Back Issue #123 by TwoMorrows Publishing

™

020 mber 2

3 2 1 . o N $9.95 Nove

82658 00407

The Many Loves of Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark • Star Sapphire villain history • Superhero Weddings • Elongated Man & Sue, Aunt May & Doc Ock, Torch & Alicia, Supergirl’s Secret Marriage and more! • featuring a wedding party of your favorite Bronze Age creators

Superhero Romance Issue

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE magazine celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through recurring (and rotating) departments like “Pro2Pro” (dialogue between professionals), “BackStage Pass” (behind-the-scenes of comicsbased media), “Greatest Stories Never Told” (spotlighting unrealized comics series or stories), and more!

Go to www.twomorrows.com for other issues, and an ULTIMATE BUNDLE, with all the issues at HALF-PRICE!

BACK ISSUE #113

BACK ISSUE #115

ER EISN RD !! AWA NER WIN

BACK ISSUE #110

BACK ISSUE #111

BACK ISSUE #112

MAKE MINE MARVEL! ENGLEHART’s “lost” issues of West Coast Avengers, O’NEIL and INFANTINO’s Marvel work, a WAID/ NOCENTI Daredevil Pro2Pro interview, British Bronze Age Marvel fandom, Pizzazz Magazine, Speedball, Marvel Comics Presents, and backstage at Marvel Comicon ’75 and ’76! With DeFALCO, EDELMAN, KAVANAGH, McDONNELL, WOLFMAN, and cover by MILGROM and MACHLAN.

ALTERNATE REALITIES! Cover-featuring the 20th anniversary of ALEX ROSS and JIM KRUEGER’s Marvel Earth X! Plus: What If?, Bronze Age DC Imaginary Stories, Elseworlds, Marvel 2099, and PETER DAVID and GEORGE PÉREZ’s senses-shattering Hulk: Future Imperfect. Featuring TOM DeFALCO, CHUCK DIXON, PETER B. GILLIS, PAT MILLS, ROY THOMAS, and many more! With an Earth X cover by ALEX ROSS.

NUCLEAR ISSUE! Firestorm, Dr. Manhattan, DAVE GIBBONS Marvel UK Hulk interview, villain histories of Radioactive Man and Microwave Man, Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy, and the one-shot Holo-Man! With PAT BRODERICK, GERRY CONWAY, JOE GIELLA, TOM GRINDBERG, RAFAEL KAYANAN, TOM MANDRAKE, BILL MORRISON, JOHN OSTRANDER, STEVE VANCE, and more! PAT BRODERICK cover!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BACK ISSUE #116

BACK ISSUE #117

BACK ISSUE #118

BATMAN MOVIE 30th ANNIVERSARY! Producer MICHAEL USLAN and screenwriter SAM HAMM interviewed, a chat with BILLY DEE WILLIAMS (who was almost Two-Face), plus DENNY O’NEIL and JERRY ORDWAY’s Batman movie adaptation, MINDY NEWELL’s Catwoman, GRANT MORRISON and DAVE McKEAN’s Arkham Asylum, MAX ALLAN COLLINS’ Batman newspaper strip, and JOEY CAVALIERI & JOE STATON’s Huntress!

SCI-FI SUPERHEROES! In-depth looks at JIM STARLIN’s Dreadstar and Company, and the dystopian lawman Judge Dredd. Also: Nova, GERRY CONWAY & MIKE VOSBURG’s Starman, PAUL LEVITZ & STEVE DITKO’s Starman, WALTER SIMONSON’s Justice Peace (from the pages of Thor), and GREG POTTER & GENE COLAN’s Jemm, Son of Saturn! With a Dreadstar and Company cover by STARLIN and ALAN WEISS!

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.

GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD! ALEX ROSS’ unrealized Fantastic Four reboot, DC: The Lost 1970s, FRANK THORNE’s unpublished Red Sonja, Fury Force, VON EEDEN’s Batman, GRELL’s Batman/Jon Sable, CLAREMONT and SIM’s X-Men/Cerebus, SWAN and HANNIGAN’s Skull and Bones, AUGUSTYN and PAROBECK’s Target, PAUL KUPPERBERG’s Impact reboot, abandoned Swamp Thing storylines, & more! ROSS cover.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History.

BACK ISSUE #119

BACK ISSUE #120

BACK ISSUE #121

BACK ISSUE #122

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ISSUE! A galaxy of comics stars discuss Marvel’s whitehot space team in the Guardians Interviews, including TOM DeFALCO, KEITH GIFFEN, ROB LIEFELD, AL MILGROM, MARY SKRENES, ROGER STERN, JIM VALENTINO, and more. Plus: Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon before the Guardians, with CHRIS CLAREMONT and MIKE MIGNOLA. Cover by JIM VALENTINO with inks by CHRIS IVY.

HEROES OF TOMORROW! Mon-El hero history, STEVE LIGHTLE’s Legionnaires, and the controversial Legion of Super-Heroes: Five Years era. Plus SEKOWSKY’s Manhunter 2070, GRELL’s Starslayer, Charlton’s Space: 1999 tie-in, Paradox, and MIKE BARON’s unfinished Sonic Disruptors series. Featuring the BIERBAUMS, BYRNE, GIFFEN, MAYERIK, SIMONSON, TRUMAN, VOSBURG, WAID, and more. LIGHTLE cover.

CONAN AND THE BARBARIANS! Celebrating Celebrates the 40TH ANNIVERSARY of the 50th anniversary of ROY THOMAS and MARV WOLFMAN and GEORGE PÉREZ’s BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH’s Conan #1! The New Teen Titans, featuring a guest editorial Bronze Age Barbarian Boom, Top 50 Marvel by WOLFMAN and a PÉREZ tribute and Conan stories, Marvel’s Not-Quite Conans art gallery! Plus: The New Teen Titans’ 40 (from Kull to Skull), Arak–Son of Thunder, GREATEST MOMENTS, the Titans in the Warlord action figures, GRAY MORROW’s media, hero histories of RAVEN, STARFIRE, Edge of Chaos, and Conan the Barbarian and the PROTECTOR, and more! With a at Dark Horse Comics. With an unused NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED PÉREZ TITANS WINDSOR-SMITH Conan #9 cover. COVER from 1981!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 USA 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com

Order at twomorrows.com

Volume 1, Number 123 November 2020 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Dave Gibbons (commissioned illustration from the collection of Paul Greer) COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS Mike W. Barr James Heath Lantz Cary Bates Bob Layton Chris Claremont Brian Martin Gerry Conway Franck Martini Tom DeFalco Marvel Comics J. M. DeMatteis Brad Meltzer Kevin Dooley Luigi Novi John Drake Dennis O’Neil Mike Dunne John Romita, Sr. Steve Englehart Bob Rozakis Carol Ferris Rose Rummel-Eury Dave Gibbons Buddy Scalera Grand Comics Paul Smith Database Joe Staton Robert Greenberger Roger Stern Paul Greer Ty Templeton Karl Heitmueller, Jr. Eddy Zeno Heritage Comics Auctions Phil Hester Dan Johnson John Kirk

Don’t STEAL our Digital Editions! C’mon citizen, DO THE RIGHT THING! A Mom & Pop publisher like us needs every sale just to survive! DON’T DOWNLOAD OR READ ILLEGAL COPIES ONLINE! Buy affordable, legal downloads only at

www.twomorrows.com or through our Apple and Google Apps!

& DON’T SHARE THEM WITH FRIENDS OR POST THEM ONLINE. Help us keep producing great publications like this one!

FLASHBACK: Weddings in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 From big events to nearly forgotten marriages, Robert Greenberger crashes comics’ hero-hitchings COVER GALLERY: Weird Wedding Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 These offbeat weddings might swear you off of dating for good! WHAT THE--?!: The Almost-Marriage of Aunt May and Doc Ock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 A walk down the aisle through The Amazing Spider-Man’s most offbeat love affair BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Star Sapphire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Green Lantern’s most mixed-up menace is of two minds on the subject of villainy FLASHBACK: The Romance of Ralph and Sue Dibny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Turns out that stretching isn’t the Elongated Man’s greatest attribute PRINCE STREET NEWS: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Cartoonist Karl Heitmueller, Jr. only has eyes for comicdom’s greatest lovers FLASHBACK: The Many Loves of Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Comparing and contrasting the Bronze Age romances of Batman and Iron Man IN MEMORIAM: Martin Pasko and Dennis O’Neil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 FLASHBACK: May–December Love in the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Cupids Claremont and Englehart discuss the controversial Colossus/Kitty Pryde and GL/Arisia love affairs PRO2PRO: Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 The Johnny Storm/Alicia Masters marriage from the writers who shook up fandom ART GALLERY: Bronze Age Power Couples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Rare illos of some of our favorite superhero sweethearts ONE-HIT WONDERS: Supergirl’s Secret Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The bombshell event that was detonated at wake of Supergirl’s tragic death in Crisis BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Reader reactions 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: $89 Economy US, $135 International, $36 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Dave Gibbons. Green Lantern and Star Sapphire TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2020 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows, except Prince Street News © 2020 Karl Heitmueller, Jr. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

by R

2 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

obert Greenberger

And Lo, There Shall Be… a Wedding Covers for some of the DC and Marvel marriage issues explored in this article. Wedding cake photo by shine oa / Wikimedia Commons. Amazing Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Incredible Hulk, Ka-Zar, Sub-Mariner, X-Men TM & © Marvel. Action Comics, Batman and the Outsiders, Jonah Hex, Justice League of America, Legion of Super-Heroes, Mister Miracle, Superboy, Swamp Thing, Teen Titans TM & © DC Comics.

“Mawage. Mawage is wat bwings us togeder today. Mawage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam wifin a dream... “And wuv, twue wuv, will fowwow you foweva... “So tweasure your wuv- ”

The Princes Bride © 20th Century Fox.

-The Impressive Clergyman, The Princess Bride

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 3

A staple in the stories we grew up on since early childhood usually involves a great romance, often culminating in true lovers finding one another and maybe even getting married. They then live happily ever after. Or so we’re told. In comic books, marriage has proven to be a tricky affair. It seems the enduring marriages can only happen to supporting and peripheral characters while the protagonists have to love and maybe try marriage. But so often, it never lasts. The Bronze Age of Comics was a time when many of those long-simmering romances culminated in storied ceremonies, but all too few have them have survived retcons, crises, and the vicissitudes of monthly storytelling.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE SILVER AGE

As comic books were considered children’s fare (despite the fact that soldiers read them while at war), the Golden Age heroes couldn’t marry their beloveds since that would make them seem… old, like the readers’ parents. Most every hero had a mate, a constant companion, someone who knew their alter ego, most remaining blissfully ignorant. When the Silver Age launched, the conventional wisdom that comic readers were averaging eight to ten years old was upended. Heroes could now have steady girlfriends or boyfriends and maybe even date around. Slowly, but surely, the concept of married superheroes was rolled out. They were few and far between, but the readers rejoiced because after a steady dose of Imaginary Stories and fake-outs, these were real. Without fanfare, editor Julie Schwartz’s revival of Hawkman in The Brave and the Bold #34 (Feb.–Mar. 1961) gave us Katar and Shayera Hol as a married couple from Thanagar, come to Earth on a case. The first to tie the knot were Ralph Dibny and Susan Dearbon, as recounted in The Flash #119 (Mar. 1961), a mere year after the Elongated Man first met the Fastest Man Alive. In “The Elongated Man’s Undersea Trap!” we not only meet Sue for the first time, but they marry according to a newspaper headline, and Ralph reveals his identity to the world. Forever after, they are partners and world-renowned celebrities. Then, in rapid succession, we had three more high-profile pairings. In 1963, Aquaman met the other-dimensional Mera, beginning a 14-month courtship that culminated in their marriage in issue #18 (Nov.–Dec. 1964) of the Sea King’s title. Their wedding was attended by a handful of the Justice League and Robin, the Boy Wonder. When Reed Richards finally married Susan Storm in the pages of Fantastic Four Annual #3 in 1965, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby tossed in every hero and villain you could ask for, with the creators themselves trying to attend the affair. This seemed to set the standard for superhero nuptials, as we shall see. In 1966, Steve Dayton, the millionaire who adventured as Mento, married Rita Farr, actress-turned-member of the Doom Patrol, in Doom Patrol #104. In attendance, in a rare crossover of DC editorial franchises, were Batman, Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Beast Boy’s Teen Titans pals Kid Flash, Robin, and Wonder Girl. The oddest attendee had to be Super Hip, the humorous superhero from the pages of DC’s licensed title starring comedian Bob Hope. A few months later, Barry Allen and Iris West finally wed, but not before Eobard Thawne impersonated Barry, in the hopes of stealing Iris from him. It gave rise to that wonderful cover where the Flash objects to Barry marrying Iris.

Silver Age Ceremonies A sampling of superhero weddings from the 1960s (although the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl— later Hawkwoman—were already married when they arrived on Earth). Elongated Man, Hawkman, The Brave and the Bold, Aquaman, Flash, Doom Patrol TM & © DC Comics. Fantastic Four and Avengers TM & © Marvel.

4 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

I Do, Duo Damsel The wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel (nee Triplicate Girl), from Superboy starring the Legion of Super-Heroes #200 (Jan.–Feb. 1974). Can you spot a couple of seriesmisplaced Martians in the crowd? By Bates and Cockrum. TM & © DC Comics.

As the Silver Age drew to a close, Roy Thomas and John Buscema threw readers for a loop when Janet Van Dyne was ready to marry, after a whirlwind romance, the brash newcomer Yellowjacket. It was revealed he was really her longtime lover, Hank Pym (in the first of his series of psychotic breaks, which would haunt him for decades).

THE BRONZE AGE OF WEDDINGS

There appeared to be a lull in weddings as the first generation of creators made way for the next generation, as both the characters and readers continued to age. Then, like a dam bursting, three couples wed in 1974, kicking off the Bronze Age in earnest. The festivities began in DC’s 30th Century as the unlikely pairing of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel wed in Superboy #200 (Jan.–Feb. 1974). Bouncing Boy was a well-liked character, despite his seemingly useless power and his runs of bad luck where he lost his “bounce” and resigned, only to regain his powers before leaving he team second time. Meanwhile, Duo Damsel was originally Triplicate Girl until one of her bodies was destroyed by Computo. Once she got over her long-time crush on Superboy, she began spending time with Bouncing Boy. Fulfilling Adventure Comics #354’s Adult Legion revelation that they would one day wed, their friendship blossomed into love. In the pivotal story from Cary Bates and Dave Cockrum, the team’s longtime foe Starfinger arrives and steals one half of Duo Damsel’s dual bodies. He wants to study her and learn to replicate himself. It’s Superboy, Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy to the rescue before the entire team, minus Shadow Lass and Mon-El, turn up for the ceremony. They willingly wed despite knowing the by-laws of the day meant they had to resign from the team. When Cockrum asked for the original art from the wedding, editor Murray Boltinoff was willing to give it up, but editorial director Carmine Infantino refused, causing Cockrum to quit the series and take a job across town at Marvel, leading to his X-Men work. Love works in mysterious ways. Barely a month later, the final issue of Mister Miracle, #18 (Feb.–Mar. 1974), resulted in writer/artist/editor Jack Kirby giving his titlestarring hero and Big Barda, Mister Miracle’s lover, a happy ending. When Scott Free (Mister Miracle) tried to escape Apokolips, as recounted earlier in the run, he encountered Barda, one of Granny Goodness’ Female Furies, who abandoned her team to follow him to Earth. They fought for a “normal” life on Earth as Darkseid commanded his forces to retrieve his adopted son and his well-trained weapon. Instead, they persevered and his true father, Izaya (Highfather),

leader of the New Gods of New Genesis, conducted the brief ceremony, with Orion and Lightray in attendance, which ended with them jointly touching Izaya’s Wonder Staff (let’s not go there). Darkseid arrived to spoil things, but it was too late; they were married and one of the more enduring romances of the DC Universe has continued despite reboots and reshufflings of reality. Several months pass before Marvel takes a turn at superhero marriages, and a more surprising wedding had yet to be depicted. Quicksilver (Pietro), the mutant speedster and brother to the Scarlet Witch, had been a member of the team since issue Avengers #16, but came and went under Roy Thomas’ scripting tenure. In his final issue of Avengers (#104, Oct. 1972), the writer left the hero on the horns of a dilemma as Pietro lay dying following an attack by a Sentinel. Thomas picked up the thread four months later in Fantastic Four #131, where he revealed that Quicksilver had been rescued by Crystal of the Inhumans and brought to hidden race’s home of Attilan. During his recovery, the speedster fell in love with the young elemental… much to the dismay of Crystal’s old boyfriend, the Human Torch. The hot-tempered, prejudiced Quicksilver rejected his sister’s by-then-established romance with the Vision. Maybe it was brotherly concern or bruised feelings since it meant she’d be spending less time with him. Maybe it was jealousy since he’d never had a romance of his own. Whatever the reason, Pietro announced his engagement to Crystal soon after (Avengers #110), but became estranged from his sister over her own continued romance with the Vision. Cut to Avengers #127 (Sept. 1974) from writer/colorist Steve Englehart and artists Sal Buscema and Joe Staton. Gorgon of the Inhumans interrupted the Avengers’ Thanksgiving meal when he and Lockjaw arrived, wondering why the heroes weren’t pampering themselves for the wedding. Their blank looks caused him to thunder, “You did not know! It was arranged for that arrogant, posturing fool to notify you, but you did not know!” As we pick up in Fantastic Four #150, by writer Gerry Conway and penciler Rich Buckler, Crystal greets the team and so wants to get know her future sister-in-law Wanda. The theme of prejudice is made manifest here as the Inhumans’ own preconceptions against Attilan’s Alpha Primitives is used to power a machine designed by the black sheep of the Royal Family: Maximus the Mad. He uses it on Medusa and Iron Man, who attacked Alpha Primitives in front of a cheering crowd, exacerbating matters. Maximus had been working with a being called Omega, who was revealed to be—wait for it—Ultron-7. Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 5

Kirby’s First Eternals? (left) Highfather presides over the union of Scott Free and Barda in Mister Miracle #18 (Feb. –Mar. 1974), the final issue of the original series before being revived a few years later. Edited, written, and illustrated by Jack Kirby, with inks by Mike Royer. (right) Scribe Steve Englehart united two offbeat couples in Giant-Size Avengers #4 (June 1975)! Art by Don Heck and John Tartaglione. Mister Miracle, Big Barda, and Highfather TM & © DC Comics. Avengers TM & © Marvel.

It’s a battle royale on an epic scale, but just when things look bleak for our heroes, Franklin Richards—“ …who has lain in a coma these many months. Franklin, a mere child… whose brain contains power enough to consume an entire planet!”—wakes up from his long coma (it’s an anniversary issue, after all) and zaps the bad guys. Then we have a wedding, with Black Bolt walking Crystal down the aisle, followed by a feast. Thor, Iron Man, and the Human Torch are all given a moment to reflect on their own romances, especially Johnny Storm, who had dated Crystal for a while and determined she never really loved him. Still, his later romance with Medusa had a certain ick factor embedded. The hows and whys of Crystal and Pietro Maximoff’s unexpected romance will have to wait to be filled in over the following years. It was an odd pairing, and one that didn’t seem to have the foundations to last— nor did it, but not before they had a daughter, Luna. Which leads us to the most cosmic double ceremony in comics history. The event began with the arrival of Mantis, the Vietnamese call girl, in Avengers #112 (June 1973). With incoming writer Steve Englehart putting the team through its paces, things were never what they appeared to be. “Basically, Mantis was supposed to be a hooker who would join the Avengers and cause dissension amongst all the male members by coming on to each of them in turn,” Englehart told Sean Howe in Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. “She was introduced

6 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

to be a slut. I’ve always been a big fan of sex, and I would see these grown-up super-hero guys fight super-villains, then they’d meet a woman, they’d bluish and stammer. They were like big teenage boys, which always seemed dumb to me, because I was accepting them as grown-up men, so why didn’t they act like grown-up men?” When Kang the Conqueror arrived, seeking the Celestial Madonna, all eyes turned to the humble Mantis. She had been secretly trained by the Priests of Pama, a sect of the Kree. She was brainwashed into believing herself human so she could experience life before transcending to her cosmic status. No one anticipated her romance with the Swordsman, one-time villain, now a reformed hero who wound up sacrificing his life for her. Meanwhile, the romance between Wanda the Scarlet Witch and the synthezoid Vision, which began all the way back in Avengers #92, was heating up to a boil. Along the way, the Avengers are attacked by Immortus and Rama Tut, different incarnations of Kang. Englehart, who loved playing with the Marvel continuity, also revealed that the Cotati, a plant-like race which once co-existed on Hala with the Kree, were the ones to become the Priests of Pama. It was these wise beings who were grooming the arrogant and not terribly well-liked Moondragon to be the Celestial Madonna should Mantis fall. Then, in Giant-Size Avengers #4 (June 1975), with

art by Don Heck and John Tartaglione, the Vision’s travels through time and space to learn his true nature takes him to the Dark Dimension, where he must rescue his beloved Scarlet Witch. Meanwhile, the Cotati reveal that everything endured by the heroes was really a test for Mantis. Upsetting matters, though, were the warring Immortus and Kang, as the latter wanted Mantis for himself. Once the dust settles, Immortus presides over the double wedding of Mantis and the Cotati spirit of Swordsman, as well as the Vision and the Scarlet Witch. A month later, being summer and a perfect time for weddings, one of DC’s long-lasting couples finally wed in the pages of Justice League of America #120–121 (July–Aug. 1975). Adam Strange, a human archaeologist who was transported by the Zeta Beam 25 trillion light years to the planet Rann, fell in love with Alanna, daughter of Sardath, the scientist who invented the beam. They enjoyed countless adventures together but each time, as the radiation wore off, Strange was returned to Earth. In 1966, Sardath altered the conditions so that Adam could remain on his adoptive planet permanently. An early wedding to Alanna was planned before an attack by the Manhawks disrupted the ceremony (Hawkman #18). Curiously, the marriage plans were postponed for nine years… at which point the bride-tobe was seemingly disintegrated. Reaching out of the Justice League for help, Adam eventually unmasked the

culprit as the JLA’s old foe Kanjar Ro. He also discovered that his lover was still alive and joined the JLA in defeating the alien conqueror, who had faked her death. The World’s Greatest Superheroes remained long enough for Adam and Alanna to finally marry, as depicted by writer Cary Bates and artist Dick Dillin. Marriages are the stuff of legend, and during this era readers even went back in time for two key weddings. As Western heroes grew in prominence in comics of the 1950s, DC cowboy Johnny Thunder (not to be confused with the Thunderbolt-commanding member of the Justice Society) took over All-Star Comics, and it was renamed All-Star Western. Thunder rode the plains throughout the decade, but as superheroes regained popularity in the emerging Silver Age, the genre strips tried to adapt. Here, the red-haired masked Madame .44 showed up for the final three installments of Johnny’s feature in 1961 courtesy of Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella. Jeanne Walker took to vigilantism after her father was killed over a gold vein he discovered. She relocated to Mesa City, where she met and fell for Johnny Thunder, learning of his teacher persona of John Tane. The pair were revisited by Mike Tiefenbacher and Kane in “Whatever Happened to Johnny Thunder” in 1980’s DC Comics Presents #28. There we learned they married and had children. The more significant Old West wedding had to be the pairing of the scarred loner, Jonah Hex, and Mei Ling. Writer Michael Fleisher introduced the Chinese

Marvel’s Macabre Marriages (left) Ol’ Vlad, not known for monogamous relationships, ties the knot with Domini in Tomb of Dracula #46 (July 1976). Cover by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. (right) It’s a weird wedding night for King Conan and Queen Zenobia on John Buscema’s cover to Conan Annual #5 (1979). Tomb of Dracula TM & © Marvel. Conan TM & © Conan Properties International, LLC.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 7

Adam Rann Down the Aisle (top) Detail from the Dick Dillin/Frank McLaughlin original art to the wedding of Adam Strange of Earth/Alanna of Rann. From Justice League of America #121 (Aug. 1975). (bottom) It t’weren’t ’spected by readers, but ol’ Jonah Hex got hisself hitched in issue #45 (Feb. 1981) of his own magazine. Both, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

woman in 1979 and there were immediate sparks between the two characters. However, Hex’s violent ways bothered her and she wound up leaving him somewhat heartbroken, until she reappeared in his life two years later. By this point, he was planning on retiring from bounty hunting after one last job. She wore him down and they decided to get married, settling in Colorado. En route, they were attacked and she displayed impressive martial-arts skills, but then he surprised her—and readers—by wounding instead of killing the gang, proving he could change his ways. As they prepared for the nuptials, we see the rampant racism prevalent of the time, including that of her brother Mei Wong, who disowned his sister for marrying a white man. Their wedding in Jonah Hex #45 (Feb. 1981) was catered by Fleisher, Dick Ayers, and Tony DeZuñiga. One might expect happiness, but Fleisher doesn’t do happy. After Mei Ling gives birth to a son, she realizes Hex will never truly change and she takes the baby and abandons him. (We had already been introduced to Hex’s future second wife, Tall Bird, in 1979’s Jonah Hex Spectacular, so we knew this union was doomed from the beginning.)

EVEN CIVILIANS GET MARRIED

Not every marriage was necessarily between costumed champions, as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #156 (May 1976), where Daily Bugle coworkers Ned Leeds and Betty Brant married. Betty had been dating Peter Parker for a time prior to this, and shortly after their breakup she developed feelings for the reporter, Ned. Their relationship was tested when he was dispatched to Europe, and they kept in touch via letters. That proved to strengthen their bond, so when Leeds returned from assignment, he proposed. For Betty, the problem was that she still had feelings for Peter, who picked up on the signals and did his level best to quash them. Despite it being an interoffice romance, Betty and Ned’s boss, J. Jonah Jameson, approved and hosted an engagement party at his penthouse apartment. Being a Spider-Man story, things did not go smoothly and the costumed villain Mirage wanted to rob the wedding guests, requiring Spidey’s intervention. The ceremony proceeded, with Mary Jane Watson as Betty’s maid of honor. A mere ten issues later, Harry Osborn told the world he was engaged to Liz Allan, whom he finally met at the Brant/Leeds wedding. Unlike the other weddings here, this one happened between issues and wasn’t revealed until Spectacular Spider-Man #63 (Feb. 1982). Perhaps that was the for the best, because not long after she gave birth to Normie Osborn, Harry went insane again and became the Green Goblin, seeming to die. They were formally divorced after the reality reset during the 2008 Spider-Man continuity reboot “Brand New Day.” Although Liz dated around, including Foggy Nelson, she couldn’t shake her feelings for Norman, and they resumed dating during the “Secret Empire” storyline. 8 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Sound the Bugle! Ned Leeds and Betty Brant are walking down the aisle! Amazing Spider-Man #156 (May 1976) original cover art by John Romita, Sr. Courtesy of Heritage. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 9

Meanwhile, on Earth-Two The Golden Age’s World’s Finest heroes get hitched to their longtime heartthrobs! (left) The wedding of Superman and Lois Lane in Action Comics #484 (by Cary Bates, Curt Swan, and Joe Giella). (right) Bruce (Batman) Wayne and Selina (Catwoman) Kyle say “I do” in the Huntress origin in DC Super-Stars #17 (by Paul Levitz, Joe Staton, and Bob Layton). TM & © DC Comics.

EARTH-TWO RINGS THEM WEDDING BELLS

The first superhero romance took four decades to evolve into wedded bliss. To celebrate Action Comics’ 40th anniversary, DC editor Julie Schwartz let the Superman and Lois Lane of Earth-II (home to the original Golden Age heroes) finally wed in Action #484 (June 1978). Its José Luis García-López cover cleverly hid Superman’s old-fashioned S-shield, a sure giveaway that this was not the contemporary Action Ace, leading readers to believe this was the “real” wedding. The love affair between this Superman and Lois, though, proved to be the bedrock foundation for the universe, a pivotal element not only in Crisis on Infinite Earths but later, in Infinite Crisis. Similarly, the long-simmering romance between Batman and Catwoman also resulted in a wedding, although this one was drawn out a bit. According to the splash page in the Huntress’ debut story in DC Super-Stars #17, and Superman Family #211, the pair had married. The exact details went unexplored until Alan Brennert, Joe Staton, and George Freeman delivered the touching “Night of Passion… Night of Fear!” in The Brave and the Bold #197 (Apr. 1983), which turns out to be one of the most reprinted tales covered here. There were other Earth-Two weddings, right up to the continuity-altering events of the Crisis. Liberty Belle, first introduced in Boy Commandos #1, and Johnny Quick, who first uttered his speed formula in More Fun Comics #71 (Sept. 1941), were regulars in writer Roy Thomas’ All-Star Squadron, and in time they developed feelings for one another. This played out right up to their April

10 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

1, 1942 wedding in issue #50, which later resulted in the arrival of Jesse Quick, a member of Team Flash. Around the same time, the Golden Age Green Lantern and his frequent opponent since 1947, Harlequin, also admitted their feelings for each other and formally married in Infinity, Inc. Annual #1 (1985), from Roy and Dann Thomas, Ron Harris, Todd McFarlane, Tony DeZuñiga, Dick Giordano, Alfredo Alcala, and Richard Howell. (This was GL Alan Scott’s second marriage; the first was to Thorn—Alyx Forrest—and she is mother to the heroes Jade and Obsidian.) Another festering romance dating to the Golden Age was also finally addressed just before the Crisis rewrote history. In Wonder Woman #329, Gerry Conway and Don Heck oversaw the final issue of the heroine, resulting in Zeus presiding over the wedding of Princess Diana of Paradise Island and Col. Steve Trevor, USAF. Their on again/off again romance simmered throughout his first crash landing on the island’s shores in 1941 and remains a piece of the lore regardless of reality. One of the final pre-Crisis weddings was that of Rex Mason and Sapphire Stagg. The adventurer had been altered by the Orb of Ra into Metamorpho the Elemental Man, although the strong-willed Sapphire never stopped loving him. Their romance was frequently interrupted by her domineering father Simon and Java, the resurrected Neanderthal who wanted the beautiful woman for himself. Mike W. Barr and David Ross finally gave them the wedding they longed for in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #2 (1984). While both have been through a lot, they remain active today, just not married.

In the wake of the Crisis, the weddings continued. One reason the Teen Titans couldn’t participate in the cosmic event was because Tamaran demanded that Princess Koriand’r (Starfire) return home in order to fulfill her betrothal to Karras, prompting Nightwing and Jericho to follow to make sure this was something Starfire wanted. The ceremony occurred in New Teen Titans #17 (Feb. 1986), by Marv Wolfman and Ed Barreto, although Karras would perish in battle not long after. Another star-crossed pairing occurred in Green Lantern Corps #213 (June 1987), when John Stewart of Sector 2814 married fellow Lantern Katma Tui, she of sector 1417. She had trained him to replace Hal Jordan and they fell in love, with the Guardians of the Universe blessing the union. It was soon after bloodily torn asunder when Star Sapphire killed her to make a point to Jordan, who resumed wielding the power ring. While back then it was a seeming footnote in the saga of Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, joined together as Firestorm, we can’t ignore the wedding of Ronnie’s dad, Ed, to Felicity Smoak. Introduced by writer Gerry Conway, Felicity ran a software firm and often became the human face to the collateral damage of Firestorm’s sometimes reckless actions. In a touch of irony, she began dating Ed and married him, unaware her stepson was the cause of so much grief. She has since gone on, of course, to fame as the heart and soul of the CW’s Arrow television series.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

DC’s All-New Collector’s Edition (formerly Limited Collector’s Edition) #C-55, a tabloid-sized series, arrived as another long-time couple finally were married. “You have to remember, once you get to ’76 or so, part of my [DC corporate] job was at least to be in the room in all of those discussions, and over time it evolved into more and more of my responsibility, so whether it was the double-sized format or going monthly or getting a tabloid, the Legon had a pretty good advocate in the room,” Paul Levitz told Glen Cadigan in The Legion Companion. “The book was doing fairly well at the time, so it wasn’t unreasonable to argue for it, but it also had somebody there really with a definite interest in promoting it. As a result, he and penciler Mike Grell told a story that culminated in co-founders Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl tying the knot. “Once we decided to do a Legion tabloid, to try and do something that would make it an event, that was the most logical first major event in the Legion [to] come back to, fulfilling the beginnings of where the book came from.” Still, not everyone was present with Legion reservists Supergirl, Lana Lang, and Pete Ross absent. Also in 1978, another longtime romance culminated in a wedding, the seeds of which were first planted in the final issue of The Atom and Hawkman #45 (Oct.–Nov. 1969). There, Denny O’Neil and Dick Dillin depicted lawyer Jean Loring being kidnapped by the sub-atomic Jimberen, who wanted her as their queen since her ancestor (!) was their first monarch. However, the sub-atomic realms’ unique radiation affected her mind, driving her driven insane. The Mighty Mite and Winged Wonder sought a cure, a thread unresolved until Justice League of America #81 (June 1970), where they took her to Thanagar for a cure. Jean’s mental stability was fine for another seven years in our time, although mere months passed for our heroes in DC continuity time. Masterminding Loring’s latest troubles was writer Gerry Conway, assigned by incoming editor Paul Levitz to join him in making Super-Team Family a unique series (for more on that title, see BI #66). The Flash, Supergirl, Atom, Iris Allen, and Jean Loring all found themselves in issue #11 (June–July 1977), taken to another dimension as a part of T. O. Morrow’s latest scheme. Once more, the events and alien environment preyed on her fragile mind, triggering a fresh nervous breakdown and causing the semi-sentient world to send her… somewhere. “The Atom didn’t have his own title or series, so that made him available,” Conway told Dan Johnson. “One of the downsides to a team-up book is that it can’t really have an effect on the characters in their own titles, so the notion I had was let this have an effect on a peripheral character, one who isn’t the main character in each story, but is central to the story. What happens

High Society (top) Detail from All-Star Squadron #50, uniting Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle. (center) Green Lantern Alan Scott and the Harlequin finally tie the knot in Infinity, Inc. Annual #1, a relationship that had its roots in the Golden Age (bottom). TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 11

to him is important. What happens in his story is important. I could focus attention on the Atom and do character development on him.” Hawkman and Green Lantern helped the search across the galaxy in issue #12, although she remained elusive. Conway was writing not only Super-Team Family but Secret Society of Super-Villains, so he allowed the search for Jean to spread there, too. The villainous (and not Carol Ferris) Star Sapphire [whose story is told elsewhere in this issue—ed.] wants to harness Jean’s unstable, uncontrollable, radiation-based powers, as seen in SSOSV #10. Captain Comet, an honorary JLAer, and Aquaman combined their telepathic powers to help locate and heal Jean. Just as this was winding up, the title was cancelled, and Conway was tapped to replace Steve Englehart on JLA. Gerry immediately began his tenure by continuing

the Ray/Jean subplot, culminating in the wedding seen in issue #157 (Aug. 1978). “I really didn’t intend to do that from the get-go,” Conway told Johnson in BI #66. “To be perfectly honest, I just come up with generalized situations that offer conflicts and then see where they take me. I think I knew that eventually, for [the Atom] to grow, we had to have that character marry Jean Loring.” The poor woman would go on to divorce Ray in the 1980s and suffer greatly in the 2000s. Fans were finally treated the sprawling saga from multiple titles in February 2020 when DC released the hardcover reprint Justice League of America: The Wedding of the Atom and Jean Loring (with an intro by yours truly). Another overlooked wedding—one long forgotten— was that of Foggy Nelson to Debbie Harris. She was introduced way back in Daredevil #10 (Oct. 1965), and we were told she and Foggy had dated in junior high school. She reentered his life when she approached him to join candidate Abner Jones’ reform party, which proved to be a fundamental error in judgment. She turned state witness against Jones and soon after began dating him during his run for district attorney. They finally got engaged in Daredevil #44, but the wedding itself didn’t happen until issue #166 (Sept. 1980), in a story from Roger McKenzie and Frank Miller. Despite knowing him for so many years, she grew to be disenchanted with his “boring” work as an attorney and wound up having an affair with Micah Synn, unaware he was a killer. By issue #218, she filed for legal separation and she quickly vanished from the comics, unseen since DD #230. A happier comic event was the joining of Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Lilandra Neramani just months later. When Xavier and his X-Men first traveled beyond Earth, they encountered the Shi’ar and their superpowered protectors. The Shi’ar’s leader, Lilandra, and Xavier felt an instant rapport with Professor X that quickly blossomed into love. She even abandoned her people to follow him to Earth, which she found crude and somewhat savage, as seen X-Men #113–114. Soon after, he came to believe his team had been killed, so she urged him to join her on Chandilar as her consort as depicted by Chris Claremont and John Byrne in #117–118 (Sept.–Oct. 1978). It wasn’t until 2018 we discovered they produced a daughter, Xandra, half-sister to David Geller (Legion). The relationship, though, didn’t last and he is currently back on Earth, overseeing the mutants’ new life on Krakoa.

BACK TO THE PAST

According to the Nemedian legends, there came a time Conan the Cimmerian met the concubine of their king. She met and secretly fell in love with the brooding noble savage. It was finally years later that they would meet again and he would make her his bride, with Zenobia becoming the queen of Aquilonia. Roy Thomas adapted Robert E. Howard’s chronicles, depicting the wedding in the pages of Conan Annual #5 in 1979. With art by the titanic team of John Buscema and Ernie Chan, we saw how the demon Tsotha-Lanti, allied with Count Drago,

Helluva Love Affair (top) Lightning Lad marries Saturn Girl, from All-New Collector’s Edition #C-55. (center) Foggy Nelson weds Debbie Harris, from Daredevil #166. (bottom) Hellcat and the Son of Satan, from Defenders #122. Legion of Super-Heroes TM & © DC Comics. Daredevil and Defenders TM & © Marvel.

12 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Alter Egos in Attendance Ray (Atom) Palmer and Jean Loring’s wedding, with JLAers in attendance in their secret identities, plus a handy-dandy lettercol key identifying the wedding party, from Justice League of America #157 (Aug. 1978). TM & © DC Comics.

impersonated Zenobia on their wedding night, hoping to kill him. When he slew the demon, he rescued his bride and they wed, ultimately giving the world Conan II. Another savage of sorts also got married a few years later. Lord Kevin Plunder, better known as Ka-Zar, had taken up with fellow adventurer Shanna O’Neil. They had shared several exploits before they realized they had fallen in love with one another in the pages of Ka-Zar the Savage, but not before she married Mele of the Botor, only to lose him during a hunting accident. At one point, it appeared Ka-Zar was dead and the traumatized Shanna traveled to New York, romanced Peter Parker, got institutionalized, and was finally rescued when the not-so-dead Ka-Zar arrived. They returned to the Savage Land and wed in issue #29 (May 1984), courtesy of Mike Carlin, Ron Frenz, and Armando Gil. These pulp adventures weren’t the only unlikely Marvel weddings. Earlier, Marv Wolfman created the Church of the Damned, run by Anton Lupeski. At one Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 13

Royal Wedding Karate Kid and Princess Projectra are wed in this double-page spread quite gloriously rendered by this issue’s cover artist, Dave Gibbons, in 1983’s Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2. Original art courtesy of Heritage. TM & © DC Comics.

point, Lupeski groomed Domini, who was raised in a convent before joining his cult, to be a human sacrifice. The lord of the vampires interfered, hoping to co-opt the human followers for his own purposes. Disguised as the very demon Lupeski worshipped, he had Domini offered up as a bride, and Dracula accepted in Tomb of Dracula #46 (July 1976). In time, she gave birth to their son, Janus, who became a pawn in the struggle between vampire and cult leader. Janus died, was resurrected, magically aged, and then he seemingly died, the body never found.

WEDDINGS GROW DEADLIER

So remained the state of comics’ married couples for a few years, as comicdom took a collective breath and the 1970s gave way to a new, grimmer, grittier decade. The stakes grew commensurate with the new approaches to storytelling and characterization, driven in large part by the growing influence of the direct-market comic shops that consolidated a readership eager for more realistic heroes and villains. When Jim Shooter created four new Legionnaires to keep things fresh, way back in Adventure Comics #346 (July 1966), he never intended for two of them to fall in love. Yet Princess Projectra, heir to the throne of Orando, and Val “Karate Kid” Armorr, the Earth-born master of martial arts, did fall for one another, another longsimmering romance. Their romance was always there in the background, but Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen finally moved it to the forefront in the early 1980s. For 1983’s Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2, they took the relationship to its next logical step.

14 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Being a comic-book wedding, it couldn’t be an easy one, and even Karate Kid suspects something will be amiss. Sure enough, Superboy arrives from the past for the ceremony, but his emergence into the 30th Century causes a ripple, sending Dream Girl’s ship, containing Star Boy, Ultra Boy, Cosmic Boy, and White Witch, back in time to 200 BC. There they encounter Zeus and other Olympian gods, only to have them exposed as Durlans and not the actual deities. Meanwhile, back in the future, Dawnstar leads Chameleon Boy, Bouncing Boy, Duo Damsel, and Legion benefactor R. J. Brande in search of the missing vessel. Determining they had time-traveled, they arrive just after their fellow Legionnaires handily defeated the Durlans. What makes this a change of pace is that the groom and bride are totally unaffected by these events, just worried over the delay. They greet their teammates and go through with the ceremony. Tragically, the couple’s happiness lasted no longer than their honeymoon. Attacked on their return to Orando, Karate Kid was killed in battle with Nemesis Kid (see BACK ISSUE #120), one of the other Shooter creations, bringing things somewhat full circle. The first Marvel wedding of the decade culminated the romance between Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, and Patsy Walker, model-turned-superhero Hellcat. After meeting in The Defenders #44, the two were teammates, then friends… then something more. In an arc from writer J. M. DeMatteis, Hellstrom was seemingly cured of his demonic persona, and Patsy realized she was truly in love with him. She renounced her costumed alter ego and they wed in her hometown of Greentown, Ohio,

as seen in The Defenders #122 (Aug. 1983). But wait—this is a superhero wedding, so something has to complicate the planning. Sure enough, Patsy’s ex-husband “Buzz” Baxter, in the guise of Mad Dog, arrives with the Mutant Force. There’s the usual fight, with the groom beating the snot out of the ex, and then there’s the exchange of rings. The couple left to become occult investigators in San Francisco, with Patsy eventually resuming her Hellcat career. The marriage didn’t last long, as she was driven mad and committed to an institution. There, Deathurge, an abstract entity of self-destruction, talked her into committing suicide in Hellstorm: Prince of Lies #14 (May 1994), only to be resurrected—now single—in Thunderbolts Annual 2000. Back to happier matters, 1984 saw Black Bolt, king of the Inhumans, finally take his lover Medusa as his wife. John Byrne and Mark Gruenwald wrote the story for Fantastic Four Annual #18, with art by Mark Bright and Mike Gustovich. Seeds for this were sown back in X-Men #137 (Sept. 1980). But it’s nice that they managed to get married without the world falling around their ears. More recently, in Fantastic Four #600, we learn that Black Bolt was coerced to marry five queens of the Universal Inhumans in order to fulfill a prophecy. Medusa, according to creative team Jonathan Hickman and Ming Doyle, was none too happy. The year ends with two civilians getting married as J. Jonah Jameson finally remarries, tying the knot with scientist Marla Madison, as shown in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #18. While regular writer Tom DeFalco plotted the event, Stan Lee was coaxed back to the typewriter to give voice to Jameson and the regulars, including the Scorpion. With art by Ron Frenz, Butch Guice, and Bob Layton, the story takes Madison, first introduced by Len Wein and Ross Andru in 1976’s Amazing Spider-Man #162, from being his collaborator on hunting Spidey to a more civic-minded member of society. When the Scorpion sought revenge against Jameson for past slights, it took the Wall-Crawler to save the day, earning a brief détente between the men. Marv Wolfman and George Pérez had been letting the New Teen Titans age into their 20s, and as happens, romance blossoms into marriage. Here, Donna Troy got to marry civilian Terry Long in Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (Feb. 1985), noteworthy for its lack of supervillain interruptions. Instead, this was a chance for the creators to allow all the cast to reflect on their lives as measured against the newly married couple. As happened so often with these creators and this series, the human element took precedence, setting it apart from its competition. [Editor’s note: In case you missed our last issue, BACK ISSUE #122 celebrated the 40th anniversary of The New Teen Titans—you can still snag a copy from TwoMorrows if you hurry!]

SPIDER-MAN’S PUBLIC WEDDING

The final significant Bronze Age wedding was also, in many ways, the most important. Peter Parker arrived in 1962 as a scrawny, bespectacled 15-year-old, only to have his life upended from the bite of a radioactive spider. For the next several years, writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko let us watch him grow and mature, accepting responsibility for his actions and learning to use his newfound abilities as Spider-Man. He graduated high school, ditched the glasses, and began attending Empire State University. There he fell in love with Gwen Stacy, who had the beautiful-girl-next-door looks, compared with literally the girl next door, Anna Watson’s niece, Mary Jane. MJ was living the ’60s dream, a go-go dancer who lived in the moment, flirted with Peter and others, and could be the life of any party. Then Gwen died at the hands of the Green Goblin and Mary Jane saw the pain Peter felt. In a pivotal moment for her, she stayed to console her friend. As she finally matured into an adult, Mary Jane and Peter continued to flirt and began to date, until it was clear they were meant for one another. At the 1986 Chicago Comic Con, Stan Lee and then-Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter shared a panel where the character’s co-creator was stunned to learn MJ had discovered Spidey’s secret identity two years earlier. When a fan

Let Them Eat Cake (top) Belasco does his damnedest to foul up the happy day for the Savage Land’s swinging couple, Ka-Zar and Shanna. Original cover art to Ka-Zar the Savage #29 (Dec. 1983) by Ron Frenz and Armando Gil; courtesy of Heritage. (bottom) Hush, now… Black Bolt and Medusa are getting hitched! From 1984’s FF Annual #18. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 15

asked if that meant they could now marry, Lee turned to Shooter. Approval seemed to linger in the air, but it wasn’t until later that the two men seriously explored what that marriage might mean. For Lee, it was a juicy story that could goose the soft sales of the Spider-Man syndicated newspaper strip. In the intervening months, New World Pictures had purchased Marvel Comics, and as 1986 ended, Lee and Shooter approved the wedding and decided to turn it into a major promotion the following summer. As plans were laid, Peter finally popped the question in Amazing Spider-Man #290. Lee told Roy Thomas in Alter Ego #104, “I suggested [that Spider-Man and Mary Jane be married] to whoever was in charge, and they thought it was a good idea, too. Now, I wanted to find a way to have them get married in the comic books and the newspaper strip at the same time. There is no way I can explain to you how difficult that was, because the comic books are written two or three months ahead, [and] the newspaper strip is written a certain period of time ahead. To synchronize the two was almost impossible. Also, the Spider-Man [comic] had one storyline going on, and in the newspaper strip we had a totally different storyline going on, and in order to make them sort of come together so there’d be a marriage… well, it was the toughest thing creatively that I think I have ever done or the people at Marvel had done.” Marvel’s promotion director Steve Saffel is credited with coming up with the newsworthy idea of a fashion designer creating a gown for Mary Jane. Designer Willi Smith earned the assignment but sadly died some months prior to the story’s publication. Jim Shooter and David Michelinie split the writing chores for Amazing SpiderMan Annual #21, and after artist Sal Buscema refused to work with Shooter, the art fell to Paul Ryan and Vince Colletta, under a John Romita, Sr. cover. In a comic-book first, actors portraying Spidey (Stephen Vratto) and MJ (Tara Shannon) appeared at home plate in Shea Stadium, with Stan Lee officiating their “marriage” prior to a New York Mets game on Friday, June 5,

Silence is Golden The wedding of Donna Troy and Terry Long, from Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (Feb. 1985). By Wolfman, Pérez, and DeCarlo. TM & © DC Comics.

1987. The actors repeated, “I thee web…” before 45,000 screaming fans. As venues go, it was pitch perfect given both characters were Queens residents and Peter was established as a Mets fan. The Annual went on sale June 9 as the newspaper strip paralleled its events. They stayed that way until years later when then-Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada felt it was wrong they were married, a view shared by many over the years, including co-writer Michelinie. In 2007’s “One More Day,” Quesada undid the marriage, a still-controversial move. At least Peter and MJ were still alive to try again.

TRAGEDY AT THE ALTAR

Unfortunately, a few Bronze Age weddings appeared more doomed than others. The era did begin on a tragic note as Marvel’s oldest hero, the Sub-Mariner, was poised to finally marry the Lady Dorma. Both characters arrived in Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), although it took Prince Namor until 1968’s Sub-Mariner #3 to propose. Plans for undersea weddings take time, apparently, because it wasn’t until Sub-Mariner #36–37 (Apr.–May 1971) before the actual event. Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Ross Andru, Bernie Wrightson, and Mike Esposito collaborated on the two-parter as Namor sought the minor deity Proteus to officiate. While Namor has dispatched the Inhuman Triton to seek peace with the United Nations, Attuma decides the festivities are a perfect time for an attack. What he doesn’t count on is Namor receiving help from wedding guest Karthon the Questor, who shows up with the Lemurians. That proves to be a distraction as the recently resurrected Llyra-impersonated Dorma, allowing our hero to marry the wrong woman. Sub-Mariner vows to rescue his true love and Llyra sends sea creatures into his wrathful path until finally, she triggers an explosive device that kills Dorma. He goes into a prolonged period of mourning, interrupted only now and then by his fascination with Susan Richards. Fate remains cruel to the undersea ruler when he tries again in 1986 as he marries Marrina Smallwood, the amphibian member of Canada’s super-team. In Alpha Flight #40 (Nov. 1986) by Bill Mantlo, David Ross, and Whilce Portacio, Subby, the recently anointed Avenger, weds the woman and they move into Avengers Mansion. Unfortunately, her Plodex mutations begin altering her first in mood, then in form, so in Avengers #292 (by Walter Simonson, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer) she turns on her husband and then turns into a giant Sea Leviathan. The battle carries over to the next issue where, seeing little

16 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

choice, Namor seizes Black Knight’s ebony blade and slew his own wife. She did lay some eggs and at least one hatched, with a child being born in Namor Annual #4, only to be killed by Hydra. Speaking of horrific transformations, it was here that Bruce Banner and Betty Ross, together since 1962, finally wed in Incredible Hulk #319 (May 1986). They had tried it once before, way back in Incredible Hulk #124 by Thomas and Herb Trimpe, but the Rhino interrupted that one. Here, Banner and the Jade Giant had been separated into two separate beings, giving the scientist a chance at happiness and he seized it. Rick Jones is best man, of course, and the wedding is attended by Hideko Takata of the Hulkbuster program. The Hulk is elsewhere, beating on Doc Samson, while Betty has tried to make her peace with her papa Thunderbolt Ross, who shows up attempting to stop the event, shooting Rick in the process. Writer/artist John Byrne intended to explore this further but left the series over creative differences, so it fell to writer Peter David to keep them together since Peter’s first wife adored Betty. After their divorce, though, David decided to kill Betty, ending that marriage. She got better, but they have remained single. Another apparent mismatch would be a different green creature and a human woman. However, Abigail Arcane is an exceptional woman, falling in love with Earth’s elemental protector, the Swamp Thing. After befriending him in Swamp Thing #3 (Mar. 1973), she falls in love with Matt Cable, marrying Cable, who later dies (and subsequently transforms into Matthew the Raven). In time, she and the Swamp Thing grow closer until finally she consumes a tuber generated by his body, turning them into true soulmates. This story from Saga of the Swamp Thing #34 (Mar. 1985) was another milestone

When Peter Met MJ 1987’s Spider-Man wedding was a big deal, from live actors portraying Spidey and Mary Jane in a Shea Stadium ceremony to the wedding occurring in both the Marvel comic and the Spider-Man newspaper strip. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

during Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben’s legendary run. Later, with the icky help of John Constantine, the happy couple conceive a child, Tefé, who would briefly head her own series. Unfortunately, events kept them apart as well as altered realities, so in today’s post-Flashpoint reality, they remain unwed.

DID THEY OR DIDN’T THEY?

Perhaps the most doomed and unlikely wedding of the era was the marriage of May Parker to Doctor Otto Octavius in 1974’s Amazing Spider-Man #131, explored elsewhere in this issue. May and Otto remain friendly ever since, even when he gains possession of Peter’s body (talk about creepy). May does find happiness later on when she marries Jonah Jameson’s father. In DC Special Series #15, Batman Spectacular (Summer 1978), Denny O’Neil, Michael Golden, and Dick Giordano pit Batman against Ra’s al Ghul. At one point, the Demon’s Head subdues the Dark Knight. When our hero awakens, he discovers he has been wed to Talia, according to the customs of their country. Batman refuses

to accept it and there’s a suggestion she consummated the affair while he was unconscious. All of this serves as grist for the creative team of Mike W. Barr and Jerry Bingham, who explore this further in the first Batman graphic novel, 1987’s Batman: Son of the Demon, which results in Talia getting pregnant by Batman, then leaving the child for adoption. This story became controversial when the success following the 1989 Batman movie concerned DC executives about Batman’s illegitimate son, and the story was more or less disavowed. Later, writer Grant Morrison picked up on the storyline, giving us Damian Wayne, Ra’s’ grandson. At no point has Batman acknowledged the wedding, even today, as he and Catwoman enjoy their version of wedded bliss. [Editor’s note: For more on this subject, see this issue’s “The Many Loves of Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark” article.] Another case of whether the marriage was real or not involves the Human Torch. Throughout his career, he has gone through many a girlfriend, starting with Dorie Evans. He was closely involved with Crystal of the Inhumans before that ended and she married Quicksilver. By the mid-1980s, Johnny had taken up with—of all people!—Alicia Masters, the blind sculptress who had been Ben Grimm’s longtime flame.

No More Lonely Nights for Namor (left) Namor gets hitched to “Dorma” (actually Llyra) in Sub-Mariner #36 (Apr. 1971), by Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, and Bernie Wrightson. Original art courtesy of Heritage. (right) Subby and Marrina at the altar, in Alpha Flight #40 (Nov. 1986). By Bill Mantlo, Dave Ross, and Whilce Portacio. TM & © Marvel.

18 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

The romance grew, ahem, hotter and hotter until they finally wed in Fantastic Four #300 (Mar. 1987), a celebration courtesy of Roger Stern, John Buscema, and Sal Buscema. In a twist on the theme of villains interrupting the festivities, Alicia’s father, the Puppet Master, stops the Thinker and the Wizard from interfering with the ceremony. The pair enjoy several years of happiness and adventure until FF #357 (Oct. 1991), when the creative team of Tom DeFalco and Paul Ryan pull the rug out from under unsuspecting readers as they reveal that Alicia has secretly been Lyja, a Skrull. The shapeshifting Skrulls have been holding Alicia hostage all this time while Lyja had been sent to seduce Grimm. When he remains off-Earth courtesy of the Beyonder and his Secret War, she turns her attentions to Johnny Storm. Her secret is given away by Puppet Master, who notices something is amiss and takes those concerns to Ben. Alicia is freed, Lyja was seemingly killed but actually survived, and whatever legal status the marriage had is dissolved. Interestingly, Lyja has truly fallen for Johnny, growing jealous whenever he notices another woman, and even tries to pass off a bio-weapon as their child before destroying it. She continues to stalk him as fellow college student Laura Green. As Lyja, they reignite their romance until the arrival of Onslaught and reality was shattered. [Editor’s note: Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco discuss the Johnny/Alicia marriage later in this issue.] This was not the first time an impostor married a hero. Shortly, before this story, Colossal Boy of the Legion finally acted on his long-simmering feelings for Shrinking Violet (opposites attract and all that). Once it was clear she was no longer involved with Duplicate Boy of the Heroes of Lallor, they got engaged and quickly married. Only when the jilted hero traveled to Earth was the truth revealed: she was a shapeshifting Durlan named Yera. She admitted to having been hired by a group from Violet’s native planet Imsk, telling her the hero needed a break. Instead, they were revealed to be a radical faction that kidnapped the Legionnaire thanks to the investigation from Element Lad and Science Police liaison Shvaughn Erin, as shown in Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2 #304–305 (Oct.–Nov. 1983). When all came to light, Colossal Boy realized he loved Yera, and the marriage endured. The final marriage of the era was perhaps the most complicated affair, involving three people… or two people, depending on how you look at it. Way back in 1964, Scott “Slim” Summers met young teen Jean Grey when she joined Professor Xavier’s school for gifted students. Their attraction was instantaneous and the romance blossomed throughout their years at the school, as they became Cyclops and Marvel Girl. He was devastated when she died, only to be delighted when was reborn, only to be frightened when she succumbed to the Phoenix Force, losing her all over again. Sometime after Jean died, Scott, now retired as leader of the team, met Madelyne Pryor (named after Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior and sporting a hairdo based on editor Louise Simonson) and was stunned at her resemblance to his dead love, as revealed in Uncanny X-Men #168 (Apr. 1983). Readers may have recalled a young Maddy Prior from Avengers Annual #10 (1981), but this was a Chris Claremont coincidence and not done by design. The pair hit it off, and to the surprise of his fellow mutants and readers alike, he married her after a seemingly short time. Claremont explained his original plan in a lengthy interview at http://dansketegneserieskabere.dk/: “The original Madelyne storyline was that, at its simplest level, she was that one in a million shot that just happened to look like Jean Grey [a.k.a. the first Phoenix]! And the relationship was summed up by the moment when Scott

says: ‘Are you Jean?’ And she punches him! That was in Uncanny X-Men #174. Because her whole desire was to be deeply loved for herself not to be loved as the evocation of her boyfriend’s dead romantic lover and sweetheart. “I mean, it’s a classical theme. You can go back to a whole host of 1930s films, 1940s, Hitchcock films—but it all got invalidated by the resurrection of Jean Grey in X-Factor #1. The original plotline was that Scott marries Madelyne, they have their child, they go off to Alaska, he goes to work for his grandparents, he retires from the X-Men. He’s a reserve member. He’s available for emergencies. He comes back on special occasions, for special fights, but he has a life. He has grown up. He has grown out of the monastery; he is in the real world now. He has a child. He has maybe more than one child. It’s a metaphor for us all. We all grow up. We all move on. “Scott was going to move on. Jean was dead, get on with your life. And it was close to a happy ending. They lived happily ever after, and it was to create the impression that maybe if you came back in ten years, other X-Men would have grown up and out, too. Would Kitty stay with the team forever? Would Nightcrawler? Would any of them? Because that way we could evolve them into

Happily Never After Bruce Banner weds Betty Ross—at last— in Incredible Hulk #319 (May 1986); cover by John Byrne. Original art courtesy of Heritage. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 19

Close, But No Cigar Wolverine and Mariko nearly wed in Uncanny X-Men #172 (Aug. 1983), but the machinations of the Mastermind cursed this starcrossed lovers’ union. Cover by Paul Smith and Bob Wiacek. TM & © Marvel.

new directions, we could bring in new characters. There would be an ongoing sense of renewal, and growth and change in a positive sense. “Then, unfortunately, Jean was resurrected, Scott dumps his wife and kid and goes back to the old girlfriend. So it not only destroys Scott’s character as a hero and as a decent human being, it creates an untenable structural situation: what do we do with Madelyne and the kid? … So ultimately the resolution was: turn her into the Goblin Queen and kill her off.” Let’s unpack that a bit for those unschooled in mutant lore. Scott and Madelyne meet, fall in love, and have some fights with Mastermind, a longtime foe who had been manipulating the team, much as he toyed with poor Jean when she was already struggling to contain the Phoenix Force within her, turning her into Dark Phoenix. They have some more adventures; she briefly gains healing powers and takes the name Anodyne before getting pregnant. Alone in the X-Mansion, she gives birth to Nathan Christopher Charles Summers (as seen

20 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

in Uncanny X-Men #200). Soon after, Storm gives him an out: challenging Scott to a duel over leadership of the team, which he loses. Scott, Madelyne, and the baby head off, giving the hero his well-deserved rest. Elsewhere within Marvel, Bob Layton and Jackson Guice convinced editor Mike Carlin that resurrecting the original five mutants for a new team would make for a cool comic. With Jean dead, the plan was to fill her spot with Dazzler until writer Kurt Busiek offered Marvel a way to resurrect the dead hero for the occasion. When readers were greeted with X-Factor #1 (Feb. 1986), they rejoiced at the original team being together, but objected to Scott simply walking away from his wife and son. Of course, things were never simple nor as they appeared. Over the course of the next two years, Nate is kidnapped, Madelyne is attacked by the Marauders, and is turned into the powerful Goblin Queen. Then she learns she is actually Jean’s clone, created by Mister Sinister when he failed to snatch young Jean from the Greys before Charles Xavier convinced them she was right for his school. Somewhere along the way, the wedding is formally dissolved and Jean develops motherly affection for young Nate. Apocalypse, though, infected the baby with a techno-organic virus and the only way to save the child (and get him out of the continuity) was to send him 2,000 years into the future, hoping he could be cured by the Askani. Meantime, after the usual bumps and trials, Scott and Jean’s romance burns hotter than before. As a result, the pair finally are ready for marriage and Marvel didn’t spare a thing. In 1994, it became the event of the year. Whereas Peter and MJ married with the bride wearing a gown designed by the late Willi Smith, Marvel now turned to fashion designer Nicole Miller, who sketched a design for artist Andy Kubert to use. To celebrate the nuptials, Marvel released a trading card set dedicated to the marriage that coincided with the release of X-Men #30 (Mar. 1994). As it happened, Magneto’s forces threatened mutant life on Genosha while the Legacy Virus was spreading among the mutants, complicating things for all concerned. So much so that even the Avengers were called in for support before the wedding itself could occur. These events from X-Men #26–35, Avengers #368–369, and Avengers West Coast #101 were collected in a wedding volume. Missing is a fine moment between Scott and Cable, the adult Nate, at the bachelor party as seen in Uncanny X-Men #310. Writer Fabian Nicieza got to plan the events and made it a character study for the cast, keeping the fisticuffs and explosions to a minimum thanks to Wolverine, Scott’s romantic rival. There are many fine touches here, notably when Jean’s telekinesis allowed her to dance with Xavier. Nicieza told reporter Chris Hassan in 2018, “It was something [editor] Bob Harras, [Uncanny X-Men writer] Scott Lobdell, and I all agreed was a logical story direction to take for the characters without any disagreements. We were all of age where we were starting to get married, so it was something that was on all of our minds—for good and bad! “I remember feeling a lot of pressure, but as much for the characters as how readers would perceive it or whether it would ‘stand the test of time.’ If you’re doing your job right on sequential monthly superhero titles for Marvel and DC, then the characters tell you what the story needs more than you telling the characters what to do. But Scott and Jean’s wedding was a tricky one because they had had—to say the least—a very complex history to their relationship. I didn’t want to write a wedding issue that was so happy and positive that it denied the reality of the lives they had led.

When Mutants Marry (top left) Space-spanning couple Professor X and Lilandra, from Uncanny X-Men #118. (bottom left) Cyclops weds Madelyne Pryor, in Uncanny X-Men #175 (Nov. 1983). (right) At last, after decades of X-fans nervously pacing in anticipation—the wedding of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, from X-Men #30 (Mar. 1994). TM & © Marvel.

“The key for me was having Xavier narrate it since we could see the rollercoaster ride of Scott and Jean’s relationship through his eyes.” Nicieza took the time for Jean to formally welcome her daughter Rachel Anne Summers into the family. In one of the myriad potential futures, she was their child as depicted in the famous “Days of Future Past” storyline from 1981’s Uncanny X-Men #141–142. And then, as the story ended, the newlyweds wound up honeymooning in the future, looking after Nate, now Cable as depicted in the Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix miniseries (May–Aug. 1994, from Scott Lobdell and Gene Ha). When they come back, she remains Phoenix, Rachel is Marvel Girl, and her sort-of brother Cable remains active. And let’s not even talk about young Nate, who also comes back in time to adventure for a while as X-Man. Of course, the bouquet was caught by Rogue, while her beloved Gambit naturally caught the garter. The pair would later wed in far more recent times. As happens in long-running comics, people marry, divorce, cheat, die, get resurrected, fall in love with others, and so on. Before Jean’s

second death, Scott winds up having a psychic affair with the White Queen herself, Emma Frost. Love certainly does not conquer all. As you can see, few of the marriages we’ve reviewed, even Silver Age pairings, have survived. In the hearts and minds of longtime readers, Barry and Iris, Peter and Mary Jane, and Ray and Jean remained happily together. Will many of these couples be reunited on the altar? One can hope, but as we have seen, marriages, like death, never seem to last in comics, stirring the pot in what Stan Lee coined as the illusion of change. ROBERT GREENBERGER was married during the Bronze Age and celebrates his 40th wedding anniversary in 2020. A former DC and Marvel staffer, he currently writes about pop culture and teaches High School English in Maryland.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 21

If you thought the wedding of Aunt May and Doc Ock was wacky, wait’ll you get a load of these mixed-up matchups! Presented here are ten of the most ridiculous romances to stroll down the aisle of your neighborhood newsstand or 7-Eleven—including a handful of kooky classics from the Silver Age, the era where DC editor Mort Weisinger often seemed to confuse his Superman franchise with Girls’ Love Stories.

Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane in Jimmy Olsen #21 (June 1957) Wonder if the Spin Doctors read this oldie before penning their bouncy Jimmy Olsen love lament, “Pocket Full of Kryptonite”?

Wonder Woman and Mr. Monster in Wonder Woman #155 (July 1965) If you think this cover is odd, ponder the fact that Wonder Girl and Wonder Tot were originally younger versions of Wonder Woman herself.

22 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Blackhawk and Lady Blackhawk in Blackhawk #155 (Dec. 1960) Their glory days of World War II air battles behind them, the Blackhawks of the Silver Age were reduced to cribbing from superhero tropes.

Jungle Jimmy and Bruna the Gorilla in Jimmy Olsen #98 (Dec. 1966) It’s a madhouse! Do you think that Jimmy’s loincloth or Superman’s headdress ended up in Olsen’s memorabilia collection?

Noteworthy for its gonzo cover, this parallel world story’s Curt Swan/ Murphy Anderson cover presages Lois marrying a mulleted Clark!

Lois Lane and the Devil in Lois Lane #103 (Aug. 1970) Metropolis’ intrepid girl reporter comes close to an eternity of unholy matrimony with a devil who turns out to be Satdev of the planet Nferino.

“The Bride of Man-Bat” in Detective Comics #407 (Jan. 1971)

Simon Garth, Wedding Crasher in Tales of the Zombie #9 (Jan. 1975)

Kirk Langstrom’s Man-Bat serum often caused him to act inappropriately— giving Neal Adams awesome opportunities for covers like this one!

If you think your oft-told tale of your drunk Uncle Ernie hitting on your bridesmaid at your wedding couldn’t be topped, pity this poor couple!

Lois Lane and Super-Gnome in Superman Family #181 (Jan. 1977)

Robin and Batgirl in Batman Family #11 (May–June 1977)

With all the monsters she jilted Superman for on those frequent Silver Age Lois Lane covers, really, Lois had this coming.

A shotgun wedding for the Dynamite Duo?? Their union didn’t actually happen… but at least we were left at the altar with this Jim Aparo cover!

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 23

All covers and characters TM & © DC Comics except for Tales of the Zombie TM & © Marvel.

Clark Kent and Lois Lane in Action Comics #388 (May 1970)

All characters TM & © their respective owners.

BOOKS FROM TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING

ER EISN RD AWAINEE! M NO

MONSTER MASH

GROOVY

MARK VOGER’s time-trip back to 1957-1972, to explore the CREEPY, KOOKY MONSTER CRAZE, when monsters stomped into America’s mainstream!

A psychedelic look at when Flower Power bloomed in Pop Culture. Revisits ‘60s era’s ROCK FESTIVALS, TV, MOVIES, ART, COMICS & CARTOONS!

(192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $11.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-064-9

(192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-080-9

MIKE GRELL

LIFE IS DRAWING WITHOUT AN ERASER Career-spanning tribute to a comics art legend! (160-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $27.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-088-5 (176-page LTD. ED. HARDCOVER) $37.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-087-8 (Digital Edition) $12.99

KIRBY & LEE: STUF’ SAID

ED AND EXP COND SE ION! IT ED

ISBN: 978-1-60549-094-6

THE MLJ COMPANION

Documents the complete history of ARCHIE COMICS’ super-heroes known as the “Mighty Crusaders”, with in-depth examinations of each era of the characters’ history: The GOLDEN AGE (beginning with the Shield, the first patriotic super-hero), the SILVER AGE (spotlighting the campy Mighty Comics issues, and The Fly and Jaguar), the BRONZE AGE (the Red Circle line, and the !mpact imprint published by DC Comics), up to the MODERN AGE, with its Dark Circle imprint! (288-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $34.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-067-0

COMIC BOOK IMPLOSION

In 1978, DC Comics implemented its “DC Explosion” with many creative new titles, but just weeks after its launch, they pulled the plug, leaving stacks of completed comic book stories unpublished. This book marks the 40th Anniversary of “The DC Implosion”, one of the most notorious events in comics, with an exhaustive oral history from the creators involved (JENETTE KAHN, PAUL LEVITZ, LEN WEIN, MIKE GOLD, and others), plus detailed analysis of how it changed the landscape of comics forever!

ER EISN RD AWAINEE! NOM

(136-page trade paperback with COLOR) $21.95 (Digital Edition) $10.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-085-4

(272-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $36.95 (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-073-1

IT CREPT FROM THE TOMB Digs up the best of FROM THE TOMB (the UK’s preeminent horror comics history magazine): Atomic comics lost to the Cold War, censored British horror comics, the early art of RICHARD CORBEN, Good Girls of a bygone age, TOM SUTTON, DON HECK, LOU MORALES, AL EADEH, BRUCE JONES’ ALIEN WORLDS, HP LOVECRAFT in HEAVY METAL, and more!

EXPANDED SECOND EDITION—16 EXTRA PAGES! Looks back at the creators of the Marvel Universe’s own words, in chronological order, from fanzine, magazine, radio, and television interviews, to paint a picture of JACK KIRBY and STAN LEE’s complicated relationship! Includes recollections from STEVE DITKO, ROY THOMAS, WALLACE WOOD, JOHN ROMITA SR., and other Marvel Bullpenners! (176-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $26.95 (Digital Edition) $12.99

HERO-A-GO-GO!

MICHAEL EURY looks at comics’ CAMP AGE, when spies liked their wars cold and their women warm, and TV’s Batman shook a mean cape!

(192-page trade paperback) $29.95 (Digital Edition) $10.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-081-6

ER EISN RD AWAINEE! NOM

JACK KIRBY’S DINGBAT LOVE

The final complete, unpublished Jack Kirby stories in existence, presented here for the first time, in cooperation with DC Comics! Two unused 1970s DINGBATS OF DANGER STREET tales, plus TRUE-LIFE DIVORCE and SOUL LOVE magazines! (176-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $43.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-091-5

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES:

THE WORLD OF TWOMORROWS

Celebrate our 25th anniversary with this retrospective by publisher JOHN MORROW and Comic Book Creator magazine’s JON B. COOKE! Go behind-the-scenes with MICHAEL EURY, ROY THOMAS, GEORGE KHOURY, and a host of other TwoMorrows contributors! Introduction by MARK EVANIER, Foreword by ALEX ROSS, Afterword by PAUL LEVITZ, and a new cover by TOM McWEENEY! (224-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $37.95 (240-page ULTRA-LIMITED HARDCOVER) $75 (Digital Edition) $15.99

8 Volumes Covering The 1940s-1990s

MAC RABOY

Master of the Comics

OR -COL FULLDCOVER HAR RIES SE nting me f docu ecade o d y! c a e h s histor ic com

MAC RABOY perfected his art style on such 1940s comic book creations as DR. VOODOO, BULLETMAN, SPY SMASHER, GREEN LAMA, and his crowning achievement, CAPTAIN MARVEL JR., before moving on to illustrate the FLASH GORDON Sunday newspaper strip. Author ROGER HILL documents the life and career of the master artist in a full-color hardcover with never-before-seen photos, a wealth of rare and unpublished artwork, and the first definitive biography of a true Master of the Comics! (160-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 • (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-090-8

TwoMorrows. The Future of Pop History.

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

THE ALMOSTMARRIAGE OF AUNT MAY AND DOC OCK by M

ichael Eury

Growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, I witnessed quite a few offbeat weddings, in fiction and in real life. One of the first issues of Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane I remember buying, late 1968’s #89, featured an imaginary story with the Daily Planet’s heartsick headline-maker marrying—no, not Superman, but Bruce Wayne, becoming “The Bride of Batman!” Tiny Tim, the falsetto-voiced “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” singer who looked like a freaky Tim Burton creation, famously married Miss Vicki in 1969 on Johnny Carson’s show—before a television audience of 40 million. And when my coolest uncle got hitched, his bride was so nervous she repeatedly flubbed the repeating of her wedding vows, getting so tongue-twisted that she, then everyone in attendance, spontaneously burst out laughing. By the time I was a junior in high school, I thought I’d seen it all so far as wacky weddings were concerned. Then The Amazing Spider-Man #131 (Apr. 1974) hit the stands, with its wonky cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia depicting… the bridal-veiled Aunt May, beloved mother figure to one Peter Parker, secretly the Wall-Crawler himself, at the altar with one Otto Octavius, in reality Dr. Octopus, Spidey’s arch-foe. And the wedding party consisted of the seediest group of gangsters ever assembled for a “holy” event. What the--?! Readers expected this kind of goofy goings-on at the Distinguished Competition, but not at the House of Ideas! Sure, Marvel’s mightiest sometimes walked down the aisle—usually to suffer matrimonius interruptus thanks to wedding-crashing supervillains— but a kindly matron with a weak heart marrying a mechanical-armed megalomaniac with a black heart? Who was the matchmaker responsible for this nightmarish nuptial? Gerry Conway, that’s who! The white-hot Spiderscribe was the third writer to chronicle the Web-Slinger’s adventures in The Amazing Spider-Man, following Stan Lee and a brief, Morbius-introducing stint by

Unholy Matrimony Marvel’s most offbeat wedding of 1974! Amazing Spider-Man #131 (Apr. 1974) cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 25

The Courtship of Peter’s Aunt (top) May is charmed by Ock in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. (bottom) Guess who’s coming to dinner—and the spare room—in Amazing Spider-Man #54? TM & © Marvel.

Roy Thomas. When Gerry signed on with issue #111 (Aug. 1972), originally alongside artist/co-plotter John Romita, Sr., he blasted a salvo of excitement into the book, dizzying readers with frenetically paced ideas new and old in the issues that unfolded: the Kraven the Hunter/ Gibbon team, the return of Dr. Octopus, the introduction of Hammerhead and his mob war with Doc Ock, Ock’s unmasking of Spider-Man (where Spidey had to temporarily wear a costume-shop mask with open eyelets), Peter Parker’s ulcer, a battle with the Hulk, the death of Gwen Stacy, the death of the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn), a Luke Cage crossover, the return of Man-Wolf, a bromance with Johnny Storm, Harry Osborn’s vengeful slip into madness and the role of the Green Goblin, the emergence of Mary Jane Watson as Peter’s new love (Gerry has a thing for redheads, as he previously told BACK ISSUE), the return of the Vulture and the introduction of a new Vulture, the introduction of the Punisher and the Jackal, and (love it or hate it) the Spider-Mobile… and that brings us to the issue in question, #131! While this issue is often singled out for its peculiarity, the target of bloggers who were born long after its Bronze Age pages had started to yellow, the almost-wedding of May Parker and Otto Octavius was actually the result of a subplot that had long been brewing in the title. The seeds for the relationship were planted courtesy of the original Spider-team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, 26 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

way back in 1964 in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. her eight-armed dream man, Dr. Otto Octavius, at his During Aunt May’s first encounter with Dr. Octavius, compound. “Honestly, I don’t recall the origin of the she remarks to Betty Brant, as both of whom have Aunt May moving in with Doc Ock storyline,” been kidnapped to lure Spidey into the Gerry Conway admits to BACK ISSUE, “but clutches of the newly formed Sinister Six, given my new arrival on the book, and the “A doctor! How nice! Such a charming, fact I was very much junior partner to John soft-spoken gentleman!” Fast-forward Romita on those early issues, I’m guessing three years to Amazing Spider-Man #54 it was his idea.” Romita is now happily (Nov. 1967), with artist Jazzy Johnny enjoying his much-deserved retirement Romita now entrenched as Stan the and no longer grants interviews, so as Man’s co-producer of Spider-adventures. such is unavailable to confirm, but it Octavius, his mechanical arms cloaked seems safe to presume that the May/ Ock co-habitation was a Lee/Romitaunder a trench coat, shows up at conceived notion—one which Conway May Parker’s doorstep, inquiring to quickly ran with. rent a room at Aunt May’s house in an attempt to lie low from the watchful This plotline soon accelerates in gerry conway eye of the authorities. He dispels his Conway’s Amazing Spider-Man #115 would-be landlady’s curiosity about (Dec. 1972), whose Romita cover him being wanted by the police as, depicts one of Spidey-dom’s most essentially, fake news. “The newspapers got the story astonishing scenes ever: Aunt May holding a handgun all mixed up, as they so often do,” Ock coos, smiling on the Wall-Crawler, protecting Doc Ock! Inside the that Spider-Man was actually the culprit and that he, a law-abiding man of science, was falsely accused. The smitten Aunt May naively buys it and Ock moves in—to Peter’s obvious dismay. This wild ride continues for the following two issues, concluding with an amnesiac Spider-Man consorting with Dr. Octopus as his partner-in-crime! In his last issue on the title, Amazing Spider-Man #110 (July 1972), Stan Lee, with John Romita, inches our oddball lovebirds closer together by having Peter Parker’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy read Aunt May the riot act for overprotectively smothering her nephew. May, finally realizing that Peter has outgrown the need of her fawning care, hits the road to go where she’s needed, leaving her nephew a note… …which Peter finally reads in #111, the first issue written by Gerry Conway. May Parker now is caring for

Stand By Your Man (left) Utter Mayhem on John Romita, Sr.’s cover to ASM #115 (Dec. 1972). (right) Inside the issue, Spidey’s had enough! TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 27

The Wedding Crasher Hammerhead butts in on Ock’s wedding, on page 3 of Amazing Spider-Man #131. Original Andru/Giacoia art courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © Marvel.

issue, the action builds to the climactic cover shot when Spidey invades Ock’s lair, defensive of the woman that neither Doc nor May realize is the hero’s relative, battling his foe—and going over the deep end when Ock says he’s shielding May because he’s “a man in love.” Spidey wins the battle and the criminal Dr. Octopus is taken into custody, but later, when Peter Parker wants his aunt to come home, she lovingly declines, opting to keep the jailed Otto’s “house in order” because he, unlike the now-independent young Parker, needs her. Wow! What a blow to Peter—and an Ock-shock to the reader! We now arrive at ASM #131’s opening wedding scene as written by Conway, now firmly in control of the book as Spider-scribe, and illustrated by Spidey’s new penciler, Ross Andru (this issue inked by Frank Giacoia and Dave Hunt). “As for why I chose Doc Ock as Aunt May’s beau, it seemed like an obvious move to me,” Conway explains. “Stan had established she knew Otto and thought he was a nice man, and at the time, May was written by Stan as something of a sweet but slightly dim old lady. I was simply extending that characterization to what I felt was its logical conclusion. “That was my approach to the book in general— taking what I perceived as Stan’s characterizations and expounding on them, probably pushing them much further than he would have.” Conway wastes no time in disrupting the wedding proceedings, as Hammerhead barrels in on page 2, reigniting his mob war with the would-be groom. May, in her wedding gown, is safeguarded from gangsters by the tuxedoed Ock, and as Spidey closes in and the issue continues, readers discover that it’s not love, but greed, that is at the root of Otto’s “affection.” May has inherited an island off the Canadian coast, one that boasts its own nuclear reactor and is rich with uranium. So when it’s all said and done, the manipulative Dr. Octopus is little more than a gold digger, planning to wed May Parker to share her inheritance… then off his new wife to fully reap the benefits. Spidey luckily saves May from Ock’s nefarious plans,

narrowly escaping from the island with her before the Octopus/ Hammerhead battle culminates with a nuclear explosion, apparently blowing up the bad guys… …but we know better than that, don’t we? Looking back on the story, Conway reflects, “I really thought the idea of Aunt May marrying Doc Ock was kinda hilarious. I love taking silly story ideas to absurd extremes—for better or worse.” (And in sickness and in health.) There’s another element of romance in Amazing Spider-Man #131, a piece of advice from the Daily Bugle’s own pipe-smoking managing editor, as he lectures Ned Leeds, who’s concerned about Peter Parker falling for the “flighty” Mary Jane Watson. “Now, I know you’re saying to yourself—‘What does Joe Robertson know about romance?’” (True, he wasn’t the Bugle’s advice columnist, but Joe lays it on thick here.) “People find their own way—usually without an eager friend’s help— especially a guy like Peter Parker—a bright young man with both feet planted firmly on the ground.” For the rest of his Amazing Spider-Man run, Gerry Conway did his best to topple sure-footed Peter. After issue #131 and up to his final issue, Amazing Spider-Man #149 (Oct. 1975), the Spiderscribe presented the return of the Molten Man, the introduction of the Tarantula, Gwen Stacy’s clone, Spidey battling the Harry Osborn Green Goblin, and the returns of the Punisher, Mysterio, and the Scorpion—and let’s not forget his landmark DC/Marvel superhero crossover, the Superman vs. the Amazing SpiderMan one-shot of late 1975. Sure, Gerry’s Spidey issues with the Kangaroo, the Mindworm, Cyclone, and the Grizzly might not have earned A-list status among the Wall-Crawler’s greatest battles. But for my money, Conway’s stint as The Amazing Spider-Man’s writer is second only to Stan Lee’s for its sheer thrills and unpredictability, with the Aunt May/Doc Ock wedding, “for better or for worse,” remaining a vital chapter in this legendary era of Spider-tales. Special thanks to the always-helpful Gerry Conway for his recollections. We’ve saved you a slice of wedding cake, Gerry! You know that Gerry Conway is the creator of the Punisher, but did you know that BACK ISSUE editor MICHAEL EURY is the creator of the Punfisher, a character he and artist Alan Kupperberg introduced in late 1980s in the “Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham” feature in the back pages of Marvel Tales?

28 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Superhero comics are dependent on the existence of a large pool of supervillains for the heroes to battle. There are even some villains who have alter egos belonging to someone close to the hero they battle most frequently. However, if you will forgive the pun, very few of them have as many facets as Star Sapphire. This is mainly because the villainess’ primary other identity is Carol Ferris, Green Lantern’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. We’ll touch on a couple of the other Star Sapphires as we go along, but our main focus will be on Carol and the psychological questions the various portrayals of the character (or is it characters?) have presented. by B

rian Martin

STRANGE KIND OF WOMAN

Carol Ferris debuted as Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan’s boss in his very first appearance, Showcase #22 (Oct. 1959), by John Broome and Gil Kane. A triangle was quickly formed with Carol attracted to both Hal Jordan and Green Lantern, more so to the superhero. The arrival of Star Sapphire occurs in Green Lantern #16 (Oct. 1962). Early in the story, Carol thinks about her feelings for both Green Lantern and Hal Jordan, believing it is not possible for someone to love two different people the same way. This simple observation may foreshadow all that is to come for the Star Sapphire character, and maybe Carol herself. Carol is soon abducted by women from the planet Zamaron, a world populated by an immortal race composed solely of women—all immortal, that is, except their queen, who is always a mortal woman that must look identical to Carol! Since their previous queen has just died, they come to Earth seeking her replacement. Carol is unwilling to go due to her love for Green Lantern, but the Zamarons tell her the lowest of them is superior to any man, and they will have Carol prove that herself. They outfit her with a pink and purple costume (the garb their queen wears when hunting), then use a large pipe organ to fill her with energy that is focused through the gem she sports on her tiara. The Zamarons compel her to challenge and overcome Green Lantern, but, of course, GL eventually prevails. Defeated, Star Sapphire is spirited away by the Zamarons, who now feel that since she was beaten by a man, she is unfit to be their queen. They remove all memory of the incident from her mind and return her to where they found her. Green Lantern tracks Carol down and at the same time discovers a star sapphire buried in the sand. Where it gets interesting is that during her battles with Green Lantern, Star Sapphire is conflicted. Part of her wants to defeat GL, but part of her hopes to lose. The schism is such that she thinks to herself, “I seem to be two people.” Is Star Sapphire an aspect of Carol’s

Torn Between Two Lovers Jim Starlin illustrates the ultimate romantic triangle on this exciting cover to Green Lantern #129 (June 1980). TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 29

personality, or another intelligence entirely? This question is central to examining her entire history. Star Sapphire returns in GL #26 (Jan. 1964), where we learn that Carol will occasionally feel a compulsion to become Star Sapphire again. The Zamarons left behind that gem to allow her to do so. Carol transforms again and thinks, since Carol wants to marry GL but Star Sapphire wants to be a queen, if she gets GL to agree to be her consort, she can accomplish both. GL defeats her again, this time finding out it is Carol behind the mask. Probing her mind, he observes that she has no memory of her time in the costume since she is, essentially, “Two people in one.” In Sapphire’s next appearance he expands on this, saying neither persona is aware of the other’s existence! Carol again forgets about Star Sapphire and returns to normal.

THE OTHER WOMAN

In Green Lantern #41 (Dec. 1965), Carol finds herself attacked by forces unknown and seeks out the gem again. Green Lantern becomes involved and soon discovers that the attacker is Dela Pharon of Xanador, a woman the Zamarons chose to become their queen after Carol failed them. Learning of her rival, Dela Pharon heads to Earth to take her out. Dela makes a crucial mistake when, masquerading as the Carol version of Star Sapphire, she mentions a detail from Carol’s life to GL, a fact that persona would not know. GL realizes who she is, defeats her, rescues Carol, and returns things to the status quo of Carol remembering nothing about Star Sapphire. These stories show that the disconnection between Star Sapphire and Carol Ferris is a crucial plot point. And yet we are never given the slightest indication that Dela Pharon and Star Sapphire are separate identities.

WHO ARE YOU?

In Star Sapphire’s next appearance, Green Lantern #73–74 (Dec. 1969–Jan. 1970), by Mike Freidrich and Gil Kane, Carol looks at a sapphire brooch given to her by a suitor and is turned back into Star Sapphire. Sinestro arrives, revealing he supplied the gem, and they team up to defeat GL. Star Sapphire will not let Sinestro kill GL, however, saying she reserves that honor for herself if she cannot possess him. (Love can at times be close to hat, can’t it?) As the two GL rogues argue, the Emerald Gladiator recovers and triumphs, turning Star Sapphire back into Carol, with Star Sapphire referring to her as “an identity of which I know nothing.” This time, though, Hal reveals to Carol that she is Star Sapphire. Carol runs away crying… and the issue ends. And the matter is basically forgotten in subsequent issues!

A Star is Born (top) The rarely seen Golden Age Star Sapphire! Detail from the splash of late 1946’s All-Flash #32. Art by Lee Elias and Moe Worthman, from a Bob Kanigher script. (center) John Broome, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella introduce the Hal Jordan/Carol Ferris couple in 1959’s Showcase #22. (bottom) Two classic Kane/Murphy Anderson GL covers from the ’60s featuring Star Sapphire. TM & © DC Comics.

30 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

SHE’S GOT LEGS

A major change has occurred when Carol reappears in GL #83 (Apr.– May 1971), by the legendary team of Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams. Carol is in a wheelchair following a seizure believed to be caused by the issue’s villain. Yet she remains in the chair after that foe is defeated, and for the original run of the title until it was cancelled with #89. Star Sapphire returns in Superman #261 (Feb. 1973), as a set of circumstances lead Carol to believe that Superman has killed Green Lantern, robbing her of her prospective consort. She becomes Star Sapphire and attempts to take revenge but is foiled and fades away at story’s end. The tale’s author, Cary Bates, tells BACK ISSUE that, “Odds are this [ending] was just me and Julie [Julius Schwartz, editor of both Superman and Green Lantern] returning the character to her status quo so she’d remain available for future appearances.” Crucially, though, Carol is walking again in this story! So, how did she have her mobility restored? We may never know for sure, as Mr. Bates states his recollections of the story are understandably unclear, but that “Julie was the gatekeeper for that character, so I’d expect he would’ve made sure our story didn’t stray too far outside the bounds of previous stories.” So, was her crippling just a psychosomatic response to learning she was Star Sapphire, attempting to make herself unfit to be a Zamaron queen? Were the Carol and Star Sapphire personalities in constant war during that time, and did the villainess finally take over and restore the use of Carol’s legs? Whatever the reason, she remained ambulatory for the rest of the Bronze Age.

THE OTHER OTHER WOMAN

During this time a different Star Sapphire debuted in DC’s Secret Society of Super-Villains book [featured in BI #35], in 1976, and remained a member of the supervillain super-team title for its entire run. It is made clear this is not Carol Ferris, but a woman known as Camille… while later, SSOSV’s resident superhero, Captain Comet, gains a girlfriend named Debbie who looks identical to Camille! We never find out anything more about these women until a definitive origin was scheduled for the backup in issue #17. Unfortunately, Secret Society of Super-Villains was cancelled with #15. Fortunately, scribe Bob Rozakis kept the script. To summarize, this Star Sapphire is Remoni-Notra of Pandina. Just like Carol and Dela Pharon, she was recruited to be the Zamaron queen. She learned there are actually five gems and that if anyone

Mind Games Carol reacts poorly to her boyfriend’s revelation on this shocking page from Green Lantern #74 (Jan. 1970). Written by Mike Friedrich, with Kane/Anderson art. TM & © DC Comics.

suitable should find one, they could come and challenge Notra for the throne. She proactively heads to Earth to recover Carol’s gem, but upon tracking down Ms. Ferris she reads Carol’s mind and finds, “No clue to the location of the gem, nor to her existence as Star Sapphire!” Feeling it is her next best chance to locate the jewel, she joins the Society and creates her two Earthly identities. Her plotline from SSOSV was wrapped up in Justice League of America #166–168 (May–July 1979), and the character disappeared for quite a while. It is interesting to note that though they all Star Sapphires seemed to be the same personality, this version did have three identities! While we are mentioning other Star Sapphires, though published later in the real world, Mark Waid, Tom Peyer, and Barry Kitson crafted a story in Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold #6 (Mar. 2000) establishing the seldom-seen Golden Age Star Sapphire as a previous Zamaron queen.

IS IT ME?

The Carol Ferris version of Star Sapphire returns in DC Comics Presents #6 (Feb. 1979), then Green Lantern #129 (June 1980). In the former, she is presented merely as the villain. Between Star’s last appearance and this story, Carol had appeared a number of times, with her relationship with Hal seeing its ups and downs to say the least. Once again we have to wonder, were the two personas at war since GL #74, with Star Sapphire waging psychological warfare on Hal when she was able? In the latter comic, Sapphire is a pawn of Quardian General Fabrikant, who reintroduces her to the original gem. The story makes clear that at this point Carol is not aware she is Star Sapphire. Did she bury the knowledge subconsciously, or hysterically forget it? Did the Sapphire persona cause her to forget whenever Carol was dominant? Whatever the reason, by story’s end GL has defeated her, and yes, taken possession of the gem.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 31

All-Star Comics (above left) Supie kneels before… no, not Zod, but Star Sapphire, in Superman #261. Cover by Nick Cardy. (above center) A different Star Sapphire was one of the Secret Society of Super-Villains. Issue #2 cover by Dick Giordano. (above right) She later appeared in JLA #168. Cover by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano. (left) Courtesy of Bob Rozakis, a scan of the first page of his Star Sapphire origin script, intended for the unpublished Secret Society of Super-Villains #17. TM & © DC Comics.

ANOTHER SIDE OF ME

Major changes for Star Sapphire began with GL #178– 179 (July–Aug. 1984). Hal is away doing business for the Guardians of the Universe when Ferris Air is destroyed by a group called the Demolition Team, despite the efforts of a new character, the Predator. This black-and-silver-garbed figure was introduced by creators Len Wein and Dave Gibbons. Unfortunately, Wein and Gibbons left the series before they could provide any backstory for the guy, and at the time DC was planning a Predator miniseries that never saw print. Hal returns in the next issue. By this time, he and Carol are a couple again, and Carol gives him an ultimatum: the ring or her. In #181 (Oct. 1984), Hal chooses Carol. Things just get messier from there. The Predator continues to appear, helping Carol and even kissing her. All of this comes to a head in issue #191 (Aug. 1985), by which time Steve Englehart and Joe Staton have taken the creative controls of the title. In the issue, Predator has kidnapped Carol, and when Hal tracks them down, Predator plays a replica of the Zamaron organ. He and Carol promptly 32 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

the chance to be a queen, Carol’s ordinary life seemed to grate on her. After one of her breakups with Hal, she used the gem to summon the Zamarons and had them remove her memories of being Star Sapphire, so that she could focus on her life as Carol Ferris. Subconscious memories of her former superpowers THE WOMAN IN ME Green Lantern #192 (Sept. 1985) could well have been cause Carol to become easily frustrated, and when titled, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know Hal leaves Earth for a year beginning in GL #151 About Star Sapphire/Carol Ferris But Were (Apr. 1982), she cracks and finds the gem Afraid to Ask!” Steve Englehart has a again. Clutching it, she realizes she had lost history of sorting out convoluted battles in her life because she was not continuity [see Avengers #106–108, ruthless enough. Her subconscious uses the gem to split off her masculine side, Captain America #153–156, and Justice embodied by the Predator, and causes League of America #144 for examples]. He tells BI, “I do have an aptitude for her to forget everything again. This way, finding a thread running through a Predator could do her ruthless tasks. series of disconnected stories, and She feels betrayed again when Hal when I thought it would be fun if the allows Ferris Air to be demolished. That is when Predator kisses her, restoring the Predator were Carol, I went back and traits she needs to force Hal Jordan to reread every one of her appearances, taking notes, etc. If I’d run into somequit being a Green Lantern and become steve englehart thing that negated the idea, I’d have her consort. However, Hal rejects Star honored it, but fortunately, I didn’t.” Sapphire and is willing to die before Star Sapphire relates the tale, with Carol’s early becoming her consort, retorting that the Zamarons history recounted straight up until it reaches the point finally got what they wanted—a ruthless queen for a race she learned she was Star Sapphire. Here Englehart begins of warriors. At one point in her narrative Star basically to answer some questions. Carol is traumatized after admits that, saying she doesn’t care about love, learning she had lost her memories at various times, only power. Was this a personality fracture of Carol’s since she credits her mind for her success in life. This that created Star Sapphire from the very beginning? upsets her so much that she seeks out the gem to fill in Englehart says, “The Zamarons did what they did, her memory gaps. Upon discovering she had given up but Carol was strong enough to shape its effect on her. proclaim their love for one another, and as the issue ends they merge to become… Star Sapphire, who states, “I who was both the female and the male, am whole at last!”

Green Lantern vs. Predator (left) The Predator is revealed at the end of GL #178 (July 1984), to Carol’s dismay. By Len Wein and this issue’s cover artist, Dave Gibbons. (right) Reunited and it feels so good! Hal chooses Carol, from Wein and Gibbons’ Green Lantern #181. TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 33

joe staton © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons.

Love Connection The Predator and Carol Ferris unite! Original Joe Staton/ Bruce Patterson art from Green Lantern #191 (Aug. 1985), courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

34 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

The only question is, when she decided to go with it, was that her being programmed, or was that her spirit wanting power? I think it was her. Once the Zamarons started playing with her, she changed, partially because of what they did, and partially because of what she experienced.” On the artistic side, Joe Staton had the inspired idea of illustrating all of the flashbacks in their original artists’ styles. Staton reveals to BACK ISSUE, “I generally think that how a story is drawn in a specific time is an important part of the story, and I wanted to tie the flashbacks to certain times, certain looks. Some of the panels were picked up directly from the earlier stories, and some of them were redraws when the necessary shot wasn’t really on the pages. Of course, ace inker Bruce Patterson tied it all together.”

CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS?

Then DC’s continuity-rebooting Crisis on Infinite Earths happened, and Hal Jordan got a GL ring back. His first mission for the Guardians is to find out the status of Star Sapphire. Travelling to Zamaron he confronts her, hoping to see if he can bring back Carol’s personality. Unfortunately, Star Sapphire contends, perhaps once and for all, that she is “an extension of Carol Ferris—not a separate personality.” Of Carol’s various personalities Englehart feels, “The different takes could be construed as different understandings of the same strange phenomenon.” In Green Lantern #200 (May 1986) it is revealed that the Zamarons are the female half of the race the Guardians evolved from, and both groups have decided to leave this universe in an attempt to regenerate that race. That they have decided to leave her for the sake of love does not sit well with Sapphire. According to Englehart, “She had taken the Zamarons’ ‘teaching’ and blotted out her love, so it blew her mind!” Meanwhile, the Green Lantern comic book itself moves into a new, multi-character direction, its logo becoming The Green Lantern Corps with issue #201, and the book officially being retitled that with issue #206 (Nov. 1986). Star Sapphire decides to take her anger out on the GL Corps, and, of course, her first target is Hal Jordan and his then-current love, fellow GL Arisia. In Green Lantern Corps #212–213 (May–June 1987), she sports a new costume and extremely long hair, while also teaming up with GL rogue Hector Hammond. Artist Joe Staton does not recall redesigning the costume but says the hair was “a dependable design element that gets a fine fetishistic workout.” That comment is illustrated in a scene where she disrobes in front of the immobile Hammond. Staton calls the sequence “one of the most intense that I’ve ever done. Star is all about female power and Hammond is about massive, but impotent power.” Hal and Arisia overcome the murderous duo mainly because the villains are, as GL says, “ignorant of normal male/female relationships” and had tried to use a plan based on a kiss by a hypnotized Arisia to strike at the GLs. Englehart feels, “[Star Sapphire] loves dominating men, but she loves dominating women almost as much. This again is the dichotomy between Star (dominate men) and Carol (dominate everybody), which made her such a fun character to explore.” Sapphire is then imprisoned on Zamaron. Asked if he had any more plans for Sapphire,

The Sincerest Form of Flattery In Green Lantern #192 (Sept. 1985), Englehart’s flashbacks into Carol Ferris’ past were interpreted by Staton (with inker Patterson) in the styles of earlier GL artists Gil Kane, Neal Adams, and Mike Grell. TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 35

I Am Woman (left) Star Sapphire shows Hector Hammond who’s boss in this provocative Staton-drawn page from issue #212 (May 1987). Inks by Mark Farmer. (right) In the wake of Star Sapphire’s murder of Katma Tui, GL unleashes his ire on his one-time love in James Owsley’s GL tale from Action Comics Weekly #603 (June 7, 1988). Art by Gil Kane. TM & © DC Comics.

Englehart says, “Sometimes I see a larger plot and lay it GL Corps recruits (the Corps being revived at this out piece by piece, but usually, as here, I went for the point) battle with the interstellar headhunter Flicker, best story I could come up with at that point.” who, it turns out, is the one who kidnapped Carol However, as the first Green Lantern series ends with and “leased” her to forces involved in a space war. issue #224 (May 1988), the Corps are reduced to almost Here Star is given a big honking sword, something the book’s editor Kevin Dooley calls “a visual device nothing and the energy of the central Green Lantern power battery is greatly reduced. to make the action more exciting. The Zamarons Whatever held Star Sapphire prisoner no were warriors.” longer exists and she wastes little time Confronting the heroes, she is so vicious taking advantage of her newfound that one of the trainees calls a justifiably freedom. In the 1988 GL feature in enraged John Stewart-GL for help! Action Comics Weekly #601–605 by GL editor Dooley tells BI, “Gerry Jones’ Jim Owsley and Gil Kane, she arrives take on the Carol/Sapphire split on Earth, stalks newlywed former GLs seemed to be an inner aspect of Carol, Katma Tui and John Stewart, and kills one in turmoil, where she allowed her Katma! After a couple of battles during anger and pain to manifest itself which Hal believes that Star Sapphire without filter or control. Darker emotions is now only a “mockery” of Carol were consuming her, just as John’s Ferris, he confronts Sapphire who, revenge rage was almost overpowering strangely, has just been beaten in him.” Thankfully Hal trusts John’s kevin dooley battle by an alien creature that heroic nature and they defeat Star usurped control of her gem and left Facebook. Sapphire and pull the Carol personality her at his mercy. Hal’s world suddenly goes black, and back to the surface. when he is able to see again, she is gone. Gone but not gone, in GL Annual #1 (1992) the Sapphire persona takes over again when Carol finds BABY LOVE one of god of vengeance Eclipso’s black diamonds as The Green Lantern title was rebooted in 1990 with part of that year’s “Eclipso: The Darkness Within” crossover a new first issue and with Hal Jordan as its star. We have event in DC’s Annuals. Before transforming, Carol has a no idea what became of Carol until Green Lantern #22 dream about killing Hal. “I think we all may have sudden (Mar. 1992), when writer Gerard “Gerry” Jones and negative emotions sometimes or the opposite of how penciler Pat Broderick present Hal and some new we feel may come out in our subconscious,” comments

36 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Dooley. “Star Sapphire multiplied Carol’s inner suffering, her wounds of her relationship with Hal.” Freed when Eclipso’s plan is foiled, Star Sapphire notably surfaces without benefit of a Zamaron gem, further reinforcing the idea that she is an extension of Carol. Continuing that thought, in Green Lantern #40 (May 1993) Carol begins to act strangely, making Hal wonder if Star Sapphire is taking control again. Wrong! As the issue ends, the Predator emerges from her body! It turns out, though, that all he wants is back in! Carol had felt him seeking dominance and expelled him. Predator is weakened without a host and driven off by GL, but manages to track down and inhabit Arisia. While possessed, Arisia discovers the truth: Predator is a demon from Maltus (original home of the Guardians), intent on destroying the races from there or destroying their surrogates, making both Green Lantern and Star Sapphire his enemies. Dooley opines, “My own thoughts are that we do all have masculine and feminine sides, but it is blended to make who we are. I liked how Gerry displayed that through Carol wanting the Predator to be a part of her and not wanting it. As to the Predator being part of the Carol/Star Sapphire backstory, it evoked a lot of thoughtprovoking ideas that Gerry played well. Can our emotions (Star Sapphire) be separate from our actions (Predator)?” To combat Predator, Hal helps Carol bring Sapphire to dominance and, with inside help from Arisia, they drive off their foe. But there is a catch, and it reveals why Predator wanted to return to Carol’s mind… Star Sapphire is pregnant with his child! Even though Carol isn’t! Not long afterwards, Carol was effectively written out of the series, choosing to care for her mother after GL #47 (Dec. 1993), and her alter ego was almost forgotten, being mentioned just a few times. Meanwhile, Hal Jordan succumbed to madness and lost his position as Green Lantern for years to come in the “Emerald Twilight” storyline in issues #48–50 (Jan.–Mar. 1994). The child’s fate was finally revealed by writer Ivan Velez, Jr. in Extreme Justice #10–11 (Nov.–Dec. 1996). Employed by that team, Carol is confronted by the demon Neron, who offers her a normal life free of superheroes. All she has to give up is the baby. Star Sapphire, beginning to give birth, manifests as a separate entity and Predator shows up for the “blessed” event. It appears the two plan to use the child to house their essences! Carol succumbs to temptation, handing the child to Neron, who seemingly destroys both Star Sapphire and Predator. Neron disappears and the baby is never seen again and the plot never resolved, though Neron does say that the child “has no soul. It will not live long on its own.’ The Predator subsequently made an appearance in a couple of issues of Superboy and the Ravers in 1997, without Star Sapphire. The Silver/Bronze Star Sapphire was given closure in GL #119 (Dec. 1999). By this time Hal Jordan had taken over the mantle of the Spectre, revealing that though Sapphire was gone, Carol had not forgiven herself. Hal personifies the villainess, confines her to a sapphire, and has Carol crush it. This all happens in Carol’s subconscious, but she feels immeasurably better when it is done.

MEMORY MOTEL

As for the SSOSV version, she had her story completed a while later. It seems that in JLA #166–168, the villains had learned the secret identities of a few Leaguers but subsequently had their memories wiped. Appropriate for a Star Sapphire, right? They returned much later in JLA #115 (Aug. 2005) with longtime Justice League foe Despero responsible for their rebirth. They were again defeated and she also met her final fate at the hands of the Spectre, this time in Infinite Crisis #6 (May 2006). When Geoff Johns revived Star Sapphire with Green Lantern #18 (May 2007), the writer was laying the foundations for a total reimagining of the character, and the entire structure of anything connected to a power ring. Johns made different colors representative of different emotions and populated by their own Corps of ring-wielders, a situation that has underpinned many DCU storylines since. Of note is the fact that purple, the Star Sapphire color, is powered by love, with Predator the embodiment of it in its purest, maybe most selfish, form. The Bronze Age Carol Ferris was a complicated character that went through an emotional wringer, some of her turmoil most certainly due to the presence of Star Sapphire. Maybe that other persona took all of her negative traits with it when it was exorcised. Or maybe they were all still there, waiting to be explored. Whatever the case, Star Sapphire was an engaging character that transfixed many fans and creators. All this because Carol Ferris could not choose whom she loved more. And you think your relationship is complicated! The author would like to thank Cary Bates, Kevin Dooley, Steve Englehart, Bob Rozakis, and Joe Staton for their assistance in preparing this article. BRIAN MARTIN thinks most Bronze Age comics were gems and loves researching and writing about them.

Star-Crossed Lovers (top) Sapphire’s wielding a new weapon in Green Lantern #22 (Mar. 1992). Cover by Pat Broderick. (bottom) Our villainess’ darkness within was revealed long before bad guy Eclipso got involved. Cover to GL Annual #1 (1992) by Bill Willingham. TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 37

by D

an Johnson

When we’re kids, superheroes exemplify everything we wish we could be. We want to be as strong as Superman or as fast as the Flash. Superheroes shape our lives in regard to how we want to live and even what career paths we will take. As we grow up, some of us still look to superheroes to serve as role models. Considering all the things other superheroes can do, Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man, was able to pull off something so few of his more powerful peers could: he found the love of his life and made her his bride. “There may be more married superhero couples in comics these days, but back in the Bronze Age it was something of a novelty, with Ralph Dibny and Sue (as well as Barry and Iris Allen) being among the exceptions,” notes Bronze Age Flash writer Cary Bates. “The fact that both marriages eventually ended in tragedy (Iris murdered by Reverse-Flash; Sue raped/killed by Dr. Light years later in Identity Crisis) doesn’t diminish our appreciation of such relationships. As created by [editor] Julie Schwartz and [writer] John Broome back in the day, Ralph and Sue were a happy couple, and that’s how I wrote them.”

A CLASS(IC) ACT

As a kid reading comics in the 1970s, I loved the Elongated Man stories that would pop up in random issues of Detective Comics, and he was always a favorite of mine in Justice League of America. Also, as a rabid fan of The Flash, I loved it when Ralph would team up with the Scarlet Speedster in Flash’s comic book. Early on, I realized that what I really loved about Ralph Dibny was the interaction between him and his better half, Sue. Their relationship had a charming playfulness and lovingness that took its cues from another famous detective and his socialite spouse. “I think of Ralph and Sue the same way they were conceived… they are Nick and Nora Charles, played by William Powell and Myrna Loy in the film series The Thin Man,” says artist Ty Templeton, who has worked on several Elongated Man stories, including inking The Elongated Man miniseries by Gerard Jones and Mike Parobeck (Jan.–Apr. 1992). “I’ve had a crush on Myrna Loy since the first time I saw her in a movie, as did most of the planet Earth. [Ralph and Sue are] so obviously based on those characters. They eventually become their own thing, but that’s the basic starting point, Powell and Loy, only with superpowers. [Or they are] Hart to Hart if you’re a child of the ’70s.” Mike W. Barr, a frequent writer for Elongated Man’s adventures in the ’70s and the early ’80s, has a different take on the characters, with a television couple that actually could have played the Dibnys at the time they were introduced in the pages of The Flash in the early ’60s. “I thought they were adorable,” says Barr. “Everyone assumes they were based on The Thin Man, but I’ve always thought they were based on the relationship of Rob and Laura Petrie, as played by Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore in The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

I Only Have Eyes for Sue From Identity Crisis #1 (Aug. 2004), Firehawk gets an earful from Elongated Man as he gushes over his wife Sue. By Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales, and Michael Bair. TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 39

THE DYNAMIC DUO

Love, Actually Depending upon whom you ask, Ralph and Sue Dibny are DC’s equivalents of The Thin Man’s Nick and Nora Charles, Hart to Hart’s Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, or The Dick Van Dyke Show’s Rob and Laura Petrie. But to us, there’s only one Elongated Man and wife! Elongated Man TM & © DC Comics. The Thin Man © MGM. Hart to Hart © NBC Universal. The Dick Van Dyke Show © CBS.

Whereas other superheroes were off saving the world or fighting arch-criminals, the Dibnys tooled around the DC Universe as Ralph followed his twitching nose and did more down-to-Earth things like thwarting the theft of a first edition of Alice in Wonderland (“Malice in Wonderland” from The Flash #208, Aug. 1971) or solving the theft of a race car (“Minus One Miracle Car” from Detective Comics #488, Feb.–Mar. 1980). As Ralph played detective, Sue was always by his side, encouraging him and supporting him. “They had such a wonderful dynamic,” says writer J. M. DeMatteis, who included both characters as prominent players in Justice League Europe. Sue was smart, grounded, practical, and in control, which left Ralph free to be a little bit… shall we say loopier? Not that [Ralph] wasn’t smart or talented; but Sue’s grounding left him free to explore the wilder, wackier side of his personality. But Sue, too, had a wonderful, if dryer and more biting, sense of humor. And I think their shared humor was one of the things that kept their marriage intact.” DeMatteis further explains that it was the dynamic between Ralph and Sue that got them on the short list to be included in Justice League Europe. “That decision [to use Ralph and Sue] came from Keith [Giffen, plotter] and our editor, Andy Helfer; they put the roster of the JLE team together. But, yes, they were naturals. Our style came from character interaction, the banter, the sniping, the affection and frustration between these characters. And Ralph and Sue had that in spades. In some ways, they were the whole team dynamic boiled down to one couple.”

40 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

Going off on adventures with the Justice League (and the occasional adventures with the Flash) were the only times the Elongated Man got involved in more cosmic events. Usually he and Sue dealt with more mundane situations, which is ironic since Ralph was one of only a few superheroes to serve in all three of the Bronze Age incarnations of the Justice League. In fact, while Sue was there during the first incarnation of the League, the Satellite years, she kind of became a member of the League in her own right starting with the “Justice League Detroit” team. And during the Justice League Europe days, and later the “Super Buddies” phase, it could be argued she was more of an asset to the team than Ralph was. Still, since they tended to deal with everyday people and situations, they were much more relatable than some other superheroes and their love interests. As Bates noted, they were a happy couple. Also, the gist of many of their adventures— solving mysteries—made the Elongated Man stories more varied than so many other superhero stories that could often times break down into spandex slugfests. “Julie [Schwartz] always wanted his writers to come in with a ‘narrative hook,’ something that would catch the readers’ attention and make them say, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’” says Bob Rozarkis, who wrote several Elongated Man stories in the ’70s. “This was more evident in the EM stories than anywhere else: What is it that gets Ralph’s nose twitching? So, the key was to come up with something that would get Ralph’s nose a-twitching. Then, of course, mike w. barr you had to have a clever explanation. Julie always said, ‘Throw out the Super Festivals. first few solutions you come up with because those are the ones the readers will think of.’ He always wanted the one the readers would be surprised by.” As much fun as the Dibnys were to read, they were just as much a joy for the men who created their stories. “I generally stumped for Elongated Man stories whenever I could,” says Mike Barr. “[Editor] Paul Levitz bought a couple from me, including a story for Detective Comics #500 [“The Final Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe,” Mar. 1981]. Some editors didn’t feel the character was important enough to use, but many did. Dick Giordano okayed a Batman/EM team-up for Brave and the Bold #177 (“The Hangman Club’s Murders,” Aug. 1981), even though he knew the issue would not result in increased sales.” Cary Bates says, “If I had to pick a favorite Elongated Man story I wrote, it would probably be [the one from] The Flash #296 (Apr. 1981), ‘The Man Who Was Cursed to the Bone,’ in which Flash teamed up with Ralph and Sue to solve a mystery revolving around a modern-day Elephant Man. It’s also worth mentioning this story marked the long-awaited return of Carmine Infantino to the pages of The Flash after a 14-year absence.” Bob Rozakis notes, “As it turns out, I only wrote four Elongated Man solo stories. I thought I had penned more than that, but I didn’t. That said, ‘The Clue of the Talking Orchid’ in Detective Comics #462 (Aug. 1976) was my favorite because it was the ‘purest’ Elongated Man story I wrote. Ralph’s nose is twitching on the first page and away we go.”

Just You and I (top) From Elongated Man’s first solo story in Detective Comics #327 (May 1964), the husband-wife dynamic of the Dibnys was clearly established. Detail from original Carmine Infantino art, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). (bottom) Sue stands by her man as he’s finally inducted into the JLA in Justice League of America #105 (Apr.–May 1973). By Wein/ Dillin/Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.

BABY ON BOARD

Of all the challenges that were met by Ralph and Sue, it is ironic that it took over 50 years for someone to touch on the most obvious idea of all for this happy couple: parenthood. Finally the idea was broached in DeMatteis and Giffen’s miniseries, I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League (Apr.–Late Aug. 2005). “The pregnancy came about through the dialogue; it wasn’t in j. m. Dematteis Keith’s plot,” says DeMatteis. “That was Federico Vinci. the fun of those characters: Keith would set up these wonderful situations in the plot, then I’d get them talking and elements would emerge via conversation that surprised even me. So Ralph started jumping to conclusions about Sue’s pregnancy and it became a running gag. My idea was that she was indeed pregnant, but the powers that be told me not to do that.” You’ll forgive me if I have jumped ahead a bit. The JL miniseries that touches on Sue being pregnant was held back about a year by DC Comics. In actuality, DeMatteis was the writer who I see as hitting upon this idea. And again, I think it was a stroke of genius. In my mind, I think Ralph and Sue would have been great parents. I know a lot of other comic-book fans did too. Sadly, it was another writer who would take Sue’s pregnancy and use it as a factor in one of the greatest tragedies I have ever read in comics: the murder of Sue Dibny.

BREAKING HEARTS

Throughout the Silver Age and the Bronze Age and even the Modern Age of Comics, the romance between Ralph and Sue Dibny had been a constant that readers could count on. That all ended, though, with the release of Identity Crisis #1 (Aug. 2004). The miniseries written by novelist Brad Meltzer was a game-changer for the DC Universe, and I can honestly say it changed how I saw the Justice League of my youth. There are some things we don’t question as kids, like, “What do you do with a bad guy who learns who you really are?” And, “What do you do to a bad guy who threatens your loved ones?” Or worse yet, hurts your loved ones? Identity Crisis took my childhood heroes to a darker place, but all of it was in response to the fact that the world itself had become darker. Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 41

Not in Her League? The Dibnys take residence in the Paris embassy in Justice League Europe #1 (Apr. 1989). By Giffen/DeMatteis/ Sears/Marcos. TM & © DC Comics.

“[Identity Crisis] was actually a response to [the 2001 components of all of us. When I was growing up, thanks terrorist attacks in the US on] 9/11,” says Brad Meltzer. to Alan Moore, [Frank] Miller, [Neil] Gaiman, Marv “When I wrote it, it was designed to be a small, Wolfman, and so many others, I gravitated to those stories.” emotional story. No crossovers, no fanfare. After 9/11 The Leaguers, Ralph, and Sue were characters happened, [DC executive] Dan DiDio called me up and Meltzer cared about and loved. He actually cared so started reminding me how differently the world felt after much about them that he almost passed on the Identity that day. He said: ‘After 9/11, remember how everyone, Crisis project. “When DC first approached me, they said when they saw a police officer or firefighter, I could kill a ‘big hero,’” says Meltzer. “They gave me would thank them? We looked at firefighters a full death list with big names on it. Massive differently after September 11. It made names of heroes you care about. But that people realize that firefighters weren’t seemed so short-sighted to me. As a reader, just the folks pulling cats out of trees and I knew that whoever I killed, they’d be marching in parades—they were heroes back again in a year or two, and the doing an extremely dangerous job consequences would be meaningless. where, every time they put their But when someone mentioned Sue on uniform on, they were risking their lives. the list, I remember thinking: ‘Why That’s the feeling we want back,’ Dan would anyone kill Sue Dibny?’ It made no sense to me. In fact, I said no to the told me. ‘That feeling that when our heroes put on their uniforms—even if it story. I walked away (and I forget if this was is a cape and utility belt—that they’re Dan [DiDio] or Mike [Carlin, editor]), risking their lives.’ In comics, we’d but one of them said, ‘Just think on it brad meltzer become so desensitized to violence, for a bit.’ I went away and couldn’t we lost that feeling. That sense of risk, stop thinking about it. And then I of consequence… of loss and of love. © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. realized that if someone killed Sue, With Identity Crisis, we were trying to bring it back.” it would make every other hero in the DCU hug their Before Identity Crisis, many writers had come in with loved one more than ever. That was it. This wouldn’t be shocking twists and surprise turns that were meant to just a story about death, but it’d be a story about love. change how we looked at iconic heroes, yet to me as a The whole core of the story comes from the love and reader they rang false. True, the ideas were startling, but the real true feelings that these characters have for each I knew they came from people who had no emotional other. A month later, I came back with the full pitch.” investment in the characters they were playing with. Meltzer, on the other hand—that’s a different story. A STORY OF SURVIVAL The way he wrote the DC characters, I knew he got them. One story element that Meltzer brought to Identity Yes, he was putting them all through pure hell, but he Crisis was an idea that shocked old-school fans like knew who they were. “I was raised on comics,” Meltzer me, and that was having Sue be raped by Dr. Light. tells BACK ISSUE. “They are the reason I’m a writer today. This heinous crime would be the last straw that When I was nine years old, my father brought home made some of the League members cross lines they Justice League of America #150 (Jan. 1978). That was it. never thought they would in dealing with their foes. I was hooked. I’ve been a DC fan for 40 years now. I had “We spent longer than anyone will ever know a pull box long before anybody called them pull boxes. discussing how to deal with that scene,” says Meltzer. And even back then, the stories I loved best were the “At the highest levels of DC, we all wanted to make stories where the heroes were like ‘us.’ Where this sure we handled it with the sensitivity it so rightfully imaginary universe felt real and lived-in, with all life’s deserves. We didn’t want it to be on-panel, or graphic, complexities. I think it’s a mistake to assume that the or gratuitous. And equally rightfully, that scene has superhero ‘ethical code’ is limited to just truth and justice. been read and analyzed by thousands of people with If these characters are us, or at least ideals for us—as I think experiences very different than my own.” every great hero must be—then they should also be filled As I said before, I loved the Ralph and Sue relationship with our flaws. Embarrassment, revenge, regret, anger, that I saw as a kid. But just like in real life, we only see and selfishness are hardly the things we think of when the surface of most relationships. Things aren’t always we think ‘superhero.’ But they are real emotional happy-go-lucky in even the best of marriages. The rape 42 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

of Sue Dibny was a terrible thing, but it is a violent act that far too many people face every day. To survive it, to still go on with your life and to not let it haunt you for the rest of your days, takes strength and courage and, if you are lucky, you have the unwavering love of a good life partner who is in your corner no matter what. In terms of writing realistic characters, that is Ralph and Sue. While I hate the thought of this happening to a beloved character from my youth, the adult me knows the Dibnys’ love for each other would have been strong enough to get through this dark time. And knowing that Sue Dibny could be a victim of this terrible crime drives home a very important point: it can happen to anyone. “I’ve had people come to me at events and thank me for shining a light on that issue,” says Meltzer. “I’ve had people write me hate mail for writing about that issue. So after all these years, I can only tell you one thing: I wish sexual assault and rape didn’t exist in our society. I think that all media, including comics, need to play a role in combatting the culture that makes anyone think these behaviors are acceptable.” Amen to that.

REACHING THE END

A wise man once said that even the best love story is, in the end, a tragedy, and that is because one person in the couple has to die first. Identity Crisis showed us the fallout of Ralph having to live without his beloved Sue. As it turns out, putting this on paper was just as difficult for Meltzer. “When you write comics, you see the moments in your brain. And then the art comes in,” says Meltzer. “Sometimes

Picking Favorites Three scribes pick their favorite of their Elongated Man tales: (top left) Mike W. Barr’s, from Detective Comics #500 (Mar. 1981); (top right) Bob Rozakis’, from Detective #462 (Aug. 1976); and (bottom) Cary Bates’, from The Flash #296 (Apr. 1981). TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 43

Soulmates (left) Ralph’s heartbreaking discovery of Sue’s body, from Identity Crisis #1. (right) Together again, from the conclusion of 52, Week #52 (July 2007). TM & © DC Comics.

it’s exactly what you saw. Sometimes, it’s different than what you envisioned. And with the best artists— especially with [Identity Crisis illustrator] Rags Morales here—there are scenes that hit far harder than I ever imagined. That was Ralph and Sue for me, especially the scene where Ralph finds her. In the script, I wanted this shot to be just like that shot in The Shawshank Redemption, with Tim Robbins looking up at the sky, the rain falling down around him—but instead of joy, I wanted a moment of horror. I wanted to be looking straight down at Ralph and Sue. Rags called me up and said, ‘I really want to do it at a little bit of angle.’ I said ‘No, no, no, you have to trust me on this.’ He said, ‘I’ll do it my way and if you don’t like it, I’ll do it your way.’ I sat at the fax machine (back when we used to fax things) waiting for it to come through and when he sent me the sketch, I called him and said, ‘Your way.’” Ralph would be left to grieve and even try to resurrect Sue during the events of 52, a weekly maxiseries from May 2006 to July 2007. In the end, his efforts would lead to him being killed by the demon Neron after Ralph was intended to be a sacrifice to the demon by Felix Faust. Ralph’s story had a happy ending as his death ended up trapping both Neron and Faust in Dr. Fate’s tower via a binding spell that only responded to Ralph’s voice. More than that, in death, Ralph was reunited with Sue and the two were allowed to spend eternity as ghosts, still investigating mysteries and still very much in love. It just goes to show you, true love never dies.

44 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

MAKE LOVE THE DIBNY WAY

Like I said, superheroes give their readers goals to strive for. The Elongated Man and his darling Sue certainly gave me something to strive for, which alas, I have yet to accomplish: finding my own partner. Indeed, the Dibnys have much to teach comic fans about love and relationships. “If you want to find love, find an equal,” says Meltzer. “And by that, I don’t mean find someone who’s a mirror of yourself. Love is a complement. When Sue and Ralph meet, Sue is big city; Ralph is small town. But it works because they’re a complement. They’re equals. And together, they’re something better. Find someone who helps you be the very best version of yourself. That’s the love I want for myself. The Dibnys are imaginary people. But they offer us some of life’s greatest lessons.” “Be supportive,” offers Rozarkis in regard to what relationship advice we can take away from Ralph and Sue. “Understand one another. Laugh. Don’t be afraid to speak frankly to one another. Enjoy each other’s company.” “Always keep growing together as a couple,” suggests DeMatteis. “Laugh a lot. Love passionately. And join an international super-team whenever possible!” “Learn to enjoy each other’s company,” adds Bates. “And even if you’re not solving mysteries, get out of the house once in a while!” To that, I would add the greatest take away I got from Ralph and Sue: if you love, love with all your heart. Also, never settle for less than your soulmate.

Necking A canoodling panel from the delightful Elongated Man tale in Secret Origins #30 (Sept. 1988). Art by Ty Templeton and Grant Miehm, story by Gerard Jones. TM & © DC Comics.

“That’s basically it,” says Templeton. “Love. Ralph and Sue actually love each other, and like each other, and are comfortable with each other, and support each other. She’s never been the junior partner in the stories, but the other half of the pair. He doesn’t work without her, in the same way that Superman doesn’t work without Lois.” “I always felt that Ralph and Sue loved each other,” says Meltzer. “Real love. Not the comic-book sterile version of love where we’re told ‘they’re in love’ and there’s a tepid kiss scene every few issues, along with scenes where the woman looks lovingly at the hero as he (it’s usually a he) swings off/flies off to fight another villain. Ralph and Sue had real love. Complex love. This was an honest-to-God love affair. They were equals in a medium where most female characters back then were so often two-dimensional stereotypes. “What I appreciated about Sue is that for decades, she wasn’t just there in ty templeton service to a man. She was working the mystery, too. She had history, a backstory, Gage Skidmore. an actual personality, and was, well… different. And she loved someone different. Like it says in the book, vanilla is the most popular flavor, but some people prefer butter pecan.” DAN JOHNSON is a comics writer and pop culture historian. He is a co-founder, editor, and writer for Empire Comics Lab (empirecomicslab.com) and Golden Kid Comics (goldenkidcomics.com). Dan has written for Antarctic Press, Campfire Graphic Novels, InDELLible Comics, and ACP Comics and is a gag writer for the Dennis the Menace comic strip.

Advertise With Us! RetroFan & BrickJournal Ad Rates: Back cover or inside cover: $1000 ($900 for two or more) Full-page interior: $800 ($700 for two or more) Half-page interior: $500 ($425 for two or more) Quarter-page interior: $300 ($250 for two or more)

Alter Ego • Back Issue • Comic Book Creator • Draw • Jack Kirby Collector: Back cover or inside cover: $800 ($700 for two or more) Full-page interior: $600 ($500 for two or more) Half-page interior: $300 ($250 for two or more) Quarter-page interior: $150 ($125 for two or more) AD SIZES: COVERS & FULL-PAGE: 8.375” wide x 10.875” tall trim size, add 1/8” bleed. (7.625” x 10.125” live area.) HALF-PAGE: 7.625” x 4.875” live area (no bleeds). QUARTER-PAGE: 3.6875” x 4.875” live area (no bleeds).

Call or e-mail for frequency discounts! Send ad copy and payment (US funds) to: TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 919-449-0344 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com

We accept check, money order, and all major credit cards; include card number and expiration date.

These rates are for digital ads supplied (PDF, JPEG, TIF, EPS, InDesign, or Quark Xpress files acceptable). No agency discounts apply.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE INTERACTIVE CATALOG! https://www.twomorrows.com/2020InteractiveCatalog.pdf

46 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 47

Keep The World of TwoMorrows spinning! Two great ways to help us stay in business!

Just as our 25th Anniversary book and six new magazines were about to go on sale in March 2020, comics shops and our distributors shut down due to the pandemic, and we had to dispose of thousands of copies of RetroFan and BrickJournal that never made it to Barnes & Noble stores. We’ve incurred huge losses on all those copies, and even as distributors and stores reopen, it’ll be months before they catch up on payments—and we’ll see lower orders as some stores close permanently, and the ones that survive will be cutting back. But when TwoMorrows Publishing was founded in 1994, our publications weren’t sold through comics shops or bookstores—only by mail order and subscriptions. With your help, we’ll continue shipping worldwide by mail, even if stores and distributors are forced to shut down again. So here’s two simple ways you can keep us publishing new material:

#1: Subscribe for a half-year!

Your direct orders help us plan our print runs, and provide the cash flow to keep printing. So we’re temporarily offering

less expensive half-year subscriptions to all our magazines, which let you support us for the short-term, then go back to purchasing at your local store over the next few months. Every print or digital subscription helps!

#2: Get older issues of our mags!

Download our new, easy to use 2020 Digital Catalog at: https://www.twomorrows.com/2020InteractiveCatalog.pdf and order our books and magazines online. If you prefer not to order online, we can also take orders by phone or mail, and will include a free printed catalog with your order. Finally, don’t miss the World of TwoMorrows 25th Anniversary book, available now in Softcover, Ultra-Limited Hardcover, and Digital Editions. If you’ve enjoyed the material we’ve produced for the last quarter-century, you’ll love learning how we made it happen all these years! Now stay safe, and let’s keep The World of TwoMorrows spinning for another 25 years! - John Morrow, publisher

Currently, RetroFan & BrickJournal ARE NOT SOLD at many Barnes & Nobles! SUBSCRIBE now for a half-year (or double it for a full year)! It supports us in the short-term, and ensures you don’t miss any issues!

2020

Due to the recent pandemic store closings, we’ve adjusted our schedule for 2020 releases. See our website for other ship dates.

RETROFAN #12

RETROFAN #13

RETROFAN #14

BRICKJOURNAL #66

Hollywood interviewer CHRIS MANN goes behind the scenes of TV’s sexy sitcom THREE’S COMPANY—and NANCY MORGAN RITTER, first wife of JOHN RITTER, shares stories about the TV funnyman. Plus: RICK GOLDSCHMIDT’s making of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, RONNIE SCHELL interview, Sheena Queen of the TV Jungle, Dr. Seuss toys, Popeye cartoons, DOCTOR WHO’s 1960s U.S. invasion, & more fun features!

Exclusive interviews with Lost in Space’s MARK GODDARD and MARTA KRISTEN, Dynomutt and Blue Falcon, Hogan’s Heroes’ BOB CRANE, a history of Wham-O’s Frisbee, Twilight Zone and other TV sci-fi anthologies, Who Created Archie Andrews?, oddities from the San Diego Zoo, lava lamps, and more with ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, and SCOTT SHAW! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Holy backstage pass! See rare, behind-thescenes photos of many of your favorite Sixties TV shows! Plus: an unpublished interview with Green Hornet VAN WILLIAMS, Bigfoot on Saturday morning television, WOLFMAN JACK, The Saint, the lean years of Star Trek fandom, the WrestleFest video game, TV tie-in toys no kid would want, and more features from FARINO, MANGELS, MURRAY, SAAVEDRA, SHAW, and MICHAEL EURY.

A look at YUANSHENG HE’s breathtaking LEGO® brick art photography (and how he creates and captures it), the many models of TOM FROST are showcased, as are the intricate Star Wars builds of Bantha Brick’s STEVEN SMYTH! Plus: “Bricks in the Middle” by KEVIN HINKLE and MATTHEW KAY, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Dec. 2020

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Feb. 2021

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships April 2021

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Feb. 2021

HALF-YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS Alter Ego (Three issues) Back Issue (Four issues) BrickJournal (Three issues) Comic Book Creator (Two issues) Jack Kirby Collector (Two issues) RetroFan (Three issues)

ECONOMY US $34 $45 $34 $23 $24 $34

EXPEDITED US $40 $51 $40 $28 $29 $40

PREMIUM US $43 $56 $43 $30 $31 $43

TwoMorrows. The Future of Pop History. TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

INTERNATIONAL $51 $68 $51 $34 $35 $51

DIGITAL ONLY $14 $18 $14 $9 $9 $14

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com Don’t miss exclusive sales, limited editions, and new releases! Sign up for our mailing list: http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/twomorrows

by J o h n

K. Kirk

Can’t Buy Me Love A montage of Batman and Iron Man images featuring our spotlighted heroes and some of their ill-fated romances of the Bronze Age, spoofing a cover logo of DC’s old licensed title based upon the early 1960s sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. A BIG thank-you to designer Rich Fowlks for realizing ye ed’s crazy concept and Photoshopping these images together! Batman and related characters and DC bullet TM & © DC Comics. Iron Man and related characters and Marvel logo TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 49

Vicki Waiting (top) In the Golden Age, Vicki Vale was Batman’s surrogate Lois Lane. Cover to Batman #79 (Oct.–Nov. 1953). (center) Writer Bob Rozakis brought back Vicki—married—in Batman Family #11 (May–June 1977). (bottom) That marriage was forgotten or sidestepped when Vicki returned in Batman #355 (Jan. 1983). TM & © DC Comics.

To be sure, there’s nothing common about Tony (Iron Man) Stark and Bruce (Batman) Wayne and the romantic relationships they have managed to accrue in their careers. While neither is really superhuman, they still have a lot of super-traits in common, namely: wealth, influence, good looks, and skills that have enabled them to achieve great things that fall into the superhuman range of accomplishments. Let’s face it— they’re what we’d colloquially consider “catches.” But what is common to these superheroes is that they have failed to commit to their romances. They attract—and are attracted to—women of distinctive types, but Stark and Wayne make poor choices, show weak decision making, or just have bad luck managing the relationships. Both men can’t succeed in achieving committed relationships. This is another super-trait they seem to share in common. Despite the immense list of high-quality partners available to Stark and Wayne, why is it that neither one of these guys can find a worthy partner to commit to for the rest of their lives? It hasn’t been for lack of quantity, and given that the list of romances available to both these billionaires is fairly long and the Bronze Age scope of this article is limited, I’ve narrowed down the choices that these men to the five most prominent women—in my opinion—for each of these heroes and arranged them into pairings of similar character in an attempt to explain why neither hero can successfully commit to their relationships. While the personal natures of both of these billionaire playboys is the real reason, I want to break that down further and examine the similarities between the top five girlfriends for both these heroes. Looking at similarities in the relationships with these women, their favorable qualities give way to the choices that drive the heroes away from their prospective partners and the committed lives they can never have.

VICKI VALE AND PEPPER POTTS – DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

The original girlfriends for both of these characters, Batman’s Vicki and Iron Man’s Pepper had the simplest of intentions and the easiest relationship to describe for both Wayne and Stark. As Vale predates Potts, first appearing in Batman #49 (Oct. 1948), her concept was simply meant to be the flirtatious, sporadically appearing female reporter who got into trouble and needed rescuing, in the tradition of Superman’s Lois Lane. She was also often the source of plots revolving around Batman’s identity. She was a character who provided a softer side to Batman, who was forced to consider her welfare, manners, and gentle reminders that women shouldn’t involve themselves in affairs they couldn’t handle. Hey, it was the Golden Age! Roughly 20-odd years later, in another comic universe, Virginia “Pepper” Potts appeared in the early issues of Tales of Suspense starring Iron Man—starting with TOS #45 (Nov. 1963)—as a clerical worker who spotted an accounting error, saving Stark Industries an undisclosed fortune and earning her an instant promotion to Tony Stark’s personal assistant. Despite the decades, roles for love interests in superhero comicbook storytelling really hadn’t changed much. During the course of their close working association, Potts became infatuated with Stark but was also often the center of plots involving her rescue as well as an eventual love triangle with Stark’s bodyguard and driver, Happy Hogan, who she would eventually marry. The similarities between Vicki and Pepper are plentiful. First, they’re both redheads. For some reason, superhero men attract redheads like flies to sugar. The examples are too numerous to mention, but the list of redheaded paramours is well-established in comic history. Another simplistic similarity is the alliterative structure of their names, presumably to render their characters simplistic and easy to remember. However, they were also very subservient characters. Victims of their original, straightforward character designs, the women characters of the late ’40s and early ’60s comics shared a similar degree of societal roles. They were to be 50 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

I’m a Pepper (left) Pepper Potts’ introduction, from 1963’s Tales of Suspense #45. (right) During Denny O’Neil’s tenure as Iron Man writer, this sequence in issue #165 (Dec. 1982) shows Pepper’s reaction to Tony Stark dating Indries Moomji. TM & © Marvel.

cared for, protected, and while they may have demonstrated talent, intelligence, and resourcefulness, they were still often targets of the supervillains their love interests encountered. In the days of her first appearances, Potts had to frequently contend with being held hostage by Iron Man foes like Melter, the Crimson Dynamo, and the Unicorn. Vicki Vale’s abductors weren’t supervillains, in the traditional sense, but she usually found herself antagonized by your typical garden-variety, gun-toting thug. Her attempts to root out a good story or prove that Bruce Wayne and Batman were one and the same still saw her in danger. Like Potts, she was someone who always needed to be rescued and protected. Because of their historicity, they are also characters that underwent a tremendous amount of development and change from their original inceptions. Vicki Vale re-emerged in the 1970s as a married woman, now forbidden to Bruce Wayne but clearly someone of continued love interest. In the ’80s, her marriage seemed forgotten by DC writers, but her romance with Batman continued, becoming serious competition for the likes of Catwoman. Pepper eventually married Happy, yet she would later divorce him and in the 1970s and 1980s and become an important figure in Stark’s successor company, Stark Solutions, and in this capacity a renewed love interest. When asked why the Bruce Wayne/Vicki Vale relationship failed, legendary Batman writer/editor Denny O’Neil replies, “Same reason Clark couldn’t succeed with Lois. Vicki is a career girl. That’s what’s important to her—getting ahead in her business. She didn’t have time [for romance] and hanky-panky. “Vicki Vale is just a superficial career chick. [In the 1989 Tim Burton-directed Batman movie], she walks into the Batcave and says, ‘This is nice.’ I had the feeling, particularly from the movie, that she was not really ready to make a commitment, and he was in the middle of developing what would he would become as Batman.” Iron Man artist Bob Layton has this insight to offer about Pepper Potts: “One of the reasons that [Iron Man writer/co-plotter David] Michelinie and I abandoned Pepper Potts was that she was previously portrayed as a stereotypical helpless, demure female. I could never

imagine someone as dynamic as Tony Stark ever being attracted to her. So, we created Mrs. Arbogast as Tony’s private secretary and the confident Bethany Cabe as his love interest. We wanted someone in that secretary job who was immune to Stark’s charisma and charm. In the MCU incarnation, they more or less took Mrs. Arbogast’s personality and transplanted it into their version of Pepper Potts.” In their earlier incarnations, both Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark were men who realized the level of responsibility a relationship to both of these characters would be and how much danger they would be in. Vicki Vale and Pepper Potts would always be in trouble and it would be better if they simply weren’t in their lives. The easiest solution for both Wayne and Stark in this sort of dependent relationship would be to simply not to commit to one, for both their sakes.

SELINA KYLE AND NATASHA ROMANOV – COMRADES-IN-ARMS

The dependent relationships with Vicki Vale and Pepper Potts were extreme ones that, while providing entertaining storylines, also demonstrated the type of women that both Stark and Wayne could not afford to have in their lives. Women without the ability to defend themselves from the villainy they encountered in their daily lives were liabilities and potential weaknesses. That would give way to an attraction to a type of potential partner that would not only prove to be attractive but also someone who could be regarded as an equal in ability and respected in combat. Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman, would be another 1940s female character that would also show a tremendous amount of character development over the decades and would prove to be a love interest with an adversarial nature, the combination of which would make her a perpetual source of fascination for Bruce Wayne. Originally created to provide some degree of sex appeal in first issue of the Batman comic book (Spring 1940), the Cat, as she was first called, was portrayed as an adversary who wasn’t truly evil, merely misguided. She engaged Batman through guile, leaving false clues and puzzles that were designed to intrigue and attract him. Batman frequently fell for her, hoping that she could be reformed and they would begin an on-again, off-again relationship that would see them partnered up on occasions. Catwoman’s appearances

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 51

trickled to a halt in the mid-1950s, and she wasn’t seen again in new stories until the mid-1960s due to the popularity of Julie Newmar’s portrayal on the Batman TV show. The Selina Kyle that appeared in the Bronze Age of Comics was a woman who decided she’d had enough of marriage. She left her marriage after breaking into her husband’s private vault, stealing his valuables and discovered she loved the experience of being bad. She became a professional cat burglar, and this led to frequent encounters with the Batman. [Editor’s note: Catwoman was the cover feature for BACK ISSUE #40.] A Bronze Age variant of Catwoman saw light on Earth-Two, where the Catwoman of that alternative Earth actually reformed and married Bruce Wayne and produced a child, Helena, who would become the Huntress on that Earth [see BACK ISSUE #38—ed.]. On either Earth, this Catwoman was a fierce handto-hand combatant who initiated clever schemes and plots earned the respect and fascination of Batman in many a story. She was a powerful adversary who also showed herself to be a worthy ally.

“If any two people on the earth should be together, it’s those two,” says Denny O’Neil. “I’m an old exCatholic and I believe in really powerful sexual attraction— so powerful, you can’t ignore it. I think that’s what Bruce feels for Catwoman… and what he feels for Talia.” Natasha Romanov, a.k.a. the Black Widow, was originally introduced as an adversary (and a feared one as a Soviet spy, at the time of the Cold War). She first appeared in Tales of Suspense #52 (Apr. 1964), armed with high-tech weaponry and dazzling martial arts and gymnastic abilities that made her a dangerous enemy to face. Of course, she was also a redheaded beauty who was sure to attract the attention of the jet-setting Tony Stark. As an aside, I laughingly had to ask Bob Layton why he thought there were so many redheads on this list. “I think there were an abundance of redheads because red pops and draws the eye to the love interest, especially back in the old four-color, newsprint days [of comic books], when the coloring was weak and on bad paper.” After five appearances, Natasha would later defect to the United States and serve as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.,

Don’t Rile Ms. Kyle (left) Catwoman vows to strike back at Vicki Vale for her advances toward Bruce Wayne in the Gerry Conway-scribed Batman #355 (Jan. 1983). Art by Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala. (right) Meanwhile, Earth-Two’s Batman and Catwoman were quite harmonious. Brave and the Bold #197 (Apr. 1983) cover by Jim Aparo. TM & © DC Comics.

52 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

and would often accompany Iron Man on his exploits around the same time that Tony Stark’s weapons design work would bring him into closer association with S.H.I.E.L.D. The fact that she was Russian not only made her exotic (at least in the 1960s), but if there’s a national trait Russians, regardless of their gender, are associated with, it’s the resilience in the face of adversity. It’s common knowledge that you never attack Russians in the dead of winter. Romanov would never leave her spy career completely behind. She would continue to employ her gifts at intelligence for both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony Stark, being trusted with Iron Man’s secret identity and eventually earning her own place in the Avengers. The Black Widow was the equal of any Avenger and, at times, a foe that Iron Man respected. The commonalities between the Black Widow and Catwoman are obvious. Neither of these love interests is dependent on their paramour to rescue them. Each is fully capable of defending themself and is gifted with unique abilities and backgrounds that not only make them respected but even feared. The fact that they never needed rescuing meant that they were equal partners in the relationship. But what about the perception of being more than equal? A bit of comic meta-perspective masquerading as armchair psychology intruding into the fray here, but neither of these superhero’s books were titled “Batman and Catwoman” or “Iron Man and the Black Widow,” though at times, I am aware that they did have special billing. But one of these heroes already has a regular sidekick and the other is better as a solo deal. There’s just no way either Batman or Iron Man in their Bronze Age incarnations could easily accommodate a partner, and to commit to a relationship with one who was just as capable as they were.

TALIA AL-GHUL AND WHITNEY FROST – HEIRESSES WITH DUTIES

The Spy Who Loved Me (top) Natasha Romanov—looking nothing like the flame-haired, catsuit-clad adventuress we’d come to know and love, debuts in Tales of Suspense #52 (Apr. 1964). (bottom) A more contemporary take on Black Widow and Iron Man, illo’ed in 2009 by Sean Chen. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © Marvel.

Family obligation, status, and the allure of an heiress to a great and mysterious empire make these romantic interests too hard to keep. Their mystique, their presence… they are entrancing and alluring, but in the end, there’s just no way a sustainable relationship can be developed with women of this pedigree, privilege, and—let’s face it—a degree of obligation that is hard to compete with, even for men like Stark and Wayne. Take Talia, for example. Not only does she have the capability to match the Darknight Detective in mortal combat, but she also has a professed loyalty to her father, Ra’s al Ghul, and his ways that dictated she fall in love with someone worthy of his mantle. Guided by this deep love, it is the Batman she deems worthy. Not Bruce Wayne, mind you, but the Dark Knight persona that the Batman has created. More like Bruce Wayne is the cover for the Batman, instead of the other way around. Batman lives in the shadows like the daughter of the Master of the League of Assassins, but is he worthy? First appearing in writer Denny O’Neil’s “Into the Den of the Death-Dealers” in Detective Comics #411, it is actually her second appearance (“Daughter of the Demon,” Batman #232) that establishes her status and Batman’s worthiness to be her husband. Talia and her father stage a fake kidnapping of her and Robin in order for Batman to prove himself to be a suitable heir to the League of Assassins and a match for this princess. To a degree, it succeeds. While Batman rejects the succession to the League, he still reciprocates Talia’s feelings, and the two are wed (sort of) several years later in DC Special Series #15, the Batman Spectacular (Summer 1978) [see the Bronze Age Weddings article in this issue for more on this bizarre betrothal—ed.]. The allure of Talia al Ghul is clearly intoxicating to Batman. While Bruce Wayne is a man of his own means, used to the finest things in life, O’Neil obviously wanted to make her irresistible to the Gotham Guardian. O’Neil had this to say about her character in an interview with Dan Greenfield on 13thdimension.com: Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 53

Mystery Date (left) This iconic page, written by Denny O’Neil and drawn by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano, establishes Talia’s affection for the Batman and his “worthiness” to follow in Ra’s al Ghul’s footsteps. From Batman #232 (June 1971). (right) A lesser-known O’Neil Batman/Talia tale, from 1978’s Batman Spectacular, featuring the duo’s “wedding.” TM & © DC Comics.

“In my mind it was obvious that the only two people her privilege and decides to end their marriage, Batman’s on the planet who should unite in matrimony are fatherhood, and her father’s dynasty. In a 2013 interview with Comics Alliance, Barr had Batman and Talia. The tragedy is they can’t because she won’t let go of her father, and he won’t let go of this to say about the storyline’s background: “I have heard stories, and this is hearsay, I’ll admit, his obsession with lawbreakers. I thought that was one of the things that made it interesting and unique. but I’ve heard it from a number of sources, that Denny Nothing like that had ever been in comics. As I said, [O’Neil] very much disapproved of what I’d done other writers went in different directions with with Batman and Talia. Not only getting them it, and God bless them.” married, which was done as a sequel to one O’Neil adds the following about the of his stories, but also having a child, which he had absolutely forbidden. As Batman/Talia relationship for BACK ISSUE I was working on the plot of the story, readers: “He has a mommy fixation and she has a daddy fixation. That’s originally, I had the concept of Talia an impasse. They can’t get past their getting pregnant and then losing the parental feelings.” child in some pitched battle, when she In Mike W. Barr’s graphic novel was injured in some conflict at the end Batman: Son of the Demon, Talia and the of the story. But then I realized that as Batman reaffirm their love for each other soon as Talia says ‘I’m pregnant,’ the in a tryst that results in a son, at first reader, knowing how little permanent unbeknownst to Batman. Ra’s al Ghul change there is in comic books, is enlists the aid of his son-in-law in going to be waiting for the moment denny o’neil hunting down and punishing a rogue where she says later on in the story ‘I’ve lost the baby.’ They’re going to member of the League who murdered © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. al Ghul’s wife, Melisande. During this time, Batman is be waiting for it, they expect that, so she does say that nearly killed and Talia decides that he could never really and the reader, at that point, kind of figures, ‘Okay, I be the husband she would need if he was always forced knew that was coming, that’s fine.’ Then, at the end to rescue her. Dramatically taking matters into her own of the story, she was lying about that. She does have hands, she fakes a miscarriage and leaves their child at the child. I thought that would be a double-punch that an orphanage, declaring their marriage to be over. In one the reader would never forget, and I don’t think any reader ever has forgotten it.” fell swoop, the daughter of the Master of Assassins invokes

54 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Despite Talia’s exoticness and her unforgettably overwhelming mystique, a commitment to a woman with this degree of family loyalty was something that Bruce Wayne would be unable to manage. Talia is a woman of status who is used to making decisions with or without her partner’s approval for a good greater than her own personal happiness. Of course, coming from a life of privilege, she would recognize that the price for that level of privilege would be her obligation to her family. Whitney Frost is likewise a privileged heiress to a shadowy underground organization—in her case, the Maggia, the crime families who have often involved themselves in Iron Man’s early career. Though not as mysterious or otherworldly as the League of Assassins, the Maggia had their own aristocracy with Whitney Frost, a.k.a. Iron Man foe Madame Masque, in reality Giuletta Nefaria, daughter of the enigmatic and villainous Count Luchino Nefaria. Despite Count Nefaria’s preference for a male heir, Whitney Frost proved herself a capable successor to the Maggia throne. She infiltrated Stark Enterprises a number of times, and seduced S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell while at the same time working her charms—despite a disfigured face—on Tony Stark as well. A capable fighter and criminal mastermind, Whitney was definitely her own woman with her own unscrupulous set of standards. Despite any love she had for Stark, she was not above betrayal or whatever resources she could access to accomplish her goals, regardless of her feelings. Yet, Madame Masque’s privilege was her family obligation or her association with criminals like Mordecai Midas. Despite Tony Stark’s insistence that they could have a relationship, Frost’s status within her family, obligation to Midas, and obligation to her father were impediments that would interfere with any romance she could have had with Stark. “As the series progressed, we did our best to redefine Madame Masque as someone whose moral compass would have been totally repugnant to Stark,” Bob Layton tells BACK ISSUE. “When we introduced Rae LaCoste, during our second run on Iron Man, it was our intention to have Tony discover that she had assumed bob layton the mantle of Madame Masque and was using her close relationship with Stark © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. to her sinister advantage. (BTW: Rae would have been revealed to be the long-lost ex-wife of Scott [Ant-Man] Lang, to boot!)” In Iron Man #116 (Nov. 1978), Frost asserted her devotion to Nefaria over her love for Tony Stark, employing a space-exploration vehicle in combat against Iron Man and fully intending to kill him as he sought to prevent Nefaria from receiving the rejuvenation treatment he needed to extend his life. While not as cold-blooded as Talia, Whitney was still ruthless and prepared enough to end Stark’s life rather than see him oppose her father’s interests. This was still painful decision for her to make. An explosion from the battle between Iron Man and the Jupiter space-exploration vehicle destroyed the life-support equipment that was keeping Count Nefaria alive. Her father’s death caused Madame Masque to end any hope of a romantic relationship with Stark, and brokenhearted, she sought to exile herself away from him via a self-inflicted punishment for the dereliction of her status as a loyal daughter. She would return issues from now as the leader of the Maggia to thwart Iron Man and the Avengers. While these women have immense pedigree and were clearly women of great status and mystique, their positions in their family made them untenable. Commitment to these women could never be possible because their dedication would never be to their lovers.

Daddy’s Girl From the flirtatious Whitney Frost (inset, from Iron Man #1) to (top) the menacing Madame Masque, Count Nefaria’s daughter and Tony Stark weren’t made for other, despite their attraction. (bottom) Pivotal page from Iron Man #116. Cover and interior art by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Layton. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 55

POISON IVY AND INDRIES MOOMJI – FEMME FATALES

The seductive force of the femme fatale character is also a type of romantic entanglement that both Stark and Wayne have in their common experiences with women. Both Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy) and Indries Moomji have an irresistible appeal that proves not only toxic to their welfare but also to almost everything they have built in their lives. These women are forbidden and—no pun intended, in Isley’s case— poisonous fruit. Relationships with them are simply inadvisable and have have tragic consequences. Poison Ivy—yet another redhead!—made her first appearance in Batman #181. She was originally meant to be a dangerous love-interest for Batman, specializing in love potions and chemicals to trap the object of her infatuation. Her origin was revised in the ’80s when around this time her infatuation transformed into and an unhealthy obsession with the Batman. The relationship between Poison Ivy and Batman was characterized by criminal antagonism highlighted by sexual tension. While sometimes the sexual tension between the two characters was the result of Poison Ivy’s ability with toxic and mindcontrolling plants, there was a definitive attraction between the two characters that showed the Batman’s temptation. Of course, nothing can come out of a relationship like this between a superhero and a supervillainess. It is a classic mismatch that makes for exciting plotlines. However, the reader knows full well that eventually the two characters cannot be together, and while this means that Bruce Wayne is denied another opportunity at love, it is plain to see that this was never meant to be. “She’s broken the law and is not willing to renounce her law-breaking past and the fact she was a criminal,” Denny O’Neil reflects of Poison Ivy. “She can’t do that, and it’s a shame. She’s obviously a brilliant woman, one who has great resources that

SWAK (Steal with a Kiss) Writer Gerry Conway had Poison Ivy kiss-control Bruce Wayne into signing over his empire to him in Batman #339 (Sept. 1981). Cover by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.

she generally uses for pretty good purposes, but there is that criminal thing. She’s a good character, in the same way the Joker’s girlfriend [Harley Quinn] is. That wouldn’t work in real life. But the way a couple of writers, Paul Dini in particular, have handled her, I couldn’t quarrel with her validity as a character, so I can’t quarrel with her existence as what she is.” In the case of Indries Moomji, Tony Stark is immediately seduced by his femme fatale, never knowing that, unlike Poison Ivy’s overt antagonism laced with infatuation, Moomji is a subversive threat that actively plots for Tony’s doom. In comparison, she represents the more dangerous of the two relationships. We first meet Indries Moomji in Iron Man #163 (Oct. 1982). Stark is immediately taken by Moomji’s foreign allure. She is secretive, seductive, and elusive, giving Stark the thrill of the chase. Shortly, Iron Man saves Indries from the wreckage of a monorail crushing her car and becomes infatuated with her as she recovers in the hospital from her injuries. Stark showers her with gifts and immediately begins a whirlwind courtship. What Stark and the readers are not aware of is that Indries is an operative in the employment of Stark rival Obadiah Stane. Trained in seduction and manipulation, she returns Tony’s affections, completely obtaining his trust. However, Indries also is a member of the Sisterhood of Ishtar, a covert operation that creates irresistible women for infiltration and seduction. She has been cosmetically and surgically altered to enhance her beauty and given mindaltering pheromones to make any suggestion instantly obeyed. Her purpose is to destabilize Stark, make him unable to think in his right mind, and to distract him while Stane mounts a hostile takeover of Stark Industries. While Stane’s Chessmen (the Knight, the Bishop, the Rook, etc.) subject Iron Man to constant harassment, Indries is able to influence Stark on a more subtle level. She increases her seduction efforts and reciprocates his affections while at the same time exposing him to alcohol, which Tony had been addicted to in the landmark “Demon in a Bottle” Iron Man storyline. Unable to handle the constant pressure, Stark eventually breaks down and resumes drinking. Finally, after Stark has lost scope and sense, Moomji breaks his heart by claiming that she never loved him at all. After that, Tony loses his faculties, drives himself into a deeper state of

56 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

drunkenness, and Stark Industries becomes the property of Obadiah Stane. Tony Stark is reduced to a homeless, penniless state, forcing his friend and confidant James “Rhodey” Rhodes to become Iron Man. [Editor’s note: See BI #110 and 117 for more info on these Iron Man tales.] Indries is more dangerous than Poison Ivy in the sense that she initiated the relationship with Stark for the sole purpose to destroy him. In fact, it can be argued that she succeeded. After breaking his heart, Stark would not put on the Iron Man suit until about 32 issues later, whereas Poison Ivy was never out to destroy Batman, but rather to control him and possess him. She wanted his love and if she couldn’t get it willingly, she would settle for taking it by force. However, she wanted him whole. At times she even saved his life, yet when Indries was rescued from the Sisterhood of Ishtar at Stane’s request, she offered up no sign of remorse that learning from Rhodes that Stark had been reduced by her actions to a pitiful, drunken wreck of a man. Instead, she calmly walked off into the horizon with no regrets and a wistful and wary Rhodes looking on, hoping the world can survive her. If that isn’t a femme fatale, then I don’t know what is. It’s clearly obvious that neither of these two love interests would be a suitable source of commitment for either Wayne or Stark. While the former sought to simply dominate the other for her affections, the latter sought to actively destroy her out of an assignment, and literally succeeded. Indries was truly without remorse for her actions, while Poison Ivy was motivated out of a love, a possessive, cloistering affection, but a type of love nonetheless. At times, she saved Batman’s life, but still, either type of relationship was one that could never succeed or even billionaire playboys like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark could ever survive.

BETHANY CABE AND SILVER ST. CLOUD – THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY

What’s common to both of these love interests is that they both know the natures of Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne… and still love them in spite of this knowledge. That alone makes them worthy of mention, and it makes them the last, best hopes for any chance of a committed relationship for these two men. If there were women of conviction, fortitude, and character who could offer a redemptive chance at a solid relationship, it would be Bethany and Silver. Of course, the question is: Why didn’t their relationships work? Bethany Cabe—yet another striking redhead!—was a love interest who came into Tony Stark’s life at a time when he most needed a trusted ally. First meeting her in Iron Man #117 at an event at the Carnelian Embassy, Bethany would later accompany Stark to various affairs, revealing later that she was a security specialist. During a Roxxon Oil event, Iron Man would come into conflict with the supervillains Whiplash, the Melter, and Blizzard. Cabe’s intervention manages to distract Whiplash away from Iron Man at a critical moment, allowing Stark’s alter ego to save the day, yet earning Cabe’s professional criticism of Iron Man for leaving Stark vulnerable after directly engaging the supervillains rather than doing his bodyguard duty. This alone shows that Cabe is a professional, possessed of conviction. Despite her growing affection for Tony Stark, she distrusts Iron Man. Never knowing that Tony Stark was in fact Iron Man was probably a source of her devotion to Stark. Her distrust and enmity of Iron Man would have made it difficult for her to completely accept the Armored Avenger into her life. Her relationship with Stark was based on a mutual exchange. Stark recognized her strength, and she recognized honest opportunity. Based on this foundation, they had something to offer each other. However, it was during this time that Stark’s battle with alcoholism began. It was the inner strength of Bethany Cabe that would prove invaluable to Stark’s initial victory in

Bedside Manner After Iron Man rescues Indries Moomji from an auto accident, Tony Stark woos her—from her hospital bed!—in Iron Man #163 (Oct. 1982). By O’Neil, Luke McDonnell, and Steve Mitchell. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 57

overcoming his addiction. In fact, Cabe revealed that her late husband, a German diplomat, also suffered a similar addiction. She believed that her abandonment caused his death and that she was prepared to stay with Stark enabled him to overcome his own addiction. This alone makes her worthy of mention as a possible candidate for commitment. She has no aims on Stark other than his own personal wellbeing. Was Cabe “too good” for Stark? I asked Layton this question too: “I don’t think that Bethany was ‘too good for him.’ As much as we loved Bethany, the precise premise of Iron Man is, ‘millionaire industrialist, philanthropist—PLAYBOY!’ We knew that, eventually, we would have to write Beth out of the series because of that and allow Tony to go back to ‘sowing his wild oats.’” However, regardless of whether she was too good for Tony, Bethany Cabe would not be the committed relationship he would need and a series of unfortunate events would prove to be the downfall of this potentially worthy relationship; Bethany’s husband, who was thought deceased, would return from the dead, and her sense of duty would demand that she rescue him. That is Cabe’s tragic flaw, and is the one that prevents her from “settling down” with Stark. Her compassion for and attraction to Stark are outweighed by her dedication to her first marriage, one she legitimately thought was dissolved with her husband’s supposed death. And with that, she is gone. Of course, she returns later in the Iron Man saga as a remembered love interest, but there could never be a lasting relationship after such an intimate and revealing shared experience. Writer Steve Englehart’s Silver St. Cloud is a different case. First appearing in Detective Comics #470, in all respects, Bruce and

Silver’s early days seemed perfect. Not only were they representatives of Gotham’s “old money,” both seemed natural fits for each other. Beautiful and wealthy and free to explore the world together, they were able to connect on personal levels of shared social and familial expectations. It was like they were destined for each other. In the subsequent issues, Silver proves herself to be a dedicated and trustworthy ally who develops a special place in Wayne’s heart. Even after a brief encounter, she cares enough about Wayne’s absence in Detective Comics #472 to the point that she takes it upon herself to track him down. In fact, in the previous issue, Alfred notices that Wayne speaks to her without the usual banter that he typically employs with women. Silver even manages to alert Dick Grayson to Wayne’s absence, allowing Grayson to enter the fray as Robin and rescue Bruce from Hugo Strange’s clutches. It’s around this time that even Dick perceives how special Silver is to Bruce. Future issues would demonstrate to readers St. Cloud’s conviction of character. Though she belongs to a wealthy family, her work is still important to her and in fact, Wayne’s playboy façade brings them into a minor argument, their first lover’s spat, in issue #474 of Detective Comics. Even the readers would realize how special this woman is. However, it is this issue when Silver realizes that Bruce Wayne and the Batman are the same, thanks to the recognizability of his chin. Silver St. Cloud’s discovery of Bruce Wayne’s alter ego would change the way that she saw their relationship. Hardly a whimsical decision, issues of character development, soul-searching, and self-discovery would lead Silver to conclude that she could not see herself with a man who exposed himself to danger

Face It, Tiger… Suave Tony Stark is captivated by beautiful Bethany Cabe in their first encounter in Iron Man #117 (Dec. 1978). By Layton/Michelinie/ Romita, Jr. TM & © Marvel.

58 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

on a regular basis. Steve Englehart’s wonderful internal exposition of both Bruce Wayne and Silver St. Cloud do well to illustrate the level of emotion present in both characters’ minds at the severity that both are aware of each other’s knowledge of Batman’s real identity. While neither takes this discovery lightly, it is Silver who is left breathless and shaking on the floor of her apartment after a confrontation with the Batman. Of course, this is St. Cloud’s character value shining through, her perceptive insight that makes her such a worthy and perfect match for Bruce Wayne. Wayne blames the Batman for their breakup, and in one of the few times in the Bronze Age of comics, he actively considers giving up the cowl—and his loyal servant, Alfred Pennyworth, can see that too. It’s a very poignant moment in comics. In Legends of the Dark Knight #132–136 we briefly see Silver St. Cloud as a reminder that she represented a chance for Bruce Wayne to find peace with himself and let go of the vengeful obsession that initiated his career as the Dark Knight. In a sense, she was his way out of fighting crime and his gateway to living a peaceful and happy life, able to share his wealth and altruism with the world. Through his relationship with Silver, Bruce could actually envision a better role he could play that didn’t involve him risking his life, or potentially hers. When she is killed in later stories, that possible chance waiting in the wings is sadly forever extinguished. These last two romances are the truly sad ones because these women are the ones that both Wayne and Stark long to be worthy of. Cabe is no jet-setting debutante to be pampered or spoiled, and St. Cloud is a woman of vision and purpose. They both have a sense of personal values that make Wayne and Stark miss their presence and the relationships that could have been. Committed relationships just aren’t in the cards for the Bronze Age Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark. Their lives are already unconventional by virtue of their wealth, and as superheroes, their duties place them in circumstances that either make a long-term relationship impossible or simply hazardous to their wellbeing. While these women don’t represent the full number of the romantic relationships these men have had, they do provide us with an idea of how hard it is for them to form relationships by providing us with insight of the types of women they encounter. “Bruce will always be handicapped by the memory of his family,” contends Denny O’Neil. “He’ll never get past that—and he shouldn’t. I have said many times in print that he is not healthy psychologically. We have all had breakups and it hurts a lot, and then you find a way to live your life. He, in a way, never found a way to live his life. “In one of the last [Batman] stories I wrote, Alfred confronts him about that: ‘If you want to be healthy, you have to be past this and get past everything Batman has meant to you and live your life. Have girlfriends, children, a normal life.’ Bruce knows that Alfred is right, but it’s too deeply entrenched in him. He cannot make it work. My own personal Bruce Wayne biography is, there comes a point in his life in which he is faced with two choices: He either quits being Batman completely and lives his life—there’s a lot you can do with a billion dollars that does not involve hanging out on rooftops, so he’s got plenty to do to keep busy. But if he wants to be normal, he has to be closed [to the murder of his parents]. Given his devotion to his family, he wants to be normal, yet, at this point, it has been his life for so

long, can he walk away from it? No one can answer that question. It’s a question that screams to be answered.” Wayne’s and Stark’s love interests were either too vulnerable, too powerful, too obligated, too dangerous, or, quite frankly, too sad for them to survive into committed relationships. While some were doomed from the beginning and others would fail through a series of dramatic events, they would still serve to be valuable sources of learning in Bruce’s and Tony’s pursuits of the other love interests who would come after them. Special thanks to Bob Layton and Denny O’Neil. Thanks also to Buddy Scalera for conducting the O’Neil interview and to Rose Rummel-Eury for its transcription. JOHN KIRK is a librarian and English teacher with the Toronto District School Board in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who incorporates comics and comics history into his classroom teaching.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Things get personal between Bruce and Silver St. Cloud on this page from Detective Comics #474 (Dec. 1977). By Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin. TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 59

IN MEMORIAM

MARTIN PASKO (1954–2020)

among his final made for the record, and might very well represent his last interview. We are honored to share them with you. I had the good fortune of working with Denny when I was a DC Comics editor, writing lettercols for Detective Comics and just observing this master storyteller at his editorial desk. Years later, when I interviewed him for my Justice League Companion book, I took the opportunity to thank him for helping shape my social consciousness with the “relevant” comic stories he penned during my youth, most notably the award-winning Green Lantern/Green Arrow. Of course, Denny as a writer was also responsible for introducing Ra’s al Ghul and Talia to the Batman mythos, depowering Superman, and revamping Wonder Woman and the original Captain Marvel (in Shazam!)— as well as writing such exceptional works as The Shadow, Iron Man, Daredevil, The Question, and so many others. Both Marty and Denny were avid supporters of BACK ISSUE, and frequently shared their recollections and anecdotes in many of our previous issues. My heart aches that we won’t be able to call upon them again. At least their comics endure, like the two we’ve shared on this page. This edition of BACK ISSUE is respectfully dedicated to their memory. – Michael Eury

TM & © DC Comics.

Martin Pasko, the prolific writer of numerous comic books loved by Bronze Age readers (Superman, Wonder Woman, Metal Men, The Immortal Doctor Fate, DC Comics Presents, Saga of the Swamp Thing, E-Man, Star Trek, and Blackhawk among them), died on May 10, 2020. Marty also commanded credits in other media, including animation (where he won a Daytime Emmy for Batman: The Animated Series), animated film (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm), newspaper strips (The World’s Greatest Superheroes), and live-action television (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Twilight Zone, Roseanne). Marty was an original columnist for my other TwoMorrows magazine, RetroFan, writing about cinematic treatments of classic costumed heroes under the department header “Martin Pasko’s Pesky Perspective,” playing upon his “Pesky Pasko” moniker coined by DC editor Julius Schwartz during his early days as an often-critical letter writer. It was through RetroFan that Marty and I became friends, and as I pen these words on June 15, 2020, I remain deeply saddened by his passing. Dennis O’Neil, one of the most influential comic-book writers, editors, and teachers of any age, died on June 11, 2020, as this issue was going into production. In fact, his quotes in John Kirk’s preceding article about Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark are

dennis o’neil (1939–2020)

60 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

by J a

Prince wrote, “Why is age more than a number when it comes to love?” in his song “The Morning Papers” from 1992’s Love Symbol album. While he was discussing his relationship with Mayte Garcia, who was more than half his age at the time, His Purple Majesty probably would have had Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Boy, that dude got around… must be the ring) and Arisia Rrab and X-Men Piotr “Peter” Rasputin and Katherine “Kitty” Pryde in mind had he looked at the comic books of the Bronze Age more often. What would a BACK ISSUE salute to superhero romances be without taking a look at these two couples and the ups and downs in their respective relationships? Well, dear reader, you won’t need to ask that question, because we’ll take a look at these Green Lanterns and X-Men as they work through matters of the heart.

YOUNG LOVE, FIRST LOVE

“The Morning Papers” began with the phrase “He realized she was new to love, naive in every way.” That could describe both Arisia Rrab and Kitty Pryde in a sense. Yet, that isn’t all they have in common. Both are strong,

mes Heath Lantz

young female members of popular superhero groups. Both first appeared in the early 1980s Bronze Age comics, and both fell in love with male teammates who were much older than they. Now, it should be noted that the creators of Green Lantern and Uncanny X-Men at the time initially treated their feelings as, for lack of a better term, a schoolgirl crush. Hal calls Arisia “little sister” in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1 (May 1981), while Peter is taken aback by Kitty during moments such as a kiss under the mistletoe in Uncanny X-Men #143 (Mar. 1981). Writers Len Wein and Chris Claremont ran with the respective crushes well into the mid-1980s. The relationships between Peter and Kitty and Hal and Arisia blossomed in spite of Hal and Peter’s initial misgivings. This doesn’t stop Kitty and Arisia from flirting. In fact, these superheroic young ladies were the active pursuers. Hal rebuffs Arisia’s advances because he still sees her as too young. This hurts the teenage Green Lantern so much she uses her ring to age herself, even though she’s 28 by Earth standards at the time. This occurred in Green Lantern Corps #206 (Nov. 1986), while Arisia and Hal were trapped in a cave-in by the

First Kiss (left) When Green Lanterns liplock! Hal Jordan and Arisia, from Green Lantern Corps #206. (right) When mutants make out! Piotr Rasputin and Kitty Pryde, from Uncanny X-Men #165. Green Lantern TM & © DC Comics. X-Men TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 61

Black Hand. Hal even expresses that he wasn’t interested in having a relationship with anyone at the moment, but his mind is changed as he and Arisia kiss at the end of that issue. Today, writers and artists couldn’t get away with such storylines without great controversy among readers. In fact, there have been discussions around the internet centering around the controversy of Hal and Arisia being a couple. Hal even makes a comment in Green Lantern Corps #207 that could have gotten the ball rolling for those online conversations. However, while discussing his intentions for Hal and Arisa, writer Steve Englehart tells BACK ISSUE how readers in the more innocent Bronze Age were different. “Fans’ responses were overwhelmingly positive [to the age-spanning romance],” Englehart says. “Green Lantern readers also had a large view of things. I envisioned Hal and Arisia’s relationship as a real romance. She’d always loved him. He obviously couldn’t love her as a teenager, but they both understood what the ring can do and understood that she was fully grown, however she got there. They understood all that because they were both Green Lanterns, with a more cosmic view of things than ordinary people.” On the mutant side of things at Mighty Marvel, Uncanny X-Men #141–142’s “Days of Future Past” shows Peter and Kitty are married in the future. In the present, Colossus still has reservations about the age difference between he and Kitty after a battle with the Brood. Yet, they share their first kiss in Uncanny X-Men #165 (Jan. 1983). There are banter, rescues, and flirtations in subsequent issues. Yet, their relationship grows to positive response from readers, especially during Claremont’s collaboration with Paul Smith in Uncanny #165–170 and #172–175. Wedding bells for both Wolverine and Cyclops in issues #172–175 could have been a slight factor for Kitty and Peter getting together, but it could be a case of heart wanting what the heart wants. Now, it may surprise some X-Men fans that Chris Claremont’s intentions for Kitty were different from what has been published by the House of Ideas. In an interview with the podcast Jay and Miles X-plain the X-Men on March 13, 2016, Claremont said he wanted the love of Kitty’s life to be Rachel Summers, the daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey from an alternate timeline. Claremont discusses Kitty’s love life with BACK ISSUE. “In terms of my original intentions from her side of the street,” Claremont says, “Kitty’s feelings for Peter were an adolescent crush, first love in the most basic sense of the world. Yes, ‘Days of Future Past’ presented a possible future wherein they were married, but there are also clues within the story that suggest alternative outcomes. As the X-Men series progressed over the next decade-plus, some of those alternatives became more enticing. For example, one such was presented in the KittyRachel True Friends and Mekanix miniseries. But had I stayed on Uncanny X-Men or Excalibur, who knows?” Now, Arisia and Hal are perhaps together in a more cosmic way, as Steve Englehart previously pointed out, than Peter and Kitty. However, they are similar couples. Hal and Peter are older males who, while resisting at first, are attracted to the youthful spirits of of Arisia and Kitty.”

Arisia and Kitty. The young ladies’ views of their respective universes helped the men see things from a different perspective and love their significant others even more. One thing to keep in mind with Kitty and Peter is that their relationship came to be during the Cold War, when the United States and the then-Soviet Union were considered enemies and competing for just about everything. Readers of the Bronze Age not only had a character with whom they could identify in Kitty Pryde, as opposed to the Russian Colossus, but they saw hope for the future in a couple who seem polar opposites. Kitty is the plucky, talkative American teenager with an energetic personality, while Peter is the stoic, reserved farm boy from Siberia. Yet, fans were pulling for them to be together and see their “Day Of Future Past” marriage come to be, and maybe they saw light at the end of the Cold War tunnel in this couple of young mutants.

ROLLERCOASTER OF LOVE

Every relationship, romantic or otherwise, has its share of ups and downs. Superheroes in love are no exception to this. Their lives are much like the lives of a doctor, police officer, or fireman or firewoman with a significant other. When they are on call, they must save lives and/or risk their own to get their jobs done. However, superheroes, especially in the cases of the Green Lantern Corps and the X-Men, have to deal with emergencies on a much grander scale. Both spotlighted couples have to deal with cosmic and superhuman threats all while attempting to have a relationship like every normal couple. Hal and Arisia have had to deal with events like the return of Guy Gardner, Kilowog going to the Soviet Union, and the DC Comics company-wide crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths. Yet, perhaps what tested them the most was their encounter with Carol Ferris, better known as Star Sapphire, and Hector Hammond in Green Lantern Corps #213 (June 1987). The villains controlled Arisia’s mind to make her attack Hal, whom they later believe to be dead. The brainwashed Arisia becomes the Sapphire’s handmaiden, while Hammond plots to use the young Green Lantern against Ferris. Hal arrives, proving he’s alive and well, only to be under both villains’ influence. Hammond and Ferris fight among themselves, thereby allowing Arisia to be free and save Hal the way he wanted to save her. After the first Green Lantern Corps series had ended, so did the Corps itself, leaving Hal Jordan as one of three Green Lanterns with a power ring in the GL feature in Action Comics Weekly. Arisia Rrab came with him to Earth so they could be together. With Star Sapphire seeking revenge on Hal and the murder of John Stewart’s wife Katma, it couldn’t have been easy for Arisia to adapt. However, she did. In fact, things seemed more difficult especially for Hal as he juggled life as a Green Lantern with

62 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Don’t Stand So Close to Me Hal Jordan first meets the cutest GL (sorry, Ch’p!), Arisia, on page 2 of Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1 (May 1981). Story by Barr and Wein, art by Staton and McLaughlin. TM & © DC Comics.

“The fact is, that relationship—for me, certainly— came to an end when Piotr, putting it mildly, dumped her upon his return from Secret Wars,” Chris Claremont reveals to BACK ISSUE. “He’d met a woman with whom he’d fallen deeply in love, except she’d died, and when he revealed that to Kitty, the depth of his feelings, and his grief, were plain. Remember, she was still all of 13. That kind of hurt goes deep and her response to it led her into a sequence of adventures that in many ways changed her life. That’s not something easily forgotten, or even forgiven. Although over the passage of time, all things become possible. “The point for me was, given my approach to the characters and the X-canon as a whole, to involve the characters as much as possible with people and life outside the specific perimeter of the Xavier Mansion,” Claremont continues, “to get them involved as well with the real world. The fun was always in the characters’ interactions with that outside world, was in them as much as possible doing things, having interactions and experiences that are just chris claremont BREAKING UP IS HARD like those of their readers, to build TO DO as many and as strong as possible © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. One thing Green Lanterns and X-Men an interaction between them. I don’t have in common with people of the real world is that really care about characters who always wear costumes they’re not immune to romantic relationships breaking and never leave the grounds of their superhero world. up for some reason or other. Hal Jordan and Arisia Rrab I desperately want them to come down to earth and and Peter Rasputin and Kitty Pryde are no exception to do things I can relate to. That’s what worked for Stan this heartbreaking event. The age difference was a factor Lee. I figured that’s as fair a guide as possible for me. even if Colossus states in the aforementioned Uncanny “Had Piotr not met Zsaji, who knows what might X-Men #180 that he and Kitty could be married with have happened? But he did. As I said, he fell in love a family in the Soviet Union. Yet, other life-changing with her. Those actions had serious consequences. occurrences in the couples’ lives had driven them apart. One of them was the traumatic end of his romantic Arisia began to come into her own when she got a job modeling around the time of Action Comics Weekly #611–614. This, combined with Hal’s experiences with a villain’s mind-control powers and his own power ring, cause both Hal and Arisia to think more about their romance, though they seem to gradually drift apart throughout their time in ACW, particularly in #615–619. Action Comics Weekly #620 (Oct. 4, 1988) was the fateful tale in which Arisia and Hal went their separate ways, mutually agreeing to do so. The Green Lantern Corps had disbanded by the time Hal and Arisia broke up, and Hal later became Parallax after Coast City’s destruction. Yet, Arisia showed up in Guy Gardner: Warrior [see BACK ISSUE #91 for more on Guy’s series], only to be murdered by Major Force. While Guy avenges her, Hal is the one who builds a green-light statue to honor her at her funeral. Arisia was resurrected the fourth Green Lantern series in 2006. She and Hal kissed and are still friends at the time. Yet, they never rekindled their romance. It’s been said that Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars writer and Marvel’s then-editor-in-chief Jim Shooter had misgivings about Kitty and Peter’s relationship because of their age difference. She was 14, and he was 19 at the time. This is most likely why Colossus becomes smitten with the alien healer Zsaji in Secret Wars. Chris Claremont wrote the poignant “He Will Never Make Me Cry” in Uncanny X-Men #183 to focus on their break-up and its consequences. As Kitty and Peter’s relationship went on, the Secret Wars maxiseries forced many of Marvel’s heroes and villains to be on Battleworld. This included Colossus. While he was torn between his feelings for Kitty and those for Zsaji, Peter told Kitty that he had fallen for Zsaji, causing the couple to break up. that of a boyfriend while Arisia enjoyed shopping and Earth television programs. As for Marvel’s favorite May–December mutant couple, they had their share of events that put them to the test. Yet, perhaps the greatest for them occurred in Uncanny X-Men #177–179 (Jan.–Mar. 1984). During a battle with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Colossus is fused with molten metal. Meanwhile, Kitty is taken by the Morlock Caliban and forced into a marriage ceremony with him. A Morlock healer helps Colossus in exchange for Kitty’s staying with them. During Colossus’ recovery period in Uncanny X-Men #180, he reflects on what happened in previous issues, and his jealousy over Kitty’s friendship with Doug Ramsey from the X-Men spin-off New Mutants. Wolverine, who had taken Kitty under his adamantium-clawed wing, sets Peter straight. Yet, that doesn’t prepare the steel-skinned mutant for things to come. In fact, neither of the couples discussed are really ready for the next stages in their lives.

I Saw Kitty Kissing Colossus (top) A playful mistletoe peck on the cheek in Uncanny X-Men #143 (Mar. 1981). (bottom) Two issues earlier, Peter and Kitty were shown as a couple in an alternate future. By Claremont, Byrne, and Austin. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 63

Ring My Bell An Englehart-written exchange between Arisia and Katma Tui makes clear the young GL’s feelings for Hal. Original Joe Staton/Mark Farmer art from Green Lantern [Corps] #202 (July 1986), courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

64 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Green with Envy (top left) Kitty getting hitched to Caliban? What the--?! Cover to X-Men #179 (Mar. 1984) by John Romita, Jr. and Dan Green. (top right) Artist Joe Staton and Bruce Patterson riff on their John Stewart/Predator cover of GL #190 for issue #213’s (Mar. 1987) Arisia/Star Sapphire struggle. Tearful farewells, in (middle) X-Men #183 (by Claremont, Romita, Jr., and Green) and (bottom) Action Comics Weekly #620 (by David, Howell, and Starr). X-Men TM & © Marvel. Action Comics and Green Lantern TM & © DC Comics.

relationship with Kitty. For me that event had a lasting impact. For successive writers, not so much, but that’s the nature of comics.” Wolverine doesn’t take kindly to Peter’s treatment of Kitty and shows the Russian powerhouse this after he refuses to help him fight the Juggernaut in a bar. Colossus wonders why Logan didn’t assist him. The X-Men are a team, after all. Wolvie felt Colossus did nothing to stand by Kitty when she needed him or thank her after she saved his life back when Caliban took her. The clawed Canuck also believed Kitty wasn’t given the proper respect by Peter throughout their romance. Kitty and Peter stayed friends after the X-Men crossover “Mutant Massacre” and remained so even when she joined Excalibur. Kitty and Colossus rekindled their romance in Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men. They were to be married in 2018’s “Till Death Do Us Part” serial in X-Men Gold. However, Kitty said she couldn’t go through the nuptials in the middle of the ceremony because she felt the complicated history she and Peter have together wasn’t a good foundation for marriage. Both Arisia Rrab and Hal Jordan and Kitty Pryde and Peter Rasputin have gone on with their lives in post-Bronze Age comics both in and out of the Green Lantern Corps and the X-Men. Death, rebirth, old and new teams disbanding, and reflection on their past have been a part of these characters’ adventures lately. Yet, it is their respective romances that BACK ISSUE readers of all ages recall the most fondly. New comic-book fans can check them out anytime they wish at their local comic shop or through digital services like Comixology. Dedicated to my beautiful and incredible wife Laura, whose love warms my heart in May, December, and every month of every year together; Pupino, Odino, and our four-legged feline and canine X-Pet Green Lantern Corps whose light of love brightens our lives; my nephew Kento, who could woo Kitty Pryde and Arisia Rrab better than any of their mutant and cosmic superhero colleagues; and Steve Englehart, Chris Claremont, and all the creators who bring the romantic adventures of Hal, Arisia, Peter, and Kitty to the ever-loving comic pages. May the Guardians of the Universe protect you and those you love forever. JAMES HEATH LANTZ is a freelance writer whose stories, essays, and reviews can be found online and in print at Sequart.org, Superman Homepage, his blog, and such publications as his self-published Trilogy of Tales and PS Artbooks’ Roy Thomas Presents Sheena vol. 3. James currently lives in Italy with his wife Laura and their family of cats, dogs, and humans from Italy, Japan, and the United States.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 65

by F

ranck Martini

There’s One Weird Thing About This Wedding… …and it ain’t Bashful Benji Grimm! Detail from the cover to Fantastic Four #300 (Mar. 1987), by brothers John and Sal Buscema. TM & © Marvel.

66 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

When it comes to the Fantastic Four, the relationship principles have long been set: Sue and Reed provide the family aspects, Johnny Storm is a womanizer, and Ben Grimm dates Alicia Masters, the blind stepdaughter of FF villain the Puppet Master. Beyond temporary roster changes, that setup prevailed all along the ’60s, ’70s, and early ’80s, until John Byrne’s Fantastic Four run and the 1984 limited series/crossover Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. Two key moments put that change in motion: Annihilus attacked the FF headquarters while the team was exploring the Negative Zone and tortured Alicia along with Franklin, Reed and Sue’s son (Fantastic Four #251–256, Feb.–July 1983). Shortly afterwards, Ben Grimm temporarily left the team at the end of the first Secret Wars to stay on Beyonder’s Battleworld. She-Hulk became the powerhouse of the team starting with FF #265 (Apr. 1984). Johnny and Alicia’s evolved friendship started with FF #269 (Aug. 1984) and grew into a very strong romantic involvement during the rest of John Byrne’s run. As Byrne explained on his Byrne Robotics online forum, he never clearly defined if Johnny and Alicia were to marry during FF #300 before leaving the book on issue #293 (Aug. 1986): “By the time I left the FF I had reached a rhythm with the characters that I was literally making it up as I went along. Letting the characters ‘tell’ me where the stories were going to go, with very little actual plotting out beyond the issue I was working on. (…) Because of this, I did not know when I left if I would actually have had Johnny and Alicia get married. I suspect not, but I don’t know for sure. The characters themselves had not yet ‘told’ me the way it was supposed to go!” Roger Stern took over the book as writer with issue #294 (Sept. 1986) and wrote Johnny and Alicia’s engagement in issue #297 (Dec. 1986) and subsequent wedding in FF #300 (Mar. 1987). Their relationship turned in a sort of love triangle during Steve Englehart’s tenure on the book (issues #304–333, July 1987–Nov. 1989). Sue and Reed had temporarily left the team and were replaced by Ms. Marvel/ She-Thing/Sharon Ventura (Ben Grimm’s then-girlfriend) and Crystal from the Inhumans (Johnny’s former girlfriend from the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby days), whose presence complicated Johnny and Alicia’s story. The relationship was sidelined during most of Walt Simonson’s run on the book (issues #334–355, Dec. 1989–Aug. 1991), and when new writer Tom DeFalco took over, he quickly changed the status quo by his third issue and created one of the most famous retcons in comic-book history: Alicia had been replaced by a Skrull spy named Lyja and had never really married Johnny Storm (FF #357 and 30th anniversary issue #358, Oct. and Nov. 1991). Lyja would stay with the group until the end of DeFalco’s run and would still be Johnny’s wife in the MC2 dystopic future in the Spider-Girl and Fantastic Five series, both written by DeFalco. A lot of the elements of this era of FF disappeared after the “Heroes Reborn” storyline, which brought back the team to basics. Lyja kept on appearing during “Secret Invasion” (she “replaced” Sue Richards) and during Jonathan Hickman’s run on the book as a member of the Future Foundation. Alicia and Ben Grimm broke up, yet Alicia remained a supporting character in FF as Franklin’s babysitter. She became romantically involved with the Silver Surfer for a period, tying with elements established by Lee and Kirby in the early FF stories. A surprising twist took place recently when, following Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars, the group was split for a rather long time. Dan Slott relaunched the series in 2018 and Alicia and Ben renewed their relationship and finally got married in Fantastic Four vol.6 #5, or issue #650 of the legacy numbering (Feb. 2019). BACK ISSUE virtually sits down with writers Roger Stern and Tom De Falco to discuss Alicia, Ben, and Johnny’s love life and their roles in it. – Franck Martini FRANCK MARTINI: How did you view the Ben Grimm/Alicia Masters relationship from the Lee and Kirby era? TOM DeFALCO: I thought it was one of the better love stories in comic books. ROGER STERN: Oh, that was the great tragic love story of the Lee/ Kirby FF. Two lovers who could be together, but were barred from true romance by physical circumstances. MARTINI: Were you reading Fantastic Four when John Byrne initiated the Johnny/Alicia story, and what did you think of it? DeFALCO: I was and still am a big fan of John Byrne’s FF, and I was curious where he’d go with it.

My Best Friend’s Girl (top) Writer/artist John Byrne brings together Johnny and Alicia in FF #269 (Aug. 1984). (bottom) Johnny pops the question—and Ben overhears, in FF #297 (Dec. 1986). By Roger Stern and the Buscema brothers. TM & © Marvel.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 67

Father of the Bride (left) The Torch is hot-headed about the Daily Bugle’s front-page wedding announcement. (right) Big daddy Puppet Master is sure to spoil the wedding day. Both from FF #300, by Stern and the Buscemas. TM & © Marvel.

STERN: Same here. I really liked that John kept coming STERN: Well, I recall sending Johnny and Alicia off on up with new things for the FF. I couldn’t wait to see what their honeymoon, and I thought that I would put them through a few adventures in exotic locales before they would come next. MARTINI: Roger, you followed John Byrne on the book, returned to New York… maybe have them host a couples’ and he said that he had not decided on any clear idea night with She-Hulk and Wyatt Wingfoot. But, of course, of what to do with this relationship, especially with issue I wound up leaving the series before I got a chance to #300 around the corner. How did you come up with really explore their marriage. I’m sorry that I don’t have choice of marrying them? a better answer for you, but that was over 30 years ago! STERN: Well, you’ve answered part of the MARTINI: Tom, when Roger left and you became question right there… Issue #300 demanded Marvel’s editor-in-chief shortly thereafter, did something special. And Johnny proposing you try to weigh on that storyline editorially to and marrying Alicia—at that point in before taking over the writing? Walt Simontheir relationship—seemed like just the son’s run mostly ignored it, for instance. sort of impulsive thing he would do. DeFALCO: I did not. It was the current MARTINI: The wedding of Johnny status quo and I was not all that and Alicia: What type of clearance concerned with it. or decision taken with editorial was MARTINI: The Lyja retcon took place necessary for the idea to go through? very early in your run. How important was that story for you? Tom, were you in the loop at the time (Jim Shooter was still Marvel’s editorDeFALCO: Every story is important to in-chief then)—should such a topic be me. If I don’t care about it, why should discussed more largely than the FF office? the readers? tom Defalco Frankly, while I was curious to see DeFALCO: I was not in the loop at all. I believe I had been temporarily lent to where John Byrne and Roger took the our British office around this time and was just reading Alicia/Johnny relationship, it never rang true to me. the book issue by issue. Since I was only reading FF, it wasn’t my problem, so I STERN: In fact, I just told my editors that I thought just went along with it. At some point I remember sitting at a pool on a having Johnny and Alicia marry would make for a really special story for FF #300—and they basically summer day with [Marvel editors] Ralph Macchio and Mark Gruenwald, who were discussing the Alicia/Johnny said, “Sure, okay.” MARTINI: Roger, had you stayed on the book, did you relationship. They didn’t buy it either, and were trying to come up with solutions that could explain it away. have any plan for that storyline?

68 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

RELATED FF COLLECTED EDITIONS John Byrne’s FF run has been collected in two omnibuses. Johnny and Alicia’s Roger Stern pre-wedding issues are collected in FF Epic Collection #17: All in the Family. FF Epic Collection #18: The More Things Change… continues Steve Englehart’s run. Epic Collection #20: Into the Time Stream contains the first part of Walt Simonson’s era. FF Epic Collection #21: The New Fantastic Four concludes it and also contains the beginning of Tom DeFalco’s run, including the Lyja retcon stories. Alicia and Ben’s wedding appears in Fantastic Four by Dan Slott vol. 2: Mr. and Mrs. Grimm.

I Married a Monster from Outer Space The shocking conclusion of Fantastic Four #357 (Oct. 1991)! By Tom DeFalco, Paul Ryan, and Danny Bulandi. TM & © Marvel.

One of them suggested that Alicia was a Skrull, and I’m sorry to say I don’t remember who made that suggestion. Again, since it wasn’t my problem, I didn’t participate in the discussion or worry about a solution. A few years later, when I was asked to write the FF, I did what I always do when writing a series. I sat down and analyzed every character in the series and their relationships with each other. The Alicia/ Johnny thing suddenly became my problem and I remember the Skrull suggestion. I took that suggestion and—with the help of Paul Ryan—ran with it, creating Lyja, her backstory, and everything that followed. MARTINI: Roger, how did you react when you read the Lyja retcon? STERN: I heard about the story long before I ever read it. If memory serves, it came out sometime during my exile from Marvel, after I’d been fired from The Avengers and could no longer get any regular assignments there. Anyway, I was writing one of the Superman titles around the time that roger stern particular FF story was published, and I rarely picked up a Marvel title then… I was just too busy. I think that I might have read it while I was Alexander Fuld Frazier. researching stories for the Marvels: Eye of the Camera series that I was writing with Kurt Busiek… and by then, so much time had passed that my major reaction was, “Wow, that probably took a lot of people by surprise.” MARTINI: Tom, Lyja remained on the book for a while and then on the MC2 books. What was your interest in that character? DeFALCO: Lyja was only supposed to appear in a few issues, but she proved very popular with the readers and they demanded her return. (Yes, that actually used to happen in those days!) And the more I wrote her, the more I grew to love her. MARTINI: Ben and Alicia recently tied the knot. Have you read this story, and what was your reaction when you read it? DeFALCO: I’m afraid I haven’t bought or read the FF in many years and have no opinion on the marriage. STERN: Sorry, I haven’t read it either. MARTINI: Thank you, Tom and Roger! FRANCK MARTINI discovered the Spider-Man daily strip and after that, “Nothing would ever be the same again.” When no one is watching, he is also a mild-mannered communications manager with a patient family and a cat named Krypto. He sometimes takes part in the Epic Marvel Podcast.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 69

Daredevil and Black Widow by Paul Smith; Elektra by Frank Miller The Man without Fear has rarely been a Man without a Girlfriend! These two femme fatales worked their way into not only into Daredevil’s heart but readers’ as well, with Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) even being co-billed in DD’s mag throughout the early to mid-’70s. (For more about DD and Natasha’s relationship, see BACK ISSUE #45. For more about DD and Elektra, see BI #21 and 48.) Art courtesy of Heritage. TM & © Marvel.

70 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Green Arrow and Black Canary by Dick Giordano When the widowed Black Canary (Dinah Lance) jumped from Earth-Two to Earth-One and joined the JLA, she caught the eye of Leaguer Oliver Queen, a.k.a. Green Arrow. They soon became a couple, their relationship unfolding in the ’70s and deepening in the ’80s. Longtime readers may recall that Batman briefly entertained feelings for Dinah, which may explain why he’s tagging along in this excellent commissioned illo from the collection of Mike Dunne. (See BI #64 for Ollie and Dinah’s love story.) TM & © DC Comics.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 71

Reed and Susan Richards by John Romita, Sr. During the Bronze Age, the first couple of the Marvel Age had their ups and downs including a brief separation, as explored in previous issues of this magazine, most notably BI #74. Yet neither Mr. Fantastic nor the Invisible Girl (later Woman) could foresee any such woes on their wedding day, recaptured here in this remarkable pinup from the 40th Anniversary issue of Fantastic Four, #358 (Nov. 1991). Original art courtesy of Heritage. TM & © Marvel.

72 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Kissing Cousin Detail from the Eduardo Barreto cover art which graces an unusual Crisis crossover in Superman #415 (Jan. 1986). TM & © DC Comics.

by E

ddy Zeno

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 73

With a cover blurb touting “Supergirl’s Secret Marriage,” the story’s official title was, “Supergirl: Bride of—X?” Written by Cary Bates, the editor was Julius “Julie” Schwartz. Interior art consisted of pencils by Curt Swan. Curt’s inker was Al Williamson. Though online analyses and comments on Superman #415 (Jan. 1986) are scarce, in July 2008 a person going by the name of “Anj” commented: “Curt Swan is a legend, so any time I can see his rendition of Kara is fine with me. But in its entirety, this issue is not key to any Supergirl collection and might be best forgotten.” Is the issue forgettable? This writer asked his brother and he had no recollection of the story, but I remember it well. Newspaper-strip and comic-book artist Eduardo Barreto drew the front wrap of Superman #415. Like a cover idea Batman’s co-creator (the late Bill Finger) might have suggested had it been the 1940s, a giant Man of Steel grasped a landmine-looking device from which sprung an image of Supergirl kissing her mystery mate. With room only to show bust and upraised arms, Kal-El had darkened features. His expression was somber, fitting the mood that the lovers’ image cary bates as captured no longer existed. Supergirl © DC Comics. no longer existed. Readers at the time were aware of that fact before opening the book if they’d been following Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Maid of Might (forgive her politically incorrect but affectionate former nickname) was killed in issue #7 of the 12-issue maxiseries.

SO MUCH PLOT, SO LITTLE SPACE

Silver Age Superman helmsman Mort Weisinger was Cary Bates’ initial comic-book editor; he brought him into the business. At a time when few Superman tales were continued stories, young Cary learned to squeeze dense storylines into a single issue—and sometimes less— if different featured characters shared the same book. Akin to the challenges he’d been presented with for two decades, the writer was given 24 pages in Superman #415 to explain away a whole other existence in order to bring Kara back to the universe-shattering battle taking place in Crisis. Of necessity, the story was plot-heavy. Still, it presented a final opportunity to give the pre-Crisis Kara Zor-El something she had not known previously. While Supergirl had enjoyed many suitors, starting with boyfriend Dick Wilson (later Dick Malverne) way back in Action Comics #256 (Sept. 1959), no intimacy was ever depicted. It was suggested, however, in Superman #415, where we see a single panel where her husband awakened to find an otherwise empty bed.

Gone But Not Forgotten (top left) The heartbreaking Death of Supergirl issue, Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (Oct. 1985). Cover by George Pérez. (top right) Kara’s sometimes-boyfriend Brainiac 5 grieves her death in Legion of Super-Heroes #16 (Nov. 1985). Cover by Steve Lightle. (bottom) Writer Elliot S! Maggin’s Supergirl swan song, Superman #414 (Dec. 1985). Cover by Barreto. TM & © DC Comics.

74 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

Fortress Intruder The in-laws meet on Superman #415’s pages 3 (top) and 5 (bottom), elegantly illustrated by Curt Swan and Al Williamson. TM & © DC Comics.

THE WEDDING PRESENT

Supergirl suffered a brain injury after colliding with an errant meteor. Found drifting in space, she fell in love with Salkor, noble champion of the distant planet Makkor. Recalling none of her former identities, Kara was named Jasma by her soon-to-be spouse—after the prettiest flower blooming on his world. The jasma reminded Salkor of his own burgeoning love. With Kara retaining all of her powers, the couple fought menaces together. Struck by a beam from a weapon called the “annihilator,” the veil over Supergirl’s mind slowly and confusedly lifted while an inner longing summoned her home. Salkor went in search of her, and his telepathic abilities likewise guided him toward Earth. Upon learning of the Maid of Might’s tragic yet heroic death battling the Anti-Monitor, her tearful mate went to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude to retrieve his wedding gift to Jasma. He was perceived as a Fortress intruder. A tussle between the extraterrestrial and our own Man from Krypton ensued. First one, then the other, gained advantage. However, when Salkor’s story was finally revealed, the newly acquainted in-laws ceased their infighting and joined forces to defeat a mechanical foe. Did Julie Schwartz expect a certain amount of action to dominate the comic books that he edited, limiting the emotional stuff based on a formula that he believed in? Bates informs BACK ISSUE, “With me at least, Julie never asked for a certain quota of action over emotional content or vice-versa in stories. However, in general I think it’s fair to say Julie (much like Mort Weisinger) was from the old school of science-fiction pulp editors who often tended to place a premium on plot and ingenuity over action and characterization.” Hokku was the name of the handmade wedding present given to Supergirl by Salkor. Charged with recording her innermost thoughts, it served as a telepathic diary. Queried about whether the object’s name stemmed from a Japanese style of poem comprised of 17 syllables, Cary remarks, “…I’m not aware the name being a take-off on haiku.” Nevertheless, the term fit well. Bates knew that even with a sparsity of paneled script, he possessed the means to connote the honeymooners’ passion as abbreviated elegy.

CRYPTO-CARY BATES

Hearkening back to a 13pager published in Action Comics #370 (Dec. 1968; see inset), it can be intuited that Cary liked to give his characters hidden lives. Bates agreed as he recalled the earlier endeavor: “Revisiting this story showing how Supergirl’s maturity culminated in a secret marriage brought to mind another story I wrote for Mort some years earlier, ‘100 Years Lost, Strayed or Stolen’ (Action #370). Here it was revealed while in route to Earth, baby Kal-El’s rocket passed through a space-time Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 75

warp that enabled him to live to the ripe old age of 100 before his adult son eventually rejuvenated him and devolved him back to an infant so his rocket could re-enter the space-warp and resume its journey to Earth only seconds after it disappeared. In both cases, each character experienced intimacies and life-defining moments they may have been deprived of as transplanted aliens on planet Earth. So it would seem the unveiling of secret, forgotten lives was a theme I explored at least twice… though I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other examples in my CV.”

MASTERS OF THE EPILOGUE

Besides Cary Bates, the other most prolific Superman writer at the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths was Elliot S! Maggin. With Superman about to be revamped as Krypton’s sole survivor, it was neither writer’s choice to kill Supergirl. Still, under Schwartz’s editorial direction both Maggin and Bates got to say their goodbyes. In consecutive issues of Superman, the bulk of their emotions were conveyed in the epilogues.

Elliot went first. In Superman #414 (Dec. 1985), after defeating the Superman Revenge Squad in the main body of the story, the Man of Tomorrow transported his cousin’s lifeless body (wrapped in a cape) to her parents on the planet where they relocated after the enlargement of Kandor. There was an off-camera “Eeyahhh!” to highlight Zor-El and Alura’s reaction at story’s end. Bates’ wrap-up was equally moving. Cary again: “Because of the Crisis factor, I undoubtedly knew this would probably be the last Supergirl story I’d ever write, which explains the amped-up emotional elements in my effort to give her a unique final sendoff.” Intoning her last testament by speaking through the hokku, Supergirl recalled the marriage to one she had nearly forgotten, while also addressing the cousin to whom she’d grown closest since her escape from Argo City: “Although I now must be dead to both your worlds—I know I’ll remain alive in both of your hearts for the rest of your days. Farewell, Salkor. Farewell [presumably, because the word is written in Kryptonese], Kal-El.” Of course, it didn’t hurt to have a certain art team, either. “I was always a fan of Curt’s Superman,” Bates tells BI, “and although I wasn’t as familiar with Al Williamson’s work, I thought his inking style was a great match with Curt’s pencils.” Swan, a master at portraying expression, was combining more horizontal and angled panels at this juncture in his career. Williamson with his pen brought a fine-lined clarity, enhancing the detail that had to be fit onto smaller-sized art boards than were used when the two artists began in the business. The epilogue gave Curt and Al one more chance to illustrate the spouse of Jasma/Kara wipe away his tears. About to part ways, Salkor and Superman each offered the gift of the hokku, saying the other deserved it more. As they stood face-to-face shaking hands, Kal-El instinctively reached out to grasp the other’s arm while Salkor leaned in closer. Cary wrote: “—And both of them realize there are no words to express what they are feeling.” Fittingly, Bates never did reveal to readers in whose possession the hokku remained. There was also no dialogue between Superman and Salkor to indicate they would ever reunite. How could there be, since Crisis on Infinite Earths was intended to change the continuity at DC Comics for the foreseeable future? Or, perhaps these heroes knew without saying that they might team up again someday to fight a common foe on Earth, Makkor, or elsewhere in the cosmos. And if that happened they would reminisce, with Kal-El telling stories about Cousin Kara Zor-El during the years he knew her and watched her grow, while Salkor would fill in events about the missing days and months that belonged to him and Jasma, the mature young woman with whom he fell in love. Many thanks to Cary Bates, writer of Superman #415, for providing insight about a story worth remembering. EDDY ZENO, author of Curt Swan: A Life in Comics and Al Plastino: Last Superman Standing, is working on his next book, Drawn to Greatness: Wayne Boring and the Early Superman Artists (Who Followed Joe Shuster). While doing research Zeno inadvertently encountered a story with the actual title of “Supergirl’s Secret Marriage” (in Action Comics #357, Dec. 1967). Don’t worry, it was all a clever hoax!

76 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

ABOUT THIS ISSUE’S THEME

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

Find BACK ISSUE on

Here’s a thank-you to John Drake for suggesting this issue’s theme. John’s superhero romance wish list: Wonder Woman and Superman, Superman and Lois Lane, Cyclops and Jean Grey, Peter Parker and MJ, and Daredevil and Black Widow. A few of those are included herein, and as noted elsewhere the DD/BW team was the subject of an article in an earlier issue. Please don’t regard the absence of a Superman/Lois this issue as a snub against comics’ most famous romance (although there are a few Lois marriage covers in this issue’s Weird Wedding Tales cover gallery). Longtime readers that know we’ve covered Superman/Lois adventures on several occasions, including issue #62, the Bronze Age Superman issue. We’re saving the Copper Age’s marriage of Clark and Lois for a future issue—but first we need to explore the John Byrne Man of Steel miniseries and 1986 Superman relaunch, and will inch our way there eventually. (See, there’s enough material out there to keep us going for years to come!)

IN MEMORIAM It’s my unfortunate duty to inform our readers of the loss of two more creators beloved by Bronze Age comic fans. Nicola “Nick” Cuti (1944–2020), the co-creator of the quirky superhero E-Man, died on February 21, 2020. A multifaceted writer, editor, artist, animator, novelist, and screenwriter, Cuti’s 1970s stint as a writer and editor at Charlton Comics and 1980s editorial output at DC Comics are of note to BACK ISSUE readers. Outside of the mainstream, he created Moonchild and Captain Cosmos.

Frank McLaughlin (1935–2020), the co-creator of Charlton’s (now DC’s) Judomaster, passed away on March 4, 2020. A penciler and inker, he was known for his versatile body of artwork that included superhero and teen humor comics as well as syndicated comic strips. Bronze Age fans are familiar with his inking credits on many DC and Marvel titles, most notably numerous issues of Batman, Captain America, and The Flash. Our condolences to Mr. Cuti’s and Mr. McLaughlin’s families, friends, and fans.

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 77

In the Skull & Bones feature in BI #118, there are two small mistakes: The first arc of Legends of the Dark Knight was called “Shaman,” not “Masks.” The “international villains Kriminal and Satanik” are two different characters (both created by Italian writer Max Bunker). There is, anyway, a Kriminal “clone” known as Killing, who sports a skeleton-like costume. – Guilio Uggè

MARVEL’S MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Michael, after reading your BI #118 interview with Alex Ross regarding his rejected visionary Fantastic Four reboot, I was left feeling both intrigued and sad. This is indeed a raw journalistic piece on your part as Ross bravely reveals to you why his backto-basics pitch for the comic was so coldly rejected by Marvel. Granted, the current FF writer already had a deal in place with the company that negated Ross’ pitch, but their apparent lack of faith in Ross’ potential as a writer ignores exactly what made Marvel great in the 1980s, when one considers that then-artists John Byrne, Frank Miller, and Walter Simonson had been given full breadth to revitalize the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Thor as their respective scribes. I also agree with Ross that a strong modern version of Reed, Susan, Johnny, and Ben respecting their 1960s roots needs to first manifest in comic-book form in order to set a successful template for the quartet’s anticipated DisneyMarvel cinematic debut. – Tom Powers

LONGTIME READER, FIRSTIME WRITER

I’ve been meaning to write to say thanks for producing your BACK ISSUE magazine. I’ve been a subscriber since the beginning, sadly now via the digital edition as the shipping cost to the UK was prohibitive. I thoroughly enjoy reading every issue. I’m now in my 60s (!), so I can well remember most of the comics you cover and each topic brings back happy memories. So again, Michael, many thanks for all your hard work and please keep it up! – Stuart Chadwick We’ll do our best, Stuart. Thanks for taking the time to write!

AS EASY AS 1-2-3

Michael, when you reminded me that my “Supergirl’s Secret Marriage” article will go in BACK ISSUE #123, I was reminded that the first Supergirl tryout appeared as a chapter in the three-part novel from Superman #123. A fun coincidence, for sure, that you might wish to list in #123’s editorial. – Eddy Zeno Thanks for pointing that out, Eddy. And here’s the cover for Superman #123 (Aug. 1958), featuring a Supergirl prototype. Cover art by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.

STEVE ENGLEHART AND BATMAN

As always, I enjoyed the most recent BACK ISSUE (#118, “Greatest Stories Never Told”). The cover feature threw me for a moment, as you detail such a recent almost-project, but your magazine has always covered “Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond”… I guess three years ago qualifies as “Beyond.” And the article does deal with Alex Ross’ desire to retain Bronze and Silver Age elements of the FF. There’s probably no greater fan than I of Steve Englehart’s Detective Comics run, and of the Dark Detective sequel. I loved his reminisces on the Burton Batman film and his involvement on the

78 • BACK ISSUE • Superhero Romance Issue

long and winding road that led to it, but I have to take issue with a couple of moments in the story: “I was fearful that DC had so little talent that the art would kill it.” In an earlier BACK ISSUE article, Englehart said something else along the lines of “all of the great talent had gone to Marvel at that point.” Hmm. José Luis García-López? Jim Aparo? Mike Nasser? Michael Golden? Mike Grell? Seems to me that DC had several artists around who drew Batman extremely well— including Walt Simonson and Marshall Rogers, who ultimately illustrated the run. “...everybody loved the Detective run. Some of the stories immediately went into the Greatest Batman Stories and the Greatest Joker Stories.” Interesting use of the word “immediately.” The stories Steve talks about were published in 1977; those collections, not until 1988 and 1989. Englehart credits himself with creating “a truly insane Joker.” Again, his handing of the Joker is phenomenal, but most comic-book readers/historians/fans/creators would say that Denny O’Neil—who turned the Joker back from purely a clown to a homicidal killer in “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” in Batman #251 (four years before Engelhart’s stories), and wrote additional Joker stories in Batman #260 and 286, which featured “a truly insane Joker”— is the one who rehabilitated the character. Finally, and this point isn’t debating something creative, but I found it odd—why did Englehart at the start of the article encourage fans who haven’t read his Detective run previously to read it as “a digital bootleg at steveengelhart. com” and who haven’t seen the 1989 Batman movie to find it “all over the Internet”? Maybe in terms of the film, he means, “find a copy for purchase at Amazon or via a streaming service,” but it sounds like he’s encouraging fans to purchase pirated comic books or movies rather than legitimate ones—a strange stance for a creator. – Frank Balkin Although I was already quite familiar with Stainless Steve’s story regarding his involvement with certain Batman films either directly or indirectly, I was appalled by the further information I learned from his piece in BACK ISSUE #118. Rock bottom for me was the reported reaction of some in the DC halls who were relieved that, with Marshall Rogers’ untimely passing, they wouldn’t have to deal with the perennial clamor for more Batman by the team of Englehart and Rogers. Imagine that! They felt a sense of relief that Marshall had died—at 57! Additionally, how hopelessly short-sighted can a comics company be as to deliberately not keep fan-favorites away from a series for fear of those favorites being too closely associated with a company property! Perhaps this is a reason DC’s comics sales always trailed Marvel’s after the latter overtook the former in the very early ’70s. Marvel had no problem letting names be associated with certain titles. Stan Lee even championed it to a large extent. So often and in so many places, the actions taken by people in positions of authority have had me shaking my head in disappointment and occasional disbelief throughout my adult life. – Paul Carbonaro

ROSS IS BOSS

I love Alex Ross’ artwork and I sincerely wished Marvel had gone with his proposal to revive Fantastic Four, but in 2005, while I was a 2nd Class Petty officer in the Navy, on patrol in the Mediterranean in defense of our country and all the freedoms we cherish, Ross drew a picture of then-President Bush as Dracula sucking the blood

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

While Alex Ross’ political views may differ from yours, Chris, it’s good that you’re able to separate ideological differences from art and continue your appreciation of his work.

DEPARTMENT OF SUGGESTIONS

Two quick suggestions for BACK ISSUE: 1) Consider adding an article index on the TwoMorrows’ site; an online index would help when I want to re-read a specific article (rather than flipping through previous issues hunting for it). 2) For a future issue, how about a “comics in politics” issue focusing on things like Cap’s run for presidency, Congresswoman Barbara Gordon, etc.? – Jeff Coburn

TM & © Marvel.

out of the neck of the Statue of Liberty. Everyone has a right to freedom of expression, but as an active duty sailor in the Navy serving my country, I found this image highly insulting. I had loved his artwork with Marvels and Kingdom Come, but his politics are disgustingly radical left wing. It really too bad that Marvel didn’t go with Ross’ proposal to revive their Fantastic Four title. I remember when John Byrne revived the title in the mid-1980s only to see it fall by the wayside after he left the book to revive DC’s Superman in 1986, which also fell by the wayside after Byrne left the book. – Chris Krieg

Jeff, as noted in last issue’s lettercol, loyal BI reader Guilio Uggè, who wrote a letter that appears earlier in this column, has created an Excel spreadsheet index of BACK ISSUE articles that you can download for free from BI’s Facebook page (thanks, Guilio!). And I refer you to BI #6, published during the US presidential election of 2004, for a “Comics Characters for President” article featuring Prez, Howard the Duck, Captain America, and more. Also, our sister magazine RetroFan features a “Fake Presidential Candidates” article by Scott Saavedra in the recent issue, #10, which went on sale in August 2020. And don’t forget to vote!

CHRIS EVANS, HOLLYWOOD’S COMIC-BOOK MAN FOTO FLASHBACK

Jack C. Harris has always been helpful to this magazine, so we hope he doesn’t mind our sharing this photo he posted on Facebook in early March 2020. It’s from late 1976, showing artist Rich Buckler surveying his handiwork, the pencil art for the cover of Justice League of America #140 (Mar. 1977). Also shown is the cover in its published form, featuring inks by Frank McLaughlin.

REIMAGINING THE IMAGINAUTS

Loved the “Greatest Stories Never Told” issue. The Alex Ross piece was great. I didn’t even see that Nick Fury miniseries. Glad for the call-out. I tracked down the first issue and I guess, even though cool on an artistic level it’s not really what Marvel wants to do with FF in 2020. I feel that Alex’s idea was great ten years ago, but as the Fantastic Four prepare to enter the MCU I feel Dan Slott’s stuff is more original and will be interesting amongst the characters we see on screen now—the first real superfamily amongst all the diverse characters that are making up the MCU, and not the Fox versions. – Casey Lau

GREATEST COMICS NEVER SOLD

It’s sad… I look at most of this stuff [the unpublished series in the “Greatest Stories Never Told” issue] and think, “I’d pay for and read that!”… which is more then I can say for most of the stuff put out today!‬‬ – Reg Thomas

Loved the new issue but wanted to tell you about a correction: In the Alex Ross interview you bemoaned that Chris Evans had played three different characters in comic-book movies [the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies, Captain America in the Marvel movies, and Jensen in 2010’s The Losers, based upon the DC/Vertigo series]. Not true. He’s played five different characters in comic-book movies: You left out his roles in Scott Pilgrim (based on the graphic novel series from Bryan Lee O’Malley) and Snowpiercer (based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob). I await my No-Prize… –Wayne Bertsch A No-Prize? You must’ve confused TwoMorrows with another House of Ideas. I tend to too often view the world of comics through the lens of DC and Marvel, so thanks for the info re Chris Evans. Next issue: Horrific Heroes shamble forth in BACK ISSUE #124! Bronze Age histories of Man-Thing, the Creeper, and Atlas/Seaboard’s horrifying heroes… and Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) rides again! Featuring ALAN BRENNERT, FRANK BRUNNER, GERRY CONWAY, HOWARD MACKIE, VAL MAYERIK, JEFF ROVIN, ROY THOMAS, BOB WIACEK, and more. Man-Thing cover by RUDY NEBRES. Don’t ask—just BI it! See you in thirty! Your friendly neighborhood Euryman, Michael Eury, editor-in-chief

Superhero Romance Issue • BACK ISSUE • 79

RetroFan: The Pop Culture You Grew Up With! If you love Pop Culture of the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties, editor MICHAEL EURY’s latest magazine is just for you!

RETROFAN #11

HALLOWEEN ISSUE! Interviews with DARK SHADOWS’ Quentin Collins, DAVID SELBY, and the niece of movie Frankenstein GLENN STRANGE, JULIE ANN REAMS. Plus: KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER, ROD SERLING retrospective, CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST, TV’s Adventures of Superman, Superman’s pal JIMMY OLSEN, QUISP and QUAKE cereals, the DRAK PAK AND THE MONSTER SQUAD, scratch model customs, and more fun, fab features! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

RETROFAN #6

RETROFAN #7

RETROFAN #12

RETROFAN #8

RETROFAN #9

RETROFAN #10

Interviews with MeTV’s 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 ARCHIE-DOBIE GILLIS connection, Pinball Hall of Fame, Alien action figures, Rubik’s Cube & more!

With a JACLYN SMITH interview, as we reopen the Charlie’s Angels Casebook, and visit the Guinness World Records’ largest Charlie’s Angels collection. Plus: interview with 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!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Interviews with the ’60s grooviest family band THE COWSILLS, and TV’s coolest mom JUNE LOCKHART! Mars Attacks!, MAD Magazine in the ’70s, Flintstones turn 60, Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, Honey West, Max Headroom, Popeye Picnic, the Smiley Face fad, & more! With MICHAEL EURY, ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, and SCOTT SHAW!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Interviews with ’70s’ Captain America REB BROWN, and Captain Nice (and Knight Rider’s KITT) WILLIAM DANIELS with wife BONNIE BARTLETT! Plus: Coloring Books, Fall Previews for Saturday morning cartoons, The Cyclops movie, actors behind your favorite TV commercial characters, BENNY HILL, the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, 8-track tapes, and more!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Celebrating fifty years of SHAFT, interviews with FAMILY AFFAIR’s KATHY GARVER and The Brady Bunch Variety Hour’s GERI “FAKE JAN” REISCHL, ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH, rare GODZILLA merchandise, Spaghetti Westerns, Saturday morning cartoon preview specials, fake presidential candidates, Spider-Man/The Spider parallels, Stuckey’s, and more fun, fab features!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

RETROFAN #1

RETROFAN #2

RETROFAN #3

RETROFAN #4

RETROFAN #5

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!

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!

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), SEA-MONKEYS®, FUNNY FACE beverages, Superman/Batman memorabilia, & more!

Interviews with SHAZAM! TV show’s JOHN (Captain Marvel) DAVEY and MICHAEL (Billy Batson) Gray, the GREEN HORNET in Hollywood, remembering monster maker RAY HARRYHAUSEN, the way-out 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!

Interviews with MARK HAMILL & Greatest American Hero’s WILLIAM KATT! Blast off with JASON OF STAR COMMAND! Stop by the MUSEUM OF POPULAR CULTURE! 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!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

ALTER EGO #166

ALTER EGO #167

ALTER EGO #168

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #23

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #24

FAWCETT COLLECTORS OF AMERICA (FCA) Special, with spotlights on KURT SCHAFFENBERGER (Captain Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, Marvel Family, Lois Lane), and ALEX ROSS on his awesome painting of the super-heroes influenced by the original Captain Marvel! Plus MICHAEL T. GILBERT’s “Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt” on Superman editor MORT WEISINGER, JOHN BROOME, and more! Cover by SCHAFFENBERGER!

Salute to Golden & Silver Age artist SYD SHORES as he’s remembered by daughter NANCY SHORES KARLEBACH, fellow artist ALLEN BELLMAN, DR. MICHAEL J. VASSALLO, and interviewer RICHARD ARNDT. Plus: mid-1940s “Green Turtle” artist/creator CHU HING profiled by ALEX JAY, JOHN BROOME, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and Mr. Monster on MORT WEISINGER Part Two, and more!

Two RICHARD ARNDT interviews revealing the wartime life of Aquaman artist/ co-creator PAUL NORRIS (with a Golden/ Silver Age art gallery)—plus the story of WILLIE ITO, who endured the WWII Japanese-American relocation centers to become a Disney & Warner Bros. animator and comics artist. Plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, JOHN BROOME, and more, behind a NORRIS cover!

WENDY PINI discusses her days as Red Sonja cosplayer, & 40+ years of ELFQUEST! Plus RICHARD PINI on their 48-year marriage and creative partnership! Plus: We have the final installment of our CRAIG YOE interview! GIL KANE’s business partner LARRY KOSTER talks about their adventures together! PABLO MARCOS on his Marvel horror work, HEMBECK, and more! Cover by WENDY PINI.

TIMOTHY TRUMAN discusses his start at the Kubert School, Grimjack with writer JOHN OSTRANDER, and current collaborations with son Benjamin. SCOTT SHAW! talks about early San Diego Comic-Cons and friendship with JACK KIRBY, Captain Carrot, and Flintstones work! Also PATRICK McDONNELL’s favorite MUTTS comic book pastiches, letterer JANICE CHIANG profiled, HEMBECK, and more! TIM TRUMAN cover.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Dec. 2020

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Feb. 2021

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Fall 2020

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #25 WORLD OF TWOMORROWS

BACK ISSUE #124

BACK ISSUE #125

BACK ISSUE #126

BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH discusses his new graphic novel MONSTERS, its origin as a 1980s Hulk story, and its evolution into his 300-page magnum opus (includes a gallery of outtakes). Plus part two of our SCOTT SHAW! interview about HannaBarbera licensing material and work with ROY THOMAS on Captain Carrot, KEN MEYER, JR. looks at the great fanzines of 40 years ago, HEMBECK, and more!

HORRIFIC HEROES! With Bronze Age histories of Man-Thing, the Demon, and the Creeper, Atlas/Seaboard’s horrifying heroes, and Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) rides again! Featuring the work of CHRIS CLAREMONT, GERRY CONWAY, ERNIE COLON, MICHAEL GOLDEN, JACK KIRBY, MIKE PLOOG, JAVIER SALTARES, MARK TEXIERA, and more. Man-Thing cover by RUDY NEBRES.

CREATOR-OWNED COMICS! Featuring in-depth histories of MATT WAGNER’s Mage and Grendel. Plus other indie sensations of the Bronze Age, including COLLEEN DORAN’s A Distant Soil, STAN SAKAI’s Usagi Yojimbo, STEVE PURCELL’s Sam & Max, JAMES DEAN SMITH’s Boris the Bear, and LARRY WELZ’s Cherry Poptart! With a fabulous Grendel cover by MATT WAGNER.

“Legacy” issue! Wally West Flash, BRANDON ROUTH Superman interview, Harry Osborn/Green Goblin, Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Infinity Inc., Reign of the Supermen, JOHN ROMITA SR. and JR. “Rough Stuff,” plus CONWAY, FRACTION, JURGENS, MESSNER-LOEBS, MICHELINIE, ORDWAY, SLOTT, ROY THOMAS, MARK WAID, and more. WIERINGO/MARZAN JR. cover!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Winter 2021

(224-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $37.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 • Now shipping!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Nov. 2020

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Jan. 2021

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships March 2021

TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History.

KIRBY COLLECTOR #79

See “THE BIG PICTURE” of how Kirby fits into the grand scheme of things! His creations’ lasting legacy, how his work fights illiteracy, a RARE KIRBY INTERVIEW, inconsistencies in his 1960s MARVEL WORK, editorial changes in his comics, big concepts in OMAC, best DOUBLE-PAGE SPREADS, MARK EVANIER’s 2019 Kirby Tribute Panel, PENCIL ART GALLERY, and a new cover based on OMAC #1! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

OLD GODS & NEW: A FOURTH WORLD COMPANION (TJKC #80)

Looks back at JACK KIRBY’s own words, as well as those of assistants MARK EVANIER and STEVE SHERMAN, inker MIKE ROYER, and publisher CARMINE INFANTINO, to show how Kirby’s epic came about, where it was going, and how he would’ve ended it before it was cancelled by DC Comics!

HOLLY JOLLY

MARK VOGER’s sleigh ride thru Christmas pop culture! Explores movies (Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life), music (White Christmas, Little St. Nick), TV (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), books (Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol), decor (1950s silver aluminum trees), comics (super-heroes meet Santa), and more! Featuring CHARLES M. SCHULZ, ANDY WILLIAMS and others!

(160-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $26.95 (192-page FULL-COLOR hardcover) $43.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 • Ships Winter 2021 (Digital Edition) $15.99 • Ships Nov. 2020 ISBN: 978-1-60549-098-4 ISBN: 978-1-60549-097-7

BRICKJOURNAL #65

BrickJournal celebrates the holidays with brick sculptor ZIO CHAO, takes a offbeat look at Christmas with our minifigure customizer JARED K. BURKS, and decks the halls with the holiday creations of KOEN ZWANENBURG! Plus: “AFOLs” by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Dec. 2020 Look for #66 in February 2021!

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 USA 919-449-0344 E-mail:

store@twomorrows.com

Order at twomorrows.com

DVD & BLU-RAY DISCS

Long Live the Legion

LEGION OF SUPER HEROES

WARNERARCHIVE.COM

THOUSANDS OF FILMS & TV SERIES DIRECT FROM THE STUDIO VAULT TM

PRINTED IN CHINA

THE COMPLETE SERIES (2006-08)