Back Issue #115 by TwoMorrows Publishing

He is the law: a JUDGE DREDD history! ber 20

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SCI-FI SUPERHEROES ISSUE!

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Septem

Relive The Pop Culture You Grew Up With!

Remember when Saturday morning television was our domain, and ours alone? When tattoos came from bubble gum packs, Slurpees came in superhero cups, and TV heroes taught us to be nice to each other? Those were the happy days of the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties— our childhood—and that is the era of TwoMorrows’ new magazine RETROFAN!

#5: Interviews with MARK HAMILL and Greatest American Hero’s WILLIAM KATT! Blast off with JASON OF STAR COMMAND! Stop by the MUSEUM OF POPULAR CULTURE! Poke fun at a campy BATMAN COMIC BOOK! Plus: “The First Time I Met Tarzan,” MAJOR MATT MASON, Moon Landing Mania, SNUFFY SMITH at 100 with cartoonist JOHN ROSE, TV Dinners, Celebrity Crushes, and more fun, fab features! NOW SHIPPING! #6: Interviews with crazy creepster SVENGOOLIE and Eddie Munster himself, BUTCH PATRICK! Call on the original Saturday Morning Ghost Busters, with BOB BURNS! Uncover the nutty Naugas! Plus: “My Life in the Twilight Zone,” “I Was a Teenage James Bond,” “My Letters to Famous People,” the ARCHIEDOBIE GILLIS connection, the PINBALL Hall of Fame, Super Collector DAVID MANDEL’s comic art collection, Alien action figures, the RUBIK’S CUBE fad, and more fun, fab features! SHIPS SEPTEMBER 2019! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazines) $8.95 (Digital Editions) $4.95 Edited by Back Issue’s MICHAEL EURY!

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THE CRAZY, COOL CULTURE WE GREW UP WITH! LOU FERRIGNO interview, The Phantom in Hollywood, Filmation’s Star Trek cartoon, “How I Met Lon Chaney, Jr.”, goofy comic Zody the Mod Rob, Mego’s rare Elastic Hulk toy, RetroTravel to Mount Airy, NC (the real-life Mayberry), interview with BETTY LYNN (“Thelma Lou” of The Andy Griffith Show), TOM STEWART’s eclectic House of Collectibles, and Mr. Microphone!

HALLOWEEN! Horror-hosts ZACHERLEY, VAMPIRA, SEYMOUR, MARVIN, and an interview with our cover-featured ELVIRA! THE GROOVIE GOOLIES, BEWITCHED, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, and THE MUNSTERS! The long-buried Dinosaur Land amusement park! History of BEN COOPER HALLOWEEN COSTUMES, character lunchboxes, superhero VIEW-MASTERS, SINDY (the British Barbie), and more!

40th Anniversary interview with SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE director RICHARD DONNER, IRWIN ALLEN’s sci-fi universe, Saturday morning’s undersea adventures of Aquaman, horror and sci-fi zines of the Sixties and Seventies, Spider-Man and Hulk toilet paper, RetroTravel to METROPOLIS, IL (home of the Superman Celebration), SEAMONKEYS®, FUNNY FACE beverages, Superman and Batman memorabilia, & more!

Interviews with the SHAZAM! TV show’s JOHN (Captain Marvel) DAVEY and MICHAEL (Billy Batson) Gray, the GREEN HORNET in Hollywood, remembering monster maker RAY HARRYHAUSEN, the wayout Santa Monica Pacific Ocean Amusement Park, a Star Trek Set Tour, SAM J. JONES on the Spirit movie pilot, British sci-fi TV classic THUNDERBIRDS, Casper & Richie Rich museum, the KING TUT fad, and more!

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Volume 1, Number 115 September 2019 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Jim Starlin COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS Bob McLeod Richard J. Arndt Angel Medina Mark Bagley Robert Menzies Roy Batty Ian Millsted Tom Brevoort Fabian Nicieza Jarrod Buttery Luigi Novi Robert V. Conte John Ostrander Gerry Conway Portsmouth Peter David Comic Con Bill Davis, Sr. Darick Robertson Tom DeFalco Bob Rozakis Jo Duffy Cavan Scott Jay Faerber Danny Fingeroth Walter Simonson Evan Skolnick Ron Frenz Doug Smith Ian Gibson Anthony Snyder Grand Comics Jim Starlin Database Heritage Comics Joshua Thayer Mikaal Tomas Auctions Gerry Turnbull Klaus Janson Mike Vosburg Dan Jurgens James Heath Lantz John Wagner Rob Williams Erik Larsen Chuck Wojtkiewicz Paul Levitz Michael Zeno Alan Light Ron Lim DEDICATED TO THE Ed Lute MEMORY OF Chris Marrinan Carlos Ezquerra Val Mayerik Luke McDonnell

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ONE-HIT WONDERS: The Starman of ’76! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Gerry Conway and Mike Vosburg discuss their man who fell to Earth BEYOND CAPES: Judge Dredd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 From 2000AD to your metroplex, Mega-City One’s one-man cop, judge, and executioner UNKNOWN MARVEL: Walt Simonson’s Homage to Judge Dredd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Justice Peace, from Thor to Fantastic Four… plus the scoop on Thug Thatcher FLASHBACK: Adventure Star: Starman Prince Gavyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Paul Levitz remembers his sci-fi collaboration with Steve Ditko BEYOND CAPES: Dreadstar: Jim Starlin’s Odyssey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 A comprehensive look back at Starlin’s (and friends’) space opera ROUGH STUFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Pencil art by Swan, Kirby, Williamson, Lim, and Jurgens FLASHBACK: Jemm, Son of Mars Saturn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Martian Manhunter’s almost-cousin and his troubled DC history FLASHBACK: Nova: The Human Rocket Returns! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 The Man Called Nova’s comeback in New Warriors and beyond BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Reader reactions to BI #109, our Superman: The Movie tribute… featuring rare Superman images! BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 112 Fairmount Way, New Bern, NC 28562. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Eight-issue subscriptions: $82 Economy US, $128 International, $32 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Jim Starlin. Dreadstar and Company TM & © Jim Starlin. Judge Dredd © Rebellion A/S. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2019 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

Mikaal Tomas, DC Comics’ new Starman, circa 1976, actually debuted in December 1975, in the pages of 1st Issue Special #12 (Mar. 1976). Under a dynamite cover by Joe Kubert, the story was edited and written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by Mike Vosburg and Mike Royer. Mind you, this Starman wasn’t the 1940s Gardner Fox/Jack Burnley version of the character. This was a totally new version.

FRIEND OR FOE?

The origin tale opens with a bang, as Tomas’ spaceship crashes in the wetlands off the North Bronx. In the midst of 18 heavily plotted pages, he is attacked by thugs, knifed, learns English, and is stalked and finally confronted by an alien “guardsman.” We learn that his commander and the commander’s paramour, in a hidden base on the dark side of the Moon, have sent the guardsman to track down Tomas and kill him for treason. In a flashback, gerry conway we learn the reason for the treason is that his lady love, Lyysa, wanted to warn Earth of her people’s intent to commit genocide of all humanity. Her mission ended when she was killed in her attempt. A furious Tomas kills her assassin and decides to complete her attempted mission to warn Earth. The issue ends with a cliffhanger as Mikaal and the guardsman, one Turran Kha, face off in the streets of the Bronx. There would be no second issue to show the fight. As Gerry Conway explains, “1st Issue Special was one of Carmine Infantino’s concepts. Carmine had noticed that the first issue of a series always seemed to sell well. So [laughs], he came up with this idea of a monthly book that was going to be all first issues. That was the logic that we were operating under. “At the time, I was the new editor in town, so I was thrown a lot of the responsibility to come up with those first-issue concepts. One character that I always liked, although I didn’t think it was modern enough for an audience of the 1970s, was Starman. I liked the revival of the 1940s characters, especially Hourman, who was teamed up with Dr. Fate in either Showcase or The Brave and the Bold in the 1960s. It was done by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson. [Editor’s note: Gerry is referring to the two-part Dr. Fate/Hourman team-up in Showcase #55–56, and the two-part Starman/ Black Canary team-up in Brave and Bold #61–62, both in 1965.] I don’t think it led to a series for either one of them, but I really liked that as a kid.” Conway continues, “I wanted to revive Starman, but by the mid-1970s I knew that kind of character would be considered old-fashioned and wouldn’t get a lot of fan traction at the time. I thought we could

Feeling Blue Readers’ first glimpse of the new Starman, on the Joe Kubert cover of 1st Issue Special #12 (Mar. 1976). TM & © DC Comics.

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by R

ichard Arndt

Old Time Revival (top) Aside from Justice Society appearances in Justice League of America, the Golden Age Starman got a tryout team-up with Black Canary in 1965. Brave and Bold #61 cover by Murphy Anderson. (bottom) The other “Starman” of the ’70s, David Bowie’s single, had no influence on the FIS character, says creator Gerry Conway. Comic and characters TM & © DC Comics. Record © 1972 RCA Records.

do something like what Julie Schwartz had accomplished with Green Lantern and the Flash. Present, or rather update, totally new characters with much the same powers, using the old names. I just liked the names. “So I hashed out this premise of an alien crashing to Earth. He would have a mysterious background that we could explore in future issues. So that was basically the story for the one-shot, done under the necessity of having to create a new concept every month for a one-shot appearance, combined with my own liking of the character’s name.” Conway takes exception to an online myth linking 1st Issue Special’s Starman to a legendary rocker. “Contrary to Wikipedia, my concept had no inspiration from the song by David Bowie,” Gerry asserts. “I have listened to Bowie’s ‘Starman,’ and I can’t come up with any common link between his song and my version of Starman. I wasn’t a particular fan of Bowie at the time. During that period, my tastes ran more towards Credence Clearwater Revival or Cream. Bowie was more avant-garde than I was at the time.” When asked if the name Mikaal Tomas (a.k.a. Michael Thomas) had any significance, Conway tells BACK ISSUE, “only in the sense of striking a parallel between Tomas and J’onn J’onzz (John Jones), that if he used an Earthly alter ego he wouldn’t have to change how his name sounded. As it was, he could easily pass as ‘Michael Thomas.’ It was really playing off those things that DC had done before. “At DC at that time, I was really trying to embrace the things I loved about those DC comics that I’d read in the early 1960s,” Conway explains. “That was really why I wrote or edited stories about the Metal Men, Dr. Fate, Codename: Assassin, the New Gods, and Kobra. That last one was a new [Jack] Kirby book, but we had to rewrite and partially redraw it. In that case, Carmine didn’t like what Kirby had done with the character. I was trying to operate, in a way, as a separate unit within the DC Universe, trying to claim some of the Earth-Two characters for myself without having to step over into the mainstream characters and books.”

STARMAN’S ILLUSTRATORS

Conway, as editor, also chose the artistic team for the one-shot and picked Mike Vosburg as penciler and Mike Royer as inker. Assessing his choice of Royer, Conway says, “I really liked his work on Jack Kirby for DC and on Russ Manning on Tarzan at Gold Key. Two more different types of artists would be hard to find, and he did great work on both. He was also a great letterer, which was

Stars in His Eyes Mike “Voz” Vosburg and his beloved wife, Anna, dubbed “she who must be obeyed” on Voz’s online gallery, www.vozart.com.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 3

First Contact (left) Starman arrives on Earth on the splash page of FIS #12. By Conway/Vosburg/ Royer. (top right) Starman scuffles with Earthmen on page 2. (middle right) Branded a traitor, Mikaal Tomas rejects his own race on page 12. (bottom right) Starman squares off against Turran Kha in the unresolved cliffhanger from 1st Issue Special #12, page 18. TM & © DC Comics.

a two-fer for me as I wasn’t happy with the kind of lettering that DC was using at the time. I had some fights with them over how big the lettering was. I wanted to use a slightly smaller font and we had big debates about that. It sounds funny now, but I just liked the esthetics of a slightly reduced font.” Regarding his choice of Mike Vosburg, Conway recalls, “I had some samples of his work, though I don’t remember how I’d gotten ahold of them. He was a good storyteller and a good draftsman who drew interesting characters. I thought he would be a good person to be working with at DC. That was why I brought him in.” Mike Vosburg himself remembers, “In 1975 I was beginning work on Starfire [the sword-and-sorcery character—ed.]. I was the new artist at DC and my goal was to find something to work on, period. I expect that this story would have been one of the first full-length stories that I penciled for them. You need to understand that I was never in the DC office, because I lived in Michigan at the time. I wasn’t a daily visitor, getting all the behind-the-scenes stuff. I just wasn’t privy as to how that story developed or how I got picked as the artist. I do remember that I was happy to do it. “In those days, you largely worked for one company and they tried to keep you busy, so you couldn’t work for the competitors. They really believed in ‘house’ talent.” Regarding the format of the script, Vosburg says, “Considering that it was done for DC, I probably received a full script. The easy way to tell if it was a

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full script or Marvel-style is to look at the pages and see if people’s heads were being chopped off by word balloons. That always happened at Marvel—balloons were placed over peoples’ heads because all the dialogue was added in later. Whereas one of the advantages of working with a full script was that you understood the words as being part of the picture— you knew how long the sentences were going to be and you could design the page and panels to reflect that. That was really a big advantage, to me. Look at stories that I did with Chris Claremont for Marvel, where the dialogue was written later and it always looks like the balloons were crammed in there. [laughs]” Vosburg illustrated both the Starman issue and 1st Issue Special’s final issue, #13, featuring Return of the New Gods. “I was really influenced on both Starman and the New Gods by the work of Spanish cartoonist Carlos Gimenez, especially with the costume designs,” Vosburg says. “Gimenez actually storyboarded Guillermo del Toro’s second film, The Devil’s Backbone.” The artist considers the selection of his Starman inker a stroke of good luck. “Having Mike Royer inking was nice, since I had no beforehand decisions or requests. I was contacted by Gerry, and told he had a job for me to pencil. From there the inking was going to go to whomever. Vinnie Colletta was the art director at DC at the time and he liked my penciling. In this case, inking went to Mike Royer. I’d have to assume that he was also working for DC and needed something to keep him busy at the time. I’m sure it wasn’t anything that Gerry and I sat down and discussed. I do remember

that I did the New Gods revival issue quite soon after and Carmine looked at my own inking there and said, ‘Don’t use this guy again for anything!’ [laughter] Mind you, I felt the same way about Carmine!” Infantino’s assessment aside, Vosburg has fond memories of this one-shot wonder. “Starman was a fun story that I was pretty happy with, as it reminded me of the film The Day the Earth Stood Still. I would have loved doing more with the character, but it was not to happen.” Incidentally, the first artist fans saw on this version of Starman wasn’t Mike Vosburg—the legendary Joe Kubert illustrated the cover of 1st Issue Special #12. “Joe Kubert did an incredible cover!” Vosburg beams. Conway concurs: “Joe Kubert drew the cover, and that was great. Joe was the go-to guy for covers at DC at that time. I think he didn’t really want to be drawing full stories, but he was always available to do covers. Carmine liked working with him. Carmine would do the layout and Kubert would take that and finish it.”

A NOT-SO-MAR-VELLOUS RUMOR

Gerry Conway turns to BACK ISSUE to “clear up some internet rumors about the story—namely that the storyline is similar to Marvel’s original 1967 origin of their homegrown Captain Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell was a spy sent from an orbiting mothership to Earth to investigate the awakening and forced shut-down of a Kree Sentry by the Fantastic Four. The Kree Empire, a mostly blueskinned race, although Mar-Vell himself was white, was understandably concerned that a primitive planet— i.e., Earth—could do that to one of their greatest weapons. Mar-Vell adopted a human guise and his story progressed from there, until his death in 1982.” As far this writer can tell from reading Starman’s story, the only real similarities between Captain Mar-Vell and Mikaal Tomas was that both races are generally blue-skinned. Mikaal’s race had come for conquest, and Mikaal’s conflict in that origin issue stems from his beloved’s death while trying to stop that. Gerry Conway comments, “There is the idea in both books that there is a war in the galaxy—in Captain Marvel between the Kree Empire and the Skrulls and in Starman between Mikaal Tomas’ race and Earth. Tomas comes to Earth really by accident. It’s wasn’t his intent to be there at all. “You know, there was a real pressure to get something out for 1st Issue Special every month and, to be honest, I hadn’t done a lot of in-depth thinking on the character. I was just trying to leave some loose ends when the story ended to provide more material in the future, in case it did go to a series. It was shortly after this story debuted that I went back to Marvel.”

STARMAN RETURNS

For Bronze Age readers, this version of Starman was a one-hit wonder. “It turns out that Mikaal Tomas, our version of Starman, didn’t reappear for quite a few years,” Conway reflects. But one of the readers of 1st Issue Special #12 was James Robinson, who, some two decades later, as a DC Comics writer, brought back Mikaal Tomas, beginning in Starman #3 (Nov. 1994). As one of Starman’s rich tapestry of characters, Tomas, under Robinson’s guidance, was ultimately revealed to be gay (issue #45, Sept. 1998) and was added to a version of the Justice League. While Conway “didn’t really follow that,” he’s not surprised by the resurgence of those mid-’70s first-issue characters. “DC has come back to those 1st Issue Special characters quite often, even though only two of the issues actually spawned series [Warlord and New Gods]. There were some really talented people working on those books.

Walt Simonson did some of his earliest work for DC on Dr. Fate [1st Issue Special #9], which he did with writer Martin Pasko. Steve Gerber wrote the issue of Metal Men that we originally had set up for that series [but was continued in its own title]. That was really fun.” Looking back, Conway opines of the series that premiered Starman, “I think that Carmine’s basic premise for 1st Issue Special was fundamentally flawed… that people would, each month, buy a book of unknown characters because it was a first issue! I don’t think that Carmine ever had any intention that there would be any second issues! [laughs]” RICHARD J. ARNDT is a librarian and comic historian from Nevada. He’s written the books Horror Comics in Black and White and The Star*Reach Companion.

Freakshow Bronze Age readers recognized this blue-skinned sideshow attraction on this climactic splash from Starman #3 (Nov. 1995). Script by James Robinson, art by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger. TM & © DC Comics.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 5

“He is the Law! And you’d better believe it!” TM

by I a n

Millsted

The above quote is the text that accompanied the illustration of Judge Dredd in the first issue (Feb. 26, 1977) of the long-running British science-fiction anthology comic 2000AD. That picture was the only sight of Dredd in that premiere issue, serving as a house advertisement for the second issue, in which Judge Dredd would join the other five features that made the cut for the launch. From such humble beginnings, the character of Judge Dredd has gone on to become a phenomenon, not only in comics but across the range of media. As of January 2019, 2000AD has been published continually for 42 years on a mostly weekly basis. Judge Dredd has appeared in all but four issues. The companion monthly title Judge Dredd Megazine was launched in 1990 and is now past 400 issues. Both titles have also had numerous annuals and specials with Dredd front and center. A third title, Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future, ran for 23 issues from 1995 to 1996. Judge Dredd also had an extensive run as a strip in the British newspaper The Daily Star from 1981 until 1998. The Daily Star was, and remains, a lousy newspaper, and Judge Dredd was easily the best thing in it, but those strips also represent the highest circulation, and therefore visibility, that Dredd achieved in comic form. DC Comics licensed Judge Dredd in 1994 and produced 31 comics under two separate titles over the next two years. More recently, comics publisher IDW has issued a range of Dredd series. Then there are the appearances the character made in heavy-metal music magazine Rock Power and the crossover titles with Batman and Lobo. There have been 18 novels featuring the character as well as, in e-book format, shorter novellas. Dredd has been utilized in video games, role-playing games, boardgames, card games, and, oh, yes, a couple of movies. But who, and what, is Judge Dredd? How did this character rise to become Britain’s most culturally significant comics character? The origins of Judge Dredd are rooted in the era in which he first appeared.

THE ROOTS OF JUDGE DREDD

Britain in 1977 was a country in transition. Politically, the Labour government had lost its majority and was struggling with a range of economic and social challenges. The postwar consensus was being challenged by the rise to the leadership of the Conservative Party of new-rightinfluenced Margaret Thatcher. Unemployment was on the rise and inflation seemed to rise irrespective of whatever was tried to halt it. In sports, the England football (soccer) team failed again to qualify for the World Cup tournament, while the national cricket team had been beaten badly by Australia and the West Indies in successive years. Culturally, punk rock was challenging the establishment (though most of the bands eagerly signed up to the established music labels and took

Lethal Lawman Detail from Brian Bolland’s cover to Eagle Comics’ reprint title Judge Dredd #1 (Nov. 1983), many US readers’ first exposure to 2000AD’s breakout star. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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pat mills Wordpress.com.

Earthmen Wanted! From 1977, early editions of 2000AD, issues #2 and 7. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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the cash). And in comics there was the arrival of 2000AD and Judge Dredd. Up until the mid-1970s, British comics tended to be fairly conservative in both tone and content (with some notable exceptions such as The Beano, which produced anarchic humor aimed at seven- to ten-year-olds). The most popular boys’ stories in the 1950s and 1960s had been the likes of science-fiction serial Dan Dare (in The Eagle from 1950 to 1967) and soccer strip Roy of the Rovers (in Tiger from 1954 until 1977, and in Roy of the Rovers from 1976 to 1995). Both were clean-cut goodguys that were unlikely to shock or offend any parent that might idly pick up their kid’s comics to glance at. That was already starting to change by the time that the Judge Dredd concept was being developed. The revolution started in comics being produced for girls. The British comics industry, and it was an industry then, of the 1970s was dominated by two large companies. In Dundee, Scotland, was DC Thomson. Thomson’s was a family-owned publisher with conservative management and a reputation for paying lower freelance rates than their rivals. The likes of Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, and Grant Morrison all cut their teeth with work at DC Thomson. Their rival was IPC (also known, at times, as Fleetway) in London. IPC had four main divisions producing comics. There was a nursery department publishing titles aimed at preschool children, a humor department with titles for seven- to 11-year olds, and departments for both boys’ and girls’ adventure comics. The boys’ comics tended to be quite staid and appeared to be aimed at a middle-class readership, although there were good stories that rose above the average. BACK ISSUE readers may be aware of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel’s work on The Spider in the comic Lion. The management of the girls’ comics department had a different outlook. In 1971 Fleetway launched a new anthology title Tammy. Tammy immediately overtook DC Thomson’s Bunty as the top-selling comic for girls. Steve MacManus, who worked for IPC from the early 1970s, explained in his 2016 book The Mighty One: My life inside the nerve center, “Tammy was not a clone of Bunty. Bright and sassy, Tammy knew exactly which entertainment dramas its readers were watching on television and actively sought to emulate them. Tammy’s downtrodden yet gutsy protagonists were also put through darker, nastier trials than those endured by the heroines in Bunty. True, the traditional Cinderella plot principle was still evident, but that was no guarantee each serial would have a happy ending. This editorial ethos saw sales of Tammy soar to 200,000 copies a week. Reality fiction had become the name of the game and the girls’ comics were targeting this new sweet spot with unerring accuracy, leaving the boys’ adventure titles looking increasingly out of touch.” Tammy had been created by Gerry Finley-Day. Among the freelance writers from whom Finley-Day commissioned stories were Pat Mills and John Wagner. Tammy was followed by Jinty in 1974. Jinty also sold well and gradually started to include a range of science-fiction serials among its stories. The overall management of IPC realized that the john wagner future of boys’ comics required the approach that had been taken in the Emperor. girls’ comics department. Meanwhile, DC Thomson had enjoyed a big success with a new comic for boys, Warlord (which had nothing to do with DC Comics’ The Warlord, created by Mike Grell). Warlord was a war-themed anthology title.

IPC planned to launch its own war comic in response, The development of Judge Dredd had not been but the publisher took the unusual step of freezing out straightforward. There had been a quite different concept the team in charge of boys’ comics. Editor David developed by Pat Mills before the one we now know Hunt recruited Steve MacManus as sub-editor came to fruition. Mills explained further in his for a new title, to be called Battle Picture memoir Be Pure! Be Vigilant! Behave! (2017 Weekly. MacManus related, “He told me from Millsverse Books): “I had taken the that two freelance writers had been name from a popular reggae band at brought in to be the creative force the time. The hero was a kind of occult behind the new title, which would be Doctor Who, with the visual image of produced under the auspices of the Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee.” girls’ department… David took me The character quickly evolved into somealong the corridor to meet the two thing more futuristic. “I brought in John men. We slipped discreetly into a room Wagner… and he agreed to create a future no larger than a broom cupboard and cop story for me,” Mills wrote. “John needed David introduced me to its occupants: a title for his cop story and I gave him Judge Dread. Later, I would change their names were Pat Mills and John Wagner. Both were in their middle it to Judge Dredd in case the reggae carlos ezquerra twenties.” The pattern developed on band [of the same name] complained.” Tammy and Jinty was applied to Battle Caricature by Robin Smith. Mills and Wagner Picture Weekly: emulate popular films and television continued to develop the concept, shows, use more working-class characters, and increase with each contributing key ideas. the use of anti-heroes. A good example of this was The There were other contributions, too. Rat Pack, which was, essentially, The Dirty Dozen with Doug Church, who worked for mainly British working-class anti-heroes instead of the IPC as an art director, developed Americans in the original film. It was originally written the idea of the city setting by Gerry Finley-Day and drawn by Carlos Ezquerra. stretching the entire length of Battle Picture Weekly proved to be a success, and plans the American eastern seaboard. were soon put in place to launch a new, contemporary title using the same approach. Pat Mills was asked to develop Action. Action (again, no relation to the DC Comics title Action Comics) ramped up the threepronged formula even more with an increased pace of storytelling. Stories in this new anthology included Hookjaw, which was a blatant Jaws rip-off; Dredger, a British Dirty Harry; Hellman of Hammer Force, a rather good World War II serial with a German protagonist as per Sam Peckinpah’s Cross of Iron; and Death Game 1999, which borrowed freely from the concept of Rollerball. Action was a sales success. Kids loved its violence and anti-authoritarian take. Unfortunately, it fell foul of wider tastes after a story that featured children beating up a policeman. However, by that time, the go-ahead had already been given for a new project applying the Finley-Day/Mills/Wagner approach to a sciencefiction anthology: 2000AD. 2000AD launched in February 1977, with six strips intended to share the pages: • Dan Dare was a new version of the classic British science-fiction hero, included for the name recognition factor and to get dads to buy the comic for their sons. • Invasion featured, some years before the film Red Dawn, a Russian (renamed “Volgan,” but nobody was fooled) invasion of Britain in which they are defied by a resistance led by Londoner Bill Savage. • Flesh, which had modern-day cowboys going back in time to harvest dinosaurs for meat, was the one that I remember the other boys in my school talking about most. • Harlem Heroes was a futuristic sports drama with great Dave Gibbons artwork. • M.A.C.H. 1 was a Six Million Dollar Man clone that proved to be the most popular story in the first few weeks of the comic. • It had been intended that Judge Dredd was also included in the starting lineup, but the first episode was deemed unsuitable and the pages were used for promotion and competitions instead.

Drawing from His Past Judge Dredd’s brutal, authoritarian appearance was established by Spanish artist Carlos Ezquerra, who was raised during the dictatorship of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Ezquerra died on October 1, 2018, at the age of 70. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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When Mills and Wagner had an initial script, they were both happy and the next stage was selecting an artist. Mills recalled, “We gave the script to artist Carlos Ezquerra and included a reference of David Carradine in Death Race 2000 as the basis for Dredd. Carlos, born in Zaragoza, Spain, but living in Britain, had impressed John and I by his work on Battle, co-creating two impressive series, Major Eazy and Rat Pack. “So I knew it was going to be good. But I was not prepared for the fantastic images Carlos and his agent later brought into the office. They were extraordinary! The lawman of the future I was staring at was unbelievable! … It was obvious we had something really special here and it confirmed Carlos’ status as a world-class comic creator.” John Wagner had a slightly different reaction to the designs as detailed in The Making of Judge Dredd (1995): “I was unhappy with them. I thought they were way over the top. I was looking for somebody with much cleaner lines. I saw Dredd more like smooth glistening metal rather than Carlos’ baroque Judge. But he was obviously right—it’s a look that has lasted. Carlos is a great character creator: He was right and I was wrong.” Ezquerra was also informed in his concepts from the experience of having grown up under Franco’s dictatorship in Spain, where flamboyant military decoration and authoritarian rule went hand-in-hand. For a variety of reasons, including money, rights, and editorial direction, both John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, having done enough work on the Judge Dredd character to be recognized as the creators, decided not to continue with the character at this point. Mills needed a new writer and a new artist. The artist came in the form of Mike McMahon, a recent graduate of Chelsea art school. McMahon’s art was as distinctive as Ezquerra’s. He gave Dredd an imposing, angular look. The punk element of Judge Dredd has sometimes been overstated, but when the appellation is applied to McMahon there is more than an element of truth. McMahon managed to bring an art-school, underground approach and make it just about mainstream enough to work for the

Have It Your Way (top) Cover for 2000AD #72 (July 8, 1978), featuring the controversial “Burger Wars” story by John Wagner and Mike McMahon. (bottom) Interior art from “Burger Wars.” Most scans accompanying this article are courtesy of Ian Millsted. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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brian bolland © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons.

“Soul Food” Courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com), original Brian Bolland art to the controversial “Soul Food” chapter of “The Cursed Earth,” 2000AD #78, featuring less-than-flattering spoofs of American corporate icons including Colonel Sanders and Speedy Alka-Seltzer. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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general readership. McMahon drew five of the first six episodes to be published and therefore set a significant amount of the visual tone for the character in the early months. In an interview for the fanzine Class of 79 (#1, 1998), McMahon explained more about his early involvement: “I’d been out of art school a year and I’d got into an agency. I’d seen a copy of Eerie… and Paul Neary was working on it, and I was really impressed with his stuff. I did this story about knights and dragons in kind of a Paul Neary style; it was really ‘blocky.’ They were only penciled, but my agent took it to Fleetway and the next thing, I got this script for Judge Dredd, and that was that.” The new writer was another creator starting out. “My final choice for episode one of Dredd came from an unlikely source: an unpublished writer named Peter Harris,” Mills recalled in his book. “From Peter— to my astonishment—came an exciting… story about a criminal gang of mutants hiding in a derelict Empire State Building with a highway running through the middle of the upper stories. The defiant punk-like mutants murder a Judge whose corpse is sent back to Justice H.Q. chained to his bike. Dredd insists on going in alone to deal with them, to show the citizens of Mega-City that a Judge is never afraid. Inevitably he blows the mutants away and executes their leader, Whitey.” The story was tweaked slightly by Mills and editor Kelvin Gosnell so that the execution of Whitey is altered to him being dumped in a de facto prison that is actually the island in the middle of a huge traffic junction. In one simple, but very effective, story, told over five pages, Dredd was launched into the comics world.

“JUDGE DREDD IS HERE!”

The premise of this futurecop strip was that the cities of the future would face such major problems with crime that they would need to be policed by lawmen trained and authorized to act as police, judge, and executioner combined. Judge Dredd would be the man with the reputation as the very toughest of these lawmen. The setting of a giant metropolis covering the entire eastern seaboard of the USA (a country which no longer exists in a meaningful state), with tower blocks and roadways extending into the skies, was inspired. Further detail of this world was developed piece by piece over the first few years as the reader learned of the radiationafflicted Cursed Earth that covered most of the interior of the North American continent, the few alien species which had made contact, and the hierarchy

Cruise Control Dredd makes an unusual bust. Cover to 2000AD #128 (Sept. 1, 1979) by Ron Smith. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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of the ruling Judges. Indeed, the Judges not only enforced the law, but they made it as well. There was no separation of powers here. The more the reader saw, the more it became clear that this was an authoritarian dictatorship, and Judge Dredd was part of the system of upholding that. Dredd, the character, is a force of nature. There are elements of latter-day John Wayne (Big Jake or Brannigan) and Clint Eastwood (especially Dirty Harry) in the personality and dialogue. He has the arrogance and misogyny of Sherlock Holmes. However, the character from popular culture that always struck me as the closest forerunner of Dredd was Robert E. Howard’s puritan adventurer Solomon Kane. Kane is a religious fundamentalist with an absolutist view of right and wrong, which combined with his fighting skills makes him a dangerous enemy but not always a sympathetic protagonist. Although Dredd shows no religious belief, he has the same certainty, which comes from such belief. There’s never going to be a Peter Parker-style introspective soliloquy from Dredd. In recent years, Pat Mills has revealed some of his inspiration for the character came from two Catholic priests who taught at the school he attended as a child. This was in the days when corporal punishment was still legal in England, and Mills’ teachers seem to have used it with an unhealthy enthusiasm. “Brother James was the scariest,” Mills said. “He was driven by religious zeal, with a fanatical love of the Lord, which inspired my idea of Dredd’s fanatical love of the Law. Hence, an early Dredd episode, where he sits reading a giant volume on the Law in his spare time. James wore a long black robe, Himmler-style, steelrimmed spectacles, and had aesthetic, angular features.” Writer Peter Harris never wrote another Judge Dredd story, and his contribution to 2000AD was limited to three standalone short stories in 1977. For the next few issues, the scripts were either produced by Mills, Gosnell, or MacManus, with the exception of a run of three stories from Malcolm Shaw, a very talented writer who had also graduated from girls’ comics. Sadly, Shaw died of cancer in 1984 at only 38 years of age. With issue #9, John Wagner returned and wrote the first multi-episode Dredd story, “The Robot Wars.” It was the custom at the time in British comics to include cut-out coupons on which readers could rank their favorite stories. Enough readers did this to give a significant sample from which to know what was genuinely popular. “The Robot Wars” took Judge Dredd up to the top of the popularity chart. Both 2000AD and Judge Dredd had found their audience. Wagner stayed on to become the resident writer for the foreseeable future, although others would pitch in on occasion. The art, however, was another matter. Several artists, with eclectically different styles, were sharing the chores between them. Five different artists were used over the course of the first 13 episodes. As well as McMahon, there was one episode drawn by Ezquerra and one from Italian

artist Massimo Belardinelli. In contrast, and something of a surprise, was Ron Turner, who drew six early episodes of Dredd. Turner was something of a legend in British science-fiction circles, having produced covers for SF paperbacks and magazines as well as drawing long runs on comics characters like Rick Random and licensed series such as The Daleks (from the BBC series Doctor Who). Turner was viewed as old school by some, but his artwork was always excellent. He excelled at drawing futuristic vistas, robots, and the standard tropes of SF. Not everyone was a fan, though. Steve MacManus stopped commissioning Turner when he later took control of the title. The other artist to start working on Dredd at this time was Ian Gibson. “I was working as a roadie for the Chicago Climax Blues band on their year-long tour of the UK, and drawing what I could in my spare time,” Gibson relates to BACK ISSUE. “Steve Parkhouse had introduced me to an agent, and I was showing him the pages, which impressed him enough to try and find me work. But back then there were no science-fiction comics happening on the British scene. So, I ended up working on little pocket horror books. But it was a living. “So, when the band offered me the chance to tour the States with them, I reluctantly turned them down and settled into a career in comics. By then it was 1972, and I gradually branched out into love comics for the Swedish market, where they were allowing me to write my own stuff. I was basically taking whatever work I could find, and as my agent kept insisting that the more genres I worked in the better I’d become. Thus, I worked on Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, and the Brown and Watson annuals of Kung Fu and a couple of Bionic Woman books. When I got the chance to work on John Wagner’s Valiant comic I took it, even though it was a war story and I hate war stories! But it meant that I’d established a relationship with John.

“So, when he started telling me about his new project with Pat Mills to do sci-fi, I was keen to get on board. Then the first script for my first Dredd arrived, along with some poor-quality stats of clips of the artwork from the previous episodes. I’d noticed that everyone seemed to have their own take on quite what Dredd looked like, so I did my best to make sense of the uniform and basically did it ‘my way.’ Then, eventually, after I’d worked on a few more Dredds, I chanced to meet Mike [McMahon] in the offices and we were chatting about Dredd’s uniform. Mike was laughing about him running around with a ‘rubber eagle’ on his shoulder. I just fell about laughing, because I’d been thinking of it as a stiff plastic/kevlar eagle shield. After that, I started to give the eagle some character of its own, turning to see what Dredd was up to at times. “Mike was the only Dredd artist that I actually liked,” Gibson admits. “So, when it came to city scenes, I’d check to see what Mike had done and try not to stray too far from it. For me, he was the real Dredd artist.” From issue #17 (June 18, 1977), Ian Gibson and Mike McMahon mostly drew alternating episodes for the next few months until they were joined by another artist who would become a major contributor to the evolving Dredd universe. Brian Bolland started by drawing covers and drew his first full Dredd story for issue #41 (Dec. 3, 1977). In an interview with Comic World #11 (Jan. 1993), Bolland shared memories of his time on Dredd: “Judge Dredd was done at a time when we didn’t have any reprint rights, didn’t get our work back. We just took the deal that was offered. A lot of people thought that it was unfair, because we had no choice, but we knew the terms when we agreed to do the work. We knew that they could reprint [the work] a thousand times and we wouldn’t get anything out of it.… The only problem arose in that some of the subsequent Judge Dredd work I did was not done under that particular contract but was still liberally used. All the things I did outside of the IPC contract were assumed to be also covered.”

Bolland Block Party (left) An iconic Judge Dredd cover image by Bolland for 2000AD #146 (Jan. 5, 1980). (right) Brian does it again as Dredd makes a major sweep on the cover of 2000AD #182 (Oct. 18, 1980). TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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THE RISE OF DREDD

With Bolland, McMahon, and Gibson now alternating on scripts by Wagner, Dredd once more rose to the top of the popularity charts in 2000AD, a position that the character has held continuously since then. After the first year n innovation was tried, an extended serial that would run for 25 weekly episodes. “The Cursed Earth” also took Dredd outside Mega-City One (he had already been to the moon) on a journey across the radioactive wasteland from the East Coast to the West Coast, where there is another vast, Judge-ruled mega-city. John Wagner took a break from the strip for the most of the duration of this story, with Pat Mills taking over the scripting for most of the episodes and fill-ins by other writers along the way. “The Cursed Earth” uses an episodic structure, with a sequence of stories within the story told as Dredd travels across the continent.

Arrested Development Dredd interior splash page from 2000AD #168 (July 12, 1980). Art by Mike McMahon. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

mike mcmahon Facebook.

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Among those stories are two that became infamous and, notuncoincidentally, highly collectable. The first, “Burger Wars,” written by Wagner and with art by McMahon, parodied fast-food chains McDonald’s and Burger King in unflattering manner. The second, “Soul Food,” by Chris Lowder (writing as Jack Adrian) and Bolland, had Colonel Sanders, the Jolly Green Giant, Speedy Alka-Seltzer, and the Michelin Man getting similar treatment. The companies parodied didn’t appreciate the joke and sued. IPC settled out of court, agreeing not to ever reprint either story. That remained the situation until 2016, when a change in European Union law allowed the use of advertising trademarks to be used in parodies. “The Cursed Earth” was immediately followed by another serial of similar length, “The Day the Law Died,” which returned Dredd to the city and a story of corruption and madness at the top of the Judge

system. The main villain, Judge Cal, was based on Roman Emperor Caligula, probably by way of the then-recent BBC television serial I Claudius, in which John Hurt gave a memorable interpretation of the Roman ruler. This story was written in its entirety by Wagner. John Wagner explained his view of the character Judge Dredd in an interview in Judge Dredd: The Megazine vol 3. #65 (May 2000): “Some elements in Dredd can be just as absurd as Superman, say, but with a superhero the whole story is built round their power. That’s a big bite to swallow right from the start. And superheroes as a breed take themselves so damned seriously. There’s a big dollop of black humor in Dredd, as well as a near-real, sinister edge that makes it, to me, more credible and more relevant.” Ian Gibson tells BACK ISSUE, “John [Wagner] is an absolute diamond!! Very droll, but equally hilarious!” Wagner’s personality seems to have informed the development of Dredd as a character. By now, the Judge Dredd strip had built up an extensive supporting cast. Early on, Dredd shared the pages with his overly devoted mechanical acolyte Walter the Wobot. Walter was good fun but made the strip too cute for the edgy satire to really work, and he was quickly sidelined. Walter did, however, get his own one-page feature in 2000AD, which ran for a while with Brian Bolland doing much of the art, so he was well served for the time he was around. Then there was Maria, Dredd’s housekeeper, another character who, again, showed a too domesticated version of the supposedly ruthless lawman. Quirkier was Max Normal, the Pinstripe Freak. Normal was a street-level informer, but going against the grain of such characters in the media at the time (e.g., Huggy Bear in Starsky and Hutch), Normal dressed as an old-fashioned city of London stockbroker. Normal was an early indication of the cast of eccentrics that would populate Mega-City One over the years, which in turn added to the richness of the

setting and series. Dredd even gained a niece in the story “Vienna,” in issue #116 (June 9, 1979). She would return often over the years. While John Wagner continued to write the majority of Judge Dredd stories, the feature’s relentless weekly schedule, along with extra stories for annuals and summer specials, meant that the pack of artists grew and evolved. Ian Gibson took a break for a few months while travelling and then working on a new strip for 2000AD which had been written especially for his ability to draw cute and funny robots: Sam Slade Robo-Hunter. Brendan McCarthy, Brett Ewins, and the exceptional Garry Leach all contributed memorable work. Former World War I Spitfire pilot Ron Smith became one of the regular artists from early 1979. Smith proved particularly well suited to depicting the eccentric, and at times, downright bonkers residents of the city (see for example “Sob Story” in #131–132, Jan. 1979, or “The League of Fatties” in #273–274, July 1982, or “Citizen Snork” in #356–358, Feb. 1984). Many other Judges have featured prominently, but with a quite high mortality rate. An early fellow judge was Judge Giant, and it was also established that Dredd had a brother, Rico, who had been removed from the roster of Judges for bribery and corruption. Rico served a penal sentence on Triton, having been reported by his own brother. Dredd favored nobody above the law. One of the longest lasting “other” Judge characters is Judge Anderson, who was introduced in the classic “Judge Death” in 2000AD #149 (Jan. 26, 1980). Anderson is one of the city’s Psi-Judges gifted with telepathic abilities. Up to this point, the Judge system had been shown as a male-dominated cadre, but Anderson was presented as a young, attractive blonde woman. In contrast to Dredd, who is never shown without his helmet, Anderson is almost always shown full-face. Originally based on the singer and actress

A Dredd Spread Color centerspread from 2000AD #497 (Nov. 22, 1986), featuring the highly detailed, devilishly delicious art of Ian Gibson. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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Debbie Harry (of Blondie fame), Anderson has evolved into a significant lead character of her own. This story, beautifully drawn by Bolland, also marked the first appearance of recurring villain Judge Death. Originating from another dimension, and with superhuman abilities, Judge Death offered a higher level of threat to Dredd’s world than many villains up to this point. He also had an interesting line in a priori logic. If all crime is committed by the living, then life must be a crime, and if life is a crime, the sentence must be death. Another female judge was introduced shortly afterwards in “The Judge Child.” Dark-haired Hershey was a young street judge who, in Wagner’s script, avoided the cliché of the much-to-learn rookie by proving herself fully capable at all points of the story. With Dredd and Hershey travelling through space, “The Judge Child” also introduced another memorable set of villains in the Angel Gang, a happy family of psychopathic killers including break-out character Mean Machine Angel. Wagner had been joined by Alan Grant as a writing partner for this story, an arrangement that would last for several years. A pattern had become established by this point of long stories, labelled “mega-epics” by the editors and readers, which usually contained genuine game-changing events being followed by a sequence of shorter stories exploring all corners of the city. Satire and all-out action went hand-in-hand. An example of the latter from this period was “Unamerican Graffiti” (2000AD #206–207, Apr. 1981), which introduced Marlon “Chopper” Shakespeare. Chopper was a bored teenager whose family life consisted of head-butting eggs for entertainment (No, really!) and seeing his mother repeatedly wash the same dishes over and over. Seeking escape from this dreary existence, Chopper takes on a secret identity as a graffiti artist. Smart enough to outwit the Judges, Chopper was another character that would return more than once.

Artist Brian Bolland did his last work on Judge Dredd (barring occasional covers) in 1981 but signed off with two key stories. In “Judge Death Lives” (#224–228, Aug.–Sept. 1981), Bolland drew not only the returning Judge Death and Psi Judge Anderson, but a whole companion set of villains alongside Death. Judges Death, Fire, Fear, and Mortis were, collectively, the Dark Judges. Finally, Bolland drew one episode of the nine-part serial “Block Mania,” which introduced another ongoing nemesis for Judge Dredd in Orlok the Assassin, an agent of the Sov-Bloks. The world of Dredd reflected the Cold War era in which Dredd first appeared, so it was a natural for there to be a Soviet Union-type counterpart to the North American Mega-Cities. A key ally of Dredd would die in this story (and if you haven’t read it there are various reprint editions available). However, in terms of death, there were plenty more on the horizon. The absence of Bolland was filled by a couple of incoming artists and one returnee. Steve Dillon’s clean, cinematic style first appeared in #205 (Mar. 28, 1981) and New Zealander Colin Wilson first drew Dredd in #209 (Apr. 25, 1981). The returnee was none other than Carlos Ezquerra. Drawing all 153 pages of the 25-part mega-epic “The Apocalypse War,” Ezquerra certainly marked his return in style. “The Apocalypse War” starts out with the southern half of Mega-City One being destroyed, complete with the deaths of the sitting population, and ends with the destruction of East-Meg One. For anyone fearing Dredd might ever go soft, when decision time comes Dredd proves quite willing to push the button. Not only was Ezquerra supremely talented, he was also quite prolific. He and Ron Smith, provided they were not working on other stories for 2000AD, were quite capable of completing all story art on Dredd, which they did for most of the next year. Further new artists joined the roster. Kim Raymond was less popular at the time, although his action-oriented storytelling stands up well in retrospect. Cliff Robinson, drawing in a Bolland-esque style, mainly concentrated on covers but also drew a few full stories. Cam Kennedy was another graduate from Battle Picture Weekly who brought a combination of distinctive character and dynamic action to the stories he illustrated. Future Watchmen colorist John Higgins and future Batman artist Barry Kitson also brought their talents to the strip. Among Kitson’s contributions was “The Fists of Stan Lee” (#484, Aug. 23, 1986). The Stan Lee of this story is an Asian martial artist who fights Dredd in a straight-up-and-knock-down fight and actually wins, just about the only one to manage that feat. Of course, anyone reading it as Marvel beating 2000AD is welcome to do so, but I don’t think writers Wagner and Grant were being that obvious. In a later rematch, Dredd got his own back. Up to 1987, 2000AD had changed little in physical appearance. The front and back covers were in color (with the back cover often being given over to advertising). Internally, only the two center pages were in color. Those were usually given to the opening two pages of that week’s Dredd story, with occasionally other stories getting the color spot for particular reasons, such as the final episode of Alan Moore’s Skizz. The paper was, essentially, newsprint. That did start to change with the addition of better paper that could be used for painted covers. The mega-epic “Oz” marked the end of the regular Wagner/Grant writing team as well as the return of Chopper. The two writers argued about the conclusion to the story (as well as elements of the miniseries The Last American, which they had written for Marvel’s Epic line). They have occasionally reunited for special projects such as the Batman/ Judge Dredd crossovers.

Judge Dredd by John Byrne A rare example at that time of someone at the top of the North American comics industry working for UK comics (but, of course, Byrne was born in England). From 2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1983 (published in May 1983). Script by John Wagner, art by John Byrne. TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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Blondie Ambition Tour (top) Judge Anderson, originally inspired by singer Debbie Harry (inset), and Judge Death, by Brian Bolland. From 2000AD #441 (Oct. 26, 1985). (bottom) Judge Anderson by Brett Ewins, from 2000AD #455 (Feb. 1, 1986). TM & © Rebellion A/S.

Judge Dredd went into full color in 1989, but a more significant innovation arrived the following year when the publishers launched Judge Dredd: The Megazine. This was a new monthly companion title with a focus entirely on the world of Dredd. Initially there were five stories either featuring Dredd or significant supporting characters being given a spotlight. The standard was exceptionally high but the pick of the bunch was America, in which Dredd was only a supporting character. Written by John Wagner, America was a poignant look at Dredd’s world from the point of view of civilian residents of the city. For the next few years, Wagner concentrated his Dredd writing efforts on stories for the Megazine, leaving others to write Dredd for the still weekly 2000AD. Chief among the new writers was Garth Ennis, who wrote a succession of quirky character-based stories. Ennis also wrote his own take on a mega-epic Judgment Day that crossed over between both 2000AD and Judge Dredd: The Megazine. The main plot was an orchestrated zombie attack on Mega-City One and other cities around the globe. Dredd was joined in his attempt to defeat the villain behind the plot by Johnny Alpha, who was the main protagonist of another popular 2000AD series, Strontium Dog. The story also had a high mortality rate of supporting-cast members. Behind the scenes, things were looking more difficult for Judge Dredd. IPC/Fleetway was bought out by Gutenberghus (later Egmont), while the company that had been publishing the graphic-novel editions of Dredd had been owned by Robert Maxwell. Maxwell was a controversial media tycoon in Britain and became even more so after his sudden death by drowning in November 1991. Subsequent to his death, Maxwell became even more infamous as the dubious financial state of his companies started to become clear. Consequently, the graphic-novel line went out of business and much revenue was lost including the profits from the UK edition of Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham by Wagner and Grant and artist Simon Bisley. Judgment on Gotham was a significant popular success. The choice of artist in Simon Bisley hit the mood of the era, with the darkly comic script brought out in over-the-top painted artwork. The first American edition sold 200,000 copies and to date, across all editions, the book has sold half a million copies. It almost didn’t make it. Bisley went right up to the wire with his deadline, and editor Steve MacManus took the last two pages by plane to Dublin to pass on by hand to someone flying that day to New York in order to hit the window for printing and publishing. Had that window not been met for publication in December 1991, it would probably have been held up until 1993 so as not to clash with Batman tie-ins to the Batman Returns movie released in 1992. In an interview for Thrill Power Overload, co-writer Alan Grant commented, “Simon’s like a force of nature. But he really turned in the goods on Batman/Dredd.” There were three more Batman/Dredd crossovers. Vendetta in Gotham was released in 1993, with art by Cam Kennedy. The Ultimate Riddle followed in 1995, with art from Carl Critchlow and Dermot Power. Finally, to date, Die Laughing, a two-part story, was released in 1998, with art by Glenn Fabry and Jim Murray. All were written by Grant and Wagner. Dredd has also appeared in crossovers with the likes of Lobo, Predator, Aliens, and even Mars Attacks. Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

DECLINE?

Dredd by Ron Smith (top) Judge Dredd’s not shown, but this is a good example of the whimsical nature of Ron Smith’s illustrations. Cover to 2000AD #356 (Feb. 18, 1984). (bottom) Smith cover (with Mayor Dave) from 2000AD #368 (May 12, 1984). TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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Although Judge Dredd: The Megazine had been a successful launch and Judgment on Gotham had been a hit, the trend on sales of both 2000AD and Judge Dredd: The Megazine was inexorably downward. The fact that they were around at all was an achievement in itself, as all other UK adventure comics were rapidly disappearing completely. By 1995, 2000AD was the last of its kind. One attempt to broaden the audience was made in 1993 with the recruiting of writers Grant Morrison and Mark Millar to script the bulk of the stories in 2000AD, including Judge Dredd. In a slightly tonguein-cheek interview given to Comic World #18 (Aug. 1993), Morrison explained his take on Dredd: “The thing with Dredd is that he’s completely onedimensional. Someone like Batman has at least two dimensions because he has a secret identity and a certain degree of psychological motivation and tension. Dredd’s just a big bastard with a gun, never anything else. There’s nothing under the mask. So, I thought long and hard and then just wrote him as a one-dimensional bastard with a gun. I did make a definite decision not to do a kind of quirky ‘isn’t life strange in Mega-City One?’ thing since Garth [Ennis] has been blowing that trumpet with varying degrees of success throughout his run on Dredd. I wanted to do a Dredd story that was like a Big Arnie film, so ‘Inferno’ [2000AD #842–849, July–Aug. 1983) is full of mammoth explosions and things falling over and fast cuts and useless one-liners. That’s probably the big difference between my Dredd and the others we’ve seen; mine cracks more sh*tty jokes.” Although that last point is debatable, the Morrison approach anticipated Judge Dredd as an action movie and the casting of Sylvester Stallone in the part generated interest in the character at a point when the sales of 2000AD were starting to drop close to break-even point. If it had not been for the marketing opportunities offered by the movie, it is quite likely the publisher would have cancelled the title in the mid-1990s. The film itself is discussed more below. As it was, there was cost cutting and several editorial staff positions were made redundant. Both 2000AD and Judge Dredd: The Megazine received modest boosts to their circulations as the Stallone film was released, and there was even a third title, Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future, aimed at a slightly younger audience, was released. However, the boost was short-lived. Lawman of the Future lasted just 23 issues, and the other two titles soon fell back to their previous sales figures. As 2000AD approached its 1000th issue, the future was far from assured, and what promotion that was available was not always well targeted. The editor of that period, David Bishop, writing in Judge Dredd Megazine #400 (Oct. 2018), recalled, “Some of the free gifts were the worst because there’s only so much plastic that you can Sellotape to the front of a comic. What’s a 29-year-old going to do with a twelve-piece jigsaw? We thought the Judge Dredd movie would return us to the top, but of course it was a flash-in-the-pan.” Some cost cutting enabled both titles to continue, although the Megazine reduced to a single Dredd story supported by various reprint features. On the plus side, John Wagner returned to writing Dredd for 2000AD, and the difference was immediately felt. With Garth Ennis and Grant Morrison declining to write the character any more, other new writers started to come to the fore. Gordon Rennie and Robbie Morrison first wrote the character in the

Lawman of the Future and later graduated to the longerestablished titles. There were some excellent storylines, such as the extended serial “The Pit,” in which the private lives of a group of Judges who are expected not to have private lives was examined.

RISE, AGAIN

In the key year 2000, for a magazine so titled, there came a change of ownership. Videogame developers Rebellion bought both 2000AD and Judge Dredd: The Megazine. The new owners proved to be a good fit. They knew the customer base well and were well placed to develop the franchise in other media. Creators seemed to be happier working for them and no longer being part of a large company that saw 2000AD merely as a profit-making machine. The Megazine once more expanded, with a higher price, to include a range of diverse stories, while Dredd in 2000AD benefited from the stability that enabled the editors and creative teams to plan and develop story arcs over a long period of time. The Rebellion years largely fall outside of the focus of this magazine and article, but it should be pointed out that Judge Dredd continues to be the premier strip in the anthology and has retained a consistently high standard. Not every story is great, but some are, and rarely does it fall below being an enjoyable read. Consider, too, the list of creators involved that I’ve not previously mentioned in this article: Chris Weston, Al Ewing, Rob Williams, Trevor Hairsine, Michael Carroll, Henry Flint, Greg Staples, and many more. The established route by which many of these creators subsequently go on to work for the American comics industry remains, but it has also become more likely that they will continue to return to do more Dredd. With modern communications technology, the separation between the comics makers of different countries is increasingly blurred.

THE POLITICS OF JUDGE DREDD

Judge Dredd, the character, has often been accused of being a fascist. This is a pony worth examining since, while the satire of the series is well understood by the readership, it is also true that, for the most part, the readers are rooting for Dredd against whatever antagonists he faces each episode. Are we actually acting as cheerleaders for a fascist anti-hero? The word “fascist” is much used and sometimes misapplied. Fascism is a political ideology that fuses authoritarian rule with extreme nationalism. It actively opposes liberalism, communism, and traditional conservatism. Most commonly, fascism also features an identifiable single leader to whom strong powers are given (or taken by) within the state. Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, and Franco’s Spain all meet the above criteria. Mega-City One, as ruled by the Judges, is undoubtedly strongly authoritarian, but the nationalist aspect is not as strong. For the most part, the Judges seem to take a dim view of the people and state over which they rule rather than seeing themselves as some kind of master race. For the brief period in which Judge Cal ruled, the cult of powerful leader could be applied. This not surprising, given Cal was based on the historical dynasty from which Mussolini drew inspiration for his concept of fascism. Cal aside, the Judges rule more by committee. The Chief Judge is accountable to a Council of Five. The Judges have consistently opposed democracy in any meaningful way. In the very early stories there was a city mayor who appeared to have some authority over the Judges, but this was quickly disregarded by the writers. Later on, the city mayor was seen to be a lesser role with very limited powers. A pair of stories effectively illustrate this. In “Portrait of a Politician” (#366–368, Apr.–May 1984), an orangutan named

Lycanthrope and Lady Liberty (left) Judge Dredd by Steve Dillon, who would go on to be a top artist for DC’s Vertigo imprint. Cover to 2000AD #322 (June 25, 1983). (right) A Bolland-esque cover by Cliff Robinson for 2000AD #496 (Nov. 15, 1986). TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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The Valiant and the Violent Simon Bisley cover to the first Batman/ Judge Dredd crossover, 1991’s Judgment on Gotham. Batman TM & © DC Comics. Judge Dredd TM & © Rebellion A/S.

Dave has become mayor, illustrating the joke the position has become. The real joke, however, is that Dave proves to be a popular and effective politician. In the follow-up, “Death of a Politician” (#443, Nov. 9, 1985), Dave is shown to be well loved enough that he can walk the streets without any need for security— no mean achievement in Mega-City One. Sadly, he is murdered, not by political opponents, but as a false trail to divert the Judges away from another crime altogether. Another key story in the ongoing subplot about the authoritarian nature of Mega-City One is “Letter From a Democrat” (#460, Mar. 8, 1986). A resident of Mega-City One, a man called Gort, receives a letter from his absent wife explaining why she has joined a direct-action group campaigning for democracy. The letter ends, “What kind of mother could stand by and see her babies grow up into frightened, beaten people like us?” Gort’s wife, Hester, is killed by the Judges as her group leader shouts, “You want us, Hitler,

come and get us.” Judge Dredd—who else?—leads the group of Judges that has the group cornered. “Done,” he says in response and the pro-democracy group are gunned down. Dredd finds the letter and takes it to Gort, explaining, “Democracy’s not for the people.” All in seven pages, in classic John Wagner style. It’s a moving story in several ways and one of many in which the true nature of Dredd is revealed. Dredd is not a fascist, though there is a case to be made for that view as shown below, but he is a supporter of a distinctly unpleasant authoritarian dictatorship. The Judges, for Dredd, are probably closer to the ruling warrior caste of classical Sparta (which also seemed to be the model for Robert Heinlein’s ruling military citizen class in Starship Troopers). In the aforementioned America (Judge Dredd: The Megazine #1–7, Oct. 1990–Apr. 1991), the quashing of democracy is shown again. This is another excellent story from John Wagner and artist Colin MacNeil. Successful singer Bennett Beeny remembers the unrequited love of his life, America Jara. The story of her involvement in the pro-democracy movement is revealed alongside Beeny’s own betrayal of her, a betrayal made all but inevitable because of the system of fear by which the Judges rule. The story has been collected in various editions and is well worth seeking out. In an early interview in 2000AD Sci-Fi Special (1979), Brian Bolland noted, “Judge Dredd represents a police state—even though he’s a good man, his first duty is always to the Law… and I think it’s awful that our tomorrows might end up like this. For while the Judge makes for good comic reading, it’s not a world I’d care to live in! I think there’s a terrible danger that, despite the Judge’s loyalty to the Law, men will be corrupted by the power they’re given. A society like Mega-City One will be more likely to turn out madmen of the caliber of Chief Judge Cal.” More recently, Rob Williams has written a sequence of stories that once more question the nature of the Judges system. About his recent story, “The Small House,” Williams wrote (via his website robwilliamscomics.co.uk), “Dredd is a fascist. If you’re going to write Dredd for any length of time, or with any attempt at substance, you have to acknowledge that. Or you’re kind of in danger of making him an aspirational figure. The alpha hard man we all wish we could be. And, in times like these, where right-wing groups are on the rise in Europe and America, it’s a theme that I felt I had to confront.” Judge Dredd works as a character because the setting is so rich and ripe for satirical purposes. Almost any type of story can be asset in that world. In addition, even though Dredd is neither sympathetic nor aspirational, the villains are usually far worse. Judge Cal, Judge Death, Orlok the Assassin—all show even greater disregard for compassion and humanity than Dredd.

A TALE OF TWO MOVIES

Many people reading this may know Dredd more from the two films that have been made (so far) rather than on the comics on which they are based. Both movies have their advocates and detractors. They are certainly unalike. Neither has yet successfully started a cinematic franchise. Judge Dredd (1995) was big-budget, summer “event” movie starring Sylvester Stallone as the lawman of the future. Hopes were high, and subsequent disappointment great. As shown above, the film didn’t do much for the comics. Fan reception was hostile, for various reasons. 20 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

For some, the uncrossable red line was that Dredd should never show his face, but that was always likely to happen once an actor of Stallone’s type was cast. The reality, at that time at least, was that any leading actor with a big enough name to get a project like Judge Dredd financed was unlikely to agree to do so without having their face visible on screen. And even if they were okay with it, their agents would be unlikely to agree. Judge Dredd is not a great film, and arguably Stallone had already made a better Dredd-type film in Demolition Man (1993), but it is not as bad as many fans contend—nor was it made for the fans of the comic. From comments made since by Stallone and by director Danny Cannon, it is clear that there were, Received wisdom says that the film from the outset, differing and conflicting was a flop. Its budget was probably visions of what the film should be. somewhere between $70 and 80 million, The filmmaking-by-committee was and its North American gross take was not limited to those two, either. around $34 million, which would not ian gibson The movie seems unsure about where have been the numbers the producers the balance of humor and action were looking for. However, globally, should be. The inclusion of Rob Comicvine. the film did much better, making Schneider (as Fergie, a character from the comics around $113 million altogether. This may partly have but written very differently here) for comedic effect been a consequence of the R rating the movie received detracts from the obvious. Dredd is a comedy character in America, which was probably a bit harsh in retrospect. himself. When partnered with Judge Hershey (as Dredd (2012) is an entirely different take. It’s a played by Diane Lane), Stallone is shown to be a grimmer, darker vision with less humor. The fans took to parody of a Judge—nobody else is as obsessed as this version much more warmly, but again the general him. Hershey is a human being, Dredd is a comic-book public mostly stayed away (global gross profits of $41 version of a human being. million against a budget of $35 million). That being said, there are good things about the film. The smaller budget is obvious. The city shown on Some of the design work of the cityscape, and the ABC screen looks nothing like the Mega-City One of the future, robot, as examples, are excellent. The supporting cast, and everything like a contemporary rundown city of including the likes of Max Von Sydow, Jurgen Prochnow, today, which was presumably intentional on the part of the director, Pete Travis. and Joan Chen, is interesting.

Still Protecting Mega-City One (left) Cover for “America,” the last episode by Colin MacNeil, from Judge Dredd: The Megazine #7 (Apr. 1991). (right) Ian Gibson’s Dredd lobe-locks a familiar fellow on the cover of 2000AD #1232 (Mar. 13, 2001). TM & © Rebellion A/S.

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Box Office Brutality (top) Posters for Judge Dredd (1995), starring Sylvester Stallone, and Dredd (2012), starring Karl Urban. (bottom) From Heritage’s archives, original cover art by Brian Bolland featuring the artist on the wrong side of the Law. Produced for David Anthony Kraft’s Comics Interview #19 in 1984. Judge Dredd TM & © Rebellion A/S. Comics Interview © David Anthony Kraft.

The main cast is very good. Karl Urban clearly enjoyed and respected the role he was playing, and Lena Headley got it just right as a maniacal matriarch figure. She could have been straight out of the comic version. Indeed, the film seemed like a seven-page John Wagner story stretched out over an hour and a half. While the Stallone film tried to shoehorn too much into one film, the 2012 movie felt a bit thin. In addition, the depiction of Judge Anderson (played by Olivia Thirlby) being raped, albeit in a psychic vision rather than in actuality, is open to accusations of gratuity. If it’s unthinkable that the male lead would be depicted in such a way, then it should be equally unthinkable that the female lead should be shown in that way. The purpose of the scene, plot-wise, could have been achieved in many different ways. At this writing, a TV series, Judge Dredd: Mega-City One, is still shrouded in secrecy, but by the time of publication we should know more. The ongoing television format would seem to be an ideal format for the world of Dredd, allowing space for the rich supporting cast and bizarre future culture to unfold as they have over so many years in comic format. Both 2000AD and Judge Dredd: The Megazine continue to be published weekly and monthly, respectively. Most of the back catalog of Judge Dredd comics stories are available in collected editions. Publisher Rebellion seems to be confident about future prospects. In one form or another, it appears, Judge Dredd will be with us for a while yet. Whether our world is becoming more like Mega-City One, I’ll leave to discerning BACK ISSUE readers to decide for themselves. With thanks to Ian Gibson, Rob Williams, and Cavan Scott. IAN MILLSTED is a writer and teacher based in Bristol, England. He thinks there’s not enough cricket in Mega-City One. Ian is the author of the critical Doctor Who study Black Archive 8: Black Orchid, as well as the Western Silence Rides Alone.

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by R o b e r t

Menzies

Give Peace a Chance Justice Peace and his Hopsikle, on the cover of Thor #371 (Sept. 1986). Art by Walter Simonson. All scans and photos accompanying this article are courtesy of Robert Menzies, unless otherwise noted. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Under the gazes of the incongruous combination of Charles Dickens and a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters, Walter and Louise (“Weezie”) Simonson were the headline guests at the inaugural Portsmouth Comic Con. Taking place over the sunny bank holiday weekend of May 4–5, 2018, in the city’s grandiose Victorian Guildhall, I had the great thrill of finally meeting these two giants of the comics biz. It was also an opportunity, an invitation, even, to ask Walt about the creation of Justice Peace, an obvious homage to the most popular British comic character of them all, Judge Dredd. The 1980s was a period where many 2000AD alumni like Alan Moore, Brian Bolland, Alan Grant, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, and others were headhunted by US publishers, usually DC, resulting in what is sometimes called “The British Invasion.” This influx led to Watchmen and The Killing Joke, to name but two milestones, and has been reported on in great detail [including BACK ISSUE #63, our “British Invasion” issue—ed.]. However, what has never been investigated, to my knowledge, is how 2000AD’s characters influenced the American comics, and that’s what I was keen to speak to Walt about. What Walt told me was surprising, as I don’t believe many appreciate just how deep his and Weezie’s connections to the UK and 2000AD are. First, however, a little scene setting. As noted in detail elsewhere in this issue, Judge Joe Dredd shot his first perp in the pages of 2000AD #2, cover-dated March 5, 1977. Although Pat Mills—often referred to as the “godfather” of British comics—and editor Kelvin Gosnell had input into the creation of Dredd, his two core creators are John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. Wagner was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 but moved to Scotland at age 12. Most of his career has been devoted to British comics, where he has written an incredible amount of classic storylines, with a brief foray into Gotham City, when he co-wrote some Batman stories, including the Dredd/Batman crossovers. Spaniard Carlos Ezquerra was one of the great visionaries of European comics and also co-created Strontium Dog with Wagner, generally acknowledged as the most popular 2000AD character after Dredd. Ezquerra also found a welcome at DC, collaborating on numerous projects with Garth Ennis, including two Preacher specials. To the continuing delight of many, both Wagner and Ezquerra continued to create Dredd stories. The character of Judge Dredd is a combination of leather-clad biker, Dirty Harry, and Frankenstein from Death Race 2000 filtered through Ezquerra’s unique design sense and Wagner’s singular imagination. Mega-City One’s top lawman inhabits a dystopian future metropolis that is overcrowded and lawless and where the police force has been given sentencing and execution powers. It was and is a highly political strip, packed with social commentary and violent black humor. While in interviews Wagner has described Dredd as a “good guy and a bad ass,” even he would concede that the judge system that Dredd represents is repressive and that Dredd himself, often referred to as “Old Stoney Face” even by his fellow judges, is thoroughly unsympathetic and unlikeable. Unexpectedly, in the pages of Thor #371 (Sept. 1986), writer Walter Simonson, in concert with artists Sal Buscema, Bret Blevins, and Al Williamson, introduced a character called Justice Peace, who bears more than a passing familiarity to Dredd. Mega-City One is a post-atomic area roughly equivalent to the Eastern seaboard of the USA; Peace operates in Brooklynopolis. Dredd’s multi-function handgun is called his Lawgiver; Peace has his Peacemaker (a nice play on the nickname of the famous Colt .45, “The Gun that Won the West”). All judges in Mega-City One ride a Lawmaster motorcycle; Peace rides a flying bike he calls his Hopsikle. Dredd wears his name on a badge; Peace has his on his uniform’s chest emblem. Both have their faux obscenities. Even in profile, Peace’s jutting lip resembles Dredd’s. After a Thor two-parter, Justice Peace reappeared during Simonson’s amazing and all-too-brief tenure as writer and (usually) the artist on Fantastic Four #334–354 (Dec. 1989–July 1991). In issues #352–354, Peace reappears, with his employers at the Time Variance Authority (TVA) now playing a prominent role. Walter Simonson kindly revisits those stories in the interview that follows. – Robert Menzies Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 23

ROBERT MENZIES: Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed, Walt, I know you’re still badly jetlagged from your trip here. I write for TwoMorrows… WALTER SIMONSON: TwoMorrows? Wait, forget it! I’m not doing those bums! [laughs] MENZIES: [laughs] And I usually write about Marvel’s British connections. I was buying Thor back in the day, because I was obviously following your fantastic run, but my jaw hit the ground when I saw this. [Holds up copy of Thor #371.] I thought, “He’s doing Judge Dredd! Do the Americans know this?!” [Simonson laughs.] So, I wanted to know about your awareness of 2000AD and your exposure to characters like Dredd and Strontium Dog. SIMONSON: In the 1980s—I don’t remember when Judge Dredd started—there used to be a convention in London called UKCAC that was held every year. [Author’s note: The United Kingdom Comic Art Convention was the only major annual con to run in Britain at the time.] And we came over for UKCAC maybe four times, five times, in the 1980s. Every couple of years we were over here. We really enjoyed it. I knew Brian Bolland before that—he came to my apartment in New York in ’77—so Brian came by, and we met Mick McMahon, Kevin O’Neill [Note that the two children in the story in Thor #371–372 are called Mick and Kevin.]—I don’t know if I ever met Carlos [Ezquerra]… I’ve forgotten who else. Several of the early Judge Dredd artists from back then, we got to know. And so we got to see their work and were really blown away by a lot of it. And one of our best friends then, and still a close friend, is Richard Burton, one of the early editors on 2000AD. [Author’s note: Burton was the third 2000AD editor, holding the post from 1987 until 1994.] Frequently, when we came to London, we would stay with Richard. So, we saw a lot of 2000ADs, and eventually Titan brought out a bunch of the collections, and I’ve a bunch of the collections of the early Judge Dredds. I did a cover for Rogue Trooper, one of their collections

He Upholds the Peace (top) Walter Simonson holding a Justice Peace sketch and (bottom) a copy of Thor #371. Photos taken on the second day of Portsmouth Con, May 6, 2018.

SO… THE INEVITABLE QUESTION: WHAT DID CARLOS EZQUERRA AND JOHN WAGNER MAKE OF JUSTICE PEACE? Surprisingly, neither man knew about this homage. When I asked John about it, he said: “I like Walt’s work but I’ve never seen this.” In May of 2018, I contacted Carlos, who knew me on Facebook from commissions over the previous five years, and showed him some images of Justice Peace. Carlos admitted he’d never seen the character before and wasn’t aware of the homage, adding, slightly apologetically: “My knowledge of superheroes is nil. I don’t read comics, only humor ones…” At the risk of alienating any North Americans, there is a common perception in Britain that most American creators don’t quite get the 2000AD characters. That may be because, as Howard Chaykin once said to me at a London con, Dredd is part of our comic DNA. Interestingly, Carlos commented that “Americans tend to associate Dredd with Brian Bolland,” and that they can miss the black humor of the character. He also believes that “my style has never been too popular there,” which, if true, is a big difference between the UK and US as Carlos is the top dog here. (Okay, a poor in-joke: Carlos also co-created Strontium Dog.) Carlos also agreed with Walt Simonson’s recollections that they had never met at UKCAC, although Carlos was a guest on at least one occasion. (The Wikipedia entry for the UKCAC guest lists is incomplete.) I asked Carlos about Simonson and he said, “He is great. I like his work!” When I then opined that Simonson was the most consistently great American artist of his generation, Carlos replied, “I agree.” He had to sign off as he was working on a new project, Judge Dredd creators John Wagner (left) but Carlos ended by saying, “Give him my regards and I hope I and Carlos Ezquerra (right), with can meet him one day!” Sadly, that never happened, as Carlos died on October 1, 2018. Robert Menzies (center). 24 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

[Rogue Trooper Book Five, Titan Books, Nov. 1986]. I’ve forgotten what else, there was a couple. [Author’s note: Walt may be remembering two Death’s Head covers for the UK comics Death’s Head #9, Aug. 1989, and Strip #20, Nov. 1990.] I didn’t get everything… I’m not sure what else there was. But I always enjoyed Judge Dredd. I thought Judge Dredd was hysterically funny. Partly because it was so grim, and clearly intended to be very black-humored, and I thought it was great. So, at some point when I was doing Thor, I was inspired. I think if you go back and look at the end of one of these comics, there was one where I actually had a dedication to… Oh, yeah, at the very bottom here [in #371]: “This story is for Pat, John, Brian, Carlos, Mick, Ron [Smith], and all the other guys who put the fun in Dredd. Thanks, guys!” So, it was a tip of the hat to our friends and the guys who did such fabulous work. Justice Peace—I was proud of that name, I thought it was a great name. So, I was pleased to do it. I had a lot of fun doing that character. I have seen people be really crabby about Justice Peace: “That’s a Judge Dredd rip-off!” MENZIES: They missed the point. SIMONSON: Well, yes, they did miss the point. I designed the character. If I could go back and do it over again, I’d redesign his bike. Other than that, I’m happy with the character’s design. I probably wouldn’t put that flat front on the bike, I’d put something more streamlined on the front. But I just thought it would be fun to do. [Author’s note: Five years later, in Fantastic Four #354, July 1991, Walt did indeed give Peace a new flying bike, one that is horse-like in shape.] So, I designed the character, I did model sheets and sent them off to Sal Buscema, the artist on the book back then. I did one cover of the two. In fact, #372, which I think is the second of the two Justice Peace issues, I think that was the only cover on my run that I didn’t do. Sal did that cover. I don’t remember why. I probably had deadline problems or something like that at the time and couldn’t get it done, so Sal did the cover, and did a nice job of it. The story itself, with the Zaniac, he was just this loony monster character from earlier Thors. [Author’s note: He was created by Doug Moench and Keith Pollard in

issue #319, May 1982.] But what I did—the idea still appealed to me, which is so silly—but I’d done a lot of reading on, and still do, myths and fables and all that stuff. The idea for Zaniac, when you kill him all these things jump out of him and zoom off and if you don’t go and kill them, one of them will infect someone and they’ll become the Zaniac. That came out of vampire lore by way of, I think, the Cossacks. They had a story when you killed the vampire you would surround the vampire and all these things would come roaring out of it and you had to kill all of these things. If one escaped, the vampire would still live. It’s a very creepy idea and so I incorporated that into the Zaniac story. The other thing that’s in there is Thug Thatcher, one of the funniest-named guys. [Adopts friendly tone:] “Hi, my name is Thug!” He was just called Thug Thatcher… I don’t know what his real name was. But [editor] Danny Fingeroth loved Thug Thatcher and he was a friend of mine in the office, and he’d go, “Could you put Thug Thatcher in a Thor comic sometime? I’d just love to see him.” So, I made Thug Zaniac’s new victim. [See the sidebar for Fingeroth’s version of events, next page.—ed.]

Laying Down the Law Justice Peace enters our time frame— and the Marvel Universe—in Thor #371. Art by Sal Buscema and “Albret Blevison” (Bret Blevins and Al Williamson). TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

A Tip of Winged Helmet (below) From the letters column of Thor #371, Walt Simonson expresses his gratitude to Judge Dredd’s creators. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 25

SO… WHAT IS IT WITH THUG THATCHER, DANNY FINGEROTH? During the interview, Walt made a brief detour to explain the presence of old Thor villain Thug Thatcher, who first appeared in Journey into Mystery #89 (Feb. 1963). Despite not thinking much of it the first time, it soon became something of a minor itch: Why did Danny Fingeroth like the obscure and unremarkable Thug Thatcher? Was it, as Walt implied, because of the silly name? Maybe Thug was in Danny’s first Thor danny fingeroth comic? Untroubled by the © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. fate of the curious cat, I contacted Danny. Expecting a brief one-sentence reply, Danny instead very kindly took the time to write the lengthy reply below, which he consented to share:

It’s a time-travel story and I’ve always loved time-travel stories. In the early 1950s I read a book by Murray Leinster, one of the early American science-fiction writers, called Twists in Time, which is six short stories of time travel and was my introduction to that kind of thing. [Author’s note: Twists in Time was first published in 1960, although the stories themselves were penned in the 1950s.] So, I did a time-travel story in the book. The whole Fantastic Four run I did was time travel, but there’s somewhere in the Thor story where they time travel back and forth, there’s a shot of Thor walking past someone on a park bench with a newspaper over his head. You see him early on. Not only at the end, but early on because of the time paradoxes. He looks like a bum… that’s a typical New York scene from the time I was doing this comic. You’d see a bum lying on a bench, newspaper over his face, getting some sleep. He’s actually in a couple of different spots because of the time travel. So, there’s a lot of stuff going on in the story. [Author’s note: In #372, on the fourth panel of page 2, you can see a prone figure on a bench. Craftily, Walt leaves a clue in the dialogue: “Fool! Thatcher

Thinking of Thug (top) From the British reprint of the last page of Journey into Mystery #89 (Feb. 1963), showing Thor capturing Thug Thatcher. In later panels, Thor erases Ruby’s memory of her love of Thug, fomenting Thatcher’s hatred for the Odinson. (bottom) Thug’s fate, as revealed in Thor #372 (Oct. 1986), page 19. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

“In 1986 I was freelance writing and editing exclusively for Marvel. It was in-between my two staff stints there. I was writing things like Web of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Psi-Force, and a bunch of other stuff. I was also editing The Marvel Saga: The Official History of the Marvel Universe, which Peter Sanderson was writing. “In our research, Peter and I came across the Thug Thatcher story in Journey into Mystery #89. That’s what reminded me of Thug in the first place. It wasn’t so much that his name was silly that struck me as funny, although I guess it kind of was. It was that his girlfriend called him ‘Thug,’ which struck me and Peter as goofy, even if it was a perfectly reasonable thing for a comic story of its day. That, perhaps combined with the fact that he was so outmatched by Thor, yet still seemed able to give him a hard time, was impressive and absurd at the same time and made us have a good laugh over Thug. Also, I don’t think Thug ever took off his sunglasses, which was sort of silly, too. “In the course of recounting the story in Marvel Saga, I suggested we invent a real first name for Thug and Peter agreed to use it in the narration: Thelonious. I had legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk in mind, but that was inspired by the fact that Thelonious, Thug, and Thatcher all start with ‘Th’ and make for an even more alliterative name than just ‘Thug Thatcher.’ I don’t know if anyone ever used that name in an actual story. “It’s hazy in my memory past that, but I must have mentioned all this to Walt at some point, and somehow the topic of ‘Wouldn’t it be funny to see Thug return?’ came up. I don’t remember if I seriously asked Walt to do it or if one or the other of us was joking about it, but he took the idea and ran with it and made it work, which is why Walt is Walt and we aren’t.” 26 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

Appearing Before the TVA The FF are in trouble in Fantastic Four #353 (June 1991), page 6, written and drawn by Simonson. Featuring Justice Peace and Marvel’s own Mark Gruenwald as the chairman, Mr. Mobius. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

is dead! Zaniac is alive! Zaniac never dies!” Thatcher’s corpse is also visible in the final panel of page 19.] MENZIES: You acknowledged where the character came from when one Justice was called Mills, after Pat Mills. That was a clue that this was a homage character, as were the names of the two children. I checked the letters pages after Justice Peace appeared and none of the printed letters talked about the inspiration being Dredd. SIMONSON: Probably nobody did. I used to write the letters columns. In a book like Thor, where I’m the writer and the artist, I used to read all the letters that came in and I would write the letters columns. And I would write them in the Marvel editorial voice. I didn’t write them as me answering. Occasionally, you’d get a letter that said, “Could you ask Walt whatever-it-was…” and I would print the letter and the question: “We’ve asked Walt to step in and answer this…”—and it was always me, but I would just answer in my own voice, then go back to the editorial voice again. [Author’s note: An example is in Thor #371, the first appearance of Justice Peace. A letter reply reads: “We’ve asked Walter to reply, Bill, on what he knows about Homer and his Homerica! And the truth is, he’s not AT ALL familiar with Homer’s Frog/Mice War!”] If I didn’t run any letters that identified—well, maybe the threat of lawsuits [stopped me], I’m not too sure—but I probably didn’t get any letters. MENZIES: Was there a slight frustration that you didn’t do any work for 2000AD? SIMONSON: Oh, my God, no! I’d seen the work those guys did. There was no way. Going up against Brian Bolland, Mike McMahon. I’m sorry, there’s not a chance in hell. I’m happy not to have my work on the same page as those guys. MENZIES: You brought Justice Peace back in Fantastic Four five years later, and it was fun seeing him again. He pops up occasionally in the Marvel Universe, but I was wondering if you were sorry that you haven’t gone back to the character since then? SIMONSON: Oh, it would have been fun. I mean, you know, you do stuff and sometimes you can get back to it and sometimes you can’t. To some extent, stories are their own masters. You do stuff but your stories also take you in different directions. I did like doing Justice Peace, and I liked being able to draw him myself [in the FF]. It was fun to do him. I loved doing the TVA, the Time Variance Authority. MENZIES: Mark Gruenwald [former editor and writer who was featured in a career retrospective in BACK ISSUE #103] is in there… SIMONSON: Yes, I used Mark. You’ll notice that he’s on the cover [to FF #353, June 1991]. Mark was delighted. You know, he’s the only guy you see with a face in the TVA, it’s like a giant bureaucracy. It was to a certain degree my satire of what Marvel Comics was becoming at the time, as I was getting off the FF. As a character, Mark was a middle-level functionary and you never saw any higher-level guys and the lower-level guys had no faces. [Author’s note: The character’s name is revealed to be Mr. Mobius in Fantastic Four #353.] It’s never very clear in the comic, and it’s not meant to be clear, whether the TVA has any actual control of time and timelines and the multiverse or they don’t, they’re just there. If you go back and look, there’s a double-page spread where Reed and the rest of them are brought into the TVA, there’s a giant structure floating in space, that’s where they’re going [FF #353, pages 2–3]. And it’s got a giant clock face on it. Look at the clock face: It’s not a real time. The hour hand and the minute hand don’t actually line up in a way that makes real time that you would find on a genuine clock. You’ll never see those two hands in that position. So, again, it’s not clear whether this is really a functioning organization or not. [Looks at splash page.] This hand’s right at the half hour, this should be down here right on the six. So, this is a null time zone. The [TVA] initials themselves come from my childhood. I was born in Tennessee. I moved with my parents when I was two-and-a-half, so I

have very little memory of Tennessee. But because my dad was there working, and other things, I knew about the TVA, which was the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was an organization that the Roosevelt Administration put together to help generate power for rural areas in the Tennessee River Valley. They built a series of dams and hydroelectric plants. The story that I got was that it annoyed private power organizations because it was a government organization and they couldn’t charge what they wanted to. The TVA charged the lower rate, and the other companies that were still around had to be guided by that more than they wanted to be. I don’t mind government power companies myself, but we try to get rid of those in America as fast as we can. But I loved the idea, I loved the Tennessee Valley Authority, and I liked the initials TVA, and at some point I realized that TVA would work great for the Time Variance Authority, so that’s where the initials came from in my story. MENZIES: It never occurred to me there was a story behind the TVA initials. SIMONSON: This is how I come to stories. But once you’ve done the story and it’s out there, then the audience, you know, they bring what they have to the story. And sometimes it will be what you have, lots of times it won’t be. Once you set the story free, that’s just the way it is. Interviews like this, you find out, “Oh, yeah, that’s what he had in mind, or he had that in mind!” But it may not be what anybody else ever had in mind. Huge thanks to Walt for fitting me into his hectic schedule, and to the fantastic Weezie for visiting us, too! Thanks to all the lovely folk at Portsmouth Comic Con, especially Kelly Haswell, and good luck with future cons! Also thanks to Roy Batty, Joshua Thayer, and Gerry Turnbull for helping out with scans. Re the sidebars, thanks to the late Carlos Ezquerra and John Wagner, and to Danny Fingeroth. Finally, thanks to the amazing Gaviin and Cat Bogoje for looking after me in Portsmouth. ROBERT MENZIES has long considered Walter Simonson to be one of the few creators who can unequivocally be called a genius.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 27

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“There’s a starman waiting in the sky. He’d like to come and meet us, but he thinks he’d blow our minds. There’s a starman waiting in the sky. He’s told us not to blow it ’cause he knows it’s all worthwhile.” – David Bowie Like David Bowie, Paul Levitz and Steve Ditko had become legends in their field by the time 1979 rolled around. Levitz had Legion of Super-Heroes, Aquaman, and Justice Society stories under his writing belt, and Ditko had drawn Amazing Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Blue Beetle, and the Question. The pair also collaborated in 1975 on the sword-and-sorcery series Stalker before co-creating the alien Prince Gavyn—the latest (but not the last) DC hero to be called Starman— in Adventure Comics #467 (Jan. 1980). BACK ISSUE will go to the stars and back to look at the life and creation of this Starman in our salute to sci-fi superheroes.

A STARMAN IS BORN

by J a m e s

Heath Lantz

Political intrigue, Shakespearean treachery, and science-fiction adventure combined in a new serial that debuted in the same year that The Blues Brothers and the Friday the 13th franchise came to cinemas. Adventure Comics #467, like The Empire Strikes Back some months later, took us to far-away galaxies. The opening chapter of “Starman” began as the anthology comic book’s second feature, after a story starring Plastic Man, who at the time was the star of a Saturday morning cartoon series. Titled “First Encounter,” the story, written by creator Levitz, drawn by character designer Ditko, and inked by soon-to-be New Teen Titans embellisher Romeo Tanghal, sees Starman save a spaceship from being hurtled into a sun. After our hero redirects the craft with stellar energy bolts emitted from his wristbands, its commander, Lord Protector Oswin—Guardian of the Galactic paul levitz Rift and Elect of the Empire—wishes to thank Starman… or so we and he believe at first. In reality, © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Oswin wants to learn Starman’s secrets, like how he can move and breathe in space without a ship, force-field, or spacesuit. This chapter begins to combine space opera with a political thriller as Starman discovers that Oswin is holding Imperial Security Officer Jediah Rikane prisoner. All of this is part of the lord protector’s plan to usurp Throneworld’s sovereignty and become emperor. Starman helps Rikane escape Oswin’s torturous cell, and with the aid of his mentor, the enigmatic alien appropriately named Mn’Torr, Starman sets out to stop an insurrection. “Len Wein was the editor responsible for offering the assignments,” Paul Levitz tells BACK ISSUE. “He asked me to come up with a series to fit a slot in Adventure Comics. I had just read a history of the Ottoman Empire, which talked about a period when it was the practice to kill off all rival claimants to the throne when a new sultan was named. I twisted that into a science-fiction background, and was lucky enough to get Steve and Romeo as the artists.” BACK ISSUE readers may be asking why the character was named Starman when other characters had used that moniker in the past, much like the reuse of the names Flash, Sandman, and Green Lantern. The answer is a simple one. “I’m not a great namer,” Levitz admits, “and it was a great name we weren’t using at the time and suitable for a very different incarnation.”

Lost in Space The coming of creator/writer Paul Levitz’s Starman, from Adventure Comics #467 (Jan. 1980). Art by Steve Ditko and Romeo Tanghal. TM & © DC Comics.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 29

World-Builder Ditko’s unique style was perfect for Starman’s (top) wild spaceships and planets and (middle) its royal-marked characters. Both, from Adventure #468. (bottom) Of course, the artist was no stranger to drawing weird worlds from his work on Dr. Strange and offbeat Marvel monster stories. Starman TM & © DC Comics. Dr. Strange TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

On Steve Ditko and Romeo Tanghal being part of Starman, Levitz adds, “Steve would have had the practical option of turning it down, as there was other work available for him. Romeo probably just got it as a straight assignment. I’m glad they signed on.” How did Levitz’s collaboration with Ditko on Starman differ from their partnership on Stalker some years before? “Well, I hope I had learned a fair amount in the intervening years,” says the writer, “and I was giving him tighter scripts to work from. At the time I did Stalker I think I was still amazed at my youthful luck in working with him and Woody [Wally Wood, Stalker’s inker]. I imagine I was more professional on Starman. “Both Steve and Romeo were total professionals,” Levitz continues. “Steve was, of course, one of the great storytellers and world builders. He gave Starman a distinctive look and feel.” Readers can see the truth in Levitz’s words in the second chapter of Starman, which kicks off Adventure Comics #468. The title character arrives on Throneworld. Ditko’s steve ditko world-building skills really come into play when readers see settings, spaceships, technology, and backdrops that would give Alex Raymond and George Lucas a run for their money. Ditko even gave certain members of the royal family a particular mark on their foreheads—a curved horizontal line with a circle on each end—as a form of identification. Starman, with the aid of Mn’Torr and Jediah Rikane, must prevent Oswin from taking control of the planet and its empire on the day of the empress’ coronation. Starman’s past comes back to haunt him when he learns the one who must give the empress the crown is the woman he loves, Lady Merria. Starman’s familiarity with her forces him to unmask, revealing himself as Prince Gavyn, the empress’ brother, who is believed to be dead. Prince Gavyn lived the life of a typical spoiled playboy until the death of Emperor Rilsom the XVIIIth forces him and his sister Clryssa to grow up. As Gavyn himself words it, one must move on to a nobler existence or lose their life. To prevent a civil war, whoever is not chosen by the high council of those who are next in line for Throneworld’s seat must be executed. When Clryssa is appointed to rule the empire, Gavyn must be jettisoned into space to perish in the void. As fate would have it, this is not the end of Prince Gavyn’s story. Granted, he didn’t go into the vastness of the universe without a fight, but as he floats among the stars he is found by Mn’Torr, a mysterious alien who bestows Gavyn with special wristbands. Said gauntlets help Gavyn control his cosmic powers that also allow him to survive the vacuum of space without a suit. Mn’Torr helps Gavyn master those abilities. Some of his powers are flight, channeling and firing energy, and absorbing various types of radiation. Paul Levitz stated that the Ottoman Empire inspired his Starman stories. However, one could also see Shakespearean influences with the whole saga. Prince Gavyn could be considered like Hamlet in the sense he’s trying to right a wrong. Yet, whereas Hamlet sought revenge for his father’s death, Gavyn is trying to start a new life after his own supposed demise while making sure nothing happens to Clryssa. Gavyn feigns to be someone else for a time, while Hamlet pretends to be mad. The lives of Hamlet and many of those around him end in tragedy. The coronation ceremony of Clryssa ends happily. Starman has been victorious… At least for now. 30 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

STARMAN VERSUS MAN

POST-CRISIS STAR

TM & © DC Comics.

In his quest to rid Throneworld’s empire of tyranny, Starman has made a name for himself in his part of the universe thanks to his exploits and Mn’Torr’s guidance. This does not go unnoticed by Lord Oswin, whose first plot to usurp the royal throne was thwarted by Starman. Oswin seeks revenge and knowledge of Gavyn’s secrets. These become his obsession, much like Captain Ahab’s for a certain white whale in Moby Dick. With one command, “Starman Must Die,” in Adventure Comics #471 (May 1980), the cosmos becomes a battleground between Prince Gavyn and Oswin’s forces. The training world for merchant spacemen, Akadamé, is attacked by Lord Protector Oswin’s private fleet. Its commanding officer, Captain Krydd, proves that Steve Ditko didn’t just build worlds in the Starman feature. He created character designs that were larger than life much like he had done with Amazing Spider-Man and Dr. Strange at Marvel. Krydd’s massive, cruel extraterrestrial aspect proves this in spades. Krydd is a villain that proves to be a bit of a challenge for Starman. However, Jediah Rikane’s assistance allows Gavyn to break free of Krydd’s iron grip. This does come at a cost, for Starman must save Jediah from a lethal energy blast. Yet, all is not lost. Starman melts the wreckage of Rikane’s vessel, pouring it over Krydd’s powerful armor. With their evil captain trapped and defeated, Oswin’s soldiers retreat. More proof of Ditko’s skills at creating new worlds and alien beings can be seen in Adventure Comics #472. This combined with the master storytelling ability of Levitz shows how the Starman section of the comic hits its stride with a science-fiction saga worthy of some of the most popular franchises on the market today. Gyrfalcon, the flagship of Empress Clryssa, has been attacked. Starman rushes to help in spite of guards impeding his mission. They are only doing their jobs to protect the imperial survivor. Is it Clryssa or Merria, whom the empress has made a part of the royal family, thereby giving her the same mark on her forehead as Gavyn and his sister? Starman fears the worst, but Mn’Torr knows the truth must be revealed. He uses his staff to open the life capsule. Gavyn is relieved to find Merria alive. Yet, he must leave her in the care of Mn’Torr and Jediah Rikane. Merria has told Gavyn that aliens have taken Clryssa. Now, Starman must follow their trail through the cosmos. The team of Levitz and Ditko continues to provide readers with a science-fiction adventure containing elements worthy of the literary greats such as Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Robert A. Heinlein. Ditko’s visuals seem influenced by Clarke, particularly when Starman sees kaleidoscopic images on monitors similar to what Dave Bowman encounters toward the end of his journey in 2001: A Space Odyssey. These screens Gavyn watched are in an extraterrestrial ship that is, as our hero describes it, like a child’s blocks. This is much like the craft of the First Federation or the Tholians in Star Trek. In fact, Starman and Clryssa are forced to use a piece of this vessel as an escape pod. This proves dangerous when Imperial weapons are locked on them later in Adventure #472. Yet, he discovers that the colors and shapes he views in the main spacecraft change with the speed of thought. Upon seeing the likeness of Throneworld, Starman finds and frees the empress from her prison. The next chapter’s title in the Starman serial, “Twixt Hammer And Anvil” in Adventure #473 (July 1980), describes the precarious situation in which Gavyn and Clryssa find themselves perfectly.

Crisis on Infinite Earths changed many heroes in the DC Universe, including Prince Gavyn. He was believed to be dead after a massive wall of antimatter consumed all of Throneworld. His body was actually converted to pure energy. Gavyn would reappear in “The Secret of Will Payton” serial in James Robinson’s Starman series. It was discovered that Gavyn had possessed later Starman Will Payton. He and the other Starmen helped free Throneworld from Jediah Rikane’s treachery. Payton, believing he was possibly Gavyn reincarnated, stayed on the planet with Merria until he reappeared in Scott Snyder’s Justice League series. Later, Prince Gavyn returned to defend Throneworld alongside the Omega Men in The Rann–Thanagar War and its sequel The Rann–Thanagar Holy War. He was seen afterwards in 2009’s Strange Adventures, where he was transformed into a flaming being called Fusion. Paul Levitz seems happy to see Gavyn in comics again, stating, “Always feels great to see my characters picked up by others and kept alive in the DC Universe.” – James Heath Lantz

Hopping Hero Ditko’s bouncy layouts, which once graced a certain friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, nicely lent themselves to Starman’s action sequences. Original art to story page 3 from Adventure #472, with inks by Romeo Tanghal. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

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With the alien ship behind them and imperial war vessels before them, they are in the midst of one conflict after another with Starman taking the brunt of attacks from both sides. Gavyn learns that what happened was a misunderstanding because neither side believed the other was sentient due to no communication. Mn’Torr, mysterious as ever, was able to talk to the race of collective beings and be a mediator of sorts between them and Starman. No ill will was intended. They merely wanted to give Clryssa sanctuary. Meanwhile, Merria has returned to Throneworld with Rikane to find that the Council of Regency, having assumed Clryssa and Merria had perished, made Lord Protector Oswin regent, thereby dooming Throneworld into a dictatorship that could ruin the empire forever. Rikane and Merria are the only ones besides Mn’Torr who know that Prince Gavyn is Starman. This creates some problems along the way when Clryssa falls in love with Starman, not realizing that he is her brother. This echoes some similarities to Star Wars in the sense Princess Leia seems infatuated with Luke Skywalker before learning they are siblings. Now, Gavyn does everything possible to avoid Clryssa’s advances for his heart belongs to Merria. While Oswin has usurped the throne, Starman and Clryssa find themselves on the desert prison planet Asryx in Adventure #474, where they encounter some the greatest ruffians and rogues in the empire. These same scoundrels later become Gavyn and Clryssa’s greatest allies in their rebellion against Oswin. At the same time, Mn’Torr pays a visit to the lord protector-turned-regent. Yet, before anything can happen, the enigmatic alien’s people take him back to their galaxy. We next see Mn’Torr’s staff in the hands of the evil Oswin in the conclusion of the next episode, issue #475.

Of note to DC fans is the change in Adventure Comics itself with issue #475 (Sept. 1980), as a third feature, Aquaman, joins Starman and Plastic Man in the monthly, 32-page anthology. “Crown or Coffin?” in issue #476 sees Gavyn and Oswin on equal ground like Apokolips and New Genesis in Jack Kirby’s Fourth World and Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Oswin wields Mn’Torr’s staff to destroy Starman, whose powers come from the cryptic alien. Starman and Oswin battle until Gavyn, Merria, and Clryssa are knocked unconscious by an energy bolt Oswin fired from Mn’Torr’s staff. Jediah Rikane, under the empress’ orders, joins the former Asryx prisoners, whom Clryssa had pardoned, in their rebellion against Oswin’s iron-fisted rule. Starman has been placed within a crystal prison impervious to his powers. Rikane and the insurrectionists are not doing well in their fight against Oswin. Merria and Clryssa are in a dungeon alongside Gavyn’s refractive cocoon-like cage, awaiting execution. All seems hopeless for Starman and his allies. However, the former prince refuses to give up. As Oswin plans to use Mn’Torr’s staff to amplify hyperwave cannons, Gavyn is able to signal Rikane’s army with a small beam of light containing a starship hailing frequency needed to stop the process. Clryssa, Merria, and Starman have hyperwave weapons pointed at them. Yet, when it seems that death is eminent for the trio, Gavin shatters the crystal in which he is encased. Oswin may have constructed it to absorb Starman’s powers, but he didn’t take into account that crystals can break with the right amount of vibration. With that, Gavyn knows how to stop his foe. He must use his abilities to destroy Mn’Torr’s staff. The conflict reaches its peak and conclusion with blinding energy followed by a gaping hole with neither Oswin or Starman anywhere to be seen. There is only a message from Gavyn written on the ground. “I live …and I shall return,” it reads. And return Starman shall. First, however, he must go on an important quest.

MY MN’TORR, WHERE ART THOU?

Starman Covers Starman often took a backseat to Plastic Man on Adventure Comics covers, but some covers spotlighted the space-farer. Covers to (top left) #470 (Apr. 1980) and (bottom) #474 (Aug. 1980) by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano, and (top right) cosmic king Jim Starlin’s cover to issue #471 (May 1980). TM & © DC Comics.

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As one chapter of Gavyn’s life ends, a new one begins. This time, As Jediah Rikane and Merria take care of his sanctuary and Clryssa returns to her rightful place on the empire’s throne, Starman goes on “The Search For Mn’Torr” in Adventure Comics #477 (Nov. 1980). In giving his foe Oswin a decent burial, Starman has provided a marker from his old life to begin a new one. He leaves his galaxy to travel to the one of Mn’Torr’s origins. Steve Ditko raised the bar on his own designs creating an environment and beings that fit into Mn’Torr’s mythos like Vulcan and Tatooine fit into those of Spock and the Skywalker family in the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises. Gavyn encounters a crystalline temple similar to the hideaway he and Mn’Torr used as a sanctuary throughout their exploits to protect Throneworld’s empire. Globes made of similar material strike Gavyn, forcing him to fly into another room. That next chamber, as a voice points out, is all about change, leaving Gavyn to question his future while absorbing massive amounts of radiation. Starman refuses to give up, and in doing so is permitted to continue his journey. He may regret this, for once he has chosen his path, the prince who would be Starman learns that Mn’Torr must die for interrupting his vow of meditation to save Gavyn’s life. The final Adventure Comics chapter of Starman in issue #478 (Dec. 1980) continued to give the character, his allies, and his jeweled wristbands plenty to do. Gavyn himself is doing everything he can to save Mn’Torr from his sentence of mortality. He battles the tribunal of elders to rescue a being he has come to call friend. This is something that befuddles the aliens, for mortal creatures have not been seen there in countless ages. The sentencing ritual was interrupted when Starman broke his friend and confidant out of a crystal prison. This forces the elder beings to pass another sentence. Mn’Torr’s powers are now gone, and his staff is broken. Both he and Starman are left to die a mortal death on an island planet full of predatory creatures, including that world’s version of an octopus. As the pair fights for survival, Mn’Torr recreates his staff, gives it to Gavin, and prepares to sacrifice himself for his protégé, knowing that Starman has exceeded his expectations. The student has become the teacher by showing Mn’Torr that true heroism means doing what is right even if means defying laws, traditions, and/or beliefs as they did with the elders. Content that his pupil has learned so much under his tutelage, Mn’Torr disappears into the stars, leaving Gavyn to return to Throneworld for the next phase of his life.

Cosmic Conclusion Levitz, with Jim Starlin, brought the Starman saga to a close in DC Comics Presents #36 (Aug. 1981). TM & © DC Comics.

COSMIC TEAM-UP

Adventure Comics #478’s “…And Death’s Icy Touch Shall Come Searching” ended with the caption “To Be Concluded in the Pages of DC Comics Presents – Soon.” The August 1981 cover-dated DCCP #36 brought Prince Gavyn together with a survivor of the late planet Krypton, one Kal-El, better known throughout the galaxy as Superman. There are notable differences in “Whatever Happened to Starman?” from the Adventure Comics chapters of Prince Gavyn’s saga. In addition to Jim Starlin providing art instead of Steve Ditko, the overall color and tone contrasts with the brightly hued images shown in Levitz/Ditko stories. Gone is Starman’s orange-and-yellow original costume. It’s been replaced with a dark blue suit with a white royal cape. In fact, Throneworld and its empire seem shadowy, a dying husk of its former self. The blazing psychedelic images of the Ditko era are gone, replaced by what some could perceive as a harbinger of the dawn of grim-and-gritty era to come in the mid-1980s. From a story point of view, it could be due to the mourning of the passing of Clryssa. However, Paul Levitz discusses the changes with BACK ISSUE. “I don’t recall if I made the suggestion to editor Julie Schwartz or Jim Starlin did,” Levitz says. “It certainly wasn’t the original plan, as I hoped the series would run longer. All the visual changes in DC Comics Presents #36 are Jim’s. I think Julie was happy to have him doing an occasional DCCP, and both of us deferred to him.” Prince Gavyn’s rule of Throneworld’s empire may not last very long, for the evil Mongul, a villain created by Starlin and Len Wein, has arrived to conquer all. He began by murdering Clryssa. Now he’s taken Merria by force to be his bride. Starman rushes to help his beloved and receives counseling form Mn’Torr, who is now a being of pure energy. The alien’s staff serves Starman well in his search. Mongul and Merria’s trail leads Starman to a garden planet. Merria warns him to leave, but it’s too late. Starman’s powers barely scratch the villain. Mongul has trapped and shrunken the new emperor of Throneworld and separated him from his wristbands and staff. There may be no way for Starman to save his love and his realm. Starman sits in his cube prison for what seems an eternity until help arrives in the form of Superman. They must work together to stop Mongul from using a doomsday weapon to destroy any worlds that defy him. Mongul can do this with the thought-link device within the emperor’s crown. The Man of Steel has a plan. He will distract Mongul from sensing Starman’s intentions while Gavyn himself will take care of the doomsday machine believed to have been created by his predecessors. Yet the device is hidden in Throneworld’s sun. Its crystalline structure is like that used by Mn’Torr’s people. This is why Mn’Torr made Gavyn Starman, to right the wrongs caused his race throughout the universe. The odds seem to be against both Superman and Starman. However, both heroes continue to combat against those odds. The Man of Tomorrow has been defeated by Mongul, but the would-be conqueror’s victory may be short-lived. Starman destroyed the doomsday weapon. All the leaders of the empire’s worlds defy Mongul, leaving via starship engines attached to each mobile planet. Mongul has been thwarted by the battered Starman and Superman, but there are other parts of the universe he intends to control in the future. With no sovereignty to govern, Starman is free to have a quiet life with Merria. Prince Gavyn may get the happy ending he deserves as a reward for the multiple times he’s saved the galaxy.

THE MEASURE OF A STARMAN

When looking at Prince Gavyn’s life before and after becoming Starman, one can see on the surface a pampered royal who eventually matures into a hero. This is partially the core of the character. However, going beyond what is looked at with the eyes, one can observe that Gavyn wants and tries to do the right thing. Granted, he protested and fought to prevent from being executed. This could be due to a survival instinct ingrained in all beings. Yet, Gavyn eventually accepted his fate because it was the right thing for the empire and his family. Perhaps deep in his subconscious, Gavyn felt his sister was better qualified to rule Throneworld. Even when he reluctantly becomes emperor, Gavyn wants to rule rightly instead of by force as he and Clryssa’s ancestors did. Sure, he could be brash and go into situations “guns a’blazing,” but his heart was in the right place. Like many costumed adventurers whose worlds were created by Paul Levitz and Steve Ditko throughout their respectively stellar careers, Starman, at his core, wants to be a hero that inspires those in his universe and those reading of his exploits. Dedicated to my beautiful and incredible wife Laura, empress of my heart; Pupino, Odino, and our four-legged Mn’Torrs who teach us to love and laugh; my nephew Kento, who can defeat Oswin and Mongul easily; and Paul Levitz and the late Steve Ditko, who made Prince Gavyn’s quest to be hero a saga for the ages. May the elders of the multiverse watch over you forever. JAMES HEATH LANTZ is a freelance writer who was heavily influenced by television, film, old-time radio shows, and books—especially comic books—growing up in Ohio. He’s co-authored Roy Thomas Presents Captain Video with Roy Thomas. He also wrote the introductions for Pre-Code Classics: Weird Mysteries vol. 1 and 2 and Roy Thomas Presents Sheena – Queen of the Jungle vol. 3 (PS Artbooks), self-published his Trilogy of Tales e-book (Smashwords.com), and reviews various media for Superman Homepage. James currently lives in Italy with his wife Laura and their family of cats, dogs, and humans from Italy, Japan, and the United States.

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CRISIS ON EARTH C(OVER) Adventure Comics #467 is not only known for premiering the title’s new Starman and Plastic Man features… its cover is an oddity that has befuddled or amused DC fans. Dave Cockrum originally drew this split cover (art courtesy of Heritage) featuring Adam Strange and Plastic Man, for a comic book—possibly called Strange Adventures, as the artist top-lined the page—headlining DC’s resident spaceman alongside the Pliable Pretzel, who was looking for a home since he was becoming the star of a Saturday morning cartoon show. Cockrum’s pose for Adam Strange pays homage to the Carmine Infantino/Murphy Anderson cover from Mystery in Space #90, from late 1963. Then the decision was made to change Adventure from its extra-length “Dollar Comic” format to a regular 32-page title, with Plastic Man starring in half the book. Adam Strange was Zeta-beamed out of the title, leading editor Len Wein with a slot to fill in Adventure—hence his request of Paul Levitz to create a new series for that half of the book. And thus Starman was born, with series artist Steve Ditko penciling (and Dick Giordano inking) the other half of Adventure #467’s published cover, the one many of you are familiar with. Yet that wasn’t the end of Cockrum’s Adam Strange illo! Not long thereafter, editor Jack C. Harris cannibalized its main figure (albeit flopped) for the montage cover of Green Lantern #136 (Jan. 1981) to promote the issue’s Adam Strange backup. – Michael Eury Thanks to Heritage Comics Auctions and The Comic Reader #170 for information.

The Covers You Know (left) The published version of Adventure #467. (middle) The Mystery in Space cover that inspired Cockrum’s Adam Strange pose. (right) Where’s Adam? On the grab-bag cover of Green Lantern #136! TM & © DC Comics.

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by J a r r o d

Buttery

Valiant Vanth Jim Starlin’s epic swashbuckler, Vanth Dreadstar, from the back cover of Dreadstar #2 (Jan. 1983), from Marvel’s Epic Comics imprint. Unless otherwise noted, scans accompanying this article are courtesy of its writer, Jarrod Buttery. TM & © Jim Starlin.

BACK ISSUE celebrates comics’ Bronze Age, and the Bronze Age has established favorites: Batman: The Dark Knight; Watchmen; Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s Uncanny X-Men; Walt Simonson’s Thor; Frank Miller’s Daredevil; David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and John Romita, Jr.’s Iron Man, amongst others. But the Bronze Age also holds personal favorites—smaller titles that are treasured by fans, and are waiting to be discovered by others. Inordinately simplistically, Dreadstar is a space opera. But in the hands of creator Jim Starlin it is much more than that. As Starlin himself described, “The real theme behind the series is: ‘Anything you believe you can do, you can do. You can change

the universe—one person. Things can be better than they are right now.’ “The other theme is humanity. I don’t want to have perfect characters. All my heroes have clay feet. Maybe I’m trying to say that our leaders don’t have to be perfect, they have to be human.” (Quotes courtesy of “Starlin” by David Anthony Kraft, Comics Interview #4, June 1983.) Also—importantly—the series explores the choices that we make and the prices for those decisions. From the beginning Starlin was playing the long game, telling us, “I’ve got about a thousand pages of material sort-of plotted in my head” (“After the Galaxy Dies” by Archie Goodwin, Epic Illustrated #9, Dec. 1981). Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 35

Science-fiction Fairy Tale “The Meeting of Slayers,” featuring Vanth’s first encounter with Aknaton. One of six full-color plates produced by Jim Starlin for his Metamorphosis Odyssey Portfolio, published in 1980 by S. Q. Productions. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © Jim Starlin.

METAMORPHOSIS ODYSSEY

to end the Zygotean threat. Aknaton was appointed the Having illustrated some paperback covers, in The Art of Horn’s guardian and, in his preparations, Aknaton introduced Jim Starlin: A Life in Words and Pictures (IDW Publishing, potential on four disparate planets. Centuries later, as the Zygoteans finally overrun the 2010), Starlin wrote that, “The idea of painting an entire comic book seemed like the next logical step. I had this Orsirosians, Aknaton sets his plan into motion. He recruits vague notion that I’d like to do something along Za from the planet Tyjor, Whis’par from the World the lines of a science-fiction fairy-tale. It would of the Woods, and Juliet from the doomed planbe a sweet and gentle little story, full of et Earth. Juliet is saved as the Zygoteans fairies and furry critters. I decided to call utterly destroy Earth (and this only in it the ‘Metamorphosis Odyssey’.” Chapter III!). These three—the fruits of Marvel published the Spring 1980 Aknaton’s seeds—possess the ability cover-dated first issue of Epic Illustrated— to sound the Horn but, until then, a magazine promising: “A new expethey need protection. In Chapter V, Akrience in adult fantasy and sciencenaton returns to the frozen world of fiction adventure.” Its first serial was Byfrexia whereupon he left a mystical Jim Starlin’s “Metamorphosis Odyssey.” Sword of Power centuries before. The Starlin was working on this in 1979, sword is now wielded by Vanth, who is and so BACK ISSUE is proud to celebrate known as the Cold Man—a warrior who a 40th Anniversary retrospective! has forestalled Zygotean advances. Chapter I introduces Aknaton, last Aknaton perceives Vanth to be an jim starlin survivor of the Orsirosians—the most unstoppable, destructive, one-man army. ancient and powerful race in the galaxy Pat Loika. The sword can cut through anything and the root of all humanoid life throughout the Milky and is capable of absorbing energy, conferring superWay. Aknaton’s narration tells us of the Zygoteans: human abilities upon Vanth, and—at Vanth’s discretion— unstoppable alien conquerors and enslavers, spreading releasing said energy as destructive force. Aknaton remarks through the galaxy like a cancerous wave. The people that he did not initially see Vanth carrying the sword. of Orsiros foresaw the inevitable and thus used their vast Vanth replies, “The sword was not hidden… it is part of mystical and technological power to create the Infinity Horn me. When I need it, I simply call it forth.”

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With Vanth protecting them from Zygotean forces, Aknaton spirits the team to a planet called Dreamsend. As Za, Whis’par, and Juliet sound the Infinity Horn, the Milky Way is obliterated—euthanised—to spare the galaxy a slow, inevitable, Zygotean death. Za, Whis’par, and Juliet are transformed into new beings of pure energy, and depart. At the last, Aknaton conjures a mystical sphere of protection and sleep, which allows himself and Vanth to ride the shockwave—in suspended animation for a million years—to a whole new galaxy, and a planet named Caldor. Consumed with guilt and rage at what they’d done, Vanth kills Aknaton—which was Aknaton’s intention. Fatally wounded, Aknaton explains that this Empirical Galaxy is very similar to the Milky Way, and it faces a crossroads. It is Vanth’s destiny to show its people the way; to prevent the Milky Way’s mistakes; to be their savior or—if they can’t be saved—their destroyer. The story played out across the first nine issues of Epic Illustrated. At its conclusion, Starlin stated, “Most of what I write comes from things that happened to me in my past. What I was trying to do with the ‘Metamorphosis Odyssey’ was sort of bring out some of the stuff that was in my psyche from the Vietnam War. I had this stuff in my head that I wanted to work out, but I knew a Vietnam story was not the way to do it.” Jim Starlin very kindly agreed to answer some questions for BACK ISSUE. Expanding on the above, Starlin explains, “It was sort of a combination of wanting to do a fairy-tale and sort of an indirect Vietnam story. I was very young at the time—I was in my 20s— and the whole idea of something being so wrong that you had to rip everything down and start over fresh seemed like the best idea, as it does for most young folks. I had been working at Ralph Bakshi’s studio with Mike Ploog on the movie Wizards and I felt like I wanted to do something along those lines. Of course, I’m not a fairy-tale person, and that part of the story sort of got jettisoned pretty quickly once I got down to do the story itself [laughs]. “I started out sharing a studio [Upstart] with Walt Simonson, Howard Chaykin, and—at the beginning—Val Mayerik, and we were all artists trying to expand our palettes at that point. Howard was doing his adaptation of Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination; Walt was working on the Alien comic-book adaptation; and so it was a pretty creative little atmosphere. I decided I was going to do my own little paint thing—starting off with graytones and working my way up to full color, once the editor, Archie Goodwin, realized he didn’t have enough color pieces to fill up Epic Illustrated properly [laughs]. I’d started with black and white because I figured, ‘Well, they’ll always need black and white.’ And Archie very quickly sat down and said, ‘Y’know, it looks like you’re going to be the most popular thing in here—let’s get you into colors,’ so we did so!” In his book, The Art of Jim Starlin, he wrote, “This may well have been my favorite period in the business. Like many of my contemporaries, I consider Archie Goodwin to be the best editor I ever worked for. His assistant editor, Jo Duffy, was also a gem, always positive and extremely helpful. Between the two of them, they managed the Epic line like a family-run business.” For its first year, Epic Illustrated was a quarterly magazine. Issue #5 (Apr. 1981) heralded a change to bimonthly publication and the official arrival of associate editor Jo Duffy. “I was already very aware of Dreadstar,” recalls Duffy to BACK ISSUE. “In order to be on board as of the fifth issue, I was brought onto the magazine when maybe two issues were out. Back then, publishing had a much longer lead time than it does now.

Epic Editors (top) Editor Archie Goodwin receiving an Inkpot Award from Shel Dorf at the San Diego Comic-Con of 1982. (middle top left) Epic Illustrated #1 (Spring 1980), premiering Starlin’s Metamorphosis Odyssey. Cover by Frank Frazetta. (middle top right) Goodwin’s Epic assistant editor Jo Duffy at the 1982 San Diego con. Both photos by and courtesy of Alan Light. (middle bottom) Self-caricature of a muzzled editor Goodwin, from Dreadstar #18. (bottom) The Epic Comics masthead. Epic Illustrated, Epic Comics, and Goodwin cartoon TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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The Saga Begins A dazzling starfield and washtones lured readers into Starlin’s opus in Epic Illustrated #1. Scans accompanying this article courtesy of Jarrod Buttery, unless otherwise noted. TM & © Jim Starlin.

The content—the writing and the artwork—was all done, but getting the pages put together, writing the editorials, doing the layouts, getting the color separations done, all took an immense amount of time. The color separations were a big part of that job. You didn’t just send it out and get back something beautiful, you got back somebody who had nothing to do with the artwork’s idea of what it should look like.” In an interview for Previews (Dec. 2003), Starlin stated that his inspiration for the Sword of Power was Excalibur. When asked if he’s a fan of Arthurian legend, he replied, “Yeah, I actually did a portfolio called Camelot 4005 at one point—sort of a science-fiction take on the Camelot legend. Once again, black-and-white paintings— I think there was one color piece in there. I was working out of the back office of [Neal Adams’ studio] Continuity at that point. Shortly after that I got the Upstart Studio started, so it predates Dreadstar by about a year or so at least.” “Metamorphosis Odyssey” was reprinted in 2000 (Dreadstar vol. 2: The Price, SLG Publishing, Oct. 2000). Therein, Starlin wrote, “The original design for the sword was a long, glowing, sabre-like affair. Then Star Wars came out and that had to change. I found a replica of an old Spanish pike-head in some junk shop. In hindsight I have to thank Mr. Lucas. It’s a much better design now.”

In the same piece, Starlin also wrote, “While I was finishing off my run on Warlock, I started toying with the idea of doing a sort of fairy-tale with an apocalyptic ending. The trouble was that there was no place to print it without signing away all the rights. But then along came a phone call from one Rick Marshall. He was starting up a new magazine for Marvel, a Heavy Metal number. All material within was to be creator-owned. Well, Rick lasted about five minutes as the editor, and suddenly Epic Illustrated became Archie Goodwin’s baby.” In Epic Illustrated, Starlin was able to tell his story, with his characters, whichever way he liked. And one doesn’t get much more apocalyptic than the destruction of our entire galaxy! Starlin was asked by BI if he intended this climax from the outset: “Good question! I do not remember if it was from the start. It probably developed as we went along because—especially at the beginning— I really didn’t like being hammered or tied down into a really tight plot throughout a long story. When I was doing Captain Marvel and Warlock, we were given an issue at a time, and most of the time we had no idea if these books were even going to get out. Roy Thomas, who was editor on Captain Marvel, used to just say, ‘Do whatever you want with it,’ and so I’d do an interesting issue. And sometimes in the middle of the very issue, I would change my mind about where the story was going because I came up with a better idea—I might even throw out a page or two of the art that I had already drawn just to accommodate these changes. So chances are that the destruction of the Milky Way… it may have come along somewhere in the middle of the story.”

Sword-and-Sorcery in the Stone Signed plate from Starlin’s 1977 portfolio Camelot 4005, the artist’s sci-fi take on the Arthurian legend, published by Bob Hakins— several years before DC’s celebrated Camelot 3000 maxiseries. Courtesy of Heritage. TM & © Jim Starlin.

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THE PRICE

“‘Metamorphosis Odyssey’ is only part one of a three-part origin for Vanth,” explained Starlin in Epic Illustrated #9. The Price is a black-and-white graphic novel, written and painted by Starlin, and published by Eclipse Enterprises (Oct. 1981). Therein, we are formally introduced to the Empirical Galaxy, and its 200-year-old war between galactic superpowers the Monarchy and the Church of the Instrumentality. As described: “The Monarchy is a 12century-old dynasty, founded and maintained by the royal (and highly inbred) family of Dylogo and its armies. The Instrumentality (ruled by the Lord High Papal) is a powerful political-mystical-religious order which rules its half of the galaxy through fear of damnation, heavenly edict, occasional mass inquisitions, and an army of holy warriors.” Our lead character is Syzygy Darklock, a High Bishop in the Church of the Instrumentality. Our story opens proper as Syzygy tells his familiar, Sister Marian, that he has sensed the murder of his brother by something demonic. As he investigates, Syzygy uncovers a complex plot instigated by the sorcerer, Taurus Killgaren. Killgaren has seen that Syzygy is fated to play an important role in the future of the galaxy—but to do so, Syzygy must obtain mystical powers beyond which any mortal has mastered before. Killgaren shows Syzygy a kaleidoscopic flash of the future—which Syzygy recognizes as destiny: “For to see tomorrow is to be seen by tomorrow… And once it has laid eyes on such a major element of its being as yourself, it may determine to exist. Once that happens, nothing can stop it. Not magic. Not science. Not hate. Not tears.” However, the powers that Syzygy requires to fulfill his destiny come with a price… Although “Metamorphosis Odyssey” was hurtling towards its climax at Marvel, The Price was published by indie comics publisher Eclipse. Starlin tells BI: “Basically I was completing the storyline at Marvel with Epic Illustrated, and I went off for a bit and I did some work with DC at that point. And then Dean Mullaney [of Eclipse] came along. I knew the story I wanted to do, and I still had Dreadstar as my property, so I did The Price—figuring that, down the line, I would scavenge everything together. And it was sort of a different dynamic also. The opportunity was there. I wasn’t working with Marvel at that point, and it just wound up at Eclipse. “When I was doing ‘Metamorphosis Odyssey,’ I was working with live models. I used both myself and Val Mayerik for Aknaton. We had a bald head-cap that we put on. I was also Za, and an ex-girlfriend of mine was Whis’par. Lynn Varley, who is a comics colorist—and was Frank Miller’s wife at one point—was Juliet. Walter Simonson was Joenis Soule and Frank Miller was Juliet’s father. “Originally, Syzygy was supposed to be a black man. I had this guy coming over who was going to model for me, but he didn’t show up. And as it happened, Joe Rubinstein showed up and I said, ‘God, I’ve got a deadline on this thing, take your clothes off and put this shirt on, Joe!’ and we went from there. And so we didn’t have a person of color in the original storyline. But if I ever get the live-action thing—which we keep trying to get put together—I’m going to lobby that Syzygy is a tall, black man. Sister Marian was Joe’s girlfriend whose name was Marian—I named her after her.” The Price concludes with a transformed and empowered Syzygy leaving the church, purchasing a small spaceship, and flying to the planet Caldor. In the last three pages, he meets and introduces himself to Vanth: “You are also known as the Cold Man… and in certain mystic circles unknown to you, they refer to you as Dreadstar the Starslayer.” According to Etruscan mythology, Vanth is an escort of the dead to the afterlife. As Starlin said in Comics Interview

I’ve Seen the Future and It Will Be (top) Cover to The Price (Oct. 1981), the graphic novel published by Eclipse. (bottom) Syzygy’s destiny, as depicted in the graphic novel. TM & © Jim Starlin.

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#4, “‘Dreadstar’ got tacked on to give him a more pronounceable name, because [Marvel editor-in-chief] Jim Shooter never could remember ‘Vanth.’ Originally, we were going to call him ‘Vanth the Starslayer,’ but after mentioning this to somebody, I got a call from Mike Grell, who was about to come out with a book titled Starslayer. I needed a name real quick so that we could have something to put on the cover of the graphic novel, and ‘Dreadstar’ came to mind.” [Editor’s note: Starslayer is one of the “Heroes of Tomorrow” to be explored in these pages next year in issue #120.]

DREADSTAR

In his book The Art of Jim Starlin, Starlin wrrote that the publication of The Price at Eclipse got Marvel’s attention: “Marvel intended to produce a line of high-quality, squarebound graphic novels, much like what was popular in Europe. Shooter offered one of the early book slots for some continuation of my ‘Metamorphosis Odyssey,’ but at a price. Marvel would publish my creator-owned graphic novel if I first wrote and drew a Marvel Comics graphic novel, killing off a certain character they had been having great difficulty with…” Marvel Graphic Novel #3—Dreadstar—has the descriptor, “The Metamorphosis Odyssey: Book Three.” It opens on Caldor, moments after Vanth has killed Aknaton. Although Vanth has been in suspended animation for a million years, for him it seems like minutes. His wounds from the Zygotean forces at Dreamsend are still fresh. He collapses and is found by the People. Caldor is home to a race of genetically engineered cat people. In the early days of the Monarchy/Instrumentality War, the Instrumentality attempted to create a warrior race by crossbreeding cats with humans. The result was a gentle species that happened to have a knack for farming. The People were allowed to survive because wars need soldiers and soldiers need food. This is explained to Vanth by Delilah—a human anthropologist who came to study the People but decided to stay. Hoping to put his past behind him, Vanth finds peace on Caldor and love with Delilah. Thirty years later, Syzygy Darklock arrives on Caldor, and we see the exact same meeting from the end of The Price. Across years, Vanth and Syzygy continue to meet. Syzygy educates Vanth on the Empirical Galaxy and the war that neither the Monarchy nor the Instrumentality want to end— war, after all, means tremendous profits for corporate interests. Syzygy tells Vanth that their destiny is to end the war but Vanth only hears another manipulative sorcerer. Devastatingly, events are taken out of their hands. Monarchy ships, acting on an old intelligence report, launch a pre-emptive strike against the Instrumentality’s “cat warriors.” Delilah and the People are slaughtered. Vanth Dreadstar vows vengeance. “I came back to Marvel to do the Death of Captain Marvel and the Dreadstar graphic novels,” explains Starlin. “After that, Denny

The Metamorphosis Odyssey: Book Three Starlin’s cover for Marvel Graphic Novel #3 (Aug. 1982), which continues the Dreadstar saga. TM & © Jim Starlin.

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O’Neil [then a Marvel editor] contacted me to do a story for his Bizarre Adventures magazine at Marvel—so I did the black-and-white ‘Dreadstar’ story that followed the graphic novel. But then Archie said, ‘Let’s do it in Epic Illustrated,’ and that led next into the comic book.” Goodwin confirmed in Dreadstar #1 that “Dreadstar” was originally intended as a continuing feature in Bizarre Adventures before the decision was made to have Dreadstar kick off the Epic Comics line. Epic Illustrated #15 (Dec. 1982) features the 24-page standalone story that bridges the gap between the three books of the “Metamorphosis Odyssey” and the subsequent ongoing series. The first step in Vanth’s plan to end the war is to steal a starship from a mining colony, but he and Oedi are delayed when he stops to help a female worker who’s trapped by a cave-in—a worker who bears a striking similarity to Delilah. The girl is freed and we see her following our heroes… Although not depicted in the Dreadstar graphic novel, there was a lone survivor of the People: Oedi. “When I was a kid starting off, trying to get work in fanzines, there was a cartoonist named Grass Green,” notes Starlin to BI. “He did this series for Star-Studded Comics called Xal-Kor the Human Cat, and I always liked that whole thing. We had cats living out in the woods—they were good at keeping the mice population down—so cats just became part of the story as we were going, and I didn’t want to lose them, so Oedi the character got developed. The cat people were too good to throw out.” As the Dreadstar creator told David Anthony Kraft, “Oedi is the most human character in the book. For Vanth I needed a schemer. Because the story needed mysticism, we had Syzygy. They needed conscience, and so Oedi became their conscience.” Starlin said in Amazing Heroes #98 (July 1986) that Oedi was originally intended to be the wisecracking animal character. There are hints in his debut, but he quickly evolved into something more. Starlin tells BI: “Once I realized Oedi was the last of his breed—and you can’t get much more tragic than that— I thought it would be a little hard to make him the comedic character. But he worked as a very good second banana for Skeevo, and their friendship became a cornerstone of what the storyline was all about.”

PLAN M

“Archie had always wanted to do something more than just Epic Illustrated, and that magazine began not to sell too well near the end of its run, and so they decided they were going to expand out into doing comic books, which were selling extremely well at that point,” explains Starlin. Dreadstar #1 (Nov. 1982) was advertised as the “First issue in a whole new line of comics!” Jo Duffy remembers: “For the record, the whole reason there was an Epic Comics line, is because we— and by ‘we’ I mean Archie, myself, and Jim Shooter—all loved Jim Starlin and his work, and also [Groo’s] Sergio Aragonés. Pretty much simultaneously—I know I may have said it—I know Jim pitched it officially (but unofficially as he was standing in the Epic office with me and Archie)—to both Jim Starlin and Sergio: ‘If you want to stay with us but you don’t want to be in the magazine, we will start a comics line and you can have your own creator-owned comic out of Epic.’ That was Archie’s vision, Jim’s vision, my vision—I honestly don’t remember who said it first— but I will say Archie had to oversee it and Jim was the one who made it happen. So, Dreadstar and Groo—do you get better than that?”

Cat Scratch Fever Jim Starlin calls Oedi—shown here in detail from the back cover of Dreadstar #4—“the most human character in the book.” (inset) A younger Jim Starlin’s interest in Richard “Grass” Green’s fanzine character Xal-Kor the Human Cat was a partial inspiration for Oedi. This Alter Ego-hosted Xal-Kor one-shot was published by TwoMorrows in 2002. TM & © Jim Starlin. Xal-Kor © Grass Green estate.

Dreadstar #1 recaps what has come before and shows an unrevealed scene from the graphic novel emphasising that Oedi survived the attack on Caldor, and subsequently joined Vanth and Syzygy. The issue also formally introduces Willow, a blind telepath who sees through the eyes of her pet monkey, Rainbow. It’s an action-packed story as our team raids an Instrumentality Treasury Satellite. As Oedi asserts, “Revolutions, like everything else in life, cost money.” Successful, Vanth exclaims that they can now afford to start Plan M. Chagrined, the Lord High Papal asks the Twelve Gods of the Instrumentality to grant him powers to deal with Dreadstar and Darklock. “Archie approached me to be the first one because I had sort of a reputation of being the guinea pig to send into the caves to see how it works—from the first Captain Marvel graphic novel on through,” laughs Starlin to BACK ISSUE. “So I started off and it became a big hit right off the bat. We were selling very good numbers at that point—150,000, I think, on average—which was quite good for that time. We did have books like Spider-Man and X-Men outselling us, but we were right up there with fairly popular books at the time like Thor and a couple of other ones who were the second-tier characters at Marvel.” Issue #2 (Jan. 1983) delineates Willow’s dark backstory. Although she has a different look and is now blind, we are categorically told that she is the mineworker whom Vanth saved in Epic #15. It is hinted at down the line, but Starlin explicitly says, “She was a telepath and looked into Oedi’s mind and realized that she looked like Vanth’s wife. And so she changed her look so that she would be different. We worked on this thing for close to ten years, so we thought a lot of these things out along the way [laughs].” Issue #2 also introduces Skeevo. “I remember the day Jim introduced Skeevo, and swore to us with a character name like ‘Skeevo Phlatus’ that he was going to be a minor character who almost never appeared,” laughs Duffy. “That was how he got away with a name like that: ‘Oh, it’s almost never going to be used!’ “My opinion—based on nothing except the character marks— is that the current incarnation of Rocket Raccoon owes a lot to Skeevo,” she continues. “I know Rocket predates Skeevo, but Rocket was originally a much more straightforward adventurer, but he ended up filling the role that Skeevo filled in Dreadstar. I don’t know if there’s any causality, but to me it will always look like Skeevo was one of the ancestors of at least the cinematic Rocket.” Starlin admitted previously, in Amazing Heroes #98, “I wanted a character who was very earthy and somewhat silly. My wife and I took a walk in the rain out in Queens one day and we came up with a whole family of names. It turns out Skeevo’s got a wife called Ghurgl. He also has a brother called Blato.” He later elaborated, “Skeevo is a direct descendent of Pip the Troll [from Warlock]. In fact, when I first started up on this, I tried to talk to Marvel about maybe buying Pip from them. They didn’t think it was such a hot idea. I’m sure they’ll never do anything with Pip, but they kind of shied away from selling him. I needed some kind of comedy interest. Skeevo was created to fill a void that Oedi didn’t quite fill.” Continuing to set itself aside from other books on the stands, Dreadstar #3 (Mar. 1983) highlights the horror of war as the Lord Papal nukes the city of Chichano—home to 15 million of his own citizens—in an attempt to kill Vanth and Syzygy. Our heroes were simply there as decoys, whilst Willow, Oedi, and Skeevo steal a newly developed teleportation drive from an Instrumentality starship. Starlin cited in Comics Interview the aftermath scenes of this issue—along with the confrontation between Syzygy and Willow in issue #2—as sequences that he was happiest with. Attempting to prevent the Instrumentality from developing an insurmountable advantage over the Monarchy, Dreadstar and Company mass-replicate the stolen teleportation drive and present it to the Monarchy, in issue #4 (May 1983). King Gregzor of the Monarchy is shadowed by his Vizier—a cloaked and helmeted man simply known as Z. It is feared an assassination attempt will be made Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 41

upon Gregzor, and Z asks Dreadstar for help in protecting the king. Z is correct. A lone Instrumentality assassin, called the Hand of Darkness, possesses an outfit containing a holographic projector and voice modulator—allowing him to look and sound like anyone he chooses. As Willow is distracted, the Hand of Darkness makes his move, but he has counted without Oedi’s enhanced sense of smell. In this author’s personal view, the back cover to issue #4 presents one of the most beautiful portraits in comics. Syzygy is ambushed and captured by Cardinal Spydar of the Instrumentality, in issue #5 (July 1983). It is up to Oedi and Skeevo to rescue Syzygy from Spydar’s tremendously strong—but not-terribly-bright—bodyguard, Tuetun (sic). This leads to an energetic chase sequence with such memorable lines as, ‘Tuetun smash!’, ‘Tuetun pulverize!’, and, ‘Tuetun mangle!’ before Tuetun falls (pun intended) for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Spydar, for his troubles, is banished to an alien dimension by Syzygy. In another example of how plots change as comics progress, Starlin noted to David Anthony Kraft, “Issue #5 was originally supposed to be a very grim piece featuring Dreadstar—but the closer I came to it, the more I liked the idea of making it very whimsical and featuring Oedi and Skeevo. So it was basically the same plot—with a very different ending.” Throughout the first five issues, references are made to Plan M. Issue #6 (Sept. 1983) reveals that “M” stands for Maxilon—the newest member of the team—providing an alternative voice to both the Monarchy and the Instrumentality for the citizens of the Empirical Galaxy. Issue #5 includes the first instalment of “How to Write and Draw Comics Good” by Jim Starlin and Daina Graziunas. This is a hilarious fumetti series that ran until issue #12. The series features photographs of Daina and Jim, with added text, except that Jim refuses to be photographed (“I’m a very private person!”) and consequently always appears with a paper bag over his head—with appropriate facial expressions drawn on the bag. In a scoop for BI, Starlin confesses, “A little-known fact is that I’m never underneath the bag. I’m always taking the pictures. It was either Bernie Wrightson, Carl Potts—in one case my wife, Daina Graziunas—got into a baggy set of sweats and I stuck catnip all over her so that the cats would crawl around on top of her. I shot pictures and that became the one where the cats (Oedi and Elektra) tell me how the Dreadstar plot goes. We had to fill up that page with something and I think I came up with the idea of doing the fumetti because somebody else I knew had done one recently and it looked like fun.” Dreadstar #6 and 7 feature the short-lived backup series “The Interstellar Toybox” by Bernie Wrightson. The protagonist

Double Vision (top left) Vanth is joined in combat by Syzygy Darklock, Willow, and Oedi on Starlin’s dynamite cover to Dreadstar #1 (Nov. 1982), which launched the ongoing series for Marvel’s Epic Comics. (top right) Nearly 30 years later, the artist/writer recreated that cover, with some character substitutions, for ’Breed III #6 (Oct. 2011). (bottom) Signed splash/title page from Starlin’s Dreadstar #2 (Jan. 1983), which was soon reprinted in Dreadstar and Company #2 (Aug. 1985). Courtesy of Anthony Snyder (www.anthonyscomicbookart.com). TM & © Jim Starlin.

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Colorful Cast Jim Starlin’s back cover pinups for Epic’s Dreadstar were a sight to behold, and these spotlighted different characters from his series’ cast: (top left) Lord High Papal, from Dreadstar #1; (top right) Skeevo, from issue #5; (bottom left) Syzygy Darklock, from issue #3; and (bottom right) Willow, from issue #7. TM & © Jim Starlin.

is eccentric genius Aldo Gorney and the first episode features Captain Sternn from Heavy Metal (magazine and movie). Gorney and Sternn briefly discuss Hanover Fiste—the hulking character from Heavy Metal. Also in 1983, The Price is reprinted as Dreadstar Annual #1. Jo Duffy’s “Dreaditorial” states that the original blackand-white story has been rendered in full color by Daina Graziunas and Christie Scheele, using a process invented by Jim Shooter. “I liked it better in black and white,” laughs Starlin. Duffy was asked if she precipitated the reprint: “I honestly don’t remember. The fact is, the Marvel audience was different to the Eclipse audience. I will go so far as to say that Dean Mullaney went to some lengths to cultivate a different audience and a different aesthetic than Marvel did at that time, so there was a strong chance that somebody who had read something at Eclipse might not follow it to Marvel, and that somebody who was Marvel-only might not have been aware that there was Dreadstar continuity that existed outside of what Marvel was publishing. I think everybody thought the reprint was a great idea.”

WAR’S END

Plan M had been set in motion, but there were plenty of remaining plot threads. Why does the Instrumentality serve the Twelve Gods? What does the mineral catorlite have to do with it? And why has Z just assassinated his own king? Dreadstar #7 (Nov. 1983) turns the galactic war on its head as Z betrays the Monarchy to the Instrumentality. Vanth becomes increasingly convinced that Z is actually Aknaton—a belief that is reinforced when he returns to Caldor and finds Aknaton’s grave to be empty… Issues #9–10 experimented with a new coloring process. Feedback was strongly divided. The letters page in Dreadstar #11 (June 1984) admitted that the results of the experiment were not as successful as hoped, and that the book would be returning to the original, hand-separated coloring process. This was back in the days when comics had letters pages and editors answered questions. “I believe, as a general rule, I did the answers in the letter columns,” admits Duffy. “Letter columns were my ingress to the business in the first place, and so my penance was to put the letter columns together! And in fact, I enjoyed doing it very much. I was now on the other side of the dialogue, but I knew how much it meant to the people throwing their opinions into—what they suspected might be—a great echoing void that never heard them.” The Monarchy falls. Dreadstar and Company are no longer trying to end a war—the war is over and the Instrumentality’s holy inquisitions are sweeping through the galaxy. Issue #11 (June 1984) reveals the origin of the Lord Papal, as Cardinal Spydar escapes his banishment and returns with important news. In Dreadstar #12 (July 1984), the team debriefs on the planet Plorexus. A previously injured Oedi requires advanced medical treatment and Willow suggests an old friend on Falstarro. Employing dangerously copyright-infringing holographic disguises,

Willow, Syzygy, and Skeevo take Oedi to meet Doc Delphi. Skeevo then sneaks off to take care of some private business. Oedi is healed, but the mission is almost undone by the surprise reappearance of Tuetun (who amusingly muses about his cousin Hanover). Tuetun again falls to chicanery but—in the chaos—Doc Delphi’s position is compromised. He leaves Falstarro and joins the crew. Issue #13—unlucky for some—heralds a major change in direction of the series. Willow suffers premonitions of death and psychic flashes of two survivors from Chichano. Experimented on by Science Officer Monalo, the survivors develop energy powers and become the Instrumentality agents Infra Red and Ultra Violet. Vanth, too, experiences a vision—perceiving Syzygy as he truly is: a man who lost an eye, an arm, and both legs to the mystical forces he attempted to tame. Syzygy reminds Vanth that, with belief, anything is possible—but belief is also very fragile. And in one of the most heartrending sequences in the series, Skeevo relates a poignant tale of his youth, and his pet cat, to Oedi. Just before the Lord Papal, Infra Red, and Ultra Violet arrive. Wait… what? How did the Lord Papal find our heroes? That question has to wait because Dreadstar #14 Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 43

The Unknown Comic Creator An example of Jim Starlin and Daina Graziunas’ “How to Write and Draw Comics Good,” from Dreadstar #9 (Mar. 1984). TM & © Jim Starlin.

(Oct. 1984) is the big battle issue, culminating in the Papal shattering Vanth’s sword! Without his relationship with his sword, Vanth’s advanced years begin to overtake him and he ages rapidly. The Papal and his underlings leave—to let Vanth wither—preparing to return for an execution tomorrow. SPOILER ALERT: Vanth doesn’t die. Syzygy and Willow manage to contact the sentient power of the sword and meld that power with Vanth. The sword is gone but Vanth can now fly, absorb energy directly, and release that energy through a “power fist.” He tests these powers when the Papal sends in the troops to mop up. To say the Papal is subsequently displeased would be an enormous understatement. In 1985, Epic released six issues of Dreadstar and Company: a newsstand reprint of the first six Dreadstar comics. Duffy confirms, “Epic/Marvel was delighted with the sales on the regular Dreadstar series; and the creation of Dreadstar and Company was a direct response to the increasing number of requests we received to have that material made available in regular comics form for new readers.”

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THE TRAITOR

Dreadstar #17 (Feb. 1985) features a solo Willow story, as she finds her mother who was arrested and lobotomized by the Instrumentality when Willow was a child. As fast-paced and exciting as the book was before, things kick into overdrive with issue #18 (Apr. 1985). Dreadstar and Company realize that the only way the Papal could have found them on Plorexus is because they have a traitor in the ranks. In an attempt to obtain information from the Instrumentality’s inner circle, our heroes devise a plan to kidnap Dr. Anton Mezlo. Mezlo is the Instrumentality scientist who developed the teleportation drive, as well as a personal, armed hover-chair that he uses for transport and protection. Mezlo is also alone at a research station on planet Tempus-7. Of course, it’s a trap, but our heroes confidently believe they can handle anything that’s thrown at them. They’re wrong. Mezlo has an army of 2000 cyborgs. Oedi takes the fight to Mezlo. As Oedi clings to Mezlo’s battle-chair, both of them crash out of the research tower and into the storm-swept ocean below. Scanners detect only one survivor. As Mezlo rises out of the ocean in his chair and speeds off, Willow articulates what everyone is thinking: “Why Oedi?” “Yeah, anyone else wouldn’t have been as tragic,” agrees Starlin. “Even Willow passing wouldn’t have been as tragic as Oedi, because Oedi very quickly developed into most everybody’s favorite. He was easily mine, even moreso than Dreadstar. I enjoyed telling his story, he was the perfect foil for Skeevo, and it was just a lot of fun doing him all the time. Whenever I got the chance to do a solo Oedi story, I did so.” The book is a rollercoaster for the next two years. Tempest-7 is surrounded by Instrumentality ships. When Dreadstar and his remaining crew try to use their teleportation drive to escape, Instrumentality Science Officer Monalo—a super-telepath—instantly “reads” their coordinates and follows. Repeated jumps cause Vanth’s teleportation drive to blow. The ship and crew are thrown into a multidimensional rift. Syzygy manages to use his mystic powers to traverse the dimensions, bumping into Doc Delphi along the way. The pair finds their way to the heart of the rift—the ruptured teleportation drive—and Syzygy collapses. Doc Delphi manages to seal the rift and the crew are returned to normalcy. But Delphi has been exposed to too much interdimensional energy and he fades out of our dimension. Two down. The ship and remaining crew crash-lands on Terigan, sitting ducks for Monalo’s hunt team. Syzygy defeats the hot-headed Infra Red and almost reaches the far-more-rational Ultra Violet before Monalo attempts to nuke them all. Monalo had hired the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter, Gecko Lingus, to capture Oedi, but Lingus has to be satisfied with capturing Skeevo (at half the fee). Vanth is overpowered and surprisingly easily defeated by the shape-changer known as Mass. With the Instrumentality unable to locate Maxilon, only Willow remains. Monalo has a special interest in Willow, believing that her telepathic powers are an affront to his righteous abilities. Dreadstar #24 (Apr. 1986), featuring art by Jim Sherman, presents a telepathic battle between Willow and Monalo (SPOILER: Willow loses), and is the only issue in the initial run not drawn by Starlin: “I just knew I was going to need help. And at that point I had several things planned out and Jim was a very slow penciler. So I set him to work on his issue about six months before. And as he was nearing completing his work, that’s when I started slotting it in.

I wanted to do a first encounter with Monalo and then a second encounter. I wanted Jim to do the first. He did a beautiful Willow and Rainbow, so that’s when I set him to work, and that gave me a chance to get ahead. He came in at the right time, did a beautiful job, and I can’t thank him enough.” At this point, if anyone has not read Dreadstar, and is interested in doing so—and seriously wishes to avoid more spoilers—they might want to skip the next few paragraphs. Dreadstar #25 (June 1986) finds our heroes in custody. Willow’s mind has shut down, Syzygy is kept sedated, and Vanth is hauled in for interrogation by Mezlo. Ultra Violet realizes (contrary to propaganda) that Vanth didn’t nuke Chichano. She attempts to free him and is captured and sentenced herself. After a token trial, Dreadstar and Company are condemned to execution. Mezlo is assigned the duty of preparing an atomic device for the task. SPOILER ALERT! Last chance! Vanth, Willow, Skeevo, Syzygy, and Ultra Violet are transported—with the bomb—to a deserted planetoid surrounded by the Instrumentality fleet. Willow reveals she has been faking her catatonic state and Mezlo attempts a rescue! The bomb is detonated but the device on the planetoid is a fake. Mezlo’s real bomb is on the prison transport ship and the subsequent blast wipes out the Instrumentality fleet. On board Mezlo’s ship, “Mezlo” reveals himself to be Oedi, wearing the holographic suit originally used by the Hand of Darkness. The End. Dreadstar #26 (Aug. 1986) was the final issue published by Epic Comics, and thus Marvel. Starlin explained in his book that Marvel’s accounting department stopped sending his checks. Starlin was adamant that Goodwin, Duffy, and Shooter tried their best to rectify the situation, but the problem remained: “Suddenly it was taking me months to get paid, rather than just the usual two weeks. I finally had to break my contract with Marvel for non-payment and took Dreadstar over to First Publishing.” Even 30 years later, speaking with Duffy, the disappointment is palpable: “I was just so sorry that circumstances led Jim to feel he was not able to continue with us. It had nothing to do with us and nothing to do with Jim, but it bothered me so much that Dreadstar went to First. I was happy for Jim and [later] happy for Peter David, but I know I couldn’t have followed it. I did not read the First Comics run of Dreadstar.” But Duffy also remembers the good times: “Throughout the entire run of it, my heart belonged

to Rainbow. Jim used to do such amazing things with Rainbow. Frequently you’d be looking at the human characters, and what was going on, and there would be Rainbow off doing something else. Which always meant—technically—that Willow was off doing something else! But I just took such delight in those moments: the little bits with Rainbow. My other high point was, back at the very beginning, I loved Aknaton. I loved Aknaton so much I was sorry that he had to get popped. I was very pleased that Syzygy wound up filling Aknaton’s role, but I still missed him! “Jim just basically delivered treasures. Warlock and Mar-Vell were pre-existing Marvel characters—but with Dreadstar he was able to do entirely his own thing, unmeddled-with, and without somebody saying, ‘Oh, no, I need to use Willow in my team-up book next month, so you can’t have her.’ He poured his heart and soul into doing Dreadstar, and nobody was doing anything remotely like the kind of work Jim does. It’s significant how much good work you can do when you’re having a good time. I’ve always found that ‘Art is being paid to have a really good time with your friends.’”

Cosmically Captivating Covers From characterdrenched clashes to hero-versus-villain portraits, Starlin’s Dreadstar covers were always a sight to behold. Shown here are covers to (left) issue #4, and (right) #14, 20, and 23. TM & © Jim Starlin.

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ANSWERS!

Pick of the Litter An expertly rendered Oedi fight sequence by Starlin, from Dreadstar #13 (Aug. 1984). TM & © Jim Starlin.

(Again: MAJOR SPOILERS!) Readers had to wait a few months for the transition to take effect, but Dreadstar #27 (Nov. 1986) was published by First Comics. Therein, Oedi explains the whole story. He appropriated and repaired the holographic suit worn by the Hand of Darkness (issue #4). Oedi is seen wearing a backpack (issue #19) as the team penetrates Mezlo’s lair. Skeevo even asks, “What’s in the bag?” and Oedi tells him, “Extra weapons.” Mezlo is killed, Oedi takes his place (and is shielded from Monalo’s telepathy by Mezlo’s chair), and soon determines the identity of the traitor from Spydar’s information. In Oedi’s own words: “There’s only one person it ever could have been. There’s only one man in our group who was ever captured by the Church, or more specifically, Cardinal Spydar.” Whereupon Oedi shoots Syzygy. FINAL SPOILERS: Ultra Violet reminds everyone that the Lord Papal found Dreadstar and Company (issue #13) just after Spydar’s return (issue #11). When Syzygy was captured (issue #5), Spydar implanted a multidimensional tracking device (undetectable by scanners) into Syzygy’s prosthetic ear—the ear that Oedi has just shot off. There was never a traitor, just a bug. Starlin plotted this for years, laid all the clues, and faked the death of the series’ most popular character. “I wanted to do that one,” Starlin admits. “I wanted to jerk everybody’s chain there on that one. Basically, by wringing it as long as we did, it really looked like Oedi was gone. When I started working with the late J. C. Spink on the [Dreadstar] television series—

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which died with him—that was the one part of the series that he didn’t like. He said, ‘We’re not going to do that in the TV series,’ which I was disappointed in. But the show never happened. J. C. passed away and we’re looking for another home for Dreadstar on the screen.” The move to First Comics seemed to reinvigorate Starlin, who reported to David Smay in Amazing Heroes #98, “I get a check from them every week. They’ve never been late once and I’ve been having fun with the book again.” Starlin also mentioned that he was committed contractually to provide art for at least six issues at First. Spoiler warnings or not, it can’t be avoided that the returned Oedi plays a prominent role in the rest of the series. And with the Instrumentality fleet in disarray, it was the perfect opportunity to gather the remaining Monarchy forces and invade the Church’s homeworld. Dreadstar #28 (Jan. 1987) features the invasion of Altarix. Skeevo retrieves Maxilon who addresses the galaxy. The revolution is televised and the populace rises up. An unrepentant Infra Red is captured. Vanth penetrates the Papal’s war room, finds the Holy Orb of the Gods, and tells the Twelve Gods to get out of the galaxy. Starlin said that he wanted to do two confrontations with Monalo. Issue #29 (Mar. 1987) presents the rematch. Whilst Oedi deals with Mass, a more-experienced Willow defeats the super-telepath—with a little help from a source that was not unexpected for anyone who had been paying attention, but was still, nevertheless,

Who’s on First? (top left) Dreadstar #27 (Nov. 1986) not only contained pivotal plot content, it was the issue the title jumped to a new publisher, First Comics. Cover by Jim Starlin. (top right) A gripping Willow cover for issue #37 (July 1988) by the book’s new art team, penciler Luke McDonnell and inker Val Mayerik. (bottom) Starlin put the spotlight on Willow, Oedi, and Monalo on the cover to Dreadstar #29 (Mar. 1987), published by First Comics. Original art copy courtesy of Anthony Snyder. TM & © Jim Starlin.

immensely satisfying. And Dreadstar #30 (May 1987) features the final showdown between Vanth and the Lord Papal. Although the Papal is killed, Vanth is gravely injured and spends two years in a coma. When he awakens, Oedi explains how the galaxy has changed. The corporations have taken over. Anyone who has special abilities—whether they luke McDonnell served the Instrumentality or not—is viewed with distrust. Most of the teamwork for Oedi’s Facebook. organization is tracking war criminals. However, after her battle with Monalo and her increased telepathic abilities, Willow now finds it difficult to be around other people and their constant mental chatter. Syzygy has become even more withdrawn, dedicating himself to locating Doc Delphi and preparing against a possible return of the Twelve Gods—who threatened that they’d be back. Vanth (and we) also meets new team members: the cyborg Iron Angel, the armoured Fixx, and the indefatigable Tueton (sic). “I enjoy writing and drawing big, dumb characters like Tueton,” admits Starlin. “That’s why Drax the Destroyer got into The Infinity Watch, just so I could have another dumb, big character.” Dreadstar #32 (Sept. 1987) was the last issue with art by Starlin.

BOUNTY HUNTERS

Once again, Starlin had completely changed the direction of the book. “Yeah, I’m very self-indulgent,” he laughs. “If I want to go somewhere, I really can’t be stopped. That’s why editors hate me. I’m always giving them precise plots that I never follow, and when I turn in these stories, they say, ‘Oh, that’s the end of you, you’re never going to work again!’” Starlin previously wrote that he enjoyed doing the long storyline, but remarked in 1986 in Amazing Heroes #98: “On a commercial level, stories like that don’t work. Sales on the book have always gone down. You can’t sustain readership interest very long, especially when you’re producing on a bi-monthly schedule. In the future I’m going to avoid epics, but I wanted to do one of those kinds of stories.” For the next year, a depowered Vanth works for Oedi, capturing war criminals. As a result of his injuries, Vanth can no longer fly or use his power fist. Around this time, Starlin also announced in “Starlin to Give Up Art on Dreadstar” by Barry Dutter, in Four Color Magazine, Volume 1, Number 2 (Jan. 1987), “I’m having trouble with the artwork these days. I just can’t keep up with the artwork Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 47

Feast Your Orbs on This!

He was imprisoned by Syzygy at the end of the battle and nothing ever came of him after that. Ultra Violet became part of the police force later on, but I don’t think I ever mentioned what happed to Infra Red. Ultra Violet’s tragic end sort of pushed him aside, and I really wanted to do her story. She outshone her cousin in that regard TM & © Jim Starlin. and she became more the center of interest. But I never quite got around to doing Infra Red’s any more. I’ve laid out until issue story, and circumstance set me #32 and I’m having a terrible off onto different projects. I guess time doing it. I’m kind of burning I ended up going back and out on the artwork.” doing more Thanos stories and Most of the issues over the never quite got back around to next year are penciled by Luke Dreadstar and these peripheral McDonnell, with inks by Val characters again.” McDonnell Mayerik. Starlin explains to BACK adds, “The death of Ultra ISSUE, “Val Mayerik and I were Violet was a great sequence, good friends, so I’m pretty sure very touching… there was a nice I pulled Val in when he was mix of action and repose in looking for something, and he Jim’s scripts.” At Violet’s funeral, gave a nice edge to Luke’s pencils. mention is made of Infra Red’s self-imposed exile. I’m pretty sure I found Luke also because he lived in the general One of the highlights of an area. I was familiar with his art, already excellent series is but not him so much.” Dreadstar #39 (Nov. 1988): “… McDonnell remembers, His Finest Moment.” In Syzygy’s “I’m not sure if Jim thought of search for the Twelve Gods, me or if someone suggested that they find him—and a route back he look me up. It was a pleasant to the galaxy. Vanth must aid an surprise—I had never done atrophied Syzygy as his oldest space-opera before, except for an friend repels the gods. It is Syzygy’s issue of Star Wars. It’s fun to try final battle: “This is my moment. different genres—I really wish This is what I spent a lifetime Westerns and horror hadn’t gone training for. This is the reason by the wayside, I would’ve liked to I sacrificed so much. This is have tried my hand at them. I was the purpose I was born to!” sort of familiar with Dreadstar, Empowered by his belief, and but I read a few just to get the gist the belief of his best friend, of it. I liked Val’s inks. I thought Syzygy fulfils his destiny we made a pretty good team.” glimpsed in The Price. Starlin At first, Mayerik didn’t recall brings Syzygy’s story full circle. working on the book: “I did a His life’s work complete, the man lot of inking in the ’80s and who was basically a walking corpse held together by belief certainly don’t recall all the titles!” However, when reminded it whispers, “Marian,” and slips was over McDonnell’s pencils, away. Starlin proudly states: Mayerik replies, “Ah, yes, I clearly “That was one thing that was remember inking Luke’s work. planned right from the beginning. His draftsmanship was excellent, If you go back to The Price, not too complicated or overly there’s a montage scene near rendered but very sound, and the end where Syzygy is falling his storytelling was clear and through space, and all this stuff had great continuity. Inking guys is happening, and it’s pretty like that makes work not seem so much like work. much the story of what his life is going to be about. Basically I waited a decade to kill off a character I Thanks for reminding me of that!” planned on killing off from the beginning.” In the ensuing issues we begin to realize that the Issue #39 was also artist Angel Medina’s debut. current bureaucratic administration—putting profits before people—is not much better than the Church of “I believe First Comics found Angel Medina,” recalls Starlin. the Instrumentality. There’s also the sense that Starlin is “He lived around the Chicago area. They showed me wrapping things up. A disillusioned Ultra Violet takes some samples and I approved him. Later, Bob Dvorak her own life. Syzygy finally retrieves Doc Delphi’s came on to ink him and those two became a set pair. angel medina body—he’d wasted away during his accidental Angel was terrific.” Because “…His Finest Moment” multidimensional banishment. Willow abandons her was directly connected to The Price, Starlin was asked humanity to project her consciousness into the galaxy’s Anthony Isaza. if he gave specific directions to Medina. “I gave him central computer system—essentially taking control of the galaxy. a full script, because that’s how I was working. Whether I sent reference His services no longer required, Rainbow is returned to his jungle planet. or not, I can’t remember. It’s been a while.” Medina also kindly answered some questions for BI: “I had just got Starlin had earlier reported, in Amazing Heroes, that he intended on bringing back Doc Delphi as Willow’s love interest. BI asked hired by First Publishing, a Chicago-based company, which was lucky Starlin about this: “Yeah, I had sort of an idea of bringing Doc Delphi for me since I lived in a Chicago suburb. Since I was new to the business, back, living with some weird powers after his time in those multiple they bounced me around until they felt that they had found a perfect dimensions, but time and moving on… There were a couple of characters fit for me. Eventually, they put me on a fill-in of Dreadstar, which made like that. Infra Red was somebody I wanted to bring back also. me ecstatic since I was a huge Starlin fan (I had read Warlock back when

Angel Medina’s eye-popping Dreadstar artwork, with Sam Grainger inks, from issue #39 (Nov. 1988).

48 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

I was in the sixth grade, and ‘Metamorphosis Odyssey’ came out when I was in high school and I loved it). So, on that issue of ol’ Dready, I made sure to give it my all. “When I was close to finishing that issue, the big convention of the area, Chicago-Con, was about to begin. Jim Starlin was one of the guests scheduled to attend, so First arranged us to meet. They told me to make sure that I bought Xerox copies of the pages I had done so far to show Jim. When I did, I noticed right away how pleased he was with the results. So immediately after looking through the copies, he asked me if I would be interested in becoming the regular penciler. Being that it was gonna be a dream come true for me, I didn’t hesitate to say yes! Later that day, Jim had to do a discussion panel, which I attended as an audience member, and, to my surprise, Jim publicly made the announcement that I would be the new artist on the series. That was one of the happiest moments in my career.” Medina explains that he didn’t need Starlin to supply reference because he was already a fan! “We didn’t really discuss anything art-wise because when I got the assignment, Jim wasn’t aware yet who the artist was gonna be. By the time I showed him the art at Chicago-Con, the issue was about 3/4 done. After that, whether on Dreadstar or Warlock, I never really discussed much with Jim about the artwork. I think that’s because I grew up absorbing his generation’s work—and I absolutely loved Jim’s art, particularly on Warlock—so when the time came to draw any of his characters, we were pretty much in synch from the start.” After Syzygy’s funeral, Vanth meets Nexus and Grimjack in First’s company-wide Crossroads series. Since Nexus is compelled to seek out and execute mass murderers, and Vanth “murdered” the entire Milky Way galaxy, relations proceed poorly. Vanth returns home, even more disillusioned with his current situation. In Dreadstar #40 (Jan. 1989), Vanth announces that he’s going to… “steal a ship and split this galaxy.” And—accompanied by Oedi, Skeevo, Tueton, and Iron Angel—he does. The End. Dreadstar #40 was the final issue containing art by McDonnell and Mayerik, but it was also the last issue written by Starlin: “I was gearing up more toward novels at that point. My wife and I at the time, Daina Graziunas, were co-writing books, and basically, I wanted to go off into that direction more—and frankly I had been on Dreadstar for a good decade, so it was time to move onto something different.”

ARE WE THERE YET?

In a farewell in issue #40, Starlin wrote: “I personally selected Peter David as my replacement on the writing chores on Dreadstar. I called him myself to ask if he’d take the job. He was my first choice. Thank God he didn’t turn me down. I feel I’m leaving my baby in good hands.” Starlin shares with BACK ISSUE his attraction to David’s work: “He had a run on [Spectacular] Spider-Man which I thought was quite well-written. I think it was before his Hulk series. So I called him up over the Spider-Man books—that’s what popped with me and it worked out quite nicely. Peter was one of these writers who I just felt you don’t have to keep an eye on him; he’s a creative soul, let him do his thing and stay out of the way. They initially wanted me to micromanage his stories and I said, ‘Nope, that’s not gonna happen. I’m too busy with my own stuff and I wouldn’t do that to Peter.’ They put me down as ‘Spiritual Advisor’ just so they could keep my name in the credits somewhere.” As for the new regular cast, Starlin was asked if David made any requests of characters to join Vanth as he left the galaxy, or did he inherit your choices? “I’m pretty peter david sure I’m afraid I did the latter [laughs]! I shipped the © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. whole thing together and said, ‘Okay, this is where we’re leaving it!’ I don’t recall any conversations with Peter at any time on this. That would be a question you’d have to ask Peter.” And so BI asked Peter David if he made any cast requests of Starlin: “Nope. He just sent them off, heading over to me, and told me to do whatever I wanted.” This author then foolishly asked David if he was familiar with Dreadstar before coming on board: “Of course, I was familiar with it. Don’t forget that Dreadstar had his origins in Epic Comics, first in Epic Illustrated and then as on ongoing series. I was working for the Marvel direct sales department at the time, so not only was I aware of it, but I sold it to comic distributors. Of course, even if I’d been just a fan I still would have been all over it since I was a big fan of Jim’s at the time. Still am. And no, Jim made no requests. In fact, he wouldn’t even read the plots ahead of time. He said he wanted to be surprised.” Dreadstar #41 (Mar. 1989) is both David’s first issue as writer, and Medina’s as regular artist. Our cast, meanwhile, find themselves stranded between galaxies after their ship’s engine malfunctions. Serendipitously, they encounter a strange energy phenomenon, get pulled into a wormhole, and emerge in a new galaxy. There, Vanth finds a mysterious glowing infant just floating in space. Iron Angel is immediately suspicious, and wants to get rid of it, but Teuton (sic) defends the baby and Skeevo’s paternal instincts emerge. And for those who still needed their Starlin fix, Dreadstar #42–54 serialized the novel Pawns, by Starlin and Graziunas. “Willow” reveals herself to Vanth. Still running the Empirical Galaxy’s central computer system, she made a copy of her personality and uploaded herself to Vanth’s ship. He is

The Peter David Era (top) The fan-favorite writer takes over from Jim Starlin as Dreadstar scribe with issue #41 (Mar. 1989), with Angel Medina ascending to regular artist, inked by Sam Grainger. (bottom) Issue #60 is the showdown with Junior. Cover by Medina. TM & © Jim Starlin.

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Just Us Leaguers Chuck Wojtkiewicz’s take on Dreadstar, as inked by Eric Vincent, from issue #52 (Mar. 1990). TM & © Jim Starlin.

understandably glad to see her. After encountering a ship of space turtles, to look. “I’ve always felt the most important thing in drawing comics is our cast visits Amoxicylin, the shopping planet, where they encounter in the visual storytelling,” the artist reveals. “That helped me transition the well-armed soldier of fortune, Izak—who recognizes Iron Angel and to storyboard and concept art. I got the Dreadstar assignment after calls her Claudia. Meanwhile, S. J. (Skeevo Junior) is maturing quickly being convinced by friends to attend Chicago-Con for the first time. and developing an interest in Claudia. However, neither he nor anybody Getting face-to-face with editors was easily possible back then, and I was in the right place at the right time. I had been a fan of the else has the slightest clue who he is or where he’s from. Yet. The team meets Lord Palafox after intercepting a distress signal series from its inception, so I was up on the characters and storyline. in Dreadstar #45 (Aug. 1989). Palafox informs our heroes that he Somehow I always get the casts-of-thousands assignments! After all, I wound up on JLA for quite a run.” used to rule the galaxy until he was usurped and imprisoned by his own son, Rok. Vanth—with a little help from Junior— Medina also relished the action sequences and large convinces his crew that they should help Palafox, and casts: “I enjoyed working with Peter a lot on Dreadstar, they begin to recruit allies. In issue #47 (Oct. 1989) and one of the main reasons was because he gave me loose plots to work with. When a plot came in, I would they visit the Kagami, who exploit a race of cat-people work in the order that I felt suited my art best, then as slave labor. This does not stand well with Oedi, send the final pencils to Peter, who would provide the who is subsequently challenged to a duel. bubbles for the final product. It was such a creative Oedi wins the duel—and a cat-lady servant (whom process back then! So when it came to the big action he nicknames “Cookie”). Everything builds to the double-sized, squarebound, sequences—that was more from me than Peter. glossy, 50th issue (Jan. 1990) presenting “The Battle He would write something like ‘these characters battle it out’ or ‘the two armies go into an all-out cosmic for a Galaxy.” Izak becomes a regular cast member. conflict,’ and it was up to me to choreograph exactly Junior—now grown to adulthood—confesses his love how the battle would go about. And I loved doing for Iron Angel. And Palafox reclaims his throne and chuck wojtkiewicz promises that the star-systems will flow with blood. that since I grew up reading things like George Pérez’s Yes, as was evident to just about everybody except run on Avengers, which often featured huge fight Vanth, our heroes had been backing the wrong side. scenes. To be honest, it was these kinds of things that I got into David was asked if this was his intention: to keep the familiar comics for. While I don’t mind the more down-to-earth adventures space-opera theme, but with a twist? “Yes, exactly. It’s basic heroic of characters like Batman or Daredevil, I much prefer the more tradition—that the hero fights for right. And I thought, wouldn’t it galactically sized epics of the Avengers or the Fantastic Four.” be interesting if this time the hero is devoted to the cause, only to Throughout, Junior had been exhibiting paranormal abilities. discover he was on the wrong side? That notion intrigued me.” Now adult, he displays vast powers over life and death. Skeevo is killed, It doesn’t take long for Palafox to reveal his true colors and for but Junior restores him to life. As the mystery of his identity deepens, Dreadstar and Company to realize their mistake. But as soon as they Junior sides with Palafox and—when Palafox attempts to summon the protest Palafox’s megalomania, they’re branded as traitors. mystical Sword of Control from the Forbidden Gods of the Galaxy— After Medina’s huge anniversary issue, Chuck Wojtkiewicz provided Junior claims the sword as his own. Vanth laments that they could sure pencils for the next two issues. Wojtkiewicz was thrust into the middle use Syzygy. Cookie replies that they should seek Ondru, a mystic from of an ongoing storyline, with a cast of thousands, but still managed to her homeworld. Travelling there, our heroes find the local cat-people keep everything clear and everyone looking like they were supposed utterly browbeaten by offworlders. 50 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

I’M CATMAN

New readers wishing to sample an issue of David and Medina’s Dreadstar are enthusiastically pointed in the direction of issue #56 (July 1990). Disgusted by the way the cat-people are oppressed, Oedi takes up a masked identity to encourage the citizenry to fight back. The corporate interests retaliate with an individual called Jackanapes. (“Wait’ll they get a load of me.”) “Catman was just obvious,” states David. “The Tim Burton Batman film put him in the forefront, so how could I not?” The backup feature Pawns finished in issue #54, and so issue #55 premiered a six-part Iron Angel origin backup series, written by David with art by John Calimee. David explains: “I was told by First that we were going to need a backup series to run for a while, and I decided to have it focus on Angel because she was the one we knew the least about.” Both David and Medina seemed to enjoy using Iron Angel. She was antagonistic towards Skeevo, wary of Izak, and her distrust of—but guarded attraction to—the adult Junior was a major subplot. “I did have a fondness for Iron Angel,” admits Medina, “mostly because I envisioned her as a galactic assassin type of character, a cosmic badass, if you will. I don’t think we ever got room to fulfil that potential in her, however.” Calimee provided guest pencils on Dreadstar #57–58, as the team finds Ondru—who helps Vanth connect with the sentient power within him and reclaim his sword. Featuring some of his earliest work, Steve Epting penciled Dreadstar #59 (Oct. 1990), as Vanth prepared to pitch his Sword of Power against Junior’s Sword of Control. Another potential spoiler! Since David’s debut in issue #41, readers had debated and queried the mystery of the baby who grew into an antagonist of almost limitless power. Issue #59 reveals that Junior is the living incarnation of the Twelve Gods of the Instrumentality. Medina returns for the full-length issue #60 (no room for a backup) as Vanth ironically notes that all he needs now is for the Lord Papal to come back, and his day’s complete. Vanth and Junior duel, but Junior prevails. Angel rushes to assist but is easily overcome. Junior attempts to kill her but finds he cannot. The Forbidden Gods within Junior’s sword are enraged at his love for Angel as Junior sacrifices himself to protect her. The Forbidden Gods claim his soul, but as he is dragged away, he pulls Angel’s soul from her body to be by his side. As Angel’s lifeless body falls to the ground, Junior uses the last of his power to grant Vanth a parting gift—and resurrects the Lord Papal. Dreadstar #61 (Dec. 1990) has Medina at the height of his powers with another all-out battle issue. Vanth takes the upper hand—with help from Angel—and the Papal escapes. But although it’s Angel’s body, we discover that Willow has projected her consciousness into the empty shell. Issue #62 is a rest and recap (hilariously told from Skeevo’s point of view), but also the start of David’s new six-part backup series: “Young Skuz,” featuring an adolescent Skeevo, with art by Scot Eaton. The cast also appears in a short tale in First’s Holiday Special The Gift (Nov. 1990). With a new mission—to retrieve Angel’s soul—Dreadstar and Company are diverted when they intercept a probe from the planet Urth, in issue #63 (Feb. 1991). It proves to be a first-contact situation for the people of Urth, and our heroes find themselves revered as celebrities— until it becomes apparent that they were followed. The new ship opens fire on Urth, and then Captain Tibrus, Director 5 of the United Franchise of Worlds, beams down with his crew. Dreadstar #64 (Mar. 1991) crams more Star Trek jokes into a single comic than anyone would have believed possible—and yet David manages it. “Peter was, and still is, way more of a Trekker than I was, and it was his idea for the Star Trek parody,” explains Medina. David reveals:

“The Star Trek parody was originally going to be both ways. I was writing the [Star Trek] comic at the same time, and I was going to flip the story and have parodies show up in the Trek comic. They were going to come out simultaneously and only fans of both would realize it. But then the Trek story was rejected by someone at Paramount who shall go nameless, at which point I pretty much gave up on writing the Trek comic altogether.” And then it was over. The letters page announced that the book was going on hiatus for a few months, but it never returned. A promoted Dreadstar Rising miniseries never appeared. “I assume it was sales, but I honestly don’t recall,” volunteers David. “All I knew was that I had finished the Trek story and then suddenly told my services

“What are you…??” “I’m Catman.” Peter David has a little fun with Tim Burton’s Batman in Dreadstar #56 (July 1990). Art by Angel Medina and Tim Tyler. TM & © Jim Starlin.

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Boldly Going… Peter David, no stranger to the Star Trek franchise, lampooned it in First’s last issue of Dreadstar, #64 (Mar. 1991). Cover by Whilce Portacio. TM & © Jim Starlin.

would no longer be required. Then again, pretty much the entire First line collapsed, so I don’t take it personally.” “I don’t remember why Dreadstar was cancelled, but I do know that I was planning to leave the book before I even knew the book was going to be cancelled,” admits Medina. “To be honest, I may not have even known the series was in any kind of trouble. At the time, I was getting lured towards Marvel by people like Jim Starlin, Fabian Nicieza, and Rob Liefeld. All those guys kept telling me it was time to move over to the House of Ideas. So, my mentality during that period was focused more on the transition than what was going on over at First Publishing. I did, however, sense that the pillars were falling over at First, but I had started seeing signs of that for quite a while before I left. “For a long time after, I had some ideas of someday returning to Dreadstar, but since I knew the character was stuck in publishing limbo (Jim had kept me in-the-know of the character’s copyright status), those thoughts tended to pass quickly. In the recesses of my mind, though,

I’ve held ideas about doing a story showing the characters many years after the First Publishing run. I wanted to do a story showing things like Skeevo being married and having a cadre of offspring (a ridiculous number of, like, 20 children or something). And having Angel and Izak form a spacefaring soldiers-of-fortune partnership. Things like that. “I enjoyed the visual freedom that Dreadstar provided, but I do wish that I had taken more advantage of that freedom. Since my career was only starting out at that point, I was more focused on the rules of proper storytelling than I was in expanding my visual abilities. If I could go back and do it all over again, I’d definitely have more fun with the overall look of the book, that’s for sure. I designed all the ‘new’ characters, but I wish I would’ve stretched my creative muscles a bit more on how they looked. I still like the way Izak looks, though!” When asked if he followed David’s stories, or had any favorites, Starlin roars with laughter: “I liked his Star Trek issue! He did a lot of nice little stories as things went along, and yes, I did follow it quite closely. Daina Graziunas and I had a backup feature in the majority of his stories, so we kept track of the book. I wasn’t steering the wheel, but I was looking out the window.”

DREADSTAR’S BACK—AND SHE’S PISSED!

Three years after the cancellation of the original series, Dreadstar returned at Malibu Comics. Starlin explains: “I created ’Breed to do at Malibu, but they really wanted Dreadstar also, and so I said, ‘Well, how about I get Peter David to come back and write it again?’ And Peter said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it, but let’s make her a girl this time!’ And that’s how we had that short little series with the female Dreadstar, with some beautiful Ernie Colón drawings. He was very underrated but a very good artist. I always liked Ernie’s stuff.” Colón previously stated, in “The Return of Dreadstar” by Shaun McLaughlin in Malibu’s Dreadstar #1 (Apr. 1994), “Jim called me on the phone and asked if I’d be interested. Peter and I talked about Kalla and he has a very romantic view of her, which is great. She has very long hair, almost like a cape. It pleases me to see a capable, beautiful woman, and Kalla’s going to be very capable and very beautiful. When something very special comes along, I get excited. There’s no question, no doubt, that Dreadstar excites me.” Peter David adds: “Jim contacted me, said Malibu wanted to do a six-issue series, and boom, I was aboard! I have no recollection of how the story was developed; I don’t even recall if focusing on Dreadstar’s daughter was my idea or not.” Although, 25 years ago, David noted in Dreadstar #1, “I felt uncomfortable doing a series that picked up directly after Dreadstar had left off. As a consequence, the protagonist is not Vanth Dreadstar, but his daughter, Kalla.” Dreadstar #1 (Apr. 1994) opens with 20-year-old Kalla Dreadstar under the tutelage of the Lord Papal. In flashback, we learn that Dreadstar and Company continued their quest to retrieve Angel’s soul. En route, Willow (still in Angel’s body) seduces Vanth and falls pregnant. She goes into labor just as the crew finds Junior and Angel. Kalla is born unbreathing, but Oedi resuscitates her while Vanth and Junior fight. As Vanth impales Junior, there is a massive release of energy and the crew is scattered across the galaxy. The Lord Papal finds Kalla, raises her, and trains her for the express purpose of killing Vanth. And, as we return to the present, that’s exactly what she does. But the story reveals that Kalla actually died at childbirth. She was saved by the soul of Iron Angel and the sentient Sword of Power—the power that then restores Vanth. The series ends with Willow (in Angel’s body) reunited with both a rejuvenated Vanth and their daughter Kalla (possessing Angel’s soul). 52 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

As all the characters had been scattered, the only two who did not return were Oedi and Izak. David was asked if he hoped to explain their whereabouts in subsequent stories: “Exactly, yes. I left that open in case a second series materialized, which it never did, unfortunately.”

’BREED

The demons, and their shape-changing All-Father, invade Elsewhere in issue #5 (Sept. 2011), and Wyrd returns with allies: Kid Kosmos, Darklon, Vanth Dreadstar, and Oedi. Vanth actually mentions fighting a shape-changer years ago, and barely surviving the encounter. The cover to issue #6 is a reward to Starlin’s long-time fans— a perfect homage to the cover of Dreadstar #1 (1982). “I actually had to go back and pull out the original books to get the coloring just right,” laughs Starlin, who was asked if he was keen to play with all his toys after so long? “Exactly, I was coming to the end of ’Breed and I wanted to jazz things up a little bit. I figured one issue with all these characters would be a good way of doing so. It resolved something with Oedi, as I recall. Oedi had been lost, or something, somewhere along the line, so this gave me a chance to ernie colón bring Oedi back into the fold.”

Starlin created, wrote, and illustrated ’Breed for Malibu Comics in 1994. The initial six-issue miniseries introduced Ray Stoner, who gradually comes to realize that he’s a half-breed—half-human, half-demon— and that there’s a race of demons from another world preparing to overrun Earth. Ray discovers Elsewhere, a city between dimensions—a metaphysical crossroads—that has portals to different locations all over our world (and more). Five months after the first miniseries concluded, it was followed by ’Breed II. This second miniseries ended on a Marvel Wikia. cliffhanger in 1995. Six years later, Starlin concluded his trilogy at Image Comics. In ’Breed III #1 (May 2011), Ray returns to Elsewhere after several years on Earth. Careful readers spotted another of Starlin’s independent characters—Wyrd—in the background. They meet in issue #3 (July 2011) and Wyrd tells Ray that he knows of others who don’t like the idea of invading demons: “If it comes down to a fight… you won’t be fighting alone.”

CONTINUING ODYSSEY

Although there was a Dreadstar hardcover omnibus from Dynamic Forces in 2004 which reprinted Dreadstar #1– 12, Starlin explains to BACK ISSUE that he plans to reprint all 40 of the issues that he wrote in a three-volume omnibus: “There is going to be a collected version of it. I’m remastering all the files, doing color-corrections, reading it over, doing a little bit of editing here and

Dude Looks Like a Lady Jim Starlin’s resilient property jumped to Malibu’s Bravura imprint with Peter David and Ernie Colón for a six-issue run beginning with Dreadstar #1 (Apr. 1994). (left) Issue #1 cover by Starlin. (right) Final issue’s cover, by Colón. TM & © Jim Starlin.

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Kalla Dreadstar and Company (top) A pull-out poster by Ernie Colón from Malibu’s Dreadstar #1/2 (Mar. 1994), a 20-page giveaway distributed with Hero Illustrated magazine. (bottom) Starlin posted this photo of himself on Facebook on May 4, 2019. Nice shirt, Jim! TM & © Jim Starlin.

there. I can’t tell you who the publisher will be at this point, as it’s kind of up in the air [Editor’s note: We now know it’s Ominous Press.]. I’m envisioning it at the moment as a three-book box set, each of the volumes being somewhere around 400-odd pages. The way I have it figured out, the first one starts off with ‘Metamorphosis Odyssey’ and goes up to issue #6 of the series. The second book would be going up to issue #22, and the last book would be going up to issue #40—every one that I’ve written, ending with Luke McDonnell—the Dreadstars that he drew and I wrote. About 1300 pages. That’s a lot [laughs]!” As Starlin mentioned, a television series had been in pre-production, until the producer (J. C. Spink) died, as reported in Variety online, July 19, 2017. “I’m talking to somebody else in Hollywood about it right now, but it’s at the point where there’s nothing solid, so it’s not real. It got really real in the last one! We were all signed up with Universal and everything. We had everything going—the first script was in the works, and then J. C. passed away. So it went south.” And the big question, is there a chance of more Dreadstar comics? “Yes,” answers Starlin. “I’m going to get the omnibus out of the way first, and then from there we’ll do some planning. There will be some future tales—at least one more Dreadstar story—maybe even more than one. It depends on how things sell and how things work out with the publishers that I’m talking to, but down the line I think there’s a very good possibility of future Dreadstar stories. I’m not planning on doing any more work for either Marvel or DC at this point. I’m in a comfortable position where I can go off and work on my own things—and hopefully we’ll see that happen. Hopefully we’ll see a whole new generation of readers with the omnibus. That’s why we’re going to try and get it out in some form or other before the next Avengers movie… or somewhere around there [laughs].” One hopes that, by the time this sees print, the omnibus will be available—and that fans of Dreadstar, Jim Starlin, or comics in general, will have the chance to enjoy a creator-controlled odyssey from a true master of the medium! The author would like to express his sincere gratitude to Peter David, Jo Duffy, Val Mayerik, Luke McDonnell, Angel Medina, Chuck Wojtkiewicz, and—of course—Jim Starlin for their generous help. JARROD BUTTERY lives in Western Australia and has always maintained that Dreadstar is his favorite series. This is his 21st article for BACK ISSUE. If the Zygoteans destroy the Earth tomorrow, this will be a good place to end.

54 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

KIRBY & LEE: STUF’ SAID

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SUPERMAN

by CURT SWAN

captions by

Michael Eury

We couldn’t do a Sci-Fi Superheroes issue without including the Man of Tomorrow, now could we? This undated sketch of the Last Son of Krypton and his lady love, Lois Lane, by Swan (1920–1996)—considered by many to be THE all-time Superman artist—may indeed be rough, but it shows Curt’s graceful fluidity with rendering Superman in flight. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

56 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

The Silver Surfer soared from the unmatchable imagination of Jack “King” Kirby (1917–1994), who produced this cosmically cool drawing of Marvel’s space sentinel as the cover of Phil Seuling’s 1975 Comic Art Convention program. Scan courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). Look for Steve Rude’s inked version on the deluxe silver foil sleeve of Jack Kirby Collector #78.

by JACK KIRBY

SILVER SURFER

Silver Surfer TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 57

FLASH GORDON

by AL WILLIAMSON

From EC Comics to Flash Gordon to Marvel’s Empire Strikes Back adaptation and beyond, master illustrator Williamson (1931– 2010) wooed generations of comics fans. Culled from Heritage’s archives is this pair of cover roughs Al produced for the first of a two-issue Flash Gordon series written by Mark Schultz, drawn by Williamson, and published by Marvel Comics in 1995. Flash Gordon TM & © King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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by RON LIM and DAN JURGENS

Silver Surfer TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. Booster Gold TM & © DC Comics.

SILVER SURFER and BOOSTER GOLD

We close with a pair of convention sketches by two of our favorite artists: longtime Silver Surfer penciler Ron Lim, who sketched this rad Norrin Radd image at WonderCon 2008; and the crimefighter from the future, Booster Gold, penciled by his creator, Dan Jurgens, at MegaCon 2009. Both, from the collection of Michael Zeno.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 59

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Comic books are a family affair. Some of the best storylines in comics feature characters that are related to each other: the Summers brothers (Scott, Alex, and Gabriel) as well as Scott’s son Cable, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (along with their daddy Magneto), Batman and his son Damian Wayne… and don’t forget the first family of Marvel Comics, the Fantastic Four, whose adventures usually feature family-related drama. These relationships help to create some of the most dynamic stories in comic-book history, such as Grant Morrison’s Batman and Son and the classic story from Fantastic Four #237 by writer/artist John Byrne in which Sue Richards miscarried, to name just two. However, a potential addition to comic-book familial relationships that was supposed to happen was changed at the 11th hour. DC Comics’ Jemm, Son of Saturn was supposed to be a cousin of J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. Their looks and powers are very similar, so this relationship seems like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, this familial connection never materialized. But why didn’t it happen, and was Jemm better served with a later-established connection with J’onn? Let’s take a look at Jemm’s solo maxiseries, the original idea for Jemm, why this family idea wasn’t allowed, and how a new relationship with J’onn was eventually created.

MARTIAN ORIGINS

by E

d Lute

Jemm first appeared in Jemm, Son of Saturn #1 (Sept. 1984). Jemm, pronounced “Jim,” according to the series, was co-created by writer Greg Potter and the late, great artist Gene Colan (1926–2011). Attempts to arrange an interview with Greg Potter proved unsuccessful, so we’ll flip through Jemm, Son of Saturn’s “Saturnian Salutations” letters columns for some greg potter background. In issue #1, Potter recounted, “Back in Amazon.com. the ‘old days’ (circa 1979), I’d written a few stories for DC’s House of Mystery and Secrets of Haunted House under Paul [Levitz]’s able editorship. So I wrote to Paul, telling him I was on the freelance circuit and asking about the chances of doing more scripting for the DC line. To my unbounded joy, Paul wrote back that DC was actually looking for more writers and I should come down and talk with Executive Editor Dick Giordano… Dick sent me back home with this edict: ‘Create a new super-hero character. Plot the first story of that character. If what we see is good… well, we’ll see.’ I knew that whatever I came up with had to be different from any other concept on the market today.” So how did Potter come up with a concept that was different? In the same column, he told of his inspirations: “I began thinking about the fantasy concepts that had really captured my imagination over the past few years—including Steven Spielberg’s E.T., Frank Miller’s Daredevil, George Lucas’ Star Wars, and all the others… Somehow, some way, all that came together one day (and in a sudden, exhilarating rush of creativity) in the form of Jemm. Like Miller’s Daredevil, Jemm would be a larger-than-life hero operating in the mostly stark, gritty environs of urban life. Like Spielberg’s E.T., Jemm would be alone, a stranger in a strange land, and as frightened of Earthlings as Earthlings are of him. Finally, like Lucas’ Star Wars, I decided that the saga of Jemm would eventually open up on a grand scale.” Potter used these influences to develop Jemm, Son of Saturn. In the spirit of Spielberg’s E.T., Jemm was an alien from Saturn who crash-landed on Earth and developed a deep friendship with an Earth boy. Most of the action on Earth took place in a dark urban setting, like Miller’s Daredevil. Finally, after leaving Earth, Jemm’s travels took him into outer space. Potter used three diverse influences and melded them into one.

Close Encounter Jemm drops in… no not from Mars, but from Saturn. Cover to Jemm, Son of Saturn #1 (Sept. 1984) by Gene Colan and Klaus Janson. TM & © DC Comics.

Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 61

SATURNIAN SOLUTION

TM & © DC Comics.

continuity. Since the maxiseries was not as far along in the production as was the JLA, we, i.e., the Jemm team, retrenched and brought you Jemm, Son of Saturn.” DC Comics’ Answer Man Bob Rozakis, who was DC’s production manager at the time of the series, confirms Race’s account: “Yes, he was originally supposed to be J’emm, Son of Mars, but there were plans or a storyline in the works involving J’onn J’onzz that would have been ruined by it. So Jemm lost his apostrophe and moved to Saturn.” The abandonment of the Martian connection posed an immediate problem since the first three issues of the series had been written. In the “Saturnian Salutations” from Jemm, Son of Saturn #11, Race told readers, “My hat is off to Greg for rewriting Jemm to be a Saturnian instead of a Martian. It was only after the changes were completed that Greg told me how hectic his life was at the point when I told him of the revisions he needed to make. A new job, a new home, and rewriting three issues of a maxiseries would be enough to make the average person want to gene colan run out and play in traffic, but not our Greg. Pro that he is, he maintained his © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. sanity and good humor throughout.”

Jemm was originally proposed to be a cousin of J’onn J’onzz. However, his origins had to be changed, because although the Martian Manhunter hadn’t been used very much in DC Comics at that time, he was scheduled to make a return to the Justice League with Justice League of America #228 (July 1984). According to Jemm series editor Janice Race in response to a letter in the “Saturnian Salutations” column in Jemm #10 (June 1985), “When Jemm was first conceived, the storyline called for Jemm to be the cousin of J’onn J’onzz, the Manhunter from Mars… Well, about two or three months down the road, we editor-types at DC realized that we had a problem on our hands between the new maxiseries entitled Jemm, Son of Mars and the Justice League of America. You see, both books had storylines containing the Manhunter from Mars, and, unfortunately, these storylines conflicted and played havoc with

JEMM, PRINCE OF SATURN

With the problem of his planet of origin solved and the first three issues rewritten, it was time for the series to hit the newsstands. The 12-issue maxiseries started off with African-American youth Luther Mannkin finding Jemm in a back alley in Harlem. Luther then took Jemm home to meet his grandfather. Jemm, Luther, and Luther’s grandfather became the victims of gang violence, with Luther’s grandfather paying the ultimate price. Jemm and Luther escaped and made their way into the streets of the city. In Jemm, Son of Saturn #2 (Oct. 1984), the series introduced Kamah, the White Saturnian who had been sent by Synn, the Supreme Commander of the White Saturnians, to hunt down and kill Jemm, a Red Saturnian, on Earth. While Kamah failed in her mission to kill Jemm, it was learned that there was racial hatred between the White Saturnians and Red Saturnians. The allegorical part of the maxiseries with the hatred between the red and white Saturnians was not only a major part of the series but one of its best. Like the best science-fiction stories that take everyday problems and present them to readers or viewers in a thought-provoking way, Jemm, Son of Saturn makes readers take a hard look at racism and how bigotry can overcome people. Issue #3 (Nov. 1984) presented Jemm’s origin story. Readers learned Jemm was a Prince of Saturn, and because of the gem birthstone on his forehead he was seen as the savior to unite the warring races of Saturn. Jemm was

A Boy and His Alien The relationship between Elliot and E.T. (inset) imprinted writer Greg Potter when creating the concept that would become Jemm, Son of Saturn. (main image) Luther is startled by an otherworldly visitor in Jemm #1. Jemm, Son of Saturn TM & © DC Comics. E.T. © 1982 Universal. From a lobby card courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

62 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

oblivious to the racial unrest on Saturn because he was raised in the Garden of Bhok, an isolated, walled-in area of Saturn that was only place on the planet where life could grow. After an attack on the Garden of Bhok by the White Saturnians, Jemm, his mother, Jarlla, and his White Saturnian mentor, Rahani, escaped. The escapees found protection in a cave, where they remained for years until a great fireball from an unknown source rained down on Saturn and nearly destroyed the planet. Jemm used the birthstone to protect himself, Jarlla, and Rahani from the blast. Jemm decided to return to the Garden of Bhok to find out what had happened to his father. Jemm found that his father had been killed and Syrra had left the planet to go to Earth. After being captured several times during the previous issues, Jemm was eventually rescued by his cousin Jogarr in issue #7 (Mar. 1985). Jogarr had survived the devastation on Saturn, rescued some Red Saturnians, and created a colony called New Bhok, where he took Jemm. Syrra had survived her trip to Earth, only to be captured by the villainous Senator Claudis Tull. Tull planned to take the energy from the Saturnian to cure his radiation poisoning but soon found that in addition to curing him the energy made him more powerful. Tull learned the location of New Bhok. He traded the information to Synn in exchange for Kamah so that he could use her life energy. The White Martians attacked the colony on New Bhok, and with its destruction many of the survivors saw Jemm not as their savior but as someone to pay the price for bringing destruction down upon them. Luther rescued Jemm from an angry mob. Jemm took Luther back to Earth so that he wouldn’t become a victim of the violence. Tull used the energy he siphoned from Kamah to become a being of pure energy. He then tried to take the life energy from the rest of the Saturnians, both Red and White. Jemm used the power from his birthstone to defeat Tull. Kamah had survived her imprisonment by Tull, and after her escape wanted vengeance on Jemm for her defeats at his hands. Issue #12 (Aug. 1985), the final issue of the series, saw Jemm face off with Kamah to save the life of Luther, whom she had kidnapped the previous issue. Jemm defeated Kamah and saved Luther. The final issue also showed that Syrra had survived her ordeal with Tull. However, she didn’t know that Jemm was alive and had come looking for her, and Jemm didn’t know that she was alive.

ILLUSTRATING SATURN AND SUPERMAN

The artwork throughout the series was stunning, as was usual with Gene Colan’s realistic, moody pencils. The shadows that Colan was known for help to enhance the dark underworld of the big Earth city that Jemm was thrown into. There’s an inescapable resemblance between the Colan’s Son of Saturn and DC’s Manhunter from Mars, which editor Race addressed in klaus janson the lettercol of issue #10, citing the original Martian inspiration for Jemm: “Naturally, when Gene designed the character sketches for the series, © Luigi Novi / he kept this relationship in mind. As a result, there is a resemblance to J.J.” Wikimedia Commons. Two of comics’ top inkers worked on Jemm, Son of Saturn, and both confess to BACK ISSUE that they were attracted to embellishing the masterful Colan, not to the subject matter. Inks on the early issues of Jemm were provided by Klaus Janson. Janson tells BI, “Jemm wasn’t anything that stuck out as something out of the ordinary or special at the time. I was asked if I wanted to ink Gene Colan, and I jumped at the chance. “I wasn’t privy to any of the plans or scripts or editorial decisions as it was strictly a monthly work-for-hire gig for me. I loved inking Gene, found it really challenging and interesting, and would have said yes to anything he did.” However, Janson wouldn’t ink the entire series. Bob McLeod was the fill-in inker on issue #6 (Feb. 1985), and once Janson moved on to other projects McLeod became the regular inker with #8 (Apr. 1985), continuing until the end of the maxiseries. McLeod states, “They just asked me to take over for Klaus and sent me the pages and I inked them and returned them. I do think Gene, Klaus, and I did some very good work on it. I’ve always had great respect for Colan’s art, and really enjoyed inking Jemm. And, of course, I was trying to outdo Klaus.” McLeod, like Janson before him, wasn’t heavily invested in the story. “I didn’t read Klaus’ issues, so I wasn’t too caught up in the story,” he says. “I did enjoy Luther and Jemm as characters, but was mainly just interested in inking Gene.” Regarding the title character of Jemm, McLeod states, “I like him, but I can’t get too excited about him. But I’m not all that much of a comic-book reader anymore, anyway. It’s always Birthright been mainly about the art for me. I do remember being disappointed that Jemm didn’t get more attention, because I had worked hard on it. I went back to Marvel after I finished it.” (top) Part of Potter’s origin tale, from Superman was featured as a supporting character in several issues of the series. Jemm #3 (Nov. 1984). (bottom) This guy McLeod tells BI, “I was excited to see Superman enter the story, because he’s one of my favorite characters (that was the main comic series I read as a kid).” drops in at issue #3’s conclusion. Art by When asked why Superman was used as a guest star instead of the Martian Manhunter, Colan and Janson. McLeod states, “I’m guessing it was an attempt to increase sales. Jemm just wasn’t firing up the fans. Superman is an A-list hero. The Manhunter is B or C-list.” TM & © DC Comics. Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 63

THE END OF THE ROAD?

The final issue of the series wasn’t supposed to be the end of the story. In the “Saturnian Salutations” from issue #11, Janice Race told readers about the proposed future of Jemm. “Right now, plans call for Jemm to be making another appearance in 1986 in a 40-page special. I have spoken to Greg about a storyline for the special, and he assures me that it is right up there on his priority list of things to do. However, rest assured that at the end of this maxiseries, we will not have heard the last of the Prince of Saturn.” Bob Rozakis tells BACK ISSUE a slightly different story: “I don’t think there were any plans to use the character again after the book was cancelled.” Bob McLeod adds his two cents’ worth: “I imagine the series didn’t sell very well. I know I rarely get asked to sign a copy at comic-cons.” Paul Levitz, who was the VP of operations for DC Comics at the time the maxiseries was released, recounts, “One issue hit the lowest sell-through (% of copies distributed that actually sold) of any title I could recall our sending to newsstands.” Around this time, editor Janice Race left her position at DC Comics. Rozakis tells BACK ISSUE, “I don’t know that Janice left [DC] specifically because of the sales on Jemm. I do recall that Paul Levitz went into her office one day and ‘congratulated’ her on having the lowest-selling book in DC history. (There are by now a lot of books that have done worse!) Not exactly the best way to build staff morale! Janice had come to DC from ‘the real publishing world’ along with Alan Gold, Brenda Pope, and Tom Condon, as part of a plan to bring a more professional attitude to the editorial department. The plan did not work.”

JEMM’S CRISIS AND THE JLA

After the disappointing sales for the series, Jemm would all but disappear from DC Comics. The 48-page special that Race promised never materialized. Jemm made a

cameo appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (Aug. 1985) in a crowd scene standing behind, of all people, his almost-cousin J’onn. He would make one final appearance in one panel of COIE #10 (Jan. 1986) before disappearing from the comics scene for over ten years. Jemm’s next appearance was as a brainwashed Martian Manhunter stand-in for writer Grant Morrison and penciler Howard Porter’s JLA #9 (Sept. 1997). In the issue, the JLA was replaced with stand-ins from the Injustice Gang, and due to their similarities J’onn was replaced with Jemm. In issue #15 (Feb. 1998), the JLA defeated the Injustice Gang and J’onn used his telepathic powers to free Jemm from his brainwashing, but the Saturnian was left comatose. This story arc would lead into Jemm’s next major storyline.

MARTIAN ORIGIN REVISITED

Jemm was next seen in Martian Manhunter #4 (Mar. 1999), written by John Ostrander, with pencils by Tom Mandrake. In this issue readers learned that Jemm was recovering from his coma in the Earth-based Martian city of Z’onn Z’orr in Antarctica. J’onn J’onzz recounted to Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman the story of how the Martians created the Saturnians to mine and refine the hydrogen from the planet Saturn as the Martians attempted to expand their empire. The Green Martians treated the Red Saturnians as equals, while the White Martians treated the White Saturnians as slaves. J’onn further stated that the first ring of Saturn was actually a defensive fortress around the planet to protect it. There was hatred between the Green Martians and White Martians. The Saturnians were brought into the struggle. After the end of the war, the Saturnians were left with the legacy of hatred inspired by the Martians. This plot point became the basis for the hatred between the Red and White Saturnians that was on display in Jemm’s solo series. J’onn said he was responsible for the welfare of Jemm because of their link. This connection between the two characters is more engaging and intriguing than just making them cousins. It added new layers to both of the characters and their struggles. bob mcleod In issue #6, JLA members Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Huntress, and Steel respond to a distress signal from © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Z’onn Z’orr and find that Jemm had been injured. It was discovered that Jemm had been tortured by the villainous Ma’alefa’ak (also referred to as Malefic), J’onn’s twin brother. Wonder Woman took Jemm to get him medical attention. The rest of the JLAers followed Ma’alefa’ak’s trail. This plot would play out over the next several issues, but Jemm’s story arc would resume with issue #13. Ostrander continued to explore the connection between J’onn and Jemm in a story arc titled “Rings of Saturn.” “Rings of Saturn: Episode One” appeared in Martian Manhunter #13 (Dec. 1999) and concluded with issue #16 (Mar. 2000). The cover to issue #13 beautifully illustrated the similarities between Jemm and J’onn as it showed the profiles of the two characters merged into each other. The story arc also featured Synn and Jogarr, who last appeared in Jemm’s maxiseries. In the first part of the story arc, a band of White Martians led by the Red Martian Prime Minster Dall want Jemm to return to them so that Jemm can marry White Martian Princess Cha’rissa and unite the Red and White Martians. Space pirates attack the Saturnian ship. J’onn, disguised as Jemm, and Princess Cha’rissa are taken hostage. J’onn was disguised as Jemm because Jemm was still recovering from injuries sustained when he was tortured. In issue #14 (Jan. 2000), J’onn found that the pirates were turning the hostages over to someone named Cabal. Cabal was a collective of six evil Saturnians (including Synn and Jogarr) who merged into one (much like how the lions come together to form Voltron). Cabal was formed to destroy the treaty, the miscegenation of races, and J’onn J’onzz, the last of the Martian masters.

Master of Mood Really, wasn’t Gene Colan remarkable? Signed original Colan splash to Jemm #8 (Apr. 1985), inked by Bob McLeod. Courtesy of Anthony Snyder (www.anthonyscomicbookart.com). TM & © DC Comics.

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J’onn took Jogarr’s form and integrated himself into Cabal. While merged with Cabal, J’onn began fighting them from the inside. Jemm and Princess Cha’rissa melded together and assisted him, defeating Cabal. Jemm and Princess Cha’rissa were married, thus uniting the two Saturnian races and fulfilling the maxiseries’ promise that Jemm would unite them. The storyline was one of the highlights of the Martian Manhunter series. Writer John Ostrander agrees. “I will say that I’m very proud of how the ‘Rings of Saturn’ arc turned out and I think it’s one of the best that we did in our Martian Manhunter run.” While these issues set up Jemm as a major player in Martian Manhunter, the Son of Saturn wasn’t to make any more appearances in the series. Ostrander states, “If the Martian Manhunter series went on longer, I probably would have [used Jemm again]. As it was, his story per se came to something of a conclusion, so I didn’t feel the need to return immediately to Jemm.” The connection between Jemm and J’onn that should have been created during the 1980s was finally given new life in 2000. So, how did this new connection come about? Ostrander tells BI, “If memory serves, it was my idea. To me, it seemed a logical connection. There was a similarity in the names and the appearances and even the powers, so much so that I thought that perhaps the Jemm series was going to be a J’onn series originally, but for some reason they changed it. Since they both existed, I wanted to suggest some sort of connection. Why wasn’t it done earlier? Also, not a lot of people were playing around with Jemm. I like forgotten and/or underused continuity bits, so I played with this one.” Why didn’t Ostrander use Greg Potter’s original version of their relationship? “I didn’t know that was the original plan for Jemm. I would’ve gone with that if I had known.” The pencils on the Martian Manhunter series were by Tom Mandrake. “Gene Colan was always superb and a unique artist in the field,” Ostrander tells BACK ISSUE. “The only one like him was Tom Mandrake, who I just happened to have working on the Martian Manhunter series with me. That may have been what suggested to me the idea of using Jemm. Tom is one of the greats in the field, and he and I have done so much work together. I’m proud of everything that we’ve done. I love working with Tom… we’re very attuned to one another. I won’t say we have the telepathic rapport that J’onn and Jemm might have. But maybe…”

JEMM RETURNS

As of this writing, Jemm’s last major appearance was in Superman: World of New Krypton. In the ninth issue of the series (Jan. 2010), Jemm and a group of Saturnians attacked a meeting of the Kryptonian Council because the Saturnians were upset that Kryptonians had moved one of Jupiter’s moons. When Jemm realized that Superman was present, he agreed to leave out of respect for the hero. Jemm even made the jump to live-action cinema in the “Human for a Day” episode of the CW’s Supergirl television series. Actor Charles Halford portrayed Jemm, while David Harewood portrayed J’onn. In the episode, J’onn, in his human guise of Hank Henshaw, ended up killing a villainous Jemm. Even though the characters were on opposing sides in the television conflict they both appeared in the same episode, further cementing their link.

Introducing J’onn as Jemm’s cousin in Jemm, Son of Saturn was an inspired idea. Had it occurred, it could have helped the maxiseries’ sales and made Jemm a more integral part of the pre-Crisis DC Universe. In the final analysis, however, the character of Jemm was better served by Ostrander’s new connection than he probably would have been if he had just been related to J’onn and not a copy with the associated backstory. The author would like to thank Klaus Janson, Paul Levitz, Bob McLeod, John Ostrander, and Bob Rozakis for their invaluable assistance with this article. Thanks also go out to Janice Race, who responded to a query for this article but was unable to assist with it. ED LUTE is a frequent contributor to BACK ISSUE magazine. He loves sharing his knowledge of comicbook history with anyone who will listen. He lives with his family in southern New Jersey.

All Together, Now John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake connected Jemm’s story with J’onn Jonzz’s in Martian Manhunter #4 (Mar. 1999). (inset) Both heroes share the Mandrake cover of issue #13 (Dec. 1999). Scans courtesy of Ed Lute. TM & © DC Comics.

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The 1980s saw a number of successful and characterchanging comics published with great fanfare, including Crisis on Infinite Earths, Secret Wars, and The Dark Knight. However, one character conspicuously absent from the shelves at that time was Marvel’s “ultimate superhero,” Nova, the space-faring teenage hero who starred in his own comic book from 1976 through 1979.

FROM NOVA TO NEBULA

After relinquishing his powers in ROM #24 (Nov. 1981), the former Nova, Richard Rider, had been returned to Earth and wasn’t seen for most of the decade outside of a couple of in-continuity pages in What If? #36 (Dec. 1982). That’s not to say his legacy was completely forgotten. In Avengers #260 (Oct. 1985), the domed world Xandar was destroyed by the space pirate Nebula while she was in possession of Thanos’ warship Sanctuary II. This event continued in “The SuperNova Saga” in Avengers #301–303 (Mar.–May 1989) with the arrival of a new character named SuperNova, who possessed the entire Nova Force, insanely seeking vengeance on Nebula. Nova’s legacy was on the verge of collapsing into a black hole. Fortunately, the ’80s also saw the rise of teenagehero groups. This trend was largely due to the success of DC Comics’ The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. Indirectly, Wolfman, Nova’s creator, was responsible for blazing the return path for one of his favorite creations. In an instance of serendipity, another Nova appearance during this period was in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe series. In the late 1980s, writer of The Mighty Thor and Marvel’s editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco was forming a new team of teen heroes for Marvel Comics. He discovered Nova in the handbook while selecting characters for the team. “I sat down with [Marvel editor] Mark Gruenwald when I first became editor-in-chief of Marvel and worked out a three-year publishing plan,” DeFalco explains to BACK ISSUE. “We decided that we wanted to introduce a new team of teenage superheroes, with the idea of eventually spinning off one or more members into their own books. I went through a list of Marvel’s teenage characters and Nova seemed a likely choice.” Rich Rider blazed back to the comic pages in Mighty Thor #411 and 412 (Dec. 1989) as part of the New Warriors (originally to be called “Young Warriors”). However, there were two unexpected changes revealed to longtime fans of The Man Called Nova series [which this same author covered back in BACK ISSUE #33—ed.]. While the helmet was the same, the costume was no longer the blue-and-yellow bodysuit with three starbursts on the chest. Nova was now wearing a red bomber-style sleeveless jacket. What led to such a drastic change? “To my memory it had most to do with a variety of

StarLost Hero Wow! This attention-grabbing original cover art by Darick Robertson and Larry Mahlstedt would make a Nova fan out of a diehard DC Comics reader. New Warriors #40 (Oct. 1993) cover art from the collection of Doug Smith. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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by D o u g

Smith

Big Doings for Nova (top left) The Human Rocket first blasted off in Nova #1 (Sept. 1976). Cover by Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott. (top right) Nova with the New Champions in ROM #24 (Nov. 1981). Cover by Al Milgrom. (bottom) Super-Nova gets a grip on Hawkeye in Avengers #303 (May 1989). Written by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio, drawn by Buckler and Tom Palmer. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc., except ROM © Hasbro.

color in the design of the team,” according to Thor artist Ron Frenz. “There was a lot of blue already and some red needed.” As for the design itself, Frenz recalls, “the main influences were [Jonny Quest’s] Race Bannon and the original [Fawcett Comics] Captain Marvel.” The other major change to Rich Rider came in the name of the character. Readers browsing #412’s cover noticed that he was now called Kid Nova! Tom DeFalco reveals, “We did go with Kid Nova because we already had a character called Nova at that time [Frankie Raye]. I thought it would lead to all sorts of confusion to have two characters with the same name, not to mention trademark issues.” Following the team-up with Thor against the Juggernaut, the New Warriors began the process of launching into their own monthly title. With the new title came a new creative team including writer Fabian Nicieza, artist Mark Bagley, and editor Danny Fingeroth. DeFalco explains it was all part of the publishing plan from the beginning: “The plan was always to launch the New Warriors in their own title. Danny Fingeroth was named the editor of the title and he chose Fabian and Mark—and I am so glad he did because they did a terrific job!” Fingeroth elaborates on the selection of his team: “Fabian handed in the best proposal for the series. He was bursting with ideas. I’d worked with Mark as writer and editor on other projects and knew he was a terrific, creative artist and also great with deadlines.” Mark Bagley also recalls, “[The] interesting thing about Nova, Fabian wanted me to draw him as a really scrawny loser (after losing the Nova Force), working in a pizza place or some such. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the ‘scrawny’ part, so I came up with the idea that he was jacked from lifting weights to compensate for his loss of power, and the ensuing loss of self-esteem. Fabian really liked that idea.”

NOVA BECOMES A STAR

With the team in place, New Warriors #1 (July 1990) hit the shelves. The story takes place prior to the events of Thor #411 and begins with the mysterious depths is a tried and true story arc for sequential team founder Night Thrasher holding a powerless Rich publishing, and that gave me a chance to do that for Rich.” Rider from a rooftop! Was he worried about the reaction of Nova fans? After confirming his captive’s identity, Night “Worried? No,” Nicieza says. “I knew it was a bit risky, tom defalco Thrasher unceremoniously drops Rich Rider towards but I had benchmarks in place in my mind already— the street and certain death. However, during roughly issue #12 to restore his name and costume, issues © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. the fall, Rider’s once-lost powers reactivate and #30–40 in my mind to restore the Nova Corps, etc. Nova is reborn! “I expected Nova fans would see his gradual progression and not Rider is at first grateful and then angry at Night Thrasher when he only enjoy it, but feel their complaints were being validated, when the learns that his kidnapper had no guarantee of his stunt’s success truth was that was the plan all along.” in restoring the powers. Night Thrasher dismisses Nova’s attack The New Warriors became extremely popular, with Nova being but clarifies that he restored the powers and now wants the Human a fan-favorite. As the series progressed, Nova’s new personality Rocket to be part of his team in return. changes included growth as a leader. Driven by his distrust of Night Along with a new costume, Rich Rider had also been given a new Thrasher, Rich Rider would question the team founder’s decisions attitude. He had become a more cynical, angrier person than he had on many occasions. been portrayed in his previous series. According to Nicieza, it was all Along with the internal conflict came battles with a variety part of his long-range plans for the character: “The way we open with of villains ranging from the street level up to the cosmic kind. Rich was purposeful for three reasons: 1) to create a differentiator that Nova’s role throughout this time was generally as a teammate and would show he had changed—for the worse—since his series had ended; counterpoint to Night Thrasher. However, a subplot running through the title’s first year was very 2) to piss off his fans just enough they would be talking about his return but not piss them off so much they wouldn’t be curious to see what Nova-centric. Readers followed a mysterious Egyptian woman as she would come next; and 3) because building a character up from the recovered an ancient artifact called the Scepter of Ka. She uses advanced Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 67

technology and the scepter to restore the energies of the Ka Stone, which had once belonged to Nova’s archenemy the Sphinx. Events finally came to a head in the “Forever Yesterday” storyline that ran through New Warriors #11–13 (May–July 1991). The saga featured the Sphinx along with a new threat from the mysterious Egyptian woman. Her name is Meryet Karim and she had been with the Sphinx when he discovered the Ka Stone thousands of years ago. Now an immortal, Karim set about on her quest to recreate the stone which the Sphinx had failed to do. She was successful in her goal and used its power to create an alternate Earth with Egypt as its ruling power that she (as Lady Sphinx) and the male Sphinx led as husband and wife. On this altered Earth, Nova was portrayed as an Avenger and his family enjoyed a good life due to his hero status. However, Rich Rider began to doubt his role and was shown the truth about his world by the Sphinx’s mysterious aide, Sayge. Nova defeated the female Sphinx by threatening her cat, which was her true link to the true reality’s Sphinx. In order to save the cat, Meryet Karim restored the planet to its proper state. Nicieza explains, “I wanted to do a Nova-focused story because I approached the book as thinking that the Sphinx was the only ‘big’ villain I had under my ‘control,’ i.e., a character that editorially ‘belonged’ to New Warriors. So the Sphinx storyline evolved in my head, knowing it would be Nova-centric. Making it an alternate timeline was really just me whoring on the ‘Days of Future Past’ idea of a finite, controlled, and contained story environment that would let us have a lot of fun and say a lot about our characters.” A number of changes for Nova came out of the “Forever Yesterday” alternate-reality story. The first became apparent in New Warriors #14 (Aug. 1991). Since Mighty Thor #411, Nova had gone through a series of costume changes. However, in the Lady Sphinx’s reality, Richard Rider was back in his costume from the original 1976 series. Following the return of normalcy, Night Thrasher presented Rich with a gift—a modified version of the original Nova uniform! mark bagley Mark Bagley explains his thoughts on Svedishsven. the evolution of Nova’s look: • The sleeveless red-bomber jacket design by Ron Frenz: “Kinda hated it (sorry, Ron!). Never been a huge fan of red-and-yellow costumes, unless maybe on a flaming character… I lobbied to change his costume from the very beginning.” • The red muscle shirt from #3: “Was a transition piece. I knew where I wanted to end up, a darker, deeper red version of his original look, sans the Nova emblems.”

Nova Reactivated (top left) Nova and his New Warriors buds bust out in The Mighty Thor #412 (Dec. 1989). Cover by Ron Frenz and Sinnott. (top right) Marvel’s junior heroes in their own series: The New Warriors #1 (July 1990). Cover by Mark Bagley and Jackson “Butch” Guice. (bottom) Night Thrasher turns around Richard Rider’s life in New Warriors #1. Story by Fabian Nicieza, art by Mark Bagley and Al Williamson. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Nova Unleashed Our boy cuts loose on this powerful Bagley/ Mahlsted original page from New Warriors #12 (June 1991), signed by its writer and penciler. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

• The brown costume from #4–10: “I was really happy with this look (though I always sorta saw it as a burgundy, not brown). I suggested a darker yellow, almost a burnt umber for the normally yellow bits, and changed the line of his belt to where is swooped down a bit towards his crotch rather than up… which I felt had been done a lot at the time. My youthful arrogance.” • The original Nova design by Len Wein and John Romita, Sr.: “Always liked it. Found it to be sleek and cool… though the helmet always seemed a bit clunky. But with a few modifications it became a lot more interesting. The basics were there, though.” Another repercussion of the storyline was the addition of Lady Sphinx and the return of the original Sphinx to Nova’s life. One major appearance of the Sphinxes was in New Warriors Annual #2 (June 1992). It was part of the “Hero Killers” crossover between the Annuals of the New Warriors and the various Spider-Man titles. Another element introduced in the Annual was Laura Dunham. She was a new character who eventually became Rich Rider’s girlfriend. Her introduction into Rich’s life created a complication in an ongoing subplot running through the New Warriors. It involved the flirtatious relationship between Nova and fellow warrior Namorita. The situation reached a peak in New Warriors #39 (Sept. 1993, see below right), when the two heroes embraced in a kiss. As for the love triangle, Nicieza elaborates, “My goal was to create complications for the burgeoning Rich/ Nita romance, so I went with her physical issues and her screw up with the gang leader whose name I forget right now [Kimeiko of the Poisoned Memories], so I figured it would be good to give Rich a ‘normal’ girl that he would truly, really care about, and that would create some fun friction for everyone.” However, before the two warriors could further explore their relationship, New Warriors #40–42 (Oct.–Dec. 1993) once again brought a new Novacentric storyline, and another “Forever Yesterday” element, to the forefront. “The StarLost” featured the return of SuperNova (whose name was revealed to be Garthan Saal) from the time stream he disappeared into in Avengers #303. The loss of Xandar and containing all of the Nova Force has driven him farther into madness. When Rich Rider’s powers were reactivated, it also triggered SuperNova’s return. The inevitable battle between the characters revealed a new power for Nova. In the “Forever Yesterday” alternate reality, Rich Rider learned he could create an extremely powerful burst of energy from within his body. This Gravimetric Pulse power was now capable of being generated in the restored universe. Nicieza explains that “almost everything about New Warriors and the characters was about growth and maturation. Naturally, their powers would be a part of that as well. Pretty much every character

had some kind of expansion or exploration of their power abilities and Nova’s gravimetric pulse was just a logical extension, I thought, of the basic premise of the Nova power concepts.” The conclusion of the story has Nova absorbing all of the Nova Force in order to restore Xandar and the Living Computers (now called the WorldMind). As a reward for his heroics, the newly cloned Queen Adora has given Rich Rider back his Nova powers, but at a higher level than before along with a modified uniform. Rob Tokar, who took over as New Warriors editor beginning with issue #29, recalls, “The ‘StarLost’ saga came from Fabian and I liked that it put the Warriors in a new setting while guest-starring classic characters Firelord and Air-Walker. If I recall correctly, Fabian set this story up to play upon Richard Rider’s (understandable) insecurity about his powers. “I liked Nova’s power upgrade—I always thought it was odd that a cosmic cop didn’t have some kind of ranged weapon—but there’s always a danger of making

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Nova Triumphant (left) Rich Rider’s put through the wringer in New Warriors #40, powerfully rendered by Darick Robertson and Larry Mahlstedt. (right) Nova stands tall, in New Warriors #42. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

a character too powerful, which is why limits were placed NOVA FLIES SOLO on how often and how well he could use the new abilities. The solo Nova series began with Nova #1 (Jan. 1994), I will admit I wasn’t the biggest fan of Nova’s costume featuring Fabian Nicieza as writer and Chris Marrinan modification—especially the helmet—but I understood as artist. The issue included an intense battle with GladDarick Robertson’s [New Warriors’ artist beiator along with the return of Rich Rider’s supginning with issue #26] reasons for doing porting cast from his original 1970s series. it, especially that it enabled us to show It also kicked off a new career twist for more expression on Nova’s face.” Richard Rider. Along with his brother Robert, the re-energized hero began Darick Robertson elaborates on the uniform change: “I was fussy about a business venture called Nova the New Warriors’ original costumes Express. The brothers had Nova after drawing the book for a while and using his superpowers to deliver thought Nova’s helmet looked clunky packages for customers! and that the stars on his torso would “FedEx was just starting back look cleaner if they aligned. then, so it seemed like a cute idea, I thought the star on his face would right? Then again, how much money could he earn in a day? How many look better if his nose was exposed and if the star met between his eyes, packages could he actually deliver?” darick robertson instead of covering half his face, Nicieza wonders. so that he could be more expressive. Aaron Munter. The next issue introduced a “Also, being the ’90s, adding more controversial new villain for Nova. stuff to the overall costume and color, balancing out Nova #2 (Feb. 1994) heralded the arrival of Tailhook. the red star on his face, was something that seemed a The leather-clad, whiplashing vigilante appeared as good idea at the time.” the writer’s response to the major 1991 Tailhook Fabian Nicieza reveals another aspect of the story: sexual assault scandal involving the US Navy and “It ended up setting the table for a solo Nova as we US Marine Corps. actually did the story, but in my original planning, The Human Rocket’s relationship with Laura Dunham it was just to restore the concept back into the Marvel was damaged as a result of her role with Tailhook’s Universe and expand the potential for stories available suicide at the end of the issue. However, the two would remain friends after their eventual breakup. to me in Warriors.”

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Nova #4 (Apr. 1994) saw a new character, Nova 0:0, enter Rich Rider’s life. This mysterious hero was a much more experienced and better trained Nova than Rider. He would later be revealed as an alternate-universe version of Robert Rider! Nova #6–7 (June–July 1994) crossed over with New Warriors #47–50 (May–Aug. 1994) in the “Time and Time Again” story arc. The story involved a major showdown between the Sphinx and Lady Sphinx for control of the Ka Stone. To prevent their interference, the male Sphinx exiled a number of the Warriors into different timelines and alternate universes. Nova was sent to a universe in which the events of ROM #24 ended differently. “I wanted to use that entire storyline to give all the characters a chance to see ‘what might have been’ or how their lives might have been different if they had chosen door #2 or someone in their lives had made a different decision,” says Fabian Nicieza. “So the idea of a Nova who never gave up being Nova the way Rich had, was interesting to play with.” Following New Warriors #53 (Nov. 1994), the writer of Nova and New Warriors chose to move onto other projects. “I was burned out after writing so much and working a full-time job at Marvel for years,” Nicieza explains. “But at the end of the day, the real reason is I felt I was vesting far more time and energy into the series than Marvel was willing to put into it as a company, from an editorial and promotion standpoint.” Starting with Nova #8 (Aug. 1994), Chris Marrinan added writer to his list of credits. “I’d been making suggestions about story ideas while Fabian was still writing, and when Fabian decided to move, I think they simply asked me, with no heavy lobbying on my part,” says Marrinan.

Along with creating a new supervillain team Shatterforce, Marrinan began building upon plot elements put in place back in #4. This led to the cosmic threat of Deathstorm which, according to Nova 0:0 and the Nova from “Time and Time Again,” would destroy the Earth. The Deathstorm arc began moving to the forefront in Nova #12 (Dec. 1994), with the return of Nova 0:0. Deathstorm was eventually revealed to be a cosmic-energy weapon created by the Aakon and a criminal organization called the Shadow Consortium (which also created Shatterforce). The storyline continued to its conclusion in Nova #16 (Apr. 1995) with Nova using his energy absorption power to destroy Deathstorm and save the Earth. Another event in Nova #12 was behind the scenes. The issue was the first one edited by Tom Brevoort, who replaced Tom Tokar on Nova and also New Warriors. As for the change in editors, Rob Tokar reveals, “I accepted a position working directly for Stan Lee in Los Angeles on a new comics imprint called ‘Excelsior.’ We were developing a whole new line of comics outside the Marvel Universe and though I would have loved to continue working on the New Warriors titles, it made more sense to keep them in the New York offices.” On his time on Nova, Tokar remembers, “The first thing that comes to mind is getting blowback for the Tailhook story. Fabian was never afraid to tackle thorny issues and I supported his decision to do so on many occasions. As I recall, that particular story wasn’t as well received as it was intended. “I was pleased with the ‘Time and Time Again’ storyline and the way it easily moved through all three series (an advantage of having one writer for all of them). Since Darick Robertson had decided to

Nova ’94 (top left) A gold-foil cover enhancement on the reboot, Nova #1 (Jan. 1994). Cover by Chris Marrinan. (top right) Nova Express, from Nova #1. By Nicieza/Marrinan/ Mark Stegbauer. (bottom left) Tailhook, from Nova #2 (Feb. 1994). (bottom right) The enigmatic Nova 0:0, on issue #4’s Marrinan/Stegbauer cover. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Big Trouble (left) The Human Rocket mixes it up with some heavyhitters on this original art page from Nova #11, courtesy of Heritage. Written and penciled by Marrinan, inked by Stegbauer. (right) Issue #12’s cover, featuring the Inhumans. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

depart The New Warriors after issue #50, I used the characters’ solo lost-in-time stories as a way to give Darick a little extra time on his oversized final issue and to try out new artists to take over The New Warriors as of issue #51. I thought it was a cunning plan, but it didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped.” Tokar continues, “Though Kurt Busiek was hired to take over Night Thrasher, it turns out that he really would have preferred to write for Nova. I love Kurt’s writing… I would really enjoy seeing what he’d do with that character. “At some point, probably when Fabian was leaving Nova, I tried getting permission from the powers-that-were to have Erik Larsen work on the Nova series. Apparently, Erik was a big fan of the character and I wanted to see what he’d do with Nova. Unfortunately, since Erik had recently left Marvel to co-found Image Comics, I failed to achieve victory.” Then-incoming editor Tom Brevoort recalls, “Deathstorm was well under

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way by the time I came onto that series, at least in terms of planning, though I think I ended up seeing out all of the individual chapters. The idea, in essence, was to do a big, promotable Nova storyline in an attempt to grab eyeballs and increase sales. Chris was very much trying to do a classic superhero comic, something maybe a bit less issue-oriented than the Fabian Nicieza issues that preceded him taking over the writing of the book— it was very much about adventure, spectacle, cosmic battles, and cool guest-stars.” As the New Warriors and Nova titles continued on, the journey of Rich Rider headed in a new direction and his continuing battle against Garthan Saal became personal. The “Nova Omega” storyline ran in Nova #17–18 (May–June 1995) and crossed over into New Warriors #60 (June 1995). The storyline focused on Nova being punished by Queen Adora for refusing to follow her orders regarding Deathstorm. Following the Shi’Ar’s advice, Adora removed the Nova Force from Richard Rider and transferred it to Garthan Saal, who became Earth’s new Nova. The new Nova continued appearing chris marrinan in the New Warriors title until New Warriors #75 (Sept. 1996). In this final issue of the series, Garthan Saal is fatally injured in battle with the Dire Wraith Queen. Before he dies, Saal transfers the Nova Force and the role of Nova back to Richard Rider. The writer on New Warriors, Evan Skolnick, describes his thoughts on the “Nova Omega” storyline: “At the time, the comics implosion of the mid-’90s was in full swing, and titles were being cancelled left and right at Marvel due to sagging sales figures. Just a few months into my run on New Warriors, it was decided that Nova would be cancelled.

Alpha Male “Editor Tom Brevoort asked me to write the last few issues of Nova and tie them tightly into New Warriors. I also believe he wanted—or perhaps Richard Rider encounters Nova Omega in Nova it had already been planned and solicited—to depower Rich and strip him #17 (May 1995). By Evan Skolnick, Phil Gosier, of the Nova Force. I could be recalling this incorrectly, but I don’t think the idea of depowering Rich came from me. Because, frankly, I struggled and Mike Machlan. with it in New Warriors for pretty much the rest of my run. “However, the idea of Garthan Saal taking over as Earth’s Nova was TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. something I came up with, because I thought it would set up a great arc for him. Saal had always been a villain and I wanted to grow Brevoort concludes, “The him beyond that.” Garthan Saal/Rich Rider subplot wended its way through Evan’s Brevoort further elaborates on the creation of the story: tenure on New Warriors, but even “There were a whole series of it was cut short. Our original plan events that changed and shifted was that, in New Warriors #75, as we moved into that storyline rather than getting the Nova and through it. So let me lay it powers back, Rich would wind all out for you as I remember it. up becoming a Spaceknight— “The first thing that came and thereafter, his conflict would up was the idea of doing a New have been flipped on its head. Nova. As I said previously, we were He had spent a year lamenting looking for anything that might the loss of his powers again and grab the attention of people. Chris doing crazy things to become Marrinan and I talked about this re-empowered; now he’d be a idea during Deathstorm, and Chris superhero again, but he’d be a even did a tiny little sketch cyborg full-time, and all of the that became the basis for the normal human things he’d taken Garthan Saal Nova costume. for granted would now be denied But ultimately, he just wasn’t into to him. Our eventual goal was the idea of making this change, going to be making Rich Nova and so he opted instead to end again—but when we eventually his run as writer at the end of learned that New Warriors would Deathstorm in issue #16. be heading to the chopping block “From there, I began talking with #75, we juggled some stuff to people about coming onto the around, fast-tracked the Dire Wraith Queen plotline, and retitle and playing out this basic New stored Nova for that final issue.” Nova idea. The writer who was Evan Skolnick reflects on the going to do it was Len Straczewski, and the idea he pitched was end of New Warriors and what completely different from almost else could have been: “In my everything that saw print. Best as original plans, the Xandarian I can recall, the New Nova was conspiracy I had been teasing going to be Asian-American, for months would fully reveal and Rich Rider, having had the itself to involve renegade Shi’ar personnel who wanted to bring Nova power stripped from him, would have been for a period of the ‘glory days’ back; who wanted time in a wheelchair, acting as the to put the ‘evil’ back in ‘evil new guy’s mentor. (I also recall empire.’ Their plan (which, again, that Evan Skolnick wasn’t really I never got the chance to fully flesh out) was going to involve fond of this direction. Having just come on to New Warriors himself, many alien races from across the Nova was his favorite character in universe, including Earthlings, the book, and so he wasn’t happy Kymellians, Skrulls, Galadorians, with needing to bench him.) Xandarians, and many others. “So we produced and released some initial covers Basically, I wanted to bring all the Warriors’ cosmic ties together for a truly epic space storyline.” and sketches—the Garthan Saal costume was originally designed for this other character, and the cover to Nova #17 was meant to herald his arrival. THE HUMAN ROCKET RELAUNCHES But then, the news came down that we’d be wrapping During the next few years while Nova was out of up the Nova series with #18—and at that point, publication, one of Nova’s biggest fans-turned-pro was it didn’t make sense to me to bring in a new writer to working behind the scenes to bring him back. Back in the late 1980s, as DeFalco and Frenz begin a status quo-altering storyline that wouldn’t be able to play out. So Len and I shook hands and were putting together the New Warriors, Erik parted ways amicably. But I was still committed based Larsen approached Marvel with his own version evan skolnick of Nova for the Marvel Comics Presents anthology on what we’d already shown to doing some manner of New Nova story beginning in #17. title [which we covered earlier this year in BI “So from there, Evan and I worked out the overall structure of the #110—ed.]. Larsen says, “The pitch was to restore Nova’s powers story that bounced back and forth between Nova #17 and 18 and New and turn Richard Rider back into Nova and then go forward with Warriors #60, that set up both Garthan Saal as the New Nova as well an adventure or two. I used some of it when I wrote my short-lived as the ongoing threat of the Dire Wraith Queen. And Evan wound up Nova series. I had him fight the Grinder—the story started off with writing those final two issues of Nova.” Queen Adora crawling through rubble, Xandar in ruins, having regrets Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 73

The Ultimate Return! Erik Larsen took charge of our hero’s adventures—and this cover—beginning with Nova: The Human Rocket #1 (May 1999). TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

about taking away Richard’s powers. She sends a bolt into the blue to right that wrong and it finds its way back to Richard Rider. “With the advent of the New Warriors my serial was deemed out-of-continuity and scrapped,” the Image co-founder reveals. “I’d quit drawing The Punisher because I wanted to write and draw Nova. Having it pulled out from under me was heartbreaking.” The writer/artist was determined to work on Nova, though. In fact, a later pitch of Larsen’s was approved by Marvel, but only as a miniseries. Larsen decided he wanted to do Nova only as an ongoing series and turned down the offer.

However, with the character now in publication limbo, Erik revived his pitch, and his resolve finally paid off. Nova: The Human Rocket #1 (May 1999) brought the hero back to readers. The first issue of the series saw the writer/artist pack a number of changes and revelations including Nebula’s claim of being the daughter of Nova’s first foe Zorr. It was vengeance that drove her to destroy Xandar in Avengers #260. The issue also reveals that during Xandar’s destruction, Queen Adora had restored Rich Rider’s powers (later activated by Night Thrasher). Along with a return to his original uniform, the Human Rocket’s powers were restored to their levels prior to the “StarLost” resolution. The story-driven reason in the title was that a series of power fluctuations were causing Nova to lose control of his power. This loss of control led to the death of the abusive husband of Rider’s former girlfriend, Ginger Jaye. Nova’s powers were stabilized at a lower level by Mr. Fantastic’s power dampener in Nova: The Human Rocket #4 (Aug. 1999). From the creator’s perspective, Erik Larsen felt Nova had become too powerful over the years. The writer also stated that the fluctuations were caused by Nova having the powers taken and restored too many times. Another change during the series was Rich Rider’s relationship with New Warriors teammate Namorita. The relationship ended after Rider showed a lack of compassion during Namorita’s transition from her blue-skinned form to her original appearance. Larsen elaborates, “I just thought it was a better look. In a team dynamic like the New Warriors— it makes some sense to pair up members of the team in order to keep the book contained and not involve a million supporting characters. “In a solo book, having the main character paired with another superhero just seems too pat—it puts them above humanity and I wanted to ground him in the real world. Because of that, I wanted to break them up— and having her go through a transformation that he couldn’t handle seemed a way to do that.” In the final issue, Nova: The Human Rocket #7 (Nov. 1999), along with a battle against Spider-Man foe Venom, Erik Larsen presented a terrific homage to The Man Called Nova #5 (Jan. 1977). In the original issue, Nova’s creative team of Marv Wolfman and Sal Buscema met Nova at the Marvel Comics offices to discuss creating a Nova comic. In the homage issue, writer Larsen, penciler Joe Bennett, and editor Ruben Diaz had the same idea and requested a meeting with the superhero. “At that point I saw the writing on the walls and I knew it was coming to an end— so I was really just having some fun with it,” Larsen admits. “It was one of those stories where I kind of threw up my hands and said, ‘The hell with it!’ and had some fun. erik larsen This was not a happy time for me—it was © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. a dream book for me and to have it end so abruptly was very disappointing. “Sometime after this, my run on Wolverine came screeching to a halt as well and I dragged in Nova to that

Destiny Years before the Human Rocket series, Larsen illustrated Nova for this 1992 Marvel trading card set in a pose he would later replicate on Nova #1’s cover. Original art courtesy of Heritage. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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book in order to bring one of the subplots to a close (Wolverine #149, Apr. 2000). It can be hard to wrap everything up nice and neat when the rug is abruptly pulled out from under your feet. “I’d set a bunch of things in motion and wanted to go somewhere with them and that didn’t happen,” says Larsen. “I wanted to turn Diamondhead into something more like Shrapnel—a guy made of shards that could explode and cause all kinds of damage— a character I’d created and foolishly gave to DC [in Doom Patrol]. Shattering him into pieces was the first part of that process, but I never got to follow up on that. I had a whole list of villains I wanted to introduce—but it wasn’t to be.” During Erik Larsen’s series, Nova also appeared in a revival of the New Warriors. The new title relaunched with New Warriors #0 (June 1999) as a special insert included with the comic magazine Wizard. However, while this Nova was Richard Rider, he had a new costume very different than the one in Nova: The Human Rocket. The writer of the New Warriors title, Jay Faerber, recalls, “To the best of my recollection, Marvel wanted Nova to have a different costume in New Warriors because the Nova series that was being published at the same time wasn’t doing great, sales-wise. So they wanted him to have a different look when he was with the Warriors. “I wasn’t a fan of the idea. We did the best we could with a new costume, but I always lobbied for him to have his classic look. I think Marvel had heard [such] outcry about his new costume that they relented. The new costume didn’t really have many—if any—supporters.” Despite a return to the original Nova uniform in New Warriors #6 (Mar. 2000), the series didn’t last. It was cancelled with New Warriors #10 (July 2000).

Your Father’s Nova (below) Faerber’s incarnation of The New Warriors brought back Nova in a more familiar form for Bronze Age babies. Cover to New Warriors #6 (Mar. 2000) by Darick Robertson. Just before that, Nova had a different look in (left) this New Warriors reboot. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

NOVA GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE

While the end of the 1990s saw the end of Nova’s solo series, it also saw the beginning of a new Nova by the team who brought him back at the end of the 1980s. jay faerber In the alternate M2 Universe line, New Warriors creators Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz had been redefining Marvel characters into their potential future selves. That included one Human Rocket! In Spider-Girl #7 (Apr. 1999), readers were introduced to an older and more mature Richard Rider. With the passage of time, DeFalco remembers little about this story. However, he does recall, “I think Nova was a character that Ron enjoyed and I think he suggested we use him.” Ron Frenz elaborates, “Although I was not the illustrator for that issue (that was the multi-talented Mr. Pat Olliffe), I was involved with early conceptual work on the strip and had continuous contact with Mr. DeFalco. Nova was [one] of the ‘second’ generation of Marvel superheroes and as such we felt he would be the best choice to represent the active vanguard of heroes, the established ‘Superman’ type character to Mayday’s [Spider-Girl’s] generation.” Frenz continues, “I actually did the tweak on Nova’s design. Don’t blame Pat… Not being very smart, I never really understood the three-star design on Nova’s costume and just went with one big star going ‘nova.’ I also liked the helmet when drawn as a little more shaped to his head and added the heroic chin befitting our MC2 ‘Superman’ figure.” While this Nova would make numerous appearances in various M2 series, Nova fans wouldn’t have to rely on only the M2 Universe to see their favorite character reach his full potential. Soon, everything about the “ultimate superhero” would face…. Annihilation! But that, BACK ISSUE readers, is a story for another day. DOUG SMITH runs the Nova Prime Page (www.novaprimepage.com) and publishes the Nova fanzine Rocket Boosters.

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Send your comments to: Email: euryman@gmail.com (subject: BACK ISSUE) Postal mail: Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief • BACK ISSUE 112 Fairmount Way * New Bern, NC 28562

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but also had as its main photo the Reeve Superman. 4. Page 50 stresses the late arrival of the Phantom Zone DC miniseries by juxtaposing its October 1981 release date with “1980’s Superman II.” However, while Superman II was released in some markets (such as Australia) in 1980, its US theatrical release was in midJune 1981—a lot closer to the release of the DC miniseries. 5. I thought it was a little parochial for the discussion on page 67 to describe Marlon Brando as setting a precedent under which actors playing parents “incorrectly pronounce their home world’s name.” As Brando was playing a native speaker on Krypton, his pronunciation of “Krypton” might well be the (or a) correct one. Again, congratulations on a very entertaining and absorbing issue. – Ed Nelson

DID NOT DISAPPOINT

I’ve just devoured the long-awaited Superman: The Movie issue, and as usual with BI, it did not disappoint! From the opening Margot Kidder tribute to the closing Jon Pinto print, it was a great appreciation of a film that affected me as much it CLASSY, AND GLASSY obviously did you. I appreciated the balance between articles about the movie One of the things that I’ve always loved about 1978’s Superman: The Movie is the visual upgrade given to the name “Superman” itself and its influence and legacy in the comics… great articles in all of the film’s promotional materials. The traditional red-and- all around. And any opportunity to read more from [Elliot S!] blue colors of his name on comic-book covers was replaced with Maggin is okay by me. a beautiful, transparent, glass, crystal, silver look. The “S” shield I especially enjoyed the first-person account from Cary Bates. also appeared in the same manner, replacing the red-and-yellow I’ve read his Superman V draft online and really felt it could’ve colors of the “S” symbol on his chest. These changes gave the worked on film, but I feel it would have required the original Superman name, his iconic symbol, and the movie itself a regal, [Donner] cast. Both these guys are, I think, still underclassy feel. appreciated for all their contributions to comics in general and – George Martinez Superman in particular—and this from a fan who has We agree, George—so four copies of BI #62 much that we want to [our “Superman in the take a moment to Bronze Age” issue]. enjoy that glistening Sincerely, from your first announcement of graphic… this issue in BI #100, I’ve KRYPTONIAN been impatiently awaiting TM & © DC Comics. ACCENT its arrival, and am well BACK ISSUE #109 was satisfied with your staff’s a great achievement. hard work, including Mssrs. Trumbull and Franklin, and Congratulations to you Heitmueller’s ever-enjoyable “Prince Street News.” I kinda hate and the other contributors. to single anyone out, since we’re all on the same team. Some items I noticed in My biggest gripe is that none of the copies I bought had the reading the various articles: other 200 or so pages I felt you could have filled; oh, well, I’ll start 1. Ilya Salkind was misremembering the situation when he said waiting for the big 41st and 42nd anniversary issues! – John Berry (pages 6 and 7) that Warner Bros. had rights to “American distribution only” for Superman: The Movie. Warner Bros. distributed it in Australia, too. (For example, a poster ad in the I wouldn’t hold my (super-)breath waiting for 41st or 42nd Canberra Times of December 20, 1978, available online, says: anniversary issues, but if there’s more to report we may just “Released by Warner Brothers.”) soar back in 2028 for the 50th. So glad you liked the issue. 2. Page 22 gives the Internet Movie Database as source of the We appreciate your letter! information that Mario Puzo had contractual rights to a financial piece of any Superman novelization. BEST OF THE TRIBUTES If imdb.com was the only source, Just got [BACK ISSUE #109] In my mailbox yesterday! I’ve been this would be a slender basis on a GIANT Superman: The Movie fan for years since first seeing this which to accept this information. as a kid on the big screen, and have collected a good share of However, a contemporaneous memorabilia, almost hoarding every scrap of STM material that would source is available, as Robert cross my path… but I REALLY have to give a giant shoutout to Michael Greenberger relayed the same Eury and the other creators for this particular BACK ISSUE special. information in Starlog #46 (May It’s PACKED with rare Superman: The Movie art, photos, and interviews, 1981), which is available online. many of which I’ve never seen before (and I thought I’d seen most 3. Page 41 gives Pizzazz as an all of the STM images out there). There’ve been other Superman tributes this year, but this is example of a Marvel magazine that showcased Christopher easily the best one. I just wish there were a hardcover version of this! Reeve’s Superman on its front Surpassed expectations! Fantastic job, Mr. Eury!!! – Harvey Chin cover. Another example of roughly the same vintage is Marvel UK’s Starburst #5 [inset], Thank you, Harvey. BI #109 was a labor of love for ye ed and all of whose cover included the prom- its talented contributors, because… we love this movie, just like you! Speaking of rare STM images, keep reading… inent text, “A Marvel Monthly”

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“A TREAT FOR YOU”

Now, here’s a treat for you: neverbefore-published photos taken by Bill Davis, Sr., showing Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, and Margot’s stunt double during the filming of Superman: The Movie in New York City, which doubled as Metropolis. Mr. Davis worked across the street from the Daily News building, temporarily christened the “Daily Planet”! – Robert V. Conte A BIG thank-you to Mr. Davis for sharing these rarities… and Robert, for your kindness in forwarding these, you’ve just been made a member of the Jimmy Olsen Fan Club! Your vial of complimentary Elastic Lad serum is winging your way.

SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE ON EARTH-ONE

In my research for my article about the Bronze Age Superman vs. monsters (to appear next issue) I rediscovered the splash page below, written by Denny O’Neil and drawn by José Luis GarcíaLópez and Dick Giordano, showing a Gotham City billboard promoting Superman: The Movie. It’s from World’s Finest Comics #258, coverdated Aug.–Sept. 1979, which places its on-sale date at around May 10, 1979… meaning it was being produced some six or so months earlier, right when Superman was the darling of the box office. So, I wonder if Bruce Wayne took the time to go see it?

UP, UP AND AWAY

Just wanted to share some thoughts on the wonderful BACK ISSUE #109, the Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary tribute. Ever since the Supergirl issue [BI #84] featuring the Salkinds’ Supergirl, I have been hoping for a Superman Movie-related issue. BACK ISSUE #109 did not disappoint. I remember as a 12-year-old waiting in line in the freezing cold for a chance to see Superman on the big screen and how excited I felt afterwards. Somehow, the feeling was not the same after seeing Superman II a few years later. To me, Lois seemed downright mean to Clark Kent both before and after he gave up his powers for her. Although exciting, it seemed to be missing that special magic that the first movie had. A few minor quibbles. I wish the Dick Donner interview would have been included here instead of running it in RetroFan. I was also surprised that no mention was made of the wonderful tribute website: CapedWonder.com or any of the other Superman movie websites. I remember there was a wonderful fan adaptation of STM in cartoon, without any dialogue, just music, but I can’t seem to find it anymore. I loved the section you had on the influence the movie had on the comics, as well as featuring the Superman Movie Contest and Elliot Maggin’s excellent Superman novels. I too originally thought [the novel] was an adaptation of the movie, and in my mind I saw Christopher Reeve as Superman rather than picturing a Curt Swan-looking Superman. I also loved the Cary Bates Superman movie proposal, after all those times I remember seeing it mentioned in the back of the wonderful Comic Scene magazine of the ’80s and ’90s. I’ve shared a PDF of Action Comics #419 and my favorite Superman movie poster (which hardly seems to get showcased—any idea who did the artwork on it?). It seems that there was a direct influence here [see next page]. What do you think? Although I would have loved to see an Alex Ross Superman Chris Reeve cover, Gary Frank’s art from Superman: Secret Origin was a fine substitute. Thank you for bringing back the memories and putting out such a fine tribute issue. – Yaakov Gerber Re the Donner interview, we wanted to share the love of Superman with our RetroFan audience, which also includes readers outside of the normal TwoMorrows network (and RetroFan #3, for those of you who missed it, included additional Superman material, as well as articles on Irwin Allen’s sci-fi TV shows, Aquaman cartoons, Funny Face drink mix, Sea-Monkeys, and other crazy, cool stuff we grew up with; you can find out more about the mag, edited by yours truly, elsewhere in this issue). Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 77

I certainly didn’t intend to slight CapedWonder.com or any of the other Superman Movie-related sites, Yaakov, but assumed that most diehard STM fans were already well aware of their existence. But if not: Google “Superman Movie 1978” and get ready for some fun. And yes, there is a similarity between that 1978 Superman movie poster (which may be the work of painter Dan Goozee) and that 1972 Action cover (by a trio of A-list talent: penciler Neal Adams, inker Murphy Anderson, and colorist/ photographer Jack Adler). Did the cover inspire the poster? I’m uncertain, but if any former DC employees from back in the day know for sure, please email me at euryman@gmail.com and I’ll share your comments with readers.

IT VALIDATED ME, TOO

Thank you for the Superman: The Movie anniversary issue! I enjoyed every article in this issue! STM is, and remains, a Bronze Age cultural touchstone for many comics fans, and your coverage showed just what a reach it has had after four decades. Your editorial was spot-on excellent. I was a young adult when STM hit theaters, and you nailed exactly why it resonated with me. As you mentioned, this was a time when it wasn’t exactly cool to be 20 years old and still reading comic books. While waiting in line for the movie (one of several times), I struck up a conversation with a guy about my age. You could tell by the grin on his face that he was excited to see the movie; slightly embarrassed, he admitted that he used to read Superman comics as a kid. I took a leap of faith and said, “So did I, and I still do.” (Again, in those days that wasn’t something you readily admitted in public.) My new friend immediately revised his answer. “Yeah, me too!” It was the beginning of a time when we comics fans could emerge from our closets. Marvel’s hip, modern comics (along with Stan Lee’s Soapbox talks, God bless his soul) helped that movement, but they were still comic books. STM proved that you could make a multimillion-dollar movie from a comic-book character, provided you did it right. Karl Heitmueller’s cartoons are always a highlight of BACK ISSUE, but the message he wrote— that the movie succeeded because they “got” the character—pretty much explained it all. When people ask about my fascination with Superman, I always tell them it’s not because he has all those awesome powers; it’s because he has them and does the right thing with them. I enjoyed all of the interviews, but particularly the one with Jack O’Halloran. He struck me as a genuinely sincere man, one who I would love to sit and chat with. All of the interviews were filled with BI’s signature “facts I never knew,” those little behind-the-scenes stories that make this hobby even more fun. John Trumbull’s and Chris Franklin’s articles on STM’s influence in DC comics and other media— wow! Collecting all the movie’s references in a pair of articles like this makes a fan truly aware of the influence this film has had. After all, do you ever see references and homages from other Superman 78 • BACK ISSUE • Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue

movies? Superman Returns? Lois & Clark? Anything from the regrettable third and fourth installments in the Chris Reeve franchise? No, they always seem to come from that first film (and some from the second). After four decades, Superman: The Movie is still a film to savor again and again. Thanks for the coverage. – Michal Jacot

MOM’S SUPER NAP

Am looking forward to your Superman: The Movie special, which arrived yesterday. I won’t be bombarding you with stories on that one, even though I was present with the DC crowd who were invited to the first showing at the big-screen Ziegfeld Theater in NYC. Needless to relate, we were all rather ecstatic leaving the theater and I was eager to see it again. So eager, in fact, that I went again the next day when I was invited along with the Marvel folks who were seeing it for the first time. Unfortunately, my strongest memory of that day is riding down the escalator at the Ziegfeld and hearing my Lex Luthor, Ralph Macchio, sneer behind me, “What’s Terry Austin doing here—he’s not on staff!” and I turned and remarked, “I PAID for my ticket, Ralph, how about you?,” which shut him up as Marvel had bought tickets for their staffers but the theater was open for business and anyone with the price of a ticket could attend. I sat with the Marvel staffers who had invited me along and again, had a great time! Oh, and a short time later, I went home to Michigan to visit my folks, and I was anxious to share my exhilaration over the film with my mom, so I drove a great distance to the best TM & © DC Com ics. theater with the biggest screen so that she could have the excellent experience that I had had. Naturally, she slept through the whole thing! Strangely enough, I just received a photo from an old friend of mine who is a painter who has a next-door neighbor who used to design movie posters in L.A., who owns the first version original of Bob Peak’s Superman poster (and wants to sell it). Apparently, the studio execs wanted the red and yellow “punched up,” and Bob just painted another one rather than alter the first. Without the “S” symbol, it just doesn’t resonate, does it? Still, an interesting artifact! – Terry Austin Terry shared with me a photo of Bob Peak’s “prototype” Superman: The Movie poster painting, and at my request helped me connect with his friend’s neighbor, a graphic artist named Edmond Rivera. Mr. Rivera shared with me a clear photo of Mr. Peak’s original Superman painting, presented here (left) in its super-glory. Also, Edmond Rivera has this to share with BACK ISSUE readers (particularly the STM collectors out there):

I’m selling original Bob Peak Superman art. The client wanted [its] streak to pop more, so instead, Bob made another one.

Also, I created the [Superman: The Movie] special 18-page promo booklet that tells the story from the beginning; I’m showing a few pages [see above]. I do have quite a bit of Superman: The Movie collateral, including large ad proofs and additional ad concepts that were used throughout the country, a die-cut invitation for a special screening, ads, sheet poster with large logo, and credits printed on silver foil (the studio wanted to see what it looked like; I printed a few… they were never used), etc. Bottom line, I’m selling pieces. You can refer your readers to edart51@gmail.com and I’ll email them. – Edmond Rivera Wow! Ed Rivera’s design work can also be found on Flash Gordon and Jaws, two beloved movies of the BACK ISSUE generation.

SPOTLIGHT ON THREE PAGES

BACK ISSUE #109 gave us the sort of exceptional coverage of Superman: The Movie that I think most of your readers have come to expect. Why, just reading John Trumbull’s exceptional article detailing the myriad ways that the movie wove threads deep into the Superman comic universe, or Chris Franklin’s look at just how thoroughly an entire generation of creators was affected by the film, or… well, really, every article in the magazine, was a real a treat. The profound impact the film had and continues to have is celebrated on every page. I would however like to shine a spotlight on a mere three pages from this issue. First of all, let me congratulate you on hitting the nail right squarely on the head in your editorial. “Validated” is the most appropriate word that could be associated with the film, from a comic-book reader’s perspective. Superman and Titano TM & © DC Comics. BACK ISSUE TM & © TwoMorrows. All Rights Reserved.

To say that the movie allowed all of us superhero fans to hold our heads high and say, “See, we were right all along!” cannot be stated too strongly, and your editorial summed that fact up perfectly while also telling us how and why. By the way, how long had you been looking forward to using the phrasing in the last paragraph? Finally, I send out an extremely heartfelt thank-you to Karl Heitmueller, Jr. from me and, I am sure, legions of Superman fans. “Prince Street News” was the perfect articulation of exactly what it is Superman should be. Some people dislike the character either because of their own perceptions or those of creators whose viewpoints they have been subjected to. I feel if everyone understood the character the way Mr. Heitmueller does (and the creators of Superman: The Movie did), Superman would still be the most popular character in comics. When I got to the end of page 9, I am proud to say that I let out a small, “Yes!”’ and may even have given a little fist pump. Someone finally not only got it, but expressed it so perfectly. – Brian Martin I thank you, Brian, as do Karl, John, Chris, and everyone else connected to BACK ISSUE #109. Your letter made us feel validated. Next issue: Just in time for Halloween… Superheroes vs. Monsters! Superman battles monsters, Batman and the Horror Genre, DOUG MOENCH and KELLEY JONES’ Batman: Vampire, Marvel Scream-Up, Dracula and Godzilla vs. Marvel, DC/Dark Horse Hero vs. Monster crossovers, and a Baron Blood villain history. Featuring NEAL ADAMS, CARY BATES, CHRIS CLAREMONT, GERRY CONWAY, CHUCK DIXON, DAVE GIBBONS, MIKE GRELL, PAUL GULACY, DAN JURGENS, ADAM KUBERT, BENJAMIN RAAB, ROGER STERN, ROY THOMAS, MARV WOLFMAN, ALAN ZELENETZ, and more, under a Superman vs. Titano cover by MICHAEL GOLDEN. Don’t ask— just BI it! See you in thirty! Your friendly neighborhood Euryman, Michael Eury, editor-in-chief Sci-Fi Superheroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 79

A 25 Year Celebration! th

THE WORLD OF TWOMORROWS

In 1994, amidst the boom-&-bust of comic book speculators, THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #1 was published for true fans of the medium. That modest labor of love spawned TwoMorrows Publishing, today’s premier purveyor of publications about comics and pop culture. Celebrate our 25th anniversary with this special retrospective look at the company that changed fandom forever! Co-edited by and featuring publisher JOHN MORROW and COMIC BOOK ARTIST/COMIC BOOK CREATOR magazine’s JON B. COOKE, it gives the inside story and behind-the-scenes details of a quartercentury of looking at the past in a whole new way. Also included are BACK ISSUE magazine’s MICHAEL EURY, ALTER EGO’s ROY THOMAS, GEORGE KHOURY (author of KIMOTA!, EXTRAORDINARY WORKS OF ALAN MOORE, and other books), MIKE MANLEY (DRAW! magazine), ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON (MODERN MASTERS), and a host of other comics luminaries who’ve contributed to TwoMorrows’ output over the years. From their first Eisner Award-winning book STREETWISE, through their BRICKJOURNAL LEGO® magazine, up to today’s RETROFAN magazine, every major TwoMorrows publication and contributor is covered with the same detail and affection the company gives to its books and magazines. With an Introduction by MARK EVANIER, Foreword by ALEX ROSS, Afterword by PAUL LEVITZ, and a new cover by TOM McWEENEY! SHIPS NOVEMBER 2019! (224-page FULL-COLOR Trade Paperback) $34.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-092-2 (240-page ULTRA-LIMITED HARDCOVER) $75 Only 125 copies available for sale, with a 16-page bonus Memory Album! HARDCOVER NOT AVAILABLE THROUGH DIAMOND—DIRECT FROM TWOMORROWS ONLY! RESERVE YOURS NOW!

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #78

(SILVER ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!)

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (DELUXE EDITION with silver sleeve) $12.95 • (Digital Edition) $5.95

2019-2020

AND DON’T MISS #77: THE “MONSTERS & BUGS” ISSUE OUT NOW! SUBSCRIPTION RATES ECONOMY US Alter Ego (Six 100-page issues) $67 Back Issue (Eight 80-page issues) $82 BrickJournal (Six 80-page issues) $62 Comic Book Creator (Four 100-page issues) $45 Jack Kirby Collector (Four 100-page issues) $48 RetroFan (Four 80-page issues) $41

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Published 25 years after the launch of THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #1, this special SILVER ANNIVERSARY ISSUE shows how Kirby kickstarted the Silver Age of Comics with Challengers of the Unknown, examines how Jack revamped Golden Age legacy characters for the 1960s and beyond, outlines the lasting influence of his signature creation The Silver Surfer, and more! It includes special shout-outs to the fan and pro contributors who’ve helped publisher/editor JOHN MORROW celebrate the life and career of the King of Comics for a quarter century. And echoing John’s fateful choice to start this magazine in 1994, we’ll spotlight PIVOTAL DECISIONS (good and bad) Jack made throughout his comics career. Plus: A Kirby pencil art gallery, regular columnists, a classic 1950s story, and more! The STANDARD EDITION sports an unused Kirby THOR cover with STEVE RUDE’s interpretation of how it looked before alterations, while the DELUXE EDITION adds a silver cardstock outer sleeve featuring the Surfer with RUDE inks. SHIPS WINTER 2020!

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ER EISN RD AWAINEE! NOM

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BACK ISSUE #116

BACK ISSUE #117

BRICKJOURNAL #59

SUPERHEROES VS. MONSTERS! Monsters in Metropolis, Batman and the Horror Genre, DOUG MOENCH and KELLEY JONES’ Batman: Vampire, Marvel Scream-Up, Dracula and Godzilla vs. Marvel, DC/Dark Horse Hero/Monster crossovers, and a Baron Blood villain history. With CLAREMONT, CONWAY, DIXON, GIBBONS, GRELL, GULACY, JURGENS, THOMAS, WOLFMAN, and a cover by MICHAEL GOLDEN.

SUPERHERO STAND-INS! John Stewart as Green Lantern, James Rhodes as Iron Man, Beta Ray Bill as Thor, Captain America substitute U.S. Agent, new Batman Azrael, and Superman’s Hollywood proxy Gregory Reed! Featuring NEAL ADAMS, CARY BATES, DAVE GIBBONS, RON MARZ, DAVID MICHELINIE, DENNIS O’NEIL, WALTER SIMONSON, ROY THOMAS, and more, under a cover by SIMONSON.

STAR WARSTM THEMED BUILDERS! Travel to a galaxy far, far away with JACOB NEIL CARPENTER’S DEATH STAR, the work of MIRI DUDAS, and the LEGO® photography of JAMES PHILIPPART! Plus “AFOLs” by GREG HYLAND, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships Sept. 2019

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships Nov. 2019

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships Sept. 2019

MIKE GRELL

LIFE IS DRAWING WITHOUT AN ERASER

Career-spanning tribute covering Legion of Super-Heroes, Warlord, & Green Arrow at DC Comics, and Grell’s own properties Jon Sable, Starslayer, and Shaman’s Tears. Told in Grell’s own words, with PAUL LEVITZ, DAN JURGENS, DENNY O’NEIL, MARK RYAN, & MIKE GOLD. Heavily illustrated! (160-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $27.95 (176-page LTD. ED. HARDCOVER) $37.95 (Digital Edition) $12.95 • Now shipping!

RETROFAN #7

Featuring a JACLYN SMITH interview, as we reopen the Charlie’s Angels Casebook, and visit the Guinness World Records’ largest Charlie’s Angels collection. Plus: an exclusive interview with funnyman LARRY STORCH, The Lone Ranger in Hollywood, The Dick Van Dyke Show, a vintage interview with Jonny Quest creator DOUG WILDEY, a visit to the Land of Oz, the ultra-rare Marvel World superhero playset, and more! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships Dec. 2019

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ALTER EGO #160

ALTER EGO #161

ALTER EGO #162

REMEMBERING STEVE DITKO! Sturdy Steve at Marvel, DC, Warren, Charlton, and elsewhere! A rare late-1960s Ditko interview by RICHARD HOWELL— biographical notes by NICK CAPUTO— tributes by MICHAEL T. GILBERT, PAUL LEVITZ, BERNIE BUBNIS, BARRY PEARL, ROY THOMAS, et al. Plus FCA, JOHN BROOME, BILL SCHELLY, and more! Spider-Man cover by DITKO!

Full-issue STAN LEE TRIBUTE! ROY THOMAS writes on his more than 50-year relationship with Stan—and shares 21stcentury e-mails from Stan (with his permission, of course)! Art by KIRBY, DITKO, MANEELY, EVERETT, SEVERIN, ROMITA, plus tributes from pros and fans alike, and special sections on Stan by MICHAEL T. GILBERT, BILL SCHELLY, and even the FCA! Vintage cover by KIRBY and COLLETTA!

WILL MURRAY presents an amazing array of possible prototypes of Batman (by artist FRANK FOSTER—in 1932!)—Wonder Woman (by Star-Spangled Kid artist HAL SHERMAN)—Tarantula (by Air Wave artist LEE HARRIS), and others! Plus a rare Hal Sherman interview—MICHAEL T. GILBERT with more on artist PETE MORISI—FCA— BILL SCHELLY—JOHN BROOME—and more! Cover homage by SHANE FOLEY!

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Now shipping!

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Oct. 2019

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AMERICAN COMIC BOOK COMIC BOOK IMPLOSION ORAL HISTORY OF DC COMICS CHRONICLES: The 1990s AN CIRCA 1978! Marking the 40th anniver-

Year-by-year account of the decade when X-MEN #1 sold 8.1 million copies, IMAGE COMICS was formed, Superman died, Batman had his back broken, and Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN led to the VERTIGO line of adult comic books. Go behind-thescenes in that era of gimmicky covers, skimpy costumes, and mega-crossovers. By KEITH DALLAS and JASON SACKS.

sary of the “DC Implosion”, one of the most notorious events in comics (which left stacks of completed comic book stories unpublished and spawned Cancelled Comics Cavalcade). Featuring JENETTE KAHN, PAUL LEVITZ, LEN WEIN, MIKE GOLD, and others, plus detailed analysis of how it changed the landscape of comics!

(288-pg. FULL-COLOR Hardcover) $44.95 (Digital Edition) $15.95 • Now shipping!

(136-page paperback w/ COLOR) $21.95 (Digital Edition) $10.95 • Now shipping!

TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History.

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #20 COMIC BOOK CREATOR #21

KIRBY COLLECTOR #77

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOES! Interview with JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER (CRY FOR DAWN, VAMPIRELLA), a chat with JOE SINNOTT about his Marvel years inking Jack Kirby and work at TREASURE CHEST, JOE JUSKO discusses the Marvel Age of Comics and his fabulous “Corner Box Collection,” plus the artists behind the Topps bubble gum BAZOOKA JOE comic strips, CRAIG YOE, and more!

ERIC POWELL celebrates 20 years of THE GOON! with a career-spanning interview and a gallery of rare artwork. Plus CBC editor and author JON B. COOKE on his new retrospective THE BOOK OF WEIRDO, a new interview with R. CRUMB about his work on that legendary humor comics anthology, a look at DAVE COCKRUM’s design work for Aurora Models, JOHN ROMITA SR. on his admiration for the work of MILTON CANIFF, and more!

MONSTERS & BUGS! Jack’s monster-movie influences in The Demon, Forever People, Black Magic, Fantastic Four, Jimmy Olsen, and Atlas monster stories; Kirby’s work with “B” horror film producer CHARLES BAND; interview with “The Goon” creator ERIC POWELL; Kirby’s use of insect characters (especially as villains); MARK EVANIER and our other regular columnists, Golden Age Kirby story, and a Kirby pencil art gallery!

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Now shipping!

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Fall 2019

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KIRBY COLLECTOR #78

SILVER ANNIVERSARY ISSUE! How Kirby kickstarted the Silver Age and revamped Golden Age characters for the 1960s, the Silver Surfer’s influence, pivotal decisions (good and bad) Jack made throughout his comics career, Kirby pencil art gallery, MARK EVANIER and our regular columnists, a classic 1950s story, KIRBY/STEVE RUDE cover (and deluxe silver sleeve) and more! (100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (DELUXE EDITION w/ silver sleeve) $12.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Dec. 2019

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