Alter Ego #86

Roy Thomas’ Mad, Mad, Mad Comics Fanzine $

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No.86

Kurtzman caricature ©2009 Harvey Kurtzman Estate; other art ©2009 the respective copyright holders.

June 2008

WHAT HATH

KURTZMAN WROUGHT? Those Frantic Four-Color Mad Wannabes Of 1953-56

PLUS:

FRANK BOLLE & 06

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Vol. 3, No. 86 / June 2009 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

Editorial Honor Roll Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Mike Friedrich

Circulation Director Bob Brodsky, Cookiesoup Productions

Cover Artists Harvey Kurtzman, Et. Al.

With Special Thanks to: Heidi Amash Ger Apeldoorn Bob Bailey Howard Bender John Benson Bill Black Frank Bolle Chris Brown Nick Caputo Michael Catron Anthony DeMaria Michaël Dewally Shane Foley Janet Gilbert Walt Grogan Jennifer Hamerlinck Mark & Stephanie Heike Jerry Hillegas Denis Kitchen Jay Kinney Adele Kurtzman

Stan & Joan Lee Jim Ludwig Brian K. Morris Ken Nadle Dave O’Dell Stephen Oswald Charles Pelto Ken Quattro Robert Rivard Herb Rogoff Dorothy Schaffenberger Ramon Schenk John Selegue Scott Shaw!

Marc Swayze Dann Thomas Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Mark Voger Kathy Voglesong Martin Wolfson

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Harvey Kurtzman & Kurt Schaffenberger

Contents Writer/Editorial: It Was A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Whirl!. . . . . 3 What Hath Kurtzman Wrought? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Ger Apeldoorn examines the color Mad wannabes of the mid-1950s.

“I’d Pick Up Anything That Came Along, Since I Was Anxious To Work” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Golden Age talent Frank Bolle talks to Jim Amash about Robotman, the Heap, and Tim Holt!

re: [correspondence, comments, and corrections] . . . . . . . 70 Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! “Lost” Kurtzman: The War Years!. . 73 Michael T. Gilbert, Ger Apeldoorn, and the Mad creator’s military cartoons of the 1940s.

FCA (Fawcett Collectors Of America) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 P.C. Hamerlinck presents Marc Swayze and a special tribute to the great Kurt Schaffenberger.

On Our Cover: We’ll admit it—we’re especially wild about this montage cover, which Ye Editor conceived and layout guru Christopher Day ably executed. After a bit of correspondence between the three of us, some months back, Ger Apeldoorn sent us scans from various of Mad’s early imitators, including the art of Ross Andru & Mike Esposito (Captain Marble from Nuts! and John Wayne from Get Lost), Carl Hubbell (Mighty Moose from Whack), Joe Simon & Jack Kirby (Comet Feldmeyer from From Here to Insanity), Carl Burgos (a werewolf from Crazy), William Overgard (Prince Scallion from Whack), Bill Everett (Drag-ula from Crazy), an unidentified artist (Marilyn Monroe and a headless Joe Dimaggio from Nuts!), and L.B. Cole (King Farouk and a mermaid, from Unsane). And, for the perfect self-caricature by the founding genius, Harvey Kurtzman, as the cover’s centerpiece, we thank Denis Kitchen and Mrs. Adelen Kurtzman. Chris put the various pieces all together—and if you like the result half as much as Roy does, you’ve already gotten your money’s worth this issue. (But don’t worry—there’s plenty more to come!) [Kurtzman art ©2009 Adele Kurtzman; other art ©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

Above: Alas, as explained on the next page, we could only print the first half of Ger’s study—but that didn’t stop us from yanking a panel by Andru & Esposito (and scripter Otto Binder) out of Nuts! #5 (1954) and slapping it onto the top of this page to whet your appetite for Part II! “Captain Marble Flies Again” was the best super-hero parody to come out of any of the Mad clones of the mid-’50s (not that there were many to choose from!)—and was printed in its entirely in Alter Ego #33. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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Article Title 3 Topline writer/editorial

3

It Was A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Whirl!

W

ell, it finally happened.

My first “computer crash.”

of well over 100 illustrations—and do the best I could, cutting a few corners as I went. Several much-appreciated readers helped supply a few last-minute bits of art—Chris Day performed even a bit more above-andbeyond than usual—and we eked it through.

I suppose the main reason I’d never had one before early April of this year is that, ever since Gerry Conway pushed me into buying my first PC back in the early ’80s while we were co-writing the first five drafts of the screenplay for what eventually became the movie Conan the Destroyer, I’ve generally used the things only for e-mail, documents, and a modicum of Internet research. As a result, I’d remained far too careless about such things as backup files, despite my wife’s regular admonishments. (Well, Gerry once referred to me as a “technological peasant,” and I in turn have often quoted Isaac Asimov’s statement that all he wanted from a PC was “a glorified typewriter.”)

For, also fortunately, by then I had realized I’d never be able to fit Ger’s entire study into the issue without severely limiting the number of illos— so I’d decided to cut the piece in two, following his overview and the listings for St. John’s Whack, Timely/Marvel/Atlas’ Crazy, Wild, and Riot, and Charlton’s Eh! and From Here to Insanity. Part II of the article, covering Get Lost, Flip, Nuts!, Madhouse, Bughouse, and Unsane (as well as compare-and-contrast examples from Mad and Panic) will have to be postponed till our January 2010 issue.

Still, I’m changing my ways—he muttered as he typed out this editorial on Dann’s PC, while awaiting the week-away day when a member of Best Buy’s Geek Squad would set up his new computer and he’d find out if they actually did manage to retrieve all his document files and e-addresses from the shell of his hard drive.

But at least that leaves ample room for the first part of Jim Amash’s long-scheduled interview with ace artist Frank Bolle (best known in comics circles for his Western titles done in the ’50s for Magazine Enterprises, and for Dr. Solar), as well as for some of our regular departments. Oh, and the final A/E installment of Bob Rozakis alternate history of AA Comics will appear next issue, along with a twice-delayed Comic Fandom Archive piece on an Oklahoma fandom reunion!

Fortunately, by the time of the cyberspace crash-and-burn, I had completed and sent off to layout man Chris Day the files and scans for this issue of Alter Ego… all but the text for captions accompanying the art for the lead article. Those I had to spend a day not just retyping but remembering. I’d look at the circled letters I’d scribbled in the margins of the first 39 pages of the edited version of Ger Apeldoorn’s study of Mad’s mid-1950s imitators—letters which ran from (A) through (LLLL2), a total

Bestest,

P.S.: Apologies to Samuel F.B. Morse for the title of our lead article!

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4

“What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?”

An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

by Ger Apeldoorn

A

UTHOR’s INTRODUCTION: It all started with Les Daniels’ 1971 book Comix: A History of Comic Books in America.

I had been reading Mad magazine since I was 14. I don’t know what attracted this Dutch boy to so American an institution, but I immediately fell in love with Mort Drucker, Don Martin, Jack Davis, and all the other satirical masters from that period. That in turn led to a lifelong fascination with American popular culture and to my virtually adopting English as my second language. An article about the early Mad in the Dutch fanzine Stripschrift got me interested in collecting and brought me to Amsterdam’s most famous comic store, Lambiek, where I picked up several books on comics, including Daniels’ excellent hardcover.

Not only did Comix give me a crash course in the history of my new hobby—it also gave me my first glimpse of full stories, as it reprinted several of the best tales in the field to that date (albeit in black-&-white).

There was a 1947 “Blackhawk” adventure, a Crime Does Not Pay potboiler drawn by George Tuska, and a Jack Cole “Plastic Man” exploit.

I wouldn’t see any other samples of these series for more than ten years.

The “Batman” and “Superman” stories were more familiar, having also been published in the Netherlands; there were likewise a couple of yarns from the Warren horror magazines and my first glimpse of underground stuff.

And, of course, there was a whole section on EC. From Mad Daniels had chosen a seldom-reprinted story from one of the later color issues: the Wally Wood-drawn “Julius Caesar!” from #17 (Nov. 1954). In it, Wood and writer/editor/layout artist Harvey Kurtzman utilized the recent film version of Shakespeare’s tragedy to illustrate how a comic book

Mad About Comic Books (Clockwise from left:) The Mad Peck Studios’ cover of Les Daniels’ 1971 study Comix: A History of Comic Books in America, two decades before its author went on to do definitive histories of Marvel, DC, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman—a photo of Mad creator Harvey Kurtzman from TwoFisted Tales #28 (July-Aug. 1952), as reprinted in the Cochran hardcover edition—and the splash (actually p. 2) of the Kurtzman/Wood parody “Julius Caesar!” from Mad #17 (Nov. 1954), as per the Cochran Mad, Vol. 3.

Oh—and unless otherwise noted, all art accompanying this article was provided either by author Ger Apeldoorn or Ye Editor, or is taken from The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books by Ernst & Mary Gerber. [Comix cover ©2009 the respective copyright holders; Kurtzman photo ©2009 William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.; Mad page ©2009 E.C. Publications, Inc.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

5

The Hawks Weren’t All That Were Blue!

(Left & below:) Harvey Kurtzman must’ve had a copy of Military Comics #12 (Oct. 1942) at hand when he wrote and laid out “The Black and Blue Hawks!” for Mad #5 (June-July 1953). The script for the former is credited to Dick French, and it sported the first “Blackhawk” art by Reed Crandall, the series’ definitive artist, as reproduced from DC’s hardcover Blackhawk Archives, Vol. 1. The finishing artist on the Mad entry, of course, was the wonderful Wally Wood; repro’d from the Cochran hardcover reprint. [Tiers ©2009 DC Comics & E.C. Publications, Inc., respectively.]

parody should be done. In its full-page prologue (repro’d elsewhere on this page), the narrator (i.e., Kurtzman) tells the reader he’s going crazy because there are so many “lampoon type comic books” on the newsstands that it’s getting hard to find new material to lampoon—so this story will be a lampoon of lampoon comics. Each of the dozen panels on the page boasts a caption that culminates in the title (and logo) of one of Mad’s imitators.

Kurtzman’s parodies were always based on the real world, and Mad itself is one of the twelve titles mentioned, so I never doubted for a moment that the others were also real titles of real magazines. Bughouse, Crazy, Eh!, Flip, Get Lost, Madhouse, Nuts!, Panic, Riot, Wild, and Whack... in my feverous brain those eleven names conjured up visions of stacks and stacks of newsstand comics in the Mad style and manner.

Once I learned Mad had been a color comic book before it was a black-&-white magazine, I quickly bought up all the reprint paperbacks containing early material. Jack Davis and Will Elder were and are my favorite artists, though I now feel that Davis’ later work for Kurtzman’s own Mad “imitation” Humbug is unsurpassed. (It astonishes me to this day that back issues of some Mad imitations will cost you more than most issues of Humbug!) In this piece I won’t be covering in detail Mad, or Panic—EC’s own Mad imitator, though edited by Al Feldstein rather than Kurtzman—or Humbug, because the former two are readily available in the Russ Cochran EC reprint hardcovers, while Fantagraphics has recently reprinted the latter in a handsome two-volume set. Humbug, in any event, was a later black-&-white magazine, and only the mid’50s color comics fall within the scope of this study.

The imitators mentioned in Mad #17 remained out of my reach for a long time. I could pick up most comics I wanted to collect here in Holland from other collectors, but the imitations rarely turned up. It seemed I would have to go to America or else mail-order them from ads, both quite expensive options.

When eBay burst onto the scene, it turned out to be just what I was looking for. Within a year, I had acquired most of the Mad wannabes at reasonable prices. Some pleasantly surprised me, others disappointed. But in almost all cases, accounts of them I’d read in magazine articles and guides was insufficient. Artists mentioned in the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide as being in a particular issue might have only a one-page story there— [Continued on p. 8]

Cheaper By The Dozen?

(Right:) The marvelous intro page to the “Julius Caesar!” how-toparody tale in Mad #17, by Kurtzman & Wood. Note all the potential Mad-wannabe titles on the newsstands—including Sick, which would later be a black-&-white magazine from Joe Simon. [©2009 E.C. Publications, Inc.]

6

An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Before We Went Mad Lampoons That Might Have Influenced Harvey Kurtzman

(On this page:) Heads of Dick Tracy (by creator Chester Gould) and Al Capp’s parody Fearless Fosdick (by “Lester Gooch”)—and an actual 1950s Fearless Fosdick commercial ad shilling for Wildroot Cream-Oil Hair Tonic, complete with a caricature of Capp at bottom left.

Fosdick, who first appeared in the Li’l Abner newspaper strip in 1947, is considered by some to have been an important influence on Kurtzman’s Mad, as witness the ineffectual bullet holes. All repro’d from the two Fearless Fosdick trade paperbacks published in 1990 and 1992 by Kitchen Sink Press. [Dick Tracy art ©2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.; Fearless Fosdick art ©2009 Capp Enterprises, Inc.] (On facing page:) The Record Comics one-shot published with a Feb. 1947 cover date, as witness its cover takeoffs on Dick Tracy, Superman, Dagwood, and Daisie Mae Yokum. The mag contained such parodies as “Supergoon,” “Terrence [and the Pirates]” by “Milton Catnip,” “Moe Bohunka” [a parody of Joe Palooka], as well as lampoons of strips Smilin’ Jack, Blondie, Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, Tarzan (“Jocko of the Jungle”), Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, and Li’l Abner (“Li’l Andover,” who manages to graduate from Yale). Its dimensions were 8 7/8" by 11 5/8". [Parody art ©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

The Pogo parody at page center appeared in a 1952 issue of Wampus, the humor magazine of the University of Southern California. Another issue that year contained a takeoff on Milt Caniff’s Steve Canyon.

[Pogo TM & ©2009 Estate of Walt Kelly.]

A short time after Mad #1 went on sale, but months before its first comic strip parody, Walt Kelly poked fun at Little Orphan Annie, including the characters’ trademark “blank glassy eye balls,” in the Sept. 11, 1952, strip printed at bottom right, and for the next week or two. And was there ever a better parodic name for Harold Gray’s brainchild than “Li’l Arf an’ Nonny”? [©2009 Estate of Walt Kelly.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

7

8

An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators (On this page:)

[Continued from p. 5] while often a very interesting artist had work in one of the comics, with no mention made of the fact in the Guide or elsewhere. I decided to catalogue my collection for myself and other collectors—perhaps even attracting some people to these titles who would not have been interested before.

The most telling fact to come out of all this work is that nearly all the imitators of the four-color Mad first appeared on the stands in 1954. A few others debuted in the 1960s or later, most notably Jack Davis’ YakYak, Orlando Busino’s Tales Calculated to Drive You Bats, and the various parody series done in the ’60s and ’70s by Marvel (Not Brand Echh, Spoof) and DC (Plop!)—but these entries weren’t done in reaction to the phenomenal early success of Mad. Though Mad itself flourished in the mid-’50s, its imitators at that time didn’t attract a sufficient readership and disappeared before the end of 1955. I’ve searched and searched and searched, but I’ve found no other wannabe titles besides those mentioned in Julius Caesar parody in Mad #17—except for Unsane, which was only a one-shot, and From Here to Insanity, which was just a retitling of Eh!

youth, such as Robinson Crusoe, Robin Hood, Tarzan, and Superman. If we look back through the humor mags believed to have influenced Kurtzman in the creation of Mad, we find relatively little—besides the 8page “Tijuana bibles” whose famously pornographic pages often utilized comic strip characters (and which Kurtzman told Jim Amash he had seen as a teenager). In titles such as Hullabaloo, Satire, and Movie Humor, there were plenty of cartoons and fake ads... even the occasional comic strip satire… but no funny stories told with pictures. In the late ’40s many of these magazines got a new lease on life, and new ones were added, with the same pattern: lots of fake ads (mostly using photos rather than art) and cartoons. There were even a couple of “signature characters” of the type that Alfred Neuman would become in the later Mad, with Kurtzman first using that trademark face and name separately, and together just before he left the new black-&-white incarnation of the title).

Kurtzman himself did a few Mad-type “articles” for Varsity, a magazine created to reach the same market of young adults who were

Harvey Kurtzman’s research, like his creation Mad, was nearly perfect.

—Ger Apeldoorn.

Harvey Kurtzman And The Creation Of Mad When Mad first appeared on newsstands in 1952, its inspired lunacy was a breath of fresh air, and it has attracted fans of all ages ever since. Even those who follow the current “rejuvenated” version of the magazine gasp in excitement when they see those first 23 color comic issues by Kurtzman and his original artistic crew of Elder, Davis, Wood, and (for the first few issues) John Severin. Mad the comic wasn’t just good—it was mind-blowingly great. A concept that has given Harvey Kurtzman a deserved place among the major creators of the 20th century.

Still, nothing exists in a vacuum, and several commentators have pointed out that Kurtzman’s Mad was inspired by a long tradition of magazine humor, from the British Punch up through a whole array of college magazines in the late ’40s and early ’50s. Kurtzman himself always said the college magazines were his biggest inspiration. The official version of the comic’s origin story is that, when Kurtzman complained to EC publisher William M. Gaines that he wasn’t making as much money as fellow EC editor Al Feldstein (who handled more titles than he did), Gaines suggested he create an easyto-produce “comic comic.” Gaines remembered liking Kurtzman’s own humor style and was probably thinking in terms of a hastily produced “kiddie comic” along the lines of the many funny-books being produced at the time by moonlighting animators. Kurtzman is even alleged to have contacted animator Irv Spector, a New York-based animator who drew a book called Lucky Duck for Standard/Nedor.

(Spector also had a newspaper strip called Coogy in the New York Herald Tribune, where Kurtzman himself had once done a filler strip. But Coogy didn’t appear until late 1951, running till ’53, so this conversation may have taken place later.)

At some point Kurtzman came up with the idea to make his funny-book instead a parody of all the genres then appearing in EC’s comics. Mad’s first four issues were filled with spoofs of the various genres such as horror, science-fiction, crime, adventure—and of other “kid stuff ” that he recalled from his

Mad Men This EC house ad for Mad #1 (Oct.-Nov. 1952) showcases Kurtzman’s cover—and Jack Davis caricatures of Kurtzman, Wood, Davis, Elder, Severin, and (in the Napoleon hat) publisher/managing editor Bill Gaines—plus, perhaps because he was then the only other EC editor, Al Feldstein, who would edit the black-&-white Mad after Kurtzman left in 1956 and, over the next quarter century, guide it as it became one of the great publishing success stories of the 20th century. It’s hard to overstate the amount of comic book talent represented on this single page! [©2009 William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

9

ration, I found crudely drawn 1951 parodies of Walt Kelly’s Pogo and Milton Caniff ’s Steve Canyon. On eBay I even found a comic book from the late ’40s filled with send-ups of newspaper strips. [See pp. 67.]

In the purely literary arena, this sort of thing had been going on for ages, with writers imitating (often in order to ridicule) other writers’ styles. However, utilizing the considerable talents of his artists, Kurtzman popularized the idea of doing parodies of both the art and writing styles of the strips he took on. This is one of the things that made Mad a bit more sophisticated than some of its predecessors, even if the tone of the color comic’s humor could still often be called juvenile. (And why not, since youngsters were conceived of as comic books’ primary audience.) Once the whole idea of comic strip satire was born, the genie was out of the bottle and no target in popular culture was safe. By then, however, Kurtzman was no longer the only one doing it; and if we go through the many imitations, we’ll see that some targets were found first (or sometimes only) by other writers and artists.

When Kurtzman and EC launched Mad, satire and parody were very much in the air, including on the new medium of television. Sid Caesar and his writers were doing spoofs of foreign films (and just about everything else) on the groundbreaking and Man Of Steal? hilarious Your Show of Shows. The old adage “Satire Kurtzman & Wood’s splash panel for “Superduperman!”—perhaps one of the most important is what closes on Saturday night” was no longer true. (as well as funniest) comic book stories of all time. Even in this first parody of a comic book story, It was a new and more urbane world, in which the the famous lead-in line from the Adventures of Superman radio and TV series (“Look!…Up in smart attacks on cultural goals from Kurtzman and the Sky!,” etc.) creeps in. DC was not amused, and threatened to sue on grounds of copyright his artists were more than welcome. No visual caricainfringement. Note all the so-called “chicken fat” (i.e., humorous details and signs, etc.) in the tures were asked of Mad’s artists in the first of two background or foreground of the panel. Repro’d from the Cochran hardcover Mad, Vol. 1.

“Dragged Net” stories (in #3), however, because it was [©2009 E.C. Publications, Inc.] essentially a parody of the radio show. And it wasn’t reading the college magazines; these were reprinted in Alter Ego #33-34 till Mad #6 (Aug. 1953) that its first movie parody appeared: “Ping Pong,” for the first time since their initial publication. But these, too, were more a takeoff on King Kong that seems to have been based mostly on of the “statement-and-samples” type that would be used in Feldstein’s memories of the plot—though, of course, the film had been re-released Mad than anything in the color Mad or even in Kurtzman’s few issues of with much fanfare and good box office in 1952! Mad’s first lampoon of a its black-&-white reincarnation. At the same time, similar articles were new movie—High Noon—appeared in #9 (Feb. 1954). (It must be added, published in Dell’s cartoon-and-gag magazine 1000 Jokes, the best of though, that, in that same month, Ross Andru & Mike Esposito spoofed which were written by later Cracked and Mad writer Jack Mendelsohn. the movie Shane in the first issue of their self-published Get Lost.)

One thing Kurtzman did pick up from these magazines was the link between gags and pretty girls, but that was common to the whole of the cartoon industry. And the relative sexiness of Mad’s stories was probably a major factor in its success. Still, all in all, I would say Kurtzman was not much influenced by the satirical magazines that came before him. It seems, rather, that he was just scrambling about to create a funny comic book, saw what worked, and elaborated on that. This brings him much closer to the instinctive satires of Al Capp in Li’l Abner and to other artists who sidestepped into parody because their talent allowed it, or to the parodies in certain Warner Bros. cartoons. Yet I doubt there is a direct link, even there.

Parodies of comic strips themselves, which began in their Mad permutation (despite the pre-existence of a Lone Ranger newspaper strip) with the magnificent “Superduperman” in Mad #3 (April 1953), were hardly a new idea, either, when Kurtzman started doing them—though the latter was more a takeoff on the Man of Steel’s comic book incarnation than on his comic strip, which had been running since 1939. For years, in his immensely popular Li’l Abner strip, Capp had been running his own lampoon of Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy (“Fearless Fosdick”). And, in some of the college magazines that Kurtzman acknowledged as his inspi-

With that bird’s-eye view of the landscape out of the way, it’s time for an issue-by-issue, mostly-chronological overview of the non-EC imitations of Mad which were launched, beginning in the later months of 1953, starting with:

WHACK The Parody Comic From The Little Company That Could Joe Kubert & Norman Maurer’s initial attempt at satire was the first full-scale Mad imitation to reach the newsstands. It was also one of the first “three-dimensional” comics, utilizing a patent developed by Maurer’s brother for St. John Publishing (see Ken Quattro’s study of that company in A/E #77) after Kubert had seen magazines containing 3-D photos while he was in the US Army overseas. The exceptionally long production time needed for this type of comic makes Whack’s early appearance as a Mad wannabe even more extraordinary. Given the fact that three of the five stories in its first issue are basically just generic humor stories, it’s entirely possible this comic was not intended as a Mad imitation when conceived.

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

feel like schlepping them around. For whatever reason, after this month most Mad imitations quickly vanished... as did a lot of comics titles in general. Whack #3 contains a small ad for #4, indicating the makers didn’t suspect #3 was destined to be its last. After that, as noted above, two additional comic strip lampoons (by Maurer and William Overgard) appeared in The Three Stooges #6 and #7. Since the former was on the stands not long after Whack #3, these stories may have been started for its 4th issue—though perhaps Maurer just preferred not to have to fill a whole issue of Stooges on his own. In fact, The Three Stooges #6 may have had the hardest-hitting satirical cover of all Mad imitations.

Whack Topline: “America’s Craziest Comic Book”) Publisher: St. John Publishing Company, 545 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

#1 (Oct. 1953) Cover: Norman Maurer (signed “NM”) – a 25¢ comic.

A Whack-y Pair Joe Kubert and Norman Maurer in photo and in funnies. (Top right:) The photo of the pair (Joe is seated) that appeared in 1953 in the first issues of St. John Publishing’s One Million Years Ago and The Three Stooges. (Above:) The final page of “The 3-D-T’s” from the 3-D Whack #1, which is probably at least largely Maurer’s work. [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

There were three issues of Whack, but there seem to have been more parodies produced by the same team, which popped up in later issues of St. John’s The Three Stooges, including a spot-on parody of the comic strip Bringing Up Father in #6 and a 9-page take-off on The Cisco Kid in #7.

Nor did Kubert and Maurer try to imitate Mad on their covers. With a logo taking up half the page, they never had a lot of room for illustrations there. Instead, the covers feature a couple of figures from the stories inside.

By the time of Whack’s second issue, the 3-D craze was already over.

Most stories in #2 had obviously been produced for 3-D and only adapted to regular “2-D” at the last minute. The result is one of the best-colored comics from the ’50s, featuring lots of gray tones. The colors are bright without being garish—used for effect, without losing the reality of the scenes.

The last issue of Kubert & Maurer’s parody comic arrived a couple months later than expected, in what may have been the busiest month ever for Mad imitations: May 1954. Almost every Mad imitation had an issue out that month... if they reached the stands. It was not unheard-of for magazines to remain unopened in warehouses if the distributors didn’t

“Ghastley Dee-Fective Comics.” Maurer & Kubert (signed “Chestnuts Ghould”). 5 pp. Comic strip parody.

This unsigned story looks like the work of Maurer and/or Bob Bean, inked by Kubert.

Bean and Kubert also worked together on the two issues of St. John’s Meet Miss Pepper and on Kubert’s later work for Fawcett’s Mad magazine imitation [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

Lunatickle. It stars Keyhole Kasey in “Dead as a Doornail!,” a parody of Dick Tracy with a chief of police drawn as a General MacArthur type (complete with shawl, pipe, and sunglasses). The satire is pretty mild, compared to Al Capp’s vicious takeoff on Dick Tracy, Fearless Fosdick. Kasey gets a phone call telling him that Protection Louie is hanging from a chandelier in his apartment. “That must be uncomfortable!” his secretary says.

Kasey puts on his coat and says: “Yes, they also found a knife in his heart and a bullet in his head!” In the end it turns out to have been suicide.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

11

Whack-sing Eloquent Three 3-D splash pages from Whack #1, by Kubert & Maurer and Dave Berg, respectively, spoofing the then-popular genres of crime and horror comics—after a fashion. [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

“Tales of the Woolly West, Starring Hoot Mon.” Unsigned. 6 pp. Generic humor story.

A funny story in an unremarkable cartoon style. The unidentified artist may be Carl Hubbell, who did a lot of work with Kubert & Maurer at this time. Decent artwork and story, but nothing to get excited about, except maybe the concept of a Scotsman traveling to the West with his bagpipes and kilt to fight Indians and rustlers. If that isn’t a Sean Connery movie waiting to be made, I don’t know what is.

This lies somewhere between a parody and just a humor story. The mustached rat could be seen as a takeoff on Mickey Mouse, but the story never pins it down as such. What remains is a detective story with mice. Certainly not for children, what with the very sexy mouse doll drawn by Berg. I had never seen Berg draw animals before, but he certainly was at home with it.

“Grim Fairy Tale!” Unsigned. 1 page. Fairy tale parody.

The true story of Goldilocks. Turns out she wasn’t so nice, after all.

“The 3-D-T’s.” Art by Norman Maurer & Joe Kubert (unsigned). 4 pp.

Comic industry parody.

“Lovely Love Comics.” Unsigned, but probably drawn by Carl Hubbell. 6 pp. Love comic parody.

A minor classic which has been reprinted here and there. On the splash panel (seen in A/E #77) two unnamed artists (caricatures of Kubert and Maurer; Maurer even has a big “M” on his shirt) are working on 3-D comics in their studio with their unshaven and unwashed assistants—who may or may not be caricatures of anyone in particular. (I tried for 15 minutes to decipher a scribbled name on a piece of paper on one of the desks, before I realized it said “Deadline.”) After K&M work out the idea of 3-D comics behind closed doors, they hire a staff to do the hard work. Alerted by the latter to the sweatshop conditions in which they work, the cops raid the place. But the artists love doing comics, so production is allowed to continue. With one catch: Joe and Norm now have to do all the hard work themselves!

Again, something midway between a parody and a humorous story.

In theory, a romance comic is parodied by having lovelorn columnist Evelyn Clabberlip tell us about a letter she received from a Miss Showboat Sadie. After that, it’s just a funny story about a not-so-pretty lady and the love of her life, Captain Gicklehoober.

Seems like basically a takeoff on the “Tugboat Annie” stories that were published in The Saturday Evening Post and made into a movie with Marie Dressler—in 1933. Topical stuff!

“Animated Horror Comics: The Mouse of Evil.” Art by Dave Berg (signed). 6 pp. Funny animal parody.

The book ends with a house ad for St. John’s 3-D line—The Three Stooges, Three Dimension Comics (with Mighty Mouse), and 3-D Comics starring Tor. Its bylined artist, “C. Stern,” is probably Charles Stern, who shared a studio with Will Elder and Harvey Kurtzman in the late ’40s and sort-of disappeared in the ’50s. I don’t see his style anywhere else in the book, though he could be the “Goldilocks” artist.

[Continued on p. 13]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

INTERLUDE:

Start-Up Data For Mad’s Imitators

by John Benson The sudden influx of Mad imitations was obviously due to Mad’s phenomenal success. But when did that success occur? In the Feb. 1954 issue of Writer’s Digest, EC publisher Bill Gaines reports (in his article “Madman Gaines Pleads for Plots”) that the first four issues of Mad lost money. He goes on to say: “[W]hen the sales reports began to come in on Mad No. 5, with a bang we had done it! Today the print order on Mad is 750,000 and on its way to a million.” (Four months later the June 1954 Pageant still reported a circulation of 750,000, so Mad may never have reached a million as a color comic book—though, of course, it still had a year to go as a color comic.)

This raises some questions as to how soon Mad’s success was noticed

by EC’s competitors. First, one has to wonder how dramatically Mad #5’s sales increased over those of #4, considering that the independent wholesalers were so incensed by #5’s contents that they nearly decided to put EC out of business by refusing to handle its comics. In May 1952, Gaines told Ray Bradbury that EC print runs ranged from 350,000 to 500,000. (This is higher than the industry average, but possibly he was exaggerating a bit.)

An untested new title would have been at the low end, 350,000 or maybe even 300,000, and wouldn’t have been upped while it was losing money.

Which issue was in print at the time the Writer’s Digest article was written? Possibly Mad #8, cover-dated Dec. 1953-Jan. 1954, or more likely #9 (Feb.-March 1954). That means that in four (or possibly three) issues Mad more than doubled its circulation. It’s unlikely that the print run increased significantly with #6, which would have gone to press before sales returns for #5 were fully in, so the press-run increase must have been steep on each of the next three issues.

In that same article, Gaines says that “already there are 11 imitations on the newsstand.” He could have been making that number up (he once said that Atlas published 70 horror titles), but it’s an odd number to pick out of the air—and it happens to be correct (discounting the one-issue

late-bloomer Unsane and the mixed-bag Super Funnies). The problem is that the first issues of two of those imitators had a March 1954 cover date, three others an April 1954 cover date, while that of another was Feb. ’54.

Yet the Writer’s Digest had time to produce its article and go to press with its February issue that quotes Gaines as saying that these were all “on the newsstand.”

One factor at work here is the matter of newsstand display life, roughly calculated as the length of time from a magazine’s appearance on the stands to the month on the cover. It seems that comics had a much longer display life than magazines. Thus it’s entirely possible that those March and April issues appeared on the stands well before the February Writer’s Digest. Display life also complicates the issue of how fast other publishers caught on to Mad’s success. Data available suggests the display life of comic titles could vary from more than 120 days down to 30. Mad came out about 50 days before the first day of the month on the cover. If some other publishers had a longer display life than Mad, then, in real time, they followed Mad even more quickly than it appears.

There’s also the question of how long it would take from the time a publisher decided to bring out a new title to the appearance of that title on the stands. Roy Thomas, based on his experience in the industry a decade later, has suggested that the absolute minimum would be four to five months. Given a month or so’s delay for full sales returns to come in, it seems Atlas and Charlton acted with top speed, which suggests that the data on Mad’s sales must have been spectacular. It’s also possible that preliminary data and/or anecdotal evidence from wholesalers was dramatic enough to spur action even before complete returns were in.

But how is it that Whack beat other publishers by a full two months, apparently hitting the stands only a little over three months after Mad #5?

My theory is this: in addition to the sales returns, Mad created a creative buzz among comics professionals from its very first issue. Kubert and Maurer were able to choose which comics they wished to produce for St. John, and their theory was that comics that interested them would interest their readers. Thus, when they saw Mad and were turned on by it, they started up their own version after seeing only the first three or four issues, considerably before sales reports pointed the way. I recently sent Joe Kubert a copy of a draft of this article, and he replied: “Your surmise [is] pretty much on the mark.”

Apartment 3-D Caricatures of (l. to r.) Kubert, Archer St. John, and Maurer in the “3-D-T’s” story from Whack #2. Thanks to Ken Quattro. [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

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[Continued from p. 11]

#2 (Dec. 1953) Cover: Art by Norman Maurer (signed). Price now reduced to 10¢.

Another first for satire comics: all major parodies inside are announced on the cover.

“Weird Creepy Awful Spooky Ghastly Comics.” (signed “from the warped little minds of Ginnie and Carl Hubbell,” doubtless the writer & artist, respectively). 6 pp. Horror comic parody.

Still following in the footsteps of Mad #1-3, this issue opens with a generic comics parody.

To emphasize this, most stories in all three issues of Whack have splash pages designed to resemble a comic book cover, a very clever device Harvey Kurtzman never utilized. Some even sport the St. John logo or a [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.] spoof of it. The tale’s hosts are three witches, Alicia, Delisha, and Militia, who probably parody EC’s witches. The art is strong but unspecific. Carl Hubbell gets an art byline for the first time. Virginia Hubbell wrote comics, often those drawn by her husband. Some consider parody to be a man’s game, but this story proves otherwise.

“Steve Crevice.” Art by William Overgard (signed “by Milton Millionaire—address all lawsuits to William Overgard”). 6 pp.

Comic strip parody.

Who did the first comic strip parody? Mad’s first was “Superduperman” in May 1953—though that was primarily a burlesque of the comic book. Whack came second with its Dick Tracy spoof, then this one—but here, too, it’s less the newspaper Steve Canyon that’s parodied than the Harvey comic books that reprinted those strips. In “Steve Crevice,” Overgard didn’t have to adjust his own style much to do a close Milton Caniff parody, since Caniff was a huge influence on the first generation of comic book artists. A lot of fun, with the high point being Crevice’s telling The Saggin’ Lady she’s in the wrong strip (since The Dragon Lady was the nemesis of Terry and the

Whack-y Packs A trio of dead-on splash pages from Whack #2 by Overgard, Hubbell, and Overgard, respectively. See Ken Quattro’s St. John coverage in A/E #77 for the actual Mighty Mouse cover of Three Dimension Comics #1. [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Pirates’ Pat Ryan, forerunner of Steve Canyon—both strips being Caniff creations). As with all stories in this issue, the great coloring and the gray tones don’t hurt, either.

“Mighty Moose.” Art by Carl Hubbell (unsigned). 6 pp. Comics parody.

Carl Hubbell was Whack’s Will Elder, with a style that adapted very well to parodies. Mighty Moose is, naturally, a spoof of Mighty Mouse, whose adventures were already being published by St. John.

The first page parodies St. John’s own cover of the hugely successful (and instantly reprinted) Three Dimension Comics #1. The cover notation “John approved these comics but he is no saint!!” may be an oblique reference to Archer St. John’s alleged extra-marital affair with one of his employees—but probably not, since the boss was watching!

“The 3-D-T’s.” Art by Kubert & Maurer (signed “Koobert and Moorer”). 6 pp. Comic industry parody.

This second look behind America’s screwiest industry is even better than the first and has been reprinted even more often. The publisher of Acme Comics sends a spy to a comic outfit called St. Peter to learn the secrets of their 3-D process. He masquerades as an artist, and Maurer hires him at $2 a page: “But y’gotta sweep th’ floor, too!” Everyone starts doing 3-D comics now, and suddenly every company claims to be the owner of the process. Mr. Peter, publisher of St. Peter Comics, finally goes insane... and gets a disease called the 3-D-T’s. The symptoms: he now has one red eye and one blue.

“Flush Jordan.” Art by William Overgard (signed “Alex Overgard”). 6 pp.

Comic strip parody.

Another Overgard gem. He signs his name à la Alex Raymond, who hadn’t drawn Flash Gordon in years—but then again, this is a parody of Harvey’s recent comic book containing reprints of Raymond’s Flash, rather than of the strip as such. Funny thing is, Overgard’s style more closely resembles Dan Barry’s Flash. The story is amusing, too, as Flush fights Bing the Merciful, a visual dead-ringer for singing star Bing Crosby. The real bad guy behind the scenes is Bing’s prime minister—a caricature of Bob Hope.

(Maybe they should’ve taken this comic on the road!)

not just a reprint mag. He doesn’t alter his style much, so his parody of Prince Valiant isn’t as impressive as Wally Wood’s in Mad #13— but Whack’s takeoff did come out two months before EC’s. King Arthur is drawn as Arthur Godfrey. Godfrey was an astonishingly popular TV and radio talk-and-variety-show host in the 1950s, who among other things fronted a “star search”-type series (Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts); so he was an apt choice for pronouncing someone a winner (or a knight), as on the issue’s cover. The slogan over his throne reads: “Humility... or else.” Which fits the stories about Godfrey’s king-size ego.

“Johnny Half-Dollar.” Script & art by Norman Maurer (signed). 2-pp. text story with illustrations.

A witty parody of a hard-boiled detective story—actually, in this case, of a radio show about an insurance investigator: Johnny Dollar, heralded by the show’s announcer as “the man with the action-packed expense account.” It’s always a surprise to find a text story that’s even halfway funny. This one is subtitled: “A mental aberration from the vacuum brain of Norman Maurer,” but Maurer clearly was the brains behind this magazine. He went on to write and direct feature films starring The Three Stooges after he married Moe Howard’s daughter Joan, and even used the name “Howard” on some of his later comic strip projects.

“Ancient Classic Comics Presents Little Awful Fannie.” Art by Carl Hubbell (signed). 6 pp. Comic strip parody.

Kurtzman & Wood’s “Little Orphan Melvin!” had appeared a couple of months earlier, in Mad #9 (Feb.-March ’54). It was a few more years before Harvey Kurtzman would turn Little Orphan Annie into Little Annie Fanny, but I doubt this is where he got his inspiration. Hubbell draws the story in only a partial nod to Annie creator Harold Gray’s signature style. Fannie has black hair, but the equivalents of Daddy Warbucks and his assistant The Asp look just like the real thing. It turns out Fannie has remained so young by taking youth pills for over thirty years.

“Believe It or Drop!... Dead?” Joan & Norman Maurer (signed). One page.

Parody.

#3 (May 1954) Cover: Norman Maurer (signed).

“Dr. Seekle and Mr. Hide.” Art by Norman Maurer, script by Virginia Hubbell (signed by both). 7 pp.

Horror comic parody.

Every parody magazine worth its cover price sooner or later parodied Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Whack scores another first with this one; Mad’s didn’t appear till issue #23 (May 1955), though it must be said that Wally Wood’s art there more closely approximated the look of Ripley’s feature than Maurer does here. Most likely, Maurer’s wife Joan was the writer or co-writer.

“Synderella.” Art by Carl Hubbell (signed). 7 pp.

Romantic novel parody.

Another horror comic parody where the main role is played by a rodent. When Dr. Seekle takes his medicine, he changes into a huge rodent who must sate his sinful hunger for cheese. The well-written story is by Hubbell.

Maurer’s art is on par with that of Will Elder, though he misses Harvey Kurtzman’s superb sense of pacing.

The story of Cinderella, told with country bumpkins. An effort is made to make it look like another comic book parody by adding a St. John logo (“disapproved comics”) and a price tage (“10 cents, ain’t worth five!”), but it’s really just a generic humor story. This is the sort of entry that would’ve driven me away if I had had to choose between Mad and Whack.

“Prince Scallion.” Art by William T. Overgard. 7 pp. Comic strip parody.

Finally Overgard takes on a regular comic strip, [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

House Of Whacks Maurer, Overgard, Hubbell, and Maurer (again) do their artistic things in Whack #3—while two of the stories were written by the artists’ wives. [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

The Three Stoges Topline: “America’s Favorite Funny Men” Publisher: St. John Publishing Co., 545 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

#6 (Aug 1954) “Banned in Boston” was a common expression at the time, because that city’s censors did prevent some magazines, films, etc., from being seen there. The Stooges’ line probably refers to the fact that EC’s Panic #1 (Feb.-March ’54) had been prohibited from distribution in the entire state of Massachusetts, presumably because of its “indecent” cover and contents. Apparently, the ripples of this were felt not only within the walls of EC’s offices.

“Bringin’ Up Mama, Starring Saggie and Figgs.”

Art by Norman Maurer [©2009 the respective copyright holders.] (signed “Beo McMaurer” in the style of George McManus). 5 pp. Comic strip parody of McManus’ comic strip Bringing Up Father.

The absolute highpoint of all of Norman Maurer’s parodies is this stylisticly superb imitation of the newspaper perennial. Here “Jiggs” is thin and “Maggie” is fat, making it a bit more mean-spirited than the original. But that’s what parodies are all about.

The Jiggs Is Up! (Above & below:) Norman Maurer’s bang-up job parodying Bringing Up Father—including a panel set at the opera that tossed in a dig at Prince Valiant for good measure. For Harvey Kurtzman & Bernard Krigstein’s almost creepy lampoon of that once-popular comic strip in Mad #17, see the Cochran volumes of the complete Mad. [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

#7 (Oct. 1954) “The Crisco Keed.” Art by William Overgard. 9 pp.

Comic strip parody of The Cisco Kid. The Cisco Kid was a film, radio, TV, comic strip, and Dell comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story “The Caballero’s Way.” Jose Louis Salinas drew the well-respected newspaper strip version from 1951 to 1967, which was probably the major inspiration for this parody about “O. Hank’s Robin Hood of the Old West.” [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

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Ali Babble (Clockwise from above left:) The house ad from The Three Stooges #7 for its non-existent next issue—a piece of unpublished original art probably from that “Ali Baba” takeoff—and a (poorlyreproduced, alas) photo of Carl and Virginia Hubbell and their son from a 1949 newspaper that mentioned Hubbell’s upcoming Merrie Chase strip.

Thanks to John Benson for the “Ali Bab-O” scans. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

Cooking With Cisco Another fine Overgard effort, from Three Stooges #7. The Cisco Kid radio show—but not, at least in any episode Ye Editor has been able to view recently, on the TV series—utilized, at the outset of each episodes, the exchange being parodied here: “Ceesko—the sheriff, he is getting closer!”

“This way, Pancho—follow!” Crisco was then such a popular cooking ingredient that its ad tagline “Cooking with Crisco” was often used to refer to anybody who was really on the ball. [©2009 Joe Kubert & Estate of Norman Maurer.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

CRAZY, WILD, & RIOT The World On Their Shoulders Next up is the trio of magazines from Martin Goodman. In 1954 the comics company that was known to most of its contributors as Timely (but to its readers as Atlas, after its self-owned distribution arm, symbolized by the tiny globe on its covers) was trying to reinvent itself for the umpteenth time. The horror craze was fading, just as crime and romance had. Westerns were still going strong, but Goodman was on the look-out for the next big thing. He was even trying to relaunch his three most successful super-heroes from the 1940s—Captain America, The Human Torch, and Sub-Mariner. When Mad came along, he jumped on the satire bandwagon as if he had never done anything else.

Stan Lee Or Not Stan Lee—That Is The Question In my opinion, many of these stories may have been written by editor Stan Lee; they have his gag-oriented flavor. Later, when Riot was revived in 1956, Lee signed a number of the stories, and they read much like the 1954 ones. Goodman and Lee launched Crazy with a December ’53 cover date—Wild joined it with a February ’54 date, and Riot #1 appeared two months after that. All were monthlies—and all were gone by August ’54.

Riot stands out among the trio of Timely four-color parody titles because, as noted, it had two runs—one in 1954 and one (starting with #4) dated February 1956. Interestingly, the second run appears to have been produced after the three issues of Atlas’ black-&-white Mad magazine imitation Snafu, which was published during 1955-56.

John Severin, who had contributed heavily to Snafu (as well as the early Mad), took Howard Post’s place as Riot’s #2 artist after Joe Maneely. Russ Heath, and Al Hartley had also departed, but Dan DeCarlo joined the group to create a nice roster. Knowing Goodman, the reason for Timely’s abandoning Snafu and going back to the comic book format must have been sales- or distribution- related. If they had stuck with Snafu and kept Severin working for them, that magazine might have taken the place of the later success Cracked. For some reason, the first two issues of the second run of Riot are among the hardest to find of any Mad wannabes. It took me more than four years to get both #4 and #5; this may be because #4 has an infinity cover and #5 features Marilyn Monroe, factors which make them of interest to more than one type of collector.

One major question regarding this material is: did Stan Lee write any, many, or all of these stories as well as edit them? While working on a separate article for A/E, I developed a good feel for Lee’s work in the ’40s and ’50s. Generally, we can say that he signed all the stories he wrote between late 1951 and early 1954 and didn’t write any he didn’t sign (except for two, as I explain in an article Roy Thomas promises to run one very soon). If you total up all the signed stories, you find he wrote about ten stories a month during those years, after which the number of signed stories drops off sharply. This makes it entirely possible that Lee wrote all (or at least many) of the stories for the parody titles, but decided against signing them. [ED. NOTE: And see RT's personal comments on p. 39.]

Or did he? When Riot restarted for its three-issue 1956 run, Lee

When Marvel Comics Were A Riot Stan Lee, early to mid-1950s, typing standing up on his patio, as was his wont (presumably during the warmer months only)—and his and Bill Everett’s splash page for their Lorna the Jungle Girl parody in Riot #6 in 1956. “Loona” is so close to the real thing, at least in terms of art, that some of its panels could virtually have been sneaked into an actual “Lorna” story without any changes! [Photo ©2009 Stan & Joan Lee; Riot page ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

suddenly signed half the stories. Since Stan had proudly announced, in an introduction to Snafu #1 the year before, that he had written all 64 of its pages, perhaps he just didn’t feel like going back to not taking a byline.

Which leaves us only with circumstantial evidence. I tried to identify some textual and contextual qualifiers of Lee’s style, but didn’t come up with many. I did find a disqualifier: all through his career Stan Lee wrote “thru” instead of “through.” That makes any story that contains the more common latter spelling less likely to have been written by him. Looking through these books, I found some stories of each type, as well as some that didn’t use the word at all.

Finally, there are the so-called “job numbers.” Each Atlas story was assigned a job number when the script was ordered or paid out, which often gives us an insight into the order in which stories were drawn as well as written. Sometimes they can tell us which were left on the shelf or re-assigned after a title went under. From the job titles for the company’s Mad imitations, we can infer several things.

Most of the stories were written close together in time. All the stories for Crazy #1-4 and Wild #1-3 were written before Riot #1 appears. It may well be that the contents of Riot #1 were intended for Crazy #5, most of

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

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which was scripted later. Lee liked writing in spurts. If you go to the Atlas Tales website and click on his credits, you’ll see he rarely wrote just one story at a time during this period; he usually managed four to six in a row. Some of the yarns in these titles fit right into a sequence of signed stories for Millie the Model or My Friend Irma.

So at least some of the parody tales could’ve been written by Lee and left unsigned. Some artists may have written their own stories, such as Bill Everett, who delivers a satirical horror story for most issues of Crazy, or Howie Post, who seems to have scripted his entries, since some of his contributions are intricately connected.

And A Cast Of Dozens But not only Stan Lee was fired up by this material. Many of the Timely/Atlas regulars took the chance to do something silly with both hands. Joe Maneely, who had already shown an aptitude for humor in some of his horror stories, filled page after page with Will Elder-style clutter (“chicken fat”), while developing a style completely his own. In Riot #6, he drew a parody of Dennis the Menace with Lee that worked out so well that Martin Goodman decided they should turn it into a regular comic book.

Anybody For A Team-Up With Hopalong Mix? Together they produced seven issues of Melvin Two pages of layouts by Russ Heath for his “Rodger Autry” spoof . See next page for details. the Monster (or Dexter the Demon, as he was [©2009 Russ Heath.] rechristened in the final issue) in a cross between Maneely’s style and that of Dennis creator Hank vein for some of the 1958 Mad magazine imitations, including the early Ketcham. After that Lee & Maneely launched a newspaper strip called issues of Cracked. I believe he might have worked in this style for years, Mrs. Lyon’s Cubs in a similar style. Maneely also did more work in this had he not have died tragically in June 1958. Even in his most realistic work, Maneely had a cartoonist’s sense of design.

The comics were also a chance for all the artists to draw beautiful women. This was true for Wallace Wood, Jack Davis, and Will Elder at Mad, but also for Joe Maneely and Al Hartley at Timely. Hartley had started out as a gag cartoonist with a good eye for pretty girls. After joining Timely/Atlas, he was mainly given “serious” work. His earliest work for the war books is so serious, it is hardly recognizable as his.

Unlike Russ Heath, who drew good-looking females every chance he got, Hartley adjusted his style to what was needed; but when he got the opportunity, he really cut loose. The first issue of Crazy opens with “Tess Orbit, Lace Cadet” by Hartley, which seems mostly an excuse for the artist to draw a very pretty girl in a lace bodice and a tiger-skin bikini in almost every panel, reflecting someone’s analysis of the reason for Mad’s success.

In the same issue is a Dave Berg story that also opens with a gorgeous girl in a bathrobe—I have to say, to much less effect. All in all, Hartley drew nine or ten stories for these books, eight of which feature these beauteous buxom ladies. Hartley may have wanted to be remembered for the religious comics he did later in life, but his main claim to fame will always be the beautiful women he drew for Atlas in the ’50s. The satirical content allowed for a degree of exaggeration that made them even more desirable.

Any of these books with a Hartley story in it is worth owning.

Russ Heath is another regular in these titles. In October 2006 I visited him in his home in Los Angeles and showed him a couple of his humor stories for these titles, which he hadn’t seen since they were first published. He was as surprised as I was to see how many visual references to Harvey Kurtzman were made in his stories. He knew Kurtzman then,

Wait’ll Mr. Wilson Gets A Load Of This Kid! Joe Maneely’s cover for Mevin the Monster #1 (July 1956). Thanks to Bob Bailey. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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but not very well—and he certainly didn’t suspect he would be working with Kurtzman in the early ’60s on Little Annie Fanny (assisting Will Elder on sketching the stories). Heath also did a lot of work for the Mad magazine imitations of 1956 and 1958, and showed me two sexy cartoons he had done for Stan Lee who, he said, was “always looking for ways to get out of comics.” When I returned to the Netherlands, I located on eBay a sketched layout by Heath for an unpublished 4-page cowboy parody: “Rodger Autry, King of the Steerpunchers.” It looks like something he might’ve done for a later issue of Crazy. A title for another possible tale—“Laddy, Wonder Dog”—is scrawled on the back of one of its pages, and helps us date that story. Lassie started

An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Two Franks And A Cup O’ Joe! Compare and contrast: Bill Everett’s “Frank N. Stein” from Crazy #1 (above left) with Kurtzman & Elder’s from Mad #8 (Dec. 1953-Jan. 1954), for parody with a maximum and minimum of words—but each quite well done in its own way. Below is Joe Maneely’s splash for his spoof of The Three Musketeers from the same issue. For plenty of photos of Everett & Maneely, see A/E #46 & #28, respectively; we’ve printed far fewer photos than we originally intended, to save room for more art. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

her/his TV life in 1954 and ran for almost two decades. Mad magazine’s parody of Lassie appeared in 1960, which makes it possible that Heath’s was done in the ’50s. If there are any Heath specialists out there: on the back of one of the pages, he signs his name as “Russ Heath Jr.” Was there any period in his career he did that?

Another major artist in the later Timely issues is John Severin. After leaving Mad, he almost immediately began working for the Atlas humor titles. His first work appears in Riot #4 (Feb. 1955). Given a lead time of roughly half a year, it took him no more than a couple of months to make the step. Severin’s stories for Lee don’t look all that different from those he’d done for Mad, even though Kurtzman did extensive layouts for every artist he worked with. In the end, Severin’s leaving Mad was probably not a bad decision. Working for Riot, he met all the people who would later create a host of Mad magazine imitators, which led to his becoming the main artist on Cracked, a job he held for the remainder of his working life. I am a big fan of Severin, an artist who never quite lived up to his promise. Did he need a taskmaster like Kurtzman to make him do his best work all the time? Or an inker like Will Elder, who could lend his roughest of drawings an air of authenticity? Severin’s work for Cracked seems to suggest he wasn’t very good at laying out a humor story, yet his dramatic work doesn’t have this flaw. Was it that he just didn’t care enough about his work for Cracked? And why did he not do any work for Panic, Al Feldstein’s official Mad imitation, launched at the turn of 1954?

What happened at EC at that time that made him take so much of his work to Atlas? Judging from the lengthy interview he gave Gary Groth for The Comics Journal last year, we won’t learn the answer from him. He claims he doesn’t even remember which shoes he put on in the morning.

We should just be glad that he is free of Cracked now and drawing some of the best comics of his career in the Westerns he has recently drawn for DC.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

Following is an issue-by-issue rundown of Timely/Atlas’ Mad wannabes:

Crazy Topline/integrated with logo: “Man! Dig This! CRAZY Little Mixed-Up Mag!” Publisher: Classic Syndicate Inc, 270 Park Avenue, New York, NY

#1 (Dec. 1953) Cover: Art by Bill Everett (signed).

“Tess Orbit Lace Cadet.”

Art by Al Hartley (signed: “‘Astro’ Hartley”). 5 pp. Space parody. Job #D-588.

Buxom beauty in lace goes to space. The title is a spoof of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, a famous TV, radio, comic strip, and comic book concept based on books by Robert Heinlein. The story includes a Captain Vidiot, but nothing specific is parodied.

Tess fights the Leopard Men of Mars [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.] and gets to wear a leopard-skin bikini. In the end, Slip-Along Sassity intrudes from the next page to make room for his own story: “I’ve been waitin’ thru 5 pages of nothin’ and my patience is exhausted! I’m taking over!

See?” Proving that the guys from Monty Python weren’t the first to end a sketch by having someone come in and move the scenery.

“The Bookworm Turns.” 2-page text story. Job #D-572.

“Nobody, but Nobody, but Slip-Along Sassity.” Art by Ed Winiarski (signed “Ed Win”). 4 pp. Western parody. Job #D-578.

Cowboy spoof in a Severin style. Ed Winiarski was a Timely regular. He could draw in any style... but it always came out a bit uninspired. This is another story with the “thru” spelling, making it probable that Stan Lee wrote it. Winiarski livened things up by adding a “Pono Grafick Pete Is A Crook” sign to the wall of the third panel and “Pete Steals Pono Grefs” to the fourth. So who’s this Pete and why did Win have it in for him? [ED. NOTE: Jim Amash says that artist Pete Tumlinson was a friend of Winiarski’s.]

“Frank N. Stein.” Art by Bill Everett (signed). 5 pp. Horror parody. Job #D-562.

Mad had a similar satire with the same title on the stands at the same time—a case of great minds thinking alike, or of the easiest puns winning out? If Everett scripted this story, as well, it’s not one to be proud of. It lacks the clarity and focus of Kurtzman’s version.

“Gang Dusters.” Art by Dave Berg (signed). 4 pp. Radio parody. Job #D560.

“The roar of the getaway car! The scream of the policeman’s siren!

The rapid staccato of the tommygun! The screeching of brakes! The car’s sickening crash…” Gang Busters was the noisiest show on radio. This police drama, produced “in cooperation with police and federal law enforcement departments throughout the United States,” was so popular that it birthed a slang expression: “coming on like Gang Busters,” meaning “to arrive or begin in a loud or striking manner.” This parody opens the same way the radio show did: loud.

In each episode, narrator Phillips H. Lord interviewed a local lawman or federal agent “by proxy”—so this parody is narrated by proxy: “I’m Proxy… Max Proxy!” Kurtzman had already done a radio parody in Mad #3 (“Dragged Net,” whose lead bears no resemblance to actor/producer Jack Webb, suggesting it wasn’t based on the newer TV edition). Strangely, this Timely tale follows the format of the early-’40s Gang Busters show; guess it was assumed everyone would still recognize what was being spoofed.

Incidentally, there was also a licensed DC Comics version of Gang Busters, which was one of the most un-loudest crime comics around.

“The Three Messkiteers.” Art by Joe Maneely (signed on p. 5). 5 pp.

Swashbuckling parody. Job #D-543.

It is no surprise that Stan Lee wrote or at least edited his first satirical story (as judged by the job numbers) with his favorite artistic collaborator at that time: Joe Maneely. Maneely could do anything, and he proves it here and in every issue of all three series.

This may be his first overtly comical work for Atlas, but everything is there: the thick and thin lines, the funny faces with the button noses, the Elderesque “chicken fat.” His style is a mix between Elder and Severin, with his own lunacy thrown in. The story itself is a loud and silly send-up of Alexandre Dumas’ novel. It resembles the Tarzan and Robinson Crusoe parodies Kurtzman did in the very early Mad. It’s written in a fake French accent, which Stan Lee often employed in stories. The Three Messkiteers—Porthole, Arthos, and Joe—head for the castle of Baron de Phew to free their leader, Dart Onion. When they get there, Dart Onion kills them and goes off to Peelidelphia with the pretty Duchess Luscious.

#2 (Jan. 1954) Cover: Sol Brodsky (signed).

“This Is Your Wife!” Art

by Al Hartley (signed).

TV parody, but no caricatures. 5 pp. Job #D-701.

Less a parody of the popular television show This Is Your Life than a punny excuse for a story about an ex-con and his ugly wife. After telling his life story, he gets taken away by the police for a new program: he’ll be electrocuted over a national hookup. The presenter is not a [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.] caricature of Ralph Edwards, but a beautiful, buxom woman. Hey, which would you rather look at?

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

A Media Blintz?

A triptych of splashes from Crazy #2—one TV parody, and two movie parodies, by Hartley, Everett, and Winiarski, respectively. But the balance between the media would soon change. See A/E #27 for a photo of Al Hartley.

Special thanks to Michael T. Gilbert. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“King Arthur and His Squares around the Round Table.” Art by Dave Berg (signed). 4 pp. Arthurian parody. Job #D-611.

A full year before Lee and Maneely teamed up to produce their Arthurian Black Knight, this story parodies that genre. If Lee’s Shakespeare-speak in BK can be said to be a parody in itself, this may be where he tried it out for the first time: “How dost thou expect me to be a knight in shining armor, if my armor dost not shine because of dust?” Killjoy Sir Lancepot is sent away by the King to weed out the evil in his fair land. When he rescues a pretty lady from a dragon, he turns out to be a pintsized runt, so his squire gets the girl.

“Drag-ula! Der Kink of Der Wampires!” Art by Bill Everett (not signed). 5 pp. Dracula parody. Job #D-695 Drag-ula goes after a girl, who turns out to be a store window mannequin. As in most stories Everett wrote himself, this one is a bit text-heavy, this time with a running commentary by Drag-ula in a sort of European accent that is doubtless a nod to the heavy Hungarian accent of Bela Lugosi in the 1931 movie Dracula.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

“I, the Eye.” 2-page text story. Job #D-665.

A private eye is hired to test literary clichés such as “food to make your mouth water,” “face the music,” and “get scared out of your skin.” Wouldn’t it be great if this was a parody of the Micky Spillane’s crime novel I, the Jury in style as well in title—a violent and tightly written short story with a great satirical point? Well, it isn’t.

“High Moon.” Art by Ed Winiarski (signed). 4 pp. Movie parody. Job #D592.

A not-so-handsome Gary Cooper type fights for his Life (the magazine) while his girlfriend asks him to “not forsake me, oh, my darling.”

Which was the theme song from the movie, in case you didn’t get that one. This Timely/Atlas tale may have been the first contemporary movie parody to be hit the stands. Too bad it isn’t a particularly good one.

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“Drag-ula” (D-595), “The Bird and the Bees” in True Story Romances #3 (D-596), and the Lee-signed opening story in My Friend Irma #39. D-597 is still open.

#3 (Feb. 1954) Cover: Joe Maneely (signed).

“Football Fever!” Art by Joe Maneely (unsigned). 5 pp. Football parody.

Job #D-724.

The story of Swivelhips Smith, a college football hero, who doesn’t think he need to study to go to the next grade.

When his football team loses, he is out on the street with nothing. A story with an actual satirical point—just not a very interesting story. Maneely’s art is starting to get a bit less cluttered.

“I Ain’t Got Nobody.” 2-page text story. Job #D-795.

“The Beast from Fifty Million, Trillion, Skillion Fathoms!” Art by Joe Maneely (signed on page 5).

5 pp. Movie & monster parody. Job #D-594.

The text stories in most of these satire books have the added bonus of having a special illustration done for them by Sol Brodsky (unsigned). Normally a piece of clip art was used for this purpose, but I guess nothing was suitable for these silly yarns, so someone in the office was asked to knock something off.

Five pages of extremely well-drawn lunacy (plus a pretty lady) by Maneely. Shortly after a big fat Q-bomb is exploded at the North Pole, Prof. Rufus Glonkus defeats the monster Bronkus Smonkus by putting its tail into its mouth. There’s no particular sign that Stan Lee wrote this story, though if he did it is probably his first monster with a silly name, the ancestor of Fin Fang Foom and Googam, Son of Goom.

The job number lines up with this issue’s

“The Bull Thrower.” Art by Al Hartley (signed).

5 pp. Sport parody. Job #D-747.

After explaining that in Spain the letter “j” [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Driving Miss Crazy Splashes from Crazy #3 by Hartley, Post, and Everett. ’Nuff said! (As somebody named Nuff once said.) [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

is pronounced like an “h,” the narrator tell us the story takes place during the summer months of Hune and Huly. Donna-MariaLopez-Martini-Rosi-Valdez wants to be a torero (bullfighter), and her parents and suitor are duly horrified—but in the end it turns out she only wants to sell hamburgers at the bullfight arena. She gets to wear a tight bullfighter costume, so who’s complaining?

have lettered this story, as well. Everett, of course, had also illustrated a Lee-scripted horror story with the same title in Menace #5 (July 1953), which in the 1970s became the starting point for the walking-dead hero of Marvel’s black-&-white horror comic Tales of the Zombie.

“Off My Trolley.” 2-page text story, as told by a trolley. Job #D-952.

“Bang!” Art by Howie Post. 3 pp. Horror parody. Job #D-784.

The story opens with a Dick Tracy type shooting a man on the splash page, which, a caption says, is just to “start [things] off with a bang” and has “nothing to do with our story.” Marvin and Zelda are window-shopping—but, to get the window they like, they have to buy an entire house. It’s sold to them by a headless man, who warns them of a curse attached. That night, while sitting before a roaring fire, they receive a note: “If you think I have to do this for a living, you’re crazy! I just got a telegram my great grandfather’s uncle died and left me his yogurt factory. So now I am a big cheese. I am retiring—so make up your own ending.

Sincerely, Edgar Allen Post.” Even at three pages, the true mystery is that this story got sold.

“Whack’s Museum.” Art by Bill Everett (signed).

5 pp. Horror parody. Job #D-744.

This third Everett horror riffs includes caricatures of Hitler and Stalin in a story about wax figures coming to life. Probably intended to benefit from the recent 3-D movie House of Wax, starring Vincent Price.

“The Wild Blue Yonderrr!” Art by Russ Heath (signed). 5 pp. Air warfare parody.

“I Love Loosely!” Art by Howie Post. 4 pp. Love comic parody. Job #D-872.

This story is narrated by Dr. Heartburn, renowned love expert (his face is covered in lipstick). Not a parody of Lucille Ball’s fantastically popular 1950s TV show I Love Lucy, but rather a rambling sequence of silly gags about a self-involved girl who eventually falls in love with the narrator. Several story twists seem to have been added to lead to a visual gag, making it probable that Post wrote this one himself.

“The Greatest Schmoe on Earth.” Art by Al Hartley (signed). 5 pp. Circus parody, not a movie parody. Job #D-943.

Though it’s similar to some of the Hartley stories that may have been scripted by Stan Lee, this one has the spelling“through” in the opening narration. Acknowledging Hartley’s multi-layered panels, someone added this note to the splash panel: “If you use 3-D glasses on this story, it won’t help you a bit!” The main question in the story is why sad-looking Goofy the Clown wears his make-up all the time. Is it because he’s a hunted criminal (like James Stewart in the ’50s film The Greatest Show on Earth)? No, it’s because that’s his real face—and that’s why he’s so sad! The whole story is mostly an excuse for Al Hartley to draw as many beautiful buxom women as possible. We get an Egyptian dancer, a tattooed lady, a fire eater, a trapeze artist, and many more.

Russ Heath found his style early on, around 1951-52, and has been going strong ever since.

His war covers are often the only thing worth collecting about war comics, unless one of his own stories is inside. Though he drew for DC, as well, from the mid-’50s, I find his Atlas work superior. What few people know is that he did a lot of work for Atlas’ Mad imitations [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.] in the same style as his “Plastic Man” spoof for “Rocky Hollowheadsawdustskull.” Art by Sol Mad #14 (Aug. ’54), which is quite close to Kurtzman’s own. He Brodsky (signed on page four). 4 pp. Sports parody. Job #D-851. added a lot of “chicken fat” in the Elder style and often included a After the success of Airplane! I and II and the three Naked Gun small self-portrait. Here there are two: on the first page he is movies, a number of parody films were made using the Zucker working under a lamp with midnight oil; on the last, he’s sitting brothers’ patented “chicken fat” style background jokes (which, of relaxed, counting his money. Heath may have done this assignment course, they stole from Mad and Will Elder). Similarly, many artists just for the money, but his humor style is as good as his more in these far earlier Mad imitations thought they had to add lots of serious. A shame he never got to do any more with it except extra side gags to fill out the page. This story is to Elder what drawing pretty ladies for Elder.

Mafia! would be to Airplane! (Its title is probably intended as a parody of ’50s heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano.) Brodsky did #4 (March 1954) quite a few stories for these books, but none are as good as his covers. He designed covers for many of Stan Lee’s books, and that Cover: Joe Maneely (signed). seems that is where his real strength lay.

“Zombie!” Art by Bill Everett (signed “‘R.I.P.’ Everett”). 5 pp. Horror parody. Job #D-818.

This best of Everett’s horror parodies tells of a man who crashes his car near an old, spooky castle. Asking for help, he is turned away by the owner. Behind a locked door, he finds a pretty girl who turns out to be a zombie. He doesn’t mind—’cause he’s a zombie himself.

Stan Lee often did this sort of twist ending, but here it works really well—especially in the final panel, where we see the two zombie lovers walk off into a mausoleum all their own. Everett seems to

“Wild Bill Hiccup!” Art by Joe Maneely (unsigned, as if he needs to). 5 pp.

Western parody. Job #3D-756.

Apart from the impressive splash page, the main attraction in this story is a great sound-effects joke in the second and third panel.

(See next page.) Maneely uses the black shirt of his main character to great effect, similar to the effect he would use in Wyatt Earp and The Ringo Kid later in the ’50s.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

25

I’m Not Always Crazy At Timely, as at EC, the artists who drew parodies of a genre were often the same guys who, on other days, actually drew that genre. Bill Everett drew stories titled “Zombie!” for both Crazy #4 and, a bit earlier, for Menace #5 (July 1953)—while Joe Maneely did both “Wild Bill Hiccup” and numerous Western stories, such as this splash for Ringo Kid #1 (Aug. 1954). Thanks to Dr. Michael J. Vassallo for the “serious” scans. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

#5 (April 1954) Cover: Carl Burgos (signed).

“Racket Buster!” Art by Joe Maneely (unsigned). 5 pp.

Television parody. Job #E106.

At first this may seem like a second parody of Gang Busters, but it’s more of a takeoff on a short-lived TV series called Racket Squad, in which Capt. John Braddock (Hacket Duster in the comic) works in the racket squad of a large metropolitan police department. The TV show was based on actual case records from police departments and ran [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.] from July 1951 until September 1953, which should give you some idea about the lead time for the work on these comics. The lead role was played by Reed Hadley, who later portrayed Bart Matthews in The Public Defender and had starred in the 1939 movie Zorro’s Fighting Legion. Based on stills from the latter, it’s entirely possible that Maneely caricatured the actor for this parody. Hacket Duster gets fired for killing a purse-snatcher and goes to work for Lumpkin’s Detective Agency, which makes it probable that Stan Lee wrote this story. At least it’s the first recorded use of the name Lumpkin, as in “Willie Lumpkin” of Stan’s newspaper strip and later Fantastic Four mailman.

“Rose-Colored Glasses.” 2-page text story. Job #E-085.

“The Wolf Man.” Art by Dick Ayers (signed). Funny horror story. Job # D-993.

Dick Ayers was already working for Timely/Atlas when he started doing parodies for Charlton’s Eh! This is his first satirical work for

Crazy Like A Wolf What can we say? We’re splash-happy about Crazy #5! [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

Lee. From now on, he would work for both companies; but since Timely paid better, it’s no surprise that the bulk of his work was for them. He signed this story with his last name only, which during this period in his career usually meant his pencils were inked by his assistant Ernie Bache—though this art looks like pure Ayers to me.

“Spencer the Censor.” Art by Howie Post (signed). 4 pp. Social satire. Job #E-119.

“Sinbad the Tailor!” Art by Andru and Esposito? 4 pp. Job #E-109.

This takeoff on Sinbad the Sailor captures the gigantic roc bird by pouring rock salt on its tail. This story has the earmarks of being drawn by Ross Andru (penciler) & Mike Esposito (inker). But why would they do a story for Stan Lee’s Mad imitations smack dab in the middle of their own three-issue Get Lost run? The earliest work by Andru & Esposito for Timely I’ve found is job #D-129, “The Revolt of the Robots,” in Mystic #25 (Dec. 1953), though Esposito had worked solo for Lee a bit earlier. From 1951-53 the pair worked mostly for Standard, doing war and horror books. The art style here has all the Andru characteristics: the large eyes, the large hands, the funny birds… yet the pretty lady on the splash page (and the Tarzan type who drops by for one panel) has the look of work by Mike Sekowsky. Sekowsky, Andru, and Alex Toth all worked for Standard in the ’50s, where they influenced each other to such an extent it’s often hard to distinguish between their styles.

But if “Big Mike” drew this story, then why didn’t Stan Lee use him more often for his satire books?

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“Gentlemen Prefer Bonds.” Joe Maneely (signed). 5 pp. Movie parody. Job #E-016.

Less a parody of Howard Hawks’ 1953 film comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell) than just a riff on its general theme. The heroes are two guys looking for the easy life. The movie’s Lorelei Lee (Monroe) has become Larry Lyle, and Dorothy (Russell) has become Dominic—quite a trick!

After being evicted for not paying the rent, they try to hook up with two rich elderly ladies; they have to get past their lawyer, but when they do, a nasty surprise awaits them.

#6 (May 1954) Cover: Carl Burgos (signed “CB”).

“The Hunchback of Notre Doom.” Joe Maneely (signed on p. 5). 5 pp. Genre parody. Job #E-320.

In the finale, the hunchback pulls off a mask to reveal a Gary Cooper-like face.

Pulling off a mask to reveal a surprise figure was an often-used story trick in parody titles, which Kurtzman himself parodied in the “Julius Ceasar!” story in Mad #17. Joe Maneely’s art alone makes this book worth the price.

“Those Crazy Dolls.” 2-pp. text story. Job #E-356.

The quilt lettering of the word “Crazy” is strangely similar to the way the logo of the later Mad magazine imitation Crazy will be lettered in the 1970s. This bland text story has two unsigned special drawings

by Carl Burgos. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Crazy, Man, Crazy!

Maneely does Lon Chaney—and Mort Drucker gets in a bit of practice for the years to come, when he would become Mad magazine’s movie/ TV-caricaturist par excellence! [©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

“The Mummy Walks.” Carl Burgos (unsigned). 4 pp. Horror parody. Job #E-319.

Communist spies meet a giant mummy. The story reveals the Reds’ plans: (1) Blow up every country in the world. (2) Invade all those that are left. (3) Attack all the warmongers in hospitals and kindergartens.

“The Men from Mars.” Howie Post (signed). 5 pp. Sci-fi parody. Job #E414.

attempt to parody the movie. The title is the same as the Bob Powell-drawn but probably Howard Nostrand-written story in Black Cat Mystery #50 (June 1954)—probably just the result of a too-obvious pun. Whether or not Post scripted this one, it’s easily his most accomplished contribution to these three series. White witch doctor Moe Gumbo goes to Africa to wipe out an epidemic of the jumpin’ gleeps and is almost eaten by the natives. When he returns to the States, having cured everyone, he is shot dead by his colleagues, who believe he himself is infected. For, you see, he glooped when he should have gleeped.

In this story about monkeys from Mars, Post proves his style is better suited to cartoon animals than to cartoon humans.

#7 (July 1954) Cover: Russ Heath (signed with initials on the cowboy’s boots). Western shoot-out.

“Tall in the Saddle.” Mort Drucker (signed). 5 pp.

Western parody. Job #E-173.

“Hambo!” Carl Hubbell (signed). 5 pp. Movie parody. Job #E-621.

Not a movie spoof, though here again there’s a Gary Cooper caricature. Before landing his career-defining job as Mad magazine’s premier TV-and-movie parodist, Drucker worked as a not-so-impressive artist at Marvel and DC. His specialties were hastily drawn war and humor books. This story showcases his customary sloppiness, even though it may be categorized as his first satire work.

After Whack folded and St. John discontinued a number of titles, Carl Hubbell migrated to Timely/Atlas to draw a knockoff of “The Little Wise Guys,” a juvenile adventure series he’d drawn for Lev Gleason’s Daredevil, which was still running; “Bob Brant” ran for three issues in Man Comics before the title was discontinued. Hubbell must have picked up this job not long after that. If a caricature of John Wayne from the parodied film Hondo was intended, I don’t recognize it. Probably another case the writer taking the name, but not having seen the movie.

“Moe Gumbo.” Howie Post (unsigned). 4 pp.

Movie parody. JoB #E-288.

Mogambo was a successful 1953 African safari film directed by John Ford, starring Clark Gable and Grace Kelly (a remake of Gable’s 1930s hit Red Dust, which had co-starred Jean Harlow). This tale doesn’t make much of an

[©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Bring Back Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of—Crazy In the mag’s 7th and final issue, Stan Lee and Russ Heath teamed up to go Hollywood—while Maneely went robotic. See Alter Ego #40 for a photo-studded interview with Russ Heath—and #28 for Doc V.’s extensive coverage of the life and career of Joe Maneely. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

“I Ain’t Mad.” 2-pp. text story. Job #E-600.

Not a story about Stan Lee realizing that Atlas’ Mad imitations won’t stand up to the original, but a yarn about a man trying to prove he isn’t crazy. Again the writer spends a lot of time wondering about the origin of weird expressions like “It’s raining cats and dogs” and “kicking the bucket.” Two new unsigned illustrations by Carl Burgos.

“Just Plain Harry’s Other Wife.” Al Hartley (signed). Soap opera parody. Job #E-487.

A parody of the popular radio soaps Just Plain Bill and John’s Other Wife. No caricatures, just lots of beautiful buxom ladies. “Editor’s note: we are proud to announce that ‘Just Plain Harry’s Other Wife’ has just gotten an Oscar!!

Yessir!! Oscar Klunk has been chosen to play the role of a lampshade in tomorrow’s episode!”

“Tales from Aesop’s Stables.” Art by Howard Post.

Illustrated rhyming horror story. 3 pp. Job #E-640.

“As translated from the original ‘Cretin’ [a pun on ‘Latin,’ crossed with ‘Cretan’?] by Howardius Postus.” This time, the weirdly exaggerated drawings by Post actually have a function.

“Hollywood Extra.” Script by Stan Lee, art by Russ Heath (both signed). 5 pp. Scandal parody. Job #E-565.

29

Wild Topline: “Shiver and Shake... Laugh and Quake!!!”

Publisher: Interstate Publishing Company, 270 Park Avenue, New York, NY

#1 (Feb. 1954) Cover: Joe Maneely (signed).

“Charlie Chin Meets Sleek Wiley.” Joe Maneely (signed). 5 pp. Charlie Chan parody. Job #D-653.

Like most Atlas parodies, it is more of a general parody than specifically aimed at the novels, movies, radio-show, or comics featuring Earl Derr Biggers’ famed Oriental sleuth. At story’s end, a Dick Tracy/Fearless Fosdick type of detective comes to arrest Chan and puts him in the electric chair.

“Rip van Stinkle.” Ed Winiarski (signed). 4 pp.

Parody of Washington Irving’s classic story. Job #D-106.

Compared to the “Charlie Chin” opener, this one is just dull... but at least there’s a story being told. The story of Rip van Stinkle, a man hated by everyone in his village. He drinks a dwarf ’s brew and sleeps for 200 years. When he returns, still no one will listen to him. “Ya expect sympathy from me? I got insomnia!”

[©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Stan Lee starts signing scripts for Crazy.

Caspar Keyhole presents the secret story behind the glamour and the glitter of Hollywood. Caricatures of “Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hide.” Bill Everett (signed). 5 pp. Horror parody. Job Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis (as the comedy duo #D-685?

Marvin & Loose), Gary Cooper, and Clark Gable stride the One of Everett funnier efforts, full of Mad-style “chicken fat”— Tinseltown streets. One of Heath’s best, in the style of his “Plastic background (and foreground) gags all over the place! In this takeoff Sam” in Mad. I don’t know if this is a parody of a particular TV on Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. series or of a genre of magazines, but it works very well. Keyhole Hyde, Dr. Jackal wants to marry his dream girl, Marilyn Moneyrow. watches Jerry Loose make a print of his face in the wet cement in She doesn’t want him, so he concocts a secret formula (recipe: front of Growler’s Japanese Theatre, tries to interview Parafox onion soup, Limburger cheese, ice cream, formaldehyde, chocolate Pictures’ new star Marilyn Russell, watches swashbuckling actor sauce, gin and bitters, clam juice, stewed worms, and kerosene) to Error Flynn trying to unbuckle himself, and has an exciting turn himself into Mr. Hide—who’s such a hideous, horrible, ghastly, meeting with Darryl B. Barrel. After that he goes home and watches grisly, gruesome, fiendish fiend that she’ll be happy to marry Jackal! television.

Only problem is—she likes Hide better!

“Crazy’s Fun Page.” Dan DeCarlo (unsigned). One-page puzzles. Job “Don Chaotic.” New Sol Brodsky illustration (unsigned). 2-pp. text story. #E-566.

Job #D-672.

Will Elder didn’t do a puzzle page parody until Mad #19 in January “The Frozen North.” Brodsky (unsigned). 4-pp. Exploration parody. Job 1955, which means Atlas was first with this concept. The first gag #D-689. on this page, with the company director chasing his assistant through a maze, can only be by DeCarlo. There is also a caricature In history, Louise Arner Boyd (1887-1972), nicknamed “The Ice of Humphrey Bogart with the question: “Can you name this screen Woman,” was an American who repeatedly explored and star?” Answer: “Why should you? He’s already got a name!” photographed the Arctic Ocean. In 1928 she led an expedition to find the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who had disap“Robert the Robot!” Joe Maneely (signed on the robot’s behind). 4 pp. Scipeared while on a flying rescue mission to locate Italian explorer fi parody. Job #E-438.

Umberto Nobile. Boyd traveled 10,000 miles across the Arctic Ocean, exploring from Franz Josef Land to the Greenland Sea; Maneely’s work just keeps getting better and better. How old was though she found no trace of Amundsen, she was awarded the this guy when he did this? 27? This story has everything: funny Chevalier Cross of the Order of Saint Olav by the Norwegian professors, sexy gals, silly gags, a robot with crackling energy, and a government. In 1931 she began a series of annual scientific expedicharacter taking of her mask to reveal who she really is. There is a tions to the Arctic. Her various expeditions explored Greenland’s crazy quiz at the end: “How many screen stars can you name who northeastern coast and glaciers, including the remote De Geer are robots? Here’s a hint: Robot Taylor, Robot Montgomery, and Glacier (a nearby area was later christened Louise Boyd Land). In Robot Wagner!”

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Two Wild And Crazy Guys Bill Everett and Al Hartley, like other artists and writers, bounced back and forth between Crazy, Wild, and the third Timely/Atlas entry, Riot. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

the Wild story, on the other hand, Admiral Boyd (a male) journeys to the North Pole to find what turns out to be a strawberry-and-orange frozen popsicle. Like so many non-Mad parodies, this one makes the mistake of thinking that any silly story will do for this type of magazine. It won’t.

“Captain O.U. Kidd.” Al Hartley (signed). 5 pp. Piracy parody. Job #D739.

Nearly all Atlas parodies seem to be genre parodies rather than takeoffs on specific TV shows, books, or comic strips. Mad, too, had started out by spoofing the types of comics EC already published. Stan Lee had lots more genres to choose from, since no publisher during these years put out more titles than Atlas. The unfortunate result was that, usually, he was just writing (or editing) the same sort of slightly satirical, twist-ending stories for the genres being parodied as when he was writing/editing the “serious” versions. By not being aimed at specific targets, the stories and art lack the bite that made Mad a cultural phenomenon. At story’s end, a Southern gentleman joins the crew of the female buccaneer’s ship; his realistically drawn face makes her exaggerated features extra-alluring. A final caption reads: “Well, what do you expect for your crummy dime? Mutiny on the Bounty?!!” (Even the gorgeous Hartley ladies can’t save this one.)

#2 (March 1954) Cover: Artist unknown (possibly Carl Burgos, who however usually signed his covers) “Deep in the Heart of Taxes.” Joe Maneely (unsigned). 5 pp. Western parody. Job #D-887.

Joe Maneely did almost as many Western parodies as he did straight Westerns. If you are seeking out these books for Maneely’s art, you should strive to get copies with all the colors in the right place. His panels are packed so full that just one color misregistering can render a copy unreadable.

[©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Ironic, Ain’t It?” 2-pp. text story. Job #E-003.

“Gruesome Gregory!” Art by Russ Heath (signed). 5 pp. Wrestling parody. Job #D-878.

Again Heath draws a caricature figure of himself on the first and last page. On the first page he is sleeping at his drawing board; in the las panel, he “gets the hook” from the side of the panel, dropping a bottle of ink.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

31

Going Wild Maneely, Heath, and Hartley do their things in Wild #2—respectively, of course. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Menace from Mars.” Art by Howie Post (signed). 4 pp. Sci-fi parody. Job #E-002.

The first splash panel is full of empty space. Get it? “Space”? An artist is asked to draw a picture of a real woman from Mars. In the end the editor chooses the empty flip side of his drawing as being more authentic. It seems Post came up with the space gag for the splash panel and spent the rest of the story trying to explain how it got there.

“Satan Is Waitin’.” Art by Bill Everett (signed). 4 pp. Horror parody. Job #D-888.

Satan goes to Earth and learns he is better off in hell. This doesn’t seem like one of Everett’s own horror parodies, as this one actually has a story. If it is written by Stan Lee, it would fit well with the issue’s lead-off tale, which was only one job number lower. All through his career Lee used this traditional image of Satan, with the red skin, the cape, and the horns. In fact, this story could basically have appeared in one of Atlas’ horror mags.

“A Witch in Time.” Art by Al Hartley (signed). 5 pp. Horror parody. Job #E-040.

A Salem story about a beautiful babe who is on trial for being a witch. She changes all the towns people into sheep.

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

#3 (April 1954) Cover: Carl Burgos (signed CB 53).

This must be the weirdest cover ever. Not because of the sick humor, which was a staple of the time, but because the logic of the drawing is completely wrong. We see the right side of the car coming towards us. The left side has been been hit by a train that’s traveling from left to right in the background. To make this possible the train must first have gone through the bit of the car that was not damaged. Or the car must have been [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.] traveling sideways, but even then there is no way it could have ended up on this side of the train. Wild, indeed.

“Rodeo Schmoe!” Joe Maneely (unsigned). 5 pp. Western parody. Job #D-845.

Lots of doodling by Maneely. On the wall of the splash panel are pictures of gran’pap hanging from a rope, gran’ma with an arrow through her head, and Custer’s Last Stand—a roadside hot dog vender.

The Scarlet Starlet (Counterclockwise from top right:) Artist Ed Winiarski may not have been the first to draw a humorous version of Baroness Orczy’s swashbuckling hero of the novel (and later film) The Scarlet Pimpernel—that, as seen directly above, was Warner Bros.’ Daffy Duck in 1950—but both versions turned out rather well. Al Hartley’s buxom “movie starlet” version of Florence Nightengale, the first official nurse, didn’t have anything to worry about from Linda Carter, Student Nurse, either! [Timely pages ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Daffy Duck art ©2009 Time Warner, Inc.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

33

“Jackpot Jitters.” 2-pp. text story. Job #E-077.

“Crime on My Hands.” 2-pp. text story. Job #E-355.

“The Big Wheels.” Art by Russ Heath (signed). 5 pp. Social satire. Job #D-844.

“Woof, the Wonder Dog.” Artist unknown. 4 pp. Mountie parody. Job #E-297.

A satirical story about car safety testing. Heath again draws himself with his wife and three kids at the drawing board in the corner of the splash panel. Heath’s satirical work is the big find among all of Mad’s imitators. Though he draws in a style that allows him to draw more quickly than his normal realistic work (“Rush Heath” would’ve been a good pseudonym), it’s very lively and sometimes looks like Harvey Kurtzman’s cartooning style. Here he even draws the little “man” cartoon that Kurtzman often used as the latter half of his signature. In these gag pages, that “man” is running from a car on “page For” (the pages having been numbered “wun,” “too,” “thre,” “for,” and “phive”). I’ve tried to work out some sort of meaning from this (“car”-man, “ford”-man, “jalopy”-man, “chased”-man)... but nothing I’ve come up with makes any sense.

And Heath’s women are always beautiful.

Probably the work of Ed Winiarski, who liked to draw bowlegs on his funny characters. Woof, the wonder dog, is as much a parody of Rin-Tin-Tin as of any of the “wonder dogs” in comics and the rest of popular culture. A year earlier, John Severin had drawn the marvelous “Melvin of the Mounties” for Mad #5. This poorlydrawn Mountie parody doesn’t hold a candle to Severin and Kurtzman’s work.

“The Scarlet Pumpernickel.” Art by “Citizen” Ed Winiarski (signed). 4 pp.

Classics parody. Job #D-944.

A parody (of sorts) of Baroness Orczy’s Scarlet Pimpernel, especially the 1930s film version which had starred Leslie Howard.

“Ghengis Can’t.” Art by Bill Everett (unsigned). 4 pp. Historical parody.

Job D-877.

Even the great Ghengis Can’t has someone he fears: his not-so-verylovely wife Rose Petal (daughter of general Bicycle Petal). Everett lets it all hang out within the thick panel borders we know and love from all his best work.

“Florence Nightgown.” Art by Al Hartley (signed). 5 pp. Historical parody.

Job #E-111.

What would have happened if Florence Nightingale had served in the American Civil War instead of the Crimean War and Al Hartley had drawn her story? Well, for one thing, she would’ve had cleavage.

#4 (June 1954)

“Shylock Bones.” Dick Ayers (signed Ayers). 5 pp. Sherlock Holmes parody. Job #E-189.

For four issues, Ayers was the main artist for Charlton’s Mad imitation Eh! After Fred Ottenheimer succeeded to that post, Ayers continued to draw one or two stories each issue, but also did work for Atlas (whose motto must’ve been: “We publish so much that we have room for everyone”). Thus, in the same month the last allAyers issue of Eh! went on sale, his first Atlas story could be seen, as well. It’s a bit less chaotic than his Eh! work, perhaps because Atlas paid better than Charlton. Atlas was not known for its high pay-scale, but after a flood destroyed the Derby, Connecticut, offices of Charlton, the latter publisher cut its salaries to an industry-wide all-time low. The story itself is quite humdrum. In the end Joe Thursday (a parody of Dragnet’s Joe Friday) turns up and arrests Shylock Bones as the murderer. My, oh my, what a surprise.

“The Man Who Was Invisible.” Art by John Forte (signed). 4 pp. Horror parody. Job #E-318.

Test Toob finds a way to become invisible and uses that power to rob banks and get rich so he can marry the nutrition-dispensing specialty employee (waitress to you) Goldie. But now that she can see him, she doesn’t want to see him. Forte is the only artist I know whose work looks less well-drawn in the funny bits than in the serious bits. The word they use in the movies is “miscast.” This story illustrates what’s wrong with a lot of these stories. If it had been drawn more realistically, it might have worked. But since it’s in a humor magazine, the artists feel obliged to exaggerate everything.

“The Killer Dillers.” Art by Joe Maneely (unsigned). 5 pp. Gangster parody. Job #E-131.

Cover: Carl Burgos (signed “CB 54”).

“The Monster Maker.” Gene Colan (signed). 5 pp.

Horror parody. Job #E-317.

The merry, madcap private eye team of Mr. And Mrs. South (whose names are a takeoff on the radio/TV series Mr. and Mrs. North, which was itself inspired by the success of the Thin Man films made from Dashiell Hammet’s novel) visit Dr. Plotz to see if the rumors that he has created a monster are true. They are. He turns them into ghouls. Colan was one of Stan Lee regulars and put a lot of effort into this yarn; fifteen years later he would draw parodies for Marvel’s Not Brand Echh, in a similar style.

If proof were needed that this is Colan’s work, there’s even a close-up of a doorknob! The story is very well colored, which can’t be said for every story Colan did for Stan Lee in the ’50s. A nice touch is the fact that the face of the monster is left uncolored in most panels. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

The supposedly “true, inside, hush-hush, confidential story of the Klink’s tank-car robbery”! On the splash panel, for some reason, a man is performing onstage with a microphone before an audience that consists of Albert the Alligator and Churchy LaFemme from Pogo, Little Orphan Annie, a small Chinese man, The Lone Ranger, and a guy who looks like a cross between Pogo and his creator Walt Kelly, a very clever caricature. The man onstage is standing under a sign saying “The Man in the Street,” so I guess he could be Steve Allen (who did a bit like that in his original Tonight Show), though he doesn’t really look like him. The story’s hero is a yellow-raincoat-clad, unshaven Dick Tracy type. He follows a criminal into a dismal swamp, where he pulls off his mask to reveal he is actually someone else.

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Colan & Semi-Colan Two pages by Gene Colan from Wild #4. The Dean starts off the story a bit quietly, and his art might be difficult to recognize for those familiar with his work for Marvel, DC, and others since the mid-1960s…but by p. 4, the trademark Colan approach and layouts are clearly discernible! For photos of Gene, see A/E V3#6, #57, et al. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Communist newspaper The Daily Worker, testified that an organization called the Institute of Pacific Relations had been “described to him by Communist nabob Alexander Tracthenberg as a ‘little red schoolhouse’ controlled by CP [Communist Party] members, to ‘teach Americans what they need to know about [Red] China.’”

Quoted in Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and his Fight against America’s Enemy’s

by M. Stanton Evans (2007).]

And the trunk the cops were chasing was attached to an elephant, who picks them up and waves them around in the air. The cook doesn’t get away scot free, either. The money he has stolen turns out to be Confederate currency.

#5 (Aug. 1954) Cover: Joe Maneely (signed) “The Little Red School House.” Art by Dave Berg (signed). 5 pp. Communist parody. Job #E-680.

A series of gags about how bad the Russians are. How bad are they? They invented the bicycle before they invented the wheel! [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: The title phrase was used during the 1950s to refer to Communist attempts to “educate” (i.e., influence) US citizens and government policies by means of propaganda often published in America. Even the Reds apparently used the term, on occasion! In Congressional hearings, Louis Budenz, former managing editor of the US

“In My Merry Time Machine.” 2-pp. text story.

Job #E-617.

“I Was An 88 Pound Weakling.” Brodsky (unsigned). 4 pp. Comic strip ad parody. Job #E-360.

[©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Every parody magazine worth its money has at one time or another done a parody of the 90-pound weakling ads. Stan Lee’s gang was one of the first. Guess who ends up in the hospital.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

“The Death of a Sales Manager!” Artist unknown. 5 pp. Theatre parody.

Job #E-645.

When a former match-seller (Billy Bumm) doesn’t get a job as a sales manager, he has a heart attack. But it’s all played for fun, not drama. As John Benson pointed out to me, there are enough similarities to Arthur Miller’s classic play to suggest that the writer may actually have seen the play: “the musclebound son hung up on past high school sports successes, the rich relative, the event that happened in another town that you must never mention, which destroys the son when he finds out, the salesman fooling himself that he’ll be a success and being fired by his boss, and his suicide (sorta, here) at the end.” Even so, perhaps because the scripter believed most of his readers wouldn’t be familiar with the play, we wind up with a tale that isn’t clear what it’s spoofing and thus fails to spoof anything. Some of the characters look as if they’ve migrated over from one of Sol Brodsky’s stories; others have a Stan Goldberg feel—but SG told Jim Amash he was not drawing humor at that time.

“Let’s Go Wild!” Brodsky (unsigned). One page. Puzzle page parody. Job #E-624.

These puzzle pages are fun, especially when they are silly. Like this one. “What’s the difference between Marilyn Monroe and a package of turnips? Answer: If you don’t know without lookin’ at the answer,

35

you’re gone, man!!”

“Dan’l Boom, Trail-Blazer.” Artist unknown. 5 pp. Job #E-608.

More a parody of the mid-1950s Davy Crockett craze than of the TV series. Probably drawn by Ed Winiarsky. The second page has a Cinemascope-style panel of the hills. Cinemascope was still new enough in 1954 to be parodied a lot. Timely/Atlas did it here and in the “How to Marry a Billionaire” parody in Riot #3. Andru & Esposito did one in Get Lost #2.

“Wild’s 1954 calender.” Art by Howie Post (signed). 3 pp. Funny horror monthly calender. Job #E-724.

Four panels to a page. Every panel has an illustrated rhyme about the monster of the month. Jan. - a witch; Feb. - a corpse; March - a ghoul; April - a mad scientist; etc. August is the television commercial. Its illustration shows a man who’s smoking from both sides of his mouth, his ears, and the top of his head: “The kingsized ogre breathing fumes is sometimes in your living rooms! He tries to sell you cigarettes, while leering out from TV sets!” He holds up packs of cigarettes called “king-size Ugh” and “Just Plain Ugh”: “If this week’s nonsense made you roar, buy the next one for more, more, more!” But, sadly or not, this was the final issue of Wild.

Winner Of The Pee-Yoo-Litzer Prize The identities of the writer and artist of “Death of a Sales Manager” in Wild #5 are unknown, but the writer may well have seen the stage drama performed on stage—or at least may have talked to somebody who had. The puzzle page is by Sol Brodsky. Thanks to Jay Kinney & Michael T. Gilbert for the former scan. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Riot Topline: “Humor in the Modern Manner” Publisher: Animirth Comics, Inc., 270 Park Avenue

#1 (April 1954) Cover: Carl Burgos (signed).

“The Texas Strangers!”

Art by Joe Maneely (signed). 5 pp. Western parody. Job #E-095.

The Texas Rangers are like the Mounties, only from the South instead of the North. They even have the same sort of red shirts, at least in many parody versions. That’s all I know about them, and it’s probably also all Stan Lee and his writers knew. One suspects they liked to do these Western spoofs because they didn’t have to do [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.] research for them; they simply drew on knowledge of years of popular culture. And editor Stan knew that Maneely would draw the stuffing out of anything they could come up with. Maneely’s (and the letterer’s) use of sound effects in this story is extra-ordinary, with every “rat-a-tat-tat” and “biddle-ump-biddle-ump” lovingly lettered and worked into the design of the panel.

“Make Me a Monster.” 2-pp. text story. Job #E-108.

“From Here to There.” Art by Al Hartley (signed). 5 pp. Army parody, not a movie parody. Job #E-087.

An Al Hartley story without pretty ladies. Private Steed Prune has been a soldier for ten years. He is forced onto the boxing team (as in James Jones’ novel and the popular 1953 film starring Montgomery Clift), but he doesn’t want to fight. The matter is decided in court. Again, John Benson feels: “It’s obvious that the scripter saw the film and featured its principal events in a parody that’s closer to the original and more of a parody than most in the Atlas books. Both this and ‘Death of a Sales Manager’ show the inclination, if not the talent, to do what Kurtzman was doing. In fact, this [story] ends up with the same gag that Kurtzman’s version used two months later. Kurtzman surely didn’t see this (he generally wasn’t looking closely at the imitations anyhow). It’s just that the story leads to that obvious gag conclusion.” (See next page.)

“The Guillotine!” Art by Howie Post (signed on page four). 4 pp.

Historical satire. Job #E-174.

The true story behind the guillotine. The job number suggests this could be a story written by Stan Lee. It makes slightly more sense than the normal Howard Post fare. It’s full of that fake French Stan loved to do. Yaigues!

“Ali Barber and the Forty Thieves.” Art by Russ Heath (signed). 4 pp.

Beyond A Shadower Of A Doubt Colan splash from Riot #1. Thanks to Michaël Dewally. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Arabian Nights parody. Job #E-096.

Russ Heath draws himself and some offensive Arab caricatures. In true Elder fashion, the forty thieves include The Lone Ranger, there’s a small soldier from the “4-N Legion,” and a running figure carries a banner saying “Russ Heath.” And that’s just on the splash panel! Ali Barber finds a cave full of gold, but has to give it all to his shrewish (but beautiful) wife.

“The Shadower!” Art by Gene Colan (signed). 5 pp. Shadow parody. (Job #E-079) Main character LaMode Crankston is almost not shown as The Shadower. It’s odd to see Colan drawing without relying on his usual moody shadows; still, there are some very effective panels, which show he has a great sense of comedic timing. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, since even the best of his war and horror stories have a light satirical touch. Job numbers suggest this could be a Stan Lee story, and it is certainly silly enough. “LaMode! Are you hurt, darling? Tell me, are you hurt?” “Dopey questions I need at a time like this?” (The Shadow radio series, more than the original pulp magazine, had also been parodied in Mad #5.)

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

From Here To Wherever The 1953 film blockbuster From Here to Eternity was parodied in the Hartleydrawn “From Here to There” in Riot #1 (top of page)—and exactly one month later in Mad #12 (June 1954), as seen at right. Note the similar endings—which reflected events and directions in the film, and in the novel on which it was based—in the two takeoffs. The Kurtzman-written/laidout version was illustrated by the very distinctive Bernard Krigstein, whose photo appears in our new trade paperback The All-Star Companion, Vol. 4.

Thanks to John Selegue for the Riot #1 scans; the EC version is taken from the Russ Cochran hardcover reprinting of #7-12. [Mad page ©2009 E.C. Publications, Inc.; Riot page ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

#2 (June 1954) Cover: Carl Burgos (signed “CB”).

In March 1954, Kurtzman had done a feature on “Bop Jokes,” one of his last collaborations with John Severin. Just in time for Stan Lee to have seen them and add one of his own on this cover? Or coincidence?

“It Came without a Face.”

Art by Joe Maneely (unsigned). 5 pp. Sci-fi parody. Job #E-422.

An alien monster falls in love with an earth woman and tries hard to impress her. But [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.] when he finds out Earth women don’t lay eggs, he leaves in disgust. The source of this story was a recent 3-D horror/science-fiction movie, which had been based very loosely on a story by Ray Bradbury.

“Ulysses Is My Name.” New illustration by Brodsky (unsigned). 2-pp. text story. Job #E-470.

“Ivanshmoe!” Artist unknown. 4 pp. Knights parody. Job #E-405.

I have no idea who the artist is, but he’s no Wally Wood. Some characters have an Archie feel. One candidate is Paul Hodge, who’d drawn a story for Get Lost #3 and did some work for Timely between 1954 and 1956, though he usually signed his stories. Six months into the fad, and Atlas was still doing generic parodies. One of the characters appears to be based on the hero of the newspaper strip Sir Oakey Doakes by R. B. Fuller.

“I Remember Mummy.” Art by Al Hartley (signed). 5 pp. Horror parody.

Job #E-468.

For a long time I suspected the artist might be Mike Sekowsky, though it also looked like Hartley’s work. Turns out it’s signed “Hartley” in the second panel. It’s the lack of good-looking women that threw me. I don’t know why Hartley didn’t draw his trademark pretty ladies in his last three stories for these comics. Maybe he had a change of heart. Yet he kept on drawing romance comics for Atlas till he went over to Archie, and he didn’t start doing religious comics until the late 1960s. And the “Ivanschmoe!” story in this same issue has plenty of pretty girls. Maybe Hartley had feared he was becoming a one-trick pony. Still, it’s an impressive story with a very impressive black witch splash.

“Liddle Abnormal.” Art by Howie Post (signed). 4 pp. Li’l Abner parody.

Job #E-513.

Not much effort was spent to make the style or the characters of this parody look like the original.

“The Last of Moe Higgins.” Art by Paul Reinman. 5 pp. Western parody.

(Job #?)

Illegal Alien—Or Illegible Alien Joe Maneely’s splash for the lampoon of the 1953 3-D movie It Came from Outer Space. Thanks to Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Paul Reinman signs this, his only work for the Mad imitation comics, with his name upside down. Reinman was one of Stan Lee’s most reliable artists, and his early war stories are among the best the company ever produced—but many fans know him only from his mismatched inking of Jack Kirby’s work in the early ’60s or his own halfhearted Mighty Crusaders work for Archie during the same decade. In this story he tries hard, but his attempts at creating a funny-looking character are jarring. Later he would do better work in some of the Mad magazine imitations.

#3 (Aug. 1954) Cover: Joe Maneely (signed) “Riotmascope Presents ‘How to Marry a Billionaire!’” Art by Dan DeCarlo (?) (unsigned). 5 pp. Movie parody. Job #E-872.

Not really caricaturing Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall—just three generic DeCarlo-style girls. I am assuming this art, as well as the “Fun Page” in Crazy #7, is by DeCarlo, but it could be by another artist working in his style. If it is by DeCarlo, he made an effort to make it look different from his usual work on the dumb blonde strips, or else he was inked by someone else. All panels are in “Cinemascope,” with four panels to a page. Not really a parody of the movie How to Marry a Millionaire, but a pretty

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

39

Great Scott!

Desperate to fill the giant-size monster that Marvel’s Not Brand Echh parody title became in its last few issues in 1968-69, associate editor/scripter Roy Thomas had artist Tom Sutton redraw the “Ivanshmoe!” parody of the novel (and film versions of) Ivanhoe for Riot #2 (above left), with “Ironed Man” replacing the titular hero. (See above right.) But why did RT give Stan Lee credit for writing the original takeoff, which he edited more than rewrote? Roy no longer recalls specific details, but feels Stan must’ve told him he’d written it, or RT would not have scripted that credit. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

funny story, “based on an original idea taken from an original novel stolen from an original screenplay.”

screen. The knobs at the bottom tell us we can adjust his “boyish grin,” his “chit-chat,” his “winning charm,” and his “fancy harp picking.”

Yes, though this is a parody of Liberace, here he plays the harp instead of a piano—and he’s grown a mustache, as if Timely were afraid of being sued. On p. 2 a shriveled old man is changed into Liver-ache with the help of lots and lots of make-up and prosthetics. On the final two pages, a Texas millionaire, angry because his wife insists on watching Liver-ache on TV instead of a wrestling match, place a bomb in his harp. When she finds out he’s killed her hero, she shoots him. He goes to heaven—and learns he’ll have to listen to Liver-ache playing for all eternity! (In the same month readers could buy Mad #14 with “The Countynental,” a parody on another TV program that was mostly watched by women, in which Harvey Kurtzman and/or Jack Davis invented a spectacular new way to parody 1950s TV: most of the art is in black-&-white, with lots of lovely grey, and there are

“So What’s News?” 2-pp. text story. Two new illustrations by Brodsky (unsigned). Job #E-754.

“Liver-ache.” Art by Howie Post (signed Post). 4 pp. Liberace parody, complete with caricature. Job #E-761.

A good example of what was wrong with most Mad imitators. Most writers and artists just didn’t work hard enough. Although Post’s work in children’s comics (as an imitator of fellow ex-animator Walt Kelly on comics like The Brownies) and his later newspaper strip work such as The Drop-outs is appreciated by many, his work for the Atlas Mad imitations is sloppy and sometimes just plain ugly. This story seems rushed, with very little detail and a sketchy thick-and-thin brush style. The plot itself has very little satirical bite. It starts with a splash-panel close-up of Liver-ache on a TV

[©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Funny, Money, & Honeys Once again a Timely/Atlas parody beat an EC one out of the gate. Riot #3’s spoof of the 1954 widescreen movie How to Marry a Millionaire (above left) was on sale a few months before “20th Sensuous Wolf Presents You Too Can Hook a Zillionaire!,” which was drawn by Wally Wood and scripted by editor Al Feldstein for Panic #5 (Oct.-Nov. ’54). Since the first page of the EC tale was mostly just a gag about Cinemascope, we chose to repro the story’s second page from the Cochran hardcovers. The way Wood drew women—can you blame us? [Riot page ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Panic page ©2009 William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.]

horizontal lines to imitate the hazy picture TV had in those days.)

“Oh My Darling Clementine.” Artist unknown. 2 pp. Job #E-818.

The song “Oh, Susannah” illustrated with hip cats, again in a mockDavis style, which suggests to me that both stories are by Ed Winiarski.

The song “My Darling Clementine” illustrated with hillbillies. In a mock-Jack Davis style that could be by anyone.

“Mr. Jeepers.” Art by Al Hartley (unsigned). 5 pp. TV series parody. (Job #E-840)

“Modern Art, or.... Art for Art’s Sake.” Art by Dave Berg (signed). 3 pp. A modern art parody. (Job #E-835)

Stan Lee finally gets around to presenting a real television satire.

The story opens with a strong caricature of actor Wally Cox as Mr. Jeepers… a takeoff on Mr. Peepers. This low-key TV sitcom ran from July ’52 to June ’55 and is still fondly remembered; it dealt with a schoolteacher whose efforts to do the right thing always backfired. He was such a nice guy that everyone on the faculty tried to mother him. He fell in love with school nurse Nancy and married her at the end of the ’53-’54 season. All these basic elements are represented in the parody, in which Jeepers is a reform school teacher: the big glasses that gave Mr. Peepers his name, the mothering English teacher Mrs. Gobble (Mrs. Gurney on TV), and reform school nurse Fancy. Still, in the end it’s less a parody than virtually a try-out for a humor comic adaptation. (Maybe Martin Goodman couldn’t afford to license the rights, as he had for My Friend Irma.) There are couple of beautiful ladies here, who make it possible to ID it as Hartley’s work. It’s strange how his humorous drawing style differs from his more serious work. In fact, it looks as

This rhyming story is laid out more like an article than a comic, something Kurtzman was experimenting with over at Mad, as well.

The kids in the last panel are reading copies of Riot, Wild Western, and Dave Berg’s own Combat Kelly.

“Riot’s Intelligence Test For The Masses.” Art by Sol Brodsky (unsigned).

One page. Parody quiz page. (No job number) These puzzle pages are a lot of fun. What famous US President does this series of drawings represent? “George! Where have you been?”

“Out washing!” “You look like you weigh a ton!” The log cabin in the back is the clue: “Abraham Lincoln!”

“Oh, Susannah.” Art by Sol Brodsky (unsigned). 3 pp. Job #E-819.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

41

“The Sixty-Four Million Dollar Answer!” Art by John Severin (unsigned).

6 pp. TV parody. Job #H-720.

From 1955 to 1958, The $64,000 Question was a popular United States television game show, hosted by TV and film actor Hal March. Contestants chose a subject category (such as “Boxing,” “Lincoln,” “Jazz”) from the Category Board and were asked questions on that subject, earning money which doubled ($1, $2, $4, $8, $16, $32, $64, $128, $256, $512, $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, $8,000, $16,000, $32,000, $64,000) as the questions became more difficult. Upon reaching the $8,000 level, they were placed in the “isolation booth,” where presumably they could hear nothing but the host’s words. The whole structure collapsed when it was learned that Question and other programs in its high-payoff category were fixed by the networks. This parody uses a caricature of March (“Al Starch”) and his assistant Wendy Barrie (“Windy Berry”). A pointed story without unnecessary silliness. Severin had found his true calling in Timely/Atlas’ Snafu, and is present with a strong contribution in every issue of this second Riot run. His work and that of Maneely and DeCarlo (as well as the fact that Stan Lee starts signing his stories) make these three issues some of the best to collect.

“Our Cartoonists Look at...Western Movies.” Art by Dan DeCarlo(?).

2 pp. Job #H-718.

A continuation of the feature begun in Snafu, but now apparently drawn by DeCarlo. Including Peter Arno, Chon Day, Virgil Partch, and Otto (Little King) Soglow. A feature of this kind was produced

by Joe Maneely for Snafu, but DeCarlo proves he is just as adept at imitating styles.

“Artie.” Art by Howie Post. 3 pp. Movie parody. Job #H-717.

A parody of the successful 1955 Oscar-winning film Marty, that starred Ernest Borgnine. This time Post delivers a good story, illustrating a Stan Lee parody which suggests he’d actually seen the movie. Who knew Artie was married all the time—and to a pretty Marilyn Monroe type, to boot?

Jeepers Peepers!

(Inset:) Wally Cox as Mr. Peepers on the 1950s TV series. Special thanks to Chris Day. (Above:) The Hartley splash for the Riot #5 parody. For another takeoff on that show, see p. 59. [Photo ©2009 the respective copyright holders; Riot page ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Howcum???” Art by Dan DeCarlo. 4 pp. Job #H-719.

if he worked harder on this than on any of his later romance stories.

Riot (Second run) Publisher: Warwick Publications, 655 Madison Avenue, New York (Atlas)

Magazine-style humor of the same type that would later appear in Al Feldstein’s Mad. This feature was later retitled “Why Izzit?” The fact that it appeared in all issues of Riot makes me wonder if it wasn’t begun as a possible newspaper gag panel

by Lee & DeCarlo in the style of the popular They’ll Do It Every Time by Jimmy Hatlo.

“This Is the Life.” 2-pp. text story. Job #H-748.

For data on the first two issues of this second run I am relying on the input of my fellow Timely/ Atlas listers Dave O’Dell and Chris Brown. Issue #5 is also featured on Scott Shaw!’s Oddball website.

“How to Remodel an Old Barn.” Art by Bill Everett. 3 pp. Job #H-715.

A parody of “how-to” home improvement articles. By this point, several pieces of this type had already appeared in the magazine version of Mad. This one is too brief to be of importance to Everett’s career, but anyone making a study of his work should have a look at these wonderful pages, where he proves he can deliver magazinestyle satire with the best of them.

#4 (Feb. 1956) NOTE: According to the “Atlas Tales” website, all stories in this issue, including the text story, have a Stan Lee byline.]

Cover: Joe Maneely [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

#5 (April 1956) NOTE: All stories this issue, including text story, have Stan Lee byline.

Cover: John Severin (with photo of lion) “Boy Meets Girl.” Script by Stan Lee, art by John Severin (signed by both). 5 pp. Movie parody. Job #J005.

Starring John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe— or reasonable facsimiles thereof.

“So I’m a Genius.” 2-pp. text story. Job #J-176.

“Mother Goosepimple’s Nursery Rhymes.” Script by Stan Lee, art by Joe Maneely (signed by both).

Job #J-049.

[©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Riot’s Cartoonists Look at TV 2.” Script by Stan Lee, art by Dan DeCarlo (signed by both). 2 pp. Job #H-934.

Another feature parodying some of the popular magazine

Pop Quiz (Right:) Hal March, popular M.C./quizmaster of the phenomenal $64,000 Question TV series. (Above:) The second page of the parody in Riot #4, with art by John Severin. Note “Melvin of the Apes” from early Mad issues in panel 6.

[Photo ©2009 the respective copyright holders; Riot page ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“The Seventeen-Year Itch.” Art by Joe Maneely. 5 pp. Movie parody. Job #H-680.

A parody of the classic 1955 film The Seven Year Itch, starring Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe, that every Maneely collector should see.

How many chances do you have to see Monroe drawn by Maneely?

Still, this story as well as the issue’s Severin yarn shows that things were not well at Timely/Atlas. Page rates were coming down, as was the number of readers. Artists were allowed to draw on smaller paper, so it would take less time; this shows in the reduced amount of detail and line equality of these stories. While Stan Lee and Martin Goodman went down with the trend, Harvey Kurtzman went against it. To see the difference, one should compare this parody with the one of the same movie in Mad magazine #27 by Will Elder.

The Monroe Doctrine Maneely’s splash for this movie parody from Riot #4 is so realistic it’s almost hard to believe it was a parody! But Stan Lee probably doesn’t recall anybody complaining. But then, he probably doesn’t even recall that he wrote the story! [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

43

cartoonists of the day, including Virgil Partch and Ted Key. “Fly TUA 1.” Art by Bill Everett (unsigned). Fake ad. Job #J-50(B).

“Pest-In-House Refrigerator 1.” Art by Bill Everett (unsigned). Fake ad.

Job #J-50(A).

Everett proves he is just as good at fake ads as Will Elder was when he started out. Unsigned here, but signed in the next issue.

“Why Izzit?” Script by Stan Lee, art by Dan DeCarlo(signed by both). 2 pp. Job #H-933.

“Naughty George.” Art by Joe Maneely (unsigned). 4 pp. Job #J-006.

“Laddie.” Script by Stan Lee, art by Joe Maneely (signed by both). 5 pp.

Movie parody. Job #J-004.

Ever since the 1943 movie Lassie Come Home, the story of the gentle collie has been known to kids around the world. Even more important was the TV series, which ran on CBS from 1954 to 1971.

Here Lee and Maneely are the first to parody the series, shortly after it started. Later on, there was also a famous parody by Mort Drucker in Mad.

#6 (June 1956) NOTE: All stories except text story have Stan Lee byline.

Cover: Joe Maneely (unsigned) “The Life and Legends of Quiet Burp.” Script by Stan Lee, art by John Severin (signed by both).

5 pp. Western parody. Job #J-555.

Goosing Ma Goose

“I Was There!” 2-pp. text story.

Lee & Maneely take on Mother Goose in Riot #5. It’s anybody’s guess who won! [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Why Izzit?” Art by Dan DeCarlo (signed “Stan and Dan”). 2 pp. Feature.

Job #J-376.

“Riot’s Cartoonists Look at School Kids.” Art by Dan DeCarlo (signed by both). Cartoons. Job #J-374.

Bill Everett proves that Atlas jungle girl Lorna even looks good when she is lampooned. A must-have for any jungle girl collector.

Seven cartoons in different styles. Not much in the way of parody, though the styles in which DeCarlo works in are all different and could be seen as some sort of parody. The first cartoon has a Dennis the Menace type saying: “The one time I get here early, and it’s Sunday!” There is some sort of Brother Juniper-style parody, and another of the cartoons looks like the work of cartoonist Chon Day. But nothing is done with it. Six pages such as this were done for Snafu by Joe Maneely with far better results.

“Mother Goosepimple’s Nursery Rhymes.” Art by John Severin (signed by both). Number of pages uncertain. Nursery rhyme parodies. Job #J-375.

“Pascal the Rascal, by Yank Kitchen.” Art by Joe Maneely (signed by both on the last page). 5 pp. Job #J-549.

“Loona the Jungle Girl.”

Art by Bill Everett (signed by both). 3 pp. Parody of Timely comic Lorna the Jungle Girl. Job #J-601.

[©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Hey, there are people collecting these things! Georgie Porgie puddin’ ’n pie/Kissed the girls and made them cry.” And no wonder—he was chewing a cactus plant at the same time!

“Fleanix Tissues”/“Wildsnoot Ice Cream Hair Grease”/“Lightweight Bike Sensation from England”/“The New 1956 Forf.” Art by Bill Everett (signed on every page). 4 full-page ad parodies. Job #J-477.

Dennis the Menace parody. Stan Lee’s first full-out comic strip parody in the Kurtzman style. And it’s not strange he took on Dennis. Maneely had shown in Snafu that he could approximate the look of Hank Ketcham’s art, and in fact he and Lee would launch start their own Dennis the Menace imitation about a year later: Melvin the Monster, which ran for 6 issues before turning into Dexter the Demon for one last go.

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Loona Landscape (Right:) Another Lee/Everett page from Riot #6’s “Loona the Jungle Girl,” whose splash was seen on p. 18. Half of it looks like an issue of Lorna the Jungle Girl in which the “Tarzenne” has wandered into a humor comic! [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Melvin & Pascal—Threat Or Menace?

(Above & right:) Stan Lee really went all-out after Dennis the Menace in Riot #6—aided and abetted by Dan DeCarlo on the above, and by Joe Maneely on the right. Out of this came, ere long, Melvin the Monster. [©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

EH!/ From Here To Insanity Out In The Boondocks Eh! was publisher Charlton’s entry in the Mad imitations sweepstakes.

For its first ten issues (including a title change to From Here to Insanity with #8), the book was packaged for them from New York City by industry mainstay Al Fago. He probably also wrote the letters page, where his name appears. The first three issues are chockful of Dick Ayers’ always-interesting art; but with #4, suddenly there is a new artist in town, Fred Ottenheimer, who Jim Amash informs me had drawn humor for Timely in the 1940s. The quality of the art takes a huge drop. Though some of the later parodies are more on target than earlier ones, the later issues of Eh! are still a lot less interesting. Fred Ottenheimer crossed paths with Harvey Kurtzman, when he did a children’s puzzle book called Playtime Speller for the Kunen Company, at the same time Kurtzman and visiting French artist René Goscinny did a couple of children’s story books with puzzle pieces (not together, though). Later in his career Ottenheimer returned to children’s books.

Most issues of Eh! have black-&-white inside covers with rather uninspired ad parodies. In 1997 America’s Comics Group of St-Laurent, Quebec, Canada, reprinted #2 (minus the insidecover ad parodies) in b&w as “Eh! #1”—though utilizing, for some reason, the cover of issue #4.

The reprinting was done from the original proofs.

For the fan who wants to taste rather than have it all, it is a good place to start.

The brilliant Dr. Baloney (he removes a patient’s Adam’s apple with a pool cue) has troubles everywhere. He finally resolves them by shooting everyone. At one point he listens to the radio, because radio solves everyone’s problems. But there is just one radio soap opera after another. Which is appropriate, because this is a parody of Young Dr. Malone, a long running radio soap-opera about a doctor, his wife and children, and his associates at the hospital.

YDM was sponsored by Proctor and Gamble, and was the last original soap on radio, finally being cancelled on Nov. 25, 1960.

Ayers shows his aptitude for this type of work. I used to think his style was a bit too over the top, but it’s grown on me.

“The House of Whacks!” Art by Lou Morales (signed). 7 pp. Horror parody.

Morales was a weird but capable artist who mainly worked for Charlton in the ’50s, and this is not his best work. Most of the art looks as if drawn with a pen in a kid’s school agenda.

“Awakening.” 2-pp. text story.

“Eh-h! A Puzzle Page!!!” Art by Dick Ayers (signed). One page. Puzzle page parody.

“Name the singer and the song.” A tall man with a pipe is caricatured in the snow singing: “Bububa Boo Bububa Boooooo, nothing bothers me... nothing.” Know the answer yet? Hint: his initials are Bing Crosby. We wouldn’t have had to tell anybody that in 1953. Probably the first puzzle page in a Mad imitation.

[©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

Because it had a habit of publishing just about anything it could lay its hands on, in order to keep its printing presses running, Charlton would, a few years later, put out the best Mad magazine imitation ever—Humbug.

The b&w Humbug was created by Harvey Kurtzman, Al Jaffee, and Arnold Roth after the debacle when their slick Playboy-funded full-color satire magazine Trump folded. Going with the cheapest publisher at the cheapest size, they produced some of the best-looking and most hardhitting satire of the ’50s and ’60s, before going under after 12 issues. The entire run of this wonderful magazine has just been reprinted in a musthave edition by Fantagraphics, with pages 1½ times the size of those in the original mags, in a slipcase with great new cover art by Al Jaffee and superb notes by John Benson and Gary Groth. Go to Amazon.com and order yours today! Now, on to an issue-by-issue breakdown of the contents of Eh!:

Eh! Topline: “Dig This Crazy Comic!”

Publisher: Charlton Comics, Derby, Connecticut

#1 (Dec. 1953) Cover: Dick Ayers (signed).

“The Shave of Champions.” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). B&w ad parody on inside front cover.

“Young Dr. Baloney!” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). 6 pp. Radio show parody.

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“Frontier Scout!” Art by Dick Ayers (signed “done

by Dick”). 8 pp. Mounties parody.

“What Does ‘Eh’ Mean?” Fake letters page.

This page identifies Al Fago as editor. Several contributors write in to ask what Eh! means, among them an art dealer, an artist called Marvin Morales, and a writer: “Where oh where did you get the various stories from your first issue? I’m going to frame my advance copy. Nothing can top it. Don’t ever change your type of humor. It’s very rare nowadays. And whatever you do—don’t imitate other magazines of the same kind. Enclosed is my dollar for twelve issues.

Best of luck. Ted Sturdevans, Bronx, N.Y.” The editor answers: “Don’t worry, Ted. We are not copying ANYONE! Humor is universal, but being successful at it ISN’T! EH [sic] comics is going to be a droll collector’s item.” At least it was to be the longestrunning of all Mad’s four-color imitators.

“Buck Hodges in the 26th Century!” Art by Dick Giordano (signed). 4 pp.

Comic strip parody.

Giordano was a staff artist at Charlton at this point. He has never mentioned working on Eh! His style looks a bit like that of Sol Brodsky, with one or two Wally Wood swipes thrown in. Some readers may like the science-fiction aspect, especially the splash panel with Buck flying through the air. But it soon turns into just another silly science-fiction story. It’s like serious actors trying their hand at comedy. Too much silliness, not enough restraint.

“That’s How TV Was Born!!” Art by Dick Ayers (signed). 3 pp. Wrestling parody.

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

“Eh! Look!”

The cast of artists in Eh! #1 consisted of Dick Ayers, Dick Giordano, and Lou Morales. See A/E #31 & 35 for interviews with (and photos of) Ayers and Giordano, respectively. And we’d print a pic of Lou Morales if we had one! [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“Stop Smoking!” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). Black-&-white ad parody on inside back cover.

“You can stop tobacco shivers, tobacco bad breath, tobacco quivers, tobacco itch, athlete’s foot, Poisonous Harold Teen and tobacco tobacco. You will lose the desire to smoke in one minute! Mail coupon now! I will pay the postman nothing for this marvelous offer: .45 Colt pistol—steelrolled—moisture packed—and my troubles will be over.” The Mafia crowd that Charlton reputedly had nothing to do with will have laughed its heads off.

“Sontiac Six.” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). Ad parody. Black-&-white, back cover.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

#2 (Feb. 1954) Cover: Dick Ayers (signed “Ayers”) The inside cover states: “Designed by Al Fago Studios.”

“Paradise Gained!” Art by Dick Ayers (signed Ayers). 7 pp. Horror parody.

“Little Artie’s Scouts!” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). 5 pp. Television parody.

A takeoff on Arthur Godfrey’s popular TV talent show. (See Whack #2 entry above.)

“Strikes and Eh!-rrors.” Letter page.

Letters from “Ima Nut” from Greenview, NC, and “Just a plain housewife” from New York.

“The News Must Go On!” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). 2 pp. Radio parody.

“The Great Discovery.” 2-pp. text story.

47

“The Four Mosquitoes!”

Art by Dick Ayers (signed “Ayers”). 7 pp. Genre parody.

“Eh!’s Wails!” Art by Dick Ayers (signed). Puzzle page.

“Squeeeezerama in 5-D!” Art by Dick Ayers (signed).

6 pp. Movie gimmick parody.

In 1954 you were either doing 3-D comics or doing a parody of them.

This one is different, because it doesn’t use any of the 3-D or Cinerama effects it’s supposed to be spoofing.

NOTE: The company symbol has been cut off the particular cover being repro’d.

“The Case of the Gorilla [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

Caper!” Art by Dick Ayers (signed). One page. Who-done-it.

“Electro-cuter Fat Reducer.” Artist unknown. Ad parody. Inside back cover, b&w.

“What Made Milwaukee Change Its Mind?” Artist unknown. Ad parody, back cover, b&w.

#3 (April 1954) Cover: Artist unknown “Sure Cure for Money Headaches.” Artist unknown. Ad parody.

Inside front cover, b&w.

“Mutilated Knee on the Botany!” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). 8 pp. Book parody.

A spoof of the novel made even more famous by its 1935 movie version. The main character of Mr. Griston (“Mr. Christian” in the original) is “played” by a Clark Gable type. On the letters page they call it a “classics satire.”

“Does Masey’s Tell Jimbel’s?” Art by Dick Ayers (signed “Ayers”).

7 pp.

When Buckles Got Swashed Dick Ayers’ splash page for Eh! #2. Thanks to Ramon Schenk. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

[©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

The department store wars, taking off on the once-common expression “Does Macy’s Tell Gimbel’s?,” based on two famous retailers located near each other in Manhattan. The latter store and its eventual chain, of course, no longer exist.

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

“Rude Awakening.” 2-pp. text story.

Ayers (unsigned). One page. Detective parody.

“Cars U.S.A.” Art by Dick Ayers (signed “Ayers”). 5 pp. Social satire.

“Marvin Pain, Private Eye!” Dick Ayers (signed “Ayers”). 7 pp. Television parody.

Before Mad branched out from doing media parodies to satirizing social mores such as “going to a restaurant” and “the great outdoors,” Al Fago and his artists hit on that idea. “Cars U.S.A.” is a sharp and satirical look at Americans and their cars. Homer Nittwitt, a typical American driver, takes his wife and family on a weekend drive. When they are outrun by a sports car, his wife demands he buys a new one. An even worse one.

“Eh! Mail.” Mail page.

Most of the letters seem to be written by the staff: “Dear Editor: Why don’t you write a “bit” on life in “burlesque”? I could give you plenty of information, since I am a performer myself. Just call me at CENSORED and I’ll tell you what you want to know. Suzanne Grisson, Belmar, NJ. Ed. note: You think WE’RE gonna give YOU this doll’s phone number?”

“Inspector Moe Ronn in The Case of the Ticklish Tooth!” Art by Dick

More than a year after Mad’s parody of Martin Kane, Private Eye (“Kane Keen” in Mad #5, June 1953), Eh! comes up with Marvin Pain. But, on the Mad CD-ROM, its entry is called a radio parody, while the Charlton one begins: “Eh-!! Comics presents its version of TV’s most notable private eye program this month-sponsored by Smello Tobacco and its thousands of alleyway dealers all over the nation.” So what was it? A radio show or a TV show? Both, actually.

According to The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio, Martin Kane was conceived as a TV show—one of the earliest detective series of that young medium—but ran concurrently on radio. The hero was a quiet, introspective type who smoked a pipe and could usually be found at Happy McCann’s Tobacco Shop—a natural tie-in for the sponsor, US Tobacco. William Gargan played the lead in both media, till the TV show became (he alleges in his autobiography) “a vehicle for the flesh parade.” The actresses were “pretty and emptyheaded,” hired more for “cleavage” than for acting ability. The TV version ran slightly longer than the radio show, lasting until June

The Kane Attraction (Left:) One of the earliest spoofs in Mad had been that of Martin Kane, Private Eye, by Harvey Kurtzman & Jack Davis, in issue #5. [©2009 E.C. Publications, Inc.] (Right:) “Martin Pain” was more of a spot-on name lampoon, but that story’s splash in Eh! #3 was about as different as it could be from that of Kurtzman & Davis.

Still, both began in the detective’s office, which is where detective shows traditionally started out. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

49

Hardly A Man Is Now Alive... ...who remembers buying Eh! #4 fresh off the newsstand in 1954! Art by Fred Ottenheimer. Thanks to Ramon Schenk. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

1954. The cleavage features in both parody comics renditions.

Ayers’ splash panel may feature a caricature of Gargan; the hero in Mad remains mostly hidden in his raincoat and hat. Due to the sharp satire and the beautifully drawn ladies, I’d call this Ayers’ best.

(Incidentally, there was also a two-issue 1950 licensed comic book version of the Martin Kane radio series, with art by Wally Wood and Joe Orlando… though Harvey Kurtzman gave the parody assignment to Jack Davis.)

“Eh! A Puzzle Page?” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). Puzzle page.

“Now Many Wear False Teath!” Artist unknown. Ad parody. Inside back cover, b&w.

“Why Should Headaches Drag You Down?” Artist unknown. Ad parody.

Back cover, b&w.

#4 (June 1954) Cover: Fred Ottenheimer “Third-Strike Cigarettes.”

Art by Fred Ottenheimer.

Fake ad. Inside front cover, b&w.

“A Million Dollar Gate.”

Art by Dick Ayers. 7 pp.

“Taxi, Lady.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. 7 pp.

“EH-!?” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. One page.

“Herman’s Hazard.” 2-pp. text feature. Fred Ottenheimer spot illo.

“The Ride of Paul Revere.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. 5 pp.

“Histerical News.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. 2 pp.

[©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“What’s My Crime?” Art by Dick Ayers. Television parody. 6 pp.

Inspired by the long-running radio/TV series What’s My Line?, in which celebrity panelists questioned a guest, trying to guess his/her occupation.

“Spoof Oderant.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. Fake ad. Inside back cover.

“Clearview Cellophane Diapers.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. Fake ad. Back cover.

#5 (July 1954) Cover: Fred Ottenheimer “Eh! Tu!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Fake ad. Inside front cover.

“How-To Book of the Week Club announces its first week in

December selections.

Write to ‘Eh! Tu!’ Brutus Drive, Caesar, PA.” “That Was Your Life.” Art

by Fred Ottenheimer. 4 pp.

Television parody.

The life of a convicted criminal. He ends up on the electric chair, of course. But he gets a charge out of it.

“Dirth Does Anything!”

Art by Dick Ayers. 6 pp.

Advertising parody.

A crooked executive invents a substance called Dirth, which can do anything. Sadly, just a silly story without a

[©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

“Eh! Mail.” Mail page.

“Mary Had a Litle Lamb!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 2 pp.

Nursery rhyme parody.

“Inspector Moe Ron.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). One page. Who-done-it parody.

“Look, Ma… I’m Dancin’.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 6 pp.

Social parody.

“Ways to Beat the Draft!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). One b&w page. Fake ad.

“The NG… the First True Siberian Sports Car.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). One b&w page. Fake ad.

#6 (Aug. 1954 ) Cover: Fred Ottenheimer “The H-Bum!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. 7 pp. Genre parody.

Have A Beer, Dear!

(Above & above right:) Panels from the Fred Ottenheimer-drawn story in Eh! #5. Thanks to Michaël Dewally. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

point, even though it includes yet another Arthur Godfrey caricature, this time as “Mr. Lootfree.”

“Little Willies.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 2 pp. Sick jokes on rhyme.

“Eh!’s Song Page!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). One page. Guess the song.

“Success 1954 Style.” Text story.

“Miss Rhineghoul of 1954!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 6 pp.

The election of Miss Rheingold of 1954 would also be the subject of a feature drawn by Basil Wolverton in Mad #17 (Nov. 1954), under the title “Miss Potgold of 1954.” It was likewise parodied as “Miss Burpgold Says...” in Nuts! # 5 that same month by Hy Fleischman, showing how well-publicized at the time was the election of a young woman to represent Rheingold Beer. In this story, a character who looks like Moe of The Three Stooges must find a Miss Rhineghoul for the president of the Rhineghoul Pretzel Company. She’ll get her own TV show—and her own horror comic magazine. She has to be ugly, because ugly girls eat more pretzels.

“Odor Today.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). One page. Ad parody.

Not a parody per se, but billed as “the story behind the stories of the most fantastic comic of all time”! The tale, according to Scott Shaw!’s outstanding “Oddball Comics” website, depicts a story conference at the fictitious GRQ Comics, held to choose a genre for its upcoming mag. Its board of directors/ editors are a strange lot: the advocate for doing a crime comic looks like Dick Tracy; the one Special thanks to Jay Kinney. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.] favoring a horror comic resembles Frankenstein’s monster; the romance comics advocate is based on Clark Gable; and the Western comics enthusiast is a cowboy. Their confab is interrupted by a fey-looking fellow carrying a portfolio and accompanied by a flock of “funny animals.” Why, it’s “Walt Whimsey, the animated cartoonist”! The biggest “joke” is the fact that Whimsey talks with a supposedly homosexual lisp. “The HBum” was one of the more daring satirical storylines Al Capp did in Li’l Abner circa 1950, with his hillbilly comic strip hero encountering a nuclear-powered super-being. This story shares nothing with that concept apart from the “punnishing” title.

“From Hair to… Eh-Ternity!” Art by Dick Ayers. Number of pp. uncertain. Movie parody.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

51

Hallelujah, I’m A (Nuclear) Bum! (Top left:) One of Al Capp’s most notable sequences in between the Shmoo and the marriage of Abner and Daisy Mae: the early-’50s introduction of “the A-Bum” in the Li’l Abner strip, as a man who will explode like an atomic bomb! [©2009 Capp Enterprises, Inc.] (Above: ) Fred Ottenheimer’s splash for “The H-Bum,” in Eh! #6. By this time, atomic bombs were passé—hydrogen bombs were in! [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

Another parody of the 1953 film From Here to Eternity, which starred Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra. (See p. 37 for Timely/Atlas’ version, as well as references to Mad’s.)

“Slick Spacey in the 4th Dimension.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. Page count uncertain. Newspaper strip parody.

Another parody of cartoonist Chester Gould’s daily comic strip Dick Tracy.

“Maverick Limericks.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer.

“Underwater Agent.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer.

Hair Today... Gone Tomorrow

Apparently a spoof of Esther Williams movies, which combined swimming with Busby Berkley-style choreography.

This Eh! #6 story seems to owe nothing much but its title to the book or movie From Here to Eternity, which is set in Pearl Harbor not long before (and after) the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. Art by Fred Ottenheimer.

Thanks to Michaël Dewally. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“Old Mold Cigarettes” & “Phyliss Moress Cigars.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. Fake ads, lampooning Old Gold & Philip Morris ads.

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

#7 (Nov. 1954) Cover: Fred Ottenheimer

citizenry is gone—has an A-bomb from the Soviets done it? Only one citizen can give us the answer!” Turns out Liberitchy destroyed the city with his concert in Rattison Square Garden.

“79 Pound Weakling.” Art

by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody.

Inside front cover, b&w.

“Do Your Friends Call You Fatty?” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned).

Ad parody.

I believe Rick Marshall once wrote an article about the many, many parodies on the Charles Atlas ads for Hogan’s Alley or Nemo... but he left this one out, among others. For a full story spoofing those ads, see Wild #5.

Another parody of the super-popular Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz TV show I Love Lucy. Why isn’t this one better known? Well, for one thing, because as a parody it stinks. Hicky and Loosely Recordo are a hillbilly couple. Ricky wants to form a band. Loosely wants to be in it, so she seduces all the band members into killing each other.

The last one left standing she herself shoots with a tommy-gun.

Now she’s free to organize a band of her own, featuring her three children. Despite the silly story, the art is great. Ayers has simplified his style, and his caricatures of Ball and Arnaz are very good. It also doesn’t hurt that Loosely walks around in a skimpy bathing suit for most of the story. Here, Ayers’ habit of drawing small bodies with big heads really pays off. In a private e-mail he told me he couldn’t remember a lot about this period in his career, other than that he

“Liberitchy!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 7 pp. TV parody.

“I Love Loosely.” Art by Dick Ayers (signed “Ayers”). 6 pp. TV parody.

Actually this isn’t so much a parody of [NOTE: With special thanks to John Benson.]

Liberace’s TV series as [©2009 the respective copyright holders.] it is a humor story built around a caricature of the glitzy pianist. “New Yak City is destroyed—but completely! All is ruined, all is woe, woe, woe! (Eh!) Not a building is left—the

TV Guys The Ottenheimer and Ayers splashes for two TV parodies from Eh! #7. But why move I Love Lucy to a hillbilly setting? [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

always thought he should have done more with his humor style and that he never used photo reference for the caricatures in his stories. He just drew them from memory. Impressive.

(Timely/Atlas’s parody with the same title had appeared in Crazy #4.)

53

“Comicrameh!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 6 pp. 3-D movie parody.

See Jane Rassle in 3-D! No glasses needed.

You just have to fold the page in a certain way, so it stands out from the pages surrounding it. Nice gag, but it took Al Jaffee’s “Fold-Ins” for Mad magazine to really turn it into a gimmick that was worth remembering.

“Need Money?” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody.

“Inside Smellivision by Hetta Hooplah.” 2-pp. text story.

“Easy Money!!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody.

“The Steve Alley Show.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (signed). 5 pp. TV parody.

“High at Noon.” 2-pp. text story.

Another lame parody. Pretty good caricature of Steve Allen, though. And Al Fago comes by as a guest to plug his book and help Steve get rid of the ghost of Father Knickerknocker.

Don’t ask. For better parodies of Steve Allen, try Mad #24 (Will Elder) or Cracked #36 (John Severin).

“Kaysee—Krime Photographer.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (signed). 5 pp. TV parody.

Spoof of the detective series Casey, Crime Photographer, which was was primarily a radio show, though it ran on TV in 195152. It ended its radio run in 1954, so this parody came along just in time. There also [©2009 the respective copyright holders.] was a four-issue Timely/Atlas comic book “Rook of the Month Club.” Art by Fred version in 1949-50 with photo covers (presumably not from the TV Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody. show). Like Martin Kane, this character wears a raincoat all the time. Either all detective types looked like that in those days, or the “Beat the Cluck!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 6 pp. TV parody. artist is confusing the two.

“Girls!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody. Inside back cover, b&w.

“Executive Suit.” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). 4 pp. Movie parody.

From Here To Insanity Publisher: Charlton Comics Group, Derby, Connecticut.

With #8, Eh! changes its name. With #11, Joe Simon & Jack Kirby take over for one issue. According to the Price Guide, there was to be a #12 that would be all S&K, but that never appeared. The actual From Here to Insanity #12 is a black-&-white magazine, minus Simon & Kirby but with a 6-page Dick Ayers parody of Davy Crockett that seems to have been done for the comic book format, with gray-tones added. After that, there was a comics-sized b&w Vol. 3, #1, which had a double title: From Here to Insanity/Crazy, Man/Crazy. For all of Vol. 3 it remained a magazine (although the first two issues were comic-sized) titled Crazy, Man, Crazy, which will get its day in the sun when I get around to writing the follow-up to this article, about the Mad magazine imitations. (The data for FHTI #10 were provided by Antony DeMaria, Chris Brown, and Dave O’Dell. It’s the one issue that has escaped me for all these years. The three pages and cover by Steve Ditko make this a hard book to find.)

Ayers tries his hand at more caricatures—but alas, the pages of this story got printed in the wrong order. On the top of page 2, instead of “From Here to Eternity,” it says “From here to Page 24.” Above the next page it says: “This is the end,” and over the final page: “From here to page 22.” The humor just never stops.

“Yee Eh-ditors Page.” Letters page.

“Dragnut Presents Frank ‘n’ Stein.” Artist unknown (signed “B,” or so I read it). 7 pp. Crime story.

A pedestrian crime story using caricatures of Joe Friday and his partner from the Dragnet TV show. The most interesting thing about it is that it is drawn in the style of Chester Gould, in the humorous manner he used in his “topper” strip to Dick Tracy, which was called The Gravies.

“Bloody Mary Nail Polish.” Art by Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody. Inside back cover, b&w.

#8 (Feb. 1955)

“Drink Made-In-Foam.” Art by Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody. Back cover, b&w.

Cover: Fred Ottenheimer (signed)

#9 (April 1955)

“Drain Shampoo!” Ad parody. Inside front cover, b&w.

Cover: Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned) “The Meatball Yo-Yo.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody. Inside front cover, b&w.

“The Robbin Yunk Story.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 6 pp. Funny story.

“The Day after Tomorrow.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 6 pp. TV parody.

The story of a boy who buys a railroad line. If it has any topical reference, it escapes me.

Another parody of The Tonight Show with [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

That Old Mambo-Jambo (Above:) As a popular dance, the mambo sparked at least two very popular hit songs in the mid-1950s: “Papa Loves Mambo” sung by Perry Como, and “Mambo Italiano” sung by Rosemary Clooney. Both singers were definitely better than their material in this instance! And Dick Ayers drew the heck out of this “Mambo” story in From Here to Insanity #9. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

Steve Allen—who is the only person caricatured. The pages are printed sideways to make it a true spectacular “featuring Comicvision in full wide-screen Comicolor!!!”

“The Hiss Parade.” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). 5 pp. TV parody.

“The Odyssey of Homer Wigglesworth.” 2-pp. text story.

“Buds-Ice Quick Frozen Water.” Artist unknown. Ad parody.

“The Arthur Flurry Story!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 5 pp.

Dance school parody.

Who’s Arthur Flurry? Who cares? [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: Arthur Murray, of course, was a famous dancing instructor during this era, with dancing “schools” across the USA; he even had his own TV show a bit later.]

Crime Marches On! (Top right & right:) Two more spoofs on TV shows that also had earlier radio incarnations. Another question: Why have a takeoff on Jack Webb in a story related to Frankenstein? From From Here to Insanity #8. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

55

“Blisterine.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody. Back cover, b&w.

#10 (June 1955) Cover: Steve Ditko (unsigned) Inside front cover. Art by Fred Ottenheimer.

“Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch House!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. 7 pp.

“Stinkeydink and Me!” Art

by Dick Ayers. 4 pp.

“Real Gone with the Wind.” 2-pp. text story.

“Two Mobiles You Can Make.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. 2 pp.

“The Soup Bowl Game.”

Art by Dick Ayers. 7 pp.

“Dial ‘M’ for Mother.” Art

by Fred Ottenheimer. 3 pp.

“Christopher Clumsiness.”

Art by Fred Ottenheimer. 4 pp. (Christopher Columbus parody, maybe?)

Special thanks to Michael T. Gilbert & Jim Ludwig for the cover scan. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“Car Show.” Art by Steve Ditko. 3 pp.

Wink, Wink... Nod, Nod! If this Ayers-drawn story has anything to do with the TV cartoon Winky Dink And Me—you sure can’t tell it from the splash page! But thanks anyway to Michael T. Gilbert & Jim Ludwig. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“Do-It-Yourself News.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. Inside back cover.

“Fashion News - Christian Bore Does It Again (Sigh).” Art by Fred Ottenheimer. Back cover.

#11 (Aug. 1955) “Lo-Fi!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody.

“The Mad Doc.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). 6 pp. TV parody.

A generic hospital series parody, with a caricature of Dr. Killdare’s Dr. Gillespie in the lead.

“Grapple!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody.

“What in the Heck Is a Mambo?” Art by Dick Ayers (unsigned). 5 pp.

Music biz parody.

A weird masterpiece. It’s the story of a mambo. What is a mambo, you may very well ask (besides an incredibly popular Latin dance craze of the period)? Well, according to the splash panel, a mambo is a young man whose head and body are two mambo drums. All his life he has heard a pounding sound in his head, and he doesn’t know what to do with or about it... until he hears jazz musicians playing the mambo. Now everybody loves him, leaving only one guy still wondering—what the heck is the mambo? Working in a strong and uncluttered style, Ayers makes this story swing from start to finish. Not funny ha-ha, but certainly funny-huh?

“Tarnation Cream!” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (unsigned). Ad parody.

Inside back cover, b&w.

Cover: Joe Simon & Jack Kirby (unsigned) When the market for comics or at least the distribution system collapsed in 1954, Simon & Kirby took what remained of their Mainline titles over to Charlton. Whether they just unloaded their inventory or also created new stuff for those titles (at the low Charlton page rate), they also took on some unrelated work. The result is this single issue filled with satire and gags, complemented by one 4-pager by “F.O.” (probably Fred Oppenheimer) which

[©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

Is There A Doctor In The Funnies?

There are: three of ’em, to be exact!

(Above:) The newspaper comic strip Rex Morgan M.D. has been running since 1948, originally by writer Nicholas Dallis and artists Marvin Bradley & Frank Edginton. Seen here is half a 1971 Sunday of this generally static feature. [©2009 Field Enterprises, Inc., or its successors in interest.]

(Left:) Joe Simon & Jack Kirby’s “Rex Mortgage M.D.” appeared in From Here to Insanity #11. It must’ve been hard for Kirby to keep everything in the strip stiff and stationery! Take two Fighting Americans and call me in the morning! [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

(Below:) Then there was “Rx Migrane M.D.” in Panic #9 (June-July 1955).

Script by Jack Mendelsohn; art by Will Elder. The artist captured the strip’s bedside manner so faithfully that it probably put some readers to sleep! But changing “Rex” to “Rx” is clever, since the abbreviation for prescriptions is probably the source of Doc’s given name in the first place! From the Cochran hardcover Panic, Vol. 1. [©2009 William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.]

was probably started before S&K’s arrival. The comic is the usual grab-bag of rushed drawings and occasional flashes of brilliance that can be found in all of the team’s 1950s work. The parodies are broad and the humor often infantile, a far cry from the relative sophistication of Harvey Kurtzman or even Al Feldstein; but it’s certainly a collector’s item and not without its charms. I’m not certain if Al Fago remained the comic’s editor, but the one-page ad parodies introduced in earlier issues continued on the inside and back covers.

“Classifried Ads.” Art by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby (unsigned). Ad parody.

Inside front cover, b&w.

“Romance with a Varicose Heart - Old Love.” Art by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby (unsigned). 6 pp. Romance comic parody.

Simon & Kirby parody the genre they’d brought to comic books

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

57

Little (More) Nemo Two lampoons of the Disney film version of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. The first is by Simon & Kirby, from FTHI #11, as seen at left.

With thanks to Nick Caputo. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

(Above & below:) Artist Wally Wood took a stab at spoofing the film, too—with a better parody title—and, in the story panel, fairly nice likenesses of (seated, left to right) James Mason, Paul Lukas, Kirk Douglas, and Peter Lorre. This rendition appeared in Panic #11 (Oct.-Nov 1955), the penultimate issue. Script

by Jack Mendelsohn. Editor Al Feldstein and his gang may not have got there first in a number of cases—but, despite the moans of some die-hard Kurtzman fans to the contrary, they understood what Mad was all about better than most of the other wannabes. [©2009 William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.]

seven years earlier. All the elements are here: the first-person narration, the mismatched romance (in this case, a female horsesmith falls in love with the chief mixer at a sheep-dip factory), the difficult mother-in-law. The couple go on a crime spree and find happiness after they’ve done their time in Sing Sing. The art looks as if sometime S&K staffer Bill Draut might have been involved as a penciler.

“Expressions...” Art by Jack Kirby (unsigned). One page. TV parody.

Kirby could draw from the slightest of layouts, and this page proves he didn’t always care that much about the end result. In a gag interview which seems to have been pinched from Sid Caesar, Professor Wolfgang von Bagleweiss, noted authority on anything, answers a few questions from “Insanity’s ace reporter” without speaking.

“Line ’Em Up.” Art by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby. 2 pp. Crime comic parody.

I am convinced that anything credited to “Simon & Kirby” from the late ’40s on is actually almost all Kirby. Most S&K art from this period looks as if Kirby drew it all, had the pencils inked by an assistant, then slapped on the blacks in his own inimitable way.

Which is not to say Simon couldn’t have worked on the script, or done some of the inking. This one is a parody on the team’s other principal genre from that period, the crime comic. At that time there was a radio/TV crime series called The Lineup, but apart

from the title very little of it is parodied here—unless Sgt. Butterball and Inspector Eggyoke are somehow puns on Lt. Ben Guthrie and his two assistants Matt Grebb and Fred Asher. When a fat old lady can’t find anything in the lineup, she chases the inspector, who then leads the lineup in a merry dance. Well-drawn but pointless.

“The Psycho News.” Art by Jack Kirby (unsigned). 2 pp. Black-&-white with one color (a bluish grey).

A newspaper for psychos produced by Maniacs Anonymous.

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An Issue-By-Issue Look At Those Mid-1950s Mad Comics Imitators

“20.000 Lugs under the Sea.” Art by Jack Kirby. 6 pp. Movie parody.

Disney’s version of Jules Verne’s novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea was a popular film—and a popular target for parodies. Simon & Kirby are about a year late, but the movie was well-remembered.

The art comes closest to Kirby’s real style at that time, and though most of the caricature is reached through the use of clothing (Kirk Douglas is identified by his striped shirt as much as anything), it is quite good in a down-market sort of way.

“Build It Yourself.” Art by Jack Kirby (unsigned). 4 pp. DIY parody.

“Comet Feldmeyer, the Ace Of Space.” Art by Jack Kirby (unsigned).

Super-hero parody.

All his life Jack Kirby drew sketches and splash pages to initiate characters and new stories. One can almost imagine him coming into the studio in the morning with a stack of drawings: “Anything in here we can use?” This one is supposed to be an ad for a parody in the next issue, but I doubt if that story was ever drawn or would have been drawn if there had been a next issue. It’s just too overthe-top comic book super-heroes striding towards the readers in a stock pose. You might think it had been cobbled together from some old drawings, if you didn’t know that Kirby could draw this sort of thing from scratch in less time than it takes to paste two old drawings together.

“Foreign Intrigues.” Art by Jack Kirby (unsigned). One page. Genre parody.

The foreign-intrigue genre was very much alive at that time in magazines and books, in movies, on TV, and in comics. Using a gag Kurtzman had already employed far too often for his letters pages (“This month all our letters are in Chinese”), Kirby creates a visual non sequitor page that has to be seen to be believed. A similar gag was used in the first issue of the 1930s humor magazine Hullaballoo.

“Tweety Piper.” Art by Jack Kirby. Ad parody. Inside back cover, b&w.

On, Comet! On, Cupid!

Weird though this feature advertised for From Here to Insanity #12 would no doubt have been—if indeed it was ever intended to exist as anything but a fake house ad—it couldn’t have been much stranger than the stories in Joe & Jack’s later issues of Fighting American around this same time! A kid sidekick called “Lovable”?! [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“Dorothy and Digby.” Art by Fred Ottenheimer (signed “F.O.”). 4 pp.

Radio show parody.

Dorothy and Digby are a husband-and-wife team—“the sweethearts of radio-land—who present a morning talk show in the Regis and Cathy Lee manner. Jim Amash informs me this is a parody of the radio talk show Breakfast with Dick and Dorothy, with husbandand-wife team Dick Kollmer and Dorothy Kilgallen, who plugged products while sitting at a breakfast table having a conversation.

“Rex Mortgage M.D.?” Art by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby (unsigned). 3 pp.

Comic strip parodies.

I love comic strip parodies, especially when the artist makes an effort to imitate the drawing style of the comic being parodied.

Kirby does quite a good imitation of the style of the bland soap opera strip Rex Morgan M.D., showing that he could have done the actual strip. Rex saves his patient in the way a real doctor would do: he calls in an expert.

“Beardless, the Pirate.” 2-pp. text story.

“Be a Successful 90-Pound Weakling.” Art by Jack Kirby (unsigned). Ad parody. Back cover, b&w.

Maybe the best 90-pound weakling parody ever done (and there were many!), and therefore the gem of the issue. If you ever buy a copy of this comic, make sure the back cover is intact.

This study will be concluded in Alter Ego #91.

Ger Apeldoorn is a 50-year-old comedy writer and comic collector from the Netherlands. He has written several television series, including a Dutch adaptation of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He is currently working on the third season of his latest series, Single. Those interested can find a promo for seasons 1 & 2 on YouTube. If you want to see what Ger looks like in motion, seek out the Hallmark movie Brush with Fate, where he has a one-line bit as a gravedigger. He has written about comics and TV for many Dutch and American magazines and is active on the Yahoo Timely/Atlas Group run by Dr. Michael Vassallo, where he can always find a kind word and lots of support. He has also written an hour-long play about Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, which was performed at the British Comics Convention, and he would love to hear from American convention promoters about bringing it over to the US. He can be reached at his weblog at www.allthingsger.blogspot.com, where he daily shares comics and newspaper strip esoterica from the days before he was born.

What Hath Kurtzman Wrought?

You’ll Wonder Where The Parodies Went…

Even before Eh!/From Here to Eternity was cancelled, there must’ve been some inventory lying around that needed to be cleared out. So the guys at Ajax/Farrell stuck it in Terrific Comics #16 (March 1955), a mag that was being used to reintroduce Wonder Boy, a minor and youthful “super-hero” from the Jerry Iger shop. Actually, though, the anonymously drawn “Mister Creepers” does a better job of parodying Wally Cox and the Mr. Peepers TV series than you’d expect from a bottom-feeding company like Ajax! (Incidentally, with the next issue, the comic’s title would be changed to Wonder Boy—but it wouldn’t last long.) [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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“I’d Pick Up Anything That Came Along, Since I Was Anxious To Work” Part I Of A Colorful Conversation With Golden Age Artist FRANK BOLLE Interview Conducted by Jim Amash

I

Transcribed by Brian K. Morris

NTRODUCTION: One thing for sure: Frank Bolle’s work sure turned up in a lot of places—some expected, some not. A real workhorse who started off working with Leonard Starr and the Funnies, Inc. shop, where he did some “Sub-Mariner,” “Captain America,” and “Human Torch” stories, Frank’s art also appeared at Crown Comics, Camera Comics, Fawcett, DC, Feature, Timely (and Marvel), Dell, and Gold Key (where he drew Dr. Solar, Man of the Atom), among other companies. His best work may have been done for Magazine Enterprises, where he drew the Tim Holt comic and its Redmask revamp. Frank’s work in newspaper syndication ranges from

Winnie Winkle to On Stage, Gil Thorpe, Encyclopedia Brown, Debbie Deere, Tarzan, Rip Kirby, The Heart of Juliet Jones, to today’s Apartment 3-G. If that’s not enough for you, there’s his Boy’s Life series, advertising work, book illustration, and fine art, much of which you can check out at www.frankbollestudio.com. Of course, Frank’s still at the drawing board on Apartment 3-G, and continues to paint in his spare time. “Spare time”? Hard to believe you have much of that, Frank—though you did manage to fit this interview into your busy schedule, for which we all thank you. —Jim.

“I’d Find [Pencils] On The Street” JIM AMASH: I’m going to ask you my standard beginning questions, like when and where were you born, and what got you interested in art?

FRANK BOLLE: I was born June 23rd, 1924, in Brooklyn. As for drawing, well, I guess it just came just from being alone so much as a kid.

I was so poor, I only had one parent, and I couldn’t even afford baby fat.

[Jim laughs] My mother went off to work every day, and I was left with either neighbors or friends, which meant that I was left in some pretty crummy places, and was alone most of the time. And if I found a piece of paper and pencils—since I never had toys—I would just draw things that I saw. It sort-of came naturally, and that’s what kept me busy.

I started drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil; I guess about fourish. The good part was that my mother never had to scold me to put my toys away. I couldn’t put them in a chest because I didn’t have any. [mutual chuckling] But I felt fortunate since I always could find pencils.

In my day, you didn’t have fancy ballpoint things. Pencils were always yellow, and I’d find them on the street, in the hallway, in the school.

There’d always be a pencil lying around on the floor, so I always had one to draw with. The art supplies came very easily.

Holt That Pose!

Frank Bolle (seen above in a 2007 photo), and his dynamic cover for Magazine Enterprises’ Tim Holt #23 (March 1952), which also sports a photo of Western film star Tim Holt—whose father, Jack Holt, was also a mostlyWestern actor. Tim’s most celebrated film roles were in Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons (1944) and John Huston’s Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)—but his series of RKO cowboy movies in the late ’40s and early ’50s were better than the average horse operas. Thanks to Anthony DeMaria & Michaël Dewally for the photo [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“I’d Pick Up Anything That Came Along, Since I Was Anxious To Work”

In elementary school, we had one day a month where kids drew turkeys that we copied for Thanksgiving, or a pumpkin, or a Santa Claus face, or something like that. But when I got into junior high school, we would have one period a week for an art class. We didn’t do anything special there except copy things, and most of the kids weren’t really interested in art. It was more like “art appreciation.”

The teacher took me aside one time and asked, “When you graduate from junior high, what high school are you going to?” I said, “Just the local school, Bushwick High, where everybody else goes.” She said, “You should go to the High School of Music and Art.” I guess she saw something in me. I didn’t even know where the school was. I’d never even heard of it. She got the application for me. Then, after I filled it out—I was what, thirteen, fourteen years old—she got someone to take me there.

I took a test and was accepted.

Within the first few months, I met Leonard Starr, and we wound up in the same art class. We had math and history classes together, too. We were very similar types of people. We both had a sense of humor, we were the best in the class, and we didn’t compete against each other. We’d kid around, and have lunch together in the lunchroom, and took the same train home. He got off at 14th Street and Union Square, and I just kept going to Brooklyn. We’d ride on the subway together. Some mornings Leonard and a couple of other guys would be on the platform, and they’d come in and we’d sit together, or mostly stand, because that was the busy hour. And when we were high school seniors, we double-dated.

I drew comics, but only for myself. I wrote and drew science-fiction stories in a sketchbook over the weekend, and on Monday my art buddies in class would say, “What did you do this weekend?” You know, they were following the story I was making, so I’d have to hand my sketchbook around.

I think I was first influenced by Milton Caniff ’s Terry and the Pirates.

By accident, I saw some neighbor had the New York Journal-American, which had Flash Gordon in it. I couldn’t afford to buy the newspaper, so

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they saved the funnies for me every week. I began reading Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, The Phantom, and Prince Valiant.

After high school, I went to Pratt Institute for about six months, and was inducted into the Army Air Corps in 1943. The only flying I did was observation flying, but I didn’t fly, myself. I was a camouflage technician. I hid things. [mutual chuckling] I hid the planes, and I hid installations. I’d have to fly up with the pilot and observe whether the stuff was hidden well, or if there were objects left in places that didn’t matter, where the enemy would think there was something there and waste bombs on it.

That sort of thing.

“We Went Off The Cliff” JA: Did you do any artwork in the service?

BOLLE: Only for myself. For instance, we’d be on a march or something, and we’d take five and smoke if you have them. I never smoked, so I took out my little sketchpad and drew the guys. Mostly, I was camouflaging installations and things like that. The first few months after my discharge in ’46, I was recuperating because I’d been in the hospital for four months.

I was in a terrible accident in Okinawa. The driver and I were on a mountain road, and he made a turn, and there was no road there. We went off the cliff.

I don’t know how many hours I was unconscious, but I heard somebody moaning in pain, and that’s what woke me up. And then I realized it was me that was moaning. [mutual chuckling] JA: Did this happen at night? I know sometimes, when they were driving at night, you weren’t allowed to turn your lights on.

BOLLE: No, it was in daylight, and it was right after a typhoon, so a lot of roads were in bad condition. I don’t know how long I was there, but luckily, another car came by with some guys from our outfit and they saw me down the cliff. I was all wedged between rocks, and I had a broken jaw and my whole right side was covered in blood. And one of the big guys from our outfit picked me up like a kid, [chuckles] and carried me up the hill.

They took me to a MASH outfit, where they put me on a stretcher, and laid me on the floor because they had to wait for a doctor to show up. The colonel doctor looked down at me and said, “Gee, I don’t know what I can do with that.” My heart sank because I couldn’t feel anything. I thought I’d lost part of my jaw because there was no sensation. Even when I felt around with my tongue, I couldn’t feel anything. But then some doctor—I think it was a dentist—came in and looked at me. He tapped the inside of my mouth with a tongue depressor. He started making noises where I didn’t have any feelings, so then I realized I didn’t lose my whole jaw. They wired my teeth together, but without X-rays, so I never had a very straight jaw again. And the rest of the stuff, they had to—oh, they pumped me with penicillin, which was brand new in those days. My whole right side was like raw skin from going down a cliff on rocks and everything. They couldn’t really bandage it, but they kept giving me penicillin. It was so strong that it was painful; I could feel the penicillin being pumped in and could taste it in my mouth. They did that like every couple of hours, night and day. Once I started healing, they said since the war was over, they couldn’t keep me there. There was no milk—no real milk to have, which I needed because I was on a liquid diet.

No Flash In The Pan As a youth, Frank read Alex Raymond’s influential Flash Gordon comic strip.

As an adult, he would draw the hero for King Features’ own line of comic books, as per this splash from King Comics’ Flash Gordon #2 (1966). Thanks to Michaël Dewally. [©2009 King Features Syndicate, Inc.]

They flew me and a bunch of other guys back to the States. I was up in Utica General Hospital for about four months. When I was finally all better, I was shipped down to Fort Dix [New Jersey], where I got my discharge. For the first couple of months, I didn’t do much of anything, and then I got in touch with Leonard, who was drawing some comics.

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A Colorful Conversation With Golden Age Artist Frank Bolle

and I got along great with her.

JA: Did you ever deal with Lloyd or Grace Jacquet who owned Funnies?

BOLLE: Not that I remember.

JA: How often did you work in their office?

BOLLE: I didn’t work there very often, and when I started going to Pratt, I only worked there at night. I didn’t go back to Pratt right away; I waited like six months. Night school was very good because I could do some catching up, doing life drawing, portrait painting, and illustration.

JA: I have a credit for you as doing work for Rural Home, which you probably did through Funnies, Inc. But the date I have for that is 1945, which is obviously incorrect, and it has you as just inking. The two features—one is called “Secret Assignment,“ and the other one’s “Secret Seven.” Does this ring any kind of bell with you?

BOLLE: No, but I did a lot of strange things, just on the spur of the moment, that someone would call me or someone would pass it on to me... someone who couldn’t do it. It would be a one-shot thing, and that was so long ago. I would do something, either pencil or ink it, and that would be it, and I’d never see the people again.

Like when I did “Pistol Packin’ Patty” and “Freshman Freddy” for Fawcett. I never saw anybody there, because I only dealt with the writer. He had an office on 42nd Street. I only met him once and for a couple years, I did “Patty” and “Freddy.” I would pick up the script at his office—he was never there, but he would leave a script for me—and I would leave the finished work on his desk. I did that for a couple of years, and never met the guy except the first time. I believe his name was Joe Blair, who had worked for Funnies, Inc.

Smile For The Camera Comics (Right:) Frank Bolle in uniform, age 19. With thanks to the artist.

(Above:) “Frankly” speaking, the chances are that this page from “The Grey Comet” story in Camera Comics #3 (Dec. 1944) wasn’t drawn by Bolle. But he mentions on p. 65 that he and his boyhood chum Leonard Starr drew for this title, so it seemed a fitting image to accompany discussion of the artist’s service during World War II. Frank’s assignment was to do aerial checking of US ground camouflage—while The Grey Comet’s mission in this issue was to locate the Germans’ hidden secret weapon. Camera Comics was an odd series, with an article-&-photos center section, plus comics series with titles like “Linda Lens, Woman Photographer,” “Kid Click,” “Art Fenton” [a Signal Corps photographer], and “George Ferguson, Newsreel Cameraman.” [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

JA: You also drew “Lance O’Casey” for Fawcett.

BOLLE: If you say so. I don’t remember it.

JA: For Funnies, Inc., you drew “Sub-Mariner.” Pencils and inks?

BOLLE: I don’t know how much of the stuff I did, but I think I only penciled, and I remember doing backgrounds, but I don’t think they were ready for me to do figures yet.

JA: Do you remember who you did backgrounds for?

BOLLE: No, they had more than one guy drawing it at the time.

“I Did A Lot Of Strange Things”

JA: Could it have been Carl Pfeufer?

JA: Was he at Funnies, Incorporated?

BOLLE: Carl Pfeufer sounds familiar. It could have been him.

BOLLE: Yes. We were doing some stuff for them; I penciled and inked things like the “Sub-Mariner,” among other features.

JA: And there was a guy there named Ed Ashe.

JA: Did you work with Leonard, or did you actually work for Funnies, Inc.?

BOLLE: We both worked for them, and it was the only time I worked in a little bullpen. Not really a bullpen, but we were in the same room and we would either pencil or ink for them. I remember starting out with just doing backgrounds. I only worked there about a year, at the most. Bobbie Ross was the editor there. She was a small person, very nice, very friendly,

BOLLE: Ed Ashe sounds familiar, too. Leonard was there longer, so he really got to know these people.

JA: So when you did pencils on “Sub-Mariner,” you just did background penciling? Did you do any “Human Torch” or “Captain America”?

BOLLE: Yes, I did some penciling on them, too.

JA: On both features? It was the same deal, just doing backgrounds?

“I’d Pick Up Anything That Came Along, Since I Was Anxious To Work”

BOLLE: I think, on one of them, I was doing some figure work. It was just penciling, though…just some penciling.

JA: And that’s in the ’46 to ’47 period. Before you left Funnies, did you do whole stories at all or just backgrounds?

BOLLE: Just backgrounds.

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BOLLE: No. They were associated with Crown Comics.

JA: Right, Crown Comics. I have you doing some covers, and features like “Bart Stewart” and “Dot and Dash”...

BOLLE: Yeah, that was a romance feature.

JA: “Vic Cutter.”

JA: Why did you quit working for them?

BOLLE: I was just looking for other stuff to do, and I think I started doing some stuff for, I think, DC and some stuff for Timely.

JA: Of course you know the “Human Torch” and “Sub-Mariner” and “Captain America” were being published by Timely. That’s who Funnies was supplying. You knew a colorist named Joe Coleman at Funnies.

What do you remember about him?

BOLLE: He was like a private eye. I modeled him after Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon. I wrote some of the features there. Some of them I wrote with Leonard, too. We worked on them together, mostly. I would pencil, he would ink them; I wrote the plot, and he wrote the dialogue.

JA: Did you discuss a plot with him first, or would you just write a plot?

BOLLE: Just that he was a very nice guy, and he lived in New Jersey.

BOLLE: I would more or less write the plot. Leonard was good with dialogue because he’d seen all the movies while I was away. After the script was written, I drew each scene as needed to fit the dialogue.

JA: Did you know Herman Stackle?

JA: So the story was completely written before you drew it.

BOLLE: Herman was a letterer. He was an older fellow, a philosopher. [mutual chuckling] To us, anyway.

BOLLE: Yes, because we had to know how much room to leave for the dialogue.

JA: Did very many people work at Funnies in the offices?

JA: Did you have to get your stories approved before you drew them at McCombs?

BOLLE: Bobbie Ross was there and the owner would be there, whatever his name was. [NOTE: Lloyd Jacquet.] And there were two older guys— well to me, they were older because I was only 20 or 21—they were the guys who drew the main figures and inking the figure drawing mostly, but I don‘t remember who they were. I didn’t socialize with them.

“I Wrote Some Of The Features [at McCombs]” JA: In ’47 to ’48, you worked for McCombs. Do you remember what McCombs’ first name was?

BOLLE: I don’t think so, no. I just usually brought in the finished work because McCombs... he was retired, actually. He just didn’t want to quit altogether since he probably was a publisher before that. He was in his office every few days. I would call him up and say I had this stuff ready for him, and I’d bring it in, and then he’d be there. His office had just one room in a building right on Columbus Circle. It was like a news building, but I don’t remember its name. When he wasn’t there, his wife was there.

“I Was Constantly Working” JA: You worked for McCombs for a couple of years, but you were also working for a few other companies at the time. I’ve got you in 1948 working for Hillman on a feature called “Ultra Violet,” as well as on “The Heap.”

BOLLE: I did a couple of “Heap” stories for them. I either penciled or inked them; I don’t remember.

Fawcett Funnies Gag partial-pagers by Bolle from Whiz Comics #124 (Aug. 1950) and Hopalong Cassidy #60 (Oct. 1951). There’d been a hit song called “PistolPackin’ Mama” in the late 1940s. Thanks to P.C. Hamerlinck. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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A Colorful Conversation With Golden Age Artist Frank Bolle

JA: You also did work in a western book called Outlaws.

BOLLE: I might have. I know I did a lot of Western stuff.

JA: For DC, I have you from 1950 to 1952 doing “Robotman.” Do you remember working for DC in the 1950s?

BOLLE: Yeah, I know I did some stuff for them, but it wasn’t something that I was very keen on.

JA: I know in the mid-’60s, you did romance comics like Girls’ Love Stories and Heartthrobs. On “Robotman,” I think the editor might have been Jack Schiff. Does that ring a bell?

BOLLE: His name sounds familiar. I drew romance stories because I was good at doing good-looking girls.

JA: One editor was Phyllis Reed, who was a striking lady, kind of thin, dark hair; and there was also Jack Miller, who was editing romance.

BOLLE: I remember the woman, but I don’t remember the man. I don’t remember anything about her, though.

Co-Starring Frank and Leonard Starr drew a number of tales in tandem in the postwar years, including the “Vic Cutter” series for the McCombs company. These two “Bolle & Starr”-bylined splash pages from a 1946 issue of Crown Comics (somewhere between #11 & #19, we’re told) flank a photo of Starr at work on a 1957 Sunday page for his beautifully drawn comic strip On Stage. Do yourself a favor and pick up all five or so volumes out thus far of Leonard Starr’s Mary Perkins On Stage, published by Classics Comics Press, from which the photo was taken. With thanks to Charles Pelto. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

JA: I have you listed as a penciler. The editor there was Ed Cronin, straightlaced kind of guy, wore starched collars, [mutual chuckling] short hair, kind of a nervous guy. Did you do those stories with Leonard?

BOLLE: I could have done those by myself, because we had a studio together for a couple of years, but then he got married and moved out to Huntington, Connecticut. So I didn’t share a studio with him anymore because he was too far away, and neither one of us had a car, but we still remained friends. He was doing other things. He kept working for DC and other companies, and I realized I just didn’t want to take anything away from him, and he probably didn’t want to take anything away from me, so he just found other stuff and I found other stuff.

JA: I have you in 1947 and ’48, working for Standard Publications on Real Life Comics and a feature called “Tara.” Does that sound familiar?

BOLLE: No, I don’t remember that. But there are so many things I did, because I was constantly working from the day I started. I’d pick up anything that came along, since I was anxious to work.

“I’d Pick Up Anything That Came Along, Since I Was Anxious To Work”

A Heap Of Trouble (Above:) The first page of a “Heap” adventure reportedly penciled by Frank Bolle, from Hillman Periodicals’ Airboy Comics, Vol. 5, #2 (March 1948). At this time, the ol’ Heapster was still colored gray. Soon, foreshadowing the path to be taken by Lee & Kirby’s Hulk nearly a decade and a half later, he’d turn light green! Thanks to Michaël Dewally. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

JA: In 1973 you did some mystery stories for House of Secrets. Joe Orlando was your editor.

BOLLE: That could be, but I just don’t remember too many details now.

JA: You also did Young Love and Young Romance, so you did a lot of romance there for a while. Did you like doing the romance stories?

BOLLE: Oh, yes. I liked drawing women. I could make them look feminine and good-looking. I knew some guys who drew women who looked like men with long hair. [mutual chuckling] JA: When you were at Crown Comics, there was also a Camera Comics [company] that Leonard told me you guys worked for. Do you remember them? They were at 420 Lex [Lexington Avenue].

BOLLE: No, I don’t remember it. Leonard might have remembered it better because he probably went there. There were times when, since I was away in the service for three years, he had more contact and he knew some of the people, and he did some of the legwork while I was doing some of the penciling.

I, Robotman (Above right & right:) Bolle is credited with drawing a handful of “Robotman” stories for mags dated 1951, including Detective Comics #169 (March)—and #175 (Sept.). Thanks to Bob Bailey & Robert Rivard, respectively, for the scans. [©2009 DC Comics.]

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A Colorful Conversation With Golden Age Artist Frank Bolle

“The Paper Just Reeked Of [Kirby’s Cigar Smoke]” JA: Do you remember ever doing any work for a company called Kirby Publishing? This would have been in the late ’40s, early ’50s. There were two editors, and one of them, I know you know. One of them was a guy named John Augustin, and the other was Tex Blaisdell. Anything about this company come to mind?

BOLLE: I don’t remember Kirby Publishing, but I know I did something for Simon & Kirby, briefly, because it was the only time I quit something.

It was because of Kirby’s pages. I went to see Joe Simon, who liked my work and said, “We need someone to ink this Jack Kirby story,” and handed it to me. Kirby must have been smoking cigars constantly, and the paper just reeked of it. Those pages were under my nose while I inking it, and it was making me cranky. It was changing my personality, and I kept saying, “I can’t work.” So it got to be a big joke when I told people that I quit. And they said, “You quit? You just quit?” I finished the job, but I wouldn’t take any more work from them, because I said, “I’m not going to work while I’m inhaling all this smelly paper and it‘s making me cranky and everything.” [Jim laughs] That was the big joke that went around, that I would quit because I couldn’t stand the smell of the paper. But it was true! It was awful. It smelled like the penciler soaked the paper in tobacco smoke!

Tex Blaisdell made a big joke out of it. He said, “This guy quit inking Jack Kirby because he couldn’t stand the smell of the paper.” You know that I never smoked. When I was in the service, I could have gotten all the cigarettes I wanted for free; they were giving them away. It just was something that didn’t appeal to me. I’m glad now, because I probably would have gotten second-hand smoke from working on those pages. [laughter] It just reeked unbelievably. I had to wash my hands after doing one or two stories for them, but then I said, “No, that’s it. I’m not doing any more.”

JA: What was Tex like? I’ve heard a variety of opinions on him.

You’ve Really Got A Holt On Me Tim Holt (on the left in photo) in a publicity still done for his popular RKO Westerns—juxtaposed with a Bolle splash from Tim Holt #31 (Aug.-Sept. 1952), in the days before Holt’s comic book incarnation first donned a crimson bandanna. The Redmask persona was perhaps an unconscious nod to a fellow Magazine Enterprises cowboy-movie licensee, The Durango Kid. Thanks to James Zanotto for the “Kiowa” scan.

In the films, Tim had a pal named Chito (full name: Chito Jose Gonzales Bustamonte Rafferty!), played by Richard Martin, seen on right in photo—and caricatured with Holt on the “Doom Trail!” splash. Despite his exaggerated accent, Chito, who appeared in some of the early comics stories, was less stereotyped than most Mexican sidekicks of the day. Photo and “Doom Trail!” art are repro’d from comics published by Bill Black’s AC Comics. Many “Tim Holt/Redmask” and “Durango Kid” stories originally published by Vin Sullivan’s ME have been reprinted by AC Comics, some in its revival of ME’s Best of the West title. For a list of AC’s many mags still available, check out its website at accomics.com. [“Doom Trail!” splash ©2009 AC Comics.]

BOLLE: Yes, he was. He did a lot of drinking. I never saw him without a cigarette or without a drink in his hand.

JA: Around 1949, ’50, I have you as working for St. John Publications, doing adventures and romance.

BOLLE: I remember working for them, but I don’t remember too much about it. I did a John Wayne comic book, for Toby Press. I got to know the editor, Mel Lazarus, then, and later on when I’d meet him at the National Cartoonists meetings. I was even at his house one time when I was doing some stuff for him when he was living in Sheepshead Bay, I think.

JA: In 1954, I have you working for a company called Story Comics. You were doing covers for The Masked Ranger. [chuckles] Sounds like a version of The Lone Ranger, doesn’t he?

BOLLE: He was funny. He was very tall. I don’t remember exactly where I met him, but he was a friend of Leonard’s, and he knew so many people that I knew so I got to know him socially, too. When Leonard was doing On Stage, I was working with him and Tex. I was penciling. We used Tex as a cowboy character in the story for a while, so we took pictures of Tex for reference. I knew his wife and family, too, because he would throw a party every once in a while.

JA: Yes, I’ve got you starting there in ’48.

JA: Leonard described him as being sad towards the end.

BOLLE: That sounds right. Ray Krank, the editor, hired me. I brought in

“I Drew Tim Holt For The Next Few Years” BOLLE: You don’t have any mention of working for Magazine Enterprises? I thought I started at Magazine Enterprises earlier.

“I’d Pick Up Anything That Came Along, Since I Was Anxious To Work”

a “Vic Cutter” story that I had, and some of the detective stories that I did for Crown Comics. He immediately gave me a script. He asked, “Can you do a spy story?” I said, “Sure,” so he gave me a seven-pager right off and asked, “When do you think you can have it done?” I said, “I’ll bring the pencils in next week,” because they lettered it. When I brought the pencils in, he said, “Can you do Western stuff?” I said, “I’d love to do Western stuff.” He said, “We have a contract with Tim Holt, the actor who does Western movies. I’ll give you a Tim Holt script.” I drew Tim Holt for the next few years.

JA: Before you worked for Magazine Enterprises, didn’t you usually do your own lettering?

BOLLE: Sometimes I did, like for McCombs. It was just something I felt I had to do because I didn’t have a personal letterer whom I could just call up and say, “Come over and do some lettering,” so I did some of it myself.

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Sometimes, I would get someone else to do it if I really got jammed up.

JA: But you didn’t letter for Magazine Enterprises, did you?

BOLLE: No, I don’t think so. I remember leaving the pencils there, and then they’d give me another script. When I came back with the pencils, they’d give me the previous batch, already lettered, and then I would ink it. It was a good routine.

I’d see the owner, Vince Sullivan, every once in a while, but Ray Krank was the one I worked with. Sullivan came in every once in a while to say hello and tell me about something, or ask me if I could do something else.

He was always very friendly. They liked me there.

JA: Do you remember how much you got paid when you started there?

BOLLE: I think it was a little better than Crown Comics because now I penciled. I worked with some good writers. I can’t remember all their names. Do you have a list?

JA: There was Carl Memling, Al Schutzer, and Gardner Fox. BOLLE: I think I did most of the stuff with Gardner Fox. He wrote most of the Westerns. He was good. I may have met him once. But when I came in, I would drop my stuff off and pick up stuff and leave. I never hung around there.

JA: Describe the offices.

BOLLE: There was the entrance, and a little waiting room, then there was probably the bookkeeper’s room. Vincent Sullivan had his own private

Tim Holt’s, Er, Alter Ego For a time, Tim Holt and his later-added secret identity shared more or less equal status in issues of his own comic (as well as in ME’s Best of the West)—as per the above Bolle splash page from Tim Holt #28 (March 1952), whose Redmask cover was seen on p. 60. In fact, a big black-&-white photo of Tim on horseback was the primary image on the cover of #29 (with only a head-shot of his other identity, Redmask of the Rio Grande); but Frank’s line art for #31 was the last time an unmasked Holt graced on a cover, even though the comic retained his name as the official title till #42 in 1954. While “Redmask” was invariably written as one word in the stories, the eventual title logo split it in two. Thanks to Michaël Dewally.

At right is a filler page of Western lore, drawn by Bolle, repro’d from a scan of the original art from an unknown issue of Tim Holt, courtesy of an unknown donor to whom we owe a copy of this issue! [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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A Colorful Conversation With Golden Age Artist Frank Bolle

he suggested, it’d make a terrific story.

JA: When you were drawing Tim Holt, how conscientious were you of getting an accurate likeness?

BOLLE: Well, I did a very nice likeness of him in the comics. It wasn’t a detailed portrait, but it looked like him enough to know that if you followed the movies, you recognized him.

JA: The reason why I asked is because Tim Holt was a handsome man, but he didn’t have the distinguishing features of a Gary Cooper, for instance. Did you make a model sheet for yourself of him, or did you have a lot of reference?

BOLLE: When Ray first offered it to me, he gave me a handful of photographs from his movies, like where he’s coming out of a saloon, or drawing his gun, or posing with other actors. I had enough pictures to make it look approximately like him. They also screened a few of his movies for me. But when the contract ran out, that’s when they switched Tim Holt to Redmask. It was still Tim Holt, but with a red mask. Do you remember when they made 3-D movies? Well, I came in one day and said to Ray Krank, “I can draw this. I could do a 3-D effect, without using the glasses.” I showed him a couple of samples that I had drawn where I had things coming in and out of the panel and he said, “Yeah, do that.” [mutual chuckling] JA: Why do you think they didn’t renew the contract with Tim Holt?

Was it a matter of money?

BOLLE: It could have been that, or maybe Tim Holt didn’t want to be in a comic book anymore. They had a five-year contract, and when it ended, it ended.

JA: Did you find it kind of odd to suddenly put a mask on him?

Mask Of The Red Depth

BOLLE: Yes. I even designed the new costume for him, because Ray wanted to do something a little different.

Originally, I didn’t want to have him wearing an eye mask like the Lone Ranger did. I gave him a bandanna that went over his shoulders and came up over his nose. And then I gave him a red outfit that was similar to a blue Calvary outfit with the boot and the yellow stripe on the side of the pants. I gave him a holster, but the holster had an extension where there was a long knife attached to the bottom, so it looked like a sword at the bottom.

(Above:) Bolle’s splash page from Tim Holt #39 features panels that showcase what he called a “3 dimension effect.” The gray tones were added by AC Comics.

(Right:) Before she attained her own title, Black Phantom was introduced in issues of Redmask, as per this AC re-use of a Frank Bolle cover for that of its own Best of the West #24 (2001), still available.

The AC staff has been known to slightly retouch the busts and necklines of female figures in order to accentuate the positive, but we’re not sure that was done in this instance—and in any event, the art would still be mostly Bolle’s. [©2009 AC Comics.]

office. The other office—the bigger office—was where Ray Krank had his desk, at one end of the room. At the other end were two big drawing boards where the two assistants worked.

One was Ginny Leahy, and the other one was Ann or Alice something. They colored comics and did paste-ups. They were both very friendly with me, so we got along great. I don’t know if one of them did the lettering, or they had someone else lettering.

Ray was always there. He was the one who read and approved and looked at everything. He was a very nice gentleman— probably in his forties—who had a good sense of humor, and was very friendly. I had a good time when I showed up, but it’s not like we went to lunch or anything. He never critiqued my work. He always liked what I did. I do know that, when I spoke to a couple of the writers, they just thought Ray was great, because he could pinpoint what was wrong with a story or how to improve it, and even if he didn’t buy it, they could always sell it to somebody else. He was such a good editor. I heard him sometimes critique something, and gee, everything he said was just brilliant, and I could see where if the writer made those little changes that

JA: Who named the character Redmask?

BOLLE: Oh, they did.

JA: When you did covers for the company, did you have to submit cover roughs?

BOLLE: Ray Krank really trusted me. He’d tell me what scene he wanted me to illustrate, and I would draw it.

JA: You also did Black Phantom and I have that as being from ’53 to ’57; and Robin Hood, ’55 to ’57.

“I’d Pick Up Anything That Came Along, Since I Was Anxious To Work”

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BOLLE: Right. I enjoyed doing that one, too.

JA: And Sir Gallant from ’55 to ’57. Did you prefer doing recurring characters as opposed to say, just doing like fillers with no recurring characters?

BOLLE: It didn’t matter to me either way.

JA: Did you work at home?

BOLLE: Yes, I always worked at home, except when I first started out. It didn’t matter where I lived either, because when I first started, I still lived in Brooklyn. But after that, I moved around a little bit.

JA: Some companies provided materials like paper for their artists.

BOLLE: Western Publishing did. They had their own sized paper and the panels were already ruled in pale blue.

You didn’t have to stick to it. You could make two panels one big panel, but their shapes were already there, so it was pretty good.

JA: Did Magazine Enterprises ever supply any paper?

BOLLE: No, I had to use my own paper, twelve-by-eighteen.

JA: What if you didn’t like a story or a particular story point? Would you ever change it or did you just follow the scripts?

Holt Or I’ll Shoot!

(Above:) This transitional Bolle splash from an unidentified issue still retains the “Tim Holt” logo, but the cowboy star’s name is not used in the main caption, and chances are he didn’t appear unmasked in the actual story. Clearly, Vin Sullivan must have decided that, with time running out both on his 5-year contract with Holt and on Saturday-matinee theatrical Westerns themselves, he needed to morph the hero (and comic title) into a character with no connection to any actual person who expected to be paid for use of his name and likeness. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

Holt himself made his final film appearance in the 1957 sciencefiction/horror film The Monster That Challenged the World, and died of a heart attack at a too-young age in 1973. He’d led a colorful life, having been a bombardier in the US Army Air Force during World War II, at which time he’d been involved in one of the strangest secret projects of the war, the so-called “Bat Bomb.” Also seen is a photo of Holt in the USAAF, as repro’d in Jack Couffer’s fascinating and true 1992 book of that title.

BOLLE: No, I followed the scripts pretty much. There was no reason to argue about anything. They didn’t get into gory stuff or very sexy stuff so there was no reason to discuss it. Most of them were just good stories.

JA: Did you do a lot of reference on Robin Hood?

Bolled Over By Robin Hood From Redmask to an archer named Hood! Frank W. Bolle’s cover and a splash panel from Robin Hood #3 (March 1956), one of Magazine Enterprises’ last titles… one of several comics series inspired by the popularity of TV’s The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Richard Greene.

Thanks to Bob Bailey. What does the “W.” stand for? Hopefully, you’ll find out in the Frank Bolle Checklist next issue, when this interview concludes. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

BOLLE: I just had some costume books, but I remembered the movies. I was twelve when I saw Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. Boy, that was great.

But I didn’t base this Robin Hood on anyone in particular. I usually made up my characters from my imagination. If I had to draw a heavyset guy, I would think of Sidney Greenstreet or someone like that, who was really different-looking. It was only later on, when I was doing syndicated stuff, that I used friends and neighbors—people who wanted to be in the funny papers. Some guy would beg me to be in the funnies. I said, “I’ll make you a bad guy.” He said, “I don’t care!” [mutual laughter] And then, for Christmas or his birthday, I framed the Sunday page that I did of him and I gave it to him as a present.

Jim Amash’s interview with Frank Bolle will conclude in the next Alter Ego.

re:

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had become friendly with him and kept in touch with him after I had graduated. The question Jim asked was how Dick came to work at DC. Dick could not recall. I, however, remember speaking to him one night during class on just that subject. Dick told me that the reason he was doing some work for DC in the late ’80s was that DC was courting him in hopes of using him on a possible Steve Canyon comic book. He had heard that DC was trying to pick up the license from Milt Caniff or Caniff ’s estate shortly before or after his death. I also wanted to thank you for printing this interview with Dick, as “ghost artists” often don’t get credit for a substantial body of work they have done in the name of someone else.

Stephen Oswald Our only regret, Stephen, was that Dick never got to read it in print. But we agree that his career and life should be celebrated.

Now on to Alter Ego #73, which centered around the talented and influential Charles Biro, although there were a number of other features as well…

J

ust time, once again, for a truncated letters section—after we present the above crazy riot of an homage Shane Foley has drawn to the cover of Wild #2. And it isn’t even Halloween! [Art ©2009 Shane Foley; Alter Ego hero TM & © Roy & Dann Thomas.]

But, before we get to missives re #73, here are two letters we accidentally left out of last issue’s “re:” section. The first is from Ken Nadle, who scribed an article for #72 about his father Larry Nadle (Golden Age DC humor editor) and Martin Nadle/Naydel, mid-1940s artist of “The Justice Society of America,” “The Flash,” and “The Terrific Whatzit”: Hi Roy— I came across a blog recently that questioned the truth of Larry’s writing the Nero Wolfe [newspaper comic] strip, so I thought I would send the actual letter he received from [Nero Wolfe creator] Rex Stout.

This way, should it ever come up in the pages of Alter Ego, you will have some actual documentation to back up what I remember.

I was only fourteen at the time, but I remember my father talking about writing the Nero Wolfe strip at the dinner table. I don’t know how many sequences he wrote other than the ones mentioned in Stout’s letter. I did see reference to a “nit-picking” letter Rex was supposed to have sent to “Lawrence Nadle, the Columbia Features executive responsible for the Nero Wolfe comic strip,” as reported by Tina Silber in the NeroWolf.org site. The thing that struck me is that I never remember my father ever being referred to as a Columbia Features executive. The only letter from Rex Stout that I found amongst my father’s effects is this one, and it is approving.

Martin Wolfson of Bayonne, NJ, advised us that a “clarification” of sorts might be in order: “Your excellent story on Charles Biro has him at NBC while also working on the children’s shows Just for Fun and Wonderama. Both these shows (hosted by Sonny Fox) were on Channel 5 (Metromedia), at least in NYC (NBC being Channel 4). Maybe they were produced by, but not shown on, NBC? Or maybe this was freelance work?”

Frankly, we have no idea, Marty—but if someone can clarify this point, we’d be happy to pass it on to you.

John Benson, editor of Squa Tront, writes, regarding the Biro-edited Crime Does Not Pay story page reprinted on p. 37 of A/E #73, that “it could hardly have been ‘true, up to a point.’ Al Jennings was an old-time desperado in the Western states, robbing trains and such. He was caught, went to jail, and reformed. He then went to Hollywood and starred as himself in a movie of his life story in 1914, and continued to appear in films up through 1939.” According to a reliable source, “he died in 1969 at the age of 98. So was hardly ‘executed,’ and he was certainly alive in 1949 when CDNP reported that he was executed in 1933. Apparently the writer of the

It is possible that Larry was ghosting for John Broome, who was ghosting for Rex Stout—but then why was Stout communicating directly with Larry?

Ken Nadle We (or rather, I, meaning Roy) hadn’t heard of any controversy regarding whether your father did nor did not ghost-write the Nero Wolfe strip, Ken… but we’re pleased to print that letter from the creator of one of the most famous fictional detectives of the 20th century.

Next up: also re #72, we should’ve included this note from Stephen Oswald, a production artist and freelance writer at Archie Comics: Mr. Thomas, I thought I might provide some further insight into one of the questions that Jim Amash asked Dick Rockwell in issue #72. Dick had been a teacher of mine when I was attending FIT in the late ’90s, and I

A Stout Fellow Nero Wolfe creator/writer Rex Stout’s 1957 letter to Larry Nadle. See Ken Nadle’s letter on this page for more particulars—and A/E #72 for an example of the Nero Wolfe newspaper comic strip. [©2009 Estate of Rex Stout.]

re:

story figured that readers would recognize Jennings’ name but know nothing about him, so he could just make up the story.” John also says the car on the page looks far too late to be a ’33 model.

John likewise notes, in a separate email, that he was intrigued to read, in #73’s “re:” section, a boxed addendum concerning the EC panel at the comiccon he put on in 1966—because his longtime friend Bhob Stewart “had always claimed that he coined the term ‘underground comics’ at that convention.” As John was happy to see confirmed, the last few comments spoken on that panel did indeed quote Bhob using that term. Alas, this exchange had inadvertently gotten sliced off the main transcription as we printed it in #58-59, so we included the correction in #73 at Bhob’s request.

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got an offer from Roy Huggins in Hollywood to write for his shows Maverick, Cheyenne, and other Warner Bros.-produced TV series at ABC. As far as I knew, Ziff, Sr., was always extremely friendly to Howard.

And to all of us, too. However, he could be autocratic; he could be very demanding. Occasionally, he would test us, which was unnerving. It was on one of those occasions that I learned something that made it easier to deal with him. It came up when we were planning a G.I. Joe comic strip to try to sell for syndication. G.I. Joe sold more than a million and a half copies each month, and was clearly the company’s top-selling magazine. Mr. Ziff, who came up with the idea of a comic strip, had me write about two weeks’ worth of scripts. I brought them to the office, gave him a carbon copy, and we began to read the material together. I told him that I thought his changes were as dated as “23 skidoo,” and that I preferred the dialogue I had written. I said I’d put in his edits, but I didn’t like them. “I really don’t care what you like or dislike,” he said, and with that, he rose to his full six-foot-four height and declared, “This meeting is over.” I slunk out of his office, feeling that this next paycheck would be my last.

Michael Catron writes that our caption concerning the Bernie Wrightson swamp-monster art that was printed on p. 62 was “confusing and inaccurate,” in that Richard Arndt’s article correctly IDs the art as running in Reality #2 (not as the cover of #1)… while the basic re-use of that illo was not on the cover of House of Mystery #92, but in Amazing World of DC Comics #2, and later as the cover to House of Boy Commandos Mystery #255. “Looks like Roy dashed The cover of Lev Gleason Publications’ Boy Comics #7 (Dec. 1952) off that caption late at night after a long, suggests yet another missed opportunity for a Justice Society-style hard day,” Michael opines. Well, actually, The next morning, right at nine, Golden Age grouping—though an assemblage of teens and even preMichael, I haven’t done much work “late my phone rang. “Herb,” Mr. Ziff said, teens. Author and comics historian Ron Goulart feels that, though the at night” since 1977, when I met Danette cover is signed by Charles Biro, artist Norman Maurer also had at least “I must apologize for my boorish a hand in the art. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

Couto and became more of a “day behavior. After re-reading the scripts, person” so the two of us could be I must agree with you. Your dialogue together in the evenings—but otherwise, guilty as charged. Thanks for the is far better than the changes I suggested.” And he hung up. Afterward, I correction. checked with some of the other editors who had had similar run-ins with him.

When they stood up to him, they also got an apology the next Issue #73 also contained a belated tribute to publisher William B. Ziff, morning. What a tyrant, I thought! He pushed his editors and executives Jr., who passed away in 2006. This prompted some welcome reminiscences to a point where they either took a stand and defended their work and/or from Herb Rogoff, editor at Hillman and Ziff-Davis during the 1940s and their principles, or meekly gave in to him. If they weren’t willing to defend ’50s (and major interviewee back in AE #43): their own work, then Ziff was ready to junk it all. It’s easy to see how his sadistic and stupid game could have cost the company some very precious Dear Roy, and profitable ideas, permitting them to die along with the pride and Your tribute to Bill Ziff triggered a spark in my memory about my respect of certain of his employees. initial meeting with him, and also of an incident right after his father’s funeral. At the time of William B. Ziff ’s death in 1953, the comics division of Ziff-Davis had already been disbanded. We had sold our entire inventory of original comic art, and the rights to all of our titles, to St. John Publishing. Rather than leave the company after the sale, I moved up to art director of Z-D’s Fiction Group, which consisted of only two titles, Amazing Stories and Fantastic Stories.

Immediately after the funeral, we all gathered at a nearby restaurant for lunch. Some of the company’s editors were there with their wives.

When the drinks arrived, my editor, Howard Browne, chose to make the toast. He lifted his glass and said, “To William Ziff, a toast—may he roast in hell.” This, I have to say, and I said it at that time in the restaurant, was unkind. While William Ziff was not the easiest man to work for, he did not warrant Howard’s fond wish for our late employer’s eternal resting place. The other editors and their wives reacted the way I did. We let him know it at that time. Incidentally, Howard subsequently left Z-D when he

I met William Ziff, Jr., shortly after his father’s funeral, when he arrived at the company’s offices to take over. He came to my office late one day, close to five, and asked what I was doing that evening. He was three years younger than I (I didn’t know this at the time, but learned his age difference from his obituary), and, at about six-feet-two, was two inches taller than I was. He had a shock of straight, black hair that kept falling over his eyes. It made him appear to be years younger. He had the look of a man who had certainly lived in comfort all his life.

We made the rounds of a few bars, where he kept pumping me for information about the company, which was now his, and his employees, who were also now his. Aside from my own group and the recently departed comic book division, I really didn’t know much about the other magazines. I told him he could get the information he wanted from staffers at the other magazines.

For most of the next week, we barhopped all over Manhattan.

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[correspondence, comments, and corrections]

Not Exactly A Browne Nose!

Howard Browne (seen in photo detail below) may have uttered a very crude toast after the 1953 funeral of William B. Ziff; but, in addition to an editor for Ziff-Davis, he was the author of what critic/historian Richard A. Lupoff has called a “rather good Tarzan pastiche” in his novel Warrior of the Dawn. Featuring the CroMagnon adventurer Tharn, it had been serialized in Ziff-Davis’ Amazing Stories magazine in 1942. The artist of the dust jacket for the 1943 book edition (seen at left) is unknown. The 1944 photo of Browne (with several friends) was printed in the science-fiction fandom history All Our Yesterdays (1969), by Harry Warner, Jr. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

During this time, Junior made tantalizing promises to me about what my future would be at the new and improved Ziff-Davis Publishing Company.

About four months later, the axe fell at almost every magazine’s editorial department. I was included. Bill told me that the Fiction Group did not truly need an art director. I shouldn’t be upset, he said. He had a suggestion.

In order for me to stay with the company, he told me to speak with the department heads of the other magazines about their finding a spot for me on one of their staffs. I spoke to three of them; all of them told me that my salary was too high for them to fit me into their budgets. I had to give notice.

I never saw nor heard from William B. Ziff, Jr., again.

A story which will have a familiar ring to more than one laborer in the comic book vineyards, Herb. Thanks for sharing your memories of these two publishers at such a major company.

One and all—please send any comments, corrections, or critiques to: Roy Thomas e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com 32 Bluebird Trial fax: (803) 826-6501 St. Matthews, SC 29135 Be here next month for Marvelman—and a couple of his ancestors and descendants—as well as more on Frank Bolle and the Centaur Comics Group!

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I

Harvey Kurtzman, Two-Fisted Tales #22, July 1951. [©2009 William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.]

Kurtzman’s cover drawing for the Guide to Camp Maxey Texas booklet, 1945 [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Introduction

by Michael T. Gilbert In past issues, the Dutch comics scholar Ger Apeldoorn (see pp.

4 ff. in this very issue!) has shared little-seen Harvey Kurtzman art with us, including Varsity Magazine illustrations unseen since they were originally published in the late ’40s. Now he has uncovered some exceptionally rare cartoons that Kurtzman drew in the military, long before he created Mad. Take it away, Ger…

“Lost” Kurtzman: The War Years!

by Ger Apeldoorn

H

arvey Kurtzman was a pack rat.

For most of his life he kept the originals, rough sketches, and tear sheets for all of his published pieces. His habit of hoarding everything proved quite helpful when super-fan Glenn Bray assembled his exhaustive Illustrated Harvey Kurtzman Index in 1976. Still, even Kurtzman didn’t keep every scrap of paper, so the guide has inevitable gaps. Mr. Monster was kind enough to reprint rare examples of Kurtzman’s earliest satirical pieces for Varsity Magazine in Alter Ego #33 & #34. This time around, I’ve discovered some Kurtzman pieces so unique they’re not even mentioned in the Kurtzman index! But first, let’s backtrack a bit….

Harvey Kurtzman’s career in comics started in 1939, when he sold a gag to Tip Top Comics #36 for a dollar. By late 1942, the 18-year-old cartoonist was working as an apprentice to Louis Ferstadt, drawing strips for Prize and Ace. “Black Venus,” “Mr. Risk,” and “Lash Lightning” all feature Kurtzman’s solo art, but most fans consider these early works to be less important. When we see him next, his style seems fully developed.

So where did he learn to draw like that?

(Left:) “Murphy’s Mess Boy” from Ace Periodicals’ Four Favorites #8 (Dec. 1942). Art by Harvey Kurtzman & Louis Ferstadt.

(Above:) Kurtzman’s “Lash Lightning” splash from Four Favorites #9 (Feb. 1943) [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“Lost” Kurtzman: The War Years

(Above:) “Pvt. Brown, Knows,” drawn by Kurtzman in 1944 for The Camp Sutton Carry-All. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

(Right:) “Yankee Ingenuity,” Maxey Times, May 25, 1945. [©2009 Maxey Times.]

In all likelihood, it was in the Army. After looking around, I’ve discovered some facts about Kurtzman’s military career. Exactly when he enlisted is unknown, but in early 1944 he was transferred to Camp Sutton in Sutton, North Carolina, a training camp for Army engineers.

Kurtzman, however, stayed for more than the requisite six weeks. We know this because he drew a strip for the camp newspaper, the Camp Sutton Carry-All, titled Pvt. Brown, Knows, as in “brownnose,” slang for someone who kisses up to the boss!

The single-tier strip featured gags about new recruits not unlike Kurtzman himself. I could only find ten of the seventeen or so strips, copied for me from the brittle original papers by a kind local librarian. Here he is about halfway into his later style—still funny, but his characters aren’t as lively as they would become later.

In July 1945, all recruits moved elsewhere when Camp Sutton became a German Prisoner-of-War camp. Kurtzman probably went with them shortly before it closed, though I haven’t discovered where.

We next see his art in spring 1945 at Camp Maxey, a training camp in Paris, Texas. I tried tracking down the camp newspaper for that period and found a bound set in the town’s junior high school.

Unfortunately, the librarian claimed it was too fragile to be used for research, so I did mine from Holland through the Internet instead.

Long-distance research can yield great results, but does have its limits. Thankfully, I found a microfiche run of the strip, which the Texas Historical Society mailed me on loan.

Though I originally thought Kurtzman might have been the lead illustrator for the Maxey Times, only a few of his illustrations appeared, including two sports cartoons and a full-page “Victory Suggestions from Camp Maxey,” as well as an article about the Guide to Camp Maxey. The main Maxey Times artist turned out to be Lt. Frank Interlandi, brother of cartoonist Phil Interlandi (a

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Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

later Kurtzman collaborator). Kurtzman did illustrate the Guide to Camp Maxey given to new recruits, as seen on our title page.

Apart from the gorgeous Kurtzman cover, the Guide to Camp Maxey also features two other illustrations and a map of the camp in that highlydetailed “chicken fat” style we all know and love.

So where did he spend the months between these two pieces of work?

And where was Kurtzman when he contributed the three Yank Weekly gag cartoons listed in Glenn Bray’s Kurtzman index? It’s possible he was in the Signal Corps, doing safety posters and publicity material. If so, there may be a lot more undiscovered Kurtzman art out there. He could also have worked in the Signal Corps Animation Unit, which could explain the cartoony feel of his post-war work. But, without proof, we can only speculate.

After getting out of the Army in late 1945, Kurtzman started working for Stan Lee at Timely, drawing funny animal features and some gag cartoons. He also came up with one of the funniest single-page gag strips ever done, the magnificent “Hey Look!” All of Kurtzman’s early reputation as a funny artist was based on this strip, and rightly so.

But his military experience proved a valuable training ground for both this and his early –’50s work on Mad and EC Publishing’s legendary war titles, Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat. He wrote stories in those

Map Spread (below) and interior illo (above) from the Guide to Camp Maxey, 1945. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

“Lost” Kurtzman: The War Years

comics for artists like William Elder and Wallace Wood, who had actually seen action in Europe, giving their stories a gritty realism. Another Kurtzman collaborator, Jack Davis, even went to Guam, where he drew

cartoons for his ship’s newspaper.

But that’s another story for another time!

“The Job Is Hard,” page 2 of Guide to Camp Maxey, 1945. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Michael here again, with a big thanks to Ger Apeldoorn for sharing these Kurtzman rarities! That’s about it for this month, but make sure you check out Ger’s great website for a wealth of arcane comics lore. You’ll find him at: http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/

And while you’re at it, there’s a short visual History of Harvey Kurtzman at: http://www.bpib.com/illustra2/kurtzman.htm Next issue, we’ll put the spotlight on Dr. Lauretta Bender… the anti-Wertham. Be there!

Till next time…

Two sports illos Kurtzman drew in 1945 for the June 8 and 15th issues of The Maxey Times. [©2009 The Maxey Times.]

[Shazam! heroes, Superman, & Lois Lane TM & ©2009 DC Comics; Magicman TM & ©2009 the respective trademark & copyright holders; other art ©2009 Howard Bender. Colors by Walt Grogan.]

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contents, of course, had little to do with customary reader interest.

Nor did this letter. It was not from an admiring reader, as one might have preferred. It was from an irate Long Island mom. And it was a scorcher!

It was about Flyin’ Jenny … writer Glenn Chaffin’s story where he had Jenny stranded with several companions on a remote island, with no means of communication with the rest of the world. In one panel, of the daily strip, when Jenny is awakened by a disturbance outside her tent, she raises to one elbow and calls to her young friend, Red Richmint. In so doing, much of her bare spine and hipline are exposed … to the reader … to the writer of this letter!

By [Art & logo ©2009 Marc Swayze; Captain Marvel © & TM 2009 DC Comics]

[FCA EDITOR’S 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 No. 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 stories 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 a vital part of FCA since his first column appeared in FCA #54, 1996. Last issue, Marc discussed illustrating action in Fawcett’s comics. In this installment, he reveals a certain “fan letter” he received during the ’40s. —P.C. Hamerlinck.]

I don’t know why I did that. A single, simple stroke of the pen would have made such a difference. An oversight? Of course not! I knew exactly what I was doing … and yet I don’t know why I did it. The reader was correct in its not having been in the best of taste … nor of wisdom. It may have been the influence of an urge shared by many of us to stay abreast of the times … and there were stories appearing in the tabloids of models and film starlets who slept in the raw. But that’s a lame excuse, a feeble, futile claim of innocence. I had been in the business long enough to know that comics were to be enjoyed by all ages … with special emphasis on youngsters.

The comic book publishers, when they joined forces in their own behalf a few years later, made no bones about the subject. “Nudity, in any form,” stated the Standards of Decency in their Comics Code, “is considered suggestive and salacious illustration is totally unacceptable.”

There were no notable repercussions from the Flyin’ Jenny incident other than a major paper’s cancellation of the daily strip for one week.

T

he aged envelope seemed almost human when it slithered from an armload of old things destined for the scrap pile and tumbled to the floor with a loud “plop!” As it lay there, the words blazoned across it in my own scrawl shouted, “Fan mail! File!”

Almost human. The mind gets that way after a few years in comics.

“Fan Mail”? There was no such folder in the files. Some editors or publishers may have tolerated extra toil like reader correspondence, but nothing like that went on at Fawcett. Fan mail simply was not a part of the comic book world of the early 1940s.

In newspaper comics it was a different matter. Someone somewhere had deemed it a worthy idea to include with the regular comic feature … a paper doll … plus an invitation to young readers to submit their original costume designs. And the idea caught on … to become a familiar sight among the Sunday comics.

The projects at my table in those days consisted of the Phantom Eagle, of Fawcett’s Wow Comics, plus the newspaper feature Flyin’ Jenny, distributed by the Bell Syndicate. Jenny was no exception to the popular trend, and we regularly received from the syndicate a bulky bundle containing paper doll responses, the package invariably labeled “Fan Mail.” The

Airplanes On The Brain At the same drawing table as Flyin’ Jenny was the Phantom Eagle, of Fawcett’s Wow Comics … where boy mechanic Mickey Malone, in his secret identity, led the Phoenix Squadron against Allied enemies during World War II—and later as a postwar “Guardian of the Airways.” Phantom Eagle title panel from Wow Comics #61 (Dec. 1947). Swayze provided much of the writing as well as the art on the strip. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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In the pursuance of a career in the early comic books, it was impossible to ignore among the people involved a tendency toward specialization … where the efforts were concentrated on specific fields of action.

The proficiency of the pencilers, inkers, and letterers was an example, as was the creative imagination of the writers and layout artists. Related to such capabilities was a sense of indebtedness, as though there might be something due in return for the benefits received.

The idle musing was interrupted when something slipped from my fingers and dropped to the floor. The old envelope that had once made such a loud demand for attention … was at it again! This time its message was perfectly clear: “It is wrong when creativity, that special ability to originate, is not acknowledged and appreciated as a gift, with which comes a covenant … that it be administered … righteously!”

The undraped spine should not have been on a page with the funnies!

Monthly! The Original First-Person History!

“A Single, Simple Stroke of the Pen” Swayze’s Flyin’ Jenny panel that caused an irate Long Island mother to write a letter of protest—and for one major paper to cancel the daily strip, albeit only for a week. Marc’s account of the event describes how a few more lines in the drawing might have provided adequate cover … or coverage … for the heroine. [© respective copyright holders.]

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

The WHO’S WHO of American Comic Books (1928-1999) Created by Jerry G. Bails FREE – online searchable database – FREE www.bailsprojects.com – No password required

A quarter of a million records, covering the careers of people who have contributed to original comic books in the US.

Captain Marble flies again!— courtesy of writer Otto Binder and artists Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, in Nuts! #5 (Nov. 1954).

Thanks to Ger Apeldoorn. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

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The Power Of Schaffenberger!

Mark Voger & Howard Bender On One Of Comics’ Most Talented Gentlemen Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck [FCA EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: A year and a half before his death in 1989, Captain Marvel artist C.C. Beck wrote, during one of our correspondences: “Kurt Schaffenberger is a very talented artist, and came closer than anyone else to drawing the Marvel Family in their original forms. Kurt has a great sense of humor, loves to tell dialect jokes, and was quite a musician on the ‘squeeze box’ (accordion) in the old days when we got together at each other’s houses.”

Here, in the first of our double-feature on “Schaff,” Mark Voger, author of Hero Gets Girl! The Life and Art of Kurt Schaffenberger explores some of those Fawcett get-togethers with Dorothy Schaffenberger, wife of the revered comic book artist, as she takes us back to the couple’s newlywed years.

In the second section, comics artist Howard Bender shares with FCA readers some of his favorite “Kurt Anecdotes” from his time as Schaffenberger’s friend/colleague/liaison.

I was fortunate to meet the genial Schaffenberger on Memorial Day 1995 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, where the artist’s retorts to my usual numerous Fawcett-related questions yielded a polite “I don’t know, Paul—it was just a job!” response. While he passed away in early 2002, FCA continues to be home for the memory of the clean storytelling style and the warm, lighthearted, human approach which was that of one of comics’ finest and most devoted craftsmen: Kurt Schaffenberger. —P.C. Hamerlinck.]

The Invincible Schaffenbergers (Above:) Kurt and Dorothy Schaffenberger tied the knot on March 30, 1946.

Their wedding was held at St. Paul’s Chapel in Englewood, NJ. Dorothy’s matron of honor was Ione Binder, wife of prolific Marvel Family writer Otto Binder. Kurt’s old boss, Jack Binder, and fellow Binder Shop artist Ken Bald, were both part of the wedding party. [Photo courtesy of Dorothy Schaffenberger; scan courtesy of Mark Voger.]

(Left:) Kurt and Dorothy (or characters greatly resembling them) team up with Ibis and Taia in the “Ibis the Invincible” story from Whiz Comics #87 (July 1947). Schaffenberger occasionally drew likenesses of his wife and himself into comic book stories for Fawcett and other companies. [Ibis the Invincible TM & ©2009 DC Comics.]

Get-Togethers In Fawcett Heaven

by Mark Voger

T

he way Dorothy Schaffenberger tells it, FCA readers could be in Fawcett Heaven by hopping a time machine to the late 1940s in northern New Jersey.

That’s when, and where, many of the movers and shakers behind Captain Marvel and company gathered for intimate little get-togethers after the work week to blow off steam—and to keep thoughts of World War II at a comfortable distance.

Dorothy is the widow of the late, great Kurt Schaffenberger, who illus-

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the oven; one would roll out the dough; one would decorate. By the end of the evening, we had all of our holiday cookies done.”

Kurt and Dorothy met in 1941, shortly after Kurt entered the comics field after graduating from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Kurt had been working at the Jack Binder “shop” in Englewood, New Jersey—a studio that provided artwork to comic book publishers, including Fawcett Publications. Kurt and a fellow Pratt alum, Nat Champlin, became roommates at a boarding house in Englewood.

As Dorothy recalled: “The woman who rented the room, Mrs. Bogert, was my mother’s best friend. Well, Nat wanted to meet some ‘babes.’ That was just male talk in those days—you didn’t call women babes to their

Beck’s Rookin’ New Year Captain Marvel artist C.C. Beck typed up this program for one of the Fawcett gang’s New Years’ Eve parties, which included a play written by Otto Binder and featuring Kurt Schaffenberger as “Father Time,” Beck as “the Old Year,” one-time opera singer (later comics writer) Carl Formes as “another Old Year,” and Dorothy Schaffenberger “as the New Year Babe,” (“supported” by Beck’s wife Hildur). The flipside of the program is a menu, with a “Schaffenburger” as one listed item of cuisine. This relic was dug up

by P.C. Hamerlinck from among his original Beck file material.

trated the adventures of Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, and their colorful cohorts. Kurt died in 2002 at age 81.

Dorothy now lives in Maryland near her daughter, Susan Kelly, where she is enjoying her six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

“There’s never a dull moment around here,” Dorothy said with a laugh.

She fondly recalls those days after the war when she and Kurt would get together on the weekends with other Fawcett creators and their wives: C.C. and Hilda Beck; Jack and Olga Binder; Otto and Ione Binder; Pete and Agnes Riss; Charlie and Audrey Tomsey.

“Almost every Saturday night,” Dorothy said. “It was wonderful. Newly after Kurt and I were married, none of us had too much money. What we would do is, we’d go bowling and then go back to different houses; we’d take turns hosting. The guys would play cards—sometimes Hilda Beck would play with them—and the girls would do hand work.”

Doing that hand work (such as crafts, clothing, even making lampshades) among friends eased the drudgery for the young women.

“It was the best at Christmastime,” Dorothy said. “Each woman would make one or two batches of cookie dough. We usually met at Ione Binder’s. The boys would be off bowling; it’s a wonder they didn’t get a ticket on the way home. We all had assignments. One of us would work

Unknown But Known Artist A “Nemesis” Adventures into the Unknown cover for issue #165 (June-July 1966) by Schaffenberger (under his “Lou Wahl” non de plume). Schaff-fans can now rejoice in the release of Dark Horse’s Nemesis Archives and Magicman Archives. The artist co-created both super-heroes under the auspices of Richard E. Hughes, the American Comics Group editor who employed Schaffenberger for more than a decade, beginning in 1955. The introduction to both volumes designates Pete Costanza—not Schaffenberger—as the characters’ co-creator with Hughes—a claim for which many would be anxious to see the research. Schaffenberger biographer Mark Voger comments: “While a quibble over creator credit for these admittedly minor characters may not reach the heights of the Bob Kane/Bill Finger debate, I will say this about Schaffenberger with supreme confidence: he was never one to exaggerate his accomplishments.” [©2009 respective copyright owners.]

The Power Of Schaffenberger!

85

face. That was then. So Mom Bogert asked me if I knew some people who would like to come over and have a get-together. So I got some of my friends together, and we went over.”

It was at this modest soiree that Kurt first laid eyes on Dorothy Bates Watson, a beautiful and vivacious redhead. But neither party was exactly on the prowl. “Kurt was through with women,” Dorothy recalled, laughing again. “He had liked this girl who didn’t treat him very well, and so they dumped each other. He figured, ‘If this is what romance is all about, I don’t want any part of it.’ And I had just broken up with somebody, so I certainly wasn’t interested in men. So we sort-of ended up together, because—how safe could you be, right? That’s how we met.”

Hearts may not have been set afire The Amazing Kurt/Curt Krew/Crew that evening, but there was a flicker.

A group photo from a Ron Jordan New Jersey comic book show at Woodbridge, NJ, winter of 1993, showcasing Kurt saw more of Dorothy, who lived the two Super K/Curts as the guests of honor. (Top row:) Howard Bender, inker Dave Hunt, Mark Voger. with her mother and brother on (Sitting row:) Kurt Schaffenberger, Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson. Photo by Kathy Voglesong.

Tenafly Road not far from the barn [Photo ©2009 estate of Kathy Voglesong.] which housed the Binder studio. A social scene was beginning to hatch apartment previously occupied by Dorothy’s mother, and then to a house among the Binder boys, some of whom formed a little band that played in River Edge, just northwest of Englewood. around at parties (Kurt’s instrument: the accordion).

“We bought the house when we absolutely couldn’t afford it,” Dorothy But the fledgling romance was rudely interrupted by World War II. In recalled. “My mother loaned us some money, which Kurt paid back real 1942, Kurt was drafted into the Army. During his three years overseas, he fast; he didn’t like to owe people money. That’s how we got our little and Dorothy kept their relationship alive by writing to one another. ‘starter’ house.“ Upon returning to the States, Kurt worked briefly for the BeckCostanza Studio founded by artists C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza. Kurt then interviewed directly with Fawcett for a freelance position.

Meanwhile, he and Dorothy were growing closer as a couple.

“Then one day,” Dorothy recalled, “we went for a ride up in Connecticut. There was this mountain that had a drive-off where you could stand and look at the view. We were there and he said, ‘You know, we’ve been going together for quite a while, and I feel that I want to settle down, and I’d like it to be with you.’”

Their wedding was a candlelight service held on March 30, 1946, at St. Paul’s Chapel in Englewood. Ione Binder served as Dorothy’s matron of honor.

(Why did Dorothy select Ione? She explained: “When Kurt and I were first dating, our social life was pretty much with the artists up in the barn.

I wasn’t ready, along the lines of domestic chores, when I got engaged.

Ione took me under her wing. Ione was a great cook. She was more than willing to share recipes. She’s the one who really got me started.”)

Also in the wedding party were Kurt’s fellow artists Ken Bald and Jack Binder. It wasn’t hard to guess why Kurt’s pals were so bleary-eyed during the ceremony.

“They had a bachelor party,” Dorothy said. “Of course, they had the stripper and the whole bit. In those days, you always did it the night before, which is really stupid when you think about it. So all of his friends were in the back, hungover.”

Newlyweds Kurt and Dorothy initially moved into the Tenafly Road

The Schaffenbergers lived in that “starter house” for 42 years.

Their first child, daughter Susan, was born on September 19, 1947. Son Karl came along on February 1, 1950. Proud papa Kurt commemorated the occasions with cartoon birth announcements.

Recalled Dorothy: “Kurt was one of those husbands you hear about.

When I went into the hospital to have Susan, he was in the wheelchair and I was carrying the suitcase.”

Another Dorothy zinger from that day: “The doctor came out and said, ‘You’ve got a beautiful girl.’ Kurt said, ‘A girl?’ The doctor said, ‘You’ve heard of them.’”

Fawcett Publications closed its comic book line in 1953. Five years later, thanks to a tip from Otto Binder, Kurt began one of the bestremembered assignments of his career, illustrating Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane for DC Comics—an association that would last the rest of his career. The Schaffenbergers moved to Brick, also in New Jersey, in 1989. Kurt died in 2002; Dorothy moved to Maryland later that year.

Said Dorothy of her newlywed years: “Those were wonderful days.

Some of the best times were when we had no money.”

[Mark Voger is an award-winning writer and designer for the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey, and the author of Hero Gets Girl! The Life and Art of Kurt Schaffenberger—still available from TwoMorrows.]

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My Kurt Anecdotes

by Howard Bender

MY FIRST MEETING The first time I met Kurt was autumn 1974. It was my first job interview at DC Comics, at its old Lexington Ave. offices. Jack Alder, DC Comics production manager, was showing me around the bullpen and introduced me to Kurt, who at the time was standing at a table looking over some pages of art. As I recall, he was a tall, well-groomed man with a pencil mustache and a loud green plaid sports jacket, ascot, beret, and a long ivory cigarette holder. I swear he looked just like Mr. Tawny from Shazam!—but without the tiger’s head. Years later, as I recalled our first meeting, Kurt had this take: “Bender, I may have had the plaid sports jacket, but never the ascot and beret, and never a tiger’s head.” Hmm, my mistake: it must have been the real Mr. Tawny I met that day!

LOIS LANE, NUDE REPORTER Kurt penciled or inked two pages of comic book art a day, and his schedule took him into Manhattan twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The days in New York City were spent delivering and picking up work for DC Comics in the morning, and in the afternoons, at his desk at the ACG (American Comics Group) editorial offices. It was there where he worked on covers and special Custom Comics comic book assignments. Around 1972, when the ACG/Custom Comics worked slowed down, Kurt took the extra time to sit in on some life drawing classes at the Art Students League on West 57th St. and Broadway. Using nude female models, Kurt masterfully did each beautifully drawn study on gray paper with black and white conte crayon. Amazingly enough, each bears an uncanny resemblance to Lois Lane.

Fashion Statement “…a loud green plaid sports jacket …”

Schaffenberger art for the Mr. Tawny entry in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #15 (May 1986). [©2009 DC Comics.]

written by editor Richard E. Hughes and illustrated by Kurt Schaffenberger. Talk about your oddball stories! This one has the frontier hero, almost dead from the Battle of the Alamo, drinking from a fountain of youth that allows him to live on to fight in every major American war, up to and including World War II, where he dies heroically and then decomposes into a clump of smoldering bones.

This hard-to-come-by comic book took me the better part of two years to find. The funny part about the whole two-year journey was that the artist who drew this amazingly weird story was right there the whole time, and neither one of us knew it! At the time, Kurt and I did many comic book shows appearances together, where I’d search for Crockett comics for my collection.

THE DAVY CROCKETT MYSTERY SOLVED ACG’s Forbidden Worlds #39 gave us “The Davy Crockett Mystery!,”

“Could You Hand Me Your Cape, Superman?”

King of the Wild Frontier

In the early ’70s, Schaffenberger took time to sit in on life drawing classes at the Art Students League on West 57th St. and Broadway in NYC. Each piece he produced there bore an uncanny resemblance to the Man of Steel’s gal, Lois Lane. [©2009 Estate of Kurt Schaffenberger.]

Schaffenberger drew this sketch of coonskin-capped hero Davy Crockett for Howard Bender, who had searched earnestly and eventually located the “Crockett” story in ACG’s Forbidden Worlds #39 … drawn by none other than Kurt Schaffenberger. [©2009 the respective copyright holders.]

The Power Of Schaffenberger!

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Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane.

WILL THE REAL LOIS LANE PLEASE EXPRESS HERSELF? Is Dorothy (Kurt’s lovely wife) really Lois Lane? This is a question Kurt got many times, and he would always deny it. But the truth is, Kurt (like all good artists) would at one time or another use models or photo reference. If there was a pose or facial expression Kurt needed help with for Lois, Dot would step in and take on the roll in her own animated way, giving Kurt what he needed and us (the reader) a truly unique and loveable Lois. “Hello, I’m Dorothy Schaffenberger,” she would say, and all who saw her would reply, “We never had a doubt: you look just like Lois Lane!”

GOOD NEIGHBOR KURT

Cat-Fight Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #70 (1966) cover detail of a Lois/Catwoman brawl—art by Schaffenberger. [©2009 DC Comics.]

You could say Kurt was a good neighbor; for every mother in River Edge, New Jersey, where the Schaffenberger family resided, would at one time or another call on Kurt for help! It seems that whenever a child came down sick or was homebound, Kurt would get a call. Was it Kurt’s winning personality that made him so popular with kids? NOPE! It was his ability to fork over at a moment’s notice a large stack of those colorful adventure magazines the kiddies loved so much: COMIC BOOKS! Oh yes, most times Kurt would get them back … with soda rings, cookie crumbs, and chewing gum stains. “Who knew years later they’d be worth anything?” Kurt would pipe!

NOT ALL STARS ARE IN THE SKY Knowing Kurt had worked for American Comics Group, I asked him if he drew or knew who did draw “The Davy Crockett Mystery!” story for FW #39, and he would always come back with, “Davy Crockett? Who would draw that?”

Well, after two years of searching, I finally got my hands on a copy, only to open it and have my eyeballs pop right out of my head! There, grinning up at me from the splash page, is the coonskin-capped hero Davy Crockett, “King of the Wild Frontier,” drawn by none other than Kurt (‘I don’t know who’d draw that’) Schaffenberger. When I showed it to Kurt, he couldn’t say anything more than, “Davy Crockett? Oh, yeah, looks like I drew that.”

River Edge, New Jersey, was all abuzz in the mid-60s when a Hollywood movie star moved into town. It seemed that it was the male population more so than the females who were craning their necks to catch an eyeful of this lovely starlet! So who could blame a homebound comic book artist for maybe (or even possibly) going out of his way to see her out and about on her morning walk? Though he never admitted it, he could’ve easily have said it was all in the name of art. For this particular

WORK FINDS LOST ARTIST It was the late 1950s and Kurt was out of work—again. How could an artist of the caliber of Kurt Schaffenberger be out of work? Well, even the brightest of editors can sometimes be short-sighted. Case in point: spring 1957 … the Schaffenberger household is in a slump—no work and no hope of work. What to do? Take a vacation! After some prodding from his wife, Shaffy packs up his family and heads for a friend’s cabin on the coast of Maine, leaving the comic book business 400 miles behind him … so he thought.

But, after a few days of wilderness life and dinning on lobster and drawn butter, a stranger tramps into the Schaffenberger camp with news from DC Comics. Newsflash!: Otto Binder is trying to get hold of Kurt Schaffenberger for DC Comics editor Mort Weisinger. But there is no phone –or, for that matter, no address to find Kurt at—which had Otto calling all around Maine until he finally found someone who knew where Kurt was.

But was Kurt really all that hard to find? “Well, not really,” Kurt would say, “considering that, for weeks before, I was sitting in Mr. Weisinger’s outer office patiently waiting to see him.” Lucky for all, Kurt was found, and Mort Weisinger got his new artist for his brand new series:

Kurt And The Kaptain Schaffenberger said that his “favorite was always Captain Marvel …” A Kurt Kameo from the “Captain Marvel” story in Whiz Comics #117 (Jan. 1950). [©2009 DC Comics.]

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sex-kitten was Lee Meriwether, Catwoman of the Batman movie—and, after all, Kurt was the first artist to introduce this feline vixen to the Silver Age of Comics in Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #70 (Nov. 1966).

PLAYING FAVORITES Kurt Schaffenberger had a hand in the shaping many of our most beloved comic book characters: Captain Marvel, Superman, and especially Lois Lane. “My favorite was always Captain Marvel, then Lois; she was just a secondary character in the Superman series,” he said. “When they gave Lois her own series, I got a chance to do something more creative.”

And, as for Superman? “Superman was always so damn serious! Like I said, my favorites were the light-hearted stories!”

A JOB IS A JOB IS A JOB Art for Work’s Sake! Kurt was a superb artist and technician and, though you’d never hear him admit it, proud of it. But, first and foremost, Kurt always felt that his work was his job and very rarely drew outside of work. Yes, there were the occasional fanzine … the annual Christmas cards … birthdays and announcements for family, friends, and fans … but, those aside, there was little else. We can be thankful because of a work ethic that produced two pages a day throughout his 50-year career, Kurt’s art is still out there, accessible through reprints, collector issues, and original printings.

SHAZAM! Kurt Schaffenberger, the artist of Captain Marvel, Lois Lane, Superman, and countless others, as drawn in Kurt’s own clean and honest style, left you happy to know all those characters— and, through them, to know the artist himself.

[Visit artist Howard Bender at howardbenderart.com]

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(240-page trade paperback) $27.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490045 Ships June 2009

(Hardcover 2nd Edition)

CAPTAIN ACTION was introduced in 1966 in the wake of the Batman TV show craze, and later received his own DC comic book with art by WALLY WOOD and GIL KANE. Able to assume the identities of 13 famous super-heroes, his initial career was short-lived, but continuing interest in the hero has led to two different returns to toy-store shelves. Lavishly illustrated with over 200 toy photos, this FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER SECOND EDITION chronicles the history of this quick-changing champion, including photos of virtually EVERY CAPTAIN ACTION PRODUCT ever released, spotlights on his allies ACTION BOY and the SUPER QUEENS and his arch enemy DR. EVIL, an examination of his comic-book appearances, and “Action facts” that even the most diehard Captain Action fan won’t know! The original softcover edition has been sold out for years, but this revised, full-color hardcover second edition includes behind-the-scenes coverage of CAPTAIN ACTION’S TRIUMPHANT 2008 RETURN to comics shelves in his new series from Moonstone Books, and spotlights the new wave of Captain Action collectibles. Written by MICHAEL EURY. (176-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490175 • Ships July 2009

MARVEL COMICS IN THE 1960s: An Issue-By-Issue Field Guide

The comic book industry experienced an unexpected flowering in the early 1960s, compliments of Marvel Comics, and this book presents a step-by-step look at how a company that had the reputation of being one of the least creative in a generally moribund industry, emerged as one of the most dynamic, slightly irreverent and downright original contributions to an era when pop-culture emerged as the dominant force in the artistic life of America. In scores of handy, easy to reference entries, MARVEL COMICS IN THE 1960s takes the reader from the legendary company’s first fumbling beginnings as helmed by savvy editor/writer STAN LEE (aided by such artists as JACK KIRBY and STEVE DITKO), to the full maturity of its wild, colorful, offbeat grandiosity.

With the history of Marvel Comics in the 1960s divided into four distinct phases, author PIERRE COMTOIS explains just how Lee, Kirby, Ditko, and others created a line of comic books that, while grounded in the traditional elements of panel-to-panel storytelling, broke through the juvenile mindset of a low brow industry and provided a tapestry of full blown pop culture icons.

(224-page trade paperback) $27.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490168 • Ships July 2009

GRAILPAGES:

Original Comic Book Art And The Collectors GRAILPAGES brings to light the burgeoning hobby of collecting the original, hand-drawn art that is used to create comic books! Beginning more as a novelty, the hobby of collecting original comic art has expanded to a point where some of the seminal pages commonly run more than $10,000 each. Author STEVEN ALAN PAYNE lets you meet collectors from around the globe and hear their passion in their own words, as they detail collections ranging from a few key pages, to broad, encompassing collections of literally hundreds of pages of original comic art by such artists as JACK KIRBY, JOHN ROMITA SR., and others! Balancing out the narratives are incisive interviews with industry pros, including writers GERRY CONWAY, STEVE ENGLEHART, and ROY THOMAS, and exclusive perspectives from Silver Age artists DICK GIORDANO, BOB McLEOD, ERNIE CHAN, TONY DeZUNIGA, and the unparalleled great, GENE COLAN! Completing the book is a diverse sampling of breathtakingly beautiful original comic art, some lavishly presented in full-page spreads, including pages not seen publicly for decades. Fans of comic art, comic books, and pop culture will find in GRAILPAGES an appreciation for a uniquely American form of art!

(128-page trade paperback) $15.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490151 Diamond Order Code: JAN094470 • Ships March 2009

MAGAZINES

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BRICKJOURNAL magazine is the ultimate resource for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages, spotlighting the LEGO Community with contributions and how-to articles by top builders worldwide, new product intros, and more. Edited by JOE MENO. ALTER EGO focuses on Golden and Silver Age comics and creators with articles, interviews and unseen art, plus FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), Mr. Monster & more. Edited by ROY THOMAS.

BRICKJOURNAL #3

BRICKJOURNAL #4

BRICKJOURNAL #5

BRICKJOURNAL #6

Event Reports from BRICKWORLD, FIRST LEGO LEAGUE WORLD FESTIVAL and PIECE OF PEACE (Japan), spotlight on our cover model builder BRYCE McGLONE, and interviews with ARTHUR GUGICK and STEVEN CANVIN of LEGO MINDSTORMS to see where LEGO ROBOTICS is going!

There’s also STEP-BY-STEP BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS, TECHNIQUES, & more!

Interviews with LEGO BUILDERS including BREANN SLEDGE (BIONICLE BUILDER), Event Reports from BRICKFAIR and BRICKCON, plus reports on new MINDSTORMS PROJECTS, STEP-BY-STEP BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS and TECHNIQUES for all skill levels, NEW SET REVIEWS, and a report on constructing the Chinese Olympic Village in LEGO!

Features event reports from around the world, and the MINDSTORMS 10TH ANNIVERSARY at LEGO HEADQUARTERS! Plus an interview with the head of the LEGO GROUP’S 3D DEPARTMENT, a glimpse at the LEGO Group's past with the DIRECTOR OF LEGO'S IDEA HOUSE, instructions and spotlights on builders, and an idea section for Pirate builders!

Spotlight on CLASSIC SPACE SETS and a look at new ones with LEGO SET DESIGNERS, BRANDON GRIFFITH shows his STAR TREK MODELS, plus take a tour of the DUTCH MOONBASE with MIKE VAN LEEUWEN and MARCO BAAS. There's also coverage of BRICKFEST 2009 and FIRST LEGO LEAGUE'S WORLD FESTIVAL and photos from TOY FAIR NEW YORK!

(80-page COLOR magazine) $8.95 US Diamond Order Code: JUN084415

(80-page COLOR magazine) $8.95 US Diamond Order Code: SEP084428

(80-page COLOR magazine) $8.95 US Diamond Order Code: DEC084408 Ships March 2009

(80-page COLOR magazine) $8.95 US Ships June 2009

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

TM

BACK ISSUE celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through a variety of recurring (and rotating) departments, plus rare and unpublished art. Edited by MICHAEL EURY. DRAW! is the professional “How-To” magazine on cartooning and animation, featuring in-depth interviews and step-bystep demonstrations from top comics professionals. Edited by MIKE MANLEY. ROUGH STUFF features never-seen pencil pages, sketches, layouts, roughs, and unused inked pages from throughout comics history, plus columns, critiques, and more!

Edited by BOB McLEOD. WRITE NOW! features writing tips from pros on both sides of the desk, interviews, sample scripts, reviews, exclusive Nuts & Bolts tutorials, and more!

Edited by DANNY FINGEROTH.

ALTER EGO #81

ALTER EGO #82

ALTER EGO #83

ALTER EGO #84

New FRANK BRUNNER Man-Thing cover, a look at the late-’60s horror comic WEB OF HORROR with early work by BRUNNER, WRIGHTSON, WINDSOR-SMITH, SIMONSON, & CHAYKIN, interview with comics & fine artist EVERETT RAYMOND KINTSLER, ROY THOMAS’ 1971 origin synopsis for the FIRST MAN-THING STORY, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

MLJ ISSUE! Golden Age MLJ index illustrated with vintage images of The Shield, Hangman, Mr. Justice, Black Hood,

by IRV NOVICK, JACK COLE, CHARLES BIRO, MORT MESKIN, GIL KANE, & others—behind a marvelous MLJ-heroes cover

by BOB McLEOD! Plus interviews with IRV NOVICK and JOE EDWARDS, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

SWORD & SORCERY PART 2! Cover by ARTHUR SUYDAM, in-depth art-filled look at Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian, DC’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Dagar the Invincible, Ironjaw & Wulf, and Arak, Son of Thunder, plus the never-seen Valda the Iron Maiden by TODD McFARLANE! Plus JOE EDWARDS (Part 2), FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

Unseen JIM APARO cover, STEVE SKEATES discusses his early comics work, art & artifacts by ADKINS, APARO, ARAGONÉS, BOYETTE, DITKO, GIORDANO, KANE, KELLER, MORISI, ORLANDO, SEKOWSKY, STONE, THOMAS, WOOD, and the great WARREN SAVIN! Plus writer CHARLES SINCLAIR on his partnership with Batman co-creator BILL FINGER, FCA, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: AUG084454

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: OCT084483

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: NOV084368

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: JAN094555 Ships March 2009

C o l l e c t o r

The JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR magazine celebrates his life and career through INTERVIEWS WITH KIRBY and his contemporaries, FEATURE ARTICLES, RARE AND UNSEEN KIRBY ART, and more.

Edited by JOHN MORROW.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PRINT EDITION, AND GET THE DIGITAL EDITION FREE, BEFORE THE PRINT ISSUE HITS STORES!

BACK ISSUE #29

BACK ISSUE #30

BACK ISSUE #31

BACK ISSUE #32

“Mutants” issue! CLAREMONT, BYRNE, SMITH, and ROMITA, JR.’s X-Men work, NOCENTI and ARTHUR ADAMS’ Longshot, McLEOD and SIENKIEWICZ’s New Mutants, the UK’s CAPTAIN BRITAIN series, lost Angel stories, Beast’s tenure with the Avengers, the return of the original X-Men in X-Factor, the revelation of Nightcrawler’s “original” father, a history of DC’s mutant, Captain Comet, and more! Cover by DAVE COCKRUM!

“Saturday Morning Heroes!” Interviews with TV Captain Marvels JACKSON BOSTWICK and JOHN DAVEY, MAGGIN and SAVIUK’s lost Superman/”Captain Thunder” sequel, Space Ghost interviews with GARY OWENS and STEVE RUDE, MARV WOLFMAN guest editorial, Super Friends, unproduced fourth wave Super Powers action figures, Astro Boy, ADAM HUGHES tribute to DAVE STEVENS, and a new cover by ALEX ROSS!

“STEVE GERBER Salute!” In-depth look at his Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, Defenders, Metal Men, Mister Miracle, Thundarr the Barbarian, and more!

Plus: Creators pay tribute to Steve Gerber, featuring art by and commentary from BRUNNER, BUCKLER, COLAN, GOLDEN, STAN LEE, LEVITZ, MAYERIK, MOONEY, PLOOG, SIMONSON, and others. Cover painting by FRANK BRUNNER!

“Tech, Data, and Hardware!” The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, WEIN, WOLFMAN, and GREENBERGER on DC’s Who’s Who, SAVIUK, STATON, and VAN SCIVER on Drawing Green Lantern, ED HANNIGAN Art Gallery, history of Rom: Spaceknight, story of BILL MANTLO, Dial H for Hero, Richie Rich’s Inventions, and a Spider-Mobile schematic cover by ELIOT BROWN and DUSTY ABELL!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: MAY084246

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: JUL084393

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: SEP084399

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: NOV084369

DRAW! #17

DRAW! #18

ROUGH STUFF #10

ROUGH STUFF #11

ROUGH STUFF #12

Interview with Scott Pilgrim’s creator and artist BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY on how he creates the acclaimed series, plus learn how B.P.R.D.’s GUY DAVIS works on his series.

Also, more Comic Art Bootcamp: Learning from The Great Cartoonists by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY, reviews, and more!

Features an in-depth interview and demo

by R.M. GUERA (the artist of Vertigo’s Scalped), behind-the-scenes in the Batcave with Cartoon Network’s JAMES TUCKER on the new hit show “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” plus product reviews by JAMAR NICHOLAS, and Comic Book Boot Camp’s “Anatomy: Part 2” by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY!

Interview with RON GARNEY, with copious examples of sketchwork and comments.

Also features on ANDY SMITH, MICHAEL JASON PAZ, and MATT HALEY, showing how their work evolves, excerpts from a new book on ALEX RAYMOND, secrets of teaching comic art by pro inker BOB McLEOD, new cover by GARNEY and McLEOD, newcomer critique, and more!

New cover by GREG HORN, plus interviews with HORN and TOM YEATES on how they produce their stellar work. Also features on GENE HA, JIMMY CHEUNG, and MIKE PERKINS, showing their sketchwork and commentary, tips on collecting sketches and commissions from artists, a “Rough Critique” of a newcomer’s work, and more!

Interview and cover by comic painter CHRIS MOELLER, features on New Zealand comic artist COLIN WILSON, G.I. Joe artist JEREMY DALE, and fan favorite TERRY DODSON, plus "GOOD GIRL ART" (a new article about everyone's favorite collectible art) by ROBERT PLUNKETT, a "Rough Critique" of an aspiring artist's work, and more!

(80-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 US • Ships Spring 2009

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: AUG084469

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: NOV084404

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Ships April 2009

(80-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 US • Ships February 2009 Diamond Order Code: DEC084377

ALTER EGO #85

ALTER EGO #86

ALTER EGO #87

ALTER EGO #88

WRITE NOW! #20

Captain Marvel and Superman’s battles explored (in cosmic space, candy stories, and in court, with art by WALLY WOOD, CURT SWAN, and GIL KANE), an in-depth interview with Golden Age great LILY RENÉE, overview of CENTAUR COMICS (home of BILL EVERETT’s Amazing-Man and others), FCA, MR. MONSTER, new RICH BUCKLER cover, and more!

Spotlighting the Frantic Four-Color MAD WANNABES of 1953-55 that copied HARVEY KURTZMAN’S EC smash (see Captain Marble, Mighty Moose, Drag-ula, Prince Scallion, and more) with art by SIMON & KIRBY, KUBERT & MAURER, ANDRU & ESPOSITO, EVERETT, COLAN, and many others, plus Part 1 of a talk with Golden/ Silver Age artist FRANK BOLLE, and more!

The sensational 1954-1963 saga of Great Britain’s MARVELMAN (decades before he metamorphosed into Miracleman), plus an interview with writer/artist/co-creator MICK ANGLO, and rare Marvelman/ Miracleman work by ALAN DAVIS, ALAN MOORE, a new RICK VEITCH cover, plus FRANK BOLLE, Part 2, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

First-ever in-depth look at National/DC’s founder MAJOR MALCOLM WHEELERNICHOLSON, and early editors WHITNEY ELLSWORTH, VIN SULLIVAN, and MORT WEISINGER, with rare art and artifacts by SIEGEL & SHUSTER, BOB KANE, CREIG FLESSEL, FRED GUARDINEER, GARDNER FOX, SHELDON MOLDOFF, and others, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

Focus on THE SPIRIT movie, showing how FRANK MILLER transformed WILL EISNER’s comics into the smash-hit film, with interviews with key players behind the making of the movie, a look at what made Eisner’s comics so special, and more. Plus: an interview with COLLEEN DORAN, writer ALEX GRECIAN on how to get a pitch green lighted, script and art examples, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Ships May 2009

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Ships June 2009

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Ships July 2009

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Ships August 2009

(80-page magazine) $6.95 US FINAL ISSUE! Ships February 2009 Diamond Order Code: DEC084398

BACK ISSUE #33

BACK ISSUE #34

BACK ISSUE #35

KIRBY COLLECTOR #52

KIRBY COLLECTOR #53

“Teen Heroes!” Teen Titans in the 1970s & 1980s, with CARDY, GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, PÉREZ, TUSKA, and WOLFMAN, BARON and GUICE on the Flash, interviews with TV Billy Batson MICHAEL GRAY and writer STEVE SKEATES, NICIEZA and BAGLEY’s New Warriors, Legion of Super-Heroes 1970s art gallery, James Bond Jr., and… the Archies! New Teen Titans cover by GEORGE PÉREZ and colored by GENE HA!

“New World Order!” Adam Warlock examined with JIM STARLIN and ROY THOMAS, the history of Miracleman with ALAN DAVIS & GARRY LEACH, JIM SHOOTER interview, roundtable with Marvel’s post-STAN LEE editors-in-chief on the New Universe, Logan’s Run, Star Hunters, BOB WIACEK on Star Wars and Star-Lord, DICK GIORDANO revisits Crisis on Infinite Earths and “The Post-Crisis DC Universe You Didn’t See,” and a new cover by JIM STARLIN!

“Villains!” MIKE ZECK and J.M. DeMATTEIS discuss “Kraven’s Last Hunt” in a “Pro2Pro” interview, the history of the Hobgoblin is exposed, the Joker’s short-lived series, looks back at Secret Society of Super-Villains and Kobra, a Magneto biography, Luthor and Brainiac’s malevolent makeovers, interview with Secret Society artist MIKE VOSBURG, plus contributions from BYRNE, CONWAY, FRENZ, NOVICK, ROMITA JR., STERN, WOLFMAN, and a cover by MIKE ZECK!

Spotlights Kirby’s most obscure work, like an UNUSED THOR STORY, his BRUCE LEE comic, animation work, stage play, and see original unaltered versions of pages from KAMANDI, DEMON, DESTROYER DUCK, and more, including a feature examining the last page of his final issue of various series BEFORE EDITORIAL TAMPERING (with lots of surprises)! Color Kirby covers inked by DON HECK and PAUL SMITH!

Spotlights THE MAGIC OF STAN & JACK! There’s a new interview with STAN LEE, a walking tour of New York showing where Lee & Kirby lived and worked, a re-evaluation of the “Lost” FF #108 story (including a missing page that just surfaced), “What If Jack Hadn’t Left Marvel In 1970?”, plus MARK EVANIER’s regular column, a Kirby pencil art gallery, a complete Golden Age Kirby story, and more, behind a color Kirby cover inked by GEORGE PÉREZ!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Ships May 2009

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Ships July 2009

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US Diamond Order Code: JAN094556 Ships March 2009

(84-page tabloid magazine) $9.95 US Diamond Order Code: DEC084397 Ships February 2009

(84-page tabloid magazine) $9.95 US Ships May 2009

THE ULTIMATE MAGAZINE FOR LEGO ENTHUSIASTS OF ALL AGES! TM

BRICKJOURNAL magazine (edited by Joe Meno) is the ultimate resource for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages. It spotlights all aspects of the LEGO Community, showcasing events, people, and models every issue, with contributions and how-to articles by top builders worldwide, new product intros, and more. Edited by JOE MENO. Begun as a digital-only publication in 2005, the NEW PRINT VERSION (Vol. 2) of BrickJournal launched in 2008, and is available in both print and digital form. Print subscribers get the digital version FREE!

DIEDGITIIOTANSL

BLE AVAILANLY FOR O PER $3.95 LOAD DOWN

BRICKJOURNAL #4 (Vol. 2) BRICKJOURNAL #1 (Vol. 2)

BRICKJOURNAL #2 (Vol. 2)

The ultimate resource for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages, showcasing events, people, and models! FULL-COLOR #1 features an interview with set designer and LEGO Certified Professional NATHAN SAWAYA, plus step-bystep building instructions and techniques for all skill levels, new set reviews, on-the-scene reports from LEGO community events, and other surprises!

This FULL-COLOR issue spotlights blockbuster summer movies, LEGO style! Go behind the scenes for new sets for BATMAN and INDIANA JONES, and see new models, including an SR-71 SPYPLANE and a LEGO CITY, plus MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATIONS, BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS, tour the ONLINE LEGO FACTORY, and more!

(80-page FULL COLOR magazine) $8.95 US (Digital Edition) $3.95 (or FREE to print subscribers) Diamond Order Code: FEB088010

(80-page FULL COLOR magazine) $8.95 US (Digital Edition) $3.95 (or FREE to print subscribers) Diamond Order Code: MAR084135

BRICKJOURNAL #3 (Vol. 2) Our third FULL-COLOR print issue has LEGO Event reports from BRICKWORLD (Chicago), FIRST LEGO LEAGUE WORLD FESTIVAL (Atlanta) and PIECE OF PEACE (Japan). There's also a spotlight on the creation of our amazing cover model, built by BRYCE McGLONE, as well as interviews with ARTHUR GUGICK and STEVEN CANVIN of LEGO MINDSTORMS, to see where LEGO robotics is going! Plus step-by-step building instructions, techniques, and more!

(80-page FULL COLOR magazine) $8.95 US (Digital Edition) $3.95 (or FREE to print subscribers) • Diamond Order Code: JUN084415

FULL-COLOR issue #4 features interviews with top LEGO BUILDERS including BREANN SLEDGE (BIONICLE BUILDER), Event Reports from LEGO gatherings including BRICKFAIR (Washington, DC) and BRICKCON (Seattle, Washington), plus reports on new MINDSTORMS PROJECTS, STEP-BY-STEP BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS and TECHNIQUES for all skill levels, NEW SET REVIEWS, and a report on the recreation of the Chinese Olympic Village in LEGO! (80-page FULL COLOR magazine) $8.95 US (Digital Edition) $3.95 (or FREE to print subscribers) Diamond Order Code: DEC084408

BRICKJOURNAL #5 (Vol. 2)

BRICKJOURNAL #6 (Vol. 2)

FULL-COLOR issue #5 features event reports from around the world, and the MINDSTORMS 10TH ANNIVERSARY at LEGO HEADQUARTERS! Plus an interview with the head of the LEGO GROUP’S 3D DEPARTMENT, a glimpse at the LEGO Group's past with the DIRECTOR OF LEGO'S IDEA HOUSE, instructions and spotlights on builders, and an idea section for PIRATE BUILDERS!

FULL-COLOR issue #6 goes into space, with a look at old LEGO CLASSIC SPACE SETS and a look toward the new with set designers! BRANDON GRIFFITH beams in with a look at his STAR TREK MODELS, and you'll take a tour of the DUTCH MOONBASE courtesy of MIKE VAN LEEUWEN and MARCO BAAS. There's also coverage of BRICKFEST 2009 and FIRST LEGO LEAGUE'S WORLD FESTIVAL as well as photos from TOY FAIR NEW YORK!

(80-page FULL COLOR magazine) $8.95 US (Digital Edition) $3.95 (or FREE to print subscribers) Diamond Order Code: DEC084408 Ships March 2009

(80-page FULL COLOR magazine) $8.95 US (Digital Edition) $3.95 (or FREE to print subscribers) Ships June 2009

4-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTIONS: $38 US Postpaid by Media Mail ($48 First Class, $55 Canada • Elsewhere: $78 Surface, $85 Airmail)

PRINT SUBSCRIBERS GET THE DIGITAL EDITION FREE, BEFORE THE PRINT ISSUE HITS STORES!

NEW MODERN MASTERS VOLUMES Each book contains RARE AND UNSEEN ARTWORK direct from the artist’s files, a COMPREHENSIVE INTERVIEW, DELUXE SKETCHBOOK SECTIONS, and more!

Volume 19: MIKE PLOOG

Volume 20: KYLE BAKER

Volume 21: CHRIS SPROUSE

Volume 22: MARK BUCKINGHAM

Volume 23: DARWYN COOKE

by Eric Nolen-Weathington & Roger Ash (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781605490076 Diamond Order Code: SEP084304 Now shipping

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781605490083 Diamond Order Code: SEP084305 Ships February 2009

by Eric Nolen-Weathington & Todd DeZago (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 97801605490137 Diamond Order Code: NOV084298 Ships March 2008

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781605490144 Diamond Order Code: JUL088519 Ships May 2008

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $15.95 ISBN: 9781605490205 Ships June 2008

AGE OF TV HEROES Examines the history of the live-action television adventures of everyone’s favorite comic book heroes! FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER features the in-depth stories of the actors and behind-thescene players that made the classic super-hero television programs we all grew up with.

Included are new and exclusive interviews and commentary from ADAM WEST (Batman), LYNDA CARTER (Wonder Woman), PATRICK WARBURTON (The Tick), NICHOLAS HAMMOND (Spider-Man), WILLIAM KATT (The Greatest American Hero), JACK LARSON (The Adventures of Superman), JOHN WESLEY SHIPP (The Flash), JACKSON BOSTWICK (Shazam!), and many more!

Written by JASON HOFIUS and GEORGE KHOURY, with a new cover by superstar painter ALEX ROSS! (192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490106 Diamond Order Code: SEP084302 Rescheduled for July 2009

SUBSCRIPTION RATES 2009 SUBSCRIPTION RATES:

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EXTRAORDINARY WORKS KIRBY FIVE-OH! OF ALAN MOORE: LIMITED HARDCOVER Indispensable Edition Limited to 500 copies, KIRBY FIVE-OH! The definitive biography of the co-creator of WATCHMEN and V FOR VENDETTA finally returns to print in a NEW EXPANDED AND UPDATED VERSION! Features an extensive series of interviews with MOORE about his entire career, including a new interview covering his work since the sold-out 2003 edition of this book was published.

Includes RARE STRIPS, SCRIPTS, ART, and private PHOTOS of the author, plus a series of tribute comic strips by many of Moore’s closest collaborators, a COLOR SECTION featuring a RARE MOORE STORY (remastered, and starring MR. MONSTER), and more! Edited by GEORGE KHOURY, with a cover by DAVE McKEAN! (240-page trade paperback) $29.95 US ISBN: 9781605490090 Diamond Order Code: OCT084400 Limited Hardcover Signed by Alan Moore (100 hardcover copies) $49.95 US Only available from TwoMorrows!

1st Class Canada 1st Class Priority Intl.

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JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR (4 issues)

$50

$60

$60

$84

$136

BACK ISSUE! (6 issues)

$44

$60

$70

$105

$115

DRAW! (4 issues)

$30

$40

$47

$70

$77

ALTER EGO (12 issues) Six-issue subs are half-price!

$88

$120

$140

$210

$230

BRICKJOURNAL (4 issues)

$38

$48

$55

$78

$85

LIMITED HARDCOVER EDITION covers the best of everything from Jack Kirby’s 50-year career in comics, including his 50 BEST STORIES, BEST COVERS, BEST EXAMPLES OF UNUSED KIRBY ART, BEST CHARACTER DESIGNS, and profiles of, and commentary by, 50 PEOPLE INFLUENCED BY KIRBY’S WORK! Plus there’s a 50-PAGE GALLERY of Kirby’s PENCIL ART, a DELUXE COLOR SECTION, a previously unseen Kirby Superman cover inked by DARWYN COOKE, and an introduction by MARK EVANIER! Includes a full-color wrapped hardcover, and an individuallynumbered extra Kirby pencil art plate not included in the softcover edition! It’s ONLY AVAILABLE FROM TWOMORROWS, and is not sold in stores! Edited by JOHN MORROW.

Reprints JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #27-30, with looks at Jack’s 1970s and ‘80s work, plus a two-part focus on how widespread Kirby’s influence is! Features rare interviews with KIRBY himself, plus Watchmen’s ALAN MOORE and DAVE GIBBONS, NEIL GAIMAN, Bone’s JEFF SMITH, MARK HAMILL, and others! See page after page of rare Kirby art, including a NEW SPECIAL SECTION with over 30 PIECES OF KIRBY ART NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED, and more!

(288-page trade paperback) $29.95 US ISBN: 9781605490120 Diamond Order Code: DEC084286 Ships February 2009

(168-page Limited Edition Hardcover) (500 hardcover copies) $34.95 US Only available from TwoMorrows!

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OUTSIDE THE US, PLEASE ORDER ONLINE TO CALCULATE YOUR EXACT POSTAGE COSTS & SAVE!

Subscriptions will start with the next available issue, but CURRENT AND OLDER ISSUES MUST BE PURCHASED AT THE BACK ISSUE PRICE (new issues ship in bulk, and we pass the savings on in our subscription rates). In the US, we generally ship back issues and books by MEDIA MAIL.

COLLECTED JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR Volume 7

For the latest news from TwoMorrows Publishing, log on to www.twomorrows.com/tnt To get periodic e-mail updates of what’s new from TwoMorrows Publishing, sign up for our mailing list! http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/twomorrows

TwoMorrows Publishing is a division of TwoMorrows, Inc. TM

TwoMorrows. Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. (& LEGO! ) TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

TM

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

Go online for an ULTIMATE BUNDLE, with all the issues at HALF-PRICE! 6-ISSUE SUBS: $40 US Postpaid by Media Mail ($55 First Class, $63 Canada, $91 1st Class Intl., $112 Priority Intl.).

BACK ISSUE #1

BACK ISSUE #2

BACK ISSUE #3

“PRO2PRO” interview between GEORGE PÉREZ & 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 and BUSCEMA ART), “OFF MY CHEST” editorial by INFANTINO, and more! PÉREZ cover!

“PRO2PRO” between ADAM HUGHES and 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 and TWISTED TALES, “OFF MY CHEST” by MIKE W. BARR on the DC IMPLOSION, and more!

HUGHES cover!

“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, details on two unknown PLASTIC MAN movies, Joker’s history with O’NEIL, ADAMS, ENGLEHART, ROGERS and BOLLAND, editorial by MARK EVANIER, and more! BOLLAND cover!

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

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

Covers by ALEX ROSS and ADAM HUGHES!

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

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

DENNY O’NEIL and 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), ISABELLA and TREVOR VON EEDEN on BLACK LIGHTNING, and more! KYLE BAKER cover!

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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, and more! All-new STEVE RUDE COVER!

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 PAUL SMITH, SIENKIEWICZ, SIMONSON, BOLLAND, HANNIGAN, MAZZUCCHELLI, and others! New cover by ADAMS!

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

‘70s and ‘80s character revamps with DAVE GIBBONS, ROY THOMAS and KURT BUSIEK, TOM DeFALCO and 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), and more!

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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 and interviews with GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, 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, and MOENCH on Werewolf by Night, and more! New ARTHUR ADAMS cover!

“Toy Stories!” Behind the Scenes of Marvel’s G.I. JOE™ and TRANSFORMERS with PAUL LEVITZ and GEORGE TUSKA, “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, and new ZECK sketch cover!

“Super Girls!” Supergirl retrospective with art by STELFREEZE, HAMNER, SpiderWoman, Flare, Tigra, DC’s unused Double Comics with unseen BARRETTO and INFANTINO art, WOLFMAN and JIMENEZ on Donna Troy, female comics pros, art by SEKOWSKY, OKSNER, PÉREZ, HUGHES, GIORDANO, plus a COLOR GALLERY and COVER by BRUCE TIMM!

“Big, Green Issue!” Tour of NEAL ADAMS’ studio (with interview and art gallery), DAVE GIBBONS “Rough Stuff” pencil art spotlight, interviews with MIKE GRELL (on Green Arrow), PETER DAVID (on Incredible Hulk), a “Pro2Pro” chat between GERRY CONWAY and JOHN ROMITA, SR. (on the Green Goblin), and more. New cover

by NEAL ADAMS!

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“Unsung Heroes!” DON NEWTON spotlight, STEVE GERBER and GENE COLAN on Howard the Duck, MIKE CARLIN and DANNY FINGEROTH on Marvel’s Assistant Editors’ Month, the unrealized Unlimited Powers TV show, TONY ISABELLA’s aborted plans for The Champions, MARK GRUENWALD tribute, art by SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, and more! NEWTON/ RUBINSTEIN cover!

“Secret Identities!” Histories of characters with unusual alter egos: Firestorm, Moon Knight, the Question, and the “real-life” Human Fly! STEVE ENGLEHART and SAL BUSCEMA on Captain America, JERRY ORDWAY interview and cover, Superman roundtable with SIENKIEWICZ, NOWLAN, MOENCH, COWAN, MAGGIN, O’NEIL, MILGROM, CONWAY, ROBBINS, SWAN, plus FREE ALTER EGO #64 PREVIEW!

“The Devil You Say!” issue! A look at Daredevil in the 1980s and 1990s with interviews and art by KLAUS JANSON, JOHN ROMITA JR., and FRANK MILLER, MIKE MIGNOLA Hellboy interview, DAN MISHKIN and GARY COHN on Blue Devil, COLLEEN DORAN’s unpublished X-Men spin-off “Fallen Angels”, Son of Satan, Stig’s Inferno, DC’s Plop!, JACK KIRBY’s Devil Dinosaur, and cover by MIKE ZECK!

“Dynamic Duos!’ “Pro2Pro” interviews with Batman’s ALAN GRANT and NORM BREYFOGLE and the Legion’s PAUL LEVITZ and KEITH GIFFEN, a “Backstage Pass” to Dark Horse Comics, Robin’s history, EASTMAN and LAIRD’s Ninja Turtles, histories of duos Robin and Batgirl, Captain America and the Falcon, and Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, “Zot!” interview with SCOTT McCLOUD, and a new BREYFOGLE cover!

“Comics Go Hollywood!” Spider-Man roundtable with STAN LEE, JOHN ROMITA, SR., JIM SHOOTER, ERIK LARSEN, and others, STAR TREK comics writers’ roundtable Part 1, Gladstone’s Disney comics line, behindthe-scenes at TV’s ISIS and THE FLASH (plus an interview with Flash’s JOHN WESLEY SHIPP), TV tie-in comics, bonus 8-page color ADAM HUGHES ART GALLERY and cover, plus a FREE WRITE NOW #16 PREVIEW!

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“Magic” issue! MICHAEL GOLDEN interview, GENE COLAN, PAUL SMITH, and FRANK BRUNNER on drawing Dr. Strange, Mystic Art Gallery with CARL POTTS & KEVIN NOWLAN, BILL WILLINGHAM’s Elementals, Zatanna history, Dr. Fate’s revival, a “Greatest Stories Never Told” look at Peter Pan, tribute to the late MARSHALL ROGERS, a new GOLDEN cover, plus a FREE ROUGH STUFF #6 PREVIEW!

“Men of Steel!’ BOB LAYTON and DAVID MICHELINIE on Iron Man, RICH BUCKLER on Deathlok, MIKE GRELL on Warlord, JOHN BYRNE on ROG 2000, Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman, Machine Man, the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes comic strip, DC’s Steel, art by KIRBY, HECK, WINDSOR-SMITH, TUSKA, LAYTON cover, and bonus “Men of Steel” art gallery!

Includes a FREE DRAW! #15 PREVIEW!

“Spies and Tough Guys!’ PAUL GULACY and DOUG MOENCH in an art-packed “Pro2Pro” on Master of Kung Fu and their unrealized Shang-Chi/Nick Fury crossover, Suicide Squad spotlight, Ms. Tree, CHUCK DIXON and TIM TRUMAN’s Airboy, James Bond and Mr. T in comic books, Sgt. Rock’s oddball super-hero team-ups, Nathaniel Dusk, JOE KUBERT’s unpublished The Redeemer, and a new GULACY cover!

“Comic Book Royalty!” The ’70s/’80s careers of Aquaman and the Sub-Mariner explored, BARR and BOLLAND discuss CAMELOT 3000, comics pros tell “Why JACK KIRBY Was King,” “Dr. Doom: Monarch or Menace?” DON McGREGOR’s Black Panther; an exclusive ALAN WEISS art gallery; spotlights on ARION, LORD OF ATLANTIS; NIGHT FORCE; and more! New cover by NICK CARDY!

“Heroes Behaving Badly!” Hulk vs. Thing tirades with RON WILSON, HERB TRIMPE, and JIM SHOOTER; CARY BATES and CARMINE INFANTINO on “Trial of the Flash”; JOHN BYRNE’s heroes who cross the line; Teen Titan Terra, Kid Miracleman, Mark Shaw Manhunter, and others who went bad, featuring LAYTON, MICHELINIE, WOLFMAN, and PÉREZ, and more! New cover by DARWYN COOKE!

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TWOMORROWS BOOKS

by ROY THOMAS NEW FOR 2008

ALTER EGO COLLECTION, VOL. 1 Collects ALTER EGO #1-2, plus 30 pages of new material! Behind a new JLA Jam Cover by JOE KUBERT, GEORGE PÉREZ, DICK GIORDANO, GEORGE TUSKA, NICK CARDY, RAMONA FRADON, and JOE GIELLA, there’s: GIL KANE, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, and GARDNER FOX on the creation of the Silver Age Atom! “The STAN LEE Roast” with SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN ROMITA, PETER DAVID, CHRIS CLAREMONT, JIM SHOOTER, et al.! MICHAEL T. GILBERT on WILL EISNER’s 1966 Spirit story! ROY THOMAS, JERRY ORDWAY, and MIKE MACHLAN on creating Infinity, Inc.! Interviews with LARRY LIEBER, IRWIN HASEN, & JACK BURNLEY! Wonder Woman rarities, with art by H.G. PETER! Plus FCA, new sections featuring scarce art by GIL KANE, WILL EISNER, CARMINE INFANTINO, MIKE SEKOWSKY, MURPHY ANDERSON, DICK DILLIN, plus all seven of our super-star cover artists!

(192-page trade paperback) $21.95 ISBN: 9781893905597 Diamond Order Code: APR063420

ALTER EGO: THE BEST OF THE LEGENDARY COMICS FANZINE

(10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) In 1961, JERRY BAILS and ROY THOMAS launched ALTER EGO, the first fanzine devoted to comic books and their colorful history. This volume, first published in low distribution in 1997, collects the original 11 issues (published from 1961-78) of A/E, with the creative and artistic contributions of JACK KIRBY, STEVE DITKO, WALLY WOOD, JOHN BUSCEMA, MARIE SEVERIN, BILL EVERETT, RUSS MANNING, CURT SWAN, & others—and important, illustrated interviews with GIL KANE, BILL EVERETT, & JOE KUBERT! See where a generation first learned about the Golden Age of Comics—while the Silver Age was in full flower—with major articles on the JUSTICE SOCIETY, the MARVEL FAMILY, the MLJ HEROES, and more! Edited by ROY THOMAS & BILL SCHELLY with an introduction by the late JULIUS SCHWARTZ.

JOHN ROMITA... AND ALL THAT JAZZ! “Jazzy” JOHN ROMITA talks about his life, his art, and his contemporaries! Authored by former Marvel Comics editor in chief and top writer ROY THOMAS, and noted historian JIM AMASH, it features the most definitive interview Romita’s ever given, about working with such comics legends as STAN LEE and JACK KIRBY, following Spider-Man co-creator STEVE DITKO as artist on the strip, and more!

Plus, Roy Thomas shares memories of working with Romita in the 1960s-70s, and Jim Amash examines the awesome artistry of Ring-a-Ding Romita! Lavishly illustrated with Romita art—original classic art, and unseen masterpieces—as well as illos by some of Marvel’s and DC’s finest, this is at once a career overview of a comics master, and a firsthand history of the industry by one of its leading artists! Available in Softcover and Deluxe Hardcover (with 16 extra color pages, dust jacket, and custom endleaves).

(192-page softcover) $24.95 ISBN: 9781893905757 • Diamond Order Code: APR074018 (208-page hardcover with COLOR) $44.95 ISBN: 9781893905764 • Diamond Order Code: APR074019

(192-page trade paperback) $21.95 ISBN: 9781893905887 Diamond Order Code: DEC073946

ALL- STAR COMPANION VOL. 2 ROY THOMAS presents still more secrets of the Justice Society of America and ALL-STAR COMICS, from 1940 through the 1980s, featuring: A fabulous wraparound cover by CARLOS PACHECO! More amazing information and speculation on the classic ALL-STAR COMICS of 1940-1951! Never-before-seen Golden Age art by IRWIN HASEN, CARMINE INFANTINO, ALEX TOTH, MART NODELL, JOE KUBERT, H.G. PETER, and others! Art from an unpublished 1940s JSA story not seen in Volume 1! Rare art from the original JLA-JSA team-ups and the 1970s ALL-STAR COMICS REVIVAL by MIKE SEKOWSKY, DICK DILLIN, JOE STATON, WALLY WOOD, KEITH GIFFEN, and RIC ESTRADA! Full coverage of the 1980s ALL-STAR SQUADRON, and a bio of every single All-Star, plus never-seen art by JERRY ORDWAY, RICH BUCKLER, ARVELL JONES, RAFAEL KAYANAN, and special JSArelated art and features by FRANK BRUNNER, ALEX ROSS, NEAL ADAMS, GIL KANE, MIKE MIGNOLA, and RAMONA FRADON—and more!

NEW FOR 2008

(240-page trade paperback) $24.95 ISBN: 9781893905375 Diamond Order Code: AUG063622

ALL- STAR COMPANION VOL. 3

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In this third volume, comics legend Roy Thomas presents still more amazing secrets behind the 1940-51 ALL-STAR COMICS and the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA! Also, there’s an issue-by-issue survey of the JLA/JSA TEAM-UPS of 1963-85, the 1970s JSA REVIVAL, and the 1980s series THE YOUNG ALL-STARS with commentary by the artists and writers! Plus rare, often unseen art by NEAL ADAMS, DICK AYERS, MICHAEL BAIR, JOHN BUSCEMA, SEAN CHEN, DICK DILLIN, RIC ESTRADA, CREIG FLESSEL, KEITH GIFFEN, DICK GIORDANO, MIKE GRELL, TOM GRINDBERG, TOM GRUMMETT, RON HARRIS, IRWIN HASEN, DON HECK, CARMINE INFANTINO, GIL KANE, JACK KIRBY, JOE KUBERT, BOB LAYTON, SHELDON MAYER, BOB McLEOD, SHELDON MOLDOFF, BRIAN MURRAY, JERRY ORDWAY, ARTHUR PEDDY, GEORGE PÉREZ, H.G. PETER, HOWARD PURCELL, PAUL REINMAN, MIKE SEKOWSKY, HOWARD SIMPSON, JOE SINNOTT, JIM STARLIN, JOE STATON, RONN SUTTON, ALEX TOTH, JIM VALENTINO and many others! Featuring a new JLA/JSA cover by GEORGE PÉREZ! (240-page trade paperback) $26.95 ISBN: 9781893905801 • Diamond Order Code: SEP074020

Edited by ROY THOMAS The greatest ‘zine of the 1960s is back, ALL-NEW, and focusing on GOLDEN AND 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, and more!

2007 EISNER AWARD WINNER Best Comics-Related Periodical

Go online for an ULTIMATE BUNDLE, with all the issues at HALF-PRICE!

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ALTER EGO #1

ALTER EGO #2

ALTER EGO #3

STAN LEE gets roasted by SCHWARTZ, CLAREMONT, DAVID, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, and SHOOTER, ORDWAY and THOMAS on INFINITY, INC., IRWIN HASEN interview, unseen H.G. PETER Wonder Woman pages, the original Captain Marvel and Human Torch teamup, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, “Mr. Monster”, plus plenty of rare and unpublished art!

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

GIL KANE and JACK BURNLEY flip-covers!

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

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ALTER EGO #4

ALTER EGO #5

ALTER EGO #6

ALTER EGO #7

ALTER EGO #8

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

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

by CARMINE INFANTINO and JERRY ORDWAY!

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

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

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

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ALTER EGO #9

ALTER EGO #10

ALTER EGO #11

ALTER EGO #12

ALTER EGO #13

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

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

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

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

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

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY012450

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JUL012309

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(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: NOV012568

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ALTER EGO #17 Spotlighting LOU FINE (with an overview of his career, and interviews with family members), interview with MURPHY ANDERSON about Fine, ALEX TOTH on Fine, ARNOLD DRAKE interviewed about DEADMAN and DOOM PATROL, MR. MONSTER on the non-EC work of JACK DAVIS and GEORGE EVANS, FINE and LUIS DOMINGUEZ COVERS, FCA and more!

ALTER EGO #14

ALTER EGO #15

ALTER EGO #16

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

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

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

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: FEB022730

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: APR022615

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY022386

ALTER EGO #18

ALTER EGO #19

ALTER EGO #20

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

Spotlight on DICK SPRANG (profile and interview) with unseen art, rare Batman art

by BOB KANE, CHARLES PARIS, SHELLY MOLDOFF, MAX ALLAN COLLINS, JIM MOONEY, CARMINE INFANTINO, and ALEX TOTH, JERRY ROBINSON interviewed about Tomahawk and 1940s cover artist FRED RAY, FCA, and MR. MONSTER on WALLY WOOD’s Flash Gordon, Part 2!

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

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: AUG022420

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: OCT022884

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: NOV022845

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JUL022370

ALTER EGO #21 The IGER “SHOP” examined, with art by EISNER, FINE, ANDERSON, CRANDALL, BAKER, MESKIN, CARDY, EVANS, BOB KANE, and TUSKA, “SHEENA” section with art by DAVE STEVENS & FRANK BRUNNER, ROY THOMAS on the JSA and All-Star Squadron, more UNSEEN 1946 ALL-STAR ART, MR. MONSTER on GARDNER FOX, FCA, and more! DAVE STEVENS and IRWIN HASEN covers!

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC023029

ALTER EGO #22

ALTER EGO #23

ALTER EGO #24

ALTER EGO #25

ALTER EGO #26

BILL EVERETT and JOE KUBERT interviewed

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

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

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

JACK COLE remembered by ALEX TOTH, interview with brother DICK COLE and his PLAYBOY colleagues, CHRIS CLAREMONT on the X-Men (with more never-seen art

by DAVE COCKRUM), ROY THOMAS on All-Star Squadron #1 and its ’40s roots (with art by ORDWAY, BUCKLER, MESKIN and MOLDOFF), FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more! Covers by TOTH and SCHELLY!

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

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JAN032492

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: FEB032260

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ALTER EGO #27

ALTER EGO #28

ALTER EGO #29

ALTER EGO #30

ALTER EGO #31

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

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

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

ALEX ROSS on his love for the JLA, BLACKHAWK/JLA artist DICK DILLIN, the super-heroes of 1940s-1980s France (with art by STEVE RUDE, STEVE BISSETTE, LADRÖNN, and NEAL ADAMS), KIM AAMODT & WALTER GEIER on writing for SIMON & KIRBY, ALEX TOTH, MR. MONSTER, and FCA! Covers by ALEX ROSS and STEVE RUDE!

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

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JUN032614

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JUL032570

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: AUG032604

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: SEP032620

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: OCT032843

ALTER EGO #32

ALTER EGO #33

ALTER EGO #34

ALTER EGO #35

ALTER EGO #36

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

Covers by DICK GIORDANO and GIL KANE!

Symposium on MIKE SEKOWSKY by MARK EVANIER, SCOTT SHAW!, et al., with art

by ANDERSON, INFANTINO, and others, PAT (MRS. MIKE) SEKOWSKY and inker VALERIE BARCLAY interviewed, FCA, 1950s Captain Marvel parody by ANDRU and ESPOSITO, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY, MR. MONSTER, and more! Covers by FRENZ/SINNOTT and FRENZ/BUSCEMA!

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

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

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

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: NOV032695

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC032833

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JAN042879

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: FEB042796

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: MAR042972

ALTER EGO #37

ALTER EGO #38

ALTER EGO #39

ALTER EGO #40

ALTER EGO #41

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

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

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

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

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

Covers by WRIGHTSON & MARC SWAYZE!

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: APR043055

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY043050

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JUN042972

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JUL043386

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: AUG043186

ALTER EGO #42

ALTER EGO #43

ALTER EGO #44

ALTER EGO #45

ALTER EGO #46

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

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

JSA/All-Star Squadron/Infinity Inc. special!

Interviews with KUBERT, HASEN, ANDERSON, ORDWAY, BUCKLER, THOMAS, 1940s Atom writer ARTHUR ADLER, art by TOTH, SEKOWSKY, HASEN, MACHLAN, OKSNER, and INFANTINO, FCA, and MR. MONSTER’S “I Like Ike!” cartoons by BOB KANE, INFANTINO, OKSNER, and BIRO! Wraparound ORDWAY cover!

Interviews with Sandman artist CREIG FLESSEL and ’40s creator BERT CHRISTMAN, MICHAEL CHABON on researching his Pulitzer-winning novel Kavalier & Clay, art

by EISNER, KANE, KIRBY, and AYERS, FCA with MARC SWAYZE and C.C. BECK, OTTO BINDER’s “lost” Jon Jarl story, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom, and ALEX TOTH! CREIG FLESSEL cover!

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

Cover by EVERETT and MARIE SEVERIN!

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: SEP043043

(108-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: OCT043189

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: NOV043080

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC042992

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JAN053133

ALTER EGO #47

ALTER EGO #48

ALTER EGO #49

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

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

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

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: FEB053220

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: MAR053331

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: APR053287

ALTER EGO #50 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!

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY053172

ALTER EGO #54 ALTER EGO #51

ALTER EGO #52

ALTER EGO #53

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

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

GIORDANO and THOMAS on STOKER’S DRACULA, never-seen DICK BRIEFER Frankenstein strip, MIKE ESPOSITO on his work with ROSS ANDRU, art by COLAN, WRIGHTSON, MIGNOLA, BRUNNER, BISSETTE, KALUTA, HEATH, MANEELY, EVERETT, DITKO, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, BILL SCHELLY, ALEX TOTH, and MR. MONSTER! Cover by GIORDANO!

(100-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JUN053345

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: JUL053293

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: AUG053328

MIKE ESPOSITO on DC and Marvel, ROBERT KANIGHER on the creation of Metal Men and Sgt. Rock (with comments

by JOE KUBERT and BOB HANEY), art by ANDRU, INFANTINO, KIRBY, SEVERIN, WINDSOR-SMITH, ROMITA, BUSCEMA, TRIMPE, GIL KANE, and others, plus FCA, ALEX TOTH, BILL SCHELLY, MR. MONSTER, and more! ESPOSITO cover!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: SEP053301

ALTER EGO #56

ALTER EGO #57

ALTER EGO #58

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

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

by JACK KIRBY and PETE VON SHOLLY!

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

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC053401

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: JAN063429

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: MAR063545

ALTER EGO #55 JACK and OTTO BINDER, KEN BALD, VIC DOWD, and BOB BOYAJIAN interviewed, FCA with SWAYZE and EMILIO SQUEGLIO, rare art by BECK, WARD, & SCHAFFENBERGER, Christmas Card Art from CRANDALL, SINNOTT, HEATH, MOONEY, and CARDY, 1943 Pin-Up Calendar (with ’40s movie stars as superheroines), ALEX TOTH, and more! ALEX ROSS and ALEX WRIGHT covers!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: OCT053396

ALTER EGO #59 Special issue on Batman and Superman in the Golden and Silver Ages, ARTHUR SUYDAM interview, NEAL ADAMS on 1960s/70s DC, SHELLY MOLDOFF, AL PLASTINO, Golden Age artist FRAN (Doll Man) MATERA and VIC CARRABOTTA interviewed, SIEGEL & SHUSTER, RUSS MANNING, FCA, MR. MONSTER, SUYDAM cover, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: APR063474

ALTER EGO #60

ALTER EGO #61

ALTER EGO #62

Celebrates 50 years since SHOWCASE #4!

FLASH interviews with SCHWARTZ, KANIGHER, INFANTINO, KUBERT, and BROOME, Golden Age artist TONY DiPRETA, 1966 panel with NORDLING, BINDER, and LARRY IVIE, FCA, MR. MONSTER, never-before-published color Flash cover by CARMINE INFANTINO, and more!

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

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

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY063496

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: JUN063522

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: AUG063690

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ALTER EGO #63

ALTER EGO #64

ALTER EGO #65

ALTER EGO #66

ALTER EGO #67

Tribute to ALEX TOTH! Never-before-seen interview with tons of TOTH art, including sketches he sent to friends! Articles about Toth by TERRY AUSTIN, JIM AMASH, SY BARRY, JOE KUBERT, LOU SAYRE SCHWARTZ, IRWIN HASEN, JOHN WORKMAN, and others! Plus illustrated Christmas cards by comics pros, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

Fawcett Favorites! Issue-by-issue analysis of BINDER & BECK’s 1943-45 “The Monster Society of Evil!” serial, double-size FCA section with MARC SWAYZE, EMILIO SQUEGLIO, C.C. BECK, MAC RABOY, and others! Interview with MARTIN FILCHOCK, Golden Age artist for Centaur Comics! Plus MR. MONSTER, DON NEWTON cover, plus a FREE 1943 MARVEL CALENDAR!

NICK CARDY interviewed on his Golden & Silver Age work (with CARDY art), plus art

by WILL EISNER, NEAL ADAMS, CARMINE INFANTINO, JIM APARO, RAMONA FRADON, CURT SWAN, MIKE SEKOWSKY, and others, tributes to ERNIE SCHROEDER and DAVE COCKRUM, FCA with MARC SWAYZE, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER, new CARDY COVER, and more!

Spotlight on BOB POWELL, the artist who drew Daredevil, Sub-Mariner, Sheena, The Avenger, The Hulk, Giant-Man, and others, plus art by WALLY WOOD, HOWARD NOSTRAND, DICK AYERS, SIMON & KIRBY, MARTIN GOODMAN’s Magazine Management, and others! FCA with MARC SWAYZE and C.C. BECK, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and MR. MONSTER, and more!

Interview with BOB OKSNER, artist of Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Angel and the Ape, Leave It to Binky, Shazam!, and more, plus art and artifacts by SHELLY MAYER, IRWIN HASEN, LEE ELIAS, C.C. BECK, CARMINE INFANTINO, GIL KANE, JULIE SCHWARTZ, etc., FCA with MARC SWAYZE & C.C. BECK, MICHAEL T. GILBERT on BOB POWELL Part II, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: OCT063800

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: NOV063991

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC064009

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: JAN073982

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: FEB073887

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ALTER EGO #68

ALTER EGO #69

ALTER EGO #70

ALTER EGO #71

ALTER EGO #72

Tribute to JERRY BAILS—Father of Comics Fandom and founder of Alter Ego! Cover by GEORGE PÉREZ, plus art by JOE KUBERT, CARMINE INFANTINO, GIL KANE, DICK DILLIN, MIKE SEKOWSKY, JERRY ORDWAY, JOE STATON, JACK KIRBY, and others! Plus STEVE DITKO’s notes to STAN LEE for a 1965 Dr. Strange story! And ROY reveals secrets behind Marvel’s STAR WARS comic!

PAUL NORRIS drew AQUAMAN first, in 1941—and RAMONA FRADON was the hero’s ultimate Golden Age artist. But both drew other things as well, and both are interviewed in this landmark issue—along with a pocket history of Aquaman! Plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, and more!

Cover painted by JOHN WATSON, from a breathtaking illo by RAMONA FRADON!

Spotlight on ROY THOMAS’ 1970s stint as Marvel’s editor-in-chief and major writer, plus art and reminiscences of GIL KANE, BOTH BUSCEMAS, ADAMS, ROMITA, CHAYKIN, BRUNNER, PLOOG, EVERETT, WRIGHTSON, PÉREZ, ROBBINS, BARRY SMITH, STAN LEE and others, FCA, MR. MONSTER, a new GENE COLAN cover, plus an homage to artist LILY RENÉE!

Represents THE GREAT CANADIAN COMIC BOOKS, the long out-of-print 1970s book

by MICHAEL HIRSH and PATRICK LOUBERT, with rare art of such heroes as Mr. Monster, Nelvana, Thunderfist, and others, plus new INVADERS art by JOHN BYRNE, MIKE GRELL, RON LIM, and more, plus a new cover by GEORGE FREEMAN, from a layout by JACK KIRBY!

SCOTT SHAW! and ROY THOMAS on the creation of Captain Carrot, art & artifacts

by RICK HOBERG, STAN GOLDBERG, MIKE SEKOWSKY, JOHN COSTANZA, E. NELSON BRIDWELL, CAROL LAY, and others, interview with DICK ROCKWELL, Golden Age artist and 36-year ghost artist on MILTON CANIFF’s Steve Canyon! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: MAR073852

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: APR074098

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY073879

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: JUN074006

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ALTER EGO #76

FRANK BRUNNER on drawing Dr. Strange, interviews with CHARLES BIRO and his daughters, interview with publisher ROBERT GERSON about his 1970s horror comic Reality, art by BERNIE WRIGHTSON, GRAHAM INGELS, HOWARD CHAYKIN, MICHAEL W. KALUTA, JEFF JONES, and others FCA, MR. MONSTER, a FREE DRAW! #15! PREVIEW, and more!

FAWCETT FESTIVAL—with an ALEX ROSS cover! Double-size FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) with P.C. HAMERLINCK on the many “Captains Marvel” over the years, unseen Shazam! proposal by ALEX ROSS, C.C. BECK on “The Death of a Legend!”, MARC SWAYZE, interview with Golden Age artist MARV LEVY, MR. MONSTER, and more!

JOE SIMON SPECIAL! In-depth SIMON interview by JIM AMASH, with neverbefore-revealed secrets behind the creation of Captain America, Fighting American, Stuntman, Adventures of The Fly, Sick magazine and more, art by JACK KIRBY, BOB POWELL, AL WILLIAMSON, JERRY GRANDENETTI, GEORGE TUSKA, and others, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: NOV073947

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: JAN084019

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: AUG074112

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STAN LEE SPECIAL in honor of his 85th birthday, with a cover by JACK KIRBY, classic (and virtually unseen) interviews with Stan, tributes, and tons of rare and unseen art by KIRBY, ROMITA, the brothers BUSCEMA, DITKO, COLAN, HECK, AYERS, MANEELY, SHORES, EVERETT, BURGOS, KANE, the SEVERIN siblings—plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: OCT073927

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ALTER EGO #78 ALTER EGO #77 ST. JOHN ISSUE! Golden Age Tor cover by JOE KUBERT, KEN QUATTRO relates the full legend of St. John Publishing, art by KUBERT, NORMAN MAURER, MATT BAKER, LILY RENEE, BOB LUBBERS, RUBEN MOREIRA, RALPH MAYO, AL FAGO, special reminiscences of ARNOLD DRAKE, Golden Age artist TOM SAWYER interviewed, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: MAR084108

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DAVE COCKRUM TRIBUTE! Great rare XMen cover, Cockrum tributes from contemporaries and colleagues, and an interview with PATY COCKRUM on Dave’s life and legacy on The Legion of Super-Heroes, The X-Men, Star-Jammers, & more! Plus an interview with 1950s Timely/Marvel artist MARION SITTON on his own incredible career and his Golden Age contemporaries!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: APR084249

ALTER EGO #79

ALTER EGO #80

SUPERMAN & HIS CREATORS! New cover

by MICHAEL GOLDEN, exclusive and revealing interview with JOE SHUSTER’s sister, JEAN SHUSTER PEAVEY—MIKE W. BARR on Superman the detective— DWIGHT DECKER on the Man of Steel & Hitler’s Third Reich—plus art by WAYNE BORING, CURT SWAN, NEAL ADAMS, GIL KANE, and others!

SWORD-AND-SORCERY COMICS! Learn about Crom the Barbarian, Viking Prince, Nightmaster, Kull, Red Sonja, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser, Beowulf, Warlord, Dagar the Invincible, and more, with art by FRAZETTA, SMITH, BUSCEMA, KANE, WRIGHTSON, PLOOG, THORNE, BRUNNER, and more!

New cover by RAFAEL KAYANAN!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY084245

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: JUN084380

NEW STUFF FROM TWOMORROWS!

BACK ISSUE #34

WRITE NOW! #20

ROUGH STUFF #12

DRAW! #17

BRICKJOURNAL #5

“New World Order!” Adam Warlock examined with JIM STARLIN and ROY THOMAS, the history of Miracleman with ALAN DAVIS & GARRY LEACH, JIM SHOOTER interview, roundtable with Marvel’s post-STAN LEE editors-in-chief on the New Universe, Logan’s Run, Star Hunters, BOB WIACEK on Star Wars and Star-Lord, DICK GIORDANO revisits Crisis on Infinite Earths and “The Post-Crisis DC Universe You Didn’t See,” and a new cover by JIM STARLIN!

Focus on THE SPIRIT movie, showing how FRANK MILLER transformed WILL EISNER’s comics into the smash-hit film, with interviews with key players behind the making of the movie, a look at what made Eisner’s comics so special, and more. Plus: an interview with COLLEEN DORAN, writer ALEX GRECIAN on how to get a pitch green lighted, script and art examples, and more!

Interview and cover by comic painter CHRIS MOELLER, features on New Zealand comic artist COLIN WILSON, G.I. Joe artist JEREMY DALE, and fan favorite TERRY DODSON, plus "GOOD GIRL ART" (a new article about everyone's favorite collectible art) by ROBERT PLUNKETT, a "Rough Critique" of an aspiring artist's work, and more!

Go behind the pages of the hit series of graphic novels starring Scott Pilgrim with his creator and artist, BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY, to see how he creates the acclaimed series! Then, learn how B.P.R.D.’s GUY DAVIS works on the series, plus more Comic Art Bootcamp: Learning from The Great Cartoonists by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY, reviews, and more!

Features event reports from around the world, and the MINDSTORMS 10TH ANNIVERSARY at LEGO HEADQUARTERS! Plus an interview with the head of the LEGO GROUP’S 3D DEPARTMENT, a glimpse at the LEGO Group's past with the DIRECTOR OF LEGO'S IDEA HOUSE, instructions and spotlights on builders, and an idea section for Pirate builders!

(80-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital Edition) $2.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC084398 FINAL ISSUE! Now shipping!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital Edition) $2.95 Diamond Order Code: FEB094564 FINAL ISSUE! Now shipping!

(80-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 US • (Digital Edition) $2.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC084377 Now shipping!

(80-page COLOR magazine) $8.95 US (Digital Edition) $3.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC084408 Now shipping!

ALL-STAR COMPANION Vol. 4

BATCAVE COMPANION

Features: Colossal coverage of the Golden Age ALL-STAR COMICS! Sensational secrets of the JUNIOR JUSTICE SOCIETY! An index of the complete solo adventures of all 18 original JSAers in their own features, from 1940 to 1951! The JSA's earliest imitators (Seven Soldiers of Victory, All Winners Squad, Marvel Family, and Intl.

Crime Patrol)! INFINITY, INC. on EarthTwo and after! And the 1980s SECRET ORIGINS series! With rare art by ALEX ROSS, TODD McFARLANE, JERRY ORDWAY, CARMINE INFANTINO, JOE KUBERT, ALEX TOTH, GIL KANE, MURPHY ANDERSON, IRWIN HASEN, MORT MESKIN, GENE COLAN, WAYNE BORING, GEORGE TUSKA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, GEORGE FREEMAN, DON NEWTON, JACK BURNLEY, MIKE MACHLAN, HOWARD CHAYKIN, DICK DILLIN, and others. Edited by ROY THOMAS.

Explore the Silver and Bronze Ages of Batman comic books in THE BATCAVE COMPANION! Two distinct sections of this book examine the Dark Knight’s progression from his campy “New Look” of the mid-1960s to his “creature of the night” reinvention of the 1970s. Features include issue-by-issue indexes, interviews with CARMINE INFANTINO, JOE GIELLA, DENNIS O’NEIL, and NEAL ADAMS, and guest essays by MIKE W. BARR and WILL MURRAY. Contributors include SHELDON MOLDOFF, LEN WEIN, STEVE ENGLEHART, and TERRY AUSTIN, with a special tribute to the late MARSHALL ROGERS. With its incisive introduction by DENNIS O’NEIL and its iconic cover painting by NEAL ADAMS, THE BATCAVE COMPANION is a must-have for every comics fan! By MICHAEL EURY and MICHAEL KRONENBERG.

(240-page trade paperback) $27.95 US ISBN: 9781605490045 Diamond Order Code: APR091002 Now shipping!

(224-page trade paperback) $26.95 US ISBN: 9781893905788 Diamond Order Code: NOV068368 Now shipping!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Now shipping!

KIRBY COLLECTOR #52 Spotlights Kirby’s most obscure work, like an UNUSED THOR STORY, BRUCE LEE comic, animation work, stage play, unaltered versions of pages from KAMANDI, DEMON, & DESTROYER DUCK, a feature examining the last page of his final issue of various series BEFORE EDITORIAL TAMPERING, unseen Kirby covers & more!

(84-page tabloid magazine) $9.95 US Diamond Order Code: DEC084397 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Now shipping!

COLLECTED KIRBY COLLECTOR VOL. 7 Reprints KIRBY COLLECTOR #27-30 plus over 30 pieces of Kirby art never published!

(288-page trade paperback) $29.95 ISBN: 9781605490120 Now shipping!

Go to www.twomorrows.com for FULL-COLOR downloadable PDF versions of our magazines for only $2.95! Subscribers to the print edition get the digital edition FREE, weeks before it hits stores!

2009 SUBSCRIPTION RATES:

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Original Comic Book Art & The Collectors Examines the hobby of collecting original comic book art, letting you meet collectors from around the globe as they detail collections ranging from a few key pages, to hundreds of pages of original comic art

by JACK KIRBY, JOHN ROMITA SR., and others! Features interviews with industry pros, including writers GERRY CONWAY, STEVE ENGLEHART, and ROY THOMAS, and exclusive perspectives from Silver Age artists DICK GIORDANO, BOB McLEOD, ERNIE CHAN, TONY DeZUNIGA, and the unparalleled great, GENE COLAN! Completing the book is a diverse sampling of breathtakingly beautiful original comic art, some lavishly presented in full-page spreads, including pages not seen publicly for decades. Written by STEVEN ALAN PAYNE. (128-page trade paperback) $15.95 US ISBN: 9781605490151 Diamond Order Code: JAN094470 Now shipping!

VOLUME 20: KYLE BAKER

(120-page trade paperback with COLOR) $14.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490083 Now shipping!

VOLUME 21: CHRIS SPROUSE

(128-page trade paperback) $14.95 US • ISBN: 97801605490137 Ships June 2009 Each features an extensive, career-spanning interview lavishly illustrated with rare art from the artist’s files, plus huge sketchbook section, including unseen and unused art!

1st Class Canada 1st Class Priority US Intl.

Intl.

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR (4 issues)

$50

$60

$60

$84

$136

BACK ISSUE! (6 issues)

$44

$60

$70

$105

$115

DRAW! (4 issues)

$30

$40

$47

$70

$77

ALTER EGO (12 issues) Six-issue subs are half-price!

$88

$120

$140

$210

$230

BRICKJOURNAL (4 issues)

$38

$48

$55

$78

$85

For the latest news from TwoMorrows Publishing, log on to www.twomorrows.com/tnt

TwoMorrows. Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics.

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