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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.

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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.

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Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTISTS Jose Marzan, Jr., recreation from a Mike Wieringo sketch (commissioned illustration from the collection of Nathan Turner) COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg

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FLASHBACK: Growing Up Fast: Wally West’s Race to Become the Fastest Man Alive . . . 2 We zip through the Speed Force to witness the evolution of the one-time Kid Flash OFF MY CHEST: The Romita Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 A tale of the father, the son, and Spidey BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Green Genes: The Green Goblin, from Criminal Mastermind to Family Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 A star-studded examination of Harry Osborn’s devilish daddy issues INTERVIEW: Superman Returns’ Brandon Routh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The actor who played two different Supermen is quite super himself FLASHBACK: Ant-Man: Never Let a Good Name Go to Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Scott Lang was not one to shrink from duty when stepping into Hank Pym’s old role FLASHBACK: Infinity, Inc.: Old Heroes Never Die, They Simply Fade into Infinity . . . . . 52 The story of the JSA legacy characters and the Crisis that altered their lives FLASHBACK: Reign of the Supermen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 After the “Death of Superman,” it took four Men of Steel to take Kal-El’s place BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 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: $90 Economy US, $137 International, $36 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Mike Wieringo and Jose Marzan, Jr. The Flash and Kid Flash TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2021 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Inc. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

Legacy heroine Power Girl specialty drawing by the late, great Darwyn Cooke, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions. Power Girl TM & © DC Comics.

PROOFREADER Rob Smentek

by J o h n

Whiz Kid (left) Kid Flash and Robin no more, on George Pérez’s cover to New Teen Titans #39 (Feb. 1984). (center) Wally’s first solo run begins in Flash #1 (June 1987). Cover by Jackson Guice and Larry Mahlstedt. (right) Wally’s faster than ever before in the “Zero Hour” tiein Flash #0 (Oct. 1994). Cover by Mike Wieringo and Jose Marzan, Jr.

Wells

“Being a superhero isn’t easy, especially with a double-identity. You can’t have a normal life… and as for marriage… well, I was lucky to find a girl like Iris. Not many women would put up with a husband who’s always on call to catch criminals or save the world. How can I fault you for wanting a fair shot at a job and a family just like any other man?”

[Author’s note: Keith Dallas’ exhaustive The Flash Companion, published by TwoMorrows in 2008, was a vital resource when writing this article and includes many quotes from its Mark Waid interview that I conducted in November 2007. For brevity’s sake, the book is generally abbreviated as TFC here.]

TM & © DC Comics.

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So said Barry (the Flash) Allen to his nephew Wally West, a newly minted high school graduate who had just announced his plans to retire as Kid Flash once he finished college (1978’s DC Special Series #11, by Cary Bates, Irv Novick, and Joe Giella). It was a touching moment but also something of a hollow one in a universe where characters never got appreciably older.

RELUCTANT SUPERHERO

As the 1970s turned into the 1980s, the old rules were changing, and Wally West had to race to keep pace. Thanks to the creative team of Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Kid Flash was at the forefront of DC’s blockbuster New Teen Titans, albeit grudgingly at first. As the series launched, Wally was already retired, but was seduced into suiting up again thanks to the mysticism of Raven. Shaking off the enchantment, Wally eventually found a true girlfriend in his hometown of Blue Valley: the troubled, magnetic-powered Frances Kane (NTT #17).

In contrast to his fellow Titans, Wally was the member with a stable, happy relationship with his parents. Wolfman emphasized that in NTT #20’s (June 1982) “Dear Mom and Dad,” a tale written in part to balance the previous issue’s presentation of Kid Flash’s conservative, anti-Soviet rhetoric. Ultimately, though, Wolfman admitted to Glen Cadigan in The Titans Companion (2005) that he “never liked” the character. In a group setting, he was simply too powerful. “If the goal is to put down the villain as opposed to make a good show, just send Kid Flash out and have him beat up the guy before the guy could see who was beating him up.” Hence, Wally called it quits in NTT #39 (Feb. 1984) and declared his intention to be a full-time college student. Wolfman (with artists Carmine Infantino and Mike DeCarlo) checked in on the retiree in Tales of the Teen Titans #49 (on sale in September 1984), revealing that his speed was decreasing and causing him escalating pain. The Flash theorized it was a side effect of the chemical bath that gave both their powers. “I was an adult when the chemicals altered my body,” he observed. “My body chemistry wasn’t changing. But Wally was just a kid, still growing and developing.” The end result may have genetic damage. Famed writer Harlan Ellison expressed his opinion about Wally’s dire condition to Wolfman in a subsequent phone call. “I told Marv I didn’t like what he was doing to Kid Flash,” Ellison relayed to Don Thompson in The Comics Buyer’s Guide #572 (November 2, 1984). “I said he obviously didn’t like the character and planned to have him die of a heart attack while running. He said, ‘How did you know that?’ and I said, ‘Because you’re talking to someone who knows how to plot.’ “I suggested another direction he could take, and he liked it and went to Dick Giordano with it. Dick said it would make a mini-series. Marv said he couldn’t write it, and they talked about who could. Finally, they thought of me.” Ellison added that he’d likely change Wally’s codename. “Calling someone Kid Flash is so Fifties.” With Marv Wolfman and George Pérez’s monumental Crisis on Infinite Earths looming, Ellison’s miniseries never got past the conceptual stage. Indeed, The Flash itself was cancelled in July 1985 before Barry Allen died a month later in Crisis #8. Wally returned to the stage in Crisis #9, urged by the original Flash (Jay Garrick) to share his waning powers in Barry’s absence. Consequently, Kid Flash explained to Keith Dallas in The Flash was on the front lines during the final Companion (2008). “I think running battle with the Anti-Monitor and took 600 miles per hour is just fine, and that a blast of energy from the universewould still be an incredible power.” shattering villain. For fans, the matter of Barry Allen’s One of the final scenes in Crisis successor had been settled. Behind #12 (on sale in December 1985) the scenes, however, DC executives revealed that this had been a good Jenette Kahn and Dick Giordano saw thing. Thanks to the cosmic radiation, Wally as a placeholder and put out Wally’s body chemistry had adapted an open invitation for writers to to its speed forces and Kid Flash pitch new versions of the Flash. was no longer dying. Retiring his marv wolfman Len Wein and Marv Wolfman’s distinctive yellow costume, Wally concept even made it into a write-up suited up in Barry’s old outfit. “I for 1986’s Amazing Heroes Preview Special #2. Secretly want the Flash—his Flash—remembered!” S.T.A.R. Labs scientist Mackenzie Ryan, this Flash would “manipulate various forms of energy—light, sound, BIG SHOES TO FILL In January 1986, the newly minted third Flash returned and so forth—in order to defeat his foes.” Wolfman to the lineup of the Titans in New Teen Titans vol. 2 #19 even inserted Ryan into New Teen Titans #19 as an (cover-dated Apr. 1986). Having used the Anti-Monitor unseen character spoken to on the phone. Meanwhile, in the fall of 1986 plans were afoot to scale back Wally’s powers, Marv Wolfman had no problem bringing him back. “What I wanted to do to launch a new company crossover called Legends, was slow him down to the speed of sound,” the writer developed by new DC editor Mike Gold and writer

Superhero Dropout Barry Allen and Wally West discuss Wally’s decision to give up his Kid Flash identity, from DC Special Series #11: Flash Spectacular (May 1978). By Bates/Novick/Giella. Unless otherwise noted, all scans accompanying this article are courtesy of John Wells. TM & © DC Comics.

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Running Out (left) Wally’s concerned about the limits of his powers in New Teen Titans vol. 2 #19 (Apr. 1986). By Wolfman/ Barreto/Tanghal. (right) Guest-star Flash (Barry Allen) analyzes Wally’s decreasing speed in Tales of the Teen Titans #49 (Dec. 1984). By Wolfman/Pérez/ Infantino/DeCarlo. TM & © DC Comics.

John Ostrander. As related by Gold in 1987’s Flash #2, Dick Giordano called him with a request. “We think it would be a great idea if you use Legends as the launching pad for a revival of the Flash… maybe something entirely new, who knows?” Puzzled, Gold contacted Marv Wolfman and asked if he’d misunderstood the Wally West scene at the end of Crisis. Wolfman assured him that he had not. “I couldn’t see any reason to change it,” Gold continued. “So, we already had a new Flash. I called Dick back and broke the news to him.” It was goodbye to Mac Ryan and all the other pitches. Giordano was fine with that but insisted that Wally be featured prominently in Legends before getting an ongoing series. Gold and Ostrander (joined by John Byrne and Karl Kesel on art and Len Wein on dialogue) complied and the miniseries premiered in August 1986. Like Wolfman was doing in New Teen Titans, the creative team emphasized the new Flash’s desire to honor his uncle’s memory but also his diminished powers. Indeed, Wally’s latest encounter with Barry’s old foe Captain Boomerang didn’t go so well for the hero in issue #4. Still, Wally West was the only Flash that the world had left. Earlier in 1986, even the original Flash, Jay Garrick, had been shuffled off to another dimension along with most of the Justice Society. “Wally West [was] a thirdgeneration superhero,” Mike Gold wrote in 1986’s Flash #2. “More important—most important, after I thought about it—he was the first major sidekick to take on his mentor’s mantle. […] We had a real opportunity to have Kid Flash become the Flash—the real Flash. And in order to become the real Flash, Wally West had to have his own comic book. He couldn’t be a member of the Teen Titans; he had to become an adult.”

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Hence, the Flash—with girlfriend Frances Kane in his arms—made a slightly awkward exit from the Titans in NTT #31 (“I’ve got my own life to lead!”) and celebrated his 20th birthday a month later in The Flash #1 (on sale in March 1987, cover-dated June). (Incredibly, it was the first “Flash #1” ever published by DC. Jay had debuted in Flash Comics #1 and Barry’s ongoing book began with Flash #105.) For his writer, Mike Gold approached Mike Baron, the fan-favorite creator of mold-breaking independent titles Nexus and The Badger. Baron, his editor enthused in Flash #2’s text page, was “one of a small handful of newcomers in this field—Alan Moore is another—who can look at something everybody else always has seen as blue and see colors nobody ever noticed before.” That was a quality deemed particularly important on a character like the Flash. He was dressed the same as his predecessor, but he needed to act differently and move differently. Baron took care of the former while penciler Jackson Guice—newly arrived from Marvel—and inker Larry Mahlstedt tackled the latter. Gold handed Guice a challenge. “I told him to come up with a new way to draw a speedster,” the editor detailed in Amazing Heroes Preview Special #4 (Winter 1987). “Even though Carmine Infantino drew the Jay Garrick Flash and the Barry Allen Flash, they were both two totally different art styles. I wanted Jackson to come up with a truly unique design, different from the other two. He did it! A lot of the things you think of when you think of the Barry Allen Flash are not here.” Speaking to Keith Dallas in TFC, the artist attributed some of his success to “the simple ignorance of my youth. Not being overly familiar with Carmine’s work on The Flash at the time—I was always more interested in his Adam Strange work growing up—I tried a little bit

of everything I could think of, as well as following whatever leads or suggestions Mike Baron was throwing into the mix. In the end, it really wasn’t that much different an approach from what came before.” For his part, Baron departed from tradition with the vivid detail that Wally “has to eat enormous quantities and sleeps sixteen hours at a stretch in order to get the energy he needs.” Discussing the series with Maggie Thompson for The Comics Buyer’s Guide #686 (January 9, 1987), he continued, “He doesn’t just take off on round-the-world jaunts, like the old one used to. He has to think about it before he goes into action. I came up with the concept with [Young All-Stars penciler] Brian Murray, though people later told me that Harlan Ellison had come up with much the same idea some time ago.” Along with food, the new Flash also needed financing. Approached to deliver a heart across country to a transplant patient, he negotiated a deal with the hospital to ensure that all of his subsequent medical bills were taken care of. Ironically, money ceased to be a problem by the end of issue #1: Wally West became the latest winner of the New York lottery and claimed 6.5 million dollars! (In another departure from tradition, the latest Flash lived in a real metropolis rather than the fictional Central City or Keystone City that sheltered Barry and Jay.) Baron also employed first-person narration to make an immediate connection with readers. “My name is Wally West,” the Flash said by way of introduction. “Today I am twenty years old. I feel lucky.” Writers came and went over the course of the title’s run, but they largely maintained the storytelling device into the 21st Century.

NEW FLASH ROGUES AND FRIENDS

A cornerstone of Barry Allen’s run was its colorful Rogues Gallery, but they were, at the outset, off limits. “Gold asked me to create largely new characters and that’s what I’m doing,” Baron declared in CBG #686. “When I did the first one, I discovered after setting up the villain that I’d ‘reinvented the wheel’ and simply created [longtime immortal adversary] Vandal Savage. So, I replaced my creation with Savage.” Baron’s follow-up foe was all his and Guice’s though, a startling departure from anyone that the previous Flashes had encountered. The Kilg%re was a techno-organic being from another realm who Wally accidentally released while running speed-tests. Controlling and reshaping any earthly tech, the Kilg%re seized control of the telecommunications power grid with the intent and purging the planet of its “noisome” humans. Purging the entity required an unprecedented degree of global cooperation and pushed the Flash to his new limits to outrun what was left of the Kilg%re in issue #4 (Sept. 1987). In CBG #686, Baron described a Wally West quite different from the upstanding boy-next-door of the past two decades. No longer bothering with a secret identity, “he’s always sitting on the edge of his seat and saying, ‘Come on! Let’s get going! We’re going to be late!” […] He’s 20 years old, charismatic, and he’s going to find himself in romantic situations.” No one could have imagined, however, something like issue #5’s cover: a crazed villain catching the Flash and a woman in an embrace as she screamed, “Oh, no! It’s… my husband!” The female in question was Tina McGee, a 32-year-old nutritionist with a Harvard grant to study the Flash’s powers. She entered the picture in issue #3—just pages after Frances Kane split with Wally— but didn’t take center stage until Flash #5. Beaten up by her estranged ex-husband Jerry, Tina accepted refuge in Wally’s new mansion. Fueled by a steroid derivative and technology, the addled Jerry “Speed” McGee (alias Speed Demon) came charging after the couple. “He’s just a great character,” Baron enthused in Amazing Heroes Preview Special #5 (Summer 1987). “He keeps running into brick walls and picking himself up, saying, ‘I didn’t feel a thing.’ Of course, his body’s turning into hamburger.” The action shifted to the Soviet Union in issues #8 and 9 as the Flash sought a Russian scientist who could save the life of the dying Jerry McGee. Doctor Pytor Orloff agreed to come to the US to help but he was joined by Red Trinity, a trio that he’d endowed with super-speed. Unfortunately, they represented his second try at developing speedsters. The earlier Blue Trinity—more akin to Jerry McGee in temperament—stood in the way of the Flash and company. Overlapping with the story was DC’s latest company crossover. In Millennium, a character close to each DC hero was revealed to be a spy

The New Flash (top) Wally West picks up the mantle of the Flash in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (Mar. 1986). By Wolfman/ Pérez/Ordway. (bottom) A less-powerful Flash takes on DC’s deadly marksman, Deadshot, in Legends #1. By Ostrander/Wein/Byrne/Kesel. TM & © DC Comics.

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for the insidious cosmic villains known as the Manhunters. For the Flash, the sleeper agent was exposed as his father Rudy, a combative opportunistic counterpart to Wally’s loving pre-Crisis dad Robert. After the defeat of the Manhunters, Rudy slipped into the shadows while his estranged wife Mary—whom he’d tried to murder—moved into Wally’s mansion. The overbearing Mrs. West was less than thrilled by the presence of Tina McGee as her son’s girlfriend. The letters columns became lively affairs as readers argued over the ways in which Wally was departing from the heroic ideal of his predecessor. For those advocating resurrection, Gold declared in issue #11 (Apr. 1988) that “Barry will remain dead.” Future comics writer Joe Casey expressed puzzlement over the revised characterization of the West parents, too. “Wally was not perfect,” Baron emphasized in TFC. “That was one thing that I did that I thought made Wally intriguing. I wanted to give him a little bit of tarnish. Not make him be such a Boy Scout.” Baron’s last major creation for the series was a morbidly obese African-American scientist called the Chunk (a.k.a. Chester P. Runk), introduced in Flash #9–11 (on sale in October–December 1987). He was, as Wally described him, “a living black hole. He must consume forty-seven times his own weight in super-dense material to keep him from imploding.” Over a few years, Chunk had drawn dozens of people into an other-dimensional realm called the Void but his encounter with the Flash marked a turning point in which he began trying to free his victims and rehabilitate himself. As the book reached its first birthday, Vandal Savage returned to peddle a super-speed drug called Velocity 9 that had terrible side effects (Flash #12–14). Behind the scenes, Mike Baron was getting tired. “It was coming up on issue #13,” he recalled in TFC, “and I said to Mike [Gold]. ‘I’m running out of ideas here. I hate to give up writing Flash, but I just can’t do this.’ He understood.”

BURDENED BY LEGACY

Not Necessarily the Fastest Man Alive (top) An exhausted Wally West races a heart to a waiting patient in Flash #1 (June 1987). (bottom) Then it’s time to recharge! By Baron/Guice/Mahlstedt. TM & © DC Comics.

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By that time, Jackson Guice was already gone (succeeded by Mike Collins on issues #10–14) and Mike Gold transitioned the editorial chores to Barbara Randall in issues #12–14. As he closed the door on his way out, Baron left a surprise for his own successor: Wally had lost his entire fortune in bad investments and he was on the hook for hundreds of thousands more. Before his departure, Mike Gold tapped indy writer William Messner-Loebs to take over the book (with Greg LaRocque as penciler). “I’ve been a fan of Bill’s work for a long, long time,” Gold told Bill Waldroop in The Comics Buyer’s Guide #727 (October 23, 1987), “his work on Journey in particular. I always thought that he’d have something valuable to contribute to slightly off-center mainstream superheroes. And Bill is a very thoughtful writer. In terms of characterization, in Journey, and in terms of his ability to handle the more straightforward heroic stuff in Jonny Quest, that led me to think that he’d be really interesting writing Flash.” Loebs had been a Flashfan dating back to 1956’s william messner-loebs first Barry Allen appearance in Showcase #4, so he Facebook. relished the opportunity. Wally was quite a different hero, though. “Barbara’s [Randall] perception,” the writer recalled in TFC, “was that Mike and Mike were having a lot of fun tweaking Marv Wolfman by making his basically strait-laced, Republican Teen Titans

New Rogues Gallery Writer Mike Baron brought some new bad blood into the pages of Flash, including Vandal Savage, Kilg%re, and Speed Demon. TM & © DC Comics.

MIKE BARON

character into a womanizing glory hog. And she felt we might go deeper than that. As an editor, however, Barbara was too good to suggest I just ignore what had gone before.” What had come before provided ample story fodder. “I’ll be trying to rebuild his family life a little bit,” Loebs stated in The Comics Buyer’s Guide #727, “because right now he’s basically on the road to a psychotic breakdown. He just found out his dad, who was a really nice guy, then turned into an alcoholic, then turned into a Manhunter. He went from being so broke that he had to charge people to run a heart cross-country to being the richest guy in the world. All in the space of weeks. He’s had the power to go at almost the speed of light reduced to nothing, then brought back to 700 miles an hour. So, his whole life is a series of incredibly improbable things.” Luckily, Mike Baron had already provided Wally with a psychiatrist—Dr. Owen Slade—in Flash #9 so Loebs devoted a full story to one of their sessions in May 1988’s Secret Origins Annual #2. Bringing a fresh perspective to the adventures of Kid Flash and his relationship with Barry Allen, Slade argued that Wally had Imposter’s Syndrome. “Classically, it’s what boys feel who lose impressive father figures… a sense that nothing they earn is really theirs… that they will be revealed as ‘frauds.’ But that may be a tad narrow. After all, don’t we all feel sometimes, ‘What would they think of me if they knew who I really was?’” This, Slade theorized, was the crux of why the Flash couldn’t regain the full measure of his old speed. “I think Barry’s stopping you. […] Your speed decreased when you were on your own and making decisions,

decisions you thought Barry wouldn’t like.” Urging Wally to stop putting so much pressure on himself, the physiatrist insisted, “You’re allowed to be happy. You’re allowed to be alive when Barry’s dead.” It was counsel that Wally wasn’t ready to accept, but the words hadn’t been without effect. Another standalone Loebs story in June 1988’s Flash Annual #2 stabilized the young man’s relationship with both of his parents, particularly his mom. “Mary West was a nightmare mother,” the writer bluntly declared in TFC. “She was a carping sodden parasitic hyper-critical drunk. Even with losing all his money, I couldn’t understand how even a mostly grown son would stay with her. So, I put aspects of my relationship with my own mom, which was decent, into the character. I let her change and grow.” Loebs was less invested in Tina McGee as a romantic interest. After sowing the seeds for a possible reconciliation with Jerry, the writer split up her and Wally at the end of Flash #16. The McGees remained recurring scientist contacts for the duration of Loebs’ run and beyond, though. Unexpectedly, Tina (as portrayed as Amanda Pays) also became a co-star in the 1990–1991 Flash TV series with John Wesley Shipp. Although Barry Allen was the nominal star, showrunners Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo saw great plot potential in having the female scientist as a central player. Before he came onto the book, Loebs had begun to formulate plots involving Wally’s wealth. His sudden financial turnaround killed those ideas, but he wanted someone with money in the cast and drafted Chunk to fill the role as a series regular. Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 7

Speed Demons Wally West vs. Dr. Jerry “Speed” McGee, a.k.a. Speed Demon. Original art from Flash #6, penciled by Guice and signed by inker Larry Mahlstedt. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

Wally and his mom were still poor, though, and they were living in a low-rent New York apartment. For part of issue #20 (Winter 1988, on sale in September), they were even homeless and the Flash’s inability to afford food left him literally staggering. The Wests found a friend in neighbor Mason Trollbridge (Flash #15), a well-adjusted older man who made a good sounding board for the young superhero and knew a bit about life as a boy crimefighter. “We found out he was the kid sidekick to a Shadow-like avenger in the thirties,” Loebs explained in TFC. “He could do anything, including unstop a drain or fix a carburetor. […] Since Wally was a Reagan Republican, it made sense to give him a cranky, yet loveable Progressive New Dealer.” Mason was also the writer’s favorite supporting cast member. Connie Noleski, a Texas-born model who’d appeared briefly in Baron and Guice’s Flash Annual #1 (1987), returned on Loebs’ watch. Scripting a lighthearted tale in which the Flash crashed a banquet for Barry’s old Rogues Gallery (Flash #19), Loebs needed a date for Wally. Connie was the best option. She was the Flash’s

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default girlfriend at that point, returning in issue #30 and intermittently thereafter until she decided she was really in love with Chunk in issues #59–61. “There was a problem in that a monthly comic book has so little room,” Loebs observed in TFC. “To find out anything about [Connie], I had to keep her around. And when we kept her around, she was too interesting to leave. She was a sort of airhead, I suppose, in that very focused, self-limiting way you often see in actors and models. My favorite moment with her was the day she decided to become a super-heroine to better fit with Wally and his friends [Flash #35, 60]. She never really realized that it’s a good idea to have, well, super-powers. Better to be lucky than smart.”

A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

Connie’s interest in wearing a costume stemmed from Wally’s belated induction into the Justice League. When the team reformed in 1987’s Legends #6, the Flash passed on joining but the cash-strapped hero was having second thoughts by the end of 1988. Following that fall’s Invasion! miniseries, he agreed to join the offshoot Justice League Europe— which offered a regular stipend—in Justice League International #24 and appeared regularly in the JLE comic that premiered in February 1989. It was an historic moment: the first former Teen Titan had graduated to League membership. Teammate Ralph (Elongated Man) Dibny didn’t let the new kid get cocky (“Where’s Barry Allen when you need him?”), and Power Girl had no patience for his flirtations (“Is that all you think about?”). Still, Wally West was now at the adult table and under ever more pressure to rekindle his lost super-speed. That dovetailed into Flash #24–28 (Mar.–July 1989), where Tina developed a process that might do the trick. Optimism building over the course of the first chapter, the Flash took off… and everything went wrong. A sonic boom echoed hundreds of miles away and a blazing trail of molten earth yawned as far as the eye could see. The search for Wally West consumed the next four issues, ultimately concluding with no lingering ill health for the Scarlet Speedster but no sustained improvement in his speed, either. The long-term effects of Flash #28 were felt in other ways, one of which was through its new editor Brian Augustyn. A fan dating back to 1964’s Flash #144, the 34-year-old dived into developing story hooks, with Loebs and was destined to play a key role in the series’ future. Issue #28 also included an almost incidental character, an attractive TV reporter who managed to get a short quote from Wally West at the end of the story. No one could reasonably have anticipated that they would ever see Linda Park again, but she was back in issue #31, arguing with the Flash in a live feed and nearly getting killed by a madman called the Comforter. “Wally needed whip-smart people around him,” Loebs explained in TFC. “And someone with easy access to politics and current events. You gotta know where the crime is if you’re gonna fight it.” Park, a KoreanAmerican journalist, continued to intersect with Wally and though both would deny it—especially Linda— there was clearly something beginning to smolder. Featured more prominently in Flash #28 were former Rogues Captain Cold and his sister Golden Glider, now reformed and selling their services as Golden Snowball Recoveries. They were now part a group that included Heat Wave (rehabilitated in 1982’s Flash #312), Dr. Alchemy (in the revelatory, touching Flash #40–41, 1990), and the Pied Piper.

Are You Man Enough? Could Wally’s subconscious be slowing him down? From Secret Origins Annual #2 (Sept. 1988). By Loebs/Collins/McLaughlin. TM & © DC Comics.

Loebs had transformed the latter into an advocate for the homeless in 1988’s Flash #20 and made the character—soon simply called Piper—a staunch friend of Wally. In issue #53 (Aug. 1991), Piper casually revealed to the Flash that he was gay. Frustrated at the virtual lack of homosexual characters in mainstream comics, Loebs was determined to address the subject. “You needed a story that would lead to a discussion of the issue in a relatively natural way,” the writer explained in a September 24, 2011 Comics Bulletin interview. “Well, Frank Miller had suggested satirically that the Joker, with his use of make-up and his flamboyant manner, might be gay. Surely this would be the talk of the super-human community [and it became a conversation between Wally and Piper]. “Brian had been talking with [Superman group editor] Mike Carlin about a Superman guest spot. If we wanted an audience, this would give us one. I had only to decide on the supporting cast member. I couldn’t introduce a character and then turn him gay. There wasn’t time. I didn’t know how long I’d be on the book and the point was to show that people who were gay were normal and could be anyone you know. The Piper was the obvious choice. My small qualm was that he was already an ex-villain, super-powered, ex-rogue, social activist, jazz musician. Would this give him too much baggage? As it turned out, it was a good fit. “My favorite story from this happened a couple of years later,” Loebs continued. “Lightning had struck with The Maxx [from Image Comics, which Loebs scripted for plotter/artist Sam Kieth—ed.], and every convention had huge lines filled with young kids clutching issues to be signed. For an hour and a half, I noticed a tall, quiet young man working his way down the blocks-long line at this particular convention. When he got to me, he smiled. ‘I don’t have a book to sign. I just wanted to thank you for the Piper.’ He shook my hand and was gone.”

ROGUE REFORMATION AND REVITALIZATION

One of Loebs’ goals on the book, he explained in TFC, was “to show that superheroes were flawed, but that supervillains could truly reform. Otherwise, why not just kill them all, or throw half the population into Arkham Asylum?” In an insightful moment at the end of Flash #19, the rehabilitated Captain Cold observed, “we spent our lives knocking over jewelry stores and trying to outsmart Barry Allen. We fell into his trap. He made it a game, a game of greed and revenge… kept us distracted, plotting against him, instead of doing what we were really capable of. We could’ve been Caesars… instead we’re just clowns.” Not all of Barry Allen’s old enemies became good guys, of course. Unlike Gold and Baron, Loebs happily revisited them, whether en masse (Flash #19) or individually, as with Abra Kadabra (Flash #23) and Gorilla Grodd (Flash #45–47). A multi-issue story about a supposed Irish ghost paid off with its revelation of a reimagined Kilg%re (Flash #36–43) and left lingering elements that enabled Wally to survive a near-fatal beating by Vandal Savage (Flash #49–50). The Turtle, a minor 1940s opponent of Jay Garrick, was reimagined as a major threat in Flash #32–35, drawing his equally minor 1950s namesake into his plans and nearly killing Wally before the young speedster’s friends rose up in defense. Brian Augustyn, Loebs noted in TFC, “was interested in using the Flash Rogues Gallery so other editors wouldn’t poach them.” Meanwhile, Wally and company left the real-life east coast for the fictional Keystone City that had once been home to Jay Garrick (Flash #32). The motive was less nostalgia than writing what you know. The Michigan-based Loebs explained in Amazing Heroes #170 (Aug. 1989) that a Midwestern locale was more desirable to him. The move was also intended to coincide with a new job for the Flash, one in which he’d work for a map-maker to detail uncharted areas

and survey disputed borders. Following issue #50, Loebs intended to finally revisit the map concept as well as write a story in which Wally merchandised the Flash name (as reported in Amazing Heroes Preview Special #11, Fall 1990). Instead, Brian Augustyn suggested a run of stories in which the Flash agreed to handle troublesome cases for the IRS in exchange for settling his huge debts from the past few years. In Flash #52, for instance, the Scarlet Speedster had to face off against demonic entities to get them to pay their delinquent taxes. Through it all, Loebs looked for unusual ways to explore the Flash’s speed. In issue #30, a prick on the back of Wally’s neck reflexively caused his super-speed to kick in. The sensation had been caused by a live bullet! With time virtually frozen, he had to race through a crowded theater, gather the other projectiles that had been fired, and stop the shooter. The writer’s favorite story, as he related in TFC, was published in Flash #53. On a flight to watch filming of a few Flash TV show episodes, Loebs “came up with the story of a stewardess being blown out the side of a plane in flight. Wally would have to decide whether to follow her down, even though he hadn’t Barry’s ability to hover by vibrating his feet. For once his speed didn’t isolate him from the dangers of heroism. I had been writing two- and threepart stories with a lot of characters and complex motivations; I wanted to do something that was a single issue about Wally choosing to make a difference.”

THE NEW LOOK FLASH

Four years into the relaunch, the decision was made to finally retire Barry Allen’s costume and give Wally one that was all his own. The shiny, tech-enhanced outfit—with blank eyes—premiered in Flash #50 (May 1991). Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 9

No Walk in the Park (top) Homeless hero! Flash #20 (Winter 1988) cover by LaRocque/ Mahlstedt. (bottom) Meet Linda Park, in Flash #28. TM & © DC Comics.

“The red and yellow was not going anywhere,” artist Greg LaRocque explained in TFC, “and the design was classic, so after discussion with Brian, we decided we wanted to update rather than redesign. I thought the glossy look translated to a more modern look and fit the super-speed element perfectly. The eyes were something I took a lot of heat on early on, but again, I thought it looked cool and fit the speed look very nicely and set Wally apart from Barry’s look very dramatically.” Three and a half years after his tenure began, William MessnerLoebs decided it was time to leave Wally West behind. Unable to turn down an offer to write Wonder Woman, he reluctantly settled his affairs. In Flash #61 (Apr. 1992), Mary West remarried and virtually every member of the supporting cast at the wedding reception seemed to have found a romantic partner. Everyone except Wally. Making a late arrival, Linda Park sat down beside him and smiled. “This is not,” the Fastest Man Alive mused, “a bad way to end an adventure.” “After 46 successful issues,” Brian Augustyn wrote in his introduction to Terminal Velocity (1995), “Bill decided he had taken Wally as far as he could and moved on to other challenges. Without a moment’s hesitation, I handed the baton to a relatively unknown writer named Mark Waid, who took over the race like a born sprinter. Mark and I had been friends since he was an editor at DC, and I knew we were already on the same track.” Waid’s editorial tenure had ended badly, and it was Augustyn who kept the young man’s greg larocque foot in the door (and money in his pocket) by Facebook. assigning him scripts. Those included stories for the 50th Anniversary Flash Special (on sale in May 1990 and introducing 27th Century Flash John Fox), Flash Annual #4 (1991), and Flash TV Special #1 (1991). “Flash has always been one of my favorite characters,” Waid told Paul Grant in Hero Illustrated #19 (Dec. 1994). I always wanted to have super-speed, because life is too damn short and I’m an impatient son of a bitch anyway. I think this is what makes Flash such an interesting and long-lived character. No one gets up in the morning and says, ‘Gee, I wish I could throw power blasts out of my hands.’ However, everybody in the world knows what it’s like to miss the bus. That’s why I think the Flash’s power is so cool. It’s something like flight that everybody, whether they read comics or not, can key into. I certainly did. That was one of the things that attracted me to the Flash. The other thing was he was a young, impatient, strong-willed hothead and God knows that’s something I keyed into pretty quickly as well. Wally West is my alter ego. Wally is the easiest character in the world to write for me. He’s what I’d be like if I was 60 pounds lighter and 10 years younger. Oh, and had super-speed.” Unsurprisingly, Waid accepted Augustyn’s offer immediately. “There was no hesitation on my part,” he declared in TFC. “There was a lot of hesitation on Brian’s boss’ part. Brian fought hard to get me on the book because the presumption by the bosses was ‘he’s just a fanboy. He doesn’t know what a story is, it’ll just be a big continuity romp and you’re just giving it to him because he’s your pal.’ You know, all that standard stuff. So, Brian and I worked very, very hard to make sure that we very quickly put our own stamp on that book.”

BORN TO RUN

That began by showing where Wally West came from. “Flash Year One: Born to Run” (Flash #62–65) ran as a twice-a-month event in issues on sale in March and April 1992 and included the basic details that fans already knew. On a trip to Central City to visit his Aunt Iris West, a boy from Blue Valley, Nebraska, met the Flash (secretly Iris’ boyfriend Barry Allen) and was transformed by an accident into Kid Flash. On that spine, Waid deepened Wally’s relationships with his distant parents, his swifter-than-light new mentor, and a wise, loving aunt who became his best friend. 10 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

“I looked at both Wally’s parents and I just couldn’t just like the Flash. He got his wish. To me, Wally is one of see anything there that I could hook onto,” the writer the few guys in comics who gets up every morning and admitted in TFC. “But I had to break the assignment says, ‘My God, I have the greatest job on Earth. I can’t down and find the parts of me that echoed in the wait to be Flash today.’ That is core to Wally’s personality.” With the preliminaries out of the way, Waid returned character and vice versa. What I fixated on was the notion of feeling trapped as a boy, feeling very held- to the present for an Aquaman guest-shot (Flash #66), down by parents who weren’t terribly affectionate or a two-part clash with an unhinged Abra Kadabra in the weren’t terribly good at giving guidance; and sort of 64th Century (Flash #67–68), and a crossover—joined by Green Lantern writer Gerard Jones— being trapped in a small town and feeling like there that paired Wally with Barry’s old pal were bigger things out there.” Hal Jordan against Grodd and Hector Iris West Allen was mostly forgotten by Hammond (Flash #69–70; GL #30–31). this point, murdered by the Reverse-Flash Conspicuously absent were any of in 1979 before her surprise resurrection Baron or Loeb’s regulars. “Previous in the 30th Century just prior to Barry’s writers had a tendency to concentrate own death in 1985. As far as her on the supporting characters,” Waid 20th Century friends and family opined in Hero Illustrated #18, “and knew, she was still dead, though. gave me the impression they weren’t “Barry and his wife were two as interested in Wally as they were characters I really, genuinely believed in the people around Wally. That’s loved one another,” Waid said in the certainly a valid approach, but it’s not Return of Barry Allen trade paperback an approach I like. Every once in a (1996). “We got to watch their while I get letters asking, ‘Whatever courtship, their engagement, their happened to Chunk or Wally’s marriage, their life together. And yet mark waid mom?’ I don’t care. The book is it ended so bittersweet.” about Wally.” “I so loved Iris as a character, © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. The lone carryover was Linda Park, but a subplot as most of us did reading the Barry Allen Flash,” he added in TFC. “Like my own mother, Iris was a very free in issue #71–72’s tale of a new Dr. Alchemy had her spirit and a very kind woman who treated children very poised to leave Keystone for a TV position in Midway much like adults and never really talked down to them City. Getting his priorities straight, Wally dashed after her train and begged her not to go. One kiss later, and instead, brought them up to her level.” As for the star of the book, Waid observed in Linda’s new job was history. “I didn’t know that I really wanted to do much with Hero Illustrated #18, “I think Wally’s unique in that his personality is defined by his power. People ask me, Linda,” Waid admitted in TFC, “but she was there and ‘What would Wally West be doing if he didn’t have super- at that point, it made more sense for me to just pick up speed?’ I have no idea. Wally would have no idea because a character that had existed rather than try to create a it’s a dream come true to him. As a child, he wanted to be brand-new love interest for Flash.”

The New Look Flash Wally’s new costume premieres! From Flash #50 (May 1991). And this revealing interior shot of Flash also doubles as the the cover’s corner box illo. TM & © DC Comics.

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Piping Up (top) The Pied Piper comes out, in Flash #53 (Aug. 1991). By Loebs/LaRocque/Marzan, Jr. (bottom) Wally and Hal Jordan-Green Lantern encounter trouble in Gorilla City on this original Greg Larocque/Roy Richardson cover to Flash #70. Courtesy of Heritage. TM & © DC Comics.

FLASH BACK

By the time Christmas 1992 rolled around, Wally was feeling pretty good, thanks to Linda and a reunion with an old friend. In an incredible event the previous spring, the Justice Society had escaped the dimension where they’d been trapped, and Jay Garrick—the original Flash—walked the Earth once more. He and the team were now featured in a new Justice Society of America book that introduced a new legacy heroine named Jesse Quick, daughter of Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle. As Wally and Linda unwrapped gifts alongside Jay and Joan Garrick in Flash #73 (Feb. 1993), they were interrupted by a surprise visitor. There in the doorway stood Barry Allen. Despite Jay’s own recent return, it seemed too good to be true and Barry’s fuzzy memories on how he materialized on Earth didn’t help. It was only after the newcomer shared an intimate memory about his and Iris’ first date that Wally was convinced. “The greatest hero I’ve ever known” was back, he accepted at the end of issue #74, and all was right with the world. As first conceived, Brian Augustyn wrote in Impulse #1 (Apr. 1995), the visitor would have been Barry and Iris’ 25-year-old grandson Barry II, clad in the classic costume and engaged in a mission urgent enough that he had to travel back in time. It was an idea that he and Waid first considered for a Justice League Quarterly tale, but now they rejected it a second time. “Have a Barry replica would be cool,” they both conceded, “but not terribly interesting.” Instead, the editor and writer took a more disconcerting path. First there were Barry’s angry outbursts. And then there was the thing that Wally had feared the most, coming straight from the mouth of his mentor: “You stole my name! You tried to replace me!” As the devastated young man retreated into himself, Jay Garrick took up the gauntlet and began recruiting other speedsters of his generation—Johnny Quick and strangely familiar newcomer Max Mercury—to fight a Flash who was self-destructing before their eyes. Meanwhile, Wally visited the alley where Barry had first materialized and discovered a ragged book, a tome that simultaneously confused him and filled him with wonder. Nothing more so than what he found in the inside front cover: “Two words… that turn my world around.” Simply put, “Barry Allen” was actually his greatest enemy, Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash. But this was a younger Thawne, a man from the 25th Century who had idolized Barry so much that he virtually committed his biography to memory and acquired super-speed so that he could go back in time to meet him. Thanks to a combination of speed and taunts, Wally ultimately sent the madman back to his own time, a process that stripped him of all memories of this “earlier” (from Thawne’s perspective) encounter with the Flash. That fateful book that Thawne brought with him and which filled Wally with hope was entitled “The Life Story of the Flash.” The fact that Barry Allen’s biography didn’t exist yet—its copyright date was 1995—was amazing enough, but the detail that filled the Flash with awe was its author: Iris Allen. 12 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

“I’ve always believed she died at [Thawne’s] hands,” Wally thought, “until I saw this. Now I know that she’s out there— somewhere. And someday soon, she’ll return to us. She has to. She’s got a book to write.” “The Return of Barry Allen” had been percolating since the first weeks that Mark Waid accepted the Flash assignment, and its premise was worked out by him and Augustyn early on. “Mark Wheatley, in one of our Impact conferences, said something that I’ve never forgotten,” Waid explained in Hero Illustrated #18. “‘Our job is to give the readers what they want, but not what they expect.’ If I embroidered, I would put that on a sampler and hang it over my desk. All we’ve heard since 1985 was, ‘When are they going to bring Barry Allen back?’ ‘Well, we’re not. Live with it.’ ‘Okay, but when are you really going to bring Barry Allen back?’ “So, my feeling was we needed a story that would establish several things. One was to show that we’re never going to bring Barry Allen back. Wally is the first sidekick in comics history to actually fulfill the promise, to take up the mantle of his mentor. He got bad-rapped for years by people saying that Barry was the real Flash. I loved Barry Allen, but I like Wally even more. My job was to show people that Wally deserved the mantle and mystique, to walk up to the problem and address it in the comic. We wanted to do the story right off the bat, but we realized we had to make Wally a stronger character first.” The wait provided the opportunity to include Jay Garrick and Johnny Quick in the story and opened the door for a new/old hero in a silver, red, and blue costume. Published by Quality in National Comics #5– 73 (1940–1949), Quicksilver started out as a superspeedster but lost his powers somewhere along the way. DC had reprinted one of his later stories in Flash #214 (1972) and given him a Who’s Who entry in 1986, but there was little hope of further appearances. The fact that Marvel now used the “Quicksilver” name for a volatile mutant character didn’t help. Recalling that 1972 reprint in TFC, Mark Waid remarked, “He didn’t have a civilian name, we never saw him without the mask on, he’d only seen print that one time—at least in our lifetimes. And I don’t know if it was because of the mystery angle of it or because of the goofy, floppy collar or what, but I really liked that character. “When Brian Augustyn and I were plotting out the back half of ‘The Return of Barry Allen,’ we started talking about the notion that there’s something beyond the speed of light, and there’s some sort of mystical connection to it, or some sort of Zen connection to it. We needed somebody to fill that role of the guru and Jay [Garrick] wasn’t that guy. I mean, Jay’s a scientist first and foremost. We love Jay, but that’s not his wheelhouse. Johnny Quick was again, never a terribly spiritual character. But Quicksilver was a complete blank slate for us, and I wish I could tell you where the name ‘Max Mercury’ came from. I have no earthly idea except that it just popped into my head or Brian’s head one afternoon, but he made perfect sense to me from the moment we started writing him.” Once the fighting was over, a statue of Wally was erected next to Barry’s monument outside of the Flash Museum. Hal Jordan told the young man that he was proud of the hero he’d become. And Jay Garrick quit calling him “junior.” “I call people by their names,” he declared to the Flash. “And as far as I’m concerned, you’ve earned yours.” As Flash #79 (Aug. 1993) concluded, Wally threw away the tattered biography, preferring to face an uncertain future on his own terms. “My name is Wally West,” he concluded. “I’m the Flash.” First used by Waid in Flash Annual #4, the phrase—or a variation on it—became a signature part of the writer’s run. “It’s harkening back to my feeling that if you’re going to do a superhero comic, especially if you’re going to do a first-person narration, let people know who the character is. It’s that simple. I can pick up any number of DC comics at random these days and get to page 11 or 12 before I have any idea who the characters’ names are and that only made sense to me. Get it on the page and once you know that, it tells you everything you need to know to get into the story.”

Flashback (top) Writer Mark Waid shocked Flash readers—and Wally West himself—with the return of Barry Allen, beginning with this cliffhanger at the end of Flash #73 (Feb. 1993). (bottom) Reverse-Flash has crossed a big line. From Flash #79. TM & © DC Comics.

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GLIMPSING THE SPEED FORCE

Despite having a creative team that wasn’t considered “hot” and published during the exact time frame as the 1992–1993 “Death/ Return of Superman” mega-event, The Flash penetrated fan consciousness and sales went up. Enthusiasm was running high enough to kick off a promotion of the title with a twice-monthly schedule for issues #80–83 (on sale in July–August 1993), a foil variant cover, and a new art team. After producing some of his best work on the title, Greg LaRocque handed his pencils to Mike Wieringo, while Jose Marzan, Jr. came aboard as inker. A newcomer to the industry, the 30-year-old Wieringo started off stiff but his writer was instantly attracted to the humanity in his artwork. In an age when Image-style art was in ascendance, Waid said in TFC, “Mike had a very clean, more traditional DC Comics style, and it really stood out among the crowd of cluttered, overwrought submissions.” “I really wasn’t ready for a monthly assignment at the time Brian and [assistant editor] Ruben [Diaz] offered it to me,” the artist told Todd Dezago in Modern Masters: Mike Wieringo (2006). “I was so very raw, but I suppose they were willing to let me grow on the job. “Mark has always, as long as I’ve known him, been a real booster of mine; he’s always made me feel like a part of the team when we work together, and we did that right from the beginning of our working relationship on Flash. […] As my work improved issue by issue, Mark was very excited and really pumped me up with his encouragement and kind words. When I started turning in work on my third issue, Mark called to tell me how much of a big leap in quality he thought I’d made, and how much he really liked what he was seeing.” “I remember distinctly there was some alchemy with our third issue working together on The Flash,” Waid echoed in TFC. “Our first issue was good, our second issue was better, but in that third issue Mike really stepped up his game. In that issue you can turn the page and see that he got it. “And he, more than anybody else since Carmine Infantino, put his stamp on that character as about what speed looks like and what the Flash looks like. And that’s a look that […] inspired all the Ed McGuinesses and other young artists of DC [in the early 21st Century].” The first Wieringo issues included visits from Wally’s Titans pals Nightwing and Starfire as well as his first encounter with Frances Kane since they broke up in 1987. Since then, she’d developed a nasty alternate personality called Magenta and could now fairly be called the crazy ex-girlfriend. Much to Linda’s relief, she made a quick exit with the promise to quit using the magnetic powers that were fueling her demented behavior. In the long term, it was a promise she wouldn’t keep.

Wieringo Debuts The beloved artist Mike Wieringo began his Flash stint in issue #80 (early Sept. 1993). Inks by Jose Marzan, Jr. TM & © DC Comics.

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Wally’s own insecurities flared back to life when he was subpoenaed in the 1993 Christmas episode (Flash #87) for failing to save Allison Armitage, a woman who was crippled in a fire. Although her claim wasn’t without merit, Armitage had been manipulated into pursuing legal action through a proxy of the vengeful Abra Kadabra. Guilt drove the Flash into a frenzy of activity, determined not to let anyone else be maimed or killed. In issue #91 (June 1994), he decided to use Johnny Quick’s speed formula on top of his own speed (building on an idea that Waid had been unable to use during “Return of Barry Allen”). The result was mesmerizing. Rushing onto a catastrophic accident scene with prospective victims in every direction, the Flash saw time stop. Panicked that his enhanced speed had worked too well, the hero leapt when “zen master of speed” Max Mercury emerged to offer advice. The young speedster, he contended, had “formed a temporary power-link [with] an energy-force” unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Wally scoffed at the idea of a “speed-force,” insisting that Barry would have known about it. Nonetheless, he accepted the fact that he could not save everyone. As time began to move again, the Flash made the choices necessary to rescue the most people and pulled off a miracle. “I remember distinctly calling Brian one Saturday afternoon at home,” Waid related in TFC, “because something had just fallen into my head. He picked up and all he heard from my end was the question, ‘What if there’s something that exists on the other side of lightspeed? Some dimension, some energy pattern, something that exists beyond the speed of light, whatever that means, and it’s where the Flashes draw their power from.’ […] We were picking up some cues that Bill Loebs had dropped into his run—times when Wally encountered questions like, ‘Do you really understand the physics of what Barry did and how no amount of super-speed can explain some of the things he was able to do?’ Bill Loebs first put forth the notion that perhaps, Barry wasn’t completely human anymore [1989’s Flash Annual #3]. And Wally, of course, immediately disregarded that notion. It was absurd to him. Barry was the most human person he ever met.”

FUTURE SHOCK

Another of Wally’s most beloved human beings made a surprise return in Flash #92 (July 1994). Iris West Allen quickly brought her nephew up to speed on how she was transported to the 30th Century at the time of her “death,” briefly united with Barry, and gave birth to twins who were now parents themselves. Her motivation for coming back to 1994 was, in fact, grandson Bart Allen. “Since birth, his hypermetabolism has been burning non-stop, aging him more and more rapidly. […] At the rate his power is consuming him, he’ll die of old age within the week.” The fight to save Bart Allen was a success, thanks to Wally’s gamble that the youngster needed to push his powers to the max to stabilize the effect on his body. The threat of Kobra and his terrorist organization still loomed large, but even that could be a learning experience for the easily bored youngster soon to be known as Impulse.

“Brian Augustyn and I realized we’d come very close to remaking Wally into Barry,” Waid noted in TFC. “We’d given him a pretty stable personal life, we’d given him a romance, and so forth. And so, giving him his own Kid Flash was only natural, but Brian and I resisted that urge until the twist came to us that it should be somebody that Wally just hated, just drove Wally around the bend. Give Wally a sidekick who reminds him strongly of himself when he was a kid, and he would hate that. “We didn’t want to call him ‘Kid Flash’ because it sounded a little corny at the time, and I still think it sounds a little corny. [Impulse was] the perfect confluence of the character’s name, his powers, and his personality, all in one word.” As the opening Impulse trilogy ended in issue #94, the action shifted to matters of existential erasure and the reader was directed to the first issue of June 1994’s weekly Zero Hour crossover event. Therein, Flash discovered that the time stream was being rapidly destroyed by a wave of energy that was moving backward from the future towards 1994. Finally motivated to exceed the speed of light, Wally’s attempt to stop it in the 64th Century failed miserably. He left behind only an empty crimson costume to rally Jay Garrick and the Justice Society as they tried to avenge the hero. Instead, the temporal villain Extant crushed the team, killing some members and stripping others—like Jay—of much of their enhanced vitality. The fact that time was ultimately stabilized was cold comfort for the friends and family of Wally West. He was still M.I.A. “Crossovers,” Mark Waid teased beforehand, “have never been too kind to Flashes.” In July, Flash #0 revealed that the Fastest Man Alive was unmoored in time, drifting back through moments in his life before taking physical form at a West family reunion nearly a dozen years earlier. Approaching his ten-year-old pre-Kid Flash self, the older Wally assured his forlorn counterpart that things were going to get better. “Don’t be scared of tomorrow, Wally. You don’t have to be. No matter what anyone says… you are going to make all the right choices. […] I know what you want, Wally. I know your dreams. And I’m here to promise you that if you stick with them… every dream you ever had will come true. Your day is coming, and when it finally rolls around, it’s gonna hit you like a bolt from the blue.”

Jordan went crazy and was swapped out for younger model Kyle Rayner. Unfortunately, shortly after the serial began, DC announced that an ongoing Impulse title would mike wieringo premiere following Flash #100. TERMINAL VELOCITY “I only locked myself in a dark Returning to 1994 in Flash #95 (Nov. 1994), a shaken Wally had to deal with the room for three days,” Waid later joked in the Terminal fact that the wonderful life he’d just described had Velocity trade paperback, “horrified that we’d a fast-approaching expiration date. By achieving surrendered our only candidate for the role of Wally’s “ultimate speed,” the Flash was beginning to successor. Gee, maybe the New Flash will be the kid metamorphosize into pure energy and a glimpse who’s getting his own book, you think?” Revising the plot of the fly, Waid had Wally claim of the near-future seemed to confirm that the end was nigh. “Terminal Velocity” was underway, to have lost faith in Impulse and chose Johnny Quick’s counting down to the milestone issue #100 in daughter as the presumptive new Flash. It was a lie meant to spur Bart into taking his role seriously. February 1995 (cover-dated April). “It never once in a million years occurred to me to Determined to train a successor before he moved on, the Flash tapped young Bart Allen for the job bring Jesse Quick into our story until halfway through and recruited Jay, Max, Johnny Quick, and Jesse writing Chapter Three,” the writer recalled in the Quick as the faculty of his school for speedsters. The Terminal Velocity collection. “Not only did desperationprospect of a new Flash was not implausible in a ploy Jesse turn out to be a terrific addition to the cast, period that had seen both Superman and Batman— but the fact that Wally deliberately lied to her has since temporarily—replaced while Green Lantern Hal electrified their ongoing relationship.”

Speed Lines It didn’t take Mike Wieringo long to mature as the Flash artist! Original art page from issue #88, inked by Jose Marzan, Jr., from the Heritage archives. TM & © DC Comics.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 15

Standstill Wally’s use of Johnny Quick’s speed formula causes problems for the speedster in Flash #91 (June 1994). Can Max Mercury help? By Waid/ Wieringo/Marzan. TM & © DC Comics.

On the other hand, Max Mercury was always part of the story. A crucial flashback sequence in issue #97, revealed that his origins dated back to 1838 and that he ultimately reached his “supreme speed” and was propelled into the mysterious Speed Force that empowered him. Prepared to surrender to its embrace, Max hesitated for just a moment and was flung back to Earth… decades after he left. He tried several times to reconnect with the Speed Force, but each attempt failed and threw him further ahead in time. Through these revelations, Waid explained in TFC, they were “forcing Wally to confront the possibility that Barry wasn’t human—and that he himself wasn’t anymore, either. It was a huge step in moving him forward as a character.” At the end of issue #99, Wally achieved what Max never could. Pushing himself to the limit to save Linda from Kobra, the Flash was absorbed into the Speed Force. And yet, miraculously, some part of him— glowing like lightning—emerged in issue #100’s climax, doing things that no speedster before him had

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ever done. Returning to human form, Wally told Linda that the Speed Force had been glorious and that he now had “a direct line” to its power. “But if you belong there… if it called to you… then why did you come back from Heaven? This place had all the answers you’ve been looking for! It had everything!” “True,” the Fastest Man Alive conceded, “but you weren’t there.” “Brian and I had, about halfway through the plotting of ‘Terminal Velocity,’ decided that it would end with Wally having to choose between Heaven or Linda and that there would be no choice,” Waid explained in TFC. “I don’t think I literally meant Linda was his lightning rod, but boy, it works—there’s something about her that keeps the lightning in him grounded in the best possible sense.”

DEAD HEAT

Moving forward, the Flash bid farewell to Impulse (who left for his own title with mentor/guardian Max Mercury) and began exploring his enhanced powers. Also gone was Mike Wieringo, whose final interior stories had been Flash #92 and the zero edition, although he remained on covers through issue #100. His notable successors over the next few years were Carlos Pacheco, Salvador Larroca, Oscar Jimenez, Anthony Castrillo, and Jim Cheung, before Paul Ryan settled in for a sustained run (Flash #119–136). During that time, Wally discovered that he and Max weren’t the only ones to have had close encounters with the Speed Force. “Dead Heat” (Flash #108–111 and Impulse #10–11, on sale between October 1995 and January 1996) revealed that a pilot from a Middle East nation had acquired super-speed in the 1950s and built up a cult around him. Naming himself after the Hindu god of motion, Savitar was thrust forward in time as Max had been and arrived in the present to find he still had worshipers. The madman stole the powers

of most of the “Lightning Brigade” that had formed around the Flash, but Wally’s new link to the primal source of their power ultimately bought him time to trap Savitar in the Speed Force. “Brian and I,” Waid recalled in TFC, “were looking to create someone who could (a) be known to Max but not to the other Flashes and (b) could fill the time gap in fate’s ‘assignation’ of the Speed Force between Jay and Barry. We wanted someone who could, at the moment of his origin, have been the Fastest Man Alive, which led to Brian’s suggestion that he be the first aviator to break the sound barrier. That role could very easily have fallen to someone who was neither Russian or American. We backed into his Eastern nationality because we hit upon ‘Savitar’ as a name—the Indian god of speed.” In the aftermath, Johnny Quick was dead and Wally was gone, replaced by John Fox, the Flash of the 27th Century, whom Waid had created back in 1990’s Flash Special. In “Race Against Time” (1996’s Flash #112–118), a dual storyline began. In one thread, Wally visited a succession of future time periods like the 64th Century (where he was deified) and the 30th Century (home of Barry’s kids, the Tornado Twins). Back in 1996, John and Linda discovered the threat of a new ice age entangled with Chillblaine, Dr. Polaris, and Abra Kadabra. John also wasted little time in trying to romance Linda, creating doubts in her mind along the way

that Wally was still alive and making it more difficult for the time-lost hero to home in on his lightning rod. The Flash was none too happy when he finally made it back and a contrite John Fox returned to the future… but not necessarily his own since he was now branded a criminal there. “I was looking for someone who wanted to be the Flash but wasn’t quite there yet, didn’t have the moral fortitude for it,” Waid said in TFC. “Being able to write someone like John Fox who had the best of intentions, really, but was not the most selfless man in the world was a lot of fun. And he gave me one of my favorite Flash moments ever. When he seized Linda and planted a kiss on her and she rebuffed him, she said, ‘Once upon a time, I fell for a boy with lightning in his eyes,’ and while I’m a far more of a plot guy than a wordsmith, that’s one of the best lines I ever got to write. Moreover, that was the moment where I knew beyond every shadow of a doubt that Linda loved Wally more than anybody else ever would.”

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

“Race Against Time” also saw a changing of the guard as Brian Augustyn stepped down as editor. He didn’t go far from The Flash. “I can’t credit enough of my entire career to Brian,” Waid proclaimed in TFC. “He gave me the kind of creative freedom you generally only dream of when you work on corporate characters, and he and I were a team from the get-go.

Reckless Youth (left) Bart (Impulse) Allen takes center stage—and soon, his own spinoff series—in Flash #92 (July 1994). Cover by Wieringo/ Marzan. (right) Max Mercury’s story is revealed in Flash #97 (Jan. 1995) as part of the “Terminal Velocity” storyline. Cover by Wieringo/Marzan. TM & © DC Comics.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

Future Flash (top) John Fox, the Flash of the 27th Century! Flash #112 (Apr. 1996) cover by Oscar Jimenez and Jose Marzan, Jr. (bottom) Fox’s reveal on the interior splash; note creator credits at bottom. TM & © DC Comics.

“When Brian finally elected to leave editorial and go freelance, bringing him on as the script collaborator was just an extension of what he’d been doing all along—partnering with me to find adventures for Wally West. The only thing that changed about issue #117—when [editor] Paul Kupperberg came aboard—was that Brian started doing some of the actual typing. We still had the same phone calls.” The topics of those calls included a fine tie-in to DC’s Final Night event (Flash #119) and Wally and Piper’s team-up to defeat a high-ranking politician who was actually the evil Top (Flash #120–121). An extended continuity launched in issue #122 (Feb. 1997), wherein the Flash was banned from operating in Keystone City for liability reasons and accepted an invitation to relocate to Santa Marta, California. The plotline culminated with both cities under siege by the spirits of the Rogues Gallery under the direction of the demon Neron. It was a callback to Waid’s 1995 miniseries Underworld Unleashed that killed off the former and introduced the latter. Caught up in the dismissive spirit of the times, the writer soon regretted his actions and used “Hell to Pay” (Flash #127–129) to bring them back to life. Making separate deals to stop the ghostly rampage, Wally and Linda literally sold Neron their love for one another. The bargain backfired when that same love diluted the demon’s power. Now in a position of strength, the couple agreed to cancel the deal if Neron reversed the massive property damage and loss of life.

CALL OF THE LIGHTNING BRIGADE

By 1997, Wally had achieved much of what Barry had. Although he’d maintained membership in various iterations of the Justice League since 1989, it wasn’t until writer Grant Morrison’s decision to reduce the team’s roster to all-stars only (in 1996’s JLA launch) that the Flash could indisputably be regarded as one of DC’s top-tier heroes. He was joined on the team by relative newbie Kyle (Green Lantern) Rayner. They chafed at expectations that they’d become as close as Barry Allen and Hal Jordan had been—grumbling their way through a two-issue Faster Friends miniseries (1996)—but inevitably did form a bond. It was during this time frame that Waid and Augystyn decided it was time to take a break from The Flash and refresh their batteries. In truth, they only really backed away from Wally West. Joined by artists Gil Kane, Joe Staton, and Tom Palmer, the duo brought The Life Story of the Flash to life as an exhaustively researched 1997 graphic novel and that told Barry’s biography from Iris’ point-of-view. A month later, they kicked off the 12-issue JLA: Year One with penciler Barry Kitson that offered a fresh perspective on Barry’s earlier days with the Justice League. Meanwhile, Grant Morrison and Mark Millar joined forces to write The Flash #130–141 (on sale September 1997–July 1998), culminating with a Pop Mhan-illustrated trilogy that introduced an entity called the Black Flash. Essentially the angel of death for speedsters, it accidentally snatched up Linda by mistake. Rescuing the woman he’d almost given up for dead, Wally West pulled out a ring and asked the love of his life to marry him. Waid and Augustyn’s return to the Flash didn’t merely cancel the wedding but retroactively erased the courtship. With Linda held captive by an unknown party, Wally moved forward never knowing that his girlfriend had even existed (Flash #142). His mind was now occupied by Cobalt Blue, a mystery speedster whom he and Barry had fought years earlier (as detailed in 1997’s Speed Force Special #1). The villain unmasked himself as Barry’s literal twin brother, secretly placed with a troubled family named Thawne at birth while an unwitting Henry and Nora Allen were led to believe their other child had died (Flash #143–144). Eventually discovering his heritage and consumed with jealousy over the life he could have had, Malcolm Thawne used an enchantment to gain powers of his own. Unable to kill Barry himself, he vowed to Wally that he would instead race into the future and murder everyone who carried on the legacy of the Flash. 18 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

In “Chain Lightning” (Flash #145–150, cover-dated Feb. 1999– July 1999), the Lightning Brigade mobilized to stop him. Brought to life by new series penciler Paul Pelletier, established characters like John Fox, the Kingdom Come version of Wally’s adult daughter Iris, the Tornado Twins, and Bart Allen’s 30th Century cousin XS were swept along for the ride. The most emotional reunion was saved for the finish, when Wally was reunited with Barry himself in the hours before his death. Along with defeating Cobalt Blue, Wally tried in vain to save his mentor before ultimately letting history take its course. Cobalt Blue was broadly reminiscent of Superman’s own evil twin Super-Menace (1960’s Superman #137), part of the vast Mort Weisinger-edited mythology that had imprinted itself on a young Mark Waid. In retrospect, he realized that he’d unconsciously channeled elements of it into Flash, whether it was the Superman Family (the Lightning Brigade), the bottle city of Kandor (the adoring throngs of the 64th Century), or the Phantom Zone (the Speed Force). More directly, though, Malcolm Thawne had been born out of Waid’s observation—based on Barry and Iris’ kids Don and Dawn—that twins ran in the Allen family. Developing the concept, he’d wanted to call the villain Wildfire—a name previously used by a dormant member of the Legion of Super-Heroes—but the Powers-That-Be said “no,” and “Cobalt Blue” became a very grudging replacement. “Had the name ‘Wildfire’ been free,” he explained in TFC, “it would have made more sense, because he became a villain who ran unchecked through space and time. And it connoted movement, which automatically makes him sound like more a match for the Flash. But we were shot down. “That said, I still think the basic idea of the twin brother was, at its core, a good idea. I don’t really understand the incredible, unspeakably hateful backlash that we got from it, and I never will, so I just have to chalk it up as one of those times I just wasn’t in sync with the fans.”

END OF THE RUN

Perhaps fans would be more satisfied with a grimmer, edgier Scarlet Speedster, teased in issue #150 and officially introduced in issue #152. Enter the new Flash, dressed in a dark red-and-silver costume and possessed of innovative speed tricks that helped defeat new villains like the Folded Man and Replicant (the latter endowed with powers of all the Rogues). Between adventures, he had time to romance police scientist Angela Margolin, a female version of Barry first seen in issue #143. After several issues of suspense, he unmasked as Walter West, the battle-scarred Flash of an alternate timeline whose Linda had been killed by Kobra. In a complex sequence of events, Walter discovered the mainstream DC timeline’s Linda and her kidnapper Abra Kadabra. Returning from “Chain Lightning,” the mainstream Wally—Wallace—West was finally reunited with Linda, but both were reduced to phantoms that had to restore their place in the memories of their friends. With that achieved, all that was left was for Wally and Linda’s long-delayed wedding. Sadly, Walter and Angela couldn’t share their happiness.

A Wedding to (Not) Remember Linda Park, blushing bride, and Wally West, rushing groom. Flash #142 (Oct. 1998) cover by Steve Lightle. TM & © DC Comics.

The alternate Flash was forced to return to the multiverse once it became apparent that his prolonged presence was wreaking havoc on the integrity of this Earth’s timeline (Flash #159, Apr. 2000). Brian Augustyn went solo for the newlyweds’ post-wedding adventure (Flash #160), complemented by a Pat McGreal-scripted flashback to Jay and Joan Garrick’s own honeymoon in the following issue. After Waid and Augustyn reunited for a Captain Marvel team-up in issue #162, they realized the time had come for them to go. Feeling burnt out and discouraged by some readers’ observations that he was thematically repeating himself, Waid was ready to move on. In a statement for Beau Yarbrough’s Comic Wire for Comic Book Resources, he explained, “The book’s always been at its best when it’s been its most personal—when I was using Wally to work out difficulties and quandaries in my own life. How to deal with impatience; how to learn to know, truly know, the one you love; how to set personal goals and how to deal with personal grief— astute readers have, over the past eight years, frequently realized that Wally’s been the lens through which I’ve examined my own past and my own future. “Lately, however, I haven’t felt that same deep personal connection to Wally, and after nearly a year of reflection, I’ve finally come to the inevitable conclusion that it’s because whatever issues and challenges I’m facing today, eight years later, Wally’s not the appropriate character through which to explore them. I wish I could explain this better—frankly, I wish I could say it at all without sounding borderline delusional—but I’d be doing Wally a disservice at this point to try and force him down my own personal path rather than let him explore his own roads; he and I are no longer moving in the same direction.” It was up to editor Joey Cavalieri (who succeeded Paul Kupperberg with issue #147) to keep the momentum going. As a placeholder, he assigned Geoff Johns to write a six-part fill-in for Flash #164– 169 (“Wonderland”) but quickly decided to offer the 27-year-old a permanent gig. Johns’ run was a villain-centric one, not only regularly featuring harder-edged versions of the classic Rogues but newcomers like Plunder, Brother Grimm, Cicada, Tar Pit, Blacksmith, Double Down, Fallout, Girder, Murmur, Zoom, Peekaboo, and new versions of the Trickster and Captain Boomerang. The 2001 one-shot Flash: Iron Heights established the prison meant to hold all of these criminals as well as its shady warden Gregory Wolfe. In a particularly dark moment, Linda suffered a miscarriage in issue #200 (Sept. 2003) thanks to the evil Zoom. When Johns Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 19

That’s Incredible! Papa Wally and kids Jai and Iris, from the rebooted Flash #231 (Oct. 2007). Story by Waid, art by Daniel Acuña. TM & © DC Comics.

ended his run in 2005’s Flash #225, he wrote a timetwisting finale that reversed the tragedy and allowed Linda to give birth to twins, a boy (Jai) and a girl (Iris). Effective with issue #230 (Mar. 2006, on sale that January), the title was cancelled, though, and the West family was thrust into another dimension on the same day in Infinite Crisis #4. In what was widely regarded as an ill-conceived idea, Bart Allen was aged to young adulthood near the end of Infinite Crisis so that he could become the new Flash in a relaunch. “It was one of the greatest critical failures in all of DC publishing history,” Mark Waid reported in TFC. “In terms of sales they had on the first issue and the sales they posted by the fifth or sixth issues, it was just a crashing, crashing disaster.” Thirteen issues in, Bart was murdered by the Rogues even as Wally and family returned to Earth virtually simultaneously (Justice League of America vol. 2 #10).

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NEW BEGINNINGS

Against his better judgment, Mark Waid accepted an offer to return to Flash on another relaunch, picking up with issue #231 (Oct. 2007). Having seen what had happened to Bart Allen over the past several years, Waid understandably feared for the wellbeing of Wally’s kids and wife. As he had with Bart, Waid used super-fast metabolism to explain Jai and Iris’ transition from infants to kids approximating eight-to-11-yearolds. Inspired by a suggestion from DC vice presidentexecutive editor Dan Didio, the writer based “the wild Wests” on Pixar’s Incredibles and the painterly style of artist Daniel Acuña sold it beautifully. Fan reaction, unfortunately, was mixed, and Waid was frustrated both creatively and due to internal DC politics. Honoring his commitment to write six issues, he left the relaunch in the hands of others, notably writers Tom Peyer and Alan Burnett. The Flash was cancelled again with issue #247 (Feb. 2009). By this point, DC had decided to revive the Flash franchise’s flagging fortunes by resurrecting Barry Allen for real in its Final Crisis opus (2008–2009). With his return solidified in the Geoff Johns-led Flash: Rebirth miniseries, Barry reclaimed his ongoing comic book in April 2010. Wally, Linda, and the kids were allowed the dignity of retiring off-panel… at least until DC upended the cart and rebooted its entire line in September 2011 as part of the “New 52” initiative. In the new reality, a Wally West eventually emerged as Kid Flash, but he was a biracial teenager with none of the history or relationships of his predecessor. In May 2016’s DC Universe: Rebirth #1, the Wally of the pre-New 52 world emerged from the ghostly existence he’d endured for five years to a joyous reunion with Barry Allen. He and the other Wally were cousins, it was later explained, and named after a distant relative. The euphoria faded quickly. The elder Wally had been Kid Flash and a Teen Titan on this new world, but none of it matched his memories. He’d never married or had children and this reality’s Linda Park had no idea who he was. Seeking counseling for his depression, Wally lost control of his powers in 2019’s Heroes in Crisis miniseries of 2018–2019 and accidentally killed nearly every hero around him. The follow-up Flash Forward miniseries (2019– 2020) climaxed with the Flash surrendering his humanity to save the multiverse in a trade-off for Linda regaining her memories of their time together and reuniting her with Jai and Iris. As disheartening as such developments were, the fact of the matter was, they weren’t anything new. “You cannot count the number of times people come down the hall at DC Comics to ask us when somebody’s legs were getting shattered or when something horrible or grotesque was going to happen to Flash,” Mark Waid declared in TFC.” But that character, that book, is not about tragedy. It’s never been about tragedy. It’s been about hope, and it’s been about movement, and it’s been about freedom. And so we—Brian and I together—just followed our muse. And we knew we were being defiant in an age of dark and grim comics, but what we had seemed to work. We stood out from the crowd and we didn’t sink beneath the waves.”

William Messner-Loebs approached The Flash—and all of his work—with the same attitude. “I have always believed in the need to write stories based in the real world, but stories that were based on hope,” he wrote in Flash #61. “It is easy to write stories that say we are basically doomed and can only hope to live out our lives filled with misery, pain and anger, our only real joy the extermination of our enemies (one reason it is easy to write this is that there are many special interests out there who are more than happy to have us believe just that. It makes for easier sheep to shear. But that’s another sermon). The harder thing is to talk truthfully about are the forces that act on someone who is trying to live decently in the last decade of the 20th Century. When you are also trying to talk about super-powers and other forms of science fantasy, the task is made that much harder.” In the long game, one has to believe that Wally West will rise above his recent tragedies. The shallow jerk, the man who believed himself unworthy, the boy who felt unloved… they all disappeared into the form of a man who ran with the experiences and the dreams that formed him and he was better because of it. “The Flash #0 sequence where Wally goes back and meets his younger self is taken right out of my own life in its way,” Mark Waid remembered in TFC. “I had been travelling through Alabama, taking a leisurely stroll through my past, and I’d drifted to Oxford, back to the house I’d lived in when I was about the age Wally was in that story. This is about 1992, ’93. I was standing outside that old house—nobody was home, and I was just standing in the driveway—and I was reflecting on how I’d taken over The Flash and I’d managed to achieve a career at DC Comics and I really, truly felt like I’d at long last stepped into the life I’d always longed for. “And in that instant of clarity, I wanted nothing more—nothing in the universe more—than to walk

around the side of the house and find ten-year-old Mark Waid just sitting there playing, so I could talk to him. So I could tell him that I knew life was tough for him and that it would be a while before it got easier, but that he shouldn’t spend so much time being afraid of what tomorrow might bring because when he grows up, every wish he ever had was going to come true.” JOHN WELLS is a comics historian specializing in DC Comics who has served as resource for projects ranging from Kurt Busiek’s The Power Company to Greg Weisman’s Young Justice animated series. He is the author of the TwoMorrows books American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960–1964 and 1965–1969, and co-author (with Keith Dallas) of the book Comic Book Implosion.

Running Out (left) The Flash #247 (Feb. 2007) cover, by Brian Stelfreeze. (right) Writer Alan Burnett concludes that final issue by giving Wally West some muchdeserved family time. TM & © DC Comics.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 21

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Pop Culture Books HOLLY JOLLY Celebrating Christmas Past In Pop Culture

MONSTER MASH

GROOVY

Time-trip back to the frightening era of 1957-1972, when monsters stomped into the American mainstream! This profusely illustrated full-color hardcover covers that creepy, kooky Monster Craze through features on FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine, the #1 hit “Monster Mash,” Aurora’s model kits, TV shows (SHOCK THEATRE, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE MUNSTERS, and DARK SHADOWS), “MARS ATTACKS” trading cards, EERIE PUBLICATIONS, PLANET OF THE APES, and more! It features interviews with JAMES WARREN (Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella magazines), FORREST J ACKERMAN (Famous Monsters of Filmland), JOHN ASTIN (The Addams Family), AL LEWIS (The Munsters), JONATHAN FRID (Dark Shadows), GEORGE BARRIS (monster car customizer), ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH (Rat Fink), BOBBY (BORIS) PICKETT (Monster Mash singer/songwriter), with a Foreword by TV horror host ZACHERLEY. By MARK VOGER.

From WOODSTOCK to THE BANANA SPLITS, from SGT. PEPPER to H.R. PUFNSTUF, from ALTAMONT to THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY, GROOVY is a far-out trip to the era of lava lamps and love beads. This profusely illustrated HARDCOVER BOOK, in PSYCHEDELIC COLOR, features interviews with icons of grooviness such as PETER MAX, BRIAN WILSON, PETER FONDA, MELANIE, DAVID CASSIDY, members of the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, CREAM, THE DOORS, THE COWSILLS and VANILLA FUDGE; and cast members of groovy TV shows like THE MONKEES, LAUGH-IN and THE BRADY BUNCH. GROOVY revisits the era’s ROCK FESTIVALS, MOVIES, ART—even COMICS and CARTOONS, from the 1968 ‘mod’ WONDER WOMAN to R. CRUMB. A color-saturated pop culture history written and designed by MARK VOGER (author of the acclaimed book MONSTER MASH), GROOVY is one trip that doesn’t require dangerous chemicals!

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TwoMorrows. The Future of Pop History.

HOLLY JOLLY is a colorful sleigh ride through the history of Christmas, from its religious origins to its emergence as a multimedia phenomenon. It 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 interviews with CHARLES M. SCHULZ (A Charlie Brown Christmas), ANDY WILLIAMS (TV’s “Mr. Christmas”) and others, the story behind DARLENE LOVE’s perrennial hit song Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), and more holiday memories! By MARK VOGER, the profusely illustrated HOLLY JOLLY takes readers on a time-trip to Christmases past that you will cherish all year long!

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by D a n

Johnson

Of all the businesses out there, you don’t really think of comics as being a family affair. That isn’t to say there haven’t been family legacies in the industry. There was, of course, Max Gaines, the founder of Educational Comics, and his son, William Gaines, who took his father’s struggling company and turned it into the legendary Entertaining Comics or EC. Then there is DC’s definitive Hawkman and Sgt. Rock artist, Joe Kubert, and his sons, Andy and Adam Kubert. There is even John Byrne, the man who reimagined the Fantastic Four and Superman in the 1980s, and his stepson, Kieron Dwyer, and last issue’s cover artist, Matt Wagner, and his son, Brennan, who has become a superb colorist. But there is one family that shines brightest in comics, and that is the Romitas. The father, John, Sr., was one of Marvel’s most in-demand artists throughout his career and he was the man who helped design many of the company’s most famous superheroes, villains, and supporting characters. He was the man who designed such iconic characters as Wolverine, the Punisher, and the Kingpin. He was also Marvel’s art director from 1973 until the late 1980s. While serving in that role, he was the ringleader of Romita’s Raiders, an entry-level apprenticeship program that allowed new talent to do uncredited corrections on pages, and this program allowed many a rising star to break into the business. The son, John, Jr. has also become a legend in his time. He was the artist who took the X-Men to their next level of greatness in the early 1980s, and he had a hand in revitalizing the very character on which his dad first gained fame, Daredevil, in the 1990s. In an industry where artists come and go and changing styles and tastes can make and break careers in a matter of years, John, Jr. is a talent that has always been, like his dad, in demand. Heck, I feel we should also give a shout-out at this time to Virginia Romita, who worked with her husband and son at Marvel Comics serving as the company’s traffic manager during the time John, Sr. worked for the comic-book publisher. Her job was to see that the comics came out on time and that the office ran smoothly (well, as smoothly as any office that made comic books could run). But getting back to John, Sr. and John, Jr., I feel we really need to focus on the character that they both have in common and on whom both have left their mark: Spider-Man. If you were to ask most comics fans who the greatest Spider-Man artists of all time were, I have no doubt that both Romitas’ names would easily be on a list of the Top Ten.

Artistic Wizards The Amazing Spider-Man, as penciled in 1996 by John Romita, Jr. and inked by John Romita, Sr., originally produced as the cover for Wizard #53. Original art courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com). Romita portraits by John, Sr. Spider-Man TM & © Marvel.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 23

JAZZY JOHNNY SPINS HIS WEB

Jazzy Johnny (top) The iconic Romita, Sr. cover to Amazing Spider-Man #39 (Aug. 1966). (bottom) John, Sr.’s much more recent, yet undated, variation on that classic Spidey/Goblin epic, from the Heritage archives. TM & © Marvel.

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John Romita, Sr. was making a name for himself on Daredevil and he came to be the artist on The Amazing Spider-Man only because the Web-Head’s co-creator, Steve Ditko, left the book after issue #38 (July 1966). At the time John, Sr. came onboard, though, he wasn’t sure it would be a long-term assignment. “People laugh when I say this, but I did not want to do Spider-Man,” said John, Sr. in an interview with Roy Thomas for the book, John Romita… All That Jazz! “I wanted to stay on Daredevil.” One thing John, Sr. is legendary for is his modesty, his humble nature. Indeed, this is the man who thought his artwork was the reason Captain America’s early 1950s revival was cancelled! “The only reason I did Spider-Man was because Stan asked me and I felt that I should help out, like a good soldier,” John, Sr. stressed during his interview with Thomas. “I never really felt comfortable on Spider-Man for years. I had felt at home immediately on Daredevil. On Spider-Man I felt obliged to ghost Ditko because—this may sound naive, but I was convinced, in my own mind, that he was going to come back in two or three issues.” Not only did John, Sr. stay on Amazing Spider-Man for many years to come, first as its penciler and then as its inker, his artwork helped to increase the sales of the book. With John, Sr. drawing the book, Amazing found a whole new audience and generated a whole new group of fans. John, Sr.’s time with Spider-Man is also memorable because of his streamlining the appearance of the character and giving Peter Parker and his supporting cast a more glamorous look (this was John romita, sr. due to his years working on romance comics at DC). Romita’s work became so associated with Spider-Man, his drawings of the character were used as model sheets for much of the merchandise that would be released in the late 1960s and early 1970s. John, Sr.’s influence could be seen in everything from action figures to posters to even the Spider-Man ABC cartoon series that premiered in the fall of 1967. But all of that only came about once John, Sr. realized he shouldn’t ape Steve Ditko and he had to be himself, and in the process, make Spider-Man his own character. “After six months, when I realized it wasn’t temporary, I finally stopped trying to ghost Ditko,” said John, Sr. “Till then, I was using a thin line. On [Amazing Spider-Man] #43 (Dec. 1966), the one with Jameson’s son, I outlined the whole thing with a Rapidograph and then used the big, bold brush to put ink in. I thought that was Ditko’s style. Looking back on it now, I realize I wasn’t doing a very good Ditko imitation, but I was not being myself, either. In Daredevil #18 (July 1966), my last issue, I was doing that big, bold thing that Frank Giacoia inked; and when I inked myself, like on the covers, it was a big, bold style with a big, heavy line. But on Spider-Man I was doing these nine-panel pages and the thin line, and I was doing Peter Parker without any bone structure—just like Ditko was doing, I thought. The only reason it wasn’t better was that I couldn’t ape him any better.” According to John, Sr., as Spidey was becoming an even bigger hit with readers, he was also becoming a hit at the Romita home, and the wall-crawler became part of the family. I remember interviewing John, Sr. for a previous piece in BACK ISSUE and him telling me how John, Jr. grew up with Spider-Man in the household. It was almost as if John, Jr. and Spidey were brothers.

IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS

Sr. is quick to answer that charge and shut that down. “When he was a kid, Around this time, in the late 1960s, I didn’t want him coming up there John, Sr.’s work was beginning to because I did not want him subjected influence his son and the career path to charges of nepotism,” said John, Sr. he would eventually take. “[When Dad in an interview with Jim Amash, also was doing Daredevil], that was from John Romita… And All That Jazz! John romita, jr. the beginning,” said John, Jr. in “I really felt that was a hell of a thing to an interview featured in Modern © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. put on the kid. And sure enough, he Masters vol. 18: John Romita, Jr., “I saw and understood he was an artist, and how did get that for years, but the point is that he did such a good he was, it kind of blossomed from there. It was yeoman job. He was like Roy [Thomas]’s hands when Roy the one moment I saw the Daredevil cover that I was in California, and John was in New York. Roy would call the turning point, but after that it was a slow call and tell him what he wanted done on a certain book, and John would do it. John was dealing with John development, especially my art skills.” Within a few years, John, Sr. could begin to see his Buscema and other artists, and all kinds of emergencies son’s creativity, and this led to John, Jr.’s first credited in the office, helping Roy out. He did a great job and comics work in The Amazing Spider-Man #78 (Nov. 1969). made me very proud. No matter how many times It was for this issue that John, Sr. pitched a character people insinuated that he was there through nepotism, his son had created to Stan Lee, the Prowler. “I just John proved them wrong. It was a great foundation had the standard skin-tight costume,” said John, Jr. for him. He was able to handle an awful lot of stuff, “I was 12 or 13, whatever it was. It was a dopey solving all of those problems on a day-to-day basis.” Both father and son agreed that if John, Jr. was costume, but as a good father, [Dad] took it Stan Lee and said, ‘Look at what my son has been doing.’ Stan going to make it in the comics industry, he was going said, ‘That’s a good name. I like that name. Don’t like to do it on his own merits and not because of his lineage. “My father didn’t want to be that guy that the costume, but I like the name.’” It would be a few years more before John, Jr. got the perpetuated the father/son thing with all the problems chance to show Marvel Comics what he could really that that would entail,” said John, Jr. “I don’t know if do, initially doing work for the company’s UK reprints. he discussed it with Marie [Severin] or not, but he told And if there was any concerns he got to where he is me, ‘I’m not going to give you a job. I’m not going to today because of his dad and his father’s success, John, keep you from a job.’”

Jazzy Junior John, Jr. has had several stints drawing Spider-Man, dating back to the Bronze Age. (left) Cover to Amazing Spider-Man #573 (Oct. 1983), inked by Dave Simons. (right) Osborn family dysfunction, penciled by JR, Jr. and inked by Klaus Janson, from Amazing #573 (Dec. 2008). TM & © Marvel.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 25

A Spidey Salute A father-son tribute by the one and only Josef Rubinstein (www. joerubinsteinart.com). Spider-Man TM & © Marvel.

Being the new guy on any job can be tough, especially one the Scorpion in an effort to defeat Spider-Man. As it was, John, Jr. that is as competitive as comics. Coming in as the son of a only left because he had a chance to work on Marvel’s most popular legend made that even tougher. “I started from the bottom,” title of that decade, X-Men. says John, Jr. “That was the agreement. They weren’t going to But just like father, like son, both Romitas have returned to Spider-Man let this punk become anything unless he earned it. I got crap. I got treated like crap from the majority of people my age or a off and on during the last few decades either to just do some work on little bit older. The adults treated me with respect because they special projects or to begin all new runs on the various Spider-Man loved my father, but the younger people who were slightly older titles. And anytime Senior or Junior returns one more time to bring the than me were rough on me. And even artists, some of them my wall-crawler to life, it is a great thrill for fans. In reading interviews with both men, and age, were rough on me.” having talked to John, Sr. a few times firsthand, John, Jr. proved to be as determined as there is one thing that comes shining through his father was and he was soon rewarded WANT MORE ROMITAS? from both of them, and that is family pride. with the chance to work on a six-page Visit www.twomorrows.com for “I’m very proud of him,” said John, Sr. in his Spider-Man story for Amazing Spider-Man TwoMorrows’ books, John Romita… interview with Roy Thomas. “He’d always Annual #11 (1977), a tale called “Chaos wanted to be in comics, and I left it up to him. at the Coffee Bean!” Was he excited to and All That Jazz (currently available My worst fear was that he would try and fail. be getting his crack at the wall-crawler? in digital only) and Modern Masters But he got a job at Marvel. Once he got his “Oh, God, yes,” said John, Jr. “It was vol. 18: John Romita, Jr. chance as an artist, especially starting with Spider-Man! I was doing Spider-Man! Iron Man, he really came into his own.” Not long after my father was working on As for John, Jr., the advice his father gave Spider-Man, I was doing a six-page story.” Unlike his father, John, Jr. was too busy getting his first story done to him sums things up best. It’s the best advice a man can give his to worry much about reactions to it or if he was copying anyone’s child in regard to any profession they choose to do and should they style, especially his dad’s. “I wasn’t conscious of even attempting to encounter those who would disparage them and their gifts. “Tell be like anybody because I was too busy trying to get it done. Instead them to blow it out their asses,” said John Jr. “Pay no attention. Ignore of looking at this gigantic mountain and saying, ‘Oh, my God, people. Just do your work and let the work speak for itself.” Between the two of them, the Romitas I’ve got to climb this mountain,’ I approached it as, ‘I think I’m just going to try and get two steps up this mountain and see if I survive.’ they have drawn 55 years’ worth of stories That’s basically what I was doing. And I could not possibly emulate featuring Spider-Man, Daredevil, and other Marvel characters. That artwork speaks my father. I wasn’t good enough.” Even though John, Jr. did start out on Spider-Man, he would do volumes and it speaks very loudly and with a time with another Marvel character before getting the chance to voice that demands respect. tackle Spidey’s monthly title. And again, that is how it was for his father, too. Just as John, Sr. cut his teeth on Daredevil, John, DAN JOHNSON is a comics writer and pop-culture historian. He is a co-founder, editor, and writer for Jr. launched his career on Iron Man. But it wasn’t long before John, Jr. was offered the chance to Empire Comics Lab (empirecomicslab.com) and work on The Amazing Spider-Man, and his run in the early 1980s is Golden Kid Comics (goldenkidcomics.com). Dan has considered one of the best as it saw the debut of the Hobgoblin and written for Antarctic Press, Campfire Graphic Novels, InDELLible Comics, and ACP Comics, and is a writer for storylines like J. Jonah Jameson publicly confessing to having created the Dennis the Menace and Mark Trail comic strips.

26 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

by G l e n n

GREENberg

Norman and Harry Osborn. Both also known as the Green Goblin. Father and son. Connected not just by DNA, but also by insanity, an obsession with Spider-Man, and by what is probably the most distinctive hairstyle in all of comicdom. In the entire history of the web-slinging crimefighter, and perhaps of the entire Marvel Universe itself, there is no greater, more vivid representation of the concept of legacy than the passing of the Goblin mantle from the senior Osborn to his offspring. Of course, no one—possibly not even co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko—knew anything about the Osborns when the Goblin made his initial appearances in The Amazing Spider-Man (Amazing) #14 (July 1964), 17 (Oct. 1964), 23 (Apr. 1965), and 26–27 (July– Aug. 1965). Readers met Harry first, in Amazing #31 (Dec. 1965), introduced as a schoolmate and potential rival of Peter Parker’s at Empire State University. Norman was formally introduced in #37 (June 1966), though he may have been appearing as a background character “seeded” by Ditko as far back as #23. The full story of how, when, and why it was decided that Norman would turn out to be the Goblin has been a source of speculation, analysis, and debate for decades, and the full details may never come to light. For his part, Lee always maintained that there was no master plan. “In the beginning, we didn’t know who [the Green Goblin would] turn out to be when he was finally unmasked,” Lee wrote in his 1976 book, Bring on the Bad Guys, which recounted the origins of some of Marvel’s most significant supervillains. In his introduction for the 1995 trade paperback, Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin, a collection of key stories focusing on the two characters, he wrote, “When Steve [Ditko] and I first unleashed him upon our woebegone web-slinger we hadn’t the slightest idea who the Goblin would turn out to be. … To this day, I can’t remember whether it was Steve or I who decided to make him Harry Osborn’s father!” Suffice to say that with Amazing #39 (Aug. 1966), one issue after Ditko left the series (never to return), Lee forged ahead with his new collaborator, artist John Romita, Sr., and firmly established the Goblin’s true identity in the Spider-Man canon, whether it tracked with Ditko’s intentions or not. And that momentous decision would impact the world of Spider-Man in a seismic way for decades, right up to this day. But even before the big revelation, readers got a sense of the relationship between Norman and Harry— and it wasn’t very pretty. In Amazing #37, father and son inspect an Osborn electronics factory that was targeted for arson. Norman suspects the culprit was his ex-partner, Mendel Stromm, but Harry suggests that Spider-Man was responsible. “Someone else was behind this!” Norman tells his son. “But—who?” Harry asks. “None of your blasted business!” Norman replies. But Harry won’t let go

Like Father, Like Son Poor Peter Parker never gets a break, eh? Detail from John Romita, Sr.’s dynamite cover to Amazing Spider-Man #136 (Sept. 1974). TM & © Marvel.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 27

of his theory. “Wouldn’t it be somethin’ if Spider-Man is trying to work a protection racket?” he asks his father, who snaps back with, “Harry, don’t you ever shut up?!!!” And that’s just in the first two panels of them ever being shown together. Norman is established right away as a distracted, tightly wound, short-tempered man, quick to lose patience with his son, while Harry is dutiful and eager to please his father. Interestingly enough, readers would not get a full sense of the dynamics that lay at the heart of Norman and Harry’s relationship until many years later, after Norman was gone from the series and the various writers who followed Lee could explore the full impact that he had on his son.

DADDY DEAREST

The Osborns (top left) Readers meet Harry Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man #31. (top right) Norman the bad, mad dad. From Amazing #37. (bottom) Splash to the landmark Amazing #40. TM & © Marvel.

28 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

When the Goblin’s origin is revealed in Amazing #40 (Sept. 1966), it is told from Norman’s point of view, and he presents himself as a good, devoted father, having done his best to raise Harry as a single parent after the death of his wife, while tending to the needs of his growing business empire. Harry, as per Norman’s telling, has long been disappointed that he doesn’t get to spend a lot of quality time with his father, but understands the situation and accepts it with grace and maturity. At the end of the issue, Norman, stricken by amnesia, his time as the Goblin seemingly erased from his mind and his sanity restored, seems ready to move forward with a much-improved relationship with his son. And Harry, for his part, is more than receptive to Norman’s new attitude, completely unaware of the double life his father had been leading. Stan Lee would write only two more Green Goblin stories before turning Spider-Man over to writer Gerry Conway in 1972. The first of these ran in the full-color magazine, The Spectacular Spider-Man #2 (Nov. 1968), after months of build-up in Amazing Spider-Man. During this period, the relationship between Norman and Harry is shown to be about as good as it ever was. By Amazing #47 (April 1967), Norman has even rented a two-bedroom apartment for Harry in Manhattan near ESU—and Harry invites Peter, to whom he has become a close friend, to move in with him. Norman befriends Peter and offers him a job. But in Amazing #61 (June 1968), Norman sees a photo of the Green Goblin and, for a reason unknown to him, it disturbs him deeply. In #62 (July 1968), Norman is haunted by strange, dim memories of the Goblin and Spider-Man but can’t piece them together, which causes him great stress and frustration. Harry takes it upon himself to look after his father, though this proves futile when Norman drops out of sight, leaving Harry consumed with worry. Things come to a head in #66 (Nov. 1968), in which Norman is revealed to be holed up in his factory, putting on his Goblin suit, his memory almost fully restored. He mutters about what a shock it would be to his “lily-livered” son if Harry were to ever learn who Norman Osborn truly is. This leads into Spectacular #2, which features a 52-page story by Lee, Romita, Sr., and inker Jim Mooney, in which the Green Goblin is reborn—and out for revenge. The centerpiece, of course, is a battle between the Goblin and Spider-Man, with Osborn targeting Peter’s aunt May and intending to unmask the web-slinger in front of her. The conflict ends only when Spider-Man turns the Goblin’s “hallucinatory gas” against him and creates a mental block that restores Osborn’s amnesia—and thus protects Spider-Man’s identity and his loved ones. While the story doesn’t change the overall status quo in any major way, it is significant in that it establishes fairly explicitly that the chemical accident that caused Norman’s insanity and turned him into the Green Goblin also gave him super-strength, which explains why he was able to go toe-totoe with Spider-Man so many times. Norman’s super-strength is a plot point that would figure heavily in years to come.

Rejected From the archives of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com) hails this startling glimpse at what might have been: the intended original cover for Amazing Spider-Man #97 (June 1971), by Gil Kane. According to Heritage, the whiteout under Harry’s extended hand covered a bottle of pills. (inset) The revised, published cover, by Romita. TM & © Marvel.

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In the aftermath, Harry remains unaware that his father is the Goblin, but he knows that the man is mentally fragile—and remarkably strong physically. Ever the loyal son, he stands by Norman and helps him recover.

A TRIP AND A FALL

Get a Grip (top) Peter is concerned about Harry’s drug use in Amazing Spider-Man #97. (bottom) Harry overdoses later in that same issue. TM & © Marvel.

Norman is gone from the series until Amazing #96 (May 1971), which kicks off the memorable threepart “drug storyline” by Lee, Gil Kane, John Romita, Sr., and Frank Giacoia that was published without the Comics Code Authority’s seal of approval. In this story, Norman’s memory and insanity both return unexpectedly, causing him to suit up as the Goblin again. Meanwhile, Harry’s relationship with Mary Jane Watson—his girlfriend at the time—is on shaky ground, making him easy prey for a ruthless drug dealer offering him the means to escape his romantic woes. When Mary Jane breaks up with Harry, he turns to the drugs for solace and has a bad reaction. Peter tries to help him—just as the Green Goblin arrives to destroy Spider-Man once and for all. Another fight breaks out between the two, but in the end, Spider-Man manages to maneuver Osborn into a position where he can see his son lying in a hospital bed, seriously ill. The shock snaps Osborn back to normal—as normal as he ever gets, anyway—and Spider-Man reasons that Norman will now have a welcome distraction as he focuses on taking care of Harry. Calm is restored— but for how long? It would not be up to Stan Lee to answer that question. This three-parter marked the last time he would ever write a story featuring the Green Goblin. But a solid foundation had been established, one that Conway and other subsequent writers on Spider-Man could build upon—and they did.

BIRTH OF A LEGACY

Norman Osborn, for the most part, receded into comicbook limbo as the torch passed from Lee to Conway, which took place across Amazing Spider-Man #110–118 (Aug. 1972–Mar. 1973). Harry returned to prominence starting with issue #105, having recovered from his drug experience but wallowing in a sea of insecurity and self-doubt after being dumped by Mary Jane. It is not until Amazing #119 (Apr. 1973) that Norman becomes a major presence again—and when he does, it signals big trouble ahead. Harry, in the company of his father, has apparently taken ill, and when Peter approaches to see if he can help, Norman explodes at him with rage. In Amazing #120 (May 1973), it’s revealed that Harry has resumed his drug use, brought on in part by concerns about his father. Then came Amazing #121–122 (June–July 1973)— perhaps you’re familiar with those two issues? Aside from ending with (SPOILER ALERT!) Peter’s longtime girlfriend Gwen Stacy murdered by the Green Goblin and Norman himself dead (well, sort of), this controversial two-parter gave readers one last glimpse of Norman and Harry’s relationship before decades of re-examinations, embellishments, and retcons about both of them. Amazing #121 establishes that Norman’s business is failing badly, causing him the profound stress that Harry had picked up on. To add to the pressure on Norman, Harry is now bedridden, suffering the aftereffects of his latest drug experience. Incidentally, while Lee never specified what substance Harry was using in #96–98, Conway specifies here that young Osborn’s drug of choice is LSD. “Having had some bad experiences with drugs myself, bad trips on LSD and having flashbacks from that, I kind of figured that might be going on for Harry too,” Conway tells BACK ISSUE. The situation proves to be too much for Norman’s fragile psyche. But it’s notable that as he slips back into insanity, Norman blames Peter Parker for what has happened to his son—he never blames Harry. In fact, we see in Norman not contempt for Harry, but love, sympathy, protectiveness, and even regret. “Harry, I’m sorry,” Norman thinks as he looks at his sleeping son. “I failed you, in every way a father can. I should have realized those—those friends of yours—what they were doing to you! But how could I have known? Our enemies are everywhere… men trying to ruin me… corrupt you, my only son…” If Harry is even the slightest bit aware of how Norman truly feels about him, is it any wonder that he would feel so connected to his father, so devoted to him—and so shattered when, just a short time later, Norman is ripped away from him? (Incidentally, read Amazing #121–122 again and try to find even the slightest bit of evidence that there could ever have been a romantic encounter between Norman and Gwen. But that’s another story.) Norman’s death would leave Harry very different from the person he was before—permanently changed, and still evolving even now.

THE SON BECOMES THE FATHER

Gerry Conway got to write Norman only once, in the story that marked the character’s death. But in moving forward with Harry, he put a great deal of thought into the dynamics that had defined the relationship between the two Osborns. “Harry was basically the only family that Norman had, and my expectation was that there would have been a lot of pressure on Harry to live up to his father,” Conway says. “I think in a weird sort of way, Norman— at least in the way that the character was written by 30 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

Gloomy Roomie (top) A recovering Harry is welcomed back by friends in Amazing #105. (bottom) A couple of years later, in issue #127, an unhinged Harry lashes out at Peter. TM & © Marvel.

Stan, because I really didn’t write that much about him—was more of a critical father and sort of saw Harry as someone who had potential but wasn’t living up to it. Harry was a bit of a party guy… [he] and Peter fell together as friends, and Harry seemed like the less serious of the two. Peter seemed more like a grown-up, and I think Norman would have thought that Peter was a potential good influence on Harry—and in that sense, Peter might have been an object of resentment for Harry.” By Amazing #127 (Dec. 1973), Harry is exhibiting unmistakably Norman-like behavior—filled with resentment and bitterness, lashing out at both Peter and Mary Jane when they show concern for him. At the end of that issue, it’s revealed that Harry was on the scene when Norman died—and that he removed the Goblin costume from his father’s body before the police arrived, to protect Norman’s name and reputation. In his drug-fueled, delusional mind, Harry is now the Green Goblin, and he wants Spider-Man dead for killing his father. In #134 (July 1974), Harry confirms his suspicion that Spider-Man is none other than his own roommate, and this comes to a head in Amazing #136 (Sept. 1974), when, as the title of the story proclaims, “The Green Goblin Lives Again!” Harry fully embraces the identity of the Goblin and engages SpiderMan in battle—and holds his own surprisingly well. As Spider-Man surmises, Harry’s been training. The story continues in #137 (Oct. 1974), with the new Goblin threatening the lives of Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Flash Thompson. Spider-Man ultimately defeats him, but fears that he himself is the true loser when Harry, out of costume, reveals both of their secret identities to the police. Luckily for Peter, the cops don’t believe they get engaged in #166 (Mar. 1977)—and attending psychotherapy Harry, and they take the obviously disturbed young man away. “I knew that the Green Goblin as a character was too important to sessions to continue his recovery. Under the psychiatric care of Dr. Bart the Spider-Man mythology to lose,” Conway says. “But I also felt that, Hamilton—introduced in Amazing #167 (Apr. 1977)—Harry has never regardless of whatever other impulses people might have had, when seemed happier. In addition, he has no memory of his time as the Green Goblin—or his father’s. Marvel killed characters off, they should stay dead. So I didn’t Things take a turn for the worse, however, after Liz want to ever bring Norman back, and I thought it would be abruptly breaks up with Harry due to problems going on an elegant solution to have Harry, who we knew had drug in her family. In Amazing #176 (Jan. 1978), the Green problems, [take over as the Goblin].” Harry’s drug use, Goblin returns, setting his sights on becoming the Conway explains, “gave me a way in to making him the crime boss of New York City. But this time, there’s Goblin and to make him actually, in certain ways, more a major catch: the man in the green-and-purple dangerous even than Norman had been.” costume turns out not to be Harry at all—it’s Bart There was one catch, however. Norman had been Hamilton, whose thirst for power was triggered super-strong. Harry was not. How could Harry, as the when he began treating the man who had once Goblin, ever be the same kind of physical challenge to been the Goblin. Harry realizes that he has no choice Spider-Man that his father had been? Conway says he but to confront the deranged doctor himself and never gave it any thought at the time. put an end to his criminal activities. He puts on “I was a bit of a fast-and-loose writer in a lot of the costume again, marking the first time that an ways at that stage, and I don’t know that I would gerry conway Osborn becomes the Green Goblin while sane— have even considered it to be an issue, to be honest,” and motivated to do something other than commit he says. “For me, the Goblin was dangerous mostly because of his weaponry, not because he and Peter would ever get a crime or kill Spider-Man. In the midst of a high-flying showdown into fisticuffs per se—the Goblin tossing those bombs and being able between the two Goblins, with the wall-crawler stuck in the middle, to escape on his glider, zipping around, being more gymnastic than Harry renounces the Green Goblin identity—though with his sanity having been restored and many of his memories having been necessarily a physical threat.” Conway goes on to explain that Norman’s super-strength was suppressed (both feats accomplished by Hamilton), he doesn’t realize something that never really filtered into his own conception of the that he is, in effect, rejecting his own father. The war between the Goblins—as well as Len Wein’s tenure— Goblin. “I always go back to the original conceptions of characters when I take them over,” he says. “I don’t think Ditko implied that he ended in Amazing #180 (May 1978), with Hamilton dead, a victim of his own madness, and Harry able to turn the page. He and had any kind of special strength.” Regardless, it was not a matter that Conway would have to address. Liz reconcile and seem poised for a bright, happy future, one that Harry would be absent for the rest of his run on The Amazing cannot be derailed even when both of them are taken hostage by Spider-Man, which ended with #149 (Oct. 1975). When Harry finally Jigsaw in #188 (Jan. 1979), an issue produced by new writer/editor returned in #151 (Dec. 1975), writer/editor Len Wein was at the helm, Marv Wolfman and artists Keith Pollard and Mike Esposito. Despite and the young heir to the Osborn fortune was apparently restored to Spider-Man’s concern that the stress of the situation could cause sanity. Wein would chart a new course for Harry, one that involved him Harry to relapse, the young Osborn focuses solely on protecting Liz, meeting and hitting it off with Peter’s old high school friend, Liz Allan— and they both make it out safe and sound. Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 31

HEIRS OF THE GOBLIN

Battling Buddies Spidey and HarryGoblin go at it on this fantastic battle page from Amazing Spider-Man #136. Story by Conway, art by Kane and Frank Giacoia. Original art scan courtesy of Heritage. TM & © Marvel.

In Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (Spectacular) #63 (Feb. 1982), by Bill Mantlo, Greg LaRocque, and Jim Mooney, Harry and Liz are established as having gotten married, and the couple is menaced by Liz’s stepbrother, Mark Raxton—the Molten Man. On the scene, Spider-Man once again worries that Harry will snap back into insanity, but Harry rises to the occasion, summoning up the courage and the will to stand up to Raxton to defend his wife and his home. By the time of Amazing #249 (Feb. 1984), with writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita, Jr. just about to wrap up their long and acclaimed run, Harry and Liz are expecting their first child. Harry is now a major stakeholder and high-ranking board member of the Osborn family business. But it is at this moment that he discovers—or rediscovers—that his father had been the Green Goblin, courtesy of evidence sent to him by the Hobgoblin as part of a blackmail scheme. Incidentally, by that point, as established in Spectacular #85 (Dec. 1983), the Hobgoblin had recreated, perfected, and exposed himself to

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the strength-enhancing formula that had turned Norman into the Green Goblin. The end result: the Hobgoblin was now just as strong as Norman ever was—but without the insanity that proved to be Osborn’s downfall. Naturally, Harry is shaken by the revelation of his father’s other identity, but he manages to defy the Hobgoblin’s threat to expose that secret to the world. Still, in Amazing #251 (Apr. 1984), Harry confides in Peter that he can’t help but wonder how he can live with the knowledge of who his father was, and the crimes Norman committed—including the murder of Gwen. Peter tells him, “Be a better example for your kids than your old man was for you!” That advice becomes particularly relevant in Amazing #263 (Apr. 1985), in which Harry and Liz’s son, Normie, is born. This blessed event followed a storyline in #260–261 (Jan.–Feb. 1985), in which the Hobgoblin kidnapped the pregnant Liz, along with Mary Jane, to use them as a bargaining chip so that Harry would turn over copies of the hidden journals that Norman kept when he was the Green Goblin. The most obvious next move would have been for Harry to become the Goblin again to confront the Hobgoblin— but when he does face down the villain, he does it just as a husband and expectant father. Writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz were the regular creative team on Amazing at the time, and according to DeFalco, turning Harry back into the Goblin was never a consideration for him. “My feeling was, we’d already seen that happen,” he says. In DeFalco’s view, Harry did not need to use the Goblin as a crutch. “When his family was threatened, Harry would come through,” he says. “[But] he was not naturally a take-charge, stand-up kind of guy. He was more likely to run for cover. Where Norman relished the power of the Green Goblin and enjoyed manipulating and moving stuff, that was not Harry. Harry would have been happy just being a regular businessman, and he had no desire for power.” DeFalco says that when he and Frenz were working together on Amazing, they spent “hours and hours” analyzing and discussing the characters and the circumstances that shaped them. When it came to Harry, their thinking fell right in line with Conway’s. “Harry was one of those typical secondgeneration kids whose father had accomplished a tremendous amount and Harry was always struggling to prove to his father that he was a worthy successor—and always failing,” DeFalco explains. “I think that Norman never thought his kid was smart enough, tough enough, ruthless enough. And Harry was always frustrated that he couldn’t measure up to what his father aspired him to be.” DeFalco and Frenz got an opportunity to focus on this aspect of Norman and Harry’s relationship years later, when they reunited for a story in the Amazing Spider-Man ’96 Annual (1996). Set years in the past, during the classic Stan Lee/John Romita, Sr. “college era,” the flashback tale shows Norman appalled when a dejected Harry comes to him for advice on how to win over Mary Jane and convince her to date him exclusively. “A girl?!” Norman bellows. “You dare squander my precious time on some silly college-boy crush?! When are you going to grow up, Harry? When will you finally become a man?! If you ever intend to continue the Osborn legacy… you’ve got to stop playing the whimpering cry baby… and toughen up!” The conversation motivates Norman to launch a scheme designed to force a change in Harry, whom he considers “a pampered, spineless, weak-willed

coward.” Setting it in motion, Norman vows to himself, BACK IN ACTION “I’ll make a man out of Harry! Even if it kills him!” Following the birth of their son Normie, Harry and The story offers a glimpse at what Norman was Liz receded into the background for a long stretch, like during a relatively calm period, when he had no but returned to prominence starting with Amazing memory of having been the Green Goblin and was Spider-Man #311 by David Michelinie and Todd ostensibly sane. “I think he was a bastard no matter McFarlane, Spectacular Spider-Man #146 by a what,” DeFalco says. “When he wasn’t returning Gerry Conway and Sal Buscema the Green Goblin, he was a ruthless (both Jan. 1989), and Web of Spider-Man businessman, and all he cared about was #47 (Feb. 1989) by Conway, Alex Saviuk, his company, his power, his money.” and Keith Williams. All three issues Norman’s plan involves hiring tied in with the supernaturalseveral gunmen to show up at Harry themed “Inferno” crossover storyand his friends’ regular hangout line that had launched out of the spot, the Coffee Bean, and menace X-Men titles. Harry, it is revealed, the customers when Harry is there, has been experiencing intense so that he can step up and prove nightmares involving his father. his courage. But it goes awry due to To make matters worse, he and his several unforeseen factors—one of family have been targeted by the which is Kraven the Hunter, who second Hobgoblin, Jason Philip tom defalco arrives intending to use Harry as Macendale, who demands that a pawn against Norman. Kraven is Harry turn over the formula that © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. seeking retribution for a previous gave Norman and the original business transaction between himself and Norman Hobgoblin their super-strength. Spider-Man that ended badly, as shown in Amazing #47 (Apr. 1967). intervenes, but Harry, now driven by desperation In the end, Harry fails to impress, even after a gun to the edge of his sanity, becomes fixated on the literally falls right at his feet, so his self-esteem takes thought that his father would never have allowed yet another hit—no doubt feeding into his later anyone to threaten his loved ones like this—so he psychological problems. can’t allow it either. “I didn’t get to use Harry all that much,” DeFalco The story culminates in Amazing #312 (Feb. 1989), says. “But I always liked writing him.” in which Harry puts on the Green Goblin suit for the

No Secrets (left) Harry, who just lost his Green Goblin battle with Spider-Man, can’t keep his lip zipped at the end of Amazing #137. (right) From Amazing Spider-Man #263 (Apr. 1985), Harry and Liz Allan Osborn celebrate the birth of their son, Normie. This tranquil family moment didn’t last for long, however. TM & © Marvel.

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first time since #180, to confront the new Hobgoblin and ensure the When Goblins Go At It safety of his wife and child. Signed Todd McFarlane original art featuring Harry “That storyline was part of a two-pronged intention,” Michelinie says. “First, I thought it was a good way to punch up my efforts to Osborn as the Green Goblin taking on the Hobgoblin. show Harry as a good guy who had conquered his inner demons and From Amazing #312 (Feb. 1989). Courtesy of Heritage. was ready to focus on new directions for his life. The second part was my inner craving to see the two ‘goblins’ face off. Once a fanboy, TM & © Marvel. always a fanboy!” But while Harry certainly looks the part, Michelinie’s script makes Spider-Man departs, Harry silently it clear that the man in the Green calls him “Peter.” Goblin costume is still very much Looking back at the story, Harry, for whom being a courageous Conway explains that his technique man of action doesn’t come for writing serialized tales was to naturally—not to mention the fact create potential problems for himself that he’s quite rusty. Nevertheless, and for the characters. “While I didn’t Harry doesn’t shy away from have necessarily a clear idea of what the fight, and when Spider-Man I would end up doing, I knew the shows up to provide some lastfact that Harry knew [once again minute assistance, the combination that Spider-Man was Peter Parker] of wall-crawler and Green Goblin is was going to become an issue in enough to drive the Hobgoblin off their relationship,” he says. “There into the night. “You did pretty good are many ways that Harry could on your own, pal,” Spider-Man tells react to that knowledge.” Would Harry. “New York could always Harry gain greater understanding use another crimefighter.” Harry of what really happened between demurs, telling the web-slinger, “Hey, Spider-Man and his father, that the I’m not crazy anymore, remember? circumstances surrounding Norman’s I’ve got responsibilities! Maybe you’ll death were a lot more complicated understand some day if you get than he thought, and thus be able married!” to empathize with the web-slinger? With that, Harry heads home Or would Harry lose all sense of to Liz and little Normie, having perspective and fully embrace finally made peace with both his villainy? “I was leaving myself some past and his inner being. “I chose options to explore,” Conway says. the high road in my interpretation But as it turned out, he left Web of Harry,” Michelinie explains. a short time later, with #70 (Nov. “I went the stable, decent 1990), so it would fall to others to human route, making him a chart Harry’s destiny. solid family guy and friend. I thought the readers would FRIENDS TO THE END agree that it would be a fresh and With his sanity no longer a certainty interesting way to portray the and his knowledge of Spider-Man’s character.” true identity restored, Harry was in Conway picked up on Harry from a perfect place for J. M. DeMatteis there, revealing in Web #66–67 when he took over as writer of (July–Aug. 1990) that despite Spectacular with #178 (July 1991). having initially dismissed SpiderAhead of DeMatteis’ arrival, fill-in Man’s suggestion that he consider taking up writer Kurt Busiek handled #176–177 (May–June crimefighting, Osborn has developed a taste 1991) and paved the way for the next big storyline for excitement and do-gooding. He decides to by introducing a new wrinkle for Harry: he was now become the Green Goblin again, this time to hearing a disembodied voice speaking to him—and operate as a bona fide superhero, as a way to he was the only one hearing it. vindicate his father’s name—and the Goblin’s. Busiek says that despite laying the groundwork Spider-Man, however, has come to the conclusion for the storyline, he had no idea where it was going that Harry should stick to the civilian life after to go. “I did it because [then-Spider-Man editor] all, and tries to talk him out of it. (Conway Danny Fingeroth asked me to set up for what explains that Spider-Man’s apparent change of [DeMatteis] was going to be doing,” he explains. david michelinie heart with regard to Harry was not meant as a “They needed those two issues from me in a hurry reaction to, or a criticism of, Michelinie’s story, because Marc [DeMatteis] needed some lead time but was rather just a case of Conway being consistent with his [before he got started]. I wrote the stuff with Harry hearing voices own personal take on the web-slinger. But, he adds, “It was also while Marc was writing his first plots.” probably my fault for not paying more attention to how David Busiek would go on to make his own significant contribution to had set it up.”) The lack of support from Spider-Man angers Harry the Osborn canon with the 1996 one-shot Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil, and leads to yet another battle between the two, during which painted by Mark Texeira, which recounted and re-examined the entire Harry finally snaps and decides that Spider-Man’s death will free history of the Green Goblin, while also telling a new story about the the Osborn name of all the “grime” that the web-slinger has lingering effects that Norman had on Harry and every other person heaped upon it. Harry’s murderous rage proves to be short-lived, whose life he touched. however, when Spider-Man urges him to think of his wife and son. As for DeMatteis, he embarked on what would turn out to be a Ultimately, Harry backs down and thanks the web-slinger for his two-year run on Spectacular, paired with artist Sal Buscema, for what concern. But the incident is not without a major consequence: as he considers “probably the best Spider-Man work I’ve ever done, 34 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

Whose Side Are You On, Anyway? (left) Harry’s doing the Goblin-thing again in Web of Spider-Man #67 (Aug. 1990). Cover by Alex Saviuk and Andy Mushynsky. (right) Kurt Busiek wrote this 1996 one-shot chronicling the madness of the Osborn family. Cover by Mark Texeira. TM & © Marvel.

and my favorite.” Across those two years, DeMatteis produced a series Harry away—but not before he announces that he will reveal the of stories that explored the character of Harry Osborn—and even web-slinger’s true identity at a time of his own choosing. Tom DeFalco, who had felt that Harry becoming the Goblin Norman, in absentia—deeper than anyone had ever done before. The disembodied voice, of course, turns out to be that of Norman, again would just be repeating an old idea, found himself mightily now appearing as a ghostly apparition, haunting and berating Harry. impressed by DeMatteis’ storyline. At the time, he was not just an In the end, the call of the Green Goblin is too powerful for Harry to observer or a fellow writer—he was Marvel’s editor-in-chief. “Marc resist, and he embraces the persona and the madness it represents. DeMatteis is the kind of guy who can take the oldest story and Upon becoming the Goblin again, Harry’s first move is to confront retell that story in such a way that you’re stunned because you get insights that never would have occurred to you before,” Spider-Man and make it abundantly clear that a state of war now he says. “When DeMatteis [made Harry the Goblin again], exists between them. Harry blames Peter. “Every time I find he approached it in a whole different way than we a little peace inside myself, every time I start to believe… had ever seen before. He approached it in a very really believe… that my father was a good man—I see psychological way, as opposed to the standard your face in front of me—listing all of Norman Osborn’s supervillain way. Yes, we had seen Harry become crimes,” he tells the web-slinger in Spectacular #181 the Green Goblin before, but we’d never seen him (Oct. 1991). “He was not evil! He became the Green become the Green Goblin that way before…. I Goblin because he loved me! Because he needed the remember reading DeMatteis’ stuff and thinking, money—to give me a better life!” ‘Holy sh*t, this is great!’ He’s a real master and I And yet, it’s clear that deep down, even as the really hate him because he’s so good at this sh*t and ghost of his father spurs him on, Harry is conflicted makes the rest of us look so bad!” about what he’s doing. But DeMatteis was just getting warmed up. “With Harry, there was a constant element of, He pulled out all the stops beginning with ‘I love you, but I must destroy you’ when it came j. m. dematteis Spectacular #199 (Apr. 1993), which revealed that to his feelings about Peter,” DeMatteis says. Harry had been released from prison due to a lack “‘You’re my best friend, and my worst enemy.’ of evidence that he had committed any crimes— I think Harry had become an even more effective, Federico Vinci. more formidable Green Goblin, as far as Peter was concerned, than and also that he was experiencing a recurring fever and numerous dizzy spells. The stage was set for Spectacular #200 (May 1993), a Norman ever was. There’s so much more angst and conflict.” In the midst of all this, Harry’s connection to his father became double-sized issue showcasing some of Sal Buscema’s most powerful, even deeper in Spectacular #188–189 (May-June 1992), in which most dramatic, and most nuanced artwork. “Sal was just on fire, he created a new version of Norman’s “Goblin formula” and used an absolute pleasure to work with,” DeMatteis says. “It was a joy to it on himself, thus gaining super-strength—but also escalating his see him take my plots and interpret them visually.” Harry’s conflicted feelings about Peter reach their apex, leading insanity. “He sounds just like his father,” Spider-Man thinks during their confrontation in #189. “The same anger in his voice. The same to a quiet, heartfelt conversation between him and Mary Jane atop brutal edge.” Harry even declares, “Norman Osborn is still alive! the bridge where his father had killed Gwen, followed by all-out His life… his legacy… is coursing through me right now! … Now… psychological warfare on his best friend/archenemy. And all the while, Harry still intends to use the Green Goblin identity and his financial at long, long last—I truly am the Green Goblin!” Spider-Man manages to defeat him, as Liz, Normie, and Mark resources to somehow rehabilitate Norman’s image and reputation. Raxton (aka the Molten Man) look on. The police arrive to take Spider-Man concludes that the Harry Osborn he knew is gone, Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 35

Tables Turned How long will Harry’s remorse last? The startling title splash to Spectacular Spider-Man #181 (Oct. 1991). TM & © Marvel.

replaced by a Green Goblin as twisted and as deadly as the original—and at this point, Harry wouldn’t have it any other way. And yet… given the choice of letting Peter die in an explosion or saving him, Harry frees himself of his father’s influence and returns to the light. But his act of heroism proves to be his final one—the formula he used on himself takes its toll, the fever and dizzy spells having turned out to be precursors to a fatal reaction. Harry dies holding the hand of Spider-Man. Of Peter Parker. Of his best friend. “I didn’t go into my Spectacular run intending to kill Harry,” DeMatteis reveals. “I let the characters and the situations take over and lead me where they wanted to go. I didn’t realize until very late in the storyline that this was going to be the tale of Harry’s death. In some ways I was just as stunned as the readers when I realized that this was what it was all leading up to.” Now both Norman and Harry Osborn were dead and buried. Until they weren’t.

BACK FROM BEYOND

Norman was revealed to still be alive in The Amazing Spider-Man #418 by DeFalco, Steve Skroce, and Bud LaRosa, and Spider-Man #75 by Howard Mackie, John Romita, Jr., and Scott Hanna (both Dec. 1996), with a full explanation provided in the one-shot Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal (Feb. 1997) by yours truly, Kyle Hotz, Jason Moore, and Al Milgrom. The same thing happened with Harry in Amazing #545 by J. Michael Straczynski, Joe Quesada, and Danny Miki (Dec. 2007), with the details revealed in Amazing #581 (Feb. 2009) by Dan Slott, Mike McKone, and Andy Lanning. Since then, Norman has periodically assumed the identity of the Green Goblin, while Harry, ironically, has distanced himself from his father and strived to remain sane, clean and sober, and an upstanding member of society. Conway likens the return of Norman to two infamous DC Comics stories: the introduction of Mopee, the interdimensional imp who was supposedly responsible for Barry Allen becoming the Flash, in The Flash #167 (Feb. 1967), and a story in Superman #330 (Dec. 1978) that established that the reason no one realizes that Superman is Clark Kent without his glasses on is that the Man of Steel subconsciously uses superhypnosis so that people see Clark as weaker, frailer, and less handsome than he really is. “Everyone basically agrees those two stories never happened,” Conway says with a laugh. “As far as I’m concerned, Norman Osborn is still dead.” DeFalco, as noted above, was one of the creative people involved in the return of the original Green Goblin—much to his regret. “I did not agree with the idea of bringing back Norman,” he says, then acknowledges that sometimes that kind of decision is simply out of the writer’s hands. “That’s the biz.” With regard to Harry, DeMatteis takes it in stride that one of the Spider-Man stories he is proudest to have written was eventually overturned. “In a shared universe, it’s just a reality you have to accept, that someone else may come along and undo something you did,” he says. “I’m both surprised and gratified that it took so long to bring Harry back.” On the bright side, if DeMatteis ever returns to Spider-Man, he’s got an opportunity to do something he never could have done before. “When I wrote Harry, Norman was ‘dead,’ and when I wrote Norman, Harry was ‘dead,’” he notes. “With the both of them back, that’s something I could really sink my teeth into. There’s so much to explore there, the character dynamics between the two of them—I’d be totally up for that.” He just may get his chance someday. If the long, twisting, and turning saga of Norman and Harry Osborn has taught us anything, it’s that anything is possible. GLENN GREENBERG is an award-winning writer and editor whose work includes comics, fiction, journalism, and marketing content. His comic-book writing credits include The Spectacular Spider-Man, Untold Tales of Spider-Man (writing as G. L. Lawrence), The Silver Surfer, Dracula: Lord of the Undead, Star Trek: Untold Voyages, The Rampaging Hulk, and a story in the Ringo Awardwinning anthology collection, Mine!: A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom for All Benefiting Planned Parenthood.

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TM & © DC Comics/Warner Bros.

interview by

Michael Eury

transcribed by Rose Rummel-Eury

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 37

Christopher Reeve left behind some big boots to fill. Red ones, at that. But ably stepping into them, in 2006’s Superman Returns, was actor Brandon Routh, who adroitly conjured the spirit of the Reeve Man of Steel while earmarking the character as his own in a blockbuster that should have warranted at least one sequel. On Saturday, June 9, 2018, ye ed had the good fortune of interviewing the talented actor—known to audiences in television and film roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Chuck, and as Ray (the Atom) Palmer in Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, among many other credits— at the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois, where Brandon headlined as a special guest. While the topic was mainly his role in director Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, no one at the event—including Mr. Routh himself—knew at that time that just over a year later, he would return to the role of the Last Son of Krypton… albeit as the Superman of Earth-96, or the “Kingdom Come” Superman, in the CW’s December 2019 crossover miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. MICHAEL EURY: I’m Michael Eury, the editor of BACK ISSUE magazine, and it’s my honor to introduce to you today a talented actor with a diverse range of credits—but to this crowd, you’ll appreciate the fact that you’re about to get two, two, two superheroes in one. Brandon Routh, everyone! [applause] BRANDON ROUTH: Thank you, Michael. EURY: This isn’t your first visit to Metropolis. ROUTH: No, I was here in 2011. EURY: You’re a native of the Midwest? ROUTH: Yes, I’m from Norwark, Ohio. [crowd applause] I didn’t grow up on a farm, but a block away from a cornfield, which I ran through a lot as a kid. My town, growing up, was about the size of Metropolis, about 6,000 or 7,000 people. EURY: Did you read comics? ROUTH: I didn’t read comics. I didn’t have friends in that culture. The one I collected was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but it wasn’t the cool Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was the Archie Comics version. [audience applause] I grew up with football cards, stuff like that. I read a lot of fantasy novels, so my geekdom is in the fantasy world. EURY: That makes you unique as a Superman, because most of the people who have donned the red cape on screen don’t have that background.

Yes, You May Call Me “Chief” Superman Returns star Brandon Routh and BACK ISSUE editor-in-chief Michael Eury, post-interview, Superman Celebration, Metropolis, Illinois, June 9, 2018. Do ya think ye ed could pass for Uncle Michael Kent?

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ROUTH: Because I was into fantasy novels and film, one movie my sister and I used to rent—endlessly—was Dark Crystal. [applause] If it was her choice it was Labyrinth, and if it was my choice, it was Dark Crystal. So that otherworldly nature was deeply imbedded in me. My love of Superman began with the second film [Superman II, 1980], so I was definitely a fan of Superman, I just didn’t read the comics. Chris [Reeve] was, and is and will always be, my favorite. [audience whoops] EURY: How old were you when you first saw Superman II? ROUTH: Five or six when it came on television, when Superman II came out. I had Superman pajamas, which my mom still has, and a cape, and was jumping around and very excited about seeing the movie for the first time. I was so excited, I gave myself a migraine headache, so I was throwing up throughout the movie! [laughter] It was a very memorable experience. EURY: You’re not one of those kids who put on the cape and tried to fly off the rooftop, were you? ROUTH: No… the couch! [laughter] EURY: [pointing to woman backstage] Is that your mom? The lady who’s smiling so proudly? ROUTH: That’s my mom! [applause] EURY: How did you get started in acting? ROUTH: Professionally, after my freshman year at University of Iowa. I was there as an English major and just kind of thought I might have a shot making money modeling locally in Des Moines, and doing some acting to make some money as a poor college student. That spun into going to New York to meet some managers and agents and I met someone there who wanted to manage me, so I moved to L.A. for three months and dropped out of college—which was challenging, because I loved school. Lived with some family who lived outside of L.A. —a great aunt and uncle, Uncle Dan and Aunt Sue—stayed with them and booked my first small gig and then got the bug! That was 1989. EURY: What was your first role? ROUTH: My first role was in a sitcom called Odd Man Out. I said five words, but it was a live studio audience. Most of my acting experience up to that point had been theater in high school and comedy. I loved hearing the audience feedback and the excitement and energy and thrill. That being my first paid gig after moving to L.A., I was hooked— hook, line, and sinker.

EURY: Being raised in the Midwest, did you find that gave you advantages or disadvantages when adapting to the environments of New York and L.A.? ROUTH: Good and bad. My naiveté served as a positive and negative in certain instances. Not understanding certain social instances was good and bad at the time. But we all work with what we have at the moment and in the end it worked out really well. It certainly helped with Superman. Being from Iowa and having that certain sensibility—helped me to be who I am and gave me an energy that I carried with me. EURY: Since most of these people are wearing a big red “S,” let’s cut right to Superman Returns. Walk us through the casting. ROUTH: Casting was the hardest part for me. I had my first meeting about Superman through a television audition for a completely different project. I had impressed a producer who was a friend of the producer of the movie that was happening at the time. He thought I looked a lot like Superman and should probably meet with him. They got me hooked up with the director at the time, so I sat down and met with McG. I later had a couple of auditions and screen tests along with a couple other candidates. That version of the movie didn’t end up happening for various reasons, and I was crushed watching four months of my life— dreaming about it—and then felt like it was taken away. Then nothing happened for about a month and a half and I went back to my bartending job. Then, out of the blue, Bryan Singer and Mike Dougherty and Dan Harris came up with a script and pitched it to Warner Bros., and Warner Bros. loved it and that whole process started again. I met with them, they did casting auditions, screen tests, and then finally

got the role. From beginning to end, it was about a seven-month process. The whole film took ten months, so it was almost as long! EURY: What about the physical training? ROUTH: Once I got the role, I was in training for about four months before the movie started and all the way through the filming. EURY: What was your workout regimen? ROUTH: The first part was just getting my body ready to train heavily because I had never really trained. I was always in sports, playing soccer growing up, but never really lifted weights. So, my first two months was doing that and getting my diet in line. That was three or four hours a day. Wasn’t much lifting, just stretching and yoga, so I wouldn’t hurt myself when I started lifting. Then, I started lifting and that was a couple of hours a day. EURY: What was the costume made of? Obviously it was different from Chris’ and the insignia was different. ROUTH: I believe it was a combination of Spandex and Lyrca. It was similar to what Chris had—it was a double-layered thing. When it wasn’t on anybody, it was this big [gestures a small size, and audience laughs]. Basically, it was a big rubber band. The cape was bigger than the suit and I don’t remember what it was made of. But we had a hundred different suits. Different suits for different activities and different ways of flying. I had to wear a harness underneath. There were different suits to adjust to different harnesses. EURY: How was it inside the suit? ROUTH: When there was no breeze, it was warm. When the weather was warm, it was warm, and when the weather was cold, it was cold. There was only about a five-degree variance inside and out. It was probably about 68 degrees was comfortable.

The Metropolis Marvel Artist Simone Bianchi illustrated this stunning rendition of Routh as the Man of Steel for Warner Bros.’ advertising campaign for Superman Returns. Courtesy of Heritage Comic Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics/Warner Bros.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 39

EURY: Any personal anecdotes you wish to share about people on the set? ROUTH: Yeah, we had an amazing crew of people who came together. All the people who worked on the flying stuff came from The Matrix, and they have a bunch of experience they brought to us. We really worked hard to make the flying as real and new as it could be. We had so many people surrounding and supporting me in Sydney, Australia. It’s amazing—three or four hundred people to make the movie, and that was just the physical production, then you talk about Los Angeles and all the editors, the orchestra… I love film and television because of all the people it takes to do a project and that’s even here, we’re all participating in all of this and makes it a unique thing. Art is an important thing that unites us all over the world and that allows us to see our own humanity. I’m happy to be an artist and to share that. EURY: For someone who adored the first two movies and saw three and four, after I came out of Superman Returns, I felt that was number three. I think that was Bryan Singer’s intention as well. How did you take the response? The box office was strong, but a lot of us thought you were going to be in that red cape in more movies. ROUTH: I felt the same way. It made almost 400 million dollars and I think it was successful. It didn’t quite make the

A Whole New “S” (top) The new movie Superman insignia was featured in this British teaser poster. (bottom left) A Superman Returns poster signed by Brandon Routh. (bottom right) Alternate poster with Superman and Lois. All, courtesy of Heritage. TM & © DC Comics/Warner Bros.

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number they were expecting. There were a lot of things shifting at the studio for Warner Bros. at the time. I don’t think DC and Superman had a champion at the studio at the time, so there wasn’t a passion on that level for the movie to continue. I think it wasn’t taken into account the level of transition that needed to happen. You come from such a beloved version and character and the first person that people had an exposure to—there were others before Chris, but he was the Superman for the world. So 20 years later, you have me, the kid nobody knows, so you have to reinvent the role or at least transition. So, a lot of people came to that movie saying, “I don’t know—who is this kid?” We had that work to make him okay with me being Superman. It wasn’t a brand new movie. We had that challenge, and I think had the right people had that awareness and had a little more faith in what we created, I think we could have surpassed the box office and the story in the first Superman. I had a lot more to give at that point. I had learned so much about myself and Superman. On this stage, I know a whole lot more about myself and humanity and have more to express. Thankfully, through Ray Palmer, I have the opportunity to bridge some of that and I brought some of those Superman characteristics to that character. People loved the movie, and it was a necessary step for [Warner Bros.] to not support the people a little while after the movie came out so they could erase what happened and start fresh. I think that was a conscious choice, because the movie was well-received in reviews in the press. It was only later when the idea was to start again that people kind of turned on the movie. Fortunately, there are still many people who loved the movie. [applause] I think it has a feeling of being an underdog; that there are people who don’t like the movie. Anyone who likes the movie, it doesn’t matter how that compliment comes, just know that you can love that movie without any precursor or comment—just love it no matter if anyone else doesn’t love it. Love it and be proud of it and I am! EURY: Wasn’t there talk of a sequel with Brainiac as the villain? ROUTH: There was definitely going to be a sequel. I know they went through the process, and I know that terrorism was going to be a part of it. It is an issue now and certainly was a hot-button issue in 2007 and 2008. Ideally, Brainiac and Metallo were going to be villains they’d want to incorporate. EURY: Terrorism would have added a real-world element. I can tell you that on 9/11, I wished that Superman would fly around the Twin Towers and save the day. ROUTH: It’s a challenging thing with the story in Superman Returns and what would come next would be how much can Superman do and how much is up to humanity to not to have to have Superman save the day all the time. If I had continued, that’s where I would have wanted to push the story—to have Superman empower humanity and find their own greatness. To me, that’s who Superman is and that’s the energy I want to promote. Although we may not all be able to fly around and have heat vision, all those other qualities of his character and humanity, we can all access. We have to do the work to cultivate it and find our shared humanity, knowing we’re all here and want to love, live, and be happy. Even those people

Reunited (left) Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and Brandon Routh as Superman. An autographed Superman Returns still certified by Celebrity Authentics and courtesy of Heritage. (right) Routh as Ray (the Atom) Palmer, from DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. TM & © DC Comics/Warner Bros.

we perceive as evil— they want happiness, too. They’ve just had so much trauma in their lives, they can’t see the happiness, so they just take it out on others. I think that’s important for us to remember. We can hate people as much as we want, but that won’t bridge the gap. So, even though there are evil people, they were babies once, they just had big challenges in their life that changed their worldview. If we keep giving them hate, that’s all they’re going to perceive. You have to find some way to open to that and not forgive them, but help each other grow. [audience goes wild with applause and whoops] EURY: Well said. That is the power of Superman, in my estimation. How about we open up the floor for questions? AUDIENCE MEMBER 1: If they decided they were going to reboot and starting from scratch, is there something you’d like to do with the character that you didn’t? ROUTH: I don’t know… my dream for Superman Returns and where that storyline or any storyline was going was for Clark/Superman/ Kal-El to have love and have that human experience. It’s amazing the courage and honor to sacrifice, that’s a part of our nature to sacrifice, but I believe everybody should have true happiness. He shouldn’t have to sacrifice his happiness, he should get that experience even though he’s an alien—but basically human—to have love and to be with Lois. [applause] AUDIENCE MEMBER 2: In Legends of Tomorrow, the one episode you did with George Lucas where he was going to quit film school, how did that episode come about? ROUTH: I think everybody in the writer’s room, they’re all fans and geeks of something, and George Lucas has made a huge impact in people’s lives. Looking at Ray and Nate as characters, they probably had that huge impact and it was a way to have those pop culture references and make a story about it. Do like a Back to the Future style, anytime you can throw something like that in it, it’s fun, and to mess with Ray and Nate and have their histories erased. I think it was a really novel story and was one of the most fun episodes to shoot. Ray and Nate got to do a lot of bro—where their “bromance” started was in that episode. Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 41

From Comics to Film to Comics First issue of DC Comics’ prequel to Superman Returns (Aug. 2006). Cover art by Adam Hughes. TM & © DC Comics.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 3: We see you as a hero as Superman or Atom, and then you played a villain in Chuck as Daniel Shaw, and I was wondering what types of roles you enjoy playing. ROUTH: Devil Dog, yes, thank you. I enjoy playing the good guy most. There are things I enjoy about the bad guy, especially with Scott Pilgrim, who is larger than life. Not only is it the bad guy, but it’s also comedy and you’re always going to get me with comedy. But the good guys always win out by a little bit. AUDIENCE MEMBER 4: Your start was in theater. Did you have any favorite roles from the stage? ROUTH: I’ve only had a few. My favorite would be playing Aesop in a play called Hide and Shriek. I played a character like—I talking with Jeff East last night about this—the character was like Jethro from Beverly Hillbillies. He was not the smartest guy and there was a lot of comedy. AUDIENCE MEMBER 5: You’ve played Superman and the Atom. Which was your favorite? ROUTH: Superman. He was the first. He was the best.

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That doesn’t put down Ray Palmer, because I’ve gotten to play him more than any other character and I love him. You can barely divide the two, one barely wins! AUDIENCE MEMBER 6: I was wondering what it was like working on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World? ROUTH: Scott Pilgrim was a great project. I was a fan of Edgar Wright and his films. Certainly it was an opportunity for me to sink my teeth in a different type of character, playing somebody that was a little bit ludicrous. It was a great time and a great set and having all the wonderful actors together working in Toronto and working with a genius director with film and has his own fantastic style. AUDIENCE MEMBER 7: In Superman Returns, you seem to affect some of the mannerisms of Chris Reeve. I was wondering if you were asked to do that, or if it was your idea? ROUTH: That’s a good question. Mostly I think it was me. I didn’t want it to be an exact replica of Chris. My desire and Bryan Singer’s desire was to have it be a loose sequel. It was important we have some shared imagery and energy but then I could bring my own thing as well. The pushing of the glasses up was Chris and that was one thing I made it important to do to make it similar to Chris as an homage. The energy—as far as physicality, that’s one thing that sticks out in my mind— the movement of Chris, the flying, I wanted to do what I could to continue and make that even more powerful through the time that I had and the technology to make it even more graceful and powerful since he was the most powerful being on Earth and had super-abilities to move without effort. So, that was a conscious choice. Energy-wise—that was like Chris and with that I wanted to bring the fun and joy of Clark and not necessarily be bumbling for excited about being human and getting to live out humanity with Clark. He got to be human and that’s why he was so excited and that’s why he bumbled or dropped things—not because he was clumsy. AUDIENCE MEMBER 8: As an actor, how did you come up with the character of Ray Palmer? ROUTH: I got the role because of playing Superman and other things. They thought I’d be a good fit for it. That’s how I got it. The character—they’d written the character and how they wanted Ray to be—a lot like Tony Stark and Iron Man. I thought, “This is fine, this is cool; I can do this.” I didn’t want it to be too much Tony Stark, because I wanted to play Clark Kent. [applause] So, I very gradually made him less Tony Stark and more Clark Kent. I did it well enough that they didn’t mind, so that’s what he became. Less showy and crude and more kind and silly. AUDIENCE MEMBER 9: What role has made you grow the most as an actor? ROUTH: Each role meets me where I am in my stage of life and I have to do more digging to understand who I am. The good thing about being an actor, is I’m forced to look at myself to understand where I am as an actor. Questions about how I interact with people which is something we, as we’re walking around every day in the world, don’t always have the opportunity to do. We have work, kids to take care of—I have a fiveyear-old son—we have jobs, we have food to put on the table, take care of people. We don’t always have the time and space to think about how we interact with people, how we could have had a conversation differently. How I could have left an argument without people feeling bad and myself. I get to do that work so I’m very blessed. It’s something we can all do—I’m not unique, it’s just a part of my job, so I’m forced to do it. So each job offers me the opportunity to look deeper inside myself and understand why I say the

Brandon Routh Returns… …to the role of Superman. Promotional photo and screen capture from for December 2019’s Crisis on Infinite Earths on the CW. In an interview prior to the crossover’s airing, the actor confessed, “After finishing [Superman Returns], I thought I would be doing at least one more, so saying goodbye to the character had not been something that was in my mind. That has caused some emotional ups and downs for me since then, so this process has been really healing for me.” TM & © DC Comics/Warner Bros.

things I say and why I do the things I do, and have more control over myself. That affords me more control in the characters I play and bringing out different shades of humanity. So, I have to say Superman was the most influential, because I had to dig deep to find out how to be the most powerful and enlightened person on Earth. I don’t know how much of my life I was able to accept at the time, but I had to do that work and that work is being more finalized through Ray Palmer, because of the superhero life that Ray is living out is finding out what it’s like to be a superhero—the differences between light and dark, his experiences with Nora Darhk, his allowing us to see Ray in a different Ray, to see his glass half full with his glass half empty, and he had to deal with that and see both the light and dark in life. For me as a person, that’s been my journey and is Ray’s journey now. So, I’d say Superman started it and Ray is where I’m at right now, continually asking questions and reinventing myself along the way and always looking for opportunities to grow. All of them, but most recently and powerfully, Superman and Ray Palmer. [applause] AUDIENCE MEMBER 10 (loyal BI reader Wayne Brooks): Thank you for being here. I always wonder with Legends if they can do the time travel. Will the writers ever realize that the Atom has been time traveling for years? Will they ever incorporate the Time Pool in the show? The Atom used the Time Pool to jump through time in a lot of his stories in the 1960s. ROUTH: Thank you for answering that question for me. Not your questions, but my question about that; I’ve asked the writers because I don’t know enough about it. With his ability, he should be able to do that. He’s subatomic. He can literally go through a black hole that they’ve already discussed and explored, obviously, so I’m going to bring that up to the writers and see what we can do about that. [applause] The richer a character can be and the more depth a

character can have, the better. At this point, we don’t really need the Waverider anymore because we have time stones and the little watch-thingy. We’ll still have the Waverider because it’s a cool set and is the team headquarters. But I’m glad we don’t have to sit in the seats and buckle up and shake around on set around anymore. Thanks for the question… and the information. [laughter] AUDIENCE MEMBER 11: Growing up, watching TV and going to the movies, many of us had dreams of doing that. Any advice for anybody that might be considering that field? ROUTH: I didn’t grow up thinking I could be an actor or dreaming about it. It was only as I got older that I thought about it. As a small child in Norwalk, Iowa, that wasn’t a possibility. I did have the intention to make a positive impact on the Earth, so that energy manifested into Superman. I guess there’s a lesson that sometimes you get too finely focused on the only way for something to happen, so you lose the ability to see other opportunities coming at you. So, you can have an intention of something you want to do, the gift may come to you in another way. It’s important to stay open to it and not to say no to things that might be a gateway. A lot of people go to New York and L.A. to be an actor. Not many of them become an actor. If all you want to do it become an actor, you may fail and come home and feel like a failure, but if you keep your head on and do the work, you might find yourself a director, a set designer, a prop master, head of a department doing something else you never expected, as long as you keep your view open and keep all opportunities open. Special thanks to Karla Ogle and Mendy Harris of the Metropolis Superman Celebration.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 43

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If the Marvel Age of Comics commenced with Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961), then its second recurring character is Henry (Hank) Pym, who first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27 (Jan. 1962). Hank invented a shrinking potion by isolating subatomic particles, which were later dubbed “Pym particles.” Testing it, he soon found himself to be “The Man in the Ant Hill.” Apparently, sales were good and so Stan Lee brought Hank back as the shrinking superhero Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #35 (Sept. 1962). Hank later adopted the alias of Giant-Man (Nov. 1963), then Goliath (May 1966), then Yellowjacket (Dec. 1968), whilst occasionally revisiting his Ant-Man identity.

ANT-MAN’S BACK IN TOWN!

by J a

rrod Buttery

The cover of Marvel Premiere #47 (Apr. 1979) advertises “The Astonishing Ant-Man” but also asks: “Is this the real Ant-Man or an imposter?” Writer David Michelinie explained in BACK ISSUE #71 (Apr. 2014) that he had always had affection for shrinking heroes, and when he realized Ant-Man was not being used by Marvel (because Hank Pym was now Yellowjacket), he jumped at the chance to come up with a new Ant-Man—completely different to Pym. Michelinie kindly speaks with BI once again: “As far as I can recall, Ant-Man hadn’t been around for some time and no one seemed interested in using him. So that gave me pretty much a free rein on re-imagining the character with a brand-new civilian identity, personality, background, and supporting cast. It just seemed like a fun thing to do without a ton of history to bog things down, while still maintaining awareness and respect for that history.” Marvel Premiere #47 opens in medias res with Ant-Man fighting armed goons. The introductory text box heralding the beginning—and possibly end—of a brand-new superhero career, suggesting that this Ant-Man is not Hank Pym. This is reinforced when our hero immediately expresses concern for the life of his daughter. [Hank Pym (at this point in time) has no daughter (that we know of).] After a brief battle, a flashback informs us that this new Ant-Man is electronics genius and ex-burglar Scott Lang. We meet Scott as he is released from prison and reunited with his nine-year-old daughter, Cassie. Scott stays on the straight and narrow, with a job at Stark International, but his world is turned upside-down when Cassie is diagnosed with an inoperable heart condition. Cassie’s only hope lies with heart surgeon Dr. Erica Sondheim. Scott traces Sondheim but finds she is being detained at Cross Technological Enterprises (CTE). Reckoning that he’ll need money to force his way inside, Scott returns to burglary. However, when he breaks in to an upmarket brownstone, he finds the Ant-Man costume and equipment and realizes he’s in Hank Pym’s house! Scott “borrows” the costume, figuring he can now sneak into CTE. Doing so, Scott discovers that Dr. Sondheim is held captive by the enormously muscled Darren Cross—CEO of CTE. Himself suffering a heart problem some months ago, Cross underwent insertion of an experimental nucle-organic pacemaker. The device boosted his heartrate, but also his metabolism and musculature—so much so that he now needs regular heart transplants (from unwilling donors) to

Big Shot Scott Lang, as the new Ant-Man, in his first starring role, Marvel Premiere #47 (Apr. 1979). Cover art by Bob Layton. TM & © Marvel.

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Identity Theft (top left) Splash page to Marvel Premiere #47. By Micheline/Byrne/ Layton. (top right) Later in the story, Scott Lang makes an important discovery. Special thanks to Jarrod Buttery for these scans. (inset) Martin Pasko (R.I.P., Marty) and Ant-Man writer David Michelinie at a DC Comicssponsored party, early 1980s. Photo by and courtesy of Bob Rozakis. TM & © Marvel.

replace each worn-out heart. Continuing into Marvel Premiere #48 (June 1979), our debuting protagonist must outwit Cross and rescue Sondheim, so that Sondheim can save Cassie’s life! Hank Pym observes most of the action from a distance and urges Scott to keep the costume, declaring, “The world can always use another hero!” Previously, in BI #71, Michelinie stated that he came up with the idea of a reformed criminal for the new Ant-Man. Elaborating, Michelinie explains, “Yes, I came up with Scott’s backstory and personality myself. The only—and unintentional—input I received came from a lunchtime conversation between artist Bob Layton and myself. We were eating at a boisterous college-town restaurant with loud music and talk all around. I had finished telling Bob my ideas for the new Ant-Man and he wasn’t impressed. He thought the concept of a villain having a daily heart transplant, even with super-science involved, wasn’t believable. So, to lighten the mood, I joked that I was going to name the new civilian character ‘Scott Land,’ a pun on ‘Scotland.’ With all the noise Bob thought I had said ‘Scott Lang’ and offered that it was good idea since there was another

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Marvel character named ‘Lang’ and maybe I could tie in with that somehow. So, being no fool, I said, ‘Uhhh, yeah! That’s exactly what I had in mind!’ And the name stuck.” [Layton may have been referring to Steven Lang, who revived the Sentinels in Uncanny X-Men #98 (Apr. 1976), and who later merged his consciousness with the Master Mold in Incredible Hulk Annual #7 (Dec. 1978)—an issue which Layton inked.] Regardless of the subtle name change, Scott is a Michelinie creation: “Scott Lang’s origin is simple: I originated and developed the character on my own, with no collaboration and no outside input other than editorial thumbs-up or thumbs-down. I don’t know how I can state it any simpler than that.” Michelinie confirms that his idea was pitched to editor Roger Stern, who assigned John Byrne to pencils and Bob Layton to inks. Stern recalls, “When Marvel Premiere was added to my editorial duties, I started looking around for new material. (I’d inherited a couple of projects already in the works. I believe that the Jack of Hearts story had been commissioned by Archie Goodwin. And the Man-Wolf two-parter had originally been plotted

by Dave Kraft for the old Creatures on the Loose title.) That said, I don’t remember much about Dave’s pitch, other than that it sounded good. Dave was writing both Avengers and Iron Man for me at the time, and I kind of liked the idea of a new Ant-Man based on Henry Pym’s tech. “Around the same time, as I recall, John Byrne had been talking about wanting to draw an Ant-Man story, so having him break down the story seemed like a good idea. I thought it came out well. I don’t remember what the sales were on those two issues, but they apparently weren’t great enough to warrant a new Ant-Man series. Still, Dave had a great new hero to use as a supporting character in Iron Man… and elsewhere. And four decades later, he got his own movie. Who’d have thunk it?” Michelinie was indeed writing Avengers at the time and—strictly speaking—Scott Lang’s first appearance (by one month) was in Avengers #181 (Mar. 1979) as a Stark International technician at Avengers Mansion. Was this an intentional “sneak peek” of our new hero? “I’m pretty sure that was just a quirk of the publishing process,” opines Michelinie. “Avengers was a monthly ongoing title and, as such, was plotted and written with significant lead time. Whereas Premiere was an anthology series of one- and two-part stories that were inserted into the printing schedule as they were completed. So the slot for the two-part Scott Lang origin story just happened to be scheduled after that Avengers cameo had already come out.” As discussed, Marvel Premiere also introduced the suave but amoral corporate villain, Darren Cross—one month after the introduction of Justin Hammer in Iron Man #120 (Mar. 1979). Did the two scoundrels inspire each other? “Nope, two different situations,” confirms Michelinie. “Cross created by me, Hammer co-created by Bob and I. Publishing order was decided by the available slot for the Premiere stories. And as far as me favoring ‘suave but amoral corporate villains,’ well... that phrase is redundant in so many ways and opens so many plot possibilities!” Besides Scott and Cross, Marvel Premiere also introduced one of the most delightful Marvel characters of the ’70s (and beyond): Cassie Lang. Interviewed on the Adventures in Poor Taste website (July 6, 2018), Layton described how—as a divorced parent with a daughter—he identified with Scott and Cassie. Michelinie clarifies the subject: “Just because Bob and I were co-plotting Iron Man at the time, many people assume that all other projects with both our names on them followed the same procedure. Not so. Cassie was my creation—and inspiration—alone. I loved the idea of a kid whose father was a superhero, but she couldn’t tell anyone. (Playground scene—bully: ‘Your dad’s just a techno-nerd! Mine could beat him with one hand tied behind his back!’ Cassie: ‘Oh, yeah? Well, my dad is… um… er… oh, yeah?’) Bob was estranged from his wife and daughter at the time, so that may have given him a bit of empathy for Cassie, but he had nothing to do with actually creating or developing the character.” It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of Scott’s twopart Marvel Premiere debut. His characterization is established immediately and stands solid for the next decade. In a medium where it’s sometimes difficult to establish individual voices, Scott is instantly identified by his electronics know-how, his love for his daughter, and his frequent references to movies and TV shows. In these first two issues, he mentions Steve Martin, Raquel Welch, and King Kong. The first time he shrinks to the size of an ant, he asks himself, “Where’s James Whitmore when you really need him?” (James Whitmore starred in the 1954 movie Them! featuring giant ants.) Scott also names his favorite ants Emma and Steed, after the British TV show The Avengers. Michelinie was asked if this characterization mirrored his own: “I’ve always loved movies, TV, and any other storytelling medium. And at the time, one thing that set Marvel apart from DC was that Marvel stories took place in the real world: people drank Coke, not Soder; they ate at Burger King, not Big Belly Burger; they lived in New York or Chicago, not Metropolis or Gotham City. So it seemed a good fit to make one of Scott’s character traits references to pop culture and mass media. It also added to the fun of writing.”

And in writing both Iron Man and Avengers, Michelinie had several opportunities to feature the all-new Ant-Man. Almost immediately, Scott makes a guest-appearance in Iron Man #125 (Aug. 1979), infiltrating Ryker’s Island prison to extract information from the villainous Whiplash. But Scott’s biggest impact on the Marvel Universe (so far) occurred a few issues later. After Tony Stark channels all his power into one punch to knock out the Hulk, he fuses his Iron Man armor. Fortunately, Tony has a shrinking superhero on staff! In Iron Man #133 (Apr. 1980), Scott—respectfully—makes his way inside Tony’s armor to free his boss. Scott’s expertise proves invaluable in this electronic version of Fantastic Voyage.

THE TERRIBLE TOLL OF THE TASKMASTER

Michelinie next used Scott in Avengers #195 (May 1980). Therein, the team investigates a shady (not in a good way) sanatorium. The Wasp may be captive inside, and so Hank Pym (as Yellowjacket) asks Scott’s help to investigate. Scott mentions Clint Eastwood in The Eiger Sanction and, in a cheeky exchange, Hank asks, “How come you’re always making references to movies and TV shows?” Scott replies, “Guess I’m just a dyed-in-the-wool video freak, Hank. I mean, everyone’s gotta have a hobby, right? Like I’ve got the media… and you’ve got the Wasp!” Hank and Scott soon discover that the Solomon Institute for the Criminally Insane is actually a training academy for the endless goons and lackeys employed by supervillains. On the final page of the issue, we’re introduced to the master of the academy: the Taskmaster.

Growing Pains A hot-headed Wonder Man disapproves of Scott Lang’s presence as the future Ant-Man is introduced to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers #181 (Mar. 1979). By Michelinie, Byrne, and Gene Day. TM & © Marvel.

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After a few more guest-appearances in Iron Man, Scott has a co-starring role with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up #103 (Mar. 1981) as our heroes stumble across an assassin academy run by the Taskmaster! In a nodding aside, the issue opens with Scott using his shrinking powers and electronics expertise to get inside and fix Cassie’s ROM doll. Hilariously, here is where we first encounter Cassie’s culinary concoctions, which was to become a running joke. Michelinie chuckles: “Most kids like weird food, and seem to take joy in liking things that shock adults: Garbage Pail Kids, Gummy Guts, etc. So giving Cassie odd tastes in kitchen fare felt both believable and fun. Oh, and by the way, her initial icky meal in MTU #103 was supposed to be Twinkies au gratin. When the story was published I noticed that the entree had been changed to ‘pretzels with cheese.’ I asked the editor why and he said he didn’t think my original idea was funny. Really? And ‘pretzels with cheese’ is funny? Especially when cheese-filled pretzel bites

were commonly offered in cinemas and grocery stores? Oh, well, different strokes...” The haute cuisine horrors continued into Marvel Two-in-One #87 (May 1982), as Cassie (courtesy of writer Tom DeFalco) treats us to both Marshmallows Oreganata, and peanut butter and banana casserole. Scott himself throws in multiple movie references throughout the issue, making it clear that DeFalco paid close attention to Scott’s characterisation. “I was, am, and always will be a fan of David Micheline’s writing,” offers DeFalco. “I’m sure I read every one of Scott’s appearances and did my best to portray him as established. That doesn’t make me unique. That’s what everyone did in those days.” Scott and Ben Grimm shrink to the same Microworld that the FF visited previously (alongside Hank Pym) in Fantastic Four #16 (July 1963). DeFalco was asked if his tale was a deliberate homage. “When I was assigned to write Marvel Two-in-One and Marvel Team-Up, I was constantly on the search for good guest-stars. I was reading or, at the very least, paging through every Marvel title that was being published, constantly on the lookout for a likely candidate. I’m sure I decided to use Scott Lang and the story proceeded from there.” The last of Scott’s early starring roles was in Avengers #223 (Sept. 1982), written by Michelinie. Within, Scott and Hawkeye coincidentally find themselves at a carnival—which is being used as a front by the Taskmaster (him again!). In a cute bit of business, Scott reveals he’s been carrying around his Ant-Man costume in shrunken form—but then finds it too small to activate its size-changing gas! In the exciting climax, Taskmaster uses the carnival cannon to launch a bomb into the air. Ant-Man must ride one of Hawkeye’s arrows (depicted on the iconic cover) to intercept and disarm the bomb. “I’m pretty sure the tiny costume bit was mine, since I solo-plotted that story,” recalls Michelinie. “But I had no input at all on the cover—one of my all-time favorites! There may have been some editorial direction, but otherwise that was all Ed Hannigan.” Scott made frequent cameo appearances as part of Tony Stark’s supporting cast, but when Michelinie left Iron Man, Scott stopped appearing. This was resolved a couple of years later in Wonder Man #1 (Mar. 1986)—a one-shot written by Michelinie. “I was always trying to find ways to put Scott into stories, and that cameo in Wonder Man #1 seemed a good fit. I likely explained Scott’s quitting his SI job because, as I saw him, he would never work for a slimeball like Stane.” When Michelinie returned to Iron Man in 1987, so too did Scott: “It was great to have a chance to play with those characters again, even in relatively small doses. “I always wanted to do more with Scott and Cassie than I was able to. But I could never get enough interest from Marvel for a miniseries, let alone a regular monthly. So I had to feature the characters whenever I could, as guest-stars in other characters’ books. But as long as the stories were good, and the guest participation logical, there was never any problem fitting the Lang family in here and there.”

UNDER SIEGE

Pop-Ins Early guest-appearances by the new Ant-Man: (top) Iron Man #125 (Aug. 1979), cover by Layton, and Avengers #195 (May 1980), cover by George Pérez and Dan Green. (bottom) Marvel Team-Up #103 (Mar. 1981), cover by Jerry Bingham and Joe Rubinstein, and Marvel Two-in-One #87 (May 1982), cover by Ron Wilson and Chic Stone. TM & © Marvel.

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The year 1987 also played host to one of the most famous Avengers storylines of all time: “Under Siege.” As written by Roger Stern, Baron Zemo amasses a veritable army of supervillains to take over Avengers Mansion. One of the few Avengers to escape capture is their current leader, the Wasp. Scott volunteers to help in Avengers #275 (Jan. 1987), just as the pair are set upon by Titania and the Absorbing Man. Can two tiny heroes, often thought of as ineffectual, prevail against such heavy-hitters? “I absolutely agree that way too many readers once thought of the Wasp as ineffectual,” Stern confirms. “To me she’s always been the backbone of the Avengers. She even gave them their name. Not bad for a hero who hadn’t yet turned twenty when the group was founded. When I first started reading Marvel Comics, a half century or so ago, I always liked the idea of Ant-Man and the Wasp. It was an interesting team, and to my way of thinking, they were always underestimated. So teaming Jan with Scott during the ‘Siege’ story seemed like a real no-brainer… especially since I was able to use the Wasp as the more experienced member of the duo!” Scott made further guest-appearances with ROM, the Micronauts, Spider-Man, and Iron Man, as well as several solo stories in Marvel

Comics Presents. MCP #131 (June 1993) featured a story written, drawn, and colored by Sandy Plunkett, who recalls, “I’d done some writing for other editors (other than Terry Kavanagh) at Marvel and they seemed open to most ideas I was offering, so long as it didn’t involve any of their major characters. Which was fine—I always seemed interested in the characters I felt had potential that wasn’t being utilized. I’d liked Ant-Man as a kid. Very cool helmet and, as an artist, I was attracted to drawing characters with simple costumes.” Scott investigates a theft from Stark International— but at that time, he wasn’t working for SI. “I finished the story, sent it in, and then didn’t hear back from the editor,” recalls Plunkett. “I finally talked to Al Milgrom and he got Terry to move on it, so it did sit around for a while, but I don’t know why.” The thief stashes his purloined goods in a suburban house. Upon investigating, Scott runs afoul of a puckish lad who uses his dinner to swat Scott! “There was a real-life Lief—a young friend of mine who, I thought, would get a kick out of seeing his name in a comic book,” Plunkett reveals. “Not sure where I got the idea of a food fight. I know that I admired Eisner’s writing on the Spirit and realized that one of the things that made his 7–8-page stories work in such limited space was humor. Writing a self-contained story in eight pages is tough!”

F4 (FANTASTIC FOUR)

Co-plotters Tom DeFalco and Paul Ryan gave Scott his next big break. Reed Richards is apparently “killed” in Fantastic Four #381 (Oct. 1993) but Sue is understandably unconvinced. She hires electronics expert Scott Lang, in Fantastic Four #384 (Jan. 1994), to work with Reed’s equipment to try and find Reed. “I needed a scientist-type. Scott fit the bill, was available, and I thought he would add to the mix,” states DeFalco. Doctor Doom’s protégé and heir, Kristoff Vernard, joins the team and immediately butts heads with Scott. Although only 12 years old, Kristoff’s intelligence and arrogance place Scott beneath his contempt. Infuriatingly for Scott, but hilarious for the readers, is the fact that 11-year-old Cassie is immediately smitten with Kristoff—and vice-versa. DeFalco was asked if he and Ryan pursued these light-hearted sequences: “Absolutely, and we later followed their relationship in MC-2 in my A-Next run. I always liked them together.” “Onslaught” and “Heroes Reborn” rebooted the Fantastic Four—sans Scott. He next appeared in Heroes for Hire as part of the team, but fell into limbo when that title was cancelled. When Geoff Johns commenced scripting Avengers with issue #57 (Oct. 2002), Scott returned as a reservist, where his prime function seemed to be to bicker with fellow Avenger Jack of Hearts. For 24 years, Scott had operated as a single parent, with no mention of Cassie’s mother. In Avengers #62 (Feb. 2003), Scott’s ex-wife—Peggy Rae—returns and requests custody of Cassie. No longer a light-hearted character, Scott contends with Peggy and squabbles with Jack. The situation comes to a head when Cassie is kidnapped in Avengers #76 (Feb. 2004). Instead of remaining in his energy-absorbing safe room, Jack helps to rescue Cassie, then flies into the upper atmosphere and explodes. Avengers #85 (Sept. 2004) returns the title to its original numbering, as issue #500. In this first part of the “Disassembled” storyline, an apparently dead Jack of Hearts returns to Avengers Mansion before exploding and killing Scott. Now 14, Cassie exhibits growing powers in Young Avengers #2 (May 2005), admitting in the

Taking Aim (top) Who knew back in ’82 that this Ed Hannigan/ Klaus Janson cover for Avengers #223 would inspire (middle) this fanpleasing scene in Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Civil War? (bottom) Bob Haney and Jim Aparo did it first, with Green Arrow and the Atom, in their team-up with Batman in The Brave and the Bold #130 (Oct. 1976). Avengers TM & © Marvel. Brave & Bold TM & © DC Comics.

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Food Fight (left) A stylishly designed page from Sandy Plunkett’s AntMan tour-de-force in Marvel Comics Presents #131 (June 1993). (right) The Invisible Woman recruits a dumbfounded Scott Lang on this beautiful page from Fantastic Four #384 (Jan. 1994). From the Tom DeFalco/ Paul Ryan/Danny Bulanadi team. Art courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com). TM & © Marvel.

universe (Doom would argue that point, probably). So if nothing else—because I’m obdurate—I wanted to go in an opposite direction. And that meant doing the two books about families: in F4, the Richards nuclear family, and in FF, a found family (which is what the FF stands for, to me).” Did Fraction cast Scott to give him a redemption arc? “All the character choices were mine, for good or for ill (though Tom Brevoort reminded me of the Thing Rings, from the cartoon, so Darla inherited those). The gag was, the F4 FF (FUTURE FOUNDATION) were taking a family vacation outside Reed Richards sets up the Future of space and time, and so each was Foundation to instruct and nurture picking their fill-in representatives back young geniuses. In FF #1 (Jan. 2013), home. Reed chose Scott because he Reed asks Scott to manage the was a father that lost his daughter— Future Foundation whilst the and almost his sanity—under the Fantastic Four depart on a trip. sandy plunkett weight of such a devastating tragedy. As the Fantastic Four leave Earth, Being surrogate dad over the whole writer Matt Fraction oversaw both YouTube. madhouse of the Future Foundation their extra-dimensional adventures as well as the shenanigans back home. Fraction would force him to move forward out of his grief. It kindly speaks with BI: “It’s been a while, but my wasn’t—to me—a redemption arc (I don’t think he recollection is something like this: I was inheriting the needed redemption), but one of... not quite healing… F4/FF books after Jonathan Hickman’s epic run. Jon but of growth out of that place of terrible pain. being Jon, his run had leaned heavy on all the stuff The grief would always be with him, but having to we know and love about Jon’s stuff, the fulcrum of make 200 pancakes every morning would force him which was Reed as… well… the smartest guy in the into somewhere beyond the paralyzing stasis of loss. following issue that she had been stealing Pym particles from her father for years. She soon adopts the codename “Stature.” In Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #5 (June 2011), the Young Avengers travel back in time and rescue Scott just before Jack of Hearts explodes. They then return—with Scott— to the present day. Devastatingly, Cassie is killed by Doctor Doom in issue #8 (Jan. 2012).

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Watching Cassie Grow (top left) Cassie Lang, from Marvel Premiere #47. (middle) An older Cassie shows up in Young Avengers #2 (May 2005), where (bottom) she has a growth spurt. By Alan Heinberg, Jim Cheung, John Dell, and Mark Morales. (right) Paul Rudd has twice headlined Marvel Studios Ant-Man movies, as well as appeared elsewhere in the role, scoring big box office. TM & © Marvel.

“My time on each of those books was cut short; Lee Allred handled writing the ending of the FF stuff. I provided him broad notes and plans but stayed as out of the way as I could be for Lee (and Mike and Laura!) to land the book how they wanted—and I think the book was that much more interesting and strong for it. (Had the world been a different place, after the F4 had returned, Scott and Darla [and probably some other folks, too, I don’t really remember now] would have gone on to start A.N.T.M.E.N. [I used to know what it stood for but, again, been a while]. It would’ve been like a superhero Sneakers. Ahh, well.)” With an Ant-Man movie on the way, the status quo had to be restored, and Scott left the Future Foundation (after defeating Doom). In the “Axis” storyline the personalities of many heroes and villains were inverted. Avengers World #16 (Feb. 2015) saw a heroic Doctor Doom repel a villainous Scarlet Witch. Doom absorbed just enough of her reality-altering power to change one thing—to right one wrong—and undid Cassie’s death. Reunited with his daughter, Scott has had several solo series since. Speaking of the movie, what did Scott’s creator think? “Overall I was pleased with the entire first Ant-Man movie,” answers Michelinie. “I thought it was crisp, fun, and entertaining. I was especially happy that they got the most important thing about Scott Lang right: his love for his daughter. As for Paul Rudd, he was likable and smart in the part, and I really can find no reason to complain—even though Michael Peña stole the show pretty much whenever he was on screen. Fingers crossed for an Ant-Man 3...” The author would like to express his sincere gratitude to Tom DeFalco, Matt Fraction, David Michelinie, Sandy Plunkett, and Roger Stern for their generous help. JARROD BUTTERY lives in Western Australia. He reads a lot of comics and, in his spare time, works as an industrial chemist by day and theater actor/ director by night.

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It is an unwritten rule that superheroes exist in a perpetual state of the here and now. They seldom reflect specific events that would tie them down to any one era in time. These characters do not age and continue on in apparent defiance of the passage of time. A legacy is something that is passed down to a person by a predecessor. For our purposes, that is a role—a costumed identity. How can a legacy be established if these heroes do not grow older? For some characters, they age gradually. This is how it is handled by Marvel Comics. Peter Parker spent 20 years in college by our standards, and if Franklin Richards followed our calendar, he would be in his mid-50s today. For DC fans, this is handled by resetting the clock through various Crisis-level events. This way, Batman and his peers can stay a never-ending 30-ish, remaining fresh for battle for generations to come. So, then, how can they have any type of a legacy? Was this not part of the explanation for the adoption of sidekicks, that someday they would grow up and assume their mentors’ jobs? Alas, the answer is no, as the Teen Titans can grow into the Titans, but never into the Justice League. On the other hand, if one ignores the strictures imposed by Crisis on Infinite Earths, the beauty of a superhero legacy becomes apparent in the concepts created by Gardner Fox and Julius Schwartz in the story “Flash of Two Worlds” (Flash #123, 1961). In their desire to team up the Flashes of two clearly different realities, they opened the door to the multiple-Earth concept and a format where superheroes grew older. With the invention of Earth-Two, the Justice Society of America returned to continuity. As they were not part of the mainstream universe of Earth-One, possibilities for them emerged that could never be duplicated in the series of the “contemporary” heroes. Characters from Earth-Two could not only age, but face other forbidden problems, including death. At last there existed the possibility of a true heroic legacy, which began with the introduction of Power Girl.

A NEW GENERATION EVOLVES

In 1976, Gerry Conway revived All-Star Comics and the Justice Society. As the average JSAer was in his 50s, Conway needed a few younger characters on the team to attract younger readers, which led to the addition of Robin, Star Spangled Kid, and Power Girl (see BACK ISSUE #33 and 71 for more details). What is important here is that Power Girl was loosely connected to Superman. She was a modified version of Supergirl with no intention of assuming Superman’s role in the world (as proven by the lack of the S-shield on her costume). The idea of inheriting an older hero’s role emerged a few years later from Paul Levitz and Joe Staton (with a nudge from Bob Layton) with the appearance of the Huntress. This story was told in BACK ISSUE #38, but what needs to be acknowledged here is the unique nature of her conception. Huntress was Helena Wayne, daughter of Bruce (Batman) Wayne and Selina (Catwoman) Kyle. This was not an imaginary story like the tales of Batman II and Robin II recited by Alfred in the Silver Age—Batman and Catwoman had really wed and had a daughter. Also, as part of Huntress’ origin, Catwoman dies and Batman retires! Sacrilege? No, pure genius. Batman is still active, single, and childless on Earth-One, but anything can happen on Earth-Two, as Levitz proved shortly thereafter when Bruce (Batman) Wayne was murdered! Now, we have a true tale of legacy, with Huntress carrying on as Gotham’s guardian for several years in the second feature in Wonder Woman. The next stage in the JSA’s legacy arrived in Wonder Woman #300 (publication date February 1983). In a story designed to both celebrate Wonder Woman’s history and build a new direction for the character,

We’re the Young Generation Meet Infinity, Inc., on this spectacular Jerry Ordway cover for All-Star Squadron #25 (Sept. 1983). TM & © DC Comics.

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by J o h n

Schwirian

Roy and Dann Thomas introduced Lyta Trevor, the daughter of Earth-Two’s Diana Prince and Steve Trevor. Lyta is a teenager, training with her mother, but no indication of a superhero identity or even a hint of another appearance is given here. Thomas may have had no intention to develop the idea further at that time, but neither did he forget about it. About the time that Wonder Woman #300 was at the printers, Roy and Dann Thomas were visiting New York City with the intention of proposing a new series called Time Titans to DC. “It had to do with mixing some DC heroes from various eras,” Thomas recalls, “like maybe the Viking Prince and different characters like that. Maybe a cowboy character plus a couple of new characters—a different kind of group that went through time and so forth.” Before their meeting with DC, husband and wife did some sightseeing, including a trip to the Statue of Liberty. After the tour, as they waited for the ferry ride back to the city, they tossed about several story ideas. Roy Thomas explains, “we started talking about the idea of the sons and daughters [of the JSA]. It might have been because we had already done Wonder Woman #300 where we roy thomas introduced the daughter of Wonder Woman, so maybe our minds were © Luigi Novi / on this because of that.” Just the Wikimedia Commons. skeleton of a pitch was developed on Liberty Island, but it was enough to get the go-ahead from executive editor Dick Giordano the next day. The Thomases proceeded to put together a formal proposal that is reprinted in Alter Ego vol. 3 #44. The core concept was to take the idea of the aging JSAers and continue the process started by Power Girl and Huntress, creating a new venue to showcase the modern characters of Earth-Two. The series would start with a ten or 12-issue origin saga with a big cast. By tale’s end, some of the heirs would leave, get killed, or turn evil (or a villain turn good), with the remaining cast finalizing the membership. As stated in the proposal: “The whole idea is to get a ‘new generation’ of heroes to take over from the old.” In addition to Power Girl and Huntress, the initial lineup was to include: Nuklon, the adopted son of Al (Atom) Pratt; Harlequin and Jade/Jayd, the twin children of Alan (Green Lantern) Scott and Molly (Harlequin) Mayne; Fury, daughter of Diana (Wonder Woman) Prince and Steve Trevor; Bobcat, Ted (Wildcat) Grant’s daughter; Blue Dolphin, Aquaman’s daughter; Shockwave, heir of Johnny Thunder; Silver Streak, a speedster; and

World’s Finest Legacy (top) Earth-Two characters Power Girl (Superman’s cousin) and the Huntress (Batman and Catwoman’s daughter) paved the way for the Infinitors. Power Girl illo by Joe Staton and Joe Orlando, Huntress by Staton and Bob Layton. (bottom) Roy Thomas introduces Lyta Trevor, in Wonder Woman #300 (Feb. 1983). Art by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.

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Northwind, Carter (Hawkman) Hall’s heir apparent. Also appearing would be Sandy, Robin, Speedy, Star Spangled Kid, and maybe Blackwing (from the Huntress series in Wonder Woman #297–299). Several names were batted around, including the Centurions, New Centurions, Centurions of Justice, Champions of Justice, Young Champions, Young J.U.S.T.I.C.E., and (jokingly) Junior Justice Society. Artist Jerry Ordway remembers suggesting New Centurions, as “one of my fanzine characters was a group named the New Centurions, which I changed when I realized that there was a book by Joseph Wambaugh called The New Centurions.” Thomas settled on The Centurions, which “had a military sound, or at least an action sound to it, like Avengers,” he explains. “I didn’t like passive names like Defenders. I liked names like Invaders or Avengers.” However, a problem arose as animation studio RubySpears had copyrighted the name The Centurions for a series they had in production (and later hit the airwaves in 1986). So the team was renamed Infinity, Incorporated (or Inc. for short). Roy Thomas laments that he “was never that wild about ‘Infinity, Incorporated.’ Dann had just invented the name and I certainly hadn’t come up with anything better, and DC seemed to like it.” Roy may not have been wild about the name, but fans, like Geoff Johns, felt different. “I loved the idea of infinity,” Johns tells BACK ISSUE, “like it is going to go on forever with these legacies and costumes—some were sons or daughters, but others were inspired to pick up the mantle.”

What’s in a Name? (top) “Centurions” was denied as the title for the new-gen heroes’ book due to a TV cartoon of the same title—which came full circle to DC in 1987 as a licensed comic. Shown is a DC house ad for its Centurions book. (bottom) This slightly different version of Infinity, Inc. was teased in this two-page spread appearing in All-Star Squadron #28. Art by Mike Machlan and Jerry Ordway. Centurians © 1987 Ruby-Spears Entertainment. Infinity, Inc. TM & © DC Comics.

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CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

With the series green-lighted, artists Mike Machlan and Jerry Ordway were brought in to develop visuals. The first step was to make sketches of the characters listed in the proposal, but alternate ideas were explored as well. According to Ordway, “Mike did most of the drawings because he was originally supposed to pencil the book and I wound up just basically art-directing it with him. The design of the characters, I’d say, was 70% Mike and 30% me. We would get together on Fridays, go to the comic store, and then afterwards we would go to a local bar and sit and sketch out ideas on napkins. Then I would later do the color designs.” Roy Thomas had final say on the costumes and looks for the characters, which sometimes resulted in some strong discussions. “There were battles with costume colors because I thought of the characters as a group,” Ordway explains. “If you have seven characters, you don’t want everyone to be red and yellow based or red and blue based.” Nuklon (Albert Rothstein) is a perfect example of Machlan’s ideas. “I don’t think I would have been bold enough to do a Mohawk,” Ordway chuckles, “even though it made sense as a play on the Atom’s costume when he had a fin on his helmet.” Thomas also toyed with calling him Nuklar or Stonewall. Green Lantern’s twins underwent several changes. Conceptually, Jade (Jennie-Lynn Hayden) took shape rather quickly, as her powers were based on her father’s, but her brother developed more slowly. Harlequin was the first thought for the brother—a possibly gay, carefree, fun-loving guy with a bag full of tricks. However, Roy Thomas never warmed to him. “One of the things probably that turned me against Harlequin,” Thomas recalls, “is that I wanted the heroes to have real superpowers. Having someone who is mainly a trickster didn’t appeal to me.” Another strike against Harlequin was the identity of his mother. “I know Mike drew a sketch of a male Harlequin that I think predated Obsidian,” Ordway adds, “and maybe he would have been Jade’s brother, but that was too much of an early tell as Roy wanted to make their mother’s identity a mystery.” Obsidian (Todd Rice), as Jade’s brother, grew out of the idea of contrasting light and darkness. Machlan took a design for a possible Sandman and reworked it several times for Obsidian before hitting on the right look. Likewise, many names were considered, including Blackout, Umbra, Penumbra, Shadow Man, and Ebon, before settling on Obsidian. When not enshrouded in darkness, Todd Rice’s appearance is modeled after Tom Cruise and Jade after Rebecca DeMornay in Risky Business. Both characters are named after friends of Roy Thomas. Jade’s design presented the biggest conflict of interests between writer and artists. “Jade was a kind of a fight because Roy wanted her to have long hair,” Ordway adds. “One of my and Mike’s things about Jade was that she was going to be green, so we did not want her to look like [Marvel’s] She-Hulk. So Mike and I agreed that Jade would be slim, with more of a dancer’s body, more lanky. She-Hulk was big and had long, flowing hair. We wanted Jade to have short hair, more of a pageboy cut. That was a fight with Roy because he wanted more long, flowing hair, saying at one point that short hair wasn’t sexy. To appease Roy, when she first appears, her hair is short over the ears but long in the back and, as my ten issues of Infinity, Inc. progressed, I made her hair shorter and shorter.” Fury (Lyta Trevor) initially was supposed to betray her teammates. “After all,” Thomas chuckles, “the old, original Furies of myth were pretty fierce creatures.” At one point there was a

discussion where it was suggested that maybe she suffered from living in her mother’s shadow and, like Dr. Doom, had a slight scar or imperfection that drove her mad. Thomas wanted Hawkman represented on the team, but he wanted the character to have real wings, not strap-ons. Thus Northwind (Norda Cantrell) would be Hawkman’s godson, a child of the bird people of Feithera originally seen in Flash Comics #71 (May 1946). Bobcat, Wildcat’s daughter, dressed in orange, not blue, almost made the final cut. Also called Lynx and La Garra (the Claw), she was included in the promotional pinup printed in All-Star Squadron #28. However, the team was too large, so she was dropped to make more room for Power Girl and Huntress. She would return as Wildcat (Yolanda Montez), goddaughter of the original Wildcat, later in the series. Blue Dolphin seems to have been included mainly to provide unique underwater powers. She was the daughter or granddaughter of the deceased Aquaman (not the child of Neptune Perkins and Tsunami), but as the Earth-Two Aquaman had no connection to the JSA, this passing notion was quickly abandoned. Shockwave, heir of Johnny Thunder, may have been in the original proposal, but no sketches or notes on powers seem to exist. Silver Streak, a speedster, was another quickly forgotten possibility. While listed as a possible turncoat or the one destined to die, Silver Streak pulled a fast fadeout. “At one time, I toyed with the idea of a son of the Flash,” elaborates Thomas, “but there had been so much said about the Earth-Two Flash and his wife—they didn’t seem to have any kids. And as every group seemed to have a speed character, I decided we didn’t really need one.” Other possibilities included African-American wards for Hourman and Spectre (Kronus and Black Spectre) and a character named either Sandman or Nightmare with a blue costume based on Timely Comics’ 1940s Vision. Mr. Bones was created at this time, but, as he did not fit into the initial dynamic, had to wait over a year to pop up as a villain. Brainwave, Jr. (Henry King, Jr.) was inspired by the idea of the child of a villain trying to repay society for the damage caused by the criminal parent. His family connection to the JSA was through his mother, Merry Pemberton, the adopted sister of the Star Spangled Kid. Visually, he was a tweaked version of the mental projection the villain Brain Wave used in the 1970s. Thinking back, Thomas says, “I always hated that costume and new persona that Gerry Conway and the artist gave him when they revived All-Star Comics in 1976. Suddenly, they’d come up with a whole new Brain Wave that didn’t look or act anything like the original. Well, I thought that could still be a good costume and general look for the son of Brain Wave.” Star Spangled Kid, Robin, and Sandy the Golden Boy were listed on the promotional pinup in All-Star Squadron, but only the Star Spangled Kid made the final cut. “Sandy had no superpowers, so I wasn’t interested in him,” Thomas explains, “unless I gave him some superpowers, and, of course, there was a Sandman over at Marvel, so it didn’t make much sense to use him. Besides, he would have been so much older than the other Infinitors. I didn’t want to have five to ten years difference in the ages of the characters.” The last character created for the team was the Silver Scarab (Hector Hall). He was, in fact, a last-minute addition, and had to be added to the original cover drawing for All-Star Squadron #26. “Silver Scarab never worked out as that great of a character,” Thomas says.

“I wanted Hawkman’s son to be there, but somehow Silver Scarab was also supposed to be like the Blue Beetle and characters like that. Again, he was just a guy in a suit.” Hector suffered from an attitude problem, partly stemming from his jealousy over Northwind’s relationship with his parents. He would eventually be “slain” by his father’s ancient foe Hastor, only to miraculously return several issues later in the role of the 1970s Jack Kirby Sandman, hero of the dream realm. “Hector came back as the new Sandman,” Thomas clarifies, “because I felt the old Silver Scarab identity hadn’t been a particularly strong one.”

THE INFINITORS PREMIERE

Once all the preparations were complete, it was time to introduce the team to the readers. The initial idea was to showcase them in the Superman team-up title DC Comics Presents, but editor Julius Schwartz had an abundance of material backed up for the series, which meant the team’s premiere might be delayed by several years. So Roy Thomas chose an alternate route, one that may not have exposed Infinity, Inc. to the larger Superman audience, but one that would reach the core fans who were most likely to follow the new series. Thus, Infinity, Inc. first appeared in the pages of All-Star Squadron #25–26 (Sept.–Oct. 1983) and Annual #2, with Brainwave, Jr.’s debut in issue #24 setting the stage. In a way, the team’s premiere was also the origin story of Nuklon. The tale centers on the UltraHumanite (whose brain now resides in the body of actress Dolores Winters) and his/her schemes, part of which included blackmailing atomic scientist Dr.

Meet the New Kids Thomas, Ordway, and Machlan brought the Infinitors into the pages of All-Star Squadron beginning with (top) Brainwave, Jr. in issue #24 (Aug. 1983) and his teammates in issues #25 and (bottom) 26. TM & © DC Comics.

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Poster-Worthy Covers The art of (top) Machlan and Ordway and (bottom) Ordway solo made early Infinity, Inc. covers a sight to behold. TM & © DC Comics.

Terry Curtis to build weapons. Through a complicated series of events, the Infinitors travel back in time to the 1940s and team up with the All-Star Squadron to squelch the Ultra-Humanite’s plans. Dr. Curtis was working for Ultra, but only because the villain kidnapped Curtis’ infant daughter Terri, who was ill from radiation exposure. In the costumed identity of Cyclotron, Curtis used radiation-based superpowers to commit crimes, but in the end betrayed the Ultra-Humanite and destroyed the villain’s base. The Infinitors return to their own time, and the Atom and Firebrand vow to look after Curtis’ daughter, who would grow up to become Nuklon’s mother. While Firebrand’s involvement is never discussed again, the Atom appears frequently as Uncle Al. (In Infinity, Inc. #48, Mar. 1988, readers would more about Nuklon’s childhood, including the fact that his pilot father’s helicopter was shot down in Vietnam.) The team was launched into its own title beginning with Infinity, Inc. #1 (Mar. 1984), co-plotted by Roy and Dann Thomas, scripted by Roy, penciled by Jerry Ordway, and inked by Mike Machlan, with colors by Anthony Tollin. The tale from All-Star Squadron is worked in between issues #2 and 3 of Infinity, Inc., and sets up the main conflict of the first story arc. Known as “The Generations Saga,” the first ten issues explain how the kids decide to join the JSA, are rejected, travel into the past, and return to face the vengeance of the Ultra-Humanite. Using a magical river called the Stream of Ruthlessness, Ultra (now an albino ape) turns several members of the JSA into murderous villains. Of course, the JSAers are the parents and mentors of Infinity, Inc., who work together to cure the older heroes and make a monkey of the Ultra-Humanite. Star Spangled Kid resigns from the JSA and uses his family fortune to fund the Infinitors. After this story arc, Jerry Ordway stepped away from the series. He had previously been with All-Star Squadron for several years, and new opportunities were presenting themselves. It was time for a change. Don Newton, best known for his work on The Phantom, Batman, Shazam!, and Aquaman, stepped in to take over the art chores. Unfortunately, after three issues, Newton passed away from a sudden heart attack. Then-newcomer Todd MacFarlane assumed the role of penciler beginning with Infinity, Inc. #14 (May 1985), lasting two years (through issue #37), with Tony DeZuniga providing inks. Vince Argondezzi provided pencils for much of the remainder of the series, with DeZuniga’s inks maintaining a familiar feel for many of these issues. 56 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

WHAT’S NEW ON EARTH-TWO??

As Infinity, Inc. was, at its heart, a legacy series, it served to update readers on many aspects of the Golden Age heroes and villains. In addition to the Ultra-Humanite, the book brought back Stripesy and the surviving members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, Brain Wave, Solomon Grundy, the Harlequin, Rose/ Thorn, Knodar the time-traveling criminal, the Wizard, the Fiddler, Shade, Huntress, Sportsmaster, Gambler, Icicle, Per Degaton, and the Psycho-Pirate, as well as the occasional visit from members of the JSA. This is not to say that there was nothing new to find on EarthTwo. The team also encountered the alien vocalist Chroma, genetic misfits in Helix, and villainous offspring in Injustice Unlimited. First seen in Infinity, Inc. #17 (Aug. 1985), Helix consisted of a family of superpowered children created (and possibly sired by) the mad gynecologist Dr. Benjamin Love, who injected his pregnant patients with various chemicals in the hopes of birthing “genomorphs.” Six of those pregnancies were successes in Love’s eyes, and he kidnapped and raised the children in secrecy and isolation. When the children were 16, they discovered the truth of their births, and escaped to try to make their own destiny—which, of course, led to conflict with Infinity, Inc. The six consisted of Mr. Bones, Penny Dreadful, Arak/ Wind Walker, Baby Boom, Kritter, and Tao Jones. Mr. Bones (who was created during series development) resurfaced as a poetic, cigarettesmoking villain with a costume design that resembled the one worn by the Golden Age Black Terror. According to Roy Thomas, DC hated Mr. Bones’ rhyming speech. Wind Walker was a descendant of Thomas’ historical fiction hero Arak [see BACK ISSUE #121]. Baby Boom, an adult trapped in a child’s body, was inspired by The Tin Drum by Günter Grass, and bears a resemblance to the young vampire Claudia from Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Another strange fact about Helix revealed by Roy Thomas is that readers thought Kritter really was a dog! Helix returned several times. In their second encounter with Infinity, Inc., it was discovered that there were other surviving members of Dr. Love’s experiments when two more genomorphs showed up: Carcharo, a large white shark-boy, and Yolanda Montez, goddaughter of Wildcat. This arc ended with Carcharo dead, Mr. Bones in Infinity, Inc.’s custody, and Wildcat joining the Infinitors. The genomorphs were popular enough that, at one point, a spinoff series was discussed for Helix. Injustice Unlimited was a mix of the original members of the Injustice Society and their offspring. This team of arch-foes initially consisted of old-timers Wizard, Fiddler, and Shade, alongside newcomers Artemis (daughter of Huntress and Sportsmaster), Hazard (granddaughter of the Gambler), and Icicle (son of the original Icicle). While this incarnation of Injustice Unlimited was dangerous and ruthless, the Infinitors handled them like pros.

A CRISIS FOR INFINITY, INC.

identity and weapons of the Harlequin from Molly Mayne (who Much of the nature and uniqueness of Infinity, Inc. was lost when toyed with Green Lantern in the 1940s) and became a new foe DC’s 1985–1986 line-spanning crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths for the team. Despite being thrust into a bigger world, Infinity, Inc. managed arrived. Crisis first broke down the barriers between different universes, and later merged Earths-One, Two, Five, S, and X into to retain many elements of Earth-Two. On several occasions, one world. This allowed for easier team-ups and interaction with detective Jonni Thunder and her alien thunderbolt [see BACK other characters in the re-created DC Universe, but it also created ISSUE #106] worked with the team. Maleficent Hastor (who slew a mound of headaches in resolving the new timeline for the past Hawkman and Hawkgirl in their original Egyptian incarnations) returned to deceive and murder Hector Hall. After the team history of this new DC Earth. One of the rules for the new, one and only universe was “no defeated Hastor, Northwind left to pursue duties in Fiethera. A few doppelgangers.” In cases where characters whose Earth-Two and issues later, Hector Hall returned, his spirit now inhabiting the Earth-One incarnations were virtually identical, the Earth-Two form of the Sandman (based on the Jack Kirby character from the character was eliminated from existence. That meant that the original 1970s). Fury, pregnant with Hall’s child, quit the team to live with Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, him in the Sandman’s magic land of dreams. The end comes at last in Infinity, Inc. #53 (Aug. 1988) with the and Speedy “ceased to exist” along with members of their supporting casts like Lois Lane, Alfred, and Steve Trevor. Huntress was erased return of Injustice Unlimited. Villains Artemis, Hazard, Icicle, and new along with her parents, but miraculously, Power Girl and Fury were member Harlequin, under the leadership of the Dummy, deliver the spared, creating the problem of explaining their existence when their blow that will eventually break the Infinitors. Harlequin, disguised as Jade, convinces Solomon Grundy to attack Skyman (formerly known entire families were gone. “I hated the Crisis,” Roy Thomas laments. “While it was done as the Star Spangled Kid) and then frames Mr. Bones for the murder quite well by Marv [Wolfman], I disagreed from the beginning that of Infinity, Inc.’s leader. Bones flees to find Helix, who reject him and it was necessary. The [multiple Earth] concept only got screwed call him traitor. The Infinitors manage to defeat Injustice Unlimited, but loses their HQ in a devastating fire along the way. Although up when people were handling it that didn’t know what the series ends with the heroes as a team, they are not seen they were doing. Crisis wrecked the work I was doing at together again after that. the time and I wasn’t too happy about it.” According It wasn’t so much poor sales that resulted in the to Thomas, the Higher Ups at DC promised that 1988 cancellation as it was that DC was moving away Earth-Two would continue in a pocket universe and from Earth-Two characters. A few survivors of Infinity, that Roy would be the editor of all series there, Inc. found homes in other series, but it was several but minds soon changed and they retracted their years before DC renewed interest in the old guard. agreement. “I had to play catch-up,” continues Thomas. “Characters like Power Girl and Fury had to have different parentage and other characters weren’t supposed to appear anymore. It really wrecked my relationship with DC and left a bad taste in my mouth.” Crisis transformed the series in a number of jerry ordway ways. The events of Crisis were used to introduce new team members Dr. Midnight (Dr. Beth © Luigi Novi / Chapel) and Hourman (Rick Tyler), who bowed in Wikimedia Commons. Infinity, Inc. #21 (Dec. 1985). It wasn’t until after Crisis that the full fallout from the crossover hit. First and foremost, the JSA had to go [Last Days of the Justice Society of America Special, 1986]. Thomas was allowed to write the JSA out of continuity in a way that left a back door to bring them back should politics change, but they were gone. The parents and mentors of the Infinitors were all eliminated in one fell stroke, taking away the element that made the team unique. Crisis also created the problem of explaining Fury’s existence now that the 1940s Wonder Woman had been erased from continuity. Thomas considered several possibilities, including obtaining the rights to EC Comics Moon Girl (1947–1949), who resembled Wonder Woman in costume, powers, and background. Eventually, Lyta became the daughter of Fury and Iron Munro of the new series Young All-Stars, but had been raised by Miss America (from Quality Comics, or Earth-X) and her husband Steve Trevor. The series endured for several more years despite Crisis, with Infinity, Inc. joining forces with the Justice League, the Global Guardians, the Outsiders, and the New Teen Titans along the way. The team participated in the company-wide crossover Millennium, where Obsidian’s girlfriend Marcy Cooper was revealed to be a sleeper agent of the alien android Manhunters. Cooper stole the

A Noble Death Papa Brain Wave sacrifices himself for the good of the good guys in Infinity, Inc. #10 (Jan. 1985), by Thomas/ Ordway/Machlan. Original art page (signed by Ordway) courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

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NEW LIVES FOR OLD HEROES

No Secrets (left) Infinitors come clean before a television audience in Infinity, Inc. #12 (Feb. 1985). Art by Don Newton and Tony DeZuniga, script by Thomas. (right) Original Todd McFarlane/DeZuniga art for an II house ad promoting the team’s publicized alter egos. Courtesy of Heritage. TM & © DC Comics.

The other Infinitors did not fare as well. Dr. Jade was the most visible member of the team and Midnight and Wildcat were brutally murdered (along the first to appear after cancellation. Alongside her with a handful of other heroes) in Eclipso #11–13 brother, she popped up in Superman #46 (Aug. 1990), in 1993. When asked about the motivation behind courtesy of writer Jerry Ordway, and went on to her the massacre, Eclipso writer Robert Loren Fleming first solo story in Showcase ’93 #7. A major event provided the following eloquent reply. “It was probably the most controversial story I ever for Jade happened in the three-issue miniseries Green Lantern/Sentinel: Heart of Darkness (1998). wrote. The idea of having Eclipso massacre a group of DC heroes came from DC Editorial, not from me or Jade, Obsidian, and her father are attacked by my editor on the book. We readily agreed to it Brainwave, Jr., who is struggling with his and were enthusiastic about the plan, since sanity. Green Lantern Kyle Rayner joins it was appropriate for what was more of the fray, and thus begins a seven-year a horror title than a superhero book. relationship between Jade and Rayner. The massacre would raise the stakes for Jade died in 2005 during the Infinite Eclipso, making him a more credible Crisis, but not to worry—she was and fearsome threat in the DCU. resurrected at the end of the Blackest Also, the team of characters slated to Night crossover event in 2010. die would be gathered together by In addition to his appearances Amanda Waller as an adjunct Suicide with his sister, Obsidian, along with Squad, so the outcome’s really right Nuklon, joined the Justice League there in the name. We were allowed for a two-year stint following Zero to make a list of characters we Hour (1994–1996). He also worked wanted to include, but almost none robert loren fleming for Manhunter Kate Spencer in her of our choices were approved. They 2004–2009 series. Comicvine. let us have the Creeper, but only Following his dive into madness, things only got worse for Brainwave, Jr. After the because they had definite plans to bring him back in a events of Green Lantern: Heart of Darkness, he assembled miniseries a short time later. The only other character I the Legion of Doom to battle the members of Extreme remember on our list was Oliver Queen! So it was DC Justice in 1996. He returned one more time in pursuit Management who made up the list of characters we were instructed to kill off in that Eclipso story. of Jade in 2002’s Green Lantern #153.

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“Knowing how I’d feel if one of my characters was being axed in this way, I took the initiative of contacting the writers responsible for those characters and told them personally what was going to happen. I asked them to help me give their characters a proper send-off that would reflect their individual personalities. Kim Yale of Suicide Squad was particularly upset about Manhunter, but she did seem grateful for the opportunity to participate indirectly in the story by giving me some background and direction on her and John Ostrander’s character. I can’t remember who else I spoke to, but I did try to deliver the bad news and get feedback from all of the creators involved. Naturally, I also boned up on the various characters and tried to get a good read on who they were and how they would behave in such an extreme situation. “As for DC Editorial, my impression was that they came up with the idea of the massacre as a way of promoting/ publicizing the book. They were doing a lot of these kinds of extreme events in the comics those days, following the success of the death of Superman. Rather than clearing house per se, I believe they were scrambling to find characters who were well known enough to have an impact, but also ones they felt they could spare. The story was definitely conceived as a gimmick designed to boost sales, which is why its detractors do have a valid point in objecting to it.” It seemed that even Lyta and Hector weren’t safe in their refuge in the Dreaming. todd mcfarlane In 1989, DC Comics introduced the world to a very different kind of comic book: The © Luigi Novi / Sandman. This was not the Sandman of the Wikimedia Commons. 1940s fighting crime in a gas mask, nor was it the Sandman of the 1970s battling monstrous menaces in children’s dreams. This was something new, a unique and daring venture that would change the way the world looked at comics as a medium. British writer Neil Gaiman’s Sandman was the immortal being Morpheus, lord of the realm of the Dreaming. He had been captured and held prisoner for 70 years, during which time his kingdom fell into disarray. The series begins with Morpheus escaping captivity and continues with his cleaning house in the realm of dreams. The series’ third story arc dealt with the connection to Jack Kirby’s 1970s Sandman. Morpheus locates a neglected corner of the Dreaming where his former servants Brute and Glob have established their own little niche, hidden in the mind of a young boy named Jed Walker. There, the two minor nightmares recruited psychologist Dr. Garrett Sanford to play the role of their master while they actually manipulated him. Dressed like a superhero, Sanford became the Sandman, the champion who rescued Jed from his nightmares. However, life in the Dreaming drove Sanford mad and he committed suicide. Hector Hall’s wandering spirit moves in, takes over for Sanford, and becomes the new Sandman. Fury lives with him in the Dreaming and stops aging, eternally pregnant. Hall, unlike Sanford, thrived on being the superhero savior of the Dream realm. He may have seen himself as a failure in life, but here he could accomplish the impossible. Sadly, it is all an illusion, a joke, as shown by Hall’s ridiculous bragging, a parody of superhero dialogue. When Morpheus locates Brute and Glob, he casually dismisses Hall and sends his ghost back on the path to the realm of Death. In The Sandman Companion, Gaiman said, “A few people complained that I’d killed Hector Hall. But I really didn’t; he was killed long before in the DC comic Infinity, Inc. I just put his ghost to rest” (p. 54). [Editor’s note: For more on the 1970s Sandman, come back later this year for BACK ISSUE #131.] As for Fury, Morpheus returned her to reality with the promise that someday he would return for her child. Like any good Greek tragedy, this set the stage for Morpheus’

Double Helix (top) The offbeat super-group Helix, as shown on the cover of II #17 (Aug. 1985). (bottom) Courtesy of Heritage, McFarlane’s pencils (with amusing border notes) for Helix’s appearance in Who’s Who #10. TM & © DC Comics.

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downfall. Lyta Hall would eventually become the tool arc in Justice Society of America #17–20 and Annual #1 where the mythical Furies used for vengeance regarding Johns introduced Gog, a god-like being with ties to Alex Morpheus having killed his son, Orpheus. Lyta joined Ross’ alternate future epic Kingdom Come. Gog was with the Furies to protect her son, Daniel, yet it a benevolent entity who wanted to grant wishes, resulted in the boy being transformed into the which included sending Power Girl “home” to a new incarnation of Dream following Morpheus’ world that was nearly identical to the Earth-Two death. At series end, Lyta is left broken, trying to she knew. This Earth was home to Justice Society make sense of all that happened. Infinity, a team consisting of the members of Things looked pretty grim for Earth-Two Infinity, Inc. and a few surviving JSAers. survivors until James Robinson came along. “It was like slipping on a perfectly fitting His success with Starman led to the revival of the glove.” Jerry Ordway recalls. “It was fun and that JSA in their own book in 1999. Only a handful of was when Geoff and I talked about doing another. the original Justice Society still survived, so the He and I batted around a bunch of ideas and new team recruited the next generation. Nuklon Geoff thought, ‘Hey, let’s do these as Annuals. So (now called Atom Smasher) was there from the there’s a second Justice Society Annual coming up geoff johns beginning, and was soon joined by Hector Hall and we’ll revisit the same world and we’ll just do (as the new Dr. Fate) and Fury. Obsidian, Jade, © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. it like the old Earth-One/Earth-Two crossovers.’ Northwind, Power Girl, and Hourman each visited during the We plotted out at least three stories, but after the first Annual series’ run. An encounter with Brainwave, Jr. revealed the nature of Junior’s madness—the alien worm Mr. Mind had crawled into his brain and was manipulating Henry King’s actions. While most Head Skull of the surviving Infinitors were depicted as improving their lives, Normally courtroom theatrics make dull comic books, Hector and Lyta met their final demise. As part of a raging battle with Mordru, Lord of Chaos, Hector and Lyta were left to perish but Vince Argondezzi and Tony DeZuniga’s dynamite in a frozen wasteland. As they lay dying, Daniel—the lord of the cover to II #38 (May 1987) is a shocker! Original art Dreaming—welcomed their spirits back into his realm to spend from the Heritage archives. eternity there. JSA came to an end about the same time the mega-event weekly TM & © DC Comics. series 52 was entering its final phase. In one of the last story arcs of 52, Booster Gold and Rip Hunter chase Mr. Mind into the time stream, where they discover 52 alternate universes created at the end of Infinite Crisis, one of which strongly resembles Earth-Two. About the same time 52 was wrapping up, JSA was relaunched in 2007 as the Justice Society of America. Writer Geoff Johns saw the team as a family and focused on the legacy aspect. “There is something really interesting about legacy,” Geoff Johns remarks to BACK ISSUE. “It’s tricky in a lot of ways because people prefer different versions of a character. It’s different with the golden age characters because they are so firmly rooted in the ’40s. There seems to be more of an acceptance among the readership to have them grow old and have children and build legacies because they are so rooted in World War II.” In Justice Society of America #11 (Feb. 2008), hope for fans of Earth-Two was temporarily ignited by a brief glimpse of the new Earth-Two as Flashes Jay Garrick and Wally West raced on the Cosmic Treadmill. That hope was soon fulfilled in a story

Midnight Hour As the Crisis raged on, its revised continuity proved to bear problems for Roy Thomas’ Earth-Two DC books, and the new Hourman and Dr. Midnight were introduced in Infinity, Inc. #21 (Dec. 1985). Cover by McFarlane and DeZuniga. TM & © DC Comics.

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Meanwhile… (left) Bad news for Dr. Midnight fans in 1993’s Eclipso #13. (middle) Nuklon, as Atom-Smasher, lives on in DC’s 1999-launched JSA. (right) A 2007 Infinity, Inc. reboot. TM & © DC Comics.

A Marvel Mutation Artist Brendon and Brian Fraim’s reimagining of Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum’s iconic Giant-Size X-Men #1 cover, substituting the JSA and Infinity, Inc. Contributor John Joshua, who commissioned the piece, adds, “This is based on the idea that Roy Thomas might have taken Carmine Infantino up on his offer to go and work at DC when Roy stood down as Marvel’s editor-in-chief—and then realizing that Giant-Size X-Men #1 and 1st Issue Special #1 would have been on the stands at the same time.” Characters TM & © DC Comics.

came out, a moratorium was posted on Earth-Two stories or all multiple Earth stories. In theory, it was because Grant Morrison was doing Multiversity, but that didn’t wind up coming out for years. So that killed the possible return of Earth-Two.” “Fans really wanted to see more of that Earth,” Johns adds. “It was a really fun issue to do, because not only did we touch upon the original Earth-Two but we moved it forward a little bit and had it evolve and change like it would if it had continuously been in the comics. I would have loved to tell more stories about that.” Unfortunately, he would never get the chance. In 2011, the Flashpoint miniseries revamped the DC timeline, resulting in the New 52, a continuity in which none of the original Earth-Two characters existed. “As a reader,” Ordway observes, “I felt really burned by the New 52 because of all the things to throw away, they threw away their legacy, which to me has always been the JSA. The JSA is their link to the beginnings of comics, of National Comics. It felt kind of crappy to say there are 52 Earths but not one of them is the original Earth-Two.” In 2015, DC introduced Convergence, a crossover event that revisited popular characters from different eras of DC history. The pre-Crisis Infinity, Inc. returned, written by Jerry Ordway. “Convergence was always meant to be a two-issue thing,” Ordway explains, “to give DC time to move their offices to California and not affect their deadlines. It was a fine idea but it was poorly executed for the most part because it started with a fairly simple idea which then got way more complicated. Every crossover in the years that I was at DC previous to that had a playbook that was written months in advance, so that everyone that wrote something tying into it knew the rules, what they could do and what they couldn’t do.” So turned out to be another tease with no intention of any follow-up. Still, there is hope. Interest in Infinity, Inc. may be revived by the appearances of many of the characters on the Stargirl television show.

By day, JOHN SCHWIRIAN is a mildmannered college English professor, but by night, he dons the role of comic-book historian. In addition to his passion for Bronze Age comics, he explores the sunken regions of the DC Universe in his self-published fanzine, The Aquaman Chronicles.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 61

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Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family. by C h r i s t o p h e r

Larochelle

A mysterious alien was launched to Earth from the far reaches of space. Upon arriving in Metropolis, Superman alone was left to fight this creature called Doomsday. The fight was fierce, and the outcome? Both Superman and Doomsday were dead. So… what happened next? The follow-up to DC Comics’ 1992–1993 “Death of Superman” storyline was decided on when the creative teams of DC’s various Superman titles put their heads together under the editorial guidance of group editor Mike Carlin. Called “Reign of the Supermen,” the storyline wove through Action Comics (written by Roger Stern and penciled by Jackson “Butch” Guice), Superman (written and penciled by Dan Jurgens), Superman: The Man of Steel (written by Louise “Weezie” Simonson and penciled by Jon Bogdanove), and The Adventures of Superman (penciled by Tom Grummett, and the title that featured the only creative “change of guard” from the “Death” storyline as Jerry Ordway exited as writer with issue #500 while Karl Kesel stepped in). Each title featured a new character assuming the lead role in the series. Things quickly changed from a “world without a Superman” to four different Supermen roaming around Metropolis, as the Kryptonian took the stage in Action Comics, Steel proved an appropriate fit for Man of Steel, Superboy starred in Adventures, and the Cyborg was the focus of Superman. The “Death of Superman” issues sold incredibly well and succeeded in getting Superman a renewal of attention both with comics collectors and the general public. TV stations covered crowds that were lining up to buy copies of Superman #75, in which the titular hero collapses in front of the Daily Planet building. “There was a lot riding on the sequels,” recalls Louise Simonson. “Because the ‘Death of Superman’ had been so successful, we all felt a duty not to let our readers down, and to make the stories as good and as interesting as possible. We all wanted to create a really good story that paid off on the death.” Referring to the famous “Super Summits” that Mike Carlin used to keep four titles focusing on a single hero in sync with each other, Dan Jurgens reports that “each team or writer would start to come up with different ideas for what we wanted to do, and when we had made the decision to kill Superman, we did not know how we were going to bring him back. When we were going to bring him back, we had a vague idea that it would involve issue #500 of Adventures. As the ‘Death of Superman’ turned into a bigger and bigger thing, we knew that we needed a

Four Who Follow Limited edition Reign of the Supermen print (#165/500) illustrated and signed by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, produced in 1997 and sold exclusively through Warner Bros. Studio Stores (gone but not forgotten!). Scan courtesy of Heritage Comic Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 63

Summit of Solitude (top) The fateful Superman #75. (middle) Superman group editor Mike Carlin, circa early 1990s, at a Superman Summit, where creators gathered to chart storylines for the interlocking Superman titles. Courtesy of Mike Carlin/ Facebook. (bottom) A young Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s 1933 sci-fi zine collaboration featuring a character that would evolve into the Man of Steel. Courtesy of Heritage. Superman TM & © DC Comics. Reign of the Super-Man © Siegel and Shuster estates.

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really good solution. We would all send in some ideas and nothing was really clicking. Everyone brought in some pieces of ideas that sounded good, but we couldn’t put it together. It was Weezie who said, ‘It’s just too bad we couldn’t all do our own thing. Too bad we couldn’t do all four ideas.’ We started talking about that a little bit… and all of a sudden, it started to come together! It started with this idea of not having the perfect solution to bring back Superman that ultimately ended up, by taking those four different routes, being the perfect solution.” Editor Mike Carlin knew that it was important to keep the momentum going after the massive success of the “Death of Superman.” Speaking to Jermaine Mclaughlin with syfy.com in an article titled An Oral History of the Original Death and Return of Superman, 25 Years Later (published August 10, 2018), Carlin said, “We did have an ‘Emergency Super Summit’ when we saw just how huge the sales figures were going to be [for Superman #75]… and we knew we couldn’t just have Superman sit up in his coffin in Adventures #500 and say ‘I’m baaaaaaack!’ This meeting was away from the office in a hotel in Tarrytown, New York, where we plotted ‘Reign of the Supermen.’” In order to work, the “Death of Superman” storyline required all four books to sync up perfectly with each other, telling a single story in lockstep, serialized on a weekly basis. The idea with “Reign” was that a very different approach would be taken for a few months, with each book able to have its own identity, as each featured a completely different character taking over as protagonist. “For a little while, the teams would all get to kind of do their own thing after years of forced collaboration—at least for a few months,” said Carlin. “Louise and Jon did their ‘everyman as Superman.’ Roger and Jackson explored the Kryptonian side of Superman. Karl and Tom got to do the adventures of Superman when he was a boy. And Dan got to do the allpowerful superhero who needed no civilian life. The storyline would run under the banner ‘Reign of the Supermen,’ which itself was an homage to the original short story by Siegel and Schuster entitled ‘Reign of the Super-man,’ the pair’s first published work with a character named Superman, predating the debut of the caped version in Action Comics #1 by about five years.” In order to preserve the fallout of the “Death of Superman” while ramping up the excitement for “Return,” there were a few business-related items that needed some attention. Again speaking with syfy.com in 2018, Mike Carlin reported that “we called [DC executive] Paul Levitz and the marketing guys to tell them our grand scheme: four titles all published the same day spotlighting a NEW Superman who might be the real deal… or not. They loved the idea, but with the solicitation cycle we would be telling people Superman was returning before they actually bought Superman #75! So everyone decided we would stop publishing Superman comics for three months, which was unheard of since 1938!! I was relieved that would give us three extra months to get those first four issues done… and then I wasn’t relieved because I had to publish SOME kind of Super-stuff in those three months. We did stuff like a Lex Luthor/Supergirl miniseries, and an actual issue of Newstime Magazine (the DC Universe’s version of Time Magazine). This marketing maneuver really was smart—it preserved our story’s surprises and added to the illusion that Superman was really gone forever!” It was decided, then… four titles, four Supermen.

Adventures of Superman #500 (early June 1993) gave each creative team a chance to introduce the new “Superman” that would be starring in each of the series. Four pages was all that the creative teams got, and the entry from the Action Comics team of writer Roger Stern and penciler Jackson Guice quickly establishes that the Kryptonian is a person to be feared. “Basically, I wanted to show the readers just how frightening and ruthless a cold-hearted Superman could be—and to demonstrate how wrong that sort of thing is for our hero,” says Stern. “The Kryptonian was, in part, a response to the whole grim-and-gritty thing that was going on in the ’90s.” In a four-page introduction, the Kryptonian launches a powerful energy blast at a criminal while declaring: “I shall use the power that is mine as Krypton’s son to bring justice to this Earth. And all who sin shall know the vengeance of Superman!” The mystery surrounding the Kyrptonian’s origins was essential for as long as DC’s publicity team pumped up the upcoming storyline. As the story unfolded, Action Comics’ protagonist was revealed to be a new form of the Eradicator, a piece of Kryptonian technology and an idea that had been present in the comics for years but was just waiting for the right moment to return. As Roger Stern recalls, “We wanted the readers to wonder which one of the four replacements—if any of them—was the real Superman. We didn’t tip our hand that the Superman appearing in Action Comics was the Eradicator. If any roger stern of the stories referred to him in Alexander Fuld Frazier. any way other than as Superman, it was to call him the Kryptonian. “The creation of the Eradicator was a group effort,” says Stern. “Way back in 1987, Jerry Ordway, George Pérez, Mike Carlin, and I came up with the Eradicator for the big story in Action Comics Annual #2, as part of the wrap-up of the “Superman in Exile” storyline. I later utilized the Eradicator in 1990 for Action Comics #651–652. Of course, in all of those stories, the Eradicator was a device, an old Kryptonian relic with a kind of artificial intelligence. The Eradicator didn’t take on humanoid form until the storyline that launched Superman: The Man of Steel #1 in 1991. That story ran through Superman #57 and Adventures of Superman #480, before wrapping up in Action Comics #667 with the Eradicator being dispersed within the Fortress of Solitude.” As planning began for the “Reign of the Supermen,” Stern mentions, “I remembered how the Eradicator had been sidelined in Action #667 (July 1991). And I realized that I could bring him back as my contribution to the four replacement Supermen. The Eradicator had always represented the cold, Kryptonian side of Superman’s heritage, so I thought that would make for a very different take on Superman. And I figured that if I constructed the story carefully enough, the readers wouldn’t realize who he really was until the ultimate big reveal.” In Action Comics #687 (June 1993, above), readers got to see the return of the Eradicator in its humanoid form. After learning of the recent events of the battle between Superman and Doomsday, the shocked Kryptonian construct visits the grave of the city’s most famous hero and considers it a duty to continue the work that Kal-El started. The Eradicator takes elements of Superman’s

THE KRYPTONIAN

costume and, after returning to the Fortress of Solitude, declares: “I want the cape and shield!.. I cannot rest while the world is in such a desperate state. The people cry out for me… for Superman! I must be their champion once more! I am needed in Metropolis!” It is evident from the Kryptonian’s speech that everything is black and white… there is a directive and it will be followed, and there will be no option to argue with Metropolis’ newest self-appointed protector. Later in Action #687, Lois Lane gets to meet the Kryptonian. The interaction leaves Lois saddened and very, very confused. “He looks like Clark, but he sounds so… so hollow,” Lois thinks to herself. The Kryptonian seems to know it all: “I know… that we were more than friends. You were engaged to marry Clark Kent. Kent… loved you very much. He trusted you completely… even with the secret of his double life.” For Lois, this seems to be confirmation enough that this really is a radically changed Clark Kent in front of her. The Kryptonian denies, however: “…things have changed. I have changed. Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 65

Never Eradicate a Good Idea (top left) Not necessarily the end of the Eradicator, in Action Comics #667 (July 1991). Cover by Jurgens and McLeod. (top right) Guess who’s back, 20 issues later? Action #687 cover by Gammill and Guice (working from a Hannigan layout). (bottom) From the origin of the Kryptonian Eradicator, in Action #687. By Stern, Guice, and Rodier. TM & © DC Comics.

Kent is gone. There is only Superman now.” Lois Lane is left behind with her thoughts, as she ponders: “…if he’s lying, someone’s learned that Clark was Superman. And if he’s telling the truth… I’ve lost Clark… all over again.” Stern had fun over the next few months with keeping the readers guessing about whether the Kryptonian was completely Superman, completely something else, or some kind of mixture! The Eradicator had been a concept that Roger Stern revisited throughout his time on the Superman titles, and this storyline gave him the chance to take things in new directions. “The readers had always been sort of torn on the previous appearances of the Eradicator,” says Stern. “Some liked him, others didn’t. I actually thought that he’d worn out his welcome in the series, but I saw a way of writing him—in my part of the ‘Reign of the Supermen’—that could finally bring an end to his story. I planned to wrap things up by having the Eradicator gaining a kind of humanity, and nobly sacrifice himself to help save and restore Superman.” For Stern, writing Action Comics was certainly a positive experience. Positive, however, doesn’t mean that there was an absence of challenges! As he says, “the only complication on this storyline was that I was busily adapting it into the novelization— The Death and Life of Superman—while the story was still a work in progress. Working on that novel took up so much of my time. I was almost literally working around the clock on The Death and Life for about four months. Each month, I’d take a ‘break’ from working on the novel to write an issue of Action Comics. And then, I’d turn around almost immediately and adapt the comic book I’d just written into prose. Toward the end of the project, I was actually writing some scenes for the novel first, and then adapting them into the story for Action Comics. The deadline demanded that I get the novel finished by the summer of ’93, so that it could go on sale the same week as Superman #82. Somehow, I made it.” Speaking of his contributions to the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline, Stern says, “I liked that I was able to keep the readership guessing as to whether or not the Action Comics replacement was Superman or not. I also liked that his story enabled me to be the one to show the real Superman reviving—on panel—in Action Comics #689. And I’m proud of the design I came up with for the Kryptonian’s outfit. My little scribble of a design was pretty rough, but Jackson Guice brought it to life and really did it proud.” 66 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

Steel’s Adventures #500 “first sighting” is even more of a teaser any of the other four-pagers featuring the new Supermen. There isn’t a costume to be seen, though something superheroic definitely seems to be indicated by a man emerging from beneath a pile of rubble, overalls shredded and muscles rippling. “Doomsday… gotta stop Doomsday!” declares the unnamed hero, who is shown from the back, partially obscuring his head. This teaser definitely demanded a follow-up… who is this man? John Henry Irons, a.k.a. Steel, was Superman: The Man of Steel’s new series lead, and he was a character whose origins found inspiration in both the title of the comic he appeared in and American folklore. As writer Louise Simonson puts it, “We played off the ‘man of steel’ idea, with John Henry, the legendary Steel Drivin’ Man, jumping to my mind and to Jon Bogdanove’s. We just took it from there, including the hammer. Our idea was to create a good guy hero, more the soul of Superman.” “Louise and I genuinely liked the notion of a non-super, normal human being trying to fill Superman’s enormous responsibilities,” says Man of Steel artist Jon Bogdanove. “For me, the single most defining characteristic of Superman has always been his heart. He is ultimate power guided by ultimate compassion.” John Henry Irons might have the soul of Superman, but he owes his name to a character that comes from even further back in American story. As Bogdanove explains, “Like Superman, the core heroic trait of the John Henry from American folklore also seemed to be heart. John Henry was a former slave who stood up for the rights and dignity of early railroad workers against the louise simonson machine. The railroad bosses sought to replace human labor © Luigi Novi / with a steam-powered drilling Wikimedia Commons. machine that could lay track faster than any man could. John Henry pitted his strength and endurance against the machine and won, but died from the effort—not unlike the ‘Death of Superman.’ As a child, I always found this a moving story, and the archetypal image of the heroic, hammer-wielding giant found its way deep into my imagination.” The creation of Steel is absolutely a sign of how much the creators enjoyed working together. “I think Jon Bogdanove’s Steel design was pretty cool,” says Simonson. When designing Steel, Bogdanove mentions that “I was very consciously playing with the idea of a working-class Iron Man. DC already had one iconic billionaire superhero, but they didn’t have a prominent armored guy—a tech wiz in a mech suit like Iron Man. I wanted to fill that gap and give DC their own Iron Man character, but I thought making him a blue-collar hero might be a cool twist to distance our character from Tony Stark.” Bogdanove is also quick to point out that “Steel’s richly emotional motivation, his dark backstory, and uplifting redemption when he’s saved by Superman and why that moment changed the course of his life? That has Weezie’s genius written all over it.” That dark backstory for John Henry Irons began to unfold when he “took over” as the central character in Superman: The Man of Steel #22 (June 1993). Jon Bogdanove summarizes: “I like Louise’s central conflict of his origin: he has a talent for designing weapons.

STEEL

He could’ve been a very rich man, a munitions magnate—but his conscience wouldn’t allow it. The knowledge of what he invented did torture him, and drove him to quit the arms race and work the high steel instead. Without that crisis of conscience, he never would have met Superman. He never would have become Steel. I like that despite his tortured conscience, Steel is governed primarily by altruism, and the desire we all have to be like Superman.” John Henry Irons explains how Superman inspired him in Man of Steel #22. Wracked by guilt over the high-tech weapons he had once developed, John has tried to start over as a simple steel worker. When a coworker trips, John quickly (and heroically) saves the clumsy man. One problem, however, is that now he is falling to the streets of Metropolis! John Henry Irons’ fortune that day is that Superman himself happens to be passing by at that very moment, and the savior is saved in turn. In Irons’ own words: “That’s when Superman saved me. I said ‘I owe you my life!’ ‘Then make is count for something!’ I knew then I meant to repay him.” Even when he Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 67

Forged in Steel Courtesy of Jon Bogdanove, scenes from John Henry Irons’ origin as Steel, from Superman: The Man of Steel #22 (June 1993). By Louise Simonson, Bogdanove, and Dennis Janke. Also shown is a photo of a statue of the “steel-drivin’ man” of American folklore, John Henry, in Talcott, West Virginia. Steel and Superman TM & © DC Comics. Photo courtesy of Ken Thomas / Wikimedia Commons.

was trapped under rubble during the fight between Superman and Doomsday, John knew he had to come up with a plan to make his life count for something. Pounding together a costume of hot metal, the Superman-inspired steel worker vows: “John Henry fought the machine and won. What I’m fightin’ is a deadlier kind of machine—one I helped put in motion. One I’m gonna stop… even if it kills me.” Man of Steel #23 shows how Steel meets Lois Lane when, as has happened countless times before, Lois is in deep trouble and needs a Superman to save her. “Are you all right, Miss Lane?” Steel asks after catching Lois from a midair drop. The fact that he knows her name makes Lois once again wonder just how everyone seems to be aware of things that only the real Superman should know. “Hold it right there, buster! The others have been falling all over themselves… trying to convince the world they’re Superman! What about you?” Steel’s answer is simple and direct. “I never said I was Superman. And now, if you’ll excuse me…?” he says, firing up his thrusters and blasting away. The first meeting of two “Supermen” is also featured in Man of Steel #23. It’s actually Superboy’s showboating that indirectly caused Lois Lane’s peril, as troublemakers armed with Irons-designed weapons miss him and hit the Daily Planet helicopter instead. As a result of this, Lois Lane is launched from the copter while the pilot dies. Steel is far from impressed with the decisions of the leather-jacketed

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“hero.” Steel chews out Superboy and realizes that the teenager is really getting sucked into the media attention he has been getting: “…the limelight’s all yours. Enjoy it! But keep out of the shadows ’til you’re ready to think things through… or more people could die.” Steel’s words are not exactly received well, and Superboy flies off, initially irked, but then genuinely wondering about his own responsibility. Over the course of Man of Steel’s part in the “Reign of the Supermen” arc, Steel has to fight back against a villain whom Superman himself had never met: the White Rabbit. “Sex, death, and betrayal always liven up a story, and that was pretty much the White Rabbit’s modus operandi,” says Louise Simonson. “She was an arms dealer and very much the opposite of the decent John Henry.” According to Jon Bogdanove: “The White Rabbit is a classic Louise Simonson villain! Louise loves classic children’s literature and often remixes references to her favorite childhood books. Giving John Henry Irons a femme fatale adversary was a brilliant stroke. I often wish I could have drawn more of them together and built on their sexual tension and enmity.” Steel’s adventures show just what can happen when someone looks to the example of Superman as a model in his or her own life. John Henry Irons is very much concerned about doing the most good that he can in an attempt to move away from (and make up for) past mistakes.

Bog-gling Our Minds (top left) Steel smashes into comics in the newsstand edition of MOS #22. (top right) The next issue, Superboy drops in. Covers by Bogdanove and Janke. (bottom) Steel, long-haired Lex Luthor, and White Rabbit, all on one juicy page, (bottom left) in pencil form by Bogdanove and (bottom right) with Janke’s inks. From MOS #24 (Aug. 1993). Scans courtesy of Jon Bogdanove. TM & © DC Comics.

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In Adventures of Superman #500, readers got their first glimpses of another totally new character. As the Guardian responds to an alert deep within a Cadmus Research facility, it’s apparent that one of their test subjects in the cloning department has gotten out. It’s clear that this is even more of a problem than a clone escaping… the scientists hadn’t yet wrapped up all of the testing and meddling that would have allowed them to control the subject. There’s a completely free, out-of-control clone on the loose, and the Newsboy Legion seems to pretty quickly identify him as Superboy. Handing over a leather jacket to the escapee, the Newsboys are reprimanded harshly as the readers get a full image of the new character: “Don’t ever call me Superboy!” he admonishes. Sure, he is responding to the Newsboys, but it’s easy to see this as a “breaking the fourth wall” moment as the character we will soon know as Conner Kent makes it clear that he is not going to stand for being talked down to! “As the regular writer [of The Adventures of Superman], this was my debut,” says Karl Kesel. “Since Dan Jurgens and Weezie and Roger Stern had been on the books for awhile, I’m sure that the chance to do a different character for a few months was a nice break for them, and a great change of pace. And as far as my reaction to it, it was a really great way to get into the crosscontinuity. For a few months, the cross-continuity was pretty light, so as the new guy on the block, it was a great way to introduce me to the dynamic of how this whole thing worked. And I do think that it worked out well: with Dan on Superman, and Weezie on Man of Steel, Roger on Action… I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but that was a really good mix of talent. We each had some very specific strengths and if you read each of the books, you got to see all of those strengths every month.” Karl Kesel recalls the Super Summit that led to the plans for the “Reign of the Supermen”: “Mike Carlin told us that he wanted ideas on how to bring back Superman. One of my ideas was to have four different Supermen, and I know I wasn’t the only one with this idea. Each title’s Superman would be reflected by the title somehow. I figured that the title Superman karl kesel would feature the real Superman. I figured that the Action Comics Super- Facebook. man would be someone that would try to capture some of that Siegel and Shuster Superman. And I thought that Man of Steel might feature a Superman who was a robot, or something like that. As I was thinking about all of those, I was having a hard time thinking about a Superman that would reflect the title of Adventures… I was stumped. And that was the book I was writing! Then the old phrase came back to me: ‘The Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy.’ And I thought… Superboy! That’s it!” Kesel can trace some elements of Superboy from even earlier in his career. “Back when I had just gotten into comics, in the mid-‘80s working on Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes with Terry Shoemaker, I was thinking. I had heard that Terry had wanted to do something with cars… he loves cars. So I was thinking of this character who had a car, and he tinkers with it. Then one day a UFO crashes and he starts putting parts of the UFO into his car… that thing would be great! I still think that it’s a fun idea. I wrote this up, proposed it, and it never went anywhere. Many years later, I came across this old stuff and just went, ‘Oh, my God… this main character is Superboy!’ He didn’t have the powers, of course, but he was cocky and full of himself and the girls loved him… this sort of character was floating around in my head for years before using it.” The new star of Adventures of Superman quickly established that he was positively full of teenage attitude and weaknesses. Adventures #501 70 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

SUPERBOY

(late June 1993) begins with the rescue of a young female runner who is being pursued by some gun-toting Metropolis lowlifes. Superboy’s motivations might not be completely altruistic, however, given his dialogue: “Don’t worry! No way I’d let anyone kill a beautiful babe like you!” The page brings to mind the iconic image of Superman from Action Comics #1’s cover as there is a clash between a car and the hero… but of course with Action #1 there is no “babe” in the picture! Also in Adventures #501, Superboy shows up at the Daily Planet, just waiting for his chance to talk with Lois Lane. Readers have to appreciate how carefully the four Superman titles were coordinated with this: in the other books, Lois had already met some new “Supermen,” and Kesel really sells how Lois just isn’t ready to accept that this one is a serious contender. “I don’t have time for this. The real Superman was at least old enough to shave,” says Lois. And with that, Superboy holds absolutely nothing back as he just spits it all out: “Okay, okay. You forced me to do this. It’s supposed to be a secret, but, well… I’m a clone of Superman!” Lois seems highly doubtful of the veracity of such a claim, but it’s really a moot point as the conversation comes to an abrupt end. Superboy, it seems, has been distracted by another young woman who is passing by (Tana Moon, who would soon become quite important to Superboy!).

“If you’re a youngster, and you’re supposed to be up with brought the character totally into focus: Superman… well, that can get into your head!” says ‘Don’t ever call me Superboy!’ I loved the character on a Karl Kesel. Shortly after Superboy’s first appearance in number of levels. From his inception, I was drawn to having Metropolis, Lex Luthor is determined to get Superboy the opportunity to emulate the original Superman— on his side (Adventures #502). Lex points out that who was, let’s face it, more than a bit immature, and a bit with Supergirl already on his side, Conner will be able of a jerk, frankly. The fun part was having this character face up to the legacy. It’s one thing to call yourself to spend a lot more time around her if he joins Superman, but at the end of the day, you have up. After a whole issue of flirting with her, to live up to the name. That was the core of it’s an easy offer for the new Superboy the Superboy character to me.” to accept. “Well, he didn’t have a lot A significant supporting character of world experience yet, did he? A lot that was introduced in Adventures of times, when people start noticing during this time was Tana Moon. Tana you and offers start coming in, it’s very was a young reporter who caught hard to say no. It’s flattering to get sight of Superboy and worked for that attention,” says Kesel. GBS, the media company founded by This desire for attention is certainly Morgan Edge. “Tana Moon and Superboy present throughout the early appearwas similar in that they were young and ances of Superboy. If there is a TV news trying to make their mark,” says Karl network camera being pointed Kesel. “In Tana’s case, she was somenear him… he’ll be there! “And tom grummett one who was willing to make some this is before YouTube!” says Kesel. kind of questionable moves in order “Can you imagine if he had access Bull-Doser. to further her career. It tied into how to social media? He would just be plugged right into all of that. There’s no doubt about it!” the idea of celebrity was a big part of Superboy at Tom Grummett, penciler of Adventures throughout that point… being a celebrity, what did that do to him? the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline, also saw the new It seems that that was in the air in the culture at that Superboy as a great character to work on. “The design time when I was working on Adventures.” Superboy certainly learns a lot very quickly in these for the ‘Reign of the Supermen’ version of Superboy was created whole cloth on an airline napkin while I comics. Seemingly very susceptible to influences of all was flying home from that Super Summit in New York,” kinds, it’s good to see that he finds better company Grummett reports. “For me, the tagline that Karl came sooner rather than later as the storyline progresses.

He Did It His Way (left) From Heritage’s archives, original Tom Grummett/ Doug Hazlewood cover art to Adventures of Superman #501 (late June 1993), featuring Superboy. (right) Pretty brazen, that kid, eh? From Adventures of Superman #501. By Karl Kesel, Grummett, and Hazlewood. TM & © DC Comics.

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Dan Jurgens’ contribution to the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline was another “man of mystery” designed to keep the audience guessing what was really going on. Fearsome in appearance, the Cyborg’s look certainly appears to be Clark Kent in full Superman costume, though there is an awful lot of “replacement parts”: a mostly mechanical face, and a robotic right arm, right half of a torso, and left leg. This character’s Adventures #500 teaser is genuinely eerie. In an almost entirely “silent” sequence, a family of tourists seeks the plaque commemorating Superman’s death outside the Daily Planet offices. There’s also a mysterious figure in a Superman costume… who descends from the sky, yanks the plaque off the ground, and fries it with heat vision! As the family remains below, absolutely astonished and perhaps even horrified, the Cyborg Superman concisely declares: “I’m back.” Superman #78 (June 1993) offered a more in-depth look at the Cyborg. In this issue, the new protagonist of Superman boldly takes the body of Doomsday from the Cadmus facility and straps it to an asteroid heading into deep space. None of the other “Supermen” showed aggression quite like this toward the alien monster… and by issue’s end, it is quite clear that the threat of Doomsday is far from over, as the creature has reawakened and laughs as he is hurtling through space! Superman #78 provides a confrontation between the Cyborg and Lois Lane, who is desperately trying to put all of the pieces together. Demanding some kind of proof that he is who he claims to be (the REAL Superman!), Lois challenges the Cyborg, but listens carefully as he explains. “My memory… so much of it is gone! There are snippets I remember. Voices and faces that last for milliseconds… but I remember a farm… in Kansas. The name… Kent…” Hearing this, Lois is convinced that there has to be some degree of truth, so she brings the Cyborg to stalwart ally Professor Hamilton to run some tests. It doesn’t take long for Hamilton to verify that dan jurgens there is, in fact, Kryptonian technology in the robotic parts and that the organic parts match Superman’s DNA. “I’m telling you all my tests and data have me thoroughly convinced,” says Hamilton. “I would say that with great probability— that this man is Superman come back to life!” While Cyborg Superman’s mysterious status quo was maintained for a while, it was eventually revealed that he was actually a scientist whom Superman had crossed paths with before named Hank Henshaw. “I had used him in a couple of stories before the ‘Death of Superman’ back when I was on Adventures of Superman,” says Dan Jurgens. “The first story [Adventures #466, May 1990] was supposed to be a one-shot issue, with the thought that we would probably never see those characters again. And after I had done that one, I had felt that I’d introduced a concept that had some legs, so a couple of issues after that, I brought him back. Then he went ‘out there’ again for a while. I was always looking for a place and a way to bring Hank Henshaw back. And so I think that’s what made it fun; he had shown up recently enough that even readers of the ‘Death of Superman’ would have remembered him, but not so recently that people would automatically assume that he was involved in the story somehow. Essentially, the story in Adventures #466 was a wink and a nod to the Fantastic Four, which is just a great concept. He was with three other astronauts in the space shuttle which was hit by the cosmic ray effect, and they all got powers… but instead of the powers being beneficial, they were killing the astronauts. So that was the story behind it, and it was Hank’s quest to survive that.” In Superman #79, Dan Jurgens experimented with storytelling in a tale called “Prove It.” Much of the issue is made up of imagery 72 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

THE CYBORG

accompanying the text of a report written by Daily Planet correspondent Ron Troupe. Ron, for one, is absolutely convinced that the Cyborg really is the Superman that Metropolis citizens have always known. As Dan Jurgens recalls, “as much as anything, I think what I was into at the time was trying to make Cyborg Superman look as much like the real, authentic Superman returned from the dead as possible. Part of what we were doing was playing this game with the readers… one of these four is the real Superman. Which one do you think it is? When these comics were coming out, part of the magic of it was that once a week, the next book would come out, and people would say, ‘Wow,’ maybe it’s this Steel guy…’ and then Superman might come out, and then they’d say, ‘No… it has to be this Cyborg Superman.’ And then Adventures would come out, and so on. They would all be having these debates… and nowhere did we hear about someone saying, ‘well maybe it’s none of them.’ They were absolutely convinced that one of these was the real Superman. My thought was to make it look as much like the real Superman as possible, and the best way to do that was to have a very credible journalist write a story that said ‘this is it!’” Cyborg Superman was important to the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline not just because he was another doppelgänger for the original hero. His presence actually gave the storyline a direction to head into next, as Hank Henshaw proves to be villainous. Thinking back to the initial story-planning meeting, Dan Jurgens says,

“The idea of any one of [the new Supermen] even being evil never came up until after I suggested the Cyborg Superman. The others said, ‘Well… he’s a villain!’ And I said ‘Yes, and that’s our story.’ When we first started talking about it, the potential of it was that it was four different good guys and then I said, ‘Well, wait… what if I do Cyborg Superman? We have this guy who really looks like Superman, and he’s been rebuilt. He looks better than Superman, and the whole trick is that he turns out bad… but we play it as straight as possible, right from the word ‘go.’”

BLOODLINES

The 1993 Annuals of each Superman-centric title also feature the characters from “Reign of the Supermen.” The stories show the commitment that DC had to the Kryptonian, Steel, Superboy, and Cyborg Superman, putting them into different situations not tied in as closely to the events of their respective series. The Annuals tell pieces of a storyline that played out in many different corners of the DC Universe and feature alien parasites wreaking havoc on Earth. Successful or not, the intention of Bloodlines was to introduce new characters into DC’s pantheon. The “new Supermen” fit in perfectly with a storyline that was meant to bring about new concepts.

THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN

As the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline progressed, it became clear to the readers that the new status quo established for each title wouldn’t last forever. All of the Super-titles would again converge toward the end of the “Reign of the Supermen.” In Action Comics #689 (late July 1993), Roger Stern wrote a scene featuring a certain Kryptonian watching events unfold remotely. After a long period spent regenerating, this was the first good glimpse readers had gotten of Kal-El/ Clark Kent. Watching TV screens from deep within the Fortress of Solitude, Superman sees the damage that is being done to Metropolis, both to the physical landmarks and the people of the city. “This is not good. This is not good at all,” he says. “Things have gotten completely out of hand. The name of Superman will not be turned into a franchise. Something must be done about this… I must return to Metropolis as soon as possible.” The plot starts to really move toward an epic finale with Superman #80 (Aug. 1993). In this issue, Cyborg Superman carefully stages events to make it look like the Kryptonian is behind the wholesale destruction of Coast City. The reality is that the Cyborg has an ally in Mongul, someone who has been carrying a grudge against Superman for quite some time. By destroying Coast City, Mongul hopes to create a new Warworld. The explosive power of Mongul’s weaponry shreds away the Kryptonian’s facade, leaving behind only the Eradicator energy construct. Adventures #503, Action Comics #690, and Man of Steel #25 all furthered the tale, with all of the heroes realizing that there was a huge threat posed by the Cyborg. It would take until Superman #81 to really find out what drove the Cyborg to align himself with Mongul and try to remake Earth. Simply put, Hank Henshaw blamed Superman for what happened to him back in Adventures #466: having lost his wife and his livelihood, he was determined to get revenge. But with Superman dead, how would that work? Henshaw had the genetic code of Superman, and could impersonate him… making it look like Superman was the cause of Earth’s destruction! The story ends in grand fashion, as the rejuvenated Superman joins the other new heroes to stop the threat of the Cyborg. In the end, the Eradicator sacrifices itself, Steel and Superboy go off on their own adventures, and the one true Superman is back as Metropolis’ defender. Working on the finale was another good time for the creative teams of the Superman titles. “Everything came together harmoniously,” says Jon Bogdanove. “Everybody got to do some of their pet bits and ideas. I think Mike Carlin’s plan for ‘Reign’ was to give everyone a bit of a solo tour, so that when the band got back together for the

‘Return,’ we’d have a rockin’ good reunion tour. He was right! The Super Summit for the ‘Return’ was like a victory lap for the Supercrew.” “As the storyline progressed, I couldn’t wait to take a crack at the other Supermen!” says Tom Grummett. “I think the Cyborg Superman presented the greatest challenge, due to his complexity. John Henry Irons was enormously fun to draw, too.” The “Return of Superman” tied up a lot of things that had been simmering in the titles for a years. “It’s not just the story of how Superman comes back… it’s a story of all of the characters we introduced in this really big adventure,” says Dan Jurgens.

THE LEGACY

The new characters introduced in the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline didn’t simply disappear when Kal-El returned, and the DC Universe as a whole was enriched by the inclusion of the new characters. Roger Stern thought that the Eradicator’s story was truly ending with the “Reign of the Supermen,” but due to positive reception of the

Man of Tomorrow (left) Meet the Cyborg Superman, on the newsstand edition cover of Superman #78 (June 1993). (right) Honey, I’m Home… or, maybe not. Lois Lane encounters the Cyborg, in Superman #78. By Jurgens and Breeding. Pencils (and story) by Dan Jurgens, inks by Brett Breeding. TM & © DC Comics.

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story as a whole, other plans were made. “I was a little taken aback when I was told—toward the end of ‘Reign’—that the Eradicator was going to become a member of the new Outsiders,” says Stern. “I had to quickly cobble together a new Eradicator, who looked and acted enough like the one I’d planned to kill off, but who didn’t know that Clark Kent was secretly Superman. At the time, we were starting to have far too many characters who knew Clark’s secret.” While it might not have been a plan Stern had had in mind from the beginning, editorial saw the value in keeping the Eradicator as a part of the DC Universe beyond the story that played out over the course of 1993. The excitement around the new Superboy character, who seemed just perfectly tailored for the ’90s, led DC editors to decide to dedicate a whole new title to his next adventures. “We stayed on Superboy for about 30 issues and left, but came back around #50 and stuck around for another 30 issues or so,” says Karl Kesel. Tom Grummett reports, “Karl and I got to launch the kid into his own ongoing series right after the ‘Return of Superman.’ I still have enormous affection for Superboy to this day. I am amazed by the numbers of young people who appear at my table at conventions with Superboy comics in hand to be autographed… people far too young to have been around in the character’s heyday, but have fallen in love with Conner Kent, all these years later. It warms the heart!” Steel was another character granted a new ongoing series after the “Reign of the Supermen” story wrapped up, and both of his creators got to be involved. “Jon Bogdanove wrote the first Steel book— John Henry Irons now lived in Washington, D.C.,” says Louise Simonson. “He set up more of Iron’s backstory and established his family. When Jon was too busy to keep writing it, I took over and wrote Steel for a few years. John Henry’s niece Natasha became a

pretty interesting character. Decades later, Steel and Natasha had a part in the ‘Convergence’ storyline.” “I wrote issue #1 of his series for artist Chris Batista,” says Jon Bogdanove. “That was a real thrill. Chris was a perfect choice to follow me on that character. He’s still one of my favorite artists. My wife Judy and I wrote a Steel annual together, drawn by the great Humberto Ramos! I also drew a bunch of covers.” There is also another legacy of the character created by Simonson and Bogdanove: in 1997, Warner Bros. Studios released a box office bomb of a movie called Steel, starring basketball star Shaquille O’Neal. “I had the dubious honor of drawing the comic-book adaptation of the movie adaptation of our original comic-book creation!” says Bogdanove. “If you think watching that infamously lame movie was painful, imagine being one of the character’s creators, not only never being consulted by the producers, let alone allowed to help or contribute in any way… but then having to draw the graphic novelization of that fixture of VHS sales bins everywhere! Slogging through those pages was the most difficult, demoralizing job of my life. The experience was saved for me only by the fact that Dick Giordano agreed to ink it for me. Dick was a sweetheart. There were times on that book when his cheerful, sympathetic attitude and beautiful, classic inking were all that kept me going! Steel is the only new character from ‘Reign of the Supermen’ that ever got his own live-action, theater-release movie—for which I think Superboy and Eradicator should be very grateful! For all its faults, though, I’m still fond of this terrible movie. He’s not a Royal Shakespearean, but there is an earnestness in Shaq’s performance that suggests that at least he cared about the character. That actually gives the movie some genuine charm. It also makes me feel very grateful towards Shaq.” The Cyborg is a character that Dan Jurgens has gotten to return to several times following his initial appearances. In 1994, Jurgens had the chance to work Cyborg into the Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey miniseries. In 1999, Jurgens worked on an inter-company production that brought together icons from both DC and Marvel: Superman/ Fantastic Four. This story brought the character of Cyborg Superman

Reign of the Supermen Collectibles (left) DC house ad promoting the Reign of the Supermen cards for SkyBox’s 1993 Bloodlines trading card set. (center) A limited edition watch featuring Metropolis’ fantastic four. (right) Cover art for the 2019 Reign of the Supermen animated movie. TM & © DC Comics.

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even closer to the inspiration for the initial Hank Henshaw story in Adventures! During DC’s “Rebirth” initiative, Jurgens wrote Action Comics and brought one of his signature characters with him. Also during the “Rebirth” era, Jurgens wrote Green Lanterns and brought Cyborg Superman back into another corner of the DC Universe that Geoff Johns had previously found to be a good fit for the character. The characters from “Reign of the Supermen” found their ways into other media besides just a failed summer blockbuster. 2019 saw the release of a direct-to-home video animated movie with the title of 1993’s comics epic. Warner Bros. Animation had chosen to adapt the “Death of Superman” story to launch its line of original animated movies in 2007 with Superman: Doomsday, but many decisions had to be made to fit the movie’s tight run time. The characters from “Reign” just couldn’t fit into a movie that didn’t even break an hour and a half. Years later, and with a successful line of animated movies behind it, Warner Bros. and DC decided to revisit the storyline, splitting the tale much more satisfactorily into two separate movies: Death of Superman (2018) and Reign of the Supermen (2019). Cyborg Superman has been featured in the Lego Batman 3 video game and the Supergirl TV series. Steel made an appearance in the Superman animated series. Superboy has probably had the longest list of appearances outside of comics, as he’s been seen in the Lego Batman 3 video game and on TV in several shows: Smallville, Titans, and the Young Justice animated series. A final legacy of these characters is what working on their stories meant to their respective creators. All involved stressed that working as the “Super Team” during this time was a thrilling ride. “Every single creator working on the Superman titles loved being there, and understood the awesome responsibility we were taking on in trying to extend the Superman legacy forward,” says Tom Grummett. “I am so proud and grateful to have worked on Superman, and to forever be associated with this particular landmark era, and especially to work with this landmark collection of talented people—it surpasses every nerdy dream I could have dreamed for my career,” says Jon Bogdanove. “With the Super Summits, Mike Carlin engineered a method of collaboration and participation on a scale unprecedented in comics history. At no other time, before or since, could a group of artists have enjoyed the privilege of contributing that much input into the stories and direction of the #1 cornerstone comic-book franchise. Without any doubt, it was the best time in history to be a Superman artist.” “Working on the Superman titles was one of the most satisfying experiences of my career,” says Roger Stern. “Maintaining a tight continuity was a bit of a challenge, but it was a hallmark of the Superman titles of our time—and I personally found the challenge invigorating. There were about a dozen of us writers and artists, working to bring a new installment of Superman’s ‘never-ending battle’ to the readers, virtually every week. We were always challenging each other to keep at the top of our game. At our peak, we had built up a wonderful momentum, where the stories just built from week to week, flowing from one issue to the next. It’s amazing what you can do when you’re working with other talented folk toward a common goal, and have such a great editor as Mike Carlin keeping things on an even keel.” Dan Jurgens gives some insight into the process of making these books from both a collaborative and individual standpoint: “Everybody had some sort of input on the stories, because we had to plan the connection point, and if I had a page of Perry White walking out to lunch, in the next issue, the next writer would have to show Perry White walking into Bibbo’s and ordering his cheeseburger, right? We planned the connective elements that way, and some of the major points, but for the most part when we all went back to doing our individual stories, we were on our own. With ‘Reign of the Supermen,’ the bigger things had been planned, and now it was much more about trying to find a way to keep the ships running, if you will. We were on quite a schedule, and keeping these books going was always a tough balancing act,

Big Shaq Attack Poster for 1997’s ill-fated Steel movie, starring Shaquille O’Neal. Courtesy of Heritage. (inset) Cover for DC’s movie adaptation, courtesy of Jon Bogdanove. TM & © DC Comics.

but we all had a good work ethic. We all knew how important the story was and we all wanted to be there, and we knew that we were selling a lot of copies. We were also a part of an earlier generation that kind of saw it as our job to be there as often as possible. We’re much more in an industry now where artists are content to do two or three issues and then they go off for a while, and come back… and we weren’t like that. We really saw it as our jobs to be there every month.” “It was a great honor to work on this book. I look back on it as a career highlight,” says Karl Kesel. “I got to meet and work with some really great people. It was scary to be thrown into the deep end like that, and quite honestly, when they offered [Adventures of Superman] to me, nobody quite knew how big the ‘Death of Superman’ was going to be and what exactly that would lead to. As far as anyone knew, it was going to be another issue and then we were going to move on. But obviously history had other ideas. It was a great time!” CHRISTOPHER LAROCHELLE is a lifelong comics fan. As a teacher and a librarian, he gets to spend a lot of time talking about powerful storytelling with many people. The first of several articles he has contributed to BACK ISSUE was featured in #62.

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Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tolkien, and “Lester [DOC SAVAGE] Dent.” One egregious lack in the otherwise interesting “Top Bronze Age Conan Favorites” piece is the paucity of credits… especially for the writer. I scribed a great number of the stories on the list, and some of those are credited… but many more or not, and they should have been. For instance, I wrote the tales listed from #41 through #30, a total of a dozen issues… yet I’m identified as writer of only a couple of them. I realize this was not done intentionally, but since Send your comments to: Email: euryman@gmail.com (subject: BACK ISSUE) the artists of all those stories are mentioned, the writer should have Postal mail: Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief • BACK ISSUE been credited as well. 112 Fairmount Way * New Bern, NC 28562 Actually, it’s hard for me to take with full seriousness a list that does not include the graphic novel Conan the Rogue, Find BACK ISSUE on which John Buscema penciled, inked, and I believe even colored and lettered (I merely dialogued)… easily one of the best, if not THE best, job John ever turned in as Conan artist. But since the Marvel of that day simply tossed it out onto the market without fanfare, copies of Rogue are so rare that most fans don’t even know it even existed. I’m afraid my old friend Doug Moench gets it rather wrong on p. 45, as well, when he writes: “I was the one who suggested to ROY THOMAS ON OUR ‘CONAN AND THE Roy that Marvel Comics do a Conan comic book.” He may well BARBARIANS’ ISSUE Can’t swear that I’ve read each and every word in BACK ISSUE #121 have written me a personal letter on the subject at the time (since yet, as you continue your unrelenting (and doubtless ultimately we had met briefly in Chicago over Christmas ’64) and received successful) attempt to overtake Alter Ego in the number of issues a response from me saying I’d look into the matter but wasn’t hopeful… but the truth is that his was published… but it seems to me that you only one of a considerable number and your guys put together an excellent of letters we received on that topic, study of 1970s–’80s sword-and-sorcery and it’s impossible for me to believe comics, with (blush) considerable that his letter had any more effect on emphasis on my Conan and Arak work. our doing Conan the Barbarian than Good to see Barry’s [Windsor-Smith] any of the others. It was the mass unused cover in color at last; I don’t of them, not the particular writer, recall even seeing it back in the day, that impressed Stan… who may not though I’m sure I did, and of course even have seen Doug’s letter. Still, it Stan was right to reject it, as it doesn’t does show Doug had a good idea, and show Conan clearly enough. Still, I only gritted my teeth a little bit when it’s a nice piece of art. One of these he agreed to take over the Conan days, somebody (BI or AE, probably) newspaper strip when Jim Shooter should colorize Barry’s even better kicked me off it despite my having cover from the “Spider-God” issue, arranged with DC and Stan (through which was replaced only because Stan his rep, VP Sol Brodsky) for me to didn’t like emphasis on animals on continue writing it even though I was the cover and insisted that Barry draw otherwise under contract to DC. No, a new cover featuring some spidery I didn’t rejoice quietly for Doug’s humans who have no relationship to loss of an assignment when the the story inside. Well, that issue sold newspaper syndicate cancelled the well, so maybe he was right again. daily strip soon after I was taken I do feel a need, though, to correct off it… but rejoice quietly I did, all the a few statements in the issue, just in same, for the demise of the strip. Some the interests of accuracy, insofar as we might call my attitude “vindictive.” My poor imperfect humans can ever hope term for it was “poetic justice.” to attain it. For some reason, Conan seems to On page 3, in an otherwise laudable inspire people to believe that they, essay, Steven Thompson errs when and no one else, no groundswell of he says that in 1969–70 I “convinced a opinion and requests, caused Conan reluctant Stan Lee to give Comics Codethe Barbarian #1 to appear in summer of pushing sword-and-sorcery comics a © Conan Properties International, LLC. 1970. My late and good friend Gil Kane, try.” As I’ve often made clear before, of course, stated the same thing more I think, there was no “reluctant Stan Lee” in this case. Marvel— which meant Stan first, only secondarily myself and others—was in than once… and his friend/colleague Ron Goulart enshrined that in receipt of quite a few letters over the course of many months stone as “fact” in at least two or three hardcover books, which has urging us to try such a mag, whether they mentioned Conan led to others picking up that tidbit of misinformation. No, it was the general cast of readers, more than anything else, specifically or, as many of them did, just the notion of licensing one of the s&s properties out there on the paperback racks. (At that time, led Stan and me (probably basically in that order) to decide to of course, besides Conan, there were Kull, Solomon Kane, probably pursue a sword-and-sorcery license. Stan clearly thought, based on Bran Mark Morn, Elric, Brak, Thongor, perhaps a few others, with those letters, that there was some cachet to Marvel acquiring rights more in the wings.) In fact, I suspect it was Stan was called me in to an already-established hero, not a new one, or he’d probably to talk about the possibility of acquiring the rights to use some have just had Barry and me develop our “Starr the Slayer,” pre-published s&s hero in Marvel comics, rather than my suggesting which had come out very recently in Chamber of Darkness #4. it to him… though by that time I’m sure we’d at least exchanged Since Conan is an infinitely better character than either Starr or Lin comments from time to time about the mail we were getting on Carter’s Thongor (well known to be the first license we went after), that subject—as well as suggestions that we adapt the works of there was also a certain amount of luck involved. 76 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

Roy, thanks for your kind words about BI #121, and your corrections. I’m proud of the issue and appreciate your participation. While I agree that FF #1 eclipses Conan #1 in its historical significance, Conan #1 is important for several reasons, including its exploration of more mature themes in comics… yet within the Code’s restrictions. As such, at the time of its release it 1970, it was one of the key events that launched the Bronze Age (the others that year being, from my estimation, Mort Weisinger’s retirement from DC, Jack Kirby’s jumping from Marvel to DC, and Green Lantern/ Green Arrow #76). In retrospect, the 50 Bronze Age Conan Stories countdown should have included more credits. We presumed that most readers knew that the majority of the stories were penned by you, but you’re right, we should give credit where it is due. And upon your recommendation we’ll share a few peeks at Conan the Rogue, published as Marvel Graphic Novel #69…

HOT TOPIC

I never followed the character back in the day, but Marvel’s reacquisition of Conan has me reading both the original REH stories and the original Marvel and Dark Horse runs. All of which makes this latest issue of BACK ISSUE very timely. – Tom Campbell

WHEN BARBARIANS STUMBLE

With BACK ISSUE #121 you stumbled. And fell. Into dirt, which was turned into mud by rain. And in the mud, there were snapping turtles… I have every issue of BACK ISSUE, obtained each issue as soon as it came out, and I have never read (and I’m only on page 26) an issue as bad as this one. Can’t imagine a major interest in Conan (or barbarians in general), but that’s one thing I love about you guys… I always see something of interest in every issue (and I might find something in this issue, too, if I can ever get past Mr. Buxton’s article!). But with issues like this, where there may be a smaller interest than normal in dealing with a non-superhero topic, your articles tend to be overly long with nothing of real value. Take for example, the first article with the “Top 50 Bronze Age Conan Favorites,” and they’re only the author’s favorites. Really? Fifty? And ten pages dealing with all of these stories? Why? It’s not going to make anyone go out and read all of these stories. Could have gotten your point across with just a top ten. Once that mess was read, then we have “B is for Barbarian” by Marc Buxton. If I wanted to slog through something this bad, long and uninteresting, I’d re-read Alan Moore’s novel Jerusalem. I’m sure Mr. Buxton thinks it’s funny or cute to put the words “O Prince” (sometimes two or more times!) into nearly every paragraph of his 14 (!) page article. (Trust me, I got the “joke” in the first three words of the article.) Four pages in, I was screaming out loud for it to stop. Six pages in, I threw the magazine across the room, tearing off the cover. Clearly, Mr. Eury, you either appreciated Mr. Buxton’s attempt at being clever to the point of irritation, or didn’t read the article at all. I have literally tried to spend nearly three hours reading this article,

I don’t agree, really, that Conan the Barbarian #1 is anywhere near Fantastic Four #1 in importance, but I suppose it was a milestone in its way… and it gave me the impetus to begin pushing (from then on, without needing any prodding in advance from Stan) for other licenses and adaptations, from Two-Gun Bob Howard to H. P. Lovecraft to Doc Savage to the out-ofreach ERB and Tolkien to the science-fiction authors whose work soon popped up in Worlds Unknown and the like. It’s just a shame that, because my successors at Marvel lost all the one-page contracts I had got signed by Sturgeon, Ellison, et al., and left behind me when I departed the ed-in-chief job, none of the SF and horror adaptations by established authors can be reprinted at this time. Again, despite the handful of errors I felt obliged to point out, BACK ISSUE #121 was a job well done. I’ll have to bind a copy with this year’s run of Alter Ego. It’ll make up for the sixth AE issue that was a victim of the pandemic. Best wishes, – Roy Thomas

Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 77

WHEN BARBARIANS TRIUMPH

I have just finished reading BACK ISSUE #121 and thoroughly enjoyed every page. I thought you might like a bit of Conan history from across the pond. Marvel UK released their first reprint title in 1972, featuring the Hulk, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. They followed this up with Spider-Man Comics Weekly, The Avengers, and The Super-Heroes. The company then started adding different genres to their existing superhero titles. The first of these was Dracula Lives!, followed by Planet of the Apes. It was time for a certain barbarian to make his debut. The Savage Sword of Conan weekly premiered in 1975, reprinting Conan the Barbarian and King Kull strips from the US issues in black and white. Issue #1 included a free glossy poster and included an introduction by Stan Lee: “This is Conan the Barbarian, starring in his own sensational comics weekly, at last! And from this day forward—the wonderful world of legend will never be the same! Excelsior!” However, the UK didn’t share Stan’s enthusiasm. The title floundered and after 18 issues it was merged into The Avengers Weekly. Interestingly, the more risqué panels of the Conan strip were “cleaned up” for the younger UK readership. In charge of this task was none other than Neil Tennant, who would leave behind the job of covering ladies’ breasts and form the hugely successful Pet Shop Boys. Two years after Conan’s weekly title ended, the character was relaunched into the Savage Sword of Conan monthly. This title was directed at an older readership, so the nudity and violence from the US strips remained. This was particularly alarming to my mother, who visited me in hospital, bringing my usual fix of weekly Marvel comics to aid my recovery, but choosing to add the monthly Conan title. After discovering her little cherub was being subjected to scantily clad ladies in blood soaked peril, she forbade me reading it again! The UK Savage Sword monthly was much more successful than the weekly version, and it lasted 93 issues. In 1980, Marvel UK released the Conan the Barbarian pocketbook, which reprinted the early Conan US issues. It lasted 13 issues. Conan then leapt about in several early 1980s titles, including Marvel Comic, Valour, and Havoc. The barbarian returned to his own UK title in 1994 with Conan the Adventurer #1. Sadly, the title only lasted three issues. Not even the free notepad included with issue #1 could persuade UK fans to keep it going. Marvel UK also produced two Conan Annuals in 1982 and 1983, to tie in with the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. That was it for Conan in the UK, until last year, when the Avengers Universe title began reprinting Savage Avengers, controversially featuring a certain Cimmerian! 78 • BACK ISSUE • Legacy Issue

Hope that potted history of the Cimmerian’s UK publications was of some interest. Beyond Conan, I was, and remain, a huge fan of Red Sonja and I appreciated her getting a mention in Marc Buxton’s excellent “Not-Quite Conans” article. I was really impressed at the level of research that went into this article and greatly enjoyed the fun ‘O Prince’ inclusions. This article alone should be used to prompt Marvel into releasing a Bronze Age Barbarians Omnibus! I also loved Michael Eury’s DC Bronze Age round-up. It’s amazing how hard DC finally pushed the sword-and-sorcery theme in its titles. All in all, BACK ISSUE #121 was a hugely satisfying page-turner. By Crom, it was!! – Paul Burns

DENNY O’NEIL, R.I.P.

I was going to make the subject of this letter the contents of BI #120—in particular, the Legion of Super-Heroes. I would have mentioned how I’ve always enjoyed the Legion, but that each iteration seems to make the concept ever more complicated, and consequently more difficult for new readers to come on board. I’d have said that although the Legion is set in the 31st Century, their stories tell us more about the preoccupations of our own times, as you don’t have to look very far to spot the prevailing attitudes of the age in which they were written. I was going to say that perhaps it’s the fact that the world seems to have changed so rapidly in the last ten years that makes trying to imagine what the next thousand will be close to impossible. I was also planning to give an honorable mention to the Defective Comics Trading Cards. I picked up a set at a comic mart back in the ’90s, and if I’m honest probably hadn’t thought about it since then. As spoofs go it was astonishingly elaborate, and I doubt there were many people who understood all of the references. It was exactly the sort of article that BI excels in—exploring the creative process of what was clearly a labor of love, but which almost threatened to get out of control. As I say, that was the letter I was planning to write. Then, in the first post-lockdown issue of Batman to reach the

but can only make it through a couple of paragraphs at a time. I’ll be looking forward to the “Pages of Thunder” article about Arak (if I ever get to it), having a complete set of this series. And the Dark Horse article on Conan… even though it’s 11 pages, it’s heavily illustrated, which helps. I’ve never had an issue of a magazine I truly love put me in a bad mood such as this. I’m turning into a barbarian myself! Please, Mr. Eury, on topics such as this, please condense your articles on the topic (I tend to zone out reading an article with too much text or get frustrated with the page length), or as with the Dark Horse Conan article, space the text with more illustrations. This issue felt like padding with the length of uninformative articles (and that’s in 26 pages!), and at ten bucks an issue, if I really needed this much padding, I’d invest in seat cushions. Now pick yourself up and let’s see that New Teen Titans issue! – Dave Lathrop

UK I saw a two-page tribute to the late Denny O’Neil. His death hadn’t made the news over here, so coming across the memorial to him came as something of a shock. He was nothing less than a pioneering writer who brought social issues and the real world into the comic-book universe—in short, making comics “relevant”—and wrote with great compassion and humanity. Like most young comic fans back in the ’70s it was the artwork that first grabbed my attention—Adams, Wrightson, Kirby, and so forth. Denny O’Neil was the first writer I encountered who joined that pantheon. Whenever I saw that a story had been written by Denny O’Neil, I knew I was in safe hands, regardless of the artist. Farewell and thanks, Denny O’Neil. – Simon Bullivant P.S. On a personal note, I was lucky enough to meet Denny O’Neil in a professional capacity while co-writing a Batman tribute program for BBC Radio back in 1990, I believe it was. It was only a fleeting encounter, and I regret that in my desire to give the impression I was a serious writer I did nothing more than shake his hand and offer a little small talk. So there was no discussion of Green Lantern, Batman, relevance, or the creative process. Still, I did at least get to shake his hand.

MORE MARVEL UK COMMENTS

Making good use of lockdown here to advance my own research on Marvel Comics in Britain, I’ve also been catching up on some reading, including a recently ordered pile of BI and AE, and so have a few things to comment on from a UK perspective. Although I bought mainly UK Marvel’s from the start, there were a few US ones I bought too, Marvel Fanfare being one of these. Something that #96’s overview didn’t pick up on was that Skywolf has a greater vintage than is suggested. Not so long ago, I came across a Bullpen Bulletins item in one 1977 weekly, listing several features said to be headed into future weeklies, including Skywolf! Of course, it didn’t, but neither did the also-mentioned Woodgod until much later on. As weekly titles, the UK comics were always hungry for new material as the backlogs were run down, of course. Which very neatly leads me to BI #105 and the kung-fu-themed issue. Oddly enough, I’d only just finished reading the entire original run of Master of Kung Fu before this came in the post. Because the series had only begun to appear in the UK mere months after the series US debut, and as a bimonthly comic initially at that, it was always in danger of running dry. The same mistake was made later that year with our POTA weekly, where Moench was also pumped to come up with additional scripts to keep that weekly from running out of material. With MOKF, much of the material from the Giant-Size books was pressed into service to help keep the series in The Avengers comic, as was the Marvel Team-Up story, but eventually Shang-Chi was forced Sgt. Rock and Cinder and Ashe TM & © DC Comics. BACK ISSUE TM & © TwoMorrows. All Rights Reserved.

to rotate with Iron Fist, to prevent either from overtaking the US. As it was, many of the early MOKF stories actually appeared in Britain before the US! This is why Lu Sun didn’t have a moustache in the story destined for MOKF #19, as Dave Lemieux later mentioned in BI #112, as the artwork would have been quickly shot for inclusion in the UK weekly and then passed across to the US department where corrections were made. You can also spot small art-correction differences between many of the POTA movie adaptations in the UK and their later US publication. Oh, and in the spirit of that wacky humorous issue of What If? from the original run mentioned in BI #111—pages from which were used as space fillers in many a weekly comic thereafter—fans of the series may like to know that there’s also a spoof UK one-page What If? story out there, by the prolific team of Tim Quinn and Dicky Howett: “What if Thor had Appeared in ‘Nancy’?” This can be found in Marvel Madhouse #5 (Oct. 1981). Keep up the good work! – Rob Kirby

THE BARBARIANS WON ME OVER

Not gonna lie, I was not overly jazzed about this issue because sword-andsorcery was never high on my list. HOWEVER, as often happens with BACK ISSUE, I’m poring over every page, thinking, “Damn, I used to have that comic, I should rebuy that one!” and “Hmm, I should really pick that issue up,” and “Huh, I didn’t know that!” over and over again. This is why BI is indispensable. Another great issue! – Karl Heitmueller, Jr. High praise indeed, especially coming from the cartoonist of BI’s beloved “Prince Street News.” Karl, I’m not really a sword-and© Marvel. sorcery fan either, and admittedly, non-superhero-themed issues of BI are always harder work for me as editor because I’m not passionate or nostalgic about the material. BUT... I always try, no matter the theme, to produce a magazine that’s a wealth of information, and in situations like this issue, where I’m less familiar with the subject matter, I come out learning even more. Next issue: “Soldiers”! Sgt. Rock revivals, Sgt. Rock diecast vehicles, Hulk foe General Thunderbolt Ross, Beetle Bailey in comics, DC’s enemy-starring Blitzkrieg, War is Hell’s combat deadman John Kowalski, Atlas’ savage soldiers, The ’Nam, Nth Man the Ultimate Ninja, and GERRY CONWAY and JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ’s Cinder and Ashe. Featuring CHRIS CLAREMONT, PETER DAVID, STEVE ENGLEHART, MICHAEL GOLDEN, LARRY HAMA, TONY ISABELLA, ADAM KUBERT, JOE KUBERT, PAUL KUPPERBERG, JEPH LOEB, DOUG MURRAY, ROY THOMAS, WAYNE VANSANT, RON WAGNER, and more. All this, under an amazing BRIAN BOLLAND cover featuring the grizzled Rock of Easy Company himself! Don’t ask—just BI it! See you in sixty! Your friendly neighborhood Euryman, Michael Eury, editor-in-chief Legacy Issue • BACK ISSUE • 79

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BACK ISSUE #128

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BRONZE AGE PROMOS, ADS, AND GIMMICKS! The aborted DC Super-Stars Society fan club, Hostess Comic Ads, DC 16-page Preview Comics, rare Marvel custom comics, DC Hotline, Popeye Career Comics, early variant covers, and more. Featuring BARR, HERDLING, LEVITZ, MAGUIRE, MORGAN, PACELLA, PALMIOTTI, SHAW!, TERRY STEWART, THOMAS, WOLFMAN, and more!

THE KIRBY LEGACY AT DC! Explores Jack Kirby’s post-Fourth World Bronze Age DC characters! Demon, Kamandi, OMAC, Sandman, and Kirby’s Odd Jobs (Atlas, Manhunter, and more). Plus: the SIMON & KIRBY Reunion That Wasn’t! Featuring BISSETTE, BYRNE, CONWAY, GIBBONS, GOLDEN, GRANT, RUCKA, SEMEIKS, THOMAS, TIMM, WAGNER, and more. Demon cover by KIRBY and MIKE ROYER!

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

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

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

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

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

2021

BRONZE AGE TV TIE-INS! TV-to-comic adaptations of the ’70s to ’90s, including Bionic Woman, Dark Shadows, Emergency, H. R. Pufnstuf, Hee Haw, Lost in Space (with BILL MUMY), Primus (with ROBERT BROWN), Sledge Hammer, Superboy, V, and others! Featuring BALD, BATES, CAMPITI, EVANIER, JOHN FRANCIS MOORE, SALICRUP, SAVIUK, SPARLING, STATON, WOLFMAN, and more!

SUBSCRIPTION RATES Alter Ego (Six issues) Back Issue (Eight issues) BrickJournal (Six issues) Comic Book Creator (Four issues) Jack Kirby Collector (Four issues) RetroFan (Six issues)

ECONOMY US $68 $90 $68 $46 $49 $68

EXPEDITED US $80 $103 $80 $56 $59 $80

PREMIUM US $87 $113 $87 $60 $63 $87

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

INTERNATIONAL $103 $137 $103 $69 $72 $103

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BACK ISSUE #127

SOLDIERS ISSUE! Sgt. Rock revivals, General Thunderbolt Ross, Beetle Bailey in comics, DC’s Blitzkrieg, War is Hell’s John Kowalski, Atlas’ savage soldiers, The ’Nam, Nth the Ultimate Ninja, and CONWAY and GARCIA-LOPEZ’s Cinder and Ashe. Featuring CLAREMONT, DAVID, DIXON, GOLDEN, HAMA, KUBERT, LOEB, DON LOMAX, DOUG MURRAY, TUCCI, and more. BRIAN BOLLAND cover!