problems. This is why people make the underdog the sentimental favorite and why ACG has become a sentimental favorite of mine. Marvel applied this same principle to super-heroes by giving them problems so that we could readily identify with them. Although Adventures into the Unknown successfully published under this formula for many years, the popularity of anthology comic books began to diminish as super-heroes again flourished in the 1960s. Sales fell from pre-Code figures of 638,000 to 192,500 by 1961, 153,283 by 1963, and 155,102 by 1967. Richard Hughes was already seriously ill, and comic books as a whole had declined enormously in sales for almost 20 years. For a number of reasons, the decision was made to cease publication of all ACG titles. Thus, 1967 saw the death of this little giant of a publishing company—almost.

Chapter 12 The Code of Dishonor The Kefauver Committee caused the industry to hire a Judge Murphy. I’ve written a lot about censorship as a consequence of this. That hurt the quality of stories that we were writing, even the good things. —Norman Fruman. Well, of course, no one welcomes competition. But [William] Gaines’ success, I believe, was due in part to the gore and the sex that he injected into it. We said we would never do that. —Frederick Iger.

There have been other incidents of censorship in America’s history, but few have surpassed the wave of near hysteria expressed by many hundreds of thousands of people during the late 1940s and early 1950s. No art form was sheltered from it, and novels, plays, motion pictures, music, comic strips, and comic books were damaged in many ways during these superficially happy days. A number of companies, careers, and human lives were ruined or changed forever by good intentions.

Richard Hughes’ Day In Court “The People Vs. Hendricks” from Unknown Worlds #36 (Dec. 1963Jan. 1964) demonstrates how prominent science-fiction elements were in this mag. Art by former EC artist Johnny Craig; script by Richard Hughes. Scans by Ramon Schenk and Michael T. Gilbert. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Almost from the beginning of the industry, several early comic book publishers had established their own internal sets of standards governing the type of material they would or would not produce. But, by the mid-1940s, various groups and individuals outside of the comic book industry were expressing concern that these standards were not being sufficiently well enforced. While nearly all types of comics received criticism, those dealing with horror and crime stories underwent the closest scrutiny. Depictions of violence and, to a lesser extent, sex were becoming more explicit in these books. Furthermore, the enormous popularity of the types of books causing concern was evident. By mid-1953, EC Comics’ horror titles—The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, and Tales from the Crypt—boasted circulations of 400,000 copies each. In 1952, even the United States’ neighbor Canada passed a law calling for two years of imprisonment for anyone convicted of making, publishing, or selling crime comics.

The History Of The American Comics Group

In the years following World War II, crimes involving juveniles began to increase to disturbing levels. In looking for explanations for this rise in juvenile delinquency, some focused on comic books as a possible bad influence on the youth of America, much as television and rock music would later become suspect. In November 1953, The Ladies’ Home Journal ran excerpts from a forthcoming book entitled Seduction of the Innocent. This book served as the spark that set the comic book industry on fire. The book was written by Dr. Fredric Wertham, a psychiatrist who had been director of a “mental hygiene” clinic at New York’s Bellevue Hospital. Using data gleaned largely from the disturbed teens under his care, Wertham concluded that comic books played a direct causative role in occurrences of juvenile delinquency.

The Horror! The Horror! ACG’s stories were generally less frightening to the impressionable than those turned out by EC and some of its grislier imitators, but they were still too strong for the “grass roots” that Dr. Wertham was setting fire to in the early ’50s. Seen here are splashes to “Wings of Darkness” (Forbidden Worlds #13, Jan. 1953) and “Terror in Black Hollow” (reprinted in Australia as “The Evil Secret of Black Hollow”), both drawn by Jon Blummer—and to “Circle of the Doomed,” drawn by Kenneth Landau for Forbidden Worlds #31 (July 1954). Scans by Mark Muller and Mark Cannon. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

When read today, Seduction has an almost laughable quality about it. Among other things, Wertham perceived homosexual undertones in the relationship between the characters Batman and Robin, and he claimed that comic artists were planting subliminal sexual images in their drawings that could be discerned by children. Forty years after the fact, both Wertham’s method of collecting and analyzing his data and the conclusions he drew from them would be considered highly suspect. But, in the 1950s, his words carried great weight. Some churches and community groups went so far as to sponsor comic book burnings, and cries became louder for the government to step in and take action. These were dark and paranoid times. America was locked in the Cold War. It faced the specter of nuclear annihilation. These were times when the term “McCarthyism” would have been viewed in a favorable light.

Frederick Iger has remembered the good doctor well: “The first problems arose with Wertham, who took it on as a life’s mission. He would appear on all types of forums, spouting off about the terrible effects that comics were having on children, and violence and so forth. I don’t remember when he started, but he certainly caused a lot of turmoil.” In the spring of 1950, Senator Estes Kefauver was appointed to chair the Special Senate Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. The committee was to investigate many topics, one of which was any possible violations of postal laws by comic book publishers. In the course of these hearings, Kefauver made mention of the warnings of Dr. Wertham made in magazine articles and speeches, and also noted that FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover believed there to be a direct connection between delinquency and the reading of crime comics.

Forbidden Adventures The committee dispatched letters to various comic book publishers, asking them to respond to a series of questions concerning their circulation figures and reader demographics. The publishers were also asked if they had ever hired paid consultants, such as psychiatrists, in connection with the publishing of any crime comics, and whether the publishers believed there was indeed a connection between the reading of such comics and juvenile delinquency.

59 Marvel Tales, The Haunt of Fear—and ACG’s Out of the Night. Norman Fruman has vividly recollected William Gaines’ testimony before the Subcommittee:

I specifically remember Gaines before the Kefauver Committee, The Senators And The “Sinner” when an EC cover Above, the 1954 Kefauver hearings—what EC publisher showing the picture of a William M. Gaines called “a headline-seeking carnival man holding a bloody [that gave] fuel to those in our society who want to tar hatchet, and in the other with the censor’s brush.” For a fuller report on the hand he has the head— sanctimonious subcommittee’s seance, see Digby Diehl’s the severed head—of a fine 1996 study Tales from the Crypt, from which this woman [was shown]. The photo and quote are taken. bottom of the cover was On the right—Bill Gaines himself, around the time of the her neck. And when he hearings, as seen in the previously-mentioned tome Tales was asked about that, of Terror! [©2006 the respective copyright holders.] whether that wasn’t going too far, [Gaines] replied, “No, because you’re not seeing the stringy One of the publishers who responded was ACG’s B.W. Sangor. things hanging down from her neck and so on.” And, actually, I Perhaps being leery of how much information he gave the committee, remember watching it on TV, because we had been through this kind Sangor claimed that ACG was not a publisher at all, but rather an of thing, and what happened is that there were de facto codes of advertising representative for four different comic book publishers: “restraint” that different companies had put upon themselves, and the Creston, Michel, B&I, and Best Syndicated Features. None of these, he notion of what was acceptable was defined entirely by the company. stated, published what would be considered crime comics. The average As far as EC was concerned—they were so out of touch—they circulation of books published by the four companies was given as actually thought that was an acceptable cover. They thought that that 250,000 to 300,000. No consultants had ever been hired in connection was a morally acceptable cover, when it was an appalling cover. with any of their titles. Sangor also told the committee, “It is our deeply held At the same time, Fruman has stated opinion that juvenile delinquency is no that he and editor Richard Hughes were more caused by reading about villains in under pressure from B.W. Sangor to comic books than by reading about produce books that would follow along in characters such as Fagin, Macbeth, or any the same vein as the popular EC horror of the other innumerable fiction villains titles: in the world’s literature.” (As reported by Steven E. Mitchell in his article “Devious Paths: The Crime Committee and the We both really didn’t want to do it. I Comic Book, Part II,” in The Comics remember stories, for example, in which Buyer’s Guide #1132, July 28, 1995, p. kids were playing a baseball game and 44.) using different body parts [published by EC], but we had all kinds of vampire As the decade of the 1950s continued, stories, tearing people apart. The history however, Wertham and others continued of television, and especially the history to press their claims that the proliferation of the movies, has shown this: there is of crime and horror comics had a direct no limit to the degree of violence you and negative influence on the children will have, and there appears to be no who read them. They found many a limit to the degree of verbal obscenity sympathetic ear. and also of pornography. On April 21, 1954, bowing to public pressure, the hearings before the Fruman has also recalled his own Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile feelings about the types of comics that Delinquency of the Committee on the were being produced at that period, and Judiciary convened at the Foley Square how those feelings were shared by a Federal Courthouse in Manhattan. Dr. number of the artists who were illusWertham was one of many witnesses trating the stories for ACG: called to testify before the Subcommittee, as was EC Comics’ publisher William I remember—it was Ken Bald, in Gaines. One photograph from the time The Bald Truth? fact, one of our artists—talking to me shows Senator Kefauver and others Comics historian Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., feels the cover about how uncomfortable he was examining a board on which were of Forbidden Worlds #1 (Aug.-Sept. 1951) was drawn drawing this stuff, and realizing when displayed the covers of several horror by Ken Bald, who drew many of ACG’s cover in the first his wife and kids came into the room, comics. Among them were Black Magic, half of the 1950s. Scan by Michael Vance. [©2006 he’d want to cover it up so they couldn’t the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group

Three For The Mummy Three ACG examples of the kind of thing the Senate subcommittee definitely wanted to ban: “The Vampire’s Fate” (probably drawn by Maurice Kashuba) from Out of the Night #2 (April-May 1952)… “The Weird Wager” (by Edvard Moritz) from Out of the Night #9 (July 1953)… and “The Eyes of Hell” (by Charles Sultan) from Adventures into the Unknown #37 (Nov. 1952). Artists uncertain. Scans by Mark Muller. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

see what he was doing. Many of us—certainly I—were becoming uncomfortable—more than uncomfortable—about the direction horror books were taking. They were getting bloodier and bloodier. And by the way, I might say that this experience, together with what finally happened when we finally did get a Comics Code, had an unforgettable effect on me. It was the direction of the immense success of the EC comics. They had a wonderful set of artists and also had very gifted writers. But they were way the hell ahead in driving the profession into realms of blood and gore and horror that we never dreamed of doing when we were writing Adventures into the Unknown or Out of the Night. But... nothing provokes emulation more than financial success. Gaines and others, they were paradigms of what happened or can happen in a market driven by the profit motive. It is true of many businesses, in that they radically lose sight of the way other people can view their product. As Fruman has recalled, it was the televised subcommittee hearings themselves that first drove home the “problem” of comics to many people. Of the people he knew outside of the comic book industry, Fruman initially recalled that what was happening in the industry was of the remotest interest to anyone. However, in later interviews, his recollections had changed: I didn’t go around telling people that I was a comic book writer. For one thing, it would always stop all conversation, and it was all people wanted to talk about for the next two hours: where did the ideas come from, how was the thing done, what was I paid. It was always a matter of interest to people. In regard to the horror aspect of it, to the extent that people even had any awareness of it, frankly, until the Kefauver thing came along, I don’t remember anybody asking me about that. I did write an hour-long television play, but it didn’t get produced, about how, in fact, a comic book company beginning rather innocently was

slowly driven to where it was doing things that the artists objected to and were uncomfortable about. Realizing that the tide of public opinion was turning against them and that they faced the very real possibility of having government regulations imposed upon them, the various comic publishers decided that it would be best to design their own set of standardized rules governing appropriate story content in comics. William Gaines sought to stop the implementation of an industry-wide code and, according to Frederick Iger, called a meeting of publishers to do just that: There was a meeting. It was in a strange place, something like the Harvard Club or Princeton Club. I may have gone to it, I don’t remember. But I know no one took concerted action. It was kind-of whistling in the wind at that point. The publishers felt that they were being attacked and they felt isolated, actually. They [the Comics Code] really picked a tough row to hoe down there, with the original Comics Code censorship. We weren’t too badly affected [editorially] by that, because we didn’t go in for that more rabid type of horror. William Gaines, the publisher of EC Comics and the man who sat before that committee, had different memories of his motives and of his role in sparking the censorship of the Comics Code. “What we did was fight for the right to publish what we had been publishing,” he has said. “There was good, economic reason for that. This was our livelihood, and we didn’t want to be put out of business. We ultimately were, except for Mad, and I was just lucky to have this ace-in-the-hole that came about almost by accident. And I ultimately had to drop all the comics except Mad, which by that time was no longer a comic [book].” Gaines has added: This is not true [that Mad was converted into a magazine format to escape the Comics Code]. Everybody thinks that, but this is not

Forbidden Adventures true. The reason that I changed Mad from a comic to a 25¢ magazine is that I didn’t want to lose Harvey Kurtzman [who had created it]. The lucky side effect, of course, is that by doing that, I did escape the Code. There was nothing to challenge legally because the Code is voluntary. There was nothing then that legally said you had to join the Association. Therefore, there was nothing legally to fight about. The problem was that if you didn’t join the Association, 700 independent wholesalers and 100,000 dealers would not handle your [comics] magazine. During this period of censorship and fear of the Soviet Union, some comic book publishers were even accused of Communist sympathies. An infamous parody of this attitude, published by Gaines, backfired and only added fuel to Wertham’s fire. Gaines has recalled: [T]he name to call things then was “Communistic.” This is what got me into the “Red Dupe” controversy [about 1953] because I was, in effect, kidding the people who were doing that kind of thing by doing the same thing myself. It just didn’t come off. It turned out to be ill-conceived. But, what I was trying to do, as I have said many times... I have a friend who, as he was walking down the

street and saw someone making a speech to a crowd who he thought was right wing, and he found that if he’d go up and taunt the guy for being a Communist, it would throw him into a fury. The theory being that the last thing a right-winger wants is for people to think he’s a left-winger! I thought it would work in reverse, but it didn’t. When I said “Anybody who’s against my comics must be a Communist,” I had this in mind. But everybody took it seriously. And then, when I was in front of the Senate sub-committee, they asked me what about this thing—“Do you believe this?” And I was so scared that I said yes. It was a lie. I figured it was easier to say yes than no…. What happened was that, due to public pressure, I was forced to drop my whole original line of EC comics, and we substituted a whole new line of EC comics. Despite the fact that I ultimately joined the Association, the wholesalers were still so angry with me that they continued returning my comics back to me unopened. They were doing it to me because it was a political problem. Despite Gaines’ efforts to stop its formation, by September 16, 1954, the Comics Code Authority had been officially established, headed by a former judge, Charles F. Murphy, and representing 90% of the publishers in the comics industry. The self-imposed rules and regula-

A Couple Of Endangered Species More pre-1954 themes that would become no-nos in ’55: “The Zombie’s Revenge” from Out of the Night #5 (Oct.-Nov. 1952) and “Midnight Howl” from Adventures into the Unknown #36 (Oct. 1952). Zombies and werewolves, like vampires, would be totally verboten under the Code, no matter what the story. Art by Charles Nicholas and Edvard Moritz, respectively. Scans by Mark Muller. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group

tions of the Comics Code were extremely strict— perhaps going even further than what critics such as Dr. Wertham would have demanded or than the government would have imposed. Severe restrictions were placed upon depictions of violence, sex, and drug use. Criminals could not be glorified in any way nor be allowed to escape punishment for their deeds. Language was censored, to the point of banning certain words from being used in the titles of comics. The portrayal of such supernatural creatures as zombies would no longer be tolerated.

Longing For Horror Frank Belknap Long (1903-1994), who had been one of H.P. Lovecraft’s Weird Tales circle in the 1930s and had written numerous stories of HPL’s Cthulhu Mythos, scripted the entire first issue of ACG’s Adventures into the Unknown in 1948. Seen at right are two of the splash pages from that landmark comic—for the lead story (“The Werewolf Strikes!” with art by cover artist Edvard Moritz) and “The Living Ghost” (art by Fred Guardineer). That issue also contained a short adaptation of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764), one of the earliest gothic novels, with art by Al Ulmer. As noted on p. 10, “The Living Ghost” seems to have become, for a time, the basis of a continuing feature. Much of the above info came from the Grand Comic Book Database, accessible at www.comics.org. Scans by Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The Comics Code was similar to but even harsher than the Hayes Code under which motion pictures of the time operated. Although the code did succeed in relieving public pressure on the comics industry, it had other effects that were not anticipated, as recalled by Norman Fruman: We did not think that the effects of the Comics Code would be serious. I’m about to talk about the other side of the coin, now. I certainly did not object to the industry policing itself, because I felt it had gone way, way too far and that, after all, it was largely young people that we at least thought were a major part of our audience. We hadn’t gone into, as yet, implications of sexual areas. So when the industry, rather than have Congress pass any laws, set up its Comics Code, it was a Judge Murphy who was put in charge. Here, I run into a conflict. The experience of that was absolutely appalling. I would never, ever have thought that the terms under which that self-policing took place would very, very rapidly—I mean, within a matter of months—lead to a governing authority that would read all of our stories and tell us what we could and could not do, that went absolutely beyond anything that had provoked the Kefauver Committee to have meetings! We were told we couldn’t use this or that story... we just succumbed to this. In September 1952, the comics industry as a whole had hit a peak, releasing 502 titles in that month alone. By the end of 1953, compe-

tition had cut the field down to 409 titles. This was nothing, however, compared to the widespread cancellations that followed in the wake of the imposition of the Comics Code. No longer allowed to produce the types of books that had been so successful and faced with declining readerships, many publishers simply went out of business. EC Comics, whose books had been among the most popular (and most harshly criticized), was forced within a short time to cancel its entire line of books, the sole exception being Mad magazine, which is still being published to this day. The last pre-Comics Code title to be released by ACG was Adventures into the Unknown #61 (Jan.-Feb. 1955). In an ironic footnote, evidence has surfaced that indicates that, in a small way at least, ACG itself may have inadvertently been partially responsible for setting into motion the events that eventually led to the implementation of the stifling Comics Code throughout the entire industry! Some of the gravest concerns expressed about the story content of comics were sparked by the horror titles, of which, as we have seen, ACG’s Adventures into the Unknown was the first. We now know that the first issue of that series was written by prolific author Frank Belknap Long. In addition to comics, Long also wrote detective, adventure, mystery, fantasy, supernatural horror, and science-fiction prose. Born in New York City, he claimed to be a descendant of one Edward Doty, who Long purported was the sole non-Puritan to arrive aboard the Mayflower—and the first man to fight a duel on the American continent. Long referred to his authorship of the first issue of Adventures into the Unknown in a letter addressed to horror writer and publisher

Forbidden Adventures

63 that Hughes had asked him to persuade Derleth to send informal comments on Adventures into the Unknown in a letter that he could show to Sangor. Long asked that it be a favorable letter, and he disavowed any self-aggrandizement in this matter. Although Long was scripting for another comics publisher (possibly DC Comics) at the time this letter was written, he felt compelled to help Hughes and save the magazine from cancellation. He wrote that Hughes believed a letter from Derleth might be the deciding factor for B.W. Sangor, and he promised it would not be quoted from or used in any way officially except as an inter-office matter.

A Whitney Sampler Major ACG illustrator Ogden Whitney (see self-caricature on p. 45) drew many covers for the company, both pre- and post-Comics Code. On this page are four of them: Blazing West #14 (Nov.-Dec. 1950)—Soldiers of Fortune #3 (June-July 1952)—Forbidden Worlds #150 (Aug. 1964)—and Herbie #1 (April-May 1964). A true artist for all seasons! With thanks to Michael Vance and Bill Field. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

August Derleth, dated October 27, 1948. In it, he assumed that Derleth had seen the first issue of Adventures into the Unknown, and expressed pride at having written the entire book, even the text pages. He also asked Derleth for his opinion on a werewolf story in the issue. Derleth (the same author whose work was later plagiarized by one of ACG’s writers, as related on p. 40) apparently responded favorably to Long, prompting a second, crucial letter from Long to Derleth, dated November 3, 1948. In it, Long wrote that Richard Hughes, “the editor of that comic book ghost story magazine,” was very familiar with Derleth’s publishing company Arkham House. In fact, Long wrote that Hughes had a great deal of respect for the books Derleth published and had read most of them. Hughes, therefore, also respected the publisher’s critical judgment. Long continued that he thought of Hughes as a high-grade man with knowledge of the field of horror, fantasy, and science-fiction, and that he considered ACG to be imaginative, sensitive, and discerning. Nevertheless, he wrote, ACG’s owner, B.W. Sangor, was considering canceling Adventures into the Unknown because of the thencurrent attacks on all comic books. Long admitted mentioning to Hughes that Derleth was interested in the new title and had been told that the Arkham publisher was mentioning it in his Arkham Sampler. Long believed that Hughes was gratified by this and wrote

Long wrote that he wanted the comic book title to continue publication not only because he liked Richard Hughes, who had put his career on the line with his publisher, but because a comic book based on the horror and fantasy genres did damage to no one and increased the popularity of weird literature with readers, even though on a primitive level. Obviously, Long enjoyed writing for Adventures into the Unknown.

He was afraid, however, that the brief mention made in Derleth’s Arkham Sampler might upset Sangor because it was not an entirely favorable comment. Moreover, Sangor did not want to think Adventures into the Unknown too spine-curdling and just slightly superior to the “gory” comic books. Long closed by commenting that Derleth’s letter would relieve Long of an obligation, save the writer

The History Of The American Comics Group

Everything’s Herbie! Clockwise from top left: In Herbie #8 (March 1965), the endomorphic Everyman perused comic book images of Golden Age heroes Skyman and The Owl. Herbie artist Ogden Whitney had drawn “Skyman” for Vin Sullivan’s Columbia comics group. Thanks to Bill Harper. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.] In that same issue, Herbie donned a costume and became known officially (rather than just informally) as The Fat Fury, as per this splash reprinted in the 1998 Fat Fury Special #1. [©2006 Roger Broughton.] Herbie remains an icon for many Silver Age enthusiasts—as witness longtime pro colorist Carl Gafford’s cover for Capa-Alpha #410 (Dec. 1998), which spoofs DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes. An “apa” is an “amateur press alliance” which collates and sends out contributions by individual fans; the term originated in science-fiction fandom. [Art ©2006 Carl Gafford; Herbie TM & ©2006 the respective TM & copyright holders.]

embarrassment, and could be written with complete sincerity, since some aspects of Adventures into the Unknown probably did appeal to Derleth. There is no documentation proving that Derleth did indeed write such a letter of endorsement to Long, but it must be considered a distinct possibility. Adventures into the Unknown was not canceled—whether because of Derleth’s recommendation or not—and went on to enjoy a long and successful run. But if this horror title had been canceled after only two issues, it could be argued that other publishers would have been far less likely to have jumped onto the horror bandwagon—a bandwagon that contributed to the incorporation of the Comics Code Authority. It makes for an intriguing line of speculation. As for the Comics Code itself, it maintained firm control over comics’ subject matter for nearly two decades. Then, in the mid-1970s, it succumbed to pressure from prominent publishers and began to ease

some of its restrictions. Although its influence continued to erode, and while today fewer and fewer books carry its distinctive stamp of approval on their front covers, the Code is still in effect in abbreviated form. But defunct publishing companies, broken careers, and an ugly incident in American history remain the dark legacy left by this restrictive institution.

Chapter 13 Worth a Thousand Words I know we had an artist named Leo Morey. He was Peruvian. He lived in New York, but he went back to Peru. But when he did, he did some artwork for us from Lima. —Frederick Iger. [Al] Williamson and I really collaborated well and tried to do something exceptionally good... I think we did. I vaguely remember one [story] for one of the other outfits about a giant creature that was wiping out cities [“Demon of Destruction, Forbidden Worlds #1] that was particularly good. —Artist Frank Frazetta, from The Art of Al Williamson.

Because comic books are a visual medium, their success has always depended in large measure on the quality of the artwork illustrating the stories. Like most publishers, the American Comics Group employed the services of dozens of different artists to produce the thousands of

Forbidden Adventures stories appearing under its banner. And, like every publisher in the history of the art form, each issue of each title succeeded or suffered by the uneven quality of its art and artists. Steve Ditko, the highly-respected original artist of Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man character, worked briefly for ACG. EC Comics artists Wally Wood and Al Williamson also made contributions. The roster of noteworthy artists who plied their trade for ACG includes another EC Comics artist, Frank Frazetta, who went on to achieve great fame painting cover illustrations for books featuring the exploits of such well-known fictional characters as Tarzan and Conan the Barbarian. Indisputably, however, the artist most associated with ACG in the years immediately preceding and following the institution of the Comics Code was Ogden Whitney. He illustrated the vast majority of covers on ACG titles in the post-Code years (and many before), and his work appeared in one or more of their titles every month. Before becoming the premier artist at ACG, Whitney was a welltraveled professional. He was born in 1918, and his first known comic book work was for Donenfeld’s National Comics, drawing “Sandman” and “Cotton Carver” in Adventure Comics in 1939. Editor and publisher Vincent Sullivan brought Whitney from National/DC when he (Sullivan) left to form Columbia. Whitney’s most popular work before ACG was in stories featuring the character “Skyman.” This super-hero and aviator was created in 1939 by Gardner F. Fox and editor Vincent Sullivan (who had formerly been the original “Superman” editor) for Columbia Comic Corporation. Whitney became author as well as artist of “Skyman” with Big Shot Comics #67, and he illustrated the feature until he was inducted into the army in 1943. “Skyman” was billed as “America’s National Hero” and baffled the enemies of America. Whitney returned to draw and often to write “Skyman” from 1946 to 1949. He also did work for Novelty (“Old Cap Hawkins,” 1942), Hillman (true comics, 1948), ME (covers, 1948-54), Ziff-Davis (science-fiction and love titles, 1950), Marvel (weird, war, love, jungle titles, 1952-54) and TwoGun Kid and SHIELD titles, 1966), Quality (love titles, Robin Hood, 1954-56), Avon (love books, 1965), and Tower (“NoMan” and “Dynamo” superheroes, 1966-68). In 1953, he was the artist on the comic strip Ken Weston.

Adventures into the Unknown #109-113. Once Herbie became a separate title, Whitney devoted all his energies at ACG to that character. He ceased doing covers and interior work for ACG’s other titles and eventually gave up doing covers entirely. His last work for ACG was in the final issue of Herbie. In late 1966, months before Herbie was canceled, Ogden left ACG and began working for Tower Comics on their super-hero characters. His editor there was another famous ACG artist, Wally Wood. Whitney’s handful of stories for Marvel Comics included a collaboration with legendary comics artist Jack Kirby on the character “Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD.” While Whitney’s artwork was a major presence at ACG, he himself seems to have been somewhat enigmatic, as recalled by assistant editor Norman Fruman: I met Ogden Whitney, and I have a vague visual memory of him if, in fact, I’m thinking of Ogden Whitney. He was a fellow of good height, probably around 5 feet 10 inches or 11 inches, a little overweight—what you might have called... he was certainly not fat. My recollection is a roundish face. He probably looked more like a successful businessman. A great deal was done by mail, but the artists who were in the area, it was common for them to come up. The two artists whom I can recall are Ken Bald and Whitney. Ken Bald I knew very much better. Whitney was very correct. He seems to me to have been kind-of withdrawn. Not a socially amiable, but not an unamiable person. Someone who might be coming in like an accountant. There was rarely any conversation with him.

Whitney came to ACG in 1950, penciling and inking for almost all of their titles, either on covers or interior stories. Whitney had a simple, direct style, using just enough background detail to make a scene look real without distracting from the main action. There was never any question about what was happening in a Whitney story, for he put telling the story ahead of looking “arty.” He had the rare ability to make even a minor story readable without overpowering it with A Kurt Of All Trades his art, and he even tried his Kurt Schaffenberger was likewise a prolific (if often pseudonymous) artist for ACG, originally drawing “mystery” stories— hand at painted covers on then switching to the super-hero Magicman, as per his cover for Forbidden Worlds #137 (Aug. 1966)—then to “mystery” again near the end of FW’s run, as per #141 (Jan.-Feb 1967). Scans by Michael V. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

The History Of The American Comics Group Another principal artist for ACG during the 1950s was Kurt Schaffenberger. Even after he went on to greater fame drawing the adventures of Superman’s Girlfriend – Lois Lane for National/DC, he also continued to do work for ACG, for reasons he discussed in a letter dated March 10, 1978: The reason I continued doing covers for ACG after I moved over to DC was twofold: starting in 1955, ACG branched out into the commercial comics field under the name of Custom Comics. As these books are not dependent on newsstand sales, the rates are therefore considerably higher. For this reason, and because I had helped get this new venture off the ground, I was doing most of the artwork for these books…. Some of our accounts were the US Air Force, Howard Johnsons, New York Police and Fire Departments, Wrangler Jeans, Grit, Chrysler Motors, and many public utility companies. As a matter of fact, I still do some work for them to this day [1978], although it is now called Culver Publications. The second reason was that I had desk space at ACG that I availed myself of two days a week and which was a convenience for me in that it allowed me a place to work on the days I had to go into NYC. Another factor was that while DC paid me about double what I was getting at ACG on inside pages, the rates for covers were the same. Also, my availability to Dick [Hughes] is the reason why I did last-minute corrections for him on other people’s artwork when the [Comics] Code was giving us a hassle. Schaffenberger, like Richard Hughes, did some of his work under pen names, including “Jay Kafka” and “Lou Wahl,” the latter being his maternal grandfather’s name. It was Schaffenberger who designed the costumes for the characters of both Nemesis and Magicman in ACG’s only fling at super-heroes.

A Couple Of Real Jewels John Rosenberger drew (and Richard Hughes wrote) this story from Midnight Mystery #7 (Oct. 1961), which opened with a self-caricature of “John R.” Sorry a bit of art got “curved off” at the left; but thanks to John Hayes, Jr., for the photocopy. You can find a photo of Rosenberger— along with lots more info about his long and impressive career—in Alter Ego #23 (see TwoMorrows ad bloc at the end of this issue). [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

We now know that Ogden Whitney was plagued by a deep personal difficulty, as sometimes happens to creative people. Among others who remembered Ogden’s problem with sadness, publisher Frederick Iger has recounted his illness: Well, he had a problem. A drinking problem. We would take anything that Ogden did. The problem was getting him to do it. Of course, he did the “Herbie” stuff. It was just wonderful stuff. It was pulling teeth to get the production out of him. And that was, I think, among the last things he did for us. He was a very talented guy, and a very nice guy. I found him a real charmer. But the problem was with him for quite a while. We had a few like that. The best of them was Dan Gordon, who did The Kilroys and a host of other stuff. I thought he was a genius. And he had a problem. How Ogden ended his career and his life is shrouded in mystery. But it is known that Whitney was never able to extricate himself from his drinking and died in obscurity sometime in the 1970s.

A good deal of the artwork for both the covers and interiors of ACG’s romance titles was provided by Ken Bald. Highly respected by Richard Hughes, he also drew many covers and interior stories for ACG’s horror titles. Bald went on to become a commercial artist and the illustrator on the very successful Dr. Kildare newspaper comic strip. Norman Fruman has recounted his memories both of Bald and of some of the decision-making processes involving artwork for ACG: Ken Bald was a strikingly handsome guy. He dressed superbly. I remember once asking him about his clothes (at that time I was quite ignorant of men’s stores and fashions), and he startled me by saying that the coat I had so much admired he had, in fact, bought at a thrift shop a few blocks away! He was so successful that I think he was largely confined to doing covers. Occasionally, we’d see each other at Christmas parties which we had and which Richard [Hughes] loved. Besides Whitney, Schaffenberger, and Bald, the primary ACG artists included Pete Costanza (1956-67), John Rosenberger (“John R,” “Jon Dieh”; 1951-63), Paul Reinman (1958-64), Dick Beck (1953-67), Emil Gershwin (“Peter Abbott”; 1949-58), John Forte (1957-61), and Chic Stone (1963-67). Forte left in 1961 due to an increasing work load from DC. Rosenberger was drawing The Adventures of The Fly and Jaguar for Archie Comics in addition to his ACG work; he left both to work for DC. Reinman left ACG to replace Rosenberger as the artist on all the Archie /Mighty (Comics) super-hero titles. Stone moved over to Tower, where he worked on “Dynamo” and “Lightning,” as well as working as an inker on many Marvel titles. Like others, Costanza took his services to DC, illustrating stories of “Jimmy Olsen” and other

Forbidden Adventures “Superman” characters as well as “The Legion of Super-Heroes.” No comic book credits have been found for Beck and Gershwin after the time they left ACG. Another ACG artist, Hy Eisman, has recounted a story that reflects the state of the comics industry in the 1950s and the creative process as it worked at the American Comics Group; his story illustrates both the professional behavior and the sense of humor of editor Richard Hughes: There wasn’t a lot of comic book work to be had in the late ’50s, after the Kefauver Committee and Dr. Wertham finished battering the industry. In fact, the three dozen or so comic book publishers had shrunk to about six, so when Dick Hughes handed me my first script—a 3-page filler—I felt I had finally arrived! I didn’t call him “Dick” or even “Richard” in those days. He was always “Mr. Hughes” to me. Whenever I walked into his office, he would be typing away with a large portable Grundig sitting nearby always, playing symphonic music. Since work was scarce and I was eager to please, I didn’t even look at the first script until I was on the train going home. During that time, the artist was responsible for penciling and inking but I would also do my own lettering so I could control the page layout. When I started roughing out the story, it became apparent that the script was overloaded with dialogue. I felt I couldn’t display my drawing ability to its maximum, crowded as it was by the giant word balloons. I brought the pencils [sketches] back to Hughes for an okay. I cautiously suggested that the pages would attract more readers if the dialogue was more succinct, so that the drawing had more room to blossom. Without any change from the dour expression he usually wore, Hughes picked up a pencil and proceeded to edit out large segments of the dialogue and captions. Seeing that he agreed with my criticism of the author, whose

“When You’re Slapped, You’ll Take It And Like It” At left, Hy Eisman slaps a woman around—no, actually, both were only posing for an action reference. Eisman drew horror and war comics for ACG in the first half of the 1950s, and “weird” or “mystery” tales circa 1964-65. Thanks to Michael Vance for photo and the scan of panels from an Eisman-drawn story in Out of the Night #10 (Sept. 1953). [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

name appeared on the title page—Kurato Osaki—I grew bolder on subsequent visits to his office. “This guy is as bad as that Osaki guy.” I was now giving an opinion of author Pierce Rand. “He overwrites, his captions are obvious from the drawing….” Again Hughes would blue-pencil large sections of copy. “But there’s still too much! Can’t you tell them to cut down on the verbiage?” No answer. Without a change of expression or a word of remonstration, he listened calmly to my criticism of Lafcadio Lee, Greg Olivetti, Shane O’Shea, and dutifully edited down huge portions of the script. It wasn’t till years later, after I left ACG, that I learned those authors, including Pierre Alonzo, Zev Zimmer, Brad Everson, Kermit Lundgren, and Bob Standish... were all Richard Hughes! Artist Al Williamson has spoken of two ACG artists who made a deep impression upon him—Ogden Whitney and Emil Gershwin. When EC Comics went out of business around 1955, Williamson returned to ACG after having worked for a time with Marvel Comics: I wanted to meet [Ogden Whitney] very badly, even back in the ’40s before I even got into comics. I loved his “Skyman.” After the war, when he started back doing “Skyman” again, he had an adventure story going on, eight pages every month. There’s another artist who worked for them—I think his last name was Gershwin. He was wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Now, I think he’s the same artist who, back in 1942, did a whole book for Fawcett of Spy Smasher. I think it’s issue #5 or #7. The inside was all done [by him], and it even has a double-page spread of a dragon, beautifully drawn. And I understand this was the same artist who also did stuff for ACG. He also ghosted a Tarzan daily

The History Of The American Comics Group

Two By Gershwin (Left:) A sample of Emil Gershwin’s WWII-era Spy Smasher art Al Williamson talks about on the preceding page, from issue #7 (Oct. 1942). [Spy Smasher TM & ©2006 DC Comics.] (Above:) Panels from a story (“The Mysterious Train”) attributed to Gershwin that appeared in Forbidden Worlds #122 (Sept. 1964). Scan by Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

[newspaper strip] back in 1948, I think. Ogden Whitney and Gershwin were the best guys ACG had at the time... beautiful artwork. Williamson has also recounted the story of his final assignment as an artist for ACG. It speaks well of his own character—and that of Richard Hughes: There was only one little bad thing. It was my own fault. The last job I did for [Hughes], I didn’t do. I had a friend [Marvin Stein] pencil it for me, and I inked it. It was fairly good, you know. I was going through some very negative things at that time. I think it was ’57 or ’58. I delivered [the story]; he wasn’t there. He called me up. “Al, I know sometimes you rush these things. That’s okay—but this is pretty obviously not your work.” He was very sweet about it. And I sort-of said, “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it, blah, blah,” and kind-of left in a bad way. Not him. Me. I was the bad guy. So I wrote him a letter. I apologized. I hope he got the letter. In a perfect world, comic books would be a perfect marriage of words and art. But because comic books and strips are written as well as drawn, there has always been a tension between many writers and artists over what is more important to the finished book—the art or story. It is not unusual for this debate to rage among fans of comic books, as well.

It speaks volumes that the great majority of artists who contributed to the American Comics Group held Richard Hughes in high regard as a person as well as an artist in his own right. It is equally impressive that, almost three decades after the last ACG title was sold on a newsstand, thousands and thousands of readers still carry fond memories of the uneven words and art that he edited in a less than perfect world.

Chapter 14 The Rest of the Gory: Conclusion Adored husband of Annabel, beloved brother to Margaret Dimesa and Harriet Katz . Loving uncle. Family will receive visitors today from 3-5 and 7-9:30 pm at the Riverside, Bronx, 179 Street and Grand Concourse. Services will be private, friends and relatives may call at residence, Sunday, Jan. 20th after 2 pm. —Richard E. Hughes’ obituary, from New York Times, January 16, 1974.

After igniting the horror craze in comic books with the publication of Adventures into the Unknown in 1948, ACG stoked the fire with the publication of seven additional horror titles. Of these, four were published before the censorship of the Comics Code Authority was imposed; three were released in the 1960s. Forbidden Worlds premiered in 1951 and ran for 145 issues until 1967. This impressive run was broken only once, in 1955, when Forbidden Worlds became an adventure title, Young Heroes, for a brief three issues. Out of the Night and Skeleton Hand were both

Forbidden Adventures added to ACG’s roster in 1952. Out of the Night was published for seventeen issues until 1954, and Skeleton Hand was canceled after six issues in 1953. The Clutching Hand, a one-shot book released without bearing the characteristic ACG cover emblem, appeared in 1954 and is considered to be the goriest of ACG’s horror titles. Out of the Night was the third most successful horror title published by ACG. Its third issue, at 32 pages, selling for 10¢, and released to newsstands for June and July of 1952, was representative of all of ACG’s horror books before the Comics Code Authority was instituted. That issue began with an 8-page, uncredited story called “The Raven Sisters,” drawn by Pete Riss. In it, Larry Mather and his fiancée Joan travel to Ravenwood, the ancestral Mather manse with an adjourning cemetery. The Raven sisters are buried there; the stakes driven through their hearts are still protruding above ground. If the stakes are removed, these witches will rise again to murder and torture. The two sisters had been able to turn into ravens until they were killed by a farmer. But the manse caretaker, hungry for lost youth, removes the stakes, pays a horrible price, and seals Joan’s fate... almost. Uncredited, as were all of the stories in this issue, “The Eyes of Terror” (actually drawn by Paul Gattuso) was also 8 pages long. It

chronicles the story of a rich publisher who had stored an immense art collection in an underground warehouse in Nevada. At the publisher’s death, Neil, a reporter, and Janet, his girlfriend, are assigned to write a story on these exotic treasures. But unopened mail sacks and supplies at the scene promise a dreadful wrong fulfilled by the supernatural. At the warehouse, four guards lie dead, and a fifth has been driven mad by phantoms. The death of the fifth by an ancient Grecian horror proves the salvation of Neil and Janet. In “Monsters from the Ages,” a 5-page tale, explorers find evil frozen in Arctic ice. Rick, Nila, and Professor Neilson uncover Viking coffins in an iceberg. While being transported by plane to America, these corpses are revived. The plane crashes, and sunlight proves the monsters to be vampires. But apparent disaster turns to succor from a surprising, inanimate source. The final 7-page story in this issue was titled “Terror in the Swamp.” On a Philippine island named Kumbani, the construction of a highway is stopped by the natives’ fear of Tigbanuas, giant swamp monsters. The natives begin to desert when the Tigbanuas attack, but unbelieving engineers halt their flight by traveling into the swamp to end their superstition. There, Larry stumbles upon a mysterious, beautiful woman with hypnotic eyes. He is forced to drink a potion that will turn him into Tigbanua. When he is found delirious by his fellows, Larry begins to transform, and attempts to save the engineer lead to horror. Hughes watched and waited until 1960 before publishing another companion title to the horror line. Unknown Worlds would prove to be ACG’s strongest entry in the field for its time, and it even outsold its sister publications by the end of its 59-issue run, in 1967. Midnight Mystery, released in 1960 for seven issues, and ACG’s final new title, Gasp!, published for four issues in 1967, could not find enough newsstand acceptance to survive. These and all of the company’s horror/weird titles were anthologies, and this format was also falling out of favor with comic book readers. Midnight Mystery and its first issue, released in January and February 1960, were representative of the flavor of ACG’s titles from about 1958 to the end of its existence as a publisher of mainstream comic books. It ran 32 pages, sold for 10¢, and featured four stories, an introductory letters page, and the usual assortment of advertisements. Its first story was “The Knell of Doom.” It was written by Zev Zimmer (a house name), and its 8 pages were drawn by Paul Reinman. In it, a European town names Verino “dies” dies once each century. Peter Devin learns of its destruction in 1660 by a flash flood, in 1760 by fire, and in 1860 by tornado. It is now 1960, and the village is deserted, until Devin finds an old man with a painting of the city dating from 1860. Checking a library for further proof, Devin discovers that the town’s clock tower, a tower built by Stephano Forenzo, has remained undamaged each time. Forenzo experimented in alchemy and occult sciences, and was eventually driven away. When Devin uncovers the mystery of the supernatural clock, he is saved by an unexpected source.

I Wanna Hold Your (Skeleton) Hand After Adventures into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds had scored as hits, ACG launched Out of the Night and Skeleton Hand. The latter was less successful than the others, lasting only six issues. Above is Ken Bald’s cover for Skeleton Hand #4 (March-April 1952). Thanks to Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

“The Man Who Wasn’t,” the second feature of the issue, concerned scientist Marty Collins, who discovers “invisible paint.” Its 6 pages were drawn by John Rosenberger and written by Kurato Osaki (another house name). The interference of Marty’s pet monkey stirs up complications in the person of Uncle Walter, whose niece loves Marty. The chimp sprays Walter with the paint, but a restorative formula ultimately saves more than Uncle Walter’s face. “Mr. Sneeley’s Business Trip” added humor to the mix. It was written by still another house name, Pierre Alonzo, and drawn by John Forte. Milksop Sneely discovers the “perfect insecticide,” which

The History Of The American Comics Group lot of work to be printed. I believe that our smallest print run was 200,000 copies. I remember at the time reflecting on the fact that stories I was writing were actually being read by more people than were reading Ernest Hemingway, who was alive at the time.” Frederick Iger has given further details regarding the sales figures that ACG titles enjoyed at the height of their popularity. According to the publisher, Adventures into the Unknown sold 65 or 70% of its print run at its peak. At one point, this title was up to about 600,000 copies printed and 400,000 copies sold. During the war years, Ha Ha and Giggle had also done very well, selling out their entire print runs:

The "Wahls" Have Ears—Also Antennae! DC apparently objected to Kurt Schaffenberger’s name appearing in ACG’s mags, as it did on the cover of Midnight Mystery #4 (July 1961), ’cause the cover of Unknown Worlds #55 (April-May 1967), like that of many another ACG mag, was drawn by “Lou Wahl”—alias Kurt Schaffenberger. Thanks to Michael Vance. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

But that was true of practically every comic book that was marketed then. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, they sold— and at that time it was considered very respectable—55% or 60%. The average print run of those two, I guess, ran about half a million. [With the romance titles] the print runs would be from 400

misfires and makes happy bugs dance! Because of his long service to the company, Sneeley is demoted and sent to Europe instead of being fired. His flight there is interrupted by invading aliens who, in turn, have been invaded by enemies on their planet. The “foolishness” of Mr. Sneeley earns him a ton of alien diamonds in this story’s resolution. Finishing this issue was “Underneath the Quietest Exterior,” a brief 3-page story written by Shane O’Shea (another house name) and drawn by Ogden Whitney. A meek secretary, Edward Ransen, proves reincarnation during an expedition to uncover the lost tomb of Pharaoh Ramojes, an ancient and powerful Egyptian sorcerer. Underneath the quietest exterior may lurk ages-old evil. Commenting about the company at the height of its popularity, Norman Fruman has recalled, “I remember we had a

The Beginning And The End The covers of Adventures into the Unknown #13 (Oct.-Nov. 1950) and #156 (April-May 1965). The first ongoing horror comic may have gone out with a whimper rather than a bang—but it had its moments along the way! #13 cover artist is Ogden Whitney; #156 by Kurt Schaffenberger. Scans by MV. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Forbidden Adventures to 500,000. I don’t think we printed much more than that. In the mid-1950s, as the industry continued its long downward spiral in sales, ACG diversified into a separate but related field with the creation of its Custom Comics line. Although never sold on newsstands, these comics had the highest print runs of any ACG comic book and were extremely profitable. Iger has recounted how that imprint was started: That might have been somewhere between 1955 and 1960, I guess. We took on an ad representative by the name of Culver. Actually, his name was Francis McCulver, but nobody called him McCulver. Everybody called him Mac. At that point, he had been selling [advertising] space in the comic books for us. We began to get some inquiries about doing commercial comics -- comics for commercial products. Some of our customers—especially the guys who were putting out novelty items—said, “Could you do a little comic book for us that we could put in a box?” So we started to do that type of commercial comic. It was very successful. Well, I’ll tell you, at one point we did some books for Kelloggs. We tied together a toy manufacturer with Kelloggs, and the [print] runs were in the neighborhood of 10 or 11 million. These were 16-page, one-third size comic books. Richard [Hughes] was editor on all of this stuff. As a matter of fact, we did a whole series—maybe 50 or 60—of miniature comic books for the Wrangler Jeans Company. They were used as hang tags. Wrangler had a tie-in with the rodeo cowboys, and they sponsored rodeos throughout the country.

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On the surface, ACG appeared still to be a strong and vigorous company as it entered its third decade of publishing comic books. In 1964, ACG won the industry award called the Alley (fandom award) for Best Regularly Published Fantasy Comic: Forbidden Worlds; the following year, that title placed second in the balloting. Herbie won the Alley for Best Humor Comic in 1964 and 1965, beating out Uncle Scrooge, the Disney title created by the legendary Carl Barks. In fact, such was the popularity of the character “Herbie” that, in 1972, a “religion” was established among sciencefiction fans that proclaimed him to be a fannish deity!

Herbie – A Force For The ’90s! Updating Michael Vance’s 1996 text just a bit: In 1998 Roger Broughton’s new ACG (“America’s Comic Group”) published Fat Fury Special #1, reprinting two classic “Herbie” stories and a filler or two in black-&-white. We’re not certain exactly who drew this new cover, but it’s a beauty! Ironically, the inside back cover sports an ad for TwoMorrows mags, including Comic Book Artist #1 and its flip-side Alter Ego, Vol. 2, #1! [©2006 Roger Broughton.]

But ACG was facing mounting competition. From 1965 to 1967, there was a veritable population explosion of new comics companies, as Tower, King, Milson, Country Wide, Parallax, and Wham-O all entered the field. Marvel and DC were both expanding their lines, especially with the super-hero titles that were becoming the dominant genre in comics. Charlton was likewise introducing super-hero characters in its books. As noted, this was a field in which ACG seemed simply unable to compete.

A comparison of sales figures will explain where ACG stood against its strongest competitors as it neared the end of its existence. In 1967, ACG’s average paid circulation (actual sales to readers) for Unknown Worlds stood at 162,684 copies per issue. Forbidden Worlds was selling 160,520 copies, and Adventures into the Unknown 155,102. By contrast, in the same year, Marvel Comics’ Amazing Spider-Man was averaging sales of 340,155 copies. DC Comics was doing even better, with Superman selling 719,976 copies and Batman averaging 898,470 copies. The writing was on the wall. Ironically, in today’s comics market, with its system of distributing comic books directly to stores that specialize in such products and with purchases of comics significantly lower than 30 years ago, sales such as ACG enjoyed in 1967 would make that company one of the leading publishers in the market. But such a system was not yet in place in the 1960s, and ACG’s figures were not healthy for the times. As Frederick Iger has put it, “The comic book business had just fallen off tremendously. There was a dry-up of the industry. The small candy stores were going out of business, and comic books were being distributed through supermarkets and things, and it was just time to let it go.” For Richard Hughes, it was almost as if his own essence was directly

The History Of The American Comics Group

Big John Buscema At ACG Only a couple of years before he rejoined Marvel and became one of that burgeoning company’s top pencilers (on The Avengers, Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, Thor, Conan the Barbarian, et al.), John Buscema was doing beautiful full art on stories for Richard Hughes: (Left:) The splash page of Buscema’s effort for Adventures into the Unknown #110 (Aug. 1959), which gave him a bit of practice in drawing mythological creatures. Writer “Bob Standish” was actually Richard Hughes. Scan by Mark Cannon. (Right:) A page from “Through the Time Warp” in AITU #165 (June-July 1966), repro’d from b&w photocopies provided by Owen O’Leary. The splash of this story, and of another from Forbidden Worlds #79, were seen in Alter Ego #15, the mostly-Buscema issue (though it also spotlighted Kurt Schaffenberger). [Both pages ©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

tied to that of his beloved ACG. Both were in the final stages of their lives. According to Iger, Hughes knew full well of the disease that was taking its inevitable toll on him. “I remember an incident in the office where [Hughes] inadvertently hit a doorknob—the doorknob hit him in the side—he just walked into it. And the bruise wouldn’t go away, wouldn’t heal. But he knew why at that point. He took care of himself and... he was a wonderful guy” Finally, after producing 31 titles and publishing newsstand and educational comic books for 24 years, the American Comics Group ceased newsstand publishing in 1967. Only an occasional ACG story was reprinted in odd magazines by publishers not associated with Iger or the American Comics Group. Frederick Iger continued to publish Custom Comics for commercial accounts for several more years. Richard Hughes wrote for these miniature publications, as well as writing several stories for DC Comics. Eventually, in the mid-1980s, even that last vestige of ACG vanished. According to Iger, “I was bought out [of Custom Comics] some years ago by McCulver, and as far as I know—Mac died a few years back—his sons still operate a

business. He bought it at least ten years ago or more.” As of 1995, Iger was operating a business called Film Reproductions, based in New York City. From his description of it, one can see that traces of his comic book background still remain: We’re printers. Four color printers. We own presses. It’s an offshoot of the original comic book business, in a sense. We started by taking TV commercials—and at the time, most of them were produced on 16mm film—and we’d clip out the salient scenes from the 30-second or 60-second commercial, and just arrange them in comic book form... so that you could see what the commercial was going to be. They’re called “photoboards.” They use them for sales presentations. From that, we evolved into four-color printers. The rights to the stories originally published by ACG are now owned by Canadian publisher Roger Broughton. A former freelance artist, Broughton had also written war and horror stories for the now-

Forbidden Adventures

The comics industry has undergone dramatic, perhaps even revolutionary, changes since the original ACG folded its tents. Only the dominance of the super-hero titles remains the same, though other genres do appear with more frequency than 30 years ago. Time alone will tell if this newest incarnation of ACG will be able to survive and flourish in the new world of comics; indeed, it is debatable whether comics themselves will survive as an art form. For now, all we can do is look back at what was, while wondering what will be. ACG was neither the best of comic book publishers, nor the worst. The company’s titles are still fondly remembered by many, for ACG published its share of outstanding stories and art and of “stinkers,” by Hughes’ own admission in the letters pages. ACG’s noteworthy contributions to the history of comics must certainly include the creation of the first ongoing horror comic book, which initiated the horror craze of the 1950s, and the publication of Herbie, still a fan favorite after 30 years.

The Moving Finger Writes… (Above:) Richard Hughes remained a gentleman to the end, as seen by this letter he wrote to comics researcher (and A/E regular contributor) Hames Ware in 1964, when our esteemed Arkansan was researching comics artists and art shops—much of which went into his and Jerry G. Bails’ 1970s Who’s Who of American Comic Books. Thanks to both Hames and Michael Vance for copies of this note.

But beyond all else, the history of ACG is actually the story of, and a monument to, a single man. A man who wrote and edited thousands of stories that pleased hundreds of thousands of readers for many years. A man whose work will be remembered for decades yet to come.

(Right:) This Ogden Whitney cover for Adventures into the Unknown #123 (March 1961)—reproduced from the original art—foreshadows how RH and his fellow ACGers would feel as the comic book market would get ever-tougher for them in the 1960s, until the company ceased to exist well before the decade’s end. Still, for more than two decades, the American Comics Group was, as they say, a “player”—and interest in it has extended into a new century. ACG—and Richard Hughes—deserve the attention. [Art ©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

defunct Charlton Comics in the 1970s. After meeting the legendary comics creator Jack Kirby in 1974, Broughton decided to try his hand as a publisher. Around 1986 or 1987, Broughton bought out those remaining Charlton properties that had not already been sold off to other publishers. Through contacts made at international comic book shows, he cemented overseas licensing agreements for the publishing of his Charlton material. After reading the series of magazine articles originally published in The Comics Buyers Guide that served as the basis for this book, Broughton contacted ACG’s former publisher, Frederick Iger, and arranged to meet with him in New York City in 1989. According to Broughton, they reached an agreement that same day on his purchase of the rights to past ACG material. Since then, Broughton has arranged for the character of Herbie to appear in Italy and as a back-up feature in the Canadian magazine Margo. Broughton has also used some ACG material in other books he has published in Canada. Broughton has begun [1996] to solicit comics in the American market under the ACG logo, which now stands for “America’s Comic Group.” While using this as the name of his line of reprint books, none of the titles solicited thus far has actually contained any ACG stories, though that will change if the new imprint proves to be successful.

A man named Richard Hughes. A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: Regrettably, the bibliography and three appendices that concluded the hardcover edition of Michael Vance’s Forbidden Adventures could not be squeezed into this issue. These included his list of “Sangor Shop and American Comics Group Personnel,” an “ACG Chronology and Important Related Titles and Events,” and a list of “American Comics Group Titles, with Available Circulation Figures.” These items, plus his bibliography, will appear in our Oct./Halloween issue, along with an article by Barry Forshaw focusing on ACG’s horror comics—to round out our coverage of Richard Hughes and his big little comics company.

MICHAEL VANCE has been a professional freelance writer since 1977, his work appearing in dozens of magazines and as a syndicated columnist in over 500 newspapers. His book Forbidden Adventures has been called “a benchmark in comics history.” He has written such comic books as Straw Men, Angel of Death, The Adventures of Captain Nemo, Holiday Out (collecting his comic strip), and Bloodtide, as well as 23 stories about a fictional town called “Light’s End.” For information on the latter, and on audio- taped readings thereof by actor William Windom, contact Michael at 1429 S. Delaware Av., Tulsa, OK 74104, or go online at www.starbase21OK.com. Michael Vance

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“The Lord Gave Me The Opportunity To Do What I Wanted” Artist AL HARTLEY On Timely, Archie, Spire, & A Famous Father—Not To Mention Nedor & ACG

Interview Conducted & Transcribed by Jim Amash

l Hartley (1925-2003) had a long and distinguished career in comic books. His gifted cartoonist’s touch realized many entertaining stories during his Timely and Archie Days. His best and most important work was done on a series of Christian comics in the 1970s. These titles, combined with his earlier work, make Al Hartley one of the most fondly remembered humor writer/artists of his time. He was honored with an Inkpot Award in 1980 at the San Diego Comic-Con, proving that his work was appreciated and respected by many people. And by this interviewer, too. —Jim.

“I Did Some Humor Work For Richard Hughes At ACG” JIM AMASH: I have you listed as doing humor work for Street & Smith in 1942-1944. AL HARTLEY: The work I did for Street & Smith was done before

Pearl Harbor. I did a Western story about Tecumseh. I don’t recall doing more than that. I had been selling gag cartoons before that. The war was coming, and it was obvious that we had to go fight. I volunteered to go into the Army Air Corps the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked, but I wasn’t called up until 1942. I was a pilot and stayed in the service until 1945. I was in Europe, flying B-17s, and flew twenty missions. JA: Your father was Representative Fred Hartley, who co-sponsored the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, which was a very important piece of legislation for our country. What was it like being the son of a famous Congressman? HARTLEY: I have to say it was wonderful. I wasn’t at all impressed with the fact that my father was such an important man, because he was a very regular guy and wonderful father. It didn’t really affect me at all, in terms of our relationship. He was just my father. When I went to Washington and the White House, I was very young and the significance of it didn’t really sink in, in the sense of making me inflated with the experience or our relationship. JA: What did your father think about your drawing comic books? HARTLEY: He encouraged me. He knew I wanted to draw from the

Debbie Does ACG (Above:) Al Hartley, as photographed especially for Marvel Tales Annual #1 (1964). At left are two Hartley pages from an early “Debbie” story in “Cookie” #11 (Feb.-March 1948). Though Al speaks to Jim Amash of doing “teenage comics” for Standard, then later “humor work for Richard Hughes at ACG,” “Cookie” was officially published by “Michel Publications” and “American Comics Group.” It must’ve been hard to remember whether one had worked at a particular stage for Standard or ACG, since the Sangor comics shop was doing artwork first for Standard/Nedor, and, beginning in 1943, for ACG. Al’s name appears on the Sangor shop lists as a “writer/artist” in “1947-48.” Special thanks to Steven Rowe for the “Cookie” scans and info. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Al Hartley On Timely, Archie, & ACG When I started working with Stan, he wrote most of my stories, although I later wrote all of my own stories. We did all kinds of genres: war, Westerns, detective, sciencefiction...you name it. But these things ran in cycles, and when sales started falling on one genre, we’d switch to another theme.

Cookie & Pickles To Go Two more pages of Hartley’s ACG work. (Left:) A “Gus” one-page filler from “Cookie” #22 (Dec. 1949-Jan. 1950). (Right:) The first page of another story featuring Debbie and Pickles (how did they dream up these names?) from “Cookie” #26 (Sept.-Oct. 1950). Thanks to Steven Rowe. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

time I could hold a crayon, so he always encouraged me. I worked on the local newspaper while I was in high school. My father wanted me to pursue my own dreams and never attempted to steer me in any other direction. I didn’t know what direction I wanted to take my art career in. When I got out of the Air Force, I made a list of publishers and started making the rounds. The first place I went to gave me a job. That was Standard Comics. That’s a hazy period and I don’t recall much about the company, except that I did teenage comics for them. I did some humor work for Richard Hughes at ACG, but I don’t remember much else. I remember that Hughes was a very nice man. I did some work for Ace Comics on “Dottie” and also some romance work. The editor’s name was Harvey something. I remember he did a newspaper strip called Cairo Jones. He was an artist and was very good to me.

“It Wasn’t Difficult To Get A Job At Timely” JA: Timely/Marvel was where you really started making a name for yourself, so I’d like to talk about your working there. How did it start? HARTLEY: I’d developed enough of a reputation that it wasn’t difficult to get a job at Timely in 1949. Stan Lee knew my work and hired me. The only assistant I remember Stan having was Sol Brodsky, whom Stan always referred to as “Solly.” Sol was a very engaging, sweet guy, very considerate and easy to work with. He was a very professional employee.

We’d take a theme, and I’d illustrate the story. There were no typed scripts, just a very loose plot line. It was my job to draw the story with as much excitement, surprise, and suspense as I could. Then, Stan, would write the dialogue. It was a very creative way

to work. JA: When did you start working that way, which is more identified with the 1960s and after, when it became known as the “Marvel method”? HARTLEY: It’s hard to put a time frame on it, but I’d guess we started working that way in the mid-1950s. I didn’t work on staff; I always worked at home and would bring my stories in. JA: You did some horror stories in the 1950s. Did you feel comfortable doing those? HARTLEY: They weren’t my favorites, but I don’t remember doing stories that went as far as the ones EC did. JA: Well, there were titles like Uncanny Tales that had rotting corpses and zombies and such. If you’d been handed that type of story, would you have drawn it? HARTLEY: I’d have felt uncomfortable doing those and probably would have turned them down. That type of stuff wasn’t my type of bag. I didn’t get to know many people there because I rarely went into the office. I did at the beginning, but after that, I’d go in maybe once or twice a year. I either sent my work in by messenger or by mail. I didn’t enjoy going into the city that much. There was one point in the early 1960s when I was Stan’s assistant for about two months. I didn’t feel comfortable in that position, so I went back to freelancing. As Stan’s assistant, frankly, I did everything I

“The Lord Gave Me The Opportunity To Do What I Wanted” normally did, and did some of the things that Stan did. I edited and wrote stories. I don’t recall doing art corrections on anyone else’s work. I remember that Sol Brodsky was helping Stan out, too. He was at Marvel when I started in 1949. He was a jack of all trades in the art department; he did everything and handled all the loose ends. Stan wrote a lot of the stories, but there were a couple of other writers, too. Stan shepherded the whole bunch, since he was the executive editor. He gave out all the assignments. We spent time together and had some very interesting get-togethers.

“I Probably Did More Romance… Than Anything Else” JA: You did one “Thor” story for Stan in the 1960s. Do you remember anything about it? HARTLEY: I just remember that I did it, but super-heroes weren’t really my forte. I don’t recall the circumstances that led me to draw that story. At that stage of the game, I was mostly doing work that I was more comfortable with, mostly teenage and humor stories. I did a lot of romance stuff in the 1950s. I used to take Polaroid photos of my wife for reference when I drew covers. I probably did more romance in that period than anything else. JA: There’s a “Patsy Walker” story in the early 1960s where you drew Jack Kirby as an artist in the story. HARTLEY: I don’t remember that. We were probably just having some fun. JA: Sometimes you wrote your own stories and sometimes you didn’t. Why was that?

do you remember about that? HARTLEY: Stan developed that strip, and when Joe Maneely tragically died, I was asked to take it over. It wasn’t out long when that happened, and I only did it for a few months. Joe Maneely was a very capable artist, but I didn’t get to know him. JA: Did you ever spend any time with Jack Kirby? HARTLEY: I used to see him in the offices at times. He was quite a remarkable guy. I remember times when he’d come into the office and Stan would need a cover. Jack would sit down and, in an hour or so, he’d draw that cover. He was a very creative, prolific artist. When I worked as Stan’s assistant, I remember Stan and Jack sitting down and brainstorming on a story. It was very interesting to watch the sparks fly when those two creative minds got together to create a very suspenseful, creative storyline. JA: I’ll bet it was. Who did most of the talking? HARTLEY: Well, Stan was vaccinated with a phonograph needle. [laughs] He was a great talker. JA: Was Steve Ditko in the offices much? HARTLEY: Not that much. He had more of an artist’s temperament than Jack did and was hard to get to know. Steve would talk with Stan, but I didn’t have much communication with him. He was a terrific artist, but rather shy. Jack was a very sweet guy and did a lot of storyplotting with Stan. The creative juices really flowed. I never sat in on any of their discussions, but I was in earshot and could hear them talking.

HARTLEY: It probably had to do with the amount of time there was to get the work done. Things were going so fast in those days that I never thought much about things like how an artist drew something that I wrote. I was too busy concentrating on what I had to do. We didn’t get paid that much, so I was concerned with trying to make a living. I never collected my work or the books when they came out. JA: You drew Mrs. Lyon’s Cubs for newspapers with Stan. What

(Left:) Al Hartley’s earliest Timely work—at least the earliest that Dr. Michael J. Vassallo could locate, and he’s an expert! It’s from Girl Comics #1 (Oct. 1949)—part romance, part adventure. (Right:) A horror splash from Mystic #5 (Nov. 1951). Thanks to Doc V. for this one, too. [Both pages ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Al Hartley On Timely, Archie, & ACG HARTLEY: Stan Lee didn’t come up with most of the ideas. He really gave me free rein. Actually, I’d just go ahead and write and draw the stories and then send them in. Stan Goldberg was on a different level because he was really an artist and not a writer. That’s why their working arrangement was different from mine. I didn’t have to have plot approval. It was really remarkable because, normally, an editor goes over the script before sending it to an artist. Stan gave me total freedom and always accepted my work. Stan and I were on the same wave length. JA: Stan Lee used to take long walks with Goldberg. Did you do that, too? HARTLEY: Only in the sense that we’d leave the office and walk to lunch and back. We didn’t go out just to take walks. Our talks at lunch were also half social, half business. JA: I have you listed as doing some writing on an “Iron Man” story. That ring a bell? HARTLEY: I remember Iron Man, but don’t remember that story. JA: Stan Goldberg told me you were one of his influences when he started doing humor work. HARTLEY: I didn’t know that, and it’s a flattering thing to learn. I met Stan at the Marvel offices, but never had real long conversations with him. He and I would go with a few others to lunch at times. Stan’s a wonderful human being. JA: Did you get to know my editor, Roy Thomas, while you were at Marvel? HARTLEY: Not really. Roy came in around the end of my time there. He was given a lot of responsibility and handled it well. Stan had a lot of faith in him. Roy was one of the first writers who really became important. He started writing, then became an editor, and eventually editor-in-chief.

“Super-Heroes Weren’t Really My Forte” But Al—probably as a last-minute fill-in—pitched in and drew the “Thor” feature in Journey into Mystery #90 (March 1963)—only the eighth adventure of the gold-tressed thunder god. You can read it in black-&-white or in color in reprints from Marvel. [©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Stan Lee… Really Gave Me Free Rein” JA: You spent some time, socially, with Stan. Was he the same then as when he was in the office? HARTLEY: He was the same—very easy to like and warm up to. Stan had a very special drive. He was full of energy, very ambitious, and highly motivated. We went out to lunch together, to the club together, and visited each other’s house. It was just the usual chit-chat, half social and half business. JA: When you plotted with Stan, what was the “give and take” like between you two? HARTLEY: It was an atmosphere of encouragement and creativity. It’s hard to recall exactly the way things went in those sessions, but Stan was a very creative man. JA: Stan Goldberg told me he’d go into Stan Lee’s office and they’d kick around plot ideas. After a certain point, Goldberg was coming up with most of the plot ideas. Did you work the same way, or was Stan Lee doing some of the plotting with you?

“The Way It Went With Archie” JA: Why did you quit working for Marvel in 1966? HARTLEY: Archie Comics asked me to come over on a regular basis. Richard Goldwater was my editor there. It was a very interesting relationship. I was very close to Michael Silberkleit, who ran the company with Richard Goldwater. Michael handled more of the business end; Richard took care of the comic books. And Michael’s father, Louis, was a fine gentleman and a very distinguished-looking man. Richard’s father John was a nice man, and we had a very good relationship. He carefully protected his domain and was a good businessman. As long as you were honest and fair with him, I found him the same in return. Richard was the managing editor, and Victor Gorelick worked for him. Victor’s a real peach! I got along well with everyone at Archie. I started off just drawing stories, and then they asked me to write the stories, too. I didn’t even have to get script approval; I did the stories and brought them in. That’s basically the way it went with Archie for years. Richard gave me free rein, just as Stan Lee had done at Marvel. I’d get up in the morning, write the story, and then spent the rest of the day penciling it. I didn’t do that much inking, because penciling paid more. I used to do 6 or 7 pages a day. I worked very fast, and it was a very productive period for me. I loved doing Archie comics and used to sit and laugh at the stories. My wife would sometimes come into the room to see what I was laughing about. It was fun.

“The Lord Gave Me The Opportunity To Do What I Wanted”

readers with respect, so that I could entertain them.

Archie Attacks! Al Hartley in a photo taken a few years back, next to specimens of the type of work he was most noted for in his later career: “Archie” stories and Spire’s Christian comics. Thanks for the page from an earlier comic that was reprinted in Archie’s Holiday Fun Digest Magazine #6 (Dec. 2001) go to Steven Rowe. Al also drew the cover and wrote (or co-wrote?) the inside story for Spire’s Attack! in 1975; it told the tale of a Japanese fighter pilot who took part in the Dec. 7, 1941, raid on Pearl Harbor… and later became a practicing Christian. The interior art on Attack! was by Sgt. Fury (and World War II) veteran Dick Ayers. Photo courtesy of Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. [Archie art ©2006 Archie Comic Publications; Attack! art ©2006 Fleming H. Revell Company.]

“A Publisher… Asked Me To Do A Whole Series Of Christian Comics” JA: Tell me about the Christian comics you did. HARTLEY: Well, I became a Christian when I started with Archie and started to introduce spiritual content into the stories. I wasn’t preachy and it was relevant to the stories. It was practical applications to faith and life. I didn’t get on a soapbox because I wanted the readers to relate to the stories. I wanted the readers to turn the pages and not feel like they were being patronized or preached to. I treated the stories and the

Monthly! The Original First-Person History!

One day, I got a call from a publisher who asked me to do a whole series of Christian comics. At first, I declined because I was so busy, but offered to help them find someone. I ended up doing one, which sold like Gangbusters. Then I did a couple more and got the idea that Archie would be a great character to use in this series, because he was so well-known.

I talked to the Richard Goldwater’s father, John, and he agreed to license Archie for the series. I did 60 books in that series, and close to 30 of them were “Archie” books. The rest were stories that I made up. I used personalities like Tom Landry, Johnny Cash, Chuck Colson, and so forth. There were a variety of titles in that series. Once, the New York Times gave us a whole front page on the second section. Nobody expected to be confronted with this kind of material in comics, and our books got a lot of attention. JA: How did it feel to win an Inkpot Award? HARTLEY: It was nice to be recognized and was a very nice experience. I was on a few panels and it was wonderful. I spent most of my career working at home and rarely had contact with anyone, so it was very special. The highlight was doing the Christian comics, and the success and impact that they had. They sold all over the world in several different languages. I’m very grateful for having my comic book career. It was rewarding and I did what I enjoyed doing the most. During my career, I’ve often felt sorry for anyone who got out of bed and didn’t like what they were doing. The Lord gave me the opportunity to do what I wanted to do with my life, and it was a very satisfying experience.

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

For more about Al Hartley, see the tribute to him in Alter Ego #27, still available from TwoMorrows. And, one of these days, we have a second interview with Al H. that we hope to print, as well! You can never really say the “last word” about a good comics artist!

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Advertise In Alter Ego! FULL-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 10" Tall • $300 HALF-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 4.875" Tall • $175 QUARTER-PAGE: 3.75" Wide x 4.875" Tall • $100

The TwoMorrows Two-Fer! Prepay for two ads in Alter Ego, DRAW!, Write Now!, Back Issue, or any combination and these discounts apply: TWO FULL-PAGE ADS: $500 ($100 savings) TWO HALF-PAGE ADS: $300 ($50 savings) TWO QUARTER-PAGE ADS: $175 ($25 savings) The above rates are for black-&-white ads, supplied on-disk (TIF, EPS, or Quark Xpress files acceptable) or as cameraready art. Typesetting service available at 20% mark-up. Due to our already low ad rates, no agency discounts apply. Sorry, display ads are not available for the Jack Kirby Collector. Send ad copy and check/money order (US funds) payable to: TwoMorrows 1812 Park Drive Raleigh, NC 27605 Phone: (919)833-8092 Fax: (919)833-8023 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com

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Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Twice-Told Strange Tales! By Michael T. Gilbert Doctor Strange started out as Marvel’s Rodney Dangerfield. Like the famed comedian, he just didn’t “get no respect!” Doc’s first appearance in Strange Tales #110 (July 1963), followed by another in #111, didn’t rate a mention on the covers, and he was dropped entirely for #112 & 113—this despite being produced by the team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, who’d made comic book history a year earlier when they created Spider-Man! Doc wasn’t given a spot on the cover until issue #118—and that was just a tiny pic on the bottom of a Jack Kirby Human Torch drawing. Doc may have been “Sorcerer Supreme,” but in Strange Tales, the poor guy couldn’t catch a break! Decades later, Ditko fan Howard Hallis decided to do something about it. Using a little Photoshop sorcery, Howard scrapped Jack Kirby’s Human Torch covers—replacing them with imaginary ones starring the good Doctor. On the following four pages, the larger “covers” are Howard’s versions…while we’ve added the printed covers much smaller, for comparison purposes. We think you’ll find the results... magical!

Howard Hallis and Jesse Blair as Dr. Strange and Clea. Fan-tastic!

Twice-Told Strange Tales!

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Twice-Told Strange Tales!

We hope you enjoyed Howard’s amazing Twice-Told covers as much as we did. We’ll have more next issue, but to see them in full color, check out Howard’s Dr. Strange Custom Covers website at: http://www.howardhallis.com/drstrange/customs/index/html Until then, effendi, may the Vishanti watch over you!

#120 August 2006

THE FAWCETT/ACG CONNECTION

89 and admonitions … on any handy surface. There is an air of irritable impatience about them … like a caution to hurry, lest they get away. Much the same with the drawings … many carried to completion but some left so obviously discontinued in mid-air as to silently shout: “Enough! You can take it from here!” The message is clear. The massive collection was accumulated for the benefit of one person alone … the accumulator. By

FCA EDITORS NOTE: From 1941-53, Marcus D. Swayze was a top artist for Fawcett Publications. The very first Mary Marvel character sketches came from Marc’s drawing table, and he illustrated her earliest adventures, including the classic origin story, “Captain Marvel Introduces Mary Marvel (Captain Marvel Adventures #18, Dec. ’42); but he was primarily hired by Fawcett Publications to illustrate Captain Marvel stories and covers for Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures. He also wrote many Captain Marvel scripts, and continued to do so while in the military. After leaving the service in 1944, he made an arrangement with Fawcett to produce art and stories for them on a freelance basis out of his Louisiana home. There he created both art and story for The Phantom Eagle in Wow Comics, in addition to drawing the Flyin’ Jenny newspaper strip for Bell Syndicate (created by his friend and mentor Russell Keaton). After the cancellation of Wow, Swayze produced artwork for Fawcett’s top-selling line of romance comics, including Sweethearts and Life Story. After the company ceased publishing comics, Marc moved over to Charlton Publications, where he ended his comics career in the mid-’50s. Marc’s ongoing professional memoirs have been FCA’s most popular feature since his first column appeared in FCA #54, 1996. Last issue Marc talked about doing “complete” comic art as compared to the “shop” system when producing comic book pages for the company. This time he looks at his long accumulation of “ideas,” otherwise known as his “sketchbook.” —P.C. Hamerlinck.

was about to throw it away … a hefty jumble of paper pages and scraps … of various sizes and shapes … much of it browned with age … bearing scrawled notes and scribbled drawings.

In high school Miss Hester spoke to her English class as though every member was expected to become The Great American Author. “Jot down those ideas,” she insisted. “You may need them later!” It didn’t take long in the comics business to fully appreciate that advice … nor to understand that it meant, not just full-blown story plots, but anything likely to awaken an original thought … start the mental wheels to rolling. Today those “ideas” remain exactly as they were written … sternly-worded commands

My old sketchbook.

Right at the top of the heap stands Captain Marvel … in a haughty, theatrical pose that dates back to my first days at Fawcett … and the determination to convince them, and the world, how I thought the super-hero really ought to look. Curiously, on the same page are notes pertaining to a story, “Temptation,” written and drawn years later for Charlton Publications (This Is Suspense, Vol. 1, #26, Aug. 1955). In the preparation of this material there had apparently been little concern for chronological order. Or order of any kind. On a page partially covered with subjects obviously rendered during the artist’s apprenticeship days … are sketches of an interest of the retirement years … the golf swing! I’m glad I didn’t throw it away. All of the career in comics is there … Mary Marvel, her origin and debut stories … the Phantom Eagle, hero of Wow Comics, and his girlfriend, Jerry … the Fawcett romances. And Flyin’ Jenny, fair-haired aviatrix of daily and Sunday newspapers throughout the land and in several foreign publications, stranded on an abandoned island with friends Timber and Scoop … and young Red Richmint … and “Unk,” mysterious wild man of the island. Much of the material is relative to interests other than the comics career … experiences as a professional musician … sports … and a lifetime avocation, oil painting. It had served me well … that sketchbook. Particularly on those mornings when absolutely nothing emerged from the skull … and your only awareness was of a sound … a huge, ominous vehicle bearing down on you relentlessly at top speed … steam spewing at the sides, smoke from the top … a cruel scowl on its face. A locomotive? No. A deadline. But there, at my side … like a faithful, long-time friend … was my sketchbook … with ideas!

FCA (Fawcett Collectors Of America)

It’s true. More than once had the jumble been turned to … for assistance … for thoughts … for ideas. Throw it away? Never! It had provided me with the help I needed. Maybe it could do the same for someone else! Marc will return next issue with more memories of his days in comics.

When Comics Packed A Punch The Phantom Eagle floored by Radar, International Detective—in a preliminary drawing for the Phantom Eagle story from Wow Comics #49 (Nov. 1946), from the Swayze sketchbooks. [Phantom Eagle & Radar TM & ©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

Sketch As Sketch Can Notes from Marc Swayze about his sketchbook, the source of much art in past editions of FCA, which include ideas and drawings covering the earlier career in comics and more… experience as a professional musician and a lifetime of oil painting. Evident among them is a concern over the standard penciling procedure. It was the final erasure after inking… “all that drawing board effort… gone… swept away with the eraser debris! Was there some way it could be preserved?” “The solution was a new work-habit. Instead of the traditional drawerase-draw procedure, turn aside to tracing paper, put the eraser at rest, draw, and when not yet satisfied…simply move over on the paper and draw again. The results meant a lot more sketches… hence the jumble… and the sketchbook!” Clockwise from above left, all ©2006 Marc Swayze: (a) Unpublished art, 1980, from the Swayze sketchbook. (b) Likewise from Marc’s sketchbook, an idea for the oil painting “The Audition.” (c) “The Audition”—painting by Swayze, oil on canvas (26" by 38"); photo by P.C. Hamerlinck, taken during his visit with Marc in 2005.

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The Fawcett/ACG Connection Three Who Flew For The Brothers Fawcett—And For Richard Hughes by P.C. Hamerlinck & Roy Thomas

urt Schaffenberger—Pete Costanza—Chic Stone.

In the pages of Alter Ego and FCA, those names are most often associated with their artwork for Fawcett Publications—or for National/DC—or (in the case of Chic Stone) for Marvel. But each also drew, at some point, for the American Comics Group. In fact, all three were called upon to portray ACG’s 1960s super-heroes, Magicman and/or Nemesis—and did so in styles that were at least as reminiscent of their Fawcett days as of DC or Marvel! This special edition of FCA presents a brief look at their Fawcett art (where we can identify it), compared to their work for Richard Hughes and ACG....!

Kurt Schaffenberger Kurt S., of course, is best remembered in Fawcett terms for his work on the title feature in the later issues of The Marvel Family—and at DC for Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane. At ACG, as covered earlier this issue, he drew numerous stories and covers, often as “Lou Wahl”— and when the company made a stab at super-heroes, he reportedly designed both Nemesis and Magicman, and also drew a number of hero covers for Adventures into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds.

One Big Happy Family (Clockwise from top center:) Schaffenberger (seen in a self-portrait from P.C. Hamerlinck’s TwoMorrows volume Fawcett Companion) drew the “Ibis the Invincible” entry in Whiz Comics #87 (July 1947)—good practice for Magicman and his turban, n’est-ce pas? Kurt’s lead story in The Marvel Family #87 (Sept. 1953) came only a few months before Fawcett discontinued its comics line. But the latter action came because of the lawsuit with National/DC over alleged infringement of the Superman copyright, not because of the quality of Kurt’s work! [Ibis & Marvel Family TM & ©2006 DC Comics; caricature ©2006 Estate of Kurt Schaffenberger.]

The Fawcett/ACG Connection

Pete Costanza Costanza was co-owner of the BeckCostanza Studio which produced “Captain Marvel” material for Fawcett through much of the 1940s. Later, the two artists made a good team on the adventures of the World’s Mightiest Mortal, with Costanza giving Beck’s work the slightly more realistic feel desired in the feature’s last few years.

Pete Costanza. Thanks to Michael Vance.

Costanza’s Fawcett Decade One of Pete Costanza’s early assignments was the “Golden Arrow” series, as per the splash at left, from Whiz Comics #22 (Oct. 1941)—but later his art carried entire issues, such as Fawcett Movie Comic #19 (Oct. 1952), seen above. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

ACG Goes To The Dogs This Costanza cover art for “Magicman” in Forbidden Worlds #130 (Sept. 1965) is repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, with thanks to Scotty Moore. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

FCA (Fawcett Collectors Of America)

Chic Stone He’s the trickiest part of this equation, by far—because, though we know that Charles Eber (Chic) Stone contributed to “Captain Marvel” stories circa 1941-42, he was mostly doing so as part of the assembly-line shop that chief artist C.C. Beck had put together to feed the increasing demand for tales of the Big Red Cheese. So all we can do is compare a piece of Fawcett art from that period with something he did for Richard Hughes. Chic Stone. Photo courtesy of Michael Vance.

Like A Rolling Stone (Above:) Maybe—just maybe—Chic Stone contributed to this Beck studio-drawn page from the story “Capt. Marvel and the Unwilling Toys!” in Captain Marvel Adventures #14 (Aug. 21, 1942). [©2006 DC Comics.] (Right:) Stone’s work on “Nemesis” in such comics as Adventures into the Unknown #167 (Sept. 1966) reflected his time at Marvel, spent inking Jack Kirby on key features such as “Captain America,” Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men. [©2006 the respective copyright holders.]

ACG’s super-heroes may not be remembered by the company’s aficionados with the same fondness as its horror, humor, and other offerings… but Schaffenberger, Costanza, and Stone assuredly provided some upbeat moments. From time to time, in those days when it seemed unlikely that Captain Marvel and his fabulous Family would ever return, it was possible to look at a cover spotlighting Nemesis or Magicman—squint just a little—and see the World’s Mightiest Mortal flying through the sky to smash Dr. Sivana’s latest world-conquering scheme!

Number 18, Summer 2006 • Hype and hullabaloo from the publisher determined to bring new life to comics fandom • Edited by John Morrow

Get’cha More Mods! EURY RETURNS! FREE Scoops!

Longtime TwoMorrows stalwart ERIC NOLENWEATHINGTON has a passel of new MODERN MASTERS books lined up for the coming months. Next up is SPIDER-MAN artist supreme MIKE WIERINGO, who happens to hail not too far from TwoMorrows’ own hometown in North Carolina! Then comes KEVIN MAGUIRE, fanfavorite artist of the JLA and other top books! Both these gents have made their mark on the industry with their enormous talent, and are more than deserving of the title “Modern Master.” And ERIC N-W is pulling out all the stops, enlisting the help of TODD DEZAGO and GEORGE KHOURY to compile the ultimate look at both artists’ lives and careers, including gobs of unseen art. Look for MODERN MASTERS VOL. 9: MIKE WIERINGO in October, and MODERN MASTERS VOL. 10: KEVIN MAGUIRE in December, each costing a measly $19 US POSTPAID.

Funny Under Wear! A couple of our editors (and most of our competitors) may not be speaking to us after the side-splitting parodies PETE VON SHOLLY did of them in COMIC BOOK NERD ($11 US, still available), but don’t let that stop you from showing your own FULL FRONTAL NERDITY with our hilarious CBN T-SHIRTS! Choose from WHIZZER or PURVIEWS, both printed in full-color on heavy white t-shirts, and available in sizes L, XL, and XL. They’re $25 EACH US, so be one of the best-dressed nerds this summer, and get ’em today!

Faithful Companions Our readers are NUTS about our line of COMPANION books, offering behindthe-scenes info on their favorite series of all-time, from the JLA, LEGION, and THUNDER AGENTS to MIRACLEMAN, FAWCETT COMICS, and more! We’ve got a bunch of new ones coming soon, so stay tuned. And next up? Don’t miss ROY THOMAS’ all-new ALL-STAR COMPANION VOL. 2 in October ($26 US), with more on the JSA!

And he’s brought Superman with him in his latest book, THE KRYPTON COMPANION, spotlighting the Silver Age Supes, back when kryptonite came in multiple colors and superpets scampered across the skies! BACK ISSUE! magazine editor MICHAEL EURY explores the legacy of classic Superman editors MORT WEISINGER and JULIUS SCHWARTZ through all-new interviews with NEAL ADAMS, MURPHY ANDERSON, CARY BATES, RICH BUCKLER, NICK CARDY, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, KEITH GIFFEN, ELLIOT S! MAGGIN, JIM MOONEY, DENNIS O’NEIL, BOB OKSNER, MARTIN PASKO, BOB ROZAKIS, JIM SHOOTER, LEN WEIN, MARV WOLFMAN, and other fan favorites! Plus there’s Super-artist CURT SWAN’s 1987 essay “Drawing Superman,” JERRY SIEGEL’s “lost” imaginary story “The Death of Clark Kent,” MARK WAID’s tribute to Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman’s appearances in the media and in Marvel Comics, and rare and previously unpublished artwork by Swan, Adams, WAYNE BORING, ALAN DAVIS, ADAM HUGHES, PAUL SMITH, BRUCE TIMM, and even a roundtable discussion with modern-day creators (including JOHN BYRNE, JEPH LOEB, and ALEX ROSS) examining Superman’s influential past! And wait’ll you read Bizarro No. 1’s introduction (by SEINFELD writer David Mandel)! It’s all behind a super cover by DAVE GIBBONS, and is available in late July for $29 US.

PATS ON BACKS! A hearty round of kudos goes out to editor MIKE MANLEY for his work on DRAW! Magazine, which just got its second-in-a-row EISNER AWARD Nomination for Best Comics-Related Periodical! The Eisners are handed out each year at Comicon International: San Diego, where TwoMorrows is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s BILL FINGER AWARD for Excellence in Comic Book Writing (ALVIN SCHWARTZ and HARVEY KURTZMAN are this year’s winners). And one more shout-out goes to Rascally ROY THOMAS, whose own ALTER EGO magazine is nominated for “Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation” in this year’s HARVEY AWARDS (named after the aforementioned Mr. Kurtzman). After knocking back to a mere 8 issues of AE in 2006, ROY is gearing up to take the mag back to monthly status in ’07, much to the delight of his devoted readership! Look for Roy’s ALTER EGO #61 in August, featuring the most comprehensive look at the AMERICAN COMICS GROUP (ACG), and STANDARD/NEDOR COMICS, ever compiled. And a big congratulations to all these deserving winners and nominees!

Hot off the presses is our brand new, FULLCOLOR, 2006 CATALOG UPDATE, available online now www.twomorrows.com (you can either download a whopping big PDF file of it, or log in and request that we mail you a FREE COPY)! It lists all of our back issues and current items, plus a bunch of advance scoops on publications that we’ll be unveiling between now and the beginning of 2007! Get yours now!

Pros@Cons! Thanks to everyone who visited our booths at San Francisco’s WONDERCON and Charlotte, NC’s HEROES CON. See us at: COMICON: INTERNATIONAL (San Diego, CA, July 19-23, 2006) WIZARDWORLD: CHICAGO (Chicago, IL, August 3-6, 2006) BALTIMORE COMICON (Baltimore, MD, September 9-10, 2006) COPYRIGHTS: Justice Society, Batman, Superman TM & ©2006 DC Comics. Fantastic Four, Spider-Man TM & ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc. All others

CONTACTS: John Morrow, publisher, JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR editor, & for subscriptions: twomorrow@aol.com Roy Thomas, ALTER EGO editor: roydann@ntinet.com Michael Eury, BACK ISSUE! editor: euryman@msn.com Mike Manley, DRAW! editor: mike@actionplanet.com Danny Fingeroth, WRITE NOW! editor: WriteNowDF@aol.com Bob McLeod, ROUGH STUFF editor: mcleod.bob@gmail.com Read excerpts from back issues and order from our secure online store at:

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Edited by ROY THOMAS The greatest ’zine of the 1960s is back, ALL-NEW, and focusing on GOLDEN & SILVER AGE comics and creators with ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS, UNSEEN ART, P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America, featuring the archives of C.C. BECK and recollections by Fawcett artist MARCUS SWAYZE), Michael T. Gilbert’s MR. MONSTER, & more! 2004 EISNER AWARD NOMINEE for Best Comics-Related Periodical.

SUBSCRIBE TO ALTER EGO! Twelve Issues: $72 Standard US, $108 First Class (Canada: $132, Elsewhere: $144 Surface, $192 Airmail).

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ALTER EGO #2

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Featuring a never-reprinted SPIRIT story by WILL EISNER, the genesis of the SILVER AGE ATOM (with GARDNER FOX, GIL KANE, & JULIE SCHWARTZ), interviews with LARRY LIEBER and Golden Age great JACK BURNLEY, BOB KANIGHER, a new Fawcett Collectors of America section with MARC SWAYZE, C.C. BECK, & lots more! GIL KANE & JACK BURNLEY flip-covers!

Unseen ALEX ROSS and JERRY ORDWAY Shazam! art, 1953 interview with OTTO BINDER, the SUPERMAN/CAPTAIN MARVEL LAWSUIT, GIL KANE on The Golden Age of TIMELY COMICS, FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, & SCHAFFENBERGER, rare art by AYERS, BERG, BURNLEY, DITKO, RICO, SCHOMBURG, MARIE SEVERIN and more! ALEX ROSS & BILL EVERETT covers!

Interviews with KUBERT, SHELLY MOLDOFF, & HARRY LAMPERT, BOB KANIGHER, life & times of GARDNER FOX, ROY THOMAS remembers GIL KANE, a history of Flash Comics, MOEBIUS Silver Surfer sketches, MR. MONSTER, FCA section with SWAYZE, BECK, and SCHAFFENBERGER, and lots more! Dual color covers by JOE KUBERT!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #5

ALTER EGO #6

ALTER EGO #7

ALTER EGO #8

ALTER EGO #9

Celebrating the JSA, with interviews with MART NODELL, SHELLY MAYER, GEORGE ROUSSOS, BILL BLACK, & GIL KANE, unpublished H.G. PETER Wonder Woman art, GARDNER FOX, an FCA section with MARC SWAYZE, C.C. BECK, WENDELL CROWLEY, and more! Wraparound cover by CARMINE INFANTINO and JERRY ORDWAY!

GENE COLAN interview, 1940s books on comics by STAN LEE & ROBERT KANIGHER, AYERS, SEVERIN, and ROY THOMAS on Sgt. Fury, ROY on All-Star Squadron’s Golden Age roots, FCA section with SWAYZE, BECK, and WILLIAM WOOLFOLK, JOE SIMON interview, a definitive look at MAC RABOY’S work, & more! Covers by COLAN and RABOY!

Companion to ALL-STAR COMPANION book, with a JULIE SCHWARTZ interview, guide to JLA-JSA TEAMUPS, origins of the ALL-STAR SQUADRON, FCA section with MARC SWAYZE, C.C. BECK (on his 1970s DC conflicts), DAVE BERG, BOB ROGERS, more on MAC RABOY from his son, MR. MONSTER, & more! RICH BUCKLER & C.C. BECK covers!

WALLY WOOD biography, DAN ADKINS & BILL PEARSON on Wood, TOR section with 1963 JOE KUBERT interview, ROY THOMAS on creating the ALL-STAR SQUADRON and its 1940s forebears, FCA section with SWAYZE & BECK, MR. MONSTER, JERRY ORDWAY on Shazam!, JERRY DeFUCCIO on the Golden Age, CHIC STONE remembered! ADKINS & KUBERT covers!

JOHN ROMITA interview by ROY THOMAS (with unseen art), Roy’s PROPOSED DREAM PROJECTS that never got published (with a host of great artists), MR. MONSTER on WAYNE BORING’S life after Superman, The Golden Age of Comic Fandom Panel, FCA section with GEORGE TUSKA, C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE, BILL MORRISON, & more! ROMITA and GIORDANO covers!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

BUNDLE THESE 5 ISSUES FOR THE PRICE OF 4: ONLY $36

ALTER EGO #10

ALTER EGO #11

ALTER EGO #12

ALTER EGO #13

ALTER EGO #14

Who Created the Silver Age Flash? (with KANIGHER, INFANTINO, KUBERT, and SCHWARTZ), DICK AYERS interview (with unseen art), JOHN BROOME remembered, never-seen Golden Age Flash pages, VIN SULLIVAN Magazine Enterprises interview, FCA, interview with FRED GUARDINEER, & MR. MONSTER on WAYNE BORING! INFANTINO & AYERS covers!

Focuses on TIMELY COMICS (interviews and features on SYD SHORES, MICKEY SPILLANE, and VINCE FAGO), and MAGAZINE ENTERPRISES (including JOE CERTA, JOHN BELFI, FRANK BOLLE, BOB POWELL, and FRED MEAGHER), MR. MONSTER on JERRY SIEGEL, DON & MAGGIE THOMPSON interview, FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, and DON NEWTON!

DC and QUALITY COMICS focus! Quality’s GILL FOX interview, never-seen ’40s PAUL REINMAN Green Lantern story, ROY THOMAS talks to LEN WEIN and RICH BUCKLER about ALL-STAR SQUADRON, MR. MONSTER shows what made WALLY WOOD leave MAD, FCA section with BECK & SWAYZE, & ’65 NEWSWEEK ARTICLE on comics! REINMAN & BILL WARD covers!

1974 panel with JOE SIMON, STAN LEE, FRANK ROBBINS, and ROY THOMAS, ROY and JOHN BUSCEMA on Avengers, 1964 STAN LEE interview, tributes to DON HECK, JOHNNY CRAIG, and GRAY MORROW, Timely alums DAVID GANTZ and DANIEL KEYES, & FCA with BECK, SWAYZE, and MIKE MANLEY! Covers by MURPHY ANDERSON and JOE SIMON!

A look at the 1970s JSA revival with CONWAY, LEVITZ, ESTRADA, GIFFEN, MILGROM, & STATON, JERRY ORDWAY on All-Star Squadron, tributes to CRAIG CHASE and DAN DeCARLO, “lost” 1945 issue of All-Star, 1970 interview with LEE ELIAS, MR. MONSTER on GARDNER FOX, FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, & JAY DISBROW! MIKE NASSER & MICHAEL GILBERT covers!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

BUNDLE #15-19, 20-24, OR 25-29: ONLY $36 PER SET

ALTER EGO #15

ALTER EGO #16

ALTER EGO #17

ALTER EGO #18

ALTER EGO #19

JOHN BUSCEMA ISSUE! BUSCEMA interview (with UNSEEN ART), reminiscences by SAL BUSCEMA, STAN LEE, INFANTINO, KUBERT, ORDWAY, FLO STEINBERG, & HERB TRIMPE, ROY THOMAS on 35 years with BIG JOHN, FCA tribute to KURT SCHAFFENBERGER, plus C.C. BECK and MARC SWAYZE, & MR. MONSTER revisits WALLY WOOD! BUSCEMA covers!

MARVEL BULLPEN REUNION (BUSCEMA, COLAN, ROMITA, & SEVERIN), memories of the JOHN BUSCEMA SCHOOL, FCA with ALEX ROSS, C.C. BECK, & MARC SWAYZE, tribute to CHAD GROTHKOPF, MR. MONSTER on EC COMICS with art by KURTZMAN, DAVIS, and WOOD, & more! Covers by ALEX ROSS and MARIE SEVERIN & RAMONA FRADON!

Spotlighting LOU FINE (with an overview of his career, and interviews with family members), interview with MURPHY ANDERSON about Fine, ALEX TOTH on Fine, ARNOLD DRAKE interviewed about DEADMAN and DOOM PATROL, MR. MONSTER on the non-EC work of JACK DAVIS & GEORGE EVANS, tributes to DAVE BERG & VINCE FAGO, FCA & more!

STAN GOLDBERG interview, secrets of ’40s Timely, art by KIRBY, DITKO, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, MANEELY, EVERETT, BURGOS, & DeCARLO, spotlight on sci-fi fanzine XERO with the LUPOFFS, OTTO BINDER, DON THOMPSON, ROY THOMAS, BILL SCHELLY, and ROGER EBERT, FCA, & MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD ghosting Flash Gordon! KIRBY & SWAYZE covers!

Spotlight on DICK SPRANG (profile & interview) with unseen art, rare Batman art by BOB KANE, CHARLES PARIS, SHELLY MOLDOFF, MAX ALLAN COLLINS, JIM MOONEY, CARMINE INFANTINO, & ALEX TOTH, JERRY ROBINSON interviewed about Tomahawk and 1940s cover artist FRED RAY, FCA, & MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD’s Flash Gordon, Part 2!

(108-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #20

ALTER EGO #21

ALTER EGO #22

ALTER EGO #23

ALTER EGO #24

Timely/Marvel art by SEKOWSKY, SHORES, EVERETT, & BURGOS, secrets behind THE INVADERS with ROY THOMAS, KIRBY, GIL KANE, & ROBBINS, BOB DESCHAMPS interviewed, 1965 NY Comics Con review, panel with FINGER, BINDER, & FOX, MORT WEISINGER, MR. MONSTER, FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, RABOY, SCHAFFENBERGER, & more! AL MILGROM cover!

The IGER “SHOP” examined, with art by EISNER, FINE, ANDERSON, CRANDALL, BAKER, MESKIN, CARDY, EVANS, BOB KANE, & TUSKA, “SHEENA” section with art by DAVE STEVENS & FRANK BRUNNER, ROY THOMAS on the JSA and All-Star Squadron, more UNSEEN 1946 ALL-STAR ART, MR. MONSTER on GARDNER FOX, FCA, & more! STEVENS & HASEN covers!

BILL EVERETT and JOE KUBERT interview by NEAL ADAMS and GIL KANE in 1970, Timely art by BURGOS, SHORES, NODELL, & SEKOWSKY, RUDY LAPICK, ROY THOMAS on Sub-Mariner, with art by EVERETT, COLAN, ANDRU, BUSCEMAs, SEVERINs, & more, FCA, MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD at EC, ALEX TOTH, & CAPT. MIDNIGHT! EVERETT & BECK covers!

Unseen art from TWO “LOST” 1940s H.G. PETER WONDER WOMAN STORIES (and analysis of the “CHARLES MOULTON” scripts), BOB FUJITANI & JOHN ROSENBERGER interviewed, VICTOR GORELICK discusses Archie & The Mighty Crusaders, with art by MORROW, BUCKLER, and REINMAN, FCA, & MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD! H.G. PETER cover!

X-MEN interviews with STAN LEE, DAVE COCKRUM, CHRIS CLAREMONT, ARNOLD DRAKE, JIM SHOOTER, ROY THOMAS, & LEN WEIN, MORT MESKIN profiled by his sons and ALEX TOTH, rare art by JERRY ROBINSON, FCA with BECK, SWAYZE, & WILLIAM WOOLFOLK, MR. MONSTER, & BILL SCHELLY on Comics Fandom! MESKIN & COCKRUM covers!

(108-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #25

ALTER EGO #26

ALTER EGO #27

ALTER EGO #28

ALTER EGO #29

JACK COLE remembered by ALEX TOTH, interview with brother DICK COLE and his PLAYBOY colleagues, CHRIS CLAREMONT on the X-Men (with more never-seen art by DAVE COCKRUM), ROY THOMAS on All-Star Squadron #1 and its ’40s roots (with art by ORDWAY, BUCKLER, MOLDOFF, & MESKIN), FCA, MR. MONSTER, & more! Cover by TOTH and COLE!

JOE SINNOTT interview, IRWIN DONENFELD interview by EVANIER & SCHWARTZ, art by SHUSTER, INFANTINO, ANDERSON, & SWAN, MARK WAID analyzes the first Kryptonite story, JERRY SIEGEL & HARRY DONENFELD, JERRY IGER Shop update, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, & FCA with SWAYZE, BECK, & KEN BALD! Covers by SINNOTT and WAYNE BORING!

VIN SULLIVAN interview about the early DC days with art by SHUSTER, MOLDOFF, FLESSEL, GUARDINEER, & BURNLEY, MR. MONSTER’s “Lost” KIRBY HULK covers, 1948 NEW YORK COMIC CON with STAN LEE, SIMON & KIRBY, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, HARVEY KURTZMAN, & ROY THOMAS, ALEX TOTH, FCA, & more! Covers by JACK BURNLEY and JACK KIRBY!

Spotlight on JOE MANEELY, with a career overview, remembrance by his daughter and tons of art, Timely/Atlas/Marvel art by ROMITA, EVERETT, SEVERIN, SHORES, KIRBY, & DITKO, STAN LEE on Maneely, LEE AMES interview, FCA with SWAYZE & STEVE SKEATES, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, and more! Covers by JOE MANEELY and DON NEWTON!

FRANK BRUNNER interview, BILL EVERETT’S Venus examined by TRINA ROBBINS, Classics Illustrated “What ifs”, LEE/KIRBY/ DITKO Marvel prototypes, JOE MANEELY’s monsters, BILL FRACCIO interview, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, JOHN BENSON on EC, The Heap by ERNIE SCHROEDER, and FCA! Covers by FRANK BRUNNER & PETE VON SHOLLY!

(108-page magazine) $9 US

BUNDLE #30-34, 35-39, OR 40-44: ONLY $36 PER SET

ALTER EGO #30

ALTER EGO #31

ALTER EGO #32

ALTER EGO #33

ALTER EGO #34

ALEX ROSS on his love for the JLA, ROY THOMAS on the ’60s JLA (with rare art by SEKOWSKY & DILLIN), the super-doers of 1940s-1980s France (with art by STEVE RUDE, STEVE BISSETTE, LADRÖNN, & NEAL ADAMS), KIM AAMODT & WALTER GEIER on writing for SIMON & KIRBY, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, & FCA! Covers by ALEX ROSS & STEVE RUDE!

DICK AYERS on his 1950s and ’60s work (with tons of Marvel Bullpen art), HARLAN ELLISON’s Marvel Age work examined (with art by BUCKLER, SAL BUSCEMA, & TRIMPE), STAN LEE’S Marvel Prototypes (with art by KIRBY & DITKO), Christmas cards from comics greats, MR. MONSTER, & FCA with SWAYZE & SCHAFFENBERGER! Covers by DICK AYERS & FRED RAY!

Timely artists ALLEN BELLMAN & SAM BURLOCKOFF interviewed, MART NODELL on his Timely years, rare art by BURGOS, EVERETT, & SHORES, MIKE GOLD on the Silver Age (with art by SIMON & KIRBY, SWAN, INFANTINO, KANE, & more), FCA, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom, and more! Covers by DICK GIORDANO & GIL KANE!

Symposium on MIKE SEKOWSKY by MARK EVANIER, SCOTT SHAW!, et al., with art by ANDERSON, INFANTINO, & others, PAT (MRS. MIKE) SEKOWSKY and inker VALERIE BARCLAY interviewed, FCA, 1950s Captain Marvel parody by ANDRU & ESPOSITO, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY, MR. MONSTER, and more! Covers by FRENZ/SINNOTT & FRENZ/BUSCEMA!

Quality Comics interviews with ALEX KOTZKY, AL GRENET, CHUCK CUIDERA, & DICK ARNOLD (son of BUSY ARNOLD), art by COLE, EISNER, FINE, WARD, DILLIN, & KANE, MICHELLE NOLAN on Blackhawk’s jump to DC, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on HARVEY KURTZMAN, & ALEX TOTH on REED CRANDALL! Covers by REED CRANDALL & CHARLES NICHOLAS!

(108-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #35

ALTER EGO #36

ALTER EGO #37

ALTER EGO #38

ALTER EGO #39

Covers by JOHN ROMITA & AL JAFFEE! LEE, ROMITA, AYERS, HEATH, & THOMAS on the 1953-55 Timely super-hero revival, with rare art by ROMITA, AYERS, BURGOS, HEATH, EVERETT, LAWRENCE, & POWELL, AL JAFFEE on the 1940s Timely Bullpen (and MAD), FCA, ALEX TOTH on comic art, MR. MONSTER on unpublished 1950s covers, and more!

JOE SIMON on SIMON & KIRBY, CARL BURGOS, & LLOYD JACQUET, JOHN BELL on World War II Canadian heroes, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on Canadian origins of MR. MONSTER, tributes to BOB DESCHAMPS, DON LAWRENCE, & GEORGE WOODBRIDGE, FCA, ALEX TOTH, & ELMER WEXLER interview! Covers by SIMON and GILBERT & RONN SUTTON!

WILL MURRAY on the 1940 Superman “KMetal” story & PHILIP WYLIE’s GLADIATOR (with art by SHUSTER, SWAN, ADAMS, & BORING), FCA with BECK, SWAYZE, & DON NEWTON, SY BARRY interview, art by TOTH, MESKIN, INFANTINO, & ANDERSON, and MICHAEL T. GILBERT interviews AL FELDSTEIN on EC & RAY BRADBURY! Covers by C.C. BECK & WAYNE BORING!

JULIE SCHWARTZ TRIBUTE with HARLAN ELLISON, INFANTINO, ANDERSON, TOTH, KUBERT, GIELLA, GIORDANO, CARDY, LEVITZ, STAN LEE, WOLFMAN, EVANIER, & ROY THOMAS, never-seen interviews with Julie, FCA with BECK, SCHAFFENBERGER, NEWTON, COCKRUM, OKSNER, FRADON, SWAYZE, & JACKSON BOSTWICK! Covers by INFANTINO & IRWIN HASEN!

Full-issue spotlight on JERRY ROBINSON, with an interview on being BOB KANE’s Batman “ghost”, creating the JOKER and ROBIN, & working on VIGILANTE, GREEN HORNET, & ATOMAN, plus never-seen art by Jerry, MESKIN, ROUSSOS, RAY, KIRBY, SPRANG, DITKO, & PARIS! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER on AL FELDSTEIN Part 2, & more! Two JERRY ROBINSON covers!

(108-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #40

ALTER EGO #41

ALTER EGO #42

ALTER EGO #43

ALTER EGO #44

RUSS HEATH and GIL KANE interviews (with tons of unseen art), the JULIE SCHWARTZ Memorial Service with ELLISON, MOORE, GAIMAN, HASEN, O’NEIL, & LEVITZ, art by INFANTINO, ANDERSON, TOTH, NOVICK, DILLIN, SEKOWSKY, KUBERT, GIELLA, ARAGONÉS, FCA, MR. MONSTER & AL FELDSTEIN Part 3, & more! Covers by GIL KANE & RUSS HEATH!

Halloween issue! BERNIE WRIGHTSON on his 1970s FRANKENSTEIN, DICK BRIEFER’S monster, the campy 1960s Frankie, art by KALUTA, BAILY, MANEELY, PLOOG, KUBERT, BRUNNER, BORING, OKSNER, TUSKA, CRANDALL, & SUTTON, FCA #100, EMILIO SQUEGLIO interview, ALEX TOTH, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, and more! Covers by WRIGHTSON & MARC SWAYZE!

A celebration of DON HECK, WERNER ROTH, and PAUL REINMAN, rare art by KIRBY, DITKO, & AYERS, Hillman & ZiffDavis remembered by Heap artist ERNIE SCHROEDER, HERB ROGOFF, & WALTER LITTMAN, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, & ALEX TOTH! Covers by FASTNER & LARSON and ERNIE SCHROEDER!

Yuletide art by WOOD, SINNOTT, CARDY, BRUNNER, TOTH, NODELL, and others, interviews with Golden Age artists TOM GILL (Lone Ranger) and MORRIS WEISS, exploring 1960s Mexican comics, FCA with MARC SWAYZE & C.C. BECK, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom, and more! Flip covers by GEORGE TUSKA and DAVE STEVENS!

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’S “I Like Ike!” cartoons by BOB KANE, INFANTINO, OKSNER, and BIRO! Wraparound ORDWAY cover!

(108-page magazine) $9 US

(100-page magazine) $9 US

BUNDLE #45-49 OR 50-54: ONLY $36 PER SET

ALTER EGO #45

ALTER EGO #46

ALTER EGO #47

ALTER EGO #48

ALTER EGO #49

Interviews with Sandman artist CREIG FLESSEL and ’40s creator BERT CHRISTMAN, MICHAEL CHABON on researching his Pulitzer-winning novel Kavalier & Clay, art by EISNER, KANE, KIRBY, & AYERS, FCA with MARC SWAYZE & C.C. BECK, OTTO BINDER’s “lost” Jon Jarl story, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom, & ALEX TOTH! CREIG FLESSEL cover!

The VERY BEST of the 1960s-70s ALTER EGO! 1969 BILL EVERETT interview, art by BURGOS, GUSTAVSON, SIMON & KIRBY, and others, 1960s gems by DITKO, E. NELSON BRIDWELL, JERRY BAILS, & ROY THOMAS, LOU GLANZMAN interview, tributes to IRV NOVICK and CHRIS REEVE, MR. MONSTER, FCA, TOTH, & more! Cover by EVERETT and MARIE SEVERIN!

Spotlights MATT BAKER, Golden Age cheesecake artist of PHANTOM LADY! Career overview, interviews with BAKER’s half-brother and nephew, art from AL FELDSTEIN, VINCE COLLETTA, ARTHUR PEDDY, JACK KAMEN & others, FCA, BILL SCHELLY talks to comic-book-seller (& fan) BUD PLANT, MR. MONSTER on missing AL WILLIAMSON art, & ALEX TOTH!

WILL EISNER discusses Eisner & Iger’s Shop and BUSY ARNOLD’s ’40s Quality Comics, art by FINE, CRANDALL, COLE, POWELL, & CARDY, EISNER tributes by STAN LEE, GENE COLAN, & others, interviews with ’40s Quality artist VERN HENKEL and CHUCK MAZOUJIAN, FCA, MR. MONSTER on EISNER’s Wonder Man, ALEX TOTH, and more with BUD PLANT! EISNER cover!

Spotlights CARL BURGOS! Interview with daughter SUE BURGOS, art by BURGOS, BILL EVERETT, MIKE SEKOWSKY, ED ASCHE, & DICK AYERS, unused 1941 Timely cover layouts, the 1957 Atlas Implosion examined, MANNY STALLMAN, FCA, MR. MONSTER and more! New cover by MARK SPARACIO, from an unused 1941 layout by CARL BURGOS!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #50

ALTER EGO #51

ALTER EGO #52

ALTER EGO #53

ALTER EGO #54

ROY THOMAS covers his 40-YEAR career in comics (AVENGERS, X-MEN, CONAN, ALL-STAR SQUADRON, INFINITY INC.), with ADAMS, BUSCEMA, COLAN, DITKO, GIL KANE, KIRBY, STAN LEE, ORDWAY, PÉREZ, ROMITA, and many others! Also, FCA, & MR. MONSTER on ROY’s letters to GARDNER FOX! Flip-covers by BUSCEMA/ KIRBY/ALCALA and JERRY ORDWAY!

Golden Age Batman artist/BOB KANE ghost LEW SAYRE SCHWARTZ interviewed, Batman art by JERRY ROBINSON, DICK SPRANG, SHELDON MOLDOFF, WIN MORTIMER, JIM MOONEY, & others, the Golden & Silver Ages of AUSTRALIAN SUPER-HEROES, Mad artist DAVE BERG interviewed, FCA, MR. MONSTER on WILL EISNER, BILL SCHELLY, and more!

JOE GIELLA on the Silver Age at DC, the Golden Age at Marvel, and JULIE SCHWARTZ, with rare art by INFANTINO, GIL KANE, SEKOWSKY, SWAN, DILLIN, MOLDOFF, GIACOIA, SCHAFFENBERGER, and others, JAY SCOTT PIKE on STAN LEE & CHARLES BIRO, MARTIN THALL interview, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, and more! GIELLA cover!

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, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, BILL SCHELLY, ALEX TOTH, & MR. MONSTER! Cover by GIORDANO!

MIKE ESPOSITO on DC and Marvel, ROBERT KANIGHER on the creation of Metal Men & Sgt. Rock (with comments by JOE KUBERT & BOB HANEY), art by ANDRU, INFANTINO, KIRBY, SEVERIN, WINDSOR-SMITH, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, TRIMPE, GIL KANE, & others, plus FCA, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY, MR. MONSTER, & more! ESPOSITO cover!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #55

ALTER EGO #56

ALTER EGO #57

ALTER EGO #58

ALTER EGO #59

JACK & OTTO BINDER, KEN BALD, VIC DOWD, and BOB BOYAJIAN interviewed, FCA with EMILIO SQUEGLIO, rare art by BECK, WARD, & SCHAFFENBERGER, Christmas Art from CRANDALL, SINNOTT, HEATH, MOONEY, and CARDY, 1943 PinUp Calendar (with ’40s movie stars as superheroines), TOTH, ALEX ROSS cover!

Interviews with Superman creators SIEGEL & SHUSTER, Golden/Silver Age DC production guru JACK ADLER interviewed, NEAL ADAMS & radio/TV iconoclast (and comics fan) HOWARD STERN on Adler and his amazing career, art by CURT SWAN, WAYNE BORING, & AL PLASTINO, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, ALEX TOTH, & more! NEAL ADAMS cover!

Issue-by-issue index of Timely/Atlas superhero stories by MICHELLE NOLAN, art by SIMON & KIRBY, EVERETT, BURGOS, ROMITA, AYERS, HEATH, SEKOWSKY, SHORES, SCHOMBURG, MANEELY, & SEVERIN, GENE COLAN & ALLEN BELLMAN on 1940s Timely super-heroes, FCA, MR. MONSTER, & BILL SCHELLY! Cover by JACK KIRBY & PETE VON SHOLLY!

GERRY CONWAY & ROY THOMAS on their ’80s screenplay for “The X-Men Movie That Never Was!”with art by COCKRUM, ADAMS, BUSCEMA, BYRNE, GIL KANE, KIRBY, HECK, & LIEBER, Atlas artist VIC CARRABOTTA interview, ALLEN BELLMAN on 1940s Timely bullpen, FCA, 1966 panel on 1950s EC Comics, & MR. MONSTER! MARK SPARACIO/GIL KANE cover!

Special issue on Batman & Superman in the Golden & Silver Ages, ARTHUR SUYDAM interview, NEAL ADAMS on 1960s/70s DC, SHELLY MOLDOFF, AL PLASTINO, Golden Age artist FRAN (Doll Man) MATERA interviewed, RUSS MANNING on Tarzan of the comics, SIEGEL & SHUSTER, FCA, MR. MONSTER, SUYDAM cover, & more!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

ALTER EGO #60

ALTER EGO #61

ALTER EGO #62

ALTER EGO #63

Celebrates 50 years since SHOWCASE #4! FLASH interviews with SCHWARTZ, KANIGHER, INFANTINO, KUBERT, & BROOME, Golden Age artist TONY DiPRETA, 1966 panel with NORDLING, BINDER, & LARRY IVIE, FCA, MR. MONSTER, never-beforepublished full-color Flash cover by CARMINE INFANTINO, and more!

History of the AMERICAN COMICS GROUP (1946 to 1967)—including its roots in the Golden Age SANGOR ART SHOP and STANDARD/NEDOR comics! Art by MESKIN, ROBINSON, WILLIAMSON, FRAZETTA, SCHAFFENBERGER, & BUSCEMA, ACG writer/editor RICHARD HUGHES, plus AL HARTLEY interviewed, FCA, MR. MONSTER, & more! GIORDANO cover!

HAPPY HAUNTED HALLOWEEN ISSUE, featuring: MIKE PLOOG & RUDY PALAIS on their horror-comics work! AL WILLIAMSON on his work for the American Comics Group—plus more on ACG horror comics! Rare DICK BRIEFER Frankenstein strips! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY on the 1966 KalerCon, a new PLOOG cover—& more!

Tribute to ALEX TOTH! Never-before-seen interview with tons of TOTH art, including sketches he sent to friends! Art by Toth’s influences: CANIFF, SICKLES, COLE, KELLY, BECK, ROBINSON & others! Our annual 1943 pin-up calendar by ALEX WRIGHT, with Miss America, Namora, Sun Girl, Venus, and others as reallife ’40s starlets, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

SUBSCRIBE TO ALTER EGO! Twelve Issues in the US: $72 Standard, $108 First Class (Canada: $132, Elsewhere: $144 Surface, $192 Airmail).

NOTE: IF YOU PREFER A SIX-ISSUE SUB, JUST CUT THE PRICE IN HALF!

ALTER EGO #65 NICK CARDY interviewed on his work in the Golden & Silver Ages, with CARDY artwork from Quality & DC— plus the work of WILL EISNER, NEAL ADAMS, CARMINE INFANTINO, JIM APARO, RAMONA FRADON, CURT SWAN, JOE ORLANDO, BOB HANEY, MIKE SEKOWSKY, et al.! Plus FCA with MARC SWAYZE and others, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER, a new CARDY COVER, and more!

Collects ALTER EGO #1-2, plus 30 pages of NEW MATERIAL! New JLA Jam Cover by KUBERT, PÉREZ, GIORDANO, TUSKA, CARDY, FRADON, & GIELLA, new sections featuring scarce art by GIL KANE, WILL EISNER, CARMINE INFANTINO, MIKE SEKOWSKY, MURPHY ANDERSON, DICK DILLIN, & more!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

(192-page trade paperback) $26 US

ALTER EGO #64 Fawcett Favorites! Issue-by-issue analysis of OTTO BINDER & C.C. BECK’s 1943-45 “The Monster Society of Evil!” serial! Special double-size FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) section with MARC SWAYZE, EMILIO SQUEGLIO, C.C. BECK, MAC RABOY, and others! Interview with MARTIN FILCHOCK, Golden Age artist for Centaur Comics! Plus MR. MONSTER, an unpublished DON NEWTON cover, and more!

ALTER EGO COLLECTION, VOL. ONE

ALL-STAR VOL. COMPANION TWO

ROY THOMAS’ new sequel, with more secrets of the JSA and ALL-STAR COMICS, a new wraparound CARLOS PACHECO cover, unpublished 1940s JSA STORY ART not printed in Volume One, full listing of all the JLA-JSA TEAM-UPS and the 1970s JSA REVIVAL, coverage of the 1980s ALL-STAR SQUADRON, YOUNG ALL-STARS, & SECRET ORIGINS features by ROY THOMAS, with rare and unseen art! 208-page trade paperback • $26 US POSTPAID • SHIPS OCTOBER 2006

Prices include US Postage. Outside the US, ADD PER ITEM: Magazines, T-shirts, & DVDs, $2 ($7 Airmail) • Softcover books, $3 ($10 Airmail) • Hardcover books, $6 ($15 Airmail)

MODERN MASTERS SERIES Edited by ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON, these trade paperbacks are devoted to the BEST OF TODAY’S COMICS ARTISTS! Each volume contains RARE AND UNSEEN ARTWORK direct from the artist’s files, plus a COMPREHENSIVE INTERVIEW (including influences and their views on graphic storytelling), DELUXE SKETCHBOOK SECTIONS, and more!

VOL. 1: ALAN DAVIS (128-Page Trade Paperback) $17 US

V.2: GEORGE PÉREZ (128-Page Trade Paperback) $17 US

VOL. 6: ARTHUR ADAMS (128-Page Trade Paperback) $19 US

V.3: BRUCE TIMM

(120-Page TPB with COLOR) $19 US

VOL. 7: JOHN BYRNE

(128-Page Trade Paperback) $19 US

“TwoMorrows blesses us fans with a frank, honest interview with the man himself. And it doesn’t cut any corners... If you love Pérez’s work, you’ll definitely love this.” Comics International on Modern Masters Vol. 2: GeorGe Pérez

V.4: KEVIN NOWLAN (120-Page TPB with COLOR) $19 US

VOL. 8: WALT SIMONSON (128-Page Trade Paperback) $19 US

V.5: GARCÍA-LÓPEZ

(120-Page TPB with COLOR) $19 US

VOL. 9: MIKE WIERINGO

(120-Page TPB with COLOR) $19 US

MODERN MASTERS: IN THE STUDIO WITH

GEORGE PÉREZ This DVD companion to the Modern Masters book series gives you a personal tour of George’s studio, and lets you watch step-by-step as the fan-favorite artist illustrates a special issue of Top Cow’s Witchblade! Also, see George as he sketches for fans at conventions, and hear his peers and colleagues— including Marv Wolfman and Ron Marz—share their anecdotes and personal insights along the way! Witchblade TM & ©2006 Top Cow Productions, Inc.

120-MIN. STD. FORMAT DVD • $35 US Postpaid

LOOK FOR VOL. 10: KEVIN MAGUIRE IN DECEMBER!

THE TWOMORROWS LIBRARY !

INNER

ARD W ER AW

EISN

THE KRYPTON COMPANION Unlocks the secrets of Superman’s Silver and Bronze Ages, when kryptonite came in multiple colors and super-pets flew the skies! Features all-new interviews with NEAL ADAMS, MURPHY ANDERSON, NICK CARDY, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, KEITH GIFFEN, JIM MOONEY, DENNIS O’NEIL, BOB OKSNER, MARTY PASKO, BOB ROZAKIS, JIM SHOOTER, LEN WEIN, MARV WOLFMAN, and others, plus tons of rare and unseen art! By BACK ISSUE MAGAZINE’S Michael Eury! (224-Page Trade Paperback) $29 US

DICK GIORDANO

CHANGING COMICS, ONE DAY AT A TIME

STREETWISE

TOP ARTISTS DRAWING STORIES OF THEIR LIVES

MICHAEL EURY’s biography of comics’ most prominent and affable personality!

An unprecedented assembly of talent drawing NEW autobiographical stories:

• Covers his career as illustrator, inker, and editor, peppered with DICK’S PERSONAL REFLECTIONS on his career milestones! • Lavishly illustrated with RARE AND NEVER SEEN comics, merchandising, and advertising art (includes a color section)! • Extensive index of his published work! • Comments & tributes by NEAL ADAMS, DENNIS O’NEIL, TERRY AUSTIN, PAUL LEVITZ, MARV WOLFMAN, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, JIM APARO & others! • With a Foreword by NEAL ADAMS and Afterword by PAUL LEVITZ!

• Barry WINDSOR-SMITH • C.C. BECK • Sergio ARAGONÉS • Walter SIMONSON • Brent ANDERSON • Nick CARDY • Roy THOMAS & John SEVERIN • Paul CHADWICK • Rick VEITCH • Murphy ANDERSON • Joe KUBERT • Evan DORKIN • Sam GLANZMAN • Plus Art SPIEGELMAN, Jack KIRBY, more! Cover by RUDE • Foreword by EISNER (160-Page Trade Paperback) $24 US

BEST OF DRAW! VOL. 1 BEST OF DRAW! VOL. 2 Compiles material from the first two soldout issues of DRAW!, the “How-To” magazine on comics and cartooning! Tutorials by, and interviews with: DAVE GIBBONS (layout and drawing on the computer), BRET BLEVINS (drawing lovely women, painting from life, and creating figures that “feel”), JERRY ORDWAY (detailing his working methods), KLAUS JANSON and RICARDO VILLAGRAN (inking techniques), GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY (on animation and Samurai Jack), STEVE CONLEY (creating web comics and cartoons), PHIL HESTER and ANDE PARKS (penciling and inking), and more!

Compiles material from issues #3 and #4 of DRAW!, including tutorials by, and interviews with, ERIK LARSEN (savage penciling), DICK GIORDANO (inking techniques), BRET BLEVINS (drawing the figure in action, and figure composition), KEVIN NOWLAN (penciling and inking), MIKE MANLEY (how-to demo on Web Comics), DAVE COOPER (digital coloring tutorial), and more! Cover by KEVIN NOWLAN! (156-page trade paperback) $22 US

(200-page trade paperback) $26 US

THE

(176-pg. Paperback) $24 US

ART OF GEORGE TUSKA HERO GETS GIRL!

THE LIFE & ART OF KURT SCHAFFENBERGER MARK VOGER’s biography of the artist of LOIS LANE & CAPTAIN MARVEL! • Covers KURT’S LIFE AND CAREER from the 1940s to his passing in 2002! • Features NEVER-SEEN PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS from his files! • Includes recollections by ANDERSON, EISNER, INFANTINO, KUBERT, ALEX ROSS, MORT WALKER and others! (128-page Trade Paperback) $19 US

BEST OF THE LEGION OUTPOST THE LEGION COMPANION • A history of the Legion of Super-Heroes, with DAVE COCKRUM, MIKE GRELL, JIM STARLIN, JAMES SHERMAN, PAUL LEVITZ, KEITH GIFFEN, STEVE LIGHTLE, MARK WAID, JIM SHOOTER, JIM MOONEY, AL PLASTINO, and more! • Rare and never-seen Legion art by the above, plus GEORGE PÉREZ, NEAL ADAMS, CURT SWAN, and others! • Unused Cockrum character designs and pages from an UNUSED STORY! • New cover by DAVE COCKRUM and JOE RUBINSTEIN, introduction by JIM SHOOTER, and more!

Collects the best material from the hardto-find LEGION OUTPOST fanzine, including rare interviews and articles from creators such as DAVE COCKRUM, CARY BATES, and JIM SHOOTER, plus neverbefore-seen artwork by COCKRUM, MIKE GRELL, JIMMY JANES and others! It also features a previously unpublished interview with KEITH GIFFEN originally intended for the never-published LEGION OUTPOST #11, plus other new material! And it sports a rarely-seen classic 1970s cover by Legion fan favorite artist DAVE COCKRUM! (160-page trade paperback) $22 US

ALL-STAR COMPANION VOL. 1 ROY THOMAS has assembled the most thorough look ever taken at All-Star Comics: • Covers by MURPHY ANDERSON! • Issue-by-issue coverage of ALL—STAR COMICS #1—57, the original JLA—JSA teamups, & the ‘70s ALL—STAR REVIVAL! • Art from an unpublished 1945 JSA story! • Looks at FOUR “LOST” ALL—STAR issues! • Rare art by BURNLEY, DILLIN, KIRBY, INFANTINO, KANE, KUBERT, ORDWAY, ROSS, WOOD and more!!

A comprehensive look at Tuska’s personal and professional life, including early work with Eisner-Iger, crime comics of the 1950s, and his tenure with Marvel and DC Comics, as well as independent publishers. The book includes extensive coverage of his work on IRON MAN, X-MEN, HULK, JUSTICE LEAGUE, TEEN TITANS, BATMAN, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS, and many more! A gallery of commission artwork and a thorough index of his work are included, plus original artwork, photos, sketches, previously unpublished art, interviews and anecdotes from his peers and fans, plus George’s own words! (128-page trade paperback) $19 US

(208-page Trade Paperback) $26 US

(224-page Trade Paperback) $29 US

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS COMPANION

COMIC BOOK ARTIST COLLECTION, VOL. 3 Reprinting the Eisner Award-winning COMIC BOOK ARTIST #7 and #8 (‘70s Marvel and ‘80s independents), featuring a new MICHAEL T. GILBERT cover, plus interviews with GILBERT, RUDE, GULACY, GERBER, DON SIMPSON, CHAYKIN, SCOTT McCLOUD, BUCKLER, BYRNE, DENIS KITCHEN, plus a NEW SECTION featuring over 30 pages of previouslyEach lists PUBLISHED COMICS WORK in unseen stuff! Edited by JON B. COOKE. detail, plus ILLOS, UNPUBLISHED WORK, and more. Filled with rare and unseen art! (224-page trade paperback) $29 US (68/100 Pages) $8 US EACH

WALLY WOOD & JACK KIRBY CHECKLISTS

The definitive book on WALLACE WOOD’s super-team of the 1960s, featuring interviews with Woody and other creators involved in the T-Agents over the years, plus rare and unseen art, including a rare 28-page story drawn by PAUL GULACY, UNPUBLISHED STORIES by GULACY, PARIS CULLINS, and others, and a JERRY ORDWAY cover. Edited by CBA’s JON B. COOKE. (192-page trade paperback) $29 US

Prices include US Postage. Outside the US, ADD PER ITEM: Magazines & DVDs, $2 ($7 Airmail) • Softcover books, $3 ($10 Airmail) • Hardcover books, $6 ($15 Airmail)

COMICS ABOVE GROUND SEE HOW YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS MAKE A LIVING OUTSIDE COMICS

TITANS COMPANION A comprehensive history of the NEW TEEN TITANS, with interviews and rare art by MARV WOLFMAN, GEORGE PÉREZ, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, LEN WEIN, & others, a Silver Age section with NEAL ADAMS, NICK CARDY, DICK GIORDANO, & more, plus CHRIS CLAREMONT and WALTER SIMONSON on the X-MEN/ TEEN TITANS crossover, TOM GRUMMETT, PHIL JIMENEZ & TERRY DODSON on their ‘90s Titans work, a new cover by JIMENEZ, & intro by GEOFF JOHNS! Written by GLEN CADIGAN. (224-page trade paperback) $29 US

SECRETS IN THE SHADOWS: GENE COLAN The ultimate retrospective on COLAN, with rare drawings, photos, and art from his nearly 60-year career, plus a comprehensive overview of Gene’s glory days at Marvel Comics! MARV WOLFMAN, DON MCGREGOR and other writers share script samples and anecdotes of their Colan collaborations, while TOM PALMER, STEVE LEIALOHA and others show how they approached the daunting task of inking Colan’s famously nuanced penciled pages! Plus there’s a NEW PORTFOLIO of never-before-seen collaborations between Gene and such masters as JOHN BYRNE, MICHAEL KALUTA and GEORGE PÉREZ, and all-new artwork created specifically for this book by Gene! Available in Softcover and Deluxe Hardcover (limited to 1000 copies, with 16 extra black-and-white pages and 8 extra color pages)!

COMICS ABOVE GROUND features top comics pros discussing their inspirations and training, and how they apply it in “Mainstream Media,” including Conceptual Illustration, Video Game Development, Children’s Books, Novels, Design, Illustration, Fine Art, Storyboards, Animation, Movies & more! Written by DURWIN TALON (author of the top-selling PANEL DISCUSSIONS), this book features creators sharing their perspectives and their work in comics and their “other professions,” with career overviews, neverbefore-seen art, and interviews! Featuring: • BRUCE TIMM • LOUISE SIMONSON • BERNIE WRIGHTSON • DAVE DORMAN • ADAM HUGHES • GREG RUCKA & MORE! (168-page Trade Paperback) $24 US

COMIC BOOKS & OTHER NECESSITIES OF LIFE WERTHAM WAS RIGHT! SUPERHEROES IN MY PANTS! Each collects MARK EVANIER’S best essays and commentaries, plus new essays and illustrations by SERGIO ARAGONÉS! (200-page Trade Paperbacks) $17 US EACH ALL THREE BOOKS: $34 US

THE DARK AGE Documents the ‘80s and ‘90s era of comics, from THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and WATCHMEN to the “polybagged premium” craze, the DEATH OF SUPERMAN, renegade superheroes SPAWN, PITT, BLOODSHOT, CYBERFORCE, & more! Interviews with TODD McFARLANE, DAVE GIBBONS, JIM LEE, KEVIN SMITH, ALEX ROSS, MIKE MIGNOLA, ERIK LARSEN, J. O’BARR, DAVID LAPHAM, JOE QUESADA, MIKE ALLRED and others, plus a color section! Written by MARK VOGER, with photos by KATHY VOGLESONG. (168-page trade paperback) $24 US

(168-page softcover) $26 US (192-page trade hardcover) $49 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE COMPANION VOL. 1 A comprehensive examination of the Silver Age JLA written by MICHAEL EURY (author of the critically acclaimed CAPTAIN ACTION and co-author of THE SUPERHERO BOOK). It traces the JLA’s development, history, imitators, and early fandom through vintage and all-new interviews with the series’ creators, an issue-byissue index of the JLA’s 1960-1972 adventures, classic and never-before-published artwork, and other fun and fascinating features. Contributors include DENNY O’NEIL, MURPHY ANDERSON, JOE GIELLA, MIKE FRIEDRICH, NEAL ADAMS, ALEX ROSS, CARMINE INFANTINO, NICK CARDY, and many, many others. Plus: An exclusive interview with STAN LEE, who answers the question, “Did the JLA really inspire the creation of Marvel’s Fantastic Four?” With an all-new cover by BRUCE TIMM (TV’s Justice League Unlimited)!

ALTER EGO COLLECTION, VOL. 1 Collects the first two issues of ALTER EGO, plus 30 pages of NEW MATERIAL! JLA Jam Cover by KUBERT, PÉREZ, GIORDANO, TUSKA, CARDY, FRADON, & GIELLA, new sections featuring scarce art by GIL KANE, WILL EISNER, CARMINE INFANTINO, MIKE SEKOWSKY, MURPHY ANDERSON, DICK DILLIN, & more! (192-page trade paperback) $26 US

(224-page trade paperback) $29 US

AGAINST THE GRAIN: MAD ARTIST

WALLACE WOOD

HOW TO DRAW COMICS FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT DVD

The definitive biographical memoir on one of comics’ finest artists, 20 years in the making! Former associate BHOB STEWART traces Wood’s life and career, with contributions from many artists and writers who knew Wood personally, making this remarkable compendium of art, insights and critical commentary! From childhood drawings & early samples to nearly endless comics pages (many unpublished), this is the most stunning display of Wood art ever assembled! BILL PEARSON, executor of the Wood Estate, contributed rare drawings from Wood’s own files, while art collector ROGER HILL provides a wealth of obscure, previously unpublished Wood drawings and paintings.

See a comic created from scratch, as the editors of DRAW! and WRITE NOW! magazines create a new character, step-by-step before your eyes, and produce a finished comic book from script to roughs, pencils, inks, and coloring— even lettering! It’s 120 minutes of “how-to” tips, tricks, and tools of the pros, plus BONUS FEATURES!

(336-Page Trade Paperback) $44 US

(120-minute DVD) $35 US

TRUE BRIT

CELEBRATING GREAT COMIC BOOK ARTISTS OF THE UK A celebration of the rich history of British Comics Artists and their influence on the US with in-depth interviews and art by: • BRIAN BOLLAND • ALAN DAVIS • DAVE GIBBONS • BRYAN HITCH • DAVID LLOYD

• DAVE MCKEAN • KEVIN O’NEILL • BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH and other gents!

(204-page Trade Paperback with COLOR SECTION) $26 US

CALL, WRITE, OR E-MAIL FOR A FREE COLOR CATALOG!

COLLECTED JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR, VOLUMES 1-5 See what thousands of comics fans, professionals, and historians have discovered: The King lives on in the pages of THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR! These colossal TRADE PAPERBACKS reprint the first 22 sold-out issues of the magazine for Kirby fans! • VOLUME 1: Reprints TJKC #1-9 (including the Fourth World and Fantastic Four theme issues), plus over 30 pieces of Kirby art never before published in TJKC! • (240 pages) $29 US • VOLUME 2: Reprints TJKC #10-12 (the Humor, Hollywood, and International theme issues), and includes a new special section detailing a fan’s private tour of the Kirbys’ remarkable home,

showcasing more than 30 pieces of Kirby art never before published in TJKC! • (160 pages) $22 US • VOLUME 3: Reprints TJKC #13-15 (the Horror, Thor, and Sci-Fi theme issues), plus 30 new pieces of Kirby art! • (176 pages) $24 US • VOLUME 4: Reprints TJKC #16-19 (the Tough Guys, DC, Marvel, and Art theme issues), plus more than 30 pieces of Kirby art never before published in TJKC! • (240 pages) $29 US • VOLUME 5: Reprints TJKC #20-22 (the Women, Wacky, and Villains theme issues), plus more than 30 pieces of Kirby art never before published in TJKC! • (224 pages) $29 US

KIRBY UNLEASHED The fabled 1971 KIRBY UNLEASHED portfolio, COMPLETELY REMASTERED! Spotlights JACK “KING” KIRBY’S finest art from all eras of his career, including 1930s pencil work, unused strips, illustrated World War II letters, 1950s pages, unpublished 1960s MARVEL PENCIL PAGES AND SKETCHES, and FOURTH WORLD PENCIL ART (done expressly for this portfolio in 1970)! Kirby assistants MARK EVANIER and STEVE SHERMAN have updated the Kirby biography from the original printing, and added a NEW FOREWORD explaining how this portfolio came to be! PLUS: We’ve recolored the original color plates, and added EIGHT NEW BLACK-&-WHITE PAGES, plus EIGHT NEW COLOR PAGES, including Jack’s four GODS POSTERS (released separately in 1972), and FOUR ADDITIONAL KIRBY COLOR PIECES, all at tabloid size!

KIRBY’S six-issue “Visual Novel” for Pacific Comics is reproduced from his powerful, uninked pencil art! Includes Kirby’s illustrated movie screenplay, never-seen sketches, pinups, and more from his final series!

(60-page Tabloid) $24 US

(160 pages) $24 US

SILVER STAR:

GRAPHITE EDITION

T H E U LT I M AT E C O M I C S E X P E R I E N C E !

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE celebrates comic books of the 1970s, ’80s, and today through recurring (& rotating) departments. 100 PAGES, $9 US. 6-ISSUE SUBS: $36 Standard, $54 First Class (Canada: $66, Elsewhere: $72 Surface, $96 Airmail).

#1: PÉREZ, KIRBY, BUSCEMA, INFANTINO, KUBERT!

#2: HUGHES, RUDE, WAGNER, JONES, STEVENS!

#3: EVANIER, GIFFEN, MAGUIRE, BOLLAND!

“PRO2PRO” interview between GEORGE PÉREZ and MARV WOLFMAN (with UNSEEN PÉREZ ART), “ROUGH STUFF” featuring JACK KIRBY’s PENCIL ART, “GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD” on the first JLA/AVENGERS, “BEYOND CAPES” on DC and Marvel’s TARZAN (with KUBERT & BUSCEMA ART), “OFF MY CHEST” editorial by INFANTINO, & more!

“PRO2PRO” between ADAM HUGHES & MIKE W. BARR (with UNSEEN HUGHES ART) and MATT WAGNER and DIANA SCHUTZ, “ROUGH STUFF” HUGHES PENCIL ART, STEVE RUDE’s unseen SPACE GHOST/ HERCULOIDS team-up, Bruce Jones’ ALIEN WORLDS & TWISTED TALES, an “OFF MY CHEST” editorial by MIKE W. BARR on the DC IMPLOSION, & more!

“PRO2PRO” between KEITH GIFFEN, J.M. DeMATTEIS and KEVIN MAGUIRE on their JLA WORK, “ROUGH STUFF” PENCIL ART by ARAGONÉS, HERNANDEZ BROS., MIGNOLA, BYRNE, KIRBY, HUGHES, two unknown PLASTIC MAN movies, a look at the Joker’s history with O’NEIL, ADAMS, ENGLEHART, ROGERS & BOLLAND, an editorial by MARK EVANIER, & more!

#6: WRIGHTSON, COLAN, THOMAS, GODZILLA!

#7: APARO, BYRNE, LEE, EVANIER, & MORE!

#8: ADAMS, VON EEDEN, & ’70s BLACK HEROES!

#9: RUDE, TRUMAN, GIL KANE & COSMIC HEROES!

TOMB OF DRACULA revealed with GENE COLAN and MARV WOLFMAN, LEN WEIN & BERNIE WRIGHTSON on Swamp Thing’s roots, STEVE BISSETTE and RICK VEITCH on their Swamp work, pencil art by SMITH, BRUNNER, PLOOG, BISSETTE, COLAN, & WRIGHTSON, editorial by ROY THOMAS, GODZILLA comics (with TRIMPE art), CHARLTON horror, PREZ, and more!

SWAN/ANDERSON cover, history of BRAVE AND THE BOLD, JIM APARO interview, tribute to BOB HANEY, FANTASTIC FOUR ROUNDTABLE with STAN LEE, MARK WAID, and others, EVANIER & MEUGNIOT on DNAgents, pencil art by ROSS, TOTH, COCKRUM, HECK, ROBBINS, NEWTON, and BYRNE, DENNY O’NEIL editorial, a tour of METROPOLIS, IL, & more!

DENNY O’NEIL & Justice League Unlimited voice actor PHIL LaMARR discuss GL JOHN STEWART, NEW X-MEN pencil art by NEAL ADAMS, ARTHUR ADAMS, DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI, ALAN DAVIS, JIM LEE, ADAM HUGHES, STORM’s 30-year history, animated TV’s black heroes (with TOTH art), TONY ISABELLA and TREVOR VON EEDEN on BLACK LIGHTNING, & more!

MIKE BARON and STEVE RUDE on NEXUS past and present, a colossal GIL KANE pencil art gallery, a look at Marvel’s STAR WARS comics, secrets of DC’s unseen CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS SEQUEL, TIM TRUMAN on his GRIMJACK SERIES, MIKE GOLD editorial, THANOS history, TIME WARP revisited, an allnew STEVE RUDE COVER, & more!

#12: GIBBONS, BYRNE, MILLER, FRENZ!

#13: STATON, CARDY, EISNER, ROMITA!

#15: PLOOG, COLAN, WAGNER, KUBERT!

’70s and ’80s character revamps with DAVE GIBBONS, ROY THOMAS & KURT BUSIEK, TOM DeFALCO & RON FRENZ on Spider-Man’s 1980s “black” costume change, DENNY O’NEIL on Superman’s 1970 revamp, JOHN BYRNE’s aborted SHAZAM! series detailed, pencil art gallery with FRANK MILLER, LEE WEEKS, DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI, CHARLES VESS, and more!

CARDY interview, ENGLEHART and MOENCH on kung-fu comics, “Pro2Pro” with STATON and CUTI on Charlton’s E-Man, pencil art gallery featuring MILLER, KUBERT, GIORDANO, SWAN, GIL KANE, COLAN, COCKRUM, and others, EISNER’s A Contract with God; “The Death of Romance (Comics)” (with art by ROMITA, SR. and TOTH), & more!

#14: GRELL, COCKRUM, GARCÍALÓPEZ, KIRBY! DAVE COCKRUM and MIKE GRELL go “Pro2Pro” on the Legion, pencil art gallery by BUSCEMA, BYRNE, MILLER, STARLIN, McFARLANE, ROMITA JR., SIENKIEWICZ, looks at Hercules Unbound, Hex, Killraven, Kamandi, MARS, Planet of the Apes, art & interviews with GARCÍALÓPEZ, KIRBY, WILLIAMSON, and more! New MIKE GRELL/BOB McLEOD cover!

“Weird Heroes” of the 1970s and ’80s!MIKE PLOOG discusses Ghost Rider, MATT WAGNER revisits The Demon, JOE KUBERT dusts off Ragman, GENE COLAN “Rough Stuff” pencil gallery, GARCÍALÓPEZ recalls Deadman, DC’s unpublished Gorilla Grodd series, PERLIN, CONWAY, & MOENCH on Werewolf by Night, & more! New ARTHUR ADAMS cover!

#4: BYRNE, CLAREMONT, CASEY, SIMONSON!

#5: ROSS, HUGHES, LYNDA CARTER, LOU FERRIGNO!

“PRO2PRO” between JOHN BYRNE and CHRIS CLAREMONT on their X-MEN WORK and WALT SIMONSON and JOE CASEY on Walter’s THOR WORK, WOLVERINE PENCIL ART by BUSCEMA, LEE, COCKRUM, BYRNE, & GIL KANE, LEN WEIN’S TEEN WOLVERINE, PUNISHER’S 30TH & SECRET WARS’ 20TH ANNIVERSARIES (with UNSEEN ZECK ART), & more!

Covers by ALEX ROSS & ADAM HUGHES, Wonder Woman TV series in-depth, LYNDA CARTER INTERVIEW, WONDER WOMAN TV ART GALLERY, Marvel’s TV Hulk, Spider-Man, Captain America, & Dr. Strange, LOU FERRIGNO INTERVIEW, super-hero cartoons you didn’t see, pencil gallery by JERRY ORDWAY, STAR TREK in comics, & JOHN ROMITA SR. editorial on Marvel’s movies!

#10: ADAMS, GRELL, KALUTA, CHAYKIN!

#11: BUSCEMA, JUSKO, BOLLAND, ARAGONÉS!

NEAL ADAMS and DENNY O’NEIL on RA’S AL GHUL’s history (with Adams art), O’Neil and MICHAEL KALUTA on THE SHADOW, MIKE GRELL on JON SABLE FREELANCE, HOWIE CHAYKIN interview, DOC SAVAGE in comics, BATMAN ART GALLERY by SIENKIEWICZ, SIMONSON, PAUL SMITH, BOLLAND, HANNIGAN, MAZZUCCHELLI, and others, and a new cover by ADAMS!

#16: ZECK, ARTHUR ADAMS, GUICE, GOLDEN, KIRBY! “Toy Stories!” Behind the Scenes of Marvel’s G.I. JOE™ and TRANSFORMERS, “Rough Stuff” MIKE ZECK pencil gallery, ARTHUR ADAMS on Gumby, HE-MAN, ROM, MICRONAUTS, SUPER POWERS, SUPER-HERO CARS, art by HAMA, SAL BUSCEMA, GUICE, GOLDEN, KIRBY, TRIMPE, & new ZECK sketch cover!

ROY THOMAS, KURT BUSIEK, and JOE JUSKO on CONAN (with art by JOHN BUSCEMA, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, NEAL ADAMS, JUSKO, & others), SERGIO ARAGONÉS & MARK EVANIER on GROO, DC’s never-published KING ARTHUR, pencil art gallery by KIRBY, PÉREZ, MOEBIUS, GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, BOLLAND, & others, and a new BUSCEMA/JUSKO Conan cover!

#17: TIMM, HAMNER, INFANTINO, HUGHES! “Super Girls!” Supergirl retrospective with art by STELFREEZE, HAMNER, & others, Spider-Woman, Flare, Tigra, DC’s unused Double Comics with unseen BARRETTO and INFANTINO art, WOLFMAN and JIMENEZ on Donna Troy, Female comics pros Roundtable, Animated Super Chicks, art by SEKOWSKY, OKSNER, PÉREZ, HUGHES, GIORDANO, plus an 8-page COLOR ART GALLERY and COVER by BRUCE TIMM!

OUR NEWEST MAGAZINE! ORDER ONLINE: www.twomorrows.com

Spinning off from the pages of BACK ISSUE! magazine comes ROUGH STUFF, celebrating the ART of creating comics! Edited by famed inker BOB McLEOD, each issue spotlights NEVER-BEFORE PUBLISHED penciled pages, preliminary sketches, detailed layouts, and even unused inked versions from artists throughout comics history. Included is commentary on the art, discussing what went right and wrong with it, and background information to put it all into historical perspective. Plus, before-and-after comparisons let you see firsthand how an image changes from initial concept to published version. So don’t miss this amazing new magazine, featuring galleries of NEVERBEFORE SEEN art, from some of your favorite series of all time, and the top pros in the industry!

ROUGH STUFF #1

ROUGH STUFF #2

Our debut issue features galleries of UNSEEN ART by a who’s who of Modern Masters including:

The follow-up to our smash first issue features more galleries of UNSEEN ART by top industry professionals, including:

ALAN DAVIS GEORGE PÉREZ BRUCE TIMM KEVIN NOWLAN JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ ARTHUR ADAMS JOHN BYRNE WALTER SIMONSON Plus a KEVIN NOWLAN interview, and a new BRUCE TIMM COVER! (116-page magazine) $9 US

ROUGH STUFF #3 This third groundbreaking issue presents still more galleries of UNSEEN ART by some of the biggest names in the comics industry, including:

BRIAN APTHORP FRANK BRUNNER PAUL GULACY JERRY ORDWAY ALEX TOTH MATT WAGNER Plus a PAUL GULACY interview, a look at oddball penciler/inker combinations, and a new GULACY “HEX” COVER!

MIKE ALLRED JOHN BUSCEMA YANICK PAQUETTE JOHN ROMITA JR. P. CRAIG RUSSELL LEE WEEKS Plus a JOHN ROMITA JR. interview, looks at the earliest work of some of your favorite artists, and a new ROMITA JR. COVER!

(100-page magazine) $9 US

Prices include US Postage. Outside the US, ADD PER ITEM: Mags, T-Shirts & DVDs, $2 ($7 Airmail) • Softcover books, $3 ($10 Airmail) • Hardcover books, $6 ($15 Airmail)

CALL, WRITE, OR E-MAIL FOR A FREE COPY OF OUR 2006 CATALOG UPDATE, FEATURING MORE NEW & UPCOMING ITEMS!

2006 SUBSCRIPTION RATES JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR SUBSCRIPTIONS: Four tabloid issues in the US: $40 Standard, $56 First Class (Canada: $64, Elsewhere: $68 Surface, $84 Airmail). C

T H E U LT I M AT E C O M I C S E X P E R I E N C E !

BACK ISSUE! SUBSCRIPTIONS: Six issues in the US: $36 Standard, $54 First Class (Canada: $66, Elsewhere: $72 Surface, $96 Airmail). ROUGH STUFF, DRAW! & WRITE NOW! SUBSCRIPTIONS: Four issues in the US: $24 Standard, $36 First Class (Canada: $44, Elsewhere: $48 Surface, $64 Airmail). ALTER EGO SUBSCRIPTIONS: Twelve issues in the US: $72 Standard, $108 First Class (Canada: $132, Elsewhere: $144 Surface, $192 Airmail). NOTE: IF YOU PREFER A SIX-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTION, JUST CUT THE PRICE IN HALF!

COMING SOON FROM TWOMORROWS!

DRAW! #13 (SEPT.) Step-by-step demo of painting methods by cover artist ALEX HORLEY (Heavy Metal, Vertigo, DC, Wizards of the Coast), plus interviews and demos by Banana Sundays’ COLLEEN COOVER, Pigtale’s OVI NEDELCU, behindthe-scenes on Adult Swim’s MINORITEAM, regular features on drawing by BRET BLEVINS, MIKE MANLEY, links, color section & more! HORLEY cover! Edited by MIKE MANLEY.

BACK ISSUE! #18 (SEPT.)

WRITE NOW! #13 (NOW!)

ROUGH STUFF! #2 (OCT.)

“BIG, GREEN ISSUE!” Tour of NEAL ADAMS’ studio (with interview & gallery), DAVE GIBBONS “Rough Stuff” pencil art, interviews with MIKE GRELL (Green Arrow), PETER DAVID (Incredible Hulk), a “Pro2Pro” chat between GERRY CONWAY and JOHN ROMITA, SR., the un-produced She-Hulk movie, & more. GREEN LANTERN cover by ADAMS! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

X-MEN 3 screenwriter SIMON KINBERG interviewed, DENNIS O’NEIL on translating BATMAN BEGINS into a novel, Central Park Media’s STEPHEN PAKULA discusses manga writing, KURT BUSIEK on breaking into comics, MIKE FRIEDRICH on writers’ agents, script samples, new LIM/MILGROM cover, and more! Edited by DANNY FINGEROTH.

(100-page magazine) $9 US

Galleries of NEVER-SEEN penciled KIRBY’S FOURTH WORLD focus, pages, sketches, layouts, and including FOREVER PEOPLE, NEW unused inks by FRANK BRUNNER, GODS, and more! Rare interview JERRY ORDWAY, BRIAN with KIRBY, MARK EVANIER’S APTHORP, and MATT WAGNER, regular column, two FOURTH who contribute commentaries on WORLD pencil art galleries, a the art, plus a retrospective art NEVER-REPRINTED 1950s gallery on the late ALEX TOTH, a STORY, new Kirby covers inked new, profusely illustrated interview by MIKE ROYER & JOHN BYRNE, with PAUL GULACY, a new & more! Edited by JOHN GULACY “Hex” cover, and more! MORROW. Edited by BOB McLEOD. (84-page tabloid) $13 US (100-page magazine) $9 US

MODERN MASTERS VOL. 8: WALTER SIMONSON (NOW!)

BEST OF DRAW, VOL. 2 (NOW!)

Features an EXTENSIVE, CAREERSPANNING INTERVIEW lavishly illustrated with rare art from Walter’s files, plus an ENORMOUS SKETCHBOOK SECTION of some of Walter’s finest work, including UNSEEN AND UNUSED ART! (128-page trade paperback) $19 US

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

(84-page magazine) $9 US

THE KRYPTON COMIC BOOK NERD COMPANION (AUG.) #1 (NOW!)

Compiles material from issues #3 Unlocks the secrets of Superman’s PETE VON SHOLLY’s side-splitting and #4 of DRAW!, including Silver and Bronze Ages, when parody of the fan press, including tutorials by, and interviews with, kryptonite came in multiple colors such publications as WHIZZER, ERIK LARSEN (savage penciling), and super-pets flew the skies! the COMICS URINAL, ULTRA DICK GIORDANO (inking Features all-new interviews with EGO, COMICS BUYER’S GUISE, techniques), BRET BLEVINS ADAMS, ANDERSON, CARDY, BAGGED ISSUE!, SCRAWL!, (drawing the figure in action, and GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, GIFFEN, , COMIC BOOK ARTISTE, and figure composition), KEVIN MOONEY, O’NEIL, OKSNER, more, as we unabashedly poke NOWLAN (penciling and inking), PASKO, ROZAKIS, SHOOTER, fun at ourselves, our competitors, MIKE MANLEY (how-to demo on WEIN, WOLFMAN, and others, and you, our loyal readers! Go to Web Comics), DAVE COOPER plus tons of rare and unseen art! www.twomorrows.com for a (digital coloring tutorial), and By BACK ISSUE’S Michael Eury! sneak preview in March! more! Cover by KEVIN NOWLAN. (224-page trade paperback) (64-page COLOR (156-page trade paperback with $29 US one-shot magazine) color section) $22 US $11 US

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR: Four issues US: $40 Standard, $56 First Class (Canada: $64, Elsewhere: $68 Surface, $84 Airmail). BACK ISSUE!: Six issues US: $36 Standard, $54 First Class (Canada: $66, Elsewhere: $72 Surface, $96 Airmail). DRAW!, WRITE NOW!, ROUGH STUFF: Four issues US: $24 Standard, $36 First Class (Canada: $44, Elsewhere: $48 Surface, $64 Airmail). ALTER EGO: Twelve issues US: $72 Standard, $108 First Class (Canada: $132, Elsewhere: $144 Surface, $192 Airmail). FOR A SIX-ISSUE ALTER EGO SUBSCRIPTION, JUST CUT THE PRICE IN HALF!

KIRBY COLLECTOR #46 (NOW!)

HOW TO CREATE COMICS, FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT TPB (NOW!) REDESIGNED and EXPANDED version of the groundbreaking WRITE NOW! #8 / DRAW! #9 crossover! DANNY FINGEROTH & MIKE MANLEY show step-by-step how to develop a new comic, from script and roughs to pencils, inks, colors, lettering—it even guides you through printing and distribution, & the finished 8-page color comic is included, so you can see their end result! PLUS: over 30 pages of ALL-NEW material, including “full” and “Marvelstyle” scripts, a critique of their new character and comic from an editor’s point of view, new tips on coloring, new expanded writing lessons, and more! (108-page trade paperback) $18 US